Every day, Michael Arimi, a resident of Kayole in the east of Nairobi, Kenya, wakes up and heads to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport where he works at a cargo handling firm. His job involves sorting out various cargo according to size and destination before they are taken to the plane. After completing his day's work, Arimi usually returns home and from about 6 pm, he starts his second job - running a motorbike taxi business. "I do the work to about 10 pm and retire to prepare for the following day," he said, adding that on a good evening he can earn up to 1,000 shillings ($10). His life is typical of that of many Kenyans in low income formal employment. The motorbikes, imported mainly from China, have offered many people a means to earn extra income, as the use of taxis has boomed in the east African nation. The motorbike taxis are more commonly known as boda boda. While some of the workers do the job themselves, others have employed people to do it. Among those doing motorbike taxi jobs as "side hustles" are teachers, police officers, civil servants, watchmen and drivers. "I am an electricity meter reader by day and motorbike taxi operator by night. You cannot survive on the salary alone," said Titus Otiato, a resident of Ruai on the outskirts of Nairobi. Otiato noted that he earns a salary of about $300, which is not enough to sustain him and his family of three comfortably. Like many other workers in formal employment, he took out a loan of $700 from the company's savings society and bought a motorbike. Ease of access to loans by workers in formal employment is one of the reasons many are in the trade. Another reason is the drop in prices of the machines following the entry of Chinese brands like Boxer, Jingchen and Haojin in the Kenyan market, some of which are assembled locally. The brand new bikes go for between $600 and $800, which is lower than those from other countries like India and Japan, whose prices average $1,000. In Kenyan villages, teachers and civil servants are among the main owners of motorbikes, which they rent out to youths, earning at least $4 from each a day. Fred Ajwang, a government employee in Busia, western Kenya, owns eight of them, but doesn't like to be described as a motorbike tycoon. "I have agreed with the riders that they bring me $3.50 each day and pocket the rest they make which caters for their wages, fuel and minor repairs like punctures. This way, one works hard to make more money," he said on the phone. Ajwang started with one bike that he bought using a loan and has been expanding his trade since. "I get an average of $240 a day but my target is to hit $500. It is good business but I will not quit my agricultural job since that is my profession," he said, adding that his bikes are Chinese brands. Most Kenyans are taking up the boda boda trade because it has fewer entry restrictions, according to Ernest Manuyo, a business management lecturer at Pioneer Institute in Nairobi. "All you need to get into the business are the machines, which are now affordable, and insurance for the owner and a rider's license for those doing the job themselves. One then starts earning. It is not like starting a shop where one needs multiple licences," he said. Chinese motorcycles account for about 50 percent of Kenya's motorbike market, with the machines injecting over $1.3 million daily into the economy, according to the Motorcycle Assemblers Association of Kenya, which notes that the boda bodas have become an important source of income for thousands of people. According to state police at Fogelsville, Esser was driving east on Old Route 22 when her car left the right side of the road and struck a concrete pillar supporting the Interstate 78 bridge. Esser was not wearing her seatbelt, state police said. Trumps campaign had learned on the fly then and was run by staffers who were new to running campaigns, said Michael Korns, who was chair of the Westmoreland County GOP that year. Korns, one of several local party leaders to tell Politico in 2016 that the Trump campaign wasnt organized effectively on the ground in Pennsylvania, said Trumps message resonated with voters who felt the mainstream political discussion left them behind. The three defendants have sought to achieve their goals by seeking to exploit for their own malicious purposes an important political movement in order to broaden the audience of their false claim among a trusting, unknowing, and unsuspecting public, to wrongfully mobilize and incite unwitting accomplices against plaintiff, and to inflict maximum harm on plaintiff and his family based on accusations they know to be false, Leach contends in the suit. Launching this online graduate business program to meet the demands of the market is completely aligned with the mission of Moravian College, dating back to our start in 1742, Moravian College President Bryon Grigsby said in a statement. Weve worked hard to embrace technology and make it ubiquitous on campus for every student, and this online program is part of that evolution. Martin Tower is the symbol of one of Americas mightiest industrial concerns as it plunged from the zenith of its power into a steady decline, ultimately leading to the failure that resulted in the loss of over 100,000 jobs and regional economic hardship, according to the form prepared by Noble Preservation Services of Zionsville on behalf of the owners. I would say the shiitakes on Chinese logs are a product of a global economy, said Smithson, who is a chef for a large caterer in New Hope. It's kind of like my Toyota. The parts were made overseas but assembled in Tennessee. I guess my car can be said to have been made in America. But as a chef, I would find those shiitakes to be labeled deceptively if they're claimed to be produced here. President: Two nations 'shoulder special historic responsibility' President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron pledged to work together to uphold multilateralism and promote bilateral ties as they exchanged congratulations on the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on Sunday. In his message, Xi said exchanges and cooperation between the two nations have seen continuous expansion since they forged official ties, and have brought about tangible benefits to the two countries and peoples. Saying today's world is facing profound changes unseen in a century, and human development is facing both opportunities and challenges, Xi stated that the two countries both of which are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council shoulder a special historic responsibility. Xi said he stands ready to work along with Macron to carry on the traditional friendship, hold high the banner of multilateralism, and bring the close and enduring Sino-French comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level so as to make greater contributions to promoting world peace, stability and development. For his part, Macron said that given rising global uncertainties, France and China play an especially important role in safeguarding the rules-based multilateral international order that features mutual respect. Noting that he wants to promote stronger bilateral ties, Macron said he is willing to work with Xi to enhance cooperation with China in such fields as nuclear energy, aviation, agriculture and trade, as well as strengthen collaboration on global issues such as climate change. The two countries kicked off commemorations marking the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties last week with ceremonies held in both Paris and Beijing. Rising unilateralism and uncertainties on the international stage will drive China and France to work much closer in upholding multilateralism and improving global governance as well as maintaining international strategic balance, according to a report from the European Union and its members published on July 19. The report, jointly published by the Center for China-EU Relations at Fudan University and the Shanghai Institute for European Studies, suggested that the two sides should manage their differences in competitive fields to make a bigger pie providing more benefits, and should also expand cooperation in upholding multilateralism through bilateral, regional and global platforms. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who wrapped up visits to France and Italy on Saturday, told reporters that the China-France and China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnerships have been enhanced over time. Both France and Italy have clearly welcomed Chinese investment into their countries, promising not to adopt any restrictions on specific enterprises and discrimination against particular companies, Wang said. He added that Chinese companies will increasingly turn their eyes to countries worthy of their trust. Will Crude Oil Find Support Above $50? Recent global news regarding Venezuela, China, and global oil supply/production have resulted in the price of Oil pausing over the past few weeks near $53 to $55 ppb. We believe the continued supply glut and uncertainty will result in oil prices falling, briefly, back below $50 ppb before any new price rally begins. Our researchers at www.TheTechnicalTraders.com believe historical resistance near $54~55 is strong enough to drive prices lower before new momentum picks up for a renewed price rally. Eventually, yes, oil will rally above $55 and attempt to target the $65+ price level. Yet we dont believe that move is going to happen right now. We believe the global uncertainty; the slowing Chinese economy and the global supply glut will result in a fundamental price decrease before any momentum for an upside price move begins. Our analysis suggests a price move back below $50 ppb, likely targeting the $46~47 level, where basing may occur. Uncertainty in Venezuela and other oil-producing nations may result in a disruption in supply at some point in the future. We must be cautious of unknown situations that could result in dramatic price shifts. Yet, overall, with supply levels still high and slowing global economic expectations, it makes sense that oil would attempt to base and find support near recent lows between $46~48. Visit www.TheTechnicalTraders.com to learn how we can help you find and execute better trades in 2019. Learn how our proprietary predictive modeling systems have called these moves in the past and how our research team can assist you in finding great opportunities in the future. Chris Vermeulen www.TheTechnicalTraders.com Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better. His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility. He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Mankato, MN (56001) Today Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Sun Yang of China attends the awarding ceremony of men's 1500m freestyle final of swimming at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 24, 2018. Sun won the gold medal. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) The Chinese Swimming Association (CSA) said Sunday Sun Yang had no wrongdoings and did not violate anti-doping rules when he took an out-of-competition urine test last September. CSA cited a final decision from the FINA Doping Panel, saying "As a result, the sample collection session initiated by IDDM on September 4, 2018, is invalid and void," according to a statement released on Sunday. Sun had rejected an out-of-competition doping test at his home in Zhejiang province on September 4, 2018, as doping testers from IDDM, the organisation then authorized by FINA to conduct such tests, had failed to show adequate proof of identification. A dispute between Sun and the doping control team was later referred to world swimming governing body FINA, who ruled in favor of Sun after a 13-hour hearing on January 3. In the report entitled "Olympic champion Sun Yang abuses drug testers", the Sunday Times reported that Sun "faces a lifetime ban after a clash with doping testers ended in him and his security guard using a hammer to smash a sealed vial containing the swimmer's blood." It added that Sun "objected to the identification card of the chaperone, there to observe him passing urine, claiming it was insufficient proof he was an official member of the testing team." The CSA quoted FINA's decision as saying, "Mr. Sun Yang did not commit an anti-doping rule violation under FINA DC 2.3 or FINA DC 2.5" in the statement. "After FINA called up an investigation of the issue, CSA ordered Sun Yang to fully co-operate with FINA and truely report every details of the affair. According to the final decision of the FINA Doping Panel, FINA confirms the athlete did not commit an anti-doping rule violation," CSA announced in the statement. Sun Yang, the world record holder of men's 1,500m freestyle and three-time Olympic champion, is considering filing a lawsuit against The Sunday Times, Sun's lawyer Zhang Qihuai said on Sunday. Zhang said the newspaper reported the incident with "a malign intention" which "severely damaged Sun Yang's reputation and violated his privacy." "We reserve the right to file a lawsuit against the relevant international media which reported the incident," according to a statement reached to Xinhua. "The three IDDM staff members failed to produce IDDM authorization letters and were also unable to provide either a DCO certificate or a nursing license," Zhang said in the statement. "And they fabricated an untruthful report claiming Sun Yang broke anti-doping rules and sent it to FINA." Zhang revealed in a later interview that the doping control team was composed of the chief DCO, her untrained schoolmate and a friend. "As a matter of fact, the other two people lacked doping control training, DCO certificates and relevant authorization papers," Zhang explained. According to Zhang, Sun immediately reported the problem to Zhejiang swimming authorities who "consulted with the national swimming team leader and decided to keep the DCOs from taking away the blood sample, since both their identifications and the doping test process were questionable." Following the incident, Sun and Zhang attended a FINA hearing in November 2018 in Lausanne. "We provided a great deal of evidence, including 58 video captures and surveillance footage which objectively reproduced the scene," Zhang said. "So FINA concluded that Sun did not commit any wrongdoing." "Sun is entitled to reject any invalid doping test and safeguard the reputation and integrity of Chinese athletes," Zhang added in the interview. Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on last day expressed his disappointment that no one from the saint community has been chosen for the country's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna in the past 70 years. It is unfortunate that in the last 70 years, not a single spiritual leader has been honoured with the Bharat Ratna - Maharishi Dayananda Saraswati, Swami Vivekananda ji, or even Shivakumara Swami ji," Ramdev said. "Contribution by Maharishi Dayananda or Swami Vivekananda are no less than a national leader. Till now why any Sanyasi has not got Bharat Ratna? They have given Mother Teresa this award as she was a Christian, but they will not give to others seers as they are Hindus," he added. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2019 > Netaji on Our Freedom Struggle and India after Independence On the occasion of Netaji Subhas Chandra Boses 122nd birth anniversary on January 23 this year, we are carrying the following excerpts from Netajis speeches and writings while remembering that stalwart of our freedom struggle. This is Subhas Chandra Bose speaking to you over the Azad Hind Radio. For about a year I have waited in silence and patience for the march of events and now that the hour has struck, I come forward to speak. The fall of Singapore means the collapse of the British Empire, the end of the iniquitous regime which it has symbolised and the dawn of a new era in Indian history. The Indian people who have long suffered from the humiliation of a foreign yoke and have been ruined spiritually, culturally, politically and economically while under British dominationmust now offer their humble thanks to the Almighty for the auspicious event which bears for India the promise of life and freedom... The outside world hears from time to time voices coming from India, claiming to speak either in the name of the Indian National Congress or of the Indian people. But these are voices coming through the channels of British propaganda and nobody should make the fatal mistake of regarding them as representative of Free India. As is natural in a land that has been under foreign domination, the British oppressors have endeavoured to create divisions among the Indian people... There is, however, the vast majority of the Indian people who will have no compromise with British Imperialism but will fight on till full independence is achieved. Owing to war-time conditions prevailing in India, the voice of these freedom-loving Indians cannot cross the frontiers of that countrybut we who have fought for more than two decades for our national emancipation, know exactly what the vast majority of our countrymen think and feel today. Standing at one of the cross-roads of world-history, I solemnly declare on behalf of all freedom-loving Indians in India and abroad that we shall continue to fight British Imperialism till India is once again the mistress of her own destiny. During this struggle and in the reconstruction that will follow, we shall heartily co-operate with all those who will help us in overthrowing the common enemy. I am confident that in this sacred struggle, the vast majority of the Indian people will be with us. No manoeuvre, intrigue or conspiracy on the part of the agents of Anglo-American Imperialism, however prominent they may be and to whichever nationality they may belong, can throw dust in the eyes of the Indian people or swerve them from the path of patriotic duty. The hour of Indias salvation is at hand. India will now rise and break the chains of servitude that have bound her so long. Through Indias liberation will Asia and the world move forward towards the larger goal of human emancipation. [From the first broadcast to the world over Azad Hind Radio, February 19, 1942] A question which many people ask is as to what will happen when the British are forced to leave India. British propaganda has made many people think that without the British there will be anarchy and chaos in India. These people conveniently forget that British occupation began only in 1757 and was not complete till 1857while India is a land whose history is measured, by thousands of years. If culture, civilisation, administration and economic prosperity were possible in India before British rulethey will also be possible after British rule. In fact, under British rule, the culture and civilisation of India has been suppressed, the administration has been denationalised and a land that was formerly rich and prosperous has become one of the poorest in the world... It would be wrong to dogmatise from now about the exact form of the future Indian state. One can only indicate the principles which will underlie that state and determine its form. India has had experience of several Empires in the past and this experience will furnish the background on which we shall have to build in future. Then we shall have to consider the causes which led to our political downfall and prevent their recurrence in future. Further, we shall have to remember that the intelligentsia of India today is quite familiar with modern political institutions and is greatly interested in them. We shall also have to consider the political experiments made in different parts of Europe in the post-Versailles period. And lastly, we shall have to consider the requirements of the Indian situation. One thing, however, is clear. There will be a strong Central Government. Without such a Government, order and public security cannot be safeguarded. Behind this Government will stand a well-organised, disciplined all-India party, which will be the chief instrument for maintaining national unity. The state will guarantee complete religious and cultural freedom for individuals and groups and there will be no state-religion. In the matter of political and economic rights there will be perfect equality among the whole population. When every individual has employment, food and education and has freedom in religious and cultural matters, there will be no more any minorities problem in India. When the new regime is stabilised and the state-machinery begins to function smoothly, power will be decentralised and the provincial governments will be given more responsibility. The state will have to do everything possible to unify the whole nation and all methods of propagandapress, radio, cinema, theatre, etc.will have to be utilised for this purpose. All anti-national and disruptive elements will have to be firmly suppressedalong with such secret British agents as may still exist in the country. An adequate police force will have to be organised for this purpose and the law will have to be amended, so that offences against national unity may be punished heavily. Hindustani, which is already understood in most parts of the country, will be adopted as the common language for India. Special emphasis will have to be laid on the proper education of boys and girls and of students in the schools and in the universities, so that they may imbibe the spirit of national unity at an early age. British propaganda has deliberately created the impression that the Indian Mohammedans are against the Independence movement. But this is altogether false. The fact is that in the nationalist movement, there is a large percentage of Moham-medans. The President of the Indian National Congress today is Azada Mohammedan. The vast majority of the Indian Mohammedans are anti-British and want to see India free. There are no doubt pro-British parties among both Mohammedans and Hindus which are organised as religious parties. But they should not be regarded as representing the people. The great revolution of 1857 was a grand example of national unity. The war was fought under the flag of Bahadur Shah, a Mohammedan, and all sections of the people joined in it. Since then, Indian Mohammedans have continued to work for national freedom. Indian Mohammedans are as much children of the soil as the rest of the Indian population and their interests are identical. The Mohammedan (or Muslim) problem in India today is an artificial creation of the British similar to the Ulster problem in Ireland and the Jewish problem in Palestine. It will disappear when British rule is swept away... While dealing with the problems of reconstruction, it would be interesting to know that in December, 1938 when I was the President of the Indian National Congress, I inaugurated a National Planning Committee, for drawing up plans for reconstruction in every department of life. This Committee has already done valuable work and its reports will be helpful for our future activity. The Indian Princes and their States are an anachronism which must soon be abolished. They would have disappeared long ago, if the British had not preserved them in order to hamper the unification of the country. Most of the Princes are active supporters of the British Government and there is not a single Prince who is likely to play a role, similar to that which Piemont played in the Risorgimento movement in Italy. Among the people of the States who are one-fourth of the total Indian population, there is a popular movement which is closely connected with the Congress movement in British India. The Princes will naturally disappear along with the British rule, since most of them are very unpopular with their own people. But they cannot present any difficulty to the Free India Government... Young India has a gigantic task to fulfil. There are tremendous difficulties to overcome, no doubt, but there is also the joy and glory of struggle and ultimate victory. [From the article Free India and her Problems, first published in the German periodical Wille und Macht in August 1942 and then reproduced in Azad Hind, the official publication of the Free India Centre in Berlin] Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2019 > The Third Battle of Panipat: Let us examine its True Impact (...) by Basudev Mazumdar BJP President Amit Shah has again got his history wrong. While inaugurating the BJPs national convention recently on January 11, 2019 in New Delhi for giving a push to poll preparedness, he compared the ensuing Lok Sabha election with the third Panipat battle of 1761 AD (January 14, 1761) when the Peshwa regime was vanquished by the Afghan ruler, Ahmad Shah Abdali. He said that the defeat led to a slavery of 200 years. People should not forget that and make similar mistakes by not voting the BJP. These were faithfully reported by all the mainstream newspapers like The Indian Express (IE), The Times of India (ToI) etc. on January 12, 2019. [Ref: LS polls like Panipat battle, loss can lead to slavery, IE, 12-1-19. Shah likens LS polls 2019 to Panipat 1761, ToI, 12-1-2019] Let us examine the BJP Presidents comment. Firstly, these events are absolutely of different degrees. There cannot be any comparison. 1761s was an epoch-making phenomenon which changed the course of Indian history. But LS polls keep on coming every five years, the government may or may not change but there is hardly anything beyond. These are routine changes. Secondly, Shah was wrong in gauging the depth of the positive socio-political impact. He must recognise that the defeat, instead, was a great boon for India as the utterly casteist, discriminating and wicked regime of the Brahmin Peshwas in Maharashtra was almost eliminated paving the way for a more enlightened British rule. The evil power was finally crushed in the Third Anglo-Peshwa war in 1818 at Bhima-Koregaon near Pune. With these defeats, the Peshwa title was abolished, the downtrodden got a bit of freedom from slavery and torture of the earlier cruel desi rulers. Their life began changing. Modernity gradually started and in due course India became one single unit under one rule of the British. We, as a nation, reaped immense benefit as a result during their rule and even at the time of their departure. Well, I understand that for a caste Hindu or Brahmin and traditional beneficiaries of our vile caste system, it is difficult to appreciate this aspect. Because in the new regime that followed, their traditional privileges, power and authorities were curtailed, education became universal, ordinary folks, who the other day were reeling under caste slavery, became aware of their rights with access to education. Our historians (mostly caste Hindus), too, hardly highlight this side. This makes our history one-sided and incomplete. This necessitates a further study of the past in an unbiased manner. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2019 > Crossing the Constitutional Line on the Eve of Republic Day Until a week or so ago, the chief fare on the nationalist menu was clearly the Ram Mandir. Till the Kumbh took its place. A frenetic onslaught on the nations attention was in evidence, as diverse recipes for a quick execution of the building of the temple were unleashed by the many outlets of the Hindutva Parivar. One stalwart of the parivar went about feverishly recommending on television channels that since the Narasimha Rao Government had already acquired the land at the disputed site in Ayodhya, all that the Modi Government needed to do was to commence construction of the temple. Others sought to persuade the government of the day to bring in an ordinance to side-step the Court proceedings on the issue. It is to the Prime Ministers credit that, at the risk of annoying his ideological mentors, he took the sagacious and constitutionally correct position that nothing ought to be done till such time as the matter was not adjudicated by the Supreme Court. Regrettably, however, the Prime Minister thought it fit to dump that stance towards the institutional life of the republic as authorised by the constitutional scheme when he spoke on the Sabarimala issue in Kerala. Mr Modi thundered that only one political party, namely, his party, was unequivocally on the side of the devotees defying the Supreme Court order to allow women of all ages entry into the shrine. Now, what is the law-abiding citizen of the republic to make of this? Is the Supreme Court to be obeyed only when its orders favour the ideological predilections of any given party in power? What if the deliberations of the Court on the title suite before it in the disputed site issue were to favour the position of the Sunni Waqf Board? Would the deference shown by the Prime Minister to its deliberations still hold? The anguish here is not merely a speculative one. Not a day passes when the state does not enjoin upon its citizens to live their private and public lives in accordance with the majesty of the law; in all matters, let the law take its course comes indeed to occupy a central place in official discourse. And quite rightly. But how is the citizen to feel inspired to do so when she/he hears her/his Prime Minister disregard a constitutional order of the highest Court in the land as he did in his speech at Kerala on the question of entry into the Sabarimala shrine? Even more crucially, how does such a stance square with the authority of the Chief Executive of the republic whose validation, after all, comes from his solemn oath to uphold the constitutional scheme rather than from any majoritarian public predilection outside the regime of law? AT a time when one state institution after another keeps coming into the ambit of controversy, where else but to the Prime Minister does a law-abiding citizen go for consolation that the constitutional regime will remain sovereign and continue to be the guarantee of law-abiding citizenship, regardless of undemocratic, strong-arm, majoritarian campaigns to appropriate and displace the constitutionally validated state? There is need here to understand that India is a parliamentary democracy rather than a direct democracy; not that any direct democracies exist in the world. The dangers of ignoring this distinction are nowhere better underscored than in what has been happening in Britain recently. Having held a referendum on remaining in or leaving the European Unionall in a funky hastethat mother of all democracies is now saddled with a desperate constitutional issue: does that referendum hold or does the decision belong to the British Parliament? How indeed may they square that round hole? Should the sovereignty of Parliament now be again superceded by another referendum? And so forth with all kinds of decisions. The recent tendency in our own republic to place unauthorised mob opinion, however unauthorised, over the constitutional mechanisms of Indian parliamentary democracy can well lead to an anarchy in which state institutions either become handmaidens or open targets of mob frenzy. Our public leaders need to recognise that, however large or enthused the mass gatherings they address on any issue, they must resist the temptation to take such gatherings and their zestful endorsement as authorisations that supercede the Constitution and rule of law. Already a respected name in the corridors of the worlds democracies, the Indian citizen looks to Mr Modi to show the way. Imagine how pathbreaking it would have been had Mr Modi applauded the Kerala Government for seeking to uphold the rule of law with respect to the Sabarimala shrinesomething that, conceivably, Nehru or Lal Bahadur Shastri, or Sardar Patel would have doneinstead of accusing the Communists of subverting culture. After all, in this country, untouchability, other forms of caste-based apartheid and violence, female circumcision, instant triple talaaq, child marriage, atrocities on widows, sati, even tantric human sacrifice have been aspects of culture. It is incumbent, therefore on an enlightened democracy governed by the principles of law, human equality and dignity to think which aspects of culture may be worthwhile or not a process that has willy nilly been underway in history regardless of any attempts to perpetuate such culture. We look up to the custodians of law and democratic institutions to constantly further that rational and egalitarian revolution. As the nation prepares to celebrate Republic Day, it must seem particularly piquant that the Prime Ministers speech in Kerala should have shown a rather blatant disregard for constitutional injunctions to which he owes his office. The author, who taught English literature at the University of Delhi for over four decades and is now retired, is a prominent writer and poet. A well-known commentator on politics, culture and society, he wrote the much-acclaimed Dickens and the Dialectic of Growth. His book, The Underside of ThingsIndia and the World: A Citizens Miscellany, 2006-2011, came out in August 2012. Thereafter he wrote two more books, Idea of India Hard to Beat: Republic Resilient and Kashmir: A Noble Tryst in Tatters. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2019 > Why Farmers and Farm Workers are demanding Special Session of (...) by Gopal Krishna Inspired by the Long March of Maharashtra farmers and farm workers, that is, the astute practitioners of democracy who walked from Nashik to Mumbai to encircle the State Legislative Assembly in Mumbai in March 2018, this years fourth march of farmers and farm workers to Parliament Street has brought the demand for a 21-day joint session of Parliament on agrarian crisis to the centre-stage. This demand of the All India Kisan Struggle Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), comprising of some 210 organisations of farmers and farm workers, got the support of 21 political parties including two parties from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Nation for Farmers, a collective of the concerned citizens. Farmers and farm workers converged from all over the country at Ramlila Ground in New Delhi by the night of November 29. These farmers and farm workers commenced their march from different points from the outskirts of the National Capital Region. They werent adequately covered for a somewhat cold night. Those from southern India reached the Nizamuddin Railway Station in the morning of November 29. These farmers from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra had started their march from the Nizamuddin Railway Station. The ones from Rajasthan gathered in the vicinity of Delhi near Bijwasan. Those from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal gathered at Anand Vihar Railway Station. The farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh gathered at Delhis Kishanganj Sabzi Mandi. The assembly points were pre-planned. Gurudwara Shri Bala Sahebji, Sarai Kalekhan, near Nizamuddin Railway Stationwere the assembly points for farmers and farm workers from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana marchers. The Kisan Mukti March began at 11 in the morning. Barat Ghar, Saini Mohalla, near the Bijwasan Railway Station was the assembly point for those coming from Rajasthan and southern Haryana. Here the March began at 9 in the morning. Anand Vihar Railway Station was the assembly point for those coming in from the eastern side like from West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh. The March from this point began at 11.30 am. Sabzi Mandi Kishanganj was the assembly point for those coming from Punjab, Uttara-khand, Haryana. The March from this point commenced at 11 am. At night around 8-9 pm on November 29 former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Devegowda turned up at the Ramlila Ground to express his support to the Kisan Mukti March and the demands of the farmers and farm workers as he had to be in Nepal on November 30. Prime Minister should personally take note of this. I would like to appeal to the Union Government to try and solve the farmers problem, said the former Prime Minister. He added: The Modi Government and BJP are boasting about betterment of Indias position in the Ease of Doing Business index. India should better itself in Ease of Doing Agriculture. He said: Eradication of poverty, employment generation and rural development is possible if India betters itself in Ease of Doing Agriculture too. Commenting on the march, Dr Ashok Dhawale, the President of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), said that the BJP Government has no interest in solving the problems of farmers. For this betrayal, farmers will give the Modi Government and the BJP a befitting reply in the 2019 election. Note bandi ka jawab, kisan vote bandi se denge (farmers will respond to demonetisation with their votes) because the governments initiatives have failed to solve the farmers distress. During the night of November 29, there were cultural programmesEk Sham Kisano ke Naamfor farmers and farm workers. Similar programmes were organised in many cities like Pune and Patna to express solidarity with the Kisan Mukti March. A petition has been sent to the President of India requesting him to urgently convene a special joint session of Parliament on the agrarian crisis and related issues. The letter submitted that the agrarian crisis is no longer just a measure of loss of land, incomes, jobs and productivity, but of our own humanity. It contended that in the recent past there was a midnight joint session of Parliament to discuss the Goods and Services Tax. Surely the pre-cariousness of the lives of millions of citizens merits the undivided attention of Parliament and thereby its commitment to find enduring solutions. This is necessitated by the fact that a situation has arisen wherein a demand is being made for setting up a Disaster Mitigation Fund and overhauling of the Disaster Relief System under the Disaster Management Act wherein Ministries of Finance, Home and Agriculture would ensure that they work in tandem. It has sought an outlay of at least Rs 25,000 crores this year for disaster relief to farmers in the face of drought in several States. The Manifesto of Indian Farmers seeks reversal of the changes in the Manual for Drought Management. It also seeks a review of the Contract Farming Act, 2018 and expresses opposition to foreign direct investment in agriculture and food processing and their inclusion in free trade agreements like regional comprehensive economic partnership. This demand for a special parliamentary session emerged after numerous protests, petitions, pleadings by distressed farmers, labourers, forest communities, fisher folk and the foot soldiers of the countrys literacy and health care programmesAnganwadi, Accredited Social Health Activists and Auxiliary Nurse Midwife workersfailed to get the attention of successive governments. This demand is a quest for social and economic justice that strives for liberation from debt, remunerative prices, fair wages, employment and education, as well as health and nutritional security. At the concluding programme of the Kisan Mukti March it was announced that a Charter of Demands for Farmers including enactment of two billsThe Farmers Freedom from Indebted-ness Bill, 2018, and The Farmers Right to Guaranteed Remunerative Minimum Support Prices for Agricultural Commodities Bill, 2018has been prepared to address the problems of farmer suicides, deaths of children due to starvation, growing unemployment, increased informalisation, indebtedness, a devastation of the countrys cattle economy and overall precariousness that has led to the collapse of agriculture. Both the Bills have been introduced in Parliament as Private Members Bills which can be passed if these get adequate support of legislators. As a consequence of such a grim situation, as per the Census, nearly 15 million farmers left farming between 1991-2011. This has led to distress migration undermining both the countrys food security and our collective food sovereignty. Due to monetary drought for wage payments under the MGNREGA and demonetisation, the rate of migration has increased. Researchers have estimated that there is a need for an allocation of Rs 80,000 crores in this years Budget to deal with pending liabilities and pending payments for delay in compensation. AS per the Farmers Freedom from Indebtedness Bill, 2018, which finds mention in the Manifesto of Indian Farmers, farmer means a person actively engaged in the economic and/or liveli-hood activity of growing crops or producing other primary agricultural commodities with or without land ownership, including all agricultural operational holders, cultivators, sharecroppers, tenants, lessee cultivators, adivasi farmers, tribal farmers, agricultural labourers, poultry and livestock rearers, fisherpeople, beekeepers, pastoralists, noncor-porate planters of plantation crops and planting labourers, forest-gatherers, women farmers and self-help groups doing cultivation on collectively owned or leased-in land. The women farmers included in the definition of farmer were also the focus of the Women Farmers Entitlements Act, 2011. As per this Bill, a woman farmer means and includes, irres-pective of marital status or ownership of land, any woman who is a farmer including (i) any woman living in rural area and primarily engaged in agricultural activity, though occasio-nally engaged in non-agricultural activity; or (ii) any woman living in urban or semi-urban areas and engaged in agriculture; or (iii) any tribal woman directly or indirectly engaged in agriculture or shifting cultivation or in the collection, use and sale of minor or non-timber forest produce by virtue of usufructory rights. The definition of farmer in the Farmers Right to Guaranteed Remunerative Minimum Support Prices for Agricultural Commodities Bill, 2018 also refers to women farmers. A joint perusal of all the three Bills reveals that there is merit in incorporating the definition of women farmers given in the 2011 Bill in the 2018 Bills. The Farmers Right to Guaranteed Remune-rative Minimum Support Prices for Agricultural Commodities Bill, 2018 defined guaranteed remunerative minimum support price as the price that ensures a minimum fifty per cent profit margin over and above the comprehensive cost of production of a given agricultural commodity, to which shall be added the bonus announced by the State Government wherein the comprehensive cost of production at the State level is covered with at least a fifty per cent. profit margin over and above such cost of production; and in the case of standing (plantation) crops, as specifically determined. These Bills and the Manifesto of Indian Farmers have created a logical compulsion for the Parliament to ponder over and address the issues of increased vulnerabilities of landless peasants, tenant farmers, agricultural labourers, Dalit and Adivasi farmers, and include the suffering of minority groups practising diverse, allied occupations. A blue-print of the agenda for the 21-day special session of Parliament has been prepared. It seeks a three-day discussion on the 12-year- old recommendations of the National Commission of Farmers on issues of productivity, profitability, sustainability, technology, dry land farming, price shocks and stablisation, technology fatigue, privatisation of agricultural research and technology to avoid ecocide. It wants testimonies of victims of agrarian crisis who need to be heard from and inside Parliament to understand the impact of the devastating farming policies and unbearable violence of privatising healthcare and education for three days in Parliament. Indebtedness has emerged as the driving factor for farm suicides; a thee-day discussion is required for it. As per the Farmers Freedom from Indebtedness Act, 2018, debt means any liability, including that incurred for agricultural production, including purchase and rearing of cattle and other livestock improvement of production infrastructure and services (cattle shed, pump house, farm machinery and equipment, processing and value addition), basic needs of the household like survival, health and education, whether secured or unsecured, due from a farmer, whether payable under a contract or under a decree or order of any Court or Tribunal or otherwise, and includes any sum payable to(i) an institutional creditor; or (ii) a private creditor, but does not include any loan amount taken by the farmer for commercial purposes or luxury other than agricultural and allied purposes. Indebtedness-related consequences compel farmers and farm labourers to end their life even as indebted commercial czars get bailed out or get protected or are allowed to run away with impunity paving the way for return of the moneylenders who create yet another vicious circle of poor being poor because they are poor. Indebtedness leads to loss of farmers land and drives them into the vice-like grip of traditional moneylenders. Rationality demands that indebted farmers need to be treated in the same way as beneficial owners of indebted companies. At present, credit policy of the banking system has adopted double standards. It waives off the defaulting amount of credit at the earliest opportunity arguing that it leads to economic growth. It restructures the loans of the beneficial owners of corporate sector but penalises the farmers. In such a scenario, waiving of farm loans too can lead to such growth. If waiving loans is a moral hazard, then it is so for both the corporate and farm sectors. Given the fact that out of the total Non- Performing Assets (NPAs) of Rs 7285 billion in March 2017, only Rs 602 billion was from the agriculture sector which is a mere 8.3 per cent of the overall NPAs in banks, there is a demand for setting up a Credit Guarantee Fund to the increase the bankers confidence in lending to non-land owning licensed cultivators or lessee farmers, both as individual farmers and as Joint Liability Groups. Unlike the corporate sector, farmers do not run away from the land when they have to pay. The conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural land across the country is happening without cumulative impact assess-ment in a business-as-usual scenario. The ongoing corporatisation of water and promotion of cash crops have turned rivers and ground water aquifers into monetising machines. Such an approach has prevented rivers and other water sources to perform their geological and ecological functions. One of the core natural functions of rivers is land building. Amidst shrinking of land under agriculture, anonymous donors of political parties, real estate operators and development fundamentalists have stopped the rivers from performing their natural work. The proposed legislations refer to land as any land or water body utilised for the purpose of agriculture. Land and water co-exist but their commodification, corporatisation and acquisition are undermining farming as a source of livelihood. A three-day deliberation is needed on the countrys water crisis. Although the Women Farmers Entitlements Act, 2011 has lapsed in 2013, the Bill can be used to deliberate on the rights of farmers for three days. A three-day discussion is needed to dwell on the rights of landless women and men labourers. And another three-day deliberation is required to safeguard the future of agriculture amidst shrinking agricultural land due to unnatural market forces. As per the proposed Farmers Right to Guaranteed Remunerative Minimum Support Prices for Agricultural Commodities Act, 2018, market means regulated markets, systems of procurement of agricultural commodities run by State procure-ment agencies, consumer or service cooperatives, corporations as well as contract farming arrangements (formal or informal) that different entities have, for procuring agricultural commodities from farmers, including milk collection centres, and procurement centres opened by different public sector agencies and other market yards run by the government agencies including Panchayats and cooperatives and includes private markets. Given the fact that an unjust structural arrangement has ensured that market remains consistently against farmers, it has emerged that fall in the prices in the open market of farm produce despite there being a bountiful harvest is a bigger calamity than continuing drought, heavy rainfall or any other natural disaster. So much so that farming is no more about farming crops but it is about cultivating losses. There is a demand to move away from external-input-based model bulldozed by body corporate in favour of organic farming schemes. It has been acknowledged that farmers suffer from many intermediaries who increase cost of agricultural commodities without adding much value. The Manifesto of Indian Farmers proposes that all incentives being provided under the Startup India Mission should be extended to Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) including tax exemptions, provision of capital, decentralised storage infrastructure, processing and value addition facilities for farmer collectives. There should be an allocation of Rs 3000 crores for it. ALARMED at the ongoing farm suicides, the government has stopped the publication of farm suicide data since 2015. The deliberate effort by the government to stop data collection does not alter the reality of worsening agrarian distress. The absence of data underlines that the govern-ment is unable to look at its own performance in the mirror of its own data. The government has also discouraged implementation of the Right to Information Act in order to discourage data collection at least since 2016. Earlier, it used to hide behind the veil of aggregate data but now the situation has become so grim and dismal that this veil proved inadequate to hide its acts of omission and commission. Farmers have been committing suicides in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar. The farmer suicide rates in Maharashtra, Kerala and Pondicherry are about 10 times higher than Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Besides western India, southern India and central India, the status of agrarian crisis in eastern India is not getting sufficiently articulated because of the absence of data collection. As per the 2001 Census data, the farm suicide rate was 12.9 suicides per 100,000 farmers, which was higher than the general suicide rate at 10.6 for 2001 in India. Data for the subsequent period is not available. The fact remains the there is difference of opinion regarding estimates for the total number of farmers. There are estimates that include cultivators and agricultural labourers in their definition of total farmers besides anyone engaged in any form of farming. One estimate for total number of farmers puts the total number of farmers in India to be about 50 per cent of the total population. There is also a view that official census underestimates the total number of people engaged in agriculture. The general view of the farmers organisations is that total some 70 per cent of the population is engaged in agricultural activity. The real agricultural revenue has stagnated. Even the Economic Survey 2018 has revealed it. It implies that while input and production cost in agriculture had increased substantially, farmers incomes have remained frozen. While the wages and salary of all including legislators have increased, 94 per cent of the farmers have been kept out of the purview of income security because farmers income has remained the same resulting in the marginalisation of farming communities. After the implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Finance Commission, the plight of farmers is likely to worsen further in comparison to even the lowly paid employees of the government. It cannot be forgotten that these very farmers saved the country from ship-to-mouth existence to feed Indians without waiting for ships to arrive but the government forgot to fulfill its promise of 2014 about doubling farmers incomes. The political leaders, who assembled in Parliament Street on November 30, admitted that unmindful of the fact that agriculture is the biggest employer which has the potential to rejuvenate the countrys economy, the existing policies and laws continue to give it least priority in comparison to the corporate sector. Law and policy-driven dispossession, deprivation, misery and distress migration have adversely affected agriculture. It is now up to Parliament to address this agrarian crisis which is transforming itself into a crisis of civilisation. REFERENCES 1. Nation for Farmers Petition to the President of India seeking Special Joint Session of Parliament on the agrarian crisis and related issues (2018), September 19, https://dillichalo.in/sign-the-petition/~ 2. Manifesto of Farmers,All India Kisan Struggle Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) (2018), November 30. 3. Harvesting Despair: Agrarian Crisis in India (2009), The Perspectives Team, January. 4. Sainath, P. (2018), A long march of the dispossessed to Delhi, August 22. 5. Green Paper on Farmers, Farming and Rural Economy: Four Yearsfour Budgets: What has this Central Government delivered? (2018), ASHA-Kisan Swaraj Alliance, Jai Kisan Andolan, Swaraj India, Rythu Swarajya Vedika. 6. The Farmers Freedom from Indebtedness Bill (2018). 7. The Farmers Right to Guaranteed Remunerative Minimum Support Prices for Agricultural Commodities Bill (2018). 8. The Women Farmers Entitlements Act (2011). 9. Golait, Ramesh (2007), Current Issues in Agriculture Credit in India: An Assessment, Reserve Bank of India Occasional Papers, Vol. 28, No. 1, Summer 2007. 10. Economic Survey 2018. The author is a research consultant with Nation for Farmers (NFF), a forum of non-farmers to support over 210 farmers organisations, farmers and farm workers. He had appeared before the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015. He is also the editor, Toxic Watch Journal. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2019 > Turkey at Crossroads: Confronting Domestic and External Challenges in a (...) FOCUS ON MIDDLE EAST by Purusottam Bhattacharya Introduction Turkey has been a nation in turmoil in recent times. It was buffeted from one crisis to another ever since the beginning of the civil war in Syriawith which it shares a long borderin March 2011. It has been grappling with the fallout of the Syrian civil warprimarily the influx of millions of Syrian refugees fleeing the wanton brutality at home as also their usage of Turkey as a gateway to Europeits recent involvement in Syria initially as a part of the Western (mainly American) strategy to counter the terrorist onslaughts of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Middle East and Europeespecially in Turkey itselfand in the failed coup attempt by a section of the Turkish armed forces on July 15, 2016 which had almost toppled the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Since then Erdogan went on a spree of suppressing all voices of dissent jailing hundreds of thousands of his opponents from political parties, the media, academia and the armed forces. It all culminated in what some observers called a constitutional coup by Erdogan backed up by a questionable referendum held on April 16, 2017 which endorsed a massive accretion of power in the hands of the President. Erdogan further consolidated his stranglehold on the country by holding presidential elections on June 24, 2018 under the new constitutional changes which mandated that the President will be both head of state and head of government. In the elections Erdogan won, according to many observers, a questionable victory as the Opposition was not allowed a level playing field. Despite domestic and international protests Erdogan has largely held sway in domestic politics since his election and has turned the country into a notable regional actor. Turkey and the Regional Turmoil ERDOGAN who has a political Islamist background (he has rejected modern Turkeys secular heritage) has a history of resorting to repressive measures, especially against those who have challenged his authority. He started his career in government as the Prime Minister but became the first directly elected President in August 2014. A strong, dominant, charismatic personality in Turkish politics for nearly two decades, Erdogan is considerably responsible for turning Turkey into a regional hotbed of conflict in recent years. Apart from taking an extremely hard line against the Kurdish PKK (the outfit which is fighting for a separate Kurdistan in Turkeys south-east), Erdogan involved Turkey (after initially deciding against playing a front-line role in the US-led Coalition of the Willing to counter the expansion of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) in the Syrian civil war by openly backing the Islamist opposition of Syrian President Basher-el-Assad. There was of course provocation for Turkey as millions of Syrian refugees were streaming into the country with many of them trying to make their way into Europe to escape the nightmare at home and in search of a better life. The EU struck a deal with Turkey in late 2015 which promised to restrict the flow of migrants to Europe through its territory in exchange for Euro 3 billion and an acceleration in talks for Turkeys entry into the EU (which was a pivotal agenda in Turkish foreign policy since the early 1960s). The Turkish vision under Erdogan has been that of an influential regional actor which had successfully reconciled its secular, democratic and Islamic identities and which could be a model for the Arab states in the Middle East. Turkey prided itself as a country with zero problems with neighbours. After the AKP (Erdogans party) came to power, Turkish foreign policy underwent a considerable reorientation which was accelerated by the Iraq war of 2003 when Turkey and the United States had a divergence of approach towards the American determination to remove Saddam Hussein. Turkey refused the use of its bases to US planes and troops which came as a signal for Turkish eagerness to diversify its foreign policy portfolio while acting independently of its longstanding ally, the United States. Since then Turkey increasingly focussed its attention towards the Middle East, especially its neighbouring states of Syria and Iran, to a large extent for commercial and economic reasons. It also began to cultivate its relationships with other Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya as also Israel. (The AKP Government however took a more cautious approach towards Tel Aviv scaling the bilateral relations from hyperactivity to normal ties obviously in deference to improving relations with the Arab world.) In the regional perception it was viewed as Turkey returning to its rootsthe Middle East. (Mehmet Ozkan: 2013: 166-167) With the outbreak of the Arab Revolutions in January 2011the so-called Arab SpringTurkey saw an opportunity to extend its influence in the region by projecting itself as a model. However Turkish policy changed with the beginning of the civil war in Syria in March 2011. Basher-el-Assad was initially an ally of Turkey, a relationship Ankara had cultivated assiduously from 2003 onwards which saw a flourishing of ties between Ankara and Damascus in all fields, political, economic, commercial and cultural. In fact Turkey became Syrias second largest trading partner. However, when the civil war broke out, Turkey tried to persuade Assad to initiate reforms to stem the tide of the rebellion. (Mehmet Ozkan:2013: 173-175) When this strategy failed Turkey aligned itself with the Western countries and the Gulf Sunni monarchies, especially Saudi Arabia and Qatar. This change of stance by Turkey has been called by one analyst as a miscalculation since Ankara sensed, wrongly, the imminent collapse of the Assad regime and it wanted to be on the right side. Ankara backed the Sunni opposition of Assad and even hosted the Syrian opposition on its territory offering material support to them. The result was that Turkey ceased to be a neutral player in the evolving regional scenario and was turned into an interested party in the Syrian conflict. (Valeria Talbot: 2014:2-3) This change of stance by Ankara was perceived to be driven by a sectarian logic. Firstly, Turkey (a Sunni-dominated country) broke its close ties with Syria of nearly a decade to align with the Gulf Sunni monarchies in the Syrian conflict. This was later subsumed in the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iranthe two giants of the Middle East representing the Shia-Sunni divide that has wracked the area for quite some time. Secondly, Ankara has supported, along with Qatar, the Muslim Brotherhood in Arab countries, especially Egypt. This was considerably responsible for the cooling of ties between Ankara and Cairo after Muhammad Morsi, the Egyptian President belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, was overthrown in July 2013 by the Egyptian Army. This was a setback to Turkeys hopes of cultivating a more substantial relationship with Egypt which could be an important destination for trade and investment as well as a gateway for Turkish exports to Jordan, the Gulf states as well as other Arab and African markets. As a result Turkeys relationships in the region have undergone a complete reversal and Ankara does not have a resident Ambassador in three important regional capitalsDamascus, Cairo and Tel Aviv (Turkeys relations with Israel soured after Erdogan strongly criticised Tel Aviv on Israeli actions in Gaza and vociferously championed the Palestinian cause). Turkeys relations with Iranthe principal regional backer of Damascuswhich had flourished during the first decade of the present century, primarily on account of their energy cooperation, was also shaken when Ankara sided with the anti-Assad forces in the Syrian conflict. The relations remain strained though both sides have appeared keen to make amends in recent times. (Valeria Talbot: 2014: 4) Strangely enough, the only substantial working relationship Turkey was able to establish in its neighbourhood was with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Northern Iraq which is largely autonomous of Baghdad though earlier Ankara was suspicious of them on the ground that they were in league with PKK, the Kurdish organisation in the south-east of the country which is engaged in a bloody campaign for secession from Turkey. This marriage of convenience took place primarily on account of Turkeys energy needs to fuel the increased growth rates of its economy. Around 2200 Turkish firms are present in Iraqi Kurdistan which absorbs about 70 per cent of Turkeys trade of $12 billion with Iraq. While the Shia dominated government in Baghdad does not like this nexus between Ankara and the KRG, Turkey in its turn is critical of what it considers the sectarian policy of the Baghdad regime as well as its dependence on Iran. (Valeria Talbot: 2014: 5) The regional isolation of Turkey, which a foreign policy advisor of a former Turkish Prime Minister preferred to call precious loneliness, has eroded Ankaras ability to influence the regional dynamics and contribute to regional stability as an effective player. At the same time Turkeys image in the Arab world also suffered, especially as a model, following the repressive policies of the Erdogan Government and the corruption investigations. The positive perception of the Arab people of Turkey dropped to 59 per cent in 2014 from 78 per cent in 2011. This downturn in Turkeys ties with the Arab states was also reflected in its trade relations with the region. While the region still occupies the second place in Turkeys overseas trade, next to Europe, in recent years its exports have declined especially after the ISIS captured Mosul knocking a hole in Ankaras trade with its largest Arab partner, Iraq. (Valeria Talbot: 2014: 6) The emergence of the ISIS, the establishment of the self-proclaimed Caliphate and its rapid advance in Syria and Iraq introduced a fresh element of instability in Turkeys neighbourhood. By initially hesitating to join the US-led coalition against the ISIS, Ankara raised questions about its role and priorities in confronting the IS challenge. It seemed that Turkey was more concerned about its own interests in taking an ambivalent stand vis-a-vis the IS than confronting it head on. It refused to be drawn into what it called a Syrian adventure unless the international community could get its act together on the Syrian crisis. While making clear its demand for the replacement of Assad, Ankara conditioned its involvement against the IS on the establishment of a no-fly zone and a buffer area in Syrian territory along the Turkish border. The domestic public opinion in Turkey also did not favour a Turkish military intervention in Syria on the apprehension that this will sink the country in the Syrian quagmire. Moreover the Kurdish issue has complicated the scenario along Turkeys southern border. As already noted, Turkey is wary of the aspirations of its own Kurdish minority who form about 15-20 per cent of the countrys population. The PKK-led insurgency has made the situation very challenging for Turkey in the past three decades claiming about 40,000 lives. Since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis the Kurds in Northern Syria have established a certain degree of self-rule under the guidance of the Democratic Unity Party (PYD). Turkey is apprehensive that the PYD would join hands with the PKK (which has been declared a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU) as the former is considered a branch of the latter by Ankara. Turkey is also concerned about the international sympathy the PKK could garner in view of its military performance against the advance of IS fighters in Northern Iraq. While Erdogan can claim credit as the first Turkish leader who clearly recognised the existence of the Kurdish issue in Turkish politics, negotiations between the PKK and the Turkish Government did not make much headway and a 2013 cease-fire between the government and the PKK broke down in July 2015. The Turkish military has since bombed the PKK positions in Syria and Iraq while the PKK militants have staged multiple attacks in Turkey, particularly in Istanbul and Ankara, claiming many lives. (Valery Talbot: 2014: 8). (Time: 2015: 9) AS the Syrian crisis dragged on and the ISIS strengthened its stranglehold on the territories it had captured in Syria and Iraq, Turkey could no longer maintain its ambivalence about the Islamic militants and, under US pressure, it launched an offensive against the IS in August 2015 by bombing their positions. The consequences were devastating as Turkey suffered its worst-ever terrorist attack on October 10, 2015 when twin bombings at a peace rally in Ankara killed at least 97 people, mainly Kurdish demonstrators. The government blamed the Ankara bombings on the ISIS which was suspected of seeking retaliation for Turkeys August offensive. However some observers claimed that ultra-nationalist deep state forces were behind the attacks. (Time: 2015: 9) Domestically also Turkey found itself in a state of turmoil. It was gripped by unrest since the general elections held in June 2015 resulted in an uncertain verdict with Erdogans Justice and Development Party (AKP) losing its parliamentary majority while the moderate Kurdish party, HDP, won 13 per cent of the vote. After failing to form a government, Erdogan called a snap election on November 1, 2015. When the elections were held the AKP scored a landslide victory. Clearly voters were impressed by Erdogans scare-mongering tactics before the elections (Its me or chaos warned he) as a result of the fearful October bombings at Ankara which seemed to point to the existence of ISIS cells in Turkish cities, according to experts. The end of the two year cease-fire by the PKK with a new campaign of violence inside the country also looked like an apocalypse to many Turks. The debilitating effects of the Syrian civil war with a no clear end in sight also had its effects. (Time: 2015: 10) Erdogan has always been a polarising figure in Turkish politics since his advent on the scene due to his domineering style of functioning. However he more than doubled his countrys per capita income by expanding its economic growth potential beyond the major cities and familiar families that had dominated modern Turkey. In the process, he won admirers across the countrys Anatolian heartland. His success in extending Turkeys influence in the Middle East has already been noted. More significantly his importance was also being felt internationally with the US recognising his vital role in fighting the ISIS in Syria and Iraqor at least allowing NATO forces to use the Turkish air bases. The European Union leaders also know that Turkeys assistance was crucial if the tide of Middle Eastern refugees heading for Europe had to be stemmed. The EU-Turkey agreement in this regard has already been noted. (Time: 2015: 10) However Turkeys woes continued. In spite of the initial agreement with Ankara in November 2015, European leaders were not happy with the outcome. There is suspicion in Europe that despite receiving more money and concessions Erdogan will do little to keep his side of the bargain by stemming the flow of migrants from Turkey. Ankara also got into a spat with Russia late in 2015 when Turkey shot down a Russian plane that strayed into Turkish air space while flying from Syrian territory. The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, quickly announced sanctions that made a real impact on Turkeys banking, tourism and construction sectors. The Russian tourists who visited Turkey in large numbers every year simply vanished leaving the tourism industry high and dry. However, the situation changed quickly following the failed coup in Turkey in July 2016 when Erdogan resorted to repressive measures which were denounced by the Obama Administration and the EU leaders but attracted sympathy from Russian President Vladimir Putin who sensed an opportunity to prise Erdogan apart from the West with which he had his own scores to settle. After a visit to Moscow by Erdogan the Russo-Turkish relations underwent a dramatic transformation the sheet anchor of which was their common anti-Western stand though for different reasonsSyria for Putin and criticism of Erdogans increasing authoritarianism by the West. (Time: 2017) Ankaras NATO allies also had other complaints apart from Erdogans domestic repressions. Washington was angry with Turkey for dropping many more bombs on Syrian KurdsAnkaras antipathy towards them has already been notedthan on the ISIS, the focal point of US air attacks. Domestically, the Turkish business community looked forward to the end of sanctions on Iranfollowing an agreement between Tehran and the West in July 2015 on the Iranian nuclear issueas the tourism industry hoped visiting Iranians will replace the Russians who stopped coming. Yet Erdogan continued to tighten ties with Saudi Arabia, Irans regional rival, because Ankara and Riyadh have common interests in Syria. (Time: 2016: 8) However, with the arrival of the Donald Trump Administration in Washington on January 20, 2017 the scenario changed once again. Being the maverick that he is, Trump apparently does not have any qualms about Erdogans domestic record and would be happy to do business with him as long as it serves American interest as defined by the US President who trusts his instincts more than tradition on where and when to intervene. (Time: 2017) During the course of 2017 and 2018 the Syrian civil war has undergone many twists and turns. With the full backing of Russia and Iran the Syrian President, Basher-El-Assad, has been able to turn the tide of the war in his favour by driving out the Sunni-led opposition forces from most of their strongholds. From a situation where it appeared a few years ago that the ouster of Basher was only a matter of time, it is increasingly clear that the Syrian President can sense an eventual victory against his enemies. Turkey, which was one of the main backers of the Syrian opposition from the start of the civil war and was advocating the ouster of Basher, has been ambivalent in recent times on whether Assad should be allowed to stay in power in a final peace deal. Turkeys interests in the Syrian conflict and the region as a whole is to block the Syrian Kurdish territorial gains achieved during the war against Assads forces and prevent them from gaining autonomy in any post-war settlement. The Syrian Kurds have been supported by the West as they bore a substantial brunt of the fighting against Assads forces as well as the ISIS. However, Turkey says the Syrian Kurdish fighters are tied to the PKK which, as we noted, has fought a three-decade war in South Eastern Turkey. Ankara also wants to defeat the ISIS and other extremist groups which have committed terrorist attacks on Turkish soil. The recent announcement of US President Donald Trump of the withdrawal of the remaining 2000 US troops from Syria has raised apprehensions among security professionals of considerable losses to be borne by the Kurds as a consequence, the most likely beneficiaries being the Assad regime, Russia and Turkey. The announcement was followed by another twist when John Bolton, the US National Security Advisor, promised that US forces would remain in Syria until the ISIS was finally defeated and Turkey provided guarantees that it would not strike the Kurds. As things stand now, Turkey, Russia and Iran have a common interest to see a complete Western pull-out from Syria so that they can pursue their own divergent objectivesTurkeys being to ensure that the Kurds do not succeed in establishing any autonomy in the Kurdish inhabited regions of Turkey, Syria and Iraq and Russia and Iran hope to have a free run in ensuring the final victory of the Assad regime. (Colin P. Clarke and Ariane M. Tabatabai: 2019) Conclusion TURKEY has a special position because of its geo-strategic location as a bridge between Europe and Asia, since it is a leading member of the NATO and since it is now an important actor in the Middle East, especially in the Syrian civil war. Some commentators see a major departure from the Kemalist legacy on the part of Turkey since the 1990s while others think that Turkish democracy is now established on a more firm footing with the empowerment of the masses who had been dominated by the secular elite. That perception now faces serious challenges with recent developments. The West till very recently and probably still does see Turkey as a part of the solution to the troubles plaguing the region, especially the Syrian civil war. However, Turkeys trouble are not over. Apart from the external isolation, the coup attempt of July 2016 shook Erdogan and his administration and his response was the harsh crackdown on perceived enemies within the state. Ironically the incident also demonstrated his mass support in the spontaneous show of solidarity by the Turkish people which ultimately foiled the coup attempt proving that the Turkish people will no longer accept military rule which had been the natural order in that country. Nevertheless it also proved Erdogans vulnerability, especially to accusations that he was seeking to sabotage Turkeys democracy by accumulating more and more powers in his hands, as also to repeated terrorist attacks. To Erdogans own mind, the coup attempt was a culmination of the conspiracies hatched by Turkeys enemies, internal and external, against his administration and the country at large. The only way, he felt, to foil these efforts by Turkeys enemies was to transform the countrys constitutional set-up from a parliamentary to a presidential system in which the President would wield great executive powers. Externally, Erdogan will be less sure of Turkeys position regionally and internationally. While the Turkish state made desperate attempts to secure its citizens from terrorist attacks by the ISIS and the PKK, the Syrian civil war, from which a great deal of Turkish insecurity emanates, still shows considerable uncertainty for an early resolution. Ankara now finds itself in a cleft stickthe West and its regional allies against Russia and its regional allies. As already mentioned, in an extraordinary display of showmanship Erdogan mounted a fence-mending operation when he visited Moscow on August 9, 2016 to patch up the rift with Russia whose sanctions, following the shooting down of a Russian aircraft by Turkish fighters, had seriously damaged the Turkish economy. Apart from restoring ties with Russia, Ankaras second largest trading partner, Erdogan wants to demonstrate his anger against the West-US and EUwhich criticised his response to the coup attempt. (Pro-government Turkish newspapers had even accused the US of orchestrating the coup attempt.) It is to be noted that Vladimir Putin had expressed support for Erdogans government during the coups early hours and remained silent as Erdogan jailed those his government accused of treachery. The West, by contrast, was slow to support Erdogan that night and subsequently sharply criticised his crackdown. However, Turkeys honeymoon with Russia will have its limits as Putin and Erdogan were on opposite sides in the Syrian civil war (Putin backed Basher-el-Assad while Erdogan denounced Assad as an enemy; the Turkish President, however, has assumed a more ambivalent position on the future of Assad of late). Erdogan is unlikely to withdraw from the NATO from which Turkey derives a lot of benefits and also isnt likely to cut ties with the US which he needs to find a solution to the Syrian crisis that has hobbled Turkey in numerous ways. But he will improve relations with Russia and China where he can to counter WesternUS and Europeanpressures. An unpredictable Trump Administration has added a new element of uncertainty and the face-off between Turkey and the EU in the last two years and the EUs unfavourable response to the referendum and Erdogans subsequent repressive measures appear to shut the door for EU membership for Turkey at least for the time being. While it would appear that Turkey is stumbling its way through the turmoildomestic and regionalwhich enveloped it, a wise commentator cannot ignore the inherent strength of its democracy, polity, economy and society built over the years which is however currently on trial. If Erdogan opts to look beyond conspiracy theories and seeks a solution to Turkeys present woes through a dialogue and consensus with his opponents, there may yet be hope for the country to wriggle out of the troubles it finds itself in. REFERENCES 1. Aswini K. Mahapatra, Turkeys Democracy as a Model for the Arab World in Rajendra M. Abhyankar, ed., West Asia and the Region: Defining Indias Role, Academic Foundation, New Delhi, 2008. 2. Bernard Lewis, The Emergence of Modern Turkey, Oxford University Press, 1968. 3. E.J. Zurcher, Turkey: A Modern History, London/New York, 1993. 4. F. Ahmad, The Making of Modern Turkey, London, 1993. 5. Mehmet Ozkan, Turkey, Islamic Politics and the Turkish Model, SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, October, 2013. Available at http: // works.bepress.com/mehmetozkan/195 6. Mehmet Ozkan, Turkeys Religious Diplomacy, SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, November 2014. Available at http:// works.bepress.com/mehmet Ozkan/235 7. Mehmet Ozkan, Turkish Foreign Policy towards the Arab Revolutions (with Hasan Korkut), SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, March 2013. Available at http:// works.bepress.com/mehmetozkan/174 8. Mujib Alam, The Recent Democratic Reforms in Turkey: Implications for the Militarys Role in Politics and Society in Rajendra M. Abhyankar, ed., West Asia and the Region: Defining Indias Role, Academic Foundation, New Delhi, 2008. 9. Purusottam Bhattacharya, In Pursuit of a European Identity: Turkey and the European Union in Rajendra M. Abhyankar, ed., West Asia and the Region: Defining Indias Role. Academic Foundation, New Delhi, 2008. 10. Purusottam Bhattacharya, Turkey: A Nation in Turmoil, Mainstream, July 22-28, 2016. 11. Valeria Talbot, Turkey in the Regional Turmoil: Walking on a Dangerous Path, Analysis No 274. November 2014. ISPI. 12. Colin P. Clarke and Ariane P. Tabatabai, Withdrawing from Syria leaves a vacuum that Iran will fill: Shiite Militias are in the Region to stay, Foreign Affairs, January 8, 2019. 13. Time, January 23, February 6 and April 10, 2017. Dr Purusottam Bhattacharya is a retired Professor and former Head of International Relations as well as erstwhile Director, School of International Relations and Strategic Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Exton, PA (19341) Today Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. On Jan 17, officers responded to Merion Road in Merion Station for a discovered burglary. The actor entered the house by using force to a basement window. The actor removed US currency and a pocket knife from the residence. He is described as a white male, wearing a red wool hat, black jacket, black Adidas athletic pants, white sneakers and blue latex gloves. * Malaysia's ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition lost a parliamentary by-election on Saturday in its first electoral setback since coming to power last May. PH failed to wrest the parliamentary seat of Cameron Highlands in the central state of Pahang from former ruling coalition and now opposition Barisan Nasional (BN). * Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accepted John McCallum's resignation as ambassador to China. * Thousands of "yellow vest" demonstrators marched in Paris and other French cities on Saturday in protests that brought sporadic clashes with police and suggested that President Emmanuel Macron has yet to defuse public discontent. * The date Britain leaves the EU could be pushed back by a couple of weeks to give time for legislation to be approved by lawmakers, Andrea Leadsom, the leader of Britain's lower house of parliament said. Andrea Leadsom is the most senior figure to make such a suggestion. * Syria said on Saturday it was ready to revive a landmark security deal with Turkey that normalized ties for two decades before the 2011 conflict if Ankara pulled its troops out of the war-torn country and stopped backing rebels. * Israel's military said on January 27 that it had sent a rescue team to Brazil a day after a dam collapsed which killed dozens and left hundreds missing. * Ireland's European Affairs Minister said Britain had an obligation to the Good Friday peace treaty regardless of Brexit, and an integral part of that was protecting the "invisible border" between Ireland and Northern Ireland. * The Australian government has lost its third minister in a week with the Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion, announcing he will quit politics at the next election. * A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit near the Pacific island nation of Fiji just before 8:00 local time on January 27, the US Geological Survey said. Shortly after the area felt another smaller tremor which registered 5.2 magnitude. * A senior Palestinian official announced on January 26 that Russia will host and sponsor an internal Palestinian dialogue in Moscow on reconciliation and ending internal division in mid February. * The forces of the US-led coalition bombarded the Islamic State (IS)-held farms in Syria's eastern Euphrates region, killing 42 people, including 13 civilians, The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, reported on Saturday. * Algerian army troops busted more than 300 kg of cocaine hidden in 11 backpacks off the shore of Skikda province, 450 km eastern Algiers, Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. * The Afghan security forces stormed a Taliban bastion in northern Kunduz province on January 27, triggering heavy fighting, a security official said. * Kenyan police said Sunday (January 27) called on the public to remain on high alert and be extra vigilant especially in populated public places in the wake of terror threats in the country. * A total of four people were killed and eight others injured Sunday in two roadside bomb attacks in Iraq's central province of Salahuldin, a provincial police source said. * Record high temperatures have devastated bat colonies across South Australia's state capital Adelaide, with up to 3,000 flying foxes dropping dead from trees by the end of the weekend, according to local media. The creation of an Area Health Education Center in El Dorado is not expected to affect AHEC operations at UAMS-South in Magnolia. Style / World of Watches (WOW) WOW (World of Watches) and LUXUO are proud to introduce Vietnam to its fold of international titles Jan 28, 2019 | By LUXUO In recent years, Asia and particularly in Vietnam, have become potential markets for luxury brands. This phenomenon is further exemplified by the emergence of high-end product lines praising Vietnamese cultures, such as Speake-Marin Dong Son Tourbillon, Chopard LUC Time Traveler One Vietnam Edition, or Dong Son Rolls-Royce. Acknowledging this fact, SR Media has launched two licensed platforms WOW (World of Watches) and LUXUO Vietnam to meet the growing luxury demand of increasing upper class. SR Media held a launch event on 23rd January 2019 to celebrate the appearance of WOW (World of Watches) and Luxuo in both digital and printed platforms in Vietnam. Reflecting the new direction in luxury business, the event was set in the theme of The Oriental Touch, under a consolidated space in the luxury oriental area of Opus Saigon restaurant with an exclusive set menu serving traditional Vietnamese dishes. The event gathered many big names in Vietnamese luxury market: Mr. Vu Hung Cuong, CEO of Tam Son Company house to brands such as Vacheron Constantin, Piaget, Chopard, Patek Philippe & Hermes, Mr. Tran Long, Director General of Maserati Vietnam; Mr. Vincent Pham, CEO of Xuan An Company; Ms. Dao Thanh Thuan, Deputy CEO of Private Dining & Events Restaurant Opus Saigon; and Mr. Nguyen Van Tung, Director of Top Ten Company. WOW The Destination for Watch Connoisseurs WOW (World of Watches) is a high-end watch magazine first launched in Singapore in 2001. After nearly two decades of operation, WOW now is the most-read watch magazine in Asia, with 8 other international counterparts: Singapore, Malaysia, Hongkong, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Middle East and Vietnam. The year 2018 marks WOW Vietnams re-launching with a whole new team and concept from SR Media. Moving forward, the magazine will not only cover in-depth articles about high-end wristwatches, but WOW Vietnam will also expand its content to the Asian watch market and the stories of various collectors. WOW also plans to widen its role in connecting regional brands and watch connoisseurs through WOW Network, via various activities such as launching parties, anniversaries and WOW x Brand events. One of the most highlight annual activities is from WOW is WOW Awards, honoring the masterpieces in horology based on various aspects, under the evaluation of many experts and experienced Editors in Chief. LUXUO Luxury Lifestyle at its finest Acquired by Heart Media in 2007, LUXUO is now one of the leading lifestyle online magazines in Singapore, with more than 1.5 million views per month. Currently, LUXUO has 5 versions in Singapore, HongKong, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. Officially launched in December 2018, LUXUO Vietnam updates information about luxury lifestyles such as car, yacht, watch, jewelry, fashion, real estate and tourism. This is also a place for readers to meet the need of exploring in-depth high-end lifestyle stories with business experiences, glamorous destinations, or expert opinions on pleasures such as yacht, watch collection and art piece auction. It can be said that LUXUO is the first digitalized portal in high-end lifestyles and luxury buniness up to present. Similar to WOW Network, there is also a LUXUO Network, connecting the elite community of many countries through the events co-organized with high-end brands, creating space for guests to discover more about the brand. With the mission to create the connection between brands and consumers, WOW & LUXUO is dedicated to the developing of high-end consumer markets in Southeast Asia in general, and Vietnam in particular. Today Mostly clear. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Tonight Mostly clear. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Tomorrow Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High 88F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Find not too frequent updates from the Livesay family here Brazilian firefighters moved over treacherous mud sometimes walking, sometimes crawling as they searched Monday for survivors or bodies following a dam collapse that buried an iron ore mining companys buildings and inundated nearby neighborhoods with ore waste. The confirmed death toll rose to 65, with 287 people still missing, according to the fire department in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, where the dam is located. In an ominous sign, no one was recovered alive Sunday, a stark difference from the first two days of the disaster, when helicopters whisked people out of the mud. The death toll was expected to grow exponentially on Monday, the Minas Gerais fire department said. Advertisement Search efforts were extremely slow because of the treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out when the mine dam breached Friday afternoon. The mud was up 24 feet deep in some places, forcing searchers to carefully walk around the edges of the muck or slowly crawl on it so they would not sink and drown. Rescue teams Monday morning focused their searches on areas where people could have been trapped, such as the cafeteria for the mining company Vale, where many workers were eating lunch when the dam ruptured. Vale SAs is the worlds largest producer of iron ore, the raw ingredient for making steel. The Brazilian companys American depository shares plunged 15.8% Monday on the New York Stock exchange. At the scene of the disaster, helicopters looking for bodies took off and landed nonstop. On the ground, dozens of rescuers with tracking dogs were searching for bodies through the mountains of mud. Rescue efforts were suspended for about 10 hours Sunday because of fears that a second mine dam in Brumadinho was at risk of failing. About 24,000 people were told to get to higher ground, but by afternoon, civil engineers said the second dam no longer posed a risk. Areas of water-soaked mud appeared to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable. Still, it was slow going for the search teams and residents were on edge. Wagner Rogerio, 43, said he was looking for childhood friends, but had no equipment or instructions on how to do so. My family tells me Im not a superhero and that I should go home. But the very least my friends deserve is a dignified burial, he said, tears in his eyes. More than 100 Israeli specialists equipped with specialized rescue technology joined the 200 Brazilian firefighters on Monday morning. Advertisement Rescue workers carry a body they pulled from the mud after a dam collapsed and flooded Brumadinho, Brazil. (Andre Penner / Associated Press) Throughout the weekend, there was mounting anger at Vale, which operated the mine, and questions arose about an apparent lack of a warning siren ahead of Fridays collapse. In an email, Vale told the Associated Press that the area has eight sirens, but the speed in which the event happened made sounding an alarm impossible. Even as the search continued, some called for Vale to be held accountable. Sen. Renan Calheiros, a prominent political figure in Brazil, called for Vales board of directors to step down and Atty. Gen. Raquel Dodge told reporters that Vale executives could be held responsible. Advertisement Over the weekend, courts froze about $3 billion from Vale assets for state emergency services and told the company to report on how it intended to assist victims. The flow of mining waste also raised fears of environmental contamination and degradation. According to Vales website, the waste is composed mostly of sand and is not toxic. But a U.N. report found that the waste from a similar Brazil disaster in 2015 contained high levels of toxic heavy metals. That dam, owned by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton, collapsed in the city of Mariana in Minas Gerais, killing 19 people and forcing hundreds from their homes. The wind whips across a narrow, sandy strait, carrying the salty smell of the Sea of Azov. Ukrainians stand in line, sometimes for hours, at the makeshift checkpoint separating mainland Ukraine from Russian-annexed Crimea. One by one, they hand their passports to the border guards, who work out of an open shipping crate-turned-border-post. For the record: An earlier version of this article said a 12-mile bridge from the Russian mainland to Crimea cost $4 million. It cost about $3.7 billion. Ive stood here in February with my 8-year-old son for two hours in slush and ice that was ankle deep, said Anna Sikorskaya, 31, who fled Crimea two years ago for the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. She arrived at the Chonhar border crossing one day late last year after a 13-hour train ride from Kiev. She was traveling to see her parents in Simferopol, the Crimean capital. Before the Kremlin annexed the Crimean peninsula in March 2014, entering was as easy as crossing a state line. Today, its an arduous journey across a 2.7-mile border strip that can take half a day. Advertisement While few countries and no major international organizations recognize Crimea as part of Russia, Ukraine has had to bow to the superior power of its neighbor, which last year completed a 37-mile fence topped with barbed wire and motion sensors that runs the length of the border. Almost five years after the annexation, the consequences of Russias land grab still reverberate in unsettling and often absurd ways. Ukrainians must pass through their own governments checkpoint to enter Crimea, even though most of the world considers it to be Ukrainian territory. They then carry bags and children on foot across a quarter-mile of no mans land. A shuttle bus plies the rest of the potholed road to the Russian checkpoint for 30 cents. Theres another wait at Russian passport control. Crossing the border from Ukraine to the Crimean peninsula used to be a simple process, but its now a complex ordeal. (Vasiliy Kolotilov / For The Times) Ukraine has cut off cargo and public transportation at the border. Passenger cars with Ukrainian license plates can enter, but Ukraine wont let cars with Russian plates cross the border. Ukrainian cellphone service doesnt work at the border. Does anyone have a phone I can use? I need to call my nephew to tell him Im safely across, an elderly Ukrainian woman asked a group of travelers standing in line at the Russian border. Someone handed her a phone with a local, Crimean number. I dont know how people do this, she mumbled under her breath as she fumbled with her bags and moved along in the line. PROMISES Russian President Vladimir Putin promised prosperity for Crimeans. The Kremlin has invested $5.3 billion in infrastructure projects, including roads, hospitals and schools. Pensions and wages for government budget workers have increased, as Putin promised. But prices for goods and services, including electricity and water, have increased along with them. Advertisement Those who were all Hurrah! Hurrah! after the annexation have already quieted down, said Alexei, a tour guide in the Black Sea resort of Yalta. Like many in Crimea, the 56-year-old didnt want to use his last name out of fear of the local Russian security services. Under Ukraine, Crimeas economy was stagnant, and many hoped that development would grow under Russia. But Western sanctions prohibit foreign investment in the peninsulas aging tourism infrastructure and deter non-Russian travelers from coming to see the breathtaking views or swim in the clear blue waters of the Black Sea. The tourism industry on the Crimean peninsula has suffered since Russian annexation as investors flee, fearing Western sanctions. Above, a pensioner sunbathes in Yalta. (Vasiliy Kolotilov / For The Times) Ukrainian trains now must stop at the border between mainland Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula. Before annexation, they were able to travel straight through to Simferopol. (Vasiliy Kolotilov / For The Times) Advertisement This means the Russian government is the largest if not the only real investor in Crimea. Unfinished construction sites dot the landscape between the massive, Soviet-era tourist hotels that dominate the cliffs and shoreline of Yalta and other major resort towns. After annexation, many new hotel construction projects stopped because investors disappeared. Russian state tourism officials say visitor numbers have improved after plummeting immediately following annexation. Billboards in Moscow and other Russian cities advertise package tours to Crimea. This year, Crimea had 6 million visitors, 85% of whom were Russians. Many arrived from the Russian mainland via the Kremlins $3.7 billion, 12-mile bridge, which opened in May. Ukrainian vacationers returned this year, albeit at a fraction of the rate they used to before 2014. Khersones, a Greek archaeological site outside Sevastopol, on the Crimean peninsula, draws students as well as tourists. (Vasiliy Kolotilov / For The Times) Advertisement Things have gotten worse, in my opinion, Alexei said. No one has any money in mainland Russia or here. So, the Russians come, but they dont spend much money. Foreign tourism has dropped significantly. I havent spoken to a foreign tourist in about three years, he said. Tourists who do find their way to Crimea struggle to pay for services: Only local banks can operate in Crimea, meaning getting cash from an ATM is limited to those who have an account. International credit cards like Visa and MasterCard are accepted, but big Russian companies and banks wont invest in Crimea out of fear of getting caught in the next round of sanctions. In early November, the U.S. Treasury Department announced another round targeting eight Russian businesses operating in Crimea, several of which were resort complexes. Advertisement That same month, Russia reaffirmed that it had no intention of letting Crimea go when it seized three Ukrainian naval vessels attempting to cross into the Sea of Azov, just off the coast of the peninsula. The incident sparked international condemnation. Theres pluses and minuses after annexation, said Sergei, who opened a craft beer and burger bar in Simferopol with two friends from Moscow this year. So far, business has been steady for their bar, on the second floor of a renovated, pre-Russian Revolution building overlooking Karl Marx Street, Simferopols central pedestrian area. Sanctions have made some products hard to get in Crimea, and almost everything is as expensive down here as it is in Moscow, he said. Sergei asked that his last name not be used out of fear that the Ukrainian government would label him a separatist or traitor. Ukraine still sees Crimea as its land, and those Ukrainians who took Russian citizenship are frowned upon in Kiev, yet another reality of living in Russia-occupied Crimea. Advertisement They can be kind of crazy in Ukraine about this stuff, Sergei said, adding that he still travels to Ukraine frequently. Some things under Ukraine were easier; it was easier to figure out how to solve problems, Sergei said. Now, under Russia, there are new laws and regulations to figure out, he said. You realize that Russia is like a totally new lifestyle, he said. UNWANTED REALITIES Advertisement Russian annexation brought realities to Crimea that may have been overlooked by those who voted for it in March 2014. Russia has imposed the same restrictions on political freedom as elsewhere in Putins tightly controlled realm. The Kremlins security services keep a watchful eye on dissenters and regularly conduct home searches of those who openly criticize the Kremlins occupation. Russian authorities have persecuted pro-Ukraine activists, journalists and members of the Crimean Tatar community. Tens of thousands have fled the peninsula to avoid arrest or persecution. Russian military cadets practice the ceremonial changing of the guard at the eternal flame dedicated to fallen World War II soldiers in Sevastopol. (Vasiliy Kolotilov / For The Times) A masked member of Russias Office of Counter-Terrorism stands in the entrance of a banquet hall where the Crimean Solidarity civil society group holds its monthly meeting in Simferopol. (Vasiliy Kolotilov / For The Times) Advertisement If travel to Crimea for foreigners is bureaucratic, international travel for Crimeans can be a logistical headache. Sanctions prevent international airlines from operating out of Simferopols newly renovated airport. Flights go to and from Russia only. Just to go to Istanbul , w e have to fly two hours north through Moscow, and Turkey is really only just across the Black Sea, said Oksana, 28, a translator in Sevastopol, who didnt want her full name used out of fear of reprisal. Then theres the complication of getting visas to the U.S. or the European Union countries if you have a Russian passport with a Crimean address. Ukrainians can now travel to the European Union visa free, but Russians still need visas, which means they must go to Moscow to visit a European embassy. Oksana said she had always dreamed of visiting America. But with a Crimean registration in her Russian passport, she doubted she would be given a tourist visa. Advertisement Were supposed to be part of Russia, but Western embassies wont give us visas with a Crimea address in our passports, she said. There may be at least one chance at an international flight from Simferopol coming in the future. Last month, a Crimean delegation flew to Syria to discuss opening tourism channels between the two countries, including a direct flight to Damascus. Living here, Oksana said, is like living in a parallel universe. Ayres is a special correspondent. To me, housing is transportation; transportation is housing. You dont reach those goals, were going to take [state transportation] money from you, Gov. Gavin Newsom told the Associated Press earlier this month. This quote makes it clear the new governor is playing hardball with cities that do not approve housing. If a city rejects General Plan-compliant projects, hell withhold millions of dollars of transportation funding. This is the type of Sacramento tactic that I have come to expect. However, it should not bother Newport Beach at all. Thats because the voters approve our General Plan. In fact, Newport Beach residents decide where and how much housing should be built. Approving General Plan-compliant projects is not simply common sense; it is also upholding the will of the people. The governors actions though overbearing simply give us another incentive to approve General Plan-compliant projects, including Koll Center Residences. This is a project that is defined by the General Plan. Its been in the works for a decade. It can have immense benefits to our community. It should be approved. Newport Beach does not have to like Sacramento tactics, but it must respect the will of the voters and approve General Plan-compliant projects. Ken Dufour Newport Beach * High rises are wrong for Newport Beach I am opposed to the Koll Center Towers development for several reasons. It is incompatible with the surrounding area. It will increase traffic. Already on a Wednesday afternoon in January I sat through two signal changes. Imagine what it will be like on a Saturday in July? We cant widen most of our streets. Prevention is easier than a cure. We are almost built out, so the obvious way to go is up. I do not want to live in a metropolitan area surrounded by skyscrapers. I believe the majority of citizens of Newport Beach feel the same way. The overwhelming opposition for the Museum Tower petition is evidence of that. I had people running down the street after me to sign that petition opposing the Museum House. Laguna Beach is a beach city too and it is managing to run without skyscrapers. There is no reason why Newport cant do the same. The time to stop the trend is now. Elaine Linhoff Newport Beach * Koll Center promises public benefit The Koll Center Residences have been in planning for a decade. The project is poised to bring tens of millions of dollars in public benefits, like new parks, public safety and other city priorities. It is also designed precisely to what we, the people, have asked for. Its density, height, location and amenities, including a new public park by the airport, are all defined and the project passes these tests with flying colors. So whats the hold up? I encourage the city to advance this project as quickly as possible. We were ready to support the project in 2017 when it was first scheduled to go before the Planning Commission. Were event more eager to support it today. Lisa Fogarty Newport Beach * Come together for the Newport General Plan Can a tiger change its stripes? The residents of Newport Beach are going to be weighing in on this metaphorical question as they face the new year, and along with it, the new City Council. Unlike some surrounding areas that experienced significant changes in leadership, Newport Beach experienced only one. Hopefully that one change, which was a considerably positive one, will be enough to create a new group dynamic. Despite the disappointment of many at the end of last year, we really want to believe that we can experience the positive changes that Mayor Pro Tem Will ONeill spoke about at the inaugural meeting of the new council. We want to believe the council will be more sensitive to the concerns of the community. Interestingly, the General Plan rolled out at the council meeting in early January presents the perfect opportunity for the council and the community to enter a new stage of cooperation and development. This General Plan that has been long awaited by residents will be divided up in three phases spread out over three years, with two opportunities for community participation. In the near future the first community group, the Steering Committee, will be chosen. Concerned community members are hopeful this will be a thoughtful process and diverse views will be represented. In the second and third phases, there will be a General Plan Advisory Committee, consisting of 25 residents who will be involved in shaping the goals and policies for the plan and act as a community forum. There will no doubt be obstacles to overcome in such a long and multifaceted process, but if all the shareholders are sincere about their desire to work together effectively for the good of Newport Beach, there is reason to be hopeful about its future. Lynn Lorenz Newport Beach How to get published: Email us at dailypilot@latimes.com. All correspondence must include full name, hometown and phone number (for verification purposes). The Pilot reserves the right to edit all submissions for clarity and length. In Singapore, Vietnamese Ambassador Tao Thi Thanh Huong said the year 2018 marked an important milestone as Vietnam and Singapore celebrated the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the fifth anniversary of bilateral strategic partnership. She expressed her belief that the Vietnamese community in Singapore will make effective contributions to the homeland development and push forward the practical development of bilateral strategic partnership. Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Le Quy Quynh affirmed that the Party and State always pay attention to overseas Vietnamese in general and those living and working in Malaysia in particular. He wished that they would offer mutual support and preserve Vietnamese language to later generations. Ambassador in Myanmar Luan Thuy Duong urged the Vietnamese community to prioritise using Vietnamese goods and uphold traditional values, called on the Vietnamese enterprises to give priority to Vietnamese fellows, abide by the host countrys laws and respect its culture. In Indonesia, Ambassador Pham Vinh Quang extended best New Year wishes to the Vietnamese community in Indonesia. He highlighted the sound development of the Vietnam-Indonesia Strategic Partnership in the past year, and said that in 2019, the two countries will hold activities to mark 60 years of President Ho Chi Minhs visit to Indonesia and President Sukarnos trip to Vietnam. The same events also took place in Belgium, Canada, Japan, and Tanzania. Stay tuned for sequels. The Los Angeles teachers strike looks an awful lot like episode one in a statewide series. Education officials everywhere are grappling with the same money problems as the Los Angeles Unified School District: unfunded retirement liabilities, competition from charter schools, bulging class sizes and the lack of campus nurses, counselors and librarians. The money eaters that keep devouring more and more tax dollars are the unfunded liabilities for future pensions and healthcare. Figure $2 available for every $3 promised in benefits. Charter and private schools are luring students away from traditional public K-12 classrooms, with state money lost on every vacated seat. Sure, that means fewer kids to educate, but it doesnt necessarily reduce costs. Teachers and buildings still have to be paid and maintained, whether class sizes are 35 or 40 students. Advertisement School officials in Oakland and Sacramento also have been sounding the alarm about looming insolvency. Unions have been threatening strikes. All this makes the six-day L.A. strike seem like a scary harbinger of teacher walkouts to come across the state. The negotiated contract settlement phased-in 6% raises for teachers, a tiny dent in class sizes, more nurses, counselors and librarians will cost the district an additional $400 million-plus over the next four years. Initially the money will come from shrinking reserves, but that eventually will disappear. Its as if the district rolled dice, betting that it wouldnt crap out and more money would show up from Sacramento, tax increases or both. Listening to both sides in L.A., youd think there was easy money-plucking in Sacramento that theres a big drawer full of cash and all thats needed is for Papa Bear to reach in and pull out a fistful. Well, theres lots of competition for that money. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislators are eager to expand early education and child care. Yes, maybe they should take care of K-12 first. More from George Skelton Advertisement Theyve also promised to deliver universal healthcare. And they want to extend Medi-Cal health coverage to immigrants in the U.S. illegally up to age 26. Theyre trying to provide shelter for Californias growing homeless population, make urban housing more affordable and greatly improve wildfire prevention. Maybe the state does underfund its schools, as the districts and unions claim. But if California is going to have the most generous Medicaid healthcare system in the country and a welfare program second to none, theres going to be less money for other things, like public education. Theres a projected state surplus of about $21 billion. But Newsom is wisely trying to use that for one-time spending rather than ongoing expenditures such as teachers salaries. Theres also $15 billion-plus in a rainy day preserve that the governor is stashing for the next recession. Sacramento is already and has been for decades doing a lot for schools, ever since Proposition 13 in 1978 drained most of their local property tax revenue. Advertisement About 41% of the state general fund is allotted to K-12 schools. Newsom has proposed giving them nearly $59 billion in the next fiscal year. Coverage of California politics The governor has suggested an extra $2 billion for districts such as L.A. Unified that are heavy with low-income and English-learner students. Advertisement Plus, he is asking the Legislature for $3 billion to help K-12 schools and community colleges with their pension costs. Of that, $700 million would be money the schools wouldnt need to spend on pensions and could use for whatever they wanted. Unfunded pension and healthcare liabilities are steadily draining school district treasuries. Theres a $107-billion hole between pensions promised and money in the pipeline to pay for them. Trying to catch up, the California State Teachers Retirement System has ordered the districts to substantially increase their contributions. Districts now are kicking in the equivalent of 16% of teachers salaries. That will soon rise to 18% and probably hit 20% by 2021. The state is contributing nearly 10% and teachers 10.2%. L.A. Unified Supt. Austin Beutner told me, There should have been a strike in the state capital. Thats where the money comes from. This is a Sacramento conversation. Its time they match their words with deeds. Advertisement But Sacramento doesnt seem enthusiastic. L.A. is not unique, says state Sen. Holly J. Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), who heads the Senate Budget Committee. Im a product of LAUSD. But a number of other districts are in very similar circumstances and are at the brink. We need to figure out how to come up with structural solutions, not just a Band-Aid. Where is the money going and what do we need to do differently? What are people willing to pay for? Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), chairman of the Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, says: We need to be putting more money into schools. Were shortchanging our teachers. But districts have to be responsible and look at their revenue. Realize how much is coming in and budget how much they can afford to send out. Advertisement Schools are hoping for tax hikes. In 2012 and 2016, voters stepped up for schools with hefty income tax increases, although not on them. They hit the rich hard. For 2020, an initiative has qualified for the ballot to alter sacrosanct Proposition 13 by taxing commercial property at its market value. Thatll be a tough sled. Theres also talk of a proposed parcel tax in L.A. That would require a two-thirds majority vote. Its a high hurdle. But if L.A. wants a solvent district let alone better schools taxing itself is probably the best answer. Advertisement This could become a horror series. george.skelton@latimes.com Follow @LATimesSkelton on Twitter The state and an Orange County city have both filed lawsuits this month questioning each others power over homebuilding, fights that will determine how far Gov. Gavin Newsom can go in his bid to push local governments to allow for more housing. The city of Huntington Beach sued the state on Jan. 17 alleging that high-profile 2017 legislation to force cities to approve housing projects that meet local zoning rules is unconstitutional. The 2017 law, Senate Bill 35, was designed to address rising housing costs by making it easier for homes to be built. Huntington Beachs lawsuit contends that the legislation impinges on the citys authority to control development decisions within its boundaries. SB 35 seeks to create a system where the state controls how, where and when housing is built in every city in California, said the lawsuit, which was filed in Orange County Superior Court. SB 35 essentially creates unconstitutional authority for the state to rezone local land use in a city for its (ill-conceived) political purposes. At Gov. Newsoms urging, California will sue Huntington Beach over blocked homebuilding Advertisement The Huntington Beach case was filed a week before Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state was separately suing the city, alleging that Huntington Beach was defying a different state housing law. In that case, the state argues that Huntington Beach has failed to set aside sufficient land for new residential development, a requirement under a law first passed in 1967. Neither Newsom nor Huntington Beach officials mentioned the earlier case on Friday. Huntington Beach City Atty. Michael Gates said in an interview on Sunday that he believed the legal issues involved in both lawsuits were distinct, but that the state was singling out his city because it robustly defends its housing policies. Cities and local governments know what the community needs and how to solve problems, Gates said. Sacramento takes a one-size-fits-all approach to everything. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the author of the 2017 housing law, learned about Huntington Beachs litigation after Newsoms announcement, according to a spokesman. Wiener blasted Huntington Beach, saying that longstanding deference to cities and counties over homebuilding has played a major role in the states affordability problems. Simply put: We need to stop burying our heads in the sand and recognize that if we dont do things differently around housing, we face a bleak future one in which the lucky few have housing they can afford while everyone else struggles, Wiener said in the statement. Huntington Beachs dismissive approach to housing claiming there is no problem and that the state should just mind its own business is Exhibit A for why we have a crisis in this state. Coverage of California politics liam.dillon@latimes.com @dillonliam Equipment owned by Californias three largest utilities ignited more than 2,000 fires in three and a half years a timespan in which state regulators cited and fined the companies nine times for electrical safety violations. How the state regulates utilities is under growing scrutiny following unprecedented wildfires suspected to have been caused by power line issues, blazes that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed dozens of people. Lacking the manpower and sophisticated technology necessary to monitor more than 250,000 miles of power lines across the state, regulators rely on something of an honor system, with utilities responsible for ensuring all trees and vegetation are cut back far enough from electrical equipment before the onset of dry, high-fire danger conditions. Destructive wildfires in Paradise, wine country, Ventura County and other areas have prompted California lawmakers to consider new ways to improve regulatory oversight and hold utilities more accountable for prevention. Advertisement The California Public Utilities Commission has never fined an electrical utility company for failing to meet safety standards before a wildfire strikes. Instead, the agency fines the utilities for violations after investigations into fires find wrongdoing and the process can drag on for years. The CPUC oversight of investor-owned utilities to prevent electrical or utility-caused wildfires is devastatingly absent, said John Fiske, a lawyer who represents wildfire victims. When youre looking at areas that look like theyve been bombed in a war zone, and to know that can be prevented with enforcement and oversight, its widely upsetting. Investor-owned utilities are required to file annual reports with state regulators detailing even the smallest of spot fires linked to electrical equipment. Most of the blazes are less than 10 acres in size. And many of the most destructive wildfires in recent years are not included in the data because utilities are hesitant to tie their equipment to costly blazes before state investigations conclude. (Jon Schleuss / Los Angeles Times) Pacific Gas & Electric, the states largest utility providing electricity from Eureka to Bakersfield, reported 1,552 equipment-related fires from June 2014 through the end of 2017. Southern California Edison, the electricity supplier for 15 million people mostly south of Fresno County, reported 347 fires in that time. Serving a 4,100-square-mile area from San Clemente to the Mexican border, San Diego Gas & Electric disclosed 115 fires in the time period. Elizaveta Malashenko, director of the safety and enforcement division at the commission, said the agency uses the data to gain insight into the cause of ignitions and found that electrical lines making contact with vegetation and other line malfunctions sparked most of the fires. The data do not include any determinations on fault or show if the utilities violated safety laws. Malashenko said that simply because the data show there were fires related in some way to a utilitys equipment does not mean those fires are connected to safety violations and should trigger a fine or citation. But lawmakers suggest the severity of recent blazes and high number of fires proves the states methods to prevent disaster arent working. In most cases, enforcement follows investigations into massive wildfires that decimate towns and neighborhoods. In a three-and-a-half-year period ending in 2017, CPUC said it issued nine citations and fines related to electrical safety violations against the utilities including $8.3 million against PG&E for the Butte fire and an additional $15 million against Edison for multiple power outages in Long Beach in 2015. Advertisement As another form of punishment, the commission has also denied requests by utilities to recover losses from ratepayers if investigations discover negligence and district attorneys file criminal charges for wrongdoing. If utility equipment is tied to wildfires, the companies also face civil suits for damages. Fire-related costs led PG&E this month to announce plans to file for bankruptcy, potentially facing $30 billion in legal liability from the recent wildfires. This year, lawmakers in Sacramento are raising questions about wildfire prevention and electrical safety oversight, and are considering new legislation to address the issues. Ideas include small adjustments, such as providing CPUC with more explicit prevention guidelines and assigning a state representative to monitor safety at the utilities. More radical changes, including the creation of a new state entity to enforce safety or investing in sweeping technological advancements to provide regulators with better data, may require additional taxpayer dollars and would be more difficult to accomplish. We are in a new reality now, state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) said. No one has felt that more than the IOUs, the insurance companies and more importantly, the victims in these cases. It is our responsibility to evaluate it all. Working together with the governor, I think we realize changes need to happen. Advertisement Years-long drought, dry brush, dead trees, strong winds and outdated electrical infrastructure have made California more prone to combustion. More than 1.6 million acres burned and 100 lives were lost in 2018. Under mounting political pressure, state legislators asked for information from CPUC, the agency responsible for making sure public utilities operate safely. 1 / 75 John Bain and Brandon Baker try to stop a fire from burning a strangers home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 75 A brush fire moving with the wind sends embers all over residential neighborhoods north of Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 75 A family packs up and evacuates as a brush fire gets closer to their home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 75 John Bain and his friends, all from Camarillo, came to help as brush fires move quickly through residential neighborhoods in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 75 Strangers band together to help put out a palm tree on fire and stop it from burning homes. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 75 The Hawaiian Gardens apartments burn in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 7 / 75 Residents help with the fire attack on Buena Vista Street in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 8 / 75 Residents watch the Thomas fire on Prospect Street in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 9 / 75 Firefighters are deployed to battle the fire in a Ventura neighborhood. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 75 A chimney is all that stands of a home as a brush fire continues to threaten other homes in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 75 Remnants of a home as a brush fire continues to threaten other homes in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 75 A home burns on a hillside overlooking Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 75 Palms are consumed in the Thomas fire. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 14 / 75 Emma Jacobson, 19, center, gets a hug from a neighbor after her family home was destroyed by fire in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 75 Olivia Jacobson, 16, wipes tears as she looks at her familys home, destroyed by the brush fire on Island View Drive in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 75 Aerial view of the Thomas fire in Ventura County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 75 Noah Alarcon carries a cage with the family cat while evacuating from Casitas Springs. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 18 / 75 Smoke from the Thomas fire crosses over Lake Casitas near Ojai. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 19 / 75 A Ventura County firefighter battles a blaze on Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 75 Ventura County Firefighter Aaron Cohen catches his breath after fighting to save homes along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 75 Aerial view of homes burned to the ground in the Thomas fire in Ventura County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times ) 22 / 75 A home between Via Baja and Foothill Road burns in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 75 Amanda Leon and husband Johnny Leon watch as firefighters fight to save homes along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 75 Chino Valley firefighters fight to save a home along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 75 Embers continue to burn at sunset Tuesday in a home on Ridgecrest Court at Scenic Way in the Clearpoint neighborhood of Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles TImes) 26 / 75 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 75 Firefighters try to protect homes from the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 75 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 75 Edward Aguilar runs through the flames of the Thomas Fire to save his cats at his mobile home along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs in Ventura County. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 75 Jeff Lipscomb, left, Gabriel Lipscomb, 17, center, and Rachel Lipscomb, 11, look for items to recover from their burned home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 75 A traffic collision temporarily clogged lanes on the northbound 101 Freeway between Solimar and Faria Beaches as the Thomas fire burned in the hills. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 75 The Thomas fire burns towards the 101 Freeway and homes between Solimar and Faria Beaches. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 75 Fire personnel keep an eye on the Thomas fire on Toland Road near Santa Paula. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 34 / 75 A train on the Rincon coast passes a burning hillside from the Thomas fire. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 35 / 75 The Thomas fire burns along the 101 Freeway north of Ventura on Wednesday evening. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 75 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire in the town of La Conchita early Thursday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 75 A resident cries as the Thomas fire approaches the town of La Conchita early Thursday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 75 Burned palm trees are left standing between the 101 Freeway and Faria Beach as the Thomas fire reaches the Pacific Ocean. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 75 Firefighters battle Thursday to protect the resort city of Ojai from encroaching flames. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 75 Casey Rodriquez helps a friend move belongings after the Thomas Fire destroyed most of an apartment building on North Kalarama in Ventura. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 75 A burnt-out bus near Maripoca Highway. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 75 The Thomas fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 75 A huge plume of smoke rises north of Ventura as seen Sunday afternoon from the Ventura pier, as the Thomas fire threatens parts of Carpenteria and Montecito. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 75 The Thomas Fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai, Calif. on Friday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 75 Residents react as they watch the Thomas Fire burn in the hills above La Conchita at 5 am Thursday moning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 75 Mary McEwen and husband Dan Bellaart prepare to evacuate their home on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito as the Thomas fire burns. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 75 Carpenteria resident Chris Gayner, right, photographs a plane in the hills of Carpenteria. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 75 From left, residents Michael Desjardins, his neighbor Patty Rodriguez, daughter Mikayla, wife Veronica, mother in law Amanda Buzin, and son Mikey keep an eye on the Thomas fire in Carpenteria. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 75 Mary McEwen cheers as she sees fire crews make their way up a hill past her home on Toro Canyon Rd. in Montecito. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 75 Dan Bellaart and wife Mary McEwen comfort each other in the backyard of their home that includes an avocado ranch on 9 acres of land on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito, as the Thomas fire burns in the background. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 75 Carpinteria resident Jay Molnar, 55, mouth and nose protected against the smoke, views flames glowing in the hills above the city on Dec. 11, 2017. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 75 Sacramento firefighters battle a blaze in Toro Canyon in Carpenteria at dusk Tuesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 75 Josh Acosta, superintendent with Fulton Hotshots looks for ways to fight fire consuming a structure threatening two homes high up Toro Canyon in Carpenteria at dusk Tuesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 75 A motorcade passes on tHighway 126 carrying the body of a Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson, who died Thursday morning while battling the Thomas Fire. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 75 Santa Paula City officials, Police and Firefighters salute from a bridge as a motorcade passes on the Santa Paula Freeway 126 carrying the body of a Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 75 Flames from a back fire behind a home off Ladera Lane near Bella Vista Drive during continuing efforts to fight the Thomas Fire on East Camino Cielo above Montecito, Calif. on Thursday. (Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire) 57 / 75 An Erickson MD-87, right, making a Phos-chek drop while following the lead plane during continuing efforts to fight the Thomas Fire on East Camino Cielo above Montecito, California on Thursday. (Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire) 58 / 75 Forest Service crews cut and clear dense brush for contingency lines off of East Camino Cielo in the Santa Ynez Mountains above Montecito and Santa Barbara to help stop the Thomas fire from advancing. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 75 A hotshot crew from Ojai marches towards their assignment to protect structures on East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 75 Firefighters monitor the flames Saturday from a staging area near Parma Park in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 75 Flames slowly make their way down a valley behind a home in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 75 Flames whip around power lines as they move through Sycamore Canyon on Saturday, threatening structures in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 75 Smoke billows over Santa Barbara as the Thomas Fire continues to threaten the area on Saturday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 64 / 75 Bill Shubin, deputy fire chief of the Santa Rosa Fire Department checks on flames burning near homes north of East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 75 A fire truck pulls responds to fires burning near homes on East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 66 / 75 Brian Good, from US Forest Service, leans forward against the wind, and holds up a Kestrel to measure wind speeds up to 50 mph on Gibraltar Road in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 75 A plume of smoke moves south as winds as high as 50 mph blow down Gibraltar Road on the west fork of Cold Spring Trail in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 75 Flames and a big plume of smoke threaten homes on Gibraltar Road near Gibraltar Rock, outside Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 75 The sun rises as fire crews prepare for another day of fighting the Thomas Fire, in Montecito, Calif., on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 75 An aircraft makes a water drop over a hot spot up in the mountain range at Gibraltar Rock near Montecito, Calif. on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 71 / 75 Humboldt County firefighters Bobby Gray, left, hoses down smoldering flames inside a destroyed home, as Kellee Stoehr, right looks on, after the Thomas Fire burned in Montecito, Calif. on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 75 A home on Park Hill Lane was destroyed by the Thomas fire in Montecito, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 73 / 75 Humboldt County firefighters Lonnie Risling, left, and Jimmy McHaffie, right, spray down smoldering fire underneath the rubble of a home that was destroyed by the Thomas Fire, in Montecito, Calif., Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 74 / 75 Fire crews help the Behrman family retrieve their familys personal belongings out of their burned home, in Montecito, Calif., on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 75 / 75 In the foreground of the ridges that were burned by the Thomas Fire, Rusty Smith stands outside his home that survived the flames that were kicked up by Saturdays wind event and threatened his home in Flores Flats on Gibraltar Road, near Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Some couldnt believe what they learned. Michael Picker, president of the CPUC, testified at a state Capitol hearing last year that the commission is primarily an economic regulator with a central focus of making sure companies provide energy to consumers at reasonable rates. Picker told lawmakers the agency had neither the technology nor manpower to ensure safety compliance on its own. Advertisement I was stunned, said state Sen. Bill Dodd, a Napa Democrat who led the committee. To me, we dont have any bigger issue than this. State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) said given the dire wildfire threat, lawmakers cannot wait for an agency to come up to speed with keeping our communities safe. Their leadership has testified that they are behind the curve on safety regulations, Jackson said. I think, frankly, what we need do is rethink the system. A team of 19 people at the California Public Utilities Commission conducts on-the-ground preventive safety audits and spot checks, while also investigating wildfires. But inspections cover only a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of miles of power lines and 4.2 million utility poles that deliver electricity to homes and businesses throughout the state. Malashenko has requested 13 more positions dedicated to wildfire safety and enforcement next year. Advertisement Its not as if we actually go out in the same way that we do for rail lines, for electric and telecommunication lines, Picker said to lawmakers last year. Theres just too many miles for us to be able to match the 37,000-person workforce, say, at PG&E. Unsatisfied with PG&Es management of its electrical infrastructure, U.S. District Judge William Alsup proposed earlier this month that the company inspect all 100,000 miles of its power lines and trim vegetation before the 2019 fire season begins. Alsup cited the susceptibility of PG&Es distribution lines coming into contact with trees during high-wind events as the most prevalent cause of 2017 and 2018 wildfires linked to the companys equipment. On Wednesday, the company said performing inspections and cutting back vegetation could cost at least $75 billion and the job would be impossible to complete in the given time. Concerns over wildfire safety are not limited to enforcement. Some say new technology is vital to solving the crisis. Advertisement In his first week in office, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to modernize the states system for procuring technology contracts and emphasized working with the private sector to address fire detection. Newsoms state budget proposes $9.2 million for the CPUC to address oversight of investorowned utility compliance with legislative requirements to reduce the risk of utilitycaused wildfires and review new wildfire mitigation plans required by the Legislature. Malashenko applauded the governors attention to technology. The state and companies such as PG&E need more data and better systems to understand wildfire risks and address prevention, she said. CPUC officials cant say if fires linked to utility equipment in the data on wildfire ignitions were caused by safety violations, or if the policies requiring the companies to maintain vegetation clearances around power lines are working. The agency is currently matching its records to investigative findings from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to gain a clearer picture of the problem, although Malashenko says the efforts have taken a back seat to the 2018 wildfires. Technological advancements, such as better real-time weather modeling, would more accurately determine the conditions that drive wildfires. Aerial drone patrols could ensure that required vegetation clearance is constantly maintained. While humans can offer only subjective assessments on the ground, technology can provide more granular detail and identify risks and trends based on the specific threats in a local area, she said. Advertisement California, Malashenko argues, already has the most stringent safety requirements and the largest electric safety program in the nation. At least for now, state regulators are largely drawing a road map to prevent wildfires as they go. Yes, maybe theres some opportunity to do more inspections, but...what is the end goal here? Malashenko said. Are we really going to make that much of a difference if we just increase the current system? We need to take a step back and really rethink it and design a program that addresses this challenge. Get the latest California politics news taryn.luna@latimes.com Advertisement Follow @tarynluna on Twitter and sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter. Frustrated that Californias licensed marijuana industry is struggling to compete against the black market, a group of state officials is pressing to slash taxes on legal pot shops and growers. Lawmakers acknowledged that a year after the state began issuing licenses for growing and selling marijuana for recreational purposes, the legal market has been stunted by red tape, the refusal of cities to allow pot businesses and the burden of paying state and local taxes. State Treasurer Fiona Ma and five legislators proposed a bill Monday that would cut the state excise tax on marijuana sales from 15% to 11% for three years, and suspend the cultivation tax of $148 per pound during that period. The black market continues to undercut businesses that are complying with state regulations and doing things the right way, said Assemblyman Rob Bonta of Alameda, the primary author of the measure. The tax cut, he said, will help keep customers at licensed businesses and help ensure the regulated market survives and thrives. Advertisement The issue is urgent, industry officials say, because marijuana remains an illegal drug under federal law and enforcement has been deferred in the past only on the condition that states have a well-regulated market. Bonta coauthored the bill with fellow Democratic Assemblymen Reginald Jones-Sawyer of Los Angeles, Mark Stone of Scotts Valley and Ken Cooley of Rancho Cordova, and Republican Assemblyman Tom Lackey of Palmdale. The excise tax was required by Proposition 64, an initiative approved by California voters in 2016 that legalized growing and selling marijuana for recreational use. Taxes were proposed to cover the states cost of regulating a legal market. California began licensing businesses in January 2018, but the number of pot shops and growers that have gotten permits is far below what officials estimated. The state budget originally anticipated $630 million in pot tax revenue this fiscal year, which ends June 30, but the number was revised down this month to $355 million. The money is supposed to cover the states cost of licensing firms and enforcing the law, as well as to finance programs that discourage minors from using cannabis and studies on the impact of the pot on driving and health. Industry officials say a major impediment has been that the added state and local taxes can increase the retail cost of marijuana by some 40%. Other states with legal cannabis markets, including Washington and Oregon, have acted to reduce their tax rates and encourage the adoption of the legal market, Bonta said. He said that after Washington simplified its tax structure and reduced its rates, tax revenue grew from $13.4 million in June of 2015 to $33.1 million in April of 2017. Lowering the excise tax and postponing the cultivation tax will reduce prices for cannabis consumers, making the legal market more competitive, said Beau Whitney, senior economist at New Frontier Data, a firm that analyzes cannabis markets. Advertisement Ellen Komp, deputy director of the pro-marijuana group California NORML, supports lowering taxes to assist the industry and consumers. The sticker shock from cannabis taxes has sent many consumers back to black market providers, she said, adding it has particularly hurt low-income medical marijuana patients. But Kevin Sabet, president of the anti-marijuana group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, says the tax cut would lead to more drug use. When drugs are cheaper, more people buy them and buy them more often, Sabet said. We dont need more stoned drivers, stoned workers and stoned parents and students in California. Advertisement Ma said the legislation is needed to jump-start a new, regulated industry. We are helping legal cannabis businesses with their transition into the marketplace, just like we would for any start-up industry, she said. Bonta proposed similar tax cuts last year but they stalled in the Legislature amid concerns that they would significantly reduce revenue to state coffers. A report by legislative staff estimated last year the cuts would reduce annual funds to the state by up to $297 million. Advertisement Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, said at the time that the state could not afford the loss. It was really expensive, she said. Newsom, who was instrumental in putting Proposition 64 on the ballot, has not taken a position on the latest proposal to cut taxes. If the measure is sent to the governor, it would be evaluated on its own merits, spokesman Brian Ferguson said. Lackey, a retired California Highway Patrol officer, said the tax reduction is needed to address public safety issues. Right now the illicit market is dominating Californias cannabis industry, Lackey said. These are bad people who are making our communities unsafe. We need to give the good guys a chance to succeed; otherwise our one chance at creating a regulated industry will be compromised. Advertisement Coverage of California politics patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com Twitter: @mcgreevy99 To the editor: Coming soon: either a resumed partial government shutdown on Feb. 15, or President Trumps assumption of autocratic power through a border security emergency declaration. Why cant reason prevail? Above all, Trump does not want to be branded a loser. Trouble is, he set himself up for losing with his daft build-the-wall promise and by letting right-wing commentators goad him into trying to extort funds for that wall. And then his shutdown gambit lost to House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-San Francisco) rational, iron-willed resolve. Trumps history as a business loser, with multiple bankruptcies, doesnt help. He has no way to shrug off his bankrupt governance and start anew as a world superpowers chief executive. So he finds himself with just two face-saving options, neither of which bodes well for America. Rank narcissism doesnt provide grounds for impeachment, but risking our democracys viability surely does. Advertisement Marta Tehrani, Santa Monica .. To the editor: Trump and Pelosi are on a shutdown collision course. How about using the next few weeks to arrange a stopgap agreement to form a special bipartisan congressional committee composed of House and Senate members? The committee could do a full legislative investigation, with testimony from experts and stakeholders, of how best to protect our borders. Trump, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) could agree to accept its findings and support it with funding determined by the committee. Robert Berliner, Sherman Oaks .. To the editor: Why is anyone surprised by the countrys reaction to the partial government shutdown? Forget the hand-wringing over the economic costs. Consider instead the prospect of losing food and housing, the threat to food safety, the threat to air safety, the damage to national parks and all the other services that were suspended. Why did this cause such an outcry and a retreat by Trump? Advertisement The people revolted because they have identified essential services as the basis of a modern democratic society, and we tax ourselves to ensure that services are provided with no interruptions. Imagine the chaos from a loss of all essential services. Politicians who support shutdowns should be permanently shut out. David L. Burdick, Ridgecrest .. Advertisement To the editor: If Trump were truly concerned about the emergency posed by illegal border crossings, he would demand that U.S. employers run E-Verify checks on every job applicant, and call for stiff fines or jail sentences for failure to do so. Everyone knows that this approach would staunch the influx of undocumented workers. President George W. Bush floated such a measure, but reversed himself when wealthy GOP backers balked at losing continued access to cheap, exploitable immigrant labor. In truth, Trumps border-wall obsession stems solely from his desire to erect a showy demagogic symbol. Hence his emergency charade endures. Dennis Alston, Atwater, Calif. Advertisement Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Listening to the rhetoric of the teachers unions, one might have thought the teachers strike in Los Angeles was about charter schools. When someone says theres no money, why isnt there money? National Education Assn. President Lily Eskelsen Garcia asked on MSNBC the first day of the strike. A big reason is because theyve given it away to for-profit charters. If youre in the charter industry, what do you want to do? You want to create horrible public schools. The billionaires who are behind this, the venture capitalists, the Wall Street guys, are out to make money on public schools. This was nonsense: California never had many for-profit charters, and last year the legislature banned them entirely. Most of the people behind L.A.s 277 charter schools are dedicated educators who work 60 hours a week to help low-income children. Theyre more like Peace Corps volunteers than Wall Street guys. But Garcias comments were illuminating. Clearly the unions saw the strike as an opportunity to discredit charters. Advertisement Why are teachers unions so upset about independent charter schools? Because most choose not to unionize, though they are free to do so. For those confused by the rhetoric, independent charter schools are public schools, supported by taxpayers money but operated by nonprofit organizations. They function outside the stifling rules and bureaucratic controls of the Los Angeles Unified School District. They have to follow many laws, and the educational achievement of their students is closely monitored, but they are free to hire the teachers they want, pay them what it takes to attract sufficient talent, and fire those who are ineffective. They can also craft innovative learning models. Charter schools include Montessori-based elementaries, dual-language immersion programs and career-tech high schools, to name just a few. But unlike some district-run magnet schools for high achievers, charters cannot choose their students. If too many sign up and there are 50,000 kids on waiting lists for them in L.A. the school has to hold a lottery. In this way, they are more public than many selective district schools. To be sure, families have to choose charter schools, so kids with disengaged families are more likely to remain in district schools. While this gives charters an advantage, it may be outweighed by the fact that charters get close to $2,000 less per child than district schools. Overall, charter students perform significantly better than district students. Results vary from school to school, but with demographically similar students, L.A. charters, on average, have higher test scores, higher graduation rates, and higher college preparedness rates than schools run by LAUSD. As with any collection of inner-city schools, some charters struggle but they are usually closed, while failing district schools often survive for decades. So why are teachers unions so upset about them? Because most choose not to unionize, though they are free to do so. (LAUSDs affiliated charters district schools that have converted remain unionized.) As independent charters have grown to educate 20% of public school students in Los Angeles, the union has shrunk. Hence charters are a threat not to teachers, not to students, but to unions. This explains why United Teachers Los Angeles blamed the districts financial problems on charters. One of their assertions was that, by taking students away, charters drained more than $500 million a year from the districts $7.5 billion budget. The unions solution is a charter moratorium and cap. Advertisement The truth is, even if all charter students returned tomorrow, LAUSD would still have profound financial problems. For years, the district underfunded its pensions, and the state has now forced it to play catch-up. More important, it has one of the most generous health benefits in the country. Teachers and their dependents get full health insurance, with no premiums or co-pays for life, if theyve put in enough years in the classroom. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute Between 2013-14 and 2017-18, LAUSD spending on benefits shot up 44%, while the number of teachers declined by 13%. Benefits now consume $2 billion a year almost equal to what the district spends on teachers salaries. LAUSDs unions could easily lower health insurance costs if they wanted to, because they control eight of nine seats on the committee that sets health benefits. They could require retirees to shift to Medicare as their primary insurer once they hit 65, for instance, leaving the district to cover only supplemental costs. Advertisement Today, the district spends $500 million more than it takes in each year, and its reserves have fallen below 1% of spending. By law, Los Angeles County must take fiscal control of the district if reserves remain under 1%. If things get bad enough, the state will step in. Either one could throw out collective bargaining agreements, change benefit packages, and cut other spending. Its hard to fault the union for demanding a 6.5% raise for teachers, given Californias low levels of funding for public education. But the 6% raise the district granted could trigger a takeover, precisely because of the generous benefits the union has negotiated. By scapegoating charters, the union kept most of the media from noticing that particular irony. David Osborne, author of Reinventing Americas Schools and Reinventing Government, leads the K-12 education work of the Progressive Policy Institute. Its never easy to tell whether President Trump is staking out a negotiating position or drawing a line in the sand. But the comments he and his acting chief of staff made over the weekend about the border-security negotiations sound like Trump really is dug in on his wall project. The predictable outcome is that Trump will declare a national emergency and shift money from some other budget items into wall construction. Thats because congressional Democrats have already shown that they simply will not put up the $5.7 billion the president demands for that project. The possibility of Trump acting unilaterally, though, adds an extra layer of complexity to the bipartisan negotiations going on now over funding for border security. More on that in a second. Yes, theres been intransigence on both sides. And yes, a deal seems within easy reach but only if Democrats could countenance some wall-building in places where it makes sense, and only if Trump could accept that walls wouldnt do much to solve the manifest problems with U.S immigration policy. Advertisement Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute Trump appeared to lay the groundwork for such a deal in his speech on Friday, when he emphasized that he was looking for a physical barrier only in high-priority areas specified by border security experts. But his stance hardened almost immediately thereafter, probably in response to all the headlines and commentary about him caving to end the partial government shutdown. Hence the messaging that he was ready to shut down the government again if he doesnt get the full $5.7 billion for wall construction. Thats an empty threat. Having seen the damage to his reputation and the economy from the first shutdown, Trump isnt foolish enough to do it again. (I hope.) As much as he threatens another shutdown if he doesnt get his way, he has to know it would be political suicide (and toxic to at least some congressional Republicans, as they have no doubt already impressed upon the administration). But its even harder to imagine Trump accepting a deal that looks like the one the Senate crafted last year, which put a lot of money into border security but not the wall. The wall is a pain point for Trump, just as it is for many Democrats who oppose it. So the president seems destined to test the limits of executive power by declaring a national emergency (which he has extremely broad authority to do) and then fund the wall project with money Congress appropriated for something else (which is legally dicier). What a horrible precedent that would set! Not that Trump, for all his complaints about the Obama administrations use of executive orders and regulatory authority, has ever worried about pushing the boundaries of presidential power too far. Plenty of good arguments have been made already about whether such a move by Trump could survive the legal challenge that would be sure to come. At the moment, though, the more interesting question is whether the lawmakers and congressional leaders now negotiating over border-security funds are being played for suckers. On the one hand, theyre trying to craft a deal on border-security funding that is generous enough to the White Houses position that it wins Trumps favor. On the other hand, they know that Trump may sign it and then declare an emergency anyway if they dont give him as much as he wants to spend on the wall. Thats a tough position to be in if youre an opponent of the wall. Its heads Trump wins, tails you lose unless the courts strike down the presidents rewriting of congressional appropriations. Lower court judges have been willing to rein in this president for playing fast and loose with federal law, but would a Supreme Court dotted with justices who have a permissive view of executive power? Distasteful as it may seem, state law allows elected officials and candidates to raise money from donors or even to use previously donated campaign contributions to pay for their defense when they are accused of crimes committed in the course of their official duties or while running a campaign. Its kind of a strange idea, and (because it is allowed under federal law too), it leads to ludicrous situations such as this one: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) is currently using his congressional campaign funds to pay the lawyers fighting multiple criminal charges that he, well, misused campaign funds for personal use. Is that not a textbook definition of irony? Now the situation is getting even stranger. Regulators in Sacramento want to change the state version of the law so that some crimes will qualify for this treatment while other crimes wont. The argument seems to be that some allegations are so indefensible that elected officials should be presumed guilty and forbidden from tapping these funds for their defense. A bill sponsored by the states Fair Political Practices Commission, the appointed body that regulates campaign funds, would prohibit elected officials and candidates from using campaign funds or establishing legal defense funds to help defray their legal costs if they are charged with certain specific crimes: sexual harassment, discrimination or other fair employment violations. Even if those allegations arose from on-the-job conduct. Advertisement Its not appropriate to create exemptions in the law just because the allegations are politically unpopular. Yet they could still use their funds to defend themselves if they were charged with bribery or extortion or theft or voter fraud or assault, as long as the crimes occurred during the course of business. The legal foundation for this proposal is, to be generous, shaky. It seems to be based on nothing more than the broad public outrage, at this moment in history, over sexual harassment. That outrage is surely justified, but thats no reason to treat those crimes differently from others. The proposal grew out of a letter from former state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) asking for permission to set up a legal defense fund to pay the costs of fighting allegations of wrongful termination and sexual misconduct involving several women, including members of his own staff. The state code governing political legal defense funds says that an elected official facing administrative, civil or criminal charges for things he or she did as part of his or her job may set up such a fund and raise unlimited amounts from donors. Since the charges arose from conduct involving his legislative staff, an FPPC lawyer gave Mendoza the go-ahead. But a month later, the commission voted to rescind its permission, even though Mendoza had already created the fund and raised money (most of which came from tapping his reelection campaign funds). It was an unusual decision for a number of reasons, starting with the fact that the investigation had by that time concluded, finding that the charges of improper behavior were most likely valid, and Mendoza had resigned from his Senate seat rather than face a vote by his colleagues to kick him out. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute But more troubling was the lack of justification for the decision. At the March 22 meeting where it was discussed, commissioners said they felt the initial approval was wrong, but they werent sure exactly why or what to do about it. It just doesnt look good. It reflects on us, Commissioner Brian Hatch said. We share the commissions distaste for a system that allows legislators to hit up lobbyists, special interests and other deep-pocketed political donors to pay to fight allegations of heinous crimes. But its not appropriate to create exemptions in the law just because the allegations are politically unpopular. Advertisement Its heartening that the #MeToo movement has raised the consciousness of policymakers. But the instinct to hold powerful people accountable can lead well-intentioned people astray. This seems to be such a case. Ideally, regulators and legislators would put aside this narrow question and use this as an opportunity to undertake a broader assessment of the rules regarding use of political funds for legal defense. Its legitimate to reconsider, for example, whether there should be limits on contributions to legal defense funds or restrictions on using regular campaign funds for legal fees. They also should look at whether politicians accused of corruption on behalf of political donors ought to be allowed to ask those same political donors to bail them out. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook. We extend the deepest sympathy to the Philippine Government, people and families of the victims, Hang said while answering reporters queries on Vietnams response to twin bombings in the Philippines, which left many people dead and injured. She stressed that Vietnam supports the Philippine Governments anti-terrorism efforts and believes that masterminds behind the case will be punished properly. The twin explosions happened after mass at 8am (local time), leaving as many as 20 dead and dozens injured. The victims were mostly government troops and civilians. The bombings took place days after the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), a new law that paves the way for the creation of a wider autonomous region for Muslim Filipinos in Mindanao. Although Muslims overwhelmingly approved the law, Sulu province, where Jolo is located, voted against the autonomous government. The Philippine Commission on Elections had previously announced that the law was ratified following the approval of more than 1.5 million votes. Ramping up pressure to unseat the government of President Nicolas Maduro, the Trump administration Monday took the long-awaited step of sanctioning Venezuelas oil company, that countrys lifeline, and saying it will divert revenue to the party of his chief opponent, Juan Guaido. The sanctions will block and seize $7 billion in Venezuelan assets, administration officials said. The administration stopped short of an all-out embargo on Venezuelan oil, much of which is processed in U.S. refineries and supplies numerous Caribbean and Central American countries. Any purchase of Venezuelan oil by U.S. companies will have to go into blocked accounts, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said at a White House news conference. Advertisement The sanctions target the state-owned Venezuelan oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, known as PdVSA, and will prevent Maduro from using profits for his own benefit, Mnuchin said. Todays designation of PdVSA will help prevent further diverting of Venezuelas assets by Maduro and preserve these assets for the people of Venezuela, Mnuchin said. The path to sanctions relief for PdVSA is through the expeditious transfer of control to the interim president or a subsequent, democratically elected government. The U.S. and other countries last week recognized Guaido, the head of the Venezuelan opposition who declared himself president, as the rightful leader of the country. Russia, China and Mexico opposed the move. President Trumps national security advisor John Bolton, who joined Mnuchin for the announcement, said the oil company had long served as a vehicle for corruption that embezzled billions of dollars for the personal gain of Maduro and other corrupt Venezuelan officials. In a long string of economic sanctions that the U.S. has slapped on Maduro and his government in the last two years, Washington had avoided touching the oil industry because of possible disruption to the world market. On Monday, Mnuchin and Bolton said they were confident that Middle East nations would be able to make up for any shortfall in oil supplies. tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter In a rare public confrontation with Los Angeles Countys elected sheriff, the countys governing body is expected to vote Tuesday on a motion that would challenge the recent reinstatement of a deputy sheriff who was fired in connection with allegations of domestic abuse and stalking. The five-member Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has little direct control over the countys top cop. But Sheriff Alex Villanuevas rehiring of a fired deputy who worked on his campaign has sparked widespread criticism among watchdogs and prompted action by two supervisors. Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the lead author on the motion, along with Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, cited grave concerns over the reinstatement and expressed alarm over Villanuevas comments last week that the move was justified because the deputys accuser waited to come forward and was hesitant to testify. The reinstatement and the reasoning for it sends a disturbing message that a crime victim should not be believed based on the timing of the allegations and one persons doubt about his or her credibility, the motion says. This approach can further discourage victims from coming forward who are already reluctant to report such crimes for a variety of reasons, including shame, self-doubt and fear. Advertisement Sheriffs Department spokesman Capt. Darren Harris said Villanueva is aware of the motion. He did not comment further. The Times reported this month that Caren Carl Mandoyan was fired in 2016 by then-Sheriff Jim McDonnell after a fellow deputy alleged Mandoyan grabbed her by the neck, tried to break into her home twice, sent her harassing text messages and admitted to listening to her conversations. A county appeals board heard evidence in the case and upheld Mandoyans dismissal. Prosecutors investigated the womans claims and looked at video evidence in the case but declined to charge Mandoyan with intimate partner violence. Mandoyan did not respond to requests for comment. Mandoyan, who appeared onstage at Villanuevas swearing-in, served as his driver and played a key role in persuading rank-and-file deputies to rally behind Villanuevas long-shot bid. The motion does not mention Mandoyan by name, but a spokeswoman for Barger confirmed he is the deputy referred to in the document. Speaking before the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission for the first time last week, Villanueva defended the reinstatement. He questioned the credibility of the accuser, saying the fact that she waited nearly a year to report her claims and her decision to quit the department just before she was about to testify were big warning signs. Villanueva also said any discipline of deputies over claims of domestic violence should require that related criminal charges are filed and that the allegations relate to employment. Neither element was present in this case, he argued. Villanuevas stance would mark a significant departure from the way internal affairs matters have been handled. The cases operate with lower standards of evidence than criminal cases and can involve compelled testimony by deputies. The countys inspector general, Max Huntsman, told Villanueva at the meeting last week that his approach was radical. Advertisement The motion calls for the countys five supervisors to send a joint letter to Villanueva expressing their concern and asking the sheriff to reconsider Mandoyans reinstatement. It would also direct county counsel to examine the procedures the supervisors can take in navigating conflicts with the sheriff. Kuehl said county lawyers could explore whether the sheriff has the authority to bring back a deputy whose firing was upheld by the county Civil Service Commission. She said the attorneys may also look into whether the county could withhold a deputys paycheck, citing it only as a hypothetical. Kuehl said Villanueva sounded stuck in the 60s by blaming the alleged victim in Mandoyans case. She also questioned Villanuevas proposal to create a truth and reconciliation commission to hear the cases of deputies with grievances against the department. It sounds like he wants to bring back every bad deputy who he thought got a bad deal, Kuehl said. Advertisement A statement from a spokesman for Supervisor Hilda Solis said she wholeheartedly supports the rights of victims, and she believes the sheriff should lead by example. Solis indicated she would support the motion. Supervisors Janice Hahn and Mark Ridley-Thomas did not provide responses Sunday about the vote. With control of the countys $30-billion budget, the supervisors most direct form of influence over the Sheriffs Department is in approving that agencys $3-billion budget. The board, which regularly considers whether to authorize legal settlements involving alleged misconduct by deputy sheriffs, has an interest in keeping litigation costs down. The county has spent at least $182 million in Sheriffs Department payouts over the last decade. maya.lau@latimes.com Advertisement Twitter: @mayalau Residents living in San Diegos portside neighborhoods, from Barrio Logan to National City, have for years breathed some of the most polluted air in California. These low-income communities have pleaded for relief, suffering severe risks for asthma and cancer. However, theres been disagreement about whats causing that pollution. While community members and their advocates have pointed to the shipbuilding industry, freight operations, and other activities at the Port of San Diego, businesses have argued that freeway pollution is the primary threat to nearby communities. Both sides now see an opportunity to get clarity on the situation and rein in toxic emissions whether from diesel-powered cranes, cargo ships and freight trucks or the heavily trafficked Interstate 5. Advertisement Millions of dollars in state funding have started to flow from Sacramento to the San Diego region as part of a statewide effort to clean up disadvantaged communities, dubbed the Community Air Protection Program. This is the biggest thing to happen for air quality, I think, in 20 years, said Jack Monger, CEO of the Industrial Environmental Association, a prominent industry trade group. Finally, were going to have some scientific data to look at. The California Air Resources Board has targeted 10 communities around the state to be part of an initial air monitoring and cleanup effort, from Richmond in the Bay Area to East Los Angeles to the port neighborhoods of San Diego. Our communities have been neglected by regulatory agencies for decades, said Diane Takvorian, executive director of the Environmental Health Coalition, who was recently appointed to the air board. The Community Air Protection Program is a significant step in the right direction. Barrio Logan residents, such as Philomena Marino, are also supporting the effort. She said that for the first time, shes optimistic her lifelong neighborhood could become a healthy place to breathe the air. If you would have asked me that three years ago, I would have said no, said Marino, 49, but now, Im hopeful it will get cleaned up. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, residents in Barrio Logan experience asthma at more than twice the national average, and the risk of cancer is in the 80th to 90th percentile. The program was mandated by the state legislature in 2017 under Assembly Bill 617 and is largely funded by the states cap-and-trade program. Regional air pollution control districts oversee the process, which is guided by a steering committee of industry officials, health experts, community members and environmental justice advocates. Advertisement The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District said it has received about $3.75 million from the state last year to roll out its program and expects to pull in another $2.5 million by spring. The steering committee is preparing to deploy air monitors in Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, Sherman Heights and west National City. The devices are expected to be providing data on pollution by July. Monthly meetings of the steering committee started in October and are open to the public. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Perkins Elementary School. While the process has been a model of collaboration so far, the harder work will begin once the data comes in this summer. Thats when the group will likely be faced with addressing specific sources of pollution, from vehicle fleets to individual businesses. In the meantime, some efforts are already underway. The San Diego County air district has started considering grant applications for projects that, for example, electrify port operations or replace older boat and truck engines. Advertisement And the Port of San Diego struck a deal with the Environmental Health Coalition in 2016 to establish certain green operations as part of a more than $32 million expansion of its Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal. While the Port ramps up its cargo throughput from roughly a million metric tons a year to 4.7 million by 2035, it has agreed to invest in low-emissions freight equipment. Its also planning to purchase a roughly $8 million bonnet to capture smokestack emissions from ships that cannot plug into the electric shore-power system while docked. We very much have a desire to electrify the terminal, said Job Nelson, assistant vice president of government and civic relations for the Port. We all want to get to the same place. Its just a question of where the technology is. Last summer, port tenants rolled out several large electric trucks and forklifts secured in a $5.9 million grant from the California Energy Commission. The battery-powered vehicles went to the Dole Fresh Fruit Company, Marine Group Boat Works, Pasha Automotive Group, Terminalift and Continental Maritime. Advertisement However, even the Port admits theres much it could do to electrify its equipment. At a recent meeting of the San Diego Association of Government Freight Stakeholders Working Group, Aimee Heim, manager of grants and policy with the Port, said the group has missed out on grant funding to electrify operations because it lacked some long-range planning. joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com A South Los Angeles charter school network reached a tentative deal Sunday to end an eight-day strike, the first job action of its kind in California, union officials said. Accelerated Schools teachers are expected to return to their classrooms Monday morning and vote on the agreement in the afternoon, United Teachers Los Angeles said in a news release. Teachers at Accelerateds three schools walked out Jan. 15, a day after thousands of other L.A. educators at regular public schools began a strike against the L.A. Unified School District, the nations second-largest school system. Charter schools are publicly funded but run separately from regular public schools. UTLA represents teachers in district schools and at Accelerated under different contracts. Advertisement The Accelerated walkout marked the first time that a charter school organization in California went on strike, and only the second nationally. The Accelerated Schools strike followed a recent four-day walkout at the Acero charter school network in Chicago, the first charter school job action in the U.S. While LAUSD teachers demanded better pay, smaller class sizes and more support staff, more than 75 Accelerated instructors sought increased job security and improved health benefits to reduce the high teacher turnover rate at the schools. From 2016 to 2018, the turnover rate among Accelerated teachers was 50%, the union said. The school network serves 1,700 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The tentative Accelerated agreement includes better health benefits and a $10,000 annual bonus for teachers, half of which will be awarded when contracts are renewed at the end of the school year. The other half will be given two months into the school year. We think this will go a long way towards dealing with the teacher retention problem, said Hong Bui, UTLAs chief negotiator with Accelerated. The deal also calls for a severance package for teachers: three-months salary and health benefits. Bui said he hopes that the severance package will deter school management from arbitrarily letting teachers go. As it stands, Accelerated teachers wait until April to learn whether their contracts for the next school year will be renewed, Bui said. Advertisement Weve seen good teachers, respected by their peers and liked by students, not given a contract to return, he said. The board of directors of Accelerated Schools said the contract also called for the creation of a joint committee of union and management to develop criteria for employment contracts and teacher evaluations. laura.newberry@latimes.com | Twitter: @LauraMNewberry A 59-year-old man suspected of trying to carjack a womans car at a Fresno gas station and then jumping onto a moving big rig to flee is facing a felony charge. Bryan McCarter was arrested and charged last week with attempted carjacking. He has pleaded not guilty, according to Fresno County Superior Court records. Authorities say McCarter grabbed a womans car keys that were on a lanyard in her pocket as she was pumping gas at the 76 station at 2585 S. East Ave. on Jan. 9 and jumped in the drivers seat. The woman pulled him out, and he ran when bystanders intervened, Fresno police Lt. Mark Hudson said. Hudson said surveillance video from the scene shows McCarter throwing a large trash can at a man who chased him through the gas station lot. A few minutes later, another bystander captured footage of McCarter jumping onto the side of a moving semi-truck to flee the scene. Advertisement Police arrested McCarter during a traffic stop on Jan. 21. He is being held in lieu of $270,000 bail. hannah.fry@latimes.com Twitter: @Hannahnfry Mayor Eric Garcetti on Monday called for an audit of stops by the Los Angeles Police Departments elite Metropolitan Division in response to a Times investigation showing the unit pulled over black drivers at disproportionately high rates. Garcetti said the report, which found that Metro officers stop black drivers at a rate more than five times their share of the population, is something that troubles me and is deeply concerning. For the record: An earlier version of this article misstated the subject and timing of an LAPD inspector general audit. The audit is of the LAPDs Gang Enforcement Detail, not the Gang and Narcotics Division. It is expected to be released on Feb. 1, not this month. Trust is essential to our public safety, and every Angeleno deserves to be offered dignity and respect, Garcetti said at a news conference Monday morning on 2018 crime statistics. According to the Times analysis, nearly half the drivers stopped by Metro are black, in a city that is 9% black, which has helped drive up the share of blacks stopped by the LAPD overall from 21% to 28% since the Metro expansion. Advertisement Police Chief Michel Moore said Monday that the Times analysis renews an important question on how law enforcement strategies affect public trust and the safety of those who live in neighborhoods affected by violent crime. I look forward to a more expansive conversation on the topic, Moore said. Critically important is that the communities of South Los Angeles, and particularly the African American community, have confidence that this departments efforts are genuine and intended to save lives. The move comes as some civil rights activists have demanded a deeper examination of how the Metro division patrols and whether the tactics amounted to racial profiling. The LAPDs Office of Inspector General had already been working on an audit of Metro traffic stops, but Garcettis directive gives the project added urgency. Moore credited the expansion of Metro in 2015, which deployed crime-suppression platoons to high-crime areas, with helping to reduce violent crime. Homicides, violent crime down in 2018 (Los Angeles Times) In 2018, homicides were down 8% from the previous year, and gang-related crime was down 8%. Violent crime was down for the first time in five years. Metro makes most of its vehicle stops in South Los Angeles, which is almost one-third African American. But even there, the percentage of black drivers stopped by Metro is twice their share of the population, the analysis found. Advertisement Since Metro doubled in size to about 400 officers as part of an effort to stem a surge in violent crime, the number of vehicle stops performed by the division has skyrocketed from a few thousand to nearly 60,000 in 2018. Unlike regular patrol officers, Metro officers often spend their entire shifts on vehicle stops and other proactive policing tactics intended to root out violent criminals. They typically use a violation such as a broken taillight as a starting point to question the driver and potentially get inside the car a type of stop known as a pretextual stop. More than 90% of the drivers stopped by Metro citywide since the expansion have been black or Latino. Advertisement Latinos are slightly underrepresented in Metro stops, making up 49% of the population and 44% of stops. Whites, who make up 28% of the citys population, account for less than 4% of the drivers stopped by Metro, according to the analysis. Metro stops black drivers 13 times more often than white drivers. The data analyzed by The Times do not show why an officer pulled over a driver. Nor can the data prove that Metro officers are engaged in racial profiling. But civil rights advocates say the racial breakdowns are too skewed to be fully explained by factors other than profiling. Advertisement In addition to the audit of Metro stops, the inspector generals office is working on an audit of stops by the LAPDs Gang Enforcement Detail, using videos from body-worn and in-car cameras. The gang division audit is expected to be released on Feb. 1, while the audit on Metro stops will come out late this year or early next year. In July, the LAPD resumed collecting data on what happens to drivers after they are stopped, as required by a new state law. Under a federal consent decree, the department had been required to record information such as whether drivers were searched or arrested but halted the practice after the decree was lifted in 2013. Post-stop data can illuminate racial disparities and shed light on the effectiveness of the stops. Advertisement At the news conference, Garcetti and Moore touted last years crime declines as evidence that LAPD strategies are working. Hundreds of officers have been reassigned from desk jobs or specialized units including Metro to street patrol or station-based detective work. The city has expanded its signature gang intervention program, GRYD, where reformed gang members mentor young people and try to prevent retaliatory shootings. This year, the LAPD will extend a community policing program that began in Watts housing developments to two new locations: San Fernando Gardens in Pacoima and South Park in the downtown area. Moore said the question of whether Metro should stop so many black drivers is far more complex than the use of the simple comparison made in the L.A. Times report. Advertisement In combating violent crime, the LAPD couples enforcement, such as the Metro crime suppression platoons, with community engagement, such as the gang intervention program, Moore said. We know the incidence of violent crime does not strictly follow the proportionality of the ethnic makeup of a community. Neither should our enforcement strategies, he said. In a blog post, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents rank-and-file LAPD officers, lambasted the Times report for cherry-picking data to align with a preconceived false narrative. The post, signed by the unions board of directors, noted that in 2017, more than 36% of homicide victims in Los Angeles were black. That same year, 40% of homicide suspects were black, according to the LAPD. Advertisement At the Mayors direction, the LAPD added more resources where there is more crime and more crime victims, the board wrote. That decision was not based on race, it was based on calls for service and the occurrence of crime. Civil rights activist Earl Ofari Hutchinson called on the LAPD to release information showing that the Metro vehicle stops have led to citations or arrests. He said the LAPD should suspend the practice until a thorough review is completed. Theyve got to show an end result, Hutchinson said. If theyre stopping so many people of a particular ethnic group and not making arrests tied into a crime they actually committed, what is it but profiling? Stopping them on suspicion theyre black, that they may commit a crime? Thats profiling. Garcetti said he understands the demand for answers. Advertisement Angelenos deserve to understand the full picture when something outside the ordinary happens with any of our officers, he said. The mayor added that he spends a lot of time with Metro officers his bodyguards come from the division and admires their courage and commitment. cindy.chang@latimes.com For more news on the Los Angeles Police Department, follow me on Twitter: @cindychangLA A Hollywood physician could lose his medical license after recommending that a father give his 4-year-old son marijuana cookies to control temper tantrums, according to Californias medical board. Dr. William Eidelman, a natural-medicine physician, improperly diagnosed the boy with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder before recommending marijuana as the treatment, the medical board said in a decision announced last month. The board has ordered that the doctors license be revoked, but as the case is being further litigated, Eidelmans license remains active and he continues to practice. The penalties against Eidelman stem from his treatment of a young boy who was misbehaving in school and brought to the doctors office by his father in September 2012, according to the medical board report. Advertisement Much of Eidelmans practice centers on writing letters for patients to obtain medical marijuana, which he said he began doing in 1997, shortly after the state first legalized the drug for medical use. After a 30-minute visit with the boy and his father, the doctor wrote in his chart that the child had a probable combination of ADD/ADHD and bipolar disorder and should try cannabis in small amounts in cookies, according to the medical boards decision. The boy appeared nervous and agitated but not abnormal, according to an interview with the doctor that was included in medical board documents. The doctor had previously recommended cannabis for the fathers ADHD and bipolar disorder, according to the board report. The board found Eidelman grossly negligent for determining the boys diagnosis without consulting a psychiatrist, collecting information from the boys teachers, or asking his father about the childs moods and sleep patterns. Tantrums alone do not support either diagnosis, the boards decision said. Being agitated and having trouble sitting still hint at ADHD but could simply hint at a preschooler not happy to have driven many miles to a doctors appointment. The board did not find fault with Eidelman for recommending marijuana to a child. The decision states that there is not enough scientific evidence to disprove that cannabis can have benefits for children. It has not been established, by clear and convincing evidence, that the recommendation of medical marijuana to [the boy], with his fathers consent, violated the standard of care, the decision reads. Advertisement The board, however, still views the recommendation for cannabis as improper, because the boy did not actually have the conditions that Eidelman diagnosed him with and for which he prescribed the cannabis. The decision also took into account that Eidelman had been previously punished for prescribing marijuana to several undercover investigators in 2000 and 2001. The board ordered that Eidelmans license become inactive on Jan. 4. But the doctor appealed the decision in San Francisco County Superior Court. The day the revocation was set to take effect, Judge Harold Kahn ordered a temporary stay of the revocation, pending a hearing March 12. Under the terms of the stay, Eidelman can practice but is not allowed to treat or recommend cannabis to patients under 18. Advertisement According to the medical board case documents, the 4-year-olds father had tried more traditional medicines, such as Ritalin, for his own ADHD as a child and found them not only unhelpful but also harmful. He said he felt like a guinea pig. So the father began giving his preschool-age son cannabis cookies in the morning, which calmed him, the dad reported. But the behavior returned in the afternoon, so the father asked a school nurse to give the cookies to the boy at lunch. The nurse turned the father over to child protective services and law enforcement, leading to an eventual medical board investigation against Eidelman, according to the board report. Although he did not outright suggest a diagnosis he all but made one up out of whole cloth, the decision reads. Labeling a child with a significant mental condition can be harmful. [I]f those labels are incorrect, pernicious results may follow. Advertisement Eidelman estimated he had written more than 10,000 letters recommending cannabis to patients over the last 20 years. He said he had long recognized that conventional medicine was a train on the wrong track. On his website, he offers several unique treatments, including one in which cigarette smokers affix to their ears a device that emits electric currents to reduce their cravings for nicotine. From the beginning of my career, Ive been looking for things that really worked and werent toxic, Eidelman said in an interview. And cannabis really works. Revoking a California medical license is very rare. Of the 149,283 doctors licensed in the state, 43 lost their licenses in the most recent fiscal year, but only seven of them lost a license due to gross negligence the misconduct of which Eidelman was found guilty according to the boards latest annual report. Advertisement soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com Twitter: @skarlamangla Javier Ramos, formerly chef de cuisine at Sqirl, will be hosting pop-ups twice a week beginning Tuesday at Trois Familia, the Mexican-French restaurant in Silver Lake run by chefs Jon Shook, Vinny Dotolo and Ludo Lefebvre. Ramos says the menu will be seasonal and vegetable-heavy, with nods to his time working in Chicago a hanger steak with giardiniera pays homage to the Italian beef sandwich. He says via email that a priority during this residency is working with farmers Ive been connected with for well over a decade now and doing our best to show how vital they truly are to the food we will be cooking. Helen Johannesen, the beverage director for restaurants in the Jon & Vinnys group, will be lending a hand with wine. Ramos will be cooking every Tuesday and Wednesday evening, for dinner only, through the end of March. Menu updates can be found on Ramos Instagram account. Reservations are taken through Resy and walk-ins are accepted. lucas.peterson@latimes.com Advertisement @lucaspeterson PM Phuc attends WEF Davos 2019 in Switzerland Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc paid an official visit to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2019 in Davos at the invitation of WEF Founder and Executive Chairman, Klaus Schwab. On the sidelines of the WEF Davos 2019, the Vietnamese leader joined a particular dialogue with WEF President Borge Brende as well as had a meeting with Swiss President Ueli Maurer and his counterparts from the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, and the Czech Republic, Andrej Babis. PM Phuc also had working sessions with former WEF Managing Director Philipp Rosler and leading investors from Switzerland, along with executives of leading international groups in finance and infrastructure such as Visa, Generali, Bank Julius Baer, and the Development Bank of Japan. Nhan Dan Newspaper wins prizes at Party-building awards National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and winners of the A prize. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai) Journalists from Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper won an A prize, a C prize and a consolation prize at the 2018 National Press Awards on Party building (Golden Hammer & Sickle Awards). Nhan Dan Newspapers A prize belongs to a series of articles published in its Thoi Nay publication on creating a crop of young cadres in Hanoi. This years awards went to the 56 most outstanding submissions, including four A prizes, ten B prizes, 15 C prizes and 25 consolation prizes, as well as two prizes for an elderly writer and a group of young writers. Party and State leaders present Tet gifts to needy people Party and State leaders visited and presented gifts to policy beneficiary families and needy households around the country for the occasion of the approaching Tet (Lunar New Year). They also shared joy with workers living in difficult circumstances who do not go home during Tet, and their families. Highway connecting two northern expressways inaugurated The ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the motorway connecting two key expressways in northern Vietnam. (Photo: VGP) The 48-kilometre motorway that connects the Hanoi-Hai Phong and Cau Gie-Ninh Binh Expressways was inaugurated on January26. The VND3 trillion (US$129 million) project consists of two road sections in Hung Yen and Ha Nam provinces and the 2.1-kilometre long Hung Ha Bridge, which crosses the Red River and links the two neighbouring provinces. Hanoi Spring Press Festival opens The 2019 Hanoi Spring Press Festival is taking place at the Vietnam-Soviet Friendship Labour Cultural Palace, featuring 25 pavilions by numerous central and local press agencies in the city. The publications, including magazines, printed and pictorial editions, audio and television products and online newspapers, are presented vividly with diverse contents. Vietnams Asian Cup run ends as Japan takes VAR penalty to advance Vietnam (in red) deliver a brilliant display against Japan. (Photo: AFC) Vietnam could not advance to the semifinals at the 2019 Asian Cup after suffering a regrettable 0-1 defeat against powerhouse Japan in a thrilling last eight clash, which saw the Samurai Blue needing a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) penalty to score the solitary goal. The VAR denied Japan an opener in the first half, but benefited them after the interval as the four-time champions remained on track for a record fifth Asian Cup trophy. Seventy-seven degrees and sunny was the weather forecast Sunday for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and celebrities took advantage of the unseasonably warm January day by baring their arms or at least one of them. After playing on-screen rivals in The Favourite, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz appeared to be twins, sharing a unique silhouette on the silver carpet at the Shrine Auditorium. Donning a black and silver gown by Givenchy, Weisz bared her left arm, while her right side was covered from shoulder to elbow. Stone did the same; her gold and black pantsuit by Louis Vuitton featured a long sleeve on the right and nothing on the left. Check out the standout looks from the 2019 SAG Awards Sandra Oh at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Advertisement Gemma Chan from Crazy Rich Asians topped her one-shoulder pink gown by Oscar de la Renta with a puffy bow perched on the edge of her left clavicle. Killing Eve star Sandra Oh also opted for an asymmetrical look in a red one-shoulder embellished crepe gown from Jenny Packham. So did Sydney Sweeney from The Handmaids Tale, in a tricolor silk tulle asymmetric dress by Delpozo. Stepping out of her lawyer uniform from the TV drama How to Get Away With Murder, Aja Naomi King shone in a bright yellow gown by Ralph & Russo with straps that crisscrossed smoothly over her left shoulder. Aja Naomi King at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Gregg DeGuire / Getty Images for Turner) Choosing the Ralph & Russo couture dress was an easy choice, said Wayman Bannerman, half of the styling duo who worked with King. The color was rich on her skin tone, the slit and cutout was bold and a new for direction for Aja. Styling partner Micah McDonald added, We wanted her to explore a new silhouette that personified her innate sultry aura. image@latimes.com For fashion news, follow us at @latimesimage on Twitter. With a career that has balanced a facility with comedy and drama alongside a drive toward furthering science and human rights causes, Alan Alda received the Screen Actors Guilds Life Achievement Award at the SAG Awards on Sunday night. And, after an introduction by Tom Hanks, the actor formerly known as Alphonso DAbruzzo accepted his honor with a blend of those passions. The thing is, this comes at a time when Ive had a chance to look back on my life and to think about what its meant to be an actor, said Alda, who last year revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. When we get a chance to act its our job, at least in part, to get inside a characters head and to search for a way to see a life from that persons point of view and then to let an audience experience that. When a culture is divided so sharply, actors can help, at least a little, just by doing what we do, he continued, his hands shaking slightly. And the nice part is its fun to do it. Advertisement 1 / 30 The cast of Black Panther accepts the prize for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture onstage during the show at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 30 Glenn Close accepts Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for The Wife during the show at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 30 Rami Malek accepts the award for lead actor for Bohemian Rhapsody during the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 30 Sterling K. Brown, cast member of This Is Us, interacts with other cast members after they heard that their show had won outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series during the show at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 30 The cast of This Is Us accepts its award for ensemble in a drama series during the show at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 30 Alan Alda receives a lifetime achievement award during the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 30 Courtney B. Vance and Angela Bassett relax during the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 30 Megan Mullally performs a skit during the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 30 Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) accepts her SAG award. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 30 Patricia Arquette accepts her award for female actor in a miniseries or television movie for Escape at Dannemora. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 30 Patricia Arquette, winner of female actor in a miniseries or television movie for Escape at Dannemora. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 30 Henry Golding, left, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Jeong and Constance Wu introduce Crazy Rich Asians during the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 30 The cast of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel accepts the award for an ensemble in a comedy series during the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 30 Emily Blunt, in the audience with husband John Krasinski, reacts after winning for female actor in a supporting role for the movie A Quiet Place. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 30 Emily Blunt accepts the award for female actor in a supporting role for A Quiet Place at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 30 Angela Bassett and Chadwick Boseman present the motion picture cast nominee Black Panther at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 30 Mahershala Ali, left, hugs Peter Farrelly as he goes to accept the award for male actor in a supporting role for Green Book during the Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 30 Mahershala Ali accepts the award for male actor in a supporting role for Green Book. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 30 Darren Criss accepts the award for male actor in a television movie or miniseries for The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 30 Megan Mullally shows a residuals check her father received for the pilot of The Twilight Zone as she hosts the SAG Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 30 Glenn Close (The Wife) at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 30 Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga hug at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 30 Grace and Frankies Lily Tomlin onstage during the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards show at the Shrine Auditorium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 30 Sam Elliott, left, Anthony Ramos, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper present the motion picture cast nominee A Star Is Born at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 30 Tracy Morgan presents an award at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 30 Presenter Alec Baldwin and host Megan Mullally announce the award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall. (Richard Shotwell / Invision/Associated Press) 27 / 30 Tony Shalhoub accepts the award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Richard Shotwell / Invision/Associated Press) 28 / 30 Matt Bomer, left, and Ricky Martin present the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall. (Richard Shotwell / Invision/Associated Press) 29 / 30 Rachel Brosnahan accepts the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 30 Host Megan Mullally entertains the crowd at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Black Panther wins top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards The 82-year-old Alda first rose to fame in the 1970s by setting the template for a new kind of war hero in Capt. Hawkeye Pierce on the TV adaptation of the Robert Altman film MASH. The groundbreaking series ran from 1972 to 1983, and Alda wrote and directed numerous episodes, including a series finale that drew more than 100 million viewers. He remains the only actor to receive Emmy Awards for writing, directing and performing on the same series. Consistently working over a decades-long career, Alda continues to appear on Showtimes Ray Donovan as well as CBS All Access The Good Fight. Ive been training and doing about a dozen things to hold back the progress of Parkinsons, which is pretty, you know, pretty successful, Alda told the Associated Press earlier this week. Im still able to work and I do everything else that I do with a full heart. 2019 SAG Awards: See the full list of winners During the run of MASH, Alda also appeared on the big screen in Neil Simons California Suite (1978) and Same Time Next Year (1978), as well as writing, directing and starring in The Four Seasons (1981). He became known for portraying sensitive, progressive-minded characters, and these traits were echoed in his personal life including as an outspoken supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment. After MASH, some of Aldas roles toyed with his nice-guy image, including a Hollywood player in Woody Allens Crimes & Misdemeanors (1989) and the president of the United States in Michael Moores Canadian Bacon (1995). In 1996, Alda played an LSD-dealing fugitive alongside Lily Tomlin in the David O. Russell comedy Flirting With Disaster, and he appeared as a power-hungry senator in Martin Scorseses 2004 Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator, a movie that earned him his first Academy Award nomination. Advertisement Over the past 20 years, Alda has enjoyed something of a renaissance with his TV roles, which included Emmy-nominated roles on The West Wing, 30 Rock and The Blacklist, as well as appearances on The Big C and Broad City. But his commitment to social causes remained equally prominent. Fueled in part by his role as host of the PBS series Scientific American Frontiers from 1993 to 2007, Alda was a longtime advocate for bringing a greater understanding of advancements in medicine and science to a wide audience. Inspired by Aldas efforts, Stony Brook University in New York renamed a branch of its school of journalism the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, which uses improvisational theater techniques to help scientists better connect with policymakers and the general public. Onstage at the SAG Awards, Alda wished to share his award with his fellow actors. My wish for all of us is lets stay playful, lets have fun and lets keep searching, he said. It cant solve everything, but it wouldnt hurt. chris.barton@latimes.com Advertisement Follow me over here @chrisbarton. The show must go on is a showbiz expression with roots in the theater. Now, the Fox network will have to practice the phrase for live television. Brennin Hunt, who was cast as Roger in Foxs live broadcast of the hit Broadway musical Rent scheduled for Sunday, reportedly injured his ankle during Saturdays dress rehearsal. The injury occurred late in Saturdays rehearsal, and Hunt completed the performance without a shoe as his ankle continued to swell. He was then taken to a local hospital for examination, and his status for Sunday nights broadcast is unclear. Last night during a live performance of Foxs production of Rent, one of the actors, Brennin Hunt, was injured, Fox said in a statement released Sunday afternoon. But in the spirit of Rent, everyone producers and cast, original and current is dedicated to ensuring that tonights broadcast must, and will, go on. In a distinction from theater, neither Hunt or his fellow lead actors Vanessa Hudgens, Tinashe, Kiersey Clemons and Valentina have understudies for their roles. As a result, Fox will use recorded portions from Saturdays dress rehearsal during the broadcast of the musical, which with its mix of singing, dancing and moving between sets is a physically demanding production. Advertisement Rent airs live on Fox on the East Coast and rebroadcast for the West Coast at 8 p.m. chris.barton@latimes.com Follow me over here @chrisbarton. ALSO: Times film critic Justin Chang is keeping a regular diary over the course of a week at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. He will be writing about the movies hes seeing, the trends hes observing and what it all means for an event that officially kicks off the year in new independent cinema. One of the pleasures and occasional frustrations of a festival like Sundance is that it forces you to recalibrate your internal rhythms. I dont just mean the oft-frenzied logistics of navigating high altitudes and frigid temperatures in a small Utah town whose population suddenly expands 14 times over to accommodate thousands of film artists, industry players, journalists and moviegoers. Even the simple process of attending a days worth of screenings demands a continual cycle of adjustment and readjustment, of leaping from unknown to unknown. I cant recall a more whiplash-inducing double bill than the one I experienced Saturday, which began with The Last Black Man in San Francisco, a soulful, unhurried highlight of the U.S. dramatic competition, and continued with The Report, a frenzied, ripped-from-the-headlines political procedural thats screening in the festivals starrier Premieres lineup. Advertisement Both movies are a lot to take in individually, let alone in tandem, and both might well repay a second viewing the former to savor its tonal nuances, the latter to catch factual details you might have missed. Between the two, however, only one of those repeat viewings strikes me as essential. A forthcoming A24 release from first-time feature director Joe Talbot, The Last Black Man in San Francisco actually follows two black men, Jimmie (Jimmie Fails) and Montgomery (Jonathan Majors), whom we see riding a single skateboard around town in an endearing early image. From there, Talbot, a fifth-generation San Franciscan, pieces together a funny valentine to a city whose capacity for visual wonderment goes well beyond the standard iconography of the Golden Gate Bridge. Actors Tichina Arnold and Jonathan Majors, director Joe Talbot, subject Jimmie Fails and actor Rob Morgan, from the film, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, photographed at the L.A. Times Photo and Video Studio at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) A semi-autobiographical story that Fails (effectively playing himself) wrote with Rob Richert, the movie has an offbeat, meandering rhythm and a marvelous sense of possibility. Amid the sly non sequiturs and picaresque encounters, laughs as well as tears are mined from the subject of Bay Area gentrification (a major premise of last years Oakland-set Sundance hit Blindspotting). At times, the leisurely quality of the pacing and the delicacy of the gags put me in mind of Aki Kaurismaki, the great Finnish auteur known for his distinct brand of melancholy mischief and his deep empathy for the disenfranchised (see Le Havre, The Other Side of Hope). At the heart of the movie is an intricately designed Victorian house that Jimmie spends a lot of time painting and working on, to the chagrin of some of the residents. They couldnt care less about Jimmies claim that his grandfather built the house back in the 1940s, or his dream that it will one day belong to his family again. The dream may be a futile one, but that makes The Last Black Man in San Francisco only all the more poignant: Its a movie about how our worlds shape our identity and what it means to really love a city, even when the city doesnt necessarily love you back. Adam Driver in the movie The Report. (Atsushi Nishijima/Sundance Institute) READ MORE: Justin Changs 2019 Sundance Film Festival diary Washington, D.C., doesnt get nearly as much love in The Report, an engrossingly talky data dump of a thriller that Amazon Studios acquired mid-festival for $14 million. Written and directed by Scott Z. Burns, it tracks real-life researcher Daniel J. Jones (Adam Driver), who spent years spearheading the Senate Intelligence Committees investigation into the CIAs post-9/11 use of enhanced interrogation techniques. The result of that study was a painstaking, nearly 7,000-page report that the CIA attempted to suppress, forcing Jones and his boss, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (entertainingly played here by a bespectacled Annette Bening), to stick to their guns and hold a nation to account. Advertisement A rejoinder of sorts to Kathryn Bigelows superior Zero Dark Thirty, which was widely misinterpreted by some as condoning torture, The Report has clearly been conceived in the mold of pictures like All the Presidents Men, Zodiac and Spotlight, all of which made gripping cinema out of the daily drudgery of investigative work. The story follows Jones as he and his team gather information on how and why the CIA committed to a torture program as morally reprehensible as it was ineffective (complete with discreetly hideous flashbacks to scenes of prisoners being waterboarded, anally hydrated and blasted with heavy-metal music so as to deprive them of sleep). Burns, who has written several fine screenplays for Steven Soderbergh (Contagion, The Informant!), clearly knows his way around a complicated geopolitical narrative. The Report parcels out its intel efficiently enough, though it creaks a bit more than it crackles; it also paints none-too-flattering portraits of men like former CIA Director John Brennan (a juicy Ted Levine) and Denis McDonough (Jon Hamm), the White Houses chief of staff during Barack Obamas presidency. The movie even holds Obamas feet to the fire for trying to sweep the report under the rug in a misguided attempt at bipartisanship a goal that seems all the more laughably naive in light of the current administration. Buzz Aldrin in footage from the documentary Apollo 11. (Neon CNN Films/Sundance Institute) Advertisement Sundance audiences emerging from The Report looking to wash away the taste of cynical disillusionment, at least temporarily, could do far worse than Apollo 11, a deeply enveloping look at the moon landing thats playing in the festivals American documentary competition. Directed by Todd Douglas Miller (Dinosaur 13), its a gorgeous treasure trove of never-before-seen 70-millimeter footage from July 1969: It shows us the idyllic gathering of thousands of onlookers at Cape Canaveral, and then thrusts us into the controlled chaos of mission control, where rotating teams monitor the moment-by-moment progress of a history-making feat. After liftoff, a sequence that brings you in so close you can almost feel the rockets singe your hair, the documentary confronts the tricky challenge of how to depict the voyage of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins visually without the same caliber of footage. Some of Millers solutions are straightforward and diagrammatic, while others take ingenious advantage of the cameras limited perspective: A countdown clock and a slowly approaching lunar surface are all it takes to turn the Eagles landing into a nail-biter, albeit one in which the outcome is never in doubt. The result is a stirring companion piece to Damien Chazelles recent First Man, and one no less worth seeing on the big screen when Neon releases it in theaters worldwide. justin.chang@latimes.com Angela Bassett was the first member of the Black Panther cast to get her name put on a Screen Actors Guild ensemble award trophy. You slowpokes! said the onscreen matriarch of the Marvel blockbuster, just minutes after it won the prize at the Sunday night event. Well ahead of her co-stars, she made a beeline from the Shrine Auditorium stage to the engraving station, where the cast was greeted by applause. Lupita Nyongo, Simone Ledward, Sterling K. Brown, Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan celebrate backstage at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Chadwick Boseman visibly overwhelmed and in shock from the win and Michael B. Jordan followed, the latter showcasing a few dance steps along the way. It feels good unexpected but good, he told The Times of winning the nights top honor. Im still processing, but yeah, it feels great. Advertisement For Sterling K. Brown, also part of the nights winning drama series ensemble of This Is Us, the evening felt like the most fortuitous deja vu that I could possibly imagine, he said while juggling cast photo shoots. He also left last years ceremony with two trophies (one an individual honor for his work on the NBC drama). 1 / 8 The cast of Black Panther accepts the ensemble award at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 8 Black Panther cast Danai Gurira, Michael B. Jordan and Sterling K. Brown backstage at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 8 Well-wisher and fellow SAG winner Darren Criss, second from left, joins the Black Panther cast Sterling K. Brown, left, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyongo backstage at the 25th Screen Actors Guild post-awards gala. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 8 Chadwick Boseman backstage at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 8 Michael B. Jordan backstage at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 8 Lupita Nyongo, Taylor Simone Ledward, Sterling K. Brown, Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan backstage at the 25th Screen Actors Guild. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 8 Angela Bassett backstage at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 8 Black Panther cast members Andy Serkis, Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyongo, Sterling K. Brown, Angela Bassett and Danai Gurira backstage at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) My arms are a little tired its the heaviest award that Ive won but I love holding onto them, he said, smiling. I feel so blessed to be part of two things that have touched the world, the country and my fellow actors that we were fortunate enough to take these things home. After congratulating a fellow winner, Bohemian Rhapsody actor Rami Malek, and posing for a slew of photos, Boseman then spoke poignantly to the press about his moving acceptance speech. When asked by The Times about his eloquent addresses, he laughed and said, Yall keep making it come out of me! Angela Bassett backstage at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Once Bassett swapped out her heels for black flats (Smart lady! said Lupita Nyongo), the cast headed into the post-show gala and joined their director Ryan Coogler. Fellow winner Darren Criss, Allen Leach, Lakeith Stanfield and Giancarlo Esposito were among those to shower them with immediate congratulations. We worked hard, we worked diligently, we worked professionally, Bassett told The Times when asked about the win. Everyone gave their everything at every moment. After a long year, its very satisfying. Lets say youll be spending a night in San Francisco -- the night of Feb. 19, to pick a date at random. You check for hotels on Expedia.com, find a room listed for $249 at the Hyatt Centric Fishermans Wharf. A little pricey. So you look for a better deal on a competing online travel website. Orbitz.com: $249. Travelocity: $249. Hotels.com: $249. Trivago: $249. These are real results from a test I ran Monday. The results could be a coincidence. It could be that the hotel gave those competing services one price and told them to hold fast. [The] complaint contains detailed allegations about a fraudulent scheme by Expedia and its affiliates to engage in anticompetitive conduct. Federal Judge Vince Chhabria Advertisement Or it could be that the websites arent competitors at all. As it happens, Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, Trivago and Hotels.com all are owned by Expedia Group. The parent company, according to a class action lawsuit filed in San Francisco in 2016, holds a 75% market share among U.S. online travel agencies. Its fair to think of Expedia as a hidden monopoly. Most customers have no idea that the travel websites they consult are all the same company. Expedia has some outside competitors, but their ability to knock down prices for consumers by competing with the big network plainly is negligible. Hotel proprietors arent especially happy, either the class action case was filed by a lodge near Sequoia National Park alleging that the online travel sites lure customers by hinting they can book stays at the lodge, but then show the lodge as fully booked and steer customers to rivals. (Expedia denies the allegation.) Nor is Expedia the only hidden monopoly fooling customers into thinking their industries are bristling with competition, while the biggest players are all owned under one roof. My colleague David Lazarus recently put his finger on one of the furthest-reaching such complexes the eyeglass manufacturer Luxottica, which owns and licenses brands including Ray-Ban, Persol, Oakley and a host of designer labels that show up in separate racks at your local opticians office. As Lazarus observes, this death grip on an entire consumer sector helps to account for the stupendous markups Luxottica enjoys on its eyeglass frames. Thats just a start. The supermarket business seems to be pretty well segmented, with consumers in many communities able to choose from a large selection of stores. Not so fast. Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, one of the largest grocery and drug retailers in the U.S., owns the Albertsons chain as well as regional and super-regional chains such as Vons, Pavilions, Safeway, Lucky, Bristol Farms and Lazy Acres. Cincinnati-based Kroger owns about as many chains, including Ralphs and Food4Less in Southern California. Sometimes the secret isnt shared ownership, but shared technology or a shared supply chain. You may consider yourself a MacBook aficionado or a Windows PC person, but theres a good chance your laptop is manufactured in China by Quanta Computer, a hardware maker that counts among its clients Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Alienware (a subsidiary of Dell), Lenovo and Toshiba, among many other brands. And smartphones arent smartphones unless they carry technology patented and licensed by Qualcomm although there are signs that Qualcomm is losing its advantage as smartphones offer more than merely calling features, which its technology facilitates. Qualcomms stranglehold over smartphones also has prompted the industry to push back, notably in a lawsuit filed by Apple alleging that it has exploited its patents to extract excess licensing fees. Not all these arrangements are necessarily costly for consumers. The big supermarket chains do bring some local competitors under the same roof, but some of their brands dont compete with one another because theyre geographically separate. Advertisement Some consolidations are arguably designed to capture money-saving efficiencies in distribution, which could benefit consumers if theyre passed down, rather than being retained to fatten shareholders. AB InBev, for instance, is the product of the merger of Anheuser-Busch and InBev and reportedly controls roughly half the U.S. beer market. But there arent many signs just yet that all the hundreds of brands it brews or distributes in the U.S. and elsewhere have become homogenized; they include Hoegaarden, Lowenbrau and Becks as well as Budweiser, a brand that reminds me of Mike Roykos crack that American beer all tastes as if the secret brewing process involved running it through a horse. On the downside, having a behemoth like AB InBev exercising so much weight on the U.S. beer market is sure to make it more difficult for smaller brewers to gain a foothold. The real danger in the creation of corporate behemoths comes from those that masquerade as competing enterprises but are secretly unified. Its one thing for a company to offer consumers a choice between, say, a mass market product or service at a mass market price and a premium product or service at a premium price (assuming theres a real difference in quality the consumers are paying for); or mass distribution of Belgian beers that taste Belgian along with American beers that taste, well, equine. But its quite another to suggest that manufacturers or service companies are competing fiercely with one another to give you, the customer, the best possible deal, when in fact theyre all the same outfit, not competing at all, and shoving the same deal at you under different names. Advertisement Thats whats alleged in the Expedia case. In the words of Vince Chhabria, the federal judge overseeing the lawsuit in San Francisco federal court, the complaint contains detailed allegations about a fraudulent scheme by Expedia and its affiliates to engage in anticompetitive conduct. To put it another way, the term buyer beware has never been more important than now. Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com. Return to Michael Hiltziks blog. The Man Booker Prize, the British literary award thats considered one of the most prestigious in the world, has lost its longtime sponsor, the Guardian reports. The London-based Man Group, a hedge fund company, announced that it would no longer fund the annual award for an outstanding English-language novel, which is given each year by the Booker Prize Foundation. Luke Ellis, the CEO of the Man Group, said the company decided to focus its giving on other charities. The Man Booker prizes have meant a huge amount to all of us at Man Group, Ellis said. We are truly honored to have been part of something so special and unique for nearly 18 years. Advertisement Its not known whether the award will change its name. It was originally known as the Booker-McConnell Prize, named after the now-defunct food wholesaler that originally sponsored the award from its inception in 1969. The Man Group started sponsoring the prize in 2002. The BBC reports that the relationship between the Booker Prize Foundation and the Man Group had been strained for a while, with the hedge fund company feeling unappreciated by the foundation. Tensions apparently heightened after the British author Sebastian Faulks blasted the Man Group as the enemy, saying that the company was not the sort of people who should be sponsoring literary prizes;theyre the kind of people literary prizes ought to be criticizing. Man Group CEO Ellis responded, His comments ... come at a time when the arts are experiencing an unprecedented withdrawal of public funding. Literature and the arts need their champions to step in where public money has been pulled out. The Booker Prize Foundation said it had been discussing a potential partnership with a prospective partner and that the Man Groups withdrawal wouldnt affect its upcoming awards. The award has drawn controversy in recent years after the foundation decided in 2014 to open the award to an English-language novel written by a writer of any nationality. Previously, it was restricted to authors from the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations. Some British literary fans objected to the rule change, especially after two American writers, Paul Beatty and George Saunders, won the prize in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Last February, 20 British publishers signed a letter asking the foundation to make Americans ineligible for the award. Two American authors, Rachel Kushner and Richard Powers, made the shortlist for the most recent Booker Prize, which ended up going to Northern Irish writer Anna Burns for her novel Milkman. As the campaign season ramps up, so too are the releases of political memoirs; we recently saw publication of Chris Christies Let Me Finish, as well as Cliff Sims gossipy Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House. One of the most high-profile books is by a notable entrant into the Democratic race for president. In The Truths We Hold, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris makes her case for Americas attention, respect and votes. Books such as this tend to play it safe, and they arent built to change minds I cant see a Republican falling for Harris after reading her autobiography but they do strive to attract supporters who might not know much about the candidate, put a positive spin on any potential negative talking points and paint a picture of what this person would be like were they ever to occupy the White House. If the pages of her book are to be trusted, a Kamala Harris White House would be a busy, hardworking place staffed with serious policy wonks who strive to maintain a personal touch. Its difficult to imagine a politician, or life story, in more direct contrast to the executive offices current occupant (whose name, notably, appears only a scant handful of times in her book). Harris grew up in Oakland, the elder daughter of immigrant parents father from Jamaica, mother from India who met in graduate school at Berkeley. The pair raised her and her sister in a household that valued education, political activism and community service. Her parents divorced when she was young; her mother, Shyamala, who had arrived at Berkeley as an act of rebellion against the social expectation that she would return to India and an arranged marriage, found her home in Oaklands black community, where she was welcomed and enveloped. She raised her girls to be confident, proud black women, grounding them in a childhood anchored by music, church, piano lessons and a neighborhood community center. 1 / 16 Democratic presidential hopeful Former Vice President Joe Biden (L) listens as US Senator from California Kamala Harris speaks during the second round of the second Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season hosted by CNN at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan on July 31, 2019. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD ** (JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images) 2 / 16 Sen. Kamala Harris kick-starts her presidential campaign at a rally in her hometown of Oakland on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 16 A huge crowd attends a speech by Sen. Kamala Harris in Oakland. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 16 (L-R) Democratic presidential hopefuls New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, Representative for Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, Mayor of South Bend Pete Buttigieg, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, California Senator Kamala Harris, tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang and billionaire-philanthropist Tom Steyer participate in the fifth Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season co-hosted by MSNBC and The Washington Post at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia on November 20, 2019. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP via Getty Images) 5 / 16 Sen. Kamala Harris shares a moment backstage with her godson before her speech in Oakland. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 16 Sen. Kamala Harris waits backstage before making her appearance at a rally in Oakland. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 16 Kamala Harris celebrates after becoming Californias newest Senator. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 16 Kamala Harris and President Obama (Associated Press) 9 / 16 Democratic State Chairman John Burton chats with U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, right, and California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, left, at the partys 2011 state convention in Sacramento. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) 10 / 16 Sen. Kamala Harris, left, endorses California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom for the 2018 California Governors race at the Ronald Tutor Campus Center at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) (Damian Dovarganes / AP) 11 / 16 State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris smiles and claps as Gov. Jerry Brown endorses her for the U.S. Senate. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press ) 12 / 16 California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris discussed steps to prevent police bias at a news conference Friday in her downtown Los Angeles office with Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck . (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 16 Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris smiles after receiving an honorary degree at USC. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 14 / 16 State Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris talks to a fifth-grade student Tuesday while she and L.A. Unified Supt. John Deasy tour classes on the first day of instruction at Baldwin Hills Elementary School in Los Angeles. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 16 Kamala Harris sworn in as first Indian American senator and Californias first black senator () 16 / 16 This January 1970 photo provided by the Kamala Harris campaign shows her, left, with her sister, Maya, and mother, Shyamala, outside their apartment in Berkeley, Calif. (Kamala Harris Campaign / Associated Press) Advertisement All that changed when Shyamala, a cancer researcher, took a job in Montreal and moved the girls from the Bay Area, a place bursting with black pride, to a cold new city where she enrolled them in a French-speaking school named Our Lady of the Snows. After her Canadian sojourn, Harris went to Howard University, the historically black college, and then returned to her beloved California for law school. As is the pattern in these books, Harris braids together the personal and the political readers might find themselves tempted to skim through what feels like a campaign speech to return to a life story that genuinely entrances. But that would be a mistake; Harris provides a very clear picture of the kind of leader she hopes to be, as well as the way her mind works when she confronts various issues, including crime, healthcare and foreign policy. Pointedly, she begins with a long chapter about her tenure as Alameda County district attorney, a job that has provoked some skepticism among potential voters on the left. Harris identifies herself as a progressive prosecutor, focused on fairness and justice. I know that some questioned how I, as a black woman, could countenance being part of the machine putting more young men of color behind bars, Harris writes, but she argues that her focus is on the victims, also disproportionately people of color. At the same time, she adds, we need to reform our prison system, which she says too often serves as a living monument to lost potential. Harris is perhaps at her most impressive in talking about our current situation both politically and economically. In letters from her constituents, she writes, she sees one narrative, the story of Americans trapped in a cost-of-living crisis, where everything from housing and healthcare to child care and education is way more expensive than it used to be while wages remain as low as theyve been in decades, she writes. The letters I receive consistently tell the story of the hollowing-out of the middle class. Throughout, there are unmistakable echoes of the kind of inclusive tone often struck by former President Obama. For all our differences, for all the battles, for all the fights, we are still one American family, she writes, and we should act like it. But at other moments, she hints at a harder edge than the no-drama former president. During her time as Californias attorney general, during the worst of the economic downturn, she found herself in a battle with the biggest mortgage bankers. They seemed to be under the misimpression that I could be bullied into submission, she scoffs. Later, she expresses her hope to be a joyful warrior, a phrase that harks back to the last century, and perhaps foreshadows a fierce fight for the countrys top office. :: The Truths We Hold: An American Journey Kamala Harris Advertisement Penguin Press, 318 pp; $30 Lake Geneva Regional News general manager Rob Ireland welcomed the new ownership. Im more optimistic about the future of the Lake Geneva Regional News than ever before, Ireland said. The Regional News has been an integral part of the community since 1872, and we will continue to serve our community. Our goals of delivering compelling content both in print and online to our readers and delivering market solutions to advertisers will remain the same. The Brown family has owned the Kenosha News since 1961, when Betsy and Howard Brown founders of UCC purchased the then-Kenosha Evening News. When my father purchased the Kenosha Evening News 57 years ago, my parents love affair with Kenosha and the paper began, said UCC President and Chief Executive Officer Lucy Brown. It was their honor to serve the people of Kenosha and Lake Geneva with a mission of community service supported by a strong local newspaper. The company acquired the Lake Geneva Regional News in 1999 from the Bearder family of Lake Geneva. By Park Si-soo Kellogg Korea has banned the use of disposable cups and other single-use items at its offices here in a "Go Green" campaign. The Korean unit of the American food brand will also step up efforts to generate less waste and save water and energy to protect the environment. In line with this, the company will by 2025 have its all products wrapped with materials that can be recycled or converted into fertilizers. "We have decided to launch the campaign after reading a shocking United Nations report predicting that unless people cut back on the use of plastic and disposable products, plastic waste will outnumber fish in the ocean by 2050," said Kellogg Korea chief executive Kim Jong-woo. "We will do everything we can to protect the environment." Kellogg's global headquarters in Michigan has run a "Nurturing Our Planet" campaign under which it has significantly reduced plastic waste and greenhouse emissions from its offices and plants across the globe. The event will gather top exporters of plastic, rubber, and construction material, as well as businesses in support industries, said Nguyen Khac Luan, General Director of the National Trade Fair & Advertising JSC, the organising firm. Luan said that many foreign businesses including those from Algeria, India, Cambodia, Canada, Armenia, Russia, Cuba, Taiwan (China), the Republic of Korea (RoK), Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Japan, and China have confirmed their participation. He said that this year, the exhibition expects to attract over 15,000 visitors. Notably, a special pavilion will be organised by the Korean Institute of Design Promotion under the RoKs Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy and Vietnams Trade Promotion Agency to give enterprises support and advice in product design and development. Last year, the event saw the participation of 500 enterprises with 550 booths, along with 4,370 visitors. In addition, an area for investment promotion and industry development in Vietnam (Invest in Vietnam) will be included in Vietnam Expo 2019, providing updates on the countrys investment climate and introducing six industries and investment destinations across Vietnam. By Jun Ji-hye Naver and Kakao are fleeing to Japan and other countries to start new businesses because of growing regulatory risks here amid conflicts with existing players, industry officials said Monday. The moves reflect the latest trend that not only manufacturing but also services companies are increasingly leaving Asia's fourth largest economy to seek new opportunities abroad. Naver, Korea's largest portal operator, recently decided not to seek a permit to operate an internet-only bank in Korea. "We decided to drop out after conducting a careful review on whether we would have a competitive edge in the internet bank business here," a Naver official said. Instead, Naver has been active in expanding its financial business in Japan through its subsidiary, Line. Line formed a partnership with the Mizuho Financial Group in November with the aim of launching an online-only bank for smartphone users in Japan by the end of 2020. Industry officials cited Korean laws, which restrict an IT company to holding a maximum 34 percent stake in an internet-only bank, as one of the reasons Naver is seeking to expand into the fintech business in Japan, not Korea. They said Naver would not be able to smoothly operate various businesses with only a 34 percent stake. Under their partnership, Line and Mizuho will hold a respective 51 percent and 49 percent share in the upcoming bank, which means that the Korean firm will be able to do business more freely by coordinating with the Japanese firm. Line has also formed partnership with M3, a subsidiary of Japanese tech giant Sony, to enter the remote medical services market. The move comes as such services remain illegal in Korea. M3 operates a medical information website, offering various services. The two companies plan to offer remote consultations and medical treatment through Line's mobile messaging app. Kakao, the nation's largest mobile messenger app operator, is also using Japan for a strategic foothold to expand its blockchain businesses. In March last year, the firm set up Kakao G, a holding company for its blockchain subsidiaries including Ground X, in Tokyo. "Kakao is seeking to take the lead in blockchain technologies in the Asian market," a company official said. "The reason we chose Japan as a strategic base was because various blockchain services are being tried and offered there. We have an advantage in Japan in creating a blockchain community for global developers." One industry official, asking for anonymity, noted that Kakao may be looking overseas as the government has shown a somewhat negative attitude toward blockchain on concerns about virtual currency speculation. "ICT companies' efforts to expand into new businesses are limited by several factors here including regulations," he said. By Baek Byung-yeul Qualcomm named Kwon Oh-hyung as the new vice president and president of Qualcomm Korea, the firm said Monday. Kwon joined Qualcomm in 2007 as a regional sales manager for the Korean branch and has served as vice president of the sales division of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies Korea since 2012. The U.S.-based semiconductor firm said Kwon has helped the firm have strong engagement with key original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and established sales track record with his team. Qualcomm said Kwon will report directly to Jim Cathey, the firm's senior vice president and president of Qualcomm global business. "I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Kwon Oh-hyung as president of Qualcomm Korea and someone who is familiar with the local and global mobile communication market," Cathey said in a statement. "I am confident that with Kwon's leadership and industry experience, he will bring new impetus to our business in Korea in support of mutual growth with our diverse partners." By Tong Kim There seems to be two types of reaction to the fait accompli that a second U.S.-North Korea summit will be held near the end of February in a country, already decided on, but to be announced later with more details: cautious optimism and skepticism. These reactions come from a decade-long history of North Korean behavior and the lack of confidence in the North's commitment to denuclearization. Plausible reports that the North is continuing to produce fissile materials and delivery systems, while operating undeclared missile bases, supports the validity of skepticism. The Washington Post warned about Trump's next meeting with Kim Jong-un: "But the danger is that Kim will use a second summit to persuade a gullible U.S. president to yield valuable concessions in return for fool's gold." On Jan. 23, Kim Yong-chol, Pyongyang's chief negotiator with Washington, reported to Kim on the result of his meeting with President Trump at the White House on Jan 18. According to the North Korean Central News Agency, Kim "expressed great satisfaction" with a personal letter from Trump. The KCNA quoted Kim as saying, "we will believe in the positive way of thinking of President Trump, wait with patience and in good faith and, together with the U.S., advance step by step toward the goal to be reached by the two countries of the DPRK and the U.S." Kim did not elaborate on "the goal." A three-day conference in Stockholm last week among the two Koreas and the U.S. does not seem to have produced anything concrete with respect to the upcoming summit or new steps toward denuclearization. According to the Swedish foreign minister, the conference in Stockholm dealt with vague and broad subjects such as "trust building," "economic development," and "long-term engagement." A second summit will take place in about a month, probably in Vietnam. The big question is what kind of a deal the summit will be able to pull off. There is a consensus that the next summit must deliver something more concrete that can actually contribute to denuclearization. Yet, it is doubtful that the working group talks will reach any significant, substantive agreement for their leaders to accept. They can make a summit arrangement for logistics and a broad agenda. The U.S. demand for a timeline for denuclearization or a declaration of the North's nuclear arsenal may have to be reconsidered as a matter of sequencing denuclearization steps in a practical order, tackling easy issues first. What the North wants in return for their possible concession is a relaxed sanctions regime, more urgently than a war ending declaration or discussion of a peace regime. Even if Kim wants to shift to the economy from nuclear development, he just cannot overcome the negative impact of stifling sanctions. He knows his people want a better economy and more food. Kim knows he cannot meet their wishes under the increasing sanctions. The number one "corresponding measure" that he wants from the U.S. and the international community is to lift the sanctions imposed against the North. However, there are good reasons to keep the sanctions in place, until after good progress is made in denuclearization. Among North Korea watchers in Seoul and Washington, there are floating theories and speculation on how the issue of denuclearization should or can be handled. These theories do not exclude a "big deal" for "a final, fully-verified denuclearization." However, the theory of a "big deal" seems to lack the details of a comprehensive road map. On the other hand, the theory of "a small deal" argues that as the U.S. offers small steps such as to ease the sanctions for the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and other inter-Korean economic cooperation, the North will invite inspectors to verify its destroyed sites for nuclear and missile tests, and will dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear facility under inspection. Pyongyang will also suspend expanding its nuclear and missile arsenal. A part of the small deal package could include the dismantlement of a small number of ICBMs, while leaving nuclear warheads untouched until the next stage of denuclearization. The problem with this approach is that under this deal, the North will keep short and mid-range missiles that threaten South Korea and Japan. In addition, a tradeoff between permanent suspension of U.S. strategic military exercises on the Korean peninsula and North Korea's permanent end to nuclear and missile tests is also a thinkable idea, as an early step moving along the process of denuclearization. Tong Kim (tong.kim8@yahoo.com) is a Washington correspondent and columnist for The Korea Times. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Corean-American Studies. Seoul, Tokyo should refrain from going too far The latest developments surrounding a military radar dispute between South Korea and Japan show how difficult it is for both sides to build friendship and partnership. They only prove that they cannot find a fundamental solution without overcoming historical issues that continue to serve as a stumbling block to forging a future-oriented relationship. The radar row began on Dec. 20 when a patrol plane from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force flew too low over a Korean Navy destroyer that was on a humanitarian mission to rescue a drifting North Korean fishing boat in the East Sea. Tokyo accused the destroyer of locking its fire-control radar on the plane, but Seoul denied the accusation. Tension between the two sides has worsened because other Japanese patrol planes conducted dangerously low-altitude flybys too close to Korean warships three times this month. It is wrong for Tokyo to continue its provocative moves against Seoul despite the latter's protest. Japan keeps calling for Korea's apology, although Korea has clarified that its warship never used tracking radar against the plane. The dispute did not stop there. Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya visited a Maritime Self-Defense Force base and told its servicemen to strengthen readiness to cope with a similar incident with the Korean Navy. In response, Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo visited the ROK Fleet Command and called for a "lawful and strong" response if Japan carries out another threatening flyby. The tit-for-tat response has only aggravated the situation. But Minister Iwaya hinted Saturday that Japan's defense ministry might reconsider a plan to send the helicopter carrier Izumo to Busan for an envisioned joint exercise in time for the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) slated for April. It appears Tokyo wants to scale down defense cooperation with Seoul and have a cooling period following the radar dispute. But we cannot help but express concern that the radar spat could turn into a serious military and diplomatic showdown between the two neighbors. There is some speculation that nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is using the dispute to push up his government's falling approval rating. Abe might also try to take advantage of the rising tension with Korea to rewrite the pacifist Constitution to build up the military and turn Japan into a "normal country" that can wage war against other countries. Abe might also be bent on taking aggressive action against Seoul in protest of the Korean Supreme Court's rulings last year that Japanese firms should pay compensation to Korean victims of forced labor during World War II. No one can deny that historic issues such as the wartime sexual slavery of Korean women for Japanese troops are the embedded cause of the mounting tension between the countries. But the problem cannot be solved by worsening the military dispute. Both countries should refrain from going too far. They are better off tackling the issue through dialogue. President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Abe need to hold a summit to discuss pending issues and find a viable solution. Rival parties should solve problem through dialogue Next month's extraordinary session of the National Assembly is most likely to backfire due to a boycott announced by the main opposition Liberty Party of Korea (LPK) over the government's unilateral appointment of a controversial figure as a commissioner of the National Election Commission (NEC). The legislature has too many bills on its plate, particularly those related to the people's livelihoods. It is tantamount to dereliction of duty on the part of legislators not to convene the Assembly session. Both the ruling and opposition parties have to normalize the legislature's operation as soon as possible. The LKP is staging a sit-in on the steps of the main Assembly building to protest the appointment of Cho Hae-ju, a Kookmin University professor, as a commissioner. If the opposition lawmakers intend to hold the government responsible for the political deadlock, they have to attend the sessions. It is not right for a legislator to boycott the Assembly, a somewhat anachronistic practice. Both the ruling and opposition parties are definitely responsible for this paralysis. They need to learn how to solve problems through dialogue and compromise. Partisan struggles do more harm than good. If the boycott continues, the LKP cannot avoid criticism for holding the Assembly hostage. Whatever their causes are, LKP lawmakers should not prevent the sessions from being convened. They need to find a more reasonable way to put forward their opposition to the government and ruling party's policies. For its part, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) should mobilize every means possible to persuade the LKP to return to the Assembly. The DPK holds the key to normalizing operations. The party's leadership needs to listens more carefully to voices of the LKP and other opposition parties. It should show a mature attitude to seek their cooperation in setting policies and passing bills. Only then can the rival parties go beyond narrow-minded partisanship and better serve the public and national interests. By Doug Bandow President Donald Trump rediscovered his core foreign policy beliefs and ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. Official Washington had a collective mental breakdown. The president's decision should have surprised no one. He long said he wanted U.S. personnel out of Syria. Once the Islamic State was defeated, he explained, Americans should come home. However, the "adult" foreign policy advisers the president surrounded himself with disagreed with him on almost every issue. Worse, his aides played him at every turn adding allies, sending more men and materiel to defend foreign states, and expanding commitments in the Middle East. Last spring the president talked of leaving Syria "very soon." But the American military stayed. Indeed, three months ago National Security Adviser John Bolton announced an entirely new mission: "We're not going to leave as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders and that includes Iranian proxies and militia." That was chutzpah on a breathtaking scale. The U.S. is entitled to invade and dismember nations, back aggressive wars begun by others, and scatter bases and deployments around the world. But Washington insists on preventing Iran from supporting a long-time ally under attack by radical Islamists in a multi-sided civil war. To achieve this objective the U.S. plans to illegally occupy a third of the war-torn nation indefinitely. Since Damascus and Tehran have no incentive to cease cooperating indeed, America's presence makes outside support even more important for the Assad regime Bolton was effectively planning a permanent presence. One that could bring American forces into contact with Russian, Syrian, and Turkish forces as well as Iranians. Damacus' attempt to reclaim territory lost in the civil war could turn into a major confrontation: Syria is backed by Russia and might be supported by Ankara, which would prefer to see the border controlled by Syrian than Kurdish forces. Moreover, Kurds under threat from Turkey might cut a deal with Assad that minimizes the Turkish threat. Apparently his aides' insubordination came to a head in a phone call between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Why are you still there?" the latter asked Trump, who turned to Bolton. The national security adviser could offer no satisfactory explanation. Perhaps at that moment the president realized that only a direct order could enforce his policy. Otherwise his staffers would continue to pursue their militaristic ends rather than his more pacific ones. That determination apparently triggered the long-expected resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Still in place is Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who so far has proved to be a bit more malleable but still hostile to the president's agenda. Most dangerous is Bolton. He publicly advocated war with both Iran and Pyongyang before his appointment; his strategy in Syria risked conflict with several nations. Supporting appointments to State and the National Security Council have been equally problematic, neither believing in his policies nor being willing to implement them. However, President Trump took charge when he insisted on holding the summit with North Korea's Kim Jong-un. Now American forces are set to come home from Syria. And it appears that he may reduce or even eliminate the U.S. garrison in Afghanistan, where Americans have been fighting for more than 17 years. Now he should use Secretary Mattis' departure as an opportunity to refashion his national security team. Deputy Secretary Patrick Shanahan appears to have the inside track, but former Navy Secretary and Senator Jim Webb deserves consideration. Next to go should be John Bolton. Both Trump and the country need someone prepared to accept peace, who understands how restraint advances U.S. security. One possibility is retired Army colonel and respected security analyst Douglas Macgregor. Equally important is finding a new secretary of state, though at least he has not engaged in open sabotage. Who to appoint? Perhaps Tennessee's John Duncan, the last Republican congressman who opposed the Iraq war and who retired this year after decades of patriotic service. Once the top officials have been replaced, the process should continue downward. The president needs people generally supportive of his vision of a less embattled and entangled America, with war restricted to use at times of great peril. Trump finally insisted on being Trump. Changing policy in Syria should merely be the start. He needs to fill his administration with allies, not adversaries, when it comes to foreign policy. Only then will his "America first" policy actually put America first. Doug Bandow (chessset@aol.com) is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. A former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is author of "Foreign Follies: America's New Global Empire." The 35-day partial government shutdown orchestrated by President and supposed artful dealmaker Donald Trump that came to a possibly temporary end Friday was one of the most senseless acts of his administration. Trump's announcement that he and congressional leaders had agreed to fund the government for three weeks was a relief. But it should also lead even the most loyal Trump follower to ask the obvious question: What good did it do? What was gained by grossly inconveniencing 800,000 federal workers and millions of other Americans affected by stopped or slowed government services? The answer is absolutely nothing. Trump is no closer to funding for a border wall than the day the shutdown began, and his State of the Union speech is in limbo. One point being made everywhere can't be made enough: The Republican president demanded something from a House newly controlled by Democrats that he couldn't get from the House for two years when it was controlled by Republicans. Trump's election in 2016 remains a landmark moment in U.S. history a confirmation of the disillusionment of millions of Americans. Most of these Americans may be satisfied with Trump because of the health of the economy and his successful nominations of two conservative Supreme Court justices. But the president's chaotic, impulsive management style has never been more self-evident. If there is another government shutdown in three weeks because Trump believes he can get House Democrats to cave on the border wall, here's another adjective to describe his management style: delusional. The above editorial appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune. It was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. By Steven L. Shields Is there a more quintessential American comfort food than macaroni and cheese? From my childhood, my mother would fix special-request birthday dinners. A couple of my siblings always wanted spaghetti; I always asked for mac-n-cheese. Of course, in my childhood, packaged food kits weren't widespread. Mom always made the dish from scratch. While the macaroni was boiling on the range, she would prepare the cheese sauce by first mixing salt, pepper, flour, and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. As the flour and butter began bubbling, she slowly added milk, all the while stirring constantly. When the white sauce reached the consistency of a rich, creamy gravy, she would add the shredded cheese. I always like sharp Cheddar, because the cheesy flavor comes through the flour-based gravy. With the macaroni freshly cooked and drained, pour the sauce over, mix, and serve. Oh, my, what a treat. As I grew older, Mom taught me how to cook. Not just the basic gravy recipe, but every other food on our American table. The only packaged mix I remember her ever using was cake mix. Everything else on our table was made from scratch. Nothing beats home cooking. Some restaurants tout "home-style" or "homemade" food. But if it's made in their commercial kitchen, it is neither. Something about Mom's love, or my love when I cook for friends and family, simply can't be replicated in the commercial kitchen. Neither can package kits, which are popular in the United States these days. I even saw a mac-n-cheese kit available in a neighborhood market in Seoul recently a Korean brand. When my son was little, I reverted to the package kits because they were quick and easy, and didn't need a pantry with basic ingredients. My grandson likes these box kits as well. And, like his grandfather, he loves mac-n-cheese. He orders it at most restaurants where he lives, as it's a staple on the kid's menus in the U.S. Visiting friends in Seoul recently, the topic of mac-n-cheese came up in our discussion. The mother of the family said she made it all the time. I was curious. She said she cooked the macaroni, then sprinkled shredded cheese (available widely now in Korean supermarkets) on and melted it in the microwave oven. I suppose my American forthrightness came bursting out, as I quickly declared, "That's not how you make it!" The mother was surprised. I was rude, but she quickly recovered. (Thankfully, she works for a multinational corporation and has much experience with Western directness). Her kids, both primary school children, were intrigued. They asked how I made it. I explained the time-consuming recipe. They asked if I would make it for them, and I readily agreed. Another Korean friend was surprised that I could find all the ingredients for the dish. Except for sharp Cheddar cheese, I bought everything at the neighborhood supermarket. The mac-n-cheese day came. I hadn't made the white sauce for at least 20 years or more. But, like riding a bicycle, it came back without a problem. Admittedly, I was nervous. The expectation level of those two boys and their family was high. My Mom would have been proud. The sauce was perfect. There were no lumps. (That's the hardest part of the white sauce making it smooth). I was cooking on a stovetop in an unfamiliar environment. Mom taught me well. We had spectacular success. The boys were "over the moon" about how delicious it was. A few days later, the boys had shared about this wonderful homemade dish. They asked if I would make it again and if it would be okay for them to invite some of their school friends. Six elementary school kids gathered in my friend's kitchen. I let each of them take part in the various tasks of cooking the macaroni, draining, preparing the ingredients for the sauce, stirring, and adding the milk and cheese. They had a great time. I got thumbs up all around the table. What a delightful way for me to spend an afternoon with a group of surrogate grandchildren! I also cook with my grandchildren at their home in the U.S. We do Christmas baking each year, with several kinds of cookies, gingerbread houses, banana bread and so forth. We also make mac-n-cheese, lasagna, grilled burgers, and hot dogs. Cooking with young people is great fun, and it helps them gain useful skills for life. Steven L. Shields has lived in Korea for many years, beginning in the 1970s, again in the 1990s and into the 2000s. He served as copy editor of The Korea Times in 1977. He is a retired clergyman and vice president of the Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch. He can be reached at slshields@gmail.com. By Arthur I. Cyr The global news media continue to devote rapt attention to the at times acrimonious, occasionally friendly, interchange between two flamboyant leaders. United States President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un. Center stage right now is the announcement that they will meet again in February. Meanwhile, the effective disciplined leadership of low-key President Moon Jae-in of South Korea is often overlooked. The associated, sustained positive contributions of South Korea to Asian and broader international relations likewise are not the stuff of blaring headlines or intense overwrought TV personalities. However, at the start of 2019 that situation is changing, at least to a degree. The influential Asia News Network has named President Moon "Person of the Year." South Korea's chief executive quite rightly is praised for serving as initiator, broker, and mediator between the U.S. and North Korea, which last year brought the two nations' leaders together. This accomplishment is too easily oversimplified and minimized. At the end of 2017, Trump and Kim were trading crude and at times personal insults via global media. Moon's work behind the scenes not only restrained but also reversed that sad situation. Moon insisted on meeting with the North Korea delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympics, held last February in PyeongChang, South Korea. The group included Kim's sister, an influential figure in the regime. New President Moon Jae-in was sworn in on May 10, 2017, right after the voters' ballots were counted following a special presidential election. He received approximately 41 percent of the vote, putting him 17 percent ahead of his nearest rival. From the very start, he emphasized relations with North Korea. President Moon took office in a time of tension and uncertainty on both sides of the 38th Parallel, the border that divides Korea into north and south. South Korea had just experienced the ordeal of impeachment and removal from office of a sitting president, Park Geun-hye. During Moon's youth, he was arrested and imprisoned because of activism against the dictatorship of Park Chung-hee. Reflecting that experience, he decided to pursue a career as a human rights lawyer. He also served in the Republic of Korea army special forces, and saw action in the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) along the 38th Parallel. Moon was chief of staff to President Roh Moo-hyun. He finished a close second to Park Geun-hye in the 2012 presidential election. North Korea greeted the inauguration of a new president in South Korea by launching yet another long-range missile four days later. The new Hwasong-12 missile reached a greater height than any of the other six tested that year. The missile reportedly could reach as far as Guam, where the U.S. maintains military facilities, according to aerospace engineer John Schilling of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Yet North Korea remains in desperate economic condition. The willingness of the population of that nature to endure destitution over the long term, while apparently still supporting the ruling regime, is remarkable. Current United Nations economic sanctions, however, are clearly hurting those at the top. There are tangible reasons to pursue rapprochement with the South and the U.S. Leaders in Washington, Beijing and elsewhere should encourage and reinforce Moon's skillful initiatives. Seoul has the high ground not only in moral terms, but also in the hard realities of economic and military strength. Above all, here the United States should let South Korea lead. Arthur I. Cyr (acyr@carthage.edu) is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of "After the Cold War." Dressed as deceased power plant irregular mechanic Kim Yong-gyun, protesters march from Seoul National University Hospital, where Kim's body is being kept, to Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Sunday, to take part in a memorial event on the 49th day since his death. / Korea Times photo by Ryu Hyo-jin By Lee Suh-yoon The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) announced Monday that it will launch an investigation into working conditions at coal-fired power plants. The announcement came on the 50th day after the death Kim Yong-gyun, 24, a young mechanic who was killed in a conveyer belt accident last December. Kim had been working an overnight shift alone contrary to regulations at Taean Power Plant in South Chungcheong Province. "Though safe working conditions are a universal right for all employees, irregular workers have a seven times higher chance of dying in industrial accidents than regular ones," Choi Young-ae, the NHRCK head, said in a press statement. "To tackle this problem at its roots, the commission will conduct an assessment of the working conditions at coal-fired power plants." According to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), 97 percent of industrial accidents that took place at the nation's five major power companies between 2012 and 2016 involved temporary workers like Kim. On Sunday, civic groups conducted a traditional Buddhist memorial service, which is held on the 49th day following death, for Kim at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. Kim's parents and civic groups have delayed his funeral, saying his death remains "unresolved" in terms of holding Kim's employer, the state-run Korea Western Power (KOWEPO), accountable, and ensuring safer working conditions for other irregular workers supplied by subcontractors. "The 49th day is supposed to be when the dead finally leave for the underworld. It crushes me that we cannot yet carry out his funeral and are leaving the body in a freezer," Kim's mother, Kim Mi-sook, told mourners at the square. "At the very least, we need to create a working environment that does not take workers' lives." Kim Mi-sook, the mother of deceased maintenance worker Kim Yong-gyun, sheds tears at a memorial event held in Gwanghwamun Square, Sunday. /Korea Times photo by Ryu Hyo-jin Vietnam's international economic integration process has achieved positive results during the drastic implementation of the consistent guidelines and policies of the Party and State. For the first time Vietnam has made its presence in the region's leading country group in the process of proactive international economic integration. After joining ASEAN in 1995 and participating in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), Vietnam has continued to negotiate, sign and implement 12 bilateral, multilateral and regional FTAs. Multiple beneficial commitments According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, at the beginning of the integration process, Vietnam mainly participated in the ASEAN-based FTAs with its partners (starting with China in 2004 and followed by the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan, Australia, New Zealand and India). However, in the later stage, Vietnam has developed a clear orientation, moving to actively negotiate FTAs with markets that are profitable and highly enforceable. This trend started with the Vietnam - Japan FTA and then the FTAs with Chile, the ROK, the Eurasian Economic Union and the CPTPP. In addition, negotiations have also been concluded on the EVFTA and it is in the process of preparation for signing. The process of joining FTAs shows that international economic integration through participation in FTAs is a highly correct strategy, opening new opportunities for the nations economic development, expanding export markets, and helping Vietnam to participate more deeply in the global value chain and production network, as well as transforming its economic structure in a positive direction, improving the business environment and competitiveness, taking advantage of investment, technology and management experience, and creating more jobs. New generation FTAs are putting Vietnam ahead of a new playing field with strategic changes to improve economic cooperation and remove previous tariff barriers that hindered trade before. The trend of promoting trade liberalisation for agricultural products through signing and enforcing FTAs, especially new generation ones, will help Vietnam enjoy more preferential tariffs and non-tariffs, while also having the chance to restructure the import-export market in a more balanced way, thereby avoiding excessive dependence on certain markets. With the CPTPP, a series of agricultural products exported by the member countries, including Vietnam, will receive a tax reduction. In the Canadian market, Vietnam has reached a 100% tax abolishment agreement on the export of timber, while Vietnamese rice import tax will also be eliminated as soon as the agreement comes into effect. For the Japanese market, Vietnam enjoys a tariff elimination rate at 78% for agricultural exports, 91% for seafood exports and 97% for wood exports. Chile agreed to abolish taxes on most key Vietnamese agricultural and fishery products as soon as the agreement comes into effect, while Peru will also eliminate taxes on all Vietnamese seafood products. It is expected that after the EVFTA comes into effect, 99% of the import tariff lines will be removed within seven to 10 years. This can be considered the highest commitment level that Vietnam has achieved in the signed FTAs. Notably, many items will enjoy 0% tax rate as soon as this agreement takes effect, such as coffee (currently imposed with the basic tax rate from 0-11.5%), pepper (0-4%) and natural honey (17.3%). The EU is currently the second largest market for Vietnamese exports of key commodities such as coffee, cashew nuts and pepper. For Vietnamese fruit and vegetables, processed vegetables, fruit and juice, the EU pledged to basically eliminate all tariffs as soon as the agreement comes into effect. For milled rice, unmilled rice and fragrant rice, the EU will apply tariff quotas, while broken rice exported to the EU will be taxed according to the roadmap and taxes for products and grain rice will also be brought to 0% within seven years. As soon as the EVFTA comes into effect, roughly 50% of the EU tariff lines for Vietnamese seafood will be removed, and 50% of the remaining tariffs will be abolished within three to seven years under a specific schedule. Exported seafood is entitled to tax rates according to EVFTA commitments, instead of the previous GSP, which is expected to offer more benefits as EVFTA tax rates are applied to the majority of export products while GSP is only for certain products. New opportunities for Vietnamese exports So far, Vietnam has almost completed its opening process to access new markets, with 12 FTAs being signed or in negotiations, as well as ending negotiations on several FTAs. By participating in new generation FTAs such as the CPTPP or EVFTA, the process has opened up multiple opportunities for economic development in general and the agricultural sector in particular. The main export agricultural products of Vietnam to the CPTPP, including timber, wood products and fishery products (mainly shrimp and pangasius), earn the largest export turnover, accounting for a high proportion of the total export turnover of agricultural products. At present, Vietnam's agricultural export activities only focus on several main products and a few key customers within the CPTPP. Participating in the CPTPP is a good opportunity for Vietnam to expand its exports to major markets such as Mexico, Australia and Canada, as well as helping to diversify its agricultural export products. Another greater opportunity for trade expansion is the transnational investment activity associated with science and technology and labour capacity improvement. When signing the CPTPP, some countries without advantages in agriculture are likely to shift their investment to Vietnam. Through receiving foreign investment, in addition to creating more jobs and increasing income, the most important aspect is that Vietnamese agriculture will absorb new science and technology, thus changing the traditional ways of production and improving efficiency. For the EU market, after the EVFTA is signed, Vietnam will become one of the leading countries in exporting agricultural products to the EU. In addition, Vietnam's agricultural products will also enjoy more advantages compared to other countries, because the tax on Vietnamese agricultural products exported to the EU will be only 0% within seven years. The preferential tariffs in the EVFTA will bring new opportunities for Vietnamese seafood exporters, thereby expanding the potential to export their products to other import markets, as well as participating in the global seafood value chain. In the future, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will focus on institutional and policy reforms to create favourable conditions to promote the business and investment environment, while ensuring compliance with the commitments to promote Vietnams advantages and potentials in agriculture. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, left, speaks during a visit to the Naval Operations Command (NOC) in Busan, Saturday. On the right is his Japanese counterpart at Kanagawa Prefecture's Atsugi naval airbase a day earlier. The Atsugi base is where Japan's patrol planes are stationed, including the one Japan claims a South Korean ship targeted with a radar. Korea Times file By Kim Bo-eun An ongoing military spat between Seoul and Tokyo is casting a shadow on bilateral exchanges. According to Japanese media reports, Tokyo is likely cancel the planned dispatch of a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer to Busan for a joint maritime exercise in April. Japan planned to deploy the MSDFS Izumo to take part in the ASEAN plus eight drill. Defense ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said Monday that the countries and vessels taking part will be decided in late February. Meanwhile, Rear Adm. Kim Myung-soo, commander of the Navy's First Fleet, postponed a visit to Japan. The visit was part of an exchange program where Seoul sent a two-star Navy officer to Tokyo in odd-numbered years, and Tokyo reciprocated in even-numbered years. Choi said the visit was postponed due to the rear admiral's schedule, but declined to provide specific details. The response was seen as a sign of caution amid the deteriorating ties over a "radar conflict." Japan claims the destroyer Gwanggaeto the Great locked a fire control radar on one of its P-1 maritime patrol aircraft, Dec. 20. Seoul has denied the claim, stating the warship was conducting a humanitarian rescue operation involving a North Korean ship, and that the issue was about the Japanese patrol plane flying at a threateningly low-altitude. Japan engaged in low-level flights over or near Navy vessels on three additional occasions in the following weeks. The ministry spokeswoman hinted the issue could be addressed at an April working-level meeting concerning the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, a biennial meeting of countries in the Pacific to discuss naval matters. While the symposiums are held in even-numbered years, workshops are held in odd numbered years. "Defining international regulations to prevent the recurrence of such incidents appears necessary," she said. Abe omits ties with S. Korea in speech Amid the ongoing flap, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered an annual policy speech Monday, but did not address ties with South Korea. The Japanese leader had previously dedicated a passage on wishes to promote "future-oriented" relations with Seoul. This is seen as reflecting the current strain in ties over not only the radar spat, but also issues concerning the two countries' history. They remain in conflict over South Korea's Supreme Court rulings that ordered Japanese companies to compensate victims of forced labor under the latter's colonial rule. Another issue centers on a disputed sex slave deal reached in December 2015. Last November, South Korea disbanded a foundation that was set up to carry out the agreement. Hwang Kyo-ahn, former prime minister and acting president under the Park Geun-hye administration, speaks during a meeting with the main opposition Liberty Korea Party members in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Monday. Hwang plans to declare his bid for the conservative party leadership on Tuesday amid uncertainties over his eligibility. Yonhap By Park Ji-won Former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn plans to announce a bid for the chairmanship of the largest conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP), Tuesday, despite a controversy over his eligibility. "I will join the LKP leadership race tomorrow," Hwang, a key aide to former President Park Geun-hye, said on Facebook Monday. "It is a challenge with the people to protect the liberal democracy with my responsibility and sacrifice." The LKP plans to hold a national convention on Feb. 27 to select its new leader and other members of the decision-making Supreme Council. The LKP leadership post has been vacant since previous chairman Hong Joon-pyo stepped down to take responsibility for the party's defeat in the June 2018 local elections. It was uncertain whether Hwang could participate in the race as he was new to the party. However, Rep. Han Sun-kyo, the chair of the national convention, said Hwang and former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon are eligible candidates after discussing it at the LKP's general meeting. Some LKP members oppose Hwang's bid, claiming it is against the party's rules. Former LKP leader Hong Joon-pyo and Oh will likely announce their candidacy for the post on Wednesday. Hong has been expanding his footprint with his YouTube channel TV Hongka Cola since the end of last year. Oh, meanwhile, is on his way to broadening his political base by holding meetings with party members across the country. He rejoined the LKP in November after years of absence from the political scene after he voluntarily resigned from his mayoral position in 2011. Recent polls showed that conservative voters like Hwang the most as a presidential contender for the 2022 race. According to local pollster Realmeter Monday, the LKP's approval rating reached 26.7 percent, up 2.4 percentage points from the previous week marking the highest level in 27 months. The pollster said the rise was followed by the increased media reports regarding the LKP's national convention to pick its new leader. The LKP had been embattled by a corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached in March 2017. By Kim Yoo-chul Leaders of South Korea and Qatar agreed to expand bilateral trade and economic cooperation at a summit in Seoul, Monday. President Moon Jae-in and his Qatari counterpart Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in areas of smart farming, smart grid, education and training, according to Cheong Wa Dae. The visit came as South Korean shipbuilders are bidding to win contracts for building liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers from Qatar Petroleum (QP). QP is a state-owned oil company in Qatar, which recently decided to expand its fleet by up to 60 LNG carriers. "Given the geopolitical locations, both Qatar and South Korea are ideally positioned to expand bilateral tie-ups in shipping and shipbuilding. As the global shipbuilding and shipping industries are putting more focus on eco-friendly vessels, if Qatar replaces its outdated vessels with those powered by LNG, then the global demand for LNG ships will also rise," Moon said, adding South Korea is dependent upon imports of LNG from Qatar, according to press pool reports. In a text to reporters, presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said Qatar plans to order up to 60 new LNG carriers from shipbuilders. Qatar is South Korea's largest supplier of LNG. "Given South Korea's proven track record in winning orders for value-added vessels and delivering them on time, chances are very high South Korean shipbuilders would be considered the most-preferred candidates to win the upcoming new ship orders," presidential spokesman Kim said quoting remarks from Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) CEO Jung Sung-leep at the luncheon after the summit. Qatar operates 50 LNG carriers. The majority of these vessels were built and delivered by Korea's top-three shipbuilders including Hyundai Heavy and Samsung Heavy. South Korea and Qatar established diplomatic ties in 1974. They were upgraded to a comprehensive partnership in 2007. South Korean soldiers excavate Korean War remains during a demining operation near Arrowhead Ridge inside the Demilitarized Zone in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, Oct. 25. The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) has approved a sanctions exemption for the delivery of equipment for an inter-Korean project to excavate Korean War remains in the DMZ which is scheduled to be held from April. / Yonhap By Park Ji-won The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) has approved a sanctions exemption for an inter-Korean project to excavate Korean War remains in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a diplomatic source said Monday. The UNSC made the decision last week as the South sought the exemption to allow the shipment of equipment needed for the excavation of war remains. If the Koreas finish discussing details, the excavation will likely be carried out from April to October. The move came amid continuing talks between Pyongyang and Washington as well as Seoul and Washington over denuclearization of the North, which have been stalled for months since a June U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore. Since the U.S. has eased limits on humanitarian aid to Pyongyang recently, the Koreas have been pushing for implementing inter-Korean agreements to boost ties with each other. Military sources said Pyongyang asked Seoul during the generals' talks last year to provide equipment to demine the North's side of the related area for the excavation project. South Korea's Ministry of National Defense later consulted the foreign ministry over whether the delivery of equipment to the North would violate U.N. sanctions. For the equipment delivery, the ministry is considering purchasing demining machines from overseas, such as the Swiss' GCS-100, Germany's Minewolf or Croatia's MV-4 to lease them to the North. Still, a sanctions exemption procedure is underway for the joint road inspection, according to a foreign ministry official. During the "working-group" meeting via videoconferencing on Jan. 17, Seoul and Washington reached a consensus over the sanctions exemption for the excavation. The excavation project is a key part of the inter-Korean military agreement made during the Pyongyang summit last September. The accord includes a series of arms control measures, including disarming the Joint Security Area, destroying some near-border guard posts and establishing air, water and land buffer zones aimed to reduce tension and prevent accidental clashes. Since October, the Koreas have been constructing a road and demining the area to guarantee safety ahead of the excavation project. Last year, the UNSC also granted a sanctions exemption for an inter-Korean joint survey on railways in the North in November and a groundbreaking ceremony for roads and railways connecting across the heavily fortified border separating the North and South in December. Customers at GME Remittance's Dongdaemun branch in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Courtesy of GME Remittance By Ko Dong-hwan Banks play an important role in society, but for some people access to their services is difficult, if not impossible. This is especially so in developing regions and Third World countries. There, people do basic monetary transactions in down-to-earth ways, relying more on human hands than the computerized systems of conventional banking. Many migrant workers in Korea from such regions have opted for this method for transferring their hard-earned money home because they are unable to wire it through banks as those it is destined for do not have bank accounts. They have used "transporters," who are entrusted with cash from multiple senders to deliver it. But the carriers sometimes disappear with the money. Besides the theft risk, the delivery breaks Korean law, which requires personal effects and cash worth $10,000 or more to be declared at border custom offices. John Sung at GME Remittance's headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Korea Times photo by Ko Dong-hwan John Sung, CEO of non-bank overseas remitter Global Money Express Remittance, based in Seoul's Jongno-gu district, saw a market for his company's services in helping migrant workers send money home. The former LG Electronics overseas branch head in Australia and Malaysia said only 20 percent to 30 percent of people in Southeast Asia, where most of the workers are from, have bank accounts. "Even if a foreign worker went to one of the 16 major banks in Korea and transferred money to his family members in their homeland, chances are most of the receivers wouldn't have a bank account to receive the money," Sung told The Korea Times. "If a person living in a mountainous Himalayan region in Nepal was to visit a local bank, he would have to travel a long distance to get to the nearest city. Would he possibly care for a bank account with such a physical hassle?" GME allows money to be sent to people who do not have a bank account. Its foreign investment partners, top-tier banks in the Asian and CIS regions, have established thousands of "cash pickup points" across 24 countries. When someone comes to GME to send money, the company checks their identity before issuing them a 10-digit password. The customer tells the cash recipient the password and location of the nearest pickup point. These are set up at pawn shops, and convenience or other small local stores. After providing the password, the money is handed over. Pickup is available five minutes after the money is wired and the time of pickup is monitored in Seoul. Banks in Korea were the only channel for overseas remittance until January 2017, when the revision of Korea's Foreign Exchange Transactions Act opened the business to non-bank entities. Courtesy of BNK Kyongnam Bank Tourists also can use the service. They can send their cash to GME and withdraw it from a designated depot when they arrive at their destination. It saves them the hassle of carrying foreign currency or travelers' checks and they don't need a bank account to do it. "I call this the cash pickup service," said Sung. "It surpasses any similar service provided by current Korean banks. Ambassadors in Korea appreciate it for the safety and convenience it gives their nationals." Sung worked for more than 20 years heading the LG overseas branches and running his own telecommunications firm in Kuala Lumpur that had 300 employees. During this time, he saw how markets in other countries were more open to the world and less strapped by regulations than Korea. When he came across a mogul from the remittance industry operating across Asian countries, he learned that the service in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and other countries was provided by non-bank remitters at cheap rates, with speedy results. It was unlike Korea, where the service was exclusively offered by banks or the like with legal capital of 1 trillion won ($887 million) at least. The first day of business at GME Remittance's Dongdaemun branch in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in October 2017. Courtesy of GME Remittance "Living overseas, I saw a wide range of international remittance transactions happening globally but not in Korea," said Sung, who envisioned that if the Korean remittance market was more open to non-banks and state regulations eased, the service would thrive there. He established GME in 2016 with one employee and began searching for markets. He saw that for his company to succeed, the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act under the Ministry of Economy and Finance must be revised to allow non-banks to operate overseas remittance business. A Japanese law revision allowing this was made in 2011 and Korean fintech operators demanded lawmakers do the same. "Korea back then must have been one of the last countries in Asia to have allowed the service to non-banks," Sung said. In January 2017, the Foreign Exchange Policy Division, under the ministry's International Finance Bureau, revised the third clause of the transactions act's Article 8 about foreign currency dealers. It allowed non-financial entities to engage in the industry once they passed standards to be authorized under a presidential order. The move shattered the banks' almost 60-year monopoly in the industry. In July that year, GME passed the standard for an overseas remittance business license, becoming the country's first non-bank entity in the industry. Twenty-two other applicants failed the standard, while E9 Pay joined the field six months later. The day it opened for business in October 2017, the three GME branches were packed, accepting nearly 7,000 customers in the first month. As of January 2019, GME runs seven branches in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Busan. It has signed investment partnerships with Nepal's Global IME Bank, Cambodia's Wing, Sri Lanka's Commercial Bank of Ceylon, Indonesia's BNI and another top-tier bank covering the CIS region. GME splits the profits 50-50 with them. Sung is scathing of the Korean banks' role in the industry, attacking their expensive overseas remittance fees. Transferring 3 million won overseas using Korea's Woori Bank includes a telegram surcharge, remittance surcharge and post-transaction surcharge, amounting to $38. At Hana Bank, an overseas surcharge of $20 is made instead of a post-transaction surcharge. An additional "payout fee," unknown to senders and remitting banks, of around $20 is charged by the local banks when the cash is withdrawn. The total cost is nearly $60. GME simplified the fees to 5,000 won, with no hidden charges. Its app shows exactly how much the receivers will get after the fee deduction. "We've reduced the banks' egregious rates to affordable levels because we have stronger competitiveness," Sung said. Cambodian Ambassador in Korea Long Dimanche, third from left, and John Sung, third from right, and associates of Wing join the service launch ceremony in front of GME Remittance's branch on Culture Street in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, in February 2017. The celebration came after GME signed a partnership with the Cambodian bank. Courtesy of GME Remittance Korea's finance ministry limits the amount non-bank entities can remit for each customer to $3,000 at a time, with a yearly cap of $30,000. Sung says the limits are too low. "The limits hinder college students studying abroad who need $20,000 to pay for each semester tuition and businessmen doing international trade," Sung said. "Higher limits will give more room to move even for a small-size trader as the company can wire money overseas through GME at lower fees than banks and increase its global competitiveness." With the limits in place, GME can only support migrants, who on average transfer about 1 million won a month overseas. A foreign exchange policy division official told The Korea Times that the remittance caps will remain for now as the law is relatively new. "With the growth of the Korean fintech industry backed by government support, many non-bank entities have become tech-savvy enough to process overseas remittances," the official said. "The ministry, aware of the expensive bank fees, loosened the regulations to improve consumers' convenience by allowing them to use non-bank firms, as long as the remitting amounts are small." The former Korean minister of economy and finance Kim Dong-yeon speaks during the minister-level innovative growth meeting at Seoul Government Complex in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in September 2018. Yonhap He said large sums must be remitted through banks to prevent the risk of foreign currency diversion and funds falling into the hands of terrorists. "Now is the time to monitor and fix any side effects transpiring from transactions involving non-bank companies," the official said. "The bars will eventually be raised after that verification period." Sung hopes that once the ministry increases the non-bank remittance limits, GME can better compete with the banks and achieve the goal of $3 billion of customer transactions by next year. That's 7.5 percent of the entire Korean private overseas remittance market estimated for 2017. Sung appreciates the multinational aspect of his company as only 15 of over 60 employees are Koreans, with the rest speaking 10 languages. He has put marketing managers of different nationalities in charge of their own ethnic groups, believing in the power of cultural links. "Our goal is meeting migrant workers' various demands," said Sung, who expanded GME's business in December 2018 to loans and finance as part of his mission to make his company a total fintech service provider. "To complete the objective, state hurdles must be mitigated," he said. "Global trends have been pushing national markets to follow so their global competitiveness can grow and consumers can benefit from cheaper costs and more convenience. If they aren't pursued, a few exclusive operators will go unchallenged without motivation to grow and so will eventually perish." By Jung Hae-myoung The principal of the School of Performing Arts in Seoul (SOPA) ordered students to perform at private gatherings dozens of times, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) said, Sunday. SOPA is a school attended by many K-pop stars and would-be stars. Graduates include Suzy, Sulli, Joy from Red Velvet and Jung-kook from BTS. SOPA students were forced to perform at least 10 times over two years since 2017 at private meetings of the principal and his wife, who works at the administrative office of the school. The meetings included a dinner for an insurance company and the wife's alumni event. The principal's wife also allegedly pocketed the money for students' performances by receiving payment through her own bank account. The school also took 100 million won ($89,533) as a subsidy for operating afterschool programs over the last four years but used it for other purposes. The principal used a car registered with the school for private purposes, and paid his gas and mobile phone fees using the school account. Some teachers testified the principal's family set up an illegal residential space inside the school building and resided there until September. The SMOE asked the school foundation to dismiss the principal and his wife, and sought help from law enforcement authorities to look into further allegations. The principal is denying all allegations. Israeli Ambassador to Korea Chaim Choshen, center, German Ambassador to Korea Stephan Auer, right, and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon hold hands during a commemoration night for International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Goethe-Institute Korea in Seoul on Jan. 21. / Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul mayor offers to commemorate genocide together in 2020 By Yi Whan-woo The embassies of Israel and Germany joined the Goethe-Institute Korea to commemorate the Holocaust on Jan. 21. The three co-hosted the commemoration for the fourth year, in line with the United Nations' International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which falls on Jan. 27. The event took place at the Goethe-Institute Korea, Germany's language and cultural center in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. It offered a glimpse into joint efforts between Israel and Germany to raise global awareness about the genocide committed against Jews before and during World War II, and also how Germany sincerely atones for its wartime past. It hinted at a chance to better draw Korea's attention toward one of the world's most heinous crimes, when Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon proposed that the countries commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day next year together. Nearly 6 million Jews out of a Jewish population of 9 million living in Europe were murdered by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945. In 2005, the U.N.'s Holocaust Remembrance resolution designated Jan. 27 as an annual commemoration day for Holocaust victims. The resolution urges every U.N. member country to honor Holocaust victims and encourages the development of educational programs to help prevent genocide. "We have to fight not only Holocaust denial and Holocaust distortion, but also Holocaust trivialization," said Israeli Ambassador to Korea Chaim Choshen. He referred to a recent survey conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, which said anti-Semitism had become part of the daily lives of Jews in certain areas. "What was once impermissible is again imaginable," said Ambassador Choshen, underscoring the Holocaust Remembrance resolution was critical to inculcate future generations with lessons of the Holocaust. "The resolution...will be forever a warming to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice." German Ambassador to Korea Stephan Auer cited a need to raise awareness about the Holocaust. "Our joint commemoration on the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day has become a tradition, but is far from being a mere ritual," he said. "This is not just the task of the older generations. It is our joint duty as politicians, researchers, diplomats, but also of ordinary parents and citizens." Ambassador Auer said Germany has "special responsibility to remember the Holocaust so that such a horrible atrocity will never happen again." Commenting on Germany's responsibility, Goethe-Institute Korea Director Marla Stukenberg shared her experience as a student during her visit in 1979 to Nazi Germany's concentration camp in Stutthof, Poland. "Being confronted as a young person with the post-camp relics at the Stutthof Memorial made it instantly evident, that remembrance is our duty, our responsibility," she said. "By sharing this evening together we commemorate the Holocaust in our own possible way with our words, with poetry and with the renewal of our promise never to forget." Mayor Park said he appreciated Israel for "spreading the truth" about the Holocaust and Germany for making genuine efforts to apologize and heal. "I call on countries and leaders that have committed such crimes and yet are busy justifying their actions to reflect on their wrongdoing and apologize for them," he said. He suggested commemorating next year's International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Seoul Museum of History jointly with the embassies of Israel and Germany. The details need to be discussed, but it could include programs about the Holocaust and similar massacres that happened in Korea. Choshen said Park's presence "signifies the importance" of the remembrance event, while Auer said it reflected the message that International Holocaust Remembrance Day "goes beyond bilateral relations and geographic borders." The speeches of the ambassadors, Goethe-Institute Korea director and the Seoul mayor came in between musical performances and poems about the Holocaust. The six poems "The Action into Ghetto of Rohatyn, March 1942," "Fugue of Death," "Eli Eli: A Walk to Caesaria," "Each of us has a name," "Astonished," and "First They Came for the Jews," were recited in Hebrew, German, English or Korean. By Yi Whan-woo France and Germany went worldwide in their campaign to affirm friendship, after French President Charles de Gaulle and West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer signed the Elysee Treaty on Jan. 22, 1963 to end centuries of antagonism following the Second World War. In Seoul, the chambers of commerce of the two European powers co-hosted a reception, Jan, 22, to celebrate the 56th anniversary of that treaty signed at the Elysse Palace in Paris. Invited guests included French Ambassador to Korea Fabien Penone and German Ambassador to Korea Stephan Auer, who also took part in anniversary events together throughout the day. The events were an expansion of those that took place in France and Germany. Among them were German-French Day declared by French President Jacques Chirac and German Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroder on Jan. 22, 2003, and the signing of a follow-up pact to the 1963 treaty between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week. "After two wars, France and Germany were able to reestablish trust, friendship and cooperation between them. Thanks to those ties, they have become the pillars of a larger union, the European one," French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) Chairman David-Pierre Jalicon said during the anniversary reception at the Novotel Ambassador Seoul in Gangmam-gu. Jalicon said the French and German business communities, through their joint celebration, are "sending a positive message of hope and a reminder of their commitments to the prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and the whole region." Korean-German Chamber of Commerce in Korea (KGCCI) Chairman Kim Hyo-joon called the treaty a "historic milestone" in the era of globalization and that it laid the groundwork for the nations sharing a common responsibility to cooperate while striving for prosperity and peace. "We hope that the business endeavors of the German and French companies in Korea will result in a joint commitment for a lasting contribution to the Korean economy and society as well," Kim said. The members of the FKCCI and KGCCI discussed their business activities in Korea, including plans for this year. Before coming to the reception, Ambassador Penone and Ambassador Auer visited academic institutions from their respective countries here the Deutsche Schule Seoul International and Lycee Frandais de Seoul. They discussed the history of cooperation between the two counties and key issues faced by European Union with the students. The discussions involved invited students from Lycee International Xavier, a French combined primary and secondary school. The two ambassadors and their staff had a meeting later at the French embassy to discuss a joint work plan for this year. Another South Korean woman coerced into sexual slavery for World War II Japanese soldiers died Monday, a civic group said, reducing the number of surviving victims to 24. The victim, only identified by her surname Lee, died at 94, according to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. She was kidnapped by Japanese troops at age 17 in 1942, when returning home after working at a factory. Lee was also forced to move to Manchuria where she was forced into sexual slavery, according to the group. Her death leaves only 24 surviving victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery when Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula from 1910-45. Initially, 238 women were on the list of government-registered former sex slaves. Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, were forced to work in front-line brothels for Japanese troops during World War II. In late November, the South Korean government said it will shut down a 1 billion-yen ($9 million) foundation on wartime sex slavery that was funded by Japan. It was created in July 2016 to financially support Korean victims of Japan's sexual slavery as part of a controversial accord signed in 2015 by the government of former conservative President Park Geun-hye and Japan. (Yonhap) By Jung Min-ho Twenty-three Korean citizens have been banned from entering the Philippines for being rude and disrespectful to airport staff. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 23 Koreans were denied entry and blacklisted in 2018 for showing arrogance or using foul language to immigration officers. "Being on the blacklist means you won't be able to enter the Philippines for at least one year," the ministry said on Facebook on Jan. 23. "To avoid such trouble, please be polite when talking to Philippine officials. If you don't respond to their questions or raise your voices, you may be denied permission to enter the country. Therefore, you should be able to speak English or have someone who can." Statistics show that 133 foreigners were blacklisted that year. Chinese nationals topped the list with 37, followed by Americans (25) and Koreans. Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the bureau would not tolerate foreigners who "exhibit arrogance or make offensive utterances" to airport staff. "While we have been instructed to observe maximum tolerance, arrogant and discourteous foreigners are sent back and blacklisted," she said in a statement. "Symbols of the country, such as authorities, should be respected." People select Spring Festival decorations at a market in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 26, 2019. The Spring Festival, which falls on Feb. 5 this year, serves as an important occasion for family reunions and marks the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year. It is a Chinese tradition to buy goods ranging from food to home appliances to celebrate the festival. Suppliers and vendors around the country have prepared plenty of products to meet shopping demands during the holiday spending spree. (Xinhua/Wang Haibin) 10 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] Missing link in planet evolution found For the first time ever, astronomers have detected a 1.3 km radius body at the edge of the Solar System. Kilometer sized bodies like the one discovered have been predicted to exist for more than 70 years. These objects acted as an important step in the planet formation process between small initial amalgamations of dust and ice and the planets we see today. The Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt is a collection of small celestial bodies located beyond Neptune's orbit. The most famous Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Object is Pluto. Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Objects are believed to be remnants left over from the formation of the Solar System. While small bodies like asteroids in the inner Solar System have been altered by solar radiation, collisions, and the gravity of the planets over time; objects in the cold, dark, lonely Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt preserve the pristine conditions of the early Solar System. Thus astronomers study them to learn about the beginning of the planet formation process. Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Objects with radii from 1 kilometer to several kilometers have been predicted to exist, but they are too distant, small, and dim for even world-leading telescopes, like the Subaru Telescope, to observe directly. So a research team led by Ko Arimatsu at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan used a technique known as occultation: monitoring a large number of stars and watching for the shadow of an object passing in front of one of the stars. The OASES (Organized Autotelescopes for Serendipitous Event Survey) team placed two small (28 cm) telescopes on the roof of the Miyako open-air school on Miyako Island, Miyakojima-shi, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, and monitored approximately 2000 stars for a total of 60 hours. Analyzing the data, the team found an event consistent with a star appearing to dim as it is occulted by a 1.3 km radius Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Object. This detection indicates that kilometer sized Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Objects are more numerous than previously thought. This supports models where planetesimals first grow slowly into kilometer sized objects before runaway growth causes them to merge into planets. Arimatsu explains, "This is a real victory for little projects. Our team had less than 0.3% of the budget of large international projects. We didn't even have enough money to build a second dome to protect our second telescope! Yet we still managed to make a discovery that is impossible for the big projects. Now that we know our system works, we will investigate the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt in more detail. We also have our sights set on the still undiscovered Oort Cloud out beyond that." ### This research was made possible by the support of the Miyako open-air school and the local community in Miyakojima-shi. This story has been published on: 2019-01-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. A pamphlet for a North Korean art troupe's concert in Beijing on Sunday, attended by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Yonhap Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a rare concert by a North Korean state art troupe and met with the delegation's chief, Chinese state media reported Monday, as the two countries boast close ties ahead of a second summit between the United States and North Korea. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, met with Ri Su-yong, vice chairman of the North Korean ruling party's Central Committee, on Sunday and watched the performance by the North Korean artists, according to China's Xinhua News Agency. The art delegation arrived in Beijing on Thursday to stage the first performance by a North Korean art troupe in the neighboring country in three years since the North's Moranbong Band called off a planned performance in Beijing at the last minute in 2015. The dispatch came a few weeks after the North's leader, Kim Jong-un, made his fourth visit to China in less than a year and held talks with Xi in an apparent show of strengthening relations between the two countries in the run-up to a second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump set for late next month. By Jung Min-ho Korea and Latvia will open a direct air route between the two countries in May. According to the Latvian Embassy in Seoul Monday, Korean Air, the country's largest airline, will operate charter flights between Incheon and Riga on May 24 and 31 and June 7 to promote tourism between the countries. Hanjin Travel, one of the largest Korean tour agencies, will organize the special events with support from Latvian government agencies. "These will be the first direct commercial flight between the capital city of Latvia and the Republic of Korea," the embassy said in a statement. "Koreans are active travelers and are open to exploring new destinations. Since the Latvian Embassy in the Republic of Korea was opened in the late 2015, it has been cooperating with the LIAA Tourism Department, LIVE RIGA and other partners to attract tourists from Korea." 'China's risk is massive for the world but even more so for Korea' By Lee Kyung-min Korea should brace for a looming crisis from China in light of the latter's recent "dismal" 6.6 percent growth rate in 2018, the slowest in 28 years since 1990, according to global economists. Following the disappointing GDP figure, analysts are split over whether the world's second-largest economy will undergo a "hard landing," which many worry will send a shudder through the global economy and financial markets. The economists warned that the fast slowdown in China will pose a major risk to Korea which has a small, open and export-reliant economy. "Korea should be worried," said Antonio Fatas, an economics professor at INSEAD. "Trade between the two countries is large and the region is very much dependent on China. China dominates the dynamics of the Asian region. The more global the crisis, the worse the outcome for Korea." According to data from the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), exports accounted for 36.3 percent of Korea's GDP in 2018. Korea came third in the list of countries relying heavily on exports following Germany with 39.2 percent and the Netherlands with a whopping 78.9 percent. Over a quarter of exports, or 26.8 percent, were made for export to China. Experts believe the development of the ongoing trade feud between the U.S. and China will determine the future course of the Chinese economy. "Some economists estimate the Chinese economy has stopped growing. Most likely, though, the official numbers will show a soft landing," said Sohn Sung-won, professor of economics at California State University-Channel Islands. "How hard China lands will depend upon the outcome of the trade friction with the United States. If continued, a hard landing for China is not out of the question." Fatas said China's economy could be in worse footing than it looks as the data is not as "precise" as it should be. "China is slowing down probably faster than the official statistics. It is a combination of the attempt by the government to rebalance the economy which is not working as expected and the consequences of the trade war the U.S. started. It is likely this will persist in the near term." The situation could get worse, with the possibility of a soft landing still lingering, he added. "In the coming years, growth will decelerate faster. If the world economy continues growing, it is possible we will see a soft landing. If we see a global crisis, it will be much harder for China to engineer a soft landing." However, some economists disagreed. Alicia Garcia-Herrero, Asia-Pacific chief economist at Natixis, thinks chances are low that China will undergo an economic crisis. "I doubt it since China still has instruments to avoid it. Not only does China still have monetary and fiscal space but also massive control of the economy as shown by the ongoing measures to force banks to lend to the private sector," she said. "Growth in China may rather be around 3 percent and the reason is that the return on assets due to excessive investment and misallocation of resources continues. The mirror of this situation, namely leverage, will also drag down the Chinese economy." Korea, major victim Experts said that regardless of China suffering a hard landing, Korea's economy will be severely affected by China slowdown given its exports will be less of a support to broader local demand to China in 2019. "China's economy is a critical stimulant of global growth. Korea's economy is heavily exposed to China's economic performance via its important export and manufacturing sectors. Global demand looks to have passed its peak," said Katrina Ell, an economist at Moody's Analytics. This is in line with a broader consensus reached by many international organizations and global investment banks. JPMorgan Chase made a projection in 2018 that if China's growth rate dips by 1 percentage point, that of Korea will also decrease by half of a percentage point. The risk of China's economy facing a hard landing is elevated, while it will endure a managed slowdown and ultimately avoid a hard landing, Ell added. "China faces its most vulnerable window of growth since the global financial crisis. But the country will avoid a hard landing as policymakers have numerous levers at their disposal and so far have only taken a measured approach to releasing stimulus in the economy." The People's Bank of China (PBOC) injected a net 560 billion yuan (91 trillion won) into the economy, Jan 16. "China's risk is massive for Korea notwithstanding the FTA with the US. China's risk is massive for the world but even more so for Korea," Garcia-Herrero said. However, Mauro F. Guillen, director of Lauder Institute at Wharton School, said the implications for Korea don't have to be severe if China finally makes the transition from export-led growth to domestic growth. "The problem is that no economy has ever grown by more than 4 to 5 percent forever. There are business cycles and growth in general comes down as economies mature. The Chinese need to save less and spend more. It's as easy as that." An aerial view of HCM City by night (Photo: mytour.vn) The 12 destinations on the shortlist are chosen based on an analysis of cities that have seen the highest growth in millennial interest on the Culture Trip site and app and a survey of 300 of the companys local creators, who are based around the globe. Ranked fourth, Ho Chi Minh City is described as an affordable destination with a buzzing cultural scene to match, making it perfect for cash-strapped millennial travellers. A booming economy has brought a roaring energy to the city, palpable as soon as you leave the airport, and that energy increases as soon as you try ca phe da (iced Vietnamese coffee), a jolt of caffeine and sugar like no other, the site wrote. It also recommended travellers meander around the citys neighbourhoods and hidden alleyways in search of street food and displays of public art. The first three places on the list were Oaxaca City (Mexico), Porto (Portugal), and Austin (US). Following HCM City are Cape Town (South Africa), Lima (Peru), Tokyo (Japan), Istanbul (Turkey), Budapest (Hungary), and Marrakech (Morocco). Formerly Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam. It welcomed over 7 million foreign visitors in 2018. The local tourism sector has been growing at around 15 percent each year over recent years. The city set a target to expand tourism growth of between 15-20 percent and serve about 8-8.5 million foreign holiday makers in 2019. To draw more tourists to the city, the local tourism sector has paid attention to improving the quality of human resources in the field, enhancing tourism promotion activities, promoting technology application in tourism management and developing new products./. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low near 70F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low near 70F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Timbers rest in a hill of coal mining debris at the Prince Mine in Point Aconi, N.S. on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2001. Canada's export development bank is getting entirely out of the coal game but will continue to fund the oil and gas sector as the world transitions towards cleaner sources of energy. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan Alan D. Bersin, the former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, explained why building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border would be harmful for the United States. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (standing) co-chair a WEF dialogue on Vietnam economy (Photo: VNA) He participated in 37 activities where he and heads of State and Government leaders of 50 countries and executives from leading groups around the globe discussed and dialogued matters relating to the forums theme Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. PM Phuc said the Fourth Industrial Revolution is knocking on every enterprise and bringing profound changes that no country can be an outsider, and delivered Vietnams wish to become one of the passengers at the forefront of the Industry 4.0 train, and enthusiastically work with other countries to build a wealthy world. He presented two initiatives with the one on establishing an open public-private partnership forum on climate change response and marine ecological environment protection and the other on WEFs coordination with partners to study and push for the establishment of a global network to share sea and ocean data. In Davos, PM Phuc and WEF President Borge Brende had a dialogue themed Vietnam and the World, which is the first-ever event on Vietnam held the WEF. Through the dialogue, PM Phuc conveyed strong messages about Vietnams development and international integration, asserting that in the current circumstance, Vietnam has maintained an economic growth and socio-political stability that demonstrates itself a reliable destination for foreign investors coming to do business. He asserted the Vietnamese Government supports breakthrough business ideas and models, in particular creative and renovation values, startup spirit, and progressive trends that bring in benefits and conveniences for people at his meetings and dialogues with executives of multinational groups and leading businesses, such as GE, Total, Siemens, Pepsico, Sumitomo, Procter & Gamble, Nokia, and more. He called on international businesses to come to Vietnam and produce 4.0 products in the country. The executives of leading groups said they acknowledged the Vietnamese Governments efforts in improving the business environment and showed their support for the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). During the trip, Vietnam and the WEF signed three cooperation agreements, with the one on building a 4.0 Centre in Vietnam, which will be connected with other WEFs 4.0 Centres around the world. As the first multilateral diplomatic event of Party and State leaders in 2019, PM Phucs WEF Davos 2019 trip from January 22nd-25th was a success in the spheres of politics, external relations and economics. The trip reflected Vietnams vision and determination in renovation and integration, raising her role and position while garnering interests from the international business community in expanding cooperation and investment with Vietnam, and kick-starting a year of pro-active, creative and efficient diplomatic events in service of the national development. The WEF was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It now engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Vietnam joined the forum in 1989./. Washington: Democratic presidential aspirant Tulsi Gabbard has alleged that she had become a victim of "religious bigotry" and some media outlets were targeting her and accusing her supporters, who have Hindu names, of being Hindu nationalists. Gabbard, the first Hindu elected to the US Congress, wrote an op-ed for the Religious News Services on Sunday, describing the campaign against her, supporters and donors as "profiling and targeting of Hindu Americans and ascribing to them motives without any basis". The 37-year-old had on January 11 announced that she would be running for the White House in 2020. In the hard-hitting piece, Gabbard pointed out to the accusation against her of being a Hindu nationalist. "Tomorrow will it be Muslim or Jewish Americans? Japanese, Hispanic or African Americans?" she asked. "My meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's democratically elected leader, have been highlighted as 'proof' of this and portrayed as somehow being out of the ordinary or somehow suspect, even though President (Barack) Obama, Secretary (Hillary) Clinton, President (Donald) Trump and many of my colleagues in Congress have met with and worked with him," Gabbard said. "I am proud to be the first Hindu-American to have been elected to Congress, and now, the first Hindu-American to run for president," the four-term Democratic lawmaker from Hawaii said. "And, while the headlines covering my announcement could have celebrated this historic first, maybe even informed Americans at large about the world's third-largest religion, some have instead fomented suspicion, fear and religious bigotry about not only me but also my supporters," Gabbard said. Gabbard said India was one of America's closest allies in Asia and is a country of growing importance in a critical region of the world. "The strategic partnership between our two countries has been a priority for several decades now. To question my commitment to my country, while not questioning non-Hindu leaders, creates a double standard that can only be rooted in one thing: 'religious bigotry'. I am Hindu and they are not," Gabbard said. She referred to the attack against her in the past by political opponents. "Religious bigotry and attempt to foment fear of Hindus and other minority religions persist. During my 2012 and 2014 elections, my Republican opponent stated publicly that a Hindu should not be allowed to serve in the US Congress and that Hinduism is incompatible with the US Constitution," she said. In the 2016 race for Congress, her Republican opponent said repeatedly that a vote for her was a vote for the devil because of her religion, Gabbard wrote. "Republicans like Ben Carson said in 2016 that a Muslim-American would be unqualified to serve as president. Democratic Senators have recently grilled and opposed Republican judicial nominees because of their connection to Catholicism," she alleged. These actions and attitudes not only undermine the Constitution, but also incite fear and force people into the shadows because of their religion, Gabbard said. Gabbard said after her 2012 election, she made a personal decision to take "my congressional oath of office on the supreme yoga/Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna's teachings have provided wisdom and spiritual solace to me throughout my life, including when I was serving our country in the Middle East during the Iraq war." "Those who are trying to foment anti-Hindu sentiment expose the dark underbelly of religious bigotry in politics and must be called out. To advocate voting for or against someone based on religion, race, or gender is simply un-American," she said. Gabbard had last September refused to be the chairperson of the World Hindu Congress in Chicago, citing her differences with its organisers who were seen close to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Rio de Janeiro: The death toll from Brazil`s collapsed tailings dam climbed to 58, with 305 people still missing in southeast Brazil`s Minas Gerais state, said local authorities. Of the 58 victims, 19 have been identified. The missing people include residents of the destroyed area and workers from Brazilian mining company Vale, according to the state fire department, Xinhua news agency reported on Monday. The collapsed dam at Vale SA`s Corrego do Feijao mine buried mining facilities and nearby homes in the town of Brumadinho, killing dozens and leaving the community in shock. "Until the last body is found, the fire department is acting on the possibility there could be people alive," Aihara told reporters. "Obviously, given the nature of the accident, as time passes, this chance will go down." After announcing the latest number of confirmed dead, state civil defense agency spokesman Flavio Godinho told reporters he expected the death toll to continue rising. Just over 300 people were still missing, with the list of those unaccounted for being constantly updated, Godinho said. Most of the missing are presumed dead, officials said. The cause of the dam burst remained unclear. Recent inspections did not indicate any problems, according to the German firm that conducted the inspection. Avimar de Melo Barcelos, the mayor of Brumadinho, blasted Vale for being "careless and incompetent," and blamed the mining company for the tragedy and the state of Minas Gerais for poor oversight. He vowed to fine the miner 100 million reais ($26.5 million). MELBOURNE: Australia on Monday joined other Western nations in backing Venezuela`s opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country`s interim president until fresh elections are held. President Nicolas Maduro, 56, is confronting an unprecedented challenge to his authority after Guaido declared himself interim president citing a fraudulent election. "Australia recognises and supports the President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, in assuming the position of interim president, in accordance with the Venezuelan constitution and until elections are held," Australia Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement on the ministry`s website. "We now urge all parties to work constructively towards a peaceful resolution of the situation, including a return to democracy, respect for the rule of law and upholding of human rights of the Venezuelan people." The United States, Canada and most Latin American nations have backed Guaido as interim president. At a UN Security Council debate on Saturday, Russia and China strongly backed Maduro and rejected calls by the United States, Canada, Latin American nations and European powers for early elections. New Zealand`s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said New Zealand will not give official recognition to either side. "It is not New Zealand`s practice to make statements of recognition of governments," Peters was cited as saying in a statement e-mailed by his press office. "Venezuela needs to decide its future through free and fair elections. This government expressed concerns about Venezuela`s elections in 2018, and these concerns remain." The world's loneliest duck, Trevor, has died on the remote Pacific island of Niue. Trevor, who was quite popular on the tiny nation of Niue, died after some dogs attacked him. It is to be noted that Trevor, who arrived in Niue in 2018, was the only duck living on the island. No one knows for sure how Trevor reached Niue. On the island, Trevor lived in a roadside puddle and the locals used to take complete care of him. Rae Findlay, Niue's Chamber of Commerce chief and the person behind Trevor's Facebook page, said that Trevor landed on the tiny island after a storm. Some locals claim that Trevor reached there from New Zealand, while some believe that he came to Niue from Tonga or another Pacific island. Trevor used to live in a puddle because Niue has no rivers, streams or lakes. Though he was dubbed as the loneliest duck in the world, but Trevor was not at all lonely because locals used to check about his well-being regularly. Trevor was quite friendly with the locals and he often used to visit their lawns and relish whatever was offered to him. At Niue, Trevor was also friends with a rooster, a chicken and a weka - a bird native to Niue. All these birds used to live near the puddle. MADRAS: The 16th Battalion of the Madras Regiment (Travancore), which is part of the oldest infantry regiment Madras Regiment - of the Indian Army is celebrating its 200th anniversary on Monday. A tweet from the official Twitter handle of the Indian Army informed that the 16th Battalion The Madras Regiment (Travancore) is celebrating its 200th anniversary on January 28. 16th Battalion The Madras Regiment (Travancore) celebrates 200th Anniversary today. Battle of Basantar during 1971 war saw unit in action & being honoured with Battle & Theatre Honours Basantar & Punjab respectively.Won 2 #MVC & 5 #VrC besides many other awards. #IndianArmy pic.twitter.com/Ds2n36sWTH ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) January 28, 2019 The two-day bicentenary celebrations of the regiment began on January 26. 16th Battalion Madras Regiment (Travancore) was raised on January 28, 1819, as Second Travancore Nayar Infantry. The regiment spent its early days entirely in the erstwhile Travancore State as part of the Nayar Brigade. After the outbreak of the World War II, the Battalion under Lt Col HT Graig was moved to Bhopal and was given the task of guarding the Italian and German prisoners of the war. The 16th Battalion of Madras Regiment played a pivotal role in the Battle of Basantar during the 1971 War. The unit was later honoured with Battle and Theatre Honours Basantar & Punjab respectively. The regiment won 2 Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) and 5 Vir Chakra (VC) besides many other awards. The regiment, since its inception, has taken part in numerous campaigns with both the British Indian Army and the post-independence Army. Mumbai: Director Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, better known as Krish, finally opened up on all the speculation and controversies regarding his feud with Kangana Ranaut and his ouster from 'Manikarnika', the Rani Laxmibai epic saga which seems to have been more exciting behind the scenes than on screen. Excerpts from an interview: Q. A lot of speculation about how much of 'Manikarnika' have you directed? A. You mean what you see on screen? I saw the film. I'd say more than 70 percent is mine. I remained quiet until the release. I had to remain quiet for the sake of the film and for the entire team which worked so hard on the film. But now if I don't speak about what Kangana did to the film I'd be doing a disservice to all our hard work. Many people advised me to talk after the film was taken away from me. I'd say what I directed was pure gold. Kangana turned it into silver. Q. Why did you leave the film when it was on the verge of completion? A. You know, every time I am asked this, my heart sinks to the ground. Let me say this outright. I did not leave the film incomplete. I left it when it was almost complete. I shot 'Manikarnika' for 109 days whereas I completed NTR biopic in half that time. Then we did the dubbing post-production, everything for 'Manikarnika'. Only then did I move to my other commitment (the NTR biopic). For me the film was complete. Everyone had dubbed except Kangana. Q. Then what happened? A. Once I finished she promised to do some patchwork completely under my guidance. She promised she'd shoot for 4-5 days extra and send me all details of the shooting. No such thing happened. And she says she had to re-shoot many portions because my cinematographer Gnana Shekhar had not done a good job. What nonsense is she talking?! Every actor, every technicians gave their life and breath to their film. Q. This film seems to have taken from you more than it has given? A. At the end of the day it is my baby. I have seen the film. And I am relieved that the grandeur vision and scale that I imagined for the film remains intact. The climax in Jaipur (doubling up for Gwalior) was shot entirely by me. I charged half of the fee that I get for my Telugu films as I wanted to be a part part of this historical attempt to bring Rani Laxmibai's story to screen. This is the highest number of days I've shot for any film. And I've directed complex costume dramas like 'Kanche' and 'Gautamiputra Satarkarni'. In 'Kanche' I had shot five war scenes. So I know the complexities of shooting a period film. We shot a huge battle scene in Hyderabad. We shot in Jaipur and Jodhpur. The film was supposed to release on August 15, 2018. I completed the film in June, only a small portion remained which we agreed to shoot later and then I had to direct the NTR bio-pic since the director who was supposed to do that project was shifted out. Then that whole thing with Sonu Sood happened. Q. What happened? A. Kangana decided to re-shoot Sonu's entire portion. He had shot for 30 days! So you can imagine what she wanted to remove. I remember when she saw the first cut the first thing she said even before praising the film was, Sonu Sood is too overpowering na?' Because as an antagonist Sonu Sood was very strong. That's how we had designed the film. For the protagonist to appear powerful, the antagonist has to be strong. Q. In the credits of Manikarnika her name comes first then yours? A. I must tell you how this whole tamasha of the credits unfolded. In the beginning it was just my name Krish' on the poster. In fact I remember we released a poster on my birthday on November 10. Kangana cut the cake with me, and we hugged. Anyway....But on the second poster and in the trailer 'achanak mera naam Radha Krishan Jagarlamudi ho gaya' (suddenly my name became Radha Krishan Jagarlamudi). Q. Kyon ho gaya? (Why that happened?) A. Perhaps to confuse the audience about my identity. I asked why my name was being changed in the poster. She said I hadn't supported her when Sonu Sood spoke against her so why should she bother. Why should I have supported her, when I knew Sonu was right and he took a stand and said he won't shoot the film with her. Q. Why did your changed name bother you so much? A. In Telugu cinema they know me as Krish. Then in the trailer, her name came as director after mine. And then at the time of the film's release her name came first as director, then mine. When I rang her up to confront her, she said, No, I've shot so much'. What she did basically was remove Sonu Sood's role, reduce it substantially and replace him with another actor Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, and then she shot the new actor's close-ups and inserted them in scenes that I had shot. I am telling you 70 per cent of what you see on screen is mine. Please understand, this is my fourth period film. And I was given to do Manikarnika because of what I had achieved in the other three period films. It was (the scriptwriter) Vijayendra Prasadji who called me to direct this film. He had seen my work and knew what I was capable of. In fact I am the one who suggested the title 'Manikarnika'. I read close to twenty books on Rani Laxmibai before directing this film. I worked closely with Vijayendraji. We began shooting at Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad after the puja. I was the director. Then Kangana Ranaut... inki himmat toh dekho (look at her guts). When people ask me why I left the film, I get very upset. I didn't leave. I shot 95 per cent of the film.She did her own thing with 5 per cent of the film. She did her own thing with Sonu Sood's role just to satisfy her ego. Q. This is sad? A. I never wanted a confrontation. I am not that kind of a person. But when I see what was done do to my vision I feel very angry and sad. I am talking now regardless of how the film has fared because that's how I had planned to speak. I remember Sonu Sood's character was introduced with a kushti (wrestling). Kangana wanted to know why he should do kushti. I wanted the action to be raw and real. Even the fights with the women were designed as raw. Q. Not just Sonu Sood. Look at what happened to Atul Kulkarni's great character of Tayta Tope? A. Yes, really sad. This film was not made to glorify Kangana Ranaut. It was meant to extol our great freedom fighters. The film is great even now. But I had made a greater film. She didn't understand that. She didn't understand that she couldn't play God with history. 'Yeh yahan se nikalo, woh yahan dalo'. It doesn't work that way. Q. She was just an actor in the film. Why did the producer allow her to override your vision? A. Exactly. The producer should answer that. What authority did she have to remove Sonu Sood? Have you ever heard of anything like this? She was of course the protagonist. But I am a reputed director directing a genre that I know. What gave her the right to tamper with what I did? And the team's hard work, the sleepless nights, the toil... More than anything else, when you are working on an epic film, it is easy for anyone to come at the last minute and claim credit. Sonu Sood also directed 5 shots. He can also claim to be co-director. The few scenes that needed to be shot after I left were to be done by my assistant director. Suddenly, I discovered she is co-director. What happened? Q. You tell me? A. It was pre-decided, an elaborate plan to undermine my directorial status. On August 15, 2018, I am director. October 1, 2018, I am director. Then suddenly she's also the director. I argued with the producer Kamal Jain. But he stood by her. I don't want to say anything about him as he's in the hospital. What was the necessity of taking out Sonu Sood and doing her own thing? Q. Now that you've spoken do you think there will be repercussions? A. I had to set the record straight. I needed a proper closure for my film. 'Manikarnika' is my baby. Would Sonu Sood or Atul Kulkarni have signed the film if Kangana Ranaut was the director? They put their heart and soul in. It is my team's hard work being undermined. It's not about shooting. It's about executing. Many people from Mumbai have called to congratulate me. What I made was to perpetuate the phenomenon of Jhansi Ki Rani. Not Kangana Ranaut. Pew Research Center released data showing the post-millennial generation is the most diverse and is even enrolling into higher education increasingly more than the millennial generation. Yet, these demographic changes aren't represented at the University of Kansas. The post-millennial generation, also coining the names Generation Z or iGen, includes people born years 1997 to 2012. According to the Office of Institutional Research and Planning, here at the University minority rates have been climbing since 1988. The number of female Hispanic-American students enrolled within the last four years are highest in school records. Trey Duran, Student Senates director of diversity and inclusion, said these results are the most dramatic changes in the demographic composition of the student body. Even with the increased enrollment of underrepresented students, however, the overall demographic changes seen in the post-millennial generation are not represented at the University. Hispanics are underrepresented by 18 percent, blacks are underrepresented by 10 percent, and Asians are underrepresented by 6 percent, Duran said. Whites are over-represented by 17 percent. Freshman Diana Rodriguez from Wichita said she feels comfortable on campus, but the University should make more of an effort in admitting different minority groups other than specifically Hispanic students. To some extent I do feel aware of it sometimes, but Im not really sure on who represents us sometimes, Rodriguez said. I feel like [the University] should admit more people of color, and not just Hispanics either. Mariana Juarez, a freshman from Liberal, said the University should target communities with minorities to increase representation of students. Juarez said students of color should push to be more involved on campus through clubs and events to create a community space to come together. Generally, I feel comfortable on campus, but for me I just would like to see more people like me, not just the same race or anything but have more people I can relate to, Juarez said. When I came here it wasnt like KU was telling me to come here, it was kind of something I did on my own. I think they should target minorities to have more people interested for coming here. Vice Provost for Diversity and Equity, Jennifer Hamer, said the demographics do not fully partake in the post-millennial diversity trend, as minorities such as the Latinx and African-American populations are underrepresented. Representation of faculty and staff is critical if we intend to become a destination site for younger generations of Latinx students in the state of Kansas, the region and the nation, Hamer said. If students do not see themselves reflected on our campus and in our curriculum, then they will go elsewhere. The same is true for African-American/black and Native American populations. Duran said despite this, the University is still making progress. The University has become more diverse in almost all nonwhite demographic categories since 2013, which is around when the post-millennial generation began college. KU is becoming more diverse, but diversity is not increasing at the same speed as it is changing nationally, Duran said. Diversity is a great strength for the United States, especially our educational environments. Our current levels of diversity promote the integration of members of marginalized communities into higher levels of prosperity and opportunity. Ashmika Behere, a freshman from Overland Park, said she feels well-represented through the South Asian Student Association (SASA). Behere said she is lucky to have a community like SASA provided for her and other Southern Asians on campus. I am pretty well represented because my family is from India, and with SASA we have a pretty big voice, Behere said. I know that is not always the case for other minorities, especially here at KU even though there is that facade of having a voice or a representation they in reality dont actually get to say anything." "I like that there is always a community present, and for me at least that is always an option," she continued. Interim Provost Carl Lejuez previously said to the Kansan in November a new budget model would partially evaluate how much money would be allocated to individual academic units by credit hour and merit. In part, it would be decided how much funding academic units would earn based off whether the units were in line with the Universitys strategic priorities, such as diversity and equity. Units meeting those standards would earn more money, he said. It will start impacting the way we think about things at KU. It will tell everyone right now, What you do does matter, Lejuez said. Were coming down on the fact that these things matter. You dont see these in almost any other model. "Diversity is a great strength for the United States, especially our educational environments. Our current levels of diversity promote the integration of members of marginalized communities into higher levels of prosperity and opportunity." Trey Duran Student Senate Director of Diversity and Inclusion While the new budget model is still in development and projected to be completed sometime during the spring semester, students are still wary about how the University can be truly representative of all students, Duran said. For the student body, our current level of diversity is a source of frustration because it is not even close to being representative, Duran said. Many students have become disillusioned with institutional programs aimed toward promoting and celebrating diversity when the student body population is still overwhelmingly white. This year, the Office of Diversity and Equity, in partnership with the Office of Human Resources and Faculty Development, launched Excellence in Diversity, a set of protocols intended to guide faculty search and recruitment processes. Hamer said the protocols are expected to increase the number of underrepresented candidates in the Universitys search pools and, subsequently, hires. Excellence in Diversity is the most intentional, university-wide, diversity-centered approach to hiring that we have had here at KU, Hamer said. We are launching an online diversity, equity and inclusion professional development module for all faculty and staff that will serve as the first step to building a shared foundation of understanding about social identities and expectations for working in a diverse learning community. The significance behind these protocols is to help jump-start a campus open to growing diversity, reaching audiences as early as middle school. Hamer said by following this protocol, the University will also ready students for a diverse society awaiting them post-graduation. Together, these and other new initiatives will move KU ahead of many of its peers, but, more importantly, it will begin to create a campus that is more inviting to the growing diversity that we see among middle and high school students, as well as those already enrolled, Hamer said. At the same time, it will mean that KU has the student body and faculty necessary to best prepare graduates for employer expectations in an increasingly global 21st century society. States of Kansas, Missouri ranked near bottom in graduating black students According to a recent study by the University of Southern California's Race and Equity Center, Kansas and Missouri are ranked among the lowest states in black students graduating from higher institutions in the respective states. Even with the protocol and the online module, Hamer said the University must improve its demographic composition to rightfully represent minority/ethnic groups in order to match the post-millennial trend. In creating and encouraging a more diverse environment, Hamer said this only helps students get the most out of their education. If KU does not continue to intentionally improve our demographic composition, then we cannot expect to keep up with peers, Hamer said. Students learn best and more when they are in environments with a diversity of others. A diversity of thought and backgrounds contribute to the development of more innovative scholarship and science as we consider how to address 21st [century] problems. The demographics mean more to campus than just a growth of numbers; they also represent what the University could achieve. Changing demographics have the potential to bring considerable promise to KU if we can continue to intentionally build a more representative campus, Hamer said. SHILLONG: The divers of Indian Navy will resume operation to retrieve the body of another miner trapped since December 13 inside the 370-foot-deep flooded coal mine in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills district on Monday. The rescuers had located the body on Saturday with the help of an underwater remotely operated vehicle (UROV) inside a rat-hole coal mine at Ksan village in Meghalaya`s East Jaintia Hills. The rescuers are yet to trace 13 more miners who remain trapped for 45 days now. "The Navy divers are trying to retrieve the second body detected inside the rat-hole mine but due to many obstacles which include exhaust pipes used by the coal miners inside the mine and turbidity of the water, the retrieval has become very difficult," rescue operations spokesperson Reginald Susngi had said. A 15-member team of Navy divers from Visakhapatnam detected the second body with the help of the UROV inside the rat-hole coal mine but through a complex maize of sub rat-hole mines. The UROV also stumbled on tell-tale signs like spades, a wooden cart and then located the dead miner. "They (Navy) are making all efforts. Let us hope they will be able to pull out the body soon," he said. The first body, of Amir Hussain from Assams Chirang district, spotted in the mine was handed over to the family members on Saturday morning. In a joint operation, the Navy and the NDRF pulled Hussains body out of the mines shaft on Thursday, after it was first spotted on January 17. On December 13, water from the nearby Lytein River flooded a network of tunnels in the illegal rat-hole coal mine in Lumthari village of East Jaintia Hills, trapping 15 men and prompting a multiple-agency rescue attempt. Nearly 200 rescue personnel from the NDRF, the Indian Navy, Odisha Fire Service and state agencies are involved in the search-and-rescue operation. Efforts to de-water the nearby abandoned mines with the help of high-powered pumps of Coal India Ltd, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd and Odisha Fire Service are still continuing, the officials said. Anxious family members of the trapped miners are camping in the district headquarters and visiting the site frequently for any news of their loved ones, they said. The owner of the mine, Krip Chullet, was arrested from his home on December 14. His accomplices are on the run. The Meghalaya government has released Rs 1 lakh interim relief for the families of the trapped miners. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is monitoring the rescue mission and the matter is scheduled to come up for hearing again on Monday. (With Agency inputs) KOLKATA: West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh on Monday said that the party has shifted the venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in North 24 Parganas' Thakurnagar because the site where PM Modi was going to address the rally has been booked by the Trinamool Congress. Ghosh told PTI that the venue where Modi was scheduled to address a public rally on February 2 has been booked by TMC for some religious programme. "We will organise the rally on February 2 at Thakurnagar but the land or the venue where we were supposed to organise it has been changed and it has been shifted to another a nearby ground. It has been done mainly due to two reasons -- the new ground is much bigger than the previous one and secondly TMC had already booked the previous venue for religious programme. So we didn't want to take any risk," Ghosh was quoted as saying by PTI. The senior BJP leader added that Prime Minister's security became an issue after the Special Protection Group, which takes care of PM's security, raised concern over the security arrangements at the venue. The mega-rally of PM Modi is going to be important for the BJP because the area is the home of Matua community and is located near the house of its matriarch Binapani Debi. Matuas wield considerable influence in at least five Lok Sabha seats in North and South 24 Parganas districts. Ghosh, however, slammed the TMC for trying to create hurdles whenever the BJP plans to hold a rally in the state. The Trinamool Congress rejected Ghosh's claims, terming the allegation "baseless". "The allegation is baseless. We had obtained police permission for using microphone on the ground for our religious fair between January 28 and February 5 long time back," TMC MP Mamata Thakur told PTI. (with agency inputs) MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena is playing hard to get for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The party has said that it will not accept just any seat-sharing proposal that comes its way from the BJP for the election. When asked if the BJP and Shiv Sena will fight on equal number of seats, party leader Sanjay Raut said: "We don't have such proposal and we're not sitting here to accept a proposal. Shiv Sena is the big brother in Maharashtra and will continue to be so." He also added that those who wish to forge an alliance with Sena are talking about it. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut also attacked the Narendra Modi government again over the recently passed general category reservation bill. He said that since people below the income of Rs 8 lakh are eligible for the reservation, they should be exempted from paying the income tax too. "Udhav Thackrey Ji said on the 10% EWS quota to general category that people with annual income of Rs 8 lakh must be exempted from paying Income Tax. Since you (the government) have labelled them poor, they must be exempted," Raut said. Raut was addressing the media after a meeting chaired by party chief Uddhav Thackeray. At the meeting held Monday in Thackeray's Matoshree residence in Bandra, Raut said that discussions on various issues like Rafale, drought in Maharashtra were also held. He said the party will speak on the Rafale fighter jet purchase issue during the upcoming Parliamentary session. NEW DELHI: BJP MP Saroj Pandey on Monday took a dig at the Congress President Rahul Gandhi, saying that if Priyanka Gandhi is an ace [card] for the Congress, then it means that they were playing with the joker so far. Pandey also remarked that the Congress failed to find one woman worker from within the party who could be a General Secretary and this is the reason they have appointed a homely woman from Gandhi family as the General Secretary, referring to Priyanka Gandhi. BJP MP Saroj Pandey: Congress couldn't find a woman worker in their so many years who could be a General Secretary? What they found is a homely woman from Gandhi family. They call her an ace, so this means they were playing with a joker till now. pic.twitter.com/Jf53VZgDY4 ANI (@ANI) 28 January 2019 The BJP MP claimed that a Congress leader from MP recently said that the party has a beautiful face like Priyanka. Taking a jibe at the Congress, the BJP MP said that Priyanka's children should also join politics and the Congress should appoint Priyanka's husband Robert Vadra as the treasurer of the party. It may be recalled that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was appointed as Congress' general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh by Raqhul Gandhi on January 23. Priyanka's appointment is seen as an important step by the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha poll because Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's constituencies fall in eastern UP. "I am very happy that my sister Priyanka will assist me in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha polls, she is very capable," Rahul Gandhi had said after Priyanka's appointment. It is expected that Priyanka will take charge of her position in the Congress on February 4. Congress sources claim that both Priyanka and Rahul are going to visit Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on February 4 to take a holy dip before Priyanka's formal entry into the political arena. Bengaluru: Soon after former Karnataka chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah was caught on camera misbehaving with a woman, the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Monday wrote to state DGP Neelmani Raju asking to investigate the matter. Taking cognisance of the incident, the Commission had earlier tweeted, ".@NCWIndia has taken cognisance of the incident. The Commission will write to Karnataka Police to thoroughly investigate the matter and take appropriate action, as per law." .@NCWIndia has taken cognisance of the incident. The Commission will write to Karnataka Police to thoroughly investigate the matter and take appropriate action, as per law. https://t.co/1twfad3HOU NCW (@NCWIndia) January 28, 2019 In the video, a woman is seen complaining to Siddaramaiah while the Congress veteran instead of listening to her could be seen in an agitated mood. Both Siddaramaiah and the woman named Jamila were speaking in Kannada. The woman, in the video, was complaining about revenue department workers during a public meeting in Mysuru. While trying to shut the woman up, the Congress leader tried to snatch the mic and while doing so also pulled her dupatta. The incident took place in Narasipura village under Varuna constituency. The constituency is held by Siddaramaiah's son Yatindra and was earlier held by the Congress veteran himself. The uneasy alliance between JDS and Congress in Karnataka received yet another jolt when chief minister HD Kumaraswamy warned Congress MLAs not to cross the line in their support for former state CM Siddaramaiah. Reacting to reports of Congress MLAs in the state claiming that Siddaramaiah was their sole leader, Kumaraswamy said it is for the Congress leaders to deal with the issue at hand. "They are crossing the line. Congress leaders must control their MLAs," he told news agency ANI on Monday. "I am not the concerned person for it. If they want to continue with it, I am ready to step down." Deputy CM G Parameshwara, however, played down the entire matter even as he maintained that Siddaramaiah was the best CM Karnataka had ever had. "Siddaramaiah has been best CM. He is our CLP leader. What is wrong in expressing opinions," he said while adding that there are no complaints against Kumaraswamy as CM either. A number of Congress MLAs, including Yeshwanthpur legislator ST Somashekhar and state housing minister MTB Nagaraj, have said in the recent past that Siddaramaiah continues to be their sole leader. At a recent event, Somashekhar had said that the current state government had not done anything in the seven months since the elections and that Siddaramaiah was responsible for development works. Karnataka Congress in-charge KC Venugopal, meanwhile, has asked Congress to send a show cause notice to Somashekhar, asking him to clarify his remarks. Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah himself has said that he would have liked the opportunity to have another term as state CM - adding fuel to the fire that has been simmering ever since JDS and Congress united to upstage BJP and form the government in May of last year. The Congress on Monday got on the backfoot after Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said that he will step down from the post if MLAs of the grand old party do not show trust in him. Trying to douse the fire over the issue, former CM Siddaramaiah said there was no trouble in the Congress-JDS alliance. Blaming it on the media, the Congress leader said: "You (media) are the people who create trouble. You ask one person, then second person and then third person. There is no trouble, I will speak to HD Kumaraswamy." Another Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge cautioned party MLAs to avoid making such statements. "They (Karnataka Congress MLAs) shouldn't react openly to the media. We've all come together to fight BJP-RSS. It's not advisable for any member to speak against wishes of the party high command. Such incidents will create confusion in a coalition," Kharge said. Some Congress MLAs in the state had said that Siddaramaiah was their sole leader. Some even questioned the work done by Kumaraswamy as the CM. Karnataka Congress in-charge KC Venugopal has asked state Congress to send a show cause notice to ST Somashekar, the MLA who reportedly spoke against Kumaraswamy. The party has sought clarification from him for his remarks. Reacting sharply to the comments, Kumaraswamy had said that Congress leaders must deal with the issue at hand. "They are crossing the line. Congress leaders must control their MLAs. If they want to continue with it, I am ready to step down," he said on Monday. However, Deputy CM G Parameshwara had defended the statements coming from the Congress leaders saying that Siddaramaiah was the best CM Karnataka had ever had. "Siddaramaiah has been best CM. He is our CLP leader. What is wrong in expressing opinions," he said. Srinagar: Terrorists on Monday shot at a civilian in Tral in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. Identified as Tariq Ahmad Wani, the man was immediately shifted to a hospital. A case has been registered under relevant sections of law and an investigation has been initiated. "Terrorists today fired upon an individual Tariq Ahmad Wani, a resident of Reshipora. He was fired near Jammu and Kashmir Bank in Tral," J&K Police said. According to an official release, Wani had sustained critical gunshot wounds and was evacuated to a nearby hospital from where he was referred to Srinagar for further treatment. Earlier on Sunday, terrorists attacked 44 Rashtriya Rifles camp at Ahgam. No loss of life or property was reported in the incident. Following the incident, security forces retaliated and the area was cordoned off to carry out a search operation. (With inputs from agencies) In 2018, 1.6 million Indians travelled to Thailand and spent close to 70 billion Baht - $2.2 billion. This made the Indian passport the sixth most common in Thai tourism circuit - behind Japan and ahead of Russia. And the numbers are only expected to rise even further with Thai tourism following an aggressive policy to woo Indians across social and economic strata. The number of Indians visiting Thailand had seen an exponential rise in the last few years. While Chinese tourists still dominate Thailand's tourism map, Indians - most opting to travel independently and not in groups - are catching up thanks to several key initiatives of the Thai tourism ministry. While the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has been actively promoting programs which target international travellers, special events and arrangements have been planned to cater to Indians. TAT reportedly plans to organise 'Amazing Thailand' roadshows in tier-II cities of Ahmedabad, Pune, Amritsar and Bhubaneswar while 70 Thai exhibitors participated in the South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange at the India Expo Center in Greater Noida earlier this month. TAT also has plans of promoting lesser-known destinations so that they can figure in travel plans of more and more Indians visiting Thailand. These measures - along with Thai government's recent decision to extend waiving off visa-on-arrival fee of 2,000 Baht to April 30 of this year, is expected to further up the number of Indians travelling to Thailand. A number of Indian and Thai airlines - apart from international carriers - has further boosted connectivity between the two countries. Travellers have the option of choosing between - among others - Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Thai Smile, Bhutan Airlines, Druk Air, Jet Airways, Air Asia, Spice Jet, Thai Lion Air, IndiGo, NokScoot and GoAir. (With inputs from ANI) CHENNAI: The Madras High Court Monday dismissed as withdrawn a plea moved by two accused in the Kodanad heist and murder case seeking to dispense with their appearance before a trial court in connection with the case. The two accused, K V Sayan and Valayar Manoj, decided to withdraw the plea as Justice Anand Venkatesan refused to accept their contention seeking quashing of summons issued by the Nilgiris trial court. "When the accused has been enlarged on bail based on the undertaking that they would abide by the conditions imposed by the trial court how can they move such a plea seeking to quash the summon directing their appearance. "Moreover, the case is in chargesheet stage, such relief cannot be given at this crucial stage of the case," the judge added. According to the petitioners, they have appeared before the trial court on more than 20 occasions and demanding any further appearance was unnecessary. However, refusing to accept their contention, the court said when the trial is on, a journalist was circulating video clippings containing videos of the accused. "This creates a doubt whether the accused are trying to divert the progress of the case," the court added. Samuel Mathew, former Tehelka managing editor had on January 11 released a 16-minute video in which the two accused in the case, had allegedly linked Chief Minsiter K Palaniswami to the case. The High Court had on January 23 granted an interim injunction restraining Mathew and six others from making any statement linking Palaniswami to the case. On April 23, 2017, the security guard of the Kodanad estate, former chief minister J Jayalalithaa's retreat home in Nilgiris district, was murdered in a robbery attempt by a 10-member gang. It emerged during the probe that Jayalalithaa's former driver C Kanagaraj and Sayan had allegedly plotted the crime. A total of 10 people were arrested in the case and a charge sheet was also filed. Jammu: Union minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday claimed that some "Kashmir-centric politicians" and their parties are doing disservice to the youth of the valley by encouraging them to die in militancy. He praised lance naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, a Kashmiri militant-turned-soldier who was awarded the Ashok Chakra, and said the youth should make him a role model. Without identifying anyone, Singh said, "I have no hesitation to say that some Kashmir-centric politicians, the separatist stand already identified, who are wearing the robes of mainstream and their parties are doing injustice to the youth of the valley." "They have secured the future of their children but are encouraging the children of their neighbours to die," the minister of state in the PMO told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Udhampur district. He said he met the family of the martyred soldier Wani who was once a terrorist and took a pledge not to die like a militant but as an armyman. "He underwent the change of heart and his story is an inspiration for the nation and the youth of the valley. He killed terrorists and evacuated to safety his injured colleagues before sacrificing his life," he said. He said the time has come when the youth of the valley should understand that it is better to die like a soldier than a militant. "It is encouraging that youths of the valley have started moving forward to be part of the developmental yatra under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Singh said. Referring to the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme of Modi, he said the prime minister completed 52nd episode of the radio address to the nation and the history will remember that he never used the platform for politics and instead guided the nation on the vital issues concerning society, health, economy and cleanliness among others.? Earlier, Singh distributed golden cards among Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries at a function and also reviewed the progress of various centrally sponsored schemes in Udhampur district. The district has registered 75,000 beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana-Ayushman Bharat which aims to provide health insurance coverage of Rs five lakh per family annually to the families living under the Below Poverty Line (BPL). The scheme is aimed at providing health protection cover to poor and vulnerable families to reduce their out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare. The minister said the scheme provides cashless and paperless access to services for the beneficiaries at the point of service in any empanelled hospitals, both in public and private sector, across the country. "Every family under the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) database will be entitled to claim the benefits under the scheme," he said. While reviewing the progress on the implementation of various centrally sponsored schemes, Singh was informed that the district administration has constructed 75,000 toilets so far under the Swachh Bharat Scheme. Singh said the government led by Modi is working with new ideas for the welfare of the people and development of the nation and the initiative will address the hopes and aspirations of every Indian. Highlighting the various achievements of the government, Singh said various initiatives have been taken by the present dispensation for the development of the nation. He exhorted upon the general public to come forward and avail maximum benefits of the centrally sponsored schemes. Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Monday said it is "unfortunate" that the icon of the country's freedom struggle Veer Savarkar has been neglected even in the "Modi era" and not honoured with the Bharat Ratna. It also said that the highest civilian award has been conferred on veteran artiste late Bhupen Hazarika only with an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, which is a "wrong" thing. The Sena, an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra, has since long been demanding the highest civilian award for Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who spent the prime of his life at the Cellular Jail in Andaman after being sentenced to life. Sena's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut had a few years back written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it was high time that the NDA government honoured Savarkar with the Bharat Ratna so as to rectify the "mistakes" of earlier governments which had "deliberately neglected" him due to his staunch Hindutva views. "The Congress insulted Savarkar during its regime. But what did the Modi government do after coming to power? The BJP was pitching hard for the Bharat Ratna for Savarkar when it was in opposition. But neither the Ram temple got constructed nor Savarkar got the Bharat Ratna," the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'. "It is unfortunate that even in the 'Modi era', Savarkar has not been given the Bharat Ratna," it rued. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gone to Andaman last month and visited the cell where Savarkar was once jailed. "He (Modi) did some mediation but it got washed away in the waves of ocean," it said in sarcastic remarks. Patting itself over Pranab Mukherjee being conferred the Bharat Ratna, the Sena said it had backed his candidature for the president's post despite opposition from the BJP. "If Mukherjee was 'Bharat Ratna', then why was he not given second term as president. His election would have been unopposed," it opined. Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) president Prakash Ambedkar on Sunday attacked the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh calling them terrorists. He also said that they do not know RSS does not know what nationalism means. "RSS is a terror organisation. They keep on showing what patriotism is but what exactly are they trying to explain? I told them that they are such nationalists, explain to me what nationalism exactly is," he said. Questioning the intent behind them keeping arms at home, he said that the houses of the RSS workers should be searched. He added that when there is police and army, why do RSS workers need to keep arms. "I request the police that if you check the RSS workers house you might get a lot of things which are dangerous," he said. Ambedkar, the grandson of BR Ambedkar, has in the past also hit out at the RSS. He had said that for the RSS, the idea of freedom was to "clip your wings" based on religion. "Our idea of liberty is that behave in whatever manner we like on the notion that it will not offend others. But the notion of liberty which RSS is trying to bring in is clip your wings on the basis of religion," he had earlier said. He had also lashed out at RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement at the World Hindu Congress in Chicago where he said that Hindus had no aspiration of dominance and the community would prosper only when it worked as a society. "If a lion is alone, wild dogs can invade and destroy the lion. We must not forget that. We want to make the world better. We have no aspiration of dominance. Our influence is not a result of conquest or colonisation," the RSS chief had said. Ambedkar had then condemned Bhagwat's statement saying that the 'dog' reference was for the 'Opposition parties' in the country. "I condemn this 'mansikta' (mentality) of Mohan Bhagwat that he has referred to Opposition parties in the country as dogs," Ambedkar said adding that parties come and go out of power but this mentality indicated that the ruling dispensation thinks that the Opposition cannot fight them. UNA: Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha election, BJP President Amit Shah addressed a Panna Pramukh Sammelan in Una district of Himachal Pradesh on Monday. The Panna Pramukh model of the BJP has played an important role in helping the party widen its base across the country. As part of the model, a pramukh (or prabhari) is appointed and he/she is given a panna (page) of names of 8-12 families. The primary job of the pramukh is to focus on these families in order to create a larger vote base for the party. Amit Shah started his address with a scathing attack on the Congress, saying that for them One Rank One Pension (OROP) means Only Rahul and Only Priyanka, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government had successfully delivered on his promise of OROP within a year of coming to power. BJP President Amit Shah in Una: When BJP government was formed, within one year Modi ji delivered on his promise on One rank one pension (OROP). Modi ji gave OROP to our jawans, Congress gave 'only Rahul only Priyanka, one rank one pension'. #HimachalPradesh pic.twitter.com/qgkU0W9qpc ANI (@ANI) 28 January 2019 "When BJP government was formed, within one year Modi ji delivered on his promise on One rank one pension (OROP). Modi ji gave OROP to our jawans, Congress gave 'only Rahul only Priyanka, one rank one pension'," the BJP president was quoted as saying by ANI. Amit Shah also took a potshot at the Congress for failing to eradicate poverty from the country, though they remained in power for 55 years. Even today, Congress president in his speeches bring up the issue of poverty, however, I want to ask Rahul baba what did Congress govt do for 55 years. Its only us who are taking measures for eradication of poverty. They couldnt even provide a gas cylinder to every house in the country, remarked the senior BJP leader. Amit Shah also slammed Rahul Gandhi for supporting those students who are accused of raising anti-national slogans in Jawaharlal Nehru University. He added that Prime Minister Modi promotes 'Make in India' through his policies and actions, while Rahul Gandhi is busy with his 'Break in India' agenda. (with agency inputs) RATLAM: In a twist which seems straight out of a Bollywood film, Madhya Pradesh police on Monday revealed that RSS worker Himmat Patidar, who was believed to be murdered, had faked his own killing, only to get the insurance money worth Rs 20 lakh. Police claimed that Himmat wanted to use the money to repay his debt. Patidar tried to mislead the police by allegedly murdering his 32-year-old farm labourer Madan Malviya and passing it off as his own 'murder'. The 36-year-old Patidar also burnt the face of Malviya to conceal the identity. A senior police officer told PTI that Patidar is still alive and is absconding. Addressing a press conference, Ratlam Superintendent of Police Gaurav Tiwari that the identity of the deceased was established by the police through DNA test. The body with the throat slit was found on January 23 in the field of Patidar at Kamed village in Ratlam district. Tiwari told PTI that though Patidar was attached to RSS, he was not holding any post in RSS. The incident had created a sensation in Madhya Pradesh with the BJP taking to streets to protest against the deteriorating law and order in the state. "During the probe, police found out that Madan Malviya, who used to work on Patidar's farm, had been missing. We also noticed that the physical build of the corpse resembled with Malviya," the SP said. Tiwari said that during initial probe it was believed that Patidar was killed by Malviya but the investigation took a new turn after a diary was found by the police near the dead body containing details like insurance policy number of Patidar. The diary also has details of Patidar's fixed deposits, bank pin number etc. A mobile phone was also recovered by the police from the body but the phone was erased of all call data. This made police suspicious and they decided to do DNA test of the victim. After the test, it was revealed that the body was not of Patidar but Malviya. Providing more details of the case, Ratlam SP said that Patidar also dressed Malviya with his own clothes after slitting his throat but he forgot to change his under-pant. "The accused failed to change the deceased's underwear with his own which ultimately led to the identification of Malviya by his wife," the senior police officer was quoted as saying by PTI. (with agency inputs) Madurai: A MDMK functionary was arrested by the authorities for writing a defamatory post against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media, said reports on Monday. The MDMK worker, who has been identified as Sathiyaraj Balu, was arrested in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu, according to ANI. Tamil Nadu: Sathiyaraj Balu, MDMK functionary from Nagapattinam, arrested for posting defamatory post against PM Modi on social media. He has been booked under IPC sec 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace)&505(2) (Statements conducing to public mischief) ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 Balu has been booked under various Section 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 505(2) (Statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It is to be noted that Balu's party MDMK had staged a black flag demonstration against Prime Minister Narendra Modi shortly before he arrived in Madurai on Sunday, accusing him of betraying the interests of Tamil Nadu. The MDMK protesters were led by party chief Vaiko. Several MDMK protesters were detained by the local police. Releasing black baloons, the protesting party cadres raised slogans against PM Modi alleging that he betrayed the interests of Tamil Nadu on Cauvery and other issues. The Prime Minister was in Madurai where he laid the foundation stone for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and later addressed a public meeting. The protest by the MDMK cadre was held near the Periyar bus stand in the city, away from the venue of the AIIMS site. In a counter move, BJP youth wing supporters put up posters sarcastically "welcoming Vaiko". The MDMK cadres claimed that the Centre had accorded "permission to projects like neutrino and hydrocarbon extraction" which, according to them, would have an adverse impact on the livelihood of the farmers and also affect the common people. On the Cauvery issue, they alleged that the Centre was supportive of Karnataka's bid to build a dam at Mekedatu across the river by giving permission for preparing a detailed project report. The MDMK cadres, however, said the protest was not against the AIIMS. Slogans like "go back Modi," and counter hashtags "Madurai thanks Modi," and "TN welcomes Modi" trended on micro-blogging site Twitter. Tamil Nadu unit chief of BJP Tamilisai Soundararajan and Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan strongly condemned MDMK for staging the protest ahead of the prime minister laying the foundation for a big project beneficial to the state. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: Afghanistan is all set to use Chabahar to connect to India. According to Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, Afghanistan is preparing to ship the first cargo of 5 containers through Chabahar to India and this will happen within a months time. The cargo will contain mung beans and each container will weigh about 22 tons. The delivery of cargo will be carried out under the International Road Transports (TIR) system. According to Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Transport quoted by Iranian Ministry, "this cargo will be shipped as a pilot form Afghanistan to India." TIR system streamlines procedures at borders and reduces the administrative burden for customs authorities. Meanwhile, India has formally established shipping lines to Chabahar. The first such ship arrived on Sunday. This was announced in a release from the Iranian Prime Minister's office. It has been decided that regular ships from three Indian ports - Mumbai, Kandla and Mundra - will now regularly go to the Iranian port every 2 weeks. The Director-General of Sistan-Baluchestan Ports and Maritime Organisation Behrouz Aqayee said in the release, "With the arrival of the first 3700TEU container at Shahid Beheshti Chabahar port, for the first time, the shipping line between the ports of Mumbai-Mundra-Kandla have opened". The development comes a month after India took over operations at the port. The commercial operations at the port began on December 30th with the arrival of a Cyprus registered bulk carrier with 72458 MT of corn cargo. The vessel MV Macheras berthed at the terminal on 30th December 2018. This is the first time India will be operating a port outside its territories. The port is crucial for India's connectivity to Afghanistan and to Central Asia and North-South Transport Corridor that connects Mumbai to Moscow. The port is very important for landlocked Afghanistan which is keen to get connect itself with international markets. It already has an air corridor with India, opened in 2017. Uzbek ambassador to India, Farhod Arziev has said "Any projects that can help Uzbekistan to reach the international market we see positively. The projects like Chabahar creates an opportunity for central Asia. " New Delhi: Hailing efforts of the Indian Army, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India could be a strong proponent of peace but it would not hesitate to take steps to ensure its national security. Addressing National Cadet Corps cadets in the national capital, the Prime Minister added that in the last four years, the government has taken several decisions keeping the security of the nation a priority. "Army ne dikhaya ki hum chherte nahi, lekin koi chhere toh usey chhorte nahi hain (Our Army has given a clear message that we don't trouble anyone but if someone troubles us, we don't leave them either)," PM Modi said. "We want peace, but we won`t hesitate to take any tough action to ensure our national security...I can assure you that in future, too, every necessary action would be taken for national security," he added. Referring to completion of the nuclear triad, PM Modi said that India was one of the few nations who could launch nuclear weapons from land, sea and water. The Prime Minister's comments have come at a time when a film based on the September 2016 surgical strike by Indian armed forces has been making news, even as PM Modi had quoted the 'How's the Josh?' catchphrase during a function in Mumbai a few days back. Outlining the growing stature of India globally, the Prime Minister in his address on Monday said that the whole world has acknowledged possibilities that India offers. "Today the entire world is saying that India is not only full of possibilities, but India is also fulfilling all of them, be it economic conditions or our capability to fight our enemies", PM Modi said. (With inputs from agencies) BENGALURU: Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party supremo Ram Vilas Paswan Monday said the BJP-led government at the Centre was not thinking of bringing in an ordinance on construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya, adding that government would prefer to take a stand on this matter only after the Supreme Court's verdict on this matter. "I am happy that Prime Minister Modi has told Parliament that the government will wait for the Supreme Court's verdict on Ram Mandir and act accordingly. It is a closed chapter and hence there is no question of bringing in an ordinance or legislation in Parliament," Paswan was quoted as saying by PTI. Paswan said though this issue has been raised regularly by some RSS and BJP leaders, the prime minister had never raised this matter once during his tenure so far and this is good. Referring to the government's decision to confer Bharat Ratna to former President Pranab Mukherjee, Paswan told PTI that no one should rake up any row over this because the award was not announced by the BJP or RSS but by the government. "There should not be any question of controversy on conferment of Bharat Ratna on Pranab Mukherjee. The award has been declared by the government, not BJP or RSS," he added. He also took a dig at those who are alleging that the former President got the highest civilian award because he attended an RSS event. He added that many top Congress leaders have attended RSS events in the past. (with agency inputs) Columnist Sarah Grindstaff urges Jayhawks to look out for various political manipulation techniques as the 2020 presidential race unfolds. She argues that political savvy is what separates Jayhawks from sheep. New Delhi: The dates for the Lok Sabha elections are likely to be announced in the first week of March, sources indicated on Friday. The term of the present Lok Sabha ends on June 3. The Election Commission is in the process of deciding the number of phases and the months in which polling would be held, they said. The charting of the phases would also depend on the availability of security forces and other requirements, the sources said, adding the announcement of the mega exercise is likely to be made in the first week of March. There is a possibility that the EC may go by the precedent and hold assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh along with the Lok Sabha polls. Since the Jammu and Kashmir assembly has been dissolved, the EC is bound to hold fresh polls there within six months. It was dissolved in November, 2018 and the upper limit ends in May. The poll panel may hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir along with the Lok Sabha polls as well. But it can be held before that also as much depends on the complex security situation there, they said. In normal circumstances, the J&K assembly's six-year term was to end on March 16, 2021. The other state assemblies and the Lok Sabha have a five-year term. While the term of the Sikkim Assembly ends on May 27, 2019, the terms of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Arunachal Pradesh assemblies end on June 18, June 11 and June 1 respectively. In 2004, the Election Commission had announced four-phase Lok Sabha polls on February 29. While the first date of poll was April 20, the last date was May 10. In 2009, the EC had announced Lok Sabha poll scheduled on March 2. The five-phase polls began on April 16 and ended on May 13. In 2014, the EC had announced the election schedule on March 5 and the nine-phase electoral exercise was spread across April and May. While the first phase polling was on April 7, the last phase was on May 12. New Delhi: In a suspected case of road rage, an Assistant Sub Inspector of the Delhi Police was attacked in Dwarka district's Baba Haridas Nagar, police said on Monday. ASI Kishan Lal (47) is posted at Baba Haridas Police station. A cab rammed into his car when Lal was waiting for his children near Dwarka sector 14 metro station, they said. Lal got out of his vehicle and went to confront the driver, he found that the driver along with one his associate were consuming liquor, a senior police officer said. He immediately informed police and tried to get hold of the accused duo. However, the accused in the meantime managed to call their associates, he said. Together, they began thrashing the ASI. A Police Control Room Van reached the spot brought the situation under control, the police officer said. The injured ASI was taken to a nearby hospital, where his condition is stated to be out of danger, the officer said. On his complaint, a case was registered and three accused identified as Ganesh Chauhan, (53), his son Jitender (24) and their accomplice have been arrested, he added. The taxi has been seized, police said, adding they are trying to nab the other accused involved in the incident. New Delhi: The Patiala Court on Monday extended the interim protection from arrest granted to former Union Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram in the Aircel Maxis case corruption case till February 18. Earlier it was scheduled for February 1. It is alleged that FIPB approval in the Aircel-Maxis FDI case was granted in March 2006 by Chidambaram even though he was empowered to accord approval on project proposals only up to Rs 600 crore and beyond that it required the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). The CBI is probing how Chidambaram, who was the Union finance minister in 2006, granted a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to a foreign firm, when only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) was empowered to do it. The senior Congress leader's role has come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore. The court had on November 1 extended till November 26 the interim protection from arrest granted to Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis case filed by the CBI and the ED. Chidambaram had filed the plea for protection from arrest in the ED case on May 30 this year after which he got relief from the court on various occasions. The agency on October 25 had filed charge sheet against Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case, accusing him of conspiring with foreign investors to clear their venture. With PTI Inputs New Delhi: One of the most successful and top actors in Bhojpuri cinema, Khesari Lal Yadav is blessed with another talent besides actingand that is singing. He has several superhit tracks to his credit. After releasing 'Bhatar Aiehe Holi Ke Baad' last year, the superstar has unveiled yet another Holi song. It has been titled 'Bhatar Aiehe Holi Ke Baad 2' and has got a peppy feel to it. The more you hear it, you will realise that it sounds a little similar to superhit track 'Oh Lal Dupatte Wali from 1992 hit 'Aankhen' featuring Govinda and Chunky Pandey. The audio has been released on YouTube. Listen to the song here: It was uploaded on the video-sharing site on January 27, 2019, and has managed to garner 598,451 views so far. Also, in just a day, the song has scored high on YouTube trending list as it ranks on number 23. The music has been composed by Ashish Verma and the lyrics are penned by Azad Singh. Sonu Kumar Pandey has produced it. Khesari Lal Yadav rose to fame in 2012 with Bhojpuri hit film 'Saajan Chale Sasural'. The star was awarded the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award on January 4, 2017, for his contribution to Bhojpuri cinema. ISLAMABAD: Pakistan`s Supreme Court will on Tuesday begin a review of its acquittal of a Christian woman charged with blasphemy, a verdict that sparked days of Islamist protests over a case that has divided society and incited killings. Asia Bibi, who spent eight years on death row, has been in hiding since the Supreme Court freed her in October, with religious hardliners calling for her death and demanding that the government prevent her from leaving the country. Most reviews of Supreme Court verdicts are dismissed immediately, but the controversy, anger and fear surrounding the case has added an extra layer of uncertainty. A three-judge panel, including new Supreme Court Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, is due to hear the case. Bibi`s lawyer, Saif-ul-Malook, who fled to Europe due to fears for his safety last year, told Reuters he expected the case to be dismissed. "They have filed the petition on flimsy grounds. They haven`t attempted to counter her release on constitutional grounds," said Malook, who returned to Pakistan this week and will represent Bibi in court. "God willing, she will have the decision in her favour tomorrow. She will be a free person to go anywhere she wants to." If allowed to do so, Bibi is widely expected to seek asylum abroad due to safety concerns. In November, Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau said his country was in talks with Pakistan about helping her. Bibi, a farm worker, was convicted in 2010 of making derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours working in the fields with her objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. She has always denied committing blasphemy. The governor of Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was assassinated by his bodyguard in 2011 after speaking in Bibi`s defence. Federal minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti was killed later that year after calling for her release. The violence stifled debate on Pakistan`s draconian blasphemy law, which critics say is often abused and unfairly targets religious minorities. WARNING Protesting members of the hardline Islamist Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP) group, founded by supporters of Taseer`s assassin, blocked main roads in Pakistan`s biggest cites for three days after Bibi`s acquittal. They called for the killing of the Supreme Court judges who freed her, urging their cooks and servants to murder them. The TLP called off the protests after striking a deal with the government to put Bibi on an "exit control list", barring her from leaving the country. The government later cracked down on the TLP, detaining more than 3,000 activists and pressing terrorism charges against its leaders. The TLP`s acting chief, Shafeeq Ameeni, warned that the court panel should not make a "wrong decision". "We will not tolerate an attack on the sanctity of our prophet," he said in a video statement. "We don`t want the country to go up in flames because of a wrong decision." Bibi`s case has outraged Christians worldwide and dismayed moderate Pakistanis, though few dare to speak out. "No one should be able to intimidate the Supreme Court into reversing a long-overdue ruling. Asia Bibi has been found to be innocent," said Omar Waraich, deputy South Asia director for Amnesty International. "She should now finally be free to be reunited with her family and leave the country if she chooses." GUNTUR: At least 17 students were injured after the bus carrying them overturned in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh on Monday. According to news agency ANI, at least 15students have suffered minor injuries, while two others were critically injured in the bus accident. Andhra Pradesh: 15 students suffer minor injuries and 2 students suffer serious injuries, after a school bus turned turtle in Guntur district. Students shifted to a nearby hospital. Driver of the school bus is being questioned by the police. pic.twitter.com/SCSIntc7P5 ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 The bus was reportedly carrying over 50 students when the accident took place. The bus reportedly fell into a culvert after the driver lost control of the vehicle. The injured students have been admitted to nearby hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, the driver of the bus has been held and is being questioned by the police. Local residents gathered in large numbers at the site of the accident and started efforts to save those injured. A case of negligence was reported at the hospital where sweepers were seen treating the injured students, according to some media reports. The authorities have also informed the parents of the school students who have sustained injuries in the accident. Efforts are being made to contact the Krishnaveni Talent School to which the bus belongs. YEN.com.gh earlier published a report which contained a warning from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) concerning a list of 41 harmful cosmetic products on the market. According to the FDA, these products when used over time, would cause adverse health conditions including kidney disorders, fertility, and others. This warning has sparked serious debate on social media because many are the people, young women especially, who have been caught up with these cosmetic products. READ ALSO: People call me names - Yvonne Okoro reveals why she is 'hiding' her boyfriend What makes the above obvious is that some people who were formerly dark-skinned are now looking fair in complexion. Interestingly, some Ghanaian celebrities are also included. While Bukom Banku, for instance, has admitted to bleaching emphasising that he would not stop, others have denied it with all sort of excuses. Reports also have it that some of the celebrities do not merely apply the cosmetic products on their skin, rather, they take pills and injections to attain their current light-skinned complexion. READ ALSO: 2 powerful NDC men slept with me without CD Former AIDS ambassador YEN.com.gh brings to you, photos of six popular Ghanaians who used to be dark but are now fair in complexion. 1. Becca: She is known as the African woman following the many songs she made to celebrate African beauty and women when she entered the music industry about 11 years ago. One of her songs was aptly named African woman in which she sang about how the African woman is a mother of nature. It was one of her best songs which had Becca showing off her beautiful black skin in the video. However, many years after, Beccas black skin cannot be seen anymore as she is now looking very fair, hence losing her African woman identity. In fact, it is a shared joke on social media that she couldnt take part in the 10-year-challenge because she feared exposing herself. Before and After photos of Becca showing when she had a black skin and her current 'white' skin. Photo credit: UGC Source: Original READ ALSO: Maame Serwaa makes Ghana proud with her appearance in beautiful BBC documentary 2. Akosua Vee: Also known as the celebrity fashion designer, Akosua used to be a very black woman until some few years ago that she started looking fair. She was once in the news over some bleaching allegations, but her husband, Kwame A-Plus, jumped to her defense. Before and After photos of Akosua Vee showing when she had a black skin and her current 'white' skin. Photo credit: UGC Source: Original 3. Vicky Zugah: Since she was seen on TV some years ago, Vicky had been fair in complexion. However, her skin colour has a new look now as recent photos of Vicky show her looking completely white like a white lady. YEN.com.gh, however, is not in the position to say whether good nutrition is what has given her the new colour or something else. Before and After photos of Vicky Zugah showing when she had a black skin and her current 'white' skin. Photo credit: UGC Source: Original READ ALSO: Forestry Commission staff shot at Agomanya, Eastern Region 4. Bukom Banku: He has admitted that he is bleaching his skin, and the controversial boxer has reiterated that he would never stop bleaching. According to him, bleaching is one way he sought to keep in touch with his fans, stressing that I dont want Ghanaians to forget me, I want to constantly be on the lips of Ghanaians so I wont stop doing it. Bukom Banku, added that he would only stop bleaching for a while when he has to prepare for a fight. But as soon as the fight is over, he would go back to bleach. Before and After photos of Bukom Banku showing when she had a black skin and her current 'white' skin. Photo credit: UGC Source: Original READ ALSO: Former NDC national treasurer claims lies in the party forced him to quit parties 5. Yvonne Nelson: Some people would not forget the black beauty Yvonne who acted in one of Ghallywoods nice movies, Princess Tyra, which featured others including Jackie Appiah, and Fritz Baffour. However, now, Yvonne looks fair in complexion. When she was lambasted in the media some time ago for her looks, Yvonne said she only used a product called Princess cocoa butter which made her look that way. Before and After photos of Yvonne Nelson showing when she had a black skin and her current 'white' skin. Photo credit: UGC Source: Original READ ALSO: Ya-Na Mahama Abukari II reveals the true donor of his brand new Jaguar (Video) 6. Asamoah Gyan: Gyan has long been accused of bleaching because after sometime, he started looking very fair in complexion. He himself shared some photos on his social media pages showing how he looked then and now. The photos show great difference in his complexion. READ ALSO: My life is in danger; Mahama and Ohene Agyekum want to kill me - Chairman Ghana News Today: Latest on Hussein-Suale's Murder / High Spate of Ponzi Schemes in Ghana| #Yencomgh READ ALSO: Tracey Boakye opens her GHC200k pub in Kumasi (Video) Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Click here to get the latest exciting English Premier League news. Get match highlights, reports, photos & videos all in one place. Source: Yen No worries. Just enter your email address below and well send you a link to create a new password. If you dont receive the link soon, try checking your spam or junk folder. Subscribe to our podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you get podcasts. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Venice, FL (34285) Today Generally cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 79F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Sydney and Melbourne home prices have now been dropping for over a year, but worse may be on the way, according to Shane Oliver, AMP Capitals chief economist. Sydney and Melbourne median values are down 11% and 7%, respectively, from their cyclical peaks, and they are still decreasing in January. Sydney prices are dipping by 1% and Melbourne values are sliding by 1.3%, according to CoreLogic. Oliver said that the declines in Sydney are possibly not even at their halfway point yet. Those in Melbourne, on the other hand, could quadruple from the current record. For Sydney and Melbourne, our base case has been that prices would have a top-to-bottom fall of around 20% out to 2020. However, the further plunge in auction clearance rates and acceleration in price falls late last year suggest a deeper fall, possibly of around 25%, although its impossible to be precise. This suggests around another 15% fall in Sydney and more in Melbourne, Oliver said. Many would describe that kind of decline as a property crash. However, the magnitude of the drop should be looked at relative to how much values rose in the subsequent cyclical rebound, according to a report by Business Insider Australia. A 25% plunge in Sydney and Melbourne may seem like a crash, but given the extent of the prior gains, its arguably not. A 25% top-to-bottom drop would take prices back to where they were in late 2014 or early 2015, Oliver said. Oliver said that several factors contributed to the most recent downturn in the countrys largest and most expensive housing markets. These include tightened lending standards, a record supply of new apartments, a likely change in government, possible alterations to the tax treatment of housing, decreased foreign demand, increasing negative forecasts on prices, and the lack of Reserve Bank of Australia rate cuts. YORK Lynn Rasmussen, a former city employee who was convicted of embezzling money while working at the landfill, has been sentenced to probation and 30 days in jail. The sentence was pronounced by York District Judge James Stecker Monday morning. Rasmussen, 59, appeared in court with her attorney, Eric Williams. York City Administrator Joe Frei has said the investigation into Rasmussens activities while employed by the city indicated she stole approximately $115,000. The total was determined to be around $115,000, Frei said earlier. That is the amount that I personally turned over to the insurance company. It is my understanding that she has agreed, as part of a plea agreement, to pay $13,000 in restitution and we are hoping to recoup the rest from the insurance company at least up to $95,000 as the insurance policy stands. Then the insurance company has the ability to seek restitution from her through their own civil litigation. The case stems back to activity in 2015, according to court documents. During her employment, Rasmussen ran the scale house at the landfill, during which she accepted payments from clients who brought materials there. President Reuven Rivlin said Monday that he believes Iran will step up its attacks on the north of Israel in retaliation for IAF air strikes on Iranian facilities in Syria. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Speaking at a conference held by the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Rivlin said the Israels future strategic situation can be described in two words: deterioration and complexity, and gave the case of the Iranian presence in Syria as an example. President Rivlin at the INSS conference (Photo: Motti Kimchi) It appeared as though Iran would be restrained by our understandings with Russia and its defeats on the northern front, Rivlin said referring to recurring IDF airstrikes on Iranian facilities in Syria, but in recent months the trend is changing. I believe Iran will retaliate with greater force in Israels north, the president said, adding that Irans efforts are also apparent in the international diplomatic scene. Their trials with ballistic missiles and Tehrans schemes have created controversy between them and the European Union, Rivlin said, adding that the issue had come up during his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris last week. I feel like the Europeans are beginning to think the same way Israel does about Iran There is a desire to preserve the nuclear deal while also drawing strict red lines for Iran - and crossing them will come with a heavy price, said the president. Lets talk about things that can be solved, said Rivlin, referring to the the conflict with the Palestinians. The status quo with the Palestinians doesnt serve Israel. We need to build trust with them, lets not talk about 150-year-old conflicts but about the things we can solve If we reach cross-party understandings (regarding an agreement with the Palestinians) neither side will lose voters over it, he said. An Israel that initiates is an Israel that wins, the president said. Hamas says Egypt will briefly open its border with Gaza in both directions for first time in three weeks. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza says the Rafah crossing will operate for three days starting Tuesday. Egypt has kept the crossing shut for outbound Palestinians since the Palestinian Authority withdrew its forces earlier this month in a dispute with Hamas. The Islamic militant group seized power in Gaza in 2007, but allowed the Western-backed Palestinian Authority to operate the crossing in a 2017 reconciliation agreement that has since unraveled. Rafah is the main gate to the outside world for Gaza's 2 million residents. Under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed more than a decade ago to isolate Hamas, traffic at the crossing has been significantly curtailed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he would eject a foreign force set up to help safeguard Palestinians in a flashpoint city in the West Bank, accusing the observers of anti-Israel activity. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter "We will not allow the continued presence of an international force that acts against us," Netanyahu said in a statement announcing that the Temporary International Presence in Hebron's (TIPH) mandate would not be renewed. The TIPH foreign forces in Hebron in 2006 (file photo) (Photo: AP) The statement did not elaborate on the alleged misconduct of TIPH, which draws staff from Norway, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. The TIPH website says the force works on six-month mandates but did not specify when the current one expires. A force spokesman declined comment. Palestinians denounced the move. "The Israeli government's decision means it has abandoned the implementation of agreements signed under international auspices, and given up its obligations under these agreements," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose peace talks with Netanyahu stalled in 2014. Conservative Israeli commentators had accused the TIPH of agitating against Jewish settlers who live under heavy Israeli army protection in Hebron, a biblical city with an overwhelmingly Palestinian populace. A settler walks the streets of Hebron (file photo) (Photo: AFP) The TIPH was set up after a settler killed 29 Palestinians at a Hebron shrine holy to both Muslims and Jews in 1994. Since Israel partially withdrew from Hebron in 1998 under interim peace deals with the self-rule Palestinian Authority, the TIPH has "observe(d) and report(ed) on breaches of the agreements (and) violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law," the force's website says. Most world powers consider Israel's settlements in the West Bank, where Palestinians want a state, to be illegal. Israel disputes this, and the rightist Netanyahu has played up his pro-settler credentials as he seeks reelection in an April 9 ballot. "They want to uproot us from here . They will not," he said in separate remarks on Monday at another West Bank settlement. "There's a line of thought that says that the way to achieve peace with the Arabs is to be extirpated from our land. That is the certain path to achieving the opposite of this dream." Iran has reached "very important" banking agreements with Syria and will also set up a power station in Syria's Latakia province, Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri said on Monday. "We will be by Syria's side in the reconstruction phase as we have been by its side in fighting terrorism," Jahangiri said while visiting the Syrian capital Damascus. The European Union is on the verge of launching an alternative channel to send money to Iran that would sidestep U.S. sanctions against the Islamic republic, Germanys foreign minister said Monday. The special purpose vehicle, or SPV, is part of EU efforts to keep alive an international agreement aimed at curbing Irans nuclear ambitions. The future of the U.N. Security Council underwritten pact was thrown into doubt when President Donald Trump pulled out last year slamming it as a horrible, one-sided deal. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters in Brussels that as far as the special purpose vehicle is concerned: it will be registered, it has not yet been registered, but I would say that the implementation of our plan is imminent. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that he would never evacuate another resident of a Jewish settlement, given the choice. "No one would be uprooted from his home if it were up to me," the prime minister told former residents of unauthorized Netiv Ha'avot outpost, who were evacuated following a Supreme Court ruling. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The June 2018 removal of Netiv Haavot was Israel's biggest evacuation of settlers since Amona another large outpost near Jerusalem, whose residents were removed in February 2017. Of the former Netiv Ha'avot residents, 15 families still live in trailers near the original neighborhood, taking care not cross the boundary determined by the Supreme Court. The trailers were built by the state as part of a compensation agreement. Prime Minister Netanyahu and foremer Netiv Ha'avot residents (Photo: GPO) The Supreme Court ordered the evacuation of the outpost, despite its location within the Elazar settlement in Gush Etzion, due to the fact that it had been built on land that did not belong to the state. The prime minister called the evacuation of the outpost a blip, which had happened since Israel is law abiding and thus subordinate to the Supreme Court. Netanyahu visits families evacuated from Netiv Ha'avot in their trailers (Photo: GPO) The home that this child grew up in was destroyed, but we wont have any of that again and so were building this new neighborhood, Netanyahu told the former Netiv Ha'avot residents. Theres this thought that achieving peace with the Arabs depends on us being uprooted from our country, but as long as its up to me there will be no uprooting (of settlers). The prime minister Netanyahu said he got the strength to endure attacks on him and his family because of the devotion of settlers and the return of the Jewish people to their biblical land. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were here. Weve been here for 3,000 years, he said. Netanyahu planting a tree in the former Netiv Ha'avot outpost (Photo: GPO) The settlers who met with Netanyahu told the prime minister that they felt let down by the ruling and even urged him to let them rebuild the outpost. I thought a lot about what I wanted to say to you, Orit Noy, a former Netiv Haavot resident, told Netanyahu when he visited her family trailer. Youve been my prime minister for a long time, and my disappointment in you is as great as my hopes once were. The evacuation of Netiv Ha'avot, June 2018 (Photo: EPA) She added: I hope that with your help as defense minister, well celebrate our daughters bat mitzvah in a year and a half in our new home. We want to go back to our homes, said Rachel Bublil, another former resident of the outpost. This will only happen with your help. The news that Israel recently deployed Iron Dome batteries in the central Dan region, made the headlines of most national media outlets. Through the means of social networks, most Israelis are now aware of the systems approximate location. That area in the center of the country is actually not far from main highways and residential houses. One can either walk on foot for a few minutes or ride for five minutes on a bike before reaching the world-famous anti-missile defense system. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The Yedioth Ahronoth team made the journey to the not-so-secret spot and stopped only some five meters away from the system where it could be admired in all its splendor, and where it was guarded only by a 2-meter-high fence that an average person could climb in a few seconds. The team stood at the spot for nearly 10 minutes, filming the system without anyone noticing it. The system was easily reachable and could have potentially been tampered with or sabotaged. Also, if some children had entered the area, they could have easily been hurt. Iron Dome battery in central Israel (Photo: Motti Kimchi) The realization of how easy it is to neutralize the system, which is supposed to protect our children, was infuriating. There is no need to launch a precise missile or plant a sophisticated bomb, because a hand grenade, a Molotov cocktail or even oil could easily impair the functioning of the world's most advanced missile defense system. If anything of this nature had actually happened, in Damascus and Gaza they would have been handing out candies in celebration, while in Israel a state commission of inquiry would have been established in order to investigate it, because if Iron Dome is disabled during a time of war, many people would lose their lives. While the team was filming, quite a few dirt bikes, ATVs, toy planes and people walking their dogs went by the supposedly secure military site. After a long while, the team had finally been noticed by a female soldier some 50 meters from us on the other side of the fence. "It is forbidden to photograph here," she barked, prompting the team to wave her goodbye and walk away. The female soldier was the only military personnel in the Iron Domes vicinity. Later, we approached a second battery located further along the fence and demonstratively began filming it. After a few minutes, two soldiers, who were standing relatively far, shouted at us ordering us to stop filming. No one asked for an identity card or checked what we had actually filmed. Even if the did ask, the soldiers do not have the authority to detain civilians until police arrives, and during that time countless amount of valuable intelligence could potentially be collected. Iron Dome shooting down a Hamas rocket from Gaza (Photo: Reuters) A woman who lives nearby, told us she had complained to the authorities about the lack of supervision over the Iron Dome but nothing was done. "One of the senior officials told me to appeal to the media, only then maybe something would be done," she said. It is worth emphasizing that the soldiers stationed in the Iron Dones proximity did their job as required and are not to blame for the contempt the upper military echelon has for the way this vital defense system is guarded. Israeli military, nevertheless, insists that the area surrounding the batteries is being surveilled day and night. The site in question is closed off and constitutes a closed military zone," the IDF Spokespersons Unit said. "The site is manned and secured 24/7, by armed soldiers located in observation posts as well as soldiers on alert patrols are also carried out inside and outside the secured perimeter. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he told his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a visit to Cairo that stability and security cannot be separated from human rights. "Stability and durable peace go together with respect for individual dignity and the rule of law, and the search for stability cannot be dissociated from the question of human rights," Macron said in a joint press conference with Sisi. A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander on Monday threatened Israel with destruction if it attacks Iran, state media reported. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The comments by Brigadier General Hossein Salami, deputy head of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, followed an Israeli attack on Iranian targets in Syria last week - the latest in a series of assaults targeting Tehran's presence there in support of President Bashar Assad's government. "We announce that if Israel takes any action to wage a war against us, it will definitely lead to its own elimination and the freeing of occupied (Palestinian) territories," Salami said, quoted by state television. An Iranian soldier shows off the Israeli flag drawn on the sole of his shoe (Photo: Reuters) Iranian officials have previously said Tehran, which does not recognise Israel, would respond swiftly to any Israeli attack. Salami's comments come two days after the head of the Hezbollah terror group, an Iranian proxy based in Lebanon, also said that the "axis of resistance" of Iran, Syria and Hezbollah could respond to Israel's Syria strikes with their own attack on Tel Aviv. The so-called "axis" was deliberating a response to escalating Israeli strikes and could change their approach "at any moment" Hassan Nasrallah told the pro-Hezbollah television network al-Mayadeen. L-R: Images showing before and after an IAF strike on Iranian targets in Syria (Photo: ImageSat International ISI) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that he would advise the Iranians to leave Syria as quickly as possible after an Iranian minister claimed Tehran only has anti-terrorms "advisors" in the war-battered country. "I heard the statement made by Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman that they have no military presence in Syria, only advisors," Netanyahu said as he welcomed the new IDF chief Aviv Kochavi. "So I advise them to get out of there quickly, because we will continue our aggressive policy in the region as weve promised. Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard said Netanyahus statements about Israeli attacks on Iranian targets in Syria are false, and denied reports saying Iranian 12 soldiers were killed in one of Israels strikes. If indeed Iranian fighters were killed (by Israeli air strikes), there would have been funerals, said a spokesman for the Guard. Israel has repeatedly attacked targets in Syria in an effort to prevent the entrenchment of Iranian troops as well as the transfer of advanced weaponry from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon, via Syria. Until recently, the Jewish state had a policy of deliberate ambiguity on the strikes, declining to confirm or deny it was behind them. That policy ended at the start of the year, however, when both then-IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot and Netanyahu separately publically confirmed that the Israel Air Force had struck multiple targets in Syria. CAIRO -- French President Emmanuel Macron is to hold talks Monday with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo, saying beforehand that he wants to boost ties with the Mideast country in the fight against terrorism but also use the visit to encourage better respect for human rights. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Macron, who is heading a large delegation on a three-day trip to the Arab world's most populous country, said he wants to "pursue a truthful dialogue on topics of public freedoms and human rights" -- an area he feels Egypt has not progressed enough on since he raised it with officials earlier in his mandate. France, which considers itself the birthplace of human rights, has come under pressure by advocates to raise the issue with general-turned-President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, whose human rights record has been widely condemned and is seen as worsening. Macron said that too many people who present no threat to the country were being jailed. "It is on this area of what is happening in Egypt that I will continue to focus things. I will do it more openly during this trip," Macron told reporters on Sunday, adding that he considered it in the interest of el-Sissi and Egypt to respect human rights. Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron visit the Abou Simbel Temple during a state visit to Egypt, January 27, 2019. Macron said he felt the current crackdown on opposition in Egypt, begun after el-Sissi overthrew his elected but divisive Islamist predecessor in 2013, had become worse than under the country's longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak, who was overthrown in the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. "I think what is happening here sooner or later threatens the stability of Egypt," Macron said. "That's to say, I think that the policies as they are being done are perceived by intellectuals, the Egyptian civil society, as being even stronger than (under) the Mubarak regime." Macron also said that he would raise specific names with el-Sissi in a confidential discussion. Aside from heightened public emphasis on human rights, he did not mention raising any new specific levers to try and incentivize el-Sissi. Rights groups and activists have urged France and other Western powers to halt weapons sales to Egypt, a major purchaser, until it shows improvement on the way it treats its own citizenry. But Macron dismissed using such pressure, saying it was important to respect Egypt's sovereignty and not cut it off because that could drive it further into the arms of the West's authoritarian rivals, Russia and China, which el-Sissi has courted. Asked specifically if human rights issues could affect specific arms sales, such as one under discussion for additional Rafale advanced fighter jets to Egypt, Macron said such matters were separate. "I would differentiate between the two subjects, they are not linked for us and they never were." French President Emmanuel Macron and Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi meeting in Paris, October 2017 Macron arrived earlier in the day in the country's south, where he visited the famed temple of Abu Simbel and other archaeological sites. He meets el-Sissi on Monday, when he will sign several bilateral accords. His delegation includes government ministers, two dozen representatives from academic, cultural, and scientific fields, and a dozen business leaders -- including the heads of Rafale producer Dassault. Macron will dine with local business leaders and meet the heads of Egypt's Christian and Muslim communities during the trip, his first to Egypt since taking office in 2017. More than 100 Israeli soldiers from the Home Front Command and other personnel arrived in Brazil on Monday, to join search and rescue teams hunting for hundreds of people missing in the wake of a dam collapse on Friday. The Civil Defense office in Minais Gerais state on Monday raised the confirmed death toll to 58, with up to 300 people still missing following the avalanche of iron ore waste from a mine. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Brazilian rescue crews returned to mud-covered flats Sunday to resume the search for the missing, after the operation was suspended for several hours over fears that a second dam was at risk of breach. The Israeli delegation sets off for Brazil (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) The Israeli delegation comprises some 130 soldiers and officers, includes engineers, doctors, and search and rescue teams. The Israeli delegation in Brazil (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) The Israeli delegation intends to stay in Brazil for at least a week. It has at its disposal special equipment meant to help operate in muddy conditions. The Israeli delegation in Brazil (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) On Sunday, authorities stopped the search and evacuated several neighborhoods in the southeastern city of Brumadinho that were within range of the second B6 dam owned by the Brazilian mining company Vale. An estimated 24,000 people were told to get to higher ground, but by the afternoon civil engineers said the second dam was no longer at risk. IDF supplies heading for Brazil (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) Even before the brief suspension of rescue efforts, hope that loved ones had survived a tsunami of iron ore mine waste from Friday's dam collapse was turning to anguish and anger over the increasing likelihood that many of the missing had died. IDF supplies heading for Brazil (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) There was also mounting anger at Vale and questions about an apparent lack of an alarm system Friday. Caroline Steifeld, who was evacuated, said she heard warning sirens Sunday, but no such alert on the day the dam collapsed. IDF search and rescue team in Brazil (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) "I only heard shouting, people saying to get out. I had to run with my family to get to higher ground, but there was no siren," she said, adding that a cousin was still unaccounted for. IDF search and rescue experts heading for Brazil (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais state, said that by now most recovery efforts will entail pulling out bodies. IDF search and rescue experts in Brazil (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) The flow of waste reached the nearby community of Vila Ferteco and an occupied Vale administrative office. It buried buildings to their rooftops and an extensive field of the mud cut off roads. IDF search and rescue team heading for Brazil (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) "I saw all the mud coming down the hill, snapping the trees as it descended. It was a tremendous noise," said a tearful Simone Pedrosa, from the neighborhood of Parque Cachoeira, 5 miles (8 kilometers) from where the dam collapsed. The damage caused by the dam collapse (Photo: AFP) Over the weekend, state courts and the Justice Ministry in the state of Minas Gerais froze about $3 billion from Vale assets for state emergency services and told the company to report on how they would help the victims. Washingtons decision to cut some $300 million in annual aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) constitutes a severe blow to its already-stressed $1.2 billion budget, but senior PA officials insist that the loss of American largesse, while patently immoral, will not cripple its ability to operate. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The complete cut of the American aid money wont end the Palestinian economic cycle, says Azmi Abd al-Rahaman, spokesman for the Palestinian Economy Ministry. He said that while there would be a negative impact on the economy, the US would also pay a price in terms of lost respect. Most of the American aid money goes towards humanitarian aspects; thereafter, cutting these amounts is considered inhumane, he says. Palestinians in Gaza queue for funds donated by Qatar Al-Rahman says that because Palestine has been suffering under Israeli occupation for so many years, the aid money from donor nations is significant, and is vital to building the economy as a developing country. Most of the international economic agreements in regard to the Palestinian economy were signed in the presence of the United States and with its approval, Al-Rahman explained. He said that because the American aid money is fundamental to the Palestinian economy, cutting it is illegal and immoral. Ninety percent of our economic resources are controlled by Israel, as well as the land, air and sea crossing-points, he says. So, while the Palestinian economy does need help, the PA is approaching Arab countries to fill the gap, secure the economy and embarrass the US. Previously, citing concern over issues of corruption and misuse of funds, US policy shifted to provide aid directly to specific projects rather than through the PA treasury. Most of the recipients were development projects carried out by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which is now closing its doors in the West Bank and Gaza. The loss of these USAID projects translates into three main areas: Governance and Civic Engagement where its partnership with the PA helped improve municipal services and strengthen the institutional capacities of 72 municipalities; Human Capital and Social Impact; and Economic Growth and Infrastructure. In the educational sphere, USAID has since 2000 reduced class sizes by constructing nearly 3,000 classrooms and training 4,300 teachers and principals, resulting in increased student performance. Moreover, its investments in the health fields have helped provide more personnel in 274 medical facilities. UN aid agency in Gaza (Photo: AFP) During the past five years, USAID has leveraged $86 million in private sector investments to scale up and improve the quality of business services and production, and fostered Palestinian partnerships with over a dozen US companies. Its investments have also improved access to clean water for more than 1.4 million Palestinians; installed 1,360 kilometers of water pipelines; built or renovated 53 water reservoirs; drilled or renovated 33 wells; and connected 140,000 Palestinians to running water for the first time. A number of those responsible for the USAID projects have expressed regret over the cuts. Were leaving so many things unfinished and not following through with the commitments we made to our stakeholders, says Ally, a former USAID project employee who asked to withhold her full name as she is not authorized to speak to the media. She says that the project she used to work on, which started two years ago, was originally supposed to end in September 2019, but they have now been informed that all technical aspects must be shut down by January 31. This puts a lot of pressure on us to get as much done as we can in an incredibly short period of time, Ally says. Not only does (the premature shut-down) impact the legacy that USAID and implementing partner organizations will leave behind in Palestine, but it could also have very detrimental effects on the sectors in which these projects worked, and by extension, the Palestinian people. Abbas and Trump meeting at the UN (Photo: AP) Palestinian-American relations have been tense since December 2017, when the PA imposed a diplomatic boycott on the American administrationprotesting its recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capitala move many Palestinians regard as biased. In 2018, the American administration ceased sending aid money to the PA, except for funds earmarked for security projects and programs. The American administration in the era of Trump moved from finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to forcing the Israeli solution on the Palestinians, says Palestinian political analyst Hani al-Masri. Al-Masri says that the latest decision is as part of planned steps intended to end the Palestinian cause. I believe they are pressuring the PA to a limit that they will accept or at least negotiate the deal-of-the-century, rather than just refuse the unrevealed plan, he says. Previously, international resolutions were the reference for negotiations, despite the fact that Israel has never fully committed to them. Nowadays, we have no base or reference, (other than) Israels best interestsand the Israelis want everything! A major economic conference was supposed to take place last week. There was no international clamor, there were no demonstrations on campuses, the BDS anti-Israel brigade were nowhere in sight, but the conference still failed due to a boycott. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Surprisingly, this wasn't a conference that was supposed to be held in Tel Aviv or Jerusalemit was the Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit, held in Beirut and boycotted by the leaders of the Arab countries, with the exception of Qatar and Mauritania. Is the Arab world boycotting Lebanon? Officially, no. In practice, yes. Like so many problems in the Middle East, Iran was the reason this time as well. Lebanon could have been the most prosperous country in the Arab world, wrote Abdulrahman al-Rashed, former editor of the Asharq Al-Awsat daily and current director-general of Al-Arabiya, but that will never happen because Iran controls Lebanon. Iranian FM Zarif meeting with Hezbollah leader Nasrallah in Beirut (Photo: Reuters) Al-Rashed wrote: "The region is experiencing a series of crises, whose common denominator is a connection to Iran. Unfortunately Lebanon will not be stable, the Palestinians will achieve neither statehood nor normal life, in Yemen, Iraq and Syria there is no hope for a better future for as long as Iran continues with its policy of causing chaos there," he said. As opposed to former US president Jimmy Carter and Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, who subscribe to the belief that everything wrong in the region is down to "the oppression of the Palestinians by Israel," courageous elements in the Arab world, such as al-Rashid, are pointing the finger at Iran. Iranian Revolutionary Guards General Qassem Suleimani in the area of Aleppo, Syria Iran, regardless of the bust that was the Beirut conference, is in trouble. Before the nuclear agreement of July 2015 was reached, the sanctions against Iran had led to a slump in the country's GDP per capita, from $7,832 in 2012 to $4,862 in 2015 (for comparison, the Israeli GDP per capita in 2015 was $36,690). Two years on from the nuclear agreement and the easing of sanctions, that figure was $ 5,593 in 2017 (in Israel, it was $40, 270.) But because the US has decided to renew the sanctions, Iran's situation is once again deteriorating. For years, the country has been suffering from drought. The area surrounding Tehran itself is on the decline, which could cause an environmental disaster of an unknown magnitude. The only one of its neighbor with the ability to cope with the drought is Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu even offered help. It would have been wonderful for Iran to choose regional cooperation over developing nuclear weapons and financing subversion in every possible corner of the Arab world, but it didnt. Instead, the ayatollahs prefer to invest billions in the industry of death to solving the serious problem of it physically sinking. Admittedly, this is the eternal problem of radical Islam, Sunni and Shi'iteit always chooses destruction over development and prosperity. Lebanese PM Hariri and Iranian officials in Beirut (Photo: EPA) And this is where one of the global scams of the modern age comes in. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement may dent Israel's image, but it certainly does not upend reality as it claims to. Instead of the Western educated elite recognizing that the main problem in the Muslim world is religious extremism and jihad, those members of the elite are busy cultivating the conspiracy that Israel is the problem. This is of no help to Muslims in general and the Palestinians in particular. On the contrary, it transforms those westerners into the propaganda arm of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. While this is a great way to perpetuate the problem, it definitely is not the way to effect change. From an Arab perspective, things look different. While the word "refugees" was bandied about repeatedly at the conference, this time it meant Syrians, and the Palestinians were not mentioned at all. The Palestinians have become a kind of chronic illness, with no real expectation that this issue will ever be resolved. But so that the Syrian refugees do not become refugees forever, the talk of them returning homewillingly or otherwiseis gaining momentum. Al-Rashed correctly defined Iran as the region's central problem. It is a definition accepted by most of the leaders of the Arab states, whose take a similar stance to Israel. It is a pity that something is becoming increasingly understood in the Arab world is less and less understood by the progressives of the West. Iran said on Monday it cannot confirm holding secret talks with France over Tehran's disputed ballistic missile programme as French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had said on Friday. Le Drian said that France was ready to impose further sanctions on Iran if no progress was made in talks over its ballistic missile program. After a week of unseasonably warm temperatures, the winter weather returned to Israel on Monday with rain showers, accompanied by thunderstorms, sweeping down from the northern parts of the country to the northern Negev Desert. There was a chance of flooding in lower regions and eastern rivers. Threre is also a possibility of hailstorms in some parts of the country. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The rain will weaken toward the evening hours, and the southwest winds in the Mediterranean Sea will reach speeds of up to 65 kph (40 mph), while the height of the waves could reach of up to 3 meters (10 feet). Snowfall on Mt. Hermon (: , ) X According to Tzahi Wachsman from the Meteo-Tech meteorological organization, the temperatures are expected to fall on average by 6 degrees throughout the day. We are expecting a cold winter day with thunderstorms and possibly hail, said Wachsman. Snow is very likely not only on Mt. Hermon itself but along its southern foothills as well." Rainbow over Ramat Gan (Photo: Gabi Bernstein) The Water Authority said it hopes the current storm system will further increase the water levels in the Sea of Galilee, which have risen by 88 cmsome 1.5 cm a day on averagesince the start of Israels winter season. Since last Friday the waterline in Sea of Galilee has risen by 3 cm and currently stands at -213. 63 below sea level and 1.10 meters (3.6 feet) below the lower red line (the intermediate warning signal indicating a crisis). In order to reach full capacity, the lake needs an additional 4.84 cubic meters of water. Rainbow over northern Israel (Photo: Ronen Goldstein) The storm system will pass by Tuesday morning, and the weather expected to be much warmer, with a possibility of intermittent rain along the coastal plain. The southeast winds in the Mediterranean Sea will reach speeds of up to 25 kph (15.5 mph) while the height of the waves could reach of up to 1.5 meters (5 feet). Wednesday will see a mix of sun and clouds and there will be a further increase in temperatures. The south of the country will see misty conditions in the evening hours, while the north of the country might be hit by a light rain. The Trump administration is closely eyeing efforts in Europe to set up an alternative money payment channel to ease doing business with Iran and avoid running afoul of sanctions the US has levied on the Islamic Republic. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The White House is putting the Europeans on notice, saying that if they try to do an end-run around US sanctions on Iran, they will be subject to stiff fines and penalties. Unfazed, the European Union is marching forward with the plan, which, if implemented, could further strain trans-Atlantic relations. Donald Trump (Photo: AP) A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said preparations for the alternative system were "at an advanced stage." "I hope that we can announce the launch very soon," Maja Kocijancic told reporters late last week in Brussels. Getting out ahead of a possible announcement, a senior administration official said on Friday that the US will fully enforce its sanctions and hold individuals and entities accountable for undermining them. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue. "The choice is whether to do business with Iran or the United States," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told the AP. "I hope our European allies choose wisely." The US joined China, France, Germany, Russia and Britain in signing a pact with Iran in 2015 that offered to lift economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran's pledge to rein in its nuclear weapons program. President Donald Trump called it a "horrible, one-sided deal." He pulled out of the pact last year and restored punishing US sanctions on Iran. Tehran, which denies wanting nuclear weapons, continues to abide by the agreement, and the remaining five nations in the pact are trying to keep it intact. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini (Photo: EPA) Restoring the sanctions regime is part of the Trump administration's "maximum pressure campaign" on the Iranians to force them to radically alter their policies on developing ballistic missiles, supporting regional militant groups and violating human rights. The US has many concerns about the alternative payment system, according to an outside Trump administration adviser. The adviser spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the key US worries. Long-term, the US worries that the alternative money payment system could become successful enough to compete with the international bank transfer system known as SWIFT. The fear is that it could eventually supplant SWIFT as the leading global institution for financial institutions to send and receive information about banking transactions. Secondly, the US is concerned that other countries might try to route transactions through the European system just to circumvent US sanctions, the adviser said. Thirdly, while the Europeans have signaled that the alternative money transfer system would be used only for humanitarian transactions, the US is suspicious that it could be used for non-humanitarian transactions to evade US sanctions, the adviser said. "We should oppose efforts to create foreign financial channels that Iran could use to circumvent America's maximum pressure campaign against it, especially when humanitarian exceptions are already in US sanctions laws," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told the AP. As the administration prepares for the potential fallout from the possible the European move, it is pressing ahead with its sanctions campaign against Iran and preparing to co-host with Poland next month a conference that will focus on combatting Iranian threats. Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi (Photo: AP) On Thursday, Treasury imposed sanctions on two Iran-backed militias in Syria and on Qeshm Fars Air, an Iranian civilian airline it accuses of ferrying weapons and personnel to Syria to support President Bashar Assad's government. The sanctions block any assets those targeted might have in US jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with them. At the same time, the State Department told Congress earlier this month that it would waive some Iranian sanctions to allow US companies to sell spare parts to Iranian airlines, which need them to operate aging, American-built Boeing jets. The waivers raised questions on Capitol Hill because some lawmakers are weighing legislation to specifically target Iran's civilian aviation sector. And Iran hawks outside the administration have expressed concern too. Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said Iran's aviation sector is being used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the Iranian military that has ties to militant networks, which Iran uses to expand its influence in the region and abroad. "What effective controls does the administration have in place to ensure that the aircraft receiving these licensed services are not facilitating Iran's support for these destructive activities?" he asked. Yankton, SD (57078) Today Partly cloudy. Gusty winds in the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 81F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Windy early. Low 54F. NNW winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. 7 day print subscribers enjoy unlimited access to yakimaherald.com Enter the LAST NAME and the 7 DIGIT phone number on your print subscription account to connect your print subscription to your yakimaherald.com account. Please disable your ad blocker, and refresh the page to view this content. Sanaa (AFP) - The United Nations envoy for Yemen said Monday the expected timeline for a truce in the flashpoint city of Hodeida and a prisoner swap between warring parties has been pushed back. Martin Griffiths hosted hard-won peace talks between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and rival Iran-aligned Huthi rebels in Sweden last month. The two parties, who have been at war for four years, agreed at the talks to a mass prisoner swap and an ambitious ceasefire pact in Hodeida, the Red Sea city home to the impoverished country's most valuable port. Griffiths, who was in rebel-held Sanaa on his third trip to Yemen this month, said there had been "changes in timelines" for both deals. "That momentum is still there, even if we have seen the timelines for implementation extended, both in Hodeida and with regard to the prisoner exchange agreement," he told Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. "Yet such changes in timelines are expected, in light of the facts that the timelines were rather ambitious and we are dealing with a complex situation on the ground." Griffiths also confirmed reports of plans to replace retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert, who heads the monitoring team tasked with overseeing the Hodeida truce. "General Cammaert's plan was to stay in Yemen for a rather short period of time to... lay the ground for establishing the Hodeida mission," he said. "All the speculations about other reasons for General Patrick's departure are not accurate." Cammaert arrived Saturday in Yemen. At the United Nations, diplomats told AFP that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has chosen Cammaert's replacement: former Danish general Michael Lollesgaard. His candidacy has been proposed to the UN Security Council, which has 48 hours to accept or refuse, two sources told AFP on condition of anonymity. Lollesgaard commanded the UN mission to Mali (MINUSMA) from 2015 to 2016, and then became Denmark's military representative to NATO and the European Union in 2017. Story continues The Huthis, who control Hodeida, have accused Cammaert of not being up to the task and of pursuing "other agendas." UN diplomats told AFP that his relationship with Griffiths was strained. - Meeting with rebel leader - Griffiths, meanwhile, met with rebel leader Abdel Malek al-Huthi, the group said. The Huthi chief affirmed that he remains committed to the deal struck in Sweden and accused the government of "putting obstacles in the way of its implementation," said rebel official Mohammed Abdelsalam. Hodeida was for months the main front line in the Yemen war after government forces supported by Saudi Arabia and its allies launched an offensive to capture it in June. But a precarious calm has largely held in the city since the ceasefire agreement came into force on December 18. The Hodeida agreement stipulates a full ceasefire, followed by the withdrawal and redeployment of rival forces from the city -- two clauses that have yet to be fulfilled. Griffiths said another round of consultations was temporarily on hold pending progress on the current agreements. Earlier this month, he said that planned talks had been postponed until February. "We are all on the same page that we need to see progress in implementing what was agreed in Sweden before convening the next round of consultations," Griffiths said. The Yemen conflict has killed some 10,000 people since a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in support of the beleaguered government in March 2015, according to the World Health Organization. Human rights groups say the real death toll could be five times as high. The war has pushed 14 million Yemenis to the brink of famine in what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. By U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brett Clashman - http://www.nellis.af.mil/photos/media_search.asp?q=Australia&btnG.x=0&btnG.y=0 direct link: http://www.nellis.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/120309-F-KX404-098.JPG, Public Domain, https://commo Michael Peck Security, This is why. Why Canada Buying Old Australian F-18s Is A Bad Idea With its own CF-18sthe Canadian version of the U.S. F/A-18 Hornetbecoming too old to fly, and mired for years in a politically-charged search for a new fighter jet, Canada has turned to the aviation second-hand store. It is buying twenty-five used Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18s, of which eighteen will be used for operations while the other seven will be used for testing and spare parts. The planes will supplement the existing CF-18 fleet. The eighteen operational Australian aircraft will probably include twelve single-seat A models, as well as six two-seat B models that will be used for training. But final mix will be dependent on a number of considerations, including the condition and availability of aircraft, the Canadian Department of National Defense told the Ottawa Citizen. The first two aircraft should arrive in Canada in spring 2019. The exact cost of the aircraft, along with weapons and other equipment, is not yet known as negotiations are still underway, Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough recently told journalists, according to the National Post. The Liberal government has set aside up to $500 million for the project and that would cover the seven added jets. The Australian Hornets will receive Canadian software, ejection seats and lighting. Ultimately the intent is the 18 aircraft are indistinguishable from our 76 aircraft, said Pat Finn, assistant deputy minister for materiel at the Department of National Defense. But similarities between the Australian and Canadian Hornets could be part of the problem. Canadas CF-18s date back to the early 1980s, while Australias were built in the mid-1980s. Both nations have upgraded these aircraft over the years. But the difference between them is not new and old, but old and older. Which still leaves Canada back at question number one: what will be Canadas new fighter jet? While kangaroos and caribou dont share much in common, Australia and Canada do share something: messy jet fighter procurement. Story continues Australias embrace of the F/A-18 dates back to the late 1960s, when it sought to replace its French-designed Mirage III fighters. After considering several aircraft throughout the 1970s, including the F-16, F-15 (rejected because it was deemed overkill for Australias needs) and the F-18L (a specifically land-based version of the F/A-18, which originated as a U.S. Navy carrier jet), by 1980, the Royal Australian Air Force had settled on the F/A-18, whose twin engines and rugged design (for operating from aircraft carriers) made it ideal for the long distances and desolate terrain of Australia. But by the early 2000s, the RAAFs F/A-18s were aging, its 1960s American-made F-111s (infamous for its development woes) were set to be retired in 2010, and the F-35 development was being pushed back (the RAAF only received the first two in December 2018). So, Australia opted for a stopgap: twenty-four F-18E/F Super Hornets. Substitute Arctic tundra for Australian desert and it is no surprise that engine redundancy and airframe ruggedness recommended the CF-18 to the Canadians, who ultimately bought 143 of the Hornets. But Canadas current fighter search makes Australias look smooth. Canada was going to buy the F-35, then balked. Then it was going to buy F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets, but changed its mind in retaliation for the Trump administrations tariffs on Canadian aircraft manufacturers. Last year, the government released a draft tender for an eighty-eight-jet, US$20 billion buy, with the contenders narrowed to the Eurofighter Typhoon, Swedens Gripen, the Super Hornet and the F-35. The new fighter is supposed to be fielded by 2025, though skeptics could be forgiven their doubts. In the meantime, the Royal Canadian Air Force will carry on with old Cold War F/A-18stheirs and Australias. Michael Peck is a contributing writer for the National Interest. He can be found on Twitter and Facebook. Image: Wikimedia Read full article GENEVA (Reuters) - A separatist movement in Indonesia's West Papua province delivered a petition with 1.8 million signatures demanding an independence referendum to U.N. Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Friday, its leader told Reuters after the meeting. Benny Wenda, chairman of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), said he hoped the United Nations would send a fact-finding mission to the province to substantiate allegations of human rights violations. "Today is a historic day for me and for my people," Wenda said after the meeting in Geneva. "I handed over what I call the bones of the people of West Papua, because so many people have been killed." He said West Papuans had no freedom of speech or assembly and the only way to be heard was through the petition, signed by almost three-quarters of the 2.5 million population. "It weighs 40 kg. Its like the biggest book in the world." He said he also spoke to Bachelet about the situation in the Nduga region, where he said at least 11 people had been killed and more may have died after fleeing into the bush to escape Indonesian forces, and 22,000 people had been displaced. Provincial military spokesman Muhammad Aidi said the allegation was unfounded. "He cannot show the evidence of what he has accused (Indonesia and the military) of," Aidi said on Sunday. "It is the Free Papua Movement that killed the innocent civilians." Last month members of the military wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) claimed responsibility for killing at least 16 people working on a bridge on a high-profile road project, and a soldier, in the Nduga area. The OPM has said it views the project workers as members of the military and casualties in their war against the government. The governor of the province subsequently called for an end to a hunt for the rebels, saying villagers were being traumatized. The military rejected the plea to suspend the search in the remote, heavily forested province on the western half of New Guinea island, a former Dutch colony incorporated into Indonesia after a widely criticized U.N.-backed referendum in 1969. Indonesian President Joko Widodo wants to develop impoverished Papua and tap its resources. Since coming to power in 2014, he has tried to ease tensions in Papua by freeing prisoners and addressing rights concerns, while stepping up investment with projects like the Trans Papua highway. (Reporting by Tom Miles and Augustinus Beo Da Costa; Editing by Catherine Evans) Caracas (AFP) - Crisis-hit Venezuela has been plunged into new turmoil since January 21, with the US and other countries backing an opposition leader's claim to have replaced President Nicolas Maduro. Here is a recap of developments. - Call to revolt - On January 21 a small group of soldiers takes control of a command post north of Caracas, releasing a video rejecting Maduro's regime and calling on people to take to the streets. The rebellion is over quickly and 27 soldiers are arrested, but there are demonstrations of support in Caracas. Hours later the Supreme Court declares the leadership of the opposition-controlled National Assembly illegitimate and its decisions invalid. Days earlier the National Assembly had promised an amnesty to members of the military who abandon Maduro. - US backs opposition - On January 22 US Vice President Mike Pence brands Maduro "a dictator with no legitimate claim to power" and tells the opposition, "We are with you." Washington and other countries have already dismissed as fraudulent the May 2018 election that gave Maduro a second term. Maduro accuses Washington of ordering "a coup from the fascist state." - Self-proclaimed 'acting president' - On January 23 tens of thousands of people protest in Caracas and other cities in rival demonstrations for and against Maduro. Clashes erupt. In front of cheering supporters in the capital, National Assembly head Juan Guaido proclaims himself "acting president." He pledges to install a transitional government and hold free elections. US President Donald Trump immediately recognizes Guaido, followed by Brazil, Canada and Colombia, among others. However China, Cuba, Mexico, Russia and Turkey voice support for Maduro. - Army loyal to Maduro - On January 24 Venezuela's powerful military high command throws its weight behind Maduro. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino accuses Guaido of attempting a "coup d'etat." Story continues - Guaido persists - On January 25 Guaido calls on Venezuelans to continue their demonstrations against Maduro. He says he does not rule out including Maduro in an amnesty. Maduro says he is ready to meet Guaido, who rejects the offer of talks. - European ultimatum - On January 26 several European powers say they will recognize Guaido as president unless Maduro calls elections within eight days. The 28-member EU says it will take "further actions" if elections are not called, including on "recognition of the country's leadership." Caracas rejects the ultimatum. At the UN Security Council, Russia and China block a draft US resolution supporting the National Assembly led by Guaido. Venezuela's military attache to Washington, Army Colonel Jose Luis Silva, breaks ranks with Maduro, becoming the first major military officer to publicly switch support. - Demos called - On January 27 Guaido calls for new national and international protests on Wednesday and Saturday. Copies of parliament's amnesty measures are circulated to members of the military, some of whom publicly burn the document. Maduro, appearing at a military exercise, calls on soldiers to show "union, discipline and cohesion" to defeat an "attempted coup d'etat." Israel and Australia recognize Guaido as interim president. - US oil sanctions - On January 28 the United States imposes sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA. They would prevent Maduro from diverting resources until control could be transferred to an interim government, officials say. The White House urges Venezuela's military to accept a "peaceful" transfer of power to Guaido. Guaido says he is "beginning to take progressive and orderly control of our republic's assets abroad" to prevent Maduro from eventually trying to "empty the coffers." Moscow slams the PDVSA sanctions as "illegal." The UN says protests in the week after the soldiers' brief uprising had left more than 40 people dead and record numbers arrested. Kris Osborn Security, As is mines. The U.S. Navy Is Going Old School to Kill Enemy Warships and Submarines The US Navy is making an aggressive push toward "offensive" mine warfare designed to attack and destroy enemy ships and submarines with undersea explosives - all while preparing a complex suite of interwoven mine countermeasure technologies. We will produce a mine warfare plan to include offensive mine lines of effort. We are asking the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) to sign in the next 90 days, Maj. Gen. David Coffman, Navy Director of Expeditionary Warfare, told an audience recently at the Surface Naval Association Symposium. Mine technology, including both shallow and deep water mines, is not only advancing quickly but also rapidly proliferating around the world, therefore reaching a wider swatch of potential US enemies. Advances in offensive seamine technology is something the US plans to leverage itself while working to sharpen its focus on countering the growing mix of enemy mine threats. Greater volumes of advanced deep water mines represent an area of concern for Coffman and other maritime warfare leaders, who recognize that the weapons are not restricted to littoral areas - but also substantial threats when it comes open or blue water warfare. While it appears that the Mine Warfare Plan is currently being refined and reviewed by Navy leadership, Coffman indicated that the services offensive and defensive mine warfare strategy will seek to leverage US undersea technology superiority. We are making a strong push toward offensive mining using an undersea capability. We are drawing upon the CNOs wisdom in exploiting what we have strength in. We know we have dominance undersea, Coffman said. This approach is likely to draw upon some of the fundamentals of US undersea technology, such as advanced sonar, quieting technologies and submarine missile launch tubes increasingly able to launch mine-detecting drones. Story continues Offensive mine technology will consist of a mixture of more detectable and hidden weapons, each consisting of different combat tactics. Covert is good and overt is good too. We need a lot of arrows in the quiver because there are different warfighting scenarios, Coffman said. Following Coffmans reasoning, it would seem that more visible or find-able mines have a strategic and operational value - if less covert. Naturally they could be missed by an enemy or overlooked in some way, yet they certainly can function as weapons intended to deny an enemy access to a strategically vital location or asset. Covert mines, by comparison, would likely function with the more narrowly configured intent to avoid detection and simply explode an enemy. There are a variety of ways in which this emerging Navys mine-warfare strategy is already becoming more manifest, to include video-guided undersea drone explosives, unmanned weapons and sensors and advanced airborne countermine technologies engineered to destroy mines beneath the surface. This strategy, and its corresponding warfare technologies, will in part be executed by elements of the Navys now-in-development Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Mission Package for the Littoral Combat Ship. This includes specially configured MH-60 helicopters, deck-mounted drones such as the Fire Scout, surface sweeping drone boats such as Textrons Unmanned Influence Sweep System and deep diving drones engineered to detect mines buried beneath the ocean floor - such as Knifefish. The overall MCM system, integrating these and other technologies, is slated to be operational by 2022; however, several elements of the system are ready for war today, service developers said. For MCM, we can field the aviation mission packages on the even (Independence variants of the LCS fleet) ships today, Capt. Ted Zobel, Mission Modules Program Manger, told Warrior Maven following his presentation at SNA. The air assets, such as the Navys Airborne Mine-Neutralization System and Airborne Laser Mine Detection Systems, hinge upon successful coordination and command control synergy with surface and undersea assets. Naval Sea Systems Command recently announced it has has verified communications links between an Independence variant of the LCS and both the surface sweeping UISS and Knifefish mine-detecting drone. The Navy now operates a series of test ranges for mine warfare, to include locations in Panama City, Fla., and San Diego, Zobel said. For each one of the program of records we put together, the mission package goes through its own test. We lay mine fields and go to work against them, he told reporters at the Surface Naval Association Symposium. The development of MCM technologies is, by design, intended to lay the foundation for new mine warfare systems in future years. The effort, Zobel said, is called "Mission Package Next." We talk with the research sponsors regularly about Mission Package Next and what it might entail. We scan industry to see what is available, but right now we are focused on the three mission packages we have, Zobel explained. Airborne Laser Mine Detection System Instead of purely relying upon more narrowly configured, mechanized or towed mine detection systems, the Navy has been developing airborne laser systems to expand the surface area from which mine detection takes place. The system, called Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) enables shallow-water warships such as the LCS have a much safer sphere of operations as commanders will have much greater advanced warning of mine-cluttered areas. Northrop and Navy developers are looking at ways the ALMDS can be further enhanced through ongoing modernization efforts, such as current work to integrate AI. We are looking at automating the entire kill chain for MCM. Now the ALMDS flies on an MH-60. Perhaps we can get that into a smaller form factor and put it on the Fire Scout, Kevin Knowles, Director of Business Development for LCS, Northrop Grumman, told Warrior Maven in an interview at SNA. The ALMDS pod is mechanically attached to the MH-60S with a standard Bomb Rack Unit 14 mount and electrically via a primary and auxiliary umbilical cable to the operator console, according to a statement from the systems maker, Northrop Grumman. It does not use any bombs. It flies at a certain altitude and a certain speed. The laser emits beams at a certain rate. Cameras underneath the helicopter receive reflections back from the water. The reflections are processed to create images displayed on a common consol on the helicopter, Jason Cook, the Navys Assistant Program Manager, ALMDS, told Warrior Maven in an interview last year about the system. Cook explained that the camera or receiver on the helicopter is called a Streak Tube Imaging LIDAR (STIL). The laser is released in a fan pattern, and photons received back are transferred into electrons, creating a camera-like image rendering. Northrop information on ALMDS further specifies that the system can operate in both day and night operations without stopping or towing equipment in the water. Allowing untethered operations, it can attain high area search rates. This design uses the forward motion of the aircraft to generate image data negating the requirement for complex scanning mechanisms and ensuring high system reliability, Northrop information states. Having this technology operational, it seems, offers a few new strategic nuances. First and foremost, detecting mines more quickly and at further ranges of course makes the LCS much more survivable. It will be able to pursue attack, anti-submarine and reconnaissance missions with a much lower risk of mine-attack. Furthermore, identifying the location of mines at greater distances brings the added advantage of enabling lower-risk small boat missions to approach target areas for shore missions, surface attack or recon. Also, given that attack submarines are routinely able to launch attacks, conduct recon and access enemy areas in closer proximity to island and coastal areas, compared with many deeper draft larger surface combatants, ALMDS could measurably improve submarine operations. Finally, given that the LCS is engineered for both autonomous and aggregated operations, ALMDS could provide occasion for the ship to alert other surface and undersea vessels about the location of enemy mines. In fact, Northrop writes that ALMDS provides accurate target geo-location to support follow on neutralization of the detected mines. Some of the technical details of the system are further delineated in a research paper written by Arete Associates a science and technology consulting firm with a history of supporting entities such as the Office of Naval Research and the Air Force. A high resolution 3-D image of the scene is produced from multiple sequential frames formed by repetitively pulsing the laser in synchrony with the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) frame rate as an airborne platform "push broom" scans or as a single-axis scanner on a ground-based platform scans the laser fan beam over the scene, the Arete Associates essay titled Streak Tube Imaging LIDAR For 3-D Imaging of Terrestrial Targets, writes. The backscattered light from the objects and the terrain intersecting the fan beam is imaged by a lens. STIL technology, while only recently becoming operational with ALMDS, has been in development as a maritime surveillance system for many years. A 2003 study from the Naval Surface Warfare Center cites how pulsed light sent out from a three-dimensional electro-optic sensor STIL system can identify objects of interest on the ocean bottom. Airborne Mine Neutralization System The Navy can now use sonar and video-guided underwater warheads to attack and destroy enemy sea mines at the bottom of the ocean, improving protection for submarines and surface ships while bringing new combat ability to maritime war operations, service officials said. Airborne Mine Neutralization System lowers a mothership into the water from a helicopter and then deploys mini-torpedoes that are on a fiber-optic cable.which swims up to a mine and explodes, Knowles said. Operating from a MH-60S maritime helicopter, the Airborne Mine Neutralization System (AMNS) is designed to enable Carrier Strike Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups and Amphibious attack missions to improve combat access while lowering risk to surface ships and sailors. The AMNS, also called the Archer Fish, receives surveillance information from a range of different Navy systems before it reconfirms the target, lowers beneath the surface, and destroys the mine. The system consists of a Load Handling System (LHS) and destructor, or warhead. The LHS, which is used as an interface between the explosive destructor and common console on board the helicopter, can carry up to four destructors. The destructor is equipped with a sonar system, video camera and light to confirm the identified enemy mine; it connects with the common console through a fiber-optic data link, Navy officials said. The LHS contains all the data-processing hardware and software, developers explain. The destructor is negatively buoyant, has six degrees of motion, can maintain a hover position and can be operated in either automatic or manual mode. The destructor can monitor depth and relative distance from the bottom and has the ability to avoid bottom plowing. The destructor's position is determined by an Integrated Track Point II acoustic tracking system contained in the LHS, NAVSEA Spokesman Alan Baribeau told Warrior Maven last year - for a report on the system. The abundance and sheer variety of mine threats can also make detection more challenging. Some so called bottom mines can be buried or shallow-water mines easily triggered by surface ships or submarines. Moored mines, however, often tethered to the ocean floor, can be found in deeper parts of the water column. They can linger below the surface or possibly operate at much greater depths to target deeper draft ships, according to a 2014 NATO essay called Naval Mines and Countermeasures. The explosive and detonating mechanism (of moored mines) is contained in a buoyant metal or plastic shell. The depth below the surface at which the mine floats can be set so that only deep draft vessels such as aircraft carriers, battleships or large cargo ships are at risk, the NATO paper writes. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army - Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has a Masters in Comparative Literature from Columbia University. Read full article Photo credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Bernal Del Agua From Popular Mechanics The U.S. Air Force has finally received the first of dozens of new aerial refueling tankers, nearly two decades after issuing a requirement for them. The KC-46A Pegasus tanker, built by Boeing, will replace some of the oldest aircraft in USAF inventories, KC-135 Stratotankers more than sixty years old. On January 25th, two KC-46A tankers took off from Boeings airfield at Everett, Washington and flew to their new home at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. According to Defense News , the aircraft will take part in operational testing with the 344th Aerial Refueling Squadron. Ultimately the Air Force is expected to build 179 of the new tankers in a contract estimated to be worth $44 billion. The KC-46A is actually a Boeing 767 commercial airliner modified to carry large amounts of fuel. The newer tanker carries up to 212,000 gallons of fuel at a time, 12,000 more than the jet it replaces, and can fuel at a rate of 1,200 gallons per minute. It can refuel 64 different types of U.S. and foreign military aircraft using a boom lowered from the rear of the jet or pods that drag hoses from the rear, a system called a drogue. Photo credit: A1C Michaela Slanchik, USAF The Air Force first issued a requirement for a new tanker in 2001, but there were numerous delays thanks to corruption , congressional opposition (the Air Force originally wanted to lease tankers from Boeing, which Congress didnt like), and the competition for a winning tanker design being restarted. Boeings KC-46A design was chosen in 2011 and the company was supposed to deliver 18 planes, two spare engines, and nine sets of wing-mounted refueling pods by August 2017. According to the Chicago Tribune that wont happen until the third quarter 2020, making the program three years behind schedule. The KC-46As delayed development is largely due to technical problems, including a remote camera designed to help the tanker crew mate up with thirsty airplanes in complete darkness, and problems with the tankers refueling boom. Boeing has incurred $3 billion in cost overruns getting this far, costs it was forced to absorb. Story continues The KC-46A will replace the KC-135 Stratotanker. The KC-135 was based on the Boeing 707 jetliner and first entered service in 1956. KC-135s have served in every U.S. war from the Vietnam War up through the campaign against ISIS. ('You Might Also Like',) Photo credit: Illustration by Alexander Stoklosa - Car and Driver From Car and Driver It seems that Toyota and Mazda's partnership on subcompacts is expanding to include the hatchback version of the Yaris. The old Toyota-built Yaris hatchback is going away for the 2019 model year and a new hatchback model is coming for 2020, according to Toyota spokesperson Nancy Hubbell. We assume this means that the new Yaris hatchback (illustrated above) will be a rebadged Mazda 2, like the current Yaris sedan that Mazda builds for Toyota in Mexico. The new Mazda-based Yaris hatchback is likely to use the same 1.5-liter inline-four engine as the sedan, paired with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. As we've shown in our illustration, the new Yaris hatch should also share the Yaris sedan's revised front-end styling while keeping the Mazda 2 hatchback's bodywork mostly unchanged otherwise. All U.S. Yarises Will Be Rebadged Mazdas Toyota and Mazda originally teamed up to create the Scion iA, a rebadged version of the Mazda 2 sedan that debuted as a 2016 model. When the Scion brand was shuttered, the iA was renamed to become the Toyota Yaris iA, which was sold alongside the outgoing Yaris hatchback, itself built by Toyota in France. For 2019, Toyota dropped the iA from the Mazda-based Yaris's name to create the 2019 Yaris sedan. The complex lineage of Toyota's subcompact lineup will finally be simplified when the new Yaris hatchback arrives, as both versions of the Yaris sold in the United States will soon be rebadged Mazdas. Toyota's global plans for the Yaris are unclear at this point. Photo credit: Toyota This change is overdue, as the outgoing Yaris hatchback, which is built in France, has been around for many years without major updates. It still uses a four-speed automatic transmission, which should tell you more than enough about its age. The Mazda-based Yaris has also been far outselling the Toyota-built Yaris hatch in the States: the sedan recorded 25,269 sales in 2018 to the hatchback's paltry 1940 units. Story continues Toyota will release more information about the 2020 Yaris at the New York auto show in April. ('You Might Also Like',) Khartoum (AFP) - Sudanese police fired tear gas at protestors in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman on Sunday, witnesses said, after organisers called for further demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashir's three decades of rule. Bashir, on a visit to Cairo to meet his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, said the media were exaggerating the size of the problems he faced at home. Deadly protests sparked by a government decision to raise the price of bread have rocked the east African country for weeks. The demonstrations have mushroomed into nationwide rallies against the government of Bashir, who swept to power in 1989 in an Islamist-backed coup. Officials say 30 people have died in the violence since the protests first erupted on December 19 in the farming town of Atbara, before spreading to Khartoum and other regions. Rights groups say more than 40 people have been killed. On Sunday, protesters came onto the streets in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman to hold sit-ins in several squares, responding to a call by the Sudanese Professionals Association which is leading the protests. But a massive deployment of riot police and security agents prevented them from gathering at several locations, witnesses said, and the protesters later began rallies in several residential areas of Khartoum and Omdurman. "You're police, you have to protect us," demonstrators shouted as riot police cordoned off several squares in Khartoum and Omdurman, where they had planned to hold sit-ins. - Clampdown on squares - Police surrounded many squares and filled some with muddy water to prevent demonstrators from gathering, witnesses said. The SPA backed by several opposition political parties said in a joint statement that despite the deployment of security forces, protesters managed to gather in 11 squares and also stage six rallies in residental areas of Khartoum and Omdurman during the day. "When we came to the square for a sit-in, we saw security forces had surrounded it," said a female demonstrator, who did not identify herself for security reasons. Story continues "We then decided to hold a rally in a nearby neighbourhood, but there too the police hit us with tear gas." Late on Sunday, eight more demonstrations were held in Khartoum and Omdurman but police confronted them with tear gas, witnesses said. The SPA had called for sit-ins on Sunday in more than 20 squares in Khartoum and Omdurman. In a statement issued late on Sunday, the SPA said rallies were also planned on Monday in Darfur, Nuba mountains, Blue Nile, in camps of internally displaced people and some other provinces "to show our people's rejection of the dictator". Authorities led by the country's National Intelligence and Security Service have cracked down on protesters, opposition leaders, activists and journalists in a bid to prevent the spread of demonstrations. On Sunday, security forces arrested four journalists, including one from the country's war-torn region of Darfur, the non-government Sudanese Journalists' Network said. Sudan has ranked 174 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom index every year from 2015 to 2018. - Media 'exaggerating' - While bread price hikes sparked the first protests, anger has been mounting for years over growing economic hardship and deteriorating living conditions. That ire has now spilt onto the streets, with protesters chanting their main slogan: "freedom, peace, justice!" Bashir has remained steadfast in rejecting calls to resign. On Sunday, he said the media were exaggerating the size of his problems. "There is a problem (in Sudan), we are not claiming that there is not. But it's not of the size or extent raised in some media," Bashir said standing next to Sisi at a news conference after their meeting in Cairo. The protests were "an attempt to clone the so-called Arab Spring in Sudan", he said, referring to similarities between the slogans and use of social media in uprisings that hit the region in 2010-2011. Angry crowds of Sudanese protesters have been seen in videos posted online chanting "The people want the downfall of the regime," a signature slogan of the Arab Spring. Bashir and other Sudanese officials have blamed the country's overall economic woes on the United States. Washington lifted its trade embargo on Sudan in October 2017 after two decades of bruising economic punishment, but that has failed to fix the country's financial situation. ab-mon-mz-jds/dv Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia on Monday launched an ambitious programme which it hopes will attract $427 billion in investments in the industrial and logistics sectors, as the OPEC kingpin bids to reduce dependence on oil. To kickstart the 12-year programme, the Gulf state announced the signing of 37 agreements worth $55 billion with foreign and local investors at a ceremony attended by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The programme is part of the kingdom's 2030 Vision, the brainchild of Prince Mohammed, that aims to diversify its economy which has been heavily dependent on oil prices. Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih, speaking at a hotel in Riyadh, said the investments would be made in the fields of industry, mining, energy and logistics. The aim is to create 1.6 million new jobs, boost non-oil exports by $267 billion a year and add as much as $320 billion to gross domestic product, almost 40 percent of last year's GDP, he said. Among the agreements announced, two memoranda of understanding between the Saudi military industry programme SAMI and French firm Thales and CMI Defence of Belgium. They also included energy deals between national oil giant Aramco and Saudi petrochemicals firm SABIC for a huge project to produce petrochemicals directly from oil. Falih said that implementation had already started on a number of projects. Other projects include building a 1,200-kilometre (745-mile) railway and five airports in addition to hundreds of kilometres of roads, said Transport Minister Nabeel al-Amudi. At a conference it hosted in October, which was hit by an international boycott over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Riyadh announced the signing of investment deals worth $44 billion. Since the launch of Saudi Vision 2030, mega projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars have been announced in the Middle East's largest economy but implementation has been slow. In late 2017, the kingdom announced plans to build the $500 billion NEOM mega city in the northern Red Sea. Since the crash in oil prices in mid-2014, Saudi Arabia accumulated $313 billion in budget deficits which was financed through withdrawing from the country's fiscal reserves and borrowing. David Axe Security, Europe Okhotnik-B could see squadron service. Russia's Next Deadly Weapon: A Stealth, Jet-Powered Robot Warplane Russia is developing a stealthy, jet-powered robot warplane. In contrast to the Kremlin's previous, abortive effort to field a killer drone, this latest effort appears likely to produce a useful, front-line aircraft. The first blurry images of the Okhotnik-B drone appeared on Jan. 23, 2019 on a Russian aviation website. The photos depict a tractor towing the apparently roughly 50-foot-wide unmanned aerial vehicle along a snow-ringed runway at an airfield in Novosibirsk in southern Russia. A flying wing similar in shape to the U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bomber, Okhotnik-Bthat means "hunter" in Russianin theory could penetrate enemy defenses to deliver ordnance. Okhotnik is in the same class as China's Tian Ying drone, the U.S. Air Force's RQ-170 surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle, the U.S. Navy's experimental X-47B UAV and Boeing's X-45C drone demonstrator. The likelihood of Okhotnik eventually entering squadron service with the Russian air force is "big," Tom Cooper , an independent expert on Russian military aviation, told The National Interest. "The Russian military is running multiple UAV-related projects," Cooper said. "Thus the emergence of this project is perfectly normal." Cooper said that, for the Russians, Okhotnik is "simply the further development of what theyve been doing until now." That wasn't always the case. In 2007 Russian warplane-maker Mikoyan and Gurevich revealed its Skat UAV prototype, which like Okhotnik was a jet-powered flying wing with potential stealth qualities. But with the Russian economy struggling and military spending flat, the Skat went nowhere. It took a decade, big boosts in the Kremlin's budget and painful experience in Syria for Russian UAV programs to begin producing aircraft with any chance of actually reaching squadrons. Story continues In late 2018 the Kremlin gave drone programs a big boost, Samuel Bendett, an expert on the Russian military, told reporter Kelsey Atherton. Mid-December 2018 "marked a series of key announcements from the Russian ministry of defense about the countrys growing unmanned aerial systems capabilities," Bendett said. "Going into Syria in 2015, Russia was lacking a key combat element the ability to hit targets quickly following their identification, one of the key functions of [unmanned combat air vehicles] around the world today." "Moscows experience in Syria underscored that point despite fielding a large number of [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] drones that enabled Russian to be more precise in combat, the majority of targets were hit by manned aviation or manned artillery forces," Bendett added. "Hence, the push today to field an entire lineup of strike UAVs for a diverse range of missions." "Public statements by the Russian government and the military establishment also highlight the importance of unmanned systems for the countrys military and its ability to wage war. Just recently, President Putin stated key propriety areas for his military in 2019 among them was an emphasis on unmanned and robotic systems development." In addition to Okhotnik, the portfolio of Russian drone programs now includes the Forpost medium-endurance drone similar to the U.S. military's own Reaper drone. "The only thing they havent got by now would be recce UAVs with endurance of 12 to 24 hours," Cooper noted. "They were badly missing these in Syria of the last three years." The Kremlin is developing a long-range ISR drone. But the Altius program has struggled. "Delays in production, a lack of key expertise and hi-tech components meant the entire scheduled pushed to the right by many years," Bendett explained. Okhotnik might fare better. For 2019 "the Russian defense establishment is promising a test that will include a short-duration 'jump'the UCAV will rise ever so briefly above the tarmac to test its launching and landing capabilities," Bendett said. "At this point, it is going to be heaviest and fastest UAV [in Russian service] if and when fielded, but additional testing and evaluation will have to take place in order for this unmanned system to be fully functional. Its speed [up to 620 miles per hour] and weight up to 20 tons means that a host of aerodynamic, electronic and high-tech issues need to be worked out." To be effective in service, Okhotnik will need small precision-guided munitions, too, Cooper pointed out. The Kremlin long has lagged behind the rest of the word in PGM development. Okhotnik might need several more years of development before it's ready for squadron service. But Russian crews are already getting ready, Cooper said. "The first generation of pilots and ground crews for UAVs just completed their four-years-long training, and they meanwhile have plenty of experience in operating smaller UAVs in Syria." David Axe serves as the new Defense Editor of the National Interest. He is the author of the graphic novels War Fix, War Is Boring and Machete Squad. Image: YouTube Screenshot. Read full article Michael Peck Security, Will it happen? Russia's Navy Dream: New Aircraft Carriers and a Deadly New Fighter Jet The Admiral Kuznetsov has been the only Russian carrier able to launch and recover regular fixed-wing aircraft as the U.S. Navy does. Russia is developing a new vertical-takeoff aircraftand new carriers to launch them. An article in the Russian newspaper Izvestia (see translation here) featured statements by two Russian officials that suggested vertical takeoff and landing, or VTOL, aircraft carriers and aircraft will be joining the Russian Navy. (This first appeared late last year.) Denis Manturov, the head of the Russian Ministry for Trade and Industry, said Russia would not build helicopter carriers. I should only note that the shipbuilding program envisages construction of universal landing craft whose landing facilities (helicopter wing, landing craft, and floating armor) are supposed to be placed inside the ship hull or on the ship deck, he said. Then Yuri Barisov, deputy prime minister for defense, said Russia had been developing a VTOL aircraft since 2017, which would be deployed in the next seven to ten years. The interesting part isnt this news, so much as the commentary by Izvestia, which suggests where Moscow is headed (or where Moscow wants everyone to think its headed). The article argues that pure helicopter carriers are a Cold War relic, replaced by assault helicopter carriers whose choppers are there to land troops, and universal landing craft that can launch VTOL aircraft. Russia built two Moskva-class helicopter carriers in the 1960s, and then Kiev-class carriers flying vertical short takeoff and landing (VSTOL) aircraft. The Admiral Kuznetsov has been the only Russian carrier able to launch and recover regular fixed-wing aircraft as the U.S. Navy does. As time went by the Soviet Navy was to receive aircraft carriers with conventional takeoff and landing aircraft, and universal landing ships, capability, Izvestia said. However, it had never come to that: the Admiral Kuznetsov was the sole ship able to carry conventional aircraft. Over time, the talks about Russian aircraft carriers implied in the first place the resumption of building aircraft carriers as such. However, in the late 2000s, an issue again arose of building universal landing ships. Eventually, it was decided to resort to foreign experience by ordering two universal landing craft from France. Story continues But the two French Mistral-class amphibious assault ships were embargoed after Russias seizure of Crimea in 2014. The Izvestia article seems to be suggesting that Russia will build its own equivalent. Recommended: What Will the Sixth-Generation Jet Fighter Look Like? Recommended: Imagine a U.S. Air Force That Never Built the B-52 Bomber Recommended: Russia's Next Big Military Sale - To Mexico? Recommended: Would China Really Invade Taiwan? But a VTOL carrier needs a VTOL aircraft. The Soviet Union fielded the unimpressive Yak-38, and partly developed but never completed the Yak-141 in the1980s. The Yak-141 is too old to resurrect, so a new model is needed. Creation of the VTOL system, if now in progress and initiated in 2017, may lead to a flight of the first experimental prototype in 2022-2023 and the launch of the machine in series production in the late 2020s, Izvestia says. Michael Peck is a contributing writer for the National Interest. He can be found on Twitter and Facebook. Read full article THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) About 250 nationalist protesters gathered in Greece's second-largest city Sunday to denounce the ratification of a deal to normalize relations with neighboring Macedonia, jeering at "traitor politicians" as some public officials left a concert hall after an International Holocaust Remembrance Day performance. The protest outside the Thessaloniki Concert Hall was timed to coincide with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos' attendance at the concert. A few were seen making Nazi salutes while singing Greece's national anthem. The protesters are angry at Pavlopoulos for not weighing in on the agreement with Macedonia. Under the deal, the small country is being renamed North Macedonia and Greece is lifting objections to its NATO membership. The president was whisked from the concert venue to a side road, as far as possible from the crowd. Earlier, protesters tried to break through police lines around the building but were pushed back. Some later threw rocks at police officers and attacked a squad on motorcycles with sticks. Police used tear gas and stun grenades to push back the small, but determined crowd. One person was arrested and four were detained, police said. The Macedonia name has been a sore point in Greece's relations with its young northern neighbor since it declared independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. Greece saw it as a implying territorial rights to the Greek province of Macedonia, as well as a claim to ancient Macedonian king Alexander the Great. During a speech after the concert, Pavlopoulos expressed horror at damage inflicted Friday at a Thessaloniki University campus monument that marks the site of a former Jewish cemetery. He described the smashing of the monument an "inhuman, barbaric defiling" and called for Europe-wide vigilance against a resurgence of Nazism. Pavlopoulos promised a Holocaust museum in the city would be finished by 2020. Story continues In June, during a protest of the then newly signed name deal between Greece and Macedonia, a group of protesters threw paint at a Holocaust memorial in Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki had a considerable Jewish community until World War II. In 1943, about 55,000 Jews were deported to extermination camps, mostly Auschwitz, and fewer than 5,000 survived. Many of those who returned found their former homes occupied by Greek families and a state doing little to help with property restoration. _______________________________ Demetris Nellas contributed to this report from Athens, Greece. ________________________________ Follow Costas Kantouris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CostasKantouris Arbil (Iraq) (AFP) - The longtime head of the world's Yazidis, a minority whose Iraqi community was ferociously targeted by the Islamic State group, has died in Germany after a long illness, officials said Monday. Prince Tahseen Said Ali died in the KRH Siloah hospital in Hanover at the age of 85, according to the head of the Iraqi Kurdish region's head of Yazidi affairs, Khairi Buzani. Born in 1933 in Iraq's northwest Sheikhan district, he was appointed head of the Yazidis at age 11 after the death of his father, who was the previous emir. He later moved to Germany, home of the biggest expatriate Yazidi community. "He will be buried in the coming days in Iraqi Kurdistan," said Iraqi Yazidi parliamentarian Vian Dakhil. Dakhil told AFP that before dying, Prince Tahseen had appointed his son, Hazem, to succeed him. Iraqi officials, including Finance Minister Fuad Hussein and the Kurdistan region's prime minister Nechirvan Barzani, sent condolences to the prince's family on Monday. The Yazidi faith emerged in Iran more than 4,000 years ago and is rooted in Zoroastrianism, over time integrating elements of Islam and Christianity. With no holy book and organised into castes, Yazidis pray to God facing the sun and worship his seven angels -- first and foremost Melek Taus, or Peacock Angel. Of the world's 1.5 million Yazidis, around 550,000 were living in the remote corners of northern Iraq, where their holiest site Lalish lies and where Prince Tahseen was born. In 2014, the Islamic State group rampaged across northern Iraq and seized the Yazidi bastion of Sinjar, near the border with Syria. IS fighters slaughtered thousands of Yazidi men and boys, then abducted women and girls to be abused as "sex slaves". The brutal assault pushed around 360,000 of the Kurdish-speaking Yazidis to flee to other parts of Iraq, including the Kurdish region, in addition to another 100,000 who left the country altogether. Story continues The United Nations has said IS's actions could amount to genocide, and is investigating the jihadist group's atrocities across Iraq. The Yazidi cause has found a powerful symbol in Nadia Murad, a former IS abductee from Sinjar who escaped and went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her activism against sexual violence. Murad visited Iraq's Yazidi heartland of Sinjar last month, as well as Baghdad and the Kurdish regional capital of Arbil, to draw attention to the plight of thousands of abducted Yazidi girls who are still missing. ABOARD PAPAL PLANE (AFP) - Pope Francis said Monday celibacy for priests was a "gift to the Church" and not "optional", nixing the prospect of married men being ordained. "Personally I think that celibacy is a gift to the Church," the pope told journalists aboard his plane returning to the Vatican from Panama. "Secondly, I don't think optional celibacy should be allowed. No," he said. The pope nevertheless conceded "some possibilities for far flung places", such as Pacific islands or the Amazon where "there is a pastoral necessity". "This is something being discussed by theologians, it's not my decision," he said. The Argentine pontiff has repeatedly said there is no doctrinal prohibition on married men becoming priests, and therefore the discipline could be changed. Saint Peter, the church's first pope, had a mother-in-law, according to the bible. Celibacy was imposed in the 11th century, possibly partly to prevent descendants of priests inheriting church property. Some within the church believe it is time to join many eastern rite Catholic Churches in permitting married men to take the cloth. Married Anglican priests keen to convert to Catholicism have already been welcomed over. The Vatican's number two, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, suggested in an interview last year that the church could "gradually look in depth" at the issue, while ruling out any "drastic change". Some 60,000 priests have given up their vocation over the past few decades, often to marry. Pope Paul VI's refusal to open the door to the use of the pill in the Swinging Sixties saw many priests abandon their calling. Pope Francis suggested in 2017 that the church "reflect" on the question of ordaining "viri probati", married men of proven virtue, particularly in far-flung places where priests are thin on the ground. The idea is likely to be on the table at a synod this year dedicated to the Amazon, an immense territory where clergy are scarce. Sensing a possible shift in attitude, some 300 married, former priests in Italy sent a letter to Francis last year offering to take up the cloth once more should he need them. The Daily Beast Public DomainWhy do we see so many football and rugby teams named for the Spartans, and only one for the Thebans, though Thebes in fact defeated Sparta in battle and ended its reign as superpower of Greece? The explanation lies deep in the prejudices of ancient Greek historians and thinkers, as does the inspiration for that one exception: The Caledonian Thebans, Scottish ruggers who define themselves as gay, bisexual, or LGBTQ-inclusive.Lets start by noting that Greek Thebes (not to be confused DOHUK, Iraq (Reuters) - One protester was killed and at least 10 others wounded when they stormed a Turkish military camp near Dohuk in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region on Saturday, burning two tanks and other vehicles, residents and Kurdish officials said. Najib Saeed, the chief health official in the area, said it was not yet clear what caused the death. He said Turkish soldiers had shot at protesters and that the burning of vehicles and equipment had caused several explosions. Baghdad's foreign ministry criticized the Turkish troops for opening fire and said it would summon Turkey's ambassador over the incident. Turkey said the attack was carried out by members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who disguised themselves among civilians to fuel conflict between Turkish forces and local residents. "We are committed to maintaining our close partnership with the people of Dohuk and doing everything in our power to prevent civilian casualties in the area," Fahrettin Altun, communications director for the Turkish Presidency, told Reuters. Turkey carries out regular air raids near the border against the PKK insurgent group which has bases in northern Iraq and has fought a decades-long insurgency in Turkey. The Kurdish government in Erbil in northern Iraq condemned the storming of the camp, accusing "saboteurs" of instigating the incident, a veiled reference to the PKK, a rival of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) that dominates the Erbil government and has a working relationship with Turkey. Erbil said it had sent its forces to the area to calm the situation. A Kurdish official in the region of Dohuk said the crowd was demonstrating over a recent Turkish air raid that killed four civilians. The official did not want to be named. A second Kurdish official, who also did not give his name, said Turkish troops at the camp in Shiladze, east of Dohuk, had initially shot at the protesters and then left the camp. Kurdish security forces are trying to control the situation, he said. The surprise announcement last month that U.S. forces would withdraw from neighboring Syria, where they have been directing the fight against Islamic State, raised fears that Turkey would move against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces which it views as terrorists. Turkey says the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia is an extension of the PKK. Trump has threatened economic ruin for Turkey should it attack the YPG, however. (Reporting by Kawa Dosky and Ari Jalal, and by Ali Sultan in Sulaimaniya; Additional reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen in Istanbul and Orhan Coskun in Ankara; Writing by John Davison; Editing by Edmund Blair, Clelia Oziel and Kirsten Donovan) Kris Osborn Security, The US Navy is arming a new fleet of attack submarines with stealthy quieting systems, new weapons, next-gen sonar and additional advanced undersea warfare technologies to enable its future boats to execute massive land-attacks, perform covert insertions of forces and conduct reconnaissance missions undetected. Meet the Navy's Deadliest 'Stealth' Submarine to Ever Sail The USS South Dakota was christened by the Navy Oct. 14 at a General Dynamics Electric Boat facility in Groton, Ct. The US Navy is arming a new fleet of attack submarines with stealthy quieting systems, new weapons, next-gen sonar and additional advanced undersea warfare technologies to enable its future boats to execute massive land-attacks, perform covert insertions of forces and conduct reconnaissance missions undetected. Many of these systems are in the process of being refined on board the recently delivered USS South Dakota Virginia-Class attack submarine. The boat is now poised to begin a vital part of the developmental process known as post-shakedown availability next year - a series of key assessments and final steps necessary to prep the submarine for major ocean combat. (This first appeared late last year.) Design modifications will be made and then subsequently tested. Some of these design modifications are planned to be included in the fifth block of Virginia-class submarines during new construction, William Couch, spokesman for Naval Sea Systems Command, told Warrior in a statement. Many of these innovations, which have been underway and tested as prototypes for many years, are already operational as the USS South Dakota enters service, after being formally delivered to the Navy earlier this year. The plan, Navy developers say, is to further refine these technical advances before deploying what many call the stealthiest submarines ever built in the early 2020s. While many details of these technical advances are not available for security reasons, service technology developers have, in a general way, told Warrior Maven some of the parameters; the innovations include quieting technologies for the engine room to make the submarine harder to detect, a new large vertical array and additional "quieting" coating materials for the hull. Story continues The USS South Dakota was christened by the Navy Oct. 14 at a General Dynamics Electric Boat facility in Groton, Ct. The idea with the so-called acoustic superiority plan is to engineer a US submarines able to operate undetected in or near enemy waters or coastline, conduct reconnaissance or attack missions and sense any movement or enemy activities at farther ranges than adversaries can. These advances are consistent with more recent undersea combat strategy which, in part due to technological progress, increasingly sees attack submarines as well suited for clandestine undersea surveillance missions. Interestingly, a substantial increased emphasis in undersea reconnaissance for attack submarines, above and beyond the historically associated attack missions, was cited in a 1997 National Research Council essay titled Vision of Submarine Platforms for 2035. Intelligence collection: the capability for tactical and national intelligence collection over an extended period is needed to provide covert surveillance both prior to and after onset of hostilities, the paper writes. The research seems to suggest that strategic thinking in this area anticipated and preceded the advent of these modern technologies. Covert Insertion is another mission emphasis cited by the paper, a technique heavily reliant upon decreased undersea detectability. Submarines, in these instances, are able to more closely approach enemy coastline to conduct surveillance missions, scout or strike targets and covertly insert forces in close proximity to a conflict. Deployment of ground forces of various numbers, configurations and capabilities offers the advantage of determining optimum timing by covert and, if necessary, extended on-site observation of the tactical situation, the essay Vision of Submarine Platforms for 2035, writes. While the specific technical composition of new coating materials for the USS South Dakota are, naturally, not available - many submarine weapons developers and engineers are known to use specially crafted rubber tiles to absorb sonar pings. Also, propellers are typically designed to produce thrust at slow speeds, to minimize cavitation and decrease any underwater signature, a research paper from Livingston Research writes. Acoustic sensor technology works by using underwater submarine sensors to detect sound pings to determine the contours, speed and range of an enemy ship, submarine or approaching weapon. Much like radar analyzes the return electromagnetic signal bounced off an object, acoustics works by using sound in a similar fashion. Most of the undersea acoustic technology is passive, meaning it is engineered to receive pings and listen without sending out a signal which might reveal their undersea presence or location to an enemy, Navy technology developers explained to Warrior in previous interviews. While high-frequency, fast two-way communication is currently difficult to sustain from the undersea domain, submarines are able to use a Very Low Frequency radio to communicate while at various depths beneath the surface, a former senior Navy weapons developer told Warrior in an interview several years ago. Massive Weapons Increase for Attack Submarines: Navy developers tell Warrior the service is already making substantial progress in building a new 84ft section into Block V Virginia-Class attack submarine for the purpose of massively increasing firepower. The Virginia Payload Modules, slated to become operational by the 2020s, will increase the Tomahawk missile firepower of the submarines from 12 missiles up to 40, Navy weapons developers explain. The VPM submarines will have an additional (approximately 84 feet) section with four additional Virginia Payload Tubes (VPTs), each capable of carrying seven Tomahawk cruise missiles, for a ship total of 40 Tomahawks. While designed primarily to hold Tomahawks, the VPM missile tubes are engineered such that they could accommodate a new payload, new missile or even a large unmanned underwater vehicle, Navy officials said. The reason for the Virginia Payload Modules is clear; beginning in the 2020s, the Navy will start retiring four large Ohio-class guided-missile submarines able to fire up to 154 Tomahawk missiles each. This will result in the Navy losing a massive amount of undersea fire power capability, Navy officials explained. From 2002 to 2008 the U.S. Navy modified four of its oldest nuclear-armed Ohio-class submarines by turning them into ships armed with only conventional missiles -- the USS Ohio, USS Michigan, USS Florida and USS Georgia. They are called SSGNs, with the G designation for guided missile. Overall, these advancements for the future submarine fleet are not only designed for new boats being built - but possibly for those already in service. These improvements are evaluated for future ships and potential retro-fitting into older ships, Couch said. Kris Osborn of Warrior Maven previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army - Acquisition, Logistics& Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and an-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University. This first appeared in Warrior Maven here. Read full article Cairo (AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron called for "respect for individual freedoms" as he met with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Monday. Macron, on a three-day visit to Egypt, had vowed to raise human rights concerns with the former army chief while also seeking to boost ties between the two countries. "Real stability depends on the vitality of society," Macron said at a joint press conference with Sisi. "Stability and lasting peace go hand in hand with respect for individual freedoms, dignity of everyone and the rule of law." Shortly after his arrival in Egypt on Sunday, Macron said he would talk "more openly" with Sisi on human rights. The French leader had been criticised by rights groups after saying in October 2017 during a visit by Sisi to Paris that he would not "lecture" Egypt on liberties. But according to Macron, "things have not gone in the right direction since October 2017" and "bloggers, journalists and activists" have been jailed since then. He underscored that a "vibrant, inclusive and active civil society remains the best defence against extremism and a condition for stability of the country." Without these conditions, he said, "the image of Egypt may be damaged." Egyptian authorities have cracked down severely on dissent, especially Islamist supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Morsi was overthrown in 2013 by the military -- then led by Sisi -- following mass protests against his rule. The crackdown later swept up journalists, bloggers as well as secular, liberal and leftist activists. Sisi said at the news conference that "we are not like Europe and America." He said it was "fair" to consider the "stability and security" of Egypt's population of 100 million when dealing with matters regarding the country. "Egypt will not advance through bloggers but Egypt will advance by work, effort and perseverance," he said. OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will host a meeting of the Lima Group regional bloc on Feb. 4 to discuss what to do next about Venezuela, where opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president, a top official said on Monday. Most members of the 14-nation bloc do not recognize President Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader. The United States vowed to starve Maduro's administration of oil revenue after he was sworn in Jan. 10 for a second term that was widely dubbed illegitimate. "Maduro has created an economic, political and humanitarian crisis ... (which) poses huge security, humanitarian and migration challenges for our entire hemisphere," Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters. "Canada will host an urgent meeting of the Lima Group of countries here in Ottawa on Monday Feb. 4 to discuss what steps we can take to support interim president Juan Guaido and the people of Venezuela," Freeland said. She did not specify which members of the bloc would attend. Mexico's new government has said it will not take sides and brands support for Guaido a violation of sovereignty. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by James Dalgleish and Grant McCool) PANAMA CITY (AP) The latest on Pope Francis' visit to Panama and World Youth Day (all times local): 6:35 p.m. Pope Francis has left Panama, concluding his visit to the Central American nation for World Youth Day 2019. President Juan Carlos Varela and first lady Lorena Castillo were on hand to bid the pontiff farewell at Tocumen International Airport in a red carpet tarmac ceremony Sunday. As the shadows grew long, a white-uniformed band played Panama's national anthem and the pontiff stood with the first couple underneath a canopy. Onlookers waved Panamanian flags. The Avianca-liveried jet took off Sunday evening bound for Rome, where Francis will prepare for another trip next weekend to Abu Dhabi, the first by a pope to the Arabian Peninsula. ___ 5:15 p.m. Pope Francis is urging young volunteers at World Youth Day 2019 to go forth and bear witness of their experience. The pontiff says they should let others know "with simple and ordinary gestures, those that transform and renew each hour of the day." He also has thanked each one for "the service they have performed during these days and in the last months" ahead of the event. He adds, "Now you know how our hearts beat faster when we have a mission." Francis remarks came at Panama City's Rommel Fernandez Stadium on Sunday during his last public event before flying back to Rome. He was greeted at the stadium by shouts of "This is the youth of the pope!" Francis also heard the testimonies of several young volunteers, and young performers put on song and dance numbers on the stage. ___ 2 p.m. It's not all work and no play for Vatican officials on Pope Francis' trip to Panama. Vatican communications coordinator Andrea Tornielli writes that Cardinal Pietro Parolin made a quick trip to the country's interoceanic canal on Saturday. At the invitation of canal authorities, he sat at a control station and opened one of the locks with the click of a mouse to open the way for a cruise ship to enter the Pacific Ocean. Story continues Tornielli reports that Parolin smiled and joked: "Let's hope no damage was done!" Parolin is the Vatican's secretary of state. The Panama Canal is the Central American nation's No. 1 tourist draw and a major contributor to the country's economy. It was inaugurated in 1914 and underwent a $5.25 billion expansion that opened in 2016 to accommodate larger cargo vessels. ___ 11:50 a.m. Pope Francis has paid tribute to 21 people killed by a car bombing of a Colombian police academy on Jan. 17. Francis read aloud the names of the cadets at the end of his visit to Panama on Sunday while visiting a home for people suffering HIV. After he spoke each name, the residents of the home intoned "present" in a sign of solidarity. Francis prayed for the cadets to rest in peace and for Colombia as a whole to find peace. He denounced that the cadets had been "assassinated" by "terrorists." The National Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the car bombing, saying that the attack against a military installation was a legitimate response to the armed forces' bombing of a guerrilla camp during a recent unilateral ceasefire. Francis visited Colombia in 2017 in a bid to encourage an end to Latin America's longest-running armed conflict. ___ 9:50 a.m. The Roman Catholic Church's next World Youth Day will take place in Lisbon, Portugal. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, head of the Vatican's laity office, announced the venue at the end of the Panamanian edition of the youth festival on Sunday. A dozen young people draped in Portuguese flags jumped in joy on the altar after the announcement. Usually the location of the next World Youth Day is a tightly kept secret. But Lisbon leaked out last month in Catholic media, and the Portuguese president was on hand in Panama for the formal announcement. World Youth Days typically draw hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world, travelling in parish groups or alone. St. John Paul II launched the once-every-three-year festivals as a way to energize the next generation of Catholics in their faith. While Farrell didn't announce the date, the rally is expected in 2022. ___ 9:10 a.m. Pope Francis is urging young Catholics to seize the day and not wait until some far-off future to make their dreams come true. Francis offered a message of hope and opportunity Sunday as he formally closed out World Youth Day in Panama before a crowd the Vatican estimated at 700,000, including presidents from across Central America. History's first Latin American pope has sought to encourage young Catholics to be protagonists in the church, famously telling Argentine pilgrims at his first World Youth Day, in 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, to "make a mess" and shake up their sacristies. He continued that message Sunday by telling youths in Panama to not keep quiet and wait to be called to act. He said: "You, dear people, are not the future but the now of God." ___ 8:15 a.m. Pope Francis is celebrating an early morning Mass for several hundred thousand young people who camped out in a Panama City field to be in place for the climax of World Youth Day. The Vatican quoted organizers as saying some 700,000 people were on hand for the Sunday Mass, including the presidents of Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Portugal. Most of the pilgrims had attended an evening vigil Saturday and camped out under the stars at the field, which was renamed John Paul II field after the Polish pope who visited Panama in 1983. Pilgrim Sawadogo Kiswensidad came to Panama from Burkina Faso and was on hand to see Francis. Kiswensidad said: "Our trip (from Burkina) was very long but it was worth it because we came here to Panama City because of our faith, our Christian faith." The Mass marks the formal end to World Youth Day, the once-every-three year religious festival that John Paul launched during his quarter-century pontificate. After Mass, Francis was heading to visit with AIDS patients before returning to Rome. ___ 1 a.m. Pope Francis is wrapping up his first trip to Central America with a final World Youth Day Mass and a visit to a church-run home for people living with AIDS. Francis meets Sunday with HIV-positive residents of the Casa Hogar El Buen Samaritano is likely to send a strong message in Panama, where the virus carries a stigma. He'll be heading to the home after celebrating a morning Mass for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at Panama City's Metropark area. It's scheduled early so the pilgrims can escape the searing heat and start making their way home after a weeklong religious festival. Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel on Sunday officially recognised Venezuela's National Assembly chief Juan Guaido as president, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, following close ally Washington in endorsing the opposition leader. Netanyahu announced in an online video that Israel was joining the United States, Canada and a host of South American countries "in recognising the new leadership in Venezuela". Guaido proclaimed himself acting president of Venezuela on Wednesday during a mass opposition rally against leader Nicolas Maduro. Since then, the United States, Canada and many South American countries including Brazil and Colombia have backed his self-proclamation. Maduro rejected demands by European countries to call elections within eight days in an interview broadcast on Sunday. Nations including France, Britain, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany warned they would recognise Guaido as president unless there are snap polls. The US has pressed all countries to "stand with the forces of freedom" in Venezuela, but key backers such as Russia have stuck with the embattled leader. Desperate protesters have taken to the streets in Venezuela over a crisis that has seen two million flee shortages of basic food and medicine. Some 26 people have been killed and more than 350 people have been detained in clashes this week between anti-Maduro activists and security forces, the UN said. An AppleInsider report claims that over half a dozen Apple representatives met AR waveguide suppliers at CES 2019. The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was attended by a number of companies developing AR hardware including DigiLens, Lumus, Vuzix, WaveOptics, and more. Waveguide technology is primarily used in AR glasses to route information from one source to multiple sources located in front of a users eyes. All the Apple employees who met the various AR suppliers were under disguise. More than half a dozen incognito Apple representatives, including employees of known subsidiaries, visited AR waveguide suppliers at CES 2019, according to a person with knowledge of the meetings. Exhibitors at the expo included DigiLens, Lumus, Vuzix and WaveOptics, among others. The report is light on other details and why Apple was looking at AR waveguide suppliers. It is possible that the company is looking for new technology for its upcoming AR glasses, though at this point in time, that device is possibly a few years away from release. Apple has been heavily focusing on AR in recent years and has added a number of new features to iOS in regards to that. Despite ARKit getting regular improvements, it has failed to attract consumers as originally hyped by Apple. Augmented Reality will likely become more popular when Apple gets around to merging AR and VR together. It is then that we will be able to see some pathbreaking AR/VR experiences that will attract new users and developers. [Via AppleInsider Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Head of Vietnams Permanent Mission to the UN (Photo: VNA) Addressing the debate, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Head of Vietnams Permanent Mission to the UN, shared other countries opinions that impacts from climate change-related disasters sow the seeds of instability and even conflicts in some places in the world. He said the world is suffering from increasingly serious impacts of climate change with various kinds of extreme weather, such as displacement of people and threats to food security, water resource, and even the existence of island countries. The diplomat shared the challenges faced by Vietnam as a country among the top 10 countries hardest hit by climate change in the past 20 years and the top 6 worst affected in the past four years. He noted that the sea level rise has influenced the livelihoods of tens of millions people in the Mekong Delta, a major rice bowl of the country, thus threatening food security of not only Vietnam but also many foreign nations because 90 percent of Vietnamese rice export come from the delta. Quy stressed that it is necessary to set up mechanisms to share information and experience in the fields, and enhance discussions on the relations between climate change and security. The debate was attended by ministers, deputy ministers and ambassadors from 76 UN member states along with leaders of UN agencies. According to Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peace-building Affairs, to address climate-related security risks, it is a must to develop stronger risk analysis capacity, pool good risk management and prevention practice and reinforce partnerships to leverage existing capacities within and outside the UN system. Meanwhile, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Achim Steiner said that the UNDP and the UNs Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Environment Programme are working to develop a climate-related security mechanism to raise public awareness of climate changes threat to global security, and a mechanism to evaluate climate change risks and improve existing capacities. Besides calling on the UN Security Council to take practical actions, participants at the debate laid stress on the necessity of technical support and mechanisms to manage risks and give early warning of natural calamities among countries and organisations. They said that relevant international commitments like Paris Agreement and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction must be strictly implemented./. DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Iran struck economic and trade deals with Syria on Monday, as it widens its role there after helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reclaim most of his country. Tehran has reached "very important agreements on banking cooperation" with Syria, Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri said in the Syrian capital Damascus. Iran will also help repair power stations across Syria and set up a new plant in the coastal province of Latakia, he added. During Syria's eight-year conflict, Tehran has dispatched forces and allied Shi'ite militias, including Hezbollah, to provide Damascus with vital military support. Experts say Tehran is now looking to reap a financial dividend. Shunned by Western powers, the Syrian government has looked to friendly states such as Iran, Russia and China to play a major role in rebuilding the country. Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis said Syria and Iran signed a "unique" agreement on Monday for long-term economic cooperation which includes industry, trade, and agriculture. The two countries signed several memorandums of understanding during Jahangiri's visit to Damascus which Khamis described as "historic". Officials said they covered education, housing, public works, railways, investment, and other fields, without providing further details. (Reporting by Kinda Makieh; Writing by Ellen Francis; Editing by Catherine Evans) Libreville (AFP) - Gabon's chief prosecutor on Monday called for an anti-government activist to be jailed for eight years for "inciting violence" and "insulting the head of state", his lawyer told AFP. Herve Mombo Kinga was arrested on August 31, 2017 over a number of video clips he showed in a public place that were deemed hostile to President Ali Bongo and his government, with Monday's hearing marking his first appearance in court, his lawyer Anges Kevin Nzigou said. Kinga was charged with spreading "propaganda aimed at disturbing the public order" and "insulting the president" for publicly showing "videos and messages encouraging an uprising against the State, (and spreading) hatred and disunity," the prosecution said at the time. Nzigou said a verdict would be handed down in the case on February 4, but expressed confidence his client would be exonerated. "It would be unrealistic to think he would remain in prison after February 4 because the court understood that this was an opinion-related offence and that his detention has gone too far," the lawyer said. Mombo Kinga is a known supporter of Gabonese opposition leader Jean Ping, who lost the August 2016 presidential election to Bongo by a very slim margin, in a result he denounced as fraudulent. The results sparked a wave of violent protest in which dozens died. On the day of Mombo Kinga's arrest, around 15 opposition activists were detained on the sidelines of a protest to mark exactly a year since Bongo's disputed re-election. BRUMADINHO, Brazil (AP) Brazilian firefighters and Israeli rescue workers poked sticks into treacherous mud Monday looking for bodies as pressure mounted on the mining company responsible for a dam that burst and spilled a flood of iron ore waste. By late in the day, the death toll rose to 65, with 279 people still missing, said Lt. Col. Flavio Godinho of the civil defense department in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. In a sign of the risks posed by the deep mud, Col. Alexandre Ferreira, a doctor with the military police of Minas Gerais, advised rescue crews, volunteers and journalists to take antibiotics to prevent cholera, the bacterial infection leptospirosis and other diseases. Officials said the death toll was expected to grow "exponentially," since no had been rescued alive since Saturday. Search efforts were extremely slow because of the treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out when the mine tailings dam breached Friday afternoon. The mud was up 24 feet (8 meters) deep in some places, forcing searchers to carefully walk around the edges of the muck or slowly crawl onto it so they would not sink and drown. Teams focused their searches Monday morning in areas where a bus was immersed and where many workers were eating lunch at the mine cafeteria when the dam ruptured. The mine's owner, Vale SA, is the world's largest producer of iron ore, the raw ingredient for making steel. The Brazilian company's American depository shares plunged 18 percent Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. At the scene of the disaster, helicopters looking for bodies took off and landed nonstop. On the ground, dozens of rescuers with tracking dogs were searching for bodies through the mountains of mud. An Associated Press photographer witnessed at least 10 helicopters each carrying one body. More than 100 Israelis equipped with specialized rescue technology joined the 200 Brazilian firefighters in the search. Story continues Areas of water-soaked mud appeared to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable. Still, it was slow going for the search teams, residents were on edge and some started searching on their own for relatives. A Catholic priest for a church now being used as a command center for rescuers said many of his parishioners are believed to be buried in mud. "It's going to be difficult to rebuild our hearts," said the priest, Rene Lopez. "This won't take a month or a year. It's an open wound for all of the people in Brumadinho." And there was mounting anger directed at Vale amid questions about the area's largest employer following an apparent lack of a warning siren ahead of Friday's collapse. "The company didn't take care of the people," said Josefa de Santos, who has friends and neighbors among the missing. "I heard the cries of people asking for help, everyone was running and screaming. The siren didn't go off at all, it was horrible." In an email, Vale told The Associated Press that the area has eight sirens, but "the speed in which the event happened made sounding an alarm impossible" when the dam burst. Sen. Renan Calheiros called for Vale's board of directors to step down and Attorney General Raquel Dodge told reporters that Vale executives could be held responsible. Vice President Hamilton Mourao said a Brumadinho crisis committee established by the president was "studying" the possibility of removing Vale's board of directors. His office later told AP that the government wouldn't intervene, as Vale is a private company. Over the weekend, courts froze about $3 billion from Vale assets for state emergency services and told the company to report on how it would help victims. The carpet of mining waste also raised fears of widespread environmental contamination and degradation. According to Vale's website, the waste is composed mostly of sand and is non-toxic. But a U.N. report found that the waste from a similar Brazil disaster in 2015 "contained high levels of toxic heavy metals." That dam owned by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton collapsed in the city of Mariana in Minas Gerais, killing 19 people and forcing hundreds from their homes. About 250,000 people were left without drinking water thousands of fish died. An estimated 60 million cubic meters (646 million square feet) of waste flooded nearby rivers and eventually flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. ___ Associated Press writer Marcelo Silva de Sousa reported this story in Brumadinho, AP writer Peter Prengaman reported from Arraial do Cabo and AP writer Anna Jean Kaiser reported from Sao Paulo. AP photographer Leo Correo in Brumadinho contributed to this report. Vin Diesel (Credit: AP) Muscle car fans rejoice Vin Diesel is rattling his key fob. The action star has confirmed that cameras will start rolling on the ninth Fast & Furious movie in the long-running series next month. Taking to Instagram, as he is wont to do, Vin wrote: Crew heads out to London next month for the next chapter #FAST9. Strangely, he coupled the announcement with a shout-out to Venezuela, currently in the midst of political turmoil, after the leader of the opposition party Juan Guaido named himself interim president in a bid to oust current president Nicolas Maduro. I and my partner in crime want to say a message to Venezuela, from Dom and Letty, we are with you always, he says, Michelle Rodriguez appearing in the background. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. So far, we know that Justin Lin will be back to direct both Fast & Furious 9 and Fast & Furious 10, after helming the third, fourth and fifth movies in the billion-dollar franchise. Who will be joining him, however, we dont know as yet. Diesel reportedly fell out with Dwayne The Rock Johnson while filming the eighth movie, and now The Rock is off making his Hobbs & Shaw spin-off with Jason Statham, also starring Idris Elba and due out in August. Meanwhile, Diesel and Rodriguez have also been discussing his plans for a female-led spin off in the series too. Posting last week, he appeared to be confirming the cast too. As you know, there are three new spin offs that We have promised Universal well this week we heard a pitch for the Fast female protagonist driven spinoff I created in 2017, and you can tell by the smile on Samanthas face it was VERY exciting. Shout out to Nicole Perlman, Lindsey Beer, Geneva Robertson-Dworet. Welcome to the Fast FAMILY, he captioned. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Fast & Furious 9 is due on April 10, 2020. Read more Singer calls abuse report homophobic Lost Boys TV show in the pipeline Oscars nominations 2019 By Stephen Kalin and Aaron Maasho RIYADH/ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has freed Saudi-Ethiopian businessman Mohammed Hussein al-Amoudi more than 14 months after he was detained in a crackdown on corruption, the latest in a flurry of releases as the kingdom faces intense scrutiny over its human rights record. Amoudi, whom Forbes once called the richest man in Ethiopia and the second-richest Saudi, was among scores of members of the Saudi business and political elite rounded up Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton Hotel in November 2017 on the orders of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The campaign, decried by some critics as mere power play by the powerful young heir apparent, unsettled foreign investors whom Riyadh is courting to support ambitious economic reforms. Amoudi's release follows that of several other businessmen last week and comes after the kingdom suffered a global backlash over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the reported torture of women activists. Ethiopian state television was the first to report he had been freed. A family office spokesman said Amoudi had returned home to the western city of Jeddah. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also confirmed Amoudi's release on Twitter, saying he had raised the issue with Prince Mohammed during a trip to Riyadh last May. Amoudi, in his 70s, became a multi-billionaire investing first in construction, agriculture and mining in Ethiopia, where he was born, and then purchasing oil refineries in Morocco and Sweden. Forbes valued his fortune at more than $10 billion in 2016. Some of those detained at the Ritz were released after agreeing secret settlement deals with the Saudi authorities, which say they expect to seize more than $100 billion this way. It is unclear how much -- if any -- of Amoudi's wealth he may have handed over to the state in exchange for his release. The Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment. OTHERS STILL DETAINED At least eight other people held as part of the corruption crackdown were released last week, sources told Reuters. They include businessman Amr Dabbagh, former Mecca mayor Osama al-Bar, and Ibrahim al-Muaqel, who headed the Human Resources Development Fund under the then labour minister, Adel Fakieh. Fakieh is believed to still be in prison, along with former Riyadh governor Prince Turki bin Abdullah and Saudi-American physician Walid al-Fitaihi. Bakr bin Laden, who was chairman of builder Saudi Binladin Group before the state seized more than a third of the family-run firm last year, was released temporarily last week to attend a funeral. It was unclear if he would return to detention. After the Ritz reopened to the public last February, those still being held were transferred to other locations, including a Riyadh prison. The public prosecutor said last year that detainees who refused to settle with the government would be put on trial, but his office has not provided a public update in nearly a year. Prince Mohammed said last October that eight people were still being held. The recent releases suggest a higher number. Dozens of clerics, intellectuals and activists are also still believed to be held in an apparent crackdown on dissent over the past 18 months. Among them are several women's rights activists held since last summer. The authorities have accused some dissidents of belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and supporting Qatar, which is locked in a dispute with Riyadh. Some detainees have reportedly been tortured, which the government denies. Muslim clerics Mohammed al-Mohaisany and Mamdouh al-Harbi have also been released in recent days, according to activists and online videos showing them in public. A group of British lawmakers last week joined international rights groups in calling on Riyadh to allow access to independent monitors. (Additional reporting by Marwa Rashad; Writing by George Obulutsa and Stephen Kalin; Editing by Keith Weir and Raissa Kasolowsky) The Hague (AFP) - A Dutch court on Monday jailed three men over a daring $72 million diamond robbery in 2005 at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, one of the world's biggest ever heists, the court service said. The armed robbers, disguised as KLM airline workers, stole diamonds and jewellery from a flight headed to the Belgian port of Antwerp and escaped in a stolen KLM van. Seven suspects were eventually arrested in January 2017 in Amsterdam and Valencia in Spain after a years-long undercover investigation, with the help of a lucky break involving a radio intercept. The two men in the getaway van, named as driver and ringleader Errol H.V., 54, and passenger Marlon D, 44, were sentenced to seven and six years respectively by the court in the central city of Haarlem. A KLM employee named as Ramazan N, who gave the robbers KLM uniforms and helped smuggle weapons into the area, was jailed for five years, NOS television said. "The armed robbery made a deep impression on the victims. They were threatened close up verbally and with weapons," the court service said in a statement, adding that it also caused "much social unrest. A fourth suspect involved in an earlier attempted robbery with the Schiphol driver was jailed for three and a half years. Two other suspects were acquitted while the seventh suspect, and alleged brains of the operation, died recently. Two women in relationships with two of the suspects were each jailed for three months for money laundering. The audacious raid saw the robbers sneak into Schiphol's high-security area to target gems that were on their way to Antwerp, known as the world's diamond capital. While some of the stolen diamonds were found in an escape vehicle immediately after the heist, the rest -- valued at $43 million -- remain unaccounted for. The suspects were caught when a vigilant police officer involved in a separate investigation overheard the heist being discussed during an intercepted telephone conversation. Police also discovered another link when one of the suspects allegedly admitted his involvement in the February 2005 robbery to undercover police. The Hague (AFP) - The Netherlands on Monday refused a request by Italy to take in 47 migrants stuck on board a Dutch-flagged rescue ship that Italian ports have refused to allow to dock. The Sea Watch 3 ship, run by a German NGO, rescued the mainly sub-Saharan African migrants off Libya more than a week ago and is currently sheltering from bad weather off Sicily. The Mediterranean nations of Italy and Malta have both refused to let the vessel dock. "Without a firm idea of an overall solution, the Netherlands will not take part in ad hoc measures for disembarkation" of the ship, Lennart Wegewijs, a spokesman for the Dutch Justice and Security Ministry, told AFP. Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has insisted Germany or the Netherlands take responsibility for the migrants, warning that he was considering legal action against the crew. German and Dutch authorities insist the problem should be solved within the wider context of an elusive EU migration deal that distinguishes between people in need of asylum, and economic migrants. The Dutch government said it was not its responsibility because the boat had acted "on its own initiative... It was up to the captain of Sea Watch 3 to find a nearby port to disembark the 47 migrants he had on board". EU rules task the country where migrants land with responsibility for dealing with asylum claims. "How is it possible that 47 people can pose such a threat to the entire European Union?" Red Cross President Francesco Rocca asked in a statement. "Saving lives must be the priority of all governments." Italy's official but independent authority for the protection of detainee rights decried the migrant's "illegal detention" since they were not allowed to disembark in Italy. The group said in a statement that Italy's action amounted to "depriving the rescued migrants of their freedom". In early January the EU reached a deal to share out migrants on board two ships, one of which was Sea Watch 3, between eight European countries. Story continues Migrants rescued by ships have frequently been left in limbo since Italy's anti-immigration government began turning them away last summer. Some 113,482 migrants crossed the Mediterranean to reach Europe last year, according to the UN refugee agency, which said 2,262 people lost their lives or went missing making the perilous journey. Europe has been wrestling with the issue since the migration crisis of 2015 when more than one million people arrived on its shores, many of them fleeing conflict in the Middle East. BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded in Syria's capital Damascus on Thursday causing damages but no casualties, state media said, the third such blast in a city under government control this week. State news agency SANA said the bomb hit the al-Adawi neighborhood just north of the central Old City district. A witness said the blast occurred near a hospital and security forces were examining a blown-up blue car in the street. A car bomb detonated in the coastal city of Latakia, near President Bashar al-Assad's ancestral village, killing one person and wounding 14 on Tuesday, state media reported. On Sunday, a bomb exploded near a highway at the edge of Damascus and authorities arrested one attacker. Syria's war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, forced more than half its pre-war population from their homes and dragged in global powers. Though Assad has regained control over most of Syria with Russian and Iranian help, attackers have struck in cities he controls with suicide blasts and car bombs. Latakia and central Damascus have stayed in the military's hands throughout Syria's eight years of war, avoiding the air strikes that battered other big cities. (Reporting by Ellen Francis; editing by John Stonestreet) Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian lawmakers on Monday began their last session before elections later this year in new temporary digs to make way for a huge renovation of parliament and other government buildings that will last a decade. The MPs moved out of the old Gothic Revival style parliament at the end of last year, and are set to debate and pass laws in an atrium specially-built in the courtyard of the nearby West Block. The Senate, meanwhile, has been moved into an old train station to the east, next to the Rideau Canal. They are scheduled to return to work at the end of February after a break. And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been moved into an office in West Block previously used by his father when he was justice minister and by his grandfather when he was fisheries minister. Started several years ago and expected to continue until at least 2029, the Can$3 billion (US$2.3 billion) parliamentary precinct renovation in downtown Ottawa also includes a new visitor center, the rehabilitation of several crumbling 19th century government buildings, as well as an updated Library of Parliament. West Block, which previously housed lawmakers' offices, was built in three stages from 1865 to 1910 and was last renovated 50 years ago. Its latest renovation work, which began in 2011 and ended this year, saw more than 200 masons working on the building daily, dismantling and rebuilding 28 chimneys and two spires, and removing, numbering and reinstalling half of the building's 140,000 stones (19,000 stones were replaced). Also, some 3,500 square meters of new copper roofing was installed, more than 1,350 windows were made-to-measure for the building, 2,900 tons of materials containing asbestos were removed, and 28 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of bedrock was blasted to create new underground levels below the new House of Commons. The work required the hiring of "thousands of building specialists, tradespeople and artisans from across Canada," said James Bridger, one of the many architects who worked on the project. Their collaborative process -- including earthquake proofing the old structures, laser cleaning original stones to vaporize dirt, and conserving statues, portraits and other decorative elements -- has rivaled "the finest-tuned symphony orchestra," he said in a statement. The new glass roof above the lower chamber is arguably its most interesting feature. It is supported by 20 steel columns that "rise up like giant trees," according to the architects. Opinion Policies Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. Topics are chosen via relevancy and interests of the members, which are then discussed by the Editorial Board in order to reach a general consensus concerning the topic or issue. Feedback policy If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). Those wanting to respond to editorials can also submit a letter to the editor through the Iowa State Daily website or by emailing the letter to Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith (sage.smith@iowastatedaily.com). Column Policy Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily. Columnists are unique because they have a specific writing day and only publish on those writing days. Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions. Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020 Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Brazilian mining giant Vale said Monday it was suspending dividend payments to shareholders and performance-related executive bonuses after a dam at one of its mines burst, killing dozens and leaving hundreds missing. Vale, the world's biggest iron-ore miner, has seen its reputation severely tarnished by the deadly accident, the second involving a company-owned mine in the southeast Brazilian state of Minas Gerais in just over three years. The decision to suspend payments follows an emergency board meeting on Sunday, officials said in a statement. It said Vale was also suspending stock buybacks. The news came hours before the Sao Paulo stock exchange opened. Trading in Vale shares was expected to be intense Monday as the market was closed for a holiday on Friday. However Vale shares lost eight percent in New York trading on Friday following news of the dam rupture. Brazilian authorities separately have frozen 11 billion reais -- around $3 billion -- in Vale assets in anticipation of compensation it will likely have to fork out. A tsunami of toxic mud broke through a dam at an iron-ore mine owned by Vale near the town of Brumadinho, in Minas Gerais, on January 25. The official toll from the disaster was 58 dead and 305 missing as of late Sunday. In 2015 a dam at another mine jointly owned by the company ruptured, killing 19 and causing what was considered the worst environmental disaster Brazil had seen. Vale and its partner BHP are still paying for that accident, with compensation and fines costing over $6 billion and lawsuits ongoing. The company is also mourning its lost personnel, as the overwhelming majority of those dead and missing in Friday's disaster were Vale employees. Many of the victims were eating lunch at the site when millions of tons of muddy sludge, a byproduct of mining, burst through the dam and engulfed the administrative area they were in. Emergency workers also found a company bus buried in the mud with bodies inside. Story continues - Profitable company - The dam that broke was built in 1976 and was in the process of being decommissioned. Vale said it had passed a structural safety inspection four months ago, which was confirmed by Tuev Sued, the German firm that carried it out. Vale, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, has a deep purse from which to pay fines, compensation and lawsuits resulting from the latest disaster. In 2017, based on the last full-year results available, the company made $5.5 billion in profits, on revenue of $34 billion. That net result was 38 percent higher than the previous year, evidence of a bounceback after a sharp commodities slump in 2015 that forced the company into cost-cutting. A mining specialist at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Jardim Wanderley, told AFP that there was "a tendency for companies, in that period of commodity prices falling, to cut safety and maintenance budgets." He said that, of the 450 dams in Minas Gerais state, "we have a relatively high number of dams that are doubtful or in inappropriate conditions." - 'Life matters most' - Vale is worth an overall $78.7 billion dollars, according to its market capitalization. That makes it the third-biggest miner in the world, behind BHP and Rio Tinto, both Anglo-Australian groups. Apart from iron-ore, which feeds China's appetite, Vale also mines nickel, copper and other metals. The company has a workforce of 76,500 worldwide and also operates hydroelectric plants, rail lines, ports and ships to get its products to market. Vale started out in Minas Gerais -- a major mining state, as its name declares in Portuguese -- in 1942 as a state-owned company called Companhia Vale do Rio Doce. It was privatized in 1997. On its corporate website Vale says it has a "passion for people and the planet." It says that "life matters most" and it apsires to "do what is right." Dubai (AFP) - A Bahraini court on Monday upheld a life sentence for opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman for spying for Gulf rival Qatar, a ruling his party slammed as "political revenge". Salman, who headed Al-Wefaq, a now-banned Shiite movement, was convicted by an appeals court in November in a decision rights groups called a travesty. The supreme court confirmed the verdict against Salman and two of his aides for "spying for a foreign state in order to... overthrow the government", according to a statement released by public prosecutor Osama al-Awfi. Bahrain in 2017 cut all ties with Qatar as part of a Saudi-led boycott in response to what Riyadh and its allies say are Doha's policies on Iran and Islamist groups. The kingdom -- a tiny archipelago, allied with the US and located between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran -- has been hit by waves of unrest since 2011, when security forces crushed Shiite-led protests demanding an elected prime minister. Hundreds of activists have since been jailed and some stripped of citizenship over what the government says is "terrorism" linked to Iran. Human rights groups have frequently said cases against activists in Bahrain -- men and women, religious and secular -- fail to meet the basic standards of fair trials. Ruled for more than two centuries by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty, Bahrain has a majority Shiite Muslim population, according to unofficial estimates contested by the government. - 'Complete farce' - Salman's opposition group, Al-Wefaq, was dissolved by court order in 2016. The cleric is currently serving a four-year sentence in a separate case on charges of "inciting hatred" in the kingdom. Al-Wefaq hit out at the verdict against Salman as "political revenge". "The majority of Bahrainis hold firm to the need to move from a tyrannical regime to a democracy," it said. The United States had urged Bahrain's high court not to overturn an earlier acquittal of Salman. But US President Donald Trump's administration has treaded lightly on criticizing Gulf Arab allies over human rights and responded carefully on Monday. Story continues The verdict "narrows the space for free expression and political activity, something historically protected under Bahrain's constitutional system," State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino tweeted. After taking office, Trump eased restrictions on arms sales to Bahrain, a vital link for Western militaries which is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet as well as a permanent British base. The European Union said the verdict "marks a further step against dissenting voices and undermines the residual chances for an inclusive political dialogue in the Kingdom of Bahrain." Amnesty International described the country's justice system as "a complete farce" and called on officials to release Salman and rescind a ban on the two main opposition groups. Amnesty and Human Rights Watch have categorised Salman and other jailed opposition leaders as prisoners of conscience. In addition to Al-Wefaq, the kingdom has banned the secular National Democratic Action Society, or Al-Waad, over allegations of links to terrorists. Both are denied representation in parliament. Bahraini activist Sayed Alwadaei, advocacy director for the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said Monday's verdict was "an insult to justice". - Aides sentenced in absentia - Salman's aides Ali al-Aswad and Hassan Sultan, who had been sentenced to life in absentia, also lost their appeals Monday. Both men are former members of parliament and reside outside Bahrain. Qatar has repeatedly denied accusations of conspiring against Bahrain with Salman. The Gulf diplomatic row is now in its second year. Doha has denied accusations it supports Iran and radical Islamist groups. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have banned their citizens from travel to Qatar. Bahraini authorities accuse Tehran of inciting anti-government rallies and have said jailed protesters have been trained in and armed by Iran, which denies the allegations. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi on Monday denounced the verdict and said Bahrain's authorities should "refrain from acts that could cause instability in their country". "We do not interfere in the internal affairs of Bahrain, but we have advised Bahraini officials that in order to guarantee their rule they need to recognise the rights of all the people," he said. In June, Bahrain amended its law on political rights, prohibiting leaders and members of dissolved political associations from running in legislative elections. The king last year signed off on a decree granting military courts the right to try civilians accused of "terrorism", a vague legal term. Ouagadougou (AFP) - At least four Burkinabe soldiers were killed Monday when gunmen raided a military base in the north, security sources said, a day after 10 people died in a separate attack in the same region. The pre-dawn attack saw heavily-armed gunmen ambush a base in Nassoumbou in Soum province, which flanks the Malian border, with one security source saying they used rockets. "Heavily-armed and unidentified individuals attacked the GFSN military base in Nassoumbou at around 4:00 am. Four members of the defence and security forces were killed and four others were injured," a security source told AFP. The GFSN is a military force which is engaged in anti-terror operations in Burkina Faso's restive north. "The attackers... arrived on motorbikes and also fired rockets at the base" which caught fire, a second security source told AFP, saying they fled towards the Malian border, which lies just 30 kilometres (18 miles) away. The Burkinabe army immediately requested backup from Barkhane, France's regional anti-jihadist force, which deployed a Mirage fighter jet from Niger and a Tiger attack helicopter from Mali, a diplomatic source said. The aerial support was confirmed by the French armed forces, with a Burkinabe security source saying it had allowed their troops to hunt down and kill an unspecified number of the attackers. The Nassoumbou base has been targeted a number of times with the worst attack in December 2016 when gunmen killed at least 12 soldiers. Monday's attack came just 36 hours after suspected jihadists raided Sikire, a village about 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the east, killing 10 people when they opened fire on local residents. And on January 11, gunmen attacked Gasseliki, another village in the area, where they opened fire on a market in broad daylight, killing 12 locals. Jihadist attacks began in northern Burkina Faso in 2015 but then spread to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin. Story continues The country is one of the poorest nations in the world and part of the vast Sahel region which is struggling with a bloody insurgency by Islamist extremists. The region turned into a hotbed of violent extremism and lawlessness after chaos engulfed Libya in 2011, followed by an Islamist insurgency in northern Mali. Most attacks in Burkina have been attributed to Ansarul Islam, a jihadist group which emerged near the Mali border in December 2016, and to the JNIM (the Group to Support Islam and Muslims), which has sworn allegiance to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. US sanctions Venezuelan state-owned oil company as Maduro seeks talks with Trump originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The Trump administration announced Monday it is sanctioning Venezuela's state-owned oil company, blocking $7 billion in assets and potentially costing the country $11 billion in oil revenues, according to National Security Adviser John Bolton. The move is meant to put the squeeze on President Nicolas Maduro after the U.S. recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president and has tried to force Maduro to exit after what the U.S. says is his political crackdown, consolidation of power, and corrupt mismanagement of the country. The sanctions block all U.S. persons or businesses from working with Venezuela's state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., known by the acronym PDVSA, and funds from any purchases of Venezuelan oil will now have to go into special accounts Maduro's government is blocked from accessing, according to the Treasury Department. Some licenses will be granted to continue work with PDVSA, including for Citgo -- the U.S. energy company that PDVSA owns -- but those revenues will be held in a blocked account, too, according to Mnuchin, who said Guaido should be given access to those funds. PHOTO:Venezuela's National Assembly head and self-proclaimed 'acting president' Juan Guaido, leaves after attending mass at the San Jose church in Caracas, Jan. 27, 2019. (Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images) That's a big boost to his fledgling self-declared government, and Mnuchin said these oil sanctions could be completely lifted once Guaido has full control of PDVSA: "When there is a recognition that the company is the property of, the rightful rulers, the rightful leaders, then indeed that money will be available to Guaido. We will be working with them on the money in the blocked account and whether that can be used for them." The move is sure to even further disrupt Maduro's government, which maintains the loyalty of Venezuela's military top brass but could be left unable to pay them. While a handful of military and diplomatic officials have sworn allegiance to Guaido in the last week, losing access to Venezuela's coffers could unleash a wave of defections. Story continues (MORE: Trump and Venezuela's Maduro set for showdown) Maduro seemed to be moving to reassert his authority on Monday, offering to meet with President Donald Trump for talks, according to his foreign minister Jorge Arreaza. In a news conference Monday, Arreaza asserted that the U.S. continues to have diplomatic relations with Maduro's government after recognizing Guaido, even reading some of the diplomatic notes the U.S. has sent and showing a photo of U.S. Charge d'Affaires Jimmy Story's meeting with the Vice Chancellor on Saturday. "Diplomatic relations are not simply about statements," he added, a dismissal of the U.S. recognition of Guaido. PHOTO: Picture of the entrance of the embassy of the United States in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 27, 2019. (Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images) The White House has not responded yet to that offer to meet. But Bolton painted a picture of weakening Maduro control on Monday, saying the U.S. knows through "numerous contacts on the ground" that the military's rank and file are "acutely aware of the desperate economic conditions in the country and we think they look for ways to support the National Assembly government." Even among the top brass, he said, there are high-level contacts between the general officers and the opposition -- including among those that posed with the Defense Minister last week as he reiterated his allegiance to Maduro: "What [the Maduro government] didn't know was how many of them were already talking to the National Assembly," he said of that photo-op. (MORE: Venezuela's Maduro eases stance on US diplomats, loses highest-ranking military attache to Guaido) A handful of senior Venezuelan military and diplomatic officials in the U.S. have already turned. Maduro said he would break diplomatic ties with the U.S. and close the country's embassy and consulates and ordered all diplomats home. But a handful instead defected to join Guaido's government, which has promised amnesty to anyone in the military who disavows Maduro and even floated it for Maduro himself. Col. Jose Luis Silva, the military attache at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, announced he was breaking with Maduro in an interview with the Miami Herald on Saturday, adding, "My message to all armed forces members, to everyone who carries a gun, is to please let's not attack the people. We are also part of the people, and we've had enough of supporting a government that has betrayed the most basic principles and sold itself to other countries." PHOTO: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro announces his is breaking off diplomatic ties with the United States during a gathering in Caracas on Jan. 23, 2019. (Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images) On Sunday, another senior official joined him -- the deputy chief of the Venezuelan consulate in Miami, Scarlet Salazar -- posting in a video online where she added, "This decision abides by my democratic principles and values as a career diplomatic officer serving Venezuela for more than 18 uninterrupted years." The U.S. has maintained its own diplomatic presence in the country, even after Maduro said he would give U.S. diplomats 72 hours to leave. The State Department ordered the evacuation of non-emergency staff and families out of concern for their safety, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. would not obey the full order because Maduro was the "former" president and his commands were "illegitimate." He left behind a small crew of 25 or so employees, including Charge d'Affaires Story. PHOTO: Elliott Abrams, left, listens to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talk about Venezuela at the State Department in Washington D.C., Jan. 25, 2019. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) That set up a showdown by Sunday morning, with Bolton threatening action: "Any violence and intimidation against U.S. diplomatic personnel, Venezuela's democratic leader, Juan Guiado, or the National Assembly itself would represent a grave assault on the rule of law and will be met with a significant response," he tweeted. But Maduro backed down, suspending his order and giving the U.S. 30 days to negotiate or withdraw its remaining personnel. Arreazza added Monday that all Venezuelan diplomats had left the U.S. and the U.S. should also respect the 30-day deadline, too. The State Department also announced another staffing change Friday, bringing on Elliott Abrams as a special envoy for Venezuela. Abrams was an Assistant Secretary of State under President Reagan and a Deputy National Security Adviser to President George W. Bush, making him a controversial choice for his role in Reagan's support for Latin American dictatorships, his cover-up of the Iran-Contra affair, and his support for the Iraq War. Abrams pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors for withholding evidence to Congress, but was later pardoned by George H.W. Bush. ABC News's Davi Merchan contributed to this report from Cucuta, Colombia. Snow pounds Midwest as region braces for coldest temperatures in decades originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A snowstorm is pounding the Midwest Monday as the Midwest and Northeast brace for brutally cold temperatures this week. The Midwest may see its coldest air since the mid-1990s early Wednesday. In Minnesota, wind chills could be as low as minus 35 degrees Monday night and as low as minus 65 degrees Tuesday into Thursday morning, the National Weather Service warned. PHOTO: Adam Fischer shovels out his vehicle to go to work, Jan. 28, 2019, in Rochester, Minn. (Joe Ahlquist/The Rochester Post-Bulletin via AP) PHOTO: A city worker plows a sidewalk in Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 28, 2019. (Neil Blake/The Grand Rapids Press via AP) This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. A snow emergency All Minneapolis public schools were closed Monday and the city has declared a snow emergency due to the heavy snow pounding the area. There were over 100 car crashes in Minnesota Monday morning, the state patrol said. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The storm moved east throughout the day, from Minnesota to Wisconsin, where a state of emergency was declared. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The snow then moved on to a chilly Chicago. Over 1,000 flights were canceled at Chicago's airports Monday as the snow hit. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. A dramatic rescue The weather dangers had hit the Midwest even before the snowstorm. This weekend, Chicago police officers rescued a man and his dog from a frozen Lake Michigan. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The snow forecast The same storm will head south and is set to bring slippery roads to Atlanta and Birmingham Tuesday morning. Overnight Monday into Tuesday rain will change to an icy mix and snow even as far south as Mississippi and Louisiana when temperatures dip below freezing. City government offices in Atlanta will be closed Tuesday, the mayor said. (MORE: How to stay safe in the cold as frigid temperatures hit) By Tuesday night the storm will move across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with rain changing to snow from North Carolina to Maine. Six to 12 inches of snow could hit parts of the interior Northeast before the storm leaves Wednesday morning. New York City, Washington and Boston will likely just see rain. (MORE: What you need to know about winter storms) Brutal cold PHOTO: People are bundled up against the cold in downtown Chicago, Jan. 27, 2019. (Nam Y. Huh/AP) Following that winter storm, extremely dangerous cold weather is headed to the Midwest and Northeast. Story continues Several daily record lows are expected to be broken in the Midwest on Wednesday morning, where temperatures may be the lowest in over 20 years. Winds chills are forecast to plummet Wednesday to minus 51 in Minneapolis, minus 47 degrees Chicago, minus 32 in Detroit and minus 43 in Des Moines. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. That cold air is likely to spread into the Gulf Coast and East Coast, where the wind chill in Atlanta may reach 16 degrees and New York City's wind chill may be just 1 degree. Dangerous cold set to follow clipper system moving through Midwest originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The National Weather Service has already issued alerts ahead of a clipper system -- a fast-moving blast of snow, ice and rain originating in central Canada -- that will move into the Midwest on Sunday afternoon. Conditions are expected to be rather windy Sunday from Montana to Nebraska, with gusts in excess of 60 mph. Snow that is already on the ground will be picked up by the gusty winds, and visibility can be drastically reduced. The disturbance moves into the Midwest on Sunday afternoon with snow expected to fall by the time the low reaches the eastern part of the Dakotas. Winter weather alerts have been issued from the Northern Plains east to Michigan. PHOTO: The clipper system will be in the Northern Plains by late Sunday night. (ABC News) Cold air behind the low, and moisture being wrapped into the system, will bring the heaviest areas of snow from southeastern North Dakota to northeastern Iowa late Sunday. PHOTO: The Chicago area will see snow on Monday afternoon. (ABC News) The Chicago metro area will be in the bull's-eye of the clipper system Monday morning into early afternoon. Areas south and southeast of Chicago have a greater chance of seeing rain or a wintry mix, however, snow is possible into Missouri. PHOTO: The clipper system will move into the Northeast on Tuesday, with snow inland and rain and an icy mix on the coast. (ABC News) The storm will race eastward and impact the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic by Tuesday night. For coastal areas and the New York metro area, rain will dominate at first. As the cold front passes through Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, precipitation is expected to change over to snow. While accumulation amounts will likely be very low for the New York City area, the rain and then snow Wednesday morning could make for a sloppy and potentially hazardous commute. PHOTO: Snowfall totals will be 6 to 12 inches in northern Michigan, northern New York and northern New England, with lesser totals farther south and closer to the coast. (ABC News) Forecasts show a relatively thin amount of excessive snow accumulation in the storms wake. Southern Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as upstate New York and northern New England will see the greatest snowfall -- about 6 to 12 inches with locally higher amounts possible. There will be little accumulation along the coast. Story continues Dangerous cold follows snow PHOTO: Behind the clipper system, brutal cold temperatures will move into the Northern Plains on Monday. (ABC News) A dip in the jet stream associated with the passage of the clipper system will bring extremely cold air from the Arctic south into the Midwest. The air mass will begin to drop temperatures immediately in the wake of the clipper, but its full effect will not be felt until midweek. PHOTO: Wind chills on Tuesday morning will be minus 14 in Chicago and minus 30 or lower in Minneapolis, Minn., and Des Moines, Iowa. (ABC News) By Wednesday, wind chill temperatures will reach unprecedentedly low levels: minus 60 in Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota, and 50 below in Chicago. Record breaking high and low temperatures are possible. The temperature in Chicago on Wednesday is minus 11, and the low is minus 20. If this occurs, it will smash the previous records for Jan. 30 of 3 degrees and minus 15, respectively. PHOTO: Record-low temperatures are possible on Wednesday in the Northern Plains and Midwest with minus 60 wind chill readings possible in Minneapolis, Minn., and Des Moines, Iowa. (ABC News) The all-time record low temperature in Chicago was minus 27 on Jan. 20, 1985. There is an outside chance this will be broken. These temperatures will be the coldest that the region has seen in decades. Everyone should exercise caution when heading outdoors, and they should prepare their homes and cars for such brutally cold conditions. 60 dead, nearly 300 missing after dam collapse in Brazil originally appeared on abcnews.go.com At least 60 people are dead and at least 292 people have been reported missing after a dam collapsed in Brazil on Friday. Eight of the 58 bodies have been identified, a spokesperson for the southeastern state of Minas Gerais said Sunday. There are still 305 people missing as a torrent of water and mud slammed into Brumadinho, in southeastern Brazil. More than 260 Vale mining company employees are among the missing, a spokesperson said on Saturday. It's unclear how many have since been rescued. Vale, the company that operates the dam, is the country's largest mining company, according to The Associated Press. Vale employees were eating lunch on Friday afternoon when the dam collapsed. PHOTO: Rescuers search for victims after the collapse of a dam, which belonged to Brazil's giant mining company Vale, near the town of Brumadinho in southeastern Brazil, Jan. 25, 2019. (Douglas Magno/AFP/Getty Images) PHOTO: An aerial view shows destroyed vehicles and wagons after a dam collapsed in Brumadinho, Brazil, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (AP) (MORE: Venezuela's Maduro eases stance on US diplomats, loses highest-ranking military attache to Guaido) A spokesperson for firefighters in Brazils Minas Gerais state said Monday that 192 people have been rescued so far. Twenty-three people have been hospitalized, a spokesperson said. PHOTO: Cattle are covered by mining debris after a mine collapsed near Brumadinho, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. (Leo Drumond/Nitro via AP) PHOTO: Men walk near damage caused by the breakage of a dam containing mineral waste from Vale, the world's largest iron producer, in Brumadinho, municipality of Minas Gerais, Brazil, Jan. 25, 2019. (Paulo Fonseca/EPA via Shutterstock) (MORE: Heres how Venezuela reached its economic and political breaking point) Rescuers have been digging through mud to find survivors. "Part of the Vila Ferteco community has also been affected," the mining company said in a statement. "Rescue and care of the wounded is being carried out on site by the Fire Department and Civil Defense. There is still no confirmation as to the cause of the accident. "The top priority of the company right now is to support the rescue efforts and to help preserve and protect the lives of direct employees, third-party employees and local communities," the statement added. PHOTO: A helicopter flies over an area where a dam owned by Brazilian miner Vale SA burst, in Brumadinho, Brazil, Jan. 25, 2019. (Washington Alves/Reuters) PHOTO: A road is blocked after a dam collapsed near Brumadinho, Brazil, Jan. 25, 2019. (Leo Drumond/Nitro via AP) (MORE: In escalation of tensions, Trump recognizes Venezuela's opposition leader as head of government) Nineteen people were killed when the village of Bento Rodrigues, also in Minas Gerais, was destroyed when a dam owned by Samarco, a joint venture by Vale and another Brazilian company, collapsed in November 2015. In the wake of that collapse, Samarco has provided $4.4 billion in compensation to the region over the past three years, according to Vale's annual report. ABC News' Julia Jacobo and Meghan Keneally contributed to this report. Prior to her death, Fatima Ali, a fan-favorite contestant on Season 15 of Top Chef, penned an inspiring essay for Bon Appetit magazine. Ali died Friday from cancer at age 29. In 2017, Ali was diagnosed with Ewings sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects bone and soft tissue. After undergoing chemotherapy and surgery, she learned in September the cancer was back and terminal. In October, the chef wrote for the magazine about how she planned to spend her final months, so in honor of her memory, Bon Appetit has published an expanded version of her moving piece. Ali found her passion for food at an early age growing up in Pakistan. At 18, she moved to the United States, where she attended the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating in 2011, she settled in New York City, which worried her mother at first. Fatima Ali from Top Chef Season 15. (Photo: Tommy Garcia/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank) Watching me evolve gave my mom comfort and helped her understand that this was absolutely my calling, Ali remembered. So she finally let go and said, Look, just promise me that youll do your absolute best. And Ill be happy with that. And I said, OK. Thats a promise.' Thats exactly what she did, working seven-day weeks and 14-hour days for nine months at her first job at an Indian-Latin restaurant, where she was both a floor manager and the sous chef. Ali recalled the often less-than-glamorous parts of her early jobs in NYC. One time several cooks called out [sick] and then the person who was transporting the catering trays dropped them all onto the pedestrian walk at 45th Street and Lexington Avenue., in the middle of lunch rush, she said. We had to remake everything, with all the cooks missing. There were plenty of days like that. But you know what? It was amazing. Managing to get through a day like that and not only living to tell about it, but doing it again and again I think it really makes you understand what a human is capable of. Were so resilient. If I had to do it all again, I wouldnt change anything. Story continues Her resilience was tested two years ago when she was first diagnosed with cancer. Id had this weird ache in my shoulder for the past couple of months that Id been ignoring. You know, popping a couple of Advils, going to sleep, she wrote. But one day, in the middle of lunch, my shoulder swelled up and the pain was mounting literally by the minute. I had to go to the emergency room. Ali remained hospitalized for three weeks. Honestly, until your first chemo cycle, I dont think it really hits you. Then your hair starts falling out, and finally youre like, This is actually happening. This is the rest of my life,' she said. I did eight rounds of chemo. It was horrible, but at the end, my scans were all clear. I thought Id beaten it. Then it came back. Worse than before. It was metastatic. It had spread to my lungs. The doctors told me I had a year to live. When stressing about the unpleasant things like her newly dyed hair falling out she thought, You know what? Stop feeling sorry for yourself.' She added, Even now, it could be so much worse than it is. Im still very lucky to be able to do a lot of the things that I love. Ali continued: I decided not to spend whatever time I had left (whether its a year, a month, another 10 years you dont know until youre gone) lamenting all the things that werent right. Instead, Id make the most of it. Im using cancer as the excuse I needed to actually go and get things done, and the more people I share those thoughts with, the more I hold myself to them. If I write this intention down, if I have it printed somewhere like I do here, I have to hold myself responsible, because I have people counting on me. What is my intention? To live my life, she said. To fulfill all those genuine dreams I have. That meant spending time with loved ones and eating at all the best restaurants as possible. My brother and I were talking the other day, and he made an interesting point. He was like, As chefs, you guys deal with death every day. And hes right, she noted. When youre a chef, you understand the circle of life. Were butchering rabbits, whole hogs and baby lambs; were filleting fish and cleaning shrimp. All these things have died for us. I suppose you have to see it as the natural progress of life. Perhaps Ive had to face it a little bit sooner than expected, but its not an unfamiliar feeling. There are days that Im exceptionally afraid. There are days I sit alone and cry, because I dont want to do it in front of my family, Ali said. And there are other days that we all sit down and cry together, because it is such a scary thing. But at the same time, you cant let that fear cripple you. Its harder being miserable than it is to be happy. A version of this essay will run in Bon Appetits March print edition. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: The 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were filled with memorable moments, many of which were centered around the social and political progress of Hollywood. The show opened with thunderous applause for The Cosby Show actor Geoffrey Owens. Owens had a recurring role on the popular 80s sitcom but has since struggled to find acting work. In 2018 he made headlines when he was publicly shamed for working at a Trader Joes. During the award ceremony, Owens said, Somewhere in the middle of the road of my life, I found myself in the dark wood of unemployment and debt, but instead of switching careers like a sane person, I took a job at a local Trader Joes to see if I could hang in there with my career, and its actually worked out pretty well. Patricia Arquette, who won for her performance in Escape at Dannemora, gave a special shout-out to a special counsel when during her acceptance speech she said, Thank you, Robert Mueller, and everyone working to make sure that we have sovereignty for the United States of America. One of the most rousing moments of the night came at the end of the show when the cast of Black Panther received the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Chadwick Boseman spoke on behalf of the ensemble and discussed the impact of the film on black actors. We know what its like to be the tail and not the head. We know what its like to be beneath and not above. And that is what we went to work with every day, said Boseman. Boseman lamented that there have not been enough films and stages where black actors are featured. But he hopes the success of Black Panther changes that. So to answer a question that he is often asked, Has it actually changed the way this industry works? Bosemans reply was met with a huge applause when he said, My answer to that is, to be young, gifted and black. One thing I do know, Did it change the industry? I know you cant have a Black Panther now without a two on it. Story continues The Screen Actors Guild Awards aired Sunday at 8 p.m. on TBS. Watch as Mariah Carey drops by Lip Sync Battle and calls out Jermaine Dupri: Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Meghan McCain is still a Republican, thank you very much. An interview the co-host of The View did on Saturdays The Van Jones Show led to headlines about why she doesnt call herself a Republican anymore. She has since dubbed the chatter ridiculous and clarified on Twitter, I stated very clearly I am a member of the party, and vote on the republican ticket but that I put my conservative principles and worldview above all else. I was trying to explain the difference between Trump populists and classic Regan Republican. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. During the interview, McCain said she is still a member of the Republican Party, and I vote a Republican ticket. However, she added, Republicanism is so tied up with being for Trump. John McCains daughter said shes not a Never Trumper (Trump didnt melt my brain. I can still see the forest for the trees, and it didnt expunge all my conservative principles out of me), but that the party under Trump is not what I recognize anymore. Its character seems to be gone. Growing up, my father was, like, militant about character. Now it seems like lying is OK. Stealing, its a little nebulous. I dont think those are American characteristics. And it scares me a lot. But that doesnt mean shes switching sides. Im not a liberal and I think it would be intellectually dishonest for me to go on TV and start espousing beliefs I dont believe in, she added. McCain also talked about Trumps proposed border wall and tried to make a case for why not everyone who wants it is racist. Sometimes I feel like when I hear, Anyone who supports the wall is racist, its a trigger for me because I know people who are not racist who support the wall, she said. She added that she tries to get people to see how it might be for someone from Arizona who has seen the impact of illegal immigration. Yes, Meghan McCain is still a Republican. (Photo: Getty Images) And she dislikes the belief that all Republicans are racist. Of all the things Ive ever been accused of, [that] is the most deeply hurtful. There was a very famous political moment in 2000 when my father was running [for the Republican presidential nomination] when Karl Rove had a whisper campaign done saying my father had an illegitimate black child, who is my sister Bridget. Bridget McCain was adopted from Bangladesh. So at a very young age, I had to reconcile [Republicanism and race], she said. Story continues As for McCains tenure on The View, she said its up when its up. Im just here to ask questions, to represent where I come from, to represent my party, she said. Im here to represent my family. If people dont like it, they can replace me. The View is a rotating seat its like having a residency in Vegas. Reactions to McCains tweet clarifying her political party really run the gamut. For each one like this This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. theres one like this: This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. It was a busy weekend for McCain, who also appeared on ABCs This Week and admitted that she had underestimated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I was one of the people that was saying that Nancy Pelosi was not the right speaker going forward, that they needed leadership change, she said. Im here saying I was wrong, I completely underestimated how powerful and how strong she is. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Here are the unofficial results of the June 2 primaries. The candidates will go head to head in the November elections. ABB Hungarys country managing director Taira-Julia Lammi won the BBJ Expat CEO of the Year award at the fifth annual Expat CEO Gala, held at the Corinthia Hotel Budapest on Friday night, with Kannan Prabhakar receiving the HIPA Partnership award. The gala dinner featured Hungarys creme de la creme of expat company heads, and a number of distinguished guests, such as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Levente Magyar, and Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency head Robert Esik. U.S. Ambassador David Cornstein was one of five ambassadors attending, along with the representatives of Austria, Germany, France and Poland. At the beginning of the night, Levente Magyar lauded the effect of investors in Hungary, saying "Thank you for all the work you put in the country; without you the state of the economy would not be in the position it is in right now." Head of Apollo Tyres Hungary Kannan Prabhakar thanked HIPA for being a "helping hand" and praised his companys performance in Hungary as being "much better than expected" when he received the award. After the main courses were served, the galas main event started, with a screening of short videos of the five candidates for the Expat CEO of the Year award. In addition to eventual winner Lammi, the other short-listed candidates were: BASF Hungary managing director Thomas Narbeshuber; Blackrock Budapest Head Melanie Seymour; Citi Central Europe CEO Kevin A. Murray; and Tata Consultancy Services Hungary Branch managing director Prabal Datta. The winner was selected by a professional jury of five just 30 minutes before the gala. The panel consisted of BBJ CEO Balazs Roman, American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary CEO Irisz Lippai-Nagy, HIPA president Robert Esik, German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce President Dale A. Martin, and last years Expat CEO of the Year Marc de Bastos Eckstein. In her acceptance speech, Lammi praised the milieu of the gala, noting that she felt as if she was "at the Oscars". She thanked her colleagues at ABB for their work, but noted that her family was one of the most important factors in her success. "One needs to have a good and secure home base as well," Lammi said. Regarding Hungary, she noted the the country "is riding the positive wave of the energy revolution and the fourth industrial revolution". Lammi is the first woman, and the first person from Finland, to win the BBJ Expat CEO of the Year award. Photo: BBJ Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto opened a tourism event promoting Hungary on the sidelines of the New York Times Travel Show in New York on Saturday. In his opening address, the minister praised Budapest as Europes safest city and one with the most sporting events. Szijjarto had talks with his Belgian counterpart Didier Reynders and said after the meeting that they had conflicting views concerning Europes future and migration. Belgium interprets solidarity exclusively as accommodating migrants while the Hungarian position is that border protection is a form of solidarity because that considerably eases the burden on other countries, he said. Parties at the talks, however, agreed that such differences should not hinder bilateral business ties, Szijjarto said, and added that the turnover of bilateral trade last year had been nearly 4 billion euros, up by 14% from the previous year. Szijjarto and Reynders, who will run for the post of Council of Europe secretary general, also agreed that the CoE should continue to ensure opportunities for dialogue between various approaches in Europe and that the organisation should be retained as a forum for European dialogue, Szijjarto said. Szijjarto also had talks with Izumi Nakamitsu, the United Nations under-secretary-general for disarmament, and said that it was crucial that powers of the East and West should keep on their agenda issues around disarmament, especially in light of the breakdown in US-Russian disarmament talks. Supporting the UNs mechanism to restrict the trade of light weapons is of key importance to Hungary because that could be instrumental in stemming the smuggling of such weapons from the Western Balkans, Szijjarto added. MTI Photo: KKM Lawmakers and the heads of Hungarian cultural institutes marked the centenary of Hungarian poet Endre Adys death at his tomb in Budapests Fiume Street Cemetery. Laszlo L. Simon, the deputy head of parliaments committee for cultural affairs, laid a wreath at the tomb and said that the elementary force of Adys poetry is an example for later generations. The year 2019 has been declared an Ady memorial year. The Socialist party held a commemoration at the poets statue in Budapest. Party head Bertalan Toth said that next to his poetry, Ady was also a notable journalist who tackled issues such as corruption or hate-mongering against Jews. Istvan Hiller, the Socialist deputy house speaker, said that Ady has pointed to the failings of the Hungarian nation and state and saw the future in a European Hungary. Other commemorations of the poet, who died on January 27, 1919, included a literary walk guiding participants along the capitals Ady memorial sites, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences memorial evening, exhibitions and TV broadcasts. MTI Photo: Monus Marton FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2018 file photo, a monarch butterfly rests on a flower in Urbandale, Iowa. Something catastrophically wrong happened in 2018 to monarch butterflies. Idaho wildlife biologist Ross Winton spent years working with monarch butterflies. With the help of volunteers, he would carefully put a tiny tag the size of a paper hole punch on about 30 to 50 of the iconic insects each summer in the Magic Valley. Then during the summer of 2018 he could only find two to tag. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File Clarksburg, WV (26301) Today Thunderstorms during the morning will give way to partly cloudy skies this afternoon. High 88F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. eu-juncker-320x215 DAC6 was designed to insulate the common reporting standard (CRS) against new avoidance schemes designed to get around its requirements. The rollout of mandatory disclosure rules (MDRs) across the EU member states means financial institutions will have to compile a two-year backlog of transactional data in time for the first reports on July 1 2020. One tax director at a UK-based multinational bank stressed the onus this places on the financial sector. Its very diplomatic to say retrospective reporting is potentially challenging, the tax director said. Its absurd. You need to have a list of transactions now that youll be ready to report in a year, they said at a banking taxation seminar held by Hansuke Consulting. DAC6 was drafted without any clarity at the national level and were going to see 28 countries go ahead with this. Tax advisors, accountants and lawyers must disclose potentially aggressive schemes to the tax authorities under the rules. These intermediaries, as well as financial institutions, have to make the disclosure within 30 days of providing, directly or by means of other persons, aid, assistance or advice. Your conduct could get you into trouble if you dont understand these rules, the director warned. Your clients might be trying to get around this stuff, even while youre trying to comply. EU member states will then be required to exchange the information they receive through a centralised database every three months. Every EU government has to transpose the rules into national law by December 31 2019, but documents dated as far back as June 25 2018 have to be reported. Those affected are trying to ensure they have the required information for the past six months prepared and have a structure in place to collate data from now on. Fortunately, the impact on banks classed as intermediaries will be much less significant than advisory firms because tax advice is just one area of financial services. Banks will only have to supply governments with transactional information that falls within scope. Open to interpretation The problem is that the rules are supposed to restrict aggressive tax planning, yet the rules dont apply a strict definition and instead rely on very broad hallmarks, such as an effective tax rate of zero or near 0%. This leaves a lot open to interpretation. One accountant at a European bank suggested DAC6 repeats old mistakes. People outside the tax world conflate tax avoidance with tax evasion and aggressive tax planning, they said. Separating everyday tax reliefs from more questionable practices may be crucial for developing a serious anti-avoidance framework. A lack of clarity over these distinctions creates problems for tax authorities, as well as taxpayers. Sometimes politicians do it deliberately because they want to make out that its all on the same spectrum. But its just not, the accountant said. We have zero tolerance for tax evasion, they stressed. That means we want zero risk from clients on our books and zero risk from our people helping them. Governments have done themselves no favours by making tax regimes so complex, the tax director said. Simplicity should be the cornerstone of any tax regime. The hallmarks make it an almost catch-all approach to tax planning and cross-border transactions. The subjectivity of what counts as aggressive tax planning means a lot of ordinary arrangements may come under scrutiny. This could drive a series of changes to how businesses operate. Its not that we dont want to cooperate and its not that we dont understand this agenda, the accountant said. But it conflates a huge amount of issues and puts a huge onus on us. Theres this idea that banks know everything, they said. EU politicians make this claim all the time and Im not so optimistic we wont see more problems across Europe. The fine details of DAC6 are just one part of a shift going back several years. Tax professionals are facing more questions about the future of tax policy. The only certainty left is that there is more change to come. The changing face of accounting There are no signs of the pressure easing up any time in the near future. A part of this is due to the public perception of corporate tax avoidance and the role of banks in the 2008 economic crash. As a result, its much easier for politicians to raise the pressure on bankers and tax advisors. One head of tax at a US bank described uncertainty as the biggest challenge for financial services and singled out DAC6 as a major factor driving uncertainty. Many US banks have operations across the EU and may have to grapple with these changes too. We continue to see countries implementing new legislation on cross-border investments, as well as new legislation against tax avoidance and evasion, the head of tax said. On the other hand, the pressure is partly because of shifts in tax advice and financial planning, as well as the rise of new technologies. Financial services are the most technologically advanced areas of the global economy, second only to the high-tech sector itself. This may mean the two sectors will increasingly challenge the dominance of traditional accounting and law firms on tax advice. Some policy experts are predicting a sea change in the way businesses approach tax . I would predict that within the next 10 years we will see banks taking the place of many chartered accountants, alongside software houses, one UK tax policy specialist said. Banks are where all the money flows and where a lot of the business of tax and tax education can come from. Banks have always given HMRC [the UK tax authority] interest details, the details on interest payments from individual accounts, they added. Were going to see a much more direct relationship between banks and HMRC on tax accounts. As much as it may aggravate bankers and tax professionals, DAC6 will be a part of the new normal as the financial industry becomes more important in tax planning. An interconnected world means more transparency, and with it, more risk exposure. The material on this site is for financial institutions, professional investors and their professional advisers. It is for information only. Please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy before using the site. All material subject to strictly enforced copyright laws. 2021 Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. For help please see our FAQ. Share this article Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. If you have a subscription, please Log In . Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. If you believe you've gotten this message in error, please Log In. Senator Ben Murray Bruce representing Bayelsa East has called for the removal of President Muhammadu Buhari from office before he removes another popular Nigerian from office. This is in reaction to the on going g brewing controversies surrounding the suspension of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen from office by the presented. According to the lawmaker, while speaking via Twitter on Sunday, he likened the case of the president to that of late former head of state, Sani Abacha. He noted that Nigerian sat aloof and did nothing when Abacha killed and removed anyone in his way until the Sultan of Sokoto was removed. He notes further that, if President Buhari is not stopped he might one day remove either the Ooni of Ife, the Oba or the Obi. He wrote: We watched as Abacha killed and removing anyone who stood his way and we said we are not Yoruba or from Abiolas family. Then one day he removed the Sultan himself. If we dont stop Muhammad Buhari today, we dont know who he will remove next. It could be Sultan, Ooni, Emir, Oba or Obi. COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) - Two people were arrested and charged with aggravated assault after an argument led to gunfire. Columbus Police Chief Fred Shelton said it happened around 2 p.m. on Read Drive on the east side of the city. The two individuals started arguing about a social media post, Shelton said. No one was hurt. The names of the two victims will be released sometime this week. The United States intensified its coup operation against the Venezuelan government of Nicolas Maduro over the weekend as the European Union swung behind the US effort. Speaking on Saturday before the United Nations Security Council, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared, The regime of ex-president Nicolas Maduro is illegitimate. We therefore consider all of its declarations and actions illegitimate and invalid. Calling Venezuela an illegitimate mafia state, Pompeo addressed the governments of the world: Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or youre in league with Maduro and his mayhem. Also on Saturday, several European governmentsincluding France, Germany, Spain and the UKdelivered an ultimatum, declaring that they would recognize US-backed, self-declared president Juan Guaido unless Maduro called new elections within eight days. As expected, Maduro rejected the ultimatum. Throughout Sunday, Maduro visited military bases and tweeted videos of himself in military garb addressing troops and conducting exercises with the Army and Navy. To guarantee peace, we must prepare ourselves, Maduro said. In this world we respect the brave, the courageous, and we have to respect the Venezuelan nation with military power. He reiterated that the military would hold the countrys largest nationwide military exercises beginning February 10. At the same time, Maduro rescinded his previous threat to expel US diplomats in Venezuela, allowing Saturdays initial expulsion deadline to pass without incident. Maduro announced that he would let US diplomats stay for another 30 days. He indicated in an interview on Turkish CNN that he had sent Trump many messages and was interested in engaging in comprehensive dialogue. The US categorically rejected Maduros 30-day deadline in a statement yesterday that declared: We do not have any plans to close the embassy. While Guaido refused Maduros offers for talks, the US government is openly acknowledging its role in orchestrating the anti-Maduro coup. The Associated Press published a report Friday titled Anti-Maduro coalition grew from secret talks, which noted that the US-backed Guaido coalition came together over weeks of secret diplomacy that included whispered messages to activists. The AP reported that in mid-December, Guaido quietly traveled to Washington, Colombia and Brazil to brief officials on the oppositions strategy of mass demonstrations. According to anonymous US officials, long sessions of encrypted text messages became the norm, and when the decision was made to launch the coup, it was Guaio and his far-right supporters who were chosen to lead the coup. Some moderate factions were left in the dark, the report said. Thus Guaido met with the three most reactionary government leaders in the Western hemisphereDonald Trump, Brazils fascistic President Jair Bolsonaro and Colombias far-right Ivan Duque Marquezand launched the coup with their support. In a Sunday interview with the Washington Post, Guaido said the opposition was engaged in negotiations with the Venezuelan military, encouraging them to switch sides and support the US-backed efforts to remove Maduro. We have been in talks with government officials, civilian and military men, Guiado told the Post. This is a very delicate subject involving personal security. We are meeting with them, but discreetly. Guaidos interview with the Post took place after Reuters reported Saturday that Colonel Jose Luis Silva, a top Venezuelan military envoy at the countrys embassy in the US, publicly broke with Maduro and posted a video calling for his fellow military officers to support the US-backed opposition. Today I speak to the people of Venezuela, and especially to my brothers in the armed forces of the nation, to recognize President Juan Guaido as the only legitimate president, Silva said in a video recorded in his office in Venezuelas embassy in Washington. Since Maduro pulled back from threats to physically remove US diplomats from the embassy, the Trump administration has found a new potential provocation for direct military intervention. According to Guaido, the US, through the opposition, may soon seek to deliver $20 million in promised food aid in order to force Maduro to choose between allowing the food to enter the countrythereby acknowledging the legitimacy of the Guaido governmentor rejecting the aid and allowing Guaido, the US and European powers to denounce Maduro for spreading hunger and disease, as the Post put it. Speaking last night, Guaido announced new demonstrations set for Wednesday and ordered Venezuelan soldiers not to fire on protestors. Some 30 people have died in demonstrations in recent days. There is a concern in the US-backed opposition that a protracted period of instability will incite the Venezuelan working class to take independent action. According to a January report from the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict (OVCS), there were 12,715 anti-government demonstrations over the course of 2018, or 35 per day. The OVCS reports that only 11 percent of the demonstrations were led by the upper-middle class. A full 89 percent of the protests occurred based on demands for economic rights largely in the working class neighborhoods. The OVCS report notes that the lack of social services also played a protagonistic role as one of the motives for the growth of protests in 2018. In fact, 3,716 protests were for this reason: 1,731 for lack of gas in homes, 1,138 for lack of access to water and 847 for lack of electricity. Just days before the January 23 opposition-led demonstration, Venezuelan teachers initiated a one-day national strike, which received widespread support among teachers and workers across the country. On January 17, tens of thousands of teachers poured out into the streets, demanding massive raises and increases in spending for public education in what protesters called a day of dignity for teachers. Like their counterparts in France, Mexico, Argentina and the US, Venezuelan teachers initiated spontaneous demonstrations numbering in the thousands, with slogans such as The teacher who is fighting is also teaching. Though the Maduro government downplayed the significance of the strike, videos and photos from across the country show that participation was in the tens or hundreds of thousands. The Democratic Party in the US has lined up entirely behind Trumps coup. The AP report exposing secret talks between Guaido and the US noted: Just as impressive, [Trumps] tough-handed approach drew bipartisan support, with two of the Senates most senior Democrats, Dick Durbin and Bob Menendez, offering praise. On his show Friday, liberal media personality Bill Maher launched a colonialist rant, praising Trumps coup as a sign that the president is bucking his supposed Russian backers: Today, Venezuelathis is the front page of the New York Times Venezuela, okay, they have a guy, an opposition leader who finally stood up, and we are backing him. And Russia warned us to back off because theyre backing the dictator. This was the Monroe Doctrine! This is our backyard! And Russia is now telling us to back off of what goes on in Venezuela, because they know they can? Because theyre so emboldened? That doesnt bother you? Washingtons cynical claims to be defending democracy in Venezuela are belied by the fact that the Trump administration appointed Elliott Abrams to oversee the transition to democracy on Friday. Abrams was convicted of lying to federal investigators during the Iran-Contra scandal and was a prominent advocate of the use of death squads in Central America during the civil wars that ravaged the region in the 1980s. Over 300 people are missing and 58 confirmed dead after a dam belonging to the Brazilian-based mining multinational Vale in the town of Brumadinho, in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, burst on Friday, January 25, releasing 13 million cubic meters of iron ore tailings on farms, villages and the local environment. A sea of mud destroyed houses, dragged away cars and reached the Paraopeba River, responsible for one third of the water supply to the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, with some 5 million people, and about 50 other cities. There is the possibility that the mud in the Paraopeba River will reach the Sao Francisco River, the longest and one of the most important in Brazil, polluting 300 km of it that passes through four Brazilian states until it reaches the sea. The environmental impact of the disaster is incalculable. Thousands of people in the region have had to flee their homes because of the advancing sea of mud. The death toll could have been greater if the mud had reached the center of Brumadinho, but it did erase small villages in the rural area of the town. Most of the dead and missing are Vale employees and their families. Residents report that the mines warning sirens, which could have mitigated the disaster, did not work at the time of the accident. According to a resident who spoke to the daily O Estado de S. Paulo, a few months ago, [Vales] technicians were here in the town to give instructions on the siren. They said that in case of emergency, it would ring. But it was not like that. On Sunday morning, 350 people were evacuated from their homes by firefighters because of the risk of another dam burst at Vales mine in Brumadinho. By the afternoon, the risk of collapse of this dam had been dismissed by the civil defense. The causes of the tragedy are still unknown, and Vale said it had not detected any signs that the dam could burst. However, Minas Gerais prosecutor Guilherme de Sa Meneghin told O Estado de S. Paulo, This new burst is far from a surprise, and one can not speak of an accident: this model is subject to disaster. Built in 1976, the dam that burst is an upstream tailings dam, but, according to the prosecutor, there are today more modern technologies for treatment of tailings. Brazilian mining companies prefer to use the cheapest, most profitable, the most risky methods, he said. Until Sunday afternoon, two days after the dam burst, a Minas Gerais court had frozen 11 billion reais (US$ 2.9 billion) in Vales accounts for emergency measures and repair of environmental damage. In addition, Brazils environmental agency, Ibama, fined Vale 250 million reais (US$ 66 million). However, these figures are a fraction of the profits of one of the largest mining companies in the worldand the largest for iron orewhich in 2017 reached 22 billion reais (US$ 5.8 billion dollars). The population of Brumadinho and all of Brazil reacted to the tragedy with anger and revulsion. You [Vale] are killing Minas Gerais. WE HAVE NOT FORGETTEN MARIANA. MINAS REMEMBERS IT, a local resident wrote on social media. Irresponsible, criminal company, how much more blood will you spill? another resident wrote. What happened in Brumadinho today was not an environmental accident, it was a crime. Environmental disaster is an earthquake, a tsunami ... Irresponsibility of Vale and of the justice system that did nothing in 2015, another wrote on social media. The tragedy in Brumadinho comes three years after Brazils previous greatest environmental disaster. In November 2015, a Samarco dam, a joint venture between Vale and the Anglo-Australian BHP Billiton, burst and released more than 39 million cubic meters of iron ore tailings on the Bento Rodrigues district, in the city of Mariana, also in Minas Gerais. Eighty percent of the district of 600 inhabitants was buried by the mud, leading to the deaths of 19 people. In Bento Rodrigues, there was no type of warning system for residents, and Samarco did not give any guidance to the residents in case of an accident, according to the daily O Globo. The mud released by the dam burst in Mariana reached the Doce River, killing 11 million tons of fish and affecting the water supply of 39 cities in the states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo, with a combined population of at least 500,000 people. It is expected that the recovery of the river will take dozens of years, if it is really able to recover at all. Eighteen days after the dam burst, the mud in the Doce River reached the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo, 650 km away from the accident, advancing along many kilometers of the coastline, affecting the marine life, fishing and local tourism. To this day, no one has been held responsible or convicted of any crime for this human and environmental tragedy in Mariana. Ibama also fined Samarco 250 million reais (US$ 66 million) and the joint venture has paid 1.3 billion reais in compensation to the local residents, but the construction of a new district has been delayed and is expected to be ready only next year. In addition to Samarco being charged with nine environmental crimes, 21 of its employees were charged with murder. After assuming the presidency of Vale in 2017 with the slogan Mariana never again, Fabio Schvartsman apologized for the tragedy. After the tragedy in Mariana, there was an attempt to pass a bill in the the state Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais on dam security that would have toughened inspections and levied harsher punishments on the mining companies. State deputy Rogerio Correa (PT), told Folha, there was pressure from the [mining] companies, so that the law was not approved. Last December, Vale had obtained a license from the Minas Gerais government to increase by 88 percent the productive capacity of the Corrego do Feijao Mine, where the dam burst. According to O Globo, the expansion project had its analysis procedures shortened, with the previous licenses, installation and operation evaluated at the same time. Normally, these licenses are approved individually. After the disaster, the Minas Gerais government suspended Vales activities at the mine. In Minas Gerais alone, the Brazilian state with the largest iron ore production, there are at least 400 tailings dams, 37 of them without guaranteed structural stability, according to the Association of Environmental Observers of Minas Gerais. In Brazil as a whole, there are 24,902 dams, 42 percent of which operate without any authorization or license, and only 3 percent of which were inspected in 2017. Of the 790 mining tailings dams, in 2017, only 263 were inspected, and 45 were found to be in precarious conditions. The Brumadinho dam which burst did not appear on this list. Despite such a lack of dam inspection in Brazil, the Brazilian Congress has been moving toward even greater deregulation. Since the disaster in Mariana, six bills that would make environmental licensing more flexible have been discussed. One of these bills, dubbed Samarcos Bill, proposed that the submission of an environmental impact study would already be sufficient for the execution of the constructionregardless of the results of the study, Folha reported. Of these bills, the most advanced in the Congress is a new environmental licensing law that relaxes and accelerates the environmental process and is supported by the rural caucus and the mining companies. In addition, the bill exempts new livestock and agricultural enterprises from the need for licensing. Bolsonaros agriculture minister, Tereza Cristina, herself a member of the rural caucus, said that the approval of the bill would be a very good thing for agriculture and livestock. With the coming to office of the Bolsonaro government, these bills diminishing environmental regulation are moving forward. Last December, Bolsonaro criticized what he called the environmental fine industry, adding that they are extortionate and that they hinder the execution of infrastructure construction. Bolsonaro has also criticized the Paris Agreement, and, before taking office, called for the cancellation of the UN Climate Conference in Brazil, preventing it from being held this year in the country. His foreign minister, Ernesto Araujo, has also criticized the scientific dogma of climate change, which, like Trump, he claims is the result of globalism designed to favor Chinas growth. As for Bolsonaros environment minister, Ricardo Salles, in his inaugural speech, he declared: We need speed, agility, stability and legal certainty [for environmental licensing]. Salles, who ran in Brazils October 2018 elections as a candidate for federal deputy for Sao Paulo with the slogan zero tolerance against the left and the MST [Landless Rural Workers Movement], but was not elected, is one of the nine ministers of Bolsonaro government being criminally investigated or charged in court. At the end of December, he was convicted of administrative impropriety when he was environmental secretary of Sao Paulo for altering the protection map of the Tiete River, the most important of the state, to benefit a mining company. On Saturday, January 26, the Sao Paulo prosecutors office asked a Brazilian court to order Salles to leave the environmental ministry because of his conviction. The author also recommends: Six dead, at least 21 missing in Brazilian mine disaster [11 November 2015] Students held a protest march and rally in Toronto Friday to oppose the gutting of the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) by the provinces right-wing Progressive Conservative government led by Premier Doug Ford. Around 2,000 students participated in the march, which began at Yonge-Dundas square at 2 p.m. and proceeded to the provincial legislature at Queens Park. The Ford governments cuts, announced January 17 by Minister for Training, Colleges, and Universities Merrilee Fullerton, include the elimination of free tuition fees for low income students and the abolition of a six-month grace period for students to start paying back their loans after graduation. The Tories also enforced a devastating 2 to 4 percent cut to university and college budgets through the back door by cutting tuition fees by 10 percent for the 2019-20 academic year, while at the same time freezing provincial grants to colleges and universities. A World Socialist Web Site reporting team intervened at the rally to discuss the impact of the cuts on students and to advance a socialist program in opposition to the ruling class austerity drive. Dylan, a first-year business management student, told our reporters why he thought so many students turned out to protest. A lot of us rely on OSAP for our funding, he said. I come from a family thats not rich, we are all average, so the fact that Doug Ford did this just sucks. I feel like this isnt something that should be happening to students. Moses, a visual arts student at Sheridan College, explained how the cuts would impact him. Im a part of this whole low-income student thing because of my family in general. Ive got nothing so I had to depend on OSAP just to get on with school, he said. My dad used to work down the street from here at Sun Life Financial. He worked there for almost 30 years, until new management came along and started doing a process of elimination. He went to work one day and his E-card just didnt work, only to find out a week later that theyre like yeah, were dropping you. My mom was in retirement for about 20 years because she had a work accident and had to force herself to go back to work even with her injury. Im busting my butt, at the same time trying to find a part-time job. So for myself, Im doing this just for my family and mostly for everyone else who is out here. Its not right what Ford is doing hes screwing everyone over. He says that hes for the people, but, what are you really doing for the people? Just last week he increased the wages in his party and gave one of them a free house. A former student said, Im here to support students. Plus, I have outstanding student loans. I was thinking about going back to school but now thats at risk. How can I go back to school when I have this albatross of a loan over my head that the government could call in at any time? If that happens to me, Im utterly ruined, Id probably lose my apartment and have to move back in with my mother. You know, Id lose everything. Nicholas, a second-year history student, drew a parallel between the rise of the right-wing populist Ford and the far-right US President Donald Trump. I just feel that Ford is attacking regular Ontarians at so many levels, he added. So, we have to get out and protest for things that we cant afford to lose, like our grants for school. I was learning that the wealth gap is similar to what it was in the 1920s before unions and other gains, continued Nicholas. Capitalism should be toppled in my opinion. Chloe is a third-year physics student at McMaster University. I think its really damaging to our country and to future generations because fewer people will be able to go to university and get that education because of the cuts, she explained. I think that socialism would be more helpful to everyone than the way things are going right now. Alex, a business management student at Humber College, called for the protests to be broadened. These movements need to develop into organizing everyone that is going against the government, resisting what theyre doing, by occupying classrooms, going in front of Parliament every day and yelling at them, making sure that they never get a moment of peace, Alex stated. Asked his opinion about Canadas support for the Trump administrations regime change operation in Venezuela, Alex gave voice to the widespread opposition to Washington and Ottawas imperialist foreign policies. Everyone should just stay the hell out and let Venezuela do Venezuela, he exclaimed. Every time the United States sticks their finger into another country politically it just creates a bigger mess. If you look at Iraq, Iran, Korea was another big mess. People dont know a lot about Vietnam but that was a totally colonialist war that the Americans took part in. During all that time, they were saying we are against colonies but in fact they had other plans to oppress these people. Gary, a PhD candidate who also studies at McMaster, said, Im encouraged to see so many people here. I think its necessary. I think we all have an obligation not to just lay back and accept this. And I think we can take inspiration from students in Quebec in 2012 and show that theyre not the only provinces students that can show an active resistance to political decisions that we are upset by. Im hoping this is just the start of something big. In 2012, a quarter of a million students and their supporters took to the streets of Montreal and other towns and cities across Quebec to protest planned tuition fee hikes by the Quebec Liberal government. The protests drew widespread sympathy from young people across Canada and internationally, who saw in the protests an expression of mounting frustration at skyrocketing tuition costs and social inequality more generally. As the movement threatened to develop into an all-out struggle against the ruling elite, and with signs of growing support among the working class for the students, the trade unions intervened to quash and sell out the protesters. Quebecs unions, including the student associations, sabotaged the mass opposition to the Liberal governments criminalization of the strike, and advanced the slogan After the streets, to the ballot box! in order to mobilize support for the pro-big business Parti Quebecois in the 2012 provincial elections. Upon taking power thanks to the unions support, the PQ enforced the tuition fee hike and continued the imposition of vicious attacks on Quebec workers. The article distributed by WSWS reporters at Fridays demonstration stressed that while Ford was leading the current round of attacks, the cuts to student support are part of a broader austerity offensive by the entire ruling elite. It also noted the growth of working class opposition around the world, from the Yellow Vest protests in France to the mass strike by over 70,000 impoverished maquiladora workers on the southern US border in Matamoros, Mexico. It is to this growing movement of the Canadian and international working class that students in Ontario must turn, the article explained. Nothing will be gained by campus protests limited to appealing to Ford and Fullerton to retract their plans, or aimed at pressuring the pro-capitalist trade unions to fight, as advocated by the Canadian Federation of Students and pseudo-left groups like Fightback. A turn to the working class means fighting to develop an independent political movement of the working class in opposition to the trade unions, which for decades have suppressed and isolated working class resistance, while openly backing pro-austerity, and pro-war Liberal, NDP and Parti Quebecois (PQ) governments. Tens of thousands of teachers and other state public sector employees in Tamil Nadu remain on strike after walking out on January 22. An estimated 70 percent of primary and high schools have been impacted across the south Indian state. The long-running conflict with the state government is over a nine-point charter of demands, including decent pensions, wages and working conditions. The right-wing communalist All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-led state government has responded by arresting hundreds of strikers, including senior union officials, and threatened to dismiss or forcibly transfer anyone who does not return to work today. In 2003, the state government dismissed almost 200,000 teachers who walked out over pension cuts and attacks on other benefits and conditions. According to press reports, over 450 teachers have been suspended and face charges of unlawful assembly, public nuisance and other bogus allegations. Fourteen senior officials of the Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisations and Government Employees Organisations (JACTTO-GEO), which controls the industrial action, have also been suspended. The JACTTO-GEO called the strike in response to growing opposition by teachers and other state government employees to the regressive 2014 contributory pension scheme (CPS), which is listed on the stock market and taken from employees wages. Strikers want the previous government-funded pension system restored and are demanding payment of a 21-month-old wage rise recommended by the pay commission. They are also calling for equal pay for secondary school teachers in state government schools in line with their central government counterparts, and permanency for school teachers and anganwadi (day care centres) employees. The Tamil Nadu government has sent almost 1,000 teachers warning notices, citing a Madras High Court directive that they immediately end the strike. Any teacher that returns to work today will be told that if they sign an agreement not to participate in any future strike action they will not be subjected to any disciplinary action. The state government has also begun recruiting temporary teachers as strike breakers. The education department initially offered strike breakers 7,500 rupees ($US105) per month but increased this to 10,000 rupees on Friday because there was little response. In an 11-page media statement on Saturday, Minister for Fisheries and Personnel and Administrative Reforms D. Jayakumar, flatly rejected the strikers main demand. Tamil Nadu has done away with the old pension scheme due to an acute lack of funds the state has concluded that it would be impossible to repeal the new scheme. he declared. In a cynical attempt to pit the poor and other welfare recipients against the strikers, he claimed that the state government spends over 70 percent of all funds on salaries, pensions, administration and interest and only 29 percent on welfare. Jayakumar said the state government would have to borrow more money if it acceded to strikers unreasonable demands and that this would lead to increased taxes. Contrary to these claims, the AIADMK government, like its state counterparts and Indias Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP)-led government, provides multi-million dollar tax concessions and other benefits to foreign and local big business investors. The cost of these incentives is imposed on the working class and rural toilers through austerity measures and the destruction of government-funded pensions and other hard won social gains. Tamil Nadu teachers and government workers, who are part of a growing upsurge of the international working class, are determined to roll back the escalating government attacks on wages, conditions and rights. Their strike, however, remains in the hands of the union, which has isolated the industrial action and will shut it down and negotiate a sell-out deal at the first opportunity. The JACTTO-GEO leadership oppose the mobilisation of other sections of the Indian working class and are desperately appealing for talks. Together with the opposition Congressthe traditional party of Indian ruling elitethe Stalinist Communist Party (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India, and the regional capitalist parties, such as the DMK, they all defend Indian capitalism and its profit-driven requirements. Tamil Nadu teachers and state government workers must follow the example of 70,000 striking Matamoros maquiladora auto workers on the Mexico-US border, who established independent action committees and organised strike action for better wages and conditions in direct opposition to the existing unions. In order to take forward their struggle, Tamil Nadu teachers and government workers must make a political and organisational break from the unions, establish independent rank-and-file action committees and fight for the broadest mobilisation of workers on a socialist and internationalist program. Last years nine-day strike by Sri Lankan plantation workers demanding a doubling of their wages, and this months eight-day strike by garment workers in Bangladesh for higher pay, and the general strike by another 150 million Indian workers demonstrates the determination of South Asia workers to fight. The betrayal of all these struggles by the unions makes clear the necessity for workers to break from these pro-capitalist organisations. The author also recommends: Tamil Nadu sackings signal new offensive against Indian workers [3 September 2003] The political significance of Indias two-day general strike [12 January 2019] Appearing on Fox News Sunday, White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said President Trump would use emergency powers to build a wall on the US-Mexico border if Congress continued to block funding in budget talks soon to take place in a bipartisan congressional conference committee. The committee, consisting of top Appropriations Committee members of the House and Senate, from both big business parties, is to begin work shortly with a deadline of February 15, under the terms of a continuing resolution passed by the House and Senate by voice vote and signed into law by Trump Friday night, ending the partial shutdown of the federal government. The committee will review the overall budget of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), now topping $49 billion, to determine how much funding, if any, should be directed to the building of a fixed structure along the 243 miles of border, mainly in Texas, designated by the White House as its top priority for wall construction. That stretch of wall alone will cost $5.7 billion, according to DHS estimates. In his remarks Friday announcing that he was backing down on his refusal to sign a continuing resolution temporarily funding the government without the $5.7 billion in money for the border wall, Trump said that if Congress did not agree on the wall money by February 15, he would either force another government shutdown or declare a national emergency and use other government funds to build the wall. By Sunday morning, however, the White House seemed to have dropped the threat of a second shutdown in favor of the more politically incendiary step of declaring a national emergency, which would be the first time this was done by a president seeking to accomplish a policy objective in the face of congressional opposition. All previous emergencies have been declared in response to natural disasters, terrorist attacks or other military and foreign policy contingencies, but not because of political disagreements between the legislative and executive branches. Mulvaney, who is both the director of the Office of Management and Budget and acting chief of staff, said of funding for the border wall, Its still better to get it through legislation. Thats the right way to do it. Then he added, At the end of the day, the presidents commitment is to protect the nation, and hell do it either with or without Congress. Trump, blasted by ultra-right media pundits on Fox News and talk radio for his cave to the Democrats on the federal shutdown, seemed to be compensating with vitriolic tweets over the weekend. In one particularly hysterical declaration, he claimed that illegal immigration had cost the United States nearly $19 billion so far this year, and that the cost Friday alone was more than $600 million. He further claimed that there were at least 25,772,342 illegal aliens in the United States. Trump gave no source for any of these figures, which were derived either from fascistic social media sources or his own nightmarish imagination. The Democratic side of the conflict within the US ruling elite was dominated by effusive praise for Pelosis victory in the confrontation with the White House, celebrating her alleged toughness and expertise. The Washington Post, in its news columns, wrote that the federal shutdown ended with the House speaker winning an unmitigated victory and reviving her reputation as a legislative savant. The New York Times added that Pelosi solidified her position as a powerful leader of her caucus during the shutdown fight. One of the most gushing salutes to Pelosi came from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, who tweeted, I will tell you something most of the country probably already knows: @SpeakerPelosi does not mess around. But these tributes seemed mainly to serve as camouflage for efforts by congressional Democrats to devise a method of delivering wall funding to Trump without calling it by its right name. Speaking on Meet the Press, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a member of the House leadership team, said: Now, in the past, we have supported, as you know, enhanced fencing. And I think thats something thats reasonable that should be on the table. He added that Democrats wanted to make sure that theres a bill that comes to the floor thats evidence-based in terms of securing our borders. The most right-wing Democrat in the Senate, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, appearing on Face the Nation on CBS, reminded his audience that Senate Democrats had overwhelmingly supported $44 billion for border security in a 2013 immigration bill that was blocked by Republicans in the House of Representatives, a figure eight times as large as the $5.7 billion demanded by the Trump White House. There will be other factors at play during the three weeks of bipartisan talks on the border wall. Pelosi has indicated that Trumps State of the Union speech, once scheduled for January 29 but blocked by the Democrats because of the federal shutdown, would be the subject of further negotiations with the White House. It was not clear whether the speech would be postponed until after the February 15 deadline. The House Armed Services Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday, its first of the new congressional session, on the Trump administrations justification for deploying 5,000 US troops along the US-Mexico border. Committee Chair Adam Smith (D-Washington), said that one witness at the hearing will be Air Force General Terrence OShaughnessy, commander of the US Northern Command, who directs military operations within the continental United States. The Pentagon recently authorized the troop deployment along the border to continue through September 30, the end of the current fiscal year, but there is nothing for the soldiers to do since they are barred by the posse comitatus law from engaging in law enforcement activities, which includes the operations of the Customs and Border Protection agency. President Muhammadu Buhari was in a crucial meeting with controversial and outspoken Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, in his office at the presidential villa Abuja, earlier today. The highly opinionated priest was said to have called Buhari the change Nigerians need while he labelled Atiku the Bureau De Changer. His utterance at the presidential Villa today has triggered reactions from Nigerians. What they are saying: https://twitter.com/OsasCruz/status/1089936540401315842 Mbaka, a Catholic Church Reverend Father can take sides. D former Pastor Osinbajo can be the VP to a tyrant, but other men of God like Bishop Oyedepo cannot and must not be partisan or take sides. D hypocrisy & bofoonery in d APC camp is beyond redemption, led by GMB himself. https://t.co/q6Gxa6h0qa Ayo (@iamayogeorge) January 28, 2019 Father Mbaka just said your candidate is Bureau De Change, no wonder he's been crying for the expelled Bureau De Change CJN since the announcement Souljah (@jeffphilips1) January 28, 2019 On Saturday, the Mexican administration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) and his National Regeneration Movement (Morena) ordered state, city and trade-union officials to shut down the strike by tens of thousands of workers at roughly 40 maquiladora sweatshops owned by US and European capital at the border city of Matamoros. After the government sub-secretary of labor failed on Friday to force workers to end the strike via threats of unexpected consequences, the Lopez Obrador administration sent orders Saturday through Morena Senator Ricardo Monreal Avila, who leads the Senate Committee of Political Coordination (Jucopo), for the Tamaulipas state police to use violence to remove picketing workers and re-open the gates of the factories. The rebellion began with mass wildcat strikes on January 12 in defiance of the trade unions and government authorities. At that time, workers elected rank-and-file strike committees to demand a significant wage increase and a promised bonus. As it enters its third week, the strike of the maquiladora workers has reached a decisive crossroads. With tens of thousands of workers worldwide attentively following the coverage on the World Socialist Web Site and amid a resurgence of workers struggles internationally, the Matamoros workers are setting an example for the class struggle that is unacceptable in the eyes of the Mexican, US and international ruling class. The complete blackout of the strike for two weeks by the international media unmistakably reflects these fears. The Mexican government is threatening to use force, including by deploying patrols of Navy soldiers along the industrial parks, while companies continue to announce new plant closures and mass layoffs. As the wildcat strikes were expanding quickly through class-based appeals among fellow workers in the city and beyond, the political establishment sent labor lawyer Susana Prieto, who operates as a Morena activist in her home city of Ciudad Juarez, to wear down the independent initiative of workers and channel unrest behind futile appeals to Lopez Obrador and the same trade-union bureaucracy. On Sunday morning, however, a video was shared widely online showing both Villafuerte and the envoy of the national Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM) openly giving out the orders from the federal government and Senator Monreal telling Prieto on loudspeaker that the strike had to be finalized for the economy of the state and municipality not to collapse, all but acknowledging that the order came directly from Lopez Obrador. Workers have responded with anger toward the Morena administration and are issuing renewed calls to sideline the trade union from the struggle. There is also growing skepticism regarding the role played by Prieto. At this crossroads, workers in contact with the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter are calling on their fellow workers to make the crucial conclusion that continued pleas to the trade unions and Lopez Obrador (as suggested by Prieto) will end in disaster. In contrast, workers say all efforts should be made to appeal to the rest of the working class in Mexico and internationally. A Matamoros worker at the US-based conglomerate Tyco International stated, Im angry about what is happening and at the CTM. The federal government has disappointed me. They will want to break us apart. What I take from this is that we must keep holding on. Do you think a strike will begin in the US? I call on workers to carry out those strikes, he added, referring to the struggle by the US and Canadian autoworkers against plant closures and mass layoffs announced by GM. I lived on the other side of the border in the US and I had a very different perception of the US. I have ten years living in Mexico and my perception changed and Ive seen how the US [corporations] want to take over the wealth of all our countries and exploit our working people. A worker at Kearfott, a US-based company that employs 214 workers in Matamoros and produces parts for military and commercial navigation systems, made a direct appeal to the thousands of workers at this corporation and its mother company, Astronautics, across the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific and Australia: We call for your support to be heard around the world as a desperate cry since our economy everywhere is in the hands of a few that are threatening our integrity with state forces. We need to be reckoned with by this influential corporation, of which we form the last and least benefited part. Thank you. She denounced the corporation for never giving us any benefits and keeping us with red numbers. Now they want to hand over 790,000 pesos [USD$41,600] among all of us and keeping 6 million pesos [USD$316,000] for their own pocket out of the bonus of $1,700 per worker mandated by their contract. People work for years and years in this company that doesnt pay severance to anyone. They only wait for people to die or quit to give them less money than they deserve. Most of the products that we make are electronic parts for the aerospace industry and its ridiculous for the manager to say that there is no solvency to pay us if we make pieces that cost USD$80,000 each. The sentiment is also growing among workers across the United States to support and expand the example set by the wildcat strikes in Matamoros against the trade unions and management. An autoworker at Jeep in Toledo, Ohio, told the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter: Please tell our brothers and sisters in Mexico, how very proud of them we are. They are true heroes! I wish I could have met them at the border to join their demonstration. We are with them in spirit and hope they remain strong!!! The trade unions and political establishments in the US, Canada and Mexico are doing everything possible for this growing solidarity and support among workers in North America not to develop into a conscious struggle for social equality across international boundaries. In Mexico, Prieto and Villafuerte are taking increasingly desperate and evident steps to undermine the unity of the workers and thus facilitate shutting down the strike. Without any democratic discussion or decision-making among workers, both have imposed the legally-sanctioned steps of ending the strike at individual plants as soon as the companies agree to the demands. These union defenders have also abandoned the calls made by workers last week for re-hiring all workers in plants threatening closures. Workers do not want to end the strike plant by plantthey want to fight jointly with workers at all plants that are still on strike, including at Tridonex and other maquiladores that are not part of the Villafuerte union. By Sunday evening, 14 of the 48 plants on strike in Matamoros had agreed to sign the 20 percent wage increase and USD$1,700 bonus demanded by workers. Villafuerte and the CTM have responded by demanding workers immediately return to work, while assuring that we hope to soon conclude this labor action and reproducing the threats of the federal government. At the same time, Prieto has sought to prop up the image of Villafuerte and the Federal government. On Sunday morning, she called on this recognized stooge of the companies to promise with your hand on your heart that you wont betray this movement. At the same time, she has sought to distance Lopez Obrador from Senator Monreal and requested the president to make a direct pronouncement to whitewash his governments repressive orders against the Matamoros workers. The repressive and extra-legal response by the Lopez Obrador government reflects the turn by the Mexican ruling class further to the right and toward police-state violence, demonstrating that it has nothing to offer the working class and impoverished masses. Workers in Matamoros must take the control of the struggle from the hands of the trade union by consolidating a citywide strike committee with rank-and-file representatives, fighting for its complete independence from all capitalist parties and their operatives, and appealing to workers at other maquiladora centers along the border and in the United States, Canada and internationally. Workers who wish to form a common international strategy should contact us by email at autoworkers@wsws.org or via our Facebook page in order to take up these crucial steps. For more information on the February 9 rally in Detroit, visit wsws.org/auto wsws.org/auto. Thousands of autoworkers began a one-week strike Thursday at a factory of the German automaker Audi in Gyor, western Hungary. The workers are demanding a sizeable wage increase. The previous Friday, 4,000 workers took part in a limited two-hour strike. The strikes were called by the independent trade union AHFSZ at Audi Hungaria. The union is demanding an increase in wages of 18 percent, or at least 236 euros. At present, employees at the plant, located some 100 kilometres from Budapest, earn considerably less than their counterparts in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. A worker at the assembly plant earns around 1,000 euros per month. This is three times less than a German Audi worker, although living costs in the country are comparable to those in Western Europe. The strike has halted production. Production in Hungary has currently stopped, said a company spokesman in Ingolstadt on Thursday. The same morning, the deputy head of AHFSZ, Gyorgy Csalogany, said that motor and vehicle production was virtually 100 percent at a standstill. Should the strike be resumed, the production stoppage would threaten other plants due to interrupted supply chains. Many supply companies in Hungary are already affected. Audi, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, is the largest foreign investor in Hungary, with more than 12,000 employees. Audi, along with many other carmakers, went into Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, drawn by low wages and a corrupt elite that attends solely to the interests of big business. Audi has invested around six billion euros in Gyor since opening the site. The plant produces gasoline, diesel and electric motors for Audi and other brands of the VW Group. Every year, some two million engines and 100,000 vehicles of the A3 and TT models leave the production line. With its strike call, the union at Audi is responding to huge levels of unrest and anger among the workers, of whom over 9,000 at the factory are organised in the union. Confronted with massive price increases and constant cuts imposed by the right-wing government led by Victor Orban, the workers, who receive rock bottom wages, are struggling to make ends meet. The unions are trying to reach a rapid agreement with management. Union leader Sandor Nemeth has repeatedly said that further talks will be held during the industrial action and the strike will be stopped immediately in the event of an acceptable offer. The walkout marks an intensification of the strike movement in Eastern Europe, which is primarily affecting the auto industry. In the summer of 2017, VW workers in Slovakia and Fiat workers in Serbia went on strike. Just over a year ago, a strike took place at Ford Autos in Craiova, Romania. In the Czech Republic, the VW subsidiary Skoda was able to avert a strike only with the help of the trade unions and a 12 percent wage increase. Workers around the world are fighting for better wages and working conditions. For more than two weeks, over 70,000 workers from 45 Maquiladora factories in Matamoros, Mexico, on the US border, have conducted a brave struggle that is bringing work at factories across the city to a standstill. In Hungary in particular, concerns are growing about a possible extension of the auto industry strikes. Last December, Mercedes-Benz was forced to raise wages at its Kecskemet plant to prevent strikes. The strike at Audi takes place against the background of a further round of cuts announced by the German auto company, whose headquarters are in Ingolstadt. Audi CEO Bram Schot announced that profits were expected to rise significantly in coming years. He anticipated increased sales and cost reductions to allow operating profits to grow by a total of 15 billion euros by 2022. That is five billion more than Schots predecessor Rupert Stadler had planned. According to Manager Magazin, Chief Financial Officer Alexander Seitz said: We have to optimize once again. Without a proper austerity program, Audis return on sales would hit zero in the coming years, the CFO said. He told the magazine: We have to make decisions faster and take more risks. The magazine reported that this meant, above all, reductions in personnel. Job cuts are also planned at Opel in Germany. Production at its main plant in Russelsheim is to be scaled back, wiping out hundreds of jobs. Ford also plans to cut thousands of jobs in Europe. The support being given to the strike in Hungary by Germanys IG Metall union and its protests against low wages are merely empty words. In practice, the German union and its works councils enforce managements attacks on the workforce, playing off the workers of different countries and locations against one another in order to prioritise the closure of plants abroad. Asked about the planned cuts at Audi, the company works council chairman in Neckarsulm, Rolf Klotz, supported the reductions if they are used to secure employment at German plants. In the wake of the recent diesel scandal, Audi would have to raise enormous sums of money to secure its future, Klotz argued. The strike at Audi coincides with a protracted wave of protests against the right-wing government of Prime Minister Victor Orban. Thousands have been demonstrating for weeks against his so-called slave law. This law, which increases the number of possible overtime hours from 250 to 400 per year, has met with fierce resistance from broad sections of the population. The protests are also directed against a judicial reform decided at the same time, which introduces new government-controlled administrative courts, and more generally against the xenophobic and antisocial policies of the Fidesz government. The slave law has been introduced at the urging of the influential auto industry lobby. Hungarians protesting against it speak of a Lex Audi, Mercedes and BMW. On Saturday, thousands demonstrated once again in Budapest and other cities across the country. There have been protests in 60 cities so far. In the capital, protesters blocked one of the citys central bridges. Despite the efforts of ultra-right forces such as Jobbik and pseudo-left groups to diffuse the protests, the rejection of government policy is only growing. According to recent surveys, support for the government has slumped to just 30 percent. In the last elections, the ruling Fidesz party was able to win an absolute majority. For their part, the opposition parties are trying to dominate the protests with radical rhetoric. Zsolt Greczy of the Democratic Coalition (DK), a split-off from the Socialist Party (MSZP), declared that 2019 would be the year of resistance and mutiny. These words, however, cannot hide the fact that the DK is seeking to use the protests to forge an alliance with the far-right Jobbik. For the local elections due in October, all of the opposition parties want to agree on a single candidate. This explicitly includes candidates of the extreme right. The killing of a pregnant Ecuadorean woman on January 11, stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend, a Venezuelan, in the northern Ecuadorean city of Ibarra, unleashed a wave of xenophobic mob attacks against Venezuelan immigrants, forcing many to flee for their lives. Crowds roamed the citys streets, attacking Venezuelans homes, dragging them out and chasing them. Some were pursued by people in vehicles, brutally beaten and stoned. Four individuals were imprisoned for acts of violence. The night after the murder, a mob went to a shelter for Venezuelan migrants and was only prevented from entering by a police cordon. Then the protesters took to the streets, just as they had done the previous day when the crime was committed. The Quito daily El Comercio reported: Desperate families ran through the streets carrying bags, children in their arms, with faces of panic. The Venezuelans reached the bus terminal of Ibarra, where late at night they were looking for tickets with no certain destination. The mobs also entered the citys central parks to evict foreigners who slept in public places. Children and their parents were forced to leave the places where they had rested as their assailants burned their belongings. Fearing for their lives, others sought to reach the Rumichaca border bridge to Colombia. Among them were migrants who began their exodus from crisis-ridden Venezuela two weeks earlier, crossing Colombia most of the way on foot and then seeking to go through Ecuador to reach Peru where family members and hoped for opportunities await them. Hearing of the the attacks, many Venezuelans decided not to go to work on Monday, January 21. Despite having worked in Ibarra for more than half a year as a locksmith, Gustavo told El Comercio that there is no support from local authorities to protect the life of newly arrived foreigners. Like him, there are several families of foreigners, El Comercio continued, who remained locked in their homes for fear of being attacked, as happened with other people. Maxsali, another migrant, sent his wife and four children to the house of some friends. He recalls that his family and other compatriots had to take refuge on the roof of a house for fear of the groups of people who asked for the foreigners. The anti-immigrant violence is in line with the policies of the right-wing Ecuadorean government of President Lenin Moreno, which has engaged in an escalating persecution of immigrant workers. In Guayaquil, for example, officials of the Ministry of Labor raided three workplaces under the pretext of verifying the legal status of the workers. A vulcanizer and a car wash were raided. In one establishment, they detained 14 Venezuelans who were working without papers. Morenos government, aping the policies of his increasingly close ally, the imperialist government of US President Donald Trump, is promoting xenophobia in Ecuador in order to blame foreigners for the sharp decay in the Ecuadorean economy. In the first weeks of January 2019 alone, the Ministry of Labor carried out 75 raids, 30 in the main port city of Guayaquil. In 2018, it staged 16,000 raids, detaining 3,600 for lack of papers. On Tuesday, January 15, just two days after the rioting in Ibarra, Moreno joined Trump, becoming one of the first Latin American heads of state to recognize the president of the National Assembly, the right-wing stooge of the US State Department, Juan Guaido, as president of Venezuela, initiating a process that could end up in civil war or US military intervention. Now Moreno has upped the stakes, blocking flights that had been scheduled for January 26 to allow Venezuelans to go back to their country. The Venezuelan embassy in Ecuador issued a declaration accusing President Moreno of human rights violations in denying the right of return of 270 people to Venezuela. It emphasized that most of them have said they have been victims of xenophobia, discrimination, labor exploitation and trafficking on Ecuadorean soil. A program offering flights for Venezuelans seeking to return home has so far led to 12,000 repatriations of Venezuelan citizens from Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Chile and Panama, according to Telesur. The brutal killing of the 22-year-old Ecuadorean girl, Diana Carolina, that sparked the anti-Venezuelan pogroms could have been avoided. Newspapers reported that local police officers observed the incident for 90 minutes without intervening after the young woman was taken hostage. In an attempt to save face, Moreno decided to sack both the governor and the chief of police in Ibarra, while sending a unit of special forces to the city. The violence shocked most Ecuadoreans. In Quito there was a large protest on January 12 with demonstrators condemning xenophobia as well as a series of murders of young women in the country. The intense social inequality that pervades Latin America has also given rise to the worlds highest crime rates, with a recent survey finding that the 10 most violent cities in the world (outside of the war zones of the Middle East) were all in the region. The attempt by the Moreno government to scapegoat Venezuelan immigrants for these conditions is part of a worldwide turn to the right and xenophobia by capitalist governments. It is, at the same time, a manifestation of the ebbing of the so-called Pink Tide, within which the former government of President Rafael Correa was counted. In the face of deepening economic crisis and rising social tensions, governments throughout the continent are turning towards methods of class war and repression. The strike by Denver teachers initially set to begin today has been called off following intervention by the Colorado Labor and Employment Department at the request of the Denver Public Schools (DPS). On Tuesday, teachers authorized a strike by a 93 percent margin, after over a year of failed negotiations. Students supporting their teachers had been planning sit-ins today at a number of schools. On Wednesday, DPS Superintendent Susana Cordova petitioned the state government to intervene. The Colorado Labor Department can hold up the strike for as long as 24 daysup to 10 days for the union to respond and up to 14 days for the state to decide. Then if it chooses to attempt to broker a deal, a strike could legally be delayed for up to six months. The Denver Classroom Teachers Association acceded to the process, with union president Henry Roman telling the media, The district needs to have a serious commitment to come to the table with more funding. As soon as they are willing to bargain and put more money on the table, were ready. Newly-elected Democratic Governor Jared Polis, an advocate of charter schools and multi-millionaire endorsed by the DCTA, signaled his agreement with the intervention and offered to help with negotiations. In response to these maneuvers, a crowd of angry educators, joined by supportive parents and students, held an animated protest at the Denver Public Schools board meeting on Thursday. After chanting and marching outside the building, teachers and parents from across the city assembled inside the crowded board meeting and displayed their opposition to decades of deep cuts carried out by the state government. Teachers and students loudly proclaimed their support for a strike and bitterly denounced the criminally low pay of school staff and the general lack of funding for education. DPS teacher Ryan said, My salary doesnt cover my student loans, my living expenses, and I now can't afford groceries, according to Colorado Public Radio. Ryan stated that she had to had to use a food bank to provide food for herself and her three children. Speaking to members of the school board, she said, So, if you guys want to look me in the eye tonight, do me a favor. Look me in the eye, tell me why it is OK that you guys have all this money that you put in in central administration and I can't feed my children. Also speaking to CPR reporters, Anna Noble, a teacher at East High School in Denver, said, Weve been bargaining for 15 months. We dont need to have more meetings. We need a decision and we need it now. Facing the angry crowd, several members of the school board cited the fact that the state legislature has withheld $750 million in funding for public schools since 2008. At the same time, the school administration under newly-installed superintendent Susana Cordova has made it clear that they intend any and all measures to enforce continued poverty wages on teachers. In the lead-up to the proposed strike, DPS had informed its headquarters administration staff that it would be expected to scab or lose their jobs, and the district actively sought to recruit furloughed federal workers as strikebreakers. In a particularly vicious move of intimidation, DPS circulated a warning to immigrant teachers that their legal residency status could be revoked and they could face deportation if they participated in the strike. Marisol Calderon, a teacher at Farrell B. Howell school, told the Denver Post that several immigrant teachers at the school, including one who is Venezuelan and seeking asylum and another who is set to become a naturalized US citizen, called the act of intimidation appalling and discouraging. DPS later offered a half-hearted apology for sending out the letter, stating that it was the result of a misinterpretation of the information that we received from our immigration firm. The central demand of teachers is increased base pay. Since 2005, the district has utilized ProComp, a pay-for-performance system which sets base salaries at an impossibly low $41,689, supplemented with a smattering of performance incentives tied to higher student tests scores and other bonuses. This reactionary system was developed with DCTA support. It was implemented as part of the general attack on public educationin particular the Obama administrations promotion of standardized testing under the initiative Race to the Top. The scheme not only impoverishes teachers and promotes punitive tests, but it underwrites the privatization of education by labeling schools as failing so they can be shut down and turned into charters. According to numerous reports, Colorado consistently ranks in the bottom tier of US states for both education funding and teacher salaries. Vanguard The ruling All Progressives Congress APC said the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has continued to whine over the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN, Walter Onnoghen because the opposition party had planned to use the top jurist to get back to power at all costs. The Sun A protest rally was staged on Monday in Enugu city by the South East Coalition Voters Voice, against the suspension by President Muhammadu Buhari of Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Walter Onnoghen. Daily Times The Nigerian Army says it will sanction any personnel found culpable of committing any electoral malpractice during the coming General Elections. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai disclosed this during his visit to the Nigerian Army Corps Signals in Lagos to inaugurate some buildings while also attending the corps reunion party which ended late on Saturday. Buratai, represented by the Chief of Logistics, Maj.-Gen. Enobong Udoh, said all personnel must remain professional and apolitical during the coming General Elections. Daily Trust The APC gubernatorial candidate and Kano State governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and that of the All Progressives Democratic Alliance (APDA), Muhammed Abacha, were absent at the Kano gubernatorial debate organised by Bayero University Kano and other partners. The Nation Labour was at the weekend busy mobilising its members to the public hearing being staged today by the House of Representatives on the National Minimum Wage Bill. Tribune The National Judicial Council (NJC) has scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday to discuss the leadership crisis rocking the judiciary. Egypt is a North African state that is linked to southwestern Asia by the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is one of the worlds oldest civilizations and is considered to be one of the cradles of civilization. Ancient Egypt was a North African ancient civilization, nicknamed "the gift of the Nile", that was concentrated along Nile Rivers lower reaches. The Gift of the Nile Other than the Nile Valley, a huge part of Egypts territory is a desert with some oases; therefore, the country depends on the Nile for its water supply. Herodotus, a Greek historian, nicknamed the region "the Gift of River Nile" because Ancient Egypt owed its survival to the Nile. The Kingdom depended on the annual flooding of the river which deposited silt in the region. The sediment provided the Egyptians with about three crops annually. River Nile is the main reason why civilization began in Ancient Egypt. Protected from foreign invasion by the surrounding desert and sustained by the Nile, Egypt grew from a simple agricultural region to a refined society. Flooding of the River Nile Flooding of the River Nile is a crucial natural cycle which has been celebrated since ancient times in Egypt. The flooding is an annual holiday which begins on August 15 and lasts for two weeks. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the river flooded annually due to Isiss tears when she was crying for Osiris, her dead husband. The flooding is the outcome of an annual monsoon from May to August which causes huge precipitation in the Ethiopian highlands whose peak reaches 14,928ft. Atbarah River and the Blue Nile take a considerable percentage of the rainwater to the River Nile. A smaller amount flows through the White Nile and Sobat into River Nile. Ancient Egyptians were not aware of these facts, and they could only observe the flooding of the Nile waters. The Egyptians could only forecast the exact flooding levels and date by transmitting the readings of the gauge at Aswan to the lower parts of Ancient Egypt. The only thing that was not predictable was the total discharge and extent of flooding. The Egyptian calendar was split into three seasons: Shemu (Harvest), Peret (Growth) and Akhet (Inundation). The Nile flooded during the Akhet season. The first sign of flooding was seen in Aswan in June. The Importance of the Nile to the Egyptians Other than being the principal source of water for Egypt, it functioned as a gateway to other parts of the world. The Ancient Egyptians saw flooding as the yearly coming of their god. The earliest Egyptians labored in the places that were flooded, and they developed basin irrigation about 7,000 years ago. The Egyptians flooded the basins and closed them for forty-five days for the soil to be saturated for silt to be deposited. It was then discharged to other parts of the field and then back to the Nile. Ismail Pasha constructed the Ibrahimiya Canal in 1873 to extend perennial irrigation. Lake Skadar is a large lake in Europe, situated on the border between Albania and Montenegro. The lake is classified as a karst lake, meaning it was formed through the collapse of subterranean caves, and is the largest lake in southern Europe. The lake's surface area fluctuates seasonally, ranging from 140 square miles in dry months to about 200 square miles. The lake plays a significant ecological role and is home to numerous species of fish, such as eel, carp, and bleak. Seven species of fish in Lake Skadar are endemic to the lake. In addition to fish, the lake is home to other types of marine life such as snails, otters, and snakes. Most of the lake's water, which may be as high as 60% according to some estimates, is supplied by the Moraca, a large river in Montenegro. Other major sources of water are situated underground. The lake is also connected to the Adriatic Sea by the the Bojana River. Historically, the area on which Lake Skadar is situated was a bay of the Adriatic Sea. However, due to changing geographical conditions, the bay was cut off and eventually became a lake. Lake Skadar in Albania In Albania, the lake is referred to as Lake Shkoder, and is named after Shkoder, a city in the northern region of the country. Estimates suggest that roughly one-third of Lake Skadar's area is situated within Albania's borders. The Albanian section of the lake was declared a managed nature reserve in order to aid in the conservation of the lake's natural beauty. In Albania, the lake is a major tourist attraction, mainly because of its scenic beauty, as well as the wide variety of wildlife. Lake Skadar in Montenegro Approximately two-thirds of Lake Skadar's area is situated within Montenegro's borders. In 1983, the Montenegrin section of the lake was officially designated as a national park. Several Montenegrin towns are located close to the lake, the largest of which is Rijeka Crnojevica. The city is one of the most historic towns in the area, as its history dates back to the 15th century, when it was captured by the Ottomans. In the modern era, the area around the lake attracts large numbers of tourists given its beauty and the presence of a significant number of animals. In response, several hotels have been established in the area to cater to the large number of tourists who visit the lake. The biggest challenge facing the Montenegrin portion of Lake Skadar is the country's poor waste management system. Litter from cities such as Podgorica and Niksic often ends up in the lake. The government has attempted to encourage people to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the lake. The Montenegrin government has also attempted to increase the number of tourists that visit the area. Significance of Lake Skadar Lake Skadar is essential to both Albania and Montenegro because of the large numbers of tourists it attracts each year. The governments of both nations have invested heavily to increase the number of tourists who visit the lake each year, primarily through advertising. Lake Erie is the fourth-largest and the southernmost of the Great Lakes in North Americas upper mid-eastern region. It is also the warmest, shallowest, and smallest of the Great Lakes by volume. However, it is the most productive of the regions lakes. Named after the Erie people, this lake forms the boundary between the US and Canada. It is bordered by the Canadian province of Ontario and the US states of Ohio, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania. Globally, Lake Erie is the 11th largest lake by both surface area and volume. The Detroit River is the lakes primary inlet, while the Niagara River is the main outlet. Eries use has come under sharp focus in recent years due to environmental concerns, such as pollution and overfishing. Location Map of Lake Erie drainage area. Lake Erie is one of the five Great Lakes located in North Americas upper mid-eastern region. It is located just below Lake Huron (the third largest of the Great Lakes) and bordered to the east by Lake Ontario (the smallest of the Great Lakes) and northwest by Lake Michigan (second-largest of the Great Lakes. It forms part of the International Boundary between the United States. The Canadian province of Ontario borders Erie to the north, with the US states of Pennsylvania and Ohio on the southern shores, New York on the eastern shores, and Michigan on the western shores. Parts of the boundaries of the four states and Ontario lie within the lake. Geography People relaxing by the Lake Erie beach in Ohio, USA. Editorial credit: MILA PARH / Shutterstock.com Lake Erie is the 4th largest of the five Great Lakes, with a surface area of 25,874 square kilometers. However, it is the shallowest of the five lakes, with an average depth of 19 meters and a maximum depth of 64 meters. With an average depth of 9.1 meters, the western basin is the lakes shallowest section. Erie is also the smallest lake by volume, with 480 cubic kilometers of water. The lake is 388 kilometers long from east to west and 92 kilometers wide from north to south. It has a mean elevation of 174 meters above sea level. The lakes drainage basin covers 78,062 square kilometers (excluding its surface area). Its coastline is approximately 1,286 kilometers, including the island. Although several rivers flow into Lake Erie, its primary inlet is the Detroit River, which originates from Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron. Other major inlets include Huron River, Grand River, Maumee River, Buffalo River, Sandusky River, and Cuyahoga River. The lakes water is discharged on the eastern edge by the Niagara River, which is vital for hydropower production to the US and Canada. The western side contains all 31 islands, including Pelee Island, the lakes largest island. Because of its shallowness and small size, Lake Erie has a short water-retention time. Every drop of water entering Lake Erie circulates for about 2.6 years before exiting the lake, making it the shortest retention time of all the Great Lakes. Like other Great Lakes, Eries water levels fluctuate with seasons, with the lowest levels recorded between January and February and the highest levels recorded in June or July. Seiches cause short-term water changes and force the waters to pile up on the eastern edge. Some of these seiches contain storms that cause significant damages onshore. Geology Lake Erie was gouged out by glacier ice about 1 million-12,600 years ago and was the first of the five Great Lakes to be uncovered after the last glacier ice retreated. However, the lakes current form is less than 4,000 years old. Before the lake formed, a large lowland basin fed by rivers that flowed from the east covered much of the region about two million years ago. However, the first major glacier destroyed the drainage basin and enlarged and deepened the lowlands, allowing the lake to form and water to settle in it. The glacier ice gouged more land on the eastern side than the western side because the eastern bedrock comprises shales that are much softer than limestone and dolomite on the western side. Thus, Lake Eries western basin is much shallower than the central and eastern basins. Erie, the southernmost of the Great Lakes, is the shallowest lake due to the relatively thin ice (with weaker erosion power) that covered the area. Ecosystem Aerial view of Lake Erie's waters being contamined by industrial wastewater release in Port Dover, Ontario. There is a significant interaction between Lake Eries ecosystems. However, human activities such as shipping and pollution have had significant effects on the environment. The lake has numerous invasive species, including grass carp, quagga mussels, and Zebras mussels. Besides invasive species, large quantities of human and animal waste and farm fertilizers are also finding their way into the lake, causing eutrophication. The nutrient overload has caused occasional low oxygen dead zones and sprouting of algae blooms. In the 1960s and 1970s, the lakes water was highly polluted, especially by industrial wastes from the surrounding cities. However, conservation efforts, which included the introduction of zebra mussels have helped increase the water quality. The highly endangered Lake Erie watersnake (Nerodia sipedon insularum) in Ontario, Canada Lake Erie hosts numerous species, including over 10,000 Lake Erie water snakes. These snakes feed on various fish species and help in regulating the goby fish population. There are also millions of mayflies and several bird species, including common red-breasted mergansers, grebes, loons, ring-billed gulls, diving ducks, and herring gulls. Lake Erie has the most abundant fish species of all the Great Lakes due to plenty of plankton and mild temperature, accounting for more than half of the Great Lakes fish population. Its fish species include largemouth bass, walleye, steelhead, smallmouth bass, perch, king salmon, and lake trout. Somalia is an African nation situated on the continent's eastern edge. The Somali economy is considered to be one of the least developed on the continent which is mainly attributed to the violence in the country. The violence in Somalia has made it difficult for international financial organizations to get accurate economic statistics from the country. However, the World Bank estimated that in 2018, the Somali gross domestic product was approximately $6.2 billion which was a 3.1% increase from the 2017 gross domestic product. The Somali economy is reliant on several industries such as agriculture, construction, mining, and telecommunication. Agriculture One of the most critical industries in Somalia is agriculture which employes more than 65% of the country's labor force. Like most sectors of the Somali economy, agriculture was significantly affected by the violence that rocked the country. In 2013, the agricultural industry contributed more than 60% of the country's gross domestic product. Farming in Somalia mainly takes place in the country's southern section in areas such as Hiran, Lower Juba, and Gedo that are considered to be the country's most fertile areas. The southern section of Somalia is home to several rivers such as the Juba and Shabelle that make the region more conducive to farming. Some of the crops that Somali farmers grow include sugarcane and bananas, which are sold to other nations, while maize (corn) and sorghum which are mainly grown for local consumption. Despite the presence of a vibrant agricultural industry in Somalia, the country is forced to import most of the food that the citizens consume. To improve the Somali agricultural sector, local farmers partnered with the World Food Program to sell cereals to the organization. Businesspeople in Somalia pledged to help farmers improve the country's agriculture industry. Livestock keeping Since ancient times, pastoralism has been one of Somalia's most vital industries. According to the Somali government, more than 80% of the Somali people were involved in pastoralism, and they kept animals such as sheep, camel, cattle, and goats. Most of Somalia's pastoralists move across the country in search of pasture and water for their animals. Apart from keeping animals, some of the pastoralists also gather gums and resins to increase their income. Some unique livestock breeds have been developed in the country such as the Somali sheep and the Somali goat. The Somali goat is mainly kept because it thrives in dry areas. The variety is kept for both meat and milk, and it can produce more than 6.6 pounds of milk during dry seasons. The Somali sheep, on the other hand, is mainly kept for meat. The sheep are also exported to other nations primarily those in the Arabian Peninsula. Apart from sheep, Somali herders also export cattle and camels to countries in the Arabian Peninsula. Some of the countries in the Arabian Peninsula have chosen to invest in Somalia's pastoralism industry to grow the sector. Fishing The fishing sector is one of Somalia's most important industries mainly because the country has an exceptionally long coastline. Before 1991, Somalia had several important fishing centers mainly located along the country's coast. During this period, some of the fish species that were often caught included tuna and lobster. Somalia's significant fish reserves attracted investment from other nations mainly those in Europe and Asia. The violence that rocked Somalia significantly affected the country's fishing industry as it discouraged investment in the sector. In the 21st century, the Somali government has attempted to work with the local communities to reestablish the country's fishing sector. In 2012, as part of the efforts to reestablish the country's fishing industry, engineers were employed to assess the renovations at one of the country's most important fishing ports, Las Khorey. The government of the UK assisted in the construction of a fish market at Garowe. Another measure that the Somali government took to improve the fishing sector was opening training schools for fishers. Mining Another sector essential to the Somali economy is the mining industry with some of the country's most important minerals being gemstones and salt. Somalia also has limited deposits of other significant minerals such as uranium, tin, and gold. Before 1991, the Somali government was in charge of granting mining rights to companies, however, after the government collapsed, it was difficult for companies to get rights to mine in the country legally. The collapse of the Somali government made it difficult to get accurate data from the country's mining industry. Some of the countries that have been granted the right to mine in Somalia include the East African Mining Corporation and Range Resources Limited from Australia. Industry experts believe that the Somali mining sector has the potential to be one of the country's most important industries. Telecommunication The telecommunication industry is one of Somalia's most important sectors. Most of Somalia's telecommunication infrastructure was destroyed during the fighting that took place during the 1991 civil war. By 2010, Somalia's telecommunication industry had experienced resurgence mainly as a result of companies setting up the country's missing infrastructure. Somalia's telecommunication industry attracted investment from foreign nations such as South Korea and China. The telecommunication companies allow the Somali people to bank and send money using their phones. The mobile money system is one of the most vital systems in Somalia as it allows people to pay for services without having to carry large sums of money. The most significant challenge facing the Somali telecommunication industry is the insecurity that plagues the country. Tourism Somalia has been blessed with a variety of beautiful sites that attract significant numbers of tourists to the country. The beaches of Somalia are some of its most important tourist attraction sites with the most famous one being the Gezira Beach in Mogadishu and the Baathela Beach in Berbera. The violence in Somalia has dramatically affected the country's tourism industry as it has discouraged tourists from visiting the country. The Somali economy The economy of Somalia has been severly affected by the violence that plagued the country. Despite the violence, Somalia has managed to maintain a vibrant informal sector. Various financial experts believe that if Somalia became peaceful, the country's economy would grow exponentially. Senate President and Director-general of the Atiku Abubakar campaign organization, Bukola Saraki has said that the federal government would have silenced him, if he had a skeleton in his cupboard. Saraki, said this on Sunday, while addressing residents of Offa, during PDP campaign rally in the local government. In a statement by his Special Adviser on New Media, Olu Onemola, told community chiefs and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that he was able to confront the federal government the way he did, because he has no skeleton in his cupboard, if not they would have seriously dealt with him. In his words: Our campaign has a definite plan for Kwara State and Nigeria. Since we joined the PDP the party has honoured Kwara State, they gave us DG of Campaign, National Leader of the party and have agreed that if the party wins, Senate President is our slot in Kwara. But what has the other party (APC) to offer? If I have skeleton in my cupboard this government would have silenced me and forced me to drop the campaign. But for God and the support of the people I would not be standing today. They didnt want to honour our agreement. We all laboured and what they couldnt get in three times they got it and we demanded that they give to Kwara what we deserve, he said. We need to teach our seasonal politicians a lesson on the poll date. We want community development, let everybody come and contribute their quota to our communities; when Saraki do his own and let them too do their own. I heard that some politicians have been buying JAMB forms in 2019. The question to ask is where were they in 2016, where were they in 2017? APC leaders in Kwara cant access President Buhari for anything. They will first have to go and submit their request to Lagos (APC chieftain, Bola Tinubu) and it is only when Lagos is satisfied with the request that it will be forwarded to Buhari who may or not do it. Anybody who loves Kwara will not follow Buhari. The Federal Civil Service Commission that was supposed to rotate to Kwara, he has refused and given it to another state. In common English, people have come to assume that the country the Netherlands is also known as Holland. The use of these two names interchangeably is especially more pronounced for people who are not from the Netherlands and, to a smaller extent, by the Dutch as well. However, most of the Dutch do not use the two interchangeably because they do not point to the same geographical region. In reality, Holland is just a small region with an area of around 2,119 square miles and a population of about 6.5 million people. On the other hand, the country of the Netherlands has an area of 16,040 square miles and a population of a little over 17 million people. Etymology The name Holland was once used in the past (around 1064) as the name of present-day Haarlem. The word is derived from the Old Dutch word holtant, which means land of wood. Another common misconception of the name Holland is that it was derived from two Dutch words that mean hollow land in English. The reason why people assume that the name refers to the entire Dutch country is that the region that was called Holland was a prominent one during its time. Holland was responsible for plenty of economic and political interactions between the Netherlands and other nations. A similar confusion is commonly made when people refer to the United Kingdom as England. However, it is crucial to note that the name Holland was once used to refer to the whole nation on an official capacity. The suggestion came from Napoleon Bonaparte and was easily implemented since his brother was in charge of Holland. However, the name was dropped after the French were routed in 1813. In both English and Dutch, anyone from Holland was described as a Hollander. However, in modern English, the word Hollander is no longer in common use. On the subject of languages, it is worth noting that Holland has its own dialect of the Dutch language known as Hollandic. History Before Holland became an influential region, it was actually a small area of the Holy Roman Empire. In fact, before the turn of the 12th century, the area was actually called Frisia while the people were known as Frisians. Over the years after that, the power and influence of the region grew through conquest and other forms of acquisition. For example, the 1287 flood of St. Lucia saw the region expand to the region that was known as West Friesland. In 1432, the region was part of the Burgundian Netherlands. By the 16th century, no urban center in Europe had more people than Holland. After this, Holland (which became a province) boasted of having some of the largest cities and towns in the Dutch Republic. The Dutch Republic laid the groundwork for the establishment of present-day Netherlands. Some of the major cities that Holland had included The Hague, Rotterdam, and the capital city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam. For this reason, the area was mostly identified as Holland and not as part of a larger republic, which is where the misconceptions started. From there, it was ruled briefly by the French before the establishment of present-day Kingdom of the Netherlands. David Lahousse, owner of Kays Restaurant in Woonsocket and The Lodge Pub and Eatery in Lincoln, is being honored by the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce with the Ben Mondor Award for his years of community service. The award is given each year to an individual who goes above and beyond philanthropically within the community during the NRI Chamber Annual Dinner, to be held Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019, at Twin River Casino Hotel Event Center in Lincoln. CHICAGO (AP) A winter storm brought more than 5 inches of snow to northern Illinois as the region braced itself for record-low subzero temperatures. Chicago's airports canceled nearly 1,000 flights Monday morning with delays of nearly an hour at O'Hare airport. A National Weather Service warning said up to 8 inches were possible by midday. But Monday's snow is just a precursor to what's in store for Illinois starting Tuesday: forecast all-time record cold temperatures and wind chills the weather service calls "possibly life threatening." The weather service says the Rockford area could get colder than the record low minus 27 on Wednesday. Chicago looks a few degrees above the all-time record of minus 27 but the forecast high of minus 14 on Wednesday could beat the record coldest high of minus 11. Wind chills could dip to 55 below. The United States on Monday sanctioned Venezuela's state-owned oil company, bringing to bear the most significant financial pressure so far on Venezuela's embattled President Nicolas Maduro. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and national security adviser John Bolton announced the sanctions against Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. -- the parent company of the US-based Citgo oil company -- on Monday afternoon from the White House briefing room. The measure blocks about $7 billion in assets and would result in more than $11 billion in lost assets over the next year, Bolton said. 'The United States is holding accountable those responsible for Venezuela's tragic decline,' Mnuchin said. 'PdVSA has long been a vehicle for embezzlement, for corruption for Venezuelan officials and businessmen. Today's designation of PdVSA will help prevent further diversion of Venezuela's assets by Maduro, and will preserve these assets for the people of Venezuela where they belong.' The sanctions will be effective 'immediately,' Mnuchin said, and any purchases of Venezuelan oil by US entities would flow into blocked accounts -- money the US officials said would be released only to the legitimate leaders of Venezuela. The oil sanctions represent the latest and most significant escalation of the Trump administration's pressure campaign aimed at ousting Maduro from power. President Donald Trump last week recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate interim president of Venezuela and the US has continued to ramp up pressure on Maduro to resign. Maduro has presided over an economic and political crisis since succeeding Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, with much of the country crippled by hyperinflation, soaring unemployment and a mass exodus of refugees. Announcing the new sanctions, Bolton once again urged the Venezuelan military to abandon Maduro and recognize Guaido's legitimacy and said the US continues to keep all options on the table until Maduro transfers power to Guaido. 'We also, today, call on the Venezuelan military and security forces to accept the peaceful, democratic and constitutional transfer of power,' Bolton said. 'Now is time to stand for the democracy and prosperity in Venezuela.' The Venezuelan state-owned oil company was targeted in large part because it has been used as 'a vehicle for embezzlement, for corruption' by Venezuelan officials, Mnuchin explained, and the sanctions will have the effect of ramping up the pressure not only on Maduro but on his inner circle who are also said to benefit financially from the state-owned enterprise. In a news release announcing the sanctions, the Treasury Department noted that 'a 2014 currency exchange scheme was designed to embezzle and launder around $600 million from PdVSA, money obtained through bribery and fraud.' 'By May 2015, the conspiracy had allegedly doubled in amount, to $1.2 billion embezzled from PdVSA,' the Treasury Department said. The action stopped short of a full oil embargo against Venezuela, a step that the Trump administration has also been considering and could still employ at a later date. The action announced Monday is expected to have a smaller impact on US gas prices than a full embargo would. Mnuchin said he does not 'expect any big impact in the short term' on the oil market. 'I don't expect that people will see an impact on the gas pumps,' Mnuchin said. But he declined to swear off an oil embargo down the line. 'As regards to an embargo, we're not going to make any comment on that today. We don't comment on future actions,' he added. Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministry, Reverend father Ejike Mbaka, is currently meeting g with President Muhammdu Buhari in his office at the State House, Abuja. The priest recently came under fire for calling the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP stingy for not donating during his harvest bazaar last year. Mbaka, who had prophesied Buharis victory in the last presidential election, had also said that the PDP will fail, in the coming election. The details of the meeting is yet unknown, as the meeting was still ongoing as at the time of filing this report. Details will be brought to you shortly. FRANKFORT, N.Y. -- A woman crashed her car into the Rite Aid in Frankfort Monday. Frankfort Fire Department responded to the scene on Main Street around 12 p.m. Rite Aid employees told reporter Rachel Murphy that the store will be closed for the remainder of the day because of the crash. *The story reopened on Tuesday morning for their regular hours.* Employees who witnessed the crash say a woman drove into the building and then hit another car in the parking lot. Those employees at the scene said no one was hurt in the crash. Whiteleg shrimp continue to make up most of Vietnams exported shrimp products. (Photo: VNA) VASEP said the shrimp sector would make a breakthrough in exporting to 28 European Union countries as the nation will enjoy low import tariffs once the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement takes effect for an estimated export value of USD1 billion. According to VASEP, 2018 ended with shrimp exports failing to meet the business targets. They reached USD3.55 billion, down 7.8% from the previous year. The shrimp industry targeted to gain an export value of USD4.8 billion in 2018 due to the many advantages of exports promotion. These advantages from existing mechanism and policies include a programme on sustainable development of the fisheries economy during 2016-2020. However, shrimp demand of large markets such as the US and Canada decreased due to weather and high inventory volume in Japan, the Republic of Korea and the EU. Domestic prices in the second quarter fell by between 20% and 30%, affecting the local market and export value. At the end of last year, world shrimp prices fell. The supply from shrimp-producing countries such as India, Thailand and Indonesia increased, while inventory in the US was high, meaning Vietnam could not boost exports to this market. Inventories in India, Ecuador and Indonesia also increased after China tightened the export of shrimp via informal cross-border gates. In 2018, Vietnams shrimp exports to its four main markets declined from the previous year. The value of exports to China dropped by 28%; Japan fell by 9.2%. Exports to the EU and the US were down by 2.8% and 3.3%, respectively. The exports to the Republic of Korea and Canada saw slight increases of 1% and 3.5%, respectively. The EU was still the largest market for exported Vietnamese shrimp, accounting for 23.6% of exports with a value of USD838.3 million. White-leg shrimp continued to occupy a key position in the market, accounting for 68.7% of shrimp exports, while tiger shrimp accounted for 23% and other types of shrimp 8.3%./. UTICA, N.Y. -- Utica College and the Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency are hosting a poverty symposium Monday afternoon. A poverty march starts at Mohawk Valley Community Action, and then people who attend will be taken to the Strebel Student Center. At 4:30p.m., the march will commence at the Carbone Auditorium in the economic crime building on campus. A panel of professionals will explore issues surrounding poverty at 5 p.m. UTICA, N.Y. - Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri says he applauds newly elected New York State Attorney General Leticia James for her new grant initiative called "Zombies 2.0." James announced the initiative on Saturday. It will provide up to $9 million in grants to municipalities across the state to address the growing statewide issue of "zombie homes"-- vacant and abandoned homes that are not maintained during a prolonged foreclosure proceeding. "Zombies 2.0" is actually a follow up to former New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's 2016 initiative called the 2016 Zombie Remediation and Prevention Initiative which provided about $13 million to a total of 76 municipalities. Utica received $250,000 through the 2016 Zombie Remediation and Prevention Initiative. Mayor Palmieri says the money has been used to beef up codes enforcement of the so-called zombie properties and to improve data collection of such properties through its Utica Zombies Initiative by working with the Mohawk Valley Water Authority, National Grid and Rust2Green Utica to compile the inventory. He says there's only so much you can do when the lenders who own these foreclosed properties are from out of state and don't return correspondence from the city, "Our codes department does a great job, but their hands are tied at some point when you physically can't get ahold of a lender that is as we talked about in California or Texas. And I have to say I have to applaud the Attorney General at this point because this is a program that is very much needed." Palmieri says there are dozens of these lender-owned properties across the city. He says the city will apply for the new funding by the March 8th, 2019 deadline. Awards are expected to be announced on April 9th, 2019. Palmieri also says anyone that wants to report a zombie property, can do so online at : www.UticaZombies.com UTICA, N.Y. After signing the controversial RHA (Reproductive Health Act) bill into law, Governor Cuomo has received criticism of his decision, some New York State bishops calling for his excommunication from the Catholic church. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said that he will not pursue excommunication of the governor. Excommunication should not be used as a weapon. Too often I feel those that do call for someones excommunication do so out of anger or frustration, said Cardinal Dolan. Despite his statement, some Bishops and Michael Carey of the Jonathan Foundation still intend on pressuring the Cardinal to peruse excommunication. This is homicide of Children, this is literally genocide no questions about it. He and the legislative leaders disguised this as a womens equality bill it was actually stripping away equal protection of laws from unborn children that have been in place since 1970 which would consider the death of an unborn child after 24 weeks a homicide, said Carey. The Johnathan Foundation advocates for the right of unborn children. Carey even tells News Channel 2, he plans on suing the Governors office and the State of New York for changing the law. He also added that the Vatican and the Pope may be brought in on this issue. What has some Catholic bishops, and Republicans who opposed the bill worried, is what they say is a gray area in the bill. They feel that the factors that go into deciding whether a womens health may be at risk were not clearly defined. The concern is that this would give doctors too much discretion. This they say, opening the door to possible unnecessary late-term abortions. Paulette Herring says, They may, but I cant speak for them, I hope that they wouldnt. Governor Cuomos response to the Catholic communitys backlash, I experienced that when I said a woman had a right to choose, I experienced that at an exponential level when New York was the first large state to pass marriage equality, against the Catholic church. So theyve been against me on all of these issues. MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Philippine officials say two bombs have exploded outside a Roman Catholic cathedral on a southern island where Muslim militants are active, killing at least 19 people and wounding nearly 50. Security officials say the first bomb went off in or near the Jolo cathedral during a Sunday Mass, followed by a second blast outside the compound as government forces were responding to the attack. Police and military reports say at least eight people died, including five troops and three civilians. At least one civilian has been wounded. Jolo island has long been troubled by the presence of Abu Sayyaf militants, who are blacklisted by the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organization because of bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. No one has immediately claimed responsibility. (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) Animal shelters across the state are getting funding for improvements, two of which are home to the Mohawk Valley. Both Stevens-Swan Humane Society of Oneida County and the Montgomery County SPCA will receive thousands of dollars to revamp their facilities. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the funding Monday, to be awarded to 13 animal shelters and humane societies through the New York State Companion Animal Capital Fund. "New York is proud to be home to the first program in the country dedicated to supporting local animal shelters and humane societies improve their facilities and better care for the animals they serve,"Cuomo said in a statement. "This continued funding will better equip facilities across the state to provide for the animals in their care, promote the health of both pets and people, and help to encourage adoptions." Stevens-Swan Humane Society in Utica is getting $373,500 to increase capacity for animal holding, provision of medical care, isolate sick animals, and improve the structure of enclosures. The Montgomery County SPCA is receiving $500,000 to construct a new facility that significantly increases capacity, sanitation, physical wellbeing, and behavioral health. The Companion Animal Capital Fund gives matching grants to shelters and humane societies to offset the costs like renovating dog kennels, improving medical facilities, or building more efficient shelters to reduce overall operational costs. The money is also used to construct, renovate, rehabilitate, or buy buildings or equipment needed to house, treat, and care for sheltered dogs and cats. Provident Financial Services, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Provident Bank that provides various banking products and services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. The company's deposit products include savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, money market deposit, and certificate of deposit accounts, as well as IRA products. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate loans that are secured by properties, such as multi-family apartment buildings, office buildings, and retail and industrial properties; commercial business loans; fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage loans collateralized by one- to four-family residential real estate properties; commercial construction loans; and consumer loans consisting of home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, marine loans, personal loans and unsecured lines of credit, and auto and recreational vehicle loans. The company also offers cash management, remote deposit capture, payroll origination, escrow account management, and online and mobile banking services; and business credit cards. In addition, it provides wealth management services comprising investment management, trust and estate administration, financial planning, tax compliance and planning, and private banking. Further, the company sells insurance and investment products, including annuities; operates as a real estate investment trust for acquiring mortgage loans and other real estate related assets; and manages and sells real estate properties acquired through foreclosure. As of December 31, 2020, it operated 99 full-service branch offices in northern and central New Jersey, as well as in Pennsylvania and New York counties. The company was founded in 1839 and is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Occidental Petroleum: 1PointFive Inc., 1PointFive P1 LLC, APC Aviation Inc., APC International Holdings LLC, APC Midstream Holdings LLC, APC Venezuela Srl, ARCO Long Beach, Altura Energy, Amarok Gathering LLC, Anadarko 20-25 Company, Anadarko 20-36 Company, Anadarko 20-47 Company, Anadarko 20-48 Company, Anadarko 20-49 Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 403 c/e Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 406B Company, Anadarko Algeria Company LLC, Anadarko Algeria Oil & Gas Company, Anadarko Brazil Investment I LLC, Anadarko Brazil Investment II LLC, Anadarko Canada E&P Limited, Anadarko China Holdings 2 Company, Anadarko Colombia Company, Anadarko Consolidated Holdings LLC, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Block 103 Company, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Company, Anadarko DBMOS Operator LLC, Anadarko Development Company, Anadarko Development Holding Limited, Anadarko E&P Onshore LLC, Anadarko Egypt Holdings Company, Anadarko Energy Holding Limited, Anadarko Energy Services Company, Anadarko Exploracao e Producao de Petroleo e Gas Natural Ltda., Anadarko Finance Company, Anadarko Gabon Company, Anadarko Ghana Mahogany-1 Company, Anadarko Global Energy S.a.r.l, Anadarko Global Funding 1 Company, Anadarko Global Funding II Ltd., Anadarko Guyana Company, Anadarko Holding Company, Anadarko International Development S.a.r.l, Anadarko International Energy Company, Anadarko International O&G Company, Anadarko International Trading Corporation, Anadarko Jordan Company, Anadarko Kenya Company, Anadarko LMM S.a.r.l, Anadarko Land Corp., Anadarko Mexico B.V., Anadarko Mexico S.a.r.l, Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell BR Corp., Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell LLC, Anadarko Natural Gas Company LLC, Anadarko New Zealand Company, Anadarko OGC Company, Anadarko Offshore Holding Company LLC, Anadarko Offshore Well Containment Company LLC, Anadarko Oil & Gas 5 LLC, Anadarko Peru B.V., Anadarko Petroleum, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Anadarko Realty LLC, Anadarko Rockies LLC, Anadarko Royalty Holdings Company, Anadarko UK Corporate Limited, Anadarko US Offshore LLC, Anadarko USH1 Corporation, Anadarko Venezuela Company, Anadarko Venezuela LLC, Anadarko Venezuela Srl, Anadarko WCTP Company, Anadarko West Texas BR Corp., Anadarko West Texas LLC, Anadarko Worldwide Holdings C.V., Atlantic Rim Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Aventine LLC, Baseball Merger Sub 2 Inc., Bear Branch Exploration LLC, Big Island Trona Company, Bitter Creek Coal Company, Bravo Pipeline Company, Cain Chemical, Cain Chemical Inc., Carbon Finance Labs LLC, Concord Petroleum Corporation, Conn Creek Shale Company, D.S. Ventures LLC, DMM Financial LLC, Deerwood Exploration LLC, Downtown Plaza II, Elk Hills Field, FLAG Development LLC, FP Westport Commodities Limited, FP Westport GmbH, FP Westport LLC, FP Westport Limited, FP Westport Services LLC, FP Westport Trading LLC, Fosters Mill Exploration LLC, Glenn Springs Holdings Inc., Globrep Representaciones S.A., Grand Bassa Tankers Inc., Grupo OxyChem de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Headwater II LLC, Houndstooth Resources LLC, INDSPEC Chemical B.V., INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Export Sales LLC, INDSPEC Holding Corporation, Ingleside Cogeneration GP LLC, Ingleside Cogeneration Limited Partnership, Interore Trading Ltd., Joslyn Partnership, KERR-McGEE TT E&P LTD., KM BM-C-Seven Ltd., KM International Insurance Ltd., Kerr-McGee Corporation, Kerr-McGee Natural Gas Company Inc., Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Onshore LP, Kerr-McGee Shared Services Company LLC, Kerr-McGee Stored Power Corporation, Kerr-McGee U.K. Energy Corporation, Kerr-McGee Worldwide Corporation, Kerr-McGee do Brasil Ltda., Kerr-McGee of Canada Northwest Ltd., Laguna Petroleum Corp., Laguna Petroleum LLC, Liwa Oil & Gas Ltd., MC2 Technologies LLC, Mariana Properties Inc., Marico Exploration Inc., Miller Springs Remediation Management Inc., Moncrief Minerals Partnership L.P., NGL Ventures LLC, Natural Gas Odorizing Inc., New OPL LLC, OEVC Energy LLC, OEVC Midstream Projects LLC, OIH LLC, OLCV CE Holdings ULC, OLCV CE US Holdings Inc., OLCV Net Power LLC, OLCV Services LLC, OOG Partner LLC, OOOI Chem Holdings LLC, OOOI Chem Sub LLC, OOOI Chemical International LLC, OOOI Chile Holder LLC, OOOI Ecuador Management LLC, OOOI Oil and Gas Sub LLC, OOOI South America Management LLC, OPM GP Inc., OPM Holdco LLC, OTCF LLC, OTH LLC, OXY CV Pipeline LLC, OXY Campus LLC, OXY Inc., OXY LPG LLC, OXY Libya E&P Area 103 BR4 B.V., OXY Libya E&P Area 35 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P Concession 103 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 102 B.V., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1981 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1985 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P NC 143 144 145 150 B.V., OXY Libya Exploration SPC, OXY Libya LLC, OXY Little Knife LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings I LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings II LLC, OXY Middle East Holdings Ltd., OXY Oil Partners Inc., OXY PBLP Manager LLC, OXY Support Services LLC, OXY Tulsa Inc., OXY USA Inc., OXY USA WTP LP, OXY VPP Investments LLC, OXY West LLC, OXY of Saudi Arabia Ltd., OXYCHEM (CANADA) INC., OXYMAR, Oakwood Exploration LLC, Occidental (Bermuda) Ltd., Occidental (East Shabwa) LLC, Occidental Advance Sale Finance Inc., Occidental Al Hosn LLC, Occidental Angola Holdings Ltd., Occidental CIS Services Inc., Occidental Canada Holdings Ltd., Occidental Chemical Asia Limited, Occidental Chemical Belgium B.V.B.A., Occidental Chemical Chile Limitada, Occidental Chemical Corporation, Occidental Chemical Export Sales LLC, Occidental Chemical Far East Limited, Occidental Chemical Holding Corporation, Occidental Chemical International LLC, Occidental Chemical Investment (Canada) 1 Inc., Occidental Chemical Receivables LLC, Occidental Chemical de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Occidental Chile Investments LLC, Occidental Chile Minority Holder LLC, Occidental Colombia (Series G) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series J) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series K) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series L) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series M) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series N) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series O) Ltd., Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (Canada), Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (International), Occidental Dolphin Holdings Ltd., Occidental Energy Marketing Inc., Occidental Energy Ventures LLC, Occidental Exploradora del Peru Ltd., Occidental Exploration and Production Company, Occidental Hafar LLC, Occidental International (Libya) Inc., Occidental International Corporation, Occidental International Exploration and Production Company, Occidental International Holdings Ltd., Occidental International Oil and Gas Ltd., Occidental International Services Inc., Occidental Joslyn GP 2 Co., Occidental LNG (Malaysia) Ltd., Occidental Latin America Holdings LLC, Occidental Libya Oil & Gas B.V., Occidental MENA Manager Ltd., Occidental Middle East Development Company, Occidental Midland Basin LLC, Occidental Mukhaizna LLC, Occidental Oil Asia Pte. Ltd., Occidental Oil Shale Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas (Oman) Ltd., Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation, Occidental Oil and Gas International Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas International LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas Pakistan LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas of Peru LLC, Occidental Oman (Block 27) Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 65 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 65 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 72 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 72 LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Company LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman North Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oriente Exploration and Production Ltd., Occidental Overseas Holdings B.V., Occidental PVC LLC, Occidental Peninsula II Inc., Occidental Peninsula LLC, Occidental Permian Ltd., Occidental Permian Manager LLC, Occidental Permian Services Inc., Occidental Peruana Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 101) Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 103) Inc., Occidental Petroleum (Pakistan) Inc., Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Occidental Petroleum Corporation Political Action Committee, Occidental Petroleum de Venezuela S.A., Occidental Petroleum of Nigeria, Occidental Petroleum of Oman Ltd., Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd., Occidental Power Marketing L.P., Occidental Power Services Inc., Occidental Qatar Energy Company LLC, Occidental Red Sea Development LLC, Occidental Research Corporation, Occidental Resource Recovery Systems Inc., Occidental Resources Company, Occidental Shah Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental South America Finance LLC, Occidental Specialty Marketing Inc., Occidental Tower Corporation, Occidental Transportation Holding Corporation, Occidental West Texas Overthrust Inc., Occidental Yemen Ltd., Occidental Yemen Sabatain Inc., Occidental del Ecuador Inc., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Bab) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Shah) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi LLC, Occidental of Abu Dhabi Ltd., Occidental of Bahrain Ltd., Occidental of Bangladesh Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Chipiron) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Cosecha) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Medina) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Putumayo) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia (Teca) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia PUT-36 LLC, Occidental of Dubai Inc., Occidental of Iraq Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Iraq LLC, Occidental of Oman Inc., Occidental of Russia Ltd., Occidental of South Africa (Offshore) Inc., Occidental of Yemen (Block 75) LLC, Oceanic Marine Transport Ltd., Opcal Insurance Inc., Oryx Crude Trading & Transportation Inc., Oxy BridgeTex Limited Partnership, Oxy C & I Bulk Sales LLC, Oxy Canada Sales Inc., Oxy Carbon Solutions LLC, Oxy Carbon Storage LLC, Oxy Climate Ventures Inc., Oxy Cogeneration Holding Company LLC, Oxy Colombia Holdings LLC, Oxy Colombia TopCo Ltd., Oxy Delaware Basin LLC, Oxy Delaware Basin Plant LLC, Oxy Dolphin E&P LLC, Oxy Dolphin Pipeline LLC, Oxy Energy Canada Inc., Oxy Energy Services LLC, Oxy Expatriate Services Inc., Oxy FFT Holdings Inc., Oxy Holding Company (Pipeline) Inc., Oxy International Ventures Ltd., Oxy LPG Terminal LLC, Oxy Levelland Pipeline Company LLC, Oxy Levelland Terminal Company LLC, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC, Oxy Midstream Strategic Development LLC, Oxy Oleoducto SOP LLC, Oxy Overseas Services Ltd., Oxy Permian Gathering LLC, Oxy Permian Plaza LLC, Oxy Petroleum de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Oxy Renewable Energy LLC, Oxy Salt Creek Pipeline LLC, Oxy TL LLC, Oxy Taft Hub LLC, Oxy Technology Ventures Inc., Oxy Transport I Company LLC, Oxy Vinyls Canada Co., Oxy Vinyls Export Sales LLC, Oxy Vinyls LP, Oxy Westwood Corporation, Oxy Y-1 Company, OxyChem Ingleside Ethylene Holdings Inc., OxyChem do Brasil Ltda., OxyChile Investments LLC, Oxychem Shipping Ltd., Permian Basin JV Tax Matters Member LLC, Permian Basin Limited Partnership, Permian VPP Holder LP, Permian VPP Manager LLC, Phibro, Placid Oil LLC, Ramlat Oxy Ltd., Rio de Viento Inc., Rodeo Midland Basin LLC, San Patricio Pipeline LLC, Scanports Shipping LLC, SequestCo LLC, Stetson Exploration LLC, Sun Offshore Gathering Company, Swiflite Aircraft Corporation, Transok Properties LLC, Troy Potter Inc., Turavent Oil GmbH [in liquidation], Tuscaloosa Holdings Inc., UP Petroleo III Ltd., Upland Industries Corporation, Venezuela US SRL, Vintage Gas Inc., Vintage Petroleum, Vintage Petroleum Argentina Ltd., Vintage Petroleum Boliviana Ltd., Vintage Petroleum International Finance B.V., Vintage Petroleum International Holdings LLC, Vintage Petroleum International LLC, Vintage Petroleum International Ventures Inc., Vintage Petroleum Italy Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America Holdings Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America LLC, Vintage Petroleum Turkey Inc., WGR Asset Holding Company LLC, WGR Canada Inc., Wardner Ranch Inc., Western Gas Resources Inc., Western Gas Resources-Westana Inc., Western Midstream Holdings LLC, Woodlands International Insurance Ltd., and YT Ranch LLC. AstraZeneca PLC discovers, develops, manufactures, and commercializes prescription medicines in the areas of oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism, respiratory, infection, neuroscience, and gastroenterology worldwide. The company's marketed products include Tagrisso, Lynparza, Imfinzi, Enhertu, Koselugo, Lumoxiti, Equidacent, Zoladex, Faslodex, Iressa, Arimidex, Casodex/Cosudex, and others for oncology diseases; Onglyza, Bydureon, Lokelma, Byetta, Qtern, Symlin, and others for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism diseases; and Symbicort, Pulmicort, Fasenra, Daliresp/Daxas, Duaklir, Tudorza/Eklira, Bevespi, Breztri, Anifrolumab, and others for respiratory and immunology diseases. It also offers other medicines and COVID-19 products, including Synagis, Fluenz Tetra/FluMist Quadrivalent, Seroquel IR/Seroquel XR, Vimovo, Movantik/Moventig, Nexium, Losec/Prilosec, and COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca. The company serves primary care and specialty care physicians through distributors and local representative offices. It has a collaboration agreement with Daiichi Sankyo to develop and commercialize DS-1062 for the treatment of trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2) tumor; AliveCor, Inc. to develop non-invasive potassium monitoring solutions; Massachusetts General Hospital to accelerate digital health solutions; Sanguina on smartphone application study for hemoglobin management in patients with anemia of chronic kidney disease; Alchemab to enhance prostate cancer research; and Proteros biostructures GmbH to discover and develop novel small molecules for the treatment of various types of cancer. The company was formerly known as Zeneca Group PLC and changed its name to AstraZeneca PLC in April 1999. AstraZeneca PLC was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom. Read More SunTrust Banks, Inc. operates as the holding company for SunTrust Bank that provides various financial services for consumers, businesses, corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit entities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Wholesale. The Consumer segment provides deposits and payments; home equity and personal credit lines; auto, student, and other lending products; credit cards; discount/online and full-service brokerage products; professional investment advisory products and services; and trust services, as well as family office solutions. This segment also offers residential mortgage products in the secondary market. The Wholesale segment provides capital markets solutions, including advisory, capital raising, and financial risk management; asset-based financing solutions, such as securitizations, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and structured real estate arrangements; cash management services and auto dealer financing solutions; investment banking solutions; and credit and deposit, fee-based product offering, multi-family agency lending, advisory, commercial mortgage brokerage, and tailored financing and equity investment solutions. This segment also offers treasury and payment solutions, such as operating various electronic and paper payment types, which comprise card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, check, and cash; and provides services clients to manage their accounts online. The company offers its products and services through a network of traditional and in-store branches, automated teller machines, Internet, mobile, and telephone banking channels. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 1,218 full-service banking offices located in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. SunTrust Banks, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of InterContinental Hotels Group: 2250 Blake Street Hotel LLC, 24th Street Operator Sub LLC, 36th Street IHG Sub LLC, 426 Main Ave LLC, 46 Nevins Street Associates LLC, Allegro Management LLC, Alpha Kimball Hotel LLC, American Commonwealth Assurance Co. Ltd., Asia Pacific Holdings Limited, BHMC Canada Inc., BHR Holdings B.V., BHR Luxembourg SARL, BHR Pacific Holdings Inc., BHTC Canada Inc., BOC Barclay Sub LLC, Barclay Operating Corp., Bristol Oakbrook Tenant Company, Cafe Biarritz, Cambridge Lodging LLC, Capital Lodging LLC, Compania Inter-Continental De Hoteles El Salvador SA, Crowne Plaza Amsterdam (Management) B.V., Crowne Plaza LLC, Cumberland Akers Hotel LLC, Dunwoody Operations Inc., EVEN Real Estate Holding LLC, Edinburgh IC Limited, General Innkeeping Acceptance Corporation, Guangzhou SC Hotels Services Ltd., H.I. (Ireland) Limited, H.I. Soaltee Management Company Ltd, HC International Holdings Inc., HH France Holdings SAS, HH Hotels (EMEA) B.V., HH Hotels (Romania) SRL, HI Sugarloaf LLC, HIM (Aruba) NV, Hale International Ltd., Hoft Properties LLC, Holiday Hospitality Franchising LLC, Holiday Inn Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Holiday Inns (China) Ltd, Holiday Inns (Chongqing) Inc., Holiday Inns (Courtalin) Holdings SAS, Holiday Inns (Courtalin) SAS, Holiday Inns (England) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Germany) LLC, Holiday Inns (Guangzhou) Inc., Holiday Inns (Jamaica) Inc., Holiday Inns (Malaysia) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Middle East) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Philippines) Inc., Holiday Inns (Saudi Arabia) Inc., Holiday Inns (South East Asia) Inc., Holiday Inns (Thailand) Ltd., Holiday Inns (UK) Inc., Holiday Inns Crowne Plaza (Hong Kong) Inc., Holiday Inns Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Holiday Inns Inc., Holiday Inns Investment (Nepal) Ltd., Holiday Inns of America (UK) Ltd., Holiday Inns of Belgium N.V., Holiday Pacific Equity Corporation, Holiday Pacific LLC, Holiday Pacific Partners LP, Hotel Inter-Continental London Limited, Hotel InterContinental London (Holdings) Limited, Hoteles Y Turismo HIH SRL, IC Hotelbetriebsfuhrungs GmbH, IC Hotels Management (Portugal) Unipessoal Lda, IC International Hotels Limited Liability Company, IHC (Thailand) Limited, IHC Buckhead LLC, IHC Edinburgh (Holdings), IHC Hopkins (Holdings) Corp., IHC Hotel Limited, IHC Inter-Continental (Holdings) Corp., IHC London (Holdings), IHC M-H (Holdings) Corp., IHC May Fair (Holdings) Limited, IHC May Fair Hotel Limited, IHC Overseas (U.K.) Limited, IHC UK (Holdings) Limited, IHC United States (Holdings) Corp., IHC Willard (Holdings) Corp., IHG (Australasia) Limited, IHG (Marseille) SAS, IHG (Thailand) Limited, IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan LLC, IHG ANA Hotels Holdings Co. Ltd., IHG Bangkok Ltd, IHG Brasil Administracao de Hoteis e Servicos Ltda, IHG Commission Services SRL, IHG Community Development LLC, IHG Cyprus Limited, IHG ECS (Barbados) SRL, IHG Franchising Brasil Ltda, IHG Franchising DR Corporation, IHG Franchising LLC, IHG Hotels (New Zealand) Limited, IHG Hotels Limited, IHG Hotels Management (Australia) Pty Limited, IHG Hotels Nigeria Limited, IHG Hotels South Africa (Pty) Ltd, IHG International Partnership, IHG Istanbul Otel Yonetim Limited Sirketi, IHG Japan (Management) LLC, IHG Japan (Osaka) LLC, IHG Management (Maryland) LLC, IHG Management (Netherlands) B.V., IHG Management MD Barclay Sub LLC, IHG Management SL d.o.o, IHG Management d.o.o. Beograd, IHG Orchard Street Member LLC, IHG PS Nominees Limited, IHG Systems Pty Ltd, IHG Szalloda Budapest Szolgaltato Kft., IHG de Argentina SA, IND East Village SD Holdings LLC, Inter-Continental D.C. Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Investment Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Partner Corp., Inter-Continental Hospitality Corporation, Inter-Continental Hoteleira Limitada, Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Owning Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation, Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation de Venezuela C.A., Inter-Continental Hotels of San Francisco Inc., Inter-Continental IOHC (Mauritius) Limited, Inter-Continental Management (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental (Branston) 1 Limited, InterContinental (PB) 1, InterContinental (PB) 2, InterContinental (PB) 3 Limited, InterContinental Berlin Service Company GmbH, InterContinental Brasil Administracao de Hoteis Ltda, InterContinental Gestion Hotelera S.L., InterContinental Hotel Berlin GmbH, InterContinental Hotel Dusseldorf GmbH (Germany), InterContinental Hotels (Puerto Rico) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Canada) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Espana) SA, InterContinental Hotels Group (Greater China) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (India) Pvt. Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Japan) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (New Zealand) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Shanghai) Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Customer Services Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Healthcare Trustee Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group Operating Corp., InterContinental Hotels Group Resources Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group Services Company, InterContinental Hotels Group do Brasil Limitada, InterContinental Hotels Italia S.r.L., InterContinental Hotels Limited, InterContinental Hotels Management GmbH, InterContinental Hotels Nevada Corporation, InterContinental Management AM LLC, InterContinental Management Bulgaria EOOD, InterContinental Management France SAS, InterContinental Management Poland sp. z.o.o, InterContinental Overseas Holding Corporation, Intercontinental Hotels Corporation Limited, KG Benefits LLC, KG Gift Card Inc., KG Liability LLC, KG Technology LLC, KHP Washington Operator LLC, KHRG 11th Avenue Hotel LLC, KHRG 851 LLC, KHRG Aertson LLC, KHRG Alexandria LLC, KHRG Alexis LLC, KHRG Allegro LLC, KHRG Argyle LLC, KHRG Austin Beverage Company LLC, KHRG Baltimore LLC, KHRG Born LLC, KHRG Boston Hotel LLC, KHRG Canary LLC, KHRG Cayman Employer Ltd., KHRG Cayman LLC, KHRG DC 1731 LLC, KHRG DC 2505 LLC, KHRG Donovan LLC, KHRG Employer LLC, KHRG Goleta LLC, KHRG Gray LLC, KHRG Gray U2 LLC, KHRG Hillcrest LLC, KHRG Huntington Beach LLC, KHRG King Street LLC, KHRG La Peer LLC, KHRG Miami Beach LLC, KHRG Muse LLC, KHRG NPC LLC, KHRG Onyx LLC, KHRG Palladian LLC, KHRG Palomar Phoenix LLC, KHRG Philly Monaco LLC, KHRG Pittsburgh LLC, KHRG Reynolds LLC, KHRG Riverplace LLC, KHRG SFD LLC, KHRG Sacramento LLC, KHRG Savannah LLC, KHRG Schofield LLC, KHRG Sedona LLC, KHRG State Street LLC, KHRG Sutter LLC, KHRG Sutter Union LLC, KHRG Taconic LLC, KHRG Tariff LLC, KHRG Texas Hospitality LLC, KHRG Texas Operations LLC, KHRG Tryon LLC, KHRG VZ Austin LLC, KHRG Vero Beach LLC, KHRG Vintage Park LLC, KHRG WPB LLC, KHRG Wabash LLC, KHRG Westwood LLC, KHRG Wilshire LLC, KHRG Zamora LLC, Kimpton Hollywood Licenses LLC, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group LLC, Kimpton Phoenix Licenses Holdings LLC, Kimpton Sedona Licenses LLC, Louisiana Acquisitions Corp., MH Lodging LLC, Mercer Fairview Holdings LLC, PML Services LLC, PT SC Hotels & Resorts Indonesia, Pollstrong Limited, Powell Pine Inc., Priscilla Holiday of Texas Inc., RM Lodging LLC, Regent Hotels and Resorts, Resort Services International (Cayo Largo) L.P., SBS Maryland Beverage Company LLC, SC Cellars Limited, SC Hotels International Services Inc., SC Leisure Group Limited, SC NAS 2 Limited, SC Quest Limited, SC Reservations (Philippines) Inc., SCH Insurance Company, SCIH Branston 3, SF MH Acquisition LLC, SPHC Group Pty Ltd., SPHC Management Ltd., Semiramis for training of Hotel Personnel and Hotel Management SAE, Six Continents Corporate Services, Six Continents Holdings Limited, Six Continents Hotels Inc., Six Continents Hotels International Limited, Six Continents Hotels de Colombia SA, Six Continents International Holdings B.V., Six Continents Investments Limited, Six Continents Limited, Six Continents Overseas Holdings Limited, Six Continents Restaurants Limited, SixCo North America Inc., Solamar Lodging LLC, Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (BVI) Ltd., Southern Pacific Hotels Properties Limited, Universal de Hoteles SA, White Shield Insurance Company Limited, and World Trade Centre Montreal Hotel Corporation. The following companies are subsidiares of The Procter & Gamble: "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, Agile Pursuits, Agile Pursuits Franchising, Arbora, Arbora & Ausonia, Arborinvest, Billie, Braun (Shanghai) Co., Braun GmbH, Braun-Gillette Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG, Celtic Insurance Company, Compania Procter & Gamble Mexico, Compania Quimica S.A., Corporativo Procter & Gamble, Cosmetic Products Pty. Ltd., Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., Eurocos Cosmetic GmbH, FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Fater S.p.A., Fountain Square Music Publishing Co., Gillette (China) Ltd., Gillette (Shanghai) Ltd., Gillette Aesop Ltd., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette Canada Holdings, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Gruppe Deutschland GmbH & Co. oHG, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Nova Scotia Company, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Poland S.A., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay, Giorgio Beverly Hills Inc., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, LLC "Procter & Gamble Novomoskovsk", LLL "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", Laboratorios Vicks, Liberty Street Music Publishing Company, Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', Limited Liability Company with foreign investments Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, New Chapter, New Chapter Canada Inc., Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G Prestige Service GmbH, P&G South African Trading (Pty.) Ltd., PGT Health Care (Zhejiang) Limited, PGT Healthcare LLP, PPI ZAO, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Procter & Gamble (Chengdu) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (East Africa) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Egypt) Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble (Enterprise Fund) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Health & Beauty Care) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Jiangsu) Ltd. China, Procter & Gamble (L&CP) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble (Manufacturing) Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble (Shanghai) International Trade Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Acquisition GmbH, Procter & Gamble Administration GmbH, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chile , Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Commercial de Cuba S.A., Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent (Beijing) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deuttschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing (Philippines) Inc., Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distribution Company (Europe) BVBA, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana, Procter & Gamble Europe SA, Procter & Gamble Export Operations SARL, Procter & Gamble Exportadora e Importadora Ltda., Procter & Gamble Exports, Procter & Gamble Fabricacao e Comercio Ltda., Procter & Gamble Far East, Procter & Gamble Finance (U.K.) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care, Procter & Gamble Hellas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holdings (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership (KKT), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings, Procter & Gamble Indochina Limited Company, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama, Procter & Gamble International Operations Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Investment Company (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment GmbH, Procter & Gamble Italia, Procter & Gamble Japan K.K., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea, Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble Lanka Private Ltd. Sri Lanka, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Marketing and Services doo, Procter & Gamble Maroc SA, Procter & Gamble Mataro, Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Investments B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Nordic, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan (Private) Limited, Procter & Gamble Partnership LLP, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals France SAS, Procter & Gamble Philippines, Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo, Procter & Gamble Product Supply (U.K.) Limited U.K., Procter & Gamble Production GmbH, Procter & Gamble Productions, Procter & Gamble Productos de Consumo, Procter & Gamble RHD, Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services BVBA, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Satis ve Dagitim Ltd. Sti., Procter & Gamble Seine S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services (Switzerland) SA, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Share Incentive Plan Trustee Ltd., Procter & Gamble South America Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. (Ltd.), Procter & Gamble Sports and Social Club Ltd., Procter & Gamble Sverige AB, Procter & Gamble Switzerland SARL, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Limited, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Sales Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited, Procter & Gamble Technology (Beijing) Co., Procter & Gamble Trading (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Tuketim Mallari Sanayii A.S., Procter & Gamble UK, Procter & Gamble UK Group Holdings Ltd, Procter & Gamble UK Parent Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Universal Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Verwaltungs GmbH, Procter & Gamble Vietnam, Procter & Gamble d.o.o. za trgovinu, Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.C.A., Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.R.L., Procter & Gamble do Brasil S/A, Procter & Gamble do Brazil, Procter & Gamble do Nordeste S/A, Procter & Gamble-Rakona s.r.o., Progam Realty & Development Corporation, Redmond Products, Richardson-Vicks Real Estate Inc., Richardson-Vicks do Brasil Quimica e Farmaceutica Ltda, Riverfront Music Publishing Co., Rosemount LLC, SPD Development Company Limited, SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Scannon S.A.S., Series Acquisition B.V., Shulton, Surfac S.R.L., Sycamore Productions, TAOS - FL, TAOS Retail, Tambrands Inc., Temple Trees Impex & Investment Private Limited, The Art of Shaving - FL, The Dover Wipes Company, The Gillette Company, The Gillette Company LLC, The Gillette co., The Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC, The Procter & Gamble GBS Company, The Procter & Gamble Global Finance Company, The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company, This is L., US CD LLC, Vidal Sassoon (Shanghai) Academy, Vidal Sassoon Co., WEBA Betriebsrenten-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Walker & Company Brands, and iMFLUX Inc.. Motorola Solutions, Inc. provides mission critical communications and analytics in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Products and Systems Integration, and Services and Software. The Products and Systems Integration segment offers a portfolio of infrastructure, devices, accessories, and video security devices and infrastructure, as well as the implementation, optimization, and integration of systems, devices, software, and applications for government, public safety and first-responder agencies, municipalities, and commercial and industrial customers. Its LMR and video security and analytics devices include two-way portable and vehicle-mounted radios, fixed and mobile video cameras, and accessories; radio network core and central processing software, base stations, consoles, and repeaters; and video analytics, network video management hardware and software, and access control solutions. The Services segment provides repair, technical support, and hardware maintenance services. This segment also offers monitoring, software updates, and cybersecurity services; and public safety and enterprise command center software, unified communications applications, and video software solutions. It serves for government, public safety, and commercial communication networks. The company was formerly known as Motorola, Inc. and changed its name to Motorola Solutions, Inc. in January 2011. Motorola Solutions, Inc. was founded in 1928 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Read More Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI Spain ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI Spain ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Ad Resource Stock Digest 1,544 Interested This Week Could This Be the Biggest US Gold Discovery in Years? See how this tiny, unknown gold company secured a prime land package right next door to the worlds two largest gold producers in Nevadas famed Carlin Trend where 84 Million gold ounces have already been extracted. Best of all, investors can still get in well below US$0.50 per share. Invesco Ltd. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm provides its services to retail clients, institutional clients, high-net worth clients, public entities, corporations, unions, non-profit organizations, endowments, foundations, pension funds, financial institutions, and sovereign wealth funds. It manages separate client-focused equity and fixed income portfolios. The firm also launches equity, fixed income, commodity, multi-asset, and balanced mutual funds for its clients. It launches equity, fixed income, multi-asset, and balanced exchange-traded funds. The firm also launches and manages private funds. It invests in the public equity and fixed income markets across the globe. The firm also invests in alternative markets, such as commodities and currencies. For the equity portion of its portfolio, it invests in growth and value stocks of large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap companies. For the fixed income portion of its portfolio, the firm invests in convertibles, government bonds, municipal bonds, treasury securities, and cash. It also invests in short term and intermediate term bonds, investment grade and high yield bonds, taxable and tax-free bonds, senior secured loans, and structured securities such as asset-backed securities, mortgage-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. The firm employs absolute return, global macro, and long/short strategies. It employs quantitative analysis to make its investments. The firm was formerly known as Invesco Plc, AMVESCAP plc, Amvesco plc, Invesco PLC, Invesco MIM, and H. Lotery & Co. Ltd. Invesco Ltd. was founded in December 1935 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia with an additional office in Hamilton, Bermuda. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Emerson Electric: A.P.M. Automation Solutions Ltd., AE Valves, AGI Mexicana S.A. de C.V., ALCO CONTROLS spol. s.r.o., APM Automation Solutions, ASC Investments Inc., ASCO (Japan) Company Limited, ASCO L.P., ASCO Numatics (India) Private Limited, ASCO Numatics Holding Inc., ASCO SAS, ASCO Valve (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ASCO/JOUCOMATIC s.r.o., ATX SAS, Advanced Protection Technologies, Aegir Norge Holding AS, Alliance Compressors LLC, American Governor, Aperture, Apple JV Holding Corp., Appleton Electric LLC, Appleton Electric S.A. de C.V., Appleton Group, Appleton Group Canada Ltd., Appleton Grp LLC, Appleton Holding Corp., Appleton Holding Sarl, Artesyn Embedded Technologies, Artesyn Hungary Elektronikai Kft., Artesyn Technologies, Asco AB, Asco Controls AG, Asco Controls B.V., Asco Joucomatic Ltd., Asco Joucomatic ZA B.V., Asco Magnesszelep Kft., Asco Numatics GmbH, Asco Numatics S.A., Asco Numatics Sirai S.R.L., Asco Numatics Sp. z o.o., Ascomatica S.A. de C.V., Ascomation (NZ) Ltd., Ascomation Pty. Ltd., Ascotech S.A. de C.V., Ascoval Industria e Commercio Ltda, Automatic Switch Company, Aventics, Aventics, Aventics AB, Aventics AG, Aventics AS, Aventics ApS, Aventics B.V., Aventics Corporation, Aventics Holding S.A.S., Aventics Holding S.a.r.l., Aventics Hungary Kft, Aventics Inc., Aventics India Private Limited, Aventics Limited, Aventics Ltd., Aventics Oy, Aventics Pneumatics Equipment (Changzhou) Co. Ltd., Aventics Pneumatics Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Aventics S.A.S., Aventics S.R.L., Aventics Services Germany GmbH, Aventics Singapore Pte. Ltd., Aventics Sp. z.o.o., Aventics Spain S.L., Aventics spol. s.r.o., Avtron LoadBank, Bannerscientific Limited, Beckman Industrial B.V., Beijing Rosemount Far East Instrument Co. Ltd., Bettis Canada Ltd., Bettis Holdings Limited, Bettis UK Limited, Biffi Italia S.r.l., Bioproduction Group, Branson Korea Co. Ltd., Branson Ultrasonic S.A., Branson Ultrasonics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Branson Ultrasonics B.V., Branson Ultrasonics Corporation, Branson Ultrasonics a.s., Branson Ultrasonidos S.A.E., Branson Ultrasons SAS, Branson Ultrasuoni S.R.L., Branson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Bray Lectroheat Limited, Bristol Babcock Limited, Bristol Inc., Buehler Europe Limited, Buehler UK Limited, CR Compressors LLC, CSA Consulting Engineers Ltd., California Emerson LLC, Cascade Technologies, Cascade Technologies Holdings Limited, Cascade Technologies Limited, Chemat GmbH Armaturen fur Industrie - und Nuklearanlage, Chloride Koexa S.A., Componentes Avanzados de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Computational Systems, Computational Systems Incorporated, Conception et Representation de Technologies de Controle C.R.T. Controle SAS, Control Products Inc., Controles de Temperatura S.A. de C.V., Cooligy Inc., Cooper-Atkins, Cooper-Atkins Corporation, Cooper-Atkins Pte. Ltd., Copeland Access + Inc., Copeland Compresores Hermeticos S.A. de C.V., Copeland Corporation, Copeland Corporation LLC, Copeland Limited, Copeland Redevelopment Corporation, Copeland Scroll Compresores de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Copeland de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Copesub Inc., Crosby Valve LLC, Damcos A/S, Damcos Holding A/S, Daniel Automation Company, Daniel Europe Limited, Daniel Industrial Inc., Daniel Industries, Daniel Industries Canada Inc., Daniel Industries Inc., Daniel Industries Limited, Daniel International Limited, Daniel Measurement Solutions Private Limited, Daniel Measurement and Control Inc., Daniel Measurement and Control S. de R.L. de C.V., Danmasa S.A. de C.V., Dar Ibtikar Al Iraq for General Services and General Trade LLC, Decision Management International, Dieterich Standard Inc., Digital Appliance Controls (UK) Limited, Dixell North America Inc., Dixell S.R.L., Do+Able Products, E. Business Development E.B.D.Com Ltd., E.G.P. Corporation, EECO Inc., EGS Comercializadora Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EGS Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EGS Private Ltd., EMERSON CLIMATE TECHNOLOGIES s.r.o., EMR (Asia) Limited, EMR (Mauritius) Ltd., EMR Emerson Holdings (Switzerland) GmbH, EMR Europe Holdings Inc., EMR Foundation Inc., EMR Holdings (France) SAS, EMR Holdings Inc., EMR Worldwide B.V., EMR Worldwide Inc., EMRSN HLDG B.V., EMRSN Process Management Morocco Sarl, ENPDOR2012A Limited, ENPESNA Inc., EPM Tulsa Holdings Corp., EPMCO Holdings Inc., ETC International Holdings Ltd., Easy Heat Europe SAS, Easy Heat Inc., El-O-Matic B.V., El-O-Matic Valve Actuators (F.E.) Pte. Ltd., Electrische Apparatenfabriek Capax B.V., Emerald Advanced Technology Limited, Emerson (Philippines) Corporation, Emerson (Taiwan) Limited, Emerson (Thailand) Limited, Emerson Arabia Inc., Emerson Argentina S.A., Emerson Asia Pacific Private Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Actuation Technologies Holdings Inc., Emerson Automation Solutions Actuation Technologies Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Sichuan) Co. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Taiwan) Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Thailand) Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Africa (Pty) Ltd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Australia Pty Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Czech Republic s.r.o., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Denmark A/S, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control France SARL, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Germany GmbH, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Hong Kong Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Hungary Kft, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Italia S.r.l., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control LLC, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Middle East FZE, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Netherlands B.V., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Polska Sp. Z.o.o., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Sales Australia Pty Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Sales Holding LLC, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Singapore Pte. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control UK II Ltd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control UK Ltd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control US LP, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Emerson Automation Solutions GmbH, Emerson Automation Solutions Intelligent Platforms (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Intelligent Platforms Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Intelligent Platforms Private Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Intelligent Platforms do Brasil Ltda, Emerson Automation Solutions Ireland Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Isolation Valves Inc., Emerson Automation Solutions SSC UK Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions UK Limited, Emerson Beijing Instrument Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Services LLC, Emerson Climate Technologies (India) Private Limited, Emerson Climate Technologies (Shenyang) Refrigeration Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, Emerson Climate Technologies (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies (Suzhou) Trading Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies - Solutions (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies - Transportation Solutions ApS, Emerson Climate Technologies Arabia Limited Co., Emerson Climate Technologies Australia Pty. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies FZE, Emerson Climate Technologies GmbH, Emerson Climate Technologies Inc., Emerson Climate Technologies Limited, Emerson Climate Technologies Mexico S.A. de C.V., Emerson Climate Technologies Refrigeration S.A., Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions Europe S.R.L., Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions Inc., Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions UK Limited, Emerson Climate Technologies S.A., Emerson Climate Technologies S.R.L., Emerson Climate Technologies Sarl, Emerson Commercial & Residential Tools LLC, Emerson Commerical & Residential Asia Limited, Emerson Comres de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Emerson DHC B.V., Emerson Dietzenbach GmbH, Emerson Dominicana Srl, Emerson Egypt LLC, Emerson Electric (Asia) Limited, Emerson Electric (China) Holdings Co. Ltd., Emerson Electric (M) Sdn Bhd, Emerson Electric (Mauritius) Ltd., Emerson Electric (South Asia) Pte. Ltd., Emerson Electric (Thailand) Limited, Emerson Electric (Tongling) Co. Ltd., Emerson Electric (U.S.) Holding Corporation, Emerson Electric (U.S.) Holding Corporation (Chile) Limitada, Emerson Electric (Zhuhai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Electric CR Limitada, Emerson Electric Canada Limited, Emerson Electric Company (India) Private Limited, Emerson Electric Company Lanka (Private) Limited, Emerson Electric Holdings (Switzerland) GmbH, Emerson Electric II C.A., Emerson Electric International Inc., Emerson Electric Ireland Limited, Emerson Electric Korea Ltd., Emerson Electric Nederland B.V., Emerson Electric Overseas Finance Corp., Emerson Electric Poland Sp. z o.o., Emerson Electric U.K. Limited, Emerson Electric de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Emerson Electric do Brasil Ltda, Emerson Energy Systems (UK) Limited, Emerson FZE, Emerson Final Control US Holding LLC, Emerson Finance LLC, Emerson Fusite Electric (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Emerson Gabon SARL, Emerson Hazardous Electrical Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Holding Company Limited, Emerson Holding Sweden AB, Emerson InSinkErator Appliance (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., Emerson Industrial Automation USA Inc., Emerson International Holding Company Limited, Emerson Japan Ltd., Emerson Junkang Enterprise (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Korea Limited, Emerson LLC, Emerson LLP, Emerson Machinery Equipment (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Emerson Mexico Finance S.A. de C.V. SOFOM ENR, Emerson Middle East Inc., Emerson Network Power DHC B.V., Emerson Paradigm Holding LLC, Emerson Process Management (India) Private Limited, Emerson Process Management (South Africa) (Proprietary) Ltd., Emerson Process Management (Tianjin) Valves Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management (Vietnam) Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management A/S (Denmark), Emerson Process Management AB, Emerson Process Management AG, Emerson Process Management AS, Emerson Process Management Angola Lda, Emerson Process Management Arabia Limited, Emerson Process Management Australia Pty Limited, Emerson Process Management B.V., Emerson Process Management Chennai Private Limited, Emerson Process Management Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Distribution Limited, Emerson Process Management Europe GmbH, Emerson Process Management Flow B.V., Emerson Process Management Flow Technologies Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management GmbH & Co. OHG, Emerson Process Management Holding AG, Emerson Process Management Holding LLC, Emerson Process Management Kft., Emerson Process Management LLLP, Emerson Process Management Lda, Emerson Process Management Limited, Emerson Process Management Ltda, Emerson Process Management Magyarorszag Kft., Emerson Process Management Manufacturing (M) Sdn Bhd, Emerson Process Management Marine Solutions Korea Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Marine Solutions Singapore Pte. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Marine Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management NV, Emerson Process Management New Zealand Limited, Emerson Process Management Nigeria Limited, Emerson Process Management Oy, Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions Inc., Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions India Private Limited, Emerson Process Management Qatar W.L.L., Emerson Process Management Regulator Technologies Inc., Emerson Process Management Regulator Technologies Tulsa LLC, Emerson Process Management Romania S.R.L., Emerson Process Management S.A., Emerson Process Management S.A. de C.V., Emerson Process Management S.L., Emerson Process Management S.R.L., Emerson Process Management SAS, Emerson Process Management Shared Services Limited, Emerson Process Management Sp. z o.o., Emerson Process Management Ticaret Limited Sirket, Emerson Process Management UAB, Emerson Process Management Valve Automation (M) Sdn Bhd, Emerson Process Management Valve Automation (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Valve Automation Inc., Emerson Process Management Verwaltung GmbH, Emerson Process Management d.o.o., Emerson Process Management de Colombia SAS, Emerson Process Management del Peru S.A.C., Emerson Process Management s.r.o., Emerson Professional Tools (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Puerto Rico Inc., Emerson Retail Services Europe GmbH, Emerson S.R.L., Emerson Sales UK Limited, Emerson Saudi Arabia LLC, Emerson Scroll Machining (Thailand) Limited, Emerson Sice S.R.L., Emerson Sweden AB, Emerson TOV, Emerson Technologies GmbH & Co. OHG, Emerson Technologies Verwaltungs GmbH, Emerson Tool Company de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Emerson Tool and Appliance Company S. de R.L. de C.V., Emerson Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson UK Trustees Limited, Emerson USD Finance Company Limited, Emerson Valves & Controls Japan Co. Ltd., Emerson Ventures Inc., Emerson Vulcan Holding LLC, Emerson Xi'an Engineering Center, Emersub 1 LLC, Emersub 10 LLC, Emersub 11 LLC, Emersub 12 LLC, Emersub 14 LLC, Emersub 15 LLC, Emersub 16 LLC, Emersub 3 LLC, Emersub 4 LLC, Emersub 5 LLC, Emersub 7 LLC, Emersub 8 LLC, Emersub 9 LLC, Emersub CII Inc., Emersub CV Inc., Emersub Italia S.R.L., Emersub LXXXIV Inc., Emersub LXXXVI Inc., Emersub Mexico Inc., Emersub Treasury Ireland Unlimited Company, Emersub XLVI Inc., Emersub XXXVI Inc., Emirates Techno Casting FZE, Emirates Techno Casting Holding Limited, Emirates Techno Casting LLC, Enardo, Endura-Greenlee Tools, Energy Solutions International (India) Private Limited, Energy Solutions International GP LLC, Energy Solutions International Ltd., Energy Solutions International SAS, Energy Solutions International Sub LLC, F-R Tecnologias de Flujo S.A. de C.V., FC QSF LLC, FMC Technologies, Fiberconn Assemblies Morocco Sarl, Fincor Holding LLC, Fire & Safety Group.Com Ltd., Fisher Controles de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Fisher Controls International LLC, Fisher Jeon Gas Equipment (Chengdu) Co. Ltd., Fisher Regulators (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fisher Sanmar Limited, Fisher-Rosemount Systems Inc., Flow Control Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Flow Control Holding Verwaltungs GmbH, Flow Control US Holding Corporation, Francel SAS, Fromex S.A. de C.V., Fusite B.V., Fusite Corporation, Fusite Land Company, GSEG LLC, General Equipment and Manufacturing Company Inc., Generale de Robinetterie Industrielle et de Sytemes de Surete, GeoFields, GeoFields Inc., Greenex Ltd., Greenfield (UK) Limited, Greenlee, Greenlee Communications, Greenlee Tools Inc., Gulf Valve FZE, Gustav Klauke GmbH, H.T.E. Engineering Limited, HD Electric Company, HTE Engineering Services Limited, Hindle Cockburns Limited, Hiross India Private Limited, Hiter Industria e Comercia de Controles Termo-Hidraulicos Ltda., Humboldt Hermetic Motor Corp., Hytork International Ltd., I Solutions Inc., ICC Intelligent Platforms GmbH, ISE-MagTech, Industrial Controls Canada ULC, Industrial Group Metran JSC, Instrument & Valve Services Company, Intelligent Platforms LLC, Intellution, International Gas Distribution SA, Intrinsic Safety Equipment of Texas Inc., JCF Fluid Flow India Private Limited, JSC Metran-Export, Joucomatic S.A., K Controls Limited, Keystone Germany Holdings Corp., Keystone Valve (Korea) LLC, Keystone Valve (U.K.) Limited, Klauke, Klauke (Jiangsu) Electrical Connection Technology Co Ltd., Klauke France SARL, Klauke Handelsgesellschaft mbH, Klauke Iberia S.L., Klauke Polska Sp. z.o.o., Klauke Slovakia s.r.o., Klauke UK Ltd., Knurr, Liebert, Liebert Swindon Limited, Locus Solutions LLC, Locus Traxx Worldwide, Locus Traxx Worldwide Europe BVBA, MDC Technology Limited, MDC Technology Trustees Limited, METCO Services Limited, MYNAH Technologies, Management Resources Group Inc., Mecafrance (Deutschland) GmbH, Metallurgical Services Laboratories Limited, Metaserv Limited, Metco Services Venezuela C.A., Micro Motion Inc., Mobrey Group Limited, Motores Hermeticos del Sur S.A. de C.V., NetworkPower Ecuador S.A., Nippon Fisher Co. Ltd., Novel Environmental Technologies Ltd., Novel Extinguishing Agent Technology Ltd., Numatics Incorporated, Nutsteel DHC B.V., Nutsteel Industria Metalurgica Ltda, O.M.T. Officina Meccanica Tartarini S.r.l., Open Systems International, P I Components Corp., PT Emerson Solutions Indonesia, PT. Emerson Indonesia, PT. Paradigm Geophysical Indonesia, Pactrol Controls Limited, PakSense, PakSense Inc., Paradigm, Paradigm (UK) Holding Limited, Paradigm B.V., Paradigm France S.A., Paradigm Geophysical (India) Private Limited, Paradigm Geophysical (KL) Sdn. Bhd., Paradigm Geophysical (Nigeria) Limited, Paradigm Geophysical (U.K.) Limited, Paradigm Geophysical B.V., Paradigm Geophysical Corp., Paradigm Geophysical Italy SRL, Paradigm Geophysical LLC, Paradigm Geophysical Limited, Paradigm Geophysical Pty Ltd, Paradigm Geophysical S.A., Paradigm Geophysical Sdn. Bhd., Paradigm Geophysical Spain S.L., Paradigm Geophysical de Venezuela C.A., Paradigm Geophysical do Brasil Ltda., Paradigm Geoservices Canada Ltd., Paradigm Geotechnology (Egypt) S.A.E., Paradigm Kazakhstan LLP, Paradigm Middle East FZ-LLC, Paradigm Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Parex Industries Limited, Pentair Valves & Controls, Pentair Valves and Controls India Private Limited, Permasense, Permasense Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, Permasense Limited, ProSys, ProTeam Inc., Progea, RAC Technologies (Israel) Ltd., RIDGID Inc., RPP Europe GmbH, RPP LLC, Rey-Lam S. de R.L. de C.V., Ridge Tool (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Ridge Tool Company, Ridge Tool Europe NV, Ridge Tool GmbH, Ridge Tool GmbH & Co. OHG, Ridge Tool Manufacturing Company, Ridge Tool Pattern Company, Ridgid France SAS, Ridgid Italia S.R.L., Ridgid Online Inc., Ridgid Scandinavia A/S, Ridgid Werkzeuge AG, Rosemount China Inc., Rosemount Inc., Rosemount Measurement Limited, Rosemount Nuclear Instruments Inc., Rosemount Specialty Products LLC, Rosemount Tank Gauging India Pvt. Ltd., Rosemount Tank Gauging Middle East SPC, Rosemount Tank Gauging North America Inc., Rosemount Tank Radar AB, Rosemount Tank Radar Properties AB, Roxar, Roxar AS, Roxar Flow Measurement AS, Roxar Flow Measurement Sdn Bhd, Roxar Limited, Roxar Maximum Reservoir Performance W.L.L., Roxar Saudi Co., Roxar Services AS, Roxar Services OOO, Roxar Software Solutions AS, Roxar Technologies AS, Roxar Vietnam Company Ltd., Roxar de Venezuela C.A., Rutherfurd Acquisitions Limited, S.F.T. Group Ltd., SABO-Armaturen Service GmbH, Safety Systems UK Pte. Ltd., Sakhi-Raimondi Valve (India) Limited, Scroll Compressors LLC, Scroll Mexico LLC, Sempell GmbH, Shanghai Virgo Valves Technology Consulting Co. Ltd., Sherman + Reilly, Soluciones 0925 C.A., Spectra-Tek Holdings Limited, Spectra-Tek International Limited, Spectra-Tek UK Limited, Spectrex, Spectrex Inc., Spectronix Ltd., Spensall Engineering Limited, Steel Support Systems Limited, Stratos Lightwave, System Plast International B.V., System Plast Ltda, System Plast USA de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., TDM-avtomatizatsiya, TV&C GP Holding LLC, Taiwan Valve Co. Ltd., TechnipFMC, Termocontroles de Juarez S.A. de C.V., Tescom Corporation, Tescom Europe GmbH & Co. KG, Tescom Europe Management GmbH, The Automation Group Inc., The J.R. Clarkson Company LLC, Therm-O-Disc Europe B.V., Therm-O-Disc Incorporated, Thunderline Z Inc., TopWorx UK Limited, Tranmet Holdings B.V., Tranmet Holdings Limited, Verdant Environmental Technologies, Vilter Manufacturing LLC, Virgo Valves & Controls (ME) FZE, Virgo Valves and Controls Sdn Bhd, Von Arx AG, Vulsub 1 Limited, Vulsub Brasil Holding, Vulsub Brasil Ltda., Vulsub Chile SpA, Vulsub Gulf Holding Limited, Vulsub Holding III (Denmark) ApS, Vulsub Holding Ltd, Vulsub Holdings A LLC, Vulsub Holdings B LLC, Vulsub Holdings C LLC, Vulsub Holdings D LLC, Vulsub Italia S.r.l., Vulsub Middle East Holdings LLC, Vulsub Peru S.A.C., Vulsub Property Holding LLC, Vulsub Property Limited, Vulsub S.A., Vulsub South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Vulsub VZ C.A., Westinghouse Electric Pvt. Limited, Westlock Controls Limited, Westlock Equipamentos de Controle Ltda., Woodstock Land Company LLC, epro GmbH, iSolera Inc., iSolutions Private Limited, and intelliSAW. DXC Technology Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides information technology services and solutions primarily in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It operates in two segments, Global Business Services (GBS) and Global Infrastructure Services (GIS). The GBS segment offers a portfolio of analytics services and extensive partner ecosystem that help its customers to gain rapid insights, automate operations, and accelerate their digital transformation journeys; and software engineering and solutions that enable businesses to run and manage their mission-critical functions, transform their operations, and develop new ways of doing business. This segment also uses various technologies and methods to accelerate the creation, modernization, delivery, and maintenance of secure applications allowing customers to innovate faster while reducing risk, time to market, and total cost of ownership. In addition, it offers business process services, which include digital integration and optimization of front and back office processes, and agile process automation. The GIS segment adapts legacy apps to cloud, migrate the right workloads, and securely manage their multi-cloud environments; and offers security solutions help predict attacks, proactively respond to threats, and ensure compliance, as well as to protect data, applications, and infrastructure. It also provides IT outsourcing services support infrastructure, applications, and workplace IT operations, including hardware, software, physical/virtual end-user devices, collaboration tools, and IT support services. In addition, this segment offers workplace and mobility services to fit its customer's employee, business, and IT needs from intelligent collaboration; and modern device management, digital support services, Internet of Things and mobility services. The company has a strategic collaboration with Microsoft. DXC Technology Company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Tysons, Virginia. Read More Drax Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the generation and supply of electricity in the United Kingdom. The company operates through three segments: Generation, Customers, and, Pellet Production. It produces low carbon and renewable electricity; and provides system support services to the electricity grid. The company owns and operates Drax Power Station that produces electricity from biomass and coal with an installed capacity of 3,906 megawatts (MW) located in Selby, North Yorkshire; Cruachan Power Station, a pumped hydro storage station, with an installed capacity of 440 MW located in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland; and Lanark and Galloway hydro-electric power stations with an installed capacity of 126 MW located in southwest Scotland. It also owns and operates combined cycle gas turbine power stations, including Damhead Creek power station with an installed capacity of 805 MW; Rye House power station with an installed capacity of 715 MW; Shoreham power station with an installed capacity of 420 MW; and Blackburn power station with an installed capacity of 60 MW located in England. In addition, the company owns and operates Daldowie fuel plant that processes sludge from a wastewater treatment plant and converts it into dry and low-odour fuel pellets. Further, it manufactures and sells compressed wood pellets for use in electricity production; supplies and manages electricity and gas for large industrial and commercial sector customers, as well as small businesses; and provides debt recovery services. Drax Group plc was incorporated in 2005 and is based in Selby, the United Kingdom. Read More Wall Street analysts have given Pimco Total Return ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Pimco Total Return ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Since 2016, Teeka Tiwari has trumped the stock market. His investment recommendations have each averaged 281%. Thats 17 times the S&P. And 112 times the average investor, according to JPMorgan! However, one investment Teeka just uncovered could top them all It involves former President Biden, billions of dollars, several large banks, and a super-rich family. As well as a MAJOR potential upgrade to our credit cards. Teeka, who ended up correctly picking the last investment of the decade, is declaring this his top pick for the 2020s. General Electric Company operates as a high-tech industrial company worldwide. The company's Power segment offers heavy-duty and aeroderivative gas turbines for utilities, independent power producers, and industrial applications; maintenance, service, and upgrade solutions to plant assets and their operational lifecycle; steam power technology for fossil and nuclear applications, including boilers, generators, steam turbines, and air quality control systems; and advanced reactor technologies solutions comprising reactors, fuels, and support services for boiling water reactors. This segment also applies the science and systems of power conversion to provide motors, generators, automation, and control equipment; and drives for energy intensive industries, such as marine, oil and gas, mining, rail, metals, test systems, and water. Its Renewable Energy segment provides various solutions for its customers through combining onshore and offshore wind, blades, hydro, storage, solar, and grid solutions, as well as hybrid renewables and digital services offerings. The company's Aviation segment designs and produces commercial and military aircraft engines, integrated engine components, electric power, and mechanical aircraft systems; and provides aftermarket services. Its Healthcare segment develops, manufactures, markets, and services magnetic resonance, computed tomography, molecular imaging, x-ray and high-frequency soundwave systems, clinical monitoring and acute care systems, enterprise digital, artificial intelligence applications, consulting and command center, and complementary software and services; and researches, manufactures, and markets imaging agents. The company's Capital segment offers aviation leasing and financing, and working capital services; financial solutions and underwriting capabilities; and insurance and reinsurance for life and health risks, as well as annuity products. The company was founded in 1878 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Read More The world observed International Holocaust Day, even in a climate of rising anti-Semitism and growing Holocaust denial. Some of the former death camp prisoners visited the Auschwitz Museum to honor the lives unjustly taken reminding us all that we must never forget. Former Auschwitz prisoners placed flowers early Sunday at an execution wall at Auschwitz, paying homage before the arrival of the nationalists at the same spot. They wore striped scarves that recalled their uniforms, some with the red letter P, the symbol the Germans used to mark them as Poles. Early in World War II, most prisoners were Poles, rounded up by the occupying German forces. Later, Auschwitz was transformed into a mass killing site for Jews, Roma and others, operating until the liberation by Soviet forces on Jan. 27, 1945. In Germany, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned in an op-ed in the weekly Welt am Sonntag that across Europe populists are propagating nationalism and far-right provocateurs are trying to downplay the Holocaust. We shall never forget. We shall never be indifferent. We must stand up for our liberal democracy, Maas wrote. We pray the horrors of the Holocaust never be forgotten. May the sacrifice of the Jewish people never be overlooked. May the pain and agony of those dark days never be repeated. We Remember. We act. BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, and markets biopharmaceutical products worldwide. The company offers products in hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, and immunology therapeutic classes. Its products include Revlimid, an oral immunomodulatory drug for the treatment of multiple myeloma; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Eliquis, an oral inhibitor indicated for the reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; and Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis, as well as reducing signs and symptoms in pediatric patients with active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The company also provides Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia; Yervoy for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma; Abraxane, a solvent-free protein-bound chemotherapy product; mpliciti for the treatment of multiple myeloma; and Reblozyl for the treatment of anemia in adult patients with beta thalassemia. In addition, it offers Onureg for the continued treatment of adult patients with AML; Zeposia to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; Vidaza for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome subtypes; Baraclude, an oral antiviral agent for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B; and Breyanzi, a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma. The company sells products to wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, retailers, hospitals, clinics, and government agencies. It has collaboration agreements with Pfizer, Inc.; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Nektar Therapeutics; AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Huyabio; and DarwinHealth, Inc. The company was formerly known as Bristol-Myers Company. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in New York, New York. Read More The Charles Schwab Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services. The Investor Services segment provides retail brokerage and banking services, retirement plan services, and other corporate brokerage services; equity compensation plan sponsors full-service recordkeeping for stock plans, stock options, restricted stock, performance shares, and stock appreciation rights; and retail investor, retirement plan, and mutual fund clearing services. The Advisor Services segment offers custodial, trading, banking, and support services; and retirement business and corporate brokerage retirement services. This segment provides brokerage accounts with cash management capabilities; third-party mutual funds, as well as proprietary mutual funds, plus mutual fund trading, and clearing services to broker-dealers; and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), including proprietary and third-party ETFs. It also offers advice solutions, such as managed portfolios of proprietary and third-party mutual funds and ETFs, separately managed accounts, customized personal advice for tailored portfolios, and specialized planning and portfolio management. In addition, this segment provides banking products and services, including checking and savings accounts, first lien residential real estate mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, and pledged asset lines; and trust services comprising trust custody services, personal trust reporting services, and administrative trustee services. The company serves individuals and institutional clients in the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The Charles Schwab Corporation was incorporated in 1971 and is headquartered in Westlake, Texas. Read More State Street Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of financial products and services to institutional investors worldwide. It offers investment servicing products and services, including custody; product accounting; daily pricing and administration; master trust and master custody; depotbank; record-keeping; cash management; foreign exchange, brokerage, and other trading services; securities finance; deposit and short-term investment facilities; loans and lease financing; investment manager and alternative investment manager operations outsourcing; performance, risk, and compliance analytics; and financial data management to support institutional investors. The company also engages in the provision of portfolio management and risk analytics, as well as trading and post-trade settlement services with integrated compliance and managed data throughout. In addition, it provides investment management strategies and products, such as core and enhanced indexing, multi-asset strategies, active quantitative and fundamental active capabilities, and alternative investment strategies. Further, the company offers services and solutions, including environmental, social, and governance investing; defined benefit and defined contribution; and global fiduciary solutions, as well as exchange-traded fund under the SPDR ETF brand. The company provides its products and services to mutual funds, collective investment funds and other investment pools, corporate and public retirement plans, insurance companies, foundations, endowments, and investment managers. State Street Corporation was founded in 1792 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Read More Tyler Technologies, Inc. provides integrated information management solutions and services for the public sector in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Enterprise Software, and Appraisal and Tax. It offers financial management solutions, including modular fund accounting systems for government agencies or not-for-profit entities; utility billing systems for the billing and collection of metered and non-metered services; products to automate city and county functions, such as municipal courts, parking tickets, equipment and project costing, animal and business licenses, permits and inspections, code enforcement, citizen complaint tracking, ambulance billing, fleet maintenance, and cemetery records management; and student information and transportation solutions for K-12 schools. The company also provides a suite of judicial solutions comprising court case management, court and law enforcement, prosecutor, and supervision systems to handle multi-jurisdictional county or statewide implementations, and single county systems; public safety software solutions; systems and software to automate the appraisal and assessment of real and personal property, as well as tax applications for agencies that bill and collect taxes; planning, regulatory, and maintenance software solutions for public sector agencies; software applications to enhance and automate operations involving records and document management; and data and insights solutions. In addition, it offers software as a service arrangements and electronic document filing solutions for courts and law offices; software and hardware installation, data conversion, training, product modification, and maintenance and support services; and property appraisal outsourcing services for taxing jurisdictions. Tyler Technologies, Inc. has a strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services for cloud hosting services. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas. Read More Bernard Postpones State of City Address Ahead of Snowstorm NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Mayor Thomas Bernard is postponing his "state of the city" address until Thursday. The mayor was to present his second state of the city address on Tuesday evening but the forecast for up to a vote of snow to fall on the region beginning Tuesday afternoon led to the rescheduling. "I know we're tough here in North Adams, and not afraid of a little snow," Bernard said in the announcement. "But while I'm looking forward to delivering my update on the state of our city and sharing my vision for the coming year, I want to put safety first and not bring people out at the height of what promises to be a fast-moving storm." The address will be delivered from the City Council Chambers on Thursday, Jan. 31, at 6:30. It also will be broadcast live on Northern Berkshire Community Television Channel 1303. This address will mark Bernard's first full year as mayor. He gave his first address about six weeks after being inaugurated last January and focused at that time on developing retail marijuana ordinances, several economic development initiatives, relocating the School Department to City Hall, and a number of opportunities for collaborations. The High School Art Show celebrates the creative talent found in Berkshire County's local high schools. Norman Rockwell Museum Presents 33rd Annual Berkshire County High School Art Show STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. In celebration of Norman Rockwell's 125th birthday, Norman Rockwell Museum will present the 33rd annual Berkshire County High School Art Show, with a special exhibition opening to be held on Saturday, Feb. 2, from 2 to 4 p.m. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the young artists and at 2:30 p.m. hear a lecture from acclaimed illustrator Gregory Manchess, whose work is also currently on view at the museum. In the tradition of Norman Rockwell, who began his professional career as a teenager, the High School Art Show celebrates the creative talent found in Berkshire County's local high schools. Original works in all media from painting and drawing to photography, ceramics, three-dimensional assemblage, and digital art will be featured in the exhibit, which is on view through March 4. The 2018 "mid-term" election last November brought significant and even sweeping change to the political landscape of Wisconsin. Scott Walker and Brad Schimel were ousted from the state's two highest constitutional offices, and Democrats now control of all five of those offices. Pull Quote Despite the fact that 54 percent of Wisconsin voters voted for Democratic candidates for the State Assembly, Democrats now hold only 36 of 99 seats. But the will of the voters was very decidedly not reflected in the 2018 state legislative and congressional elections. Despite the fact that 54 percent of Wisconsin voters voted for Democratic candidates for the State Assembly, Democrats now hold only 36 of 99 seats. That disparity between votes cast and seats won may be the largest in the nation. Only one incumbent in the entire Wisconsin Legislature lost in November. That was Democratic State Sen. Caleb Frostman, who had won the 1st Senate District in a special election only five months prior in a district that had been gerrymandered to vastly favor Republicans. In the 99-seat Assembly, every incumbent won and only one seat changed partisan hands in Waukesha and Milwaukee counties. There, Democrat Robyn Vining won an open seat vacated by a Republican who ran and won in a gerrymandered State Senate seat Dale Kooyenga. In the state's eight congressional districts, all incumbents were easily re-elected. Not a single challenger came within 10 percentage points of winning. Twenty years ago, six of nine Wisconsin congressional districts were considered competitive. Today, not one is competitive and hasn't been for the past eight years. Taxpayers foot the bill for rigged elections How is this incredible disparity between how Wisconsinites vote and who wins state legislative and congressional seats possible? It's all due to the most partisan gerrymandering of state legislative districts by any state in the county, and one of the five most partisan gerrymanders in the past 50 years the Republican redistricting process in Wisconsin eight years ago. Adding insult to injury, Wisconsin voters have to foot the bill for creating unfair voting maps that rob them of a viable choice between two major party candidates for legislative and congressional seats. Taxpayers are on the hook for millions of dollars spent without their consent by GOP legislative leaders on out-of-state lawyers to defend their rigged, gerrymandered districts in the courts. Just last week, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos was compelled to finally make public a secret contract he signed in December to pay a pricey Chicago law firm $850,000 of your money to defend those 2011 maps in a federal trial that will begin in about six months. This outrageous arrogance is expressed eloquently in Sunday's Wisconsin State Journal editorial. The total taxpayer burden for this misappropriation of scarce tax dollars is now approaching $4 million. Urge lawmakers to refuse funding to continue defending gerrymandered map The overwhelming majority of Wisconsinites strongly support an end to partisan gerrymandering and favor the drawing of legislative and congressional district boundary lines by a non-partisan entity. In Wisconsin, the very best option for that would be the non-partisan Legislative Reference Bureau, and it would do it in a way very much like our neighboring state of Iowa does. All reform organizations and all pro-reform legislators are united in support of the "Iowa Plan" legislation which will soon be introduced by State Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) and State Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa). Last week, a Marquette University Law School Poll was released that showed overwhelming bipartisan public support for non-partisan redistricting. Support for ending partisan gerrymandering. Here's what the poll analysis said: Pull Quote Just last week, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos was compelled to finally make public a secret contract he signed in December to pay a pricey Chicago law firm $850,000 of your money to defend those 2011 maps in a federal trial that will begin in about six months. "Seventy-two percent of voters say they prefer redistricting of legislative and congressional districts to be done by a nonpartisan commission, while 18 percent prefer redistricting be done by the legislature and governor. Majorities in each partisan group favor a nonpartisan commission for redistricting, with 63 percent of Republicans including leaners, 83 percent of Democrats including leaners, and 76 percent of independents favoring a nonpartisan commission. Less than 30 percent of each group preferred redistricting be done by the legislature and governor, with support for the current system coming from 27 percent of Republicans including leaners, 10 percent of Democrats including leaners, and 10 percent of independents." So the only folks supporting Vos and State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) in their quest to deny the vast majority of Wisconsinites the ability to be able to vote in fair map districts are the hardcore partisans who would rather have a rigged system favoring one party over a fair system in which the voters decide. What can citizens do now to advance fair maps and hasten the end of the most partisan gerrymandered process in the United States? First encourage new Gov. Tony Evers to use his "bully pulpit" to speak out in support of the Iowa model and to include funding in his upcoming 2019-2021 state budget for the Legislative Reference Bureau so they can begin to prepare for the 2021 redistricting process. Denying Robin Vos the $850,000 hes asking for to continue defending his indefensible, partisan 2011 voter maps would be a good beginning to ending the madness. Call both your State Senator and State Representative and demand that they co-sponsor and support the forthcoming legislation to be introduced by Sen. Hansen and Rep. Vining. Urge the to make this issue a top priority for this legislative session. Make sure it is at the top of their "to do" list for 2019. Sign this petition in support of the Iowa Model legislation, if you haven't yet done so yet. If you have, urge others to sign it. We would like to present the Legislature with 5,000 signatures from all over Wisconsin in the near future. And finally. Never give up. When CC/WI started this concentrated effort six years ago, we knew it was going to take years of hard work to build public support for ending partisan gerrymandering in this state. Now, the public overwhelmingly supports fair voting maps. What we need to do next is to force our elected representatives to listen and to heed our will. We need all of you to make this happen. On Wisconsin! Jay Heck is executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin. An estimated cost has not been established for the project, but it would be paid for mostly with federal money. The city is likely to have a significant investment in it, however, because accommodating detours during the construction will entail major work on Ontario, East Wisconsin and Thompson streets and Wauona Trail. According to information provided to the Portage Common Council at a Jan. 10 meeting on infrastructure-related debt, that project, planned for next year, will require the city to borrow roughly $600,000. The city also plans to borrow about $700,000 for scheduled improvements of West Conant Street in the same year. Steger said transportation officials are aware of how much traffic the Highway 16-51 corridor carries, and that numerous businesses are located along that corridor. Thats why plans call for the project to be done in stages, and to include improvements in the driveways leading to the businesses. DeWitt Street will be improved first, he said, with traffic detoured along Highway 16. Wisconsin Street improvements will constitute the second stage, Steger said, which will entail detouring traffic from Highway 16-51. Cook and DeWitt streets in downtown Portage will be open, however, although people walking the Ice Age Trail will likely be detoured. The opening of a Mills Fleet Farm late last year hasnt helped. Schultz, who owns his building, had been trying to sell the business and the $220,000 in inventory for the past three years. He had contacted other local hardware company owners and thought he had a buyer just before Christmas but the deal fell through. Schultz, 64, eyeing retirement, is now liquidating and has the building listed at $320,000. I cant complain about the business over the last 10 or 11 years but just this last year has been terrible, said Schultz, who was born on a farm in DeForest and graduated from Sun Prairie High School. Its been hard. But most of my customers work in Madison. But the businesses (in Poynette) are the ones that are going to feel it. Because theyre going to have to pay their employees to drive to Portage or to Lodi or DeForest to go get a nut and bolt. Village has non-retail assets What is now Poynette is where Wallis Rowan built a log cabin in 1833 in what is now Old Settlers Park. The creek that runs under South Main Street is named after Rowan but the village was supposed to be called Paquette in honor of Peter Paquette, a Native American trader and interpreter, but through a clerical error in the U.S. Post Office department, the post office there was called Poynette, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. When I tell people this is a family business, I mean it. They treat you like family, said Bill Kuslits, a header man and also the president of Machinist Local 1516. I have been in the Heading Department for 28 years making rivets, and my dad worked here for almost 43 years. A header man operates a machine that produces cold-headed rivets. Replacing skilled workers is a challenge, and the search is ongoing to find replacements capable of learning the skills to become members of the National Rivet family. Luckily seasoned staff are ready and willing to train newcomers in the highly specialized skills required. Wages are highly competitive in the union shop. A rivet joins two pieces of material, creating a union that is not likely to loosen or break, which makes it perfect for applications in high-stress and high-motion environments. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} A rivet is proven as a permanent and time-proven way of bonding materials, Bur Zeratsky said. The two main benefits of rivets are speed (theyre set in seconds) and lack of waste (no shavings from turning a large pin into a smaller one). Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The Baraboo School District announced on Twitter and its website Sunday evening that schools will be closed today and there will be no after-school activities. Organizers already have cots, pillows, blankets and volunteers for the temporary homeless shelter, according to Jelinek. He said he doesnt know how many people may need to use it. Jelinek recommended anyone who needs assistance to call United Way of Dane County at 211. The Baraboo Area Homeless Shelter organization is planning to open a new year-round shelter possibly by this spring. During a time of such cold, Jelinek said people should check on their neighbors and elderly friends and family, especially those with respiratory issues. You dont want them outside, especially starting Tuesday, Jelinek said. I mean, thats gonna be unbelievable. Thats gonna be like the coldest that weve seen in 20 years. Other safety measures he recommends are to tell someone where youre going if youre driving somewhere, and to stay in your vehicle if you get stranded. Pets also should not be left outdoors for extended periods. It might be chilly inside (the car), but its definitely going to be colder outside, he said. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services suggests residents prepare an emergency kit for their car including blankets, snacks, water, a shovel, jumper cables and sand. Follow Susan Endres on Twitter @EndresSusan or call her at 745-3506. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The plow driver whose tip led to the arrest of a Baraboo area murder suspect last week is seeking reward money in connection with the case. Sauk County Sheriffs Office Detective Justin Hannagan said he spoke with the driver who called 911 around 1 a.m. Wednesday to report suspicious activity outside a business on the east side of Madison about the reward money. The tip led to the capture of Robert M. Pulvermacher, 68, of Middleton, who at the time was wanted in connection with a Jan. 13 stabbing death in the parking lot of the Ho-Chunk Casino near Baraboo. Sauk County Crime Stoppers offered a $1,000 reward to anyone who provided authorities with information leading to Pulvermachers arrest, and said separate reward money also may have been available. Hannagan said Crime Stoppers is processing the claim, but does not disclose the identity of informants or the amounts they are paid. I can confirm that we had tips and they were acted on, Hannagan said. Dane County released audio of the 911 call in which the plow driver told a dispatcher he saw suspicious activity outside Pulvermacher Cartage of Wisconsin, a trucking company owned by Pulvermachers brother. The driver said a car dropped off a man wearing jeans, a dark jacket and a blue hoodie. An 87-year-old Winona woman was taken to Winona Health with non-life threatening injuries Sunday afternoon when her car left the road and struck a tree in Goodview. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Margaret Ann Carroll was heading south on Hwy. 61 in a 2018 Lincoln Continental when she left the roadway, went into a ditch and hit a tree. The accident happened near mile post 31, near the intersection with 54th Avenue. Carroll was wearing her seat belt and alcohol was not believed to be a factor, according to the report. Road conditions were dry at the time. Goodview Police, Goodview Fire and Winona Area Ambulance assisted on the call. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Winona Area Public Schools administrators didn't waste much time in canceling school for Monday. With a snowstorm on the way that could dump anywhere from 6 to 10 inches on southeastern Minnesota, WAPS announced it was canceling school at 8:30 p.m. Sunday night. It's the second snow day for the district in less than a week. WAPS called off school last Tuesday. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} And it might not be the last one of the week, either. According to the National Weather Service, "dangerous" and "record-setting" cold is on its way. The high for Wednesday is minus 15 degrees. Tuesday was scheduled as an early release day. Elementary students will be dismissed at 12:15 p.m, and the high school students will be released at 1:30 p.m. When will they be back? Who knows. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 BRUMADINHO, Brazil - Brazilian firefighters and Israeli rescue workers poked sticks into treacherous mud Monday looking for bodies as pressure mounted on the mining company responsible for a dam that burst and spilled a flood of iron ore waste. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Members of the rescue operation fly over the site where a dam collapsed two days ago, next to dam B6 that also had an collapse alert, in Brumadinho, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019. Authorities evacuated several neighborhoods in the southeastern city of Brumadinho that were within range of the B6 dam owned by the Brazilian mining company Vale. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) BRUMADINHO, Brazil - Brazilian firefighters and Israeli rescue workers poked sticks into treacherous mud Monday looking for bodies as pressure mounted on the mining company responsible for a dam that burst and spilled a flood of iron ore waste. By late in the day, the death toll rose to 65, with 279 people still missing, said Lt. Col. Flavio Godinho of the civil defence department in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. In a sign of the risks posed by the deep mud, Col. Alexandre Ferreira, a doctor with the military police of Minas Gerais, advised rescue crews, volunteers and journalists to take antibiotics to prevent cholera, the bacterial infection leptospirosis and other diseases. Officials said the death toll was expected to grow "exponentially," since no had been rescued alive since Saturday. Search efforts were extremely slow because of the treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out when the mine tailings dam breached Friday afternoon. The mud was up 24 feet (8 metres) deep in some places, forcing searchers to carefully walk around the edges of the muck or slowly crawl onto it so they would not sink and drown. A dead fish is stuck in the mud two days after a dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019. Brazilian officials on Sunday suspended the search for potential survivors of a dam collapse that has killed at least 40 people amid fears that another nearby dam owned by the same company was also at risk of breaching. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Teams focused their searches Monday morning in areas where a bus was immersed and where many workers were eating lunch at the mine cafeteria when the dam ruptured. The mine's owner, Vale SA, is the world's largest producer of iron ore, the raw ingredient for making steel. The Brazilian company's American depository shares plunged 18 per cent Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. At the scene of the disaster, helicopters looking for bodies took off and landed nonstop. On the ground, dozens of rescuers with tracking dogs were searching for bodies through the mountains of mud. An Associated Press photographer witnessed at least 10 helicopters each carrying one body. Firefighter looks for victims of a dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. Firefighters on Monday carefully moved over treacherous mud, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling, in search of survivors or bodies four days after a dam collapse that buried mine buildings and surrounding neighborhoods with iron ore waste. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) More than 100 Israelis equipped with specialized rescue technology joined the 200 Brazilian firefighters in the search. Areas of water-soaked mud appeared to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable. Still, it was slow going for the search teams, residents were on edge and some started searching on their own for relatives. A Catholic priest for a church now being used as a command centre for rescuers said many of his parishioners are believed to be buried in mud. Firefighters are resupplied as they search for victims of a dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. Firefighters on Monday carefully moved over treacherous mud, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling, in search of survivors or bodies four days after a dam collapse that buried mine buildings and surrounding neighborhoods with iron ore waste. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) "It's going to be difficult to rebuild our hearts," said the priest, Rene Lopez. "This won't take a month or a year. It's an open wound for all of the people in Brumadinho." And there was mounting anger directed at Vale amid questions about the area's largest employer following an apparent lack of a warning siren ahead of Friday's collapse. "The company didn't take care of the people," said Josefa de Santos, who has friends and neighbours among the missing. "I heard the cries of people asking for help, everyone was running and screaming. The siren didn't go off at all, it was horrible." Firefighters pull a body from the mud days after a dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. Firefighters on Monday carefully moved over treacherous mud, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling, in search of survivors or bodies four days after a dam collapse that buried mine buildings and surrounding neighborhoods with iron ore waste. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) In an email, Vale told The Associated Press that the area has eight sirens, but "the speed in which the event happened made sounding an alarm impossible" when the dam burst. Sen. Renan Calheiros called for Vale's board of directors to step down and Attorney General Raquel Dodge told reporters that Vale executives could be held responsible. Vice-President Hamilton Mourao said a Brumadinho crisis committee established by the president was "studying" the possibility of removing Vale's board of directors. His office later told AP that the government wouldn't intervene, as Vale is a private company. A helicopter lifts a body that was pulled from the mud days after a dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. Firefighters on Monday carefully moved over treacherous mud, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling, in search of survivors or bodies four days after a dam collapse that buried mine buildings and surrounding neighborhoods with iron ore waste. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Over the weekend, courts froze about $3 billion from Vale assets for state emergency services and told the company to report on how it would help victims. The carpet of mining waste also raised fears of widespread environmental contamination and degradation. According to Vale's website, the waste is composed mostly of sand and is non-toxic. But a U.N. report found that the waste from a similar Brazil disaster in 2015 "contained high levels of toxic heavy metals." That dam owned by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton collapsed in the city of Mariana in Minas Gerais, killing 19 people and forcing hundreds from their homes. About 250,000 people were left without drinking water thousands of fish died. An estimated 60 million cubic meters (646 million square feet) of waste flooded nearby rivers and eventually flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Associated Press writer Marcelo Silva de Sousa reported this story in Brumadinho, AP writer Peter Prengaman reported from Arraial do Cabo and AP writer Anna Jean Kaiser reported from Sao Paulo. AP photographer Leo Correo in Brumadinho contributed to this report. U.S. President Donald Trump is evidently positioning himself for the 2020 presidential election. That explains, in part, why he is seriously considering tightening the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion U.S. President Donald Trump is evidently positioning himself for the 2020 presidential election. That explains, in part, why he is seriously considering tightening the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba. He has his eye squarely on the Cuban-American vote in south Florida a key battleground state (with 29 electoral college votes) and typically a swing state that he hopes to retain in the win column for 2020. And as recent polling in Florida suggests, support for the U.S. blockade has increased among the Cuban exile community (especially among the "historic exiles" who arrived during the 1959-79 period). According to a new Florida International University poll, 45 per cent support a continuation of the embargo, while 44 per cent do not. But that 44 per cent figure is down appreciably from the 54 per cent who opposed the U.S. sanctions in a 2016 survey. Now the Trump White House is moving rapidly toward allowing Cuban Americans to sue foreign companies that operate on land that was confiscated by the Cuban government after the 1959 revolution. Those anticipated lawsuits would apply, of course, to Canadian companies operating businesses on the island. Under the anti-Cuba Helms-Burton Act of 1996, the Title III clause permits Americans to sue foreign businesses that have invested in so-called "confiscated properties" in Cuba. But since the law was passed by Congress, this provision has been suspended by a presidential waiver, which is signed every six months by a sitting U.S. president. In a disconcerting sign, the Trump administration indicated in mid-January that it would only waive Title III for 45 days. In an official statement, the U.S. State Department noted, "We encourage any person doing business in Cuba to reconsider whether they are trafficking in confiscated property and abetting this dictatorship." If the presidential waiver process is terminated, American citizens will be able to take their cases directly to U.S. courts including those against Canadian companies such as Toronto-based Sherritt International. There are roughly 6,000 legal claims (with arguably 200,000 pending) involving those confiscated Cuban properties that have been certified in the U.S. (The collection of any damages, however, would only apply to those foreign companies that have commercial interests in the U.S.) By undertaking such an action, Trump is making a huge mistake and one that will only backfire in the short to medium term. It is obviously a critical step backward from the Barack Obama-driven U.S.-Cuba thaw of 2014-16. More importantly, it will likely have significant implications for Canadian businesses and federal politicians. Not surprisingly, the Cubans have not taken this news well. Cubas foreign ministry quickly issued the following statement: "Cuba rejects this threat in the most energetic, firm and categorical way." It went on to add, "It regards it as a hostile act of extreme arrogance and irresponsibility, while condemning the disrespectful and slanderous language of the State Departments public message." Tellingly, the Cuban government emphasized that such a move would "dangerously reinforce the blockade against Cuba, flagrantly violate international law, and directly attack the sovereignty and interests of third countries." Where would that leave Canada, then? The invocation of Title III would undoubtedly create a serious firestorm in Ottawa and would immediately poison U.S.-Canada relations. The federal Liberal government would have to decide particularly at a time when the recently negotiated NAFTA 2.0 is still pending whether it wants to go to war with the Trump White House over the "extra-territorial" application of Title III provisions. But with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a longtime Cuba critic, whispering in Trumps ear, the U.S. is once again heading toward choppy international waters. This is sure to upset Americas European friends and allies to say nothing of the controversy this will stoke in Ottawa and Mexico City. Additionally, it will effectively transport U.S.-Cuba relations back to the rocky 1980s and 1990s. Clearly, the only thing that it will accomplish is to bolster the hardliners in Cuba who never subscribed to the view that normalizing relations with the U.S. would benefit the island. In Latin America and the Caribbean, this will be viewed by most countries as politically and diplomatically counterproductive. It will only reinforce the sentiment in the region of ill-conceived U.S. disengagement from the Americas and create more political and economic space for both the Chinese and the Russians. More to the point, the Cold War is long over. Indeed, the U.S. has gone down this path before and it has failed miserably. And there is no reason to think that this latest anti-Cuba salvo will be any different. Peter McKenna is professor and chair of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown. The event featured art, music, performances, and speeches. The event took place at BCC on Sunday. PreviousNext 4 Freedoms Coalition Celebrates Third Year U.S. Rep. Richard Neal said there is no 'invasion' happening on the southern border. PITTSFIELD, Mass. Three years ago activists from all over Berkshire County joined together on the mission to fight for Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms." The political groups formed the 4 Freedoms Coalition and on Sunday reaffirmed its commitment to preserving freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. At Berkshire Community College on Sunday, some 22 organizations provided information about themselves and art, music, and speeches were given to re-energize the hundreds or so people in the audience as the organization enters its third year of existence. "When we started this movement in the hours and days after the very bleak day in November 2016, it wasn't brand new. The new part of the coming together of different organizations and the new organizations that were forming. It came together in a very big way on Jan. 7, 2017. We thought maybe 300, maybe 500 would come to downtown Pittsfield," said state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier. "But the energy was underestimated, the frustration was underestimated, when more than 2,000 people marched in the street of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, of Berkshire County, to say no way." Farley-Bouvier praised the action of activists all over the country for marching and protesting. She said the number of issues in the last three years can be exhausting but yet, the 4 Freedoms Coalition has remained energetic in its political action. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal served as the keynote speaker. Neal particularly focused on immigration, making the argument that the United States needs more immigrants to help the economy. "Fertility rates in America has declined substantially. The average family now has 1.8 children. What does that mean for labor participation and workforce numbers? The post-war norm about generally about 66 percent of the American people got up every day and went to work. Today it is closer to 62.3 percent," Neal said. "Part of it is that we don't have a steady supply of immigrant aspiration. They want to take their place in American society through hard work. The idea that all of a sudden this is about their social welfare, no. Their interest is in their economic welfare." Neal said Congress had come to a consensus on six of seven issues when attempting to negotiate a spending plan. That issue of border security became the holdup, and ultimately that led to the government shutdown. "The only issue that was contention, in the end, was Homeland Security. Within the Homeland Security bill, both sides staked out a position. Our position was that it was better to build bridges than to build a wall. The position became intransigent because of the hollering on the other side. Just because we holler in an argument doesn't mean we won the argument on the basis of substance," Neal said. Neal refuted President Donald Trump's argument that there is a crisis on the border saying "there is no invasion of American on the southern border" and said those describing it as such is using incendiary language. "It's people who come to America, generally legally, and overstay their visas. That's overwhelmingly the issue. They come here and say 'hey. not bad' and they decide to stay. That's the real issue," Neal said. Citing former President Barack Obama, Neal called on the group to get off social media and take action. State Sen. Adam Hinds heralded Neal's position as chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and said Neal will be holding hearings to find out the exact impact the 2017 tax plan is having on the country and will push for Trump to release his taxes. Hinds also admonished those who use the gang MS13 as an argument for the border wall, saying that causes distrust of all Latinos. "This is why at this time we need to make sure that distrust does not separate us from the values we hold dearly in the country," Hinds said. Hinds had recently gotten engaged and his fiance's grandfather had immigrated to America from Mexico and now his granddaughter is a college professor. That's a story of successful migration, he said. District Attorney Andrea Harrington also spoke during the event, saying the values of the four freedoms are "alive and well" in the office. "We are going to bring the values of four freedoms to the district attorney's office. The core values of this organization of fairness, equality, and equity are alive and well in the DA's office and we are doubling down I can assure you," Harrington said. "We are enacting the reforms we need for smart 21st-century prosecution. We will continue to push to aggressively prosecute those who prey on others but we will also build a culture in Berkshire County where victims are believed. For true public safety, justice requires more than just prosecuting dangerous people. It requires a commitment to public safety that looks at the underlying reasons people get involved in the criminal justice system." Maya Bahl recites a poem to the crowd. Harrington said the office will have a juvenile diversion program. She promised to consider immigration status when choosing what to prosecute to "help friends and neighbors avoid deportation," and to move away from punishing poor people with excessive cash bail or fines that they cannot afford. "Do not mistake reform for weakness. Fairness and safety are not a trade-off, they complement each other. Understand that in a Democracy people tend to value and uphold the law when they perceive it as fair," Harrington said. Shirley Edgerton introduced Harrington and said "the tough-on-crime stance has failed" and praised Harrington for making reforms to how the prosecutor's office operates. "The tough-on-crime stance has failed. There are those who actions demand incarceration and others needs compassion, wisdom, and alternative services," Edgerton said. "The people of Berkshire County realized these concerns and took action thus there is a new day in our justice system. Our district attorney brings hope, new strategies, integrity, and equity." Harrington also cited the importance of the activist's work. "This is the silver lining to the Trumpocalypse. We are now in our third year of activism. We have seen the 4 Freedoms Coalition stand up for immigrants and dreamers and our LGBTQ community, those how have been victimized by hate crimes. We have stood up for health care for all, for Muslims, and for the very rule of law," Harrington said. The event also featured a poem from Maya Bahl, MacArthur Awardee Deborah Meier spoke on education reform, WAM Theater and some of the founders of the coalition put on a performance to tell their life stories, Wes Buckley sang, Otha Day performed drumming and was introduced by Dennis Powell, Rabbi David Weiner gave the innovation, Rev. Sheila Sholes-Ross gave the benediction, and Colin Ovitsky gave a welcoming address. Other elected officials attending the event included state Reps. John Barrett, Paul Mark, and William "Smitty" Pignatelli and North Adams Mayor Thomas Bernard. For the first time in decades, Manitobas unemployment rate has risen above the national average. With the provincial economy growing (briskly for Manitoba) around two per cent a year, we might have expected declining unemployment rates and some labour shortages. But its not enough, with record immigration and a slowdown of Manitobans leaving for Alberta and British Columbia. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion For the first time in decades, Manitobas unemployment rate has risen above the national average. With the provincial economy growing (briskly for Manitoba) around two per cent a year, we might have expected declining unemployment rates and some labour shortages. But its not enough, with record immigration and a slowdown of Manitobans leaving for Alberta and British Columbia. Manitoba has seen steady job growth in the past few years; 6,900 new jobs were created in 2018, with most 4,900 of the increase from public administration (which is a surprise). Like Canada overall, where the 163,000 new jobs created in 2018 were not enough with the labour force rising 427,000, Manitobas job creation failed to cover the 10,900 new entrants to the labour force. So while Canada and Manitoba have employment growth, unemployment has risen because the labour force is growing faster than jobs and the overall economy. From 2000 to 2015, Manitoba recorded the greatest out-migration of residents in its history. Then, high-paid jobs in Alberta and Ontario and the lifestyle of British Columbia lured longtime Manitobans away. More than off-setting the population losses at the time was an aggressive immigration program (largely through the success of the provincial nominee program) that brought in immigrants at rates above the national average. Those high levels continue today. Immigration to Manitoba is now at levels three to four times what they were in the 1990s. But while Manitobas population is growing faster than before, the provincial economy continues to perform at its traditionally low levels. While young people are more likely to move, lately the out-migration has slowed. Federal policies obsessed with climate change are damaging Albertas energy economy with tanker bans, a thickening of regulatory approval processes and other deliberate obstacles. Canadas exports of oil remain damaged with Albertas inability to get oil to tidewater. The lack of pipelines has had Alberta taking huge discounts on its oil price during a period of low world oil prices. Investment in the sector has plummeted: more than 110,000 oil and gas workers have lost their jobs since 2015. Calgarys downtown has a vacancy rate above 25 per cent. Federal policies suppressing Albertas oil industry are causing foreign investment into Canada to plunge, with 2018 reporting the lowest industry infrastructure spending since the financial crisis of 2008-09. With few high-paid jobs available in Calgary and real estate prices sky-high in B.C. and Toronto, Manitobans are staying put. Meanwhile, there is a migration of First Nations residents from reserves, where there are few jobs and poor education, health and housing, to Manitobas cities. This migration is also a factor in the increasing workforce and is a natural phenomenon labour statistics do not include First Nations. Globally, people are leaving rural areas for cities; this is mirrored in moves from reservations to cities. This movement will not stop. These trends higher retention of Manitobans, increased migration of First Nations residents from reserves to cities and high levels of skilled and semi-skilled immigration are expected to continue. We should see the growth in Manitobas labour force as an exciting new opportunity and challenge. In a province where the public sector is much larger than the Canadian average, it is vital that this government, and all future governments, work hard to encourage investment in the private sector to create jobs and boost the economy. The size of Manitobas public sector needs to shrink if Manitoba is ever to eliminate its large budget deficits. And there is no magic formula to attract investment and job creation, though our elected officials are constantly told differently. Private-sector investment is attracted to locations with lower taxation, balanced budgets and efficient public services. Manitoba now performs poorly on all of these metrics. Opportunities to grow and prosper can flow naturally from population increases Manitoba has not seen in decades. But to be realized, our provincial and municipal governments need to cut public sector costs, taxes and fees and become vastly better in providing needed and efficient services. Randy Boldt is an immigration consultant and research associate with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. Virdens mayor has been censured for comments he made during a yellow vest rally earlier this month. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/1/2019 (874 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Virdens mayor has been censured for comments he made during a yellow vest rally earlier this month. A motion to censure Mayor Murray Wright was passed during Tuesdays regular council meeting, the Virden Empire Advance reported. FILE Murray Wright addresses the audience during a Virden candidates debate in October. A censure is, in effect, a public reprimand. It carries no further action on the part of council. "... I know what Id like to do with Mr. Trudeau, but I would be in jail if we did do that and Im sure the first pig that we run through the pipeline when we get it built out west that hes duct-taped to the front of it with that pig behind his a** when it goes," Wright said during a brief speech to truckers as they prepared to start a convoy from Virden to Brandon Jan. 5. His remarks evoked applause and whoops of approval from many of those gathered around. They apparently did not sit well with others, however. Wright would not speak to a reporter from The Brandon Sun about the censure when contacted at his home on Saturday. "I dont make comments to the press on Saturdays. Sorry," he said before hanging up. Wright was elected mayor in October. In a candidate profile, Wright said he was a Virden councillor from 2010 to 2014. Deputy Mayor Tina Williams, who introduced the motion to censure Wright, was reportedly out of town and not available for comment Saturday. Efforts to reach other members of council Saturday were also unsuccessful. The Municipal Act is clear in terms of how councillors are expected to conduct themselves while in office. "Every member of council is expected to conduct himself or herself in public, and in respect to the public, in such a way as to reflect the decorum and dignity of the office that he or she holds," the act states. It also states, "The public expects that council, and individual council members, will fulfil their duties responsibly, honestly, and with integrity. When this occurs, the public can be confident that council is acting in the best interests of the municipality." brobertson@brandonsun.com Twitter: @BudRobertson4 One Winnipegger with years of experience greeting queens, princes, and presidents has a suggestion for what to if you encounter former U.S. president Barack Obama when he visits the city in March. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. One Winnipegger with years of experience greeting queens, princes, and presidents has a suggestion for what to if you encounter former U.S. president Barack Obama when he visits the city in March. "You just simply shake his hand, and address him as Mr. President," Manitoba's former chief of protocol, Dwight MacAulay, said Monday. "That's what I'd call him." American presidents retain the title of 'president' for life, said MacAulay, adding he was excited to hear Obama was coming to Winnipeg for a speaking engagement. "I think it'll be a really big deal." Pre-sale tickets for A Conversation with Barack Obama became available Monday morning, ranging in price from $89 to $499, before taxes and fees, for the March 4 event at Bell MTS Place. "He's very popular wherever he goes in the world," said MacAulay, who spent 19 years as the province's point man on international protocol practices, legislative ceremonies and visits by Canadian and foreign dignitaries, before retiring in 2017. And, wherever the 44th president of the U.S. goes (Obama held the role from 2009-17), the U.S. Secret Service follows. "There's a substantial amount of security," MacAulay said. "They'd be working in co-operation with the RCMP." The RCMP officer in charge of planning for Obama's security in Winnipeg said the threat level here isn't as high as it is in the United States. The political climate and gun-control laws are different in Canada, said Sgt. Chris Willkie, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the Manitoba RCMP's VIP section and the explosives disposal unit. "It's still a big deal. You have to protect them from violence, but you also need to protect them against embarrassment," Willkie said, recalling an incident in 2000 on Prince Edward Island, when a protester hit then-prime minister Jean Chretien in the face with a pie. "You don't want that to happen," he said. "Things like that upset the handlers a little bit." While the RCMP will be in charge of Obama's protection in Winnipeg, the former president's security detail will provide assistance, said Willkie. They'll share information including Obama's "likes and dislikes." ("Some leaders don't like talking to security folks," for example, he said.) However, the U.S. Secret Service will not be "calling the shots," Willkie said. The Winnipeg Police Service will be involved as well, providing the RCMP with intelligence on the area around Bell MTS Place and assisting with traffic and providing other supports, he said. "There can only be one boss," said Willkie, who's had years of experience preparing for the safety of visiting VIPs. "I've done a few of them. It's always a challenge to do it. I thrive on the challenge part; to come up with all the different scenarios and what needs to be done. It's a planning exercise -- you have to account for a vast majority of variables to make sure the trip comes off as seamlessly -- and that you don't see us as the protection around him so nobody can say, 'He was completely surrounded by security,'" he said. "You're trying to minimize that to make sure people can still see him and have some kind of access, like a normal person would." carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Barack Obama is bringing his presidential star power and political perspective to Winnipeg. In what is being billed as "A Conversation with President Barack Obama," the groundbreaking former U.S. president will take centre stage at Bell MTS Place on March 4. ALEX BRANDON / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES '...We have chosen hope over fear,' Obama declared in his inauguarl speech. Here, he's campaigning at a rally in Illinois in 2008. The news is generating a lot of excitement. "I always thought, in one of my fantasies, of having a conversation with Barack Obama," said Paul Thomas, professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba. "Hes a political star, theres no doubt about it. His oratorical skills are quite impressive," said Thomas. "I dont think hell have any trouble selling out a venue." Obamas visit is part of a swing through Western Canada including stops in Calgary and Vancouver. Reports in those cities say the speech is a message of hope and inspiration. Thomas said that kind of message will resonate in the chaotic, insult-hurling and litigious realm of current U.S. President Donald Trump. "The contrast with the present president is so drastic," he said. BORRY GASH / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Then-Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is hugged by his wife Michelle after his speech at the primary night rally in St. Paul, Minn., June 3, 2008. Just last week, as Trump was losing his battle to build a wall along the border with Mexico during the government shutdown, Obama was the one entertaining the NBAs defending champion Golden State Warriors during the teams visit to Washington. Trump had earlier rescinded the teams invitation to meet him at the White House. Thomas and Christopher Adams, a political scientist based at St. Pauls College at the University of Manitoba, believe history will view Obama favourably. "His 2008-09 rescue of the economy has to stand as an enormous accomplishment," said Thomas. He also brought in national health care to the U.S., said Adams. "I would say the other thing about Obama is he did not bring America into any new wars." No less remarkable is he was the first black American president. Obama won a massive victory in 2008 with nearly 53 per cent of the popular vote more votes than any candidate in history. With his inaugural speech, he declared, "On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear." He started his first of two terms as president of the United States that strove to bring Americans together, a time in office that stands in stark contrast to the current administration in the White House. For all his abilities and accomplishments, Obama is also "fun to watch," said Adams. "Im not partisan but hes a great public speaker. He has charm, he has wit, hes self-denigrating." He said Obama comes across as a world statesman. "He talks about the international order, he talks about efforts for world peace, he talks about hope. I think hes somebody that elevates a crowd when he speaks." Adams went to see Obama speak in North Dakota during the 2008 American election. "If the planets align, Ill be going" to his Winnipeg speech, said Adams. Despite leaving the White House two years ago, Obama continues to generate headlines and is a major draw on the lucrative speaking tour circuit. He has occasionally spoken bluntly about the Trump administration. Last September, during the mid-term election campaign, Obama tweeted a video speaking about the importance for young people to get out to vote. In that address, he worried about what was happening in the current White House administration. "I think we are seeing some unprecedented behaviour that violates norms that in the past have been observed by both Democrats and Republicans," he said. "The only check on that behaviour is having a Congress and other elected officials that stand up for American values like the rule of law, freedom of the press, and not trying to intimidate enemies by threatening them with the criminal justice system and being transparent and disclosing potential conflicts of interest. Basic stuff, that doesnt even get to policy yet but really is central to our democracy being able to work." Although he has mostly remained above the fray of the constant chaos and partisan bitterness of the Trump administration, it will likely be worth the price of admission to see if Obama takes any swipes at the current resident of the Oval Office. Obama isnt the first former U.S. president to visit Winnipeg as Bill Clinton also made a speaking tour stop in 2003 while Jimmy Carter returned for his second Habitat for Humanity project in 2017. Since the end of this second term as president in January 2017, Obama campaigned for the Democrats in U.S. mid-term elections while devoting time to the Obama Foundation that, among other things, works to promote youth leadership. His wife, Michelle Obama, is amping up the couples star power with the release of her best-selling book Becoming. martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca MADRID - Spanish police on Monday cleared away taxis that blocked a main avenue in the capital of Madrid, the latest action in a weeklong standoff with authorities over the growth of app-based ride-hailing services that cab drivers say threaten their livelihood. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Police officers remove taxi drivers who were blocking the Castellana avenue, during a strike in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. Police are clearing taxis blocking a main avenue in the Spanish capital as part of a weeklong standoff with authorities over the growth of app-based ride-hailing services that they say threaten their livelihood. The striking taxi drivers want the regional government in Madrid to impose tighter regulations for rides hailed through apps like Uber and Cabify. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas) MADRID - Spanish police on Monday cleared away taxis that blocked a main avenue in the capital of Madrid, the latest action in a weeklong standoff with authorities over the growth of app-based ride-hailing services that cab drivers say threaten their livelihood. The local and national police forces said there were no significant clashes and that nobody was arrested, despite some scenes of tension witnessed by reporters. The striking Spanish taxi drivers want the regional government in Madrid to impose tighter regulations for rides hailed through apps like Uber and Cabify. They demand similar steps like those announced for Barcelona, where local authorities can now modify regulations to require app-based rides to be hired up to one hour in advance. Uber and Cabify have reacted by threatening to drop their operations in Spain's second-largest city, where they say 3,500 jobs would be at risk. Self-employed drivers working for the two platforms are also occupying parts of Barcelona's main thoroughfares on Monday to urge the regional Catalan government to halt the new regulations. Meanwhile, in Madrid, authorities have rejected any compromises that would wipe out competition for the taxis, which are regulated as a public service. Taxi drivers in the capital moved their protest over the weekend from the city outskirts to Castellana Avenue, in Madrid's central north-south axis. Traffic was at a standstill early Monday, when many residents commute to work, until police unblocked the main thoroughfare. The drivers, many of them wearing the yellow vests that have become common in protests in France, moved on foot to protest at the headquarters of the conservative party ruling the Madrid region. TORONTO - Remind.com is claiming a partial victory after waging a social media campaign designed to persuade Rogers and Bell to reverse a fee increase that indirectly affected a free two-way texting service for teachers, students and parents. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO - Remind.com is claiming a partial victory after waging a social media campaign designed to persuade Rogers and Bell to reverse a fee increase that indirectly affected a free two-way texting service for teachers, students and parents. The San Francisco-based company had warned it wouldn't be able to provide the free texting version of its service to its Canadian users who have wireless plans with Rogers, Bell, or their respective subsidiaries. Remind said Friday in an email and on Twitter that Bell Canada had informed the company that it will reverse the fee increase but Rogers Communications Inc. hadn't done so. A spokesman for Bell said in an email to The Canadian Press that it has agreed to an extension of the old fees while the carrier works towards a longer-term business arrangement with Remind. Rogers didn't comment on the situation prior to the publication deadline. All the companies have acknowledged that the Remind service can be accessed over a cellular data service, but those may incur carrier fees. Remind's app has a variety of uses including notifying groups about class assignments, schedules of emergencies as well as two-way communications between individual teachers, students and parents. Rogers and Bell have said previously they don't have a direct contractual relationship with Remind which accesses their networks through two intermediary companies but they were willing to discuss a compromise. None of the companies' representatives would disclose the per-message fees involved. But Remind chief executive Brian Grey said in an interview its annual costs would jump from "tens of thousands of dollars'' to "hundreds of thousands of dollars'' and the increase is unsustainable for the company at this stage of its development. Grey said Remind doesn't use its platform as a method for distributing advertising and its revenue comes from the sale of a large-scale version of the service to schools and districts, a practice launched in January 2017 in the United States. "Longer term, our plan would be to bring that to Canada and other markets. But we're just not there yet,'' Grey said. Companies in this story: (TSX:RCI.B, TSX:BCE) TORONTO - Bikes, booze and e-scooters are part of Uber Canada's plans for the country in 2019. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Uber Canada's recently-appointed general manager Rob Khazzam poses for a photograph in Toronto on Wednesday, January 17, 2018. Bikes, booze and e-scooters are part of Uber Canada's plan for the country in 2019. Managers from the U.S. tech giant's Canadian arm say they are exploring bringing alcohol delivery to provinces beyond B.C., where the service was launched in 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette TORONTO - Bikes, booze and e-scooters are part of Uber Canada's plans for the country in 2019. Managers from the U.S.-based tech giant revealed Monday priorities they have for the Canadian market in the year ahead, that they say are meant to grow the giant ride-hailing and food delivery company and offer a handful of new services to customers. The bulk of the company's 2019 Canada priorities appear to centre around removing cars from roadways. "We want the Uber app on your cellphone to provide you with access to each type of transit that is relevant for you," Uber Canada's general manager Rob Khazzam said. "That means in the future you are going to open the app and not just see Uber X or an ExpressPool or a Pool in a high-end vehicle. We are going to increasingly be providing you with access to different modes of transportation that better the journey you are going on." He hinted that Canadians could soon see public transit partnerships like the company has arranged with Masabi, a mobile ticketing firm that works with transit systems including New York, Boston and Los Angeles. He also teased that e-scooters and bikes are headed Canada's way, but wouldn't share when or where the company was looking at. "There will be some nuance as is always the case for Canada and the wonderful weather we have here," he said, a quip at the snow that was falling outside Uber's office in Toronto. "We tend to be nimble in how we expand. We really want to get things right. Particularly for a new mode of transportation, we are going to be really thoughtful in how we test that and demo it." Uber has partnered with New York-based Jump to bring e-scooters and pedal-assisted electric bikes with GPS to a handful of U.S. cities, but has not delivered the offerings to Canadians. California-based rival Lime has been piloting its e-scooters in Waterloo, Ont. and Bird has reportedly been looking at expanding into the Canadian market. Jump, Lime and Bird have all faced flak because most of their offerings are dockless, allowing users to pick up or leave e-scooters and bikes wherever they chose. In some cities, it has meant abandoned e-scooters and bikes littering streets and sidewalks. Social media has also seen posts in recent months featuring people destroying e-scooters by throwing them off buildings, lighting them on fire, dumping them in the ocean and smashing them on concrete. "As with all types of business and every part of Uber safety is a major consideration," Khazzam stressed. "Expect us, if we do launch those services, to have a point of view on that and be proactive on educating our riders." The company has its sights sets on broadening its Uber Eats offerings. Dan Park, the head of Uber Eats Canada, said his team is exploring expanding alcohol delivery to provinces beyond B.C., where the service was launched last year. Ontario and Quebec, he said, are among the markets his team are eyeing first because of their large size and the potential to partner with the LCBO and SAQ, but he sees rolling the service out across the country. "Each province has their own regulatory framework around that," he said. "There is a really great [opportunity] around pairing food with wine or beer and we want to focus on that." Park also indicated that Uber Eats could edge into the territory of Ritual, a Toronto-based app that lets users order restaurant food through their app and pick it up. "We have to offer as many options as possible," he said. "In-dining solutions, whether it is takeout or even in-restaurant are things we are continuing to look at." Follow @Tara_Deschamps on Twitter. Viewed of Take Five - This is your final free article during this 30 day period.Stay in touch with all of the news from Winchester, Frederick and Clarke. Sign up today for complete digital access to The Winchester Star. State Rep. Paul Mark has filed a number of bills related to the environment and to higher education. Higher Ed Remains Top Priority For Representative Mark PITTSFIELD, Mass. This is the legislative term state Rep. Paul Mark became a "dean." Mark's district spans both Berkshire and Franklin counties and, on the Franklin side in the Pioneer Valley, there are five new state lawmakers. Mark is now embracing the role of mentor for the new legislators as they adjust to Beacon Hill and is aligning with them to promote an agenda for all of Western Massachusetts. "Even though these people are new, they are working hard, they care about their jobs very much, and are asking the right questions and not afraid to collaborate with people who have some seniority," Mark said. Mark said when he was first elected, he had veteran lawmakers in Benjamin Downing, William "Smitty" Pignatelli, and Christopher Speranzo to help teach him the ropes. "It's nice to be able to give that back. It's an honor," Mark said. He is teaming up with the others in the Pioneer Valley delegation on a few pieces of legislation that he says will help all four of the westernmost counties. The first is focused on payment in lieu of taxes for state-owned conservation land. Many towns in Western Massachusetts have large tracts of state-owned land but feel they get little from the state for it. "It can't be left on our shoulders. There are not enough of us to afford that," Mark said. The bill will create a commission to do a deep dive into the current funding formula and make recommendations as to how to create a more fair and equitable payment structure. Another bill would be to create an executive director position for the Rural Policy Commission, which Mark sits on. The director would serve the commission and focus on bills and funding proposals and how those would relate to rural towns. Mark said the job would be housed inside the Office of Housing and Economic Development but operate independently from the secretary. "It would be funded. It would be independent," Mark said. Outside of those partnerships, Mark is continuing with a number of topics he's been working on for the last few sessions. In 2014, he chaired a subcommittee on college debt which came out with a number of recommendations to address the soaring cost of higher education. Mark is again pushing for those recommendations to be put in place. "Higher education has been an important topic for me since I've been in the Legislature. We've been filing one pretty largescale bill, this will be our third session now, based on the recommendations of our subcommittee on student loans and debt back in 2014," Mark said. "I'm filing that again but I'm happy to say that some of it I don't need to file anymore because some of it is actually already placed in law. But there are still a couple of components left." The pieces being filed include addressing how the state finances the institutions, containing rising fees and tuition increasing scholarship opportunities for private schools, a student loan forgiveness program, and a tax incentive for private businesses who offer tuition assistance plans. A new bill Mark filed is "The Cherish Act," which would boost investment in the state college system by $500 million. "It would fully implement the recommendations of the Foundation Budget Review Commission at the higher ed level. We are talking about a $500 million investment in our public colleges and universities," Mark said. He is also re-filing a bill to allow adjunct faculty to receive benefits if they carry full coursework. Mark said a few hundred faculty members in the state work at multiple schools but are unable to get benefits. "It would allow people who are carrying a full-time course load, so in effect working a full-time job but it is divided among more than one college in Massachusetts, would be able to access the benefits as those people who are working full time at just one college," Mark said. Mark has joined Pignatelli's effort for social workers. The bill is aimed at providing a loan forgiveness program for those who enter the field. Mark said there are other professions he'd like to create similar programs for but is taking it one at a time. "You would be doing a really important job, a job that saves money for the state, but a job that the barrier of entry is high because you generally need a master's degree. The financial reward you receive for working isn't necessarily the highest paying. By recognizing it is an important profession, that serves a benefit to the people of this state, I think it would be a good investment," Mark said. Those are leftover pieces from the 2014 study. Mark said he is happy that a bill to provide more financial literacy in high school passed last year, that the treasurer has implemented college savings plan programs, and the attorney general's office has been going after for-profit colleges that take advantage of students. Those were also pieces of the study. Mark is also taking a focus on the environment. He said Massachusetts has to do more to combat climate change, especially with a lack of action on the federal level. "As we watch the effects of climate change unfold and as we learn more and more scientific data about the problem is and what the problem will be if we don't do something, I think the urgency for us to act at the state level has become more pronounced," Mark said. He's filing a bill to require electric companies to get 25 percent of their solar by 2030 -- incrementally increasing the percentage each year. He is also looking to raise the net metering cap, with an additional provision for municipal projects. He also wants every new public building constructed to have photovoltaic panels. "They can get out of it by showing how they've gotten renewable energy through different means. But when you have a new building with a roof and there is wasted space on the roof, why not take advantage of that? Why not make this something that will save the people of this state money over time?" Mark said. He is also refiling a bill that would create a "green bank." "It would loan for renewable energy projects, renewable energy jobs. It will be a bank that is specifically charted for this purpose and would have a different financing method and different expectations from the investors," Mark said. The Peru Democrat is looking to codify the Healthy Incentives Program into law. The program doubles the worth of SNAP benefits at farmer's markets. It has been wildly popular and grew 600 percent since its inception. But, it is so popular that often the state runs out of money and the legislature has to allocate more. "The program exists to promote people using SNAP to buy local produce. The benefit of this program is actually twofold. It creates an incentive for people using SNAP benefits to buy healthier foods and to buy local foods. But it also has an incentive for farmers to participate in local farmer's markets and know that they are going to have a really good opportunity to sell the produce they farmed," Mark said. Mark is looking to put that program into law to keep it running but also allow for a trust fund to be created to fund it into the future. The representative is also looking to bolster his efforts with employee ownership and cooperatives. After multiple attempts, Mark was able to re-establish the Massachusetts Office of Employee Involvement and Ownership in 2017. Now he is looking to bolster those efforts to ease the process for businesses looking to transform into a cooperative or be employee-owned. A new bill will reduce the tax on capital gains when a business sells to its employees. Mark said that is particularly aimed at businesses where the owner looks to retire and doesn't have a succession plan in place. He hopes the incentive will lead more business owners to transform the model rather than sell out to a larger company. "By creating incentives to them that isn't of selling out to a bigger business that may close down or move it out of town, how about you keep this business, this product, this idea that you have worked on for so long and put so much of your time and effort into, how about you sell it to the employees and let them keep going?" Mark said. "They're your employees. They worked with you. They learned from you. And you've benefited each other over this time." He is also proposing easing the process to transfer to employee-owned for businesses that enter distressed business programs. Between the office, the tax incentives for retiring owners, and for distressed business, Mark is trying to get at the topic from all angles. He is also filing for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. "The influence of money in politics is actually getting worse. There is a companion bill that I filed that would limit foreign donations. People that aren't residents of the United States aren't allowed to donate to campaigns but this will try to flesh that out by making sure they aren't going around it by going through a corporation, a trust, or giving money to a cousin. It will try to ensure the integrity of our electoral process," Mark said. He's also looking for the state to audit a percentage of the communities in the state after an election to help verify elections were done properly. Mark represents a piece of Pittsfield which is a Gateway City. But, Greenfield doesn't have the population numbers to qualify but face some of the same issues. The Gateway Cities program provides additional resources for those cities. Mark is now filing a bill to allow multiple towns to combine their populations to qualify for the program. Particularly, that would help North Adams and Greenfield team up a Route 2 economic development corridor through the program. "This would allow more than one municipality to form an inter-municipal compact to try to work together and meet the population threshold of the Gateway Cities," Mark said. The session only recently began with bills being due last Friday. Mark expects education at the K-12 level to be a hot topic this year among lawmakers since it didn't pass last term. "It fell apartment because the Millionaire's Tax was ruled unconstitutional. When all of a sudden $1.5 billion potentially was off the table, that changed the negotiation, that changed the arguments being made. We just didn't have the time to reconcile that," Mark said. He also expects health care financing to become a big issue. Mark is hoping that bill will include a study of single-payer so the state could be in a position to implement such a model. "We need a plan to be developed and we need somebody in office who will be ready to push that plan into action and make sure it is successful. I believe it is realistic that in 10 years we could have a single-payer system in this state that is going to save people money, is going to increase entrepreneurship, and the opportunity for people to strike out on their own, small businesses be sustainable," Mark said. "But in the interim, we still need to do something. That's what the bill we are ultimately going to do this year will look like." Winchester, VA (22601) Today Mostly cloudy skies. Scattered thunderstorms this morning. High 87F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Willmar, MN (56201) Today Rain likely. Winds increasing late. High 68F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph, becoming NNW and increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low 47F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. En una noche que podria ser de mucha nostalgia, por el recuerdo del legendario Hector Macho Camacho y la ultima pelea del gran campeon mexicano, Julio Cesar Chavez (107-6-2, 85 KOs) enfrentara a Hector Camacho Jr. (59-7-1, 33 KOs), en un duelo de exhibicion que se celebrara en el Estadio Jalisco este sabado, 19 de junio. The ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the motorway connecting two key expressways in northern Vietnam. (Photo: VGP) The 48-kilometre motorway runs from the Yen My exit of the Hanoi-Hai Phong Expressway in Hung Yen province to the Liem Tuyen exit of the Cau Gie-Ninh Binh Expressway in Ha Nam province. The VND3 trillion (USD129 million) project consists of two road sections in Hung Yen and Ha Nam provinces and the 2.1-kilometre long Hung Ha Bridge, which crosses the Red River and links the two neighbouring provinces. The motorway is designed to enhance the capacity of the two major expressways in northern Vietnam and reduce the traffic pressure on Hanoi as vehicles will be able to bypass the capital city when travelling from one expressway to the other. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, PM Phuc underlined the importance of the project to the Northern Key Economic Region. He said that the project not only creates an important link between Hung Yen and Ha Nam provinces but will also bring localities in the economic region closer together and enhance the productivity of the region. The government leader highly praised the contributions of the local residents in Hung Yen and Ha Nam provinces where 6,000 households were relocated to provide land for the motorway. The PM also commended the authorities of the two provinces, the Ministry of Transport and the contractors for completing the projects five months ahead of schedule. Construction of the highway began in May 2016 and was scheduled for completion after 36 months of construction./. FACT CHECK See inaccurate information in this story? Tell us here. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WESTPORT Not only does Westport read, but it dances as well. As part of the WestportREADS program, which this year centers on the 2017 novel Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, a Dance Around the World event was held at the Westport/Weston YMCA on Sunday afternoon. STAMFORD A Stamford judge on Monday refused to lower the bond of a Westport man with mental health problems who is accused of forcing a fellow patient to give him oral sex at a psychiatric hospital in 2016. Two weeks after being found competent to stand trial on a charges of first- and fourth-degree sexual assault, Mark DiPietros bond amount was upheld by Judge Bruce Hudock. DiPietros attorney Frank Bevilacqua asked that DiPietros bond be reduced from $100,000 to $50,000 and said his client would be placed in a Christian facility called Time for a Change Ministry in Bridgeport. After the judge refused to reduce the bond, Bevilacqua seemed vexed and immediately asked Hudock to send the case to trial. But Hudock said he had no control over the trial schedule and told Bevilacqua and Senior Assistant States Attorney Joseph Valdes to talk to the courthouses presiding judge, Gary White, about when a trial could be held. DiPietro, 24, is being held at Garner Correctional Facility in Newtown, which gives treatment to adult male offenders with significant mental health issues, and will remain there he either goes to trial or takes a plea agreement in the case. DiPietro was arrested in August 2016 after an investigation that began several months earlier after a female patient at St. Vincents Behavioral Health Services Westport campus made a complaint against him. According to his four-page arrest affidavit, Westport police were called to the psychiatric hospital when a female patient told a nurse that DiPietro had just grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into his room, before forcibly making her give him oral sex. The woman told police she tried to get away from DiPietro, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia, but he would not let her go. The patient said DiPietro also felt her private parts through her clothing, the affidavit said. DiPietro denied doing anything to the woman and at first claimed to police that he did not know her. But police obtained video tape showing the two sitting in a hallway of the hospital before he grabbed the woman by the wrist and pulled her into his room, the affidavit said. Several minutes later, the two can be seen on video coming out of the room, and they sit in the hallway for a few moments before the woman walks into her room, according to police. After a moment she walked out of her room and reported the assault to the male nurse, the affidavit said. Valdes argued against the bond reduction because he said DiPietro has a long history of being resistant to taking his medications. About nine months ago, Valdes said, DiPietro was thrown back in jail for refusing to take his medication and therefore violating his conditions of release after being released on a promise to appear. As a result, DiPietro was a risk to himself and the community, Valdes said. The last time the bond was reduced to a conditional promise to appear the conditions were to go to Time for a Change and comply with taking his medications and he did neither of those and he decompensated and it took nine months to restore him to competency, Valdes said. To be competent, state law requires a defendant to understand the charges against them and be able to assist in their own defense. But Bevilacqua said when DiPietro was released, the doctors had not worked out the medications that he should have been taking and it took an additional 11 months to get it right. It took them many months of trial and error to come down with the, for lack of a better term, the proper cocktail of medications for the man standing on my right today. They did not give him the proper medications so he did not want to take it, Bevilacqua said. Now he is ready. He is under the proper medications by the experts who testified here in court. He has been under these medications for several weeks and there is no decompensation and he is prepared to go to the facility. DiPietro is due back in court Feb. 11. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com Moms Demand Action will host an event to honor survivors of gun violence on Thursday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. The event is described as the Stamford/Greenwich 2019 kickoff for the group, which campaigns for stronger gun laws. Reporter I cover a range of stories for WDRB, but really enjoy tracking what's going on at our State Capitol. I grew up on military bases all over the world, but am a Kentuckian at heart. I'm an EKU alum, and have lived in Louisville for 30 years. Articles Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles. Images Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. Beijing: Defence Minister Christopher Pyne is expected to use a speech in Singapore on Monday to warn that the world can't afford to be divided into Cold War blocs. His address to an international security forum coincides with reports the Trump administration is seeking to do just that. Australia was likely the first ally to feel the pressure. Australian Minister of Defence Christopher Pyne reviewing the PLA guards of honour at the headquarters of Defence Ministry in Beijing last week. Credit:Sanghee Liu On Sunday, The New York Times published an investigation into Washington's campaign against Chinese telecommunications company Huawei that found US allies were being leaned on to exclude the company from their 5G networks: Poland had been warned that accepting Chinese technology in would result in a deal for a US troop base to be called off. Germany was told using Huawei would risk the NATO alliance. The high-profile independent candidate challenging Tony Abbott in Warringah has distanced herself from sealing formal preference deals with rival candidates, as the former prime minister digs in to save his position in Parliament. Four-time Winter Olympian-turned barrister Zali Steggall faces an uphill battle to defeat Mr Abbott at the May federal election and will need to rely on preferences to win the blue-ribbon Sydney seat. Zali Steggall launches her run for Tony Abbott's seat, Warringah, on Sunday. Credit:Brook Mitchell Ms Steggall told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age she would welcome preferences from the large field of candidates expected to challenge Mr Abbott but would not tell her supporters how to vote. "I am a true independent in that I will ask people to vote 1 for me but we are an educated electorate and we would leave it to the public to decide what they do beyond that," she said. Security experts warn Beijing could spread propaganda in the lead-up to the federal election through popular social messaging service WeChat, which is facing less government scrutiny than US tech giants such as Facebook and Twitter. The International Cyber Policy Institute part of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute has warned WeChat's 1.5 million monthly Australian users could be exposed to disinformation, censorship and propaganda on the closely regulated Chinese messaging service. While security analysts are divided about how serious a threat the Chinese Communist Party will pose come May, they point out WeChat is subject to strict controls from Beijing. Governments in Europe and North America have argued social media platforms must tackle the spread of fake news aimed at disrupting election campaigns, such as the Kremlin's efforts to undermine the 2016 US presidential election. "What's particularly concerning about WeChat is that it is subject to Chinese censorship and control," ASPI senior cybersecurity analyst Tom Uren said. "It's not just censorship sometimes they promote particular issues so it's a way of controlling public debate." She said the Australian Digital Health Agency did not seem to understand the complexity of the scenarios that could arise, such as when a patient had an initial diagnosis that was later reviewed. One of the major selling points of the e-health system, which is supported by the Australian Medical Association, is its potential to give doctors fast and easy access to patient histories, helping prevent medication errors and allergic reactions. "In a case of emergency, they can save your life," Health Minister Greg Hunt has said, citing the situation of an unconscious patient arriving at a hospital. But the chair of the AMA's medical ethics committee, Chris Moy, said doctors would treat My Health Records with "professional skepticism", as they were expected to be just as unreliable as hospital discharge notes which have a 10 per cent margin of error. Patients have complained anecdotally of discrepancies in hospital medical records, with one woman telling the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age of her battle to correct the file of her elderly father, which had recorded "operations that never happened" while neglecting to list crucial diagnoses. Dr Moy said the My Health Record was never intended to be a perfect or completely reliable record of a patient's history. Loading "It's basically a secure Dropbox folder that's all it is," he said. "No, it isn't a perfect record and doctors need to apply the same level of clinical suspicion as they already do. But the bottom line is that it's better than what we have now, which is nothing." Dr Moy said patients could expect pathology results and X-rays to be among the first data to be uploaded to their My Health Records. Historical information, apart from Medicare and PBS data going back two years, would not appear on the system, he said. Simon Judkins, president of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, said governments needed to invest in "good IT systems", and that there was still much work to be done. "Many places are still relying on handwritten notes and using faxes to communicate medical records," Dr Judkins said. "We'd like to see that progress, because of the benefits for emergency physicians and staff in being able to access people's health records in emergency. "The ability to look at medication, past medical history and investigations they've had when they're incapacitated or unable to give us that history is really important." He said some hospitals were installing "off-the-shelf" IT systems that were clunky and inefficient. Loading "It needs to be much more user friendly," he said. A spokeswoman for the federal health department said it was not necessary to indemnify GPs, as doctors would have the same duty of care, including the obligation to keep accurate and up-to-date records. Guidelines issued to doctors advise that they "do not have to upload all information on an individual to the person's My Health Record". "Healthcare providers retain the discretion to determine what should be uploaded to an individual's My Health Record and should decide whether to upload certain information to the individual's record for example, a diagnosis in discussion with the patient," the guideline says. "A treating healthcare provider should always combine the information in the My Health Record system with their own observations of the individual." Doctors will also be allowed to access patients' My Health Record data for the purpose of defending medical negligence claims. The department spokeswoman said the task of rolling out the My Health Record system was well underway, with "all Australian states and territories currently uploading clinical content to the system" and more than 2.35 million documents already on the system. She said health departments in all jurisdictions had either implemented, or were working towards, being able to send hospital discharge summaries, pathology and diagnostic imaging reports, and view patient records, by June 2019. Up for debate: Live legislation tracker Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics. The company didnt take care of the people, said Josefa de Santos, who has friends and neighbors among the missing. I heard the cries of people asking for help. Everyone was running and screaming. The siren didnt go off at all. It was horrible. Whitaker did not define what he meant by close, and even if he is correct that Mueller is nearly done with his work, Whitaker may leave the Justice Department before it is complete. The Senate is expected to vote to confirm attorney general nominee William P. Barr next month, and his arrival would likely mean the departure of Whitaker, who previously served as chief of staff to then-attorney general Jeff Sessions. The robot, nicknamed Tappy, was of such great interest to Huawei that the company secretly took photos and measurements of the robot and, in one instance, stole its arm so that Huawei engineers could try to replicate it, according to prosecutors. Investigators said that after T- Mobile learned of Huaweis efforts and threatened to sue, Huawei produced a report falsely claiming the thefts were the work of rogue employees. In fact, U.S. officials said, the FBI had obtained emails showing that in July 2013, Huawei offered bonuses to employees based on the value of information they stole from other companies. One of the most popular amendments likely to be considered Tuesday, written by two backbenchers from opposing parties, seeks to give May until the end of February to secure a deal with Brussels that could pass the Parliament. If the prime minister fails again, then the chamber wants her to seek permission from E.U. leaders to delay Brexit beyond the scheduled departure date of March 29. Wang was the last lawyer to be tried as part of a government crackdown that began July 9, 2015, with the simultaneous arrest of more than 200 lawyers and activists countrywide. The 709 crackdown, as it became known in reference to the date, removed an irritant for the ruling Communist Party while devastating Chinas legal profession and rolling back what progress the country had made toward rule of law and judicial independence, international experts said. America does not need our advice or consultation for leaving. It came here for its own interests, and it will leave for its own interests, said Hafiz Mansour, an opposition legislator. Trump can decide to pull out troops at any moment, and the U.S. is looking for a face-saving approach to do it. But our troops do not have the capacity to defend the country. We will need foreign help for years to come. Barr stressed that his goal will be to provide as much transparency as I can consistent with the law in several of the answers he provided to panel senators, who challenged him to offer better assurances that he would release the report than he did during a confirmation hearing earlier this month. Democrats on the panel also failed to secure a firmer promise from Barr to alert them if Justice Department ethics officials advise him to recuse himself from overseeing the Mueller probe, reserving the final decision for himself. His embrace of Bible literacy drew barbs from critics on Twitter, several of whom pointed to an episode in January 2016 in which then-candidate Trump referred to two Corinthians instead of Second Corinthians during a speech at Liberty University. His mistake drew laughter from many in the audience at the private Christian school. But now she must go from running races in California driven by money and television to contests in states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, where voters expect intimate campaigning. She is planning to travel to Iowa on Monday, but largely to participate in a CNN town hall, a format that has aggravated some Iowa Democrats who suggested she is using the state as a stage for a national campaign. Tickets are being handed out to a select group of people, which has left others clamoring to interact with the newest candidate. A independent Schultz bid would also require him to qualify for the televised general election debates, a major platform for candidates in the final months of a campaign. In 2016, the commission that oversees those debates required candidates to meet a two-part test to participate: They must appear on enough state ballots to have a mathematical chance of winning the electoral college and they must receive at least 15 percent support in five national public polls that meet certain criteria. But Im concerned about the stopgap nature of the reopening, she said. . . . What reason is there for me or anyone to have any confidence at all that these same people will have their minds made up in three weeks? In Muellers case, this means, for example, that part of the narrative could set a context to help citizens understand how the Russian government carries out covert activities, the way many Russian businesspeople interact with this work and the way Americans who do business with such connected Russians comprehend this. Similarly, the report can set the context of the Trump campaign in 2016, and how it operated, that was relevant to the Russian intervention. Some of this may have spilled over into the presidential transition process as well, if not the operations of the administration itself. I know that we live in tumultuous times. I know that if Trump can become president, the boundaries of the possible have been greatly expanded, if not obliterated. I know that party affiliation has been steadily weakening and that a plurality of voters consider themselves independents. Despite all of this, the Democratic Party and the GOP remain deeply entrenched and highly adaptable institutions. Either might be susceptible to a hostile takeover, as Trump proved. But only a supreme narcissist would think himself capable of singlehandedly vanquishing both. Before this indictment, it was at least possible for the presidents campaign to claim it was merely the unwitting beneficiary of the WikiLeaks document dumps. But now Mueller has alleged that multiple individuals involved in the Trump Campaign were in repeated contact with Stone, seeking to gather advance intelligence about WikiLeakss plans. And in a much-noted use of the passive voice, the indictment alleges a senior Trump Campaign official was directed to contact Stone to find out what other damaging information about Clinton might be coming. This raises the enticing question of whether the person doing that directing was the president himself, a question that Sanders refused to answer Friday. The idea here is not to prescribe precisely what our defense policy should be. The object is more modest: to discredit the false and dangerous notion, promoted by many, that our military dominance is so overwhelming that we can afford further cuts and can take refuge in our superior technology. The truth is that any advantage in size has shrunk dramatically, and, if experts are to be believed, we lag in some critical new technologies, including cyberwarfare and artificial intelligence. Vigil held for Guatemalan boy who died in U.S. custody: The body of an 8-year-old migrant boy who died in U.S. custody at a New Mexico hospital on Christmas Eve has been returned to the small village where he lived in Guatemala. Catarina Alonzo Perez, the mother of Felipe Gomez Alonzo, held a candle at a vigil for him Saturday. Gomez Alonzo was taken into custody with his father by the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing into the United States. After several days in detention, he developed a cough, vomiting and fever. 2nd person arrested in connection with deadly shooting: Police in Fort Wayne, Ind., have arrested a second person in the fatal shooting of three people during an apparent home invasion on Thanksgiving night. Police said Gerald Pinkston, 22, was arrested Sunday at a home in the city. He's being held on three counts of murder and one count of criminal recklessness. A warrant for his arrest was issued Nov. 30 but he remained at large until Sunday, when detectives and other officers surrounded the home where he was staying and ordered him out. Pinkston is the second person arrested in connection with the shooting deaths of Jevonn Johnson, 23, Colton D. Messmer, 20, and Tracey A. Andrews, 21, and the nonfatal shootings of two others. Kameron Joyner awaits trial on three counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of criminal recklessness. Mnuchin said that Citgo assets in the United States will be able to continue to operate, and that Venezuela can continue to export oil to this country, provided that any funds that would otherwise go to PDVSA instead will go into a blocked account in the United States. Venezuelan oil already at sea and paid for would not be affected, he said. Local hospitals, he said, particularly those operating in the shadows of giants, may be better able to retain patients by getting a name brand on their door. . . . There is a sense that they are plugged in. (Virginia Hospital Center, for example, competes with Hopkins, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, which has an alliance with the Cleveland Clinic, and the Northern Virginia-based Inova system.) When youre a month plus without being paid, even if you have savings, its stressful. But so many people are more paycheck to paycheck, and at that point it starts getting a little more desperate, said Liz Muth, development and community outreach manager at Hope Supply in Dallas, which also has given out hygiene supplies including soap and toothbrushes. Most federal workers, she said, have found it difficult and demoralizing to ask for help because they are employed and in some cases still working yet cannot afford crucial everyday supplies. A government job was the sensible, conservative route to take even after a series of shutdowns. Government would always be around. And not just for secretaries and administrators. Its the place for lawyers who don t want the impossible workload and operatic madness of a partnership track. Its where scientists who dont want to live from grant to grant go. Or where laid-off journalists can be effective spokespeople and writers. I dont think he has one of these burning ambitions to be president, this person said. He does think that his message, and the Maryland example, is important right now. And he wants to find a way to spread it. Does he have to run for president to do it? Probably not, but maybe. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy We spoke to the UKs ambassador to Finland, Tom Dodd , at the British Embassy to find out more about the state of bilateral negotiations between the two countries and what else Brits should be doing to prepare for Brexit. Last week the Finnish parliament announced it will be pushing through emergency legislation designed to protect the rights of UK nationals in the event of no deal. The legislation guarantees the residency, work, and study rights of all British nationals currently in Finland up until at least December 2020. WITH BREXIT JUST AROUND THE CORNER and fears of a no deal cliff-edge mounting, UK and EU governments have been scrambling to put in place emergency measures that would protect citizens on both sides of the Channel. First of all, how have you found your first year working as the British ambassador to Finland? Its been great. This is obviously a very interesting time to be in Finland, during the run-up to Brexit, but thats not even what keeps me busy most of the time. I mostly work on strengthening bilateral relations between the UK and Finland an obviously expanding field. Speaking of bilateral relations, Brits in Finland received a little bit of good news last week with the announcement that their residency rights will be secure in the event of a no-deal. Did the British government play any role in influencing this legislation? Well, weve been discussing no-deal preparations with the Finnish government for quite some time. Since at least last summer weve been working hard to ensure the best possible outcome for British nationals in Finland in any scenario, in terms of both citizens rights and of course, trade. How has the trade relationship between the UK and Finland fared over the past few months? Business is continuing all the time between the UK and Finland. The overall trade volume between the two countries has actually grown in the past two years. Obviously, Brexit has generated a lot of uncertainty, and there have been some deals which havent gone ahead or have been paused as a result. Ive heard of some issues, but its a very mixed bag. Just the other day I was at a meeting with a Finnish IT company that is opening offices in London. Brexit is not the only factor on a businesss mind when it comes to doing business with and investing in the UK. Are there any outstanding issues that arent yet covered by Finlands no-deal legislation? I havent yet seen the legislation as it hasnt been published. However, I have been told that it will effectively cover all of the existing rights of British nationals in Finland until December 2020. This includes the right to live here, claim benefits, access to healthcare etc. So are the terms of this legislation basically identical to those outlined in Theresa Mays Withdrawal Agreement? On the face of it Id say yes, they do look very similar. There are some outstanding issues we need to discuss with the Finnish government e.g. seasonal workers in Lapland, but mostly the nature of this legislation is very similar to the terms laid out in the Withdrawal Agreement transition period. So what happens after December 2020? We havent negotiated that yet. Well have to wait and see what happens in the UK first, and there are of course the Finnish general elections coming up which may affect things as the current government cannot do anything to bind the hands of the next one. Were aiming for reciprocity in the long-term and we aim to put in place a new immigration system that will facilitate the movement of people between the UK and the EU in a way that is appropriate. I cant comment on the position of the Finnish government, but we hope for a reciprocal arrangement. Well just have to see how the elections go and once theres a new government in place well work closely with them. Finland will also be hosting the EU presidency in the second half of this year the first post-Brexit EU presidency. So were obviously looking forward to working very closely with Finland as a partner in the coming year. The outcome of Brexit remains far from certain. Is the UK embassy here working on the assumption that Theresa Mays deal will pass, or no-deal, or no Brexit? The policy of my prime minister is that the deal on the table is the best deal available. She is working hard to gain the approval of the House of Commons or to find a compromise that is satisfying to both the Commons and the EU. Government policy is not to have a second referendum and to not delay Brexit. Brexit is happening in March this year. Any sensible government has to prepare for the possibility of no-deal. Thats not our preferred approach but it may happen. The Foreign Office is preparing for no-deal and weve hired extra staff to help with that and to provide any additional assistance for British nationals and companies doing business in the UK. What should British nationals be doing at this time to prepare for Brexit? It is key that all British nationals are registered. It is now possible to check with the Migri whether or not you are properly registered. Most of the 5000 British nationals in Finland have already done so. Only a very small number have not but it is very important that they register as soon as possible. The UK government website also provides comprehensive information for British nationals in Europe and what they should be doing to prepare for a no-deal. There is a specific webpage for Brits in Finland that contains all of the information on what you should be doing. Right now, there are certain steps British nationals should be taking; for example, converting driving licenses and making sure your passport is valid. And what is your preferred Brexit outcome? My preferred Brexit outcome is the governments preferred outcome because I work for the government. And thats how you personally feel? Thats how I feel yes. As a civil servant thats the deal you make. Thats my job. I have a responsibility to the British community here but Im also a representative of Her Majestys Government. These are roles I must balance as best I can. And what are your personal opinions on a second referendum? The policy of the government is not to have a second referendum. We already had a referendum and it would be unwise to have another one. That is government policy. There are a number of issues we need to address across Europe that go beyond Brexit. Life will go on after Brexit. And what do you hope for the UK and Finlands post-Brexit relationship? I believe it will fundamentally be the same. We already enjoy a very close relationship and the British and Finnish people have a similar outlook and fundamentally agree on the same things, generally speaking. That will continue in the future and I dont think that will change. Obviously, our relationship with the EU is a work in progress. Theres no way we will not continue to enjoy a profoundly close relationship in terms of security and commerce and everything else because that is whats in everyones best interests. Adam Oliver Smith - HT (@adamoliversmith) Image credit: Helsinki Times In an introductory letter, Bowser said the plan was a blueprint for how best to continue moving forward with urgency and thoughtfulness as we work towards reversing fatal opioid overdoses. However, some speakers at Tuesdays hearing complained that they were not consulted as the plan was prepared, and they described it as too thin. Many initiatives described in the document echo programs previously planned by city officials, including some the District is already doing or has promised but failed to implement. The group awarded the Caldecott Medal for best pictures in a book to Hello Lighthouse, which was written and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. The book gives readers a glimpse into the life and work of a lighthouse keeper and his family through the changing seasons. This is Blackalls second medal. With the shutdown now over, Morgan, 62, is reporting back to her job Monday as an administrative planner for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. But the mile marker of reopening federal offices belies the continued suffering and long-term financial damage on the legions of federal contractors whose lost wages may never be reimbursed. In the case of Unispec, health insurance remains in limbo, and the next full paycheck may still be four weeks away. My first instinct was . . . were going too far now. Theyre actors. Actors are gonna act, he said. But then a wheelchair-using actor, whose name Noah doesnt mention, completely opened my eyes with something the actor wrote: I understand what an actor is. I too am an actor. But Im an actor in a wheelchair, and I never see parts that are leading roles for a person in a wheelchair. So the one time I see a role where theres a person in a wheelchair, I think, This could be it. . . . Because when you think about it on the flip side, they never call people with wheelchairs in to play able-bodied people. The fate of the long-discussed reform was recently cast into further doubt as the number of legislators expected to back the reform bill fell from 101 to 100, leaving the ruling three-party coalition with no more than 100 of the 199 votes in the Finnish Parliament. PRIME MINISTER Juha Sipila (Centre) says he is still confident that the social, health care and regional government reform will be passed by the Finnish Parliament. I think the most important thing right now is that the bill is put up to a vote in the session hall. The government has the majority of seats in the Parliament, Sipila said in interview on YLE Radio Suomi on Sunday. Youll also have to ask opposition members why theyd vote differently in the Parliament. The same people have been preparing the care reform in the preparatory bodies of counties. There are MPs there as well, he added. Maria Lohela, a former Speaker of the Parliament, said last week she will withdraw her support for the reform bill while announcing her decision to leave the Blue Reform and join Now Movement. Susanna Koski and Elina Lepomaki of the National Coalition, as well as Paavo Vayrynen formely of the Centre and currently of the Seven Star Movement, have previously announced they are very likely to vote against the reform bill. Speaker of the Parliament Paula Risikko (NCP), meanwhile, participates neither in debates nor voting in the Parliament. Sipila also stated that he expects the reform to be up to a vote by the end of this electoral term. The Constitutional Law Committee, he highlighted, is expected to wrap up its work on the bill shortly and present it to the Social Affairs and Health Committee. Itd be extremely regrettable if there was no time for parliamentary consideration, he said. The Parliament has the time and Im aware of no reason why it couldnt process it during this electoral term. Pushing the long-discussed reform over the finish line is important also for the overall credibility of political decision making, added Sipila. Aleksi Teivainen HT Source: Uusi Suomi Roma Summer Fest to host Take That on 29 June. Take That will perform an outdoor concert at Rome's Auditorium Parco della Musica on 29 June, to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary tour. The concert, part of the Roma Summer Fest programme, will feature three of the British band's original members: Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The Rome concert in the auditorium's Cavea arena comes ahead of the release of a double album of Take That's greatest hits later this year. Take That in the early days, including Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. The group was phenomenally successful in the 1990s, securing 12 number one singles and eight number one albums in the UK, with hits such as Could It Be Magic, Relight My Fire and Back for Good. For concert details see Auditorium Parco della Musica website. Finlands stricter aliens legislation and its interpretation have effectively contributed to the growth of the group of undocumented people that is, people residing in the country without a residence permit, the researchers write in a book about asylum seekers and refugees in Finland. BORDER POLICY is partly to blame for the sharp increase recorded in the number of undocumented immigrants in Finland, state researchers Talvikki Ahonen and Annastiina Kallius. The book was published earlier this year by the Migration Institute of Finland. Ahonen and Kallius point out that the number of undocumented residents, including people who have been denied asylum but who, despite the efforts of authorities, have yet to be removed from the country, is believed to have stood at around 3,0004,000 in Finland in 2017. The number is based on an estimate made in Paperittomat Suomessa 2017 (Eng. The Undocumented in Finland 2017), a report published by the University of Turku. The authors of the report gauge that 10,00015,000 of the over 30,000 asylum seekers who arrived in the country two years earlier could have wound up, at least temporarily, as undocumented immigrants at some point in the asylum procedure. They also estimate that thousands of such people may have left the country unbeknownst to authorities. Given the lack of precise data on departures and the non-completion of the asylum procedure, we can only offer an estimate that 4,0008,000 of the asylum seekers who arrived in 2015 could stay in Finland as undocumented people, the report reads. The number can decrease substantially depending on how many of them voluntarily leave Finland and how effectively authorities remove people facing a deportation order from Finland. The National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has estimated that the country was home to fewer than 3,500 undocumented immigrants in 2014. Ahonen and Kallius single out a number of institutions for blame for the production of undocumented immigrants: the European Commission, Finnish government, Finnish Parliament and Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). Other key authorities responsible for controlling undocumented immigration are municipalities, ministries and the police, according to the duo. Although the responsibility for drafting legislation to prevent undocumented immigration lies primarily with the government and Parliament, the Finnish Immigration Services (Migri) role and influence has grown substantially. They also view that the role of the government in the rise in the number of undocumented people has been not only subjected to insufficient public scrutiny, but also downplayed. The Finnish government, they argue, has sought to attribute the phenomenon to undocumented immigrants themselves, even though the phenomenon is produced and managed by the societal structures and border policy of Finland. For example, the list of countries of origin that were considered safe was extended, regulations governing the family reunifications of refugees toughened and the appeal period of unsuccessful asylum seekers shortened, write Ahonen and Kallius. Ahonen is a junior researcher of social policy at the University of Eastern Finland. Kallius, in turn, is a doctoral researcher of sociology and social anthropology at the University of Helsinki. Aleksi Teivainen HT Source: Uusi Suomi Decatur, IL (62521) Today Partly to mostly cloudy. Hot. High 93F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 66F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%. (Bloomberg) With $2.9 billion in assets, the San Joaquin County pension fund is a small-fry retirement plan. By contrast, Bridgewater Associates is a colossus, the worlds largest hedge fund with $80 billion. That hasnt stopped the northern California fund from taking Ray Dalios firm to task for disappointing returns and high fees. After reviewing the investment for more than a year, the county decided this month to pull its entire $81 million from Bridgewaters Pure Alpha II fund. The move came even after it gained 14.6 percent last year. To read this article: Two baby eel dealers are facing misdemeanor charges for illegal sales as Maine moves to increase oversight over the lucrative industry. The Bangor Daily News reports that Department of Marine Resources spokesman Jeff Nichols says two Maine dealers are accused of making illegal cash purchases last spring of the eels, also known as elvers. Both dealers face license suspensions along with misdemeanor charges for allegedly purchasing elvers without a required swipe card. Nichols said the investigation into illegal sales is ongoing. Fishery regulators have faced increased poaching and smuggling since the value of elvers jumped from an average price of $100 per pound a decade ago to over $2,300 per pound last year. Maine's holding public hearings on proposals to make it harder to conceal illegal cash transactions from inspectors. Police in the town of New Canaan, Connecticut, arrested a woman they say was driving drunk on vanilla extract, Hearst Media Connecticut reported. Police officers reported finding 50-year-old Stefanie Warner-Grise with her eyes closed behind the wheel of her car while at an intersection. They reported finding several bottles of empty extract and could smell vanilla on her breath. They also said she slurred her words while answering their questions and eventually failed a field sobriety test. She was released after she promised to go to a court appearance. Per Hearst, McCormick's vanilla extract - a popular brand - is 41 percent alcohol, or 82 proof. Step inside Sacred Heart Church of Jesus in Sandino, Cuba. It's the first Roman Catholic church built in Cuba since the revolution. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. (You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.) 1. Government shutdown Those 800,000 federal workers impacted by the shutdown are back at work today. But the threat of another shutdown looms. Democrats and Republicans have three weeks to hammer out some kind of deal on border security before funding from the short-term spending legislation runs out. President Trump said if there's no money allocated for his border wall he's willing to endure another shutdown or declare a national emergency so that he could use Defense Department funds to build the wall. Neither option is particularly attractive for the President. After getting nothing in the record-breaking shutdown that just ended, Trump's GOP allies may be less likely to go down that path again. And declaring a national emergency would spark a constitutional battle that could be tied up in the courts for months. 2. Venezuela More massive protests are planned for Venezuela this week. Self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido tweeted over the weekend he wants supporters to hit the streets Wednesday and Saturday in a show of force against President Nicolas Maduro. Guaido also said his opposition party was in talks with military officials to kick out Maduro. Guaido declared himself acting president last week, claiming Maduro was illegitimately elected for a second term. Maduro blames all this upheaval on what he considers to be a US-led "coup" attempt. 3. Louisiana shootings The man accused of killing five people in a weekend shooting in Louisiana has been arrested. Dakota Theriot, 21, was nabbed in Virginia Sunday morning. Theriot fled there after police said he killed his girlfriend, her brother and the siblings' father as well as his own parents. Theriot had been living with his girlfriend's family but had been recently asked to leave and not return. The mother of the slain siblings said the killings were pointless. "It's senseless, my babies died for nothing. Their daddy died for nothing," she said. 4. Brazil dam collapse The number of deaths from the collapse of a dam at an iron mine in southeastern Brazil is 58, but officials fear the deal toll will go much higher. Hundreds of people are still missing after the dam burst late last week, unleashing a muddy sea of mining debris into the region. And there were fears that a second dam nearby was about to give way, temporarily leading to 3,000 people being placed under evacuation orders. But the risk subsided and the evac order was lifted. Vale, the company that owns the mine, faces heavy criticism after the disaster, partially because it was linked to another deadly dam collapse four years ago. 5. Campaign 2020 The first big rally of the 2020 presidential campaign was held over the weekend in California. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris officially launched her campaign in her hometown of Oakland. She bashed President Trump, of course, and said he was a threat to American values. She also used the word "truth" 21 times in her speech (CNN's Brian Stelter counted.) Meanwhile, ex-Starbucks CEO (and former Democrat) Howard Schultz said he's "seriously" thinking about running for president as an independent. That's led to cries of "don't do it!" from some Democrats, who fear that a third-party candidate like Schultz could peel away just enough votes from the eventual Democratic nominee to ensure President Trump's re-election. TODAY'S QUOTE "I encourage you to commit to using English 100% of the time ..." Duke professor Megan Neely, in an email to international students warning Chinese students against communicating in their native language. The email sparked outrage on campus and social media and forced Neely to quit as the head of a master's program at the school. BREAKFAST BROWSE Superhero surprise "Black Panther" was the winner of the SAG Award's biggest honor last night. Here are the red carpet pics and the list of the other winners. Bad break Last night's live version of "Rent" was not so live after all. Fox had to (mostly) go with footage from dress rehearsal after one of the actors broke his foot. Hook, line and explosive One heck of a catch: A man reeled in a WWII-era hand grenade while fishing. For some reason he took it to Taco Bell. And of course this happened in Florida. Welcome to the A It's Super Bowl week, and Atlanta welcomes an expected 1 million visitors with this catchy jam from rapper Ludacris and a bunch of middle school kids. Come together It's reason No. 4,394 to hate Facebook: The social media giant plans to integrate Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. Here's what it means for you. TODAY'S NUMBER 35 The number of confirmed measles cases in Washington state, which prompted Gov. Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency AND FINALLY Buzzing around Niquinha the cat had quite enough of the little butterfly toy. (Click to view) The Report. Photo: Atsushi Nishijima/Courtesy of Sundance Institute How do you get audiences to pay attention to a story about the crimes of the Bush administration, a feat many well-meaning filmmakers of the 00s failed to pull off? In Adam McKays Vice, the solution is to pile on as many metafictional tricks as possible, in the hope that with enough added sugar, even the most acidic abuses of power will go down smooth. McKays gonzo style garnered boatloads of Oscar nominations, but its still just one approach among many. Scott Z. Burnss The Report, a sober, and sobering, account of the Senates investigation into the CIAs enhanced interrogation techniques, provides another path. This is a movie where most of the significant events take place in a windowless room underground. Daniel Jones (Adam Driver) is an aide to Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening, giving great downturned-lip acting) tasked with assembling a report on what really went on in the CIAs interrogations. Hes granted an office in a Langley basement, and access to the agencys internal records, the events of which play out in garish yellow flashbacks. (As is customary in political thrillers, the present-day scenes are muted gray.) The structure is fairly simple Driver searches the records, finds something that reveals the CIA hasnt been telling the truth, the CIA stonewalls, repeat but this spartan retelling manages to illuminate the specific malignancy of the neocon era without turning its villains into cackling caricatures. There are the private contractors who convince the agency to reverse decades of accepted practice with a PowerPoint presentation; the administration officials who get palpable glee out of the word games that provide the legal underpinning for torture; the intelligence lifers desperate to prevent the next 9/11, after failing to prevent the first one. But its also hard to watch the film without coming away frustrated by the Obama administration, represented here by Jon Hamms Denis McDonough, who were so taken by their own self-image as transformational post-partisan figures that they refused to hold anyone in the previous administration accountable. In one darkly comic moment, McDonough informs Feinstein they cant tick off the Republicans, or else theyll refuse to work with the president on immigration reform or gun control. Imagine that! As in Vice, little may be new to a plugged-in viewer, but even in the heady air of Park City, where there are no shortage of stories about the ways Americas betrayed its ideals, the films stark moral clarity stands out. Burns previously worked as a screenwriter for Steven Soderbergh, and hes adept at imbuing long scenes of exposition with straightforward urgency no winking needed. (This urgency may have been matched on the set; the director explained after my screening that production lasted a mere three weeks.) Multiple viewers at the festival have come out comparing The Report to Spotlight, and the two films share a similar interest in the intricacies of the investigative process, how one small discovery leads to another, which leads to a bigger discovery, which eventually uncovers a decades worth of lies. The War on Terror has proven a tricky subject for liberal Hollywood to tackle. So far the biggest successes have been the films that consider it a sadly necessary loss of national innocence (American Sniper, or Zero Dark Thirty, which The Report may as well be a subtweet of), or the ones that lean into a familiar mode of lefty sarcasm (Vice, the works of Michael Moore). Its unclear whether The Report can convince moviegoers who sat out films like Lions for Lambs, In the Valley of Elah, and Good Kill, to show up for a movie that makes you feel bad about every politician except Dianne Feinstein. But at least it makes you feel good about Dianne Feinstein! Photo: Ray Mickshaw/FOX Creators and producers for Rent: Live touted the Fox production in the lead-up to its January 27 premiere as the Rent we love on steroids, while also clarifying that edits would be made to fit network standards and cut for length. The claims proved more or less true with last nights mostly pre-taped presentation. While its an addition to the live televised musical canon that introduced a whole new generation to Jonathan Larsons famously unfinished musical, die-hard Rentheads met such changes with skepticism and some downright disappointment. Below, we break down the 26 most significant edits and lyric changes from the original 1996 musical to last nights Rent: Live. 1. Angels gender identity. Aside from La Vie Boheme retaining the Brothers! gag while Angel and Collins share a kiss in the middle of the cafe, last nights Rent addressed one of fans most prominent qualms with the original and established Angel (played by Valentina) as a decidedly trans or nonbinary character rather than a drag queen. It began in You Okay Honey? when Angel (dressed in more masculine-presenting attire) introduced herself to Collins (Brandon Victor-Dixon) as Angel Dumott Schunard, adding, At least thats who Im going for this weekend, a distinction not found in the original script. Her identity was further brought to the fore in the lead-in to Ill Cover You when she asked Collins if he liked her outfit while in full drag. He said yes, and that he liked the other one, too, referring to what she was wearing the night they met. She responded, I think this is the one, Collins. I finally feel like me. From there on out, Collins and others referred to her with female pronouns, most notably in Goodbye Love and in the eulogies before Ill Cover You (Reprise), but more on those later. 2. The musicals opening line. Any good Rent fan knows its opening expository verse, sung by Mark (Jordan Fisher): December 24, 9 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. From here on in I shoot without a script see if anything comes of it (instead of my old shit). While it makes sense that producers here would have to skirt around shit for the Fox live stream, last nights opening lines took a heavy edit and changed the year Rent is set altogether: December 24, 9 p.m., 1991. I start to shoot my latest film today see if Ive got anything to say. 3. Life Support and a history lesson. Many online were speculating why producers would change the year from 1989 to 1991, but the reasoning became clear when in the lead-in to Life Support, Mark offered a brief history of the HIV/AIDS crisis not found in the original production. He lists statistics from the end of 1991 that emphasize the impact of the disease on an entire generation of young men and women: There were 206,563 reported cases nationwide, and by that time, over 31,000 people had died in New York City. 4. Keala Settles counselor goes from Paul to Cy. As previously announced, The Greatest Showman breakout and Broadway vet Keala Settle had a supporting turn in the show, most notably taking on the HIV/AIDS support groups lead counselor. In the original production, the roles played by a man named Paul, but here, Settle played a woman named Cy. The character was named after Cynthia ONeal, co-founder alongside Mike Nichols of Friends in Deed, a nonprofit benefiting HIV/AIDS-effected New Yorkers. 5. Life expectancy changed from three years to six months. That same Life Support song had one of the productions more baffling lyric changes when Gordon sings about finding some of what you teach suspect, because Im used to relying on intellect. Instead of his verse ending with, Because reason says I shouldve died three years ago, last night the lyric was changed to, Because reason says I shouldve died six months ago. 6. Benny doesnt say poo-poo. When friend-turned-landlord Benny (Mario) comes calling for Mark and Rogers (Brennin Hunt) rent toward the beginning of the show, he dreams up a possible better future for the three of them and urges them to think twice about what hes offering. You wanna produce films and write songs? You need somewhere to do it, he sings. Its what we used to dream about; think twice before you poo-poo it. Last night, however, changed to be: You wanna produce films and write songs? You need somewhere to perfect it. Its what we used to dream about; think twice before you reject it. 7. Mark finds new ways to be self-deprecating. Originally, while Mark is on his way to help Maureen (Vanessa Hudgens) with her sound equipment, he tells the audience to get ready for a close-up on Marks nosedive. But Foxs Rent put a different spin on his self-deprecation: Tonights show is in mortal danger due to technical difficulties. Can Maureens pathetic ex save the day? 8. Tango Maureen got super weird. Heres an edit that was necessary for the networks: In the original, theres a repeated bit in Tango Maureen where Mark echoes Joannes (Kiersey Clemons) concerns with a certain emphasis. This is weird, she says. Its weird, he agrees. Very weird, she says. Fucking weird, he responds. Same with cheated: She cheated. She cheated. Maureen cheated. Fucking cheated. Last nights production changed the first fucking to super weird and the second to yeah she cheated. 9. The homeless woman is a little more polite. Similarly to the F-bombs in Tango Maureen, Marks run-in with the homeless lady where she asks him, Who the fuck do you think you are? and calls him a motherfucking artist, had to be brought down to TV14 for Fox: Who the hell do you think you are? she asks instead, and then simply scoffs artists with a knowing sneer. 10. New York City is still the center of the universe. In the beginning of Collins ode to warmer locales and brighter days, Santa Fe, Angel has this memorable bit: New York City: center of the universe. Times are shitty, but Im pretty sure they cant get worse. Times might be shitty, but they were edited last night to be more palatable: Times aint pretty, but Im pretty sure they cant get worse. 11. Santa Fe wasnt the only Santa getting a change. The memorably chaotic street scene, Christmas Bells, features a group of homeless New Yorkers singing and mourning the state of their own holiday. No sleigh bells; no Santa Claus; no yule log; no tinsel; no holly; no hearth; no Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. In a change thats likely meant to be more more inclusive to the holiday spirit rather than the Christmas spirit, Foxs Rent switched out no Santa Claus for no candy canes. This number also featured a standout gag where Angel, while looking through thrift clothing on the street, dramatically turns her nose up at the iconic maroon and blue sweater Mark wears in the original stage production. 12. Fox would rather people puke than piss. The next few lyric changes are courtesy of the fan-favorite, ten-minute long La Vie Boheme. First is Bennys slimy intro and walking advertisement for gentrification where he asks his old friends if they really want a neighborhood where people piss on your stoop every night? Only last night was changed to puke on your stoop, which was apparently deemed more appealing. 13. La Vie Boheme stayed sexy without dildos. While the provocative number kept in lyrics that toed the line of network decency (shout-out to faggots, lezzies, dykes, cross-dressers, too!), it did switch out dildos for latex in Mimi and Angels dueted verse. To handcrafted beers made in local breweries. To yoga, to yogurt, to rice and beans and cheese. To leather, to latex, to curry vindaloo. To huevos rancheros and Maya Angelou. 14. Bohemia is still showing signs of life. Marks retort to Benny and the ensuing introduction of the cafes cast of characters was also changed last night. This just in, the mythical land of Bohemia, once believed to be dead, is now showing shocking signs of life, Mark said last night, a line not found in the original script. From there, rather than introducing Mimi, Mark, Maureen, Angel, and others for their inabilities hold erections, handcuff dances in bubble wrap, and Native American tribal chants, the Fox cast was introduced as leaders within Bohemia. Mimi Marquez had a lifetime appointment as Minister of National Security and BDSM; Mark Cohen was the secretary of State; Maureen was the reigning queen of Bohemia; and Valentina was the beacon of hope in the darkest of days. 15. Meatless balls were 86ed. The role of the waiter was cut down substantially in Rent: Live, and his famous listing of the groups order (including meatless balls, that taste the same, if you close your eyes) was cut out altogether. 16. There was no straight line during Seasons of Love. Now heres an edit that really got under Rentheads skin. Act II iconically opens with the entire cast standing in a line at the lip of the stage, single spotlights overhead each of them. There, they sing Seasons of Love before getting back to the action of the musical. Rent: Live, however, had the second act begin seated in a support group, again with Keala Settle leading (Just take it day by day, hour by hour, she says comfortingly). Seasons of Love is then sung from the Life Support set and from sporadic cast placements throughout the theater. It ends with Settle singing on a staircase and the entire cast looking up at her from the stage floor. 17. Theres always time for a diss to New Jersey. The top of Act II then leads into Happy New Year, which finds our heroes ringing in 1992. When Maureen shows up in a skintight catsuit, Mark quips, You can take the girl out of Hicksville, but you cant take the Hicksville out of the girl. Last night was instead changed to, You can take the girl out of Jersey, but you cant take the Jersey out of the girl. 18. Making light of slavery doesnt age well. The ever-fighting Maureen and Joanne are at it again in the New Years scene, but Joanne eventually forgives Maureen when she promises to be her slave: I lose control, but I can learn to behave. Give me one more chance; let me be your slave. Such phrasing admittedly reads a little tone-deaf in 2019 between an interracial couple, and last nights production amended it to: I promise Ill be good. Give me a chance and Ill do what I should. 19. Wouldnt you rather dance at the Clit Club? The beginning of another fan-favorite, Take Me or Leave Me, finds Maureen and Joanne arguing while working on Maureens new show. I didnt stay out dancing at the Clit Club because you wanted to go home! she shouts, trying to reassure Joanne that her actions arent to spite her. The Clit Club was deemed a bit too graphic a visual for prime time, and Fox changed the club to Pandoras Box. At least clever wordplay is maintained! 20. Angels eulogies are changed. Arguably the most moving scene of Rent, no matter the production, is the Ill Cover You (Reprise) at Angels funeral after dying of HIV/AIDS. It begins with the eulogies, where Mimi recalls Angels run-in with a skinhead and Mark recalls her helping a group of tourists in the city. Rent: Live added two eulogies, one from Keala Settles Cy (Thank you dear angel for lighting our way with style and grace and love.) and another from Joanne, where she recalled how Angel would ask her for legal advice because she wanted to help those in need (She wanted to help, and she always did.). While Mark kept his awkward misgendering slip-up and corrected himself to she, he did express that the tourists had never spoken to a person like her before in their lives, whereas the original line says that theyd never spoken to a drag queen. This scene also changed Angels fashion designs being sold in the Gap (per Maureen) to being sold at Saks. 21. Mark accepts BuzzLine job while leaving Angels funeral. Before Halloween and as Angels funeral is wrapping up, last nights Rent: Live found Mark calling Alexi Darling on a payphone to tell her that hes interested in working with her. In the original production, hes already signed the contracts and is employed by the gossip news company at this point. The phone call was made all the more desperate in the Fox production when Mark agrees to leave the funeral and meet Alexi for an assignment in 20 minutes, a back-and-forth that isnt in the original. Then in the lead-in to Goodbye Love, Mark slipped in his announcement to Roger, I took that job at BuzzLine. 22. Youre full of it! Goodbye Love has always been a heartbreaking, anger-drenched group quarrel between lovers old and new. Its a feeling especially captured in the way Mimi yells, Dont commit, youre full of shit! Of course, you cant say that on network TV, and last night was changed to, Dont commit, youre full of it! 23. Collins maintains female pronouns for Angel. Again in an effort to fully establish Angel as a female-identifying character, Collins interrupted the bickering of Goodbye Love last night to express his sorrow: I cant believe shes gone; I cant believe youre going, he says, turning to Roger. In the original, he says of Angel, I cant believe hes gone. 24. BuzzLine cant catch a break. We know how Mark has felt about working for BuzzLine the entire show, but not necessarily how his friends felt until the rest of Goodbye Love, that is. In a private, sung conversation between Mark and Roger, Mark expresses niceties of how there are great restaurants out West before questioning Roger about his reasons for leaving. Roger turns on Mark, though, and accuses him of hiding in his work: But who, Mark, are you? Mark has got his work, they say. Mark lives for his work, and, Marks in love with his work. Mark hides in his work. Last night Roger slipped in an extra jab to BuzzLine: They say, Mark lives for his work, and, Marks in love with his work important work like BuzzLine! Mark hides in his work. Another change comes in the same interaction when Roger says, You pretend to create and observe when you really detach from feeling alive. Last night, he instead said, You say you know how we all feel when you really detach from feeling alive. The live productions rendition of Goodbye Love also cut this exchange from Mark and Roger: Hey, for someone whos always been let down, whos heading out of town? For someone who longs for a community of his own, whos with his camera, alone? 25. Mimi is more reluctant to go to rehab. Before her temporary death and rebirth with Your Eyes at the end of the musical, Mimi first goes to rehab at the behest of Benny (who shes currently sleeping with) and Mark. While her decision to go to rehab is presented more as a personal choice in the original production, last nights stint was a result of insistence from Benny. Instead of Mimi asking Benny if he could pay for it (Could you?), Mimi was hesitant at Bennys generosity (I could never.) 26. Final superfluous cuts. To make the three-hour runtime on Fox, Rent: Live simply couldnt fit it all in. The main cuts that were made to the script were the expository, one-on-one conversation scenes between Mark and Roger and other pairs; the voicemails from their parents were cut short (Are you screening your calls? Its mom.); but ultimately, these cuts were due to time and didnt take much away from the heart of the show. Outlander Man of Worth Season 4 Episode 13 Editors Rating 5 stars * * * * * Previous Next Photo: Aimee Spinks/Starz Oh, okay, Outlander. Im not going to say it was completely worth the wait but it did certainly feel like this excellent season finale was a gift bestowed upon us all for powering through the more tedious sections of season four. Like a good finale should, Man of Worth ties up a few lingering storylines while also setting up some major conflict for season five. Theres kissing and forehead touching and people throwing drinks on other people in hopes of dousing out the undeniable sexual tension that exists between them. Theres reunions and farewells and one of the most heartbreaking scenes of the entire series. No amount of replaying Jamie putting on his Hold Me Closer Tiny Glasses will ever rid me of the sight of his lip quivering. HIS LIP QUIVERS, YOU GUYS. Anyway, let us make like Claire and don our fiercest headband, because we have some serious business to attend to. And that business, first and foremost, is to celebrate the fact that beloved Silver Fox Murtagh Fitzgibbons gets plopped down into his very own romcom. Im still sweating! He arrives at River Run to check up on Bree but he spends most of his time with Jocasta. And they get into it. They fight because Murtagh doesnt approve of Brianna marrying a Red Coat. They fight because he thinks Jocasta could be doing so much more to help the Regulator cause. They fight because shes always hated him and the trouble he constantly brings upon himself and all those around him. She even throws her drink in his face. (And that whisky is precious, so you know shes fired up.) Any good romcom fan knows that this type of fighting almost always leads to kissing. Its science. Unfortunately, we are robbed of Murtagh and Jocastas first make-out sesh, which definitely took place immediately following the drink throwing and Im sure was furious and wonderful. However, we do cut right to those two lovebirds waking up together the next morning. Murtaghs silver locks are untied and flowing. Sure, he is a fugitive and things could easily take a turn, but for now they are very cute and so happy, which is a rarity on this show. Breakfast is waiting, she says. Let it wait, he tells her. Anyway, Im a dead person now. Murtagh also hangs out with Brees newborn son, so theres nothing left for me here anyway. From this welcome moment of pure happiness, we must take a dark turn. Rogers Rescue Team has finally arrived at the Mohawk village in New York and as with most adventures Claire and Jamie take, things get complicated. From the moment they walk into Shadow Lake, things are tense. They have goods theyd like to trade in exchange for Roger, but negotiations are immediately halted when they see Claire wearing the stone she found out in the woods with that skull. You just knew that skull with the silver filling was going to be trouble! Why the Frasers didnt bring backwoods hunk John Quincy Myers along on this trek is a mystery, he would be very helpful in this moment. But they didnt and Ians mediation skills are not up to snuff, so they are banished from the village. It doesnt take long before a group of Mohawk descend on the Rescue Team as they discuss a plan B. They want the stone. They explain that it belonged to a man named Otter Tooth who arrived many, many years ago and warned of the Mohawks destruction and the end to the Native American way of life. They thought he was possessed, kicked him out of their tribe fearing hed only bring trouble, and eventually had to kill him. The legend of Otter Tooth haunts the tribe. But some Mohawk believe what he was saying was true and that anyone who possesses his stone will be able see what befalls the Mohawk in the future. Claire is all like, yeah, you can have this stone once we get Roger back. So thats plan B! It fails spectacularly. Youre not just going to walk into the Mohawk village in the dark with a small group, remove a person from the Idiot Hut, and walk out unnoticed. Chaos ensues and it does not end well for the Frasers. The rebel Mohawk are banished. Jamie, Claire, and Ian are told to leave, with the stone, and since no fair trade was made for Roger, he has to stay. So what does Jamie, still atoning for how he treated Bree, do? He volunteers as tribute. YOU GUYS. He doesnt even hesitate. They can have him if they hand over Roger. Claire is gutted because its not like she traveled back in time to hang out with Clarence the Donkey. Jamie, sweet Jamie, promises hell return to her and they say their good-byes as they send Ian to settle the terms with the Mohawk. And then Ian volunteers as tribute! Its a double volunteer-as-tribute situation! There is nothing Jamie can do, Ians already settled it with the Mohawk. Hes doing this as penance for what he did to Bree and Roger and because, as hes proven before, he stans Jamie and Claire more than anyone. Jamie having to say goodbye to his nephew, who is really a son to him, is one of the saddest things to happen on this show and that is saying something! Sam Heughan, already having a great season, is outstanding in this scene. Hes devastated to lose Ian, but proud of him for stepping up. Hes become the titular Man of Worth. There are tears streaming down his face. It is almost too much to take. Id like to point out at this juncture that not once does Roger step in and tell them to leave without him. Like, I know hes been through some things and wants to get the hell out of there, and doesnt particularly owe anything to either Jamie or Ian who did beat him up and sell him off, but he cares about Claire, doesnt he? And he loves Bree. Jamie and Claire would never actually leave without him, but hes watching this little family be ripped apart in front of him, he could at least attempt an offer. In conclusion: Roger is still the Worlds Worst. Jamie and Claire have to walk away from Ian. Its awful. Although there is a small silver lining: Later we see Ian make it through the Mohawk gauntlet and become a part of the tribe. Hes so happy! It still does not make up for watching Jamies lip quiver. Nothing ever will! Once alone with Roger, Jamie and Claire have some explaining to do. Okay, first, Jamie lets Roger beat him up to get all that anger out its very cute, Rog. Jamie eventually bellowing, Thats the last unanswered blow! made me feel things. But after all that, they brief Roger on a whole bunch of information we already know. It could easily be a total snoozefest of a scene, but thanks to all three performances its incredibly compelling. See, this is why you keep Balfe and Heughan in every episode, people. Once Roger knows the entire story, Jamie and Claire give him a choice: He either comes back with them and loves Bree and her child fully, no matter who the father is, or he can leave now. They wont have him returning just to break Briannas heart again. THEY ARE HER PARENTS. If you can even believe it, Roger needs time to think about it!!!! I mean, I can believe it because this is self-righteous Roger were talking about and Im still not over that whole slut-shaming business for which he has never apologized. But still. He has suffered so much just to be with Brianna and now he has to think about it because of an intense trauma SHE suffered. Roger is not the victim here! Anyway, hes left out there in the woods to ponder what a dick he is and Claire and Jamie return to River Run to tell their distraught daughter that Roger is alive but is so-so on if hes still into her. Brianna deserves better and that is saying something because you know Im very lukewarm on Brianna. Jamie and Claire, now officially the hottest grandparents in history, try to soften the blow by assuring her they will always, always be there for her. Then, just as they are preparing to return to Frasers Ridge, ol Rog turns up! He loves her, hell always love her, and he would very much like to meet his son. Okay, so thats very nice. Still, I feel like Brianna is owed a debt for all the waiting around she had to endure. But wait! The dramas not over yet! Red Coats arrive at River Run. Everyone assumes theyre there to arrest Murtagh. While everyones freaking out trying to figure out a way to hide him, Murtagh and Jocasta hold one another. They are so in love! And I am so in love with the side-eye Jamie cant help but serve when he sees his godfather and his aunt canoodling. Its the stuff dreams are made of! Murtagh makes it out of there, but the panic is all for naught. The men are only there to deliver a letter to Jamie from Governor Tryon. Tryon has ordered Jamie to build a militia in order to fight the Regulators. His first mission: find and kill Murtagh Fitzgibbons. Okay, so maybe the panic is necessary, because thats going to be a big problem. .@theblackpanther takes home the Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture! #sagawards Great and moving speech from @chadwickboseman pic.twitter.com/Nw2UGbs712 TNT Drama (@tntdrama) January 28, 2019 The cast of Black Panther won Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the 25th annual SAG Awards. It is the first time a Marvel movie has won the award, as well as being the cast with the most predominantly black cast. Hidden Figures and The Help were also diverse casts, but Andy Serkis was the only white face on that stage. Chadwick Boseman recognized the significance of the moment. I think of two questions that we all have received during the course of multiple publicity runs. And one is, did we know that this movie was going to receive this kind of response? he said. And the second question is, has it changed the industry? Has it actually changed the way this industry works, how it sees us? And my answer to that is to be young, gifted, and black. Boseman went on to describe a situation that he felt all the black actors on that stage had felt at one point or another, to be gifted and still told theres no room for you in Hollywood. As the band tried to play him off, Boseman answered the second question: has this movie changed this industry? One thing I do know, he said, I know you cant have a Black Panther movie now without a 2 on it. Black Monday 364 Season 1 Episode 2 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next Photo: Erin Simkin/Showtime Sometimes its not clear if Black Monday wants to be an irreverent comedy or a soap opera. The late-80s Showtime logo and music that introduce each episode feel like an announcement that this show isnt going to take itself too seriously. That the first episode began and ended with a robot butler delivering cocaine didnt hurt, either, even if that gag was totally copied from GLOW. At the same time, the series is structured as a whodunit, and that opening shot of a man falling to his gruesome death is played not as farce, but as thriller-tinged tragedy. In the second episode, that tonal blend feels somewhat smoother than in the first. The episode is anchored by a visit from a screenwriter, Grant (Paul Rust), whos shadowing Mo as research for a film hes working on: Untitled Oliver Stone Wall Street Project. (In reality, Wall Street came out in December 1987; were still roughly a year away from the October 87 crash, so the timing is somewhat plausible.) According to Grant, the movie will be an authentic story of a black man trying to break into the boys club. Heh. Right. Mos talking slick about how you gotta stay one step ahead when he walks into his office to find Blair handing out gifts of Georgina Jeans apparel to the staff and announcing that its no big deal; his fiancees family owns the company. The entire staff now knows Mos secret, which means Dawn knows, which means Mos about to get a dose of reality. Plan? she reams him out when theyre alone in his office. Its more like a felony with a bunch of dumb luck. Shes right; Mos plan and, really, the shows plot depends on a whole lot of coincidences and a flimsy assumption that Mo will somehow be able to convince Blair to hand over his shares of Georgina once hes married Tiff. I thought we stopped having sex when I dumped your ass, but somehow youre still fucking me, Dawn throws at Mo. Then she quits. From there, writer Jessi Klein deftly weaves together the episodes subplots. While Dawn fucks off to a department store, Keith attempts to prank Blair on his first day by sending him to fill an order with their broker, Fat Fred. Really, he just gives Blair a slip of paper with the words IM FAT written on it, which Fred will inevitably shout onto the floor. This backfires spectacularly when Ty Daverman, the Morgan Stanley VP who tried to poach Blair in the first episode, intercepts and kindly offers to put the order in for him one million shares of Federal Allied Titanium (or, IMFAT). Now the company is out 4 million bucks, and, as Ty explains to Blair, someone must have shorted the stock they just bought and are now desperate to sell. Thats where Dawn comes in. Traders Wayne and Yassir cant get rid of the stock fast enough, and decide they need to unload it all on one big client at once. But the only trader with big enough clients is Dawn, who is on the verge of having a Pretty Woman moment with the department stores clueless white saleswomen. Wayne and Yassir have to tell Mo to get Dawn back, but they cant do it in front of Grant, so they record their message on a tape and hand it to Mo in a Walkman, explaining that its a new Run-DMC track he just has to hear. Mo bops his head dutifully as he listens to the tape, then takes off to get his head trader back. Finding her in the department store, he offers to buy her whatever she wants as an apology. What she wants is a piece of the company she helped build. Mos too stubborn to accept, so he brings in one of Dawns clients himself and makes his pitch. The client says hes in, as long as Dawn agrees its a smart buy. She arrives just as Mos leaving her a voicemail, and the two proceed to fuck each other. First, Dawn tells her client she doesnt think he should buy the FAT shares; she and Mo step outside his office to negotiate her return, and when Mo sees the department-store saleswomen arriving with Dawns clothes, he quickly ushers her back into his office. When the saleswomen deliver the clothes, Mo questions how Dawn couldve crunched all those numbers if she was out having a shopping spree. They go back and forth like this until finally Mo agrees to give her 15 percent of the company. Its a great story, Grant tells Mo at the end of the day but not for me and Oliver. He does, however, think Dawns story might give inspiration to Mike Nichols, whos also working on a movie about Wall Street called Working Girl. Cue Let the River Run, the song Carly Simon wrote for Working Girl, which Dawn listens to on her Walkman on her way home. (Never mind that Working Girl didnt come out until 1988 and Let the River Run was released as a single in 1989; the show seems to relish these occasional anachronisms, especially if they add a dose of irony.) Flush with her triumph, Dawn comes home, pops the tape into the stereo, and straddles her doctor boyfriend. Suddenly the music stops, and we hear the message Wayne and Yassir made for Mo; Dawn chuckles, until they mention her and Mos will-they-wont-they sexual tension and out the two as exes. Well, you cant have a thriving personal and professional life, can you? Isnt That the Kind of Tortured-Hero Shit You Guys Jack Off To? Maybe the reason this episode was an improvement on the first was simply that it featured more Regina Hall. Her first line of the episode was *chefs kiss*: Hey Mo, youre never gonna believe this. Georgina Jeans the camera cuts to Blair takes three years off of my ass, look at that! Mo had a couple zingers, too. To Grant: Let me tell you about the time I got into a bidding war with Emilio Estevez over a Basqi-Yacht, which is a yacht entirely muralized by Jean-Michel. To Dawn: You get off on the rollercoaster. Like that time you got off on a rollercoaster. Heres our menu binder of prostitutes, Wayne tells Blair, showing him around the office. We call them tutes, says Ronnie. Makes it less sad. Blair refuses both the coke and the tutes, explaining, Im engaged and also a good person. Feels like a pretty safe bet that before too long hell take a crack at one or the other. So far, Black Monday has avoided going full-Wolf of Wall Street; no gratuitous sex scenes involving hired ladies, for example, and surprisingly few coke-fueled antics. But that cant possibly last, can it? Stephen Malkmus. Photo: Burak Cingi/Redferns via Getty Images Last year, Stephen Malkmus delivered a new album to his longtime label, Matador. Rather than be stoked about the first Malkmus album in three years, they were instead nonplussed. They didnt want to put it out, Malkmus told the Washington Post. It was a head-scratcher. Maybe some of my more traditional fans that know Pavement would scratch their heads. Ever since Pavement emerged on the college/indie-rock landscape in 1989, Malkmus was the figurehead for a scruffy, ironically detached, T-shirt-and-jeans guitar player and much like J.R. Bob Dobbs of the Church of the SubGenius the embodiment of slack for Generation X. He was also a low-key guitar shredder, as became more evident on later Pavement albums and then across a string of albums as Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. Last week, Malkmus announced the release of Groove Denied, the album that Matador blanched at releasing (opting instead for last years more traditional Sparkle Hard). On it, Malkmus deploys a battery of keyboards, drum pads, Ableton, and software, with nary a guitar in earshot. With it, the elder statesman of slack joins a rather elite club of rockers who forwent their guitars to instead indulge in electronics, a pivot equivocal to Spinal Tap Mk.II: A Jazz Odyssey. For some that see the divide between rock and electronic music as a Grand Canyon, the two genres double as an elemental battle for the soul of humanity. Take for example, this hysterically histrionic Michiko Kakutani article bemoaning that techno relies on computers, synthesizers, drum machines and samplers to purvey a cold, distinctly antihumanistic agenda. Many of its practitioners are key punchers, not guitar players; deejays and computer geeks, not musicians. Whither the guitar player who also is a key puncher? Since the dawn of electronic music, rock stars of every generation have dabbled in exploring such circuitry, be they the Beatles or rock gods or late-20th-century guitar gods. Results vary, but most are indulgent, a few ignoble, some visionary, and some just charming paths not taken. George Harrison, Electronic Sound The Beatles were under the sway of electronic composer Karlheinz Stockhausen (even putting the German composer in the mix on the cover of Sgt. Peppers) and both Paul McCartney and John Lennon would do their own Stockhausen impersonations, the former with the still-unheard Carnival of Light, the latter with The White Albums penultimate cut, Revolution #9. But George was also a diligent explorer, first melding Indian classical to Western rock and then going deep on his own Moog 3-series synthesizer. One of only two albums ever released on the Beatles Zapple sub-label, Electronic Sound is a piercing exploration of the Moog. Harrison first encountered the Moog in 1968 while out in L.A. recording Jackie Lomaxs debut for Apple, thanks to musician and Moog salesman Bernie Krause. According to Krause, Harrison taped one of his demonstrations on the synth without his knowledge and released it as No Time or Space here. Harrisons own Moog showed up in 1969, and with it he cut Under the Mersey Wall, fumbling around in the nether reaches of the cosmos with his new toy. The Moog only cropped up on Abbey Roads Maxwells Silver Hammer, but was helmed by Paul, not George. Mick Jagger, Invocation of my Demon Brother Not to be outdone, the Rolling Stones soon followed suit. Whether or not you think that Their Satanic Majesties Request apes Sgt. Peppers or Beggars Banquets white sleeve closely approximates that of The Beatles, for a time the Stones seemed to be right on the heels of their fellow countrymen. And anything the Beatles could do, the Rolling Stones could do sleazier. So Mick Jagger took a turn on the Moog himself, deploying its white noise filters to craft the score for Kenneth Angers legendary Invocation of My Demon Brother. Jagger makes a wheezy, 11-minute score thats a tad menacing but mostly just irritating, nailing the tone of a stuck car horn as it soundtracks a Satanic funeral ceremony for a pet cat. Paul McCartney, II Speaking of Paul, despite no experimental behemoths to his name while in the Beatles, he soon became the Beatle most likely to cross over to electronic music. It didnt happen right away, as instead his attentions turned toward Wings. But as that band neared the end of its run in the late 1970s, McCartney decamped to his farm in Scotland with a battery of new-fangled drum machines, synths, and 16-track recording equipment and began to, as the very first song he laid to tape put it, Check My Machine (sampling Tweety Bird and Sylvester in the process). In total, he made 20-odd very odd tracks dizzy, whimsical, surreal, effortless ditties. He shelved them as Wings went out for a Japan tour. At customs, though, McCartney was busted for 219 grams of marijuana, arrested, and then sent back the way he came. As Wings disbanded, McCartney brushed a few tracks off and put McCartney II into the world. It was not a success, with critics deeming it unfinished musings and arguably the least well-received solo work of any Beatle. But in the decades since, its become a template for bedroom electronic producers, with tracks like Temporary Secretary getting aired on big stages by the likes of James Murphy, Radio Slave, and Dixon. More eclectic DJs turn to the likes of even more left-field B-sides like Check My Machine and the woozy epic Secret Friend. As McCartney told The Quietus: The thing of making music in your bedroom, or your living room, at home that has now become the present whereas then it was the future. Be it Hot Chip or Aphex Twins tossed-off ditties, they bear more than a passing resemblance to Maccas example. The Fireman, Rushes By the 1990s, Maccas vision of the future of bedroom music producers had exploded into the mainstream with the rise of electronica. And with it, hand-wringing about whether these were the new rock stars, rendering guitarists into dinosaurs. Around the time that McCartney put the finishing touches on his ninth solo studio album, Off the Ground, and was in search of someone to mix the album, a mate connected him with Martin Glover (a.k.a. Youth). Glover played bass with Killing Joke and was an early member of the Orb and the two soon hit it off, deciding to drop their own ambient electronic album as the rather anonymous sounding the Fireman. Their 1993 debut Strawberries, Oceans, Ships, Forest was all but ignored upon release. At least it was until murmurs began to spread that McCartney was behind the project (McCartney has a penchant for phony names, such as Percy Thrills Thrillington). And its rather hilarious to imagine old Beatles fans queuing up to purchase their first (and no doubt last) ambient house record. Too bad, as the Firemans follow-up Rushes is a rather capable and enjoyable ambient electronic record full of spacy delights. It also has one of Linda McCartneys last vocal contributions. As Youth remembers it: We recorded the album when Linda was going through the final stages of her cancer. When I listen to the album now, it sounds like a requiem for her, its very beautiful. Eric Clapton, Retail Therapy McCartney wasnt the only 60s rock god facing oblivion at the hands of our new techno overlords. And he wasnt the only one to adopt an anonymous moniker to have a go at electronica. A few years after enjoying an early 90s renaissance thanks to Tears in Heaven and his Unplugged set, Clapton teamed up with his longtime friend Simon Climie. Clapton took up the avatar of x-sample, they decided to call themselves T.D.F. (Totally Dysfunctional Family) and released Retail Therapy in 1997. There are plenty examples in both Eastern and Western mythology of God in all of their omnipotence assuming a more humble human form, returning to Earth to be among mankind. For a fellow often referred to as God, thats perhaps the only explanation we will ever get as to why Clapton put out this agonizingly shitty and half-hearted stab at ambient and drum-and-bass. The fake graffiti cover is warning enough, though knowing that Giorgio Armani commissioned this music from Clapton might also scare you off. If not, marvel at a True Rock God in all of his infinite wisdom making himself prostrate with an album about going shopping at the mall. Its the kind of clueless electronic album you could imagine your dad making, though I guarantee that even he cant sit through this Clapton album. Neil Young, Trans With so many reinventions already under his belt, Neil Young (and by default his fan base) should have already become accustomed to the man and his willful left turns from middle of the road rock right into the ditches. But few people, even his own bandmates, were prepared for Youngs 12th solo album, Trans. By the start of the decade, Young had left his longtime label Reprise to instead sign with Geffen, which purportedly offered him a million dollars an album. He was also getting down with the robotic stiffness of Kraftwerk and Devo. But kept closer to the vest, Young was also grappling with his newborn son Bens cerebral palsy and its attendant issues. At that time he was simply trying to find a way to talk, to communicate with other people, Young said of his son. Thats what Trans is all about. Work began on a new record with Crazy Horse, but as guitarist Poncho Sampedro said: Next thing we knew, Neil stripped all our music off, overdubbed all this stuff and put the synth shit on it. Playing with a Sennheiser vocoder and Synclavier, Young crafted a woefully misunderstood album that soon spurred his label to sue him for deliberately uncommercial music. Its legacy has been far kinder in the 21st century. The likes of Sonic Youth and Parquet Courts have covered those songs and it speaks to Youngs acumen that the best songs here arent the bookend rockers (those come off as rather stiff), but rather the synth and vocoder numbers. While some rock stars merely dabbled with their gear, Young sounds both adept and comfortable here. Tony McPhee, The Two Sides of Tony (T.S.) McPhee When Stephen Malkmus gave his Desert Island Discs list back in 1997, perched at the top of the list was the Groundhogs progressive blues-rock pummel, Thank Christ for the Bomb. Alas, few rock fans will remember the British blues band and perhaps even fewer rate bandleader-guitarist Tony McPhee (he doesnt appear on the Rolling Stone Greatest Guitarists list, for example). But I guarantee that Malkmus is familiar with McPhees manic 1973 solo album, The Two Sides of Tony (T.S.) McPhee. Side one finds McPhee grappling with acoustic and electric guitar, while on side two he whips up a maelstrom with three keyboards, drum machine, and a long poem he penned about war and mans inhumanity. Vacillating between ambient spoken word and proto-acid, its a visionary work, a rare instance of a rock guitarist creating something totally singular in the electronic music realm. Cat Stevens, Was Dog a Doughnut? Before converting to Islam, Cat Stevens cut this b-boy classic. Not that he knew it at the time, as he no doubt thought of the instrumental Was Dog a Doughnut? as some filler for his 1977 Izitso, made with some help from session players like Ray Gomez and Chick Corea. Initially dismissed (even though it marked the lone instance that Cat Stevens crossed over to the R&B charts), it was thanks to NYC DJ Jellybean Benitez that this funky synth instrumental became ingrained in the mind of breakdancers. From there, it became legendary, with fans ranging from the Wu-Tang Clan and Carl Craig to Madlib. At one point Questlove got to ask Stevens about the track, its legacy unbeknownst to him: What was just him messing around for four minutes in the studio wound up being a staple in the hip-hop world, which he was very shocked to discover. Trickfinger, Trickfinger One of alternative rocks lone guitar heroes (thanks to his solar flare solos on a run of Red Hot Chili Peppers albums), John Frusciante might have also become a cautionary tale. When he departed the band in 1992, he sunk deep into a heroin addiction, making some of the most addled albums of the era that sound both deep down in a hole and teetering on a precipice at once. But just as abruptly, Frusciante got clean and returned to the fold of the group for another stadium-filling run from 1998 till 2009. As he told Pitchfork: The whole time Id been in the band, I wouldve rather been spending all my time making electronic music. While rocking onstage night after night, Frusciante was also stockpiling 808s and 303s for further exploration. In 2015 he made his debut as Trickfinger. But as eclectic and outlandish as his varied solo work can be, the most surprising thing about his Trickfinger alias is how straight he plays it. Wes Borland, Crystal Machete In the intervening years between Frusciantes stints in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, alternative rock slowly devolved into rap-rock, headed by Limp Bizkit. But guitarist Wes Borland served as ballast of sorts to front man Fred Dursts dunderheaded proclivities. And like Frusciante, Borland also stepped away from the band for an extended period of time before finally returning to the fold. It was only in 2016 that Borland finally released his first solo album, Crystal Machete. As he told Stereogum, he had a few rules to follow: no distorted guitars, no human vocals, as little outside help as possible. With nary a compressed guitar in sight, Borland indulges in vintage synthesizers and throbbing electro grooves. Its conceived as an imaginary 80s soundtrack and the influence of John Carpenter looms over the project. But Borland strikes a careful balance between menace and light, with playful bits of steel pan and glockenspiel dashed into the mix. For those who swore to never be near a device playing anything associated with Durst, Crystal Machetes machine groove cant be denied. Meng Wanzhou, the Chief Financial Officer of the Chinese tech giant Huawei, was arrested in Canada last month and is fighting extradition to the United States. We take a look who she is and what is behind her arrest. Who is she? Meng Wanzhou is the 46-year-old daughter of Huawei's billionaire founder, Ren Zhangfe. Also known as Sabrina Meng, she took her last name from her mother. She was born in 1972 in Chengdu. When she was about 10, her family moved south to the city of Shenzhen, which is now the headquarters of Huawei, China's largest private company. She is married and has four children. Career at Huawei Meng joined her father's firm after she graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 1999 with a master's in accounting. Her first job was answering phones in the finance department, just six years after Huawei was founded. As Huawei has grown into China's largest smartphone and telecommunications equipment maker, Meng rose through the ranks to become the company's CFO in 2011. She was also named one of four vice-chairs on the Huawei board of directors in 2018, sparking speculation that she was being groomed to one day take over the company. Her father has denied having any such plan. Huawei, which was founded in 1987, only began to make public the names of its top executives in 2011, according to Reuters. By then, Meng was already a CFO. According to the bio released by the company, she has been involved in a number of Huawei restructuring moves, including centralizing and improving its finance and accounting departments as the company expanded. In 2018, Forbes magazines rated Meng 12th on its list of top Chinese businesswomen. Why was she arrested? Meng was arrested in Vancouver on Dec. 1. Prosecutors have charged that Meng tried to deceive international business entities by disavowing the links of Huawei to a subsidiary that has done business with China. Canadian prosecutors say that Meng assured U.S. banks that Huawei and a company called Skycom were separate entities, while in fact they were one firm. "Ms. Meng personally represented to those banks that Skycom and Huawei were separate, when in fact they were not separate," prosecutor John Gibb-Carsley said. "Skycom was Huawei." Gibb-Carsley said the warrant for Meng's arrest was issued Aug. 22 in New York. Meng was released on bail and now lives in one of two homes she owns in Vancouver, where her activity is monitored through an ankle bracelet. U.S.-China trade war The White House has denied accusations that Meng's arrest was a way for the United States to gain leverage in trade talks with China. The U.S. has been investigating the world's largest smartphone maker since 2016, which it suspects of being a front for spying by the Chinese military or security services. British officials are war-gaming various strategies for coping with the disruption of Britain leaving the European Union without an exit deal, including declaring a state of emergency and martial law to avert disorder provoked by possible food shortages and energy outages. Details emerged of Operation Yellow Hammer, the contingency planning underway for a so-called no-deal Brexit, ahead of important parliamentary votes this week that could result in Britain postponing its departure by nine months or even more. Operation Yellow Hammer has provoked the wrath of hardline Brexiters, who say the war-gaming is excessive and the leaking of what the government is considering is just designed to scare rebel lawmakers into accepting the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement the House of Commons rejected earlier this month. UK Leader Under New Pressure to Secure EU Brexit Concessions Pro-Brexit British lawmakers were mounting a campaign Monday to rescue Prime Minister Theresa May's rejected European Union divorce deal in a parliamentary showdown this week. Lawmakers threw out May's Brexit deal two weeks ago and will debate and vote Tuesday on competing plans for what to do next about Britain's impending departure from the bloc. May insists her agreement can still win parliament's backing, if it is tweaked to alleviate concerns about a provision for the Irish border. The measure, Pro-Brexit British lawmakers were mounting a campaign Monday to rescue Prime Minister Theresa May's rejected European Union divorce deal in a parliamentary showdown this week. Lawmakers threw out May's Brexit deal two weeks ago and will debate and vote Tuesday on competing plans for what to do next about Britain's impending departure from the bloc. May insists her agreement can still win parliament's backing, if it is tweaked to alleviate concerns about a provision for the Irish border. The measure, As the exit day of March 29 looms, the government and businesses are scrambling to prepare for possible chaos wrought by a no-deal exit, which some fear could severely disrupt supply chains, energy networks and basic cross-border services, from banking to travel. Downing Street admits a no-deal exit would bring disruption but as a responsible government we are taking the appropriate steps to minimize this disruption and ensure the country is prepared. Some civil servants have compared the likely disruption to the impact of a war. Defense officials told Sky News Sunday the army is stockpiling food, fuel, spare parts and ammunition in readiness. An army marches on its stomach. If supply lines break down, they struggle, an official said. Britain Testing 'No-Deal' Scenario as Brexit Vote Nears Britain is testing how its motorway and ferry system would handle a no-deal Brexit by sending a stream of trucks from a regional airport to the port of Dover even as some legislators try to pressure the government to rule out the scenario. The tests began Monday morning and are intended to gauge how severe the disruption would be if Britain leaves the European Union on March 29 without an agreed upon withdrawal deal. It is expected that an abrupt departure without a deal would lead to the Britain is testing how its motorway and ferry system would handle a no-deal Brexit by sending a stream of trucks from a regional airport to the port of Dover even as some legislators try to pressure the government to rule out the scenario. The tests began Monday morning and are intended to gauge how severe the disruption would be if Britain leaves the European Union on March 29 without an agreed upon withdrawal deal. It is expected that an abrupt departure without a deal would lead to the Earlier this month, nearly 100 trucks took part in a drill to test Britain's contingency plans for coping with likely customs and security delays in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The port of Dover normally sees 10,000 trucks pass through every day, bringing vital supplies from the continent and sending Britain's exports to the European Union and beyond. The fear is a large part of southeast England could see unmanageable traffic lines. Hardline Brexiters, like former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, have dismissed the no-deal Brexit warnings as hysteria. These doom-laden predictions are so hyperbolical as to suffer from the law of diminishing returns. Brexiteers have, for months, been arguing that a no-deal exit is manageable and government warnings are overblown, Johnson said recently. UK Leader Unveils Brexit Plan B, Looks a Lot Like Plan A British Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled her Brexit Plan B on Monday and it looks a lot like Plan A.May launched a mission to resuscitate her rejected European Union divorce deal, setting out plans to get it approved by Parliament after securing changes from the EU to a contentious Irish border measure.May's opponents expressed incredulity: British lawmakers last week dealt the deal a resounding defeat, and EU leaders insist they won't renegotiate it.Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour British Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled her Brexit Plan B on Monday and it looks a lot like Plan A.May launched a mission to resuscitate her rejected European Union divorce deal, setting out plans to get it approved by Parliament after securing changes from the EU to a contentious Irish border measure.May's opponents expressed incredulity: British lawmakers last week dealt the deal a resounding defeat, and EU leaders insist they won't renegotiate it.Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour The House of Commons is set to vote Tuesday on whether Britain should delay the March 29 exit if a withdrawal deal that will garner sufficient support from lawmakers cannot be reached with Brussels. More than a dozen ministers are warning theyll resign if May fails to commit to avoiding a no-deal Brexit, although theyre prepared to give her two weeks to try to conclude a new withdrawal deal first. In the event she cant, parliament would have to pass new legislation to delay an exit. But delaying Britain's departure would also require unanimous agreement from the 27 other EU member states, and Brussels has warned the exit could only be postponed for a handful of months. Ironically, rebellious hardline Euro-skeptics in Mays ruling Conservative party, who were key in the heavy defeat of May's Brexit Withdrawal Agreement earlier this month, appear to be softening their opposition to her deal; while pro-EU Conservative rebels and middle-of the-roaders appear to be moving closer together in an alliance determined now to bury it for good. May's proposed deal would see Britain locked in a customs union with the European Union for several years while it negotiates a vaguely defined free trade settlement. In the temporary customs union, Britain would be unable to influence EU laws, regulations and product standards it would have to observe. The transition was reached to avoid customs checks on the border separating Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, but British lawmakers fear Britain could be trapped indefinitely in the transition. Leading Brexiters say if May can get a sunset clause written into the agreement to allow Britain to escape the transition agreement later on, if it wished, or if the transition was time-limited, they might reverse their opposition and back the deal. Anti-Brexit remain in the European Union supporter Anti-Brexit remain in the European Union supporter Steve Bray, left, holds placards as he demonstrates with others opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, Jan. 21, 2019. Anti-Brexit remain in the European Union supporter Steve Bray, left, holds placards as he demonstrates with others opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, Jan. 21, 2019. The possible change of heart is being determined by their fear that pro-EU lawmakers are gaining in parliamentary strength. But it isnt clear Brussels or the other 27 member states will agree such a clause, they insist there cant be substantial changes to the deal they agreed on after two years of haggling. Pro-EU lawmakers across all parties appear emboldened and determined to negotiate a much softer agreement that would see Britain stay in a customs union with the bloc permanently. WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Sunday lifted sanctions on aluminum giant Rusal and other Russian firms linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska, despite a Democratic-led push in the U.S. Congress to maintain the restrictions. Earlier this month, 11 of Trump's fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate joined Democrats in a failed effort to keep the sanctions on Rusal, its parent, En+ Group Plc, and power firm JSC EuroSibEnergo. But that was not enough to overcome opposition from Trump and most of his fellow Republicans. Advocates for keeping the sanctions had argued that Deripaska, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, retained too much control over the companies to lift sanctions imposed in April to punish Russia for actions including its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, efforts to interfere in U.S. elections and support for Syria's government in its civil war. Some lawmakers from both parties also said it was inappropriate to ease the sanctions while Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigates whether Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Moscow. But in its statement on Sunday, the U.S. Treasury Department said the three companies had reduced Deripaska's direct and indirect shareholding stake and severed his control. FILE - Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and R FILE - Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and Russian metals magnate Oleg Deripaska (R) walk to attend the APEC Business Advisory Council dialogue in Danang, Vietnam, Nov. 10, 2017. FILE - Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and Russian metals magnate Oleg Deripaska (R) walk to attend the APEC Business Advisory Council dialogue in Danang, Vietnam, Nov. 10, 2017. That action, it said, ensured that most directors on the En+ and Rusal boards would be independent directors, including Americans and Europeans, who had no business, professional or family ties to Deripaska or any other person designated for sanctions by the Treasury Department. "The companies have also agreed to unprecedented transparency for Treasury into their operations by undertaking extensive, ongoing auditing, certification, and reporting requirements," the department's statement said. Deripaska himself remains subject to U.S. sanctions. Trump administration officials, and many Republicans who opposed the effort to keep the sanctions in place, said they worried about the impact on the global aluminum industry. They also said Deripaska's decision to lower his stakes in the companies so that he no longer controlled them showed that the sanctions had worked. Rusal is the world's largest aluminum producer outside China. The sanctions on the company spurred demand for Chinese metal. China's aluminum exports jumped to a record high in 2018. Trump denies collusion, and Moscow has denied seeking to influence the U.S. election on Trump's behalf, despite U.S. intelligence agencies' finding that it did so. Deripaska had ties with Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign manager. Manafort pleaded guilty in September 2018 to attempted witness tampering and conspiring against the United States. The head of the U.N. children's fund urged Myanmar on Monday to implement the recommendations of a panel on the Rohingya crisis led by former U.N. head Kofi Annan, saying it had yet to create conditions right for the return of refugees from Bangladesh. Speaking at a forum in the capital, Naypyitaw, UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore said children from the Rohingya Muslim minority, a persecuted and mostly stateless community from Buddhist-majority Myanmar, were living "a precarious and an almost hopeless existence" in camps in neighboring Bangladesh. About 730,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine state, in western Myanmar, since a military crackdown in 2017 after Rohingya insurgents attacked security posts, U.N. agencies estimate. Tens of thousands remain behind in Rakhine, where they are subjected to restrictions on movement and have limited access to health care and education. Fore said Myanmar's "commitment" to enacting the recommendations of Annan's committee which include ensuring freedom of movement and access to education would help mend the lives of suffering children. In this Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017, file photo, Rohin FILE - Rohingya Muslim children, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, play on a bridge made by bamboos at Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhiya, Bangladesh, Dec. 21, 2017. FILE - Rohingya Muslim children, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, play on a bridge made by bamboos at Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhiya, Bangladesh, Dec. 21, 2017. "We urge the government to seize this moment and translate this potential into reality for all children," she said on the first visit by a UNICEF head in decades. "Taking these steps will also go a long way towards creating the right conditions for the return of refugees from Bangladesh." The Annan commission was created by Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 2016 to find long-term solutions to deep-seated ethnic and religious divisions in Rakhine. But implementation of its recommendations has been beset by crises and setbacks. A day after the panel issued its report in August 2017, Rohingya insurgents launched attacks on security forces, provoking a military crackdown the U.N. investigators described as "ethnic cleansing" with "genocidal intent." Myanmar denies the charge. In mid-2018, a Myanmar minister told Western diplomats that eight of Annan's recommendations including one that asks authorities to take steps to amend the 1982 citizenship law that had rendered the Rohingya stateless were problematic and could not be immediately fulfilled. The commission's recommendations included points urging the government to "immediately expand primary education to the communities in northern Rakhine state, and intensify efforts to ensure that teachers assigned to Muslim villages resume their work, including by providing adequate security when necessary." It also called on authorities to "ensure that all children in the state have access to education in Myanmar language" and that the tertiary education access is expanded. In August, UNICEF warned of what it described as a "lost generation" of Rohingya children, with half a million in refugee camps in Bangladesh facing dangers including disease and floods and those still in Myanmar lacking access to proper education. "We urge that the necessary steps are taken to enable their safe, voluntary and dignified return back to their homes where their rights are respected and they can once again live peaceably with their neighbors," said Fore. Turkey's foreign minister met Monday with the U.N. judicial expert investigating the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as Ankara calls for an international inquiry. U.N. special investigator Agnes Callamard will be in Turkey until Saturday for a series of meetings with authorities, including Istanbul's chief prosecutor. Saudi officials have not confirmed whether they have responded to Callamard's request to meet the Saudi Ambassador in Turkey and to visit the kingdom as part of her investigation. Turkey's Foreign Minister foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu posted a tweet following the meeting. Cemal Kaskc cinayetini arastrmak uzere ulkemize gelen #BM Yargsz&Keyfi Infazlar Ozel Raportoru Agnes Callamardla gorustuk.Met with @AgnesCallamard, #UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions, who is in #Turkey to investigate the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. pic.twitter.com/As6QhEqnr1 Mevlut Cavusoglu (@MevlutCavusoglu) January 28, 2019 Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Turkey on October 2nd. U.S. intelligence officials believe the killing was a direct order from Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman a notion that Riyadh has denied. Khashoggi's dismembered body remains unaccounted for. Initially Saudi Arabia said he safely left the site on his own, but later admitted he was killed there in what Saudi officials called a rogue operation. Turkey said the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, but Saudi officials maintain it was not ordered by the Saudi crown prince. CAIRO - The United Nations said shelling of a camp for displaced people in northern Yemen killed eight civilians and wounded 30 others, as the U.N. envoy arrived Monday in the capital, Sana'a, for cease-fire talks with Houthi rebels. The U.N. said the attack occurred on Saturday in the northern province of Hajjah, where tens of civilians have been killed and hundreds of families displaced in the past two months. The U.N. said an attack earlier in January near the same camp killed six children and two women. Lise Grance, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, said in a statement late on Sunday that the shelling was a "senseless attack." "The people who have fled their homes... have lost so much already. An attack like this cannot be justified ever,'' she said. Grande didn't identify the source of the shelling, which took place in the province's Haradh district. No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. FILE - U.N. envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, cente FILE - U.N. envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, center, arrives at Sana'a, Yemen, July 2, 2018. FILE - U.N. envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, center, arrives at Sana'a, Yemen, July 2, 2018. U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths, meanwhile, arrived in Sana'a on an unannounced visit to discuss the situation in and around the coastal city of Hodeida, where Yemen's warring parties agreed to a cease-fire last month. The two sides also agreed to a prisoner exchange last month that has yet to take place. Also under discussion will be disagreements between Yemen's Houthi rebels, who hold Hodeida, and retired Dutch Maj. Gen. Patrick Cammaert, who is heading a U.N. mission charged with monitoring the cease-fire. The mission plans to send additional observers into Yemen and wants to secure their safety, especially after a U.N.-marked armored vehicle in Cammaert's convoy was hit with a round of small arms fire earlier this month. Griffiths said there is a political will now more than ever to end the conflict in Yemen. "We are all on the same page that the way to do this is through the negotiations' table, and not the battlefield," he said in an exclusive interview with the pro-Saudi Asharq al-Awsat newspaper published on Monday. Griffiths said he expected the frameworks struck during U.N.-hosted peace talks in Sweden in December between the Houthis and the internationally recognized Yemeni government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, will likely be extended, as the situation on the ground is more complex, according to transcript of the interview provided by his office. The two sides agreed in Sweden to a prisoner swap and cease-fire in Hodeida, a port of entry for much humanitarian aid to Yemen, to facilitate relief to a population pushed to the brink of famine by the war. Fighting has largely abated in Hodeida but progress on the withdrawal has been slow. Yemen plunged into civil war in 2014 when rebels captured Sana'a. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia entered the war in March 2015 as government forces looked poised to lose Aden to Houthi advance. The U.S. supported the coalition for years despite its airstrikes killing civilians, and only recently began to step back after the October killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by Saudi agents. HAVANA - Neighborhood brigades and teams of government workers hacked at fallen trees and hauled chunks of concrete out of collapsed homes Monday as the Cuban capital attempted to recover from what officials called the strongest tornado to hit Cuba in nearly 80 years. Three people were dead and hundreds injured, at least 12 in critical condition, after the tornado touched down with estimated winds of 200 mph (320 kph) in three neighborhoods across eastern Havana. Members of the Provincial Defense Council of Havana said 90 homes collapsed completely and 30 suffered partial collapse. A quarter of the city's roughly 2 million people were without power Monday afternoon and more than 200,000 people had lost water service because of a broken main and power cuts that left pumps out of service. Some 100 underground cisterns close to the coastal section of Havana were contaminated by seawater. Three electric substations were knocked out by the tornado, the strongest to hit Cuba since Dec. 26, 1940, when a Category F4 tornado hit the town of Bejucal, in what is now Mayabeque province, officials said. It also appeared to be the first tornado to hit the capital in at least as many years. Residents of the three relatively poor boroughs hit by the tornado were bracing for further calamity once the tropical sun started to dry sodden buildings, which can often lead to structures shifting and collapsing. Julio Menendez, a 33-year-old restaurant worker, said his neighborhood in Havana's 10 de Octubre district looked "like a horror movie." "From one moment to the next, we heard a noise like an airplane falling out of the sky. The first thing I did was go hug my daughters," who are 9 and 12, he told The Associated Press. People work among debris after a tornado ripped th People work among debris after a tornado ripped through a neighborhood in Havana, Cuba, Jan. 28, 2019. People work among debris after a tornado ripped through a neighborhood in Havana, Cuba, Jan. 28, 2019. Driver Oster Rodriguez said that amid a fierce storm, what looked like a thick, swirling cloud touched down in the central plaza of the Reparto Modelo neighborhood "like a fireball." He saw a bus blown over, though he said the driver escaped unharmed. Miguel Angel Hernandez of the Cuban Center for Meteorology said the tornado was a Category F3, with winds between 155 and 199 miles per hour, produced when a cold front hit Cuba's northern coast. Other meteorologist told state media that the tornado may have been even stronger. Some of the heaviest damage from Sunday night's rare tornado was in the eastern borough of Guanabacoa, where the twister tore the roof off a shelter for dozens of homeless families. Cubans enduring long waits for government housing often live in such multifamily shelters for years. Dianabys Bueno, 31, was living in the shelter with her husband and son after they were forced to relocate by the collapse of their home in Central Havana. Much of the housing in Havana is in dire condition due to years without maintenance, and building collapses are routine even in ordinary storms. "This has already happened to us once," Bueno said. "I'm not going anywhere." Around Havana, cars were crushed by fallen light posts and vehicles were trapped in floodwaters. Leanys Calvo, a restaurant cook in the 10th de Octubre borough, said she was working Sunday night despite heavy rain and wind when she heard a rumbling noise outside and looked out to see what appeared to be a tornado touching down. "It was something that touched down, and then took off again. It was like a tower," she said, describing it as displaying colors of red and green. "It was here for two-three seconds, nothing more. They were the most frightening seconds of my life." A woman works to recover belongings from her home A woman works to recover belongings from her home destroyed by a tornado in Regla, Cuba, Jan. 28, 2019. A woman works to recover belongings from her home destroyed by a tornado in Regla, Cuba, Jan. 28, 2019. The tornado tore the concrete roof off an apartment building in the Regla section of Havana and dumped it into an alleyway, briefly trapping residents in their homes. Marlene Marrero Garcia, 77, said she was in her ground-floor apartment with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren Sunday night when she heard electrical transformers begin to explode. Then the tornado passed. "It looked like fire, everything was red, then everything began to fall," she said. Marrero said she and her family were trapped by debris for about half an hour before firefighters arrived. GIBRALTAR - Few stand to be as affected by a no-deal Brexit as the 34,000 Gibraltar residents and the Spanish communities around the British overseas colony known as the Rock. They're bracing for dramatic consequences if Britain leaves the EU with no deal to govern the breakup due March 29. Under Prime Minister Teresa May's Brexit agreement, voted down by the British parliament this month, the unrestricted access between Spain and Gibraltar currently enjoyed by thousands of Gibraltarians, Spaniards and tourists moving across the border each day would have been guaranteed. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves Downin Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves Downing Street to attend parliament in London, Jan. 21, 2019. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves Downing Street to attend parliament in London, Jan. 21, 2019. But in a no-deal scenario, EU free-movement agreements no longer apply, according to Spanish foreign ministry officials. They say that Gibraltarians will be treated as any other third country citizens and subjected to whatever questioning and border checks that Spain decides to impose. "They tried pressing us before and with Brexit are sure to try it again," says a Gibraltar taxi driver who remembers seven-hour traffic lines at the narrow isthmus separating the Rock from Spain during several disputes between 2012 and 2014. One of Spain's leading officials at the time, former Foreign Minister Antonio Margallo, called Brexit an "opportunity" for Spain to recover Gibraltar in remarks after the Brexit referendum results were released in 2017. Recent aggressive patrols around the peninsula territory by a Spanish navy corvette blaring Spain's national anthem has served, to observers, as a shrill reminder of Madrid's intentions. A Gibraltarian police officer talks with the drive A Gibraltarian police officer talks with the driver of a car crossing the border of Spain with Gibraltar in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. A Gibraltarian police officer talks with the driver of a car crossing the border of Spain with Gibraltar in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Insurance concerns Special EU delegations shuttled to Spain to lean on Spanish authorities to ease border restrictions during previous disputes over alleged money laundering and smuggling. But no such rescue attempts are on the horizon post-Brexit and preparations are under way for worst-case scenarios. The local government has advised Gibraltarians to immediately renew British passports if they expire within six months, obtain special international driver's licenses being issued locally for the first time, and purchase travel insurance amid fears that they will no longer be covered under Britain's National Health Service. Possible counter measures are also being prepared against Spain, according to a Gilbraltarian who works for the British immigration service and spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity. The official said passport checks may be imposed on more than 13,000 Spanish workers whose jobs in Gibraltar tend to be well paid and provide a vital source of revenue for the economically depressed region of southern Andalusia. Gibraltar Passports may be needed Spanish construction workers interviewed at the border fence told VOA they will have to get passports for the first time. "There are going to be a lot of problems here," said one worker who identified himself as Salvador. "It's going to be awful," added his friend. Unemployment in their hometown of La Linea is among the highest in Spain. Unlike much of Spain's southern coast, tourism never developed along the border zone where the economy was sustained by a petrochemical complex built by the late ruler Francisco Franco when he closed the border in 1968. The border fence was reopened when Spain joined the EU in the 1980s. The free movement of people and goods led to a doubling of Gibraltar's GDP as the territory was transformed from a military base to an international financial center. "Brexit is pulling us into a conflict that we don't want and don't need," said Jonathan Sacramento, a news editor at the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corp. Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo , spea Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo , speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in No. 6 Convent Place, the seat of Gibraltar's government, in the British territory of Gibraltar, Feb. 28, 2017. Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo , speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in No. 6 Convent Place, the seat of Gibraltar's government, in the British territory of Gibraltar, Feb. 28, 2017. Companies on the move Chief Minister Fabian Picardo plays down worries because 94 percent of Gibraltar's trade is with Britain. But a number of international banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions, as well as online casinos, have announced plans to pull out. Denmark's Jyske Bank specifically cited Brexit as the reason for closing operations in Gibraltar the day after last Tuesday's parliamentary vote. One of the largest online gaming services, Simon Hill, has also announced it is relocating to Malta. Most Gibraltarians, who have voted by 98 percent to remain British in two recent referendum, remain defiant. "We will survive another blockade just as we survived past ones," said Robert Buhagiar, a British defense worker on the territory. Contingency plans in works A source close to the Gibraltar government said that contingency plans are under way for bringing food and guest workers from Morocco, lying just an hour's ferry ride across the Strait of Gibraltar. Local government officials doubt matters will go that far, pointing out that Britain and Spain have settled their differences in the past through negotiation. They are now making efforts to establish political ties with the regional government of Andalusia, whose leaders have met with Picardo twice over the past year to try to minimize disruptions after Brexit. But Brexit is coinciding with a period of political uncertainty in Spain, and the prospect of a right-wing government emerging from elections this year with support from VOX, a new ultranationalist party. FILE - In this March 1, 2017 photo, a Spanish flag FILE - A Spanish flag flies on top of the customs house on the Spanish side of the border between Spain and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar with the Rock as a background, in La Linea de la Concepcion, southern Spain, March 1, 2017. FILE - A Spanish flag flies on top of the customs house on the Spanish side of the border between Spain and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar with the Rock as a background, in La Linea de la Concepcion, southern Spain, March 1, 2017. Reminder of dispute In 2016, some of the party's leaders were arrested after carrying a mock raid on Gibraltar and hoisting a giant Spanish flag on the north side of the Rock. The action was a reminder of a dispute between two former colonial powers that has festered for centuries and may be on the verge of reigniting. For some in Madrid, the current state of affairs is a chance to once again raise the issue. British media reports, quoting leaked documents, say Spain is calling on the EU to acknowledge that a dispute between the two nations exists in the event that Britain ends up leaving the EU as scheduled, without an exit deal. ISLAMABAD - The U.S. special representative for Afghan reconciliation is urging direct talks between the Taliban and the Kabul government as he confirmed details in a draft peace deal aimed at ending the 17-year conflict in the country. Zalmay Khalilzad told the New York Times in Kabul that the deal framework would have to be "fleshed out before it becomes an agreement," but stressed the Taliban "have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals. In return, the U.S. may be willing to give in to the prime Taliban demand of withdrawing its troops from the country given that other conditions, including a comprehensive cease-fire and the start of a dialogue with Kabul, are met. U.S. and Taliban officials had held six days of talks in Doha. Details of their draft deal first started appearing Saturday. US, Taliban May Have Reached Accord on Troop Exit, VOA Told The United States and the Taliban may have agreed on a plan for American troops to leave Afghanistan, sources privy to the development told VOA Saturday. In return, the insurgent group has given assurances that no international terrorist groups would be allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten America or any other country in the future.The understanding is the outcome of nearly a week of intense, uninterrupted dialogue between U.S. and insurgent representatives in Doha, Qatar. The United States and the Taliban may have agreed on a plan for American troops to leave Afghanistan, sources privy to the development told VOA Saturday. In return, the insurgent group has given assurances that no international terrorist groups would be allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten America or any other country in the future.The understanding is the outcome of nearly a week of intense, uninterrupted dialogue between U.S. and insurgent representatives in Doha, Qatar. I have encouraged the Taliban to engage in direct talks with the Afghan government. It is our policy to get to intra-Afghan talks, Khalilzad told reporters in the Afghan capital Monday. The Taliban have so far refused to meet directly with the Kabul administration, which has been a sticking point in the negotiations so far. All hinges on US withdrawal In a statement after the talks with the U.S. ended Saturday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgencys position on the issue was clear. [U]ntil the issue of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is agreed upon, progress in other issues is impossible, the statement read. U.S. troops listen to a security briefing before l FILE - U.S. troops listen to a security briefing before leave their base in Logar province, Afghanistan, Aug. 5, 2018. FILE - U.S. troops listen to a security briefing before leave their base in Logar province, Afghanistan, Aug. 5, 2018. Khalilzad urged all Afghans to get beyond their political differences to take advantage of the momentum generated by multiple rounds of negotiations. I believe for the first time I can say that we have made significant progress. Seize this opportunity, he said. WATCH: Road to peace in Afghan ?In Washington, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said he was encouraged by the recent talks with the Taliban. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in an address to the nation Monday, also called on the insurgent group to start a serious dialogue with the Afghan government. Ghani has made multiple offers to the Taliban to negotiate anytime anywhere without any preconditions, but Taliban have rejected his proposals. Ghani Assures Afghans as US Envoy Reports Progress The Afghan president on Monday assured his people that their rights will not be compromised in the name of peace with the Taliban, days after the U.S. envoy tasked with resolving America's longest war reported significant progress in talks with the insurgents.President Ashraf Ghani's remarks came as U.S. The Afghan president on Monday assured his people that their rights will not be compromised in the name of peace with the Taliban, days after the U.S. envoy tasked with resolving America's longest war reported significant progress in talks with the insurgents.President Ashraf Ghani's remarks came as U.S. Talks between the Taliban and American diplomats started last summer in Doha. In September, Khalilzad was appointed by President Donald Trump to help negotiate an end to the 17-year-long conflict. Since then, he has held several rounds with the Taliban. In the last round of talks between the two sides in Abu Dhabi in December, the Kabul administration had sent a team led by National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib, in hopes that it would meet the Taliban directly. But the Taliban team refused to talk to their fellow Afghans, despite meeting with the Americans. If Taliban continue to refuse meeting the Afghan government, it could potentially unravel the progress made so far. The key for finding the solutions for Afghan problems is at the hands of Afghans now,Khalilzad said. Confidential information of 14,200 people diagnosed with HIV in Singapore has been leaked, the city-state's government said Monday. In a statement posted on their website, Singapore's Ministry of Health said that information about 5,400 Singaporeans and 8,800 foreigners diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has been leaked online by an American with a previous record of fraud. "While access to the confidential information has been disabled, it is still in the possession of the unauthorized person, and could still be publicly disclosed in the future. We are working with relevant parties to scan the Internet for signs of further disclosure of the information," the statement read. The health ministry named the suspect behind the leak as U.S. citizen Mikhy K. Farrera Brochez, who was living in Singapore on an employment pass before he was deported after finishing a jail sentence for fraud last year. Brochez was a partner of Ler Teck Siang, a Singaporean doctor who has been charged under the Official Secrets Act for failing to adequately secure confidential information of HIV-positive patients. The charge is currently pending before the courts. The health ministry was notified last week by police that confidential information from the HIV registry was disclosed. SEOUL - Seoul has accused Tokyo of repeated low-altitude, provocative flights over its naval vessels. Its something the Japanese government denies and the two sides have been going back and forth publicly for over a month disputing one anothers accounts as bilateral relations sink. Shim Jae-ok, a Professor at the Department of Aviation at Sehan University and a former Navy pilot, tells VOA these types of incidents do happen from time to time and usually two sides are willing to sort out through working-level talks as an alliance. However, this time Japanese politicians, including Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe and the Minister of Defence extraordinarily mentioned it to the public, said Shim. Grant Newsham, Senior Research Fellow with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo, suspects the reason for the Abe and the Japanese government to take this latest dispute public was that the senior level of government had enough from South Korea, especially with the latest court rulings ordering Japanese companies to compensate forced laborers from World War Two. However, he said what is often overlooked is that the South Korean and Japanese militaries have a fairly good track record of working together throughout the years. Newsham said, The real sort of problem here is at the top levels, not so much at the military to military level. Conflicting stories In late December, South Korean naval vessels were responding to distress signals sent by a North Korean fishing vessel that was drifting into international waters in the waters between the two countries. Japan claims its Maritime Self Defense Force P-1 aircraft was targeted with fire control radar from the South Korean warship Gwanggaeto and felt threatened. However, South Korea said they felt threatened because of the track and low altitude of the Japanese craft. Since the initial incident, South Korea has reported a least three other incidents where it says Japanese aircraft approached its vessels at a height of 60-70 meters, rather than the standard 150 meters. Seoul characterized these flights as provocative acts. Shim, who flew naval aircraft for 30 years, said 150 meters is their standard limit to determine what is a threatening flight by an approaching aircraft. However, he said, looking at the path of the Japanese aircraft, it carried out rigging. Thats an operational term for aircraft carrying out surveillance flights or flying in such a way that threatens a hostile force. Modern aircraft are equipped with technology to observe [targets] from a distance and it is rare to do reconnaissance flight with rigging, he said. Because of this, Shim said the only time an aircraft would want to make itself visible to another force, would be to carry out the practice of rigging. So thats why the Korean military called the flights threatening, Shim said. Ending the row Last week South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland to address the issue. Japan had hoped to use the meeting to seek out a remedy to end the rift, but Kang was quoted as saying the incidents were very annoying and regrettable as the session was getting underway. Kono responded by saying Seouls announcement of additional alleged low altitude flights was regrettable and denied that Japanese planes conducted low-altitude flights. The head of South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staffs operational headquarters, Suh Wook, said if Japan continues to carry out such maneuvers, We will definitely take a strong action in line with our militarys code of conduct. Japans Kyodo news reported Tokyo is canceling a Japanese destroyers call to the South Korean port city of Busan over the continuing incidents. Seoul says it hasnt received any official updates from Japan about the vessel canceling its participation in joint exercises. In addition, the commander of the South Korean Navy's First Fleet has called off a planned trip to Japan next month. Keeho Yang, a professor in the Department of Japanese studies at Sungkonghoe University, believes the issues between the two militaries will pass relatively soon. [South Korea - Japan] security is important and they have a rule that keeps the two militaries cooperating. In addition, theres the GSOMIA (General Security of Military Information Agreement), so there is no change in the basic principle [of how the two militaries are supposed to interact, said Yang. But Shim cautioned, If the [South] Korean side continues to feel threatened, they need to make a responsive plan and that result in military conflict. He said that would be an extreme situation, but possible. Newsham says it's easy to brush aside the current disagreements and assume they will "just blow over " and as time passes there will be other "things that take up people's time and attention." But he says, "One shouldn't just dismiss or discount the South Korean resentment [in Japan] and just how there is a potential for these two nations to sort of shoot at each other. It's not unthinkable, he said. He said this could become an issue if the United States were to leave the Korean Peninsula. Lee Ju-Hyun contributed to this report. A Chinese court has sentenced prominent rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang to 4-and-a-half years in prison on a single charge of subverting state power. The Second Intermediate Peoples Court in the northeastern city of Tianjin announced in a brief online statement Monday that Wang had also been deprived of his political rights for five years. Wang defended political activists, victims of land seizures and members of the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual movement. He was one of more than 200 people arrested in the so-called 709 crackdown of rights lawyers and activists in 2015. He spent the following three years in detention, denied access to his wife Li Wenzu and the lawyers she had obtained for him, until his one-day trial on December 26, which was closed to outside observers. Li Wenzu has her head shaved to protest the detent Li Wenzu has her head shaved to protest the detention of her husband and Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, detained during the 709 crackdown, in Beijing on Dec. 17, 2018. Li Wenzu has her head shaved to protest the detention of her husband and Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, detained during the 709 crackdown, in Beijing on Dec. 17, 2018. Li Wenzu has actively protested her husbands detention in defiance of Chinese authorities. She once marched 100 kilometers from Beijing to the detention center in Tianjin where Wang has been held and shaved her head along with three other women as part of a public demonstration. She was prevented from attending his trial by Chinese security officers who would not allow her to leave her home. Many of the lawyers swept up on the 709 crackdown have faced similar charges of state subversion, and have also been disbarred from the legal profession. Nigeria's government warned off international "meddling," insisting the West African country will conduct "free, fair elections" for the presidency on February 16. Reacting to concerns voiced by the United States, Britain and the European Union of President Muhammadu Buhari's suspension Friday of Nigeria's chief justice, the president's spokesman defended the decision. The Nigerian federal government is "determined to ensure free, fair elections. This government will not bend the rules and will not allow meddling in our affairs," spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement issued late Saturday, Reuters news service reported. US, EU Concerned About Suspension of Nigerian Judge Ahead of Elections The United States and European Union expressed concern Saturday about Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's suspension of the country's top judge ahead of national elections.The European Union's Election Observation Mission in Nigeria said the decision to suspend the chief justice has lead Nigerians to question "whether due process was followed"."The timing, just before the swearing in of justices for electoral tribunals and the hearing of election-related cases, has also raised concerns about the The United States and European Union expressed concern Saturday about Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's suspension of the country's top judge ahead of national elections.The European Union's Election Observation Mission in Nigeria said the decision to suspend the chief justice has lead Nigerians to question "whether due process was followed"."The timing, just before the swearing in of justices for electoral tribunals and the hearing of election-related cases, has also raised concerns about the In a follow-up statement issued late Sunday, the spokesman described the three foreign governments as "friends" but said their criticisms "seem more driven by unfounded assumptions and, to be honest, a certain condescension to this African democracy. Not one of your nations would allow a person enmeshed in legal uncertainty to preside over your legal systems until the cloud has been cleared from him." The lengthy statement aimed to clarify Buhari's decision to suspend Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen for allegedly making false claims about his assets. Buhari said the move came at the behest of a Code of Conduct Tribunal that began hearing Onnoghen's case last week. An appeals court ordered the trial's suspension Thursday. Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, the second-ranking judge, was sworn in as acting chief justice on Friday. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari presents the FILE - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari speaks at the National Assembly, in Abuja, Nigeria, Dec. 19, 2018. FILE - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari speaks at the National Assembly, in Abuja, Nigeria, Dec. 19, 2018. Buhari, a 76-year-old former military leader elected in 2015, is seeking a second four-year term as leader of Africa's most populous country. Challenges to presidential and parliamentary election results would be decided by Nigeria's judiciary, up to the high court. Nigeria's Senate has scheduled an emergency session Tuesday, with the chief justice's suspension among its agenda items, the Lagos-based newspaper Punch reported Sunday. The news organization said lawmakers had been adjourned until Feb. 19, after the presidential and National Assembly elections. Buhari leads the All Progressives Congress. US, Britain Warn Against Election Trouble in Nigeria The United States and British governments say they will deny visas and impose other penalties on anyone who attempts to encourage or use violence to influence Nigeria's elections.In simultaneous statements from their embassies in Abuja, both nations expressed strong support for free, fair and peaceful elections in Nigeria. The presidential election is set for Feb. The United States and British governments say they will deny visas and impose other penalties on anyone who attempts to encourage or use violence to influence Nigeria's elections.In simultaneous statements from their embassies in Abuja, both nations expressed strong support for free, fair and peaceful elections in Nigeria. The presidential election is set for Feb. The main opposition People's Democratic Party (PNP) said it would resume campaign activities Monday, after halting them for 72 hours to protest Onnoghen's suspension. Its candidate is Atiku Abubakar, a 72-year-old former vice president. The PDP governed Nigeria from 1999, the year civilian rule was restored, until 2015. In a statement issued this weekend, the PDP called Buhari's suspension of the chief justice "a constitutional breach and a direct attack on our democracy." The Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, an umbrella for more than 70 groups working to support credible, transparent elections, released a statement urging Buhari "to reverse this unconstitutional and illegal action and refrain from interfering with the independence of the judiciary. " LILONGWE, MALAWI - Malawi is the latest African country to look at legalizing cannabis, the plant that produces hemp and marijuana, after similar moves in Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. As Malawi's tobacco industry, the countrys biggest foreign exchange earner, has dwindled due to anti-tobacco campaigns, farmers are now looking to grow cannabis. Malawi has long relied on tobacco, which accounts for 13 percent of its gross domestic product and 60 percent of its foreign exchange earnings. But as tobacco prices per kilogram have fallen, farmers like Phineas Chimombo have struggled. Chimombo says in most cases farmers like him who are already poor struggle to find money to transport tobacco to the market and sell their tobacco as low as 50 cents per kilogram. Malawi Health campaigns have eaten into tobacco profits, so farmers like Chimombo are looking to cannabis, the plant that produces marijuana and hemp. Chimombo says once one grows hemp, just a small portion of it fetches more money than one can get from any crops a farmer can grow. Malawi is joining African nations Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe in looking to legalize cannabis after years of debate. In March, legislators will consider a bill on legalizing medical marijuana and hemp products. Malawi parliament member Boniface Kadzamira has long pushed for the legalization of cannabis. "We were the first in this part of Africa to start discussing this thing. Those countries that came after us have gone ahead of us and have already started issuing licenses, Kadzamira said. Malawis anti-drug campaigners worry legalizing medical marijuana will encourage more recreational use. Nelson Zakeyu is the executive director of Drug Fight Malawi. And because local marijuana is commonly used in the country, then [it is] is legalized, [it] is like they are telling young people to use local marijuana. And that is what we are fearing, Zakeyu said. But supporters of legalizing cannabis appear to have won the debate, that it is better to regulate the trade and help Malawis economy to grow. Italys interior minister is threatening to file charges against the crew of a migrant rescue ship that has been barred from docking at an Italian port. The Sea-Watch 3 has been anchored off the coast of Sicily since last Thursday after rescuing 47 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea several days earlier. The ship was allowed to anchor there to escape threatening weather. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has refused to open Italys ports to the ship so it can let the migrants off. Salvini, the leader of the ruling far-right League party, has adopted a policy of preventing ships who have rescued migrants adrift on the Mediterranean from docking at Italian ports. Salvini has accused the crew of the Sea-Watch 3, operated by the German humanitarian group Sea-Watch, of engaging in human trafficking. A group of Italian lawmakers boarded the Sea-Watch 3 Sunday to inspect the conditions on the vessel and assess the condition of the migrants. They found just one bathroom for all 47 migrants, who are suffering from exhaustion. Francesco Rocca, the president of International Red Cross, issued a statement Monday calling on the Italian government to allow the Sea-Watch 3 to dock and allow the migrants to disembark and access the help they need. They are human beings, not numbers. KOCHI, INDIA - From my childhood I believe that those rituals should be saved and I dont think those beliefs should be legalized, said Radhika Nair, an economics postgraduate student as she emerged from viewing an art exhibition in Kochi in Kerala state. She is referring to the centuries-old custom that barred women between the ages of 10 and 50 from climbing the 18 golden steps that lead into Sabarimala, one of Hinduisms holiest shrines. A raging controversy has centered on the hilltop temple in Kerala after the Supreme Court lifted that ban, saying it constitutes gender discrimination. The order was seen as a huge step for womens equality and a blow to entrenched patriarchal traditions. But in Indias most literate state, lying on its southern tip, the view is far more complex. In towns and cities, many ordinary women, young and old, are vehement that temples are not the place to stage the battle for gender equality and want the traditions in Sabarimala to be left undisturbed. The handful that take a more liberal view prefer not to be quoted on an issue that has raised strong emotions not just among political parties who have waded into the controversy, but in ordinary households. Tradition Women of menstruating age are barred from the temple because age-old belief holds it would dishonor the temples deity Lord Ayyappa, believed to be a celibate. Vowing to preserve that tradition in defiance of the top courts order, devotees forced the handful of women who approached the temple to turn back until two slipped in undetected with a plains clothes police escort earlier this month. As violent protests erupted, they went into hiding and needed police protection for days. ?39-year-old Kanakadurga, who returned home in mid-January, had to be hospitalized after she was allegedly attacked by her mother-in-law and was later locked out of the house. She is living in a government shelter. Her brother has asked her to apologize to devotees. 40-year-old Bindu Amminis family has been more supportive and she is back at her job as a law professor. Kanaka Durga, 39, one of two Indian women to enter Kanaka Durga, 39, one of two Indian women to enter Sabarimala temple which traditionally bans the entry of women of menstrual age, is seen at a hospital in Manjeri town in the southern state of Kerala, India, January 15, 2019. Kanaka Durga, 39, one of two Indian women to enter Sabarimala temple which traditionally bans the entry of women of menstrual age, is seen at a hospital in Manjeri town in the southern state of Kerala, India, January 15, 2019. On the streets of Kerala, not many are willing to defend the temple visit of the two and dismiss them as activists. 60-year-old Vijay Lakshi, who is a devotee of Lord Ayyappa, said that by entering the shrine, they proved that they were not genuine believers. Then why are they going there? As per our opinion women should not go to Sabarimala. Ammini told VOA she visited the temple to exercise her constitutional right to equality. This is not question of activist and devotee. In India rule of law is practiced. All people in India have duty to obey constitution and other laws. But what finds wide resonance in Kerala is the sole dissenting voice on the top courts five-judge bench that delivered the landmark verdict. Indu Malhotra, the only woman judge on the panel had said that issues of deep religious sentiments should not ordinarily be interfered by the court, and religious practices cannot be solely tested on the basis of the right to equality. I am not that much devoted to God, I am not that much against God also. I am a common person with all the feelings, says Smita Subhash, a school principal. But when we are living in a particular society, it is better that we have to follow the rules and regulations of that society, that is very important. Some point out that Kerala is home to a temple that does not allow men on certain days. Many non-Hindus also want religious customs to be treated as sacrosanct. Leave Sabarimala as it was before, said Kochi resident, Mary Bosco. It is not the place for showing women empowerment. It is not a place to make problems, issues. Kanaka Durga, 39 (L) and Bindu Ammini, 40, the fir Kanaka Durga, 39 (L) and Bindu Ammini, 40, the first women to enter Sabarimala temple which traditionally bans the entry of women of menstrual age, pose for a photo on the outskirts of Kochi, India, January 10, 2019. Kanaka Durga, 39 (L) and Bindu Ammini, 40, the first women to enter Sabarimala temple which traditionally bans the entry of women of menstrual age, pose for a photo on the outskirts of Kochi, India, January 10, 2019. ?Ammini feels differently and said, Gender inequality is also part of religion and needs legal redress. The man who facilitated her visit to Sabarimala by launching an online group for women who wanted to enter, Shreyas Kanaran, also asserts that equal access for women into religious spaces is an important facet of ushering in social reform. We have to be patient. A mindset change needs time, he says. But it is difficult to find women who openly favor the entry of women in Sabarimala in a state where, although they are more educated compared to women in many other parts of the country, the hold of conservatism is also strong. Two women sitting in a cafe say they dont care whether women enter or stay away from Sabarimala and believe that more important issues such as rape should be the focus of governments and society. But they dont want to be quoted because their husbands and in-laws would be angry. The final legal word on the controversy has yet to be pronounced. The Supreme Court is due to hear petitions seeking a review of its judgment but it remains to be seen whether it takes a second look at the contentious issue or lets the earlier verdict stand. Either way, strong passions will continue to swirl on the issue in Kerala, and for the time being, the voice of those who favor retaining the traditions at Sabarimala is much louder. That means for some time to come the millions of devotees dressed in black who head to the temple every year after a tough 41-day penance, will continue to be men. Women like Radhika Nair have made up their minds. We are ready to wait. I dont need to go there between these 10 to 50 years. News Updates Would you like to receive an email newsletter alerting you to the top news stories and sports stories from The Ouachita Citizen, The Franklin Sun and the Concordia Sentinel each week? Sign up today! The leader of India's main opposition Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, promised on Monday to provide the poor with a minimum income if Congress wins an upcoming general election, a pledge the ruling party dismissed as an unaffordable gimmick. Congress officials said the proposal would help eliminate poverty and could be fulfilled with funds now spent on food subsidies and other programs that often do not reach the poor. "We have decided that every poor person in India would be guaranteed a minimum income after the Congress forms the government in 2019," Gandhi told a farmers' rally in the central state of Chhattisgarh. "No one will go hungry in India, no one will remain poor." Anger over joblessness and economic hardship, especially in agricultural areas, has turned the national election due by May into a tightening race between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress. The BJP dismissed Gandhi's promise of a basic income. "Where will the money come from? He's promising the moon to fool the people," said Gopal Krishna Agarwal, a party spokesman specializing in economic issues. He said the government had looked at the issue of a basic income in 2014 but concluded that eliminating all subsidies would provide only enough funds to pay 6,000 rupees ($84) per family per month, not enough to feed them. FILE - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi address FILE - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a political gathering of his Bharatiya Janata Party, in Himachal Pradesh, in Dharmsala, India, Dec. 27, 2018. FILE - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a political gathering of his Bharatiya Janata Party, in Himachal Pradesh, in Dharmsala, India, Dec. 27, 2018. ?Modi's proposal Modi's administration is weighing measures of its own to woo farmers, small-business owners and those who are less well-off, expected to be unveiled in its final budget before the election. A government economic adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Gandhi's promise showed the "competitive populism" among politicians, which raises concern that whoever wins, India may breach goals to rein in its fiscal deficit. Providing the poor with a universal basic income is an idea that is gaining attention in wealthier countries such as Finland and France. India has had rapid economic growth but is still home to one in three of the world's extreme poor, with millions more at risk of becoming poor from an emergency medical payment or bad harvest. Luke Martinelli, research associate at the Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath said the Congress move was significant, although short of universal coverage. "Obviously, a means tested guaranteed income for the poorest is very different from a universal basic income per se. Having said that, obviously, in terms of income security there are some significant overlaps and this will be treated with enthusiasm, I'm sure, by the basic income community," he said. Reallocating funds Congress says diverting funds from India's expensive subsidy programs would provide enough money to eliminate poverty. India's 2018/19 food subsidy bill alone was estimated at 1.7 trillion rupees, roughly 7 percent of total federal spending. "We do not want two Indias in this country. There will be only one India and the Congress Government will ensure a minimum income to every poor person in the country," Gandhi said. Former Congress finance minister P. Chidambaram said the party will find the resources to implement the promise. "The poor of India have the first charge on the resources of the country," he said. KABUL - The Afghan president on Monday assured his people that their rights will not be compromised in the name of peace with the Taliban, days after the U.S. envoy tasked with resolving America's longest war reported significant progress in talks with the insurgents. President Ashraf Ghani's remarks came as U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad told the New York Times that American and Taliban officials have agreed in principle to the framework of a peace deal with the insurgents. The newspaper on Monday quoted Khalilzad as saying the framework deal, which still has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement, will see the Taliban commit to guaranteeing that Afghan territory is not used as a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals. The deal, the envoy said, could lead to full pullout of American troops in return for a cease-fire and Taliban talks with the Afghan government. US, Taliban May Have Reached Accord on Troop Exit, VOA Told The United States and the Taliban may have agreed on a plan for American troops to leave Afghanistan, sources privy to the development told VOA Saturday. In return, the insurgent group has given assurances that no international terrorist groups would be allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten America or any other country in the future.The understanding is the outcome of nearly a week of intense, uninterrupted dialogue between U.S. and insurgent representatives in Doha, Qatar. The United States and the Taliban may have agreed on a plan for American troops to leave Afghanistan, sources privy to the development told VOA Saturday. In return, the insurgent group has given assurances that no international terrorist groups would be allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten America or any other country in the future.The understanding is the outcome of nearly a week of intense, uninterrupted dialogue between U.S. and insurgent representatives in Doha, Qatar. Ghani, in turn, apparently tried to assure Afghans that no deals would be made without Kabul's awareness and full participation in negotiations. Our commitment is to provide peace and to prevent any possible disaster, Ghani said in his address to the nation Monday. There are values that are not disputable, such as national unity, national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ghani and Khalilzad met late on Sunday in Kabul. In a statement, Ghani's office said Monday that the U.S. envoy shared details of his latest round of talks with the Taliban in Qatar. It quoted Khalilzad as saying he had discussed a cease-fire deal with the Taliban but that there was no progress on the issue. Khalilzad and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul did not immediately respond to AP's requests for comment. The Taliban have been staging near-daily attacks targeting Afghan forces, causing scores of casualties every week. Their offensive has not let up despite the severe Afghan winter and the Taliban now hold sway over nearly half of the country. That has made peace an even more pressing issue. FILE - U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, talks with local reporters at the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Nov. 18, 2018. U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, talks with local reporters at the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Nov. 18, 2018. Khalilzad met with the Taliban on a number of occasions in recent months most recently last week in Qatar where the Taliban have a political office in the latest bid to end America's longest war. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to topple the Taliban, who were harboring Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. Monday's statement from Ghani's office also claimed that the Taliban demanded from Khalilzad the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan, but that there was also no agreement on that issue. The statement added that Khalilzad has no authority to discuss issues such as a future Afghan administration but that his goal is to facilitate an intra-Afghan dialogue, meaning direct talks between the Taliban and Kabul. On Saturday, after six days of meetings with the Taliban in Qatar, Khalilzad on his official Twitter account said: Meetings here were more productive than they have been in the past. We made significant progress on vital issues, he tweeted, without offering details. Abdul Hakim Mujahid, a former Taliban official and currently a member of the High Peace Council, an independent body of clerics and respected Afghan figures, said he believes the Qatar talks resulted in a good understanding between both sides but that more discussions are needed in the coming weeks or months. Afghanistan's problem is not so simple that it can be solved in a day, week or month, it needs more time and more discussions, Mujahid told The Associated Press. Who Is Taliban's New Chief Negotiator? As peace talks between the United States and Afghan Taliban enter a crucial stage, the Taliban leadership has announced a new chief negotiator, a man named Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.According to a statement issued Thursday night by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, the action is intended to "strengthen and properly handle" the ongoing dialogue.The change has signaled to many that the negotiations have progressed beyond any contact between the two sides in the past. As peace talks between the United States and Afghan Taliban enter a crucial stage, the Taliban leadership has announced a new chief negotiator, a man named Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.According to a statement issued Thursday night by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, the action is intended to "strengthen and properly handle" the ongoing dialogue.The change has signaled to many that the negotiations have progressed beyond any contact between the two sides in the past. The Taliban have in the past refused to negotiate directly with Kabul a standing that does not appear to have changed. They have maintained that they are prepared to talk with U.S. officials only and only about the pullout of foreign forces from Afghanistan. Afghan political analyst Waheed Muzhda says he believes that Khalilzad and the Taliban have reached agreement on both the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and a cease-fire deal, but that neither side is prepared to say so at this point. But peace talks are not possible unless both sides first agree on a cease-fire, Muzhda said. Ghani, in Monday's address to the nation, also stressed that American and other foreign forces are in Afghanistan because they are needed here and that if there is to be any downsizing or pullout, the Kabul government will have to play a role in the talks. Ghani also reiterated his call on the Taliban to engage in direct talks with the Afghan government. BRUSSELS - Iran is likely to expand its cyberespionage activities as its relations with Western powers worsen, the European Union digital security agency said Monday. Iranian hackers are behind several cyberattacks and online disinformation campaigns in recent years as the country tries to strengthen its clout in the Middle East and beyond, a Reuters Special Report published in November found. This month the European Union imposed its first sanctions on Iran since world powers agreed to a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, in a reaction to Iran's ballistic missile tests and assassination plots on European soil. In Shift, EU Sanctions Iran Over Planned Europe Attacks The European Union on Tuesday froze the assets of an Iranian intelligence unit and two of its staff, as the Netherlands accused Iran of two killings on its soil and joined France and Denmark in alleging Tehran plotted other attacks in Europe. The move, although in part symbolic since one of the men is in prison in Belgium, marks the first time the EU has enacted sanctions on Iran since lifting a host of curbs on it three years ago following its 2015 nuclear pact with world powers. The decision, The European Union on Tuesday froze the assets of an Iranian intelligence unit and two of its staff, as the Netherlands accused Iran of two killings on its soil and joined France and Denmark in alleging Tehran plotted other attacks in Europe. The move, although in part symbolic since one of the men is in prison in Belgium, marks the first time the EU has enacted sanctions on Iran since lifting a host of curbs on it three years ago following its 2015 nuclear pact with world powers. The decision, "Newly imposed sanctions on Iran are likely to push the country to intensify state-sponsored cyber threat activities in pursuit of its geopolitical and strategic objectives at a regional level," the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) said in a report. A senior Iranian official rejected the report, saying "these are all part of a psychological war launched by the United States and its allies against Iran." ENISA lists state-sponsored hackers as among the highest threats to the bloc's digital security. It said that China, Russia and Iran are "the three most capable and active cyber actors tied to economic espionage." Iran, Russia and China have repeatedly denied U.S. allegations that their governments conduct cyberattacks. Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri & Faramarz Shahi Sava FILE - Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri and Faramarz Shahi Savandi are wanted for allegedly launching SamSam ransomware, which encrypted hundreds of computer networks in the United States and other countries. FILE - Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri and Faramarz Shahi Savandi are wanted for allegedly launching SamSam ransomware, which encrypted hundreds of computer networks in the United States and other countries. A malicious computer worm known as Stuxnet that was used to attack a uranium enrichment facility at Iran's Natanz underground nuclear site a decade ago is widely believed to have been developed by the United States and Israel. When Washington imposed sanctions on several Iranians in March 2018 for hacking on behalf of the Iranian government, Iran's foreign ministry denounced the move as "provocative, illegitimate, and without any justifiable reason." In November, the United States indicted two Iranians for launching a major cyberattack using ransomware known as SamSam and sanctioned two others for helping exchange the ransom payments from Bitcoin digital currency into rials. Cyber activities are expected to increase in coming months, particularly if Iran fails to keep the EU committed to a 2015 landmark nuclear deal, ENISA said. With federal prosecutors expected to rest their case against Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman on Monday, lawyers for the accused Mexican drug kingpin have given few clues about how they plan to counter three months of testimony by more than 50 government witnesses. Among the tough choices they face are whether to call their own witnesses to try to undermine the prosecutors' evidence, and whether Guzman should take the stand in his own defense. One of his attorneys said on Friday that they would not reveal the names of any witnesses unless they decided to call them. "Similarly, we will not disclose Joaquin's plans about testifying until the time comes to inform the court," Guzman lawyer Eduardo Balarezo said in a statement. Guzman, 61, the alleged leader of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, was extradited to the United States in 2017. He has been on trial since November on charges of trafficking vast quantities of cocaine, heroin and other illegal drugs into the country. Prosecutors have called more than a dozen former cartel members to testify against him. The main defense argument, as put forth by Guzman lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman in his opening statement, has been that the real leader of the Sinaloa Cartel is Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, and that Zambada bribed the Mexican and U.S. governments to frame Guzman. Guzman's lawyers have discussed multiple potential witnesses with prosecutors in open court, and have filed a motion suggesting they might call an inmate in the U.S. prison system, but they have not publicly revealed any names. Defendants in criminal cases are under no obligation to call any witnesses. Many defendants in organized crime cases do not, said defense lawyer Steven Boozang, who defended Boston mafia boss Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme in a murder trial last year. He said the decision depends on what exonerating evidence is available. "It has to be reliable," he said. "It has to be truthful. Mexico's top drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman i Mexican top drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted as he arrives at Long Island MacArthur airport in New York, Jan. 19, 2017, following his extradition from Mexico. Mexican top drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted as he arrives at Long Island MacArthur airport in New York, Jan. 19, 2017, following his extradition from Mexico. Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor, said it could make sense for a defendant to call witnesses if they could offer the jury an alternative explanation of the evidence that proved a defendant's innocence. But he said such witnesses can backfire if their testimony is not convincing. Lichtman said evidence for the defense's contention that Zambada framed Guzman would emerge from the prosecution's own witnesses, but such testimony largely failed to materialize. Multiple witnesses described Guzman as either the boss of the cartel or an equal partner with Zambada. The most explosive allegations about bribery came when one witness said Guzman paid $100 million to former Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto. Pena Nieto has denied taking any bribes. In many cases, Honig said, the only viable defense strategy is to seek to undermine prosecution witnesses who have pleaded guilty to crimes and agreed to cooperate. "Tell the jury, 'You just heard a bunch of tales from a bunch of lying criminal scoundrels who simply want to please the government, and my guy is their meal ticket,'" he said. Guzman's lawyers have sharply interrogated cooperating witnesses about their own criminal histories, which have included convictions not only for drug dealing but also murder plots, tax evasion, money laundering and forgery. In Guzman's case, the strategy may have limits. Much of the evidence against him is intercepted electronic messages in which Guzman himself appears to discuss drug deals, and his lawyers have not so far challenged their authenticity. Boozang said Guzman's lawyers were sure to discourage their client from testifying himself, which would let prosecutors cross-examine him. "Putting on the defendant, it's almost never done," Boozang said, adding that the prosecution "would most likely have a field day" with Guzman. But the alleged cartel boss may ignore his attorneys. Numerous witnesses have described him as boastful and impulsive. In recent years, Guzman has courted publicity, seeking to make a movie about his life and giving an interview to actor Sean Penn for Rolling Stone magazine in 2015. In a Brooklyn courtroom, he could find his biggest stage yet. TAIPEI - A Chinese missile frigate returned last week from a five-day, friendly visit to the Philippines -- days after a Chinese fleet had visited Cambodia and half a year after a Chinese state firm started taking bids to build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, a sign of Beijings growing power at sea. Multiple media outlets last week cited a Chinese Xinhua News Agency report saying the Peoples Liberation Army ground forces had dwindled to less than half Chinas total 2.26 million troops as the number at sea grew. This mounting evidence of Chinese naval expansion will show first in the South China Sea, experts say, upsetting five other governments that dispute Beijings maritime sovereignty claims, and challenging U.S. defense for the weaker states. I think its not a battle that anyone can hope to win against China except the United States, and even then at very high cost, so the issue is about trying to make clear that (China is) not intimidated from maintaining their existing claims, said Euan Graham, international security director with the Lowy Institute for International Policy. Strongest forces in Asia Naval scholars in the West had forecast 10 years ago that a high-seas navy would become a key to Chinas military modernization. As of 2012, the Chinese navy had 512 ships, according to the British think tank International Institute of Strategic Studies. It now has 714 ships, the database Globalfirepower.com says. China also operated more than 710 naval aircraft in 2012, according to the British research and news organization Flightglobal Insight. The ArmedForces.eu website says is has 780 aircraft now. Two years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled he was trying to bring the army under a central command to improve its coordination with the navy. Any battlefront would more likely be at sea than on land, Graham said, and naval hardware normally reaches the South China Sea before anywhere else. The pattern for new equipment tends to be that they go to the South sea fleet first, so we could expect itll just be a continuation of the same trend where the fruits of naval modernization are concentrated in the South China Sea, he said. Pressure on Southeast Asia Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam contest all or some of Chinas claims to about 90 percent of the fishery-rich, oil-laden South China Sea spanning 3.5 million square kilometers. But they are all militarily weaker than China and might find it harder under a stronger Chinese navy to access small island outposts or prime fishing spots, maritime scholars say. China already lets its own fishing boats mass in disputed waters as a deterrent to other countries, Graham said. Theres not much they can do about this in the surrounding countries, said Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. We may just privately worry about it. China has alarmed the other claimants since 2010 by landfilling a series of tiny islets, some for military use. China and the Southeast Asian countries are negotiating now a code of conduct to prevent mishaps, but the code, due in 2021, is expected to avoid anti-China language. U.S. and outside powers China worries most about the naval activities of outside powers, especially the United States, Japan and Australia. Those countries lack sovereignty claims to the sea but dont want China to control it. The U.S. Navy regularly sends ships to tell China that Washington considers the sea to be open for international use. Over the past half-decade, the United States and its allies have offered Southeast Asian countries military training as well as intelligence about Chinas activities. The U.S. Navy most recently sent a guided-missile destroyer January 7 to the seas Chinese-controlled Paracel Islands, which are contested by Taiwan and Vietnam. To me, the real target of the deterrents is really the United States and the other middle powers, like Japan, Australia and India, said Sun Yun, East Asia Program senior associate at the Washington D.C.-based Stimson Center think tank. Looking at the coastal line along the West Pacific, South China Sea is the only area where the U.S. and China are engaged in confrontational postures. Armed confrontation in the South China Sea between Beijing and one or more Southeast Asian states ranks as a top tier U.S. priority because of the seas volume of commercial shipping and the U.S. legal obligation to defend the Philippines as needed, the Council on Foreign Relations think tank says. What happens in Sino-foreign maritime relations eventually comes down to numbers of new ships and personnel actually deployed in the sea, Oh said. An increase in the naval personnel has to be accompanied by an increase in equipment and various other military postures, he said. If they are building 10 more frigates and so on, maybe people will be surprised. PHNOM PENH - Cambodia renewed calls on Monday for the arrest of veteran opposition chief Sam Rainsy as it faces the threat of sanctions from the European Union, its biggest garment export market worth billions of euros a year, over human rights concerns. Sam Rainsy's opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was dissolved by the Supreme Court in 2017 and 118 CNRP members were banned from politics ahead of the 2018 general election. Long-time Prime Minister Hun Sen won every seat in the July vote. The EU then warned that it would strip Cambodia of its "Everything but Arms" duty-free trading access. FILE - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures w FILE - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures while speaking in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Aug. 1, 2018. FILE - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures while speaking in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Aug. 1, 2018. Hun Sen this month threatened to retaliate against the opposition if the EU withdraws duty-free trading access. Sam Rainsy has said he will return to Cambodia some time this year from France, where he has lived since fleeing the country in 2015 after a conviction for defamation. Two arrest warrants for Sam Rainsy from 2015 were republished in messaging app Telegram for public officials on Monday, for defamation and using false public documents and incitement to cause social instability. A spokesman for the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) warned that a third party might kill Sam Rainsy and blame the government if he returns. "If convict Sam Rainsy dares to enter Cambodia, there may be a third party shooting to kill convict Sam Rainsy and put the blame on the royal government of Cambodia," Sok Eysan told Reuters. Sam Rainsy said he wasn't surprised by Hun Sen's move. "He would do anything to deter me from coming back to Cambodia because he is afraid of the people rising up when I come back. But I will not be deterred," he told Reuters. He has said in the past that the convictions are politically motivated. Cambodian businesses and unions urged the EU last week not to withdraw trade preferences, saying such a decision would pose serious economic damage and harm millions of workers and their families, especially rural women. NAIROBI - As protests against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir continue, the embattled leader has made visits to Qatar and Egypt in what analysts say is an effort to get diplomatic support to bolster his government. Speaking Sunday in Cairo, President Omar al-Bashir said protesters in Sudan are trying to copy the Arab uprising in 2011 that toppled some leaders in the Middle East. Bashir was visiting Egypt for the second time since the crisis began more than a month ago. Egypt's President Hosts Sudan's Embattled Leader Egypt hosted embattled Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Sunday, saying it supports stability in the country undergoing popular demonstrations against al-Bashir's 29-year rule. After meeting with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to discuss deepening relations and improving economic ties, the two leaders gave a joint televised address to underline their continuing cooperation. El-Sissi said he was eager to maintain the close historical ties between the two countries, while al-Bashir said the Egypt hosted embattled Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Sunday, saying it supports stability in the country undergoing popular demonstrations against al-Bashir's 29-year rule. After meeting with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to discuss deepening relations and improving economic ties, the two leaders gave a joint televised address to underline their continuing cooperation. El-Sissi said he was eager to maintain the close historical ties between the two countries, while al-Bashir said the Ahmed Soliman is a researcher with Chatham House. He says Bashir is looking for support in case he starts to lose his grip on power. Sudan has been reaching out to Russia at the same time to balance those relationships with the West in case it deteriorates at a given stage," he said. "President Bashir has always been pragmatic in his foreign relations, and he continues to do so in terms of trying to maintain a broad base of support for his government at this time in case he loses support from one side. The protests in Sudan began in December, with demonstrators demanding the government reduce the prices of fuel and other essential commodities. Sudanese demonstrators march during anti-governmen FILE - Sudanese demonstrators march during anti-government protests in Khartoum, Sudan, Jan. 24, 2019. FILE - Sudanese demonstrators march during anti-government protests in Khartoum, Sudan, Jan. 24, 2019. Sudans economy has been struggling, and foreign currency has been hard to come by since 2011, when South Sudan broke away and took most of the oil reserves. Human rights organizations have accused Bashir's security forces of killing and injuring protesters. Amnesty International says at least 40 people have been killed since the protests began. Government figures put the death toll at 29. Amnesty International Sudan researcher Ahmed Elzobier says the situation will get worse if no political solution is found. We can imagine the magnitude and the scale of the human right violations at the moment in Sudan," he said. "Our expectation is this will continue because of the government of Sudan they are not willing to give any concession to the protesters or provide any kind of political draws or to resolve this conflict as government." Sudanese media report the protests are spreading despite mass arrests and a harsh crackdown by security forces. Bashir has accused the opposition and armed groups of trying to destabilize his country and the region. Soliman of Chatham House says Sudan is headed toward a major political showdown. You can look at different examples elsewhere, very close in the region in Ethiopia, to see that these kinds of events can take a long time to unfold," he said. "But what is clear is that at the moment the protesters are very strong in their demands, and the government is also very strong in maintaining its position and it is not going anywhere. Bashir has ruled Sudan since 1989, making him the fifth longest serving ruler in all of Africa. President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, William Barr, told U.S. lawmakers in written comments released on Monday he would not take any steps to improperly fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller and said Trump has never discussed the substance of Mueller's Russia investigation with him. In written comments to questions posed by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Barr also said he had discussed with Justice Department officials the issue of recusing himself from oversight of Mueller's investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 election. The committee is due to vote on Tuesday on whether to endorse Barr's nomination and send it to the full U.S. Senate for a confirmation vote. "The President has not asked me my views about any aspect of the investigation, and he has not asked me about what I would do about anything in the investigation," Barr wrote in response to questions posed by Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy. The Republican president has called Mueller's investigation a witch hunt, though Barr in his confirmation hearing this month said he would let the special counsel complete the probe and pledged to make as many details of Mueller's findings public as he can, once the work is completed. Barr, who previously served as attorney general under Republican former President George H.W. Bush, has come under criticism from Democrats over a memo he sent to Justice Department and White House officials last year that called Mueller's investigation into whether Trump committed obstruction of justice "fatally misconceived." If confirmed by the Senate, Barr would oversee Mueller's investigation into whether Trump's presidential campaign conspired with Russia. Trump has denied any such collusion. Russian has denied interfering in the election. Barr also said during his hearing and in his written responses he has no plans to overhaul Justice Department regulations so Mueller could be fired at will. Under current rules, Mueller can be fired only for misconduct or other wrongdoing. "I would not countenance changing the existing regulations for the purpose of removing Special Counsel Mueller without good cause," Barr wrote to the senators. Some Democrats have questioned whether Barr should recuse himself from overseeing the investigation because of his memo. Barr said in his written responses he has discussed recusal issues related to the memo with department officials, but has not done so with the White House. He did not give much insight into what department officials may have recommended related to a recusal or whether he would disclose any advice he receives. "If confirmed, I will consult with the Department's career ethics officials, review the facts, and make a decision regarding my recusal from any matter in good faith," Barr wrote, adding that while he is unfamiliar with protocol for disclosing ethics advice to Congress he would be "as transparent as possible." Democrats have raised concerns about whether Barr will adequately disclose to Congress all of the details of Mueller's inquiry, including any decisions not to charge certain people. Barr has signaled some details might remain under wraps. In responses to questions from Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, Barr cited a Justice Department manual that he said "cautions prosecutors to be sensitive to the privacy and reputational interests of uncharged third parties." "It is department policy and practice not to criticize individuals for conduct that does not warrant prosecution," Barr added. Such a response might pose more concerns for Democrats, particularly after Barr previously said he sees no reason to change a longstanding Justice Department legal opinion that a sitting president cannot be indicted. Growing mental health services for children who have survived Nigeria's Islamist insurgency can help prevent future violence, aid agencies said Monday, although huge needs remain unmet. In Niger's Diffa region, about 250,000 people have fled fighting around Lake Chad where Islamist group Boko Haram has been waging attacks since 2009, according to the United Nations. Two-thirds are children, many of whom have witnessed extreme violence and have no way to process their anger and trauma, said medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). "We have many children who tell us, 'When I grow up I'm going to revenge myself,'" said Yacouba Harouna, MSF's supervisor of mental health activities in Diffa. "This is why we say, better to act early than late." Boko Haram has targeted schools and abducted more than 1,000 children since 2013, according to the U.N. children's agency, including, most notably, the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in 2014. One of the 21 Chibok school girls recently release FILE - One of the 21 Chibok school girls recently released by Boko Haram carries her baby during their visit to meet President Muhammadu Buhari In Abuja, Nigeria, Oct. 19, 2016. FILE - One of the 21 Chibok school girls recently released by Boko Haram carries her baby during their visit to meet President Muhammadu Buhari In Abuja, Nigeria, Oct. 19, 2016. MSF works primarily with Nigerian refugees between the ages of 7 and 14 in Diffa, some of whom were kidnapped, said Harouna. Art and drama help them release their emotions, he said. Many draw pictures of people being slaughtered or in combat. The aid group expanded its work with children last year, carrying out 700 consultations between March and June. Children now make up 35 percent of its mental health patients in Diffa, but it is the only agency providing these services in the area and is nowhere near reaching everyone in need, Harouna said. "Child protection and children's support in conflict zones is already underfunded ... and psychosocial support even less," said Natalie Turgut, a policy and advocacy adviser for War Child, a U.K.-based charity for children affected by war. The area is neglected because it requires more specific skills and training than other types of aid, but is just as important, she said. "If this isn't prioritized, it means that conflicts will continue," Turgut said. KINSHASA - The Democratic Republic of Congo's parliament held its opening session Monday after a bitterly-fought election that ushered in a new opposition president but left the National Assembly dominated by supporters of former leader Joseph Kabila. The session opened just four days after Felix Tshisekedi was sworn in as president of sub-Saharan Africa's largest country, replacing Kabila who had ruled the country since 2001. The handover marked the country's first-ever peaceful transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960, although it was disputed by runner-up Martin Fayulu, also an opposition candidate, who branded the outcome as rigged. But the new president will have to share power with Kabila's supporters who will control parliament for the next five years after winning an overwhelming majority in the 500-seat National Assembly. And with Kabila widely expected to wield influence through his supporters, it was expected they would feature prominently as Tshisekedi moves to choose a new prime minister and government. Legislative elections, which took place on December 30 alongside the presidential poll, saw the pro-Kabila Joint Front for Congo (FCC) winning 337 mandates, while Lamuka, the opposition coalition which backed Fayulu, won 102 seats. And Tshisekedi's Heading for Change bloc won just 46 mandates, just under 10 percent of the seats in the lower house. "Tshisekedi will have little margin for maneuver," Stephanie Wolters at South Africa's Institute for Security Studies (ISS) think tank told AFP last week. Of the 485 deputies so far elected, 50 are women. The other 15 seats will remain vacant until March when elections can be held in three regions where they were suspended for health and security reasons. Addressing the 434 lawmakers present at Monday's session, Jean Nguvulu Khoji, the National Assembly's administrative secretary general, urged them "not to sacrifice the interests of their constituents in favour of political interests." At the session, Khoji began moves to establish a provisional government. A permanent lineup will only be possible in March after the outstanding elections are held and the Constitutional Court publishes the final results. December's presidential election was challenged in court by Fayulu who branded the outcome as an "electoral coup" masterminded by Kabila with the full agreement of Tshisekedi. He claimed he won the vote outright with more than 60 percent in a stance that initially won international support but was rejected outright by the Constitutional Court. EU and Asean ministers wrapped up an annual meeting last week during which members of Cambodias former opposition called on EU leaders to continue to apply pressure to the Cambodian government. Sam Rainsy, the former president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which was banned in a Supreme Court decision in November 2017, said EU officials should insist that Cambodia comply with all provisions of the mutual trade agreements, which provide for functional democracy in Cambodia and respect for human and social rights. The 22nd Asean-EU Ministerial Meeting was held in Brussels to consider issues including trade, maritime security, combating terrorism, and migration. Mu Sochua, the CNRP vice president, said the meeting was needed to raise awareness of Cambodias impediment of the promotion of cooperation and mutual respect. The country [Cambodia] cannot get away from the EU or Aseans pressure, she added. The CNRP said human rights violations in Cambodia were continuing, citing the case of the January 16 arrest of an opposition supporter who shared a post about the EUs imposition of rice tariffs on social media. Maja Kocijancic, a spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said: The EU-ASEAN ministerial [meeting] that took place in Brussels on 21 January was a meeting where discussions took place in a multilateral framework and were not focused on a single country. Kocijancic said the EU had noted the recent developments in Cambodia, including the release of politicians, activists, civil society and journalists as well as amendments to the law on political parties. The EU considered it "a positive step" and hoped "the government will take further action. If Cambodia were to take credible and satisfactory measures to swiftly remedy the situation that has led us to initiate the withdrawal procedure, the EU would reconsider the situation, said Kocijancic. The issue was further reiterated at a bilateral meeting between EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon. We discussed the EBA agreement and the possibility of a withdrawal of the tariff preferences, said Malmstrom on Twitter. Reiterated our concerns on democracy, human rights, and rule of law. The EU continues to keep the path of dialogue open. Sokhon also confirmed on his Facebook page that he had met with the EU Trade Commissioner, without elaborating on what was discussed. This shows that the EU wont back down, but they keep the channel open for discussion, said Sochua. This means that they allow the Hun Sen regime to fulfill its EU obligations if Cambodia wants to use the EU market. The EU has launched a withdrawal process of Cambodias preferential treatment under the Everything But Arms trade scheme due to concerns over human rights violations and political repression of the opposition. The regional bloc has asked their member states to give the green light by Tuesday, according to a Bloomberg report. Government officials said negotiations between Cambodia and the European Union were underway but claimed that given its alleviated status to a higher income country in the region, it would be unlikely to enjoy continued tariff-free access to EU markets. Therefore, we will have to pay some tariffs, but at what level? A preferential one or not for Cambodia, Phay Siphan, a government spokesman, told VOA Khmer. The working session between the Vietnamese delegation (L) aand educational officials of Wales, the UK (Source: VNA) In an interview with Vietnam News Agencys correspondent in the UK, Minister Nha said he signed a MoU with Education Minister of Wales Kirsty Williams on cooperation in training, policy dialogue, and experience sharing in educational management and research cooperation between Vietnamese educational institutions and those from Wales. Notably, the Wales administration, through its Global Wales fund, will provide Vietnam with 20 full scholarships for postgraduate students each year from 2020-2022 to pursue study at universities in Wales under the Chevening Scholarships programme of the UK Government. Through discussions on educational reform with ministers of many countries across the world at the World Education Forum, participants learned and shared many experiences, especially in applying information technology in teaching and learning, Nha said. Vietnam is on the right track in this field, he stressed, adding that he talked with representatives from technology companies at the World Education Technology Expo. Everyone expects that Vietnam will be one of the fast moving countries in applying this technology in the sector, he said. According to Nha, Vietnam registered to host the World Education Technology Exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City in March 2019, which is hoped to draw many educational technology development companies and global educators to Vietnam, especially UK educational institutions. Educational technology and English are two important tools to create breakthroughs in improving the quality of education in Vietnam, he said. Through the visit, many big universities, English centres, publishers, companies and large corporations providing English-related services such as Cambridge and Pearson are very interested in Vietnamese education and want to enter Vietnam to join the National Foreign Language Project of Vietnam in teaching and assessing the quality, Nha noted. The Minister affirmed that he believes in Vietnams training integration strategy and the UK will be an important partner in the field. Thonburi Healthcare Group's newest medical centre in Bangkok On January 29, THG announced the opening of its latest medical centre, Thonburi Bamrungmuang Hospital on Bamrungmuang Road. This specialised healthcare centre, a four-billion baht investment ($126.7 million), comes with six-star standard personalised care and equipped with a comprehensive array of medical technology. The centre is staffed by a team of experienced specialists catering to the growing ageing population and medical tourism from Asia. THG has over 40 years of experience in hospital and healthcare centre management. The group operates hospitals in Bangkok and other provinces, delivers hospital management services, provides holistic healthcare, as well as runs medical equipment companies and other supporting businesses. The new hospital aims to draw in patients from across Asia Boon Vanasin, chairman of the board of THG, said, The opening of our groups latest medical centre supports the governments policy of establishing Thailand as an international medical hub. As people become more health-conscious and population ages, there is a demand for comprehensive healthcare centres like Thonburi Bamrungmuang Hospital. Consumers are looking for quality service, faster diagnosis, and specialised medical care which we can provide. In 2016, the government implemented a policy which aims to make Thailand as an international medical hub within 10 years or by 2025. THG sees this policy as an opportunity for the group to expand its businesses in Thailand and plays an important role to attract medical tourism Aimon Kopera, chief medical officer of Thonburi Bamrungmuang Hospital, said, The hospital hopes to attract international patients from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam where there are insufficient medical services creating unmet demand. This is where THG will be able to provide personalised healthcare services encompassing alternative medicine and anti-aging treatment. This hospital will also have a Digital Dental Centre where a digital system is deployed to deliver a One-Day & One-Stop Service. With these facilities in place, the hospital has projected to attract 75,000 visitors in the first year, consisting of 40 per cent Thai and 60 per cent international customers with a target revenue of THB1.2 billion ($38 million) in 2019. As the hospital is located on the bustling Bamrungmuang Road in downtown Bangkok, it will also cater to customers residing in Yaowarat and nearby areas, added Aimon. Thhe six-star facilities are operated by experienced personnel This six-star specialised medical and healthcare centre delivers personalised care suitable of the medical care each patient needs. This will be backed by a team of specialists and advanced medical technology, providing a new healthcare alternative for customers. THG is Thailands healthcare leader, providing medical and hospital management services and operating private hospitals through direct management, affiliated firms, as well as joint ventures. In addition to providing general healthcare services, THG is a centre for medical specialists in various fields who regularly undergo training and skills upgrading, thus enabling them to provide efficient services with the latest and most sophisticated equipment. As a result, the group's services have been internationally accepted as evidenced by the Hospital Accreditation (HA) and the Healthcare Accreditation Institute (Public Organisation) which recognised the groups efficient operation process resulting in high-quality service and safety. Vietnamese supporting industry companies are competing with international counterparts, but are determined to become leading suppliers, Photo: Le Toan With an array of facilities nationwide, Samsung has stated that its investment into Vietnam is not simply a short-term vision for immediate benefit, but has long-term goals. We are constantly looking for potential Vietnamese enterprises to participate in our business consulting programmes alongside South Korean experts. This programme can be considered a crucial step for them to strengthen their capacity to compete and join in our global supply chain, said a Samsung statement. The programme was first launched in 2015, and after each session, there has been a significant increase of over 30 per cent in productivity of the enterprises taking part, on average. We will continue to promote this programme on a larger scale throughout Vietnam. Compared to 35 per cent in 2014, Samsungs current localisation rate is 58 per cent. In addition, the number of Vietnamese enterprises which are Samsungs Tier 1 vendors has greatly increased, from four in 2014 to 35 now, which is expected to grow to 50 by 2020. This target is gradually being realised through continuous efforts with the Vietnamese government in the development of supporting industries. Urgent needs and potential market At a recent forum on solutions for promoting the development of supporting industries in Vietnam, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed that the nation should become a production base for multinational corporations (MNCs). The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and other government agencies are being encouraged to incorporate this into their development strategies. The MoIT has pointed out that the countrys supporting industries remains weak, having to import nearly 80 per cent of raw materials, spare parts, and components needed for production. This means a low localisation rate, even in industries with great potential, such as automobiles and textiles. Vietnam is aiming to have a highly competitive supporting industry by 2020, meeting 45 per cent of demand for production and local consumption. Suttisak Wilanan, deputy managing director of Reed Tradex, said supporting industries are considered the foundation for major industries through their supply of parts, components, and technical processes. Supporting industries should be considered a key part in national industries in the age of global economic integration. The national industry simply cannot grow without a flourishing supporting industry. They determine the production costs, and enhance the added value and competitiveness of final products, he said. Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Mechanical Industry Nguyen Van Thu said that leading foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) like Samsung, Intel, and Canon need relevant policies if they are to increase the local content of their products. They should set standards for the products that they need, order supporting industry companies to make them, and then commit to buying those products. By doing so, they will allow the businesses to grow and develop. The countrys electronic industry has moved ahead drastically in the past few years, attracting investment from international giants such as Panasonic, Fujitsu, LG, Bosch, and Nokia. From our point of view, it is critical to have supporting industries such as the electronics components industry in order for manufacturing to flourish. Local supporting industries play a key role in the overall sustainability and competitiveness of the electronics manufacturing sector, Ling Sing Kok, assistant director of Panasonics Sales and Service Division, told VIR. But more importantly, a strong presence of supporting industries such as electrical components would enable us to respond to the needs of our customers with speed and flexibility, thus creating customer value. Panasonic is definitely keen to expand its presence in Vietnam. As to why domestic manufacturers of electronic components are rare, such businesses require substantial technology and investment which at this stage does not seem viable in the Vietnamese market, he added. Getting involved in supply chain Meanwhile, according to FIEs, if supporting industries are not developed, a heavy dependence on material imports is unavoidable, which will weaken its competitiveness and make it hard for the country to sustain economic growth. Vietnamese supporting industry businesses are now competing not only with rivals from South Korea but also other parts of the world. Some manufacturers have taken the bull by the horns and are determined to become suppliers of multinational groups in Vietnam. Chau Ba Long, general director of Minh Nguyen Support Industry JSC, one of Samsungs Tier 1 vendors, said his company was established with a determination of becoming a leading parts supplier as well as growing into a trusted brand in the region. Established in 2015, his company now produces millions of spare parts for home appliance products, digital products, mould making, car parts, refrigerator products, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and televisions for Samsung. One of the reasons for our success is human resources. The company in recent years has spent a great deal employing highly skilled workers and foreign experts with long-term experience at multinational groups to ensure sustainable development, Long said. Truong Thi Chi Binh, vice chairwoman and general secretary of the Vietnam Association of Supporting Industries, remarked that Samsung has always been open to Vietnamese businesses ready to join their global supply chain. The common characteristics of Samsungs Tier 1 vendors are that they are prepared to invest in improving upon their production and human resources. Vietnams support industries are young but have huge hidden potential. We strongly believe that with the Vietnamese governments practical policies and incentives, FIEs and domestic suppliers will have much more opportunities to learn about each other, discuss, and co-operate to promote supporting industries, commented Wilanan from Reed Tradex. We think that within the next five to 10 years, the nations electronic manufacturing business will continue to grow with more foreign direct investment from the economies such as South Korea, China, and Taiwan. We can already see that corporations are choosing to set up their factories in Vietnam, he added. From the angle of businesses, Binh said local businesses should have long-term strategies in place. We took Vietnamese businesses to the EU and Japan to seek partners and received orders. Small companies which are unable to do big things should do their job well. If they are able to do big things, their orders will increase, she said. Pham Minh Thang, director of P&Q Solutions Co., Ltd., believed that within the next few years there may be an upswing for the countrys supporting industries, and local businesses need to prepare accordingly. According to Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh, in addition to supporting policies for the industry, his ministry would clarify some key sectors which should be prioritised in order to bring about breakthrough developments. Some sectors which have potential include electronics, automobiles, garments and textiles, leather shoes, and energy. The minister said that he had asked the prime minister to allow the establishment of research and development centres for supporting industries. Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Dang Thi Phan, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said more than 13,200 households in Thuan Bac, Thuan Nam, Bac Ai, Ninh Hai, Ninh Son and Ninh Phuoc districts received the rice. An official from the Bac Ai district Peoples Committee said due to climate change, poor households and ethnic minorities met difficulties in farming. Nearly 3,000 local households received more than 205,000kg of rice from the Government. Earlier, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also decided to provide rice as food aid for people in northern and central provinces ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) holidays. The PM asked the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to allocate more than 3,700 tonnes of rice from the national reserves for poor households in the provinces of Ha Giang (359 tonnes), Yen Bai (380 tonnes) and Cao Bang (603 tonnes), the central provinces of Phu Yen (399 tonnes), Binh Dinh (1,000 tonnes) and Quang Binh (1,000 tonnes). Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) shakes hands with Apple CEO Tim Cook, January 23, 2019 - Photo: VNA PM calls for establishment of public-private forum on climate change in Davos PM Phuc congratulated the group on its successful investment and business operation in Vietnam. He also voiced his backing for the plan on database center establishment. Three years ago, domestic and international press reported about a US$ 1 billion database center of Apple in Vietnam. Accordingly, Apple had two options of Ha Noi or Da Nang. The establishment of the database center is part of the groups bid to reduce its reliance on third partners namely Amazon and Microsoft. This will be the second project of Apple in Vietnam. Earlier, in October 2015, Apple invested US$ 673,000 to set a company named Apple Vietnam LLC in HCMC. Apple was said to be relatively slower than its peers including Samsung and LG (from the RoK) and Microsoft (the U.S.). Samsung invested over US$ 11.2 billion in Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces in Vietnam. The group is building a research and development center in Vietnam. Meanwhile, LG LG Electronics poured US$ 1.5 billion in Hai Phong. Microsoft moved its mobile production from China, Hungary, and Mexico to Bac Ninh province in 2014. Experts assessed that Vietnam has emerged as a key market of Apply in the context that large markets including China, the U.S., and India showed signs of saturation and weak purchasing power. In spite of higher costs in comparison with average incomes and spending budgets of customers, Apple phone sales in Vietnam are impressive. Counterpoint Research reported that between Q2, 2017 and Q2, 2018, Apply owned over 5pc of Vietnams smart phone market. Apple Tim Cook also forecast that the group will earn its record revenue in Vietnam. Accordingly, the group expects to earn high revenues in key markets including the U.S, Cana, Mexico, Europe (Germany and Italy), Asia Pacific region (the RoK and Vietnam). PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) and President of Switzerland Ueli Maurer meet in Davos on January 25, 2019. At the meeting with the Swiss President, Phuc asserted that Vietnam always attaches importance to consolidating and strengthening its ties with Switzerland. He expressed thanks to Switzerland for supporting Vietnam to win a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure, and for committing to granting US$90 million in official development assistance for the Southeast Asian country in the 2017-2020 period. The two leaders agreed to enhance close coordination at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations. The Vietnamese leader expected to welcome more Swiss investors, especially those operating in finance-banking, insurance, manufacturing, pharmacy, and tourism. He expressed his desire that Switzerland and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) would have a flexible and appropriate approach to soon approve the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Association, thus meeting the expectations of the two sides business communities. PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) meets Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte in Davos on January 25, 2019. During the meeting with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte, Phuc spoke highly of positive developments in the bilateral ties, especially within the framework of the Strategic Partnership on climate change adaptation and water management and the Strategic Partnership on sustainable agriculture and food security. Vietnam always treasures the assistance of the Netherlands in fields of environment, education, and agriculture, he affirmed, hoping that the Netherlands will continue assisting the country with new programs. He asked the Netherlands to boost early signing and ratification of the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement (EVFTA), and support peace, stability, freedom, security and safety of aviation and navigation in the East Sea. At their meeting with Czech PM Andrej Babis, the two leaders expressed their delight on the growing bilateral ties, confirming to enhance the implementation of the signed agreements on economy, trade, culture, education, and science. Phuc thanked the Government of the Czech Republic for creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to integrate into the local society, making practical contributions to the countrys socio-economic development. He hoped that the Czech Republic would continue accelerating the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the EU and the signing of EVFTA. Phuc also called for the Czech Republics support for Vietnam to win a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in the tenure 2020-2021. The Czech Republic attaches importance to consolidating and developing the traditional friendship and cooperation with Vietnam, said Andrej Babis, asserting that the Czech Government continues creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese community and businesses in the Czech Republic. The same day, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc also held working sessions with executives of leading international groups in finance and infrastructure such as Visa, Generali, Bank Julius Baer, the Development Bank of Japan, former WEF Managing Director Philipp Rosler and leading investors from Switzerland. At these meetings, the Vietnamese PM briefed about recent developments in Vietnam, confirming the Governments efforts to build an open and friendly business environment through regular dialogues with investors and unleashing the development potential of private sector. A production line at Hyundai Thanh Cong Viet Nam Automobile Factory in Gian Khau Industrial Park in the northern province of Ninh Binh.-VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam In fact, demand has been so high that people are unable to buy a vehicle without paying extra money to dealers. An experienced salesman, who has worked at many dealerships, told Viet Nam News on condition of anonymity that the demand for cars rose every year before Lunar New Year, especially for popular brands like Honda, Toyota and Hyundai. It is hard to buy. But if a person is ready to pay extra money to agents, they can buy. They need to pay VND50-100 million (US$2, 200-4,400) extra to buy a Honda CRV or a Hyundai Santafe, according to the salesman. Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper reports that agents demand VND70-150 million ($3,300-5,500) for a Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest. The extra, for guaranteed delivery before the New Year, is called packaged spare parts. The newspaper says other brands requiring a premium are Mitsubishi Xpander, Honda CR-V, Toyota Prado, Land Cruiser and Toyota Rush. Most agents say cars will only be delivered in March unless customers pay the extra money, it says. An employee at a dealership said they got only 20 units of each brand and so could not meet the demand, which surges two- or three-fold before Lunar New Year. The director of an auto import-export company was quoted by Sai Gon Giai Phong as saying: The reason for the car shortage is that auto companies had temporarily stopped imports from Indonesia and Thailand due to some difficulties. They resumed imports in the second half of 2018, so the inventory is not huge. The seller told Viet Nam News that dealers also had many tricks to raise prices. Some of them stockpile cars until Lunar New Year. Some take orders from customers who do not need the car before the festiva l and resell. But auto companies who have clear policies control their dealers and price increases do not happen. Customs said nearly 6,400 cars were imported between January 1 and 15 for $157 million. They included 4,264 vehicles with fewer than nine seats valued at $95 million. In December 14,200 units had been imported. Gaw Capital Partners and NP Capital Partners introducing the Gaw NP Industrial Platform Gaw Capital Partners, a global real estate private equity firm has joined hands with NP Capital Partners, a reputable real estate firm with strong network and development capabilities in Vietnam, and has announced their joint logistics and industrial platform called Gaw NP Industrial. The platform will invest in industrial properties in strategic locations with modern design to serve strong demands from export-import businesses, and companies servicing the booming e-commerce and retail activities in Vietnam. Having established multiple logistics platforms across gateway cities in China and Australia with 1.3 million square metres of warehousing facilities and over $1 billion in capital commitment, Gaw NP Industrials founders desire to leverage their veteran experiences in Vietnam, which would enable the platform to cover the full spectrum of logistics and industrial development, leasing, and asset management. Kenneth Gaw, president and managing principal of Gaw Capital Partners, said: "We are delighted to expand our footprint in Vietnam and tap into the abundant opportunities in one of Asias fastest growing markets. Thanks to the co-operation with our partner, we strongly believe that our platform will become one of the key drivers in Vietnams industrial property market. We look forward to leveraging our development expertise to contribute to Vietnams industrial advancement. Vo Sy Nhan, co-founder and managing director of Gaw NP Industrial, said, "Gaw NP Industrials objective is to support Vietnams upcoming industrial property evolution which will be the foundation for attracting additional foreign direct investment. Given Vietnams impressive economic growth, the booming of modern means of retail such as e-commerce and waves of foreign manufacturing facility investment into Vietnam, demand for high-quality industrial property is strongly believed to reach new heights. With our track record of success and our commitment to providing value-added features into our industrial and logistics products, we are confident that Gaw NP Industrial Platform will be a major force in the Vietnamese market. Gaw Capital Partners is a uniquely positioned private equity fund management company that focuses on real estate markets in greater China and other high barrier-to-entry markets globally. Specialising in adding strategic value to under-utilised real estate through redesign and repositioning, Gaw Capital runs an integrated business model with its own in-house asset management operating platforms in retail, hospitality, property development, and logistics. The firm's investments span the entire spectrum of real estate sectors, including residential development, offices, retail malls, hospitality, and logistics warehouses. Gaw Capital has raised five commingled funds targeting the Greater China and APAC regions since 2005. The firm also manages value-add/opportunistic funds in Vietnam and the US, a Pan-Asia hospitality fund, a European hospitality fund, and also provides services for separate account direct investments globally. Gaw Capital has raised equity of $9.8 billion since 2005 and commands assets of $18.3 billion under management as of the second quarter of 2018. Sup guys? Photo: Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images Howard Schultz, who as the CEO of Starbucks dared to unleash the Pumpkin Spice Latte on the world, thinks he might just be the guy to save America. Last night, he finally came out and confirmed what everyones suspected: hes thinking about being the next billionaire to run for president. This has been speculated upon since he left Starbucks seven months ago, at which time Schultz said he would consider options including public service. Some hoped this would mean ridding the world of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, but he has apparently decided that being in charge of the government is the move. The twist here? The lifelong Democrat says he wants to go full Ross Perot and run as an independent. Schultz announced the news in a Sunday-night press blitz on CBSs 60 Minutes and in the New York Times. The run isnt a given yet, as Schultz says hes still in the stage of wondering if he should give it the old college try, and he says hell first go on a three-month tour for his book From the Ground Up. President Trump, who Schultz has openly criticized, responded with a tweet in which he agreed with Schultzs self-assessment that Schultz is not, as he told CBS, the smartest person in the room. Howard Schultz doesnt have the guts to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the smartest person. Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2019 As the CEO of Starbucks, Schultz was praised for policies like full health care for all employees and giving stock options to part-time workers. However, the billionaire businessman tells the Times that he would run as an independent because Democrats have shifted so far to the left. He criticizes people for advocating for free government-paid college, free government-paid health care and a free government job for everyone in the interview, saying those promises are as big of a false narrative as the wall. Democrats and others have responded negatively out of the gate, in what has been a very robust roast. But Schultz tells Axios that hes feeling chill about the pushback, presumably because hes already drank seven Frappuccinos since the announcement. I think @HowardSchultz should totally run for city council in whatever city he lives Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) January 28, 2019 I dont know why anyone is afraid of Howard Schultz running. Hes not addressing some unmet yearning among voters. Hell waste a bunch of money and itll be funny. Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) January 28, 2019 Howard Schultz gave up on owning an NBA team bc it was too hard to get the arena refurbished and now he would like to be President of the United States netw3rk (@netw3rk) January 28, 2019 Vanity projects that help destroy democracy are disgusting. If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because Im not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win. https://t.co/epUYVrcEg8 Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) January 26, 2019 In HCM City, food and drinks represented 17 per cent of total retail revenue last year.-baotintuc.vn The food and drinks sector is now taking the largest proportion of monthly spending for the Vietnamese, around 35 per cent, Pham Thanh Kien, director of HCM City Industry and Trade Department, was quoted as saying in the Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper. In HCM City, food and drinks represented 17 per cent of total retail revenue last year. Export turnover for food processing and agricultural products totalled more than US$40 billion last year. Vietnamese products have successfully reached many technical standards and quality barriers and are present in 200 countries, including the US, Japan, South Korea and the EU. For foreign investors, the abundance of agricultural products and foodstuff in the country is an advantage. Viet Nam is considered one of the top five food baskets in the world and one of the top 15 largest countries by agriculture exports. The young population and the rising popularity of processed food are two other factors influencing investorsdecisions. For the last five years, many international food-processing companies have and expanded their production in Viet Nam. In the coming time, the Government plans to withdraw its shares in major food processing and drink companies like Vinamilk or Habeco and create more opportunities for foreign investors. Foreign investors have also invested in and expanded their trade centres, supermarkets and convenience stores, which have all helped to increase consumption of processed foods. Multinational retailers like Circle K, 7-Eleven, Bs mart, Family Mart, MiniStop, Big C, Aeon and Lotte now have a total of 3,000 convenience stores, 300 trade centres and supermarkets in Viet Nam. This also means more competitive pressure for the domestic food processing and drink manufacturers, Ly Kim Chi, chairwoman of the HCM City Food and Foodstuff Association, said. Currently, 98 per cent of domestic manufacturers are small and medium size with limited financial resources and poor competitiveness. Foreign distributors and manufacturers have a strategy to dominate the Vietnamese market. Distributors have reduced expenditures to the producers, while the latter have dropped selling prices or increased promotions, she said. Foreign distributors have also established barriers like quality and packaging standards and many others so they can refuse domestic products, she added. To compete on the home ground, domestic enterprises must increase their production capability, quality and packaging to meet international standards, Huynh Thanh Dien from HCM Citys University of Economics, said. For long-term development, domestic enterprises should join international supply chains. Authorities should also apply the same incentive policies for foreign and domestic companies, he added. Many foreign companies receive preferential treatment on land rent, taxes and technology imports. Authorities should also prevent unhealthy competition when foreign enterprises work together to try to eliminate local ones and engage in dumping practices, he said. Viet Nam has 5,500 food and drink manufacturing enterprises, with 2,000 of them located in HCM City. Tri Duc's premier hotel-condotel complex A bold start Long first began in the export-import field. Later on, when his business matured and he recognised the enormous development potential in the market, Long decided to embrace the real estate business. The hotel and condotel complex positioned in Halong citys Bai Chay ward in the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh is the first premier resort venue, and probably the project of the largest scale he has ever deployed until present. As a newcomer in a field dominated by many leading players, I have chosen to position myself through my business partners, said Long. Before the project kicked-off construction on December 6 last year, it took him almost two years to meet the strict requirements set by his companys high-profile foreign business partners Hilton and Best Western. Long shared that the foreign partners had set strict financial and technical requirements and conducted a thorough evaluation of the local partners capacity and expertise as a developer. After signing contracts with Hilton and Best Western, we chose to work with the worlds leading designers and home decor businesses recommended by our foreign partners for the new project to ensure quality, Long added. Accordingly, Tri Ducs hotel and condotel complex will be designed by B+H Vietnam Architects Limited, a member of B+H Architects a global leader in design, architecture, planning, and landscaping which was named among the top 50 architecture companies worldwide with more than 450 designers and architects. The complexs interior finishing will be handled by CHIL Interior Design, another renowned member of B+H Architects. The projects construction is handled by Coteccons, a leading contractor in Vietnam. Moving only when efficiency is guaranteed Tri Duc has set itself apart from rivals in the market by joining hands with high-profile foreign partners in project development. Questioned about competition, he said, In the north, besides Hanoi, Halong is the second locality to accommodate a Hilton Group boutique hotel that is our specific market niche. Tri Duc has set itself apart from rivals in the market by joining hands with high-profile foreign partners in project development. Quang Ninh province, the host location of the new hotel and condotel complex, is transforming day-by-day with a pipeline of important infrastructure projects. A few months ago, Halong welcomed the first five-star international cruise with more than 3,000 passengers and crew members on board. Important expressways were opened to traffic, including the Haiphong-Halong, Halong-Van Don expressways, and in the near future Van Dong-Mong Cai Expressway. Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh province was recently launched. Visitor arrivals to Quang Ninh have seen a sharp jump in the past year. For the occasion of the 2019 New Year, the province welcomed more than 200,000 arrivals, up 30 per cent on-year, including more than 135,000 foreign visitors, a 25 per cent jump. The higher number of foreign visitors ultimately lead to growing demand for luxury tourism property, supply of which is still modest in the province, proving that Tri Duc has taken the correct development direction with its new resort venue development. The premier complex will feature two towers: the 27-storey DoubleTree hotel by Hilton Halong Bay Resort and the 34-storey Best Western Plus Halong Bay Hotel condotel. Though the project has yet to open for sales, 70 per cent of condotel units were reported to be sold, attesting to its charm as well as the righteous approach of the project developer. More significantly, despite the projects investment value surpassing VND3.3 trillion ($143 million), the developer has yet to seek capital support from banks until present. Prestige is essential For Long who is at the helm at Tri Duc Corporation, prestige is the loadstar in both living and business. When first conceiving the project, Long and his colleagues were very circumspect as there had been great controversy about condotels in the market. Long, however, decided to go forward and opted not to avoid using the term condotel for the project as he judged this announced a smart, international investment model. Long also did not offer an overly high profit rate at the project to attract secondary investors. After consulting with Savills, a leading real estate investment consultancy firm, about the investment efficiency at the project, he fixed the profit rate at 8 per cent per annum in the first five years. Besides doing business, Long and Tri Duc Corporation have been making active contributions to community and social development through a range of philanthropic activities, such as donating to poor households and students in rural and remote areas. The premium venues DoubleTree by Hilton Halong Bay Resort and Best Western Plus Halong Bay Hotel are situated at the core of the Bai Chay tourism hub in Halong city. The venue is next to Sun World Halong Park, about a 15 minute drive from Tuan Chau Island, a 15 minute walk from Quang Ninh Museum, and 7 minutes from Bai Chay Beach. Besides, it is only 100m from the pedestrian street, a 5 minute drive from Bai Chay Bridge, and is surrounded by a comprehensive suite of premium utilities and services in the bay area. The two iconic Las Vegas shopping destinations, Grand Canal Shoppes inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas and Fashion Show Las Vegas, will celebrate the Year of the Pig in true fashion with several events in honor of the Lunar New Year. Grand Canal Shoppes will help kick off the Lunar New Year festivities on February 5 with two signature fan dance performances above the waterfall. Guests will be treated to a traditional Chinese fan dance that has been a part of Chinas heritage for over two thousand years, with performances at 3:45 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. In addition, more than 250 envelopes will be distributed to guests during the fan dance, each filled with a special prize from gift cards to chocolate gold coins. Fashion Show Las Vegas will welcome the return of the Chinese New Year in the Desert for the 8th consecutive year with a special ribbon cutting and dinner affair on February 8. To celebrate the Year of the Pig, guests will be treated to a traditional lion blessing and dance; cultural performances; and a one-of-a-kind live cultural runway show. Special guest Governor Steve Sisolak and First Lady Kathy will be in attendance. The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has issued a statement condemning the bombing of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mt Carmel in Jolo. By Christopher Wells The statement by Arcbishop Romulo Valles, speaking on behalf of the entire Bishops Conference, offered condolences to the families of the several civilans and soldiers who were killed by the explosions, which took place during Sunday Mass. Twenty people were killed and dozens more wounded in two separate blasts. We also express our sympathies with those who were wounded, the statement continued, and extend our solidarity with the rest of the church-goers inside the Cathedral and the rest of the church community in the Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo. The Filipino Bishops also condemn this act of terrorism that has taken place only a few days after the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). The BOL provides for the creation of the Bansamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). As we begin a new phase in the peace process with the creation of the BARRM, Abp Valles said, we ask our Christian brethren to join hands with all peace-loving Muslim and Indigenous People communities in the advocacy against violent extremism. Archbishop Valles concluded his statement with a word of hope, saying, May all our religions of peace guide us in our quest for a brighter future for the peoples of Mindanao. On Sunday, Pope Francis added his voice to those deploring the terrorist strike on the Cathedral in Jolo. In remarks at the Angelus following the final Mass for World Youth Day, the Holy Father prayed that the Lord might convert the hearts of the violent and grant the inhabitants of that region a peaceful coexistence. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin sent a message on the Popes behalf to the plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. Pope Francis has assured his support and blessing to members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) as they began their plenary assembly in the capital Manila on Saturday to discuss matters that affect the Church and the country. More than 80 CBCP members are gathered at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center from Jan. 26 to 28 for their 118th plenary assembly. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin sent the message on the Popes behalf to the Philippine bishops saying the Pope is encouraging them to continue in their efforts to shepherd in truth and love those entrusted to your pastoral care. He particularly lauded local initiatives to advance the mission of the Church in the Philippines. The meeting was opened with a Mass presided over by Papal Nuncio Archbishop Gabrielle Caccia. The Holy Father wished that their meeting bear much fruit in the service of the faithful, helping them to grow in faith and charity. The plenary assembly meets in regular session twice a year - in January and in July. When they are not in session, the Permanent Council acts and in behalf of the conference. The Permanent Council is composed of a president, vice president and regional representatives - four from Luzon, two from Visayas , three from Mindanao. During the three-day meeting, the bishops are expected to discuss reports from various commissions of the CBCP. Cardinal Charles Bo of Myanmar, the president of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC), has issued a message for the special celebration of World Day of the Sick in Kolkata, the city of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta. By Robin Gomes The Asian bishops president is urging believers in the continent to continue upholding the sacred duty and tradition of caring and respecting the elderly, the infirm and the helpless, saying it is a barometer of societys health. Cardinal Charles Bo, the president of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC), made the exhortation in a message he released on Sunday in view of the upcoming international celebration of the Catholic Churchs World Day of the Sick. The annual day was instituted by St. John Paul II on 13 May 1992, designating its celebration to the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, February 11 each year. The purpose is to draw attention to the sick and their caregivers and the redemptive act of human suffering. Kolkata - city of Mother Teresa Each year, the day is marked in a special way in a place chosen by the Pope who issues a message for the occasion. The 27th World Day of the Sick will be celebrated in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), the city of St. Mother Teresa. In his message for this years observance, Pope Francis urges believers to promote a culture of generosity, noting that the joy of generous giving is a barometer of the health of a Christian. The theme of this years World Day of the Sick has as its theme, You received without payment; give without payment. (Mt 10:8). Recalling Kolkata as the karma bhumi (workplace) of St.Teresa of Calcutta, Card. Bo says that this years theme was the mantra that Jesus gave His disciples before sending them forth to spread the good news of the kingdom of God. Caring for sick, infirm - a sacred duty Allow me to remind myself and encourage all believers to uphold the traditional values embedded in the psyche of our varied ethnic groups in this vast Asian continent which considers caring for the elderly and infirm as a sacred duty of respect and devotion," explains the cardinal, the Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar. Our traditional customs of reaching out in solidarity to those in need especially those who are sick, helpless or fall victims to accidents of calamitous emergencies, he says, must continue to be embraced as a culture of generosity - a barometer denoting societal health. Card. Bo, who assumed his leadership of the FABC on Jan. 1, holds Mary as a model, saying she set out to be at the side of her cousin Elizabeth in her hour of need. He wishes that she be an inspiration and example to us to reach out as visible signs of Gods love for the poor and the sick. He wishes that Mother Teresa, who showed what it means give till it hurts, also be an inspiration and model in giving our time and talents in caring for the sick. The 70-year old cardinal expressed his gratitude and encouragement to volunteers and associations who help the sick, and all those organize campaigns for blood, tissue and organ donation. Pope Francis on Dec. 11 appointed Bangladeshi Cardinal Patrick DRozario as his envoy to the special celebration of the World Day of the Sick in Kolkata. This years World Day of the Sick will be a 3-day event, starting in Kolkata on February 9 and will culminate on February 11 at the historical Marian Shrine at Bandel on the banks of the Hooghly River some 60 kms north of Kolkata. The first World Day of the Sick was marked in 1993 at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France, one of the worlds most famous Marian shrines. Since then, the day has been observed all over the world with a special celebration in a particular place each year. According to Cardinal Peter Turkson, the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, that organizes the World Day of the Sick, Kolkata was chosen as a venue mainly in light of the experience of St. Teresa of Calcutta. This is only the second time a place in India has been chosen. The first was Vailankanni in 2003. A Kenyan delegation to the World Youth Day in Panama 2019, led by Archbishop Anthony Muheria of Nyeri, who is also the Episcopal Chair of the Commission for Pastoral and Lay Apostolate, has described their Panama experience as, amazing. Rose Achiego Nairobi, Kenya Speaking in Panama, Archbishop Muheria described the just-ended WYD 2019 as a celebration of witness to Christ and commitment to a future that upholds Gods Values in society. It (has been) an amazing encounter and experience, he said. Young people talking different languages, from different Churches yet with one common aim - to share moments together without barriers as they exchange banners (in) a show of solidarity. As Pope Francis said, young people are bridge builders He reiterated Pope Francis message when he said there is the need for the youth to become builders of bridges, not walls, adding that it is a great lesson for Kenya and the entire world to embrace the idea of brotherhood and sisterhood. Be welcoming not separating, the Archbishop said. Taking the Panama experience to Kenya Having seen vibrancy in the young people in Panama, Archbishop Muheria said the delegation was taking this great experience back home in Kenya. We must graft this experience to our youth in Kenya to bring prayer and fun without fear to show our Catholic faith. Do not be afraid! he said. The youth are our future, and we have hope and place a lot of hope and expectation in them. He prayed for a strengthened youth of the world. God bless the youth of the world, make them close to Christ and bring them to flourish in the faith, he said, expressing a desire to replicate the same event in Kenya and Africa. He noted that the Youth have great desire to serve God and the Church needs to accompany and love them. A disciple keeps walking In a tweet, Archbishop Muheria reported that Pope Francis acknowledged the sacrifices faced by many of the young people in getting to Panama he reminded them that, a disciple is not merely someone who arrives at a certain place, but one who sets out decisively, who is not afraid to take risks and keeps walking. The great joy according to the Pope is to keep walking. 34th World Youth Day, 2019 was celebrated from the 22nd January to 27th 2019, under the theme "I am the Servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38) Bui, center, surrounded by friends. Photo: Courtesy of Alex Corporan Brian Buis laugh was infectious. Bwah-ha-ha-hah! That is what it sounded like, crinkling his cheeks and eyes, hidden behind Roy Orbison frames and a similarly ink-black side-part. The blowout laughter defined his name. Friends and patrons sometimes called him Brian Bwah-ha-ha-hah! Bui passed away last week at Mount Sinai Hospital, from complications due to colon cancer. He was 55, and everyone who knew him thought he, and his joie de vivre, would never have a final meal. At his restaurant, Mekong, the regulars were Kongers. Buis food, based on the Mekong River regions home cooking, was consistent, but it was the restaurants atmosphere that set the pace. Though Mekong first hung its placard on Prince Street (for a decade), it was the Edward Hopperaglow, patio-seated corner spot at Sixth Avenue and King Street that defined Bui and his welcoming clubhouse. Who would think that a no-frills Vietnamese cafe would become, well, cool? Mekong was a one-and-only Vietnamese-wacko-affordable-delectable-sometimes-quite-quite-disreputable restaurant that was always a reliable choice, said Michael Gross, the author and editor-in-chief of Avenue magazine, who first stumbled upon Mekong while living off Washington Square and would later make weekly treks after moving uptown. It was an insiders secret you were glad to share, albeit only with good friends Brians welcomes were always fulsome and his hospitality, legendary. Gordon Nelson, a beauty consultant and a regular at the downtown iterations of Mekong for seven years, said, At Mekong you knew you could just be you. The place was special, no doubt, but it became quietly legendary because of Brians enthusiasm. A genuine happiness radiated from him. Serge Becker says Bui was an invaluable member of the community. Brian was not a buzzy, marquee name in our industry. He represented something much more subtle, something personal, and ultimately, more important and valuable: He was the archetype of the restaurateur as the beloved host of an entire neighborhood. Friends called him the king of King Street. When a 50-percent rent hike forced Mekong out of its King Street space in 2016, Bui moved the restaurant to a Clinton Hill corner. His younger brother James says hell keep it going, but it will be tough. What I loved most about him was his laugh. This past Saturday evening, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., approximately 200 boisterous well-wishers of the late restaurateur crammed into the Ear Inn, spilling out onto the sidewalk. At one point it was like waiting to get into Studio 54, said Alex Corporan, the skate-world icon and regular at all three incarnations of Mekong. Nobody cared that it was 34 degrees, he said. Everyone just wanted to celebrate the journeys theyd taken in their lives with Brian over the years. Corporan added, He brought us all together. We rocked all night for our Buddha, Brian. Bui was born in a Central Vietnam town near Saigon. His family moved to New York City in 1975, and he graduated from New York University with a degree in finance. The family traveled often, which led to a love of food of all kinds, but his brother says he always returned to the brothy seasoned phos and deceptively complex seafood cuisine of his homeland. Marisa Acocella, the graphic novelist and cartoonist says, Brian was different. In an age where restaurants are opening with big money partners bred to franchise and their dishes designed by committees Brian was its antithesis. She adds, He was not your cookie-cutter, corporate, slick face-boy head of a dining establishment. He was approachable. He did it for the love to make people feel good We all loved him. Valdosta, GA (31601) Today Thunderstorms likely. High around 85F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. The United Kingdom's request for the consular access to espionage suspect Paul Whelan, who is currently in custody in Russia, is being processed by the competent authorities, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik on Monday MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2019) The United Kingdom 's request for the consular access to espionage suspect Paul Whelan, who is currently in custody in Russia , is being processed by the competent authorities, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik on Monday. Whelan holds US, Canadian, UK and Irish citizenship and has already received consular visits from three of these countries Canada, Ireland and the United States. The British side is the only one, which has not visited Whelan in prison yet. The United Kingdom's representatives have not visited Whelan since London has not received a response to the request for consular access to the detainee from the Russian Foreign Ministry so far. "The request from the United Kingdom for visiting Whelan is being processed by the competent authorities," the ministry said. Whelan was detained on charges of espionage in Moscow in December. He denied the charges and insisted he came to Russia to attend a friend's wedding. The 48-year-old is currently in custody. Last week, the Moscow City Court ruled down the appeal to release him from detention. David Whelan, the suspect's brother, said that the family was disappointed but not surprised with the court's decision. (@ChaudhryMAli88) The appointment of an acting charge d'affaires to the Jordanian diplomatic mission in Damascus is a step in line with the country's efforts aimed at putting an end the Syrian crisis, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told Sputnik in an interview DAVOS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2019) The appointment of an acting charge d'affaires to the Jordanian diplomatic mission in Damascus is a step in line with the country's efforts aimed at putting an end the Syrian crisis, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told Sputnik in an interview. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry announced that Amman had appointed a diplomat to its embassy in Damascus, where Jordan had not had an ambassador since 2012. Both countries, however, kept their diplomatic missions open throughout the war. "We ... always said there must be an Arab role in efforts to bring about a political solution to the [Syrian] crisis. Having a deputy chief of mission in Damascus is consistent with this position. We want the crisis in Syria to end and we will continue to do all we can to help achieve that. Ending the crisis is in the interest of all," the foreign minister said. Safadi also noted that Amman never closed its diplomatic mission in the Syrian capital despite the conflict and had to temporarily close the border with Syria at one point only when Damascus lost control over it. "We never closed our embassy in Damascus. Nor did we close the borders with Syria. The borders closure was a result of the Syrian government losing control of them. When the Syrian government resumed control, we opened the border. We appointed a deputy chief of mission in light of developments and to ensure sufficient diplomatic channels of communications and to address ties. In light of opening the border, the embassy has to have necessary resources it needs to handle increased volume of work and look after the interests of our citizens as well," the top diplomat added. Last October, a vital checkpoint on the Syrian-Jordanian border the Nassib crossing, which allows goods to be transported from Turkey and Lebanon to the countries of the Persian Gulf through Syria and Jordan and vice versa was reopened. The border crossing was captured by terrorists in 2015, and the Syrian government did not regain control over the checkpoint until July 2018. While Jordan kept its diplomatic mission in Syria open over the course of the armed conflict even after recalling its ambassador, the two country's relations strained in 2014 after Amman expelled then-Syrian Ambassador Bahjat Suleiman for violating diplomatic protocol and insulting Jordan. Damascus, in turn, expelled Jordanian charge d'affaires who was heading the country's diplomatic mission in Damascus in the absence of an ambassador. Tokyo is interested in finally resolving issues that have long strained its relations with Pyongyang, in particular, the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents, and normalizing relations between the two countries, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2019) Tokyo is interested in finally resolving issues that have long strained its relations with Pyongyang, in particular, the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents, and normalizing relations between the two countries, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday. Japan has repeatedly voiced its willingness to establish a dialogue with North Korea following the improvement in the situation on the Korean Peninsula and historic summits that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held with his South Korean and US counterparts last year. Pyongyang, however, has not officially agreed to hold negotiations with Tokyo. "We will be trying to settle our unfortunate problems of the past and normalize relations with North Korea," Abe said at the opening of the parliament session in Tokyo. Abe also reiterated his readiness to meet with Kim once the two countries eliminate mutual distrust to solve the nuclear and missile issues as well as the crucial problem of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Japan and North Korea have not established official diplomatic ties so far, with one of the most sensitive issues souring their relations being the abduction of Japanese nationals. While Pyongyang admitted to abducting only 13 Japanese citizens, Tokyo insists that there were 17 of them. Five of the kidnapped Japanese were allowed to return to their homeland in 2002 and Pyongyang claims that the others had died. Tokyo refuses to believe in the death of the remaining eight Japanese citizens and demands their return. RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jan, 2019 ) :Regional Police Officer (RPO) Muhammad Fayyaz Dev said that Rawalpindi would have six new police stations to curb the crime from the city. The request for the establishment of new police stations includes the areas of New Murree, Shakrial, Chaklala Scheme-3, Chah Sultan, Pandora and Sadar Gujar Khan. Talking to media, the RPO said that cases had been sent to the Home Department for approval with respect to the establishment of six new police stations, and a circle in Rawalpindi. Rawalpindi police has sent details containing the location of the proposed police stations, number of staff members, salaries, transport and other facilities to the respective quarters. As per police rules a new police station is required to be established in the areas where over one thousand cases are registered in a year. (@ChaudhryMAli88) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jan, 2019 ) :Punjab Government was planning to establish Shelter Homes (Panagahs) at each districts of the province aiming to provide residence, meal facilities to the poor labours free of cost, Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said Sunday. Talking to Managing Director Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) Aon Abbas Buppi, the Chief Minister said right now suitable places were being identified for establishing Shelter Homes. The incumbent government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf considered the welfar of oppressed segment of society its topmost priority.Efforts were being made to bring ease in the lives of low indome people. The CM lauded PBM for providing valuable services to the poor segments of the society. PBM was providing free treatment facilities to the poor. Aon Abbas said he was working hard to bring positive changes in the lives of the poor, said a press release issued here. 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg says F1 may have to give up its fuel-powered engines some day. Since retiring from F1, the German has made several 'E-mobility' investments, including in the all-electric single seater series Formula E. Rosberg says battery power could be the future of F1, too. "If the whole world is buying electric or hydrogen cars, F1 could not keep its gas engines," he told the world economic forum in Davos, Switzerland. "It would not make sense," Rosberg is quoted by France's Auto Hebdo. "At some point, they would have to change, I think." Currently, many F1 figures and fans reject the appeal of Formula E, even though it is increasingly attracting world-class drivers and car manufacturers. "It's just a different category," said Max Verstappen. "It seems like it's getting more interesting, but at the moment I'm happy where I am. I will probably be one of the last people in the world to try and buy the last barrels of oil." Rosberg, though, says those types of attitudes could change quickly. "Two years ago, everyone rejected electric vehicles, and now, some fans of thermal engines are opening their minds. It gets cool very quickly," he said. (GMM) Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, MOHAP, has met with Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al Rabiah, Saudi's Minister of Health, and Dr. Basel Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti Minister of Health, and discussed ways of boosting cooperation in the health sector between the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 28th Jan, 2019) Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, MOHAP, has met with Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al Rabiah, Saudi's Minister of Health, and Dr. Basel Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti Minister of Health, and discussed ways of boosting cooperation in the health sector between the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. During the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the Arab Health Conference and Congress 2019, they explored the importance of the Arab Health event and its role in developing the healthcare sector. Al Owais highlighted recent developments in the UAE, specially the leading achievements realised by the ministry. Among the most notable achievements, MOHAP conducted an experimental study to analyse the genetic disorders most common in the UAE, which aimed to provide the suitable treatment for patients. The ministry has also been successful in utilising Artificial Intelligence in X-Ray equipment used for medical fitness certificates for new residency permits. These projects aim to increase community immunity to communicable diseases, enhance medical services, and realise customer satisfaction. He also explained to his Saudi and Kuwaiti counterparts the preventive programmes and initiatives as well as the educational and awareness campaigns that MOHAP is implementing as comprehensive and innovative packages, to fight diseases and promote preventive measures. The UAE Minister explored the latest medical programmes, explaining the UAEs leading expertise in using state-of-the-art medical technologies and systems in most public and private hospitals in the UAE, aiming to achieve the goals of UAE Vision 2021 and UAE Centennial 2071 to provide a world-class healthcare system. He reviewed the importance of the strategic partnerships signed by the Ministry with entities inside and outside the UAE, to further develop the healthcare industry. The meeting was attended by Dr. Mohammad Salim Al Olama, MOHAP's Under-Secretary, as well as the guest ministers under-secretaries. (@ChaudhryMAli88) The ambassador said that there are 14 Export Processing Zones (EPZ) across Uzbekistan where protection and incentives would also be provided to the foreign investors, who will invest at least 100 million dollars FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jan, 2019 ) -:The ambassador said that there are 14 Export Processing Zones (EPZ) across Uzbekistan where protection and incentives would also be provided to the foreign investors, who will invest at least 100 million During the Question-Answer session, Furqat A Siddiqov said that old information was rife among business community as the ground realities had altogether been changed now. He said that Uzbek exports recorded 59 per cent increase during 2018, while his country was exporting cotton, cotton yarn and cotton fabric. He offered businessmen of Faisalabad to launch joint ventures to avail benefits from the high quality and long staple cotton of Uzbekistan for the benefit of the two countries. He rejected apprehensions about Uzbek Air and said that people prefer to travel through the airline. Earlier, Mian Tanveer Ahmad, acting president FCCI, introduced Faisalabad and the FCCI. He said Faisalabad is the third thickly populated city of Pakistan. "It contributed 45 per cent share towards the total textile export of the country," he added. Regarding the FCCI, he said that it is serving the business community of Faisalabad for the last 44 years while the total numbers of its members are 7000. He further told that although textile is the iconic identification of this city, other sectors are also playing their role in overall exports of Pakistan. He observed that the bilateral trade between the two countries is far less that their existing potential and hence efforts should be expedited to ensure increase of $300 million per annum. He also stressed the need for direct links between the business communities of the two countries and offered a proposal to ink a MoU between FCCI and Uzbekistan Chamber. During the session, it was disclosed that Uzbek Business Council is organizing a business-cum-tourism delegation from April 19 to 20. Two separate documentaries about FCCI and Uzbekistan were screened while kashif Zia, Engineer Ahmad Hasan and Shoaib Sana participated in the question-answer session. Later, Engineer Ahmad Hasan offered vote of thanks and presented the FCCI shield to the Uzbek ambassador along with other members. Uzbek Ambassador Furqat A Siddiqov also reciprocated the gesture and presented a memento of Uzbek Embassy to Acting President Mian Tanveer Ahmad. The ambassador also recorded his impressions in the Visitors' Book and thanked the people of Faisalabad for their love and hospitality. Milledgeville, GA (31061) Today Showers and thundershowers likely. High around 80F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Showers and thundershowers this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Low 72F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Plagiarism can cause challenges in all sectors of society, including government organizations. To combat plagiarism in government documents such as grants, reports, reviews and legal documents, government organizations will find iThenticate to be an effective yet easy-to-use tool in their arsenal. The Lebanon man charged with a drive-by shooting near the Dartmouth College campus is free on bail after closed-door meetings with the judge in the case uncovered the fact key witnesses may not testify, according to court records. (TNS) Equipment owned by California's three largest utilities ignited more than 2,000 fires in three years a timespan in which state regulators cited and fined the companies nine times for electrical safety violations.How the state regulates utilities is under growing scrutiny following unprecedented wildfires suspected to have been caused by power line issues, blazes that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed dozens of people.Lacking the manpower and sophisticated technology necessary to monitor more than 250,000 miles of power lines across the state, regulators rely on something of an honor system, with utilities responsible for ensuring all trees and vegetation are cut back far enough from electrical equipment before the onset of dry, high-fire danger conditions.Destructive wildfires in Paradise, wine country, Ventura County and other areas have prompted California lawmakers to consider new ways to improve regulatory oversight and hold utilities more accountable for prevention.The California Public Utilities Commission has never fined an electrical utility company for failing to meet safety standards before a wildfire strikes. Instead, the agency fines the utilities for violations after investigations into fires find wrongdoing and the process can drag on for years."The CPUC oversight of investor-owned utilities to prevent electrical or utility-caused wildfires is devastatingly absent," said John Fiske, a lawyer who represents wildfire victims. "When you're looking at areas that look like they've been bombed in a war zone, and to know that can be prevented with enforcement and oversight, it's widely upsetting."Investor-owned utilities are required to file annual reports with state regulators detailing even the smallest of spot fires linked to electrical equipment. Most of the blazes are less than 10 acres in size. And many of the most destructive wildfires in recent years are not included in the data because utilities are hesitant to tie their equipment to costly blazes before state investigations conclude.Pacific Gas & Electric, the state's largest utility providing electricity from Eureka to Bakersfield, reported 1,552 equipment-related fires from June 2014 through the end of 2017. Southern California Edison, the electricity supplier for 15 million people mostly south of Fresno County, reported 347 fires in that time. Serving a 4,100-square-mile area from San Clemente to the Mexican border, San Diego Gas & Electric disclosed 115 fires in the time period.Elizaveta Malashenko, director of the safety and enforcement division at the commission, said the agency uses the data to gain insight into the cause of ignitions and found that electrical lines making contact with vegetation and other line malfunctions sparked most of the fires. The data do not include any determinations on fault or show if the utilities violated safety laws.Malashenko said that simply because the data show there were fires related in some way to a utility's equipment does not mean those fires are connected to safety violations and should trigger a fine or citation. But lawmakers suggest the severity of recent blazes and high number of fires proves the state's methods to prevent disaster aren't working.In most cases, enforcement follows investigations into massive wildfires that decimate towns and neighborhoods. In a three-year period ending in 2017, CPUC said it issued nine citations and fines related to electrical safety violations against the utilities including $8.3 million against PG&E for the Butte Fire and an additional $15 million against Edison for multiple power outages in Long Beach in 2015.As another form of punishment, the commission has also denied requests by utilities to recover losses from ratepayers if investigations discover negligence and district attorneys file criminal charges for wrongdoing. If utility equipment is tied to wildfires, the companies also face civil suits for damages. Fire-related costs led PG&E this month to announce plans to file for bankruptcy, potentially facing $30 billion in legal liability from the recent wildfires.This year, lawmakers in Sacramento are raising questions about wildfire prevention and electrical safety oversight, and are considering new legislation to address the issues.Ideas include small adjustments, such as providing CPUC with more explicit prevention guidelines and assigning a state representative to monitor safety at the utilities. More radical changes, including the creation of a new state entity to enforce safety or investing in sweeping technological advancements to provide regulators with better data, may require additional taxpayer dollars and would be more difficult to accomplish."We are in a new reality now," state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, said. "No one has felt that more than the (investor-owned utilities), the insurance companies and more importantly, the victims in these cases. It is our responsibility to evaluate it all. Working together with the governor, I think we realize changes need to happen."Years-long drought, dry brush, dead trees, strong winds and outdated electrical infrastructure have made California more prone to combustion. More than 1.6 million acres burned and 100 lives were lost in 2018. Under mounting political pressure, state legislators asked for information from CPUC, the agency responsible for making sure public utilities operate safely.Some couldn't believe what they learned.Michael Picker, president of the CPUC, testified at a state Capitol hearing last year that the commission is primarily an economic regulator with a central focus of making sure companies provide energy to consumers at reasonable rates. Picker told lawmakers the agency had neither the technology nor manpower to ensure safety compliance on its own."I was stunned," said state Sen. Bill Dodd, a Napa Democrat who led the committee. "To me, we don't have any bigger issue than this."State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, said given the dire wildfire threat, lawmakers cannot wait "for an agency to come up to speed with keeping our communities safe.""Their leadership has testified that they are behind the curve on safety regulations," Jackson said. "I think, frankly, what we need do is rethink the system."A team of 19 people at the California Public Utilities Commission conducts on-the-ground preventive safety audits and spot checks, while also investigating wildfires.But inspections cover only a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of miles of power lines and 4.2 million utility poles that deliver electricity to homes and businesses throughout the state. Malashenko has requested 13 more positions dedicated to wildfire safety and enforcement next year."It's not as if we actually go out in the same way that we do for rail lines, for electric and telecommunication lines," Picker said to lawmakers last year. "There's just too many miles for us to be able to match the 37,000-person workforce, say, at PG&E."Unsatisfied with PG&E's management of its electrical infrastructure, U.S. District Judge William Alsup proposed earlier this month that the company inspect all 100,000 miles of its power lines and trim vegetation before the 2019 fire season begins.Alsup cited the susceptibility of PG&E's distribution lines coming into contact with trees during high-wind events as the most prevalent cause of 2017 and 2018 wildfires linked to the company's equipment. On Wednesday, the company said performing inspections and cutting back vegetation could cost at least $75 billion and the job would be impossible to complete in the given time.Concerns over wildfire safety are not limited to enforcement. Some say new technology is vital to solving the crisis.In his first week in office, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to modernize the state's system for procuring technology contracts and emphasized working with the private sector to address fire detection.Newsom's state budget proposes $9.2 million for the CPUC to address "oversight of investor-owned utility compliance with legislative requirements to reduce the risk of utility-caused wildfires" and review new wildfire mitigation plans required by the Legislature.Malashenko applauded the governor's attention to technology. The state and companies such as PG&E need more data and better systems to understand wildfire risks and address prevention, she said.CPUC officials can't say if fires linked to utility equipment in the data on wildfire ignitions were caused by safety violations, or if the policies requiring the companies to maintain vegetation clearances around power lines are working.The agency is currently matching its records to investigative findings from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to gain a clearer picture of the problem, although Malashenko says the efforts have taken a back seat to the 2018 wildfires.Technological advancements, such as better real-time weather modeling, would more accurately determine the conditions that drive wildfires. Aerial drone patrols could ensure that required vegetation clearance is constantly maintained. Although humans can offer only subjective assessments on the ground, technology can provide more granular detail and identify risks and trends based on the specific threats in a local area, she said.California, Malashenko argues, already has the most stringent safety requirements and the largest electric safety program in the nation. At least for now, state regulators are largely drawing a road map to prevent wildfires as they go."Yes, maybe there's some opportunity to do more inspections, but ... what is the end goal here?" Malashenko said. "Are we really going to make that much of a difference if we just increase the current system? We need to take a step back and really rethink it and design a program that addresses this challenge."(c)2019 Los Angeles TimesVisit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. For full access, please log in, register your subscription or subscribe. Try for 99 a month for two months, cancel or pause anytime. The plane designed to carry up to 500 passengers has earlier made flights to the occupied Crimea despite an international ban. A Boeing 777 which belongs to Russia's Nordwind Airlines on Jan 28 departed from Moscow's Vnukovo airport to Caracas, Venezuela (flight N49801) with no passengers on board. The plane is traditionally used for charter flights and has never flown to Venezuela earlier, according to Russia's Novaya Gazeta. The publication notes that the jet is fully loaded with fuel, while two crew teams have been deployed, suggesting that the plane will make an immediate return flight. Read alsoContractors of Russia's PMC Wagner beef up security for Venezuela's Maduro media According to FlightRadar24, the plane will arrive in Caracas at 20:00 local time. At the same time, Bohdan Yaremenko, a diplomat and head of the Maidan of Foreign Affairs Foundation, says the plane has earlier made flights to internationally-sanctioned airports in the Russia-occupied Crimea. "The emergence of an aircraft used by Russians for illegal operations (flights to Crimea, carrying out and supporting the occupation) in one part of the world, in another part of the planet, testifies that the Russian war is total. All components are interconnected," he wrote in a Facebook posting. The SBU head says peculiarities of the issue of travel passports for a group of troops that set off for Venezuela proves they are a "secret detachment of outsourced assassins hired by Russia's military intelligence." Chief of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Hrytsak, says travel documents issued to mercenaries of Russia's Wagner Private Military Company confirm that the PMC is a secret detachment of the country's military intelligence. Russia keeps lying cynically, trying to justify its crimes committed across the globe. The Kremlin keeps yelling that the armed units of its military intelligence don't protect dictatorial regimes in Sudan, Syria and have not been involved in the murder of journalists in the CAR who tried to shed light on their clandestine activities, the SBU reported on their website. The Security Service of Ukraine reminded that on January 25, materials testifying that Russian mercenaries and weapons were delivered to Sudan and other countries of the region directly by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the request of M Invest LLC, a company owned by 'Putin's chef' Yevgeny Prigozhin. Moreover, the SBU chief adds, it was through M Invest that tickets were purchased for the passengers of flights performed by the Russian defense ministry's 223rd flight squad, who turned out to be outsourced operatives of Russia's military intelligence from Wagner PMC. From August to December 2018, Tu-154M planes (RA-85041, RA-85155 registration numbers) brought to Sudan, the CAR, and other African countries on a rotational basis 1,012 'we-are-not-there' troops, whose tickets, personal, and passport data are today at the SBU disposal, reads the statement. Read alsoContractors of Russia's PMC Wagner beef up security for Venezuela's Maduro media The SBU published part of the available information, in particular, the list of 149 people who directly partook in suppressing democratic protests in Sudan in early 2019. An analysis of passport data of over a thousand PMC Wagner operatives testifies that the overwhelming majority of their travel documents were processed by a same Moscow-based unit of the Federal Migration Service, which also issued cover documents for 'Petrov' and 'Boshirov', Russian military intelligence officers who had carried out a chemical attack in British Salisbury. At the same time, passport series and registration numbers of several hundreds of passports of "Wagners men" show the IDs were issued in bulk, one after another. Read alsoRussian mercenaries help put down Sudan protests media Hrytsak says this once again confirms that Wagner PMC is a secret detachment of outsourced assassins hired by the Russian military intelligence. According to the report, the SBU also found that Russian military intelligence was also sent to citizens from other countries: Belarus, Moldova, and the self-proclaimed republics supported by Russia, as part of the African rotations of the Wagner private security complex. In addition, the available information indicates the target recruitment to the Sudanese business trip of PMC Wagner of traitors to Ukraine from among the residents of the temporarily occupied Crimea, who received Russian citizenship as a reward for helping the Russian aggressor, added the Security Service. Read alsoNew evidence ties murder of three Russian journalists in CAR to "Putin's chef" media It is also noted that more than 90% of mercenaries deployed in Africa had taken part in Russia's military aggression against Ukraine in 2014-2015, in particular, in the offensive on the Lugansk Airport and the city of Debaltseve. The SBU also found that since the end of 2018, as part of the efforts to create in Sudan a military-technical support point for the Russian Navy, former Ukrainian Navy officers were deployed there, who in the spring of 2014 had betrayed Ukraine and sided with the Russian occupants, signing contracts with the Russian navy. Besides, Russian air force is not nearly as capable as that of NATO. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that the most advanced allied fighter-bomber aircraft can degrade Russia's ability to use anti-access/area denial systems, or A2/AD, to threaten NATO territory. While Russian strategy in a possible invasion of NATO territory is focused on using advanced air defense systems such as the S-400 to create strongholds against NATO reinforcement, Stoltenberg remains optimistic about NATO's ability to contest such Russian doctrine, according to Washington Examiner. Stoltenberg noted that while there is no "imminent threat" of a Russian invasion of NATO territory, Russian investment in advanced military capabilities joins its more aggressive rhetoric and increased exercises. But, the former Norwegian prime minister said, "the [NATO] fifth-generation fighter jets are extremely capable to be able to deal with A2/AD. So it's not like A2/AD is a kind of 100 percent blockage, it just requires more effort and more advanced systems. And we are investing in those." Read alsoFootage emerges of Russia's Tu-22M3 bomber crash Stoltenberg is referring to the F-22 air superiority and F-35 fighter-bomber platforms. With stealth capabilities that make them hard to track and kill, and built with sensors to complement other military platforms, these jets are a major problem for Russian war-planners. Alongside electronic warfare aircraft designed to confuse A2/AD systems, the fifth-generation platforms deter Russia by threatening NATO's rapid air superiority in the event of any invasion. That's largely because the Russian air force is not nearly as capable as that of NATO. Without air superiority, Russian ground forces would be unable to advance without being isolated and destroyed. But deterrence is not just about capability, it's also about readiness. In recently practicing an operation against S-400-style threats, the U.S., British, and French air forces are giving added meaning to Stoltenberg's words. The Hungarian leader made his remarks last month in a meeting with the U.S. ambassador in Budapest. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has told U.S. diplomats that he wants his country to be "neutral, like Austria" as Washington pushes for a tougher line on Russia and China, deepening fears that a longtime American ally is drifting from its orbit. Read alsoHungary should realize scale of Russia's hybrid methods Klimkin Aides to Mr. Orban said he wants to remain a troop-contributing member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and values the security Hungary gets from the alliance. But a senior Hungarian official said Mr. Orban strongly objects to U.S. pressure aimed at curbing the influence of Moscow and Beijing in Europe, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Hungarian leader made his remarks last month in a meeting with the U.S. ambassador in Budapest, according to people familiar with the discussion. Mr. Orban's spokesman didn't respond to requests for comment. In recent weeks, the U.S. has sought to rally fellow NATO members to take firmer steps to counter potential Chinese cyber-espionage and for months has been pushing the alliance to step up its backing for Ukraine in the country's running confrontation with Russia. "Mr. Orban has resisted both moves. Like some other European leaders, he has invited Chinese investment in his country's internet infrastructure. And he is blocking NATO from holding minister-level talks with Ukraine because, his government says, he wants Ukrainian schools to offer more classes in Hungarian for the country's Hungarian-speaking minority," the publication wrote. "The point for Orban is, yes, we want to do business with Russia," the senior Hungarian official said. Poltorak says Ukraine is about to enter a new phase of the development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak has said the state defense order for this year is "very optimistic," since it provides for the delivery of at least 20 new types of weapons to the Ukrainian army. Read alsoUkraine boosts defensive capabilities at sea Poltorak "This is a very good signal for all of us that we are moving forward without stopping," Poltorak told journalists in Kharkiv, an UNIAN correspondent reported. Poltorak says Ukraine is about to enter a new phase of the development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, namely it will produce more new weapons instead of repairing old ones. "We are working to move to a new level of the development of the Armed Forces, to stop repairing old weapons and old military equipment and start producing new ones this is absolutely true," he said. Poltorak said Ukraine was doing everything possible to ensure the safety of its seaports. Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak says Ukraine is staking measures to boost its defensive capabilities at sea. Read alsoUkrainian military pilots conduct drills over Sea of Azov (Video) "The fact that we are working to enhance our capabilities at sea is true. The fact that we are doing everything possible to ensure our presence in the Sea of Azov is also true," he told journalists in Kharkiv, an UNIAN correspondent reports. In addition, Poltorak said Ukraine was doing everything possible to ensure the safety of its seaports. UNIAN memo. On the morning of November 25, Russia blocked the passage to the Kerch Strait for the Ukrainian tugboat "Yany Kapu" and two armored naval boats "Berdyansk" and "Nikopol," which were on a scheduled re-deployment from the Black Sea port of Odesa to the Azov Sea port of Mariupol. The Ukraine Navy Command noted that the Russian side had been informed of the plans to re-deploy the vessels in advance in accordance with international standards to ensure the safety of navigation. The Russian coast guard ship "Don" rammed the Ukrainian tugboat, damaging the Ukrainian vessel. As the Ukrainian boats were heading back in the Odesa direction after being rejected passage via the Kerch Strait, Russian coast guards opened aimed fire on them. All 24 crew members on board were captured and later remanded in custody for two months, being charged with "illegal border crossing" (the sailors are facing up to six years in prison). Three crewmen were wounded in the attack. Russian-controlled "courts" in occupied Crimea ruled that all 24 detainees should be remanded in custody, after which they were transferred to the Moscow-based Lefortovo and Matrosskaya Tishina detention centers. Moscow's Lefortovo district court in the middle of January 2019, decided to keep the Ukrainian sailors in remand until the end of April 2019. No Ukrainian army casualties were reported over the period under review. Russia's hybrid military forces mounted one attack on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours. Read alsoUkraine: Russian proxy forces brazenly planting mines along contact line "No Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded in the past day. According to intelligence reports, two occupiers were killed and another three were wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on January 28, 2019. The enemy opened fire from grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms near the town of village of Novotoshkivske. Ukrainian troops returned fire using weapons not banned by the Minsk peace agreements. "Since Monday midnight, Russian-led forces haven't attacked Ukrainian positions yet," the report said. Police Department Body-Worn Camera Vendor Date of first purchase New York City Axon April 2017 Chicago Axon November 2015 Los Angeles Axon August 2015 Philadelphia Axon October 2017 Houston WatchGuard April 2016 Washington, D.C. Axon November 2015 Las Vegas Axon 2014 (month unavailable) Dallas Axon January 2014 Phoenix Axon April 2013 Baltimore Axon March 2016 Detroit WatchGuard May 2016 San Francisco Axon November 2014 San Antonio Axon February 2016 Boston Axon August 2018** Honolulu Axon August 2018 Memphis Axon August 2015 Milwaukee Axon October 2015 San Diego Axon June 2014 Austin Axon March 2017 Jacksonville Axon October 2018** Charlotte-Mecklenburg Axon April 2015 Atlanta Axon November 2016 Indianapolis None yet, pilot program only Fort Worth Axon March 2015 Denver Axon November 2015 After police fatally shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in the latter half of 2014, his family publicly declared that every police officer in the U.S. should wear body cameras.That moment is widely cited as the moment that propelled law enforcement agencies across the country to start buying the devices . And data indeed shows a marked rise in body camera purchases after Brown's death and the subsequent nationwide protests but the flurry of body camera purchases didn't reach its peak until about a year and a half later, after the Obama administration introduced grants through the Department of Justice to help law enforcement agencies pay for them.One way to trace the timeline of body cameras in use is through historical sales data. Axon, formerly known as Taser, is the largest provider of body cameras in the U.S., and has been selling the devices to police departments in the country since 2010. It is also publicly traded, meaning it reports its revenue to federal regulators four times a year.Those filings, illustrated in the chart above, show only a small uptick in Axon's video segment in the next several quarters after the events in Ferguson. The real momentum began in the second quarter of 2016, after the DOJ began giving out grants to help police departments start using the technology.A review of bid data in Government Navigator, a database from the, shows a similar trend a big rise in body camera purchasing activity in 2015, followed by a peak in the middle of 2016.Of course, one confounding factor in pinpointing the importance of the grants in kick-starting body camera use is the sheer length of time it takes for government to purchase technology. In general, it's common for state and local agencies to take a year or more to actually finalize and release a request for proposals for some kind of technology. So it's likely that much of the activity shown in Navigator began earlier than the graph suggests.The window of 2015-16 is when the majority of the 25 largest police departments in the country by officer count started purchasing body cameras. Five of those departments had body cameras before 2015, a full 13 purchased them in 2015 or 2016, and six have purchased them since 2016. One the police departments in Indianapolis has tried out body cameras with intent to deploy them soon.Among this top segment of the market, Axon dominates. All but two of the largest police departments that use body cameras have chosen Axon.Since 2016, as the Navigator data shows, body camera purchases have leveled off a bit. In 2017, bid activity dropped below 2015 levels, and then in 2018 they rose back up again. The bid data doesn't capture the entire market, but the data set consists of more than 300 RFPs and provides a good window into trends over time.And one trend emerges from the data very clearly body cameras are no longer a rarity. For law enforcement agencies in the U.S., they are a fact of life.Government Technology's Recent landslides broke down the drainage system in some places. Artificially created road fills toward the Kerch Strait Bridge, which was illegally built by Russia to link occupied Crimea with its Krasnodar Krai, have slid after snowfalls. Read alsoKerch Strait Bridge to "snap in one moment": Expert explains "point of no return" Road workers are cleaning the soil layer, using special equipment, eyewitnesses told the local news outlet Kerch.FM. Recent landslides broke down the drainage system in some places, in particular from the direction of the city of Kerch on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula and the village of Taman on the other side of the Kerch Strait in Krasnodar Krai on mainland Russia. "They are trying to eliminate the aftermath of the bad weather," a resident of Kerch wrote. As UNIAN reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the need to build a bridge across the Kerch Strait immediately after the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in March 2014. Originally, the bridge was expected to be built before 2018 and put into operation in the summer of 2019. Putin attended the official bridge opening ceremony on May 15, 2018. Its only the Ukrainian people who should choose Ukraines path, Yovanovitch stresses. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch has spoken of Washington's expectations from the upcoming elections in Ukraine. "I dont need to tell anybody in this room that Ukraine is entering a really critical period with the elections that are coming up," the envoy said, speaking at the Ukrainian Leadership Academy on Monday, according to the U.S. Embassy press service. She added that "its only the Ukrainian people who should choose Ukraines path." Commenting on who the United States supports in the upcoming elections, the Ambassador said: "I dont think you are going to be surprised when I tell you we support the Ukrainian people." Read alsoU.S. envoy urges Russia to respect Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity "As the presidential elections season moves forward, we in the U.S. share the expectations of the Ukrainian people. That 'titushki' wont be a part of those elections, that campaigns staff should not be worried about getting beaten up or harassed, that money doesnt buy votes in the villages, that disinformation is not used by the Russians or any other candidates to undermine the truth. And that full participation by all Ukrainian citizens is facilitated," Yovanovitch said. At the same time, the diplomat noted the goals she believes Ukraine should seek to fulfill. "Ukraine has to remain resolute on its path toward peace and reform, with stable and strong foundations for its economic growth, and secure in principled and uncompromising western values," the U.S. Ambassador said. The diplomat stated that a large majority of Ukrainians are "united in their enduring support of three priorities: a successful end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine; a prosperous economy; and a government that works for Ukrainians, respects their rights, and treats all citizens equally under the law." "The U.S. stands firmly alongside the Ukrainian people and believes that you like individuals all around the world deserve those opportunities," Yovanovitch added. It is assumed that the Normandy Four leaders must conclude a new agreement, to be approved by both Ukrainian and Russian parliaments. Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Tripartite Contact Group on Donbas, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, revealed a new plan to resolve the situation in Donbas, involving joint participation of the OSCE and the United Nations. In an interview with the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung, Sajdik says that after the plan on peaceful settlement in Donbas was presented at an OSCE ministerial in Milan in December 2018, there came no official response. For many years we have seen what wasn't entirely clear in the Minsk agreements. A mandatory part is that to implement the central element, to hold local elections, external assistance is required. We concluded that this could only be the UN, said Sajdik. The ambassador noted that the OSCE is able to assess elections, not to conduct them. In addition, the OSCE special representative says, a security plane is also to be taken into account. Read alsoUkraine's Foreign Ministry not to register Russia observers for upcoming elections Sajdik believes it is important to engage the UN, since the observers of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission cannot address these issues alone. He clarified that it is about the UN-OSCE interaction under the joint leadership of a so-called special representative. "This applies both to the military component and the police component on the part of the UN and continues to be valid for the OSCE monitoring mission already in place," said Sajdik. He added that also, the European Union plans to organize a recovery and reconstruction agency using the example of the one already operating in the Balkans. The agency will cooperate with, but remain beyond the leadership of the UN and OSCE. It is planned that the agency's operations will stretch throughout all districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Sajdik stressed. Also, the OSCE Special Representative noted the need for a new agreement to be signed by the Normandy Four leaders. Read alsoKlimkin: Concept of UN-OSCE peacekeepers in Donbas still under discussion "This is a central element. We need an agreement that will truly have political and legal weight. The Minsk agreements have not been ratified by either the Russian or Ukrainian parliaments. This, of course, is an issue. Our idea is to have this political weight, which everyone will then adhere to in order to implement the document, which has also been approved by parliaments," Sajdik said. At the same time, he reported on the proposal to set up in Donbas a transitional UN administration, which, among other things, would guarantee that the rights of the local population are observed, not restricted. This will also include the issue of amnesty. Also, he noted that "the Minsk agreements clearly stipulate that representatives of the so-called special areas of Donetsk and Luhansk [regions] will participate and be heard in the [settlement] process." "We assume that this should be the case even after a comprehensive agreement is approved, Sajdik added. However, the envoy did not elaborate on the exact number of personnel that would be required for the joint UN-OSCE mission. International appeals for both sides to de-escalate have become a depressingly regular feature of the dialogue surrounding the conflict, serving as the diplomatic equivalent of victim blaming. As Russias war against Ukraine is about to enter its sixth year, there is still widespread international reluctance to acknowledge the global significance of Vladimir Putins invasion, leading to a preference for the kind of euphemistic language that blurs the lines between victim and aggressor. This ostrich-like approach to the realities of the new Russian imperialism was on display during German Foreign Minister Heiko Maass recent visit to Kyiv, where he called on all sides to contribute to de-escalation, publisher of Business Ukraine magazine Peter Dickinson wrote in his piece for the Atlantic Council titled "Ukraines Slow but Steady Strangulation Is Taking Place in Plain Sight." The author says Maas was "apparently untroubled by the absurdity of urging Ukraine to de-escalate its own invasion and dismemberment" and criticizes top German diplomat for "coming to the capital of a country fighting for its life and delivering a lecture on the need for moderation." International appeals for both sides to de-escalate have become a depressingly regular feature of the dialogue surrounding the conflict, serving as the diplomatic equivalent of victim blaming. Russia must take much of the credit for this state of affairs. While few believe the Kremlins ongoing denials of involvement in Ukraine, the plausible deniability underpinning Putins brand of hybrid warfare has created just enough ambiguity to muddy the waters. Read alsoGerman minister: Kerch Strait is now open for shipping media Pretending the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a mere border skirmish will not make it go away. On the contrary, "the Kremlin may be settling in for a long campaign," having built a number of new Russian army bases along the Ukrainian border and redirecting Russian railway lines, which points to "preparations for future land operations inside Ukraine," the article says. In recent months, Moscow has also tightened its grip on the Azov Sea and Ukraines southeastern seaboard, while at the same time pushing to increase the encirclement of the country from the north through a greatly enhanced military presence in Belarus. The Wests refusal to recognize the scale of Russian imperial ambitions in Ukraine is also a matter of ignorance and misconceptions. The depth of Russian resentment over the countrys diminished post-Soviet status is simply incomprehensible to modern Western audiences who are more inclined to assume that Russians broadly share their values. Outside understanding of Ukraine is even more limited. Ever since 1991, most Westerners have tended to view the country through the distorting and outdated prism of Russian narratives. Calling on Ukraine to compromise with the Russian invader is also "strategically foolish" as the West already "finds itself locked in a new Cold War with Moscow that has its roots firmly planted in Ukraine," the author writes, adding that, until the war in Ukraine ends, this confrontation will continue to escalate. Read alsoUkraine's Navy "will be ready" to use weapons if Russia attacks again media Russia has expanded its hybrid hostilities on a dizzying array of fronts, ranging from Syria to the 2016 US presidential election and now Africa, but nevertheless, "all roads still lead to Kyiv." Putins hybrid war in Ukraine remains at the epicenter of the global conflict and the struggle is now entering what could be a decisive period as Ukraine is set to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in 2019, with both votes likely to cement the countrys historic pivot toward Euro-Atlantic integration. The election of another pro-Western president and parliament would be a devastating blow for Russian imperial ambitions and one that could persuade the Kremlin to consider increasingly drastic measures. Faced with the prospect of demotion, from hero of Crimea to the man who lost Ukraine, Putin will be acutely aware that his regime may not survive such a debacle. Read alsoTactics of petty provocations: Expert explains Kremlin's efforts to intimidate Ukrainians "In the coming months, any talk of both sides de-escalating needs to be replaced by clear and unambiguous support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression," Dickinson believes. "Moscow should be made painfully aware of the consequences should it seek to test Western resolve and Ukrainian resilience any further." The new Cold War is the direct result of Western efforts since 2014 to appease Moscow and avoid the uncomfortable reality of a revanchist Russia, according to the author who says that this brand of "wishful thinking must give way to the kind of clarity that won the first Cold War." "Ultimately, there can be no equivalence between Ukrainian resistance and Russian aggression. If Russia stops fighting, there will be no war. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no Ukraine," he wrote. Klimkin reiterated only two agencies in Ukraine may officially register observers, namely the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Central Election Commission (CEC). Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said the ministry will not register observers from Russia for the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine. "I really don't see any conflict. We have clearly said the Foreign Ministry will not register official observers from the Russian Federation for the upcoming elections. This is our political position. This is evidence that Russia is an aggressor state," Klimkin said at a joint press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Tomas Petricek, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Read alsoUkrainian rock star Vakarchuk not to run for president in 2019 (Video) "It is even impossible to allow Russian official observers to Ukraine from the legal point of view," Klimkin said. "Therefore, we have sent an official letter to the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), informing that there cannot be any Russian observers here. There were precedents in the history of the OSCE," he said. "It's already very clear here. Russia can declare anything it wants. But by definition, there cannot be any observers from Russia at this election," Klimkin said. He reiterated only two agencies in Ukraine may officially register observers, namely the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Central Election Commission (CEC). "I hope the CEC will not register Russian official observers as well. This is completely wrong either from the political, or from the legal, and, finally, from the moral point of view. And I don't see any conflict here," he said. In addition, Klimkin added "those who organize illegitimate elections in occupied Crimea and occupied Donbas have nothing to do in Ukraine." The presidential vote in Ukraine is scheduled for March 31, 2019; parliamentary elections are planned to be held on October 27, 2019. Chief of the National Police of Ukraine Serhiy Knyazev says said that the Russian Federation will make attempts to destabilize the situation through massive provocation in Ukraine during the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2019. "The aggressor country will also take measures to destabilize the situation in our state, to compromise state agencies and organize acts of provocation," he said at an annual meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Kyiv, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Read alsoUkraine's interior ministry vows resolute, adequate response to offenses amid elections Knyazev expects that the current election campaign will be complicated due to external and internal factors and will require the authorities' concentration on ensuring law and order. As was reported, Russia says it is going to send its observers as part of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine to monitor the presidential elections. They were previously kept in the hospital of the Matrosskaya Tishina detention center. Journalist and human rights activist Victoria Ivleva says three wounded Ukrainian sailors who were illegally arrested by the Russian Federation near the Kerch Strait on November 25 have been transferred to the Moscow-based Lefortovo detention center. "The three wounded sailors Andriy Eyder, Andriy Artemenko and Vasyl Soroka were transferred from Matrosskaya Tishina to Lefortovo yesterday or today," she wrote on Facebook on January 27. "We have found out this by accident, trying to enroll in an electronic queue to bring parcels. It was not possible to do this as the reason was the "Recipient Not Found,'" she wrote. They were previously kept in the hospital of the Matrosskaya Tishina detention center. Read alsoPACE calls on Russia to handle captive Ukraine sailors as per Geneva Conventions: Official document UNIAN memo. On the morning of November 25, Russia blocked the passage to the Kerch Strait for the Ukrainian tugboat "Yany Kapu" and two armored naval boats "Berdyansk" and "Nikopol," which were on a scheduled re-deployment from the Black Sea port of Odesa to the Azov Sea port of Mariupol. The Ukraine Navy Command noted that the Russian side had been informed of the plans to re-deploy the vessels in advance in accordance with international standards to ensure the safety of navigation. The Russian coast guard ship "Don" rammed the Ukrainian tugboat, damaging the Ukrainian vessel. As the Ukrainian boats were heading back in the Odesa direction after being rejected passage via the Kerch Strait, Russian coast guards opened aimed fire on them. All 24 crew members on board were captured and later remanded in custody for two months, being charged with "illegal border crossing" (the sailors are facing up to six years in prison). Three crewmen were wounded in the attack. Russian-controlled "courts" in occupied Crimea ruled that all 24 detainees should be remanded in custody, after which they were transferred to the Moscow-based Lefortovo and Matrosskaya Tishina detention centers. Moscow's Lefortovo district court in the middle of January 2019, decided to keep the Ukrainian sailors in remand until the end of April 2019. The incident happened on January 24. Seven attackers on journalists of the Stop Corruption project in Kyiv's Holosiyivsky district are facing 10 years in prison and have been placed under house arrest during the evening hours. The decision on the arrest was made by Kyiv's Holosiyivsky district court on January 26, the media liaison office of Kyiv's police said. The suspects should stay at the registered address from 21:00 to 07:00 and abide by the court's ruling, it said. Nine individuals were detained on January 24, seven of them were indicted under Part 2 of Article 187 (assault) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Police seized rubber-bullet handguns and rounds during the detention. As was reported, a group of unknown persons who arrived in three cars with foreign registration at Industrialna Street in Kyiv's Holosiyivsky district reportedly damaged a car of the Stop Corruption project's camera crew with an ax, used tear gas, beat a journalist and seized personal belongings, including money and documents. Police officers who were on the scene identified them as employees of a private security firm. The journalists were investigating illegal production of sand in Kyiv's Vydubychi area. Read alsoAlleged organizer of Handziuk's murder on wanted list since Dec 10 PGO The victim was hospitalized and left the hospital after he had been provided with medical aid. According to Stop Corruption coordinator, journalist Roman Bochkala, the so-called "private security guards" were engaged in transportation of illegally produced sand by trucks. As part of their probe, the journalists arrived at Vydubychi on January 24, they were accompanied by two activists. One of them, a Donbas war veteran and a member of the Azov regiment, was reportedly another victim of the attack. Bochkala says Vydubychi on the right bank of the Dnipro River is the biggest illegal point of river sand production in Kyiv. "This plot of land was leased by MostoStroy Ltd., a bridge engineering venture. The city council broke the lease agreement in 2018, but illegal sand mining continues right in front of police's eyes," he added. Commenting on the court's decision, Bochkala said it was lenient. The decision on the attackers was taken by judge of the Holosiyivsky district court Oleksandra Koldina, he said. "She knows better what to do. Oleksandra decided that those thugs could freely walk. This is 'house arrest lite.' The criminals will just have to be at home from 23:00 to 07:00! It's about eight hours. For a good sleep, perhaps. To continue harassing journalists, damage cars with an ax car, spray tear gas in the face, fire from guns, and steal the sand," Bochkala wrote on Facebook. "Ironically, the organizer of the attack, notorious Mykhailo Burda, was under house arrest at the time of the crime! Only for another crime. And what we see. The house arrest liability did not prevent him from committing a new crime. And now he is at large. Where is the guarantee that his mates will not do the same?!" he wondered. The flow of hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants from Venezuela in recent years is the largest population movement in the recent history of Latin America. In the face of this monumental crisis, the reaction of the countries of the region has been exemplary. In my travels through the region, I have been able to witness the solidarity and commitment of governments, humanitarian organizations and local communities with refugees and migrants from Venezuela. The countries of the region have received Venezuelans with affection, generosity and respect, in the same way that, in the past, the Venezuelan people opened their doors to a large number of refugees and migrants from the region. In recent days, however, violent actions, physical and verbal attacks and threats against Venezuelan citizens in several countries in the region have marred this picture. Although isolated and unrepresentative, these acts of hatred, intolerance and xenophobia are extremely worrying. Faced with them, it is essential that governments and societies respond with a clear and forceful message of rejection. Racism, misogyny and xenophobia have no place in our countries and must be firmly condemned. Political and opinion leaders must appeal in their pronouncements to peace, justice, calm and restraint, condemning xenophobic and misogynistic attitudes and actions. The media and users of social networks, for their part, must report the facts in a responsible manner, without inciting xenophobic attitudes and actions, and must also condemn all physical or verbal attacks against refugees, migrants and other foreign persons, when they occur. Only through dialogue, solidarity, justice, coexistence and respect for diversity can we solve the multiple challenges that confront our region. Given the current humanitarian and political challenges, Latin America must remain faithful to its tradition of solidarity. In this context, the Quito Process - promoted by several countries in the region - constitutes a path of hope, a path of understanding and a path of common construction: it represents a road map to foster the reception, protection and inclusion of refugees and migrants in the host countries. UNHCR and IOM will continue to support the efforts of States and civil society to address the most urgent needs of refugees and migrants, as well as to support host communities. It is with this objective that a Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform was established - with agencies of the United Nations System and various international organizations - and a Regional Response Plan for Refugees and Migrants has just been presented in order to foster a coordinated response, mobilize resources from the international community and promote a culture of tolerance, peaceful coexistence and inclusion. Media contact For UNHCR: In Geneva: Liz Throssell, [email protected] , + 41 79 33 77 591 , + 41 79 33 77 591 In Panama, William Spindler, [email protected] , +507 638 278 15 For IOM: UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Nomzamo Mbatha pictured at Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya, in June 2018. UNHCR/Tobin Jones UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today announced the appointment of South African actress and human rights activist Nomzamo Mbatha as its newest Goodwill Ambassador. Since 2017, Mbatha has worked in close in cooperation with UNHCR as a High Profile Supporter and advocate for UNHCRs LuQuLuQu campaign, raising awareness for the forcibly displaced in Africa. Mbathas engagement includes visits to experience UNHCRs life-saving work in camps and settlements in Malawi, Kenya and South Sudan. She also hosted the 2018 Nansen Refugee Award Ceremony, which honoured South Sudanese humanitarian Dr. Evan Atar, and spoke at TEDxKakumaCamp, the first ever TEDx event to be hosted in a refugee camp. In her talk, she reflected on how her deep attachment to helping refugees, particularly women and children, is rooted in her personal life story of overcoming adversity. The strength of refugees, their ability to persevere and their ingenuity for making the best of a difficult situation is what I celebrate. Being named a Goodwill Ambassador is an incredible honour and I can't wait to embark on this journey, learn more and use my voice to truly be an agent of change, said Mbatha. It is with great delight that we welcome Nomzamo Mbatha to the UNHCR family, UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi said. She has shown tireless commitment to shining a light on refugee situations across Africa and I look forward to seeing her inspire many more people in this new role. Mbathas appointment comes at a time when war, conflict and persecution have forced over 68 million people to flee their homes the highest level of displacement ever recorded. Over 25 million of these are refugees, with Sub-Saharan Africa hosting over 31 per cent of the global refugee population. Nomzamo Mbatha is available for interviews. For media inquiries please contact: [email protected] or Pumza Nohashe +27 76 197 6145 For more information regarding Nomzamo Mbathas support to date, please visit this page. Videos of Nomzamo Mbatha are available here: International Womens Day, TEDxKakumaCamp Contacts: About UNHCR: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We deliver life-saving assistance like shelter, food and water, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future. We also work to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality. The Governors Official Program is comprised of a wide range of constitutional and legal duties and ceremonial and community engagements. Each year, the Governor hosts thousands of visitors to Government House to take part in investiture and award ceremonies, Open Days, receptions and meetings, and travels widely throughout Queensland to support the activities of Patron groups. View a chronological record of the Governors daily program below. On Saturday, in the morning, at Jezzine Barracks, Townsville, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey attended the Townsville City Council Australia Day Awards Ceremony, and the Governor presented the Citizen of the Year award. Following, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey attended the Australia Day Flag Raising Ceremony, and the Governor received the Royal Salute, and addressed guests. Following, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey attended the Townsville City Council Citizenship Ceremony, and the Governor addressed guests. In the afternoon, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey returned to Government House following official travel to Townsville. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today announced the appointment of South African actress and human rights activist Nomzamo Mbatha as its newest Goodwill Ambassador. The announcement elevates Mbatha from her previous role as a UNHCR High Profile Supporter. Commenting on her appointment, Mbatha expressed enthusiasm to take on her new role. It is an incredible honour to be appointed a goodwill ambassador, she says. I can't wait to embark on this journey, learn more and use my voice and to truly be an agent of change. She adds that her journey with UNHCR, which started in 2017, has been one of learning. Many people think that this role is about giving but it's also about receiving, she explains. Its about receiving and understanding the human spirit, receiving empathy and understanding our common language as human beings. Mbatha takes on the role at a time when war, conflict and persecution have forced over 68 million people worldwide to flee from their homes the highest level of displacement ever recorded. Over 25 million of these are refugees with Sub-Saharan Africa hosting over 31 per cent of the global refugee population. Mbatha has become part of a movement of leading voices from the African continent that advocates and aims to change the narrative on refugees from one of despair to one of hope and resilience. Prior to her appointment, Mbatha has been working closely with UNHCR to raise awareness about the forcibly displaced in Africa. As a High Profile Supporter and advocate for UNHCRs LuQuLuQu campaign, she has travelled to several countries hosting most of the continents displaced. I have been inspired by refugees resilience and by the fact that we are more common than we are different, she says of her experience meeting displaced people and hearing their stories. I can't wait to embark on this journey, learn more and use my voice and to truly be an agent of change. In 2017, she travelled to Dzaleka, the largest refugee camp in Malawi. The following year, she visited Kakuma camp and Kalobeyei settlement in northern Kenya, where she met vulnerable groups including women and children, accommodated in safe spaces in the camp. Their strength, their ability to overcome and their ingenuity for making the best of a difficult situation is what I celebrate, she said as she reflected on the refugee women she met in Kakuma. Mbathas third trip with UNHCR was to South Sudan where she visited refugee camps and settlements for internally displaced people in Juba and Maban. The visit left a lasting impression on Mbatha as she recalls how the people she met there inspired her. There are so many stories that touched me, she says. I think it is through these stories that you truly encounter the human spirit. She adds that many of the refugees she has met exemplify hope and resilience and have helped her understand true humanity. She recalls meeting Adut Idris, 17, in Maban, South Sudan. Adut was the only blind student in a school that has no braille machines and is in one of the most remote refugee camps in the world, she says. He told me that he wants to be an engineer when he grows older, so that he can help other refugee kids know that anything is possible. Mbatha was also a speaker at the first ever TEDx event to be hosted in a refugee camp - TEDxKakumaCamp. In her speech, she explained how her deep attachment to the refugee cause and her interest in issues affecting women and children, are rooted in her personal life story of overcoming adversity. She also attended the 2018 Concordia Annual Summit where she moderated a panel discussion on how to explore the private sectors role in helping refugees rebuild their lives. Later in the year, she hosted the Nansen Refugee Awards which honoured South Sudanese humanitarian, Dr. Evan Atar. "It is with great delight that we welcome Nomzamo Mbatha to the UNHCR family, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. I have personally witnessed her tireless commitment to shining a light on refugee situations across Africa and look forward to seeing her inspire many more people in this new role. Three wounded Ukrainian sailors were transferred from the medical unit of the Matrosskaya Tishina detention center to the Lefortovo detention center in Moscow on Saturday, January 26. Lawyer Nikolay Polozov, the coordinator of the defense team for Ukrainian prisoners of war, wrote this on his Facebook page. "According to the statement of the investigator, wounded prisoners of war, Ukrainian sailors Andriy Artemenko, Andriy Eider and Vasyl Soroka were transferred from the medical unit of the Matrosskaya Tishina detention center to the Lefortovo detention center back on Saturday. Matrosskaya Tishina confirmed to our lawyers that the three wounded prisoners of war do not already stay there. During the day, the investigator promised to prepare and pass to the Lefortovo detention center the permission to entrance for lawyers of the wounded prisoners of war," Polozov said. He specified that a meeting of lawyers with Artemenko, Eider and Soroka could be complicated due to the existing objective organizational difficulties for visiting detainees in Lefortovo. "We'll look for opportunities to provide lawyers with visits to the wounded prisoners of war by this time," Polozov said. As reported, on November 25, 2018, Russian border ships fired on and seized in the Kerch Strait three Ukrainian naval vessels that were moving from Odesa to Mariupol. Twenty-four Ukrainian sailors were captured. The sailors were detained for two months. They were charged with illegally crossing Russia's border in the Black Sea. On November 29, Ukrainians were taken to a detention center in Moscow. On January 16, Moscow's Lefortovo District Court extended the arrest of all 24 seamen until April 24 and 26, 2019. Attorneys will file appeals on all Ukrainians. All captured sailors called themselves prisoners of war. On January 24, the PACE adopted a resolution entitled "The escalation of tensions around the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and threats to European security," which officially demands that Russia treat Ukrainian military sailors captured in the Kerch Strait in accordance with the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. On Sunday, January 27, Ukrainian Ambassador to Austria Oleksandr Shcherba and Polish Ambassador to Austria Jolanta Roza Kozowska traditionally joined the commemoration of the Holocaust victims. On the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the diplomats laid wreaths at the monument to 65,000 Austrian Jews killed by the Nazi regime, an Ukrinform correspondent reports from Vienna. "We have been commemorating the Holocaust victims jointly with the Polish embassy for the fifth year in a row. It is one of good Ukrainian-Polish traditions which were born here in Vienna and which we value. The Holocaust must be remembered in Ukraine and abroad," Ambassador Shcherba said. This year, the event was attended by Ernst Woller, first President of the Parliament of the Province of Vienna. After the ceremony, the ambassadors of Ukraine and Poland and the President of the Vienna Provincial Parliament also visited the Jewish Museum Vienna located nearby. On the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Ukraine joined the #WeRemember world campaign to draw attention to the fight against antisemitism and other manifestations of hatred. The International Holocaust Remembrance Day is marked on January 27 in accordance with the resolution of the UN General Assembly, co-authored by 100 states, to pay tribute to the victims of the Nazi terror during the World War II. Ukraine joined this international date at the state level in 2012 (the Parliaments resolution of July 5, 2011), although it was one of the six countries that had initiated the adoption of the resolution in 2005. On January 27, 1945, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front of the Soviet Union's Red Army liberated the prisoners of the Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp. Russia is most likely preparing for a large-scale offensive against Ukraine, as evidenced in particular by a significant increase in the number of Russian tanks, aircraft, and special operations teams. Ukrainian Joint Forces Commander Serhiy Nayev told this to British military journalist Askold Krushelnycky, according to Ukrainian news site Novoye Vremya. "First, they increased the number of troops in the conflict zone. For example, the number of tactical battalions near the Ukrainian-Russian border has increased from eight to twelve, and this is only in my area of responsibility," Nayev said. According to him, Russia has also substantially increased the number of aircraft ready for operations from air bases on the other side of the front line, near Donetsk. He said that the key evidence of the enemy's aggressive plans is that Russian special operations teams (DRGs) had been moved to Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In particular, the Ukrainian military revealed a special type of satellite communications used by senior officers of the Russian army. The presence of Russian generals proves that a regrouping of troops is underway, which most likely means the preparation for an offensive, he said. "Their reconnaissance capabilities have tripled: more DRGs, more radio interception groups, more spies. As a rule, this happens in the run-up to the offensive," the Joint Forces commander said. Nayev also believes that the attack on Ukrainian ships in the Kerch Strait is part of Russia's plan to take control of the entire Azov Sea coast and expand the zone of Russia's presence in the western direction, via Mariupol and to Crimea. A police officer who shot and killed another officer early Thursday was charged Friday with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action, both felonies.Officer Nathaniel R. Hendren, 29, is accused in the shooting of Officer Katlyn Alix, 24, while they were playing with a gun.According to the statement of probable cause, Hendren and Alix were playing with firearms. Hendren took all the bullets out of a revolver and then put one back in. He spun the cylinder, pointed it away and pulled the trigger.The gun did not fire, court records say. Alix then took the gun, pointed it at Hendren and pulled the trigger. Hendren then took the gun again and pulled the trigger. This time it fired, striking Alix in the chest, records say.Alix was taken to St. Louis University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.Hendren was on duty, as was his partner, also 29, who was not identified. Both men were described as close friends and frequent partners of Alix while patrolling the Second District.Alix, who was off duty, went to Hendren's home in the 700 block of Dover Street in the Carondelet neighborhood.Hendren and his partner were working a late shift Wednesday and attended roll call at their station along Sublette Avenue, a source said. Investigators believe that shortly after roll call, they went to Hendren's house, a source told the Post-Dispatch.The house is about two miles from the southeastern border of the district they were supposed to be patrolling. Under department policy, on-duty officers are required to remain in their assigned districts at all times.Officers are required to "constantly patrol his/her beat, except when on special assignments and shall not lounge, loaf or gather with others at any place," according to the "Responsibilities of the District Police Officers" section of the police manual.At some point, Alix arrived at the house. She was off duty. The partner told investigators that he told Hendren and Alix they should not be playing with guns, and reminded them they were police officers. He said he didn't want any part of it and started to leave, but before he got outside, he heard a shot.Hendren and his partner reported the shooting on their police radios at 12:56 a.m. Thursday and loaded Alix into their police department SUV, taking her to the hospital.At the hospital, Hendren head-butted the back windshield of a police SUV parked nearby, breaking it, sources said. He suffered minor injuries to his head, and remained hospitalized, sources said.The police department refused to confirm that Hendren was hospitalized, how the window to the SUV was shattered or any other details about the case. Chief John Hayden said in a five-minute news conference early Thursday that the department believed it was "accidental," but has not elaborated. In a news release issued later Thursday, the department wrote that the officer "mishandled" the weapon.Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards said Friday that Hayden's statement was based on the information they had initially. Hayden, he said, had been "very forthright in terms of transparency and accountability, but these situations oftentimes change and when investigations are done, these situations will change, it's been very fluid."On Friday, a statement from department spokesman Sgt. Keith Barrett said: "Chief Hayden promised Officer Alix's family that he would ensure that our Force Investigation Unit would conduct a thorough and competent investigation regarding this incident. Today detectives of the Force Investigation Unit presented their initial findings to the Circuit Attorney's Office which resulted in warrants being issued for Involuntary Manslaughter and Armed Criminal Action."Hayden's office directed all inquiries to the circuit attorney's office.Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner called the shooting "devastating" for the community and Alix's family.She said her office filed charges against Hendren "based upon the evidence.""I have said many times before that I will hold people accountable who violate Missouri law, regardless of their profession, public status and station in life," she said. "Today, as much as it saddens me and my staff to file these charges, Katlyn and her family deserve accountability and justice.""This should never happen. We don't expect this to happen. We expect our officers to utilize their training and be the most responsible people ever when it comes to handling firearms and unfortunately, it did not happen in this situation," he said. Edwards said he would like to see Hendren fired as soon as possible.The police department has taken hits to its reputation in recent years. Four officers were indicted on federal charges in connection with the beating of an undercover police officer during protests in St. Louis in 2017, and were accused of mistreatment by numerous protesters. Four former officers were charged with taking bribes from a chiropractor's wife in return for nonpublic accident reports to solicit business for her husband's practice. And the St. Louis circuit attorney's office blacklisted 28 officers in 2018, including them on an "exclusion list" that bans them from bringing cases to the office for charges.Although Gardner has declined to say why the officers were included on the list, she has talked about her need as a prosecutor to "defend the integrity of the criminal justice system."The St. Louis Police Association has provided an attorney for Hendren to handle the internal disciplinary matters, and he has declined to comment. It is unclear whether the union will pay for an attorney to handle the criminal proceedings. The union must vote on whether to provide an attorney for an officer in criminal matters on a case-by-case basis.Both Alix and Hendren have military backgrounds. She served six years in the Army. He served as a Marine, sources said.Alix was a two-year veteran on the force. Hendren had one year of service, and his partner had about two years.A Gofundme account has been set up online by one of Alix's former partners to help pay for funeral expenses. It had raised about $3,600 toward a $5,000 goal in hours.Visitation will be from 1 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Kutis Funeral Home, 2906 Gravois Avenue. A prayer service will be at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, followed by a 10 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica. The Foreign and Caricom Affairs Ministry says at no time has Prime Minister Dr. Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley "ever disparaged the vaccine programme in Guyana nor has he ever implied that the vaccines in use in Guyana are defective or unsafe." Native Tulsan Miranda Dunham is using her talents, drive and opportunities to create the life of her dreams. From a young age she felt what she calls a click with mathematics. The subject was a good fit with her solutions-oriented thinking. These days shes finding solutions and personal fulfillment as a petroleum engineer in Oklahoma. Dunham decided to pursue an engineering degree after touring the University of Tulsa. Graduating with only two other women in the department, Dunham was keenly aware she was entering a male-dominated field. But confidence in her abilities and optimism for future opportunities propelled her forward. Youve just got to have the courage to know you can do it, she said. I would encourage any young girl with an interest in STEM to pursue it. Dunhams enthusiasm for the oil and natural gas industry is evident. Shes quick to point out Oklahomas current standings in national energy contributions. Its a sense of pride for me. Were third in natural gas production, and fourth in oil production in the United States, she notes. Its a huge revenue stream for our state, it funds different education programs and provides the power we need in our everyday lives. The current SCOOP and STACK plays in Oklahoma are producing more than vital energy for our state and nation, theyre creating interest among younger generations to consider oil and natural gas as a career path. Dunham notes the nationally-respected petroleum programs at Oklahoma State, the University of Oklahoma and her alma mater, the University of Tulsa. These top-rated schools have some awesome petroleum-related areas of study, she said. Theyre producing students who will be wonderful employees that help this industry and add value to our state. Dunham finds her role at Bravo Natural Resources LLC rewarding, as it allows for the variety and independence she needs to thrive. On any given day I could be dealing with a pipeline, a well or service facility. Im able to wear multiple hats and I really enjoy that, she said. Ive been given flexibility to do projects the way I think, and the authority to handle them on my own. The ever-evolving technology used within the industry requires Dunham to constantly be learning and applying new advancements. She welcomes the challenge. It keeps my mind busy. Not only is our industry at the forefront of technology, were helping create technology thats being used to advance other industries, she notes. Its also added an element of safety. Technology allows us to model what is below ground, make modifications and take precautions for whatever we might encounter. Dunham also takes pride in the oil and natural gas industrys commitment to protecting the environment. Many people dont realize there are so many rules and regulations in our industry to keep people and the environment safe and many companies take these measures even further, she explained. The people working in this industry care about the environment. Theyre good people who want to live and raise their kids in a world that is clean and safe. When presented with opportunities to use her experience and expertise in other states, Dunham chose to stay in Oklahoma. Being close to her family and friends is a top priority, but she also feels her work here is part of a bigger contribution. Were doing something important. Oklahomas production is helping the United States, which is now one of the only countries able to export oil and natural gas. Were making an impact on the world, she said. If I could go back in time, theres no other career Id choose. Discover more stories of Oklahoma millennials making a difference at EnergyHQ.com. OKLAHOMA CITY A former top lawmaker has agreed to pay $25,000 to the state to settle a lawsuit that accused him of misusing campaign funds. Former Rep. Gus Blackwell, who became a lobbyist after leaving the Legislature in 2014 because of term limits, agreed to pay another $6,000 to the state watchdog agency that sued him. The Laverne Republican already has paid $10,000 in restitution to the state House to resolve a criminal case over the same accusations. Oklahoma County prosecutors in 2016 charged him with 44 criminal counts after an investigation into his travel expenses. The Oklahoma Ethics Commission sued him on the same day. He was accused in the criminal case of embezzling $23,741 in campaign funds, committing perjury and making false claims. He pleaded guilty in 2017 to a single felony perjury count after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors. He admitted his final 2012 campaign report was false. OKLAHOMA CITY Freshman U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern has assets valued at up to $93 million, making him by far the wealthiest member of Oklahomas congressional delegation and possibly the richest ever. Hern, a Tulsa Republican who took office early this month, reported to the clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives last year that the assets he was required to list were valued between $38.7 million and $92.9 million. The report covered the first six months of 2018. Herns most valuable asset is his 94 percent interest in a company that operates 10 McDonalds restaurants. That company was valued between $25 million and $50 million. A Tulsa man pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in a case in which he struck two vehicles where a woman was helping change a flat tire. Sylvester Franklin Jr., 74, pleaded guilty to the charge on Jan. 2, and a Tulsa County district judge sentenced him to 10 years under the supervision of the Department of Corrections, according to court records. Franklin is to serve four years in prison with six years suspended, according to court records. Authorities alleged that Franklin was under the influence of an intoxicating beverage when his Chevrolet Impala crashed into two vehicles on a Tulsa street on June 14, killing Mary Jane Cassady, 63, the Tulsa World reported previously. Cassady was helping her niece change a flat tire on North Harvard Avenue, just north of Oklahoma 11, when the crash occurred. Police said the woman was under her nieces vehicle, which was stopped in the outside lane with its hazard lights on, in an attempt to retrieve the spare tire when Cassadys vehicle was rear-ended by the Impala. The impact reportedly pushed Cassadys vehicle into the disabled car, pinning Cassady between the vehicles. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Mazzei was elected to the Senate by winning a 2004 Republican primary in District 25, which includes far southeast Tulsa and parts of Bixby. He entered the Legislature as state revenue was on the rise and within a few years had crashed. For most of his legislative career, Mazzei advocated lowering state income-tax rates. Unlike some of his colleagues, though, he generally sought to offset those cuts by closing some holes in the tax code. He voted for the quarter-point income tax cut of 2014, but then fought a later reduction. And Mazzei has not opposed all business incentives. He championed a program to reward aerospace companies for bringing high-paying engineering jobs to the state, for instance. But, since leaving the Legislature, he has continued advocating for an overall reduction in tax breaks for individuals and businesses. Hes also suggested eliminating road funding for county governments and broadening the sales-tax base while lowering the rate. Stitt, who wants to raise the level of state services without raising taxes, decided he needed Mazzeis experience in an administration without a great deal of background in government. With my background and work in state finances, I believe I can contribute to help make Oklahoma strong financially, Mazzei said. Two years ago, I researched to determine those people with Oklahoma ties who have won or been nominated by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Then I presented details, including their Oklahoma connection and Oscar resumes, for all 29 individuals. It turns out there were more. Thats going to happen when dealing with more than nine decades of history (the 91st Oscars happen Feb. 24). One honoree I should have remembered I interviewed him a decade ago when he was nominated. Another was a surprise I never knew, and finally, there was a fellow Id never heard of but who was well-known in Hollywood for decades. Here are the three new Oklahomans I found with Oscar connections, as well as our original 29 on the list, bringing the total to 32. Just know that the history of Oklahomans at the Academy Awards goes back 80-plus years, from well-known actors like James Garner to cinematographers and editors who have been dead for decades. And they helped to bring many Hollywood classics to the screen. Tevin from Tulsa Texas officials have launched a purge of 95,000 people from the voter rolls, saying they do not appear to be U.S. citizens -- just the beginning of a wider, more frequent purging that will happen monthly from now on.Texas Secretary of State David Whitley said working with the Department of Public Safety, his office has been able to identify the potential non-citizens among those registered to vote, including 58,000 who have cast ballots before in Texas elections."Integrity and efficiency of elections in Texas require accuracy of our state's voter rolls, and my office is committed to using all available tools under the law to maintain an accurate list of registered voters," Whitley said.Voter advocacy groups pointed out Friday that none of the state's suspicions have been confirmed yet, and objected to the method used to identify the suspected non-citizen voters. They noted that 50,000 Texans become naturalized citizens each year.The Secretary of State cannot remove the voters from the rolls. That is up to county elections officials. But Whitley has recommended counties take action by sending notices that would give the people who have been flagged 30 days to prove they are eligible to vote by presenting a birth certificate, passport, or certificate of naturalization. If they fail to respond, their registrations will be canceled by the county voter registrar.The Secretary of State's Office said Friday it was not prepared to release a list of how many voters per county are affected, but verified that Harris County has the most.Already, the list of 58,000 people suspected to have voted despite being non-citizens is being forwarded to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for potential legal action. It is a felony to vote in Texas when you know you are not eligible."Nothing is more vital to preserving our Constitution than the integrity of our voting process, and my office will do everything within its abilities to solidify trust in every election in the state of Texas," Paxton, a Republican, said in a statement to the media.The news is almost certain to buoy conservatives from President Donald Trump to Gov. Greg Abbott who have alleged illegal voting and voter fraud are rampant.Abbott, who made voter fraud a priority item for the Texas Legislature in 2017, said Friday that "illegal voting in Texas will not be tolerated, and as governor, I will continue root it out and punish it.If the 58,000 voters in fact turn out to have wrongly cast ballots, Texas would give Trump his clearest backing yet on claims of mass voter fraud that he says cost him the popular vote in the 2016 presidential election. Though Trump won the Electoral College, he lost the popular vote by a wide margin."In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally," Trump said in a November 2016 tweet.After being elected, Trump set up a voter fraud commission that ultimately disbanded with no clear evidence of widespread wrongdoing.It took little time for Republicans to cite the state's preliminary findings in fundraising pleas: "We knew it was happening and now we have proof," said an email blast sent three hours after Paxton's press release.But voter advocacy groups warn that Friday's announcement is an attempt to intimidate voters, and the contention that voter fraud is rampant has been repeatedly discounted."There is no credible data that indicates illegal voting is happening in any significant numbers, and the Secretary's statement does not change that fact," said Beth Stevens, Voting Rights Legal Director with the Texas Civil Rights Project.Stevens said she is concerned about how the state identified the suspected non-citizen voters.The Secretary of State's office relied on documents that the voters themselves submitted to DPS when they were trying to obtain drivers licenses. Non-citizens, such as temporary residents, asylum seekers and refugees, are eligible to get a Texas drivers license, but they are not allowed to register to vote unless they become U.S. citizens."It is important to note that we are not using information self-reported by the person regarding citizenship status; rather, we are using documents provided by the person to show they are lawfully present in the United States," wrote the state's director of elections, Keith Ingram, in a notice to registrars in all 254 Texas counties.Stevens said that could be a problem. About 50,000 Texas residents become naturalized citizens every year.She's not alone in that concern."I hope that the Secretary of State and the Attorney General are extremely careful to ensure that they make accurate matches and do not unnecessarily alarm the public or falsely accuse people who are eligible to vote," said state Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso. "For example, a legal permanent resident with a driver's license who becomes a citizen is not required to go back to DPS and change their status. So just because someone is listed as a non-citizen in DPS records, that does not mean they still are."On Monday, counties are expecting a list from the state of suspected non-citizens on their voter rolls, said Williamson County Voter Registration Supervisor Julie Seippel.Seippel said Williamson County will then review the list, looking for possible errors, before sending letters to registered voters giving them 30 days to prove their citizenship. Those that don't, or can't, will be removed from the rolls."If they get a letter and they are a citizen, it's important they provide documentation or mail it out to us. That way we can keep them on our rolls," she said.Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen said typically the county is alerted to possible non-citizen voters through the jury summons process, though it's not a frequent occurrence.The state flags a few dozen voters a month statewide who are disqualified from jury duty because they declare they are non-citizens, said Sam Taylor, a spokesman for the Secretary of State's Office. The state then compares those names to the voter rolls and forwards the information to counties.But the new purge is part of larger effort as the state's technology allows it to better compare voter rolls with drivers license records. The state now can compare names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and election ID numbers to identify potentially ineligible voters.This is just the beginning. Taylor called the 95,000 names the "initial backlog." Going forward, the Secretary of State's office will use information from DPS on a monthly basis to cross reference the voter registration database to identify potential non-citizens who have registered to vote.Stevens said the latest efforts -- and the overzealous celebration from Paxton and others -- are concerning because the next step will be that "the state is going to use this highly suspect 'investigation' to try to pass laws that will make it harder for eligible Texas voters to cast a ballot that counts."Texas has already been aggressive in passing laws aimed at alleged voter fraud over the past decade, many of which critics say have reduced access to the ballot box. For instance, the state has adopted voter ID laws and restricted voter registration drives. More recently, in 2017, it passed tougher penalties for people who wrongly handle absentee ballots. Erling honored Ripleys request. Five chapters were added to Ripleys Voices of Oklahoma interview after he died. Erling said Ripley was brave to share his feelings, adding that not many people could talk about themselves in such a manner under those circumstances. And the final chapters would never have happened had it not been for that distorted recording session, he said. Ideally, Ripleys willingness to talk about what he was facing will prove beneficial to someone in a similar position or someone with a loved one in a similar position. Seek out the source material to get the full context. You can hear Ripley talk about his faith and his fear of needles. He tells a big-picture story about a blue dot photograph that will make you feel small, in the right way. He talked about the uncertainty of knowing how much time you have left (its not like a TV movie where a doctor tells you that you have six months), and he talked about the expense, even with good insurance, of being sick. I take four pills every day, and its like $400, he said. Maybe, he suggested, new drugs will come down the pipeline that can extend lives. Related story: Owasso senators bill would ban vaping at schoolMark Officer has seen enough evidence of vaping to be concerned. The Owasso High School principal is not alone. Owasso Public Schools personnel and members of the Tulsa Health Department will be part of The Truth About Vaping informational forum, which will take place Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the Mary Glass Performing Arts Center. We see a lot of them, Officer said of the e-cigarettes. Theyre pretty popular with students. The approximately hour-long forum will begin at 6 p.m. and is expected to include a few brief presentations followed by a Q&A session. Officer said other schools in the district are invited. OPS has reached out to neighboring school districts about the event. Weve told other schools theyre welcome to come, Officer said. We want to offer the opportunity for parents to learn more about the issue and the safety implications involved. We want to keep our kids safe and healthy. The country needs 350,000 jobs in cybersecurity, Clancy said. These are jobs in which you need a high level of education. You cant do this on the certificate level. You have to be very strong in computer sciences first, then you move on to cyber. The district is paired with all these different industries beyond the Department of Defense needing help: banking, retail, health care, transportation, oil and gas, critical infrastructure. Our feeling is lets take advantage of that, and lets lead an economic development push in cyber for Tulsa lets give it a name thats attractive and lets call it the Cyber District. For more than two decades, TU has been a national leader in cybersecurity research and education. TU has been a National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense Education since 2000 one of the first 14 institutions awarded this distinction. This cyber district is going to build critical mass, said John Hale, a computer science professor at TU who has testified three times before Congress as an information security expert. You get enough talent and ideas in the same general space, and it just sort of mushrooms. A section of Ugandan politicians believe President Yoweri Museveni is a gift from God and therefore he should never leave power. Among the politicians advocating for Museveni's presidency for life is David Bahati, the country's state minister for planning who pleaded with the 74-year-old Ugandan strongman to vie again in the 2021 General Election to continue his leadership. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Museveni could become president for life as Uganda's Parliament votes to remove age limit David Bahati, Uganda's State minister for Planning, on Saturday said President Yoweri Museveni is a gift from God. Photo: Daily Monitor. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Yoweri Museveni cleared to rule Uganda for life in landmark case verdict Speaking during the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party Day celebrations in Kabale district on Saturday, January 26, Bahati showered his party leader with praise, describing him as a development oriented leader. Let us also join the whole nation and celebrate the NRM Day. Let us thank God for the gift of good NRM leaders that shed their blood in a bush struggle to deliver development in Uganda. Museveni is a gift from God. All Ugandans should keep supporting for continued development, Bahati said as quoted by Uganda's Daily Monitor. READ ALSO: Uganda's Museveni ranked among best presidents in the world and here is why The state minister added Museveni who ascended to power in 1986 after rebelliously toppling Milton Obote and Idi Amin's regimes has over the decades demonstrated he was an exceptional leader. We are building on what the generation of President Museveni did in 1986 when they liberated this country. They stood for the freedom, security, democracy and prosperity of Ugandans, the NRM politician said. READ ALSO: Drama as 6 Ugandan MPs are suspended amid debate on Bill seeking to extend Museveni's rule Uganda's government chief whip, Ruth Nankabirwa, is the other politician who also believes Museveni is not just a gift from God but also a superhuman being. President Museveni is a gift from God and because of his superhuman wisdom, we should keep him in power to continue serving Ugandans, Nankabirwa, a vocal proponent for scrapping of the presidential age limit, said in March 2018. Uganda's government chief whip Ruth Nankabirwa in March 2018 said Museveni is a gift from God and superhuman being. Photo: Eagles Online. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Museveni's press secretary in hot soup over a deceptive tweet he posted 8 months ago The Ugandan Parliament on December 19, 2018, overwhelmingly endorsed a Bill that sought to remove the presidential age limit (capped at 75) through a constitutional amendment, thanks to NRM's numerical strength in the chamber. The NRM members who supported the controversial Bill carried the day with 317 votes against 107 from the opposing side. Museveni signed the Bill into law, effectively paving way for himself to vie for the presidency as many times as he would wish to. TUKO.co.ke understands the Age Limit Article 102(b) of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda prevented presidential candidates outside the age bracket of 35 to 75 from vying for the top office. With the restricting Constitutional requirement out of the way, Museveni will be free to vie again in 2021. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. CBD Blast Leaves Two Injured - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko - He thanked those who expressed concerns over his health assuring them all was okay - The ODM leader was captured on camera being rescued by bodyguards from falling - He had gone to watch SportPesa tournament final in Dar es Salaam where the said incident took place The Orange Democratic (ODM) party leader, Raila Odinga, has confirmed he is doing fine after reports emerged he fainted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he had gone to watch the Sportpesa SuperCup final. The former prime minister thanked those who expressed concerns over his health and assured them all was well. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Railas PA clears the air after claims the ODM leader fainted in Tanzania The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party had also denied reports Raila Odinga fainted in Dar es Salaam Tanzania where he had gone to watch Sportpesa's supercup. Photo: Standard. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Joho says Raila has told NASA to oppose Ruto's presidency by all means In a short Twitter post shared on Sunday evening, the ODM party leader put to rest the growing speculations about his health. "Dear Kenyans and friends from around the globe, I am well and in good health. Thank you for your concern," he tweeted. READ ALSO: Chaos erupt in Siaya town as two groups of youth clash over 2022 polls, 3 arrested The ODM party had also hours earlier cleared the air stating Raila's health was not in any danger and therefore there should be no cause for alarm. Raila's Personal Assistant (PA), Dennis Onyango, said his boss only stepped on a podium that was collapsing and that his falling had nothing to do with his health. "Hon Raila Odinga is fine in Dar. Images of security people holding him emerged from a step on the podium that was falling off and not anything to do with health. Thanks though to everyone who has expressed concern," he clarified. READ ALSO: Game of musical chairs? Kenyans left in stitches as Raila sits on Rutos chair A video had emerged showing Raila being held by his bodyguards to rescue him from falling on a podium at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam shortly after handing a trophy to the Sportpesa SuperCup winners, Kariobangi Sharks FC. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. When Uhuru, Ruto and Raila Met at State House - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko The introduction of the innovative tax administration system has made life easier for many Kenyans. Formerly, KRA was using the TSW taxpayer software for filing VAT returns and the Integrated Tax Management System (ITMS). ITMS was used to register taxpayer PINs, but the system was disabled following the introduction of iTax. So, what's new in the 2021 update? How can one effectively file KRA returns? Photo: canva.com (modified by author) Source: UGC How long has it been since the commencement of the iTax platform? It is hard envisioning the currently efficient tax filing system without its technological developments that have taken years to implement. It started operations in 2014, allowing Kenyan taxpayers to file and pay for their taxes online regardless of the category. Today, Kenyans throng the platform to access the revenue authoritys services, the income section being the most popular. And you can complete your filing process using their easy and straightforward process. Requirements to file KRA returns online in Kenya The iTax system has made it easier for Kenyans to file KRA returns online while at home via the official KRA website. Any taxpayer or agent has access to the KRA online portal and can file KRA tax returns as long as they have all the credentials. You should fulfil a few things before you fill KRA returns form online or utilize the downloadable excel workbook. You should have your employer information if you are employed. Ensure your employers information includes their KRA PIN. Request your employer to give you your P9 form seeing it has almost all the information required when filing your returns. Have all financial statement nearby if you are running a business. The mortgage interest certificate/underwriters PIN/Insurance Premium Certificate is also essential. Have your withholding tax certificates, if needed. Collate any other relevant documents regarding claims for deductions or income received for evidence purposes and information extraction for the iTax portal. After the introduction of iTax, most people did not know how to file tax returns online. As such, they relied on Huduma Centers and KRA branches. However, with the latters almost always busy, cybercafe attendants learnt how to file tax returns KRA and have since aided thousands of Kenyans. It is a good idea to learn how to file KRA returns by yourself to be self-sufficient. How to file KRA returns for employees, 2021 update Photo: @KRACare (modified by author) Source: Facebook If you are employed and don't have any other business, you can use the KRA online PAYE returns portal to file your taxes. All you need is your P9 form that your employer usually issues. A P9 form is a tax-deduction document that employers issue their employees. It possesses your basic salary, benefits, allowances, pension contributions, gross pay, tax charge and personal relief for the entire year. You can use the following process to file your tax using the ITR For Employment Income only option. Open your browser and visit the official iTax portal (itax.kra.go.ke/KRA-Portal/). On the platform, you will notice a section requiring your official PIN and password. Enter your issued credentials and answer the arithmetic sum and click, log in . . Once logged in, head over to the returns menu and click to avail a drop-down list. Choose ITR for Employment Income Only . . Select the return period and then choose yes for the question, do you have employment income . Press next when done. for the question, . Press next when done. This will avail an information page possessing all your personal and tax details. You will have basic information and other sections that you are supposed to check and confirm whether the details are correct. Under section F, confirm whether the details of your employment are correct and as well as the gross pay and other allowances. You will be confirming this using your P9 form. If the Teachers Service Commission employs you, you can verify if the TSC employer PIN is written correctly. Head over to sheet M, details of PAYE deducted and confirm if everything is entered correctly. You can also go to section Q and capture any payment data made before filing the return. Open section T, tax computation and enter the defined pension contribution amount per your P9 form and personal relief. Once you are satisfied everything is filled correctly, slick submit and download the e-return acknowledgement receipt. You can file KRA returns using another, a bit complicated process different from the above. Here, you will first have to download the excel workbook and populate your details using the following procedure. Log in to the KRA iTax portal using your credentials that includes your PIN and password. Click on the returns tab and chose file return from the drop-down list. Choose your tax obligation (Income Tax-Resident Individual), then click Next . . Download the income tax resident individual form (you will receive instructions on how to download the form to your computer and unzip it). Open the excel file and populate all the relevant details using your P9 form. This will include your basic information, employment income, PAYE deducted and tax computation (personal relief). Once satisfied that everything is entered correctly, click the validate button to approve the data. button to approve the data. Upload the generated excel sheet and click the submit button on the iTax platform. button on the iTax platform. Download the returns acknowledgement receipt to confirm that you have completed the filing process. Taxpayers should note that any negative figure when filing KRA returns means that they are due for a refund. On the other hand, a positive figure indicates that one should pay KRA a certain amount. How to file nil returns on the iTax platform What happens when you dont have any income to declare in a fiscal year? The Kenya Revenue Authority allows you to file nil returns in such instances. You can complete the process using the following steps: Visit the official website for KRA, then log in using your KRA PIN and password. Answer the security question asked to validate your login process. Navigate to the returns menu and select the File Nil Returns option. option. After clicking next, you will be directed to the page for nil returns, where you are expected to select your type of taxation and tax obligation. After clicking next, your screen will display the Income Tax Resident Individual Nil e-Return/PAYE form, with the period already populated. Confirm if everything is correct and click submit . You can press the back button to make any corrections to the nil return filing information. . You can press the back button to make any corrections to the nil return filing information. A successful submission message will then be displayed, followed by an acknowledgement receipt. As long as you are a Kenyan citizen and above 18 years, you must file returns on the iTax platform. The nil return option is excellent for people lacking a primary income source or yet to complete their studies. How to file returns for a company Photo: @KRACare (modified by author) Source: Facebook Do you want to know how to file returns on iTax for your company income? Todays company registration process requires every firm to have a personal identification number. Therefore, every firm is automatically enrolled in the system upon registration. You can file your companys income using the following procedure: Log in to the portal using your company credentials. After clicking submit, the companys iTax profile page will open on your browser. Click on the file returns option under the returns drop-down list. option under the drop-down list. It will direct you to the Income Tax-Company form page, whereby you can download the excel workbook for your company. page, whereby you can download the excel workbook for your company. Extract the workbook to your computer and start populating all the required details according to your companys financial statements. Once done and verified, click validate and upload the form on the iTax platform. and upload the form on the iTax platform. You will get an acknowledgement receipt upon successful submission. If you have a dormant company that has not made any income for the financial period, you can choose the file nil returns option on the iTax platform. With KRAs sophisticated iTax system, filing returns is a piece of cake as anyone can complete the process wherever they are and on any compatible gadget. The tax authority sensitizes the public regularly on how to file KRA returns to ensure that everyone is familiar with the online platform. And the 2021 update possesses all the alterations that the institution has implemented over time. Have you been wondering how to file nil returns on the Kenya Revenue Authority iTax platform? Tuko.co.ke created a well-detailed guide giving clear instructions on how people can file their nil returns. The nil return option was available by the revenue authority to ascertain that people who don't have income in a financial year still file their returns. Source: Tuko Someone Knows Something (SKS) Somebody must know something. Right? Sadly, however, in a small country such as ours, people disappear into thin air and other crimes occur that are never solved. 868-623-1777 ext. 2728 sks@trinidadexpress.com If you have any information on any of these cases, please callor email us at Its Time Automatic Registration Restoring Felons Rights Voter ID In the nearly three months since elections dogged by accusations of voter suppression, state lawmakers across the country have either filed or pre-filed at least 230 bills that would expand access to the ballot for millions of Americans.Bipartisan efforts aim to bring automatic voter registration, vote-by-mail, or the restoration of voting rights for ex-felons to more than 30 states.Bills to increase voter access have outpaced election integrity bills, such as those that would require voter ID or proof of citizenship and would limit early voting, across the country this year, according to a count by New York University School of Laws Brennan Center for Justice. State lawmakers had introduced just 24 such bills.High-profile questions over ballot access and the success of pro-voter ballot measures in November led to an extraordinary groundswell of support for pro-voter reforms, said Max Feldman, a counsel in the Brennan Centers Democracy Program.The midterms saw reports of voter registrations put on hold and rejected absentee ballots in Georgia and purges of names from voter rolls in Florida, Indiana and North Carolina. At the same time, voters in Michigan and Nevada approved automatic voter registration and voters in Maryland cleared the path for same-day registration.Voting rights advocates are working to keep national attention on voting access issues, Feldman said, starting earlier this year with the introduction of the U.S. Houses first piece of legislation.The Democratic bill would implement nationwide automatic voter registration, promote online voter registration, require same-day registration for federal elections, end aggressive voter purging, restore voting rights for ex-felons, make Election Day a national holiday and take redistricting power away from state legislatures and transfer it to independent commissions.The bill is not going anywhere in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in December. In an op-ed, the Kentucky Republican later called it a naked attempt to change the rules of American politics to benefit one party. But it set the tone for state lawmakers to push for significant voting changes, Feldman argues.State lawmakers were paying attention, he said.Expanding ballot access is not just being introduced in blue states. There are bills to establish automatic voter registration, same-day registration and the restoration of voting rights in purple and red states like Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina and Texas.After a decade of passing restrictive voting laws like voter ID, momentum is shifting toward passing small pieces of catch-up legislation to further modernize states voting systems, said Chapman Rackaway, a professor of political science at the University of West Georgia.Its the pendulum swinging the other way, Rackaway said.This year is definitely different, Rackaway added, alluding to the sheer volume of bills and bipartisan support. There are always some folks who are going to introduce legislation like this, but its not taken seriously. Were seeing more states introduce these bills than we have before, and theyre more serious pieces of legislation.But there is still a deep divide across the country over the best approach to regulating elections. While this year may see some of the biggest expansions of voting rights in decades, many Republican lawmakers who still control most state legislatures will continue to fight against some measures they see as overreaching.Hans von Spakovsky, a manager in the Election Law Reform Initiative at the right-leaning think tank Heritage Foundation, said there are hardened partisan lines around issues like automatic voter registration. Voting rights advocates, he said, dont have the momentum that they think they have.State fights over voting laws also will play out in court this year. In Wisconsin, Republicans in December passed new restrictions to early voting, before a Democratic governor took office. A federal judge quickly struck down those changes, however.With Democratic gains in state legislatures during the 2018 midterm elections, lawmakers in states such as New York where Democrats now control the governorship and both houses are poised to expand voter access.New York has had some of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country. It didnt break out of the bottom 10 during the 2018 midterms, at 45.2 percent, according to data compiled by the United States Elections Project.Democrats in Albany, such as Charles Lavine, the chairman of the Assemblys Election Law Committee, link the low turnout rates to the states voting laws no early voting, no same-day registration, no voting by mail. For years, his colleagues in the Assembly have passed election bills, only to be thwarted by the Senate Republican majority, who refused to consider the legislation.Requests for comment from several Republican senators were denied.Weve passed these bills time and time again, Lavine said. Weve been utterly frustrated with the Senates refusal to consider these measures. New York is deep blue, but the state Senate was deep red.As its first major legislative act, the new Democratic majority in the New York Senate on Jan. 14 passed a series of bills aimed at expanding voting rights.The package included measures that would establish an early voting period, make federal and state primaries fall on the same day, allow 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote, and require the state Board of Elections to transfer registration information when voters move within the state.The Senate also passed two amendments to the state constitution that would allow voting by mail and same-day registration. Both amendments would need to be approved by voters in a statewide referendum.During the Jan. 14 floor debate over the legislation, Republicans in the chamber raised concerns about the speed with which the bills passed and the impact they might have on the integrity of elections. State Sen. Catharine Young, the Republican ranking member of the Senate Elections Committee, said these new requirements would impose costs on local governments.This is a huge unfunded mandate, she told her fellow senators.She also raised concerns that the package is the first step to allow non-citizens to vote in New York. Young did not respond to Stateline requests for an interview.Despite these concerns, some Republicans voted for the measures, including early voting and same-day registration.These measures previously passed in the state Assembly and are expected to be signed by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo.State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Elections Committee, told Stateline he plans to use his chairmanship to explore more voting legislation in the coming months, including automatic voter registration, electronic poll books, restoration for parolees and voting online.Automatic voter registration, under which residents have to opt out of becoming a registered voter when they visit a department of motor vehicles, has been implemented in 16 states and D.C. since 2015, while 17 states and D.C. now allow same-day registration.Democratic lawmakers in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Jersey and New Mexico, who control both the legislatures and the governorships, also have introduced packages that include automatic voter registration, same-day registration and early voting.Minnesota, a state with some of the highest voter turnout in the country and where nearly 87 percent of eligible residents are registered, also is considering a package of election law changes, which includes automatic voter registration.Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, said it would make the states system even easier for voters, even as some Republican lawmakers worry about the potential for voter fraud.Rep. Jim Nash, the Republican assistant majority leader in the state House, said there is significant resistance in his caucus to adopting this measure.It may be a way to game the system if the person applying is an undocumented immigrant, Nash said. Thats a fairly prevalent concern in Republican circles.A package of election changes might also be a tough sell for Pennsylvanias Democratic governor, Tom Wolf, who expressed interest late last year in similar measures but must contend with a Republican legislature that previously has opposed such efforts.While some Republicans have opposed measures to change voting law in legislatures across the country, its too simplistic to say that all Republicans oppose these reforms, said Chapman of the University of West Georgia.Indeed, other voting measures are enjoying widespread bipartisan support. Both red and blue states are looking to lift barriers to the ballot for certain ex-felons.In Iowa, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds wants the state legislature to pass a constitutional amendment that would allow convicted felons to regain their voting rights.I believe Iowans recognize the power of redemption, Reynolds said in her Jan. 15 Condition of the State address. Lets put this issue in their hands.Lawmakers in Minnesota, New Mexico and New Jersey have introduced legislation to restore voting rights for ex-felons.In Minnesota, one of the bills co-authors, Republican state Rep. Nick Zerwas, said a political system that excludes people from being engaged in society doesnt make sense.I dont see this as a red or blue issue, but an issue of justice for people trying to put their lives back together, he said in an interview.The issue still falls along party lines in certain states. An effort to change the lifetime voting ban for felons in Virginia died in a Republican-controlled state Senate committee earlier this month.Restoration of rights gained national attention in November, when Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure that allows most ex-felons to vote, affecting 1.4 million residents. Already, people across the state are lining up at county elections offices to register.But in December, newly elected Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis created some confusion when he told the Palm Beach Post that the measure should not go into effect until the state legislature passes implementing language. He opposed the ballot measure during the midterms.Daniel Smith, a professor of political science at the University of Florida, said the measure was written to be self-implementing and did not need any further approval from the state legislature or DeSantis. But, he said, the legislature could try to pass abrogating language. Certainly, he said, there would be a lawsuit if that happens.DeSantis office did not respond to a request for comment.This worries Patti Brigham, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, who cited examples of legislators in other states attempting to reverse approved ballot measures. In Missouri, lawmakers are attempting to block an anti-gerrymandering constitutional amendment that passed with more than 60 percent approval in November.Its really mind-boggling that you have these state legislators that try to go against the will of voters, Brigham said. Thats why we have to be so watchful.In one of the dozen bills pre-filed in Texas this year that might pass, Republican lawmakers want to bolster the states voter ID law. The bill would allow election workers to make photocopies of a voters ID or take a picture of the voter if that worker suspects fraud. A federal judge in 2017 made the state soften its voter ID law.In North Carolina, a measure requiring voters to show ID became law in December after the Republican-led legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers veto. Voters in Arkansas in November added a voter ID requirement to the state constitution.While some Republican lawmakers have said voter ID laws strengthen election security and prevent voter fraud, critics argue those laws make it harder for minorities to vote and bolster unfounded fears of widespread fraud.Ahead of the U.S. census in 2020, which will allow state lawmakers to redraw legislative boundaries, gerrymandering also has taken center stage.Voters in Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Utah passed ballot measures to limit overly partisan redistricting in their states, implementing independent commissions.But outstanding cases from Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia before the U.S. Supreme Court may be decided in the coming year, which could give lawmakers legal cover to gerrymander and give one party an advantage in their state for the next decade.Gerrymanderings effect was clear in Wisconsin in the 2018 midterms, for example. Despite Democrats receiving 190,000 more votes statewide, Republicans won 63 of the states 99 state Assembly seats.And in Virginia, a federal panel of judges last week approved new district lines that weaken Republican-held legislative districts and strengthen potential Democrat-leaning districts. There are various ideologies guiding the function of countries around the world. Countries in the western world, in general, enjoy large measures of freedom, originally based on a Judeo-Christian worldview. The foundational tenets in such societies derived from the Ten Commandments, and honouring parents, the elderly in society, was sacrosanct. Even if token, state pension provisions were indicative of that regard. The Senate unanimously passed a bill yesterday which gives the public the right to access a sex offender website providing names, photographs and date of birth of convicted sex offenders. All present in the chamber supported the Sexual Offences Amendment which was passed 28 for, none against. Caleb Hanna was a child when Barack Obama won the White House and, like many African Americans, he recalled his excitement at seeing someone who looks like me become president.But Mr. Hanna, now 19, soured on Mr. Obamas policies. This month, he was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates as a Republican, becoming one of the partys youngest black legislators in the country.(The youngest Democratic state legislator is Kalan Haywood of Wisconsin, who is also 19 and black.)Mr. Hanna grew up not only in a state that is overwhelmingly white, but in a white family. He was adopted as a child, and his father, mother, four sisters and brother, who are all white, joined him at his swearing-in ceremony last month. Racial differences have hardly registered in his short life, Mr. Hanna said.During Mr. Obamas first term in Washington, his father lost his job as a coal miner, and Mr. Hanna blamed the Obama administrations environmental policies. Once I learned more about his politics and how they were affecting our community, my attitude changed, he said. By 2012, I was definitely a Mitt Romney fan. Three Opposition MPs are calling on the Government and the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to have a heart and stop disconnecting the water supply of errant customers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein yesterday wrote to WASAs executive director Lennox Sealey urging him to suspend the drive and display humanity as people are suffering and strapped for cash in the pandemic given the lockdowns. CONSPIRACY theorists with too much time on their hands were the ones who created an issue over the arrival of 80 vials of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine that came to the country last week for use by officials at the National Security Ministry. So said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday at the Covid-19 media conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Anns. Canton, GA (30114) Today Showers and thundershowers during the morning giving way to periods of light rain this afternoon. High 82F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Washington, January 28 Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris has launched her 2020 presidential bid on Sunday with a scathing criticism of President Donald Trumps policies, saying that the US is at an inflection point in the history due to the attack on democracy like never before. Harris, 54, who was elected to the Senate in 2016, announced her run for presidency last week. She has been voted on top of the list of Democratic leaders aspiring to defeat Trump in the November 2020 election. Harris, the second African-American woman elected to the US Senate, has drawn comparisons to Barack Obama since early in her political career. We are at an inflection point in the history of our nation. We are here because the American dream and our American democracy are under attack and on the line like never before, she said. When we have leaders who bully and attack a free press and undermine our democratic institutions, thats not our America, she said, without mentioning Trumps name. She criticised the arrogance of power she saw in wealthy bank executives after the foreclosure crisis, and said that Americans needed to be honest about the countrys problems with racism, sexism, anti-semitism and transphobia. She also emphasised unity, praising the amazing spirit of the American people and pledging her desire to be a president, echoing former President Abraham Lincolns famous words, Of the people, by the people, and for all people. Pointing to Trumps xenophobic rhetoric, his policies at the border, and his decision to shut down the government in a failed attempt to get funding for his controversial plan to build a wall along the US-Mexico border, she said, People are trying to convince us that the villain in our American story is each other. But that is not our story. That is not who we are. We are better than this, she said. Recollecting the fighting spirit of her Indian mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who migrated to the US from Tamil Nadu for studies, Harris told a cheering crowd in her hometown of Oakland, California, that this was not going to be an easy election pitted against an incumbent like Trump. Harris spoke of an America where we welcome refugees and denounced President Trumps plan to build a wall along the US-Mexico border as a medieval vanity project. If I have the honour of being your President, I will tell you this: I am not perfect. Lord knows, I am not perfect. But I will always speak with decency and moral clarity and treat all people with dignity and respect. I will lead with integrity. And I will tell the truth, she said. My mother used to say that dont sit around and complain about things. Do something, Harris said in her impressive speech that lasted for more than 30 minutes. With the fighting spirit I got from my mother, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for the President of the United States. And I will tell you, Im running for President, because I love my country, Harris told the crowd estimated to be around 20,000, a few blocks away from where she was born. So far four women Democratic leaders have entered the presidential race. Apart from Harris, the three others are Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii. All of them have to pass through a grilling presidential primary beginning next January, the winner of which would be announced in the Democratic National Convention in July 2020. The nominee would challenge incumbent Trump, a Republican, in the presidential election in November that year. Quoting the former presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Harris said challenging an incumbent is not easy. Of course, we know this is not going to be easy guys. We know what the doubters will say is that they always say: theyll say its not your time. Theyll say, wait your turn. Theyll say, the odds are long. Theyll say, it cant be done.... But, Americas story has always been written by people who can see what can be unburdened by what has been... thats our story. I say to you my friends, these are not ordinary times, and this will not be an ordinary election. But this is our America.... We can reclaim the American dream for every single person in our country. We can restore Americas moral leadership on this planet, she added. Asserting that she running to fight for an America where the economy works for working, Harris promised education and healthcare for all if elected as the 46th US President. Harris was the first African-American and Indian-American attorney of California, before being elected as the US Senator. Already having many firsts in her name, Harris will be the first woman president of the country if she wins. Alleging that too many black and brown Americans are being locked up for mass incarceration, she called for drastic repair of criminal justice system. Lets also speak the truth that too many unarmed black men and women are killed in America. Critical of Trumps foreign policy, Harris said under this administration, Americas position in the world had never been weaker. When democratic values are under attack around the globe, when authoritarianism is on the march, when nuclear proliferation is on the rise, when we have foreign powers infecting the White House like Malware, lets speak about truth our present danger, she said. And lets face the biggest truth, the biggest truth of all: In the face of powerful forces trying to sow hate and division among us, the truth is that as Americans we have so much more in common than what separates us, she added. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com Manila, January 28 The Philippines vowed to destroy those behind twin bombings that killed 20 people during a Sunday church service in the countrys restive south, six days after a referendum on autonomy for the mainly Muslim region returned an overwhelming yes vote. The attack wounded more than 100 people and was one of the deadliest in recent years in a region long plagued by instability. It came amid hope and excitement about the ratification of a devolution plan that aims to bring development, jobs and peace to one of Asias poorest and most volatile places. The first explosion went off inside the cathedral on Jolo island, in Sulu province, and was followed by a second blast outside, which was detonated as security forces raced to the scene, officials said. The enemies of the state have boldly challenged the capability of the government to secure the safety of the citizenry in that region, said Salvador Panelo, spokesman of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. The armed forces of the Philippines will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack via the militant groups Amaq news agency, describing it as twin suicide bombings that it said killed 120 people. Police are investigating but suspect it was the work of Abu Sayyaf, a domestic militant group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and is notorious for its bombings and brutality. They want to show force and sow chaos, national police chief Oscar Albayalde told DZMM radio, suggesting Abu Sayyaf was the prime suspect. Civilians bore the brunt of the attack, which also killed five soldiers. Police lowered the death toll from 27 to 20, after discovering duplications in initial records. Jolo is a stronghold of the group, which runs a lucrative piracy and kidnapping operation that successive governments have failed to break up. The group, which operates in the waters and islands of western Mindanao, has beheaded numerous foreign captives when ransom demands were not met. Images of the inside of the Jolo church showed several rows of wooden pews destroyed, with debris strewn across a blackened floor. Speaking in Panama, Pope Francis condemned what he called a terrorist attack and during a prayer for the dead and wounded said: May the Lord, prince of peace, convert the hearts of the violent ones. Dastardly act The attack followed Fridays announcement that the region, a mainly Muslim part of the predominantly Catholic Philippines, had ratified the creation of an autonomous area called Bangsamoro, with 85 percent of voters behind it. Although Sulu was among only a few areas that rejected autonomy, it will still be part of the new entity when it is fully formed in 2022. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana called the attack a dastardly act and urged the local population to cooperate and deny terrorism any victory. National Security Adviser, Hermogenes Esperon, called those responsible mass murderers and extremist criminals. We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace, he added. The referendum came amid concerns about the presence of extremists in the Philippines and the possibility that foreign radicals will join those of Indonesia and Malaysia in gravitating to Mindanao to capitalize on porous borders, jungles and mountains, and an abundance of arms. The Philippine military in mid-2017 encountered its biggest and longest battle since World War Two when an alliance of extremists loyal to Islamic State, among them foreigners and children, overran Marawi City and tried to establish a caliphate. Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf faction leader anointed as Islamic States Southeast Asian emir and wanted by the United States, was killed during that battle. Reuters vermaajay1968@gmail.com Kabul/Peshawar, January 27 Taliban officials said US negotiators on Saturday agreed on a draft peace pact setting out the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan within 18 months, potentially ending Americas longest war. The details of the draft were given to Reuters by Taliban sources at the end of six days of talks with US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar aimed at ending the war, more than 17 years since American-led forces invaded Afghanistan. It stipulates that troops would leave within 18 months of the agreement being signed. While no joint statement was issued, Khalilzad tweeted later that the talks had made significant progress and would resume shortly, adding that he planned to travel to Afghanistan to meet government officials. Meetings here (in Qatar) were more productive than they have been in the past. We have made significant progress on vital issues, he wrote, adding that numerous issues still needed work. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and everything must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire, he wrote in the tweets. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday wrote on Twitter that he had received encouraging news from Khalilzad about the talks. The US is serious about pursuing peace, preventing #Afghanistan from continuing to be a space for international terrorism & bringing forces home, Pompeo tweeted. He did not give a timetable for the potential withdrawal of US forces. A Taliban statement issued later also noted progress on troop withdrawal and other issues but said more negotiations and internal consultations were required. The policy of the Islamic Emirate during talks was very clearuntil the issue of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is agreed upon, progress in other issues is impossible, said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, using another name the group calls itself. It was not clear whether the draft described by the Taliban sources was acceptable to both sides or when it could be completed and signed. According to the sources, the hard-line Islamic group gave assurances that Afghanistan will not be allowed to be used by Al-Qaida and Islamic State militants to attack the United States and its alliesa key early demand of Washington. They said the deal included a ceasefire provision but they had yet to confirm a timeline and would only open talks with Afghan representatives once a truce was implemented. Up until now, the Taliban has repeatedly rejected the Afghan governments offer of holding talks, preferring instead to talk directly to the US side, which it regards as its main enemy. More talks on the draft are expected in February, again in the Qatari capital Doha, the Taliban sources said They expect their side to be led by new political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the movements co-founder and a former military commander who was released from prison in Pakistan last year. Reuters "Talks were more productive than they have been in the past. We made significant progress on vital issues. But nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and everything must include an intra-Afghan dialogue." Zalmay Khalilzad, US special envoy "In 18 months, if the foreign forces are withdrawn and ceasefire is implemented, then other aspects of the peace process can be put into action." A Taliban source As hopes rise of a peace deal, what comes next? Tight city budgets were stretched thin during the 35-day partial shutdown, and some officials fear the damaging financial effects will extend beyond the reopening of the federal government.Cities across the country in recent weeks have stepped in to fill shortfalls left by shuttered federal agencies.Some, like Washington, D.C., offered no-interest loans or mortgage assistance to furloughed federal workers. Others like New Orleans have said they will waive penalties for late tax or tuition payments.But the budget strains go beyond the 800,000 government workers who have gone more than month without a paycheck. They also impact those who rely on federal benefits for housing, food and transportation subsidies.Our food pantries, the lines have grown significantly, said New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D). We have to respond to peoples needs in real time.A huge portion of city budgets come from the federal government, for everything from the Community Development Block Grant program to Housing and Urban Development funding to pay for apartments for low-income residents and Justice Department grants to fight crime. Uganda through the National Water and Sewerage Cooperation (NWSC), will host the 2020 African Water Association (Afwa) Congress, which is expected to attract more than 2,500 delegates from national water and sewerage utilities across the continent. The official launching ceremony of the dual event took place on Friday January 25, 2019 in Kampala, Uganda, in the presence of AfWA president Abderrahim El Hafidi, NWSC MD Dr. Silver Mugisha, AfWA Executive Director Sylvain Usher and AfWA coordinator and NWSC Director Dr. Rose Kaggwa. Speaking at the launch of the Congress, the NWSC Managing Director, Eng. Dr Silver Mugisha, said that the Congress is expected to attract over 2,500 delegates cross Africa. Stories Continues after ad The Congress will bring together a diverse range of practitioners, scientists, development partners and industry representative, working across different areas of water and sanitation sector across the world, said Dr. Mugisha. Dr. Silver Mugisha also assured the delegates that Uganda is one of the most hospitable countries if not the best, they will all feel at home and many of them might end up making Uganda their second home. We can promise you the hospitality of Ugandans. Uganda is the most hospitable Country in the world whether you agree or not. So tell everyone coming for the AfWA2020 that theyre welcome. He said. The NWSC MD added, The aim of the #AfWA2020 is to improve water productivity in Africa through bench marking and sharing information at the conference come 2020. Mr Muhamood Lutaaya, the regional manager NWSC, revealed that during the 20th congress, AFWA will also celebrate 40 years of existence and launch the first ever African water and sanitation academy. One of the key objectives of the AfWA2020 is to provide a forum for young water professions, students and early career researchers and practitioners to engage with international experts thus helping to educate the next emerging leaders. There will be every excellent exhibition to bring research and practice together in a way to come up with solution and innovation to address the water and sanitation challenges that Africa is facing, He said. The Congress will increase the visibility of Uganda and promoting tourism potential and bring a diversity of economic implication to the country. The 20th AfWA International Congress and Exhibition which will be held from 24th to 27th February 2020 at Kampala Serena Hotel under the theme Breaking new grounds to accelerate access to water and sanitation for all in Africa. This will be an opportunity to present the roadmap of activities that will take place until 2020, in preparation for the next World Water Forum to be held in 2021 in Dakar, Senegal. Uganda last hosted the Congress in 2010, followed by Morocco in 2012, Kenya 2014 and lastly was in Mali in 2018. The African Water Association (AfWA), formerly known as Union of African Water Suppliers (UAWS), is a professional association of establishments, enterprises and utilities operating in the areas of drinking water, sanitation and environment in Africa. AfWA has over 100 utilities members from over 40 countries across Africa gspannu7@gmail.com Cairo, January 28 A British woman convicted in Egypt of smuggling painkillers has been granted early release after spending more than a year in prison, an Egyptian security source said on Monday. Laura Plummer, 34, was arrested at Hurghada airport and sentenced in December 2017 to three years in prison after customs officers found almost 300 Tramadol pills in her luggage. She was among a number of prisoners granted a presidential pardon after having served a third of her sentence, said the source at the Egyptian prison authority. Procedures for her release were completed yesterday (Sunday), he added. Tramadol, a strong painkiller used to treat moderate to severe pain, is tightly controlled in Egypt where it is often abused as a recreational drug. The painkiller is dispensed on prescription in Britain. Since her arrest, Plummer and her relatives maintained that she was unaware of Egypts restrictions on the drug and that she was bringing the painkillers for her Egyptian partner who suffered from back pain. There was no immediate confirmation from Britain of Plummers pardon. Our staff continues to do all they can to support Laura and her family, and our embassy remains in regular contact with the Egyptian authorities, a British Foreign Office spokeswoman said. AFP pardeepdhull@gmail.com Sydney, January 28 Australia recognises and supports Venezuelas National Assembly head Juan Guaido as interim leader, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Monday, following similar endorsements from the United States and Canada. Australia recognises and supports the President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, in assuming the position of interim president... until elections are held, Payne said in a statement. She called for a transition to democracy in Venezuela as soon as possible. We now urge all parties to work constructively towards a peaceful resolution of the situation, including a return to democracy, respect for the rule of law and upholding of human rights of the Venezuelan people, Payne added. There have been mass protests in Venezuela against President Nicolas Maduro amid a severe economic and political crisis. Canberras decision follows declarations on Saturday by Spain, Britain, France, the Netherlands and Germany that said they would recognise Guaido as interim president unless Maduro calls elections within eight days. Maduro on Sunday rejected the European ultimatum. Guaido proclaimed himself acting president of the South American nation Wednesday at a mass opposition rally, and called for the military to turn against Maduros leftist government. The military has so far backed the regime, which came into power more than two decades ago led by the late Hugo Chavez. AFP vermaajay1968@gmail.com Manila, January 27 The Philippines vowed to destroy those behind twin bombings that killed 20 persons during a Sunday church service in the countrys restive south, six days after a referendum on autonomy for the mainly Muslim region returned an overwhelming yes vote. The attack wounded 81 and was one of the deadliest in recent years in a region long plagued by instability. It came amid hope and excitement about the ratification of a devolution plan that aims to bring development, jobs and peace to one of Asias poorest and most volatile places. The first explosion went off inside the cathedral on Jolo island, in Sulu province, and was followed by a second blast outside, which was detonated as security forces raced to the scene, officials said. The enemies of the state have boldly challenged the capability of the government to secure the safety of the citizens in that region, said Salvador Panelo, spokesman for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. The armed forces of the Philippines will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but police suspect the bombings were the work of Abu Sayyaf, a militant group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and is notorious for its bombings and brutality. Reuters amansharma@tribunemail.com Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 28 Punjab's tableau, highlighting the historic Jallianwala Bagh massacre, has won the third prize at the Republic Day celebrations. Congratulating the State Information and Public Relations Department, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said the award was an honour for the state and Punjabis living in different parts of the country and abroad. He termed the tableau as a humble tribute to the centenary commemoration of Jallianwala massacre in April 2019, and said the prize would go a long way in imbibing the spirit of nationalism and patriotism amongst the younger generation. The award was conferred by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at New Delhi this morning, and was received by Secretary Information & Public Relations Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, who was accompanied by Director Anindita Mitra. Notably, the department had also been awarded third position in 1967 and in 1982. An official spokesperson said the Punjab tableau was selected by the National Tableau Selection Committee from among the 16 shortlisted states chosen for the final Republic Day parade. This was the third successive year when the Punjab government's tableau was selected for final Republic Day parade. In this year's Republic Day, Tripura secured the first position while Jammu & Kashmir got the second spot for their tableaus. gspannu7@gmail.com Chandigarh, January 28 The Punjab unit of the BJP on Monday took a potshot at former MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu for seeking Congress ticket to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Chandigarh, and called her migratory bird. She had been an MLA from Amritsar and her husband is currently an MLA from there. Her husband (Navjot Singh Sidhu) had contested Lok Sabha polls from Amritsar. Why she now ran away from Amritsar and came to Chandigarh? Punjab BJP chief Shwait Malik said. These people have been complete failure. Navjot Singh Sidhu was a failed MP and now failed minister (in the Congress government). Now the dark clouds loom large over their political career. I call her a migratory bird who is now in search of a new destination, Malik told reporters here. Navjot Kaur Sidhu has staked claim to the Congress ticket for contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from UT Chandigarh. The former MLA from Amritsar (East) and former chief parliamentary secretary submitted her application to the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee last week. Former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and ex-Union Minister Manish Tewari have also been vying for the ticket from Chandigarh. She is now looking for her future outside Punjab, Union Minister and BJP leader Vijay Sampla said at a separate press conference, without naming anyone. Meanwhile, both BJP leaders accused the Congress government of having failed on all the fronts. Debt waiver announced by the Punjab Government was a cruel joke with debt-ridden farmers. Against current debt of Rs 90,000 crore, the government has waived minuscule amount of loan of farmers, Sampla claimed. He also lashed out at the Punjab Government for playing with the future of SC students while accusing the current regime of not submitting audit report on post-matric scholarship scheme for the students belonging to Scheduled Castes. Unless, the state government submits audit report, the next instalment of disbursement of funds for the scholarship scheme cannot be disbursed, Sampla said, claiming that the Centre was committed to clear any dues pending towards the scholarship scheme by March 31, 2019. PTI editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 27 To evade arrest, the former SSP of Moga Charanjit Sharma was attempting to leave the country. He also showed resistance when the police team went to arrest him. This was revealed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) and a member of the SIT, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, here today. Two days after the Punjab and Haryana High Court rejected the plea for a CBI probe and directed the SIT to conduct a fair and speedy investigation into the sacrilege and police firing cases, Sharma was the first officer to have been arrested. Sharma (now retired) was one of the accused police officers whose names were included in the FIR dated August 11, 2018, on the recommendation of the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission in a case of firing on Behbal Kalan protesters in which two youths were killed on October 14, 2015. Bikramjit Singh, now Assistant Commandant, 4th Commando Battalion, Mohali, Inspector Pardip Singh and Sub-Inspector Amarjit Singh are the others who were booked under Sections 302, 307, 34 IPC and the Arms Act at the Bajakhana police station. Talking to The Tribune, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said a notice was served upon Sharma to join the investigation on January 29, but he kept avoiding it. He claimed that had there been a delay of a few hours, he would have fled the country. Even during his arrest, he retaliated and tried to escape by scaling a wall, but sustained minor injuries, he said. The IGP refused to divulge the details of the investigations regarding the questioning of Sharma or whether the other police officers named in the FIR would also be arrested. At the moment, nothing can be disclosed. I can assure that justice will prevail and a time-bound probe is being conducted in a fair and unbiased manner. Persons whose role is under the scanner in sacrilege and firing cases can be asked to join the investigation at any stage, he said. Sharma was allegedly leading a police team that opened fire at the anti-sacrilege protesters at Behbal Kalan. Take probe to logical end: Badal Barnala: Former CM Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday said the SIT to probe the sacrilege and police firing cases was formed by his government and it must reach to the bottom of the issue. We had formed the SIT as we wanted action against persons involved in the sacrilege cases. The Congress government has not formed any SIT and the same panel is probing the matter, claimed Badal, who was here to attend the death anniversary function of former CM Surjit Singh Barnala here. TNS editorial@tribune.com Rajmeet Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 27 Former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chiefs have sought clarity from the state party leadership on the criteria to be adopted for the selection of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. Shamsher Singh Dullo, a former PPCC chief, said a transparent system should be adopted to invite and select candidates. The names should not be shortlisted in a hush-hush manner. It will result in resentment, he said, adding that he would write to the party high command on this issue. At a recently held meeting with the newly elected district presidents, the state leadership had asked for feedback on potential candidates. Another meeting is to be held in the first week of February. In the 2014 parliamentary elections, aspiring candidates had been asked to apply with the requisite fee. The same thumb rule should be adopted this time, said a senior Congress leader who is seeking a party ticket in the coming elections. Another former PPCC chief HS Hanspal said he was not aware of any instructions from the party. It is learnt that after eliciting a response from the district units, a panel of at least three candidates would be sent to the Central Election Committee by the PPCC in consultation with the Chief Minister and general secretary incharge, Punjab Affairs, Asha Kumari. Sunil Jakhar, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief, said the state unit was in the process of getting feedback from the district units. If any directions to invite applications come from the AICC, it would certainly be followed. We are in the process of seeking feedback from the district units. Barring four parliamentary seats Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Gurdaspur and Amritsar the Congress is looking for candidates from nine other seats. Bargari issue at play editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 27 Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has written to Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh over the inordinate delay in the project to set up a Post Graduate Institute of Horticulture Research and Education (PGIHRE) in Amritsar. In his letter, the Chief Minister pointed out that the Punjab Government, after accepting the Centres proposal, had transferred 100 acres of land in Attari and another 50 acres in Abohar for the centre. The institute was announced to be set up in Amritsar in the Union Budget 2015-16. Seeking the intervention of the minister, the CM said the proposed state-of-the-art institute should be made operational without any further delay, as it would go a long way in benefiting the state and the nation. The institute would also help motivate farmers to shift from traditional agriculture to horticulture to supplement their income, he added. Later, as per their requirement, a team of Director of Agriculture Research and Education (DARE)/Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) had identified another 25-30 acres of additional land on the Amritsar-Attari national highway for the purpose of establishing an administrative-cum-academic campus and student hostel. However, in spite of repeated written and personal reminders, no confirmation was forthcoming from DARE/ICAR to enable the state government to acquire this expensive additional land for the project, the CM said. editorial@tribune.com Chandigarh, January 27 With Aam Aadmi Party joining the chorus, the demand for apology from the UK government for Jallianwala Bagh massacre has gotten louder. Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema today sent a letter to Speaker Rana KP Singh to present a special proposal in the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha session in this regard. Cheema said the centenary year of massacre at Jallianwala Bagh would commence from April 13, 2019. In view of the unprecedented contribution of Punjabis against the British rule, the occasion holds special significance for the entire country. Therefore, the Punjab government should observe this centennial year dedicated to martyrs with special preparations. Cheema said more than 1,000 unarmed freedom fighters were martyred, but till today the British government had not apologised for the massacre. TNS As more people get vaccinated and states begin to roll back some of the restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic schools, agencies and workplaces are working on a plan on how to safely return to normal. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Bengaluru, January 28 An exasperated Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday offered to quit if the coalition partner Congress could not control its MLAs from criticising his style of functioning. I am ready to quit if my style of functioning is not acceptable to anyone. The Congress must control its MLAs and resolve the issues. If they remark against me frequently in open meetings, I am willing to step down, Kumaraswamy told the media here. The Chief Ministers remarks came a day after two Congress ministers and a legislator on Sunday alleged here that no development works took place in the last seven-eight months under Kumaraswamys administration and claimed that former Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was their leader and was a better administrator. I dont want to stick on to the chair. Deputy Chief Minister (G. Parameshwara) and myself are trying to do a good job and are working together, asserted Kumaraswamy. The Janata Dal-Secular leader also claimed that the coalition government had invested Rs 1 lakh crore in Bengaluru alone during the past 8 months. But to deliver good governance, we require the support of all MLAs, Kumaraswamy reiterated. Housing Minister M.T.B. Nagaraju and Backward Classes Minister C. Puttaranga Shetty, who belong to the Congress, also said that Siddaramaiah was their Chief Minister. Playing down the latest tiff between the coalition partners, Paremeshwara said there was no wrong in the Congress ministers saying that Siddaramaiah was their leader. Whats wrong in them saying Siddaramaiah was their leader? He is our CLP (Congress Legislature Party) leader. He did a good job as a CM for the past 5 years. They have expressed their personal opinion on the work Siddaramaiah did during his tenure as our Chief Minister (2013-18), Parameshwara told reporters later. Nagaraju represents the Hoskote Assembly segment, Puttaranga Shetty the Chamarajanagar seat Somashekar Yeshwanthapura the Bengaluru northwest. A hung verdict in the May 2018 Assembly elections led the Congress with about 80 lawmakers support the JD-S with 37 legislators to form a coalition government after the BJP with 104 MLAs failed to prove a simple majority in the 225-member House. In a related development, Congress state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao said he had issued a notice to Somashekar for his statements against the coalition government. The coalition government is working for everyones welfare. Somashekars statements are condemnable, Rao told the media here. Meanwhile, BJPs Lok Sabha member Shobha Karandlaje said Somashekars statement testified the mood in the Congress camp as some of its MLAs were unhappy with the unholy government and wanted to bring back the jungle raj of Siddaramaiah. IANS uttara@tribuneindia.com Bengaluru, January 28 Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah landed in a controversy Monday when he engaged in a wordy duel with a woman and snatched the microphone from her, dislodging her dupatta in the process at an event in Varuna in Mysuru. The incident that occurred during a public interaction organised by Siddaramaiah, his MLA son Yathindra who represents Varuna assembly constituency, and others, was caught on camera with the video of it going viral. While the BJP condemned the incident, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women Rekha Sharma said the commission would write to Karnataka Police seeking appropriate action on the matter. The meet was convened to discuss strengthening the party base in the constituency, earlier held by Siddaramaiah, ahead of the coming Lok Sabha elections. The video showed a wordy duel between Siddaramaiah and Jamalar, a former District Panchayat member, who said she was upset that his son Yathindra "showed up" seven months after getting elected. I am not going to keep quiet. We are seeing Saheb today, during the election time, Jamalar said at the meeting. Her accusation irked Siddaramaiah, who said his son keeps visiting the constituency, which she strongly contested. The woman tapped the table to buttress her point, further enraging Siddaramaiah, who shouted at her and forcibly asked her to sit. As she beat the table the second time, Siddaramaiah lost his cool and snatched the microphone with which the dupatta got entangled. Later speaking to reporters, Jamalar said the local officers did not respond and they wanted the MLA's intervention. "The MLA does not visit our area. Where should we go if we have to get our official works done?" Jamalar askedShe, however, regretted thumping the table. In a tweet, NCW chief Sharma said "NCWIndia has taken Suo Motu cognisance. Will write to Karnataka Police to take appropriate action." As local channels and a national news channel played the video in a loop, rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) quickly sensed an opportunity. A tweet from BJPs Karnataka unit showed a clipping of the video played by a local news channel, with a tweet in Kannada that, when translated, read: Modern practice of the Kaurav government? Another tweet by the BJP, this one in English, read: "CM @hd_kumaraswamy asks a farmer women were she slept. JDS MLA Sa Ra Mahesh calls women cop bloody rascal. & here is @siddaramaiah threatening & abusing a women openly Demon Dushyasana is finally reborn & resumed power in govt of Karnataka. This is how Cong-JDS treats women". Condemning Siddaramaiah for losing cool, BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa said: The aggrieved woman is from Congress. She is complaining that the MLA is not available. "Instead of addressing her grievance persuasively, Siddaramaiah displayed his anger by snatching the microphone from her and shouting at her." The development comes as tensions escalate within the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition in the stateprimarily the underlying tensions between Chief Minister HD Kumaswamy and Siddaramiah. A day after two Congress ministers and a legislator claimed that Siddaramaiah was their leader and was a better administrator, and that no development projects had been undertaken under the current regime, an exasperated Kumaraswamy told the press earlier on Sunday: I am ready to quit if my style of functioning is not acceptable to anyone. The Congress must control its MLAs and resolve the issues. If they remark against me frequently in open meetings, I am willing to step down. Agencies monicakchauhan@gmail.com Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 Does compulsory recitation of prayers in Hindi and Sanskrit in Kendriya Vidyalayas during morning assembly violate right to religion of non-Hindu students? A two-judge Bench headed by Justice Rohinton F Nariman on Monday referred it to a Constitution Bench for an authoritative pronouncement. Now Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi will consider setting up an appropriate Bench for the purpose. Acting on a petition filed by Madhya Pradesh resident Veenayak Shah, the Supreme Court had on January 10 last year issued notice to the Centre asking it to spell out its stand. On Monday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the petition, saying such prayers were not religious and even cited one such verse on the top court's emblem adoring the walls of each court. But Justice Nariman said it needed interpretation of constitutional provisions by a larger Bench. Citing Article 28(1) of the Constitution, the petitioner had submitted no religious instruction could be provided in an educational institution wholly funded by the state. Shah had said the common prayer was a religious instruction within the meaning of Article 28 and therefore, it should be prohibited. Since the prayer was being enforced, parents and children of minority communities as well as atheists found it constitutionally impermissible, the petitioner said. Alleging that it went against secularism, the petitioner said it created obstacles in developing scientific temperament among students as the idea of God and religious faith was given priority and instilled as a thought-process. As a result, students learnt to develop an inclination towards seeking refuge in the Almighty instead of developing a practical approach towards the obstacles faced in everyday life, Shah had said in his petition, adding, The spirit of enquiry and reform seems to be lost somewhere. The Kendriya Vidyalayas are Central Government schools run by the Ministry of Human Resource Development for almost five decades. There are around 1,125 such Kendriya Vidyalayas across India with a uniform curriculum and syllabus, making them worlds largest chain of schools. A perusal of the prayer shows that it is based on Hindu religion and it is very different both in substance and form from the prayers of the other religious/non-religious orientations, Shah submitted. Since the prayer was being enforced, parents and children of minority communities as well as atheists found it constitutionally impermissible, he contended. amansharma@tribunemail.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to provide details of functional detention centres in Assam and foreigners detained there in the last 10 years, saying they can't be kept in detention centres indefinitely. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said foreigners could not be kept in detention centres after being declared so by tribunals if the Centre had not been able to arrive at a settlement with the countries to which they were to be deported. "You can ask the neighbouring countries to accept their natives, but you cannot keep them in detention centres for all the times," the bench, also comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna, said. "We would like to know as to how many detention centres are there in Assam. We also want to know as to how many persons are lodged there and since when," it said. The Bench also sought to know the period for which inmates had been detained; if all of them were declared foreigners; and how many declared foreigners had been deported to their countries of origin. Asking for year-wise details in three weeks, the Bench posted the matter for further hearing on February 19. The directions came on a PIL by activist Harsh Mander highlighting the plight of foreigners in detention centres in Assam. The foreigners had been kept in detention indefinitely just because they were not Indians and were treated as "illegal aliens", he submitted. Petitioner's counsel Prashant Bhushan alleged that these persons were facing prolonged detention, adding that they should be treated as refugees and released from the detention centres after imposing certain conditions. He cited a US Supreme Court judgment which held that the government could not keep foreign nationals in detention indefinitely. On September 12 last year, the top court had expressed displeasure over foreign nationals kept in the detention centres of Assam being "separated" from their families and had asked the Assam government to look into the issue with urgency so that the families were "not broken up". On Monday, the Bench asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to inform it if those detained were declared as foreigners or were they still facing the proceedings before tribunals. "The basic question is how many people have been declared foreigners and how many have been deported back and how many of them are still there," it added. The solicitor general said presently there were six functional detention centres in Assam. The Centre had in November last told the court that the process of framing guidelines for keeping foreign nationals in detention centres across the country was underway and the work of framing a detention manual or guidelines was being taken up "very seriously". It had asked the Centre to ensure that Assam adhered to the circulars or guidelines issued by it. amansharma@tribunemail.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 More than eight years after the Centre moved the Supreme Court seeking an additional compensation of Rs 7,844 crore from successor firms of US-based Union Carbide Corporation-now owned by Dow Chemicals-for victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, it has agreed to hear the plea after three months. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Monday said it would hear in April the Central government's curative petition for enhanced compensation for the victims of the industrial disaster. In its December 2010 curative petition, the Centre sought a direction to Union Carbide and other firms for Rs 7,844 crore additional amount over and above the earlier settlement amount of USD 470 million for paying compensation to the gas tragedy victims. Over 3,000 people had died in the tragedy due to release of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. The Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) gave a compensation of USD 470 million (Rs 715 crore) after the toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide factory on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, killed over 3,000 people and affected 1.02 lakh others. The survivors of the 1984 tragedy have been fighting for long for adequate compensation and proper medical treatment for ailments caused by the toxic leak. On June 7, 2010, a Bhopal court had convicted seven executives of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) to two years' imprisonment in connection with the incident. Then UCC chairman, Warren Anderson was the prime accused in the case but did not appear for the trial. On February 1, 1992, the Bhopal CJM court declared him an absconder. The courts in Bhopal had issued non-bailable warrants against Anderson twice-in 1992 and 2009. Anderson died in September, 2014. amansharma@tribunemail.com Raipur, January 28 Congress president Rahul Gandhi announced on Monday that his party would ensure minimum income guarantee for every poor in the country if it returns to power after the Lok Sabha polls due in April-May. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP of trying to create two Indias-"one of the Rafale scam, Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya, Mehul Choksi and the other of the poor farmers". Gandhi made the remarks at the 'Kisaan Abhaar Sammelan' held here to express gratitude to Chhattisgarh's people, particularly farmers, for voting the party to power in the state after a gap of 15 years. "The Congress has decided to take a historic decision... The Congress-led government is going to give minimum income guarantee. This means, each poor person in India will have minimum income. This means there will be no hungry, poor people in India," Gandhi said. He also distributed loan waiver certificates to some of the beneficiary farmers during the function. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and senior Congress leader P L Punia were among those present at the event. The Congress had posted a massive victory in last year's state Assembly polls, winning 68 of the total 90 seats. Ahead of the Assembly polls, Gandhi had assured to waive farm loans if his party was voted to power in the state. - PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com Lucknow, January 27 A police constable and a notorious criminal died during an encounter in Amroha on Sunday, a senior UP government official said. The incident took place in Indrapur village, which comes under the jurisdiction of Bachhraaun police station. "The constable was identified as Harsh Chaudhary, a resident of Hathras district. In the encounter, the criminal -- Shiv Avtar alias Shivia -- was also killed," the official said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a compensation of Rs 40 lakh for the wife of the constable and Rs 10 lakh for his parents as well as extraordinary pension for his wife and service for one dependent in his family, he added. PTI amansharma@tribunemail.com Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been called the "God's gift to India", "the messiah of the poor" and also the "eleventh avatar of Lord Vishnu". Now, he has a new description -"new India's Dadhichi". Union Minister for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Dr Harsh Vardhan, who today visited the National Gallery of Modern Art where around 1,900 mementos offered to Prime Minister Modi from across the world have been put up for auction, described him "Dadhichi of modern India". Vardhan said for the sake of the nation, the Prime Minister was ready to sacrifice his life too and what India could not be achieved in the past 70 years, the PM has done so in just four-and-a-half-years. A statement issued by his office said when the minister asked people attending the auctioneering process about the Prime Minister's decision to put priceless mementos under the hammer, they were found to be short of words in their praise for him. Then describing Modi as 'Dadhichi' of modern India, Vardhan said since the day he seated himself on the prime ministerial chair, he has started working very hard towards realising India of his dreams. "Money generated from these mementos' auction will be utilised for the ambitious 'NamamiGange' programme," he said. Dadhichi is described as "central character in Hinduism, primarily known for sacrificing his life so 'devas' could make weapon 'vajra' from his bones". Apparently, after being driven out from "swarg" by serpent king Vritra, "devas" needed a powerful weapon. By making use of the "vajra" made from sage Dadhichi's bones, they defeated him and reclaimed heaven. Meanwhile, the auctioneering process is on from January 27 while e-auction will be held from January 29 to 31. Last year, a Maharashtra BJP spokesperson described Prime Minister Modi as the "11th incarnation" of Lord Vishnu, inviting criticism with the Congress calling it an "insult" to the gods. "Hon PM @narendramodi ji is the 11th #Avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu (sic)," state BJP spokesperson Avadhut Wagh said on Twitter according to reports. "The country is fortunate that we have got a God like leader in Modi," he was also quoted as saying. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chohan had also described him as "God's gift to the country" while earlier around 2016, the then union minister and now Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu, while moving a political resolution at the party National Executive, also called him the "God's gift for India" and a "messiah of poor" who "inherited challenges in each and every sector" but was "steering clear of them". uttara@tribuneindia.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 The body of one of the 15 miners trapped for over a month in a rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya has been retrieved, state government told the Supreme Court on Monday. Another body has been spotted by the Indian Navy, the Centre told a Bench headed by Justice AK Sikri. Located on top of a hillock fully covered with trees in East Jaintia Hills District, the rat-hole mine got flooded on December 13 when water from the nearby Lytein River gushed into it, trapping the miners. Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow horizontal tunnelsusually three-four feet highfor a miner to enter mines to extract coal. The top court is seized of a PIL filed by Aditya N Prasad seeking a direction to the Centre and Meghalaya government to rescue the trapped miners and put in place a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for rescue operations during such eventualities. On behalf of the petitioner, senior counsel Anand Grover told the Bench that de-watering of the mine was necessary to retrieve the bodies. He said 14 to 15 high-powered water pumps were required to de-water the mines. "Without de-watering the mines, they (authorities) cannot have access to the bodies," he said, adding equipment of the Indian Army was needed in the rescue operation. The Centre told the court that a body was recovered on January 24 during the rescue operation and on January 26, the Navy personnel spotted the second body at about 280 feet. "Search for balance survivors/mortal remains is in progress," the Centre said in its report detailing the status of action taken by the authorities. The Bench posted the matter for further hearing on February 4. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said Army personnel were already involved in rescue operation along with officials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Navy and other agencies. He said the suggestions given by Grover on the ongoing rescue operation would be duly considered by the authorities. Earlier, the Centre and the state government had told the Supreme Court that they were not abandoning the operation to rescue the miners. uttara@tribuneindia.com Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 28 Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha said on Monday it would be highly improper and utterly unconstitutional to present a full Budget, as debate continues days before Budget session begins. He said at an interaction with the Indian Womens Press Corps as the opposition continues to oppose a full-Budget months before general elections in the country. Speaking on the state of the countrys economy, he said: "(Economic) Figures are being dressed up and changed ". I dont trust the economic figures given out by the government anymore, he said. If we are really are the fastest growing economy, you shouldnt be having problems of agrarian distress, jobless growth. You wouldnt have to dress up figures, he said. He said the country was experiencing agrarian crisis at an unprecedented scale, as launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modis government on issues ranging from distressed agricultural sector, unemployment to rising non-performing assets in banks. On the current state of polity he said power was concentrated in one person, one office, clearing hinting at the Prime Ministers Office. "The constitutional offices are under threat. The home minister did not know about withdrawal of support from Mehbobba Mufti and PDP, he said. "The Finance Minister did not know about demonetisation. The system of appointment of judges is in a mess. Less said the better about the state of affairs in the RBI and the CBI. "The NSA met party president Amit Shah to get directions. The minister of external affairs does not travel with the PM. During my tenure as MEA, there wasnt a single occasion I did not travel with the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "So far as bureaucracy is concerned, they look at the PMO and not their minister for guidance. Something the minister does not even know. Every institution of the government is under threat, it has been devalued. On corruption, he said: "Apart from Rafale many cases of corruption has not come to light, but the fact so many wrongdoers have fled the country is also unprecedented". BOSTON, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jobcase.com, an open-access community dedicated to empowering people in their work-life, has expanded its headquarters to 30,000 feet in Kendall Square. Home to world-class institutions and entrepreneurial enclaves, Kendall Square remains prime real estate for business and technology industry leaders - and the perfect home for Jobcase. This new, larger office space will house the companys growing workforce, which increased by 30 percent in 2018, now up to 160 employees in total. Serving over 50 million arrivals every month, Jobcase is becoming the platform of choice for American workers looking to prepare for the future of work. We are thrilled that Jobcase is expanding its presence in Kendall Square, said Marc McGovern, City of Cambridge Mayor. The Cambridge-grown tech company has brought 160 jobs to our city and has made a monumental impact on its 90 million online community members. Jobcase harnesses technology so that people can help people -- this is exactly the kind of company that we want to help thrive here in Cambridge. In the 1970s, Kendall Square held an assortment of old factories, vacant lots and abandoned buildings. Today, more than 150 high-tech companies, including some of the most recognizable businesses in existence - Biogen, Amazon, and Microsoft - have a presence there. In addition to Jobcase, a slew of prominent startups, such as HubSpot and Cargurus, also got their start in the Kendall Square neighborhood. The mass of entrepreneurs and technologists make the area one of the densest innovation hubs in the world, and key local institutions aim to keep it that way. Kendall Square is one of the most significant tech centers across the globe. Its commonly dubbed the most innovative square mile on the planet, said Jobcase CEO, Fred Goff. More importantly in an AI-driven tech era, the Kendall community understands the need for human-first innovation and ethics. As such, we are more than excited to expand operations in Kendall to empower more people in their work-life. Easy access to some of the best tech and business minds in the world is what first brought us to Kendall. The relationships weve been able to foster, like our partnership with MIT CSAIL, make staying a no-brainer. Jobcase is scheduled to finalize construction on its new headquarters January, 2019. About Jobcase Jobcase, builders of technology and community to empower America's workforce, is one of the Boston area's fastest growing technology companies. Jobcase provides one place to manage all things job-related, including access to the knowledge, connections, and wisdom of over 90 million registered members. Jobcase is an industry-affiliated partner of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, CSAIL, and Jobcase technology also powers over 100 job sites in the Jobcase Network. For more information, visit www.jobcase.com. Danielle Toboni dtoboni@launchsquad.com editorial@tribune.com Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 27 New infections continue to loom in India making leprosy eradication a distant goal. In 2017, the national leprosy programme detected more than the average annual number of new cases, mainly on account of active house-to-house detection involving physical examination of people in 173 districts of 20 states. On an average, India has been reporting more than one lakh new leprosy cases annually since 2005. While World Leprosy Day was observed today, the Ministry of Health attributed the spurt in new cases (1,35,000 in 2016-2017) to a mass leprosy surveillance campaign undertaken in 2016-2017 after evidence of rising disability due to the disease. The government data showed that disability rate due to leprosy doubled between 2005 and 2015, indicating a huge hidden burden of the disease which the government is now tracking in mission mode. Dr Anil Kumar, Deputy Director General, Leprosy, Government of India, said the high case detection should not cause panic and low case detection should not be seen as a cause of relief. Its a complicated sector. India declared national-level leprosy elimination in 2005. But strangely, between 2005 and 2015 the average annual number of new case detections remained static at a little over one lakh whereas ideally this number should have decreased. On investigation, we found that disability due to the disease had risen two-fold in the decade ending 2015. At the end of 2014-2015, the disability rate due to leprosy was 4.6 persons per 10,000 persons. This indicated a massive hidden burden of the disease. The ministry then started detecting leprosy in mission mode starting 2016-2017, besides expanding treatment networks. The result was disability rate from leprosy came down to 2.8 per 10,000 persons ending 2017, added Dr Kumar. The WHO defines leprosy elimination as the presence of less than one leprosy case per 10,000 persons. Although India had declared national-level elimination of the disease in 2005 and state-level elimination (barring Chhattisgarh and Dadra and Nagar Haveli) in 2012, district-level elimination has not been achieved. The government had committed year 2018 as the deadline for elimination. Eradication, defined as zero case in the community, is even more challenging. As of now, there are over 110 leprosy endemic districts in India with the prevalence being more than one case per 10,000 persons. The principally affected states are Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and UP. This year the government will consider expanding the indigenous anti-leprosy vaccine to all affected people in endemic districts. The vaccine has been piloted in Gujarat by the Indian Council of Medical Research and will now be introduced in Chhattisgarh. The ICMR has asked the ministry for a national rollout with India still contributing the most to the global leprosy burden. Leprosy is caused by the slow multiplying bacillus Mycobacterium leprae and mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and eyes. The challenge with leprosy management is its five-year incubation period and the fact that symptoms can take 20 years to appear. In the interval, unaware carriers can transmit the disease to others adding to the burden. This makes case detection the key. Earlier the detection, faster the treatment, says Dr Sripad Patil, Director, ICMRs Jalma Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases. Shocking new finding The Jalma Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases recently found live leprosy bacteria in muddy water samples from Ghatanpur, Kanpur, the first discovery of live and viable Mycobacterium leprae in the atmosphere. Focus on early detection editorial@tribune.com OBITER DICTA By Satya Prakash The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8 has created a political storm in the country with many parties alleging that it discriminates against Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in grant of citizenship. There are also agitations against it in the northeastern states, particularly Assam, where smaller ethnic groups feel their identity, language and culture would be threatened by demographic imbalance as the region is already under tremendous pressure due to influx of migrants from Bangladesh. Citizenship Act The Citizenship Act, 1955, provides for acquisition of Indian citizenship by birth, descent, registration, naturalisation and by incorporation of territory into India. It also regulates registration of Overseas Citizen of India Cardholders and their rights. It prohibits illegal migrants i.e. those entering India without valid passport/travel documents or those who entered India with valid travel documents but overstayed from acquiring Indian citizenship. Under the existing provisions of the Act, persons belonging to the minority communities, such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who have either entered India without valid travel documents or if the validity of their documents have expired are regarded as illegal migrants and hence ineligible to apply for Indian citizenship. Proposed amendment The Bill proposes to make them eligible for applying for Indian citizenship. It says Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan would not be treated as illegal migrants and seeks to relax the conditions for them to acquire Indian citizenship by amending the Third Schedule to the Act to make them eligible for citizenship by naturalisation in seven years, instead of the existing 12 years. Earlier, the Centre had issued a notification in 2015 regularising entry and stay of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian victims of religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who are compelled to seek shelter in India and had entered India on or before December 31, 2014. The controversy It has been alleged that by excluding Muslims from the ambit of the proposed relaxation in the grant of citizenship, the Bill has violated the right to equality and equal protection of law guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution. Various ethnic groups in northeastern states have started agitations against the Bill. The AGP has already withdrawn support from the BJP-led government in Assam. Even the parliamentary committee that examined the Bill said the amendment might be in conflict with the Assam Accord signed between agitating student leaders of the state and the Centre in 1985 to protect social, cultural, and linguistic identity of the Assamese people. Legacy of Partition This problem is a legacy of Partition. The exclusion of those belonging to majority community in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan from the proposed relaxation has to be seen in historical perspective. India has been the natural abode for persecuted people for centuries. In recent history Budhdhists from Tibet were given shelter by India. The rationale behind relaxation of eligibility for those belonging to six religious groups is the fact that they are victims of religious persecution. Since Muslims cant be said to be victims of religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, they stand excluded from the ambit of the proposed amendment. The distinction is based on reasonable classification and the Bill can pass any judicial scrutiny. But there are genuine concerns regarding its impact on identity, language, culture of ethnic groups in northeastern states. The Assam Accord states foreigners who entered the state from Bangladesh after March 25, 1971, will be detected and expelled. But they would become legal migrants once the Bill becomes and Act. This must be handled sensibly and sorted out before things get out of hand. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Meerut (UP), January 27 The official mobile phone of an inspector killed in the December mob violence in Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr district has been recovered from the house of the man who allegedly shot him, officials said on Sunday. The recovery comes nearly two months after the incident in Bulandshahrs Siana area where on December 3, a mob fought pitched battles with police, apparently after right-wing activists were angered by the discovery of cow carcasses strewn outside a village. Inspector Subodh Kumars phone with a CUG (closed user group) number was recovered along with five more phones on Saturday from the house of key accused Prashant Natt, a senior police officer said. Natt, who had allegedly shot the Inspector during the violence, was arrested on December 18 from Sikandrabad and is in jail. We had got information from sources that Inspector Subodh Kumars mobile phone could be kept hidden at Natts house and we procured a search warrant from the court to check his place, Additional Superintendent of Police, City, Atul Kumar Shrivastava, said. The CUG mobile phone of the Inspector was recovered from Natts house during the search. Some other phones were also found and all the phones have been sent to a forensic lab for finding more details like their call records, he told reporters. However, the pistol that was used to open fire on the inspector is still missing, and the ASP said a search is on for it. Natt, 26, a resident of Chingrawathi village, would work part-time as a driver in Delhi and nearby areas, and other times worked locally as a labourer, according to the police. During the violence, a 20-year-old Chingrawathi resident Sumit Kumar was also killed of gunshot. An FIR was lodged at the Siyana police station against at least 80 people for murder, attempt to murder, rioting, sedition, damaging public property, among other charges. Twenty-seven were named. So far, 38 accused have been arrested in connection with the violence case, Siyana Circle Officer Raghvendra Mishra told PTI Sunday. Those arrested include Bajrang Dals Bulandshahr unit convenor Yogesh Raj, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morchas Siyana unit head Shikhar Agarwal, Army jawan Jeetender Malik, and Kalua, who first attacked the Inspector, surrounded by five to six men. A separate FIR for cow slaughter was filed on December 3 in which six accused have been arrested. Three of them, Azhar Khan, Mehboob Ali and Nadeem Khan, were on January 14 booked under the National Security Act (NSA) by the Bulandshahr administration, which said their release may disrupt public order. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Shahira Naim Tribune News Service Lucknow, January 28 The wife of the main accused in the Syana Station Officer murder case has accused the police of planting his missing mobile phone in their house during the search operation on Republic Day. Syana Circle Officer Raghvendra Kumar Mishra, during a court-ordered search on January 26 of the Chingrawathi village house of main accused Prashant Natt, claimed to have recovered six mobile phones, including slain inspector Subodh Kumar Singhs mobile which had disappeared from the spot after his killing by a mob. Categorically denying the police claim, Natts wife Sonam said the police had brought the mobile phones with them and planted it in their house. Speaking to a news channel, she said her husband was innocent and was being falsely implicated. Two policemen came with a search warrant. They asked for my husbands room, entered it and placed the mobiles on the dressing table. When I objected that the mobile phones were not ours, they asked me to keep quiet, she alleged. While Bulandshahar SSP Prabhakar Chaudhary countered the charges saying what other reaction could be expected from the accuseds family. He said the search was carried out following the court orders. However, he was at a loss of words when asked why no search was carried out earlier since Natt had been arrested on December 27. According to the district police, the line of investigation earlier was different as the police were searching the nearby fields where the police inspector had been killed to recover the mobile phone. It was only after the court order that the police searched Natts house. During the December 3 mob violence following the discovery of the remains of a cow in the fields of former gram pradhan Raj Kumar of Mahav village, inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and Sumit, a local, were killed and public property, including a police post, gutted. According to the police, Natt, a taxi driver, shot the SO dead. Singhs two mobile phones and a pistol were reportedly missing later. The police are yet to recover the pistol. The police had registered two casesone against seven named persons for the alleged cow slaughter case and another against 27 named and 60 unnamed for the murder of the SO and Sumit, along with the ransacking of the police post and damage to public property. Interestingly, Natt was not named in the FIR. As many as 37 accused in the case have either been arrested or they have surrendered. They include Bajrang Dals Yogesh Raj, BJP leader Shikhar Agarwal, and Upendra Raghav of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Raj and Agarwal were arrested while Raghav surrendered before a court. The state government has separately booked Azhar Khan, Nadeem Khan and Mehboob Ali under the National Security Act for the alleged cow slaughter that triggered the violence. monicakchauhan@gmail.com Tribune Web Desk Chandigarh, January 28 After a 'Hindu girl' remark, Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde has been trolled for dragging a Congress leaders Muslim wife into a Twitter war. It all began with Karnataka Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao hitting out at Hegdes on Twitter over his achievements as a minister and an MP. The Congress leader had twitted: @Anantkumar Wht are ur achievements after becoming a Union Minister or as MP? Wht are ur contributions for Karnatakas development? All I can say for sure,its deplorable tht such people have become ministers & have managed to get elected as MPs. I shall definitely answer this guy @dineshgrao's queries, before which could he please reveal himself as to who he is along with his achievements? I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady. https://t.co/8hVJ2wQXMU Anantkumar Hegde (@AnantkumarH) January 27, 2019 To which, Hegde made a remark on Raos wife. I shall definitely answer this guy @dineshgrao's queries, before which could he please reveal himself as to who he is along with his achievements? I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady. The tweet by the BJP minister was not liked much and he was trolled on social media. Dear mantri ji @anantkumarhegde Mr.rao @dineshgrao asked about your achievement as a union minister and your contribution to the nation and Karnataka.He didn't ask about your family and your contribution to your fmly. you don't have a concrete answer so you target his family. Wow https://t.co/d2Pu4Eu5wF Vinod kumarindia (@Vinodku87965010) January 28, 2019 "I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady" - this is the pukeworthy language and mentality of the Union Minister of this country. An there's nothing new about it. READ: https://t.co/Aq7SCdiRZP It is an absolute shame that he's a Union Minister of this country. https://t.co/H0Xmb7BWsC Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) January 27, 2019 I think the reason Mr. Anantkumar Hegde makes hate speeches is to cover up for his failure as a minister for skills & Entrepreneurship. People end up discussing the hate speech rather than his performance as a minister. https://t.co/Jd6aRhKFiv Priyank Kharge (@PriyankKharge) January 28, 2019 At a pubic function on Sunday, Hegde had given another shocking statement, he said: those who touch Hindu girls, their hands should be chopped off. He had also said that communists were like termites in the society. amansharma@tribunemail.com Our Correspondent Jaipur, January 28 Around 79 per cent of 2.34 lakh voters on Monday exercised their franchise in Ramgarh assembly poll that ended on a very peaceful note. "It was an incident free and fair poll in Ramgarh," Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order) M L Lather told The Tribune. Fate of 20 contestants, including Congress' Safia Khan, relative of former MLA Juber Khan; BJP's Sukhawant Singh and BSP's Jagat Singh, two-time MLA and son of former external affairs minister Natwar Singh, was sealed in the EVMs. In last 2013 assembly poll on this seat, the poll percentage was 79.92. The Election Commission had to postpone the poll in Ramgarh following the death of BSP candidate Laxman Choudhary on November 29 last. Elections on 199 assembly constituencies were held on December 7. The Congress has won 99, BJP 73, BSP 6, RLP 3, CPI-M 2, RLD 1, others 15. The counting will take place on January 31. laxmi@tribune.com New Delhi, January 27 Each High Court judge is saddled with nearly 4,500 pending cases, according to the Law Ministry. At the same time, each judge of the subordinate judiciary has nearly 1,300 cases pending, the same data shows. Going by the number of cases pending in HCs and lower courts, the ministry came up with the average cases pending per judge based on the sanctioned strength. According to the National Judicial Data Grid, at the end of 2018, 2.91 crore cases were pending with the district and subordinate courts. In the 24 HCs, 47.68 lakh cases were pending. From January 1, Telangana has its own HC, taking the number of HCs in the country to 25. The data states that while 4,419 cases are pending per judge in the HCs, 1,288 are pending with each lower court judge. It says that while the sanctioned strength of the subordinate courts is 22,644, the working strength is 17,509 a shortage of 5,135 judicial officers. Similarly, in the HCs, the sanctioned strength is 1,079, the working strength is 695 a shortfall of 384 judges. Successive law ministers have been writing to HC Chief Justices urging them to fill up vacancies in lower courts. Incumbent Ravi Shankar Prasad recently urged the CJs to speed up the recruitment of judicial officers for lower judiciary. The minister urged for holding timely examination and interviews. PTI CHICAGO, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BIOLIFE4D, a biotech pioneer leveraging advances in tissue engineering to 3D print human organs viable for transplant, today announced it has established a Management Advisory Board to offer strategy and leadership as the company continues to develop its innovative 3D bioprinting technology. The four members of the advisory board are Dr. Michael Davidson, Stephen Simes, Dr. Mark Weinberg, and Bruce Werner. Following a successful 2018 during which we reached numerous scientific and business milestones, we are committed to continuing our momentum in 2019. Our Management Advisory Board will bring together some of the brightest minds in business and healthcare to ensure we remain on path to achieve our mission of bioprinting organs suitable for transplant and saving lives, said Steven Morris, CEO, BIOLIFE4D. We welcome Michael, Stephen, Mark, and Bruce to the BIOLIFE4D team and look forward to utilizing their specific expertise to advance our business and seek to achieve commercialization of our technology. Dr. Davidson is a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Lipid Clinic at The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Corvidia Therapeutics. Dr. Davidson has been a member of numerous Scientific Advisory Boards, including AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Merck & Co., Inc., and Sanofi, owns a U.S. Patent, and has been published in medical journals hundreds of times. He has a B.A. and M.S. in Biology from Northwestern University and an M.D. from Ohio State University. Mr. Simes is an Advisory Board Member of SmartHealth Activator, which discovers and activates extraordinary biotechnology that solves mankinds greatest health problems. Prior to SmartHealth Activator, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Board Director for RestorGenex Corporation, a pharmaceutical company focused on developing products for oncology, ophthalmology, and dermatology. Mr. Simes has extensive experience leading emerging biopharmaceutical companies in achievement of FDA regulatory approvals, financings, and business development transactions. He earned his MBA in Marketing and Finance from New York University, having earlier received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. Dr. Weinberg is the Chief Medical Officer for Avillion LLP, a drug development company focused on clinical development and approval of late stage pharmaceutical products. Prior to Avillion LLP, he worked for multiple pharmaceutical and medical companies, leading scientific and clinical development. Dr. Weinberg owns several patents related to the use of TNF alpha inhibitor in the treatment of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and erosive polyarthritis, and has been published in multiple medical journals. Dr. Weinberg has a B.A. in Economics from Yale, an M.D. from Duke University Medical School, and an MBA from Northwestern University. Mr. Werner is the Managing Director of Kona Advisors, a strategic consulting firm working with private and family-owned businesses. He serves on multiple Boards of Directors and has developed and executed successful growth strategies for businesses up to $500M in revenue. He has a strong venture capital and private equity background, has led profit centers to record earnings, and works closely with boards, shareholders, and management to assure all are aligned. Mr. Werner has a B.S in Mechanical Engineering/Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie-Mellon University, an M.S. in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University, and an M.S. in Management from MIT Sloan School of Management. To see how BIOLIFE4Ds process starts with a patients own cells and ends with a functional human heart ready for transplant, please watch this video . About BIOLIFE4D BIOLIFE4D is a pioneering biotech company laser focused on leveraging advances in life sciences and tissue engineering to 3D bioprint a viable human heart suitable for transplant lifesaving technology that gives patients the gift of time. With BIOLIFE4D, a patient-specific, fully functioning heart will be created through 3D bioprinting using the patients own cells eliminating the well-known challenges of organ rejection and long donor waiting lists that plague existing organ transplant methods. Financed through equity crowdfunding, BIOLIFE4D is driving a movement to transform the treatment of heart disease, the leading cause of death among both men and women globally. Learn more and invest at biolife4d.com . Connect with us on social media on Twitter (@BIOLIFE4D), Facebook , LinkedIn , and Instagram . Forward Looking Statements We caution you that, whether or not expressly stated, certain statements made in this news release that reflect management's expectations regarding future events and economic performance are forward-looking in nature and, accordingly, are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "potential," "continue" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, and there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Companys control which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. editorial@tribune.com Rajesh Sharma Una, January 27 The multi-purpose tourist facilitation centre, constructed at a cost of Rs 52 crore with the financial assistance of Asian Development Bank near Chintpuni shrine, is non-functional since long. The centre was inaugurated more than 16 months ago. The multi-storey building was constructed to provide facilities to the devotees visiting the shrine. There is a provision for parking for 300 cars, a cafeteria, rooms for stay, halls, tourist information centre, besides other basic amenities and conveniences. is at present, a waste of public money. Arvind, a local shopkeeper who sells prasad near the temple, said the complex was located about 600 to 700 meters from the shrine and devotees had alternate parking options, that too nearer the temple. Besides, there were hundreds of resting places and eating joints near the periphery of the temple, offering good services, food and comfort. The efforts of the Chintpurni Temple Trust to make the complex functional has been futile ever since the then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh dedicated the facility to devotees on September 15, 2017. When contacted, Amb Subdivisional Magistrate Sunil Verma, who is also the Assistant Commissioner of the Chintpurni Temple Trust, said the state government had constituted a six-member committee under the Chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner to outsource the complex to a private party, which would not only run and maintain the facility, but also provide income to the trust. Verma said not a single interested party responded to the first tender notification. He said after repeated notifications, two parties applied to the trust and the one offering higher price was shortlisted and the case had been forwarded to the government for approval. It is learnt that the huge structure has more than 15 lifts, whose annual maintenance cost runs into a few lakh of rupees. Further, cleaning and maintaining the mega structure was also expensive. At present, the temple Trust has deputed the services of six workers for maintaining the complex, which includes two sanitation workers. A person, privy to the working of the temple, on condition of anonymity, said only the parking was utilised sometimes when the two other parking lots were full. He said the cafeteria too was hidden inside the building and devotees going barefoot for early morning darshan had the option of private rest rooms near the temple. The DC-cum-Commissioner of the Temple Trust, Rakesh Prajapati, said the case for outsourcing the newly constructed facility was finalised in October 2018 and forwarded to the State Art, Language and Culture department for approval, adding that a response was still awaited. monicakchauhan@gmail.com Shimla, January 28 Himachal Pradesh, which is still recovering from last week's snowfall, is likely to get some more snow this week, the weather bureau said on Monday. The Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) in Manali has advised people not to venture in avalanche prone slopes that are loaded with snow. An advisory has been issued for Shimla, Chamba, Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu and Kinnaur districts, a government statement said. "A fresh western disturbance is very likely to affect the western Himalayan region on January 29 causing widespread rainfall and snow in the state till February 1," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official here told IANS. Shimla and nearby tourist spots Kufri and Narkanda experienced more snowfall in the past 24 hours, turning them even more picturesque. As news of snowfall spread, tourists flocked to Shimla, which is known for its imperial grandeur of its buildings that were once institutions of power when the town served as the summer capital of British India, and its nearby destinations for enjoying snowy landscape. The capital city saw a low of minus one degree Celsius, recorded mild snowfall, while Kufri and Mashobra recorded moderate snowfall. The snowy landscape in Shimla would stay for two-three days, the official said. Reports said some of the areas in apple belt Jubbal and Kharapathar also experienced snow. Manali experienced a low of minus 5.3 degrees Celsius, while it was 1.8 degrees in Dharamsala, minus 5.8 degrees in Kufri and minus 1.3 degrees in Dalhousie. The majestic Dhauladhar ranges in the Kangra valley got a fresh blanket of snow cover. Kalpa, some 250 km from here, and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district saw the night temperature at minus 7.6 degrees and minus 17 degrees, respectively. Lower areas of the state like Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi towns saw extremely chilly conditions with icy winds. IANS editorial@tribune.com Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, January 27 After four years of wait, the 3,300-m long Tutti-Kandi-Jodha Niwas ropeway project is set to get its final forest and environmental clearance as the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has asked the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) to deposit Rs 3 crore as the net present value for cutting down 530 deodar trees and another 700 trees that will be affected by the project. The ropeway aims at de-congesting the Cart Road in the city by ferrying tourists, including locals from Tuttikandi parking complex to Jodha Niwas near The Ridge. But the ropeway project will cost the citys depleting green cover dearly as about 530 green deodar trees will be cut to make way for the ropeway. The ropeway trolleys will run above over 700 other trees during the course of its journey from Tuttikandi to Jodha Niwas, said officials. In a letter addressed to the SMC, the ministry has asked the civic body and the urban Forest Department to submit the final project report and deposit Rs 3 crore for getting the final clearance for the project. We have cleared the first hurdle as the ministry has accorded its in-principal approval for the project, said Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Rai. We are finalising documents and will deposit Rs 3 crore as the cost of the trees and hope we will get the final forest and environmental clearance for the project soon to start the work next month, he added. The project will cost Rs 150 crore and will give Rs 10. 62 crore as revenue to the fund-starved SMC every year. According to the SMC, the ropeway will have four stations- Tuttikandi parking complex, ISBT, Lift parking complex on the Cart Road and Jodhi Niwas near the Ridge, a terminal point. The SMC assigned the project to Usha Braco Limited (UBL) in 2015, which is to build it on a public-private partnership (PPP) mode. After the ministry gives its final approval, the company is expected to execute the project in a years time, the SMC officials said. The ropeway will carry about 1,000 passengers on both ways in one hour and the company has targeted to ferry about 15 lakh passengers in a year. The foundation stone for the project was laid in 2015 by then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and an MoU was signed with Usha Brecko company, which was to ready the project in three-year time. The agreement was signed on the BOT (built, operate and transfer) basis for a period of 40 years, while it could be extended for another 100 years on the request of the firm, the SMC sources said. To cost Rs 150 crore editorial@tribune.com Vishal Joshi Tribune News Service Jind, January 27 The district election authorities have found three candidates, including an Independent, allegedly engaging in paid news during the bypoll for the Jind Assembly seat. Dr Satyawan Malik, member of the media certification and monitoring committee (MCMC), told The Tribune on Sunday that three newspapers were found publishing identical editorial content and slanted coverage in support of certain key contestants. He said the biased media coverage would be treated as advertisements in favour of the candidates concerned. City pullouts of two Hindi newspapers were found publishing identical content about an Independent candidate. In two other cases, Hindi publications were found indulging in suspected slanted coverage in favour of two other candidates, he added. As per the Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines, such content is treated as paid news. These write-ups will be calculated as per the rates of the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity, a central agency issuing advertisements, and added in the total election expenses of the candidates concerned, said Malik, an associate professor at the Government PG College and appointed by the election authorities as MCMC member. As the three candidates and the media outlets did not respond to the notices within the stipulated time of 48 hours, the MCMC finalised the decision, said MCMC officials. Malik said notices in six more suspected cases of paid news were served on Saturday. It was suspected that the news content was aimed at influencing voters, he added. sanjiv@tribunemail.com THE extradition of Canadian nationals Malkiat Kaur and her brother Surjit Singh Badesha in a 19-year-old murder case is a major boost to Indias diplomatic efforts to make proclaimed offenders and fugitive criminals face trial in this country. Both are accused of plotting the honour killing of Malkiats daughter Jassi (Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu), who had married a small-time kabaddi player, Sukhwinder Singh alias Mithu, against their wishes. The Supreme Court of Canada had ordered their extradition in 2017, but the decision was stayed after the accused sought a judicial review. The last-minute twist had forced a Punjab Police team to return empty-handed from the Maple Country a year and a half ago. India and Canada had signed an extradition treaty back in 1987, two years after the Kanishka bombing that claimed 329 lives. The need for taking concrete steps to combat terrorism figured prominently in the agreement. However, only Malkiat, Surjit and four other Punjabis have been brought back so far, according to data compiled by the Ministry of External Affairs. The number is rather low, considering the general perception that Canada is a safe haven for Punjab-origin drug lords, other criminals and hardliners. Hours after the brother-sister duo landed in India, the Punjab and Haryana High Court sternly asked the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence why the treaty had not been invoked to extradite three persons in a drug case. Ranjit Singh, Hardeep Sandhu and Gurwinder Singh, who were declared proclaimed offenders in 2010, are residing in Canada. The court asserted that those committing drug offences in India before fleeing to foreign countries and the ones abetting crimes under the NDPS Act in the country while living abroad had to be extradited. Making the provisions of the treaty more stringent and watertight could help to nail the accused, who try to escape the long arm of the law on one pretext or the other. Indian law-enforcing agencies should also play a proactive role in various cases rather than confining themselves to the high-profile ones. amansharma@tribunemail.com Varinder Singh Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 28 Thousands of Sikh students of British Columbia in Canada will no longer move directionless, for the World Sikh Organisation (WSO) has launched an ambitious Sikh Mentorship Programme (SMP) designed to connect such students with Sikh professionals for attaining academic and professional guidance for the purpose of attaining gainful employment. The WSO conceived programme was partly sponsored by the Government of Canada and another organisation-TakingITGlobal. The objective of the SMP programme was said to be enabling the young Sikh students to lay a sharp focus on academics in accordance with their talent and capabilities and as well as to prepare them for the requirements of the job market, businesses and industry. The SMP will be connecting the 16+ Sikh students with those Sikh professionals who have achieved success in various professional fields and who would be volunteering as mentors to guide the youngsters. Workshops, networking events and panels or panel discussions would be part of the first-of-its-kind programme which has been launched in the British Columbia province of Canada to start with. Later on, the SMP will be extended to other parts of Canada. The unique mentor-mentee matching initiative will begin in February 2019, even as the WSO has started taking applications from both - the mentors and the mentees. The SMP, according to the WSO, will initially be limited to the BC with a scope of expansion to other regions of Canada shortly. WSO president Mukhbir Singh has said the SMP will be particularly of great use and help for those Sikh students who were looking ahead for advice and guidance in different fields. In fact, it would be an initiative to connect Sikh students in need of professional guidance with those Sikh professionals who have achieved success in various fields. The problem for most students at school or university levels was that they have often been feeling confounded, particularly at the time of applying for jobs and applying for different academic programmes. In such situations, those who have passed through similar experiences and have already attained success could offer a great help to students in the most difficult phase of their life-at the time of choosing an academic programme or scouting for jobs, the WSO has said. The mentors will be required to meet their mentees at least for an hour in a month and they were expected to attend other SMP related events apart from giving a tour to their mentees of their workplace, if possible. On the other hand the mentees will be required to set up meetings with their mentors, including providing an agenda and specific questions to them prior to meeting. Subir Roy Subir Roy Senior Economic Analyst A rare instance of serious unethical practices, plain old corruption if you like, in the private sector has been highlighted with the CBI filing an FIR against Chanda Kochhar, former managing director and CEO of ICICI Bank Ltd, and others. If what has been alleged by the investigating agency is upheld by the courts, it will be an instance of the highest echelons of the professional private sector engaging in conspiracies which more commonly happen in the public sector. First, a qualification. These are early stages, incriminating evidence against some people appears to have been found and a trial and its conclusion are a long way off. Till then, guilt on the part of those accused must not be assumed. In simple terms, this is what could have happened. ICICI Bank, the second largest private sector bank in the country, under the leadership of Kochhar, gave substantial loans to companies associated with the Videocon group led by Venugopal Dhoot. This was quickly followed by Videocon transferring a substantial amount to a firm. Through a circuitous route, the beneficial ownership of this sum came to rest with Deepak Kochhar, Chandas husband. Thereafter, and this is the most serious part, a good part of the loans turned bad, needing write-offs eating into shareholders funds. Thus, at the end of the day, Kochhar and family and Videocon gained and shareholders of the bank lost. This is so similar to what routinely happens with public sector banks. Substantial loans are given to a company. Over time these turn non-performing and then through a process of restructuring and partial write-offs in stages, the bank ends up losing a substantial amount of money. The beneficiaries are the original borrowers and the senior bank officials involved in the decision-making. This is one important way in which public sector banks have come to bear the huge burden of non-performing assets (NPAs) that they do now. The two routes, public and private, eventually meet at a common point, the doorsteps of the CBI, followed by trial in court. It is useful to note some of the reasons popularly given for the bad debts of public sector banks: poor pay and answerability to politicians and ministers. A public sector banker who does not please these centres of power can say goodbye to chances of further promotion. The nexus many a time begins much earlier. Powerful business groups lobby with the government of the day for individual officials for topmost positions in public sector banks. When such officials get to the exalted positions, they naturally have a debt to repay to those business houses which helped them get there. This is why there is an oft-repeated argument among those who have a strong faith in private ownership that the end of public ownership will automatically lead to a more ethical world of business. The ICICI Bank case carries the caution that while this may be largely true, there are clear instances of the opposite also. Unethical practices in the private sector more often take a different route. The promoter group of a publicly listed company, often with less than majority shareholding, runs it for all practical purposes like a proprietorship. There is a board, independent directors, committees for remuneration and appointments and external auditors. Despite this elaborate structure, the fall guys are the minority shareholders. Two developments have taken place in recent times which seek to address this. One is the rise of proxy advisory firms which make a big noise publicly when they see the interest of minority shareholders, or for that matter any stakeholder, being undermined. They have had a degree of salutary effect on the way various stakeholder interests in listed firms are taken care of. But perhaps the most potent is the role of whistleblowers. They are insiders who ring alarm bells when they see wrongdoing taking place. The persistent action by an articulate whistleblower plunged Infosys, till then a model of good governance, into turmoil. Most recently, Indias foremost pharmaceutical company, Sun Pharma, has seen its share price severely beaten down as a result of a complaint by a whistleblower. Overall, the interests of all stakeholders of a company are best taken care of when there is no clear promoter group in a company and it is run by professionals. But there are instances where some of these individuals fall down. ICICI Bank could become one such example. The charismatic former head of Nissan and Renault, Carlos Ghosn, who is now in jail in Japan on charges of under-reporting of earnings and misuse of company assets, is another. In India, even a structure of trusteeship to discharge the functions of promoters has not prevented unseemly controversies from erupting in public, as in the case of the Tatas versus Cyrus Mistry. Though here also, there was no allegation of wrongdoing for personal gain, more a case of clash of egos over policy in which the image of the best governed business group in the country took a beating. At the end of the day, the key attribute that protects the interests of all stakeholders in businesses is a strong sense of personal ethics among those who hold responsible positions. The final sobering thought is that the ICICI Bank case is one in which it all came out in the open. There are many more hiding in the woodwork, waiting for someone to blow the whistle and seek justice. The importance of Data Protection Day - Comments from Zscaler January 2019 by Rainer Rehm, EMEA Data Privacy Officer at Zscaler Today, 28th January, marks the annual Data Protection Day, created by the Council of Europe in 2006. On this date, governments, parliaments, national data protection bodies and other actors carry out activities to raise awareness about the rights to personal data protection and privacy. Rainer Rehm, EMEA Data Privacy Officer at Zscaler has commented on why this day is becoming more and more important . In todays digitally transforming world, keeping data protected has become increasingly difficult. Between a lack of awareness, unintended user actions, system glitches, and increasingly sophisticated cyber adversaries, preventing data loss is no mean feat. With increasing risks and expanding regulations for data protection, organisations must focus on closing security gaps that have emerged in the era of cloud and mobility, as we mark this years Data Protection Day. Indeed, as applications move to the cloud, users are accessing them directly everywhere they connect, which creates blind spots as users bypass security controls while off-network. In the era of GDPR the stakes have never been higher for those that fail to ringfence their organisations most sensitive assets. Indeed, towards the end of last year, we saw incidents on an unprecedented scale, involving the Marriott hotel Group and multiple airlines including British Airways. And more recently, Google has been fined 44m for a breach of the EUs data protection rules. Those organisations that are fully GDPR-compliant are still a minority, almost a year since the regulation took effect, despite the fact that data privacy regulators have sharper teeth than ever before. With hacks becoming more sophisticated, and companies failing to adequately protect their customers data, the core values of Data Protection Day are becoming more important than ever. While the date provides a good reminder for us all of the currency of data today and the serious consequences of failing to secure it, it is vital for organisations to implement processes that are appropriate for todays increasingly digital corporate network. For instance, minimising the risks of users bypassing security controls when connecting direct-to-cloud, and by eliminating blind spots by inspecting all SSL traffic, which typically conceals sensitive data. Ultimately, without visibility and control, organisations are at an increased risk of data loss, either due to unintentional or malicious reasons. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 27 Panjab University (PU) Senator Raghbir Dyal Bansal (51) died after falling from the first floor of the university guest house this morning. Bansal was staying in suit number 7 on the top floor of the guest house along with his wife and daughter. It is learnt that he had come down to the first floor. He was wearing a monkey cap. He accidentally fell from the first floor on his face. It was around 6 am. It was a cook in the kitchen, who raised the alarm. Dr Kamal Sharma, Syndic and Senator, was staying on the ground floor in room number 3. The door of his room opens towards the spot, where Bansal fell from the first floor. He heard the noise and opened the room to see Bansals face crushed and bleeding profusely. I called up top officials of the PU. Bansal was shifted to the PGI immediately, where he was declared brought dead, said Dr Sharma. His body was handed over to his family members, who took it to Muktsar for the last rites. Though no one saw him falling, it is perceived that he may have lost balance due to a stroke or dizziness. The family did not wish for a postmortem. Bansal was an assistant professor at Government College, Muktsar. He was soon to be promoted as associate professor. He is survived by three children and his wife, a government schoolteacher. One of his daughters is a junior resident doctor at the GMSH, Sector 16, Chandigarh. Bansal was a heart patient. Besides being a Senator, he was also a member of the Board of Finance of the PU. He was elected thrice to the Senate, in 2008, 2012 and 2016. The PU VC, Prof Raj Kumar, visited the PGI and expressed deep condolences on the untimely demise of Bansal. He was trying hard for his area. He had been consistently raising the issue of a building for the PU Regional Centre at Muktsar. He also got Muktsar as an examination centre for a PU entrance test, said Prof Navdeep Goyal, Senator and Syndic. He was a noble soul. He had given a number of suggestions for improving the financial situation of the PU and also the PU Regional Centre at Muktsar. He used to study in depth before coming for Senate meetings, said a Senator, Prof Keshav Malhotra. Bansal sent last message at 10.30 pm On Saturday, the VC had discussions with Syndicate members on the construction of a new building of the PU Regional Centre, Muktsar. Bansal had been consistently raising infrastructure issues of the Muktsar centre. On Saturday night, some Syndics had met him at the PU guest house as he had come for some personal work. Prof Navdeep Goyal told him that he had a long life as they were talking about him as an issue of the Muktsar centre was being discussed. His last Whatsapp message at 10.30 pm in the night to a number of Senators read: Good evening, I will like to draw your kind attention towards a delay on the part of the university regarding construction of a new building of the PURC, Sri Muktsar Sahib. An amount of over Rs 2 crore is already available with the university. We can easily allocate an additional Rs 1-2 crore and start the project immediately. It is worthwhile to notice the amount of money we have spent on a multi-purpose hall and many other unfinished projects, but we at Muktsar, have constantly been deprived of quality infrastructure and requisite regular faculty. It is high time the top executive of the university addressed our genuine grievance at the earliest possible. We at Sri Muktsar Sahib simply cannot allow ourselves to suffer in isolation anymore. I hope that the files will move in the right earnest. With deep sense of gratitude, Raghbir Dyal, a fellow. Was to be promoted soon ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 27 A 32-year-old thief, allegedly involved in various cases of burglary, has been arrested by the UT police. He used to conduct a recce in his Skoda car and commit thefts at houses. A team, led by Inspector Ranjodh Singh, SHO of the Sector 36 police station, nabbed the suspect, Pawan Hooda, a resident of Delhi. With his arrest, the police claim to have cracked four burglaries reported from the city. The police said earlier this month, the suspect had burgled a house in Sector 35 from where cash and documents were stolen. The police said the suspect was facing trials in several cases against him at the District Courts, Sector 43. He used to arrive for court hearings from Delhi and after the hearings, he used to look for houses which were locked. He used to park his vehicle in residential areas and keep a watch on people who were seen leaving their house. He then used to walk up to the house and commit a theft there, said a police official. The suspect was traced through CCTV cameras installed outside houses in Sector 35. The car number was visible in the footage, which led to his arrest, said a police source. The suspect confessed to having committed three more burglaries in Sector 27 and 32. After committing thefts, the suspect used to leave for Delhi and sell the stolen items to jewellers there. He was produced before a court, which remanded him in two-day police custody. Criminal past The suspect is facing five more burglary cases, which were registered against him in different city police stations during 2016 and 2017. Used to sell items in Delhi; gets police remand After committing thefts, the suspect, Pawan Hooda, used to leave for Delhi and sell the stolen items to jewellers there. He was produced before a court, which remanded him in two-day police custody. . ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Tribune News Service Panchkula, January 27 The Pinjore police today nabbed two persons and recovered Rs 71.95 lakh in old currency in the denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 from them. They have been identified as Vikramjit Singh, a resident of Kidwai Nagar, Ludhiana, and Karambir Singh, a resident of Bhutana village under the Samanabahu police station in Karnal. The police have also impounded their vehicle, a Brezza. They had come to Pinjore to deliver the currency to be exchanged with new currency. On a tip-off, the police laid a trap and arrested them with Rs 71.95 lakh in old currency. According to the investigating officer and in-charge of the Amravati police post, Sub-Inspector Mulk Raj, they had received a complaint from Vikramjit Tangri, also a resident of Ludhiana, stating that he, along with his friends, had gone to Shimla on a holiday and there he met Karambir Singh and became friends with him. One of Tangris friends was into the currency exchange business. Karambir asked him to get Rs 1 crore in old currency notes exchanged for which, he said, he would give a handsome commission. Tangri returned to Ludhiana and received a call from Karambir asking him to get his work done. Sensing trouble, Tangri informed the Panchkula police and later submitted a complaint to the Pinjore police. Mulk Raj said the complainant was asked to bring the accused to Pinjore with the old currency so that he could be arrested. On Saturday, the Pinjore police laid a trap at the entry gate of Amravati Enclave and saw a white Breeza (PB 48E 8500). The police stopped the car, which was being driven by Karambir. He was accompanied by Vikramjit Singh. On searching, the police found old currency packed in a carry bag placed in the boot of the car. On opening the carry bag, the police found 6,700 notes of Rs 1,000 denomination (amounting to Rs 67 lakh) and 990 currency notes of Rs 500 denomination (amounting to Rs 4.95 lakh). The total currency amounted to Rs 71.95 lakh. The accused have been remanded in police custody for two days. sanjiv@tribunemail.com My name is Raj Rani and I am a retired teacher of Punjab Government. I am a senior citizen and handicapped. I have invested Rs 1,00,000 in post office under Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS). My queries are as under: 1. Whether the amount invested under this scheme can be covered under Section 80C (rebate up to Rs 1,50,000) of the I-T Act? 2. Whether the interest incurred on this amount can be put under Section 80TTB (rebate up to Rs 50,000) to uphold the rebate? Agam Kirpal Your queries are replied hereunder: (a) The amount deposited under SCSS account is covered under the provisions of Section 80C of the Act. (b) Section 80TTB of the Act covers interest earned on deposit with post office. There being no exclusion from the said section in respect of the interest earned on deposit with post office under SCSS, on a literal reading of the section, you should be entitled to claim a deduction to the extent of Rs 50,000 from your total income. As per circular dated February 23, 2018, NRIs dont need to close their PPF accounts and they continue to get interest as in case of Resident Indians. Clarify. Nirmal An office memorandum dated February 23, 2018 by the Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs (Budget Division), has clarified that a notification has been issued on October 3, 2017 regarding the amendment to Public Provident Fund Scheme 1968, according to which if a resident who had opened his account and subsequently he becomes a non-resident during the currency of the maturity period, the account shall be deemed to have been closed. This notification had duly been made a part of the Public Provident Fund Scheme, 1968. The notification issued earlier can be withdrawn by another notification which should have been issued on the basis of the said office memorandum. However, no such notification has so far come to our notice. Therefore, in our opinion, till such time the aforesaid notification is either withdrawn and PPF Scheme is amended, an office memorandum cannot override the provisions of the amended scheme. I would, therefore, suggest that you may approach the aforesaid department for issuance of a notification so that the controversy is resolved. My son, a doctor, served in India from 1/4/2017 to 22/9/2017 and went to the UK on 27/9/2017. He came to India and stayed from March 2, 2018 to March 13, 2018 and since then he is in the UK. He got a salary of Rs 6,79,800 from India for this period and Rs 67,980 was deducted as income tax by the employer. He has a savings of Rs 1,50,000 in PPF. He has no other income. He got a salary of 36,930 pounds in the UK and 5,084.20 pounds have been deducted as income tax. A sum of 2,513.11 pounds has also been deducted as National Insurance Contribution. My queries are as under: 1. Where should he file the income tax return i.e India or the UK? 2. What is his tax liability? 3. How should he file the income tax return? PS Mehta Your queries are replied hereunder: (a) Your son will have to file return of income in India for assessment year 2018-19. He was a resident in India for the relevant assessment year because he stayed in India for more than 182 days. Tax deducted at source in the UK can be claimed as a relief against the tax payable by him in India in accordance with the treaty entered into by India with the Government of UK for double taxation relief. (b) The amount of tax payable by your son can be calculated as per Rule 115 of the Income tax Rules, 1962 after taking into account the exchange rate of the pound as on the last day of the month immediately preceding the month in which the salary is due, or is paid in advance or in arrears. The relevant dates have not been indicated in the query and, therefore, it is not possible to compute his total income and tax payable thereon. The relevant dates of tax deducted at source in the UK will also be required for this purpose which are also not indicated in the query. (c) He can file his tax return online from the UK on the basis of his Permanent Account Number which he must have obtained while he was in India. Q. I have retired as private secretary from Haryana Financial Corporation, Chandigarh. Clarify these: (1) Whether pension of Rs 1,000 per month being paid to me by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation is taxable during FY 2018-19. I am not getting any pension from my employer as I was paid double EPF amount i.e. deducted from my pay and also employers portion along with interest. (2) Whether I will be entitled for benefit of standard deduction of Rs 40,000 during FY 2018-19. Subhash Chander Mehta According to my opinion, an amount received under the Employees Provident Fund Pension Scheme should not be taxable as any amount received under the provident fund is not taxable under the provisions of the Act. You would be entitled to the benefit of deduction of Rs 40,000 from the pension income, if any, received from Haryana Financial Corporation, Chandigarh. Terre Haute, IN (47803) Today Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 73F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Johnstown, PA (15901) Today Thunderstorms in the morning will give way to partly cloudy skies late. High 84F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight A few clouds from time to time. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Politics Pelosi mommy dearest now but President Donald Trump will be your daddy later @IsaacAvilucea on Twitter Isaac Avilucea is The Trentonians main municipal scribe. A two-time prior restraint winner and testicular cancer survivor, he relishes his reputation as the "Mean Girls" reporter that followed his 18-day stay at the now-defunct North Adams Transcript. Karjat: The Revival of Destination Weddings around Mumbai (TRAVPR.COM) INDIA - January 28th, 2019 - With international destinations and places like Goa & Jaipur aggressively marketing themselves as wedding destinations, it comes as no surprise that wedding excitement in and around Mumbai had slowly begun to decline in the last few years. Added to that was the fact that there just didnt seem to any viable venue options. The ones available were either too far out, unaffordable or just not grand enough. With Discover Resorts in Karjat, this trend is gradually changing. Maharashtra is now a serious contender in the race for the ideal wedding destination. Discover Resorts hosts on average 24 weddings a year, and the numbers are only growing. Its capacity to host up to 500 residential guests, its multiple wedding backdrops and a team that takes care of every wedding need one may have, is what makes Discover Resorts a popular wedding destination. Discover Resorts is a two and a half hour drive from Mumbai. Wedding guests can be accommodated overnight in the beautifully designed Tuscan architecture, 200 odd rooms. The rooms can accommodate anywhere from 4 to 8 people. The resort has a signature lake pool, sprawling lawns, large banquet halls and patios and verandas that provide versatile settings for any kind of wedding one may have planned. That apart, there is an entire wedding crew who help the couple decide on and design their theme. The crew even helps execute the theme, covering every aspect right from the flowers to the food. There are very few wedding venues in and around Mumbai that provide all these wedding services. Discover Resorts services are not limited to just the wedding day. We also provide PR and social media coverage of the grand wedding. This is what one of our brides had to say about us Its one thing to marry the love of your life. Its another to do it at an extraordinary venue. Discover Resorts gave us the most romantic setting we could imagine. The team helped us with every tiny detail. Our guests were thrilled, and guess whatI didnt even get a chance to have a bridezilla moment! Everything ran so smoothly. Manisha Tiwari About Discover Resorts: Discover Resorts is located 10km from Matheran, 60km from Thane, 86km from Mumbai and 120km from Pune, at the foothills of the Sahyadri Mountains. Equipped with pool/mountain facing private residences and round the clock hospitality, this resort is ideal for anyone looking for a restful break. Discover Resorts provides tailor-made wedding experiences. Couples are guided through the ready-made packages we offer, but also have the flexibility to customize every aspect. Discover Resorts can be contacted on +91 9319860099 or write to us at info@discoverresorts.in. Were also present online with our website http://www.discoverresorts.in/, our Instagram handle https://www.instagram.com/discover_resorts/ and our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/discoverresorts/ ### Europe and Africa are each others closest neighbours. What happens in Africa matters in Europe, and vice versa. As equal partners with mutual interests, the two sides are working together to tackle todays challenges, from investing in youth, fostering sustainable development and strengthening peace and security to boosting investment on the African continent, good governance and better managing migration: a partnership that works on the basis of reciprocal commitments. European and African Ministers of Foreign Affairs met in Brussels, Belgium recently to discuss the strengthening of continent-to-continent relations and how to address common challenges. Joint Communique As agreed at the African Union (AU) European Union (EU) Summit, held in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, on 29 and 30 November 2017, the AU and EU held the first of a series of annual joint ministerial meetings in Brussels, Belgium, on 21 and 22 January 2019. The meeting gathered the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) and was co-chaired by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda and Chair of the African Union Executive Council, Richard Sezibera, with the participation of Commissioner of Peace and Security Smail Chergui, representing AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, and in the presence of EU and AU Commissioners. Ministers stressed the importance of having this meeting as an annual event, which will contribute to strengthening the continent-to-continent partnership and addressing common challenges. Ministers reiterated their common interest and opportunity for a strong and mutually beneficial partnership in the spirit of shared ownership, responsibility, reciprocity and mutual accountability and transparency. Ministers recalled the 5th AU-EU Summit, held in Abidjan on 29-30 November 2017, under the theme Investing in Youth for Accelerated Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development, which initiated a step change in the AU-EU partnership and identified the strategic priority areas for cooperation until the next EU-AU Summit envisaged to be organised by the EU in 2020. Ministers acknowledged progress on the development of the Abidjan Action Plan and look forward to its finalisation by the two Commissions by the next College-to College-meeting. They took note of the implementation of a number of joint initiatives under the strategic priorities identified during the Abidjan Summit and agreed to continue the implementation of the Abidjan outcomes. They took stock of the followup undertaken since Abidjan in each of the following priority areas for the AU-EU continent-to-continent partnership. A. Economic cooperation As closest neighbours, Europe and Africa are already prime trade, investment and development partners. In Abidjan, it was agreed to redouble joint efforts to advance sustainable and inclusive growth, economic transformation and development. In particular, the two partners agreed to cooperate on enhancing the investment climate, as well as mobilising investments in the fields of agriculture, infrastructure, energy, digitalisation, industry and air transport, among other sectors. The meeting was updated on the important progress made in the continental integration process through the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), the Single African Air Transport market and the adoption of the pdf Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment (3.80 MB) . The EU, having experienced the multiple benefits of regional integration and of an increasingly harmonised business and investment climate, reaffirmed its commitment to share its own experience and partnership in regional integration and cooperation, to which it will lend its full support. Ministers agreed on the importance of developing trade relations between Africa and Europe. In a related manner, the meeting was informed of the launch of, and the progress on, the European Initiative pdf Africa-Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs (302 KB) , and encouraged both sides to engage in further consultations to ensure that implementation of the Alliance concept responds to the priorities of both continents. The meeting was updated on the progress of the EU External Investment Plan, which is deploying EUR 4.1 billion to leverage an estimated EUR 37 billion in African and European private investments. Ministers also welcomed the sub-regional cooperation and integration initiatives, with a view to creating an integrated and competitive African market and fully aligned with the AfCFTA, and the contribution they can make to stability, prosperity and sustainable development on the African continent. Ministers committed to joining efforts to combat corruption in the two continents and promote international cooperation to combat illicit financial flows and tax avoidance and evasion, as well as to strengthen cooperation on asset recovery. Ministers reiterated that to achieve the right skilled labour force, as agreed in Abidjan, it is important to invest in youth through market-responsive education and training opportunities, especially for women and girls, including by rolling out more vocational training and education programmes as well as R&D and scientific exchanges, with the involvement of the private sector. Participants further agreed on the importance of internationalisation and harmonisation of higher education in Africa to develop a culture of mobility with a view to increasing quality of education and comparability. In this respect, mobility of students and staff shall be further supported since it is seen as a key driver of socio-economic development as it helps to equip young people with relevant skills to build their future. Programmes like Erasmus+ facilitate the delivery of those results, and could inspire other programmes towards those aims. B. Resilience, peace, security and governance Ministers agreed that cooperation in the field of peace and security during all phases of the conflict cycle is a central pillar of the AU-EU partnership. New threats to international and regional peace and security, in particular the spread of terrorism, piracy, radicalisation, violent extremism, the illegal arms trade and organised crime, have an impact on the stability of both continents. These threats require concerted efforts, in accordance with international law, including international human rights law. Respect for democratic principles and the rule of law and the involvement of civil society are important for stability and sustainable development to meet the political and economic expectations of a growing youth population. The AU-EU Memorandum of Understanding on Peace, Security and Governance signed in May 2018 puts the 3 institutional partnership on a solid and structured basis, taking into account the complexity of the emerging threats and the need to address their root causes. All these efforts will contribute to Africas ambition of Silencing the Guns by 2020. Continued support to stability in crisis-affected regions and countries, including the Sahel, Libya, the Great Lakes region, CAR, South Sudan and Somalia, needs to be reinforced through coordinated engagement, in support of African efforts to promote lasting peace, security and stability on the continent. Ministers welcomed the positive steps towards regional peace and stability, particularly the Ethio-Eritrean rapprochement and its wider impact for peace and security in the Horn of Africa, and agreed to support the process. Both sides confirmed their mutual commitment to the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, UNSCR 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, as well as compliance with International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law throughout this cooperation. Moreover, ministers stressed the importance of good governance, institution-building and respect for and promotion of human rights, including gender equality as important tools to prevent conflicts. Ministers acknowledged the contribution of the fruitful AU-EU cooperation towards the full operationalisation of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and expressed backing for enhancing the links between the APSA and the African Governance Architecture (AGA), in line with the AU reform process. Ministers welcomed the launch of the revitalised AU Peace Fund, the appointment of its Board of Trustees, and the commitment to mobilise resources from AU Member States to the target of USD 400 million by 2021 to finance AU operational peace and security activities. It was explained that the Fund should become a major instrument for Africa and its partners investing in peace and security in Africa. In the framework of the EUs longstanding support for sustainable and predictable financing for African-led Peace Support Operations, both sides welcomed the commitment of EU Member States to replenish the African Peace Facility for the period 2019-2020. Ministers underlined the importance of ongoing negotiations in New York on the use of UN-assessed contributions for AU-led Peace Support Operations authorised by the UN Security Council. In this respect, ministers welcomed the adoption by the AU of its compliance policies in November 2018, as well as the commitment of the EU to support the ongoing AU efforts to operationalise the framework. C. Migration and mobility Ministers welcomed the AUs pdf Revised Migration Policy framework for Africa and Plan of Action 2018-2027 (2.70 MB) and the AU Protocol on free movement of persons, the African Agenda on Migration and the African Observatory and Research Centres on Migration, as well as the achievements to date and the mandate to update the Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP). They welcomed the work done by the EU Trust Fund (EUTF), intended to address the main challenges of the JVAP, and encouraged to continue monitoring the results and improving the implementation of its five pillars, as well as the effectiveness of the JVAP. The EU Member States which adhered to the UN Global Compact on Migration and UN Global Compact on Refugees and the AU welcomed their adoption of non-legally binding international cooperation frameworks, aimed to complement individual national strategies and acknowledging country-specific approaches to discussing migration-related challenges relevant to both continents. Ministers recognised the recent progress on designing the AU-EU continent-to-continent cooperation on migration, which can add value in terms of ensuring consistency and complementarity, among existing processes, including those of Rabat, Khartoum and the Horn of Africa. Both sides expressed support for broader cooperation in this respect. D. Cooperation on the global scene Ministers shared the conviction that multilateralism is the most effective mode of international cooperation to address global issues, level the international playing field and contribute to common, sustainable and ambitious solutions to todays challenges. Ministers recalled that at the summit in Abidjan, African and European leaders committed to boosting joint cooperation as equal partners on the global scene. In delivering on this commitment both sides agreed to work together to promote the crucial role of the rules-based global order with the UN at its core and to support effective multilateralism at a time when it is being particularly challenged. Ministers undertook to strengthen joint high-level policy dialogue to adopt a more coordinated approach and converging positions in international negotiations. They agreed to continue to implement and cooperate on priorities including the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing development, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, and the AU Agenda 2063. A post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, ocean governance, implementation of the Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action JCPOA) are, among others, examples of areas where cooperation can make a difference. Ministers in particular welcomed the adoption of the Paris Agreement work programme in Katowice in December 2018, and looked forward to jointly exploring ways to secure ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement in all its aspects. Dialogue and working together on the global scene can also provide support to the multilateral trading system and the process of WTO reform, with benefits for both Africa and Europe. The AU and the EU should also work together to support the process of UN reform, including efforts on reform of the UN Security Council and the revitalisation of the work of the General Assembly. In parallel, the work on AU-EU-UN trilateral cooperation is a positive development, as illustrated by the Task Force on Libya. E. Post-2020 Ministers recalled the commitment made in Abidjan to promote an even stronger mutually beneficial partnership between the two Unions. They recalled that the AU Assembly of Heads of State at its extraordinary session, held in Addis Ababa on 18 November 2018, expressed its will to continue the AU-EU continent-to-continent partnership post-2020, backed by commitments on both sides and appropriate instruments and frameworks. While acknowledging the engagement of African states and regions in different cooperation frameworks and the need to preserve their interests, specificities, diversities and acquis, ministers confirmed that the AU and EU would continue to work towards enhancing the continent-to-continent partnership, post-2020, with a view to the next AU-EU Summit. F. Closing For some reason, Genesis has not been able to establish itself as a premium brand that can go against the likes of the German three - Audi , BMW , and Mercedes . Although Genesis has done its bit to make its cars feel premium, they have lacked that X-factor and pizzazz that the rivals offer. This time, the brand has reiterated its stance on not making the lineup a set of performance-driven cars. So, put the bets back into your pockets, people; the G70 vs BMW M3 battle is not happening anytime soon. It feels sad to see it not being let off its leash despite being fully capable to take on the biggest dog on the market LISTEN 04:39 Luxury Can Come With Performance, Genesis At a time where companies look to take on their rivals even with the addition of the smallest of features, Genesis has dropped an opportunity to make a name for itself. Manfred Fitzgerald, Genesis executive vice president, has again ruled out the possibility of building an exclusive performance division across its lineup. Fitzgerald told Car and Driver flat out that a motorsports-derived program for the Genesis lineup is off the table." Were trying to set our base," he said. "We have to get the basics." Genesis says it wants to establish itself as a luxury brand, not a performance-oriented marque. This, coming from a man who spent twelve years as the design director for Lamborghini, pretty much contradicts his past work. We Dont See Any Logical Reason To Back Down Hyundais product planner, Mike OBrien, recently hinted at a spicier version of the G70 sedan in the near future. This sounded exciting since the G70 is a capable luxury sedan and it even won the 2019 Car of the Year award at the recently concluded 2019 Detroit Auto Show. When OBrien dropped this news, we couldnt help but dream about a war between the BMW M3, the Audi RS4, the Mercedes-AMG C63, and the hotter version of the Genesis G70. On the onset, we feel that the G70 has what it takes to beat the mighty BMW M3, but the South Korean company has backed down. Its actually quite surprising to see Genesis let go an opportunity that could have led to bigger things for the brand as a whole. The G70 has what it takes to be the crown-holder. The car drives like a charm, it looks fantastic, and even has the Hyundais N division to give it an under-the-hood-makeover that can make this car a threat to all its rivals. Genesis Already Has A Powerful Engine At the most, the G70 might be the subject of power upgrades in the future. Currently, the G70 comes with a 2.0-liter, turbocharged engine that produces 252 horses and 260 pound-feet of torque. A larger 3.3-liter mill that produces 365 horses and 376 pound-feet of torque is available as an option. The BMW M3, on the other hand, comes powered with a 3.0-liter, six-cylinder that produces 425 horses and 406 pound-feet of torque. Even if Genesis uses the engine plonked in the top-trim of the G90, it can stir up things without the headache of developing a new engine. The G90 is offered with a 5.0-liter, naturally-aspirated V-8 that churns out 420 horses and 407 pound-feet of torque. Genesis Priority Is To Crank Up Those Sales Figures First The marque seems to be focusing on rolling out new crossovers, expand its dealership network, and become a brand loved by the masses more than just enthusiasts. Like I mentioned earlier, Genesis has not been able to prove itself as a real threat to Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, or even Volvo, for that matter. To align its future with Fitzgerald's vision, Genesis is expected to have 300 to 350 stand-alone showrooms though, initially, top heads wanted to restrict sales to about 100 showrooms in urban areas. In May 2018, after Hyundai dealers complained, the company opened applications to all franchisees in the U.S. Fitzgerald said, "Were looking for partners who believe in this brand. This should not be a sprint to the finish line." Do you think Genesis can attain better sales figures by rolling out a hotter G70? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Competition: BMW M3 Engine 3.0-liter, six-cylinder M TwinPower Turbo unit Power 425 horses Torque 426 pound-feet 0-62 mph 4.1 seconds Top speed 155 miles per hour Read our full review on the 2018 BMW M3. The 2015 Mercedes C63 AMG has finally landed Mercedes-AMG C63 Engine 4.0-liter, V-8 biturbo unit Power 469 horses Torque 479 pound-feet 0-62 mph 4.1 seconds Top speed 155 miles per hour Read our full review on the 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 Audi RS5 Engine 2.9-liter, V-6 twin-turbocharged unit Power 450 horses Torque 443 pound-feet 0-62 mph 4.1 seconds Top speed 155 miles per hour Read our full review on the 2019 Audi RS5 Sportback. Further reading Read our full review on the 2018 Genesis G70. Source: Car & Driver As anyone who has lived there will tell you, the traffic in Los Angeles pretty much dictates when and where you go at all times. And that makes the city a fantastic choice for novel new transportation solutions, such as the underground tunnels proposed by Elon Musks The Boring Company. The latest indication of progress from the project shows a Tesla Model S lowering into the ground via some kind of elevator system, but the video post has since been deleted. Getting from A to B could get a lot easier with this setup And Away We Go For those of you who may be unaware, The Boring Company was originally created as a joke because Elon Musk was tired of dealing with traffic in Los Angeles. Now, however, with over $100 million in equity raised and a prototype tunnel completed, the joke looks like its becoming a bona fide reality. Basically, the idea is to direct traffic underneath the surface streets and into concrete tunnels, but to do that, youd obviously need some method to get the cars underground in the first place. It would appear as though The Boring Companys solution is some kind of elevator system. This latest video shows exactly that, with a late model Tesla Model S lowering into the ground near The Boring Companys first prototype tunnel. The video was originally posted to Elon Musks Instagram account, but was later deleted. Weve seen this concept before, but this is the first time weve seen it outside the confines of a computer-generated graphic. Eventually, The Boring Company wants to construct a series of tunnel networks to transport cars all over Los Angeles. Per usual for a Musk project, the scope is quite ambitious, with as many as 30 levels of tunnels envisioned to accommodate the millions of cars that occupy the city. Once lowered into the tunnel, the cars would board an electric platform that would then whisk it away at speeds up to 130 mph. For now, The Boring Company is starting with a tunnel under the SpaceX parking lot in Hawthrone, California. The tunnel is just a few miles in length at this point, but provides a general guideline for how The Boring Company would complete its proposed network. Musk threw a party last December to celebrate the the progress made and to show off the concept, running fans and journalists through the tunnel in a modified Tesla Model X at speeds just over 40 mph. However, when the tunnel is completed, it will run parallel to highway 405 and connect with highway 101 up north. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti seems eager to get the project going. With traffic congestion seen as an ever-present problem in the city, a proposal that would get folks from Westwood to Los Angeles in 5 minutes seems like a dream come true. Eventually, The Boring Company will expand and bring the concept to other cities as well. Whats more, the network would open up for mass-transit solutions that run parallel to the individual cars inside the tunnels. Musk believes the mass-transit solution will be quite inexpensive for riders, priced at just $1 per ticket. Musk has also said hes devoting just a small percentage of his time to the project. However, its still gaining a good deal of attention from the press, especially with regards to wild schemes like The Boring Company branded flamethrowers, which netted a cool $5 million after fans quickly scooped them up. Why Was The Post Deleted? Its hard to say for sure, but there could be a number of reasons. The first is that some overeager intern or assistant with access to Musks social media posted the video without his permission, and when Musk realized what happened, he promptly deleted it. Another possibility is that Musk is simply trying to drum up more hype for The Boring Company, with last Decembers launch party not quite accomplishing what he was shooting for. If a video was posted then deleted, the press is sure to pick it up and run with it, right? Indeed, we could be looking at a bigger announcement forthcoming. Stay tuned. What do you think about The Boring Company and the Los Angeles tunnels? Let us know in the comments section below. Further Reading Read our speculative review on the 2022 Tesla Model S. Read our full review on the 2018 Tesla Model S. Source: Instagram Look, we all know you absolutely must have that order of novelty toilet paper and oversized truck nuts as quickly as possible . After all, thats why you signed up for Amazon Prime, right? Well, as a follow-up to the retail giants flying delivery drone concept, it looks like Amazon may shoot for something a little more down to Earth, namely six-wheeled autonomous delivery robots. Come With Me If You Want Your Merchandise The above video shows what Amazon has in mind - a branded, self-driving robot that skirts its way across public sidewalks to make the final-mile delivery of a package right at the recipients doorstep. The individual then walks up to the robot, flips the lid, and grabs their package. Its called the Amazon Scout, and its the companys latest effort to streamline the delivery process even further through the inclusion of robotic technology. Details are scant, but Amazon does say the Scout measures in with relatively small exterior dimensions, likening it to the size of a small cooler. Amazon also says the Scout uses an electric motor and battery pack for propulsion. That means its not really that fast, but it can make deliveries at roughly the same rate as a human at walking pace. Its certainly an interesting idea, but Amazon isnt the first to try and make this kind of thing a reality. For example, companies like PepsiCo and Dominos Pizza are already experimenting with similar concepts, while Marble and Starship Technologies have been developing the idea for years now. For now, Amazon is conducting limited testing of the Scout concept in Snohomish County, Washington. Rather than letting the robots loose all on their own, the prototype Scouts will have a human supervisor acting as chaperone to make sure nothing goes awry. Is This The Future? Whats Holding It Back? Really, all it takes is the success of one company to catapult this kind of thing into the mainstream. However, there are a few questions left unanswered. For example, whats to prevent folks from stealing the package from the robot? Granted, package thieves are as prevalent as ever these days, but how will the robot figure out who the rightful recipient is? Will the flip-up compartment be locked until they are properly identified? Heres another scenario - lets say something malfunctions in the robots navigation and it scoots right in front of a car. Whos at fault in that scenario? What if theres something in the robots way, like a knocked-over trashcan or a tree branch? Will it reroute, or attempt to climb over the obstacle? Or what if the robot gets wet, or theres bad weather, or theres ice and snow on the sidewalk? What if a curious dog nudges the robot onto its side? Or how about the likelihood no one is home to pick up the package? Will it be able to leave it on the porch, or will it have to reattempt delivery some other day? Thinking more maliciously, if I was a bored 13 year-old, Id probably try to think of ways to screw with the robot, putting stuff in its way, directing it into traffic, and all the other dumb things we do as children. That all said, Im just a writer, not a robotics engineer, so Im sure the folks on top of this are already considering all that. One last note - does anyone else find it kinda funny to think about a highly advanced piece of robotics technology, with cutting-edge sensors and the ability to drive itself, all of which was developed at huge cost - just to deliver a hat for your dog? Ah, oh well, there it is. Welcome to 2019. Further Reading Amazon Gives The Gift Of Echo Auto To The Auto World Missouri Gov. Parson plans to fix 250 bridges; zero in KC | The Kansas City Star Gov. Mike Parson has proposed borrowing $351 million to repair or replace 250 bridges in Missouri. None of those bridges is in Kansas City, and our local lawmakers must demand a thorough review. Rather than blame the new, well-liked, Missouri Guv . . . It might be more appropriate to question so many State Reps, Senators and lobbyists who have FAILED TO BRING HOME THE BACON FOR KANSAS CITY . . . Instead, the newspaper plays the partisan blame game: Southwest says work continues 'in good faith' with Edgemoor KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Southwest airlines remains committed to negotiations with Edgemoor for the new terminal at KCI, according to a spokesman for the company. The response came after reached out to rejected bidders AECOM and Burns & McDonnell for updated proposals. The #NEWKCI remainsbut in the meantime this bit of hype has been fed to local news outlets to repost without question.Reality: Southwest wants NEW KCI designed to their specifications in order to thwart competition. The deal is bad for KCMO, is falling apart and won't REALLY be resolved until after the election . . . Read more: SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FINEST TKC READERS WHO SUGGESTED A LOT OF THESE SUNDAY NIGHT NEWS ITEMS!!! Kansas City Cuteness Endures!!! Steak'm Take'm owners still optimistic following fire KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- One Kansas City neighborhood is missing a family owned restaurant after it burned down to the ground earlier this week. One of the owners remains optimistic. Shelton Ross, co-owner of Steak'm Take'm, said it all started with a message on Facebook Messenger. Scary Sunday Runaround Driver fleeing police crashes into another vehicle Saturday in Independence A driver fleeing Independence police crashed into another vehicle Saturday afternoon, sending three people to hospitals, Independence police said. Police said officers tried to stop a vehicle, but the driver refused and officers pursued. About 3:50 p.m., the vehicle hit another car at Blue Ridge Boulevard and Sterling avenue. EPIC Winter Is Coming Could we break a 100-year-old record this week? KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- This will be a week to remember! It will easily be the coldest week we've had since early 2018. And, Wednesday morning could be the coldest January 30th in 100 years! Computer guidance points toward a potential morning low Wednesday of -8. That's right 8 below zero. Meth Town Burning Down Independence authorities investigating suspicious fire INDEPENDENCE, MO (KCTV) -- The authorities in Independence are investigating a fire that happened on Sunday. It happened at about 7:15 a.m. in the area of Wilson and Cedar. The structure was vacant and no utilities were active. The fire was out by 7:48 a.m. Kangaroo Cowtown Invitational UMKC invites super fans to Swinney for men's basketball game KANSAS CITY, Mo. - There are fans. Then, there are super fans, like the group from Chicago that found its way to the Swinney Recreation Center for Saturday's 63-54 comeback win against Seattle University. "If you are ready for a long story, I will tell you the whole story," started one of the super fans, Logan August. Never Too Late To Buy Local 2019 Desktop Calendar - Kansas City, Missouri This 2019 desktop calendar features doodles of 12 different destinations in and around Kansas City, MO. Each calendar comes with a mini wooden easel so that the calendar can be displayed on a desktop. Hoopz Remains SJW Revealing the barbershop for what it is: a black man's safe space - The Boston Globe With every snip of the scissors and snatch of his dreadlocks, it's evident. Andrew Johnson, standing still, body tense and shoulders round, isn't having his hair cut. He's being butchered. Johnson, a New Jersey high school wrestler, showed up to compete last week, but instead was forced by a referee with a racist incident in his past to have his hair chopped off or forfeit the match. Show-Me Heartwarming Story The Bronco was a link to his dad, a Marine killed in 2007. Then mom sold it. Or did she? MILLSTADT * The relationship between Julie Walsh and her teenage son took a turn for the worse about two months back. "Where is my dad's Bronco?" Triston said that day in early December as they pulled up to the house and he noticed the 29-year-old SUV gone from the garage. Stone Cold Turnaround??? Roger Stone appears to open door to cooperating with Mueller after dramatic predawn arrest Former Trump adviser Roger Stone appeared to open the door to cooperating in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe on Sunday, just hours after he defiantly condemned his dramatic predrawn arrest for lying to Congress and witness tampering and vowed to fight the charges. Big Picture Budget Concerns FEAR THE COMEBACK!!! Hillary Clinton still considering 2020 presidential run Hillary Clinton hasn't ruled out another run for the White House in 2020. "Clinton is telling people that she's not closing the doors to the idea of running in 2020," CNN's Jeff Zeleny said Sunday on "Inside Politics." On this Sunday night we offer just a bit of comfort to fellow news addicts inasmuch it's important to acknowledge that angels also struggle with demons but ultimately search for love like everybody else . . .Closer to home, this evening we're looking over news links from this town and around the world tonight that impact and inspire our local way of life . . .Pick your faves, we think it's all important . . . KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- One person is dead following a triple-shooting in the area of Linwood and Olive. Police say three gunshot victims arrived to a hospital from the area at around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday. One was pronounced dead and two others suffered non-life threatening injuries. (Image credit: JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock) Nvidia lowered its Q4 revenue guidance just before the stock market opened on Monday (January 28), CNBC reports. The statement mentions "weaker than forecasted sales of its Gaming and Datacenter platforms," and the company suggests that "deteriorating economic conditioning in China" played a role. As of this writing, shares had dropped almost 15 percent after the market opened. The company has lowered its guidance to a quarterly revenue of $2.2 billion from $2.7 billion. Nvidia's earnings call, which will discuss 2019 financial results and Q1 2020 guidance is on February 14. "Q4 was an extraordinary, unusually turbulent and disappointing quarter," Nvidia CEO and founder Jensen Huang, said in a statement. "Looking forward, we are confident in our strategies and growth drivers." You can read the full statement on Nvidia's website. The company suggested that management of the excess inventory due to the cryptocurrency boom went as expected, but that sales of "certain high-end GPUs using Nvidia's new Turing architecture" didn't meet expectations because some customers are "waiting for lower price points and further demonstrations of RTX technology in actual games." On the datacenter side, the company said it had deals that did not close in the last month because customers were being cautious. Nvidia is not the only tech company to have recently revised its guidance. Apple made a cut for its fiscal 2019 Q1 revenue on January 2, partially due to lower than expected iPhone sales. [January 28, 2019] PHC Holdings Signs Agreement to Acquire Anatomical Pathology Business from Thermo Fisher Scientific PHC Holdings Corporation (headquarters: Tokyo, Japan, hereafter PHCHD) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) (hereafter Thermo Fisher), the world leader in serving science, to acquire Thermo Fisher's Anatomical Pathology business for approximately US$ 1.14 billion. Thermo Fisher's Anatomical Pathology business is one of the leading providers of microscope slides, instruments and consumables in the industry and is part of Thermo Fisher's Specialty Diagnostics Segment, operating in the US, Europe and China with approximately 1,200 employees. PHCHD is a global healthcare company that offers value-added products and services across diabetes care, diagnostics, life sciences and healthcare IT. Aiming to achieve further business growth, PHCHD will expand its business portfolio through the acquisition of the business from Thermo Fisher. Hidehito Kotani, Ph.D. and CEO of PHCHD commented, "We are pleased to have signed the agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific. Their anatomical pathology business has shown steady growth with their strong customer base in global hospital markets, especially in the United States. This is a solid business with good growth potential and we believe it will create value for our stakeholders as part of our growing diagnostics and healthcare portfolio." PHCHD currently epects to close the transaction in the second quarter of 2019, subject to customary closing conditions and the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals. About PHC Holdings Corporation Incorporated in 2014, PHC Holdings Corporation is a global healthcare company. Its subsidiaries include PHC Corporation and Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG. Committed to its corporate mission, "We contribute to the wellbeing of society through our diligent efforts by creating new value for all the people who wish for better health," the company develops, manufactures, sells and services medical equipment and solutions across diabetes care, diagnostics, life sciences and healthcare IT. PHC Holdings Corporation group's consolidated net sales in FY2017 was 192.6 billion yen with global distribution of products and services for more than 125 countries. PHC Holdings Corporation changed its name from Panasonic (News - Alert) Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd. in April, 2018. For further information on PHC Holdings Corporation, please visit www.phchd.com. About Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of more than $20 billion and approximately 70,000 employees globally. Its mission is to enable its customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Thermo Fisher Scientific helps its customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to market and increase laboratory productivity. Through its premier brands - Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services - the company offers an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive support. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005721/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] LEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE ALERT: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses Exceeding $100,000 In Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. to Contact The Firm Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, reminds investors in Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. ("Nissan" or the "Company") (Other OTC:NSANY) of the February 8, 2019 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company. If you invested in Nissan American Depository Receipts ("ADRs") or options between December 10, 2013 and November 16, 2018 and would like to discuss your legal rights, click here: www.faruqilaw.com/NSANY. There is no cost or obligation to you. You can also contact us by calling Richard Gonnello toll free at 877-247-4292 or at 212-983-9330 or by sending an e-mail to rgonnello@faruqilaw.com. The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee on behalf of all those who purchased Nissan ADRs between December 10, 2013 and November 16, 2018 (the "Class Period"). The case, Jackson County Employees' Retirement System v. Ghosn, et al., No. 18-cv-01368 was filed on December 10, 2018 and has been ssigned to Judge William L. Campbell, Jr. The lawsuit focuses on whether the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by failing to disclose that it materially understated its expenses and overstated its profits by concealing half of the annual executive compensation it was obligated to pay to its former Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") Carlos Ghosn. Also alleged in the lawsuit is that the Company concealed from investors the significant defects in its corporate governance and internal controls that facilitated this false financial reporting, notably while affirmatively emphasizing the Company's "strong ethics" and "high transparency." Specifically, on November 19, 2018, former CEO Carlos Ghosn and former Board member Greg Kelly were arrested by Japanese law enforcement. The same day, Nissan stated that Ghosn and Kelly would be stripped of all roles at the Company at a November 22, 2018 Board meeting. It was later disclosed that an internal investigation at Nissan found that defendant Ghosn had also improperly filed expenses and used Company assets for his private use for many years. On this news, the Company's stock price fell from $17.95 per ADR on November 16, 2018 to $16.90 per ADR on November 19, 2018-a $1.05 or 5.85% drop. The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not. Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Nissan's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others. Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005727/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] SMSEagle Launches 4G SMS Gateway Compatible With All Major 4G Networks Worldwide POZNAN, Poland, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- SMSEagle, a leading provider of hardware SMS gateways, today announced a new suite of hardware, the NXS-9700-4G and the NXS 9750-4G which provide compatibility with almost any 4G/3G network in the world. The new 4G series of SMSEagle NXS-97xx devices meets the requirements of a transition from 3G to 4G that happens in advanced telecom markets. It answers upcoming 3G network shutdowns in Australia and the U.S. in the following years, and what is more, can also provide access to LTE-only operators like Verizon and Sprint in the U.S. NXS-97xx-4G is EU-originated product, for automatic sending & receiving of SMS messages. SMS messages are sent directly to the 4G network. This shortens the critical path in comparison to online SMS services, allows connectivity even during an Internet failure and proides confidentiality and privacy of information. Depending on the version, it can be equipped with one or two internal 4G modems with 3G-fallback. NXS-97xx-4G comes standard with several features that support a flexible, reliable environment for IT professionals: intuitive GUI for easy configuration over 30 plugins for Network Monitoring Systems (it is a must-have tool for any datacenter administrator) API allows software developers to seamlessly integrate SMS capability into their external systems unique Email To SMS feature, allowing to convert email messages into SMS texts advanced self-monitoring mechanisms that control work of internal 4G modems and many other functions making it one of the most advanced hardware SMS gateway product "Our new products are equipped with all the strength and performance efficiency to support everyday operations," SMSEagle Product Manager Radoslaw Janowski said. "Their extensive network compatibility and modem flexibility establishes the NXS-9700/NXS-9750 as the go-to hardware SMS gateway solution for IT professionals, worldwide." About SMSEagle SMSEagle is a leading brand of SMS gateway hardware worldwide. The product allows you to send SMS alerts coming from network monitoring systems, SMS tokens from authentication systems, convert email to SMS messages, send and receive SMS texts using API. The gateway is designed for professionals who rely on reliability and easy integration with existing IT systems. For more information, visit https://www.smseagle.eu/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] Michael Baker International Grows Alaska Presence with Two Key Leadership Hires ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Baker International, a global leader in engineering, planning and consulting services, announced today that it has expanded its operation in Anchorage, Alaska, with two new hires. Marc Luiken has joined the firm as Civil/Transportation Engineering Manager and Patrick Whitesell as Environmental Department Lead. Previously, Mr. Luiken served as Commissioner for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. Under his leadership, the department planned, designed and constructed roughly $800 million in transportation infrastructure projects annually. He also managed a $580 million annual operating budget responsible for all national and state highway facilities, two international airports, 240 state-owned and -operated airports, the longest state-operated ferry system in the nation and the maintenance and operation of Alaska's public buildings and facilities. Prior to his public service in Alaska, Mr. Luiken served 29 years with the U.S. Air Force, retiring as the Vice Commander of the 11th Air Force in 2010. His career as an Air Fore fighter pilot spanned the globe with assignments in Europe, the Middle East and Pacific regions. He is a combat veteran with service in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Southern Watch, Operation Joint Forge and Operation Enduring Freedom. Before joining Michael Baker, Mr. Whitesell served as an Environmental Specialist at DOWL, a transportation design consultancy, for 11 years. He managed a small team and led dozens of phase 1 environmental site assessments, numerous wetland delineations and noise analyses for a range of private- and public-sector clients. Mr. Whitesell also conducted research and analysis on environmental resources including wetlands, waterways and local animal species that could be impacted from proposed projects and ensured project design processes were compliant with the National Environmental Policy Act. He previously served as an Environmental Engineer at Hawke's Bay Regional Council, where he managed multiple waterway restoration and enhancement projects from initial design and scoping through construction. "We are pleased to welcome both Marc and Patrick to our team in Alaska," said Jeff Baker, P.E., Anchorage Office Executive for Michael Baker. "I am confident that the experience and leadership that they will each bring to their respective roles will contribute to our continued growth plans for our region." About Michael Baker International Michael Baker International is a leading provider of engineering and consulting services, including design, planning, architectural, environmental, construction and program management. The company provides its comprehensive range of services and solutions to support U.S. federal, state, and municipal governments, foreign allied governments, and a wide range of commercial clients. Michael Baker's more than 3,000 employees across nearly 100 locations are committed to a culture of innovation, collaboration and technological advancement to help solve challenges for clients and communities throughout the country. To learn more, visit www.mbakerintl.com. Contact: Brian Peiritsch brian.peiritsch@mbakerintl.com (866) 293-4609 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/michael-baker-international-grows-alaska-presence-with-two-key-leadership-hires-300785403.html SOURCE Michael Baker International [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] INVESTIGATION REMINDER: The Schall Law Firm Announces it is Investigating Claims Against Vale S.A. and Encourages Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 to Contact the Firm The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Vale S.A. ("Vale" or "the Company") (NYSE: VALE) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Reuters (News - Alert) reported that a dam had burst at Vale's Feijao mine in Brazil on January 25, 2019. The incident left hundreds f people missing. This resulted in the Company's shares falling more than 8% on the same day. Reuters reported on January 26, 2019, that the Brazilian National Mining Agency ordered Vale to suspend operations at the mine, and that prosecutors in the country asked that $1.3 billion worth of accounts belonging to Vale be frozen to pay damages. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall, or Sherin Mahdavian, of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90067, at 424-303-1964, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at brian@schallfirm.com. The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005593/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Lerner Publishing Group Wins Michael L. Printz Honor and Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Lerner Publishing Group has received two 2019 American Library Association (ALA) Youth Media Awards. The ALA announced at the Midwinter Meeting in Seattle today that I, Claudia by Mary McCoy is the recipient of a Michael L. Printz Honor, and My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder by Nie Jun is the recipient of a Mildred L. Batchelder Honor. I, Claudia, written by Mary McCoy and published in 2018 by Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, is the recipient of a Michael L. Printz Honor, which awards books that exemplify literary excellence in young adult literature. Named one of Booklist's Top 10 YA Books for Adults and one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Teen Books of 2018, I, Claudia-based loosely upon the seminal novel I, Claudius by Robert Graves-tells the story of disaffected teen historian Claudia McCarthy. Inadvertently pulled into her high school's tumultuous Senate and powerful Honor Council, Claudia finds herself in positions of authority she never dreamed she'd hold. As she struggles with scandal, teen tyrants, and thorny political dilemmas, Claudia tries to be a force for good-but she's about to find out if absolute power really does corrupt absolutely. Mary McCoy's absorbing tale sheds light on authoritarianism through the story of a shrewd teen who uses ingenious methods to tell her version of history. My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder, by Nie Jun and published in 2018 by Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, is the recipient of a Mildred L. Batchelder Honor, which awards the publishers of the most outstanding children's books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country and translated into English. Originally published by the Gallimard Jeunesse in 2016, My Beijing was translated into English by Edward Gauvin. Named a 2018 New York Times Notable Children's Book, My Beijing introduces readers to Yu'er, a small girl with big hopes; her grandfather, whose heart is as open as his imagination; and their hutong in Beijing, where stories and magic pop up around every corner. Master cartoonist Nie Jun's interconnected stories of swimming through the air, bug concerts, and swapped dentures bring to life a neighborhood where "all the boys and girls have their own big dreams...no matter how old they really are." "We are thrilled to receive a Printz Honor and a Batchelder Honor in the same year," said Adam Lerner, Publisher and CEO of Lerner Publishing Group. "The quality and diverse stories that I, Claudia and My Beijing share are a treasure for readers of all ages. Congratulations to Mary McCoy and Nie Jun on these well-deserved awards, and thank you to the Printz and Batchelder committee members for their dedication and recognition of remarkable children's books." For more information about I, Claudia and My Beijing, visit lernerbooks.com. About Carolrhoda Lab Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, is dedicated to publishing distinctive, exceptional fiction for teens. About Graphic Universe Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, creates high-interest fiction and nonfiction titles through supreme graphic novel artwork and story lines created by experienced artists of this genre. About Lerner Publishing Group Founded in 1959, Lerner Publishing Group is one of the nation's largest independent children's book publishers with fourteen imprints. For more information, visit lernerbooks.com or call 800-328-4929. Follow Lerner Publishing Group online: Blog: lernerbooks.blog Twitter (News - Alert) : @LernerBooks Facebook (News - Alert) : Lerner Publishing Group To purchase I, Claudia or My Beijing please visit your local bookstore, order by phone at 800-328-4929, or visit us online at lernerbooks.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005607/en/ [January 28, 2019] AirAsia Takes off with Ada-Powered Virtual Assistant Ada, a Toronto-based AI customer engagement platform, today announced its partnership with AirAsia, Asia's leading low-cost carrier. In only one month, AirAsia used Ada to build the AirAsia Virtual Allstar - 24/7 customer self-service that officially launches today in eight languages across the airline's website and app. The AirAsia Virtual Allstar is part of the airline's competitive strategy to create more efficient and satisfying customer experiences with elevated personalization. With Ada, AirAsia's 80 million yearly guests, across 21 countries and 130 destinations, can use their virtual assistant to access real-time flight updates, update account information, and change a booking - all without the need for a live agent. AirAsia Deputy Group CEO (Digital, Transformation and Corporate Services) Aireen Omar said, "We are always working to enhance our guest experience and we are pleased to work with Ada to introduce the AirAsia Virtual Allstar or simply AVA to our guests." "As the automation partner selected to lead AirAsia, we are working with the airline as it evolves its support strategy to meet, and exceed, customer expectations," said Mike Murcison, CEO and co-founder of Ada. "Our technology uniquely positions us to support AirAsia in scaling automated customer experiences with the same high degree of empathy and customization expected from their agents." Guests can access instant support on AirAsia's website and app, which is available in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) and Korean. About Ada Ada's AI-powered platform makes it simple for non-technical teams to build an automated customer experience chatbot that saves time, reduces costs, and improves engagement. Headquartered in Toronto, Ada enables clients around the world, like TELUS (News - Alert) , Coinbase, and Upwork, to provide their customers with 24/7 personalized support in more than 100 languages. To learn more about Ada and how organizations are shifting to an automation-first customer experience strategy, visit ada.support and request a demo today. About AirAsia AirAsia, the world's leading low-cost carrier, services an extensive network of over 130 destinations across Asia Pacific. Since starting operations in 2001, AirAsia has carried more than 500 million guests and grown its fleet from just two aircraft to over 200. The airline is proud to be a truly Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) airline with established operations based in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines as well as India and Japan, servicing a network stretching across Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Middle East and the US. AirAsia has been named the World's Best Low-Cost Airline at the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards 10 times in a row from 2009 to 2018. AirAsia was also awarded World's Leading Low-Cost Airline for the fifth consecutive year at the 2017 World Travel Awards, where it became the inaugural recipient of the World's Leading Low-Cost Airline Cabin Crew award. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005564/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] M1 Finance Announces Checking Integrated with Automated Investment Portfolio M1 Finance, the free, automated banking and investing platform, today announced M1 Spend, the checking account and debit card that enables customers to fully experience the best of digital money management. The new checking account and card will launch later this year. The new functionality integrates seamlessly with the M1 app's intuitive and fully customizable investment portfolios and flexible, low-cost line of credit to provide a convenient, all-in-one financial solution for everyone from beginners to more sophisticated investors. "We continue to reevaluate and redefine the blueprint for modern day personal finance. Our innovative M1 app enables customers to invest and borrow and now, with M1 Spend, we are adding another essential component to seamless money management," said M1 Finance CEO and founder Brian Barnes. "Based on customer feedback, what we are rolling out is one finance solution to empower customers to move money in and out of their various accounts without friction - something that, to date, has not been readily accessible in the marketplace. We believe that making money is the hard part. Managing it shouldn't be." The average checking account balance has risen steadily, as noted by Marketwatch, over the past several years; however, idle cash could cause problems for consumers - losing value if not put to work. To combat this, M1 Spend allows consumers to more easily move cash to their investment portfolio. Even if they don't, they'll earn 1.5 percent APY compared to the national average of 0.06 percent for a checking account, according to Bankrate (News - Alert) . On top of direct deposit, automatic bill pay, and portfolio integration, customers can also upgrade to M1 Plus membership to unlock exclusive features and rewards. With M1 Plus, customers will gain early access to a premium tungsten debit card, earn 1.5 percent APY on he M1 Spend checking account, and get 1 percent cash back on all purchases made with the card. Customers, both existing and new, can pre-register for early access to the M1 Plus account starting today. These rewards make it difficult for traditional U.S. checking accounts to compete with M1 Spend, which offers 25 times the national average APY and no requires minimum balance. Even compared to traditional savings accounts, M1 Spend checking boasts 17x the average APY. Barnes added, "With M1 Spend, bona fide digital money management has finally arrived. What we are offering is an intuitive financial solution that provides comfort and ease of use to customers engaging with their personal finances. We are looking forward to working with our existing client base and welcoming new customers to our platform." M1 Finance has partnered with Iowa-based Lincoln Savings Bank*, Member FDIC, to offer M1 Spend. Visit www.m1finance.com/spend to learn more about the Spend program and early enrollment in M1 Plus. *Banking funds are held by Lincoln Savings Bank, Member FDIC. Deposits may be insured up to $250,000. **Regular price for M1 Plus membership is $125 per year. M1 Plus rate is discounted to $50 for early enrollment period. Billed annually. No minimum balance to obtain APY (Annual Percentage Yield). APY valid from account opening. Fees may reduce earnings. Rates may vary. Rate was obtained on January 15, 2019 from www.fdic.gov/regulations/resources/rates About M1 Finance M1 Finance, a rapidly-growing, free automated investing platform, enables any investor to build, manage, and automate a custom investment portfolio made up of stocks and ETFs of their choosing at no cost. Since launching in September 2016, M1 has grown to approximately 250,000 users and manages approximately a half billion dollars in assets. For more information, or to create a custom portfolio, visit www.m1finance.com. Securities and services are provided to clients of M1 by M1 Finance LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Investments products: Are NOT FDIC Insured. Are NOT Bank Guaranteed. May Lose Value. Not an offer, solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell securities in jurisdictions where M1 Finance is not registered. 2019 M1 Finance LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC (http://www.finra.org / http://www.sipc.org) Distributed by: M1 Finance LLC, 213 W Institute Pl, Ste. 301, Chicago, IL 60610 For media inquiries, please contact Sara Naatz at 312.600.6668 | s.naatz@m1finance.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005559/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] Archie Agarwal, CEO of ThreatModeler, accepted into Forbes Technology Council JERSEY CITY, N.J., Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Archie Agarwal, CEO and Chief Technical Architect of ThreatModelerTM, provider of the #1 Automated Threat Modeling Platform, has been accepted into the Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Archie Agarwal joins other Forbes Technology Council members, who are hand-selected, to become part of a curated network of successful peers to get access to a variety of exclusive benefits and resources, including the opportunity to share expert articles and short tips on industry-related topics for publishing on Forbes.com. Forbes Councils combines an innovative, high-touch approach to community management perfected by the team behind Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) with the extensive resources and global reach of Forbes. As a result, Forbes Technology Council members get access to the people, benefits and expertise in a collaborative setting to share their thought leadership to advance the technology industry worldwide. It is a privilege to be joining such an elite and influential group of individuals within the technology industry, Archie Agarwal said. I look forward to this collaborative opportunity and addressing the issues in technology today, especially within the cybersecurity space. Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, says, We are honored to welcome Archie into the community. Our mission with Forbes Councils is t curate successful professionals from every industry, creating a vetted, social capital-driven network that helps every member make an even greater impact on the business world. About ThreatModeler Security Starts with ThreatModeler - the industry's #1 Automated Threat Modeling Platform. ThreatModeler is an innovative enterprise threat modeling platform that helps organizations fully integrate security into their SDLC and reduce their overall risk posture . Our unique methodology automatically and seamlessly integrates security within existing agile and DevOps workflows. By identifying and mitigating potential security threats early in the SDLC prior to implementing SAST and DAST, ThreatModeler simplifies efforts associated with developing secure applications. ThreatModeler then empowers enterprise IT organizations to map their unique secure requirements and policies directly into their enterprise cyber ecosystem providing real-time situational awareness about their current threat portfolio and risk conditions. About Forbes Councils Forbes partnered with the founders of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) to launch Forbes Councils, invitation-only communities for world-class business professionals in a variety of industries. Members, who are hand-selected by each Councils community team, receive personalized introductions to each other based on their specific needs and gain access to a wide range of business benefits and services, including best-in-class concierge teams, personalized connections, peer-to-peer learning, a business services marketplace, and the opportunity to share thought leadership content on Forbes.com. For more information about Forbes Technology Council, visit https://forbestechcouncil.com/. To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com. Contact: Megan Fackler Marketing Manager ThreatModeler, Inc. 101 Hudson St Jersey City, NJ 07302 Phone: +1-201-632-3634 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] Matterport Unveils New Cloud Platform, Unlocking Ubiquitous Access To 3D Technology SUNNYVALE, Calif. and NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Matterport, the world leader in 3D capture technology and data, today unveiled Matterport Cloud 3.0, a subscription-based platform that puts 3D capture in the hands of businesses and individuals worldwide. The company's new cloud software platform enhances the power of Matterport's flagship Pro2 camera, and enables new users to transform panoramic and 360-degree imagery from spherical lens cameras into Matterport 3D - fully immersive 3D models. A breakthrough in its category, these new capabilities in 3D capture are made possible by the advancements in Matterport's AI-powered image-processing technology, known as Cortex. Cortex is trained on Matterport's world-leading dataset comprising billions of 3D data points, and can construct stunning 3D models from two-dimensional images captured with spherical lens cameras, including Ricoh Theta V and Insta360 ONE X. This new class of cameras, which start at under $400, provides a low-cost, entry-level solution for the capture, creation and publishing of 3D experiences. Matterport Cloud 3.0 expands Matterport's ecosystem of professional 3D capture - adding to Matterport's Pro2 camera line and the Leica Geosystems BLK360 laser scanner - making its revolutionary 3D experiences accessible to a significantly wider market. The new offering is for customers who don't require the accuracy, performance and image quality of Matterport's professional products. RJ Pittman, CEO of Matterport, stated: "Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Matterport, our customers, partners and service providers. With Matterport Cloud 3.0 and Cortex, we are taking an important step in our evolution to better serve new and existing customers and partners with more choices to get started and grow with 3D capture. The power of our new software platform brings us one step closer to camera ubiquity. The versatility enables us to deliver a compelling entry-level solution for simple, smaller projects, while we continue to innovate and extend our industry-leading Pro2 capture experience for professional users." In addition to these important advancements for Matterport Cloud 3.0, the company is committed to thoughtfully opening upthe platform to the broader developer community starting this year. This will bring an entirely new suite of functionality to Matterport's customers for both new and existing 3D spaces. Pittman added: "Matterport introduced the category of 3D capture for the built environment and created a market that revolutionized the real estate and construction industries. Looking forward, our newly expanded capture ecosystem and increased focus on Matterport Cloud unlocks our strategy to accelerate innovation, and deliver new features and functionality that our customers need. This includes important third-party integrations that our customers, partners and developers have only begun to imagine." Matterport Cloud 3.0 Highlights Cortex, Matterport's industry-leading AI engine, has the unique ability to transform 360-degree images from spherical cameras into immersive 3D experiences using machine learning algorithms based on Matterport's unique dataset comprising billions of 3D data points. Cortex includes three-dimensional intelligence that can understand objects, rooms and the detailed characteristics of a space; automatically choose well-composed photos; and label specific rooms on a floor plan. Matterport 3.0 Updates Workshop 3.0 - Matterport's core image editing environment now has a more intuitive user interface and better organization of features and controls. - Matterport's core image editing environment now has a more intuitive user interface and better organization of features and controls. Showcase 3.0 & SDK - Released with dramatic increases in both speed and performance, especially when rendering large-scale 3D models. Capture App 3 - Matterport's all-new version of its 3D capture app (in beta) now runs on both iPhone and iPad to seamlessly guide and manage the 3D scanning and uploading process across all compatible hardware devices. It includes user interface enhancements based on feedback from existing customers as well as many other speed and performance improvements. Availability and Pricing Software updates Matterport's new suite of 3.0 software: Cloud, Workshop, Showcase and Capture, are all available to Matterport's existing customers in beta starting today. Subscription pricing and early access for third-party 360 camera owners Matterport will be releasing a new feature-packed free trial option and a $9.99 "Starter" subscription tier for supported 360 cameras beginning in March 2019. Early adopters and existing users of supported 360 cameras can request access now at matterport.com/register . Pro 2 camera launch promotion Pro 2 and Pro 2 Lite cameras will be available at a discounted price for a limited time in celebration of the major announcements this week. The following pricing will take effect, starting today: Pro2 3D Camera - Originally $3,395, will be available for $2,995 Pro2 Lite 3D Camera - Originally $2,495, will be available for $1,995 About Matterport Matterport is the world leader in immersive 3D technology, offering a platform for prosumers and professionals to easily capture, edit and share 3D models of physical spaces. These navigable virtual tours are presented in Matterport's proprietary photo-realistic digital media format. Experience places through Matterport's interactive 3D models online as if you are actually there: matterport.com/gallery Connect with Matterport on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn and Instagram . Media Contact: Christa Segalini Beckerman 201-465-8021 csegalini@beckermanpr.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/matterport-unveils-new-cloud-platform-unlocking-ubiquitous-access-to-3d-technology-300784818.html SOURCE Matterport [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] Raytheon Company wins $29 million contract for Sentinel radar life cycle support WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) was awarded the following contract as announced by the Department of Defense on December 28, 2018. Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Fullerton, California, was awarded a $28,912,871 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract for Sentinel radar life cycle support. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Fullerton, California, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, rmy funds in the amount of $4,297,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-19-C-0044). About Raytheon Raytheon Company, with 2017 sales of $25 billion and 64,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 96 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5ITM products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter. www.raytheon.com Media Contact Mike Doble +1.703.284.4345 corporatepr@raytheon.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-company-wins-29-million-contract-for-sentinel-radar-life-cycle-support-300782732.html SOURCE Raytheon Company [January 28, 2019] Jobcase Expands Headquarters in Kendall Square, Leaning Into Its Mission of Empowering America's Workers BOSTON, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jobcase.com, an open-access community dedicated to empowering people in their work-life, has expanded its headquarters to 30,000 feet in Kendall Square. Home to world-class institutions and entrepreneurial enclaves, Kendall Square remains prime real estate for business and technology industry leaders - and the perfect home for Jobcase. This new, larger office space will house the companys growing workforce, which increased by 30 percent in 2018, now up to 160 employees in total. Serving over 50 million arrivals every month, Jobcase is becoming the platform of choice for American workers looking to prepare for the future of work. We are thrilled that Jobcase is expanding its presence in Kendall Square, said Marc McGovern, City of Cambridge Mayor. The Cambridge-grown tech company has brought 160 jobs to our city and has made a monumental impact on its 90 million online community members. Jobcase harnesses technology so that people can help people -- this is exactly the kind of company that we want to help thrive here in ambridge. In the 1970s, Kendall Square held an assortment of old factories, vacant lots and abandoned buildings. Today, more than 150 high-tech companies, including some of the most recognizable businesses in existence - Biogen, Amazon, and Microsoft - have a presence there. In addition to Jobcase, a slew of prominent startups, such as HubSpot and Cargurus, also got their start in the Kendall Square neighborhood. The mass of entrepreneurs and technologists make the area one of the densest innovation hubs in the world, and key local institutions aim to keep it that way. Kendall Square is one of the most significant tech centers across the globe. Its commonly dubbed the most innovative square mile on the planet, said Jobcase CEO, Fred Goff. More importantly in an AI-driven tech era, the Kendall community understands the need for human-first innovation and ethics. As such, we are more than excited to expand operations in Kendall to empower more people in their work-life. Easy access to some of the best tech and business minds in the world is what first brought us to Kendall. The relationships weve been able to foster, like our partnership with MIT CSAIL, make staying a no-brainer. Jobcase is scheduled to finalize construction on its new headquarters January, 2019. About Jobcase Jobcase, builders of technology and community to empower America's workforce, is one of the Boston area's fastest growing technology companies. Jobcase provides one place to manage all things job-related, including access to the knowledge, connections, and wisdom of over 90 million registered members. Jobcase is an industry-affiliated partner of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, CSAIL, and Jobcase technology also powers over 100 job sites in the Jobcase Network. For more information, visit www.jobcase.com. Danielle Toboni dtoboni@launchsquad.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] Golden Leaf Holdings Announces Appointment of Larry H. Martin to Board of Directors PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. (Golden Leaf or the Company) (CSE:GLH) (OTCQB:GLDFF), a cannabis company with cultivation, production and retail operations built around recognized brands, today announced that Larry H. Martin has been appointed to the Companys Board of Directors, effective today, filling a previously vacated board position. With his addition to the Board, he will join the Audit and Compensation Committees. Mr. Martin is a successful CEO and entrepreneur, with a unique background which includes over 39 years of domestic (i.e., United States) and international business experience in more than 11 different industries, including outdoor hospitality/living, branding, real estate and the medical industry. Mr. Martin also brings years of experience in FDA regulatory matters. Mr. Martin has served in various capacities, including CEO, Board Member, General Counsel and COO with the companies he has been involved with, including Field & Stream Licenses Company, LLC (which he founded), Eveia Medical, Inc., TNI Biotech, Inc., eMAX Health Systems LLC, US Summit Company, and Neuromed, Inc. Mr. Martin presently serves as a member of the board of advisors for Cupcake Digital, Inc. and on the board of CannaCore, Inc. Bill Kulczycki, CEO and President of Golden Leaf, stated We are pleased to welcome Larry to Golden Leafs Board. We believe his background, experience and proven expertise as an entrepreneur, executive, and business affiliations across multiple industries, make him an ideal addition to our Board. We look forward to his contributions, as Golden Leaf looks to focus on disciplined growth, balanced between assessments of risk and cash flow returns that drive shareholder value creation, with the goal of achieving profitability in the near term. Mr. Martin commented, I am looking forward to working with Bill Kulczycki and the Golden Leaf board as the Company reassesses its strategies, refocuses its efforts on disciplined growth, and works to create shareholder value in this exciting industry. I believe that my experience and success in diverse industries, my background in branding and FDA regulatory matters, and my passion for helping companies grow profitably to create shareholder value, wil benefit the Company and its shareholders. To be added to the distribution list please email ir@goldenxtrx.com with GLH in the subject line. About Golden Leaf Holdings Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. is a Canadian company with operations in multiple jurisdictions including Oregon, Nevada, and Canada, with cultivation, production and retail operations built around recognized brands. Golden Leaf distributes its products through its branded Chalice Farms retail dispensaries, as well as through third-party dispensaries. Golden Leafs cannabis retail operations and products are designed with the customer in mind, focused on superlative in-store experience and quality products. Visit goldenleafholdings.com to learn more. Investor Relations: Craig Eastwood Chief Financial Officer Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. 503-201-0659 ir@goldenxtrx.com Media Relations: Anne Donohoe / Nick Opich KCSA Strategic Communications adonohoe@kcsa.com / nopich@kcsa.com 212-896-1265 / 212-896-1206 Disclaimer: This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Companys future business operations, the establishment of, and the future scope and scale of, the Chalice Farms retail system, the level of funding needed to establish the Chalice Farms franchise model, that the Chalice Farms franchise model will be successful and generate positive cash flows, the opinions or beliefs of management and future business goals. Generally, forward looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to general business, economic and competitive uncertainties, regulatory risks including risks related to the expected timing of the Companys participation in the adult use market, market risks, risks inherent in manufacturing operations, difficulties of establishing a successful franchise model and other risks of the cannabis industry. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. Forward-looking information is provided herein for the purpose of presenting information about managements current expectations relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purpose. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration or an exemption from registration. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] Resistance Partners With Huobi MENA To Solve Decentralized Exchange Liquidity Issues DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Huobi MENA, the Middle East and Africa branch of Huobi Group, has signed a partnership deal with Resistance, a privacy-focused decentralized exchange (DEX) and blockchain, in an effort to address the liquidity issues that plague existing DEXs. The deal will ensure liquidity on the Resistance DEX (ResDEX) and allow for fast and reliable trading. In turn, the partnership opens new possibilities for Huobi MENA by giving the organization access to new markets. The partnership will eventually give the Resistance exchange access to over 150 cryptocurrencies and 350 trading pairs. Initially, the digital asset pairs available will include Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and the USD-pegged stablecoin Tether (USDT) with more coins added as soon as they are included on the Huobi MENA platform. Poor liquidityhas been the weak link for most of the DEX platforms currently operating. With slow adoption, many first-generation DEXs have struggled to achieve the levels of liquidity required. Low liquidity can lead to issues like price slippage, where the value of a currency changes over the period of time it takes to complete a trade; unfair or uncompetitive pricing; instability; slow transaction speeds; and more. "It's a privilege to be working alongside the Huobi MENA team," said Resistance CEO Anthony Khamsei. "I'm excited to see how together we can finally start addressing liquidity issues on decentralized exchanges." Sultan Al Ali, Director and Co-Founder of Huobi MENA anticipates a long, scalable, and highly productive relationship. "It's very exciting to be working with Resistance to advance the frontiers of cryptocurrency and blockchain," he said. The Resistance platform is due to launch publicly by Q2 2019. About Resistance: Resistance is a decentralized exchange (ResDEX) driven and supported by its privacy-oriented blockchain. It uses the Resistance privacy coin, RES, as an intermediary to facilitate private trading. For more information on Resistance: www.resistance.io About Huobi MENA: Huobi MENA is the Middle East and Africa branch of Huobi Group. Launched in October of 2018 in Dubai, Huobi MENA focuses on OTC trading, token-to-token trading, liquidity management and community development. For more information on Huobi MENA: www.huobimena.com About Huobi Group: Consisting of ten upstream and downstream enterprises, Huobi Group is the world's leading blockchain company. Established in 2013, Huobi Group's accumulative turnover exceeds US $1 trillion. It proudly provides safe, secure, and convenient cryptocurrency trading and asset management services to millions of users in 130+ countries. Find us at www.hbg.com For enquiries please contact: Jiayi Li +65-92295769 media@huobi.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/814168/HUOBI_MENA_resistance.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] Versum Materials Announces Preliminary First Quarter Results Versum Materials, Inc. (NYSE:VSM), a leading specialty materials and equipment supplier to the semiconductor industry, announced certain preliminary unaudited financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2018. First Quarter Preliminary Unaudited Financial Results+ Revenue of approximately $340 million GAAP net income of approximately $61 million, or diluted EPS of approximately $0.56 Adjusted net income of approximately $60 million, or adjusted diluted EPS of approximately $0.55 Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $110 million These are preliminary financial results and remain subject to revision based on, among other things, the completion of the company's customary quarterly close and review procedures. These preliminary results should not be viewed as a substitute for interim consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP"). Material adjustments may arise between the time of this press release and the dates on which Versum Materials announces its first quarter results and files its Form 10-Q with the SEC (News - Alert) . (+)Please refer to the note below on forward-looking statements and the risks involved with such statements as well as the note on non-GAAP financial measures. Agreement to Combine with Entegris (News - Alert) In a separate joint press release issued today, Versum Materials and Entegris, Inc. announced they have agreed to combine in an $9 billion merger of equals to create the premier specialty materials supplier for the semiconductor and other high-tech industries. The Companies will hold a conference call and audio webcast today, Monday, January 28, 2019 at 8:00 a.m. ET (6:00 a.m. MT) to discuss the announcement. The merger remains subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The conference call can be accessed by dialing (866) 610-1072 within the U.S. and (973) 935-2840 for all other locations. The conference ID for the conference call is 4264678. Earnings Call Information Versum Materials intends to release its full financial results for the first quarter after the market closing on Monday, February 4, 2019. The company will host a conference call and webcast for analysts and investors on Monday, February 4, 2019 to discuss its first quarter results at 4:30 p.m. ET. To participate via telephone, please dial 1-877-883-0383 (domestic) or 1-412-902-6506 (international) and use the participant code 8196300. The earnings call will also be available via a live webcast on the Versum Materials Investor Relations website at http://investors.versummaterials.com. Presentation materials will be posted on the website before the call. For those who are unable to join the live event, an archive of the webcast will be available under "Events & Presentations" on the Versum Materials Investor Relations website at http://investors.versummaterials.com. About Versum Materials Versum Materials, Inc. (NYSE:VSM) is a leading global specialty materials company providing high-purity chemicals and gases, delivery systems, services and materials expertise to meet the evolving needs of the global semiconductor and display industries. Derived from the Latin word for "toward," the name "Versum" communicates the company's deep commitment to helping customers move toward the future by collaborating, innovating and creating cutting-edge solutions. A global leader in technology, quality, safety and reliability, Versum Materials is one of the world's leading suppliers of next-generation CMP slurries, ultra-thin dielectric and metal film precursors, formulated cleans and etching products, and delivery equipment that has revolutionized the semiconductor industry. Versum Materials reported fiscal year 2018 annual sales of about U.S. $1.4 billion, has approximately 2,300 employees and operates 14 major facilities in Asia and the North America. It is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. Versum Materials had operated for more than three decades as a division of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD). For additional information, please visit http://www.versummaterials.com. Non-GAAP Financial Measures This press release includes "non-GAAP financial measures," including Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share and Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted Net Income is net income excluding certain disclosed items which we do not believe to be indicative of underlying business trends, including business separation, restructuring and cost reduction actions, net of tax, the write-off of financing costs, net of tax, and the impact of the Tax Act. Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share uses Adjusted Net Income but otherwise uses the same calculation used in arriving at diluted earnings per share, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. Adjusted EBITDA is net income excluding certain disclosed items which we do not believe to be indicative of underlying business trends, including interest expense, the write-off of financing costs, non-service components of net periodic pension cost, income tax provision, depreciation and amortization expense, non-controlling interests, and business separation, restructuring and cost reduction actions. In the accompanying tables, Versum Materials has provided reconciliations of net income to Adjusted EBITDA (see Appendix Table A-1), net income to Adjusted Net Income (see Appendix Table A-2), diluted EPS to Adjusted Diluted EPS (see Appendix A-3), in each case the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. We encourage investors to read these reconciliations. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is intended to enhance the usefulness of financial information by providing measures which management uses internally to evaluate our operating performance. We use non-GAAP measures to assess our operating performance by excluding certain disclosed items that we believe are not representative of our underlying business. Management may use these non-GAAP measures to evaluate our performance period over period and relative to competitors in our industry, to analyze underlying trends in our business and to establish operational budgets and forecasts or for incentive compensation purposes. We use Adjusted EBITDA to calculate performance-based cash bonuses. We believe non-GAAP financial measures provide security analysts, investors and other interested parties with meaningful information to understand our underlying operating results and to analyze financial and business trends; enables better comparison to peer companies; and allows us to provide a long-term strategic view of the business going forward. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be viewed in isolation, are not a substitute for GAAP measures, and have limitations which include but are not limited to the following: (a) Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA exclude expenses related to business separation, restructuring and cost reduction actions and the write-off of financing costs, each of which we do not consider to be representative of our underlying business operations, however, these disclosed items represent costs to Versum Materials; (b) Adjusted EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of cash available for management's discretionary use, as it does not consider certain cash requirements such as interest payments, tax payments and debt service requirements; (c) though not business operating costs, interest expense and income tax provision represent ongoing costs of Versum Materials; (d) depreciation and amortization charges represent the wear and tear or reduction in value of the plant, equipment, and intangible assets which permit us to manufacture and market our products; and (e) other companies may define non-GAAP measures differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures. A reader may find any one or all of these items important in evaluating our performance. Management compensates for the limitations of using non-GAAP financial measures by using them only to supplement our GAAP results to provide a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting our business. In evaluating these non-GAAP financial measures, the reader should be aware that we may incur expenses similar to those eliminated in this presentation in the future. Forward-Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by references to future periods and include statements about our expectations or predictions of future financial or business performance or conditions; statements about our anticipated growth, profitability and margins; our ability to compete successfully as a leading materials supplier to the semiconductor industry and obtain next generation node opportunities; and other matters. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "could," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "seek," "should," "forecast," "guidance," "outlook," "opportunity" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements, which are based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date the statements were made. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including without limitation the following: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the right of one or both of the parties to terminate any definitive merger agreement between us and Entegris, Inc.; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against us or Entegris, Inc.; the ability to obtain regulatory approvals and meet other closing conditions to the merger, including approval by our and Entegris, Inc. stockholders on the expected terms and schedule, including the risk that regulatory approvals required for the merger are not obtained or are obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated; delay in closing the merger; difficulties and delays in integrating our business with Entegris, Inc. or fully realizing cost savings and other benefits; business disruption following the merger; our ability or the ability of Entegris, Inc. to retain and hire key personnel; potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships resulting from the announcement or completion of the merger; uncertainty as to the long-term value of the common stock of Entegris, Inc. following the merger; legislative, regulatory and economic developments; potential business uncertainty, including changes to existing business relationships, during the pendency of the merger that could affect our or Entegris, Inc.'s financial performance; certain restrictions during the pendency of the merger that may impact our or Entegris, Inc.'s ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions; the business, economic and political conditions in the markets in which we and Entegris, Inc. operate; events beyond our control such as acts of terrorism; product supply versus demand imbalances in the semiconductor industry or in certain geographic markets may decrease the demand for our goods and services; our concentrated customer base; the dependence of our DS&S segment upon the capital expenditure cycles of our customers; our ability to continue technological innovation and successfully introduce new products to meet the evolving needs of our customers; our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights and to avoid violating any third party intellectual property or technology rights; unexpected interruption of or shortages in our raw material supply; inability of sole source, limited source or qualified suppliers to deliver to us in a timely manner or at all; hazards associated with specialty chemical manufacturing, such as fires, explosions and accidents, could disrupt operations; increased competition and new product development by our competitors, changing customer needs and price increases in materials and components; operational, political and legal risks of our international operations; increased costs due to trade wars and the implementation of tariffs; the impact of changes in tax laws; the impact of changes in environmental and health and safety regulations, anticorruption enforcement, sanctions, import/export controls, tax and other legislation and regulations in the U.S. and other jurisdictions in which Versum Materials and its affiliates operate; our available cash and access to additional capital may be limited by substantial leverage and debt service obligations; possible liability for contamination, personal injury or third party impacts if hazardous materials are released into the environment; cyber security threats may compromise our data or disrupt our information technology applications or services; fluctuation of currency exchange rates; costs and outcomes of litigation or regulatory investigations; the timing, impact, and other uncertainties of future acquisitions or divestitures; and other risks, uncertainties and factors discussed in the company's Form 10-Qs, Form 10-K and in the company's other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission available at www.sec.gov or in materials incorporated therein by reference. Any forward-looking statement in this press release speaks only as of the date on which it is made. The company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Important Information This communication is being made in respect of the proposed merger transaction between Versum Materials, Inc. and Entegris, Inc. In connection with the proposed merger, Entegris, Inc. will file with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 that will include the Joint Proxy Statement of Versum Materials, Inc. and Entegris, Inc. and a Prospectus of Entegris, Inc., as well as other relevant documents regarding the proposed transaction. A definitive Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus will also be sent to Versum Materials, Inc. stockholders and Entegris, Inc. stockholders. This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS REGARDING THE MERGER WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. A free copy of the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus, as well as other filings containing information about Versum Materials, Inc. and Entegris, Inc., may be obtained at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). You will also be able to obtain these documents, free of charge, from Versum Materials, Inc. by accessing Versum Materials, Inc.'s website at www.versummaterials.com or from Entegris, Inc. by accessing Entegris, Inc.'s website at www.entegris.com. Copies of the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus can also be obtained, free of charge, by directing a request to Versum Materials, Inc. Investor Relations at Investor Relations, Versum Materials, Inc., 8555 South River Parkway, Tempe, Arizona 85284 or by calling (484) 275-5907, or to Entegris, Inc. Investor Relations at Investor Relations, Entegris, Inc., 129 Concord Road, Billerica, MA 01821 or by calling 978-436-6500. Certain Information Concerning Participants Versum Materials, Inc. and Entegris, Inc. and certain of their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Versum Materials, Inc. stockholders and Entegris, Inc. stockholders in respect of the transaction described in the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus. Information regarding Versum Materials, Inc.'s directors and executive officers is contained in Versum Materials, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2018 and its Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, dated December 20, 2018, which are filed with the SEC. Information regarding Entegris, Inc.'s directors and executive officers is contained in Entegris, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2018, June 30, 2018 and September 29, 2018 and its Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, dated March 28, 2018, which are filed with the SEC. Additional information regarding the interests of those participants and other persons who may be deemed participants in the transaction may be obtained by reading the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus regarding the proposed merger when it becomes available. Free copies of this document may be obtained as described in the preceding paragraph. APPENDIX TABLE A-1: PRELIMINARY RECONCILIATION OF NET (News - Alert) INCOME TO ADJUSTED EBITDA Three Months Ended December 31, 2018 (In millions, except percentages) Net Income Attributable to Versum (A) $ 61.1 Add: Interest expense 12.8 Add: Write-off of financing costs - Add: Non-service components of net periodic pension cost (B) 0.2 Add: Income tax provision (A) 19.7 Add: Depreciation and amortization 13.5 Add: Non-controlling interests 2.0 Add: Business separation, restructuring and cost reduction actions 1.1 Adjusted EBITDA (B) $ 110.4 (A) - The fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2017 amounts have been recast to reflect the retrospective application of the company's election to change its inventory valuation method of accounting for its U.S. inventories from the LIFO method to the FIFO method, which resulted in an increase in Net Income Attributable to Versum of $0.1 million and an increase in the Income tax provision of $0.1 million for the fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2017. (B) - The fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2017 amounts have been recast to reflect the retrospective application of the company's change in classification of the non-service components of net periodic pension cost, which resulted in an increase to non-service components of net periodic pension costs of $0.2 million for the fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2017 and an increase to Adjusted EBITDA by the same amount. APPENDIX TABLE A-2: PRELIMINARY RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO ADJUSTED NET INCOME Three Months Ended December 31, 2018 (In millions) Net Income Attributable to Versum(A) $ 61.1 Add: Business separation, restructuring and cost reduction actions, net of 0.8 Add: Write-off of financing costs, net of tax(B) - Add: Impact of Tax Act (1.7) Adjusted Net Income $ 60.2 (A) - The fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2017 amounts have been recast to reflect the retrospective application of the company's election to change its inventory valuation method of accounting for its U.S. inventories from the LIFO method to the FIFO method, which resulted in an increase in Net Income Attributable to Versum of $0.1 million. (B) - See Appendix Table A-1 for amounts gross of tax. APPENDIX TABLE A-3: PRELIMINARY RECONCILIATION OF DILUTED EPS TO ADJUSTED DILUTED EPS Three Months Ended December 31, 2018 (Per share data) Diluted Earnings Per Share $ 0.56 Add: Business separation, restructuring and cost reduction actions per diluted share, net of tax 0.01 Add: Write-off of financing costs, net of tax(A) - Add: Impact of Tax Act (0.02) Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share $ 0.55 (A) - See Appendix Table A-1 for amounts gross of tax. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005193/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] Export Development Canada releases new Climate Change Policy New policy commits to reducing carbon intensity of its portfolio and strengthens EDC's thermal coal position OTTAWA, Jan. 28, 2019 /CNW/ - In revealing its new Climate Change Policy today, Export Development Canada (EDC) took another significant step in contributing to the global transition to a lower carbon, sustainable economy. The new policy commits EDC to measuring, monitoring and disclosing climate-related risks and opportunities, integrating climate change considerations into business decisions, and encouraging partners to do the same. In so doing, EDC joins a growing number of industry leaders acting to understand, address and disclose business risks and opportunities related to climate change. "At EDC, we recognize we can contribute to creating a sustainable economy through the policies we set and the choices we make, while honouring our mandate," said Catherine Decarie, Senior Vice-President of Corporate Affairs. "This revised policy clarifies the principles that guide our approach, articulates our explicit climate-related commitments and ensures EDC is keeping pace with leading players in the global financial services sector." The policy is a result of consultations with external stakeholders, customers and experts, as part of the Environmental and Social Risk Management (ESRM) Policy Review announcedin May 2018. EDC regularly reviews this framework to ensure it remains relevant, reflects current practice and keeps pace with industry best practices. This new climate change policy strengthens EDC's position on thermal coal and commits the corporation to begin setting targets to reduce the carbon intensity of its lending portfolio. As Canada's export credit agency, EDC has a mandate to support and develop Canada's export trade and its capacity to engage in that trade, as well as respond to international business opportunities. EDC supports the Government of Canada's efforts to address the climate change challenge, including its commitment to the 2015 Paris Agreement. EDC's large and diverse portfolio includes companies operating in carbon-intense sectors that are important to the Canadian economy alongside businesses on the cutting edge of clean technologies. EDC believes that companies across this spectrum will need to play a vital role in the transition to a lower carbon and climate-resilient economy. EDC's commitments in the new Climate Change Policy include: No new financing for coal-fired power plants, thermal coal mines or dedicated thermal coal-related infrastructure regardless of geographic location. Measuring, monitoring and, commencing in 2020, setting targets to reduce the carbon intensity of EDC's lending portfolio. Increasing transparency around EDC's climate-related risks and opportunities, including working toward implementing the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Integrating climate-related considerations, such as carbon intensity, into EDC's risk assessment processes. Already, EDC is Canada's largest financier of clean technology companies. In 2017, EDC provided $1.5 billion in support for clean technology companies a record year surpassed in 2018. Last year, EDC became the first export credit agency to announce its support for the TCFD recommendations, signaling its commitment to help advance the availability, consistency and comparability of climate-related information. About EDC EDC helps Canadian companies go, grow, and succeed in their international business. As a financial Crown corporation, EDC provides financing, insurance, bonding, trade knowledge, and matchmaking connections to help Canadian companies sell and invest abroad. EDC can also provide financial solutions to foreign buyers to facilitate and grow purchases from Canadian companies. For more information about how we can help your company, call us at 1-888-434-8508 or visit www.edc.ca . SOURCE Export Development Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] McCafe Mobile Rewards are now available across Canada through the My McD's app TORONTO, Jan. 28, 2019 /CNW/ - One of the most generous loyalty programs is getting even more generous, as Canadians can now collect McCafe Mobile Rewards through the My McD's app with the purchase of any-size hot beverage. The brand new McCafe Mobile Rewards will not replace the very popular on-cup rewards system but provides a new digital option for collecting hot beverage rewards. Guests will be able to collect Mobile Rewards by scanning the McCafe Mobile Rewards Card or another Mobile Offer in-restaurant, drive thru, or kiosk, or by placing a Mobile Order with an applicable McCafe hot beverage in the order. When seven Mobile Rewards stickers are collected just like the on-cup component guests will receive a Mobile Offer in the My McD's app for a free medium hot McCafe beverage. Launching McCafe Mobile Rewards across the country for all Canadians to enjoy is yet another innovative step forward for the brand. It offers a convenient, simple and more personalized experience for ordering coffee. Now, with the opportunity to collect and redeem valuable Mobile Rewards through the My McD's app, McCafe Mobile Rewards gives guests even more features they are looking for in the App. Quotes: "This is a very exciting new offering and one we're tremendously roud of. McCafe Mobile Rewards is just another example of McCafe's commitment to guest centric improvement and innovation," says Catherine Crozier, Senior Director, Strategy, Marketing & Brand Innovation for McCafe. "McCafe Mobile Rewards is an expansion of the on-cup sticker rewards program, tailored to the diverse and changing needs of our guests." "The on-cup stickers has become a fun and easy way to enjoy McCafe. Now digital rewards bring new dimension to how people order, collect and pay on their smartphone through the My McD's app. It helps people conveniently incorporate McDonald's and McCafe into their everyday routines," says Lara Skripitsky Vice President & Chief Technology Officer at McDonald's. Additional facts: When seven Mobile Rewards stickers are collected, guests will receive a Mobile Offer for a free medium hot McCafe beverage. Guests have the opportunity to collect double the rewards with on-cup and digital stickers. Guests can also save their beverage order preferences within the App, making it more convenient to place their orders. McDonald's Canada has been on its coffee journey since 2009 making significant investments in people, equipment and products with the aim that each cup delivers a rich, smooth and consistently delicious flavour that's fast, friendly and convenient for our guests to enjoy, every time. ABOUT McDonald's Canada In 1967, Canadians welcomed the first McDonald's restaurant to Richmond, British Columbia. Today, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited has become part of the Canadian fabric, serving close to three million guests every day. Together with our franchisees, we proudly employ nearly 100,000 people from coast-to-coast and more than 90 per cent of McDonald's 1,400 Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs. Of the almost $1 billion we spend on food, beverages and packaging, more than 85 per cent is purchased from suppliers in Canada. For more information on McDonald's Canada visit McDonalds.ca. ABOUT McCafe The McCafe brand has established itself as a leading player in the Canadian quick-service coffee landscape with its Premium Roast coffee, delighting guests with each consistently rich, smooth & delicious cup. Building on its strong coffee credentials, McCafe has expanded to include a McCafe Bakery menu, into grocery aisles, WestJet flights and now evolved with the launch of cafes in Toronto with an expanded menu. For more information on our commitment to brewing the perfect cup every time visit www.mcdonalds.ca/mccafe. Follow the brand on Instagram at (@McCafeCanada). SOURCE McDonald's Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 27, 2019] 42Gears Chooses Pradeo to Provide Next-level Mobile Threat Defense to its UEM Users BANGALORE, January 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- 42Gears, a leading Unified Endpoint Management solution provider is proud to announce that the technology Pradeo Security Mobile Threat Defense (MTD) is now available to 42Gears Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) users. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/517153/42Gears_Mobility_Systems_Logo.jpg ) Pradeo is a global company, European leader of mobile security. It provides solutions that tackle the onslaught of mobile threats relying on the most precise detection technology of the market and combining it with a 360 approach. By integrating Pradeo Security Mobile Threat Defense, 42Gears now offers Pradeo's advanced mobile security capabilities to its users, allowing them to both manage and protect their mobile environment from the 42Gears UEM console. As the mobile workforce has a direct access pint to sensitive corporate data, it represents a target of choice for cybercriminals. To keep up with increasingly sophisticated threats targeting enterprise mobility, Pradeo put Artificial Intelligence into practice by using advanced machine learning and deep learning technologies. Pradeo Security for 42Gears provides adaptive, fast and proactive threat management, while avoiding false positives. These unique capacities ensure organizations' data are fully protected against all kind of mobile threats. "This partnership aims at providing 42Gears UEM customers with a robust solution that will protect them from constantly evolving mobile threats while simultaneously meeting business, regulation, and security needs," said Steph Saad, Chief Strategy Officer at Pradeo. This integration enables 42Gears UEM customers to protect their mobile devices from the full mobile threat spectrum by warding off applications, network and device-related threats. Abhay Koranne, Senior Vice President at 42Gears Mobility Systems said, "The industry is moving towards stricter security demands for compliance and privacy. A mobile, distributed workforce, using personal as well as company-owned devices, calls for layered security and that's precisely what Pradeo Security Mobile Threat Defense ensures. A partnership such as this means that our clients will now be able to deploy devices that meet both their business and security objectives." About Pradeo: Pradeo offers innovative solutions to protect mobile devices (smartphones, tablets and connected objects) and master mobile applications. Pradeo's cutting-edge technology, Pradeo Security, has been recognized by Gartner, IDC and 77 other research firms in 2018. Find more details about Pradeo's security solutions on http://www.pradeo.com or by contacting alicja.bialas@pradeo.com. About 42Gears 42Gears is a leading Unified Endpoint Management solution provider, offering SaaS and on-premise solutions to secure, monitor and manage all business endpoints, such as tablets, phones, desktops and wearables. 42Gears products support company-owned as well as employee-owned devices built on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Wear OS and Linux platforms. 42Gears products are used in various verticals, such as healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, education and retail. 42Gears products are trusted by over 9000 customers in more than 115 countries. For more information, please visit http://www.42gears.com. Media Contact: Manisha Singh manisha.singh@42gears.com Head Marketing 42Gears [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 27, 2019] TERNIUM 24 HOUR DEADLINE ALERT: Approximately 24 Hours Remain; ClaimsFiler Reminds Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 of Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit against Ternium S.A. - TX ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have only until January 28, 2019 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Ternium S.A. (NYSE: TX). Investor losses must relate to purchases of the Company's securities between May 1, 2014 and November 27, 2018. This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Get Help Ternium investors should visit us at https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-ternium-sa-securities-litigation or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit On November 27, 2018, Bloomberg (News - Alert) reported that Ternium's Chairman Paolo Rocca was indicted for his role in a widespread bribery scandal in Argentina involving payments made to government officials in monthly installments from 2009 to 2012 to facilitate a $1.9B payment from Venezuela relating to its seizure of a related unit, Sidor, which was transformed into a Venezuelan state-owned enterprise. On this news, the price of Ternium's shares plummeted. The case is Ulbricht v. Ternium S.A., 1:18-cv-06801. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190127005027/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 27, 2019] Teijin Extends Contract to Supply Carbon Fiber to Bombardier for AIRBUS A220 Teijin Limited announced today that it has been awarded a contract to supply its Tenax carbon fiber material to Bombardier Aerostructures and Engineering Services for another seven years until 2025. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190127005007/en/ Wing Production at Bombardier Belfast (Photo: Business Wire) Teijin focuses on aircraft business as one of the growth strategies in its medium-term management plan for 2017-2019 and is intensively accelerating its development of mid- to downstream applications, such as cost-effective carbon fibers with higher-tenacity and higher-tensile modulus, intermediate materials including Tenax TPUD, carbon fiber thermoplastic consolidated laminate (Tenax TPCL), thermoset prepreg and non-crimp fabric. Going forward, Teijin intends to further strengthen its carbon fiber and its intermediate material business as a leading solution provider for aircraft applications, targeting annual sales in this field in excess of USD 900 million by around 2030. Teijin was awarded a contract by Bombardier to supply Tenax for major primary and secondary composite structures in 2010 and Tenax Carbon Fiber has been used for primary structure applications including wing, center wing box structures and empennage applications. About the Teijin Group Teijin (TOKYO: 3401) is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the areas of environmental value; safety, security and disaster mitigation; and demographic change and increased health consciousness. Its main fields of operation are high-performance fibers such as aramid, carbon fibers & composites, healthcare, films, resin & plastic processing, polyester fibers, products converting and IT. The group has some 170 companies and around 19,000 employees spread out over 20 countries worldwide. It posted consolidated sales of JPY835 billion (USD 7.6 billion) and total assets of JPY 986.2 billion (USD 9 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018. Please visit www.teijin.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190127005007/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 27, 2019] Centrica to Accelerate EV Ambitions With Dedicated Mobility Ventures Team LONDON, January 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Centrica plc is super-charging its electric vehicle (EV) ambitions with the creation of a new team that will work to combine state-of-the-art technology with a world-class user experience for domestic and business customers. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/813672/Centrica.jpg ) Dedicated to progressing new solutions and partnerships in support of the emerging electric vehicle market, Centrica Mobility Ventures will work with the company's international Consumer and Business units to develop customer offers that combine energy supply and charging infrastructure services alongside value-add services such as energy optimisation and software applications. Research by the company shows that the total cost of owning an EV vs a petrol/diesel car over 10 years will reach a tipping point by 2025, with every fifth new car sold globally predicted to be an electric vehicle by 2030. It is estimated that 700bn investment in fleets, batteries, charging infrastructure and technology will be required in the same timeframe (2030). Charles Cameron, Centrica's Director of Technology & Engineering and Chairman of Centrica Innovations, said: "The direction of travel for EVs is clear but we know from talking to our customers and partners that many are struggling to find their way through the implications of roll out at scale. "With a global network of over 15,000 engineers and technicians, and expertise in designing and managing energy solutions offered through Centrica Business Solutions, I believe we are uniquely positioned to develop a simple, holistic solution for customers that will address many of the challenges around EV adoption." The team will build on Centrica's experience as an installer of over 17,000 EV chargers globally and the launch of a new smart time-of-use tariff from British Gas that offers homeowners cheaper electricity overnight[1] to charge their car. As a first step, the Mobility Ventures team is working with car manufacturers to support their dealership networks on EV readiness, providing a one stop shop for end-to-end charging delivery including charger infrastructure, energy management, financing, and optimisation. Centrica Innovations has also increased its investment in Israeli EV technology company Driivz. Established in 2012, Driivz offers end-to-end software solutions for electric vehicle (EV) charging and has developed a cloud-based EV charging operating system that is already used by over 200,000 drivers across the globe. For more information on Centrica Innovations, go to http://www.centrica.com/CI. References: 1. British Gas' Green Drive Nov 2020 tariff offers customers a cheaper rate between 12.30am and 7.30am to charge their vehicle. Notes to Editors Centrica plc is an international energy and services company. Our purpose is to provide energy and services to satisfy the changing needs of our customers. Centrica Innovations was established in 2017 and aims to invest 100m in new technology and innovations for homes and businesses. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 27, 2019] Paul, Weiss Adds Kannon Shanmugam, Renowned Supreme Court and Appellate Lawyer Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced today that Kannon K. Shanmugam, a renowned Supreme Court and appellate lawyer, has joined the firm as a partner in the Litigation Department and will chair the Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Group. "We are thrilled to welcome Kannon, who is one of the most accomplished Supreme Court and appellate advocates in the country," said Paul, Weiss Chairman Brad S. Karp. "Kannon is an extraordinary and rare talent, with an unparalleled track record on behalf of the world's most sophisticated clients. Kannon's appellate experience will complement our leading litigation and white-collar regulatory practice." "I am excited by this unique opportunity to help lead the D.C. office of Paul, Weiss, one of the world's great law firms. Paul, Weiss is a dynamic institution with a legendary history, distinctive culture and extraordinary leadership," said Mr. Shanmugam. "I'm looking forward to building a Supreme Court and appellate practice that befits the firm's stellar reputation, and to further strengthening our D.C. office as the premier law office in the capital." Mr. Shanmugam has argued 27 cases before the Supreme Court and dozens of appeals before all 13 federal courts of appeals and in numerous state appellate courts. He has already argued four cases in the ongoing 2018-2019 Supreme Court term-more than any other lawyer in private practice. Prior to private practice, Mr. Shanmugam served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice. He also served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and to Judge J. Michael Luttig of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Mr. Shanmugam will serve as managing partner and Kenneth A. Gallo will serve as chair of Paul, Weiss's Washington, D.C. office. "We have been planning aSupreme Court and appellate practice for a long time, and have finally found in Kannon the right advocate to launch and grow it," said Mr. Gallo. "Kannon is a superstar in the appellate bar, and an inspiring and widely recognized teacher and leader. He will be a wonderful addition to our D.C. office and our partnership." Mr. Shanmugam has been called a "titan" of the SCOTUS bar by The American Lawyer's Litigation Daily, and has been recognized as a "Litigator of the Week" by the publication on several occasions. In 2018, Mr. Shanmugam obtained review in three separate cases on the same day-an unprecedented feat for a lawyer in private practice. Among his many significant matters before the Supreme Court, he successfully represented Digital Realty in the case requiring whistleblowers to report to the SEC (News - Alert) before filing suit for retaliation under the Dodd-Frank Act (Digital Realty v. Somers); Santander on the question of which financial institutions are subject to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (Henson v. Santander); and Omnicare in a case on the actionability of statements of opinion under federal securities laws (Omnicare v. Laborers District Council). Mr. Shanmugam's winning record extends to the federal courts of appeals. In 2015, he convinced the Second Circuit to vacate securities fraud convictions against Jefferies bond trader Jesse Litvak. In 2016, on behalf of Bank of America, Mr. Shanmugam persuaded the Second Circuit to reverse a $1.3 billion penalty against the bank levied by a New York district court. Later that year, on behalf of AstraZeneca, he convinced the First Circuit to keep intact the first jury verdict in any antitrust class action challenging pharmaceutical patent settlements. Mr. Shanmugam is also active in high-impact pro bono matters. In November, he argued at the Supreme Court on behalf of survivors of the 2000 USS Cole bombing, who are trying to enforce a $315 million default judgment against the Republic of Sudan for allegedly providing material support to al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden. Mr. Shanmugam earned an A.B. in Classics, summa cum laude, from Harvard University; a Master's Degree in Classics from Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar; and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School. About Paul, Weiss Paul, Weiss (www.paulweiss.com) is a firm of more than 1,000 lawyers with diverse backgrounds, personalities, ideas and interests who provide innovative and effective solutions to our clients' most complex legal and business challenges. We take great pride in representing the world's leading companies in their critical legal matters and most significant business transactions, as well as individuals and organizations in need of pro bono assistance. 2019 Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. In some jurisdictions, this advisory may be considered attorney advertising. Past representations are no guarantee of future outcomes. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190127005038/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] JinkoSolar and GRID Alternatives Renew Partnership to Make Solar Power and Job Training Accessible to Underserved Communities SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (JinkoSolar" or the "Company") (NYSE: JKS), a reputable solar module manufacturer, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, JinkoSolar (U.S.) Inc., renewed its partnership with GRID Alternatives, a national leader in making solar technology and job training accessible to low-income communities. JinkoSolar has donated 600kW of high-efficiency solar modules to support GRID Alternatives' work developing and implementing solar projects and offering hands-on job training in underserved communities. The partnership will help GRID Alternatives to meet its goal of installing more than 10 megawatts of solar power in 2019, helping families and affordable housing providers save millions of dollars in energy costs over the lifetimes of their solar systems. With JinkoSolar's support, GRID Alternatives will also be providing hands-on solar installation training to over 4,000 individuals. Building on a deep partnership with GRID Alternatives that has been built over the past five years, this renewal reaffirms JinkoSolar's commitment to making solar power accessible to everyone. "We always felt it important that the benefits of solar be widely available to all communities across the US and around the globe," said Nigel Cockroft, General Manager of JinkoSolar (U.S.) Inc. "We believe in the GRID Alternatives model and are proud to continue to support their expansive beneficial programs." "Our work brings together the solar industry, governments, utilities, job training organizations, affordable housing providers and local communities to ensure solar power benefits everyone and we're thankful for JinkoSolar's support," said Erica Mackie, GRID Alternatives CEO and co-founder. "Large-scale equipment partnerships like JnkoSolar's make it possible to make the financial, career-building, and environmental benefits of solar power accessible to all communities." About JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) is a world-renowned solar module manufacturer. JinkoSolar has over 12,000 employees across its 6 productions facilities globally. The company distributes its solar products and sells its solutions and services to a diversified international utility, commercial and residential customer base in more than 80 countries worldwide. JinkoSolar has built a vertically integrated solar product value chain, with an integrated annual capacity of 9.2 GW for silicon ingots and wafers, 6.5 GW for solar cells, and 10 GW for solar modules, as of September 30, 2018. JinkoSolar has over 12,000 employees across its 6 productions facilities globally, 16 oversea subsidiaries in Japan (2), Singapore, India, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Australia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates, and global sales teams in United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Kenya, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama and Argentina. To find out more, please see: www.jinkosolar.com About GRID Alternatives GRID Alternatives is a national leader in making clean, affordable solar power and solar jobs accessible to low-income communities and communities of color. Using a unique, people-first model, GRID develops and implements solar projects that serve qualifying households and affordable housing providers, while providing hands-on job training. GRID has installed solar for more than 13,000 families to-date, with a combined installed capacity of more than 47MW, and helped households and housing providers save $340 million in lifetime electricity costs, while training nearly 40,000 people. GRID Alternatives has nine regional offices and affiliates serving California, Colorado, the mid-Atlantic region, Tribal communities nationwide, and powering off-grid communities in Nicaragua, Nepal, and Mexico. For more information, visit www.gridalternatives.org. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: In China: Mr. Sebastian Liu JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. Tel: +86 21-5183-3056 Email: pr@jinkosolar.com Sarah Bucci GRID Alternatives Tel: 720-452-5562 Email: bucci@gridalternatives.org View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jinkosolar-and-grid-alternatives-renew-partnership-to-make-solar-power-and-job-training-accessible-to-underserved-communities-300784864.html SOURCE JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 28, 2019] BankPlus and FHLB Dallas to Award More Than $40K to Mississippi Nonprofits BankPlus and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) will award more than $40,000 in Partnership Grant Program ( PGP (News - Alert) ) funds to three local nonprofits during a ceremonial check presentation February 1 in Jackson. The Center for Social Entrepreneurship (CSE), a nonprofit that focuses on enhancing the quality of life in areas such as education, economic business development and housing, will receive $16,000; Dress for Success Metro Jackson, an organization that provides women career development support, will receive $10,470; and Madison Countians Allied Against Poverty (MadCAAP), an organization that provides resources for education, nutrition and housing repair for families living in poverty in Madison County, will receive $16,000. The PGP grant enables FHLB Dallas member institutions like BankPlus to make contributions to community-based organizations (CBO), which FHLB Dallas will match at a 3:1 ratio. In 2018, FHLB Dallas awarded $300,000 in PGP funds through its 31 member institutions to assist 32 CBOs. Combined with the $114,010 contributed by FHLB Dallas members, a total of $414,010 has been awarded to the organizations. The media is encouraged to attend. The check presentation will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, February 1, 2019, at BankPlus, 912 Dalton Street in Jackson. For more information about the PGP, visit fhlb.com/pgp. WHAT: Check Presentation WHEN: 10:30 a.m. Friday, February 1, 2019 WHO: Brad Gatlin, Madison County President, BankPlus David Johnson, Senior Vice President & Director of Community Development, BankPlus Mark Ouellette, First Vice President & Director of Affordable Housing, BankPlus Fannie Ware, District Director, Office of U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson, D-MS Ryan Annison, State Director, Office of U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-MS Umesh Sanjanwala, State Director, Office of U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-MS Shante Crockett, Executive Director, Center for Social Entrepreneurship Pat Chambliss, Executive Director, Dress for Success Karen Robinson, Executive Director, Madison Countians Allied Against Poverty Eric Haar, Vice President and Director of Government and Industry Relations, FHLB Dallas Melanie Dill, Community and Economic Development Product Manager, FHLB Dallas WHERE: BankPlus 912 Dalton Street Jackson, MS 39203 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005497/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Albany Paula Brown is a 75-year-old grandmother with student debt. Her situation is not unusual. Brown recently was notified she still owes $20,000 on loans from when she attended a now-defunct branch of the Betty Owens Secretarial School some 40 years ago, said her granddaughter Carrie Joubert. Unless she pays it off, the Queens resident could see her Social Security check garnished by up to 15 percent, said Joubert. This has been an ordeal that has honestly gone on way too long," said Joubert, who is helping her grandmother deal with the issue. Brown exemplifies the student debt crisis in two ways. Women hold an estimated two-thirds of the nations college loan debt, according to federal statistics. Meanwhile, the number of people ages 60 and above with college debt in New York has risen 44 percent between 2012 and 2017, according to a study out earlier this month. Some have co-signed loans for their children or grandchildren. Some have simply forgotten or ignored the loans until a debt servicing firm or debt collector take action. Joubert believes that much of the $20,000 owed by her grandmother is from interest and penalties, something she is trying to get a full accounting of from the collection agency. The study on student debt, from the Student Borrowers Protection Center, comes amid a number of developments, including a push in New York for greater oversight of companies that service college loans. It also comes as U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has declared the $1.5 trillion worth of student loans that exist nationally a financial crisis that is hobbling countless families. DeVos, though, has angered many consumer advocates by proposing to roll back some rules regarding student loan servicers, prompting a push for more regulations on the state level. Thats one of the driving forces behind this legislation, said Evan Denerstein, a senior staff attorney with Mobilization for Justice, which provides free legal help to low income New Yorkers. DeVos proposals also prompted creation of the Student Borrower Protection Center, which was started by Seth Frotman, the former Student Loan Ombudsman at the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and others who left because he said actions by the Trump administration are undermining the CFPB and its ability to protect student borrowers. Overall, researchers found that there is $90.6 billion in student loan debt in New York with an average bill of $38,477. Older adults ages 60 and above were part of that mix. Seniors find themselves with student debt for a combination of reasons, either they are still paying off loans from their own education, or they cosign loans or take loans out in their own name for their children or grandchildrens education, said Kara Ferguson, a spokeswoman for the surveys authors. Buttressing the survey is another recent study from the Experian consumer credit reporting organization that found student debt in New York since 2008 grew 89 percent from $47.2 billion to $89.3 billion. In New York City, student debt jumped $43.6 billion to $89.2 billion a 105 percent change, putting the city in first place compared to other major U.S. cities. Student loans represent the 2nd largest credit debt for Americans, trailing behind mortgage loans. Women are carrying the bulk of this debt. During a hearing in late 2018, Maria Vullo, the states Department of Financial Services superintendent, spoke about women and student loan debt. Women comprise 56 percent of U.S. college students, according to the federal Department of Education. But they often take lower-paying jobs than men and may have taken time off to raise their families, giving them a lower lifetime earning stream. Joubert said that her grandmother worked a series of jobs after attending secretarial school. She had a lot of temp jobs over the years, said Joubert. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU The state Joint Commission on Public Ethics has filed an appeal to a December court ruling, which had mandated a vote by the ethics panel's commissioners on whether to investigate the activities of Joe Percoco, a former top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The notice of appeal to the third appellate division, by attorney Thomas Gleason, the outside counsel hired by JCOPE, appeals the initial state Supreme Court ruling forcing the JCOPE vote. The appeal also invokes JCOPE's right to an automatic stay of the lower court judgement. That could delay a vote on the Percoco matter that was expected to occur during JCOPE's closed, executive session, at its monthly meeting next Tuesday. In December, state Supreme Court Justice Patrick McGrath ruled that JCOPE's commissioners had 30 days to take a vote on whether to investigative Percoco's use of state resources while managing Cuomo's 2014 re-election campaign, activities which could violate the state Public Officer's Law. Before the appeal, the vote by JCOPE was expected to occur next Tuesday, after JCOPE's attorneys had already successfully sought a delay of initial 30 day deadline. On Friday afternoon, state Republican chairman Ed Cox who along with Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro filed the lawsuit seeking to force the JCOPE vote released a statement slamming the appeal. "JCOPE's 11th hour appeal is a last-ditch attempt to block the judge's ruling on our Article 78 lawsuit requiring them to adhere to their governing laws and take a vote on whether to investigate the clear crimes committed by Governor Cuomo and his closest confidante and campaign manager Joe Percoco. Every day that passes, JCOPE is proving itself to be brazenly beholden creature of the Governor, not dedicated to protecting the people of New York," Cox said. "We will seek to block the automatic stay triggered by the appeal, and request an expedited process. JCOPE's stall tactics, refusal to follow the law and blatant disregard of evidence, all in an attempt to protect the Governor, sends another chilling message that he is above the law," Cox said. In response, JCOPE spokesman Walter McClure said only that it was "common practice to file a notice of appeal." Even if JCOPE is forced to eventually vote on the Percoco matter, it's unclear if the result would have to be publicly released. The Republicans' attorneys say the law clearly requires JCOPE to notify them if an investigation is closed, while JCOPE says such notification is not required at this point in the process. McGrath's ruling did not make it entirely clear, either way, whether public disclosure of the vote results would be required. Both testimony during Percoco's corruption trial last spring, as well as phone records reviewed by the Times Union, indicate Percoco extensively used Cuomo's state office in Manhattan, while managing Cuomo's re-election campaign. The Republicans are seeking not only a probe into Percoco's activities, but of whether Cuomo was aware of any illegality. Cuomo's desk in the government office was just steps from the government office used by Percoco during the eight months he was managing the 2014 campaign. JCOPE's close ties to Cuomo have long been criticized. Since its creation in 2011, all of JCOPE's three executive directors had previously worked for Cuomo, including its current one, Seth Agata, who testified during Percoco's trial that he witnessed Percoco using the state office in Manhattan, while Agata was working as Cuomo's counsel. ALBANY As students and staff settled back in on the first day of classes at the University at Albany this week, one room remained empty: an office for a Muslim chaplain in the Interfaith Center. "Just to have someone to support you and be able to help you when you have questions, that would be really nice to have here," Muslim Students Association (MSA) President Nusrat Bhuiyan said Wednesday as she sat across from the empty office and a meditation room she uses for prayer in the Interfaith Center. Along with MSA Vice President Nana-Hawwa Abdul-Rahman, she's spearheading the search to find an imam to join the Protestant, Catholic and Jewish chaplains at the center. Chaplains host worship services, organize events and hold office hours to counsel students. The student leaders hope to see an imam instated before they graduate this spring, but the hunt has proved harder than expected. The first challenge is finding someone, the second is paying them. Ekow King, the school's director of intercultural student engagement who oversees the Interfaith Center, explained that chaplains are not paid by the university. Their hours and funding are determined by outside sources. Currently the three chaplains are supported by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, Protestant Campus Ministry and Jewish organization Hillel. "We don't take the lead on determining what type of faith leader should be volunteering here," King said. "We see if there's a need and discuss the need with students. It's a lot of reflective listening. We ask, what would make the experience more inviting for Muslim students on our campus?" King said over the past two decades he's seen a steady increase of students wearing hijab head coverings and expressing their Muslim identity. Two and a half percent of the student body self-identified as Muslim in 2017 survey, the fifth largest religious group after Protestant Christians, Catholics, Jews and Buddhists. King approached MSA leadership to find an imam chaplain in September. "We're hoping they're able to find someone," he said. "Anything that will increase the sense of belonging for our students, we're always really excited about that." The student group's efforts to reach out to the Association of Campus Muslim Chaplains after a connection through guest speaker and rapper Mona Haydar, who is also a chaplain at New York University, fizzled in the fall. The association did not respond to a request for comment. Next the student leaders contacted the Islamic Center of the Capital District in Schenectady. The mosque employs Abdul-Rahman's father and two other imams. The student leaders hoped they could spare one part-time to serve as chaplain, but conversations haven't gained traction since November. Imam Abdul-Rahman Yaki said in an email to the Times Union that ICCD leadership promised to discuss it after their election and he would bring it up with the new president. The student leaders' next stop is Al-Hidaya mosque in Latham, where they hope to meet with the leadership there next week. Khalid Bhatti, president of the board of trustees at Al-Hidaya Center that houses the mosque, hopes they can find someone after the meeting but added it might be difficult. "I would be happy to work something out for them," he said. "Under the circumstances, it also depends on what the request is and what their needs are. We don't have a lot of people to spare." The student leaders hope to find someone for at least one day a week. They prefer an imam, who has formally studied religious texts, but would welcome anyone who has religious knowledge even if they don't have a degree. "Someone who could be sponsored by one of the local mosques would be great, and someone who can relate to the students and be able to work with the other chaplains here and the students, Muslims and non-Muslims," Bhuiyan said. The student group hosts regular social events and weekly Friday prayer services, which are led by students or local volunteers, but they'd love to hold more discussions and even Quran classes with an imam on campus. MSA members said when they set up a table in the Campus Center during Islam Awareness Week, they sometimes encounter questions about Islam, especially from atheist students, that can be hard to answer. "I can explain why I wear the hijab. I can explain why I'm a Muslim, but sometimes they have big questions and we're like, we need a scholar for this," said Abdul-Rahman. More than 50 years ago, the non-profit Albany Collegiate Interfaith Center (ACIC) began hosting Jewish, Catholic and Protestant chaplains in a building on the edge of the UAlbany campus. "They thought they were cool when it started, but now we've got Buddhists and Hindus and Muslims and what was cool 50 years ago when they started is not as inclusive now," said Rev. Sandy Damhof, a part-time Protestant chaplain for 15 years at the university. On this semester's first day of classes, she was serving free bagels and coffee from her cozy office covered with photos and plaques, including her name written in Arabic script a gift from MSA. Damhof said she considers herself an interfaith chaplain. "Whoever stops by and is having a hard day, I'm going to talk to them. We all share with that," she said, but added she can't offer religious guidance to Muslims. "That's the big disadvantage. I'm not trained as an imam. I can't do formal services or lead the prayers." A few years ago, the Interfaith Center started conversations to get an imam on campus, she said. No concrete steps were made, partly because it wasn't the responsibility of the university, the center or the other chaplains to find an imam. "The Albany Collegiate Interfaith Center has always been committed to bringing together people of every spiritual and faith background," said Albany Collegiate Interfaith Center President Dr. Amina Mahmood. "We fully support any effort to strengthen the interfaith community in the Capital Region and abroad." The search for an imam chaplain is set against the backdrop of the Interfaith Center's controversial move. In November 2016, the Albany Collegiate Interfaith Center sold its previous building to the University at Albany Foundation, which is still legally transferring ownership to the university, spokesman Jordan Carleo-Evangelist said. The university moved the Interfaith Center to a new location in the Campus Center in September. Students protested. The chaplains filed a complaint with the New York Attorney General to block the move, citing the property deed that said it could only be used for faith purposes. John Holt-Harris III, whose family granted the land to the Interfaith Center, signed an agreement releasing the deed covenant and the Attorney General's office resolved the complaint. The new space is more centralized but significantly smaller and lacks a kitchen. Chaplains had to figure out how to pay for catering and reserve larger outside rooms for worship services. "We did the transition," Damhof said with a shrug, a sigh and a smile on Wednesday. "It is what it is basically. That's just where we're at." Ready to step up your profile and order that personalized license plate? A slightly obnoxious one? How about trying to get a sly but dirty reference put on the back of your car? Classy, but you'll have to get through the state first. Times Union reporter Tim O'Brien check out his blog here wondered if the DMV kept a list of rejected plates, and through a Freedom of Information request, he got a copy of the "Red Guide," a database of naughty plate configurations that are automatically rejected. Related: Cars that get the most tickets There are a lot of reasons plates are rejected. But the biggie: A plate is banned if it "is, in the discretion of the commissioner, obscene, lewd, lascivious, derogatory to a particular ethnic or other group, or patently offensive." Along with using common sense, DMV employees are officially directed to search for possible meanings on Urban Dictionary and Google. Related: The 10 worst car brands, according to Consumer Reports Here is a sampling of what we found in the "Red Guide." Many that we are not posting are, without question, obscene. We felt like others may be debatable. Breastfeeding advocate? You're out of luck. Want to put your sexuality out there? Seems unlikely. More for you News These license plates are banned in New York, part 2 Related: Rolls-Royce reveals epic concept vehicle that would make any car lover drool Some plates took us a while to figure out until we looked at them upside down. You won't see any of these on the streets. And don't say we didn't warn you. Three years ago, when law schools were struggling to rebound from the recession era, Alicia Ouellette was unquestionably optimistic. "This is a really good time to apply to law school," the Albany Law School president and dean told the Times Union. Three years later, Ouellette is more bullish than ever on her school and the numbers give her good reason for that optimism. First-year student enrollment at the nation's oldest independent law school has increased every year (117 to 182) from 2014 to 2018. Total enrollment increased over the last four years from 403 to 465. The school's ranking in the all-important U.S. News and World Report's list of the nation's best law schools jumped 32 spots (now at 106) over the last three years. Ouellette said job placement was around 90 percent. Even after newspapers reported about the law school graduates around the country saddled by crushing debt, Ouellette said she was optimistic about the potential for students to come to law school. "But," she is careful to add, "we also had a plan." That would be the school's Strategic Plan, Ouellette's blueprint for success. It included two elements not always easy to sell to a board of trustees: Fewer students filling seats. Fewer dollars coming in. The payoff? A better law school in the long term, even as other schools were struggling. "It required a leap of faith by our board," Ouellette told Law Beat, "and a real trust that this plan was going to work and a trust that our faculty and the leadership of the law school was going to make this thing happen." Ouellette, a native of Longmeadow, Mass., the school's former associate dean for academic affairs and intellectual life, began as acting dean in October 2014 and in 2015 took the reigns officially in January 2015. She is the school's 18th president and dean. Her tenure has included a 2015 affiliation with UAlbany to share academic programs and services. More recently an unnamed donor gave the school $15 million. In 2013, Ouellette's predecessor, Penny Andrews, told the Times Union "jobs have dried up." She called it a "very challenging time" and that the legal field was "undergoing a fundamental restructuring." The plan depended, in part, on a look at the market to discover what the school needed to do in order to produce graduates employers would hire. To accomplish this goal, Albany Law focused on six broad subjects called "pathways" that included: Business, Tax, and Financial Market Regulation; Civil and Criminal Advocacy; Government, Policy and Public Service; Health Law; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and Public Interest Law. The school revised its curriculum to make sure students had skills sought by employers. That included traditional areas such as litigation and government but also a focus on innovation, economy and health. The school would have fewer students, but those students would be high quality. They could be employed. "The crisis that was hitting the legal industry in general, some schools were going to just fill seats," Ouellette said. "And we made a strategic decision to maintain or even improve the quality of our class so that the quality of our graduates would be outstanding." Ouellette doesn't want incoming classes larger than this year's group. "That's the number where we want to stay because we know we can get 180 students jobs," she said. "And we know that we can educate them in a way that we want to educate them with a sort of high touch, really intense education where our faculty are in students' faces and making sure that they are doing what they need to do to become the professionals who employers want to hire. We don't really want to go back to the days where we had many as 250 students. I don't, anyway." Warsaw, Poland The world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday amid a revival of hate-inspired violence and signs that younger generations know less and less about the genocide of Jews, Roma and others by Nazi Germany during World War II. As survivors of Auschwitz marked the 74th anniversary of the notorious death camp's liberation, a far-right activist who served time in prison for burning an effigy of a Jew placed a wreath there with about 50 other Polish nationalists to protest the official observances. Piotr Rybak said the group opposes the annual ceremony at Auschwitz to mark the camp's liberation by the Soviet army, the event that gave rise to the international Jan. 27 remembrance. Rybak claimed it glorifies the 1 million Jewish victims killed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death complex and discounts the 70,000 Poles killed there. The ceremony at the state-run memorial site paid homage Sunday, as it does every year, to all of the camp's victims, both Jews and gentiles, while Christian and Jewish religious leaders recited a prayer in unison together. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also stressed that the Third Reich targeted Poles as well as Jews. Since last year's observances, an 85-year-old French Holocaust survivor, Mireille Knoll, was fatally stabbed in Paris and 11 Jews were gunned down in a Pittsburgh synagogue during Shabbat services, the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. Human Rights First, a U.S. organization, recalled those killings and warned that "today's threats do not come solely from the fringe." "In places such as Hungary and Poland, once proudly democratic nations, government leaders are traveling the road to authoritarianism," said Ira Forman, the group's senior adviser for combating anti-Semitism. "As they do so, they are distorting history to spin a fable about their nations and the Holocaust." Recent surveys show that knowledge of the atrocities during World War II is declining generally. A new study released in recent days by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and the Azrieli Foundation found that 52 percent of millennials in Canada cannot name one concentration camp or ghetto and 62 percent of millennials did not know that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. RENSSELAER A 16-year-old Columbia High School student has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing another 16-year-old student in the City of Rensselaer on Friday, police and the East Greenbush school district confirmed Sunday. The stabbing did not take place on school property or in connection with any school event. Rensselaer Police Detective Scott Earing said that the male teenagers both live in East Greenbush and knew each other inside and outside of school. But Earing said he could not comment on a motive because the case is still under investigation. Police also have not released the students' names. Rensselaer police responded to a call at 8:30 p.m. Friday and found the victim, stabbed in the chest and lying in the road at First Street and Harrison Avenue. The teen underwent emergency surgery at Albany Medical Center Hospital and is now stable. After interviewing the victim and witnesses, police said they located the suspect, another 16-year-old Columbia High School student, on Saturday. He was charged with felony attempted murder and assault and misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon. He's being held at the Capital District Juvenile Secure Detention Facility in Albany County. East Greenbush School District Superintendent Jeffrey Simons said Sunday that he hasn't interacted in the past with either of the students. "Obviously it's tragic," he told the Times Union. "Not in my tenure with East Greenbush have I dealt with something like this, this level of violence." A statement from the school district Sunday said Columbia High School faculty and staff will be meeting before school on Monday morning to discuss the incident and how they can support students. School counselors and social workers will be available for any students who have concerns regarding this incident. "We've made arrangements through the high school administration as well as our social workers and counselors to have services available for those who are friends of these particular students. Counseling services are available all week for children who may be experiencing trauma related to this incident," Simons said. "Unfortunately, I would say that no community is removed from the challenge of some of these issues when it comes to violence. It's unfortunate that this particular incident on Friday evening contributed to significant injuries and serious charges for our students." New York HBO's new film on newspaper columnists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill romanticizes an era in New York and journalism that feels like a long, long time ago. The fact that it's very recent history makes "Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists" partly a tragedy. The two men embodied a time when New York was a rollicking and complicated place, and each lived for the streets and stories of the little guys who made the city run. Every city had their own Breslins or Hamills, who made the powerful tremble or shake their fists. Their newspapers were required reading. Toward the end of the documentary, which premieres Monday at 8 p.m., filmmakers unspool a statistic that shocks. In 1988, the New York Daily News, the tabloid both Breslin and Hamill called home at times, had 400 reporters and editors. Thirty years later, that number was 45. That, too, is a story replicated across the country, where local journalism is in crisis. The media industry continues to implode, where this week alone more than 1,000 journalism jobs were lost in layoffs announced by Gannett, Verizon Media and BuzzFeed. All of this was on the mind of director Jonathan Alter, who started in 2015 to bring a camera to periodic get-togethers where Breslin and Hamill talked about the old times. Breslin died at age 88 in 2017. Hamill, fighting his own health issues, is 83 and lives in Brooklyn. "I knew that an era was coming to a close," Alter said, "but I also knew that we didn't want to make a nostalgia film. We wanted it to be gritty and funny." Breslin made his name first, mostly through hustle. He broke from the pack to find memorable stories, notably following President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963. Breslin found the man whose job was to dig Kennedy's grave and wrote about him, and interviewed Kennedy's emergency room doctor for a you-are-there account of the president's final minutes. "Jimmy was more like a hustler," Alter said. "As someone once described it, he was right at you all the time. Pete was more like a poet ... They both believed that the worst crime in the world was to be boring." Their jobs often brought them to painful intersections of race and class big stories where a seemingly mild-mannered white man, Bernhard Goetz, shot four black teenagers in 1984 during an attempted subway mugging, and when five minorities were wrongfully accused of an attack on a white jogger in Central Park in 1989. The columnists' willingness to listen to, and champion when necessary, people that society found easy to condemn often put them at odds with authorities. Breslin was not always a hero to a police force populated largely by fellow Irishmen. Director Spike Lee and others speak in the film about their importance to minority communities. Hamill, who brushed off the broken hips and regular dialysis that keeps him close to home these days ("there are people in a lot worse shape than I'm in"), told The Associated Press what he and Breslin thought was necessary to cover a city of immigrants. "We were able to explain the newcomers to the people who were here, and explain the city to the newcomers," he said. "I think that was a very important task that we took care of." To do that, he said, "you've got to go to the third floor loft and knock on the door." There's an importance to the social fabric in having exceptionally talented people write about the lives of normal folks, Alter said. It often seems like the working class is now missing from a modern New York. More likely, it's because few people with powerful platforms are writing about them. It's striking to see the film catch a tenderness between two men who climbed to the top of a business fraught with egos and infighting. That's a testament to Hamill; the brawling Breslin would often write about people with whom he was feuding. "He knew that I was not ever trying to hurt him or conquer him," Hamill said. "We didn't have a sense of rivalry. I was just trying to be the best Pete Hamill, which was hard enough." Breslin fought through personal tragedies: he witnessed his mother try to commit suicide, and both his first wife and two daughters predeceased him. Despite a happy second marriage to a former New York City councilwoman, Ronnie Eldridge, the toll seemed evident in his final years. Ah, but the glory years? They had their fun. Hamill dated former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and actress Shirley MacLaine at the same time. Breslin filmed a beer commercial and ran for New York City Council president on a ticket with writer and mayoral candidate Norman Mailer. Newsrooms used to be loud places to work, full of colorful people happy to take you down a notch if you became self-important. Hamill recalled the editor who approached him as he was mid-column to ask if there was anything he was writing that would embarrass him if he dropped dead. "There was this constant 'truth to power' quality to their work," Alter said. "Do we still have that? Yes, at the national level." But not necessarily at the local level. And it's there, at the city halls and statehouses, where your pockets get picked, columnist Richard Cohen explains in the film. Hamill, who works with students at New York University, said he knows that there are talented young people who want to do the type of reporting that he and Breslin once did. Whether they get that chance is a question that "Deadline Artists" can't answer. Bethlehem High School graduate James Charles brought a British city "to a standstill" on Saturday when he appeared at a shopping mall, British media reported. The 19-year-old social media sensation, who has over 10 million followers on both Instagram and YouTube for his makeup videos, was in Birmingham to open a shop for Morphe Cosmetics, the Guardian reported. The Midlands city was in gridlock for hours after thousands of teenagers went to see the internet makeup guru during a 30-second public appearance at a cosmetics store. Traffic stopped, shoppers canceled their trips and parts of the bus network ground to a halt while fans tried to catch a glimpse of Charles, according to the British newspaper. Mystified media outlets tried to explain the phenomenon surrounding the 2017 Bethlehem High School graduate known for his online makeup guides. He has 13.8 million YouTube subscribers but is virtually unknown in traditional media. Birmingham Live compiled a biography for readers. While Charles, whose real name is James Charles Dickinson, was still at Bethlehem High, Katy Perry revealed he was chosen to be the first ever male CoverGirl. His fame exploded after a video of himself as a 16-year-old applying makeup during the Super Bowl drew overwhelming attention. On Saturday, Charles stepped outside the Birmingham shop for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony before heading back inside for a private meet-and-greet session with 250 competition winners. He later said about 8,000 fans were in the shopping center to see him. On Snapchat, Charles said he had wanted to say goodbye to fans at the Bullring, but it was a "hazard" and he had to get straight in his car. After seeing the traffic, he tweeted "oops." One woman who drove for two hours to the event with her daughter and her daughter's friend told Birmingham Live that it was over very quickly: "We arrived last night so that they could get a good view. But there are so many kids here you can barely see a thing; he's very clever only doing one event and attracting this kind of crowd. "I think this is what they call hysteria." Police and security guards struggled to hold back thousands of mostly teenage girls who began to show up at the Bullring shopping center early Saturday morning. A West Midlands police spokesperson said they had coordinated their response to Charles' appearance and "no additional officers were requested, no incidents were reported, and no arrests were made." The BBC reported that some drivers abandoned their vehicles overnight after giving up hope of getting out. Never once at the start of my workweek not in my morning coffee shop line, not in my crowded subway commute, not as I begin my bottomless inbox slog have I paused, looked to the heavens and whispered: #ThankGodItsMonday. Apparently, that makes me a traitor to my generation. I learned this during a series of recent visits to WeWork locations in New York, where the throw pillows implore busy tenants to Do what you love. Neon signs demand they Hustle harder, and murals spread the gospel of TGIM. Even the cucumbers in WeWorks water coolers have an agenda. Dont stop when youre tired, someone recently carved into the floating vegetables flesh. Stop when you are done. Kool-Aid drinking metaphors are rarely this literal. Welcome to hustle culture. It is obsessed with striving, relentlessly positive, devoid of humor and, once you notice it, impossible to escape. Rise and Grind is both the theme of a Nike ad campaign and the title of a book by a Shark Tank shark. New media upstarts like the Hustle, which produces a popular business newsletter and conference series, and One37pm, a content company created by the patron saint of hustling, Gary Vaynerchuk, glorify ambition not as a means to an end but as a lifestyle. The current state of entrepreneurship is bigger than career, the One37pm About Us page states. Its ambition, grit and hustle. Its a live performance that lights up your creativity ... a sweat session that sends your endorphins coursing ... a visionary who expands your way of thinking. From this point of view, not only does one never stop hustling one never exits a kind of work rapture, in which the chief purpose of exercising or attending a concert is to get inspiration that leads back to the desk. Ryan Harwood, the chief executive of One37pms parent company, told me that the sites content is aimed at a younger generation of people who are seeking permission to follow their dreams. They want to know how to own their moment, at any given moment, he said. Owning ones moment is a clever way to rebrand surviving the rat race. In the new work culture, enduring or even merely liking ones job is not enough. Workers should love what they do and then promote that love on social media, thus fusing their identities to that of their employers. Why else would LinkedIn build its own version of Snapchat Stories? This is toil glamour, and it is going mainstream. Most visibly, WeWork, which investors recently valued at $47 billion, is on its way to becoming the Starbucks of office culture. It has exported its brand of performative workaholism to 27 countries, with 400,000 tenants, including workers from 30 percent of the Global Fortune 500. In January, WeWorks founder, Adam Neumann, announced that his startup was rebranding itself as The We Co., to reflect an expansion into residential real estate and education. Describing the shift, Fast Company wrote, Rather than just renting desks, the company aims to encompass all aspects of peoples lives, in both physical and digital worlds. The ideal client, one imagines, is someone so enamored of the WeWork office aesthetic whip-cracking cucumbers and all that she sleeps in a WeLive apartment, works out at a Rise by We gym and sends her children to a WeGrow school. From this vantage, Office Space, the Gen-X slacker paean that came out 20 years ago next month, feels like science fiction from a distant realm. Its almost impossible to imagine a startup worker bee of today confessing, as protagonist Peter Gibbons does: Its not that Im lazy. Its that I just dont care. Workplace indifference just doesnt have a socially acceptable hashtag. Its Grim and Exploitative Its not difficult to view hustle culture as a swindle. After all, persuading a generation of workers to beaver away is convenient for those at the top. The vast majority of people beating the drums of hustle-mania are not the people doing the actual work, said David Heinemeier Hansson, the co-founder of Basecamp, a software company. Theyre the managers, financiers and owners. We spoke in October, as he was promoting his new book, It Doesnt Have to Be Crazy at Work, about creating healthy company cultures. Heinemeier Hansson said that despite data showing long hours improve neither productivity nor creativity, myths about overwork persist because they justify the extreme wealth created for a small group of elite techies. Its grim and exploitative, he said. Elon Musk, who stands to reap stock compensation upward of $50 billion if his company, Tesla, meets certain performance levels, is a prime example of extolling work by the many that will primarily benefit him. He tweeted in November that there are easier places to work than Tesla, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week. The correct number of hours varies per person, he continued, but is about 80 sustained, peaking about 100 at times. Pain level increases exponentially above 80. Musk, who has more than 24 million Twitter followers, further noted that if you love what you do, it (mostly) doesnt feel like work. Even he had to soften the lie of TGIM with a parenthetical. Arguably, the technology industry started this culture of work zeal sometime around the turn of the millennium, when the likes of Google started to feed, massage and even play doctor to its employees. The perks were meant to help companies attract the best talent and keep employees at their desks longer. It seemed enviable enough: Who wouldnt want an employer that took care of your dirty laundry? But today, as tech culture infiltrates every corner of the business world, its hymns to the virtues of relentless work remind me of nothing so much as Soviet-era propaganda, which promoted impossible-seeming feats of worker productivity to motivate the labor force. One obvious difference is that those Stakhanovite posters had an anti-capitalist bent, criticizing the fat cats profiting from free enterprise. Todays messages glorify personal profit, even if bosses and investors not workers are the ones capturing most of the gains. Wage growth has been essentially stagnant for years. Perhaps weve all gotten a little hungry for meaning. Participation in organized religion is falling, especially among U.S. millennials. In San Francisco, where I live, Ive noticed that the concept of productivity has taken on an almost spiritual dimension. Techies here have internalized the idea rooted in the Protestant work ethic that work is not something you do to get what you want; the work itself is all. Therefore any life hack or company perk that optimizes their day, allowing them to fit in even more work, is not just desirable but inherently good. Aidan Harper, who created a European workweek-shrinkage campaign called 4 Day Week, argues that this is dehumanizing and toxic. It creates the assumption that the only value we have as human beings is our productivity capability our ability to work, rather than our humanity, he told me. Its cultist, Harper added, to persuade workers to buy into their own exploitation with a change-the-world message. Its creating the idea that Elon Musk is your high priest, he said. Youre going into your church every day and worshipping at the altar of work. Troy The Captain JP III, damaged in Friday's ice jam that knocked it and at least seven other vessels from their Hudson River moorings, will be moved "ASAP" to a downriver shipyard for repairs, its owner said Monday. Jim Pledger said he expects the repair work on the ship to cost between $75,000 and $125,000. The vessel is insured. Pledger is waiting for Coast Guard approval to move the 600-passenger cruise ship to North River Shipyard in Nyack, where it will be repaired under Coast Guard supervision. The worst of the damage was a 12-foot-by-eight-foot indentation. The ship will be in dry dock and the damaged piece removed, with a new piece welded in place. The rest of the damage was "superficial," Pledger said, including bent handrails and two ornamental smokestacks that were knocked over. Pledger said he's been mooring his ships at the Troy dock for 15 years, and the only damage previously was to a rubber rub rail that protects the ship from the river wall. Repairing that was a $300 expense. While six lines typically hold the ship in place during the summer cruise season, in the winter Pledger said he doubles that number, with 2-inch lines from stem to stern to moor it. The ice jam that broke free and headed down the Hudson River early Friday morning knocked loose three tugboats at a marina near the 112th Street Bridge, carrying one of them over the dam adjacent to the federal lock at Bond Street in Troy. The mass of ice and debris then struck the Captain JP III and several empty barges downstream, where they were eventually stopped by other tugs. One small barge was sunk just off Rensselaer. No injuries were reported. Pledger said he received a phone call at 5 a.m. at his Florida home alerting him to his runaway vessel, and was on a flight north shortly after, arriving in Troy by 4 p.m. Ice jams have since formed near Saugerties and farther downstream near the West Point Military Academy. They'll have to be cleared before the Captain JP can be towed to the shipyard, which is located a short distance from the site of the former Tappan Zee Bridge. Pledger said the Coast Guard monitors ice conditions daily and will give the go-ahead when it's safe to tow the Captain JP to the shipyard. remaining of SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. CUMBERLAND Memorial services for Linda S. Lewis, who died Oct. 20, 2020, is planned for Thursday, June 24, 2021, at 11 a.m. at LaVale Baptist Church, LaVale. The family will receive friends one-half hour before services. Linda was born in 1945 to Jennie and John T. Morris Sr. and was the s We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Here Tifton, GA (31794) Today Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. High 83F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 72F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%. The following companies are subsidiares of Mohawk Industries: A&S Energie NV, A&U Energie NV, Aladdin Manufacturing Corporation, Aladdin Manufacturing Of New York LLC, Aladdin Manufacturing of Alabama LLC, Alsace Logistique S.A., Avelgem Green Power CVBA, Avon Pacific Holdings Ltd, B&M NV, BGE Mexico S. de R. L. de C.V., Berghoef GmbH, Berghoef-Hout B.V., Bienes Raices y Materiales del Centro S. de R.L. de C.V., C.F. 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Bhd., Unilin ApS, Unilin Arauco Pisos Ltda., Unilin BVBA, Unilin Beheer BV, Unilin Distribution Ltd., Unilin Distribution Ukraine LLC, Unilin Finland OY, Unilin Flooring India Private Limited, Unilin Flooring SAS, Unilin GmbH, Unilin Holding BVBA, Unilin Insulation BV, Unilin Insulation SAS, Unilin Insulation Sury SAS, Unilin Italia S.R.L., Unilin North America LLC, Unilin Norway AS, Unilin OOO, Unilin Panels SAS, Unilin Poland Sp.Z.o.o., Unilin SAS, Unilin Spain SL, Unilin Swiss GmbH, Unilin s.r.o., World International Inc., Xtratherm, Xtratherm Limited, Xtratherm S.A., and Xtratherm UK Limited. For almost 20 years it has been a familiar sight on the streets of Middle England an Ocado van bearing home deliveries of Waitrose groceries. But soon those same vehicles might instead be carrying goods for Marks & Spencer, which is planning to launch its own 1 billion food delivery service and is in top secret talks with Ocado. If the deal is successful, M&S would buy key distribution centres, delivery vans and lorries from the online food retailer. The Mail on Sunday understands that talks between top executives at the two companies have been conducted over the past few weeks. If the deal is successful, M&S would buy key distribution centres, delivery vans and lorries from the online food retailer The talks are the latest twist in M&S chairman Archie Normans strategy to turn around the 11 billion retail giants fortunes amid ongoing cuts and plans to close 100 stores by 2022. A City source said: Archie Norman needs something transformational to make his mark at M&S and he is running out of time. The deal on the table is effectively buying the Waitrose part of the Ocado business and replacing it with M&S products. Norman said last summer that fierce rivalry from other chains, growth in home delivery and a consumer squeeze were eroding our business and market position. He added: The business is on a burning platform. Accelerated change is the only option. The tide is running more strongly against us now. Ocado whose contract with Waitrose runs until the end of September 2020 was launched by three ex-Goldman Sachs bankers as an online-only supermarket in 2000. It soon struck a partnership to deliver Waitrose food alongside groceries from well-known brands. Waitrose now has its own separate delivery operation run directly from its own stores and warehouses. Its customers can order from Waitrose or Ocado. An industry source said Waitrose shoppers would be 'up in arms' about the potential severing of ties. A deal is by no means certain. But if Ocado decides to sell its highly automated distribution centres to M&S, it would allow the online pioneer to focus on selling its technology expertise to supermarkets in other countries and fulfil the ambition of its chief executive Tim Steiner for the company to become a global technology success story to rival Californias Silicon Valley. Ocado has recently agreed a string of deals to provide its technology blueprint to giant food retailers outside Britain, such as US supermarket giant Kroger. That has quadrupled Ocados value to almost 7 billion. But an M&S deal could mean ultra-loyal, affluent Waitrose shoppers desert the Ocado business overnight, a chief concern that could jeopardise the ambitious deal. The tie-up would not affect a separate Ocado service agreement with Morrisons, which uses Morrisons branded vans. Ocado and Marks & Spencer both declined to comment. Business Secretary Greg Clark will announce 70m of investment into better security measures for chips and hardware The Government has pledged up to 100million to develop new technologies to resist cyber attacks. Business Secretary Greg Clark will announce 70million of investment through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to go towards designing in better security measures for chips and hardware, and another 30million to ensure connected devices such as central heating that can be controlled via smartphone are more secure. Around 40 per cent of businesses are estimated to have experienced a cyber attack in the past year. Goldman Sachs has extended its push into Britain's retail finance sector by taking a stake in digital wealth management firm Nutmeg. The US investment bank co-led a 45million funding round with existing Nutmeg investor Convoy, a Hong Kong-based financial advisory firm. Nutmeg says the funding, which is subject to regulatory approval, will be used to bolster its flagship automated advice proposition aimed at those who can't afford traditional investment advice or who simply don't want to create and manage their own portfolio. Goldman Sachs became a shareholder of the privately owned Nutmeg in 45million fundraise to fuel growth and expansion The cash will also go towards helping the firm expand internationally and make new hires. It's an eye-catching and somewhat bold move by Goldman which laid roots in Britain's financial sector last year with the launch of Marcus - its retail bank - and through investment in a number of UK fintech start-ups including Trussle, a digital mortgage broker. Nutmeg is the first and arguably best known digital wealth manager - commonly referred to as robo-adviser - in the UK, but the company has yet to make a profit six years on from launch in 2012. It is not uncommon for young businesses - especially fintech firms - to operate at a loss, but the firm has plunged deeper into the red as the years went by. The company's last full year results revealed an increase in losses by almost a third to 12.4million last year, up from the 9.4million posted the year before. Its acquisition of Nutmeg's shares was done through the Goldmans Principal Strategic Investments Group, which invests in firms that are 'uniquely positioned to benefit from a deeper business relationship with Goldman Sachs'. How this translates here remains to be seen, but a tie-up between Nutmeg and Marcus is not inconceivable. Rana Yared, partner at the US investment bank, who will be joining the Nutmeg Board, said: 'Nutmeg has already established itself as one of the fastest growing wealth managers in the UK. 'We are excited to fuel further growth and innovation through our investment and to support management in their vision of leveraging technology to broaden access to world-class investment solutions.' Martin Stead, chief executive officer of Nutmeg said: 'This [the funding] is a vote of confidence in our team, investment proposition and track record, and marks Nutmegs transition from start-up to scale-up.' Goldman Sachs follows in the footsteps of leading investment and insurance companies in entering the digital wealth management space through acquisition. In 2016, German insurer Allianz invested in robo-adviser Moneyfarm. A year later, BlackRock the worlds biggest asset manager bought a large minority stake in Scalable Capital and Aviva took a majority in Wealthify. Nutmeg has attracted a total of 116million in investment since launch. The incredible wealth and power of the US tech companies will be on display again this week when Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon reveal their latest quarterly figures. We saw just how much sway they have earlier this month when a warning from Apple that its sales would not be as healthy as expected sent stock markets tumbling around the world. This was ostensibly because the bad news from Apple was seen as a harbinger of a slowdown in the Chinese economy. Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has access to vast amounts of user data that provides an incredible level of insight into the private lives of citizens around the world But what was really significant about the Apple crash is that it shows the incredible influence it and its fellow Silicon Valley giants now wield, and how deeply they are implicated in the economic and social problems that bedevil us. The huge interest in Jeff Bezos divorce, and the Amazon chiefs stupendous $140billion fortune, is another indicator of how deeply the US tech giants have seeped into the collective consciousness. The fascination is with the extreme wealth at the top of the tech companies, but at the core of this is perceived unfairness and inequality. The founders and leaders of the tech companies have made huge personal fortunes, thanks to their entrepreneurial and innovative genius. Nothing wrong with that. But the nature of the businesses, and the amount of data and insight they have into the private lives of citizens around the world, mean they wield more power than most, if not all, politicians. They stand accused of avoiding taxes, undermining democracy and privacy, and of pillaging traditional businesses. The latter is not just a concern for the Corbynites but is shared by the plutocrats themselves. Nick Hanauer is not a household name in the UK, but in the US he is known for becoming super wealthy as the first person outside the Bezos family to invest in Amazon. Safe to say, he knows his onions when it comes to capitalism. In an Oxfam report published at Davos last week, he said the crisis of inequality which he admits gave rise to his own fortune is the result of moral failure by economists, politicians and the media, who sent out the message that greed is good. Hanauer calls for a stake to be driven through the heart of the neoliberal religion that assumes if everyone behaves in their own self-interest, it will somehow lead to the most positive outcome for society. Ordinary consumers are the driving force of a successful economy, and if too much money is concentrated in the grasp of a very few at the top, it is self-defeating. The tech giants are a new type of corporation that has outrun existing tax systems and regulation, but a new approach is proving elusive. Powers to curb the might of large, complex and monopolistic tech companies do exist, but few politicians have the guts to use them. The social and economic challenges are difficult. What, and how much, should they pay for piggybacking on content created by others? What are the rights of social media users about privacy and the use of their personal data? What responsibility do platforms bear for fake news or online abuse? The entrepreneurs and inventors behind the tech companies have been like infant Hercules who do not know their own strength. As their companies mature, solutions must be found. EMILY ST. LAWRENCE, Chariho girls lacrosse, senior: St. Lawrence scored the 100th goal of her career in a 16-1 win against Lincoln. St. Lawrence finished her career with 104 goals, eight short of the school record. The team did not play last season due to the coronavirus pandemic. JOSH MOONEY, Stonington track & field, sophomore: Mooney scored in three events at the State Open meet. Mooney was second in the 110 hurdles, fourth in the javelin and fifth in the 300 hurdles. He scored all 17 of Stoningtons points. ALEX STOEHR, Westerly softball, freshman: Stoehr hit three triples and a double in a doubleheader sweep of Barrington. For the week, she was 7 for 13 with four doubles, two triples and three RBIs. Stoehr is hitting .333 for the season. Vote View Results Jammu, Jan 28 (PTI) A police team was attacked by locals with stones while it was tracking a gang of drug peddlers in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, police said Monday. Acting on a tip-off, the police team led by Rajouri city in-charge Sub -Inspector Danish Maqbool raided a shop where the peddlers were present. The owner of the shop fled the spot and when the police team tried to catch hold of him, his family members started pelting stones on the police. In the attack, some of the team members were injured, Rajouri SSP Yougal Manhas said. A team headed by Rajouri SHO Ajaz Haider and DSP Govind Rattan was rushed to the spot and the situation was brought under control. A case was registered against six accused and four were arrested, the SSP said. He said that a special team has been formed to nab the two accused who were at large. PTI AB MAZ DPB Ahmedabad, Jan 28 (PTI) The CBI told a special court Monday that it is waiting for Gujarat government's sanction to prosecute retired police officers accused in the Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter case. The court of special CBI judge J K Pandya posted the matter for hearing on February 16 after the CBI said it is awaiting a reply from the state government on sanction to prosecute retired police officials D G Vanzara and N K Amin under section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The court had earlier rejected discharge applications of the two retired police officers, who were named as accused by the CBI in the 2004 alleged fake encounter of Ishrat and three others. While rejecting their discharge applications in August last year, the court had sought status from the CBI on whether sanction was sought from the state government to prosecute them so that it could proceed further with the framing of charges against the two former police officials. The Central Bureau of Investigation had, at the time, told the court that permission was sought from the state government to prosecute the retired police officials. Vanzara is a former deputy inspector general of police, while Amin retired as superintendent of police. Jahan, a 19-year-old woman from Mumbra near Mumbai, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an alleged fake encounter by police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004. The Gujarat police had then claimed that the four had links with terrorists and had plotted to kill then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. The CBI, which probed the killing on the high court's order, had claimed it was a staged encounter. PTI KA PD BNM SOM SOM New Delhi, Jan 28 (PTI) Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the "Goa audio tapes", cited by the Congress to attack the Centre on the Rafale issue, were authentic and the state's Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is in possession of "explosive secrets" that give him power over Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi's sharp attack came days after the Congress cited an audio tape in which Goa minister Vishwajit Rane was purportedly heard telling an unidentified person that Parrikar has Rafale files, due to which, he has managed to continue in the chair. Tagging a media report in which Rane was quoted as saying after the row erupted in the first week of January that the tapes were "doctored", the Congress chief tweeted: "30 days since the Goa Audio Tapes on RAFALE were released. No FIR or enquiry ordered. No action against the Minister either!" "It's obvious that the tapes are authentic & that Goa CM, Parrikar, is in possession of explosive Rafale secrets, that give him power over the PM," Gandhi said. A war of words had erupted between the Congress and the BJP over Parrikar's purported claim that he had a file on the Rafale jet deal "lying in his bedroom". In the clip released by the Congress, Rane was purportedly heard saying that during a Goa cabinet meeting, Parrikar stated he had an entire file and all documents relating to the Rafale deal lying in his bedroom. Gandhi had also made an attempt in Lok Sabha's Winter Session to play an audio tape. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the tape was "false and fabricated", and asked the Congress president if he could authenticate it. Parrikar, on his part, had termed the audio clip as a desperate attempt to fabricate facts. The Congress, which has alleged corruption and favouritism in the Rafale deal and accused the prime minister for it. The government has denied the charges levelled by the Congress and said the deal is clean, without any corruption or middlemen. PTI ASK ASK ANB ANB Kolkata, Jan 28 (PTI) The BJP has decided to shift the venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in North 24 Parganas' Thakurnagar, as the site where it was scheduled to be held has been booked by the Trinamool Congress. The ground, where Modi was supposed to address the mega gathering on February 2, has been booked by Mamata Banerjee's party for a week-long religious programme. According to BJP leaders, the venue was also not big enough and did not meet the security requirements. "We will organise the rally on February 2 at Thakurnagar but the land or the venue where we were supposed to organise it has been changed and it has been shifted to another a nearby ground," BJP state president Dilip Ghosh told PTI. "It has been done mainly due to two reasons -- the new ground is much bigger than the previous one and secondly TMC had already booked the previous venue for religious programme. So we didn't want to take any risk," he said. The Special Protection Group, which guards the prime minister, was also not happy with the previous venue as it did not meet the security requirements, Ghosh said. The BJP-aligned faction of All India Matua Mahasangha is organising the rally. Modi's proposed rally is of immense political significance as the area is known as the hub of Matua community and is near the house of its matriarch Binapani Debi. Matuas with an estimated population of three million in Bengal exhorts influence in at least five Lok Sabha seats in North and South 24 Parganas districts. The community originally hails from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Matuas started migrating to West Bengal beginning 1950s, mostly due to religious persecution there. Ghosh alleged, "Whenever we try to organise any rally, the TMC tries to create hurdles. This time too there has been no difference. So we decided not to take any chance." The Trinamool Congress denied the charge and called the allegation "baseless". "The allegation is baseless. We had obtained police permission for using microphone on the ground for our religious fair between January 28 and February 5 long time back," said Trinamool Congress MP Mamata Thakur, who heads a faction of the Matua Mahasangha. According to BJP sources, this will be one of the areas where the saffron brigade will campaign about the Citizenship Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8. The Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslims who fled religious persecution from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and entered India before December 31, 2014. PTI PNT KK SOM SOM New Delhi, Jan 28 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours: FGN7 US-LD GABBARD Tulsi Gabbard hits back at critics, says she is targeted for being Hindu Washington: Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has hit back at critics who accuse the Democratic presidential hopeful of being a "Hindu nationalist", saying questioning her commitment to America while not probing non-Hindu leaders creates a "double standard" that can only be rooted in "religious bigotry". By Lalit K Jha FGN6 US-2NDLD HARRIS US democracy under attack like never before, says Kamala Harris as she kicks off 2020 presidential campaign Washington: Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris has launched her 2020 presidential bid on Sunday with a scathing criticism of President Donald Trump's policies, saying that the US is at an "inflection point" in the history due to the attack on democracy like never before. By Lalit K Jha FGN5 CHINA-RIGHTS-LD LAWYER Chinese rights lawyer jailed for 'subversion' Beijing: Prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang was sentenced on Monday to four and a half years in prison for state subversion, sealing the fate of another attorney swept up in a 2015 crackdown. (AFP) AMS AMS Mumbai, Jan 28 (PTI) Debuting with a film which chronicles stories of grief, loss and forgiveness, director Svati Chakravarty Bhatkal says it was a challenge to not shed tears while making the documentary "Rubaru Roshni" The film, produced by Aamir Khan, follows the story of three individuals coming to terms with the death of their loved ones and eventually getting healed after forgiving them. "I couldn't afford to cry during the shoots but I did cry at times. It was difficult to not cry. It's not easy.. But Aamir cried a lot. He used to use his t-shirts to wipe his tears," Svati said in a group interview. The three stories focuses on assasination of Congress member of parliament Lalit Maken and wife Gitanjali Maken, murder of nun Rani Maria and the killing of two American citizens in the 26/11 attacks. Svati says while there are other stories toowhere the grieving member of a family forgave the perpetratorthese three gave her a good arch. "There is a limitation in terms of how many stories you can include in a film. Length was a limitation. Also, I was getting a historical arch in these three stories- from 80s to 2000s, I was getting to explore the time frame. "There are several other stories as well, no doubt. We researched quite a few too. So lets see if we get a chance to showcase those, in some form or the other," she added. The director says she didn't need to "convince" her subjects to appear in the film and the process was organic and built on a relationship. "There really wasn't much convincing. I had just met them initially, with a curiosity to know what actually happened. I had told them I want to shoot something but I don't know how and what exactly will come out of it. A relationship began and things developed slowly." The challenge for Svati was to figure out if her voice would remain relevant in the times of edgier content and web series heavy environment. "This is a modern era of web series, people are doing edgy things, so you do feel if we'll remain relevant, if, what we want to say, will reach generations. You question yourself a lot. I didn't know it'll take this much time too. I had to learn how to be patient, which Aamir taught me." The title of the film comes from Rumi's poem "the wound is where the light enters" and Svati says it was Aamir who instantly came up with "Rubaru Roshni". For Aamir, the decision to produce the project was done in a blink as he was consumed by the message of the film. "When I heard what Svati wants to do, I felt this was a very important concept and felt that in life, as human beings, we have forgotten the power of forgiveness, how healing it can be. "I knew we had to make this. I didn't know how we will show it at that time. But I said lets make it first and then we'll see," the actor said. PTI JUR SHD SHD (Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with PR Newswire. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.) NEW DELHI, January 28, 2019/PRNewswire/ -- Leading publishing house, Kalamos Literary Services LLP, releases her first travel fiction titled 'Ghoomophiro- Travel bringing families together' globally Himadri Garg is a travel influencer and heads a digital agency. She writes her travel musings on Ghoomophiro and showcase her photography skills in an annual exhibition 'Shades of India'. India's leading adventure travel influencer, Himadri Garg released her first fiction novel 'Ghoomophiro- Travel bringing families together' at the World Book Fair held at New Delhi. The book is a travel fiction that revolves around the lives of two sisters Nitika and Kritika and their exciting and much-awaited trip with their family. Both of them are travellers and during this trip, they discuss everything about their travel tales. The book has been published by New Delhi based publishing house, Kalamos Literary Services LLP. Himadri Garg is a travel photographer who started her travel journey with her sister Prachi Garg in early 2007. In the past 12 years, the two sisters have travelled to the most remote and unexplored parts of the country. In the year 2010 she decided to take her passion to the next level with her sister Prachi Garg to help other solo women also chase their travel dreams. This eventually lead to the birth of their travel startup http://www.ghoomophiro.com . They have been featured across leading news outlets including CNN, Tripoto, SBS, Holidify. Commenting on the launch of her book, Himadri Garg says, "As a kid we have always travelled as a family and I cherish the times that we spent with our family during those travels. Till date, we have an yearly travel family affair to the places with minimum network connectivity so that as a family we can spend quality time. The idea of writing this book was to encourage people to travel." Her book 'Ghoomophiro- Travel bringing families together' is inspired by her travel experiences along with her sister. The novel evolves around two sisters Nitika and Kritika who are extremely fond of travelling and plan to celebrate their 25th travel anniversary with their complete family. The book is a conversation between two sisters and the family who are curious about their experiences and different aspects of travel. With its vivid descriptions, uplifting adventures, the book narrates the tale of a journey that everyone can live with, relate to and inspire anyone to pack their bags and explore the world outside. The book is priced at Rs. 199 and is available on Amazon, Flipkart, and other major bookstores. An MBA graduate in Advertising & Marketing Communication from Symbiosis International University, Himadri is an evangelist for 'Solo Women Travel'. To promote women traveling, she does her annual solo photo exhibition at Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi which was a unique and one of its kind exhibition that showcased pictures from her travel. Himadri has represented India at 'Zafigox 2018' an event for women to learn, discover, be inspired, and meet other bold, adventurous, and extraordinary women. The event held in Malaysia last year. Himadri is one of the country's leading adventure travel influencer and has received numerous awards for travel achievements. The 'GhoomoPhiro Sisters' Himadri Garg and Prachi Garg are dedicated to showcase India's amazing scenery and empower women to travel alone, without their families. They customize itinerary for solo and group women travellers to suit their requirement, budget and comfort levels. Their startup also organizes team outings and team building activities for women. They partner with various tourism boards to showcase the beauty of the place via Ghoomophiro.com. More information on the book: http://bit.ly/ghoomophiro Instagram: @himadri Twitter: @himadrigarg Facebook: @ghoomophiro Company Website: http://www.ghoomophiro.com Email: himadrigarg@live.com PWR PWR (Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire India. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.) SIP Academy brings School Principals, College Deans, Corporate Leaders and Entrepreneurs under one roof Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Business Wire India Given the huge demographic bonanza India is currently blessed with today and for another at least 2 decades to continue, it is imperative that todays youth, the tomorrows leaders, have to be properly directed and guided. We have the worlds largest young population. As per the 2011 census, almost 41% of our population is below the age of 19. And that is a staggering 500 million! That is the population of the European Union or 1.5 time the population of the United States of America. We are currently the third largest economy by Purchasing Power Parity and expected to become the worlds 2nd largest by PPP by 2030 a USD 46 Trillion economy (Source Oxford Economics, Brookings). And yet we are 130th out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index. If we really want India to get its rightful place in the comity of nations it is imperative that we develop leaders in multiple areas. This leadership development must ideally start at a much younger age at the school level. As of today, there is not much focus or even and idea of how to take this forward. While the schools and colleges are certainly trying their best, it is undeniable that there is ample scope for them to prepare the students to face the corporate/industrial/entrepreneurial world with the specific skill sets required for the same. Vihaan is an initiative which seeks to start a conversation on this crucial issue. Vihaan in Sanskrit means dawn and signifies awakening. SIP Academy brought together the key stakeholders, viz., School Principals, College Deans, Corporate Leaders and Entrepreneurs in 4 separate panel discussions each addressing a specific requirement, in a one-day event held on 24th January in Chennai. The topics for panel discussions were: 1. Skills relevant for work which can be developed in Schools as seen by top Corporates 2. Skills relevant for Higher Education that can be developed in Schools as seen by College and university deans 3. Skills relevant for Entrepreneurs that can be encouraged in schools as seen by successful entrepreneurs who were not that successful academically. 4. What do top schools do to develop the above. Summary of panel discussions of Vihaan India in 2040: Keynote Speaker, Arnab Bhattacharya, Scientist TIFR & Founder of Chai & Why, said that all kids are researchers; however, the current education system roots out creativity by not allowing them to ask questions, experiment and discover things for themselves. We need to develop a scientific temper in children by giving them to give ample opportunities to explore and learn for themselves. Narendra Murkumbi, Founder Sri Renuka Sugars Limited (Worlds 2nd largest Sugar Producer), representing Corporate World of India, pointed out that other than basic communication & mathematic skills, schools should focus on inculcating problem solving skills, adaptability, decision making and team spirit which help in preparing students for a successful corporate life while Sandeep Bhushan, Director & Head of India GMS Facebook, the other Panelist added that the top corporates look at core skills such as language, mathematics, computing, as also basic rigour, sociability and most important understanding and applying their domain knowledge. Rev. Dr. F. Andrew, S.J. Principal Loyola College, Chennai, representing Colleges & Universities of Indis, sought for identification of students potential and channelizing them effectively. Train them to have healthy relationships, avoid instant gratification and teach them to accept failure & develop their problem coping mechanism. Dr. C. Muthamizhchelvan, Director, Engineering & Technology, SRM Institute of Science & Technology suggested that the Schools should help students in their goal setting and nurture skills such as creativity, critical thinking, social consciousness and adaptability. Students should be given an opportunity to develop team spirit and empathy. C K Kumaravel, Founder, Naturals Salon, Indias leading chain of salons, representing first generation entrepreneurs advocated that the ability to learn, unlearn & re-learn are skills that children need to develop in the modern times. The ability to think differently and look at problems as opportunities, which will nurture entrepreneurial skills in an individual. M.V. Subramanian, Co-Founder & MD of Future Focus Infotech P Ltd., added that the quality of managing resources to fulfill an ambition needs to be taught in schools. The schools need to encourage the Parents & Alumni, who are entrepreneurs to interact with the students. Prof Dr. Sridhar Srivastava, Dean (Coordination) NCERT, New Delhi, representing top-ranked Schools of India, highlighted that knowledge has to be constructed in the classroom and that Schools are to give students ample opportunities to question, debate and clarify. The other panelist, Mr.Skand Bali, Principal of Hyderabad Public School, Hyderabad, said that schools should focus on 4Cs - Character, Compassion, Critical thinking & Creativity. Schools should treat every child as an individual and help her/him excel in their area of interest, instead of pushing them towards traditional career choices such as Engineering, Medicine, etc. SIP Academy India, an organization which has been developing skills in children since 2003, has made a huge difference to the lives of many children and also women across the length and breadth of India. Starting in a humble way with one programme, 3 employees and a few franchisees largely in Tamil Nadu, SIP Academy now runs 5 programmes and is present in 23 states over 300 cities and has close to 800 centres and 300 schools where the programmes are run. In 2016, SIP Academy India went International and now the programme runs in 8 countries across the world. Every week over 150000 students are touched by a SIP Academy Programme in India. Along the way the company has had many firsts to its credit: 1. The first organization in the country / may be the world to introduce money back guarantee on children skill development. 2. The first company to have run a programme to develop creativity in children on a large scale. 3. The first children skill development company in India to have an online system across over 250 cities connecting all franchisees 4. The first Abacus Company to take over the International Operations of the parent 5. The first company to give a guarantee on reading skill enhancement to schools. Log in to https://www.sipacademyindia.com/ for more details. PWR PWR New Delhi, Jan 28 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets valued at over Rs 239 crore of a firm linked to TMC MP K D Singh in connection with a money laundering probe into an alleged ponzi scam case pegged at over Rs 1,900 crore, the agency said Monday. The ED said in a statement it has issued a provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for attaching properties "situated at various places like Chandigarh, Panchkula, Derabassi, SAS Nagar (Punjab), Shimla and also bank accounts in HDFC Bank against Ms Alchemist Infra Realty Ltd." The total value of the attached assets is Rs 239.29 crore, it added. The central probe agency had last year summoned the Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, now sidelined in the Trinamool Congress (TMC), as part of these investigations. While Singh had resigned from the post of Chairman of the Alchemist group in 2012, his Rajya Sabha profile mentions him to be the Chairman, Emeritus and founder of the business group. The ED's probe against Singh and the firm (Ms Alchemist Infra Realty Limited) dates back to September, 2016 when it filed a criminal case under the PMLA taking cognisance of a charge sheet filed against the company, its directors and others by market regulator SEBI. "Investigation revealed that the proceeds of crime generated by Alchemist Infra Realty Ltd were laundered through the web of companies. Investigations also revealed that the funds mobilised by the firm from various investors were never utilised for the purpose for which they were collected and the same were transferred to bank accounts of other group companies which were mainly paper companies from where they were systematically siphoned off by the accused and used to purchase properties at various locations in the country. "All such assets in Punjab, Haryana , Shimla and bank accounts in HDFC Bank worth Rs 239.39 crore identified during the course of investigations have been provisionally attached," the ED said in a statement. It has been alleged by the probe agencies that the company launched an illegal collective investment scheme, also called a ponzi or chit fund scheme, and mobilised funds of about Rs 1,916 crore from the public in the years preceding 2015. The firm allegedly launched the scheme "without the approval" of the SEBI and led to cheating of gullible investors. In 2015, the firm had informed the SEBI that it had refunded Rs 1,077 crore after the market regulators investigation and had sought more time to restore the rest of the amount, which was turned down by the SEBI. Subsequently, a charge sheet was filed by the SEBI before a court here in March, 2016. The ED, in the past, has questioned a number of officials and people linked to the realty firm. Further investigations in the case is "under progress", the agency said. PTI NES NES DV DV New Delhi, Jan 28 (PTI) Karnataka, the first state to start its own e-trading in agri-commodities, is now ready to set up much advanced online platform e-NAM developed by the Centre, a senior agriculture ministry official said Monday. In 2014-15, online trading in Karnataka's wholesale mandis called Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) commenced via the Rashtriya e-Market Services (ReMS), a joint venture of the state and NCDEX Spot Exchange. So far, ReMS is operational in 162 mandis in the state. The central government launched the electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM) -- an initiative to connect APMC mandis across the country and establish one unified electronic spot market -- in April 2016. Trading in 585 mandis is currently taking place on the e-NAM network in 16 states and 2 Union territories (UTs), helping discover price in real time in a transparent manner. "After much persuasion, Karnataka government has agreed to set up e-NAM platform in two mandis including one in Chincholi taluk in Gulbarga. We have given approval," Joint Secretary (marketing) in the agriculture ministry Prasanta Kumar Swain told PTI. There are about 164 major APMC mandis in Karnataka, out of which the state has connected 162 mandis through its ReMS and in the rest two, it wants to try e-NAM network, he said. The official further said e-NAM has been updated with additional features and services, much better than what the Karnataka government is offering through its ReMS. For instance, there is closed bidding on ReMS at present unlike the visible bidding process undertaken on the e-NAM platform where farmers can see the rates on their mobile phones. There is also integration of assaying besides other facilities, he added. Currently, seven other states -- Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Uttarakhand -- are also working on the modalities to establish inter-state trade on e-NAM. The central government aims to integrate 200 mandis this year and another 215 next year with the e-NAM platform. There are about 2,700 APMC mandis and 4,000 sub-market yards in India. PTI LUX ANU The death toll in the mining dam collapse and landslide in Brazil reached 58 as rescuers continued their search for survivors late into the night on Sunday. Hundreds are still missing and the toll is expected to go up. The burst dam at Corrego do Feijao mining complex triggered a deadly landslide and buried nearby homes, vehicles and roads in Brumadinho. The search and rescue operations will continue till the last body is found, a spokesperson of the fire department told reporters. Rescuers also found a bus full of bodies. Over 300 people are still missing, and the number of missing persons is steadily rising. Officials have said that most of the people unaccounted for have been presumed dead. According to the numbers given by officials, 192 people have been rescued alive, 23 of whom were hospitalised with injuries. Bruhadinho's Mayor Avimar de Melo Barcelos blamed the owner of the mining giant Vale for the tragedy. The 42-year-old dam had been in the process of being decommissioned. However, according to Vale and the firm that recently conducted an inspection of the dam said that no problems were found. The cause of the accident is still not known. Vale was involved in a 2015 mine collapse in another part of Minas Gerais state that left 19 dead. The tragedy may be one of the deadliest in Brazil's history. This is the first big emergency faced by the government since Jair Bolsonaro took over as president early this month. With inputs from agencies Former Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti member Reshma Patel, who had joined the BJP in 2017, lashed out at her party on Monday accusing it of doing politics of destruction and not of development. Reshma, a close aide of PAAS leader Hardik Patel, also threatened that she would campaign against the party in the Lok Sabha elections if her demands were not met. In a letter to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Reshma had raised five points including giving job to one person in each families of those who lost lives in the Patidar agitation. Reshma has also demanded that the age criteria for those appearing in competitive examination from non-reserved category be made 40 years, similar to that of other states. A mother of twins, who lives away from her children and husband and had played a significant role in the Patidar agitation, Reshma said that it was only when she joined the BJP that she realised that the party was into vote bank politics. Promises made to me before I joined the party have not been fulfilled and instead instructions have been given to me not to take up any agitation, Patel said. Reshma, who has been vocal for quite some time over a slew of issues, told THE WEEK that she was not leaving the BJP. Asked what if the party suspended her, she said that it was up to the party to take a call, if it considered what she was doing as indiscipline. Replying to a question on whether Varun Patel was also facing similar suffocation, Reshma said while she would not be able to comment more on behalf of Varun, he has always supported the issues she had raised. Varun, also a close aide of Hardik, had joined the party along with Reshma. Without naming the Congress, Reshma said the opposition used to speak a lot of things about the BJP, but she did not believe all that as she was not from a political party and was connected to a social platform (read Patidar agitation). It is only when she joined the BJP that she realised how the party was, Reshma added. An open endorsement of Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah as a "better" chief minister by a few party MLAs led to Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy threatening to step down on Monday. The JD(S) leader offered to resign as chief minister if the Congress legislators were not in favour of him leading the government. However, the Congress leadership jumped to save the situation and sent out a stern warning to its legislators. "If the Congressmen want to continue saying the same thing, I am ready to step down," said an emotionally charged Kumaraswamy. On Sunday, Yeshwantpur MLA and Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) chairman S.T. Somashekhar, while addressing a public gathering, said that no development work was carried out in Bengaluru in the last seven months. "In Siddaramaiah's tenure, a lot of development work had taken place. So, people still consider him as the CM," said Somashekhar. Earlier, Congress leaders and sitting ministers C. Puttarangashetty and M.T.B. Nagaraj hailed Siddaramaiah as the best chief minister and as the one who chose to empower leaders from the backward classes. Chikkaballapur MLA Sudhakar had compared Siddaramaiah to the "Dharmaraja" of the Mahabharata, who was defeated by deceit. "But truth will finally triumph and Siddaramaiah will once again become the chief minister, he said. Wary of the constant outburst of the Congress legislators against the coalition government, the JD(S) warned of consequences and even went on to claim that the 20-month rule of the JD(S)-BJP coalition in 2006 was much better than the current coalition with the Congress. Irked by the statements coming out of the Congress camp, JD(S) leader and minor irrigation minister C.S. Puttaraju warned the ruling partner against violating the rules of the coalition. "Senior Congress leaders should intervene and control their party members making unsavoury remarks against the coalition. The Congress may have to face the consequences of its behaviour," warned Puttaraju. The Congress leaders should understand that we did not go to anybody's doorstep. It was Congress which approached our leader Deve Gowda to keep the BJP out of power. Why does the Congress forget this? They have hurt the chief minister," added Puttaraju. Rattled by the developments, AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal immediately directed the party to take disciplinary action against Somashekhar. Venugopal tweeted: "The Congress High Command has full faith in Karnataka government and the chief minister. The government is moving ahead with popular and welfare measures reflecting the ambitions of the people in Karnataka." In another tweet, Venugopal warned that any act of indiscipline by way of comments or behaviour will not be tolerated and that the disciplinary action will be initiated. "Our coalition with the JD(S) is to take on the communal forces and unseat the anti-democratic forces ruling this country, not to indulge in petty politicking," Venugopal said. KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao also condemned the MLA's remarks saying, "It is an objectionable statement. It is also an act of indiscipline. It is not right to say no work is happening during this government. Mega projects worth Rs 8,000 crore are being carried out in the city. Somashekhar is the BDA chairman and he should raise his concerns in the party forum. I will be issuing a show cause notice to him. We are happy with Kumaraswamy's leadership." Siddaramaiah tried to downplay the incident saying, "I will speak to Kumaraswamy. We have formed the coalition. There is no confusion. There is no question of me becoming the CM now." Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said, "Siddaramaiah was one of the best CMs and has done well for the last five years. No one can dispute that. He is now the CLP leader. What the MLA perhaps meant was that he still considers Siddaramaiah as his chief minister." JD(S) MLC Basavaraj Horatti claimed that lack of coordination would make it difficult for the chief minister to table the upcoming budget. Exuding confidence in Kumaraswamy's leadership, Congress MLA Satish Jarkiholi said, "He has the experience of being part of a coalition. He will run this coalition effectively. The coalition will naturally have a little friction. It can be sorted out in coordination committee or joint legislature party meeting," he said. The Congress in West Bengal suffered a huge jolt on Monday with party MP from Malda North and a member of the Ghani Khan Chowdhury family, Mausam Benazir Noor, joined the ruling Trinamool Congress. The incident followed the Congress state unit passing a stern message to its high command saying that any kind of adventurism with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not be acceptable to the people of West Bengal. Banerjee continued poaching Congress leaders even after the grand rally in Kolkata a week ago, which she had termed as the United India rally. Noor, a two-time Lok Sabha MP from Malda North, which has been targeted by the BJP this time as a prospective seat, is a niece of former Congress strongman Barkat Ghani Khan Chowdhury, who was the railway minister in the Indira Gandhi cabinet. Noor on Monday went to state secretariat in Kolkata and met Banerjee after which her inclusion in the TMC was formalised. She has also been made general secretary of the party. Banerjee called her an important personality to fight against the BJP in the state. "Apart from Malda, she would be engaged in our campaigning in Murshidabad and the other belt," Banerjee said. The chief minister, however, did not mention which belt the young MP, who had been handpicked by Congress president Rahul Gandhi as a candidate ten years ago, would be engaged in. But party sources confirmed that Noor would be a campaigner in the Muslim belt in West Bengal. "Without Mamata Banerjee, there is no other option against the BJP in Bengal. So I have joined her," Noor said after her induction into TMC. Noor and his another uncle Abu Hasem Khan ChowdhuryMP from Malda South and brother of Barkat da as Ghani Khan Chowdhury was fondly calledhad earlier coined the idea of making an alliance with the TMC in the run up to the 2019 elections to save their fortress where the BJP has made huge inroads into. BJP president Amit Shah, who was yet to recuperate from swine flu, appeared in Malda last week to hold a massive rally which was attended by a huge number of people. Shah's pitching for the Citizenship Bill in Malda was largely welcomed by the people who gave him a rousing reception. Emboldened by the rally, the BJP is now trying to bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Malda to step up their efforts to wrest both the seats from the Congress. With Noor's joining the TMC and his uncle Abu Hasem in the queue, the ruling party, which had little presence in Malda, has become a strong contender to give the BJP in both the seats a tough fight. However, Noor's inclusion might lead to disgruntlement within the ranks of the local TMC leaders. It remains to be seen how Banerjee would handle it. Sources said Rahul Gandhi recently asked state Congress president Somen Mitra to send him the list of candidates for all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. They said Banerjee began poaching Congress leaders after that information was leaked. Congress's Rajya Sabha MP Pradip Bhattacharya reacted sharply to Noor joining the TMC. "This is a clear opportunistic politics she (Noor) has played. I had personally asked her whether she would be joining the TMC or not. But she told me under no circumstance it's possible," said Bhattacharya. He admitted that such political poaching of Banerjee would make it tough for the Congress to make an understanding with her in West Bengal or anywhere else. "Her only target was to destroy the Congress and help the BJP," said he. Emraan Hashmi has preferred to star in solo lead films since the beginning of his career and the actor says the decision came from the "greed" of being able to showcase the complete arc of his characters. The 39-year-old actor, who made his debut in 2003 with multi-starrer Footpath and went on to deliver solo hits like Murder, Jannat, Awarapan, Raaz 2 among others, said it is easier to make a solo film as there are no "flying egos" on the sets. "I'm greedy and selfish. I get more time in a solo film to play an entire arc. Not that I haven't done ensemble films but only a few. But what happens (in ensembles) is that the screen time gets divided. You don't have much time to play that whole character arc. So it comes out of selfishness," said Emraan. "These times are the toughest to make an ensemble films... It's more to do with ego management of actors on board. Four stars or five stars and everyone has to be given their due. So it becomes tough for the producer. Solo films are easy to make because there are no flying egos," he added. Following his initial success, Emraan went on to star in similar projects and the actor said he picked up whatever was being offered without taking the scripts in consideration. "Early on I was doing films which were just coming to me. Scripts were choosing me, rather than me choosing the scripts. There was a certain kind of cinema that was doing well and I was kind of just recreating that. It was slightly repetitive for me but afterwards, I really got passionate about acting." The actor said things have since changed drastically in terms of content in Hindi film industry. "There was a time in our industry when new subjects were not explored as much. You have just play the star. You have to confine yourself to a box and the rules of that box. Not much out of the box stuff was being done. Slowly we started graduating towards out of the box and risk taking cinema," Emraan said. The actor believes films such as Awarapan, Jannat, Dirty Picture and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai gave a great push to his career. "They were all different kinds of films that did well. Then I came into my own and said to myself 'Now I am going to really pay attention to myself and try my hand at different variety of roles'," he added. The actor's last release was Why Cheat India. The concept of the film and Emraan's performance has been well-received by the audience. He is currently working on Netflix's Bard of Blood. 'You can put your head in sand like an ostrich, we will not': HC tells Centre The Procurement and Logistics Officer willsupport the existing structure in the pro-log office to ensure efficient andeffective procurement, logistics and IT management of the Yumbe field office,with a focus on the management of the procurement and logistics needs of theUNHCR project portfolio. Ensuring the approved procedure and guidelines arefollowed in the process. The Environment and Energy Assistant willassist in the successful implementation of environment interventions, includingcommunity mobilization, beneficiary registration and verification, andmonitoring of and support to field activities. The Assistant will also supportthe quality and timely implementation of the activities in compliance with DCAstandards and budgets. The facility in London has 14 beds and houses men, women and children that are victims of interpersonal/dating violence. The facility works hard to meet all the individuals' needs during their stay at the shelter. The shelter stays full according to Couch, so if individuals need placement they often look to one of their sister shelters in Kentucky. | Photo Contributed Timothy Seth Bryant Pennington was born on January 30, 1988 in Corbin, Ky. He departed this life on June 3, 2021 to be with his Lord and Savior, whom he accepted as a young boy at his church, West Corbin Baptist. Seth was assured of his salvation and knew where he would spend his eternity. S A St. Louis police officer has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after officials said he fatally shot another officer during a game of Russian roulette. Officer Nathaniel Hendren was charged Friday in the death of Katlyn Alix, another officer with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Hendren had been on duty when he met Alix, who was off duty, at his home Thursday and the two began playing with guns, according to a statement of probable cause. Hendren produced a revolver, emptied the cylinder and put one round back in, the statement said. He then spun the cylinder, pointed it away and pulled the trigger. The gun did not fire, officials said. Alix took the gun, pointed it at Hendren and compressed the trigger. The gun still did not fire, the statement said. Hendren then took the gun back, pointed it at her and pulled the trigger. This time, the gun went off. Alix was fatally shot in the chest, officials said. The shooting of a police officer at the hands of another immediately raised questions about what had happened and drew added attention because officials said Hendren was on duty at the time. Hendrens partner, who was also there and who was not identified, told officials that he had felt uncomfortable that the others were playing with guns and started to leave before he heard a gunshot, the statement said. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the police initially called the shooting accidental and later said the officer had mishandled the weapon. On Friday, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner said her office had evidence to file charges. We lost a shining star and a dedicated public servant, Gardner said in a statement, adding that an investigation was continuing. I have said this many times before, she said. I will hold people accountable who violate Missouri law regardless of their profession, public status or station in life. Today, as much as it saddens my staff and me to file these charges, Katlyn and her family deserve accountability and justice. Court records did not list a lawyer for Hendren. He could not be reached for comment Saturday, and the police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Police Chief John Hayden Jr. said on Twitter that Alix was an enthusiastic and energetic young woman with a bright future ahead of her. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Fifth-grade students present their science projects to first- through fourth-grade students at Trinity Lutheran School Monday afternoon during National Lutheran Schools Week. Lutheran schools throughout the Metro East are celebrating with service projects, special events, and open houses through Saturday, Feb. 2. Fifth-grade students present their science projects to first- through fourth-grade students at Trinity Lutheran School Monday afternoon during National Lutheran Schools Week, which runs through Saturday, Feb. 2. CARROLLTON A Carrollton man who tried to use surreptitious recordings to prove his point in a civil lawsuit is now facing a fourth-degree felony over them. Eric B. McFain, 46, of Carrollton is accused of unlawful videotaping or audio recording in a residence. His case is scheduled for an April 8 jury trial. Although its not an unheard of charge, it is not that common for violations of the Illinois Wiretapping Law among the strictest in the nation to make it to the courtroom. The law basically says anyone making an audio recording of a conversation must have the consent of everyone involved in the conversation. Things almost changed after state courts struck down the law in 2014, but then-Gov. Pat Quinn and legislators made minor revisions and put it back in place. When McFain introduced video recordings of a conversation with a neighbor during a hearing about a dispute over tearing down a portion of a fence between the two properties, neighbor Michael Snyder said he was unaware of the taping. When the civil case ended McFain was ordered to remove a portion of fence that was on the neighbors property Snyder pressed charges over the recording under eavesdropping laws, which prohibit recording a conversation without the consent of all parties when there is an expectation of privacy, according to the Digital Media Law Project. Snyder told authorities he did not know the recording was being made and did not consent. According to charging documents, McFain knowingly made a video recording of a conversation [he] had with Michael Snyder, in the residence of Michael Snyder, without the consent of Michael Snyder. Sheriff Rob McMillen said Snyder didnt find out about the reported recording until late last year. During the civil case concerning the property line dispute, the neighbor learned he was videotaped, McMillen said. McFain has pleaded not guilty to the charge, and has requested a speedy trial. Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1233, or on Twitter @JCNews_samantha. VANCOUVEROutrage from media outlets closely aligned with Beijing over the dismissal of John McCallum reveals that the Canadian ambassador was viewed as an asset by the Communist Party of China, says one foreign policy expert. Missives in the Global Times and China Daily news organizations with ties to the Chinese state depict McCallums exit as confirmation of the illegitimacy of Canadas legal process, explained James Palmer, an editor at the magazine Foreign Policy and a former editor at Global Times from 2009 to 2016. He was also a resident of China for 15 years. They clearly saw McCallum as an asset, Palmer said in an interview. So there is a sense of damage or loss, there. McCallum was dismissed from his post for suggesting, among other things, that it would be great for Canada if the U.S. drops its request to extradite Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou and that any deal between the U.S. and China to do so should include the release of two Canadians detained in China. Meng was arrested in Vancouver on Dec. 1, pending an extradition hearing on allegations of fraud related to violations of U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. Criminal charges relating to national security were expected to be announced by the United States Department of Justice on Monday afternoon, likely to do with Huawei and the pending extradition of Meng. McCallum had initially been forced to walk back comments that Mengs legal counsel had good reason to argue the charges against her were politically motivated. The message was a stark break from the line previously held by Canadian officials, who almost unanimously stood by the legal process as legitimate and independent. Read more: U.S. unveils 23 criminal charges against Chinas Huawei as Ottawa fights to free two Canadians detained by Beijing in retaliation Whats at stake for Trudeau, Canada and Huawei China repeats demand for Huawei executives release as Ottawa seeks replacement for McCallum McCallum announced his resignation on Saturday after repeating the comments even after his initial retraction to The Star. This series of events was seized upon by pro-Communist Party of China media outlets to fuel speculation Meng is being used as a pawn in a trade war between the United States and China. McCallum was merely stating the truth when he observed that Meng has a strong case against extradition, which he rightly said was politically motivated, reads an unattributed Sunday editorial from China Daily. The Global Times a tabloid-style publication aimed at scoring points by trolling with playground insults, according to Palmer framed McCallums resignation as evidence of political interference in the ongoing saga of Meng Wanzhou. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Ottawa is now as sensitive as a frightened bird, reads an unattributed editorial, published online Sunday. What happened to the legal state? The only explanation lies probably in a guilty conscience. Ottawa has recognized clearly that arresting Meng was against the basic legal spirit. With files from Michael Mui Read more about: VANCOUVER The resignation of John McCallum from his post as Canadian ambassador to China last week may underline the risks around appointing politicians to diplomatic missions, according to former ambassadors. The practice of diplomacy requires a skill set very different than that required by politics, where messaging can be bolder and risk-taking can more often result in rewards, said Christopher Alexander, who served as Canadas first resident ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, during the countrys first fully democratic elections. Messaging in diplomacy is much more disciplined than in politics, Alexander said in an interview. I think its much more nuanced, its much more subtle. And when there are a lot of experienced politicians around and our former ambassador to Beijing was one of them theres a tendency on the part of experienced political actors to think they have nothing more to learn. That their experience of public relations and communications is enough. Exceedingly few Canadian ambassadors to China have held elected office before working as diplomats, with none having done so since before a Canadian embassy was opened in Beijing in 1971 the year after Canada officially recognized the Peoples Republic of China as the countrys legitimate government. Previous to his appointment in 2017, McCallum was a Liberal member of parliament for over a decade-and-a-half, serving as a federal minister under three different prime ministers. Both McCallum and Alexander served as federal immigration ministers and ambassadors, though Alexanders career offers a mirrored trajectory, having won a seat in Ontario as a Conservative in 2011 following 18 years as a diplomat. And while former politicians have served more frequently as diplomats in missions outside of the Canadian embassy in Beijing, Alexander said the current, high-stakes dispute between Canada and China shone a spotlight on McCallums conduct, and by all accounts, he blinked. This is a very delicate situation, he said, referring to the pair of Canadians diplomat-on-leave Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor currently detained in China in apparent retaliation for Canadas arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in December an arrest made in observance of a long-standing extradition treaty with the United States, which nevertheless infuriated Beijing. A third Canadian, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, was given the death sentence after a one-day retrial on drug smuggling charges which had already earned him a 15-year prison sentence previous to Mengs arrest in Vancouver, B.C. Lives are at stake, Alexander added. And in such a case where the eyes of the world are really on Canada to respond correctly and stand up for the values for which we are known, for any diplomatic representative to be putting out a different message from their capital is not only risky for everyone involved but foolhardy and unsustainable. And I think thats why we have the result we have today. But political appointees to ambassadorial positions can sometimes bring advantages, said Phil Calvert, a senior fellow with the China Institute of the University of Alberta and Canadas ambassador to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos from 2012 to 2016. In countries like the United States where cultural differences are far fewer than between Canada and China, having an ambassador in Washington who can pick up the phone and speak to the prime minister is a very good thing, he said. But in a place like Beijing, its a different situation, he said. I think what [McCallums resignation] does is point out some of the potential risks of having a former politician, a former minister, in this kind of position a senior ambassadorial position in a complicated and sensitive place like China. And while McCallums former career would have lent a higher profile to his posting and likely aided in his ability to gain access to senior politicians in the Chinese Communist Party, the lessons he brought to the role from his years as a politician appear to have gotten in his way, Calvert said. Diplomats are public servants trained in discretion, and in keeping in alignment with the official messaging of the state, Calvert said. Theyre also trained to deliver messages the recipient may not want to hear, and to do so in a direct and constructive and culturally appropriate way. I guess in this particular situation, maybe John McCallum was acting more like a minister in his own riding, and wanting to get people to support him, he said. And the extraordinarily high stakes of the current diplomatic conflict are precisely the type of moment when diplomatic fortitude and nuance are most critical, he said. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The point of having a skilled diplomat in charge is for when things do go wrong, he said. Its at these times when things are difficult when you really need that kind of touch, that kind of experience at the senior level. Read more about: OTTAWA The U.S. government announced nearly two dozen criminal charges against Huawei Technologies Monday, accusing the worlds largest telecommunications company of technology theft, bank fraud, obstruction of justice and money laundering. The move ratcheted up pressure on Canada, now bearing Beijings wrath over its arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, with U.S. officials declaring they will vigorously pursue her extradition. As the Trudeau government fights to free two detained Canadians and avoid the death sentence for a third man in China, top Trump cabinet members and justice officials charged Huawei with federal and criminal law breaches they said endangered Americas national and economic security. The formal charges came via unsealed grand jury indictments in two blockbuster cases against Huawei at a high-profile news conference in Washington. The charges include allegations of bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracies to commit bank and wire fraud against Meng personally for her actions in misleading one of Huaweis major banking partners about the companys operations in Iran. These charges form the backbone of the U.S. request to Canada to extradite Meng from Vancouver, where she is currently out on bail awaiting a formal extradition hearing. The Canadian department of justice confirmed that officials received the formal request for extradition on Monday from the United States. Read more: Chinese state media coverage of John McCallums dismissal shows former ambassador was viewed as an ally, says expert Opinion | The upside of the Huawei confrontation: Its teaching Canada to be wary of China Trudeau sought U.S. help to release two Canadians after Trump hinted he might use Mengs extradition as a bargaining chip, official says In a nod to the furious reaction by the Chinese government to Canada over its arrest of Meng, acting U.S. attorney general Matthew Whitaker echoed Canadas declarations that the rule of law must prevail. He said a court will determine whether Meng, Huawei, and other as-yet unnamed executives are guilty, and he thanked Canada. We are deeply grateful to the government of Canada for its assistance and its steadfast commitment to the rule of law, said Whitaker. Meng is alleged to have repeatedly lied to an executive of a multinational bank during a presentation in August 2013 when she distanced Huawei from Skycom, which the U.S. says was Huaweis longstanding Iranian affiliate. The company claimed it sold Skycom. But in its news release, the U.S. justice department says in reality Huawei orchestrated the 2007 sale to appear as an arms length transaction between two unrelated parties, when in fact Huawei actually controlled the company that purchased Skycom. The U.S. said it meant banks were in jeopardy of violating civil and criminal law, pointing to the case of one bank which cleared more than $100 million worth of Skycom-related transactions through the United States between 2010 and 2014. Over the course of years, Huawei executives and others repeatedly claimed to U.S. government officials and various banks, that the company operated in accordance with U.S. sanctions and export laws, and in accordance with EU and UN sanctions, said U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue for the Eastern District of New York. He said the indictment alleges those statements were false. Its important to understand Ms. Meng has been charged based on her own personal conduct and not because of actions or misconduct by other Huawei employees, he added. More broadly, the charges against Huawei, headquartered in Shenzhen, as well as Huawei Device USA and Hong Kong-based Skycom Tech, allege the company attempted to obstruct justice by concealing evidence and moving potential government witnesses back to China beyond the reach of American prosecutors. In fact, the U.S. took aim at Huaweis founder as well, though it did not name him in its news release. As indicated in the indictment, in 2007 months before Huawei orchestrated the purported sale of Skycom to another Huawei-controlled entity Huaweis founder falsely stated to FBI agents that Huawei did not have any direct dealings with Iranian companies and that Huawei operated in compliance with all U.S. export laws. Huaweis website identifies its CEO, Ren Zhengfei, as the company founder. He is Meng Wanzhous father and close to Chinas ruling party and its leader President Xi Jinping. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... U.S. authorities said while Chinese companies such as Huawei have a pattern of flouting U.S. law, they were not alleging any crimes by Chinese government officials. They said, however, Huawei is a security threat to U.S. interests because state cyber security rules require it to comply with access demands of the Chinese government. The charges will undoubtedly be seen as an attack on Chinas corporate gem. The U.S. also unveiled 10 charges in a case filed in Seattle that alleges Huawei deliberately stole U.S. technology from an American wireless company T-Mobile, that was developing a robot. FBI director Christopher Wray said Huawei poses a dual threat to both our economic and national security, and the magnitude of these charges make clear just how seriously the FBI takes this threat. But Whitaker and the U.S. home security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen especially took aim at Huaweis alleged attempt to do an end-run around Iran sanctions. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross tried to distinguish it as a law enforcement action distinct from the coming trade talks. The announcement comes before senior Beijing officials including Vice-Premier Liu He were due in Washington in an attempt to reach a trade deal before the U.S. slaps even higher tariffs on Chinese imports at the beginning of March. Earlier Monday the Chinese government underscored its view that Mengs case is tainted by politics and slammed the United States and its efforts to persuade allies to ban Huawei on the pretext of security. All countries should stay alerted to and resist such unreasonable actions of bullying. Geng Shuang, a spokesman for Chinas foreign ministry, said the Meng case is definitely not a pure judicial case. There are strong political motives and maneuverings behind it. We once again urge the Canadian side to make the right choice, immediately release Ms. Meng. But that doesnt seem likely anytime soon. While Canadas Justice Minister David Lametti would not comment prior to the announcement, he made clear that Canada would honour its obligations under the Canada-U.S. extradition treaty and act. We will fulfil the obligations in the process which seeks to protect both the Charter rights of individuals as well as maintains our treaty obligations with the United States using a rule of law process, said Lametti. Asked to respond to Chinas claim the Meng case is politically motivated, Lametti said, We are protecting Ms. Mengs rights within that process and will continue to do so. Read more about: OTTAWANone of our business. Thats how the Chinese government responded Monday to Justin Trudeaus weekend firing of Ambassador John McCallum, with little official comment other than to denounce Canadas ongoing detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou as politically motivated. Geng Shuang, a spokesman for Chinas foreign ministry, called McCallums forced resignation on Friday evening a matter of Canada's domestic affairs and China has no comment on it. Trudeau demanded McCallums resignation Friday after he ignored a warning from the prime minister mid-week and repeated the mistake of talking publicly about the extradition case and how the plight of two Canadians detained by China in retaliation could be resolved via a deal between the U.S. and China. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters Monday that McCallum was asked to resign for expressing a position that was inconsistent and did not accurately represent the governments view of the Meng case which she said was the first job of an ambassador. John did not do that, she said, adding that is why it was untenable for him to remain in the job. Geng, according to a transcript posted on the Chinese ministrys website, told reporters at a briefing in Beijing, I want to point out that the Meng Wanzhou case is definitely not a pure judicial case. There are strong political motives and maneuverings behind it, he said. The Chinese people and the international community know that very well. Read more: John McCallums resignation underscores risks of appointing politicians to diplomatic missions, former ambassadors say Ambassador John McCallum says it would be great for Canada if U.S. drops extradition request for Huaweis Meng Wanzhou Trudeau sought U.S. help to release two Canadians after Trump hinted he might use Mengs extradition as a bargaining chip, official says We once again urge the Canadian side to make the right choice, immediately release Ms. Meng. Meng is wanted by the U.S. on fraud charges connected with an alleged scheme to deceive multinational banks over Huaweis ties to a company doing business in Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions. She is chief financial officer and deputy chair of Chinas corporate darling, Huawei Technologies, which was founded by her father, company CEO Ren Zhengfei. Days after the RCMP arrested Meng under a provisional warrant issued by Canadas Justice Department at the request of the U.S. Chinas state security police arrested two Canadians, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor. They are being held on vague suspicion of threatening Chinas national security but no charges have been laid. Freeland said Canada will continue to rally allies in support of its demand that Beijing release Kovrig and Spavor, something China has warned against. And Freeland said it is absolutely possible to repair the damage done by last week's series of events. Justice Minister David Lametti declined any comment on the substance of McCallum's remarks, insisting that the case will be handled according to the rule of law. Freeland has repeatedly said the Meng extradition should not be politicized which McCallums remarks appeared to do. He said she has a quite good legal defence and said one option to resolve the U.S. extradition request could be that the U.S. makes a deal with China to drop charges against Meng thereby paving the way for China to release the Canadians who are detained. In the Commons, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer demanded why Trudeau showed such weakness and didnt fire McCallum sooner. He said China is a debacle for the Liberal government and its foreign policy is a disaster. Geng was not asked what impact the departure of McCallum, who was Trudeaus hand-picked envoy and was personally engaged on the consular cases would have on their ongoing detentions. But the foreign ministry spokesman reiterated Chinas firm stand on a third detained Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, who was hastily retried in the past two weeks by a court that elevated his 15-year jail term for drug trafficking to the death penalty. The Trudeau government says China has acted arbitrarily in detaining the men, and in re-sentencing Schellenberg to face execution. Geng said China's judicial authority is dealing with Schellenbergs in strict accordance with the law. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Schellenbergs legal team is expected to file an appeal this week of the death sentence, but Geng exhibited little sympathy. China's attitude is very clear, said Geng. We are a country governed by the rule of law, and everyone is equal before the law. Drug-related crimes, which bring great harm to society, are considered as felony around the world and severely cracked down upon by all countries. He said appeal questions involve very serious and professional legal matters and referred questions to the competent authority. The fate of those three Canadians, and the prospects of fair legal treatment for about 200 other Canadians currently facing legal troubles or exit bans in China have upped the stakes for the Liberal government to find a replacement who will carry weight with the Chinese. A senior government official told the Star that President Xi Jinpings office had communicated its desire that Ottawa send a politically connected ambassador like Trudeaus representative in Washington David MacNaughton who would have the prime ministers ear. When Trudeau appointed McCallum in 2017, the former cabinet minister and one-time bank economist became the first ambassadorial appointment to Beijing who didnt come from Canadas diplomatic corps. McCallum was a key political player within the Trudeau government, and as immigration and citizenship minister had steered the Liberals election promise to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees. For now, Trudeau has named Jim Nickel, McCallums former deputy head of mission in Beijing, as his interim replacement or charge daffaires at the embassy. The government signalled on the weekend it would name another permanent ambassador soon. NDP parliamentary leader Guy Caron told reporters Monday that Trudeau needs to explain not just to parliamentarians, but to Canadians, what is Canadas strategy and plan to address a situation that is presently sensitive. We dont have an ambassador right now. We dont have someone who is making the decisions basically for the embassy in a very sensitive situation with our relationship with China, Caron said. We think that the federal government, by accepting the resignation, has done the right thing, even though it was belated. On the other side (the government) needs to actually act quickly to ensure there will be some stability on the Canadian side in China. After McCallum resigned, Scheer told reporters Trudeau should have fired McCallum after his first misstep, when he told mostly Chinese-language media in Markham that he believed Meng had strong arguments in her battle against extradition to the U.S. Scheer told his MPs on Sunday that Canadians are tired of how Trudeaus government has damaged relationships with key allies and trading partners, backed down to Donald Trump on NAFTA, and refuses to get serious about the threat posed by China. Scheer has said he would no longer pursue talks toward a free trade deal with China as Stephen Harper once did and says Canada should ban Huawei from its 5G wireless infrastructure development over security concerns as several of its allies have. In a statement released Saturday afternoon, Trudeau said he demanded McCallums resignation on Friday night. That was after the Star published an interview with McCallum in Vancouver in which he said that it would be great for Canada if the United States relinquishes its attempt to extradite Huaweis chief financial officer. With files from Alex Ballingall, Susan Delacourt, Ottawa bureau Read more about: Britons are preparing for the possibility of the U.K. finding itself with a no-deal Brexit on March 29. It will be catastrophic but at this moment it still has an air of comedy. Its like being shut out of the house in the quarrel that brings on the divorce. You cant pound on the door and say I love E-U even if its just to get your suits back. Where youre going, you wont need suits. Itll just be you and lot of other badly dressed Brits hissing at each other at the checkout because Derek wanted to stockpile cat food, but no, Tristram said we had loads in the cupboard. So the cats going to starve then, thanks to you. The cat will flourish as will Britannia, says Tristram. Well have plenty of beef. You see, 90 per cent of British beef is exported to the EU, which will no longer buy it because it wont meet EU health standards. Derek: Even if it doesnt, we dont have the ferries to transport it. Tristram: Mrs. May has stockpiled ferries. Derek: From a start-up contractor with no experience with ferries. And also no ferries. Tristram: Never mind, Blighty shall carry on. Derek: Until the insulin runs out, and who knows when that is because the government wouldnt tell us how much refrigerated medicine they were storing up. Then well run out of body bags. Tristram: Nonsense, the government has it all in warehouses. They didnt tell us because they didnt want to attract thieves. Derek: No, because they ran out of warehouses. Full of dog food probably. These are the conversations to come if Britain reverts to wartime conditions. The Conservatives brought in their austerity policy in the Great Recession of 2008, clamping down so hard on libraries, schools, spare bedrooms, and basic welfare that it began to feel like the historic austerity years, 1945-1951. It wont be popular. Britain, for reasons best known to itself, is risking returning to an era when it had just helped win the war against Nazi Germany but at the price of extreme poverty. Britain had won the war but lost the peace. And its happening all over again. Look at Germany now. Most EU countries despise Germany how it clings to its surpluses but its prosperous. I hesitate to refer to Great Britain or the U.K. any more. What with Welsh and Scottish separatism and Northern Ireland a dead weight, its really just England now. Watch the new Benedict Cumberbatch HBO drama Brexit: The Uncivil War and shudder. It tells the horrifying story of how a nation was destroyed by a coalition of rich politicians, win-at-any-cost Brexiteers, and the sinister Trump campaign-linked Cambridge Analytica using Facebook data to target British voter dead zones. Add austerity and social media goading and youve got yourself a calamity. It is possible that Prime Minister Theresa May will make a better deal with the EU by the March deadline, though its hard to see how because nations usually negotiate while threatening to leave. Britain was foolish enough to announce its exit first. The EU has no wish to bankrupt Britain, still part of NATO and still useful in many ways, but it has to signal to the other 27 EU nations that leaving would be catastrophic, a self-inflicted blow from which it will not recover in the wild world that Donald Trump has created. I am reading Nella Lasts War, the diary of the English living on scraps in 1941. I made cabbage soup today and added a shredded carrot and a leek. Her husband says reprovingly, We dont need much. Dont forget theres a war on. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The government had curtailed inessentials like cups, toys, clocks and furniture. Luxury goods like pencils, needles and cosmetics were almost unobtainable. Rationing didnt end until 1954. Six decades later, the French company LOreal is stockpiling makeup in Britain instead of leaving customers to experiment with beetroot and shoe polish. For cosmetics, along with electrical machinery and many other things, are no long manufactured locally. Britain shops elsewhere. Correction January 29, 2019: This column was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the film Brexit: The Uncivil War is on Netflix. In fact, it is on HBO. Theres no magic number that creates the perfect class size. Fewer students is generally considered better, especially in the early years, though some research shows the academic gains are small. And a great deal depends on teachers, their training and skill set, as well as the students and how many have special needs that are not properly supported. So under normal circumstances a government paper calling for consultations to examine whether changes to class size would allow school boards to deliver better value might have some takers. But Ontario Education Minister Lisa Thompsons move down this road last week was met with fear and loathing and vows to fight any changes to the bitter end. Thats because everyone knows Thompson isnt interested in saving money by raising class sizes in order to reinvest those dollars into something else that will have a greater impact on students. If every student with a learning or behavioural challenge, for example, had the supports they needed to succeed and not disrupt the overall learning environment, then adding another couple students to a classroom might not matter at all. Indeed, it might even be a good trade-off. But thats not the offer here. The Ford government is just looking for ways to cut the education budget to reduce the provincial deficit. As the document itself states: The provinces current fiscal circumstances require... That makes these upcoming consultations beyond pointless. The line of people waiting to say that cramming more kids into classrooms, in the absence of other beneficial changes, will improve education will be very short indeed. But theres an even bigger problem with this plan: this government doesnt have a mandate to make cuts to education. Indeed, it has no real mandate to make substantial cuts to any government service or program because that is expressly what Premier Doug Ford promised he would not do. He vowed to end waste in government. He said jobs and services would not be slashed. He said $6 billion in easy efficiencies could be found. When I tell people, My friends, we will find four cents on every dollar of efficiencies, they break out laughing. Thats all you can find, is four cents in efficiencies? Ford said during last years campaign. Well, four cents on every dollar adds up to about $1 billion in Ontarios education budget and parents sure arent laughing now. If Ontarios Progressive Conservatives wanted to cut education funding they should have stated that upfront in the 2018 election. If they believe the province simply cant afford current levels of education funding, and therefore class sizes must increase, thats a debate we should have. But they didnt raise it during the election when voters could have made an informed choice. So they know Ontarians didnt elect them to make cuts to education or any other vital government service. Thats why theyre working so hard to spin a web of deception around the deficit. The PCs like to pretend they landed in power after last Junes election and surprise discovered the provincial books were in far worse shape than they realized. Thats the rationale they offer for why they have to make a whole bunch of cuts to education and social services (they havent got to health care yet) that they never mentioned. But its simply not true. There was no crippling hidden deficit. The last Liberal government publicly forecast a $6.7-billion deficit and Fords government has deliberately ballooned that figure to what they now claim is $14.5 billion. They did it moving money borrowed to reduce electricity bills onto the governments books; adopting a questionable accounting of pension assets; and lowering the estimate for tax revenues. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... And when ministers announce spending reductions they point to the deficit as justification. As Thompson says, the government must respect taxpayers. But how can a government respect taxpayers if doesnt first respect voters? Read more about: NEW YORK - A woman stuck for three days and nights in the private elevator of a Manhattan townhouse owned by a billionaire investment banker was rescued, police said. The 53-year-old woman, who worked for the family of the banker as a housekeeping employee, was dehydrated but in stable condition at Weill Cornell Medical Center, they said. Authorities responded to a 911 call at about 10 a.m. Monday from the home on East 65th Street, near Central Park. Firefighters freed the woman after forcing entry into the elevator that had stalled between the second and third floors of the five-story property. The woman, Marites Fortaliza, of Queens, told authorities shed been trapped since Friday while the owners were away for the weekend. The 911 call came from inside the home but authorities did not say who made it. The stately 1920 townhouse with a garden was purchased for $8 million in 1999 by Warren A. Stephens and his wife, Harriet Stephens. Later Monday, the family issued a statement calling Fortaliza a valued member of the Stephens extended family for 18 years. They said they were relieved and thankful that she is doing well in the hospital, and added that appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that something like this never happens again. Warren Stephens, 61, is the chairman, president and CEO of Stephens Inc., an investment bank based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Hes estimated to be worth $2.6 billion on Forbes list of the worlds top billionaires. The firm, started by Stephens uncle, underwrote Wal-Marts public offering in 1970, and backed the bonds for the Louisiana Superdome. The Stephens family occasionally kept company with Bill and Hillary Clinton in Little Rock. The cause of the elevator mishap is under investigation. No violations were found during the last inspection in July, according to city Department of Buildings records. Authorities did not know whether the elevator had an emergency button, or whether the woman had a cellphone. Police do not suspect any foul play, but reported incidents of being stuck in an elevator for so many days are rare in New York City. In 2005, a Chinese restaurant worker was trapped in a Bronx elevator for about 80 hours. And in 1999, a man spent 40 hours in a Manhattan office building elevator before he was seen on a security camera. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... _____ Associated Press writer Mike Sisak contributed to this report. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trumps pick for attorney general, William Barr, says Vice-President Mike Pence is among the officials with whom he has discussed the special counsels Russia investigation. Barr said in written responses to Senate questions made available Monday that he and Pence have had occasional conversations since the spring of 2017 on matters including policy and personnel. Some of those conversations included general discussion of the Special Counsels investigation in which I gave my views on such matters as Bob Muellers high integrity and various media reports. In these conversations, I did not provide legal advice, nor, to the best of my recollection, did he provide confidential information, Barr told Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat. In his role as special counsel, Mueller is investigating potential co-ordination between Russia and the Trump campaign to sway the 2016 presidential election. If confirmed by the Senate, Barr would inherit oversight of Muellers investigation. The Senate Judiciary Committee is prepared to vote on Barrs nomination to be attorney general this week or next. Barr described the Pence conversations in response to a question from Whitehouse about whether he had ever discussed Muellers investigation with anyone at the White House. He has also acknowledged that he discussed Mueller with Trump himself when he turned down an opportunity to represent the president in the special counsels investigation. During the meeting, the President reiterated his public statements denying collusion and describing the allegations as politically motivated. I did not respond to those comments, Barr said. He also reiterated how he shared with lawyers for the White House and for Trump a June 2018 memo he had written in which he disputed the idea that the president could have obstructed justice by firing former FBI Director James Comey. Barrs responses to the senators written questions largely matched his testimony from earlier this month. He repeated his intention to release as much of Muellers findings as possible, though he said he did not know what form a report from the special counsel would take. Barr also said he would resign if Trump claimed executive privilege to cover up evidence of a crime, and if he were asked to fire Mueller without good reason. I would resign rather than follow an order to terminate the Special Counsel without good cause, Barr wrote in response to a question from New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker. PARK CITY, Utah - Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha knows a little bit about being a Bruce Springsteen fan, having seen The Boss at Wembley Stadium in 1984 where she proudly stood atop her chair and sang her heart out to his songs. So when she came across Guardian journalist Sarfraz Manzoors memoir about being a British Muslim boy who finds inspiration, comfort and understanding of his own circumstances in Springsteens lyrics, she knew it would be perfect for a film. Ten years later, the 1987-set Blinded by the Light, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival Sunday night to a warm response for the feel-good film thats packed to the brim with 17 Springsteen anthems. As the lights went down, the crowd in the Eccles Theater whispered rumours of a possible Springsteen appearance in Park City. He wasnt there and was never supposed to be, but as Chadha explained, he didnt want to take away from the movie. Springsteen gave his blessing to Chadha and Manzoor to do the film back in 2010. They had both gone to the red carpet for the premiere of the rockumentary The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town hoping to maybe get a picture with him. Springsteen recognized Manzoor and came over to tell him that hed read his book. He nearly had a heart attack and landed on the floor, Chadha said. And I said, Hey Bruce, my name is Gurinder and Im a filmmaker and I really want to make a film of this book, will you support us? And he said, Sounds good! Talk to Jon. With The Boss blessing and the support of his managers Jon Landau and Barbara Carr they were suddenly developing the script. It turned in to a seven-year project. Everything we wrote we wanted to make sure Bruce would approve given we were using his lifes work, his music. We had a responsibility to not treat that music lightly, she explained of the lengthy process. Its the first time Chadha has made a film about the British-Asian community since 2002, when with her breakout hit Bend It Like Beckham was released. She felt the time was right to explore that theme again. Its a film that serves to bring people together with music and words. For me this is very timely given the state of your nation (the U.S.), my nation Britain in terms of divisiveness and people calling for separation and xenophobia basically. This film is a hopeful statement, she said. Words can have meaning despite your cultural background. A human soul can transcend all kinds of human boundaries. As the dust settles the morning after the premiere, the film is on track to secure a healthy sale too. New Line is in talks to acquire world rights, minus a few territories, for Blinded by the Light for a cool $15 million which would make it the biggest sale of the 2019 festival yet. No release date has been set. ___ Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr HANCOCK, N. Y.Deep in the dense woods near the Catskill Mountains, a settlement was started decades ago by Muslim families, many of them African-Americans from New York City, who were seeking to distance themselves from neighbourhoods they saw as dangerous and laden with corrosive influences. Holy Islamberg was intended to be a refuge, a serene environment to pray and bring up children. In the years since, the enclaves residents have forged relationships with state and local law enforcement, and made connections with their white neighbours from nearby towns. They work alongside each other in medical clinics and offices. Their children are teammates in youth football and basketball games. But residents of Islamberg have found that there is no such thing as a haven in the internet age. Conspiracy theorists and anti-Muslim groups have sketched a false portrayal of the community as a hidden-away den of Islamic extremism. Last week, police in Greece, New York, roughly 200 miles away, arrested four young people who are accused of amassing a stockpile of firearms and homemade bombs with plans to target the community. The plot was the second major one on Islamberg to be thwarted by authorities in recent years. The threatened violence reflects how Islamberg has become fodder for a pernicious part of the internet, one steeped in virulent hate and misinformation spread by websites like 4chan and Infowars, alongside subjects like Pizzagate and QAnon. Read more: Three charged with planned explosives attack on Muslim community These kids in Greece, theyve never been to Islamberg, said Hussein Adams, chief executive of the Muslims of America and a resident whose family has lived in the community for three generations. They go on the internet and theyre fed all this fake news and all this misinformation, and they come up with a plan. Adams and other residents said they subscribe to a faith based on love and respect. And local authorities said the swirl of online conspiracy theories about Islamberg were unfounded. They are law-abiding, said Maj. William F. McEvoy, the State Police commander in the region. They are positive, solid members of the community. Islamberg has about 200 residents, some from families who have lived here for two or more generations, and covers some 60 acres outside Binghamton, near the Pennsylvania state line and about 150 miles from New York City. It is set back off a bumpy road on private property, up steep slopes, past pastures and alongside a creek. The winter conditions can be punishing, with snow and ice making the community even harder to reach. Still, residents have a spread of land offering enough room to build homes and a mosque and raise livestock and crops. Islamberg was started around 1980 by a group of mostly African-Americans who had converted to Islam in the 1960s and followed Sheihk Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani, a Pakistani cleric and founder of Muslims of America. He encouraged his followers to flee large cities and build communes in rural areas where they could separate themselves from the crime and the violence they faced in their old neighbourhoods and the decadence that, in his view, pervaded secular society. Over the years, his followers have set up about a dozen other villages similar to Islamberg, including ones in Virginia, Georgia and Tennessee. The presence of a largely black community whose members wear Muslim garb has been conspicuous in the nearby small towns like Hancock that are populated with mostly white residents. Their arrival more than 30 years ago came with tension, but over time, the relationship warmed as residents of Islamberg became enmeshed in the broader community. Weve never had a problem, said Nancy Furdock, who has lived in Hancock two mountains over from Islamberg, she said for nearly two decades and has become friendly with people who live in the enclave. She corrected herself slightly, We have a problem with outsiders. Why dont they come talk to us? she added, referring to those who circulate conspiracy theories about Islamberg online. Well tell you whats going on, which is nothing. In recent years, far-right Facebook groups have warned of an encampment governed by an oppressive form of Shariah law, which they claimed would encroach into broader society. Documentary-style videos portrayed Islamberg as a Jihadi training camp and terrorist sleeper cell, and people who present themselves as national security experts have published reports online alleging a culture of militant brainwashing, forced marriages and doling out lashes and other forms of draconian abuse for violating its rules. The communitys critics seized upon an arrest, in 2017, of a 64-year-old man accused of stealing ammunition in nearby Johnson City, which led authorities to find a storage locker stocked with powerful weapons. Officials said at the time they had found no indications there was a plan in place to commit an act of violence. Still, the case served as fodder for purveyors of disinformation, who peddled false stories claiming the weapons were bound for Islamberg, that U.S. President Donald Trump had ordered a raid and that investigators had uncovered Americas WORST Nightmare. Trespassers have been found attempting to sneak into the community or to fly drones over the property to conduct their own investigations. And a recurring ride of bikers has rumbled past Islambergs entrance in a caravan to alert the community to their vigilance. I dont believe the people inside here are peaceful and are standing for the same thing we stand for, Joseph Glasgow, an organizer of the demonstration, called a ride for national security, told the crowd that had assembled in a parking lot before setting off for Islamberg in 2017. The speculation about terrorism has inspired more than protests. In 2017, a Tennessee man, Robert Doggart, was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison over a plot to recruit a militia and storm the enclave. In a phone call recorded as part of a federal wiretap, Doggart said, I dont want to have to kill children, but theres always collateral damage. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The most recent threat of violence came last week after investigators in Greece, outside Rochester, thwarted an apparent plan concocted by a group who, officials said, had stockpiled 23 firearms and three homemade bombs. Three men Vincent Vetromile, 19, Brian Colaneri, 20, and Andrew Crysel, 18 were arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon and conspiracy, and a fourth person, whose identity was not released because he or she is a minor, was charged as an adolescent with the same offences. It is unclear how the individuals were connected, but three of them had been Boy Scouts. In the days before the plot was uncovered, at least one of them, Vetromile shared far-right memes and conspiracy theories about border security and a government scheme to seize weapons. Authorities also said that the defendants had corresponded using Discord, a group chat app created for video gamers that became popular with far-right activists. Vetromile and Colaneri remain in custody, according to jail records. Just imagine having to wake up and tell your children of such a plot, tell your children that their life was in danger, said Rashid Clark, Islambergs mayor. Much of the scrutiny directed at Islamberg centres on the communitys ties to Gilani, an elusive figure who became more widely known after the 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan. Pearl, who was reporting on a story about the so-called shoe bomber, Richard C. Reid, was seeking an interview with the sheikh when he was abducted. (The sheikh is not believed to have been involved in the plot, counterterrorism analysts said.) Suspicion has also sprung from the communitys purported association with an obscure Muslim group called Jamaat al-Fuqra, which is tied to the sheikh and has drawn the notice of law enforcement in the United States because of accusations of criminal activity beginning in the 1980s. In 2002, after the gun-charge arrests of three people authorities said were part of Jamaat al-Fuqra, federal prosecutors described a history of violence involving the organization, including firebombings and murder. Islambergs leaders have denied a connection to the group. And an analysis published in 2008 in the CTC Sentinel, a journal published by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, concluded that there was no evidence proving Islamberg was part of a covert training operation. Instead, the report said, the presence of weapons (or even arsenals), nor weapons training are particularly unusual phenomena in rural America. The right-wing interest reflects a certain amount of obsession that I dont see how its possibly justified, William Rosenau, one of the authors of the Sentinel analysis, said last week. I think the fact that the members are Muslim and almost all African-American is a source of a lot of the anxiety. I think its straight up religious and racial fear. McEvoy, the State Police commander in the region, said the story of Islamberg reminded him of his own: His mother had moved their family from Brooklyn to Binghamton for a change. They believe in education, McEvoy said. They believe in hard work. They believe in raising their children with those goals in mind. A day after the most recent plot emerged, nudging Islamberg back under the glare of outside attention, community officials organized a news conference in a hotel ballroom in Binghamton. There, its leaders once again had to challenge falsehoods about them. Beautiful place to live, beautiful people to live with, said Cassandra Greene, who was among the earliest arrivals to Islamberg more than 30 years ago. After the news conference, Adams of Muslims of America marvelled at his communitys resilience. He said he believed that the alarm and cynicism that has surrounded Islamberg had not seeped inside the community. Indeed, he said, Islamberg has remained very much the same place his parents had sought, with tranquility among residents and the latitude to live out their faith. To him, that was most evident in the mornings. The community rises well before sunrise. People wash their bodies, put on clean clothes and perfume. They step outside, on the land where they hunt and raise much of their own food. We say our prayers to God almighty, Adams said. That starts our day, and thats everything. ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Track Palin, the elder son of former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, has won an early release from custody after his conviction for assaulting his father. Palin reported to an Anchorage halfway house in December to serve a year for the 2017 attack on his father. But he was released after a judge granted a motion Thursday for credit for time spent on electronic monitoring. Palin, 29, was released Thursday evening, according to Trey Watson of the correctional management firm the Geo Group, which operates the halfway house. TMZ.com first reported Palins release over the weekend. Palins attorney, Patrick Bergt, and prosecutors did not immediately comment Monday. Palin, who served a year in Iraq, was previously enrolled in a veterans therapeutic court program for the assault on his father. But he was dismissed from the program following new assault charges in September. In that case, a female acquaintance said Palin told her she couldnt leave his Wasilla house, took her phone and then hit her in the head. Misdemeanor charges including assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct are pending in that case. In December 2017, Palin was accused of breaking into his parents home and leaving his father, Todd, bleeding from cuts on his head, authorities said. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanour criminal trespass. That plea arrangement called for him to serve 10 days in jail if he completed the veterans therapeutic program and a year behind bars if he did not. Palin also was accused of punching his then-girlfriend in 2016. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanour possession of a firearm while intoxicated. Sarah Palin, the states former governor, has suggested her sons post-traumatic stress disorder might have been a factor in that case. ___ Follow Rachel DOro at https://twitter.com/rdoro ORANGEBURG, S.C. - After years of battling the Confederate flag, a South Carolina restaurant owner has surrendered. Tommy Daras says hes selling his Edisto River Creamery in Orangeburg because hes been unable to remove the rebel banner flown by the Sons of Confederate Veterans on a tiny piece of property in front of his business. I cant beat them guys, Daras told The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg . They destroyed the safety of the place and the enjoyment of the property. They killed me on the internet. The Sons of Confederate Veterans were given a 130-square-foot piece of land by the buildings previous owner and continue to fly the flag by a Confederate monument. Daras first tried to remove the flag himself, but the sons group said it would have him arrested for trespassing. He then argued to Orangeburg officials that the flag violated zoning ordinances because it was a historical display on property set aside for commercial use. But the city ruled the flags were a form of free speech protected under the U.S. Constitution. Daras said eventually nine out of every 10 customers could ask about the flag. Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans marched around the flag in his parking lot each Saturday. His business received false or negative reviews both from people supporting the flag and by people angered by it. I am done, Daras said. I cant make a living there anymore with all the situations happening there. I cant get nothing going. Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 842 Keeper of the Flag Buzz Braxton did not talk to the newspaper about the propertys sale. The restaurant has already been closed for a month. Daras said his restaurant had five-star ratings after it opened, but then negative reviews started coming in from as far away from Texas. I regret getting into an argument over the flag, but they gave me no choice, Daras said. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... ___ Information from: The Times & Democrat, http://www.timesanddemocrat.com MARLBOROUGH, Mass. - The moms meet in a parking lot overlooking the little white funeral home and watch the mourners drifting toward the chapel doors a familiar scene, beginning again. Cheryl Juaire taps nervously on her steering wheel. Are we ready? she asks the two other mothers leaning into the window of her SUV. The wake starting inside is for a stranger, another young man consumed by the great American plague. These women drove nearly two hours to shepherd his mother into their club, its thousands of members all bound by the same hell: They are parents of the dead from addiction, tasked with the unnatural act of burying their children at a rate unprecedented in modern American history. Im going to stay in the car, one mother says. I just cant go in. I get it, Cheryl assures her. Cheryl, the leader of this unhappy welcoming committee, fishes a sympathy card out of her purse. She bought some in bulk not long ago and was stunned to find this was the last one left. Each card equals another set of parents, their lives clawed apart by the opioid epidemic. Many are broke from paying for treatment or raising their grandchildren at retirement age. Some have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The chaos of addiction consumed their lives. Then the chaos ended with a funeral, and the quiet proved far worse. Cheryl reads newspapers hunting for obituaries and searches social media for the newly bereaved, to invite them into the fold. You are not alone in guilt and grief and regret and rage, she needs them all to know. It has become her own kind of addiction, a habit to quiet the demons. Her son, Corey Merrill, overdosed on heroin at 23 years old in 2011, just as the crisis was turning into catastrophe. She had thought using drugs was a failure of morality and gumption. Back then much of America thought the same that addiction was merely a bad choice. So, no, she had told Corey, he couldnt stay with her because she hadnt raised him that way, and hed slept instead on a park bench. Then he died alone, and she slowly arrived at the sickening realization that addiction is a disease she hadnt understood, and because she hadnt understood it, she couldnt save him. She didnt even know he needed saving. Now this is her penance: wake after wake, mother after mother, trying to spare them the solitary torment that almost killed her. Cheryl straightens the gold cross around her neck, smooths her bob, freshly dyed chestnut brown to hide hints of grey, and climbs out of the car. That mom gave birth to that child, she says. When those doors close today, and they put her son in the ground, its not the end for her. Its just the beginning. ___ Earlier in the week, four bereaved mothers who make up the board of Cheryls non-profit met poolside at one of their homes on a suburban cul-de-sac in Wrentham. A white sign was staked out front in the grass, with #2069 printed in black. Thats the number of people opioids killed in Massachusetts in just one year, one states slice of the more than 400,000 who have died in the U.S. since the epidemic began in 1999. Overdoses now kill more each year than guns or breast cancer or AIDS at its peak. They kill more than the entire Vietnam War. They kill nearly 200 people a day on average, the equivalent of a 9-11 every few weeks. One analogy that can sometimes get peoples attention is that its like an airplane full of commuters crashing every single day, one mother offered as the group struggled to somehow depict the magnitude of their mission. And yet it feels to these mothers that the world is getting tired of hearing about all their dead kids. They led a campaign of thousands across America to send President Donald Trump photos of their children, all mailed last Feb. 10 to reach him by Valentines Day. They expected the president to say, or tweet, that he heard them and would do something. They expected media coverage from coast to coast that people would look into their childrens eyes and be so enraged theyd march in the streets. But there were no marches for them. That Valentines Day, 17 people were gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, consuming political and public attention. Cheryl grieves for the parents who lost a child there. But she did the math, and that many people will die from drugs by the time this three-hour board meeting concludes. Where is the outrage for us? she asks. Our kids are still dying, and the only thing I can do is try to pick up the pieces for the moms once they do. Her organizations official name is Team Sharing. But she usually just says: My Moms. When she started this group on Facebook three years ago there were only seven members, all mothers near her home in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Then another parent joined and another, as overdoses became the leading cause of death for young Americans, dragging down the nations overall life expectancy three years in a row for the first time in a century. Now Cheryl, 60, begins each day at dawn in her recliner, before her part-time job as a receptionist at a church, studying a 25-page document, single-spaced, that lists the hundreds of Team Sharing members and details about their children. Some on her list have lost two children to drugs. One lost three. One lost four. On a recent Sunday afternoon, Cheryl got a call from a mother who had already buried one addicted son, and she was screaming, incomprehensible. Cheryl sped to her house to find that her second son had overdosed in a bedroom upstairs. The paramedics were still there, and Cheryl held this mother as they carried his body out into the coroners truck. Many parents of the dead try to channel their grief into change. The nation knows how to fix this, they insist; all thats missing is the will. Let the junkies die, theyve heard people say, even though the American Medical Association, the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the surgeon general all define addiction as a chronic brain disease that is, like some cancers and diabetes, fueled by a mix of genetics, behaviours and environment. The surgeon general notes that unlike those with cancer or diabetes, only about 10 per cent of those with addiction get effective treatment. This coalition of mothers believes the epidemic is unfolding much like AIDS did, with a society indifferent toward people believed to have brought their deaths upon themselves. That disease killed unabated by the thousands until masses started protesting. So these parents testify before Congress, tell their stories in school gymnasiums and cry on local television news. They proselytize at rallies, warning that any family could be next, and see crowds filled with people whove already learned that the hard way. Cheryl led a picket outside Purdue Pharma, whose mass marketing of the powerful painkiller OxyContin helped unleash the crisis. What more do we have to do? she wonders. Cheryl doesnt like to talk about politics. Both Republicans and Democrats have failed to stop this, she says. She voted for Trump, who declared a public health emergency in 2017, and remains hopeful that hell keep his promise to end the scourge. Last year, Congress passed a legislative package designed to combat the crisis and appropriated $8.5 billion, a figure experts say is a welcome step but far short of the sustained funding required to build the necessary treatment infrastructure. During the AIDS crisis, the federal government increased funding by tens of billions, says Keith Humphreys, a Stanford University professor and drug policy expert. The opioid epidemic is as serious as that one and will require similar resources. It overwhelms Cheryl to think of all the things the nation needs to do to solve this, and so she tries to focus on what she knows. She knows parents with no money left to bury their children; the ashes sit in cardboard boxes. So the first agenda item at her board meeting this week is to decide how much to donate for headstones and urns. Her board members grimace. Theres Cindy Wyman, who used to knock on drug dealers doors carrying a picture of her daughter. And Lynn Wencus, whose son emptied her bank account and pawned her wedding ring and still she borrowed against her 401(k) to pay for treatment. She once drove him to buy heroin because he was desperate to get into a detox facility that would only take patients with drugs in their system. She sat next to him as he shot up, holding overdose reversal medication and weeping. Thats what we were willing to do to save our kids, Lynn says. And even at that, it wasnt enough. They dreaded the phone call for years. For Cheryl, it came in the middle of the night, from her oldest son, Bobby, a police officer. Mom, Coreys dead, he said. Cheryl felt her knees buckle. That call is her marker in time: There was her normal life before it and her life now, which includes an unwanted expertise in burying young Americans. Maybe, she suggests to the board, they should give parents $500 to help bury their first child and $1,000 for their second? Lynn rubs her temples and groans. Second child, she repeats. Oh God. I know, Cheryl says. And then, before she could stop it, her mind wandered down into the basement of a funeral home and she was shopping for caskets seven years ago. On that worst day of her life, her oldest son, the officer, collapsed weeping. Her middle son, Sean, was still addicted to the happy pills Corey had introduced him to. And Cheryl felt helpless to fix any of it. She had stood at her sons wake, shaking hands, smiling awkwardly unaware that the fog would lift and the reality would crush her until she wished she would die, too. __ When Corey was born, Cheryl had pulled his bassinet next to her bed and slept with her hand on his back, counting his heartbeats. Shed had her first two sons young, but Corey was planned. She always feared she would lose him. I just felt life was never going to be good for me, she says. And then something so good came along. Coreys father left when the boy was 5, and for a few years it was just Cheryl and her sons. Corey slept in her bed every night. Four years later, she met Peter Juaire, a firefighter, and was smitten. With a new husband there were new rules to follow; Corey was a jokester, always playing pranks, and didnt like rules. He had been a Boy Scout and Little Leaguer, then he dropped out of high school and it all spiraled quickly. Cheryl saw him for the first time in shackles when he was arrested on a drug charge at 18. Thats my baby, she wailed, and the guards had to hold her up. Then he was in and out of detoxes and jails and called her sometimes to say he had nowhere to go. Peter, a recovering alcoholic who got sober 31 years ago, thought Corey had to hit bottom, so Cheryl told Corey he couldnt stay with them. Now when she envisions her son sometimes, hes sleeping on a bench. Do you ever regret it? she asked her husband once. No, he responded. Not that part. But he had made other mistakes long before, when Corey was young, and they didnt get along. Corey eventually went to rehab and moved into a sober living house, and Cheryl thought the nightmare was behind them until the call came. At first, she found herself going to the cemetery alone to lie down on his grave. She liked to imagine his bones and worried she was going insane. She constructed a shrine by her front door, with piles of things she found and thought Corey had sent as signs: feathers, flowers, quarters. She obsessed over whether hed died believing he disappointed her and prayed he might come to her in a dream. He did once; she was washing dishes and turned from the sink and there he was, smiling, his baby daughter on his hip. Then poof, he was gone, and she feared that her sadness scared him away. She wasnt suicidal, exactly; she just didnt want to live. She started drinking. She walked out onto the porch drunk one night and looked up at the stars and was overcome with guilt for seeing such beauty when her son would never see another sky. She collapsed to the ground and laid there begging God to kill her, until her husband came out, picked her up and put her in bed. I was watching her go away from me, remembers Peter. The road she was going on, I didnt see us lasting. She heard from friends less and less until she stopped hearing from them at all. Years passed in isolation, until an invitation arrived to a dinner party with seven mothers whose children all died from overdoses. They sat talking for hours and confessed: They had felt compelled to sleep on their childrens graves, collected feathers they thought were sent from heaven, and begged God to kill them, too. Cheryl went home that night and soon started her group. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Youre not insane, the moms tell each other. Some tattoo their childrens ashes into their flesh. Some see mediums to try to connect with them. They share pictures of the sky and swear they see their childrens faces in the clouds. Many worry people will forget their children or prefer to pretend they never existed, so Cheryl begins each morning acknowledging the parents whose kids were born that day, and the ones who died on it. She feels their rhythms: The first year is numbness, the second pure hell. She can tell which moms have been drinking, which have stopped leaving the house. Shes a hard one, shell say, making a mental note to keep a close watch. She does this from the moment she wakes up until she falls asleep, sometimes phone in hand. Her husband tells her hes worried it consumes her, but she shrugs and smiles at him. Staying busy with other mothers means she doesnt have to think about what she didnt do for her own son. ___ All of that is what brought Cheryl to the little white funeral home in New Hampshire, a state with the nations fifth-highest rate of overdose deaths. She had called in the troops: Cyndi Wood and Kay Scarpone, mothers of Marines who came home from the service changed men. All three women grew up in the same town, but they were never friends until heroin claimed their sons and lashed them together. All these beautiful lives, moans Cyndi, who decides she cant bear another wake and retreats back to the car. She pulls out a picture of her 20-year-old son Brandon, his cheeks rosy and his shirt collared. She was at the cemetery placing flowers on his grave recently and met another mother, visiting her son who had died of cancer. The woman asked Cyndi how her son died, and before she thought about it she blurted out, An accident. The instinct surprised her, like shed absorbed the worlds stigma that being the mother of a drug addict is better kept a shameful secret. You feel alone when you lose a child like this, she says. Cheryl draws close to Kay as they walk together into the chapel, and she drops the sympathy card in a basket. She avoids settling her eyes on the photos of the person this young man had been or his wide-eyed child or the mourners shaking their heads because it didnt have to end this way. The dam had broken at a recent funeral, and Cheryl had left the chapel sobbing. Break down later, she tells herself, because she is supposed to be the strong one to show that life can exist after this. Little is known about the long-term psychological implications for the hundreds of thousands of mothers and fathers who have buried their children since the opioid epidemic began. Grassroots organizations for these families are sporadic, funded mostly by bake sales and 5k races and spread out in pockets of the country at random, usually where someone like Cheryl lost a child and decided to start one. The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids last year tried to drum up support on Capitol Hill for $10 million to establish a family support program so parents would not have to navigate the misery of addiction and death alone, says Marcia Lee Taylor, the organizations chief policy officer. It got no traction. Who is saving us? Cheryl wonders. Nobody. Inside the little chapel, she folds her arms around this grieving mother. There is an electricity between women whove lost their children that no one else can feel, Cheryl swears, like they can sense each other in crowds. I shouldnt be burying my son, the woman says. You are not alone. We lost our kids, too, Cheryl tells her, and the mother nods. Were not going to have anyone left, she says. ___ On the drive back home, Cheryl marvels at the sunny sky. Beautiful, she says. Maybe its a gift from Corey. Then she checks her phone and frowns. She was hoping for a message from another mother who recently lost her child. A mutual friend had asked Cheryl to call her, and shes fretting now because she hasnt heard back. Two years ago, a member of her group told her about a mother who had just lost a son. Cheryl considered cold-calling her but didnt want to intrude. The woman killed herself two days later, on her sons birthday. Regret tormented Cheryl What if I had called her first? Would that have made a difference? so she put the questions to her group on their Facebook page. They told her not to feel responsible; some told her she had saved their lives. I know how this woman was feeling, wrote one mother who had lost two children. We dont want to be on this journey. A few months later, that mother killed herself, too. These are the stakes for Cheryl, the keeper of so many parents grief. As she left the funeral home, dozens of them were starting to gather at a group members lake house for a potluck like any other, except the cars outside had bumper stickers or license plates commemorating lives cut short: Jenn 29, Joey 22. And nametags read: Debbie, Jays mom, Lois, Robbies mom. Team Sharings annual party is one of Cheryls favourite days of the year. But to get there, she has to drive past the apartment building where her son died. The first time shed absentmindedly followed the GPS and suddenly there it was. No, no, no, this cant be happening, she thought, and then: Oh God, if only Id understood. Why didnt I spend more time with him? Ask him what was going on in his mind? Why? Why? Why? Now, as she passes the building again, she cant resist the urge to pull into the parking lot. Theres the dumpster where Peter had hastily thrown the bedsheets before he let her go inside. A second-story window leads to the bedroom where Cheryl had curled on a bare mattress, imagining the imprint of Coreys body. She remembers there were needles everywhere, even though shed always thought he was scared of needles. When Im sitting here and Im all alone and Im looking up at it, I dont want to know, but I do want to know, but I dont want to know what his last thoughts were. Was he in pain? Did he feel it? Did he know he was dying? Did he call my name? she asks. Most of the time, with the help of her moms, she manages not to think about it. And she has reasons to be hopeful. Last May, personalized letters began arriving in her members mailboxes from the White House; they take that as a sign that the president was moved by all their Valentines. Her middle son, Sean, is in recovery and helps others struggling to get clean. Bobby, the officer, found a letter Corey had sent him and got his signature tattooed on his arm; the permanence helped him find peace. Coreys daughter, 4 months old when he died, is 8 and has her fathers green eyes. Cheryl takes her to the cemetery on his birthdays, sets up a little table, and they sing and eat cake. And her marriage survived. Peter accepts the shrine by the front door and her need to spend all day on the phone, talking to her moms. She shakes her head to dislodge the tears. OK, she says. I get to go to a party. In the SUV with a bumper sticker of her sons name, Cheryl heads for the lake house. As she scribbles on her nametag, Cheryl, Coreys mom, and stamps it to her heart, another mother steps out to take a phone call. Three years ago, when a nurse at the hospital told this woman her son was dead from an overdose, shed begged her to rip out her heart and give it to him. Now, her other son was on the phone, out of his mind. He just relapsed, he tells her, and he worries he wont make it this time. The mother tells a friend to thank Cheryl, and she quietly slips away. ___ Click here for more on Juaires group, Team Sharing, and here for additional resources on addiction and recovery. Go to this Q&A to learn more about the toll of the opioid crisis in America and the governments response. For more in APs Left Behind series, see: https://apnews.com/TheLeftBehind ___ AP National Writer Claire Galofaro has reported for years on the opioid crisis across America. Follow her on Twitter at @clairegalofaro or reach her at cgalofaro@ap.org WALTHAM, Mass. - Two Massachusetts men involved in an apparent case of road rage in which one drove at speeds of up to 70 mph with the other clinging to the hood of his vehicle, some of which was caught on video , were released after their arraignments Monday. Mark Fitzgerald, 37, of Ashland, was released on $500 bail after pleading not guilty to charges including assault with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60. Richard Kamrowski, 65, of Framingham, was released on his own recognizance after pleading not guilty to charges including malicious destruction of a motor vehicle. Police say the men were involved in a minor accident Friday on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Weston. Kamrowski got out of his pickup truck to exchange insurance information with Fitzgerald, who stayed in his car, police said. At some point, Fitzgerald drove forward and Kamrowski jumped on his hood. Fitzgerald then drove up to 3 miles, at speeds of up to 70 mph, slowing down and accelerating, with Kamrowski clinging to the hood, state police said. Kamrowski, who had grabbed a metal water bottle out of Fitzgeralds car, used it to smash his windshield. The encounter ended when Fitzgerald stopped and a third driver, who is a licensed gun owner, held him at gunpoint until police arrived. Lawyers for both men blamed the other for being the aggressor. Fitzgeralds attorney, Michael Chinman, said only part of the story was told in court. They did not read the part of the eyewitness who says that the other party was the aggressor, the other party was angry, the other party approached Mr. Fitzgeralds car and appeared to be fighting him, he said outside of court. Kamrowski smashed the windshield in an attempt get Fitzgerald to stop, said his attorney, Joseph Comenzo. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... No, he was propelled onto the hood while he was on the road and was trying to make the car stop and thats the first time that he struck the windshield with the water bottle, he said. Both men are due back in court on March 13. RICHMOND, Va. - When Sharyl Attkisson first began hearing clicking sounds on her phone and her computers started turning on and off in the middle of the night, she thought it was a technical glitch that could be easily fixed. Attkisson, then a longtime investigative reporter for CBS News, didnt suspect anything more until her sources in the intelligence community suggested that the government might be spying on her because of critical stories she had done. Attkisson alleged in a 2015 lawsuit that former Attorney General Eric Holder, former Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, and unnamed federal agents conducted unauthorized surveillance of her home and electronic devices in an attempt to determine who was leaking confidential information to her. A federal judge dismissed Attkissons lawsuit, finding that resolving the allegations would overstep the courts authority because it would require inquiry into sensitive Executive Branch discussions and decisions. Attkissons appeal will be heard Tuesday by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Attkisson said she, her husband and daughter first noticed unusual activity with their electronic devices in 2011, after she did a story on Operation Fast and Furious, a failed sting operation in which federal agents allowed firearms dealers to sell weapons to straw purchasers in an attempt to trace the guns back to Mexican drug cartels. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives lost track of most of the guns, including two found at the scene where a U.S. Border Patrol Agent was fatally shot in the Arizona desert. The operation sparked a political backlash against the Obama administration. Attkisson left CBS in 2014 and is now the host of Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson, a weekly Sunday news program broadcast by the conservative Sinclair Broadcast Group. In her lawsuit, Attkisson says that two computer forensics teams identified an unauthorized communications channel opened into her laptop was connected to an IP address belonging to the U.S. Postal Service, indicating unauthorized surveillance. Government lawyers argue that Attkissons lawsuit does not include any evidence that Holder and Donahoe had direct involvement in spying on her. At best, plaintiffs complaint suggests a mere possibility that Holder and Donahoe could have participated in developing or enforcing policies concerning electronic surveillance generally; there are no allegations that they conducted or ordered the particular incursions about which plaintiffs complain, Justice Department lawyers argue in a legal brief filed in the 4th Circuit. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment on Attkissons lawsuit. Attkisson alleges that the surveillance violated her rights under the First and Fourth Amendments, as well as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. The lawsuit says the surveillance was part of a pattern of spying on reporters during the Obama administration to crack down on leaks. In 2012, the Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of some reporters and editors for The Associated Press. Holder also sought and received a judges permission to look through records of Fox News reporter James Rosens calls and emails from 2009. Given the high-profile nature of this case, the fact that the alleged surveillance focused on potential government whistleblowers, and the need for close inter-agency co-ordination, it is certainly plausible to infer that both Holder and Donahoe would have had direct knowledge of the surveillance activities and indeed likely would have had to approve all such activities, her attorneys, Tab Turner and Paul Berman, argue in their legal brief. Attkisson went public with her allegations of illegal surveillance in 2013 and filed a complaint with the DOJs Inspector General. The FBI and DOJ publicly stated that they had no knowledge of any electronic surveillance of Attkisson or her family. After examining Attkissons desktop computer, the inspector general released a partial report that noted a great deal of advanced computer activity not attributable to Attkisson or her family, but found no evidence of intrusion into the desktop. Attkisson is asking the 4th Circuit to overturn the dismissal of her lawsuit and allow the case to proceed. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... She said the experience disrupted her life and the lives of her family, and also affected her professional life by making some of her sources reluctant to talk to her on the phone out of fear of government eavesdropping. She said she also sees a more significant reason to continue to pursue the lawsuit. From the standpoint of constitutional violations, I think this is huge, Attkissson said. This is about government actors of some kind doing this to journalists and private citizens ... it used to be unheard of, and now, people arent surprised at all. JUNEAU, Alaska - Gov. Mike Dunleavy has proposed cutting $20 million approved last session as an additional boost to public schools, drawing criticism from some lawmakers Monday. Documents released by Dunleavys budget office Monday said the money created a situation where education was funded beyond what is legally required while other programs were underfunded. The reduction is needed to meet other state obligations, the documents state. Budget office director Donna Arduin said agencies were asked where money might be available to help offset costs of supplemental spending. The $20 million was on top of the $1.3 billion lawmakers budgeted as part of the states per-student funding formula and student transportation costs. Arduin said that extra $20 million, which was approved for the current fiscal year, had not been paid. Supplemental budgets typically address emergency costs or those not otherwise covered by the budgets passed during the prior session. Dunleavy proposed two supplemental bills. One, which proposes repealing the extra school money, deals with state operating and capital issues, such as rural trooper housing and Medicaid. Nearly $38 million from the current fiscal years budget was used to pay Medicaid claims from the prior year, but the budget office said only $15 million is needed because of offsets elsewhere in that budget. The other supplemental bill deals with recovery from the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit south-central Alaska, including Anchorage, in November. The disaster bill seeks $37.3 million in state funds, including $7.9 million for spring firefighting and $21.9 million for the state disaster relief fund. Estimates related to earthquake recovery are preliminary and expected to be accompanied by federal dollars. Education funding was a big issue last session, with lawmakers agreeing to one-time bumps of $20 million for the current fiscal year and $30 million for the fiscal year starting July 1. Dunleavy, a Republican who was elected in November, campaigned on reducing spending. His administration has projected a $1.6-billion deficit for the coming fiscal year. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Begich said schools were counting on the $20 million the administration has proposed cutting. Begich said he is stunned by the attack on the public trust that that seems to represent for a man who said that public trust mattered. Lisa Parady, executive director of the Alaska Council of School Administrators, said she was hopeful that legislators would not pursue the reduction. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The $30 million wasnt addressed in the legislation released Monday. But Rep. Harriet Drummond, an Anchorage Democrat, said she worried it, too, could be on the chopping block. Given Dunleavys background as a teacher and school administrator, Im very unhappy with the way hes treating education right from the get-go, Drummond said. Gettysburg, PA (17325) Today Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Hong Kong: Judicial independence upheld: SJ Judicial independence is well embedded in Hong Kongs legal system, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng said today. Ms Cheng was responding to media questions about concerns over Hong Kongs judicial independence expressed in a report by the Heritage Foundation. The report ranked Hong Kong as the world's freest economy earlier this month, a title the city has received for 25 consecutive years. However, its rating for Hong Kongs judicial effectiveness was lower compared with last year. Ms Cheng said: Its very important to bear in mind that judicial independence is well engraved and well embedded in Hong Kongs legal system. We are ranked number one in Asia for a number of years in the World Economic Forums the Global Competitiveness Report. The arrangements for the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress to provide certain interpretations on the Basic Law have been in place since 1997 and have been working well for Hong Kong, in the light of the World Banks indicators showing that our ranking on the rule of law has moved from 69.9% in 1996 all the way up to 93.8% in 2017. We are very confident that we will continue to uphold the rule of law and provide a very good system for both businesses as well as natural persons in Hong Kong. This story has been published on: 2019-01-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. CAIRO - U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths arrived in Yemens rebel-held capital on Monday, as a U.N. agency said eight civilians were killed and 30 wounded in the shelling of a camp for displaced people over the weekend. The U.N. humanitarian co-ordinator said the attack occurred on Saturday in the northern province of Hajjah, a rebel stronghold, where dozens of civilians have been killed and hundreds of families have been displaced in the past two months. The U.N. said an attack earlier this month near the same camp killed six children and two women. An attack like this cannot be justified ever, said Lise Grande, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, in a statement late Sunday. She didnt identify the source of the shelling. The Yemeni government accused the rebels, known as Houthis, of attacking the camp, allegations denied by the rebels. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Sunday that over the past month at least 30 civilians have been killed and another 52 wounded by shelling and airstrikes in the area, including three children and two women. It said at least 300 families had been displaced in the last three weeks to a nearby district which is already hosting some 23,000 displaced families living in dire conditions. Griffiths meanwhile arrived in Sanaa on an unannounced visit to discuss the situation in and around the coastal city of Hodeida, where Yemens warring parties agreed to a cease-fire last month. The two sides also agreed to a prisoner exchange that has yet to take place. He met with the leader of the Shiite rebels, Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, in Sanaa. Al-Houthi stressed the rebels commitment to implement agreements struck in Sweden last month, according to a rebel statement. Griffiths said there is a political will now more than ever to end the conflict in Yemen. We are all on the same page that the way to do this is through the negotiations table, and not the battlefield, he said in an exclusive interview with the pro-Saudi Asharq al-Awsat newspaper published on Monday. Griffiths acknowledged the delays in the implementation of the Hodeida cease-fire and the prisoner exchange. We have seen the timelines for implementation extended, both in Hodeida and the prisoner exchange agreement. Such changes in timelines are expected. The initial timelines were rather ambitious. We are dealing with a complex situation on the ground, he said. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Griffiths plans to go to Hodeida on Tuesday. Mr. Griffiths has emphasized to the parties that the U.N. is committed to staying the course to help the parties implement the Stockholm agreement fully and rapidly, Dujarric said. Yemen was plunged into civil war in 2014 when the rebels captured Sanaa. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia entered the war on the side of the government in March 2015. The war has killed tens of thousands of people and has generated the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... ___ Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed. BEIRUT - Hundreds of people have fled the Islamic State groups last major stronghold in Syria, including fighters who tried to sneak out among civilians, Syrian opposition activists said Monday. The Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S-backed and Kurdish-led group, has intensified its offensive in the last area held by the extremists since U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw American troops last month. The ground offensive is taking place under the cover of airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition. The extremist group, which once controlled around a third of Syria and neighbouring Iraq, is now besieged in a small area in eastern Syria where it has been relying on suicide attacks to stop the advance by SDF fighters. The area has been shrinking since the SDF began its offensive on Sept. 10, and hundreds of fighters on both sides have been killed. Despite the intensity of the offensive and the airstrikes some IS fighters holed up in two villages are refusing to surrender and have continued to inflict losses among the attacking forces while using civilians as human shields. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said some 2,000 people, including 300 IS gunmen, have left the area in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour since Sunday. It said many of those who left are from Iraq and the former Soviet Union. Rami Abdurrahman, the director of the Observatory, said a search is underway for any senior IS commanders who might be in the area. The DeirEzzor 24, an activist collective, reported that dozens of civilians had left the area, adding that the SDF captured a local IS commander and his bodyguard. The Kurdish Hawar news agency, based in northern Syria, reported that SDF security agents were able to detain IS members who fled among civilians. Hawar and the Observatory said IS gunmen are using civilians in the area as human shields to slow down the offensive. CAIRO - French President Emmanuel Macron said he encouraged respect for human rights when he met Monday with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a military man seen as a bulwark against Islamic extremists who has led an unprecedented crackdown on dissent. Speaking after the two met during a state visit thats been light on specifics but loaded with symbolism, Macron said that Egypts success was important for the world given its size, location and military capabilities, but that free expression was one of the best safeguards against extremism. Stability and lasting peace go along with personal freedoms and a state of law. That cannot be separated from human rights, Macron said at a joint press conference. We have values that are universal, they arent only French values. We have requirements ourselves, and human rights are among them. And we can, very frankly, affirm them, which is what I decided to do today. France, which considers itself the birthplace of human rights, has come under pressure from rights groups and activists to raise the matter with el-Sissi, who led the military overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president in 2013. Since then, authorities have jailed thousands of people, mainly Islamists but also a number of prominent secular activists, including many of those behind the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Egypt has also been accused of arbitrary detention, disappearances and torture, and has silenced most independent media. Ahead of the meeting, Macron had said the latest crackdown is widely seen as more severe than any launched under Mubarak, and that people who do not threaten the regimes stability have been jailed. Macron said he had raised the cases of individual pro-democracy activists with el-Sissi and mentioned some of the hundreds of websites that have been blocked. He said he also mentioned the precarious state of Egyptian NGOs and civil society, which have come under mounting pressure in recent years. He plans to meet with civil society groups on Tuesday. El-Sissi said the two leaders had a positive dialogue, but repeated his argument that Egypt faces much greater challenges than human rights, including providing health care, housing and security for a growing population of 100 million people. We are not Europe or the United States, he said, visibly bristling at questions about human rights. Dont forget that we are speaking about a troubled region. Egypt has been battling a long-running insurgency in the northern Sinai Peninsula led by an Islamic State affiliate, which has carried out a wave of attacks in recent years mainly targeting security forces and minority Christians. A coalition of Egyptian and international rights groups, including Amnesty International, on Monday urged Macron to link any future arms sales to improvements on civil liberties and to halt sales of any equipment that could be used to suppress dissent. El-Sissis regime has run a policy of zero tolerance regarding any opposing viewpoints and intensified its repression of civil society with impunity, said Amnestys Katia Roux. Macron has dismissed the idea of using arms sales to pressure the government, saying it is important to respect Egypts sovereignty. He has also warned that in the absence of Western support, Egypt could turn to China and Russia, something it is already doing. Macron arrived Sunday in Egypt and visited the countrys south, where he toured the famed temple of Abu Simbel and other archaeological sites. His delegation includes government ministers, two dozen representatives from academic, cultural, and scientific fields, and a dozen business leaders including the heads of Rafale producer Dassault. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... After the meeting with el-Sissi, representatives from the two countries signed framework agreements for development aid, womens entrepreneurship, the continuation of a metro line being built by French firm Vinci, health care, education and culture. France extended a 60 million euro loan and a 2 million euro grant to support development projects. Macron will dine with local business leaders, and plans to meet the heads of Egypts Christian and Muslim communities during the trip, his first to Egypt since taking office in 2017. ROME - Italy has decided to ask the European human rights court to rule that the Netherlands must deal with a Dutch-flagged migrant rescue boat stranded off Sicily. The Italian premiers office said Monday night that on Tuesday it will ask the France-based court to decide that the Dutch have jurisdiction. Italy wont let the Sea-Watch 3 disembark the 47 migrants because the populist governments anti-migrant policy forbids humanitarian boats which rescue migrants in the waters off Libya to enter Italian ports and disembark those they save from foundering smugglers boats. A statement from the premiers office said the captain of Sea-Watch 3, which rescued the migrants on Jan. 19, along with the head of the humanitarian mission of the German NGO have brought the boats plight to the attention of the court in Strasbourg. It wasnt immediately clear if the court has agreed to hear any case about Sea-Watch 3. The government on Tuesday will affirm that its not Italy that must respond in this case in the light of national and international law. The statement said the boat boldly put at risk the lives of the migrants aboard when, in agitated waters, it didnt seek shelter about 40 nautical miles (46 statute miles) away on the Tunisian coast last week, but instead sailed farther toward Italy. Italy, should the Netherlands jurisdiction be recognized by the court, would offer to set up a kind of humanitarian corridor to transfer the migrants to that country. Italian news reports have said Dutch authorities contend it doesnt intend to take the migrants. Sea-Watch 3s plight is the latest in several cases of migrants stuck for days aboard rescue vessels since Premier Giuseppe Contes government began in June with a pledge to drastically reduce the numbers of rescued migrants reaching Italian shores. About 600,000 migrants, many of whom were denied asylum by Italy, have reached Italy on rescue boats in recent years. In a separate crackdown on migrants, police in Sicily earlier Monday broke up a suspected Nigerian drug ring based in a migrant housing complex in Mineo. Catania police said Monday that the ring dealt in cocaine, marijuana and other drugs, and acted like an organized criminal clan. BUCHAREST, Romania - The European Union presidency says it will back Macedonia to open accession talks after it reached a deal to change its name. Romanian European Affairs Minister George Ciamba said Monday he wanted negotiations to start for Macedonia in June at a meeting of EU ministers. Romania, which currently holds the blocs rotating presidency, also supports Albania opening accession talks. Ciamba said Romania wanted EUs enlargement process to continue, based on merits and reforms carried out by would-be members. Macedonia and Albania are official candidates for joining the 28-member bloc but dont have a date. Ciamba made his remarks after meeting Bujar Osmani, Macedonias vice prime minister in charge of European affairs, in Bucharest. THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Dutch emergency workers rescued three people from the rubble of a low-rise apartment building in the Hague after a gas explosion Sunday and searched for one more person believed to be trapped. The Hague Fire Brigade said in a tweet that nine people in total were injured by the explosion that blew the facade off part of the three-story building in a residential neighbourhood. Seven were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Their conditions were not immediately known. The explosion scattered broken glass more than a block away and left a white van and a car badly damaged. As darkness fell, fire engine lights shined on exposed rooms where a sofa, table and chairs still could be seen on the third floor. Sniffer dogs were brought in to aid the search. Rescue teams worked carefully because the buildings extensive structural damage meant more sections might collapse. Fire Brigade spokesman John Kardol said it remained unclear what caused the gas explosion. MAGURMARI, INDIAAbdul Alim spent less than a week working inside the 370-foot-deep coal mine before deciding hed had enough. The pit was too dangerous, the risk of flooding too great, the safety equipment nonexistent. When a boss brought him and other workers to a market one evening to buy supplies, Alim told him he wanted to look for a belt. He and another miner slipped into the crowd and fled, hitching a ride and travelling 12 hours back home to their villages in northeastern India. Three days later came news of what Alim had feared: The mine had collapsed and filled with water, trapping 15 workers. More than a month after the Dec. 13 collapse, a rescue effort led by Indian navy divers and federal emergency management experts located one body floating deep inside the mine shaft too badly decomposed to be retrieved but found no sign of any others. Anguished family members presume that all 15 men are dead. The disaster in Meghalaya a rugged state rich in minerals, whose benefits have eluded the most of its people has prompted a new reckoning over rat hole mines, named for the suffocating narrow tunnels that miners plow into the hillsides to extract coal. The risky method has been used in Meghalaya for decades, even after an Indian environmental court in 2014 ordered a halt to all coal extraction in the state after 15 men died in another rat hole mine. Read more: Thirteen young miners feared dead in Indias remote northeast Though it is illegal, mining in Meghalaya has continued under the sanction of influential politicians many of whom are mine owners and because of a nearly endless supply of labourers willing to brave the dark channels to dig out a material that remains Indias most important energy source. I thought something like this would happen, Alim, 28, said in the dirt courtyard of a neighbours house in Magurmari, a farming village along a river in western Meghalaya. No other place has been hit as hard by the collapse as this hamlet of fewer than 1,500 people. Of the 15 missing miners, five are from Magurmari. They had been recruited by a sardar, or manager, who promised handsome salaries for working in the rat holes. Alim had expected about $700 for a months work at the mine at Ksan in the Jaintia Hills, 40 miles southeast of the state capital, Shillong. The others were as scared as me, Alim said, but they didnt dare to leave because of pressure from the manager, and because they needed the money. Most of the states mining wealth goes to a small, politically connected elite what Indias National Green Tribunal in its 2014 ruling referred to as coal mafias. The Meghalaya government has said it stood to lose nearly $100 million (U.S.) in annual revenue because of the ban, and even after the latest mine collapse has argued for the moratorium to be lifted. This month, the states top official, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, said that while the environment and safety of miners must be given priority, he didnt see a mining ban as a solution right now. Even as India embarks on some of the largest solar energy projects in the world, coal still supplies 57 per cent of the nations energy needs. The fossil fuel found in northeastern India accounts for only about 1 per cent of the countrys coal production, and is too sulphurous and generates too much carbon to be burned in power plants. It is mainly used to power paper mills, cement factories and other small enterprises across a region that lacks major industries and has long been economically and politically distant from New Delhi. Coal is one of the only major business opportunities in Meghalaya, said Om Prakash Singh, an environmental studies professor at North-Eastern Hill University in Shillong. Its not going to make any difference in the economy of the country, but it is very lucrative for some local people. Along the rutted, two-lane highways surrounding Meghalayas mining regions, giant mounds of freshly dug coal are piled up in windswept fields and at weigh stations. In November, when Singh joined a panel of court-appointed experts to survey the states compliance with the mining ban, officials insisted against all logic that the coal visible from the roads had been mined before 2014, and was therefore legal to transport and sell. Last week, Indias Supreme Court ordered a one-month freeze on transporting coal in the state. Unlike in other parts of India, where coal is extracted from large opencast mines that denude entire landscapes, the coal in Meghalaya is in thin bands running beneath low, rocky hills. Miners must descend vertical shafts hundreds of feet deep with the aid of bamboo ladders or cranes, then use pickaxes to burrow horizontally into the earth to reach coal seams that often measure only a few feet across. They crawl into the rat holes barely wider than the distance between a mans shoulders in teams of two, the second miner loading the coal onto a small wooden cart. Cranes usually hoist the dark lumps to the surface in conical baskets; other times, the miners carry the coal out on their backs. To negotiate the tight passageways, local bosses recruited migrants and underage labour from as far away as Nepal. At the start of this decade, one advocacy group estimated that 70,000 children were working in the mines. That practice has all but ended, activists said, but miners in Meghalaya still use little science and even less safety equipment. Alim, who has worked in several mines, said he had never been trained nor given so much as a flashlight to navigate the dank, slippery tunnels filled with stale, toxic air. When accidents happen, the mine owners dont bother much, Singh said. They can find labourers from anywhere. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Abdul Karim Sheik said he was 17 when he started working in the mines a decade ago alongside his older brother. At age 21, he was picking his way through a rat hole when a chunk of rock loosened from above and crushed his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. In November, a recruiter arrived in the village and offered his brother, 32-year-old Abdul Kalam Sheik, a job at the mine in Ksan. His wife was pregnant with their second child, and with their father weakening because of age, there was no one else in the family to earn a living. Abdul Karim Sheik said he urged him not to go, but he insisted, saying he could support us. The older brother and Alim were among about 20 miners who arrived at Ksan in early December. Alim recalled his alarm when he noticed that abandoned mines nearby had filled with water an indication that earlier rat holes had collapsed. Activists say that because of unchecked mining and runoff, sulphur from the coal has seeped into rivers and streams. Last year, a report by Agnes Kharshiing, head of the Shillong-based Civil Society Womens Organization, said there were high levels of water pollution and deforestation in the Jaintia Hills, home to most of the states coal. In November, Kharshiing and her colleague Anita Sangma who is no relation to the chief minister were photographing illegal mining in the hills when they were attacked by about two dozen mine owners and bosses. The mob struck Kharshiing with stones and sticks, leaving her unconscious and bleeding heavily from the scalp. Were going to finish her, Sangma recalled some of the assailants saying. The women recognized one of the men as Nidamon Chullet, a leader of the National Peoples Party, which governs the state in alliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party. Kharshiing spent a month in the hospital. The attack was particularly shocking in Meghalaya, a predominantly matrilineal society that teaches respect for women. It was not just an attack against me, but a signal to others, she said as she lay in bed recovering, her torso wrapped in a brace. She has not remained silent: This month, she and fellow activists released another report that named several prominent politicians who allegedly owned or were otherwise connected to illegal mines, including four ministers in Sangmas government. Police arrested six people in the attack against her, including the mine owner. On Dec. 25, Chullet surrendered to authorities. The National Green Tribunal this month ordered the state to pay a $14 million fine for not stopping illegal mining. State officials said they would challenge the ruling even as two men died in a separate mine accident in the first week of January. The families of the men missing at Ksan blame state officials for what happened. After the collapse Dec. 13, it took nearly two weeks for high-powered pumps to arrive to speed up the removal of water from the chasm. According to Indian news reports, the delay was partly due to officials going on vacation over Christmas in the majority Christian state. The state has promised each miners family interim compensation of about $1,420, but no money has arrived in Magurmari. Clutching a photo of Abdul Kalam Sheik, his father, Bodiot Jamal, said he hoped his sons body would be brought home so he could be buried in the Muslim tradition. For a few days we hoped he had survived, he said. But now we dont have any faith. Read more about: MANILA, Philippines - President Rodrigo Duterte and his top security officials on Monday visited a Catholic cathedral in the southern Philippines where suspected Islamic militants set off bombs that killed 20 people and wounded more than 100. The first blast sent people, some of them wounded, fleeing out the churchs main door. Army troops and police were rushing inside when the second bomb exploded a minute later. The explosions scattered wooden pews inside the main hall, blasted out window glass panels and hurled human remains and debris across a town square fronting the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, witnesses said. The attack occurred in the Sulu provincial capital on Jolo island, where Abu Sayyaf militants have carried out years of bombings, kidnappings and beheadings and have aligned themselves with the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the attack. Duterte walked slowly into the bombed cathedral, where the wooden pews were still in disarray. At one point he looked at the ceiling, where many panels were ripped off by the blasts. Duterte ordered the armed forces to crush the Abu Sayyaf. The group has an estimated 300 to 400 members, mostly in Sulu where it is holding several foreign and Filipino kidnap victims. Duterte later met with families of the victims at a military camp in Jolo where coffins were laid side by side. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who was with the president, blamed the attack on Abu Sayyaf commander Hatib Sawadjaan, who he said has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. This is an act of terrorism, Lorenzana said. This is not a religious war. Sawadjaan is based in the jungles of Patikul town, near Jolo, and has been blamed for ransom kidnappings and beheadings of hostages, including two Canadian men, in recent years. Police put forces around the country on heightened alert to prevent similar attacks. The bombings came nearly a week after minority Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation endorsed a new autonomous region in the southern Philippines in hopes of ending nearly five decades of a separatist rebellion that has left 150,000 people dead. Although most Muslim areas approved the autonomy deal, voters in Sulu province rejected it. The province is home to a rival rebel faction that is opposed to the deal as well as smaller militant cells that are not part of any peace process. A statement by the Islamic State group posted on social media claimed the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers who wore explosive belts, one detonating at the gate and the other in the parking lot. Police said at least 20 people died and 111 were wounded. The fatalities were 15 civilians and five troops. Among the wounded, about 90 are civilians. The United Nations and others denounced the attack. The U.N. Security Council late Monday condemned the heinous and cowardly attack and underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of the attacks accountable. Western governments have welcomed the autonomy pact in part to ease concerns that Filipino militants could ally themselves with foreigners and turn the southern region into a breeding ground for extremists. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Aside from Abu Sayyaf, other militant groups in Sulu include a small band of young jihadis aligned with the Islamic State group. Government forces have pressed on sporadic offensives to crush the militants, and Duterte has extended martial law in the entire southern third of the country to allow troops to finish off radical Muslim groups and other insurgents, but bombings and other attacks have continued. CARACAS, Venezuela - More than 700 opponents of President Nicolas Maduro have been arrested during the latest push by Venezuelas opposition to oust the socialist leader. But theres one anti-government activist security forces notably havent touched: Juan Guaido, the lawmaker who declared himself interim president in a direct challenge to Maduros rule. Maduros refusal, at least so far, to order Guaidos arrest reflects mistrust in his own security forces as well as the Trump administrations warning that any harm to the man the U.S. recognizes as Venezuelas legitimate leader would be crossing a dangerous red line. The U.S. administration reiterated that threat Monday in announcing sweeping sanctions against Venezuelas state oil company. Any actions taken against U.S. diplomats, Guaido or the National Assembly he presides over would be considered a grave assault that will be met with a significant response, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said. While he didnt specify what actions the U.S. might take, he reaffirmed that all options for dealing with Venezuelas crisis remain on the table, including use of the military. They wont dare touch Guaido, said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. Theres a new dynamic at play. Even while Maduros government continues to brutally repress the poor and invisible, they wont harm Guaido because he has so much international support. Maduros government on several occasions has threatened to arrest the 35-year-old lawmaker, accusing him of violating the constitution and acting as a puppet of a U.S. coup attempt. But every day that Guaido is allowed to move freely around Caracas, holding rallies and building a parallel government complete with foreign ambassadors and a presidential-looking office from which he delivers videotaped messages, he looks statelier and undermines Maduros authority in the eyes of ordinary Venezuelans, Vivanco said. On Monday, a consular officer in Miami joined Venezuelas military attache in Washington, Col. Jose Luis Silva, in ditching support for Maduro and recognizing Guaido. Im always at the service of my beloved country. Ill continue to provide consular services in Miami, Scarlet Salazar said in a video announcing her allegiance to Guaido as she stood in front of a Venezuelan flag. This is our countrys moment. Its not clear what security precautions Guaido is taking to avoid arrest. But hes not exactly been hard to find. On Friday, he held a news conference in a Caracas plaza announced hours in advance on social media, and on Sunday he attended a church service for victims of anti-government unrest. In both instances he spoke with a studied coolness, seemingly unconcerned about the enormous risks he was taking by openly defying Maduro. In 2014, his political mentor, Leopoldo Lopez, was arrested during an outdoor rally, and numerous other politicians, activists and even two small-town firefighters who published an online video mocking Maduro as a mule have been arrested over the past year. Foro Penal, a local rights group, said Monday that in a single week of unrest more than 700 people have been detained. Another 35 have been killed during the unrest, many in poor neighbourhoods where the opposition traditionally dominates. The government has yet to comment on the report but socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello on Monday tried to turn the tables on Guaido, saying his security was now in the hands of the U.S. Embassy. If something happens to this man, or any leader from the opposition, its part of the imperialists plans, Cabello said at a rally Monday in the central city of Barquisimeto. Francisco Gonzalez, a pro-government analyst, said that while Maduros weakness and Venezuelas economic and social problems are self-evident, many in the country resent the heavy-handed role the Trump administration is playing in the fast-unfolding crisis. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The discontent is real, said Gonzalez. But at this stage its more about Trump looking for a foreign policy win to counter the decline in the U.S. geopolitical influence. __ Joshua Goodman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APjoshgoodman QUITO, ECUADORA U.N. official focusing on refugees from Venezuela is calling on regional governments to reject extremely worrying, if isolated, acts of xenophobia, hatred and intolerance against people fleeing the country. Eduardo Stein, the joint representative for the International Organization for Migration and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees for Venezuela, is denouncing violent actions, physical and verbal attacks against Venezuelan citizens in several countries in the region in recent days. He didnt specify the acts. Ecuador took new measures last week to vet incoming Venezuelans after the killing of a 22-year-old pregnant woman by her Venezuelan boyfriend sparked a wave of unrest against migrants. Stein on Monday credited a mostly exemplary reaction in the region to the outflow of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in recent years. Read more: Fight in Venezuela is against more than a strongman its against what some call a criminal empire Pope seeks peace in Venezuela crisis but doesnt pick sides Opinion | Thomas Walkom: Canada an unlikely ally of U.S. in backing Venezuela coup Read more about: ACAPULCO, Mexico - Authorities found two more bodies Monday from a shootout in the troubled southern Mexican state of Guerrero, raising the clashs death toll to 12. State security spokesman Roberto Alvarez said in a statement that the dead were discovered near where the other 10 victims were killed the previous day. Two firearms, a tactical vest and five pickup trucks were recovered. Two people were also wounded. The violence erupted along a highway near the town of Paraiso de Tepila, in Chilapa municipality. Alvarez said Sunday that the confrontation was between two groups of apparent civilian community police. But community co-ordinator Jesus Placido said Monday that about 200 armed men believed to belong to a gang known as Los Ardillos, or the squirrels, tried to enter the villages of Zoyapezco and Rincon de Chautla and were repelled by locals in a two-hour firefight. Placido said villagers have warned state and federal authorities since December that a large number of armed men were prowling around the area. He said they asked for governmental and military intervention to handle the problem but got no response. Guerrero is a centre of drug production and trafficking and has seen regular violence amid warring gangs. CARACAS, Venezuela - The latest on the political crisis in Venezuela (all times local): 11:55 a.m. The Venezuelan opposition leader who has declared himself the countrys rightful president says U.S. sanctions against the state-owned oil company fall in line with requests lawmakers have made to protect the nations assets abroad. Juan Guaido said in an interview with CNN in Spanish on Monday evening that Venezuelas opposition-controlled congress approved a measure in January asking foreign nations to ensure the countrys assets arent looted by President Nicolas Maduro. Guaido is the leader of the National Assembly, which is the only branch of Venezuelas government recognized by the U.S. and other nations. Guaido said the measures only purpose is to ensure that Maduros government doesnt continue robbing the people of Venezuela. The United States announced sanctions against Petroleos de Venezuela SA earlier Monday, cutting off a vital source of income for the distressed nation. ___ 11:35 p.m. The Venezuelan opposition leader challenging Nicolas Maduros claim to the presidency says he has spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump. In an interview Monday night with CNN in Spanish, Juan Guaido confirmed that he had spoken with Trump and other presidents in the region. He didnt provide any details on when the conversations took place, nor did he reveal what specifically was discussed. He said only that all his talks with heads of state have focused on resolving Venezuelas humanitarian crisis and restoring democracy. Guaido rejected accusations from Maduro and others that the U.S. is staging a coup, saying Venezuelan citizens are simply exercising their constitutional rights. Guaido is the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly and proclaimed himself Venezuelas interim president before thousands of supporters last week. He has been recognized as the nations rightful leader by two dozen nations that contend Maduros re-election last May was not legitimate because his strongest opponents were barred from running. ___ 11:05 p.m. Colombias foreign minister says his government doesnt know why U.S. national security adviser John Bolton had 5,000 troops to Colombia written on a notepad he held during a news conference announcing new Venezuela sanctions. In a brief address Monday evening, Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes said Colombia does not know the importance and reason for Boltons note. He added that Colombia will continue acting politically and diplomatically so that democratic order is restored in Venezuela and new elections are held. Colombia shares a 1,370-mile (2,200-kilometre) border with Venezuela and has joined U.S. President Donald Trump in backing Venezuelan congress leader Juan Guaido, who has proclaimed himself interim president in the oppositions confrontation with President Nicolas Maduro. When asked to explain the words in Boltons notepad, the White House said in an email that as the President has said, all options are on the table. ___ 8:15 p.m. The Mexican government says it disagrees with a map displayed by the White House that shows Mexico among those countries that support Venezuelas embattled president, Nicolas Maduro. National security adviser John Bolton held a press briefing Monday with a map that showed in red the countries supporting Maduro and in blue those nations supporting the Venezuelan congress leader Juan Guaido, who has declared himself Venezuelas interim president. Mexicos ambassador to the U.S. told reporters in Washington that her government isnt taking sides in the crisis. In Ambassador Martha Barcenas words: We are not against the U.S. regarding the position on Venezuela. We are not siding with Maduro. We are not siding with Guaido. We think a third way of a peaceful solution can be found. ___ 7:55 p.m. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is calling potentially crippling U.S. sanctions against the troubled nations state-owned oil company criminal. In remarks televised Monday on state TV, Maduro accuses the United States of robbing Venezuelans of oil riches that rightfully belong to them. In a direct message to President Donald Trump spoken in broken English, Maduro says forcefully: Hands off Venezuela! His increasingly isolated government would lose access to one of its most important sources of income and foreign currency along with $7 billion in assets under the U.S. sanctions. The embattled leader is fighting for his political survival as a growing list of nations recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas interim president. Maduro says he will be announcing a range of measures in response to the U.S. sanctions within the coming hours but has provided no details. ___ 7:40 p.m. The White House is not elaborating on the phrase 5,000 troops to Colombia that could be seen on a notepad held by national security adviser John Bolton at a news conference announcing new sanctions for Venezuela. Asked to explain the words, the White House said in an email to The Associated Press that as the President has said, all options are on the table. The statement did not say anything further about the note. The phrase could be seen during a portion of a White House news conference Monday during which Bolton and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced sanctions on Venezuelas state oil company. Colombia borders Venezuela and its government has sided with the U.S. in opposing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump and other administration officials have repeatedly said all options are under consideration as they seek to pressure Maduro to give up power. But there has not been any announcement of any direct U.S. military involvement in the situation. ___ 7:15 p.m. A legal pad held by U.S. national security adviser John Bolton at a White House news conference on Venezuela contained the phrase 5,000 troops to Colombia. Bolton held the legal pad so the phrase was showing during a portion of Mondays announcement that the U.S. was imposing sanctions on the Venezuelan state-owned oil company. There was no mention during the news conference of any plans regarding troops in Colombia, which borders Venezuela. But an image was captured by a photographer from The Associated Press and other news outlets. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The Pentagon has not announced any plans to send U.S. forces to the South American nation. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... ___ 5:45 p.m. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is repeating his offer of good offices to facilitate dialogue and negotiations between Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and self-declared interim president Juan Guaido (gwah-DOH). U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric says the U.N. chief reiterated the offer during a meeting Monday with a delegation from the Caribbean Community on the situation in Venezuela and its implications for the region. The delegation was led by Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Timothy Harris, who is chairman of CARICOM. Barbados ambassador to the United Nations spoke on behalf of CARICOM leaders at Saturdays meeting of the Security Council on Venezuela and reaffirmed the groups principles of non-interference and non-intervention in the affairs of states. Elizabeth Thompson said the leaders view is that Venezuelas political crisis can only be resolved peacefully through meaningful dialogue and diplomacy. ___ 5:15 p.m. U.S. national security adviser John Bolton says sanctions on Venezuelas state-owned oil company will ensure the government of socialist President Nicholas Maduro can no longer loot the assets of the Venezuelan people. Bolton says he expects Mondays actions will block $7 billion in assets and cause more than $11 billion in lost export proceeds during the next year. The U.S. and Venezuela broke relations last week after President Donald Trump recognized opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido (gwah-DOH) as the legitimate Venezuelan president. The embattled Maduro still holds the reins in Venezuela, but the U.S. and allies are using economic and diplomatic pressure to push him out. Maduro is accusing the U.S. of openly leading a coup against him. Bolton and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin briefed reporters at the White House. ___ 4:30 p.m. Sen. Marco Rubio says the U.S. will hit Venezuelas state-owned oil company with sanctions aimed at increasing pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to step down from office. The Florida Republican and two people briefed on the administrations plans say Treasury will impose penalties as early as Monday on the company known by its acronym PDVSA. The sanctions will include a freeze on any assets the firm may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with it. The two people briefed on the sanctions were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Rubio praised the Trump administration for taking the action, which follows its earlier decision to recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president. Matthew Lee in Washington. ___ 3:30 p.m. Canada plans to host an emergency meeting of the 14-nation Lima Group next week to discuss options for the crisis in Venezuela. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday the meeting will be in Ottawa on Feb. 4. The regional group was created in Lima, Peru, in 2017 to try to hope resolve the crisis in Venezuela and nearly all of the nations now have thrown their support behind opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela, deciding that last years re-election of President Nicolas Maduro was invalid. Canada has been a key presence the effort to have Guaido recognized as president pending new elections. Freeland says Venezuela has been a top foreign policy priority for Canada. ___ 2:50 p.m. A Venezuelan diplomat in Miami says shes abandoned embattled President Nicolas Maduro, throwing her support behind opposition leader Juan Guaido. Consular officer Scarlet Salazar issued a videotaped statement Monday saying shes living up to her constitutional duty as a career diplomat. Opposition lawmaker Guaido last week declared that he had assumed presidential powers and will hold fresh elections to restore democracy. The U.S. and several other countries have recognized him as interim president, though Maduro is recognized by most nations, as well as the countrys military leadership. Miami, a stronghold of Venezuelans living in exile. Salazar says shes staying and will continue to perform her consular duties at the Miami office. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Days before Honduras elections in 2017, a former high-ranking official in the national police, Maria Luisa Borjas, held a news conference at which she read from government investigative reports about three high-profile killings. Now, as an opposition lawmaker, she faces the possibility of a fine and, more significantly, the loss of her seat in Congress when she goes on trial Monday charged with defamation. Her alleged crime was essentially naming names the suspected intellectual authors of a slaying contained in one of those reports in a country where the powerful have long enjoyed impunity. Honduras and other Latin American nations have been criticized by international organizations for years for their criminal defamation statutes, which are seen as powerful tools allowing elites often lawmakers themselves to silence critics. Borjas has a long track record of calling out corruption, starting with the police forces own ranks when she ran its internal affairs unit. Its a political persecution and they want to set a precedent so that nobody dares to denounce absolutely anything here, Borjas said. People say, Well, if they do this to a deputy, what could they do to me? In another case earlier this month, the countrys Supreme Court rejected a bid for a new trial by journalist David Romero, who has been an outspoken critic of President Juan Orlando Hernandez. The justices upheld a 10-year prison sentence given Romero in 2016 after he was convicted on several counts of defamation for his reporting on the wife of a former attorney general. Honduras constitution guarantees its citizens the right to honour, and defamation is considered a crime against a persons honour. The Honduras-based Committee for Freedom of Expression has counted 41 criminal cases related to crimes against honour since 2003, including 13 targeting journalists. This month, the committee said that the mere existence of these crimes, and the handing down of sentences with disproportionate penalties, have the effect of intimidation and self-censorship. It called for decriminalizing such acts, especially when a purportedly defamatory comment or report is in the public interest. In Borjas case, it was Camilo Atala, president of Ficohsa bank, who cried foul. He was one of the 16 people whose names Borjas read from the security ministrys inspector general report as a suspected plotter of the killing of environmental activist Berta Caceres in 2016. The report said the suspects were identified based on collected evidence, including phone taps and recovered emails, but did not go into any detail about Atalas alleged role. In November, a court found seven people guilty of participating in Caceres murder, but her family continues to demand justice be brought against those behind the killing. Borjas said she read the reports for journalists that day because she knew they had been in prosecutors possession, but had not been acted on. She filed a complaint with the national human rights commission that same day. Atalas lawsuit contends Borjas comments directly affect his commercial relationships with national and foreign partners, as well as with the banks clients. The lawsuit says the comments caused irreparable damage to the honour, prestige and dignity of Atala. Luis Padilla, a lawyer who filed the lawsuit, initially said he would speak to a reporter about the case. But when called at the agreed time, Padilla said he could not talk about the case. He then played a recording of that same statement repeatedly on a loop as the reporter asked different questions. Padilla later agreed to convey a message to Atala asking for him to comment, but there was no response. Last January, Atalas representatives reportedly offered to drop the lawsuit if Borjas publicly retracted her statement. She refused. Her lawyer, Kenia Oliva, said there was still a possibility of a settlement, but Atalas demand for a public retraction remained. Facing just a single count of defamation, Borjas said she does not expect jail time if convicted, but rather a fine. But she also anticipates there will be an attempt to oust her from Congress following a conviction. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has criticized the use of such cases by the powerful. Considering the consequences of criminal sanctions and the inevitable chilling effect they have on freedom of expression, criminalization of speech can only apply in those exceptional circumstances when there is an obvious and direct threat of lawless violence, it says. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... At the news conference on Nov. 22, 2017, Borjas told reporters that in Honduras the biggest crime is reporting that a crime has been committed. Not murdering someone, not trafficking drugs, weapons, not assault, she said. ___ Associated Press writer Freddy Cuevas reported this story in Tegucigalpa and AP writer Christopher Sherman reported from Mexico City. CARACAS, VENEZUELAThe Venezuelan opposition is in talks with sympathetic military and civilian officials in a bid to force out President Nicolas Maduro, self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido said in an interview Sunday with the Washington Post. Backed by the United States and a host of Latin American countries, Guaido also said the opposition will test the socialist government by bringing in food aid to ease a crippling humanitarian crisis. Guaido and his opposition are locked in a high-stakes power play to wrest Maduro from power. In Caracas, Maduros top brass and defense minister have sworn their allegiance to him. The new head of Venezuelas democratically elected National Assembly, a body stripped of its power by Maduro in 2017 but still recognized internationally, Guaido has argued that Maduro is illegitimate and must leave power after elections last year that were widely derided as fraudulent. Virtually unknown outside of Venezuela before this month, the 35-year-old industrial engineer proclaimed himself interim president last week. Guaido told the Post that talks with the military were proceeding behind the scenes. He also hailed a move on Saturday by Maduros former military attache in Washington to switch allegiance to Guaido. We have been in talks with government officials, civilian and military men, Guaido said. This is a very delicate subject involving personal security. We are meeting with them but discreetly. Read more: Fight in Venezuela is against more than a strongman its against what some call a criminal empire Pope seeks peace in Venezuela crisis but doesnt pick sides Quiet Canadian diplomacy helped Guaidos anti-Maduro movement in Venezuela Antonio Rivero, a Venezuelan general in exile in Miami, said he has spoken with high, middle and lower military officials who dissent against Maduro but remain fearful of a full break. Many soldiers are desperate, Rivero said. The armed forces are broken already. In the eastern slum of Petare, anti-Maduro residents approached National Guard stations to hand out fliers with an amnesty pledge to encourage the drab-clad guards to turn against Maduro. One guard burned the paper as they shouted, Soldier, my friend, youre the only one missing. The crowd had met early and had bought the guards baked goods for breakfast, hoping for a most positive response. Were asking them to stop going out to the streets to repress us. Were asking them to come out to support us, said Manfredo Gonzalez, a social worker. As Guaido seeks to establish a transition government with an international network, he said he was in the process of naming foreign representatives. Carlos Vecchio, an exiled Venezuelan opposition leader living in South Florida was already exerting responsibilities in the United States, he said. Guaido said that ahead of his proclamation as president, he had met or spoken with several U.S. senators, including Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. The history of U.S. military involvement in Latin America has raised questions about whether the White House would direct a military intervention to oust Maduro. U.S. President Donald Trump has said all options are on the table, while defence officials have sought to tamp down speculation that the Pentagon could become involved. Rubio disputed on Sunday that the United States would participate in a coup. Speaking on CNNs State of the Union, he said the United States is simply supporting the democratic institutions in Venezuela. This is the U.S. supporting the people of Venezuela, who want their constitution and democracy followed, he said. Thats a fact. U.S. officials, however, have openly called for Maduros departure. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has additionally called on the Venezuelan military to stand on the side of democracy, while Vice President Mike Pence has issued a video that supports anti-Maduro street protests. The United States and Venezuela broke diplomatic relations last week, as the Trump administration recognized Guaido, and Maduro responded with an order for U.S. diplomats to depart Caracas by Jan. 26. Maduro, however, backed off that ultimatum following an agreement to keep minimal staff in the country for 30 days as the two sides negotiate the establishment of more limited interest offices. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... If no deal is reached at the end of that period, diplomats would still need to be pulled within 72 hours. The United States last week ordered the departure of nonemergency personnel from Venezuela but has said the embassy would remain open with a skeleton crew. In an interview with CNN Turk broadcast on Sunday, Maduro confirmed that a small number of U.S. diplomats were still in Caracas. I have authorized a small group to remain, to carry out the negotiations that will take place during 30 days for the establishment of an interests office, Maduro said. We do not have diplomatic and political relations with them. I broke them. Maduro lashed out at European powers that have given him eight days, starting Saturday, to call new elections. If he doesnt, they have threatened to recognize Guaido. They must withdraw this ultimatum. Nobody can give us an ultimatum, Maduro told the network. Guaido told the Post that the opposition was preparing to challenge the governments authority by bringing food aid into the country, aid made possible by a $20 million (U.S.) pledge from the United States, as well as offers from Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and the European Union. Maduro has largely blocked aid in the past, claiming that rapidly spreading hunger and disease in Venezuela is a fiction invented by his enemies. Humanitarian aid is the center of our policy, and we are working on the logistics, he said. We believe this will be a new dilemma for the regime and the Armed Forces. Theyll have to decide if theyre on the side of the people and want to heal the country, or if they will ignore it. I believe were going to achieve it. Theyre going to let it in. He said his challenge to Maduro is in an early, sensitive phase. He said many elements need to be solved before he would seek new elections. He suggested it would take six to nine months to do so if Maduro steps down and the electoral system could be rapidly purged of corruption. Guaido credited foreign backing for the governments restraint in dealing with him. Though he was briefly detained earlier this month, Maduros government has treaded relatively lightly; it has arrested, charged or driven into exile other opposition leaders. Guaidos growing recognition has placed practical burdens on his fledgling transitional government, including how to pay for embassy rents and staffing in countries where he is viewed as Venezuelas emergency leader. The opposition has said Guaido is partly counting on Venezuelan assets frozen by the United States, which the Trump administration has pledge to put at his disposal to carry out diplomacy and governance. Guaido said the fledging transitional government seeks to take control of Citgo, the U.S. oil company wholly owned by the Venezuelan state via American subsidiaries, but suggested it might take time. Influential Venezuelan exiles were calling on the Trump administration to take steps that could secure Citgo as a source of revenue for Guaidos transitional government. Nothing will signal Mr. Maduro more pointedly than the loss of control over foreign assets, said Pedro Burelli, former member of the board of directors of Venezuelas state oil company, PDVSA, which owns Citgo. Other than liquid assets owned by an array of public entities, control of Citgo would be a game changer, he said. Read more about: The Ford government acted irrationally and in bad faith when it pulled the plug on the basic income pilot project last summer, say four Lindsay-area participants who are urging Ontario Superior Court to overturn the decision. Low-income Ontarians have suffered significant harm owing to the (governments) abrupt decision to cancel the pilot early, the participants lawyer Mike Perry argues in court documents in the case to be heard Monday. Individuals who choose to become research subjects ought never to be viewed simply as experimental raw material by their government, Perry says in the plaintiffs factum. The three-judge panel is expected to reserve judgment at the close of Mondays daylong hearing in Toronto. In its defence, the government says its policy decision to end the anti-poverty experiment is not subject to judicial review. And it denies it acted irrationally or in bad faith or that it broke any research protocols, according to court documents. Read more: Humans are suffering: Axing of basic income pilot project leaves trail of broken dreams Hamilton couple with newborn prepares for wind-down of basic income From barely surviving to thriving: Ontario basic income recipients report less stress, better health The social policy direction changed, and participants were advised, many months ago, the government argues in its factum. Furthermore, continuation of the pilot would serve no valid government policy purpose since the government has determined that the pilot will not be implemented across Ontario. Under the three-year initiative launched by the previous Liberal government in April 2017, about 4,000 people in the test communities of Hamilton-Brantford, Thunder Bay and Lindsay were to receive up to $16,989 annually. Couples were to get up to $24,027 while individuals with disabilities were eligible for a $6,000 top-up. The goal was to see if regular payments with no strings attached would give people living in poverty the security and opportunity to reach their full potential. The project was also testing whether a basic income would be a simpler and more economic way to deliver social assistance, a program mired in rules and bureaucracy. Despite an election promise to continue the initiative, Doug Fords Progressive Conservatives cancelled it last July, barely a year after it began. At the time, Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod said basic income was too expensive for Ontario and the new government preferred a more employment-focused approach. As part of the governments wind down plan, participants were told last August their payments would end on March 25. Those who are eligible, will be moved back onto social assistance. Applicants in the case, Dana Bowman, Grace Hillion, Susan Lindsay and Tracey Mechefske, say they are devastated by the governments flip-flop and are keen to challenge the decision in court. I am a huge believer in justice, Hillion said in an interview. When (lawyer) Mike (Perry) asked if I wanted to be part of this, I jumped at the chance. Hillion, 20, who was on the verge of dropping out of college when she was accepted into the pilot project last April, used the money to enrol in a two-year broadcast journalism program at Durham College to pursue her dream job. Her parents, who are divorced, were not able to help her financially and she was not eligible for Ontario student loans or grants because she didnt complete her previous program. Without the basic income, I wouldnt have been able to afford to go to school, she said. I am applying for OSAP again, said Hillion, who has a part-time retail job. But Im not sure what will happen. If I cant continue my program, I will be very sad. Bowman, 57, who was living on Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) payments due to chronic physical and mental health challenges when she enrolled last winter, used the basic income to rekindle her dream of returning to college and pursuing a career in social work. Going to school meant giving up my prescription drug coverage on ODSP, she said in an interview. But on the basic income we were able to keep our coverage and that made all the difference. Bowman said she was gutted when the program was cancelled. My mental health problems flared up, it was devastating. Now college isnt an option. Health problems related to a car accident in 2017 forced Lindsay, 54, out of work and into a life of poverty on social assistance. The basic income gave her the financial cushion she needed to think about how she might work again. The projects end has had a horrible impact on Lindsays mental health, Perry says in his factum. She reports feeling uncertain, thinking about it every day, and being fearful of returning to having to rob Peter to pay Paul. We all have to battle together and just hope we win, Lindsay said in an interview. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Mechefske, 46, was also living on ODSP due to health problems when she enrolled. She used the money to start a small business making all-natural personal health and cleaning products and bought tables at craft shows to market her goods. But without the basic income, Mechefske says she will lose her business because she cant afford the ingredients to make her products. Now all the money invested in shows is gone, she said in an interview. The projects demise has made her anxiety disorder much worse, she adds. Perry, who is acting pro bono and relying on individual donations and a GoFundMe campaign to cover administrative costs of the case, praised the quartet for representing all basic income participants who feel betrayed by the Ford government. They are brave Davids to take on this Goliath, he said in an interview. But they wont be alone. Anti-poverty advocates are organizing car pools and Go Train fare to bring several dozen other participants from Lindsay, Hamilton and even Thunder Bay to Toronto for the hearing. Perrys separate class-action lawsuit against the government for breach of contract on behalf of the same Lindsay residents is on hold pending results of the judicial review. In his factum for Mondays case, Perry says it is irrational and inherently speculative for the government to claim it would cost $17 billion and result in an HST of 20 per cent to extend the basic income to all low-income Ontarians. The project was abandoned before researchers could evaluate potential cost-savings to health care and other government programs, he says. Even then, there was no guarantee the basic income would be implemented province-wide at the end of the study, he adds in his court filings. As a result, the decision lacked any standard of reason or good sense, he argues. Canadian policy requires all social experiments involving humans to be overseen by an independent research ethics board, Perry notes. When the government signed a research protocol with Montreal-based Veritas IRB, it agreed to obtain the ethics boards approval for any changes to the project, he says. But no approvals were sought, nor granted when the government ended the project. When Veritas rejected the cancellation and wind-down plan, the government ended its contract with the company, Perry added. Killing the project was an ethical violation because it was not approved by its ethics review board. It was also unethical for the government to end payments in March cold turkey, with no transition support nor compensation to make participants whole, Perrys factum says. Veritas lodged a complaint with the provincial Ombudsmans Office, last fall, company president Martin Letendre confirmed in an interview. But the ombudsmans investigation was terminated when the court challenge was launched, he said. For its part, the government argues its decision to cancel the pilot project and stop payments in March are policy choices made with regard to economic, social and political considerations that are not reviewable by the courts. First, government has the exclusive jurisdiction to make policy choices that balance interests and may be contrary to some interests, its factum argues. Second, the opinions of research ethicists do not supersede cabinet authority to make policy decisions, it adds. Courts have ruled in the past that decisions that contravene election promises, reverse or change policies, or knowingly cause harm, do not amount to bad faith, the governments factum notes. At issue in this case is not an operational decision targeting a particular person or corporation, rather, at issue is the governments economic and social policy choice, the government argues. There is no right to procedural fairness or legitimate expectation for consultation about Crown policy choices. When participants enrolled, they were told they would receive payments for up to three years, the government notes. There is no commitment in any of the documents to provide participants payments for a full three years, the factum says. Rather, up to three years plainly means a maximum not a minimum. The cancellation was not irrational, as participants claim, because it is part of the Ford governments social assistance reform plans that will focus resources on more proven approaches. Government policy may change, especially after an election resulting in a change in government, the governments factum says. Social programs are implemented, changed, wound down, cancelled and followed by new social programs. These policy choices are not (subject to judicial review) in the courts. Sureya Ibrahim stands on an icy sidewalk in Regent Park and surveys a neighbourhood she fears is headed toward an uncertain future. Beyond the new townhouses and the state-of-the-art aquatic centre, she points out a site under early construction, the future home of a condominium building that will also house space for a catering collective and sewing studio. That property will be built by The Daniels Corporation, in partnership with Toronto Community Housing the third of five phases that make up a massive redevelopment project that began more than a decade ago and was designed to transform what was once one of Torontos poorest neighbourhoods. We went through so much and we built relationships, said Ibrahim, the supervisor of community connections with the Centre of Learning and Development. Now, we dont know the future because there will be a change that is taking place that wasnt revealed to us. The root of Ibrahims apprehension comes from what she describes as a surprise announcement last spring, that new developers could bid to build for the final two phases of what was originally meant to be a 12-year, $1-billion project. Now in the 13th active year of construction, there are finally more new buildings than old in Regent Park. Despite crossing that threshold, there is much more work yet to do. Read more: $1-million fund aims to make Regent Park revitalization better for residents Regent Park programs left in lurch as community centre used to shelter displaced residents Regent Park continues its transformation A shortlist of bidders has not yet been made public and the people at the heart of what many already hail as a success story are worried about what an unexpected shift in course and lack of communication could mean for completion and hard-fought-for community benefits. Are we a stakeholder or are we just going to be on the side? asked Ibrahim. She believes having one company at the helm has allowed the community to form a relationship with the development team, and that communication is key if the actual needs of Regent Park residents are to be considered and met. That uncertainly is fuelled by instability at the top of TCH the countrys largest housing provider, responsible for some 110,000 people and $9 billion in public assets with yet another scandal putting senior leadership of the corporation in question. The Regent Park revitalization was designed to leverage the 28-hectare site by offering developers the opportunity to build more than 5,000 market-rate units. In return for the prime downtown land, they would rebuild all of the areas roughly 2,000 rental housing units. TCH awarded the first phase to Daniels in 2005. When the second phase was officially awarded to Daniels in 2009, TCH said the developer would handle the remaining stages of the project as well; TCH would provide the land in exchange for a large share of future profits on market-rent units, which would be built alongside public housing buildings. But as phase three approached, TCH decided to go in a different direction Daniels was sold a chunk of land instead of continuing the previous profit-sharing arrangement, and Daniels no longer had the automatic right to develop phases four and five. A tender process is now underway. Phase four and five are made up of the final seven blocks to be redeveloped, and include the northern quadrant from just east of Parliament St. to River St. and north of Oak St. That areas iconic lowrise brick buildings with their green awnings are some of the final remnants of the old Regent Park. Vincent Tong, TCHs chief development officer, said the public corporation has an obligation to undertake a fair, open and transparent process rather than awarding a sole-source contract to Daniels. He also acknowledged the failure to properly communicate that process to residents. TCH learned from those concerns, Tong says, and redesigned the current tender process to require shortlisted bidders make community presentations. He said scores from residents based on those proposals will be factored into TCHs ultimate decision. But with that next stage yet to get underway, its not clear what weight the resident feedback might have in the overall selection of a development partner. Tong said TCH hopes to make that decision by the end of the year, with the final phases now expected to be completed in 10 to 15 years. Daniels declined to answer the Stars questions for this article. But in a statement provided to media in May, after the new bid process was announced, vice-president Martin Blake wrote that, despite the change in course following the 2010 election, Daniels would very much like to continue the partnership with TCH and the residents of Regent Park through to completion of the revitalization. The work of this transformation, which is as much about building social infrastructure as bricks and mortar, is far from complete, he said. As the revitalization now moves toward its final chapters, the question that remains is, did it work? Regent Park was a place, it was noted in the early 2000s, where it was difficult to even have pizza delivered to your front door through its winding maze of lowrise buildings and highrise towers, in an insular neighbourhood largely free of sidewalks and set back from main roads. There had never been a supermarket or a bank branch, and the overall design meant that parts of the cut-off properties were fertile ground for criminal activity. But still, a community existed there. It was home for many new Canadians who were trying to raise their families amid the poor design, lack of services and a dearth of government support. To understand what is at stake requires some reflection on the mistakes of the past. Regent Park was Canadas first public housing project and one frequently described as a failed experiment. Planners tore down slum housing in what was South Cabbagetown and the first part of what would become Regent Park was ready for habitation in March 1949. For Torontos low-income families, it was meant to be a safe and modern community in the heart of the city, one with green space for children and close to public services; thanks to poverty and poor design, it resulted in them being separated from their fellow citizens. Today, the heart of the area thats already been transformed is barely recognizable. A green central park is home to a gleaming aquatic centre and nearby there are colourful community spaces like Daniels Spectrum, which hosts both the arts and public meetings. There is a bistro that hires local residents. New TCH apartments are difficult for outsiders to differentiate from their condo counterparts, and both are now accessible from a simple city street grid. There is a Shoppers Drug Mart, a FreshCo and a Royal Bank branch. Residents flock to farmers markets in the summer months. But in hindsight, says former interim CEO Greg Spearn, TCH should have planned the rebuild differently. There should have been a contractual arrangement that identified one developer for the entire revitalization, with a structure that protected both parties, Spearn, who was pushed out of the organization in the spring of 2017, told the Star. Guaranteeing the whole project to a single developer would have allowed the public housing agency to leverage more assets for the community, he said, and avoided ongoing funding shortfalls and confusion over its future. Since the beginning, the revitalization was never fully funded. City staff projected an early shortfall of just over $50 million but where that funding was to come from was unclear. As the project continued, construction costs and changes to the redevelopment plan saw that figure climb to $108 million in 2017. City council, at the recommendation of housing officials, agreed to take on that debt to complete the project in a timely manner, leaving city taxpayers on the hook for up to $6 million every year for the next 30 years. The shortfall for phases four and five is expected to be as much as $182 million. Its also unclear how that will be covered. Spearn said how the final phases will be financed will be a key aspect of any proposal going forward. Whether there will be a steady hand at the head of the housing corporation is also uncertain. Since the Regent Park revitalization was approved by city council in 2003, TCH has been destabilized by corporate churn, with numerous senior managers embroiled in controversy and the departures of four chief executive officers. Its current CEO, Kathy Milsom, was put on paid leave in December after the board determined a flawed process was used to award a $1.3-million consultancy contract. Among the former CEOs is Derek Ballantyne, who advocated for Regent Park before leaving TCH in 2009. The early vision for redevelopment, Ballantyne told the Star, was to avoid previous mistakes by designing an equitable and integrated environment that was guided by clear direction from the people who lived there. Without a doubt, this is a very different place and its a very different place to live in, said Ballantyne, who is now chair of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. This is not about being rich or poor. This is about simply having what anybody in other neighbourhoods in the city had. And while the goal was to create a healthier environment, Ballantyne said TCH never set out to design a perfect society. Was it going to get rid of violence? Was it going to end youth unemployment? It was never going to do all of that. I think what it did is it laid out the framework for how you might be able to better program into a neighbourhood and how you might be able to better address those issues. As of today, 800 of 1,360 households that had been relocated during the redevelopment are back and in new buildings. About 350 households have decided to stay where they are or have moved out of community housing. Another 200 are waiting to return as future phases are completed. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Making sure that everybody in Regent Park gets a say in the neighbourhoods future is why resident Walied Khogali Ali supports opening up the bid for the final phases. The neighbourhood has undergone dramatic change, not just architecturally but also in the composition of its residents many who havent built relationships with Daniels and who would benefit from learning about past and future plans and get a new chance to engage in what must be a transparent process, he said. I think it is crucial for residents and the city to have confidence in a process where residents were not just consulted for the sake of consulting, but there was actual progress when it comes to specifically understanding the communities needs and building a relationship with the developer, he said. A New York Times article from 2016 declared Regent Park a blueprint for successful economic and cultural integration. But one need look no further than its aquatic centre, where many local children have not been able to get into programs offered there, to see the challenges that remain for Regent Parks residents. A city policy that dictates children from any part of the city can access any community centres programs, the lack of overall spaces and a notoriously challenging sign-up system have created a competitive process, one usually dominated by families with multiple adults using high-speed Wi-Fi on several devices to sign up online. That means children who live within a block of the aquatic centre can be squeezed out of programs by people from as far away as Etobicoke, Scarborough and North York. You actually have some children who have never ever taken swim lessons in Regent Park because they couldnt get in because when they got to the front of line or when they got on the phone, registration was already filled, said Mary Ann Scott, a mother of three and member of Access to Recreation. Scotts group wants a pilot project that prioritizes local access. Her family lives near Church and Dundas Sts. On the night before registration starts, she heads to the Wellesley Community Centre for 8 p.m., and stands outside until sign-ups begin at 7 a.m. If shes one of the first four in line and lucky her children might get spaces in the gymnastics, swimming and cooking classes theyd picked out, she said. Jason Kucherawy and his wife had no luck enrolling their two sons in the last round of local programing, despite using every electronic device in their home. They moved to Regent Park in 2012 after buying a two-bedroom condominium in the completed phase one. We wanted our kids to be global citizens and we wanted them to have friends and schoolmates from different backgrounds and different cultures and grow up in that environment, said Kucherawy. Given the past history of Regent Park, he said the idea that the final phases could go to the lowest bidder, rather than a company that has built trust and relationships in the community, is concerning. We are building a neighbourhood here and definitely want it to last a very long time, Kucherawy said. This is not supposed to be temporary housing. Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam asked city staff earlier this month to continue reviewing the access problems for parents who pushed for these recreation spaces and participated in earlier consultations. Wong-Tam said she want to be ambitious in filling the gaps and listening to what the community has long been asking for. That includes a multi-faith space, she says, and the promise of a new library that could replace the Parliament St. branch and facilitate more after-school programs. Once those lands are developed upon, they are done, she said. I know that we can build it because theres no point in finishing Regent Park and not completing all the facility service gaps. Its important as well, she said, to build capacity for the future, not simply for demand that exists right now. I certainly do not want to see the problems that have emerged from the inequitable access to the recreation centre as well as the aquatic facility be replicated in the final development phases. New residents agree there is still more to do to make Regent Park a success story. Megann Willson, who is part of the leadership team of the Regent Park Neighbourhood Association, said she was interested in the intentionality of trying to build a different way of living when she moved to a condo there more than three years ago. She said the association is paying close attention to the redevelopment and said the change around Daniels not being signed on for the final phase came as a surprise to residents who were not consulted. As for what comes next, Willson said she is wary about certain proposals, calling ideas like a new library a carrot thats been dangled by prospective developers. Whats clear, she said, is the need for more community space, improved neighbourhood safety and economic opportunities for residents. We want far more than just building buildings, she said. We have to move beyond the ribbon cutting. Ibrahim is also looking towards the future, focused on building a community that will continue to thrive long after the developers are gone. We are still going to be here. We are still going to be doing what we love to do and building the community, identifying who the leaders of the future are and passing on the torch, she said They could do amazing stuff. Correction January 28, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said Megann Willson is part of the leadership team of the Regent Park Residents Association. In fact, Willson is part of the Regent Park Neighbourhood Association. As well, the article mistakenly said Mary Ann Scott is the founder of Access to Recreation. In fact, she is a member of that organization. MONTREALOntario-based stuntman Dean Ilia Copkov, 52, has been identified as one of two men killed in a double slaying in Collingwood, Ont., last week, shortly before he was due to be sentenced in Montreal on drug offences. We have just been notified by a close friend. Mr. Copkov was reportedly murdered or died yesterday. We are currently investigating, lawyer Catherine Ranalli told the judge at a Montreal Superior Court on Wednesday. Copkov and Donovan Bass, 42, both of Wasaga Beach, Ont., were killed following an early-Tuesday altercation in a residential area of Collingwood, Ont., the Ontario Provincial police said in a news release. Police last week charged Cameron Gardiner, 57, with two counts of second-degree murder. Police said they are searching for a third person who fled the scene after the 1:30 a.m. altercation. Copkov was a veteran stuntman who worked on big-budget movies like Cinderella Man, The Incredible Hulk, Pacific Rim and the 2014 remake of RoboCop. He was convicted last fall in Montreal on two charges of conspiring to import hashish into Canada and was awaiting sentencing. He was acquitted of conspiring to import cocaine. Ranalli told the Star she is still trying to verify her clients death in Collingwood. Also named in that indictment was Raynald Desjardins, who was later convicted of murder conspiracy in the death of New York mob boss Sal Montagna. Copkov was born in Toronto and ran a company called Stunts for Hire out of his home in Wasaga Beach, about 150 kilometres north of Toronto. Copkov, a father of two, was also a martial artist who trained actor Russell Crowe for fight scenes in the movie Cinderella Man, which was based on the life of Depression-era boxer James J. Braddock. Desjardins, the one-time right-hand man of former Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto, eventually became involved in a murderous power struggle with the Rizzuto organization. Desjardins pleaded guilty in 2015 to taking part in the plot to murder Sal Montagana, a New York City mob boss who relocated in Quebec. Montagna was murdered on Nov. 24, 2011, in Ile Vaudry, a small island just east of Montreal. The drug smuggling case involving Copkov and Desjardins and others was dubbed Project Celibataire by police. It involved a conspiracy between January 2011 and June 2012 to smuggle cocaine and hashish into Canada. Some of the evidence in Project Celibataire included secret police videos of Copkov meeting with other men in Toronto near the intersection of Queen St. and Coxwell Ave. on Feb. 10, 2012. Those charges listed cities in Canada, France, the Netherlands and Pakistan as meeting spots for the conspiracy. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... No drugs actually entered Canada in the Project Celibataire case. This was a criminal organization conspiring to import drugs for trafficking from Pakistan and Peru and we stopped them before they actually brought the drugs here, either to Montreal or Halifax, RCMP Const. Luc Thibault said at the time of the arrests. Copkov made headlines in 1993 when he was one of four men who escaped from a minimum-security prison, where he was serving time for shooting a man in the leg on the Danforth. He and the others simply walked away from the minimum-security Frontenac institution, just west of Kingston. The men were last seen during a 7 p.m. roll call on New Years Eve. Copkov eventually turned himself in to police, arriving in a stretch limousine. He had been serving four years for aggravated assault, use of a firearm and assault. Copkovs associates included Johnny Raposo, a West End mobster who was murdered on a cafe patio of College St. W. in June 2012. Copkov told court in 1991 that he shot the man in the leg in a tavern on the Danforth during what he called a jealous outburst over a woman. Im sorry for what I did, Copkov told the judge at the time. I had no intention of shooting the guy. It scared me as well when the gun discharged. What I did was over jealousy, he said. I know thats a weakness Im going to have to deal with. Gardiner is next scheduled to appear in court in Collingwood on Tuesday. OTTAWASenior regional officials will meet with the northern Ontario community of Cat Lake on Tuesday to develop short- and long-term plans for its serious housing situation, Indigenous Services Minister Seamus ORegan said Monday. ORegan said he has spoken with Cat Lakes Chief Matthew Keewaykapow and Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler to discuss concerns about housing in the community. I remain committed to working in partnership with the community to implement solutions, he said in a statement. Community leaders in Cat Lake, several hundred kilometres north of Thunder Bay, declared a state of emergency earlier this month and cited profoundly poor conditions of housing. The declaration listed mould, structural issues and a lack of funds for routine maintenance as the causes of health problems including invasive bacterial diseases and lung infections. People continually encounter the effects of federal and provincial jurisdictional squabbling leading to inequitable access to not only health care, but meaningful solutions to the epidemic proportions of the emergency, it said. Read more: Cat Lake First Nation in northern Ontario declares state of emergency over housing Opinion | Tanya Talaga: Could a sawmill help stem the housing crisis faced by Indigenous communities? ORegan needs to visit the community himself, Ontario NDP MP Charlie Angus said Monday, adding it is the perfect opportunity for a new minister to show leadership to address a health and humanitarian disaster unfolding in frigid temperatures. A crisis of this magnitude has been years in the making, he said. When temperatures plunge this cold and youve got little children in homes where the walls are full of mould, people start to get sick and people are being medevaced out, Angus said. We have an emergency. Ontario Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford issued a statement earlier this month saying that the on-reserve housing emergency is a federal responsibility and calling on Ottawa to deliver immediate help. OTTAWACanada will host a meeting of Western Hemisphere countries next Monday to address the political and economic crisis in Venezuela. The Lima Group, a coalition of more than a dozen countries in the Americas, minus the United States, was formed in August 2017 to address Venezuelas growing backslide into authoritarianism. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed its next session will be in Ottawa. Canada needs to play a leading role in the Lima Group because the crisis in Venezuela is unfolding in Canadas global backyard, she said. This is our neighbourhood, said Freeland said Monday. For Canadians, we have a very direct interest in what happens in our hemisphere. That is why we have been so active and will continue to be so active. The group has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas interim president, saying President Nicolas Maduros continuing dictatorial rule is creating an economic and humanitarian crisis that has swelled beyond his countrys borders. Maduro was populist leader Hugo Chavezs vice-president and came to power with Chavezs death in 2013. Freeland praised the role of Canadian diplomats in Caracas, who helped get the countrys opposition parties to coalesce behind the 35-year-old Guaido. The Canadian Press interviewed senior Canadian government officials who have described Canadas role in aiding democratic forces to help rescue the once oil-rich country from the economic and political spiral that has forced three million Venezuelans from their homes. Freeland said Mondays talks will focus in part on the refugee crisis has that has forced a flood of displaced people into neighbouring Colombia and Brazil. Some of the stories of people coming across the border, unaccompanied children for example, in terrible conditions are really heart-wrenching, said Freeland. Weve seen with Syria the way in which a refugee crisis can have much broader destabilizing impacts. The Lima Group has also called for Maduros ouster, saying Guaido is the only legitimately elected Venezuelan leader after he won control of its National Assembly. On Jan. 10, Maduro was sworn in as president with support of countries such as Cuba, Russia and China. The Lima Group denounced Maduro as illegitimate and Freeland said, the Maduro regime is now fully entrenched as a dictatorship. Freeland has branded the rise of authoritarian leaders as a major foreign-policy challenge and she suggested Monday that Canada needs to work against it in the Americas. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Our hemisphere has been going in the right direction and it is really important to stand up or to speak up for democracy and human rights. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spoken to Colombian President Ivan Duque and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to affirm their support of Guaido in recent days. On Sunday, Trudeau and Sanchez also agreed on the imperative for new, free and fair elections in Venezuela, according to Trudeaus office. Read more about: When Alfonso arrived at Rexdale Community Health Centre in June 2018 he didnt expect to leave with a prescription to visit the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). Alfonso is one of the 50 individuals who took part in the ROMs Social Prescription trial program. Social prescriptions are a means for health care, community and social service professionals to refer people to non-medical services that, along with existing treatments, can promote health and well-being. And while a place like the ROM might seem like an unusual recommendation, theres evidence to say that museums do more for our health than we might think. In 2013, British researchers found museums can: reduce social isolation by providing positive experiences; provide calming experiences, leading to decreased anxiety; bolster self-esteem and a sense of identity; support communication between families, caregivers and health professionals. For his visit to the ROM, Alfonso was joined by his wife and two boys, ages 9 and 12. Hes a bit of a history buff and wanted to use this opportunity to share something that he loves with his kids. I felt a great sense of accomplishment and pride being able to teach my kids about Canadas history, the worlds history, our history. It made me feel empowered, like I grew as a person, he said. Alfonso speaks about the impact of social prescribing on individuals, but when we consider these programs more broadly, we find social prescribing can have a real impact on health-care systems at large. A study done by the University of West England in 2016 showed a 23 per cent decline in emergency room admissions, and a 21 per cent decline in physician appointments in the six months after a social prescription. For a health-care system like Canadas, with some of the longest wait times in the developed world, the appeal of social prescribing is seemingly self-evident. So why has it not fully caught on? Healthcare is well-known for its rigorous standards when it comes to emerging treatment options (rightfully so), and the level of evidence for social prescribings benefit is not quite fulsome enough to gain a sweeping endorsement. According to a review in the British Medical Journal, this is partly because studies have been small, anecdotal, or poorly designed. However, the same article did note that, despite clear methodological shortcomings, most evaluations presented positive conclusions. Although hard evidence remains at a premium, social prescribing continues to grow, and the role of cultural organizations is important. The Canadian Index of Wellbeing identifies participation in leisure and culture activities, such as museum visits, as one of eight contributors to better physical and mental health, and a creator of opportunities for socializing, relaxation and learning new things. As a result, cultural organizations have leaned into their role as spaces that can contribute to health and well-being. Starting in January 2019, the ROM expanded their small trial of 50 prescriptions into a yearlong social prescription pilot in collaboration with the Museums 100 Community Access Network partner organizations, and the Alliance for Healthier Communities. Through this program, thousands of people like Alfonso, who are accessing health or social services, will have the opportunity to benefit from the enriching experience of engaging with art, culture and nature. The ROM and the Alliance will also evaluate the outcomes of being prescribed a visit to the museum, and the results of social prescribing as a whole, with the aim of producing strong evidence for these types of initiatives. And, of course, as a health-care practitioner and ROM professional I would encourage everyone to explore a museum especially during winter, when we tend to be more isolated and pay attention to your sense of well-being in the hours and days afterwards. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Museums as medicine? Im certainly excited to find out. Christian Blake is a registered occupational therapist and adjunct faculty member in the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy at U of T. He is Acting Manager, Inclusion at the Royal Ontario Museum. Doctors Notes is a weekly column by members of U of Ts Faculty of Medicine. I suspected the 2017 Toro Bravo, the new $7.95 Spanish red wine I awarded 96 points last week, would clear off LCBO shelves. But I didnt expect it to happen so fast. The LCBO burned through 2,300 cases of the wine since it was released January 15. And retail stock is now sold out. More is expected to hit shelves in coming days, but I suspect it will disappear fast. About 160 stores sold out of their inventory by end of day Thursday, says Alex Patinios, president and owner of Dionysus Wines & Spirits, the agent that represents the wine in Ontario. By Friday morning, some stores were selling out within minutes of opening such as the Bayview Village, Queens Quay, and Burlington Millcroft locations. By 10 a.m. Friday, LCBO stores had ordered all remaining warehouse inventory. On Friday morning, there were 1,100 cases of the wine in LCBO warehouses, says Patinios. All of that was ordered, and will be showing up in stores today, tomorrow and the next day but it will sell out fast. The LCBO ordered 17,000 more cases of the 2017 Toro Bravo from Spain Saturday morning. And that shipment should arrive in Ontario in three to four weeks. If that sells out, theres more available of that particular cuvee. Thirty thousand cases of the 2017 is earmarked for Ontario by Wines & Company S.L.U. in Spain, which makes the wine. And Wines & Company has promised Dionysus Wines & Spirits 100,000 cases of 2018 Bravo Toro for the Ontario market, if the LCBO buys it. When the 2017 vintage is depleted, Ill taste the new vintage that hits shelves to assess quality. So stay tuned. What makes the 2017 Toro Bravo spectacular and worthy of the high score is the fact that, for $7.95, it offers outstanding value for money. Price matters. So I always factor that in when I score a wine. What about you? 2017 Toro Bravo is a fabulously easy-drinking red thats clean, dry-tasting, and well-balanced the kind of wine you put on the table and want to keep refilling your glass with all night long. And its not a fruit bomb. That cannot be said for all sub-$8 wines. Therein lies the value. Although Toro Bravo was a brand created specifically for Ontario, the wine has generated national and international buzz. Since Thursday, agents from all over the world have reached out to Wines & Company expressing interest in the wine. And Dionysus Wines & Spirits has fielded calls and emails from agents and liquor boards across Canada wanting to order the wine. A white Toro Bravo was also created by Wines & Company for Ontario, which is a Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc blend from the 2018 vintage. The LCBO has not bought the white, but they have agreed to consider it, says Patinios. At this point, there is no guarantee the white 2018 Toro Bravo will be listed at the LCBO. But it if is, Ill be sure to taste it. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The wine 2017 Toro Bravo, Tempranillo / Merlot, D.O. Valencia, Spain (LCBO 635755 $7.95 in stores and online) Toro Bravo calls to mind Black Forest Cake on the nose, followed by a flood of flavour cherries dipped in dark chocolate, tobacco, earth, and coffee with a dusting of dark cocoa powder that lingers. Medium-bodied with a bright seam of mouthwatering acidity and a slightly chalky finish, this affable Spanish red offers outstanding value. Score: 96 EDMONTONNewfoundlanders in Edmonton are in for some good news their summer trip back home is bound to be smoother thanks to new flight routes announced by WestJet. Starting on June 25, direct WestJet flights between Edmonton and St. Johns, N.L. will be making trips three times a week. The Calgary-based airline announced the news in a press release on Monday, where WestJets chief commercial officer, Arved von zur Muehlen, said Edmonton is an important destination for Canadas east coast. The news was welcome by both the Edmonton International Airport and St. Johns International Airport. There are strong family and business ties between Alberta and Newfoundland, Edmonton airport president Tom Ruth said. So this will be a popular route. Flights from Edmonton to St. Johns will be scheduled for a 9:15 p.m. departure, and will arrive around 6 a.m. in St. Johns local time the following morning. Alternatively, flights making the trip the other way will depart at 9 a.m. in St. Johns, and arrive at 11:40 a.m. in local Edmonton time. WestJet already flies directly between Calgary and St. Johns, according to Marie Manning, director of business at the St. Johns airport. Previously, travellers looking to land in St. Johns from Edmonton would be subjected to a connecting flight in either Montreal or Toronto. Edmonton is the largest, unserved airline route from our airport, Manning said in the release. She added these routes together will provide fast, convenient service for travellers in Alberta during Newfoundlands peak summer season. In addition to the new direct route between Edmonton and St. Johns, WestJet will also be including direct flights in their summer schedule between Calgary and two American cities Portland, Ore., beginning April 29, and Austin, Texas, beginning May 2. Read more about: A few weeks ago, Apple announced that fourth-quarter revenue was going to be lower than expected. The bombshell announcement wiped billions of dollars from the tech giants market cap. Tuesday, after markets close, investors and analysts finally get to see just what the actual numbers were, when the company announces fourth-quarter earnings. Investors have already hammered Apple down to $745 billion (U.S.) in market cap, down from over $1 trillion in August last year. In its announcement, Apple said it expects revenue of $84 billion while most analysts had been expecting $91.3 billion. Heres a look at what to watch for: A GROWING PROBLEM One of the things analysts are keeping an eye on is Apples growing inventory of unsold iPhones. In its announcement earlier this month, Apple cited lower-than-expected iPhone sales in the key Chinese market for missing its revenue targets. Many analysts are expecting demand for the iPhone to keep dropping. Even the relatively bargain-priced offering, the iPhone XR, hasnt been enough to boost sales, says Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley. While we believed the lower-priced iPhone XR would generate strong sell-through trends, our surveys indicate muted demand versus our expectations. Feedback for lacklustre initial sales included its inferior quality perception given its aluminum construction versus the XS and XS Max, lack of HD screen and viable lower-cost alternatives in the older iPhone X and 8 models, wrote Walkley in his most recent report. Over the longer term, Walkley expects Apple to sell roughly 180 million iPhones in 2019. While noting thats still a healthy number, its lower than his previous forecast of 194 million. In an earnings preview Friday, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty wrote that Apple shares already appear to be pricing in unlikely long-term iPhone scenarios, according to Bloomberg. WHY THE PHONE FUSS? So, why all the focus on iPhone sales? Doesnt Apple have iMacs, MacBook Airs and a whole range of other products? Yes, sure. But its the iPhone that drives the bus, so to speak, generating almost 60 per cent of Apples revenue, according to financial statistics company Statista. If iPhone sales keep slumping, thats bad news for the company as a whole. Still, its all relative, wrote Walkley, who kept his buy rating and $190 price target for Apple shares. We maintain our belief Apple can expand its leading market share of the premium tier smartphone market and the iPhone installed base (excluding refurbished iPhones) exceeded 700M at the end of 2018. This impressive installed base should drive iPhone replacement sales and earnings, said Walkley. GOOD SERVICE? With iPhone sales in the doldrums, Apple needs more revenue in services, such as iTunes or iCloud. Its not just the amount of revenue they draw from those, but the amount of profit. Services are more profitable than building devices on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Still, in a report shortly after Apples shocking announcement earlier this month, BMO Capital Markets analyst Tim Long said theyre still a relatively small share of the companys business. We do not believe these businesses are big enough to offset the negative iPhone sentiment, wrote Long, who slashed his price target from $213 per share to $153. Long rates Apple as market perform. WHO CARES ABOUT APPLE? Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Yeah, yeah. Youve got your Android phone or your laptop running Microsoft or Android software. You dont play the markets. Why should you really care whether Apple sells an extra few million phones or not? Because its one of the most widely held stocks on the planet. Even if youre not a big market watcher, odds are youve got a stake in the company, either through a mutual fund in your RRSP or through a pension plan. Planning to collect a government pension some day? Then you should also care about Apple. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Boards latest published figures show it, too, owns stock in the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech company more than six-million shares worth. Read more about: Staff reports Watertown Public Opinion In my youth, I had all the makings of a future Donald Trump supporter. I grew up in Texas, attended segregated public schools and went to a conservative Presbyterian church every Sunday. I cheered Richard Nixon at a 1968 campaign rally. When I moved in to my freshman college dorm, I hung a Confederate flag on the wall. I subscribed to Human Events, a hard-right weekly that was the closest thing we had to Fox News. In short, I looked much like the prevailing liberal image of the boys from Covington Catholic, if not worse. If modern social media and current standards had been around then, I would have been deemed vile and irredeemable at a young age. I dont claim to be in perfect concord with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but suffice to say, my views have changed a great deal in the intervening decades a source of amusement to my wife, who knew me as a hardcore right-winger in high school. If you had described Barack Obama to me back then and asked whether I could imagine voting for him in the distant future, I would have scoffed. If you had told me I would someday take a favorable view of feminism, Black Lives Matter and gay rights, I would have questioned your sanity. But all those came to pass. When videos emerged of the encounter at the Lincoln Memorial involving the Kentucky teenagers, a group of black radicals and a Native American activist, social media boiled over with fury at the students. The kids, we were told, are privileged racists hostile to women and minorities and deserved to be named, shamed, harassed, ostracized and even physically attacked. I am not here to re-litigate each frame of the footage. I do not rise in defense of Make America Great Again hats, anti-abortion marches, the tomahawk chop or any identification with Trump. My point is that even those who strongly disapprove of these kids and their action should not write them off. They are high school students, which almost by definition means they are deficient in knowledge, judgment and experience. Giving those shortcomings, they are prone to mistaken opinions and unwise choices, just as every previous generation of teenagers was. Liberals should not feel too superior in this respect. As a high school student, I saw anti-war protesters waving the flag of the Viet Cong, which at the time was killing Americans. I remember college kids wearing Che Guevara T-shirts. Some on the left defended the bombings carried out by the Weather Underground. When Saigon fell to the Communists in 1975, The Harvard Crimson published an editorial declaring, The victory of the Vietnamese National Liberation Front is a victory, first of all, for the people of Vietnam. Americans, who played a crucial role in forcing their government to withdraw from Indochina, should rejoice in the Vietnamese triumph. As a dissenting member of the Crimson editorial board, I knew many of those who approved that piece, which included some who professed to be Marxists or Maoists. I am happy to report that none, to my knowledge, became card-carrying Communists or violent extremists. In fact, all the ones I know of went on to lead responsible, productive lives. Back then, plenty of people on the left said and did things that might be construed as repellent and unforgivable. But they were granted the opportunity to outgrow their youthful folly rather than be treated as incurably wicked. The Covington kids should have the same opportunity to mature and learn as they grow into adulthood. They dont deserve to be pilloried, much less punched, for views that they may someday revise or reject. Not that we actually know those views. A white high school boy might wear a MAGA hat without being fully enamored of Trump and without fully appreciating how other people may perceive it. Humans are complicated creatures, and adolescents are still unformed. Its ignorant and irresponsible to assume that these boys, or anyone else, can be definitively categorized based on the surface traits we see. One advocate in my youth knew as much. He urged each person to discover the element of good in his enemy, and every time you begin to hate that person and think of hating that person, realize that there is some good there and look at those good points, which will overbalance the bad points. Americans commemorated the birthday of that man, Martin Luther King Jr., on Monday, but not many were heeding his advice. Steve Chapman blogs at www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chapman. Follow him on Twitter @SteveChapman13 or at www.facebook.com/stevechapman13. Jorge L. Ortiz Watertown Public Opinion OAKLAND, Calif. Kamala Harris background as a prosecutor has shaped her first two years in the U.S. Senate, and she plays off it in her campaign slogan, For the people. That theme was a frequent talking point during Sundays 35-minute address in her native Oakland, such as when the first female attorney general in California history said, In my whole life Ive only had one client, the people. But as she launched her drive for the presidency with a rally in front of City Hall, Harris switched from district attorney mode to politician, firing up a crowd of several thousand people with inspired words she hopes will play well beyond her hometown. Harris vowed to fight for Medicare for all, racial justice, universal pre-kindergarten education, womens rights and a middle-class tax cut, which she said would be paid by reversing the giveaways granted to top earners by the Republican tax plan approved in December 2017. And, of course, Harris took thinly veiled shots at President Donald Trump, whose name was not mentioned once in her speech but whose presence loomed like a giant blimp. We are here because the American dream and our American democracy are under attack and on the line like never before, Harris said. And we are here at this moment in time because we must answer a fundamental question: Who are we? Who are we as Americans? So, lets answer that question to the world and each other, right here and right now: America, we are better than this. More:Who is running for president? Here's a list of the candidates who have declared so far More:How Donald Trump's relationship with Nancy Pelosi changes everything in Washington Without mentioning Trump, the California senator decried leaders who attack a free press and other democratic institutions while fanning the flames of division and discord. She referred to the deadly attack at a counter-demonstration against white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, and to last Octobers massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue as incongruous with the countrys values. And addressing Trumps immigration policies, including his desire for a border wall that she referred to as the presidents medieval vanity project, she said: When we have children in cages crying for their mothers and fathers, dont you dare call that border security. Thats a human rights abuse. And thats not our America. When the applause calmed, Harris ran down some of her differences with the current administration, including foreign policy and its stance on climate change Were going to act based on science fact, not science fiction and she mentioned a number of issues she would address as president. Among them are the disparity in wages for the same work between men and women especially steep for women of color the uneven application of justice in the legal system and the need to secure future elections against foreign interference. Harris, the first senator to co-sponsor Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders 2017 legislation calling for Medicare for all, got one of her biggest ovations of the day when she reiterated her support for that measure while calling health care a fundamental right. And she drew another long round of applause when she culminated her remarks by saying, With faith in God, with fidelity to country and with the fighting spirit I got from my mother, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States. Harris, 54, actually announced her candidacy on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, both on national television and in a news conference at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington, D.C. In the primaries, Harris will contend with a crowded field of Democratic candidates that already includes Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, with plenty more to come. More:Former S.F. Mayor Willie Brown writes about dating Kamala Harris, appointing her to posts Though Harris will have the advantage of name recognition and a track record in the countrys most populous state, she will have to find a way to differentiate herself from a left-leaning pack if she hopes to gain momentum in the early primaries. Her two years as a member of the minority party in the Senate havent provided much opportunity, other than the must-see-TV instances of Harris grilling nominees like now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at hearings. For those eager to welcome her back home Sunday, she stood out plenty. The crowd lined the streets around City Hall more than an hour before Harris spoke, and it reflected the Bay Areas diversity. Asian women in their 60s and 70s and college students from nearby Cal-Berkeley where Harris immigrant parents met blended with whites and African Americans of all ages, waiting to hear a message that ran counter to Trumps often-divisive rhetoric. This is the second time in my life when something I never thought would happen has happened, said Nadine LeBlanc, 79, a black activist from Los Angeles who moved to Oakland seven years ago. First, Obama being a black president and now Kamala running for president. Shes so qualified. Christopher Berry, a white personal trainer from the East Bay suburb of Pleasanton, said he doesnt usually get involved in political rallies but felt the urge to attend in part because he believes its time for a woman to lead the country, and he likes what he has heard from Harris. Its been male-dominated and look where were at, said Berry, 32, who is going back to school to pursue a degree in political science. I feel like the rest of the United States needs a leader from California as well as a woman to help point us in the right direction. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: America, we are better than this: Kamala Harris launches presidential campaign Staff reports Watertown Public Opinion VERMILLION Sanford Health has pledged $300,000 per year to fund scholarships to students enrolled in the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. That amount will be matched by the USD Foundation. As a result of this new Sanford Health Scholarship Program, 40 students (10 per class) will receive a large scholarship each year, equal to roughly half the cost of tuition and fees. Students who are enrolled in medical school classes for the 2019-2020 school year are eligible in the scholarship programs first year. This scholarship program will be the largest single source of scholarship money available to medical students at the USD Sanford School of Medicine. It also rates as one of the largest scholarship programs available to students at a specific medical school in the United States. Approximately 90 percent of the students enrolled in the USD Sanford School of Medicine are South Dakota residents, and those who are non-residents have strong connections to the state. The average total debt incurred by medical students during their four-year medical education at USD is about $180,000. This scholarship can eliminate about one-third of that debt for those who are recipients. We are deeply grateful to Sanford Health for this transformational gift, said Dr. Mary Nettleman, dean of the medical school and vice president of health affairs at USD. The Sanford Health Scholarship Program will make a significant difference for our students and inspire them to become the best physicians they can be. Russian tourist injured in Kata jet ski crash PHUKET: A Russian woman was injured and taken to Chalong Hospital this afternoon (Jan 28) after she and her friend crashed their rented jet skis into each other at Kata Noi Beach. By Eakkapop Thongtub Monday 28 January 2019, 08:24PM One of the jet skis involved in the collision. Photo: Ekkapop Thongtub One of the jet skis involved in the collision. Photo: Ekkapop Thongtub The tourist is attended to as she awaits ambulance services. Photo: Ekkapop Thongtub Narathorn Center was informed of a jet ski accident involving 23 year old Russian national Tatiana Lysova at Kata Noi beach at 4.20pm today. Capt Eakkachai Siri of the Phuket Tourist Police told The Phuket News, Four tourists together rented a jet ski each and were driving close to each other when two of them collided. Miss Lysova was injured and taken Chalong Hospital. Nobody else was hurt as the rest of the group returned to their hotel. Both jet skis were damaged although one only had minor damage. I do not know the cost of the damage yet, I will check with the owners insurance later, Capt Eakkachai added. More details will follow. Iron Chef Thailand winner tantalises your taste buds at JW Marriott JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa is honoured to bring chef Prasertchai Trongvanichnam, also known as Chef Jack, Chef de Cuisine of Flavors restaurant at Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel, to Phuket. Dining By The Phuket News Monday 28 January 2019, 11:00AM Chef Jack recently won the prestigious title of Iron Chef Thailand after appearing on the television competition. The award-winning chef is ready to excite the palates of diners with his exceptional modern Thai dishes at an upcoming Marriott guest chefs pop-up event Thai Tapas with a Modern Twist which is taking place from Feb 4-7 at Ginja Taste restaurant and Ginja Cook cooking school. The programmes for the extraordinary cooking and dining experience are as follows: Feb 4-7 from 6pm: Tantalise your taste buds with a mouthwatering Thai tapas with a modern twist. Select either the six or 10-course set menu created by chef Jack, the Iron Chef Thailand champion. The Thai tapas degustation menu features stunning dishes revolving around the theme of molecular gastronomy and theres a story behind each course. The sampling menu includes: ceviche-flamed tuna topped with coconut drops, lemongrass and onion powder and mint gel; 24-hour sous-vide black Angus (grass-fed) short ribs, massaman crusted and coconut gnocchi; truffle potato in mushroom dust and pumpkin puree; crispy pork belly, steamed kale, turnip and chili pesto; and butterfly pea granita, to name a few. A dinner is not complete without desserts. Chef Jack offers a choice of chili and chocolate sphere with pineapple textures or mango sticky rice. Attendance to the event costs B2,800++ per person for the six-course set menu and B3,500++ per person for the 10-course set menu. The Iron Chef Thailand winners a la carte menu is also available at Ginja Taste, JW Marriott Phukets Thai restaurant. Feb 5 from 11am-2pm: Chef Jack will hold a live cooking demonstration at Ginja Cook followed by a three-course Thai molecular tapas menu. Highlights include: miang kam foie gras; tom yum espuma; and inked barramundi and sea grape seaweed. This intimate cooking class is limited to just 10 seats. Price is B2,400++ per person for food only. For more information or for reservations, kindly contact the Food & Beverage dining experience team. Tel +66 (0)76 338 000 Email: fbdiningexperience@marriotthotels.com Existence: Artist Robin Gillows exhibition puts life in the picture Its been a while since Robin Gillow last exhibited her drawings and paintings in Phuket. Well-known for her work both locally and internationally, Existence is her first exhibition following a five-year break from painting after her husband Kevin, known on the local sailing circuit, suffered a stroke in 2014. Fortunately, Kevins health has steadily improved and Robin has once again been afforded the luxury of studio time in her self-designed container home. Art By The Phuket News Monday 28 January 2019, 02:00PM Robin, born and married in South Africa, headed to Australia with Kevin in 1983, a move that saw the couple add a daughter and their beloved yacht Poco to the family. A number of years sailing between Australia, Africa and Asia followed, enabling Robin to exhibit her work far and wide, picking up commissions en route. Existence is Robins ninth exhibition in Phuket and those who follow the artist will easily recognise her style and depiction of her subjects. Thats not to say that new surprises wont be on display, though. My style changes with my mood, the subject matter, the light available at the time I am painting or simply whatever medium I have on hand at that moment, Robin says. My work varies from total realism particularly with my animal or human portraiture to impressionism, she adds. A tribute to Robins revived life as an artist, as well as life in general, Existence promises to suit all manner of creative tastes. There are a few of her much loved graphite drawings, pen and ink drawings, a number of oil paintings and her ever-interesting collages, all with their added Gillow touch. Most intriguing of all, though, are her abstract works and use of oil pastel on canvas, the latter being the newest addition to the artists creative palette. One of the larger works and more abstract pieces on display is ADRIFT. Completed earlier this year, it expresses Robins emotions when the opportunity resurfaced for her to paint again. With my husbands continued health improvement, I could float free from the restrictions the situation had placed on us as a family and create again, Robin says. There is more to this work, but I leave you, the viewer, to contemplate its full meaning, she adds. One of Robins more realist works, titled LIFES EDGE, was coincidentally completed the day of her husbands stroke. Not one to dwell on the negative, she instead sees this piece as having taken on further meaning; as a beginning rather than a loss or ending; the ebb and flow of the tide bringing new life. It will be a while before Phuket residents and tourists will have a chance to view Robins work again as the latter half of 2019 will see Robin and her husband returning to Australia for several years. While there, Robin will prepare work for a number of exhibitions along the east coast (from Queensland south to Melbourne, Victoria). She will also return to animal portraiture, in particular equine portraiture, one of her favourite creative past-times for which she is renowned in Australia, South Africa and Kenya. These works will depict the stud farms racing or otherwise event venues and the horses themselves, her aim being to both publish a book of the works as well as exhibit the collection before returning to Thailand in a few years time. Existence will be on display at Mom Tris Wok Gallery Kitchen, located at 32/78 Patak Rd, Rawai, between Feb 1 and March 31. For more information, or for an appointment to visit the studio, contact the artist directly on +(66) (0) 81 797 1421 or at robinzart@gmail.com The Planning Commission approved at its Thursday, June 17, meeting a request from the land's current property owner, Goodman Group, to divide up about 30 acres of the property into five smaller parcels. Chinese tourists survive ATV plunge in reverse PHUKET: Two female Chinese tourists escaped serious injury during an ATV tour in the hills of Karon yesterday afternoon (Jan 27) after the one driving opened the throttle without realising the vehicle was in reverse and plunged them down a steep hillside into the jungle. tourismtransportaccidentsSafetyChinese By The Phuket News Monday 28 January 2019, 04:10PM The two tourists were injured after their ATV plunged down a slope. Photo: Chalong Municipality The two tourists were injured after their ATV plunged down a slope. Photo: Chalong Municipality The two tourists were injured after their ATV plunged down a slope. Photo: Chalong Municipality The two tourists were injured after their ATV plunged down a slope. Photo: Chalong Municipality Rescue workers from the Nang Nuan Rescue unit of Chalong were called to the scene at 4:20pm. The rescue workers arrived to find the two Chinese tourists about 20 metres down the slope. Huang Guang Jun, 28, suffered an injury to her hip, while Jin Ting, 26, suffered injuries to her knee and scratches over her body. The ATV itself came to rest upside down near a small brook at the bottom of the slope some 60 metres from where it was launched backwards down the hill. The rescue team took the women to the Accident & Emergency Centre of the yet-to-open Chalong Hospital for treatment. The womens injuries were not listed as serious. Boy, 7, savaged by dogs near Sarasin Bridge PHUKET: A 7-year-old boy is in the intensive-care unit (ICU) at Vachira Phuket Hospital after he was savaged by stray dogs living on the north side of the bridges off the island, in Phang Nga Province, yesterday (Jan 27). animalshealthSafety By The Phuket News Monday 28 January 2019, 10:45AM Phuket Vice Governor Prakob Wongmaneerung (centre) and Thalearngsak Noodprahan (right), Chief of the Phuket Governors Office, at the Vachira Phuket Hospital ICU last night (Jan 27). Photo: PR Dept The boy, so far named only as D Max, was attacked at about 10am, and his parents rushed him to Takua Thung Hospital. Due to the severity of his wounds, doctors there had him transferred to the better-quipped Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town. Dr Weerasak Lawtongkum, Acting Chief of Vachira Hospital and Deputy Director of the Medical Department, said medical staff from the pediatrics, general surgery and plastic surgery divisions had been assigned to provide treatment to D Max. D Max suffered wounds to his head, neck, torso, legs and arms. Some of the wounds are deep, Dr Weerasak explained. D Max underwent his first surgery in the reconstruction process last night, Dr Weerasak said. The patient is still in the ICU under close observation. We also have a psychiatrist attending to his emotional condition right now, Dr Weerasak added. Phuket Vice Governor Prakob Wongmaneerung and other officials visited D Max at the hospital last night to provide encouragement. He has many wounds which will take time to heal. We wish for D Max to get well soon, Vice Governor Prakob said. Khok Kloi Police confirmed to The Phuket News this morning that D Max went with his brother and a friend to collect shells from the waters edge at Baan Tha Noon at about 9:30am when four dogs ran out and attacked them. Two of the boys managed to run away from the attacking pack, but D Max could not. Unable to get the dogs to leave D Max alone, the boys ran to get help from nearby villagers, police explained. Authorities to clear Phuket of aggressive dogs and rabies PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Livestock Office has announced today (Jan 28) that they will begin an island-wide project to vaccinate stray dogs against rabies, whilst removing aggressive dogs from the streets following a horrific attack on a 7 year old boy yesterday. animalsSafety By Tanyaluk Sakoot Monday 28 January 2019, 07:38PM Phuket Livestock plan to get aggressive dog from the street also put vaccine in several area in Phuket province in March, announced today (Jan 28). After A 7-year-old boy was savaged by stray dogs living on the north side of the bridges off the island, in Phang Nga Province, yesterday (Jan 27). Phuket Provincial Livestock Office Acting Chief Manat Thepparat told The Phuket News, Following Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatanas hospital visit to see the boy who was attacked (known only as D Max) we have received orders to begin a survey of all stray dogs and cats on Phuket, commencing in February. We will put together an official record of the numbers of stray dogs and cats in each area and in March we will begin mass rabies vaccinations, Mr Manat said. We will also seek to find aggressive dogs on the Island which will be caught and taken to Baan Khanun Homeless Dog Shelter in Thalang, which currently holds around 700 dogs, he added. Mr Manat requested that anyone who sees an aggressive dog should call the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office on 076216934. Gov Phakaphong told press at Vachira Phuket Hospital,The four dogs have been quarantined by Phang Nga Provincial Livestock Officers and are being examined for rabies. I have ordered Phuket Provincial Livestock Office to plan a survey of all stray dogs on Phuket to restore confidence among citizens and tourists. D Max, who was attacked by four stray dogs yesterday whilst collecting shells with his brother and a friend on the north side of the bridges off the island, in Phang Nga Province, is still in intensive care under close observation (See story here). He underwent surgery to close his wounds at 3am this morning. Dr Weerasak Lawtongkum, Acting Chief of Vachira Phuket Hospital and Deputy Director of the Medical Department, said this morning that D Maxs condition has improved significantly and he now needs to stay at the hospital for two or three days so that his wounds can be monitored to ensure he makes a full recovery without complications. Doctors administered a blood transfusion due to the amount of blood lost through his wounds. A ventilator has also been given to help with breathing. We expect to be able to remove the ventilator today or tomorrow, Dr Weerasak said. D Max has been treated for rabies prevention and doctors are keeping a close eye on him. Meanwhile Phang Nga Provincial Livestock Officers caught the four stray dogs that attacked D Max. They were shot with an anesthesia gun and taken away to be examined for rabies over 7-14 days. If the dogs do not have any rabies symptoms, they will be sterilized and taken to an animal shelter. The state last month passed legislation allowing communities to reduce the use of fireworks. Royal Oak is among the first cities in the state to do so. Michiganders love winter for ice fishing, snowshoeing and all of the outdoor activities that can be enjoyed. However, extreme drops in temperature can also put people at risk for serious risks and hazards. To combat these potential dangers here are a few prevention points from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Service and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Books Yes, this novel has a cat narrator. I'm not ashamed to say it had me at meow. A new law, signed by Gov. Rick Snyder on Dec. 13, requires some employers to give some employees up to 40 hours paid medical leave if the employee, or a member of the employees immediate family, is ill or requires treatment. But the law may not apply to you. MetroCreative Connection This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. This subscription will allow curernt subscribers of The News Guard to access all of our online Subscriber-Only content, including the E Editions area. NOTE: To claim your access to the site, you will need to enter the Last Name and First Name that is tied to your subscription in this format: SMITH, JOHN If you need help with exactly how your specific name needs be entered, please call us at 1-541-994-2178 or email admin@countrymedia.net. featured Mid-Michigan Mid-Michigan shuts down amid biggest snow of the season - so far Gratiot Seville Township looking for new supervisor Due to the life-threatening cold and continued winter weather, all subscribers should anticipate the likelihood that your newspaper delivery w The following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. 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Wall Street analysts have given iShares China Large-Cap ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares China Large-Cap ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Swimming with the famous golden jellyfish in Palau can be put back on the bucket list following a two-year ban, but bathers may be stung with a hefty price increase for the pleasure. The government ordered the famed Ongeim'l Tketau Jellyfish Lake closed to swimmers in 2016 because of dwindling numbers of the unique creature -- blamed on warming waters although with some suspicion sunscreen on bathers may also have contributed. The conservation move proved costly for tour operators with the loss of Palau's most popular attraction contributing to a slump in tourism numbers. But authorities in Koror State, which owns the resource, say stocks are now recovering and tourists are again being welcomed at Jellyfish Lake. "The jellyfish are returning, tourists are visiting again," Dora Benhart, the outreach officer of Koror State's conservation department said. Swimming with the jellyfish on Mecherchar island, about a 45-minute boat ride from Koror, is "one of the most unique attractions" Palau has to offer, according to the Visitors Authority chairman Ngirai Tmetuchl. It is estimated to attract at least two-thirds of the annual visitors to the western Pacific archipelago which peaked at 160,000 in 2015. The numbers slumped to 108,000 last year which Tmeuchl said was caused by a combination of factors, including restrictions on Jellyfish Lake. The rare species of golden jellyfish, believed to exist only in this marine lake, does have a sting but it is mild and often undetectable making swimming among them a popular experience. The jellyfish population, which once swelled to around 20 million, slumped in 2016 because of El Nino, a climate pattern linked to warming waters in the central and eastern areas of the equatorial Pacific. Palau President Tommy Remenegsau called for the lake to be closed, and while it was never officially shut down by Koror State, the dwindling jellyfish numbers saw a self-imposed ban by tour operators who stopped taking visitors to the island rather than charge them US$100 to see nothing. Numbers rising With the waters cooling over the past year the jellyfish have increased to numbers strong enough to invite tourists back but Sharon Patris, a research biologist at the Coral Reef Research Foundation said it would take some time to reach "normal numbers" of five to eight million. A proposal to increase the visiting fee to US$150 is now before the Koror State legislature. Read also: Palau plans sunscreen ban to save coral Authorities are also strictly enforcing rules about the use of sunscreen, saying it must be environmentally friendly and applied more than 30 minutes before entering the water. Although a link between sunscreen and falling jellyfish numbers has been suggested and dismissed, authorities said they wanted to ensure the purity of the water. Clothes worn by bathers must be thoroughly rinsed before swimming to eliminate the risk of taking "invasive species" into the lake. Patris added there was a similar fall in jellyfish numbers in 1998 linked to an El Nino event and data showed "the jellyfish did not disappear because of the presence of sunscreen". There are more than 50 marine lakes in Palau, five of them containing jellyfish but only the one Jellyfish Lake is open to visitors. The Visitor Authority's Tmetuchl has called for a second lake containing the same golden species of jellyfish to be made available to the public. This is opposed by conservationists who say it would expose another lake to the same risks as the first. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Martin Petty and Enrico Dela Cruz (Reuters) Manila, Philippines Mon, January 28, 2019 10:23 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b03a9de 2 SE Asia #Philippines,#Terrorism,people,killed,church,bombs,blast,Jolo-Island Free The Philippines vowed to destroy those behind twin bombings that killed 20 people during a Sunday church service in the country's restive south, six days after a referendum on autonomy for the mainly Muslim region returned an overwhelming "yes" vote. The attack wounded more than 100 people and was one of the deadliest in recent years in a region long plagued by instability. It came amid hope and excitement about the ratification of a devolution plan that aims to bring development, jobs and peace to one of Asia's poorest and most volatile places. The first explosion went off inside the cathedral on Jolo island, in Sulu province, and was followed by a second blast outside, which was detonated as security forces raced to the scene, officials said. "The enemies of the state have boldly challenged the capability of the government to secure the safety of the citizenry in that region," said Salvador Panelo, spokesman of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. "The armed forces of the Philippines will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals." Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack via the militant group's Amaq news agency, describing it as twin suicide bombings that it said killed 120 people. Police are investigating but suspect it was the work of Abu Sayyaf, a domestic militant group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and is notorious for its bombings and brutality. "They want to show force and sow chaos," national police chief Oscar Albayalde told DZMM radio, suggesting Abu Sayyaf was the prime suspect. Civilians bore the brunt of the attack, which also killed five soldiers. Police lowered the death toll from 27 to 20, after discovering duplications in initial records. Jolo is a stronghold of the group, which runs a lucrative piracy and kidnapping operation that successive governments have failed to break up. The group, which operates in the waters and islands of western Mindanao, has beheaded numerous foreign captives when ransom demands were not met. Images of the inside of the Jolo church showed several rows of wooden pews destroyed, with debris strewn across a blackened floor. Speaking in Panama, Pope Francis condemned what he called a "terrorist attack" and during a prayer for the dead and wounded said: "May the Lord, prince of peace, convert the hearts of the violent ones." 'DASTARDLY ACT' The attack followed Friday's announcement that the region, a mainly Muslim part of the predominantly Catholic Philippines, had ratified the creation of an autonomous area called Bangsamoro, with 85 percent of voters behind it. Although Sulu was among only a few areas that rejected autonomy, it will still be part of the new entity when it is fully formed in 2022. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana called the attack a "dastardly act" and urged the local population to cooperate and "deny terrorism any victory". National Security Adviser, Hermogenes Esperon, called those responsible "mass murderers" and "extremist criminals". "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace," he added. The referendum came amid concerns about the presence of extremists in the Philippines and the possibility that foreign radicals will join those of Indonesia and Malaysia in gravitating to Mindanao to capitalize on porous borders, jungles and mountains, and an abundance of arms. The Philippine military in mid-2017 encountered its biggest and longest battle since World War Two when an alliance of extremists loyal to Islamic State, among them foreigners and children, overran Marawi City and tried to establish a caliphate. Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf faction leader anointed as Islamic State's Southeast Asian "emir" and wanted by the United States, was killed during that battle. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 11:30 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b03f50c 1 SE Asia Philippines,Philippines-bombing,Jolo-Island,southern-Philippines,Rodrigo-Duterte,terrorist-attack,church-attack,Indonesian-Embassy,condolences,foreign-minister,Abu-Sayyaf,Islamic-State Free The Indonesian government has expressed its condolences following the twin bombing on Jolo Island in the southern Philippines and confirmed that no Indonesians were among the victims. "So far, no Indonesians have fallen victim. The [Indonesian Embassy in Manila] continues to monitor [the situation] and coordinate with local authorities on the issue," Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippines Sinyo Harry Sarundajang told The Jakarta Post on Sunday night. Sinyo said the embassy had conveyed Indonesias deepest condolences to the victims' families and condemned the attack. On Monday morning, the Foreign Ministry decried the attack through its Twitter account: "Our deepest condolences to the government of the Philippines and families of the victims. We wish a speedy recovery for the wounded," the message read. At least 20 people were killed, including soldiers rushing to aid the wounded, as two bombs hit a church on a southern Philippines island that is a stronghold of Islamist militants, just days after a regional vote for a new autonomous Muslim region. The first blast occurred inside the Catholic church on war-torn Jolo on Sunday morning, as mass was being celebrated, and was followed by a second explosion in the parking lot as troops responded, regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Gerry Besana told AFP. At least 77 people were reportedly wounded. "The motive is surely [...] terrorism. These are people who do not want peace," Besana said. President Rodrogo Duterte vowed to crush the terrorists. The enemies of the state have boldly challenged the capability of the government to secure the safety of the citizenry in that region, Duterte spokesman Salvador Panelo said as quoted by Reuters. The armed forces of the Philippines will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals. Philippines police suspected that the militant group Abu Sayyaf was responsible for the bombings. The group has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. They want to show force and sow chaos, National Police chief Oscar Albayalde told DZMM radio, as quoted by Reuters, suggesting the Abu Sayyaf group was the prime suspect. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agnes Anya and Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, January 29 2019 Gruesome attack: A Philippine soldier walks inside a church after a bomb attack in Jolo, Sulu province, the Philippines, on Sunday.(Armed Forces of the Philippines - Western Mindanao Command/Handout via Reuters) Indonesia condemned on Monday the bombing of a church that left 20 dead in the Philippines restive south, and which put a damper on recent peace efforts aimed at ending decades of separatist violence. The Foreign Ministry expressed its condolences on behalf of the country following the twin bombing on Jolo Island in Mindanaos southern chain of islands and confirmed that no Indonesians were among the victims. The ministry also expressed its full confidence in the Philippine government, saying it would locate the perpetrators of terrorism and process them in accordance with prevailing regulations. The Indonesian government stands ready t... Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rachmadea Aisyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 09:07 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b0364a5 1 Business Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,Susi-Pudjiastuti,Minister,selebgram,Instagram,social-media Free As the country enters its demographic bonus period, several of President Joko Jokowi Widodos cabinet members are seeing their popularity grow among millennials. Indonesian millennials, the generation of people aged 20 to 34 years old, are estimated to number 65.9 million in 2019, making up nearly a quarter of the countrys population of 266 million, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS). One of these cabinet members is Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, an active Instagram user with 1 million followers, whose comments characterizing millennials as drinking too much coffee and not saving for retirement have reserved her a special place among the countrys young. She is probably aware that her number of followers surpasses most of real selebgrams, thus making her a trendsetter, as she has said she wanted to become one when she retired. Someone came up to me at a mall and asked to take a picture with me, saying where did you buy that blouse, Maam? I wanted to get it too so we can have the same clothes, Sri Mulyani said recently, giggling. So, I was thinking that when Im no longer the finance minister, perhaps I could become a selebgram and [people would] endorse me." Sri Mulyani, a former World Bank managing director, is also the vocalist of an unofficial cabinet minister band named Elek Yo Band (Nevermind Its Awful), which includes Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono on drums and Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi on guitar, as well as several other ministers. The band performed -- and attracted a huge crowd -- at last years Java Jazz festival and raised Rp 10 billion (US$706,611) at a charity concert for the victims of West Nusa Tenggaras earthquakes. On a different occasion in September, Jokowi jokingly told Elek Yo Band members to practice more as they were so awful it upsets my stomach when I listen to them, as reported by kompas.com. Jokowi himself is known as the first president to don casual clothing during impromptu visits, wearing his sons Zara bomber jacket during a speech and appearing at a music festival, casting aside Indonesias stiff image of bureaucratic protocol and safari suits. On top of that, he regularly uploads vlogs documenting his work visits to his Instagram account and YouTube channel, which had 15.9 million followers and over 760,000 subscribers, respectively, as of Jan. 25. His efforts to get closer to millennials appear to be paying off as he seeks reelection this year, with a survey by Lingkaran Survei Indonesia (LSI) concluding that the electability of the Jokowi-Maruf Amin ticket among millennial voters is 52.7 percent, compared to Prabowo-Sandiagas 29.5 percent. Other cabinet members have also made efforts to be relatable to millennials, such as Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti and Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, who at the 2018 Our Ocean Conference (OOC) jokingly referred to themselves as millennial girls. Noted sociologist Imam Prasodjo said millennials, in addition to being the largest generation in the country, were intertwined with technology, allowing their social networks to expand beyond those of preceding generations. Such power is combined with Indonesias growing era of participatory politics in which citizens are becoming more actively involved in the policymaking process, providing millennials with a chance to steer the direction of the country. If policymakers want their policies to work out, they have to interact with the millennials and the latters perceptions and visions, Imam told The Jakarta Postover the phone on Friday. Otherwise, all policies that do not refer to the aspirations of millennials will not prevail. He contrasted this with the 1970s, when the majority of the population was below 18 years of age and were thus not at a productive age with the relevant views, leading to an authoritative regime with a top-down policymaking system. Nowadays, the system has flipped into a bottom-up process where policymakers absorb aspirations from the people [...] which is why acknowledging millennials as the majority is quite important, said Imam. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 16:11 873 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b04c37a 1 City jakarta,Sunda-Kelapa,nickname,city,history,#history Free In more than four-and-a-half centuries, Jakarta has changed its name several times. The names were either given by the Dutch, the Japanese, as occupiers of the territory, or the government. When Indonesia gained its independence, the capital was formally named Jakarta, although some people still refer to it by its other nicknames, such as 'Big Durian' or 'J-Town'. Here are five of the city's former names: Sunda Kelapa In the 14th century, the city's shore was the main harbor of the Sunda Kingdom, the territory's ruling monarchy in those days. The seaport was named Sunda Kelapa for its strategic and thriving location for pepper trade that attracted foreign nations. In 1522, the Portuguese secured a political and economic agreement with the kingdom to provide military assistance to the latter against the threat of the rising Islamic Javanese. The reigning king granted them free access to pepper trade sources. The Portuguese eventually made their homes in Sunda Kelapa and took control of the harbor from the kingdom. Jayakarta On June 22, 1527, there was a coup led by Fatahillah from the Demak Sultanate in Central Java to take control of the area from the Portuguese. The army attacked the harbor and succeeded to conquer it. Fatahillah later named the city Jayakarta, taken from Sanskrit meaning 'victorious deed'. The territory became part of the Banten Sultanate afterwards. Today, the day of the attack is commemorated as the capital's anniversary. Batavia In March 1621, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) took over the territory from the ruling Banten Sultanate and named it Batavia, another name derived from the Germanic Batavi tribe, as they believed that the tribe members were their ancestors. The city was named Batavia for more than three centuries, all under Dutch rule, as various efforts to take the area were met with failure. In 1942 the VOC surrendered and Batavia became occupied by the Japanese army. Tokubetsu Shi On March 9, 1942, the Dutch officially surrendered to Japanese occupation forces and Batavia fell to Japan. The Japanese then renamed the city Jakarta Tokubetsu Shi (Jakarta Special Municipality). To strengthen their position in Indonesia, the Japanese government issued a law to restore power balance to the regional administration system, and divided regional administrations into several municipalities, down to the lowest level of neighborhood. A 'Schichoo', or Mayor, held the highest position at that time. Jakarta After Japan surrendered following its defeat in World War II, the city was referred to as Jakarta. In August 1964, the government introduced a law to reinforce Jakarta's status as the capital city. Law No.34/1999 later changed the formal name to Jakarta Provincial Administration and divided the province into five municipalities and a regency. This article was originally published in The Jakarta Post's print edition on June 14, 2013, with the title "Weekly 5: The capital's 'childhood' names". Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Jambi Mon, January 28, 2019 15:34 873 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b049e75 1 National #Jambi,Jambi,zoo,#AnimalWelfare,animal-welfare,#zoo,Taman-Rimba,#Taman-Rimba,tiger,Sumatran-tiger,#SumatranTiger,lion Free In light of the recent deaths of a Sumatran tiger and African lion, Taman Rimba Zoo in Jambi said it was open to the idea of employing more professional staff or even privatizing the zoo. These animals need [animal care] specialists who can look after them, Taman Rimba technical management unit (UPTD) head Taufik Bukhori said on Monday. About 50 staff members were currently working at the zoo, including a big-cat keeper and veterinarian, according to the zoo. A protected female Sumatran tiger named Ayu and a male African lion named Shiro died due to an illness at the zoo over the past few weeks, leaving it with only one tiger and three female lions. But the two incidents raised suspicions about whether mismanagement had led to their deaths, with Jambi Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) saying that it was considering evaluating the zoo and its management team. Taufik said either privatization or zoo management reform should be the main concern of the Jambi administration. Privatization can also help reduce bureaucracy, he added. The UPTD is a regional unit established by the Jambi administration to manage the zoo. The administration allocates about Rp 2.6 billion (US$184,694) per year for the upkeep of the zoo, Rp 1.3 billion of which is used to feed the animals. In 2013, two African lions and a Sumatran tiger died at the zoo, allegedly from pesticide poisoning. Preliminary laboratory tests at that time showed that the three endangered animals were poisoned by meat laced with strychnine, which is a highly toxic alkaloid used as a pesticide. (ipa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Leslie Patton , Craig Giammona and Hailey Waller (Bloomberg) New York, United States Mon, January 28, 2019 12:12 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b040a79 2 Business #USA,#politics,former,CEO,Starbucks,howard-schultz,White-House,run Free Former Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz said hes seriously thinking of running for president in 2020 as a centrist independent candidate, a prospect thats already drawing objections from Democrats who say it may throw the election to Donald Trump. The Brooklyn-born billionaire, who dabbled with politics and thorny social issues as he built Starbucks into one of the worlds largest restaurant chains, announced his possible long-shot bid on CBSs 60 Minutes on Sunday. He said Americans are tired of the current system and looking for a better choice. Were living at a most-fragile time, Schultz said. Not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing whats necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics. Besides the 60 Minutes interview, Schultz also sent his first tweet on Sunday. He said, it feels good to be here and my hope is to share my truth, listen to yours, build trust, and focus on things that can make us better. Schultz, 65, whose political ambitions have been widely rumored for years, would be making his first run for public office. Speculation that he would make a bid for the White House ramped up last June after he announced his retirement as the chairman of Starbucks, listing public service as an option for his next chapter. At the time, he also laid out a centrist vision for the U.S., calling Trumps tax cut reckless and knocking vitriolic behavior from the White House. Schultz is worth about $3.5 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, giving him the ability to keep a campaign funded as a field of potentially more than a dozen Democrats and the Trump campaign compete for donors over what will be almost two years of campaigning. Schultz said on 60 Minutes that a price tag of as much as $500 million to win would not change his mind. Deep Pockets Ill say it this way: Well be fully resourced to do whats necessary, he said. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of the prominent Democrats mounting a campaign, has criticized wealthy presidential hopefuls who might use their personal fortunes to fund campaigns and urged the partys voters to reject such efforts. We ought to be building a movement [and] not having billionaires buy these campaigns, whether were talking about super PACs or self-funders, Warren said earlier this month in her initial campaign trip to Iowa, which will hold the first official contest in the nomination race in February 2020No independent candidate has made a successful run for the White House, and the structure of U.S. elections in terms of getting on ballots in all 50 states and fundraising heavily favors the two major parties. Third Parties Third-party or independent candidates typical register only a few percentage points nationally in presidential elections. The last serious independent bid for the presidency was made by another billionaire, H. Ross Perot in 1992. He got almost 19 percent of the popular vote but won no Electoral College votes as Democrat Bill Clinton defeated incumbent GOP President George H.W. Bush. The Green Partys Ralph Nader received almost 3 percent of the vote nationwide in 2000, and many people blame his 97,000 votes in Florida for costing Democrat Al Gore the White HouseSome Democrats are already saying another billionaire businessman and political neophyte who thinks he can solve U.S. problems as an independent would hive off votes in favor of Trumps re-electionIt would provide Donald Trump with his best hope of getting re-elected, Julian Castro, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and former San Antonio mayor, said on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday. Given Trumps approval rating in the low 40 percent range, his only hope, if things stay the same -- and thats a big if -- is essentially to get somebody else, a third party, to siphon off those votes, Castro said. Siphoning Votes Asked on 60 Minutes whether hes worried about siphoning votes away from the eventual Democrat candidate and ensuring a second term for Trump, Schultz said, I want to see the American people win. I dont care if youre a Democrat, independent, Libertarian, Republican, Schultz said. Bring me your ideas. And I will be an independent person, who will embrace those ideas. Because I am not, in any way, in bed with a party. Schultz said while hes been a lifelong Democrat, the U.S. now has about $21.5 trillion of debt and both parties are guilty of a reckless failure of their constitutional responsibility. He said he would not have given a free ride to business with the tax cut Trump and Republicans enacted in 2017, and he criticized Democrats for proposing free healthcare for all. While Starbucks is ubiquitous, Schultz himself is not as well known to voters. His business record, though, could provide him with a way to illustrate his stances. Social Debates At Starbucks, Schultz increased benefits, including college tuition and healthcare coverage, for the chains retail workers -- including part-timers. And while running a coffee chain with locations across the U.S. and around the globe, Schultz was willing to thrust his company into contentious social and political debates over the years. In 2011, he enlisted other business leaders in a pledge to boycott U.S. political campaign donations until Congress could find a solution to growing national debt. More recently, Schultz enlisted baristas to write Race Together on cups to spur a national conversation on race, a move that was widely mocked on social media. n early 2017, Starbucks announced a plan to hire 10,000 refugees over five years. The decision was one of the strongest rebukes at the time against a Trump order suspending admission of refugees into the U.S. and barring citizens from seven mostly Muslim countries. The companys move sparked a boycott of the chain. In April, Starbucks came under fire after the arrest of two black patrons at a cafe in Philadelphia, forcing the company and Schultz to apologize. Schultz first came across Starbucks in 1981 while on a business trip in Seattle. At the time, the chain had just 11 locations. He joined the company the next year as director of retail operations and marketing. Schultzs real visionary moment, however, came in 1983 on a trip to Italy where he saw the popularity of the espresso bar and decided to build Starbucks into something similar in the U.S. With assistance by Shelly Hagan Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 12:23 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b0410e9 1 Politics Prabowo-Subianto,#Prabowo,presidential-election,#2019-elections,2019-elections,2019-presidential-election,#2019PresidentialElection,Islamic-caliphate,#Islamic-caliphate Free Presidential candidate Prabowo Subiantos younger brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who is also a member of Prabowo's campaign team, said he could guarantee that the Gerindra Party chairman would not seek to create an Islamic state if he won the upcoming presidential election. Hashim made the statement at a Diversity and Peaceful Election event organized by the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) on Sunday. At the event, a woman asked Hashim, who is a Christian, about the support Prabowo received from the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and hard-line mass organization Islam Defenders Front (FPI), and whether that meant Prabowo would create a caliphate. I will tell you maam, what is the guarantee that Prabowo will not create a caliphate? I am that guarantee, he said as quoted by tempo.co. My Catholic older sister and brother-in-law, they are also the guarantees. Prabowos support among conservative Muslims, including former sympathizers of the now-banned Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), has led to rumors that he would turn Indonesia into an Islam-based state if he was elected. Hashim, however, said, as a politician, Prabowo would accept support from anyone, and that it did not necessarily indicate what Prabowo would do if he was president. We accept support from anyone, except the devil, he said. We would even accept support from the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of PKI [now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party] members, as long as Prabowo is not led to the hammer and sickle. (kmt/ipa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 13:15 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b0424a4 1 National #KPK,KPK,corruption,#corruption,graft-convict,#CivilServants,civil-servants Free The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has criticized the dismissal of civil servants convicted of corruption as being slow. Citing data from the National Civil Service Agency (BKN), KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said only 891 from a total 2,357 convicted civil servants had been discharged from office, despite the fact that all the dismissals should had been completed by the end of last December. We received information from the BKN about the sluggish dismissal process. Reluctance and hesitation by the supervisors of these civil servants and several other things had caused the delays, Febri said on Sunday as quoted by Antara. We deplore the lack of commitment of these supervisors, whether in the national or regional administrations, to play by the rules, he added. According to Febri, 49 officials from a total of 98 corrupt civil servants of state institutions at the national level were dismissed. Last September, the BKN named North Sumatra the province with the largest number of civil servants convicted of corruption, with 298 civil servants. Eleven percent work for the provincial administration, while the rest work at the regency or city level. West Java came second, with 193 civil servants implicated in corruption cases, followed by Riau, East Nusa Tenggara and Papua, with 190, 183 and 146 officials convicted of graft, respectively. (ggq/ipa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post) Muscat, Oman Mon, January 28, 2019 18:06 873 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b052f78 1 Business Oman,Oman-Vision-2040,economy,transformation,diversification,development Free Oman is attempting to diversify its economy beyond oil resources, which has been its main engine for growth for many decades. The Omani government has laid out its plan in Oman Vision 2040, a road map that seeks to improve various socio-economic areas in the country by implementing a broad set of regulatory and bureaucratic reforms. The roadmap document, which can be accessed on the governments official website, sets 13 areas as national priorities, including economic diversification and fiscal sustainability as well as the labor market and employment. [] theres a need to change, from an economy depending on oil and gas, into a more diversified economy, said Abdullah bin Salem Al-Salmi, head of the Oman 2040 economy and development committee at a press briefing on Monday in Muscat. In a two-day conference in Muscat starting on Sunday, the Omani public and private stakeholders as well as foreign experts exchanged their ideas to complement the road map formula, which will be drafted into a five-year plan from 2021 to 2025. The result of the upcoming five-year plan would be a stepping stone for reaching the goals laid out in the 2040 vision, said Talal bin Sulaiman Al-Rahbi, chairman of the Oman 2040 future vision technical committee. After the conference, working groups will sit [together] and give feedback, and formulate the final [road map] document, said Al-Rahbi, who is also a deputy secretary-general of the Omani Supreme Council for Planning. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 18:49 873 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b05495e 1 City cap-go-meh,celebration,Chinese-New-Year-2019,bogor,MUI Free The Indonesian Ulema Councils (MUI) Bogor chapter in West Java has urged members of the public not to heed the call from a conservative Muslim group who wants to ban Cap Go Meh celebrations. A circular dated Jan. 23, which was issued by a group identifying itself as the Bogor Muslim Forum, stated that it rejected the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration on Feb. 5 and Cap Go Meh that is celebrated 15 days later. After the circular was widely spread on social media, MUI Bogor regency chairman Mukri Aji said Muslims in the area should remain tolerant and that people of different beliefs do not interfere with one another, as stated in the MUIs fatwa. I dont know of the existence and quality of that forum, but the thing is that the MUIs fatwa is stronger, he told tempo.co on Monday. He was referring to the 2016 fatwa on the law to use non-Muslim attire, which states that Muslims should respect the faith and beliefs of people from other religions. I think its clear. We should maintain harmony and tolerance, he added. The Cap Go Meh celebration has been held regularly in Bogor without any major disturbances. (fac) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Karina M. Tehusijarana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 14:24 873 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b0461d9 1 Politics #Elections,elections,2019-elections,#2019-elections,#2019PresidentialElection,2019-presidential-election,Youth,#youth,young-voters,#millenials,millenials,Prabowo-Subianto,#Prabowo,Jokowi,#Jokowi Free Making up nearly half of the electorate, millennials are at the top of every political partys target group list this election year. But the younger generations general disinterest in politics, coupled with a decreasing turnout rate, raises the question of whether candidates and political parties will be able to get millennials to exercise their right to vote at all come election day in April. Moderators Ira Koesno and Imam Priyono made a point of specifically mentioning so-called netizens, the majority of whom are millennials, when they opened the first presidential debate earlier this month, and politicians from both President Joko Jokowi Widodos and Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subiantos camp have repeatedly called on millennials to get out and vote. Prabowo running mate and former deputy Jakarta governor Sandiaga Uno has been particularly assiduous in attending events aimed at young people and encouraging them to take part in the political process. Millennials have to become players, not just spectators, Sandiaga said at the Indonesia Millennial Summit 2019 in Jakarta last week. On Jokowis side, millennial-friendly young politicos like West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil and United Development Party (PPP) chairman Romahurmuziy have urged the younger generation to go to the polls on election day. Do not abstain, Ridwan said at the same summit. As I have said before, making the wrong choice will lead to five years of regret. Romahurmuziy echoed Ridwans comments, saying that Jokowis campaign team was aiming to obtain at least 45 percent of the millennial vote. As part of [Jokowis] campaign team and as a supporting political party we continually look to approach millennials, so that they are not apolitical, he said recently, as quoted by tribunnnews.com. Both teams may be fighting an uphill battle, however, with political apathy on the rise, especially among millennials. The abstention rate has shown an increasing trend since the 1999 general elections, with nearly 30 percent of registered voters abstaining in the 2014 presidential election and younger voters accounting for the majority of the abstentions. A 2017 survey about millennials political orientation conducted by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that they had little interest in politics, with personal economic issues, such as employment, ranking first among the generations greatest concerns. A more recent survey conducted by the IDN Research Institute and Jakarta-based pollster Alvara Research Center confirmed the findings, showing that only 23.4 percent of the 1,400 millennial respondents followed political news or kept up with political issues. For [millennials], political news in Indonesia is quite heavy, complicated and boring, the surveys report concludes. Millennials prefer lighter news stories that are closer to their lives. Alvara Research Center CEO Hasanuddin Ali said that while millennials may make up a large proportion of eligible voters, he was doubtful as to whether they would turn up in large enough numbers to have a significant effect on the results of the upcoming election. In the polls that we have conducted since the presidential candidates were announced, millennials make up the largest proportion of undecided voters, he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. And the level of loyalty of those who have made a choice is very low compared to Gen X or baby boomers. Their three main topics of conversation are sports, music and film, [followed by] technology, he said. They just dont like to talk about politics. That apathy is not confined to Indonesia: According to the recently released 2018 Deloitte Millennial Survey, millennials worldwide have a dim view of politics, with 71 percent seeing political leaders as having a negative impact on the world. Hasanuddin said that getting out the millennial vote was a difficult task and that politicians should focus on a less lofty goal: gaining the generations favor. Because millennials are so active on social media, it's important for politicians not to get on their bad side, as that can quickly create a lot of hostility, he said. He added that both the Jokowi camp and the Prabowo camp had their own advantages with regard to the millennials. Nowadays, most young people dream of becoming successful entrepreneurs, so Sandiaga has an advantage there, he said. Meanwhile, Jokowi tries to get closer to them by attending music events, wearing sneakers and T-shirts and trying to show that there is no distance between them and the President. (ipa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Maria Isabel Sanchez (Agence France-Presse) Caracas, Venezuela Mon, January 28, 2019 08:28 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b032bbe 2 World #VenezuelaCrisis,#politics,Nicolas-Maduro,rejects,calls,elections Free Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro rejected on Sunday a European ultimatum that he call elections as opposition rival Juan Guaido stepped up appeals to the military to turn against the leftist government. The United States separately warned there would be a "significant response" if US diplomats, Guaido or the opposition-controlled National Assembly were targeted with violence and intimidation. The caution came after Spain, Britain, France, the Netherlands and Germany said Saturday they would recognize Guaido as interim president unless Maduro calls elections within eight days. Australia followed, saying it "recognizes and supports" Guaido as interim president pending elections. "They should withdraw this ultimatum. No one can give us an ultimatum," Maduro told CNN Turk in an interview dubbed into Turkish from Spanish. "Venezuela is not tied to Europe. This is complete insolence," Maduro added, describing the European countries' actions as a "mistake." Later, he appeared at a military exercise in the state of Carabobo where he called for "union, discipline and cohesion" to defeat what he called an "attempted coup d'etat." "Traitors never, loyal always," he exhorted the military audience. Televised images showed tanks lined up in a row and soldiers firing their weapons. "Are you coupsters or are you constitutionalists? Are you pro-imperialist or anti-imperialists?" Maduro asked. Thus far, the military has backed the leftist regime, which was ushered into power more than 20 years ago by the late Hugo Chavez, but there have been some signs of unrest. Pope Francis, winding up a trip to Panama, said Sunday he was praying that "a just and peaceful solution is reached to overcome the crisis, respecting human rights." Playing down military intervention Washington also accepted exiled opposition leader Carlos Vecchio as Venezuela's new charge d'affaires to the United States after he was tapped by Guaido. Vecchio, who lives in Florida, met with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale. The US official, in turn, "reaffirmed the United States' strong support for interim President Guaido's leadership of Venezuela," the State Department said. Guaido, 35, heads the opposition-controlled National Assembly and declared himself acting president in Caracas on Wednesday during an anti-government rally by tens of thousands. He contends that Maduro's re-election to a second six-year term was fraudulent. Guaido's bid was swiftly endorsed by Canada, the United States and many Latin American countries. "Any violence and intimidation against US diplomatic personnel, Venezuela's democratic leader, Juan Guaido, or the National Assembly itself would represent a grave assault on the rule of law and will be met with a significant response," US National Security Advisor John Bolton tweeted, without specifying what kind of response he meant. The warning didn't address specific groups or individuals, but Bolton noted in a linked tweet that Cuba's "support and control over Maduro's security and paramilitary forces" was well known. Maduro has received backing from China, Russia, Syria and Turkey, as well as longtime allies Cuba and Bolivia. Although he professed himself "open to dialogue," he acknowledged it was unlikely. "I sent many messages to Donald Trump," he said in the CNN Turk interview. Appeals to the military In Washington, Republican Senator Marco Rubio, considered a key architect of the US policy on Venezuela, played down the possibility of a military intervention despite his and Trump's warnings earlier in the week that "all options are on the table." "I don't know of anyone calling for military intervention," Rubio said. Guaido has aimed his appeals at the Venezuelan military, with promises of amnesty, and mass protests to dramatize the depth of popular opposition to Maduro who has presided over a virtual collapse of the economy and a severe humanitarian crisis, with shortages of food and medicines. On Sunday, Guaido attended a mass in Caracas in honor of the political prisoners and opposition leaders in exile, as well as the almost 30 people killed and the more than 350 arrested in clashes with security forces in the past week. In line with a request from Guaido, his supporters on Sunday circulated copies of amnesty measures approved by the National Assembly to friends and relatives in the military. Venezuela's military attache in Washington, Army Colonel Jose Luis Silva, switched his support to Guaido in a video that called on his brothers in arms to follow his lead. US vs Russia At a special UN Security Council session Saturday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described Maduro as part of an "illegitimate mafia state" responsible for Venezuela's economic collapse. Pompeo urged nations to end financial transactions with Maduro's government, which has struggled to pay bills despite the country's oil wealth. Russia has denounced the United States for attempting to "orchestrate a coup d'etat," and denied reports that 400 members of a private Russian military group were in Venezuela to protect Maduro. The Venezuelan leader earlier gave US diplomats until late Saturday to leave the country. But as the deadline expired, Maduro said he had begun negotiations to set up within 30 days an Interests Section in Caracas to maintain a minimum level of diplomatic contact, similar to the arrangement the US had with Cuba until their 2015 rapprochement. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jambi Mon, January 28 2019 A protected female Sumatran tiger named Ayu and a male African lion named Shiro have died from illness at Taman Rimba Zoo in Jambi in the past few weeks, a zoo official has said. According to autopsy results, Ayu died from pneumonia, Taman Rimba technical unit head Taufik Bukhori said on Sunday, adding that the Sumatran tiger was 8 years old when she died on early Saturday morning at around 1 a.m. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Shiro had died a week earlier after suffering from heart disease. The two incidents, which left Taman Rimba Zoo with only one Sumatran tiger and three female lions, raised suspicions on whether mismanagement had led to the deaths. Jambi Natural Resources Conservation Agency head Rahmat Saleh said his office was considering to evaluate the zoo and its management team. We will take the necessary measures, he said without ela... Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 13:19 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b042ced 4 Business exports,policy,exporters,comments Free Exporters have welcomed the government's short-term policy to boost exports by reducing the number of the commodities requiring surveyor reports (LS's) and those on the restricted exports list. Indonesian Exporters Association (GPEI) chairman Benny Soetrisno said the government's plan to ease export procedures was a good step, because the LS process required time and was costly for exporters. Benny believed the policy would facilitate exporters in the near future, but questioned its sustainability. Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI) executive director Hendra Sinadia also appreciated the government for introducing the policy, as he believed it would help improve export performance. Hendra mentioned that he had never experienced any problems with the LS process. Separately, Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) deputy chairman Shinta Widjaja Kamdani said the government needed to improve its regulations continuously to improve export performance and introduce incentives to encourage exports. The government has given us incentives in the form of tax holidays, tax allowances, and others. But if the procedures are complicated and arranging permits is difficult, they would have a more negative effect on export performance, Shinta said recently as quoted by kontan.co.id. She also called on the government to closely monitor policy implementation and to synchronize regional export policies. Shinta stressed that in the long run, the government needed to focus on opening more markets for Indonesian products through cooperation agreements with countries that currently imposed high tariffs on Indonesian products. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 12:09 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b03fd01 4 Business CEPA,Indonesia,Turkey,negotiation Free Indonesia and Turkey have held a third round of talks on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IT-CEPA) in Jakarta. During the meeting held from Thursday to Friday last week, the Trade Ministrys bilateral negotiations director, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, said delegates of the two countries had started to discuss crucial issues to boost bilateral trade. "Indonesia stressed the importance of constructive negotiations to discuss crucial issues in six working groups," Made said in press statement released over the weekend. She said the two sides had completed terms of reference at the meeting, which would serve as a guide for the next round of negotiations. In the second-round negotiation, held in Ankara from May 28 to 30 last year, the six working groups had discussed various issues, including market access, customs and trade facilitation (CTF), trade remedies (TR), technical barriers to trade (TBT), sanitation and phytosanitation (SPS) as well as legal settlement. Made said the IT CEPA negotiations were aimed paving the way to boost trade between the two countries to US$10 billion by 2023, in line with a target set by President Joko Jokowi Widodo. Although data show that Indonesian-Turkish trade is growing consistently, it does not yet reflect the full potential, she said as reported by Antara news agency. The negotiations initially focused on trade, but the talks would also touch on services, investment and other topics that would be decided later. Trade between Indonesia and Turkey amounted to $1.63 billion from January to November 2018, compared to Rp $1.53 billion in the corresponding period of 2017. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 12:39 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b041420 1 City jakarta,police,crime,street-crime,thief,East-Jakarta,motorcycle Free Kalideres Police detained six alleged motorcycle thieves in East Jakarta on Jan. 25, two of whom were shot for resisting arrest. We shot them in their legs, because they attempted to fight back, said Kalideres Police crime unit chief Adj. Comr. Syafri Wasdar on Sunday, kompas.com reported. The shot suspects, RD, 24, and S, 20, were taken to the Kalideres Hospital for medical treatment, while the four others were brought to the police office. The four other suspects are J, 35; JS, 32; MA, 20; and HS, 21, Kalideres Police chief Comr. Pius Ponggeng said. Pius said the police had targeted the group for quite some time. Police also confiscated a blue Honda motorcycle and a blue Suzuki car. (vla) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stefanno Reinard Sulaiman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 17:43 873 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b051808 1 Business land-acquisition,oil-and-gas,SKKMigas Free The government has cut red tape in procuring land to facilitate the oil and gas industry's upstream business. Through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (SKK Migas), ownership of the land that used by oil and gas contractors will belong to the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry. SKK Migas believed that issuing a state property certificate would assure security and legality of the land used for upstream projects, said Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil. He added that the new policy would help avoid overlapping ownership claims. Sofyan also said the land procurement policy was based on Law No.2/2012 on acquiring land for development. We know that SKK Migas has been facing problems acquiring land, which is vital to ensuring our oil and gas supply, Sofyan said, following the MoU signing ceremony recently in Jakarta. We have also given the industry discretionary status under Law No.2/2012 by declaring it a public interest sector, he said. Sofyan said the bureaucracy of the land procurement process had caused low exploration activities in the upstream sector. So in the future, if SKK Migas needs land, we will help them procure it, just as we have been doing for toll road projects, he said. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 14:44 873 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b048679 1 City jakarta,deputy-governor,PKS,Gerindra-Party,screening-process,screening,political-power,political-parties Free After months of stalling, Gerinda and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) have finally screened three candidates to fill the Jakarta deputy governor position, which has been left vacant for half a year. The eight-hour screening of Akhmad Syaikhu, Agung Yulianto and Ahmad Suhaimi all PKS politicians was held behind closed doors on Sunday at the Aston Priority Simatupang Hotel in South Jakarta. [We] apologize that it was closed [to the media]. Moreover, the agenda took a long time, PKS Jakarta spokesperson Zakaria Maulanan Alief said on Sunday as quoted by tempo.co, adding that his team would issue a press statement after the screening was finished to avoid public uproar. Each candidate was reportedly required to present their ideas on city development and was quizzed on their understanding of the citys mid-term plan. During the first phase of the screening, each candidate was given individual time to present their ideas before being questioned by a four-man panel. In the second phase, all three candidates were presented together before the panel. The four panelists were: Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political observer Siti Zuhro, University of Indonesia public policy expert Eko Prasojo, Jakarta State University political observer Ubedilah Badrun and Gerindra's Ahmad Sulhy. The names of the top two candidates would be submitted to Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan before they were proposed to City Council. Sandiaga Uno resigned from his deputy governor post in August 2018 to run as Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto's running mate in the upcoming presidential election. (fac) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Frederic Pouchot (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Mon, January 28, 2019 22:37 873 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b059662 2 World #French,#Media,communist,daily-flight,bankruptcy Free The French communist newspaper L'Humanite appealed to readers on Monday to save it from bankruptcy. The troubled daily said it was placing itself under the "protection of the people", and that it was "entering a great battle for survival" just as it was most needed during an era of fake news. A bankruptcy court hearing in a Paris suburb on Wednesday will decide its future. With its Italian opposite number, L'Unita, folding two years ago, editors said they were determined to fight on for "workers, ordinary people, and the 'invisibles'" who keep France going. Editor Patrick Le Hyaric said the 114-year-old publication had always supported the "thinkers who have questioned the system and the artists who have brought culture" to its highest pinnacles. But sales slid six percent over the past year to 32,700 copies a day despite a rise in subscriptions. Le Hyaric told AFP that he would ask the court to make sure the paper keeps publishing even if receivers are called in. L'Humanite employs 200 people, half of them journalists. It raised more than one million euros from readers in a few weeks last year after its future was similarly threatened. But even that injection of cash was not enough to keep the wolves from the door, Le Hyaric said, with "no bank willing to work alongside us". L'Humanite's weak advertising revenues have almost dried up since 2015, the editor said, appealing for greater state support. The newspaper was founded in 1904 by the legendary French socialist Jean Jaures, but became the official mouthpiece of the French Communist Party (PCF) after 1920. Banned by the German occupiers during World War II, its heyday was in the 1930s when several hundred thousand copies a day were sold. It was also an important player in the French postwar press but the decline has mirrored the fading electoral fortunes of the PCF. In 2008 L'Humanite was forced to sell its headquarters just outside Paris designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 16:17 873 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b04da5a 4 Business farmers,protest,Jambi Free Farmers in Kayu Aro village, Kerinci regency, Jambi have thrown potatoes and cabbage harvested from their farms onto the road in protest over drastic price declines in the last month. Videos of the protest action on Saturday have spread fast through social media. The footage shows farmers empty several sacks of potatoes and cabbage onto roads and trample on the produce. The action was staged near the agribusiness terminals in the regency. The farmers expressed their disappointment over the low prices of their products. They said their sales could not even cover the production cost of their framing activities. They said the price of potatoes was only Rp 3,000 (21 US cents) per kilogram, far lower than one month ago, when it was Rp 6,000 to Rp 8,000 per kg. Meanwhile, the farmgate price of chili was Rp 5,000 per kg, down from the normal price of Rp 15,000 to Rp 30,000, while the price of shallots was Rp 6,000 to Rp 7,000 per kg, compared to the normal price of Rp 12,000 to Rp 15,000. While the prices of fertilizers and pest control have increased, the price of vegetables is very low, Maria, one of the farmers, told tribunnews.com. Sugi, another farmer, added that a chili price of Rp 5,000 per kg could not even cover maintenance and seedling costs. Meanwhile, the price of potatoes at Sungai Penuh Market in Kerinci regency was between Rp 6,000 and Rp 8,000 per kg on Sunday. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 18:08 873 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b052fb7 1 National #flooding,flood,#bad-weather,bad-weather,extreme-weather,heavy-rain,#landslides,landslides,strong-wind,#SouthSulawesi,SouthSulawesi,Central-Java,#CentralJava,pekalongan,#pekalongan,Rinjani,#Rinjani,BMKG,#BMKG,disaster Free Hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, landslides and strong winds have hit several areas across Indonesia. Dozens of people have been killed and thousands displaced in the last week. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned that according to rainfall patterns in the last 20 years, January and February were the peak months for hydrometeorological disasters. The rainy season has begun in almost all regions in Indonesia, with a tendency for extreme rain, BMKG spokesman Taufan Maulana told The Jakarta Post on Monday. There are also other factors, such as tropical cyclones, problems with urban spatial planning and the governments readiness to minimize the impact of extreme weather. National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho earlier said deforestation and damage to watersheds had contributed to the increasing number of hydrometeorological disasters over the years. The large areas deemed critical land, which the Environment and Forestry Ministry defines as land that has ecologically reduced function, was also a contributing factor. The BNPB recorded that the worst hydrometeorological disaster in the past few weeks was in South Sulawesi, with at least 69 people killed and 6,700 others displaced by floods and landslides that hit 12 regencies and one city across the province last week. Of the deaths, 46 were in Gowa, 14 in Janeponto, four in Maros and one in the provincial capital city Makassar. On his visit to the affected areas on Sunday, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the degraded environment at Bawakaraeng Mountain in Gowa -- where the Jeneberang River begins and runs through many regions across the province, including Makassar -- increased the likelihood of floods and landslides. "Besides the weather that we cannot control, the disasters were also caused by damage in the upstream area comprising the Bawakaraeng watershed," he said as quoted by Antara. Kalla said people should refrain from converting land with woody plants to cultivate agricultural crops like corn. In the disaster last week, some parts of Gowa were inundated after the Jeneberang River overflowed. Heavy downpours in Central Java over the weekend also caused floods in Kendal and Batang regencies, as well as Pekalongan city, killing at least two children and affecting thousands of residents. Rainwater flooded a number of schools in the three regions on Sunday, forcing some to close the next day. On Sunday, strong winds and heavy rains also hit Lagoa village in North Jakarta and Pamekasan regency in East Java, with several buildings collapsing. No casualties were recorded. In West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), torrential rain and strong winds also struck villages at the foot of Mount Rinjani, which is popular among climbers and tourists. On Monday, authorities reported more than 4,000 people in four subdistricts in Gorontalos Boalemo regency were affected by floods. Dozens of houses reportedly were damaged in the disaster. The BMKG forecast that extreme weather, strong winds and heavy rain could occur in 14 provinces in the next few days: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Bangka Belitung, Banten, Jakarta, Central Java, East Java, Bali, NTB, East Nusa Tenggara, Southeast Sulawesi and South Sulawesi. The BMKG also warned of the potential for 2.5 to 4 meter high waves in areas across Indonesia. The public should be careful of heavy rain and strong winds that are likely to occur at the end of January. There is potential for floods, landslides, flash floods, fallen trees and slippery roads, Taufan said. (ggq) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 17:11 873 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b04fd58 1 City Hepatitis,Hepatitis-A,Depok,students,elementary-schools Free Thirty-three elementary school students in Depok, West Java, have tested positive for the hepatitis A virus, prompting the administration to investigate street food stalls close to their schools. Depoks health agency in West Java is teaming up with the citys education agency to check the stalls after the students were infected in December and January. Ten students attend SDN Mekarjaya 30 state elementary school in Sukmajaya, while the others attend SDN Sukamaju 6 and SDN Sukamaju 9. Officials from the schools have confirmed that samples of street food sold close to the schools have been taken to a lab by the health agency to be examined. The health agency has [taken samples] to be examined to find out whether the disease was due to the street food they consumed or not, he said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com. It is unclear how the students were infected but Depok Education Agency head Mohammad Thamrin advised parents to provide their children with home-cooked meals. Hepatitis A is a contagious disease caused by a virus that can be spread through food and water. (fac) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Shah Suraj Bharat (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28 2019 On a recent trip to West Sumatra, I had the opportunity to visit picturesque Sawahlunto, a small town nestled in Bukit Barisan. In its heyday, Sawahlunto was a prosperous coal-mining town after the Dutch discovered 200 million tons of coal deposits in the area in 1858. Yet, Sawahluntos fortunes waned as coal reserves were depleted and the town went through a period of decline, with many of its young and talented leaving for better opportunities elsewhere. Sawahlunto has regenerated by offering community-based tourist experiences, exploiting valuable commodities that can be more sustainable than coal for the small town: the warmth and hospitality of its people, scenic surroundings and a rich history embodied in well-preserved colonial architecture and disused coal mines. The railway and coal museums stand as relics to remind Sawahlunto of its more prosperous past. Des... Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eva Xiao (Agence France-Presse) Beijing, China Mon, January 28, 2019 11:11 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b03f34a 2 World #China,#HumanRightsAbuse,lawyer,jailed,subversion Free Prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang was sentenced on Monday to four and a half years in prison for state subversion, sealing the fate of another attorney swept up in a 2015 crackdown. Wang, 42, who defended political activists and victims of land seizures, disappeared in the sweep -- known as the "709" crackdown -- aimed at courtroom critics of Communist authorities. Charged in January 2016 with alleged state subversion, Wang had been the last of more than 200 lawyers and activists arrested in the 709 crackdown to be tried or released. Wang was "found guilty of subverting state power, sentenced to four years and six months in prison, and deprived of political rights for five years," the Tianjin Second Intermediate People's Court said in a statement. After more than two years of being in legal limbo -- detained without a trial date -- Wang's court hearing took place behind closed doors in Tianjin on December 26. At the time, the court said the trial was closed to the public "due to the state secrets involved". Wang's wife Li Wenzu was placed under de facto house arrest the day before her husband's trial to prevent her from attending. Li has actively protested her husband's detention. Last April, she attempted to march 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the detention facility in Tianjin where her husband had been held. In December, before Wang's court date was announced, Li and three supporters shaved their heads and tried to submit a petition to a Beijing court protesting Wang's detention. - 'Gross injustice' - Rights organisations denounced Wang's jail sentence, with Amnesty International calling it "a gross injustice". "His sentence is part of the Chinese government's ongoing crackdown on rights lawyers," explained Maya Wang, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. "In the past three years, the Chinese government has not only detained and imprisoned rights lawyers but also debarred them," she told AFP. According to Doriane Lau, china researcher at Amnesty International, Wang's four-and-a-half year prison sentence includes the more than three years the rights lawyer spent in detention. "He should be released in a little over a year," she wrote on Twitter. In addition to Wang, a number of other rights lawyers and activists detained by Chinese authorities in the 709 crackdown have also been charged with state subversion. In December 2017, Chinese dissident Wu Gan was sentenced to eight years in prison, one of the harshest punishments meted out in the sweep. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung Mon, January 28, 2019 19:15 873 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b05609f 1 National bus-accident,Bandung-Jakarta,toll-road,accident,road-accident,CipularangTollRoad Free Seven people were killed and six others injured in an accident involving a Bimasuci bus on the Cikampek-Purwakarta-Padalarang toll road in West Java on Monday. West Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Trunoyudo Wisnu Andhiko said the bus was traveling from Bandung to Jakarta. So far seven people have died in the accident, Trunoyudo added. The bus was carrying 33 passengers including the driver and a crew member. All the victims were taken to Thamrin and Siloam general hospitals in Purwakarta, he said. The bus had crashed into a road divider causing it to flip over. (swa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 08:35 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b033e54 1 Business bank,BNI-46,banking-industry,expansion Free State-owned lender Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) is planning to acquire several small banks and a general insurance company to strengthen its business this year. BNI deputy president director Herry Sidharta said negotiations were underway on the planned acquisitions, which could require up to Rp 4 trillion (US$282.66 million) in capital. We are still evaluating the prospective banks for acquisition [on] whether they align with BNIs core business, Herry said on Wednesday during a press conference at the BNI head office. Acquiring the general insurance company was intended to strengthen BNI's insurance subsidiary, BNI Life Insurance, which provides life, health and education insurance policies. BNI Life performed below expectation last year due to poor operatonal performance and insignificant investment returns from the capital market, said Herry. Last year was a rough year for the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) because of mounting external pressures like the US-China trade war. The JCI ended 2018 in the red, falling 2.54 percent overall. In addition to its acquisition plan, BNI was also considering the establishment of new subsidiaries that would engage in the venture capital and financial technology (fintech) sectors. The lender owns four subsidiaries in addition to BNI Life BNI Syariah, BNI Securities, BNI Multifinance and BNI Asset Management which together contributed 9.24 percent to its consolidated profit in 2018. BNI posted Rp 15.02 trillion in net profits last year, a 10.3 percent year-on-year (yoy) increase that it attributed to a steady increase in net interest income, stronger loan growth and improvements in efficiency and assets quality. BNIs 2018 net profit was buoyed by its net interest income, which recorded an 11 percent yoy increase to Rp 35.45 trillion. Its net profit also increased on the back of 5.2 percent growth in its non-interest income to Rp 11.61 trillion. BNIs improved asset quality also contributed to its increased net profit, as seen in the decline in its gross non-performing loan (NPL) ratio from 2.3 percent to 1.9 percent by the end of 2018. However, BNIs net profit growth slowed last year compared to 2017, when net profit grew 20.10 percent. Nevertheless, the lender recorded an improvement in operational efficiency last year, as reflected in its cost-to-income ratio (CIR) which declined from 43.9 percent in December 2017 to 42.5 percent in December 2018. BNIs total outstanding loans increased 16.2 percent from Rp 441 trillion in 2017 to Rp 512 trillion in 2018, boosted primarily by loan disbursements to state-owned enterprises and private companies. Meanwhile, its total assets exceeded the Rp 800 trillion mark for the first time in 2018, growing 14 percent to reach Rp 808.6 trillion in December. Finance director Anggoro Eko Cahyo said BNI would push for growth in consumer loans, including payroll loans, housing loans and credit card subscriptions to maintain high growth in total lending this year. (das) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Singapore Mon, January 28, 2019 10:30 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b03b78c 2 World #Australia,#China,Australian,detention,policy,Canberra Free There was no proof an Australian man's detention in China was linked to Canberra's policies, Australia's defense minister insisted Monday, adding he had pressed Chinese officials on the case during a visit. Chinese-Australian author and democracy advocate Yang Jun, whose pen name is Yang Hengjun, was detained earlier this month shortly after making a rare return to China from the United States. The foreign ministry in Beijing says he is suspected of endangering "China's national security" -- which often implies espionage allegations in China. His detention comes amid heightened tensions between Western countries and an increasingly muscular Beijing, which detained two Canadians last month amid a diplomatic row with Ottawa. Speaking in Singapore, Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said he did not "see any evidence that the detention of Mr Yang is linked to decisions that the Australian government has made in recent times. "Nor do I see it as being linked to the detention of the two Canadians". Australia banned Huawei from participating in its 5G network in August over security fears, the latest country to do so, as Washington mounts a worldwide campaign to have the firm's equipment blacklisted. Pyne said he had raised Yang's detention during a visit to China last week. The minister said he had spoken to senior military officials in the southern city of Guangzhou "to ensure that (Yang) is being well cared for, being treated fairly and transparently, and we have consular access to him and that access is being granted". Australia said Friday it had been granted consular access to Yang. Canberra had previously complained it was notified four days after the detention, instead of three days as required. Yang left mainland China for Hong Kong in 1992 and became an Australian citizen in 2000. The two Canadians were detained in China after Meng Wanzhou, a top executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei, was arrested in Canada on a US extradition request. Canberra has increasingly found itself caught in the middle of tensions between its key ally Washington and vital trading partner Beijing. Pyne, speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, played down suggestions that US-China tensions amounted to a "new Cold War", insisting: "We are not interested in containing China." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 13:35 874 ab327006fac3d4a4e8af45a51b04485c 4 National jusuf-kalla,mosque,Indonesian-Mosque-Council,Islam Free Vice President Jusuf Kalla has said that the number of mosques in Indonesia has increased significantly in recent years, but the exact number of remains a mystery. Only God knows the number of mosques in Indonesia. If someone says 1 million, Im sure everyone will believe it, he said at the opening of the national coordination meeting (Rakornas) of the Nahdlatul Ulamas womens chapter, Muslimat, in Jakarta on Sunday, as quoted by Antara news agency. I always say there are 800,000 [mosques] but 1 million is also possible. This is an extraordinary development. Kalla, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council, said that with 800,000 mosques, there was one mosque for every 225 Muslims, including babies. He said mosques were located everywhere, including in offices, schools and shopping malls. Now, malls are only popular if there is a big mosque above it, allowing people to perform Friday prayers or Maghrib prayers there, he said. We are thankful that Indonesia has experienced such as good change. Kalla previously asked the Religious Affairs Ministry to make a comprehensive count of the number of mosques in the country. The ministrys Mosque Information System website, simas.kemenag.go.id, currently has only around 240,000 mosques listed on its registry. (kmt) In the era of social media and selfies, pretentiousness and elitism are no longer relevant for promoting art. Take the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN) in Jakarta as an example. Museum MACAN, a nonprofit organization founded by businessman and philanthropist Haryanto Adikoesoemo, is Indonesias first modern and contemporary art museum. It was created not only to house Adikoesoemos personal collection of more than 800 international and Indonesian works of art, including pieces by the likes of Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, but to also create a space where international works could be exhibited in Indonesia, to raise the international profile of local art and to promote art education and appreciation among people from a range of backgrounds. The number of high quality and carefully selected artworks at Museum MACAN has made it a go-to place for art-loving millennials and hipsters in Jakarta, because unlike most art museums in the world that seek to rein in the selfie culture Museum MACAN has decided to embrace it. Museum MACANs visitors are typically below the age of 30, and, like their peers, these young people like to take selfies with the artworks, most of which will likely end up on Facebook and Instagram. Museum MACAN director Aaron Seeto is baffled by the selfie phenomenon but welcomes it with open arms. I have no problem with selfies, because this is how people communicate now, the Australian-born Seeto told The Jakarta Post. People are sharing images, so opening the museum has been one way in which that curiosity has been harnessed toward art appreciation. Many museums in the Western world have to contend with rapidly aging populations, but Indonesia has a relatively young population, which largely shapes the way the nation communicates, particularly through social media. Seeto said women between the ages of 18 and 29 years made up more than 70 percent of the museums visitors. For many of them, the experience is the first time to set foot in a museum. This, according to Seeto, is an opportunity for Museum MACAN to operate in a different way to more traditional art museums. In a recent lecture organized by the Indonesian Heritage Society, Seeto spoke of the importance of supporting what he calls art for all, which is making art and art education more accessible to the general public. One of the preconceptions about art is that its only of interest to people of a particular age or social standing, whereas I think that people from all types of backgrounds should be able to engage with art, Seeto said. We believe that through art appreciation and education, people can understand how creativity might be an important part of their lives, and also understand the role of empathy. When you look at and think about an artwork, you might better understand the historical period it was made in, as well as the social and political concepts it communicates. In a big democracy like Indonesia, that is such an important thing; because of the multilingual and multireligious context, tools to understand other peoples viewpoints are very important. Education is one of the driving forces behind Museum MACANs creation, and because of this, the organization offers a range of educational programs to suit students of all ages. In addition to visiting teachers and classrooms and offering school tours at the museum, a major sponsor came on board last year to help establish the museums Sponsored School Visit program, designed to support those who may not be able to visit a museum. Through a vetting process by which the museum identifies the schools that have an ongoing interest in developing art education, a number of children are selected to visit the museum for free. Last year, more than 1,000 children from 109 schools visited Museum MACAN free of charge. Museum MACAN also offers an educators forum, where a regular group of teachers can tour the museum each time a new exhibition is opened and speak to the curators. We also develop educational activities that are distributed to the teachers, so we are also providing them with information and processes that they could adapt for their classrooms, Seeto said. Within its premises, Museum MACAN features an art space for children. Twice a year we commission an artist to make an installation specifically for children [...] We want to demystify some of the hesitation people might feel when they go into a museum and deliver an education where the kids feel comfortable and are engaged, Seeto said. Museum MACAN also offers educational programs for the general public, where members of the Indonesian arts community can share their knowledge with others. So, we started this project very recently called MACAN A to Z, which is a 40-minute presentation in Indonesian by experts talking about keywords that need some explanation, Seeto explained. The first one was A for Abstract, we had F for Feminism, theres a whole variety of concepts that we cover in a serious but light-hearted way. Seeto said he was seeing a growing appetite for the arts in Indonesia, particularly among the younger generations who use social media to create and share images. He is also seeing more international interest in Indonesian art, which he said was not just due to the fact that TIME Magazine named Museum MACAN one of the worlds Top 100 Places to Visit in 2018 the only Indonesian establishment to make the list. I think there is much greater demand to understand what goes on in Indonesia, but that is not always reflected in the places where they live or the museums or the cultural experiences they have in Europe or America or even in Australia, he said. This is why our website and publications are very important, because they allow people outside Indonesia to access that information. This growing national and international interest in Indonesian art, and the arts more generally, is one that Seeto hopes Museum MACAN will help develop in the future through its educational programs. The role of art has always been important, but especially now, in terms of arts ability to help us see other perspectives and to participate in a global context, he said. I think the ability to appreciate art leads to a better understanding of the role of creativity and empathy in society, and this is also very important for young minds as well. I hope that creativity will continue to be valued and help contribute to peoples daily lives. (hdt) The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post. Contestants ran a stiletto race and swirled hula hoops at a park inMyanmar's biggest city on Sunday in the Drag Olympics as a highlight of the Yangon Pride festival. The attendance of an estimated 2,000 people at the Thakin Mya Park was a sign of change in a predominantly Buddhist country where traditionalism is strong and homosexuality is a crime under a law inherited from British colonialists, organizers said. It was the fifth time that the festival has been held, but only the second year it has happened in a public place. "When we started this, people did not really dare to come to this kind of festival," said Hla Mat Tun, a co-director of the festival from the &Proud group. "Now you see a lot of young people. Young people are more proud and out and encouraged and empowered." Read also: Migrants, sex workers take pride of place in Bangkok art festival But he said lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people continued to face harassment and that social change was needed as well as changes to Myanmar's laws. Activists complain that progress has not been as swift as they would have hoped under Myanmar's transition to democracy. The government has also faced heavy international criticism after a 2017 army crackdown led hundreds of thousands of minority Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. Cheered on by the crowd, nine contestants took part in the Drag Olympics, which also involved a handbag flinging contest before the judges picked a winner. Investment firm Man Group is ending its long-running sponsorship of Britain's prestigious Man Booker prizes for novels, both sides announced on Sunday. The group has invested 25 million (29 million euros, $33 million) in the prize, its international edition and other related activities over the past 17 years. The Booker Prize Foundation said its trustees "are in discussion with a new sponsor and are confident that the new funding will be in place for 2020". The Booker Prize Foundation announced today that the association between the Booker Prize Foundation and Man Group is coming to an end. They are in discussion with a new sponsor. In the meantime the two prizes will run as usual this year. https://t.co/25Xm00ee2N pic.twitter.com/RiKURMa0CZ Man Booker Prize (@ManBookerPrize) January 27, 2019 This year's two prizes will run as usual. "Man Group has been an excellent and very generous sponsor for nearly 18 years since 2002," said foundation chairwoman Helena Kennedy. "With their support we have seen the prizes and our charitable activities flourish so that today the prizes can claim to be the most significant literary awards in the world. "However, all good things must come to an end and we look forward to taking the prizes into the next phase with our new supporter." Read also: Independent publishers vie for Man Booker International Prize Man Group's chief executive, Luke Ellis, said it would "focus its resources" on a new campaign to increase diversity in the industry and expand the firm's global charitable initiatives. "We are truly honored to have been a part of something so special and unique," he said. The winner of the Man Booker receives 52,500 60,800 euros, $69,350), although the bigger prize is seen as a spike in sales which invariably follow. Previous winners include V.S. Naipaul, Iris Murdoch, Salman Rushdie, J.M. Coetzee, Kingsley Amis, Kazuo Ishiguro, A.S. Byatt and Ian McEwan among others. The award, launched in 1969, was only open to novelists from Commonwealth states until it began permitting those from other English-speaking countries in 2014. The decision was controversial, leading to fears that Americans would dominate. Two US writers have since won. Author Sebastian Faulks, who was once a judge on the prize but has never won it, last year criticized Man Group as "the enemy", according to the Sunday Times. He said they were "not the sort of people who should be sponsoring literary prizes, they're the kind of people literary prizes ought to be criticising". Ellis reportedly hit back at last year's event, saying: "Literature and the arts need their champions to step in where public money has been pulled out." Team action game Overwatch, with its global spread of characters and locations, is starting celebrations for the Year of the Pig with a seasonal makeover for various maps and a selection of costumes and emotes, and other cosmetic items to purchase and unlock. Ring in the Year of the Pig! Overwatchs Lunar New Year festivities start now. https://t.co/8dHWTDqH6N pic.twitter.com/Y0FUPCBqM9 Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) January 24, 2019 The South Korea and China-themed locations within Overwatch have undergone a makeover, while a new Thai map debuts in celebration of the Year of the Pig. Busan now has a Capture the Flag mode, as a new season of competitive CTF begins, while Lijiang Tower has been spruced up in a more festive manner. New on the scene is Ayutthaya, a palatial setting reflecting Thai sensibilities and also part of the Capture the Flag expansion. Naturally, and in keeping with the Overwatch reputation, an armful of new character costumes, gestures, highlights, icons, voice lines, and graffiti motifs are also available to purchase and unlock as part of a Lunar Loot Box offer. The Overwatch Year of the Pig event runs through Feb. 18. Read also: Elon Musk plays Overwatch, but who does he main? In 2019, the Korean, Chinese, Tibetan, and Vietnamese Lunar New Year lands on Feb. 5, in accordance with the Chinese lunisolar calendar. The 2020 Lunar New Year corresponds to a Jan. 25 date, which will usher in the Year of the Rat. Roseanne Barr, the American comedian whose television show was canceled last year after she made a racist remark on Twitter, visited Jerusalems Old City on Sunday as part of a tour of Israel. Barr arrived in Israel last week with celebrity U.S. rabbi Shmuley Boteach. Read also: 'I ain't dead': Roseanne mad about being killed off on 'The Conners' 'Roseanne loves the Torah and the State of Israel' - Israel National News https://t.co/bkK5pX9lgA Rabbi Shmuley (@RabbiShmuley) January 28, 2019 There are no proper words for me to express the connection I feel, first of all to God, to Torah (Bible), to my people, Barr, who is Jewish, told reporters. In May, Barr posted a tweet comparing a black former Obama administration official to an ape, prompting Walt Disney Cos ABC network to cancel her U.S. television comedy Roseanne. Barr subsequently said that what she did was unforgivable. The annual Big Bad Wolf book sale is slated to return from March 1-11. As announced on Instagram, the event is set to take place at the Indonesian Convention Exhibition (ICE) in BSD, South Tangerang, Banten. "I'm bringing 5.5 million books with discounts of 60 to 80 percent on all imported books," the caption reads. The upcoming event will mark the fourth time for the 24-hour sales fair to be held in the Indonesian capital. Read also: What to know about 'jastip' at Big Bad Wolf book sale The popularity of the Big Bad Wolf has continued to grow; the event now attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors throughout its run. A notable spike occurred in 2017, when the event welcomed 720,000 shoppers, twice as many as in the preceding year, with more than 40,000 visitors daily leading to long queues during busy hours. The event offers a wide selection of books, from novels to nonfiction, poetry, Indonesian language titles, as well as children's books. (liz/mut) The winding road of Dalisodo village in Malang, East Java, was lined by cloves on either side. Once in a while, passersby could see housewives airing incense on their yards. The road eventually took me to see Kusnan, a 53-year-old resident of Dalisodo, who pioneered the making of incense in the village in 1982. Twenty people in Dalisodo are in the business of making incense today. After working for Kusnan, each started their own business, whereas most of the residents work as farmers and cattle breeders. Incense produced in Dalisodo is sold in Bali, Jakarta, Singkawang (West Kalimantan), Pematangsiantar and Medan (North Sumatra). In Chinese culture, incense is considered a medium to connect with the gods and used in religious ceremonies and ancestor veneration. At first I worked in a home industry that produced incense in Bali, from 1979 to 1982, said Kusnan, recalling how he got into the business. He went back to his hometown of Malang in 1983 and started his own incense production, with the help of his wife. I always say to my employees, dont stay too long in your position, its better to start your own business, he said. The incense itself is made of teak sawdust, while the sticks it is sold on are made from bamboo. The first step is mixing the sawdust with adhesive powder and water. The dough is then tinted according to the order and affixed to bamboo sticks. Read also: Woman in Malang makes Christmas-themed sock dolls, empowers stay-at-home mothers In the beginning of my business, I sold the incense by carrying it on my shoulders to Bali. I went home to Malang once a week, Kusnan said. When he began to gain loyal customers in the 1990s, Kusnan decided to focus on making incenses at home. The products were shipped via public transportation at a time when shipping services were scarce. In 2013, I replaced the manual way of affixing incense dough to sticks with machines. They are more practical and produce incense of higher quality, though I have to use bamboo sticks imported from China, as they are tougher, he said. Incense produced by Kusnan comes in five colors: red, green, yellow, black and neutral. Yellow and red ones are traditionally used in the Chinese culture. Daily religious ceremonies usually use red incense sticks, while the yellow ones are for funerals. Neutral-colored incense is generally used for aromatherapy. Kusnan produces up to 400 kilograms of incense daily, but nearing the Chinese New Year celebration, production can rise to 700 kg daily. Five hundred incense sticks weighing 1 kg are sold for Rp 20,000 (US$1.4). Now the incense home industry has become the backbone of the village economy, along with farming and breeding, said Kusnan. (wng) French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday agreed to return 26 cultural artifacts to Benin "without delay", a move that could put pressure on other former colonial powers to return African artworks to their countries of origin. The decision -- which Macron said should not be seen as an isolated or symbolic case -- came as the president received the findings of a study he commissioned on repatriating African treasures held by French museums. Macron agreed to return the 26 works, mainly royal statues from the Palaces of Abomey -- formerly the capital of the kingdom of Dahomey -- taken by the French army during a war in 1892 and now in Paris' Quai Branly museum. In addition, he proposed gathering African and European partners in Paris next year to define a framework for an "exchange policy" for African artworks. The president "hopes that all possible circulation of these works are considered: returns but also exhibitions, loans, further cooperation", the Elysee palace said. Ousmane Aledji, director of the Benin cultural centre Artisttik Africa, said he was pleased to see "a new form of cultural exchange" with France. Britain has also faced calls to return artefacts, including the Elgin Marbles to Greece and the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, while museums in Belgium and Austria house tens of thousands of African pieces. Read also: Nigeria could borrow back its plundered Benin Bronzes: Governor - Legislation to return art? - Calls have been growing in Africa for restitution of artworks, but French law strictly forbids the government from ceding state property, even in well-documented cases of pillaging. In 2016 Benin demanded France return items including statues, artworks, carvings, sceptres and sacred doors. While that request was initially denied, in November 2016 Macron raised hopes in a speech in Burkina Faso, pledging to "return African heritage to Africa". Following his speech, Macron asked French art historian Benedicte Savoy and Senegalese writer Felwine Sarr to study the matter. Their report, a copy of which has been seen by AFP, has been welcomed by advocates of the restitution of works which were bought, bartered, or in some cases simply stolen. It proposes legislation be developed to return thousands of African artefacts taken during the colonial period to nations that request them. There are conditions, however, including a request from the relevant country, precise information about the works' origins, and the existence of proper facilities such as museums to house the works back in their home country. Macron's office said that museums will be invited to "identify African partners and organise possible returns" and should quickly establish "an online inventory of their African collections". The president also called for "in-depth work with other European states that retain collections of the same nature acquired in comparable circumstances". Read also: Art repatriation: Colonial ghosts haunt Europe's museums - Museums fear losing artefacts - A UNESCO convention against the export of illicit cultural goods adopted in 1970 called for the return of cultural property taken from a country but it did not address historic cases, including from the colonial era. With museums fearing they could be forced to return artefacts, former colonial powers have been slow to ratify the convention: France only did so 1997, Britain in 2002, Germany in 2007 and Belgium in 2009. On Tuesday, the governor of Easter Island in the Pacific tearfully begged the British Museum to return one of its famous statues. The London museum has held the Hoa Hakananai'a, one of the most spiritually important of the Chilean island's stone monoliths, for 150 years. Of the estimated 90,000 African artworks in French museums, around 70,000 are at the Quai Branly museum, created by ex-president Jacques Chirac, a keen admirer of African and Asian art. Elsewhere in Europe, 37,000 objects from Sub-Saharan Africa were at Vienna's Weltmuseum and 180,000 were at Belgium's Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren. The report commissioned by Macron said such collections were effectively depriving Africans of their artistic and cultural heritage. "On a continent where 60 percent of the population is under the age of 20 years old, what is first and foremost of a great importance is for young people to have access to their own culture, creativity, and spirituality from other eras," it said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Shah Suraj Bharat (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, January 28, 2019 On a recent trip to West Sumatra, I had the opportunity to visit picturesque Sawahlunto, a small town nestled in Bukit Barisan. In its heyday, Sawahlunto was a prosperous coal-mining town after the Dutch discovered 200 million tons of coal deposits in the area in 1858. Yet, Sawahluntos fortunes waned as coal reserves were depleted and the town went through a period of decline, with many of its young and talented leaving for better opportunities elsewhere. Sawahlunto has regenerated by offering community-based tourist experiences, exploiting valuable commodities that can be more sustainable than coal for the small town: the warmth and hospitality of its people, scenic surroundings and a rich history embodied in well-preserved colonial architecture and disused coal mines. The railway and coal museums stand as relics to remind Sawahlunto of its more prosperous to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our content on web and app No advertising, no interruption A bonus subscription to share Bookmark and night mode functions on app Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Uncle Vince Richardson was a sociable guy who loved to throw elaborate birthday parties for himself and host great gatherings of friends and neighbors. And before his death in 1896, the venerated Morgan County farmer was a fixture at the annual soup dinners and festivals held in Richardsons Grove, located in the Point neighborhood about 6 miles west of Jacksonville. The yearly soup (actually burgoo) dinner in Richardsons Grove was a popular event in Morgan County in the late 1800s. A partial list of the soups ingredients was supplied by an observant Jacksonville Daily Journal reporter in 1889. Bright and early that prince of soup makers, J.Z. Scott, was on hand and soon nine kettles were steaming with savory contents. It is impossible to give a complete list of the ingredients used on such occasions. Something less than 100 soup bones, savory pieces of veal, 500 doves and squirrels, 50 chickens and other meats too numerous to mention, beside the whole line of vegetables known to this latitude. The attendees, who sometimes numbered more than 1,000, also usually dined on sandwiches, melons, chicken, ice cream and cake at the event in Richardsons Grove. But it was the soup, or burgoo, that drew the crowds. And while the Richardsons Grove soup dinners ended long ago, several communities in west-central Illinois still hold burgoo-cooking festivals every summer. Thirty-four summers ago, former Journal and Courier reporter Mary N. Fergurson looked into the burgoo culture in these parts. What follows are portions of her findings. Only in a few other isolated pockets of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky (so they say) does burgoo culture survive, she wrote. But here it positively thrives. Strangers may have to cultivate a taste for the stuff, but its almost sacrilegious for a native not to drool over it, reported Anne West in her Aug. 8, 1953, article published in the Saturday Evening Post. Scores of theories abound concerning the origin of what has been called one of the truly great and unabashedly superb dishes of Americana and its migration to various segments of the lower Midwest and South. But most culinary scholars and local experts agree that this thick simmering concoction of meat, vegetables and spices was originally a hunters stew that traveled with the pioneers from the eastern seaboard, through the Appalachians to Kentucky and into the Northwest Territory. Though one soup maker hailing from a long line of burgoo cooks gives burgoo an older pedigree, saying it originated in England. Others contend that the soup first simmered in Germany while another cooking historian claims that burgoo was born in the ships mess during the 18th century. No matter, burgoo, which first utilized wild game rabbits, squirrels, ducks and the like has enjoyed a long domesticated history in Morgan, Scott and Cass counties. Local lore has it that Arenzville has put on a burgoo ever since the Civil War. And the Allan family of Scott County has been making soup for the past four generations. Their secret recipe, says Mark Allan, who has inherited the title of soup maker, is even older since a man named Isaac Watson brought the recipe from England before giving it to his great-grandfather. Another story, which was published in the Jacksonville Daily Journal on Aug. 14, 1942, says that the first burgoo dinner in the area was held at Point church, officially known as Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church. The report says burgoo was made by farmers in that community for friends and families, who were most likely Richardsons and many of their neighbors. The affair was soon taken up by the churches of the various communities and soon grew to be the most popular and profitable event held during the year, according to the 1942 story. The popularity of the thick soup known as burgoo, the recipe of which is often a closely guarded secret, continues in these parts today. This Way We Were story was first published Aug. 11, 2003. EDWARDSVILLE The Greater St. Louis Area Council for the Boys Scouts of America hosted its annual University of Scouting event at Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles Vadalabene Center (VC) Saturday. The University of Scouting is designed to provide knowledge about many areas of the Boy Scouts of America and its programs. For the Intelligencer MARYVILLE Maryville Park and Rec will host their Second Discovery Sunday Series on Feb. 10 on How World War I affected Madison County with Superintendent of Madison County Historical Museum & Archival Library Jon Parkin. Edwardsville will look back on the impact that WWI, which recently had its 100-year Anniversary on Nov. 11, had on the people and events in Madison County. EDWARDSVILLE The third times a charm for Republican Sen. Jason Plummer. Plummer campaigned for lieutenant governor in 2010, but his running mate, Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady, lost to Democrat Pat Quinn, the incumbent governor at the time. Then, as candidate for Illinois 12th Congressional District in 2012, Plummer lost to Democrat Bill Enyart, who garnered 52 percent of the vote compared to Plummers 43 percent. But in November, Plummer was elected to represent the states 54th Senate District, defeating Democratic opponent Brian Stout by 40 percentage points. He was sworn in on Jan. 9. Representing all or parts of eight counties just east of St. Louis, Plummer said his main focus this session is to improve southern Illinois economy. Im a socially conservative guy, and I think Ill represent the values of southern Illinois well, Plummer said. But my overarching focus is an economic one bringing opportunity back to families of southern Illinois. Plummer was born in Staunton, where his family began a lumber business, R.P. Lumber, in 1977. The business now deals in many different fields, including real estate development, property management and hotels, with Plummer serving as vice president of corporate development. Previously, Plummer was an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserves. Plummer discussed some of his legislative priorities with Capitol News Illinois as he heads into his first legislative session. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Capitol News Illinois: Which of your experiences will add the most value to your work as a lawmaker? Jason Plummer: I come from a business background, and weve created over a thousand jobs for families. I know what it takes to create quality jobs. And I think we need folks in Springfield that understand the consequences of what they do, and have lived in an environment where theyre dealing with those consequences. In the past, weve had some folks in Springfield who werent as connected in that regard. CNI: What are your first impressions of your new job as state lawmaker? JP: Ive met with a lot of folks Republicans and Democrats and Ive been really encouraged thus far with how many items were in agreement on. Now, thats talking in hallways and chit-chatting at the Capitol. We have to also make sure were in agreement when the rubber hits the road, and Im hopeful that through building good relationships and through being transparent and honest with people, well be able to get good things accomplished. CNI: What are your highest-priority economic issues? JP: We need real workers compensation reform to be more competitive with our neighboring states. My workers comp expenses are three times what they would be in Indiana and about 2.3 times what they would be in Missouri. And that line item in the budget is not a small line item its significant. Workers comp expenses can truly be the difference between whether or not a business can or cannot make money in Illinois. Historically, the manufacturing, construction and transportation industries have been really important industries for Illinois, and our outrageous workers comp situation puts us at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to those jobs. Our overall tax burden is also a very significant issue. Im completely committed to property tax reform. We need to make sure that our families are not getting squeezed by out-of-control property taxes. Ive been involved in a million different campaigns. Usually, in campaigns, there are five or six or eight different issues that you hear fairly regularly. I kid you not, 80-plus percent of the communications that we received [on my campaign] were about property taxes. People are fed up with out-of-control property taxes, and frankly what I think were doing to a lot of families in southern Illinois is immoral. We cannot continue to price people out of their houses. Its just not right. CNI: Given that property taxes are levied locally and not by the state, do you think a whole new system would be necessary to lower taxes? JP: Its a very important part of a broader conversation that has to be had about the tax burden in general. The overall tax burden in Illinois sales tax, gas tax, income tax, property tax were one of the highest taxed populations in the country. So I think its an important line item in a broader conversation. We have to slash the number of governmental units that exist. We have something around 7,000, which is dramatically higher than any other state, even those with significantly higher populations like Texas and California. All those little units are taking part of your property taxes. So if we could streamline government that would be a great thing, and interestingly enough, there are some bills being talked about right now that would do exactly that. CNI: If you could only accomplish one thing in the new legislative session, what would it be? JP: The most important thing that Im focused on is creating an environment of opportunity in southern Illinois. Back in the 80s and the 90s, Illinois was a growing state, businesses were coming here, people were coming here. Kids graduating immediately went into the workforce. There was optimism and opportunity. I feel like that has disappeared from a lot of parts of Illinois, and we need to turn that around. If you create an environment where people can have good jobs, I think a lot of your other societal problems disappear. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit news service operated by the Illinois Press Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Illinois. The mission of Capitol News Illinois is to provide credible and unbiased coverage of state government to the more than 400 daily and weekly newspapers that are members of the Illinois Press Association. ALTON - William D. McGiffen, 31, of the 1000 block of Oakwood Avenue, Alton, was charged Thursday with unlawful possession of methamphetamine. He allegedly possessed less than five grams of the drug on Wednesday. Bail was set at $30,000. ALTON - Cynthia S. Cole, 35, of Alton, was charged Thursday with unlawful possession of a controlled substance. She allegedly possessed less than 15 grams of a prescription stimulant used to treat attention deficit disorder. Bail was set at $15,000. ALTON - Evelyn J. Harrison, 30, of the 400 block of Alice Lane, Alton, was charged Thursday with aggravated domestic battery. She allegedly injured a man Jan. 14 by stabbing him in the side. Bail was set at $60,000. WORDEN - Chad W. Vaughn, 34, of the 9600 block of Conrad Road, Alhambra, was charged Thursday with two counts of burglary. He allegedly entered a home in the 9500 block of Possum Hill Road, Worden, on Nov. 18 and another home Jan. 15 in the 3600 block of Staunton Road, Edwardsville. Bail was set at $50,000. BETHALTO - Keith A. Huff, 44, of the 600 block of Truman Street, Moro, was charged Thursday with aggravated driving under the influence. He allegedly drove a pickup truck Nov. 3 while under the influence of a drug and while his license was revoked. Bail was set at $15,000. BETHALTO - Lucas M. Palmer, 27, of the 4400 block of Delta Queen Lane, Godfrey, was charged Wednesday with unlawful possession of methamphetamine. He allegedly possessed less than five grams of the drug on Aug. 21. Bail was set at $20,000. BETHALTO - Chad L. Courtoise, 44, of the 100 block of Canterbury Street, Bethalto, was charged Friday with aggravated battery. He allegedly punched a person 60 years of age or older, causing a head injury on Jan. 19. Bail was set at $30,000. EDWARDSVILLE An Alhambra man was charged Friday with 11 counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child for alleged acts of sexual penetration to a child between July 1, 2011, and March 2, 2017, while the girl was between the ages of 7 and 13. David L. Bluhm, 57, of the 11000 block of Illinois Route 140, was charged after the child disclosed the acts to an adult, and the adult contacted the Madison County Sheriffs Office. The child was interviewed at the Madison County Child Advocacy Center. After all, talk is easy, but impeaching and convicting a president is sufficiently difficult that no American president in the countrys 230 years has been ousted that way. Both Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were impeached by a partisan House but acquitted by less partisan Senate, though Richard Nixon would almost certainly have been both impeached and convicted in 1974, had he not resigned. Having lived through the 1974 Nixon impeachment hearings as a congressional reporter and the 1998 Clinton impeachment managing my papers Washington coverage, Im left with the recollection of how long the proceedings took and how not every initial presumption proved to be true. Donald Trumps presidency will likely end one of three ways: At the ballot box, with Senate conviction following House impeachment, or in resignation, perhaps the way Vice President Spiro Agnew quit in 1974 with a deal barring further prosecution. Until one of these occurs, everyone ought to relax, while reporters report what they can about the processes and developments, and the constitutional procedures play out, recognizing that the flood of daily coverage is but the first rough draft of history, not the conclusive version. Carl P. Leubsdorf is the former Washington bureau chief of the Dallas Morning News. Readers may write to him via email at: carl.p.leubsdorf@gmail.com. A wind chill advisory is in effect for Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning as a cold spell continues to hit the area dropping temperatures to below zero. The conditions are caused by a significant cold front that moved in Sunday evening causing powerful winds to develop early Monday morning. The strongest reported winds in Grand Island happened around 3 a.m. when gusts were measured at 63 mph at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport. Winds were expected to still be strong but decrease throughout the day on Monday, with temperatures topping out in the upper 20s. There were no reports of damage from the wind in the Grand Island area. The temperature will only get colder this week. Tuesday should hit a high of near 20, but north, northwest winds at 20 to 30 mph will put the wind chill temperature near zero. The wind will die down after midnight. The bitter cold will stick around moving into Wednesday, which will be the coldest day of the week, said Jeff Kelley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hastings. Even winds of 5 to 10 mph will push the wind chills down to 20 degrees below zero. Thats why we have that wind chill advisory in effect, Kelley said. Fairfield Police Department FAIRFIELD - A former patient of a convalescent home in Southport has been arrested after on allegations that he sexually assaulting another patient at the facility. An employee of Regal Care of Southport, a convalescent home, said that a male patient, later identified as 57-year-old Elias Saldana, was seen leaving the room of an elderly non-communicative patient, police said. After further inspection of the 75-year-old patient, the employee found the woman's adult diaper was open and immediately notified officers in January of last year. Would you risk your life to save the life of another? Were not talking about parents saving their children, or spouses or siblings saving each other. Were talking about ordinary people saving the lives of strangers. Every now and then, a story appears about someone who has done just that. Theres a reason such actions make headlines. The urge to survive, for most humans, is strong. Even as we marvel at others acts of courage, we cant help but wonder what we might have done in their place. It takes a special breed of person to run toward danger rather than away from it. To enter the burning building. To race into the school under siege. To respond to reports of shots fired. To step between the battered and the batterer. For these first responders, that is the job. Its also a very real possibility each time they don their uniforms and kiss their families goodbye. Theres a reason we call them The Finest and The Bravest. In most states, that reality is reflected in the way we compensate families of officers killed in the line of duty, with one-time tax-free federal and state payments, as well as officers base pay for the remainder of their spouses lives. Other programs forgive property taxes, cover their kids tuition to state colleges, and move their kids to the head of the line should they decide to become police officers, too. Thats if they die. Suppose they live. What happens to police officers whose in-the-line injuries spare their lives but destroy their careers? For the past 16 months, Norwalk Police Officer Philip Roselle has been living that reality, after having been shot by a fellow officer in a training accident in 2017. The 30-year veterans profound health and money struggles have been detailed in The Norwalk Hour numerous times. We wont rehash them here, other than to say that after twice denying him compensation, the state Workers Compensation Commission is finally paying a portion of his base salary, with the city bridging the gap, as required under its collective bargaining agreement with the police union. Roselles wife, Debbie, is now urging officials to change the existing law to allow all mayors, first selectmen, or town managers to circumvent the state workers compensation system to provide lifetime benefits equal to critically injured first responders salaries at the time of their injuries. She has enlisted the help of the nonprofit Violently Injured Police Officers Organization, which has championed a similar law proposed in Massachusetts to improve benefits and streamline the process of getting them. The law needs to change, not only for Roselle, but for all critically injured police officers forced to give up the jobs they loved. Without it, the message is clear: A police officer is worth more to his family dead than disabled. Wynd, a Paris, France-based SaaS omnichannel management platform for stores, raised 72m in funding. Backers included Natixis Payments, the international corporate and investment banking, asset management, insurance and financial services arm of Groupe BPCE, the 2nd-largest banking group in France with 31 million clients spread over two retail banking networks, Banque Populaire and Caisse dEpargne, alongside several other investors. The company intends to use the funds to hire talent to support international growth goals, step up development of its artificial intelligence modules and make investment in R&D. Founded in 2014 by Ismael Ould, Wynd provides a SaaS based omni-channel platform that enables unified management of order cashing, orchestration and order picking in the physical and digital worlds. The solution gathers more than 3,500 functionalities, distributed in several large modules (OMS, PIM, Picking, Cashing, IA). The company employs over 400 experts (including 200 R & D engineers) and works with a hundred clients. Natixis Payments and Wynd are also signing a strategic partnership to design a solution enabling retailers to manage point-of-sale operations, payment and orders, regardless of the channel consumers use to purchase their products. To this end, the two companies are combining their respective areas of expertise in payment, point-of-sale technology and logistics. FinSMEs 28/01/2019 Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., disputed on Sunday that the United States would participate in a coup to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, saying he doesn't know of any U.S. leaders who are calling for one. The remarks came four days after the Trump administration recognized Venezuelan National Assembly leader Juan Guaido as interim president after Guaido and his supporters asserted that the election last year that kept Maduro in power was illegitimate. Many other U.S. allies followed suit, including Canada. But the history of U.S. military involvement in Latin America, along with reports that the administration met last year with Venezuelan officers who wanted to plot a coup before rebuffing them, has raised questions about whether the White House would direct a military intervention again. President Donald Trump has said that "all options" are on the table, while defense officials have sought to tamp down speculation that the Pentagon could become involved. Rubio, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," said that the United States is "simply supporting the democratic institutions" in Venezuela, along with many other countries in the Western Hemisphere. "This is not the U.S.," he said. "This is Honduras. This is Guatemala. This is Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, et cetera, et cetera. This is not a U.S.-sponsored anything. This is the U.S. supporting the people of Venezuela, who want their constitution and democracy followed. That's a fact." Rubio also has said that all U.S. options should be on the table, but he qualified that Sunday. "The United States always retains the right - always, anywhere in the world in any instance - to protect its national security," he said. "So I'm not going to justify military intervention because I don't know who's calling for that. What I said is that everything is an option because we always have an option to defend our national security in cases where it is threatened." Although the Trump administration's decisions on Venezuela this week have received support from some Democrats, others have called for Washington to take a more limited role. "The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela," Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D.-Hawaii, said in a tweet Thursday. "Let the Venezuelan people determine their future. We don't want other countries to choose our leaders - so we have to stop trying to choose theirs." Gabbard announced this month that she will run for president in 2020. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D.-Minn., said in a string of tweets Friday that the United States should support the efforts of Mexico, Uruguay and the Vatican to facilitate peaceful dialogue in Venezuela and that a "U.S. backed coup in Venezuela is not a solution to the dire issues they face." "We cannot hand pick leaders for other countries on behalf of multinational corporate interests," she said one tweet. "The legislature cannot seize power from the President, and Venezuela's Supreme Court has declared their actions unconstitutional." Rubio, in a separate interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, said that Trump has "never needed any convincing on Venezuela" and has raised the issue for discussion with the senator more than the other way around. The preferred outcome, Rubio said, is that Maduro leaves office and that within 30 to 45 days, Venezuela holds a new presidential election. On Saturday, Maduro backed off an earlier demand that all U.S. diplomats leave his country, as Venezuelan and U.S. officials reached an agreement giving them 30 days to finalize details on new "interest offices" that would have a more limited role. If no deal is reached by then, all diplomats from both countries would have to go home. Norwalk Police Dept. NORWALK A fugitive from justice was captured Saturday after his car ran out of gas on Newtown Avenue. A concerned motorist contacted police around 3:20 a.m. complaining of a man standing on the side of Newtown Avenue trying to flag down passing drivers. In an age of B corporations and the triple-bottom line approach to running a company, theres a lot of focus on what conscious capitalism can do for people, the planet and profits. Conscious corporations create more sustainable operations, socially responsible supply chains and stronger brand images. In a study lasting a decade, brands that placed a focus on conscious capitalism enjoyed returns 10 times higher than the S&P 500. Most often, conscious capitalism is lauded as a potential differentiator that helps businesses stand out in a crowded marketplace. And theres solid evidence that an increasing number of consumers prefer social good. A 2015 survey from Nielsen found that 66 percent of consumers would pay more if a business supported a social or environmental cause, representing a 16 percent jump from 2013. Well, guess what? Those consumers who are interested in supporting conscious business practices are probably employed somewhere. Chances are good that theyre part of your workforce. Related: 10 Ways to Make Your Business More Socially Conscious Creating conscious employees When your business gives back to important causes, whether its by donating meals to hungry kids or giving job opportunities to the homeless, these acts of kindness create something far more meaningful than a bigger profit margin. They create friendships, deepen bonds of trust and earn your business respect. According to Drew Kossoff, CEO of Rainmaker Ad Ventures, one of the countrys fastest-growing digital media buying agencies, These types of returns, more than money, often provide that missing link to greater happiness, success and fulfillment at work -- which is ultimately what we all really want. When socially conscious employees see that a company is driven by more than money, its easier for them to commit to the companys mission. Theyll also become strong brand advocates, as theyll want to share with family, friends and even strangers what their company is doing to make a difference in the world. Wondering about the impact conscious capitalism could have in your business? Consider the following workforce benefits of conscious capitalism. 1. Workers connect to the purpose of the company. Many employees lack a clear guiding purpose because their companies define themselves by their products. Instead, they should be highlighting what their products enable. For example, this commercial for IBMs Watson doesnt focus on the tech product itself; it focuses on how that tool can improve the life of a farmer taking advantage of AI insights. Internal communications should take a similar approach. Relating to a companys greater purpose is one of Gallups 12 elements of engagement, and right now only 40 percent of employees can identify with that pillar. Gallup has found that when workers have a greater purpose serving as their North Star, their job becomes more than just work. Related: 4 Ways Data Is Driving Conscious Capitalism 2. Engaged employees display more innovative creativity. Gallup has also found positive correlations between employee engagement and innovative creativity, so those purpose-driven employees are likely to make big waves in your organization. In a survey of about 1,000 workers, 61 percent of engaged employees reported that they feed off of co-workers creativity, a sentiment with which only 9 percent of disengaged employees agreed. Plus, a whopping 74 percent of engaged employees brought those innovative ideas to customers. According to Raj Sisodia, co-author of Conscious Capitalism, the mindset he and Whole Foods CEO John Mackey advocate in the book leads to a deeper understanding of customers. Thats one of the undisputed keys to innovation and an important component of business growth. Related: How Social Entrepreneurship Can Benefit Businesses and the Communities They Serve 3. Employees are excited to stay. Replacing an employee is expensive -- around 33 percent of the positions annual salary, according to a report from Employee Benefit News. Fortunately, a focus on conscious capitalism can create a happier, more engaged workforce with much lower turnover rates. In a study of more than two million Benevity users, turnover was reduced by about 57 percent for the employee group most connected to a companys charitable giving and volunteer efforts. At Microsoft, the companys employee giving program, through which employees volunteered 700,000 hours in 2017, is so popular that its even a draw for candidates. Microsoft saw 75 percent participation in the program last year. The term conscious capitalism implies that profit-minded businesses are unconscious, which isnt the case. Creating a company that turns a profit definitely requires a conscious focus on creating value, both for customers and for stakeholders. The difference is that broadening the scope of a business to focus on people and the planet has a number of desirable effects, not least of which is a more engaged, more innovative workforce. Focus on adopting the mentality of a conscious capitalist, and see what it does for your employees. Related: Here's How Conscious Capitalism Will Bring You Better Workers It's Possible to Make Money and Do Good Steven Pinker, Author of Bill Gates's Favorite Book, Says Entrepreneurs Should Trust Stats, Not Their Intuition Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved RIDGEFIELD The Village Tavern restaurant on Main Street has closed its doors, roughly two years after opening, according to news reports. The Patch reported Friday that the eatery had closed up shop. The Village Tavern opened in Jan. 2017, under co-owners Bruno DiFabio and Germano Minin. The duo met in 2014 when DiFabio was a judge on The Food Networks Chopped and Minin was a contestant Back in October, DiFabio pleaded guilty to tax evasion, according to the Department of Justice. At the time, the DOJ said DiFabio also owned several pizzerias in New York and Connecticut, including Pinocchio Pizza in New Canaan, Wilton and Pound Ridge, N.Y; Amore Pizza in Scarsdale, N.Y.; Amore Cucina and Bar in Stamford; and ReNapoli Pizza in Old Greenwich. The DOJ said when DiFabio is sentenced, he faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $1.6 million and full restitution of $816,954 to the IRS. After pleading guilty on Oct. 25, 2018, he was released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled. Greenline Ventures, a Denver, CO-based minority-controlled and employee-owned investment management firm that specializes in delivering capital to businesses and communities that are underserved by traditional capital providers, has launched its second Small Business Capital Fund (SBCF II). The $25m fund will provide flexible loans between $250k and $2.5m to small businesses with targeted objectives including job creation, training programs, enhanced benefits packages, minority or women-ownership, reductions in environmental impacts and other forms of assistance to low-income workers. To date, Greenlines first SBCF has provided loans to 17 underserved businesses throughout the country. The loans, which mainly consist of subordinate loans in conjunction with market-rate senior loans from local banks, provided growth capital, including inventory, equipment, acquisitions, etc. Greenline co-invested in the debt capital for the fund and contributed a portion of its NMTC allocation. The NMTC equity investor is U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation (USBCDC), based in St. Louis, Mo., and the debt capital is being provided to the fund by a group of mission-driven investors led by Calvert Impact Capital, based in Bethesda, Md. Greenline Ventures is a certified B Corporation whose wholly-owned subsidiary, Greenline CDF, is a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). To date, Greenline has received $547 million in New Markets Tax Credit allocation authority from the US Department of the Treasury and has invested over $2 billion in low-income communities nationwide. FinSMEs 28/01/2019 Woman Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity for Killing Children DAYTON, OhioAn Ohio judge has agreed a woman was insane when she killed her two children and has ordered her institutionalized at a mental health facility. Thirty-one-year-old Claudena Helton was charged with aggravated murder for fatally shooting 8-year-old daughter Khmorra and 6-year-old son Kaiden in May 2017 in the southeast Ohio city of Dayton. The Dayton Daily News reports a Montgomery County judge accepted Heltons insanity plea at a hearing Friday, Jan. 25, and ordered a review in six months. #UPDATE Judge agrees mom was insane in killing 2 of her children; shell go to a hospital https://t.co/RPpzLuryz2 pic.twitter.com/m4fojV2oVH Dayton Daily News (@daytondailynews) January 25, 2019 Heltons attorney said two psychological reports concluded she was not guilty by reason of insanity and a third said she was competent to stand trial. Neighbors told police Helton was in a trance-like state after the slayings. Claudena Helton arraignment Claudena Helton is getting ready to be arraigned, she told police she shot her kids to save them from evils of the world | The latest here: http://bit.ly/2rIGMSs Posted by WDTN-TV on Monday, May 22, 2017 Helton told police she killed her children to save them from the evils of the world. Parents of 2-Year-Old Who Froze to Death Sentenced to Prison The parents of a 2-year-old Ohio girl who froze to death after being out in the cold were sentenced to prison time. Tierra Williams, 22, and Dariaun Parker, 24, previously pleaded guilty to child endangerment and were sentenced on Jan. 25. Williams was sentenced to 18 months in prison and Parker was sentenced to two years in prison; they each faced maximum sentences of three years in prison, reported Fox 8. Wynter Parker, the couples daughter, wandered outside and accidentally locked herself out from their house in Akron. Parker was supposed to be watching her but he fell asleep. Williams found her daughters body when she returned home several hours later and called 911. The child died after paramedics rushed her to Akron Childrens Hospital. Wynter died from severe hypothermia. Williams was incensed when she learned that she and Parker would be going to jail. That is so [expletive] up, she shouted as she was handcuffed, reported the Akron Beacon Journal. Angela Williams, her mother, tried to calm her down. Im so [expletive] mad! Tierra Williams added. Both Williams and Parker were hoping to avoid jail time as their lawyers highlighted their lack of criminal records. Summit County Common Pleas Judge Alison McCarty said that the couple didnt prioritize being parents and said they were responsible for the death. NTD reporter Zack Stieber contributed to this report. Trump Pans Fox News Over Coverage of Border Wall Negotiations President Donald Trump criticized Fox News on Jan. 27 for its coverage of the negotiations for a wall on the U.S.Mexico border. The president specifically took issue with Fox News chief White House correspondent John Roberts and Washington correspondent Gillian Turner. Never thought Id say this but I think [Roberts] and [Turner] [at Fox News] have even less understanding of the Wall negotiations than the folks at FAKE NEWS CNN & NBC! Trump wrote on Twitter. Look to final results! Dont know how my poll numbers are so good, especially up 19% with Hispanics? Never thought Id say this but I think @johnrobertsFox and @GillianHTurner @FoxNews have even less understanding of the Wall negotiations than the folks at FAKE NEWS CNN & NBC! Look to final results! Dont know how my poll numbers are so good, especially up 19% with Hispanics? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2019 The second part of Trumps message references a poll (pdf) released this month showing that 50 percent of Latinos approve of his performance as a president. Trump had previously said that his approval among Hispanics is increasing because they know the border issue better than anyone, and they want security, which can only be gotten with a wall. Wow, just heard that my poll numbers with Hispanics has gone up 19%, to 50%. That is because they know the Border issue better than anyone, and they want Security, which can only be gotten with a Wall. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2019 While the president frequently rips into establishment media for lopsided coverage of his presidency, he rarely singles out Fox News and has never targeted Roberts or Turner. Hours before his message about Fox News, the president said that the recent layoffs at BuzzFeed and HuffPost are the result of fake news and bad journalism. In a follow-up message, the president pointed to his success to assure skeptics that he will deliver on his promise to build a wall on the southwest border. After all that I have done for the Military, our great Veterans, Judges (99), Justices (2), Tax & Regulation Cuts, the Economy, Energy, Trade & MUCH MORE, does anybody really think I wont build the WALL? Trump wrote on Twitter. Done more in first two years than any President! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! After all that I have done for the Military, our great Veterans, Judges (99), Justices (2), Tax & Regulation Cuts, the Economy, Energy, Trade & MUCH MORE, does anybody really think I wont build the WALL? Done more in first two years than any President! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2019 It is unclear which coverage Trump referred to specifically, but some right-leaning outlets perceived the presidents deal to reopen the government for 21 days as a cave to the Democrats. End of the Shutdown Trump announced the deal from the White House on Jan. 25, reopening the government for three weeks without funds for a border wall. The president said that if lawmakers fail to come up with a legislative compromise that funds the wall during the brief reopening, he will use executive powers to secure the funds needed. The House and the Senate passed the temporary measure hours later. .@realDonaldTrump: If we dont get a fair deal from Congress, the Government will either shutdown on February 15th againor I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency. We will have great security. pic.twitter.com/aJ18sP3tcC The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 25, 2019 The president is at an impasse with Democrats over funds for building a wall on the southwest border, his signature campaign promise. The $5.7 billion needed for the structure is part of a larger border security package requested by experts from the Department of Homeland Security. On Jan. 27, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he is skeptical about lawmakers reaching a compromise before the 21 days expire. I personally think its less than 50-50, but you have a lot of very good people on that board, Trump said, referring to a group of 17 lawmakers tasked with negotiating the compromise bill. The president said he would not rule out another shutdown. The first shutdown ended after 35 days on Jan. 28, the longest partial government shutdown in modern U.S. history. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, on Jan. 14, 2019. (Holly Kellum/NTD) Trump Donates $100,000 From Salary to Fight Alcoholism President Donald Trump donated his entire salary from the third quarter of 2018 to fight alcoholism. The $100,000 went to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the White House told The Associated Press. The institute is part of the National Institutes of Health. On its website, the institute is described as the lead agency for U.S. research on alcohol use disorder, and other health and developmental effects of alcohol use. Our mission is to support research, and then translate and disseminate research findings to reduce alcohol-related problems, the website says. Trump has said hes never had any alcohol after being affected by his brothers heavy drinking. I had a brother, Fred. Great guy, best-looking guy, best personality, much better than mine, Trump said during a speech in 2017. But he had a problem. He had a problem with alcohol. The president said that his brother, who died at the age of 43 in 1981, would tell him, Dont drink, dont drink. He was substantially older and I listened to him and I respected him. He would say it over and over and over again. And to this day, Ive never had [a] drink. And I have no longing, I have no interest in it, Trump said. I learned because of Fred. He was a strong guy but it was a tough, tough thing that he was going through. Donations The donation is part of a tradition that Trump established when he took office. The president pledged as a candidate in 2016 not to accept the $400,000 presidential salary he would get if he was elected. Since then, hes donated his quarterly paychecks to various federal departments and agencies. As part of a post touting Trumps accomplishments during his first two years, the White House on Jan. 20 noted, Each quarter since taking office, President Trump has donated his salary, fulfilling a promise he made to the American people. He donated his third quarter 2017 salary, for instance, to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which was told to use the money to help combat the opioid crisis. Eric Hargan, acting HHS secretary, said during an announcement that the donation was a tribute to [Trumps] compassion, to his patriotism, and a sense of duty to the American people. He said the agency would use the money for a public-awareness campaign about the dangers of opioid addiction. The president is personally dedicated to defeating this crisis because addiction hits home for so many of us, Hargan said. You heard him share the story in his opioid speech about how he lost his own brother to alcoholism. And speaking personally, opioid addiction has been a presence in my hometown, in my family, for years. Trump also donated $100,000 to the Small Business Administration, with the agencys head, Linda McMahon, accepting a check at a White House briefing in October 2018. She said the funds would go toward a training program that helped veterans interested in starting their own businesses. I would like to thank the president for his generosity and for his support of the Small Business Administration. He clearly understands the value of small businesses. There are approximately 30 million of them in this country, and Im very happy to be their advocate, McMahon said at the briefing. Were going to establish a seven-month intensive training program called Emerging Leaders. Its an adaptation of that program for our veterans, helping them transition from military life into private sector if they desire to start their own jobs and their own companies and be entrepreneurs, she said. Other agencies that have received donations from Trump include the National Park Service, the Department of Education, and the Department of Transportation. From NTD News This 1997 file photo shows one of five waterfalls on Havasu Creek as its waters tumble 210 feet on the Havasupai Tribe's reservation in a southeastern branch of the Grand Canyon near Supai, Ariz. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty) Tribal Land Known for Waterfalls Wont Allow Tour Guides FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.The thousands of tourists who travel to a remote Native American reservation deep in the Grand Canyon each year to camp near a series of picturesque, blue-green waterfalls will have to do so without the benefit of professional guides. The Havasupai Tribe has decided not to allow outfitters to escort visitors this year down the long, winding path that leads to its small, roadless reservation and on to its main tourist draw: towering waterfalls that cascade into swimming holes that are warm year-round. Waterfalls on Havasu Creek, Havasupai Reservation, Arizona Marcy Charley Campoy The American Southwest 2017115 Tourists can visit the waterfalls, either by reserving a room at the tribes only lodge or by snapping up a coveted permit for one of its hundreds of camping spots scattered amid a creek. But starting in February, theyll have to find their own way to the reservations waterfalls and caves, and carry their own food and gear. Havasu Falls is a waterfall of Havasu Creek, located in the Grand Canyon, Arizona.It is within Havasupai tribal lands pic.twitter.com/uPNCBjic2c Cumali (@CUMALi_YILDIZ) April 16, 2014 Abbie Fink, a spokeswoman for the Havasupai Tribe, said the Tribal Councils decision isnt a reflection on the outfitters. Rather, she said the tribe wanted to manage all tourist traffic itself. Its not solving a problem. Its returning the enterprise to the control of the tribe, she told The Associated Press. For years, the tribe has set aside spots for tour companies, which often bought permits in bulk. The outfitters paid a licensing fee of several thousand dollars, and some had elaborate setups with gourmet meals, inflatable couches and massage therapists. Most brought just the essentials. Havasu Creek Waterfall, Arizona. pic.twitter.com/Kkne7gjY7Q Best Earth Pics (@BestEarthPix) September 25, 2018 Fink couldnt say exactly how much tour guides paid or how many licenses have been issued in the past. She said the Tribal Council would re-evaluate outfitter licenses for 2020. The tribe relies heavily on tourism and estimates that between February and November, it gets 30,000 to 40,000 visitors per year to its reservation deep in a gorge west of Grand Canyon National Park thats accessible only by foot or helicopter, or by riding a horse or mule. The tribe does maintenance in the campground and on the trails in December and January. The ultimate guide to the jaw-dropping waterfalls of Havasu Creek https://t.co/sCvmeoZBhl pic.twitter.com/UobznyIhEt Roadtrippers (@Roadtrippers) August 17, 2017 The tribe doesnt allow day hikes, so visitors wanting to take in its waterfalls and other sights must reserve overnight trips in the campground or at the sole lodge. Rooms in the lodge, which can be booked only by phone, are sold out for the rest of this year. Reservations for 2020 start June 1. Stunning blue waterfall Havasu Falls Beaver Falls on Havasu Creek, Grand Canyon, Arizona???????? pic.twitter.com/cOslqStP3F Vandevelde Solange (@solavandevelde1) October 16, 2018 Permits for 2019 camping spots become available online Feb. 1 and are expected to sell out in minutes. People on social media have been strategizing for months about how to boost their chances, including by setting up an account early, recruiting friends and family to try to book a trip and repeatedly refreshing multiple internet browsers. The permits are $100 per person per night Monday through Thursday, and $125 a night Friday through Sunday, slight increases over last year. The tribe grants about 300 camping permits a day, Fink has said. Adam Henry, co-owner of Discovery Treks, books between 100 and 200 people on the Havasupai trip each year but has had to stick to offering trips in other spots of the Grand Canyon. He says thats not always welcome news for tourists intent on venturing to the waterfalls. The hike takes tourists 8 miles down a winding trail through desert landscape before they reach the first waterfall. Then comes the village of Supai, where 600 tribal members live year-round. Another 2 miles down the trail is the campground with waterfalls on both ends. The blue-green water is what people want to see, Henry said. Its certainly a significant bummer for people who arent going to be able to get out there on their own. Havasu Falls (hight- 30 m), Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, is a waterfall of Havasu Creek, located in the Grand Canyon. pic.twitter.com/DBozwgSR9n Amitrips Travel (@AmitripsTravel) April 3, 2015 Christine Miller, who works with the tour guide company Wildland Trekking, said tourists can find packing lists online and videos on Havasupai to help plan their trip. The advantage to having a tour guide is knowing how to reach the sights off the main trail, including other waterfalls, caves and swimming pools. There are not really any good maps out there to tell you when to cross, when not to cross the creek, she said. The tribe temporarily suspended licenses for outfitters in 2016 in part to review the impact that supplies loaded onto pack animals had on the animals and the trail. Fink did not respond to questions about what came out of that review. By Felicia Fonseca Chinese leader Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (not pictured) at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse in Beijing on Jan. 21, 2019. (NG HAN GUAN/AFP/Getty Images) Timing of Recent Beijing Meetings Hint at Crisis Within Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Partys elite cadres just concluded a series of meetings in Beijing from Jan. 21 to 24. But the timing of one particular session was curious. Every winter in Beijing, a discussion seminar is held for provincial-level officials from around the country. Around the same time, regional governments also hold local versions of the Two Sessions, or Lianghui, which are meetings of delegates in the National Peoples Congress, the Partys rubber-stamp legislature, and the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, which is an advisory body to the Party. The central authorities typically ensure the national meeting doesnt coincide with the regional Lianghui. But this year, for the first time, Beijing gave priority to the national meeting and asked local authorities to reschedule the Lianghui. State-run media Xiake Island, an online website affiliated with Peoples Daily, noted that the timing meant that the national meetingwhich was themed around preventing and resolving major risks this yearwas extremely urgent. Political Crisis Hua Po, a Beijing-based political observer, said the Chinese communist regime is worried about the possibility of a color revolution, a term that refers to popular uprisings in former Soviet states, such as Ukraine, that swept away long-established authoritarian rule. In an interview with the Chinese-language Epoch Times, Hua noted that on Jan. 17, the Minister of Public Security, Zhao Kezhi, spoke at a national conference for the countrys police force, saying that the current priority is to prevent a color revolution. Presently, the unstable situation has already triggered a chain reaction. According to Hua, a number of violent crimes that have dominated headlines this past year have spooked citizens, as well as police. The whole country, from top to bottom, is very nervous, he said. Within a Party that is primarily concerned about its stability and continuity, squashing public protests are a constant political priority. Recently, the Chinese regime issued new regulations on political and legal work, hinting at the Partys fear of public unrest. The document, announced by state-run media Xinhua on Jan. 18, emphasized the absolute leadership of the Party on political and legal affairs, and required that political and legal committees be installed at grassroots levels such as townships, villages, and neighborhoods in order to ensure political security. Hua explained that these new regulations are meant to strengthen the Partys control. The Partys vigorous push for such policies are also an indication that the regime is very unstable now, so the CCP must integrate various resources to strengthen its control at the most basic level of society, Hua said. Economic Crisis Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke of the major risks currently facing the Party while at one of the national meetings in Beijing. On Jan. 21, during a meeting for all provincial and ministerial officials, as well as military officials, at the Partys main academy for training cadres, Xi gave a speech that warned of seven risks: political risk, ideological risk, economic risk, science and technological risk, social risk, external environment risk, and party-building risk. Xis emphasis on fixing economic problems indicates how bad Chinas downturn has gotten. Xi spoke about seven must-dos to revive the economy, including a longterm effective mechanism to make sure the real estate market can grow in a stable and healthy manner, solve the difficulties in small and medium-sized enterprises getting funding, and ensuring that the countrys employment rate is healthy. Hua noted that many of the past years public protests focused on peoples economic demands: veterans who appealed to authorities for proper medical compensation, people whose homes were forcibly demolished by local governments, and people who lost their investments in collapsed peer-to-peer lending platforms. Xi Jinping has noticed that there are challenges [to the Party] both inside and outside the communist system, at home and abroad. The external threat is the ongoing trade dispute with the United States. Tariffs have hurt Chinas economy as multinational companies move production out of China to avoid paying the U.S. import duties. Joseph Yu-shek Cheng, a political science professor at the City University of Hong Kong, told The Epoch Times that he believed the CCP organized the national seminar urgently because Xi needed full Party support for how he deals with the trade war. If China and the U.S. cannot reach an agreement in trade negotiations, the trade war would be a full-scale, comprehensive war. Xi Jinping certainly wants to obtain full support within the Party, Cheng said. If China has to concede to the U.S., how should it be done? If a full-scale trade war really happens, how should the CCP prepare itself for the heavy blows from the trade war? Cheng said these are issues Xi will have to sort out. Thousands of Fish Die in 3rd Mass Death in Australian River CANBERRA, AustraliaHundreds of thousands of fish died on Jan. 28, in the 3rd mass death in recent weeks on a stretch of a major Australian river that local officials blamed on drought but critics said at least partly stemmed from water mismanagement. The latest deaths began overnight in the Darling River near the township of Menindee in western New South Wales state. Thats the same area where hundreds of thousands of fish were found floating dead in early January and shortly before Christmas. A video that was posted to Facebook on Jan. 7, shows local farmers holding the carcasses of native Murray cod went viral, highlighting the environmental catastrophe that was unfolding in the region. In the video, Menindee locals Rob McBride and Dick Arnold were filmed standing on the banks of the choking Darling River with one saying he feels like crying. NSW independent MP Jeremy Buckingham personally visited Menindee on Jan. 10 to highlight the mass fish deaths that had occurred in the river system. Buckingham posted his own video to social media to raise awareness about the fish deaths and poor state of the rivers. Australia, you need to hang your head in shame. Look at this, Buckingham said, as he retched while holding a rotting fish. Reason for 3rd Mass Death Hot weather is suspected of causing algae to bloom, then cooler overnight temperatures caused the algae to die, which starved the water of oxygen. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian blamed the poor water quality on an extended drought that is gripping most of the state. Minister for Regional Water Niall Blair said his department knew weather conditions were terrible and had deployed two solar-powered aerators in the Menindee region. The government bought 16 aerators to deploy in waterways around the state after the last mass fish death on Jan. 6-7. Killing a river system. Generations of huge Murray Code wiped out in other huge fish kill #Menindee #auspol #MurrayDarling pic.twitter.com/poRJ3B6YQx Terry Australis (@AustralisTerry) January 6, 2019 Unfortunately, theres nothing that anyone has been able to point tono scientist, no locals, no one has been able to point to anything else that could prevent something like this other than freshwater coming into the system and we just dont have that, Blair told reporters. Menindee Regional Tourist Association president Rob Gregory, who operates river cruises, said governments had allowed farmers to take too much water from the river to irrigate over the last four years. Now weve got no reserve to flush the system and weve seen depleted oxygen due to blue-green algal bloom and this is the end result, Gregory said. This is probably the last fish kill well have because theres nothing left to kill, he added. The Murray-Darling Basin is Australias main river system. It winds across four states and produces a third of the nations food. Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb said the fish deaths highlighted how the water basins water management plan is failing the whole system. Theres been $9.3 billion (13 billion AUD) of taxpayers money being spent here to end up with an absolute mess, McCrabb told Australian Broadcasting Corp. With a federal election to be called before the end of May, opposition environment spokesman Tony Burke called for a scientific explanation for the latest fish deaths. The last river I was at was the Darling, where you can just see the ecological disaster thats occurring, Burke told reporters. By Rod McGuirk NTD reporter Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report. The Man Behind McCallums Controversial Press Conference That Led to His Removal as Canadas Ambassador to China News Analysis TORONTO/OTTAWAFor John McCallum, Canadas former ambassador to China and self-proclaimed son-in-law of China, the fiasco that culminated in his resignation started with a now-infamous press conference with a group of Chinese-language media in the Toronto area on Jan. 22. During the event, McCallum weighed in on the case of arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou and said her extradition to the United States wouldnt be a happy outcome for Canada. McCallums comments at the 40-minute news conference, which was attended by a select group of Chinese-language media including the Chinese state-owned Xinhua News Agency and CCTV, generated not only shockwaves but massive attention in Canada and beyond. Some, such as National Post columnist Andrew Coyne, suggested Canadas envoy seemed to be speaking for the government of China in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked McCallum to step down on Jan. 26. The resignation comes amidst a diplomatic crisis with China over the Meng case. Questions remain as to what was behind that press conference, the setting chosen, and why it focused only on certain Chinese media. Following the press conference, after reporters were dismissed, McCallum was the guest speaker at a forum on Canada-China relations held at the same venue attended by some members of the Toronto Chinese community. Taking a look at the man who organized these events and his relationship with McCallum and the Chinese regime may shed more light on the issue. The press conference was organized by Tao (Thomas) Qu and the Canada China Guanxi Council. Qu is the co-founder and executive president of the council. Guanxi means relationship in English. The councils main task is to pay attention to the two countries societal developments and to push the Canadian government to come out with different kinds of policies favourable to China, according to a Chinese media report on Qus speech at a news conference in November 2016 announcing the plan to launch the organization. The Canada China Guanxi Council is not a federally registered lobby group. Qu, a retired employee of Ontario Power Generation, came to Canada from China in 1988 to pursue graduate studies. Over the years, he has founded and worked as an executive member of a number of organizations in Torontos Chinese community that are known to take pro-Beijing positions. He is also involved in several initiatives supported by the Chinese Communist Party. Qu has been active to organize events and create Chinese organizations that are clearly controlled by the Chinese regime. He has been very supportive of the Chinese regime for many years, said Sheng Xue, a Chinese-born Canadian author and Chinese affairs political commentator based in the Toronto area. Beijings Strategy of Using Chinese Organizations Sheng said that since its inception in 1949, the Chinese regime has made it a principle to cultivate a global poisonous web of people and Chinese organizations who support and sympathize with the regime at critical times. Chen Yonglin, a former Chinese diplomat who defected to Australia, has described a similar operating policy by Beijing. He said the regime often sets up different groups to control the Chinese community in Canada and influence the Canadian government. According to Chen, who was first secretary at the Chinese consulate in Sydney until 2005, the Chinese organizations first focus on issues that members of the Chinese community care about. But the real purpose is to further the interests of the Chinese regime in Canada and to lobby the Canadian government, he said. These organizations are usually run by just a handful of people, Chen noted. Many have overlapping members and embellished membership totals, and they work under umbrella groups to make them sound credible, he said. He added that another primary goal of Beijing in using these organizations is to intimidate the five target groups: Tibetan exiles, Taiwanese, Uighur Muslims, democracy activists, and most of all, adherents of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong), a spiritual discipline persecuted in China. Qu helped create and now holdsor in some cases used to holdexecutive positions in a number of Chinese community organizations besides the Canada China Guanxi Council. Some of these include founding board member as well as past president and chairman of the board of the Chinese Professionals Association of Canada (CPAC), vice-president of the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations (CTCCO), founding executive vice president of the Chinese Canadian Liberal Association, founding president of Durham Chinese Canadian Culture Centre, and vice-president of the Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham. Advocacy of Pro-Beijing Issues Qu has been at the forefront of a number of initiatives and groups in the Chinese community that are pro-Beijing. As reported previously by The Epoch Times, a post about the CTCCOof which Qu is currently vice-presidenton the Chinese regimes websites states: Whenever there is something against Chinas interests, CTCCO will organize parades to protest or use media to protect the image of China such as [the time] they protested the mayor of Saint John who raised the Tibetan separatists flag at City Hall on the day when Premier Zhu Rong Ji arrived. CTCCO also protested the Dalai Lamas visit to Canada in 2010 and worked to stop a motion by the City of Toronto in support of Falun Dafa in 2004. In February 2017, then-consul general Xue Bing of the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto attended the 15th inauguration ceremony of the executives of CTCCO and presented a letter of appointment to each newly appointed executive, according to online Chinese records. In 2014, the organization held a welcome dinner for the head of Chinas Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, a key part of Beijings espionage and control apparatus. Again in 2014, Qu was among the speakers at a Toronto District School Board hearing who, as a representative of the CTCCO, defended keeping the boards partnership with the Confucius Institute, a network of educational establishments used by Beijing to infiltrate civil and political society and spread its soft power and influence. He was also seen acting as an organizer and directing others who spoke in support of the institute. Just days before the hearings, the CTCCO hosted a farewell banquet for the departing Chinese vice-consul. At the event, then-consul general Fang Li urged the local Chinese people to come out to rally outside the school board headquarters in support of the Confucius Institute, according to a report by Chinese-language media Ming Pao. As part of its consultations, the board trustees also heard testimony from Michel Juneau-Katsuya, former chief of Asia-Pacific for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Juneau-Katsuya pointed out that the people and groups promoting [the Confucius Institutes] arrival at the school board are not simply acting on their own behalf. There is evidence that the Chinese government and especially the Chinese intelligence services are behind this project and these groups. Juneau-Katsuya named two key Chinese Communist Party offices, the United Front and the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, which are charged with carrying out espionage activities and initiatives to advance Chinas policy and strategic positioning. Both have been established several decades ago with the mandate to actively develop sources and agents of influence around the world, he told the school trustees. The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office was combined with the United Front in 2018. Juneau-Katsuya presented pictures and online records of representatives of a number of organizations, including CPAC and CTCCO, being received or praised by Chinese officials. What is very important [for China] is to have certain organizations that become agents of influence of their own within the community, to be capable to identify first the dissidents, and be capable after that to lobby very much the local government of any country, he said. During a trip to Toronto in February 2014, Qiu Yanping, the head of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and a member of the Chinese Communist Party, visited the Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham (FCCM), CPAC, and CTCCO offices together with then-Toronto consul general Fang Li. Later that year in July, at the 7th Friendship Conference of Overseas Chinese Organizations organized by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and held at the Great Hall of People in Beijing, CPAC received the Overseas Chinese Organization award. It is the only organization in Canada to be granted the award; globally, just 10 organizations have received it. Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping attended the ceremony. Pro-Beijing groups often also collaborate closely with the Chinese Embassy and consulates to organize the Chinese diaspora to hold rallies to welcome Chinese leaders visiting Canada. Whenever Chinese leaders visit Canada, such rallies are staged to overshadow protest displays by groups being persecuted in China, such as Falun Dafa adherents, Tibetans, and others. In a sound recording obtained by The Epoch Times, the first secretary of the education section at the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa can be heard telling a crowd of Chinese students that they had to attend the welcome events for then-Chinese leader Hu Jintaos 2010 visit to Canada. The official said the Chinese Embassy would cover all of their expenses, which would amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars, but that it was worth it to overpower the protests by the persecuted groups. Falun Gong, Tibetan separatists, Uyghur separatists, democracy people have already moved on to Parliament Hill. This is a battle that relates to defending the reputation of our motherland, he said. Qu was one of the organizers who rallied Chinese community members to welcome then-Chinese leader Hu Jintao to Toronto in 2005. The same year, Qu was one of only 28 overseas Chinese invited to the 10-day Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference in Beijing, a privilege afforded only to the most trusted supporters of the Chinese Communist Party. The conference is linked to the United Front, the regimes agency in charge of coordinating its influence exertion and espionage activities. Qu has also been a frequent guest at Chinese Consulate events in Toronto, including those involving meetings between Chinese and Canadian officials. Protesting Toronto Sun Cartoon Qu is also a founding board member, past president, and past chairman of the board of the pro-Beijing Chinese Professionals Association of Canada. In 2003, while he was the chair, CPAC, together with the CTCCO and other pro-Beijing Chinese organizations such as the National Congress of Chinese Canadians (NCCC), protested a Toronto Sun cartoon that implied SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) was made in China. The disease first appeared in Southern China in 2002. Hughes Eng, the founding director of the NCCC and a former executive of the CTCCO, boasted to a crowd of overseas pro-communist Chinese community leaders and Chinese officials in 2003 how the NCCC had convinced the Toronto Sun newspaper to apologize for a cartoon it published that was critical of the regime. Speaking at a Friendship Conference of Overseas Chinese Organizations event organized by Chinas Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, Eng said the NCCC together with the CTCCO had written letters and organized protests against the cartoon, even rallying members of the local Chinese community to boycott the paper. The Chinese consul general in Toronto expressed indignation at the Toronto Suns intention to discredit the Chinese government, Eng said, adding that the whole world admired and praised the Chinese government for its effort in fighting SARS. There was no such thing as a deliberate coverup. Eng boasted that after members of his organization met with the Suns editorial board, the paper agreed to print an apology. Several of the organizations that protested against the Sun in 2003 besides CTCCO, such as the Beijing Association and Fujian Community Association of Canada, also later supported the Toronto School Boards Confucius Institute. Indicators In his deputation to the Toronto District School Board, Juneau-Katsuya offered two indicators of Chinese agents or co-opted organizations. For the Western counterintelligence agencies, the identification of agents or co-opted organizations is very simple. Their leaders are very often in China for a multitude of celebrations and special meetings. They are welcomed and hosted by government high officials and most of the time sponsored by either the United Front Work Department or the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, he said. Another indicator, when important historical incidents take place, you could see those organizations and leaders side with China and denouncing the opposition or any dissidence. I would like to point out that organizations controlled or influenced by Beijing are operating in Canada and the Toronto Area. Son-in-Law of China In a past interview with the Chinese state-owned news agency China News Service, McCallum said in both Chinese and English that I am a son-in-law of China, as he is married to a Chinese woman. I am very happy to have that role, he added. Since his time as a member of Parliament beginning in 2000, McCallum has been a frequent guest at Chinese Consulate-related events. The Epoch Times was able to find close to 50 Toronto Consulate-related events on its website that McCallum attended as a special guest when he was an MP. Many were celebrations to welcome or bid farewell to heads of the consulate. Online records also show him meeting both in Canada and in China with officials from various levels of Chinas Overseas Chinese Affairs Office. As an MP prior to becoming ambassador, McCallum was one of the heaviest users of sponsored trips to China, accepting over $73,000 in trips sponsored by China or pro-Beijing groups between 2008 and 2015. McCallum said last year that in some important policy areas, Canada has more in common with China than the United States under President Donald Trump. He said at the Jan. 22 press conference that in his first meeting with an unnamed Chinese vice minister of foreign affairs after Meng was arrested in Vancouver, the minister was very hostile toward him. However, things have calmed down since then, he said, and his meetings are now much more pleasant. McCallum didnt indicate what he did that caused the Chinese officials to no longer be hostile. Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor are still in detention in China on charges of endangering national security, and a third Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, had his 15-year prison sentence for drug smuggling charges in China changed to a death sentence. The United States has charged Meng with fraud, alleging she misled American banks about Huaweis relations with a Hong Kong-based company doing business with Iran, potentially exposing the banks to violating Iran sanctions. So Many Friends Here Qu helped in McCallums previous election campaigns. And when Qu ran for city council in Markham in 2003, McCallum, then the minister of national defence, spoke at Qus fundraising banquet. Qu also worked on the campaign of former Ontario MPP and provincial cabinet minister Michael Chan. According to a report by The Globe and Mail in June 2015, CSIS had warned the Ontario government in 2010 about Chans close ties to Chinese officials. The article also revealed that Chan was one of the two provincial ministers whom then-CSIS head Richard Fadden had said were under the influence of a foreign regime. Chan denied this and has launched a lawsuit against the Globe. In a video of the Jan. 22 press conference, after walking into the room, McCallum can be seen greeting and shaking hands with Qu, who points to the room and says, So many friends here. According to commentator Sheng Xue, Qu was very clever to set this upto have McCallum come to this event and make such comments. In the news conference, McCallum listed potential arguments that Meng could use in her defence to avoid extradition to the United States. He also listed a number of future scenarios for her case, adding that the scenario that would end with her being extradited to the United States would not be a happy outcome. Reference News, a Chinese state-owned media and one of the largest-circulation daily newspaper in China, said in a headline that the Canadian ambassador to China has changed sides. On Jan. 28, Canadas Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland said McCallum, who repeated similar comments he made in the Jan. 22 press conference to a reporter on Jan. 25, was removed from his position because his comments were inconsistent with the position of the Canadian government. The Epoch Times made repeated attempts to contact Qu for comment but no response was received. McCallum Speaks at Forum Following News Conference The forum on Canada-China relations that was held directly after the press conference was organized by the Canada China Guanxi Council, according to Easy Ca, a Chinese-language website. The forum was confirmed by a source who attended the press conference. An article on the website includes photos of the event, showing McCallum sitting at a table with the co-presidents of the Canada China Guanxi Council and surrounded by members of Chinese community. According to the article, McCallum said at the forum its possible that Meng will be found innocent after completing the process of her extradition hearing in Canada, but this could take a long timemonths or even longer. The forum was hosted by the three founders and co-presidents of the Canada China Guanxi Council: Thomas Qu, Ken Ng, and Francis Yuan. According to the councils website, Ng is also founder and president of the Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham, of which Qu is vice president. Yuan and Qu also served as president and executive vice president respectively of the Chinese Canadian Liberal Association. Pictures of the forum show that Ping Tan, a longtime executive of the National Congress of Chinese Canadians and the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations, was one of the attendees. Ping is known as a go-to person for the Toronto Chinese consulate. Chen Yonglin has said that the National Congress of Chinese Canadians is an umbrella organization that acts as a front for the Chinese regime in Canada. Contentsquare, a NYC-based provider of a SaaS digital experience insights platform for global enterprises to improve engagement and revenue, raised $60m in Series C funding. The round was led by Eurazeo, with previous investors also participating. The company intends to use the new capital to increase research and development, focused on AI and predictive analytics, and continue to expand its business across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Middle-East. Led by Jonathan Cherki, Founder and CEO, Contentsquare is a user experience (UX) analytics and optimization platform for businesses to understand how and why users are interacting with their app, mobile and web sites. It computes billions of touch and mouse movements and transform this knowledge into actions that increase engagement, reduce operational costs and maximize conversion rates. Using behavioral data, artificial intelligence and big data to provide automatic recommendations, Contentsquare allows every member of the digital team to measure the impact of their actions and make fast and productive data-driven decisions to optimize the customer journey. Currently, the company works with a roster of top companies in retail, luxury, travel, hospitality, automotive, finance insurance space, including the global major brands like Walmart, Samsung, Sephora, Tiffany, LVMH, Accorhotels, Avis, BNP Paribas, GoPro, Ikea, Nissan, and more. FinSMEs 28/01/2019 The wreck of a sheriff's vehicle, after being hit by a rock on Boyle County, on Jan. 27, 2019. (Boyle County Sheriff) Sheriff Flips SUV After Rock Thrown Through Windshield, Two Juveniles Charged Two juveniles have been charged with throwing a rock through the windshield of a sheriffs SUV, which left the road and rolled over several times after the deputy lost control, thinking he had been shot in the face. The Boyle County deputy had been called out to investigate reports of someone throwing rocks at trucks on Jan. 27 in the early morning. Half a mile out, a rock was launched from a passing vehicle, shattering the windshield and hitting him in the face with an estimated speed of 100 mph. Deputy Phillip Dean is expected to make a full recovery, but the Boyle County Sheriffs Office said he could have been killed by the rock itself, or killed after he lost control and hit several trees before flipping over. He didnt see the rock being thrown; his windshield exploded and it hit him in the face, Sheriff Derek Robbins told the Advocate-Messenger. I dont know if it knocked him unconscious, but it caused him to lose control and he flipped the vehicle multiple times. On Sunday, January 27th, just before 5:00 A.M., a deputy was responding to reports that someone was throwing rocks at Boyle County Sheriff's Office 2019127 The two teenagers, who are nearly 18, have been charged with various crimes, according to the Messenger, including first-degree assault of a police officer, felony leaving the scene of a wreck and failing to render aid, and criminal mischief. They may be charged as adults since they are close to being 18. The rock was as heavy as a light-weight bowling ball. That heavy a rock, a windshield is not going tothat was just a formality; it was just in the way, Robbins said. The rock itself was big enough that if it had hit him in the right spot, it could have killed him. According to the Messenger, Dean has a broken nose and multiple cuts and bruises. Just a Prank? The entire Boyle County Sheriffs Office wishes to say thank you to everyone for their kind concerns and well wishes for Deputy Dean, said a statement. He is now at home and is recovering. The Sheriffs Office released a picture of the wrecked patrol vehicle on its roof at the crash site near Lexington in central Kentucky on Lexington Road. Two juveniles have been charged with throwing the rock into the windshield of Deputy Deans vehicle. The entire Boyle County Sheriff's Office 2019127 Dean was traveling east on Lexington Road just before 5:00 a.m. when the rockwhich deputies estimate weighed between 6 and 10 poundswas thrown from a dark-colored westbound vehicle as they passed. The combined speed of the vehicles means the rock would have hit the windshield with a velocity of over 100 mph. The deputy is tough, Robbins said, but the moment the rock came through the windshield it scared him. His initial reaction was he thought he got shot because his windshield just exploded and he didnt know what happened. Thats how traumatic it was. And then once he stopped rolling over, he said, My first thought was, Hey wait a minute, Im still alive. They are very close to being 18, Robbins said. I dont know if they will be charged as adults. That will ultimately be up to the prosecution. I dont have any say in that. The Advocate-Messenger Online 2019127 Police said that they tracked down the two teenagers through patching together various videos of the incidents. Prior to the arrest announcement, Robbins said he hoped it was just a prank that went too far. He didnt think the sheriff was specifically targeted for being law enforcement. He didnt have his lights activated or siren going at the time. I would really like for them to come in and say, Hey, I messed up, weve got to figure this out. Because if we track them down before they come forward, were going to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law, he said. In messages on social media, most members of the public think the two should be charged as adults. They had the privilege to drive a vehicle, which is an adult responsibility, wrote one person in a typical Facebook post. They need to be charged as adults, and I hope they have the full weight of punishment fall on their shoulders. BOSTONMark Coleman had read about Shen Yun Performing Arts, but after seeing it, he said there was nothing like being in the audience in person. I thought the quality was perfection, it was just perfection, said Coleman, a retired minister. He saw the performance at the Boch Center on Jan. 27. I didnt see anything out of sync. It was beautiful. The music was absolutely in sync with the dancing. There was no hesitation on the part of anyone up there that I could see, and then the management of the curtains and the light. Everything was perfection. New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts explains on their website how they accomplish synchronicity: Be it lighting, sound, or stage design, Shen Yun uses traditional artistic techniques. Every part of the production exists to support and direct attention to the remarkable performers. You will hear the orchestras most natural sound, and see the dancers light up the stage. The result is a performance in perfect sync. Coleman admired the skill of Shen Yuns classical Chinese dancers. I think I was mostly moved by the beauty of the dance, he said. The meaning behind the dance that was portrayed was done beautifully, and very meaningfully, he said. Coleman said he also appreciated the spiritual humanity conveyed by Shen Yun. There was an attempt to portray a spiritual aspect to Chinese culture. Im a Christian and I related very well to an effort to portray a humanity connecting with the divine. And for me personally thats very, very important as a Christian and so I was very moved by that, Coleman said. In 2006, a group of artists came together with a wish to revive the 5,000-year-old traditional Chinese culture, which was based on values like compassion, loyalty, and piety. There was a need for revival because since 1949, the communist regime decimated the Chinese culture and its deeply held values for political and monetary gain. Through violent campaigns like the Cultural Revolution, the traditional culture was overturned for a communist one, and those who held on to their cultural values were subject to humiliation and sometimes death. Today the traditional Chinese culture is kept from reemerging by strict control of the media and textbooks. And the regime still persecutes the spiritual people in China who place their values outside the regime itself. Tibetans, Uighurs, many Christians, and about 100 million Falun Dafa practitioners are persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party today, and vilified by the regime online and in communist media. Through stories from Chinas history, classical Chinese dance, and a production embodying the 5,000-year-old historic legacy that informed the traditional Chinese culture, the artists of Shen Yun let the culture be comprehended and felt again by people all over the world. Coleman said it is very important for people everywhere to have continuity with their culture and not to lose it. Oh, I think its exceedingly important, he said. To ignore ones culture, especially the rich culture of Chinese culture, would be a terrible, terrible mistake. I think that our culture from the past informs us today, and brings a sense of fullness to what were experiencing today. So often among younger people, particularly, its as though culture just began today. It did not. It began many hundred, thousands of years ago and we have to appreciate that for what it is. Even though Shen Yun depicts the traditional Chinese culture and spirituality, Coleman found the spiritual themes related to him personally as well. Coleman knew how he would describe the show to those who havent seen it before. Well, I would absolutely say, its an absolutely must-see, he said. Its one-of-a-kind. I think it needs to be seen, not only to be informed of Chinese culture, but to remind us, as Americans, that we have a culture too, that we dare not neglect. With reporting by Sophia Zheng and Carrie Gilkison. The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006. Saturns Rings Are Disappearing Fast, Falling as Icy Rain Saturns iconic rings are only a temporary accessory, according to research which confirms that they will have disappeared long before the planets life is ended. The icy particles of the rings fall onto the planets surface as ring rain. Recent analysis has shown that with the ring rain falling at the 11 tons per second, the 170,000 mile-wide rings will have been completely drawn to the planets surface within 100 million years. We estimate that this ring rain drains an amount of water products that could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool from Saturns rings in half an hour, said NASAs James ODonoghue, lead author of a study on Saturns ring rain that appeared in Icarus on Dec. 17. From this alone, the entire ring system will be gone in 300 million years, but add to this the Cassini-spacecraft measured ring-material detected falling into Saturns equator, and the rings have less than 100 million years to live. This is relatively short, compared to Saturns age of over 4 billion years. The research, published in Science Direct, helps answer a long-standing question: Did Saturn always have its characteristic rings, or did it acquire them later in life? According to the research, the answer is clear: Saturns rings came long after it was born, and are likely less than 100 million years old. We are lucky to be around to see Saturns ring system, which appears to be in the middle of its lifetime. However, if rings are temporary, perhaps we just missed out on seeing giant ring systems of Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, which have only thin ringlets today! ODonoghue said. Some data about Saturns ring rain was gathered in 2017 by the Cassini spacecraft on its final kamikaze mission as it plunged down through the planets icy, rocky ring particles, picking up data before it hit the edge of the atmosphere and was vaporized. Scientists already thought that some particles in the rings become charged and are then whipped out along the spirals of a magnetic field towards higher altitudes where they fall as rain. Does Saturn Have Winter Rain? But they were surprised that Cassini found ring rain also falling directly under the ring, with the overall rate being much higher than expected. The latest research adds to Cassinis data by using a telescope to analyze the mysterious dark bands in the higher latitudes of the planet. The possibility of ring rain was first proposed in 1986, as an explanation for faint dark bands observed by Voyager 2 back in 1981 in the upper altitudes of the planet, far from the rings. Jack Connerney of NASA Goddard proposed that those lines were formed by electrically charged ice particles flowing along invisible magnetic field lines, dumping water in Saturns upper atmosphere to create these bands. The most recent research used the Keck telescope in Hawaii to tune into and map the signature wavelength of a tell-tale flow of ions released by the icy ring particles as they vaporize and react with Saturns ionosphere. Their observations revealed glowing bands in Saturns northern and southern hemispheres where the magnetic field lines that intersect the ring plane enter the planet, said a NASA statement. They analyzed the light to determine the amount of rain from the ring and its effects on Saturns ionosphere. They found that the amount of rain matches remarkably well with the astonishingly high values derived more than three decades earlier by Connerney and colleagues, with one region in the south receiving most of it. The next step for the researchers is to try to establish whether the icy rain is affected by shifting seasons through the Saturn year that lasts over 29 earth years. Rescue workers work at the wreckage of a US-Bangla airplane after it crashed at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 12, 2018. (Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters) Pilot Had Emotional Breakdown Before Deadly Crash, Nepal Probe Panel Says KATHMANDUThe captain of a Bangladeshi aeroplane seemed to have an emotional breakdown before a deadly crash last March, Nepali investigators said in a final report on the Himalayan nations worst aviation disaster in 26 years. They blamed the crews loss of situational awareness for the crash of the US-Bangla Airlines flight to the Nepali capital from Dhaka that caught fire on landing in Kathmandu, killing 51 of the 71 people aboard. The pilot thought he could maneuver the aircraft and land. But he could not, panel official Buddhisagar Lamichhane, told Reuters on Monday, Jan. 28, referring to the captain. The captain was under stress and emotionally disturbed because he felt that a female colleague who was not on board the fatal flight had questioned his reputation as a good instructor, Nepals Accident Investigation Commission said in the report. This, together with the failure on the part of both the crew to follow the standard operating procedure at the critical stage of the flight, contributed to the loss of situational awareness, said the report, submitted late on Sunday. This lack of awareness meant the crew did not realize the deviation of the aircraft, a Bombardier Inc Q400 turboprop, from its intended path, which in turn meant they could not sight the runway, it added. Having missed the runway, the crew was flying very low north of it in an incorrect position near hilly and mountainous terrain around the airport, it said. Finally, when the crew sighted the runway, they were very low and too close and not properly aligned, added the report, saying the captain should have halted the landing and initiated a go-around. The plane skidded off the runway on to surrounding grass, quickly catching fire. Both pilots were among those killed. US-Bangla Airlines expects to make an official statement later on Monday, Chief Executive Imran Asif said. UPDATE: Pilot error blamed for deadly plane crash that left at least 49 people dead in Kathmandu, Nepal. At least 22 people are being treated for injuries sustained in the crash. pic.twitter.com/UJ8S8SXDz4 AJ+ (@ajplus) March 12, 2018 Mental Health The flights captain, aged 52, was released in 1993 from the Bangladeshi Air Force because he suffered from depression but was later declared fit to fly civilian aircraft, the report said, with recent medical reports mentioning no symptoms. Citing the voice recorder and the eyewitness accounts of passengers, the report said the captain was smoking in the cockpit during the flight and engaged in unnecessary, unprofessional and lengthy conversation even in the critical phase, violating the norm of maintaining a sterile cockpit. He shared the cockpit with a female first officer, 25, who had a total of just 390 hours of flying experience and had never previously landed at Kathmandu as crew, the report said, contradicting a US-Bangla spokesman who last year said she had made landings there before. Landing at Kathmandu airport, which is surrounded by hills, is considered difficult. In 1992, all 167 on board a Pakistan International Airlines aeroplane were killed when it plowed into a hill as it tried to land. On the US-Bangla flight, the disparity in experience and added authority of the captain probably deterred the first officer from being more assertive during significant phases such as the final approach and landing, the report said. The report recommended that the airline emphasize proper crew resource management and set up a mechanism to monitor and assess the mental status of the crew regarding professional development, financial, personal and psychological issues. Pilot mental health was spotlighted by a 2015 crash in Europe after a Germanwings first officer deliberately flew a jet into a mountainside. Last year, the European Commission adopted new rules on the mental health of pilots, for the first time requiring airlines to do a psychological assessment before hiring them. By Gopal Sharma Debris lies scattered after a church bombing attack in Jolo, Sulu province, Philippines Jan. 27, 2019. Armed Forces of the Philippines. (Western Mindanao Command/Handout via Reuters) Philippines Vows to Crush Terrorists After Church Bombs Kill 20 MANILAThe Philippines vowed to destroy those behind twin bombings that killed 20 people during a Jan. 27 church service in the countrys restive south, six days after a referendum on a peace agreement between the government and Filipino Muslims in the region returned an overwhelming yes vote. The attack wounded more than 100 people and was one of the deadliest in recent years in a region long plagued by instability. It came amid hope and excitement about the ratification of a devolution plan that aims to bring development, jobs, and peace to one of Asias poorest and most volatile places. The first explosion went off inside the cathedral on Jolo island, in Sulu province, and was followed by a second blast outside, which was detonated as security forces raced to the scene, officials said. The enemies of the state have boldly challenged the capability of the government to secure the safety of the citizenry in that region, said Salvador Panelo, spokesman of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. The armed forces of the Philippines will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals. Philippine Army members secure the area outside a church after a bombing attack in Jolo, Sulu province, Philippines January 27, 2019. Armed Forces Of The Philippines. (Western Mindanao Command/Handout via Reuters) ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack via the extremist groups Amaq news agency, describing it as twin suicide bombings that it said killed 120 people. Police are investigating but suspect it was the work of Abu Sayyaf, an extremist group embedded in the Philippines that has pledged allegiance to ISIS and are blacklisted by the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organization because of years of bombings, kidnappings, and beheadings. They also go by the name ISIS-Philippines Province. They want to show force and sow chaos, national police chief Oscar Albayalde told DZMM radio, suggesting Abu Sayyaf was the prime suspect. Civilians bore the brunt of the attack, which also killed five soldiers. Police lowered the death toll from 27 to 20, after discovering duplications in initial records. Jolo is a stronghold of the group, which runs a lucrative piracy and kidnapping operation that successive governments have failed to break up. The group, which operates in the waters and islands of western Mindanao, has beheaded numerous foreign captives when ransom demands were not met. A Philippine Army member inspects the damage inside a church after a bombing attack in Jolo, Sulu province, Philippines January 27, 2019. Armed Forces Of The Philippines (Western Mindanao Command/Handout via Reuters) Images of the inside of the Jolo church showed several rows of wooden pews destroyed, with debris strewn across a blackened floor. Dastardly Act The attack followed an announcement on Jan. 25 that the majority Muslim region, as part of a predominantly Catholic Philippines, had ratified changing from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to an new area called Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, with 85 percent of voters behind it. Although Sulu was among only a few areas that rejected autonomy, it will still be part of the new entity when it is fully formed in 2022. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana called the attack a dastardly act and urged the local population of both Muslims and Christians to cooperate and deny terrorism any victory. National Security Adviser, Hermogenes Esperon, called those responsible mass murderers and extremist criminals. We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace, he added. A Philippine Army member inspects the damage inside a church after a bombing attack in Jolo, Sulu province, Philippines January 27, 2019. Armed Forces Of The Philippines (Western Mindanao Command/Handout via Reuters) The referendum came amid concerns about the presence of extremists in the Philippines and the possibility that foreign radicals will join those of Indonesia and Malaysia in gravitating to Mindanao to capitalize on porous borders, jungles and mountains, and an abundance of arms. The Philippine military in mid-2017 encountered its biggest and longest battle since World War Two when an alliance of extremists loyal to ISIS, among them foreigners and children, overran Marawi City and tried to establish a caliphate. Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf faction leader anointed as ISISs Southeast Asian emir and wanted by the United States, was killed during that battle. By Martin Petty and Enrico Dela Cruz Passenger in Wheelchair Says Airline Would Not Let Her Board Flight A woman in a wheelchair said that she wasnt allowed to board her flight because she was using a wheelchair. Shen Chengqing, 22, said that she booked a flight from Hong Kong to Tianjin, China on Jan. 25, and was preparing to board when Hong Kong Airlines workers refused to let her on. They said she wasnt allowed to fly because she couldnt walk and she didnt have a travel companion to help her. I felt very anxious and angry at the time. I dont understand why this could happen in Hong Kong, Shen told the South China Morning Post. In an audio recording obtained by the Post from Shen, an employee of the airline can be heard saying Shen cant board since she was not able to walk. Because of this reason, we refused to let her board the plane alone, a female employee told Shens friend at the airport. According to the website of Hong Kong Airlines, passengers are allowed to check in their wheelchairs and receive a substitute to use on board. The airline also states that flight attendants can help users move to and from their seats but that they cannot help with personal care, such as assistance using the bathroom. For these needs, we recommend you travel with a personal care attendant, the website reads. Shen later took a flight from Shenzhen, China to Tianjin and had no problems on the flight, her friend told the Post. Shen said a friend accompanied her on that flight. Shen also has no difficulty taking flights, going alone on an Air China flight to Hong Kong days before the incident with Hong Kong Airlines. A spokeswoman for Hong Kong Airlines said that passengers traveling alone must be able to take care of themselves or travel with a companion. Staff decided that Shen could not take care of herself, the spokeswoman said. Shen, though, said that she can take care of herself and doesnt require assistance eating or going to the bathroom. They rejected me for this reason verbally, she said. But their written rejection says disability: unable to walk long distances, which is ridiculous. Wheelchair user blasts Hong Kong airline after staff refuse to let her board flight https://t.co/t9lRi4ElSR SCMP News (@SCMPNews) January 27, 2019 Family Kicked Off American Airlines Flight American Airlines reportedly removed a family from a plane after other passengers allegedly complained about body odor. Yossi and Jennie Adler and their 19-month-old daughter were asked to get off their plane heading from Miami to Detroit as they were boarding. All of a sudden, as soon as they took us off, they closed the gate and then they said, Sorry, sir, some people complained you had body odor and were not letting you back on, Adler told local news outlet WPLG. We dont have odor, OK? Yossi said to an airport agent, according to the report. Nobody here has odor. The family said the airliner told them they could collect their luggage, but the flight left with their stuff. BODY ODOR BOOT A family vacationing in Miami was kicked off their flight home because passengers complained about their body odor. WPLG Local 10 2019124 They have our car seat, stroller, everything, Jennie told outlet. An American Airlines spokesperson issued a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle, saying, They were asked to deplane after multiple passengers, along with our crew members and Miami airport team, were concerned about the comfort of our other passengers due to the odor. The person said, Our team members took care of the family by providing overnight accommodations and meals and rebooking them for the next available flight. We stopped several people in the airport and, its embarrassing, but we asked them, Do you think we smell? Because we just got kicked off a plane for smelling, Jennie told WPLG. Im very frustrated, Yossi told the station. I want them to own up to what really happened and to tell me the truth. What was it? According to the Times of Israel, the Adlers said there was a religious reason for the move. Theres a religious reason for some reason that theyre kicking me off the plane, Adler said. From NTD News Pain of Government Shutdown Could Remain for Some Time The longest government shutdown in U.S. history affected companies big and small across the country. Although it ended, the pain of the shutdown may linger for a while for some businesses that have lost substantial revenue during the closing. I am glad its reopened, said Jerry Brandon, owner of the Riverview Hotel in St. Marys, Georgia. Brandon owns an 18-room hotel, which is nearly 100 years old and was passed down from his family. The hotel rests on the banks of the St. Marys River and is close to the Cumberland Island Ferry that takes visitors and campers to the island twice daily. Due to the government shutdown, the Cumberland Island National Seashore was closed and the ferries stopped running. When they are not running, I am not running, Brandon said. President Donald Trump signed a short-term spending bill into law Jan. 25 to reopen the government. He ended the longest government shutdown in history that began Dec. 22 as a result of a standoff between the White House and Democratic leaders over funding for a border wall. Cumberland Island Ferry started to operate again Jan. 27, said Brandon. However, it likely will take weeks for his hotel business to get back to normal. It has got to be slow because the business depends on the park service ferry running, he said. This is the first day theyve run. But of course, their reservations are way down because nobody knew when they were going to be open and nobody booked trips. He expects the business to get back to normal in March. However, he is still concerned about a slow down in reservations for spring as most people book their trips months in advance. He believes people who initially wanted to travel to St. Marys may have changed their plans because of the government shutdown and uncertainty. The first thing they do is they book with the park service to make sure they can get over to the island. And of course, with the uncertainty on whether its going to stay open or shut down again theyre still going to be reluctant to book, he explained. According to his estimates, the cost of the recent shutdown to his business is roughly $65,00070,000. His hotel normally employs 1015 people, but during the shutdown, he had to cut the staff to five. Ive got one bartender, one cook, one housekeeper, me, my wife and it is a struggle, he said. I cannot believe this happened. His family business has endured storms and recessions in the past but now faces the impact of the shutdown, which he called a man-made disaster. Government Contractors The shutdown had far-reaching implications for federal employees. Nearly 380,000 federal employees were furloughed and 420,000 worked without pay during the shutdown. In addition, thousands of small-business contractors throughout the country that deliver service to the government suffered losses. Information Technology Coalition, Inc. (ITC) based in Alexandria, Virginia, is one of those contractors affected by the shutdown. The company works for federal agencies such as the Department of Justice, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Health and Human Services. The 11-year-old company had its best results in 2018 and ended the year with 350 staff members. We were thrilled about where we were going but this [shutdown] was not on the contingency plan, Greg Fitzgerald, president of ITC, said at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce event on Jan. 25. Due to the shutdown, he had to lay off 200 employees who were working throughout the country. While federal employees will get their back pay, many contractors will not. There is no way to get the lost revenue back, and the impact of this shutdown will linger until the end of the July, Fitzgerald said, adding that the pain is further compounded by the fact that the new hires may not be able to go back to work right away. It is going to take six months to go through the [security] clearance process and get these badges back, he said. It is 100 percent out of your control. The shutdown also had a ripple effect in the travel industry. Hotels in the nations capital, particularly, were immensely affected by the shutdown, as major tourist attractions such as the Smithsonian museums, the National Gallery of Art, and National Zoo were closed. Business travel also took a hit from the shutdown. According to Goldman Sachs, based on the data from the previous shutdowns, the Washington metro area hotels may see a 4-percentage point decline in their revenue per available room. Some business groups have canceled trips to Washington during the shutdown, said Raymond Martz, chief financial officer of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust that owns ten hotels in Washington such as Hotel Monaco and Sofitel Washington. Unfortunately a lot of government business wont necessarily rebook, he said. However, January typically is a very slow travel month so it isnt as impactful as it would be later in the year, he added. The federal government partially shut down on Dec. 22 after Congress failed to pass legislation to temporarily extend funding. Nine departments, about a quarter of the federal government, were shuttered. New Rules Require Drone Operators to Be Accredited Recreational drone users in Australia will need to register their aircraft and do a short course before taking off in public areas, according to new rules that could take effect mid-year. The requirements are part of the Australian governments Drone Registration and Accreditation Scheme, which the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) plans to introduce from as early as the second half of 2019. Most recreational drones weighing more than 250 grams (8.8 ounces) will have to be registered every three years using a simple online process. Drones of all weights used for commercial purposes must also be registered. Drone operators will also need to complete a 15-minute online education course where they watch a video and complete an quiz. Under the new rules, it will be illegal for anyone under the age of 16 to operate a drone without supervision from an accredited adult, aged 18 or over. The only exceptions to the new requirement will be people who hold a remote pilot licence, those operating a drone 250 grams (8.8 ounces) or lighter, and anyone flying indoors or within an approved model airfield. The proposed scheme will make sure everyone who flies a drone knows what the safety rules are, CASA CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Shane Carmody said in a press release. It will also mean we can effectively target safety information to the people who need it. Importantly, it will make it easier for authorities to identify when someone is breaking the drone safety rules and to take the appropriate action, which can be penalties of up to $10,500. Lessons Drawn From UK Drone Incident The federal government has supported the introduction of a mandatory accreditation and registration system for drones, especially after Londons Gatwick Airport was shutdown for several hours because security spotted several drones flying within the terminal. The 36-hour closure on Dec. 20 disrupted the travel plans of at least 115,000 Christmas travellers who are unlikely to ever receive compensation since the incident was declared to be a terrorist threat, which voids the usual legal grounds for making a claim. CASA is inviting public comment on the scheme until Feb. 22. We are looking at what ages should be covered by the accreditation scheme, the weight of the drones when the scheme kicks in and, of course, the cost of registering your drone, CASA Manager Corporate Communications Peter Gibson said in a pre-recorded interview. All of these are important details we need feedback on. Sharing Data With China CASA has also begun installing technology to detect drones in Sydney Harbour and at Australian airports. However, CASA has been scrutinised for contracting the Australian distributor of China-based supplier DJI Aerospace, which the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency accuses of harvesting data and sharing it with the Communist Chinese state, in breach of international privacy and data collection laws. [The agency] assesses with moderate confidence that Chinese-based company DJI Science and Technology is providing U.S. critical infrastructure and law enforcement data to the Chinese government, ICE said in a bulletin dated Aug. 9, 2017. [The agency] further assesses with high confidence the company is selectively targeting government and privately owned entities within these sectors to expand its ability to collect and exploit sensitive U.S. data. ICE also claims the tech supplier has online file hosting systems in different parts of Asia to which the Chinese government likely has access. DJI automatically uploads this information into cloud storage systems located in Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong, to which the Chinese government most likely has access, ICE said. A foreign government with access to this information could easily coordinate physical or cyber attacks against critical sites. Australian MP Cautious of Authoritarian Foreign Governments Australias Joint Intelligence Committee Chair Andrew Hastie said he shared U.S. concerns about DJI having access to CASAs extensive database. I do not support authoritarian foreign governments being involved in Australias domestic and national security architecture, Hastie told Fairfax Media. Thats my starting principle. The Liberal MP for Canning, Western Australia, drew parallels with the decisions of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to block China-based telecommunications company Huawei from supplying broadband and mobile infrastructure for national cellular networks. Supplier Denies Wrongdoing CASA confirmed that it did not call for tenders for the drone detection system but instead directly approached Counter Drone Solutions (CDS), which distributes DJI products in Australia. The exact value of the contract remains undisclosed. CDS CEO John Hildebrand would not comment on operational matters while DJI has denied that it has the ability to spy on Australian airports. It has also appointed a data security firm to carry out a cyber security audit to debunk the ICEs spying concerns. AeroScope cannot spy on Australian airport systems, or any other airport systems, or anything else, AeroScope spokesperson Adam Lisberg told Fairfax. AeroScope receives radio signals from DJI drones and uses that information to display their location on a map. Watch Next: 5 Ways China is subverting the United States Gina and China Uncensored host Chris Chappell to count down the worst cases of Chinese subversion in America. Missing Purdue Student Found Dead in Lafayette Parking Lot A Purdue University student was found dead on the morning of Jan. 24 in what appears to be a suicide, the West Lafayette Police Department said, according to The Exponent. Tavon Fields, a 21-year-old junior, was found in a parking lot less than 10 miles southeast of the university, near South Ninth Street and Veterans Memorial Parkway, Lt. Jonathan Eager said. Eager said Fieldss death is likely to be a suicide. Some members of the Fields family have since confirmed via social media that Fields had committed suicide. Fields was reported missing earlier in the week. His father, Sharif Fields, said in a Facebook post he had been missing since Jan. 21. HELP ME FIND MY SON!!!. His name is Tavon Fields and he is a Purdue student who has went missing. We have not heard Sharif Fields 2019123 The West Lafayette Police went above & beyond & they took the facts we gave them & gave 110%, Fields sister, Timara Turman, wrote in response to a Facebook comment. It was as reported unfortunately my brother was depressed & tired. Turman again wrote that her brother took his own life in response to suspicion of foul play on social media surrounding his death. This is my little brother we kept some information private but yes he did commit suicide. Its just a realization to check on your strong friends & family, she wrote in a comment. 2019126 Fields is survived by his family, girlfriend and their 3-week-old daughter. Ill miss you so much but Ill make sure both of our babies know everything there is to know about you , Turman wrote in a Facebook post. This right here. The love I had, the happiness I had, the pride I had to say you were my little brother. Im so proud of you & I didnt care if 1001 people had did it before, because YOU did it we were going to celebrate & honor you to the fullest. Im going to miss embarrassing you, laughing with you, telling our insiders, & most importantly being able to hug & reprociate the love we had for each other. Idk how Im going to live in a world, where you no longer exist but Ill try my best for you Until we meet again Tavon Fields Timara Turman 2019124 Fieldss mother, Tisha Turman Croom, said the family will support his girlfriend Mikala and their newborn child. He was excited &great father for short time to Ameerah. Hold your head up Mikala. We gonna be there for you & baby.We love you and so did Tavon Fields very much. Appreciate all the love, kindness, prayers &stories people are posting..but this was/is the love of Tavon's life. I Tisha Turman Croom 2019125 On Jan. 25, his sister created a GoFundMe page to help the family cover the funeral costs and help his girlfriend with their 3-week-old baby. As of Jan. 27, the fundraiser has raised over $7,000 of the $8,000 goal. If you google his name, youll see the tragic story but right under that youll find a story about the type of man he was; a hero, the strong friend, determined, intelligent man. Unfortunately Tavon was overwhelmed & took his own life, the GoFundMe page managed by Turman says. Any excess funds will go to a scholarship fund in memory of Field. Turman said details of the fund will be released at a later time. The missing student has been found dead in Lafayette, per to the West Lafayette Police Department.https://t.co/nVgEB3didR Purdue Exponent (@purdueexponent) January 24, 2019 Fields was a double major at the Polytechnic Institute, according to the GoFundMe page. He was studying Computer Graphics Technology, according to his Facebook account. Fields made headlines in The Exponent in late 2017 for chasing down a wallet thief on campus and subduing the repeat offender until Purdue police officers arrived. I dont think he did that to be heroic, His longtime friend and roommate, Khari Stewart, said at the time. I think that was his natural instinct. Just Tavon being Tavon. From NTD.com Thomas Mark Castiglia, 50, in an undated file photo, was found dead overnight after going missing on El Cajon Mountain in California on Jan. 26, 2019. (San Diego County Sheriff's Department) Missing Hiker Found Dead on California Mountain The body of a missing hiker was found in California over the weekend. Thomas Mark Castiglia, 50, had gone hiking with a group at El Cajon Mountain at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 26 but became separated from them about two hours later. Castiglia told the group that he wanted to hike more slowly and said they shouldnt wait for him. After he failed to reach the trailhead by 2:45 p.m., he was reported missing. Deputies with the San Diego Sheriffs Department searched for Castiglia throughout the night and eventually located his body near the base of a sheer cliff, the department said in a press release obtained by Fox 5. The county medical examiners office responded to the scene on Sunday morning and confirmed that the body was Castiglia. An autopsy was planned to determine how he died. The area where he was found included really rugged terrain, San Diego County Sheriffs Lt. Rich Williams told the San Diego Union-Tribune. He said that Castiglia apparently planned to take an offshoot trail and that the group he was with had connected through an online forum. Dear friends and family of my husband, Tom. Tom loved hiking and was excited about going on the hike yesterday. After three miles, he started to struggle and decided to stay behind and rest. After resting, he https://t.co/7RjciHe1mg Tom Castiglia (@tomcastiglia) January 27, 2019 Loved Hiking Castiglias wife said, Tom loved hiking and was excited about going on the hike. But about 3 miles into the hike on Saturday, he began struggling and didnt want to hold the group back so he decided to take it slow and rest, she added. Friends described him as an experienced hiker. We lost a great man and this hurts but Tom taught us many things. Most importantly to live every second and give back unconditionally. Miss you man and praying for your family, one friend wrote on Twitter. My heart is heavy with this news! Great person and wonderful to the #SharePoint community family. I cherish the memories. Sending prayers and warm wishes to Martha and Ben in your time of healing. @tomcastiglia will be missed by many. Liz Sundet #NotTracy (@percusn) January 27, 2019 I am heartbroken to hear this Tom and I spent a good amount of time together at a number of events talking about all things tech. My sincere condolences to the Castiglia family. Tom was a wonderful person and a pleasure to work with. I will really miss him, added another. According to the San Diego .Net User Group, Castiglia was one of the founders of the group. He was a tireless advocate for the community and we will miss him. All the love and support to his family and friends, the group said. It is with great sadness that we share the news that Tom Castiglia, one of the original founders of the @sandiegodotnet user group has passed away. He was a tireless advocate for the community and we will miss him. All the love and support to his family and friends. https://t.co/5lWkuYkSI1 San Diego .Net UG (@sandiegodotnet) January 27, 2019 The nonprofit is involved in the tech space, according to its website. As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the San Diego .Net User Group serves to facilitate education and knowledge exchange among developers, architects, and managers with an interest in Microsoft .Net and related technologies, it stated. Between our main meeting, and multiple special interest group (SIG) meetings, we host 40+ events annually. From NTD News 404 Page Not Found The page you were looking for doesn't exist Take me home Tens of thousands gather for the March for Life in front of San Francisco City Hall on Jan. 26, 2019. (Cynthia Cai/The Epoch Times) March for Life Holds Annual Event in San Francisco SAN FRANCISCOTens of thousands gathered in front of San Francisco City Hall for the 15th annual March for Life: West Coast rally on Jan. 26. The annual event is attended by people who support the pro-life movement and the end of abortion. It is so important to protect the unborn and also women. Every year we get more than fifty thousand people, very dedicated, very determined, and we really hope that we can get rid of abortions to protect unborn and women, said Frank Lee, the president of the Organization for Justice and Equality. Every year, March for Life hosts a variety of speakers who tell their accounts and experiences relating to abortion. This year, Abby Johnson, a former director at Planned Parenthood, told the story of an experience that changed her views on abortion. While I was participating in an ultrasound-guided procedure, and I saw a 13-week-old baby fighting strong and struggle for its life against the abortion instruments. And I knew then that the humanity inside the womb was worth fighting for, said Johnson. Johnson also took the opportunity to inform the crowd of her book Unplanned, which is set to be released as a feature film in March. The book and film tell about the experiences of working in an abortion clinic and the journey Johnson underwent that led her to become a pro-life activist. Many other speakers, including representatives from 40 Days for Life, religious leaders, and community leaders, provided their stories and reasons for becoming pro-life supporters. The rally stems from the debate of pro-life versus pro-choice, which has long been a part of our society. Many of the March for Life attendees explained that they believe life begins at conception, thus providing the argument that killing an unborn baby is unethical. Some attendees also provided a financially based argument. It is not just one angle. We are mixing a social problem, an ethics problem, with a financial problem. It is difficult to analyze, said Evelyn Li, Internal Medicine Doctor of Asian Medical Clinic. Li said the issue brings up the question of who should fund abortion programs, such as Planned Parenthood, and whether the public should fund programs that involve personal decisions. Given the recent resurgence of the debate of pro-life and pro-choice, some attendees also expressed the possibility of change within the Supreme Court in regards to abortion cases in the future. At the present moment, it doesnt seem very likely, but its possible down the road, said Lee. After the rally, attendees gathered to march along Market Street to show their support. Many people held banners that read I Am the Pro-life Generation and Defund Planned Parenthood, among others. March for Life is described as a peaceful protest against abortion and is held every year on or near Jan. 22, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Man Wanted in Slaying of 4 in Georgia Arrested in Indiana ROCKMART, Ga.Federal authorities have arrested a man wanted in the slayings of four people and injuring of a man in a pair of shootings in Georgia. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said 27-year-old Daylon Delon Gamble was arrested in Indiana by the U.S. Marshals Service on Jan. 27. #IMPDNOW: Daylon Delon Gamble (27), suspect wanted by @GBI_GA in connection with four murders that occurred in Polk County, GA, was apprehended tonight on the East side of Indianapolis by IMPD Violent Crimes Unit, @USMarshalsHQ, @MCSO_IN. #RockmartShooting #Breaking #Apprehended pic.twitter.com/PKxh3C0Q8e IMPD (@IMPDnews) January 28, 2019 Gamble, who was wanted on four charges of murder in the shootings Thursday night in Rockmart, about 45 miles northwest of Atlanta, was taken into custody without incident, according to GBI news release posted on their Facebook page. Gamble has been captured in Indianapolis, IN for the two double homicides in Rockmart, GA. See link for updated press Georgia Bureau of Investigation 2019127 Authorities said 48-year-old Helen Rose Mitchell and 19-year-old Jaequnn Davis died at one home, and 24-year-old Arkeyla Perry and 26-year-old Dadrian Cummings died at another home. The GBI says 24-year-old Peerless Brown was injured at the home where Mitchell and Davis were killed. Only 1 shooting victim survived the deadly massacre in Polk County last night 24 y/o Peerless Brown. He was airlifted to Atlanta Medical Center after police say Daylon Gamble shot him. 4 of his relatives were shot & killed. Story in 8 min on Ch2 pic.twitter.com/TkevZdceU8 Tyisha Fernandes (@TyishaWSB) January 25, 2019 State police say Gamble fled in a stolen truck that has since been recovered. 2nd Man Charged in Fatal Burlington Shooting BURLINGTON, IowaA second man has been charged in a fatal shooting in a car outside the home of the victims mother in Burlington. Authorities say 44-year-old Derrick Parker is charged in Des Moines County with first-degree murder and with conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. Court records dont list the name of an attorney who could comment for him. Hed been in Illinois custody on a conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Parker and Antoine Spann, of Dalton, Illinois, are accused in the slaying of 26-year-old Demarcus Peanut Chew, who was shot to death Sept. 10, 2017. Spann has pleaded not guilty to murder and conspiracy. His trial is scheduled to begin March 12. Murders and Violent crimes The number of murders and violent crimes committed in the United States dropped slightly in 2017, according to new crime statistics released in September 2018. Crime declined nationwide last year, consistent with our earlier analyses of 2017 data in the nations 30 largest cities, Ames Grawert, senior counsel for the Justice Program at the Brennan Center for Justice in New York, told the Washington Times. Thats the good news. The bad news is that even while crime is falling, the number of Americans incarcerated remains near-record highs. Now is the time to address the problem. The number of cases of manslaughter and murder dropped 0.7 percent in 2017 from the prior year, the report said. Rapes rose by 3 percent and aggravated assault rose by 1 percent, but overall violent crimes dropped 0.2 percent, the report added. An undated photo of Law Council of Australia President Arthur Moses SC, in Canberra, Australia. (Courtesy of the Law Council of Australia) Legal Fraternity Has Grave Concerns for Australian Detained in China Australian lawyers are becoming increasingly worried about a novelist who is continuing to be detained by Chinese authorities. The Law Council of Australia is deeply concerned about the Chinese Communist Partys (CCPs) detention of Australian citizen Yang Hengjun in Beijing. The council described Yangs extended pre-trial or pre-charge detention as abusing the law, and is very concerned by media reports that Yang was delayed access to legal counsel and Australian embassy officials. While the Law Council acknowledges the Australian governments efforts to ascertain the reasons for Mr Yangs detention and ensure his well-being, diplomatic representations to China must continue as a matter of urgency at the highest levels, Law Council President Arthur Moses SC said in a press release. Arbitrarily Detained For Days Yang was detained in Guangzhou on Jan. 19 after arriving on a flight from New York. He had planned to continue travelling to Shanghai but was intercepted by Chinese authorities and taken to Beijing. Authorities did not initially state what crime Yang was suspected of committing, rather kept him under house surveillance for several days. It was widely reported that Yangs articles, which criticise the Chinese authorities, led to his arrest. However days later, Yang was charged with endangering national securitya form of detention that permits authorities to interrogate suspects for several months without access to lawyers, family members, or Australian embassy officials. Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed on Jan. 25 that its staff from the Australian Embassy in Beijing had finally secured a meeting with Yang. Access to Mr Yang was provided in accordance with our bilateral consular agreement with China, a DFAT spokesperson said in a public statement. Due to Privacy Act obligations, we will not provide further details about Mr Yang or the contents of our consular discussions with Mr Yang. Lawyers Lend a Hand The council is offering the Australian government any form of assistance it requires to make sure Yang is treated in a fair and transparent manner. The Australian legal profession would not tolerate our government treating a Chinese citizen in the manner Mr. Yang, an Australian citizen, is being treated in China, Moses said. I hope my colleagues in the Chinese legal profession and judiciary will ensure that Mr. Yang is treated in a fair and transparent manner, including not being subject to arbitrary detention and having access to lawyers. Moses believes that, as a rule, Australian embassy officials should be allowed to see its citizens detained in China without delay. This type of conduct by a foreign government towards an Australian citizen cannot and should not be tolerated, he said. Demanding Release of Chinese Colleague The council had also raised concerns on Dec. 31 about the separate detention of Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang. In a letter to Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Marise Payne, Moses urged the minister to make diplomatic representations to China regarding Wang, who is one of many hundreds of legal activists arrested in July 2015 as part of the 709 crackdown. Wang, who had taken on cases deemed sensitive by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), such as accusations of police torture or defending members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, has been on trial in a closed court in China for alleged subversion of state power, and is believed to have been detained without seeing his family and legal representation for most of the time. He was sentenced by Tianjin Number 2 Intermediate Peoples Court on Jan. 28 to four and a half years for subversion of state power. The Law Council believes that Australia has an important role to play in promoting and defending the rule of law and human rights in the Asia-Pacific region, Moses said in a press release. Accordingly, we respectfully ask the Australian government make diplomatic representations to China as a matter of urgency to ensure a fair and transparent trial for Mr. Wang. Other Chinese Lawyers Intimidated The council is also acutely troubled by reports that lawyers seeking to represent Wang have been menaced and discouraged. Legal representation must be available to every citizen, not just the powerful or the popular, Moses said. Sometimes lawyers are called upon to act for unpopular persons or persons who a government alleges to have broken the law. These lawyers should not be regarded as subversive or promoting the law being broken by merely representing a person who is accused of such matters. He said the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of the Lawyers shows the importance for every country to have an independent legal profession that has the freedom to practise law without fear of reprisal. This is critical to ensure that not only is justice done, justice is seen to be done, he said. The Australian legal profession and the Australian community have a keen interest in promoting and defending the rule of law internationally and in encouraging a Chinese legal system that is robust, fair and impartial. Watch Next: Miss World Canada 2015 Says Chinas Schools Should Not Be Teaching Children Political Slogans A 13-year-old Iowa boy was found dead days after he left home in the middle of a snowstorm, according to officials. (Marshalltown Police Department) Missing Iowa Teen Corey Brown Is Found Dead: Police A 13-year-old Iowa boy was found dead days after he left home in the middle of a snowstorm, according to officials. Marshalltown Police Chief Michael Tupper said the body of Corey Brown, of Marshalltown, was found at around 10:45 a.m. local time on Jan. 27 in a secluded area on the west side of the city, KCCI reported. The exact location wasnt disclosed. HEARTBREAKING UPDATE: This is not the news we wanted to hear. Corey Brown, a 13-year-old boy who went missing last week, has been found dead, police said. KCCI 2019127 Officials did not reveal many details about the discovery of the body. Tupper, however, told KCCI that there was no evidence showing that foul play was involved in the teens death. This is still an active investigation, and all possible scenarios will be thoroughly investigated, Tupper said. He was last seen on Tuesday near the Jackie Terrace walking south, the report said. Surveillance footage captured the boy leaving his home hours after he allegedly had a fight with his parents. Missing IA Boy Corey Brown Found Dead In Secluded Area Of Marshalltown https://t.co/cJZrazBj4B pic.twitter.com/2syi4dealD Siglov Freudivan (@DerangedRadio) January 27, 2019 Tupper said he and his parents were having a disciplinary discussion, and his phone was taken away, reported the Des Moines Register. That was during the middle of a snowstorm and frigid weather, both of which hampered the search effort. Several inches of snow fell and temperatures dropped to below zero degrees Fahrenheit last week amid his disappearance, according to reports. Our hearts bleed for the Brown family, Marshalltown Mayor Joel Greer said after his body was found. The whole city and all well-wishers will keep them in our thoughts and continue our prayers for them. The Marshalltown school district issued a statement, saying counselors are available at Miller Middle School and Marshalltown High School. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the Brown family and those close to Corey. He was loved by many and will be deeply missed, the statement read. The Marshalltown Police Department also issued a statement. The Marshalltown Police Department posted a picture of Corey Brown in the jacket and hat he was wearing when he was last seen. Corey is still missing, so please share this photo. pic.twitter.com/vaY5cQsvZI WHO-HD Ch. 13 News (@WHOhd) January 27, 2019 The police department sincerely appreciates the innumerable hours put in by all of these partners during the search for Corey, police said, according to the Times-Republican. These agencies all provided exceptionally professional service under very difficult conditions. The public safety team wishes to thank the Marshalltown/Marshall County community for all of their support during this difficult investigation. Our Savior Lutheran Church allowed public safety to operate out of their church for three days. We sincerely appreciate their generous hospitality. Missing Children There were 464,324 missing children reported in the FBIs National Crime Information Center in 2017, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Under federal law, when a child is reported missing to law enforcement they must be entered into the database. In 2016, there were 465,676 entries. This number represents reports of missing children. That means if a child runs away multiple times in a year, each instance would be entered into NCIC separately and counted in the yearly total. Likewise, if an entry is withdrawn and amended or updated, that would also be reflected in the total, the center noted. In 2017, the center said it assisted officers and families with the cases of more than 27,000 missing children. In those cases, 91 percent were endangered runaways, and 5 percent were family abductions. About one in seven children reported missing to the center in 2017 were likely victims of child sex trafficking. Missing children typically fall into five categories: kidnapped by a family member, abducted by a nonfamily perpetrator, runaways, those who got lost, stranded, or injured, or those who went missing due to benign reasons, such as misunderstandings, according to a report by the Department of Justice (pdf) in 2017. Reported missing children dropped from 6.5 per 1,000 children in 1999 to 3.1 per 1,000 children in 2013. Indiana Bill Requires National Motto In God We Trust in Schools, Protects Religious Views A bill was proposed in Indiana on Jan. 10 that, if passed, would require public and charter schools to place a poster or framed picture in every classroom and library with the countrys national motto: In God We Trust. Flags of the country and state must be included in the poster or framed picture of a specified dimension. The bill, proposed by Sen. Dennis Kruse (R-Ind.), would also mean that any school offering an elective course on surveying religions of the world may also include as part of the survey courses curriculum the study of the Bible. Additionally, schools may be required to teach various theories concerning the origin of life, including creation science, the bill read. A similar bill was proposed by Rep. Kimberly Daniels (D-Fla.) and passed in 2018, requiring that each school district display the official state and national motto, In God We Trust, in specified paces. Danielss proposition did not address the teaching of religious views in the classroom. Reference to Former Law Those in opposition to the proposed bill are referencing the case Edwards V. Aguillard. The Louisiana law was overturned in the U.S. Supreme Court by the opinion of Justice Brennan on June 19, 1987. A law called the Balanced Treatment for CreationScience and Evolution-Science in Public School Act, more commonly referred to as the Creationism Act, prohibited teaching the theory of evolution unless it was accompanied by teaching of creation science or the theory of divine creation. The Act did not require the teaching of evolution or creationism but stated that where one theory is presented, then the other theory must be presented as well. But the Act was ruled unconstitutional in the lower court after it failed a three pronged test that the Court developed in Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971). The three reasons that the court deemed the law unconstitutional were: the law did not have a clear secular purpose the law endorses religion by advancing the religious belief that a supernatural being created humankind the law sought the help of government to achieve a religious purpose, thereby mixing the interests of both church and state. Supporters of the Balanced Treatment for CreationScience and Evolution-Science in Public School Act argued that the Act did have the secular purpose of protecting academic freedom and advanced a basic concept of fairness. With respect to the new bill introduced by Kruse in Indiana, it is required to maintain a neutral, objective, and balanced curriculum. It also cannot encourage or promote acceptance of any particular religion, reads the bill. Parents Have the Last Word Also, Chapter 13 of the new bill is dedicated to the fundamental right of the parent to direct the education of their child, and emphasizes that the school may not infringe on that right unless it demonstrates that its interest is of the highest order and not otherwise served. Parents will also have the ability to request that their childs principal allow the student to attend a school for religious instruction that is conducted by a church or an association that is organized for religious instruction incorporated under Indiana law for a maximum of two hours a week. Academic credit for this time will be given to the student. An aerial view shows flooding triggered by a collapsed dam near Brumadinho, Brazil, on Jan. 25, 2019. (Bruno Correia/Nitro via AP) Hopes Dim in Search for Survivors After Brazil Dam Collapse BRUMADINHO, BrazilBrazilian rescuers on Jan. 27 soldiered on in the search for hundreds of people missing after a breached mining dam triggered a deadly mudslide, but hopes of finding survivors dimmed more than two days after the disaster. Search efforts were paralyzed for much of the day on fears another dam could give way in the Vale SA iron ore mining complex in the state of Minas Gerais. The collapsed dam at Vales Corrego do Feijao mine buried mining facilities and nearby homes in the town of Brumadinho and killed at least three dozen people. Firefighters spent early Jan 27 evacuating thousands from their homes before resuming search-and-rescue efforts in the afternoon once civil defense authorities ruled out the risk of another dam burst and called off the evacuation. Until the last body is found, the fire department is acting on the possibility there could be people alive, state fire department spokesman Pedro Aihara told reporters. Obviously, given the nature of the accident, as time passes this chance will go down. Nearly 300 people were still missing, with the list of those unaccounted for being constantly updated, Godinho told reporters. Most of the missing are presumed dead, officials said. The figure could rise as authorities reconcile its list of missing residents with the tally of Vale employees who are not accounted for, he said. The confirmed death toll rose to 37 by early Jan 27, according to the fire department. The cause of the dam burst remained unclear. Recent inspections did not indicate any problems, according to the German firm that conducted the inspection. Avimar de Melo Barcelos, the mayor of Brumadinho, blasted Vale for being careless and incompetent, and blamed the mining company for the tragedy and the state of Minas Gerais for poor oversight. He vowed to fine the miner 100 million reais ($26.5 million). Vale Chief Executive Officer Fabio Schvartsman said in a television interview on Jan 27 the disaster had happened, even after the company followed experts safety recommendations. Im not a mining technician. I followed the technicians advice and you see what happened. It didnt work, Schvartsman said. We are 100 percent within all the standards, and that didnt do it. The CEO promised to go above and beyond any national or international standards We will create a cushion of safety far superior to what we have today to guarantee this never happens again. Echoes of Samarco In 2015, a tailings dam collapsed at an iron ore mine belonging to Samarco Mineracao SA, a Vale joint venture with BHP Group, less than 100 km (60 miles) to the east. The resulting torrent of toxic mud killed 19 people, buried a small village and contaminated a major river in Brazils worst environmental disaster on record. Fears of another dam burst in Brumadinho on Jan 27 triggered evacuation sirens in the town before dawn, adding to the anxiety of residents still waiting for word about lost relatives and friends. Fire department spokesman Aihara initially said 24,000 people would be evacuated, but later lowered the total to 3,000. In all, 24,000 people have been affected in some way by the disaster, he said. Renato Maia, a 44-year-old salesman whose best friends daughter remained missing, fled his home in panic early Jan 27 and waited for hours with his wife at a police barricade on the outskirts of town, stewing at the situation. Were all fed up with Vale and this is really adding to the tension, he said. It was a huge tragedy and now we dont know what might come next. The Brazilian government ordered Vale to halt operations at the Corrego do Feijao mining complex. On Jan 27, courts nearly doubled to 11 billion reais the amount of Vale assets frozen in anticipation of damages and fines. Federal prosecutor Jose Adercio Sampaio told Reuters on Jan 26 that state and federal authorities have failed to apply more stringent regulation to the hundreds of tailings dams around the country. Schvartsman said all of Vales tailings dams were checked after the 2015 disaster and periodic reviews are carried out. By Gram Slattery Great Disinformation Campaigns From History That Live On and Prosper Today Commentary Two of the most successful intelligence disinformation campaigns that survive today were put forth by British Intelligence and the Russian KGB during, and shortly after, World War II. During World War II, the British made a spectacular technological advancement in the form of early radar that allowed them to target German bombers flying toward England, particularly at night, when they were extraordinarily difficult to intercept. The radar was fabulously successful, and many new British fighter aces were baptized by fire through shooting down German bombers. Naturally, they wanted to hide this fact for as long as possible, so we can imagine the long meetings that took place to come up with a plan. One of the golden rules of disinformation is that the best lies are based on truth, a tenet often still used today. In this case, they chose to lie using real information and settled on the fact that carrots are high in Vitamin A, which is a vitamin useful to eyesight. This was the true fact that was then stretched to substantiate the lie that British pilots had extraordinarily good night vision that allowed them to intercept and shoot down so many German bombers at night. A substantial propaganda campaign was undertaken to convince the British public of the truth of the false statement, in order to have German spies pick up the information and pass it back to the German military. No clear records are known that indicate if the disinformation campaign had any effect on the Germans, but it was so successful with the public that it benignly lives on to this day. The USSRs KGB of days gone by had just as great, if not a greater, success, albeit less benign. Following World War II, when the atrocities of the Nazi regime came to light, it surfaced just how similar the governments of the National Socialist German Workers Party and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) were to each other. This was both a problem for the USSR, which had just occupied much of Eastern Europe, but also distasteful, since the Nazi and USSR leftist dictatorships had been implacable enemies. As part of the early Cold War efforts, the CIA jumped into the fray and mounted a large information campaign, pointing out the truth of the similarities. Jews who had survived the Holocaust under the Nazis or Jews who had survived the purges of the USSRs Joseph Stalin were integral to the information campaign. Note that this is correctly classified as a clandestine information campaign and not a propaganda campaign, since the information was in fact true. This effort was destroyed by The New York Times, who made public the CIA backing. The source of the information was almost certainly the USSR, who may have leaked the information to The New York Times or passed it through some other means. At the same time, the Soviet Union put a propaganda countermeasures campaign in place, painting the Nazi regime as a fascist conservative movement and, therefore, not a socialist movement at all. This not only survives as a widespread false concept today, but also, because of its success as propaganda, it has been built upon using a variation on the central theme. A quote often attributed to UK wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill (though probably not said by him) is: The fascists of the future will be called anti-fascists. This has come to fruition, as a number of todays socialist movements have adopted many of the early Nazi tactics used in their rise to power. One need look no further than todays Antifa (Anti-Fascist) organizations for a perfect example. Just like the brown shirts used by Hitler to help him rise to power, they march in the streets, wear a uniform (black hoods), attempt to stifle other opinions, use physical intimidation, and openly espouse the use of violence for political action. These were precisely the type of activities used by the Nazi brown shirts to help Hitler rise to power. These extreme tactics and violence are both tacitly and openly supported by the left in the United States. This past October, Antifa held large demonstrations in the famously left-wing Portland, Oregon, where they were filmed verbally attacking an elderly man in his vehicle and abusing an older wheelchair-bound woman, among many other similar acts. Meanwhile, police stood by and took no action as they watched innocent people being abused. This association or cooperation seems to run even to the highest levels within the Democratic Party, with the son of Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine being widely reported to be affiliated with Antifa, following his arrest after a protest involving the group. Kaine was the Democratic vice-presidential running mate of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Leftist philosophy brought us Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Chairman Mao, and Saddam Hussein, to name a few, and continues to inflict most of the violence on the world that has killed many millions. Brad Johnson is a retired CIA senior operations officer and a former chief of station. He is president of Americans for Intelligence Reform. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Google Manipulates Search Results on Controversial Topics, Report Says Google tweaks search results on topics the company deems controversial, two Google sources revealed to Breitbart. Sometimes, the company even changes the results manuallysomething its chief executive, Sundar Pichai, denied in sworn testimony. Among the singled out topics were abortion, gun-control activist David Hogg, the February 2018 An-148 Russian plane crash, the December 2018 Strasbourg terrorist attack, and even U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), according to an excerpt from the list and Googles internal communications obtained by Breitbart, the right-leaning news outlet that has been breaking stories for months based on leaks from Google. In the internal discussion thread, a Google engineer pointed to a change in Youtube search results for the keyword abortion that came shortly after a journalist from left-leaning Slate queried the company about the results. The engineer called the change a smoking gun. The Slate writer said she had complained last Friday and then saw different search results before YouTube responded to her on Monday, wrote the employee. And lo and behold, the [changelog] was submitted on Friday, Dec. 14 at 3:17 PM. Youtube, an online video platform, is run by Google. The Slate writer reported that the top search results were almost all anti-abortion, such as videos of Dr. Antony Levatino, an abortion specialist who became an anti-abortion advocate; a video of a woman describing her regret after an abortion; and a clip of conservative commentator Ben Shapiro. After her inquiry with Google, the search results began including more pro-abortion content. A Google employee noted in the discussion thread that it seems like we are pretty eager to cater our search results to the social and political agenda of left-wing journalists. A Youtube spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email: Weve been very public in explaining that we work to surface authoritative news sources for topical information. These results are generated algorithmically and arent designed to favor a specific political perspective nor discriminate between pro-life and pro-choice videos. In fact, we surface both pro-life and pro-choice videos in our top search results for the term abortion.' Manual Interventions While Google products mostly rely on algorithms to shape search results, the company also engages in manual interventions, according to Daniel Aaronson, senior strategist for the Trust & Safety Product Strategy department at Google Search. In extreme cases where we need to act quickly on something that is so obviously not okay, the reactive/manual approach is sometimes necessary, he said in the discussion thread. This account appears to conflict with Pichais Dec. 11 testimony to the House Judiciary Committee: Last year, we served over three trillion searches and just as a fact, every single day, 15 percent of the searches Google sees, we have never seen them before, he told the lawmakers. So this is working at scale and we dont manually intervene on any particular search result. Sometimes, Google also tweaks the search algorithms to give preference to results using signals that we historically understand to be strong indicators of quality, Aaronson said. He acknowledged that decisions on the manual or algorithm interventions are done along lines that are very difficult and can be very blurry. Company Culture Aaronson said that from a user perspective, there are subjects that are prone to hyperbolic content, misleading information, and offensive content. Now, these words are highly subjective and no one denies that, he said. But we can all agree generally, lines exist in many cultures about what is clearly okay vs. what is not okay. Aaronsons reference to culture as the arbiter of what is okay resonates with the accusations of political bias that Google and other tech companies have consistently faced. James Damore, a former Google software engineer, complained about the companys uniformly left-wing culture that creates an ideological echo chamber. He was fired after writing a memo where he argued men and women have, on average, somewhat different abilities and preferences, and that Google should try to cater to those to attract more female employees. Yonatan Zunger, a former Google privacy engineer, responded by saying in a blog post that Damores opinion was so offensive that he would have had him escorted from the offices by security. In response to Breitbarts inquiry, Google spokesperson said: Google has never manipulated or modified the search results or content in any of its products to promote a particular political ideology. The Good Censor Google and other online platforms have repeatedly pledged to support free speech, but in practice, theyve been moving away from it, according to a Google internal research document dated in March 2018 and later leaked to Breitbart. The document, titled The Good Censor, argues that tech firms have gradually shifted away from unmediated free speech and towards censorship and moderation. Even while Google denies having a political bias, it may be prone to censor in a biased fashion unintentionally. A majority (55 percent) of Americans who identify as Democrats are in favor of the United States becoming more politically correct and like when people are being more sensitive in their comments about others, while 76 percent of Republicans are against the country becoming more politically correct and [are] upset that there are too many things people cant say any more, according to a Nov. 28Dec. 4 NPR/PBS/Marist poll (pdf). Since online platforms commonly rely on users to report content violations, the mechanism appears to favor those who want to police speech. Update: The article has been updated with a response from a Youtube spokesperson. Stacey Abrams (R) speaks onstage at the 3rd annual National Day of Racial Healing at Array in Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 22, 2019. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images) Georgias Stacey Abrams Is Making Moves for New Election Prospects Stacey Abrams may have lost the 2018 election for governor of Georgia but the former Democratic state lawmaker is eyeing higher elected offices, including a U.S. Senate seat in 2020. In a Jan. 26 MSNBC interview with activist Al Sharpton, Abrams said she hasnt decided which office shell pursue next, but to expect an announcement by March 31. Sharpton introduced Abrams as a star of the Democratic Party. Regarding a Senate bid, Abrams said she is considering if its the right job for the work she wants to do. Sharpton then pivoted to voter suppression, an issue at the center of Abramss career and what she has blamed for her midterm election loss after current Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, won the seat. We know we did not have a fair fight in Georgia. Thats why I created Fair Fight Action, which is an organization dedicated to pushing voting rights for everyone, Abrams said. The organization we founded is not a partisan organization, its a democracy organization, she said. But Fair Fight Action has also been identified as a so-called dark money organization. Dark money refers to political spending where donors are not disclosed and sources of funding are unknown. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, dark money groups are responsible for a staggering gap in tracking how political spending impacts electionsand arguably makes them unfair. A Wall Street Journal investigation, published Jan. 23, found that liberals now outpaced conservatives in dark money midterm election spending, after years of right-leaning nonprofits leading the way. Documents filed with the Georgia Secretary of State show that Abrams is now expanding her dark money operations. She was listed as Fair Fight Actions chief executive in December, with the organization itself being created by restructuring and rebranding another Abrams dark money group, as first reported by the Daily Beast. Fair Fight Action was formerly called the Voter Access Initiative but a name change occurred on Dec. 14. The tax-exempt nonprofits existing articles of incorporation were also amended to allow for greater political activity. Previously, the Voter Access Initiative was prohibited from directly or indirectly participating or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. But that is no longer the case. Among other activities, Fair Fight Action is now able to donate to super PACs that can support or attack specific candidates, potentially paving the way for Abrams to challenge Georgias incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue in 2020. Abramss 2018 gubernatorial effort would have made her the nations first black female governor in the nations history. She lost by only 17,000 votes to Kemp, who served as Georgias Secretary of State from 2010 until Nov. 8, 2018, or two days after the polls closed. As the states chief elections officer, Kemp was responsible for the states election integrity procedures. Abrams accused him of purging thousands of minority voters from voter rolls, while Kemp maintained that incorrect voter registrations and those lacking sufficient identification were properly moved to pending status. Citing election abuses, Abrams didnt officially end her campaign until 10 days after Nov. 6, although she has continued a public relations campaign of sorts. With the help of outside counsel, Abrams immediately filed a federal lawsuit alleging systematic voter suppression in the election. Fair Fight Action then financed a website called Fair Fight Georgia which asserts that elections in Georgia, and throughout much of our country, are not fair. The site features Abrams prominently but in a disclaimer states that it is not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee. Voter suppression is a message that resonates with many Georgia voters, as evidenced by Abrams earning more total votes than any Democrat in the states history. Through her campaign, associated dark money groups, and the state Democratic Party, she raised an unprecedented $42 million last year. That includes $26 million collected directly by Abramss campaign before the election, as well as another $2 million she raised in the 10 days after the vote but before she abandoned her bid, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The money was largely spent on hundreds of staffers and canvassers, media attack ads, and lawyers. Abramss affiliation with dark money nonprofits and political action committees is very much a part of her political ascendance from backbench status in the Georgia Legislature to becoming a national Democratic Party star with elite aspirations. Abrams was elected to state House District 89 in 2007. But in 2014, she began receiving a massive influx of unforeseen political donations. According to public records, Abrams raised $12.5 million from 2013 to 2016 through two nonprofits she founded; Third Sector Development and Voter Access Institutenow Fair Fight Action. To date, Abrams has refused to acknowledge where the donations come from, although she has personally benefitted to the tune of nearly half a million dollars. Prior to 2018, Third Sector Development organized a statewide voter registration drive known as the New Georgia Project. The effort relied on support from wealthy progressive donors who continued giving millions to Abrams during her run for governor. The New Georgia Project was investigated for fraud by the State Board of Elections and the groups lack of transparency caused concern even among many Democrats. Public records showed that Abramss Third Sector Development and Voter Access Institute were funded in part by the national progressive groups, American Votes, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, and Priorities USA. In a March 2018 interview, Abrams acknowledged that George Soros was an early anchor donor. George Soros and the Soros family have demonstrated nothing but deep investment and commitment to social justice. That is how I came to know them because they were early investors in the New Georgia Project, she said. Watch Next: Communists Detail Plans to Subvert US Democratic Party The Communist Party USA explained plans on May 23 to subvert the Democratic Party, alongside socialist and communist organizations. Former Malaysian PM Najib Faces Three More Money Laundering Charges KUALA LUMPURMalaysian prosecutors on Jan. 28, charged former prime minister Najib Razak with three more counts of money laundering, allegedly receiving the proceeds of illegal activities in his personal bank accounts. After unexpectedly losing an election to Mahathir Mohamad in May last year, Najib has been slapped with a series of corruption charges, mostly tied to losses at now-defunct state fund 1MDB. The latest charges bring the total number against him to 42. Najib has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and has consistently denied wrongdoing. The first of his four trials starts on Feb. 12. Prosecutors on Monday alleged that Najib received in his private bank account a total of $11.44 million (47 million ringgit) in proceeds of illegal activities, according to charge sheets seen by Reuters. A conviction on each charge would involve a maximum fine of $1.2 million (5 million ringgit) or imprisonment of up to five years or both. National news agency Bernama reported that Najib had pleaded not guilty to the new charges. The U.S. Justice Department has estimated that a total of $4.5 billion was misappropriated by high-level officials at 1MDB and their associates between 2009 and 2014. Najib founded the fund. The new government led by Prime Minister Mahathir reopened investigations into 1MDB after the election victory. Najibs former treasury chief, Mohamad Irwan Serigar Abdullah, and former 1MDB chief executive Arul Kanda Kandasamy have also been charged over 1MDB. They have both denied wrongdoing. Malaysia last month filed charges against Goldman Sachs in connection with its role as underwriter and arranger of bond sales that raised $6.5 billion for 1MDB. Goldman Sachs has consistently denied wrongdoing and said certain members of the former Malaysian government and 1MDB lied to the bank about the proceeds of the bond sales. Former Barclays Bosses Hid 322 Million Pounds, Court Told LONDONFour former Barclays executives conspired to commit fraud by hiding 322 million pounds of payments to Qatar in return for cash injections in 2008, a prosecutor alleged at one of Londons most high-profile criminal trials. Former Chief Executive John Varley and three former directors are the most senior bankers to be prosecuted in Britain over events during the financial crisis, when Barclays avoided a state bailout by raising more than 11 billion pounds from mainly Gulf investors in two cash calls. Opening the case for the Serious Fraud Office prosecutor, senior lawyer Edward Brown alleged that the banks Advisory Service Agreements (ASAs), through which Qatar was paid 322 million pounds (about $419.7 million) in 2008, were a dishonest mechanism to conceal extra fees from other investors and the wider market. It is the hiding of these additional commission fees which lies at the heart of this case, he told the jury at Londons Southwark Crown Court, in a courtroom so packed that reporters had to request tickets to gain entry. [The ASAs] were devised by the conspirators as a mechanism for paying the Qataris greater fees than those paid to other investors so as not to reveal the true position, Brown told the court, in a trial scheduled to last up to six months. Varley, 62, in an open-necked shirt and sweater, listened in the glass-surrounded dock, flanked by Roger Jenkins, in a polo-neck sweater and jacket, Tom Kalaris, and Richard Boath, who both wore suits. They are charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation. Varley and Jenkins face two counts, and Kalaris and Boath face one; they all deny the charges. Varley and Jenkins, the 63-year-old former head of Barclays Middle Eastern arm, are charged with two counts of conspiring dishonestly with former finance director Christopher Lucas to make misleading or untrue representations in documents published in relation to both the June and October capital raisings. Kalaris, 63, who ran Barclays wealth-management business, and Boath, a 60-year-old former head of the corporate-finance division, face one count over the June 2008 cash call. Both charges allege the men were either seeking to profit or to cause or expose others to losses. Lucas, who is suffering from ill health, hasnt been charged. The case hinges on what the bank disclosed in its public statements in 2008; the prospectuses for the capital raisings and subscription agreement documents published that June and October, which outlined fees and commissions paid to investors in return for backing the bank. Prosecutors allege that Barclays thought it essential to secure a deal with Qatar in early 2008 as markets roiled, but that the Gulf state drove a hard bargain. In a transcript, Boath said that the bank would be basically dead without a Qatari cash injection in 2008, a prosecutor said on Jan. 24. Qatar initially demanded a fee of 3.75 percent, before settling on 3.25 percent in return for investing in the bankmore than double what Barclays was paying other investors, the prosecution alleged. Unwilling to risk other investors demanding the same termsor appearing financially unstable by being seen to pay too high a pricethe executives played a part in false representations to the market, the prosecution alleged. Brown said some defendants relied on the fact that lawyers had sanctioned the use of ASAs by signing off on them, as their defense in the case. But he alleged lawyers were told the ASAs were genuinely designed to represent services provided by Qatar and that they were separate from the Qatari investment in Barclays. The truth is that the lawyers did not approve of the use of the ASAs as mechanisms to hide the commission fees paid to the Qataris, he said. Qatar, which hasnt been accused of wrongdoing, plowed around 4 billion pounds into Barclays in 2008, Brown said. By Kirstin Ridley and Lawrence White Swiss bank giant UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti is seen during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 24, 2019. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images) Chinese Securities Sector Offers More Risks Than Opportunities for Foreign Firms News Analysis Wall Street is getting ready to unlock its coffers. A key Chinese regulatory authority recently said that Beijing will grant more approvals during the next six months to foreign banks desiring majority ownership of their Chinese securities joint ventures. Its a sign that Chinese policymakers are beginning to ease restrictions on foreign firms and give them more access to its $45 trillion financial services sector. The trend is a welcome headline in the short term, especially given the ongoing trade dispute with the United States. But in the long run, China is more likely to benefit from this relationship than foreign banks. In December 2018, Swiss banking giant UBS Group AG became the first foreign bank to gain approval to purchase a majority stake in its local securities venture, following a 2017 announcement from the Chinese authorities that they would allow a more open financial-services sector. Despiteor perhaps because ofthe ongoing trade war with the United States, China appears willing to go ahead and open its financial sector. There are other banks with applications in the queue, such as Japans Nomura and U.S. banking giant JPMorgan Chase. We do have a few companies in the process of applying for 51 percent (majority ownership), Fang Xinghai, vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said Jan. 24 in an interview with Bloomberg TV at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. During the next six months, you will see more licenses being granted, Fang said. Fang also noted that, while regulators may approve expediently, the process of obtaining majority ownership could take more time. Foreign banks must negotiate the purchase of a greater stake from their domestic partners, which may be less willing to sell. No Slam Dunk for Foreign Banks Assuming Chinese regulators follow through and foreign banks pony up the cash, there are several implications to unpack from this development. On the surface, this is a welcome development for foreign banks. China has the worlds third-largest equity and debt capital markets. But not many have indicated a desire to dive in, at least not yet. Several of the biggest global banks, including Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and Bank of America, havent applied. There are near-term risks from the global banks perspective. Uncertainties about how the new rules will be implemented, the risky business landscape from the ongoing trade war, and most importantly, Chinas short-term growth challenges are major deterrents. Unofficial data pegs Chinas overall debt-to-GDP ratio at around 300 percent as of the third quarter of 2018, according to the Institute of International Finance. Thats a higher level than the United States had before the 2008 financial crisis. In addition, domestic companies are defaulting on bonds at a much higher raterelative to Chinas recent historyand growth has slowed. China has also lifted foreign ownership caps on commercial banks. But the countrys high minimum-capital requirements make running a commercial bank very expensive for anyone except the worlds largest banking giants. And even if they have the resources, they must adhere to domestic regulatory guidelines that are unpredictable and may not align with business interests. For example, regulators recently implored domestic banks to support and lend to Chinas private businesses. Taken together, the financial-services environment in the worlds second-biggest economy isnt very positive for new entrants. More Beneficial for China The benefits from Chinas perspective are clearer. More foreign involvement provides a timely investment for an industry that is stagnating amid an economic slowdown. In the short term, Chinas heavily fragmented securities sector will see some consolidation as firms brace for greater competition. The key is to make oneself stronger by merging with others or by some other means. You can scare away wolves if you become a tiger, Zhao Xijun, deputy dean of the school of finance at Renmin University of China, told the South China Morning Post in a late December 2018 report. Late last year, state-owned Citic Securities, Chinas biggest securities firm, announced it would acquire rival Guangzhou Securities Co. for about 14 billion yuan ($2 billion). In a response to questions from the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Citic cited increased competitiveness and the need to expand its presence in the southern region of China as a rationale for the deal. Some smaller and less-profitable brokerages will likely fail, but the looming entrance of foreign competition is generally positive for the sector and policymakers. Over the first month of 2019, shares of listed brokerage firms in China have outperformed the wider Chinese stock market, according to Bloomberg data. But the biggest benefit is also one thats least talked about. Strategically, the Chinese Communist Party typically takes a long view. Forced technology transfer is a major impetus for President Donald Trumps trade dispute with China, and thats a verifiable, tangible action for most industries. Banking and financial services are among the pillars of a service-driven, post-industrial economy such as the United States. The greatest assets of a bank or securities firm arent equipment or technology. Its the know-how and expertiseoften intangible and not physically transferabledeveloped through decades of experience in the global capital markets. Inviting foreign banks and securities firms to have a tangible presence in China, and, in turn, transferring a greater portion of their key foreign staff, will allow Chinese domestic partners to gain valuable experience and savvy over time. And thats a type of technology transfer that likely wont ruffle any feathers. Banking is a relationship- and experience-driven business. Its one reason why foreign banks in the past have tried to hire princelings and relatives of Chinese officials to win deals. Chinese securities firms already have relationships with state-owned enterprises. But they lack the experience and savvy for dealing with global capital markets, and thats where their foreign partners come in. We dont expect to get a ton of business in China, even with the recent announcement, a source at a foreign bank, who declined to be named, told The Epoch Times. For now, the focus is on serving our global institutional clients [within China]. Wall Street firms dreaming of billions of dollars in new profits should think twice before diving in head-first. Savannah Spurlock in an undated photo (L) and pictured by CCTV camera just before she went missing in Kentucky, on Jan. 4, 2019. (Richmond Police) Family Trying to Trace Missing 22-Year-Old Mother of Four With Many Different Looks The family of a woman who went missing from a bar three weeks ago, a month after giving birth to twins, has released a new photo in hopes of tracking down the mother-of-four with her many different looks. Savannah Spurlock, 22, was last seen leaving a bar in Kentucky with two men in the early hours of Jan. 4, captured on CCTV. Police have since traced the two individuals, who have not been charged but not dropped from inquiries. Police released various pictures on Jan. 8 of Spurlock, along with grainy CCTV images of the last moments she was seen. But the family has been trying to unearth more recent pictures of Spurlock, who appears to change her appearance regularly. On Jan. 25, the family released an image of Spurlock with brown hair, taken two weeks before she went missing, found on her grandmothers camera. Because Savannah has so many different looks we ask if anyone has photos taken the six weeks prior to missing to please message to us, a post on the page Missing Savannah said. As we receive them, we will share. This photo was newly found in her grandmothers digital camera. Somebody knows something and I want that person to think about what they are doing to all these people who are devastated by Savannahs disappearance, her mother Ellen Spurlock, 47, told WKYT. She has four babies that need her, that want her home. I Do Think She Is Out There Somewhere Spurlock gave birth to twins in December. The father of the twins is Savannahs former boyfriend Shaquille Smith, who is also the father of Savannahs 2-year-old son. Smith said that he thinks the two men who were last seen with hercaptured on surveillance camerasknow something. I do think the guys she was with that night know exactly where she is, Smith, wrote in a message to Fox News. I do think she is out there somewhere worried and thinking about her kids, family, and friends. According to Fox News, Richmond police have not cleared the two menwho have not been namedbut have not arrested or charged them. Spurlock was last seen leaving The Other Bar located at 319 S. Limestone in Lexington, with the two men, according to police. Richmond police have provided little detail of what they said is an intensive active investigation. But Spurlocks aunt Lisa Thoma praised the police saying that although not being in the loop was hard, I would rather that and that she come home safe. In an emotional message on Facebook, she pleaded for members of the public to come forward with any scraps of information, saying that any tiny piece of information could be the missing piece of the puzzle. Waiting is hard, she said. Not knowing answers to questions is hard when you are stranger and you are passionate about this story. When you are living it and breathing it, it can be cripplingto know every phone call might be one, to know that every text message might be the one She said that the family was leaning into each other, and into God. Help From 700 Miles Away I dont sleep at night. Its a nightmare, her mother Ellen Spurlock told Fox news. Im just trying to get information out to the public in the hopes and prayers that somebody is going to come forward that will lead to her. The family thanked people for the well-wishes, prayers, and offers of help, which have come from far and wide. One offer came from a search and rescue team based on the Louisiana coast, who are waiting for the green light to make the 700-mile trip north to Kentucky to try to track her down in the cold of the winter. Cajun Coast Commander Toney Wade, said they are waiting for final approval from Richmond Police before they join the search. I can only imagine what their family is going through with their mother not being there, he told WKYT. The children missing their mother is one of the driving forces to kind of keep us going in these situations. Savannah Spurlock is described as about 5 feet tall, currently with brown hair with some blond highlights, last seen in the surveillance video wearing a black shirt, a maroon skirt and heels. She has many tattoos including a rose on her left shoulder, one saying I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me on her right side torso, and another saying Im her daughter on her back. A so-called polar vortex is slated to plunge into the United States, potentially impacting the Midwest. Some weather forecasters are saying it could -45 to -60 degrees Fahrenheit after wind is factored in. (National Weather Service) Extreme Wind Chills Expected in Chicago, Midwest as Polar Vortex Moves In A so-called polar vortex is slated to descend on the United States, potentially impacting the Midwest. Some weather forecasters are saying it could minus 45 to minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit after wind is factored in. The National Weather Service Chicago office said there will be a brutal cold snap coming this week starting on Wednesday. It said that in Chicago, where temperatures dropped to below zero over the weekend, temperatures could reach minus 41 degrees with wind chills on Wednesday morning The forecast lowest wind chills of the historic, brutal cold snap coming this week, Wednesday morning. #ilwx #inwx pic.twitter.com/UrXiTW5KKv NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) January 27, 2019 Run faucets overnight, plumber Mark Mitsdarffer told Fox32. Try to run them during the day if you can. Do be aware that you are running water all night, so if you have a slow running drain, its gonna back up on you. Secondly, open up all the cabinets underneath your sinks and faucets. Get as much warm air into all the areas that you can, he warned. Fox32 reported that 18 people have died in Cook County, Illinois, this winter. Outside of Chicago, in the Midwest, temperatures are forecast to plummet. Its not really cold in Chicago until the river starts steaming. At -4, its that time of year again. pic.twitter.com/0akq1oZ0j2 Adam Collins (@AdamDCollins) January 25, 2019 By Wednesday and Thursday morning, lows might hit in the minus 20s (without the wind chill factored in) in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and in the minus teens and 20s in Des Moines, Detroit, and Milwaukee, Weather.com reported, saying that they will be the coldest temperatures in 20 years. Some of the coldest air in decades will pour in across the Northern Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes with windchills in the -40 to -50 degree range and air temperatures below zero for several days, Fox News Senior Meterologist Janice Dean said on Jan. 28. This will be dangerous and potentially deadly for these regions, and people need to stay inside. Visibility in Rockford has regularly been 1/4 mile in heavy snow, with at least 3 already having fallen (depth now of 15!). Also reported via broadcast media is blowing and drifting in and around that area. Use extreme caution if traveling early this morning! #ILwx pic.twitter.com/cw9NYJ7s7F NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) January 28, 2019 The National Weather Service has issued a number wind chill warnings, watches, and advisories across the Midwest. Back to back cold fronts will slice through the eastern two-thirds of the country to deliver one of the coldest arctic air intrusions in recent memory, especially from the Upper Midwest to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, said the agency on the front page of its website. It added: From Tuesday through Thursday, expect frigid temperatures and bitterly cold wind chills, likely leading to widespread record lows and low maximum temperatures. Be weather smart! Here are the snow totals from our climate sites as of 6am: 5.0 at our Chanhassen office, 4.2 at MSP, 3.5 in St. Cloud, and 6.4 in Eau Claire.#MNWX #wiwx NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) January 28, 2019 Steven Davis, the fire chief in Madison, Wisconsin, told the New York Times on Jan. 27 that these are tough times Were very concerned about the arctic air and the temperatures, Davis said. Obviously, temperatures like this and water dont mix real well. A firefighter carries rescued cages after a tailings dam from Brazilian miner Vale SA burst in Brumadinho, Brazil, on Jan. 27, 2019. (Adriano Machado/Reuters) Death Toll Rises to 60 as Hope Dims After Brazil Dam Collapse BRUMADINHOBrazilian rescuers searched into the night on Jan. 27, for hundreds of people missing after a burst mining dam triggered a deadly mudslide, as the death toll rose to 60 and was expected to keep climbing more than two days after the disaster. Rescuers worked past sunset to search a bus thought to have bodies inside and a home where three bodies were already found, state fire department spokesman Pedro Aihara told reporters. The collapsed dam at Vale SAs Corrego do Feijao mine buried mining facilities and nearby homes in the town of Brumadinho, killing dozens and leaving the community in shock. Until the last body is found, the fire department is acting on the possibility there could be people alive, Aihara told reporters. Obviously, given the nature of the accident, as time passes, this chance will go down. After announcing the latest number of confirmed dead, state civil defense agency spokesman Flavio Godinho told reporters he expected the death toll to continue rising. Just over 300 people were still missing, with the list of those unaccounted for being constantly updated, Godinho said. Most of the missing are presumed dead, officials said. The cause of the dam burst remained unclear. Recent inspections did not indicate any problems, according to the German firm that conducted the inspection. Avimar de Melo Barcelos, the mayor of Brumadinho, blasted Vale for being careless and incompetent, and blamed the mining company for the tragedy and the state of Minas Gerais for poor oversight. He vowed to fine the miner 100 million reais ($26.5 million). Vale Chief Executive Officer Fabio Schvartsman said in a television interview on Sunday the disaster happened even after the company followed experts safety recommendations. Im not a mining technician. I followed the technicians advice and you see what happened. It didnt work, Schvartsman said. We are 100 percent within all the standards, and that didnt do it. The CEO promised to go above and beyond any national or international standards. We will create a cushion of safety far superior to what we have today to guarantee this never happens again. Vales board of directors suspended its planned shareholder dividends, share buybacks and executive bonuses in light of the disaster, according to a securities filing on Sunday. The board also created independent committees to investigate the causes of the dam burst and to monitor relief efforts. Echoes Of Samarco In 2015, a tailings dam collapsed at an iron ore mine belonging to Samarco Mineracao SA, a Vale joint venture with BHP Group, less than 100 km (60 miles) to the east. The resulting torrent of toxic mud killed 19 people, buried a small village and contaminated a major river in Brazils worst environmental disaster on record. Fears of another dam burst in Brumadinho on Sunday triggered evacuation sirens in the town before dawn, adding to the anxiety of residents waiting for word about lost relatives and friends. Firefighters halted searching and evacuated thousands from their homes until the afternoon when civil defense authorities ruled out the risk of another dam burst, calling off the evacuation and reinstating search-and-rescue efforts. Aihara initially said 24,000 people would be evacuated, but later lowered the total to 3,000. In all, 24,000 people have been affected by the disaster, he said. Renato Maia, a 44-year-old salesman whose best friends daughter remained missing, fled his home in panic early on Sunday and waited for hours with his wife at a police barricade on the outskirts of town. Were all fed up with Vale and this is really adding to the tension, he said. It was a huge tragedy and now we dont know what might come next. The Brazilian government ordered Vale to halt operations at the Corrego do Feijao mining complex. On Sunday, courts nearly doubled to 11 billion reais the amount of Vale assets frozen in anticipation of damages and fines. Federal prosecutor Jose Adercio Sampaio told Reuters on Saturday that state and federal authorities had failed to apply more stringent regulation to the hundreds of tailings dams around the country. Schvartsman said all of Vales tailings dams were checked after the 2015 disaster and periodic reviews carried out. By Gram Slattery Dads Heart-Wrenching Plea to Check on Your Loved Ones After Daughters Death Goes Viral A message written by a heartbroken father whose daughter died last week has gone viral. Bill Gillett of Australia took to Facebook on Jan. 26 to express his grief after his daughter, Ebony, died. According to him, she left behind three children, aged 18 months, 5, and 9. What can I say? The last 48 hours I dont think I can put into words, he wrote, adding that the woman killed herself. Thanks to everyone for their kind and heartfelt messages.What can I say? The last 48hrs I don't think I can put into Bill Gillett 2019126 Suicide does not discriminate and there is just so much of it happening, Gillett stated For the ones left behind there are so many unanswered questions. There are now three beautiful young girls without their mother, he also said. And for a parent it would have to be their worst nightmare. This might sound harsh, but I want this to be a big reality hit and that is the job of having to identify your child then having to bury that child before yourself. Thats something, he added, he wouldnt wish on anyone. He said he doesnt want his daughters death to become another suicide statistic, saying he would rather raise awareness about suicide and mental health. So the one thing I do ask of everyone that has read this is this: Lets not be afraid to talk about suicide, depression or anxiety and really start to check on those who might be struggling or going through some heavy [expletive], Gillett added. "Suicide does not discriminate and there is just so much of it happening. For the ones left behind there are so many QT The Queensland Times 2019126 I dont have the answer as to how we can stop this from happening but if we can help just one person from taking that final step then it might be a small step in the right direction. Meanwhile, he suggested that social media isnt a replacement for human contact. And finally while I understand social media can be a useful way of getting these messages out there, lets also take a step back and use our phones to call people and talk to them, or go and see them and really take a little time to check on everyone old-school style, Gillett wrote. This is so sad. Suicide does not discriminate Daily Mail 2019127 He later confirmed the details to the Daily Mail. Suicide Hotlines In Australia, the suicide prevention telephone hotline at Lifeline is 13 11 14. You can also visit the Lifeline website at lifeline.org.au. Youth can contact the Kids Helpline by phoning 1800 551 800 or visiting headspace.org.au/yarn-safe If you are in an emergency in the U.S. or Canada, please call 911. You can phone the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1 800 273 8255. Youth can call the Kids Help Phone on 1800 668 6868. "There are now 3 beautiful young girls without their mother." Mirror Mums 2019128 Also in Australia, a teenage girl took her own life hours after sending her friends a message on social media in which she said she was being bullied. Rochelle Pryor, 14, from Perth, Australia, was desperate for help after allegedly being bullied at school. She wrote to several friends, Once Im gone, the bullying and the racism will stop before she attempted suicide, reported The Australian. It was late and only one friend replied to the message. After that happened, she was upset and scared and said she didnt want to go to school anymore. She really went downhill, Paterson told the newspaper. No charges were laid following an investigation, a police spokesperson said. DALLASTiffany Mullins is a choreographer and has her own performing arts studio, Training Ground Studios, where she teaches dance in Texas. On Jan. 27, she caught the last performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas. It was the first time Mullins had see Shen Yun, which features classical Chinese dance, a complete dance system from China which dates back thousands of years. It includes leaps and tumbling through the air, and its own language of movement and meaning. It was something new for the choreographer. I thought it was amazing, said Mullins. I like how they stayed to their uniqueness of their steps and techniques and they dont try to Americanize it, is what I really enjoyed. I thought for us that see different choreography all the time, it was refreshing and it was new to see that. So of course the colors were amazing, costume was amazing, but as a choreographer, yes, I definitely felt intrigued and pulled into it because it wasnt the same of what we see all the time everyday here. So I really enjoyed it. Her friend, Tiffany Prasifka, who attended the performance with her, agreed. It was the first time i have ever seen anything like that, Prasifka said. So it was a whole new experience but it was beautiful. I just loved the whole thing and the costumes and the choreography and the dancing and the music. It was all just very beautiful. The two both enjoyed Shen Yuns animated backdrop as well, and Mullins was inspired. I think that part inspires everybody to think more out of the box, even if youre not a dancer, or a choreographer, or performer, said Mullins. Shen Yuns animated backdrop displays scenes from ancient China and magical realms. Dancers appear to move in and out of extraordinary scenes. I think that really pulls you more into the dancing, said Mullins. Headquartered in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts was formed with the vision of reviving the traditional Chinese culture, which was based on values like compassion, loyalty and piety, and built upon the lessons of dynasty after dynasty for 5,000 years. The traditional culture of China has been threatened in recent decades since the communist party in China took control in China in 1949 and started campaigns like the Cultural Revolution to eradicate Chinese traditions, ways of life, and spirituality. As a spiritual person herself, Mullins appreciated seeing the expression of Chinese values and spirituality. I connected with the spiritual side, she said. I believe in a creator, and I believe in a savior, so when they were putting out the spiritual part of it, I thought it was beautiful, she said. I was very pleased that they put that part of it out there, because then it gives it more of a storyline. Mullins said that Shen Yun is unique, and that performers and those in the arts should come see Shen Yun perform. I do believe that anybody, performer-wise or not, but especially the performers who thinks theyve seen it all: I think that this show is so unique that really, you havent seen it all, until youve seen it [Shen Yun]. It kept me intrigued the whole time, she added. I didnt feel like Oh, Ive seen that before, Ive seen that move or heard that music. The orchestra was amazing. They were spot on. Shen Yun has a live orchestra comprising both Chinese and Western instruments. The orchestra members also tour independently as the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra. Mullins added, I think they did a phenomenal job of incorporating every inch of it: the live music, the backdrop, all the choreography and all of the performers were amazing of course, and beautiful. And the costuming, oh my word. The costuming was like hands down, top notch, she said. Like things I would want to wear in dance all the time, if I could. The friends also enjoyed that the distinct expression of the male and female dance. You can see the masculinity and the femininity, but it was separate, said Prasifka. It was beautiful, said Mullins. The men really got to dance like men and we loved that. It was awesome. Top notch. Everyone should come and see it. she said. That sounds cliche, but I do believe everyone should come see it. With reporting by Amy Hu and Carrie Gilkison. The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006. A journalist takes a photo of a live feed of Chinese leader Xi Jinping speaking in Beijing on May 14, 2017. (GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images) Chinese Leader Xi Jinping Calls Upon State Media to Expand Its Reach At a seminar held Jan. 25, Chinese leader Xi Jinping asked all media controlled by the communist Chinese regime to reach all corners on- and offline, covering all subjects and promoting the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). All 25 members of the CCP leadership body, the Politburo, attended a study session at the headquarters of the Peoples Daily in Beijing on Jan. 25. The topic of the seminar was the development of omnimedia, or quan mei ti in Chinesea concept covering print, television, radio, social media, and cross-medium operation, as reported by the Party-controlled Xinhua. During the seminar, Xi identified several key tasks for the regimes propaganda. Noting the extent to which everyday life is saturated with information, he described the new media environment as all-process, holographic media, all-popular, and all-effect. Xi asked all Party newspapers, magazines, television channels, and media websites to use new technologies to maximize and optimize the propaganda. The purpose is to occupy the commanding heights of public opinion guidance and ideological guidance, Xi said. The Chinese regime utilizes its media platforms in order to ensure public opinion toes the Party line. To reach this goal, Xi asked the Party media to use all forms of new media, which includes websites, Weibo, Chinas equivalent of Twitter; WeChat, a popular social media platform; e-newspapers, internet TV, and so on. From a technology standpoint, Xi emphasized the use of artificial intelligence (AI). He asked media to use AI technology when interviewing and gathering information, as well as in news production and distribution. We must realize the goal of having news broadcasted [by the Partys media] covering all channels and reaching readers at all times, Xi said, according to Xinhua. Push for the Partys voice to be received by all types of readers, and control new fields of public opinion. Xi added that the Partys media is the mainstream media of China, and thus must have the ability to bring popular opinion in line with socialist core values. As netizens often lampoon and lambast state media for its aggrandizing and dull content, the Chinese regimes propaganda corps has a tough job on its hands. Xi suggested that to make people like state media, the outlets should supply fresh news and attractive content. He also urged the media staff to improve their technical levels. Finally, he asked local governments and Party committees from different levels to invest in state media with favorable policies, funding, and human resources. Propaganda is one of the most important tasks for the CCP inside and outside China, with the Chinese authorities maintaining strict censorship on movies, TV programs, newspapers, and all other media. Last March, amid Party restructuring, the main agency in charge of content censorship, formerly known as the State Administration for Film Radio Press Publishing and Television, was subsumed into the Propaganda Department, making the Party directly responsible for managing the censorship board. The Chinese regime also strictly monitors the internet, blocking citizens from accessing information freely. Recently, Chinese authorities have stepped up enforcement by cracking down on posts in WeChat, a popular social media platform; restricting the use of blockchain technology that can thwart censorship; and detain dissidents who circumvent the Great Firewall to spread information on Twitter, a blocked website in China. Outside China, the CCP also maintains a well-oiled propaganda machine. The Hoover Institute in California published a report in November 2018, that revealed the CCPs influence within Chinese-language media, universities, think tanks, and government entities in the United States. The report found that most Chinese-language media in the United States, such as SinoVision, Sino America Times, Sky Link TV, and the China Press, are under Beijings control or maintain a pro-Beijing editorial stance. Cranes and trucks get ready near a container ship in the Doraleh harbor in Djibouti on May 5, 2015. (Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images) Chinas One Belt One Road Encroaches on Economies, Sovereignty From citizen protests to government initiatives, more countries are realizing the OBOR is predatorial rather than beneficial Chinas One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative is drawing concern and criticism due to its negative impact on various nations and companies. The project has caused many recipient countries to be heavily indebted to Beijing, and has allowed the Chinese regime to export their authoritarian model of governing through surveillance equipment. The OBOR (also known as Belt and Road) initiative is an aggressive plan of building infrastructure throughout many Asian countries, into Africa, and the European Union. It establishes similar projects in Latin American countries, and has also began eyeing the Asia-Pacific region. Chinese companies and banks have established ways to gain sovereignty in nations through building and lending projects. The chairman of a global port operator accused Chinese companies of predatory business practices in an interview with CNBC. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of DP World, spoke about the how he viewed Chinese companys actions in foreign countries. They have taken predatory practices in something that (is termed) today to be a debt trap, whereby they overextend their debts to countries and eventually take their assets, Bin Sulayem told CNBC. DP World, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is one of the largest port operators in the world. It filed a lawsuit against China Merchants Port Holdings in the High Court of Hong Kong for unlawfully procuring land and inducing Djibouti to break deals with DP World, according to CNBC. Besides legal means, countries have expressed opposition in other ways. The Trump administration has begun rolling out counter initiatives to offer infrastructure projects to the countries that China targets through OBOR. Countries Indebted: Debt Trap Diplomacy China uses OBOR large infrastructure projects to pour billions of dollars into emerging economies. At the same time, many of the financing is done through Chinese lenders, bringing danger to a nations sovereignty. China often uses equity from the country as a form of repayment. Jeff Smith, an expert on South Asia at The Heritage Foundation, said that countries including Djibouti, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, the Maldives, Mongolia, Montenegro, and Pakistan are in serious debt trouble with China, according to a report by The Epoch Times. Many of these countries national output is not enough to repay the high debt burden from Chinas infrastructure projects. One of the most recent imperiled countries is Kenya. If loans used to build a railway system in Kenya are not repaid, then China will not just control, but have full sovereign rights to the Port of Mombasathe largest sea port in East Africa. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has already expanded a military base into Djibouti, a small African country bordering the Red Sea, according to satellite images publish on Sept. 10, 2018. Two U.S. senators expressed concern on Nov. 13, 2018, about the political and military consequences of China taking control of a port in Djibouti, as it will increase Chinas influence in East Africa. Sri Lankans protested on September 2018 over their governments inability to repay debts and handing over a major port to the Chinese regime. In December 2017, the Sri Lanka government leased the major Hambantota Port to Beijing for 99 years in a plan to convert its owed loans of $1.4 billion into equity. This move allows the CCP to gain control in the Indian Ocean. Beijing also took part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation on November 2018, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping showcased the OBOR initiative to pacific countries in need of infrastructure. Though Latin American countries are not technically included in OBOR policies, they are still offered similar projects. Ecuador is a recent victim of Chinas infrastructure deals, with a poorly built dam already crumbling in the mountainous jungles, along with $19 billion in debt to China. Exporting Authoritarianism The CCP uses OBOR not just as a means for economic benefit to itself, but also as a control net of surveillance that is being exported to the recipient nations. Huawei, who has come under scrutiny for violating U.S. sanctions against Iran and exporting surveillance equipment, piggybacked off OBOR developments. Huawei was contracted to build marine cables and 5G networks connecting nations together, but is losing footing due to security concerns. Two major Chinese tech companies, Huawei and ZTE, both have developed forms of mass surveillance systems to help the CCP monitor its people. These same technologies are being exported through the OBOR initiative. Venezuela came under scrutiny in December 2018 for using ZTE technology to track its citizens. A bipartisan commission told Congress that the United States should create a fund to counter Chinas financial dealings with OBOR. This would be used to stop China from exporting its model of authoritarian governance, the commission told Congress on Nov. 14, 2018. Li Wenzu, the wife of prominent Chinese rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, holds a box with a family picture and the detention notice for her husband before shaving her head in protest in Beijing, China, Dec. 17, 2018. (Thomas Peter/Reuters) China Sentences Prominent Rights Lawyer to More Than 4 Years in Prison for Subversion A Chinese court on Jan. 28 sentenced prominent human-rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang to four and a half years in prison for subversion of state power. Wang, who had taken on cases deemed sensitive by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)such as accusations of police torture or defending members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movementwent missing in August 2015, amid a sweeping crackdown on rights activists and lawyers. In a short statement on its website, the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate Peoples Court in the northern city of Tianjin released the verdict, saying that Wang had been found guilty. Human Rights Watch researcher Yaqiu Wang said the sentencing made a mockery of the Chinese leaderships claims to be a champion of the rule of law. It isnt possible to contact Wang for comment. After Wangs Dec. 26 hearing, the United Nations called for Chinese authorities to ensure his due process rights are respected and said that there were serious human-rights concerns about the way his case had been handled. According to Chinas criminal laws, the time a suspect spends in detention prior to being sentenced is deducted from any jail time, meaning that Wang should be released earlier than his sentenced time period, Human Rights Watchs Yaqiu added. Chinas Justice Ministry didnt respond to a faxed request for comment on the case. During his court appearance, Wang fired his state-appointed lawyer, according to his wife, Li Wenzu, who was unable to attend due to being barred from leaving her Beijing home by Chinese police and state security agents. It is unclear whether Wang defended himself during the trial, or whether he will appeal the sentence. Wangs case has been shrouded in secrecy and uncertainty, as authorities have released little information about his well-being, and have denied access to Li and the seven lawyers she had appointed to defend him. One of the lawyers, Yu Wensheng, had been Wangs defense attorney before being stripped of his license and then arrested in January. He is now being investigated for inciting subversion, a charge often used to prosecute dissidents and rights activists. Police turned Western diplomats and foreign journalists away from the courthouse on the day of Wangs hearing and detained activist Yang Chunlin, who had traveled to Tianjin to support Wang. An indictment document from 2017 said that Wang had for a long time been influenced by infiltrating anti-China forces and had been trained by overseas groups and accepted their funding. China routinely rejects foreign criticism of its human-rights record, saying all Chinese are treated equally in accordance with the law and that foreign countries have no right to interfere. Representing Falun Gong Wangs wife, Li, said Wang was a fearless lawyer who chose to represent Falun Gong practitioners because most other attorneys wouldnt take the case. [He told me] if he was afraid and didnt take these cases, then no one would do it. These people need help. What are they going to do? she said. Wangs unrelenting defense of Falun Gong practitioners led him to be beaten by court officers on multiple occasions, Li said. A lawyer told me that he seems to be the one being roughed up most often, she said. Usually, its because he was particularly persistent and angered the bailiffs. He wouldnt back off even if they beat or threatened him. In one case, in which Wang defended a Falun Gong practitioner, she said a lawyer told her that the court officer slapped his face for every sentence he spoke. I was told that he had been slapped more than 100 times, Li said. In June 2015, Wang detailed on ChinaChange.org how he was beaten by court officers for 10 minutes after his tenacious defense of several Falun Gong practitioners in Shandong Province. A dozen or so bailiffs rushed into the courtroom. Some gripped me by the arm, one clenched me by the throat, and they hauled me out, he wrote. At this point, someone had started fiercely punching me in the head; others were hurling abuse I was dragged into a room on the first floor of the courthouse and was ordered by one of the police to kneel. I refused. They started beating me again. Harassed for Seeking Husbands Release Li has vocally championed her husbands case in the three years since he went missing, staging a 62-mile march from Beijing to Tianjin, shaving her head to protest his treatment, and filing almost weekly petitions to the Supreme Peoples Court. Li told Vision Times in September 2018 that she has been arrested, monitored by police, and put under house arrest for appealing her husbands detention. Earlier last year, Li set off on a march of more than 60 miles from Beijing to Tianjin city, where she believed her husband was being held. According to Li, she was arrested in June for protesting in front of the detention center in Tianjin city. She carried red buckets labeled with words of support, such as Love you and Waiting for you. The police came up and pointed at me and said: Come to the police station with me! she told the outlet. [I asked] why? He said that I was suspected of disturbing the public order. I asked how I disturbed it. He said that I had a red bucket! I took a red bucket and disturbed the social order! Li also said her 5-year-old son was banned from attending kindergarten in Beijing. Epoch Times staff member Cathy He contributed to this report. In 2015, the UK implemented groundbreaking legislation, the Modern Slavery Act (MSA) to force corporations to seriously address the risks of child and other forced labor in their supply chains. Businesses all over the world adjusted their ethics and compliance programs to comply with the MSA. They analyzed supply chain risks, developed policies, created operational guidance, and began to craft disclosure statements about their efforts to prevent forced labor. The legislation does not apply to international organizations, but what if it did? Most of us assume that international organizations with laudable humanitarian missions are behaving ethically. The reality is that many of the largest and most respected aid organizations have ethical blind spots within their operations. Like businesses, they can control billions of dollars. Like businesses, they make efforts to cut the costs of goods. Like businesses, they have complex supply chains in high risk areas. Unlike businesses, however, they do not face legal or regulatory consequences that could drive change. In international aid, many organizations operate with increasingly controversial privileges and immunities that shield them from lawsuits. The moral hazard is clear, and it leads to disturbing results. Take the blood brick scandal, for example. In 2015, DFID, the UKs Department for International Development, was put on the defensive by a Guardian report. The article chronicled how UK taxpayer dollars, funneled through the World Food Program, funded child and forced labor in dangerous conditions in Nepal. The piece suggested that international donors, aid agencies, multinational companies and the Nepalese government [were] systematically failing to ensure that there [were] effective policies in place to keep their supply chains free from child and bonded labor. DFID responded by saying, We expect all the partners we work with to carry out rigorous due diligence and ongoing project monitoring and supplier checks. It is not at all clear, though, that DFID ever articulated their standards or checked to see what controls were in place in the organizations they fund. And no one thinks it is enough if a business merely declares that they expect their partners have basic human rights policies and safeguards. Before donors write their next check to any international organization, they need to demand a publicly available slavery and trafficking statement described in Article 54 of the MSA. The statement should detail following: organization structure, including supply chain operations high risk parts of the business policies in relation to slavery and human trafficking third party due diligence processes training for staff and contractors on risks Most importantly, donors should require that the board and the senior executives of the organization sign off on the statement. Leaders need to be held accountable. If the UK is serious about eradicating the scourge of child and slave labor, that commitment should filter into its aid budget. Otherwise, the government may inadvertently be funding the very practices they are trying to stop. _____ Ashley Jackson, pictured above, is the founder of Aid Ethics, which works to raise awareness of social and environmental risks in the operations of international organizations. She has a JD from the Seton Hall University School of Law and a BA in International Relations, Chinese, and Asia Studies from the University of Colorado. She can be contacted here. Two M60A3 tanks release smoke during the Han Kuang drill at the Ching Chuan Kang (CCK) air force base in Taichung, central Taiwan, on June 7, 2018. (SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images) China Admits Fancy New Tanks Are Incapable of Winning Battles Senior Chinese military officers recently divulged that troops are incapable of utilizing Chinas new battle systems effectively, according to an interview they gave to Chinese state-run newspaper, the Global Times. In a Jan. 20 report, officials explained that an elite combined arms brigade of the 81st Group Army of the Peoples Liberation Army was defeated during a mock battle held last year. The division was armed with superior weapons, specifically newly developed Type 99A battle tanks, considered the countrys strongest main battle tank. The tanks are equipped with powerful cannons and machine guns. China has prioritized the development of new and cutting-edge weaponryranging from railguns to stealth fightersamid a massive effort to modernize the military. Just this month, army personnel were reduced by half, according to recent state media reports, as part of a continued overhaul. A U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report released earlier this month concluded that the Chinese military was upgrading its capabilities for the objective of invading Taiwan. It was also noted that China is benefitting from a latecomer advantage, whereby it buys, modifies, or steals technology already developed by other nations. The elite brigade of Type 99A units are said to be capable of striking enemies beyond the field of vision, but their effectiveness was held back during the exercise by obsolete ways of thinking, according to a report by state broadcaster China Central Television. We rushed with the Type 99A too close to the frontline, which did not optimize the use of the tanks combat capability, said Xu Chengbiao, a battalion commander of the brigade, to Global Times. Another battalion commander, Zhao Jianxin, said: We only studied the capabilities of older tanks, but have not completely understood new ones. An unnamed Beijing-based military expert told the Global Times that weapons alone do not win wars, and that it was important for the operator to become experienced with how to use his weapon. The expert added that soldiers needed to work out how to maximize their weapons capabilities. The Chinese military has never fought a modern war, and has been described as a paper tiger by Paul Dibb, Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at The Australian National University, in an Oct. 2015 article published in the National Interest magazine. Notably, Beijings last experience of armed conflict was the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War. Billionaire Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Barely Gives Any Money to Charity: Report Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the worlds richest person with a $160 billion fortune, gives barely any money to charities, according to a new report. Citing public records, the New York Post reported that Bezos, 55, has given just over $145 million to charity over the years. That figure equals .0906 percent of his fortune. Out of $100,000, that would be like spending $90.06 on charity, the outlet noted. That figure is below President Donald Trump (3 percent), former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (13 percent), and Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates (37 percent), according to the Post, which said it gleaned records from The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Forbes, and the IRS. The report did not include a new $2 billion pledge that Bezos and his recently estranged wife announced last fall, saying even with the pledge Bezoss giving total was well below other major wealthy philanthropists like the Gateses. Bezos and his wife said in September 2018 they would issue annual awards to groups that help shelter and feed families with young children in addition to launching free preschools in underserved communities. Two billion dollars is a lot of money, and it could do an incredible amount of good, Henry Berman, CEO of Exponent Philanthropy, a nonprofit that supports leanly staffed philanthropic groups, told USA Today at the time. He noted that the focus of the planned giving was politically unobjectionable. Its apple pie and Chevrolet stuff. Who in their right mind would argue against trying to help homeless people and underserved preschoolers? he said. Amazon HQ Backlash Amazon recently chose the Long Island City neighborhood of New York City as one of two locations for its new headquarters. Crystal City, Virginia, was the other. Many lawmakers and activists in New York have protested the move. Its not very encouraging. Bezos needs to be more philanthropic, Queens City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, whose district includes Long Island City, told the Post about the small percentage of his wealth that Bezos has donated. The record of both Amazon and Jeff Bezos reveals that they are takers, not givers. When they make promises of how generous they will be, I look at what they have done in the past to know what the truth really is. Hundreds protested after the move was announced at a rally where Van Bramer spoke. Later that day, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) took to Twitter to denounce the move. My statement on @amazons announcement of a new headquarters in New York City: pic.twitter.com/nwNVpyh1AP Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) November 14, 2018 What weve seen here is a process that no American city should have to endure, Van Bramer told Bloomberg before the rally. A governor and a mayor who claim to be progressive Democrats throwing nearly $3 billion at the richest man in the world and then promising a secretive grease-the-wheels process that avoids messy public votes and hearings that might muck up the works. But some officials said the backlash stemmed from a misunderstanding about what the move entailed and said people would be happy with Amazon being in the city in the future. A lot of that initial reluctance will burn off and people will realize what a great deal this is for New York City, because its an endorsement of who we are as a city: innovative, diverse, openand thats exactly why Amazon chose to come here to begin with, New York Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen told CNBC. I can guarantee you five years from now all New Yorkers will be thanking us for having brought them, she said. While Amazon could receive up to $500 million in tax exemptions and $3,000 per new job, the jobs the company has promised25,000will make the deal worth it, Glen said. From NTD News A Best Buy store is seen in Los Angeles, California, on March 13, 2017. (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo) Best Buy Security Guard Fired After Tackling Alleged Criminal A Best Buy security guard in California was fired after tackling an alleged criminal who was trying to flee from sheriff deputies. Tyler, the security guard (no last name given), reacted after the suspect ran through the Roseville shopping plaza where the Best Buy is located. Tyler, who is also an Army veteran, saw the suspect, Timothy Trujillo, 35, knocking down a deputy. He jumped into action and tackled Trujillo to the ground. He started running past me and I thought I was doing the right thing by stopping him, Tyler told Fox 40. Lt. Andrew Scott, spokesperson for the Placer County Sheriffs Office, confirmed that Tyler stopped the suspect, preventing him from escaping. Obviously, we are very grateful [Tyler] intervened, Lt. Scott added to ABC 10. Luckily no one was hurt. Thats our first and most pressing concern in something like this, but because he intervened we were able to catch this man and take him off the streets. But instead of rewarding Tyler for the heroic deed, Best Buy management decided to fire him. I understood that when I went back in there I was going to get into some type of trouble because Best Buy policy says we arent supposed to touch anybody, he told Fox 40. One week later, he was given the bad news. My manager called me in and said corporate decided to let me go because I used excessive force and it was against Best Buys policy to intervene, Tyler said. Best Buy confirmed that the security guard was fired for stopping the alleged criminal. #NEW: A security guard at Best Buy is seen in surveillance tackling a suspect who punched a deputy while resisting arrest at this Roseville shopping center. The man was later arrested but the security guard was fired for violating company policy. @FOX40 pic.twitter.com/U3SHsz9Zbj Charmaine Nero (@CNeroTV) January 27, 2019 Our policy is clear, employees are not to chase potential criminals outside of the store. Chasing an individual in the parking lot creates a safety risk that isnt worth taking, regardless of how noble an employees intention is, Best Buy stated. The sheriffs office, meanwhile, said that Trujillo was wanted for numerous burglaries by the time he was caught. Trujillo struck one of the detectives and fled in an attempt to escape. After a short foot pursuit, they were able to get Trujillo under control and handcuffed. Trujillo and his car were searched and detectives found methamphetamine, stolen property, and burglary tools, it said in a statement. He was booked into the South Placer Jail and faces charges of assaulting and resisting a peace officer, possession of burglary tools, possession of methamphetamine, and burglary. Recently, the Placer County Sheriffs Special Operations team hunted down and arrested 35-year old Timothy Trujillo of Placer County Sheriff's Office 2019121 Now that Tyler is unemployed, this may be a chance to get a job working for the sheriff. Kentucky Best Buy Employee Accused of Stealing Also in Best Buy, a warehouse employee was arrested earlier in January for allegedly stealing from the company. Perry Vincent, 20, allegedly stole $14,000 worth of electronics, police in Shepherdsville said. That included 12 cell phones, four video games, and five pairs of headphones. Shepherdsville Best Buy warehouse employee accused of stealing electronics worth $14K https://t.co/plAxs9LDYN pic.twitter.com/5SY6JGQKbF WDRB News (@WDRBNews) January 24, 2019 Investigators said he used a unique method. He used totes that they use to move merchandise around the warehouse, Maj. Mike ODonnell told WDRB. He stacked those at his work station to block the view of the cameras. Then, during breaks, Vincent would wrap up the stolen items, take them outside, and drop them on the other side of a fence. Later, before leaving work, hed scoop up the items. Vincent allegedly confessed to fencing the items to people on the street. From NTD News But mostly, she will be judged on how she walks the fine line between sounding tough and acting nice. Shell be judged often unconsciously on how she speaks, how she interacts with people, and of course, how she looks. (Even Obama, who really should have known better, could not resist calling her by far, the best looking attorney general in the country at a 2013 fundraiser.) Will Harris be deemed likable enough, the casual insult Obama flung at Hillary in 2008? Or will she be undercut with the all-purpose slur that is used against women who are assertive enough to want to be president and narcissistic enough to believe they can win? You know the one. It rhymes with witch. I spent a lot of time during the 2016 campaign and its aftermath thinking about why so many people hated Hillary Clinton. By any measure honesty, trustworthiness, integrity, experience, maturity she towers over the man who beat her. I know what you are thinking: But her emails! Her lost and found Rose Law Firm files! Her Chicago cattle futures windfall! Her Monica Lewinsky smears! Have Americans lost sight of the differences between adults and children? When did a 17-year-old high school junior, Nicholas Sandmann, attain equal legal footing with a 64-year-old man? Kids who are 17 cannot vote, buy beer or enjoy the myriad of privileges and responsibilities that adults do in our country. Yet, on Jan. 22, AP writer Jeffrey Collins unfairly remarked in his article, "Phillips and Sandmann locked eyes, their faces inches apart. " To add false rhetoric-laced fuel to a ridiculous fire over an expression on a kid's face, not his actions or words, columnist Leonard Pitts (Eagle, Jan. 25) viciously equated Sandmann with the horrors committed by the S.S. in Nazi Germany. Sandmann committed no crime, nor did he scream back obscenities. He reacted the way most 17-year-old kids react in a hostile situation - with uncertainty. A lesson on "adulting," as the popular catchphrase goes: an adult does not intervene in a tense situation by beating a drum in a teenager's face and calling it "a prayer for unity." An adult calls security or the chaperone and looks for other adults to address the hostility. But Nathan Phillips took advantage of the animosity in the area by pulling an activist stunt which landed him on the media circuit. Adults do not mock children with curses, epithets and threats as the black Hebrew Israelite group did. Adults do not shred the still pliable character of a 17-year-old kid on Twitter for voicing a defense for himself. Adults do not compare a kid to an S.S. officer. Joanne was born February 7, 1931 to loving parents, G. Osmond and Lona Laverne Hyde of Washington DC. She was the third of six children, and even as a child was very happy, active and energetic; traits which continued throughout her life. She started her music training at the very early age of 7 and as a teenager was already playing for church meetings. She gave her first of many public organ recitals at the age of 17. Her talent of playing the piano and organ has blessed the lives of countless individuals and congregations throughout her life. She graduated from the Bethesda - Chevy Chase High School in June of 1948 and received a full four year scholarship to George Washington University where she started her collegiate education. In May of 1950 she married Kenneth Kuttler in the Logan, Utah temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Shortly after marriage, her husband's job took them to Kenya, East Africa; New York; and then to Reno, Nevada. After eight years of marriage and four children her husband encouraged her to go back to college. She graduated with top honors from the University of Nevada at Reno in June of 1960 and was elected to the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Shortly after having her fifth child, her husband's job took her and her growing family to Kenya, East Africa for an additional two years, before settling in College Station, Texas in 1965. Professional opportunities for her husband necessitated additional family moves to Bogota, Colombia; Silver Spring, Maryland; and Moscow, Idaho. Upon retirement in 1986, Kenneth and Joanne moved back to their home College Station, Texas where they both resided until the days of their passing. Authorities arrived and could hear a man yelling for help. Police had to break down the door and said they found the man and Weitzel in a struggle, with the victim bleeding from his head and with a freshly swollen eye. Authorities said Weitzel's hands were covered in blood, but he had no injuries to his hands. The man told authorities he and Weitzel had been at a bar earlier in the evening and Weitzel began accusing him of stealing his wallet and cellphone. The argument continued once the two were back at the Welsh Avenue home and Weitzel threatened the man, who hit him with his cane and tried to leave, a report notes. Police said Weitzel then locked the front door, punched the man in the head and abdomen and grabbed his hair, "slamming" his head into a metal ladder that was on the floor. A military funeral procession is planned Tuesday for a member of the U.S. Navy who died this month. The procession for John Paul Fritz will begin around 10:45 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in College Station and end at Mt. Cavalry Catholic Cemetery on Old Kurten Road in Bryan. Fritz died Jan. 8 at the age of 29. He joined the Navy in 2009 and served aboard the USS Florida, a nuclear-powered submarine. He later served as an instructor at the Navy Nuclear Power School for nuclear electronics technicians. A visitation is set for Monday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Hillier Funeral Home in College Station, with a vigil and rosary service to begin at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to line the route for Tuesday's funeral procession, which will follow a 10 a.m. funeral service at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. The procession will go north on Texas 6 from the church to Texas 21 in Bryan, to Waco Street and Old Kurten Road. Writer: Susan Himes, 325-657-7315, Susan.Himes@ag.tamu.edu SAN ANGELO Two Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agents in District 7 were honored earlier this month at the Texas A&M AgriLife Conference at College Station. Retired AgriLife Extension agent Jane Rowan, Taylor County, was recognized with the Distinguished Career Award, while AgriLife Extension agent Tom Guthrie, Mills County, received a Superior Service Award. ROWAN Rowan served for 35 years as a county agent with a focus on family and community health, spending the last five years of her career in Taylor County. As a result of her programs on memory and Alzheimers education, Rowan was inspired to become certified as an Alzheimer Support Group Facilitator by the North Central Texas Alzheimers Association. Over the course of Rowans career, she led a variety of successful programs, which addressed aging and fall prevention, diabetes education, food safety, Better Living for Texans, 4-H youth development and volunteer management. Mrs. Rowans continued dedication to this agency shows in everything she does, from her strong volunteer base to her successful program efforts including programs such as A Matter of Balance, said Lorrie Coop, AgriLife Extension family and community health agent, Knox County. I can honestly say I am the agent I am today because of the guidance and encouragement she provided to me as a new agent, said Coop. She has touched the lives of and shaped the careers of many agents in the same way and is very deserving of recognition for her dedicated service to both her colleagues and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Rowan was previously recognized with district awards including the Outstanding Programming Award in 2012 and the Outstanding In-Depth Programming and Making A Difference Team Award in 2017. GUTHRIE Guthrie has worked in Mills County for 15 years as an AgriLife Extension agent in agriculture and natural resources. His high-quality educational programs and 4-H management has led to recognition throughout the state. Tom Guthrie is an exceptional county agent who embraces the AgriLife Extension philosophy and the program development process in Mills County, said Marty Gibbs, AgriLife Extension District 7 administrator, San Angelo. He is a model AgriLife Extension agent who serves the needs of his county. I have relied on Tom Guthrie to serve as a mentor agent, early career agent instructor, and to provide leadership to district agents through his involvement with Texas County Agricultural Agents Association. Guthrie has served as the district treasurer for TCAAA since 2008 and served a term as the organizations district director from 2013-2015. My work interactions with Tom revolve around the 4-H youth program, said Garry Branham, AgriLife Extension 4-H program specialist, San Angelo. He recognizes the importance of positive youth development and the integral part it plays in a total county program. Whereas many of our counties have activities and roles split up amongst the agents, he is responsible for everything, including the coordination of 4-H efforts related to family and community health. I can always count on Tom to assist with the district-related events. Branham also shared that under Guthrie, 4-H participation grew as much as 158 percent in a single year. Last year, 4-H enrollment for Mills County reached 118, the largest number Mills County has seen since they started keeping records. Tom is highly respected among his peers he is a truly outstanding example of what a county agent should be. He is professional, knowledgeable and genuinely makes a difference in his community and throughout AgriLife Extension, said Allison Watkins, AgriLife Extension agent, Tom Green County, who nominated Guthrie for the award. As the only agent in the county, Tom has successfully implemented and carried out a wide variety of programs for 4-H youth as well as adults, and has become a well-respected, key member of his community, Watkins said. -30- COOPERSTOWN - On Wednesday, June 15, 2021, our mom, Sandra Lee Chase, went to sleep and the Lord reunited her with our dad. She was born on Aug. 27, 1945, to Robert and Ruby Renwick, who have both predeceased her. She is survived by her three sisters, Gloria Wayman, Roberta (Rick) Vesely and Only one man can be King of France, a country that has no king. Photo: Heritage Images/Getty Images A power vacuum has formed over Frances non-existent crown, and I for one am riveted. This story has everything: a throwback to the era of big wigs gone by, a dead count, a handful of grown men posturing for a title made obsolete whole centuries ago. Only one man can be king of a country that has no king the question is, who? On Monday, Henri DOrleans, Count of Paris, died exactly 226 years after Louis XVI went to the guillotine, according to The Guardian. As a descendant of the Duke DOrleans, brother to Sun King Louis XIV, Henri has been a key pretender to the French throne. (Recall: a throne Henris countrymen of yore dismantled during the French Revolution, 17891799.) The natural conclusion of such long-running pettiness? That Henris son, Jean DOrleans, a.k.a. Prince Jean de France, should now assume his fathers title. As Jean has previously pointed out, Succession in the House of France follows very precise rules rules Jeans late grandfather set himself. However! Do not discount the other contender in this race to the top of a rungless royal ladder: Louis Alphonse de Bourbon, Duke of Anjou, or Louis XX if you still subscribe to monarchic enumeration. As the sole living descendant of Louis XVI the French king beheaded by his own people in 1793, the husband to Marie Antoinette, you know him and therefore, of the Sun King, Louis XX would appear to have a more direct dynastic claim than Jean. However, Louis the Youngest also has familial ties to the Spanish crown (and to dictator Francisco Franco, and to Queen Victoria, its a tangled web these nobles weave), for which a distant predecessor of his had to renounce all claim to the French throne. That has been the Orleans argument, anyway. Anyway, the decapitation of Louis XVI set the scene for the rise of another famous French name: Napoleon Bonaparte, and wouldnt you know it, one of his relatives lingers on the fringes of this extremely unnecessary dispute today. Jean-Christophe Napoleon, or Prince Napoleon, works as a banker in London and according to The Guardian, would prefer to stay out of all this nonsense. So really, the contest comes down to two grown men squabbling over a shared delusion: Prince Jean de France, whose personal website positions him firmly as the heir to the 40 kings who made France, or Louis XX, an actual French Louis. France, of course, remains a republic with a president (Emmanuel Macron), and has effectively been humoring these overgrown babies with courtesy titles. And frankly, I appreciate it. So what if there are two Kate Middletons, or Prince Harry loves juice, or Prince William has been ripping Jagerbombs alone in Kensington Palace? Like Queen Elizabeth, I am weary of the current royal feud narrative, and this centuries long spat over absolutely nothing is a plot twist I can really sink my teeth into. Long live the non-king! Stay in touch. Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. OMODACHI Initiative and Honda Begin Accepting Applications to Participate in 2019 TOMODACHI Honda Global Leadership Program TOKYO, Jan, 24 2019; Honda has been supporting activities of the TOMODACHI Initiative led by the U.S.-Japan Council (Japan) and, starting today, applications are being accepted from students interested in participating in the second annual TOMODACHI Honda Global Leadership Program. TOMODACHI Honda Global Leadership Program was established in 2018, building on the TOMODACHI Honda Cultural Exchange Program conducted from 2014 to 2016, where participants were selected from among high school students from the Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Developed based on Honda's corporate slogan, "The Power of Dreams," this program provides experiential learning opportunities, including pre- and post-travel sessions, where participating Japanese students, the next-generation of leaders, will be exposed to people who have been taking on challenges driven by their dreams. In addition, they will experience various corporate activities so that participants can grow as next-generation leaders who have a global viewpoint and an ability to realize their own dreams. With an expanded target that includes high school students and 5-year junior technical college (Kosen) students from any part of Japan, this program will be conducted over a three-year period from 2018 to 2020. For the 2019 program, participants will spend approximately two weeks in the U.S. mainly in Torrance, California and Marysville, Ohio, the location of the U.S. headquarters and production operations of Honda, respectively. During the stay, participants will be exposed to U.S. society and culture through various activities including interaction with local high school students and homestay, which will enhance the deepening of mutual understanding between Japan and the U.S. About the TOMODACHI Initiative The TOMODACHI Initiative is a public-private partnership between the U.S.-Japan Council and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and supported by the Government of Japan. Born out of support for Japan's recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, TOMODACHI invests in the next generation of Japanese and American leaders through educational and cultural exchanges as well as leadership programs. The Initiative seeks to foster a "TOMODACHI Generation" of young American and Japanese leaders who are committed to and engaged in strengthening U.S.-Japan relations, appreciate each other's countries and cultures, and possess the global skills and mindsets needed to contribute to and thrive in a more cooperative, prosperous, and secure world. TOMODACHI Initiative website: http://usjapantomodachi.org/ GM to Invest $22 Million in Spring Hill Plant for Advanced Engine Technology GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra announces investment as plant celebrates new Cadillac XT6 Since 2010, GM has invested more than $2 billion at the Spring Hill Complex SPRING HILL, Tenn. General Motors is investing $22 million at its Spring Hill, Tennessee, manufacturing complex to enable the engine plant to build 6.2L V-8 engines with GMs advanced Dynamic Fuel Management technology. With todays announcement, GM has invested more than $2 billion in the Tennessee complex since 2010. This investment will enable our Spring Hill team to continue building our award-winning engines enhanced with technology that will improve fuel efficiency and performance for our customers, said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra during a visit to the plant to meet with employees and community leaders to celebrate the new Cadillac XT6. This investment reflects our commitment to vehicles and technologies our customers desire today and in the future. For several years, General Motors has been transforming its business to win in the core automotive business and the future of personal mobility. The new investment is a testament to the companys commitment to optimize its core business to meet strong customer demand. GMs Dynamic Fuel Management technology is the industrys first cylinder deactivation technology, which enables the engines to operate in 17 different cylinder patterns to optimize performance. DFM enables only the cylinders needed to deliver the power a customer wants. In addition to the new investment, GM is completing a previously announced $300 million investment at the complex for production of the all-new Cadillac XT6. Spring Hill will be adding more than 200 jobs for the all-new, three-row Cadillac crossover. GMs Spring Hill Manufacturing complex consists of a flexible vehicle assembly plant and an engine plant. On the vehicle side, the plant produces the GMC Acadia, Holden Acadia and Cadillac XT5. In addition, Cadillac just unveiled the all-new Cadillac XT6 and the plant will begin building the vehicle later this year. The engine plant builds four- and eight-cylinder engines. The Spring Hill complex opened in 1990 and currently employs about 3,800 people. GM has a strong presence in Tennessee with more than 4,000 employees working in the state. In addition to the Spring Hill complex, GM has a parts distribution center in Memphis. Tennessee is home to more than 200 suppliers and GM spends more than $700 million annually with those suppliers. GM currently has 78 independently owned dealerships across the state that employ about 4,800 people. Nearly 11,000 GM retirees currently call Tennessee home. General Motors is committed to delivering safer, better and more sustainable ways for people to get around. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Cadillac, Chevrolet, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and security services, Maven, its personal mobility brand, and Cruise, its autonomous vehicle ride-sharing company, can be found at http://www.gm.com. They have documented various falsehoods by Trump advisers that masked efforts by people in his orbit to develop inroads with Russia and leverage that country's hacking of Democratic emails. US Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Credit:Bloomberg The remaining question - for both Mueller's team, as it works on a final investigative report, and for the American people - is why. Did the President's men lie to protect a still-hidden dark secret about the campaign's interaction with Russia, engaging in a broad effort to obstruct the probe - one that included perhaps even Trump? Did they lie to avoid diminishing Trump's victory by acknowledging Russia played a role in his election? Did they each lie for their own reasons, taking their cue from the President - who has told many whoppers of his own, including about Russia? Trump's former campaign chairman, deputy campaign manager, former national security adviser, personal lawyer and a campaign foreign policy adviser have all been accused of lying to investigators exploring Russia activity. In their new indictment against Stone, prosecutors said he lied to Congress about his efforts to learn about WikiLeaks's plans in 2016 as the group was publishing Democratic emails allegedly stolen by Russian operatives. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2017. Stone says there's no evidence he cooperated with Assange or Wikileaks. Credit:AP Stone falsely told Congress that he never discussed his efforts with the Trump campaign and never asked intermediaries to communicate with WikiLeaks' founder, Julian Assange, Mueller's team alleges. Loading Stone has denied the charges and promised to fight in court. "Perjury requires both materiality and intent," he said on CNN on Friday night. "There is none." "Secondarily, where's the Russian collusion?" Stone added. "Where is the WikiLeaks collaboration? Where's the evidence that I received anything from WikiLeaks or Julian Assange, and passed it on to Donald Trump or the Trump campaign?" Trump echoed that message himself. "Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country! NO COLLUSION!" the President tweeted after Stone's arrest. Legal experts noted that the alleged lies are significant in their own right. "Time and time again, elected officials and government officials have exhibited a belief they simply can say what they want in a high-profile investigation, and do so with impunity," said Jacob Frenkel, a former lawyer in the independent counsel's office now in private practice at Dickinson Wright. Some Trump friends said they are confounded by Stone's alleged actions. "If he had told the truth as alleged, there wouldn't have been an underlying crime," said Christopher Ruddy, chief executive of Newsmax. "There would have been no crime. They would have had to try and find other stuff." The Stone indictment does provide new details that nod at one of Mueller's central inquiries: trying to determine whether anyone in Trump's orbit coordinated with Russia or WikiLeaks. Loading In Friday's filing, prosecutors lay out efforts by both Stone and Trump campaign officials to learn more about what WikiLeaks had in its cache in the summer of 2016 - actions that occurred after Russia had been fingered as a likely culprit behind the theft of the Democratic Party emails that June. Still, the mounting false statements charges collected by Mueller do not speak to the question of criminal coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, some analysts noted. "I think there is some theory under which you could include them in such a conspiracy, and I wonder why not," said Barbara McQuade, a former US attorney. "Is it that they don't think the evidence goes that far? Is it that they think this conduct does not amount to a conspiracy to defraud the United States and it is instead dirty, political tricks?" Steve Hall, who retired from the CIA in 2015 after 30 years of running and managing Russia operations, said that the substance of the lies and alleged false statements documented by Mueller paint a broad picture with serious implications. "In my view, those lies - what was lied about and under what condition the lies were told - contribute to a counterintelligence pattern that has begun to emerge pointing to senior members of the Trump team being involved with the Russians," he said. Hall said the country needs to take step back from a narrow conversation about the political and even criminal ramifications of each Mueller indictment. "We've got to be looking beyond who gets a parking ticket or even a few years in prison," he said. "What about the bigger picture? This was Russia, attacking the United States." The deception by Trump advisers that has led to guilty pleas so far does have a common line: much of it centres on their interactions about Russia. Trump's longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen admitted lying to Congress about efforts to build a Trump real estate project in Moscow during the campaign - at a time when then-candidate Trump claimed he had no business ties to Russia. Cohen also lied about seeking help on the lucrative project from one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest advisers. Trump had said no one in his orbit had contact with the Russian government. Loading Former national security adviser Michael Flynn admitted he lied - first to Vice President Mike Pence, then to the public and finally to the FBI - about whether he had spoken to a Russian envoy in December 2016 about sanctions imposed by President Barack Obama as punishment for Russia's campaign interference. That lie came as investigators were working to understand why Russia, whose top foreign policy goals include undoing U.S. sanctions, fought so hard to help elect Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos has admitted lying about his contacts with a professor who gave him early warning in April 2016 that Russia held thousands of Clinton emails. Prosecutors have said former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has continued to lie even after pleading guilty to two conspiracy charges, which included lying to the Justice Department. His latest lies, they have said, involved details of his campaign interactions with a Russian employee who the FBI has assessed has ties to Russian intelligence. As they wait for Mueller to finish his investigation, Democrats in Congress are likely to focus on the President himself and what he knew of the lies. On Friday, Democrat Jerrold Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, tweeted: "Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, Rick Gates, Michael Flynn ... What did the President know and when did he know it? Some legal analysts said the charges do not appear to be building to a criminal case against the President. The lying "certainly alerts you to the possibility of kind of obstructionist conspiracies," said James Trusty, a former Justice Department organised crime chief now in private practice at Ifrah Law. But, he added, "at the end of the day, it looks like people are making independent, individual choices that are landing them in hot water. I think it's the kind of thing that the Mueller probe doesn't want to ignore ... but the indictments themselves aren't moving the case forward." The number of lies documented by the special counsel could also undercut Mueller's efforts to make a broader case by hampering the effort to sort truth from fiction, some longtime Trump associates said. Loading "In Trump world, everybody lies. Everybody doesn't tell the truth. At the end of the day, they are all lying. I don't know how Mueller can believe anybody," said Louise Sunshine, a longtime executive with the Trump Organisation. Trump allies say the President knows that many of the people around him are not trustworthy - and believes he can use that to his advantage if any of his onetime aides attempt to pin their wrongdoing on him. He has instructed Giuliani and his other lawyers to question the credibility of anyone who attacks him, according to White House aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. After Cohen, Trump's longtime personal attorney, pleaded guilty, the President on Twitter called him a "rat" who "makes up stories." Sam Nunberg, a former Trump aide, said he believed that people around Trump lied to investigators because they were trying to make sure their version of events lined up with lies the President was telling to the American people. Andrew Renner and his son Owen cut a path on backcountry skis, toting rifles and seemingly confident it was just them and the black bears. The hunters stopped at a den on a remote Alaska island and peered in to find their slumbering target. Owen Renner shouldered the rifle and fired at least two shots into a mother bear. Then the "shrieking" started, prosecutors said. The hunters listened for a few minutes and determined the origin of the cries: two cubs. A female black bear and her cubs. Credit:Alamy Andrew Renner looked through the scope and fired at point blank range, killing them alongside their mother. The April 14 incident may have been just another case of mistakenly killing a female bear, or sow, with cubs, which is illegal in Alaska but rarely results in jail time. Accused hunters typically say the killings were inadvertent. Beijing: Prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang has been sentenced to 4 years in prison on the charge of subversion of state power, more than three years after he was detained in a wide-ranging crackdown on the legal profession. The No 2 Intermediate Court in the north-eastern city of Tianjin passed the sentence on Monday, the court said in an online statement. It said Wang's political rights were also being withheld for five years. Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, pictured with his wife and child, has been jailed for more than four years in China. Credit:Amnesty International Wang was tried in a closed hearing last month after being held without access to his lawyers or family since he became one of more than 200 legal activists detained during a 2015 crackdown. It wasn't clear whether his time in detention would be counted against his sentence. Wang had been a member of the Fengrui law firm that was well known for its advocacy work. As such, he pursued land rights cases on behalf of poor villagers and represented members of the banned Falun Gong meditation sect. Athenes, Grece 8th ESPRit Conference (European Society for Periodical Research) 2019, ATHENS, GREECE National Library of Greece Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center 1113 September 2019 PERIODICALS AND VISUAL CULTURE The subject of the 2019 European Society for Periodical Research (ESPRit) Conference will be the visual culture of periodical literature, viewed in its broadest sense and in a comparative context. This approach is intended to encompass all visual aspects of periodicals, including typography, covers, format, illustration, fine and avant garde art, cartoons, advertising copy, photojournalism, fashion, portraiture, illustrated travel accounts and ethnographic studies, religious imagery, propaganda and all other dimensions of the visual culture of the printed page. Of particular interest are the development and use of new print technologies for the reproduction of images, the juxtapositions or interactions of imagery and text (at the level of the page or the opening, the issue or the series), the evolution of visual tropes/memes (for example in propaganda and advertising), innovation in design, the emergence of new markets, studies of reader reception of and engagement with visual cultures, the formal (legal) or informal (editorial) regulation of the printed image, and the influence of periodical illustration on art and photography more broadly and on the use of imagery in the daily press in particular. The conference will draw on and enhance the current Greek Press History Workshop (ETMIET)/ Research Centre for Modern Greece (KENI), Panteion University research project on Greek twentieth-century popular print that seeks to establish the first fully-comprehensive archive of periodicals in Greece, in collaboration with the Journalists Union of Periodical and Electronic Press (ESPIT), and the National Library of Greece. Further dimensions that arise from the particular Greek experience, and which invite broader international comparative perspectives, include: (a) the relationships between the uses of imagery in the periodical literature of metropoles and diasporas; and (b) an exploration of the methodologies and the political economies of periodicals research, particularly under the current global circumstances of austerity for the Humanities in general. The Conference theme itself will be illustrated with appropriate exhibitions and pop-up displays, for which a wider audience is also under consideration, including schools, in order to leave a more lasting legacy for the people of Greece. Proposals for 20-minute papers on any aspect of the visual culture of periodicals, of any period or region, are invited for the 8th Conference of European Society for Periodical Research (ESPRit), which will be held in Athens in September 2019. Accepted proposals will be grouped into broadly congruent thematic panels, normally with three speakers in each. Subjects may include the following: illustrations cartoons formats title and font design advertising photojournalism fashion portraiture travel accounts ethnographic studies religious imagery propaganda the presence of periodicals (production, distribution or consumption) in visual culture more broadly and other dimensions of the printed image Of particular interest are juxtapositions or interactions of imagery and text either at the level of the page or the opening, the issue or the series. In addition, we intend to organise specific workshop sessions on Greek periodicals and visual culture, consisting of panels and group proposals relating to, for example, covers, advertisements,layout etc. We also invite proposals for two atelier sessions, one for MA and PhD candidates, the other focused on a regionally-based state of the discipline panel. The conference will draw on and enhance the current Greek Press History Workshop (ETMIET)/ Research Centre for Modern Greece (KENI), Panteion University research project on Greek twentieth-century popular print that seeks to establish the first fully-comprehensive archive of periodicals in Greece, in collaboration with the Journalists Union of Periodical and Electronic Press (ESPIT), and the National Library of Greece. The working language of the conference is English and Greek. We welcome proposals from researchers at all stages of their careers. Proposals of around 250 words (references not included) for 20-minute papers and a short CV (no more than 200 words) should be sent to 2019esprit@gmail.com by 31 March 2019. We also welcome proposals for joint panels of three papers. Please include a brief rationale for the panel along with an abstract and CV for each presenter. Updates can be found on the 8th ESPRit Conference website which will soon be available. In the last month, Ive added a new word to my vocabulary kayfabe. What does it mean? Its the theatrical master plan that people involved in pro wrestling engage in when deciding whether Boris the Black or The White Snake will win or lose a match. The Civil Aviation and Safety Authority is installing drone detection technology at Sydney Harbour and Australian airports, hiring a company the United States has previously warned could contribute to cyber attacks. CASA has opted for a Chinese-developed technology called DJI Aerospace despite official US concerns the company could be sending drone-harvested data back to Beijing. The counter drone measures come in the wake of the chaos caused at London's Gatwick airport before Christmas when Britain's second-busiest airport was closed for 36 hours following multiple sightings of illegal drones, disrupting travel plans for at least 115,000 people. The episode exposed a major weakness in a country's ability to respond to a hostile drone attack. In 2017, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said it had "moderate confidence" that the DJI was "providing US critical infrastructure and law enforcement data to the Chinese government." A family of 60 kangaroos will be killed south of Perth to make way for residential development unless a community campaign can save them. The troop, fenced in on land near Baldivis Road, are due to be "humanely tranquillised and euthanised" in coming months before first stage construction of Paramount Estate starts. The fenced in kangaroos in Baldivis are planned to be euthanised in coming months. Credit:Baldivis MLA Reece Whitby/Facebook The western greys on the 88.5 hectares of land on Lots 635, 739 and 740 were confined by the fence after kangaroos were hit by cars and killed on Baldivis Road. An online petition to have the kangaroos relocated instead of killed has attracted thousands of signatures within just a few hours. *GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING* An Armadale man made a gruesome discovery on Saturday while heading towards a spot to watch Australia Day fireworks in the Perth hills. Cameron Stirling found several rotting horse body parts at 5pm placed in two piles on Dale Road near Ashendon Road as he was heading to Mt Dale lookout in Helena National Park, Ashendon. The body parts were found near the intersection of Ashendon and Dale Roads. Credit:Google maps "I was heading up by car towards the 360-degree lookout point to see the fireworks when I saw what I thought had looked originally like a pig," he said. A Victorian psychologist who had a sexual relationship with a client being treated for depression and addiction has been disqualified from registration for at least six months. David Griersmith, who practised in Mt Eliza, was reprimanded and found guilty of multiple occurrences of professional misconduct, including starting a relationship with a client before ceasing professional treatment of her. In a decision published this month by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, it was revealed that the client, referred to as Ms A, first met Mr Griersmith in July 2013 seeking treatment for anxiety, depression, alcohol problems and gambling addiction. The Australian Psychological Society code of ethics prohibits psychologists from having sex with a former patient for at least two years after the professional relationship has ended. Even then, it must be discussed with a senior psychologist. After Mr Griersmith stopped treating his client, a relationship continued in which the pair travelled overseas to India and Malaysia. At times Mr Griersmith kept possession of Ms A's bank cards to help her control her gambling habit. A heroic pokies customer has thwarted two would-be armed robbers who smashed their way into a Melbourne venue carrying a machete and a metal pole. Police are now hunting the pair and have released CCTV footage of the incident, showing the patron flooring one of the men with a right hook. Detectives now believe the incident in St Albans, in Melbourne's north-west, could be linked to as many as three separate armed robberies in the area. According to police, two balaclava-clad men broke a window to enter the gaming venue on Clubhouse Place about 11.15pm on November 12 last year. Two teenagers have been left bruised and traumatised after being assaulted and mugged when they were surrounded by up to 20 youths outside a train station in Melbourne's west. The father of one of the teenagers also claimed that Protective Service Officers failed to do enough to help his 14-year-old son during the attack. Anthony Ferrari's son Xavier was on his way home from the movies with his 17-year-old friend Ricky when the pair was surrounded by a group of up to 20 youths at the Wyndham Vale station's bus interchangeon Sunday evening. A legislative change to allow domestic violence victims access to financial assistance for psychological injury has seen applications made to Victim Assist Queensland triple. VAQ granted $6.7 million in financial support payments to domestic and family violence victims across 2017-2018, compared with $3.7 million the year before, after legislation was changed in 2017 to expand the definition of injury. Queensland victims of domestic violence who apply for financial assistance may have to wait up to a year for a payout. Credit:The Age The organisation received 1539 applications for financial assistance from domestic violence, up from 512 applications the year before. Victim assist payments are provided to eligible victims to help cover expenses such as medical and counselling costs and any travel associated, crime scene cleaning costs, security payments and loss of earnings. An overloaded ute, believed to be carrying up to ten people, rolled prompting eight ambulance crews and two rescue helicopters to be sent to the scene to deal with 10 injured people. The ute crashed near George Street in Linville, 137 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, about 5.20pm on Sunday while crossing a creek on a rural property. The overloaded ute rolled in Linville, directly west of Caloundra, requiring a mass emergency services response. Credit:RACQ LifeFlight Rescue The Queensland Ambulance Service said up to 10 occupants were assessed and treated at the scene. Two women were flown to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a serious condition by a Toowoomba-based rescue helicopter. The Caltex oil refinery in Brisbane lost power on Saturday, resulting in flames shooting high into the sky and firefighters called to what turned out to be a false alarm. Firefighters were called to the refinery on South Street in Lytton just before 8pm. Firefighters and paramedics during a training exercise at the Lytton Caltex Refinery in 2016. (File Image) Credit:Queensland Ambulance Service However, a Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said the crew was not needed. As part of the refinery's normal procedure when there is a blackout, by-products in the fuel containers were being burnt off and the gas vented, resulting in flames shooting into the sky, according to the QFES spokesman. Residents in Sydneys west are being urged to stay inside after about 500 metres of high voltage power lines fell across multiple homes and streets on Monday morning. Firefighters were responding to a house fire in Plumpton when they noticed the power lines were down. Affected streets include Aquilina Drive, Beverly Place, Tilden Place, Polonia Avenue, Carroll Crescent and surrounding streets in the Plumpton area, police said. The streets have been cordoned off and traffic in and out of the area has been stopped. River belongs to all, not just the few Whose decision was it to start planting cotton and rice on the upper reaches of the Darling and other rivers in this catchment? These crops require huge amounts of water for irrigation, in countries with high levels of rainfall. Australia is the driest inhabited continent, where drought is persistent. With climate change, more extreme weather will suck this country of moisture leaving the environment devastated. Those in control and overseers of these industries will move on after making their money, leaving disaster in their wake. Human exploitation knows no bounds. The native flora and fauna in this ecosystem will always be put last. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is a toothless tiger, rorting of water licences has been rife. This river system belongs to all Australians, not just the few who think they can profit at the expense of all others. Derek Hanley, Brighton Our pollies won't help with this catastrophe Age readers hoping our various governments will act to protect those dependent on the water of the Darling River to swim, drink and cool off near, are deluding themselves if they think anything will be done to fix another Australian environmental catastrophe. Australian politicians are very patient. Their modus operandi is: "So what, who cares" etc, and "They'll forget". Jeff McCormack, Hangelsberg, Germany Ignoring a lifeblood of our great country Thank you, Anson Cameron, for reawakening me to the disaster that is the Murray-Darling Basin. This enormous resource so vital to our country's food bowl and rural communities (and the whole ecology of the river and its wildlife) is not only for the wealthy, greedy farmers in our northern state but is the lifeblood of the eastern states of our wonderful country. One wonders why we have a political party that is supposed to represent the rural populations. They have ignored for too long the broader ramifications of damming this system. But my sceptical mind would say well they are aligned in the "Coalition", whose agenda is obviously about keeping the rich rich. Dam is right. Damn! We ignore this problem at our peril. Gillian Leonard, Wangaratta THE FORUM Politicians' free ride My answer to Liberal Tim Wilson's "Why not?" when asked why he accepted membership of the Virgin Club (The Age, 26/1) is, because the people who can least afford it, "average" Australians, are paying for the people who can most afford it you. We are paying for you to have a free ride. Really, can't the Nicole and Keiths, the Julies and the Davids and you, Tim, afford to pay your own way? Obeying rules and being ethical, just and fair, are not always the same thing. All "gifts" should be disallowed. Clare Compton, Koonwarra A better way to care In the 1980s an aged care agency of the Uniting Church, Victorian Synod, received Commonwealth government approval to establish one of three pilot projects in Australia for people living with dementia, elderly people who experience severe cognitive impairment and behavioural problems. This project was aimed at demonstrating that people in this category did not need to be restrained, either physically or chemically. All that is needed is an appropriately designed facility, staff with the right attitude, carefully trained, and an array of appropriate therapy programs. Despite the success of the program, which demonstrated there is a better way to care, its achievements appear to have been lost, one suspects, because of the high cost and limited government funding. A training program conducted in association with the pilot project was able to train other care providers but it is highly disappointing to see that we are still struggling with the issues 30-plus years later. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety is welcome indeed. Brian Moss, Mornington Let Flinders rest in peace Let's resist the obvious temptation to bring the bones of the remarkable explorer Matthew Flinders here to Australia as part of the 250th anniversary of James Cook's landing at Botany Bay in 1770. Now that his remains have been discovered under Euston Station in London, let his final resting place be beside his patient young wife who wouldn't have seen much of him during his voyages of exploration of 1791-1810. According to expert Ms Gillian Dooley from Matthew Flinders University, "even in death after his short and unsettled life [he died in 1814 at the age of 40] he hasn't been allowed to rest in peace in the English countryside, which is what he wished for". By all means, let's share his extraordinary story, but let's honour him by respecting his wishes, however much of a sales pitch to voters it might feel like for a government in its death throes. Nick Toovey, Beaumaris Bring on the republic There is a simple way to end the arguments about the date of Australia Day. The great day when we declare the Republic of Australia will be the new Australia Day. It will be a day we can all celebrate, no matter what colour, creed or culture. There will be no need for argument. Australia Day will take on an entirely new meaning. This is another good reason for Australia to become a republic. Ian Braybrook, Castlemaine A way forward together On Australia Day I watched the SBS coverage of "The Sunrise Ceremony". How refreshing to listen to a diverse group of Indigenous Australians talk about their culture, concerns, hopes and dreams. In sharp contrast to noisy demonstrations, this event gave us all an intelligent and nuanced discussion about our country and how we can embrace our First Peoples and move forward together. The discussion was robust and respectful. This "event" gave a wonderful model of how we might, as a community, discuss important but tough issues. Graham Reynolds, Wendouree End the power games Anne Shellard (Letters, 28/1), I share your anger. The Australian Energy Market Operator asserts that people cannot be given advance notice of load shedding because the need for it happens suddenly. However, statements were made about potential load shedding earlier in the day by Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio clearly the possibility was on her mind. What AEMO does not understand is strategies need to be in place so that if sudden load shedding is required, people have options. We need plans about where people can go and get clear advice about this. Last Friday in my area, Castlemaine was left with power but surrounding areas were cut. Obviously decisions were made to leave a large centre operating so some planning was involved, but we were not advised. We need a strategy including one that informs people not only that power is being cut but where it is not cut locally and options where to go for some heat relief, as well as advice about the likely duration. We now have good public education about fire preparation this must extend to the power grid as well. Elaine Geraghty, Mckenzie Hill Why blackouts are back Your report on the power blackouts during the extreme heat last week (27/1) failed to mention one of the principal causes. Before the establishment of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria in 1921, blackouts were common. The many small power generators in the market could not justify investment in capacity that would only be profitable in periods of peak demand. Enter the SECV, with a charter to provide for the power needs of all Victorians at an affordable price, a switch from profit motive to essential service. The SECV built the necessary infrastructure and maintained it in serviceable condition. Enter Jeff Kennett in the 1990s, selling off the SECV and our power infrastructure and returning supply to the profit motive. After that, it was only a matter of time before blackouts would start again. "Those who don't learn history are destined to repeat it." Ken Sussex, Lilydale Our river of shame Anson Cameron's article (26/1) was a brilliant piece of journalism worthy of the front page. We should be ashamed of those in power and the self-interested bodies in their appalling management of the Darling River. Ron Reynolds, Templestowe Rethink needed on Shorten Bill Shorten's middling personal popularity is questioned even by solid ALP supporters. But this same modest person has led the opposition for years without a hitch, suggesting good judgment and organisation skills. Unlike Donald Trump, he understands many workers live from pay cheque to pay cheque. Unlike Malcolm Turnbull, he gets penalty rates. Unlike Scott Morrison the salesman, he doesn't swagger about. And, most importantly, he thinks generations ahead with his climate and energy policies. A rethink is required. Moray Byrne, Edithvale Pill testing is sensible Why can't our state leaders get their heads around the plus side of pill testing? We enforce strict testing of food and drug products in the interests of consumers, why not dangerous pills in order to prevent deaths of our young people? Pill testing educates would-be users about the poisons in the pills and perhaps makes them think twice. There is no excuse to refuse pill testing except to say our leaders are more resolutely stubborn then they are wise. Debb Schmetzer, W Tree Time to honour Greer January 29, 2019, is Germaine Greer's 80th birthday. What efforts are being made in Australia to celebrate this milestone and to acknowledge her 50 years as one of the world's foremost public intellectuals? None? Really? Although she was made UK Australian of the Year in 2018, no such honour has been bestowed on her by us. I suspect many Australians might wonder why Professor Greer has never received an Australian honour? Perhaps they have been offered and she has refused them but I can't find any public evidence of that. In any case I would have thought someone who has made us think and challenged us and made me, at least, laugh out loud so regularly and on matters of real substance, would have been and is worthy of some national acknowledgment? Yes she is controversial, but if we listen, everything she says can and should make us think is she right ... or wrong? What is she seeking to make us think about? In the parlous intellectual wasteland that is Australia today, where our political leaders are either simply thick, or totally lacking in courage, Germaine and her constant efforts to rouse us from our torpor deserve to be celebrated. Happy birthday, Germaine, you have changed my life. Deb Campbell, Deans Marsh Liberal seats at risk Higgins is not the only seat to be added to the Liberals concerns ("Labor believes it can pinch five Victorian seats", 28/1). The whole of the Liberal heartland, the "Goat Cheese Belt", is not to be ignored in its current cranky condition. Once the home of prime minister Robert Menzies and state premiers Jeff Kennett and Ted Baillieu, it now includes the state seat of Hawthorn recently won by Labor's ("the accidental MP") John Kennedy who is making an impression. That leaves federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong vulnerable to an independent conservative as he ignores the conclusion of defeated Hawthorn state MP John Pesutto that traditional Liberal voters had been left feeling "they could not support a party which had ignored or opposed issues they care about". Malcolm Cameron, Camberwell The heat is on With some dismay, the observation of young, fair-skinned television reporters (mostly women) standing in the full sun, without any form of shade or protection and often in sleeveless clothes, to report on record heat waves, beggars belief. One wonders whether their health and safety representatives are asleep on the job back in their sun-protected offices. Loucille McGinley, Brighton East AND ANOTHER THING Nothing to see here ... Police investigating their own is on a par with banks and other industries self-regulating ... and we all know how well that turns out. Marie Nash, Balwyn Where do I sign? If the occasional two hours without aircon is the price to pay for retiring coal-fired generators, sign me up. Steve Melzer, Hughesdale That'll teach 'em China must be quaking in its boots: "Pyne's shot across China's bow over disputed waters" (28/1). Phil Alexander, Eltham Right clue, wrong answer The answer to the Superquiz question "Which animals are known for deserting a sinking ship?" (28/1) is politicians not rats. Tony Lenten, Glen Waverley Gongs for what? It is just wonderful that Warren Truss and Peter Reith were granted Australia Day honours. Now could someone explain why. Ian Hetherington, Moama, NSW Time to go Surely it is time for Tony Abbott and Kevin Andrews to "spend more time with their families". They have spent enough with us. Donald Mclean, Euroa First item of business The first investigation to be conducted by the proposed CIC should be a thorough examination of the ethics employed in the design of the CIC. Kevin Murphy, Albury Furthermore It's just anecdotal, but a quick glance at my local beach reveals not one Australian flag; this time last year it looked like an ultra-right-wing rally. Can it be, like the same-sex marriage debate, a sea change is occurring in public opinion regarding Australia Day? Annabelle Byrne, Edithvale Finally New coal-fired power stations in Australia make as much sense as Middle East "ski resorts" making snow. Greg Curtin, Blackburn South The clinical fate of Canberra hunger striker Isa Islam remains uncertain as the bed-ridden detainee passes 51 days without eating. Mr Islam, 44, remains under 24-hour observation at Canberra Hospital. He is taking water but no other sustenance, and is not receiving any medical assistance. Canberra's prison, the Alexander Maconochie Centre, where Mr Islam was held until his transfer to the Canberra Hospital. Credit:Jay Cronan In a statement issued on Monday, ACT Corrective Services and Canberra Health Services said they remained concerned for the detainees health and wellbeing, and "continue to encourage him to recommence feeding". Under guidelines endorsed by the World Medical Association, non-consensual force-feeding of a hunger striker, provided they are judged mentally competent, is prohibited. Hundreds of thousands of fish have died in the Darling River at Menindee, the second such event in three weeks, in what Niall Blair, the fisheries minister, described as "an environmental catastrophe". Graeme McCrabb, a Menindee resident who was again among the first to raise the alarm, said the latest die-off could be "worse than last time". The extent of the latest fish kill on the Darling River at Menindee, as of Tuesday morning, January 29. Credit:Graeme McCrabb "It's started off bigger than three weeks ago," Mr McCrabb told the Herald on Monday. While the great bulk of the dead fish were bony herring, "golden and silver perch are starting to come up to die", he said. "The water's really black and dark you couldn't see any joy there." Another mass fish kill is unfolding in the lower Darling River in far western NSW, with thousands of fish floating dead along the banks. Graeme McCrabb, a resident in the town of Menindee, said on Monday morning that he could see the dead fish - mostly bony herring - stretched out along at least a kilometre. "It's started again," Mr McCrabb said. "Any fish that's still there is struggling." "It's a sick spot of the river," he added, saying he could also see other fish, such as carp, trying to find enough oxygen to survive. "They are dying in front of us." BNP's $US3 billion wipe out BNP Paribas Securities was blamed for erroneous orders that knocked almost 10 per cent off the value of Formosa Petrochemical Corp. in March 2018, Taiwan's third-largest stock at the time, according to a senior official with the island's bourse. About $US3 billion was erased from Formosa's market value as a result of a cascade of trades during the closing auction, which were caused by a bug in BNP's system, the official said at the time. Deutsche Bank's 28 billion euro flub German lender Deutsche Bank accidentally transferred 28 billion euros ($44.5 billion) to one of its outside accounts, Bloomberg News first reported in April 2018. Deutsche Bank's 2018 couldn't have come at a worse time for the bank. Credit:Bloomberg The errant transfer occurred as part of the bank's daily derivatives dealings, according to a person familiar with the matter. The sum far exceeded the amount it was due to post and landed in an account at Deutsche Boerse AG's Eurex clearinghouse, temporarily boosting the collateral held by the world's fourth-largest clearinghouse by more than half. The embarrassing blunder couldn't have come at a worse time as Deutsche Bank was struggling at the time with a leadership tussle that resulted in the exit of CEO John Cryan and two of his top lieutenants, and tainted its chairman. Gold's no haven Gold traders were rattled in June 2017 by a huge spike in volume in New York futures when trading jumped to 1.8 million ounces of gold in just a minute, an amount bigger than the gold reserves of Finland. Gold futures fell as much as 1.6 per cent on Comex. One possible explanation: a mistaken trade of 18,149 lots of a futures contract, about 100 times the size of a typical trade of 18,149 ounces. "No one has a clue, apart from the unfortunate individual that pressed the wrong button," David Govett, head of precious metals trading at Marex Spectron Group in London, said at the time of the spike in volume. Disney's phantom menace Volume in Walt Disney Co. appeared to surge for a moment in February 2015 when more than 131 million shares of the stock seemed to trade at once on the New York Stock Exchange, a transaction so big only one shareholder probably could have placed it. But it turns out it never happened, as the initial trade of 131.66 million shares was cut 100-fold to a much less magical 1.3166 million. The size of the order was incorrectly reported at first, according to a person familiar with the matter. It's not like Disney needed the volume boost, with shares jumping nearly 8 per cent on the day to their highest since at least 1974 after posting quarterly sales and earnings that topped estimates thanks to "Frozen" gifts over the holidays. TIn October 2014, someone placed more than 40 erroneous orders totaling 67.8 trillion yen ($860 billion) on Japan's over-the-counter market -- greater than the size of Sweden's economy at the time. Credit:AP The 67.8 trillion yen bidder In October 2014, someone placed more than 40 erroneous orders totaling 67.8 trillion yen ($860 billion) on Japan's over-the-counter market -- greater than the size of Sweden's economy at the time. The attempted transactions included a bid to buy 57 per cent of Toyota's outstanding shares and other big stakes in Japanese blue chips including Honda, Canon, Sony and Nomura Holdings. The orders were cancelled before they were executed. Goldman's options disruption Confusion swept across trading desks in August 2013 as prices for equity derivatives swung without reason, with some contracts trading for $US26 one minute and $US1 the next. The culprit was Goldman Sachs, which experienced software errors causing the firm to spew unintentional orders from the first moments of trading, according to a person briefed on the matter. An internal system used to help prepare to meet market demand inadvertently produced orders with inaccurate price limits and sent them to exchanges, the person said. UBS & Capcom Hayne's final report could have profound ramifications on the superannuation industry, particularly on bank run super funds, the financial planning sector, insurers and, of course, consumers who might find financial products more costly or harder to get. It's a lot to cover. So to help we've gone through what recommendations Hayne might make in his final report and how those might reshape, restructure or even revolutionise the banking sector. Australian Securities & Investments Commission chairman James Shipton (left) and the regulator's chief legal officer Chris Savundra. Credit:AAP Regulators under scrutiny Mount up. This could be the big one after both the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA) were found wanting during the commission. Loading One of the issues Hayne has grappled with is whether its the law or the regulators lack of enforcement of the law thats at issue. From his interim report, it appears Hayne thinks its the latter. So expect Hayne to recommend that ASIC and APRA be subjected to official performance reviews where they will be assessed next to their mandate. Both ASIC and APRA could be stripped of some of their powers, and this could result in a new regulator being formed to cover some parts of financial services. But will the law be changed? ASIC is very keen for a key tenet of the Corporations Act that financial services act fairly, honestly and efficiently carry a penalty as it currently does not. Some sources have suggested Hayne will recommend a new overarching law that would be akin to the tax act where any attempt to avoid paying tax is a breach. This could mean a bank attempting to mislead or deceive would be a breach of the law. But Hayne has also called the current laws governing the sector "labyrinthine" so new laws are unlikely. Even still, unravelling the Corporations Act would be quite the legacy for Hayne. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Super shake-up Australias $2.7 trillion plus superannuation industry looks set for a major shake-up. At least a dozen super funds -- the majority bank-owned -- may have committed misconduct or breached laws. The evidence from the sector was grim. NAB allegedly failed to notify the regulator of breaches within the 10-day timeframe. CBA failed to move 13,000 super funds to the no-frills MySuper accounts by the deadline. NAB, CBA and AMP were all revealed to have put their interests over fund members. Loading Super industry watchdogs - APRA and ASIC - were slammed for their failure to police the sector. APRA was censured for never taking a single bank, insurance company or super fund to court in enforcement action. ASIC was criticised for its reluctance to prosecute banks for breaching their requirement to tell the regulator of unlawful behaviour within 10 days. The commission also heard evidence about underperforming super funds, particularly low-cost MySuper products. Expect extensive legislative and regulatory changes, including higher fines for misconduct and more stringent oversight. The role and power of regulators APRA and ASIC are likely to be clearly and distinctly defined and they are likely to to be given a sharper set of enforcement teeth. Underperforming funds are likely to be removed from the industry and workers would not be switched to new funds when they change jobs. There could also be fines for funds that do not act in the best interests of members. Home loans and consumer finance Banks have already tightened the screws on home loan customers over the past few years. A key question is whether the royal commission will take this process even further. Loading The $1.6 trillion mortgage market is the biggest source of loans for banks, but the hearings on home loans raised serious doubts over whether the banks were complying with responsible lending laws. In particular, the commission appeared concerned banks were not going far enough to investigate borrowers' living expenses, instead relying on statistical benchmarks as a proxy for the household budgets. In response, banks have required customers to provide more detail about their living expenses when applying for loans, and are promising to cut their use of such benchmarks. But one of the critical questions will be whether commissioner Hayne wants banks to use the standardised measure for expenses (known as the HEM) at all or whether they must make further inquiries before lending out money. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Mortgage brokers, who arrange more than half of all new home loans, are also sweating on commissioner Hayne's findings. There is a question mark over whether Hayne might recommend a shake-up to the commission-based remuneration model, after probing different models, including one where banks pay for service, instead of a commission. The commission heard that Commonwealth Bank looked into wiping out commissions altogether, which it said would have saved customers money, but it opted against the move because doing so might have cost the bank business. Brokers point out, however, CBA would have the most to gain by abolishing commissions because it has the largest branch network, and branches would become a more important way of gaining customers. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Insurer boiler rooms on notice The royal commission's public hearings on insurance saw companies admit to a litany of misconduct, including wrongly knocking back claims, using boiler-room tactics to sell policies that were of dubious value, and relying on outdated medical definitions. In response, the commission is expected to reach a conclusion on whether the sale of insurance - and the claims handling by insurers - should be subject to more regulation. Some of the changes could be outright bans on certain activities. The commission exposed the pressure tactics used by life insurance companies to sell their cover by cold-calling people, a practice that had already attracted criticism from ASIC. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Commissioner Hayne may reach a verdict on whether some of these sales tactics, such as cold-calling should simply be outlawed altogether. The industry may also lose some of the carve-outs that have meant insurance is excluded from some laws that apply to other financial services businesses. At the moment, insurance claims handling is self-regulated by the industry, but given the serious problems uncovered, Hayne may think this should be policed by ASIC. Insurers also expect Hayne will come down in favour of extending unfair contract laws across the industry, which currently has an exemption. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Banker bonuses As the commission has revealed more poor behaviour over the past year, a recurring theme has been that bankers all-too-often stood to gain financially from misconduct. In many cases, this was because of remuneration schemes that gave finance workers the incentive to put profits before people. There was the insurance company that offered a trip to Las Vegas for selling the most funeral insurance, a rogue banker who had previously won a trip to Hayman Island for blitzing salkes targets, and tales of financial advisers giving inappropriate advice to boost revenue and get a bonus. Higher up the corporate ladder, the commission also heard testimony from Commonwealth Bank chairman Catherine Livingstone that a previous review of executive pay had been "plainly inadequate." Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Banks have already cut back on sales targets by instead judging their staff on "balanced scorecards," but commissioner Hayne's interim report suggested this was not enough. His final report may deal with whether these sorts of incentives are needed at all, and whether regulation of banker pay is warranted. His recommendations may potentially have an impact on pay packets from the branch teller to the chief executive. Given all the problems caused by the incentives given to finance workers, Hayne's interim report questioned whether staff who deal with customers should be given "variable" incentives at all. "If more junior employees should not be remunerated in this way, why should their managers and senior executives?" the report said. Financial Planning The fallout from the royal commission will change the financial planning industry forever. The commission heard wealth managers acted to benefit financial advisers, including maintaining grandfathered commissions, without considering whether the super fund trustee was legally required to stop paying them. Members accounts were charged ongoing adviser fees, without adequate systems in place to assess if services were being provided. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video AMP admitted it lied to the regulator 20 times about the scale of the problem. Not to be outdone, CBA was revealed to have charged fees to thousands of customers who had died. NAB was quizzed on the rampant false witnessing of documents on behalf of 2520 NAB financial planning clients. On a result you should expect higher fines for misconduct, more stringent regulation and a huge wave of remediation costs. The big four banks have already allotted $2.5 billion for compensation and wealth manager AMP could have to pay $1.5 billion and IOOF $780 million over the next four years. Recommendations will likely spell the death knell for almost all forms of commissions. The vertically integrated business model will likely be substantially diminished or even banned. The industry watchdog and its activities will be much stronger, and it is likely to have oversight and monitoring of all licences, rather than primarily the large institutional dealer groups as has been the case in the past. Small business Few are expecting sweeping reforms for small business lending from Haynes final report amid fears that tightened regulation could turn off the funding tap to one of the most vital sectors of the economy. But the interim report did float some changes that could have a significant impact on some small business customers and the banks including allowing the new Australian Financial Complaints Authority to award compensation. Carolyn Flanagan giving evidence at the banking royal commission. Mrs Flanagan lost her home after going guarantor on her daughter's small business. Another key issue Hayne explored in his interim report is lifting responsible lending requirements for banks by placing small business lending within the reach of the National Consumer Credit Protection Act or asking banks to conduct more detailed analysis of cash flow statements and other business documents before issuing a loan to a small business operator as well as changes to how banks treat guarantors of small business loans. Farmers and remote communities The royal commission also spent some delving into how banks treat borrowers in the agricultural sector, fortuitous timing given the drought ravaging parts of Australia. February marks the 85th anniversary of the opening of New Orleans Lakefront Airport. The airport, which was dedicated on February 9, 1934, wa In their ongoing bickering over the death penalty, Louisianas Republican attorney general Tuesday asked the Democratic governor to support bringing back hanging, firing squads and the electric chair. After the back and forth over capital punishment last week between the two possible rivals in next year's gubernatorial race, Attorney General Jeff Landry issued a letter Tuesday saying Gov. John Bel Edwards statements on why Louisiana hasnt moved forward on executing convicted murderers are both intentionally misleading and cold comfort to victims families. Landry again demanded Edwards say where he personally stood on the death penalty. Then Landry proposed legislation that would change the state's capital punishment law to allow for different forms of execution other than just lethal injection. He recommended the Legislature pass a law that would allow the state Department of Corrections to choose between hanging, firing squads, and electrocution to put condemned criminals to death if other methods are unavailable. He asked for Edwards' support. "Mr. Landry is accurate in that new legislation must be proposed to solve the death penalty issue. However, in the past three legislative sessions Mr. Landrys office has not presented any legislation to help alleviate this roadblock, until now," Department of Corrections Secretary James M. LeBlanc said. Only a legislator can submit a bill for consideration of becoming law. The next legislative session is scheduled to begin April 8. July 24, 2018 Landry letter to Edwards Letter by Attorney General Jeff Landry to Gov. John Bel Edwards on the death penalty Edwards has consistently ducked stating his personal view on capital punishment, saying instead that he has sworn to uphold state and federal laws. But I am not going to pretend that we have the ability to do something we dont have. Its not about scoring political points. Its about being realistic in the way we govern, Edwards told reporters Monday, the day before Landrys letter was released publicly. In answering questions during a highway project groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Edwards said he specifically did not favor hangings or firing squads. "I am not inclined to go back to methods that have been discarded (when) popular sentiment turned against methods that were deemed to be barbaric and so forth. We have a law in place we will continue to try to search for solutions around that law," which allows execution by lethal injection, the governor said. After Landrys letter was released to a television station Tuesday, the governors spokesman, Richard Carbo, said in a prepared statement: We are pleased that he has conceded that current law, not the governor, is standing in the way of the state resuming executions, which have been on hold since 2010. Quitting the very lawsuit that was meant to bring justice for these families was never the answer, so his commitment to re-engage is welcome news. Carbo said the governors office had not received Landrys letter by midday Tuesday. Carbo continued, "In the 211 days the legislature has been in regular session since 2016, the attorney general has not offered a single bill. We will review his suggestions and hope to re-start a constructive dialogue. In the future, it is our hope that we can handle process disagreements person-to-person rather than through the media. Louisiana law allows executions only by lethal injection. But pharmaceutical companies have refused to sell the necessary drugs to the state. The Edwards administration obtained a year-long extension of a court order that prohibits the state from carrying out executions because of hurdles to legally obtaining the drugs. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Louisiana last executed an inmate, who volunteered to be put to death, in 2010. Before that the last person executed was in 2002 during Gov. Mike Fosters administration. Seventy-two inmates are on death row at the Angola penitentiary awaiting execution. You make the unremarkable observation that other methods of execution are not allowed by Louisiana law. While this is true you avoid the simple truth that the law can be changed," Landry wrote Edwards. "I would be heartened as would crime victims families by working together to support legislation that finds a means to end this impasse. Landry would change the law to say that if lethal injection is unavailable then the method would be nitrogen hypoxia. That mode basically fills an air tight mask on the condemned with nitrogen gas, thereby causing death by a lack of oxygen. Oklahoma legislators have looked at that method of execution as a way around the inability to purchase the drugs needed for lethal injections. If nitrogen hypoxia is found unconstitutional or becomes otherwise unavailable, then Corrections Department secretary could choose between hanging, firing squad or electrocution, under Landrys proposal. But again, I ask: where do you stand? If you truly stand with crime victims and their families, then you will affirm your support with action, Landry wrote Edwards. Edwards has repeatedly said his Roman Catholic faith has guided him to oppose abortion. He won't say how he personally views capital punishment. The church also opposes the death penalty. Landry is Catholic and opposes abortion. Pope John Paul II in 1999 called for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary. Pope Francis reaffirmed church opposition to capital punishment in 2015 saying, Human justice is imperfect, and the failure to recognize its fallibility can transform it into a source of injustice. Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops on death penalty Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops opinion on death penalty April 18, 2017 The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops also have called for an end to the death penalty. The church views it as a pro-life issue, Robert Tasman, director of the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishop, said Tuesday afternoon. The Louisiana Bishops supported an effort in 2017 to abolish capital punishment for future crimes. The legislation was presented as a way to save money because Louisiana, for reasons that go beyond the lack of appropriate pharmaceuticals, has been unable to execute an inmate against his will in 16 years. The measure passed a state Senate committee but was withdrawn when a similar House bill was rejected by a single vote in the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee. The last time legislators attempted to change the mode of execution was in 2014 in legislation proposed by Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto when the Metairie Republican was a House representative. Initially, Lopintos bill would have reinstated the electric chair. But that was amended out in committee and measure was changed to keeping secret the identity of pharmaceutical companies that supplied the drugs used in lethal injections. Lopinto shelved it. We are grateful that the conversation has been brought to the level of legislation, Tasman said, adding that the Bishops would like to see renewed legislative efforts to ban the death penalty. Auditors last year flagged five cases in which they say money was misappropriated at Baton Rouge public schools, ranging from $530 stolen overnight at a middle school to more than $21,000 in cash raised from candy sales and other events that was never deposited in the bank. The scattered cases are highlighted in the latest annual audit for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, released Monday morning. It covers all financial activity in the states second largest school district during the 2017-18 fiscal year, which ended June 30. A preliminary version of the audit, prepared by the system's outside auditors, Postlethwaite & Netterville, was presented to the School Board on Dec. 6. However, the final version was not released until Monday after it was posted online by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor. This troubling sign in annual audit could mean big cuts for Baton Rouge public schools In a troubling sign that could set the stage for big budget cuts, the East Baton Rouge Parish school system has found itself dipping deeply in The cases of apparent misappropriation of money were not part of the Dec. 6 presentation. They appear at the end of the 268-page document under a section called Report To Management. All five cases were uncovered by the school system's own internal staff auditor. Postlethwaite & Netterville found other problems, with bank reconciliations, collections and disbursements enough that the school system has committed to corrective action plans to improve how it handles those areas. Nevertheless, the outside auditors have issued an "unmodified opinion" saying that the school system's basic financial statements are sound. Here are the five instances of alleged misappropriation of funds: A former employee of Westminster Elementary over a six-month period deposited barely half of the cash raised from candy sales, tuition for an extended day program and for other school events including a school trip. A total of $21,274 was missing. The former employee, who was not identified, agreed last summer to repay the school system $11,015 via monthly installments, though had paid back only $450 by Thanksgiving. A former employee of McKinley High School tapped into the student activity fund to purchase $3,468 worth of cheerleader uniforms for a cheer group not sponsored by the high school. The individual, who was not identified, was arrested on Dec. 11. An employee of University Terrace Elementary failed to log about $3,000 worth of sales of food, snack and other concessions over a 10-month period. The employee later reimbursed the school $3,150, the estimated amount of missing money that had not been deposited in the back. A total of $1,270.74 was fraudulently withdrawn electronically from the bank account of Lee High School. No school employees were implicated in what authorities said could have been a fraud by someone outside the school system. The bank later refunded the money. A teacher at Istrouma Middle reported that $530 was stolen overnight from the teachers classroom. The teacher used his personal money to repay the students who had contributed the money. The missing money was reported to the Sheriffs Office as a burglary, but no arrests have as yet been made or any of the money returned. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Postlethwaite & Netterville auditors commended the school systems internal auditor for uncovering the problems and actions taken in response, but said more needs to be done to prevent problems in the future. However, given the magnitude and significance of the internal auditor's findings, the system should consider increased frequency of audits, additional audit resources and enhanced training and education of school principals and administrative staff, the auditors recommended. At least one school, Tara High, had problems that were uncovered by the outside auditing firm rather than the school system's own, internal auditor. Postlethwaite & Netterville found that almost $2,000 was spent without supporting documentation. That included $1,261 was spent on travel on school related business. In addition, the outside auditors found, $22,000 worth of bills were paid late, prompting $57 in interest charges. In its response to Postlethwaite & Nettervilles findings, the school system pledged to offer more training for executive secretaries and other school level personnel. It is also our goal to have more of a presence within the schools, according to the response. We will begin conducting random visits at the school where the Internal Audit department will perform an overview of the record-keeping processes to ensure that the financial records are being properly maintained. The school system, however, made it clear its not looking to hire more staff to fix these problems. At this time. It would be cost prohibitive for the school system to hire additional 12-month staff members, responded the school system. The benefits received from the hiring of additional non-instructional staff at the school level are far less that the costs of salaries and benefits associated with these additional positions. Iowa Lakes Community College, with its flagship campus in Estherville, is one of 15 community college systems in the state. The Iowa Department of Educations Division of Community Colleges & Workforce Preparation recently distributed its annual report. Some of the data in the report reflects recent trends in higher education. Over half (50.6 percent) of all Iowa residents enrolled in a public or private, two-or-four-year post-secondary school are enrolled in a community college. This is significantly higher than the national average of 41 percent reported by the American Association of Community Colleges. Iowa Lakes Community College Executive Dean Lisa Stich said, Iowa Lakes is pleased to be serving over 1,000 high school students registered for classes this spring semester alone. A recent study released by the University of Texas System confirmed what we had long suspected, that students who take college classes during high school have a higher GPA in college, and graduate college in higher numbers. We have a dedicated staff, led by Kari Hampe, who do a great job of working with our area schools and college staff to make the system work, and we are constantly working to make the system better and expand options for high school students. The mission of the Iowa consortium of community colleges is to provide, an open door for all who desire to learn. Its an affordable option, and the rising cost of four-year colleges and universities is likely driving the increase in first time students choosing community colleges as the start of a post-secondary degree. Community college is also a path to pursuing education close to home, the report stated. Nearly nine in 10 (88.8 percent) community college students in the state are Iowa residents. Stich said, Iowa Lakes continually adjusts its offerings, both credit and non-credit, to serve changing workforce needs. We are continually monitoring changes in workforce based on advisory committee feedback, employer partners, student intern sites and more. We have many staff engaged in working with employers and with economic development to make sure the college is poised to respond to emerging needs. For example, we approved several program modifications this fall, including all of our SERT programs, as well as others, who changed curriculum and added content needed for future success. One example is a new Networking and Data Acquisition course for several of our SERT programs, designed to train students on networking technology, protocols and installation procedures for industrial networks. We also update technology for student use, such as last years complete overhaul of our graphic design lab here in Estherville, now outfitted with dual Macs and pen tablets at every station, and our new nursing simulation center in Emmetsburg. The report showed that for academic year 2016, 8,037 community college students in Iowa did not enroll in further education after receiving awards and degrees from the colleges. Among those, 7,354 students were matched to employment, an employment rate of 91.5 percent. The median annual wage for those who were employed was $30,920. Stich said, One additional project Im excited about is our work with Institutional Learning Outcomes. They include: effective communication, problem solving and critical thinking, and professionalism and civility. We are integrating these core skills across the curriculum in a more overt way, because we know these are life and work skills that transcend all of our programs and disciplines and are in high demand from employers. We are thinking more deeply about how each of these skills is demonstrated in a specific discipline or field of work, and how to best prepare students for what they will face when they leave college. The research tells us that many of our current students will be employed in jobs that dont exist yet, so these broad outcomes are more important than ever to ensure students know how to merge these very human skills with the technology we increasingly see at work. By 2025, 68 percent of all jobs will require education or training beyond high school. Some of these jobs will require a certificate or degree; others will require training that does not necessarily lead to an academic credential. Stich said, On the non-credit side, our new drone course has been very popular, training individuals on drone operation and protocols so they can pass the FAA certification required for commercial drone operation. Another new offering is in Cybersecurity, another timely topic on how companies can keep their employee and client data safe and secure. Read more about the latest community college data and what it means for learning and jobs in the Iowa Lakes Community College region in Thursdays edition of the Estherville News. Early Saturday morning, 21-year-old Dakota Theriot went on a shooting rampage, killing five people before fleeing the state, according to authorities. First, he killed his girlfriend, her brother and her father inside their trailer in Walker. Then, he drove down La. 447 to Gonzales where he opened fire on his own parents, before fleeing Louisiana in a stolen truck. He was captured early Sunday morning outside his grandmother's home in Richmond County, Virginia. There are still many unanswered questions about Theriot's motives and what happened during the 23 hour period from when the first shooting began to when he was arrested. Here is the timeline, according to law enforcement authorities: About two weeks ago: Dakota Theriot and Summer Ernest begin dating, family and friends say. About one week ago: Summer Ernest brings Dakota Theriot to family birthday party, according to Ernest family. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up About one week ago: Dakota Theriot moves in with the Ernest family, according to Ernest family. Saturday, Jan. 26 Around 8 a.m.: Dakota Theriot kills Summer Ernest, Tanner Ernest and Billy Ernest at a trailer in Walker. Dakota Theriot kills Summer Ernest, Tanner Ernest and Billy Ernest at a trailer in Walker. 8:05 a.m.: Dakota Theriot flees down La. 447 from Walker to Gonzales. Dakota Theriot flees down La. 447 from Walker to Gonzales. 8:43 a.m.: Ascension Parish Sheriff receives 911 call for reported shooting in Gonzales. Ascension Parish Sheriff receives 911 call for reported shooting in Gonzales. 8:47 a.m.: Livingston Parish Sheriff receives 911 call for a reported shooting in Walker. Sunday, Jan. 27 7 a.m.: Theriot is arrested outside his grandmother's home in Warsaw, Virginia. GONZALES, La. (AP) A 21-year-old man suspected of killing his parents and three other people including a girl he was dating was arrested Sunday when he drove up with a gun to his grandmother's house in Virginia, a sheriff said. On Saturday, Dakota Theriot shot and killed three people the woman believed to be his girlfriend, her brother and father in Louisiana's Livingston Parish before taking her father's truck, driving to neighboring Ascension Parish, and shooting his parents, according to authorities. At a trailer where the parents lived, drops of blood trailed out to the front steps from the bedroom where Keith and Elizabeth Theriot were shot. In the bedroom, blood soaked pillows were strewn on the bed, and patches of what appeared to be dried blood were on the floor. Dozens of stuffed animals decorated the room. Kim Mincks and Jacob Chastant also lived in the trailer and were friends with the Theriots. Mincks was in the house at the opposite end of the trailer when the shooting happened but didn't hear anything. Law enforcement officers came into her room Saturday morning and woke her. "They said something terrible happened here. 'Get up, get dressed and walk outside,'" she recalled them saying. Mincks and Chastant said Dakota Theriot had struggled with drugs over the years, had violent outbursts, and had recently been kicked out of the trailer. "We know he had a drug problem. He got kicked out last Monday because of the drug problem. His dad kicked him out of here. He did have a violent streak," Mincks said. Theriot's grandmother in Warsaw, Virginia, had checked into a hotel Saturday night, fearing he might show up there, Richmond County Sheriff Stephan B. Smith said in a phone interview. The woman asked authorities to check her house Sunday morning to make sure it was safe before she returned. While deputies were there, Smith said, Theriot drove up with a firearm pointed out the window of a pickup truck. A sheriff's statement said deputies sought cover and challenged Theriot, who then dropped the gun and was arrested without incident. He said the pickup Theriot drove to his grandmother's house apparently was the one taken in Louisiana. Theriot will be brought back to Ascension Parish to be booked on two counts of first-degree murder, home invasion, and illegal use of weapons, said a statement by Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre and Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard. Authorities have identified the victims in Livingston Parish as Billy Ernest, 43; Tanner Ernest, 17; and Summer Ernest, 20. Ard said Summer Ernest and Dakota Theriot were in a relationship and that Theriot had been living with her family for a few weeks. Authorities said earlier that Keith Theriot survived the shooting long enough to let them know who shot him. According to Webre, officials got a "dying declaration from him, and only enough information to let us know that it was his son that committed this act." Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Mincks and Chastant only returned to the trailer Sunday morning, worried Dakota Theriot might come back. Mincks said she'd known Keith and Elizabeth Theriot for about two years and described them as wonderful people. Keith Theriot was a disabled veteran who played a wicked guitar, and Elizabeth Theriot worked at a nearby Dollar General Store, they said. Keith Theriot had four children, all boys, they said. "Give you the shirt off their back. They loved everybody. Never met a stranger. Loved each other. Just a happy couple," she said. But the relationship between Dakota Theriot and his parents, especially his father, was troubled. She and Chastant described an incident in which Chastant had to pull Dakota Theriot off his parents during a physical altercation. Minks said Dakota Theriot and his mother seemed much closer. They'd laugh and joke and tell each other "I love you." But even that relationship had problems. Mincks and Chastant said at one point Dakota Theriot pulled a gun on his mother who called Chastant for help. Dakota Theriot arrested in Virginia after allegedly killing 5 people in south Louisiana A man suspected of killing his parents and three other people -- including a girl he was dating -- has been captured after an intense manhunt "I think just the drugs took over," Mincks said. Chastant and Mincks said Dakota Theriot had just met Summer Ernest about three weeks ago at Chastant's sister's funeral. Summer Ernest was there as a friend to Jacob Chastant's 20-year-old daughter, Sierra. Sierra said she warned her friend to stay away from Dakota, calling him "trouble." But she never expected anything like what unfolded Saturday. Summer Ernest had an outgoing personality and was planning to return soon to college, Sierra said. "She was bubbly, always friendly ... She's just a great person," she said. "If you asked me what his motive was.... I don't know what it would be," she said. "It's just unbelievable." ___ Associated Press writers Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Jonathan Drew in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report. A former LSU student accused of negligent homicide in the 2017 alcohol-related hazing death of fraternity pledge Max Gruver must give prosecutors the passcode to his seized cellphone, a state judge decided Monday in a landmark ruling that could be destined for the U.S. Supreme Court. The next stop, however, will be the state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge, where one of Matthew Alexander Naquins attorneys said hell file an appeal of 19th Judicial District Judge Beau Higginbothams ruling. After that, the matter is expected to go to the Louisiana Supreme Court. Naquins lead attorney, John McLindon, and East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III have said the issues raised by Naquin have never been directly addressed by the state Supreme Court or the nations highest court. Higginbotham, a former East Baton Rouge Parish prosecutor who previously signed a search warrant authorizing prosecutors to seize Naquins phone, gave the 20-year-old from Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, until Feb. 25 to comply with his order. Naquin, who is portrayed in court documents as the main aggressor in Gruver hazing and as someone who did not want Gruver in Phi Delta Theta, is scheduled to stand trial July 8. Negligent homicide is punishable by up to five years in prison. +3 Ex-LSU student 'vocal' about not wanting Max Gruver in fraternity before hazing death, new court filings show A former LSU student accused of negligent homicide in the fatal 2017 alcohol-related hazing of Phi Delta Theta pledge Max Gruver was "vocal" a Moores office confiscated the phone in November 2017 but has been unable to access its contents because the phone is password-protected. The district attorney said Monday the FBI is currently trying to access those contents. Prosecutors filed a motion asking Higginbotham to order Naquin to turn over the code, but Naquin's attorneys argued such an order would violate his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination. In his ruling Monday, the judge said ordering Naquin to turn over his phone passcode is neither a violation of his 5th Amendment or 4th Amendment rights. The latter protects against unreasonable search and seizure. Higginbotham said Naquins privacy rights wont be trampled because the search warrant is very specific and seeks only phone contents regarding the death of Gruver, 18, of Roswell, Georgia. I think that the judge nailed it with a common sense, practical approach to a technical issue, Moore said outside the courtroom. McLindon said Higginbothams decision wont be the final word on the issue. I was a little surprised, but it is a tough, novel issue in Louisiana, he said. Its a question that needs to be answered. Its going to happen a lot in the future. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up In brief argument Monday before Higginbotham read his ruling from the bench, Naquin attorney Brant Mayer said prosecutors can only assume what is on Naquins phone because they havent seen its contents. Anything on Mr. Naquins phone is potentially incriminating, Mayer told the judge. Prosecutor Morgan Johnson argued the passcode is not incriminating because it is not testimonial in nature. She also said Higginbothams signing of the warrant means he determined probable cause existed to search the phones contents. Mayer, though, said a valid search warrant doesnt erase other constitutional protections, such as the protection against self-incrimination. Gruver died in September 2017 following a hazing ritual that senior Phi Delta Theta members called "Bible study," in which pledges were required to chug hard liquor when they gave wrong answers to questions about the fraternity, according to authorities. Just days before his death, court records indicate, Naquin was warned by a local Phi Delta Theta official to tone down his interactions with pledges. Phi Delta Theta is banned from LSU's campus until at least 2033. Gruver's death was attributed to alcohol poisoning and aspiration, meaning he suffocated on his own vomit. An autopsy revealed his blood alcohol level was 0.495 percent, more than six times the legal limit to drive in Louisiana. Naquins former roommate, Ryan Matthew Isto, 19, of Butte, Montana, and Sean-Paul Gott, 22, a former LSU student from Lafayette, pleaded no contest last fall to misdemeanor hazing in the Gruver case and agreed to testify at Naquin's trial. +6 Two former LSU students plead no contest in hazing death of Max Gruver Two former LSU students pleaded no contest Thursday to misdemeanor hazing in the alcohol-related death of freshman fraternity pledge Max Gruve Another former LSU student charged with hazing, Patrick Andrew Forde, 21, of Westwood, Massachusetts, has pledged to cooperate and testify truthfully at the trial. Prosecutors said theyll decide later about whether to prosecute Forde. Gott ultimately shared his cellphone passcode with prosecutors after they filed a motion to compel him to do so. In another local cellphone passcode-related case, Moore and the FBI had asked Apple for help accessing the phone of 29-year-old Brittney Mills, who was fatally shot in 2015. Apple refused to comply, citing its customer privacy rights. Moore eventually found a private company to access her phones contents. But after reviewing the material, the homicide case remains under investigation. Nationally, after the deadly 2015 terrorist attack at a Christmas party in San Bernardino, California, Apple declined to help the FBI break into one of the suspects phones, fearing its help could set a precedent. A private firm accessed the data for agents. The extended Ernest family cried Sunday. They held hands through bleary eyes. They occasionally let themselves laugh as they recounted stories but quickly shook their heads, as if in disbelief they could still do so amid such profound loss. Three of their loved ones Billy, 43, Summer, 20, and Tanner, 17 were fatally shot Saturday. Police believe Summer Ernests new boyfriend, Dakota Theriot, 21, gunned them down in their Livingston Parish home before driving to Ascension Parish, where he shot and killed his parents, Keith and Elizabeth Theriot, both 50. He fled to Virginia but was found and arrested at his grandmothers house Sunday morning. +8 Theriot's escape to Virginia: Alleged killer pulls into grandmother's driveway with officials waiting Dakota Theriot drove almost 16 hours through the night Saturday from Louisiana to Virginia, where he sought refuge with his grandmother after Theriots alleged rampage left in its wake dozens of loved ones wading through the numbness that follows a tragedy, the realization that lives are not coming back. On the coffee table in her Denham Springs home Sunday, Evelyn Sing the mother of Billy Ernest and grandmother of Summer and Tanner Ernest arranged photos of her loved ones, trying to encapsulate their personalities in a way brief national media headlines never could. A tired-looking Billy Ernest is pictured holding his swaddled new baby. Within a green photo frame, Summer Ernest beams on her high school graduation day. Tanner Ernest strikes a pose with his siblings, adorned in an LSU hoodie. Well never be the same, Sing said Sunday, taking a deep breath as she fought through tears. She sat on a sofa with Crystal DeYoung, her daughter, and Rhonda Champagne, the mother of Summer and Tanner Ernest. Can't see video below? Click here. Police dont yet have a motive for the attack, and the victims family knows few details about the suspect or his relationship with Summer. Two children inside the trailer at the time of the shooting a 7-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy were able to escape and run to a neighbors home, but the older child hasnt been able to provide any more context on what happened immediately prior to the shootings. Billy's wife, Kacee, and a fifth sibling, 16-year-old Hunter Ernest, were not home at the time of the attack. Hunter and Tanner Ernest both lived with Champagne most of the time, but Tanner was visiting his father this past weekend. Kacee Ernest chose not to speak to media Sunday. Hunter Ernest sat flanked by friends at his grandmothers house Sunday. The brothers, less than a year apart in age, shared many friends. As they grew older, Tanner Ernest widened his of friends with his quick wit and unfaltering sense of humor. Whenever they told me (about the slayings) I didnt want to believe it, friend Seth Gaudin said. It was denial. It felt like part of me was ripped out and just gone. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Hunter Ernest said that when deputies came to his home in Denham Springs on Saturday morning saying three of his loved ones were killed, his gut instinct drew him to Theriot but he didnt know why. Evelyn Sing remembers telling Summer Ernest whom Sing describes as a kind, God-fearing girl who had just recently been promoted at her job at Ferrara Fire Apparatus that Theriot wasnt good for her. Some of the family members recently met the suspect at a family birthday party, and everyone who did said they were worried about him being with Summer. Summer had just broken up with a longtime boyfriend and began seeing Theriot about two weeks ago. Theriot moved in with the Ernest family almost immediately after the relationship began, when he was kicked out of his parents home. I said Summer, you want to go up baby, not down, Sing said. Mamaw knows, I said youre too smart, youre too pretty, Summer. Well she mightve rolled her eyes at me, but I was telling her out of love. Whenever I left I didnt want to just preach to her, I do enough of that to her but I said Summer, mamaw just wants to tell you baby, just pray, pray, let God lead you. Billy Ernest, a longtime Ascension Parish employee, always saw the best in people, and gave Theriot a chance despite others warning, said his sister Crystal DeYoung. She noted that the 21-year-old Theriot had been helping Billy Ernest around the house since hed moved in. Dakota Theriot arrested in Virginia after allegedly killing 5 people in south Louisiana A man suspected of killing his parents and three other people -- including a girl he was dating -- has been captured after an intense manhunt It was a trait Billy Ernests ex-wife, Rhonda Champagne, says was passed down to Summer and Tanner. The family described the siblings as polite, family-oriented and happy. Summer requested donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in lieu of gifts at her last birthday. Tanner and a friend had recently jumped from their seats at a local restaurant when they witnessed an embarrassed busboy drop an entire tray of food. Champagne wiped tears from her eyes Sunday as she recounted how proud she was of her boy in that moment. I just pray my children didnt die in vain, that they actually touched people, children and teenagers, she said. +3 Officials: Dakota Theriot, suspect in killing of 5 in south Louisiana, had contentious living situation The 21-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend, two of her family members and his parents in two separate shootings in Ascensi They did, DeYoung responded, squeezing her ex-sister-in-laws hand. Champagne believes her children sacrificed themselves in the trailer Saturday morning to get their younger half-siblings the 7-year-old and 1-year-old out alive. Tanner and Summer and Hunter (their surviving sibling), Ive never seen children so close in my whole life, they would literally die for one another, Sing said of her grandchildren. And I believe (they) did, Champagne added, her voice breaking. The family is planning a memorial for the victims, but the details have not yet been determined. Red light cameras will remain in Baton Rouge for at least one more year while the Metro Council considers disbanding the program. The additional 12 months is all the Metro Council would give Verra Mobility to continue managing the city-parish's red light camera program after spending more than a month considering whether to enter into a new agreement with the California-based company. The council's decision to continue to the controversial program was rooted mostly in an endorsement from the city police department, which intends to use the red light cameras in crime investigations once the department's Real-Time Crime Center is operational, and the fact that Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome had included $3 million in estimated revenue from ticket citations in her 2019 fiscal year budget, which the council already approved. Red light cameras staying up in East Baton Rouge in 2019; lawsuit aims to bring them down East Baton Rouge Parish intends to leave its red light cameras up and operating after Jan. 1 even though its contract with the firm in charge But council members have expressed concerns that continuing the program past this year could end up becoming a multi-million dollar liability for the city-parish because of a pending lawsuit challenging the program's legality. Some officials believe Verra Mobility, which operated under the name of American Traffic Solutions when the program was first implemented in 2007, would leave the city-parish on the hook to pay any judgments that could result from the lawsuit. "It's my understanding the Parish Attorney's Office made a demand the company indemnifies us if that happens and the company denied that," Councilman Chandler Loupe said. "From my standpoint, this company wants to keep doing business with us; but if we get sued, they don't want to help us pay it back." Whether that's true or not is unclear. Chief Administrative Officer Darryl Gissel said the recently approved contract does include the indemnification clause stating Verra Mobility would work with the city-parish in its defense if fault lies with the company. The pair of lawyers who filed the lawsuit last month in the 19th Judicial District Court has already been victorious in similar class-action lawsuits in the New Orleans area. Jefferson Parish had to pay back $7 million to drivers who were ticketed while that parish used red light cameras between 2007 and 2010. And a judge ordered Orleans Parish to reimburse $27 million in fines the parish collected over the initial three years of its program. Interactive: See where New Orleans traffic cameras are still active, where they aren't New Orleans' red light camera system is still active in certain areas, but its numbers took a hit with the start of 2019. The current lawsuit estimates the city-parish has collected approximately $10 million in fines from the more than 80,000 citations issued over the life of its program. That's $125 a ticket. The plaintiff attorneys have argued Verra Mobility isn't authorized to issue citations under the parish's home rule charter. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Gissel said the lawsuit doesn't have much validity given how the city-parish's red light program is set up compared to the ones in Jefferson and Orleans parishes. "In our case, a police officer reviews every piece of footage to make sure the citations are done correctly," he said. "We also have an appeals process and I don't think that was the case in some of the other cases." The new contract with Verra Mobility is going to result in a healthier return on revenue from ticket citations. Following complaints from other council members that the company was eating too much of the revenues from the fines, the city-parish reworked its contract so Verra Mobility will receive a flat fee for each ticket paid, with more money going into city-parish coffers. The new agreement also includes the option of installing more cameras at no extra cost. Gissel said talks have also begun regarding the options the city-parish has to collect outstanding fines for unpaid tickets, another point of contention for council members. The red light camera program has generated significant revenue: $2.9 million in 2018 and $2.3 million in 2016. And officials have estimated those revenues will grow to $3.5 million in 2019 under the terms of the new contract. "I know there are some people who think government just issues these tickets to collect money," Gissel said. "This really comes back to a public safety factor. We've seen a deterrent factor." When details of the contract were hashed out at last week's council meeting, Councilman Trae Welch expressed some of the same concerns as Loupe. It was Welch who suggested cutting the contract to one year instead of a multi-year contract. Councilmen Scott Wilson, Tara Wicker, Matt Watson, Erika Green, Donna Collins-Lewis and Loupe backed Welch. Councilmen Denise Amoroso, Chauna Banks, LaMont Cole, Barbara Freiberg and Dwight Hudson voted in opposition. At the meeting, Freiberg said she believes in the administration's claims the red light camera program has cut down on the number of accidents at local intersections since it was implemented. Loupe, however, said there are other studies that refute those claims; but he said he voted in favor of the one-year contract to support Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul, who championed the cameras as useful to the police force. Paul told the council that once the police department has its Real-Time Crime Center up and running (likely this summer), Verra Mobility has agreed in the new contract to give the police department online access to the footage its cameras capture at intersections. That footage, which the company will store on its servers for up to 90 days, could help in hit-and-run investigations and some homicide cases, in terms of tracking suspects' movement, he said. "If the chief wants more live-feed video to combat crime, I can make that happen tomorrow, but I don't think we need red-light cameras to do it," Loupe said. "We can buy the cameras and install them just like we did the others ones throughout the city already doing this." A Baton Rouge bishop who sexually abused young men while he threatened to excommunicate Catholics who disobeyed church doctrine. A priest who was shuffled among at least six churches in the Capital region, as a list of boys who said he raped them grew past 30. A missionary who left Baton Rouge after boys told their parents he molested them, but later popped up in church parishes in other parts of America and Canada. The stories of those priests Joseph Sullivan, Christopher Springer and John Berube, respectively can be found in court records that shine a light on Catholic clergy sexual abuse in the Diocese of Baton Rouge over the past several decades. At least 15 priests who served in Baton Rouge stand accused of sexually abusing more than 60 victims, according to a review by The Advocate that examined lawsuits and public allegations and included more than a dozen interviews. Baton Rouge Catholic Diocese to release list of priests accused of abuse on Thursday The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge on Thursday will release the names of its clergy who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of m But the number of accused priests is all but guaranteed to grow Thursday when Bishop Michael Duca releases a list of priests who have been credibly accused of abuse in the Diocese of Baton Rouge. The diocese reported in 2004, amid a worldwide scandal over child sex abuse by Catholic clergy, that over the preceding decades 10 diocesan priests and 13 priests from religious orders who served in Baton Rouge had been accused of sexual abuse or 23 all told. They did not name them then at the time. "I hope that this list will be a help to the victims of abuse who have felt betrayed and unsupported by the unwillingness of the Church to publicly admit to the crimes of these priests and to acknowledge the depth of pain and hurt that was caused by these priests abusive actions," Duca wrote in a letter read at all weekend Masses. In anticipation of the pending release which this time will include names lawyers and auditors hired by the diocese have spent months reviewing Baton Rouge clergy files. The planned announcement has been mostly applauded by abuse survivors, their attorneys and advocates. Im glad theyve been identified, said Garnett Bedenbaugh, a local representative for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. I dont think its the bottom of it yet. Bedenbaugh added that the church needs to do more than just identify abusers. Im waiting for the day that these bishops get called to task, too, because they move these perpetrators around, he said. Felecia Peavy, an attorney who represented at least 30 plaintiffs who alleged abuse by Springer, said the diocese should have reckoned decades ago with exposing these monsters and the nightmares you knew these monsters were creating. It would have been nice had they done that from Day One, but they didnt, she said. Its good thing for the parishioners but its a little bit too late, way after the damage has been done. Duca said in his letter that renewal and healing cannot take place until the truths of the past have been acknowledged. All seven Catholic dioceses in Louisiana have promised to publish similar lists of credibly accused priests. So far, only New Orleans and Houma-Thibodaux have released them. The New Orleans list included 57 clergy members, while the Houma-Thibodaux list had 14. Since he was installed as bishop of Baton Rouge in August, Duca has made releasing the list one of his top priorities. The list of fallen priests will almost certainly include one of his predecessors. Joseph Sullivan Joseph Sullivan, who became Baton Rouges bishop in 1974, was known for hard line stances, including a 1978 threat to excommunicate any Catholic who consented to, took part in or advised an abortion. But while Sullivan presented himself as an unyielding follower of church doctrine, at least three people accused him of privately breaking other tenets of the faith, in which priests take vows of celibacy and promise to protect and shepherd children toward God. +2 Baton Rouge Catholic Diocese hires auditors to review clergy abuse files, list to come in 2019 Baton Rouge Bishop Michael Duca has hired a law firm and an auditing firm to scrutinize clergy files and to help the Catholic Diocese complete Sullivan used his trust, power and authority to persuade families to allow their children to spend time with him, lawsuits filed against the Diocese of Baton Rouge and other dioceses alleged. At St. Joseph Cathedral Prep, a Baton Rouge seminary for minors that closed in 1978, he took at least one student under his wing, enticed him with gifts and continued to visit after the boy moved in the 1980s to a Texas seminary. That former student Glenn Hymel is one of three who filed lawsuits after Sullivans death in 1982 that alleged the bishop had been an abuser. Hymels attorney, Chelsie King Garza, applauded her clients bravery in coming forward when he filed suit in 2007. The bishop befriended him and befriended his family, Garza said in a recent interview. The bishop was revered, and if they had taken an interest in you and your family, it would be something honorable. The bishops annual summer vacations to Hawaii were a focal point of the allegations against him. One boy said Sullivan abused him during trips to Hawaii between 1969 and 1977 as Sullivan said private masses for his family there. That lawsuit accused the Diocese of Baton Rouge of allowing Sullivan to take unsupervised trips to Hawaii despite knowing he was a child molester. At the time, lawyers for the diocese denied it. +36 New BR bishop on his priestly calling, Shreveport and stamping out church sex abuse SHREVEPORT Walk into a Roman Catholic church in this north Louisiana city along the Red River and ask a parishioner, a nun, a priest, a secr Both Baton Rouge Bishop Emeritus Robert Muench and the former Baton Rouge vicar general John Carville were asked in 2006 depositions for a suit about Sullivan whether they knew at their time of their ordinations that priests were abusing children. Lawyers for the diocese instructed Muench and Carville not to answer, saying the questions were outside of the scope of the depositions. The diocese settled Hymels case for $225,000 in 2009, which church officials said they would pay through their insurer. Three years earlier, the diocese had settled another suit related to Sullivan on confidential terms and changed the name of Bishop Sullivan High School to St. Michael the Archangel. John Berube John Berube came to the Diocese of Baton Rouge in the 1960s from the missionary order of La Salette priests, and he was assigned to St. Theresa of Avila in Gonzales. But in 1965, two sets of brothers told their parents he had abused them. Once the four boys were adults, they filed a lawsuit in 2003. The La Salette order told the Diocese of Baton Rouge that Father John Berube did not have any problems that should cause any concern, the lawsuit reads. Six months later, he raped the petitioners. The boys parents reported the abuse in 1965 to their priest, Baton Rouges former Rev. Arthur Lieux, who is now dead, the lawsuit says. The boys parents later said in court filings that they feared going to police. Letters: Remember the many good priests How sad, horrible and unforgivable is the abuse of innocent children. It was my sincere belief that had I told civil authorities of Father Berubes action I could have faced severe penalties from the Roman Catholic Church, one of the parents said in court filings. The idea that I would have been a sinner for bringing a civil claim against the Church was taught to me and reinforced by the Catholic Church. The case resulted in a settlement that included counseling and a confidential sum of money. The men who alleged abuse declined to comment for this story, and their attorneys, Darrel Papillion and John Carmouche, did not return messages. But court filings show that the diocese defended itself by saying that Berube was immediately sent back to his La Salette order after the abuse was reported in 1965. Dan Borne, a spokesman for the Baton Rouge Diocese, said former Baton Rouge Bishop Robert Tracy sent a letter to the La Salette order at the time that explained the misbehavior. Despite the allegations, Berube remained in the priesthood. The La Salette order based in Massachusetts did not respond to The Advocates questions about why. +2 Former leaders at Jesuit, Shaw and Loyola University among shockers on archbishop's list of alleged sex abusers As the bombshell list of suspected clergy sex abusers in the New Orleans archdiocese began circulating on Friday, thousands of Catholics were After leaving Baton Rouge, Berube went on to serve as pastor at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Gatineau, Quebec, between 1972 and 1974. The chancellor of the Archdiocese of Gatineau, Pierre-Paul Periard, confirmed to The Advocate that Berube had worked there but said archdiocesan officials were never aware of abuse allegations against him either during his time in our diocese or before. A 2001 obituary for Berube indicated he was still a priest when he died. The obituary listed multiple churches in Boston where he had been posted. It also noted that Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston celebrated his funeral Mass. The next year, Law would emerge as a central figure in the sex-abuse scandal exposed by The Boston Globe. He was accused of helping to hide abuse by shuttling predatory priests from parish to parish. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Christopher Springer and Daniel Lemoine Baton Rouge court filings related to abuse by Springer and another former priest, Daniel Lemoine, have been kept under seal. But details of the allegations against them have surfaced in other ways. Springer was accused of raping altar boys in the Baton Rouge area between 1968 and 1980. He worked in at least six church parishes, including St. Pius X in Baton Rouge, St. Marys of False River, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Maringouin, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Jackson, Our Lady of the Assumption in Clinton, and St. John the Evangelist in Plaquemine, according to court records. At least 30 people pursued claims against him in various lawsuits, several arguing the diocese should have known Springer was a serial pedophile but did nothing to stop his abuse. Those cases resulted in confidential settlements. Springer is still believed to be alive, in his 90s, but could not be reached for this story. In a 2009 affidavit, Springer admitted that, in 1984, he met with former Baton Rouge Bishop Stanley Ott about going to a treatment center for troubled priests. He was removed from ministry in 1985 and laicized in 1990. Charles Cusimano, an attorney who has represented the Diocese of Baton Rouge in numerous sex abuse cases, including Springers, did not return a message. The 1999 case against Lemoine may be the most secretive of the various civil actions alleging abuse by Baton Rouge-area priests. The file is sealed, and the names of both the plaintiff and defendant are shielded by pseudonyms. The case resulted in a confidential settlement in 2002. Papillion, who was the victims attorney, said when it was filed that the lawsuit was about a Baton Rouge priests sexual misconduct with a teenage boy during the 1990s. When the diocese reached a settlement, they said the priest would be removed from ministry. At the same time, WAFB and WBRZ cited anonymous sources and reported that the priest was Lemoine. Papillion did not return requests for comment for this story. +4 Victim advocates question bishop's apology after Louisiana diocese releases list of abusive priests The Catholic Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux on Friday identified 14 priests who have admitted or are suspected by church officials of a wide range Lemoine served at Our Lady of Mercy, St. John Vianney and taught at Catholic High. Lemoine appears to still live in Baton Rouge, and his name is listed in state business filings as the agent for Danco Environmental, LLC. When a reporter called a phone number listed for him and identified herself, the man who answered hung up. Daniel Drinan Daniel Drinan, once a Claretian priest at LSUs Christ the King Parish, has not been publicly accused of sexual abuse during his time in Baton Rouge, which he left in 1979 after Sullivan forced him out at LSU. Years later, however, Drinan was accused of abuse in a different diocese. In 2002, Drinan was removed as a priest in Austin, Texas, after being accused of inappropriate behavior with a child and facing a misdemeanor assault charge. He led a drug rehab program in Nevada afterward, and then faced criminal charges in 2012 when multiple witnesses reported that he masturbated on a plane. +4 Houma-Thibodaux names 14 priests accused of sexual misconduct involving children; see list The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux on Friday named six Catholic priests who admitted or were convicted of sexual misconduct with children as well The criminal complaint, filed in Colorado, said Drinan was looking at porn on his laptop during a flight when he pulled out a bottle of lubricant and started touching himself, with his penis totally exposed. He told investigators that he wanted a release but that he was not consciously trying to expose himself. He pleaded guilty to indecent exposure on a commercial aircraft and was required to go through two years of supervised probation and to pay a fine. Drinan, who according to public records now lives in California, did not return a voicemail from The Advocate. Gerard Jerry Howell Gerard Jerry Howell helped open Catholic deaf centers in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, but dozens of children said he abused them while helping their parents find jobs and earning their trust. He was included in the Archdiocese of New Orleans list of priests who were credibly accused of abuse. +8 How a priest accused of abuse preyed on the deaf community in Baton Rouge, New Orleans A Catholic priest who ingratiated himself with the deaf community and who helped to open Catholic deaf centers in both Baton Rouge and New Orl Howell was the director of the New Orleans deaf apostolate in 1967 and moved to Baton Rouge in 1978 to help establish the St. Francis de Sales deaf center. The center no longer exists. His brother, Rodney, also a Catholic priest, was also accused of abuse in Texas before his death in 1993. Rodney Howell also had postings in Louisiana the two brothers grew up in New Orleans but its not clear if he was ever accused of abuse before the Texas allegations. Attorney Richard Ducote, who represented multiple victims of Jerry Howell, said it was well-known within the Archdiocese of New Orleans that Howell was abusing children. But Ducote said the late New Orleans Archbishop Philip Hannan told him at the time that he could not kick out Howell because he would have to pay for Howells expenses in another diocese. They all knew about Howell, Ducote added. 8 priests with ties to Baton Rouge area named in New Orleans' list of clergy accused of sex abuse Eight priests who spent time in Baton Rouge-area parishes were named in a ground-breaking list released by the Archdiocese of New Orleans on F He estimated that Jerry Howell abused between 25 and 50 children. Howell, who is still alive, has not returned messages left by The Advocate. Public records indicate he lives in Texas. Others and Unknowns Other priests with ties to Baton Rouge that have been named in previous lists of credibly accused clergy include Jody Blanchard, Pierre Celestian Cambiaire, John Franklin, Lawrence Hecker, Michael Hurley, Ralph Lawrence, Thomas Naughton, Malcolm Strassel and John Weber. Its unknown how many children they are accused of abusing. 2 priests with ties to Baton Rouge area named in list of Jesuit priests credibly accused of abuse Two priests who spent time in the Baton Rouge-area were named in a ground-breaking list released by leaders of the Jesuit religious order on F Reached by phone, Blanchard declined to comment. He was a Jesuit priest who was, at one point, assigned to Immaculate Conception Parish in Baton Rouge. The Jesuit order, which in late 2018 released its own list of credibly accused priests, reported that the allegations against Blanchard were received in the 1980s and that he left the Jesuit order in 1994. The Jesuits also named Thomas J. Naughton, who worked at the Manresa House of Retreats in Convent on their list. Naughton died in 2012. Hecker, who was removed from ministry in 2002 after a credible accusation in New Orleans, did not return a voicemail message. The remaining priests are dead. +11 List of clergy sex abusers in New Orleans archdiocese leaves gaps, questions for survivors The list of alleged clergy sex abusers that New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond released on Friday has foisted difficult questions on local East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said that during his two terms as DA, he has received a few letters that made allegations about sexual abuse by priests. But none of the claims were specific enough to pursue, he said. Had we ever received anything that was actionable, we would have acted on it, he said. The Diocese of Baton Rouge is expected on Thursday to release a list of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse. Ahead of the release, The Advocate tracked every known allegation of abuse involving a Baton Rouge priest. Here's what we found. +22 These 15 former priests might be on list of Baton Rouge clergy accused of sexual abuse A Baton Rouge bishop who sexually abused young men while he threatened to excommunicate Catholics who disobeyed church doctrine. How many known priests have been accused of sexual abuse? At least 15 priests who have served in the Diocese of Baton Rouge were accused of sexual abuse. Half were named when the Archdiocese of New Orleans released its list, two more were on a list of accused Jesuit priests and the remaining five have been the subject of civil suits or criminal charges involving sexual misconduct. How many known victims are there? Upward of 60 victims say they were abused by priests who spent time in Baton Rouge, though we may never know the full number. Two priests accused of abuse especially drove up the victim count. At least 30 people accused through lawsuits one Baton Rouge priest, Christopher Springer, of abuse. And a lawyer who represented people who said they were abused by Gerard "Jerry" Howell estimated Howell had 25 to 50 victims. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Outside of East Baton Rouge, what other parishes are affected or included in this list? The Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge covers 12 parishes across 5,513 square miles. Priests accused of abuse were posted at churches and religious centers in Clinton, Convent, False River, Gonzales, Grosse Tete, Morganza, Plaquemine, Plattenville and elsewhere. In one case, a priest accused of abuse in Gonzales later worked at church parishes in Boston and Gatineau, Quebec. When will the list come out and what will it contain? The diocese will release a list on Thursday. Once the list comes out, we will know more about the parameters the diocese used to determine allegations of credible abuse against a minor, which has been debated in other dioceses that have released lists. What prompted the Diocese of Baton Rouge to release this list? Pressure has ramped up on Catholic dioceses across the nation since a Pennsylvania grand jury report was released in August 2018 that said the church hierarchy there protected more than 300 predator priests while more than 1,000 victims suffered. The report was released at the same time Shreveport Bishop Michael Duca became the bishop of Baton Rouge. Duca has made releasing the Diocese of Baton Rouge list one of his first major actions as its bishop. The Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux have already released similar lists, and bishops across the state have pledged to release theirs as well. The second time Charles Bishop served as an altar boy at St. Pius X in Baton Rouge, he started to cry. No older than 10 at the time, Bishop was worried because an older boy meant to show him the ropes was a no-show. But the kindly priest, Father Christopher Springer, who had white hair and glasses, stooped down and comforted him. Springer promised to take him out to dinner after Mass, and, even better, told him he could bring a friend, too. Bishop perked up. Later that day, Springer brought them to a trailer in Clinton. He started talking about the male reproductive system and sperm and said, Do you want to see what Im talking about? Bishop remembered. And he started masturbating. So began a period of at least three years in the late 1970s and early 1980s when, Bishop says, Springer repeatedly molested him and other young boys. At least 30 people have filed lawsuits alleging abuse by Springer; their attorney said the ex-priests true victim count is likely far higher. Springer is believed to still be alive, in his 90s, but The Advocate could not reach him for this story. When the Diocese of Baton Rouge on Thursday releases the names of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse, Springers name is expected to be on it. He may have been the dioceses most prolific abuser. +22 These 15 former priests might be on list of Baton Rouge clergy accused of sexual abuse A Baton Rouge bishop who sexually abused young men while he threatened to excommunicate Catholics who disobeyed church doctrine. "I am convinced that bringing more of the facts of this tragedy into the light will be a help to the victims of abuse and the beginning, I hope, of re-establishing trust where it has been lost," Baton Rouge Bishop Michael Duca wrote in a letter about releasing the list. For Bishop, now 51, Springers abuse set off decades of addiction to sex and drugs. He credits God with turning his life around. And now, he wishes the same for Springer. Veering off track Bishop grew up in Baton Rouge. His parents divorced when he was young, and he said he was abused by a relative and a family friend as a child as well. Abuse by the priest became a regular occurrence in the St. Pius X church rectory and at Springers camp in Clinton. Hed buy us alcohol, cigarettes, pornography, Bishop said. Hed bring us to K&B drugstore, where they sold porn, and wed stand there and tell him which ones we wanted. Wed stop there and go out to Clinton and go to the camp and have our orgies. Baton Rouge Catholic Diocese to release list of priests accused of abuse on Thursday The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge on Thursday will release the names of its clergy who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of m The abuse stopped once Bishop reached his early teens, and he remembered Springer once telling his mother that after boys reached puberty, he no longer wanted them at his place. Bishop could not bear to tell his mom about the abuse, so he kept it a secret for years afterward. He moved to Florida when he was 20, and after a divorce, he spiraled. He started to use household chemicals, like PAM cooking spray, as inhalants, looking for any way to get high. He booked back-to-back sessions with a psychologist, got a doctor to prescribe him antidepressants. The spiral continued into his early 40s. He couldnt forgive himself for allowing the abuse to happen. Springers history Cristoff Joseph Springer, later identified as Christopher Springer, was ordained as a Redemptorist priest in 1952, in Wisconsin. He wrote in a 2009 affidavit that when he was 12 or 13, he had been molested by a Redemptorist priest who taught him Latin. That priest died in 1955, and a spokeswoman for the Redemptorist order said officials investigated Springers accusation, but they could find no other abuse allegations against the teacher. Springer knew sign language, often worked in deaf communities and would even sign at Mass. In 1973, he left the Redemptorists and became a diocesan priest in Baton Rouge. Its unclear why he made the switch. Members of Springers religious community had not reported any sign that he might have been involved in sexual misconduct before he left the Redemptorists, said Kristine Stremel, the public and community affairs director for the orders Denver province. Springer was affiliated with the Redemptorists New Orleans vice province, which was later consolidated with Denver. No allegations were made against him before he left, she said. In fact, his personnel file includes letters protesting his transfers from local communities, she added. Later lawsuits, though, allege abuse that overlapped with Springers time as a Redemptorist. For instance, one suit accuses Springer of abusing a young boy at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Corpus Christi, Texas between 1969 and 1972. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up +8 How a priest accused of abuse preyed on the deaf community in Baton Rouge, New Orleans A Catholic priest who ingratiated himself with the deaf community and who helped to open Catholic deaf centers in both Baton Rouge and New Orl Everywhere he went, he left a trail of victims, said Felecia Peavy, a Houston attorney who represented at least 30 plaintiffs against him. Once Springer came to Baton Rouge, he had several assignments, including St. Pius X, St. Marys of False River, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Maringouin, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Jackson, Our Lady of the Assumption in Clinton, and St. John the Evangelist in Plaquemine. St. Pius X closed in 2017. Lawsuits Springer was eloquent and adept at getting parents to view him as an authority figure, lawsuits say. One Texas couple he befriended was even trying to help him to develop a boys camp in 1981 in the Baton Rouge area until their son told them Springer had molested him a decade earlier. He was quite the friend of the family, the helper, the babysitter, Peavy said. He was whatever you needed him to be. Bishop said he decided to join the lawsuits because he wanted to get help. The diocese reached confidential settlements with him, and other court files about Springer's abuse are sealed. The Redemptorists also said they have provided Springers victims financial compensation, counseling and other assistance. +2 Baton Rouge Catholic Diocese hires auditors to review clergy abuse files, list to come in 2019 Baton Rouge Bishop Michael Duca has hired a law firm and an auditing firm to scrutinize clergy files and to help the Catholic Diocese complete But Peavy said the settlements were an uphill battle, and that the Diocese of Baton Rouge wanted to prevail against the allegations by any means necessary. The Diocese of Baton Rouge was a monster, Peavy said. They were a bigger monster than Springer, in my opinion. They protected him from criminal prosecution; they protected themselves from civil retributions. The diocese declined to respond to Peavy's characterizations. Duca wrote in his letter that it is important to understand the depth of sadness and shame in the diocese's history for healing to take place. Peavy said one victory came in 2009, when she and a victim visited Springer in Pearl River and had him sign an affidavit. In the sworn statement, Springer said he had met with then-Baton Rouge Bishop Stanley Ott in 1984, and Ott had recommended he go to a facility for troubled priests in Florida. Springer wrote that he wanted to have a clear conscience. Springer was removed from ministry in 1985, amid abuse allegations. Five years later, he was formally laicized. +5 Jesuit list of credibly accused priests includes three who worked in Grand Coteau In a move aimed at restoring trust with parishioners amid a clergy abuse scandal that has engulfed the Catholic Church worldwide, the Jesuit o Bishop likened the dioceses lack of action to someone letting a rabid dog loose. Though the dog may be doing the biting, the owner is also responsible, he said. Theres a lot of guys with Springers actions that need to ask God for forgiveness, aside from him, Bishop said. They really shouldnt be in ministry. They should have to pay for their actions. God requires that of us. He might not condemn us if were his children, but he certainly does chastise us. Justice and forgiveness Lost in a haze of addiction and depression, Bishop said, he finally found light, thanks to a pastor in Florida who refused to give up on him. Bishops favorite Bible verse and life motto is Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. I credit Jesus Christ for my recovery and nothing else, he said. I tried for decades. Bishop said his faith in God remained despite the abuse, but that he became a Baptist for theological reasons. He has three grown daughters, five grandchildren and two more on the way. He has become increasingly public with his story, and even shared it one Sunday with his church. But telling his children about the abuse was the hardest of all, he said. +11 List of clergy sex abusers in New Orleans archdiocese leaves gaps, questions for survivors The list of alleged clergy sex abusers that New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond released on Friday has foisted difficult questions on local Bishop is headed to Costa Rica later this year to work as a missionary. He said he expects to minister to children who are sexual abuse victims. He never saw Springer after the abuse stopped, not even through the lawsuit. But if he had the chance to talk to his former priest again, he said, he would not harangue Springer over the years of his life lost to drugs and depression. He needs to worry about sinning against God, not sinning against me, Bishop said. Thats where he needs to find forgiveness, against God. As for Bishop, he would forgive the man who abused him. Why term limits lost and ranked choice voting will succeed By Michael R Shannon There have been two major attempts to change the calculus of elections and officeholders since the 90s. One is a top down reform thats currently being imposed on voters a jurisdiction at a time. The other was a bottomup effort imposed on the politicians. The fate of the two is very instructive. The top down innovation is rankedchoice voting and the midterm congressional elections in Maine were the first federal contests to be decided by ranked choice. Ranked choice works this way. In every race with more than two candidates, voters rank the contestants in order of preference like judges at a wet tshirt contest. In a multicandidate field, if no one receives a majority, then all lastplace finisher ballots are thrown out and those voters second choice becomes their new vote. If no one gets a majority then, the last place finishers votes continue to be tossed and second choices used until someone gets a majority or Trump declares martial law. Boosters of ranked choice voting promote the change with feelgood promises that are mostly immune to verification. As the League of Women Voters demonstrates. According to that hen party ranked choice promotes majority supportdiscourages negative campaigningprovides more choiceminimizes strategic voting[and] saves money. What they dont tell you is many elections are going to be decided by voters who are the worst at judging candidates and the issues that make them electable. The secondplace votes of people whose candidate finished dead last are going to be used to determine a winner. That alone will put a spring in the step of Lyndon LaRouche and Deez Nuts voters. What should disqualify rankedchoice voting from being used is not relying upon the whims of the incompetent to choose the winner. The big problem with the system is its unconstitutional. By comparison term limits was a bottomup movement that swept the nation. Twentythree states imposed term limits on politicians by 1995, compared to ranked choice votings tiny foothold in Maine and a handful of cities. As long as opponents of an entrenched professional political class confined themselves to limiting officeholders in state and local jurisdictions they were initially successful. It was only when voters applied term limits to federal candidates that problems began. Barnaclelike congressional incumbents knew they could never persuade voters to repeal term limits, so they enlisted the help of our politicians in black robes who really rule the country. In U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton the leftist majority on the Supreme Court ruled term limits unconstitutional because they allegedly violated Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution by adding additional qualifications to who was eligible to run. Term limits did no such thing. Legislation that limits duration of service does not change the qualifications for service. The Constitution is silent as to how many times a congressional candidate may run and how long he can hold office. In his Thornton decision dissent Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, Nothing in the Constitution deprives the people of each State of the power to prescribe eligibility requirements for the candidates who seek to represent them in Congress. The Constitution is simply silent on this question. And where the Constitution is silent, it raises no bar to action by the States or the people. The 10th Amendment also supports Justice Thomas: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Which exactly describes a statewide referendum limiting terms in office. Compare the courts opinion of term limits with the obvious unconstitutionality of ranked choice voting. In Reynolds v. Sims, decided in 1964, the Supremes established the principle of one man, one vote. Ranked choice voting violates this principle because the voters who supported the losing candidate have their votes counted twice. First for the loser and then for their second choice. The voters who had enough sense to vote for a viable candidate in the first place only have their votes counted once. Its electoral affirmative action for the politically impaired. The loser of the Maine race intends to challenge the result in court, but Im not optimistic. For some reason, his lawyers ignore the obvious one man, one vote problem and instead focus on irrelevancies. It will be interesting to see if the Supreme Court accepts the case and if it does, how the court will decide. Ranked choice is supported by all the best people and the Opposition Media. Plus, its used in foreign countries! Term limits had the disadvantage of only being supported by majorities of average voters in their respective states and we know how that turned out. Michael R. Shannon is a public relations and advertising consultant with corporate, government and political experience around the globe. He is a dynamic and entertaining keynote speaker. He can be reached at mandate.mmpr (at) gmail.com. He is also the author of Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!). Home Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission After Sony announced that it's bowing out of E3 for the first time ever, Microsoft did the exact opposite, confirming that its forthcoming presentation will be its biggest yet. In an interview with Xbox Live's director of programming Larry Hryb, better known in the gaming community as Major Nelson, Microsoft's executive VP of gaming Phil Spencer talked about a number of things. Microsoft Going Big At E3 At some point, they began discussing Microsoft's plans for this year's E3, hinting that the company is pulling out all the stops to stage one of its biggest presentations thus far. "Should we go big? Should we save some money? No, we're going to do our thing and we're going to go and be as big at E3 as we've ever been," said Spencer. That means out of the three major gaming companies, Microsoft is the only one so far to promise a big show. Sony, as mentioned, has confirmed it won't be attending this year's festivities as it looks for "inventive opportunities to engage the community." In the same vein, Nintendo hasn't had a traditional E3 presentation for many years now, opting instead with Nintendo Direct livestreams for unveilings and Nintendo Treehouse presentations for game demonstrations. Microsoft isn't just committed to E3 2019. According to Spencer, the company is going all-in. With Sony and the PlayStation 4 out of the picture, there's certainly no other opportune time other than this June for Microsoft to hog the spotlight all to itself. Confirmed Games Although everyone can expect a meaty presentation from Microsoft in a few months, the company's specific plans for E3 remain unknown. Spencer did reveal in the interview that Playground Games and Rare are working on new projects, but it's unclear if information about those will be revealed at the event. Rumors say Playground Games is developing Fable 4, which if true would mark a much-needed return to the Fable series, whose last proper entry, Fable 3, is close to 10 years old. Other rumors point to the next installment of the Forza racing franchise, plus more details about Gears 5, the latest entry to the Gears of War series. Microsoft might also talk about Project xCloud, its upcoming cloud-based video game streaming service. Brand-New Consoles It's pretty unlikely, but Microsoft might also take advantage of an E3 without Sony in it to announce brand-new consoles. Rumors say the company is working on a couple of successors to the Xbox One, codenamed Anaconda and Lockhart. Not much about them are known at the moment. Will that change later this June at E3? Time, as always, will tell. Make sure to check back with Tech Times as we learn more! 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Last week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has expressed his desire to integrate three of the company's major platforms: Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. This move means that the technical infrastructure of the apps will be merged together and eventually allow its over 2.6 billion users to send messages across different platforms. While it may sound practical, some experts and lawmakers have expressed their concerns about privacy and security implications this integration might bring in the long run. The New York Times first reported Facebook's plan on Friday, citing four people involved in the merger. Antitrust Issues After being in hot water ever since last year's Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal, Zuckerberg's merger plan is now also facing criticism, particularly from lawmakers and security experts. California's Democratic Representative Ro Khanna pointed out that there should've been further scrutiny over Facebook, most especially during the time it acquired WhatsApp and Instagram. "This is why there should have been far more scrutiny during Facebook's acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp which now clearly seem like horizontal mergers that should have triggered antitrust scrutiny," the representative said in a tweet. "Imagine how different the world would be if Facebook had to compete with Instagram and WhatsApp. That would have encouraged real competition that would have promoted privacy and benefited consumers." Democratic senator Ron Wyden also expressed his worry over the merger and the possible issues that may come with it. In an email to Business Insider, the senator said that Zuckerberg's plan to combine his most used platforms could affect the privacy of its users, most especially if it weakens WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption. In the same statement, Senator Wyden also raised concerns on how companies such as Facebook handle its users' data to gain profit. End-To-End Encryption End-to-end encryption prevents parties that aren't involved in a conversation from accessing a certain message thread. According to The New York Times, Facebook will still use this feature across all platforms concerned once the merger pushes through, although the company admitted that it'll take a lot of work before this is implemented. As of the moment, among the three apps, only WhatsApp has default end-to-end encryption. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Samsung is getting rid of plastic packaging used in its products to switch with "environmentally sustainable elements" within the first six months of 2019. The South Korean company said it has formed a team to think of creative ways of green wrapping. From its smartphones and tablets to its wearables, Samsung is scrapping off plastic from the packaging. Samsung Gadgets Affected It said pulp molds will take the place of plastic holder trays. Chargers, meanwhile, will lose the glossy aesthetic and will not sport plastic films but will have a matte finish. As for the other products of Samsung, plastic protection film in refrigerators, televisions, and washing machines among many other appliance will be substituted with bags that are made of "plastic wastes and non-fossil fuel materials like starch or sugar cane." Samsung also announced that it will be using paper packaging that was approved by environmental organizations in 2020. After 11 years, the company targets the collection of 7.5 million tons of ditched products and aims to use 500,000 tons of recycled plastics. Shift To Sustainable Option Samsung's Global Customer Satisfaction Center head Gyeong-bin Jeon said the company's pledge is a bid to address the alarming environmental problems the world is facing today. The official further explained that there will be more efforts in shifting to environmentally sustainable materials in the future even if that meant more expenses. It is not clear, though, whether the willingness of the company to shoulder the additional cost for eco-friendly materials meant that prices of the gadgets will increase too. Meanwhile, the move may be a longtime answer heeded by environmental groups that criticized Samsung in the past. Two years ago, during the Mobile World Congress conference, a presumed Greenpeace member held a yellow banner that had the recycle symbol as a Samsung exec was discussing. The man was immediately escorted out of the meeting. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Health authorities are looking for the other people who might have been exposed to tuberculosis at the Minnesota State University, Mankato. There are so far eight cases of TB related to the same area in the campus. Tuberculosis Outbreak The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating an ongoing tuberculosis outbreak affecting people at MSU. Evidently there have already been eight active cases of TB since August of 2016, all related to a single area in the campus. It is believed that the illness might have originated from an international student who eventually spread the disease to at least seven other people. The majority of the affected are MSU students or former students, and the about 700 people whom they might have come in contact with were already contacted by health officials. Of them, about 30 have tested positive for TB but did not have any symptoms. That said, health officials say that people who occasionally visit the campus don't have to worry, and that while it is not often seen in the United States, it is very common around the globe. In fact, about 150 people develop TB in Minnesota every year. Tuberculosis Tuberculosis is a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that typically affects the lungs but may affect other body parts as well. TB is passed from person to person through the air when a person with the disease coughs, sneezes, talks, or even sings. Those who have weakened immune systems are more likely to catch it, and anyone who thinks they may have been exposed must get tested. Some symptoms of TB may include a cough that lasts for three weeks or longer, chest pain, weakness , fever, chills, weight loss, appetite loss, night sweats, and coughing out blood or mucus from deep inside the lungs. TB can be fatal if not treated properly, but it can be treated by taking the proper medicine exactly as prescribed. Anyone who stops taking the medication too soon may have become sick again. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. What just happened? An Illinois Supreme Court overturned an appellate courts ruling in a privacy case that had significant ramifications for the states Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act of 2008 requires that companies gather consent from customers to collect and store biometric information from their customers. The law covers everything from fingerprints to facial recognition markers. Several companies have faced lawsuits alleging violations of the law. Facebook and Google have both waged battles against the act over their facial-recognition and photo-sorting software. The latest case to be decided on the legislation was brought against Six Flags, which fingerprinted a minor without his parents permission. The theme park contested the claim arguing that since the plaintiff had not proven or even declared actual injury, the park could not be held liable for damages and filed a motion to dismiss. A lower circuit court agreed with Six Flags and dismissed the case as did the appellate court. However, it seems clear in the law's wording in section 20 that tangible damages are not necessary. Any person aggrieved by a violation of this Act shall have a right of action in a State circuit court or as a supplemental claim in federal district court against an offending party. A prevailing party may recover for each violation: (1) against a private entity that negligently violates a provision of this Act, liquidated damages of $1,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater; (2) against a private entity that intentionally or recklessly violates a provision of this Act, liquidated damages of $5,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater; (3) reasonable attorneys fees and costs, including expert witness fees and other litigation expenses; and (4) other relief, including an injunction, as the State or federal court may deem appropriate. So if no damages are stated or proven, then the penalties laid out under the legislation default to $1,000-5,000 in damages, plus legal fees and possible injunctions. With encouragement from groups concerned with personal rights and privacy including Electronic Privacy Information Center, American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the plaintiffs took the case to the Illinois Supreme Court. Upon consideration of the law as written, the high court overturned the appellate courts ruling and referred the matter back to the Ninth Circuit. "The judgment of the appellate court is therefore reversed, and the cause is remanded to the circuit court for further proceedings." Contrary to the appellate courts view, an individual need not allege some actual injury or adverse effect, beyond violation of his or her rights under the Act, the ruling reads. Whatever expenses a business might incur to meet the laws requirements are likely to be insignificant compared to the substantial and irreversible harm that could result if biometric identifiers and information are not properly safeguarded. Privacy advocates applauded the high courts decision. Had it upheld the appellate courts opinion, BIPA would have suffered a crippling blow, which would have set a legal precedent allowing companies to ignore the law. As biometric collection, use, and sharing become more widespread and invasive every year, it only becomes more important that private citizens can sue under laws like BIPA to protect their privacy, said the EFF of the ruling. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce was not in favor of the decision. It feels that the ruling will open the floodgates for further frivolous litigation and that it will harm the commercial health of Illinois. Florida Department of Health reported 10,629 new COVID-19 cases statewide during the week of June 11-17, bringing the cumulative total since March 2020 to 2,310,881. Forty-three more people died, upping the death toll to 37,555. What President Trump should say in his State of the Union AddressBy Lester Jackson Below is what I believe President Donald Trump should say in his State of the Union Address. Given the gravity of the current internal threat to freedom and to everything America has stood for, the address should be short; and without the usual lists of proposals and accomplishments most presidents use for applause lines. The Constitution requires that the president shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union. However, given the disreputable dishonesty of most of the media, it is appropriate that I use these remarks to talk directly to the American people. This is the best chance a president has to reach them, without his words being twisted beyond recognition by most who call themselves journalists. I have done my best during the last two years to Make America Great Again. But I accept Alexander Hamiltons wisdom: It is my duty to [portray] things as they are . Today, our Union is more divided than at any time since before and during the Civil War. While a significant number of Americans enthusiastically support my efforts, a true account of the state of the union must recognize the existence of extremist resistance to American greatness. Because of the current internal war against American history, traditions and values, and especially against the United States Constitution, it would be inappropriate for me to deliver a standard State of the Union address providing a laundry list of proposals and boasting of my accomplishments, which can be found at whitehouse.gov. Instead, this will be short, in order to focus a spotlight on the threats from within facing all decent, freedom-loving Americans. Much bitter opposition is the result of deception. The presence of the woman in the seat behind me is proof positive of how many in front of me obtained their seats by fooling voters. Remember, this woman objects to my denouncing brutal murderers as animals instead of humans. After vowing not to vote for her to be Speaker, they broke their promises on the very first roll call vote of this Congress. Despite dozens who originally pledged to oppose her return to power, only 15 kept their word, probably only because their votes were not needed for their party to break faith with their voters. During the next two years, I urge all Americans to scrutinize the performance of these people and ask: Is this what I voted for? As president, in the face of bitter resistance, I have worked very hard to keep my promises. The refusal of professional politicians to keep their word is now a major threat to representative self-government. Were todays politicians in business, they would be sent to jail for violation of the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act. When citizens cannot know what those for whom they vote are going to do once elected, the right to vote is meaningless. (Incidentally, the punishment of private citizens but not politicians, for false advertising and labeling, is just one of countless scandalous examples of how hypocritical out-of-touch legislators exempt themselves from the very laws, rules and regulations they impose upon ordinary Americans.) Returning to the ferocious and hateful opposition to me for keeping my promises, my staff has found no prior examples of major media outlets having suggesting the assassination of a president. Yet major TV networks, such as CBS and CNN, repeatedly (p. 205) have suggested that about me. So too has the New York Times, which used to be considered the most influential newspaper in the country; and still has influence among many people. Also, most regrettably, officials of a prior administration have advocated a coup detat. I was not a professional politician and had a good life before I sought the presidency. I ran for president because I was appalled by the utter contempt the Washington establishment has for both the American people and the Constitution they cherish. This establishment consists of most in the media, many members of the Congress, including most Democrats, as well as holdover Deep State bureaucrats who daily violate the law and their oaths of office. Their war is not just against me but against the people and their constitutionally prescribed right to choose who governs them. Regrettably, the establishment, with utter contempt self-government, also includes unelected federal judges who arrogantly abuse their authority by issuing orders against the entire country rather than confining them to their own local districts and to the parties in the cases before them. These judges have caused great harm. Their abuses have resulted in barbaric murders of American citizens by foreign criminals who have no right to be here; and are a continuing threat to public safety. Once rare, federal judge-shopping is now rampant. What authority to make nationwide immigration policy does an unelected local judge have in Hawaii, which is nowhere close to the southern border where an organized massive invasion by illegal immigrants is a major problem? Why is a judge in the Northern District of California asked to decide an immigration case rather than a judge in the Southern District, which is right on the border? Make no mistake. Although we are not in a shooting war, we are in a war nevertheless a war against American values, a war against American culture, a war against the American way of life and, above all, a war against constitutionally-protected freedoms, the rule of law and representative self-government. For short-term political gain, many current members of Congress would abolish the basic hard-won rights of freedom of speech and due process of law. For elections to mean anything, voters need information upon which to base their choices. But not many Americans know what the fake news media has refused to report: Four years ago, every single Democrat senator voted to abolish First Amendment free speech protection, ceding to Deep State Swamp officials the power to prohibit speech they considered unreasonable. Tellingly, the anti-freedom Democrats made an exception for their allies, the fake news media. (The official roll call vote and official Democrat amendment to mutilate the sacred First Amendment are now posted on the WhiteHouse.gov website.) My obligation as president is to do the best I can. I have lived most of my life and I do not fear assassination regularly advocated by leftist fanatics. However, I do fear the prospect of what would happen if citizens conclude that they have been cheated out of what they voted for in a constitutionally legitimate election. This is made all the more ominous when the leaders of a major political party no longer accept the results of elections they lose. Just recently, a defeated Democrat presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, declared that there is no reason to be civil when Democrats lose. This is in stark contrast to Richard M. Nixon, another president whose legitimacy leftist Democrats refused to accept, despite his having won re-election by a landslide in 1972. Just 12 years earlier, in 1960, Nixon lost a very close election. But he rejected pleas by his supporters to contest disputed vote counts in Illinois and Texas. Instead, in his constitutional role as Vice President presiding over a joint session of Congress, he delivered one of the most eloquent forgotten brief statements in American history. For the benefit of todays impatient sore losers who never have accepted the constitutional results of the 2016 election and are unable to wait until next year to vote me out of office, it is worth quoting Nixons eloquence 58 years ago: This is the first time in 100 years that a candidate for the Presidency announced the result of an election in which he was defeated and announced the victory of his opponent. I do not think we could have a more striking and eloquent example of the stability of our constitutional system and of the proud tradition of the American people of developing, respecting, and honoring the institutions of self-government. In our campaigns, no matter how hard-fought they may be, no matter how close the election may turn out to be, those who lose accept the verdict, and support those who win [I]t is indeed a very great honor to extend to John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson my heartfelt best wishes [as they] work in a cause bigger than any mans ambition, greater than any party. It is the cause of freedom, of justice and peace for all mankind. Tragically, many now seated here scornfully reject Nixons gracious wisdom. They and their corrupt, dishonorable and disloyal Deep State cronies pose a monumental threat to the United States Constitution. I urge all Americans who love our country and the great Constitution bequeathed to us over 200 years ago to resist the resistance to constitutional self-government. Only the American people can stop them from getting away with their tactics of stealing elections, vote fraud, speech suppression, intimidation and seeking to overturn elections they lose. One of the most deplorable tactics of the Deep State and FNM resistance is to accuse their opponents of the very sins of which they are guilty. A group called Antifa regularly smear proponents of freedom as fascists. In truth, it is the left that today is fascist as witnessed by repeated actual and attempted suppression of free expression of any opposing views. Many decent American citizens are rightly concerned about the radical left Democrat assault on the Second Amendment. But we must not forget that that amendment is second for a reason. Without freedom of speech and the right to petition for redress of grievances secured by the First Amendment, there will be no right to defend and safeguard the Second Amendment. The right to petition already has been seriously undermined. As noted, just four and one-half years ago, every Democrat Senator voted to abolish First Amendment protection for their political opponents. These U.S. senators all Democrats supported government regulation of speech critical of the government, or, as they put it, the power to "reasonably limit" money spent to "influence elections." Do you want the deep state swamp to decide if what you say is reasonable? The 54 anti-free speech Democrats included 35 still in the senate. They should be exposed for the freedom they seek to suppress: Baldwin (WI), Bennet (CO), Blumenthal (CT), Booker (NJ), Brown (OH), Cantwell (WA), Cardin (MD), Carper (DE), Casey (PA), Coons (DE), Durbin (IL), Feinstein (CA), Heinrich (NM), Hirono (HI), Kaine (VA), King (ME), Klobuchar (MN), Leahy (VT), Manchin (WV) Markey (MA), Menendez (NJ), Merkley (OR), Murphy (CT), Murray (WA), Reed (RI), Sanders (VT), Schumer (NY), Shaheen (NH), Stabenow (MI), Tester (MT), Udall (NM), Warner (VA), Warren (MA), Whitehouse (RI), Wyden (OR). Leftist contempt for the freedoms provided by the Constitution does not end with the First and Second Amendments. This contempt extends to elimination of due process for their opponents. For Senators such as Feinstein, self-proclaimed Spartacus Booker, Harris, Hirono, Gillibrand, Klobochar, to name just a few of the worst, the mere making of a charge against one of their political opponents is proof of its truth. This is the stuff of the Inquisition of the middle ages, where torture extracted false confessions or the old English Star Chamber, which the Fifth and Sixth Amendments were intended to protect against. And if false charges does not work, harassment and intimidation of Storm Trooper days are advocated by the likes of Senator Spartacus Booker, Represenative Maxine Waters and hate-filled Hillary Clinton. These are perilous times. After Jan. 20, 2025, I will no longer be president. Therefore, it is ultimately up to the American people to decide whether to fight for their freedom or to allow it to be destroyed by the very fascists who smear as fascists all decent Americans who oppose their march toward tyranny. As demonstrated by many examples of book-burning throughout history, one of the keys to totalitarianism is the elimination of any and all persuasive opposing ideas. President Ronald Reagan often pointed out that [f]reedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. Reagan echoed another famous warning: Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Finally, it is long overdue for people who have never discriminated against anyone because of race, religion or sex and do not believe in such discrimination to fight back against the libels against them by those fanatically devoted to these practices. In particular, for many years, leftist Democrats have been libeling and defaming as racist and sexist anyone who disagrees with them or opposes them in any way. And yet, it is the Democrat Party that has a long history of defending slavery, racial discrimination and even lynching. It was the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, who ended slavery. Just a year ago and six weeks after smearing me as a racist, the Democrat Leader of the Senate explicitly voted against a judicial nominee solely based on the nominees race and sex. And just a year ago, shamelessly and publicly, Democrats refused to applaud low minority and female unemployment; and they showed complete disrespect for the grieving parents of black rape and murder victims. Right now leftists are warning the Democrat Party not to nominate a presidential candidate next year who is of the wrong race or sex. Long ago, the Democrat Party and its leftist allies abandoned the late Martin Luther King, Jr.s dream that people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. They are almost exclusively fixated on racial and sexual identity rather than on actual qualifications and the policies the candidates represent. They dont care whats best for the country but, instead, focus on the race and sex of those who hold office. They dont care if minority unemployment is high rather than low if the president is of a politically correct race or sex. They dont care if innocent people are raped and murdered as long as officeholders are in lockstep with preferred identity politics. In closing, I sincerely hope that God grants all liberty-loving Americans the will and the strength to resist a resistance fanatically devoted to denying all that has made America great: its history, traditions, values and Constitution. God bless America. Lester Jackson is author of numerous articles about capital punishment, the Supreme Court, and American politics. His recent book is Equal Justice for Victims: A Blueprint for the Rightful Restoration of Capital Punishment. Reviews are here, here, here. Copyright 2019 by Lester Jackson, Ph.D. The foregoing has been updated and revised; originally at westernjournal.com and enterstageright.com. Home France Hoping For Deal On EU Digital Tax Soon by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels 28 January 2019 France's Finance Minister has said that an agreement on an EU-wide digital services tax could be reached by the end of March. In an interview with the Journal du Dimanche newspaper, Bruno Le Maire said that he is "convinced that a deal is within arm's reach between now and the end of March." EU finance ministers have so far been unable to reach an agreement on the European Commission's proposed three percent excise tax on turnover from certain online activities. Austria, the most recent holder of the European Council Presidency, has recommended a compromise scheme under which the EU would target "revenues stemming from the supply of digital services where users contribute significantly to the process of value creation." A separate compromise proposal, put forward by France and Germany in December, would rein in the scope of the measure, focusing instead on online advertising revenue. "With the European elections just a few months away, our citizens would find it incomprehensible if we gave up on this," Le Maire added. EU To Probe Potential Abuses Of Citizenship By Investment Schemes by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels 28 January 2019 For the first time, the Commission has presented a comprehensive report on investor citizenship and residence schemes operated by a number of EU member states. It comes following an announcement from the OECD that it intends to increase its work on challenging tax avoidance through citizenship by investment and similar schemes, focusing in particular on taxpayers seeking to avoid their financial data from being exchanged with their home country tax authority under the Common Reporting Standard. The Commission's new report maps the existing practices and identifies certain risks such schemes imply for the EU, in particular as regards security, money laundering, tax evasion, and corruption. A lack of transparency in how the schemes are operated and a lack of cooperation among member states further exacerbate these risks, the report finds. The Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs, and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said: "Legally residing in the EU and in the Schengen area comes with rights and privileges that should not be abused. Member states must at all times fully respect and apply existing obligatory checks and balances and national investor residence schemes should not be exempt from that. The work we have done together over the past years in terms of increasing security, strengthening our borders, and closing information gaps should not be jeopardised. We will monitor full compliance with EU law." In the EU, three member states Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Malta currently operate schemes that grant investors the nationality of these countries under conditions less strict than ordinary naturalization regimes, the Commission said. In these three member states, there is no obligation of physical residence for the individual, or a requirement of other genuine connections with the country before obtaining citizenship. These schemes are of common EU interest since every person that acquires the nationality of a member state will simultaneously acquire Union citizenship. The decision by one member state to grant citizenship in return for investment, automatically gives rights in relation to other member states, in particular free movement and access to the EU internal market to exercise economic activities as well as a right to vote and be elected in European and local elections. In practice, these schemes are often advertised as a means of acquiring Union citizenship, together with all the rights and privileges associated with it. The Commission said, among other things, monitoring and reporting is necessary to make sure that individuals do not take advantage of these schemes to benefit from privileged tax rules. The Commission added that investor residence schemes, while different from citizenship schemes in the rights they grant, pose equally serious security risks to member states and the EU as a whole. A valid residence permit gives a third-country national not only the right to reside in the member state in question, but also to travel freely in the Schengen area. While EU law regulates the entry conditions for certain categories of third-country nationals, the granting of investor residence permits is currently not regulated at EU level and remains a national competence. Currently, 20 member states run such schemes: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom. The Commission said it will monitor wider issues of compliance with EU law raised by investor citizenship and residence schemes and it will take necessary action as appropriate. For this reason, it said member states need to ensure, in particular, that: All obligatory border and security checks are systematically carried out; The requirements of the Long-Term Residence Permit Directive and the Family Reunification Directive are properly complied with; and Funds paid by investor citizenship and residence applicants are assessed according to the EU anti-money laundering rules. The Commission noted, in the context of tax avoidance risks, there are tools available in the EU framework for administrative cooperation, in particular for exchange of information. The Commission said it will monitor steps taken by member states to address issues of transparency and governance in managing these schemes. Further, it will establish a group of experts from member states to improve the transparency, governance, and the security of the schemes. That group will be tasked, in particular, with: Setting up a system of exchange of information and consultation on the numbers of applications received, countries of origin, and on the number of citizenships and residence permits granted/rejected by member states to individuals based on investments; and Developing a common set of security checks for investor citizenship schemes, including specific risk management processes, by the end of 2019. Finally, concerning third countries setting up similar schemes, the Commission will monitor investor citizenship schemes in candidate countries and potential candidates as part of the EU accession process. It will also monitor the impact of such schemes by EU visa-free countries as part of the visa-suspension mechanism. Given the OECD's movement into this area of international policy, the latest announcement appears to signal that the EU is seeking to clean up affairs at home, to enable it to better participate in international efforts to seek wider reform. Upstate New York is facing a moderate snow storm, extreme cold, and heavy lake effect snow this week. For all the activity during the rest of the week, Monday will be a very quiet day. Sunshine will be abundant throughout the day until some thin clouds work in from the west late. Temperatures are cold, but not frigid. Highs will reach 20 degrees along and south of I-90 with teens and some single digits further north. Monday night, temperatures will begin to rise as south winds increase. A few teens and single digits will hold on in the North Country and Adirondacks, but the rest of Upstate New York should push into the 20s with a few 30s in Western New York. Light snow will spread across Upstate New York Tuesday morning with an inch or two of accumulation. A band of heavier snow will then develop across Central New York, the Catskills, and into the Adirondacks Tuesday afternoon before shifting east towards the Capital Region Tuesday evening. Snow amounts of 6-12 inches will be widespread east of I-81 and through the southern Adirondacks by Wednesday morning. Lake effect snow and bitter cold will then become the focus for the remainder of the week. Winds will be strong from the west-southwest Wednesday and Thursday before becoming west-northwesterly on Friday. This will lead to a large amount of snow falling across the Tug Hill with over 2 feet possible. Areas just south of Buffalo could approach a foot. Some snow could work into the Syracuse area on Friday with a couple inches before the lake effect comes to an end. Outside of the lake effect, skies will be sunny or partly cloudy. The strong winds will combine with frigid temperatures to produce dangerous wind chills, especially late Wednesday through early Friday. High temperatures on Wednesday may not get above zero degrees across southern parts of Western New York with single digits through the Finger Lakes, Central New York, Catskills, and Adirondacks. The North Country will top out near 10 degrees with mid teens in the Capital Region. Temperatures Thursday morning will be well below zero, especially across the Southern Tier and into the Catskills. Some areas could approach -20 degrees. With wind gusts of at least 30 mph, wind chill values will range from -25 to -40 degrees across Upstate New York Thursday morning. Thursday afternoon wind chills will be in the negative teens and twenties with Friday morning wind chills of -15 to -30 degrees. Similar wind chills may extend into Saturday morning as well. Frostbite will be possible in under 15 minutes with these wind chills. Here are the details day-by-day: Monday, January 28 Expect sunny skies throughout the day with some thin clouds late. No precipitation is expected. Temperatures will be near 20 degrees for the southern half of Upstate New York with teens and single digits to the north. Temperatures should rise overnight. Tuesday, January 29 Periods of snow are likely, especially east of I-81 during the afternoon and evening. Temperatures will rise into the low 30s for most areas with mid and upper 20s in the Adirondacks. Wednesday, January 30 Lake effect snow is likely east of the Great Lakes. Significant snow will fall over the Tug Hill region. Strong winds are expected, especially over Western New York. Temperatures will be near or below zero degrees in Western New York with single digits for most other areas. The North Country will see 10 degrees while the Capital Region reaches the mid teens. Thursday, January 31 Frigid morning temperatures well below zero and blustery winds will produce dangerous wind chills as low as -40 degrees. Lake effect snow will continue east of the Great Lakes with sun and a few clouds elsewhere. Friday, February 1 Temperatures and wind chills will not be quite as dangerous Friday morning, but will still pose a hazard. Temperatures will warm to 5-15 degrees for most areas, but wind chills will remain below zero all day. Lake effect snow off Lake Erie will dissipate while Lake Ontario's snow moves south towards Syracuse. More from NYUP Weather Buffalo groundhog makes winter prediction before Punxsutawney Phil New York Upstate Weather In Western New York, Groundhog Day comes twice a year. Buffalo celebrated its sixth annual Groundhog Day celebration on Saturday, featuring its own groundhog -- Buffalo Bert -- making a winter prediction a full week before Punxsutawney Phil will do the same on Feb. 2. Bert saw his shadow Saturday, which means six more weeks of winter for Buffalo. According to the Buffalo News, 800 people attended this years Groundhog Day in Buffalo at Flying Bison Brewing Company on Seneca Street. The new tradition began six years ago after co-founder Adam Hernandez and his friends traveled to Punxsutawney, Pa., for the famous Groundhog Day festivities. I thought it was going to be a giant party, Hernandez told the newspaper. It was really a bunch of people standing on a hill, and you had to take a shuttle to get there and back. It was like going to see the biggest ball of yarn. I thought Buffalo could do this so much better. Buffalos Groundhog Day takes place on the last Saturday of January every year, which means this years celebration came a full week before Punxsutawney Phil comes out of hibernation. Buffalos event is also unique in that it has two meteorologists: Bert, an actual groundhog, and Buffalo Mack, a human-size mascot in a groundhog suit. The first Groundhog Day in Buffalo attracted just 35 people in 2014, but quickly grew to 700 last year when it added Buffalo Bert -- a prognosticating woodchuck just like Phil, Georgias General Beauregard Lee, Ohios Buckeye Chuck and New Yorks Staten Island Chuck. According to the Buffalo News, Bert is a rescue groundhog who was found on a Rochester farm in 2017 and now lives at the Hawk Creek Wildlife Center in East Aurora. Its unclear if Bert is any better at weather forecasting than his fellow furry friends. According to an old German legend, if a groundhog sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early. Phil usually sees his shadow -- hes called for an early spring only 17 times since 1887 -- but the NOAA says theres no correlation between Phils shadow-sightings and the actual weather in February and March. The numbers since 1998 show the groundhogs shadow is just as reliable as flipping a coin. Spring technically starts in Buffalo and the rest of the U.S. on the same calendar date every year: March 20, the vernal equinox. Proceeds from Buffalos Groundhog Day go to benefit the Buffalo Zoo, Hawk Creek and Buffalo C.A.R.E.S. Animal Shelter. Hernandez told the Buffalo News that his event has already raised $10,000 towards the animal organizations, including funding for adoptions and care. Albany, N.Y. Supporters are making another push for a law that would allow patients in New York to end their lives with medical help. An advocacy group, Compassion & Choices, is kicking off a campaign today in Albany in favor of the legislation. The current proposal would require two doctors to sign off before patients are allowed to access medication that would end their lives, according to The Associated Press. Supporters believe the bill has a better chance of passing now that state government is completely controlled by Democrats. The states Catholic Conference, headed by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, is already moving to pressure lawmakers against the bill, according to the New York Daily News. Dennis Poust, a spokesman for the Catholic Conference, said the matter is not a Catholic issue. "It's a human life issue," he said, according to the News. "There are many opponents, including those who advocate for people with disabilities and patients' rights and the elderly. We're proud to be in a coalition that stands up for those who may be exploited at the end of life." Corinne Carey, New York campaign director for Compassion & Choices, pushed back against the opposition. "As a Catholic, I have great respect for the church and its leadership," she said, according to the News. "However, the Catholic Church has been on the wrong side of so many important public policies for years." She noted the church opposed strengthening New Yorks abortion laws, legalizing gay marriage, covering transgender New Yorkers in the states anti-discrimination laws and requiring insurers to cover contraception, all of which ultimately passed. The church also for years opposed the Child Victims Act, which makes it easier for child sex abuse victims to seek justice and is set for passage in Albany today, according to the News. Seven states and Washington, D.C. currently allow patients to seek a doctors help to end their lives, according to AP. Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- About 100 Central New York federal employees who went without a paycheck for more than a month were treated to more than 5,000 pounds of food and basic household supplies this weekend. The Greater Syracuse Labor Council sponsored the food give away Saturday at the Teamsters Local 317 union hall on Spencer Street in Syracuse. More than 80 volunteers from labor unions throughout Central New York sorted the aid boxes and filled them with an assortment of meats, dairy, detergents, dried goods and canned goods, among other items, said Mark Spadafore, vice president of the Greater Syracuse Labor Council. About two dozen federal workers -- all members of the American Federation of Government Employees at Syracuses Hancock International Airport -- went to the union hall to pick up the donated items, but many had to work so there was another delivery Saturday night at the Syracuse Hancock International Airport parking lot. Many Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport screeners stopped by after work to pick up food and supplies. It tied them over until they can get their checks, Spadafore said. They were very appreciative, saying this is awesome, thank you. President Donald Trump and members of Congress reached a deal Friday to temporarily reopen the government while negotiating a long-term deal. It was not immediately known how soon the government would reopen or when workers would be paid. TSA workers thought they would receive all of their back pay by this Thursday, Spadafore said after talking with chief steward Mark Schumacher. The Greater Syracuse Labor Council worked with AFL-CIO community services liaison Helen Hudson at the United Way to make the food giveaway happen, Spadafore said. "The labor council has an account at the Food Bank of Central New York for events such as this -- strikes, lockouts, etc., Spadafore explained. The 5,000 pounds of food was paid out of that account," he said, adding, the account gets the money from local labor unions who donate to that account. Glazed & Confused in Syracuse also pitched in by donating four dozen donuts for the giveaway. Nichols grocery store in Liverpool also donated bags. And the Teamsters Local 317 donated the use of their hall to make the food giveaway a success, Spadafore said. But he gave the most credit to the federal workers who kept showing up to work, not knowing when theyd get a paycheck. They basically went a month without pay and still had to work, he said. These workers deserve all the accolades in the world. Washington Hillary Clinton has not completely ruled out running for president again in 2020, according to CNN. The networks White House correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, said Clinton has been talking about the possibility. "I'm told by three people that as recently as this week, she was telling people that look, given all this news from the indictments, particularly the Roger Stone indictment, she talked to several people, saying 'Look, I'm not closing the doors to this," Zeleny said. Stone, a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump, was indicted on charges of lying to lawmakers, tampering with witnesses and obstruction. The indictment provided details on how Trumps campaign sought the disclosure of emails hacked by Russians and then provided to WikiLeaks. The emails, which eventually became public, were widely seen as damaging to Clinton and the Democratic Party. Stone said he was falsely accused and criticized special counsel Robert Muller's investigation as "politically motivated." Despite Clinton's chatter, one close friend of hers told Zeleny that it would be surprising if she ran again. And her talk doesn't mean there's a campaign in waiting or a plan in the works, CNN said. "Most losing presidential candidates never totally close the doors to running for president again," Zeleny said. "But I think we have to at least leave our mind open to the possibility that she is still talking about it. She wants to take on Trump. Could she win a Democratic primary to do it? I don't know the answer to that." The Democratic 2020 field is expected to be crowded. Several candidates, including California Sen. Kamala Harris, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, have already launched campaigns. Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 The wintering bald eagle scene at the southern end of Onondaga Lake has really picked up in recent days, with 46 birds spotted this past weekend. This is the largest winter roost of any urban area in the state, said Chris Lajewski, director of the Montezuma Audubon Center in Savannah, which leads occasional bird watching tours of the area. The numbers of eagles spotted vary daily. Last week, a tour he led saw more than 20. On another day, 32 were seen. On Saturday, Syracuse dentist Greg Craybas, whose passion is wildlife photography, reported seeing 46 bald eagles behind the mall. He snapped pictures of 42 birds in trees, and said he saw four more in the air, circling the water. You can see them behind the Destiny USA mall in the trees, along the shoreline on Murphys Island. You dont even have to get out of your vehicle. Bald eagles will there in front of you circling overhead. Youll see adult, junvenile birds. Its incredible, Lajewski said. The birds congregate each winter in the trees overlooking the open water near the countys sewage treatment plant and the mouth of Onondaga Creek. The warm water coming out of the plant keeps the water open and attracts schools of gizzard shad and other fish. The eagles are there for the food. They eat fish and occasionally a duck or a goose, Lajewski said. The best time to see the birds is the early morning or late afternoon. (Greg Craybas photo) The main vantage point for seeing the eagles, he said, is in the parking lot behind Best Buy, close to the road in the back of the Destiny USA mall; from on top of the first level parking ramp near Best Buy and along the Creek Walk along Onondaga Creek. The end part of the creek walk is closed this time of year, but occasionally eagles can be seen overlooking the open water along the creek looking for food. The birds visable from the mall parking lot can be seen roosting about 100 yards away in the trees. Lajeweski recommended bringing a good pair of binoculars or a spotting scope. And or course, dress for the cold weather. The best time to see them? The birds come and go throughout the day, Lajewski said. Prime times for viewing are 7 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. times when the birds are more likely to be in the area looking for food. Its a testament to the conservation efforts, cleanup and habitat restoration work on the lake, he added. Bald eagle photos wanted: Get a good photo of a bald eagle on Onondaga Lake? Send your photos to outdoors writer David FIgura at dfigura@NYup.com. To the Editor: Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination and requires that survivors of sexual harassment or assault receive necessary support and reporting options, is under threat. The U.S. Department of Education released proposed Title IX regulations on Nov. 16, 2018, that would drastically alter the scope and implementation of Title IX at colleges and K-12 schools nationwide. These proposed changes are being presented as something that will give survivors more options and allow more freedom for institutions, while in reality, they will do the exact opposite. This means that students who are survivors of sexual assault or sexual harassment would be entitled to fewer protections, accommodations and reporting options. To make our voices heard, we can all participate in the notice-and-comment period at www.regulations.gov through Jan. 30. The DOE is required to read every comment and well-researched ones will impact whether the regulations pass or not. There are resources available online to help with writing effective comments. A few examples are: Hands Off IX, the National Womens Law Center, Know Your IX, and Equal Rights Advocates. If these proposed regulations become law, Title IX will cease to serve its intended purpose of protecting students. Now is the time to show our support for survivors. Tiffany Brec Hasmik Djoulakian Chris Kosakowski Natali Partigianoni Vera House Campus Project Team Syracuse Vera House is a community organization that supports domestic and sexual violence survivors. If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support, call its confidential 24/7 hotline at (315) 468-3260. Saved by pseudo-renewable energy? By Paul Driessen The IPCC says its still possible to limit planetary warming to an additional 0.5 degrees C (0.9 F) above pre-industrial levels but only if global CO2 emissions are halved by 2030 and zeroed out by 2050. So climate alarmists intend to carbon-tax, legislate and regulate our energy, factories, livelihoods, living standards, liberties and lives to the max. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs Green New Deal would eliminate and replace US fossil fuels by 2030. Its an unprecedented economic and political power grab. We went to war with King George over far less serious abuses and usurpations. And yet today we seem to have few Patrick Henrys or other stalwart, principled leaders willing to defy this insanity. Those accusing someone of a crime must prove his guilt; the accused need not prove his innocence. But not only are alarmists bringing what amount to criminal charges against fossil fuels; wiping out the fuels that provide over 80% of our energy would bring widespread chaos, poverty, misery, disease and death. As I said just days ago, those who claim fossil fuels and greenhouse gases are causing dangerous global warming and climate change have the burden of proving their case. Not with allegations, computer models, headlines, mob rule and demands for instant sentencing. With solid, irrefutable evidence. Those who intend to use climate change accusations to disrupt and destroy modern energy systems and industrialized economies likewise have the burden of proving that wind, solar and biofuel energy can actually replace fossil fuels. That they are actually clean, green, affordable, renewable and sustainable. Thus far, they have offered no real-world evidence whatsoever. And there is no way they can do so. Fossil fuels are compact and dense. Small land and raw material impacts provide bountiful, affordable, reliable energy. America and the world have enough of these fuels to last at least a century at current rates of consumption by which time human ingenuity will almost undoubtedly provide workable alternatives. By contrast, wind, solar and biofuel energy is dispersed, weather-dependent, expensive and land-intensive. Every industrial wind facility, solar installation and biofuel plantation requires far more land and far more raw materials than their energy-generation-equivalent fossil fuel counterparts. Add in backup fossil fuel generators or massive battery arrays, and those impacts become astronomical. To eliminate our fossil fuel energy and replace it with these pseudo-renewable systems we would have to remove tens of billions of tons of rock, to extract billions of tons of ores, to create millions of tons of metals, concrete and other materials, to manufacture and install millions of wind turbines and solar panels, and grow billions of barrels of biofuels. Vast acreage of croplands, wildlife habitats and scenic areas would be torn apart, covered with mining debris and blanketed with renewable energy facilities. Moreover, as long as anti-mining radicals have effective control of US courts, legislatures and regulatory agencies, Americas deposits of rare earth and other strategic metals and materials will remain off limits. As Ned Mamula and Ann Bridges point out in Groundbreaking! Americas new quest for minerals independence, that would leave the USA 50-100% dependent on often unfriendly foreign sources for the next era energy systems that we have repeatedly been promised are just around the corner. The same well-funded groups also battle mining by Western companies all over the world. That means global raw material supplies will be rapidly depleted utopian green energy dreams will never become reality and nations will descend into deprivation, disease, starvation, anarchy and war. To put it simply, so that even Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Al Gore and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi can understand this energy reality: The wind and sun may be free, green, renewable and sustainable. But the energy, land and materials required to harness and utilize that energy certainly are not. Wind and solar systems also break down faster and must be replaced earlier and more often than coal, gas or nuclear power plants which have operational life spans of 30-50 years, and generate power about 95% of the time. Wind energy proponents claim turbines last half that long: 20-25 years. They dont. A 2018 UK analysis of 3,000 onshore wind turbines found that they generate electricity efficiently for just 12-15 years (and maybe 25-30% of the time) generating more than twice as much electricity in their first year than when they are barely 15 years old. So wind turbine raw materials depletion and land use impacts are far higher than advocates have admitted. These realities are no better for solar installations. All of this also means the cost of wind and solar electricity is far higher than their advocates admit. Those costs may be partially hidden by taxpayer subsidies. But they are real, and punitive. Electricity prices in US states that rely heavily on coal, gas, nuclear or hydroelectric generation hover around 9 cents per kilowatt-hour. In California, Connecticut, New York and other states that oppose these sources and impose hefty green energy mandates and feed-in tariffs, prices are almost twice as high. In Germany and Denmark, families must pay four times as much: 35-37 cents per kWh! Try to run a factory, hospital, school, business, home, city or country on electricity priced at those rates. Imagine trying to do so when fossil fuels are driven into oblivion by the same environmentalists who detest and want to eliminate nuclear and hydroelectric power plants. Middle classes are already fleeing Californias and New Yorks oppressive taxes, regulations, high energy and housing prices, job destruction, and predominantly Democrat politicians who blame every problem on manmade climate change. Just wait until their states go 100% renewable energy by 2030 or so. Meanwhile, more rational countries in Asia, Africa and elsewhere are building coal- and gas-fired generating units by the thousands, to power modern, industrialized societies and lift billions more people out of poverty. That means global emissions of plant-fertilizing carbon dioxide will continue to increase even if climate alarmists succeed with their power plays in the USA, Canada, Europe and elsewhere. It means a number of Asian and African countries could soon outpace many of todays industrial and economic powerhouses. As to biofuels, how are farmers going to grow enough corn, soybeans, sugar cane and switchgrass to replace the petroleum that radical greens want kept in the ground, if they dont have modern equipment and fertilizers which eco-fanatics also despise? Farmers may have to get human fertilizer from sewage treatment plants, since many environmentalists also demand that we stop raising cows, pigs and chickens which means farmers wont even be able to get enough animal manure. One of the latest climate scare stories claims that our warming planet will soon drive many insect species to extinction. What are people going to eat, if they cant even find bugs to dine on? All these are more reasons why the United States we must formally exit the Paris climate treaty by subjecting it to a two-thirds Senate advice and consent vote that would most assuredly fail. They are more reasons why we must revisit and reverse the EPA carbon dioxide Endangerment Finding. Climate alarmists increasingly shrill claims their refusal to engage climate and energy realists in debate their escalating efforts to silence us are proof that they are getting desperate. We need to continue ramping up our efforts and cajole, embarrass and harangue politicians to show some spine, intestinal fortitude and intelligence, by standing up to the forces of climate dictatorship and darkness. What can the average person do? Speak out. Write letters to editors, legislators, corporate executives and President Trump. Attend town meetings, press briefings, committee hearings and other events. Ask tough questions. Demand evidence to back up alarmist assertions. Above all, bombard politicians, climate activists and media talking heads with the F-word they most detest and fear: Facts. Your future, your childrens future, your countrys future, our planets future depend on it. Paul Driessen is senior policy advisor for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) and author of articles and books on energy, environmental and human rights issues. Home SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The regions public broadcaster has announced a new president and CEO, who takes over today. Mitch Gelman, who has decades of experience producing and defending the news business, comes to Syracuse from the Newseum, a D.C.-based museum that recently announced its closure. Gelman was the museums chief technology officer. Gelman takes over for Robert J. Daino, who served as head of the station for more than 13 years. Gelman has been a media executive and journalist for more than 30 years. He won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting in 1992 when he worked for New York Newsday. He ran the websites for CNN and ESPN, and he was a vice president for Gannett, which runs more than 150 newspapers and broadcast stations nationally. Mitch has a wealth of experience in the traditional and digital broadcast industries that will help WCNY undergo a digital transformation, while continuing to provide the high-quality programs and services our members, listeners, viewers, and the community count on, said Jeffrey B. Scheer, WCNY Chairman of the Board, in a news release. The station broadcasts five digital television channels, including a cable-only station, and three FM radio stations in the Central New York area. It was founded in 1965. SYRACUSE, N.Y. New York would ban teachers from carrying guns in school under a package of bills state legislators are expected to vote on Tuesday. One of the bills would prevent schools from allowing anyone other than security officers, school resource officers or law enforcement officers to carry firearms on school grounds. President Trump and the National Rifle Association called for teachers and staff to be armed after the 2018 Parkland, Florida shooting. But Sen. Todd Kaminsky, D-Long Island, who sponsored the bill, said calls to arm teachers are merely a distraction from urgently needed, common sense gun safety measures. Tom King, president of the state Rifle and Pistol Association, told the New York Daily News teachers should be allowed to carry guns as long as they are trained. This is a case of the Democrats coming in, running wild, writing bills on everything they can think of, and then trying to pass as much of it as they can, King said. Other bills in the gun control package would: *Create criminal penalties for the sale and manufacture of devices that can increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic weapons, known as bump stocks. The gunman in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting used a bump stock, so his semi-automatic rifle fired like a machine gun. New Yorks Safe Act gun control law bans the attaching of bump stocks to weapons. But it does not ban the sale or possession of the devices, which the new bill will do. The Trump administration late last year imposed a federal ban on the devices. *Allow police, family, household members and school officials to seek a court order requiring a person likely to harm themselves or others to relinquish any firearms. *Allow up to 30 days for a background check to clear before a gun must be delivered to a purchaser. The current law is three days when an instant check comes back inconclusive. *Prohibit the possession, manufacturing, sale and distribution of guns that cannot be detected by standard metal detectors, including 3D printed guns. *Create a Firearm Violence Research Institute within the state university system. It will be charged with studying gun violence, as well as education and training programs, and making recommendations to state officials for other potential laws controlling gun possession and use. A Liverpool-based life insurance company is under fire for unfair claims settlement practices that cost the beneficiaries of more than 439 deceased policyholders about $7.3 million. The Globe Life Insurance Company of New York, which is based at 1020 Seventh North St., entered an agreement today with the states Department of Financial Services. Globe Life is a subsidiary of Torchmark Corporation. Globe Life will pay a $439,000 fine, on top of the more than $7.3 million in restitution it has agreed to pay beneficiaries. State officials said the company marketed its life insurance policies to low- and middle-income New Yorkers to pay for funeral, burial and other end-of-life expenses. Globe Life then improperly denied benefits to the beneficiaries of the policyholders. Officials said 10 of the claims at issue were made by people in Onondaga County. The other 400-plus claims came from across New York state, according to the Department of Financial Services. According to state officials, during the claims adjudication process, Globe Life routinely misrepresented facts, closed claims without the proper procedures and failed to inform beneficiaries in writing of the reasons for the denials. State officials said Globe Life would also initiate investigations into claims and ask for medical records in cases in which it had no basis to suspect a policyholder had made a misrepresentation. When medical records were not produced, the company would notify beneficiaries their claims would not be paid and close the case. Or, if medical records were produced, Globe Life would improperly conclude the deceased had made a material misrepresentation and deny claims. The company used these improper practices from 2006 to 2016, state officials said. As part of the agreement with the state, Globe Life will work with an independent administrator who will oversee the restitution process. The administrator will identify and locate beneficiaries who were improperly denied by Globe Life. The administrator will also set up a website, email address and phone number for affected consumers to contact. Globe Life will pay for the administrators costs, state officials said. More information will be posted to the Department of Financial Services website once the administrator has been selected. Do you have a story to share about Globe Life Insurance or a denied life insurance claims? Contact Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992 SYRACUSE, N.Y. The flu is hitting Central New York harder than any other part of the state. The region reported more than 40 laboratory-confirmed cases per 100,000 people in the week ended Jan. 19, a significantly higher rate than other parts of the state, according to a state Health Department report. There have been 480 confirmed cases in Onondaga County so far this season. There were 150 confirmed cases in the county in the week that ended Jan. 19, up from 85 the week before, an increase of 76 percent. The vast majority of the cases are influenza type A. The actual number of flu cases is probably much higher than that because most people who get the flu do not go to a doctor or get tested. This state Health Department chart shows flu activity is highest in Central New York, which is represented by the red line. Flu is a serious illness that can lead to hospitalization or death. Statewide there were 786 patients hospitalized with the flu during the most recent week. There has been one pediatric death in the state so far this season in the New York City area. Twenty one other children nationwide have died from the flu this season. The government recommends everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot. The effectiveness of the flu vaccine varies from year to year. Early estimates indicate this seasons vaccine is much more effective than the version used during the 2017-2018 flu season. Fear and anger often can inspire people to act in ways they may later regret, which is why South African author and comedian Trevor Noah uses humor to navigate the peaks and valleys of his own life. Humor is me trying to remind myself that on the other side of this obstacle, I still exist, he said to an audience of about 2,000 students, staff and community members in the Carrier Dome on Sunday. After entering to a standing ovation, Noah was interviewed by NewsChannel9s Jennifer Sanders as part of the 34th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Syracuse University, the largest college-sponsored event of its kind in the nation. During the nearly 40-minute question and answer session, Noah spoke candidly about the challenges and dangers of growing up in the final years of South African apartheid with a Xhosa mother and a Swiss father. Complex racial stratification and strict laws against interracial marriage technically made Noahs birth against the law, which would later become the titular inspiration for his 2016 New York Times bestseller. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood is billed as an autobiographical comedy, and according to Noah, one of the best things to happen in his life. The book was chosen as the 2019 CNY Reads One Book selection, and distributed to nearly 4,000 Syracuse University students last summer as required reading to inspire conversations about diversity. Noahs book was chosen for its themes of race, social justice and inequality in South Africa, and how they may parallel similar American themes that are currently front-and-center in our national discourse. The comedian told a rapt audience how his mothers family was considered inferior while his fathers considered superior, leaving a mixed-race Trevor in a constant state of in-between. Had authorities ever discovered the true identity of his parents, Noah would be taken away and placed in an orphanage, but they managed to pull it off by living separately from his father and publicly pretending his mother was a nanny. Thats the amazing thing about human beings, he said. If we choose, we have the ability to overcome even the most insurmountable obstacles. The comedian has faced no shortage of personal tragedy: Noah grew up poor, in an abusive home with a violent stepfather who would later shoot his mother in the head following their divorce. Without humor, there are many things I would never get through, he said. As the current host of Comedy Centrals Emmy award-winning The Daily Show, Noah uses his humor to remind his viewers that on the other side of their own current obstacles, they still exist. He said as human beings that we all laugh, and maybe at different things but humor is ingrained and innate. To laugh is a visceral expression of joy. I see babies laugh all the time, Noah said to a chuckling crowd. Like what are you even laughing at? You know nothing! I find that fascinating. Binghamton, N.Y. -- The former publishing plant of the Press & Sun-Bulletin, Elmira Start-Gazette and Ithaca Journal will be finding new life as a hemp processing facility. Southern Tier Hemp has announced plans to acquire the 97,000-square-foot building in Johnson City, near Binghamton, and use it to make CBD oils and other products from hemp, the non-psychotropic form of the cannabis plant, according to the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. A $12 million renovation of the former printing plant is expected to start in the spring, with initial processing of hemp beginning in September. The state has pledged $650,000 in grants to assist the development. Southern Tier Hemp projects that the facility will employ 100 to 120 people within 36 months of opening, according to the newspaper. Gannett Co. opened the $50 million plant in 2006 on the former site of the Endicott Johnson shoe factory, bringing together the printing of the Binghamton, Ithaca and Elmira dailies. It closed the facility in June 2018 and laid off 93 workers. The three newspapers are now printed in Rochester. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is an oil extracted from hemp. Sellers promote it as a relaxant that can be used to treat a variety of medical problems ranging from epilepsy, Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons, anxiety and depression, though most such claims have yet to be proven. The oil does not cause a high because it contains only trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana. Growing hemp has been legal in New York since 2015. Earlier this month, Canopy Growth, a Canadian company, announced plans to spend up to $150 million to open a hemp processing facility that it said will employ up to 400 people in the Southern Tier. The company said it was looking at several locations for the facility and hoped to select on in 100 days. Michael Trivett, Harrisons adopted father said he and his wife were not aware that Crouse was a friend of their son and wondered how the two boys got together. Chad Brown, principal at Graham Middle where the two boys attend the eighth grade said they ran in the same circles at school. Crouses parents said they did not recall Sean Harrison as one off their sons friends. Both sets of parents said their sons came home from school just like a normal day Jan. 21 and went to bed around eight p.m. They apparently were in contract by celphone and slipped from their house later that night. According to the parents they tired to steal a four wheeler from a relative in Abbs Valley later that night. Hieatt said his officers found evidence the boys spent the night in a barn in Abbs Valley including where they had built a fire to keep warm. Both families made passionate pleas for the children to either come home or to let them know they are ok. Trivett and the Crouses said the sheriffs office has worked hard at finding the boys. Crigger is out there on his day off, looking for them, , Trivett said. Hieatt said the Arkansas relatives of Harrison say they have not heard from him. He said anyone who allows the boys to stay with them without informing the authorities where they are will be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. That is a misdemeanor offense that carries up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Southwest Virginia Community College will be hosting an Allied Health Day event on Saturday, February 2, from 10:00AM to 2:00PM in Russell Hall. At the Allied Health Day event, current and prospective students will be able to talk to program faculty about Allied Health programs (Licensed Practical Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Radiology, and Registered Nursing), learn more about the admissions requirements for the programs, participate in a TEAS/HESI study session, and so much more. To RSVP or to learn more information about the SWCC Allied Health Day, please contact Mandy Barrett at 276-964-7705 or Mandy.Barrett@sw.edu. Articles Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles. The myth of the media By Bruce Walker All politicians have to rely upon the media to get their message to Americans. Giving speeches reaches very few people and those it reaches are nearly all those who favor the politician giving the speech anyway. All federal politicians live in that surreal Land of Oz on the Potomac which is utterly disconnected with the lives of those they purport to represent. So what is the media anyway? The simple answer is that there is no media. Once, many decades ago, we had something like the semblance of a media in municipal newspapers which carried on the front page more information than an entire thirty minute news program. This media was connected to geographical community and so its bias had to be tempered with the interests and demands of a town or a city. These newspapers could not simply parrot the party line and hope to succeed commercially. Cities and towns valued genuine objectivity or at least neutrality with real facts reported. There were a handful of newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post which had the luxury of a national audience but most had to cater to the genuinely diverse interests and needs of a metropolitan readership. There were also a handful of national news magazines, but these had only modest impact on opinion. Broadcasting changed all that and the Internet has changed it even more. Now what we call the media are simply appendages of very rich corporations or ideologically specific news outlets in cyberspace. The vast majority of Americans ignore those media outlets which offend his values or politics and this, in turn, means that these media outlets ignore those who disagree with it. What makes this even more myopic is that nearly all the national news outlets are geographically located very close to each other and very close to Washington D.C. or New York City and so have the same points of reference even when these media outlets have different philosophical viewpoints. Flyover Country, in this respect, seems more like a system of colonial possessions than an integral part of the nation. The incestuous relationship between federal politicians and national news media outlets makes these outlets even more narrow-minded, lazy and corrupt. Most Americans sense this, even if using terms like the media sometimes prevents them from seeing clearly that the media is simply a collection of very rich corporations who represent the true makers and controllers of wealth, the federal government. Recognizing the meaninglessness of the media also means that conservatives ought to understand how the left gets its message to America. Leftists infest public school systems, universities and particularly the soft pseudo-sciences like Sociology, government bureaucracies which churn out facts which are nothing more than shopworn nostrums of leftism fifty years ago, vast nonprofit organizations and, increasingly, the bureaucracies of large corporations whose executives were brainwashed in Academia and whose board members invariably seek the easy way out of conflicts (i.e. surrendering quietly to the left for peace and quiet.) What does this mean for conservatives trying to restore honesty, seriousness and freedom to the thinking and the deliberations of our nation, its government and its citizens? Here are a few ideas: Conservatives ought to stop complaining about the media and state instead that all of us constitute a part of the flow of ideas, facts, values and opinions which form out national discussion of issues and policies. The term Malefactors of Great Wealth, a Progressive phrase of a century ago, might well be used to attack the monopoly which these few great corporations have as a stranglehold on this national discussion. Conservatives ought to decry the use of publicly funded institutions like educational and governmental offices to enter into this national discussion because these exist to serve and not to govern us. Indeed, these all have an enormous vested interest in leftism dogma which invariably proposes more money and power to these institutions out of the public trough as a solution to social problems. Conservatives ought to attack Capitolism, or the geographical domination which tiny bits of the map of America exercise over the rest of us. Propose moving the Federal District to the Midwest or South of Rocky Mountains and then suggest that periodically moving the nations capitol would be a healthy step towards returning the federal government back to the governed. When these lines of attack are seriously pursued, we will begin to win back America, but until there is a bold charge like this, we can never win. Bruce Walker is the author of the recently released Pseudo-Green Leftism and True Green Conservatism and a contributing editor to Enter Stage Right. Home Do you already have a paid subscription to any of the SWNewsMedia newspapers? If so, you can Activate your Premium online account by clicking here. Activation will allow you to view unlimited online articles each month. To activate your Premium online account, the email address and phone number provided with your paid newspaper subscription needs to match the information you use in setting up your online user account. If you are having trouble or want to confirm what email address and phone number is listed on your subscription account, please call 952-345-6682 or email circulation@swpub.com and we'll be happy to assist. Edgecumbe is to host the start line for Oxfam Trailwalker 2019 part of the annual course refresh process for the 100-kilometre event. Held on March 23-24, Oxfam Trailwalker attracts teams from around New Zealand, plus some international teams, to take part in the 100-kilometre or 50-kilometre walk events and raise funds to support Oxfam New Zealands work to fight poverty in the Pacific. Oxfam New Zealand Events Operations Coordinator Kara Reid says that while it was timely to refresh the course, there was also a significant link between what Edgecumbe had been through and the work of Oxfam New Zealand. The flooding of Edgecumbe in April 2017 damaged houses, livelihoods and community spirit, says Kara. Oxfam New Zealand works in the Pacific and South East Asia, supporting people who have been affected by similar natural disasters, such as floods, tsunamis or cyclones. Starting the event in Edgecumbe in 2019 is the perfect way for both Oxfam New Zealand and Edgecumbe to support each other in heightening awareness of the effects of climate change, and raising vital funds for communities in the Pacific and South East Asia which, like Edgecumbe, rely on support from those who can help in times of need. Rangitaiki Community Board Chairperson Charelle Stevenson says the inclusion of Edgecumbe in the new Trailwalker course will provide a boost for the community. The Edgecumbe community is super-excited to be hosting the Oxfam Trailwalker start. Were trying to make progress, post-flood, and hosting an event of this importance helps us to focus on the future and gives our community something positive to be part of. I am extremely grateful to the organisers for including us in this prestigious event. It will give our community a real boost and encouragement that, although we have been through tough times, the future looks bright, she says. Another new addition to the Trailwalker course in 2019 is a checkpoint at Ngai Taiwhakaeas Te Paroa Marae at Coastlands. Competitors will arrive at Te Paroa after walking through Edgecumbe township, down the Rangitaiki Riverbank and along the Thornton coastline towards Whakatane. Entries are open for teams of four to compete in the 100-kilometre or 50-kilometre walk. For more information and to register, visit www.oxfamtrailwalker.org.nz The Leftmedia's 'hate' narrative lynch mob By Mark Alexander Earlier this month, after reading initial reports that a group of Catholic school teenagers wearing MAGA hats had a confrontation with a man described as an esteemed "Native American elder," I gave it an eye roll. Considering the source of those reports, the usual Leftmedia provocateurs CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post I figured it was, like most of what they regurgitate, 10% substance and 90% fragrance. After all, one day before this incident, mainstream media outlets had swallowed an uncorroborated BuzzFeed report hook, line, and sinker, despite the absolutely rotten reputation of the source. And they continued to saturate their cable and Internet consumers with the assertion that Trump had asked his then-personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to lie until Robert Mueller had his spokesperson issue a rare statement refuting most of the BuzzFeed report. Just another page in the annals of the MSM's fake-news history book. Surely these outlets wouldn't drop one fake news story that burned them badly only to pick up another. But they did. With so much egg still fresh on their faces, their "journalistic vision" was likely even more obscured. Sure enough, in less time than it takes to say "Dan Rather," the same mass media that had flooded its outlets with the BuzzFake narrative seized on the "mob of white racist MAGA boys taunts noble native warrior" hate narrative and buried its consumers in a fresh load of bovine chips. The reason for rushing to judgement was obvious it played right into the "white privilege" hate narrative too many Americans have been reflexively conditioned to believe. In other words, it had all the essential fixings of a great media ad revenue generator. These kids were from a Catholic school, so the Left hates them almost as much as they hate Catholic Supreme Court nominees. (Times sure have changed since the Democrats embraced the Kennedy clan.) The students were white teenage boys, whom the Left hates. They are from the South, which the Left hates. They were in town for the March for Life, which, to the Left, completes a sort of Trifecta of Hate. Some of them were wearing Make America Great Again hats supporting Donald Trump, whom the Left hates. Those hats symbolize the Trump administration's extraordinary record of domestic and foreign policy achievements, which the Left hates. Thus, the narrative on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial was a great fit for the Democrat Party's singular political platform and agenda: "Hate Trump!" It also dovetailed perfectly with the Demo race-bait hate narrative. (Last week I wrote about the contrast between that hate narrative and the harmony narrative promoted by Martin Luther King.) Of course, the "mob of white MAGA boys" hate narrative propagated by all the Leftmedia outlets was a lie an abject and incontestable lie. Unfortunately for these teens, there was no special prosecutor standing in the gap to set the record straight. There was only a rapidly growing social-media lynch mob ready to hang them for their crimes against humanity. So let's review the making of this mass-media-generated public hysteria. There were more than 100,000 people in DC for the March for Life. Many were high-school and college students. The adult leaders of the Covington, Kentucky, Catholic High School had instructed the boys to meet at the Lincoln Memorial at the conclusion of the march. The boys gathered there and waited for their buses, which had been delayed by road closures. Waiting for their bus, they were confronted by a group of radical black supremacists, members of a hate group that calls itself the Black Hebrew Israelites. For an hour before Omaha "tribal elder" Nathan Phillips stepped into the fray, the undisputed video evidence clearly shows the hateful black nationalists relentlessly hurling repulsive epithets at the boys and singling out two black Catholic students to torment. "Y'all dirty-ass little crackers, your day is coming," they threatened. The white Catholic students did not interact with the black agitators and instead surrounded their black classmates to protect them. (I had a run-in with this crew in Baltimore last year, and their hateful racist rhetoric was the real "hate" story here.) As this confrontation unfolded, a group of Native Americans participating in the Indigenous People's March, Phillips among them, then approached the boys, some shouting, "White people, go back to Europe! This is not your land!" Phillips, himself a separatist radical protester with a history of fake confrontation claims, walked toward the boys banging his drum. He singled out one student, 15-year-old Nick Sandmann, and got within inches of the boy's face, chanting loudly at him and banging his tom-tom drum. Phillips claimed, "They were in the process of attacking these four black [Hebrew Israelites]. These young men were beastly and these old black individuals was [sic] their prey, and I stood in between them and so they needed their pounds of flesh and they were looking at me for that. ... Here this young guy doesn't even see me as a human being." So Phillips insists he was coming to the defense of the black supremacists, who had been screaming insults at the teenagers for an hour. Ironically, he also claimed the group of Catholic teenagers "looked like a lynch mob," which is precisely what Phillips's lies created. Sandmann, whose account is clearly backed up by video recordings, was confused and shaken by the aggression of now a second group of agitators, so he stood still smiling at Phillips. Covington Catholic High School chaperone Jill Hamlin summed up the incident: "We were all just gathered on the steps. We had obviously heard the horrific insults that were thrown at our children by the black Hebrew Israelites. ... I don't know why Nathan Phillips chose Nick Sandmann. I think he would have targeted anyone but maybe it was because Nick Sandmann had the courage to look this man in the face and he tried to diffuse the situation by not reacting, by standing there respectfully." Phillips eventually walked away, and the confrontation would have ended there, except members of the Phillips party sent Leftmedia outlets photos and short video clips of the event, giving an entirely different narrative one they could turn into a national story. Virtually every MSM outlet reported that this group of white kids was mercilessly mocking and harassing a Native American tribal elder. Phillips was quick to respond to the MSM feeding frenzy with his "narrative" and he fed these outlets just what they wanted to hear. He told MSNBC that the boys were an "ugly mob." He told CNN and other outlets, "This young feller put himself in front of me and would not move. ... I heard them saying, 'Build that wall. Build that wall.' ... What I was witnessing was just hate." But not one second of the video evidence supports any of Phillips's spurious claims. That notwithstanding, and having willfully ignored the journalistic obligation to corroborate Phillips's remarks, The New York Times alleged that the boys had "mobbed" him. Soon, WaPo, CNN, ABC, NBC, and their co-conspirators were running with that Fake News narrative. Within hours of the initial reports, the Covington Catholic High School and its Kentucky diocese shamefully issued a joint apology to elder Phillips, noting, "This behavior is opposed to the Church's teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person." It was the joint apology that gave me pause to reconsider my initial reaction, thinking the reports might be correct. And then National Review joined the condemnation, prompted, I'm sure, by the official apology. NR published a scathing rebuke, "The Covington Students Might as Well Have Just Spit on the Cross," in which its deputy managing editor, Nicholas Frankovich, declared, "They mock a serious, frail-looking older man and gloat in their momentary role as Roman soldiers to his Christ." He continued, "'Bullying' is a worn-out word and doesn't convey the full extent of the evil on display here." But once questions about the prevailing Leftmedia narrative began to surface, NR removed the article and social-media condemnations from other NR principals. Then the publication replaced it with pieces entitled "Nathan Phillips Lied. The Media Bought It" and "Upholding a Narrative Backfires on the Mainstream Media." To NR's credit, both the editorial board and Frankovich published apologies. The editorial board noted: "In this business all we can do is own up to mistakes when they happen. We apologize to our readers and especially to the Covington students, who didn't need us piling on." Furthermore, NR's Molly Powell later called out the black supremacist who assailed the Catholic boys: "If you watch the nearly two-hour YouTube video ... you will see the black men, all adult, hurling insult after insult at the students, for well over an hour." Of course, Trump-hating neo-con Bill Kristol, editor-at-large of the recently defunct Weekly Standard, removed without apology his disgraceful social-media post that asserted, "The contrast between the calm dignity and quiet strength of Mr. Phillips and the behavior of the #MAGA brats who have absorbed the spirit of TrumpISM this spectacle is a lesson which all Americans can learn." At present, there have been no retractions or apologies from The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and the rest of the Leftmedia lynch mob, all of which slandered the Catholic school boys with their reports. Not one apology; nothing; silence. That is to be expected. But in a WaPo "Acts of Faith" article about the Hebrew Israelites, Sam Kestenbaum concedes they "may actually be at the center of a roiling controversy that has gripped the nation in recent days." He adds, "A longer video soon bubbled to the surface, widening the lens. It showed how a group of half a dozen Hebrew Israelites had, in fact, been goading and preaching at both the Native Americans and high schoolers, using profanity and highly provocative language." And NBC Today is taking heat from its Leftmedia cadres for interviewing Sandmann and allowing him to tell his side of the story. Cohost Savannah Guthrie asked Sandmann, "Do you feel from this experience that you owe anybody an apology? Do you see your own fault in any way?" He responded, "As far as standing there, I had every right to do so. I was not disrespectful to Mr. Phillips. ... I respect him. I'd like to talk to him." The Leftmedia's narrative worked like a charm until it didn't. Veteran journalist Brit Hume, when asked about the MSM's handling of this incident, replied, "Appalling. What's so striking about this [is that] it's a phenomenon we have seen over and over again." Recall the shameful comment by leftist columnist Evan Thomas after the media persecuted the Duke Lacrosse team: "The narrative was right, but the facts were wrong." It amounts to what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defined as a "wrap-up smear": "You make up something. Then you have the press write about it. And then you say, 'Everybody is writing about this charge.' It's a tool ... to just have [the media] talking about what you want them to be talking about." There has also been no apology to the boys from the Covington school and diocese, though I note Catholic leadership has been slow to apologize to boys suffering abuse in the past. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Robby Soave, associate editor with Reason magazine, who thoroughly documented how the media wildly mischaracterized the incident, including almost two hours of video debunking the MSM narrative. Soave notes, "This is shaping up to be one of the biggest major media misfires in quite some time." (At least since the BuzzFeed misfire a day earlier.) The young man at the epicenter of the false narrative, Nick Sandmann, released a statement explaining his perspective on the events, and the video footage clearly backs his account. He says, "The [black] protesters said hateful things. They called us 'racists,' 'bigots,' 'white crackers,' 'faggots,' and 'incest kids.' They also taunted an African-American student from my school by telling him that they would 'harvest his organs.'" He added, "[I was] mortified that so many people have come to believe something that did not happen that students from my school were chanting or acting in a racist fashion toward African-Americans or Native Americans. I did not do that, do not have hateful feelings in my heart and did not witness any of my classmates doing that." Meanwhile, a mudslide of leftist hatred had all but buried Sandmann and the other students. Predictably, CNN led that charge, with Ana Navarro declaring the boys were "racists" and "a wipes." Keith Boykin said, "The MAGA-hat wearing Covington Catholic High School students mocking Elder Nathan Phillips at the Indigenous Peoples March in Washington are direct descendants of the white privilege that empowered white kids to mock Elizabeth Eckford at Little Rock Central High School in 1957." Legal analyst Bakari Sellers said, "[Sandman] is a deplorable. Some people can also be punched in the face." Former CNN commentator Reza Aslan followed, "Have you ever seen a more punchable face than this kid's?" (Memo to Sellers and Aslan: Come take a swing at this face...) Disney producer Jack Morrissey said the boys should be killed, posting a photo of blood spewed from a wood chipper under the caption, "MAGAkids go screaming, hats first, into the wood chipper." Typical of celebrity Twitter responses was that from Trump hater Kathy Griffin, who insisted the kids names should be published so they can be targeted for retribution. "I want NAMES," declared Griffin. "Shame them. If you think these fers wouldn't dox you in a heartbeat, think again. Names please. And stories from people who can identify them and vouch for their identity." According to a Twitter spokesperson, "Posting a person's private information without their express permission is a direct violation of the Twitter Rules," but don't hold your breath waiting on Griffin's social-media accounts to be pulled down. Others pilled on. "Saturday Night Live" writer Sarah Beattie said that she will have sex with "whoever manages to punch that MAGA kid in the face." Here is a sample of other celebrity knee-jerkers... Alyssa Milano: "The red MAGA hat is the new white hood." Billy Crystal: "The kids parents must be so proud." Shaun King: "I am so deeply grieved and angry by this as young kids in MAGA hats surrounded and mocked a beloved Native American elder yesterday." Laughably, Massachusetts senator and notorious Native American impersonator Elizabeth Warren insisted, "Omaha elder and Vietnam War veteran Nathan Phillips endured hateful taunts with dignity and strength, then urged us all to do better." (Phillips is probably one of her relatives.) On the subject of Phillips's military record? That's as genuine as Warren's Native American heritage claims. Phillips is not a Vietnam War veteran. In his CNN interview Sunday, he twice claimed, "I'm a Vietnam veteran." He had previously claimed, "I'm what they call a recon ranger. That was my role." Those are both lies. But Phillips, who enlisted as Nathan Stanard, was a private for a couple years, stationed in Nebraska and California as a refrigerator mechanic. His record indicates he was AWOL in both locations. But he makes no effort to correct the record in the media echo chamber. UPI: "laughing and chanting at Vietnam War veteran Nathan Phillips..." Washington Post: "Phillips, an Omaha tribe elder who fought in the Vietnam War..." Slate: "Nathan Phillips, a Vietnam War veteran..." Huffington Post: "Phillips served in the Vietnam War..." TMZ: "A mob of MAGA hat-wearing teenagers swarmed around a Native American Vietnam veteran..." Even a GoFundMe appeal notes: "Native American Vietnam War Veteran Nathan Phillips was mocked and harassed..." Finally, the student most maligned by the Fake News narrative, Nick Sandmann, has invited Nathan Phillips to meet for a conversation about the incident. But Phillips rejected the boy's offer, saying, "It's not the right time. ... He stole my narrative." As for the impact that false narrative has had on the kids at Covington and their families, Jim Wilson, who was a chaperone for the DC visit, said, "The schools slogan is, 'A spirit that will not die.' They are embracing that." But the death threats keep coming. As for the Leftmedia talkingheads, if they wonder why so many Americans dismiss their biased news narratives, they need look no further than this disgraceful, slanderous "news." Fake news has been around in one form or another since Gutenberg invented the printing press. In 1710, Irish essayist and cleric Jonathan Swift wrote in his work The Examiner, "If a Lie be believ'd only for an Hour, it has done its Work. ... Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it; so that when Men come to be undeceiv'd, it is too late." In more contemporary parlance, "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting its boots on." And indeed, this one did. Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post. Bay of Plenty We are looking for experienced planters for a large commercial job in Omokoroa; that will be for 4 weeks.This is will be... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Americas Suicidal Turning Point: Chapter Nine: The Bipartisan, New World Order Treason By Michael Moriarty Before I move on, from President George W. Bush to the next President, Barack Hussein Obama, I must remind my readers of the obscenely deliberate refusal of both political parties and their candidates to discuss the elephant in the room: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc7i0wCFf8g A PROGRESSIVE NEW WORLD ORDER TO BE RUN BY THE UNITED NATIONS. Such a notion is indisputably American treason. It was treasonous when President George H. W. Bush first announced, as he described it himself, The New World Orders unavoidable success. It was treason when he brought The New World Order up three more times. No one said a thing about that, however. He lost his bid for a second term, stating that he apparently didnt have the vision thing. You cant get more visionary as a President than singlehandedly sharing, as President, the treasonous vision known of as The New World Order. As even he said, The New World Order is a big idea! However, as Ive already said repeatedly, The New World Order, making the United Nations the singular leader of a One World Government, betrays the sovereignty of the United States as profoundly as Benedict Arnolds legendary betrayal of Americas revolutionary President, George Washington. That no President since then has ever mentioned the New World Order again as a possibility for America?! That indicates how criminal the mere notion of a New World Order might be. However, that doesnt mean that the Bushes and the Democrats have given up on their commitment to a Revolutionary One World Government. The recent radicalism within the increasingly Marxist Democrat Party of America?! Its most radical vernacular is being thrown around by the young, new Democrat Representative, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The Entertainingly New And Fanatically Marxist Member of Congress The Green New Deal which is how she describes her vision. With the Radical Lefts increasingly influential power within the United Nations and the U.N.s growing support for Islam as versus Israel?! What would happen to ALL of Judeo-Christianity if the dreams of a Progressive New World Order were realized? Presently the only major world leader protecting American sovereignty from this New World Order and its economic off-spring, such as Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, is President Donald Trump. Americas bipartisan supporters of a New World Order, such as the entire Democrat Party and the Bush Family RINOS of the Republican Party, are determined to see that not only President Trump fails at everything he attempts but that he be politically emasculated before he even reaches the end of his first term. That is not going to happen. Why? They of the New World Order have drastically underestimated President Trumps political genius. Why President Trump doesnt just label the New World Order disciples such as the Bush Republicans and the entire Democrat Party indisputable traitors to America?! I have no idea. Perhaps well learn why during Trumps inevitable second-term. I wish I were certain that the news will make me happy. Despite my repeated tributes to President Trump, Im not so sure it will. Why? President Trumps apparent fondness and respect for tyrants such as Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jong-un of North Korea. Perhaps he doesnt condemn the notion of a New World Order as treason to America because he has his own idea for a New World Order. Perhaps George H. W. Bush wasnt the only American President with a big idea. Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@yahoo.com. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/@MGMoriarty. Home Stillwater, OK (74074) Today Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. Hot. High 98F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. For the fifth year in a row Mali has been the most dangerous peacekeeping mission in the world with 177 deaths since the Mali peacekeeping effort began in 2013. There were 22 dead in 2018 and 2019 already has 12 dead peacekeepers during the first month of the year. During 2017 Mali saw 42 peacekeepers and civilian support staff killed. That was nearly half UN peacekeeper deaths worldwide for a force that accounts for less than 12 percent of all UN peacekeepers. The Mali peacekeepers (currently 15,000 strong) have suffered more fatalities because, in north Mali, where most of these deaths occur, there was lots of violence since (and before) the peacekeepers arrived in early 2013. The peacekeepers are mainly African and in 2018 the combined forces suffered a death rate of about 130 per 100,000 per year (a standard measure of such things.) The rate in 2017 was nearly double that and that high rate could be repeated in 2019. Compare that to Afghanistan, where in 2013 the rate (200 per 100,000) was lower for all foreign troops there. That was down from the peak 587 in 2010, which was about what it was during the peak years in Iraq (2004-7). The action in Mali is less intense than in pre-2014 Afghanistan or pre-2011 Iraq but is more than double the rate for peacekeepers worldwide. Total Mali peacekeeper casualties since mid-2013 are nearly 500 dead and wounded and losses but have been much heavier among the Islamic terrorists. The local pro-government militias also suffer heavier casualties as do the Mali security forces (army and police.) The Hostiles Fulani tribesmen, in general, were the biggest supporters of the new JNIM (Jamaah Nusrah al Islam wal Muslimin, or Group for the support of Islam and Moslems) that was formed in early 2017 to consolidate the many separate Islamic terror groups in Mali. In part this was a reaction to the growing threat from ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) which is hostile to everyone who is not ISIL and will attack or recruit from the JNIM members like AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), Ansar Dine, FLM and al Mourabitoun (an al Qaeda splinter group). Another reason for the merger was to make it easier to pool resources (including information and advice) and coordinate with other Islamic terror groups in the region. This reduces friction and destructive feuding. Making a coalition like this work is always difficult, especially considering the importance of ethnic differences. The FLM is Fulani while the other groups are largely Tuareg, Arab and some have a lot of foreigners. Note that JNIM did not absorb all of AQIM or al Mourabitoun, just local groups that had long been identified with al Qaeda. Al Mourabitoun is believed to have largely rejoined al Qaeda but some small Al Mourabitoun factions remain independent. Internal politics for Islamic terror groups is a lot messier than these religious zealots like to admit. Thats mainly because each group believes they are uniquely qualified to be the supreme leader of all Islam. Coping with this aspect of Islamic radicalism has proved burdensome and ultimately becomes a major reason for Islamic terror movements failing and fading away (via desertion and other forms of self-destruction). The new JNIM is more heavily influenced by its Fulani component and that is another reason for more attacks in central Mali, which has long been the scene of conflict with Fulanis. Largely because of the Fulani and JNIM there has been more Islamic terrorist activity since 2017 and that has impeded reconstruction and foreign aid efforts. Add to that the existing culture of corruption, especially in southern Mali and you have an atmosphere that is hostile to good government, national unity or economic growth. January 25, 2019: In central Mali (Mopti), a land mine was encountered by a peacekeeper convoy, killing two peacekeepers and wounding four. The day before another peacekeeper convoy was hit in the same way and one peacekeeper was wounded. January 20, 2019: In the northeast (Kidal), near the Algerian border Islamic terrorists, arriving in about twenty vehicles attacked a peacekeeper base and killed ten and wounded 25 defenders. The attackers had the element of surprised but were repulsed, leaving three dead and one captured behind while taking their other dead and wounded with them. JNIM took credit for the attack against a base staffed by peacekeepers from Chad and said the attack was in response to Chad recently resuming diplomatic relations with Israel (that had been severed in 1972). JNIM had a more practical reason for attacking this particular peacekeeper camp because the Chadian troops were particularly effective at tracking down and killing small groups of Islamic terrorists in this semi-desert area, which is similar to what is found in Chad. Worse, the Chadians hold grudges and now JNIM has a blood feud with Chad. Israel has been helping Chad with counter-terrorism even before diplomatic relations were resumed. Now that the Arab League (which Chad is a member of) considers Israel an ally (against Iran and Islamic terrorism in general) there is less hostility to resuming relationships with Israel. The Islamic terrorism situation is mainly about Europe (where most of the drugs and illegal migrants are headed). But the money JNIM and other Islamic terror groups making protecting and participating in this smuggling effort aids Islamic terrorism in general and that is an issue Israel is involved with. January 15, 2019: In the northeast (outside Menaka), Fulani and Tuareg continued attacking each other with dozens of Fulani gunmen on motorbikes attacking two villages and killing over 30 Tuareg civilians. This is a repeat of December attacks that left at least 40 dead, most of them Tuareg civilians killed by Fulani raiders on motorbikes. Since early 2018 nearly 500 have died so far in this violence. Fulani are the major component of an ISIL faction that operates on both sides of the nearby Niger border as the ISGS (Islamic State in the Greater Sahara). Most of this violence is also about who controls fertile land and water supplies. January 10, 2019: In central Mali (Mopti), a French airstrike at a target identified by Mali troops left at least 15 Islamic terrorists dead. January 5, 2019: In the north (the Algerian border), Algeria has increased security at border crossings and heavily used smuggling routes in an effort to block the growing number of illegal migrants, especially Syrians. Algeria has found some Islamic terrorists among the Syrian illegals and is turning all Syrians back, no matter what passport they might be carrying. The Syrian accent, as with most Arab dialects, is distinctive. Most other illegals can get through if the smugglers bringing them to pay the right bribes to the right people. Algeria rarely interferes with the smugglers as long as the illegals are headed elsewhere (usually to Europe). January 1, 2019: In central Mali, fighting continued between Fulani herders and local Dogon farmers. The current incident has left about 37 dead, most of them Fulani civilians. This violence has become more frequent since late November 2018. In the last few years the rise of Islamic terrorist groups JMIM, with Fulani comprising most of the membership, has caused more friction with the Dogon people who, while Moslem, are hostile to Islamic terrorists. In the last year, over 500 civilians have died in central Mali because of the Fulani-Dogon feud. December 28, 2018: Qatar has airlifted 24 Qatari made Storm 4x4 armored combat vehicles to Mali. These are basically four ton militarized Toyota Land Cruisers. They are bulletproof, carry eight personnel, have some firing ports and a machine-gun mounted on the roof via an opening in the roof with a ring mount and bulletproof shield facing front. These vehicles are a gift from Qatar to Mali. December 26, 2018: In central Mali, just across the border in Burkina Faso, JNIM killed ten Burkina Faso police. In response, the government declared a state of emergency in parts of the north near the Mali border where most of this Islamic terrorist violence was taking place. Burkina Faso also has trouble with tribal violence, but most of that is in the center of the country while in the north it is mainly about Islamic terrorists. Britain had something of an aviation crisis in late 2018 when someone allegedly flew a quadcopter near the runway of Gatwick airport near London and did so several times. Over a hundred people, including police and airport pilots, spotted the quadcopter between December 19 and 21. Some quadcopter sighting near airports turn out to be a plastic bag being blown about but this one was apparently the real deal. Initial efforts to deal with the situation failed and over 140,000 passengers had their flights delayed or canceled. The ultimate cost of the mystery (they were never identified) quadcopter operator was over $66 million. The airport initially brought in an inexpensive and widely used AeroScope UAV detector. AeroScope is made by DJI, the Chinese firm that builds most of the quadcopters on the market. DJI includes a microchip in its quadcopters that contains information about the quadcopter operator in the control signal. AeroScope is a briefcase size device that uses two small antennae to monitor for the presence of a DJI control signal within five kilometers. If a control signal is detected the Aeroscope display shows the AeroScope operator data about the DJI quadcopter including location, altitude, speed, direction, takeoff location, operator location, and an identifier such as a registration or serial number. The Gatwick quadcopter was either not a DJI model or was one that had been altered (not easy to do but possible by someone familiar with drone control hardware and software). The military was consulted and they brought in one of their recently acquired (a few months earlier) Drone Dome systems. These cost $3.4 million each and consist of a 360 degree radar system, an electro-optical day/night surveillance unit and a wideband (most frequencies drones use) detector. With all this Drone Dome can reliably detect any small quadcopter or fixed-wing UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) within 3,500 meters. Most quadcopters and UAVs encountered are larger and these can be detected out to ten kilometers. Once spotted Drone Dome can use a focused jamming signal that will disrupt any radio control signals and force the drone to crash or operate erratically. Drone Dome has an optional laser gun that can be aimed by Drone Dome to destroy the drone at ranges up to 2,000 meters. In a combat zone, you can also employ machine-guns to bring down the drone. The British military did not purchase the laser option but was able to reliably detect all manner of small quadcopters from several manufacturers during tests earlier in 2019. It was not revealed if Drone Dome detected anything at Gatwick but the drone sightings stopped and Gatwick has since brought in a similar system to be permanently available for illegal drones operating around the airport. The same Israeli firm (Rafael) that developed the Iron Dome system (for effectively and economically destroying rockets and shells from mortar and artillery) in 2005 had, by 2017, developed a version optimized to detect and shoot down small UAVs. Drone Dome is a lot cheaper because it does not use $90,000 Tamir guided missiles to intercept rockets or shells headed for residential areas or military targets. Instead, Drone Dome uses a high powered laser that can destroy or disable most UAVs. Drone Dome uses a radar that can detect most small UAVs at ranges of up to 30 kilometers at altitudes of 10 meters (30 feet) to 10,000 meters. Drone Dome is not a radical development but part of a trend. Since 2010 Israeli firms have developed a growing number of AUD (Anti UAV Defense) systems largely because Israel is a nation that is most often threatened by hostile use of UAVs, particularly small commercial ones increasingly used by Islamic terrorists and criminal gangs. What makes Drone Dome different is its heavy use of electronic sensors to detect and jam the control signals used by UAVs, leaving the laser as a last resort. Several AUD systems are already in service and effective because they are good at detecting UAVss electronically and either jamming those control signals or taking over the control signals and capturing (by making it land) the UAV. Troops in Iraq and Syria were asking for AUD systems that used lasers and better UAV detection systems as well those with jammers to disable UAVs. There is a need for AUDs that can detect and destroy UAVs that do not use control signals and basically go on pre-programmed missions. This can be to take photos or deliver a small explosive. Usually, it is to take photos and return. Drone Dome is one of several AUD systems equipped to detect and locate UAVs operating in pre-programmed mode and destroy or disable them quietly with a vehicle-mounted laser. AUDs similar to Drone Dome also use one or more radar systems and one or more sensor systems for detecting UAV control signals or visual images (that pattern recognition software can quickly identify what it is). While commercial UAVs are more common the basic design principles have not changed. AUDs are constantly evolving to better detect and disable or destroy unwanted UAVs. The best ones are recent models that tend to be very expensive and used only for extreme situations, like UAV defense in combat zones. Airports, especially the large ones are going to have to join the military is buying the latest AUDs, which at least lowers the AUD price and inspires even faster innovation and development. The commentary on January 2nd by Fox News host Tucker Carlson was headlined at youtube Tucker: Leaders show no obligation to American voters" and it represents a historic turning-point in American political culture. This, from the Republican Partys news-site, Fox, refers to Americas ruling class the controllers of both Parties as mercenaries, who care only about themselves, and it specifically attacks both libertarianism and conservatism (the two ideologies upon which the post-Abraham-Lincoln Republican Party is based). Carlsons commentary says that money rules, and that democracy is only nominal and not real, in todays America. The current 3,747 comments to it at youtube reflect the revolution thats occurring now in Americas rapidly changing ideology. When a viewer there clicks on Best (the most-highly-agreed-with) as the option for displaying the comments, here is the most highly-agreed-with comment, followed by the most-highly-agreed-with response to it, and then the most-highly-agreed-with response to that (so, these comments reflect the core of that particular audience): Colony Three As a Bernie Sanders supporter, Im surprised to say that I agree with 80% of what was said here. We dont exist to serve markets, markets exist to serve us. Well said! REPLY Samuel Adam Genuinely curious what's the 20% you disagree with? REPLY Colony Three Samuel Adam, I guess the only two things I disagreed with are that women making more than men is necessarily a problem. I think the main issue is men and women working a full time job and not being able to make ends meet. Plus, I think Tucker should have been more specific when he referenced socialism, because yeah, Venezuela type socialism is terrible. But when most of my peers say socialism, what they actually mean is social democracy, the type found in Norway, Germany, Australia, Japan, and Canada. But overall, I think Carlson is a great host for Fox News, he doesnt tow the line and actually thinks for himself. I know a lot of my Republican friends and family feel the same way towards elites and their control of society that I do. The media likes to portray America as irreparably divided, but it isnt the case. REPLY Samuel Adam @Colony Three, Very interesting. I think despite my voting for Trump and you for Bernie, if you made a venn diagram of our positions, we'd overlap quite a bit. I agree that there isn't anything inherently wrong with a woman making more than a man, if that is the arrangement between two individuals/partners. As for socialism, I think where the Republican 'conservative' types fall off is the state being the judge and jury on moral/ethical matters such as poverty and inequality. That said, the American culture most definitely needs to get away from the selfish, hyper-individualist, libertarian stance and go back, perhaps to a pre-Founding (?) mentality of community and togetherness. I guess one could call it socialistic. I don't know, ha. Just a thought. You have a lot more optimism than me. But I could see a revolution in which those that came out of the Trumpian populist movement like myself came together with Bernie folks to recall the good parts of our history, learn from our bad parts, and ultimately progress to a Reformed America. Here are highlights (the core 921 words of his 2,694-words) from what Carlson said in his 15-minute monologue-commentary: The goal for America is both simpler and more elusive than mere prosperity. Its happiness. There are a lot of ingredients in being happy: Dignity. Purpose. Self-control. Independence. Above all, deep relationships with other people. Those are the things that you want for your children. Theyre what our leaders should want for us, and would want if they cared. But our leaders dont care. We are ruled by mercenaries who feel no long-term obligation to the people they rule. Theyre day traders. Substitute teachers. Theyre just passing through. They have no skin in this game, and it shows. They cant solve our problems. They dont even bother to understand our problems. One of the biggest lies our leaders tell us is that you can separate economics from everything else that matters. Economics is a topic for public debate. Family and faith and culture, meanwhile, those are personal matters. Both parties believe this. Members of our educated upper-middle-classes are now the backbone of the Democratic Party who usually describe themselves as fiscally responsible and socially moderate. In other words, functionally libertarian. They dont care how you live, as long as the bills are paid and the markets function. Somehow, they dont see a connection between peoples personal lives and the health of our economy, or for that matter, the countrys ability to pay its bills. As far as theyre concerned, these are two totally separate categories. Social conservatives, meanwhile, come to the debate from the opposite perspective, and yet reach a strikingly similar conclusion. The real problem, youll hear them say, is that the American family is collapsing. Nothing can be fixed before we fix that. Yet, like the libertarians they claim to oppose, many social conservatives also consider markets sacrosanct. The idea that families are being crushed by market forces seems never to occur to them. They refuse to consider it. Questioning markets feels like apostasy. Both sides miss the obvious point: Culture and economics are inseparably intertwined. Certain economic systems allow families to thrive. Thriving families make market economies possible. You cant separate the two. It used to be possible to deny this. Not anymore. The evidence is now overwhelming. How do we know? Consider the inner cities. Because virtually the same thing has happened decades later to an entirely different population. In many ways, rural America now looks a lot like Detroit. This is striking because rural Americans wouldnt seem to have much in common with anyone from the inner city. These groups have different cultures, different traditions and political beliefs. Usually they have different skin colors. Rural people are white conservatives, mostly. Heres a big part of the answer: male wages declined. Manufacturing, a male-dominated industry, all but disappeared over the course of a generation. All that remained in many places were the schools and the hospitals, both traditional employers of women. In many places, women suddenly made more than men. Now, before you applaud this as a victory for feminism, consider the effects. Study after study has shown that when men make less than women, women generally dont want to marry them. Maybe they should want to marry them, but they dont. Over big populations, this causes a drop in marriage, a spike in out-of-wedlock births, and all the familiar disasters that inevitably follow more drug and alcohol abuse, higher incarceration rates, fewer families formed in the next generation. This isnt speculation. This is not propaganda from the evangelicals. Its social science. We know its true. Rich people know it best of all. Thats why they get married before they have kids. That model works. But increasingly, marriage is a luxury only the affluent in America can afford. And yet, and heres the bewildering and infuriating part, those very same affluent married people, the ones making virtually all the decisions in our society, are doing pretty much nothing to help the people below them get and stay married. Rich people are happy to fight malaria in Congo. But working to raise mens wages in Dayton or Detroit? Thats crazy. This is negligence on a massive scale. Both parties ignore the crisis in marriage. Our mindless cultural leaders act like its still 1961, and [like] the biggest problem American families face is that sexism is preventing millions of housewives from becoming investment bankers or Facebook executives. For our ruling class, more investment banking is always the answer. They teach us its more virtuous to devote your life to some soulless corporation than it is to raise your own kids. Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook wrote an entire book about this. Sandberg explained that our first duty is to shareholders, above our own children. No surprise there. Sandberg herself is one of Americas biggest shareholders. Propaganda like this has made her rich. We are ruled by mercenaries who feel no long-term obligation to the people they rule. Theyre day traders. Substitute teachers. Theyre just passing through. They have no skin in this game, and it shows. Whats remarkable is how the rest of us responded to it. We didnt question why Sandberg was saying this. We didnt laugh in her face at the pure absurdity of it. Our corporate media celebrated Sandberg as the leader of a liberation movement. Her book became a bestseller: "Lean In." As if putting a corporation first is empowerment. It is not. It is bondage. Republicans should say so. They should also speak out against the ugliest parts of our financial system. Not all commerce is good. At the website of Fox News itself, the comments are virtually all from Republicans, and theyre not nearly as happy with what Carlson said, as is the case at the youtube site; their comments are more focused on the strictly intra-Republican-Party feud, than on the nations welfare. Carlsons central point was missed. The Fox News web-page that presents both the video and the transcript of the segment is titled Tucker Carlson: Mitt Romney supports the status quo. But for everyone else, it's infuriating." The (currently) 3,359 reader-comments there lead off with, as the three Best: MotoJoe Russia didn't make me vote for Trump. People like Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton did. time4achangenowLeader3 Jan Best article by Tucker that I have read by him. The "swamp" is the problem and Mutt just adds to it. Romney, where the tail does wag the dog. UngaBungaLeader3 Jan Isn't this twice now that Romney has stabbed Trump in the back? That combined with him not being able to seal the deal with beating Obama, doesn't sound like a good Republican Senator to me. However, Carlson was attacking both conservatism and libertarianism both the pure traditionalists (who accept everything from their religion) and the pure libertarians (who accept everything from the religion-of-the-markets i.e., from the capitalist faith). Carlson there cited social science findings as his authorities. To hear or read his commentary, as a Republican, and yet not to recognize that your ideology has here been demolished, is so obtuse that only the dead-head Republicans can be exposed to the commentary and remain unmoved in their existing ideology be that either conservative or libertarian, or some mix of the two. And yet, overwhelmingly, Republicans did not take it to be personally insulting to themselves. Only few of the comments took personal offense. On Americas political left, most of what Carlson said in his commentary would be supported. This includes even support by many Blacks, Hispanics, and other minority groups, who long have supported the Democratic Party. On January 18th, Bill van Auken at the World Socialist Web Site, headlined US-born anchor for Iranian TV jailed without charges and he wrote, regarding that anchor, who is an American Black: Marzieh Hashemi, an anchor and reporter for Press TV, the English-language station of Irans state-run broadcasting system, was arrested Sunday at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, transported to a Washington detention facility in manacles and chains and has been held ever since without charges or any public explanation from either the US Justice Department or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Hashemi was in the United States to visit her family, including a brother suffering from cancer, and was working on a documentary film on Black Lives Matter. Four days later, Daniel Haiphong bannered at the American Herald Tribune site, Marzieh Hashemi and the War on Independent Journalism, and he opened: The era of Trump has confirmed the existence of what some on the Black left such as Ajamu Baraka and Anthony Monteiro have called a crisis of legitimacy. A crisis of legitimacy haunts the ruling circle in all realms of the US empire. It extends to the capitalist economy, which has become a drag on human progress due to its impoverishment of half of the worlds population. The US military is currently mired in a forever war on the planet that is costlier and less effective in preventing the rise of large competitors such as China and Russia from expanding their global influence. Perhaps nowhere is the crisis of legitimacy clearer than in the war on independent journalism being waged by the ruling elites in the US and Europe. Thats also similar to what Tucker Carlson was saying. He, too, was criticizing the ruling elites in the US and Europe, and for the same reasons. He, too, was saying that in America, there is a crisis of legitimacy. Consequently, did Tucker Carlson, in his January 2nd commentary, open the way, finally, toward a New America emerging a compassionate country, which blames no masses (such as the failures, or the poor, or the Hispanics, or the Blacks or any foreign country not Russia, and not Iran, and not China, not any at all) for Americas decline, but which instead blames Americas billionaires the people who actually control America for the serious problems in America? If so, he just might have delivered there the platform for a new third American political party, which could end and replace the Republican Party, just as Abraham Lincoln and the Republicans ended and replaced the then-existing Whig Party, from which they had sprung. In that case, a new third political Party replaced one of the two existing political Parties. It could happen again. Is Tucker Carlson now running for President? Regarding Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloways column Dont mess with the voice of Missourians (Jan. 25): Galloways column should be mandatory reading for every high school social studies class on how government is supposed to work. The U.S. is a republican form of government. A republican government is one in which the power is held by the people, who then elect representatives to represent them and serve their interests. Gov. Mike Parson is currently trying to legislatively override the Clean Missouri ballot measure approved by voters on Nov. 6 to prevent gerrymandered political districting in Missouri. Also on Nov. 6, St. Louis County voters passed a charter amendment to restrict political campaign contributions to $2,600 per individual. Our newly elected county prosecutor, Wesley Bell, has accepted contributions for $3,500 and $10,000 because he wasnt sure if the law was in effect. And hes an educated lawyer. Sometimes shutdowns result from good-faith budgetary disagreements. But during Barack Obamas presidency, congressional Republicans tried a shutdown to prevent implementation of the Affordable Care Act a mostly ideological rather than budgetary issue. Trumps wall had even less legitimacy as a budget-stopping issue. The $5.7 billion he wanted isnt epic by federal budgetary standards, but most people outside Trumps orbit recognized this as a tax-funded appeal to xenophobia within his base, rather than a serious border-security plan. By using the shutdown as a bargaining chip, Trump left congressional Democrats no option but to dig in. Those who agree to negotiate at knifepoint quickly find thats the only kind of negotiation ever offered to them. That Trump lost this gambit and came away politically wounded is a win for deterrence. But more is needed. Two pending legislative measures would prevent future shutdowns by reworking the budget process so government funding continues even when all sides cant agree on new spending plans. Burton brushed aside the criticism, saying it's time to explore a new direction for the country. "I'm doing this because I think our country is in crisis and I think we should be imaginative as for how to fix it," Burton said. He disputed the suggestion that he is helping Schultz simply to make money, saying: "This is a campaign. We're not doing this as volunteers." After Schultz announced on "60 Minutes" on Sunday that he was "seriously considering" running for president as a "centrist independent" in 2020, Democrats from across the political spectrum reacted with a near universal negativity. News of Schultz's 2020 aspiration came at the outset of a book tour for "From the Ground Up," the coffee magnate's memoir. But at his first book tour event on Monday, the animosity some have towards a Schultz run was readily apparent. "Don't help elect Trump, you egotistical billionaire a**hole," yelled a protester at the start of the event at a Barnes & Noble in New York City. "Go back to getting ratioe'd on Twitter. Go back to Davos with the billionaire elites who think they know how to run the world. That's not what democracy is." Burton, who was at the event and saw the heckler, said Schultz "took it in stride." Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said he did not know of anyone calling for a US military intervention in Venezuela amid the escalating political crisis gripping the South American nation and the Trump administration's embrace of an opposition leader. As Venezuela's political turmoil continues, the nation's self-proclaimed interim president says his movement to oust President Nicolas Maduro is gaining momentum and will be demonstrated in a massive rally planned for this week. Venezuela's opposition has called for nationwide anti-government protests to take place this week, according to Juan Guaido, head of the opposition-led National Assembly. In a video posted to Twitter on Sunday, Guaido called for the people of Venezuela to peacefully take to the streets Wednesday in opposition to Maduro's presidency. He asked the people to join him for a second protest Saturday, where he called for support from within Venezuela and throughout the world. Guaido declared himself acting president last week amid massive and deadly anti-government protests, claiming Maduro was illegitimately elected for a second term. "The people who think that we are going to fizzle, I think they are not going to be happy," Guaido said Friday in his first public appearance after challenging Maduro's regime. "There are people here in the streets for a long time." Maduro says Venezuela has fallen "victim of a US conspiracy." Appropriators are, by nature, deal makers and rarely come from the hardline elements of either side of the party. The Senate Appropriations Committee actually came to a bipartisan agreement on a Homeland Security bill last year -- one that included $1.6 billion in border security that included funds for fencing and barrier repairs. Does that make a final deal more likely? Not necessarily, aides in both parties say. They are all skeptical that given the red lines for both sides, particularly on the issue of the border wall, a final agreement is a long way off. Plus, the party leaders in both chambers will ultimately have a say over the final deal, and even Trump, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal Sunday, put the odds of success for the conference committee at "less than 50-50." Still, the group marks the best chance for any kind of border security agreement in the near term. They would likely require Trump to offer something on the scale of permanent protection for undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children and even a path to citizenship for a group known as Dreamers. Trump offered a temporary shield to DACA recipients and other migrants covered by Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for three years in a bid to break the deadlock in the government shutdown negotiations. But Democrats refused, reasoning that temporary protections from deportation in return for a permanent wall was hardly a good deal. Even that limited offer drew fury from some of Trump's traditional cheerleaders on the right. Putting permanent status on the table for any undocumented migrants could cause a firestorm among supporters who see any such move as "amnesty." The changed balance of power in Washington has put Trump in a deeply ironic position that, to get the wall, he might have to do something he's never done before: risk his connection to his base. Could the White House go big? Florida Sen. Marco Rubio -- while stressing the need to first guarantee border security -- thinks that the White House may be prepared to go far bigger than most people think as Trump seeks to fulfill his core campaign promise. A new analysis of blood samples from 24,000 Americans taken early last year is the largest study to suggest the coronavirus popped up in the U.S. in December 2019. Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro said Sunday that should former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz run for president as an independent, he would give President Donald Trump the "best hope of getting re-elected." Last week, CNN reported that two people familiar with Schultz's thinking said the businessman is exploring a 2020 presidential run as an independent. After he stepped down from his position at Starbucks last year, Schultz said at the time that he may consider a White House bid. "I have a concern that if he did run, that essentially, it would provide Donald Trump with his best hope of getting re-elected," Castro, the former secretary of Housing and Urban Development, told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union." "Just the other day, there was a fairly comprehensive poll taken that showed, essentially, right now, that the President has a ceiling of about 41% or 42% in terms of support for him no matter which Democratic candidate they polled against him," Castro said. "So his only hope -- if things stayed the same, and that's a big if -- is essentially to get somebody else, a third party, to siphon off those votes. And I don't think that that would be in the best interest of our county." While both parties used to win landslide victories with some frequency -- Lyndon Johnson in 1964, Richard Nixon in 1972, Ronald Reagan in 1984 -- in recent decades the parties have become much more evenly matched and the elections much more closely contested. In the modern age, presidential races have increasingly hinged on small numbers of voters in a handful of states. As a result, presidential campaigns have centered on the ability of parties to turn out the vote. As we saw in 2016, shifts in even a sliver of the electorate can determine that outcome. For many Democrats, a potential Schultz campaign calls to mind the Green Party candidacy of consumer advocate and political reformer Ralph Nader in the 2000 election. With self-righteous fervor, Nader complained that the Democrats were no different from the GOP. Both parties, he argued, had sold themselves out to corporate money and were under the control of K Street interest groups. Neither one, according to Nader, cared about average Americans. Nader's run helped cost Democrats the election. Vice President Al Gore defeated Texas Governor George Bush by about 540,000 ballots in the popular vote, but the Electoral College outcome proved too close to call on election night. With Gore claiming 267 electoral votes and Bush having 246, the undecided state of Florida became the final battleground. After Trump agreed Friday to reopen the government for three weeks, a 17-member House-Senate conference committee will convene Wednesday to begin talks over a homeland security spending bill that would serve as a vehicle for immigration and border security measures. Trump has demanded $5.7 billion to fulfill his campaign promise for a wall at the southern border, something that Pelosi has flatly rejected. But Pelosi on Friday was unclear about whether she would rule out funding for the wall in the next round of talks. And some Democrats have signaled an openness to compromise in exchange for immigration policy changes, such as legal status for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States at a young age, recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Trump told the Journal that he was not inclined to support such a deal that would pave the way for a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, also referred to as Dreamers. With Trump saying that another shutdown is an "option," Alexander called for legislation to prevent that from happening again. A 7-year old and a 1-year-old were also found in the home, but they were unharmed and are now with their mother. Theriot was taken to Northern Neck Regional Jail and is being held without bond, pending a court appearance. He will be transported back to Ascension Parish at a later date and booked on two counts of first-degree murder, home invasion and illegal use of weapons. He also faces three counts of first-degree murder and theft of a motor vehicle in Livingston Parish, according to WAFB. Champagne told WAFB she was at her mother's house when she got the news of the shooting. "I got outside, a truck pulls up and a man says 'are you Rhonda?'" she said. She has another son, Hunter Ernest, 16, who told WBRZ about the morning he found out his siblings had been murdered. "Before that we were happy, and then the police told my mom to sit down, and they told her what happened, and she was broken. We were broken," Hunter said. Crystal DeYoung, sister of Billy Ernest, said accepting the fact that her relatives were gone was "too much to ask." UPDATED at 11:45 a.m. with lifting of boil advisory. A precautionary boil advisory issued for portions of Maplewood, Shrewsbury and Webster Groves Sunday morning has been lifted. The boil advisory, issued by Missouri American Water, had prompted the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District to call off classes for the district Monday. The utility issued the advisory due to low pressure caused by a water main break near the intersection of Folk Avenue and Hanley Road, in the Maplewood Commons shopping center area. Repaires were completed Sunday and water testing has shown the water is now safe, according to a Missouri American Water spokesman. The advisory affected about 5,000 customers. They still had water service, though with low pressure. Missouri American Water advised customers to boil water for three minutes before consumption during the advisory. Water use for washing and bathing is safe. The Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District posted on its Facebook page Sunday afternoon that it was cancelling school Monday for the entire district because water tests would not have been back before school was to begin. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ST. LOUIS A man who was shot Friday night near Interstate 70 in the College Hill neighborhood has died, police said. The shooting occurred around 10:15 p.m. in the 1400 block of De Soto Avenue. The man was not conscious or breathing, according to police. Police said early Saturday morning the victim had died. Police at the scene were looking into a car that hopped the curb and had a shattered driver's side window. Authorities asked anyone with information to contact CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-8477. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward. In a sign of his interest in the issue, the governor made a rare, brief appearance at the hearing to listen in on the debate. We all agree that change is needed, Swan told members of the committee. Parson already has taken steps to reorganize state government by moving hundreds of staffers out of the Department of Economic Development in order to sharpen the focus of the agency on job creation. Parson also wants an additional $16.3 million for training programs designed to help workers gain skills needed at particular employers. Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon said despite low unemployment, economic growth in Missouri has lagged compared to neighboring states. We need to have that supply of labor, Dixon said. Its been a decade since we stepped back and assessed our economic development strategy. We are really far behind and we need to catch up, said Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit. BELLEVILLE Belleville attorney James A. Gomric is expected to be named to replace St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly, who resigned to lead the Illinois State Police. As first reported by the Belleville News-Democrat, Mondays St. Clair County Board agenda lists Gomric's name to be recommended to the post by County Board Chairman Mark Kern. Gomric, 49, worked in the states attorneys office from 1995 until 1998. He has worked as a criminal defense attorney representing clients in state and federal courts. Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker picked Kelly to be the new head of the Illinois State Police, Kelly confirmed to the Post-Dispatch on Tuesday. Kelly, 42, of Swansea, has been the top St. Clair County prosecutor since 2010. He ran as a Democrat for Illinois' 12th Congressional District seat in the 2018 midterm election, but lost to incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Missouri became the 33rd state to legalize medical marijuana after 65 percent of voters approved Amendment 2, the most popular of three medical marijuana ballot initiatives. Shops are expected to open early next year. At the Department of Corrections, officials earlier said they were discussing rules about the use of medical marijuana by correctional officers. The states main personnel agency also is mulling whether medical pot use will be a factor in hiring in other state jobs. And, Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, has introduced legislation that would allow recipients of welfare benefits to keep their benefits if they test positive for medical marijuana. Theres a lot of unanswered questions about the medical marijuana program, Department of Public Safety Director Sandra Karsten told the commission. Since November, the Department of Health and Senior Services has been working to implement the new law. In the first month of taking applications from companies that want to participate in the program officials received more than $2 million in application fees. JEFFERSON CITY A Cole County judge on Monday sided with Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway's office in an open records dispute that had stretched on for a year and a half. Circuit Judge Jon Beetem said in a 24-page ruling that Galloway's office did not break the state's Sunshine Law when it processed an open records request from the group Missouri Alliance for Freedom, a GOP-allied non-profit that does not have to reveal its donors. The Alliance for Freedom originally sought in May 2017 emails and documents connected to the auditors probe of the Department of Revenue and its slow processing of tax refunds, among other things, including all communications from Galloway since she took office in 2015. The group later sued the auditor's office, alleging the office knowingly and purposefully violated the law as it processed the requests. Beetem disagreed. He said the group asked for native communications data, which the office did not possess, Beetem wrote. The plan calls for consolidating 55 police departments in the city and county into one. The authors of the report "learned of situations in which departments do not share crime data; instances in which addressing crime meant nothing more than trying to move issues into another municipality; and anecdotes of police departments being unable, or unwilling, to cooperate among themselves to address crime." And, they said, officers wanted access to more training and better social and mental health services when responding to calls. The report also calls for consolidation of municipal courts with adequate oversight to avoid abuses and conflicts of interest like those highlighted in a Post-Dispatch investigation. The county's 88 municipalities would become "municipal districts" that could deliver a limited array of services, including parks and recreation and trash collection. But they could no longer have police or courts. And they would still have to pay off their own existing debts and liabilities such as pensions. The city of St. Louis would continue as a "municipal corporation" to satisfy its outstanding obligations. The earnings tax would be phased out by 10 percent annually. EAST ST. LOUIS Three men armed with rifles held up the Casino Queen in 2017, firing shots that wounded an unarmed security guard before leaving with money from the casino's cash drawers. Fifteen months later, a Georgia man has been arrested in the crime. Daryl V. Muhammad, 42, of Marietta, Ga., was charged earlier this month by the St. Clair County prosecutors with armed robbery/discharging of a firearm and aggravated battery with a firearm. He was arrested in Georgia by U.S. marshals on Wednesday. Muhammad was being held in the Cobb County Jail pending extradition to Illinois. His bail was set at $1 million. He was among three men who entered the casino just before 3 a.m. on Sept. 17, 2017, wearing guns and carrying rifles. The robbers fired shots, hitting an unarmed security guard. The three left with cash. Patrons scattered during the chaos, but none were hurt. A reward in the robbery rose to $26,000 in the days afterward as officers struggled to identify suspects. The house is about two miles from the southeastern border of the district they were supposed to be patrolling. Under department policy, on-duty officers are required to remain in their assigned districts at all times. Officers are required to constantly patrol his/her beat, except when on special assignments and shall not lounge, loaf or gather with others at any place, according to the Responsibilities of the District Police Officers section of the police manual. At some point, Alix arrived at the house. She was off duty. The partner told investigators that he told Hendren and Alix they should not be playing with guns, and reminded them they were police officers. He said he didnt want any part of it and started to leave, but before he got outside, he heard a shot. Hendren and his partner reported the shooting on their police radios at 12:56 a.m. Thursday and loaded Alix into their police department SUV, taking her to the hospital. At the hospital, Hendren head-butted the back windshield of a police SUV parked nearby, breaking it, sources said. He suffered minor injuries to his head, and remained hospitalized, sources said. Emporia, KS (66801) Today Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 75F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 75F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Certainly, were looking into all avenues ... including, potentially, civil litigation, Scott Rosenblum said. The family is convinced that with Katlyns training, both police and military, there remains a substantial amount of unanswered questions ... questions about the circumstances of the event. Hendren and his partner, both 29, were on duty in the citys 2nd District on Thursday morning but went to Hendrens house in the 700 block of Dover Place, which is in another police district. The house is about two miles from the southeastern border of the district they were supposed to be patrolling. Under department policy, on-duty officers are required to remain in their assigned districts at all times. Alix, who was off duty, also went to the home. Shortly before 1 a.m., Hendren took all the bullets out of a revolver and then put one back in. He spun the cylinder, pointed it away and pulled the trigger, according to court documents. The gun did not fire, court records say. Alix then took the gun, pointed it at Hendren and pulled the trigger. Hendren then took the gun again and pulled the trigger. This time it fired, striking Alix in the chest, records say. ST. LOUIS A man was shot and killed Monday afternoon in the Walnut Park East neighborhood, police say. The shooting happened just before 2 p.m. in the 5200 block of Davison Avenue. The man, who was in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Police have not yet released his identity. The shooting marks the third homicide in or bordering Walnut Park East since Jan. 1. Last year, there were six homicides in the neighborhood, according to police data compiled by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A message from David Nicklaus Want to stay smart about what's happening in St. Louis? Make a modest investment in a Post-Dispatch subscription and I'll tell you how developments around the world affect local businesses big and small. Intro subscription rate: Just $1 for 6 months Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ST. LOUIS The city routinely imprisons people for their inability to pay cash bail, denying them due process under the law, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by the ArchCity Defenders. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in St. Louis by ArchCity and national legal organizations on behalf of four named plaintiffs, and seeks to represent others who have been treated similarly. St. Louis cash bail policies imprison people on unaffordable money bail, deny them even the most basic procedural protections, and violate their fundamental constitutional right to pretrial liberty and their equal protection right not to be detained because of their poverty, the complaint says. A defendants first hearing on release conditions occurs only when he or she obtains counsel. Because the appointment of a public defender can take four to five weeks, those too poor to pay bail or hire a private attorney are stuck in jail, the suit says. Additionally, judges set bail without any investigation into an individuals ability to pay or whether incarceration is necessary, as opposed to less restrictive alternatives, the suit says. UPDATED with the driver's name and more details. FRANKLIN COUNTY A man who authorities say had threatened "suicide by cop" and fled from officers died Sunday after crashing into a tractor-trailer near St. Clair. The driver was identified as Thomas W. Washburn, 36, of the St. Louis area. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Missouri Highway Patrol says it appears he rammed into the big rig intentionally. About 5:15 p.m., the Missouri Highway Patrol was warned by St. Louis County officers about a man who had said he wanted to be killed by police, according to trooper Dallas Thompson. The advisory included a description of a vehicle, which was spotted westbound on Interstate 44. Eureka police tried to stop the vehicle, but it fled west. They called off their pursuit near Pacific, Thompson said. The speeding driver hit a semi-tractor trailer from the rear at mile marker 241, near St. Clair, the Missouri Highway Patrol said. That's about 17 miles southwest of Pacific. According to a Missouri Highway Patrol crash report: Washburn was traveling westbound on I-44 in the left lane, "actively fleeing from law enforcement officers." A 2015 Volvo semi-truck was also headed westbound on I-44 ahead of Washburn's 2007 Pontiac G6. Washburn accelerated, merged into the right lane, and crashed into the back of the semi-truck. Washburn's vehicle then skidded to a stop in the middle of the road. A message from David Nicklaus Want to stay smart about what's happening in St. Louis? Make a modest investment in a Post-Dispatch subscription and I'll tell you how developments around the world affect local businesses big and small. Intro subscription rate: Just $1 for 6 months Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Darrell Mease Darrell Mease in a 2017 photo, Missouri Department of Corrections. It was a curiosity. That was all. But, of course, the church heard about it, and eventually the pope made a personal plea to the governor. It happened after the prayer service at the St. Louis Cathedral. Oh, what a moment it must have been. Think of the ornate cathedral, the atmosphere so moving and rich, with Rabbi Robert Jacobs, 90 years old and a voice like God himself, reading from Isaiah, first in Hebrew and then in English. So many dignitaries, the majesty of the Catholic liturgy, and then the pope, the legendary and charismatic pope, coming down the aisle. Wait. He's making a detour. He's stopping to talk to you! Who wouldn't be hooked on the feeling? But now we're at the morning-after, and the guv is waking up with a lampshade on his head. Personally, I would have no trouble with a governor who was somewhat queasy about the death penalty. Consider, for instance, a case in which there was some question, however slight, about the condemned man's guilt. The third Delmar Loop trolley car was delivered Tuesday morning on a flatbed truck to the trolley's headquarters at 5875 Delmar Boulevard. The orange car was built in the 1920s in Melbourne, Australia, and has capacity for 100 passengers 50 seated and 50 standing. It must pass safety and operator testing before passengers can ride it. It will be marked "testing" as it makes its way along the tracks. Most testing is expected to be done during early mornings and once it's ready for service, the three cars will rotate so one car is on standby, Kevin Barbeau, executive director of the Loop Trolley Company, said in a statement. Once it passes those tests and all three cars can operate, the trolley system will be in service seven days a week, said Joe Edwards, the Delmar Loop businessman who chairs the trolleys financing district. It now runs Thursday through Sunday with two cars in service. The trolley runs on a 2.2-mile route in St. Louis and University City, linking the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park and the western end of the Delmar Loop. It began operations Nov. 16, although each of its two cars recently have been pulled for repairs. Eight Steak 'n Shake restaurants in the St. Louis area closed in recent days. A notice on the company's website said the restaurants are "temporarily closed." The Indianapolis-based chain has several dozen restaurants in the St. Louis region. The closed Steak 'n Shake restaurants are at 12607 Dorsett Road in Maryland Heights; 10459 Page Avenue in Overland; 13426 Olive Boulevard and 17312 Chesterfield Airport Road in Chesterfield; 13849 Manchester Road in unincorporated St. Louis County; 7606 Manchester Road in Maplewood; 4320 West Main in Belleville; and 10860 Lincoln Trail in Fairview Heights, Ill. A sign posted on the Maplewood restaurant said the closure is due to remodeling. A company spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment about the closures. Editor's note: This story was updated to include two additional Steak 'n Shake closures in the Metro East. A message from David Nicklaus Want to stay smart about what's happening in St. Louis? Make a modest investment in a Post-Dispatch subscription and I'll tell you how developments around the world affect local businesses big and small. Intro subscription rate: Just $1 for 6 months Lee Enterprises, which owns the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, announced Monday it has reached an agreement to purchase the print and digital assets of the Kenosha News and the Lake Geneva Regional News in Wisconsin. Mark Lewis, the publisher of The Journal Times in Racine, Wisc., will become the president and publisher of the new media group. The Kenosha News publishes seven days a week and has an average daily print circulation of about 20,000. The Lake Geneva Regional News publishes weekly. The sale is expected to close on Thursday, with the new ownership starting Friday, Feb. 1. The Kenosha News, then the Kenosha Evening News, was purchased in 1961 by United Communications Corporation founders Howard and Elizabeth Brown. Lee President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mowbray said, These two markets fit very nicely into our already strong footprint in Wisconsin. Their proximity to existing Lee properties creates opportunity for synergies while greatly strengthening our audiences in southeast Wisconsin. Mowbray noted that the acquisition will be accretive to earnings in year one. The Brown family has owned the Kenosha News since 1961, when Betsy and Howard Brown founders of UCC purchased the then-Kenosha Evening News. The JAMA study appears to be the first and most comprehensive study of injury patterns associated with e-scooter injuries to date, offering a window into how people are using a new form of technology. In recent months, numerous riders have reported being injured by scooters that malfunction, throwing riders off the vehicles at high speed. Last year, Lime one of the world's largest scooter companies was forced to issue two recalls after The Post reported that some of their scooters carried batteries capable of catching fire and others included baseboards that split in half while people rode them. In a statement emailed to The Post, Lime said the safety of riders and the community is the company's "number one priority." Lime said it has upgraded its scooters with better wheels and suspension, as well as additional braking and improved balance. "We believe continued government investment in protected bike lanes and paths is critical," the statement added. "Lime supports the AMA's study recommendations to further innovate helmet designs and for the industry to continue focusing on safety." Paul Steely White, Bird's director of safety policy and advocacy, said the company hopes for an opportunity to have a "collaborative conversation" with the study's authors focused on "proven preventative measures and education." President Klaus Iohannis on Monday stated that, in trying to escape justice and stay in power, some politicians are blaming the magistrates, are blaming the multinationals and demonize the European Union. "Despite all of our efforts, no deed of respect and dignity restoration, no matter how noble or solar it might seem, cannot cancel a crime. The antidote of evil can only be an action meant to rescue our future, through the recognition of the ideological traps and a careful examination of the actions of politicians and their supporters. In the past seven decades, the world has changed, but the instruments of politicians, however, remained the same. Let's not forget that, in the name of a so-called supreme ideal, by changing the laws and capturing the state institutions one by one, the Nazi regime consolidated its power. The perception according to which politicians, who should represent the people and their interests, have the right to override truths, to identify enemies, to blame various categories of citizens for their own failures is a toxic philosophy. Today, in their foolish attempt to save themselves from justice and keep their power, some politicians are blaming magistrates, are blaming multinationals and demonize the European Union, described as being abusive and arrogant. After you point your finger at them, there will be others who will come next tomorrow, then others, until this indistinctness and the continuous search for the ones to bear the blame will become the perfect pretext for them to capture the state," the head of the state said at the ceremony occasioned by the decoration of some of the survivors of the Holocaust. He underscored that "the past is a warning that it always remains valid in the present and the effort to understand it is never enough." "It is our duty to prevent and annihilate any action meant to destabilize peace and damage the fundamental European values. It is also the duty of the institutions and the Romanian state officials to protect the citizens, by all means, to safeguard the rule of law state, democracy, to guarantee social peace and respect the essential values. (...) To respect the memory of the victims, to learn from the lessons of the past and continue to cultivate the principles of tolerance, acceptance, solidarity and respect in the Romanian society!," showed Iohannis. On Sunday, President Iohannis signed the decree on the decoration of some of the survivors of the Holocaust. Thus, as a token of "special respect for their sufferings during the Second World War, for the high moral convictions they have shown throughout their lives, as well as for their efforts to keep alive the memory of the Holocaust victims - a tragedy that mankind must never know again," the head of state bestowed the National Order "Faithful Service" in rank of Knight upon Davidovits Rachel, Pardau Lea, Schwartz Paul, Segal Sandra, Shai Meir, Szinetar Judith Agneta and Vainer Anette. President Iohannis also bestowed the "Faithful Service" National Medal Class II upon Andrei Klein. President Klaus Iohannis stated on Monday that the existence of the National Museum of Jewish History and Holocaust is vital. "I am glad to notice that the political forces have reached a consensus and I hope that this project becomes a reality in a relatively short time. I am convinced that this museum will be more than just a symbolic space, it will run as an important educational resource, especially for the younger generations. Education is the most powerful weapon that a society has to withstand the attempts to poison democracies through extremist, populist, anti-Semitic and xenophobic manifestations. The existence of this museum, alongside the other measures that I brought to mind, is vital for a genuine fight against this latent negationist trend and all the tendencies that still threaten the European states," Iohannis said at the decoration ceremony of the Holocaust survivors. He mentioned that Romania has made notable progresses in the direction of preserving the memory of the Holocaust and fighting anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and intolerance, bringing to mind the upgrade and strengthening of the relevant legislation and the support for the establishment of the Holocaust Museum. "I advise the authorities and the citizens, not to stop here, but to continue! We need to persevere all these efforts because there is still, unfortunately, an alarming growth of nationalist and extremist currents, at European level, we are confronted with an intensification of violent manifestation, hatred feelings, anti-Semitic and xenophobic tendencies. All these slippages are unequivocally contrary to a culture based on the fundamental European values and they are the consequences of a lack of knowledge and information," Iohannis showed. At the head of state's proposal, a moment of silence was held in the memory of the Holocaust victims. Sandra Segal, decorated by President Iohannis stated that the distinction is, among others, a symbol which represents a huge step in mankind's consciousness. On Sunday, President Klaus Iohannis signed the decree for the decoration of several survivors of the Holocaust. Thus, as a sign "of special respect for the suffering endured during the World War II, for high moral character proved throughout life, as well as for the efforts put in for maintaining alive the memory of the Holocaust victims - a tragedy that mankind ought not to ever know," the head of state bestowed the National Order of 'Faithful Service' in rank of Knight upon Davidovits Rachel, Pardau Lea, Schwartz Paul, Segal Sandra, Shai Meir, Szinetar Judith Agneta and Vainer Anette. Moreover, President Klaus Iohannis decorated Andrei Klein with the "Faithful Service" National Medal 3rd Class. PNL (National Liberal Party) leader Ludovic Orban on Monday criticized the government for failing to adopt the state budget for this year. "It's a shame for the Government and the majority coalition that we will see January ending very soon and Romania still has no budget. This has serious consequences on the functionality of the public institutions, the functionality of the local public authorities, which cannot adopt the local budgets until the adoption of the state budget. It has an extremely negative impact on the economic development of Romania, for there cannot be any new investments made until the state budget and the local budgets are adopted. They have problems including with their expenditures on personnel. (...) They are not capable of building the budget. (...) I saw that the Prime Minister was missing from the table [from a picture showing Liviu Dragnea, published on Facebook - editor's note], which means that the PM has nothing to do with the budget. (...) Basically, we don't have a budget because the current Government is incapable of drafting a budget to correspond to the current regulations at European level," Orban said after the meeting of the National Political Bureau of the PNL. He showed that the parliamentary majority refused to convene an extraordinary parliamentary session. Moreover, Orban specified that the Liberals will file a new motion of censure against the Government during this parliamentary session. In his turn, PNL Senator Florin Citu stated that the institutions should take action each time when such confidential data regarding the economy are being published. "It seems there are people in the Ministry of Finance who give information via sources and then this information is published by the Speaker of the Deputies' Chamber, by an adviser. There is no other country in the world where this happens. Confidential information appears to all at the same time. There are no sources for someone to use preferentially. We don't know, for instance, if Liviu Dragnea, maybe, used this information in his own interest and to make money out of it. The state institutions should take action each time when such situations appear," said the Liberal Senator. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila reiterated on Monday Romania's constant support for the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Republic of Macedonia, within a meeting with Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bujar Osmani, a Government release informs. According to an Executive release, the official visit to Romania of Deputy PM Osmani is the first to be paid after the ratification by Macedonia's Parliament of the Law amending the Constitution and takes place in the context in which Romania holds the Presidency at the EU Council. "The meeting of the two officials represented a good opportunity to reconfirm Romania's openness to strengthen the entire bilateral relations, in continuing the discussions which PM Dancila carried out within her official visit to Skopje, on 27 June 2018. The bilateral dialogue and the constant growth of the bilateral trade were hailed. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila commended the adoption by the Macedonian Parliament of the Law amending the Constitution of the country, on 11 January 2019, thus, meeting the obligations assumed by the Government in Skopje in the historic agreement of Prespa. Moreover, the Romanian high official voiced her satisfaction regarding the positive vote cast by Parliament in Athens to ratify the Prespa Agreement on 25 January 2019," the release showed. During the meeting, the Romanian PM "reiterated Romania's constant support for the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Republic of Macedonia, voicing confidence that the Republic of North Macedonia, with the country's new constitutional name, will become the 30th member of the Alliance." "In this context, the Romanian dignitary assured the high Macedonian official of Romania's support for his county's accession to the EU and encouraged the Macedonian authorities to continue the reform process, in order to obtain concrete results during the Romanian Presidency at the EU Council," according to the release. In his turn, the Macedonian Deputy PM argued the need to further develop the bilateral relations, especially in the economic area, and pointed out that the organisation of an economic forum with the participation of both countries' business milieus would be an useful tool in this regard. The Romanian Ombudsman, Victor Ciorbea, on Monday met the new Ambassador of the Spanish Kingdom in Bucharest, Manuel Larrotcha Parada, among the topics discussed being the current status of the members of the Romanian community in Spain and the observance of their rights. Manuel Larrotcha Parada stated that Spain observes the rights of the Romanian citizens in his country and underscored the fact that more than 90 per cent of them are integrated with the Spanish society and some of them have already filed their documents to obtain the Spanish citizenship, AP specified in a release to AGERPRES. The two officials agreed that observing human rights in general and the rights of Romanian citizens in Spain, in particular, represents a priority, and in case of such special situations that might appear they will collaborate very tightly to find a immediate solution. Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu met on Monday with Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bujar Osmani, who is paying an official visit to Romania, context in which the Romanian minister reiterated Romania's support for the accession of the Republic of Macedonia to the EU and NATO. According to a release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE), in the beginning of the meeting, the head of the Romanian diplomacy commended the adoption by the Macedonian Parliament of the Law amending the country's Constitution, on 11 January 2019, and voiced his satisfaction for the positive ratification vote of the Prespa Agreement by Parliament in Athens, on 25 January 2019, measures that validate the agreements assumed by the two parties through this agreement and open encouraging prospects for the European and Euro-Atlantic journey of the Republic of Macedonia. The meeting of the two officials represented a good opportunity to review the bilateral relations and cooperation prospects at regional and international level. "Both parties welcomed the boost of the bilateral dialogue over the last period and expressed their will to intensify the sectorial cooperation. Minister Teodor Melescanu voiced his hope for the completion of a series of bilateral agreements and underscored the importance that the Romanian side grants to the development of cooperation in the culture and education areas, as well as for the growth of commercial exchanges between the two states," the release mentions. Furthermore, Minister Melescanu reiterated Romania's support for the accession of the Republic of Macedonia to the EU and NATO and conveyed Romania's support for the continuation of reforms necessary for the decision to launch accession negotiations to the EU. "The Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister also voiced the belief that the Republic of North Macedonia will become the 30th member of the Alliance and commended the authorities in Skopje for advancing the country's transatlantic journey," according to the release. The GDP and the budget revenues would have been by at least 10 per cent higher if all the state institutions had pursued Romania's interest, instead of just attempting to destabilize this ruling coalition, PSD (Social Democratic Party) leader Liviu Dragnea wrote on his Facebook page, in reply to a post regarding last year's budget revenues. Asked by a user of the social network when the young people will stop leaving Romania, Dragnea replied: "When the living standards will be close to the European Union average. In 2016, the living standards accounted for 58 pct of the EU average and we managed to lift it up to 63 pct in 2018. We want by the end of 2020 to push it to 68-70 pct." Another reader of the PSD leader's Facebook page asked how is it possible that the Bulgarians have the same exchange rate since 2007. Liviu Dragnea replied that the Bulgarians took the measure of linking the leva to euro, which means to maintain the leva fix, with the approval of Bulgaria's central bank, "while BNR (National Bank of Romania) did not." "We cannot counteract BNR's decisions. A first measure regarding the ROBOR was taken through Ordinance 114, while with respect to the exchange rate, it will return to normal parameters. Of course that I would have liked the National Bank to support us and to put Romanians' welfare first," said Dragnea. He was also asked why he allowed certain persons who retired at 48-50 or 53 years old, with minimum pensions of 4,000 lei, to be hired again in the public system, instead of letting the young people take this jobs. "We wanted to regulate the cumulation of pensions with salaries from the state, but there is a decision of the Constitutional Court that does not allow this regulation," said the PSD leader. In the post that triggered all these comments, Dragnea added that Romania ended last year with revenues to the state budget worth 295.1 billion lei, by 71.2 billion lei more than in 2016, representing a growth by 32 per cent. "Romania's GDP reached 949.6 billion lei in 2018, by 188.2 billion lei more compared with 2016, resulting an increase of 25 pct! These are the highest growths, in two consecutive years, in Romania's history," Liviu Dragnea said. The Prosecutors' Section of the Superior Council of Magistrates (CSM) issued on Monday a positive opinion on the candidates proposed by Justice Minister Tudorel Toader for the leadership positions within the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). According to the solved agenda, the Prosecutors' Section issued a positive opinion on the Justice Minister's appointment proposals of Bogdan Felician Voicu for the prosecutor-in-chief office of the Section for combating drug trafficking, Alina Albu for the prosecutor-in-chief office of the Section for combating organised crime and Gabriel Doru Stoica for the prosecutor-in-chief office of the Section for counter terrorism and cybercrime. Tudorel Toader announced on 7 January that the respective proposals will be sent to Romania's President after receiving the advisory opinion. 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The victim was identified in a press release on Sunday as 25-year-old Lakyn Jade Bailey of Davidson. She would have turned 26 on Monday. The sheriffs office said it is investigating the shooting as a murder. Salisbury Police responded to a report of a shooting victim at the Country Cupboard Store on Statesville Boulevard around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to a news release. Bailey was found dead in the vehicle, which a friend of hers had been driving, according to the Rowan County Sheriffs Office. The release stated that police determined the incident likely happened outside of Salisbury city limits, and alerted the Rowan County Sheriffs Office. Detectives with the sheriffs office arrived on the scene, along with agents from the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, according to the release. A second release issued Monday said detectives found Bailey was staying at a motel in Statesville and was allegedly involved in the sale of illegal drugs. The release didnt say which motel Bailey was staying at. Deputies with the Iredell County Sheriffs Office arrested a man Sunday in connection to burglaries in three counties after he was found at the scene of a crime, officials said. The sheriffs office said it responded to an alarm around 4:40 a.m. Sunday at County Line Grocery on Campground Road near the Davie County line. Deputies noticed the store had been broken into and began surveying businesses in the surrounding area, according to a release. Deputy C. Wilson checked the Fast Phils Gas Station on Mocksville Highway and noticed that the business had apparently been broken into. The release said Wilson confronted the suspect still inside the store and arrested him without incident. Our patrol deputies did an excellent job of following their training and instincts which led to the arrest of this suspect, Sheriff Darren Campbell said in the release. We train on how to respond to breaking-and-entering calls. This is why we do what we do. Obviously this suspect was on a crime spree. Due to exceptional response tactics, and good investigation skills, we were able to stop his criminal activity. The sheriffs office identified the man as Justin Alexander Hosey, 27, of Kings Mountain. Savoy of Statesville and the juvenile were charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The others were all charged with the same counts as Shuford. According to arrest warrants for Shuford and Morrison, the two were among a group that flashed gang signs, which led to numerous people fighting. They were accused of using a high-powered .223-caliber rifle to shoot three people. Destiny Monae Ferguson of Statesville was shot twice, Xavier Marquise Haley of Salisbury was shot four times and Dasean Raheed Herndon of Salisbury also was injured, warrants said. Two days later, the owner of the club was charged with aiding and abetting underage possession of alcohol, allowing fights to occur on an ABC-licensed premises, allowing violations of controlled substances law to occur on ABC-licensed premises and failure to supervise an ABC-licensed premises. Those charges were dismissed by the district attorney, police said. Resolution for Destiny Ferguson, one of the victims, was at the trial, police said. SPD violent crime unit members said she told the court that in the ambulance after being shot, she video called her mom, feeling like it was the last time she would ever see her. 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The project site is located less than a mile west of Locust Grove Primary and Elementary schools. Copies of the PBR documents and comment cards also were available to citizens. Larabee told citizens the proposed operation will produce enough clean and renewable energy to power about 10,000 single-family homes. The proposed project would interconnect to a 115-kilovolt (kV) Dominion line one-tenth of a mile from the property. The electricity generated at the facility would be collected at a proposed onsite substation. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Ideally, the people who are closest to it will technically be the ones to use it, Larabee said. That being said, there should be a decrease in your overall electric rates and stuff like that with the introduction of solar because its more economically viable. I think as you see more solar come on, there will be [a benefit for local citizens]. Its hard to say Yes, youre going to see an immediate benefit. Locust Grove resident Tim Gerling supports the project. He said solar is the cleanest form of energy in the long run, which is why he uses solar electricity at his home. Ogden jazz icon Joe McQueen may be gone, but his memory and legacy live on. One physical reminder of his life, McQueen's lifelong home at 3158 Grant Ave., has now become available for sale. The house received extensive remodeling, but as investor Richard Casperson has said, "Joe's energy is T he world and its overworked fingertips have cried out for the Marie Kondo of mobile phones, and the wait may be over: Cal Newports new book Digital Minimalism offers an optimistic manifesto for a 30-day digital decluttering. Its not that any one app or website was particularly bad, writes Newport, whose last guru guide was the re-concentration manual, Deep Work. The issue was the overall impact of having so many different shiny baubles pulling so insistently at attention and manipulating mood. We spend one whole day a week online on average, according to Ofcoms decade of digital dependency report, checking emails at the dinner table, watching videos on the bus, and scrolling Twitter in bed. Last year, 1,600 people signed up to Newports digital Dry January. Heres how to phone it in. 1. Practice Kondonomics Conduct a cost-benefit analysis of gadgets and apps, the economic theory equivalent of asking if an item sparks joy (thanks, Kondo). Weigh up each devices worth versus the time it sucks out of your day. Maintaining an active presence on Twitter, for example, might open up an interesting new connection, Newport says. But if you assume your Twitter habit consumes 10 hours a week (you can get an uncomfortably accurate picture if you have Apple Screentime), this is almost certainly too high for the benefits. How Apple's new digital detox feature, Screen Time, looks / Apple 2. Optimise Prime Decide which optional technologies you can eliminate. Texting, Instagram, Reddit and Amazon Prime are examples of the types of technologies you need to evaluate; your microwave, radio and electric toothbrush are not. If you increase the amount of energy you invest into this optimisation, youll increase the amount of value the process returns: what is left will be worth more. Television is a borderline case. One of Newports case studies found a Netflix subscription made her prone to binge-watching. She optimised: she wasnt allowed to watch Netflix alone, making an isolating activity a social one. Flip phones analogue tech without the bells and whistles have become a celebrity status symbol; Rihanna has disconnected. 3. Reconnect with yourself Solitude deprivation a state in which you spend zero time alone with your thoughts is the business model for much of Silicon Valleys success stories. Take Facebook, built for a social mission to make the world open and connected, according to its founder. But alone time, without screens, is good for you. Take baby steps: write yourself letters, leave your phone at home once a week, or take on DIY. Ready to drop your smartphone for a dumb phone? 4 to try 1 /5 Ready to drop your smartphone for a dumb phone? 4 to try People are starting to shun smartphones in favour of unconnected devices Roman Kraft / unsplash The Light Phone: The size of a credit card, it stores nine numbers and you can only make calls with it The Light Phone Doro PhoneEasy: One full charge will give you 22 days of standby Doro Nokia 130: It comes in three colours and has 4MB of internal storage Nokia Alcatel 10.54: This phone costs 7.50 and has a built-in FM radio Alcatel 4. Hit mute Dont hit like. Dont comment. Dont tag friends. Going cold turkey by quitting social media is quite the leap. Facebook wants to be your friend; you should recharacterise it as more of a social calendar. Newport recommends either deleting social media or using it like a professional. Use Instagram to follow accounts solely from communities related to your work interests; use apps such as Tweet Deck to dig into to emerging trends, news or ideas, lifting the hood of Twitter to stare at the engine. G ogglebox favourites Steph and Dom Parker are back on the small-screen in an investigative documentary about medical cannabis. Swapping the sofa and TV reviewing for cold hard facts and exploration, a one-off Channel 4 show asks whether the drug could help improve the life or and perhaps save their son Max. Max, 18, suffers 120 seizures a day and is trapped at age six, having first experienced infantile spasms at just four months old. Now, the parents, Max and 15-year-old Honor are the subject of a though-provoking documentary. Family: Steph and Dom Parker, of Beaulieu, Hampshire, with their children, Max, 18, and Honor, 15 / Channel 4 What is Steph & Dom: Can Cannabis Save Our Son? The hour-long informative documentary follows the Gogglebox couple as they parent disabled son Max, who has severe epilepsy. His condition causes upwards of 100 seizures a day and childhood seizures were so fierce that they caused severe and irreparable brain damage. Through the course of the show, we learn that conventional drugs with their painful side effects have proved little respite with Steph and Dom seeking more knowledge about the use of medical cannabis. Son: Max Parker, 18 / Channel 4 While the cannabis and oil wouldnt reverse any damage, it could help to save him and the parents are willing to try and explore every last avenue for their son. Their daughter Honor and Maxs carer also feature in the documentary, which is as much about the strength and love of a family as anything else. What have the family said about the documentary? Speaking on Mondays Good Morning Britain, Dom discussed the programme with anchors Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid. He explained: I'm not sure he's even aware that he's actually suffering. It started at four months and they got on top of that with steroids and it went away. And then at aged four it came back with a vengeance. He;s just turned 18 at the end of the show and probably trapped in aged six and stuck there. Hes a beautiful, polite, charming young man but there is very little conversation. He doesnt really talk very much. Communication is limited but you can see when he is suffering. But one thing we learned through the course of the show is that when he had seizures up to 120 a day hes not feeling it and hes not remembering it. Therefore, its evidently not as painful for him as it probably is for us to watch. When can I watch it? G emma Collins has been accused of faking her epic tumble on Dancing on Ice, with many claiming it was a publicity stunt. The TOWIE star, 37, stumbled and face planted the ice as she reached the climax of her routine with Matt Evers on Sunday night. Collins was left in tears after she was helped back up to finish the dance, before later showing off her heavily bruised knees. But some fans were unconvinced and called into question the legitimacy of her tumble, claiming a slowed down video shows her bending forwards before sliding onto her front. Tumble: Matt Evers rushed to grab Gemma Collins as she hit the floor (Matt Frost/ITV/Rex) / Rex Features Absolutely planned! Pretending to drop the diva act, pretending to try really hard and then falls and cries, tweeted one. Once again she dominates the headlines, not those doing headbangers in week 3! Another posted: Gemma Collins fall was more fake than her personality! She didnt try to balance herself, didnt wobble one bit, just straight down! Whoever bought that s*** WAKE UP! A third wrote: Dont watch dancing on ice but I watched enough wrestling growing up to know that Gemma Collins fall was fake as f***! She fell for attention (sic). Others defended the star with one telling critics to get a grip. How do u fake face planting on the ice it must off hurt cmon surely theres more conspiracy theory worthy stories then Gemma Collins falling on the ice get a grip people, they wrote. Another posted: First of all her leg shook before she fell while trying to keep balance, secondly I bet half of you can't ice skate yourselves & thirdly have some respect & grow up! Gemma Collins sinks "six large brandies" after Dancing On Ice fall The latest accusations came as Evers leapt to Collins defence after she received a barrage of abuse online, with one viewer branding her a narcissistic dullard and a poor role model for anyone with a shred of decency in them. Evers clapped back: So unlikeable? Really. A few million followers isnt unlikeable. Plus She is a role model for many larger sized woman. When men (you) hate on women... they have issues. In response to another critic who accused her of not being able to skate, he wrote: Lets see you try and skate a left outside three turn, right Mohawk and a right inside three turn... Im the expert here and shes skating. To another he tweeted: Wash your mouth out with soap. Its dirty and stinks. Watch out for karma. Collins received 16.5, her highest score to date for her routine to Celine Dions ballad, Its All Coming Back To Me Now. Gemma Collins - In pictures 1 /31 Gemma Collins - In pictures PA Gemma Collins on Instagram @gemmacollins1 Gemma Collins on'Celebs Go Dating' Channel 4 Gemma Collins on 'The Only Way is Essex' ITV Gemma Collins on 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!' in 2014 ITV/Rex Gemma Collins on'Celebs Go Dating' Channel 4 Gemma Collins on'Celebs Go Dating' Channel 4 Gemma Collins on 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!' in 2014 Rex Features Nominated: Gemma Collins and Danniella Westbrook are up for Tuesday's eviction along with Stephanie Davis Channel 5 Gemma Collins appearing on Celebrity Big Brother Channel 5 Gemma Collins arriving at the ITV Gala 2017 held at the London Palladium Getty Images Gemma Collins makes US TV on Wendy Williams after her Radio 1 Teen 2017 Awards fall Gemma Collins is helped by Amber Davies, Jamie Jewitt and Marcel Somerville as she falls on stage during the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards 2017 at Wembley Arena Getty Images Gemma Collins makes fun of her Radio 1 Teen 2017 Awards fall on Instagram @gemmacollins1 Gemma Collins attending BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards 2017 PA Gemma Collins attending the European premiere of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets at Cineworld in Leicester Square in 2017 PA Gemma Collins appearing on Celebrity Big Brother Channel 5 Gemma Collins.in 'Sugar Free' ITV Gemma Collins on 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!' in 2014 ITV Gemma Collins on 'The Only Way is Essex' ITV Getty Images Exciting: the GC teased new plans for a trip to Los Angeles Getty Images 'Standing on ice': Gemma Collins was mocked by viewers ITV Rex Features ames Argent with Gemma Collins PA Channel 4 @gemmacollins1 @gemmacollins1 @gemmacollins1 @gemmacollins1 @gemmacollins1 F rom the outside, it looks like Steph and Dom Parker lead a charmed life. The posh couple from Gogglebox, as they are best known, made their name providing perky pronouncements on the weeks TV. After a day spent running their B&B in Sandwich, Kent, they would settle down with a bottle of wine and their pet dachshund on the sofa, getting swearier with each glass of beaujolais. But this show reveals a new side to them. Larking around in front of the telly was a distraction mechanism. It relieved the strain of caring for their son. When he was four months old, Max Parker was diagnosed with a rare form of severe epilepsy. Now 18, with a mental age of five, he has 100 seizures each day and, as he gets older, the risk that he will die from a fit increases. Family: Steph and Dom Parker, of Beaulieu, Hampshire, with their children, Max, 18, and Honor, 15 / Channel 4 He has tried various cocktails of drugs, but not one has managed to get his seizures under control. With even his consultant at an impasse, his parents and younger sister Honor had resigned themselves to him never having a normal life. Steph said it felt like the death of what her child could have been. But last year the possibility arose of a miracle cure: cannabis oil. In some cases it can reduce and even eliminate seizures, and therefore was legalised for medicinal use last year. It has given the Parkers a glimmer of hope, and here they turn investigative journalists, setting out to find out if it could change their sons life. This programme is a personal take on what its like to live with epilepsy. The Parkers bravely open up their lives to the cameras, showing how Maxs condition affects them and his sister. Max adores Honor, and you can see why: shes impressively mature, calm, kind and funny. His carer is brilliant too, just trying to enjoy each day with him. Steph and Dom press Maxs consultant with inquiries about CBD oil also known as cannabidiol, the medically useful, non-narcotic chemical extracted in cannabis and meet the families of children who have tried it, going as far as San Francisco in their quest to help their son. They speak to Charlotte Caldwell, whose autistic and epileptic son Billy was granted a licence for cannabis oil last year; and the Dingleys, who appealed to the Prime Minister to give their son Alfie the oil legally. The couple are just the same as in Gogglebox. They bicker, with Steph telling Dom that he asks people too many questions and when its all too overwhelming they have a drink. We see photos of them before Maxs diagnosis. Steph calls her younger self a luscious creature, with dark hair and penchant for white jeans. Unsurprisingly, they have a witty story of how they met, and its clear that they have a strong, supportive relationship. Thats why they hold hands while watching television on Gogglebox and how they are able to cope with all the uncertainty of Maxs condition. The hope on Steph and Doms faces on hearing how the boy in America went from having 68 fits a day to only one is almost too raw to watch. They want to hear what its like to have severe epilepsy - because their son is unable to tell them what is going on in his head and what he is feeling. All Dom wants is to be able to talk to his son, while Steph wants him to have a social life. Washington, MO (63090) Today Thunderstorms - some may contain locally heavy rain, especially this evening. A few storms may be severe. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall may reach one inch.. Tonight Thunderstorms - some may contain locally heavy rain, especially this evening. A few storms may be severe. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall may reach one inch. T he Royal Rumble 2019 is finally here - and fans are brimming with excitement. The 32nd edition of the annual event in Phoenix, Arizona is set to be a big one with huge names battling it out for a spot at Wrestlemania. The big news this evening is that John Cena is out with an ankle injury he suffered at Raw two weeks ago, with Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre favourites to win. Follow our live blog for up to minute-by-minute news. O livia Colman has revealed she has been locked in a battle with Wikipedia over her birthday after the website listed her as eight years older than she is. The Oscar-nominated star took on the online encyclopedia after googling herself and finding out that it had her down as 52. Not wanting to seem vain, Colman contacted the site and posed as a friend who just wanted to correct the honest mistake. Once, on Wikipedia, they had my birthday as the wrong day, the wrong month, and eight years before I was born, the actress explained on David Tennants podcast. She told her Broadchurch co-star: I emailed them, pretending it wasnt me. [I wrote,] I was at school with her and thats not her birthday. I didnt want them to think I was being so vain. I didnt get a reply, and wrote again going, Sorry guys, but I know its wrong. And they didnt reply. Exasperated at the lack of cooperation, Colman admitted that she was forced to come clean and tell the site that it was really upsetting that they had aged her almost a decade. Broadchurch: Olivia Colman and David Tennant as Ellie Miller and Alec Hardy / ITV The 44-year-old continued: And they said, Wed have to see a birth certificate to prove it, and I went, Whose f****** birth certificate have you looked at in the first place to make me eight years older? Wikipedia did eventually change Colmans date of birth to the correct date, January 30, 1974, although the actress joked that she should have made herself younger. Despite roles in Broadchurch, Les Miserables and soon-to-be The Crown, Colman also revealed that her career is haunted by an advert she starred in for the AA back in 2004. The Norwich-born star admitted that she lost some jobs after playing the role of Bev in the iconic Kev and Bev adverts. Olivia Colman - In pictures 1 /44 Olivia Colman - In pictures AFP via Getty Images 91st Annual Academy Awards - Show Getty Images Olivia Colman, left, and Anthony Hopkins in a scene from "The Father." AP The Crown (2018) Netflix Olivia Colman, a member of the cast of "The Crown," accepts the award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series during the 27th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards AP Actress Olivia Colman receives a CBE in 2019 PA Olivia Colman at Buckingham Palace in 2019 PA Les Miserables (2019) BBC/Lookout Point/Laurence Cendrowicz Olivia Colman attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2019 at Royal Albert Hall Getty Images The Favourite (2018) The Favourite (2018) Olivia Colman attends the official viewing and after party of The Golden Globe Awards hosted by The Hollywood Foreign Press Association at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in 2019 Getty Images Olivia Colman Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for 'The Favourite' winner Olivia Colman poses in the press room during the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2019 Getty Images Murder on the Orient Express (2017) Broadchurch: Series 3 (2017) ITV Broadchurch: Series 3 (2017) ITV Olivia Colman attends the World Premiere of 'Murder On The Orient Express' (2017) Dave Benett Flowers (2017) Flowers (2017) Channel 4 The Night Manager (2016) BBC Fleabag (2016) BBC Broadchurch: Series 2 (2015) ITV London Road (2015) Olivia Colman attends the Arqiva British Academy Television Awards at Theatre Royal in 2014 Rev (2014) BBC Rev (2014) BBC The Secrets (2014) BBC Olivia Colman with the Supporting Actress Award at the 2013 Arqiva British Academy Television Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, London PA The Thirteenth Tale (2013) BBC Mr. Sloane (2013) Mr. Sloane (2013) The Suspicions of Mr Wincher II (2013) ITV This is Jinsy (2012) Run (2012) Accused (2012) BBC Twenty Twelve (2012) BBC Hyde Park on Hudson (2012) Actress Olivia Colman photographed at the Union Club in 2012 Rebecca Reid Tyrannosaur (2011) Exile (2011) BBC Exile (2011) BBC Beautiful People (2008) BBC Hot Fuzz (2007) That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006) BBC Colman said: AA! That has become the bane of my life. I thought they were going to run that for about a week but they ran it for what felt like four times a day for a year. They ran it for a year having just given me a buy-out. It was really annoying. I lost some jobs. Colman was last week nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite. C hrissy Teigen has camped out in Heathrow airport for a whirlwind 16 hour stay in the UK and has invited fans along for a meet and greet. The model is waiting in the airport for a connecting flight to the US, having travelled to the UK after taking part in a photoshoot in Morocco over the weekend. Yesterday she asked her Twitter followers for some advice as she finalised her travel plans, posing them the question: Should I leave Heathrow airport to sleep in the city for a connecting flight in the morning or just live in the airport for 14 hours? The idea of customs and luggage and hotel check in and drive time just to sleep bah, she added. Stopover: Chrissy Teigen shared her brief Heathrow trip with her followers / Instagram: Chrissy Teigen One obliging follower then suggested that the try the Yotel in the airport, prompting Teigen to reply: THANK U this is helpful. She then announced her arrival at Heathrow to her followers, tweeting: Ok we are officially at Heathrow. If anyone is here in the next 16 hours we will be at the arcade. In an Instagram Stories post, the model and presenter revealed that shed found somewhere to relax for the duration of her stopover, and joked that shed be open to doing meet and greets with fans. Were at Heathrow we live here for 16 hours if youre passing through Heathrow shout me out, she said. Were doing meet and greets. Gift: Teigen picked up a souvenir for daughter Luna / Instagram: Chrissy Teigen She then suggested that her make-up artist companion Dan would be able to do make-up for anyone here at Heathrow, adding: He does hair, I dont do anything. Later, Teigen showed off the Paddington Bear cuddly toy that shed bought as a souvenir for her two-year-old daughter Luna in another video clip, saying: Luna look what I brought you, hes coming home to you. Hes so excited to meet you! Heathrow Airports official Twitter account was quick to pick up on Teigens visit, posting a special greeting which thanked the star for gracing us with your presence. T he United States has warned Venezuela that threats towards its diplomats or the crisis-hit countrys opposition leader Juan Guiado will trigger a significant response. White House national security adviser John Bolton said that any violence and intimidation would be viewed as a grave assault on the rule of law. He also blamed Cuba for supporting Venezeulas discredited leader Nicolas Maduro, who still retains the backing of his countrys powerful military and was sworn in for a second term earlier this month, despite claims of widespread ballot-rigging. After the US recognised Mr Guiado last week as interim president, Mr Maduro ordered American diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours and said he was cutting ties with Washington. White House National Security Advisor John Bolton / EPA He suspended the expulsions at the weekend, saying he wanted to negotiate a US-interests office in Caracas similar to one that used to be in communist Cuba. Mr Boltons remarks were today seen as an attempt to exert more pressure on Mr Maduro to allow a peaceful handover of power to Mr Guiado. Mr Boltons warning of a significant response came after Britain and several other European countries, including Germany, France and Spain said it will recognise Mr Guiado as interim president if fair elections are not announced by the end of this week. Nicolas Maduro gestures / EPA Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted Britains support for the opposition leaders bid for the presidency. After banning opposition candidates, ballot box stuffing and counting irregularities in a deeply flawed election it is clear Nicolas Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela, tweeted Mr Hunt. @jguaido is the right person to take Venezuela forward. Mr Maduro, who has the support of China, Russia, Turkey and Mexico, hit back at the attempts to force him out. Venezuela is not tied to Europe. This is complete insolence, he told CNN. In a state TV address yesterday, Mr Maduro watched heavy artillery fired into a hillside and boarded a tank. He said: Were ready to defend our homeland under any circumstance. T he US has imposed sanctions on the Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA in a bid to unseat President Nicolas Maduro. It comes after the US called on President Maduro to hand over power to the opposition. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in a bid to topple the president who has been criticised for his handling of the economy and alleged human rights abuses. National security advisor John Bolton and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced the measures against the company which are aimed at boosting the presidents rival, opposition leader Juan Guaido. National security adviser John Bolton speaks during a press briefing at the White House / AP Last week the administration recognised Mr Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate leader. The sanctions will include a freeze on any assets the firm may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with it. "The United States is holding accountable those responsible for Venezuela's tragic decline, and will continue to use the full suite of its diplomatic and economic tools to support Interim President Juan Guaido, the National Assembly, and the Venezuelan people's efforts to restore their democracy," Mr Mnuchin said. Venezuelan head of state Nicolas Maduro gestures during a press conference / EPA "Today's designation of PDVSA will help prevent further diverting of Venezuela's assets by Maduro and preserve these assets for the people of Venezuela. The path to sanctions relief for PDVSA is through the expeditious transfer of control to the Interim President or a subsequent, democratically elected government," he said. PDSVA is the acronym for the state-owned oil company. Senator Marco Rubio, a vocal critic of Maduro who has called for such sanctions, welcomed the move even before it was announced. "The Maduro crime family has used PDVSA to buy and keep the support of many military leaders," Venezuela's National Assembly head and self-proclaimed "acting president" Juan Guaido / AFP/Getty Images Mr Rubio said. "The oil belongs to the Venezuelan people, and therefore the money PDVSA earns from its export will now be returned to the people through their legitimate constitutional government." The sanctions will not likely affect consumer prices at the gas pump but will hit oil refiners, particularly those on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Venezuelan oil exports to the U.S. have declined steadily over the years, falling particularly sharply over the past decade as its production plummeted amid its long economic and political crisis. The U.S. imported less than 500,000 barrels a day of Venezuelan crude and petroleum products in 2017, down from more than 1.2 million barrels a day in 2008, according to the Energy Information Administration. Demonstrators clash with police during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government / REUTERS Still, Venezuela has consistently been the third- or fourth-largest supplier of crude oil to the United States, and any disruption of imports could be costly for refiners. In 2017, the most recent year that data were available, Venezuela accounted for about 6 percent of U.S. crude imports. Valero and Citgo are among the largest importers of Venezuelan crude. But Venezuela is very reliant on the U.S. for its oil revenue. The country sends 41 percent of its oil exports to the U.S. Critically, U.S. refiners are among the few customers that pay cash to Venezuela for its oil. That's because Venezuela's oil shipments to China and Russia are usually taken as repayment for billions of dollars in debts. D onald Trump confidante Roger Stone indicated he would consider cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation of the 2016 presidential election. He also stated his belief there was no conspiracy with Russia. Stone was arrested on Friday by FBI agents in regards to Mr Muellers investigation and will appear in court on Tuesday. He was charged with lying to Congress about the Trump campaign's efforts to use stolen emails to undercut Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Special Counsel Robert Mueller. / AFP/Getty Images Asked on ABC's "This Week" if he would cooperate with Mr Mueller, Stone said: "You know, that's a question I would have to determine after my attorneys have some discussion. "I'd also testify honestly about any other matter, including any communications with the president. "It's true that we spoke on the phone, but those communications are political in nature, they're benign, and there is certainly no conspiracy with Russia." He will enter pleas to seven charges against him including obstruction, witness tampering and making false statements. Donald Trump has called the Mueller enquiry a "witch hunt" / AP Stone's indictment cut deeply into President Trump's inner circle and detailed an alleged link between his campaign and WikiLeaks, the online publisher of secret documents. It stated this was to damage Mrs Clinton with material that US intelligence agencies have said was stolen by Russians. Court papers allege that Stone shared with Trump campaign staffers advance knowledge that he had of WikiLeaks' plan to release senior Democrats' emails. The special counsel's indictment also said a top Trump campaign official was directed to contact Stone about additional damaging information that WikiLeaks had on Mrs Clinton. He is the latest in a series of Trump advisers who have been arrested and charged since Mr Trump took office in January 2017. The president has repeatedly denied he or his campaign staff worked with Russia during his campaign. U S President Donald Trump has said he does not believe that a deal will be struck on border security before the government runs out of funding again next month. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Mr Trump said that the probability of reaching a deal is less than 50-50. His comments come after he was forced to end the 35-day government shutdown, the longest in US history, in order to allow government workers to be paid. In order to prevent another shutdown, Congress must approve a new bill by February 15. When asked if he would accept less than the $5.7 billion he wants to build a wall along the southern border, Mr Trump replied: "I doubt it. I have to do it right." He also said he would be wary of any proposed deal that exchanged funds for a wall for broad immigration reform. And when asked if he would agree to citizenship for immigrants who were illegally brought into the US as children, Mr Trump again replied, "I doubt it." California representative Kevin McCarthy, the leading Republican in the House, said Democrats have funded border barriers in the past and are refusing this time simply because Trump is asking for it. "The president is the only one who has been reasonable in these negotiations," he said. Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, a member of the Democratic leadership in the House, said his colleagues are looking for "evidence-based" legislation. "Shutdowns are not legitimate negotiating tactics when there's a public policy disagreement between two branches of government," he said. The shutdown ended on Friday after 35 days. Mr Trump gave into mounting pressure, retreating from his demand that Congress commit to the border wall funding before federal agencies could resume work. The bill he signed did not provide the money Mr Trump wanted for a barrier, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called immoral and has insisted Congress will not finance. Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said that Mr Trump agreed to temporarily end the shutdown because some Democrats have stepped forward publicly and privately, to say they agree with Trumps plan to better secure the border. T his is the moment a brazen thief snatched a 1 million oil painting in front of art gallery visitors. Security video shows a man posing as a gallery worker calmly removing Arkhip Kuindzhis Crimean mountain scene from a wall of the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow yesterday. A police source said: Witnesses confirmed that when the painting was being removed from the wall, the alarm did not work. The criminal was seen by a gallery keeper but she did not do anything to stop him. Stolen: Arkhip Kuindzhis Crimean mountain scene Officials today said the painting, titled Ai-Petri Crimea, below, had been recovered and a man arrested. Theft probe: Russian police at the gallery / AP A three-year-old boy who survived two nights in sub-zero temperatures in the woods in US claimed a friendly bear kept him safe. Casey Hathaway was playing with two other children at his grandmothers home in Ernul, North Carolina, last Tuesday, but did not return inside with them. He was found two days later stuck in a thorn bush a quarter-of-a-mile away by a search and rescue team, having spent 55 hours in freezing temperatures. But he was in good spirits and is now recovering in hospital, according to Chocowinity EMS Captain Shane Grier. The three-year-old was missing in freezing temperatures for 55 hours (Craven County Sheriff's Office) / Craven County Sheriff's Office Caseys aunt Breanna Hathaway said in a Facebook post on Thursday that he had hung out with a bear after God sent him a friend. She wrote: Casey is healthy, smiling, and talking. He said he hung out with a bear for two days God sent him a friend to keep him safe. God is good God. Miracles do happen. His mother Brittany added: 'We just want to tell everybody that we're very thankful that you took the time out to come search for Casey and prayed for him, and he's good. He is good, he is up and talking. He's already asked to watch Netflix so he's good. Mr Grier told local news station WITN: I don't think I was around anybody that wasn't crying [when we found him]. "He was heavily embedded in a briar thicket or a thorn thicket. We immediately grabbed the child up, escorted him out, and started transport to the hospital. "You could tell he was very cold so we immediately started warming him up once we got him to the vehicle. The more we warmed him up, it seemed the better he got. "The support we had from all these agencies, the community, everybody. It's overwhelming." A red panda has gone missing from Belfast Zoo, police said. Officers in the Northern Ireland capital said the animal went missing on Sunday and was "believed to be currently taking in the sights of beautiful Glengormley". The red panda is not aggressive but may become defensive when cornered, and police are asking people not to approach or attempt to capture the animal. Police said: "Our curious friend has not yet learned the green cross code, so if motorists could also be vigilant!" Police said on Monday that the red panda had gone missing / EPA Two panda cubs were born at the zoo in June last year but only started to venture outside towards the end of 2018. Washington, MO (63090) Today Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. P olice searching for 22-year-old Luke Jobson who went missing after a night out in Teesside have found a body. He went missing on Saturday night after allegedly being "chased by five lads" outside a pub in Yarm, Teesside. But on Monday, Police said they had found a body and have notified Luke's family. The body has not yet been identified. A Cleveland Police spokesman said: "Police searching for missing 22-year-old Luke Jobson have sadly found a body in the river at Yarm this afternoon. "Although formal identification has yet to take place, Lukes family has been notified and they are being kept updated while they receive support from specially trained officers." Three teenagers, two aged 16, and another aged 18, came forward and are due to be interviewed in relation to the inquiry. It is believed that Mr Jobson could have been involved in an altercation outside the Keys pub, and police have appealed for any dashcam footage from the night. He was last seen near Yarm School at 2.15am on Saturday. The force urged members of the public to stay away from their official search sites, which were being managed by specially trained officers, and reminded people hoping to help that Yarm School was private property. A boy aged seven was hailed a hero today after he phoned 999 when his mother collapsed at home. Marjana Gofur, 37, passed out in Petts Wood, Bromley, after collecting her son Noah from Breaside Preparatory School. He quickly called the emergency number then comforted his mother and looked after his 15-month-old sister, Isabella, until paramedics arrived. Noah said he wasnt scared, adding: To the police I said: My mum is really ill, shes lying on the floor and I dont know what to do. And they said theyre coming quickly as they can. Mrs Gofur became unwell on the school run and could barely speak or walk by the time they got home. She managed to phone her husband Abdul, a barrister, at work but then slumped semi-conscious to the floor of their living room. She said: Its a 10-minute drive from the school, and by the time I parked up I could barely walk my head was spinning. I stumbled with my daughter up the stairs, crawling into the house. It was like somebody had put a huge boulder on my body. I could feel my daughter climbing all over me, giving me cuddles, but I couldnt get up. I couldnt even move, I couldnt really speak. I was just thinking, if I pass out or something happens to me, what would my kids do? File photo: London Ambulance Service / PA Wire/PA Images After being treated by paramedics she was taken to Princess Royal University Hospital and later discharged. Doctors believe Mrs Gofur could have been suffering complications from a middle ear infection, for which she had been taking antibiotics. Praising her son, she said: I could hear Noah looking after my daughter, reassuring her that it would be okay, which is really nice. I didnt realise how switched on he was until then. He normally worries about the littlest things, so I saw a different side to him. He was so calm. Its quite sad for him to see me the way I was, because as a parent you dont want your child to see you helpless but Im very proud. Mr Gofur, 41, a counsel for HSBC, said his son was a real hero and called him the ice man for keeping his cool. Bromley police tweeted that Noah gave enough info to our operator to get us to them quickly. The lady will be okay but her little boy is a hero!! T heresa May backed a parliamentary move to win her more Brexit negotiating power tonight as she clashed with Boris Johnson in front of Tory MPs and told him to "support" the Government. On the eve of the next showdown in the Commons, the Prime Minister rallied MPs behind an alternative to the controversial Irish border backstop. She told MPs to vote for a compromise plan tabled by senior backbencher Sir Graham Brady - just minutes after hardline Brexiteers moved to kill it off. To cheers the PM was then also said to have given the former foreign secretary "straight advice" after he heckled her on how meaningful change would manifest from the amendment. "She basically said we won't know unless you support us Boris," Tory MP Simon Hart told reporters. The comments come ahead of a vote in the Commons on Tuesday / AFP/Getty Images After the fiery clash Conservative chairman Brandon Lewis announced that Tory MPs will be whipped to support Sir Graham's amendment in a series of votes on Tuesday evening. And Tory backbenchers Andrew Murrison and John Baron withdrew their rival amendments, which would have required the scrapping or time-limiting of the backstop, which is designed to avoid the need for a hard border in Ireland following Brexit. TODO: define component type apester But the dramatic move was far from guaranteed to deliver a majority for the plan, after it failed to win the support of the influential European Research Group of Conservative eurosceptics. The amendment tabled by Sir Graham, the chair of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee states that Parliament would be willing to support the Withdrawal Agreement reached with the EU last November, so long as the backstop is replaced with "alternative arrangements" to avoid a hard border. The Tory grandee said that he hoped that House of Commons backing would give Mrs May "enormous firepower" when she returns to Brussels to seek concessions on her Brexit deal. But the chairman of the European Research Group, Jacob Rees-Mogg, said that its members, thought to number at least 60, will not support the scheme when it comes before the Commons on Tuesday. Mrs May addressed MPs in Westminster on the eve of a day of high drama, when MPs will debate a range of rival amendments, including calls to block a no-deal departure or delay Brexit from its scheduled date of March 29. Emerging from a meeting of the ERG just moments before the PM's arrival, Mr Rees-Mogg said the group would not support any amendment, but would decide on the day whether to abstain or vote against. Jacob Rees-Mogg leaves the Cabinet office in London on Monday / REUTERS MPs in the ERG were concerned that the Brady amendment did not spell out what would replace the backstop and did not specify that changes to the text of the Withdrawal Agreement were required, he said. Mr Lewis said that the Brady amendment would "allow the Prime Minister to give a very clear message around what Parliament wants, where the party is". He said: "I would hope the ERG, when they look at this and actually look through the detail of what this gives the PM tomorrow, (see) it is about giving a message to Europe about what can go through Parliament in terms of dealing with the backstop issue and why that matters." Sammy Wilson of the DUP, whose 10 MPs prop up the minority Conservative administration, said the PM should "exploit the cracks which are emerging in the illogical position of the EU and the Irish". Conservative chairman Brandon Lewis announced Tory MPs will be whipped to support Sir Graham Brady's amendment / Getty Images Insisting the UK must hold to the date of March 29 to maintain pressure on the EU and Ireland, Mr Wilson said: "Now is the time for the Government to be tough and to face down the stubbornness of Dublin and Brussels." There was no sign in Brussels of any appetite to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement. A senior Brussels official blasted the idea of concessions on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal as stupid ahead of the votes. European Commission vice-president Jyrki Kateinen said it would be "a stupid thing" for the EU to make concessions which would put the remaining 27 members at a disadvantage simply to secure a deal. Brexit Withdrawal Agreement: How did MPs vote on January 15 He added that there was no reason to give any concessions to the UK and there was not much room for manoeuvre on the backstop. While Sabine Weyland, chief EU negotiator Michel Barniers deputy, said that it was quite a challenge to see how a majority in support of a deal could be constructed in Westminster, warning there was a high risk of the UK crashing out by accident. She told a Brussels conference that negotiation on the Withdrawal Agreement was finished. Downing Street said the PM remains committed to quitting the EU on March 29 and will take her plan back to the Commons for a second "meaningful vote" as soon as possible after Tuesday's debate. "The Prime Minister is absolutely committed to leaving the EU with a deal, but clearly if we are to obtain parliamentary support for that deal some changes are going to have to be made," the PM's spokesman said. MPs will vote on Brexit tomorrow / PA The comments come on the eve of a crucial set of votes in the Commons. MPs will vote on Tuesday on a range of amendments to Mrs May's Brexit plans, including some which would block a no-deal departure and others which seek to salvage the PM's Withdrawal Agreement by changing the terms of the backstop to keep the Irish border open. The amendments are not legally binding on the PM, but majority support for any would place immense political pressure on Mrs May as she seeks a way ahead after the crushing defeat of her plan by 230 votes earlier this month. File photo: Lidl was among the supermarkets who penned a letter warning of the risks of leaving the EU without a deal . / AFP/Getty Images In a joint letter, leading retailers including Sainsbury's, Asda and Waitrose warned that quitting the EU without a Withdrawal Agreement on March 29 would risk driving up food prices and cutting the range and quality of products on supermarket shelves. Our supply chains are closely linked to Europe nearly one third of the food we eat in the UK comes from the EU. "In March the situation is more acute as UK produce is out of season: 90 per cent of our lettuces, 80 per cent of our tomatoes and 70 per cent of our soft fruit is sourced from the EU at that time of year. As this produce is fresh and perishable, it needs to be moved quickly from farms to our stores. Former MI5 chief Baroness Manningham-Buller warned that a no-deal Brexit should be "avoided at all costs". Declaring herself "queasy" at the enthusiasm of Russian President Vladimir Putin for Brexit, Lady Manningham-Buller said a range of security threats - from terrorism to Russian interference - were best dealt with "in a European context". "If we leave without a deal we are going to be less safe," she told BBC Radio 4's World At One. There was no announcement from Labour over whether it will officially back a cross-party amendment put forward by the party's Yvette Cooper and Conservative Nick Boles aimed at stopping a no-deal exit and delaying the date of Brexit until the end of the year. Mr Boles said the plan has "a great deal of support among ministers and indeed Cabinet ministers" and they were pressing for a free vote. "This is the last chance for Parliament, this is probably the only opportunity that Parliament is going to have to intervene in this process, to take control," he said. The Federation of Small Businesses gave its backing to the Cooper amendment, which it said would "help provide the space for other ways forward to be explored". "A stable, predictable economic and political environment is a prerequisite for small business growth and the jobs that this sustains," said FSB chair Mike Cherry. "With small business confidence already at its lowest since 2011, a no-deal Brexit on March 29 would put this at risk." T esco is to close food counters in 90 of its stores in a bid to "simplify" the business that will put up to 9,000 jobs at risk, the supermarket giant announced today. The supermarket said its remaining fresh meat, fish and delicatessen counters in 700 stores will be run either on a full-time or flexible basis. On Monday, Tesco said up to 9,000 jobs could be impacted by the changes. Although it estimated that up to half of that number could possibly be re-deployed across the business. Food counters are set to close in 90 of Tesco's stores / AFP/Getty Images Sweeping changes across the business will also see the head office move to a "simpler and leaner structure", with cuts expected. Hot food services for staff will also be cut back and kitchen workers, employed by third-party caterers, will undergo consultation. The company is due to replace the hot food service in its staff rooms with self-service kitchens. Jason Tarry, the UK and Ireland chief executive, added: "In our four years of turnaround we've made good progress, but the market is challenging and we need to continually adapt to remain competitive and respond to how customers want to shop. "We're making changes to our UK stores and head office to simplify what we do and how we do it, so we're better able to meet the needs of our customers. "This will impact some of our colleagues and our commitment is to minimise this as much as possible and support our colleagues throughout." Additional changes include reduced hours dedicated to both stock control and merchandising. However, Tesco denied reports that it will overhaul its in-store bakeries, saying that no significant changes are planned this year. Responding to the news, trade union Usdaw's national officer Pauline Foulkes said: "This is devastating news for staff, who have played a crucial role in Tesco's turnaround project, contributing to 12 successive quarters of growth, solid Christmas trading and over a billion pounds of profit. "We will enter into consultation talks with Tesco, where we will examine the business case for their proposed changes." A n inuiry should be held into Londons knife crime epidemic, a Labour MP has warned, as children as young as 10 continue to be lured into gangs. John Cryer demanded the Home Office investigate why schoolchildren are becoming involved in the wave of crime sweeping the capital. Mr Cryer, who represents Leyton and Wanstead, said: We need a proper inquiry conducted by someone who understands the causes. His comments came as a poll conducted by the Mayors Office for Policing and Crime revealed 26 per cent of those surveyed knew someone who has carried a knife, and 23 per cent knew someone in a gang. Recent figures also showed that knife crime in London remains at near-record levels, with more than 40 blade offences committed every day. The Office for National Statistics said that 14,847 knife offences were recorded in the capital during the 12 months to the end of September last year. More than a dozen London MPs took part in a Parliamentary debate on knife crime as it emerged that violent crime has risen in the UK by 19 percent. Dublin delivers warning to Downing Street Simon Coveney (PA) Mrs May has already faced pressure from Dublin this week, after it delivered a waning to Downing Street to not go back on the Brexit deal hammered out with the European Union. Irish deputy prime minister Simon Coveney said those "misrepresenting" the backstop had failed to produce an alternative to it. Mr Coveney said the British Cabinet had endorsed the Withdrawal Agreement including the backstop aimed at preventing a hard border, as he made clear it would not be changed. He said: "A hard border cannot return. Peace and the Good Friday Agreement are more important than Brexit. "Even in a no-deal Brexit situation every party and every MP in the UK will have a responsibility to ensure there is no return to a hard border and Northern Ireland is protected. "That won't be easy and those who misrepresent the backstop don't have an alternative to it. "With 60 days (from Monday) to go, the people attacking the backstop need to be asked two questions. Firstly, what is their alternative? Yvette Cooper amendment Forces Theresa May to extend Article 50 beyond March 29 up until December in order to avoid a no-deal Brexit. It would be drafted as a Bill on February 5 if the Prime Minister fails to secure a deal. Support: Officially dozens of Labour backbenchers, the SNP, Lib Dems and nine Tories including senior figure Nick Boles. Labour leadership has not officially endorsed it. Will is pass? It will be close but possible with enough Tory rebels with some estimating it could pass by three votes. Some estimate up to 24 Tories strongly oppose no-deal. Highly dangerous to Mrs May but a Bill could be vulnerable in the Lords. Dominic Grieve amendment The former Attorney General wants the Government to hand over power to the Commons on every Tuesday from February 12 to March 26 so backbenchers can discuss, amend and vote on Brexit. Support: 12 high profile Tories including former minister Justine Greening and Remain campaigners Anna Soubry and Dr Sarah Wollaston. Plus Labour backbenchers, Lib Dems and the SNP. Will it pass? It could be close and if it passes it could open the way for Mrs Mays deal to be overthrown and pave the way for a peoples vote. Spelman-Dromey amendment Tabled by senior Tory Dame Caroline Spelman and Labours Jack Dromey and rules out a no-deal Brexit. Its more simplistic than Yvette Coopers amendment, which stipulates this must be done through a Bill. Support: A significant 129 MPs have put their names to this, including ten senior Tories like former minister Nicky Morgan. More than 220 MPs have also written a public letter to say the do not support a no-deal. Will it pass? This could be one to watch as so many MPs have indicated support for taking no-deal off the table. But less damaging to May as not legally binding. Murrison-Brady amendment Removes the backstop from the withdrawal agreement and asks PM to come up with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border. Tabled by Tories friendly to Mrs May, Sir Graham Brady, who is chair of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservatives and prominent Leaver Dr Andrew Murrison. This is an attempt to give her a mandate to go to the EU and request they remove the backstop. Support: Eight Tories including former Cabinet minister Damian Green. Will it pass? It could as many Tories friendly to Mrs May likely to be very receptive but will hinge on right-wing European Research Group led by Jacob Rees-Mogg and the DUP falling behind it. EU would still have to agree changes to the backstop and have so far said they will not reopen talks. T heresa May today faced a Super Tuesday showdown in the Commons as MPs competed to stamp their mark on the course of Brexit. With parliamentary tradition upended by the battle for control of Brexit, what would normally have been just a bland neutral motion by the Government on the Prime Minister's policy stance threatened to take on a life of its own. Both sides in the often incendiary debate were hoping for a lightning strike moment to illuminate the way out of the Brexit impasse. As a result of a previous rebellion, MPs tabled amendments to the motion. A handful selected by Speaker John Bercow were voted on tonight which could potentially have altered the course of the scheduled EU exit. Speaker John Bercow will select the amendments / AP Mr Bercow chose seven from the myriad of amendments put down using a selection process which is believed to include taking into account the backing each one has amassed and the likelihood of it passing. Dominic Grieve has tabled one of the most far-reaching amendments / Reuters Dominic Grieve, the Tory former attorney general and one of the sharpest pro-European thorns in Theresa May's side, is the rebel who paved the way for the parliamentary showdown and he tabled one of the most far reaching amendments. Four key amendments ahead of Tuesday's Commons showdown TODO: define component type apester Mr Bercow selected motions tabled by Yvette Cooper, Mr Grieve, Jeremy Corbyn, Caroline Spelman, Rachel Reeves, Ian Blackford and Sir Graham Brady for consideration in debate on the Government's Brexit deal. The order in which the amendments were taken A Labour amendment O Blackford amendment G Grieve amendment B Cooper amendment J Reeves amendment I Spelman amendment N Brady amendment If Labours amendment (A) is passed, the Blackford amendment (O) will fall. If the Cooper amendment (B) is passed, the Reeves amendment (J) will fall. After voting on amendments, the Speaker will then put Mrs Mays full motion to the House Any successful amendment would not be binding on the Government, but the Prime Minister would find it hard to ignore the declared will of a majority in Parliament. Here is what each amendment could have meant for the Government: Grieve Amendment G The former attorney general wanted the Government to hand over power to the Commons on every Tuesday from February 12 to March 26 so backbenchers could discuss, amend and vote on Brexit. Support: 12 Tories including former minister Justine Greening and Remain campaigners Anna Soubry and Dr Sarah Wollaston. Plus Labour backbenchers, Lib Dems and the SNP. Taking Control, Cooper Amendment B Labour MP Yvette Cooper talking about her amendment on the BBC's Andrew Marr show / PA Would have forced Theresa May to extend Article 50 beyond March 29 up until December in order to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Wes Streeting: 'We need to buy ourselves some more time to avoid crashing out of the EU with no-deal' Support: Dozens of Labour backbenchers, the SNP, Lib Dems and nine Tories. The Labour leadership endorsed it at the last minute. Brady Amendment N Helen Whately believes May needs to go back to Brussels and raise concerns over the backstop Removed the backstop from the withdrawal agreement, and asked the PM to come up with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border. Tabled by Tories friendly to Mrs May. Support: Eight Tories including former Cabinet minister Damian Green. Mrs May urged her own MPs to back it to bolster her plans to get back to the EU and renegotiate the backstop. No to no deal, Spelman Amendment I Tabled by Tory Dame Caroline Spelman and Labours Jack Dromey and ruled out a no-deal Brexit. Jack Dromey: 'The house of commons will not support a no-deal Brexit' Support: 129 MPs have put their names to it, including 10 Tories, among them former minister Nicky Morgan. More than 220 MPs have also written a public letter to say they do not support a no deal. Labour's Amendment A This called for MPs to be able to vote on options to stop a no-deal exit, such as a customs union with the EU, as well as the possibility of a new Brexit referendum. Jeremy Corbyn has been careful not to commit Labour to officially back such a poll, though. Amendments have been tacked on to the Labour push, with the Liberal Democrats calling for Remain to be on the ballot paper in any referendum, and Labour backbenchers urging Parliament to legislate for a public vote. Blackford Amendment O This was spearheaded by the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford. It required the Government to ask for Article 50 to be extended and that Scotland not be forced to leave the EU as it voted to remain. Reeves Amendment J B oris Johnson has said Theresa May will have the full-throated support of the UK if she renegotiates the controversial Northern Ireland backstop with the EU and secures a freedom clause. The former foreign secretary said he had heard from very senior sources that the Prime Minister was planning to go to Brussels to reopen talks on the backstop, which has been a key sticking point when trying to get MPs to back her Brexit deal. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, staunch Brexiteer Mr Johnson suggested he would back the deal if Mrs May managed to secure a legally binding exit mechanism that would defuse the booby trap and pave the way for the UK to negotiate a Canada-style trade deal with the EU. He called on Mrs May to publicly declare her change of heart about the backstop and tell MPs what changes to the backstop she is pushing for. TODO: define component type apester If we mean it, if we really try, I have no doubt that the EU will give us the Freedom Clause we need. So now is the time to stiffen the sinews and summon up the blood and get on that trusty BAE 146 and go back to Brussels and get it, he said. And if the PM secures that change a proper UK-sized perforation in the fabric of the backstop itself I have no doubt that she will have the whole country full-throatedly behind her. Many Brexiteers hate the current backstop agreement that is part of Mrs Mays deal because they fear it will leave the UK permanently trapped in the customs union with the EU or lead to Northern Ireland being treated differently to the rest of the UK. Under pressure on Brexit: Theresa May / EPA The backstop was included in the agreement in a bid to prevent a return to a hard border in Ireland. However, Ireland's deputy prime minister Simon Coveney insisted there would be no changes to the Withdrawal Agreement which states the UK will obey EU customs rules if no wider deal has been struck after a transition period. Mr Coveney said the backstop was crucial in preventing a hard border. Irish foreign minister deals another blow to Theresa May by insisting backstop 'isn't going to change' He said: "Peace and the Good Friday Agreement are more important than Brexit. "Even in a no-deal Brexit situation every party and every MP in the UK will have a responsibility to ensure there is no return to a hard border and Northern Ireland is protected. "That won't be easy and those who misrepresent the backstop don't have an alternative to it." Brexit: Meaningful Vote - In Pictures 1 /29 Brexit: Meaningful Vote - In Pictures A Leaver and a pro-European demonstrator argue during protests opposite the Houses of Parliament in London AP A police officer extinguishes a flag that was set alight by pro-Brexit protestors outside the Houses of Parliament PA An anti-Brexit protester dressed in a Theresa May costume recreates a scene from the 1997 film 'Titanic, EPA Pro Brexit supporters outside the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA PA John Bercow speaks in the House of Commons Sky News Pro-Brexit protestors outside the Houses of Parliament, London PA Prime Minister Theresa May listens to the Attorney-General Geoffrey Cox, speak in the House of Commons ahead of the Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Pro Brexit supporters outside the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London Reuters Effigies of Prime Minister Theresa May, former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, current Environment Secretary Michael Gove and former Brexit secretary David Davis, are driven past the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Former Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab, Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Arlene Foster, Conservative Peer Lord Lilley and former Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis speak to the media during a press conference to offer an alternative Brexit plan Getty Images Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg speaks to the media outside the Palace of Westminster Getty Images Pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters Former leader of UKIP Nigel Farage speaks to the media as Pro-Brexit and Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters Anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray outside the Houses of Parliament, London PA Pro EU protesters and Pro Leave protesters demonstrate outside Parliament EPA A man dressed to imitate former foreign secretary Boris Johnson holds a fake bank note for 350 million pounds outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images A pro-Brexit 'battle bus' (L) drives past a mix of pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit protesters outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images Anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray (left) talks with a Brexiteer outside the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA A pro-European demonstrator sings during a protest opposite the Houses of Parliament AP Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes leaves 10 Downing Street, London, following a cabinet meeting, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Anti-Brexit and Pro-Brexit protesters fly flags outside the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Theresa May leaves a cabinet meeting at Downing Street AP A pro remain supporter wears anti brexit badges on his hat, during protests outside of the Parliament EPA Anti and pro Brexit placards are displayed outside of the Parliament EPA Anti-Brexit supporters hold up placards outside Parliament AFP/Getty Images Anti-Brexit demonstrators hold up placards outside Parliament AFP/Getty Images Pro-Brexit supporters hold up placards outside Parliament AFP/Getty Images Mr Coveney's comments were seen as a swipe at Tory Brexiteers hoping to use Commons amendments on Tuesday to try and force a change in direction on the backstop. Attention is focusing on an amendment by Tory grandee Sir Graham Brady which calls for the removal of the backstop and "alternative arrangements" to be put in its place. Brexiteers say if the non-binding amendment is passed it will give the PM more leeway to win concessions from the EU. Sir Graham, who is chairman of the highly influential 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, told the BBC: "My amendment is an attempt to bring the kind of compromise forward that can actually attract the support of a majority of the House of Commons. "I hope it will on Tuesday, and demonstrate in terms to the EU that there is a way forward." Meanwhile, pro-Europe amendments pose a threat to Mrs May's grip on Brexit. The Government is thought to be particularly concerned about a cross-party backed amendment put forward by Labour's Yvette Cooper which is aimed at stopping a no-deal exit and paving the way for keeping the UK in the EU until the end of the year. The Daily Telegraph reported that the PM is seeking to see off the threat of a Tory rebellion, and the possibility of ministerial resignations, by considering whether to hold a "meaningful vote" on Brexit within the next fortnight. S ome 69 per cent of Britons say the country has got angrier since the Brexit referendum, according to new research. The poll also found 17 per cent have fallen out with family and friends in rows over the UKs EU divorce. The stats were released in the annual trust barometer by communications firm Edelman. It said the study reflected a disunited Kingdom with Brexit at the heart of divisions. This month, the Standard witnessed some of that conflict for itself with placard-waving Leave and Remain supporters screaming at each other in the streets outside Parliament. A Brexiteer clashes with pro-EU protester Steve Bray outside Parliament earlier this month / Yui Mok/PA It has even led to the intervention of the Queen. Last week, she urged people to "respect" other people's views in comments widely seen to be referring to Brexit. The figures, taken from a survey of 2,000 people, also found 40 per cent of Britons think other people are more now more likely to take part in violent protests. TODO: define component type apester There were also poor levels of trust in Prime Minister Theresa May (35 per cent) and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (26 per cent). However, in one positive for British democracy, 35 per cent said they were now reading, watching or listening to more news as a result of Brexit. Brexit: Meaningful Vote - In Pictures 1 /29 Brexit: Meaningful Vote - In Pictures A Leaver and a pro-European demonstrator argue during protests opposite the Houses of Parliament in London AP A police officer extinguishes a flag that was set alight by pro-Brexit protestors outside the Houses of Parliament PA An anti-Brexit protester dressed in a Theresa May costume recreates a scene from the 1997 film 'Titanic, EPA Pro Brexit supporters outside the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA PA John Bercow speaks in the House of Commons Sky News Pro-Brexit protestors outside the Houses of Parliament, London PA Prime Minister Theresa May listens to the Attorney-General Geoffrey Cox, speak in the House of Commons ahead of the Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Pro Brexit supporters outside the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London Reuters Effigies of Prime Minister Theresa May, former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, current Environment Secretary Michael Gove and former Brexit secretary David Davis, are driven past the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Former Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab, Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Arlene Foster, Conservative Peer Lord Lilley and former Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis speak to the media during a press conference to offer an alternative Brexit plan Getty Images Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg speaks to the media outside the Palace of Westminster Getty Images Pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters Former leader of UKIP Nigel Farage speaks to the media as Pro-Brexit and Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters Anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray outside the Houses of Parliament, London PA Pro EU protesters and Pro Leave protesters demonstrate outside Parliament EPA A man dressed to imitate former foreign secretary Boris Johnson holds a fake bank note for 350 million pounds outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images A pro-Brexit 'battle bus' (L) drives past a mix of pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit protesters outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images Anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray (left) talks with a Brexiteer outside the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA A pro-European demonstrator sings during a protest opposite the Houses of Parliament AP Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes leaves 10 Downing Street, London, following a cabinet meeting, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Anti-Brexit and Pro-Brexit protesters fly flags outside the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Theresa May leaves a cabinet meeting at Downing Street AP A pro remain supporter wears anti brexit badges on his hat, during protests outside of the Parliament EPA Anti and pro Brexit placards are displayed outside of the Parliament EPA Anti-Brexit supporters hold up placards outside Parliament AFP/Getty Images Anti-Brexit demonstrators hold up placards outside Parliament AFP/Getty Images Pro-Brexit supporters hold up placards outside Parliament AFP/Getty Images Edelman's UK and Ireland chief executive Ed Williams said: "We are a disunited Kingdom: a country that is seen as increasingly unfair, less tolerant and headed in the wrong direction. "Brexit has exposed fractures that have split families and divided friends, made us meaner and angrier as a society, and stoked fears of violent protest and civil disorder. Jeremy Corbyn: I do not want a rerun of Brexit referendum "The divisions exposed by our decision to leave the European Union are not binary. They are far more complex." He continued: "But the consequences are clear - as a country we see our politicians and our political leaders as out of touch, and we lack faith in their ability to heal the divide. "Instead we are looking increasingly to business and to our employers to lead and to act with social purpose." M atthew Mills, son of the late Baroness Jowell, the distinguished Labour former Cabinet minister, is contemplating whether to follow his mother into politics. My mum, before she died, said she wanted me to be an MP, Mills told The Londoner recently, adding that he was thinking about it. But this morning Mills said that he was not rushing in, despite the current messy state of politics, confirming that while one day he would love to be an MP, for the moment he is too busy running Deliciously Ella with his wife, Ella Mills. The pair are food industry stars but also political aristocracy: both are related to recent Conservative and Labour grandees, so politics runs in their blood. Tessa Jowell, was, of course, Labour MP in Dulwich and West Norwood for 23 years. She was a New Labour star, serving under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, memorably as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, as well as Minister for the Olympics. Although she stepped down in 2015, she was made Baroness Jowell of Brixton in October of that year. Jowell was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2017 and died in May last year. Her death was mourned across politics. Matthew married Ella Woodward in 2016 and they run Ellas food business, Deliciously Ella, together. Ellas father Shaun Woodward famously crossed the floor from the Conservatives to Labour in 1999. He switched seats from Witney (won by David Cameron in 2001) to St Helens South. On her mothers side, Ella is the granddaughter of Tim Sainsbury, former Conservative minister in the Thatcher and Major governments. Mills says he wont rule out politics, particularly because Mum always wanted her kids to contribute as much as they possibly could. Which party? Well see... Political royalty: Ella Woodward and Matthew Mills (Dave Benett/Getty Images ) / Dave Benett/Getty Images Ivory tower thinking Victoria Borwick, former MP for Kensington, has found a cause to take her into the 21st century: the conservation of the ivory trade. Im going to help dealers come together from across the country to face the tumult of 2019, she writes in the Antiques Trade Gazette. And ensure that the Government looks at our history and respect the years of historical trading of objects including those with ivory within them. With a ban on almost all ivory sales announced last year, lets hope Lady Borwick political career goes extinct before these majestic animals. -- Positive spin: Labour General Secretary Jennie Formby with Jeremy Corbyn / Ian Forsyth/Getty Images Jennie Formby, Labour General Secretary, has trumpeted that 2,000 members joined in the last two weeks. Ilford North MP Mike Gapes asks the questions on everyones lips. What are the current fully paid up membership figures? How many are in arrears? How many have lapsed in the last month, three months, six months, last year? She didnt reply. -- Chefs Nigella Lawson and Yotam Ottolenghi plan a pottery course together, despite Lawsons previous struggles. The wheel defeated me, she says. I thought it would be this wonderful experience where you felt at one with the wheel, [but] I felt it was my enemy. No chance of a recreation of that scene from Ghost, then. Meghan bigs it up at Dis favourite crimper Royal haircuts: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their wedding day / TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images How did the Duchess of Sussex prepare her hair for the royal wedding? The Londoner understands that Meghan made at least one visit to the Nicky Clarke salon in Mayfair ahead of her big day last year, to have extensions fitted. The Duchesss hair is already long, so the treatment primarily added volume, says an insider. The visit marks a royal seal of approval for the hairdresser: Clarke was a favourite of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Naomi Watts lights up amid Sundance flashbulbs Naomi Watts at the Sundance Film Festival ( Rich Fury/Getty Images) / Rich Fury/Getty Images As the world awaits the winners of this seasons film awards The Oscars, Baftas and even the Razzies some are already lining up for consideration next year. Naomi Watts, the Kent-born actor who played Princess Diana in the 2013 biopic Diana, was in Utah this weekend for the Sundance Festival. She stars alongside Tim Roth in new drama Luce but will soon start filming a new Game of Thrones prequel. Back in London, stars were holding their cards close to their chests. Edward Enninful, editor of Vogue, was at Banking Hall for the City Royale charity poker tournament, held in aid of the University College Londons Hospital Charity. Model Adwoa Aboah and presenter Maya Jama were also among the guests. Last night, comedian Eddie Izzard was at the Regent Street Cinema for a screening of his film The Flip Side, as part of the Australia Day celebrations. Izzard, a political activist, served on the Labour NEC for a few months last year but was not kept on following a summer election. SW1A Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, declares: Im going to find my Northern Irish relations... Ive never done it before because I felt deep respect and love for the man who raised my father. Her grandmother moved to England from Northern Ireland and remarried after her husband died. The MP signs off the tweet with Love Jessie Trainor, her Northern Irish mothers maiden name. -- "Know your stuff" diplomacy: David Miliband / Getty Images for Concordia Summi David Miliband recalls his time as Foreign Secretary. People want you to know your stuff, he tells Nick Robinsons podcast. And the danger if you know your stuff is that you come across as thinking that you know your stuff. Youre representing the country and so you really dont want to be caught out. Did Boris miss that memo? -- I am bored to tears, writes John Redwood MP, with much of the conventional media, which simply recycle endless old Project Fear stories. Redwood directs those who feel similarly to his own blog. Quote of the Day Maybe we ought to replace Olly Robbins with Mr May I f you ever have time to kill at Terminal 5, try leaving Heathrow and hopping on a red 350 bus. It's a route that tells you something about how London has grown. It rolls out past the end of the runways under thundering jets and into what, until not long ago, was farmland. Now it's a mix of scrappy fields, sheds, hotels and car parks the detritus that makes a major world airport work. But if you get off a couple of stops later you find yourself somewhere very different: in the core of what was once a rural village. This is Harmondsworth, where you can get a pint at the 17th-century Five Bells pub next to the even older St Mary's Church and feel a link with the days when the lonely wasteland which is now Heathrow Airport was the feared haunt of highwaymen. Walk a few yards down a leafy lane here and you'll find something even more remarkable: Harmondsworth Barn, a huge, wooden-pillared 15th-century grain store, the largest timber-framed building in England. John Betjeman called it "the cathedral of Middlesex" and to look at it is to think nothing has changed here for centuries. But somewhere close to the Five Bells this summer we will be told exactly where there may soon be a big fence and lots of diggers. If Heathrow's third runway is built, the old part of Harmondsworth will survive, just, but the newer part towards the airport will be flattened. Half of it will go in total, along with all of nearby Longford: around 750 houses will be knocked down. Done well, as the airport promises it will be, there could be gains as well as losses: there is talk of new parks, green walks and cycle routes, and most of the scheme will be built on brownfield land. Homeowners are being paid 25 per cent above the unaffected market rate for their properties although tenants get nothing more than advance warning that they will need to move. There is support for the plan locally as well as opposition. Heathrow says that despite the opposition of prominent local MPs such as shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Boris Johnson, it is winning some residents and local councils around to its cause with promises of compensation, noise management and new jobs. "If you knock on doors people may not be rabidly in support but most people want certainty and want to be treated fairly," says Rob Gray, who's in charge of the airport's relations with its neighbours. Looking ahead: how Heathrow could look (Grimshaw Architects ) / Grimshaw Architects But if the first heavily laden A350 Airbus is to take off as promised in 2026 from land that is now full of buildings, a quite incredible amount of work will have to be done. And, just as with Crossrail and HS2, much of that time will be soaked up by planning. So is the third runway really about to be built at last? One might be open already, of course, if plans for a shorter runway starting a little closer to London hadn't been scrapped in 2010. Now Heathrow argues that its more ambitious plans for a fulllength third runway running across the M25 are on course. But there are good reasons for scepticism. Will Brexit hit demand? Are the plans to build it practical? What about the impact on air quality as well as climate change now a massive issue in London? And who will pay the bill? Heathrow says the project will cost around 14 billion. How much on top will the taxpayer have to pick up for things like better road and rail links, as well as the cost and disruption of altering the M25? It's fair to ask whether the Government should pay for links to what is after all a privately owned and very profitable business. In theory it's full steam ahead. The Airports Commission backed the Heathrow plan in 2015 and a year later the Government agreed with it. Two years after that, MPs overwhelmingly voted in favour. But even that is not the end of a painfully drawn out planning process. Five judicial reviews will be heard together this March, covering the impact on air quality, climate change and challenging the process which led to the third runway being picked in place of an extended one. If the courts rule against the Government, things could derail. Even if that doesn't happen it's still almost four years before building might begin. This summer Heathrow plans to publish a masterplan which will tell people what is actually going to be built and where including details of a new Terminal 6. In the middle of 2020 it will submit final plans, an 18-month process which should lead to final approval in late 2021. The airport expects to start building just before the election scheduled for 2022 the outcome of which might of course derail everything, just as it did in 2010. Actually the hardest bit about expanding Heathrow airport is creating space to put new runways in That's a decade after the Airports Commission was set up and leaves only four years to actually build the runway if it's to open in 2026. China, by contrast, is planning to open 74 new airports by 2020. Whatever you feel about more flights, you might feel some sympathy with Phil Wilbraham, Heathrow's expansion programme director, who says that "actually the hardest bit is creating a space to put it in". He promises that Heathrow will do the building work "really efficiently and really well". One big task will be moving the M25 150 metres west and lowering it by six metres. Can that really happen without wrecking a key transport route? Heathrow plans to build the new road and then switch from the old one. But airports rely on what happens in the sky as much as on the ground. This month it set out plans for a new set of flightpaths which could mean 25,000 extra flights a year above the current cap of 480,000 even before a third runway is built. Flights will go over some areas that they currently don't but respite will become more predictable too. If the third runway happens, flight numbers could climb further to more than 700,000, although there would be big gains in reliability too. Wilbraham says he's planning "the most efficient three-runway airport in the world". To allow that, he says, "we needed a new approach to respite". That means steeper approaches, so planes fly low over fewer houses, and a block on night flights of 6.5 hours a day. Quieter planes, too, mean that "since the Seventies we've doubled the number of flights but the noise footprint has fallen by 90 per cent", adds Gray. There's another big challenge too: cost. Heathrow says it will borrow to pay for expansion and keep landing charges "close" to current ones. But they are already among the highest in the world. The airport talks of working well with airlines. It dealt with a recent drone incursion with almost no disruption, for instance. But IAG, the owner of its biggest customer British Airways, doesn't mince words. It is "ridiculous", a spokeswoman says, to accept a 14 billion bill without a breakdown of what it will buy. "Heathrow," she adds, "needs to be forced to be cost-effective it won't do it of its own free will." Piece of history: Harmondsworth Barn / Alamy IAG points out that over the past seven years the airport's owners have paid themselves 3.5 billion in dividends rather than repaying an already high debt. IAG wants landing charges to remain level if a new runway is to come. The key questions of what is to be built, what will be the cost and who will pay remain remarkably unresolved. Sorting that out is a job for the Civil Aviation Authority. Already the airport has cut the cost of its expensive plans which stand in sharp contrast to the mere 320 million (281.5 million) Dublin is paying for a second runway. The creator of much-loved characters Clarice Bean and Charlie and Lola, said she will be on the look-out for authors and illustrators with left-field ways of looking at the world when the judges meet to choose the shortlist of five and the winning title in April. Were great at giving prizes for unusual adults books, but not so good at praising people who have different ideas about childrens books. Things need to broaden out and be a bit more extraordinary, she said. Also new to the panel is Sarah Brown, of childrens charity Theirworld and the Global Business Coalition for Education. She said the prize was a brilliant way to highlight early learning and the impact of stories and illustrations on inquisitive young minds. Joining her is Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, director of books at Amazon UK, which, together with the National Literacy Trust, is supporting the prize for the third year running. Oscars Book Prize is held in memory of Oscar Ashton, who died aged three-and-a-half from an undetected heart condition in 2012. His parents James Ashton, ex-Standard City Editor, and Viveka Alvestrand will return as judges. Standard editor George Osborne said: Oscars Book Prize celebrates that greatest literary achievement a book for young children that stays in our memories and commemorates Oscar, who never leaves our memories. T op health officials are very close to panic as Brexit approaches, according to the chief executive of one of the countrys leading hospitals. Professor Marcel Levi, of University College London Hospitals, said there had been a marked change of tone from NHS England and the Department of Health about the NHSs preparedness for leaving the EU on March 29. UCLH chiefs say they will invoke major incident procedures if the UK crashes out with no deal and medical supplies, staffing and patient safety are jeopardised. The trust said the number of its EU staff leaving had exceeded those joining for the first time. Professor Levi, inset, told a UCLH board meeting last week he had previously received weekly communications from NHS officials and the Department of Health and Social Care that you dont have to worry about Brexit, that everything will be taken care of. TODO: define component type apester But he said: That completely changed two weeks ago to almost daily communications which are very close to panic. Hospital chiefs have been ordered by NHS officials not to crash the system by hoarding medical supplies. Instead, medicines and medical supplies and devices are being gathered centrally. Professor Levi said Brexit preparations were being aligned with UCLHs normal procedures for an emergency. Though we all hope and think all this is unnecessary, its impossible not to do anything, he said. We normally have a stock of four to six weeks for most medication. That gives us a little bit of time to see what is going to happen. For medical supplies, we only have a stock of one to two days. Asked if March 29 was akin to the Millennium bug of January 1, 2000, UCLH chief nurse Flo Panel-Coates said: We are preparing for all sorts of instances. If that happens we will invoke a major incident. A woman who formed a close friendship with speedboat killer Jack Shepherd said he cried his eyes out when he told her about the death crash. Maiko Tchanturidze, 24, said he made an emotional video call to her about the death of Charlotte Brown days before he surrendered to police in Georgia. She told the Sun: He was struggling to get his words out, but he said hed been involved in a boat accident where a girl had died, and that he was wanted by Interpol. He said he was going to hand himself in because he didnt want to be hunted down like an animal. I was beyond shocked and, by the end, he was also crying his eyes out. It was very frightening to hear his story. Shepherd, 31, claimed the crash was not his fault. Charlotte Brown who was killed in a speedboat crash on the River Thames whilst on a date with Jack Shepherd. / Metropolitan Police/PA Wire Charlotte, of Clacton, Essex, drowned in the Thames in December 2015 on her first date with Shepherd. He fled the country but his Old Bailey manslaughter trial convicted him in his absence and sentenced him to six years in jail. He spent 10 months on the run before surrendering to police in Georgias capital Tbilisi on Wednesday. Shepherd caused outrage by appealing against his conviction while a fugitive with the help of legal aid. He has received more than 93,000 for his Old Bailey trial and is reportedly paying his legal team in Georgia 15,000. A suspect trying to flee police in Florida by jumping into a lake has had to be rescued by officers because he did not know how to swim. Officers from Sarasota County Sheriffs Office charged Richard Garay for obstruction after he fled from police and had to be rescued by first responders on Friday. The incident was caught on camera and shows the 18-year-old in the middle of the lake struggling to keep his head above water as a uniformed officer jumps in after him. Another officer throws the pair a rope and pulls them to safety. In a statement, police said they had tried to talk to Garay who was standing by his van parked on the side of the road but he fled towards the lake and jumped in. Police rescue 18-year-old suspect who tried to flee police by jumping into a lake but later admitted he could not swim. / Sarasota County Sheriff's Office They said he later admitted he was unable to swim but had gone into the lake to avoid being arrested on several warrants. Sheriff Tom Knight said: The safety of our citizens is a priority, regardless of circumstance. These deputies acted quickly and selflessly to render aid to someone who has a complete disregard for law enforcement. A murder inquiry was under way today after a 34-year-old Polish man was found dead in a house in west London. Neighbours reported being woken yesterday morning by screaming from the four-storey terraced house in Alfred Road in the early hours. Olah Hakim, 30, a PhD student, said: I heard a really loud scream. It woke me up, and my baby son. It was a young womans scream and it went on for about 10 seconds. A cordon remained around the house today and police conducted house-to-house inquiries. Neighbours said they believed a Polish couple were living in the shared house. One said: Police told us not to worry. From that I gathered that there was some domestic situation in the flat. A man aged 33 has been arrested on suspicion of murder and was being questioned at a north London police station today. No details were released on how the victim died. Detective Inspector Mark Richards, who is leading the inquiry, said: This man was fatally attacked in his own home. Our efforts are focused on bring the culprit to justice. At this early stage there is nothing to suggest entry to the property was forced. A number of active enquiries are under way, including forensic analysis at the crime scene and the gathering and review of local CCTV footage. We continue to appeal for help from the local community who may have seen or heard something that could be vital to our investigation. The murder is the seventh in the capital so far this year. Two teenagers and a young man were also injured in separate knife attacks in the capital this weekend. A boy aged 15 was attacked in New Park Road, Brixton, at 7.20pm on Saturday. A 16-year-old boy was arrested and remanded in custody on suspicion of attempted murder. In Harrow, a 17-year-old boy was wounded in Masons Avenue shortly before 9pm. H eres a fun game. Type Cook Islands into Google Maps, then zoom out. Keep going. A little more. Ahh, there it is. Keep going and youll eventually see another land mass come into view. For this cluster of 15 islands deep in the South Pacific, remote doesnt quite cover it. If youre looking for the archetypal desert island getaway, this is it. From remote atolls with blue lagoons packed with tropical fish, to mountains covered in lush jungle, this island nation halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand is the dream, the definition of picture-postcard perfect. So much so that youll be seeing a lot of it on your TV screens as previously retired reality show Shipwrecked makes a return to E4 tonight. Filmed on two islands in the Aitutaki lagoon, the 15-part series will see young, buff hopefuls survive on uninhabited rival islands Shark and Tiger with a 50k prize fund for the largest tribe at the end of the competition. But what is it like to visit? Can a gym-averse Londoner prone to sunburn survive here? And apart from uninhabited islands, what else is there? Having travelled for 24 hours via LA, I land on the largest island, Rarotonga, and get my bearings. It doesnt take long. Home to 14,000 of the Cook Islands 17,000 inhabitants, you can circumnavigate the island by car in an hour. In Vaianas bar, near the airport, I grab a pitcher of island-brewed beer, Matutu Mai, set myself up on a bench on the sand and inadvertently discover a few of the islands many charms. / Alamy Stock Photo People. Fashion. Power. Delivered weekly. Email Sign up Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice {{message}} {{permutiveUid}} {{message}} First, dogs. As the island is so small, locals have no problem letting their collared pooches run free. Wherever you go on Rarotonga youll see happy canines trying to catch fish, seeking out tourists for pets and taking a dip in the sea when it gets too hot. The other island quirk is the bus. There are only two routes on this small, circular island: clockwise and anti-clockwise. Done with my drink and looking to head to dinner, I flag down the hourly bus service outside. Much of the island is similarly low key, and full of charm. I pass handwritten signs for coffee. Just text the number and pick your drinks up from the house nearby. And Polynesian culture is on display everywhere. Women wear elaborate fresh flower crowns. Drumming and singing are a key part of any boat trip you take across the lagoon. And as only Cook Islanders can own property, youll get used to seeing grave plots right next to houses throughout the island. Land is kept in the family. At Tamarind House, a restored colonial house from 1904, I order the Cook Islands speciality ika mata, or raw tuna with citrus, coconut and coriander. But the sunset is too good to miss. In Muri Beach, with its beachfront hotels, bars and a night market open four nights a week, I see a sign. Beside a picture of a giant paddleboard it reads: Seven friends + One huge paddleboard. Loads of FUN. Perhaps too much. I opt instead for a Night SUP lesson (Ariki Tours from NZD$70pp). With a colour-changing strip of light beneath the board, we set off to paddle the lagoon as the sun sets. While the sky splits into reds, yellows and purples silhouetting the palms on the islands of the lagoon, I dip my legs in the water. Silence. (Shipwrecked) / Channel 4 If you prefer adrenaline, there are options galore. Youll notice the lack of giant resorts or brand-name hotels on the Cook Islands. It nearly wasnt so. Begun in the late Eighties but never finished, the skeleton of what would have been the Sheraton is slowly being taken over by the jungle. With the project 90 per cent completed the money ran out. Today the site is an unlikely tourist attraction, but one of the best ways to see it is on a Raro Buggy Tour (drivers licence required, from NZD $150pp). As we accelerate through muddy trenches beside the rotting hotel and rusty buses that never served guests I spot what look like stepping stones in a murky pond. Looking up to see a canopy, I realise that this is what would have been the swim-up bar. We park the buggies and jump into the lagoon. That perfect ocean is one of the big reasons for making such a big journey. Like Shipwrecked, the place to go for that is Aitutaki. Located 220km north of Rarotonga, its an easy 45-minute flight to the main island, which is surround by 15 islets. The most affordable way to see them is on a group trip with Bishops Cruises (NZD$90 per person). And among others, youll land at the Shipwrecked islands, Motu Rapota and Motu Rakau. If youre feeling flush, a half-day charter costs from NZD$350. With a sandbank running out to sea from the beach, I wade into the waters to cool off. Looking back at the island, I can certainly see the appeal of being stranded here for a while. Details: Cook Islands W hether its eating well, working out, or using Headspace on the Tube, most of us have built a few hacks into our daily routine to protect ourselves from stress. But the latest research suggests what we do in the night can have the most impact on our minds during the day. Theres a huge link between sleep and mental health, says sleep scientist Dr Sophie Bostock, who is currently working with the app Sleepio, which uses cognitive behavioural therapy to treat insomnia. The dominant view used to be that sleep problems were a symptom of mental health issues such as depression but recent research suggests that lack of sleep or disordered sleep might be one of the contributing causes. And forget the notion of getting your beauty sleep, we might soon be talking about brainy sleep. According to Christopher Barnes, an associate professor at the University of Washington who focuses on tiredness in the workplace, lack of sleep affects the part of the brain used for managing emotions. There are two regions of the brain which are especially important: the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. Sleep deprivation leads to decrements in the pre-frontal cortex, and also negatively influences the manner in which the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala work together. Due to their fatigue, people struggle to regulate their emotions, and further negative feelings often come up as a result, leading the cycle to continue. Sleep deprivation can not only lead to more negative emotions but greater variability in mood and more emotional reactivity. In his book Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience and neurology at the University of California, Berkeley, explains the causal relationship between a lack of sleep and mental-health issues. Sleep disruption contributes to the instigation and/or maintenance of numerous psychiatric illnesses, and has powerful diagnostic and therapeutic potential that we are yet to fully understand. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can make people feel lonely, less able to make decisions and less able to exert self-control. And if your sleep deteriorates, it can be the first indicator that you might need help with your mental health. Left untreated, the sleep problems associated with mental health disorders can be dangerous. People. Fashion. Power. Delivered weekly. Email Sign up Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice {{message}} {{permutiveUid}} {{message}} A University of Michigan study found a strong correlation between insomnia and suicide. A recent paper in the British Medical Journal suggested that sleep has a greater impact on an adolescents mental well-being than bullying, physical activity and screen time, and schoolchildren in the UK may soon be offered sleep classes. Many sleep disorders such as night terrors can be symptomatic of underlying psychological issues such as anxiety, explains Bostock. Equally, depression, grief or difficulty dealing with change make you more likely to suffer from a sleep disorder. Heres how to improve sleep issues and set your mind (and body) at rest. Sleepwalking Around four per cent of adults sleepwalk regularly, which equates to five million Brits, and people who suffer from a mental-health issue are five times more likely to sleepwalk. Sleepwalking is a type of parasomnia, explains Bostock. This is sleep disorders characterised by abnormal movements, behaviours or emotions during sleep. While the exact cause lacks agreement, a number of things are known to trigger episodes. Not getting enough sleep, caffeine and high levels of stress or anxiety can all be causes. What you can do: CBT helps you learn new ways of dealing with stress and anxiety, says Bostock. And practising good sleep hygiene having a bedtime routine where you wind down for 90 minutes before bed, keeping your bedroom cool, dark and free of blue light is essential. Night terrors Like a nocturnal panic attack, night terrors are described as waking up feeling extreme panic or fear, which is sometimes accompanied by sweating, pain in the chest and an increased heart rate. You might also experience sleep paralysis, which is when youre conscious but your brain behaves as if youre asleep. This is another type of parasomnia and can be a common side-effect of PTSD, says Bostock. They can also happen during periods of intense change or difficulty in your life. What you can do: Start keeping a sleep diary where you log what time you go to bed or get up, what you did that day and how often night terrors occur, Bostock explains. This could also be a sign that you need to seek help such as counselling. Your GP can refer you to someone. Insomnia Insomnia as a term is used a lot, but it technically means that for three nights a week or more, for more than three months, you struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep or wake up not feeling refreshed. Its usually triggered by stress, says Bostock. Anxious personality types tend to be more affected, and then lack of sleep itself becomes a worry. Its a vicious cycle. What you can do: CBT can give you techniques to address the racing mind and getting back to your natural sleeping pattern, says Bostock. Some insomniacs benefit from a sleep-restriction technique, where you set your alarm earlier. Youll build up a need for sleep and can increase your sleep window gradually. Bruxism You may have bruxism (teeth grinding) if you get facial pain or headaches when you awake, stiffness in the jaw, or have worn-down teeth. Bruxism is often linked to stress and anxiety, says dentist Rhona Eskander. Alcohol, caffeine, recreational drugs and certain medications can make it worse. What you can do: Your dentist can fit you with night guards to stop you from clenching, says Eskander. CBT, meditation and muscle-relaxation exercises can also help you manage stress before you go to bed. The ZZZ list Yawns PJs are 100 per cent cotton (80, loveyawn.com) Yawn pyjamas Opt for nightwear that takes heat and sweat away from the body, such as Yawns super-comfy PJs, which are 100 per cent cotton. 80, loveyawn.com Ashwagandha Add the adaptogen to warm almond milk to regulate sleep, or try Sleep Well, right, containing valerian root, that promotes good sleep. Sleep Well milk (6.95, sleepwellmilk.com) Casper pillow Pillows from Casper contain silky fibres that increase airflow and support the natural curve of your neck. Cowshed Knackered Cow Relaxing Room Candle E ver since McDonalds launched the Big Mac in 1968, its been a staple on their menu. With three buns, two patties, cheese, pickles and their super-secret sauce, its no surprise its been such a mainstay. Yet, the fast food chain has just announced it is making its first change to the Big Mac since its launch 51 years ago theyre adding bacon. The Big Mac Bacon has just been introduced to the UK for the first time, with two slices of streaky bacon added to the burger. McDonalds are also bringing back their Grand Big Mac and Mac Jr. options to celebrate the occasion, with these burgers having the bacon option available also. Food. Bars. Going out. Delivered weekly Email Sign up Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice {{message}} {{permutiveUid}} {{message}} Michelle Graham-Clare, head of marketing at McDonalds UK & Ireland, said: The customer reaction to our Grand Big Mac and Mac Jr. last year was phenomenal, the love for the iconic Big Mac surpassed all expectations. Which is why I am delighted to introduce bacon to the Big Mac range, a twist on a classic. Celebrity make-up vlogger James Charles was at the eye of an internet storm after his former mentor Tati Westbrook published a a 43 minute video expose. The weekend after her video was posted, his 16 million strong following on YouTube dropped massively - it has since gone up again and he now has 16.2 million subscribers. Over the past year, Charles has been wracked by scandal after scandal. At one point, his following dropped by nearly three million, which was potentially the largest drop a creator has ever seen on the platform. Tatis video made a number of allegations against the star, which included claims that he had tried to sexually manipulate heterosexual men using his fame, power and money and that he had betrayed her by promoting Sugar Bear Hair over Coachella - a vitamin company and direct competitor to Tatis brand Halo. The video was titled BYE SISTER, a reference to Charles catchphrase Hi sisters which features in many of his YouTube makeup tutorials and reviews. Getty Images for Youtube Charles has since responded with his own eight minute video simply titled tati, in which he apologised for everything I put you through and that he was not going to pull receipts or facts or screenshots and play the victim. Earlier this month, he addressed claims that he had pressured heterosexual men into dating him in a Twitter statement, saying that model Gage Gomez (who also accused Charles of trying to manipulate and putting a bit of pressure on him...disregarding the fact that I told him I was straight in a viral YouTube video) was a con artist. He later released a lengthier statement, saying that Gomezs story was a blatant LIE, which has painted a false image of me being a predator. People. Fashion. Power. Delivered weekly. Email Sign up Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice {{message}} {{permutiveUid}} {{message}} JamesCharles/Instagram The beauty vloggers former celebrity friends have since unfollowed him from the platform, including Kylie Jenner, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Iggy Azlea and Shawn Mendes (who he spoke highly of following the Met Gala). Other high profile YouTubers that have also unfollowed him include docuvlogger Shane Dawson, controversial beauty vloggers Jeffree Star and Laura Lee, as well as the Dolan Twins, who last year bought him a custom-piano for his new mansion in Los Angeles. James Charles with Kim Kardashian West (Getty Images) Charles is currently in Australia promoting a pop up shop and his eyeshadow palette with Morphe Cosmetics, as his subscriber count continues to backslide. Before this controversy, he was a fixture on Anna Wintours celebrity-studded Met Gala carpet in an outfit styled by Alexander Wang and brought Birmingham city centre to a standstill after 8,000 fans flocked to see him. At the time, Charles said, There were 8,000 sisters [fans] at the mall. We keep breaking records every single time. I will literally never forget today. Getty Images for MTV Charles is set to break records as the first YouTuber to suffer the largest drop in subscribers, as his following continues to hemorrhage. For a guide to the entire feud and James Charles, heres everything you need to know. Who is James Charles? James Charles, full name James Charles Dickinson, is a vlogger, make-up artist and model from Bethlehem in New York. The 20 year old started his YouTube channel in 2015 posting make-up tutorial videos. He went viral on Twitter two years ago, after he brought his own lighting with him to his yearbook shoot. Thanks to the popularity of his videos, in 2016 he became the first male ambassador for CoverGirl and went on to launch his own Morphe makeup palette. The teen has also made celebrity friends aplenty, once doing Kylie Jenners makeup for a Halloween-inspired video tutorial. Proving his success over the past few years has paid off, he won the award for Best Channel in the beauty category at the 8th Streamy Awards. Last year, he walked the runway for MarcoMarco during LA Fashion Week. At the peak of his fame, Charles amassed 16.2 million subscribers on YouTube and currently has 1.5 billion views on YouTube. Following a number of controversies, however, he has seen his following plummet to 13.9 million at the time of publication - a difference of nearly 3 million. Who is Tati Westbrook? Tati is a veteran beauty blogger whose channel dates back to 2010. Although she may have a smaller following than Charles with 9.73 million subscribers, she is a well respected figure in the platforms beauty community. She also runs a beauty supplement company called Halo. What did Tati say in her 43 minute James Charles video? For casual fans of the YouTube beauty community, it came as a shock when Tati published a 43 minute video last Friday titled BYE SISTER. It was an unusual shift from Tatis usual content, which generally covers makeup tutorials and reviews. The video was viewed by many as a takedown of James Charles and in it, she detailed her long history with the makeup vlogger - revealing she took on a mentorship role; promoting him numerous times on her own channel, plugging his Morphe sponsorship deals on her platform and even asking him to do her bridal makeup for her wedding to James Westbrook. Tatis take down video followed one of James Charles sponsorship deals with her beauty supplement brands biggest competitor: Sugar Bear Hair Vitamins. She revealed that he had previously refused to promote her own brand on his platform due to concerns about his young audience, but at Coachella he shared a sponsored post for Sugar Bear Hair. She said in the video, When you paired up with my number one competitor it was embarrassing for me and you know that. You kept saying you can't be bought, but you just were. JamesCharles/Instagram Following a now infamous Instagram video in which Tati cried about Charles Sugar Bear Hair deal, Charles issued a public apology in which he claimed the brand helped [him] with security when the crowd around [him] at Coachella became unsafe. He also further clarified that he did not accept any money for the post and that Tati was like a mother to me since my first days in this industry. Tati also claimed that Charles had disrespected not just her, but her husband Westbrook who she said brokered deals for him in his early days - including a very early partnership with StyleHaul, an undisclosed million dollar deal and advice on his lucrative collaboration with Morphe Cosmetics. Tati revealed that Westbrook, who was mentored by Hollywood super agent and CAA co-founder Rowland Perkins, helped Charles free of charge with his business dealings and was actually asked by Charles to be his agent (which Westbrook refused). She added that Charles had not apologised to Westbrook. She said, Any times that [Charles] would need help, hed be like, Dad, what should I do?...My husband would spend hours on the phone looking over contracts, getting him in a better position. She also claimed that early on she had helped Charles secure more favourable advertising rates on YouTube by showing him how to monetise his videos, which she said took him to $2500 [a day] immediately up from his previous $90 daily profit. Following his channels eventual success, Tati also claimed Charles was entitled and that he had disrespected beauty vlogger Marlena of MakeUpGeek, who she said had paved the way. Getty Images One of Tatis most damning allegations was that Charles had sexually manipulated men, claiming, You tried to trick a straight man into thinking hes gay yet again and somehow, youre the victim. You know its really disgusting to manipulate someones sexuality especially when they are still emerging into adulthood and dont have things figured out. How dare you laugh about it...and make it a joke because this behaviour is not normal, its not okay, Tati said. Charles was accused of attempting to manipulate a mans sexuality earlier this year by model Gage Gomez, who attended Coachella with him. Gomez released a YouTube video titled what really went down between me and james charles after Charles tweeted that he was a con artist. Gomez claimed that after Charles initiated a conversation via Instagram direct messages, the pair began talking. He said, [Charles] then saw this as an opportunity to manipulate me as a person who may or may not have been trying to figure things out about their sexuality, after the fact of telling him that i was straight multiple time. He then started to begin putting a little bit of pressure on me, of getting to know me without - disregarding the fact i told him i was straight. Charles denied that he had manipulated Gomez in a lengthy Twitter statement, in which he claimed everything was 100% consensual and that he was well aware that you cannot change someones sexuality. Getty Images Tati addressed Charles directly and fully dissociated herself from him, saying, You are using your fame, power and money to play with peoples emotions. I dont want to be friends with you. I dont want to be associated with you, she finished. How did James Charles respond to Tatis video? Following Tatis takedown video, Charles responded on Friday with a video of his own titled Tati. The video, which has been viewed 32.8 million times at publication, started with an apology to Tati and her husband for everything that I have put you through over the past few weeks. He revealed that the Tati had given him so much love and advice and opportunities, as well as support when nobody else would or wanted to. I know that theres nothing that I can say or do to ever earn that friendship or trust back, Charles continued, but I dont blame them for it. Getty Images for dcp He acknowledged that he had made mistakes in the past and that he would keep on learning and growing and becoming the best version of myself that I can be. He also doubled down on his previous claims that he had not accepted money for his Sugar Bear Hair sponsorship deal. He also addressed the allegations that he had sexually manipulated heterosexual men, saying that he had learned the hard way about ways that I can interact about boys that I should or shouldnt be talking to. Although he acknowledged that it was a conversation that I know a lot of people are uncomfortable with, he said he would not be playing the victim. The video was not well received by the public and despite amassing millions of views, it currently has 2.3 million dislikes (in relation to 465,000 likes). What happened with James Charles in Birmingham earlier this year? Charles was Morphes honorary guest as they opened their brand new make-up store in the Bullring in Birmingham city centre. After kicking off the grand opening by cutting the ribbon, Charles then did a meet and greet with 250 lucky fans. Speaking about his first time ever in the UK, Charles said: Im so beyond excited to be travelling to the UK for my first time ever! Its going to be an amazing time and lets make this meet and greet the biggest weve ever done! M ove over Glasto, a festival for dogs and their owners is landing in the UK later this year. Back for its sixth year, DogFest will take place at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire, just outside of London, from May 11-12. Alongside a fair few pooches, the canine extravaganza promises celebrity appearances, expert talks, dog displays and paws-on activities. Clare Balding is headlining the festival on the main stage with dog-related anecdotes from her life. She will also lead the Great Dog Walk, chatting to people on both the 2K and 4K routes, and will present prizes in the Fun Dog Show, with awards for the happiest dog and waggiest tail. Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, also known as TVs Supervet, will be making an appearance offering a special talk for fans with VIP tickets. Exclusive offers and competitions weekly Email Sign up Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice {{message}} {{permutiveUid}} {{message}} Owners and their four-legged friends can enjoy activities such as a giant paddling pool, a treat obstacle course and a Big Dog Dig where pups use scents to track down treasure. Other events include a number of Q&A sessions on topics relating to animal health, welfare and development as well as a Pup Park, where puppies of all breeds and sizes can meet fellow youngsters in a safe environment. For those further afield, DogFest will be popping up at Tatton Park in Cheshire on June 15-16 and Ashton Court Estate in Bristol on June 22-23. Tickets for the event cost 16.15 for adults in advance or 21.50 on the door. For more information and for further ticket packages, visit dog-fest.co.uk W e are a month away from key presidential elections in Nigeria, which is of concern to hundreds of thousands of Nigerian Londoners. Nigeria is Africas largest economy, most populous country, and the continents political powerhouse. The UK shares strong cultural and historical ties with it. British-Nigerian superstars are thriving in the music industry, fashion and sports. Watfords Anthony Joshua is as popular in Nigeria as he is here. While London remains one of the largest sources of remittances into Nigeria, the City is increasingly looking to the country for opportunities for co-operation, investment, and growth. Annual trade is worth 4.2 billion and Dangote Cement, the continents biggest cement producer, is expected to list on the London Stock Exchange in 2019. In recent months Theresa May and the Prince of Wales have visited the Nigerian capital, Abuja. So far the election on February 16 has failed to catch fire and there is no risk of a Donald Trump or Jair Bolsonaro coming to power. The two chief protagonists, both in their seventies, are the incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, in office since 2015, and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, who was vice-president for that party but ran against it in 2007. Campaign posters for Nigeria's incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari / AFP/Getty Images Buhari was a military ruler in the early Eighties and has messianic support in the north. His mission to abolish the Islamist Boko Haram in his first year continues. He is running on an anti-corruption platform and is arguing that infrastructure is improving. The second Niger bridge is being built. The country is now self-sufficient in rice, which was the cause of import scandals in the past. Atiku is a billionaire about whom questions have been asked. He is campaigning on moving forward the economy and putting food on the table for Nigerias poor, who have otherwise backed Buhari. But although he is remembered for opening up the countrys telecoms market so that the average citizen often has three smartphones, Atiku carries baggage from the PDPs 16 years in power, not least the mismanagement of oil revenues. Without much to go on in opinion polls, it looks as if Buhari will win, though turnout is traditionally low and younger voters wish there were a wider choice. Huge problems, including inequity, the environment and an epileptic electricity supply remain, but many argue that Buhari should be given a chance to see his reforms through. There may not be a million Nigerians in Greater London, as a mayor of Brent claimed in 2014, but there are many brilliant writers and contributors in finance, IT, the creative industries and among the care workers. These Londoners will watch with special interest next month. So should the rest of us. S upermarket rivals including Morrisons and Waitrose as well as butchers and fishmongers could get a boost if Tesco closes its food counters and bakeries. The supermarket giant is poised to slash thousands of jobs and ditch its meat, fish and delicatessen counters in hundreds of stores. Shore Capitals veteran retail analyst Clive Black said: By doing so, [Tesco] will create competitive waves for shoppers who appreciate the opportunity to choose their cut of meat or fish or buy a freshly made loaf. Independent butchers, bakers and candlestick-makers across the land may be cheering, as may the likes of Morrisons with its commitment to its Market Street served counter offer maybe Waitrose too. Details of the cuts were likely to be announced on Monday. The Standard revealed last week that the grocer was poised to cut jobs from stores. P harmaceuticals is among the hardest sectors for the average punter to invest in as, without any specific medical knowledge, it feels like shooting in the dark. Nevertheless, if a treatment catches on, the rewards can be huge. Diagnostics group Yourgene Health, which makes non-invasive prenatal tests, has been dogged by litigation recently but its luck could be about to change. The tests work by taking a blood sample from a mother who is 10 weeks pregnant to learn whether the foetus is affected with Downs syndrome or some other congenital condition. Until now, the foetuss health has been determined by an amniocentesis whereby a long thin needle is inserted into the womb to draw off a small amount of amniotic fluid for analysis. But this process has, in some cases, resulted in miscarriage. Yourgene has been mired in a patent dispute with rival Illumina which started in March 2015 and the two sides settled last September. Yourgene spent large sums on the action, including a 3 million fundraising in October to finance the settlement. With that behind it, the company decided to change its name from Premaitha Health to Yourgene in November. Analysts are hoping it can now press on. Recent revenues are not bad and for the six months ended September 30 sales were 3.9 million compared with 2.7 million a year earlier. Testing volumes in the first-half rose 73% to 38,000 from 22,000 a year earlier. But the company has still not turned a profit. House broker finnCap said recently: The company is now unencumbered by the litigation handbrake We expect the business to become earnings positive in the second half of 2020. FinnCap also slapped a 16p target price on the firm it is trading at 12p today. But the downside is that the business is too focused on one product as the prenatal testing arm makes up 90% of earnings. The chief executive Lyn Rees says that the company is moving into other areas, including testing for breast cancer and leukemia. Its also keen to expand further in India, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia where it believes the growth opportunities are highest. G lobal iron ore prices and shares in London-listed miners shot higher today as Brazils latest mining disaster reverberated through markets. The reaction comes after a dam owned by Vale, the worlds largest iron ore miner, burst on Friday leaving 58 people dead and over 300 missing. In London, Rio Tinto, BHP and Anglo Americans stocks climbed over 2% as investors expect them to claim more share of global iron ore production after the disaster. Iron prices in China spiked 6% to a 16-month high on fears of a global shortage of the commodity. The reputation of Vale listed in Paris, New York, Madrid and Sao Paulo was already in tatters after a dam it part owned with BHP burst three years ago in Mariana, just 150km away from the scene of the latest tragedy in Brumadinho. That catastrophe in 2015, the worst environmental disaster in Brazils history, killed 19 people, buried a village and poured toxic waste into a river. In the latest disaster, sludge tore through Vales facilities in Brumadinho, engulfing the sites cafeteria where workers were lunching, and then swamping nearby houses, vehicles and roads. Search operations had to be suspended last night amid fears another Vale-owned dam nearby could give way. State prosecutors said they had frozen a total of 11 billion reals (2.2 billion) of assets belonging to Vale as Brazilian politicians try to find out how the disaster happened and get to grips with the situation. Vale and BHP were hoping to draw a line under that with a $41 billion (31 billion) settlement but according to federal prosecutor Jose Adercio Sampaio that is now unlikely given Vales culpability in this latest incident. Analysts believe Vales lawsuits could grow into the hundreds of billions of dollars, although they added that the overall impact of the dam failure is nearly impossible to quantify for now. Vale has suspended its planned shareholder dividends, share buybacks and bonus payouts following the disaster. The board of directors has created an independent committee to investigate the causes of the Friday dam burst in the state of Minas Gerais and monitor relief efforts in devastated Brumadinho and the surrounding area. O f all the stupid losses Britain faces from Brexit, few can match the departure of well-paid bankers from London. News today that 200 of Bank of America Merrill Lynch traders are being moved to Paris next week is just a drop in the ocean. Every major bank with its EU headquarters in London is shifting staff abroad, from HSBC to Goldman Sachs, to Citigroup and JPMorgan. And its happening now. You hear Brexiteers saying theyll be back once the fuss dies down, or that this is all just part of an elite lobbying effort. Sadly, neither of those claims is true. Talk to any of the executives actually involved in their banks Brexit planning and they will tell you the same: London is no longer seen abroad as Europes stable anchoring point. The shock that Brexit has sent back to CEOs in Wall Street will not be forgotten. The shift in the perception of our country is permanent and irreversible. Not only has Britain dashed its international reputation for stability and frankly wisdom, but banks have spent so much time and money preparing for the worst from Brexit, they wont change back now. One UK boss of a Wall Street giant says hes spent three quarters of his time in the past year on Brexit preparations. Multiply that by thousands of senior-level bankers, lawyers and accountants and thats billions of dollars of man-hours. Now they have invested in the banking licences, the office leases, the staff relocations, theyre not going to reverse it all again. Besides which, most seem pretty pleased with the structures theyve now got in place. Not only should it all work pretty smoothly, but they have future-proof options to cope with whatever else might be heading down the tracks in British politics a Jeremy Corbyn government, for example. As one US banker put it this morning: peak London is over. What's the story? Tim's a winner Id urge you to read the moving, funny take on business, family and mortality in Tim Waterstones biography being serialised over the past few days. His bookselling empire didnt go entirely seamlessly; he left the first days 1000 takings on the Tube. But his idea of creating a chain with big buying power, staffed by well-motivated staff in shops where folk could browse without pressure to buy turned his bete noire WH Smith on its head. Along the way, he was vilified for destroying independent bookshops. As Amazon cut a swathe through the market, it turned out most were doomed anyway. In fact, were it not for a business with the clout of Waterstones, we probably wouldnt have any bookstores on our High Streets at all. I suggest you get along to one and buy his book, The Face Pressed Against a Window. A n HIV diagnosis used to be a death sentence but this is no longer the case. We have made great strides in medical research, minimising the impact the virus has on peoples day-to-day life but there is still so much more to do. Despite significant progress, 15 people on average are still being infected every single day in our country. In London, we are bringing together all those working to tackle HIV across our city and ensuring that Londoners can access the prevention, treatment and support they need. As Mayor Ive signed London up to meeting the UNs 90:90:90 target 90 per cent of people living with HIV knowing their status, 90 per cent of people on treatment, and 90 per cent of people on treatment with undetectable levels of the virus in their blood, which means it cant be passed on. I am proud London met these targets in 2017. We are only the third city to achieve this goal, joining Amsterdam and Melbourne. But we must go further reducing new infections is a complex issue and requires access to preventative HIV treatment, which is why I will continue to call on the Government to roll out drugs for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) on the NHS. Access to PrEP on the NHS would be a game-changer for preventing new infections. Taking bold steps like this is exactly what is needed, which is why I have set an ambitious target of achieving zero new HIV infections, zero preventable deaths, and zero HIV-related stigma and discrimination aiming to wipe out Aids in our city by 2030. Yet, regardless of the progress we are making in London, a global effort is the only way we will ever truly be able to end the Aids epidemic for good. Through working with other cities we will be able to share invaluable expertise, do more to halt new infections around the world, and ensure people get the treatment they need, while at the same time making progress to end discrimination and stigma. The brilliant AIDSfree campaign by the Evening Standard and The Elton John Foundation is doing vital work in this area galvanising support and increasing awareness around the world of the steps we can take to end new infections. Their AIDSfree Cities Global Forum, which is taking place in London on Wednesday, will bring medical experts, government ministers and mayors from five other cities under one roof to develop plans to create an Aids-free future. Im pleased that we will be able to share our knowledge and experience in London with some of the cities that need it the most, working with Delhi, Nairobi, Maputo, Kiev and Atlanta to form an action plan that will make a real difference. In September, we will be leading the way again by hosting the first international gathering of Fast-Track Cities. The 2019 International Fast Track Cities Conference will bring together leaders from more than 250 cities across the world all united by the goal to eliminate HIV by 2030. Continuing to tackle the stigma that sadly still surrounds HIV will be essential if we are to end the spread of the infection in our city. Im sure our love and compassion towards people living with HIV has helped break down stigma I am sure that our openness, love and compassion towards people living with HIV has already helped to break down some of the stigma, contributing to the large falls in infection rates. But, we all have a responsibility to continue to root out any stigma around HIV and to dismantle the remaining barriers to early diagnosis and treatment. As a city, I believe its vital that we all play our role in doing what we can to end this disease forever because stopping the spread of HIV is something that we can, and must, achieve. TODO: define component type apester The following are recent arrests released by the Stamford Police Department on Jan. 28, 2019. Jan. 25 A 37-year-old Seaside Avenue man was charged with six counts of larceny from a motor vehicle, criminal mischief and failure to appear in court. Jan. 26 A 24-year-old Franklin Street man was charged with criminal attempt and possession of narcotics. A 28-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man from the same Diaz Street address were each charged with disorderly conduct, assault and risk of injury to a child. A 20-year-old Rock Spring Road resident was charged with assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. A 21-year-old Rock Spring Road man was charged with disorderly conduct, assault and resisting arrest. Jan. 27 A 23-year-old Glenbrook Road resident was charged with disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing and possession of hallucinogens. A 48-year-old Bridgeport man was charged with assault and disorderly conduct. A 26-year-old Norwalk resident was charged with criminal mischief and threatening. As of January 2019, Hearst Connecticut Media does not include names in online police blotters. DARIEN As budget meetings continue, Middlesex Middle School officials presented their case for what they see as an invaluable asset one more guidance counselor. Interim Superintendent Elliott Landon recently called for another counselor position in the 2019-20 schools budget, and Middlesex Principal Shelley Sommers told the Board of Education at its Tuesday meeting the addition would be beneficial for students. I have a vision of a program in which we can expand the meetings that we have with our teams about students concerns, so we can provide early intervention for our students as the needs arise, Sommers said. Adding a counselor would enable the school to assign two counselors for each grade level. Three of the six Middlesex counselors split their time between two grade levels, she said, meaning they have double the meetings and amount of students. There are currently 1,136 students between sixth and eighth grades at Middlesex. Landon said an additional counselor would enable a closer connection between counselors and students. It will enable us to have counselors stay with students throughout three years in Middlesex, he said. Anthony Pavia, a seventh- and eighth-grade counselor, said while he and his fellow counselors get the job done, its not as effective and efficient as it could be. Pavia recalled last week he had several meetings with students and parents to attend at once. If have a parent who was concerned with their kid, it might take me an extra day to get back with them, he said. Its not for lack of want. Rachel Sandler, an eighth-grade counselor, said she couldnt imagine how her co-workers split grades. Counselors split between grades have to prioritize between student and parent meetings in different grade levels, and then have to circle back to meetings they missed, she said. As a grade-decicated counselor, I feel it is manageable, Sandler said. For our split counselors, Im not quite sure. No formal decision was made as the board continues to work through the budget process. Board Vice-Chair Mike Dineen said it is important the school continues to be proactive and also asked that schools think three to four years into the future. It seems to me that we will be talking more about counselors, social workers and psychologists than we may be talking about the addition of teachers over the next couple of years, Dineen said. dj.simmons @hearstmediact.com, 203-842-2568 KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S. and Taliban officials have moved closer to an agreement that could meet a Taliban demand for withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, officials here indicated Monday, a potential step toward ending decades of continuous conflict. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, speaking from his palace in Kabul, addressed what appeared to be a significant breakthrough in talks between American officials and Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar, calling on insurgents to begin "serious talks" with his government and embrace a "speedy peace." The tentative agreement for a framework to pull out U.S. troops, in exchange for Taliban promises to deny al-Qaeda and the Islamic State a foothold on Afghan soil, comes as Washington races to clinch a deal just weeks after President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of up to half of the 14,000 American troops in the country. But both U.S. and Afghan officials said several major issues remain to be resolved before a peace agreement can be reached, including U.S. demands for an extended cease-fire and the Afghan government's insistence on being included in talks about the Taliban's future role in government and society. Strong support across the U.S. government for a political solution reflects a recognition of the elusiveness of a military victory against a militant group that has defied almost two decades of warfare with U.S. and NATO forces. It also reflects the toll that a war that began in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has taken on Afghanistan's people, government and economy. During six days of talks in Qatar last week, Taliban and U.S. representatives outlined but did not formally agree on a broad plan in which U.S. troops would leave the country in exchange for the insurgents pledging to ensure that Afghan territory would not be used by them or other Islamist militant groups to harm American interests. Significant obstacles remain to reaching a peace deal, though - or even beginning substantive talks. "This is a major breakthrough. It's the closest we've ever been to ending this 18-year war. But a framework shouldn't be mistaken for a deal. There is still a lot to flesh out," said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia program at the Wilson Center. "Above all, the Afghan government needs to be brought into these discussions. And even with all this momentum, a fundamental challenge will remain in place: How to ensure that the Taliban holds up its end of the bargain and doesn't take up arms again, in the event of a deal." Though U.S. officials expressed cautious optimism on Monday, the Pentagon hasn't adjusted its plans to continue aiding Afghan national forces fighting the Taliban. In Washington, acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan called the developments "encouraging" but said he had not been asked to prepare for a full troop withdrawal. News of a potential breakthrough generated anxiety within the Afghan government, which has been excluded from the talks because the insurgents view it as an American puppet. Speaking in a televised address, Ghani warned that a deal without Afghan government involvement could lead to the kind of "catastrophic" civil strife that followed the Soviet troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989. Speaking after being briefed by Zalmay Khalilzad, the Trump administration's special envoy for Afghan peace, Ghani assured Afghans that he would not accept a deal that undermines their rights and the nation's unity. Khalilzad told the New York Times on Monday that U.S. and Taliban officials had agreed in principle on the two key elements of an eventual deal. But he said a U.S. troop pullout still hinges on the Taliban's acceptance of a cease-fire and direct talks with the Afghan government on domestic issues as part of a full-fledged peace accord. "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and 'everything' must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire," he said Saturday on Twitter after leaving Doha. Talks between the two sides are expected to resume next month. Ghani, who met with Khalilzad late Sunday in Kabul, said in his speech that no agreements would be concluded without the government's full participation. Taliban officials, for their part, issued a statement late Saturday saying that progress had been made but that further talks were needed to deal with "unsolved matters." The statement added pointedly that Taliban policy was made "very clear" during the talks: "Until the issue of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is agreed upon, progress in other issues is impossible." Another issue that might be addressed in later talks is the composition of a future Afghan government. A statement from Ghani's office on Monday said Khalilzad told the president that the talks in Doha did not address the "structure of the future establishment" in Afghanistan, a reference to the Taliban's demands for a role in politics and government. The issue of Afghan inclusion in the peace process is especially sensitive for Ghani, who is seeking reelection in a vote slated for July. He has opposed suggestions that an interim government be formed to implement a peace plan, and he has expressed concern that a hasty U.S.-Taliban deal could come at the expense of Afghan democracy and freedoms. Several Afghan critics derided Ghani's assertion that his government would be consulted on U.S. troop pullout plans. They noted that Trump has already said he wants to withdraw thousands of troops and that Khalilzad has been under White House pressure to arrange a deal with the Taliban as fast as possible. "America does not need our advice or consultation for leaving. It came here for its own interests, and it will leave for its own interests," said Hafiz Mansour, an opposition legislator. "Trump can decide to pull out troops at any moment, and the U.S. is looking for a face-saving approach to do it. But our troops do not have the capacity to defend the country. We will need foreign help for years to come." Trump's troop reduction plans have dismayed military officials who have said Afghan forces require ongoing help to execute offensives and defend urban centers. Ghani has worked closely with U.S. military officials since taking office, strongly endorsing a buildup in U.S. training and advising of Afghan forces over the past two years. At an international economic conference last week in Davos, Switzerland, Ghani said that 45,000 Afghan security forces had died since he took office in 2014, a much higher toll than previously reported. Washington's push for a deal comes 18 months after the president - setting aside his impulse to order an immediate withdrawal - approved a strategy for Afghanistan that included thousands more U.S. troops and more aggressive rules of engagement. Since then, the president has grown impatient with the lack of progress, as a stalemate between U.S.-backed Afghan forces and the Taliban persisted and violence continued to spike. Against that backdrop, according to Barnett Rubin, a former State Department official and Afghanistan expert at New York University, U.S. negotiators have been authorized for the first time to put the withdrawal of American troops on the table in their talks with militant representatives. "Our national security strategy has now changed so that fighting terrorism is no longer our top priority," Rubin said, referring to the Pentagon's new focus on competing with China and Russia. "So we don't want to have so much of our resources tied up in Afghanistan." Even if a peace deal emerges with the Taliban, both Washington and Kabul still have to contend with a common enemy in the Islamic State, an offshoot of which has been carrying out attacks in Afghanistan. The Pentagon might theoretically seek to withdraw the bulk of troops under a peace deal but leave a counterterrorism mission in the country to combat the Islamic State and al-Qaeda - or conduct periodic strikes from outside Afghanistan. Hanging over the flurry of diplomatic efforts are questions about how much time Trump will allow to attempt a negotiated solution. "The American departure could be 280 characters away," said Christopher Kolenda, a retired Army colonel who commanded troops in Afghanistan and took part in talks with the Taliban during the Obama administration. "The question is: Does the United States depart as part of a durable peace agreement that supports our interests, or does it depart in a way that allows Afghanistan to descend to a new level of civil war?" Get 25% off of the regular $65 annual All Access rate. With this subscription you will get: Digital access to ElPasoInc.com and archives (value $45) Print subscription home or business delivered (value $65) Book of Lists (annual rate only, value $50) El Paso Inc. Magazine (value $20) El Paso Kids Inc. Special sections - OR - Get 15% off of the regular $45 annual Digital-only rate. With this subscription you will get: Complete digital access to ElPasoInc.com. A Stamford police officer was arrested yesterday and charged with harassing Mayor Stanley Esposito and his family by making an obscene phone call to their home earlier this month. Officer Peter Altobelli, 31, of Yonkers, N.Y. was arrested as he worked his morning patrol shift. Altobelli, a seven-year veteran of the department, said he was shocked by the arrest on a misdemeanor charge of second-degree harassment. And police union leaders said he was being harassed for his outspokenness in the Stamford Police Associations protracted contract dispute with the city. 20 years ago Court documents shed light on Fasoli murder When Mary Ann Faillacis repeated attempts to reach her father by telephone at his Stamford condominium failed, she feared the worst and suspected her younger brother was responsible. Wheres dad? What did you do to him? Faillaci demanded of her brother, John J.R. Fasoli, when she called him at his job at a Darien pharmacy several days after their fathers disappearance in late May last year, according to court documents released yesterday. Fasolim then 20, denied any knowledge of their fathers whereabouts during the June 2 phone conversation. But his sister apparently didnt believe him and threatened to call police and have them search the condo the two shared in the Laurelton House high-rise on Glenbrook Road, court papers say. 14 years ago Magnifying glass starts fire Fire officials blamed a magnifying glass for filling a home with smoke yesterday and creating a potential calamity. Three engines and a fire track responded to 4 Bend of River Lane after a call from the home at about 11:30 a.m., said Steve Heilner, fire marshal with Turn of River Fire Department. A photographer in the home had set up a magnifying glass on the porch to get light to fall onto pieces of glass for a picture, Heilner said. The arrangement had been in place for several days, and the magnifying glass began to burn through several paper products, creating smoke yesterday, Heilner said. erin.kayata@stamfordadvocate.com; (203) 964-2265; @erin_kayata STAMFORD Board of Education officials are in the process of examining the superintendent's proposed budget for the next school year. The suggested $286 million spending plan represents a 5-percent increase, and includes money for a growing special education population and new school initiatives. But despite questioning from board members and speculation from the public, it wont include a significantly increased budget for facilities and maintenance following this years mold crisis which closed Westover Magnet Elementary School and cost the district hundreds of thousands in remediation before the city stepped in. The budget shows a $105,000 increase to the maintenance and utility budget, up only .05 percent from this years. Weve got virtually no increase, board president Andy George said at a meeting on the budget last week. Im surprised, given the experience of the last four months, were not going to try to put more increase in those areas. ... I see repair, maintenance and cleaning and I just feel that account should get some attention and get an increase. Superintendent Earl Kim assured George the numbers are there. However, the costs of repairing and maintaining the buildings will be reflected in this years capital budget, which has yet to be released. We dont have a number for mold remediation in next years operating budget, but we do anticipate it in the capital budget, Kim said. The board will continue to meet over the course of the next several weeks to discuss next years school board budget. On Tuesday night at 8 p.m., there will be another discussion following the boards regular meeting to continue the discussion of the operating and grants budget for 2019-20. In the meantime, the budget is continuing to evolve to reflect reductions found by administrators. A document released on the Board of Educations website Friday shows an additional $930,949 was reduced from the proposal. erin.kayata@stamfordadvocate.com; (203) 964-2265; @erin_kayata STRATFORD Morgan Kaolian was a fixture in so many arenas of local life. He was a pilot, aerial photographer, longtime radio traffic reporter, and many other things, including a devotee to local news coverage, who would take aerial shots for his local newspaper, even though he wasnt an employee. Unfailingly, he would call when he was up in the air, and ask if we needed (any photos), said former Connecticut Post opinion editor and managing editor Michael J. Daly. Kaolian, 90, died Sunday at his home in Stratford after a long illness. His rich, varied life included being a longtime traffic reporter for WICC-AM in Bridgeport. According to a 1994 New York Times article, Kaolian, who did his reports from a small plane, was the states first airborne traffic observer. He also served as superintendent of operations at Sikorsky Airport in Stratford, where he worked for more than 20 years. But Kaolian was likely best known as a photographer. He did commercial work, exhibited his photos in galleries and, of course, had a longtime relationship with the Connecticut Post and its staff. He was a news guy, Daly said. If he heard something on the (police) scanner, he would go and get photos. He was a great guy. Though Daly said Kaolians relationship with the paper was never an official thing ... he was always concerned about news and newspapers and reporters. Hearst Connecticut photo editor Ned Gerard, who works out of the Connecticut Post offices in Bridgeport, said he got to know Kaolian through his constant presence in the newsroom, but was familiar with him long before that. When I was in high school in the 1980s, my first experience with Morgan Kaolian was he was that guy on the radio who did the traffic reports, Gerard said. Later, he said, he came to know Kaolian as the guy who was present at dozens of newsworthy events, from fires to car crashes, getting amazing shots. Daly remembers this as well. There were many times he would bail the paper out with some great aerial photo that would usually end up on page one, he said. But most remember Kaolian as pilot, first and foremost. Daly said he remembers going up in a plane with Kaolian, along with Dalys wife, Sharon, and daughter, Kate. I was terrified, Daly said. And the only reason Sharon wasnt terrified was that she was up with Morgan Kaolian. His granddaughter, Kyah Durrschmidt, 17, also remembered her grandfather as a special person. She spent a lot of time following Kaolian into the newsroom and up his plane. He used to take up in his plane every summer, she said. He used to take me to Block Island. It was a really interesting experience, having a grandfather who could fly. Calling hours for Kaolian are from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Armenian Church of the Holy Ascension, 1460 Huntington Turnpike, Trumbull. Connecticuts newest distillery timed its debut open house for Sunday, Feb. 3, the 100th anniversary of the state declining to ratify the 18th Amendment authorizing Prohibition with its whiskey and gin blends including ingredients derived from hemp. SoNo 1420 American Craft Distillers is located in a stand-alone building at the new 19 Day Street development of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, located a few blocks south of South Norwalks restaurant row on Washington Street. TIME and Felix & Paul Studios' modified Z CAM VR camera on the International Space Station. The camera will be used to film the ISS Experience, an immersive documentary series that will feature the first cinematic virtual reality spacewalk. PARK CITY, Utah What if you could visit the International Space Station, join its crew for their daily activities and even go outside on a spacewalk all without having to leave your home, let alone the ground? That is the ambitious idea behind The ISS Experience, an immersive documentary series from Time and Felix & Paul Studios. Now being filmed on board the space station, the yearlong project was announced at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Saturday (Jan. 26). "We will take audiences inside and outside of the space station through the immersive and experiential power of virtual reality," said Felix Lajeunesse, creative director at Felix & Paul Studios. "We're going to look at the research, the science and the work that is done on the International Space Station. And we're also going to look closely at the reality and challenges of learning to live in space." [Virtual Reality and Mars: 4 Ways Tech Will Change Space Exploration] "Most of what we will film is going to be captured inside of the space station over a period of about nine months. But as the story builds up, it's going to gradually ramp up to a spacewalk, where we will take audiences outside the space station, alongside the astronauts, to capture the first ever cinematic VR spacewalk. We're pretty excited," said Lajeunesse. Time and Felix & Paul Studios partnered with the space services firm NanoRacks and the not-for-profit Center for the Advancement for Science in Space (CASIS), which manages the U.S. National Lab on board the space station for NASA, to launch two cinematic virtual reality camera systems on board a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft in December. The project's first VR scene was filmed on Friday. "Building a camera that is ready for space is a challenge," explained Lajeunesse. "We started from an existing camera called the Z CAM and built a custom, made-for-space motorized rig." The mounted platform the camera does not float free in microgravity is configured by the astronauts, with support by Lajeunesse and his team from the ground. The rig then controls the rotation of the camera as it captures scenes in 360-degree stereoscopic 3D. First though, the camera has be carefully positioned aboard the space station. "A very vital thing to virtual reality storytelling is where you actually place the camera, and in our practice at the studio, we like to think of the virtual reality camera as if it were a person. We generally want to place that VR camera where a person could actually physically be or stand, and that's a massive factor in building a sense of immersion for audiences," said Lajeunesse. TIME immersive experiences editorial director Mia Tramz, TIME executive producer Jonathan Woods, CASIS associate ISS program scientist Liz Warren and Felix & Paul Studios creative director Felix Lajeunesse announced The ISS Experience at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com) "That's good on Earth, but when you bring that philosophy to the space station, then it brings a lot of problems, because the space is not that big on the station and there's some pretty critical operations being done by the astronauts in space where a big camera could be in the way," he described. To address this, The ISS Experience team met with its partners and NASA to map out in advance everywhere that the camera could and could not go, and what scenes would fit within the 184 hours of crew time that the agency agreed to set aside for the project. "It is a balancing act between our creative desires and the reality of the logistics in space," said Lajeunesse. "And I could talk about downloading gigantic amounts of data from space. I could talk about scheduling shots. Everything is complex, but everything is very rewarding at the same time." The complexity will only increase when The ISS Experience moves outside of the station. Two additional VR cameras are slated to launch to the orbiting outpost later this year, each built to film outside of the station and to capture the first-ever extravehicular activity (EVA, or spacewalk) in cinematic virtual reality. "When I first heard they wanted to use the camera outside of the space station, on an EVA, I thought, no way. No way will anyone approve that, there's no way that's going to happen," joked Liz Warren, associate ISS program scientist with CASIS. "So [that it was approved], we're super excited." The idea of how to accomplish the spacewalk came from Jonathan Woods, the executive producer for the project at Time, though he did not expect anyone to take his proposal seriously. "We were sitting around and we were like, 'Well, how are we going to film this outside?' And I was like and this was totally a joke I was like, 'Let's put it on the Canadarm.' And they [the team at NanoRacks] said that's a really good idea," recalled Woods, referring to the Canadarm2 robotic arm that was used to build and now maintain the space station. "And I'm like, 'Yeah, it'll be like the biggest jib arm ever!'" "It was totally a joke, and they said that it actually could work," said Woods. Depending on the spacewalk that is chosen for the shoot, the VR camera will be mounted on either the Canadarm2 robotic arm, the Japanese robotic arm that is mounted at the end of the Kibo module or on Dextre, a two-armed manipulator, all of which can be controlled from the ground. When they complete filming, slated for late 2019, Time and Felix & Paul Studios plan to present The ISS Experience through augmented reality, virtual reality and other immersive platforms, including a touring museum installation. If successful, the project will provide the public a chance to see what the astronauts experience in a way that will come closer to actually flying in space than any previous media. "There's no more immersive way of feeling like you were there with the crew than this virtual reality technology. There are 3D versions, there is video, but to actually feel like you're there, I think that is what is really exciting to NASA and is very exciting to the ISS National Lab," said Warren. Expedition 58 flight engineer David Saint-Jacques unpacks one of two Z CAM cameras delivered to the International Space Station in December 2018, prior to using it to capture the first scene for The ISS Experience on Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. (Image credit: Time) "The astronauts struggle to share their experiences. It is why they take so many pictures and they are on Twitter. They are trying to share their experiences with those of us on the ground because their great voyage, their great exploration is something that is in all of us. It is in our DNA to explore," she said. See the mission patch and watch the trailer for Time and Felix & Paul Studios The ISS Experience at collectSPACE. Follow collectSPACE.comon Facebookand on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2019 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. Paul M. Sutter is an astrophysicist at The Ohio State University, host of Ask a Spaceman and Space Radio, and author of "Your Place in the Universe" (2018). Sutter contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. There are some universal certainties. Death. Taxes. The second law of thermodynamics. I'm sure you'll find plenty of articles online and off about the first two things on that list, but this one is about the third. This law, first identified by Sadi Carnot in 1824 in his musings of how the useful but mysterious steam engines actually worked, stands tall and proud today, elevated into an immutable fact of existence. No matter how hard you try, you simply can't escape the iron grip of its cold, relentless conclusion: In isolated systems, the entropy cannot decrease. Uh, OK. What is entropy? Why does it change? [How to Temporarily Undo the Universe's Endless Chaos with Chloroform] Count the molecules If I gave you a box of air and asked you to measure its properties, your first instinct would be to bust out a ruler and thermometer, recording important scientific-sounding numbers like volume, temperature or pressure. There's a good reason that's your first instinct. You know that something like "air" is really a collection of buzzing and jumbling microscopic molecules. You might imagine briefly that you could record all the positions and velocities of every single molecule, but you would quickly abandon such notions as overly cumbersome and also silly. After all, numbers like the temperature, pressure and volume give you all the information you actually care about. Those facts will tell you everything you need to know about how the box of air will behave if you opened it, squeezed it or blew it up. It doesn't really matter how all those tiny particles arrange themselves that's their business, not yours. And that's exactly the point. There are so many different ways of arranging the air molecules in your box that lead to the exact same pressure, temperature and volume. Swap one particle with another would you even notice? Turn a few of the them around did you even catch it? No, you didn't. The pressure, temperature and volume could all remain unchanged. And here's where entropy comes in. The concept of entropy captures the number of different ways you can rearrange the stuff you can't see (the tiny air particles) to still get the exact same measurements you can see (like the pressure). Changing times That's nice, but why should that number never, ever decrease? To explore, let's clean your room. Imagine finally getting it together, clearing your weekend schedule, waking up early, grabbing that cup of joe, and doing the thing you've been putting off since the holidays: cleaning your room. Top to bottom, wall to wall. Clean and organized. A place for everything and everything in its place. Perfection. How long do you think that Platonic ideal of a room will last? Not long, you realize, as the Sisyphean nature of your endeavors and perhaps your entire existence clicks into sharp focus. But why shouldn't your room stay neat and tidy for years to come? Because if just one thing one single thing changes, it's no longer clean. A dirty sock on the bed? Messy. A pillowcase ruffled? Messy. A box of snack crackers on the nightstand? I won't judge, but also messy. In this example, there are only select arrangements that lead to the measurement of "clean," but there are millions upon millions of possible arrangements that lead to the measurement of "messy." If a tornado were to strike your newly cleaned room, what are the chances of it remaining in the clean state? It's not zero: The tornado, by pure random chance, could pick up every single thing in your room and return it to its original spot. But that one tiny chance in the ultimate Powerball ticket and let's face it, you're not going to be the winner. You are much, much more likely to find a messy room after the tornado strike, simply because there are so many more ways for a room to be messy. Entropy is a harsh mistress Similarly, there's absolutely nothing stopping the air molecules in your room from collectively deciding to head in the same direction and crowd into the corner, leaving you to asphyxiate in the vacuum. Seriously, no law of particle or molecular interactions prevents that. But the motion of air molecules is governed by countless random collisions and movements a never-ending molecular tornado of activity. These innumerable motions will essentially always leave the air in a disorganized, messy state: evenly spread all throughout the room. And all because there are so, so many more ways for the air to be spread out than crammed into a corner. Ultimately, systems never move from disorder to order (unless there's a way to add energy to them, but that's a story for another article) because of the sheer overwhelming statistics preventing it. The likelihood of a disorderly state versus an orderly state isn't something like 10 to 1 or 3,720 to1, it's more like trillions upon trillions upon trillions (and throw a few more trillions in there just for good measure) to 1. As in the case of our once-tidy room, there are very few ways to make a clean room, and an overwhelming number of ways to make a messy one. And different arrangements of "messy" (like a dirty sock left on the bed versus on the dresser) will lead to the same measurement of temperature or pressure. Entropy captures the number of different ways you can rearrange your messy room to get those same values. And systems, left to their own chaotic devices, will always seek higher entropy, simply because there are a lot more ways to make a mess than make a clean: the second law of thermodynamics. Learn more by listening to the episode I give up, what is time? on the Ask A Spaceman podcast, available on iTunes and on the web at http://www.askaspaceman.com. Thanks to Michael M., @matt_jakubowski, jmautobot, David M., Adam H., Pete E., Adityadhar, Mihail E., @emilio_mira, and Rowan H. for the questions that led to this piece! Ask your own question on Twitter using #AskASpaceman or by following Paul @PaulMattSutter and facebook.com/PaulMattSutter. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com. State Rep. Carl Anderson, flanked by local and state officials, speaks about a new coalition to promote the dredging of the Port of Georgetown during a news conference on Jan. 27 in Joseph Rainey Park. By AOL , Jan . 26, 2019 PRIMGHAR, Iowa (AP) Constituents applauded Republican Rep. Steve King at the first of 39 town hall meetings the Iowa congressman plans to hold following his nearly unanimous rebuke by the U.S. House over racist comments he made during a newspaper interview earlier this month. King took questions from about 75 people who attended the Saturday morning meeting in the tiny northwestern Iowa city of Primghar. He did not take questions from reporters. Read More: Join us - become an Elderado today at: LarryElder.com Follow Larry Elder on Follow Larry Elder on Twitter "Like" Larry Elder on Facebook Georgetown, SC (29440) Today Thunderstorms. High near 85F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms. Low 71F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Mary Beth Spalding | South Bend Tribune South Bend Tribune One of the problems that is helping to cause a much publicized national nursing shortage also seems to be a hiccup in the remedy. A lot of baby boomer nurses are retiring, which not only has led to a nurse staffing crunch in some areas but also means a loss of qualified faculty for many nursing programs, putting a squeeze on the ability to admit more students. Deb Green, chair of the nursing department at Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac, said its an issue for nursing programs everywhere, and one SMC will have to manage when it wants to ramp up admissions for its newly expanded Nursing and Health Education Building. The nursing shortage helped to propel the expansion project, with one goal being to eventually expand admissions, Green said. Green noted its not a matter of just finding faculty, though, but finding faculty who also have the clinical experience required to teach, which is needed to maintain program accreditation. A key driver of a projected nursing shortage is aging baby boomers, all of whom will be older than age 65 in 2030, according to census data. Just as the elder population in need of health care is growing, many nurses from that same generation are retiring. There are nearly 3 million registered nurses in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates more than half a million of them will retire by 2022, and that more than 1 million new nurses will be needed by then to help meet health care needs. One of the things we hear consistently from Indiana nursing deans is it is a challenge to recruit and retain nurse faculty, and that that is limiting the ability of nursing programs to educate all of the qualified students that are interested in pursuing a career in nursing, Blayne Miley, director of policy and advocacy for the Indiana State Nurses Association, said. Indiana nursing programs in 2017 had to turn away 700 qualified applicants for undergraduate studies, Miley has said. Retirement is one factor in the faculty crunch. Another is that graduate degree nurses can earn more practicing than they can teaching, he said. The median salary of a nurse practitioner is about $98,000, according to federal data. A faculty position might pay $30,000 less, according to Miley. His group is again pushing a bill in the Indiana Senate that would offer nursing faculty grants to help repay loan debt. A House bill this legislative session would use a license fee surcharge to fund health care workforce initiatives, which potentially could be put toward nurse faculty recruitment and retention or other efforts to bolster the nursing workforce, Miley said. Some data in recent years suggested widespread nursing deficits. More current federal data suggest shortages are more scattered, and even project surpluses by 2030, small in Michigan, larger in Indiana. One of the challenges with the nursing workforce is its not just about having the raw numbers, its about having enough numbers in certain places. Certain areas like Marion County and the doughnut counties in central Indiana (around Indianapolis) could have even potentially a surplus, but that doesnt mean there arent pockets of the state or the region, including areas in Michigan, that are going to really struggle to be filling nursing positions, Miley said. Ginger Sadberry sees that problem in southwestern Michigan. Sadberry is nurse recruiting liaison for Spectrum Health Lakeland, St. Joseph, and said the rural nature of the area makes recruitment more difficult. Three Lakeland hospitals in Niles, St. Joseph and Watervliet, plus other services like hospice, currently have 60 open positions for registered nurses, Sadberry said. A normal number might be around 45. Last year, open RN jobs numbered nearly 100. Last year, we brought in 11 nurses from all over the U.S. and also Puerto Rico, Sadberry said But filling slots with agency nurses, who typically travel to work at various hospitals on contract, is very expensive, she said. She prefers to recruit permanent hires with strategies that include reaching out through social media, as well as through area high schools and colleges. Lakeland nurtures a relationship with SMC, Sadberry said, because it has a strong nursing program and were excited to get those nurses. The SMC nursing school admits 40 new students each fall and spring, and the competitive program routinely turns away applicants, department chair Green said. When the school will be able to admit more students is unclear. Well do that a little bit at a time, Green said, because we need to offer the students the resources that they need to be successful. Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup. Secure access control is helping to shape the post-pandemic world With the continued rolling back of COVID restrictions in the UK, there is a palpable sense of relief. A mixture of mass vaccinations, widespread testing, and track and tracing of the infection is helping to enable a healthy bounce back for businesses with secure access control taking an important role in facilitating this. However, rather than just being a reaction to the wake of the pandemic, there is every sign that the economy, and consequently the security sector as well, are both rebuilding and reshaping for the long-term new normal. Prioritising Safety Already deemed an essential service even during the first wave of the pandemic, the security industry has of course taken a vital role in protecting people and property throughout the crisis. Now that venues in the UK are starting to reopen again, our services are key to occupancy management and ensuring that disease transmission is limited as far as possible. Access control is also key in reassuring people that their safety is a priority. Making the upgrade Its all been about choosing the most suitable components and technology that already existed with a few tweaks Businesses and organisations have a duty of care to their employees and the safety of visitors so controlling access, employing lateral flow testing, and deploying suitable Track & Trace mechanisms are all key components. I think those outside our industry are surprised to learn that most of the technology being deployed and used hasnt just magically developed since COVID appeared its all been about choosing the most suitable components and technology that already existed albeit with a few development tweaks or adjustments for the situation at hand. This includes using or installing facial recognition readers rather than using fingerprint or contact tokens, it is swapping to automatic request to exit sensors instead of buttons; it is using powered secure doors rather than having people all grab the same handle. Using mobile credentials is also a key technology choice why not use the highly secure, easy to manage, cost-effective, and of course contact-free benefits of this approach? Touchless solutions We have seen a clear shift in organisations looking to protect their staff and visitors. For instance, we have a big utility customer in Southeast Asia that has just replaced close to 200 sites using fingerprint readers with an additional facial recognition capability. We have also seen a big rise in demand for touchless request to exit sensors and Bluetooth Low Energy Readers for use with smartphone authentication. Working together Integration of security systems is of course nothing new, but in the post-pandemic or endemic age, it has perhaps never been more important. Installations need to be simple, straightforward, and rapid to help maintain safe distancing but also to ensure systems can be deployed as soon as they are needed. The world is changing and developing rapidly and there is simply no place for systems that dont work with others or cause the end-user considerable cost and inconvenience to upgrade. This flexible delivery of security solutions perfectly matches the evolving and increasing demands of the market. Its clear that end-users want systems that work well and can easily integrate with their existing systems not only security but all the other business components which work in unison with each other over a shared network. Great opportunities ahead The recent work-from-home trend is also clearly changing the way organisations and businesses interact with the built environment. Lots of companies are downsizing, offices are being split up, there is lots of revitalisation and reuse of existing office space all of which creates considerable opportunities for security providers. UK inflation more than doubled in April 2021 with unemployment figures dropping and the Pound rising in value There are also, in the UK at least, clear signs that the construction industry is rapidly growing again -with a forecast of 8% rebound and growth this year. UK inflation more than doubled in April 2021 with unemployment figures dropping and the Pound rising in value all positive signs for UK-based security providers. Undoubtedly the highly successful UK vaccination rollout has helped considerably, but there are signs that the Eurozone looks set to improve considerably over the next few months as well. Using integrated access control Undoubtedly the pandemic has made security markets around the world more aware of the benefits of integrated access control in managing the needs of the new normal COVID endemic environment. For example, as a business, we have always had keen interest from the UK healthcare sector, but over the last 12 months, we have seen a big growth in previously modest international markets including Morocco, Kuwait, Bahrain, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand all of which are very keen to adopt improved access control solutions. Learning the lessons Nobody would deny the last year or so has been unprecedentedly tough on everyone, as a society we have had to make huge changes and sacrifices. Governments, organisations, and businesses all need to be better prepared in the future, to understand the things that went wrong and those that were successful. However, there is a world beyond the immediate pandemic and its effects. Flexible working practices and the changes these will have to the way we live and work will undoubtedly present great opportunities for the security sector in helping the world evolve. The pandemic has been a wake-up call for many organisations with regards to their duty of care to employees particularly when it comes to mental health and providing a sensible work/life balance. Where we work and the safety of these facilities has received far more scrutiny than before. Flexible security systems Integrated security solutions have a vital role to play in not only protecting the safety of people during the post-lockdown return to work but also in the evolution of the built environment and move towards smart cities - which inevitably will now need to consider greater flexibility in securing home working spaces rather than just traditional places of work. Importantly, powerful access control and integrated security systems need to be flexible to the uncertainties ahead. The COVID pandemic has shown that nothing can be considered certain, except the need for greater flexibility and resilience in the way we operate our professional and personal interactions. Basseterre, St. Kitts:--- The man arrested and tried for the murder of pizza business owner, Gregory Mills, was acquitted by a jury last Friday. Omax Bye walked out of the Sir Lee Llewellyn Moore Judicial and Legal Services Complex a free man after 10 jurors of the 12-member panel returned a verdict of not guilty. Bye walked out to the embrace of a number of his friends who were waiting in the Independence Square area, KYSS FM reported. Gregory Mills, a young Pizza shop owner, was gunned down on May 9, 2017, in the Gillards Meadow area. WINNFM reported that only a few witnesses were called to the stand including the victims mother, an Assistant Commissioner of Police and the States key witness. The man said he witnessed an individual dressed in womens clothing and sunglasses pump several bullets into Mills while the businessman was still inside his car. The witness, who was in his yard near the scene of the crime, said the shooter took off the sunglasses and he recognized Omax Bye, someone hed known for many years. Byes Attorney, Marsha Henderson picked apart the eye witness testimony, highlighting the fact that he came forward with the information only when he was in police custody for a child maintenance matter, and the authorities had arranged for him to get an advance payment from the government for a signage job he had not yet done to pay off that debt. Justice Trevor Warde QC summed up the case for jurors Friday morning and within a few hours, the jury returned a 10-2 verdict of not guilty. Crown Counsels Teshaun Vasquez and Vaughn Henderson prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. By Campus Reform , Jan . 27, 2019 A Missouri school is considering a segregated safe space for white students to talk about their racism and white privilege. Vincent Flewellen, chief diversity officer at Webster University in St. Louis, has plans for a new program based off a book, titled, Witnessing Whiteness: The Need to Talk About Race and How to Do It." The local Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) began the "Witnessing Whiteness" program, which requires participants to be white. If brought to Webster University, the workshop would launch in late 2019. Read More: Join us - become an Elderado today at: LarryElder.com Follow Larry Elder on Follow Larry Elder on Twitter "Like" Larry Elder on Facebook PHILIPSBURG:---Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications TEATT Minister the Honourable Stuart Johnson has issued a statement as a conclusion to the alleged abuse of power and sexual misconduct" involving his temporary cabinet worker saying the false allegations can no longer go unchecked. He said, "At no time did I sexually harass anyone much less the former temporary cabinet worker contrary to the claim, though not direct but seemingly orchestrated by others with personal agendas, said Johnson on Sunday He said, As an educator of 10 years with an impeccable record of service, I had first to consider what a media debate on this subject could do to our already fragmented society, and I felt it a responsible approach to let a transparent investigation take place before I make any further statements. Johnson had filed a complaint with the local police and Public Prosecutors office when he learnt that text messages were circulating containing lewd comments and sexually explicit and doctored photos suggesting he had propositioned his former staffer while they were on a working visit to The Netherlands. The prosecutors office has since then issued a letter in which it stated that the complaint was dismissed and there was no further investigation. Although he is confident that the photos and allegations were maliciously concocted, Johnson understood as a public servant that the topic of abuse of power and sexual misconduct in the workplace is sensitive and touches a core problem of abuse of powers that many people, especially women, in our community endure daily. "As such, I first wanted to ensure that the authorities did their investigation which shows I have done none of the things I was accused of doing and as such, the investigation was closed." The work to rebuild the Tourism product and economy on St. Maarten continues to be the focus of the TEATT Minister. However, Johnson felt it was now the right time to disclose the details surrounding the dismissal of the former cabinet worker especially considering that members of certain organisations were attempting to score political points awaiting my final statement on the subject. In explaining the sequence of events, leading up to the false allegations, Johnson said he had operated from the standpoint of trust when he gave his government cellular phone to the former cabinet worker. While he was an executive assistant, the accuser had unrestricted access to the Ministers government mobile phone, which he used to take photos, answer calls, and respond to texts when the minister was unavoidably away from his phone for meetings or any related work event. It appears that during the first stage of his trip the former temporary cabinet worker spent the money he received from the Government to pay for his accommodations abroad and for meals at a casino. He subsequently left his outstanding hotel accommodation debts on the trip to the tune of over Euro$1000, which is unpaid to date. When he could not generate sufficient funds to remain in The Netherlands, the former cabinet worker was forced to return home at which point the text messages surfaced. He appears to have taken advantage of his access to the Minister's cellular phones and betrayed the trust of his employer in an attempt to paint a negative image transpired in The Netherlands. After he returned to the island, the former cabinet worker failed to return to work at the cabinet despite several attempts by cabinet workers to encourage him to return. It was first felt that he was venting frustration at the delay in formalising his appointment to the Cabinet. He was informed that this was a matter that had to be handled through the approval of the Justice Minister and took time, as consideration also had to be given to the transfer by the KPSM. Johnson concluded based on the continuous failure of the former cabinet worker to show up for work, he [the former cabinet worker] had no intention. The natural conclusion was that he no longer had an interest in working in the cabinet and as such, he was sent a formal letter of dismissal. The former cabinet worker has by now returned to KPSM. The balance of his payment is being held as Minister Johnson said the former cabinet worker is actually still being paid as a Police officer by the KPSM. On the subject of outstanding payment from the cabinet, Johnson said, The difference has to be calculated from the balance of the business trip which the former cabinet worker attended and did not complete. The minister says he will not allow a former employer of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau turned politician, to force him to enter into a mudslinging contest over rhetoric spewed by individuals with an axe to grind over his decision not to use taxpayers money to finance their comedy show. The Tourism Minister explained that he has accepted an enormous responsibility to be the minister of TEATT and says he looks forward to rebuilding the island's Tourism Product, reopen and restore both points of entry to full operation and create the opportunity for businesses to rebuild and re-hire workers. "No one should be placed in a position of abuse of any kind, and neither should individuals be falsely accused of personal or political gain. Act responsible and stop avoiding the real issues PHILIPSBURG:---Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel calls on Minister Johnson to do the job that his political party has appointed him to do, otherwise do the responsible thing and abandon the Council of Minister of Sint Maarten, as there is not much more the people of this country are willing to put up with, as far as the behavior of this Minister is concerned. MP Emmanuel stated that up until now, the only thing that this Minister has been good at since being appointed as such is using every opportunity to play victim and seek pity from members of the community. He then resorts to running his mouth, attempting to confuse the public with pure nonsensical statements and accusations. The MP said that it is very unfortunate that the Minister chose this angle while seeking to hide his incompetence as a Minister and the fact that his actions continue to bring great shame to this country. He went on to say that the Minister from the onset, after being appointed, has displayed pure irresponsibility and utter lack of respect or concern for the workers in his Ministry and the people of Sint Maarten, by his inadequate handling of the job that he was appointed to carry out. Minister Johnson has up until now, never attended a single committee meeting in Parliament that relates to his portfolio, but continues to lie and make excuses in order to get out of adhering to the call to Parliament. It has always been so, that Ministers are called to Parliament in order to report to the Members of Parliament, and to the people of Sint Maarten, as far as it pertains to topics related to their Ministries. There are various committees in Parliament that relate to various Ministries. Each time that Minister Johnson is called to Parliament to meet with the committee that attends with his portfolio, for one reason or the other, he suddenly gets cold feet and backs out, using weak excuses each time. MP Emmanuel stated that while the Minister opts to stay away from Parliament, he is always quick to feel offended by statements made on the floor of Parliament, and then chooses to run to the press concerning these statements, while he himself should actually be in Parliament defending his portfolio, instead of having other Ministers doing this for him. The Member of Parliament stated that during his presentation on the floor of Parliament on Monday, January 21st, 2018, he stated the following; It was told to us, that he (Minister Johnson), went on a trip. Now we are being told that it is a cruise. I would like to know if it is a family cruise, a gay cruise, a friendship cruise, what kind of cruise? A business cruise? I would like to know what kind of cruise. At no time mention was made to the Ministers sexuality or lifestyle, as that is his choice. According to MP Emmanuel, as far the people of this country can see, this is another failed attempt by Minister Johnson, to thwart the topics and hide behind his ineffectiveness to execute the task laid upon him as Minister. The MP stated that it is obvious to everyone, that it was Minister Johnson himself that targeted the Gay Cruise and LGBT group, when he chose to only call out attention to that specific cruise and group, as opposed to the other 3 mentioned on the floor of Parliament. He went on to say that despite Minister Johnsons statement, he fails to believe that anyone, and especially the groups mentioned by the Minister, could have listened to the abovementioned questions posed in regards to the Minister, and decide to pick out a word, and subsequently consider themselves being especially chosen and attacked by the MP. MP Emmanuel stated that the real embarrassment to the country, and abuse of power took place, when the same Minister Johnson allegedly tried to force himself and his ways on a male employee in his cabinet, requesting sexual favors, and subsequently when refused, considered himself scorned by the employee, and therefore immediately fired him from his position, and did not pay him up to this day for work related services already rendered. According to the MP, to this present date the Minister has never taken responsibility for his actions or apologized, but instead he opted to hide behind the disguise by saying that the matter is under investigation, even after the prosecutors office stated that no investigation is taking place. This type of dangerous behavior by Minister Johnson, who is a part of the highest serving body of this country, according to MP Emmanuel, is what puts Sint Maarten at risk, as it subjects the entire country to insults and shame both regionally and internationally. The MP stated that; Each Member of Parliament has been elected by the people of this country, and has thereby received the mandate of the people to speak in Parliament. Therefore, regarding the statement that persons or political parties should distance themselves from my statement, I would like the Minister to know, that no leader, or political party has to defend or represent me, as I am solely responsible for the questions that are posed by me, on the floor of Parliament. Contrary, I would also like to let Minister Johnson know, that those Members of Parliament or the political party, that made the huge mistake to appoint him, should be the ones considering immediately distancing themselves from him, and requesting him to vacate the post" MP Emmanuel added that Minister Johnson amongst all the confusion already surrounding him, also appears overnight to have become the spokesperson for the LGBT community, and tried, in a failed attempt, to divert the topic from himself, and create confusion by coming with an entire different topic than that which was discussed on the floor of Parliament. The MP also stated that; Family cruises exist, Gay cruises exist, Business cruises exist. So what exactly is the problem here if Gay Cruise in mentioned during deliberations? Should a Member of Parliament or anyone else now be afraid to use the word Gay, because of an oversensitive member of the council of Ministers? The Gay cruises have become so common nowadays, that maybe if I had left them out, for all you know, this may also have been an offense, and may have caused the Minister to also run to the press to complain that it was very discriminating of me to leave out that particular cruise during my presentation. Member of Parliament Emmanuel in closing stated that he wants the Minister to know, that his tactics to avoid the real issues wont work, and that in the best interest of the public, the Minister should resign, as he has failed over and over again, and has proven that he is in over his head and cannot handle a function of this magnitude. The people of Sint Maarten truly deserve better. Four years ago, Nicolas Gilad Pereg flew from Argentina to the NSW town of Armidale to celebrate the 50th birthday of his aunt Lily Pereg. "Everyone who met him thought he was strange; a lot of people thought he was a speed addict, his brain was always racing and his eyes were shooting around," a friend of Dr Pereg said. Dr Lily Pereg, left, and her sister Pyrhia Sarussi were found dead in Argentina. Mr Pereg, 36, was arrested on Saturday and charged with murdering Dr Pereg, 54, and her sister - his mother - Pyrhia Sarusi, 63. The sisters, who were born in Israel where Ms Sarusi lived until her death, travelled to Mendoza on January 11 to visit Mr Pereg, who had been living in Argentina for a decade. Members of the Union of Australian Women protest outside the French consulate, Sydney, on June 1, 1973. Credit:Keith Edward Byron First published in the Sydney Morning Herald on January 21, 1996 Mr Jacques Chirac has announced a definitive end to French nuclear testing in the South Pacific, at the same time promising to play an "active and determined role for disarmament in the world". The French President told his nation in a TV broadcast on Monday that he would begin diplomatic moves to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) banning nuclear trials world-wide, later this year. The tests, concluding with the sixth and largest blast at Fangataufa on Saturday, finished four months short of the original scheduled date. Mr Chirac had predicted eight nuclear trials when the resumption of testing was announced on June 13 last year, but is believed to have curtailed the program under international pressure. Washington: President Donald Trump doubts politicians seeking to avoid another government shutdown can reach a deal on border security that he would accept, renewing his vow to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico. Trump told the Wall Street Journal the chances were low that Congress could craft an agreement and avoid another closure of part of the US government in three weeks' time, when funding will expire. "I personally think it's less than 50-50, but you have a lot of very good people on that board," he said, referring to the committee of lawmakers appointed to work out a compromise on border security funding. Another shutdown was "certainly an option". Havana: A rare tornado has ripped through Havana, leaving at least four dead and nearly two hundred injured as it tore off roofs, flipped vehicles and reduced some of the buildings in its path to rubble. The twister late on Sunday, Cuba time, was the strongest to hit the country in nearly 80 years, according to Jose Rubiera, a meteorologist with the Cuban weather service. It pummelled its way through Havana over 16 minutes, at times reaching a kilometre in diameter. Power was cut to many areas and President Miguel Diaz-Canel said some 172 people were injured. A truck is toppled against a home after a tornado in Havana, Cuba. Credit:AP Julio Menendez, a 33-year-old restaurant worker, said his district in Havana's 10 de Octubre municipality looked "like a horror movie". Several news sources used the accurate but uncharitable term "cave" to describe US President Donald Trump's capitulation on Friday to the Democrats' position on the wall and the US government shutdown. US President Donald Trump on Friday. Credit:Bloomberg It was a clear victory for the Democrats, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer were prudently restrained in their celebration. The victory is only a three-week reprieve and there's no reason to believe Trump has learnt this episode's most important lesson: a government shutdown is a terrible way to implement policy. In three weeks, the government could be shut down again or, as he threatens, Trump could declare a national emergency. Washington: The Trump administration has lifted sanctions against the business empire of Oleg Deripaska, one of Russia's most influential oligarchs. Congressional Democrats had tried to block the move this month, assailing it as a capitulation to the Kremlin and a key ally of President Vladimir Putin. But they failed to win enough Republican support to enforce the sanctions. The Treasury Department had announced the sanctions against Deripaska, six other oligarchs and their companies in April as retaliation for Russia's "malign activity" around the world. Russian metals magnate Oleg Deripaska pictured in 2015. Credit:AP Most of the sanctions went into effect, including against Deripaska personally. But their implementation was repeatedly delayed against Deripaska's giant aluminum company, Rusal, as well as two linked firms, including EN+, the holding company that owned much of Rusal. The companies financed a sophisticated legal and lobbying campaign arguing that the sanctions would disrupt the aluminum market and damage companies in the United States and allied countries. By now, the technique should be grimly familiar. Someone sees something they dislike and decides that it is offensive, preferably to a fashionable minority group. An edited version of the incident is put on social media, taken out of context in order to make the "culprit" safest if it's a member of an unfashionable "privileged" group look as terrible as possible. A few people ask whether this is a fair reflection of reality, whether the vitriol is deserved. It hardly matters. The intimidation has begun, the individual has been named, his reputation is in tatters, and perhaps even the police have turned up to investigate whether a "non-crime hate incident" has taken place. The image that went viral, but didn't tell the whole truth. Credit:Twitter Loading Most victims of this unjust process give in and apologise: whatever the truth of the matter, better a quiet life than fight the many-headed monster of social justice web warriors, ultra-liberal academics and their allies in the media. The effect is censorship by fear. A bullying Left doesn't need to change any minds, just make it too toxic for anyone to disagree with them. But last week, something changed. A group of boys from a Catholic high school in Covington, in the US, looked as if they would be subjected to a textbook example of the above process. A Native American activist, Nathan Phillips, was apparently harassed by the boys, who were wearing Make America Great Again hats at a rally in Washington. An image went viral on the internet of one boy smiling or "smirking" at Mr Phillips, in an "aggressive encounter". Credulous pundits damned the boy as the typical, arrogant racist American male and he was named on social media. He was guilty not because they knew definitively what he had done, but because of what he apparently represented, an almost medieval form of punishment by group association. After a quarter-century of researching China, Anne-Marie Brady is a veteran of Chinese government spying and harassment. "I was prepared for pressure in China," says the 52-year-old New Zealander, a well-regarded professor of political science at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. "But I always felt safe in New Zealand. So that changed." Last week she wrote to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern seeking police protection. It was her first direct appeal to Ardern, but her third in a series of pleas to escalating levels of officialdom. China expert Anne-Marie Brady has been subject to ongoing harassment. Credit:Joseph Johnson/Stuff First came the pressure on her university. Chinese officials demanded that her immediate superior stop her research. It might have worked the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the mayor of Christchurch backed them up in an effort to appease Beijing. They failed when the university vice-chancellor intervened on behalf of academic freedom. But it was just the beginning. Next, her office was broken into in December 2017. As far as she could tell, nothing was taken. "I think it was meant to scare me, to show me people could come into my office." If so, it worked: "I felt this great dread," after the intrusion. "I reported it to security and there was no follow-up." If she had any doubt that she'd been targeted, she got a detailed warning letter from a concerned friend in the Chinese community to let her know that an official campaign of intimidation against her and others was under way. By National Review , Jan . 25, 2019 History is very short, if you look at it the right way. The American Revolution seems like it was a very long time ago, but looked at with the right kind of eyes, it was the day before yesterday: The revolution of Washington and Jefferson inspired the French Revolution, which unhappily perverted the classical-liberal principles of the American Founders and created instead an ersatz religion purporting to be a cult of pure reason le Culte de la Raison which culminated in fanaticism, terror, and dictatorship. The French Revolution inspired the Russian Revolution, which created its own cult of pure reason scientific socialism and modeled its enemies of the people purges on French revolutionary practice, culminating in fanaticism, terror, and dictatorship. The Russian Revolution in turn inspired the Iranian one, which had intellectual roots in the Bolshevik experience in the Caucasus and culminated in fanaticism, terror, and dictatorship. The Iranians exported many of their revolutionary principles to Hugo Chavez, his United Socialist party, and their so-called Bolivarian Revolution (whose colectiovos gangs were modeled on Irans basji militias) which culminated in fanaticism, terror, and dictatorship, currently on particularly dramatic display. Read More: Join us - become an Elderado today at: LarryElder.com Follow Larry Elder on Follow Larry Elder on Twitter "Like" Larry Elder on Facebook Singapore: Singapore's health ministry accused an American on Monday of stealing and leaking the records of 14,200 people infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, before January 2013. It said Mikhy K. Farrera Brochez recently put the official records of 5400 Singaporeans and 8800 foreigners online. These included HIV test results, names, identification numbers, phone numbers, addresses and other health information, it said. "While access to the confidential information has been disabled, it is still in the possession of the unauthorised person, and could still be publicly disclosed in the future," it said in statement. "We are working with relevant parties to scan the internet for signs of further disclosure of the information." The ministry said Brochez worked in Singapore as a lecturer for a period before he was jailed for several drug and fraud-related offences and deported last year. His partner, who headed the ministry's National Public Health Unit from March 2012 to May 2013, had access to the confidential information, it added. It identified his partner as Ler Teck Siang, a Singaporean doctor who has been charged under the Official Secrets Act for failing to take reasonable care of confidential information relating to HIV-positive patients. The charge is pending before the courts. The current member points out that Australias carbon emissions amount to only 1.3 per cent of the worlds emissions. But our population is a mere 0.325 per cent of the worlds population, so we are really punching above our weight. - John Hinde, Millers Point Supporters of Warringah independent candidate Zali Steggall at her campaign launch on Sunday. Credit:Brook Mitchell I suggest that Steggall go easy on climate change. I, like I suspect many of the locals in her electorate, have a healthy scepticism about Australias ability to influence the debate. The argument that our per capita contribution is one of the highest in the world is meaningless. The only result is that we will continue to pay some of the highest electricity prices in the world, burdening our manufacturing industry while being under the impression that the rest of the world cares what were doing. - Michael Clarey, Pyrmont Canvass Aboriginal ideas for a new national day Thank you for the inspiring letters on Australia Day dissonance (January 28), especially that of Anne McDonald. Most countries celebrate a national day on the monarchs birthday, freedom in the US and France, unification in Germany and Italy into a republic. Even if we had Inclusion Day for the date of the 1967 referendum, that act of giving carries millenniums of denial of human history Aboriginals created and that we inherit. Better we recognise the unique history of the land. Then we can celebrate our true human history rather than nationalism. - Anne Eagar, Epping You have published a great number of letters from writers airing their own views of if/when Australia Day should be celebrated. The majority of these views are just another form of colonialism, involving ideas that range from telling Aboriginal people what sort of celebration would best accommodate them to appropriation of their flag for a national flag. Has anyone bothered to ask the Aboriginal people their ideas about a national day? - Heather Johnson, West Pennant Hills Why dont the thousands of people who protested about a variety of ills on Australia Day consider migrating? Many European countries have whole villages empty as youngsters move to the cities. In one part of Sicily the mayor is offering houses for sale for $1. Canada and Ireland are also short of people, so there is plenty of choice. - Deborah Webb, Huntleys Cove Negotiate a treaty with our Indigenous brothers and sisters, decide on an appropriate and inoffensive day for its signing and from then on celebrate Australian Treaty Day (and forget about Australia Day). - David Stibbard, Singleton Since Australia wasnt Australia on January 26, 1788 it seems dumb to call that Australias day. The name Australia became official in 1824 when the British Admiralty formally endorsed it. - Lynne Phelan, Falls Creek Philip McCouat (Letters, January 28) suggests January 25, believing that the First Fleet was still travelling on that date. In fact the First Fleet was already here then, having arrived at Botany Bay on January 18. Arthur Phillip didnt think much of the place and so moved on, a decision that we who live near glorious Botany Bay will be forever grateful. - Gary Sullivan, Sans Souci Match Australia Day to the Triple j Hottest 100. It would have no extra cost, everyone can take part whether alone or at a party, and the winner is a perfect backdrop to the fireworks. - Mark Anderson, Coogee Soft sentences encourage dealers When our courts start awarding a sentence tougher than 80 hours of community service maybe there will be far fewer drug pushers at pop concerts (Ruling keeps dealers out of jail, January 28). - Peter Pitt, Potts Point The magistrate stopped short of imposing a custodial sentence on Tina Phan, who smuggled in 394 ecstasy tablets into a dance party at which someone died but Michael Chiang was sentenced to six months on appeal when caught with 24 tablets outside a festival. Where is the logic in that? Twenty-four is almost excusable as being shared among friends, whereas 394 is clearly dealing. The Premier tries to toughen up on drugs and is undermined by the flip-flopping judiciary. Either release Chiang now or appropriately sentence Phan but magistrates please send the same signals to dealers. Right now theyre prepared to take a punt on getting Phans soft touch of a judge. - Kay Buckeridge, Mollymook Its time for the bands to get their acts together and start making music that doesnt need mind altering drugs to appreciate. - Don Leayr, Albury Sick of the heat The uncompromising words from GP Sujata Allan strike a chord (A doctors prescription for beating the heat'', January 28). She is treating too many patients experiencing the effects of hyperthermia and declares the absence of political leadership in climate action is making her sick. If political leaders listened to people like Dr Allan, instead of bleating voices urging more coal-powered electricity, then this nation may have some cause for unity, hope and optimism. The first and worst victims of climate disruption are always the disadvantaged. The government might claw back some support if it responds intelligently to the drought without sanctimoniously quoting Dorothea Mackellar and her 'sunburnt country'. - Josie McSkimming, Coogee Dr Allan believes it is possible to power Australia with 100 per cent renewable energy. If only this was true now. Eventually, yes. - Roger Tonkin, Newtown Merkels great legacy When Chancellor Angela Merkel retires, she will be remembered for many things, including a commitment to internationalism and a humane approach to refugees. Her greatest legacy may be appointing a commission to work out how to transition her country from climate-polluting coal (Germanys $64b plan to dump coal, January 28). Which of Australias leaders will step up? - Angela Michaelis, Balmain Dangerous energy option Nuclear energy looks great on paper if you ignore the problem of waste (Letters, January 28). We still have no way of dealing with the nuclear waste that remains radioactive and toxic for generations. Nuclear is the energy source of last resort. - Anne Kirman, Kellyville Rivers need our help Whenever an election looms we hear promises to throw cash at river problems (Labors $200m pledge to rehabilitate urban waterways, January 28). Seldom do we hear about the use of the law to protect rivers in the first place. Until 2012 we had a regulation for a 40-metre vegetated buffer zone to protect rivers enshrined in the Rivers Act. A soft green strip of forest could soak in and filter run-off and provide habitat. In 2012 the state government weakened this to allow infrastructure within it. On the Georges River at Warwick Farm that recently enabled stormwater pipes, propped up by ugly rock embankments, to be punched through a rare floodplain forest and to discharge into the river. The better solution would have been more costly for the developer of a multimillion-dollar horse stables complex next door. Now upstream at Moorebank, the government is poised to approve the same kind of flawed stormwater management. This time the developer to benefit is constructing a huge, paved truck-rail interchange on the banks of the river. The irony is, as rivers increasingly sink under the burden of private profiteering, the cost of river restoration will be shared. Ordinary taxpayers will pay. - Sharyn Cullis, Oatley (Secretary, Georges River Environmental Alliance) Left on the outer The Greens say that one of their four pillars is grassroots democracy. The hard left of the party ensured that Jeremy Buckingham was pushed out of the party and off the Legislative Council ticket (Greens in disarray as state election draws closer, January 28). Those who put him No.1 are struggling to have their No.2 counted now that he is gone. Thirty per cent (780 members) of those who voted have been totally disenfranchised. The reason that the hard left dont want this is because sitting MP Dawn Walker will be rightfully placed in the winnable No.2 position ahead of the hard left-preferred candidate. Grassroots or not you cant have it both ways. - Chris Harris, Rushcutters Bay (Former Greens City of Sydney councillor) Teachers pest Bravo, Dan Hogan (Teachers mugged for $100 fee, but for what?, January 28). But one has to wonder why the NSW Teachers Federation has not been more proactive in shielding teachers from this obvious revenue-raiser. With the state election looming in March, perhaps the 65,000 members of the federation might like to take this opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with the current state government over this blatant ripoff. - Greg Partington, Quakers Hill Say goodbye to cash No matter how inconvenient for ATM and cash users, banks will urge cashs demise (ATMs culled as customers ditch cash, January 28). Card use is a system whereby customer service may be minimised. Sad for all, the helping hand, the cash gift will become just a memory. - Susan Webb, Valentine Pynes empty threat Christopher Pyne warning China from the safety of Singapore (Anxiety rising but this isnt a cold war: Pyne, January 28)? The Chinese must be falling about laughing. - Beverley Chong, Woollahra To those that much is given, much is expected. This from a senior Australian government minister. Would you like to try that again, Mr Pyne? - Mickey Pragnell, Kiama Thats torn it The choice to wear torn clothing as a fashion statement is meant to signify some kind of simpatico with the working classes (Letters, January 28). The current sartorial trend is really about appropriating poverty so as to be seen as being authentic in an ironic way. - Alicia Dawson, Balmain Warringah's independent candidates are split on newly announced challenger Zali Steggall, with one of her rivals arguing the barrister and former skiing champion is "Liberal-aligned" and not much different to incumbent Tony Abbott. Ms Steggall is the third independent to put up their hand as the contest for the blue-ribbon Liberal seat heats up. She has the backing of a coalition of community groups and has called for a "unified front" with the other independents, Alice Thompson and Susan Moylan-Coombs, to boost their chances of defeating the former prime minister. Warringah independent candidate Zali Steggall. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer While Ms Thompson, a former adviser to Malcolm Turnbull, welcomed Ms Steggall's entry in the contest, the reaction was markedly different from the campaign of Ms Moylan-Coombs, an Indigenous television producer and activist. Virginia Laugesen, Ms Moylan-Coombs' campaign director, accused Ms Steggall of being only a slight improvement on Mr Abbott. Australia has sided with the United States and other world powers in recognising Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela, as the country grapples with deadly mass protests and deep political unrest. Juan Guaido Canberra has been recognised by Canberra as the interim president of Venezuela. Credit:Bloomberg Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said Mr Guaido, the opposition leader and president of the National Assembly, ought to lead the Latin American nation until elections are held. "Australia calls for a transition to democracy in Venezuela as soon as possible," Senator Payne said on Monday. "We now urge all parties to work constructively towards a peaceful resolution of the situation, including a return to democracy, respect for the rule of law and upholding of human rights of the Venezuelan people." Two people are fighting for their life and five others remain in hospital due to suspected drug overdoses at the Rainbow Serpent dance festival in central Victoria. Seven festival-goers have been taken to hospital due to drug overdoses and almost 25 people have been arrested for drug related offences since the festival begun on Friday, with a similar number handed drug diversion notices. The most recent life-threatening incident resulted in a 24-year-old Ivanhoe man being air-lifted to hospital in a critical condition. Another man in his 20s was taken to Ballarat Base Hospital in a serious condition on Sunday, while a woman remains in a critical condition at the Austin hospital. Police using a detection dog search cars at Rainbow Serpent Festival for drugs. Credit:Victoria Police The Rainbow Serpent music festival faces an ultimatum to clean up its act or be barred from going ahead by local authorities. This years festival has seen seven hospitalisations, with two young people fighting for their lives, along with more than 20 serious drug arrests. The mayor of the local council in which the festival is held says there will be "serious consideration" of the festival's future if drug issues at the event become "out of control". Pyrenees Shire Council mayor Robert Vance says the number of drug-related health issues was deeply troubling. Roads have reopened to traffic after a large grass fire on the Gold Coast caused the closure of streets near the Sea World theme park. Police declared an emergency situation at Main Beach at 2.35pm but revoked it about two hours later and reopened the roads to motorists. Seaworld Drive, Main Beach, has been blocked. Credit:Instagram - @ch14k1_1t0 Police are on the scene, directing traffic at the intersection of the Gold Coast Highway and Waterways Drive We all need to be a bit more sceptical about our local pubs. We've always understood that people drank too much and got into fights but now there is a serious shift in pub culture, from places celebrated as warm and inclusive (except for Aboriginal Australians, except for women) to sites of miserable exploitation of staff and patrons. Pubs have never been perfect but the culture of exploitation has become worse. Credit:Rob Homer Late last week, we discovered Merivale, owned by the Hemmes family and a major operator of pubs, Loading bars, restaurants and corporate venues, had cancelled its annual staff party. There was no set date but management, which denied the cancellation, had been talking up the event as recently as December, according to staff. News of the cancellation came on the same day as the Fair Work Commission ruled Merivale must start paying its 3000-strong workforce under the hospitality award from March. The company, led by chief executive Justin Hemmes, had been underpaying staff for years. In a submission to the commission, Merivales human resources manager, Kate Tones, wrote: Merivale will need to consider the viability of business practices which while viable under the EBA, may not be viable under the modern award. More freedom for suburban taxis The council of the Motor Vehicle Proprietors' Transport Association of New South Wales, at a meeting yesterday, decided to ask the Commissioner for Road Transport, Mr. C. N, Neale, to grant permission to operators of suburban taxi-cabs to accept hirings in any public street other than the authorised suburban ranks. This privilege, it was alleged, had been extended to one suburban operator. The association decided to ask the Commissioner why. Spooner Highway The Minister for Works and Local Government, Mr. Spooner, said last night that he had been advised by the Assistant Commissioner for Main Roads that the construction of the Epping-St. Leonards Highway would be begun towards the Epping end early next week. The design of the bridge across the Lane Cove River on the route of the highway, he added, was in course of preparation. Action has already been taken to acquire the necessary land. Fleet Week opened Nearly ten thousand people visited the Australian warships yesterday, the opening' day of Fleet Week. Never before has the public been allowed to see so much of Australian naval vessels. Nothing was forbidden except to take cameras aboard, and all the displays were fully explained by a running commentary by a naval officer broadcast through loud speakers. Australian warships will be open for inspection from 1.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. for the week. A horse has been freed after it became trapped in a septic tank in the backyard of a property in Sydneys west for several hours on Monday morning. A vet sedated the horse, which fell into the tank in Berkshire Park, while NSW Fire and Rescue and SES teams worked to extract the animal. A vet, fire and SES crews battled sewage waste to free a horse after it became stuck in a septic tank. Credit:Berkshire Park Rural Fire Brigade Facebook The horses back legs and rear end were initially trapped before it sank further so the "main body of the animal was underneath the ground", a Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said. Fire and Rescue NSW duty commander Bob Mey said the horse was unable to get out of the tank because the opening "was not very big at all". By France 24 , Jan . 27, 2019 The number of Jews murdered in anti-Semitic attacks around the world in 2018 reached its "highest" level in decades after a mass shooting at a US synagogue, an Israeli government report said Sunday. A total of 13 Jews were killed in three separate attacks over the year, according to the 2018 Global anti-Semitism Report released on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Read More: Join us - become an Elderado today at: LarryElder.com Follow Larry Elder on Follow Larry Elder on Twitter "Like" Larry Elder on Facebook Some hack has made off with his domain name, davesharma.com.au. Having sent Prime Minister Scott Morrison s preferred candidate Katherine ORegan packing (to a salubrious posting at Rookwood Cemetery), Sharma was re-endorsed to run against Kerryn Phelps at the coming federal election. The Sharma camp soon discovered it had, in fact, been commandeered by Rushcutters Bay resident Carlin Rookes, whose company Standard Pty Ltd we were shocked to find had also registered the business name Dave Sharma with the corporate regulator. As Rookes is a Liberal Party member, we assumed extracting the website would be easy. But this has not been the case, with months of negotiation and even legal threats failing to persuade Rookes who is a member of the branch where ORegan is president. Stranger still was Rookes sighting at Phelps Bondi Surf Club Christmas bash last year. (Meanwhile, Phelps has reopened her Cooper Street Clinic while Parliament is on break, charging a cool $400 per consultation, clearly satisfied she isnt in breach of section 44.) There seem to be encouraging new prospects for a major downturn in the foreign military presence in Afghanistan. President Donald Trump has been pushing since last year for a quick US military withdrawal from Afghanistan, while the Taliban is now claiming to have reached a draft agreement with US negotiators on foreign troop withdrawal within 18 months of an agreement being signed. Trump had already announced plans to draw down US forces in Afghanistan from 14,000 to about half that number - although the Pentagon seems to be dragging its feet on implementation. Australian troops in Afghanistan. Credit:Angela Wylie The withdrawal developments seem good reason for us to re-evaluate whether it is in our interest to be in Afghanistan and, if so, what our defence commitment should be. Our Defence Department notes that Australia remains committed to a stable and secure Afghanistan and continues to support the NATO-led train, advise and assist mission called Resolute Support which has replaced the previous NATO-led International Security Assistance Force mission. Curtin residents have denounced the government's approval of a five-storey building near the suburb's central square, vowing to overturn the decision at the Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The Curtin Residents Association, in its application for a review of the decision, said the "village-style atmosphere" and character of the area would be diminished by the building. The Curtin shopping centre in its present iteration. The building's original proposal, which called for six storeys and 50 apartments, was knocked back in 2017. The current proposal calls for 36 apartments. "We don't yet have the information about how a building of five storeys will overshadow the square at important times," residents association president Chris Johnson said. The hills lining the back of Ross Hampton's Wallaroo farm straddle the NSW and ACT border, where hidden from site is Canberra's newest suburb of Taylor. It's the influx of these new suburbs and developments that is causing headaches for rural residents like Mr Hampton, who lives on Spring Range Road just minutes from the border. Wallaroo landowners Phil Peelgrane (left) and Ross Hampton are concerned about the long-term effects of clean-fill dumping in their area. Credit:Karleen Minney He wants to see a clampdown on the hundreds of trucks hauling clean fill from Canberra developments that clog regional roads, legally dumping piles of dirt on local farms. "If the border wasn't there this would be managed completely differently, this issue wouldn't be happening," Mr Hampton said. Inner south residents are concerned for the health of a tree at the centre of a long running stoush that has prevented the owner of the Capitol Theatre from building a six-storey hotel on a prominent block. The 18.5-metre-tall London plane tree, which stands in the way of the proposed Manuka development, has had branches and leaves turning brown since November. David Denham stands on Franklin Street, Manuka, in front of the protected London plane tree which appears to dying. Credit:Jamila Toderas A spokesman for the Transport Canberra and City Services directorate confirmed it was aware of the issue and its tree protection unit was investigating. The tree is fenced off from the public pathway on Franklin Street and a trench appears to have been dug close to the tree's trunk, which is located between the Capitol Theatre building and an unoccupied restaurant building. It is not known when the trench was dug, nor whether it might have affected the health of the tree. You would think that a cafe run by a couple of 20 something skater boys would be kind of grungy but theres something kind of homely about Church Neighbourhood Goods. Its the latest venture to take over the space in Odgers Lane, which runs between London Circuit and Alinga Street in the City, a spot previously holding Loading Zone and Meadow. Nicholas Mico and Brock Dunn, owners of Church Neighbourhood Goods, in Odger's Lane, in the City. Credit:Jamila Toderas When the space became vacant mates Nicholas Mico and Brock Dunn, both 24, decided to take the leap and open their own venue. For us it was the next step, says Mico. We'd operated cafes for other people before and we sort of got to the point where we had our own ideas and wanted to do something with them. A former senior cyber security official has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for using a secure government network to download animated child pornography. Canberra man Jeffrey Alexander Donald, 65, was an assistant director within the cyber and information security branch of the Australian Signals Directorate. On January 16 last year, routine analysis conducted within the network identified Donalds account as having conducted a number of internet searches which were determined to be inconsistent with appropriate use of a Commonwealth IT system, according to an agreed statement of facts tendered in court. Further analysis uncovered about 8000 files that had been stored on the man's work computer drive between 2001 and 2017. Some of those files contained child pornography material. In January 2018, the defendant was put on leave from his role within the directorate and his access to sensitive systems was removed. Australia's top criminal intelligence agency has blown $34 million of its taxpayer-funded budget on a failed facial recognition project, earning a stinging rebuke for poor management, record keeping and an at-times dysfunctional culture. "Significant failures" of management, governance, and communication at the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) have been detailed in a review of its biometric identification services (BIS) project, conducted by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO). Australia's top criminal intelligence agency has wasted $34 million on a failed facial recognition project. Credit:Illustration: Australian National Audit Office The BIS project had a $52 million budget and was intended to update the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) by adding facial recognition. The system helps police and law enforcement agencies solve crimes and identify people and the BIS was meant to begin operating in May 2016. It's a similar story with my friend Lisa who, during a recent catch-up over wine and cheese, spent the entire afternoon fielding calls from her husband, desperately inquiring what to do with their twin daughters. Did they need hats? Were they allowed snacks? She ended up leaving early in stressed-out tears, wine half-finished. Cheers, indeed. It's even worse in the world of celebrity, where hands-off fathers can afford a fleet of nannies to cover for their inadequacies. Pharrell Williams might style himself as a supercool renaissance man but recently admitted that he refused to change his triplets' diapers. Musician Pharrell Williams might style himself as a supercool renaissance man but recently admitted that he refused to change his triplets'"diapers", while Jacob Rees-Mogg happily admits to having never handled a single one of his six children's nappies - though at least he doesn't pretend to be a paragon of PC virtue. When it comes to modern parenting, mobile phones account for much of the problem, serving as a buck-passing device or remote babysitter. Doofus dads also seem to delight in spamming their partner endlessly with pictures of their child while in his care, the subtext being: stop enjoying yourself and come home, or look how much fun we're having without you! Either way, I've lost count of the number of lunches I've had with female friends that have been ruined by their phones pinging constantly, the guilt-trip snaps and foolish questions refusing to cease. Other classics of the genre include fathers who talk about "babysitting" their own children like they're filling in as a favour; as if this is an additional duty they should be rewarded for. They are yet to realise, it would appear, that when they're your own, it's just parenting. Pharrell Williams and his wife Helen Lasichanh at the 2019 Paris Fashion Week. He may be happy, but he is not a fan of the nappy change. Credit:Domine Jerome/ABACA/AP But these days, in the age of sharenting where we can all see or be seen to be performing the part of loving Pa, an idealised image of fatherhood has emerged: one that involves nonchalant one-handed pram-pushing and ostentatious Frisbee-chucking in the park, all of which is then documented on social media, naturally. These chaps flinch, however, when it comes to the less glamorous graft, which they deem "her department". It's a trope nailed perfectly by BBC Two parenting sitcom Motherland. Harassed working mother Julia (Anna Maxwell Martin) has a husband who's always at a sport event or stag do when she needs help. He makes the right noises ("Hey, I hear you", "Look, babe, if you want me to come home...") but, ultimately, does sweet FA. These, often, are the fathers who think hauling the kids to soft play for two hours on a Sunday morning so their wives can have a lie-in makes them some sort of progressive hero even though she only needs the rest because she's been in sole charge of their children's care all week. Last month, I witnessed a friend catch a whiff of a filled nappy while holding his four-month-old son - who he immediately handed back to his wife. This isn't natural uncertainty around a newborn, rather a refusal to deal with the dirty parts of looking after his third child. No matter that he is a strapping, all-action personal trainer - when it comes to a soggy nappy, he's as squeamish as they come, handing over his smallest charge to his partner as if she is the unpaid help. Loading When these fathers do lower themselves to do some form of childcare, they're praised for being a "saint". Witness the hero's welcome they get at the school gates ridiculous, really, given the fact that the novelty of their appearance surely proves how little they're usually involved. When American comedian Kevin Hart uploaded a video of himself changing his one-month-old's nappy with the caption "Daddy did that!" online, fans rushed to praise him, apparently failing to understand that fathers need not receive credit for things that mothers do without a second thought. Right-on dads often play up their incompetence, too "she's so much better at this stuff than me" to get out of doing their bit. Like Russell Brand's wife, Laura, women are better at it because they have no choice. Someone has to take responsibility and do the basics. To refuse is, plainly, idle. Two of my friends are getting divorced over this: the husband's pretence in public of hands-on parenting, and utter haplessness in private. Stereotypical gender roles stick in the throat, but the gap between appearance and reality makes things all the worse. These men carefully project an image of perfect dadhood but, behind closed doors, are as nappy-phobic as their own fathers ever were. Two of my friends are currently getting divorced over precisely this: the husband's pretence of hands-on parenting in public, and utter haplessness in private. Meanwhile, a new father I know raves enthusiastically about dad-and-baby yoga outings (well, he is from north London), while his long-suffering girlfriend is tasked with handling all feeds because her other half "needs nine hours' sleep". Often, it feels as though we haven't progressed at all. The reality is that parenting isn't all Kodak moments but is full of the daily grind and boring bits. Russell Brand's "I'm too sensitive to do any practical childcare" shtick is boring and outdated: that raising children is woman's work. Steve Perrys job used to involve trawling through the road toll cases where something seemed amiss. Perhaps there was suspicion the crash was in fact a suicide or that the victim had died of a heart attack before their car veered off the road. Policeman Steve Perry thought he was going OK. Then one day, it all came apart. Credit:Justin McManus Every day, the senior sergeant would scrutinise scene photographs, statements and medical records. Mr Perry thought hed been coping fine, but one day in March 2016 he suddenly began crying after a work meeting. January 25, hackers group Anonymous reported that the Ukrainian authorities planned to get involved in a hundred years armed conflict with Russia, according to the local report.The Ukrainian leadership shows the world that they want to resolve the conflict between Donbass, Kiev and Moscow. In fact, the Ukranian oligarchic elite fulfills the order of the West to draw Russia into a bloody war.The first who learned this secret information became hacker group Anonymous. On this Friday they published documents on the British state project Integrity Initiative, from which very interesting details became known."From 6 to 13 July, five English-speaking employees of the Military Intelligence Reserve of Ukraine, who were born and raised in Russia, visited the UK for consultations," reported in one of the published documents.According to the secret data, five Ukrainian men were aged 45 to 53 years, two of them were KGB colonels, another two employers were brigade commanders, and the latter may have served in the GRU. In London, the military negotiated the purchase of equipment and discussed the military strategy and the possibility of countering Russian attacks."During the conversation, the military made it clear that their country is preparing for a long war - the Ukrainian "hundred years war", reported in a secret document released by Anonymous.The project Integrity Initiative has not yet commented. However, as we remember, earlier the organization repeatedly recognized the authenticity of the documents in the hands of hackers. Richmond had a minimum temperature of 24.3 degrees on Monday morning, 0.6 degrees hotter than the previous record, in records that have been kept for 157 years. Parts of Hawke's Bay, on the east coast of New Zealands North Island, and Richmond in the Nelson area of the upper South Island topped the scale at 35 degrees on Monday afternoon. Hot air from Australia has helped to produce scorching temperatures for many parts of New Zealand this week. Alex Macmillan, a senior lecturer in Environmental Health at the University of Otago, urged people to "take care" in the extreme heat, "especially if youre elderly, pregnant, or already have a medical condition". "As year on year we break new heat records as a result of our collective failure to act on climate change, New Zealand urgently needs a climate change and health adaptation plan, so that we can ensure peoples health is protected from the impacts of climate change, including these higher summer temperatures," Dr Macmillan said. "The good news is that by investing now in well-designed climate action, including homes and public buildings that are easy to cool without fossil fuels, and better city planning, we can stay healthier and more resilient to heat events like this, and reduce our climate pollution at the same time." Why is it so hot? Take several helpings of hot air from Australia and the sub-tropics, some long and sunny days, warm ground, New Zealand's mountains, and a nearby anticyclone accompanied by light winds, and you have the recipe for this week's heatwave. An over-emphasis on STEM is robbing students of the humanities-based skills they need to navigate the 'dark arts' of fake news, social media and online distortion, a world-leading expert in classroom technology has warned. Subjects such as history and art taught students how to question the status quo and see different perspectives, Professor Punya Mishra from Arizona State University, told a conference in Sydney. "We like to say we suspend disbelief," he told the Herald after the conference. "[But] as humans, we are predisposed to belief. So we need to educate ourselves and our children to learn to disbelieve, to question. A leading professor says STEM has been over-emphasised at the expense of the humanities. Credit:Georgijevic "You've got to start early. You can't protect people from it, because it's all around. The Harry Potter books talked about defence against the dark arts. I say [online manipulation, 'fake news'] are the dark arts of our time. "The issue of mental health in the workplace is rising in significance and prominence," Dr Nguyen said. "The way work is designed plays an important role particularly from a prevention point of view. "Things like the quality of supervision that a person has, the quality of the interpersonal relationships such as the support they have from their peers. "Having a micromanager who is constantly looking over your shoulder and having low autonomy and control over your workplace decisions lead to anxiety and stress in the workplace. If there is little reward for high effort, that can also lead to high levels of stress in the workplace." Matthew Johnstone. Mr Johnstone had been working hard and playing hard in what he says is a fast-paced and "ego-driven" industry. Giving himself virtually no time for relaxation, eating well or exercise, he failed to recognise he was stressed and overwhelmed. "It was like Mad Men and like a lot of males, I wasn't good at looking after myself," he said. "Probably a big part of it was that I was a perfectionist. Nothing was ever good enough." The stress led to not sleeping well and, over time, depression set in. "It was like watching a slow-motion car crash happen." A new report by the insurance industry has also found a significant rise in mental health conditions as a proportion of overall injuries in the workplace. It comes as the industry grapples with spiking claims and scathing criticism over its covert surveillance of claimants suffering from anxiety and depression. The financial services royal commission heard that life insurance giant TAL hired a private investigator to follow, film and photograph a mentally ill former nurse as she bushwalked and swam at a public pool, as it tried to build a case to cancel her income protection insurance payments. The report, Awareness Into Action: A Holistic Approach to Cultivating Mentally Healthy Workplaces in Australia by insurer Allianz, found that a vast majority of Australian workers have experienced symptoms of mental illness at work, yet many are too scared to report it to their employer. Many believe their managers are more likely to believe they need to take time off if they are suffering from a cold or flu rather than stress or anxiety. The report says there is a growing need for employers to make having a mentally healthy workplace a business priority. "In Australia, employees with mental ill-health are more likely to be absent from work and less productive when at work; with one in five taking time off work each year due to feeling mentally unwell," the report says. "Claims for mental injury also have a far greater residual impact than physical claims (all other claims) in terms of cost to the organisation." Between 2010 to 2015, the average compensation payment per claim for mental injury was $24,500, compared to $9000 for all other claims. The average time off work was 15.3 weeks compared to 5.5 weeks for all claims." The report said 7020 Australians are compensated for work-related mental health conditions each year. Workers with depression take 20 times more sick days than other workers. The payments for mental injury claims are 80 per cent higher than they were 10 years ago. Allianz said 40 per cent of its workers compensation claims were related to mental illness. Dr Nguyen said workplace bullying has also been linked to anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. And some people had a greater tendency to fear failure than others. "People who are high on this trait tend to avoid performance situations where they might fail," she said. "They only take on tasks where they feel they can perform well and avoid learning based tasks where there is a high failure rate but high opportunity to learn." Asked if the insurance industry needed to take some responsibility for its contribution to the mental illness of claimants, Helen Silver, Allianz Australia chief general manager workers' compensation said: "I think of course it will take responsibility for the actions that it would be doing." American human behaviour expert and business and leadership consultant, John Demartini, says fear is sabotaging the productivity of many workplaces. The fear of not knowing enough, fear of failure and rejection was paralysing many people and preventing them from taking risks. Those fears could lead to people going into hyperdrive and working too hard or becoming immobilised by a feeling of futility. "It can lead us to extremes of behaviour. It subjectively biases our perceptions and decisions and actions and we over and underdo things and we are not efficient and focused. We get distracted and our performance is lessened," he said. Dr Demartini said attachment or infatuation with a job that someone fears losing can result in fear. "Any time we have something we resent and withdraw from we have a fear of gaining," he said. Fear is an assumption that you are about to experience more pain than pleasure, more loss than gain, or more negative than positive all of which are illusions since lifes experiences always provide a balance of these factors." Common fears Dr Demartini says can plague workers: 1. Fear of not knowing enough 2. Fear of failure She suggests having that 20 per cent (or whatever percentage you can afford) automatically deducted from your paycheck so you dont even notice its gone, to get you in the habit of living below your means. Saving early on is a staple to building wealth. William D. Danko, coauthor of the best-seller The Millionaire Next Door and author of Richer Than a Millionaire, said in Q&A with the Washington Post that one of the three key ways to become a millionaire is to commit to saving 20 per cent of your income. If you spend everything you earn, he said, you cant build a significant financial net worth. Saving when youre young is crucial and most important for compounding the longer duration you have will reap you the largest benefit, Butera said. If you invest your savings in a retirement account or elsewhere, youll be taking advantage of of compound interest,where the interest you earn on your money earns more interest over time. 30s: Live below your means and avoid lifestyle creep Because many people tend to start making more money, get married and have a dual income for the first time, and buy a home or have kids in their 30s, its the decade when life can get more expensive, Butera said. Your 30s is a time when people can be enticed to spend the most money, she added. The key here, she said, is to resist living a lifestyle you cant afford to prevent yourself from making big financial mistakes that carry into the next decade. Its up to you to keep up or increase the savings pattern you started in your 20s. This means avoiding lifestyle creep, the tendency to spend more as you earn more. Loading Sarah Stanley Fallaw, author of the book The Next Millionaire Next Door: Enduring Strategies for Building Wealth and the director of research for the Affluent Market Institute, found that most of the 600 millionaires she studied lived below their means to achieve their seven-figure status. If youre buying a house, youll want to make smart mortgage choices and avoid becoming house poor, Adam said. Most of the millionaires Stanley Fallaw studied never purchased a home more than three times their annual income. If you have kids, youll also want to focus on maintaining your career or financial fluency, Adam added. One parent may consider staying at home to raise children if thats you, keep in mind these findings by Fortune in 2016: If the average American woman takes a break from her career for half a decade, shell sacrifice $US467,000 ($650,000) over her lifetime. For men, that jumps to $US596,000. Those numbers include income, wage growth, and retirement assets and benefits. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Adam also stressed the importance of considering how youll stay self-sufficient if you find yourself single with children. Youll need to be vigilant about keeping skills current, saving for your future, and participating in family budget and investment decisions, Adam said. Always know what Plan B is if the marriage doesnt work. 40s: Focus on growing your income for retirement Your 40s are the time to really focus on earning. You might want to consider outsourcing things that stand in the way of your earning, from hiring a financial planner to manage your finances or an accountant to do your taxes, to hiring someone to mow the lawn or grocery shop. Loading In your mid-career, youre probably making the top tier of your income, so start having people do things for you so you can focus on your career and extending your income and benefits, Butera said. These are close to your peak earning years, Adam said. Careers and personal lives can derail in your 50s, so get ahead of the curve. Know how youre invested and focus on that long-term plan. Blogger and self-made millionaire John of ESI Money spent the past few years interviewing millionaires and found that many worked to advance in their job and increase their income through their career. As you continue to grow your income, continue to tuck a percentage away for retirement and into other accounts. While continuing to save 20 per cent of your gross income is optimal, Adam recommends a minimum of 15 per cent. Keep your eye on the prize, she said. 50s: Stay on track for your retirement plan, and dont let your children derail it The decade before retirement is the final stretch. Now is an important time to teach your kids, nieces, and nephews how to make financial decisions and get them involved in the financial decisions youre making, Butera said. I see all the time children or family members who arent financially independent, and thats where your money ends up going that does deter people a lot, especially if you have a giving mentality, she said. Some clients show love by giving and that ends up being monetarily. Giving up your savings and not saving for yourself in your 50s can be a huge deterrent. According to a Merrill Lynch report released last year, 79 per cent of 2,500 American parents surveyed continued to provide financial support to their adult children, and 72 per cent said they put their childrens interests ahead of their own need to save for retirement. Loading Teaching children money skills is a huge way to become financially independent yourself in the future, Butera said. Adam added that at this point, you should not be doling any more handouts to kids and should refrain from going overboard on college costs or loans. The Treasury maintains that Deripaska won't benefit from the deal. Any dividends he receives will be placed in blocked accounts. He will have voting rights over no more than 35 per cent of shares in En+, his former holding company. VTB will cede its votes to an independent third party. The decision is politically unpopular in Congress, where Democrats argue that the divestments are a sham because the billionaire has handed over stakes to allies and, sometimes, to entities close to the Kremlin. The recipients of his shares include Russian state-owned bank VTB and a foundation created by the businessman. Since the announcement triggered a rise in the share prices of En+ and Rusal, the companies that run the vast aluminum business Deripaska has cobbled together since the 1990s, critics have called it a win for Putin. On Sunday, the US Treasury Department lifted restrictions on En+ Group Plc, UC Rusal Plc and EuroSibEnergo JSC, saying it was satisfied with the way Deripaska (who remains sanctioned) has reduced his holdings in the companies and ceded his voting rights to independent, non-Russian persons. The story of the US sanctions on billionaire Oleg Deripaska contains some hints for other wealthy Russians about how to conduct their international business despite President Vladimir Putin's anti-Western stance. The main takeaway: Don't hold controlling stakes in companies. This means Deripaska really has given up control. Even if his ex-wife, her father and a firm linked to them vote with the billionaire, they still wouldn't have a majority. Half of En+'s board now consists of US and UK citizens vetted by Treasury, and Deripaska only has the right to nominate four out of 12 directors. There wouldn't have been any lessons to draw had the deal's opponents prevailed and the sanctions not been lifted. But two things are now clear: the terms on which a wealthy Russian can expect to have US sanctions on their assets lifted, and how those assets can avoid being sanctioned, even if their owner is. Admittedly, my analysis assumes a consistent US policy. That may be too bold a premise in this era of uncompromising political strife, but it has to be made if one believes the US to be a rules-based society. Russia's rough transition to capitalism created an ownership paradigm in which even public companies are often controlled by a single shareholder. According to a study by Deloitte in 2015, 73 per cent of Russia's 120 top public companies had a majority shareholder; 34 of the 120 were state-controlled. Such concentration of ownership is partly the result of a grossly mismanaged privatisation program, which, in its final phase, handed control of key assets to a small group of bankers in exchange for helping President Boris Yeltsin win re-election in 1996. But, to the same degree, it's the result of a warlike business environment in which tough and quick decisions were a matter of survival. That's often the case in emerging markets with relatively weak institutions; in Indonesia and Brazil, for example, about 70 per cent of public companies have a controlling shareholder. On the other hand, in Canada, only 25 per cent of listed firms have a controlling shareholder; in Britain, less than 10 per cent of companies traded on the London Stock Exchange have owners with 25 per cent or more of the stock. Australias biggest steel company has suffered a multibillion-dollar battering, losing 35 per cent of its value in six months, as the boost from US President Donald Trumps protectionist trade policies tapers off and the Chinese economy slows. Melbourne-based BlueScope, which runs steel mills in Australia and the US, has been considered a big winner from the Trump administrations trade war with China and imposition of 25 per cent tariffs on steel imports. The company last year secured a White House deal to exempt the 300,000 tonnes of steel it ships to the US annually from Australia, while also benefiting from a dramatic lift in profits at its US operations as the tariffs sent the price of US-made steel surging. BlueScope in August posted its best yearly profit in more than a decade. Credit:Adam McLean But in the 10 months since Mr Trump imposed 25 per cent steel tariffs, the price of steel in the US has now crashed back to levels before they were announced in March 2018. Investors in the ASX-listed BlueScope have become increasingly worried about the plunging steel price, which has been partly attributed to the heightened pressure on steel customers in the US, including auto giants General Motors and Ford struggling to absorb the spike in costs. Top researchers from the Michigan State University recently conducted a study focusing on 'Terrorism and Political Violence' while publishing a journal on the same and found that Cyber terrorism has, with the evolution in time just as innovation, outpaced physical attacks. Professor Thomas Holt, from the Michigan State University says that,Little work has been done around the use of the internet as an attack space. These attacks are happening and they're been continuously overlooked. If we don't get a handle understanding them now, we won't fully understand the scope of the threats today and how to prevent larger mobilization efforts in the future." Holt broke down the extension, development and the effect of ideological cyber terrorist incidents, so as to comprehend these attacks, from far-left groups, like the Animal Liberation Front, Earth Liberation Front and many similar ones. Now while these groups would prefer fundamentally not to physically hurt people; rather, they are roused by animal and environmental activism and feel enthusiastic and passionate when it comes to attacking companies, organizations and government entities that go against their convictions. While we cant speculate as to why physical attacks have declined, we believe that the cyber component increased because these attacks generate an economic and emotional impact, draw attention to their cause from the public and may be less likely to lead to arrest, he adds further. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Passing the time in prison was easier for Foster Thompson before a life on the outside seemed possible. Now, in the weeks leading up to a Feb. 8 court hearing where a judge will rule on whether to vacate his 1994 murder conviction, the New Brighton native said the days feel longer as he fights back thoughts of walking the dog, and the red-perch fillet his mother and wife used to make. I try my hardest not to think about it, said Thompson, 54, in a recent telephone interview with the Advance from the upstate Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Ill pick up a book and it helps, but I really cant concentrateeven my family can tell, where they couldnt before. Thompson was convicted along with another man in the 1992 slaying of Cynthia Browning and the attempted murder of reputed drug dealer Alton Staley inside a Jersey Street apartment building. Staley and another witness, Denise Concepcion, identified Poppy Thompson as the shooter; others placed Thompson about a block away from the scene. Years later, a Manhattan-based defense team, led by attorney Abe George, took on the case amid new evidence that includes what they maintain is a videotaped confession of a man named Jamaican Tony, who claims it was he and another man who carried out a botched robbery in apartment 3F. Should state Supreme Court Justice Alexander Jeong vacate the conviction, he could order Thompson be freed from prison, or, call for a re-trial with the option of bail. PRISON LIFE The showers at Sing Sing can be a dangerous place, said Thompson, who recalls rapes and other assaults in a room shared by about 80 prisoners. On a typical day, he splits his hours between a building maintenance job and the rec yard, though harsh winters upstate and the possibility of violence have made the yard less appealing over the years. You get depressed a lot in here, said Thompson, who was sentenced to 37 years to life in prison. My oldest (daughter) reminds me of it every (time) I speak with her. I still think of her as if shes 2 years old. At night, he reads and exercises from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., then, catches two hours of sleep before the morning bell. Its a routine he developed years prior at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, N.Y., where inmates complained of rats wandering into their cells. HIS ACCOUNT On the night of the shooting, Thompson places himself about a block away, standing with a group of people outside 131 Jersey St. He recalls hearing three clusters of gunshots. A cop car shot past us and went right to 151, he said. (Police) ran in the building, and then seconds later ran right out of the building and jumped in their cars. One of them went up by the park. While two witnesses corroborated Thompsons story, and a separate witness account that never made it to trial placed a man named Tony at the scene in clothes that matched those allegedly worn by Thompson, the testimony by Staley and Concepcion proved enough for prosecutors to win the case. Thompsons current defense team has accused then-prosecutor Mark Macron of offering Staley an implied quid pro quo deal to testify in exchange for dropping gun and drug charges in connection with the same incident. (Staley) was looking down and pointing his finger in my direction, said Thompson. It was just unbelievable...you could see the guy was lying." Staley, who lives with his mother at the South Beach Houses, could not be reached for comment. His brother, John, kept it brief when asked about Thompsons upcoming court date. He shot my brother, said John Staley. Call Mark Macron, hell tell you my brothers side of the story." Now a defense attorney, Macron represents Staley and other members of his family. And while George has called the move unethical, Jeong issued a partial ruling in October that states otherwise. A DIFFERENT TIME A year after a verdict was issued in the Thompson case, a separate jury convicted 27-year-old Gil Franklin in connection with the Jersey Street slaying, in addition to multiple unrelated shooting incidents on Staten Island, including a shootout with police. Franklin, who denied any connection with the New Brighton shooting, was sentenced to a life in prison. Thompson said he barely knew Franklin, and crossed paths with him only twice prior the court hearings, including one instance when Franklin was arguing with his sister over $20. Based on the testimonies of multiple witnesses who placed both men at the scene, Macron has maintained the guilty parties are behind bars, telling the Advance in 2018 that Thompson is "overwhelmingly guilty. Current District Attorney Michael E. McMahon told the Advance in 2017 there was insufficient credible evidence" to support an application to set aside the jurys verdict. Still, George said he believes its possible authorities were less than thorough in pursuing witness accounts over the years that placed three suspects from the Bronx at the scene that night, and not Thompson or Franklin. I think that if you took a close look at some of those murder convictions in the late 80s and early 90s, if there was a homicide (in a housing project), police would look for people with the worst records and paint it as if they had done it, because they figured the (defendant) had committed some crime in the past, said George, a former prosecutor and at one point a candidate for Brooklyn district attorney. At the time of Thompsons arrest for murder, the FBI was eyeing him in a string of bank robberies in Manhattan. Thompson maintains he had nothing to do with the bank robberies, which ultimately went unsolved. George argued in his motion to vacate the conviction, the FBI enlisted the help of law enforcement to provide an ultimatum to Thompson: Either provide information about the bank robberies, or face murder charges. But he confessed to neither. Thompson said looking back, he regrets the criminal lifestyle that put him on the NYPD and FBIs radar in the first place. I just wanted to make some quick money to provide for myself and my family, said Thompson, who had his first child at 16 years old. You dont think about things like, what if something goes wrong? A DIFFERENT WORLD When Thompson was last a free man, smartphones and social media were the stuff of science fiction. My family tells me, were gonna get you caught up to speed with everything, he said. I cant imagine it, to be honest. If Thompson ever makes it out, his wife and children will be waiting for him, along with his mother and father. Theyve aged so much since Ive been in here, said Thompson. I just want to be around them, and take it all in." UPDATE -- Cops see no link to other Island disappearances By PAUL LIOTTA and MAURA GRUNLUND STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 69-year-old woman reported missing for more than a week was found dead in Stapleton on Sunday in what police believe could be a homicide -- and detectives are probing a convicted sex offender arrested in an unrelated assault on another woman earlier this month as a person of interest, multiple law enforcement sources told the Advance. Johynita Jordans bruised body was found at a home on the 700 block of Van Duzer Street on Sunday, the sources said. The Clifton resident was last seen Jan. 18. The NYPD released an image of her last week and sought the publics help in locating the woman. According to a Van Duzer Street resident who phoned the Advance, neighbors reported a bad smell coming from the home, went in and discovered the body. Another neighbor, who asked to only be identified as Nicole, told the Advance there was a large police presence at the home around 2 p.m. Sunday. The homes next door neighbor said the house is vacant. The medical examiner will determine her cause of death. In a shocking twist, Linden Beaton of Clifton, who is currently being held by police on charges in a separate incident, is being investigated as a person of interest in Jordans death, the sources said. Beaton, of the 200 block of Park Hill Avenue, has already been charged by police with assault, criminal obstruction of breathing and harassment in connection to an attack on Beatrice Kaliku, 57, who was on her way to a prayer meeting. Kaliku was walking on Bowen Street near Sobel Court Park in Clifton on Jan. 5 when she was brutally beaten. He beat me so senselessly, the woman said, describing injuries that included bleeding on the brain, a gash on her scalp that had to be closed with stitches, broken bones in her thigh near her hip, a black eye and other bruises and cuts. Beaton is currently being held on $500,000 bail in that case. He has not been charged in connection with Jordans death at this time. The investigation into Jordans death focuses on surveillance video that shows the woman talking with a man near Van Duzer Street shortly before her disappearance, sources said. Although, one source indicated, police werent certain from the video whether that man was Beaton. Detectives also searched Sobel Court Park, where Kaliku was attacked, Monday as they sought evidence indicating a link between the two cases. Beatons lawyer in the Kaliku case did not respond Monday to a request for comment on the updates in the Jordan case. Beaton, who turned 32 Monday, is a convicted sex offender, according to the New York State registry. He was convicted of an attempted rape in which he choked, punched, and assaulted a woman, according to state records. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in November 2010, and released to parole on Feb. 15, according to state records. Aviagen's Arbor Acres team conducts roadshow sessions in South Africa A dedicated team from Aviagen's distributor, Arbor Acres South Africa and the Arbor Acres Turkey, Middle East and Africa (TMEA) regional support unit recently conducted sessions to bring the latest broiler and breeder flock management advice to customers in South Africa. Aviagen is committed to strengthening Arbor Acres South Africa's customer success by helping maximise the performance and efficiency of Arbor Acres flocks in production. This year marks a successful sixth roadshow tour to a number of South African customers, which included Eagles Pride, Daybreak, Chubby Chicks, Supreme, Grain Field Chickens and RCL Foods. During an eight-day period in October, Arno Van der Nat, general manager of Arbor Acres South Africa, Richard Beevis, Arbor Acres technical service manager, Dr. Zoltan Marton, Arbor Acres veterinary services specialist and Dominic Elfick, international product manager, interacted with owners, production managers, nutritionists and veterinarians in each of the customer companies. Together they reviewed the performance data and exchanged ideas and the latest practices in effective male management, optimum broiler brooding and feeding into the laying period. The Aviagen Arbor Acres team also presented a valuable benchmark analysis of year-on-year improvements in performance indicators such as chick numbers, livability, hatchability and feed conversion ratio (FCR). As customers share production data, the Arbor Acres support team has the expertise to help them analyse such infomation and highlight critical points where improvement is most readily achievable. This exercise builds excellent dialogue and trust between the team and its customers by providing concrete results and added value to local producers, Aviagen said. Van der Nat commented on the effectiveness of the roadshow: "This method is a great way to visit our customer base and deliver critical production, genetic and health updates and insights on parent stock and broilers." "The topics [of the annual Arbor Acres roadshow] highlighted the genetic development and improvements being made with the Arbor Acres breed. It is very satisfying to note these improvements now routinely expressed in our commercial performances in the field. The format facilitated great participation and engagement from all concerned, and left the team with plenty to consider and take back into the operational areas. The learning experiences are invaluable to our business, and we thank the local Arbor Acres South Africa team for their efforts," said George de Kok, agricultural director of Supreme Poultry. "Our South African customers look forward to this roadshow every year and recognise the added value it provides and on-going benefits of being part of the Arbor Acres family. The visits highlighted the dedication of producers in South Africa, which has helped to progress the performance of broilers and breeders, as well as the popularity of the Arbor Acres brand," said Richard Beevis, technical service manager of Arbor Acres Middle East and Africa (MEA). - Aviagen STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As 3-K for All will roll out to Staten Islands District 31 for the 2019-2020 school year, Staten Islanders are invited to a free community event in February that will allow parents to submit an online application for Pre-K for All and 3-K for All. The 3-K/Pre-K for All Community Event will be held at the Staten Island Childrens Museum at Snug Harbor, Livingston, on Feb. 9, from 2 to 5 p.m. Families will be able to meet providers, Department of Education (DOE) staff and submit online applications for the free pre-kindergarten or 3-K programs. The event will also include reading time, music, raffles and a Zumba class. You can apply to 3-K the year your child turns 3 years old, and your child must be a current New York City resident to apply. Students who are welcome to apply for 3-K for All include: any 3-year-old child who is a current New York City resident; current students in EarlyLearn or other preschool programs; students with disabilities; students with accessibility needs; students learning English; students in temporary housing; LGBTQ and gender non-conforming students; students who move to NYC during the admissions process. According to the DOEs 3-K Finder, more information about 3-K programs will be available in early February. The event is being hosted by Pre-K for All Outreach, Staten Island Childrens Museum, The Staten Island Community Partnership Program (SICPP) and the Staten Island Alliance for North Shore Families. For more information about the event, you can call Vanessa Vargas at 212-637-8029, or email vvargas13@schools.nyc.gov. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Here we go again. Thats one phrase that could be used to describe the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliot. In the movie, arrogant Channel 9 weatherman Phil Connors (Murray) is tasked with covering a story on a weather-predicting "rat" at the Punxsutawney Groundhog Day Festival -- for the fourth year in a row. When a blizzard forces Connors, his producer Rita (MacDowell) and his cameraman Larry (Elliot) to spend another night in the small town, the weatherman wakes up to discover that it is Groundhog Day -- again! As we approach Groundhog Day 2019 in New York City, where people will gather at the Staten Island Zoo in West Brighton on Feb. 2 to see if the local furry weather-prognosticator Chuck will see his shadow, we thought wed take a look at some facts about the movie Groundhog Day. 1. TOM HANKS? It's often hard to imagine our favorite films with different actors playing the leads. However, that's almost exactly what happened in "Groundhog Day." Michael Keaton and Tom Hanks were both considered for Murray's role, but weren't chosen because Director Harold Ramis thought they were "too nice." 2. TWICE BITTEN Murray was bitten by the groundhog twice when shooting the film. He had to have anti-rabies injections because the bites were so severe. If you recall, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was bitten by Staten Island Chuck in 2009. 3. BROTHERS In the movie, the town mayor is played by Brian-Doyle Murray, Bill Murray's brother. 4. PHILOSOPHICAL INSPIRATION Storywriter Danny Rubin and Ramis got the inspiration for the plot of "Groundhog Day" from "The Gay Science," a famous work from German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. In what Nietzsche described as "the most personal of all [his] books," he describes a man who lives the same day over and over. 5. A NATIONAL TREASURE In 2006, Groundhog Day was added to the United States National Film Registry. Films are added to the registry if they are considered culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For three hours on Sunday, Staten Islanders questioned Borough President James Oddo and other city agencies about everything from the Islands potholes to its drug epidemic during his inaugural BP Assist Live resource fair. Residents had the opportunity to meet with Oddo and his staff to learn about Borough Hall initiatives and projects. The fair at Susan E. Wagner High School in Sea View was adapted from his previous Direct Connect Sunday events. When I got elected for borough president in 2014, the notion of having a really stuffy swearing-in inauguration didnt fit my style, Oddo said. I wanted to get to work. I tried to figuratively and literally open the door to Borough Hall and host Staten Islanders I have never seen, and it was a really positive event. Rep. Max Rose joined Oddo at the fair for a question and answer session with Island students. Here are some key topics students and Oddo discussed during the session: POTHOLES Questions surfaced about potholes on Amboy Road. Oddo explained that the city wont resurface Amboy Road until an ongoing sewer project is complete. Oddo also said that since he took office in 2014, he has been working with Mayor Bill de Blasio to resurface old Staten Island roads. He cited bad snowstorms and roads getting older as major causes of potholes. The gold standard on resurfacing roads in New York City [is] you have to repave 1,000 lane miles a year across the city to keep your roads in good condition, Oddo said. And these streets are supposed to last 10, 12, 15 years. NOT BIKE-FRIENDLY Some students said they felt Staten Island isnt a bike-friendly borough. Oddo explained that Staten Island has a car-oriented mentality, and residents now have to make the transition to sharing lanes with bikes. He said the combination of aggressive Staten Island drivers and bike lanes is a tricky situation and a volatile mix. My hope is that your generation wont be the car-addicted generation that we are by necessity, Oddo said. DRUG EPIDEMIC After students shared concerns about the drug epidemic on Staten Island, Oddo said the entire borough has been affected, and that the crisis knows no demographic." Oddo further explained the initiatives his office is working on to address the drug crisis on Staten Island, and how the borough is used as an example in other boroughs, like the Bronx, of how to combat the crisis. I am proud of how the Staten Island community has come together, he said. The treatment community, the law enforcement community led by our district attorney, Mike McMahon, that is incredibly creative and innovative, NYPD, the elected officials and the public at large. Rep. Max Rose explained there are four parts to fighting the drug crisis -- treatment, education, prevention and law enforcement. Its really hitting everybody, but whats really scary today is that the majority of people who are dying are not dying from pills, they are dying from fentanyl, Rose explained. And heres whats even scarier than that, and is true for New York City, Staten Island and the rest of the country is seeing a rise in people dying from fentanyl-laced heroin who never even took a prescription pill in their lives. DEER AND TURKEY Oddo said since Staten Island has thousands of acres of parkland, he has advocated for more residents to take advantage of the boroughs parks. But with the deer population growing and a rise in Lyme disease on Staten Island, Oddo said its important that residents are cautious. We want to get people out safely into our parks on Staten Island, which, by the way, ties into another issue, which is the deer issue and Lyme disease, Oddo said. I encourage people who go out in our trails and in our parks to be aware of ticks and be cautious. Another student addressed another animal problem on Staten Island the influx of turkeys plaguing the East Shore. Oddo said some residents complain that he isnt doing enough to address the influx of turkeys. Others argue that the turkeys shouldnt be removed, he said. Oddo explained that Councilman Steve Matteo (R-Mid-Island) is working to relocate the turkeys. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Standing at the feet of about 30 grieving adults Sunday inside a Bulls Head Church was the 4-year-old daughter of Michael Mikey Stewart, a Westerleigh man whose disappearance in December has since been deemed a homicide. 'Thats me, and thats daddy,' said the girl, pointing to a photo propped against the altar. Stewart, 40, was honored at back-to-back ceremonies by family and friends who shared memories and expressed frustration that a body has not been recovered, though charges were levied against a suspect last week. Meanwhile, those closest to the victim are debating how to handle the tragedy with his daughter. She asks for him, asks why hes not around, said Jaclyn Tantao, a lifelong friend. The last thing she said was, I think hes playing hide-and-seek." In terms of recovering Stewarts body, the investigation took a grim turn last week when the NYPD announced it would halt a weeks-long search at a Pennsylvania landfill, due to safety concerns for the officers. Following the church service was a candlelight vigil outside an apartment at 86 North Mada Ave. in West Brighton, where sources say police discovered evidence of a homicide. The apartment belonged to 33-year-old Angelo Nesimi, an ex-convict who was indicted last week in state Supreme Court on charges that include murder, concealing a human corpse, criminal possession of a weapon, tampering with evidence and drug possession. The two men knew each other, and are seen on video surveillance conversing inside a Staten Island barber shop on the night Stewart disappeared. Speaking in regard to the search for Stewarts body and charges levied against Nesimi, longtime friend Samuel Lecler delivered this message at the vigil: No stone is going to go unturned. This is just the beginning. Its going to come to light. No matter what, were going to get justice for him. Stewarts younger brother, Richard, fought back tears as he spoke his peace moments after stapling a photo of his brother to a tree outside the recent crime scene. He made everybody laugh," said Stewart. He blew off the tough stuff and made it a joke, and I respected him for that. He was my mentor; he was my older brother. Sharon, PA (16146) Today Mostly cloudy early. Scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 83F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Scattered showers and thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low around 70F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. An escaped crocodile was caught after spending two days enjoying the feast of its life in a fully stocked fish pond. The 7ft long reptile broke free from its enclosure before scampering into the reservoir packed with tilapia fish in Angthong province, Thailand. A local farmer noticed the beast's eyes poking out of the water and alerted the police who arrived with animal handlers. They finally brought an end to the croc's meals by draining the water and wading through the pond. Several local children help to catch the crocodile and drag it ashore. Fish pond owner Manop Prasatsin, 52, said: ''One of the villagers told me there was a crocodile in the pond and I said that couldn't be possible. But they were sure they had seen its mouth and eyes. ''So I went to look and waited for it to appear. We called the police and rescue service and we all helped to catch it. ''I'm not sure how many of my fish it had eaten but if it had stayed in there much longer there might not have been any left.'' The crocodile is believed to have escaped from a reptile farm in the area. It was captured and driven away to a nearby animal research centre and will spend the rest of its days helping scientists to understand crocodile behaviour. Thailand becomes 'most important' market for Norway salmon in SE Asia Recognising Thailand as having lately become the "most important market in Southeast Asia" for Norwegian seafood, particularly salmon, the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) is relocating its regional office from Singapore to Bangkok in the middle of this year, The Nation reported on Thursday, Jan. 24. "NSC has been actively working in the Thai market for the past five years; and since last year, Thailand has become the most important market for us in Southeast Asia due to its robust growth in domestic consumption," Jon Erik Steenslid, NSC director for Southeast Asia, was quoted as saying. "A testament to our increased effort in Thailand and how important the market is for us have led to the relocation of our regional office from Singapore to Bangkok this coming summer", he added. Steenslid said NSC will continue to promote Norwegian seafood to Thai consumers through various activities including product promotions at leading supermarket and restaurant chains and engagements with key media and influencers. "Just as Thai consumers associate sushi with Japan, we want them to associate Norway with salmon", he said. Exports of fresh Norwegian salmon to Thailand increased by 25% a year in the past three years, and for the first time it has exceeded 10,000 tonnes last year. Salmon accounted for 50% of Thailand's seafood imports from Norway last year, while 40% were mackerel. Last year, exports of Norwegian seafood to Thailand totalled 29,000 tonnes, up 10% from the previous year and valued at around 4.8 billion baht (US$564.3 million). We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. This includes cookies from third party social media websites and ad networks. Such third party cookies may track your use on Sharedots sites for better rendering. Our partners use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on Sharedots website. However, you can change your cookie settings at any time. Learn more HAVANA A tornado and pounding rains smashed into the eastern part of Cubas capital overnight, toppling trees, bending power poles and hurling shards of metal roofing through the air as the storm cut a path of destruction. Power was cut to many areas and President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Monday at least three people were killed and 172 injured. Julio Menendez, a restaurant worker, said his neighborhood in Havanas 10 de Octubre municipality looked like a horror movie. From one moment to the next, we heard a noise like an airplane falling out of the sky. The first thing I did was go hug my daughters, who are 9 and 12, he said. Driver Oster Rodriguez said that amid a fierce storm, what looked like a thick, swirling cloud touched down in the central plaza of the Reparto Modelo neighborhood like a fireball. He saw a bus blown over, though he said the driver escaped unharmed. A government meteorologist said the tornado was a Category F3, with winds between 155 and 199 mph. Miguel Angel Hernandez of the Cuban Center for Meteorology said tornadoes are unusual around the capital and a strong one has not hit the city in decades. He said Sunday nights storm was produced when a cold front hit Cubas northern coast. It isnt usual for the city of Havana to be affected by a tornado of this magnitude, he said. The windows in the seven-story Daughters of Galicia Hospital were sucked out of their frames by the wind, leaving curtains flapping in the breeze, and all the patients, new and expectant mothers, had to be evacuated. Some of the heaviest damage was in the eastern borough of Guanabacoa, where the twister tore the roof off a shelter for dozens of homeless families. Cubans enduring long waits for government housing often live in such multifamily shelters for years. Michael Weissenstein and Andrea Rodriguez are Associated Press writers. CARACAS, Venezuela The struggle for control of Venezuela turned to the military Sunday, as supporters of opposition leader Juan Guaido handed leaflets to soldiers detailing a proposed amnesty law that would protect them for helping overthrow President Nicolas Maduro. At the same time, Maduro demonstrated his might, wearing fatigues at military exercises. Flanked by his top brass, Maduro watched heavy artillery fired into a hillside and boarded an amphibious tank. Addressing soldiers in an appearance on state TV, Maduro asked whether they were plotting with the imperialist United States, which he accused of openly leading a coup against him. No, my commander-in-chief, they shouted in unison, and Maduro responded: Were ready to defend our homeland under any circumstance. The dueling appeals from the two rivals again put the military center stage in the global debate over who holds a legitimate claim to power in the South American nation. The standoff has plunged troubled Venezuela into a new chapter of political turmoil that has already left more than two dozen dead as thousands took to the streets demanding Maduro step down. It erupted when Guaido, the 35-year-old leader of Venezuelas opposition-controlled congress, declared before masses of supporters last week that he has temporarily assumed presidential powers, vowing to hold free elections and end Maduros dictatorship. President Trump and several foreign leaders quickly recognized Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate leader, prompting Maduro to cut ties with the U.S. and order its diplomats from Caracas within 72 hours. The U.S. defied him, saying Maduro isnt the legitimate president, and Maduro relented, suspending the deadline for 30 days for the sake of opening a dialogue. Venezuelas armed forces remain the key to Maduros hold on power, firing tear gas and bullets on protesters, killing more than two dozen since Wednesday. Guaidos supporters made their case directly to soldiers on Sunday, handing them leaflets that urged they reject the socialist leader and explaining how they could be eligible for amnesty if they help return Venezuela to democracy. Scott Smith and Fabiola Sanchez are Associated Press writers. KABUL Seventeen years after the U.S. military-led invasion of Afghanistan after the deaths of more than 2,400 American troops, tens of thousands of Afghan soldiers and police, and untold numbers of civilians the prospect of a truce with the Taliban appears to be inching closer to reality. Six days of talks in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar ended over the weekend with a commitment by U.S. and Taliban negotiators to reconvene soon and the outlines of a deal under which all 14,000 U.S. troops would depart Afghanistan within 18 months. The talks still dont include the Afghan government, whose leader, President Ashraf Ghani, on Monday warned against a precipitous troop withdrawal and insisted that any peace agreement must be Afghan-led. But the longest face-to-face meeting between U.S. and Taliban representatives has raised hopes that a deal will be reached. Sources briefed by Taliban negotiators said the U.S. and the Taliban have agreed to the outlines of a deal focused on a few key points. According to these individuals, who were not authorized to speak to the media, the Trump administration would agree to a withdrawal of all foreign troops and the lifting of an international travel ban on top Taliban leaders. In exchange, the Taliban would pledge that Afghanistan will not be used as a base for attacks against foreign countries. The Talibans sheltering of Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda is what led President George W. Bush to order U.S. troops into Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Also on the table though not agreed to are a proposed cease-fire and an exchange of prisoners. U.S. officials would not discuss details. But Zalmay Khalilzad, President Trumps point man in the peace process, tweeted: Meetings here were more productive than they have been in the past. We made significant progress on vital issues. Khalilzad, a former U.S. ambassador to Kabul, has injected urgency into a long-stalled peace effort with the Taliban. Appointed in September with a mandate to end a war that President Trump had tired of despite sending thousands more troops last year the Afghan-born Khalilzad has zigzagged across South Asia, the Middle East and Europe to build support for a pact. Perhaps more important, however, is who is sitting on the other side. Last week, the Taliban announced a new chief negotiator: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a former No. 2 in the extremist group who was close to its founding leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar. Shashank Bengali, Sultan Faizy and Aoun Sahi are Los Angeles Times writers. BEIJING Prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang was sentenced to 4 years in prison on the charge of subversion of state power Monday, more than three years after he was detained in a sweeping crackdown on the legal profession. The No. 2 Intermediate Court in the northeastern city of Tianjin announced the sentence in an online statement, adding that Wangs political rights were also being withheld for five years. Wangs wife, Li Wenzu, said she is worried about her husbands health while he is incarcerated. Wang Quanzhang has never committed a crime, Li said. So I firmly refuse to recognize or accept this result. Wang was a member of the Fengrui law firm that was well known for its advocacy work. He pursued land rights cases on behalf of poor villagers and represented members of the banned Falun Gong meditation sect. Rights groups condemned the verdict, with Amnesty International China researcher Doriane Lau calling it a gross injustice. Its outrageous that Wang Quanzhang is being punished for peacefully standing up for human rights in China. He must be immediately and unconditionally released, Lau said in a statement. Human Rights Watch said the sentence made a mockery of the rule of law being championed by the ruling Communist Party under President Xi Jinping. Wang was tried in a closed hearing last month after being held without access to his lawyers or family since 2015, when he became one of more than 200 legal activists detained during the crackdown. Dake Kang is an Associated Press writer. A pair of sailors competing in the 334-boat Three Bridge Fiasco race Saturday were left rudderless after a collision with a whale in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. Adam Spiegel, a technology CFO in San Francisco and his sailing partner had been roughly an hour into the grueling "short-handed" race around the Bay's three central bridges before the incident occurred. They'd rounded one the race's marks called Blackaller up by Fort Point near the Golden Gate Bridge and were heading toward Red Rock Island at the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge when their J/105 sailboat abruptly came to a stop. "All of a sudden it felt like we'd ran aground," Spiegel told SFGATE. A second or two later, Spiegel said, there was another thud, followed by another thud. Then, the pair heard a loud, cracking noise and what sounded like a splintering sound coming from the 35-foot fiberglass racing sloop. After that, a gray whale, which Spiegel estimated to be at least 25 feet long surfaced next to them. Spiegel couldn't see any blood in the water or injuries to the whale, but they wondered if the whale was going to "come after" them. They also wondered whether their boat was going to sink. They figured out they'd lost partial steerage and couldn't get back safely on their own. Spiegel and his crew didn't report the collision to the Coast Guard. Soon after, the dockmaster of the St. Francis Yacht Club came out in a powerboat to rescue the pair and escort them back. The boat's rudder was dislodged and the underside of the yacht was scraped up by barnacles on the whale, Spiegel said. It's still not clear if the whale suffered any injuries from the small boat, which would have been moving around 5 knots, which is around 6 mile per hour. Ship collisions, which can include impact with giant propellers, are a frequent cause of death for whales along the California coast. In June, a kite surfer flying just west of Golden Gate Bridge narrowly dodged a humpback whale, a moment that was caught on camera. In May, a dead gray whale that washed up on Angel Beach was reported to have likely died due to a collision with a ship. Read Annie Vainshtein's latest stories here. Email her at avainshtein@sfchronicle.com. Twitter:@annievain The nation's drug epidemic is generating some unexpected side effects for unlucky home buyers who find that their new property is contaminated with methamphetamine, a problem that is a health risk and is costly to fix. Sellers in just over half of states are legally bound to disclose whether, to their knowledge, the property has been used as a meth lab. The laws are weaker when it comes to letting buyers know if meth was smoked there. Just this month, Washington state lawmakers introduced a bill that would require sellers to inform buyers if the property was ever used to manufacture illegal drugs. The bill was inspired by the plight of Jason and Amanda Gates and their three small children. Ten days after moving into their newly purchased dream home in Maple Valley, WA, the family was forced to evacuate after the house tested positive for crystal meth contamination, according to Seattle-area television station KIRO7. When produced or heavily smoked in a home, the drug gets into the walls, carpets, and heating and cooling systems. The HVAC systems are the most problematic, as they suck in the drug's fumes and then spit them out all over the home. Even traces of the drug in the walls or furniture in a home can cause headaches or nausea, and potentially lead to childhood developmental issues. "As a parent, you feel guilt for exposing your children to that kind of situation and environment," Jason Gates told the station. The couple had picked up the home in a foreclosure auction. But drug labs aren't always distressed properties sold at auction, nor rural fixer-uppers. Cops raided a drug lab in a luxury high-rise building last year in the trendy New York City neighborhood where Amazon is slated to open one of its new headquarters. And once a home is contaminated, it's not always easy to clean it up. "Think about [meth] as going into a house with heavy smokers. Nicotine will adhere to the walls," says Kirk Flippin, owner of Texas Decon in Seguin, TX. The company cleans up former meth labs, hoarder homes, murder scenes, and other sorts of unpleasantness. "That's what methamphetamine does." Watch: Get Smoker's Smell Out of Your House for GoodHere's How As pervasive as it may be, meth contamination is not as easy to detect as potential buyers might think. Folks can check the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's drug lab registry, but there's no guarantee that the property is on it. They can also look for burns in the carpet or patches of dead grass outside where chemicals may have been dumped. But they won't always find any telltale signs. "[In] 95% of the places I've walked into, you'd never know," says Flippin. "I usually don't smell anything, I don't see anything." Since most home inspectors don't test for the presence of meth, folks can check out a potential home purchase using inexpensive kits available online. It's cheaper than having to drop anywhere from $2,500 to $40,000 and up to get traces of the drug out of a home you've already bought. And that cost doesn't include replacing carpeting, furniture, or even entire walls. The most important advice I would give anybody is, if youre going to buy a home, talk to the neighbors," Flippin says. "The neighbors are going to know. The post Wait! Are You Buying a House Contaminated With Meth? appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. 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SPOM is a year-long program run by the Chamber to recognize members of the military who demonstrate outstanding service not just in their duties, but also in community service. Swarthmore, PA (19081) Today Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Saab Offers Gripen E to Switzerland (Source: Saab; issued Jan 25, 2019) Saab and the four other companies competing for the Swiss Air Forces Air 2030 program to buy a new fighter aircraft submitted their bids on Jan. 25; Saab is offering the Gripen E, which has also been ordered by Brazil. (Saab photo) Supported by Sweden, Saab has today submitted its proposal for the Swiss New Fighter Aircraft procurement to armasuisse, the Swiss defence procurement agency. Saab offers Gripen E and a comprehensive industrial participation programme for Swiss industry corresponding to 100 percent of the contract value.The proposal consisting of options for 30, and 40, new build Gripen E fighter aircraft is a response to the Request for Proposal (RFP), which armasuisse issued 6 July 2018. Switzerland has a need to replace its fighter fleet of F/A-18 Hornet and F-5 E/F Tiger aircraft.The proposed Gripen E solution features the latest available technology and low acquisition, operation and support costs that will give Switzerland an optimal fleet size, with the best total operational effect over the coming decades, says Jonas Hjelm, head of Saab business area Aeronautics.As part of the proposal to Switzerland, Saab offers Swiss industrial participation worth 100 percent of the contract value. The co-operation with Swiss industry, across all regions of the country, in manufacturing, maintenance and technology will improve competence and capabilities aimed at the sustainment and further development of the Gripen E system in Switzerland. Saab has a historical, strong and broad supplier base in Switzerland, which this programme will further expand to assure cost efficient through-life co-operation.The Gripen E programme is progressing according to plan, with production on-going and customer deliveries starting this year. The very latest technologies are being incorporated to provide air forces with operational capabilities designed to defeat the threats of today, but also the future. Key milestones achieved during the past six months include flights with IRIS-T and METEOR, as well as the second Gripen E aircraft taking flight.Five nations currently operate Gripen: Sweden, South Africa, Czech Republic, Hungary and Thailand. Sweden and Brazil have ordered Gripen E. Additionally, the UK Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS) uses Gripen as platform for test pilot training.Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions within military defence and civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents around the world. Through innovative, collaborative and pragmatic thinking, Saab develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers changing needs.-ends- Germany Approves Export of Weapons Systems to Qatar (excerpt) (Source: Reuters; published Jan 24, 2019) Germany approved the selling of 4 RAM naval missile systems, 85 dual-mode radar and infrared seekers that guide the missile into its target for Qatar Emiri Navy .. these will be fitted on Qatari Navy 4 corvettes which are currently under production by Fincantieri pic.twitter.com/cIPXfWK4a1 Abdulmoiz (@abdulmoiz1990) January 24, 2019 BERLIN --- The German government has approved the export to Qatar of four RAM naval missile systems developed by Germany and the United States, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told lawmakers in a letter seen by Reuters.The Jan. 23 letter did not provide the value of the deal, citing a 2014 court ruling that exempts such disclosures if it could harm companies ability to compete.Approval of the sale comes amid a halt in all weapons sales to Qatars rival Saudi Arabia imposed by Berlin after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.RAM is a ship-based rolling airframe missile that protects naval vessels against missiles, aircraft, helicopters and other ships. The sale also includes 85 dual-mode radar and infrared seekers that guide the missile into its target. (end of excerpt)-ends- Polish Special Operations Forces Contract for PZL Mielec (Source: PZL Mielec; issued Jan 28, 2019) MIELEC, Poland --- The Polish Minister of Defence, Mariusz Baszczak, has today confirmed an order for four Polish-built Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk helicopters to provide an enhanced capability to Polands Special Operations Forces (SOF). Production of the aircraft will begin immediately with delivery of all four aircraft by the end of this year. Speaking at a contract signing event at Lockheed Martins PZL Mielec facility, where the S-70i is built, Minister Baszczak said: "This is an important moment and an important day for Poland and employees at PZL Mielec. The Polish Army has bought proven Black Hawk helicopters. Helicopters that have been tested in war conditions in Iraq and in Afghanistan and are among the most modern in the world." Minister also said: It is the first stage of cooperation between the Polish Army and PZL Mielec." The contract was signed in the presence of the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Production of the special operations Black Hawks will directly sustain around 1,700 jobs at PZL Mielec and support employment for approximately 5,000 more within the companys Polish supply chain. Many of these companies are small to medium sized businesses based in Aviation Valley. The exact specification of each aircraft and details of the specialist equipment fitted is covered by Polands Zastrzezone security level and cannot be disclosed. With both the national police and special operations forces selecting the S-70i Black Hawk, our Polish-built helicopters now have government endorsement and this sends and important signal of trust to potential export customers, said Janusz Zakrecki, President and general director, PZL Mielec. The S-70i is identical in terms of capability and performance to other Black Hawk helicopters in service with a number of Polands NATO allies. It will allow Polish troops to integrate quickly and operate seamlessly with their allies. Designed and manufactured to U.S. Army requirements, the multi-role Black Hawk helicopter is the preferred combat assault and utility helicopter for the U.S. military and 31 international customers. Designed for deployed operations and field maintenance in mind, it can be quickly reconfigured for a variety of missions, such as troop transport and combat assault, MEDEVAC, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, cargo lift, and as an armed helicopter for the attack mission. With more than 50 years of collaboration with NATO, Lockheed Martin is a trusted strategic partner for Europe. The company opened its office in central Warsaw in 1997 and partners with the Polish Ministry of Defence on a variety of defence and security programmes including Air Sovereignty Operation Centres, F-16, Sniper advanced targeting pods, C-130E Hercules and Aegis Ashore. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. -ends- Four Black Hawk Helicopters for Poland By the End of 2019 (Source: Defence24 Poland; posted Jan 25, 2019) A contract was concluded today at the PZL Mielec facility for the delivery of four Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk helicopters for the Polish special operations command. This includes retrofitting of the airframes, logistical and training packages. The total value of the agreement is defined as PLN 683 million. The head of the MoD, Mariusz Baszczak, stated that the helicopters are to be delivered by the end of 2019. The agreement has been signed in presence of Prime Minister Morawiecki, other politicians and generals. This is a very important day for us, since not only do we reinforce Polish security, but we also reinforce Polish industry through procurement actions such as this one. This is a fusion of strategy of development with strategy for security, said the Polish PM. Meanwhile, Mariusz Baszczak, the head of the MoD who signed the agreement on behalf of the government, emphasized the fact that the military was acquiring a battle-proven helicopter design. It is a fine product made in Poland by a fine company the official said. The Minister also said that the agreement signed is only the beginning of collaboration between the Polish military and the PZL Mielec facility. According to the MoD, the agreement is worth PLN 683 million (approx. $182 million--Ed). The price includes the helicopters (PLN 75 million per a single aircraft with the equipment) along with extra equipment and a training/logistics package. The agreement covers procurement of a logistics package (spares, expendables, equipment for the ground crews) and a training package, including complex training for the pilots and for the ground crews. All four aircraft are to be delivered by the end of this year. The S-70i export version is being assembled at the PZL Mielec facility in Poland, along with some of its components. PZL Mielec is owned by Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin. The first Mielec-made Black Hawk made its maiden flight in 2010. Depending on the variant and configuration and equipment carried by the soldiers, the helicopter can carry up to 17 troops. Its top speed is 295 kph, and it offers a range exceeding 500 kilometres. Over 4,000 Black Hawks have been produced so far, with 30 countries operating the type. -ends- A Winter Spare the Air Alert is in place for Monday, air quality officials announced Sunday. The alert bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, indoors or outdoors, for 24 hours. Light winds and cold temperatures overnight are expected to trap wood smoke close to the ground, creating unhealthy air quality, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. During the alert, Bay Area residents and businesses are banned from using fireplaces, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices. First-time violators will be given the option to take a wood smoke-awareness class in lieu of paying a $100 fine. Fines will increase with consecutive violations, according to officials. The winter Spare the Air season runs from Nov. 1 to Feb. 28. Residents can check for alerts at sparetheair.org or baaqmd.gov. For more information or to sign up for alerts, go to sparetheair.org. Prosecutors have charged a suspect connection with a hit-and-run in which a 14-year-old Oakland boy was seriously injured earlier this month while riding his bicycle, Oakland police announced Sunday. The suspect, identified as Leah Conner, has been charged by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, police said Sunday. No other information was immediately available. The hit-and-run occurred around 12:23 p.m. Jan. 2 on 35th Avenue. When police arrived, they found that the victim had been dragged under the car for at least four blocks. Conner allegedly drove away after the boy had been dislodged from the car. The boy, identified as Carlos Prieto, was taken to the hospital, where he has undergone multiple surgeries and is recovering, according to a GoFundMe page started by his uncle Errico Bachicha. "I was with Carlos last night for several hours, and he's looking and acting like himself," Bachicha wrote Jan. 10 in an update on the fundraising page. The GoFundMe campaign has raised over $49,000 of the $100,000 sought to help with Carlos' recovery. Community members are bolstering the campaign. Sunday's "Lil Dad Day," named for Carlos' nickname "Lil Dad," will include a bicycle ride and vendor fair from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. to raise money and "promote bicycle rider safety in Oakland," according to the GoFundMe page. The fair is being held at Movement Inc. at 3832 MacArthur Blvd. The city of Martinez will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to mark the renaming of Alhambra Park to John Sparacino Park. Sparacino, the city's first publicly elected mayor, died April 3, 2008. On Sept. 11, the City Council voted to change the park's name to honor Sparacino's long service to the Martinez community. He graduated from Alhambra High School and lived only a few blocks from the park. The ceremony will be held at the park, at the corner of Marina Vista and Alhambra Avenue. Nobody was hurt during a shooting that was reported in an inhabited dwelling near the Oakland Coliseum around noon on Saturday. According to police, the shooting occurred around 12:26 p.m. in the 7000 block of Coliseum Way in an inhabited dwelling. Police didn't say where or what led to the shooting. Oakland police haven't responded to a request for additional information regarding the circumstances on the shooting. A Santa Rosa woman was arrested after allegedly attempting to sell narcotics in a shopping center in Petaluma, before leading officers on a high-speed chase that ended on northbound U.S. Highway 101 in Santa Rosa, according to Petaluma police. The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Khadijaf Saadani, was near a grocery store in the 300 block of South McDowell Boulevard in a white Jeep SUV - reported stolen out of Tracy - trying to sell drugs to residents, police said. As officers attempted to contact Saadani, according to police, she fled in the Jeep to the freeway, weaving in-between traffic at speeds greater than 80 mph, before coming to a stop in Santa Rosa near the Mendocino Avenue junction. Saadani at first didn't get out of the vehicle, but officers conducting a high-risk stop were eventually able to take her into custody, police said. She was taken to the Sonoma County Jail and booked on suspicion of reckless evasion, vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, resisting arrest and having outstanding warrants. Her bail was set at $40,000. At least one person suffered minor injuries after a vehicle was struck by a Union Pacific Railroad freight train in unincorporated Solano County early Sunday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol and the Union Pacific Railroad. The collision was first reported around 4:33 a.m. at the Fox Road main line railroad crossing, which is northeast of Vacaville, the CHP said. The driver was the only occupant of the vehicle when it was struck by the train, Union Pacific spokeswoman Hannah Bolte said. The Honda Accord suffered major front-end damage and was pushed 100 feet away from the crossing, which has two tracks, the CHP said. The driver was transported to Kaiser Medical Center in Vacaville for treatment of minor injuries. Neither the CHP nor Union Pacific identified the driver. The CHP is investigating the collision. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. OAKLAND (BCN) The Alameda County District Attorney's Office has dropped an attempted murder charge against a man with prior felony convictions in three different Northern California counties for stabbing a man last year in West Oakland. Instead, the District Attorney's Office on Friday agreed to a deal in which Troy Foote, 30, pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon for stabbing another man about 3 p.m. on March 29, 2018 in the area of Sixth and Castro streets, near where Interstate Highway 880 and Interstate Highway 980 merge. The District Attorney's Office also agreed to dismiss all enhancement clauses and strike Foote's three prior felony convictions for sentencing purposes, which means that he will only face a minimal term when he's sentenced by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Mark McCannon on Feb. 26. Oakland police Officer Gedam Gebremichael wrote in a probable cause statement that Sgt. Jeffrey Smoak saw Foote in a physical altercation with the victim in which he appeared to strike the other man in the neck. When Smoak got closer to the two men he discovered that Foote actually had stabbed the victim, according to Gebremichael. Foote was arrested nearby a short time after the stabbing, Gebremichael said. When officers searched Foote they recovered a folding knife with dried blood, gloves and bloody shoes, Gebremichael wrote. A witness identified Foote as being the person who stabbed the other man, according to Gebremichael. The victim suffered three stab wounds and was listed in critical condition so he wasn't able to provide a statement to police, Gebremichael said. Foote has addresses in Oakland and Berkeley and also has family members in Antioch. Prosecutors say Foote was convicted of battery by a prisoner on a non-prisoner in Solano County in 2012, assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury in Monterey County in 2007 and resisting an executive officer in Amador County in 2007. On Christmas Eve 2017, Berkeley police issued an alert asking for the public's help in trying to find Foote after he allegedly walked away from the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley against the advice of hospital staff. Berkeley police classified Foote as a missing "at risk" person and said he might be suicidal. A judge suspended the criminal proceedings against Foote last May 21 and ordered that he be examined by psychiatrists because his lawyer expressed doubts about Foote's mental competency. But on Dec. 5 a judge ruled that Foote was competent to stand trial and reinstated the criminal proceedings against him. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A man accused of severely beating an 88-year-old woman and then burglarizing her home earlier this month in San Francisco's Visitacion Valley pleaded not guilty in court Monday morning. Keonte Gathron, has been charged with attempted murder, burglary and elder abuse, among other charges in connection with the Jan. 8 assault and subsequent burglary. He's also been charged with robbery, child endangerment and receiving stolen property, among other charges, for three crimes he allegedly committed after the Jan. 8 attack. The elderly victim suffered facial and skull fractures in the attack as well as a brain injury, according to prosecutors. Outside of court, the victim's granddaughter Sassana Yee said her grandmother remains hospitalized. "This has been a very trying time for our family, as our beloved grandmother remains in critical but stable condition," she said. "Our family continues to be moved by the generous outpouring of support of our family and our grandmother." According to court documents, officers learned about the assault after neighbors of the 88-year-old woman called police upon seeing an unknown man, later identified as Gathron, exiting the home in the 1000 block of Visitacion Avenue. Once at the house, officers found the door unlocked with the victim nowhere to be found. With help from the victim's brother in-law, officers found her at a nearby park, the Visitacion Valley Children's Play Area, lying on her back in a sandbox, unconscious and bleeding from her head, face and nose. Prosecutors alleged in court documents that after beating the victim, Gathron dragged her to the sandbox and then tried to conceal her body with a garbage can. At the scene, investigators were able to find DNA evidence. They also recovered the victim's cane from the roof of a building next to the park, where prosecutors allege Gathron threw it. As investigators were seeking to identify the suspect in the days after the attack, they learned about a Jan. 16 carjacking near Sawyer Street and Visitacion Avenue. In that case, a suspect allegedly pointed a pistol at the back of the head of the driver of a parked Jeep Cherokee and demanded the keys before driving away. The Jeep was found later that day abandoned at a gas station on San Bruno Avenue. Using surveillance video from the gas station, investigators were able to identify Gathron as the suspect. Days later, on Jan. 19, officers learned about two robberies, both involving juvenile female victims. In the first, a suspect riding a bicycle rode up to a 14-year-old girl and pointed a gun at her near Woolsey and University streets. The suspect then took her phone and purse and rode off. About two hours later, at St. Charles and Belle avenues, a suspect on a bicycle matching the description of the first robbery suspect allegedly rode up to a 16-year-old girl and snatched her phone away. When the girl tried to grab him, he allegedly punched her in the face and rode off, according to court documents. Officers were able to track one of the stolen cellphones to Heritage and Schwerin streets, where they noticed Gathron and, after a foot chase, arrested him. Around the same time, results from DNA collected from the scene of the Jan. 8 attack came back, matching that of Gathron, police said. Gathron, a San Francisco resident, is being represented by the Public Defender's Office. He remains jailed without bail and is set to return to court Tuesday for a detention hearing. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. VACAVILLE (BCN) The California Highway Patrol is seeking witnesses to a fatal two-car head-on collision involving a wrong-way driver early Saturday morning on Interstate Highway 80 in Vacaville. The collision occurred around 1:30 a.m. and involved a Toyota Prius and a Toyota Corolla, CHP Officer Miguel Camarena said Monday. CHP investigators said Anthony Morales, 34, of Sacramento, was driving west on eastbound Highway 80 near the Interstate Highway 505 junction in Vacaville. Morales suffered major injuries and he was taken to a hospital. Investigators did not say which vehicle he was driving, but he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. There were no other passengers in either vehicle, Camarena said. The Solano County coroner's office has not released the name of the driver who died at a hospital after the collision. Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to call the CHP at (707) 428-2100 Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. OAKLAND (BCN) U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris leaned into her experience as a prosecutor while laying out a progressive agenda, including calling for Medicare for all and criminal justice reform, in Oakland Sunday during the first campaign rally of her run for President of the United States. Oakland police estimated that 20,000 supporters attended the rally in Frank Ogawa Plaza downtown, lining up all morning. Harris, a Democrat and longtime Bay Area attorney and politician, announced Monday she is running for president on Monday, along with the location of her first rally - her hometown of Oakland. In the process, she picked up one of her first endorsements, from Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who introduced Harris Sunday with an energetic speech. Schaaf called on the crowd to fight for Harris, as she said Harris had fought "for the people." Schaaf and Harris met 23 years ago in Oakland, before either entered politics, Schaaf recalled. Harris later said that their mothers had been friends, and said the two had a "longstanding friendship." "She is one of the earliest leaders of criminal justice reform, back when it was still popular to be tough on crime, she was smart on crime," Schaaf said. Even Harris's campaign slogan, "For the people," invokes her experience as a prosecutor. She worked in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office in the 1990s and was elected San Francisco District Attorney in 2003. Harris then served two terms as California's attorney general, and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016. But while Harris campaigns on her record as a prosecutor, it's that record that has been the source of most of the criticism she has received from the left. She has been accused of being complicit in perpetuating racial inequities in the criminal justice system, and of not being aggressive enough prosecuting financial crimes. She was interrupted by a protester while discussing this tension. "Now I knew our criminal justice system was deeply flawed, but I also knew the profound impact law enforcement has on people's lives, and its responsibility to give them safety and dignity," Harris said, before she was interrupted. She handled the interruption with grace, smiling and saying, "And on that point, I believed then, as I do now, no one should be left to fight alone." There were few protesters outside the event, and the crowd was enthusiastic overall for Harris's candidacy. Harris's roughly 40-minute speech laid out a bold progressive agenda, saying she would work to tackle income inequality by raising the minimum wage, declare the epidemic of opioid addiction a national public health emergency, "but we don't need another drug war," and drew loud cheers by declaring that climate change is real, and said she would govern by "science fact, not science fiction." She said she considers health care and education to be fundamental rights, and said she supports expanding the Medicare program, now mainly only available to people over 65 years old, to all Americans. "We will deliver the largest working and middle class tax cut in a generation," Harris said. "And we'll pay for it by reversing this administration's giveaway to the top 1 percent." Harris rarely addressed President Donald Trump, her likely opponent should she receive the Democratic nomination. But she alluded to him often, and addressed his presidency directly on several occasions. Again summoning her experience as a prosecutor, she touted her record prosecuting transnational gangs, fighting against "their persistence and their ruthlessness." "On the subject of transnational gangs, let's be perfectly clear: the President's medieval vanity project is not going to stop them," Harris said, referring to Trump's demand for a new wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. "Under this administration, America's standing in the world has never been weaker," Harris said, citing a rise in authoritarianism throughout the world attacking Democratic norms. She also alluded to the investigation into possible influence of the Russian government in the Trump administration: "When we have foreign powers infecting the White House like malware." Harris, 54, was born of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother. She would not only be the first woman to be elected president but the first Black woman and first Indian woman. She acknowledged she faces a tough road to election. "They'll say, 'It's not your time,' they'll say, 'Wait your turn,' they'll say, 'The odds are long,' they'll say, 'It can't be done,' " Harris said. "But America's story has always been written by people who see what can be unburdened by what has been." Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. NOVATO (BCN) Novato police have closed off the 1700 block of Novato Boulevard Sunday afternoon as officers are negotiating with a person barricaded in a utility closet. Police in an email said there is no threat to the public, as the person is in the closet, but nonetheless say drivers and pedestrians must find another way around the scene. No further information was immediately available Sunday afternoon. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Neel Bhatt, a UW assistant professor of otolaryngology, specializes in treating patients with voice problems. Through his work, he began to realize people did not like the sound of their own voices. With the transition to school over Zoom, many students can relate to the discomfort of hearin Vanuatu turns the Corner LETS USE THIS AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR THE FUTURE San Francisco is the ultimate city for tourists. Ignoring the fact that many spend their time here shivering on a hill, overlooking a bay shrouded in fog, the city offers an incredible trove of what any tourist loves great landmarks, museums, amazing food, epic outdoor fun, an island prison. It keeps them coming back year after year. But the rich history of the city extends way beyond these world-renowned spots. All over town, from tony Pacific Heights to the foggy streets of the Excelsior, are homes and addresses that are part of some of San Francisco's most noteworthy, and most notorious, moments. Some of these locations, like the famed Mrs. Doubtfire mansion, are so well known they're on every tour bus's itinerary. But there are many other notable addresses around town (see 6114 California Street, the former home of the Church of Satan), that a lot of visitors to the city probably never come across. RELATED: These San Francisco restaurants are so 'Only in SF' Now, they can. Here are 15 addresses all around San Francisco where something happened that changed the world for instance, where television was invented or, just as important to some, where Jerry Garcia grew up. And then there are those homes that at one time owned front-page headlines, like the Crocker-Amazon home where Patty Hearst was finally arrested in 1975, a year after her abduction by the Symbionese Liberation Army. In the above gallery, see 15 addresses around San Francisco worth visiting to experience a part of the city's rich history you may never have known about. Howard Schultz, the former chief executive of Starbucks and a self-described lifelong Democrat, said Sunday he was preparing to run for president as an independent and had already begun the groundwork required to be on the ballot in all 50 states. Harris campaign strategy is to keep her ahead of a... Schultz, in an interview with The New York Times, said he planned to crisscross the country for the next three months as part of a book tour before deciding whether to enter the race. A billionaire, Schultz would face a difficult road despite his considerable wealth: Few independent candidates have mounted successful challenges for the White House. We have a broken political system with both parties basically in business to preserve their own ideology without a recognition and responsibility to represent the interests of the American people, Schultz said in the interview. Republicans and Democrats alike who no longer see themselves as part of the far extreme of the far right and the far left are looking for a home, he added. The word independent, for me, is simply a designation on the ballot. Schultz was also featured in a segment on 60 Minutes on Sunday night before the publication of his new book, From the Ground Up, in which he criticized President Donald Trump as not qualified to be the president. The possibility of Schultzs candidacy as an independent has drawn condemnation from Democrats, who said that an independent run would split the vote on Election Day 2020 and hand Trump a second term. I have two words for Howard Schultz on a potential run for president as an independent: Just dont, Tina Podlodowski, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party of Washington, said last week as speculation mounted about Schultzs plans. Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress and a former adviser to Hillary Clinton, said on Twitter, If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because Im not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win. Schultz said he was well aware of the criticism, but said it was misplaced. I am certainly prepared for the cynics and the naysayers to come out and say this cannot be done, he said. I dont agree with them. I think its un-American to say it cant be done. Im not doing this to be a spoiler. Asked if he would consider changing his mind and run as a Democrat, he said, I feel if I ran as a Democrat I would have to be disingenuous and say things that I dont believe because the party has shifted so far to the left. When I hear people espousing free government-paid college, free government-paid health care and a free government job for everyone on top of a $21 trillion debt the question is, how are we paying for all this and not bankrupting the country? Schultz said. Its as big of a false narrative as the wall, he added. Doesnt someone have to speak the truth about what we can afford while maintaining a deep level of compassion and empathy for the American people? Schultz, who grew up in the public housing projects in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn, became a billionaire by building Starbucks from seven stores in Seattle into a global coffee chain with over 350,000 employees. He was known as a progressive corporate leader, offering full health benefits for full- and part-time employees and their domestic partners, and Starbucks became the first privately owned U.S. company to include part-time workers in its stock-option program. With an estimated net worth of $3.3 billion, Schultz, 65, is one of several billionaires who had been mentioned as possible presidential contenders. Former hedge fund titan Tom Steyer, who had been eyeing a run, announced this month he would focus his energies on a private effort to impeach Trump. Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, is contemplating a presidential run as a Democrat. Even before Schultzs announcement, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democrats including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has already announced her candidacy, had delivered pre-emptive strikes at billionaires, specifically citing those who self-fund their campaigns. Bloomberg, with an estimated net worth of nearly $48 billion, has said he would self-fund any campaign. Schultz said he did expect to self-fund his campaign, and would likely seek public donations for a race that could cost more than $1 billion. Schultzs consideration of entering the race as an independent evokes the 1992 campaign by eccentric Texas billionaire Ross Perot, also a political neophyte. Perot, for a time, was the leader in the polls and gained almost 19 percent of the popular vote, the most for an independent candidate since Theodore Roosevelt in 1912. Like Schultz, Perot expressed concern about the national debt and vowed to reduce it. Perot failed to win any electoral votes. Schultz, who pointed to a recent Gallup poll showing that 42 percent of voters identified as politically independent, scoffed at the comparisons to previous efforts of independent candidates. This is a very different time in America today in terms of how divided we are and the need for the country to come together, he said. Ive done the work this year to unequivocally remove, if I decide to run, any concern regarding ballot access. Schultz is relying in part on a small team of outside advisers, including Steve Schmidt, the former campaign strategist for John McCains 2008 presidential effort. Schultzs success or failure may lie in who emerges as a top contender in the Democratic Party. If Joe Biden, who is seen as a moderate, decides to run, it would probably make it difficult for Schultz. However, he said he sees a clear opportunity if a far-left candidate emerges. If you have a choice between President Trump and a far-left progressive Democrat, he said, many people think President Trump will get re-elected. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. The Texas Tech String Project hosted its Tune-In event Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, in the School of Music. The String Project is part of a national project that provides children and adults the opportunity to learn string instruments for a low cost. When we first see Mads Mikkelsen in the opening shots of the new adventure movie Arctic, he is all alone, a speck of a man against the vast white expanse of the Arctic tundra, digging in the hard-packed snow to carve out SOS. A small busted-up airplane is on its side nearby, so we gather hes survived a crash. But other than the name Overgard embroidered on his red expedition parka, we know nothing else about this weary, hungry and very cold man. Was he the pilot? How long has he been stranded? Where is he from, and why was he flying in the desolate Arctic to begin with? In most films with a man-against-the-elements plot think of Tom Hanks in Castaway, or James Franco in 127 Hours wed eventually be treated to flashbacks to fill in some of those answers. But Danish actor Mikkelsen says he was drawn to the script and to playing an everyman role so unlike the assorted steel-eyed villains hes famous for (in NBCs Hannibal reboot and the movies Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Doctor Strange and Casino Royale) in part because he loved that Brazilian director Joe Penna didnt fall for the temptation of taking us down memory lane. We wanted (Overgard) to be like a blank canvas, without identifying clues about his pre-plane-crash life, Mikkelsen, 53, said recently by phone. Penna described him to Mikkelsen as a stencil of a man. It allows, Mikkelsen said, viewers to identify with him. That could have been me up there, lost in the Arctic, Mikkelsen said. What would I do? The actor spends nearly all 98 minutes of Arctic alone, and silent. He grapples with the decision whether to trek out into the vast unknown in search of help or stay in the relative safety of his jerry-rigged camp where hes bedded down in the planes fuselage and set up an ice-fishing line to signal a catch with a jingling sound. The decision is complicated when he realizes that hes no longer trying to save just himself, but also a critically injured, nearly unconscious young mother, played by Icelandic actress Maria Thelma Smaradottir. Embracing other people becomes the key, Mikkelsen said. My character isnt a born survivalist with crazy skills. Hes just like anyone, and he needs a second person to become human again. When he tells the woman more than once, You are not alone, hes really telling himself the same thing. Shooting Arctic in the middle of winter, he said, in the desert of the largely uninhabited interior of Iceland, was brutal, with 14- and 16-hour days filming in the cold. But it was fascinating, too, Mikkelsen said. You dont know until you walk through those locations what a toll it takes on you. How do you keep going in that climate? How do you conserve your energy? More Information "Arctic"(PG-13) opens Friday, Feb. 8, at Bay Area theaters. See More Collapse Mikkelsen said his background as a dancer helped him push through the grueling experience. Before attending acting school and becoming a star via 90s Scandinavian films directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and Lars von Trier, Mikkelsen had danced professionally for a decade. Mikkelsen, who still lives in his native Copenhagen, was also a competitive gymnast in high school (before a late growth spurt) and was discovered by a choreographer looking for people who could also jump and land flips. He fell in love with dance and spent two summers (1987 and 88) at the Martha Graham School in New York. It was my first time leaving Denmark, and it was magical, just an amazing time of my life, he said. The self-discipline and being comfortable with a degree of suffering from his dancing days helped him greatly in Arctic. The attitude was: Just dont give up. You can find the energy. One more step, just one more step. Mikkelsen admitted to being somewhat baffled by having become one of Hollywoods go-to villains and being recognized all over the world for such wicked characters as the Bond scourge Le Chiffre, who cries blood in Casino Royale, or Benedict Cumberbatchs nemesis in Doctor Strange. When asked whether hes pleased when a script like Arctic comes along with a character whos not a bad guy, Mikkelsen said, Absolutely. But, you know what? Im thankful when theres a villain too. Theyre both great. I cant blame people for seeing me as the bad guy because those major films have been seen by a ton of people. I can only hope they get inspired by the bigger films to watch some of the smaller films too. Jessica Zack is a Bay Area freelance writer. Roger Stone, the longtime adviser to President Trump, said Sunday that he was prepared to fight for my life and prove his innocence in the case brought against him by special counsel Robert Mueller. Stone, who was charged Friday with obstruction of justice, witness tampering and making false statements, said on ABCs This Week that text message exchanges cited in his indictment were being misrepresented. It is a humorous exchange, Stone said of his exchanges with Randy Credico, a former associate and political gadfly. Theyre taking things out of context to present them in a light that mischaracterizes their significance. I never told Mr. Credico to lie. Stone told Credico in 2017 to do a Frank Pentangeli when he appeared before the House Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. The reference was to a character in The Godfather: Part II who ultimately avoids implicating another person in his own testimony before Congress. Stones legal team has said that other text exchanges reveal that he and Credico often had jocular back and forths, before and after the ones in question, that undercut the notion that Credico could have felt threatened. Stone said he had forgotten about some exchanges with Credico when he told House investigators that they did not exist, a statement that was part of the indictment against him. I did forget on some occasions that I had text messages and emails, Stone said. But theyre errors that would be inconsequential in the scope of this investigation. Stone also said that he never spoke with Trump about WikiLeaks, and that they did not discuss a pardon or the investigation into collusion with Russian officials. According to the indictment, a top official from the Trump campaign dispatched Stone to get information from the group about the thousands of hacked Democratic emails that were damaging to Hillary Clintons presidential campaign. Maggie Haberman is a New York Times writer. RENO A 19-year-old Salvadoran man suspected of being in the country illegally was charged Monday with killing four people in Nevada, including a couple who employed him as a landscaper, authorities said. Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman told investigators he used a .22-caliber revolver stolen from the property of 81-year-old Gerald David and 80-year-old Sharon David less than two weeks before he killed them on Jan. 16. The lady was coming out. I got scared and shot at her, Martinez-Guzman is quoted telling a Washoe County detective in an affidavit filed in Reno on Monday. It alleged that he broke into outbuildings on the sprawling David property on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4 and made off with a cache of rifles and the handgun. Martinez-Guzman had worked for a landscaping company at the Davids property for four months, ending last July. It was not immediately clear if the job linked him to two women he is accused of killing in nearby Gardnerville. The affidavit was used to obtain an arrest warrant for Martinez-Guzman, who was arrested Jan. 19 in Carson City and is jailed there on charges that he possessed weapons and other items stolen from the Davids and sold jewelry belonging to Gerald David and another victim. Martinez-Guzman also admitted killing Gerald David, and the affidavit alleges that his DNA was found on the .22-caliber gun also used to kill Connie Koontz and Sophia Renken in their homes. Koontz was found dead Jan. 10. Renkens body was found Jan. 13. The Davids were prominent Reno Rodeo Association members, and Martinez-Guzman is accused of possessing several Western-style belt buckles stolen from their home. Douglas County District Attorney Mark Jackson told reporters Monday that investigators in Douglas and Washoe counties had a high level of confidence that Martinez-Guzman acted alone in the killings. Washoe County prosecutor Chris Hicks said it could be 30 days before prosecutors decide whether to pursue the death penalty against him. Hicks said Martinez-Guzmans immigration status had nothing to do with the criminal charges, which also included five burglary counts. President Trump tweeted a week ago that the four killings in Nevada showed the need for his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, which was at the center of the federal government shutdown. Martinez-Guzman is being held in the Carson City jail on $500,000 bail. His newly appointed public defense attorney, Karin Kreizenbeck, has declined comment. Furlong said earlier that Martinez-Guzmans only known contact with authorities was a speeding ticket last February. Scott Sonner and Ken Ritter are Associated Press writers. Going to the beach Visiting family/friends out of town Camping/hiking Other (let us know!) Vote View Results WASHINGTON Hundreds of thousands of federal employees returned to work Monday with a presidential promise of a paycheck very quickly but no guarantee they will be working in three weeks, when a temporary stopgap of funding expires. President Trump and congressional Democrats arrived at a short-term agreement on Friday, reopening the government after 35 days and the longest government shutdown in history. Lawmakers have until Feb. 15 to reach a compromise on the Republican request for billions of dollars to be allocated for a border wall a wall Democrats have refused to fund. Referring to the odds that a deal could be struck before the next deadline, Trump told the Wall Street Journal, I personally think its less than 50-50. Trump said he would use emergency powers to fund the wall if an agreement could not be reached. In a stark reminder that federal employees were returning to work with the knowledge that they might be forced to go without a paycheck once again next month, one federal agency, the Department of Agriculture, updated its employee information website and said, We will also leave some of the shutdown-related material up for a ... time, should you need to refer back to it. Richard Nagle, a lawyer with the Environmental Protection Agency in Chicago, said returning to work after a mandatory furlough required some digging out. Its triage, he said, eyeing his email inbox. Im going to go through the ones that are screaming for attention. I havent been on voice mail yet, but Im sure thats capped out. As employees streamed into the office, managers stood in the lobby, handing out informational papers on things to know: how to apply for back pay, what to do if you forgot your passwords. The morning commute on Monday in the Washington area was once again bustling after an eerily quiet month of little traffic during peak travel hours and open seats on trains and buses. The ambience at a Starbucks at a Metro station in Northern Virginia, home to many federal workers, had returned to its usual bedlam. EPA employees said they were relieved to be back to work yet anxious that the reprieve from the partial government shutdown could be short-lived. Most of us cannot afford to be without pay for a month, said Denise Walker, an agency lawyer. Its very stressful for people. Eileen Sullivan is a New York Times writer. It was probably only a matter of time before someone made this documentary. As the true crime genre ballooned in mainstream popularity, the odds of avoiding Ted Bundy became slimmer. He is a pillar of American true crime. He once called himself the only man "with a Ph.D. in serial murder," as if that was something to be proud of. Perhaps if Netflixs Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes didnt get it so wrong, another documentary would have. But Conversations With a Killer, with all its considerable hype, is now the biggest docuseries we have about the Washington killer, and it falls right into a trap Bundy set 30 years ago. Bundy has long held an almost mythical status, in part because of the horror of his crimes, but also because he seemed to possess an intricate understanding of his own psychology. He was the eloquent, sophisticated serial killer, a trope societies the world over have elevated in pop culture. Jekyll and Hyde, Jack the Ripper, H.H. Holmes. They are gentleman killers, so gripping because their duplicity seems superhuman. But this is all a lie. There is no such thing as a gentleman killer. Bundy was not special. He was not a genius. He was a pathetic misogynist so wounded by rejection he killed young women to feel powerful. In allowing his jailhouse interviews to narrate the show, the documentary allows Bundy all over again to wrap his meaningless life in self-aggrandizing fictions. By asking Bundy to speak in the third-person, as a reporter did in the 1980s, were told Bundy could safely explore his own psyche without implicating himself in the 30-plus murders he is suspected of committing. If theres anything we know with the benefit of hindsight, its that Bundys greatest skill was manipulation. The tapes are not truth; they are Bundys preferred version of events. The effect is an infuriating whitewashing throughout Conversations With a Killer. In the second episode, Bundys explanation for why he killed is presented unchallenged. He realized that he couldnt let the girl go [after raping her], Bundy says. So killing, to a degree, would become a way of destroying evidence. What the documentary fails to inform viewers until the final 15 minutes and even then, its glossed over is that Bundy didnt kill as a method of evidence disposal. He loved the power death gave him. Those unfamiliar with Bundys story might walk away from Conversations With a Killer thinking Bundys methods were (sadly) run-of-the-mill: rape, then a quick death. This is what Conversations With a Killer leaves out, whether because of narrative laziness or because its so disturbing, once known, it makes watching four hours of Bundy tapes absolutely intolerable: Ted Bundy killed at least 30, but perhaps up to 100, young women across the United States in the 1970s. He would engage in necrophilia with their corpses, often for days after hed killed them. He visited their bodies, too, enjoying watching them decompose. Sometimes he cut off their heads with a hacksaw so he could admire them in his apartment. When he tired of them, hed throw their heads and bodies in the woods for the animals. He said he burned one head in the fireplace of his then-girlfriends home. Most of his victims were so badly decomposed, autopsies revealed little information. But in one case where the victims body still yielded some forensic evidence, police determined shed been kept alive for days while Bundy repeatedly raped and strangled her. Other womens bodies showed evidence of freshly shampooed hair and newly painted fingernails. Police believe Bundy did this. You will not hear most of these facts in Conversations With a Killer. They were left out in favor of scenes with church elders, family and friends saying how normal, how handsome Ted was. Or, in the case of episodes three and four, an inordinate number of scenes covering Bundys complaints about jail. Knowing what Bundy did to an untold number of women, the documentarys time spent on these moments like the one where Bundy bemoans his daily cheese sandwich are sickening. Who benefits from mentioning Bundys sandwich preferences? Who benefits from humanizing any bit of this monsters life? "I don't like being treated like an animal and I don't like people walking around and ogling me like I'm some kind of weirdo, Bundy snarls in one tape. Because I'm not." Of course he was. He was the definition of abnormal. Every minute Conversations With a Killer spends on yet another anecdote about Bundys normal life is a minute wasted. We could learn about his victims most of whom get barely a passing name-drop but instead, the documentary legitimizes Bundys fantasy of normalcy. Bundy knew he wasnt normal. Every action was a performance, from getting good grades to volunteering at a suicide hotline. He didnt do nice things because he had a grain of goodness inside of him. He did them because they helped him blend in. Even from beyond the grave, he is manipulating us into believing this lie. "Conversations With a Killer" focuses on building up this myth of Bundy, the attractive, ordinary man with the devil inside. Or, as Bundy puts in the closing moments of the show: The really scary thing is you cant identify them. People dont realize there are potential killers among them. How could anyone live in a society where people they liked, loved, lived with, worked with, and admired could the next day turn out to be the most demonic people imaginable? Bundy wanted us to live in fear. He wanted us to believe he could have lurked, handsome and normal, among us forever. But the cracks were always going to show. We found him out. He is wrong, as his capture and conviction show. In ending on this quote, Conversations With a Killer wants you to be afraid. But it has been three decades since we buried Ted Bundy. We don't have to give him that power anymore. Students who are involved in class, ask questions and reach out to professors are likely to get more out of a class. When Lyft CEO Logan Green was asked which tech leaders he admired, he pointed to three men who had built their companies ruthlessly: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. A lot of other Silicon Valley companies are very scared to get their hands dirty with operations, Green said in a 2017 interview with the New York Times, adding that he wanted to emulate the take-no-prisoners methods of Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos. The problem for Green is that Lyft seems very nice. Its app is pink. Its cars were once adorned with fuzzy bubblegum-colored mustaches. Its drivers have a reputation for being friendly. And while Lyft has racked up more than 1 billion rides and become a strong No. 2 to Uber in the United States and Canada, it has not shaken off its cuddly image. Now Green, 35, must show that Lyft can be as assertive as an Amazon or a Facebook. He and Uber are locked in a race to take their companies public: Both filed papers in December to list on the stock market in the coming months. The offerings the first for any ride-hailing firm are likely to create a bonanza of riches in the Bay Area and set the stage for listings of other highly valued tech startups, including Slack and Pinterest. The pressure is on Green to get the jump on Uber. (Both offerings have been stalled because the government shutdown, which ended Friday, prevented the Securities and Exchange Commission from reviewing their filings.) Lyft, which was last privately valued at $15.1 billion, is tiny compared with its rival and could be overshadowed if Uber debuts first. Uber could go public at a $120 billion valuation. For Green, this means he may have to give up some up his reserve and step into a more public role. While Lyfts more gregarious president, John Zimmer, his No. 2 for the last 12 years, has frequently handled the public-facing side of the business, Green would rather speak at staff meetings than at tech conferences. Colleagues describe him as reserved. In a 2017 interview, Zimmer said Green was often misunderstood because of his quiet demeanor. He is, like, extremely competitive, Zimmer, now 34, said. He has been an activist. Lyft declined to make Green or Zimmer available for new interviews, citing the quiet period before an initial public offering. In a statement, Chief Operating Officer Jon McNeill described them as cutthroat missionaries in service of creating positive change. One of the tech leaders Green cited as inspiration, Musk, recommended against taking Lyft public. The current system makes long-term value creation and product innovation difficult, the Tesla CEO wrote in an email last week. It insists on quarter-by-quarter results or punishes companies severely. This is particularly bad for companies that are high growth and are valued on potential, like Lyft (or Tesla). (The SEC fined Musk last year for a misleading tweet about taking Tesla private.) Green, who was born and raised in Los Angeles County, graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2006 with a degree in business economics. He then worked as the universitys sustainability coordinator, poring over alternatives to the gas-guzzling one-car-per-owner model. He was also on the board of the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District, a position that gave him insight into municipal transportation. While visiting Zimbabwe on vacation during his 20s, Green said in the 2017 interview, he was inspired by Zimbabweans who had created makeshift services to fill every seat in carpools, saving passengers money and taking cars off the road. So in 2007, Green started Zimride in Santa Barbara, to provide long-distance carpool rides to college students by matching them with other students who were driving. Zimmer, then working at Lehman Bros., noticed posts about the startup on Facebook from John Siegel, whom he had met while studying abroad and who had attended middle school with Green. John didnt have this technical or programming background, but he was this really impressive guy, Siegel said. I thought they could work together well. Green and Zimmer, who remained in New York, embarked on what Zimmer called a long-distance relationship, working together over Skype. In 2008, they moved to a two-bedroom apartment in Palo Alto. Neither drew a salary in the first three years of building Zimride, and each contract they sold to a college was celebrated with a trip to Ikea for Swedish meatballs, Zimmer said. In 2011, Zimride raised $6 million. But as a web service, it was caught flat-footed by the rise of smartphones and mobile apps. In 2012, Green decided to spin out of Zimride a mobile, peer-to-peer ride-hailing service, calling it Lyft. Instead of just pairing students for long-distance rides, Lyft would put drivers together with riders on public streets, in real time. Zimmer came up with the idea to emblazon the cars with pink mustaches; Green encouraged passengers to greet their drivers with a fist bump, to keep the community feeling of Zimride. At the time, ride-hailing was not legal, and only licensed drivers could pick up passengers on public streets. Ann Miura-Ko, a partner at the venture capital firm Floodgate, who had invested in Zimride and sits on Lyfts board, recalled that some board members had been doubtful about the change but that Green had been confident. Someone asked, Will this really work? And he wasnt just sure, he was positive, she said. But Green did not reckon with one issue: Uber. At the time, Uber, run by Travis Kalanick, had positioned itself as a luxury service for the wealthy that used only licensed drivers, unlike Lyfts lower-cost service. In 2013, Uber published a white paper outlining the risks of peer-to-peer ride-hailing, a way to elbow Lyft out of the market. They were trying to get the whole category shut down behind the scenes, Green said. They didnt want competition. Uber officials met with California regulators about the matter. As for Green, several current and former regulators and lawmakers who oversee ride-hailing in California said they had never worked with him, because Zimmer was often the one who communicated with officials. Truth be told, Ive never heard of him, said Aaron Peskin, a San Francisco supervisor who called for crackdowns on Uber and Lyft in their early years and negotiated a new per-ride tax with the two last summer. Kalanick eventually moved Uber into non-luxury ride-sharing with no licensed drivers, the same as Lyft. He and Green quickly became bitter rivals. When Green was set to introduce Lyfts car pooling product in 2014, Uber announced the same service first. That same year, Uber considered buying Lyft. Over dinner at Kalanicks home in San Francisco, the Uber chief laughed at Zimmers high asking price. No deal was struck. An Uber spokesman declined to comment. A spokesman for Kalanick did not return a request for comment. While Kalanick went on to raise billions of dollars in funding for Uber, Green relied on Zimmers Wall Street knowledge and showman personality to garner investments from venture capitalists and others. In total, Lyft has raised close to $5.1 billion, compared with Ubers roughly $14 billion in equity. In 2017, Kalanick was ousted from Uber after a series of scandals. Green seized the moment, billing Lyft as a kinder, gentler network. Ridership surged, with Lyft taking a share of up to 35 percent in some U.S. cities. More recently, Lyft has ventured into self-driving cars, offering autonomous rides in Las Vegas. It also acquired Motivate, the largest bike-share operator in the United States, giving Lyft a dominant position in an emerging transportation market. In the 2017 interview, Green said he was far from done. As an entrepreneur, you always kind of want what youre pitching to sound somewhat off the wall, he said. Youre trying to pitch the future that doesnt exist, and you want it to be it needs to be a little bit of a stretch. Mike Isaac and Kate Conger are New York Times writers. A Hollywood physician has lost his medical license after prescribing pot cookies for a temper tantrum-prone 4-year-old raised concerns among preschool staff. The Medical Board of California ruled that Dr. William Eidelman, a natural medicine physician, was grossly negligent in diagnosing the boy with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder before recommending marijuana as treatment. The decision to revoke Eidelman's license as of Jan. 4 stemmed from a September 2012 case involving the boy, whose outbursts were causing problems at preschool. After a 30-minute visit with the boy and his father, the doctor wrote in his chart that the child had a "probable combination of ADD/ADHD and bipolar disorder" and should "try cannabis in small amounts in cookies," according to the medical board's decision. The prescription seemed to work. After eating the pot-laced cookies in the morning, the boy did become calm. But the effect wore off in the afternoon, and the misbehaving personality returned. So the father asked the school nurse to give the boy cookies at lunch, which raised a red flag with the nurse. She alerted child protective services and law enforcement. Eventually a medical board investigation against Eidelman was mounted, according to the board report. The board did not find fault with Eidelman for recommending marijuana for the child, but rather for making a diagnosis that was not supported by the evidence and for failing to consult a psychiatrist. "Although he did not outright suggest a diagnosis ... he all but made one up out of whole cloth," the decision reads. "Labeling a child with a significant mental condition can be harmful ... if those labels are incorrect, pernicious results may follow." MORE: Recall setback for state's marijuana industry Much of Eidelman's practice involves writing letters for patients to obtain medical marijuana, which he said he began doing in 1997 when the drug became legal for medical use in California, the Los Angeles Times reported. It was not immediately clear if a stay had been issued for the license revocation. MORE: The seniors' guide to medical marijuana The doctor's attorney, Tracy Green, told the Times that she appealed the board's decision before the revocation took effect, and that a San Francisco County Superior Court judge ordered that the revocation be halted, pending a hearing in March. However, the medical board said it has not received a such court order. In the last fiscal year, the board revoked the medical licenses of only seven doctors for gross negligence, a tiny fraction of the nearly 150,000 licensed MDs in the state. --- Read Mike Moffitt's latest stories and send him news tips at mmoffitt@sfchronicle.com. Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news. Californians across the state could find that they are no longer registered voters now that a suit by a pair of conservative groups has been settled by Los Angeles County and Secretary of State Alex Padilla. The settlement, which requires counties to purge inactive voters from their registration lists, could eliminate as many as 1.5 million people from the rolls in Los Angeles County alone and an unknown number elsewhere in the state. The agreement considers registered voters to be inactive if they miss two consecutive federal general elections a presidential election and a midterm and then miss two more after failing to respond to a mailed query from county registrars. This is a major victory, said Ellen Swensen, chief analyst for the Election Integrity Project California, who described her group as nonpartisan but liberty-minded. It joined with the conservative legal group Judicial Watch to file the suit. A registration roll bloated with inactive voters opens the door for voter impersonation and fraud, Swensen said. Registration roll trims are an increasing point of friction between Republicans and Democrats. Before the November election, Democrats in Georgia and other states charged that GOP officials purposely purged occasional voters, many of them poor and minority residents, leading to close Republican victories in governor and Senate races. The California court case followed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that allowed Ohio to continue to aggressively purge its voting rolls, dumping people who failed to cast ballots and respond to a notice from the registrar. But the 5-4 decision, with conservative justices in the majority, went further than that. Its language means that, in the words of the Los Angeles County settlement, current federal law requires the cancellation of a registrant who misses two consecutive federal general elections, doesnt respond to a registrars notice and then misses two more. In the Ohio case, a message was sent, said Justin Levitt, an election law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and a consultant for the secretary of state in the voting-roll case. If theres no response to that registrars notice, once someone misses a midterm and a presidential election, you have to take people off the rolls. Many of those who fall into the inactive-voter category have moved or died, but the lists also include those who for reasons of their own just didnt vote. Counties across the country have been slow to clean up their rolls. A 2012 study commissioned by the Pew Center on the States found about 24 million voter registrations, or about 1 of every 8, were no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate. More than 1.8 million dead people were still listed as voters and about 2.75 million people were registered in more than one state, the study said. That doesnt mean voters are trying to game the system. When someone dies, relatives typically arent quick to call the county registrar, and when someone moves from California to Montana it doesnt mean theyre voting in both states. National studies have found that voter fraud particularly individual tampering is virtually nonexistent in the U.S. But with President Trump arguing that fraud in California and other states cost him millions of votes in 2016, partisan battles about bulging inactive voter lists and the potential for election mischief are growing. Most election observers agree there needs to be adequate list maintenance, Levitt said. But conservatives and progressives disagree about what is not enough and what is too much. Both Padilla and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan shrugged off the impact of the settlement, which was revealed Jan. 4, as little more than business as usual. Los Angeles County prioritizes the maintenance of voter records and works hard to maintain protections that ensure eligible voters stay on the rolls in compliance with state and federal voter registration laws, Logan said in a statement. The settlement includes no admission of wrongdoing. ... We owe it to taxpayers not to squander funds engaging in indefinitely protracted litigation. The agreement could slash the number of inactive voters in Los Angeles County in less than a month. Under the settlement, voters who are already on the inactive list will have their registrations canceled if they dont reply to one last mailing by Feb. 18. Padilla argued that statewide, nothing much will change. California elections officials have and will continue to work to meet the goals of the National Voter Registration Act: maintaining the accuracy of the voter rolls and increasing the number of eligible citizens who register and vote, he said in a statement. California will continue its work to adhere to modern list maintenance procedures under the NVRA. Thats a different tack from the one Padilla took in 2017, when California joined 11 other states to oppose the Ohio purging plan when it went before the Supreme Court. Aggressive purging of voter rolls jeopardizes the fundamental rights of American citizens, Padilla said in a September 2017 statement. States should not have free rein to kick voters off the rolls merely because they sit out elections. In a conference call Wednesday, Padilla told county registrars he will be revising the states version of the national voting manual to make it clear that counties now must oust inactive voters. Counties that have kept their voting rolls up to date will have few problems dealing with the new rules. San Francisco, for example, has been following the new inactive voter requirements for the past several years, said John Arntz, the city elections chief. If people miss two federal elections, we send a notice, he said. If they dont reply and miss two more, the registrations are canceled. The city has 501,400 registered voters and 98,921 people on the inactive list. Except in Los Angeles County, where the settlement requires early action to purge inactive voters, nothing will happen quickly. While many counties will be required to mail the notices to voters who havent been casting ballots, those residents will still have to miss elections in 2020 and 2022 before they can be removed from the rolls. People dont even have to vote, they can just update their registration, Levitt said. And if this serves as a reminder for people to vote, great. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth Sen. Kamala Harris often invokes her East Bay upbringing as the child of civil rights activists to explain her political philosophy. At a rally Sunday in her hometown of Oakland, she officially launched her presidential campaign by tapping those same populist themes. A crowd that rally organizers estimated at 20,000 filled the streets around a flag-draped Frank Ogawa Plaza, where the California Democrat made her opening 2020 pitch: She will be the candidate who is both a fighter for the people and someone who can unite a country severed into partisan corners by saying that we must seek truth, speak truth and fight for the truth. People in power are trying to convince us that the villain in our American story is each other. But that is not our story. That is not who we are. Thats not our America, Harris said in a 35-minute speech that quoted both anti-slavery orator Frederick Douglass and reggae icon Bob Marley. Our United States of America is not about us against them. Its about We the People. And in this moment, we must all speak truth about what is happening. Speaking a few blocks from where she was born at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Harris said: Im running for president because I love my country. Im running to be a president by the people, of the people, for all people. Sundays rally capped a weeklong White House campaign rollout for Harris, 54, the former San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, that highlighted her roots. The daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica announced her campaign on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on ABCs Good Morning America; stopped by her alma mater, Howard University; then appeared at a fundraiser for Alpha Kappa Alpha, her college sorority, at a gala Friday in South Carolina, a key early primary state. On Monday, she will appear at a CNN-televised town hall in Iowa, the first caucus state. The rollout was impressive for its first-day money haul Harris campaign took in $1.5 million from roughly 38,000 donors within 24 hours of her announcement, roughly what Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders raised in a one-day haul early in his 2016 presidential run. Last weeks launch also succeeded in generating curiosity about Harris campaign. Google searches of Harris were far higher than for the other big-name Democrats who rolled out their campaigns, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and former Obama administration official Julian Castro. But Harris still has many challenges starting with introducing herself to voters beyond California. A Morning Consult poll released Wednesday showed that 37 percent of respondents had not heard of her and that 19 percent had heard of her, but hadnt formed an opinion about her. And as a lifelong prosecutor who has only spent two years as a legislator her two years in the minority in the Senate her list of legislative accomplishments is thin. Her speech Sunday offered a road map of where she will take her campaign starting with a full embrace of the progressive agenda. She promised to support government-insured universal health care coverage commonly referred to as Medicare for all as well as universal prekindergarten, debt-free public college and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. She also touted a $2.8 trillion plan she introduced last fall to give a $6,000 tax break to working- and middle-class people. She intends to pay for it by eliminating parts of President Trumps tax law that benefited the wealthiest Americans and by placing a tax on financial institutions. She has also introduced legislation that would give a tax break to renters. She criticized Wall Street interests and blamed large pharmaceutical companies for the opioid crisis. She called for overhauling a criminal justice system that needs drastic repair and lamented that too many unarmed black men are killed in America. A major thrust of Harris curtain-raiser Sunday was positioning herself as the anti-Trump. She represents everything that is not Donald Trump emotionally, physically and intellectually, said state Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat who has known Harris since she was district attorney. Wicks was a top state organizer for Barack Obamas 2008 presidential campaign. Harris did not mention Trumps name, but allusions to his term in office peppered her speech, including mocking his medieval vanity project a southern border wall. We are here because the American dream and our American democracy are under attack and on the line like never before, Harris said. We are here at this moment in time because we must answer a fundamental question. Who are we? Who are we as Americans? So, lets answer that question to the world and each other right now: America, we are better than this, Harris said. She also sought to contrast herself with Trump by offering a dose of humility. If I have the honor of being your president, I will tell you this: I am not perfect. Lord knows, I am not perfect, Harris said. But I will always speak with decency and moral clarity and treat all people with dignity and respect. I will lead with integrity. And I will tell the truth. Afterward, Richmond resident Zina Slaughter said she was ready to start making calls and campaigning for her. She has so much compassion, said Slaughter, who was wearing an Alpha Kappa Alpha shirt to honor the fact that she and Harris share the same sorority. She has an understanding of how real people think. Violet Sinnarkar said she connects with Harris not only because they are both Indian American, but also because I agree with a lot of her policy positions. I know all my friends from San Jose where I grew up will vote for her. But as Harris herself acknowledged Sunday, the national campaign will be tough. Alec Kan, a 21-year-old UC Berkeley student from Youngstown, Ohio, who hasnt committed to a Democratic candidate yet, wondered how Harris will play in his hometown, which is Trump territory. Said Kan: We will see how this plays out. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli Upcoming political events in the Bay Area. TUESDAY We Rise Women: 2020 strategy session featuring Sister District co-founder Lala Wu, Lisa Bennett of Swing Left and Indivisible, Sarah Grewe of Sister District and Airlift.fund founder Danny Altman. 6 p.m. Zephyr Real Estate, 350 Bon Air Center, No. 100, Larkspur. More information is here. Feminism in China: Journalist and author Leta Hong Fincher discusses the rise of feminism in China. Sponsored by the World Affairs Council. $20 for nonmembers, $7 for students. 6:30 p.m., 312 Sutter St., Suite 200, San Francisco. More information is here. WEDNESDAY Negotiating with terrorists: Joel Simon, author of We Want to Negotiate: The Secret World of Kidnapping, Hostages, and Ransom, discuss the conflicts and consequences of negotiating with terrorists and paying ransom, in a World Affairs Council event. $20 for nonmembers, $7 for students. 6:30 p.m., World Affairs Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., Suite 200, San Francisco. More information is here. Watergate documentary: Screening of the documentary film Watergate and an appearance by director Charles Ferguson. Sponsored by Center for Latin American Studies at UC Berkeley. Free. 7 p.m., Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Engineering Center, UC Berkeley. More information is here. Political speed dating: An evening of political discourse on topics such as the government shutdown, immigration/the border wall and other current events. Sponsored by the Mind and Person Perception Lab at UC Berkeley. Free. N640+N670 Spieker Forum, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley. More information is here. THURSDAY Rep. Jared Huffman: North Bay Democratic congressman holds a town hall meeting. 7 p.m., Buck Institute for Research on Aging, 8001 Redwood Blvd., Novato. More information is here. Carbon neutral: Can California go carbon neutral? A conversation with Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board, and Greg Dalton of Climate One. $20 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $7 for students. 6:30 p.m. 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. FRIDAY Rep. Ro Khanna: Fremont Democratic congressman holds a town hall meeting. Kennedy High School round room-theater, 7:30 p.m., 39999 Blacow Road, Fremont. RSVP and more information here. Election postmortem: An assessment of the 2018 midterm elections in California. Hosted by UC Berkeleys Institute of Governmental Studies. Free. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sutardja Dai Hall, Banatao Auditorium, UC Berkeley. More information is here. SUNDAY Indivisible S.F.: General meeting. New members welcome. 1 p.m., the Womens Building, 3543 18th St., San Francisco. More information is here. MONDAY Jose Antonio Vargas: Journalist and activist discusses immigration reform and being undocumented in America. $6. 6:30 p.m. Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 5 Segregation by Design: UC Merced political science Professor Jessica Trounstine discusses her book Segregation by Design: Local Politics and Inequality in American Cities. $5. 7 p.m., OMalley Hall, St. Kevins Catholic Church, 704 Cortland Ave., San Francisco. More information is here. Government-engineered segregation: Richard Rothstein, distinguished fellow at the Economic Policy Institute and the Haas Institute at UC Berkeley, discusses his book The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. Free. 5 p.m., Touro University California, Lander Hall, Room B, 1557 Azuar Dr., Vallejo. More information is here. FEB. 6 Robert Reich: Writer, public policy professor and former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich discusses his new book, The Common Good, in a benefit for KPFA-FM. $12 advance tickets. First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley. More information is here. Chris Christie: Former GOP governor of New Jersey discusses his new book, Let Me Finish, and his relationship with President Trump. $30 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $10 for students. 6:30 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. Stacey Abrams campaign: Ashley Robinson, political director of Stacey Abrams campaign for Georgia governor, and Genny Castillo, director of the campaigns Latinx constituency efforts, discuss the lessons they learned and how to engage people of color in the political process. Sponsored by Democracy Labs. Free. 6:30 p.m. at Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 7 2020 groundwork: Planning for progressive voter registration drive in advance of next years elections. 4:30-7:30 p.m., Carpenters Local Union, 647 Lindaro St., San Rafael. More information is here. FEB. 9 Red-blue workshop: A workshop designed to bring conservatives and liberals together for a day that of structured conversations, with a focus on listening and reflecting rather than debating and persuading. Sponsored by the Better Angels Alliance of San Francisco. Free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 101 Lombard St., San Francisco. More information is here. Creating a peaceful school: A conference on supporting youth. Keynote speaker is Lauren Markham, auhor and community school program manager at Oakland International High School. Sponsored by Mount Diablo Peace and Justice Center. $50, $10 for students. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 1035 Carol Lane, Lafayette. More information is here. FEB. 11 Women, ritual and ecology in India: A discussion with Vandana Shiva, an Indian scholar, environmental activist and food sovereignty advocate, and Vijaya Nagarajan, an associate professor in the theology/religious studies department and environmental studies program at the University of San Francisco. Benefit for KPFA-FM. $12. 7:30 p.m. First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley. More information is here. FEB. 12 Criminal justice reform: Jessica Jackson, national director and co-founder of #Cut50, discusses the newly enacted federal criminal justice reform legislation. Sponsored by the American Constitution Society, Bay Area chapter. Free. 6 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. Sisters in Crime: Panel discussion featuring suspense author JoAnn Ainsworth, Asian art scholar Nancy Tingley, scriptwriter Diana Chambers, gender studies Professor Emerita Judith Newton and noir writer Andrew MacRae. Benefit for the Sunnyvale-Cupertino chapter of the American Association of University Women. $15. 7 p.m., Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, Soule Hall, 728 Fremont Ave., Sunnyvale. More information is here. FEB. 13 New citizen voting: Democracy Action volunteers will register new citizens to vote following swearing-in ceremonies. Two sessions, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. More information is here. FEB. 14 Ben Rosenfield: San Franciscos controller discusses city finances. Free. 6:30 p.m. Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 21 Gloria Steinem: Feminist leader in conversation with Favianna Rodriguez, moderated by Lauren Schiller. $20. 7 p.m., Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 23 State Sen. Scott Wiener: San Francisco legislator holds a town hall meeting in the Richmond District. Noon, Richmond Recreation Center, 251 18th Ave., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 25 New Cold War: A discussion of the new conflicts between the United States and Russia, with Russia scholar Stephen Cohen and Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of the Nation magazine. Benefit for KPFA-FM. $12. First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley. More information is here. MARCH 13 Andrew McCabe: Former FBI deputy director speaks at the Commonwealth Club. $30 for nonmembers, $10 for students. Noon, 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. To list an event, email Politics Editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com A city takeover of PG&E would complicate, not fix, the energy challenges we face. IBEW union members work at nearly every publicly-owned utility in Central and Northern California we are in no way opposed to public power. But, let me remind you, the voters of San Francisco have twice rejected the city purchasing and administering the power grid for three main reasons. First and foremost, is the risk associated with running a utility under California law. The very same punishing state laws that have pushed PG&E to the brink of bankruptcy would clearly apply to a city-run utility. Under the law, if a power line or any equipment owned by a utility is involved in starting a fire even if the utility did nothing wrong that utility is liable for and must pay the costs associated with the fire. For example, if there is an earthquake, and a power line owned by the city falls and sparks a fire a city-owned utility would be on the hook for the damage (which has run into the billions of dollars in semirural areas in Northern California). Supporters of a city takeover should be prepared to answer the question: How will you pay the billions of dollars in claims that will surely come from operating this utility in earthquake country? Answers will no doubt revolve around asking San Franciscans to pay higher rates or a special fee escalating the problem of affordability for working families in the city. The second is financial. Based on what we know, the San Francisco segment of PG&Es business may well be a cash-losing proposition. Power usage is moderate because it is an energy-conscious city in a mild climate (and thus with low air-conditioning demand), so revenue is lower than from much of the rest of the system. And a utility owned and operated only in San Francisco would mean the end to many common practices that keep costs manageable. For example, PG&E can bid jobs from Bakersfield (Kern County) to Buellton (Santa Barbara County) and Eureka (Humboldt County) to Burney (Shasta County). A municipal utility would be tied to San Francisco, which has far fewer trained utility workers because it is so expensive to live there. Purchasing PG&Es infrastructure in San Francisco would run, according to a Stanford energy expert, between $3 billion and $5 billion. The last time the city considered taking over PG&E, the bill was roughly $4 billion for the purchase alone (and not including the infrastructure). That was before we recognized the full force of climate change upon California, driving the need for billions of dollars of new investment to make our electric grid more resilient. That was before PG&E was weighed down by upward of $10 billion (or more) in fire liabilities, which would be factored into the purchase price of any piece of the utility. Most of all, that is before policymakers fully understood the punishing burden of operating under laws that make utilities financially liable for acts of God. San Francisco is a rich city but even San Francisco isnt rich enough to buy PG&E, pay all the costs of upgrading a grid not designed to meet the dangers of changing climate, and pay all fire claims arising from grid operation. The third, and perhaps most important, is that balkanizing Californias energy infrastructure will make it much, much more difficult to effectively reduce the carbon emissions driving climate change. Our big utilities have been tasked with leading the transition to renewable power and they are succeeding. PG&E already delivers more than 30 percent of our power from sources the state calls renewable (which does not include large hydro facilities or rooftop solar). The company is on track to meet or exceed ever increasing renewable goals. Its scale is a key factor in helping to make the transition to 100 percent renewable energy that we know is necessary. Even if a number of small utilities were linked or networked in some way, small companies acting independently would be hard-pressed to upgrade our states electric grid while continuing on the complicated path to 100 percent renewable energy. Our union members know the energy world. And when it comes to delivering green, safe, affordable and reliable energy we know making our utilities smaller and weaker will make power more expensive and less reliable, and would stop progress on climate change in its tracks. Tom Dalzell is the business manager of IBEW1245, the union that represents frontline power workers in Northern and Central California, at public entities like the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and at investor-owned utilities like PG&E. Marauding gangs of California sea lions have invaded a river system in Oregon and are devouring thousands of threatened salmon, forcing wildlife officials to begin a controversial lethal removal program in a desperate attempt to protect the fragile fish species. As many as 93 of the blubbery darlings of Pier 39 are facing execution in a culling operation that has upset marine mammal rescue officials in the Bay Area who have fought for decades to bring the barking pinnipeds back from near extinction. Its quite possible that animals that are in their sights could have come through this facility or other centers in California, said Jeff Boehm, executive director of the Marine Mammal Center in the Marin Headlands. Personally and professionally, its hard not to see this as a real affront. The problem is that the opportunistic sea lions have discovered the equivalent of a buffet at the bottom of two fish ladders in the Columbia River system, where they have been gobbling up winter run steelhead and spring run chinook, both listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The crafty creatures, each of which can eat three to five fish a day, have apparently spread the word among their brethren, prompting a rush of other hungry sea lions looking for a feast. These sea lions are all male females stay in California to raise their young while males head north during the winter to forage. The aquatic mammals have eaten so many chinook and steelhead in the Columbia and Willamette rivers which converge in Oregon just south of Vancouver, Wash. that biologists are afraid the federally listed salmonids could be driven to extinction. About a quarter of all the fish that congregate below the man-made ladders before swimming upriver to spawn are being eaten, officials said. Oregon biologists say the sea lions are the single biggest threat to salmon and winter steelhead, whose numbers in the Willamette have plummeted from 20,000 in the 1990s to 512 in 2017, a record low. As a result, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife obtained a federal permit in December to kill up to 93 sea lions found at Willamette Falls, a natural waterfall just south of Portland and 126 miles upriver from the Pacific Ocean. Its like a feeding station ... and the animals are teaching others to do it, said Sheanna Steingass, the marine mammal program leader for the department. We have sea lions that have actually learned to climb those fish ladders. The ladders were put in place to help the salmon climb past the falls, allowing more of them to lay eggs in better habitat higher up in the river system. But the presence of sea lions undermines the effort, wildlife managers say. As of last week, they had trapped and euthanized a handful of the worst offenders at Willamette Falls. The culled animals were part of a gang of at least 100, maybe several hundred, that feed at the falls and under a fish ladder at Bonneville Dam, 140 miles up the Columbia on the Oregon-Washington border. Michael Macor / The Chronicle 2018 Ryan Ososki, a policy adviser for the Animal Welfare Institute, said authorities should be focusing instead on dams and fish ladders that trap spawning salmon where sea lions can get them. The real issue is the man-made blockades and habitat manipulation in the Pacific Northwest that altered the chinook habitat, said Ososki, whose group has been fighting the culling operation. Scapegoating sea lions is just unacceptable. Ironically, the battle pits two revered wildlife protection measures against each other the U.S. Endangered Species Act, which protects the Columbia fish, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which protects Californias sea lions. The fact that the imperiled fish are being depleted at the same time their chief predators are flourishing is also a lesson on the consequences of human intervention and an out-of-balance ecosystem. The sea lion population rebounded in 2018 after being hunted to near extinction over the past 200 years. The population has increased from fewer than 90,000 animals in the 1960s and 70s to more than 250,000 last year, a number that is within the optimum sustainable range set by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. But a booming population of one species isnt always good if prey species arent also recovering. The sea lion throngs, seen on mudflats, rocks and piers around the Bay Area, have been particularly hard on chinook and steelhead, two celebrated species that live and feed in the ocean and then return en masse to rivers, where they spawn and die. The mighty fish runs, blocked by dams and development, have been depleted in virtually every river along the West Coast, including the Columbia in Oregon and Washington, where hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent over the years on fish hatcheries, research, spawning, river habitat and fish ladders. Terray Sylvester / Special to The Chronicle The salmon-sea lion conflict in Oregon began more than a decade ago when a few male sea lions found their way to Bonneville Dam. As their numbers grew, a sea lion removal strategy was devised, prompting an uproar among environmentalists. The Humane Society of the United States filed a lawsuit in 2008, blocking a plan to capture and kill as many as 425 sea lions. Court fights lasted until 2012, when the two states were given authorization to kill up to 92 sea lions a year at the Bonneville Dam. As of 2017, 190 of the animals had been removed, 15 of which were placed in zoos or aquariums, Steingass said. The rest were euthanized by lethal injection. One captured sea lion weighed more than 1,400 pounds, more than twice the size of the average male. The carnivorous sea creatures were first spotted in the Willamette River about four years ago. Oregon officials tried hazing with fireworks and rubber buckshot, and attempted to relocate some of the animals, but they just kept coming back. Steingass said two relocated sea lions were spotted foraging at Willamette Falls within days of their release in Newport, Ore., a circuitous 300-mile swim back up the coast and inland against the strong Columbia current. The ravenous raiders are now showing up as early as August and staying as long as 10 months. Half of the animals at Willamette Falls have also been documented munching fish at Bonneville Dam. The Fish and Wildlife Department has no plans to kill all the sea lions they are permitted to take, just 40 or 50 between now and June, Steingass said. Those that arent sent to zoos or aquariums will be put down via lethal injection and disposed of at a rendering plant. Their meat is not edible because toxins accumulate in their tissues, she said. This is not an option that is taken lightly, Steingass said. We have tried everything. Boehm, of the Marine Mammal Center in Marin, said he doesnt think Oregon officials have considered every option. The sea lions at Pier 39 were also considered pests when they showed up in 1989-90, he said, but the basking mobs have since become a boon for the tourist industry. We would like people to raise their voices, reach out to legislators and express their concerns, he said, because there may be an opportunity to explore different solutions. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite The Orange County city of Huntington Beach has filed a lawsuit against the state of California, seeking to overturn SB35, a law that went into effect in 2018 that streamlines processes for building new housing developments. Huntington Beachs lawsuit contends that the states Constitution grants charter cities exclusive authority over local land use and zoning. SB35 requires housing projects to be approved faster if they offer affordable housing and meet certain conditions, such as the use of union labor. Michael Gates, city attorney for Huntington Beach, said the city views the law as an overreach into city matters, specifically zoning. Its one thing to have more basic housing laws come out of Sacramento; its another to have Sacramento try to micromanage cities zoning and attempt to approve development projects in spite of the city, he said. Its really nothing more than the city trying to maintain its local control. In the lawsuit filed Jan. 17 in Orange County Superior Court, Gates argues that the new law allows the state to rezone local land use in a city for its (ill-conceived) political purposes. Under SB35, the state has mandated that cities that dont meet their housing targets set by the Regional Housing Needs Assessment must approve housing permits for projects that are at least 50 percent affordable. In doing this, the lawsuit said, SB35 violates the state constitutional authority of charter cities to exclusively legislate over municipal affairs, which include land use and zoning. State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who authored the bill, released a statement Sunday emphasizing the lack of housing in California and the need for the state to set standards. Huntington Beachs dismissive approach to housing claiming there is no problem and that the state should just mind its own business is Exhibit A for why we have a crisis in this state, he said. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that the state would sue the Orange County city for violating a different housing-related law, AB72 the first lawsuit invoking the law that took effect in 2017. In filing the lawsuit, Newsom accused Huntington Beach of refusing to meet a state mandate to provide new housing for low-income people. AB72 allows state housing officials to report municipalities to the attorney general for legal action if they do not adequately plan for housing construction. Ashley McBride is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ashley.mcbride@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ashleynmcb A woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a Jan. 2 hit-and-run that left a 14-year-old Oakland boy in critical condition, officials announced Sunday. Leah Conner, 36, was booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on Saturday morning and faces multiple charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving. Oakland police had already arrested a person of interest in connection with the crime on Jan. 9. Police did not identify or share any more information about that person. According to charging documents, at around 12:23 p.m. on Jan. 2, Conner was driving southbound on the 1100 block of 35th Avenue in Oakland when the victim collided with her car while riding his bike. The boy rolled onto the hood of the car and then fell to the ground. Conner kept driving, trapping the boy underneath the car as she traveled past a bus stop, south on 33rd Avenue, east on San Leandro Street and then south on 34th Avenue, where she came to a dead end. At the dead end, Conner stopped, backed up and then drove forward, freeing the teen from under the car. After pulling into a nearby driveway, Conner and the passenger got out of the car, looked at the boy on the ground and got back into the car and drove away, court documents said. Oakland Police Department Investigators recovered the vehicle near the scene. Cell phone video that surfaced in the days after the incident appeared to show the moments immediately after the collision. In the video, the boy is writhing in pain on the ground while yelling for an ambulance, as a man and woman stand over him for a few seconds before driving away. At the time of the incident, Conner was on probation stemming from a DUI in October in Sonoma County. According to a GoFundMe page for the teen, he suffered multiple broken bones, internal bleeding and severe road rash. Ashley McBride is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ashley.mcbride@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ashleynmcb After Norma Kaufmans husband unexpectedly died four years ago, her relatives in Chicago sent her a $500 gift certificate for Munchery. Kaufman, a 58-year-old mother of one living in Oakland, used it frequently when she first received it, and estimates there was about $300 left on the gift certificate, which she used to buy pescatarian dinners for herself and her daughter. When we first received it, it was quite a substantial fund, Kaufman said. Initally we used it quite regularly but then I dont know, we got out of the habit, but we always knew it was there. And then all of a sudden, we found out Munchery had closed. The San Francisco company emailed customers last week to tell them it was shutting down, a surprising move for a company that had raised more than $125 million and drawn considerable attention for its approach to food preparation and delivery. Kaufman tried calling Munchery to see if she could get a refund, but the number did not work, she said. Ivana Hansen, a teacher and mother of three from San Mateo, said her colleagues at school pooled together more than $600 for a Munchery gift certificate after she had foot surgery in May. Her Munchery account has $325.71 left on it. She contacted the company to request a refund and has not heard back. It wasnt my hard-earned money, but it was my colleagues hard-earned money, Hansen said. It was a gift, it was so generous. I was in tears when I received it. In fact, the balance on a gift certificate or gift card is the holders money under California law, according to Joe Simitian, a Santa Clara County supervisor and former state legislator. As an assemblyman in 2002, Simitian wrote the law ensuring that gift certificates are honored even if companies went bankrupt. When you buy a gift certificate and send your money to the company, that money is not their money, Simitian said. Its your money that the company is holding in trust until its used for a purchase. Even so, for Munchery customers with gift certificates, getting their money may be tough. If the business just abruptly closes, the consumers are often left holding the bag, unless bankruptcy is filed, said Trae Bodge, a shopping expert at Gift Card Granny, a website that sells and reviews gift cards. Gift certificate holders could file in small claims court. It costs $30 to file claims of $1,500 or less in California. But small-claims cases arent resolved quickly, said Shelley Hunter of the GiftCards website, a subsidiary of Pleasantons Blackhawk Network, which markets gift cards in retail stores. Munchery has not indicated whether it will file for bankruptcy, though some vendors have complained about going unpaid. The company did not respond to requests for comment, and customers told The Chronicle they have received no response, either. Interactive Vaccine Tracker: Latest developments Detailed information about the coronavirus vaccines as it becomes available. When large retailers file for bankruptcy protection, customers generally have time to spend their gift cards, Bodge said. Toys R Us, for example, filed for bankruptcy in September 2017, and announced the following March that it would close all its stores. The stores stayed open until June, and the website was operational as well. Hunter advises people with gift cards or gift certificates from companies that have gone out of business to keep track of them. If the customer paid with a credit card, they can try contacting their bank to see whether theres any way to get a refund, she said. Sometimes when a company goes out of business, a competitor will offer a deal. When Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy, Bed Bath & Beyond ran a promotion allowing customers to trade in a Toys R Us gift card for a partial credit at the home goods retailer, she said. But theres no guarantee a rival firm will step forward. The longer you hold onto a card, the higher the likelihood that something will go wrong, Hunter said. Sophia Kunthara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sophia.kunthara@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophiaKunthara Edith Andrews Tobin, who lived within the upper reaches of San Franciscos social circles and had an unfading interest in the larger world, died Wednesday Jan. 23 at her home in Pacific Heights. She was 64. Except for her undergraduate years at Brown University, Tobin lived her entire life in or near the city of her birth. But she traveled fervently and extensively, including a prolonged trip to Europe after being diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017. While she was a fixture in society columns, sometimes as a guest and sometimes as a host, events that Tobin was involved with often showed an empathy for concerns of a different sort from high-cultural galas. Edgewood Center for Children and Families was the beneficiary of one event. Another was for the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic. The event where Tobin most frequently played a role, however, was the fashion show held every August on behalf of the League to Save Lake Tahoe. The 2013 installment featured Oscar de la Renta and grossed $506,000, and the leagues newsletter noted that Tobin and other co-hosts worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring all the pieces together. The annual event had been launched in 1969 by her father, Adolphus Andrews Jr., who served on the leagues board from 1965 until 2005. She spent every summer up there as a kid, and that history was important to her, recalled her husband of 29 years, Joseph Tobin. This ongoing commitment was part of her personality, he suggested: Edith was never a flake, never a dilettante. When she started something, she finished it. Edith Andrews Tobin grew up in San Francisco and was baptized at Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill, an event noted in The Chronicle of June 14, 1954. She attended the Hamlin School in San Francisco and Santa Catalina School in Monterey before heading east to Brown University, where she majored in human biology. She celebrated her graduation by taking a trip on her own around the world, the first of many such journeys including a trip with a friend to Iran not long before her cancer diagnosis. That one was way too scary for me, laughed her husband. Her idea of travel was to go to places off the beaten path. Her first marriage was in 1978, to John Dant, who died in a 1984 car crash in which she also sustained major injuries. Five years later, Edith married Joseph Tobin. Tobin is survived by her husband, Joseph; their son, Joseph; their daughter, Taylor; her son by her first marriage, Charles Dant; her mother, Emily Pope Andrews; and her brothers, Adolphus and Gordon. A memorial will be held Feb. 4 at Grace Cathedral. Donations in her memory can be made to the Cedars of Marin, P.O. Box 947, Ross, CA 94957. John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron I distributed a photograph, provided by one of the strikers, on the wires of United Press International showing an unconscious woman being lifted by colleagues in front of a newspaper delivery truck, which he claimed hit her when she tried to stop it. Thank you for reading! You have reached your 30-day limit of free access to SentinelSource.com, The Keene Sentinels website. If you would like to read two more articles for free at this time, please register for an account by clicking the sign up button below. We hope you find The Sentinels coverage of the Monadnock Region valuable. We rely on our subscribers to bring you strong local journalism and hope you will consider supporting our work by taking advantage of this special subscription offer here. Kenneth Gill, age 65, husband of 47 years of Marsha Gill of Lily, Kentucky went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at his residence. He was the father of Kenneth E. Gill, Jr., of Hamilton, Ohio and Jessica Bowman and husband Terry of London, Kentucky; the brother of Vic Gill This house in Las Vegas will blow your mind. It isn't built to sustain a nuclear attack, but it is built 26 feet underground. And the subterranean structure is designed to make residents feel as if they're in a normal home with a yard, grass, swimming pool, trees, and murals painted to look like landscaping and the horizon. It comes with an equally mind-bending price: $18 million. The price seems a bit aggressive, considering that the property last changed hands in 2015 for $1,150,000. Did the current owners remodel it? Did they add secret spy gear? Or is the price simply a typo? It's nothing of the sort, according to listing agent Stephan LaForge of BHHS Nevada Properties. "The price reflects the price to rebuild," he explains. If an enterprising builder wanted to replicate this one-of-a-kind property in 2019, it would be nearly impossible. LaForge says it would cost at least $18 million to dig a third-of-an-acre hole and reinforce it with a half-mile of solid-steel I-beams. Then you must factor in all the other features and amenities the bunker contains. Lawn realtor.com The property's current owners paid cash for the acre lot a little over four years ago. It has a five-bedroom, six-bathroom house (with pool!) underground, and a small townhouse above ground. They've added some essentials, including repeaters that allow cellphone reception, cable, and internet below ground. They also replaced all eight air-conditioning units (you need to have plenty of fresh air down there!) and added a 1,000-gallon water tank, among other infrastructure improvements. Front entry realtor.com Still, the retreat isn't ideal for a prepper paradiseif the outdoor air is contaminated, the air below ground will be as well. And there isn't much in this world strong enough to protect you from a nuclear bomb, should one land in your vicinity. Watch: We're Crazy for This Detroit Home's Insane Decor Although it isn't completely disaster-proof, what the property does offer is more than 15,000 square feet of underground space. The space is dotted with artificial trees, faux rocks, and hand-painted murals of lifelike scenery. The lights below ground can be adjusted to reflect the sunlight at different times of the day, and there are twinkling stars on the ceiling to approximate the night sky. Kitchen view at "night" realtor.com Lifelike mural realtor.com For fun, there's a four-hole putting green, two hot tubs, a sauna, dance floor, bar, barbecue (should you be bold enough to use it), and the aforementioned swimming pool. Pool realtor.com The main residence has two bedrooms and three bathrooms, and just about everything a typical '70s-era house would have, including a built-in bar and a pink-accented kitchen. Looking from the outside in realtor.com Bar realtor.com Kitchen realtor.com You don't need a garage underground, but there is an additional casita for guests. There's plenty of room to park on the surface, and the underground level is then reached by elevator or stairs. Casita realtor.com Above-ground house and parking realtor.com So who's responsible for this fascinating property? Jerry Henderson, a businessman and philanthropist who was a director of Avon Products, built it in 1979, and since then the period decor of the underground area has been well-preserved. Henderson was a noted underground living enthusiast, and sponsored an Underground Home exhibit at the New York World's Fair. Pool realtor.com When Henderson died in 1983, his wife no longer desired the subterranean life. She had a townhouse built on the property's surface, where she lived until she died in 1989. The property changed hands a time or two and eventually wound up in foreclosure. View of the pink bedroom realtor.com Along came the Society for the Preservation of Near Extinct Species, a secretive group with the goal of promoting human life extension. An underground bunker seemed like a perfect fit for the group. Society President Mark Voelker, who lives above ground in the townhouse, told LaForge the property has become quite the tourist attraction. The property's website, UndergroundHouse.Vegas, also helps to whip up interest. Authentic lighting realtor.com So if the property won't protect against a full-on attack on Vegas, what will a new owner do with the place? LaForge has some ideas. He suggests a new owner could iron out zoning issues, build a parking lot on top, and then use it for a special events location. "You could have a rave down there and no one would hear you," he says. He adds it would be perfect as a home for people who are allergic to sunlight or people who want the ultimate in privacy. Even so, "It's more like a novelty," he says, "an attraction." Overhead view of the lot realtor.com And although Las Vegas is full of attractions, this one, located only about 2.5 miles from the Strip, would certainly be unique. We've never seen anything like it! The post Digging Deeper Into the $18M Underground House in Las Vegas appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. The cover of "Citizen Jean" promises "inside Seattle stories," and former City Council member and longtime newspaper columnist Jean Godden delivers with what Barbara Walters used to call "very personal" tales of our town. But reminiscences from 41 years as a media maven and politician offer only a peripheral view of the outside story of a city's transformation and its ongoing growing pains. The reader hears of the episode where Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen shot his neighbor's intruding Labrador retriever "Red," with a pellet gun, and of Blethen's potty-mouthed email to the publisher of Eastide Journal, which had agreed to publish a newspaper put out by striking Times and P-I workers. There is, however, nary a mention of Jeff Bezos or Amazon, the goliath which has enveloped the Times' neighborhood and set Seattle on a path to painful growth. Perhaps the Bezos' divorce will head to mention in a second edition. Godden worked on the editorial page of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, later wrote a four-times-weekly column, then defected to the Seattle Times. RELATED: Rick Anderson: A columnist who knew Seattle's dark underbelly, when we had one After losing her Sunday column for supporting the 2000-2001 newspaper strike, Godden left Fairview Fannie in 2003 to run for City Council. She served 12 years, but went a race too far. Godden did not make it past her 2015 primary. "Citizen Jean" covers episodes of Seattle history which should not be lost to history, such as plans to plow a freeway -- the R.H. Thomson Expressway -- through the Central Area and University of Washington Arboretum. Citizen resistance, and votes of the people, stopped the Expressway and the Bay Freeway. The book is vivid in spots, sketchy and hasty in others. We read of Gracie Hansen and her showgirls at the 1962 World's Fair, but nary a mention of the "illness" that kept President Kennedy from closing the fair. The illness was the Cuban Missile Crisis. RELATED: It happened at Seattle's World's Fair The columnist's least favorite Seattle Mayor was Charley Royer. "Come January 1978, Royer was encouraged enough to quit his job as KING's news analyst, a move essential for any professional journalist, especially one charged with commenting on local politics," Godden writes. Nope. Royer ran for Mayor and was elected in 1977. Godden writes about the later divorces of Charley and Deputy Mayor Bob Royer, and takes a poke at deputy mayor Carol Lewis. She repeats the old story of the too-boisterous "spring wine and strawberries" party at the University of Washington, involving the Royers and KING pundit Don McGaffin, that drew attention of UW campus police. We learn much less about Seattle during the 12 years (1977-1989) when Royer was Mayor, an era when Seattle began to be celebrated in national news media as America's "most livable" and beginnings on the city's transformation to a technology center. "Citizen Jean" is full of tales about beefy, patronizing male bosses, e.g. P-I publishers Virgil Fassio and J.D. Alexander. It lacks any real discussion of newspapers' rapid decline, and the courageous and desperate attempts to keep the Times afloat. RELATED: Seattle's freeway revolt: How residents fought a concrete jungle On council, her greatest cause became pay equity, and the income disparity between men and women in this self-consciously progressive city. She did yeoman service, early in her council tenure, guiding Seattle City Light through a rate increase and selection of a new superintendent -- oops, CEO. While ascribing her 2015 defeat to ageism, Godden had clearly lost grasp of non-gender issues in her last race. Other characters in the book: Ex-Mayor Norm Rice is profiled and praised. Although now in exile, Ed Murray is given credit for hammering together the city's phased-in $15-an-hour minimum wage. Freeway fighter Margaret Tunks is lionized, although she had plenty of bipartisan company. Godden pulls teeth in places. She takes pains to cite cooperation with Council colleague Nick Licata. Why, then, did Godden endorse a Nicata challenger and speak against him to 46th District Democrats? "Citizen Jean" has its shrewd observations. Mayor Mike McGinn employed "a largely male bicycle-riding personal staff." Council member Kshama Sawant is "never reluctant to take full credit" for achievements crafted by others. MORE FROM CONNELLY: 9 ways Seattle life can be made better in 2019 Of opinionated scribes at The Stranger, Godden writes: "Women, especially older women, even those with a liberal outlook, suffer derisive putdowns." "Citizen Jean" is a page turner. Its 200 pages are an easy, rapid read, especially if you have an appetite for insider media gossip and stories. But, like footprints in the snow, it is a work of superficial impressions not likely to linger. Still, Jean Godden has served the city well. For instance, Godden is correct claiming one key reason for Seattle's pace setting paid family leave policy was that she "had not shut up about it for two full years." The book's full title: "Citizen Jean: Riots, Rogues, Rumors and Other Inside Seattle Stories." It is put out by Washington State University Press, and costs $22.95. Godden will be at the Elliott Bay Book Company on Sunday, Feb. 10, and a week later, Feb. 17, at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, followed by an appearance Tuesday, Feb. 19 at the University Book Store. This story was updated at 1:30 p.m. with more information from Seattle Fire. Several people were injured and three right lanes were blocked on northbound Interstate 5 near Swift Avenue/Albro Place after a rollover crash. When Ian Stawicki entered Cafe Racer about 11 a.m. Wednesday, staff there recognized him from being thrown out, police said, and reminded him of that. The 40-year-old Ellensburg native lingered a bit, then walked near the door. He pulled one of his two pistols and shot his first victim in the back of the head. The man's body blocked the door, taking away an escape route. One man fought Stawicki, throwing a barstool at him and using another barstool to fight him. He was a hero, Seattle Police Assistant Chief Jim Pugel said, because that allowed two or three people to escape through the door the shooter had blocked. Stawicki then went near the bar and shot the others execution-style, police say. As he left, Stawicki took a hat from one of the victims. "He wasn't trying to get any one person. He was trying to get everyone," Pugel said. Deputy Chief Nick Metz, who reviewed the video, said that in his nearly three decades with the department, he'd "never seen (anything) more horrific, callous and cold." The department is not releasing the surveillance footage. Stawicki wounded five people, including two who died at the scene, and sparked an hours-long manhunt that spanned several neighborhoods. It was the worst Seattle killing spree since 2006, and by the end of the day the city had surpassed the homicide total for the entirety of last year. Audio from 911 calls is included in the photo gallery above. One man who called from Cafe Racer saved himself by hiding in the bathroom. The calls are disturbing; reader discretion is advised. "I just threw the frigging stool at him, legs first," the man who challenged Stawicki, described only as Lawrence, told a department spokesman. "My brother died in the World Trade Center. I promised myself, if something like this ever happened, I would never hide under a table." Two victims, Drew Keriakedes and Joe Albranese, died at Cafe Racer in the 5800 block of Roosevelt Way Northeast. Two others shot there died later at Harborview Medical Center. A fifth victim, Leonard Meuse, survived surgery and was in critical but stable condition late Thursday, a Harborview spokeswoman said. Among the dead from Cafe Racer was Kimberly Lynn Layfield, whose identity was confirmed Thursday morning by a newspaper in her hometown of Albany, Ga. Gloria Leonidas, a married mother of two from Bellevue, was killed later when Stawicki -- fleeing from police -- confronted her, shot her in the head and stole her black Mercedes-Benz SUV from a parking lot at Eighth Avenue and Seneca Street, police said. Investigators say Stawicki may have taken a family member's truck from the Ravenna neighborhood and dumped it somewhere near Eighth and Seneca. There also was speculation he had taken a Metro bus. Leonidas had dropped off a friend when she was confronted by Stawicki, who started beating her before shooting her in the head. Police say she knocked the gun from his hand before he fatally shot her. A 911 caller told a dispatcher that Leonidas was also run over. A man and woman walking in the area came to Leonidas' aid. As Stawicki sped away, he gave them the finger, investigators said. Police and bystanders tried to help Leonidas, but she was pronounced dead at Harborview, where two more of Stawicki's victims died late Wednesday. Suspect's history with police Stawicki had prior contacts with police but a relatively short record. Police say he had charges for domestic violence interference, fourth-degree assault, malicious mischief and a 1989 Seattle case for unlawfully carrying a weapon. But court records show only a 1995 case for driving with a suspended license, which resulted in an adverse finding. A Seattle case from February 2008 included charges for domestic violence interference, assault and property damage. The charges were dismissed because the case lacked clear proof. In that case, police officers were called to the Magnolia home of Stawicki and his then-girlfriend to find the victim with a bloody nose and crying. She told police he struck her and destroyed several of her belongings, and that in recent months, he'd begun breaking things and flying into rages, according to the police report. But the victim later recanted her story. "Ian Stawicki never assaulted me on Feb 27, 2008 or at any other time. He never punched me or hit me in the nose, face or any part of my body," she wrote in the statement. "I suffer from frequent spontaneous nose bleeds and was experiencing such a spontaneous nose bleed on Feb 27 2008," she wrote. "The police must have thought this nose bleed was the result of an assault by Ian Stawicki. I told police that my nose bleed was spontaneous and not the result of any assault, because no assault occurred." Stawicki was issued a concealed weapons permit in August 2010 and had listed six handguns in his ownership, including three 9-mm and three .45-caliber pistols, according to records released by the Seattle City Attorney's office. Police said the two .45-caliber, semi-automatic handguns Stawicki carried Wednesday were legal. Police were working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to trace where the guns were purchased, and whether they were stolen or involved in other crimes, Pugel said. Unaware that Stawicki had moved south after the Cafe Racer shooting, police with high-powered rifles combed through the neighborhood around Roosevelt Way Northeast. Police fielded numerous calls from neighbors who saw someone they thought could be the shooter. Anxiety was high as police told residents to stay inside. Nearby Roosevelt High School was among several schools on lockdown. About 3:15 p.m., police distributed surveillance images of Stawicki from moments before the Cafe Racer shooting. Investigators say his brother, also an Ellensburg native, identified Stawicki for police. Stawicki drove Leonidas' black SUV to West Seattle, police said, roamed in crowded areas for some time and contacted an old acquaintance. That acquaintance was unaware of what had happened, but thought Stawicki was acting erratically and speaking nonsense. That former acquaintance contacted police after they heard about the shooting. Shortly after 4 p.m., a plainclothes officer spotted Stawicki near 36th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Morgan Street, and called for backup. As uniformed officers approached Stawicki, he knelt on the ground and shot himself in the head. The investigation is still ongoing and detectives have not released any motive in the slayings, though Cafe Racer regulars said Stawicki was known for being drunk and picking fights with bar musicians. He had been told not to come back. Homicide detectives are working to obtain Stawicki's medical records. 21 homicides in Seattle this year The slayings pushed the number of homicides in Seattle this year to 21 one higher than the annual number of reported cases from all of last year. However, police statistics list 21 homicide cases last year because the investigation into the death of Michelle Thornton, a woman who died Dec. 30, 2010, began the following month. Wednesday's shooting spree came less than a week after a father was fatally wounded in front of his children by an errant bullet in the Central District. Last Saturday, another innocent bystander was shot in the right leg near the Space Needle. The following day, Seattle had five drive-by shootings and a fatal home-invasion shooting. The number of Seattle homicides peaked in 1994 when there were 69, according to department data. Standing with other city leaders Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Mike McGinn said it's the police department's "highest priority to identify the strategies to try to bring an end to this wave of gun violence." But with no suspects identified in the Central District shooting, and the lack of cooperation hindering dozens of unsolved Seattle shooting cases both from this year and previous years some Seattle residents question whether a solution can come quickly. Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen contributed to this story. Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or at caseymcnerthney@seattlepi.com. Follow Casey on Twitter at twitter.com/mcnerthney. It was early last week when a group of regulars at Cafe Racer noticed a "creepy" drunk man acting belligerently in the bar. The bartender planned to kick him out something that had happened before. On another night, the same man had picked fights with musicians. Seattle police say the same man, Ian L. Stawicki, went back to Cafe Racer about 11 a.m. Wednesday and opened fire with two semi-automatic handguns. One victim grabbed a barstool to protect himself, but Stawicki managed to shoot five people before leaving. "We've seen the photos it's totally this guy," Cafe Racer regular Aaron Otheim said. "We all got a bad vibe from him." Six people died Wednesday in Seattle, including Stawicki, who shot himself in the head as police approached him in West Seattle. Two victims, Drew Keriakedes and Joe Albranese died at Cafe Racer, in the 5800 block of Roosevelt Way Northeast. Two others shot there died later at Harborview Medical Center. A fifth victim, Leonard Meuse, survived surgery and was in critical but stable condition late Thursday, a Harborview spokeswoman said. Among the dead was Kimberly Lynn Layfield, whose identity was confirmed Thursday morning by a newspaper in her hometown of Alabany, Ga. "Kim was a special person," wrote Albany Journal Publisher Tom Knighton, who attended high school with Layfield. "People say that a lot after a tragedy like this, but it's really true with Kim." Gloria Leonidas, a married mother of two from Bellevue, was killed moments before Stawicki - fleeing from police in North Seattle - stole her black Mercedes Benz SUV from the parking lot at Eighth Avenue and Seneca Street, next to Town Hall. Keriakedes played bass in the band Circus Contraption and God's Favorite Beefcake, which played the Northwest Folklife Festival Saturday. "He was instrumental in making Cafe Racer what it was," said Otheim, his friend and a fellow musician. "He was a regular, went there every day." Keriakedes was a kind of jack-of-all-trades, Otheim said. He shared knowledge of his favorite books, talked music theory, "told the best dirty jokes," and did all kinds of circus burlesque tricks, including lying on a bed of nails. Once when a fellow Cafe Racer regular had a toothache, Keriakedes filled in as a dentist and pulled it. "He seems like one of those guys with a lot of fascinating stories to tell," said Otheim, who lives across the alley from the shooting scene. As word of the shooting spread, regulars thought back to the creepy, belligerent guy they'd seen at the bar. Otheim had a feeling he might be responsible and told detectives. Finding out Keriakedes and Albranese were among the dead made for a surreal day, friends said. "He was sort of Racers' impresario and built up the scene," Otheim said of Keriakedes. "He's going to be missed by a lot of people." Suspect's history with police Stawicki had prior contacts with police, but a relatively short record. Police say he had charges for domestic violence interference, fourth-degree assault, malicious mischief and a 1989 Seattle case for unlawfully carrying a weapon. But records show only a 1995 case for driving with a suspended license case that resulted in an adverse finding. A Seattle case from 2008 that included charges for domestic violence interference, assault and property damage were dismissed because of proof problems. Unaware that Stawicki had moved south after the Cafe Racer shooting, police with high-powered rifles combed through the neighborhood around Roosevelt Way Northeast. Police fielded numerous calls from neighbors who saw someone they thought could be the shooter. Anxiety was high as police told residents to stay inside. Nearby Roosevelt High School was among several schools on lockdown. Investigators couldn't say with certainty Thursday whether Stawicki, 40, took his mother's truck or hopped onto a Metro bus to get to the 1100 block of Eighth Avenue, where he killed Leonidas. The two were seen arguing immediately before she was shot, Detective Mark Jamieson said. After her SUV and a handgun were found abandoned near the intersection of Delridge Way Southwest and Southwest Dakota Street, uniformed and undercover officers flooded the area. Residents there also were told to stay inside, and several West Seattle schools were placed on various forms of lockdown. About 3:15 p.m., police distributed surveillance images of Stawicki moments before the Cafe Racer shooting. Investigators say his brother, also an Ellensburg native, identified Stawicki for police. Shortly after 4 p.m., a plainclothes officer spotted Stawicki near 36th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Morgan Street and called for backup. As uniformed officers approached Stawicki, he knelt down to the ground and shot himself in the head. The investigation is still ongoing, and detectives have not released any motive in the slayings the worst since Kyle Huff killed six and wounded two others in a March 2006 Capitol Hill shooting spree. 21 homicides in Seattle this year The slayings pushed the number of homicides in Seattle this year to 21 one higher than annual number of reported cases from all of last year. However, police statistics list 21 homicide cases last year because the investigation into the death of Michelle Thornton, a woman who died Dec. 30, 2010, began the following month. The shooting spree came less than a week after a father was fatally wounded in front of his children by an errant bullet in the Central District. Last Saturday, another innocent bystander was shot in the right leg near the Space Needle. The following day, Seattle had five drive-by shootings and a fatal home-invasion shooting. The number of Seattle homicides peaked in 1994 when there were 69, according to department data. Standing with other city leaders Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Mike McGinn said it's the police department's "highest priority to identify the strategies to try to bring an end to this wave of gun violence." But with no suspects identified in the Central District shooting and the lack of cooperation hindering dozens of unsolved Seattle shooting cases both from this year and previous years some Seattle residents question whether a solution can come quickly. Seattlepi.com reporters Levi Pulkkinen and Amy Rolph, and photographer Joshua Trujillo contributed to this story. Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or at caseymcnerthney@seattlepi.com. Follow Casey on Twitter at twitter.com/mcnerthney. Jeff Bezos is the richest person on earth. He amassed the world's largest individual fortune largely thanks to his shares in Amazon, the e-commerce giant he started more than two decades ago that is now worth nearly $800 billion. But Bezos is also creating more wealth by way of numerous investments in other growing companies. His most well-known investment is Blue Origin, the space venture founded by Bezos that he funds with billions of dollars of Amazon stock, or The Washington Post, which Bezos bought for $250 million in 2013. But did you know Bezos has backed companies such as Google, Uber, Twitter, Airbnb, General Assembly, Juno Therapeutics, and many others? Visual Capitalist recently put together a recap of "The Jeff Bezos Empire," listing off Bezos' investments through Amazon acquisitions (Whole Foods, Twitch, Audible, Zappos, etc.), his venture capital firm Bezos Expeditions, his own personal investments, and philanthropy-related donations. Bezos was actually one of the first investors in Google. It's unclear what he did with his shares after the tech giant went public in 2004, but his stake "would probably be worth billions today," Business Insider noted last year. (Side note: Bezos is an investor in Business Insider) Bezos was also an early backer of Uber, as Bezos Expeditions participated in a $37 million round back in 2011. Uber is targeting a $120 billion valuation as it prepares to go public this year. That same year, his firm also backed Airbnb long before the lodging startup went on to reach a $1 billion valuation as it also preps for an IPO. There are a number of "unicorns" companies valued at more than $1 billion in the Bezos Expeditions portfolio. They include Seattle trucking startup Convoy; HR software giant Workday; healthcare company Zocdoc; genomics startup GRAIL, social networking site Nextdoor; and more. It also backed Juno Therapeutics, which was acquired for $9 billion last year, and General Assembly, which sold for $413 million last year. Other off-the-wall Bezos Expeditions investments that may surprise you: Seattle candleholder maker Glassybaby, indoor farming startup Plenty, and small business financing startup Fundbox. Bezos himself also spent $42 million to build a 10,000 year clock. MORE FROM GEEKWIRE: More recently, Bezos has stepped up his philanthropy efforts after years of being a relative no-show when it came to charity. In September he announced a new $2 billion "Day 1 Fund" for homeless families and preschool education. Before that announcement, Bezos and his family had donated about $135 million to charitable causes, based on GeekWire's estimates from news reports and announcements. The New York Post last week described that as a "pitiful" amount in comparison with other ultra-wealthy billionaires such as Bill & Melinda Gates; Warren Buffett; Michael Bloomberg; and Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan. Bezos' fortune has made headlines over the past few weeks after the Amazon CEO announced that he and his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Bezos, plan to divorce. With Bezos' current net worth at around $134 billion and a Washington state law that entitles spouses to half of any assets accrued during marriage, MacKenzie Bezos could soon become the world's richest woman how she spends that money is another question. But now she must go from running races in California - driven by money and television - to contests in states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, where voters expect intimate campaigning. She is planning to travel to Iowa on Monday, but largely to participate in a CNN town hall, a format that has aggravated some Iowa Democrats who suggested she is using the state as a stage for a national campaign. Tickets are being handed out to a select group of people, which has left others clamoring to interact with the newest candidate. FLORENCE, S.C. Duke Energy is constantly working to get better; to provide safer, more reliable and secure energy to all its customers, the utility's South Carolina president told members of the Florence Rotary Club on Monday. Were working hard to build a stronger electric infrastructure that is more resistant to power outages, restores power faster and is hardened against growing threats, guest speaker Kodwo Ghartey-Tagoe said at Victors. He said the companys aim is to make smart energy decisions and give customers more control over their usage and their bill. Ghartey-Tagoe is a native of Ghana. He earned his law degree from Duke University and his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and finance from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. He also was conferred an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Francis Marion University. Before assuming his current positon with Duke Energy in January 2017, he served as senior vice president of state and federal regulatory legal support. Having come from a country with sparse electrical power and where outages were common, Ghartey-Tagoe said he appreciates what is available to customers in this country. He said it is a tremendous honor to work with Duke Energy. FLORENCE, S.C. The newest franchisee for the Florence location of Two Men and a Truck is committed to improving the community. Thats one of my big goals, to give back to the community, Liz Walker said Monday by phone. Were kind of gearing up right now to start Movers for Moms. It will start about mid-March and run through the beginning of May. In the Movers for Moms program, Two Men and a Truck franchises partner with local businesses and organizations to collect essential items for women staying at shelters for the abused or homeless. The franchises pick up and deliver the items to shelters around Mothers Day. The companys franchises donated more than 295,000 items in 2017 to more than 800 organizations. Walker said her company also plans to participate in other company-led charitable endeavors, such as Movers for Mutts, a similar program but for shelter pets, and a Truckload of Warmth, where coats are collected for the needy. Walker became a co-owner of the Florence franchise on Jan. 15, according to the Columbia Two Men and a Truck Facebook page. FLORENCE, S.C. HopeHealth has expanded its services with the addition of rheumatology, endocrinology and diagnostic ultrasound in Florence. >> Endocrinology: Dr. John Culleton sees patients at the Diabetes & Nutrition Institute inside the HopeHealth Medical Plaza in Florence and focuses on conditions that impact the endocrine system: glands that produce hormones directly into the bloodstream. These hormones communicate with various areas of the body to control and coordinate functions including digestion, metabolism, respiration, reproduction, growth, sleep, and mood. Culleton earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston and his Bachelor of Arts in Natural Science (with honors) from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. >> Rheumatology: Dr. Supen Patel leads the rheumatology team at HopeHealth on Palmetto Street with support from Melissa Felder, FNP. The HopeHealth rheumatology department serves patients suffering from autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. Integrated with our primary care and specialty services, the rheumatology team also sees patients with musculoskeletal disorders that include shoulder, hip and knee problems. On Jan. 4, 2019, at 4:37 a.m. EST the CAPER-2 mission launched from the Andya Space Center in Andenes, Norway, on a 4-stage Black Brant XII sounding rocket. Reaching an apogee of 480 miles high before splashing down in the Arctic Sea, the rocket flew through active aurora borealis, or northern lights, to study the waves that accelerate electrons into our atmosphere. CAPER-2, short for Cusp Alfven and Plasma Electrodynamics Rocket-2, is a sounding rocket mission -- a type of spacecraft that carries scientific instruments on short, targeted trips to space before falling back to Earth. In addition to their relatively low price tags and quick development time, sounding rockets are ideally suited for launching into transient events -- like the sudden formation of the aurora borealis, or northern lights. For CAPER-2 scientists, flying through an aurora provides a peek into a process as fundamental as it is complex: How do particles get accelerated throughout space? NASA studies this phenomenon in an effort to better understand not only the space environment surrounding Earth -- and thus protect our technology in space from radiation -- but also to help understand the very nature of stars and atmospheres throughout the solar system and beyond. "Throughout the universe you have charged particles getting accelerated -- in the Sun's atmosphere, in the solar wind, in the atmospheres of other planets, and in astrophysical objects," said Jim LaBelle, space physicist at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and principal investigator for the CAPER-2 mission. "An aurora presents us with a local laboratory where we can observe these acceleration processes close at hand." Technically, the CAPER-2 team is interested in what happens just before an aurora starts glowing. Electrons, pouring into our atmosphere from space, collide with atmospheric gases and trigger the aurora's glow. Somehow, they pick up speed along the way. "By the time they crash into our atmosphere, these electrons are traveling over 10 times faster than they were before," said Doug Rowland, space physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who also studies particle acceleration. "We still don't understand the fundamental physics of how that happens." The CAPER-2 team focused on a special kind of aurora that forms during the day. Unlike the nighttime aurora, the daytime aurora is triggered by electrons that stream in directly from the Sun -- and we know far less about them. advertisement "There's been a huge amount of research done on the regular nighttime aurora, but the daytime aurora is much less studied," said Craig Kletzing, space physicist at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and coinvestigator for the mission. "There are good indications that there are some similarities and there are also some differences." The team is focusing on how the electrons that create daytime auroras are jostled around by waves, in ways that may or may not differ from nighttime auroras. Two kinds of waves are of special interest, and have opposite effects. Alfven waves, named after Swedish Nobel laureate Hannes Alfven who first predicted their existence in 1942, are thought to accelerate the electrons. These huge waves -- measuring tens to hundreds of miles long from peak to peak -- propagate along Earth's magnetic field lines, whipping electrons to and fro. On the other side are Langmuir waves, which are generated by the electrons themselves -- a process that steals some of the electrons' energy and slows them down. CAPER-2 will carry a high-resolution wave-particle correlator to measure them, the first sounding rocket mission to do so for the daytime aurora. "This is very data-intensive," said LaBelle. "It's unique to sounding rockets to be able to look at this mechanism in this level of detail." For the launch, the CAPER-2 team traveled to northern Norway, one of the few places that can put a rocket within range of the daytime aurora. Every day, northern Norway rotates under an opening in Earth's magnetic field known as the northern polar cusp, where particles from the Sun can funnel into our upper atmosphere. Meeting the aurora right where they form is the best way to understand physical processes that are far too large to replicate in a lab. "It's a kind of natural laboratory," LaBelle added. "We take our experiment to two different environments, where the variables are different, and then test the theory and answer the questions." High-performance golf clubs and airplane wings are made out of titanium, which is as strong as steel but about twice as light. These properties depend on the way a metal's atoms are stacked, but random defects that arise in the manufacturing process mean that these materials are only a fraction as strong as they could theoretically be. An architect, working on the scale of individual atoms, could design and build new materials that have even better strength-to-weight ratios. In a new study published in Nature Scientific Reports, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering and Applied Science, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Cambridge have done just that. They have built a sheet of nickel with nanoscale pores that make it as strong as titanium but four to five times lighter. The empty space of the pores, and the self-assembly process in which they're made, make the porous metal akin to a natural material, such as wood. And just as the porosity of wood grain serves the biological function of transporting energy, the empty space in the researchers' "metallic wood" could be infused with other materials. Infusing the scaffolding with anode and cathode materials would enable this metallic wood to serve double duty: a plane wing or prosthetic leg that's also a battery. The study was led by James Pikul, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at Penn Engineering. Bill King and Paul Braun at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, along with Vikram Deshpande at the University of Cambridge, contributed to the study. Even the best natural metals have defects in their atomic arrangement that limit their strength. A block of titanium where every atom was perfectly aligned with its neighbors would be ten times stronger than what can currently be produced. Materials researchers have been trying to exploit this phenomenon by taking an architectural approach, designing structures with the geometric control necessary to unlock the mechanical properties that arise at the nanoscale, where defects have reduced impact. advertisement Pikul and his colleagues owe their success to taking a cue from the natural world. "The reason we call it metallic wood is not just its density, which is about that of wood, but its cellular nature," Pikul says. "Cellular materials are porous; if you look at wood grain, that's what you're seeing? -- ?parts that are thick and dense and made to hold the structure, and parts that are porous and made to support biological functions, like transport to and from cells." "Our structure is similar," he says. "We have areas that are thick and dense with strong metal struts, and areas that are porous with air gaps. We're just operating at the length scales where the strength of struts approaches the theoretical maximum." The struts in the researchers' metallic wood are around 10 nanometers wide, or about 100 nickel atoms across. Other approaches involve using 3D-printing-like techniques to make nanoscale scaffoldings with hundred-nanometer precision, but the slow and painstaking process is hard to scale to useful sizes. "We've known that going smaller gets you stronger for some time," Pikul says, "but people haven't been able to make these structures with strong materials that are big enough that you'd be able to do something useful. Most examples made from strong materials have been about the size of a small flea, but with our approach, we can make metallic wood samples that are 400 times larger." Pikul's method starts with tiny plastic spheres, a few hundred nanometers in diameter, suspended in water. When the water is slowly evaporated, the spheres settle and stack like cannonballs, providing an orderly, crystalline framework. Using electroplating, the same technique that adds a thin layer of chrome to a hubcap, the researchers then infiltrate the plastic spheres with nickel. Once the nickel is in place, the plastic spheres are dissolved with a solvent, leaving an open network of metallic struts. advertisement "We've made foils of this metallic wood that are on the order of a square centimeter, or about the size of a playing die side," Pikul says. "To give you a sense of scale, there are about 1 billion nickel struts in a piece that size." Because roughly 70 percent of the resulting material is empty space, this nickel-based metallic wood's density is extremely low in relation to its strength. With a density on par with water's, a brick of the material would float. Replicating this production process at commercially relevant sizes is the team's next challenge. Unlike titanium, none of the materials involved are particularly rare or expensive on their own, but the infrastructure necessary for working with them on the nanoscale is currently limited. Once that infrastructure is developed, economies of scale should make producing meaningful quantities of metallic wood faster and less expensive. Once the researchers can produce samples of their metallic wood in larger sizes, they can begin subjecting it to more macroscale tests. A better understanding of its tensile properties, for example, is critical. "We don't know, for example, whether our metallic wood would dent like metal or shatter like glass." Pikul says. "Just like the random defects in titanium limit its overall strength, we need to get a better understand of how the defects in the struts of metallic wood influence its overall properties." In the meantime, Pikul and his colleagues are exploring the ways other materials can be integrated into the pores in their metallic wood's scaffolding. "The long-term interesting thing about this work is that we enable a material that has the same strength properties of other super high-strength materials but now it's 70 percent empty space," Pikul says. "And you could one day fill that space with other things, like living organisms or materials that store energy." Sezer Ozerinc and Runyu Zhang of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Burigede Liu of the University of Cambridge, also contributed to the study. The research was supported by the Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Fellowship Program, made possible in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, administered by ORISE-ORAU under contract no. DE-AC05-06OR23100. Researchers from the University of Houston have reported a new way to raise the transition temperature of superconducting materials, boosting the temperature at which the superconductors are able to operate. The results, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest a previously unexplored avenue for achieving higher-temperature superconductivity, which offers a number of potential benefits to energy generators and consumers. Electric current can move through superconducting materials without resistance, while traditional transmission materials lose as much as 10 percent of the energy between the generating source and the end user. Finding superconductors that work at or near room temperature -- current superconductors require the use of a cooling agent -- could allow utility companies to provide more electricity without increasing the amount of fuel required, reducing their carbon footprint and improving the reliability and efficiency of the power grid. The transition temperature increased exponentially for the materials tested using the new method, although it remained below room temperature. But Paul C.W. Chu, chief scientist at the Texas Center for Superconductivity at UH (TcSUH) and corresponding author for the paper, said the method offers an entirely new way to approach the problem of finding superconductors that work at a higher temperature. Chu, a physicist and TLL Temple Chair of Science at UH, said the current record for a stable high-temperature superconductor, set by his group in 1994, is 164 Kelvin, or about -164 Fahrenheit. That superconductor is mercury-based; the bismuth materials tested for the new work are less toxic, and unexpectedly reach a transition temperature above 90 Kelvin, or about -297 Fahrenheit, after first predicted drop to 70 Kelvin. The work takes aim at the well-established principle that the transition temperature of a superconductor can be predicted through the understanding of the relationship between that temperature and doping -- a method of changing the material by introducing small amounts of an element that can change its electrical properties -- or between that temperature and physical pressure. The principle holds that the transition temperature increases up to a certain point and then begins to drop, even if the doping or pressure continues to increase. Liangzi Deng, a researcher at TcSUH working with Chu and first author on the paper, came up with the idea of increasing pressure beyond the levels previously explored to see whether the superconducting transition temperature would increase again after dropping. It worked. "This really shows a new way to raise the superconducting transition temperature," he said. The higher pressure changed the Fermi surface of the tested compounds, and Deng said the researchers believe the pressure changes the electronic structure of the material. The superconductor samples they tested are less than one-tenth of a millimeter wide; the researchers said it was challenging to detect the superconducting signal of such a small sample from magnetization measurements, the most definitive test for superconductivity. Over the past few years, Deng and his colleagues in Chu's lab developed an ultrasensitive magnetization measurement technique that allows them to detect an extremely small magnetic signal from a superconducting sample under pressure above 50 gigapascals. Deng noted that in these tests, the researchers did not observe a saturation point -- that is, the transition temperature will continue to rise as the pressure increases. They tested different bismuth compounds known to have superconducting properties and found the new method substantially raised the transition temperature of each. The researchers said it's not clear whether the technique would work on all superconductors, although the fact that it worked on three different formulations offers promise. But boosting superconductivity through high pressure isn't practical for real-world applications. The next step, Chu said, will be to find a way to achieve the same effect with chemical doping and without pressure. Graphene has been heralded as a wonder material. Not only is it the strongest, thinnest material ever discovered, its exceptional ability to conduct heat and electricity paves the way for innovation in areas ranging from electronics to energy to medicine. Now, a Columbia University-led team has developed a new method to finely tune adjacent layers of graphene -- lacy, honeycomb-like sheets of carbon atoms -- to induce superconductivity. Their research provides new insights into the physics underlying this two-dimensional material's intriguing characteristics. The team's paper is published in the Jan. 24 issue of Science. "Our work demonstrates new ways to induce superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene, in particular, achieved by applying pressure," said Cory Dean, assistant professor of physics at Columbia and the study's principal investigator. "It also provides critical first confirmation of last year's MIT results -- that bilayer graphene can exhibit electronic properties when twisted at an angle -- and furthers our understanding of the system, which is extremely important for this new field of research." In March 2018 researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported a groundbreaking discovery that two graphene layers can conduct electricity without resistance when the twist angle between them is 1.1 degrees, referred to as the "magic angle." But hitting that magic angle has proven difficult. "The layers must be twisted to within roughly a tenth of a degree around 1.1, which is experimentally challenging," Dean said. "We found that very small errors in alignment could give entirely different results." So Dean and his colleagues, who include scientists from the National Institute for Materials Science and the University of California, Santa Barbara, set out to test whether magic-angle conditions could be achieved at bigger rotations. advertisement "Rather than trying to precisely control the angle, we asked whether we could instead vary the spacing between the layers," said Matthew Yankowitz, a postdoctoral research scientist in Columbia's physics department and first author on the study. "In this way any twist angle could, in principle, be turned into a magic angle." They studied a sample with twist angle of 1.3 degrees -- only slightly larger than the magic angle but still far enough away to preclude superconductivity. Applying pressure transformed the material from a metal into either an insulator -- in which electricity cannot flow -- or a superconductor -- where electrical current can pass without resistance -- depending on the number of electrons in the material. "Remarkably, by applying pressure of over 10,000 atmospheres we observe the emergence of the insulating and superconducting phases," Dean said. Additionally, the superconductivity develops at the highest temperature observed in graphene so far, just over 3 degrees above absolute zero." To reach the high pressures needed to induce superconductivity the team worked closely with the National High Magnetic Field user facility, known as the Maglab, in Tallahassee, Florida. advertisement "This effort was a huge technical challenge," said Dean. "After fabricating one of most unique devices we've ever worked with, we then had to combine cryogenic temperatures, high magnetic fields, and high pressure -- all while measuring electrical response. Putting this all together was a daunting task and our ability to make it work is really a tribute to the fantastic expertise at the Maglab." The researchers believe it may be possible to enhance the critical temperature of the superconductivity further at even higher pressures. The ultimate goal is to one day develop a superconductor which can perform under room temperature conditions, and although this may prove challenging in graphene, it could serve as a roadmap for achieving this goal in other materials. Andrea Young, assistant professor of physics at UC Santa Barbara, a collaborator on the study, said the work clearly demonstrates that squeezing the layers has same effect as twisting them and offers an alternative paradigm for manipulating the electronic properties in graphene. "Our findings significantly relax the constraints that make it challenging to study the system and gives us new knobs to control it," Young said. Dean and Young are now twisting and squeezing a variety of atomically-thin materials in the hopes of finding superconductivity emerging in other two-dimensional systems. "Understanding 'why' any of this is happening is a formidable challenge but critical for eventually harnessing the power of this material -- and our work starts unraveling the mystery,'" Dean said. From the second we are born, humans start to develop social relationships with individuals and groups starting with parents, family and friends. Similarly, mice are social animals just like us. Social relationships are a key determinant of social behavior, and numerous studies have shown that when mice experience maternal separation or social isolation during development, their socio-emotional and cognitive behaviors are affected. However, a long-term behavioral analysis of multiple animals in a natural group setting had been required to elucidate the biological basis of the social behaviors developed. To investigate, a research team led by Professor Masaki Kakeyama of Waseda University developed a novel-video based behavioral analysis system for a long-term behavioral tracking of multiple mice. This software, referred to as the Multiple-Animal Positioning System (MAPS), can automatically and separately analyze the social behavior of multiple mice in group housing. "Each mouse is individually identified by a mouse ID tag on its back," explains Professor Kakeyama. "MAPS can then automatically acquire their individual positions based on a pattern-matching technique and save this information to a hard disk drive along with video images. This approach allows MAPS to perform an automated, long-term video tracking of each mouse under social housing conditions." In their study, Professor Kakeyama's team examined how social experience of mice in adolescence affects adult social proximity with unfamiliar mice. First, male mice were either housed in groups or reared in social isolation during adolescence. To detect behavioral differences of mice when interacting with other adult mice from the same rearing background, four mice that had never been co-housed before were placed in an experimental chamber, creating a group-housed mice only housing and socially-isolated mice only housing conditions. Their behavior was then recorded by MAPS. "Though both groups of mice began to explore the experimental chamber almost immediately, the group-housed mice began to huddle in one location within two hours. On the contrary, the mice reared in social isolation stayed as far away from each other as possible and took two days for all four of them to finally huddle together, showing that adolescent social isolation results in deficient social relationship formation in adulthood." In the next experiment, two isolated and two group-housed mice were placed in the same experimental chamber to examine their behavior under mixed housing condition. The group-housed pair type was the fastest to huddle together, the isolated pair type was the slowest, and the heterogeneous pairs were somewhere in between. Interestingly, the isolated mice took less time to form relationships with unfamiliar mice under the mixed-housing than in the isolated-mice-only housing condition, indicating that it is not only individual behavioral traits but also those of surrounding individuals can influence social proximity. "Additionally, visual observation of video images revealed that the group-housed mice reduced their activity or even became immobile when approached by others," says Professor Kakeyama. "This suggests that this low activity, or being 'composed,' might be an important factor for establishing social relationships." The results of this study may not be directly applicable to humans, but Professor Kakeyama hopes that the newly-developed software will contribute to research in help understanding how our minds develop through socialization and advance treatment of psychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and social anxiety disorder. Screening all hospitalized patients with HIV for tuberculosis (TB) using urine tests would improve life expectancy and be cost-effective in Malawi and South Africa. These findings from an international team of investigators have been published in The Lancet Global Health and could influence international guidelines on TB testing. "Urine testing for TB saves lives and is an efficient use of resources," says lead author Krishna Reddy, MD, MS, of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and the Medical Practice Evaluation Center. "This has huge implications for increasing the survival of people with HIV in Africa and in other places where TB is common." TB is the leading killer of people with HIV worldwide. Many cases are missed by standard testing strategies that rely on sputum, as some patients cannot provide a sputum specimen. A urine specimen, on the other hand, can be obtained from nearly all patients. Urine testing using the lipoarabinomannan (LAM) and Xpert tests had been shown to improve TB detection in selected patients with HIV, but it has not been clear whether urine testing of all hospitalized patients with HIV would be useful and offer good value. The current study was done in conjunction with the STAMP (Rapid Urine-based Screening for Tuberculosis to Reduce AIDS-related Mortality in Hospitalised Patients in Africa) trial, a large clinical trial of urine-based TB screening among hospitalized patients with HIV in Malawi and South Africa, the results of which were published in The Lancet in July 2018. In the current study, the researchers used a computer simulation model of HIV and TB to match short-term clinical outcomes reported by the STAMP trial and project longer-term clinical and economic outcomes. The researchers found that screening all hospitalized patients with HIV for TB using the urine LAM and Xpert tests would increase life expectancy by 0.5 to 1.2 years and would be cost-effective compared to sputum testing alone in both countries. As observed in the STAMP trial, in which both tests were used to screen each participant, urine LAM was particularly attractive for increasing TB diagnoses and reducing deaths, with a cost of only $3 per test. "Compared to other diagnostic strategies, urine testing is relatively easy and inexpensive and can detect cases of TB that would have otherwise been missed," says co-author Ankur Gupta-Wright, MRCP, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Program, who led the STAMP clinical trial. He added, "Urine LAM gives a result in under 30 minutes and can be done at the patient's bedside." Since the results showed such good value for the urine tests, the investigators took the next step of examining the financial implications of implementing urine TB screening countrywide among all hospitalized patients with HIV in the two countries. The evaluation included both the costs of urine tests and costs of finding and treating more TB cases. They found that over five years the urine screening strategy would increase health care costs for these patients by $37 million (10.8 percent) in Malawi and $261 million (2.8 percent) in South Africa. "Because patients live longer, health care costs increase, but the impact is modest. It's a wise investment," says Reddy, who is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. The World Health Organization currently recommends the use of urine LAM in selected patients only. The study authors say that the results of the STAMP trial and this cost-effectiveness analysis provide evidence for expanding the use of urine LAM to all hospitalized patients with HIV, regardless of symptoms or suspicion of TB, in areas where HIV and TB are common. Sicilian Savoiardi Cookies (Lady Finger Cookies) are so easy to put together and are the perfect cookie for a coffee break! These soft and fluffy cookies are ideal for making tiramisu, trifles, and more. What Are Lady Fingers? Italian lady fingers are a simple cookie with a very long history dating all the way to the 1300s. They were named after the House of Savory, Italys last monarchs. Originally from Piedmont, the savoiardi lady fingers also arrived in areas where the Savoys ruled, such as Sardegna and Sicily. In Sardegna, they make more of a flat savoiardi cookie. And in Sicily they are usually oval, and in some cities, they are round. In the town of San Fratello in Messina, Sicily they are called in dialect viscotta furrincotti or furrincozza. Sicilian Savoiardi Cookies may seem to be a little difficult to make, but theyre not as bad as youd think. They are basically a Pan di Spagna (sponge cake) recipe in an oval cookie form. So they are little cakes that are dried out a bit with the baking and are perfect for soaking up flavors (for tiramisu) or to have them in your cookie jar to enjoy with your favorite breakfast drink. Difficult to stop at one, these Savoiardi cookies are so soft and light. (Another Sicilian cookie we love are the Sicilian S Cookies!) Making These Savoiardi Cookies These cookies bring back memories of my fathers hometown in Sicily and are a traditional Italian breakfast cookie. Its a cookie that I almost forgot about eating in Sicily until my father passed away. When we went to Sicily in 2013 to bury our father in his hometown, these Italian lady fingers were what comforted me every morning with my caffe latte. As we would walk around town on the cold January mornings that week while we were there, we would always pass by a bakery or two. Most days it was to replenish our breakfast cookies. Once or twice a day it was to buy fresh bread to have with lunch and dinner. This is part of my Sicilian food memories and part of my Project Sicilia, where I hope to share a recipe every month alongside a memory of my dad and his beloved island on the Mediterranean. An Italian Cake and grief is the post where I wrote a little about my dad and Sicily. So much time has passed and so many things have happened. Whats Needed for Italian Lady Fingers? Despite being a bit trickier to make, these savoiardi lady fingers have a remarkably short ingredients list. Heres what goes into these Italian cookies: Granulated sugar Cake flour Baking powder Salt Eggs Vegetable oil Vanilla extract Confectioners sugar How to Make Lady Fingers Ive shared detailed instructions on how to make Italian lady fingers in the recipe card below, but here are the basic steps for making this recipe, followed by my top tips and tricks. Add the granulated sugar to a food processor and process for 15 seconds, or until slightly powdery. In a bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar together until thick and creamy. Add the oil and vanilla, followed by the remaining dry ingredients. Spoon the batter into a piping bag and pipe onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Dust the lady fingers with confectioners sugar, then wait 3 minutes before dusting them again. Bake the Italian lady fingers until they puff up, turn lightly golden brown, but are still soft. Can You Use All-Purpose Flour? No, cake flour works best in this recipe. How to Store Lady Fingers These Italian lady fingers can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days or frozen for up to 4 weeks. Tips for Making Savoiardi Lady Fingers Be sure to beat the eggs and sugar together for a solid 8 minutes. It seems like a long time, but this step is very important for achieving lady fingers delicate texture. Dont skimp on the confectioners sugar when dusting the unbaked lady fingers. The confectioners sugar is what gives the cookies their characteristic crispness. Lastly, its important that you let the savoiardi cookies cool completely on the baking sheets before enjoying them. Again, this ensures that they crisp up perfectly. More Italian Cookie Recipes: Print Recipe Pin Recipe 5 from 10 votes Lady Finger Cookies (Sicilian Savoiardi Cookies) Lady finger Cookies are so easy to put together and are the perfect cookie for a coffee break! These soft and fluffy cookies are ideal for making tiramisu, trifles, and more. Prep Time 1 hr Cook Time 8 mins Total Time 1 hr 8 mins Servings: 36 Author: Lora Ingredients 1 cup granulated sugar 4 cups cake flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 large eggs , at room temperature 1 cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup confectioners sugar (may need more for serving) Instructions Preheat oven to 350F. Place sugar in a blender or food processor and process for about 15 seconds until a fine consistency. Sugar will be slightly powdered. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Using a mixer bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed for 8 minutes, until thick and pale. Gradually beat in oil until incorporated. Beat in vanilla on low speed for 30 seconds. Add flour and continue to beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until batter is smooth. Grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Spoon batter into pastry bag and pipe 3 1/2-inch logs onto the baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Sprinkle the cookies with some confectioners sugar over the ladyfingers and wait 3 minutes. The sugar will glisten. Dust on another portion of confectioners sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness. Bake in batches(slide the first sheet into the oven as soon as youve piped), for 7 to 8 minutes, until they puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft. Cool completely on the sheets on a cooling rack, and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula (or pry off the parchment, if using). Sprinkle with confectioners sugar before serving. Tried this recipe? Mention @savoringitaly or tag #savoringitaly Marblehead - The family of Wesley E. Carr Jr. announces his passing on June 9, 2021, after a brief illness. Born in Lynn, MA, on November 10, 1932, he was the son of the late Wesley E Carr and Helen McGann Carr. Wes graduated from Swampscott High School with the class of 1950, and he immedia The partys left has instead come up with the so-called Green New Deal to promote a quick transition to renewable energy. On one level, this is brilliant politics. A concern for the environment has often been posited as the environment vs. jobs. The Green New Deal smashes that formulation with a plan where clean energy can be good for jobs. Feel free to argue the policy details elsewhere, but politically, this is the environmental talking point that Democrats have lacked. Theres one big thing missing, though, and thats the rural piece at least a very specific rural piece. The point of the Green New Deal is to eliminate fossil fuels. That may be good news for the environment but bad news for communities that grew up around coal. So far, theres nothing in the Green New Deal for them except some vague words about transition assistance for affected communities, including unemployment and healthcare. Thats it? Democrats are basically offering coal country unemployment benefits? Theyd be better off if they could propose a way to make sure some of those new clean energy jobs were in former coal country. (Republicans ought to do this, too, by the way, although that may require more intervention in the free market than conservatives are comfortable with). Iowa voters may not be concerned about coal country, but we are. And then theres the larger question of technology jobs concentrating in a relative handful of places in the country which just happen to be Democratic strongholds. Are Democrats interested in figuring out a way to redistribute that wealth? Is there anything government can do about that anyway? Two of my sons were at the Indigenous America March on Friday. (My youngest son is very involved with Native American causes). I spoke to them late that afternoon and they told me that theyd seen several of the Pro-Life groups (again, most were wearing the MAGA hats) at their march, also. They saw several boys harassing the Native Americans over the course of the day. This was not a surprise because my son has seen this at many of the Native American rallies he has attended (this includes a busload of fraternity boys who pulled up to a pow wow, disembarked, and proceeded to dance and taunt the Native Americans). My sons told me about this prior to the viral video that we are all responding to this week. The risky but successful Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs resulted in man leaving the gravitational bonds of Earth to land on and explore another heavenly body using less computing power than a $10 pocket calculator of today. I believe history will show these and later American explorations of other planets will be as important to the future survival and security of the U.S. as was the survival of the Jamestown colony in 1607, the American Revolution, and winning WWII. It was not an easy task. The fire in Apollo 1s Command Module that killed three astronauts was a turning point for reaching the Moon in this decade. Apollo 8s historic mission took astronauts Lovell, Anders, and Borman to the far side of the Moon, orbiting ten times, and returning them safely to Earth. The risks were tremendous: it was the first human flight in the revamped Command Module, first human flight on the Saturn V rocket, first use of a keypad to enter commands into a computer, and the first trans lunar injection maneuver which used orbital calculations computed by African American women mathematicians using slide rules and mechanical calculators, as depicted in the movie Hidden Figures. These talented women were called computers before there were computers as we know them. CHICAGO It seems like every week theres a new Rorschach test that determines what kind of person you are and, therefore, whether youre someones political ally or enemy. The one that most recently emerged to annoy and inflame was a Gillette ad, which debuted its post-#MeToo messaging that we all need to dump the best a man can get for the best a man can be. The 30-second television spot, and its minute-and-a-half longer version, depicted men throwing off the apologist phrase boys will be boys, and it soon set off mens-rights activists, who felt the portrayals were demeaning. The ads message was: Bullying. Harassment. Is this the best a man can get? Its only by challenging ourselves to do more, that we can get closer to our best. Instead of excuses, we need to make a change. What some men intuited, however, was that Gillette was unfairly wagging its finger at their nonexistent boorishness and so-called toxic masculinity. Other men were infuriated that the ad portrayed them as having no self-control and seemed to suggest that attempting to speak to a pretty girl walking down the street amounted to an action that requires a friends intervention. The University of Virginia has joined 37 other hospitals in suing over a new federal rule that cuts some Medicare rates for outpatient hospital sites to match rates at doctors offices. The plaintiffs, which include the University of Kansas Hospital Authority, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and other hospitals in several states, challenge the new rule as an executive overreach that will cost hospitals $380 million in 2019 and $760 million in 2020. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Jan. 18. The Department of Health and Human Services rule, which took effect Jan. 1, is known as a site-neutral payment policy. It means that Medicare now pays the same rates for medical services regardless of whether they are provided in a physicians office or in a department located off a hospitals main campus. In general, services at hospital outpatient departments such as radiology, ultrasound and urgent care are more expensive to provide than in physicians offices because hospitals have stricter regulatory requirements, according to the complaint. CHRISTIANSBURG A local driving instructor with ties to the Virginia State Police is hoping to fill the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors seat that will be open upon the departure of Chris Tuck. Sherri Blevins, who operates the Christiansburg-based New River Valley Driving School Inc., said this past week that she will run as a Republican in the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors District B race. Blevins announcement comes on the heels of Tuck, a Republican and former board chairman, confirming that he wont seek a third term. District B, in central Montgomery with part of Christiansburg, is historically GOP-leaning. Ive had an interest in community events, school activities and whats going on in the community, Blevins said before adding that Tucks plan to not run again confirmed her decision to run. I just feel this would be a good time for me. Blevins is heavily involved in the community and one of her interests is the state polices recently opened area 49 field office off Cambria Street in Christiansburg. Blevins, who is married to a state trooper, is a supporter of eventually and permanently relocating the field office to some land across the street from Falling Branch Elementary School. Her bill says, Existing communities of interest shall be respected to the maximum extent practicable. She described last week communities of interest that are located in both Henrico County and Richmond. She said communities should not be split up, if possible. We need to decide whats more important: keeping communities of interest together or keeping jurisdictional boundaries together, she said. Suetterleins bill does say that consideration may be given to communities of interest by creating districts that do not carve up homogeneous neighborhoods or separate groups of people living in an area with similar interests or needs in transportation, employment or culture. General Assembly members draw their own district lines as well as Virginias congressional districts. The party with the majority typically draws lines to benefit itself. Districts boundaries will be redrawn in 2021, following the 2020 Census. So it seems an open question whether Suetterleins bill if it passes the House of Delegates is destined to have Northams veto pen come down on it again. Superintendent Mark Church said the proposed legislation came as a surprise. The next remedy is you can certainly appeal to the next court level, or I guess you can get a delegate or senator to pick it up and make a law, Church said. Church said he did not understand why asking for the documentation, which all parents who register their children in public schools must provide, was so controversial. We have a lot of issues out there, he said. I dont know that this is one that causes any real damage or harm for anyone. Church said the division has always asked for this information from parents who wish to home-school, and only adopted the policy in 2017 after someone questioned whether the school board had the authority to seek such information. The superintendent said he felt this issue should be decided by the courts, and noted that the local court had no problem with Franklin Countys policy. But if Heads bill becomes law, Church said the division obviously will comply. Head did not respond to requests for comment. Though Cowell said hes happy to have hit the 100,000 target for the first time in decades, he noted that the overall Roanoke metropolitan area has experienced only a modest level of growth. The metropolitan area has experienced a 1.7 percent increase in its population since 2010, according to Weldon Cooper estimates. We have room and we have reason to believe that we will continue to grow as a community, bringing more jobs in and more residents, Cowell said. Montgomery Countys population has not yet surpassed that of Roanoke, but Lombard said he expects it will in the 2020 census. Montgomery County has an estimated population of 99,433. Since 2010, the locality has added 5,041 people, or grown by 5.3 percent. Though Montgomery County benefits from a great number of college students, Lombard said the birth and death balance has been tightening. Births still outpace deaths, but not in large numbers. With a 10 percent increase in its population, the city of Radford has experienced the most growth of all localities in the Roanoke and New River valleys. It has an estimated population of 18,041. Lombard attributed much of that growth to expansion at the university. I can only guess at how Stan & Ollie will work for anyone unfamiliar with, or resistant to, the blithe charms of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy, whose bowler hats inspired Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot and whose beautiful rightness as two contrasting halves of a comic whole remains evergreen. Its a lot easier to say: It certainly works for me. For the record, Im the comedy nerd who pored over William K. Eversons The Films of Laurel and Hardy as a kid and later, in high school, first caught the duos 1937 feature Way Out West at the local Racine, Wisconsin, Jerry Lewis muscular dystrophy fundraiser. Enough personal inventory for one review. Tastes change; stars of one era, one century, cannot mean the same thing to audiences of another. Whatever your tastes, Stan & Ollie ranks as one of the best showbiz biopics of recent years, not because it explains the what and why of Laurel & Hardy, but because its a touching, gently sentimental evocation of a tricky decades-long working friendship. The castings terrific. Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly play the boys, Stan and Ollie aka Babe, and theyre wonderful enough to make you forget the (very good) prosthetic makeup and allow you to concentrate on the human feeling. Cold front hits region with force affecting entire Yucatan Peninsula Cancun, Riviera Maya, Q.R. A cold front that was predicted to hit the area landed with force that saw trees felled and maritime ports suspended before finally moving off. The storm, which effected the entire Yucatan Peninsula, landed Sunday afternoon with heavy rains and strong winds that knocked over trees and cut power several times. Cold Front No. 31 landed the Cancun, Playa del Carmen region Sunday afternoon with winds of nearly 70 km/h. Photo: Proteccion Civil Estatal According to Civil Protection Solidaridad, the cold front, which lasted only about an hour-and-a-half, toppled six city poles and felled 23 trees, one of which caused a human injury. Other tree-toppled injures were suffered by vehicles and properties including the large tree that uprooted along Playa del Carmens popular Fifth Avenue as shoppers were taking cover from the rain. Lucio Salvador Arguea, director of Municipal Civil Protection of Tulum reported only minimal material damages around Tulum. However, an exploding power line in Puerto Aventuras caused several boats, which were stored below the lines, to catch fire. The severe weather conditions, which were due to the junction of cold fronts 30 and 31 on the Yucatan Peninsula, caused Operation Storm to be activated in Quintana Roo. Citizens were asked to stay home as Civil Protection directorates activated their protocol, says the general director of the State Coordination of Civil Protection, Adrian Martinez. Photo: Proteccion Civil Estatal The strong winds caused some Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) cables to explode in several municipalities. Power failures were reported in some regions of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Puerto Aventuras. In Holbox and Isla Mujeres, there were reports of power cuts as well as a temporary navigation closure that began at 4:00 p.m. The port captain in Holbox, Jose Luis Ibarra Rojo, reported that the winds reached 40 knots, which is the equivalent to 70 kms/h, causing a temporary boat suspension. From Cancun to Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Felipe Carrillo Puerto and Tulum, civil officers urged the public to stay inside. Due to the strong winds and heavy rain, 22 flights were diverted from the Cancun International Airport, making a safe landing at nearby airports in Belize and Merida instead. The death of one person has been reported by Governor Carlos Joaquin in the municipality of Bacalar due to an accident caused by strong winds. The cold front hit other areas including Merida and Progresso where the public services unit in Merida announced the cancellation of an outdoor event due to the extreme weather. In Progreso, the same cold front produced strong winds and heavy rains that also toppled trees, and in some instances, took out street lights. Photo: SSP Yucatan Meteorologist Darwin Covarrubias said that this unusual cold front took less than 12 hours to travel through the Gulf of Mexico and when entering the warm zone of the Caribbean, created squalls that were not predicted. He says that at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, the local temperature was 30 C degrees, however, when the storm hit, the temperature dropped to 17.8 C degrees and that at 5:45 p.m. they had recorded a low of 12.2 C degrees. Darwin Covarrubias says that although the storm has left the region, the cool air will prevail over the next 48 hours. Imagine what would happen if everything in the U.S. that used electronics suddenly stopped working. Cars wouldnt run. Wed lose power, water, sewage, and communications. We would have no way to access money, fuel, or food. If a massive electromagnetic pulse (EMP) of energy were to fry the U.S. electrical grid, researchers say that millions of Americans could die. An EMP can occur when a nuclear bomb is detonated high above the atmosphere. When the massive energy hits the earth, it would be absorbed by electrical devices, any metal in its path, and the entire U.S. power grid. When an EMP hits, all circuitry is instantaneously destroyed. According to a report from the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from EMP Attack, several of Americas adversaries are developinig nuclear bombs designed to produce super-EMP waves that could destroy all electronics over a radius as wide as 1,500 miles. The recently declassified report warns that Nuclear EMP attack is part of the military doctrines, plans, and exercises of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran for a revolutionary new way of warfare against military forces and civilian critical infrastructures by cyber, sabotage, and EMP. By Justin Fairfax and Dick Saslaw President Trumps government shutdown has a negative impact on Virginia, perhaps more than on any other state. Virginia is the home of more than 130,000 federal workers across agencies and departments. It is estimated that more than 64,000 Virginians are going without paychecks due to the Trump shutdown. For those Virginians, there is no shutdown on bills coming due, rent and mortgage payments, or the need for groceries and other essentials. The challenges are even greater for those who are dependent on government programs for basic necessities where there is a threat of reduced or eliminated benefits. In addition to the devastating impact on individuals and families, the Trump shutdown is dealing a substantial economic blow to the Virginia economy. For every week the shutdown continues, Virginia loses $7 million in income taxes and receives less money to fund schools, transportation, and other critical areas of need. Simply put, the economic blow to Virginia of the presidents manufactured crisis is staggering. The total effects are not yet known, but in earlier shutdowns, Virginians lost $217 million in wages each day. He hurled insults and accused her of cheating on him. After she threw a glass of water in his face, Dalton choked her from behind. As she screamed for help, Dalton jammed his hand into her mouth, which caused bruising on the back of her trachea consistent with blunt-force trauma, Pather testified. Dalton then banged her head on the floor repeatedly, causing numerous injuries, including bruising on her neck and hemorrhaging in her eyes consistent with blunt-force trauma, according to testimony. Following the assault, Pather said, the survivor of the attack went to her personal doctor and then to the UVa Medical Center, where her injuries were documented. She then filed a police report. Additionally, Pather said, Dalton admitted in his initial interview with police officers that he wished that she had died. Rhonda Quagliana, Daltons defense attorney, said the plea agreement showed her client was taking responsibility for his actions. Two terms of the plea agreement a two-year protective order and a promise not to return to the UVa or Charlottesville were suggested by Dalton, she said. Judge Humes J. Franklin accepted the plea agreement and set Daltons sentencing for May 2. A 28-year-old man has been indicted on a manslaughter charge in Augusts hit-and-run death of a 4-year-old Chesterfield County boy, who police said was killed when the defendant slammed into the rear of the familys vehicle and fled. Authorities on Friday served Jose A. Gonzalez-Flores, a Guatemalan who authorities said is in the U.S. illegally, with an involuntary manslaughter indictment returned last Tuesday by a Chesterfield Circuit Court grand jury. Gonzalez-Flores already was being held without bond on charges of felony hit-and-run driving, possession of a controlled substance and driving without a license, third offense. Federal immigration authorities put a detainer on the defendant soon after his arrest in the Aug. 25 crash. Police say Gonzalez-Flores, who was living in Chesterfield, was behind the wheel of a borrowed 2011 Dodge pickup that slammed into the rear of a familys 2000 Toyota Camry, which was stopped in the right westbound lane of Belmont Road to make a turn onto Sue Jean Drive. In addition to killing Elias Camacho, 4, the wreck severely injured his parents and older brother. A teenager has received 35 years in prison for the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old Chesterfield County man in eastern Henrico County. Taiveon A. Tucker, 18, of Henrico was sentenced Friday for the Nov. 15, 2017, killing of RaQuan L. Mayo. Prosecutors said Tucker killed Mayo during a drug deal and robbery in the 4600 block of Needham Court. Prosecutors said Tucker had been sending texts to Mayo prior to the killing to get marijuana from the victim. Tucker was 17 at the time, but he was tried as an adult at an August trial in which jurors found him guilty of murdering Mayo during a robbery. The jury also found him guilty of two additional charges, robbery and using a firearm while committing a murder. B.J. McGee, an assistant commonwealths attorney for Henrico, said at Fridays sentencing hearing that Mayo lost his life over a small bag of marijuana. An armed 17-year-old young boy who was trying to purchase marijuana decided to take a life, McGee said. McGee said that Mayo, a Highland Springs High School graduate, was killed just days before the birth of his daughter, who is now 1 year old. The Franklin Street bike lane from Belvidere to 9th streets will be closed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday as hundreds of people march from Monroe Park to the State Capital for the "Red for Ed" march and rally, Richmond police said. Educators, administrators, school board members and superintendents are marching "to deliver a loud and clear message" about the need for more education funding from the General Assembly, according to a press release from the Virginia Education Association about the event. No parking will be allowed during these hours on the north side of Franklin Street adjacent to the bike lane, police said. Brown initially brushed off the shortage, Einhaus said. But then on March 16, 2017, Brown called the employee who initially confronted him into his office and handed her the missing $1,000. About two months later, the employee noticed a new $1,000 shortage from the petty cash drawer, Einhaus said. She and other employees became even more concerned, and Brown was confronted about the missing money. He admitted to knowing about it but did not know how he was going to pay it back, Einhaus said. Then over the July 4, 2017, weekend, the missing $1,000 reappeared in the petty cash fund as Petersburg was undergoing an independent city-wide audit. An official who helped conduct the audit interviewed Brown about the missing petty cash, and after a lengthy discussion, Brown admitted to taking the money in the fall of 2016 and again in the spring of 2017. His parents helped him pay it back, Einhaus said. About an hour later, Brown sent an email to the official confirming that he had been taking the money for personal needs. Assistant Chesterfield Commonwealths Attorney Ben Garrison, who co-prosecuted the case, asked the judge to sentence Brown above the guidelines to include some jail time. When Hallie Hovey-Murray was in college, one of her sorority sisters made a passing comment about another girl: Oh, shes so socially awkward, she probably has autism. It was just a passing comment, but it stuck with Hallie. She was on deadline for an online publication at Southern Methodist University and knew she had to address it. Hi, my name is Hallie and I have autism, she wrote. It was the first time shed been open about her autism in college. I didnt want to be judged because of it. I didnt want people to look at me differently, Hallie said. Most of my friends didnt even know until the whole school knew. She wrote that she had been diagnosed with autism when she was around age 10. She wrote about the challenges she faced, how she was told she wouldnt graduate high school until she was 21 but how she wouldnt allow autism to define her. She wrote that she was in a sorority, the president of speech and debate, and headed to law school at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg. If you want to buy a car, you can go to any dealership and pick based on ability to pay and make and model you want, Engelhard said. Health care works differently than other kinds of networks. The pricing lists are usually spreadsheets thousands of lines long and include nearly incomprehensible codes and medical abbreviations. And its often impossible for patients to know exactly what in the lists they will be charged for during their stays in the hospital, making it tough to predict the total cost. Furthermore, patients who are insured will see very different charges than the ones posted online, and actual charges often vary among health plans. Hospitals acknowledge the limited utility of the price lists. The amount patients actually pay for hospital services has more to do with the type of insurance coverage they have than amounts on the chargemaster [pricing list], said Malorie Burkett, director of public relations and communications for HCA Virginia. Government programs like Medicare and Medicaid determine how much they reimburse hospitals, and insurance plans negotiate rates. Bells estimates that the Richmond-area market and everything within the Loveland distribution territory, which extends from Caroline County to the north, to near the North Carolina line to the south, to Goochland County to the west and James City County to the east will represent a loss of about 60,000 cases of beer for the brewery annually. We really enjoyed selling beer in Richmond its a really good market for us, and we are sad not to be there, said Bell, the brewerys founder. Theyre a $33 billion company. This is small potatoes for them; its a big deal for us. Premium Distributors declined to comment for this story, citing pending litigation in a statement through its attorney. A representative for Virginia ABC said the matter is still in the scheduling stage and ABC is waiting for the parties to provide necessary information. Once the hearing is set, it could be months or weeks before a decision is made. That could be followed by an appeals process, Lisk said. In the meantime, Richmond-area beer drinkers are starting to notice that the Bells isnt being restocked. Two Hearted was in the top five beers sold at most of our locations, said Matthew Simmons, president of Capital Ale House Restaurants, whose three Richmond-area locations are known for their vast beer lists. People are sad for sure. A couple locations stockpiled some Two Hearted when they heard it was going away, but they will run out this week. MANSFIELD -- If you want to warm up on Wednesday, head to Anchorage, Alaska. It will be about 50 degrees warmer than in Mansfield. North central Ohio is about to experience its coldest weather in more than two decades, according to the National Weather Service office in Cleveland. The official weather forecasters predict an arctic blast of cold temperatures Tuesday evening through Thursday afternoon, bringing with it "extremely dangerous" wind chills. The forecast low for Mansfield on Wednesday will be 14 degrees below zero. The high in Anchorage on the same day will be 36 degrees ABOVE zero. Once the temperature gauge goes below zero on Tuesday night, it may remain below zero through Thursday. High temperatures across the area may not go above zero on Wednesday for the first time since January 1994 in many locations. Low temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday morning will be the coldest temperatures the region has felt since February 2015 and could break daily records by several degrees. From Tuesday evening to Thursday afternoon, winds will reach 10 to 20 mph across the area with gusts to 30 mph triggering wind chills of 25 to 35 degrees below zero, with some spots in northwest Ohio perhaps getting as as cold as 40 degrees below zero. This will create life-threatening cold conditions. Stay with Richland Source this week for updated weather information. MANSFIELDCatholic Charities is seeking exhibitors for the Ninth Annual Consumer Resource Fair to be held March 2 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Richland Mall, Mansfield. Participating organizations will provide free information on such topics as managing money and debt, protecting personal identification, wellness, and avoiding identify theft and scams. Registration for an exhibit space is free. Only 30 exhibitor spaces are available, and the deadline to register is Feb. 22. To register, please contact Laurie Hamrick, at 419-524-0733, ext. 226 or email lhamrick@toledodiocese.org. Catholic Charities has partnered with the Ohio Attorney Generals office for nine years to host this Consumer Resource Fair to educate and empower the community as part of National Consumer Protection Week. This year, National Consumer Protection Week is March 3-9. Annually, Catholic Charities serves 100,000 people of all faiths and backgrounds living in the 19 counties of the Diocese of Toledo, providing food, shelter, prescription and emergency rent assistance, education, adult advocacy services, and various social justice ministries. ONTARIO -- Approximately five months after acquiring the Richland Mall, the property's new owners are still excited about its potential. Since the mall was purchased by the Miami-based Lionheart Capital in a property transfer filed Aug. 31 with the Richland County Courthouse, several temporary tenants have signed longer leases and other prospective tenants have been contacted, according to Ashley Thornburg, the company's retail director. "I think we're very optimistic. We're thrilled that the tenants who have come up so far have committed to renew. That's a great sign for the vitality," Thornburg said. She also shared that the mall will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2019. She anticipates an event to celebrate the occasion later this year. "We are thrilled about this and the next 50," Thornburg said. The mall, located at 2209 Richland Mall in Ontario, was sold for $7.4 million by the Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as a trustee to Lionheart Capital, under the name Richland Mall Holdings LLC. Lionheart Capitals subsidiary, Out of the Box Ventures, is responsible for the property. Out of the Box Ventures aims to transform retail spaces into "dynamic mixed-use destinations designed to be as functional as they are impactful, Thornburg explained in a September 2018 interview. She was especially interested in the mall's proximity to the Avita Ontario Hospital. The hospital is owned independently but connected to the mall. "We want to improve food and beverage options for employees, patients and their families, and I think there will soon be demand for additional medical space in the mall," Thornburg said. Lionheart Capital also owns property in Maine, Michigan, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Richland Mall is Out of the Box Ventures first enclosed mall, but Thornburg has seen the company work wonders on shopping centers. She recalled how a shopping center in West Virginia was taken from 35 percent leased to 80 percent leased in recent years. With another prospective tenant, she expects 85 percent of the center will soon be filled. The businesses at Richland Mall, Thornburg said, reported a "really good holiday season." She hopes to continue moving the mall forward by considering capital improvements and refining the leasing strategy. "We're looking to stabilize and invest in the property for the long term," Thornburg said. MANSFIELD -- The North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC) has announced a business plan writing course and microloan program for low- to moderate-income entrepreneurs. The nine-session course will guide new business owners and potential entrepreneurs through the process of writing a business plan that can be used to launch a start-up. "We really want this to pave a pathway to prosperity for people with great ideas who have run into barriers in the past," said NECIC research and development coordinator, Edward Akinyemi. The course, led by a certified business advisor, covers executive summaries, business descriptions, market analysis, financial projections and more. Upon completing the course, students are then eligible to apply for a microloan from NECIC for no fee. Applicants must complete the course to be eligible to apply for a microloan. Loans begin at $500. The first course begins Thursday, Jan. 31 and continues through Feb. 28 with a graduation. The classes will be every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at NECIC, 134 N Main St., where attendance is mandatory. This course will be available throughout the year, so people are encouraged to apply for a later session if they can't attend the first session. The cost to attend the business plan writing course is $50. Scholarships are available. To be eligible, applicants must low- to moderate-income Richland County residents. They must be U.S. citizens and age 18 or older. Further, the class is meant for individuals with start-ups making less than $200,000 in annual revenue and those who are serious about starting a business. The course and microloan program were created out of NECIC's community economic development plan, which included data collection and surveys focused in the north end of Mansfield. "We asked what they'd like to see in the community, and they said more locally owned businesses, more African-American owned businesses and more businesses within walking distance," Akinyemi said. The course and microloan program are meant to address these three concerns. They are funded by a grant from the Ohio Community Development Corporation Association, and NECIC is still looking for local match money to grow the loan pool. To find out more information, visit necic-ohio.org or call Akinyemi at 419-522-1611, Ext. 127. WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Treasury Department says sanctions imposed on three companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska have been lifted. The action, which was strongly opposed by the Democratic-controlled U.S. House, was announced on January 27 in a statement by the Treasury. The Treasury said the removal of sanctions was based on the fact that aluminum giant Rusal, its parent company En+, and power firm EuroSibEnergo have reduced Oleg Deripaskas direct and indirect shareholding stake in these companies and severed his control." "This action ensures that the majority of directors on the En+ and Rusal boards will be independent directors -- including U.S. and European persons -- who have no business, professional, or family ties to Deripaska or any other [sanctioned individuals], and that independent U.S. persons vote a significant bloc of the shares of En+," it added. On January 28 in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the Treasury's decision to lift the sanctions against the three Russian companies, but reiterated Russia's view that the restrictions were "illegal from the angle of international law." The sanctions were initially imposed in April, but they roiled global metals markets, unnerving businesses in the United States and Europe; Rusal is one of the world's largest aluminum producers. The U.S. administration later reached a deal with the Russian firms to end Deripaska's control in return for a lifting of sanctions. On January 17, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to stop sanctions on the companies from being lifted. The vote was mainly symbolic, given a similar measure failed to be approved by the Senate a day earlier. President Donald Trumps administration had lobbied lawmakers hard not to pass the measure. U.S. critics have accused the president of making too many concessions to Russia with nothing in return, while Trump has insisted he has been tougher on Moscow than previous presidents. Many Democratic lawmakers, and even some Republicans, insist that it is inappropriate to ease the sanctions at a time while Special Counsel Robert Mueller is probing whether Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Moscow. "We are dealing with the enemy. We are in an investigation," Democrat Maxine Waters, chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, said before the House vote, which passed 362-53 in favor. Deripaska, who is widely believed to have close ties to the Kremlin, agreed to dispose of his controlling stakes in the companies. He himself remains subject to U.S. sanctions. According to the Russian state-run TASS news agency, Deripaska has reduced his stake in En+ to 44.95 percent from about 70 percent previously. In addition to his ties to the Kremlin, Deripaska also was a former business partner with Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign chairman. Manafort was convicted in federal court in Virginia in August 2017 of bank fraud and tax evasion connected to his work with pro-Russia elements in Ukraine. He later pleaded guilty in a separate case to two counts of conspiracy to avoid a second trial in Washington, D.C. With reporting by TASS and Interfax ALMATY -- A group of ethnic Kazakhs originally from China have urged the U.S. and Russian presidents to help secure the release of their relatives whom they say are being held at so-called reeducation camps in the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang. Some 30 Kazakhs from Xinjiang's Barkol-Kazakh Autonomous County made the call during a January 28 gathering at the Almaty office of the nongovernmental organization Atazhurt Volunteers. In a statement read out in the English and Russian languages, the participants urged U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to press for the release of their relatives. They said that their relatives had been detained while traveling between their native Xinjiang and the border with Kazakhstan or had been prevented from leaving China to join their families in Kazakhstan. The United Nations said in August that an estimated 1 million Muslims from Xinjiang, including ethnic Kazakhs, were being held in "counterextremism centers." The UN also said millions more had been forced into reeducation camps. In August, a court in Almaty refused to extradite Sairagul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh Chinese citizen who was wanted in China for illegal border crossing. Sauytbay fled China in April and testified in the Almaty court that thousands of ethnic Kazakhs, Uyghurs, and other Muslims in Xinjiang are undergoing "political indoctrination" at a network of "reeducation camps." She testified that Chinese authorities had forced her to train "political ideology" instructors for reeducation camps, giving her access to secret documents about what she called a state program to "reeducate" Muslims from indigenous ethnic communities. On January 28, the Almaty regional police department official, Elmurat Nurseitov, said that Sauytbay's asylum-seeker status had been prolonged until April 25. Uyghurs are the largest indigenous community in Xinjiang, followed by Kazakhs, and the region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and Hui, also known as Dungans. Han, China's largest ethnicity, are the second-largest community in Xinjiang. China denies that the facilities are internment camps. After Kazakhstan gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, many ethnic Kazakhs from Xinjiang and elsewhere benefited from Kazakhstan's state program on resettlement of ethnic Kazakhs into the country. Those who obtained permanent residence in Kazakhstan or Kazakh citizenship have continued to visit their relatives in Xinjiang on a regular basis. In recent months, Kazakh settlers from China held several public rallies in Almaty to protest against Beijing's policies in Xinjiang a sensitive issue in Kazakhstan. China is a major trading partner for the Central Asian nation, and the Kazakh state-controlled media have generally avoided reporting about the internment centers in Xinjiang. Senior U.S. officials say an international conference on the Middle East in Warsaw next month will not have an anti-Iran agenda. "This is not an anti-Iran meeting or coalition-building exercise," a senior U.S. administration official told a January 28 telephone briefing with journalists. The February 13-14 Ministerial to Promote Peace and Stability in the Middle East will include sessions on the situations in Syria and Yemen, missile development, terrorism and illicit finance, and cybersecurity, U.S. and Polish officials have said. The U.S. official briefing journalists said the ministerial has been focused from the start on "exploring a range of issues important to the regions security and prosperity." He added that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will certainly discuss U.S. concerns regarding "Iran's destructive policies in the region" at the meeting while adding that it was "difficult to speak about the regions challenges without referencing Iran." U.S. envoy to the UN Jonathan Cohen said on January 22 that the Warsaw ministerial was not aimed at demonizing or attacking Iran. Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said last week that Iran wasn't invited to the event. Yet, U.S. officials briefing journalists on January 28 declined to comment on whether Iran had received an invitation since then and whether Israel would attend the meeting. The senior officials said they were "very pleased" with the responses they had been receiving without offering more details. A senior Polish official speaking at the briefing expressed regret over Russia's decision not to attend the meeting while expressing hope that the decision was "reversible." Iran has called the conference an "anti-Iran U.S. circus," while warning that Tehran could resort to unspecified "counteraction" toward Poland. U.S. and Taliban officials have agreed in principle to the "framework" of a peace deal, U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said after five days of talks between the militant group and the United States in Qatar. Both sides have said "progress" had been made in the talks aimed at ending the 17-year conflict in Afghanistan. We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement, Khalilzad said in an interview with The New York Times in Kabul on January 28. In the framework, the militants agree to prevent Afghan territory from being used by groups such as Al-Qaeda to stage terrorist attacks. That could lead to a full pullout of U.S. combat troops, but only in return for the Taliban entering talks with the Afghan government and agreeing to a lasting cease-fire. The Taliban "committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals," Khalilzad was quoted as saying. "We felt enough confidence that we said we need to get this fleshed out, and details need to be worked out," he added, according to The New York Times. The Western-backed government in Kabul has struggled to fend off a resurgent Taliban and other militant groups. The Taliban has so far refused to hold direct negotiations with Afghan government officials, whom they dismiss as "puppets." In separate comments made at a meeting with the Afghan media in Kabul on January 28, Khalilzad said, "I have encouraged the Taliban to engage in direct talks with the Afghan government. It is our policy to get to intra-Afghan talks." The militants have said they will only begin talks with the government once a firm date for the withdrawal of U.S. troops has been agreed. In a televised address on January 28, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called on the Taliban to enter serious negotiations with the government in Kabul and "accept Afghans' demand for peace. "Either they join the great nation of Afghanistan with a united voice, or be the tool of foreign objectives," he told the militant group. Ghani spoke after Khalilzad briefed him and other Afghan officials in Kabul on the six-day talks he held with Taliban representatives in the Qatari capital, Doha, last week. The president's office quoted Khalilzad as saying he had held talks about the withdrawal of foreign troops and a possible cease-fire, but nothing was agreed upon. "The U.S. insisted in their talks with the Taliban that the only solution for lasting peace in Afghanistan is intra-Afghan talks," Khalilzad said, according to a statement. "My role is to facilitate" such talks between the insurgents and Kabul, Khalilzad was quoted as saying. The U.S. envoy said on January 26 that the United States and the Taliban had made "significant progress," adding that the Doha talks were "more productive than they have been in the past." He also emphasized that the sides have a number of issues left to work out, and that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. Meanwhile, acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said peace talks between the United States and the Taliban were "encouraging." "I'd say really the takeaway right now: it's encouraging," Shanahan said at the Pentagon. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that while there was "progress" at the meetings, reports of an agreement on a cease-fire were "not true." Mujahid also said in a statement that talks about "unresolved matters" will continue. Until the withdrawal of international troops was hammered out, "progress in other issues is impossible," he insisted. Another round of peace talks between the Taliban and the United States was tentatively set for February 25, the Reuters news agency quoted a Qatari Foreign Ministry official as saying on January 28. U.S. officials have said President Donald Trump wants to withdraw about half of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan. In reaction to the report, a senior Italian defense source was quoted by Reuters as saying that Italy was also considering pulling its troops out of Afghanistan within a year. "The time frame could be 12 months," the source said. Italy is currently committed to having 900 troops in Afghanistan as part of a NATO-led mission. With reporting by The New York Times, AP, dpa, and AFP, and RFE/RLs Radio Free Afghanistan Pakistan's Supreme Court is due to decide on January 29 whether to uphold its acquittal of a Christian woman at the center of a years-long blasphemy row. Asia Bibis lawyer, Saiful Mulook, said he expected the judges to reject a petition by Islamists for a review of their decision last year to acquit her. For Bibi, who has been in protective custody at a secret location since her acquittal in October, the court's decision could represent the final legal hurdle to her freedom. Bibi spent eight years on death row for blasphemy, a hugely sensitive charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan. The Supreme Court's decision to overturn her conviction ignited days of violent demonstrations, with radical Islamists calling for her killing as well as mutiny within the powerful military and the assassination of the country's top judges. The government has since launched a crackdown on the Tehrik-e Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party -- the Islamist group driving the violent protests -- charging its leaders with sedition and terrorism. But authorities also agreed to allow a final review of the Supreme Court's judgement. The TLP party said on January 28 that it would not accept any decision in favor of Bibi's release and asked its followers to prepare for more protests. Police have stepped up security around the Supreme Court in Islamabad ahead of the judges' decision. Bibi has always claimed her innocence and said she will leave the country as soon as her legal battles are over. Her daughters have fled to Canada, where they have been given asylum. Her lawyer also fled Pakistan after receiving death threats but returned to the country ahead of the Supreme Court's decision. Approximately 40 people are believed to be on death row or serving a life sentence for blasphemy in Pakistan, according to a 2018 report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. With reporting by AP and AFP Russian investigators are looking into allegations that a kindergarten teacher in Siberia tied children up and taped their mouths shut. In a January 28 statement, the Investigative Committee said it has begun a preliminary investigation into reports about the alleged abuse at a kindergarten in Omsk, a regional capital 2,230 kilometers east of Moscow. It said that media reports and Internet posts alleged that a female teacher at the kindergarten had bound children and shut their mouths with tape. The media reports stemmed from a post on the social network VKontakte in which an irate parent accused a teacher of doing this. The Omsk city authorities said on January 28 that the teacher named in the post has left Kindergarten No. 330 and no longer works there as of January 25. Following a January 25 request from a parent, the kindergarten director has formed a commission to examine the allegations, the city administration said. Last year, probes were launched into suspected mistreatment of children in two kindergartens in the Russian cities of Astrakhan and Saratov. With reporting by RIA Novosti A 28-year-old Belarusian escort who said she had evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election appears to have rowed back from her claims, in her first interview since being released from detention in Moscow. Anastasia Vashukevich, also known as Nastya Rybka, gained global notoriety and spent nearly a year in a Thai prison after saying she had recordings of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska discussing the election on his yacht in 2016. A member of so-called Gang of Eight that tried to take over the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991 has died in the city of Yekaterinburg. The Yekaterinburg city administration said on January 28 that Aleksandr Tizyakov, the former chief of the Soviet Union's Association of State Industrial Facilities, died at the age of 92. The cause and time of death was not made public. Tizyakov was a member of the group of eight Soviet officials that placed Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev under house arrest in August 1991. The group declared itself a provisional government or the State Committee for the Emergency Situation known by its Russian acronym, GKChP. The group also included three other senior Soviet political and military officials. One "Gang of Eight" member, Soviet Interior Minister Boris Pugo, committed suicide shortly after the coup collapsed. The 10 other men named as coup plotters were all granted amnesty by the State Duma on February 23, 1994 -- ending their 14-month trial, on high treason charges, by the military branch of the Supreme Court. They went on to play various roles in politics and the private sector in post-communist Russia. The leader of the group, Gennady Yanayev, who at the time declared himself acting President of the Soviet Union, died in Moscow at the age of 72 in September 2010. Currently, only two members of the GKChP are still alive -- 94-year-old Dmitry Yazov, who in 1991 was the Soviet Union's Defense Minister, and 86-year-old Oleg Baklanov, who was then Deputy Chairman of the presidential Defense Council. Many people in Kosovo do not know the quickest way to call police for an emergency. Experts say that's because there have been three different emergency numbers over the past 20 years, and there has never been an adequate public information campaign informing people of the latest change -- made 11 years ago. Interviews by RFE/RL reveal that many older Kosovars still think they should call 092 -- the police dispatch number 20 years ago when Yugoslavia's former president, Slobodan Milosevic, was in power. But after the Kosovo War ended in 1999 and a United Nations interim administration was set up in Pristina, the emergency police number was changed to 112 -- the same number used in more than 100 countries. The number for direct calls to Kosovo's police dispatch centers was changed again, to 192, after Pristina declared independence from Serbia in 2008. 'Big Failure' Plator Avdiu, a law enforcement expert at the Pristina-based Kosovo Center for Security Studies, says authorities should be concerned. "It has been years since they've changed that number, but people are still not informed," Avdiu told RFE/RL. "This is a big failure that the Kosovo Police should address." Kosovo Police spokesman Baki Kelani could not say how many Kosovars know they should call police at 192 in an emergency. "It's a public number published on our official website and in all Kosovo Police leaflets," Kelani said. "Citizens should know this number," he said. "But even if they don't know it, I believe they know to call 112 and they will be transferred" to a police dispatcher in their area. However, critics of the transfer process for handling 112 calls say it slows the response time and forces callers to repeat basic information. They say that extra time could mean the difference between life and death in some emergencies. Out of more than 50 people recently questioned by RFE/RL on the streets of Pristina, fewer than a dozen knew to call 192. Only half knew the 112 number, despite the fact that it was written on new police cars deployed in Kosovo from 1999 to 2008. About a quarter of Kosovars questioned by RFE/RL thought from watching American television programs and movies that Kosovo's emergency police number was 911. Others responded with nonexistent numbers such as 991 and 999. Wherever a caller is in Kosovo, phoning 192 automatically puts them in contact with the closest local police-dispatch center. 300,000 Emergency Calls Calls from Pristina and the surrounding area go to a municipal police unit known as Alpha Control where four dispatchers work a typical daytime shift in a room that is crowded with CCTV monitors. One dispatcher there told RFE/RL that "most people call 112 in an emergency and their call is transferred to us." Dispatch records show more than 300,000 emergency calls were made in 2018 across Kosovo using both the 112 and 192 numbers. Naim Ramizi, a 35-year-old restaurant owner in Pristina, told RFE/RL that public service announcements should be broadcast in Kosovo to make people more aware about calling 192 in an emergency. "There should be a public information campaign to inform people on the evening news on television because that is watched by a lot of people," Ramizi said. "Even a short advertisement of three to four seconds would be enough to inform people," Ramizi said. Naile Hajvazi, a woman in her 50s from the village of Hajvalia to the southeast of Pristina, said mobile-telephone providers like Kosovo Telecom also should be engaged as part of a public awareness campaign. "They should send out text messages to everyone about this 192 number so everyone will know the correct number," Hajvazi told RFE/RL. Written by Ron Synovitz in Prague with reporting by Taulant Qenaj in Pristina KYIV -- The social-media giant Facebook has announced that it will prohibit electoral ads bought outside Ukraine from appearing there in the run-up to the country's presidential election this spring. The move is part of the social network's global response to the outcry over false or misleading stories disseminated via its 2 billion users, and is certain to be welcomed by officials in Kyiv. Ukraine has warned Facebook for years about alleged Moscow-backed disinformation campaigns on its platform, including "fake news" to foment distrust in its pro-Western government and to promote support of Moscow's annexation of Crimea and backing of separatists in the countrys east. Facebook made the announcement in a January 28 post outlining its efforts to protect elections this year in India, Israel, Nigeria, and Ukraine. It said the measures would be introduced globally before the end of June. Ukrainians will vote for a president in the first of two possible rounds on March 31, with a field of more than two dozen candidates likely to challenge President Petro Poroshenko, who has not officially announced his candidacy. "Protecting the integrity of elections while making sure people can have a voice is a top priority for Facebook," Anika Geisel, from Facebook's public-policy department focused on Europe, wrote of the new policy in a post on protecting European Parliamentary elections that was also published on January 28. Searchable Library As part of the new measure, advertisers will need to be authorized to purchase political ads, and the company will give people additional information about advertisements related to politics and issues. It will create a publicly searchable library of advertisements for up to seven years that will include information on the range of each advertisement's budget, its reach, and demographics of those who viewed the advertisement, including age, gender, and location. It is unclear when the new measure will come into force in Ukraine, which has been targeted by Russian disinformation campaigns via traditional media outlets and social media, especially on Facebook. The government in Kyiv has for years complained of account takedowns and "fake news" as part of what Poroshenko calls "hybrid aggression against our nation." Dmitro Zolotukhin, Ukraine's deputy minister of information policy, told RFE/RL that he met with Facebook officials in Kyiv last week to discuss the new advertising measures and that he was pleased with them. "I have underlined that we have monitored malicious activity on [Facebook]. We think that it's highly possible that [the] Kremlin is the source of this hostile activity," he said. "We are welcoming positive steps of [Facebook] in this area." Western intelligence agencies and disinformation experts have blamed their Russian counterparts for alleged cybermeddling in the U.K. Brexit vote and the U.S. presidential election in 2016, as well as in a French presidential election and national elections in Germany. Those efforts have purportedly included phishing scams, hacks or attempted hacks, and social-media components such as deploying fictitious individuals and organizations to fuel divisive debates. Cautious Welcome Experts have welcomed Facebook's most recent move but cautioned that it is unlikely to completely stamp out Russian disinformation. "Introducing regulations around political advertising is a good first step in fighting election-related disinformation, but especially in a country like Ukraine, which for years has been Russia's laboratory for testing and honing disinformation tactics, it is not nearly enough," Nina Jankowicz, a global fellow at the Washington-based Wilson Center's Kennan Institute focused on Russian disinformation, told RFE/RL. However, she warned, "these advertising rules can be quite easily circumvented, especially in a country like Ukraine which has many ties with Russia." "It would be easy for a layman, let alone a member of the Russian security services, to exploit the loopholes in the geographic requirements and still purchase ads," Jankowicz added. The new Facebook measure comes after the company announced earlier this month that it had removed hundreds of pages, groups, and accounts on its Facebook and Instagram platforms that it found were part of two online disinformation operations targeting users across the former Soviet space. "The two operations we found originated in Russia, and one was active in a variety of countries while the other was specific to Ukraine," Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said in a statement on January 17. Facebook found employees of Russia's state-run Sputnik information agency to be "linked" to 364 pages and accounts used in one of the operations. Uzbekistan has extradited a man suspected of embezzlement to neighboring Kazakhstan, the latest development in a politically-charged case involving the Kazakh bank BTA. The Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office said on January 28 that Artur Trofimov was suspected of embezzling and laundering significant amounts of cash from BTA in 2005-2009. It said that Trofimov, whose citizenship was not disclosed, is also suspected of creating and leading an organized criminal group. In 2005-2009, the head of BTA bank was Mukhtar Ablyazov, a vocal critic of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev who is now a fugitive and lives in France. In 2017, a court in Kazakhstan convicted Ablyazov in absentia of embezzlement, abuse of office, and organizing a criminal group, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. In a separate case, Ablyazov was convicted in November 2018 of organizing the 2004 murder of Erzhan Tatishev, the head of the TuranAlem bank, which was later renamed BTA. He was sentenced in absentia to life in prison. Ablyazov denies all the charges, saying they are politically motivated, and has called the claim that he ordered Tatishev's killing a "lie." Several politicians and activists have fled Kazakhstan in recent years, fearing for their safety or anticipating politically motivated prosecution. Opponents and rights groups say that Nazarbaev, who has held power in the energy-producing Central Asian nation since before the 1991 Soviet breakup, has taken systematic steps to suppress dissent and sideline potential opponents. Facebook says it is beefing up its rules and safeguards regarding political advertisements to "prevent foreign interference" in elections in Europe and elsewhere. The additional tools will be launched in the European Union in late March to help "make political advertising on Facebook more transparent," the U.S. tech giant's head of global policy and communications, Nick Clegg, said in Brussels on January 28. The new rules will require political ads linked to the EU elections in May to be "authorized" and tagged with a "paid for by" disclaimer. Clegg, a former British deputy prime minister hired by Facebook in October, said these tools will cover ads that "don't explicitly back one candidate or political party but which focus on highly politicized topics like immigration." All political ads will be stored in a "publicly searchable library" for up to seven years, along with the details of their reach and specific data on the buyer. In a blog post, the world's largest social network said that "the transparency tools for electoral ads will also launch in India in February and in Ukraine and Israel before their elections, with a global expansion before the end of June. Ukraine holds a presidential election on March 31, with a field of more than two dozen candidates likely to challenge President Petro Poroshenko, who has not officially announced his candidacy. The measures are similar to those adopted for the November 2018 mid-term elections in the United States, Clegg said. Facebook has been criticized over the last two years for not acting fast enough to combat fake news, propaganda operations, and extremist content spread on its platforms. Ukraine has repeatedly warned Facebook about alleged Moscow-backed disinformation campaigns on its platform, including "fake news" to foment distrust in its pro-Western government and to promote support of Moscow's annexation of Crimea and backing of separatists in the countrys east. Facebook and Twitter removed millions of posts and closed accounts linked to influence operations by Russia, Iran, and other actors ahead of the 2018 U.S. polls. The U.S. intelligence community concluded in 2017 that Russia used a campaign of spreading propaganda on social media and hacking Democratic documents to try to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election in President Donald Trump's favor. U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Russia's role and whether there was any collusion by associates of Trump, who denies there was and calls the probe a "witch hunt." Russia denies interfering. The former chief of a company involved in the often-delayed, corruption-plagued construction of Russia's new space launch facility has been found dead in a suspected suicide, media reports say. Dmitry Savin, 54, was found dead in the backyard of his home on the outskirts of Moscow on January 27, Russian media reported. Savin had a gunshot wound to his head and a gun he owned was found nearby, according to the reports, which cited law enforcement officials they did not identify. Savin was a former deputy head of the construction company Dalspetsstroi, the main contractor for the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur Oblast near the border with China. He left the job in March 2015, amid strikes by workers over unpaid wages and government criticism over delays in completing construction of the facility, which is intended to reduce Russia's dependence on the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. At the time, then-Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin wrote on Facebook that he had asked a superior to dismiss Savin because he had tried to hide the wage arrears, state-run RIA-Novosti news agency reported. Rogozin, who now heads the Russian space agency Roskosmos, also said at the time that Savin had arranged for his wife to receive a highly lucrative job at the facility. The Vostochny project has been dogged by delays and evidence of corruption. Several people involved in its planning and construction have also been arrested on embezzlement and fraud charges. Savin was replaced by Yury Volkodav, who is currently under arrest on a charge of abusing his position. Savin's predecessor in the post, Yury Khrizman, was convicted of embezzlement and other crimes and sentenced to 12 years in prison in February 2018. The first launch from Vostochny took place in April 2016, after a one-day delay caused by a technical glitch that angered President Vladimir Putin, who was present for the launch. The launch was successful, but one of the satellites put into orbit by the rocket soon stopped functioning. Three successful launches -- all unmanned -- have been conducted from Vostochny, including on December 27, 2018. With reporting by RIA, Kommersant, TASS, Interfax, and Space News Some 250 people rallied in Greece's second-largest city to protest ratification of a historic deal set to lead to normalization of relations with neighboring Macedonia. The demonstrators gathered outside the main concert hall in Thessaloniki on January 27, with protests timed to coincide with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos's arrival at an International Holocaust Remembrance Day concert. Protesters said they were angry at Pavlopoulos for not standing up against the agreement, under which Macedonia would officially change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia. The protest numbers were much smaller than in demonstrations that took place prior to ratification of the deal by both countries' parliaments. Athens has long argued that use of the term Macedonia implies territorial claims on Greeces northern province of the same name and on its ancient heritage. The deal, signed last year by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his Macedonian counterpart, Zoran Zaev, could pave the way for Macedonia to seek membership in the European Union and NATO. The deal has met with opposition in both Greece and Macedonia, with mainly nationalist critics saying it makes too many concessions to the other side. After a bitter debate, the Greek parliament on January 25 narrowly approved the agreement in a move welcomed by the EU and the United States. The deal had already been ratified by Macedonia's parliament. Based on reporting by AP and The New York Times Chinese authorities are detaining and questioning Tibetans working to block illegal fishing at the provinces scenic Qinghai Lake, saying the Tibetans are intruding on their own responsibilities to enforce the law, local sources say. Chinese fishermen caught fishing in the lake are frequently released, though, after complaining that Tibetans have seized their nets and other fishing gear, one resident of the area told RFAs Tibetan Service. When the Tibetan activists take away the fishing nets and hand them over to the police, this results in disputes with the fishermen, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Chinas central government has declared the area of Qinghai Lake, also called Kokonor, a tourist area and the lakes fish a protected species, and have promised that anyone caught fishing in the lake will be punished according to the law, the source said. But since the fishermen have good relations with the local police, they are quickly set free, while the Tibetans are held for questioning. Some of the local activists have been held for several days on charges of bad behavior, though most are released after being questioned for a few hours. One activist had recently been held for four days, and was asked if he and his group had sent pictures or video clips to contacts outside the country, and whether they were being organized and directed by outside forces, the source said. The authorities are angry with the local activists and accuse them of interfering with their own mandate to conserve and protect the environment of the lake, telling them they are turning the poaching issue into a big deal and are blowing it out of proportion, he said. Also speaking to RFA, a second Tibetan source said that teams of volunteers from many communities around the lake have been working around the clock to stop fishing in the lake. Defending a sacred lake We confiscate fishermens nets and their other gear and hand them over to the police, the source said, adding, But were the only ones who get in trouble. Tibetans are against fishing in the lake because of their religious beliefs. They consider it a sacred lake, the source said, also speaking on condition he not be named. There are many Tibetan monasteries around the lake area, and Tibetans traditionally do not eat fish, he said. Incidents of illegal fishing have increased in recent years around Qinghai Lake, with local Tibetans stepping up monitoring activities in response, sources told RFA in earlier reports. Directives from Chinas central government urging protection of Tibets vulnerable environment are often flouted at the local level by Han Chinese migrants to the area, experts say. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. A Myanmar family displaced by fighting between government troops and the Arakan Army take shelter at a displacement camp in Kyauktaw township, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Dec 23, 2018. Myanmar soldiers and rebel Arakan Army troops exchanged fire for four hours Monday morning near Ohn Chaung village in restive Rakhine states Rathedaung township, with soldiers returning with border guards later in the day to search and loot homes, residents said. Fighting between the two forces intensified in northern Rakhine following deadly coordinated attacks by Arakan fighters on police outposts in neighboring Buthidaung township on Jan. 4, though it remains unclear what prompted the skirmish in Ohn Chaung village, they said. We didnt even have our breakfast when the fighting started, said a resident who declined to be named out of fear for his safety, adding that government troops began shooting into the village at 8 a.m. with small and heavy weapons. We are in big trouble, he told RFAs Myanmar Service. We dont know why they were shooting like that. Some villagers have fled. Those who live near the creek fled by boats to the other side, but we were not able to flee. In the evening, military and Border Guard Police (BGP) officers searched houses in the village and took residents jewelry, money, and mobile phones, the villager said. Those who sought safety in nearby villages are afraid of returning home because the military and BGP are still conducting searches of the roughly 80 houses in the community, he said. Locals said the military unit stationed near Thamee Hla village went to the conflict area to help their comrades, said Tin Maung Win, a lawmaker who represents the Ratheduang constituency in the regional parliament and is currently visiting the township. People are frightened, he said. They are worried with thoughts of what could happen to them when the government army comes to their village again. Thamee Hla village raid Myanmar soldiers raided Thamee Hla village on Saturday, looting gold, jewelry, cash, and mobile phones from villagers, ethnic Rakhine lawmakers told the online journal The Irrawaddy. Regional lawmaker Than Naing, who visited the village to talk to residents, said on social media that only 10 of the communitys 84 homes had not been hit by artillery fire, The Irrawaddy said. Two women from Thamee Hla were also wounded by artillery shells, and a seven-year old child was injured by artillery explosion near his home. The boy was sent to Sittwe General Hospital, but had to be transferred to a medical facility in the commercial city Yangon because his condition had not improved, locals told RFA. It was later reported on social media that the boy had succumbed to his injuries, though RFA could not confirm this. Thamee Hla villager Aung Win told Than Naing that army soldiers took about a quarter pound of jewelry while holding all residents inside a school building without food or water from Saturday morning until Monday evening, The Irrawaddy said. Than Naing and another lawmaker said they would file complaints with evidence with relevant authorities, including the office of Myanmar military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, it said. Military spokesman Zaw Min Tun denied that the raid took place. Residents injured After a mine exploded and hit a military column near Thamee Hla in north Rathedaung on Jan. 26, the government army began clearance operations in the village, injuring villagers in the process, residents said. Three men were treated at Rathedaung Hospital on Sunday because of the injuries caused by government soldiers, they said. Government troops came into the village shooting at random, said Maung Win Hlaing, who sustained a head injuring from beatings by soldiers. They called us to come out of our houses, and then beat us. They kicked our heads and foreheads, and we got injuries from the kickings. They later untied us around 4 p.m. and brought us to where other villagers were gathered, he said. We could go back home around 7 p.m. The Arakan Army (AA) confirmed the clash near Thamee Hla village on its website and accused government troops of committing rights violations against civilians, including detaining villagers at the school, beating up some of the men, and arresting but later freeing two residents, according to the The Irrawaddy report. The AA also said it has documented other rights abuses committed by military troops in northern Rakhine and will officially lodge complaints with the International Criminal Court in April, it said. When RFA contacted Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun from the Myanmar militarys information team to ask him about hostilities in the two locales, he said he could not confirm Mondays clash. He also said that if government soldiers had committed any human rights violations on Jan. 26, action would be taken against those responsible if there was concrete evidence against them. We have our procedures to investigate step by step if we receive a complaint, he said. We have to investigate according to military discipline and the administrative system. We dont ignore any complaints from people, he said. We investigate cases whether they are true or not and take action as needed. About 13 civilians have been injured in hostilities between government forces and the AA since early January, locals said. The total number of casualties from both sides could not be confirmed. The U.N.s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a statement Monday putting the number of displaced civilians from fighting in Rathedaung, Buthidaung, and Ponnagyun townships at 5,200 as of Jan. 25. Authorities have blocked travel to some of the conflict areas, preventing humanitarian and development work in the region, the statement said. The government military in December declared a four-month cease-fire in five of its command zones, except for Rakhine state, in an effort to get armed rebel groups to come to the negotiating table and end ongoing hostilities. The AA is fighting for greater autonomy for Rakhine state. Reported by Min Thein Aung for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang discuss bilateral issues at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Aug. 20, 2018. Malaysia has canceled a $20 billion rail project financed by China, a minister said Saturday, citing high interest costs for the governments decision as he offered the clearest statement that one of Beijings largest One Belt, One Road infrastructure initiatives would be scrapped. Kuala Lumpur, Chinas biggest trading partner in Southeast Asia after Vietnam, has pushed back against Chinese dominance in its economy since Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad returned to power after a stunning electoral triumph in May last year, stalling billions of dollars of contracts. We cannot afford it, Mohamed Azmin Ali, Malaysias economic affairs minister, told reporters after attending a media event outside the nations capital. The cabinet decided to scrap the project because the cost of development is too high, and we do not have the financial capability at the moment." Azmin was referring to the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a 688-km (430-mile) railway that would have connected the western and eastern coasts of the Malaysian peninsula. The project was being built with contractor China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC). The decision has been finalized during a Cabinet meeting two days ago," he said. It is better for us to make a decision [now] because the investor would also like to have clarity and we have made a decision." Pushing through with the railway would involve interest payments amounting to half a billion ringgit ($120 million) a year, Azmin said, emphasizing that the project will be terminated without antagonizing one of the nations largest investment benefactors. Kuala Lumpur ran a trade surplus with Beijing last year. It exported palm oil, electronics and liquefied petroleum gas to China, accumulating a trade volume of $92.4 billion that includes imports of machinery and electronic products. Concern over influence The ministers statement came against the backdrop of growing concern about Chinas spreading influence in Southeast Asia, mostly as a result of Beijings multibillion-dollar infrastructure initiative to build roads, railways, and ports, a move that has stoked fears of ballooning debt in the region's poor nations. It was not clear if CCCC, the contractor, has been informed of the governments decision. Azmin also did not say how much compensation Malaysia would shell out for terminating the project, explaining that the amount would be determined by the finance ministry. Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said the cancellation would not affect overall bilateral relations between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing. Of course, it would strain relations a bit, but the overall bilateral relations, economic and otherwise, remain fundamentally strong and not to be soured just due to one project, he told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. But political analyst Awang Azman Awang Pawi said the announcement might slightly impact bilateral ties. It will hurt ties between Malaysia and Chine a bit but it depends on the compensation, he said. If the amount can be agreed, I do not think this will become a major problem. Both countries can work again in the future. Conflicting statements Azmins statement appeared to contradict earlier remarks from other cabinet officials, including Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, who had said that the decision on the project was not final, according to the South China Morning Post. But the newspaper quoted two unnamed sources with knowledge of the cabinets decision as saying that Azmin had expressed Malaysias final position: that the existing contract with CCCC would be terminated. The Singapore-based Straits Times newspaper reported that the contract, which was supposed to receive financing from the Export-Import Bank of China, was terminated after Malaysia failed to reduce the project cost by about one half. Mahathir, 93, told reporters on Thursday that he was not sure whether the ECRL contract had been terminated, as he had just returned from work visits in the UK and Vienna. I just came back from overseas, he said. Early this month, Chinas envoy to Malaysia Bi Tian said he hoped that negotiations to resume ECRL construction would succeed. He made the statement after Mahathir said the project might proceed but on a smaller scale. 'Game changer' The railway project was among the $34 billion worth of infrastructure projects approved by the previous government of Najib Razak, who once hailed it as a game changer for the Muslim-majority nation. According to a report released last year by the U.S.- China Economic and Security Review Commission, the ECRL project is the second-largest One Belt, One Road project. The planned 772-km (482-mile) high-speed railway line connecting Moscow with Kazan city in the Russian Federation would cost slightly higher at $21.4 billion, it said. Najib, who has enthusiastically endorsed Beijing-linked projects, faces 39 criminal charges linked to the troubled state development fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, which he established in 2009. The U.S. Justice Department alleges that almost $4.5 billion (18.7 billion ringgit) from the state fund was embezzled and laundered through real estate and other assets. Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has fired his ambassador to Beijing after he made comments about an ongoing extradition process involving Meng Wanzhou, a top executive with China's flagship telecom giant Huawei. John McCallum was fired after he told the Toronto Star newspaper on Friday that it would be "great" if the U.S. dropped its extradition request for Meng, who is currently under house arrest at her Vancouver home after her arrest on Dec. 1 at Washington's request. His comment came after he had retracted an earlier comment to the effect that Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer, had a strong argument to make against being extradited. McCallum's sacking prompted a chorus of protest and support from Chinese newspapers, which are tasked with promoting the views of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. The Global Times newspaper said in an editorial that the move "reveals political interference," in Meng's case, which has soured ties with Beijing. Ottawa is now as "sensitive as a frightened bird," the newspaper said, adding that Trudeau's government "knew the geopolitics in the case from the very beginning, but were afraid to point them out." "You cannot live the life of a whore and expect a monument to your chastity," the paper said, citing a Chinese folk saying. The paper also ran an opinion article containing personal attacks on the journalist who reported the former diplomat's comments on Friday, while Ling Shengli, an analyst with the China Foreign Affairs University, a diplomatic school under the aegis of the foreign ministry, hinted that Beijing would like to see McCallum reinstated. "If McCallum could stay on [in] his position, he may help reduce the damage that Meng's case would bring to bilateral relations," Ling wrote. The English-language China Daily wrote that "McCallum was merely stating the truth when he observed that Meng has a strong case against extradition, which he rightly said was politically motivated." U.S. authorities must file a formal extradition request for Meng by Jan. 30. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Monday repeated Beijing's call for Canada to free Meng, saying her extradition case "is by no means a simple judicial case." "There are strong political motives and manipulation behind it," Geng said. At least 13 Canadians were detained in China after Chinese officials vowed to retaliate for the arrest of Meng, who is wanted for questioning by investigators in the U.S. over alleged bank fraud linked to the breach of sanctions against Iran. While at least eight have since been released, a court in the northeastern city of Dalian on Dec. 29 handed down the death penalty to Canadian national Robert Schellenberg, who was originally sentenced to 15 years in prison for drug smuggling last November. Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and consultant Michael Spavor remain in detention on suspicion of "endangering national security." 'National security threat' Meanwhile, national security researchers at George Mason University published a report warning that Huawei should be regarded as a potential security threat as governments around the world begin tendering for next-generation 5G mobile network infrastructure, given a 2017 Chinese law requiring Chinese companies and citizens to comply with spying requests from the government. "Huawei and ZTE represent a serious, long-term national security threat to the U.S. that expands exponentially with the advent of 5G," the report, released on Jan. 24 and authored by Andy Keiser and Bryan Smith, said. "Both Huawei and ZTE have their origins in the Chinese state, remain integrated with the Chinese Communist Party, and are bound by Chinese law and policy to serve state security and economic interests," it said. The report refers to past allegations that Huawei has offered bribes in order to further its agenda, and that both companies have violated sanction orders issued by the U.S. Both companies have a history of actions ranging from troublesome to illegalinvolving bribery, corruption, and sanctions evasion, as well as a record of supplying technological tools being deployed by authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent." Huawei has repeatedly insisted that it is a private company with no ties to the state. But Feng Chongyi, associate professor in China Studies at Sydney's University of Technology, said the top private Chinese companies are also an inalienable part of China's ruling elite. "It's not just the state-owned enterprises," Feng said. "Quite a few private companies have close ties with either the government, or with the Chinese [political] elite." "They are expected to behave in a far more supportive and patriotic way than other companies," he said. "The Huawei affair has been a clash between the Chinese political system and that of the democratic world." "Democratic nations have to re-establish the rules, if they have been broken or bent by Huawei or by other top executives with a special [political] background," Feng said. 'Like a virus' The United States, France and other western nations have also warned that using Huawei base stations and other equipment could give Beijing access to critical network infrastructure worldwide, possibly enabling high-level espionage. Germany-based law scholar Qian Yuejun, who edits the China-Europe Herald newspaper, said Huawei obeys the Chinese government's orders in all things. "This is because China is a dictatorship, and Chinese tech is like a virus," Qian said. "Hidden threats in Huawei technology are like viruses." "The whole world will be interconnected in future," he said. "When the Chinese government feels it needs to do so, it can collect all of your data." "It could paralyze an entire country if it wanted to stop you speaking out," he said. China's envoy to the E.U. told the Financial Times on Monday that Huawei was the victim of slander. "It is not helpful to make slander, discrimination, pressure, coercion or speculation against anyone else," the paper quoted Ambassador Zhang Ming as saying. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has previously said the warnings about Huawei are "unfair and immoral". Reported by Liu Fei for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Ng Yik-tung and Wen Yuqing for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Li Wenzu, wife of imprisoned Chinese lawyer Wang Quanzhang, wears a shirt with an image of her husband on it as she looks through family photos at her home in Beijing, Jan. 28, 2019. A court in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin on Monday jailed a former top human rights lawyer for four-and-a-half years after finding him guilty of "subversion of state power." "On the morning of Jan. 28, 2019, the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court publicly announced its judgment in the first instance in the case of defendant Wang Quanzhang, accused of subversion of state power," the court said in an announcement on its official website. "[The court] found Wang Quanzhang guilty of subversion of state power, and sentenced him to four years, six months in prison," the announcement said. The verdict and sentence follow repeated delays resulting in Wang being held in pretrial detention of more than three years. "This decision is totally unacceptable to me," Wang's wife Li Wenzu told RFA after hearing the news. "My biggest fear is for Wang Quanzhang's health." She said Wang won't be released for another year or so, placing him in a vulnerable position as he serves out the rest of his term in prison. "I just want him to come home safe and healthy, because there is a particular sort of mistreatment reserved for political prisoners in China," she said, citing the 2017 death in custody of Nobel peace laureate and political prisoner Liu Xiaobo. "Take Liu Xiaobo," Li said. "He never got out of prison alive, and there have been too many others like him. What's going to happen to him in the next year or so?" "Will they continue to give him a hard time? We will keep fighting for his rights." She said she has been prevented from visiting Wang since his detention in 2015, and she won't be able to begin monthly family prison visits until after any appeals process is exhausted. "He won't start his prison term until the appeal decision takes effect," Li said. "I will be able to visit him then; this has been very hard for me, and I expect them to put various other obstacles in my way." Wang reportedly fired his state-appointed lawyer at the start of his Dec. 26 trial, an action which should have resulted in an adjournment, but the court said the verdict would be announced anyway. Li said later that the trial was "never going to be anything other than going through the motions" and that the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court had been in breach of legal time limits for pretrial detention since her husband's initial detention in July 2015. "They pushed through his sentence anyway, because Wang Quanzhang never gave in, and refused to compromise or to plead guilty," she said on Monday. "Wang Quanzhang is innocent. The guilty ones are the prosecutors and the judges." Li said she thinks it likely that Wang will appeal. "I will understand and support him whatever he decides," she said. "I will take care of our child until he comes home." Ridiculous verdict Wang's former defense attorney Lin Qilei, who was never allowed to meet with his client, dismissed the verdict as "ridiculous." "He was locked up by the authorities for more than three years with no trial, which goes to show that the authorities didn't think they had a case that would stand up," Lin said. Lin said the four-year jail term was relatively lenient compared with the rumors of much longer sentences that had emerged in recent months, and that this could be due to Li's role in boosting international support and concern for her husband. "It seems that protest and resistance have paid off to some extent," he said. Fellow rights lawyer Xie Yanyi, who was also among more than 300 lawyers, law firm staff and rights activists detained, questioned and placed under various restrictions in a nationwide police operation starting in July 2015, said he believes the authorities have held Wang incommunicado to mask evidence of torture. "I still think torture is at the heart of the matter; I too have experienced it," Xie said. "I am absolutely sure that the main reason is that the authorities wants to cover up torture that has taken place." U.S.-based legal scholar Teng Biao said he is campaigning for Chinese officials involved in the persecution of lawyers since 2015 should be targeted for visa bans and the freezing of their U.S. assets under the Global Magnitzky Act. "We have a duty to ensure that any country with legislation similar to the Magnitzky Act place anyone who violated Wang Quanzhang's human rights on a blacklist, so that they under placed under sanctions," Teng said. Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Ng Yik-tung and Tam Siu-yin for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. NEWS Pentagon transforms Campia Turzii unit into a NATO air hub at the Black Sea A former Soviet airbase in central Romania could become a hub for US Air Force operations in south-eastern Europe, where the Pentagon is seeking to Mai mult Nuclearelectrica shareholders approved to terminate negotiations with Chinese for building reactors 3 and 4 from Cernavoda Nuclearelectrica's Board of Directors has been mandated to initiate proceedings to terminate negotiations with China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), as well as legal effects Mai mult Renault holds expansion of its plant in Romania, 15,000 jobs cancelled at global level "Putting capacity growth projects planned in Morocco and Romania on hold" - is one of the measures included in the draft plan of Renault Group Mai mult Romania is a net importer of electricity in 2020 as well Romania imported an amount of electricity of almost 796 GWh in the first month of this year, by more than 36% above what it exported Mai mult Shareholders of Galati steel plant promise investments of one billion euros GFG Alliance has committed to invest one billion euros to upgrade Galati steel plant in order to reduce emissions and increase production. Another EUR 1 Mai mult Top 3 reasons why young people leave Romania Lack of trust in authorities, corruption and low living standards are the main reasons why young people leave Romania. The data is part of a Mai mult IMM Invest Romania program implementing rules have been published The Ministry of Public Finance announces that it has issued the methodological norms for the implementation of the Program for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises Mai mult Pollution import and car park expansion: comparisons with the other EU states Romania is the EU country with the fewest cars in terms of the number of inhabitants, according to data recently published by Eurostat. We appear Mai mult Laura Codruta Kovesi remains alone in the race for European Chief Prosecutor French Prosecutor Jean-Francois Bohnert will be appointed as head of the European Financial Prosecutor's Office, a position for which he was heard on Thursday, 11 Mai mult The Chambers Government Relations Committee plays a vital role as the group that develops our annual Legislative Agenda. The committee, chaired by Christina Emery, is comprised of dedicated individuals who are committed to ensuring the concerns of the business community are heard by our representatives in Hartford. The Chambers Board of Directors voted unanimously at the December meeting to approve the following 2019 Legislative Agenda: Fiscal principals : Government as usual will not solve Connecticuts fiscal crisis Fiscal predictability and reducing the increases in both the cost of living and doing business in Connecticut are essential to reviving our economy. Government must prioritize services and deliver them more efficiently. Our spending policies must distinguish between wants and needs. The process for setting public sector employee contracts, including pensions and benefits, must be reformed with sustainability as the goal. Cost effective public-private partnerships or privatization should be encouraged for state and local services. Workforce development and education Achieve efficiencies in education. Address mandate relief and consolidation in areas such as administration, minimum budget requirements and binding arbitration. Adopt a new Education Cost Sharing formula that effectively addresses the needs of all students while maintaining funding for small towns. Support course offerings and programming by Northwestern Connecticut Community College that are crucial to our regions workforce. Support the growth and expansion of Oliver Wolcott Technical High School, which is vital to area businesses and serves the largest geographic region of any technical school. Transportation Explore public/private partnerships to improve transit options throughout Northwest Connecticut. Economic Hub Recognize Torringtons designation as a micropolitan area. The city is the economic and social center of Litchfield County despite having a population less than 50,000 while serving 180,000. Arts & Culture Support cost effective culture and tourism initiatives in Northwest Connecticut that generate a return on investment. Reform the funding distribution formula for local economic drivers such as the Warner Theatre. Maintain the Connecticut Office of the Arts and encourage a collaboration with the Northwest CT Arts Council. Support plans by Five Points Gallery to develop a visual arts education complex at the former UConn campus. Energy and communications Continue capital and maintenance improvements to increase energy supply, capacity and transmission. Support NW CTs companies that create fuel cell, wind, solar, bioheat and other alternative energy innovations. Support efforts to increase the supply of natural gas in Connecticut. Support a new fiber-optic network for NW CT, which is critical to the regions economic development, education & safety. Healthcare Further support community-based mental health services that address the growing demand for treatment, and in particular, measures that effectively counter the opiod crisis. Phase out the hospital provider tax and provide adequate funding through Medicaid to ensure financial viability of our hospitals, which are major employers and economic drivers. Adopt policies to assist recruitment and retention of skilled healthcare workers at all levels including primary care providers, CNAs and nurses to cover the current and projected shortage. Business growth Oppose mandates and regulations that increase both the cost of living and the cost of doing business. Support policies that attract and retain businesses. Create policies that will result in a pro-business environment to encourage growth. Adopt common sense unemployment compensation reforms that will restore trust fund solvency. For more information on this years Legislative Agenda, or to request a copy, contact the Chamber at 860-482-6586. Check out our website at www.nwctchamberofcommerce.org for more Chamber happenings. *This institution is an equal opportunity provider* Source: Last updated on: January 28, 2019 23:45 IST IMAGE: Congress president Rahul Gandhi addresses a convention of farmers, at Rajyotsav Mela ground in Naya Raipur, on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday promised his party would ensure 'minimum income guarantee' for every poor person if it comes to power at the Centre, echoing the 'Garibi Hatao' ('Remove Poverty') slogan coined by his grandmother Indira Gandhi during the 1971 general elections that she won. Gandhi described as historic the Congress' decision announced by him while addressing a 'Kisaan Abhaar Sammelan' in Raipur to express gratitude to Chhattisgarh's people, particularly farmers, for voting the party to power in the state after 15 years. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also termed as "historic" Gandhi's announcement, saying it will mark a turning point in the lives of the downtrodden. The announcement comes four days ahead of the interim budget to be presented by the Narendra Modi government before the Lok Sabha polls due before June this year. It also follows the National Democratic Alliance government's decision to give 10 per cent quota to the economically backward section in the general category and a likely announcement of a relief package for farmers grappling with falling prices of their crops and to tackle distress in the farm sector. The BJP said Gandhi's assurance is like its 'hundreds of other announcements' which were not meant to be implemented and an 'off the cuff' announcement made 'without any preparation or any provision for funding or proper agenda'. "The Congress has decided to take a historic decision...The Congress-led government is going to give minimum income guarantee. This means, every poor person in India will have a minimum income. This means there will be no hungry, poor people in India (any longer)," Gandhi said. Asserting that he gets done what he says, Gandhi added the minimum income guarantee would be implemented across the country. Later, he tweeted, "We cannot build a new India while millions of our brothers & sisters suffer the scourge of poverty." 'If voted to power in 2019, the Congress is committed to a Minimum Income Guarantee for every poor person, to help eradicate poverty & hunger. This is our vision & our promise,' he said in his tweet. "We don't want two Indias. There will be one India, and in that India, the Congress will give minimum income to every poor person. No government in the world has done this till now. "The Congress is going to do that, it will be a historic feat," Gandhi said at the rally. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government wrote off Rs 3.5 lakh crore worth of loans of 15 big industrialists but 'did not waive the loans of the country's farmers', he alleged. Continuing his attack on the Centre over the Rafale figher jet deal, he reiterated the allegation that the government ensured a 'benefit' of Rs 30,000 crore to industrialist Anil Ambani in this 'world's biggest defence contract'. Both the government and Ambani have rejected the allegation. On the contrary, the BJP-led governments cited lack of funds whenever the Congress demanded farm loan waiver, Gandhi alleged. "Narendra Modi and the BJP want to create two Indias -- one of loan waiver (for industrialists), Rafale scam, Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Narendra Modi. In that you will get whatever you want...if you want Rafale contract, you will get it. If you want land, water, electricity, you will get it," Gandhi said. "The other India is of the poor, the weak, farmers, the youth. You are not going to get anything in that India. There you will only get 'Mann Ki Baat', 24 hours only 'Mann Ki Baat'," Gandhi said, referring to the prime minister's monthly radio address. Gandhi also said the Congress had promised to waive farm loans in Chhattisgarh within 10 days of coming to power, but implemented the decision within a day after forming the government. He also distributed loan waiver certificates to some of the beneficiary farmers during the event, which was attended by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and senior Congress leader P L Punia. The Congress posted a massive victory in last year's Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, winning 68 of the total 90 seats and ending the BJP's 15-year rule. Garibi Hatao ("Remove Poverty") was the theme and slogan of Indira Gandhi's campaign for the 1971 Lok Sabha elections which was won by the Congress under her leadership giving her a second term as the prime minister. "People of India know the reality of Congress and have seen through its games," BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. "Gandhi's claim to provide minimum income guarantee for the poor is like hundreds of Congress announcements which are not meant to be implemented. "His party remained in power for 58 years at the Centre and made thousands of announcement. If they had been implemented, the face of the country, including of the poor, would have been different," Prasad said. In a series of tweets, Chidambaram, a former Union finance and home minister, said 140 million people were lifted out of poverty between 2004 and 2014, when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in power. "Congress president Rahul Gandhi's announcement at the farmers' rally in Chhattisgarh is historic and will mark a turning point in the lives of the poor," he said. Chidambaram said the principle of Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been discussed extensively in the last two years and the time has come to adapt the principle to the country's situation and the needs and implement the same for the poor. "We will explain our plan in the Congress Manifesto," he said. Chidambaram is the chairman of Manifesto Committee of the Congress for the 2019 polls. The Congress leader said 'the poor in India have the first charge on the resources of the country and the party will find the resources to implement the promise of Rahul Gandhi'. "140 million people were lifted out of poverty between 2004 and 2014. Now we should make a determined effort to wipe out poverty in India," he added. January 28, 2019 09:12 IST A record 1,917 hardy swimmers of all ages joined an annual 400-metre race in the icy Danube River in Southern Germany. Glimpses from the popular event now in its 50th year. All photographs: Andreas Gebert/Reuters Swimmers wearing costumes bathed in the 3C water of the river during the annual 400-m swim. About 20 swimmers suffered hypothermia in the icy river and had to be pulled out of the water. A swimmer wearing a horse costume. Most participants wore neoprene suits, Viking helmets and other colorful costumes. However, about 70 'naked swimmers' wore nothing but their bathing suits. Organisers said 222 groups from 162 communities took part this year, including swimmers from as far away as Poland, France and the Czech Republic. Volunteers doled out hot soup as the swimmers emerged from the icy water. A participant who has swum bare-chested in the event for the past 13 years called the experience very refreshing'. Interestingly, the event was originally a practice session by the Neuburg water rescue service, whose personnel practiced rescue operations in freezing temperatures. Over time it became a public spectacle, and eventually more and more people started participating. Another participant described the feeling: 'When the body goes back to normal it is just fantastic, it feels like champagne, and for hours you feel like you are walking on air.' Last updated on: January 28, 2019 23:34 IST About 1,800 mementos gifted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014 were auctioned at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi on Sunday. A painting of Modi at a railway station holding a bag with a reserve price of Rs 50,000, and a wooden bike with a base price of Rs 40,000 were sold at Rs 5 lakh each, becoming the highest bids during the two-day physical auction, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said. The funds raised through the auction, held at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi, will go to the governments flagship project Namami Gange, a Central government project to clean the Ganga river. A dedicated site -- http://pmmementos.gov.in -- has been set up to display and e-auction the mementos that are priced between Rs 100 and Rs 30,000. The last day of the physical auction was on Monday, during which 270 of the the 1,900 items were sold, while e-auction of the remaining gifts will begin on the portal on Tuesday and will continue till January 31, he said. The auction includes statues, photographs, paintings and articles such as angavastram, shawls, commemorative coins, traditional musical instruments, hats, pagris and jackets, etc. A photo frame of Ashtamangalam with base price of Rs 1,500 was sold for Rs 28,000 while a metallic sword was sold for Rs 1 lakh against its base price of Rs 5,000. Also the statue of Mahatma Basaveshwara was auctioned at Rs 70,000 against its base price of Rs 10,000. Take a look at some of the mementos on the auction block. Union Minister Piyush Goyal at the auction looking at one of the paintings. Photograph: @MinOfCultureGoI/Twitter The mementos are all that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received since 2014 when he came to power. Photograph: @MinOfCultureGoI/Twitter Turbans and shawls are also part of the auction. Photograph: @MinOfCultureGoI/Twitter This idol of Radha and Krishna, the base price for which has been set at Rs 20,000, is the only gold-plated memento on auction. The 4.76 kg idol was gifted to the prime minister by the Mandvi Nagar Palika in Surat. Photograph: @MinOfCultureGoI/Twitter A memento entitled New India 2022. Photograph: @MinOfCultureGoI/Twitter A map of Gujarat with the lotus. Photograph: @MinOfCultureGoI/Twitter Portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, received from Hari Shankaran, Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited. Photograph: @MinOfCultureGoI/Twitter A charkha,received from Jardoli Nagarpalika. Photograph: @MinOfCultureGoI/Twitter A colourful painting of Mahatma Gandhi which was given to PM Modi. Photograph: @MinOfCultureGoI/Twitter A replica of the sacred Golden Temple located in Amritsar. Photograph: @MinOfCultureGoI/Twitter Source: January 28, 2019 23:16 IST The Congress on Monday seized on Union minister Nitin Gadkari's comments that politicians failing to fulfil dreams they sell to people are beaten up by the public to claim that those were aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party asserted that its senior leader was only exposing the opposition party. Speaking at a function in Mumbai on Sunday, Gadkari said politicians who sold dreams to people but failed to make them a reality got 'beaten up' by the public. He also asserted that he was a doer and delivered on his promises. Opposition parties claimed that his remarks were aimed at Modi, who was accused by them of making lofty promises to come to power but failing to realise them. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari cited a Hindi proverb -- 'kahin pe nigahein, kahin pe nishana' (looking at something, aiming at something else) -- to claim that Gadkari's eyes were on the prime minister's chair and his target was Modi. I do not think this should surprise anyone. If you see this statement in the context of his (Gadkari's) earlier remarks, in which he had said 'we did not expect to come to power, so we made the promises that came to mind'.... so, if you see these two statements in the proper context, it will be clear who it was aimed at, Tewari told reporters New Delhi. The ruling BJP, however, dismissed such suggestions and said Gadkari, a former party president, was targeting the Congress and exposing how the opposition party had damaged the country. Speaking to reporters, Union minister and BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said, "Gadkari was exposing how the Congress has damaged the country and was citing examples of how the country is progressing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi... He delivers impactful speeches to expose the Congress." The Nationalist Congress Party said Gadkari's words reflected the voices within the BJP against the failure of the prime minister. Gadkaris recent remarks have often ignited political speculation with rival parties interpreting those as a dig at the BJP leadership. In December last year, Gadkari had said at an event in Pune that leadership should have the tendency to own up defeats and failures. The remarks had come days after the saffron party's dismal show in the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly polls. As the comments created a controversy, Gadkari had said his statements were twisted and alleged that 'there was a sinister campaign by some opposition parties and a section of the media to twist' his comments and 'draw politically motivated inferences to malign' him and his party. January 28, 2019 14:34 IST Statistics show the BSP has always gained from pre-poll alliances, reflecting in the party winning more seats in subsequent elections and largely retaining the vote share too. Virendra Singh Rawat reports. IMAGE: BSP supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav during a joint press conference in Lucknow, on January 12, 2019 to announce their alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Photograph: Kind courtesy @yadavakhilesh/Twitter Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati, also known as Behenji, is known for monologue press conferences, where she reads from text and rarely entertains impromptu media questions. However, scribes were taken by surprise when Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav uncharacteristically opted for Behenjis modus operandi while sharing the dais with her in Lucknow on January 12 to jointly announce the SP-BSP alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Yadav, who is spontaneous in his media interactions, fielding questions in his signature wit and at times dry humour, appeared to be obediently playing second fiddle to Mayawati at the packed joint press conference at a hotel in Lucknow. Not only did Yadav reach the venue before Mayawati, he effusively thanked the BSP president for accepting the alliance proposal in Uttar Pradesh and giving the SP an equal number of seats, 38, to contest from. In the assembly polls in 2017, only 19 BSP candidates could win, while none of its candidates was successful in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls compared to the SPs 47 and five candidates emerging victorious in 2017 and 2014, respectively. Even then, ironically though, the Yadav-led SP is perceptibly looking more desperate for the alliance than the BSP. On January 13, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav visited Mayawati at her Lucknow residence to express gratitude for acceding to the SP-BSP alliance. This has fortified the notion that Behenji has deftly gained control of the alliance at the expense of the SP, which, interestingly, is the bigger partner in terms of elected members. Alliances help BSP Nonetheless, statistics show the BSP has always gained from such pre-poll alliances, reflecting in the party winning more seats in subsequent elections and largely retaining the vote share too. For example, the BSP tied up with the Congress in the 1996 UP assembly polls. While the BSP won 67 seats, the Congress could pull off victory in only 33 seats. The Congress, which had been on the decline in UP then with the emergence of regional caste-based outfits in the 1990s, permanently lost its erstwhile Dalit vote bank to the BSP in the state. In the subsequent UP polls in 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017, while the BSP won 98, 206, 80 and 19 seats, respectively, the Congress tally stood at only 25, 22, 28 and 7 in those years. The BSP and the SP had tied up when their respective founders, Kanshi Ram and Mulayam Singh Yadav, announced joining hands in 1993 to trump the BJP after the demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya in December 1992. However, their alliance did not last long and ended acrimoniously in June 1995 with the infamous Lucknow guest house incident, in which Mayawati was allegedly manhandled by SP leaders after the BSP suddenly decided to withdraw support to the Mulayam Singh Yadav government. Mayawati had then vowed never to truck with the SP again. The BJP forged post-poll alliances with the BSP based on the common minimum programme, helping Mayawati become UP chief minister in 1995, 1997 and 2002, although none of the arrangements lasted long and ended in bitterness on every occasion. However, while the BSP secured a majority in the 2007 polls, seating Mayawati on the CMs chair of the countrys most populous state for the fourth time, the graph of BJP slid further down. The BJP, which was the single-largest party in 1996 with 174 MLAs, saw its tally dwindle in 2002, 2007 and 2012 to 88, 51 and 47 seats, respectively. The saffron outfit could recoup only in 2017 under the Modi wave, when it won 312 seats on its own, along with its allies contributing 13 seats in the 403-member UP assembly. Political commentator Hemant Tiwari says the BSP has always benefited from alliances and the same pattern would hold true in the Lok Sabha polls. The BSP joined hands with the Congress in 1996 UP elections. The fate of the Congress, thereafter, is for everyone to see, while the BSP proliferated by leaps and bounds, Tiwari said. He, however, asserted that the SP-BSP alliance was a deadly combination, given the complex caste matrix in UP and the vote banks that these parties represent. It is likely that the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal would become part of the greater SP-BSP alliance, which would give more firepower to the coalition, especially in the Jat-dominated western UP districts, Tiwari said even as he compared Mayawati to Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, who rose to the top post despite his party standing third in terms of the seats won in the assembly polls last year. Caste calculus Together the SP-BSP seeks to represent more than 65 per cent of the UP population, comprising the Dalits and backward castes (22 per cent and 45 per cent, respectively). On the basis of their respective vote shares in the recent polls, their combined vote share becomes almost 44 per cent compared to about 40 per cent of the BJP. In fact, their combination showed signs of robustness when it defeated the BJP last year in an assembly and three parliamentary bypolls, including Gorakhpur, the pocket borough of Uttra Pradesh chief minister Adityanath. While this is probably the first instance of the BSP going ahead with a pre-poll tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls, the Dalit czarina seems to be relishing the prospect of her name as a probable PM candidate. Lincoln, NE (68508) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Source: January 28, 2019 14:31 IST The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear in April the Centres plea seeking Rs 7,844 crore as additional fund from the successor firms of United States-based Union Carbide Corporation, now owned by Dow Chemicals, for giving compensation to victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said it would hear the central governments curative petition for enhanced compensation for the victims in April. The Centre is seeking a direction to Union Carbide and other firms for Rs 7,844 crore additional amount over and above the earlier settlement amount of USD 470 million for paying compensation to the gas tragedy victims. Over 3,000 people had died in the tragedy due to release of methyl isocyanate gas. The Union Carbide Corporation gave a compensation of $470 million (Rs 715 crore) after the toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide factory on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, killed over 3,000 people and affected 1.02 lakh others. The survivors of the 1984 tragedy have been fighting for long for adequate compensation and proper medical treatment for ailments caused by the toxic leak. The families of the deceased and people who bore the brunt of the industrial disaster were planning to sign a petition, to be sent to the Supreme Court, requesting it to start hearing a curative petition of the government filed in December 2010 for more compensation. The victims of the worlds worst disaster had not been paid adequately by US-based UCC now owned by Dow Chemicals, Madhya Pradeshs Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vishwas Sarang had said. On June 7, 2010, a Bhopal court had convicted seven executives of Union Carbide India Limited to two years imprisonment in connection with the incident. Then UCC chairman, Warren Anderson was the prime accused in the case but did not appear for the trial. On February 1, 1992, the Bhopal CJM court declared him an absconder. The courts in Bhopal had issued non-bailable warrants against Anderson twice -- in 1992 and 2009. Anderson died in September, 2014. January 28, 2019 08:42 IST 'Modiji's programmes are efficient and with foresight, and needed for the country.' 'I also like his way of functioning. So, in whatever way I can, I would like to contribute.' Photograph: Kind courtesy http://abdulkalam.nic.in IMAGE: G Madhavan Nair, then ISRO chairman, receives the Sree Chitra Thirunal Trust award from then President A P J Abdul Kalam, September 21, 2006. When G Madhavan Nair, former chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, the question many asked was: What is a scientist doing in a political party? "I worked with him when he was chief minister of Gujarat. He made use of technology in a very effective manner to reach out to villages. Then itself I noticed that his style of functioning was quite unique," Nair tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier. Why did you decide to join the BJP? I have been working for various programmes of (Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas) Modiji for quite some time. It is only a formal induction that has taken place now. I feel Modiji's programmes are efficient and with foresight, and needed for the country. I also like his way of functioning. So, in whatever way I can, I would like to contribute. Are you talking about the programmes he launched after he became prime minister? I worked with him when he was chief minister of Gujarat also, in fields like village resource centres, tele-education, tele-medicine etc. That was in early 2000. He made use of technology in a very effective manner to reach out to villages. Then itself I noticed that his style of functioning was quite unique. He was against corruption and wanted to eliminate it from the system, and he succeeded in it at the state level. Now at the national level also, he has achieved the results to a great extent. That might be true, but the impression is that people expected a lot from Mr Modi and they are disappointed, especially because not many jobs were created. What is your assessment of the four years of the Modi government? If you are talking about employment in government offices or creating more factories, there is definitely not much growth. But he has adopted a philosophy that the whole economy grows and the growth of the economy is made use of by creating self-employment. If you take every state, you will see that lakhs of people are being employed on their own. According to me, the Ayushman Bharat Mission is a pathbreaking idea that was for the health of the entire country. Also, the programme to provides house to everyone. Most of these programmes have to be done through state authorities and some states do not take up these initiatives only because they were initiated by Modiji. Kerala is the typical example. Practically no programme announced by the prime minister is taken up by the state. If at all, they take up any, they give it a different colour and different name to make it look like their idea, and they do it half-heartedly. Now that you have joined the BJP, in what way are you planning to contribute to the party? I would like to stress on the development agenda in Kerala so that we can send at least a few people to Parliament. IMAGE: Protesters at a rally called by various Hindu organisations after two women entered the Sabarimala temple on January 3. Photograph: Sivaram V/Reuters One issue that rocked Kerala is the Sabarimala issue. Are you happy with the way the BJP responded to it? I don't even look at it as an issue because there is no question of women being treated differently in Sabarimala as has been propagated by some. Women have been going to Sabarimala for ages and the restriction is only to those between the ages of 10 and 50. That is because of the religious custom followed in that particular temple and this kind of a restriction is not there in any other Ayyappa temple. What is happening in Sabarimala is government-sponsored terrorism. The Pinarayi (Vijayan) government has sponsored the whole thing to trigger the masses and what is happening on the streets is the reaction of the masses. It is not something started by the BJP. When the government has hurt the sentiments of a certain section of the people, they will definitely react. I feel the BJP would have provided leadership in the Sabarimala issue but they didn't take a view like that. They said we are with the devotees and their interests will be safeguarded. They didn't take a firm stand on the issue and defied the court order. They have left it to the court. According to me, neither the court nor the government has anything to do with religious customs and faith. It should be left to the people. In Kerala, there are thousands of temples for the Hindus and an equal number of churches and mosques. Every religion has its own customs and beliefs which have been followed for ages. And it should be left to the people who worship to decide how they want to do it. The BJP's central leadership also did not take a strong stand on the issue. Do you feel the BJP not taking a strong stand will adversely affect the party in Kerala? No, I don't think that will be a factor here. The factor will be the terrorism sponsored by the government versus the peaceful beliefs of the people. In general, people want a peaceful state, a corruption-free state. What kind of impact will the kind of violence seen on the streets have on the political scenario? The violence will not continue forever. The reaction of the people was spontaneous in response to the cowardly acts committed by the government and their agencies. Everything will die out once the temple closes. Do you feel people will forget the issue altogether? People will never forget what the LDF (Left Democratic Front) government has done. Have you ever heard of a state government sponsoring terrorism in the state and creating a wall spending tens of crores of rupees and asking people to leave the office early to be a part of the wall? This has never happened in the history of any country. I am sure the people will pay back for these acts. These people do not believe in God and worshipping. The agenda they have is to destroy any institution that propagates worshipping. That is the ulterior motive behind all this. January 28, 2019 14:18 IST The 2019 election gives the Indian public the same choice: Between growth and oligarchs (or, in our case, dynasts and crony capitalists). If we chose wisely, well and good. If not, well, we have the Nehruvian Rate of Growth and massive corruption to fall back on. In a large sense, it is a choice between the India of the Lutyens elites, and the Bharat of the real citizen, says Rajeev Srinivasan. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi walks down Rajpath during the 70th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, January 26, 2019. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo When the parades are over and the curtain has come down on the Republic Day celebrations, there is the question of what this entire spectacle actually means. What exactly are we celebrating? What is the relevance of the Republic? What has been accomplished in 70 years of the Republic? What remains to be done? What has the 'rule of the public' failed to do? Have we, the public, messed up? President A P J Abdul Kalam took a stab at all this in his book Vision 2020. As an engineer, his vision was of using technology for the benefit of real people. Indeed, we have made some significant progress in this, but we have been playing far below our true potential. As the management consultant C K Prahalad noted, there is the powerful idea of Strategic Intent; India has somehow failed to articulate what it intends to become when it grows up. Indeed, in a world riven by consumption at an unsustainable rate, and on the verge of a cold war (or maybe even a shooting war) between the US and China, India has the opportunity to use its tradition of sustainable and environmentally conscious development, and a legacy of living frugally (we know when to say 'Enough', unlike the Faustian restlessness of the West) to provide thought leaderships towards a future where we do not exhaust the planet. Sustainable and socially relevant growth using technology is the focus of the first A P J Abdul Kalam Conference to be held later this year at IIT Madras. The West was exposed to the finiteness of things in 1972 in the Club of Rome's 'Limits to Growth', but they have continued to act as though resources were infinite, lured by the siren-song of consumption, encouraged by technology revolutions -- the oil economy, semiconductors -- that seem to promise limitless riches. That, of course, is an illusion. There are unintended consequences. India is one of the nations that will face the music the soonest. We have 1/3rd the land area of the US, 3 times its population, we have an army of young people who need jobs, we're among the most water-stressed countries in the world, and one of the most vulnerable to sea-level rises from global warming. And we're unfortunately next door to two bellicose nuclear neighbours with bad intent. We need to plan for all these things, and right now. This year is particularly important. For one, 2019 marks the centenary of the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre (see my 1998 column Remember Jallianwallah Bagh). That was one of those pivotal moments when history was made: Indians realised that the British empire was pure evil, and it had to go. Australians similarly had their epiphany at the Battle of Gallipoli, when the British literally made them cannon fodder. So 1919 was a point of inflexion, and it set in motion a course of events that eventually led to Independence. Similarly the 2019 elections are pivotal, and they will determine whether we will rise to Kalam's expectations of greatness, or continue to muddle along. There are precedents. In the 19th century, the US and Argentina were considered similar, the two nations that had the ingredients for greatness. As we know, the US fulfilled that promise; Argentina frittered away its inheritance and has remained an under-achiever. The difference, I have read, is that the US chose to be open and to take risks that would help the people in the long run; whereas Argentina chose to be feudal and to protect the interests of the oligarchs and ranchers. The results are there for all to see. There's an example closer to us: Pakistan, which also chose to protect its oligarchs and dynasts. And suffered for it even in comparison to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The 2019 election gives the Indian public the same choice: Between growth and oligarchs (or, in our case, dynasts and crony capitalists). If we chose wisely, well and good. If not, well, we have the Nehruvian Rate of Growth and massive corruption to fall back on. In a large sense, it is a choice between the India of the Lutyens elites, and Bharat of the real citizen. In country after country, res publica has brought derision for the elites: and their views have turned out toxic for their respective parties. See the Modi victory in 2014, the Brexit win and the Trump victory. The publica are speaking up, and they couldn't care less for the views of the elites. There are other interesting coincidences too: 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the ominous Tiananmen massacre that showed China's strategic intent: Total internal control along with global expansion. It is also the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Communist Party. India has to be closely aware of what is happening in the country that is and will be its enemy. Meanwhile, it is worth reviewing what the Indian Republic has wrought so far. On the one hand there are the positives: India just overtook Britain in real GDP (irony of ironies: They robbed us of $45 trillion according to economist Utsa Patnaik, whereas I had come up with a more modest, but still gargantuan, $10 trillion where I didn't take into account opportunity costs as she seems to have done). On the other hand, India now has something like half the desperately poor in the world; half the blind; and so on -- a depressing litany of what we have managed to screw up in 72 years of freedom. The biggest problem, I believe, is structural. There seems to be an almost blind faith type of feeling that the Constitution is somehow cast in stone forever and that not a word (well, almost) may be questioned, as though it were some religious text. We have to recognise that it is a human document, subject to human frailties; and that nations rewrite their constitutions all the time. There's nothing wrong about making mid-course corrections (viz, amendments), but at some point, it's necessary to consider rewriting the whole thing, especially as the number of Band-Aid amendments starts to balloon. Here is a list of issues, by no means comprehensive: It seems to be a mish-mash of information from too many sources, a cut-and-paste job. It purports to have foreseen all future eventualities and provided solutions. It is too long at more than 500 pages. Articles 25 to 30 explicitly declare that all citizens are not equal. We need a Constitution that reflects the res publica and is suited for 21st century India, not a pale imitation of a bunch of Western legalities. There are other structural problems, too: In the judiciary (the entire selection process and the PIL process is broken), the bureaucracy (corruption), and the media (infiltrated by foreign interests). It is difficult to progress in this environment, and one becomes cynical sometimes. But there is also a different thread that we seem to have lost somewhere in the last 70 years: Of idealism, faith and sacrifice. And it gives one hope. A recent, longed-for, trip to the Andaman's Cellular Jail (the dreaded 'Kaalapani') brought this home to me vividly and viscerally. The cellular jail should literally be a place of pilgrimage for Indians, a tirtha, like Hampi. Most of us have never studied about it in our school curriculum, so it is a revelation to go there. This is where some of our unsung heroes and martyrs lived and died. They gave their todays for our tomorrows. This large prison had seven wings radiating from a central tower (some of the wings were destroyed in the Japanese attack during World War II, although some said later that 4 wings were torn down during the Nehru era to build a government hospital). It was built as an implementation of the diabolic Panopticon, the jail where the inmates do not know when the jailer is observing them. Therefore, they have to be on best behavior all the time, and they are under constant stress. The irony is that the person who came up with this idea is the noted 19th century 'liberal' Briton, Jeremy Bentham. A tour of the premises brings you across tableaux depicting inhuman tortures as well as executions that brave freedom fighters were subjected to. We get to see the tiny claustrophobic cells they lived in. The story of the Cellular Jail ('Kaalapani') is an example of our collective amnesia about the patriots and martyrs who strove to gain independence, and often paid with their lives. The film Kaalapani which came out a few years ago was apparently not exaggerated. Off in the distance is Ross Island, where the British would always go at dusk. The jailers were mostly Indian, including many who were convicts themselves, who had been 'promoted'. Strangely, this has always been the case. Even in the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre, it was Indian troops who fired on the unarmed protestors. 1,650 bullets, 1575 casualties. There are several statues of martyrs in the park next to the jail, and brass plaques providing some little detail about their lives and deaths: Often tortured to death, sometimes death by force-feeding as they went on hunger-strikes. Kaalapani reminds you of the hellish TuolSleng torture camp in Cambodia, from which no one ever escaped; and Alcatraz in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Once, long ago, we were warriors. Today, we are pale imitations of the Western fads and memes. This is no way to imagine a nation, and it has to change. January 28, 2019 10:22 IST Reservation is an albatross whose continuation under the current system risks creating deep fissures in our society, warns Vikram Johri. Since I deal with young people aiming to enter postgraduate institutions, the issue of reservations often rears its head. Among the second generation of benefactors, the question is especially moot. Should they continue to take advantage of a lower bar for admissions or should they apply for open seats given that their upbringing has provided them no distinct disadvantage? India is beset by systemic problems and it would take imagination and pluck to work towards ridding our country of them. This, however, rarely transpires due to the election cycle which leads the government of the day to take cautious steps or, worse, none at all on the big issues. Reservation is one such albatross whose continuation under the current system risks creating deep fissures in our society. The debate has become salient at a time when new communities, from the Patidars in Gujarat to the Marathas in Maharashtra, are demanding reservation. Which is why the government's proposed quota for the economically backward among the upper castes can prove to be the proverbial cat among the pigeons. No government can play with the quotas for the backward castes in our polity and hope to return to power so the Modi government thought it more prudent to go the legislative route. Will it work out as intended? The Opposition termed the move a political tactic since the quota would breach the 50 per cent limit set by the Supreme Court. The government was mindful of this, yet chose to introduce the bill in Parliament so that a national debate can ensue in an election year when no party would want to come across as anti-poor. Indeed, in Parliament, one leader after another reiterated that while they questioned the timing of the move, they supported it in essence. The government's initiative must be read against a larger backdrop. The quota bill is reminiscent of the government's alacrity on the triple talaq issue. The interesting thing in both cases -- the quota bill and triple talaq -- is that for argument's sake alone, the government has a strong case in its favour. No right-thinking individual would support the latter practice, yet charges of duplicity and communalism were hurled against the government. It can thus be assumed that more than the legislative conclusion of these proposals, the government is interested in signalling intentions. If the quota bill can spur an overdue conversation on the limits of affirmative action, it would have achieved its aim. Likewise for triple talaq through which the government may wish to indicate its willingness to bring in greater parity in the civil code at least on issues of marriage and gender rights. Whether these will be electorally beneficial actions only time can tell. But they do, even if in a roundabout fashion, place the BJP firmly in the conservative tradition, an outcome that will increase the party's standing among its support base. In this regard, the party will also be helped in the south by the Sabarimala agitation in Kerala where its stand aligns with that of devotees who are protesting the entry of women into the temple. The prime minister isn't as critical of the mainstream media as some other global right-leaning leaders, but he is likely to use Sabarimala during election campaigning to underscore how a certain discourse gets perpetuated at the cost of truth. The reality in Sabarimala, as has been reiterated elsewhere, is a little more nuanced than the fight against sexism and oppression as some in the media are keen to brandish it. As the 'godless' CPM made every effort to sneak women into the sanctum sanctorum, the BJP harked to the essence of religion and the wages of true devotion. We are at the beginning of 2019 and it is easy to forget that elections are mere months away -- the dates of the CBSE board exams, which wrap up by April first week, have already acted as spoilers for election watchers. The prime minister has begun his canvassing while Rahul Gandhi continues to dwell on Rafale. But look deeper and this election may turn into a battle over the scope and limits of Indian Constitutional values. The first University of Georgia Signature Lecture series of the spring semester, hosted by the College of Engineering and the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems, featured former Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate. He discussed his seven deadly sins of emergency preparedness at the Coverdell Center Friday. Athens, GA (30605) Today Thundershowers following a period of rain early. High 83F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight A few clouds from time to time. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. The block of Athens containing The Varsity could get a makeover if a proposed plan is approved by the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission in February. The plan, which was approved by the ACC Planning Commission in December, opens the area bordered by Milledge Avenue, Broad Street, Chase Street and Reese Street to zoning changes. Our cultural landscape: From Anuradhapura to Kandy The evolution of the arts in Sri Lanka can, historically, be traced to three distinct events: The adoption of Buddhism as the State religion in the Anuradhapura era, the bifurcation between the ornate Maha Sampradaya and the austere Chula Sampradaya after the collapse of the Polonnaruwa era, and the onslaughts of colonialism, which shifted the centre of the country from the rural to the urban regions. If we simplify this further, we can trace the history of the art of this country to three phenomena or, for the lack of a better word, things: Buddhism, Secularisation, and urbanisation. From the one to the other there is a geographic shift, from Anuradhapura in the second century to Colombo in the first three decades of the 20th century. Arbitrary periodisation of history can, as Kumari Jayawardena put it, often be misleading, but it is essential to generalise an otherwise complex reality. Besides, this attempt at periodisation conforms to a consensus: that art in Sri Lanka began with Buddhism. The development of irrigation techniques, the culmination of which was the bisokotuwa, was a clear manifestation of the link between the State and Buddhism; as Martin Wickramasinghe makes it clear in the first two chapters of his book Sinhala Sahithyaye Nageema, literature was tied up with the lives of peasants, most of whom lived around, and depended on, the wewa. It is worth bearing in mind... that life in ancient times centred on the pursuit of agriculture, and that the Sinhalese depended, for their agricultural purposes, on the tank. Hence it is that the construction of tanks is bound up with the growth of Sinhalese civilisation from its early beginnings. One cannot, therefore, ignore the part that tanks have played in originating the culture of the Sinhalese and in moulding its later character. When Buddhism was adopted as the State religion, there was a flourishing of the arts seen most clearly in rock and cave inscriptions. Wickramasinghes contention was that this went against the notion that Theravada Buddhism was opposed to the arts, for a people who showed such good taste in the medium of plastic arts couldnt have been unable to express themselves through literature. Unfortunately, there was no evidence of any literary works of merit being written in this period. From Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa the idiom, because of the threat of invasion from South India, became more and more imitative to the point where, after a hefty debate, the kovil got close to the temple compound for the first time. Raja Cholas conquest of Sri Lanka in the 11th century thus gleaned two paradoxical responses from the people and their rulers, in that there was opposition to and a fondness for Indian forms of architecture, specifically Dravidian architecture. The invasion necessitated the recovery of Buddhism, achieved in the reign of Parakramabahu I with the triumph of the Mahavihara monks over the heretics of Abhayagiriya and Jetavana. While art became less indigenous even in the style of dagabas towards the latter part of the Polonnaruwa kingdom, the need to salvage Buddhism and forge an identity based on it meant that the link between the religion and the State on the one hand and the religion and the people on the other became stronger. It was at this point that the clergy began to enter secular life. Nissanka Malla, the second of the three unifying figures in our history (the other two being Vijayabahu I and Parakramabahu VI) recognised this when, after unifying the country, he decreed that only a Buddhist could rule it. Not that the polity would turn exclusively Sinhalese Buddhist after him; as R. A. L. H. Gunawardhana notes in his celebrated essay The People of the Lion, there was never a unifying racial-religious identity even at the time of the Nayakkar kings. Pali continued to be the epicentre of national literature, as Sinhalese, according to Wilhelm Geiger, underwent a profound transformation between the fifth and the eighth centuries. The rule of all literary works in this period, moreover, was laid down in the Siyabaslakara: peden budu sirita, or simply, that all verse must be in praise of the Buddha. Whether or not it stunted the arts is grist for another debate; for the time being what needs to be pointed out is that irrigation and Buddhism were, until then, the two greatest influences on the development of the arts. The Polonnaruwa era thus, naturally, saw the publication of literary works, which reinforced and continued this link: the Dathavamsa; the Culavamsa; Gurulugomis Amavatura; and the Dharmapradipikava. There were two other works, influenced heavily by Sanskrit poetics, and criticised by both Wickramasinghe and Munidasa Cumaratunga later on, the Sasadavata and the Muvadevadavata. Here the road bifurcates, and a stronger historical tendency takes over the pervasive influence of Buddhism: the chasm and conflict between the Sanskrit Alankarists on the one hand and the less ornate and sensual poets on the other. The evolution of the arts in Sri Lanka can, historically, be traced to three distinct events: The adoption of Buddhism as the State religion in the Anuradhapura era, the bifurcation between the ornate Maha Sampradaya and the austere Chula Sampradaya after the collapse of the Polonnaruwa era, and the onslaughts of colonialism, which shifted the centre of the country from the rural to the urban regions This was the rift between the Maha Sampradaya and the Chula Sampradaya, with the two contenders for the literary prize being the Kavsilumina and the Guttila Kavya. The former was one of the many courtly romances that valorised the king, though from the standpoint of Buddhism; adherence to Buddhist tenets, no matter how ornate the prose or poetry, was important owing to the rule in Siyabaslakara, which is why even when the Kavsilumina strayed into erotica, it stayed within the confines of a Jataka Story which affirmed, rather than opposed, sexual prudery. For Geiger this period represents a renaissance in the Sinhala language, a point rebutted by Senarath Paranavithana and later on, impliedly, by Wickramasinghe as well. Perhaps it had to do with the shift from Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa and the destruction of the irrigation network that had bound the people to the land until then. The new kingdom in Dambadeniya represented a shift from the Buddhist ethos of the last few centuries to a multicultural ethos through the intrusion of Dravidian practices and architecture. The kovil, for instance, which in the Polonnaruwa era had come closer to the temple compound, entered it after the 12th century. The Gampola era essentially continued this trend, with the main redeeming point being the rise of a new literary genre: the Sandesa Kavya, to be given a fresh lease of life in the Kotte era through Thotagamuwe Rahula against his own tutor, Vidagama Maithri. But again, even here the influence of the Sanskrit Alankarists was apparent, since the sandesha genre (according to some) borrowed from Kalidasa. K. M. de Silva referred to the kavyawal as secular in spirit and tone, which made them a useful source of information on the social and political conditions of the country. Tissa Abeysekara, however, disagreed; for him, the secularisation of poetry began with the shift in diction in the 18th century, long after the demise of the Kotte kingdom. It would not, however, be wrong to view the sandesa kawyawal as laying the foundation for the more secular verses of the Matara Poets. The Kandyan kingdom saw the end of the great tradition fostered by the Dambadeniya and Gampola monarchs. The greater versus lesser tradition debate continued, but the collapse of the classical tradition meant that the literature of this period got closer to the people: there was a revival of folk poetry, attempts at biographies, and even a few essays in erotic literature which championed masculinity. The revival of Buddhism in the reign of Kirti Sri Rajasinghe led to literary forms which could not have been more different to the polished diction of the preceding centuries. There was, in other words, a new sensibility invading the cultural landscape, and it was seen even in the realms of art and architecture; more than ever before, there was widespread interest in rebuilding the ruins of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. It was an attempt at salvaging a dying heritage, and it threw up the last few embers of an era which would be followed by more than a century of British rule. It is at this juncture that the dominant tendency in the evolution of the arts changes for the second time, this time to the concentration of economic, political, and cultural capital in the metropolis, or a trend towards urbanisation underscored by the rise of three milieus: the old elite, the nascent bourgeoisie, and the lower middle and working class, the latter of whom, in the 19th century, stepped in to revive the arts of this country through the vehicle of Sinhala Buddhist nationalism. The writings of Martin Wickramasinghe, K. M. de Silva, Kumari Jayawardena, Tissa Abeysekara, and Kamalika Pieris were used for this essay. -UDAKDEV1@GMAIL.COM Traverse City, MI (49684) Today Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 81F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Rain and thunderstorms. Low near 60F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. 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A formal negotiation period could delay Maduro's removal, so the opposition will try to win over as many military commanders and soldiers as possible in the short term. The widespread international recognition of Juan Guaido as the legitimate interim successor to Nicolas Maduro as president of Venezuela has raised the stakes for Venezuelans as well as nations with an interest in the troubled South American country. Those nations, chief among them the United States, Russia, China, Cuba, Brazil and Colombia, are sharply split between those that favor Maduro's rapid departure and those that for largely financial and economic reasons would prefer him to remain in place. Whatever their respective reasons, both camps will endeavor to mold events in Venezuela in their favor. For its part, the United States will rely on a combination of sanctions pressure and opposition demonstrations to turn key members of the armed forces against Maduro. But countries that have close ties with the current government will do everything in their power to delay if not outright avert Maduro's departure from power. Fighting to Delay Maduro's Exit The nation with the strongest short-term motivation for keeping Maduro in power is Cuba, which wants to maintain the status quo in Caracas to safeguard its own future political stability. After all, Cuba's gradual transition away from highly personalistic communist rule is going to be difficult enough without losing access to free Venezuelan fuel and crude oil shipments. Cuba currently receives about 50,000 barrels per day of fuel and crude oil from Venezuela a figure that accounts for about a third of the island's consumption. The threat of losing these shipments is a serious one, as any new government in Caracas trying to maximize its oil export revenue and attract more foreign direct investment would likely reduce or entirely cease oil shipments to Cuba. The Cuban government has significant military and intelligence assets at its disposal to keep Maduro in power. For nearly two decades, the Cuban government has assisted the Venezuelan state in military training and intelligence sharing on foreign and domestic targets. Venezuela's internal security services work closely with Cuba to closely monitor domestic political opponents. Though Havana may have already determined that Maduro's exit from power is just a matter of time, the island will make it its mission to delay that departure. To accomplish this, it might choose to deploy additional security forces to bolster the Venezuelan government's military and intelligence gathering capabilities. Nevertheless, Cuba is a comparatively small actor in Venezuela, meaning it will be powerless to turn the tide if key officials who head Venezuela's geographical military districts turn their guns on Maduro. Russia also has no desire to see Maduro go quickly, though for far less immediate reasons. Like the oil gifted to Cuba, Venezuela's opposition does not view Caracas' loan agreements with Russia and China as legitimate, suggesting that a new government would significantly reduce or end oil-for-loan programs as part of reforms in the energy sector. As it is, Venezuela's current government has fallen far behind on payments to Russian lenders like Rosneft and others, with the former's CEO even rebuking Maduro privately two months ago because Caracas had failed to repay less than half of the total 380,000 barrels per day of crude oil that it owes to Russia. China, by contrast, was receiving about 460,000 barrels per day, or 60 percent of what Caracas owes to Beijing. Aside from the possibility of a new Venezuelan government defaulting on Russian loans, Moscow has a strategic interest in the country. Venezuela fits neatly into Russia's global strategy of using even geopolitically minor conflicts to maintain strategic pressure on the United States. For nearly a decade, Russia flirted with the idea of establishing a more permanent strategic bomber presence in Venezuela. Maduro's fall would rob Moscow of an ally it can use to increase strategic pressure on the United States, meaning steps to keep the president in power will become a growing priority for Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to a report on Jan. 25, more Russian private military contractors have made their way to Caracas, possibly to increase personal security for Maduro. By using its forces to directly bolster the government, Moscow would complicate the Venezuelan military's attempts to overthrow Maduro and could even use the troops as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the United States on other strategic issues. But of all the foreign powers with an interest in Venezuela, China likely faces the most financial exposure to the collapse of the Maduro government. Venezuela still owes China around $23 billion in loans that it is paying back with crude oil exports. At present, more than half of Venezuela's daily crude oil production goes directly toward repaying Chinese and Russian loans making it likely that a new government would default on these agreements in its search for ways to bolster government revenue through oil exports. The rise of a pro-U.S. government in Venezuela would naturally cloud the prospects of Chinese military sales to Venezuela. Much of Caracas' military equipment comes from China, but a Venezuelan alliance with the United States would slowly shift the government's military procurement focus toward Washington. Still, the Chinese government is far less likely to directly intervene in Venezuela than Cuba or Russia, as such a step would hurt its trade relations with the United States at a delicate time and fly in the face of Beijing's overarching diplomatic focus on non-interference. Fighting to Hasten Maduro's Exit Arrayed against Cuba, Russia and China are Brazil and Colombia, two of Venezuela's neighbors that will adopt an ever-increasing role to tilt the country's balance of power away from Maduro. Brasilia and Bogota's interests in handing Venezuela to opposition rule are clear: Maduro's rule precipitated a food crisis that has forced millions of Venezuelans to seek relief in Colombia and Brazil. Caracas' support for illicit activities, such as militancy, drug trafficking and illegal mining, have also strengthened criminal groups in both countries. Thus, as Washington raises pressure on Caracas, Bogota and Brasilia are likely to do the same. The two neighbors, however, have less leverage over Caracas because they consume virtually no oil or refined products from Venezuela, while they possess almost no international clout that would allow them to impose punishing sanctions without assistance from the United States. Accordingly, they will likely follow the United States' lead in the coming weeks and months as they seek to achieve their aims. In the near future, Venezuela's political situation will evolve largely in accordance with events on the ground. The United States and its opposition allies will try to raise pressure on military forces to switch sides against the government if Washington doesn't engage in direct military intervention. As the opposition tries to persuade military units and commanders to turn on the president, offers of amnesty will be crucial. As head of the National Assembly, Guaido can press his claim to the presidency by negotiating and offering to approve amnesty legislation toward blanket pardons or some sort of amnesty mechanism. The existence of such proposals backed by guarantees that the United States will not enforce extradition requests against certain military commanders and political elites will make it more likely that Venezuelan elites could consider a transition of power. Such an approach may bring enough commanders to the opposition's side to swiftly oust Maduro, but the incumbent still wields enough political and military influence to resist. He is likely to use any negotiations to buy time to stake his claim to the presidency (indeed, his foreign allies are likely to advise it). Such delays may keep him in power longer, but they could also intensify the violence of the protests and persuade dissidents in the armed forces to mount their own challenges. Given Venezuela's tailspin, the likelihood of Maduro making an orderly departure is low. His exit, instead, is more likely to be violent and chaotic, as he has no desire to abandon power and his key domestic and foreign allies wish to delay the inevitable for as long as possible. Even if the opposition and government agree to formal offers to negotiate, the former will want to sit down for such talks with as strong a hand as possible. It's also a case of once bitten, twice shy: Maduro has previously roped his opponents into fruitless negotiations, so his opponents will be wary of any entering any new negotiations. For such talks to succeed, or even advance beyond the initial stages, they would require strong backing from key military officials or from the defense minister himself. Without their support, the situation in Venezuela will slide toward open insurrection, raising the prospect of more violence as Maduro's opponents square off against security forces intent on maintaining his rule. Reprinted with permission from Stratfor. Those of us who care deeply about the 2016 movement led by Donald Trump should not equivocate about the near-term damage inflicted by last weeks political events. Though Speaker Nancy Pelosi controls only one-half of one-third of our federal government, her tactics, plus the unanimity of her caucus, imperil the central animating objective of the America First electoral ascent: The Wall. In her Machiavellian disregard for the personal, economic, and national security of Americans, she correctly ascertains that allowing large-scale construction of Trumps wall all but assures his re-election in 2020. After all, Trumps leadership on the economy, judicial appointments, and a restrained foreign policy already more than justify another term. However, the unfinished business of border security remains a cornerstone of that goal. Pelosi and her allies, therefore, have suddenly determined that physical barriers are immoral even though, for decades, Democrats gladly supported hundreds of miles of barricades. To paraphrase the words of their former Capitol Hill colleague John Kerry, they were for walls before they were against them. What Pelosis party actually stands against is allowing a major victory for the president, regardless of the harm their obstinacy inflicts on American citizens. Despite these significant obstacles, a path exists for the administration to both secure our countrys border and advance the 2020 re-election cause. But the coming days and weeks will be mission critical. First, the White House must pursue a detente over shutdown politics. Elections have consequences, and the ruling House Democrats now find zero motivation to facilitate a wall. Yes, they will give lip service to boundary security and perhaps even isolated pockets of smart fencing, but they will thwart any real wall except perhaps as a trade for massive, untenable amnesties for illegal aliens. Consequently, the administration should use this three-week window to obtain as much productive funding as possible for immigration personnel and facilities, but then move past the losing game of shutdown brinkmanship. Instead, President Trump must embark upon a steady and determined effort to build the wall without the Congress. During this needed public calm, law enforcement experts and administration attorneys can determine the most efficacious logistical and legal frameworks for large-scale wall construction by executive action this year. Both long-standing precedent and statutory specifics validate presidential power to protect our homeland unilaterally. The National Emergencies Act of 1976, for example, was used by President Obama in 2015 to declare unrest in Burundi a U.S. national emergency. Surely, the border of Brownsville matters far more to our country than the border of Burundi, a country most Americans would have difficulty finding on a map. Nonetheless, activist judges are sure to contest the wall aggressively, requiring a robust legal counter-attack. In addition, the administration must stand ready to assert the supremacy of the executive branch on matters of security when challenged by unconstitutional bench edicts from the likes of the Ninth Circuit. Just as important, during the period of detente with the legislative branch, the administration must persuade the public of the dire threats a lawless border presents to the peace and prosperity of our nation. An all-out public relations effort should commence, with presidential interviews, Cabinet member op-eds, and town-hall-style events featuring those hurt most by our porous border. The campaign can highlight the many brave Hispanic American agents of Customs and Border Protection and also angel moms like Mary Ann Mendoza, whose policeman son Brandon Mendoza was killed by a previously convicted illegal alien who was not deported. Such a composed and careful approach will advance the cause of border security far more than endless dueling between the two ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. President Trump was indeed elected, in large part, to disrupt the comfortable cabal of cronies who dominate our capital. But the turbulence must also arrive at tangible results, or else the constant agitation will exhaust the patience of the people. Looking ahead to 2020, the president must prove to the voters that his pugnacity has purpose. He fights, and fights hard, but not just for the sake of confrontation itself, but rather to achieve otherwise unattainable results such as the promised border wall. If extensive wall construction is not well underway by re-election time, no amount of messaging skill can compensate for that void. In addition, the GOP is unlikely to face an opponent as utterly corrupted and unlikable this time around as Hillary Clinton. Therefore, the wall represents not only a key tool to reclaim our lands long-neglected national sovereignty, but also a political imperative for November 2020. It was no surprise when D.C.s delegate to the House of Representatives, Eleanor Holmes Norton, introduced a bill this month to make the District of Columbia the 51st state. After all, she had been doing so repeatedly since joining Congress in 1991. Only one of the previous versions in 1993 made it to the House floor for debate and a vote, being defeated 277 to 153. This version could very well be the second to reach the House floor, thanks to a Democratic leadership eager to seize on any opportunity to paint Republicans as race oppressors and vote suppressors. You see, it is well known that Republicans will not support statehood for the District of Columbia, where the majority of the population is black, but race is not the issue politics is. Most of the population in the District whether black, white or other is Democrat through and through. Hillary Clinton won over 90 percent of the vote in 2016 while President Trump received a paltry 4 percent, virtually in Jill Stein territory. That makes D.C. statehood a long shot, even though the citizens of the district have a good argument that they are victims of history. When the Constitution was adopted in 1787, the Founders included a provision for Congress to create a seat of government for the new country from land ceded by a state or states for such purpose. James Madison explained in Federalist No. 43 that the national capital had to be separate from the authority of any state to ensure that the federal government did not become dependent on an individual state. Both Maryland and Virginia generously donated land for the capital district, but as a result, residents of those areas lost the right to vote in state and federal elections. The district was not qualified by the Constitution to have representation in Congress, nor could district residents have a meaningful vote for president until 1961, when the 23rd Amendment granted D.C. representation in the Electoral College as if it were a state. In 1978, a new amendment was approved by Congress to repeal the 23rd Amendment and replace it with a provision that would grant full voting rights to the District of Columbia, with representation in Congress as well as the Electoral College. The amendment was ratified by 16 states, well short of the 38 required to be added to the Constitution. Not surprisingly, if you look at the list of states that supported the bill, they are mostly Northeastern Democratic strongholds. Again, politics was a deciding factor against the proposal. Republicans just didnt see any advantage to granting the opposition party two more seats in the Senate and one more vote in the House. You cant blame them. But what if the members of Congress did what they are supposed to do? What if they looked for a compromise? You see, conservatives such as myself are not unsympathetic to the wishes of D.C. residents to have full voting rights. I could easily support ceding most of the 68 square miles of land that makes up the district back to Maryland. After all, the federal system is much different than it was in 1787, and there is no reasonable fear that an individual state would try to hold the federal government hostage on account of where it was located. Moreover, the Congress could invent sufficient protections under law regarding matters of taxation or other specific powers currently held by the federal government that might be in conflict with statehood. Little known is the fact that Congress already returned a portion of the original district to Virginia in 1846, as part of a concession with pro-slavery forces who feared that slavery would be outlawed in the district. As a result, all of the remaining land in the District of Columbia originated in Maryland, and could be returned to its jurisdiction through a similar maneuver. There is very little reason for Republicans to oppose such a move, as it would simply reinforce the Democratic majority in Maryland in Senate elections and add one safe Democratic seat in the House of Representatives. In other words, Eleanor Holmes Norton would see her position converted from a delegate to a full voting member. It is a solution that would work, but at this point it is unlikely the Democrats would accept the proposal, worrying that it might seem dismissive of the mostly black population of Washington, D.C., and unwilling to give up the dream of two more Democratic senators made possible by statehood. Nor is there any certainty that Maryland would want to take on the responsibility inherent in such a move. So is there any further way to ensure full suffrage for the District of Columbia? Oddly enough, the solution also comes from our nations dark history of slavery. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 allowed Maine to enter the union as a free state by pairing it with Missouri as a slave state. The issue was the balance of power between pro-slave and anti-slave forces in the U.S. Senate, and while today we face no issue as fundamental as slavery, we do have a Senate that is just as fundamentally divided over a wide number of lesser issues. It seems logical, therefore, to seek out a compromise that would result in full citizenship for our residents in the District of Columbia. Call it the Washington Compromise, not just for Washington, D.C., but also for the other component of the compromise Eastern Washington, which for the past two decades and probably longer has been the vassal of Greater Seattle. Voters in the eastern part of Washington state have no realistic chance to elect governors or U.S. senators who will represent them, and they see their taxes going to Olympia to fund projects and agendas they dont agree with. Why not free Eastern Washington at the same time you create the new state of Columbia? It just might work. Admit Eastern Washington and the District of Columbia into the union simultaneously, and you will eliminate the main objection to D.C. statehood namely, that the state of Columbia would tilt the Senate to the Democrats. Eastern Washington is a deeply conservative region that would assuredly vote Republican for the foreseeable future. The compromise is self-evident and almost poetic in its balance and harmony. The main impediment to this solution would be the state of Washington itself, which in accordance with Article IV of the Constitution would have to consent to ceding its eastern half. Could Washington legislators be persuaded to agree to the proposal? Hard to know for sure, but by appealing to their conscience to respect the notion of self-determination for both D.C. and Eastern Washington, it might well be possible. Three states have already agreed to partitions, including Massachusetts in giving up Maine in the aforementioned compromise, so there is precedent for such an action. Moreover, the proposal to grant statehood to rural Eastern Washington is not a new idea. Since the 19th century there have been several proposals for a new state involving the region in various configurations. It is fitting that the proposed name for the new state has often been Lincoln after the president who abolished slavery, preserved the union and protected Washington, D.C., in the Civil War. Although the state has been envisioned as including the Idaho Panhandle as well as Eastern Washington, that might be a complication not worth adding to the mix. Getting approval from one state would be hard enough; no need to add Idaho unless the states legislature petitioned to Congress for inclusion. Whats important is to address the historical wrong done to the citizens of the District of Columbia. If accomplishing that requires members of Congress to act like statesmen, they will just have to suck it up and get it done. Promoting fair representation for voters in Eastern Washington is an appropriate means to an end we should all agree is just. Whether we call it the Washington Compromise or the Lincoln Compromise, its an idea whose time has come. State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake today found fault with UNPers who attended the wedding of former Presidents son Rohitha Rajapaksa last week. I feel that those who attended the wedding have let down the ordinary UNPers. Ordinary UNPers kept vigil at Temple Trees during the political crisis right from October 26 last year. However associating with some of those who created the crisis is wrong and is an act which let down the ordinary party members, Mr. Ramanayake told journalists after attending courts last morning. However Mr. Ramanayake said he would not find fault with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe attending the wedding as he is the Prime Minister for the whole country. Also Mr Ramanayake said it was alright for the Speaker to attend as he is the head of Parliament who looks into the affairs of all 225 MPs. However he said he would not approve the other MPs from the UNP attending the wedding. When UNP MPs including those who held ministerial portfolios like Law and Order attends a function of those whom they accused of corruption, the public might feel that both parties were trying to get into a deal with each other, he said. Mr. Ramanayake commended the decision of UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa not to attend the wedding. I knew from Mr Premadasa that he was invited. However he questioned whether he should attend the wedding of those who had harassed his supporters in Hambantota, Mr. Ramanayake said. (Yohan Perera) They will soon be calling me MR. BREXIT! Donald Trump posted on Twitter in the summer of 2016, shortly after the British referendum on leaving the European Union. The nickname didnt stick, but he was still correct. He would be elected president on the same wave of anti-immigrant, nationalist sentiment that carried Leave to victory in Great Britain. More than two years later, however, the nativists on both sides of the pond are running into walls, not building them. Trump cant get Congress to cough up money for the southern border wall, and the United Kingdoms Conservative prime minister, Theresa May, cant get Parliament to approve her Brexit deal with the EU. What is surprising is that of the two leaders, Trump is the one who has bent to political reality. It took a month, but Trump finally accepted that, as Politico reported he fumed in private, Nancy is never going to give me what I want." But May cant seem to let go of Brexit. On Tuesday, Parliament is expect to consider a slew of amendments from all major parties. The outcome is wholly uncertain, but the prime minister hopes it will be majority backing of some sort of modification to the rejected deal, which she can use to reopen negotiations with the EU. Meanwhile, the prospect of a catastrophically abrupt No-Deal Brexit looms if Parliament and the EU cant agree on an orchestrated process by the March 29 deadline legally established by May two years go. The British government has escape routes, such as calling a new referendum that could overturn the previous one, but they are all politically distasteful for May. The most likely option is an extension of the deadline of the Article 50 exit process, though that also would require agreement between the UK and EU. May has refused, so far, to ask for an extensionit would look like surrender and could cause the collapse of her governmentbut Parliament, in theory, could force her hand. Trump has an advantage over May; as leader of a presidential and not a parliamentary system, he can surrender without fear of immediately losing his job. Furthermore, May is not singularly to blame. Labour opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn has signaled he supports Brexit too, just not the way May is going about it. That leaves the British people without a strong party championing the Remain cause. Trumps capitulation should prompt some rethinking by the British leaders. He learned a hard lesson: Nativist, nationalist populism can whip voters into an electoral frenzy, but sticking by it to the bitter end is not worth wrecking your economy and your institutions. In trying to stay true to his rabid base, Trump denied paychecks to 800,000 workers, weakened national security, risked airline and food safety, and if it kept going much longer, the shutdown would have seriously harmed economic growth. After a month of rising panic, Trump made the rational decision that whatever the disappointment his base would suffer, he had to stop the bleeding. With the government shutdown, Trump could turn back. If Brexit is actually triggered, there is no turning back. So British leaders need to heed the rising panic now, before its too late. As the Guardian recently reported, many British businesses are planning to leave the country if a No-Deal Brexit is implemented. The head of Europes largest aerospace manufacturer, Airbus, said, Please dont listen to the Brexiters madness, which asserts that because we have huge plants here we will not move and we will always be here. They are wrong. Yes, if May moves to extend the Article 50 deadline or calls for a second referendum, she could suffer an intra-party revolt and be removed from office. If Corbyn pushed for a second referendum, he might alienate pro-Brexit Labour voters who, while a minority of the party, are potentially necessary elements of a winning coalition for the next election. The political risks for them are real. But so is the risk to their country, and their place in history, if they abet permanent economic calamity through either a hard or soft Brexit. The fundamental question the British leaders have to ask themselves is: Is Brexit worth it? Is it worth taking such an enormous risk with the British economy to abide by an ill-informed knee-jerk snap decision by the voters 2 years ago? Polls indicate that Remain could win a do-over referendum. Now that voters have seen how complicated and messy disentangling from the European Union will be, why not give them another chance to say whether they really meant it? May has no deeply felt ideological reason to insist on driving Britain into a ditch no matter the cost. After all, she campaigned against Brexit during the first referendum! And if she pulled back from the Brexit brink, Corbyn would probably follow suit, or else risk his own intra-party revolt. So take a page from Donald Trump. You can turn back. You can refuse to let your most anti-immigrant supporters force you to blow up your economy and render your country a laughingstock. Might you lose personal power in the end? Perhaps. But when your people put a self-inflicted wound on your country, history will treat you kinder if you stop the bleeding instead of cutting off a limb. Steve Forbes' bespectacled gaze travels across the Hudson River to the glinting skyscrapers of New York City. We're on the 10th floor of his glass and steel sanctum. The lifelong, free market apostle proudly declares You've got the best view of America's financial hub from here! a window the size of an IMAX movie screen showcases the world famous Manhattan skyline. The new Forbes Media LLC headquarters was opened a few years ago, across the river in Jersey City a discrete distance from the creative destruction of Wall Street. Arguably more recognizable than Adam Smith, Forbes inherited a last name and publishing empire virtually synonymous with capitalism. Forbes' father, the legendary Malcolm Forbes, invented a type of business journalism that glorifies extreme wealth and aggressive entrepreneurial success. The flamboyant pater Forbes exemplified a kind of gleeful capitalism, as the New York Times wrote in his obituary, that relished the things money could buy. The emerging security environment, marked by an intensifying technological competition among the major powers as well as the proliferation of advanced of military hardware, is leading to future battlefields that will be faster paced and highly lethal. Units that stay in one place too long are toast. The Army Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley, has observed that if you stay in one place for longer than two or three hours, you will be dead. General Milley was an optimist. The Russian Army has developed a sophisticated indirect fires capability that employs electronic warfare and unmanned aircraft systems for reconnaissance and targeting in support of the rapid delivery of massed artillery and rocket fires at ranges that exceed those of U.S. and allied systems. In the 2014 Ukraine conflict, Russian Army units were able to find, fix and destroy units that stay in place for more than a few minutes with concentrated long-range fires. Consequently, long-range precision fires is and must be the Armys number one modernization priority. The goal is to both out-range and out-mass hostile fires. This involves developing longer-range and more lethal rockets such as the Precision Strike System and evolving an advanced version of the M109A7 self-propelled howitzer, the Paladin, into the Extended Range Cannon Artillery. However, it will take a long time to get these new fires systems into the field. Even then, they will not meet all the Armys needs. Greater range alone will not be enough to ensure survivability. U.S. Army artillery must be able to overmatch our enemies at every echelon, to do so, mobility is also required. Army artillery units need to be able to shoot and scoot. The Armored Brigade Combat Teams have this ability with the Paladin and its potential descendants. But infantry and Stryker brigade combat teams (BCTs), the early entry force, presently must rely on towed artillery that takes too long to set up, fire and relocate. Towed howitzers cannot keep up with the Strykers when they maneuver cross country. On long road marches, the towed howitzers need to refuel three times for every Stryker refueling. The towed howitzers in both Stryker and Infantry BCTs take too long setting up into position to be responsive for calls for fire. Additionally, because they also take so long to pack up and start moving, they are highly susceptible to being destroyed by enemy counterbattery fires. The immediate solution is to make towed artillery more mobile. Enter Hawkeye and Brutus. The former is a 105-mm howitzer mounted on a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) chassis. The latter is a 155-mm howitzer married to a medium tactical vehicle platform. The Hawkeye is the lightest, most highly maneuverable self-propelled howitzer in the world. Both it and Brutus can set up and be ready to fire in less than 2 minutes, about a fourth of the time needed for its towed cousins, and conduct a two-round fire mission in 3 minutes. This not only translates into more effective indirect fires in support of infantry and Stryker BCTs but into greater survivability for their crews. The key to the ability of both Hawkeye and Brutus to shoot and scoot is the use of revolutionary soft recoil technology. This reduces the weight of stabilizing structures by as much as 50 percent compared to conventional recoil systems. Tests show that Hawkeye and Brutus can not only set up, fire and move faster than towed systems but that they do so while achieving up to ten times the accuracy. Also, Hawkeye and Brutus can conduct more fire missions per day with fewer soldiers and vehicles. The Army has conducted multiple live-fire exercises with both Hawkeye and Brutus. A recent test of Brutus conducted by the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery, 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division: Converting towed 105-mm and 155-mm howitzers to a mobile configuration is easy and, for an Army program, extraordinarily cheap. The process removes existing howitzer barrels from old recoil systems, adds the new soft recoil system, then mounts them on a Humvee or medium tactical vehicle. Both vehicles are currently in serial production. The entire procedure is more akin to a modification than an actual new start program. Because they operate with fewer vehicles and personnel and reduce the wear and tear on the howitzers during movement, Hawkeye and Brutus could help pay for themselves in reduced operations and maintenance costs. Hawkeye and Brutus would be inexpensive investments with significant near-term benefits to the warfighter. They address an operational need identified by forward-deployed forces in Europe today. These systems can almost be in the field tomorrow. That means they could be a near-term win for Army Futures Command, perhaps even its first one. Dan Goure, Ph.D., is a vice president at the public-policy research think tank Lexington Institute. Goure has a background in the public sector and U.S. federal government, most recently serving as a member of the 2001 Department of Defense Transition Team. You can follow him on Twitter at @dgoure and the Lexington Institute @LexNextDC. Read his full bio here. In Mark Bowdens book, Black Hawk Down, he describes an incident where a soldiers CAR-15 5.56mm carbine failed to put down an enemy combatant despite multiple hits to center mass. The ammunition used by the soldier was the M855 green-tip projectile, adopted by the U.S. Army and Marines in the 1980s. Further reports of M855 underperforming lead the U.S. military on a hunt for a new cartridge that would be more effective. Surprisingly, the Army and Marines diverged in their approach, and for nearly half a decade both services fielded different cartridges as standard issue to their troops until Congress forced the Marines to use the Army round. But which round is better? Have other NATO countries kept up with these innovations and developed third-generation 5.56 rounds of their own? Why did the Marines resist the change for so long? To understand the problems with the M855, its worth looking at the round it replaced, the M193. The M193 was the cartridge the original M16 was designed for. It uses a fifty-five grain lead projectile with a copper jacket. It is designed to be stabilized by the 1:12 twist and twenty inches of the M16s original barrel. The primary wounding mechanism of this projectile is yawing and fragmenting upon impact with flesh, both of which create a larger wound cavity than simply passing through. The M193 was also adopted by a variety of other nations. Almost every nation that used the original M16 or M16A1, from the Republic of Korea to the United Kingdom utilized M193. France also adopted a 5.56mm round similar to the M193 in 1979, which also used a fifty-five grain projectile in a 1:12 twist barrel. However, due to the violent nature of the French rifles actions, the French cartridge utilized a steel case instead of brass. But the M193 was not a NATO standard. In 1970, noting that the United States had diverged from the earlier 7.62x51mm standard cartridge, NATO wanted to re-standardize a single type of small arms ammunition and conducted their own series of tests from 1973 to 1979 with a variety of smaller intermediate cartridges in the same power range as the M193. The trials involved firing at steel helmets at extended range, which caused rounds to be optimized for long-range ballistics and penetration on steel rather than terminal ballistics on soft targets. The competitors were a British 4.85mm round, a German 4.7mm caseless round, and two variants of 5.56, one from America and one from Belgium. The Belgian round, the SS109, won the trials and was designated as the standard NATO infantry rifle cartridge under NATO Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 4172 in 1980. Most NATO nations adopted the SS109 as their first 5.56 round. The United States adopted it as the M855, painting the tip green to allow soldiers to easily differentiate it from older M193 ammunition. The M855 uses a sixty-two grain projectile stabilized by a 1:7 twist barrel. The slower twist rate is required to stabilize the heavier projectile. The projectile has an enclosed steel penetrator that gives it superior penetration against steel. The round fragments upon hitting a soft target, but it requires a significant amount of velocity to do so. The round was paired with the new M16A2 rifle, which combined a barrel that used the new twist rate with various other changes. The old M193 ammo was not backwards compatible with the M16A2, as the lighter ammo would not be stabilized and would yaw significantly in flight leading to poor accuracy. The M16A2 and M855 combination was used by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marines through the 1980s and into the 1990s. But during the 1990s the U.S. military began purchasing short barrel 5.56 carbines again, following poor experiences by special operations forces trying to use 9mm submachine guns in conventional direct action raids. These carbines had shorter barrels, usually around 14.5 or sixteen inches, which gave them lower muzzle velocity compared to the full twenty-inch barrel of the M16. The lower velocity of these carbines led to incidents such as those in Mogadishu where the M855 fired out of a CAR-15 failed to fragment and put targets down reliably. The issue of M855 lethality continued to plague the military in the post-9/11 era. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragged on, the U.S. Army and Marines began to issue out M4 Carbines, which use a 14.5-inch barrel, in larger numbers. This only exacerbated the problem with M855. Special Operations Forces were already well aware of the limitations of M855 in short 5.56 rifles following their experiences in Mogadishu. They already had an alternate bullet in the form of the Mk262, a seventy-seven grain open tip match round originally issued with the Mk12 SPR, a version of the M16 designed for precision fire. The Mk262 offered better terminal performance in flesh and ballistic performance compared to M855, even when fired from short carbines. Early in the post 9/11 era, most SOCOM units switched to the Mk262 round for all their 5.56 weapons. The USMC also ordered Mk262 in limited quantities in the mid-2000s. But SOF wanted something better than the Mk262. The division of the Navy responsible for their small arms programs, Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane) began development of a new round in 2005 to address user concerns with the round. This new round reverted back to the M855s standard sixty-two grain weight and was designed primarily for better terminal performance and the ability to be barrier-blind: to shoot through soft cover like thin walls and car doors without significant trajectory change. It featured a large solid copper core behind the lead filling. The open tip was retained from the Mk262 for accuracy. This round was called Mk318 Special Operations Science and Technology (SOST). It was adopted by SOCOM in 2007, replacing the use of Mk262 in most roles. The USMC adopted the Mk318 in 2010 . At the time it was not to fully replace the M855, but soon afterwards the Mk318 became the de-facto standard issue round in the USMC for Marines heading into combat. The M855 was relegated to training use. The Army embarked on their own program in the 2000s to field a new round. The Army was already developing a new round, called M855A1, at the time. Early on, the primary objective of the M855A1 was to develop a more environmentally friendly round by eliminating the use of lead in the projectile. But problems with the M855s lethality lead to the addition of a lethality requirement to the M855A1 project. The military, under the auspices of the Joint Services Wound Ballistics Integrated Product Team (JSWB IPT), did a significant amount of research into determining why the M855 performed so poorly in terminal ballistics. They found that most bullets would yaw in flight to some degree or another, and the fragmentation performance of a bullet would often be affected by what angle the bullet had when it hit the target. Some M855 hits at high yaw would perform excellently, fragmenting and yawing within a few inches of ballistic gelatin . Others would go significantly further before exhibiting these effects. JSWB IPT concluded that in order to achieve consistent improved lethality, the new round needed to have consistent fragmentation and yaw performance regardless of the impact angle. The new round was also designed to fragment reliably within a greater range of velocities, instead of just the high velocities required by the SS109. The round design for the M855A1 was finalized in 2010. The end product is a sixty-two grain projectile that has an exposed steel-tipped penetrator followed by a copper core, totally eliminating any lead in the bullet. The powder burn time in the cartridge was also optimized for the Armys shorter M4 Carbines and chamber pressures were increased to achieve similar velocities to the M16 out of the M4s shorter barrel. The M855A1 is barrier blind, has better and more consistent terminal effects, and achieves better penetration against body armor than any earlier general purpose round (including the Mk262 and Mk318). It even outperforms the older M855 against steel armor and shoots flatter than earlier rounds. However, the round didnt work well in standard magazines. The steel tip of the M855A1s exposed penetrator would dig into, scratch, and potentially chip the feed ramps of M4 Carbines and M16s when fed from standard-issue grey aluminum magazines. To fix this the Army designed a new, flat dark earth aluminum magazine called the Enhanced Performance Magazine (EPM) that changes the feed angle to reduce wear when using M855A1. The Army adopted this magazine in 2016 ; however, the Marines did not. The Marines opted for Magpuls plastic PMAG Gen 3 magazine instead. PMAGs have seen extensive use with Special Operations Forces and even in some regular Army and Marine units since their creation in 2007. The PMAG was already designed with an altered feed angle to increase reliability, so it feeds M855A1 without issue. But while the Marines adopted the PMAG in 2016, they still resisted the change to the Armys M855A1 round. The Marines originally planned to adopt the M855A1 in 2009, when the Army was finalizing its design work on the round, but problems with the accuracy of the trajectory of the round caused the Marines to pull out of that commitment. Instead, they bought the Mk318. As time went on, the cost of the M855A1 dropped as the Army bought more rounds while the cost of the Mk318 remained relatively constant. The disparity in cost and the strain on logistics caused Congress to demand to know why the Marines didnt standardize on the Armys M855A1 round in 2015 . The reason for the Marines resistance was their M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, a version of the Heckler and Koch (H&K) HK416. This wasnt the first time the German rifle caused problems for the Marines. The IAR led the Marines to ban use of earlier generations of PMAGs in 2012 because the rifle wouldnt function reliably with the magazines. This was because the IARs magwell was outside of standard M16 dimensions. The dimensions were derived from the British L85, which H&K worked on during the HK416s development. The ban was rescinded after a joint service trial revealed that PMAGs were the best magazines for their M16s and M4s. The trial also lead to the eventual adoption of the Generation 3 PMAG by the Marines, which is compatible with the IAR. The IARs non-standard dimensions and internals also lead to problems with the M855A1 round. Marine Corps Brigadier General Joseph Shrader testified in front of Congress in the summer of 2017 that the M855A1 caused durability and reliability issues in the IAR. Congress evidently didnt care, as the National Defense Authorization Act for 2017 forced the services to adopt the same 5.56mm round by 2018. The Marines adopted the M855A1 on December 2017 . The problems with the IAR and the M855A1 were known for some time. An Army test in 2016 revealed that the M855A1 would scratch and wear the forcing cone on the IAR and cause reliability issues. While the adoption of the PMAG has apparently solved the forcing cone and reliability issues of the IAR, some other durability issues remain. The HK416 series of rifles are known to be overgassed to maintain reliability. This causes them to have a violent recoil impulse and undergo faster parts wear compared to a M4/M16. When paired with the increased pressure of the M855A1 round, its likely that the bolt of an IAR is going to wear out far faster than their M4 or M16 counterparts. This problem can mitigated by an adjustable gas port which was introduced on the HK416A5. However, the USMCs IAR does not have this feature, so its likely that the service has just decided to live with the reduced parts life that comes with the M855A1. But where does this leave other nations? The United States has developed a standard third-generation 5.56mm round in the M855A1, but most of the rest of NATO still uses M855/SS109. But some countries have begun to develop their own third generation rounds. The U.K. has fielded a round that maximizes penetration in the L31A1, which features a full steel penetrator/core wrapped in a copper jacket. Its unlikely that this round matches the M855A1 in terminal ballistics, as most performance testing has shown just increased performance versus steel . Thales Australia is building what looks to be M855A1 clone in their F9 round to be used with Australias new F90 assault rifle. While there is not much public information on the round, a blurb in Defense Technology Review mentions the round has enhanced lethality, and shows a picture of the round, which has an exposed steel penetrator like the M855A1. The round is reportedly in use with the Australian Defense Forces and New Zealand Defense Forces (NZDF) in 2019. The NZDF uses M4-style rifles with PMAGs, a combination that would definitely be compatible with an M855A1-style round. Most other nations seem to be sticking with SS109-style projectiles, along with the questionable lethality that entails. Perhaps they are waiting for the next generation of infantry weapons, such as the U.S. Armys 6.8mm Next Generation Squad Weapon project. But for armies actively engaged in combat, it might be worth looking at adopting a version of the M855A1 and a magazine to go along with it. Charlie Gao studied Political and Computer Science at Grinnell College and is a frequent commentator on defense and national security issues. This article appeared originally at The National Interest. Great Britain is returning to seaways east of Suez, decades after freeing its colonies and withdrawing, more or less, to the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. A warship from Britain's Royal Navy demonstrated on behalf of nautical freedom in the South China Sea last September, drawing a stern rebuke from China. This month the frigate HMS Argyll joined the destroyer USS McCampbell for six days' worth of exercises in the South China Sea. Beijing will doubtless grouse anew. In a corporate pivot towards business-to-business activities, cloud-based over-the-top service Magine TV is to discontinue its activities in Germany, selling off its B2C assets to Zattoo. Magine TV was founded in Sweden in March 2013 has been available to consumers in Germany since April 2014 through free-TV and many pay-TV channels in HD in Germany.Magine TV will end its web offer in Germany on 28 February 2019 and will subsequently focus on the B2B business globally with video streaming platform MaginePro.Magine started as a direct to consumer business and has been pivoting its strategy to being primarily a business to business provider for some time, explained Magine chairman Kamal Bherwani. Consistent with this pivot, we have decided to focus on one strategy, not multiple business models. As a consequence, we are selling our B2C business to our renowned competitor and now partner, Zattoo . We would like to sincerely thank all users of Magine TV for their loyalty. With Zattoo our users are in good hands and can stream high quality TV with a wide range of channels as usual.MaginePro offers Magine's technology as a scalable and cost-effective video integration for websites looking for a high-quality video solution. We offer everything from the technical platform to the fully managed end-to-end OTT service for linear live TV streaming as well as video-on-demand content. JAPAN: Regional operator JR Shikoku unveiled its two pre-series Series 2700 diesel multiple-units on January 23. Now undergoing test running, the two-car units are expected to enter service later this year, working Limited Express services on the islands principal non-electrified main lines. UK: Oxford to Cambridge railway project promoter East West Railway Co has begun public consultation on five route options for the Bedford Cambridge section of the future line. Welcome to Railway Gazette. This site uses cookies. Read our policy. OK Professor David Sanders, a West Lafayette city councilor, will teach a course on the coronavirus this fall that will focus on media coverage and statistical spread of the disease. Kamzy in Jaffna to make sure that those who arent being heard today can raise their voice: Women are not being heard unfortunate that there werent more female leaders in the LTTE negotiation delegation Luckily, during my Sri Lanka-trip I have met many people who choose a vision for the future of Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim societies This year, I had the honour and privilege to visit several cities in Sri Lanka. I have met many people who strive with all their might to build a better society for themselves, and for the Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim societies. I would like to share with you some of my experiences and offer some reflections now that I am back home in Oslo, Norway. During this trip, I had the opportunity to meet with and listen to women of various backgrounds, arrange workshops on female empowerment, and exchange ideas with local politicians. Furthermore, I reached out to the local media to raise awareness of the structural and cultural obstacles facing women who work to improve their situation. My position as Deputy Mayor of a cosmopolitan city has given me a voice to address these issues and I do feel responsible to use this privilege to help bring their stories to light. Many people have approached me to show their support for my activism. People in Norway, in Sri Lanka and in the Tamil diaspora have expressed their support and gratitude. To you, from the bottom of my heart, I extend my heartfelt thanks. Every supporting and comforting word is not just for me; it is also for every girl who wants to raise her voice. You are strengthening democracy. Highlights of visit At a meeting in Mullaitivu I met many war widows. They had lost husbands and sons to the war, or to kidnappings in its aftermath. Even during a pitstop in Vavuniya on our way to Mullaitivu, people could tell me stories about disappeared loved ones. This is a responsibility the Sri Lankan government must take. Despite carrying such heavy burdens, these women came to my workshop to challenge the structural and cultural obstacles they face when they seek to have a say in our societys political life. These obstacles are not only a consequence of Sinhalese government policies. They are a product of what some believe is the Tamil culture. In Jaffna, during a plenary session, one woman said she spoke on behalf of all the women when she said that abortion does not belong in Tamil culture. But after the session, many women came to me with their own experiences. They told me horrifying stories about young women and girls who had been raped and become pregnant. These women wanted access to legal and safe abortion. In Batticaloa, the women were even more progressive. They wanted to campaign for birth control. Birth control is legal in Sri Lanka, but doctors inform about it first after a woman has had her first child. There are still cultural barriers. Many women told stories about domestic violence. Sometimes their husbands wanted more children, while the women did not. Their husbands sought to bring their wives to submission using physical force. Should we silence the women sharing their stories? Violence is never an issue to be dealt within the family. If someone abuses anyone, even within the family, we as a society must react and act. My position as Deputy Mayor of a cosmopolitan city has given me a voice to address these issues and I do feel responsible to use this privilege to help bring their stories to light I have noticed that some accuse me of promoting Western culture when I lend my voice to these womens concerns. Womens right to escape the humiliation brought upon them by rapists, their right to reproductive self-determination and their right to forge their own futures, these rights are universal. Tamil, Sinhalese or Muslim women will not sell their rights to gain the condescending recognition of nationalists. Is it really a waste of time to share our experiences as women in politics and how we can better handle varying issues? Can we not value each others stories and learn from them? In the course of my travels in Sri Lanka, as long as my schedule allowed it, I have tried to meet as many people, media and politicians as possible. When I got the chance to meet with President Maithripala Sirisena, I saw it as an opportunity to tell him about the work I want to do, and to share my perspectives on female rights. Filling the void in female participation I understand that Tamil people got angry watching the photo of me meeting the President. I will not defend him for the past, thats not my job. But, I am a Norwegian local politician. I would be going way past my mandate if I raised issues such as the war or other foreign policy issues on behalf of the government of Norway. However, I am a woman of Tamil descent who have been given the opportunity to be a representative of people who have chosen to vote for a party that, among other issues, is committed to strengthening womens rights. In this respect, meeting the President and showing the world that Im prepared to discuss these matters with anyone who has the power to make progress, I have also been able to lend my voice to Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim women. After 30 years of war in Sri Lanka, we need to face the future. There was a time when I was member of a Tamil youth organization, danced at every Maaveerar Naal and sang at events to remember and honour those who lost their lives during the war. I dont regret any of that. But today it is not my job to define what the people of Sri Lanka need, but to make sure that those who arent being heard today can raise their voice. And truth be told: Women are not being heard. I was mostly interviewed by men. And many of them tried to shift the focus to other questions. One of the only interviews that managed to focus on the main objectives of my trip, was by a female journalist. I dont believe that was a coincidence. I want more visible female role models. For this reason, I believe it is unfortunate that there werent more female leaders in the LTTE negotiation delegation. The reactions in the Tamil diaspora when I have pointed this out have been interesting. I have been met with anger and accused of belittling the accomplishments of brave and strong women within the LTTE or other parts of Tamil society. I merely pointed out another structural injustice. Some try to argue that these strong women prove that there arent any problems. Let them answer these questions: How many organizations exist in the Tamil diaspora? How many of these have a female leader? How many of these have as many female as male board members? How many men have been invited as guests of honor or as speakers at events? How many women? If someone truly believes in Velupaillai Prabhakarans words, shouldnt they also commit to increasing womens participation in all parts of society, even in leadership roles? Women Can Do It I genuinely have great hopes for the Tamil society, and this is why I will keep asking these questions. I came to Norway at age 3. This country has given me so much. I can thank my parents and this democratic and progressive country for everything I am. I want to pay this forward. Through Norwegian Peoples Aid Ive held Women Can Do It courses in several countries. These seminars, usually 5 days long, empower women to run for election through different kinds of practices. This time I had a couple of hours with women organizations in Mullaitivu, Jaffna (several women from Kilinochchi came too), Batticaloa and Kaithady. In these workshops, we shared experiences with the biggest obstacles women face and the best ways to overcome them - both in Sri Lanka and Norway. Why? Because Norway has issues within gender equality too. And I never travel anywhere to tell them that Norway is perfect. I want us to learn from each other. The most valuable thing we have is not our money, it is our knowledge. That is the one thing that nobody can take away from you. If these workshops dont seem useful, then what is? Handouts and remittances from the diaspora? Politics is about what policies and systems we believe create the best societies. If your problem is that Im arrogant, that you think I shouldnt drink or stay quiet on topics youre uncomfortable with, I quote Jon Stewart: Im not going to censor myself to comfort your ignorance. Unfortunately, I am also forced to speak up against the sexism, social control and harassment that my work has provoked. I am an experienced politician, but Ive never experienced as much online harassment (and lies) as I have during my ten days in Sri Lanka this year. I met with the president - some people responded by calling me a whore. I gathered the women from my fathers village to encourage them to engage in their local communities and make their voices heard - some Tamil men told me to be ashamed and that I dishonor my father. I was interviewed by a male Sinhalese journalist, some Tamil men chose to give attention, not to my message, but to their compulsion to believe that I might be sleeping with the journalist. I am the editor of my own social media accounts, and I normally delete comments that are libelous or constitute harassment. Some people believe that publicly dishonoring women and harassing them is a form freedom of speech. While it is not, I do not have the time to argue with them or to moderate the deluge of filth they produce. So, I stopped deleting. Their contribution to this discussion of the future of Tamil society will remain in the digital archives in perpetuity. These people who claim to be proud Tamils, have showed the world that these were the best arguments they had. To them I say: In every one of your home towns, there is a young girl growing up, who wants to speak her mind. A girl who wants to grow up to be a resource for her community, who wants to give and not only ask what others are going to do. That little girl sees every word you are writing. You should ask yourself if your words will help or hurt her chances to grow up to be the best resource for her community. Luckily, during my Sri Lanka-trip I have met many people who choose a vision for the future of Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim societies in which women are empowered to make decisions about their own lives, and who recognize that these rights are universal in nature. Gender equality is only achieved when women and men have the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society. This includes economic participation and political decision-making. When the different behaviorus, aspirations and needs of women and men are treated with equal value, then we can truly enjoy gender equality. All around the world, women are impatiently demanding dignity, opportunity and representation. We strive to make all our communities better. We know this is a good cause and I will continue to fight for gender equality every single day, no matter where I go. Kamzy addressing a group of women in Jaffna If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. Submit Faculty members watch a presentation by Purdue President Mitch Daniels at October's University Senate meeting. On Monday, some were concerned about a rule that required Purdue University Global professors to notify administrators of any contact with members of the media. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Many farmers in the Republic of Cameroon usually grow just enough food to feed their families due to limited fertilizer and high-yield seeds, coupled with poor soil quality and lack of irrigation. Scott Massey, a Purdue University graduate and founder of Heliponix, a company that makes an appliance that fits under a kitchen counter and grows produce year-round, is hoping to change that by bringing sustainable agriculture methods in Cameroon. Massey has been selected for a second Mandela Washington Fellowship to lead educational workshops at Cameroonian universities this month. Approximately 200 million hectares of suitable land remains unfarmed across Africa, causing many observers to wonder how African nations can unlock their full agricultural potential. The Mandela Washington Fellowship seeks to promote agricultural development through the academic and entrepreneurial empowerment of African peoples. African entrepreneurs have immeasurable economic opportunities to market solutions using new agricultural technologies, Massey said. Our overall goal is to provide these resilient people the means to their own production and permanently break the cycle of dependency on foreign aid. Massey has used his extensive knowledge in hydroponic systems and agricultural engineering to develop GroPod, an in-home appliance that grows produce year-round. His background also gives him the unique expertise to teach innovative and sustainable farming techniques in Cameroon. In these workshops, we are implementing a new vertical farming technique that utilizes an adaption of the proprietary vertical farming technology also used in GroPod, Massey said. Not only will we be teaching the students about these advanced technologies that they can use to start their own businesses, but we will also be building model farms that they can incorporate into their curriculums to grow clean food. On this trip, Massey will travel with Daliwa Joseph Bainamndi, another Mandela Washington fellow, to give Cameroonian farmers vital information on developing and incorporating innovative farming practices into their work. The pair will lead lectures on hydroponic farming, entrepreneurship, 3D printing and computer-assisted design at the University of Ngaoundere, University of Ngoa-ekele and the agriculture school of Institut Superieur des Sciences et Techniques de Yaounde. In general, African farmers struggle against nonexistent agricultural infrastructure and poor farming conditions, making subsistence farming the most advantageous practice. However, Massey and Bainamndis work could empower Cameroonian students and farmers to expand operations sustainably and successfully through entrepreneurship and innovation. Masseys work aligns with Purdue's Giant Leaps celebration of the universitys global advancements made in health, space, artificial intelligence and sustainability as part of Purdues 150th anniversary. Those are the four themes of the yearlong celebrations Ideas Festival, designed to showcase Purdue as an intellectual center solving real-world issues. Massey received his first Mandela Washington Fellowship in 2018 when he traveled to Togo, Africa, to teach farmers there about the farming usages of hydroponics systems. Read more about his first trip here. This diplomatic humanitarian mission will fight the war against hunger on its front line and expand the addressable technology market to maximize global impact, he said. I look forward to the day that Africa becomes an environmentally and economically sustainable farming model. About Purdue Foundry The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization accelerator in Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups. Managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, the Purdue Foundry was co-named a top recipient at the 2016 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Designation and Awards Program by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities for its work in entrepreneurship. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org. Writer: Kelsey Henry, 765-588-3342, kehenry@prf.org Purdue Research Foundation Contact: Tom Coyne, 765-558-1044, tjcoyne@prf.org Source: Scott Massey, scott@heliponix.com Yourefolio, the leader in professional driven estate and legacy planning software announced today the release of the most innovative flowcharting capabilities in the industry. The enhanced flow-charting capabilities will be the first of their kind in the industry. Icons visual displays of assets, liabilities and ownership transfers - are derived from various information within the Yourefolio database and populate the intuitive interface. Advisors will have the ability to drag and drop whichever icons they wish into the screen and move them to any position desired to visually explain the impacts of wealth transfers. This unique ability will save advisors time by removing any manual efforts in creating visual displays. What makes the experience seamless is the communication within the flow-charts, said Scott Huff CEO of Yourefolio. While the industry has been stuck with basic options for flow-charting, these were limited by incomplete functionality and data connections. Now with Yourefolios enhanced flowcharting capabilities, monetary totals are automatically re-calculated on the fly, making it a much more dynamic and interactive experience for clients and advisors. For example, if a professional would like to illustrate how adding a trust to their clients estate or financial plan looks, they simply add the icon to the flow-chart. Once the client agrees to this plan of action, the information is automatically updated in the Yourefolio database, enabling advisors to quickly expand the plan for the client. While two-way communication was one enhanced feature, adding and subtracting totals within the flow-charts was equally important. Now, a professional can show monetary flow through the flow-charts and change amounts within each node, or action step. The totals will reflect how inheritance can change and how cash flow and other strategies can be accomplished. Yourefolio has added its estate tax calculations, both Federal and State as icons and totals to the charts. Now any scenario can be illustrated. Advisors have been asking for this type of flow-charting for years, said Huff. Now professionals will have the most elaborate flow-charting capabilities at their fingertips. Yourefolios intuitive user interface enables enhanced personalization such as including clients faces to appear, icons to look like cars, homes and other related items. Templates can now be created, saved and reused along with the ability to just create a basic flow-chart. Notes can be added to further an explanation. Illustrations in estate planning and financial planning will be revolutionized with Yourefolios new enhanced capabilities, said Huff. Any current users of Yourefolio will get a scheduled release starting on January 31, 2019. New users will see it appear on their platforms as of February 15, 2019. In addition to the new flow-charting, Yourefolio has been on an aggressive integration development campaign. Newly released integrations and single sign ons within the platform, include Orion, Schwab, Wealthbox CRM, Clio, InterActive Legal and Junxure have been or are scheduled for release. Single sign on with AdvicePay and Right Capital are being completed. Custom Salesforce integrations are also available. Yourefolio will be exhibiting at the upcoming Technology Tools for Today (T3) conference to be held January 29-February 1, 2019 in Denton, Texas as well as at the TD Ameritrade Institutional LINC conference to be held February 6-9, 2019 in San Diego, California. For more information please visit: https://www.yourefolio.com/ For media inquiries: Timothy Welsh Nexus Strategy, LLC tim(at)nexusstrategy(dot)com 415-847-4874 About Yourefolio: Yourefolio is the leader in estate and legacy planning technology. Created by Scott Huff, a registered representative and investment advisor representative since 2001. With the help of industry professionals Yourefolio has become the go to software for professionals who wish to include estate planning in their suite of services. Yourefolio is the most comprehensive estate and legacy planning software available today. https://www.yourefolio.com "Poor farming practices as well as exposure to toxic doses of arsenic through drinking unsafe water drastically impact the gut microbiota of vulnerable populations (i.e. mothers and children)..." - Dr. Habib Bokhari, PhD Through its Microbiome Grant Initiative, uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics, has awarded microbiome research support in study design, planning, sample collection, and analysis to researchers at COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) led by Dr. Habib Bokhari, PhD, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, to study the individual or cumulative role of arsenic and/or C. jejuni, the leading cause of bacterial foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide, in modulating children's gut microbiota and stunting their growth. The goal of the study is to characterize the microbiota of children showing stunted growth from arsenic-polluted groundwater and the pathogen Campylobacter jejuni. In addition, researchers will investigate the pathogenesis of disease by correlating the metabolites with the overall gut microbiota of children when infected with either C. jejuni or arsenic or both. The team hopes that new positively correlated taxa will be recognized as targets for future probiotic development (as prophylactic for stunted growth) and will improve understanding of the pathogenesis involved in stunted growth in low-income regions with poor sanitation, poor farming practicing, and a lack of safe drinking water. Data collected from the study will include microbiome composition from uBiomes patented kits to test for the presence of C. jejuni, urine, hair, or blood samples to test for arsenic exposure, and age and sex of the child. This study will contribute to our understanding of how toxins and pathogens alter the gut microbiome of children in regions with poor sanitation and lack of adequate drinking water, said Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome. We are proud to support COMSATS University in their investigation of this vulnerable population. Dr. Bokhari received his PhD in Infection and Immunology from the University of Glasgow in 2002 and has completed four postdocs from Perelman School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and George Mason University. He is a recipient of a Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship (2002, 2013) and a Fulbright Fellowship (2016-2017). Dr. Bokhari is responsible for starting a teaching/research program in Bioinformatics and setting up the Department of Biosciences laboratories at CUI in 2003. As a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in the Department of Biosciences, Dr. Bokhari collaborates with the National University of Singapore, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, George Mason University, Florida International University, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and the University of Pennsylvania. About the grant, Dr. Bokhari said, Stunted growth in children can be caused by many factors of which nutritionists and economists are working to investigate. Poor farming practices as well as exposure to toxic doses of arsenic through drinking unsafe water drastically impact the gut microbiota of vulnerable populations (i.e. mothers and children), contributing to stunted growth in children and leading to a self-perpetuating cycle of poverty and compromised human capital that is difficult to interrupt. This vicious cycle can only be effectively tackled by enhanced environmental surveillance as well as a better understanding of the changing spectrum of gut microbiota under prevailing environmental stress and after implementing gut correctional strategies. Through its Microbiome Grant Initiative, uBiome has awarded millions of dollars in research support to hundreds of investigators around the world at renowned academic institutions and not-for-profit research organizations, including Harvard University, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California, San Francisco, Oxford University, and the University of Sydney. Awards include patented microbiome sequencing kits, as well as research support in study design, planning, sample collection, and analysis. To learn more about our award process or to submit a grant proposal, visit http://www.ubiome.com/microbiome-grant-initiative/. About uBiome Founded in 2012, uBiome is the leader in microbial genomics. The Companys mission is to advance the science of the microbiome and make it useful to people. uBiome combines its patented proprietary precision sequencing with machine learning and artificial intelligence to develop wellness products, clinical tests, and therapeutic targets. uBiome has filed for over 250 patents on its technology, which includes sample preparation, computational analysis, molecular techniques, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic applications. uBiomes commercial products include SmartGut, the worlds first sequencing-based clinical microbiome test, which identifies microbes in the gut for patients with chronic gut conditions such as IBD, IBS, Crohns Disease, and ulcerative colitis; SmartJane, the first sequencing-based womens health screening test, which genotypes all 19 clinically relevant strains of HPV, identifies four common STDs, and surveys more than 20 vaginal microbes associated with bacterial vaginosis and other conditions; and Explorer, a health and wellness product to understand the role that food and lifestyle can play in wellness. uBiomes platform has been used by hundreds of thousands of consumers, patients, and doctors and more than 200 research institutions around the world, including the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Harvard University, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California, San Francisco, Oxford University, and the University of Sydney. Since its launch, the company has received widespread recognition including CNN 10: Startups to Watch, the IVY Technology Award, CNN Future 30, and was named one of Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies in Healthcare in 2016 and in Data Science in 2018, as well as a Technology Pioneer from the World Economic Forum in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.uBiome.com. The Wesley Communities - Columbus, Ohio These awards recognize Ohio employers who demonstrate a commitment to employee wellness through comprehensive worksite health promotion and wellness programs. Applicants are scored on the extent their wellness programs facilitate and encourage employee health, enhance productivity and ensure a healthy work environment. All worksites, large and small, public and private, for profit and nonprofit, are eligible to apply for the Healthy Worksite Award. All applications were reviewed and evaluated using objective criteria. Three levels of achievement were awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze. Other applicants, who meet basic criteria, received a Recognition award. Increasing the number of worksites receiving awards is an objective in Ohios Plan to Prevent and Reduce Chronic Disease: 2014-2018, an objective being led by HBCO. The ceremony will be held at 12:30 p.m. on January 24, 2019, at the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio as part of the Health Action Council 2018 Columbus Symposium. The symposium features national experts on health reform, health care systems and health benefits. Below are the recipients for the 2018 Healthy Worksite Award: Medium Business: 301-1,000 employees Gold Award: American Showa, Inc. City of Kettering Equity Trust Company MillerCoors Trenton Brewery NK Parts Industries Inc. SumiRiko Ohio, Inc. Silver Award: John Carroll University ms consultants, inc Ohio Public Employees Retirement System ProVia Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board The Wesley Communities Wood County Hospital Bronze Award: Ashland University Automated Packaging Systems, Inc. Owens Corning Southeastern Med About The Wesley Communities The Wesley Communities is an affiliate of the West Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church that provides quality housing, health care and services for seniors in Central Ohio. Incorporated in 1967, The Wesley Communities is a not-for-profit Ohio corporation that seeks to promote a positive experience of community and wellness for resident, clients, and staff. 5155 N High Street Columbus, Ohio 43214 http://www.thewesleycommunities.com The Quinism Foundation has accepted an invitation to address a committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on Monday, January 28, 2019, in Washington, DC, at the first meeting of a study sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) investigating the long-term adverse health effects of mefloquine and related antimalarial drugs among veterans. "I am delighted to be addressing the distinguished members of this committee," said Remington Nevin, MD, MPH, DrPH, executive director of The Quinism Foundation, "and to share with them compelling evidence that the adverse health effects of mefloquine, tafenoquine, and related quinolines are not mere 'side effects', but symptoms of a disease called neuropsychiatric quinism caused by poisoning of the brain and brainstem by these drugs. The signs and symptoms of quinism reflect the localization of known neurotoxic injury of drugs of this class." The Quinism Foundation has cautioned the VA against further delaying long-overdue action on mefloquine pending the completion of this 18-month study. The Quinism Foundation has previously called upon the VA to publicly provide accurate information to veterans on the acknowledged adverse health effects of mefloquine [1]; to begin screening veterans for a history of symptomatic mefloquine exposure [2]; and to ensure VA disability examiners are considering the acknowledged long-term adverse health effects of mefloquine when conducting disability evaluations for PTSD and related conditions [3]. "The VA has thus far declined to act on any of these recommendations," noted Dr. Nevin, "and has justified this inaction by claiming 'that the science governing potential long-term health effects from [m]efloquine is unclear' [4]." "But the science is clear," countered Dr. Nevin. "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledges that neuropsychiatric adverse effects from mefloquine, including insomnia, depression, anxiety, and paranoia, among others, can be long-term and last years after use. Authors at the U.S. military's Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) [5], where mefloquine was developed, have noted that mefloquine toxicity can persist for several years after exposure has been discontinued, with little to no abatement in symptoms over time.' Even the VA first warned its clinicians of possible long-term neuropsychiatric adverse effects from mefloquine fifteen years ago [6]." Dr. Nevin noted concerns at the proposed scope of the study, and at the limitations on the evidence that the committee will be permitted to consider. Dr. Nevin also noted concerns that certain of the proposed study committee members who have worked in areas of psychiatry and neurology and malariology research may have conflicts of interest related to their prior research in these areas. However, Dr. Nevin expressed the hope of the foundation that the committee would not be unduly affected by these limitations. "The Quinism Foundation values the proposed membership of the ad-hoc study committee concerning its expertise in epidemiologic methods, public health policy, neurophysiology and neurobiology, and drug regulation," noted Dr. Nevin. "We hope that these committee members will not limit their review to the published literature, much of which is methodologically flawed and reflects the biases of its organizational sponsors, many of whom have significant conflicts of interest; and that instead, the committee will consider all available evidence, including pharmacovigilance data available to international drug regulators, who are in clear agreement based on their review of this evidence that mefloquine causes permanent neuropsychiatric adverse effects." "However, given that the VA's request for this unduly restrictive study comes amidst years of inaction on mefloquine, The Quinism Foundation is concerned that the VA's intent may simply be to further delay long-overdue action, and to launder its own biases and conflicts of interest through the imprimatur of the National Academies," said Dr. Nevin. About The Quinism Foundation The Quinism Foundation, founded in January 2018, in White River Junction, Vermont, promotes and supports education and research on quinism, the family of medical disorders caused by exposure to quinoline drugs, including mefloquine and tafenoquine. Dr. Nevin is a board-certified occupational medicine and preventive medicine physician and former U.S. Army medical officer and epidemiologist. He is the author of more than 30 scientific publications on malaria and the quinoline antimalarials, including "Neuropsychiatric Quinism: Chronic Encephalopathy Caused by Poisoning by Mefloquine and Related Quinoline Drugs," to be published in the upcoming Springer Nature book, "Veteran Psychiatry in the US," (https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783030053833). 1. The Quinism Foundation. The Quinism Foundation Calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs to Update its Mefloquine Website. June 26, 2018. Available at: https://quinism.org/press-releases/the-quinism-foundation-calls-on-the-department-of-veterans-affairs-to-update-its-mefloquine-website. 2. The Quinism Foundation. The Quinism Foundation Calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs to Screen Recent Veterans for Symptomatic Mefloquine Exposure. May 29, 2018. Available at: https://quinism.org/press-releases/the-quinism-foundation-calls-on-the-department-of-veterans-affairs-to-screen-recent-veterans-for-symptomatic-mefloquine-exposure. 3. The Quinism Foundation. The Quinism Foundation Expresses Concern That Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Disability Examiners Are Misattributing Chronic Adverse Effects of Mefloquine to PTSD. November 29, 2018. Available at: https://quinism.org/press-releases/the-quinism-foundation-expresses-concern-that-department-of-veterans-affairs-va-disability-examiners-are-misattributing-chronic-adverse-effects-of-mefloquine-to-ptsd. 4. Glenn M. Letter from the Deputy Director of the Veterans Benefits Administration to Dr. Remington Nevin, December 31, 2018. 5. Livezey J, Oliver T, Cantilena L. Prolonged Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in a Military Service Member Exposed to Mefloquine. Drug Safety - Case Reports. 2016;3(1):7. 6. Perlin JB. Under Secretary for Health's Information Letter IL 10-2004-007. Possible Long Term Health Effects from the Malarial Prophylaxis Mefloquine (Lariam). 2004. The Metro Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) has contracted with Griffin & Strong, P.C. (GSPC) to conduct a comprehensive Disparity Study to review MNAA contracting policies and procedures, measure business availability and the utilization of Small, Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises (collectively SMWBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs), and Airport Concessions DBEs (ACDBE) in MNAA contracting. GSPC and MNAA encourages the participation of community members, business owners, advocates and local organizations to come hear about the study, how to be involved and how their input can assist MNAA in promoting equity through contracting. This will help ensure that all sectors of the business community are represented in its future spending. The event will be held on the following: Tuesday, February 12th 2019 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Nashville Public Library Donelson Branch 2315 Lebanon Pike, Nashville, TN 37214 Griffin & Strong will facilitate and provide information about ways businesses can be engaged in the study process. For interested parties, please register via Eventbrite at https://mnaadisparitystudyinformationalmtg.eventbrite.com. Registration is encouraged but not required for entry. For questions or concerns, please email Griffin & Strong Deputy Project Manager, Sterling Johnson, at MNAAStudy(at)gspclaw(dot)com or visit http://gspclaw.com. Please note all comments during the meeting may be recorded and potentially used in the studies. I admire CSWs hallmark work in progressive education, providing each student with opportunities to achieve, create, serve and lead in multiple facets of school life. The Cambridge School of Weston (CSW), a progressive, coeducational, day and boarding school for grades 912, recently announced that Lise Charlier will join the administrative staff as Head of School on July 1, 2019 when current Head of School Jane Moulding retires from CSW after 17 years. Charliers philosophy of educational leadership means striving to create an inclusive and collaborative work environment. She believes that a good leadership team sets the tone for faculty to participate in a healthy amount of questioning; involves itself in professional development; engages students; demonstrates a love of learning; and uses its partnership with students and the community to inspire. Prior to CSW, Charlier served as Director of Studies and Strategic Initiatives at Severn School in Severna Park, MD. Previous to that, she was Upper School Assistant Principal at the Friends School of Baltimore, a private, Quaker co-educational school that serves students in grades Pre-K through 12. A 25-year veteran of independent schools, Charlier has also taught foreign languages in Haiti, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. I greatly admire CSWs hallmark work in progressive education, through the individualized attention and relevant choices afforded to each student providing them with opportunities to achieve, create, serve and lead in multiple facets of school life. All of these are invaluable for instilling an education of the whole child, Charlier said. I look forward to helping CSW develop practices for students to mitigate anxiety and excessive pressure by teaching and modeling lifelong habits that encourage wellness and instill a love of learning, she added. Charlier currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Baltimore Citys Green Street Academy, a successful and forward thinking charter school; the Board of Trustees of the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS); the Board for the Cowles Charitable Trust; and most recently the Board of Trustees of the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education. Charlier holds a masters degree in education from Johns Hopkins and a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University. She was born and raised in Haiti, and maintains a home in Port-au-Prince. She and her husband reside in Baltimore, where they raised their two children. The Cambridge School of Weston is located at 45 Georgian Road, Weston, Mass. 02493. For additional information, call 781-642-8600, visit http://www.csw.org or email gryphon@csw.org. About The Cambridge School of Weston: The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive, coeducational, day and boarding school for grades 9 through 12, and post-graduate. Established in 1886, our mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community, and the world. Embilipitiya Magistrate K.P.R.L Widanagamage (Ms) ordered on Saturday (26) to release a Manager of a festival hall in Embilipitiya New Town on surety bail of Rs.100,000. He had served chicken curry with live worms for lunch at a wedding party. According to a complaint received by the Chief Public Health Inspector of Embilipitiya Urban Council, Harsha Abeysinghe, the Health Officers have taken the bowl of chicken curry with live worms at a raid carried out on Friday afternoon (25) . This complaint had been made by a doctor who had attended the party and it has been mentioned in the complaint made to the court that there were worms wriggling in a piece of meat. It has been revealed at the investigations made by the Health Authorities that the chicken pieces are separately fried and packed in the trays of a refrigerator and later these pieces are added to a separate curry as required. This case is scheduled to be heard on February 1, 2019 again. (Ajithlal Shantha Udaya and Jayanatha Nanayakkara) Mad Science Group Inc., the leader in after-school enrichment has teamed up with Crayola, the leader in art-infused education for 115 years, to launch Crayola IMAGINE ARTS ACADEMY (http://www.imagineartsacademy.com) a new franchise based business designed to provide art-infused after-school enrichment programming. Crayola IMAGINE ARTS ACADEMY offers programs to children ages 5 to 12, designed to aid learning and reinforce key 21st century skills: creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. Classes introduce children to the design thinking process and reinforce classroom curriculum through arts-integration. All children participating in the program receive art products from Crayola, which help them continue their artistic journeys at home. Both companies provided their shared expertise in developing unique arts programming and hands-on activities to create amazing after-school programs, summer camps, and birthday parties. Crayola IMAGINE ARTS ACADEMY offers franchisees a turn-key solution from Mad Science, a franchisor who has been in business more than 30 years and provides comprehensive training, onboarding, operational experience and support. Crayola IMAGINE ARTS ACADEMY began market testing in 2016 with 18 Mad Science locations and will be rolling out new franchises beginning spring 2019. I have three kids, including a very artistic daughter who was less interested in Mad Science but was very interested in art, says Shafik Mina, president of Mad Science Group Inc. I knew that we could do for art what we did for science, and help children engage with art in very different ways from other art enrichment programs in the market. At Crayola, we are all about giving kids innovative and relevant products that spark creative experiences, says Warren Schorr, Vice President of Business Development and Global Licensing. Our collaboration with Mad Science focuses on art concepts and techniques to broaden the understanding of todays world, sharpen kids creativity and critical thinking skills as problem solving tools, and learn about different places and new cultures. We have always been committed to art infused education and are thrilled that Crayola IMAGINE ARTS ACADEMY adds another valuable pillar in that mission. About Crayola Crayola LLC, based in Easton, Pa. and a business of Hallmark Cards, Inc., is the worldwide leader in children's creative expression products. Known for the iconic Crayola Crayon first introduced in 1903, the Crayola brand has grown into a portfolio of innovative art tools, crafting activities and creativity toys that offer children innovative new ways to use color to create everything imaginable. Consumers can find the wide array of Crayola products in the "Crayola Aisle" at all major retailers. For more information, visit http://www.crayola.com or join the community at http://www.facebook.com/crayola. As seen on the cover of Franchising Today and featured in Retail Merchandiser magazine. About Mad Science With more than 150 locations around the globe, Mad Science is the worlds leading science enrichment provider for children ages three through twelve. Mad Science delivers unique, hands-on science experiences through after-school programs, birthday parties, workshops, special events, and summer camps. With over 200 hours of science programs developed by their R&D team, they teach kids biology, physics, chemistry, engineering, and coding. Mad Science has a long standing collaboration with NASA and are proud sponsors of the elementary school division of the NASA Optimus Prime Spin-off Promotion and Research Challenge. Every year, Mad Science is proud to introduce millions of children to a world of discovery while sparking their imagination. For more information, visit http://www.madscience.org, https://us.madscience.org/, http://www.facebook.com/MadScience. SSL.com is the newest of only 4 NAESB ACAs as it has met the requirements set forth in the NAESB WEQ-012 PKI Business Practice Standards and accompanying Accreditation Specification (WEQ-012 PKI Standards). The WEQ-012 PKI Standards, initially developed by the NAESB PKI Sub-Committee and now maintained by the NAESB Cyber Security Sub-Committee, define requirements for digital certificates used by the North American energy industry. Following an exhaustive examination, a third party independent auditing firm confirmed that SSL.com complies with the WEQ-012 PKI Standards. This is evidence of the security and reliability of SSL.coms digital certificates and their underlying controls, practices and procedures. As an ACA, SSL.com offers digital certificates for access to NAESBs Electronic Industry Registry (EIR), OASIS, and E-Tagging applications. Leo Grove, President and CEO of SSL.com stated, This certification matches other commitments we have made to improve cyber security standards in the industry through better authentication of its users and devices. SSL.coms expertise uniquely positions us to provide digital certificates to the major energy markets and other industry applications which are expected to require implementation of ACA digital certificates in the near future (per FERC Order 676-H). NAESB President Rae McQuade added, We are thrilled to not only have SSL.com as a new member of the organization but also as an Authorized Certificate Authority (ACA) participating in the NAESB Certification Program. SSL.com joined NAESB in March of last year and has become extremely active in a number of standards development activities focused on cybersecurity and technology that impact the wholesale and retail natural gas and electric markets. Their expertise in these areas and the perspectives they are sharing with the various NAESB committees and subcommittees has been exciting. About SSL.com: Located in Houston TX, SSL.com is a global digital certificate provider trusted by all major browsers, an approved PKI provider for the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) and a member of the global CA Browser Forum (cabfourm.org). SSL.coms digital certificates are trusted by more than 2,000 energy industry customers. As an original member of the NAESB PKI Sub-Committee (now the NAESB Cyber Security Sub-Committee), an expert on WEQ-12, and a leader on NAESBs Retail Electric End Users segment, SSL.com works closely with Energy Industry security experts to provide digital certificates to authenticate their users and devices. For more information on SSL.com and its NAESB digital certificates please visit NAESB ACA digital certificates or contact sales(at)SSL(dot)com. About NAESB: The North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) serves as an industry forum for the development and promotion of standards which will lead to a seamless marketplace for wholesale and retail natural gas and electricity, as recognized by its customers, business community, participants, and regulatory entities. It is composed of over three hundred corporate members in the energy industry and many more non-member volunteers who contribute to the drafting and adopting of NAESB standards. To learn more about NAESB, go to http://www.naesb.org, contact Denise Rager (drager(at)naesb(dot)org) or call 713-356-0060. At Sprout Social, we care deeply about the success of our team and customers, and we look for that same type of dedication from our partners. Digital Natives Group is a perfect embodiment of these values and it is why we are so excited to recognize them as our 2018 Agency Partner of the Year. Digital Natives Group (http://nativesgroup.com) has been recognized by Sprout Social as 2018 Partner of the Year. In receiving this distinction, Natives bests over 900 other top digital marketing agencies across the country and around the world. Sprout Social is one of the most popular social media management platforms on the market, used by some of the top brands in major industries to run effective campaigns on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other networks. As a founding member of Sprout Socials partner program, Digital Natives Group has been selected as a leader in the social media marketing space and granted exclusive access to some of the industrys best tools. This honor further exemplifies the firms leadership and effectiveness. Natives work with Sprout Socials tools spans a variety of projects and verticals from launching #1 best-selling books to moving millions of dollars in merchandise. In 2017, the agency was recognized by Sprout for creating the Social Media Campaign of the Year for their work with Drs. Elizabeth Blackburn and Elissa Epel on the popular book, The Telomere Effect. At Sprout Social, we care deeply about the success of our team and customers, and we look for that same type of dedication from our partners. Digital Natives Group is a perfect embodiment of these values and it is why we are so excited to recognize them as our 2018 Agency Partner of the Year. From delivering world-class client services to creating innovative campaigns to continuing to push the agency community forward, the team at Digital Natives is a shining example of how great relationships are born from putting your team and clients first. said Tara Robertson, Director, Marketing Strategy at Sprout Social More than anything, this award is recognition for the clients whose incredible stories weve been able to tell in the past year. Its their message and purpose that have allowed us to create the campaigns and partnerships that this award is intended to recognize, said Jonathan Jacobs, Partner at Digital Natives Group. This award from Sprout Social is the latest honor for Natives, a full-service digital marketing agency in New Yorks Long Island City neighborhood with over 45 prestigious industry awards in the past seven years. IDC MarketScape_SaaS and Cloud-Enabled Sales Tax and VAT Automation Applications 2019 The report highlights Sovos strong cloud software solution, the Sovos Intelligent Compliance Cloud, which is the worlds first complete solution for modern tax. Sovos, a leading global provider of tax software, today announced it is recognized as a Leader in the inaugural IDC MarketScape: Worldwide SaaS and Cloud-Enabled Sales Tax and VAT Automation Applications 2019 Vendor Assessment. According to the newly released report, Sovos is ideal for businesses in search of a sophisticated cloud tax software capable of supporting large, multinational tax and e-invoicing regulatory demands." The IDC MarketScape report details Sovos depth and breadth of experience in e-invoicing compliance and also notes the companys cloud infrastructure and support for customers in more than 60 countries as core strengths. Multinational companies are struggling with the shifting tax regulatory landscape, said Kevin Permenter, senior analyst at IDC. Sovos offers these organizations tremendous value by providing coverage for every form of transaction-level tax compliance in one solution. As a result of this differentiator, we expect Sovos to continue to expand its market presence. A complete solution on a reliable, scalable and secure cloud platform The report highlights Sovos strong cloud software solution, the Sovos Intelligent Compliance Cloud, which is the worlds first complete solution for modern tax. It combines traditional tax determination and reporting tools for sales and use tax, VAT and other transactional taxes with modern, digital reporting and e-invoicing compliance software. The solution is supported by the companys S1 cloud platform, which enables Sovos to do the hard work for businesses, handling their compliance across all financial systems, while supporting them with highly reliable, scalable and secure cloud infrastructure. The worlds first global e-invoicing compliance solution As governments around the world from Brazil to Italy race to close value-added tax (VAT) gaps, they are implementing various e-invoicing compliance models, a tax modernization system that requires companies to comply with indirect tax laws at the invoice level. These new requirements, which are often real-time, are pushing the digital transformation of every financial system. According to the IDC MarketScape report, multiple customers cited Sovos capability with e-invoicing compliance as one of the major benefits of choosing their solution. Today, Sovos eInvoice provides coverage to countries in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Global reach As the report mentions, Sovos has aggressive growth plans. Over the past five years, the company has made eight acquisitions, which have propelled its footprint and coverage into 60 countries. With 12 offices spread across three continents, Sovos now safeguards more than 5,000 global customers that do business in the worlds most complex regulatory environments. Traditional tax software wasnt built for todays era of digital tax enforcement. In response, weve built a complete, modern cloud software solution that prepares businesses for a world where tax is part of every transaction, said Andy Hovancik, president and CEO at Sovos. Were committed to helping our customers build tax into the digital financial core of their business where it belongs, so they can Solve Tax for Good and focus more time on growing their businesses. IDC MarketScape is the premier vendor assessment tool for the information and communications technology (ICT) industry. The report provides in-depth technology market assessments of ICT vendors for a wide range of markets. The comprehensive assessment of market competitors offers critical information needed to evaluate technology solutions. Read the IDC MarketScape report brief. About Sovos Sovos is a leading global provider of software that safeguards businesses from the burden and risk of modern tax. As governments and businesses go digital, businesses face increased risks, costs and complexity. The Sovos Intelligent Compliance Cloud is the first complete solution for modern tax, giving businesses a global solution for tax determination, e-invoicing compliance and tax reporting. Sovos supports 5,000 customers, including half of the Fortune 500, and integrates with a wide variety of business applications. The company has offices throughout North America, Latin America and Europe. Sovos is owned by London-based Hg. For more information visit http://www.sovos.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. About IDC MarketScape IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendors position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors. 1. doc #US43263718, January 2019 Shemtob Draganosky Taylor, P.C. is proud to announce that it again has been named among Best Law Firms for 2019. The family and divorce law firm has been ranked Tier 1 in Family Law in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. They also were ranked in the category of Family Law Mediation. Best Law Firm rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. The highest honor, a Tier 1 ranking, is based on a firm's overall evaluation, which is derived from a combination of its clients' impressive feedback, the high regard that lawyers in other firms in the same practice area have for the firm, and the information that the firm provided to Best Lawyers via a survey. To be eligible for a Best Law Firm ranking, a firm must have at least one lawyer named among The Best Lawyers in America. Attorneys are neither required nor allowed to pay a fee to be listed. For 2019, firm partners Lori K. Shemtob and Andrew D. Taylor were selected by their peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers. About Shemtob Draganosky Taylor, P.C.: The divorce and family law attorneys of Shemtob Draganosky Taylor, P.C. concentrate exclusively on representing clients facing divorce and related family law issues. From its office in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, the firm provides high quality legal counsel to clients throughout Montgomery County and the Main Line, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, and Philadelphia. The firms representation spans all types of family law issues, from high-asset divorce and complex property division to child custody disputes. The attorneys also assist with non-divorce related family law issues, such as grandparents rights and same-sex couples rights. For more information, visit http://www.shemtoblaw.com. Geothermal: Green Energy for the Long Run All the events are in one central location, at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The official hotels are either connected to the convention center or just one block away. Reservations can now be made for hotel rooms for the Geothermal Resources Council (GRC) Annual Meeting & Expo, being held in Palm Springs, California, USA from September 15-18, 2019. All the events are in one central location, at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The official hotels are either connected to the convention center or just one block away. The GRC has contracted with the Renaissance Palm Springs and Hilton Palm Springs hotels for a discounted block of rooms. At both hotels there is a choice of rooms with either two double beds or a king bed starting at $150 a night excluding taxes and fees. Attendees can make their reservations on secure websites prepared specially for the GRC. The links are available from the GRC Annual Meeting website at: http://www.geothermal.org/meet-new.html. The GRC strongly encourage you to stay at one of the conference hotels to gain the benefits of networking with colleagues, being close to the event venue, and relaxing in nice hotel properties. We make every effort to negotiate the best possible rates. When you stay at the conference hotels, you help GRC meet our contractual obligations, avoid paying financial damages for this meeting, secure suitable venues and preferred dates-and-rates for future conferences. The GRC Annual Meeting is the industrys largest annual gathering of leading geothermal energy scientists, producers, renewable energy industry stakeholders, regulators, utilities, and key associated business leaders. The four-day event will offer technical, policy, and market conference sessions, educational seminars, tours of local geothermal and renewable energy projects, and numerous networking opportunities. Over 1,000 attendees came to the 2018 GRC Annual Meeting and Expo from over 40 different countries, highlighting the GRCs role in connecting the global geothermal energy community. With increasing interest in geothermal as a reliable source of renewable energy providing both flexible and baseload power production around the world, the GRC is looking ahead to an even stronger international attendance in 2019. For information on how to sponsor this event, contact Anh Lay, GRC at (530) 758-2360 X100 or alay@geothermal.org. For more information about the GRC Annual Meeting & Expo in Palm Springs, California, USA, visit http://www.geothermal.org/meet-new.html or call (530) 758-2360. ## About the Geothermal Resources Council: The Geothermal Resources Council (GRC) will be celebrating 50 years of service to the global geothermal energy community in 2022. The GRC is dedicated to advancing geothermal development around the world through education, research, and outreach. For more information, please visit http://www.geothermal.org. Get your daily geothermal news at Global Geothermal News. Become a fan on Facebook. Follow GRC on Twitter [@GRC2001 and #GRCAM2019]. Check out GRCs YouTube Channel. See geothermal photos on GRCs Flicker page. ### ProSearch Strategies, Inc., the visionary leader in corporate eDiscovery and legal data analytics solutions, today announced the expansion of its data analytics technology portfolio with the addition of artificial intelligence from NextLP. The NexLP technology will be used by ProSearch to support corporate client engagements involving early case assessment, fraud investigation, compliance and information governance. ProSearch is proud to announce the addition of NexLPs AI-powered analytics platform to our technology lineup. The partnership reflects our continuing commitment to serve corporate clients with the best technologies, along with the best human expertise and talent, available anywhere in the market, said Julia Hasenzahl, Co-Founder and CEO, ProSearch Strategies. NexLP is genuinely excited to partner with ProSearch and provide their data analytics team of top-tier data scientists and linguists with our innovative artificial intelligence platform. The ProSearch team has a deep understanding of the role and importance of technology in deriving actionable insights from both structured and unstructured data, said Jay Leib, Founder & CEO, NexLP. NextLP was chosen by ProSearch based on the robust set of cognitive analytics features available from its Story Engine AI-powered platform, including: Natural Language Processing (NLP) to facilitate more nuanced semantics processing Sentiment Analysis to quickly distinguish between factual and subjective information Enhanced Threading to better organize data by conversational context Pattern Recognition to help in the detection of notable trends or breaks in data patterns NexLPs analytics engine will supplement ProSearchs current array of best-in-class technology, workflows and services that a growing number of corporate legal and compliance teams rely on for informed decision making during legal and compliance matters. The ProSeach team will also be on-hand for meetings during the LegalTech New York conference being held January 29-31, 2019 at the New York Hilton Midtown. To learn more or to request a demonstration during or after the conference, submit a demo request online at demorequest@prosearch.us About ProSearch Strategies ProSearch Strategies, Inc. enables corporations and law firms to meet electronic discovery, fraud investigation, compliance and information governance requirements at scale with precision and ease. ProSearchs consultants, data scientists, linguists, project managers, attorneys and eDiscovery specialists collaborate with clients to execute their matter strategies and ensure on target, on budget, on time delivery. Learn more about ProSearch at http://www.prosearchstrategies.com. Send press inquiries to: press@prosearch.us Primex Color's New Product Manager David Boudreau The company has a great business model and constantly invests in its people, facilities and customers. Primex Color, Compounding & Additives (PCC&A), a leading supplier of colors, compounds and polymer solutions for plastics processors, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Boudreau to the position of Product Manager for its colorant operations. Boudreau has extensive experience in the plastics industry, primarily in the sales of color concentrates, additives and specialty compounds for extrusion, injection and other processes. He will focus on identifying market opportunities for new business throughout the United States and assist the sales team in developing customer solutions. Boudreau will work from his office in Maine. He can be reached at (207) 205-9818. Prior to joining Primex, Boudreau was an account manager and business development manager for several regional and national color and polymer companies where he grew sales, supervised teams and brought new product categories to market. According to PCC&As Director of Sales and Business Development, Paul Cusolito, Boudreau was a natural choice for the position. Ive known Dave for many years, and we have crossed paths often. His extensive plastics industry experience and track record of building business will help us extend the Primex brand. Ive been in the color and compounding industry for over 20 years and have always admired Primex as a leader in the plastics business, said Boudreau. The company has a great business model and constantly invests in its people, facilities and customers. I feel I can make a major contribution here as Primex continues to evolve. Boudreau lives in Old Orchard Beach, Maine and is a 1995 graduate of Charter University with a BS in Sales and Marketing. Primex Color, Compounding & Additives is a One Company partner of Primex Plastics. With facilities in six U.S. locations and one in Europe, Primex resources include warehousing and distribution points, a national sales team approach and several research and development sites that provide assistance to its subsidiaries. About Primex Color, Compounding & Additives Originally founded in New York in 1957 as Frank V. ONeil Color, PCC&A, a division of Primex Plastics Corporation, operates lines in Garfield, New Jersey and Jasper, Tennessee, producing color concentrates, additive masterbatches and specialty compounds. They include high performance custom materials such as TPE/TPO/TPV elastomers, flame retardant olefins and styrenics, anti-stats, ESDs, fully conductive compounds, and structural and wear resistant formulations for injection, extrusion, blow molding and rotational molding applications. For more information, contact Lee Pfaffle at (423) 327-2876 or visit http://www.PrimexColor.com. Petrotech (UK) Limited Announces Their UK Office Relocation to Bunting Road in Suffolk ...our new location helps to accommodate our expected growth and showcases our commitment to our clients around the globe. We want to do everything we can to continue to serve our clients at the highest levels, and a facility upgrade is just one of the ways we aim to make this happen. After 45 years in residence, Petrotech (UK) Limited has announced the relocation of its former Western Way facility to a new location just 10 minutes away on Bunting Road in Bury St. Edmond, Suffolk. The new office is near three main roads, including A14, A134 and A143. This full-service office will serve utility companies, hydroelectric facilities, engineering consulting firms, traditional power plants, nuclear plants and other energy-related companies throughout the United Kingdom and other parts of the globe. Although its just a few miles away, our new location helps to accommodate our expected growth and showcases our commitment to our clients around the globe, said David Lavie, vice president of marketing at Petrotech. We want to do everything we can to continue to serve our clients at the highest levels, and a facility upgrade is just one of the ways we aim to make this happen. Petrotechs reciprocating and turbomachinery control systems are made to assist companies that operate compressors, turbines, generators, pumps, diesel engines and gas engines. Clients who travel to visit the Bunting Road facility or those in close proximity will have direct access to general customer support and technical support, along with on-site products, software and other services. To learn more about Petrotech, visit the company website at http://www.petrotechinc.com or contact them directly at +44 (0)1284 630410. The new United Kingdom office is located at: Unit 3, Bunting Road Bury St. Edmunds Suffolk, IP32 7BX United Kingdom Since 1978, Petrotech has provided customized control system solutions to energy-related companies around the world. They design and install turnkey systems that monitor turbines, generators and mechanical systems in major markets, including oil and gas, petrochemical and refining, power generation, industrial automation, and marine applications. Notes to Self - Positive Affirmation Socks "We are very excited to be working with Andrew and the awesome team at Marknology. We have been selling on Amazon for a few years, and now are able to take our use of this platform to the next level due to Marknology's extensive knowledge and strategy on Amazon." Marknology, a Kansas City-based e-commerce consulting company today announced a partnership with new global client, notes to self. Notes to self creates and sells inspiring socks that help people overcome a difficult situation and find motivation and inspiration through their custom sock messages.Their popular socks such as I am strong and I have hope provide positive thinking and daily affirmation. Notes to self has retained Marknology to provide data analysis, copywriting, account management, Amazon best-practices consultation, and strategic planning. "We are very excited to be working with Andrew and the awesome team at Marknology. We have been selling on Amazon for a few years, and now are able to take our use of this platform to the next level due to Marknology's extensive knowledge and strategy on Amazon. Our goal is to share our notes to self socks and the positive messages with as many people as possible because we believe that 'words make all the difference'. We've found that more exposure on Amazon also exposes our brand to customers that prefer to shop locally if a product is also available in stores, so the efforts we are doing on Amazon with Marknology's assistance are also increasing business for the wonderful brick and mortar stores that sell our line and are growing our sales on notestoself.com." Marknology will use "The Marknology Effect" to optimize and further push the digital presence of notes to self. "The Marknology Effect is an eight-step process used to optimize and break through the clutter of listings on the Amazon Sales platform. Marknology uses algorithms to research SEO keywords, maintains views and improves click ratios by augmenting the text and images on product listings. Marknology will work with notes to self on the brand presence, product presentation and optimizing ad spend. From professional photography, brand registry, Enhanced Brand Content (EBC) pages to content creation, social media, fulfillment, and reviews Marknology is an end-to-end consultancy. Marknology will create and manage advertising campaigns that work in conjunction with SEO product listings to fully leverage the notes to self brand presence and sales. Notes to self has a growing brand presence and are continuing to develop and build its brand dynamically through the Amazon platform. With such an impactful brand story, we wanted to be sure that we conveyed the genuine empathy and passion that the notes to self-team pours into every facet of their business. If you pay close attention to detail, with Amazon you can make your message heard in its true form. Working with the notes to self-team has been truly inspiring and we are thrilled to be part of it. - Andrew Morgans. Notes to self and Marknology truly benefit from working together, they are two companies that are excited to share their story and are extremely devoted to optimizing all facets of notes to self presence on Amazon. Over the last few months, Marknology applied The Marknology Effect to the notes to self entire Amazon account including copy optimization, and combining dozens of designs into multiple parent variations and improving their Amazon rankings, sales orders and brand recognition. Notes to self are joining a growing and diversified client list at Marknology, including Hyalogic, Exhart, Faultless, Leather Honey, Made in KC, Procera Health. About notes to self: Laura Schmidt started notes to self, LLC to put her belief in the power of positive thinking into action (and on peoples feet!). The idea for notes to self socks arrived while she was looking at her feet. During a trip to Western Kansas with her family on New Years Day 2011, Laura watched the scenic Flint Hills roll by, while her feet were propped up on the car dashboard. She was thinking about one of her favorite topics, positive affirmations, and how the subconscious mind is most receptive early in the morning and late at night. At that moment, she turned to her husband, Garret, and said, I think Im going to put positive affirmations on the toes of socks! About Marknology: We strive to work seamlessly with your team and be a one-stop shop for the businesses who need us. We get to know what your business can offer from top to bottom, what makes your brand different and most importantly, what makes your customers purchase. Our team then uses that data to craft a strategy that drives results. We call it "The Marknology Effect" For additional information, contact: Brooklyn Morgans Brooklyn(at)Marknology(dot)com In some cases, locals easily extract valuable stones and other minerals by using explosives and sell the resources to smugglers There have been several attempts by major international companies and consortiums to invest in the natural resource sector After more than seventeen years of fighting in Afghanistan, the US and the Taliban insurgents appear to be closing in on a peace deal, as per reports in the Western media. But there are still significant unresolved issues which could bring the peace effort to a grinding halt. The US negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, put it aptly: Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. The kind of comprehensive agreement Khalilzad was alluding to, is a far cry even at this stage, given the fundamental nature of the issues involved. While appearing to be very keen on withdrawing from Afghanistan, the US is trying to retain its hold on the country by getting the Taliban to talk to the elected Government led by President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul and come to a power-sharing arrangement with the latter. But the Taliban, now on the verge of a total military victory, is unlikely to accommodate the Ghani regime which it feels is a US puppet, and a corrupt, inefficient and un-Islamic one too. Despite President Donald Trumps expressed determination to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, he would find it hard or even impossible to withdraw them without assuring American presence in that country As a militant extremist group involved in a trademark zero sum game (and not in a game of give and take), the Taliban will either have all or nothing. Sharing power is out of the question for a quintessential militant group like the Taliban. Despite President Donald Trumps expressed determination to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, he would find it hard or even impossible to withdraw them without assuring American presence in that country. And the only way in which US presence can be ensured is to ensure the continuance of the pro-US regime in Kabul, even if only in an attenuated form. Why US hold on Afghanistan is necessary From the US point of view its continued presence in Afghanistan is essential for geo-political and economic reasons. From a geo-political perspective, Washington would have to be in Afghanistan in order to prevent China and Russia from encroaching and filling the vacuum. Russia is already an ally of the Taliban supplying it with arms when needed. Russia shares the Talibans view that there can be peace in Afghanistan without a deal with the pro-American Government in Kabul. If the Americans vacate Afghanistan, China would step in with its money to help the Taliban rebuild the smashed country and also ensure that Afghanistan is an anti-American bastion. US presence is needed to keep a tab on Pakistan also. Despite its own problems with the Taliban in Afghanistans eastern frontier, Pakistan is helping the Taliban fight its enemies in Western Afghanistan. However, at the moment, the US is grateful to Pakistan for helping it hold talks with the Taliban in Qatar, and also participate in it along with like-minded Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Economic angle Then there is an economic angle which is hardly talked about in relation to the situation in Afghanistan, but it is very important from a future point of view. According to published reports, Afghanistan is sitting on vast mineral resources. The country has over 1,400 mineral fields containing coal, barite, chromite, petroleum, precious and semi-precious stones like emerald and lapis lazuli, salt, sulphur, talc, and zinc, copper, gold, and other minerals. To quote extensively from one of them: The value of these natural resources is estimated to be over US $1 trillion, possibly much higher. However, because of the lack of development, political instability and war, these resources are being stolen and illegally extracted by smugglers and others in different parts of the country while the Government heavily depends on international assistance to fund its national budget, one of the reports said. Predictably, illegal mining is a major source of income for armed groups and insurgents. Insurgents benefit from taxing smugglers in the areas under their control. In some cases, locals easily extract valuable stones and other minerals by using explosives and sell the resources to smugglers. Such smuggling and illegal extraction are reportedly supported by some countries which benefit from illegal trade, the report further states. Attempts to exploit foiled But attempts to exploit the resources have been foiled by various unfavourable factors. Again to quote from the report: There have been several attempts by major international companies and consortiums to invest in the natural resource sector of Afghanistan, but these efforts have failed due to a lack of clear policy, guidelines, and procedure for mineral resource extraction. Afghanistans central committee for making decisions on the exploitation of the countrys mineral resources, has no fixed or predictable policy. This makes the task of investing in Afghanistan a painful one. Of course this gives room for corruption. With corrupt officials and ministers ruling the roost, no wonder Afghanistan is rated as the second-most corrupt country in the world. Discovery by Indian Army officer According to a report in Fortune, Afghanistans wealth has lain there mainly undisturbed for thousands of years as armies of Persians, Greeks, Mongols, Britons, Russians, and now Americans tramped above. Invaders have dreamed of exploiting it since the time of Alexander the Great, but no one has yet succeeded on a large scale. According to Fortune Capt. Henry Drummond, an officer of the British Indian armys 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry, was the first Westerner to discover Afghanistans mineral wealth. He found abundant green stains of copper, some of which rivalled the deposits of Chile, and veins of iron ore that might no doubt be obtained equal to the Swedish. Fortune goes on to say that while many of Drummonds countrymen viewed Afghanistan as an untamable place, where a man could not stray many yards from his home or tent without the risk of being murdered, Drummond was smitten. Mining, he felt not the gun offered the best hope to pacify the territory and win over Afghans. Give them, however, but constant employment, with good wages and regular payment; encourage a spirit of industry, both by precept and example; let strict justice be dealt out to them without respect of persons; and we shall shortly see their swords changed into ploughshares industry take place of licentiousness, and these people be converted into peaceable and useful subjects, Drummond wrote. But the Afghans werent keen on the idea of handing over their minerals to occupiers, or on the British occupation itself, for that matter, he added regretfully. Mining resumed during Cold War Fortune says that mining resumed during the Cold War. Both Soviet and U.S. geologists conducted surveys in Afghanistan. The Russians bored thousands of test holes and identified big deposits of copper, zinc, mercury, tin, fluorite, potash, talc, asbestos, and magnesium. But instability in the countryside put an end to serious mining exploration. After the toppling of the Taliban by the U.S.-led coalition, the Afghan Government, with financial assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development, commissioned new, high-tech aerial surveys of Afghanistan. The results were stunning: The U.S. Geological Survey identified huge veins of copper, iron, lithium, gold and silver. The Afghan Government solicited bids for one of the biggest of the copper deposits, a site south of Kabul that had been identified by both Drummond and the Soviets. While appearing to be very keen on withdrawing from Afghanistan, the US is trying to retain its hold on the country by getting the Taliban to talk to the elected Government Enter China Offering a rich price, China won the bid in 2007, beating out four other mining companies. But the Chinese mining company has yet to extract any copper from the site because of delays clearing land mines from the area, and the discovery of archeological relics, Fortune said. Small Airplane It's not too late to book your family's getaway to Costa Rica during Spring Break. SkywayCR can plan your trip and deliver you to the destination of your choice - quickly, safely and in the most fun way possible," Kenneth Roquette, CEO SkywayCR SKYWAY Costa Rica, the newest airline to serve Costa Rica, provides a great way to travel around this popular Spring Break destination. Costa Rica has much to offer to travelers from the USA and Canada who love the warm weather, sunshine, beaches, mountains, wildlife and adventures available and at a time when much of North America is in the grips of winter. Spring Break is a great time to visit this beautiful and diverse country! In order to experience all there is to do, flying from San Jose to various destinations is the best and fastest way to travel. SKYWAYCR delights in connecting people with nature and can take visitors to the full array of destinations in Costa Rica. Not only can they deliver guests to their chosen location, they also offer all-inclusive packages to experience them. Whether travelers want a family-friendly beach resort, an intimate romantic getaway or perhaps a yoga and wellness package titled Tropical Ashram; there is something for every vacationer. SKYWAY CR provides a complete array of transportation options from scheduled flights, charter flights, ground transportation, car rental to helicopter flights. Their Concierge Service stands ready to book hotels, restaurants, tours, spas and every element that makes vacations pure pleasure and relaxation. Fully inclusive vacation packages are also available through the helpful staff at SKYWAY CR. Costa Rica invites you to visit and while you are there Fly the Sky Way! SKYWAY CR PR CONTACT: Nancy Harrison TEL: 307.421.4473 EMAIL: nharrison@adventuremedianews.com CORPORATE CONTACT: Maria Lourdes Meneses TEL: 888.524.9396 EMAIL: lmeneses@skywaycr.com WEB: http://www.skywaycr.com Americans have made it abundantly clear that theyre tired of the polarization, the fighting among politicians and the dysfunction of government. American voters believe the countrys political leaders are failing to deliver on the civility, authenticity and respect their constituents expect, and want to work together to find common ground, according to U.S. Voter Sentiment on Civility in Politics, a new national survey released today by the American Center for Political Leadership (ACPL). According to poll results, voters are optimistic that the nations colleges and universities can serve as an effective platform to mend the nations divides. Key Findings: By a near 4:1 margin, 79 percent of voters believe political leaders must demonstrate civility, authenticity and respect. Conversely, 21 percent believe political leaders must fight for what is right, even if that means getting aggressive and rude with opposition. By nearly identical margins, 78 percent of voters want to see their elected officials work for everyone in the general public, compared to 22 percent reporting that elected officials should solely fight for the policies their supporters believe. Seventy-five percent of voters want to work together to find common ground over standing up for their point of view. Sixty-nine percent believe America's colleges and universities should be leading the way through bipartisan research activities, academic programs, courses, and workshops that serve to develop the next generation of political leaders to protect individual freedoms, cultivate civic engagement and advance political civility in the country. American voters are in near universal agreement that our next generation of political leaders should civilly advocate for and effectively discuss these critical challenges to the nation: economic freedom, or the right of individuals to control their labor and property (96%); racial equality (92%); religious freedom (92%); gender equality (88%); and traditional values (87%). Americans have made it abundantly clear that theyre tired of the polarization, the fighting among politicians and the dysfunction of government, said Kent Ingle, president of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla., where ACPL is located, and author of Framework Leadership. American voters want servant leaders, those who serve for the interests of all Americans, regardless of political party affiliation. The poll comes as the first bipartisan research activity by ACPL, which opened in January. The center also houses academic programs, courses, workshops and resources that prepare the next generation of political leaders and passionate citizens who aim to promote traditional American values and individual freedoms with civility, authenticity, respect and decorum in government and society. ACPL was formed in response to the toxic political climate, the disconnect that many Americans feel towards the policies and motivations of political leaders, and their lack of understanding of how to get involved in the political process. According to the U.S. Voter Sentiment on Civility in Politics poll, 69 percent of respondents believe colleges and universities can help to bring important solutions to todays divisive politics through bipartisan activities. The American Center for Political Leadership is working to cultivate and engage the next generation of political leaders and active citizens, and to bring servant leadership back to American politics, said Dennis Ross, ACPL director and former representative of Floridas 15th congressional district. Ross also serves as a distinguished professor of political science at Southeastern University. The study was conducted by Heart + Mind Strategies on the evening of the November 6th 2018 midterm elections. The online survey results reflect the selections of the 1,058 respondents, all chosen from a national sample of midterm voters. To view or to download the full report, visit theacpl.org/survey. The center operates under the Jannetides College of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership at Southeastern University. For more information or to interview Dr. Ingle, contact Dana Davis at 863-667-5020, 863-712-1997, or dcdavis@seu.edu. About SEU Southeastern University (SEU) is a Christ-centered institution of higher learning. Founded in 1935 and located in the Central Florida community of Lakeland, Southeastern offers more than 80 degree programs including bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. Southeasterns reach expands beyond the Lakeland campus, with a comprehensive online learning program and more than 100 extension site programs nationwide. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Learn more at SEU.edu. About the ACPL The American Center for Political Leadership at Southeastern University stands at the intersection of cutting-edge education and trailblazing research. The countrys cultural landscape has never been more fragmented. From cross-party contempt to inner-party turmoil, our political institutions are in danger of becoming irrelevant to the emerging generation. The ACPL acts under the belief that a significant part of the solution is elevating authentic leadership principles and inspiring the next generation of leaders to get off the sidelines and thoughtfully engage in government. As a result, the center plans to develop its research in three key areas: protecting individual freedoms, cultivating civic engagement and advancing political civility. The scholarship generated from this research will inform best-in-class degree programs, empowering students to engage government and society through civil, productive political discourse. My Eyelab, a full-service retail optical center, expanding nationwide at rapid speeds, will open its doors in the Dallas community by hosting a local job fair. My Eyelab invites eligible part time and full time candidates who are enthusiastic and intent on joining a winning team. My Eyelab plans to open 28 new stores and hire up to 280 new employees in the Dallas area in 2019 and will be hiring for a multitude of positions ranging from patient coordinators and sales managers to brand managers. We are excited to open our doors in the Dallas market and provide the community with high-quality, affordable eye care solutions while also building the best team around to service the community, said Daniel Stanton, CEO of My Eyelab. My Eyelabs job fair will take place Friday, February 1st and Saturday, February 2nd from 9 am to 6 pm at the Home2 by Hilton, 8180 Midtown Blvd, Dallas, TX 75231, in the Meadow conference room. All candidates are welcome to attend to learn about My Eyelab, explore available career opportunities and apply. My Eyelab is looking for polished & professionals individuals to deliver on their vision of easy eye care by providing fast, friendly, and affordable eye care solutions to the Dallas community. Immediate employment opportunities will be available in the Midway, Euless, Fort Worth, Mansfield, Hulen, Hurst, and Garland communities to name a few. Visit My Eyelab at their job fair or apply online at http://www.myeyelab.com/dallascareers. About My Eyelab Founded in 2013, My Eyelab is one of the fastest-growing full-service teleconsulting and retail optical centers in the nation. With a vision of easy eye care and the mission to provide fast, friendly and affordable eye care services, My Eyelab has become a leader in the eye health industry by developing an accessible alternative to its overpriced competitors. Franchising since 2016, My Eyelab consistently ranks among the largest optical retailers in the United States by Vision Monday. My Eyelab offers single and multi-unit franchise options, with an initial franchise fee of $34,900, a $200,000 liquid cash investment, and $500,000 minimum net worth requirement for interested prospects. For more information, visit MyEyelab.com. This is the fifth year of 527 Madison Avenues rotating exhibit that showcases noteworthy emerging and mid-career artists, and it has become a favorite feature among our tenants and visitors, said Keith Purcell, MFA vice president of leasing and asset management. Mitsui Fudosan America (MFA) is pleased to announce an exhibition of paintings by Elisabeth Condon in the 527 Madison Avenue lobby gallery through May 10. Located at 54th Street and Madison Avenue, the show is open to the public 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The exhibition features four of Condons signature multilayered paintings that combine imagery from Yuan Dynasty scrolls, vintage wallpapers, post-war abstraction and glam rock. Carefully poured abstract areas are superimposed upon lush renderings of birds and flowers, a motif referencing classical Chinese painting techniques Condon learned during numerous residencies in China. Core to her work, Condon balances controlled figuration and gestural abstraction, resulting in vibrant compositions that draw the viewer in to explore every shape, color and low. Her pieces are at the same time exuberant but peaceful, imbued with movement but also creating a quiet stillness. Condon holds a bachelors degree in fine arts from the Otis College of Art and Design and a masters degree in fine arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has received numerous awards, including the 2018 Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant, the 2015 PULSE New York Prize, and a 2007 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, among others. Her work is held in the permanent collections of Perez Art Museum Miami, Tampa Museum of Art, United States Foundation of Art in Embassies Program in Beijing, and JPMorgan Chase. She currently lives and works in New York. This is the fifth year of 527 Madison Avenues rotating exhibit that showcases noteworthy emerging and mid-career artists, and it has become a favorite feature among our tenants and visitors, said Keith Purcell, MFA vice president of leasing and asset management. We look forward to the warm reception from Ms. Condons dynamic pieces. Purcell works with art consultant Jay Grimm, the property's leasing agents James Frederick and Peter Occhi of Cushman & Wakefield, and Hines property manager Chris Linville, to select exhibitions for the program. 527 Madison Avenue is a boutique commercial office building located at the corner of 54th Street and Madison Avenue in New York City. Completed in 1986, it was designed by celebrated architectural firm FXFOWLE. The property recently completed lobby and elevator upgrades and is owned by an affiliate of Mitsui Fudosan America, the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's largest real estate company, Mitsui Fudosan Co., LTD. Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that Attorney Lynn Capp Sirich has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). Im delighted to be joining this group of highly-respected and skilled domestic relations attorneys as a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, says Lynn. The AAML is dedicated to promoting the highest degree of professionalism and excellence in the practice of family law. With over 26 years of experience in all areas of family and domestic relations law, Ms. Sirich skillfully guides her clients through this legal process, always mindful of the fact that she is assisting clients through an often emotional and traumatic period of their lives with more than just their immediate divorce and child custody issues, as the business of divorce incorporates many different legal specialties. Her broad range of services includes divorce, complex property settlement, business valuation issues; child and spousal support matters; prenuptial and postnuptial agreements; annulment and separation matters; custody, parenting time and grand parenting time issues; guardianships; step parent adoption; change of domicile, personal protection orders; Friend of the Court matters; enforcement and post judgment issues. When disputes end up in the courtroom, Ms. Sirich is also a seasoned litigator. Ms. Sirich has also served as a guardian ad litem for children. Ms. Sirich is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan (Family Law Section), the Oakland County Bar Association, the Wayne County Family Law Bar Association (Past-President), the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, and the Michigan Inter-Professional Association. She is a Life Fellow and serves as Vice-President of the Board of Trustees for the Oakland County Bar Foundation. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Humble Design. She is recognized as a leader in her field by DBusiness Top Lawyers and recently was recognized by Crains Detroit Business as one of 2017 Notable Women Lawyers in Michigan. Ms. Sirich received her B.A. from Michigan State University, James Madison College and her J.D. from the Detroit College of Law. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) was founded in 1962 and currently has more than 1,650 Fellows in 50 States. Academy Fellows are highly skilled negotiators and litigators who represent individuals in all facets of family law and are generally recognized by judges and attorneys as preeminent family law practitioners with a high level of knowledge, skill and integrity. To learn more, please visit http://www.aaml.org. About Dickinson Wright PLLC Dickinson Wright PLLC is a general practice business law firm with more than 475 attorneys among more than 40 practice areas and 16 industry groups. Headquartered in Detroit and founded in 1878, the firm has 19 offices, including six in Michigan (Detroit, Troy, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Saginaw) and 12 other domestic offices in Austin and El Paso, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Lexington, Ky.; Nashville and Music Row, Tenn.; Las Vegas and Reno, Nev.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Silicon Valley, Calif.; and Washington, D.C. The firms Canadian office is located in Toronto. Dickinson Wright offers our clients a distinctive combination of superb client service, exceptional quality, value for fees, industry expertise and business acumen. As one of the few law firms with ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification, Dickinson Wright has built state-of-the-art, independently-verified risk management controls and security processes for our commercial transactions. Dickinson Wright lawyers are known for delivering commercially-oriented advice on sophisticated transactions and have a remarkable record of wins in high-stakes litigation. Dickinson Wright lawyers are regularly cited for their expertise and experience by Chambers, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and other leading independent law firm evaluating organizations. Luxury Presence To Release New IDX Tool One of our core values is to obsess over customers. Coming off a record-breaking 2018 with impressive client growth of over 500%, Luxury Presence is looking to have another groundbreaking year. The real estate website design and marketing company has just announced plans to release a completely rebuilt IDX search solution this quarter along with a new page builder and lead generation tools. MLS is a constant struggle for real estate agents, often difficult to effectively integrate onto their websites. With the newly-built IDX search, agents will be able to add a cutting-edge IDX to their Luxury Presence website and impress consumers with a user experience thats on par with the major search portals. The new release will include a lightning-fast search tool and redesigned consumer account interface, listing favorites, and search notifications. Since launching in 2015, Luxury Presence has been committed to helping agents grow their brands online, constantly expanding and improving their products to offer the most efficient and dynamic experience for their clients. CEO Malte Kramer recognizes the importance of being deeply dedicated to their clientele. One of our core values is to obsess over customers, says Kramer. We tend to go above and beyond for our clients. I still talk to clients almost daily to ensure were listening to their feedback to continuing to evolve our product. Its clear that attitude is paying off. In the last six months alone, Luxury Presence has doubled its team in size and tripled its client base, now serving over 450 clients worldwide. Last November, the company closed a round of seed funding in the amount of $2.13 million. Luxury Presences quality is reflected in the caliber of clients it serves, with 17 of them represented on the WSJ Top 100 list. Top Coldwell Banker agent Jade Mills recognizes the platform as being the #1 reason for her record-breaking year in 2017. Sothebys K. Ann Brizolis agrees, saying her teams decision to work with the company was one of the best marketing moves shes ever made, and Dawn McKenna, the #1 agent in Illinois, is proud to say that Luxury Presence was the best money [shes] ever spent. Go Back To School: an engaging primer for students of life. Go Back To School is the creation of published author Lisa Ulmer, a teacher, entrepreneur, and personal motivator with a mission to educate both believers and unbelievers alike. Ulmer writes, Go Back to School is the Christian book you have been searching for! Its an action guide filled with Gods knowledge and wisdom from AZ. This textbook will not just inspire; you will become an educated visionary for the Kingdom of God and refocus on your true identity and purpose through scriptural teachings, educational concepts, practical detailed training with step-by-step guidelines, implemented for individualized instruction, group bible studies and multi-faceted divinity curriculums. You will learn: The reason why you were created to live on earth, Why Jesus shed His blood in seven bodily places, The gifts and purpose of the Holy Spirit for mankind, Gods detailed and outlined instructions on kingdom wisdom and principles, How to pray the effective prayer and create a personalized scripted prayer, Digest the significance of the number seven and Gods timing for your destiny, Guidelines on how to defeat your enemies and walk in victory, A full description of the weapons of warfare that are alive and active today, Become familiar with the Names of God and the power they possess, And so much more. No more doubting, feelings of uncertainty, or unanswered questions about your identity, purpose, power, or prayer life. Go Back to School connects you to all of the missing pieces of the puzzle about your earthly assignment and educates you on how to maintain strength and hope through test, challenges, and afflictions without fear and frustration. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Lisa Ulmers new book is a comprehensive primer of dissected biblical teachings to guide the reader toward long-lasting revelation of the core truths of life. This volume of active learning provides bonus materials to reinforce knowledge and wisdom, including practice tests, word puzzles, answer keys, and a certificate of completion. View a synopsis of Go Back To School on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Go Back To School at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Go Back To School, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. We congratulate Dr. Overstreet and Ms. Brody for their recognition by the Alliance for their service to the healthcare continuing education community. During the awards ceremony preceding the 44th Annual Conference of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (the Alliance; January 23-26, 2019; National Harbor, Maryland), Karen Overstreet, EdD, RPh, FACEHP, CHCP, Vice President, Medical and Educational Affairs for HSME was honored by the Alliance Board of Directors with its highest award, the Distinguished Leadership and Service Award. The Board recognized Dr. Overstreet for her long-standing commitment to the Alliance, numerous contributions to the CE community, and outstanding volunteerism. The Alliance Board selected Dr. Overstreet for the award because she has: Demonstrated exemplary service, contributions, and active involvement in alignment with the mission, vision, and strategic direction of the Alliance Demonstrated commitment to advancing the profession of CE in the health professions Served as a role model for other volunteers through proactive involvement and participation that has encouraged and inspired others Dr. Overstreet is a Distinguished Member and Fellow of the Alliance. She was elected to two terms on its Board of Directors, previously chaired its Annual Conference, and currently leads its Commission on Certification of Healthcare CPD Professionals. We are delighted to have Dr. Overstreet leading the clinical and educational design efforts of Harborside Medical Education and congratulate her on this award, stated Conor Lynch, Executive Vice President of Harborside. Dr. Overstreets expertise in sophisticated educational design and outcomes assessment continues to elevate our focus on improving the lives of people with cancer via practice-changing education for oncology clinicians. Alana Brody, MBA, CHCP, Vice President, Strategic Development for HSME also received a Distinguished Member award from the Alliance based on her active involvement in and contribution to the association. Recognizing active participation in Alliance programs and events, this award of distinction affirms Ms. Brodys commitment to advancing the organizations goals and objectives. Ms. Brody currently serves on the Alliances Continuing Professional Development Provider/Supporter Interactions Special Interest Group and is the co-chair of its Speaking the Same Language initiative, which focuses on standardization of outcomes for the healthcare CE industry. We are pleased that the Alliance recognizes Ms. Brodys contributions to the CE industry and congratulate her on this well-deserved award, noted Anthony Cutrone, Harborside President. During the Alliance conference, Dr. Overstreet and Ms. Brody will present results of HSMEs Study to Measure Advanced Practitioners Retention of Targeted Information and Education (SMARTIE), an innovative model that assesses longitudinal educational outcomes of Harborsides annual conference for oncology advanced practitioners (JADPRO Live). About Harborside Medical Education Given the tsunami of new data relevant to diagnosing and treating patients with cancer, the oncology news cycle is now 24/7. To help busy oncology clinicians cut through the noise and figure out what is relevant to them and their patients, HSME develops CE that interprets the clinical significance of emerging data and provides recommendations for adopting it appropriately in practice. Based in Lawrenceville, NJ, HSME is an independent division of Harborside, the publisher of The ASCO Post, the Journal of Oncology Practice, the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and the Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology. For more information please visit http://www.harborsidenexus.com/harborside-medical-education/ and http://www.harborsidenexus.com/. About the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions The Alliance is the leading association of professionals who design CE for clinicians. Alliance members share and implement best practices across healthcare settings and professions, validating the value and impact of CE for healthcare professionals. The mission of the Alliance is to promote best practices in continuing professional development by empowering the community of health education professionals. The Alliances annual conference connects more than 1,200 industry professionals for an interactive educational experience, tailored for continuing healthcare education professionals across the spectrum of organizational settings. For more information please visit http://www.acehp.org/p/cm/ld/fid=22. John Tenhula, a political scientist, lawyer, and ordained clergyman who has spent most of his career as an international refugee advocate for the National Council of Churches, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and CEO of the Balch Institute, has completed his book Youngstown and Other Sorrows: a collection of engaging and poignant memoirs that paint a complex portrait of a community dependent on a single industry that left 40 years ago. John shares, Youngstown and Other Sorrows is a timely memoir describing the economic, social, and cultural stories of those living inside what is known today as the Rust Belt capital: Youngstown, Ohio. Over 100 people were interviewed for the book. In 1955 the city made the finest quality steel for most of country. By 1977, the mills were closed and 5,000 people became jobless. It was cheaper to import steel from Japan. Some left for the oil boom in Texas, but the majority stayed--waiting for the mills to return. Promises were made. In visiting Youngstown seven times before the general election, candidate Trump promised the mills would soon return. The city never diversified into other industries. The size of the downtown population has been reduced to 60,000 from a once-high of 200,000 people. An exodus of professional and business people has created gated communities 15 miles outside the city limits and residents now commute to Pittsburgh or Cleveland for work. The reflections of those interviewed are a mosaic of memories and experiences of the place they call home. They are a proud insular community, people resentful of outsiders who give them labels. I worked in the Republic Steel mill as a college kid. In Youngstown, I tried to elicit stories and events that gave clarity to each protagonists story. Lives filled with humor, sadness, anger, and hope. The town somehow resorted into what a local priest called, tribalism and racism. The school board was reorganized and taken over from Columbus, the capital. The only air service stopped in late 2017. The book helps describe how residents have coped. But Youngstown is not alone. Youngstown and Other Sorrows helps the reader understand the complex emotional, economic, social and political issues dividing our country in the early 21st century. Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, John Tenhulas book is both a personal memoir of the authors family and home town and a sensitive portrait of a city waiting for salvation. Readers who wish to experience this engrossing work can purchase Youngstown and Other Sorrows at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional New York-based, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not overwhelmed with logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and the like. Its roster of accomplished authors and publishing professionals allows writers to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues to focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. Kris Gross, Iowa SHIIP and SMP Director We all should be very concerned and properly educated on how to stop and report Medicare fraud. We can play a big part in preserving the Medicare system for future generations. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen announced today that the Iowa Insurance Division (IID) is now home to the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), a statewide resource for Iowans to report Medicare fraud. Senior Medicare Patrols (SMPs) empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers to prevent, detect and report healthcare fraud, errors and abuse through outreach, counseling and education. SMPs are grant-funded projects of the federal U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL). Considering the Iowa Insurance Division also presents the statewide Iowa Fraud Fighters education outreach program and has been the home to SHIIP since 1990, our Division was the natural fit to administer the SMP program, said Commissioner Ommen. SHIIP has 350 volunteer counselors across the state helping thousands of Iowans navigate the complexities of Medicare, saving them $26 million in Part D plans in 2017. It made sense for the Iowa Insurance Division to be the one state resource for all things Medicare and for Kris Gross, Iowas SHIIP director, to oversee the SMP Medicare fraud program too. The U.S. General Accounting Office estimates that $1 of every $7 spent on Medicare is paid inappropriately due to errors, fraud and abuse. That added up to $50 billion lost to Medicare fraud nationwide in 2017. We work one-on-one with Iowa Medicare beneficiaries, and their caregivers or family members, to review billing information for suspected fraud or errors, said Gross. If a healthcare billing error is involved, we provide one-on-one counseling to help correct the error. If we determine fraud or abuse is possible, SMP makes a referral to the appropriate state and federal agencies to investigate. Almost 2 million Americans are served nationally by the SMP program's outreach and education efforts. Our SHIIP volunteers are such wonderful resources for our state, allowing Iowans to receive free, unbiased and confidential assistance to find the best Medicare plan for their personal medical needs, said Gross. All of our SHIIP volunteer counselors are now trained on the SMP program and can assist Iowans to prevent, detect and report Medicare fraud or errors. Gross said it is important to always carefully review medical bills, explanation of benefits statements and Medicare summary notices. She recommends healthcare consumers double-check invoices for unexpected or unexplained charges for medical services, prescription drugs, supplies or equipment. Things to look out for include duplicate payments for the same service, an inaccurate medical service date or billings for medical equipment your doctor did not order, said Gross. We highly recommend you keep a medical journal and all your medical receipts in an envelope. Compare your journal to the Medicare summary notice, a document that shows what Medicare has paid on your behalf. These summary notices can be challenging to read and understand, so dont hesitate to contact a SHIIP/SMP counselor for help. As an identity theft prevention measure, Gross noted that Medicare distributed new cards this year that no longer include the Medicare beneficiaries, or their spouses', Social Security number. She said it is still important to protect your Medicare card just like you do your bank card and to know the tips to protect yourself and the government against Medicare fraud. Be suspicious of anyone offering free medical equipment or services by requesting your Medicare number and suggesting they can help you get around Medicare rules, said Gross. If someone calls you and asks for your Medicare card number and personal information, just hang up the phone. Remember, Medicare already knows your number and wont randomly call you and ask you for that number. Two red flags a Medicare card has been stolen include Medicare denying a service because the beneficiary supposedly already used the benefit, or a debt collector calls for payment on a service the beneficiary did not receive. Gross said it is important to report the possible theft or loss of a Medicare card to SHIIP/SMP immediately. By reporting billing errors and suspected fraud, Iowa Medicare beneficiaries, their family and caregivers can play a big part in protecting themselves from healthcare scams and save the Medicare system for future generations, said Gross. More than $50 billion lost to Medicare fraud annually is a national epidemic. We all should be very concerned and properly educated on how to stop it and report it. If you are turning 65 this year and becoming Medicare eligible, please make an appointment with a SHIIP/SMP counselor to find the best plan for you and learn everything you should know to protect the governments important investment in your health. Iowans are encouraged to visit shiip.iowa.gov/smp to learn about new Medicare insurance scams and discover tips and tools to prevent and report Medicare fraud. Iowans can also call 1-800-351-4664 to report Medicare fraud or to make an appointment with a SHIIP/SMP counselor. # # # (Colombo) REUTERS: Sri Lanka is facing what could be its worst pest infestation in history, potentially cutting the countrys rice and maize output and forcing the island nation to import the commodities, government officials said on Friday. Crop-eating army worms, first confirmed in October, have spread across the country and damaged crops, they said. The pest has damaged half of the countrys 80,000 hectares of maize and it has also infected rice and vegetable crops, W.M.W. Weerakoon, director general of agriculture, told Reuters. More than 100 crops, including vegetables have become infested with the armyworm, Weerakoon said. We have never experienced this kind of damage in the past, he said, adding the government is trying to find out the source of the pest attack. Authorities have found traces of the pest in about two hectares of rice, but they have successfully stopped the spread of the worm, he said. Lower output could trigger large-scale imports of essential food products, pushing up the countrys import bill and deepening a balance of payments crisis, S. Attygala, central bank deputy governor, said. So far conventional chemicals used in pest management have failed to check the spread, authorities said. The government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will give Rs.40, 000 per hectare to farmers to compensate for their losses. President Maithripala Sirisena has established a task force to help control the pest. Sri Lanka in November forecast a bumper 3.3 million tonnes of rice production in the November-February cultivation season, after intermittent floods and droughts in the past four years cut the countrys crops and economic growth. Many sectors in Sri Lanka have suffered because of the political crisis that hit the island country in November when Sirisena fired Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister. Angela Zepeda "Angela is a proven talent in the industry with the ability to solve complex business challenges while inspiring teams across a wide set of business disciplines." - Steve Jun, CEO and President, INNOCEAN USA INNOCEAN USA announces the appointment of Angela Zepeda as its SVP, Managing Director, Brand Management, responsible for overseeing all operations on the Hyundai business, including creative, planning, and media operations. Previously, Angela held the role of SVP, Business Development for INNOCEAN, leading the agencys new business efforts. We conducted a nationwide search to find someone with the right combination of leadership, management and creative experience who could lead the Hyundai account, said Steve Jun, CEO and President of INNOCEAN. Already part of the INNOCEAN family, Angela was the perfect person for this job. She is a proven talent in the industry with the ability to solve complex business challenges while inspiring teams across a wide set of business disciplines. I am excited by the momentum that continues to build. Since joining INNOCEAN, Angela has made major contributions to the agency and we are fortunate to have her managing the Hyundai business, said Dean Evans, CMO, Hyundai Motor America. As a marketing team, our responsibilities are growing and the complexities and diversity of our initiatives require an agency leader that can bring us the best talent, resources and creative ideas. We enjoy a highly-successful and collaborative relationship with our agency and look forwarding to making it even better in 2019. Immediately prior to joining INNOCEAN in 2016, Angela was Chief Executive Officer of Quigley Simpson where she oversaw agency operations and growth. Prior to that role, she was President and Chief Marketing Officer for Lowe Campbell Ewald, Los Angeles. Zepeda spent ten years with Campbell Ewald, moving up through the ranks to spearhead the agencys Los Angeles Office, where she oversaw $350 million in media revenues annually. There she led the agency in organic and new business initiatives, securing partnerships with brands such as Ghirardelli Chocolates, Chicken of the Sea, LifeLock, PIMCO Financial Services, and Covered California among many others. She was also responsible for the award-winning Kaiser Permanente Thrive campaign, a fully integrated campaign now in its fourteenth year. Prior to Campbell Ewald, Zepeda was vice president of Rapp Collins Worldwide, where she co-led client services for brands such as Bank of America, Home 123 and Firemans Fund. Before that, she was Vice President and Account Director at Doner in Newport Beach, where she worked on the Mazda account in addition to leading the development and launch of PacificCare, and grew the Secure Horizons Medical Advantage HMO plan membership to a 10-year high. Zepeda started her career at Foote Cone and Belding on the Mazda account, Team One Advertising on Lexus and then TBWA/Chiat Day in Los Angeles on the Infiniti business. Additionally, Zepeda is recognized in the industry for her expertise in marketing to women, as well as category expertise in health care, CPG, education, hospitality and tourism, financial services and automotive. This is an exciting time to be at INNOCEAN, given Hyundais rebound in the marketplace with its new, exciting line-up of SUVs, alt fuel vehicles and industry awards and accolades for both quality and safety, said Zepeda. Im looking forward to leading the brand and the team during this next chapter and build on its already strong heritage and success. Zepeda earned a Masters in Business Administration at the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Advertising at California State University, Fullerton. About INNOCEAN USA Founded in 2009, INNOCEAN Worldwide Americas is headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, with offices in New York, Chicago, and Dallas. With 400 employees, INNOCEAN Worldwide Americas is part of the INNOCEAN Worldwide network and currently serves as lead agency for Hyundai Motor America and Genesis Motor America, as well as partners with KIA Motors America and Hankook Tire. The CIO CHOICE trust seal gives the assurance to enterprise CIOs to confidently engage with the recognised brand. IceWarp has been conferred the CIO CHOICE 2019 Honour and Recognition as the most preferred brand in the Enterprise Email category. This prestigious recognition was presented at the exclusive Red Carpet Night, a celebration of innovation and excellence in the ICT ecosystem, produced by CORE Media. With over 300 ICT leaders in attendance, CIO CHOICE, http://cio-choice.in, held at The Lalit, Mumbai, was a star-studded affair with some of the countrys most high-profile CIOs taking to the stage to confer the recognitions and applaud the brands voted as the most trusted ICT partners. Now in its 7th year, the annual CIO CHOICE recognition focuses on ICT brands who showcase a continuous demand for excellence and form the bedrock of industry success. The recognition is bestowed on the basis of pan-India independent voting by CIOs. CIO CHOICE is the largest and only online voting platform, where CIOs determine and choose the products that have earned their vote of confidence. When an ICT brand wins the CIO Choice recognition, it means that their product, service, or solution has been endorsed by CIOs. There is a distinguished Advisory Panel, comprising of CIOs from across verticals, that guides the entire process, with KPMG as the Knowledge Partner. Anoop Mathur, Founder and President, CORE Media, said: Congratulations to IceWarp for being honoured with the CIO CHOICE 2019 trust seal. CIO CHOICE is the ultimate testimony as it is a poll done with CIOs pan-India and thats what finally matters as far as any brand or product goes, as it is the Voice of the Customer. The CIO CHOICE trust seal gives the assurance to enterprise CIOs to confidently engage with the recognised brand for the first time, helping bothICT brands and CIOs. We are truly humbled and delighted to be yet again chosen as the preferred brand in this space, said Pramod Sharda, CEO at IceWarp India. I am immensely grateful to the CIO community for their continued faith in us and for helping us win two years in a row. This also showcases our leadership in the enterprise email domain. Adam Paclt, IceWarps global CEO, added: IceWarps ability to provide solutions adhering to industry standards and meeting the requirements of companies of all sizes across geographies reinforced by our continuous innovation helped us to achieve this recognition. What sets us apart is the customization, flexibility and support we provide our customers. And our unmatched value for the customers is what CIOs appreciation is all about. About IceWarp IceWarp is a global provider of collaboration and communication tools for companies of all sizes. After more than 18 years on the market, IceWarp has a proven track record as the leading alternative to Microsoft Exchange, Office 365 and Slack. IceWarps all-in-one solution includes Secure Email, Calendar, Online Documents and TeamChat for real-time collaboration. IceWarp Server is available as a service or as a software for on-premise deployment. It can be completely white-labeled to match the companys branding without any coding required, making it the first choice for service providers searching for technologically advanced value-added service. Through its subsidiary in Mumbai, IceWarp has had its local presence in India and the Middle East since 2014, providing on-site support and email hosting to cater for the specific needs of the customers in this region. For more information, visit http://www.icewarp.com or connect with us on Twitter and Facebook. I bought a first-class ticket to be comfortable on my flight. Instead, as a result of the actions of the United Airlines contract workers, both during and after I was dropped. This was the truly the flight from hell. On January 22, 2019, a federal jury serving the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas unanimously ordered United Airlines and its contractor AirServ to pay $3,800,000.00 to disabled passenger Erica Fulton of St. Petersburg, FL, who was dropped by airline employees as they transferred her from her chair into her first class seat. Fulton, who is represented by Houston attorneys Sean Roberts, Jonathan C.C. Day, and Anjali Sharma of Roberts Markland LLP, was diagnosed in 2012 with a degenerative spinal disease that requires her to use a wheelchair for mobility. While boarding her flight on a layover at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, en route to visit her son in Austin for his 30th birthday, Fulton was dropped on her right shoulder and injured. In addition, Fultons customized motorized wheelchair was also dropped and damaged by baggage claims on the same flight. I bought a first-class ticket to be comfortable on my flight. Instead, as a result of the actions of the United Airlines contract workers, both during and after I was dropped, this was the truly the flight from hell, stated Fulton. I am happy the jury saw through Uniteds attempts to pretend this never happened. According to court documents, although Fulton reported her claims immediately, United neglected her complaints of bodily injury. In addition, United did not produce the injury report or the name of the person who boarded the United flight to attempt the transfer of Fulton to her seat. United gave me the run around for over six weeks and that is when I decided I needed legal representation to sort through the corporate games, said Fulton. Thats when she turned to Roberts Markland LLP. Sean Roberts, lead counsel for Fulton, said, United has a problem accepting responsibility when it has done wrong. In this case, they chose to use their resources on expensive lawyers and expert witnesses to tell a story that Ms. Fulton fabricated the episode, but their plan unraveled in front of an attentive jury. In closing, he told the jury, You dont wake up every morning and have a chance to make a change. Today, you do. While Fulton quickly reported her injury to the flight attendant on the flight and to a United Claims Resolution Officer immediately after exiting the flight, United Airlines own witnesses admitted under oath that no incident report was ever prepared. In addition, co-defendants AirServ could not produce the name of the two people who took Fulton on the plane. Last, no flight attendants testified at the trial, causing Fulton to feel as if nothing had ever happened. Counsel for Fulton, Jonathan C.C. Day, believes the jury was concerned about all disabled passengers, We all worked so hard, and Ms. Fulton suffered so much, to make sure that disabled passengers are safe, stated Jonathan C. C. Day. When passengers are injured, the problem must be documented and fixed immediately. Fultons physical injuries, a rotator cuff tear and detached biceps muscle, required extensive medical treatment including surgery and 24-hour home care while Fulton recovered from surgery. The loss of her right arm was extremely challenging since she is disabled. Jurors were also told by Fultons surgeon that she will probably need an additional surgery in the future. In their unanimous verdict, jurors awarded Fulton $2,000,000.00 in past physical pain and mental anguish and $1,000,000.00 in future physical pain and mental anguish, along with Ms. Fultons past and future medical expenses. They also compensated Fulton $800,000.00 for physical disfigurement and physical impairment resulting from the incident. (Fulton v. United Airlines Inc, Case 4:2017cv00528) Counsel for Fulton, Anjali Sharma, said, The jury wanted to make sure United Airlines felt Erica Fultons pain. They sent a clear message to all airlines with this verdict. United Airlines is the 4th largest airline carrier in the world, flying more than 500,000 passengers daily. About Roberts Markland, LLP Roberts Markland LLP, is a Houston based trial law firm specializing in representing plaintiffs catastrophically injured by the negligence or recklessness of others. Led by attorneys Sean Roberts and Clive Markland, the firms reputation has been earned through extensive trial and appellate experience in proudly representing hundreds of clients. For more information, please contact Roberts Markland LLP at 713.630.0900 or visit our website at http://www.robertsmarkland.com. Press & Media Contact Julie O. Griffith e. jgriffithpr@gmail.com m. 832.420.0985 To create a high-level partnership with one of the premier land brokerage companies in the county is a giant step forward for the future of upland wildlife conservation and our hunting heritage, In an effort to support the preservation and growth of upland bird habitat on both private and public lands, Hayden Outdoors Real Estate has launched their National Sponsorship of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. Hayden Outdoors will market farm, ranch and recreational properties for sale to PF and QF members while making a significant gift commitment to upland wildlife. Access to upland habitat for hunting with family and friends is a goal that Hayden Outdoors hopes to help sustain in the future. As a real estate brokerage specializing in farmland and recreational property, Hayden Outdoors understands the importance of land stewardship and the value of quality wildlife habitat. When we decided that we wanted to do more for upland wildlife habitat, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever was a natural partner, stated Dax Hayden, Hayden Outdoors managing partner and Life Member of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever. Our family and passionate real estate agents recognize The Habitat Organization as an effective and efficient conservation partner. When we learned more about PFs vision for the future, it became clear that we needed to provide additional support to ensure an upland legacy for future generations. Just in the past year, Leo Hayden has helped with the Build a Wildlife Area program in coordinating Pheasants Forevers acquisition of 1,080 acres of land in Sherman County, KS that was recently transferred to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism. The property, now called Veterans Wildlife Area, is now open to public hunting and being managed for sustained wildlife habitat. In addition, Hayden Outdoors will work to bring together private landowners and PF wildlife biologists to help them create and conserve upland habitat by way of the Private Lands Wildlife Habitat Assistance program. Efforts to help maximize unused potential wildlife habitat, grow incremental income for private landowners from unused land, and enrolling more lands into existing management programs, such as Corners for Wildlife, are examples of Hayden Outdoors efforts to help landowners and the future of upland bird hunting. To create a high-level partnership with one of the premier land brokerage companies in the county is a giant step forward for the future of upland wildlife conservation and our hunting heritage, said Chris Kalis, director of corporate partnerships for Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever. Not only have they committed financially for increased wildlife habitat and public access, but the opportunities to assist private landowners with landscape-level habitat upgrades has major implications for private lands conservation. Hayden Outdoors will be featured as a National Sponsor in many of PF and QF marketing mediums, in addition to being featured at the upcoming 2019 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic in Schaumburg, Illinois. About Pheasants Forever Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 140,000 members and 740 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $867 million on 540,000 habitat projects benefiting 18 million acres nationwide. About Hayden Outdoors: Hayden Outdoors, LLC is a family-owned and operated real estate brokerage started in 1976 that is based in Windsor, Colorado. With over 75 licensed brokers, agents and staff, Hayden Outdoors is recognized as one of the largest land brokerage in the central United States and Best Brokerages every year since 2011 by The Land Report Magazine. Hayden Outdoors is also a founding partner and the largest member of LandLeader, the largest land marketing company in America. Georgia SoftWorks reviews the past year developing the GSW Telnet Server for Windows, SSH Server for Windows, GSW Business Tunnel and GSW ConnectBot. 2018 was an exciting year at Georgia SoftWorks, said Steve Lindsey of GSW. We exhibited a booth at Modex 2018. We made several feature releases to the GSW Telnet Server and SSH Server for Windows. Weve welcomed new resellers as well as celebrated significant reseller milestones. One of our biggest feats of 2018 was the launch of the GSW ConnectBot, an SSH/Telnet Client for Android. In April, Georgia SoftWorks showcased their products at Modex 2018, the leading trade show for supply chain, manufacturing and distribution industries in Atlanta, Georgia. The GSW team had demonstrations on devices for their GSW Telnet Server for Windows, SSH Server for Windows, Business Tunnel, and their latest product, the GSW ConnectBot. Our biggest hit of Modex was our newest product, the GSW ConnectBot, which is an industrial grade SSH/Telnet Client for Android. Its a solution many companies have been looking for and were thrilled to see that we now offer, said Lindsey. In 2018, Georgia SoftWorks launched their GSW ConnectBot. The Georgia SoftWorks ConnectBot is the most cryptographically secure, commercially supported Telnet/SSH client for Android, on par only with the GSW SSH Clients for Windows. The GSW ConnectBots features include running multiple SSH sessions at a time, persisted sessions when the user switches to another Android app, compatibility with a wide variety of hosts, configurable Answerback, configurable screen size and more. The GSW ConnectBot includes updated SAFE algorithms for 2018 with ciphers that have no known security vulnerabilities or weaknesses. The GSW ConnectBot offers the strongest encryption available on the commercial market. Georgia SoftWorks launched their GSW UTS (Universal Terminal Server, the GSW Telnet Server and SSH Server for Windows) Version 8.09.0001 in March of 2018, that added new Automatic Reconnect/Session Saver Methods, updated the UTS Configuration tool, added a user defined Server Side Heart Beat Timer, reported IPD addresses with failed logon attempts and more. In November of 2018, UTS Version 8.09.0003 was released, which included major new features. This version added client self-termination, GSW UTS and GSW ConnectBot device and client information strings, enabled 3rd party client mouse operation, added logon inactivity timeout, added the capability to enable/disable the status bar and task bar and allows the SCP/SFTP to be directed to a UNC Path on the GSW SSH Server for Windows. Georgia SoftWorks noted significant reseller milestones in 2018. Advanced Business Solutions, Buton eBusiness Solutions, Targetware Informica Ltda, Intesys S.C., Koreansoft Inc, ATMS International and Mingjia Tech celebrated 5 years with Georgia SoftWorks. Teleservizi, HCS Remora, and Qast Systems Solutions, Inc celebrated 10 years. Datalinx Computer Systems, Zetes France, DSD Padova, Bar Code Integrators, CSI Ltd of UK, AISL SA/SDI Systems and Integrated Manufacturing Systems reached 15 years. SHI International Corp celebrated 20 years as an authorized reseller of the GSW products. They also welcomed iWMS Hardware Solutions as a new authorized reseller, and MSK Engineering as their first authorized reseller in Kazakhstan. Georgia SoftWorks is a software development company located in Dawsonville, Georgia that has gained its worldwide recognition from the development of the GSW Telnet Server for Windows and SSH Server for Windows. Georgia SoftWorks industrial quality software is designed for the most rigorous commercial environments. The reliability, robustness and features of the Georgia SoftWorks Telnet Server for Windows and the secure SSH Server for Windows has led to its global demand, which has resulted in end users and resellers on every continent. About Georgia SoftWorks: Established in 1991, Georgia SoftWorks is a privately held software development company recognized for creating high performance data communications, system and telecommunications applications. Georgia SoftWorks has obtained a worldwide presence with its industrial SSH/Telnet Server for Microsoft Windows. GSW's long-term commitment to SSH/Telnet has led to the pioneering of major features such as Session Shadowing, Session Monitoring, Graceful Termination, Automatic Logon, Logon Scripting and Team Services technology which allows mobile device users to transfer, swap, share and recover mobile device sessions. Most recently, Georgia SoftWorks has launched their GSW ConnectBot, a SSH/Telnet Client for Android. The GSW ConnectBot is the most cryptographically secure, commercially supported SSH client for Android, only on par with the GSW SSH Client for Windows. G2-IS is a clear industry leader in asset integrity management that delivers an unmatched integrated suite of service and software capabilities to its clients. G2 Integrated Solutions (G2-IS) today announced that the companys Board of Directors has appointed Shawn Altizer as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Altizer will assume day-to-day leadership of the organization and will be tasked with progressing the companys strategic growth objectives. He is preceded by Trey Whitley, who served as interim CEO while the companys Board conducted an exhaustive search for a permanent leader. G2-IS is excited to have found a seasoned leader such as Shawn to support it in its next phase of growth, commented Mr. Whitley. Shawns customer-focused approach and dedication to delivering premium quality service is perfectly aligned with G2-IS core values, and is well suited to effectively address the future needs of our clients and ensure continued industry leadership. We are pleased to have a proven industry veteran such as Shawn serve as the next CEO of G2-IS, echoed Vance Fairchild, founder and former CEO of G2 Partners and G2-IS, and current Board member of G2-IS. His commitment to customer service and employee development, coupled with his strategic vision and proven track record positions G2-IS for sustainable long-term growth. Before joining G2-IS, Mr. Altizer spent twelve years at TH Hill Associates, a global leader in oil & gas drilling and engineering and failure prevention analysis services, in senior leadership roles including six years as CEO and Vice Chairman. During his tenure as CEO, Mr. Altizer advanced the companys growth strategy, building out TH Hills onshore engineering and technical services capabilities to complement its offshore heritage, resulting in net revenue growth of more than 350%. G2-IS is a clear industry leader in asset integrity management that delivers an unmatched integrated suite of service and software capabilities to its clients, said Altizer. We offer a compelling value proposition to midstream, downstream, and utility operators in need of technical consulting, engineering, and regulatory compliance solutions to address aging or underperforming infrastructure assets and supporting regulatory requirements and oversight. G2-IS is at an exciting inflection point and I look forward to supporting the company and its impressive team in its next phase of growth, commented Altizer. About G2 Integrated Solutions: G2 Integrated Solutions delivers expertise to pipeline operators, utility companies and other energy stakeholders in seven specialized service disciplines Asset Integrity, Engineering, Geospatial Systems and Services, Regulatory, Field Services, Technology Services and Strategic Consulting. We provide end-to-end solutions that help manage risk, assure compliance and optimize performance. Our commitment is to implement innovative, cost-effective solutions that align specifically with our customers needs. In order to accomplish this, we have built an organization that is robust in talent and experience. G2-IS has offices located in Houston, Texas (Corporate Headquarters), Angleton, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Concord, California. For more details on the spectrum of services G2-IS offers, please visit our website at http://www.g2-is.com In some cases, it makes sense to drop full coverage, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Cheapquotesautoinsurance.com has released a new blog post that explains when drivers should drop full coverage, thus saving important sums of money on car insurance. Keeping full coverage is the right thing to do, but only if the car is valuable or the policyholder is still making payments. Drivers should drop full coverage in the following circumstances: The car is too old. Unless the vehicle is a collectible or a classic, its value has significantly decreased after several years since it was purchased. Maintenance and low mileage are irrelevant for old cars. The car has high mileage. If the odometer shows that the car was driven for 150,000 miles or even 200,000 miles, its value will be severely reduced. Even for a 4-5 year old automobile. The car is deteriorated. This one is obvious. Keeping full coverage on a dust-bucket is one sure way to end up overpaying. After fully owning the car. When the car is financed by a bank or other financial institution, they will impose the owner to have full coverage. Once the loan is paid, he can choose to keep or drop the full coverage. The car is kept in a garage. This will provide protection against weather damage, theft, vandalism, and fire. After dropping full coverage, the owner will have to be careful how he drives and not cause accidents. Otherwise, he will support the full costs of repairing his vehicle. For more car insurance info, money-saving tips and free online quotes, please visit https://cheapquotesautoinsurance.com Cheapquotesautoinsurance.com is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. Getting online car insurance quotes will help drivers find the best coverage for his needs and budget, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Carinsuranceplan.org has released a new article that explains how to use online car insurance quotes and get the best deals. Car insurance is a must for any driver who wants to drive legally across the United States. The auto insurance market is complex and numerous companies compete for business. In order to get a better view of the current market status, clients are recommended to get quotes and compare them. Online car insurance quotes provide a better view of the current insurance market. Usually, drivers are not aware of the local insurance providers. Most of them have heard of big 5-10 companies, but there are hundreds of local companies. By obtaining quotes from these smaller companies, drivers can notice that many of them offer really good prices for really good insurance services. Smaller companies may offer the best prices and services around, so do not hesitate to get quotes from them Quotes will inform the customer about the average insurance costs. Although just estimates, insurance quotes use really good rate calculators. Good websites keep their info updated and provide results that match the insurers approximate premiums. Rate calculators will input the users info and calculate the premiums using the companys database and algorithms. Quotes will help the driver understand the value of a car and drivers risk profile. Online submit forms will help drivers understand if the car they have is still valuable or not. Car insurance companies take cars depreciation into consideration when issuing premiums. Other factors like credit score or past traffic violation will also influence the premiums and drivers classification. Usually, this info is required by quote submit forms. Drivers can be labeled as Preferred, Standard or High Risk. Carinsuranceplan.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. For more examples, money-saving tips and free quotes, visit https://carinsuranceplan.org/ Contested by numerous agencies worldwide, the award honors financial marketing and communications firms that, have advised and served their financial clients in extraordinary ways and have delivered their financial clients' marketing to the highest levels of industry excellence and successful end result. Copylab will receive the award at a ceremony at the Thomson Reuters building in Times Square, New York City on January 29. John D Connolly, Copylabs managing director for North America, said: "It's a privilege to be included among so many distinguished agencies. This honor hasn't come easily and is a credit to every person on our global team who demonstrate daily what a group of highly-skilled, smart, passionate and enthusiastic people can achieve when they believe in their mission. We're just shy of three years since we launched our North American division, and after receiving an award like this, I'm reminded again that we're in the nascent stages of something great. As we enter 2019, we will continue to serve and support our clients with the complete spectrum of world-class investment communication services weve become known for, while maintaining the robust growth we've been able to achieve in such a short amount of time." Other winners this year include Germanys public imaging, US companies MERGE Boston and Prosek Partners, and NewsCred in the UK. http://www.copylabgroup.com Pictures of John D Connolly, managing director North America, available on request About Copylab Copylab is the global leader in investment writing. The company is headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland. Its North American operations are based in Boston, with additional locations in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco, while it maintains an international presence with offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Edinburgh, London and Zurich. With a team of more than 75 people across the globe, Copylab supplies many of the worlds largest asset managers with financially astute investment writing and creative marketing communications. Established in 2006 in the UK, Copylab has built up an enviable reputation and a stellar client list, including 14 of the worlds 20 largest asset managers by AUM according to IPE. Looking to replicate its UK success in the worlds other major financial centers, the company set up operations in North America and Asia in 2016, and in Switzerland in 2018. Demand for Copylabs services in its new markets has increased significantly in that time, supported by its roster of global resources to help multinational clients across the international offices. Copylab writers have an industry-leading combination of investment expertise and creativity. The companys flexible structure and global footprint gives it an unrivalled ability to meet the needs of clients worldwide, whether in fund reporting, process management of creative marketing communications. Key facts at a glance (25 January 2019) Established: 2006 Founder: Ross Hunter Staff worldwide: 75+ Clients (active in past three months): 48 Countries we have clients in: 10 Offices: Glasgow (head office), Edinburgh, London, Boston, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Singapore, Hong Kong, Zurich Contact: John D Connolly johnconnolly@copylabinc.com 617-894-5251 About The Gramercy Institute Based in New York, the Gramercy Institute is a leading global think tank for senior marketers from the worlds leading financial institutions and is the worlds largest network for senior marketers from major financial firms. Gramercy Institute is led by Bill Wreaks, who serves as CEO & Chief Analyst. Its member firms include 40 of the worlds leading financial institutions. Its network spans a financial marketing community of over 7,000 industry professionals, worldwide. GI hosts an annual calendar of over twenty-three conferences, summits, forums and award shows each year in leading financial hubs worldwide including Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Toronto. The mission of the Gramercy Institute is to provide insight and information to senior marketers from the worlds leading financial brand while honoring and sharing the industrys very best practices. Founded in 2002, The Gramercy Institute also provides research, analysis and consulting to the worlds top financial, media and marketing brands. The Gramercy Institute is led by Chief Executive Officer Bill Wreaks. Wreaks is seasoned executive with over thirty years of experience servicing the marketing needs of the worlds leading financial brands. In addition to its Gramercy Financial Marketing Strategy Awards Gramercy Institute also honors financial marketing excellence through its annual Financial Content Marketing Award program as well as its annual 20 Rising Stars in Financial Marketing program. For more information about the Gramercy Institute, contact: Samantha Wreaks (swreaks@financialadvertising.com), (+1) 212-752-0151. The event offers exclusive exposure to hundreds of Chinese investors looking for opportunities around the world, and global investors looking for opportunities in China." Conway has partnered with the Huzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce to host the inaugural International Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Summit at the iconic Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort in Huzhou, China, October 28-30, 2019. The Huzhou region, which specializes in advanced manufacturing, IT, life sciences and pharmaceuticals industries, is one of the most prosperous investment locations outside Shanghai, with companies such as IBM, Walmart, and General Electric, and $31.79 billion in total foreign direct investment. Were delighted to offer organizations exclusive exposure to hundreds of Chinese investors looking for opportunities around the world, and global investors looking for opportunities in China, said Adam Jones-Kelly, President, Conway, Inc. This historic event has the full support of Huzhou local and regional governments, and it will bring together decision-makers from some of the fastest growing companies in the world. This prestigious event will bring together global investors, world political and economic leaders and industry intermediaries to discuss, network and build relationships that lead to sustainable investment. The 2019 program will include discussion panels focused on Pharmaceuticals & Agribusiness, Automation & Robotics, Free Trade Zones & Special Economic Zones, Sustainable Development, and the Automotive Future. Huzhou is a thriving member of Shanghai metropolitan area, with tremendous location advantages. Huzhou's overall business environment is presently displaying more and more competitiveness. We sincerely hope that through this event, we can further deepen mutual understanding, broaden consensus, promote cooperation, share development opportunities, and create a better future together. Chu Lianrong, Director of Huzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce For more information on the International FDI Summit and to view the agenda and sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.internationalfdisummit.com. About the Huzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce Huzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce is a part of the Huzhou Municipal People's Government. Mainly responsible for Huzhou city investment attraction, foreign investment management, foreign trade, foreign economic cooperation, service trade, e-commerce, food security and other management work. About Conway Since 1954, Conway has provided the worlds most comprehensive offering of services related to domestic and cross-border corporate investment. Our integrated services help government agencies attract investment, and companies planning international expansion. Conways network of corporate decision-makers invests more than $400 billion each year in new facilities, offices and sites, assisting in the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs. Conway has divisions which specialize in publishing, consulting, public relations, event development, marketing, advisory services, lead generation, site consulting, training and association management. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Conway has offices and representation in 28 cities around the world. Conway is the publisher of Site Selection Magazine and management firm for the Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC). For more information, please visit http://www.conway.com The Indian origin plantation workers left their kith and kin in Southern India and migrated to Sri Lanka almost 200 years ago. Since then they have contributed towards the development of the plantation industries in particular and Sri Lankan Nation at large. This marginalized and underprivileged community lags behind in all the aspects of life. They are increasingly becoming vulnerable to the cost of living rising at an alarming rate in the past years. In the above scenario, all right-thinking persons of our motherland should understand the plight this community is undergoing with their hand to mouth existence in the plantations. I hope and pray that the efforts the Members of Trade Unions and the Regional Plantation Companies and all other stakeholders presently considering/discussing are sincere and realistic and thereby bring about a just solution to the long-awaited wage increase and other social problems of our plantation workers The cry for a just wage for the fruit of their labour is heard very loud in every corner of the Nation these days. The workers labour is what allows him to gain access to the goods of the earth. It is what allows him the means to cultivate worthily his own material, social, cultural, and spiritual life and that of his dependents. Failure to pay him a just wage shuts him out of this endeavour. It is for this reason that mere agreement between labourer and employer is not an assurance of a just wage. There is a rich Biblical Tradition which underlies the Churchs insistence that it is a grave injustice to refuse to pay a just wage or to refuse to give a just wage in due time and in due proportion to the work done. (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, No. 302) You shall not defraud or rob your neighbour. You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day labourer. (Lev. 19:13) I, as a religious leader from the Southern Province, wish to voice my concern over the prevailing social issues of this vulnerable community. I call upon all those in the decision making and in responsible positions to hear the cry of this community so that their legitimate demands are looked into and met while at the same time, the industries in the Plantations are promoted and protected. I call upon all those in the decision making and in responsible positions to hear the cry of this community so that their legitimate demands are looked into and met while at the same time, the industries in the Plantations are promoted and protected We, as the citizens of this country and as Christians have a moral right to stand by this just demand of these innocent/vulnerable people and be the voice of the voiceless. I hope and pray that the efforts the Members of Trade Unions and the Regional Plantation Companies and all other stakeholders presently considering/discussing are sincere and realistic and thereby bring about a just solution to the long-awaited wage increase and other social problems of our plantation workers. May God bless them all. Continuing to build its world class partnership network, Codan Communications is pleased to announce its new primary partner for the US, Mexico and Caribbean - NVIS Communications. Partnering with Codan was the next logical step for NVIS Communications to strengthen and diversify their offering to satisfy customer needs. NVIS has a very strong footprint and knowledge of HF Systems Integration and has always respected the reliability and quality of Codans products, in particular the engineering and support they offer. Codans strategic goals closely align with NVIS and we are very pleased to be working exclusively with Codan worldwide, stated John Rosica, President of NVIS Communications LLC. Throughout its long history, Codan has worked extensively alongside its partners worldwide to identify customer needs and ensure that its solutions meet their requirements. Codan acknowledges its success through its partners and this appointment of NVIS Communications is significant for Codans continuing success in the Americas, stated Michael Demos, Regional Sales Director, Americas. John will be speaking alongside Codan at the forthcoming IWCE tradeshow in Las Vegas in March. For more information on Codans participation in this show see http://www.codancomms.com/impact/events/iwce-expo-2019. About Codan Communications Codan Communications is a leading international designer and manufacturer of premium communications solutions. With operations in the US, we deliver our capability worldwide for the military, defense, peacekeeping, humanitarian, commercial, security and public safety markets. We provide tactical communications solutions that enable our customers to be heard, ultimately to support them to accomplish their mission in some of the toughest operating environments in the world. With almost 60 years in the business, we have garnered a reputation for quality, reliability and customer satisfaction, producing innovative and industry-leading technology solutions. Contact Michael Demos, Regional Sales Director, Americas Codan US, Inc. M +1 603 583-8022 E: michael(dot)demos(at)codancomms(dot)com Media Contact Francesca Doyle, Director of Marketing M +61 407 095 986 E: francesca(dot)doyle(at)codancomms(dot)com CHSI CHSI Technologies, Inc., a provider of enterprise-class insurance software, is pleased to announce the release of CHSI Connections Captive Manager, software that is designed to enable captive managers to achieve efficiency, transparency and compliance. A powerful new module of the companys successful CHSI Connections insurance practice management platform, Captive Manager is a cloud-based system that allows captive managers to leverage the flexibility of a spreadsheet and access the power of a secure database. With Captive Manager, captive insurers can access a complete CRM solution and configure data elements within the Connections system for the management of policy, premium, claims and more. Captive Manager also includes powerful analytics, dashboarding and reporting tools ideal for creating policy documents, claims reports, financial reports and board packages. We are excited to bring this unique captive management tool to market, notes Lee Mashore, CHSI Technologies Chief Product Officer. This technology represents a wealth of ongoing feedback from our clients, who have been instrumental in helping us design the best possible solution for them. Captive Manager supports captive operations across the entire policy lifecycle, and is suitable for captive insurance companies, as well as commercial insurers, reinsurers, fronting carriers, self-insureds, public entity insurance pools, and workers compensation carriers. About CHSI Technologies Inc. CHSI Technologies is an award-winning global provider of affordable, core enterprise-class insurance software that is tailor-made to fit the unique needs of small property and casualty carriers, commercial Workers Comp carriers, municipal risk pools, captives and self-insured groups. Leveraging a flexible, hosted platform, CHSI Connections Management System solution enables efficient functioning across a variety of business units and combines policy and underwriting administration, CRM, billing and receivables, workflow, claims integration, BI Analytics, broker and policyholder portals into a single cloud-based insurance practice management system. Recognized by CIO Applications Magazine as a Top 25 Insurtech company for 2018, CHSI Technologies was also ranked No. 1 in Customer Implementation, Experience in the 2018 RMIS Report. CHSI Technologies also earned shortlist consideration in 2018 and top honors in 2017 from US Captive Awards in the category of Technology Initiative. For more info: http://www.chsiconnections.com With 75 museums, over 300 annual festivals, and an internationally famous canal system, Amsterdam is a unique and culturally rich learning environment regardless of a students major. CEA Study Abroad is excited to announce their newest program destinationAmsterdam, Netherlands. This forward-thinking city is an exciting place for students to learn more about the world, themselves, and their subject matter of choice. Our university partner, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, offers all courses in English, making it possible for U.S. students to thrive regardless of their Dutch language skills. Amsterdam is a perfect study abroad destination for U.S. students! says Dr. Jose B. Alvarez, CEAs Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Initiatives. Its known for being extremely open-minded, urban, and multicultural, not to mention one of the most English-language proficient cities in Europe. Student interest in Amsterdam has been growing since the 2013/2014 school year, with a 17% growth in study abroad enrollment between the 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years. Were excited to respond to this interest by adding Amsterdam to our portfolio. CEA chose to partner with VU Amsterdam because of its distinguished academic reputation and the range of courses available there. VU Amsterdam ranks in the top universities in the world and provides an academically challenging experience for the ambitious, hard-working study abroad student. CEA offers five program options at VU Amsterdam, including Business & Economics, STEM, Social Sciences & Humanities, Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Honors Program Approximately 14% of VU Amsterdams student body is international, meaning CEA students will share classrooms with Dutch, American, and other international peers. With 75 museums, over 300 annual festivals, and an internationally famous canal system, Amsterdam is a unique and culturally rich learning environment regardless of a students major. The citys welcoming atmosphere, proximity to beautiful landscapes, and long history of artistic, intellectual, and technological achievement make it an ideal study abroad destination on the European continent. CEA is now accepting applications for Fall 2019 programs in Amsterdam, with a deadline of March 30. About CEA Study Abroad: Established in 1997, CEA Study Abroad provides international study and internship programs to U.S. university students, focusing on the holistic student experience of living and learning abroad. CEA offers programs in 22 locations, across Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The U.S. office is located in Phoenix, AZ. CALIBREs commitment to the DoD community spans nearly three decades and includes training support to four ID/IQs and over 300 Task Orders. The Department of Defense (DoD) awarded CALIBRE Systems, Inc. (CALIBRE) a prime contract on its Joint Forces Development (JFD) contracting vehicle supporting U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff J7. Under this contract, CALIBRE will deliver a wide range of training support services and solutions in four primary functional domains: Joint Training Concepts, Joint Training Environment, Exercises and Events, and Joint Lessons Learned and Joint Doctrine. The multiple-award indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract holds an estimated ceiling value of $500 million and includes a five-year base period with one six-month option. Work will be performed primarily in Suffolk, Virginia, with support to Joint Staff and Combatant Command requirements. CALIBRE has focused on building our training support services capabilities to support growing Warfighter requirements and facilitate a ready force. We provide a deep understanding of the training environment, coupled with a unified vision with the Joint Forces for future joint training. With this award, CALIBRE will have the opportunity to further support the Army and expand our support to the Joint Forces to achieve our shared mission of sustaining a trained and ready Joint Force, said Tom Peitler, CALIBRE Executive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer. CALIBREs commitment to the DoD community spans nearly three decades and includes training support to four ID/IQs and over 300 Task Orders. CALIBRE has sustained success within the DoD training community and remains dedicated to supporting the Warfighter so U.S. Joint Forces remain ready as the worlds premier combat force. About CALIBRE CALIBRE is an employee-owned management consulting and information technology solutions company supporting government and industry. CALIBRE delivers enduring solutions that solve management, technology, and program challenges in the areas of financial performance and logistics; health and information management; human capital training and management; and infrastructure, engineering, and environment. Guidelines For Daily Living: a stirring 42-day daily devotional. Guidelines For Daily Living is the creation of published author Bonise Abley, a grandmother living with (and serving as secretary to) her husband of forty years, a family and marriage counselor, in their home in Southeast Texas. Abley writes, In Personal Quiet Times, it has been a blessing to me over the years and helpful to write out verses in an outline style with emphasis on certain thoughts. It helps me to understand and remember better what a verse is saying. My desire is that this will be a blessing to many, enabling us to walk pleasing to our Lord daily. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Bonise Ableys new book is a rewarding invitation to greater intimacy with Gods Word and the blessings therein. Abley provides forty-two days worth of Bible verses, discussion and thinking points, memory aids for essential concepts, exercises for application, and ample space for readers to journal along their journey. View a synopsis of Guidelines For Daily Living on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Guidelines For Daily Living at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Guidelines For Daily Living, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hodnett Cooper Real Estate is pleased to announce that Ronnie Perry, an industry veteran with over 40 years of experience, has joined the professionals at their Brunswick office location. Ronnie Perry retired from real estate in 2016 after a successful career that spanned decades. He has once again joined the real estate world so that he can continue doing what he loves working with people. Ronnies past service includes serving as President of the Brunswick-Glynn Association of Realtors in 1988 (now the Golden Isles Association of Realtors) and as the MLS Board of Directors President in 1987, 1991 and 2012. He was named REALTOR of the Year for his board in 1987 and again in 2004 and was honored as the Georgia Association of Realtors REALTOR of the Year in 2005. Ronnie has served on the Georgia Real Estate Commissions Education Advisory Committee, and is a proud recipient of the GRI designation. Ronnie is a member of NARs Presidents Circle, and has been inducted into both GARPACs Top Investors Hall of Fame and NARs RPAC Hall of Fame. I am so honored and so thrilled to welcome Ronnie Perry to our real estate team," said Pat Cooper, President and Broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hodnett Cooper Real Estate. Ronnie has been a dear friend and colleague for several years, and it is wonderful to have him with us at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hodnett Cooper Real Estate. His track record speaks for itself. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hodnett Cooper Real Estate, which is independently owned and operated, became a member of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brokerage network, operated by HSF Affiliates LLC, in 2017. Since that time, the company and several of its Realtors have earned a host of honors and awards. About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hodnett Cooper Real Estate Hodnett Cooper Real Estate is a family-owned and operated company with four offices throughout the Golden Isles offering a full range of real estate services including real estate sales, residential rentals, property management and commercial sales. The brokerage is the premier real estate company in southeast coastal Georgia with a professional and diverse team of agents. Visit http://www.BHHSHodnettCooper.com. About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, based in Irvine, CA, is a brand-new real estate brokerage network built for a new era in residential real estate. The network, among the few organizations entrusted to use the world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway name, brings to the real estate market a definitive mark of trust, integrity, stability and longevity. About HSF Affiliates LLC Irvine, CA-based HSF Affiliates LLC operates Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Prudential Real Estate and Real Living Real Estate franchise networks. The company is a joint venture of which HomeServices of America, Inc., the nations second-largest, full-service residential brokerage firm, is a majority owner. HomeServices of America is an affiliate of world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Contact: Catherine Maybank (912) 638-5450 catherine(at)hcrega(dot)com AIC is a private, co-educational, doctoral granting institution in Springfield, MA. The college supports and advances education, diversity, and opportunity for its students and the community. American International College is proud to be recognized as an institution that assists men and women who serve our country. American International College (AIC) has again been named a Military Friendly School. Continuing in its mission to provide veterans and their spouses with the finest choices for post-secondary education, VIQTORY, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) that connects the military community to civilian employment, and educational and entrepreneurial opportunities, has released the 20192020 Military Friendly Schools list. Now in its 10th year, the Military Friendly Schools list has come to set the standard for higher education institutions to provide the best college, university, or trade school to receive the education and training needed to pursue a civilian career for veterans and their spouses. Institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation are evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school. This year, just 766 schools earned this prestigious designation nationally. American International College is proud to be recognized as an institution that assists men and women who serve our country. The College appreciates the value of the many educational and leadership experiences that occur in the Armed Forces, and the excellent foundation that military experience provides. In turn, we give veteran students transfer credits for service in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard, helping service members and veterans get a head start on earning their degrees, says AIC President Vince Maniaci. Methodology and criteria were determined by VIQTORY with input from the Military Friendly Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the individual institutions survey scores with the assessment of its ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans. The entire 20192020 Military Friendly Schools list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and is available online at militaryfriendly.com. More information about AICs commitment to attracting and supporting military students can be found online at aic.edu. About American International College Founded in 1885, American International College (AIC) is a private, co-educational, doctoral granting institution located in Springfield, Massachusetts comprising the School of Business, Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, and the School of Health Sciences. AIC supports and advances education, diversity, and opportunity for its students and the community. About Military Friendly Schools The Military Friendly Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly Schools survey from participating institutions. The survey questions, methodology, and criteria were developed with the assistance of an independent research firm and an advisory council of educators and employers. Ernst & Young (EY), a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction, and advisory services, independently evaluated the scoring methodology used for the Military Friendly Schools list utilizing the criteria set forth by VIQTORY. The services performed by EY were limited to advisory procedures and do not provide assurance over the scoring methodology. The survey is administered for free and is open to all post-secondary schools that wish to participate. Criteria for consideration can be found at http://www.militaryfriendly.com. About VIQTORY: Founded in 2001, VIQTORY is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities through its G.I. Jobs, Military Spouse, and Military Friendlybrands. VIQTORY and its brands are not a part of or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense or any federal government entity. Learn more about VIQTORY at http://www.viqtory.com. Regardless of what industry someone works in, as leaders, we are all in the People business and thats the message I want to drive home through The Leadership Connection. Speaker and visionary business leader, Erik Therwanger, has released his practical and engaging roadmap to unlocking ones true leadership potential. Twining the timeless lessons Therwanger learned through his service in the U.S. Marines with his experience as a business executive and successful entrepreneur, The Leadership Connection: The Link Between Leading and Succeeding takes a people-centric approach to leadership and shares with readers how they can foster meaningful and effective leadership, whether they are in a management role or not. Therwangers book is divided into four parts, each of which details the four directives that lead to organizational excellence: enhanced perceptions, elevated priorities, empowered people and exceeded possibilities. Ultimately, The Leadership Connection presents relevant answers and solutions to the biggest challenges facing todays leaders, such as communication, engagement, collaboration, delegation, accountability, teamwork and sharing vision. After leaving the United States Marine Corps and re-entering the civilian workforce, it quickly became clear to me that most businesses and organizations did not focus on developing their people to think and act as leaders, Therwanger said. Regardless of what industry someone works in, as leaders, we are all in the People business and thats the message I want to drive home through The Leadership Connection. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to enhance their workplace and get their teams heading in the same direction, a reader wrote in a five-star Amazon review of The Leadership Connection. Through reading this book, and applying Eriks principles, we were able to accomplish so much more as a team. Peppered with exercises readers can use to better define their purpose and focus in both their professional and personal lives, The Leadership Connection recognizes the importance of developing leaders at all levels of a workplace in order to create a foundation of leadership throughout the organization as a whole and grow an impactful and engaging culture. The Leadership Connection: The Link Between Leading and Succeeding By Erik Therwanger ISBN: 978-1-9822-1268-1 (hardback); 978-1-9822-1266-7 (paperback); 978-1-9822-1267-4 (electronic) Available through Balboa Press, Barnes & Noble and Amazon About the Author Erik Therwanger is one of the nations leading thinkers on the topics of personal growth, professional development and organizational excellence. Therwanger is the author of The Think GREAT Collection and the Founder and President of Think GREAT, LLC, a specialized consulting firm focused on accomplishing corporate goals through a unique combination of leadership, team building and sales training. Drawing on his combined 20 years of service as a U.S. Marine, executive business leader, sales professional and entrepreneur, Therwanger aims to empower organizations and individuals to achieve greater results by first laying a strong foundation of leadership development, strategic planning and sales excellence. Therwanger holds an associate degree from Orange Coast College and attended the University of Southern Californias cinema and television program. He currently resides in Prior Lake, Minn. To learn more, please visit http://www.thinkgreat90.com and connect with the author on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Snapchat. General Inquiries, Review Copies & Interview Requests: LAVIDGE Phoenix 480-648-7557 dgrobmeier(at)lavidge(dot)com This book is beautifully written and so easy to read. I was emotionally engaged. Gloria J. Yorke does an excellent job describing a true love story and the shocking truth about a doctors negligence that changed lives forever. So worth reading. A best-selling writer and former Chicago journalist has released the gripping fictionalized account of her deeply personal and harrowing journey through the U.S. medical system after her husband sustained a treatable concussion but ended up in a fatal coma due to doctor error. In Medical Manslaughter, author Gloria J. Yorke presents a roman a clef of her real-life experience losing her husband at the hands of a physician and reveals the realities and horrors of doctor hubris that, when left unchecked, can result in fatal errors. According to a May 2016 Johns Hopkins study published by the British Medical Journal, more than 250,000 deaths are caused each year in the U.S. by medical errors, making it the third leading cause of death in the country behind heart disease and cancer. And other studies estimate that the true number of deaths caused by preventable harm could exceed 400,000 annually. I lived this story, and my hope is that I can reach out to readers through it and shine a spotlight on this immensely pressing issue, Ms. Yorke said. Ultimately, I want to empower others to trust their intuition when in medical situations where they or their loved ones are vulnerable. Our gut feelings truly are like personal alarm bells that can tell us when danger is present and learning to advocate for oneself or loved ones could be the difference between life or death. This book is beautifully written and so easy to read. I was emotionally engaged, a reader wrote in a five-star review of Medical Manslaughter on Amazon. Gloria J. Yorke does an excellent job describing a true love story and the shocking truth about a doctors negligence that changed lives forever. So worth reading. Peppered with photographs of Ms. Yorke and her late husband and comforting tools, such as an easy-to-follow guide to praying The Rosary, Medical Manslaughter is a heart-wrenching account of love and loss that also reminds readers that, regardless of ones beliefs, power and solace can be found in prayer and death does not mean a person is gone. Medical Manslaughter By Gloria J. Yorke ISBN: 978-1-5246-9711-2 (hardback); 978-1-5246-9712-9 (paperback); 978-1-5462-2398-6 (electronic) Available through AuthorHouse and Amazon About the author Gloria J. Yorke is an acclaimed writer and speaker who has more than 30 years of experience as a hospitality director of sales and marketing in the national tourism industry and 15 years of experience as a journalist writing a bimonthly column for suburban Chicago newspapers. Ms. Yorke co-authored best-selling book The Midas Touch: The Worlds Leading Experts Reveal Their Top Secrets to Winning Big in Business & Life alongside successful entrepreneur Dan Lok and Joe Vitale, the best-selling author of over 50 books internationally. Additionally, Ms. Yorke is a spiritual channeler who can communicate to deceased spirits, is an advanced tarot reader with more than 15 years of experience and has been a clairaudient, clairvoyant and empath since she was a child. To learn more, please visit http://www.gloriajyorke.us. General Inquiries, Review Copies & Interview Requests: LAVIDGE Phoenix 480-998-2600 dgrobmeier (at) lavidge (dot) com On the call, influencers and experts will share their experiences with bad ads, modern market research strategies for brands, and discuss the importance of engaging diverse communities for brand relevance; now and in the future. On Monday January 28, 2019, a diverse group of social influencers, marketing and advertising executives, consumers, and community advocates will discuss the #NoMoreBadAds campaign on a press call. The call, beginning at 2:00PM ET, will review the #NoMoreBadAds campaign, modern market research tools, and steps brands can take to stop bad ads. Influencers including #OscarsSoWhite Founder, April Reign; Good Good Good Founder, Branden Harvey; Brown Angel Group Founder and former A+E Networks executive, Sola Winley; writer and social commentator, Jamilah Lemieux; and others will speak on the call. On the call, influencers and experts will share their experiences with bad ads, modern market research strategies for brands, and discuss the importance of engaging diverse communities for brand relevance; now and in the future. The call will conclude with steps diverse consumers can take to make their voices heard as brands create new products, content, and services. Visit http://www.nomorebadads.co to RSVP and learn more. WHO: Diverse influencers, marketing and advertising executives, consumers, advocates, and press WHAT: #NoMoreBadAds Campaign Call WHEN: Monday, January 28, 2019 at 2:00PM ET WHERE: http://www.nomorebadads.co WHY: From head scratchers to offensive, brands are losing millions of dollars in brand value due to bad ads. As consumers become more diverse, the need for more diversity in the marketing and advertising industry, and for more engagement with diverse consumers is increasing. With technology and intention, we can create a world with #NoMoreBadAds. RSVP: Guests must RSVP http://www.nomorebadads.co CONFIRMED SPEAKERS INCLUDE: April Reign, Creator - #OscarsSoWhite Jamilah Lemieux, Writer and Social Commentator Sola Winley, Founder Brown Angel Group and former A+E Networks Executive Branden Harvey, Founder Good Good Good and Social Influencer Members of the media may contact press (at) nomorebadads (dot) co for more information. ABOUT #NOMOREBADADS #NoMoreBadAds is a campaign launched to stop the creation of bad ads by engaging diverse consumers and fixing the marketing and advertising practices that lead to bad ads http://www.nomorebadads.co The UK is providing documentation to assist the Westminster Magistrates Court which has sought clarification of Brigadier Priyanka Fernandos diplomatic status in the UK, the British High Commission said. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which is not a party to these legal proceedings, have been contacted by the Westminster Magistrates Court, seeking clarification of the Brigadiers diplomatic status in the UK at the time of the incident. We are providing documentation to assist the court. The UK is committed to upholding the rule of law including the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the High Commissions Spokesperson said. The Westminster Magistrate's Court has issued an arrest warrant on Brigadier Fernando for allegedly violating the British Public Order Act. However, the notice had been later revoked. The court case was filed against the Brigadier for allegedly making a threatening gesture at a group of pro-LTTE protesters outside the Sri Lankan High Commission in London on February 4 last year. He was the then Defence Attache of the High Commission. The High Commissions Spokesperson said the British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka and Foreign Affairs Ministry Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha met last Thursday and discussed the issue among others. They said the UK Government was deeply concerned by the incident involving the Defence Attache and made representations to the Sri Lankan Government. The Defence Attache was recalled by his government soon after, the Spokesperson said. Javascript Error Javascript is deactivated in your browser. To use all functions on this portal, for example the login, Javascript must be activated. Please activate Javascript in your browser settings. Aden : , Jan 29 (IANS) A motorcycle rigged with explosives detonated at a public market in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Mocha, killing six civilians and injuring 26 others, a government official said. The government official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that a blast caused by an explosives-laden motorbike parked near a restaurant killed six civilians and injured 26 others in the government-controlled Mocha city on Monday evening, Xinhua reported. The blast took place around 7:45 pm local time when several people were gathering to have their dinner in public restaurant, the source said. It was not immediately clear if pro-government military soldiers or officials were the target in the motorcycle bombing. Local residents said in a telephone interview that the small medical centre in Mocha was overwhelmed with the wounded, most of them in critical condition. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the motorcycle blast. Pro-government security forces launched an investigation into the incident. The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since the Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including capital Sanaa, in 2014. Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after the Houthis forced him into exile. Visakhapatnam, Jan 29 : The first ever national conference on "Prison Design" will begin in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday aimed at providing a platform to the police officers, prison officers and architects from prison department to meet and deliberate upon issues relating with planning, design and constructions of prison, the Home Ministry said on Monday. The two-day conference, hosted by the Director General Prison Andhra Pradesh and sponsored by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), will also deliberate upon the safety and security need as well as administrative ease of day to day functioning of the prison. "The idea of conference is also to incorporate new construction technology, information and communication technologies and modern safety and security gadgets in prison administration, besides ensuring conducive living environment in a holistic sense," a Home Ministry statement said. The deliberations of the conference will focus on other issues like design criteria of region-wise categories of jails, space requirement for different activities in the prison complex, inter-relationship of various activities in the prison complex and their layout, use of latest technology for prison design and construction, health and hygiene of inmates and overcrowding in prison and sharing of best practices by states. Security aspects regarding perimeter wall height, electric fencing, segregation walls inside prison, watch towers, high security block, quarantine block, CCTV, metal detector, luggage scanners and construction details are also part of discussion. Deputy Chief Minister (Home and Disaster Management) N. Chinarajappa will inaugurate the conference. "Prison administration is a very important aspect of criminal justice system. Though as per the constitutional provision, it is a state subject but the Central government over the years has been providing all the requisite support and assistance to modernise the correctional administration system in the country," said the statement. It further said the BPR&D is committed to provide synergetic platform to all prison professionals, police officials and civil architects to evolve better "Prison Designs" suiting to the safety and security needs of the prison, ease in handling the administration of the prisons on one hand and provide conducive structures for humane living conditions for the inmates as per the constitutional mandates. Bengaluru, Jan 29 : Karnataka's ruling coalition partners Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) on Monday said the allies were united with no dispute at the leadership level after Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy offered to quit if Congress could not control its MLAs from criticising his style of functioning. "There is no dispute in the coordination committee and the parties are united at the leadership level. The coalition between JD-S, Congress is a post-poll coalition, in which it is normal to have issues occasionally," JD-S secretary general Kunwar Danish Ali told a news channel. He had spoken to Congress' Karnataka in-charge K.C. Venugopal, who in turn spoke to the Chief Minister, Ali said. "Venugopal directed the Congress MLAs to fall in line. There is a good understanding between the parties, as the leaders want to deliver a stable coalition government for five years," Ali added. Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister remarked that he was willing to step down from his post if Congress did not control its legislators from criticising his work. "I am ready to quit if my style of functioning is not acceptable to anyone. The Congress must control its MLAs and resolve the issues. If they remark against me frequently in open meetings, I am willing to step down," Kumaraswamy told the media here. The Chief Minister's remarks came a day after two Congress ministers and a legislator on Sunday alleged here that no development works took place in the last seven-eight months under Kumaraswamy's administration and claimed that former Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was their leader and was a better administrator. "I don't want to stick on to the chair. Deputy Chief Minister (G. Parameshwara) and myself are trying to do a good job and are working together," asserted Kumaraswamy. The Janata Dal-Secular leader also claimed that the coalition government had invested Rs 1 lakh crore in Bengaluru alone during the past 8 months. "But to deliver good governance, we require the support of all MLAs," Kumaraswamy reiterated. Housing Minister M.T.B. Nagaraju and Backward Classes Minister C. Puttaranga Shetty, who belong to the Congress, also said Siddaramaiah was their Chief Minister. Nagaraju represents the Hoskote Assembly segment and Puttaranga Shetty the Chamarajanagar seat. Somashekar, the Congress legislator, represents Yeshwanthapura seat in Bengaluru northwest. In a related development, Congress leader Venugopal said a show cause notice would be issued to Somashekar for his recent remarks criticising the coalition government. "Instructed Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) to send a show cause notice to Somashekar seeking clarification on his controversial remarks. If the explanation is not satisfactory, party will take strong disciplinary action. @INCIndia will not tolerate any such indisciplined statements and actions," Venugopal tweeted. The Congress leadership has its faith in the coalition government and the Chief Minister, he stressed. A hung verdict in the May 2018 assembly elections led the Congress with about 80 lawmakers support the JD-S with 37 legislators to form the coalition government on May 23 after the BJP with 104 MLAs quit office on May 19 for failing to prove simple majority in the 225-member House. Meanwhile, opposition BJP's Lok Sabha member from the state Shobha Karandlaje said Somashekar's statement testified the mood in the Congress camp, as some of its MLAs are unhappy with the unholy government to bring back the jungle raj of Siddaramaiah. "No wonder that this government still have a Damocles' sword hanging over its existence," Shobha tweeted. New Delhi, Jan 28 : The CBI is planning to issues summons to former ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar and industrialist V.N. Dhoot in connection with Rs 3,250-crore loan case involving the Videocon Group and the ICICI Bank. CBI sources on Monday said the agency would initiate the move after completing the scrutiny of documents it had seized during January 24 raids carried out at four locations in Maharashtra in connection with the case. "We are currently in the process of scrutinising the incriminating documents recovered during the searches in ICICI Bank-Videocon case. We will then start issuing summons to all concerned persons of the case," said the source. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recovered various documents related to the case after it conducted simultaneously raids at the offices of the four companies in south Mumbai and one location belonging to Videocon in Aurangabad on January 24, a day after it registered an FIR in the case naming former ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar, her husband and NuPower Renewables Pvt Ltd MD Deepak Kochhar, and Videocon Group MD Dhoot, and others in the case dating back to 2009-2012. Chanda Kochhar's role in the alleged irregularities committed has been highlighted in the CBI's FIR ever since she assumed charge as the ICICI Bank MD and CEO on May 1, 2009. Besides, four companies -- NuPower Renewables Pvt Ltd (NRL), Supreme Energy Pvt Ltd (SEPL), Videocon International Electronics Ltd (VIEL) and Videocon Industries Ltd (VIL) -- have also been named in the CBI FIR. According to the FIR, they have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act as the accused allegedly "sanctioned loans to private companies in a criminal conspiracy with other accused to cheat ICICI Bank". The FIR followed a preliminary enquiry (PE) instituted on March 31, 2018, against Deepak Kochhar, Videocon Group officials and others to determine whether any wrongdoing was involved in the sanctioning of loan by the ICICI Bank as part of a consortium. New Delhi, Jan 28 : Internal clash continued in the CBI as a Superintendent of Police (SP) of the agency has now filed a plea in the Supreme Court against interim Director M. Nageswara Rao for transferring him to an active unit to a low profile unit, accusing "targeted" posting. In its plea, Rajah Balaji challenged his transfer to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) academy in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad from the Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch unit. Sources in the CBI said on Monday that Balaji was recently transferred to the CBI academy after an order issued by Rao. Balaji has levelled several allegations against Rao in his petition, saying "I am being targeted by M. Nageswara Rao". This is the first such challenge against Rao by any agency official. Earlier, several other CBI officers had challenged in court over their transfers as well as actions taken by the agency against them since October 23 night when former Director Alok Verma and his then deputy, former Special Director Rakesh Asthana were sent on forced leave divesting of their powers. New Delhi, Jan 28 : Reviewing the performance of public sector banks (PSBs) and assuring them of full government support, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday asked the PSBs to increase their lending to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). "We discussed various measures to support the MSME sector particularly small traders, small businesses and businesses in the remote parts of the country," he said after meeting bank heads at the General Review called by the Financial Services Secretary Rajeev Kumar. Goyal also asked all the 21 state-owned banks to take steps to promote finance for housing, make bank operations more efficient, achieve the government goal of financial inclusion and to take necessary measures to significantly increase the level of domestic credit growth. "The banks discussed various measures to promote finance for housing and give a thrust to home owners to get adequate financing. They have also discussed various ways in which the operations of the banks can become more efficient, customer-friendly, profitable as well as ensure the stated goals of this government to reach financial inclusion of every Indian anywhere in the country," the Minister said. The PSBs agreed to step up their efforts to finance the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana which is aimed at securing housing for all by 2022. At the meeting, Goyal took note of the reduction in non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks under RBI's Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework and advised them to maintain the trend of improvement in performance with a view to bringing them out of the PCA framework at the earliest. He also highlighted the need for each and every PSB to ensure that recent gains are sustained and better service delivered to all stakeholders. "The banks expressed their confidence that after the government has amended the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) giving them the confidence that while anybody indulging in misfeasance or bad practices will not be spared but genuine commercial decisions taken by bankers will also be protected," Goyal said. Earlier in the day, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, who attended the first half of the meeting, flagged the need for further strengthening various aspects of banking, including underwriting standards, capacity building, use of technology and governance. He flagged the need for PSBs to extend credit while observing prudential norms but without excessive conservatism. He asked banks to take advantage of the MSME restructuring scheme to support viable MSME units. The government said the review was against the backdrop of visible signs of strengthening of the financial situation of PSBs as a result of government's approach of recognition, resolution, recapitalisation and reforms, which has positioned PSBs to step up their support to meet the lending needs of a growing economy. "On the back of recapitalisation of PSBs by over Rs 2.6 lakh crore and recovery of over Rs 2.8 lakh crore -- including record recovery of over Rs 1 lakh crore in the first three quarters of the current financial year -- since clean-up began in 2015, and comprehensive reforms for better underwriting of loans, PSBs committed to significantly step up the level of domestic credit growth from 9.1 per cent year-on-year at the end the second quarter of the current financial year," an official statement said. During the meeting, the banks committed to further improve on the robust growth in credit and reducing trend in turnaround time for loan applications through growing use of fintech and technology "as evidenced by the success of the 59 minutes loan portal, through which over 1.25 lakh MSMEs have been accorded in-principle approval", the statement said. "Banks agreed to work further on increasing use of advanced data analysis and where possible, Artificial Intelligence algorithms for better, faster and hassle-free credit decisions and monitoring of accounts," it added. The government also asked the banks to expeditiously complete the opening of branches and banking outlets in Left-wing extremism affected areas. The banks were also asked to ensure that the benefits extended under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana -- by making overdraft facility and accidental insurance cover on RuPay cards more attractive -- reach the common people. "Banks were asked to leverage the pipeline of Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) to provide better access to financial inclusion products and services to accelerate the realisation of a digitalised, financially included and insured society," the statement said. Panaji, Jan 28 : If the AICC directs, the Goa Congress will file a police complaint into the revelation allegedly made by Health Minister Vishwajit Rane in a telephonic conversation that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had stashed files related to the Rafale deal in his bedroom, Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar said on Monday. Chodankar also said that the initiative of probing the controversial audio tape, in which Rane allegedly is heard telling a local newspaper editor over the phone about the Rafale files, lay with the ruling BJP governments in the state and the Centre. "It has been 30 days and there is still no probe. If the police is not enquiring, then the tape is genuine. It is now clear that the tapes are genuine, because there is no probe. If we get a order from the Delhi AICC (All India Congress Committee) to file a police complaint, we will file one," Chodankar told reporters. The state Congress President also said that the real responsibility to probe the contents of the tape now lay with the BJP, whose leaders had claimed that the audio tape was doctored. An audio clip featuring Rane and a local journalist -- where the former claimed that Parrikar in a December 2018 cabinet meeting admitted to possessing a stash of files related to the Rafale deal -- had created ruckus in Parliament. Rane later said that the tape was doctored. Earlier on Monday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted that the Goa Chief Minister possessed "explosive Rafale secrets" which gave him power over Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Thirty days since the Goa audio tapes on Rafale were released. No FIR or enquiry ordered. No action against (Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane) either," Gandhi, who is currently holidaying in the coastal state, said in a series of tweets. "It's obvious that the tapes are authentic and that Goa CM Parrikar is in possession of explosive Rafale secrets that give him power over the PM (Prime Minister)," Gandhi also said. New Delhi, Jan 28 : Two BJP leaders in Delhi, Dharamveer Awana and Raju Nirmal, joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday in the presence of Rajya Sabha MP N.D. Gupta, AAP South Delhi Lok Sabha in-charge Raghav Chadha and Badarpur MLA N.D. Sharma. "I welcome the two senior leaders who will surely strengthen the Delhi unit of AAP, especially the South Delhi Lok Sabha unit," Chadha told the media. Chadha, while introducing Awana, said: "Awana, a former BJP Councillor from Meethapur ward, had served as Deputy Chairperson SDMC Standing Committee for a year and continued as an active member for four years. "He was also a member of the Councillors Code Of Conduct Committee and engaged in BJP's organization building as a 'Vistarak' in Bijwasan Vidhan Sabha. He has been an active member of the BJP and served as a Councillor in 2012-17 in Badarpur." Nirmal, Chadha said, contested the MCD elections 2017 on BJP ticket from Badarpur. "He finished second with over 7,000 votes to his credit. He has been actively working in south Delhi with various senior BJP leaders." Chadha also said that several senior members of the BJP, who have previously fought elections or worked during elections, have been influenced by AAP's ideology and work and have expressed an interest in joining the party. Awana said he decided to join the AAP after being influenced by the work of party chief Arvind Kejriwal. "Delhi had a lot of issues in healthcare and education but the AAP government has focussed on them and brought changes. So I wanted to join it." New Delhi, Jan 28 : Assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand--all three ruled by the BJP-- may be advanced by several months to be held with the Lok Sabha elections in April-May this year. While elections for the Assemblies of Haryana and Maharashtra are due in October this year that of Jharkhand are scheduled for December. There is speculation that the advancing of the Assembly elections could be considered as the BJP may not like anti-incumbency to hit the states if Assembly polls are held separately. The party believes that if held along with the Lok Sabha elections, the performance of the Central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi may overwhelm all negative factors. It suits the BJP to ride on the Modi's image as also on some of the "populist" measures expected in the Budget to beat the anti-incumbency. Polls to the Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim are scheduled to be held alongside the Lok Sabha polls. Besides, polls to elect an Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir, which is under President's Rule at present, may also be held along with Lok Sabha polls. In Haryana, buoyed by his party's success in the local body elections in which it won all five mayoral posts, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has already expressed his willingness for simultaneous polls. In Maharashtra, though Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is not keen on advancing Assembly polls, he would ultimately have to go by the party's decision if it goes for simultaneous polls. In Jharkhand, too, the BJP may decide to advance the polls as an alliance between the Congress, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) is taking shape, and it would like to counter it with Modi's high decibel Lok Sabha campaign. Mr. Shun Tien Shing General Manager - Ceylon Agro Industries (Prima Group Sri Lanka), Mr. Sajith Gunaratne Deputy General Manager - Ceylon Agro Industries & Mr. Donavan Ondaatje Senior Business Manager - Ceylon Agro Industries were among the members of the leadership team who graced the occasion. The 12th of January 2019 saw over 275 members of the dynamic sales force of Ceylon Agro Industries Limited Pima Group Sri Lanka gathered together, at the Hotel Ramada in Seeduwa, for the annual National Sales Conference. The primary focus of the conference was torecognize the top sales achievers for 2018, that selling some of the most popular and successful consumer brands in the country from all categories of Ceylon Agro Industries Limited (Prima Group Sri Lanka) Noodles, Bread, Value added Meat Products, Dairy and Tea. To present the awards, theoccasion was graced by Mr. Shun Tien Shing, the General Manager of Ceylon Agro Industries Limited (Prima Group - Sri Lanka), Mr. Sajith Gunaratne, the Deputy General Manager of Ceylon Agro Industries Limited (Prima Group - Sri Lanka), Mr. Donavan Ondaatje, the Senior Business Manager, Mr. Indika Dissanayake, the Business Development Manager, Mr.Gaya Cumarathunga, the Sales Manager of the Value added Meat Products category, Mr. Eranga Wijesingha, the Sales Manager of Food Services and Mr. NamalWijekone, the Modern Trade Manager of Ceylon Agro Industries Limited (Prima Group - Sri Lanka). New Delhi, Jan 28 : Amid the growing strains in its ties with the JD-S, the Congress on Monday sought to play down Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamys threat to quit, saying issues are being resolved. "I am ready to quit if my style of functioning is not acceptable to anyone. The Congress must control its MLAs and resolve the issues," an exasperated Kumaraswamy told the media in Bengaluru following criticism of his work by the Congress. The Chief Minister's remarks came after two Congress ministers and a legislator on Sunday alleged here that no development works took place in the last seven-eight months under Kumaraswamy's administration and claimed that former Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was their leader and was a better administrator. While Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal and in-charge of party affairs in the state asserted that the party high command has "full faith in Kumaraswamy", a party leader in Delhi claimed "all was well" within the coalition. "In a coalition, there are and there will be issues. But our coalition is strong and whatever issues there are will be resolved. The leadership of both the parties are discussing and soon things will be amicably resolved," a Congress leader told IANS here. A hung verdict in the May 2018 Assembly elections led the Congress with about 80 lawmakers support the JD-S with 37 legislators to form a coalition government after the BJP with 104 MLAs failed to prove a simple majority in the 225-member House. New Delhi, Jan 28 : Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday reviewed the performance of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) during which they committed themselves to stepping up lending to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) while also significantly increasing the level of domestic credit growth. The PSBs also agreed step up their efforts to finance the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana which is aimed at securing housing for all by 2022. At the meeting, the Finance Minister took note of the reduction in non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks under Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework and advised them to maintain the trend of improvement in performance with a view to bringing them out of the PCA framework at the earliest. He also highlighted the need for each and every PSB to ensure that recent gains are sustained and better service delivered to all stakeholders. Earlier in the day, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, who attended the first half of the meeting, flagged the need for further strengthening various aspects of banking, including underwriting standards, capacity building, use of technology and governance. He flagged the need for PSBs to extend credit while observing prudential norms but without excessive conservatism. He asked banks to take advantage of the MSME restructuring scheme to support viable MSME units. The government said the review was against the backdrop of visible signs of strengthening of the financial situation of PSBs as a result of government's approach of recognition, resolution, recapitalisation and reforms, which has positioned PSBs to step up their support to meet the lending needs of a growing economy. "On the back of recapitalisation of PSBs by over Rs 2.6 lakh crore and recovery of over Rs 2.8 lakh crore -- including record recovery of over Rs 1 lakh crore in the first three quarters of the current financial year -- since clean-up began in 2015, and comprehensive reforms for better underwriting of loans, PSBs committed to significantly step up the level of domestic credit growth from 9.1 per cent year-on-year at the end the second quarter of the current financial year," an official statement said. During the meeting, the banks committed to further improve on the robust growth in credit and reducing trend in turnaround time for loan applications through growing use of fintech and technology "as evidenced by the success of the 59 minutes loan portal, through which over 1.25 lakh MSMEs have been accorded in-principle approval", the statement said. "Banks agreed to work further on increasing use of advanced data analysis and where possible, Artificial Intelligence algorithms for better, faster and hassle-free credit decisions and monitoring of accounts," it added. The government also asked the banks to expeditiously complete the opening of branches and banking outlets in Left-wing extremism affected areas. The banks were also asked to ensure that the benefits extended under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana -- by making overdraft facility and accidental insurance cover on RuPay cards more attractive -- reach the common people. "Banks were asked to leverage the pipeline of Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) to provide better access to financial inclusion products and services to accelerate the realisation of a digitalised, financially included and insured society," the statement said. Mumbai, Jan 28 : Eliminating middlemen has ensured that the annual Haj pilgrimage remains cheaper even after the subsidy was removed on it, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said here on Monday. He said the transparency introduced in the system had ensured that no extra financial burden was imposed on the Haj pilgrims. A record 175,825 Muslims including 48 percent women performing the pilgrimage in 2018. Inaugurating a two-day Haj-related Training of Trainers Programme (TTP) for the upcoming season, Naqvi said that airfares for the pilgrimage had declined with Rs 57 crore saved by the pilgrims. Moreover, Goods & Services Tax (GST) was also slashed from 18 to 5 percent which will now help save Rs 113 crore in Haj 2019. The GST reduction will directly impact airfares from different destinations which will go down by Rs 13,050 from Guwahati, Rs 11,947 from Ranchi, Rs 11,377 from Srinagar, Rs 11,028 from Gaya, Rs 9,787 from Kolkata, Rs 9,373 from Aurangabad, Rs 7,968 from New Delhi, Rs 7,306 from Ahmedabad and Rs 7,205 from Hyderabad. For the first time since Independence, 2,340 Muslim women from India will proceed on Haj in 2019 without 'Mehram' (male companion) and the lottery system will not apply to them, he added. This year, 267,000 applications have been received, including 164,902 online. On the occasion, Naqvi inaugurated the renovated Conference Hall and Passport Office at Mumbai Haj House. Jaipur, Jan 28 : The 12th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival ended on Monday evening after hosting over 500 writers from from about 30 countries and covering a wide range of themes including the classics, war, espionage, intelligence, politics, climate change and gender issues. In a visible shift from its previous editions, the festival laid emphasis on literary content and limited celebrity participants. Conversations on the final day showcased a multiplicity of voices, from iconoclast novelists to experts and policy veterans, reflecting the global outlook that the festival has at its core. Festival Producer Sanjoy Roy announced the dates of the next edition as January 23-27, 2020. New Delhi, Jan 28 : Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan on Monday said the NDA government has doubled the budget dedicated to tiger conservation in India. He was speaking at the inaugural function of a two-day third stock-taking conference on tiger conservation here. Vardhan, also the Chairman of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, said the government was committed to the conservation of tigers and for that it had "added 4,000 sq km to tiger reserves". Third in a series of stock-taking conferences. This is the second to be held in India after 2012, aimed at reviewing the progress of St. Petersburg declaration on tiger conservation. At the time of deliberations at St. Petersburg, India's tiger estimate stood at 1,411, which, after the third cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation, 2014 nearly doubled to 2,226. The current census for tiger estimation is currently underway. Vardhan said: "The new India that we envisage is not only for humans but for every aspect including wildlife." Delegates from Indonesia, China, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Russia and Bhutan attended the conference. Mumbai, Jan 28 : Hours after the Shiv Sena flexed muscles and proclaimed itself as the 'Big Brother' in Maharashtra politics, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday hit back saying the BJP will not 'beg' for an alliance with the Sena. "Yes, we want an alliance but we are not 'beggars' and will not plead for it. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants the alliance to keep the 'Hindutva' forces united and ensure the anti-corruption forces remain together," Fadnavis told a party at Jalna. His statement came a few hours after Sena MP Sanjay Raut dismissed the possibility of aligning with the BJP and warned that the "Shiv Sena will always remain the 'Big Brother' in Maharashtra and shake the throne of Delhi". Sharply countering this, Fadnavis said that those who believe in 'Hindutva' will come for an alliance and the BJP will take them along with it. "The (BJP) President Amit Shah has made it clear: if friends come with us and strengthen Modi, we will ensure that all of us win or else we will ensure their defeat," Fadnavis said in a veiled threat to the Sena. "Our objective is not just to capture power but serve our 'Bharat Mata'. And for this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi must be returned to power. This should be our only resolve," Fadnavis thundered. Taking a swipe at opposition unity, Fadnavis said that 'MahaThug Bandhan' will achieve nothing and it is time to strive and ensure that the reforms initiated after 2014 are continued by bringing back Modi to power. He said it was not easy to "fill up the holes created in past 60 years" in just five years, but the process had begun and will continue, calling upon the party activists to propagate the government's achievements. Earlier today, Raut got the BJP's goatee by challenging that in the past over 25 years of alliance and from the time of the late Bal Thackeray, "Shiv Sena has always been the Big Brother" and now this 'Big Brother' will rock the throne of Delhi as it was fully preparing for the elections. He also rebuffed speculation of 'back-door talks' of a BJP-Sena alliance as "mere rumours". The Sena is part of the government both in Maharashtra and the Centre. However, much to the chagrin of the BJP, it has continued to target the party, Modi and Shah and since past few days even lavished praise on Priyanka Gandhi, who was recently appointed a Congress General Secretary by Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Srinagar, Jan 28 : Militants killed a bank guard on Monday in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. Police said militants fired at Tariq Ahmad Wani in Aabghar village of Tral area. "He was shifted to a hospital and then taken to Srinagar for specialized treatment but he succumbed to his critical injuries," a police officer said. Wani worked as a bank guard and was employed by a private security company. New Delhi, Jan 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the Indian Army has shown that it does not meddle with others, but if someone attacks India, it does not spare the aggressor. "Army ne dikhaya ki hum chherte nahi, lekin koi chhere toh usey chhorte nahi hain (Our Army has given this message that we don't meddle with others, but if someone attacks us, we don't spare them either)," Modi said while addressing the National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets here. "We want peace, but we won't hesitate to take any tough action to ensure our national security...I can assure you that in future, too, every necessary action would be taken for national security," he added. Modi said that last year India has entered the league of those few nations that have nuclear strike and defence capabilities from air, land and water. He said that his government's "thinking and action" has shown that no matter how big or powerful a corrupt person is, he won't be spared. He said that his government was taking steps to ensure equal opportunities for women in every sphere, including the armed forces and police. Kochi, Jan 28 : Twenty14 Holdings (T14H), the hospitality investment arm of Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Group International, has signed a contract with Swiss real estate developer Necron AG for the upcoming Intercity Hotel Zurich Airport in Rumlang, Switzerland. According to a statement issued on Monday by the T14H, with the addition of the Intercity Hotel, it marks Twenty14 Holdings entry into mainland Europe and joins a portfolio of $750m worth of luxury property across the UK, the Middle East and India. The 260-room, 4-star hotel will open in 2020 and is located close to the Zurich International Airport. It will be operated by Deutsche Hospitality (Steigenberger Hotels AG) under a 20-year lease contract. Adeeb Ahamed, Managing Director, T14H, said: "With this contract, we are entering into mainland Europe and it is an important milestone in the group's portfolio as we work towards becoming a billion-dollar investment firm by 2020." Hailing from Kerala, Lulu Group's chairman is M.A. Yusuf Ali, who now operates out of the UAE. Raipur, Jan 28 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday made a major bid to woo the poor ahead of the Lok Sabha elections by promising a minimum income guarantee for every poor person if the Congress is voted to power. "We cannot build a new India while millions of our brothers and sisters suffer the scourge of poverty. If voted to power in 2019, the Congress is committed to a minimum income guarantee for every poor person, to help eradicate poverty and hunger. This is our vision and our promise," he told a farmers rally here. Gandhi said that no government in the world had taken such a step. The Congress chief's statement was described by former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram as "historic" that will mark a turning point in the lives of the poor. In its original concept, Indian policymakers conducted two important studies testing the impact of UBI through unconditional cash transfers in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi between 2011 and 2012. The experiment gave 100 randomly-selected households 1,000 rupees per month. The money was deposited under the name of the female head of participating households in a bank. The idea got prominence after Arvind Subramanian, as the then Chief Economic Adviser, pushed it in a big way in the pre-budget Economic Survey of 2017 which included a 40-page chapter on UBI that outlined the three components of the proposed program--universality, unconditionality and agency. Incidentally on Monday, Subramanian released a report co-authored by him which proposed a quasi-universal basic rural income (QUBRI) of Rs 18,000 per year to each rural household, except those which are "demonstrably well-off", at an estimated cost of Rs. 2.64 lakh crore to tackle agrarian distress. Speaking at the Raipur meeting, Gandhi also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP alleging that while they had no money to waive loans of farmers, they had no hesitation to cancel loans of industrialists. He said the new Congress government took a decision in 24 hours to waive farmers' loans in Chhattisgarh, something the BJP could not do in 15 years. "Whenever we spoke of loan waiver, the BJP said they don't have money. In Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Chouhan said he does not have money. In Delhi, Prime Minister Modi said he does not have money. They don't have money for farmers' loan waiver but they can waive loans of India's 15 richest industrialists," Gandhi said. Criticising the Prime Minister, Gandhi said Modi was creating an India of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya. "He is taking money from the Indian Air Force and putting it in the pocket of an industrialist," he said referring to the controversial Rafale deal. "We do not want two Indias that the BJP is trying to create -- one for the industrialists where they get everything and another for poor farmers which has nothing for them except listening to 'Mann ki Baat'," he said, referring to Modi's monthly radio programme. The Congress President added that the BJP tried to dilute the Congress' land acquisition bill which guaranteed four times the price of land to farmers compared to the market price and also ensured that if industrialists did not start work in five years, the land would be returned to farmers. Mr. Welgama is also making waves due to a different reason: his persistent opposition to the presidential bid of Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa Former defence secretary is a formidable contender for presidency It is sad that the UNP has failed to exploit an opening that was given by the aborted constitutional coup Kumar Welgama, Member of Parliament from Kalutara is a colouful personality. Recently, he is in the limelight due to a revelation by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) that 18 buses which had been given to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) had gone missing during his tenure as the Minister of Transport. Earlier, he was indicted in a separate case of financial misappropriation for allegedly creating a non- existent position of vice chairman at the SLTB in order to employ a crony and paying Rupees 3.2 million to him as salaries. However, Mr. Welgama is also making waves due to a different reason: his persistent opposition to the presidential bid of Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Interestingly, despite being a loyalist of ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa, Mr. Welgama made his opposition known even while Gotabaya was testing waters through a showpiece event of Viyath Maga. Now that the former defence secretary has publicly announced his desire to run for the presidency, Mr. Welgamas protestations are getting louder and also more pinpointed. Recently, the Kalutara MP argued that political parties should not promote as presidential candidates individuals who would kill everyone who disagrees with him or her. Mr. Wickremesinghes detractors want Sajith Premadasa to be the presidential candidate. Mr. Premadasa is an untested populist backed by a controversial media mogul Whether Mr. Welgamas opposition to Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is driven by principles or by self- interest is open to question. (He is reportedly nursing presidential ambitions, some say). Whatever his motives, he has a point: the prospect of Gotabayas presidency is alarming. It does not necessarily mean that former defence secretary would reign from a skull island. But, even a milder form of Gotabaya styled government is bound to reverse current democratic gains. Some tend to view Gotabayas highhandedness and militarization of the state apparatus with a sense of nostalgia. However modernizing and diversifying the economy of a country, of which export basket has not changed since 1990s requires a lot more than jackboots. That brain power, ideological clarity and dispensation are lacking in the Gotabaya camp. He will end up with yes men and charlatans, the kind of people his elder brother , ex -president Mahinda Rajapaksa found more comfortable to have around. Still, former defence secretary is a formidable contender for presidency. His prospective opponent from the UNP, most likely Prime Minister Wickremesinghe still finds it hard to make a serious impression on the conservative Sinhalese Buddhist vote base. It is sad that the UNP has failed to exploit an opening that was given by the aborted constitutional coup. Also, despite his commitment to democracy and good governance, and identification of the long neglected micro and macro-economic reforms, which are mandatory for the country to leapfrog from the current lower- middle income level of the economy, Mr Wickremesinghe is a poor implementer of economic policy. If his government was able to proactively undertake large development and investment projects, it could have added probably an additional one per cent to GDP growth. Mr. Wickremesinghes detractors want Sajith Premadasa to be the presidential candidate. Mr. Premadasa is an untested populist backed by a controversial media mogul. Mr. Premadasas trademark program, Udagamas, aka, building free houses from other peoples tax money, does not necessarily reflect social and economic priorities in a resource scarce society. Such populist measures undertaken in places like Brazil and Venezuela effectively ran their respective economies to the ground. Youthful Mr. Premadasa can also wait for his time. Then, others want Karu Jayasuriya, one of the last remaining gentleman-politician. However, Mr. Jayasuriya at 78 is perhaps a bit too old. Gotabayas presidential bid, and support he enjoys from certain quarters highlight the popular frustration towards incompetent, self- serving traditional political elites All that points to an extremely narrow pool of individuals, who rule the roost and are not willing to accommodate a more competitive set up of politics. That constrained political competition tends to perpetuate a culture of political delay and erosion of public trust in political institutions. Those conditions in turn allow unrelenting despots to encroach the political space with the promise of revitalizing the system. A desperate populace fall prey. Gotabayas presidential bid, and support he enjoys from certain quarters highlight the popular frustration towards incompetent, self- serving traditional political elites. Ex-defence secretary dupes the gullible with the lie that he has a quick fix for all that ail the country. His quick fix, i.e. white vans and militarization of civilian space, has very limited utility other than when it is about removing squatters from Kompanna Veediya or deploying soldiers to clean canals. But, governing the country with respect to its institutions, and fixing its economy in a sustainable manner requires a lot more than brute force of the states coercive organs. Probably, Gota will not win his election gamble. By pardoning controversial Buddhist monk Galabodaatte Gnanasara thera on the independence day, President Sirisena for one more time, would inadvertently help Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to rally minority votes around him. Still, the prospect of wolves in sheep clothing hijacking the pinnacle of political institutions is a real threat, and would remain so as long as internal party democracy and political competition are suppressed in Sri Lankas political system. Follow @RangaJayasuriya on Twitter New Delhi, Jan 28 : The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry on Monday signed a pact with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for the participation of students from India to take the PISA-2021, a competency-based test, which tests the learning levels of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics and science. With the signing of the pact, Indian students aged 15 will be able to take the Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA, which is conducted every three years. "We are moving from national assessment to international assessment. Under this initiative, students will be tested in reading, maths, and science. I am sure that Indian students will come out with flying colors," HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told the media. He said that the outcomes of the test will be used to do more teacher training programmes and curriculur reforms. A sample of students will be randomly selected from different regions to appear in the test. The Minister said that questions in the test will be contextualized according to the Indian setting to help students understand them better. Mysuru, Jan 28 : Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday lost his temper at a public event in Mysuru when questioned by a woman about the issues faced by public in his son Yathindra's Varuna constituency in the district. Visibly agitated by the woman's questioning, the former Karnataka Chief Minister snatched the microphone from her and along with it pulled a section of her 'dupatta' and forced her to sit down. The incident took place at a public gathering in which Siddaramaiah took part along with his son Yathindra, a legislator from Varuna in the same district, about 150 km southwest of state capital Bengaluru. Speaking to the media later, the woman, Jamalar, said she was trying to point out to the Congress leader that the Revenue Department in the constituency was not functioning well and the legislator (Yathindra) was not reachable. "I was trying to raise the issues being faced by public in the constituency and not being able to reach the MLA regarding them ... for which he got angry," Jamalar said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit President B.S. Yeddyurappa said it was "unfortunate and unbecoming" of a former Chief Minister to not allow a woman to speak. "It would have only taken few minutes to listen to the woman and respond to her issues. It is unfortunate that a former Chief Minister behaved the way he did," Yeddyurappa told the media. Taking to Twitter later, Siddaramaiah said the incident was an "accident" and Jamalar was a party worker whom he had known for 15 years. "The incident that happened, when I tried to stop our party worker for taking more time, was an accident. I know that woman for more than 15 years now and she is like my sister," Siddaramaiah tweeted. Congress state unit President Dinesh Gundu Rao said Siddaramaiah got agitated as the woman was banging on the table. "He was only asking for the microphone as he had to attend meetings later. There was no ill intention," Rao told a news channel. Manama, Jan 28 : Bahrain's Supreme Court on Monday upheld the life sentence of Shia opposition leader Ali Salman over charges of espionage for neighbouring Qatar. Salman, head of the outlawed Al-Wefaq party and a central figure of the 2011 uprising in Bahrain, was convicted in November of "communicating with Qatari officials ... to overthrow constitutional order" -- a ruling rights groups called a "travesty". Salman is currently serving a four-year jail sentence in a separate case for "inciting hatred" in the kingdom. His two aides -- Ali al-Aswad and Hassan Sultan -- were sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia. They are former MPs and currently reside outside Bahrain, Xinhua news agency reported. The court said Salman and his two aides "spied for a foreign state in order to overthrow the government". The three have lost their appeals in the case, according to the court. Qatar has repeatedly denied the accusations of conspiring against Bahrain with Salman. The top court confirmed the verdict against Salman and his aides for "spying for a foreign state in order to ... overthrow the government", according to a statement released by public prosecutor Osama al-Awfi. Quito, Jan 28 : Two Ecuadorian mountaineer will travel to the Himalayas in March, where they will seek to open a new climbing route. Roberto Morales and Nicolas Navarrete have made individual expeditions to the Himalayas, but the challenge they have set for themselves in 2019 is greater, given that they will climb to a height of more than 8,000 metres above sea level after they ascended to 6,000 metres on their latest expedition, they told Efe in a joint statement on Sunday. The trip is scheduled for mid-March and, although they still don't have the route they will take through the world's highest mountains selected or mapped out, their aim is to blaze a new trail for future climbers wanting to "touch the clouds". "Every mountain is technically difficult, but you don't think about forgoing it, although you do ask yourself, because there are non-optimal conditions like loose or broken rock and material begins to fall from the mountain," said Morales, 29. The climber, who has been practicing his discipline for more than 10 years, admits thates below the 50 per cent threshold designated in the Treasury's sanctions guidelines, reports Efe news. JSC EuroSibEnergo, another energy firm controlled by EN+, was also removed from the blacklist on Sunday as part of the deal. "The action ensures that the majority of directors on the EN+ and Rusal boards will be independent directors - including US and European persons - who have no business, professional, or family ties to Deripaska or any other blacklisted entity," the Treasury said in a statement on Sunday. "The companies have also agreed to unprecedented transparency for Treasury into their operations by undertaking extensive, ongoing auditing, certification, and reporting requirements." The sanctions on the companies were never fully implemented, as the US repeatedly issued licenses allowing certain business activity while the two sides tried to work out a deal. The final licenses were set to expire on Monday. Deripaska, however, remains under sanctions. He was added to the blacklist last April as part of a broader package targeting alleged Russian meddling in US elections, cyberattacks and other provocations. Democratic-led efforts in Congress to block the delisting of the companies failed earlier this month after they couldn't secure enough Republicans in the Senate to join their plan. The House of Representatives passed a resolution disapproving of the deal. EN+ Chairman Lord Barker said on Sunday night that the sanctions removals mark a turning point for the company, calling the moves "a clear victory for muscular corporate governance". Jaipur, Jan 28 : "In 50 years, we'll probably have a robot conducting this session," said author Anupama Raju in her opening comments on Monday at the session "The Future is Now" in the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), giving voice to an increasingly popular concern: will robots take over the world, our jobs and life as we know it? A panel of eminent technologists Meredith Broussard and Toby Walsh was in conversation with Raju on the concluding day of the Festival. "Scientists work within the envelope of the dreams that writers tell us," said Walsh, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) professor, stating that the world is now waking up to the ideas that have been explored by science fictions writers such as Isaac Asimov for over 50 years. Data journalism professor Broussard said that Hollywood has "coloured" our perception of AI with movies such as "The Terminator", which portray robots as "evil machines that take over humanity". She called the fictional narratives "interesting but far from reality", stating that there is "very little to fear" about AI. Walsh argued that the real concern with AI is actually its "incompetence: We are giving decision making ability to machines that are not capable of making choices that are fair and meet the values of the society we'd like". Walsh, who has written "2062: The World that AI Made", however, batted for the greater rationality of machines over humans. "Humans are terribly irrational," she said. Broussard argued that computers, limited by their ability to merely executing what they are programmed to do, would "discriminate by default: The world is racist and sexist and has all kinds of social and economic inequality". Agreeing that AI doesn't have an opinion and simply reflects the values of the people who build it, Walsh said that using computers to make a fairer world would certainly require immense prudence and hard-work. "It's the same as how chemistry makes the world a better place if we think carefully about not over-fertilising our soil or using nuclear bombs." The panel also explored the impact of AI through the example of the popular debate on the use of driverless cars. Walsh said that driverless cars would help save millions of lives, be economically beneficial by reducing transportation costs, prevent truck attacks by terrorists, and free people to do more productive tasks than driving. Broussard, author of "Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World", was admittedly "sceptical". Narrating an incident where she almost got killed by a driverless car, she explained, among other issues, how such cars' "image-recognition algorithms could be easily defeated", thereby resulting in accidents. The JLF concludes later on Monday evening. New Delhi, Jan 28 : Leading private life insurer Bharti AXA Life Insurance has embarked upon a public awareness drive to fight against spurious calling and mis-selling with a view to making customers alert and aware about fake insurance offers and unscrupulous returns by fraudsters. Bharti AXA Life Insurance, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and French insurance major AXA, is one of the few life insurers to have lodged complaints with the police in many parts of the country after receiving information about fraudulent cases. "Mis-selling and spurious calling have become a significant problem in the domestic insurance industry. As a responsible insurance company, we have a zero-tolerance policy towards mis-selling or any illegitimate inducements. Our sales teams help customers take an informed decision on the back of full product and services disclosures," Vikas Seth, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Bharti AXA Life Insurance, said here on Monday. The company is organising customer care camps and programmes across all its branches in the country on regular intervals for sensitising insurance buyers against misleading offers and gains. "We are making policyholders and customers alert and aware through our public awareness programmes and also informing them about the modus operandi and modus vivendi of perpetrators involved and spurious callers, who lure people through misleading information and bogus offers. We are also registering complaints with the police wherever it is required and seeking their assistance to act against these offenders," Seth added. Bharti AXA Life has set up a pre-issuance video verification call system to help customers understand the terms and benefits of the insurance policy and empower them to take an informed decision. "It is our endeavour to ensure that customers are provided with adequate information required to take a well-informed decision. We have taken several steps, including policy on-boarding stage, post-issuance call for welcoming policyholders and formation of grievance redressal cell, during the policy life cycle to reduce mis-selling," said Ishita Mukherjee, Chief Operating Officer, Bharti AXA Life Insurance. After welcoming policyholders during post-issuance stage, the company provides policy contracts via instant messaging platform WhatsApp that helps them immediately review insurance policy terms and conditions. Apart from setting up a robust pre and post verification and due-diligence process, the company also trains its workforce and advisers to act in the interests of insurance buyers. "We always urge the customers to be alert on their part too and not fall prey to any individual or firm claiming superfluous gains. As part of our check and balance strategy in the interest of the customers, we help them choose and get the right policy, encourage them to fill in forms with complete and accurate details, understand policy terms and benefits and ask them to pay through cheques or digital money," Mukherjee added. Jaipur, Jan 28 : A total of 68.74 per cent of votes were cast on Monday in the Ramgarh Assembly constituency in Rajasthan till 3 p.m., officials said. The polling in around 278 polling centres is reportedly going on smoothly. It started at 8 a.m. and will end at 5 p.m. A strong police force has been deputed and a total of nine area magistrates are monitoring the election in the constituency, said Chief Electoral Officer Anand Kumar. The election was scheduled on December 7 along with the rest of Rajasthan Assembly seats but was postponed after Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Laxman Singh died due to cardiac arrest. There are 20 candidates in the fray but the main contest involves Congress' Saphia Zubair Khan, BJP's Sukhwant Singh and BSP's Jagat Singh. The Congress is aiming to win the seat to hit a century in the 200-member House. The result of will be announced on January 31. The Congress now has 99 seats. State Congress Vice President Archana Sharma told IANS that his party was confident of winning the seat. BJP state President Madan Lal Saini also expressed hopes of victory saying the Congress had failed to fulfill the promises made to farmers and unemployed youths in its manifesto. BSP state head Devilal added: "Our candidate is quite strong and hence we will definitely win." In booth number 136, two voters aged over 100 years voted. They were identified as Khuda Baksha (106) and Harbai (101), resident of village Mast Bad, an official said. Also, there were seven 90+ voters in booths 131, 132, 133 and 134, the official added. New Delhi, Jan 28 : Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission (EC) has directed the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all states and Union Territories to transfer all the officers who have completed three years in a posting or are serving in their home district. It has directed the state government to ensure that no District Election Officer, Returning Officer, Assistant Returning Officer, Police Inspector, Sub Inspector or above is posted back in a district or Assembly constituency if he has served there during any election prior to May 31, 2017. The EC said the order would be applicable to all senior and junior officers in the civil administration (DMs, SDMs, Tehsildars) as well as in the police department right from the Inspector General of Police down to Sub-Inspectors. The officers connected with the election duties are also required to give a declaration that they are not relative of any contesting candidate and no criminal case is pending against them. Kabul, Jan 28 : Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani on Monday called on the Taliban to engage in direct talks with the government or be used a "tool" by other countries. His comments came as the President's office, citing US special envoy on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, said that no agreement was reached with the Taliban on a ceasefire or the withdrawal of foreign troops from the war-ravaged country. In his address to the nation, Ghani said his government was committed to end the ongoing war and that "no country wants the presence of foreign troops on its soil indefinitely, but currently, Afghanistan needs these forces", TOLO News reported. The President said the terror group had two choices at the moment -- to either stand with the people of Afghanistan or be used as a tool by other countries. He added that the foreign troops in the country would leave at some point, but that would be done in accordance with an orderly plan. The US special envoy had on Sunday evening shared with the Afghan government the details of his peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar aimed at ending the 17-year-old conflict, according to Efe news. "The Taliban have asked for withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, but so far (the) Americans (have) reached no agreement with them," said Khalilzad, according to the President's office. It said the US envoy had assured Ghani that any decision regarding the withdrawal of foreign troops would be coordinated and discussed comprehensively with the Afghan government. Khalilzad arrived in Kabul on Sunday to meet Ghani after six days of peace talks with Taliban ended on Saturday. Before landing in the Afghan capital, the envoy said "significant progress on vital issues" was made and said the meetings in Qatar were "more productive than they have been in the past". He said the talks with the Taliban leadership would resume "shortly". "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and 'everything' must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire," Khalilzad tweeted. The President's office statement on said the envoy had also discussed a ceasefire with the Taliban, but that there had been no progress made yet. Khalilzad also rejected the "reports and rumours" regarding any agreement with the Taliban during Doha talks on Afghanistan's future. "No talks and discussions have been held regarding Afghanistan's future political structure." "The issue of (forming) an interim government is fully wrong, and was never discussed in Doha talks, and this is not in my authority and responsibility. My responsibility is to facilitate an intra-Afghan peace process," he said, according to the statement. "In talks with the Taliban, the US has urged that intra-Afghan talks are the only way to reach a lasting peace in Afghanistan," the statement said, adding that President Ghani had thanked Khalilzad for sharing the details of the talks and "appreciated the US efforts toward facilitating intra-Afghan talks". The Taliban has refused to hold negotiations with the Afghan government directly. Mumbai, Jan 28 : Tata Steel on Monday said its step-down subsidiary, T.S. Global Holdings Pte Ltd (TSGH), has signed definitive agreements with China's HBIS Group to divest a majority stake in its South East Asia (SEA) business. "TSGH has executed definitive agreements with HBIS Group Co Ltd controlled entity to divest its entire equity stake in NatSteel Holdings Pte Ltd (NSH) and Tata Steel (Thailand) Public Co Ltd. (TSTH)," the steel maker said in a regulatory filing. As per the agreements signed in Beijing, the divestment will be made to a company in which 70 per cent equity shares will be held by an entity controlled by the HBIS and 30 per cent by the TSGH. Both Tata Steel and HBIS Group have been in discussions in relation to the future of the SEA business. "The definitive agreement signed today (Monday) between the two companies is a significant milestone in our strategic relationship, offering the SEA business robust growth opportunities, given the access to resources, technical expertise and regional understanding of HBIS," Tata Steel CEO and Managing Director T.V. Narendran said. According to the filing, the sale is expected to be completed in at least four months, subject to regulatory approvals. Tata Steel also said the consideration received from such sale would be "$327 million and equity stake of 30 per cent in the entity held by HBIS Group and TSGH on 70-30 basis". The Chinese group was established on June 30, 2008, by the merger of Tangshan Iron and Steel Group and Handan Iron and Steel Group of Hebei province. It is amongst the largest steel makers in the world and a state-owned enterprise in China. HBIS is a leading player in China's home appliance, automotive steel and supplies steel for nuclear power, marine engineering, bridges and construction with revenue in excess of $40 billion and total assets exceeding $50 billion. The Journal does enrich judicial literature with learned essays on varied law concepts and legal systems applicable to the District Although up to now, the laws of the land were uniformly applied to all its inhabitants, the British relegated many of these to personal laws, defining various ethnicities One hundred and fifty years is a long trek in any profession. Ratnapura therefore, has every reason to celebrate its judicial history which commenced in 1868 by the British Raj indeed a landmark which paved the way to bring out its first ever publication written on the Ratnapura Judiciary to coincide with the historic event. The Ratnapura Law Journal, the impressive, 411-paged bulky volume, edited by two leading Attorneys-at-Law B.D. Abeywardena and Palitha Wanasundera of the Ratnapura Bar Association and inspired by its District Judge Miss Prabha Kumari Dela, epitomizes a legal history which has unique characteristics. The inheritance of large extents of land in the gem-rich Ratnapura District from the Sinhala Royalty, has led to complex legal situations which today is posing economic and social problems that no other District experiences. The Journal does enrich judicial literature with learned essays written by authorities in their respective fields on varied law concepts and legal systems applicable to the District. Anecdotes of some of its eminent lawyers and Judges who have shed lustre to the Ratnapura Bar and lighter moments within and outside the Court make it enjoyable reading. How have these specific land issues, confined to the Ratnapura District, evolved? Being part of the Sabaragamuwa Province, Ratnapura came under the Kandyan Kingdom. There had been many Temples and Devalas located in the District to which lands and villages had been gifted by the Kings of Kandy. Ola leaves, plates, stone inscriptions and Grants refer to these donations to the Viharagam, Devalagam and Nindagam. Under this system functioned Rajakariya or service towards Temples and Devalas. Service to Nindagam however, was abolished in 1968 when people who served Nindagam owners, legally got their parts of the land. The law however, did not apply to service-tenants of Temples and Devalas. Ratnapura being a District rich with gems, its land fetch extremely high prices. But, as there is no legal recourse for partition with there being co-ownership for the lands of those who perform services to the Temples and Devalas, there is no way for them to claim their rights to their land, like in the case of Nindagam. Ratnapura being a District rich with gems, its land fetch extremely high prices. But, as there is no legal recourse for partition with there being co-ownership for the lands of those who perform services to the Temples and Devalas, there is no way for them to claim their rights to their land, like in the case of Nindagam. The Journal points out that the lack of legal mechanism to resolve this as yet has not only caused injustice and social inequalities, but is also a tremendous drawback to the economic and social development of the District. Thus, in this modern world that calls for justice, Sabaragamuwa continues to remain judicially tied down with archaic, feudalistic laws. These Temples and Devalas with large extents of land and scattered liberally in the Sabaragamuwa Province, are governed by ancient law concepts such as the Kandyan Law. Writing on Kandyan Law, Samantha Ratwatte P.C. says that at least 4/5th of the island was ruled by the Lankan Kings at the time the British captured Sri Lanka. The British addressed the Lankan King as the Kandyan Kings. Thus in 1815, all these areas were called the Kandyan Province. But subsequent legislation, made this area smaller. Although up to now, the laws of the land were uniformly applied to all its inhabitants, the British relegated many of these to personal laws, defining various ethnicities. And they, through the judicial process, entrenched the Roman Dutch Law as the common Law of the country although the Dutch rule was confined only to parts of three out of the present nine Provinces. How colourful had been the judicial history of Ratnapura? For Attorney-at-Law Palitha Wanasundera, a lawyer in Ratnapura with fifty years experience and hailing from a family of lawyers, there are a few criminal cases that are etched in his memory. For the Kalawana Double Murder case, he harks back to the then Queens Counsel such as famous G.G. Ponnambalam, G.E. Chitty and Suppiah Saravanamuttu arriving from Colombo and arguing in defence of the accused with wit and finesse. He says there were only about twelve Proctors and one Advocate all males, practising in the District and Magistrates Courts in the early 1960s. Fifty years later, numbers have swelled to nearly 150 with almost half of them constituting women. Another change that took place with the introduction of the Administration of Justice Law in 1973 was the fusion of the two branches Proctors and Advocates which changed their identification to Attorneys-at-Law although they performed the same legal functions. There were only about twelve Proctors and one Advocate all males, practising in the District and Magistrates Courts in the early 1960s. Fifty years later, numbers have swelled to nearly 150 with almost half of them constituting women Lawyer Wanasunderea, who was also the President of the Ratnapura Bar Association says that although it has a large membership and is very active today, it commenced with a small crowd when the few lawyers took turns to hold meetings at their residences. Sarath Muttetuwegama is remembered as one of the most active of its members until his untimely demise. He is however, still hailed as a legend in the Ratnapura Bar. Making a warning of a drastic erosion taking place in the legal profession, the Journal-editors attributed it to the expansion of entrants to the legal profession, their lack of working knowledge of English and commitment. They insist on the need to continue the great traditions of the Ratnapura Bar some of which the Ratnapura Bar Association says have no parallels. New Delhi, Jan 28 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has attached properties worth Rs 239 crore of the Alchemist Group, a firm related to Trinamool Congress MP Kanwar Deep Singh, in connection with a probe into a money laundering to the tune of Rs 1,900 crore. An ED official said that it had provisionally attached assets situated in various places including Chandigarh, Panchkula, Derabassi, SAS Nagar (Punjab) and Shimla and also accounts in HDFC Bank under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The ED's action comes in the wake of a case it registered against Alchemist Infra Realty LLC and others on the basis of a prosecution complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on March 18, 2016. Investigations have revealed that funds mobilized by the Alchemist Infra Realty Ltd from various investors were never utilized for the purpose for which they were collected. The funds were transferred to the bank accounts of other group companies which were mainly paper companies from where they were systematically siphoned off by the accused and used to purchase properties at various locations in the country, the ED official said. Singh had resigned as Chairman of the Alchemist Group in 2012, while his Rajya Sabha profile describes him as the Chairman, Emeritus and founder of the business group. New Delhi, Jan 28 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday said his sister Gita Mehta has every right to decline the Padma Shri award. "My sister has a right to do whatever she desires," Patnaik told the media here. Noted writer Gita Mehta, Patnaik's elder sister, had declined to accept the Padma Shri last week, saying its timing was questionable as the general election was set to take place and the award may cause embarrassment to both the Odisha government and her. Mehta had been named for the Padma Shri in the 'Foreigners' category for her outstanding contribution to the field of art and literature. The Chief Minister also rubbished the allegations of Congress President Rahul Gandhi that he was remote-controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his government's involvement in corruption. "Bilkul Bakwaas (absolute trash)," responded the Chief Minister. He also reviewed the pending issues with the officials of Union government at the Odisha Bhavan here. He said the Centre is yet to transfer Rs 6,400-crore due to the state, with only one month left for the financial year to end. This includes more than Rs 1,000 crore for housing, Rs 375 crore for health, Rs 400 crore under the rural job scheme and Rs 650 crore for agriculture, Patnaik said. While the state government is spending more than Rs 3,000 crore on drinking water from the state budget, the Centre has allocated Rs 180 crore, of which only Rs 80 crore has released. For poverty alleviation, out of Rs 200 crore, the state has received only Rs 6 crore, he said. Buenos Aires, Jan 28 : The remains of an Australian university professor and her sister have been found buried at the home of a family relative in Argentina, days after they were reported missing, the media reported on Monday. Authorities said Pirhya Sarusi and Lily Pereg, both Israeli nationals, had visited Sarusi's son Gil Pereg before their disappearance and were found interred at his property in the city of Mendoza on Saturday, CNN reported. Gil Pereg has been charged with two counts of murder, according to a statement from the Argentine attorney general's office. One of the corpses had three gunshot wounds and the other also had markings indicating a struggle, it said. In an interview shortly before his arrest on Sunday, Gil Pereg told Todo Noticias news channel that authorities had told him nothing and denied that anything illegal had happened in his house. Lily Pereg was a professor at Australia's University of New England, whose main campus is at Armidale in New South Wales. Its website describes her as a microbiologist specialising in plant and soil microbiology. In an interview with CNN before the bodies were found, Moshe Pereg, the brother of the two sisters, said a preliminary search at Gil Pereg's house did not reveal any information. Moshe said Gil told him that Pirhya and Lily left his house the night of January 21 and headed to the bus station. Cape Town, Jan 28 : A wildfire has engulfed Cape Town's famous Lion Head mountain and has moved towards residential neighbourhoods , prompting several people to evacuate their homes, the media reported on Monday. A Cape Town Fire Service spokesman said 70 firefighters and 20 trucks fought the blaze on Sunday night, reports the Guardian. Bad wind conditions complicated efforts to bring the blaze under control. Video and photographs of the fire flooded social media, with some describing the scene as "Armageddon". Images showed thick black smoke as the blaze swept close to the affluent neighbourhood of Fresnaye. The cause of the fire was not known. Cape Town is in the grip of a drought that in early 2018 almost left the South African city without water. Washington, Jan 28 : The US Treasury Department has formally lifted sanctions on three Russian companies, including Rusal the world's second-largest aluminium producer, which were tied to an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite sharp objections in Congress. On December 19, the Treasury Department notified Congress of its intent to lift the sanctions saying the companies were sanctioned because of their ownership and control by oligarch Oleg Deripaska, not for the conduct of the companies themselves, CNN reported. In a statement on Sunday, the Department said that Rusal and EN+ Group, the holding company of the Russian aluminium giant, as well as energy firm JSC EuroSibEnergo had made significant restructuring and corporate governance changes to diminish Deripaska's ownership and sever his control to allow them to meet the criteria to be delisted within the 30 days. "EN+, Rusal and ESE have reduced Oleg Deripaska's direct and indirect shareholding stake in those companies and severed his control," the statement said. "This action ensures that the majority of directors on the EN+ and Rusal boards will be independent directors -- including US and European persons who have no business, professional or family ties to Deripaska... And that independent US persons vote a significant bloc of the shares of EN+." Sanctions on Deripaska however, remain intact. He was added to the blacklist last April as part of a broader package targeting alleged Russian meddling in US elections, cyberattacks and other provocations. "The companies have also agreed to unprecedented transparency for Treasury into their operations by undertaking extensive, ongoing auditing, certification and reporting requirements. "All sanctions on Deripaska continue in force," the statement added. But congressional Democrats and some Republicans loudly objected to the Treasury's decision, reports The Washington Post. They said it doesn't go far enough to sever Deripaska's control because the businessman's stake in En+ Group, together with that of his former wife, former father-in-law and a foundation Deripaska launched years ago will still amount to over 50 per cent of the shares. Earlier this month, congressional Democrats narrowly failed to pass a measure that would have stopped Treasury from lifting the sanctions, despite attracting the support of 136 Republicans in a significant rebuke to President Donald Trump's administration. "The Trump Administration is working seven days a week with favouritism for Russia," Democrat Representative Lloyd Doggett said on Sunday, referring to the agreement as a "sordid deal". "This represents just one more step in undermining the sanctions law, which President Trump has obstructed at every opportunity, while Russian aggression remains unabated." The sanctions on the companies were never fully implemented, as the US repeatedly issued licenses allowing certain business activity while the two sides tried to work out a deal. The final licenses were set to expire on Monday. Kabul, Jan 28 : The Afghan Army launched an operation and freed 38 people from a Taliban prison in Ghazni province, the authorities said on Monday. "The Afghan National Army (ANA) waged a special operation and freed 38 people from a Taliban prison in Ghat Kali village, Ab Band district, on Sunday night," Xinhua news agency quoted the Defence Ministry as saying in a statement. The Ministry said nine militants were also killed in the operation. "Following the raid,three weapons depots and two buildings used by the militants as a prison were destroyed by the security forces," the statement added. The freed people were shifted to an Army base for identification, the statement said. Dera Baba Nanak : , Jan 27 (IANS) While the central and Punjab governments have been blaming each other for the delay in executing the work related to the Katarpur Corridror project on the Indian side, residents of villages whose land will be acquired for the religiously significant project are apprehensive about their fate at being uprooted from the land where they have lived for decades. While the villagers clearly welcome the Kartarpur Corridor project and are quite willing to offer their land for the project, their apprehension is about the compensation they will receive and whether it be adequate to rehabilitate themselves in another area. The villagers have formed a committee of four villages in which the land is proposed to be acquired, as per the land acquisition notice issued by the government in the past one week, to put forward their common demand on compensation and rehabilitation. At meeting of the committee, in which local farmers, residents and even functionaries of farmers' organisations participated earlier this week in the presence of a visiting IANS correspondent, it was pointed out that over 200 families will be uprooted in the next three months as the government goes ahead with land acquisition and implementation of the corridor project. The international border (IB) is just a new hundred metres from the area where the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has proposed the highway for the corridor project right up to the IB. Red flags have been put up in the agricultural fields by NHAI officials to mark the proposed highway. "As per the rough estimates, nearly 300 acres of land will be acquired for the corridor project. Out of this, 54 acres will be required for the highway alone," Gurpreet Singh, a farmer and resident of Pakhoke village on the outskirts of Dera Baba Nanak (DBN) town, told IANS. The most-affected villages are Pakhoke, Chandu Nangal, Dera Baba Nanak (DBN) and Jodiyan Khurd. Farmers say that the DBN belt is well-known for cauliflower farming and the land acquisition will leave farmers without their basic livelihood. "The farmers welcome the Kartarpur Corridor project. This is a very big thing happening and has matured after a very long time and lot of efforts. We don't want to stop the acquisition process. Our concern is how will the government compensate and rehabilitate us," another farmer, Suba Singh, pointed out. The committee of farmers is scheduled to meet the Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner on Monday hood. "I did an RTI on food wastage in 2016 and found out that around 22,000 crore tonnes of foodgrain is wasted in India every year. If we can save only 10 percent of that, it would be enough to match our government's arrangements for mid-day meals each year," he said. Kundu's life changed forever on the night of his son Srideep's birthday party in 2015 when he went outside to dump some spare food and found two street children scavenging for pieces of chicken from a dustbin. "Pained by the sight, I brought them to my home and provided them whatever we could arrange. I felt extremely guilty for throwing away the excess dishes minutes ago and wondered why I never gave it much of a thought before. I could not sleep that night," he reminisced. Within a few months of the incident, Kundu made a short film on food wastage to raise awareness on the issue. The effort was largely appreciated by his colleagues and students at the Asansol Engineering College. Kick-starting his tirade against the food wasters, he set up an NGO named 'Bengal Save Food and Save Life Brigade' with his team of students and fellow teachers from the college, who initially collected the extra food from the college canteen and fed 15 to 20 poor children dwelling in Asansol station. "We formed FEED in 2016 and approached the canteen owners of a number of educational institutions and offices in Asansol and Kolkata. Today we have tie-ups with the CISF barracks in Asansol, IIM Calcutta and a few other offices under a project called 'Commitment 365 days' where the canteens of the respective organisations provide us their excess food on a daily basis. "We provide day meals to around 180 street children every day with this food," Kundu explained. The street children living under the Gariahat flyover in south Kolkata and a slum in Joka, among other places, are the beneficiaries of the scheme. While the day meals are collected and supplied, the volunteers of the organisation cook fresh food for the poverty stricken as they do not want to serve dishes stored for a long time "It is difficult to collect food at night as it might be too late for the children. It would be unhygienic to serve them food from the afternoon. So our volunteers cook fresh food at two places of Asansol. Close to a hundred kids have dinner every night," he said, adding that the initiative is partly funded by the Steel Authority of India (SAIL). Buoyed by the success, Kundu has started another initiative called 'Share your special day' where people from all walks of life can make their birthdays, marriage or anniversaries memorable by filling the plates of under-fed kids with nutritious food. "Several people have come forwared and contributed since we started it almost two years back. Many newly-weds join us to celebrate their anniversaries while some parents contribute on their kid's birthday. It seems the bright smiles in the faces of those kids makes their special day a bit extra special," said Kundu, who regularly posts pictures of those children and the contributors on his Facebook page. "We have expansion plans. We are in talks with a number of organisations and eateries in Kolkata so that more such children can be helped. We also need a refrigerator to be able to store food for longer period and a vehicle for transporting it," he added. (The weekly feature series is part of a positive-journalism project of IANS and the Frank Islam Foundation. Milinda Ghosh Roy can be contacted at milinda.r@ians.in) Brussels, Jan 28 : At least 70,000 people participated in the second "Rise for Climate" march in Brussels aimed at pressuring the Belgian government and the European Union (EU) to increase their efforts to fight climate change. The event on Sunday was described as Belgium's biggest climate march ever, exceeding previous demonstrations held this month, reports Xinhua news agency. The march began at 1.30 p.m. from the Gare du Nord and the crowds arrived shortly after 3 p.m. at the Place du Luxembourg, the headquarters of the European Parliament, where a series of speeches and concerts were performed. "Humanity is facing the greatest challenge it has ever faced on Earth, and it is imperative that we should make our politicians accountable," the organisers told the crowd of protesters. "The fight looks long and difficult, but we will not let go." The protesters waved banners and placards with slogans such as "No More Company Cars", "Act Now", "No time to waste". Sunday's march follows an earlier demonstration of more than 65,000 people held in Brussels on December 2, a date that coincided with the first day of the COP24 that opened in Poland, a major international meeting to discuss the fight against climate change. Quito, Jan 28 : Two Ecuadorian mountaineer will travel to the Himalayas in March, where they will seek to open a new climbing route. Roberto Morales and Nicolas Navarrete have made individual expeditions to the Himalayas, but the challenge they have set for themselves in 2019 is greater, given that they will climb to a height of more than 8,000 metres above sea level after they ascended to 6,000 metres on their latest expedition, they told Efe in a joint statement on Sunday. The trip is scheduled for mid-March and, although they still don't have the route they will take through the world's highest mountains selected or mapped out, their aim is to blaze a new trail for future climbers wanting to "touch the clouds". "Every mountain is technically difficult, but you don't think about forgoing it, although you do ask yourself, because there are non-optimal conditions like loose or broken rock and material begins to fall from the mountain," said Morales, 29. The climber, who has been practicing his discipline for more than 10 years, admits that "all mountains have given us good scares. We've had both little and big falls". "We train six days a week for between three and 12 hours. When we're on the mountain, we do days of 12 hours or more and in the city we train in a climbing gym," said Morales. Navarrete, 31, said that the mental preparation is his and his partner's big "strength", along with the motivation they have, due in large part to the unconditional support of their relatives. "The hardest thing about the climbs is probably the economic part because the financing is the first step and it's pretty complicated. At times, there are expeditions that exceed $20,000 or $30,000 and collecting the funds isn't easy," he said. Their routine once they're on the mountain begins at 3 a.m., when they have a quick breakfast, take their food supplements and begin the day's work, ascending to the next safe point or to the peak itself. Their climbs usually take between 12 and 46 hours. The two men's paths crossed for the first time eight years ago when together they climbed a peak in Colombia and since then they've ascended peaks together all over the world. Srinagar, Jan 28 : A Jammu and Kashmir police personnel shot himself dead on Monday in Badgam district, police said. Head constable Muhammad Shafi Mir died after shooting himself with his service rifle in the district police lines. "The exact reason for the this extreme step will be ascertained," a police said as a probe was launched. Tea pluckers participate in a strike workers are demanding a basic daily wage of Rs 1000 The workers in Hatton and Bogawanthalawa areas managed to pinch their paymasters by carrying out agitation campaigns The tea estate issue perhaps highlights one of the most suppressed groups of the working class in Sri Lanka The agitations and strikes by tea estate workers highlight another aspect of the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils. Tamil tea estate workers, here the Sinhalese labourers form the minority, claim that they have been exploited for generations in the tea industry which is over 150 years old. The simple lifestyles that the estate workers prefer to maintain has been exploited by their paymasters who seem to keep the workers lives stagnated. The present agitation by the workers is to obtain a basic daily wage of Rs 1000, but in reality what they earn, sans allowances, is a lot less than that. By Friday (January 25) all the discussions on behalf of the workers could promise them a daily wage of Rs 700 plus a price share supplier of Rs 50; which would make their daily wage Rs 750. The paymasters also blame workers for indulging in wasteful spending habits and not being responsible financially. They maintain that workers can do well if they are wise with their spending State Minister of Plantations Industries and Secretary Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union (LJEWU) Vadivel Suresh has said that hed back the workers to receive a 150 rupee rise in their daily wage. The Estate Workers Union (EWU) and the Estate Employers Federation (EEF) entered into an agreement to pay the workers a basic daily wage of Rs 700, but the workers maintain that they cant agree to this. Now the question arises whether the requirement of the workers, which is voiced through the EWU, has been effectively communicated to the authorities? The workers in Hatton and Bogawanthalawa areas managed to pinch their paymasters by carrying out agitation campaigns on January 27 (Sunday) which resulted in the transport on the main road in the area being affected. No escape The tea estate issue perhaps highlights one of the most suppressed groups of the working class in Sri Lanka. Here the paymasters call the shots because the workers are in a position of being trapped in the estate sector. One of the key benefits enjoyed by the workers is the free housing provided by the management. Those who contemplate on escaping from engaging in this low paying job are faced with the reality of finding housing facilities when they find better employment in urban areas. Some of the Tamil estate workers are also burdened with having to repay loans obtained from banks. When the EPF and ETF contributions are deducted from their earnings these workers are only left with sorry stories to relate. The news that Minister of Plantation Industries Navin Dissanayake has given instructions to grant Rs 100 million from the Sri Lanka Tea Boards kitty to pay back wages for three months will sure bring some warmth to these poor workers who are shivering in the cool climes. But this good news would amount to nothing if the workers fail to force the EWU, which represents them, to push the EEF to pay them a daily basic wage of Rs 1000, without this figure being supplemented with allowances. For their disadvantage National Union of Workers Leader and parliamentarian P.Digambaram hasnt backed their cause. Digambaram, according to newspaper reports, has backed the stance taken by the employers in not to agree to the Rs 1000 day wage claim stating that the profits of plantation companies has declined. Given that this is a year for elections, the tea estate workers issue is sure to be taken seriously by the lawmakers. State minister Suresh gave a hint on these lines a couple of days ago when stating that they would postpone signing the agreement papers if any party can come forward and offer a better package to the workers. From the perspective of the paymasters, the returns for the year 2018 were pretty low given that there were unstable weather, issues relating to agro chemicals and the stoppage of tea plucking. The result was a low output of 303 million kgs in production last year in comparison to 307 million kgs plucked in 2017. For the record, production between 2010 and 2015 ranged between 328-340 million kgs per annum. The paymasters also blame the workers for indulging in wasteful spending habits and not being responsible financially. They maintain that tea estate workers can do well with their hard earned money if they are wise with their spending. These paymasters also harp on the fact that the intense competition between tea manufacturing countries like China, India and Kenya has made Sri Lanka lose on export earnings. However the tea estate workers claim that the company owners are trying to transfer the burden of these losses to the worker. Employers state that the increase in wages that the workers demand can be compensated if production increases. Election cycle Another angle to the story is the positive outlook retained by some estate labourers with regard to continuing with work on the fields. Such workers are of the opinion that estates should be protected because they offer them with a livelihood. They also agree that estates should not run at a loss. This seems a right time for workers to push for their claims. Their demands are also in a way tied to an election cycle. In this backdrop Ceylon Workers Congress Leader MP Arumugam Thondaman has promised to make a request from President Sirisena to increase the daily wage of estate workers to Rs 1000. He has maintained that trade union action would continue until plantation companies give into their demands. the tea estate workers claim that company owners are trying to transfer the burden of these loses to the worker. Employers state that increase in wages can be compensated if production increases The tea industry brings Sri Lanka the second highest income in terms of foreign exchange. Apart from that as many as 900,000 people (4.5% of the islands population) are employed and live on tea estates. Given the scenario it seems the tea estate labourers could see the sun shine on them this time around! Washington, Jan 28 : US National Security Adviser John Bolton has warned of a "significant response" to any violence or intimidation against American diplomats in Venezuela amid the ongoing political turmoil in the South American nation. "Any violence and intimidation against US diplomatic personnel, Venezuela's democratic leader, Juan Guiado, or the National Assembly itself would represent a grave assault on the rule of law and will be met with a significant response," Bolton said in a tweet on Sunday night. Guaido, who heads Venezuela's opposition-led National Assembly, emerged as the biggest challenge to Nicolas Maduro's turbulent presidency and declared himself Acting President amid massive anti-government protests, claiming Maduro was illegitimately elected for a second term. In response, Maduro, whose election the US has declared illegitimate, announced that he was cutting off diplomatic relations with Washington and ordered American diplomats in the country to leave within 72 hours, The Hill magazine reported. He also ordered Venezuelan diplomats out of the US. But on Saturday, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry reportedly issued a statement suspending the expulsions. The US, UK, Germany, Spain, Germany and France has recognised Guaido as Venezuela's interim President. The European Union (EU) also warned of "further actions" against Venezuela if elections are not called in the coming days. New York, Jan 28 : A US university professor has been removed as director of a graduate programme, amid a furore over an email she sent urgg students not to speak Chese, a media report said. Megan Neely, an assistant professor at the Duke University North Carola, told students that not speakg English could lead to "untended consequences" for ternational students, the BBc reported. The email was sent after two unnamed faculty members of the biostatistics Masters programme complaed to her about students speakg Chese public areas the department. The controversy erupted after screenshots of Neely's email to biostatistics students went viral onle over the weekend. Duke University confirmed to US media that the screenshots were genue. Neely said that the two faculty members had asked her if she had photos of students on the Masters programme, before pickg out a number of first-year students "who they observed speakg Chese ( their words, very loudly), the student lounge/study areas". Neely said that the faculty members told her "they wanted to write down the names so they could remember them if the students ever terviewed for an ternship or asked to work with them for a masters project. They were disappoted that these students were not takg the opportunity to improve their English and were beg so impolite as to have a conversation that not everyone on the floor could understand, the BBC reported. "To ternational students," she contued, "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep these untended consequences md when you choose to speak Chese the buildg." She added that she respected ternational students for learng " a non-native language", but "I encourage you to commit to usg English 100% of the time when you are Hock (the faculty buildg) or any other professional settg". Her email went viral on Twitter and Chese social media, while Duke's medical faculty has promised to review its biostatistics programme. Many have criticised Neely's email as racist or sensitive, and raised concerns that faculty members were discrimatg agast ternational students. However, some ethnic mority students on the Masters programme told the BBC they supported Neely, describg her as a supportive programme director and "defitely not a racist, not even close". Cairo, Jan 28 : French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Cairo on a three-day visit to the North African country to discuss bilateral cooperation with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian state TV reported. At Cairo International Airport, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly received the French President and his wife Brigitte on Sunday after they completed a tour in Abu Simbel temple in Upper Egypt's Aswan province earlier in the day, where they were accompanied by Egypt's Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany, Xinhua news agency reported. According to French media reports, Macron is accompanied by both French foreign and defence ministers as well as a delegation of chiefs of French giant corporations. The visit comes amid the two countries' celebration of the Egyptian-French cultural year. It's Macron's first visit to Egypt and the second meeting with Sisi after their talks in Paris in October 2017. Macron's three-day trip to Egypt comes as protests against his policies continue to be held on the streets in France. Over the past couple of months, Macron has been facing domestic protests, mostly peaceful, held by demonstrators dressed in "yellow vests" against the French government's austerity measures including fuel price hikes. Tehran, Jan 28 : Iran and Turkey have discussed ways, including preferential trade and bartering, to develop mutual trade amid US sanctions against Iran, Tehran Times daily reported. In a meeting held in Tehran on Saturday, Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Head, Gholam-Hossein Shafeie, and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (known as TOBB) President, Rifat Hisarciklioglu, also discussed issues of mutual concern, Xinhua news agency reported. The ICCIMA head mentioned bartering as a way of expanding trade ties between the two sides, saying "the two countries' chambers could have a significant influence on increasing bartering of goods and services." Hisarciklioglu, for his part, welcomed Shafeie's proposals and noted that establishing a desirable bartering system is one of the main solutions for Iran and Turkey to pass through the US sanctions. The TOBB chief is visiting Tehran with a trade delegation. Yellow Door Energy, a UAE-based leading solar developer, announced today that it has raised $65 million in Series A financing to scale its investments in solar energy and energy efficiency solutions in the Middle East and Africa. This is one of the Middle East's largest private placements in distributed solar. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/813914/Yellow_Door_Energy_Logo.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/813915/Yellow_Door_Energy.jpg ) The investment comes from International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank member, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Mitsui), Equinor Energy Ventures (Equinor), Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP), and UAE-based Adenium Energy Capital (Adenium), the founding investor of Yellow Door Energy since 2015. The funding marks an important milestone for Yellow Door Energy, which has doubled its revenue since last year and has an impressive portfolio of customers including multinational corporations in consumer goods, retail, logistics, among many others. Yellow Door Energy provides solar leases and energy savings contracts to commercial and industrial businesses to help them reduce energy costs, improve power reliability and lower carbon emissions. Jeremy Crane, CEO and Co-Founder of Yellow Door Energy, commented: "The funding validates our company's vision of powering emerging economies reliably, efficiently and sustainably. It enables us to scale our energy platform from the Middle East to Africa and Asia. We aim to build 300 megawatts of solar in the next 2 years, benefitting hundreds of businesses and the broader economy. We are excited that prestigious global investors believe in our company's credibility, commitment and customer-centric offerings." Erik Becker, IFC Manager of Infrastructure and Natural Resources in the Middle East and Africa, commented: "Lack of economic power supply is hurting businesses large and small, stifling economic growth and contributing to unemployment across the region. Yellow Door Energy's business model will help companies reduce energy costs and lower their carbon emissions - a strategic objective of IFC in the region." Akihiro Shirane, General Manager of Third Department, Second Projects Development Division of Mitsui, commented: "Mitsui has been active and highly committed to developing infrastructure projects in the Middle East for decades, and we see the market shifting towards renewable energy for further sustainable growth in the region. This is an exciting milestone for Mitsui to enter into the distributed solar sector in the Middle East, and we strongly believe through its innovative business model and reliable solution, Yellow Door Energy will contribute to a clean, sustainable future in the region." Gareth Burns, Equinor's Vice President and Managing Director, commented: "Our investment in Yellow Door Energy secures an early entry in the company driving the growth of distributed solar in Middle East and Africa. Together with our co-investors, we look forward to supporting Yellow Door Energy in achieving their ambitious growth plans." Bennie Burger, Managing Director of Investments at APICORP, commented: "Renewables is one of the priority focus areas for APICORP and we believe that solar energy projects such as these will be at the forefront of efforts to meet rising power demand in the MENA region and beyond. APICORP will continue to finance projects in the renewables space, encouraging private investments in the sector and facilitating the growth of the nascent sector. By pioneering innovative financing models, we ultimately aim to support the development of the renewable energy sector, particularly in a region with such a large market potential." Wassef Sawaf, CEO of Adenium and Chairman of Yellow Door Energy, commented: "We are thrilled that the company we established with Jeremy Crane in 2015 continues to expand and attract a new pool of investors. We strongly believe in its future growth, which is why we are making further investments alongside the other Series A investors, as we continue to support the C&I space in solar. With the support of Adenium and the other Series A investors, Yellow Door Energy is now well positioned to grow exponentially over the coming years." About Yellow Door Energy Yellow Door Energy is a leading provider of solar and energy efficiency solutions for commercial and industrial customers in the Middle East and Africa. Founded in Dubai in 2015, the company has since grown exponentially to advance its vision of powering emerging economies reliably, efficiently and sustainably. Its projects enable customers to reduce energy costs, improve power reliability and lower carbon emissions. For more information, please visit https://www.yellowdoorenergy.com About IFC IFC-a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group-is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work with more than 2,000 businesses worldwide, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in the toughest areas of the world. In fiscal year 2018, we delivered more than $23 billion in long-term financing for developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. For more information, please visit https://www.ifc.org About Mitsui Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Mitsui) is one of the largest general trading & investment companies in Japan with diversified business ranging from products sales, worldwide logistics and financing, through to the development of major international infrastructure and other projects in fields such as Infrastructure Projects, Oil & Gas, Mineral & Metal Resources, Mobility, Chemicals, Food, Healthcare, IT and others. Mitsui has had presence in the Middle East over 50 years and are also active in the large sized power generation in the region. For more information, please visit https://www.mitsui.com About Equinor Equinor Energy Ventures (Equinor) is one of the world's largest corporate venture funds dedicated to investing in attractive and ambitious growth companies in renewable energy. The fund has built a portfolio of investments in companies and funds since it was established in February 2016. The aim of the investments is to help the companies grow, become commercial successes and deliver technologies and business opportunities that can have a relevance to Equinor in the future. For more information, please visit https://www.equinor.com/en/what-we-do/new-energy-solutions/equinor-energy-ventures.html About APICORP The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP) is a multilateral development bank established to foster the development of the Arab worlds energy sector and petroleum industries. The corporation is owned by the ten Arab oil producing countries. APICORP makes equity investments and provides project finance, trade finance, advisory and research to the energy industry in its member states and the region. APICORPs headquarters are in Dammam, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and has an office in the Kingdom of Bahrain. For more information, please visit http://www.apicorp.org/ About Adenium Adenium Energy Capital (Adenium) is a leading investment and development company specialising in clean and alternative energy. Launched in early 2010, Adenium has developed and invested in utility-scale projects in the Middle East, Europe and Japan. Recently, Adenium has developed and is constructing a 15.6 MWp solar photovoltaic power plant to provide electricity to Lafarge Cement Jordan's cement factory in Rashadiya, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This project represents the very first renewable energy project dedicated to industrial self-consumption and net metering which has been project-financed on a non-recourse basis in the Middle East. Adenium's mandate is to build a diversified global portfolio of clean energy assets with an initial focus on the solar and wind markets. For more information, please visit http://www.adeniumcapital.com Media Contact: Hassan Ebrahim [email protected] +971-4-454-3033 VP - Finance & Investments SOURCE Yellow Door Energy NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolf Popper LLP is investigating potential securities fraud claims on behalf of purchasers of Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE) securities from January 2018 through January 25, 2019, who have incurred losses on their investments. On January 25, 2019, the tailings dam for Vale S.A.'s Corrego do Feijao mine broke in southeast Brazil. At least 58 people have been reported dead and an additional 350 people have been reported missing from the accident. As a result of this news, Vale S.A.'s ADR price declined on Friday, January 25, 2019, by $1.20 per ADR or over 8%, to close at $13.66 per ADR on January 25, 2019. Vale's ADRs continued their decline on Monday, January 28, 2019, trading as low as $11.25 per ADR. Vale S.A. investors should contact Robert Finkel at (212) 759-4600 or (877) 370-7703 or at [email protected]. Wolf Popper has successfully recovered billions of dollars for defrauded investors. The firm's reputation and expertise have been repeatedly recognized by the courts, which have appointed the firm to major positions in securities litigation. See www.wolfpopper.com. Attorney Advertising: Prior Results Do Not Guarantee A Similar Outcome. Wolf Popper LLP Robert C. Finkel 845 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022 Tel.: (212) 451-9620 Tel.: (877) 370-7703 Fax: (877) 370-7704 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Wolf Popper LLP Related Links http://www.wolfpopper.com COLLEGE PARK, Md., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business has appointed professor Wendy W. Moe as associate dean of master's programs. In her new role she will serve on the dean's senior leadership team and oversee all MBA and specialty master's programs. "What I'm really excited about is the school's focus on data-driven decision making," says Moe, who is also Dean's Professor of Marketing and co-director of the Smith Analytics Consortium. "Data analytics will infuse all of business, regardless if you work in finance, marketing or any other field. These skills are in short supply and high demand." Moe's passion for data science started near Chicago, where she grew up and earned an invitation to study business at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. She eventually earned a Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts and PhD from the Ivy League school. A banking internship gave Moe industry experience during her undergraduate program in finance and marketing. Later, she worked in marketing research at Nielsen and earned an MBA at Georgetown University. She also helped launch NetConversions, an early innovator in online data collection and analysis. She was part of the founding team that brought the company from startup to acquisition. What turned her toward academia was advice from a Wharton professor, who befriended Moe and served as her mentor. She taught at the University of Texas at Austin for four years before joining Maryland Smith's faculty in 2004. Among other research interests, she develops models for online and social media marketing and studies issues related to digital marketing and data analytics. Her 2014 book, "Social Media Intelligence," co-authored with David A. Schweidel at Emory University in Atlanta, provides tools to filter out the noise in online forums full of fake accounts, trolls and outliers leaving marketers with valid, reliable results in real time. Moe launched the Master of Science in Marketing Analytics program at Smith in 2013 and served as its academic director until her appointment as associate dean in December 2018. She succeeds professor Michael Faulkender, nominated in 2018 by President Donald Trump as assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury. Moe also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Marketing Science Institute, is the editor of the Journal of Interactive Marketing, and is on the editorial review boards for the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research and Marketing Science. She consults for numerous corporations and government agencies, helping them develop and implement state-of-the-art statistical models in the area of web analytics, social media intelligence and forecasting, and frequently serves as an expert witness in litigation. Starting in spring 2019, Smith will also have two new academic department chairs. Professor Russell Wermers, the Bank of America Professor of Finance and director of the school's Center for Financial Policy, will lead the Finance Department. And Martin Dresner will lead the Logistics, Business & Public Policy Department. About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, specialty master's, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia. Contact: Greg Muraski at [email protected]. SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, February 9, 2019, over 10,000 people across 45 cities in 11 states will participate in the 11th annual Valentine's Cupid's Chase 5K run, presented by Community Options, Inc. Thousands of runners in more than 40 cities across the United States participated in last year's Cupid's Chase 5K Charity run to raise money and awareness for adults with disabilities. Each year, Community Options, a national nonprofit organization that provides housing and employment support to people with severe mental and physical disabilities, hosts its Cupid's Chase 5K in various cities to support local disabled residents and their families by raising money for facilities support and programmatic social and medical services. This year's Cupid's Chase run will take place in: Arizona Phoenix , Tucson Kentucky -- Bowling Green , Paducah Maryland Baltimore , Wheaton New Jersey Bridgewater , Glen Rock , Moorestown , Morristown , New Brunswick , Princeton , Seaside Heights , West Orange , West Deptford New Mexico - Albuquerque , Las Cruces / El Paso , Santa Fe New York -- Binghamton , Brooklyn, New York City, Queens , Syracuse Pennsylvania Allentown , Bloomsburg , Bucks , Butler , Harrisburg , King of Prussia , Latrobe , Philadelphia , Pittsburgh , Washington County , Wilkes-Barre South Carolina -- Charleston , Columbia , Greenville Tennessee -- Chattanooga , Cookeville , Nashville Texas -- Austin , Corpus Christi , Dallas , El Paso / Las Cruces , San Antonio Utah Salt Lake City "We started Cupid's Chase to raise awareness in the community of the need for vital resources necessary to ensure that adults with significant disabilities will still live a meaningful, prosperous life," said Robert Stack, CEO of Community Options. "I'm pleased that this event has drawn so many socially responsible community and corporate supporters. Each year we continue to add new race locales and educate all participants and sponsors on the importance of assisting those in our communities who desperately need a helping hand." The Cupid's Chase run is expected to raise over $1 million for Community Options' annual operating expenses. Through a variety of group home management and job placement services, Community Options currently supports over 3,500 adults living and working with severe mental and physical afflictions. Since its inception 30-years ago, Princeton based Community Options has assisted over 14,300 disabled individuals. For more information, start times, donate, and to register for the event, please visit www.cupidschase.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cupidschase. SOURCE Community Options, Inc. BOSTON, January 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Trigent Software, a global technology solutions company, is excited to announce the strengthening of its management team with the appointment of Thanuj Madanakesari as Head of Sales, and Arockiasamy Satya as Director of Digital Marketing. Thanuj will lead Trigent's go-to-market strategy and sales operations in India while Satya will be responsible for Trigent's digital marketing initiatives. These two transformative leaders with broad experience in driving strategic change will propel the company forward on its growth trajectory. Thanuj comes with 20+ years of experience as a proven leader in building and growing world-class sales organizations. He has worked in various capacities in business development and sales strategy with leading organizations such as Sato, Goldstone, Xenia, ArisGlobal, and IBM (US). Thanuj has represented NASSCOM as an elite delegate in their European IT Conference held in Germany and Switzerland. "Thanuj's astute operational insights to grow an organization of high efficiency and effectivity are indispensable for Trigent as we expand our service lines and offerings to existing and new clients," said Mr. Bharat Khatau, President and CEO, Trigent Software. Satya has over 20 years of experience as a marketing professional with various organizations such as NTT Data, Brillio, OnMobile, and Hughes Communications. He has successfully contributed towards business transformation via best-in-class digital and content marketing strategy. "Satya's strong track record of leveraging digital technologies to drive more effective and personalized marketing at scale is invaluable to Trigent," said Mr. Bharat. "This is a great time to have these two leaders join Trigent. They will combine marketing, sales, and technology to position Trigent as the partner of choice for our clients to build connected and collaborative businesses," he added. About Trigent Trigent, a global technology solutions company enables organizations to adopt digital processes and customer engagement models to achieve outstanding results and end-user experience. We help clients achieve this through enterprise-wide digital transformation by modernizing and optimizing IT investments. Trigent's decades of experience, deep domain knowledge, and technology expertise delivers transformational solutions to ISVs, enterprises, and SMBs. Contacts: Nagendra Rao Vice President - Sales and Marketing Trigent Software, Inc. [email protected] 508-490-6061 www.trigent.com SOURCE Trigent Software Five scholarships to be granted for an MBA program and the same number for an Executive MBA program, all 90% financed. Applications will be accepted until February 8, 2019 , at the website: http://calafoundation.org/scholarshipsenero2019/ MIAMI, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ismael Cala Foundation (ICF) and Westfield Business School (WBS), united in the common goal of developing young people's potential, are offering ten new scholarships for young Hispanics living in Florida in the U.S. On this occasion, five scholarships will be granted to enroll in an MBA program, and the same number for an Executive MBA program, all 90% financed. Applications will be accepted until February 8, 2019, at the website: http://calafoundation.org/scholarshipsenero2019/. Candidates will be required to solve a business case. Up until now, the alliance between the ICF and WBS has sponsored three contests, through which 30 scholarships for MBA and Executive MBA programs have been awarded to Hispanics from Florida and young people in Latin America. The Ismael Cala Foundation is investing in developing the emotional and educational leadership of children, adolescents and young people who are at risk from Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic population. To accomplish its mission, the ICF has created a variety of programs, among them, a Scholarship Award program in alliance with educational institutions, companies and other social development organizations, to promote young people's education and training. For its part, Westfield Business School is positioning itself as a Global Business School that offers MBA and EMBA programs completely in Spanish, on a partial attendance basis. WBS connects its students and graduates with the world through strategic alliances with the Munich Business School, Alcala Global School, Ivey Business School at Western University, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and Madrid Polytechnic University. Moreover, WBS is deeply committed to transforming the lives of its students for the better. SOURCE Cala Enterprises Related Links http://calafoundation.org/becasenero2019 Madison, SD (57042) Today Light rain this evening with thunderstorms developing overnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 61F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Light rain this evening with thunderstorms developing overnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 61F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sustainable Minds (SM), recognized leaders in customer-centered product sustainability cloud solutions, today announced the availability of the Transparency Catalog v2.0, continuing the company's commitment to deliver simple, easy to use and powerful tools. Flexible MasterFormat number filtering, aligned with MasterSpec sections, enables AECOs to find exactly the brands, products and transparency disclosures, in each division and section, to meet project and green building rating system requirements. This makes it possible to do in minutes what today takes weeks, or wouldn't even be possible to do at all. Do more in 1 click. Sustainable Minds is making it super easy to find & specify greener and healthier products for high-performance building projects - and reward manufacturers for making them. THE MOST INCLUSIVE PRODUCT TRANSPARENCY SOLUTION. Continually updated and curated by Sustainable Minds experts to include EVERY building product MFR in N. America creating disclosures in EVERY material ingredient disclosure program); and EVERY program operator in N. America | 1790+ EPDs, 20 MasterFormat divisions. One page: See EVERY building product manufacturer in North America investing in product transparency, from EVERY material ingredient disclosure program and EVERY program operator 1060+ See EVERY building product manufacturer in investing in product transparency, from EVERY material ingredient disclosure program and EVERY program operator One place: Now the single source for ALL EPDs for building products used in N. American : 9 program operators, 1790+ EPDs from 625 manufacturers in 20 MasterFormat divisions. Now the single source for ALL EPDs for building products used in N. American program operators, EPDs from manufacturers in MasterFormat divisions. One click: Find EVERY brand investing in product transparency in each MasterFormat division and section. For building product manufacturers (MFRs), the Transparency Catalog is an educational marketing, sales enablement and lead generation solution. Now reps and distributors can: Find ALL products from the MFR's brands, with all associated transparency disclosures, organized by MasterFormat section on one page. Products links go to product pages on the MFR's web site, where they want AECOs to go, eliminating the need to manage a lot of content someplace else. from the MFR's brands, with all associated transparency disclosures, organized by MasterFormat section Products links go to product pages on the MFR's web site, where they want AECOs to go, eliminating the need to manage a lot of content someplace else. Do great demos online, at lunch & learns and on a tablet on-site. MasterFormat filtering, aligned with MasterSpec, lets AECOs source products and disclosures for projects, office masters and submittals. online, at lunch & learns and on a tablet on-site. MasterFormat filtering, aligned with MasterSpec, lets AECOs source products and disclosures for projects, office masters and submittals. Be knowledgeable about product transparency understand what disclosures mean, how to use to meet rating system requirements and tell the stories about what the MFR is doing to improve to get products into the spec. The purpose of the Transparency Catalog is to help accelerate the transformation of the built environment. It is the most inclusive product transparency solution in the market. Designed, curated and continually updated by Sustainable Minds customer experience and product transparency experts, the Transparency Catalog delivers the best user experience throughout the construction process, from design to build. It's free to use, no ads, no login and no selling data or analytics, ever. "This version signals that product transparency is reaching a tipping point. There are enough MFRs across the majority of commonly used MasterFormat divisions for filtering to provide a great user experience. We get continuous input through the close relationships with our MFR customers, and their customers. This product has been researched, road-mapped and developed based on a deep understanding of what will bring value to all users in this industry," said Terry Swack, Sustainable Minds Founder & CEO. "Manufacturers haven't been great at providing product transparency documents on their websites. Further, the documentation is fragmented across websites. Individuals preparing project specs are time-constrained and accustomed to electronic catalogs that group products by MasterFormat numbering," said Brian Wolf, VP Specifications, Grimm + Parker Architecture. "The Transparency Catalog will be a game changer in evaluating products for specifications AND address manufacturers' concerns about the cost of product transparency now that it is easier to find their products." Webinars: Jan 31 and Feb 6 MFRs 11am ET Register > AECOs 2pm ET Register > Read the full story > ABOUT SUSTAINABLE MINDS Sustainable Minds cloud-based product transparency applications and services help manufacturers design and market greener products. Launched in 2009, SM Eco-concept & LCA software was the first streamlined LCA tool for industry and education, now used in 90+ countries worldwide. In 2013, the company introduced its award-winning SM Transparency Report, an innovation in ISO 14025 Type III environmental declarations that make product transparency understandable and meaningful. Sustainable Minds is dedicated to operationalizing environmental performance in mainstream product development and manufacturing to drive revenue and growth through greener product innovation. Follow: @sustainablemnds, sustainableminds.com, transparencycatalog.com, programoperators.org Media Contact: Mark Levitan 978.590.0780 [email protected] SOURCE Sustainable Minds NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Vale S.A. (Vale" or the "Company") (NYSE: VALE). Investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980. The investigation concerns whether Vale and certain of its officers and/or directors have violated the federal securities laws. [Click here to join a class action] On January 25, 2019, a tailings dam collapsed at a mine operated by Vale in Minas Gerais, Brazil, releasing a mudflow that devastated the mine's administrative area and surrounding community. As of January 28, 2019, at least 60 people were reported killed in the incident, with hundreds more missing. Vale's American depositary receipt price fell $1.20, or 8.08%, to close at $13.66 on January 25, 2019, and continued to fall sharply on January 28, 2019. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com. CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] SOURCE Pomerantz LLP Related Links http://www.pomerantzlawfirm.com Lower Fees for Impact Investors MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) today announced fee reductions and a new share class for the Access Capital Community Investment Fund, a fixed income fund providing impact investing opportunities to US investors. Effective March 11, 2019, RBC GAM will reduce the net expense ratio* for ACASX (A-Share) by 15 basis pointsfrom 1.07% to 0.92%and for ACCSX (I-Share) by 16 basis pointsfrom 0.73% to 0.57%. RBC GAM has also revised its expense limitation agreement by capping its operating expenses (excluding interest expense) as follows: Class Operating Expense Limit (Excluding Interest Expense)** Current Effective March 11, 2019 A 0.95% 0.80% I 0.70% 0.45% With these changes, RBC GAM will reduce fees for all Access Capital Community Investment Fund shareholders. "Access Capital and our Impact bond strategy uniquely meet the needs of a growing number of investors seeking to make a social impact with their investments," said Mike Lee, Global Head of Institutional Business at RBC GAM. "We are pleased to announce this initiative to offer even greater value to clients of our Access Capital Community Investment Fund." Additionally, effective on or about March 11, 2019, the Fund will launch a new share class (IS-Share), which will be primarily available to platforms and intermediaries. "The Access Capital Community Investment Fund is a distinct product that provides its investors with high-quality investment solutions that also support targeted and measurable community development activities," said Ron Homer, Chief Strategist of U.S. Impact Investing at RBC GAM. "We continue to see increased interest in responsible investing solutions, reflecting a growing trend across the U.S. To meet this client interest, we are proud to be able to offer the Access Capital Community Investment Fund to U.S. investors at a compelling price." About RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) is the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and includes BlueBay Asset Management and Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management. RBC GAM is a provider of global investment management services and solutions to institutional, high-net-worth and individual investors through separate accounts, pooled funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, exchange-traded funds and specialty investment strategies. The RBC GAM group of companies manage more than $330 billion USD in assets and have approximately 1,400 employees located across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. About Access Capital Community Investment Fund The Access Capital Community Investment Fund is designed for investors seeking a competitive return on high-quality debt securities that support affordable housing and other underlying community development activities in distinct parts of the U.S. A basis point is one hundredth of one percent, 0.01%. Before investing, you should consider carefully a fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. This and other information is in the prospectus, which you can request by visiting https://us.rbcgam.com/mutual-funds/literature/content/default.fs or calling 800-422-2766. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. The information about Class IS shares of the Access Capital Community Investment Fund in this communication is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is effective. This communication is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any State where the offer or sale is not permitted. The SEC does not endorse, indemnify, approve, or disapprove of any security. Mutual fund investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible. *Per the prospectus dated January 25, 2019, the Access Capital Community Investment Fund has gross expense ratios of 1.20% and 0.73% for Classes A and I, respectively. Per the supplement dated January 25, 2019, the Fund will have gross expense ratios of 1.05% and 0.63% for Classes A and I, respectively, effective March 11, 2019. **The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or pay operating expenses in order to limit the Fund's total expenses (excluding brokerage and other investment-related costs, interest, taxes, dues, fees and other charges of governments and their agencies, extraordinary expenses such as litigation and indemnification, other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business, and acquired fund fees and expenses) to the caps listed in the table. The expense limitation agreement is in place until January 31, 2020 and may not be terminated by the Adviser prior to that date. RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc. is the Adviser for the RBC Funds. The Funds are distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC. Securities are offered through RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC, member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC. Not FDIC Insured. No Bank Guarantee. May Lose Value. SOURCE RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) was awarded the following contract as announced by the Department of Defense on December 28, 2018. Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Fullerton, California, was awarded a $28,912,871 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract for Sentinel radar life cycle support. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Fullerton, California, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $4,297,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-19-C-0044). About Raytheon Raytheon Company, with 2017 sales of $25 billion and 64,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 96 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5ITM products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter. www.raytheon.com Media Contact Mike Doble +1.703.284.4345 [email protected] SOURCE Raytheon Company Related Links http://www.raytheon.com QUEENS, N.Y., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Q-East Queen's apartments that are affordable , feature new studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom luxury apartments that are extremely convenient for commuters in Queens, New Yorkand coming soon to rent. These hip apartments are also pet-friendly. Here are some ways you will fall in love with your pet-friendly home. Mix and mingle in Q-East's dog-friendly play area. Those who are fortunate enough to live in Q-East can take advantage of an upscale, landscaped outdoor terrace that boasts cozy seating, dining areas, and a dog play area! There's no need to leave the comfort of your own home to socialize with friends and neighbors while your pup gets some much-needed exercise and canine companionship. You never have to leave your best friend behind. Since Q-East is pet-friendly, you can take your furry friend with you on all your adventures. Take him with you when you venture out to grab a cup of coffee or newspaper. Place your dog in a carrier to ride the subway. It's easy to hop on the F-Train, which is located steps from your front door. You can get your java on at Chateau Le Woof , The Bean, or Intellegencia Coffee. You can paint the town in furry style! New York City and Queens play host to a multitude of dog-friendly breweries and bars. Pay a visit to Do or Dive, The Barking Dog, or Hammer Brewing Company for a brew with your fellow dog lovers while your companions sniff around! Get in your 10,000 steps at a local park. Spend the day at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The largest park in Queens, there is plenty of space to roam around with your best buddy. Rufus King Parka perfectly named place to take man's best friend for a walkis known for its natural beauty. The former estate of Rufus Kinga lawyer/statesman who was one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independencethis park provides ample opportunities for exploration! About Q-East Q-East Queens Luxury Apartments are located in East Jamaica, Queens and feature studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments and amenities such as a clubroom, pet area, outdoor terrace and fitness center. The F-train entrance is located in front of the building and residents are directly connected to Manhattan and Nassau County. Q-EastRental Life Well Connected. Media Contact: Desiree Freeman, fishbat Media, 855-347-4228, [email protected] SOURCE Q-East Related Links http://q-east.com/ SAN FRANCISCO, January 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global pharmaceutical grade lactose market size is expected to reach USD 254.8 million by 2025 at 4.6% CAGR during the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Rising inclination toward preventive healthcare across the globe is estimated to boost product use over the forecast period. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg ) Key suggestions from the report: Europe dominated the industry in 2017 in terms of product consumption and was valued at USD 74.7 million owing to increasing product adoption and well-established pharmaceutical industry Asia Pacific accounted for 33.4% of the total revenue in 2017, owing to government initiatives to provide affordable prescription drugs and highest number of FDA-approved pharmaceutical lactose products in the region The industry is characterized by increasing integration across the value chain, with participants looking to expand their footprint and strengthen their position in both manufacturing and distribution Read 64 page research report with TOC on "Pharmaceutical Grade Lactose Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America, Middle East & Africa), And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2025" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/pharmaceutical-grade-lactose-market Increasing investments by local and foreign players in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, especially in developing economies such as India and Brazil, is expected to have a positive influence on industry growth. Furthermore, increased access to medication through generic drug production and development of innovative treatments for chronic diseases has resulted in the growth of the drug manufacturing industry, thereby propelling product demand. Raw material prices and operational and transportation costs are key factors that define final product price. Intense competition in the industry is expected to put pressure on prices, resulting in a decline in product price. In addition, higher product prices have lowered buyers' interest, owing to availability of substitutes, which is also expected to hamper growth. Stringent government regulations associated with the use of pharmaceutical grade lactose are expected present a barrier to entry of new players in the market. In addition, high initial cost and operation cost associated with production machinery is expected to further discourage new entrants, thereby lowering their threat. Connect with our analyst for specific inquiries about this market The industry is characterized by presence of major industry players focussing on research and development activities in order to reduce overall manufacturing cost by using innovative techniques. Participants have been adopting competitive strategies such as setting up new manufacturing facilities to magnify their regional presence. Grand View Research has segmented the global pharmaceutical grade lactose market on the basis of region: Pharmaceutical Grade Lactose Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe Germany U.K. Italy Spain France Asia Pacific China India Japan Central & South America Brazil Middle East & Africa South Africa Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports Browse related reports by Grand View Research: Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Market - The global pharmaceutical manufacturing market is expected to witness lucrative growth over the forecast period, owning to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and the growing demand for medications. The global pharmaceutical manufacturing market is expected to witness lucrative growth over the forecast period, owning to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and the growing demand for medications. Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Devices Market - Increasing geriatric population base coupled and growing need for repeat revascularization procedure are the major growth propellers of coronary artery bypass graft devices (CABG) market. Increasing geriatric population base coupled and growing need for repeat revascularization procedure are the major growth propellers of coronary artery bypass graft devices (CABG) market. Inhalable Drugs Market - The Global inhalable drugs market is expected to witness a lucrative market growth over the forecast period owing to rising prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis, cancer and increasing geriatric population base. About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: +1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. The Valentine's gift package includes a $200 per-stateroom credit at the ship's Deep Nature Spa by Algotherm, a box of chocolates, and a bottle of sparkling wine (total package valued at $250). This gift package is offered in addition to the line's offer of 50% off standard all-inclusive cruise fares and included roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles or San Francisco. At the Deep Nature Spa by Algotherm aboard The Gauguin, expert therapists and aestheticians offer an extensive menu of massages, skin care, facials, and authentic Polynesian treatments including Bora Bora Deep Blue Massages, Black Sand Body Scrubs, and Monoi Tradition Massages by Hei Poa, among a variety of other signature therapies and tropical treats. The Gauguin is the perfect place to celebrate Valentine's Day, a wedding, renewal of vows, anniversaryor simply each other. Couples can take in the beauty of the islands of French Polynesia from the privacy of their suite or stateroom, sway to the sounds of a chanteuse at La Palette Lounge, explore paradise on excursions by land and sea, dine al fresco under a starry sky, and enjoy a Polynesian blessing ceremony performed by members of Les Gauguines and Les Gauguinsthe ship's own troupe of Polynesian entertainers. With one of the highest crew-to-guest ratios at sea, The Gauguin is renowned for the extra touches and attention to detail that make every occasion special. Paul Gauguin Cruises also offers wedding ceremony and renewal of vows packages that allow couples sailing on The Gauguin to celebrate their love in a romantic setting amid the turquoise lagoons and exotic islands of French Polynesia. Choices include Motu Mahana, the cruise line's private islet off the coast of Taha'a, and the luxurious InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa. Additionally, Paul Gauguin Cruises has a Gift Registry, where guests commemorating their honeymoon, anniversary, or other milestone event can choose a "wish list" of gifts, ranging from shore excursions to spa options. Friends and family can visit the registry quickly and conveniently to select the gift (or gifts) they would like to give, and Paul Gauguin Cruises takes care of the rest. For rates or more information on Paul Gauguin Cruises, please contact a Travel Professional, call 800-848-6172, or visit www.pgcruises.com. *One Valentine's Day gift package per booking. New bookings made between January 28-February 16, 2019, only. Please refer to promotion code: SWEETIE2019. Combinable with one other Shipboard Credit offer, but not combinable with Groups, Two-Week Sales, and other select reduced-rate offers. Sparkling wine available on first night of sailing only. Offer expires February 16, 2019, and can be withdrawn at any time. Call for details. Wedding ceremony is not legally binding. About Paul Gauguin Cruises Owned by Pacific Beachcomber S.C., French Polynesia's leading luxury hotel and cruise operator, Paul Gauguin Cruises operates the 5+-star cruise ship, the 332-guest m/s Paul Gauguin, providing a deluxe cruise experience tailored to the unparalleled wonders of Tahiti, French Polynesia, and the South Pacific. Paul Gauguin Cruises has been recognized by notable publications in travel and lifestyle and was voted "#2 Midsize-Ship Ocean Cruise Line" by readers in the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2018**. The line was also recognized as one of the "Top Small Cruise Lines" in the Conde Nast Traveler 2018 Readers' Choice Awards and is honored on the publication's 2018 "Gold List." Paul Gauguin Cruises was also selected as "Best Small-Ship Cruise Line" in Global Traveler's Leisure Lifestyle Awards in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and received top honors as the "#1 Cruise Line for Honeymooners" in BRIDES Magazine's 2017 Honeymoon Awards and was listed in the publication's "Top All-Inclusives" in the 2018 Honeymoon Awards. Media Contact: Vanessa Bloy Paul Gauguin Cruises Director of Public Relations (425) 440-6255 [email protected] **From Travel + Leisure Magazine, August 2018 Time Inc. Affluent Media Group. Used under license. Travel + Leisure and Time Inc. Affluent Media Group are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, Paul Gauguin Cruises. SOURCE Paul Gauguin Cruises Related Links http://www.pgcruises.com ALEXANDRIA, Va. and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Oxford Finance LLC ("Oxford"), a specialty finance firm that provides senior debt to life sciences and healthcare services companies, today announced the closing of a $20 million senior secured term loan to AliveCor, Inc., a privately held company focused on using artificial intelligence to improve cardiac care. The funds will provide additional working capital to support continued growth as well as research and development efforts. AliveCor's KardiaMobile product, which instantly detects atrial fibrillation and normal sinus rhythm is the most clinically validated mobile ECG in the world. "Heart disease is the leading cause of death in humans. AliveCor has developed low cost, hand-held and wrist-worn ECG technology capable of detecting, with clinical grade accuracy anytime and anywhere, the presence of atrial fibrillation in just 30 seconds," said Christopher A. Herr, senior managing director at Oxford. "Oxford is excited to partner with AliveCor to help support their continued growth, innovation, and expansion into the rapid detection of other potentially fatal conditions affecting cardiac health." About Oxford Finance LLC Oxford Finance is a specialty finance firm providing senior secured loans to public and private life sciences and healthcare services companies worldwide. For over 20 years, Oxford has delivered flexible financing solutions to its clients, enabling these companies to maximize their equity by leveraging their assets. In recent years, Oxford has originated over $5 billion in loans, with lines of credit ranging from $5 million to $150 million. Oxford is headquartered in Alexandria, Va., with additional offices in San Diego, Calif.; Palo Alto, Calif.; and the greater Boston and New York City areas. For more information, visit (http://oxfordfinance.com/). About AliveCor, Inc. AliveCor, Inc. is pioneering the creation of FDA-cleared machine learning techniques to enable proactive heart care and is recognized around the world for transforming cardiac care. The FDA-cleared KardiaMobile is the most clinically validated mobile ECG solution on the market. It is recommended by leading cardiologists and used by people worldwide for accurate ECG recordings. KardiaMobile, and KardiaBand, when paired with the Kardia app provide instant analysis for detecting atrial fibrillation and normal sinus rhythm in an ECG. Kardia is the first A.I. enabled platform to help clinicians manage patients for the early detection of atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia and one that leads to a five times greater risk of stroke. KardiaBand is the first FDA-cleared medical device accessory for Apple Watch. AliveCor was named the No.1 artificial intelligence company on Fast Company's Top 50 Most Innovative Companies, in addition to ranking 20th overall in an evaluation of thousands of companies worldwide. AliveCor is a privately-held company headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. For more information, visit alivecor.com. Mayo Clinic and Dr. Paul Friedman have financial interest in certain AliveCor technology. All revenue received by Mayo Clinic goes back to its non-profit mission. Media Contacts Selma Basic Oxford Finance LLC 703-519-4900 Tel [email protected] SOURCE Oxford Finance LLC Related Links http://www.oxfordfinance.com WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Tens of thousands of National Guardsmen and Reservists finally may get a benefit they have long been denied, thanks to bipartisan legislation introduced this month in Congress. The benefit is TRICARE Reserve Select, a partially Pentagon-subsidized medical plan for traditional members of the Guard and Reserve. Congress created TRS in 2007 to provide part-time service members with low-cost health care. It's available to all Guardsmen and Reservists, except those who work full time for the federal government. They have to buy their coverage through the more expensive Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Consequently, Guardsmen and Reservists who work for the federal government, including dual-status military technicians, pay more for their coverage sometimes thousands of dollars more a year. Many then have to change family doctors when they mobilize and they and their families are eligible for a fully subsidized TRICARE program. "Current law takes money from the pockets of thousands of men and women who wear the uniform simply because they work in civilian life for the federal government," said retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, the NGAUS president. "It also interrupts continuity of coverage for many of their families when they mobilize. "This is a readiness issue," he said. "It's also a quality-of-life issue. And it's a recruiting and retention issue." The legislation sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., in the Senate and Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., and Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss., in the House would change that. The Tricare Reserve Improvement Act, S.164 in the Senate and H.R.613 in the House, would allow federal employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve to purchase TRS for their health care coverage. "Our National Guardsmen deserve affordable health care options," Daines said. "Senseless laws shouldn't stand in the way of that. It's time we provide our Guardsmen and Reservists with the care they need and this bill does just that." Said Manchin, "As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I have spent my career fighting to make sure Veterans can get the care they have earned. In West Virginia, we believe in taking care of those who serve us, including those who serve in the reserve component as federal employees. I look forward to working to pass this common-sense legislation." The legislation is co-sponsored in the Senate by John Boozman, R-Ark.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; John Hoeven, R-N.D.; Jerry Moran, R-Kan.; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Doug Jones, D-Ala.; Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.; Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; and Jon Tester, D-Mont. About NGAUS: The association includes nearly 45,000 current or former Guard officers. It was created in 1878 to provide unified National Guard representation in Washington. In their first productive meeting after Reconstruction, militia officers from the North and South formed the association with the goal of obtaining better equipment and training by educating Congress on Guard requirements. Today, 141 years later, NGAUS has the same mission. SOURCE National Guard Association of the U.S. SAN JUAN COUNTY, Utah, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- At Whitehorse High School, Principal Kim Schaefer hopes students, who she calls "scholars," will be certified in Virtual Reality (VR) technology and entrepreneurship, to reward a new generation with successful jobs and careers without leaving their families, rural reservation, and community. The high school is located within the Navajo Nation in Southeastern Utah. Students Carthania & Davial present on different jobs they are interested in within the agriculture industry. Whitehorse Student Kyle tries out VR Technology. As expressed in the 2010 census report, one third of the Navajo population is under 18. The community has a 38% poverty rate, and unemployment is over 40% - more than 10 times the US average. "Kids think that when they graduate, they will make money, but at the same time they're thinking about being home," says Ramsey Seweingyawma, math and coding teacher at Whitehorse High School. "But there are no jobs here." Indigo Impact Initiative (I3), a Colorado-based nonprofit providing at-risk youth with mentorship in technology and entrepreneurship, has partnered with two high-tech companiesLobaki Inc. and ClearCenter Inc. - to start a virtual reality and coding academy at Whitehorse. Throughout the courses, students will get hands-on experience in storyboarding, app development, networking, design, and programming. "Bringing Virtual Reality and programming tools into our district will create generations of students with new and marketable skills," said Aaron Brewer, Director of Technology for San Juan School District. Kit Mantz, Secondary Schools Supervisor and CTE Director for San Juan County added, "The most important part of this program is that it could potentially create new jobs locally so that our scholars would not have to leave our communities and county to find employment opportunities that pay well." The VR centers are being set up and managed by Lobaki, a social enterprise from Jackson, MS. Spending on VR globally is currently greater than $13 billion, and is expected to significantly increase in the next decade, with career opportunities spiking as a result. Scholars who graduate Whitehorse's VR certification program with distinction have opportunities to be hired by Lobaki and other corporations to work on commercial projects, creating jobs on the reservation. Indigo is also leading an entrepreneurship certification course to help Navajo students build the skills needed to start a company from scratch. Students participating in the program will work with the Utah Offices of Economic Development and the Navajo Regional Business Development Offices to turn their projects into successful local businesses. Whitehorse High School was awarded a Talent Ready Utah grant from the Department of Workforce Services for the project. I3 has been working with the school district since 2016 through the support of Target Training International and the San Juan Foundation. Natalie Randall, Director of Economic Development and Tourism in San Juan County says, "Overall, the goals and values of this program will be an integral piece that contributes to a strong and sustainable economy and community for San Juan County." To learn more about the San Juan Initiative watch: https://youtu.be/NkR8gp-RTVE Contact: Chris Kalish, Chief Technology Officer and Strategist for Technology and Growth Initiatives The Indigo Project [email protected] +1 (203) 253-0498 SOURCE Indigo Impact Initiative Elizabeth City, NC (27909) Today Mostly clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 76F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 76F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 5, 1986, Columbus, Ohio Officer Gordon Joe Rich was working a federal traffic enforcement detail. While on patrol he stopped a vehicle on Interstate 70 at State Route 315. James Lumpkin Rattler was removed from the car and attacked Officer Rich, gaining control of his gun and shooting him, leaving Officer Rich, a 23-year police veteran, mortally wounded. Rattler and the other occupant of the vehicle drove away and were able to briefly escape capture. Rich, 45, struggled back to his cruiser, got on the radio then collapsed. Officer Rich Investigators theorized that Rattler, who was wanted, had been placed under arrest and ordered to stand by the cruiser for a search when he grabbed the gun. Rich and his wife of two years, Nancy, both worked night shifts, she at a restaurant. When they wed, she said, they made an agreement: "I won't worry about you, and you won't worry about me, and we'll meet in the morning." Officers took Mrs. Rich to Mount Carmel West hospital after she was told of the shooting. "When we got to the hospital, they said it didn't look good. They brought the chaplain in. That's when you know," she said. Officer Rich succumbed to his wounds shortly afterward. Rattler avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty to aggravated murder. He is serving a life sentence in prison. Rattler will be eligible for parole in February 2019. No killer of a police officer should ever be granted parole. Attacks on police are an attack on society itself. Please consider contacting the Ohio Parole Board. Together let's keep the killer of Officer Rich behind bars. Online messages can be sent to the Ohio Parole Board at their web contact page here https://drc.ohio.gov/parole-board/contact Letters can be sent to: Ohio Parole Board Re: James Rattler #A194280 770 West Broad Street Columbus, OH 43222 NationalPolice.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission of educating supporters of law enforcement in how to help police departments accomplish their goals. Media contact: Adam Colton [email protected] 302-469-1765 SOURCE National Police Association Related Links http://www.nationalpolice.org FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CareerSource Florida President and CEO Michelle Dennard has been selected to receive a prestigious 40 Under 40 Award in economic development, the only award of its kind recognizing young talent among economic development professionals. Dennard was one of 40 leaders chosen internationally from among more than 170 qualified nominees in the awards program, which was managed by Development Counsellors International (DCI), a New York-based firm that specializes in economic development marketing, and Jorgenson Consulting, a national firm serving economic and community development organizations. "The 40 Under 40 Award is designed to identify the economic development profession's rising stars. These young economic development professionals represent the future of our industry," said Julie Curtin, president of DCI's economic development practice. "The selection committee had a challenge selecting only 40 winners, but we are delighted by the smarts, initiative and game-changing mindset represented in these finalists." The award recipients were announced Sunday at a reception held to coincide with the International Economic Development Council Leadership Summit in Fort Lauderdale. Today, Dennard will deliver a keynote address on "creating economic opportunities through talent-driven strategies" to more than 400 North American leaders in economic development at the annual summit. "Florida is fortunate to have an exceptional leader in Michelle Dennard helping to shape our state's policies and investments in workforce and economic development," said CareerSource Florida Board Chairman Kevin Doyle, founding partner of Wexford Strategies. "Michelle's focus on strengthening partnerships and collaboration among business, workforce, education and economic development partners is making a significant difference in ensuring our workforce is prepared to meet current and future demands." Dennard was appointed to her current state leadership role by the CareerSource Florida Board of Directors in 2017. She joined the state policy organization in November 2014 as Vice President of Policy. An attorney and member of The Florida Bar, she has more than 10 years of experience in workforce and economic development. "Michelle is an incredible partner in our work to advance Florida's competitiveness by promoting sound economic development programs and policy," said Beth Cicchetti, CEcD, Executive Director of the Florida Economic Development Council and Gadsden County Development Council. "With her extensive and varied leadership roles in economic development and workforce policy, Michelle brings a fresh perspective and genuine enthusiasm for expanding opportunities to all." Prior to joining CareerSource Florida, Dennard served as the Director for the Division of Strategic Business Development at the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. She previously served as Deputy Director of the Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, providing legal counsel and managing legislative affairs. Dennard is a member of the Florida Chamber Foundation Board of Trustees, the Florida Higher Education Coordinating Council, the Florida Small Business Development Center Network State Advisory Board and the Florida Student Success Center Advisory Board. "The Florida Chamber is honored and grateful to have Michelle Dennard as a valued partner and Florida Chamber Foundation Trustee to help advance Florida's economic momentum," said Mark Wilson, President and CEO, Florida Chamber of Commerce. "She truly cares about ensuring all Floridians have opportunities to prosper. This national recognition is a testament to her innovative and inclusive approach to economic development." For more information on the 40 Under 40 awards, visit econdev40under40.com. www.careersourceflorida.com SOURCE CareerSource Florida INVESTS US$10.0 MILLION IN SENSIBLE MEDICAL WINNIPEG, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Medicure Inc. ("Medicure" or the "Company") (TSXV:MPH, OTC:MCUJF), a cardiovascular pharmaceutical company, is pleased to announce it has entered into an agreement with Sensible Medical Innovations Inc. ("Sensible") to become the exclusive marketing partner for the ReDS point of care system ("ReDS") in the United States. ReDS is a non-invasive, FDA-cleared medical device that provides an accurate, actionable and absolute measurement of lung fluid which is important in the management of congestive heart failure. The lung fluid measurements are used in guiding treatment and monitoring a heart failure patient's condition and may lead to a significant decrease in readmissions and hospital costs. Clinical studies have shown an 87% reduction in heart failure readmission rates for patients using the ReDS system at home for three months post-discharge versus those who were treated with usual care alone. ReDS is already marketed to U.S. hospitals by Sensible and Medicure expects to begin marketing ReDS immediately using its existing commercial organization. Under the terms of the agreement, Medicure will receive a percentage of total U.S. sales revenue of the device and must meet minimum annual sales quotas. In addition, Medicure has invested US$10.0 million in Sensible for a 7.71% equity stake on a fully diluted basis. In connection with the investment, Medicure's President and CEO, Dr. Albert D. Friesen, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Sensible. "Medicure is pleased to introduce the ReDS device in an effort to improve the quality of life of heart failure patients. The device is being sold directly to hospitals and fits well with Medicure's existing commercial operation and our mission of being a significant, value based, cardiovascular company focused on the U.S. market." commented Dr. Friesen. "These are exciting times for Sensible Medical. The partnership with Medicure is a natural fit to fuel the company's vision to expand the reach of the ReDS device and make it available to millions of heart failure patients that suffer from low quality of life and repeated hospital admissions that are a major burden to the healthcare economy. With this partnership, we expect accelerated sales growth in the U.S." commented Amir Ronen, Sensible Medical's CEO. About ReDS Point of Care System ReDS is intended for use by qualified health care practitioners and by patients, under the direction of a physician, in hospitals, hospital-type facilities and home environment, for the non-invasive monitoring and management of patients with fluid management problems in a variety of medically accepted clinical applications. ReDS is indicated for patients: with fluid management problems; taking diuretic medication; living with heart failure; or recovering from a coronary artery disease related event. About Medicure Medicure is a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for the U.S. cardiovascular market. The present focus of the Company is the marketing and distribution of AGGRASTAT (tirofiban hydrochloride) injection and ZYPITAMAGTM (pitavastatin) tablets in the United States, where they are sold through the Company's U.S. subsidiary, Medicure Pharma, Inc. For more information on Medicure please visit www.medicure.com. About Sensible Sensible is a market leader in medical radar monitoring and imaging technology. ReDS was adapted for medical use from military 'see-through-wall' technology. The technology is well-positioned to be a difference maker in a wide range of applications and to become the next-generation lung fluid monitoring modality. www.sensible-medical.com To be added to Medicure's e-mail list, please visit: http://medicure.mediaroom.com/alerts Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward Looking Information: Statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believes", "may", "plans", "will", "estimates", "continues", "anticipates", "intends", "expects" and similar expressions, may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. federal securities laws (such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are hereinafter collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements, include the target launch date for new products, the estimated number of products the Company will be selling in the future, the potential benefits of the ReDS system, estimates, analysis and opinions of management of the Company made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors which the Company believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances. Inherent in forward-looking statements are known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors beyond the Company's ability to predict or control that may cause the actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, and as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, among others, the Company's future product revenues, stage of development, additional capital requirements, risks associated with the completion and timing of clinical trials and obtaining regulatory approval to market the Company's products, the ability to protect its intellectual property, dependence upon collaborative partners, changes in government regulation or regulatory approval processes, and rapid technological change in the industry. Such statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions about: general business and economic conditions; the impact of changes in Canadian-US dollar and other foreign exchange rates on the Company's revenues, costs and results; the timing of the receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals for the Company's research and development projects; the availability of financing for the Company's commercial operations and/or research and development projects, or the availability of financing on reasonable terms; results of current and future clinical trials; the uncertainties associated with the acceptance and demand for new products and market competition. The foregoing list of important factors and assumptions is not exhaustive. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements or the foregoing list of factors, other than as may be required by applicable legislation. Additional discussion regarding the risks and uncertainties relating to the Company and its business can be found in the Company's other filings with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities or the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and in the "Risk Factors" section of its Form 20F for the year ended December 31, 2017. AGGRASTAT (tirofiban hydrochloride) is a registered trademark of Medicure International Inc. SOURCE Medicure Inc. Related Links www.medicure.com Company invites individual and institutional investors, as well as advisors and analysts, to attend real-time, interactive presentations on VirtualInvestorConferences.com DENVER, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Medicine Man Technologies (OTCQB: MDCL), a leading consulting, intellectual property licensing and products company in the cannabis industry, today announced that Andy Williams, Interim CEO, will present live at VirtualInvestorConferences.com on January 30, 2019. DATE: Wednesday, January 30th TIME: 10:30 AM ET / 8:30 AM MT LINK: https://tinyurl.com/0130prepr This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time - both in the presentation hall as well as the organization's "virtual trade booth." If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. It is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. Learn more about the event at www.VirtualInvestorConferences.com. Recent Company Highlights Earlier in January, announced a binding agreement regarding the acquisition of Medicine Man Denver, effectively moving the Company toward becoming a fully-integrated cannabis company. In January, signed agreement to acquire MedPharm Holdings, LLC., an intellectual property development and holding company focused on cannabis research and product/brand development. In December, appointed Joe Puglise , an operational management veteran, as Chief Operating Officer to support efficient operations while solidifying the Company's foundational growth. To be added to the Medicine Man email distribution list, please email, [email protected] with MDCL in the subject line. About Medicine Man Technologies Established in March 2014, the Company secured its first client/licensee in April 2014. To date, the Company has provided guidance for several clients that have successfully secured licenses to operate cannabis businesses within their state. The Company currently has or has had active clients in California, Iowa, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, Illinois, Michigan, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Maryland, New York, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia, Germany, and South Africa. The Company continues to focus on working with clients to 1) utilize its experience, technology, and training to help secure a license in states with newly emerging regulations, 2) deploy the Company's highly effective variable capacity constant harvest cultivation practices through its deployment of Cultivation MAX, and eliminate the liability of single grower dependence, 3) avoid the costly mistakes generally made in start-up, 4) stay engaged with an ever expanding team of licensees and partners, all focused on quality and safety that will "share" the ever-improving experience and knowledge of the network, and 5) continuing the expansion of our Brands Warehouse concept through entry into industry based cooperative agreements and pursuing other acquisitions as they prove suitable to our overall business development strategy. About Virtual Investor Conferences Virtual Investor Conferences is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly-traded companies to meet and present directly with investors. A real-time solution for investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences is part of OTC Market Group's suite of investor relations services specifically designed for more efficient Investor Access. Replicating the look and feel of on-site investor conferences, Virtual Investor Conferences combine leading-edge conferencing and investor communications capabilities with a comprehensive global investor audience network. CONTACT: Andy Williams via [email protected] Virtual Investor Conferences John M. Viglotti SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access OTC Markets Group (212) 220-2221 [email protected] SOURCE VirtualInvestorConferences.com Related Links virtualinvestorconferences.com JERSEY CITY, N.J., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Legal-Bay LLC, the pre settlement funding company, is poised to offer 24-hour approvals for victims of personal injury and car and truck accidents. During this time of year, accidents spike due to icy road conditions and reckless driving. Car, semi truck, and other motor vehicle accidents including public bus transportation are prevalent at this time of year, especially when weather conditions are taken into consideration. Along with outdoor hazards, public indoor spaces can also offer risky conditions. Wet floors, walkways, and stairs can cause personal injury or even death. If you are currently awaiting a monetary settlement from a motor vehicle or personal injury lawsuit, Legal-Bay may be able to get you a cash advance in as little as 24 hours. Their ample and experienced staff will be able to explain the presettlement funding process, and get you the lawsuit money you have coming to you. Chris Janish, CEO, commented on the company's dedication to their clients, "Legal-Bay is off to a great start in 2019 as we strive for continued excellence with our customer service and even faster turnarounds. As our clients look to access funds for their lawsuit, our staff is ready and willing to assist them with the quickest pre-settlement approvals in the industry." Legal-Bay urges clients who need cash now to apply online at: http://lawsuitssettlementfunding.com Car and semi truck accidents cases are the most prevalent lawsuits in the courts. However, Legal-Bay handles all cases including personal injury, slip and falls, premise liability, medical malpractice, construction accidents, wrongful termination, discrimination and sexual harassment, along with many others. Legal-Bay's funding programs are non-recourse, no-risk lawsuit cash advances, also known as case funding. None of the programs should be considered to be a settlement loan, settlement loans, lawsuit loan, lawsuit loans, pre-settlement loans, or a pre-settlement loan, as the money does not need to be paid back if you ultimately lose your case. To apply now for lawsuit settlement funding go to the company's website at: http://lawsuitssettlementfunding.com or call the company's toll free intake line at: 877.571.0405 where agents are standing by. SOURCE Legal-Bay LLC The survey documented that among repeat participants who are AAMD members, the percentage of curators who are African-American has doubledfrom 2 percent in 2015 to 4 percent in 2018an increase of 21 positions. Overall, the findings indicate that museum staff have become more racially and ethnically diverse since 2015. Since the last survey, 73 percent of staff hired in intellectual leadership positions were white, compared with 84 percent in 2015. Approximately 430 people of color were hired, resulting in 20 percent of museum intellectual leadership positions being held by people of color. Most of the diverse hires have been in education and curatorial departments. In addition, the percentage of women in museum leadership positionsC-level positions such as museum director, CFO, and CEOhas increased from 57 percent in 2015 to 62 percent in 2018. Women continue to comprise some 60 percent of museum staffs and there is a preponderance of women in the curatorial, conservation, and education roles that can be a pathway toward leadership positions. However, there has been little change since 2015 with regard to race and ethnicity in museum leadership positions. In 2018, 12 percent of these positions were held by people of color, a minimal increase from 11 percent in 2015. Earlier this month, AAM announced a multi-year, national initiative focused on diversifying museum boards and leadership, and supported by grants from the Mellon Foundation, Alice L. Walton Foundation, and Ford Foundation. "This second demographic survey of art museums offers a snapshot of change that is overdue, slow, but also real and welcome," said Mariet Westermann, executive vice president of the Foundation. "These results show that diverse hiring is entirely possible and needed, and encourage all of us to do more to realize that potential. The Mellon Foundation looks forward to continuing to work with our many partners across the field on the great task of making American art museums representative and inclusive of the rich diversity of our country." Mellon's groundbreaking 2015 Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey results was the first comprehensive study of staff diversity ever conducted on museums. It was undertaken to replace anecdotal evidence with hard data and to provide the museum field with the first baseline against which progress could be measured. These survey results show that in 2015, 76 percent of staff at participating AAMD museums were held by white employees; employees of color concentrated in facilities, security, and human resources positions, revealing that many institutions in the field lack a clear path to advancement for people of color to the most influential positions. Since that study, Mellon has invested in several initiatives to foster greater diversity within art museum staffs, including the following: A series of case studies investigating the inner practices of eight art museums as they work towards realizing the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion internally and with the communities they serve; case studies investigating the inner practices of eight art museums as they work towards realizing the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion internally and with the communities they serve; The expansion of the Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship, a program designed to diversify the curatorial ranks in museums across America; Support for 30 paid pre-professional conservation opportunities per year to prepare students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue conservation careers; and A nationwide initiative to strengthen the curatorship and conservation of Native American collections, which is growing the pool of Native art museum specialists. "We are profoundly grateful to the Mellon Foundation for supporting this and a series of studies exploring diversity in art museum staffing," said Christine Anagnos, executive director of AAMD. "It is gratifying to see that some small changes have taken place over the previous three years. Looking forward, these studies are valuable resources to continue pursuing the changes that will be necessary if U.S. art museums are to reflect, and address, the increasing diversity of the American people." Said Laura Lott, President and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums: "Enhancing diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) in museums is a key strategic priority for the entire field. We are encouraged by this progress, but we know museum leaders can and must do more. In partnership with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, AAMD, and others, we will continue to sharpen our focus on equipping museum leaders with tools and resources to advance DEAI in museums, driving long-lasting, systemic culture change, and building leadership teams that more accurately reflect the communities they serve." The Mellon Foundation commissioned the research organization Ithaka S+R to design and implement this demographic survey, with the assistance of an advisory committee of AAMD staff and member museum leaders. AAM supported the effort by enabling distribution of the survey to art museums that are not AAMD members. There was an 80 percent response rate for AAMD member organizations and a 24 percent response rate from AAM museums. The survey was conducted by Ithaka S+R program director Roger Schonfeld and senior analyst Liam Sweeney. "The results offer museums a real opportunity to understand their own staff demographics as compared to this national snapshot," said Schonfeld. "In the coming weeks we will deliver individualized reports to the first 200 museum respondents, and we hope these findings will encourage continued action towards increasing diversity across this sector." The Mellon Foundation intends to conduct follow-up diversity studies of the museum field at periodic intervals to help assess progress. About the American Alliance of Museums The American Alliance of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. Representing more than 35,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance stands for the broad scope of the museum community. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org. About The Association of Art Museum Directors The Association of Art Museum Directorsrepresenting 242 art museum directors in the U.S., Canada, and Mexicopromotes the vital role of art museums throughout North America and advances the profession by cultivating leadership and communicating standards of excellence in museum practice. Further information about AAMD's professional practice guidelines and position papers is available at www.aamd.org. About Ithaka S+R Ithaka S+R helps academic and cultural communities serve the public good and navigate economic, technological, and demographic change. Our work also aims to broaden access to higher education by reducing costs and improving student outcomes. Ithaka S+R is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization helping the academic community use digital technologies to preserve the scholarly record and to advance research and teaching in sustainable ways. About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Founded in 1969, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation endeavors to strengthen, promote, and, where necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse and democratic societies by supporting exemplary institutions of higher education and culture as they renew and provide access to an invaluable heritage of ambitious, path-breaking work. SOURCE The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Related Links https://mellon.org Told through the eyes of a city official who served Evanston as a three-term city council member and a three-term mayor, and meticulously documented using city council minutes, Mayor Ottley shows how this role affected his life and family, and the hell he went through trying to keep the community together through one of the most challenging boom periods in Wyoming history. The book gives a full account of the best and worst of politics in a small town, and how untruths, innuendos, partisan politics, and right-down vicious lies came close to splitting the city. But this mayor, who was dedicated to the people and driven by his love for his community, was able to keep the economy strong and the community united. "Evanston Wyoming: BoomBustPolitics," will be of particular interest to readers who are familiar with Evanston and curious about its history. But it also tells a more universal story about politics in small-town America, and how a tight-knit community can survive hard economic times to thrive and prosper once again. Dennis Ottley was born in 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah. After quitting high school, while living in Evanston, he joined the Wyoming National Guard, and was called to active duty in the Korean War. Before he left, he married his wife Sandy. When he returned from Korea he was discharged from the army and they then settled in Evanston, where Dennis served three terms on the city council and three terms as mayor. After more than 68 years of marriage, raising four sons there, he and his wife Sandy still reside in Evanston. "Evanston Wyoming: BoomBustPolitics," is available for order at bookstores everywhere. SOURCE Izzard Ink Publishing Related Links https://izzardink.com/ NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- HRA administration company, Clarity Benefit Solutions, gives strategies for lowering health care costs. It's an unfortunate fact that healthcare costs are on the rise. Employers who want to keep their employees happyand healthyshould be looking at ways they can lower these costs. Doing so is a win-win for employers and employees alike. Here are some strategies employers can utilize to lower healthcare costs. Do some homework. Solicit bids from several healthcare providers before deciding on a benefits package. Negotiating health plan options allows employers to have a multitude of options to consider. Make sure to perform this task yearly to ensure that employees can make the most of their benefits. Target employee needs. This goes hand-in-hand with negotiating benefits packages. Many workplaces have a multigeneration workforce whose healthcare needs can vary greatly. Employers should survey employees to identify wheat they are looking for, so they can customize plans. Raise plan deductibles. This may seem counterintuitive but increasing plan deductibles may lower monthly healthcare costs in the long run. Take the time to crunch the numbers. Offer additional options. Employees enrolled in a High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) are eligible to enroll in a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)provided employers offer these options. Both are methods for employees to pay for qualified medical expenses tax-free. Promote wellness programs. Healthy employees will pay less visits to the doctor, and not miss as much work! Wellness initiatives have been gaining in popularity across the country. Paid gym memberships, wearables, career development, mindfulness training, and paid time off to volunteer are just some ways that employers can show employees they have a real interest in their well-being. It is important for management to buy into wellness programs with leading by example. Extend additional support. Keep employees abreast of healthcare trends, changes, and emerging wellness initiatives throughout the year. This will have a positive effect on healthcare costs for everyone. Maintain a positive working environment full of positive reinforcement and special recognition when a job is well done. About Clarity Benefit Solutions: Clarity Benefit Solutions HRA company provides technology that makes the health insurance plan selection process fast, easy, and straightforward. For over two decades, we have provided clients with industry-leading technology, compliance, and exceptional customer service. Our offering is designed to save time and lower the costs of managing benefits while also promoting employee self-service and automated ACA compliance. SOURCE Clarity Benefit Solutions Related Links https://claritybenefitsolutions.com "To be recognized for just one category of the coveted TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice awards is an honor. To be named #1 in any category is amazing. To receive 3 awards ranking H2O Suites among the top 3 hotels in the United States and another award being named the 4 th best in the world leaves me speechless," stated Marc Meisel, CEO of both the hotel management company Meisel Holdings Managed Services and the development company Meisel Holdings of the H2O Suites Resort in Key West. H2O Suites was designed with modern decor and high-style furnishings. H2O's suites feature individual plunge pools with a patio to enjoy tropical courtyard views and gentle sea breezes, a living area with a plush sofa and wet bar to relax and unwind, a spa-inspired bath with Italian marble and glass rainfall shower to help revive your senses, a luxurious king-size bed and two large flat screen TV's. The hotel's relaxing vibe extends to the stunning rooftop deck where panoramic vistas of Old Town Key West, a refreshing pool, comfortable lounges, tropical cocktails from the Roof Top bar and poolside tapas enhance the quiet, island life ambiance. "Just a few years ago we set forth with a goal to construct a one of a kind, adult only luxury resort that would have a romantic aura and outstanding customer service. Never did I imagine that one day it would be the #1 most romantic hotel in the US or be the recipient of awards for both being one of the best in customer service or one of the best small boutique hotels in the United States, It's hard to believe and a testament to the amazing employees that I have the privilege to work with." About Meisel Holdings Managed Services: Meisel Holdings Managed Services is a privately-held hospitality management company headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. Founded by Marc Meisel, a long-time hotel management/development and commercial real estate developer. Meisel Holdings Managed Services provides an analytical approach to hotel management focusing on the details to yield above-market profits while elevating customer service to build long-term asset value for hotel and resort owners. Additional information about the company may be found at www.meiselhms.com CONTACT: Marc Meisel, +1 (301) 881-5003 SOURCE Meisel Holdings Managed Services Related Links http://www.meiselhms.com GUANGZHOU, China, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A roadshow for the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, with both Chinese traditions and French styles, kicked off at the Xinhua Gallery in Paris, as the Lunar New Year is approaching. On the evening of January 25, the night presented, through food, blossoms and light with the characteristics of Lingnan culture, the festive atmosphere of the Chines New Year and flower fair unique to Guangzhou, the Flower City. With the theme "Blooming Guangzhou, Gastronomic Capital," the event enabled the two cities to discuss urban development under multi-culture and cultural dynamism of the time. On January 23, Guangzhou held its first international roadshow in 2019 in Davos, Switzerland while attending the 2019 World Economy Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting there. Two days later, in Paris, the city showed its glamour of the Flower City through delicacies. At the event, the guests were invited to enjoy featured Chinese and French delicacies, and make shrimp dumplings and Chinese crispy dumplings. "We hope to present a passionate and diverse Guangzhou through Cantonese and French food," said Gan Zilin, assistant to General Manager of Lingnan Group (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. This year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations. The past 55 years have witnessed the two countries' continuous cooperation and innovation in trade and cultural exchanges. The exchange between Guangzhou and France dates back to the 17th century. In 1698, France set up a trading house in Guangzhou, being the first among western countries. The Sampan Island Lighthouse at the Pearl River Estuary, designed by a French designer, has seen the history of trade and cultural exchanges between the two nations for over a century. "Ms. Guangzhou," the first ship of southern China for export business, travelled to France after crossing 44 countries, and now berths on the River Seine as a Chinese symbol featured with China's friendship with France. Guangzhou and Paris, both famous for food and flowers, have a long history of friendship. Together, the two cities delivered a culturally and artistically enlightening night at the roadshow. Historical records show that in 1850, Paris ranked third in the top ten world-renowned cities, while Guangzhou followed up closely, being the fourth. Paris is now a capital of culture and art of the world, while Guangzhou, aiming to be a global city, is integrating with the world through active communications and dialogues. In recent years, the communications between the two cities have been increasingly frequent. Last February, Guangzhou shined at Grand Palais in Paris by holding a unique flower fair there. Until today, many local residents still miss the warm and romantic Guangzhou. Guangzhou, a commercial city with a history stretching back millennia, has a legacy of conducting business. The business atmosphere has generated flexible mechanisms that foster favorable, pro-business policies and an inclusive social atmosphere, together with such urban cultural identities as Cantonese food, Guangdong entrepreneurs and the Flower City. Last November, Guangzhou, the cradle of Cantonese food, witnessed the launch of Fine Cantonese Food by the Michelin Guide 2018-2019: Asia, Europe and USA. This is the first Michelin guide focusing on one specific cuisine, including 291 Cantonese restaurants across the world with 39 from Guangzhou. As one of the most famous Chinese cuisines, Cantonese food boasts a long and splendid history and keeps innovating, the International Director of the Michelin Guides Gwendal Poullennec said. Cantonese foods also epitomize Guangzhou's features: innovating through inheriting and developing through integrating. Today, the millennia-old city is revitalizing. The government work report released earlier this year pointed out that Guangzhou will develop itself into a culturally-advanced city, build a system designed to promote China's traditional culture, enhance its overall cultural strength, and translate its abundant cultural resources into stronger soft power. As China's historic city and center for international exchanges, Guangzhou has a huge friend circle and boasts a solid base for communications and exchanges. Statistics show that 63 countries have set consulate generals in Guangzhou, 71 cities around the globe have established friendship city ties with Guangzhou, and over 220 air routes are opened to connect the city with the world. Guangzhou communicates with the world through various branded features recently, including the Flower City, Maritime Silk Road and fine food. It epitomized China's commitment to advance all-round opening up and the going-out of traditional culture. The recent WEF focused on how countries around the world shall work together at a new stage of global cooperation. China proposed to establish a new form of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation through open dialogues and cooperation. As one of central cities in China, Guangzhou is proactively embracing the world. "Guangzhou is set to prioritize cultural inheritance and spread China's fine traditions," said Chen Zhiying, executive vice mayor of Guangzhou. This year, the city will continue to advance cultural exchanges and mutual learning by holding the 2019 Asia International Food Festival, Understanding China-Guangzhou Forum and other events, presenting a civilized and prosperous city with openness and inclusiveness. At the Paris event, the Guangzhou Municipal Government and Xinhua Gallery held the opening ceremony of the Overseas Base for Guangzhou's International Communication. Gong Yanhua, the deputy director of the Information Office of Guangzhou Municipality, said, "2019 is the year for Guangzhou to promote and improve its city image globally and further promote international cultural exchanges. The Base, set in the cultural hub of Paris, will hopefully tighten cultural and trade ties between Guangzhou and the world." Guangzhou enjoys great opportunities and wider space to integrate with the world in the new era. The development experience and its culture will be of great help for the world and different industries to know about China, said Zhu Min, dean of the National Institute of Financial Research of Tsinghua University and the former vice president of IMF. SOURCE The Information Office of Guangzhou Municipality SHANGHAI, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd. (NYSE: GHG) ("GreenTree" or the "Company"), a leading franchised and managed hotel chain in China, today announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement to become a major shareholder of Argyle Hotel Management Group (Australia) Pty Ltd. ("Argyle"), an owner and operator of hotels in China and South East Asia. Mr. Kevin Zhang, its founder and CEO and his management team will remain one of the largest shareholders of Argyle, and become an integral part of GreenTree's management team. This transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed on or around March 31, 2019. Argyle hotel network consists of eight mid-scale and upscale brands, including Argyle Grand Hotel, Argyle Boutique Hotel, Argyle Resort, Argyle Hotel, Ausotel and Ausotel Smart, Argyle Suite, Bondi Shack and Argyle Academy, ranging from stylish business hotels to five-star luxury hotels, all showcasing the unique Australian life style and flavors. The majority of these properties are located in South West China. Strategically, Argyle's highly distinguished brand portfolio and geographic coverage are highly complementary to GreenTree's business and expansion plans. Argyle's management team under the leadership of its founder and CEO, Mr. Kevin Zhang will continue to lead Argyle to fulfil its mission to become an outstanding premier hotel company in China and Asia. Mr. Kevin Zhang commented: "I am very pleased to become part of the GreenTree family. Alex and I see immediate and long-term benefits from this collaboration. GreenTree's proven market leadership, superior technology, strong membership program and powerful development experience will augment Argyle's efforts. This will help us become a world class luxury to mid-scale lifestyle hotel brand sector in China and South East Asia and bring ultimate value to our property owners, our people and our guests. I am confident that this transaction and our joint cooperation going forward will strengthen both companies' portfolios and operations." "We are very excited about this strategic investment," said Mr. Alex Xu, Chairman and CEO of GreenTree. "Argyle's established footprint in China and Southeast Asia is complementary to our chain, and its mid and upscale brands, with their strong Australian style, will become more popular in China. We will support Kevin and his team to further enhance Argyle's successful operations, increase the pace of its expansion to become premier hotel brands in Asia and the world. Overall, we are confident that this acquisition will benefit our shareholders, and franchisees and our customers." About GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd. GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd. ("GreenTree" or the "Company") (NYSE: GHG) is a leading franchised hotel operator in China. As of September 30, 2018, GreenTree had 2,558 hotels, among which 2,528 are franchised and managed hotels. The Company had the highest proportion of franchised-and-managed hotels among the top four economy to mid-scale hotel networks in China. In 2017, GreenTree was the fourth largest economy to mid-scale hotel group in China in terms of number of hotels according to China Hospitality Association. The Company has built a strong suite of brands including its flagship "GreenTree Inns" brand as a result of its long-standing dedication to the hospitality industry in China and consistent quality of its services, signature hotel designs, broad geographic coverage and convenient locations. GreenTree has positioned its brands to appeal to value-and-quality-conscious business travelers and leisure travelers. For more information on GreenTree, please visit http://ir.998.com. About Argyle Hotel Management Group (Australia) Pty Ltd. The Argyle Hotel Management Group (Australia) Pty Ltd. ("Argyle") a leading hotel management group manages over 100 hotels and resorts across the Asia Pacific, and has earned a reputation as an Australian icon in Asia Pacific. With more than a decade of experience providing the very best that Australian hospitality has to offer, Argyle has built a comprehensive operating platform and attracted a group of hotel professionals with expertise knowledge. Argyle comprises eight distinct brands -- Argyle Grand Hotel, Argyle Boutique Hotel, Argyle Resort, Argyle Hotel, Ausotel and Ausotel Smart, Argyle Suite, Bondi Shack and Argyle Academy. Argyle's brands cover every segment from mid-scale to luxury and long term stay. Argyle has won awards including the New South Wales Premier Export Award in 2017, the New South Wales finalist for the Australian federal government's Business Services Award in 2017, and the Winner of the Australian Chamber of Commerce Award for Excellence in Services 2017/2016. The China Tourism Board has included it among China's top 10 international hotel groups and top 60 domestic hotel groups since 2013. For more information on Argyle, please visit http://cn.argylehotels.com/. Safe Harbor Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to," "confident," "future," or other similar expressions. GreenTree may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about or based on GreenTree's current beliefs, expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about us and our industry, are forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: GreenTree's goals and growth strategies; its future business development, financial condition and results of operations; trends in the hospitality industry in China and globally; competition in our industry; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and other regions where we operate; the regulatory environment in which we and our franchisees operate; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided, including the forward-looking statements made, in this press release are current as of the date of the press release. Except as required by law, GreenTree undertakes no obligation to update any such information or forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the information is provided or statements are made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For more information, please contact: GreenTree Ms. Selina Yang Phone: +86-21-3617-4886 ext. 7999 E-mail: [email protected] Mr. Nicky Zheng Phone: +86-21-3617-4886 ext. 6708 E-mail: [email protected] Christensen In Shanghai Ms. Constance Zhang Phone: +86-138-1645-1798 E-mail: [email protected] In Hong Kong Ms. Karen Hui Phone: +852-9266-4140 E-mail: [email protected] In US Ms. Linda Bergkamp Phone: +1-480-614-3004 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd. Related Links http://ir.998.com BERLIN, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- True to the motto 'The Future of Made in Europe', the Vodafone Institute will assemble international business executives, tech start-up founders, scientists in Berlin on 19 February. They will be joined by experts from the digital scene and civil society to discuss their vision for a digital Europe. With the Digitising Europe Summit, the Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications, the European think tank of the Vodafone Group, aims to provide a platform in the run-up to the European elections to debate the opportunities and challenges of digitisation for business, society and politics. Chancellor Angela Merkel will open the Summit with a political keynote address. 350 guests from politics, business, science and civil society are invited. The speakers will include: Nick Read, CEO, Vodafone Group Plc. Philippe Donnet, Managing Director & Group CEO, Generali Tom Enders, CEO, Airbus SE Prof. Luciano Floridi, Professor for Philosophy und Ethics, University of Oxford Prof. Sami Haddadin, Munich School of Robotics and Machine Intelligence Reiner Hoffmann, President, German Trade Union Confederation Alex Karp, Co-Founder & CEO, Palantir Technologies Inc. Prof. Dennis J. Snower, Ph.D., President, Global Solutions Initiative Prof. Dr. Andreas Schleicher, OECD, Head of Directorate of Education and Skills Margarethe Schrambock, Austrian Minister for Economy and Digitisation The Vodafone Institute organizes the Digitising Europe Summit together with renowned partners from its international network, including United Europe e.V., the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, and Deutsche Welle as official media partner. To learn more visit the official conference website at www.digitising-europe.com. For interview requests to the speakers and further information on the Digitising Europe Summit, the study results and press accreditations, please contact Danyal Alaybeyoglu at [email protected], tel. +49-172-240-3359. SOURCE Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications GmbH NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Garland Technology, a leading provider of network test access point (TAP) and packet broker solutions, today announced, ahead of CiscoLive! Barcelona 2019 , the release of two new products from their PacketMAX purpose-built packet broker line, developed to increase efficiency and utilization of existing network infrastructure. "Garland's focus is on providing the highest quality, best-in-class solutions for today's Network Visibility Fabrics. As networks continue to grow we saw the need to launch a high density TAP aggregation device," states Jerry Dillard, Chief Technical Officer, Garland Technology. "With the increased volume of traffic, our customers' tools are struggling to keep up, so we looked for a way to reduce the number of packets being processed. We solved this with our PacketMAX Advanced Features, which can reduce traffic by up to 50% by removing duplicates and giving our customers the option of stripping off the payload." SUMMARY AND HIGHLIGHTS OF PRODUCTS: PacketMAX: 10G Advanced Features - is a hardware device that provides advanced features such as deep window deduplication, Network Time Protocol (NTP) time stamping, and configurable packet slicing for both inline and out-of-band applications. Deduplication and packet slicing can significantly reduce the processing overhead from security or monitoring tools. PacketMAX: 100G 64 Port Advanced Aggregator - improves ROI by reducing the total cost of a network visibility fabric and increasing the efficiency of existing infrastructure. The 100G 64 port Advanced Aggregator provides high density TAP aggregation and speed conversion with up to 256 10G interfaces managed on a single platform. The continuous release of new products reflect the ongoing momentum Garland Technology is delivering to its customers worldwide. ABOUT GARLAND TECHNOLOGY: Garland Technology is an industry leader delivering network products and solutions for enterprise, service providers, and government agencies worldwide. Since 2011, Garland Technology has developed the industry's most reliable test access points (TAPs) and network packet brokers (NPB), enabling data centers to address IT challenges and gain complete network visibility. For help identifying the right NPB solution for projects large and small, or to learn more about the inventor of the first bypass TAP, visit GarlandTechnology.com or @GarlandTech. Media Contact: Mark Lennon [email protected] 716-242-8500 SOURCE Garland Technology Related Links http://www.garlandtechnology.com Themed "Together We Can," GAC Motor's 650 sqm exhibition space is located in the north hall of the San Francisco's Moscone Center. Following its successful showcase at the 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), GAC Motor brought its star vehicle models to NADA, including the GS8, GS5 and GS4 SUVs, GM8 minivan, GA4 sedan, GE3 NEV and ENVERGE concept car. In addition to presenting its lineup of cutting-edge vehicles, the company has hosted over 80 dealers and partners at a dealer gathering to further develop GAC Motor's dealership network in North America. Attendees expressed a strong interest and willingness to work with GAC Motor to establish distribution channels. "Building a world-class brand and a global company has been GAC Motor's development goal from the very beginning. During last year's NADA Show, we received lots of positive feedback from US dealers and partners, which has greatly contributed to the smooth progression of our plans to enter the US market," said Zhan Songguang, Executive Vice President of GAC Motor. At the gathering, Sales Director of GAC Motor's North American Region, and Pontus Fontaeus, Executive Design Director of the GAC Advanced Design Center Los Angeles, gave keynote speeches on GAC's progress entering the North America market, introduction of the GAC Advanced Design Center Los Angeles and the concept car ENTRANZE unveiled at the NAIAS. "The GS8 is the first product GAC Motor plans to launch in the North American market. We have a few dozen of them in U.S. now, doing road tests and tracking durability and emission results. Later this year, we will also have a few at our sales office, available for test drives," said the Sales Director. In 2018, GAC Motor saw sales increases and made significant progress in all areas of operation. GAC Motor established a research and development network in North America by opening three R&D centers in Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and Detroit. Altogether the company is building a global R&D system to design unique products, ensure product quality and boost market competitiveness. Additionally, GAC Motor's North American Sales Company has been registered in Irvine, California and will begin operations in the near future, to boost the establishment of its dealership network in North America. Furthermore, GAC Motor has maintained its No.1 ranking among Chinese brands in J.D. Power Asia Pacific's China Initial Quality Study (IQS) for six years in a row, showcasing its continuous endeavor to enhancing product quality. GAC Motor now operates in 16 countries, working hand-in-hand with its partners to provide better products and services to global consumers. Forging ahead towards its goal of becoming a world-class brand and a global company, GAC Motor is aiming to achieve win-win cooperation with its global partners to develop the market and create a more enjoyable life of mobility for consumers worldwide. About GAC Motor Founded in 2008, Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor CO., LTD (GAC Motor) is a subsidiary of GAC Group which ranks 202nd among Fortune Global 500 companies. The company develops and manufactures premium quality vehicles, engines, components and auto accessories. GAC Motor has now ranked first among all Chinese brands for six consecutive years in J.D. Power Asia Pacific's China Initial Quality StudySM (IQS), demonstrating the company's quality-centric strategy from innovative research and development (R&D), manufacturing to supply chain and sales & services. For more information, please visit: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GACMotor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gac_motor Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/gac_motor SOURCE GAC Motor "We accomplished a great deal in 2018 that helped us achieve year-over-year growth. I'm very optimistic about our year ahead. We have one of the largest pipelines of any economy brand in the industry and expect it to continue to grow with the approaches we've been taking to make an even bigger impact in 2019," said Rob Palleschi, CEO at G6 Hospitality. "With our continued focus on selective conversions, aggressive renovation schedules and plans to invest in key properties, we will continue to generate growing interest in our brand with new and existing franchisees." Additional key development highlights for 2018 include: 127 properties opened 85 new or first time franchise partners 179 hotels in the pipeline, including 60 new construction projects New design prototype fuels growth and spearheads dual-brand opportunity Part of G6 Hospitality's growth is due to the 13 newly opened dual-brand locations in 2018 with an additional 28 hotels in the pipeline. Motel 6/Studio 6 Austin South-Airport will be the first purpose-built dual-brand hotel in the company's history when it opens in February 2019. G6 Hospitality unveiled a new design concept at American Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) that allows owners to build a Motel 6, a Studio 6 or a dual-brand location. The new prototype makes future conversions from a single to a dual-brand property more efficient if market conditions warrant the additional product. According to Mike McGeehan, chief development officer at G6 Hospitality, the company has seen a great deal of interest in the new concept already. "The dual-brand offering is very inviting to developers because it gives us the opportunity to attract two different guest segments to fill rooms," said McGeehan. "At G6 Hospitality, we have a competitive advantage being one of the few franchisors that can offer a dual-brand option in our segment." "We've reimagined and upgraded what a Motel 6 or Studio 6 looks and feels like, but we'll always remain true to our brand promise," said Palleschi. "Business and leisure travelers will continue to have a consistent brand experience in a clean, comfortable room at an affordable rate. Meanwhile, our formula for success stays the same for our franchise partners, with industry-leading returns." G6 Hospitality created the new model with franchisees in mind, focusing on construction and operational efficiencies while still delivering a contemporary economy lodging experience for guests. Enhancements include the introduction of multifunctional environments, a more contemporary design and more natural light. In addition to new construction, the company is investing in rejuvenating key corporate-owned and managed properties in 2019, including the original Motel 6 location on the Santa Barbara, Calif. beachfront, San Diego, Las Vegas Strip, Jackson Hole, Wyo., Jacksonville, Fla. and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more information and details on franchising with G6 Hospitality, please visit www.g6hospitality.com/franchising. About G6 Hospitality LLC G6 Hospitality LLC owns, operates, and franchises more than 1,430 economy lodging locations under the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands in the United States and Canada and the Hotel 6 brand in India. Having opened its 1,000 franchise location in 2018, G6 also has plans to franchise the Hotel 6 and Estudio 6 brands in Central America. Headquartered in Dallas (Carrollton), Texas, G6 Hospitality recently placed 73rd in Entrepreneur Magazine's 40th Annual Franchising 500. The company has also been named a "Best for Vets" employer by Viqtory Publishing and in 2018 was inducted into the Military Spouses Employment Partnership sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. For more information please visit www.g6hospitality.com. SOURCE G6 Hospitality LLC Related Links http://www.g6hospitality.com NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. has announced that its Distribution Tracking Software (DTS) is now fully integrated with the ftwilliam.com 1099 Software module. With a variety of new workflow features, the leading software provider now offers a wider range of intuitive components to save third-party administrators (TPAs) valuable time and resources. Built in close consultation with retirement service providers, ftwilliam.com's DTS is a sophisticated tracking software that simplifies the complexity of qualified plan participant distributions. With the launch of the software's new integration features, users can now push their distribution data that was collected in DTS into the 1099 software, which automatically populates the data appropriately into 1099 forms - eliminating the labor-intensive process of manually inputting 1099 data. ftwilliam.com's intuitive technology can identify the need for a distribution to require multiple 1099 forms, as well as instances when multiple distributions should be combined into a single 1099 form. "We have continued to elevate ftwilliam.com's capabilities to streamline third-party administrators' workflow, and sometimes that means thinking outside the box," said Holly Roussel-Godfrey, Technical Product Manager at ftwilliam.com. "We are proud to announce a new integration with Millennium Trust Company, LLC utilizing our DTS solution which further simplifies the automatic rollover process for TPAs." Additionally, the new ftwilliam.com DTS integration with Millennium Trust, the industry leading provider of specialized retirement and custody solutions, allows both Millennium Trust and ftwilliam.com to further simplify the manual set-up process of automatic rollovers. With this integration, users can push information collected in DTS to Millennium Trust automatically. This alleviates the need to manually upload participant data in order to set-up an IRA with Millennium Trust. A TPA simply selects the participants on the DTS Distribution dashboard and pushes a button. DTS then automatically creates the file and transmits the data to Millennium Trust on the TPA's behalf. This streamlines the process and minimizes the risk of error. "We have worked with ftwilliam.com for years," said Terry Dunne, Managing Director of Retirement Services for Millennium Trust. "We are committed to helping TPAs, record keepers, and ERISA attorneys make it as easy as possible for plan sponsors to reconnect their participants with their retirement funds. This integration is a logical next step in our relationship." Additional features of ftwilliam.com's DTS include: Global and plan level dashboards; Custom notifications and alerts; Real-time updates to keep users and their clients informed on the status of a distribution; At-a-glance distribution summary view, to see everything needed to know about a distribution in one place, with the option to add custom notes or activity; Document exchange, allowing users to send any document via the portal for download and receive signed/completed forms and documents from plan sponsors and participants; Document template manager, allowing professionals to upload their own templates, use ftwilliam.com's templates, or create their own, instantly create custom custodial directives, force out notices, spousal consents, and more; Clone/Split distributions functionality allowing the user to clone a record and add the additional funds destination when participants request a distribution be split into multiple sources; Default DTS specifications making set-up faster; Batch import distributions for force outs, plan termination and conversion; and Batch print and attach custom documents to distribution records. To learn more about the new Distribution Tracking Software (DTS) module on ftwilliam.com, visit: http://product.ftwilliam.com/products/distribution-tracking-software/ ftwilliam.com, a product suite of Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S., offers employee benefit professionals modern and cloud-based plan document (retirement, welfare and non-qualified), government forms (5500, 1099 and 5300), compliance testing and reporting, and distribution tracking software. Easy-to-use, integrated, and world-class customer support make ftwilliam.com the perfect solution for employee benefits professionals. TAG (Technical Answer Group) provides comprehensive answers to retirement plan questions. The TAG service also provides a fully-searchable database of over 4,000 previously asked questions, quick reference tools and charts, and daily news. For more information about ftwilliam.com and TAG, visit www.ftwilliam.com. About Millennium Trust Company Millennium Trust Company is a trusted leader in specialized retirement and custody services, empowering clients with unmatched service, access to a wide range of custody solutions and expertise they can count on. Whether it's the custody of alternative assets, investment accounts or retirement funds, Millennium Trust is uniquely qualified to support our clients' success. Millennium Trust performs the duties of a directed custodian, and as such does not provide due diligence to third parties on prospective investments, platforms, sponsors or service providers and does not sell investments or provide investment, legal, or tax advice. For more information about Millennium Trust, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Media Kevin Dinino KCD PR [email protected] Tel: +1 (917) 376-7540 About Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. is part of Wolters Kluwer N.V. (AEX: WKL), a global leader in information, software solutions and services for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services. Wolters Kluwer reported 2017 annual revenues of 4.4 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. For more information about Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S., visit www.WoltersKluwerLR.com , follow us on Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn . Media Linda Gharib Director, Communications Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. Tel: +1 (646) 887-7962 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. Related Links http://www.WoltersKluwerLR.com BARCELONA, Spain, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Forward Networks, the industry leader in network assurance and intent-based verification, today announced at Cisco Live 2019 in Barcelona support for Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure). Organizations that use Cisco ACI as an SDN/network automation solution can incorporate Forward Enterprise into their environments. Forward's advanced software delivers a "digital twin" of the network, enabling network operators to verify intent, predict network behavior, avoid outages, and simplify network management. The nature of Forward Networks' solution is to provide deep and intelligent analysis about network behavior based on device configurations and operating details. With the support for Cisco ACI, expected to be released in Forward Enterprise in Q2 of 2019, the company can provide insight into how the virtual networking platform works as well as the policies that are in place. Forward Enterprise analyzes networks based on ACI to confirm error-free network designs overall. This includes correctness for ACI infrastructure, as well as other network devices such as firewalls and load balancers that are connected to ACI, for an end-to-end multi-vendor solution across all network services. "We continue to support leading network technologies, focusing on providing full coverage of our customers' networks with our Forward Enterprise platform. The growing market presence and level of innovation that ACI brings to the industry are reflected in our decision to support it," said David Erickson, CEO at Forward Networks. ACI allows customers to define policies by assigning virtual applications to security groups, called end-point groups (EPGs). Virtual network policies are assigned to EPGs. Forward Enterprise verifies policies and displays how the network will behave and can translate the EPG policies from ACI into the Forward Networks' system and show or verify the resulting network behavior. Forward Networks' technology can then go on to compare the resulting behavior to intent and see if there are any deviations that should be addressed. "With this new support for ACI, we are bringing the benefits of intent-based networking to all networks, no matter what vendors, technology, and protocols exist in the network environment," said Chiara Regale, VP of Product at Forward Networks. "Accurately modeling the behavior of each device in a large network, across vendors, is an enormous problem. No other vendor is addressing this problem to the extent and scale that Forward Networks has, with a significant portion of the company's engineering team dedicated to modeling third-party devices and technology." Forward Networks is vendor-agnostic, providing support for all major networking and security vendor devices. Forward Networks simplifies management of the entire network, by supporting not only on-premises data centers, but also public cloud and hybrid cloud networks. For more information on Forward Networks and its solution, visit www.forwardnetworks.com or stop by Booth B36 at Cisco Live in Barcelona to hear more about the announcement from Forward Networks' experts. About Forward Networks: Forward Networks provides a robust network assurance and verification platform to reduce business risk and improve network operations. By enabling network and applications teams to verify intent and predict network behavior, Forward's solution brings the benefits of intent-based networking to large enterprises: agility, predictability, and scalability. Forward Networks was founded in 2013 by four Stanford Ph.D. graduates and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Investors include Andreessen Horowitz, DFJ, and A.Capital. For more information, visit forwardnetworks.com. For further information, please contact: Lisa Garvey, VP Marketing Jacqueline Velasco Forward Networks Lumina Communications for Forward Networks [email protected] [email protected] 408.439.1377 408.680.0564 SOURCE Forward Networks Related Links http://www.forwardnetworks.com MIAMI, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) has been named by Forbes as one of America's Best Employers for Diversity 2019. The annual ranking examines C-suite and board diversity as well as employer diversity policies. "I am extremely pleased that Forbes has recognized Royal Caribbean as one of America's Best Employers for Diversity," said Laura Miller, SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "This recognition would not be possible without our employees. As one of the world's largest cruise companies, we are committed to our over 75,000 talented and devoted employees representing nearly 200 countries. We will continue to focus and demonstrate the importance of diversity and inclusion both on shore and at sea." To create the ranking, Forbes and research firm Statista surveyed 50,000 U.S. employees in companies that have at least 1,000 employees. Survey questions focused on diversity with respect to gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age and ability. Other components of the ranking included gender diversity among top executives and the board of directors, and the company's proactive communication about diversity. To learn more about working at RCL, please visit our career website at www.rclcareers.com. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) is a global cruise vacation company that controls and operates four global brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and Silversea Cruises. We are also a 50 percent joint venture owner of the German brand TUI Cruises and a 49 percent shareholder in the Spanish brand Pullmantur Cruceros. Together these brands operate a combined total of 60 ships with an additional 16 on order as of December 31, 2018. They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on all seven continents. Additional information can be found on www.rclcorporate.com. SOURCE Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Related Links http://www.royalcaribbean.com BROOKLYN, N.Y., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has selected Laser Gold as the new gold standard for infrared reflectivity. Laser Gold is a proprietary electroplated process developed by the hundred-year-old New York precious metals plating firm, Epner Technology Inc. The process is unique in that it is both ultra-pure, (.9999), while also three times harder than any other 24 Kt. gold. Laser Gold in Chemical Reaction Vessel GOES Lightning Mapper NIST, formally known as the National Bureau of Standards, calibrated some 20 copper mirror substrates that had been single-point diamond fly-cut to a surface roughness of 50 A, by the Kugler Group, located in Salem Germany and then plated, first with pure nickel followed by Laser Gold, each about a micron thick. The Gaithersburg, Md. laboratory in which the reflectance measurements are preformed is the "Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometry (FTIS)" facility, which is described here. The specific instrument used to measure the standards is the "Infrared Reference Integrating Sphere (IRIS), which is described here. The result was an astounding 99% throughout the mid- infrared the range of from 2 to 14 microns. The new gold standard entered the NIST catalog of Standard Reference Material as SRM #1929. https://www-s.nist.gov/srmors/view_detail.cfm?srm=1929 "It all started with a chance meeting with a Xerox engineer at a 1972 trade show which took our 65-year-old company into the world of high technology electroplating for infrared reflectivity," said David Epner, President of Epner Technology. "Xerox needed a gold-plated aluminum reflector behind a quartz infrared lamp which generated the heat that fused the toner onto the paper. That's why Xerox copies come out of the machine warm. "They were having difficulty finding a supplier whose plating could withstand the extreme heat of the lamp without blistering the plating off the aluminum while also meeting their reflective requirements. "After a successful sample, Xerox tooled our company with a $60,000 infrared spectrophotometer which gave our engineers the "eyes" to inspect the reflective performance of the gold plating and continuously tweak the process to achieve higher and higher reflectivity. That effort culminated in this NIST designation." NASA is currently using Laser Gold because of its peerless heat reflecting properties and has specified this process for thermal control on countless spacecraft instruments beginning some 35 years ago to the early GOES weather satellites as well as the Hubble camera housing and more recently, on both the near and mid infrared cameras aboard the James Webb Space Telescope. Laser Gold came to the attention of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and this hard, pure, space-qualified gold plating has been "dressing" the Oscars for the last three award seasons. http://www.epner.com/processes-and-products/laser-gold/nist/nist-certificate/ Contact: David Epner, [email protected], 718-782-5948, www.epner.com About Epner Technology Inc. Epner Technology Inc. is a family owned precious metals plating firm founded in 1910. Now based in Brooklyn, Epner Technology began as a jewelry repair company using precious metal plating as a function of its repair business. Over decades, that plating process was slowly perfected until it became the focus of the business itself. Now, in addition to some of the world's most famous sculptors, Epner Technology services a wide variety of elite academic and scientific clients around the world. Those clients all share one quality in common: the need for durable, ultra-reflective, gold-plating excellence. Some of Epner Technology's clients include the Department of Defense, NASA, the Oscars and now, NIST. SOURCE Epner Technology Related Links http://www.epner.com ST. LOUIS, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's largest car rental provider, Enterprise Holdings, today completed the purchase of Deem, an innovative managed-travel technology platform. The Deem platform includes Deem Work Fource and Deem Ground Work, a suite of online booking and travel technology products for business travelers, travel managers, travel-management companies and suppliers. Since 2011, Deem has provided the technology behind Enterprise Holdings' EHIDirect travel booking platform for small- and medium-sized corporations. Enterprise has been a minority investor in Deem since 2016. Most recently, Enterprise and Deem partnered together to offer National Car and Driver in China through the National Car Rental brand. Earlier this month, Enterprise Holdings announced its intent to acquire Deem. "We recognized Deem as a company that can bring better solutions to the travel industry," said Greg Stubblefield, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Enterprise Holdings, which operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car , National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands. Under Enterprise Holdings, Deem now has access to an infusion of capital and resources to help further expand its product roadmap and increase the pace of product development and enhancements. Deem will continue to operate autonomously from its Silicon Valley headquarters and offer its suite of business travel technology including air and hotel as well as ground transportation options across major rental car, black car, ride-hailing and rail service providers. John F. Rizzo will remain in his role as Chief Executive Officer, as will the rest of the Deem executive team. About Enterprise Holdings Enterprise Holdings through its integrated global network of independent regional subsidiaries and franchises operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands at more than 10,000 fully staffed neighborhood and airport locations. Combined, Enterprise Holdings and its affiliate Enterprise Fleet Management accounted for $24.1 billion in revenue and owned 2 million vehicles throughout the world in fiscal year 2018. Enterprise Holdings' regional subsidiaries and Enterprise Fleet Management currently employ 100,000 worldwide. Enterprise Holdings currently is ranked as one of America's Largest Private Companies . Furthermore, if it were publicly traded, Enterprise Holdings would rank on Fortune's list of the 500 largest American public companies. About Deem Deem is designed for the entire business travel ecosystem using machine learning, AI and predictive analytics. Deem's suite of tools range from a dynamic traveler booking platform, travel manager cost controls, travel agency service technology, and supplier revenue opportunities, including the world's largest car service affiliate network and operator solutions. Deem's Work Fource, Ground Work and Emerging platforms service more than 50,000 corporate customers in 61 countries, speaking 14 languages including the world's largest travel management companies. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif. with offices in Bangalore, India. SOURCE Enterprise Holdings Related Links https://www.enterpriseholdings.com WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Maryland Cultivation and Processing (MCP), one of 18 companies in the State of Maryland pre-approved for the cultivation of medical-use cannabis, is pleased to announce that it has acquired 560 Western Maryland Parkway in Hagerstown, Maryland. The city of Hagerstown is welcoming its second cannabis cultivation business with a shared goal of creating jobs and growing the local economy. "We welcome this new investment to the City of Hagerstown and the new jobs the company will bring to our community," said Jill Thompson, Director of Community & Economic Development for the City of Hagerstown. "The company has a demonstrated reputation in its industry and will be a perfect addition to our business community." Centrally located in the Mid-Atlantic and serviced by an active CSX railroad line, the 12-acre parcel and 36,000 square foot manufacturing and distribution warehouse will be converted by MCP into a medical cannabis cultivation complex in two phases: Phase 1 includes the buildout of new, state-of-the-art indoor cultivation space in its 36,000 sf warehouse, and Phase 2 will be comprised of 45,000 square feet of state-of-the art, glass roof "Dutch" greenhouse. Maryland's medical cannabis industry is experiencing a surge in growth, with sales of roughly $100 million since the inception of the medical cannabis program over 12 months ago. Potential demand has nearly quadrupled since the program became operational with 70,000 registered patients today vs 20,000 shortly after the program's adoption. With nearly 300 new applications filed daily and future sales predicted to reach $500 million by 2025 the Maryland market is poised for a bright future. MCP's founders, Edward Weidenfeld and Andras Kirschner, bring best in class cannabis cultivation practices from their established Washington, D.C. cultivation facility, Phyto Management LLC (Phyto), which produces and sells its products under the District of Columbia's most popular brand, "District Cannabis". "We have a proven track record in the District of Columbia, one which we're extremely proud of," said Edward. "The opportunity to expand our reach into Maryland and bring with it the quality and expertise that is synonymous with our brand was a natural transition." Phyto's cultivation center in the District of Columbia produces the highest quality flowers and pre-rolls and a diverse line of distilled and infused products including vaporizer cartridges, capsules, tinctures, lozenges, salves, bath soaks, and suppositories, all under the District Cannabis brand. Phyto's production capacity has been expanded more than three times this past year to meet demand for medical cannabis in the District of Columbia. MCP will leverage its founder's cannabis cultivation experience and the success of the District Cannabis brand when it begins to grow medical use cannabis in Maryland this spring. This second license in the Mid-Atlantic region represents another step towards District Cannabis becoming the east coast's leading connoisseur brand. Coupled with the new transition into Maryland, District Cannabis has also elected to enhance their senior management team through the addition of Eric Ross. Eric, who will serve as the company's President, will manage existing businesses and navigate strategic imperatives for the company going forward. "Eric has been a key advisor to us for some time and has been central in navigating our strategic outlook," said Andras. "Eric's background in finance, financial controls, capital raising, strategic planning, M&A and investor relations is a perfect complement to our collective skill sets and we believe Eric will make a major contribution in helping us grow our DC and Maryland operations and as we seek additional opportunities to grow our brand in other limited license states." About District Cannabis District Cannabis Management, through its affiliates, grows and processes connoisseur grade medicinal cannabis and cannabis extracts. The District Cannabis brand starts with the highest quality flower and its product line includes pre rolls, as well as an expanding line of distilled and infused products including vaporizer cartridges, capsules, tinctures, lozenges, salves, bath soaks and suppositories. Since inception, the Company's mission is to enhance the quality of life for its patients. District Cannabis Management affiliates are licensed to use the District Cannabis brand, and currently operate in the Washington D.C. and Maryland medical cannabis markets. The Company is committed to a progressive expansion nationally. For more information, visit www.districtcannabis.us Press Contacts William Brawner [email protected] 202-329-1389 SOURCE District Cannabis Related Links http://www.districtcannabis.us TROY, Mich., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) Education Foundation reminds students and teachers that the deadline for entry into the Courageous Persuaders video competition is February 8, 2019. The announcement was made by DADA President Joe Lunghamer. "This high school competition awards creativity and persuasiveness," said Lunghamer. "This is a great opportunity for peer-to-peer influence and education, where high school students learn while creating, and their clever and interesting videos positively impact the lives of children." Courageous Persuaders offers over $25,000 in scholarship awards and is a competition-based scholarship program that invites high school students to create a 30-second commercial about the dangers of underage drinking or the dangers of texting while driving. The commercials are targeted toward middle school-aged children, with the winning entries aired on television and via streaming video on CourageousPersuaders.com. The Michigan Department of State also shows the winning commercials in select Secretary of State (SOS) branch offices. The winners will be announced at a gala Awards Celebration to be held in May. In 2018 the contest drew 632 entries from 225 high schools, and has involved over 900 students from 40 states across the U.S. and from British Columbia. Nearly 1,100 middle school students viewed and evaluated the videos as part of the judging process. Winning entries are eligible for the following scholarship awards: Dangers of Underage Drinking and Driving: Grand Prize: $3,000 First Place: $2,000 Second Place: $1,000 Third Place: $500 Dangers of Texting While Driving: Detroit Auto Dealers Association: $2,000 Courageous Persuaders: $1,000 Additionally, Courageous Persuaders partners present: State Farm Fan Favorite Award: $3,500 . Determined through independent votes in April 2018 , a $2,500 award will be presented to the classroom of the school that produced the video that garners the most votes, and a $1,000 award will be awarded to the student. Determined through independent votes in , a award will be presented to the classroom of the school that produced the video that garners the most votes, and a award will be awarded to the student. Lindsey Renee Cianciolo Family Memorial Fund Award: $3,000 . Two $1,500 Michigan -based awards are donated by Lindsey's father, Michael, her sisters, Allie and Mary Cianciolo and friends of Michael. Lindsey died on January 5, 2005 at the age of 20 in a motor vehicle accident which was largely caused by underage drinking. Two -based awards are donated by Lindsey's father, Michael, her sisters, and friends of Michael. Lindsey died on at the age of 20 in a motor vehicle accident which was largely caused by underage drinking. Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) Award: $2,000 . DADA, the primary sponsor and administrator of the Courageous Persuaders program through its DADA Education Foundation, will also provide a $2,000 scholarship on the dangers of underage drinking. DADA, the primary sponsor and administrator of the Courageous Persuaders program through its DADA Education Foundation, will also provide a scholarship on the dangers of underage drinking. Adcraft Club of Detroit Award: $2,000 . The Adcraft Club award is presented to the student(s) whose commercial best conveys factual information about the dangers of underage drinking. The Adcraft Club award is presented to the student(s) whose commercial best conveys factual information about the dangers of underage drinking. Michelin Award: $2,000 . The Michelin award is presented to the student whose video commercial best illustrates the dangers of underage drinking and its effects on driving. The Michelin award is presented to the student whose video commercial best illustrates the dangers of underage drinking and its effects on driving. Harold and Carolyn Robison Foundation Award: $2,000 . The Harold and Carolyn Robison Foundation award presented to Michigan -only high school student(s) whose commercial focuses on the dangers of texting while driving. The Harold and Carolyn Robison Foundation award presented to -only high school student(s) whose commercial focuses on the dangers of texting while driving. State Farm Insurance: $1,000 . State Farm will select the winning commercial based on persuasiveness and creativity on the dangers of distractive driving. State Farm will select the winning commercial based on persuasiveness and creativity on the dangers of distractive driving. Oakland University Award: $500 . Oakland University Award is presented to a Michigan -only high school student(s) whose commercial focuses on the dangers of texting while driving. Oakland University Award is presented to a -only high school student(s) whose commercial focuses on the dangers of texting while driving. College for Creative Studies (CCS) Award: $250 . The CCS award is chosen based on the cognition, creativity, and craftsmanship of the commercial. The CCS award is chosen based on the cognition, creativity, and craftsmanship of the commercial. Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Courageous Leader Award. The WSJ Courageous Leader Award is presented to a teacher for his or her extraordinary support of the Courageous Persuaders program. For more information regarding Courageous Persuaders, including 2018 winning commercials or details on the overall competition, please visit the website. The Courageous Persuaders program was created in 2000 by the late Oakland County District Judge Michael A. Martone and John Barczyk, a retired local McCann-Erickson advertising executive. In 2007, the DADA Education Foundation became the primary sponsor and administrator of the Courageous Persuaders. About the DADA Education Foundation The mission of the DADA Education Foundation is to promote excellence in education through quality programs and leadership. About Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) The DADA was founded in 1907 by 17 local car dealers, and has grown to more than 220 member car and truck dealers who donate their time and resources to a host of community activities. Currently, the DADA members collectively employ more than 16,500 people. Many members participate in the NAIAS, LLC, which is responsible for the production of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). To find out more about Detroit Auto Dealers Association, visit dada.org. To find out more about the NAIAS, visit naias.com. SOURCE Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) GEHA's Board of Directors said, "Darren was selected to lead the organization because of his strong industry knowledge, success as a business manager and thoughtful, effective leadership style. He has demonstrated the expertise and ability to lead GEHA forward in a dynamic health care environment in a way that will best serve our members." "I am honored to lead this remarkable team and organization and am grateful for the Board's confidence," said Taylor. "This is an exciting time of change and growth in the industry, and GEHA has many strengths to build upon as we help our members live the lives they want through better health." Taylor brings more than 26 years of health care industry experience to the role. Prior to joining GEHA in 2017, he was President and Founder of a health care analytics company. Taylor spent the first 20 years of his career in various leadership roles with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. A life-long Kansas City area resident, he currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Mid-America Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. About GEHA Government Employees Health Association, Inc. (GEHA) is a not-for-profit provider of medical and dental plans for federal employees based in Lee's Summit, Missouri. For more than 81 years, GEHA has been dedicated to providing products and services that help its members protect their families and access quality, affordable health care. Today, GEHA offers one of the largest national medical and dental plans serving federal employees, covering approximately 2 million federal employees, retirees and their dependents. The company employs more than 1,300 people in the Kansas City metro area. For more information, visit geha.com. SOURCE Government Employees Health Association, Inc. Related Links https://www.geha.com SAN DIEGO, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB) today announced that its Cubic Global Defense (CGD) Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Indo-Pacific, Frank Wiercinski will address military training requirements for the Indo-Pacific (IPAC) region at the Asia Defence Expo & Conference Series 2019 (ADECS). Taking place January 2930 in Singapore, ADECS is a leading defense and military exhibition focused on trends in the Asia-Pacific region. ADECS hosts four technical conferences including the Military Simulation & Training Asia Conference (MilSim Asia), which focuses on bringing the most innovative training, modeling and simulation technology to the Armed Forces. "Effective training is the hallmark of a truly professional military and it is a national moral imperative to ensure that our warfighters are prepared for their missions," said Wiercinski. "Increasing human performance through training is crucial for military readiness and I look forward to discussing the importance with the training and simulation community." Wiercinski will present on the following topic at the MilSim Asia conference during ADECS: Military Training Requirements in Tomorrow's Political Landscape Date/Time: January 30, 2019 at 9:50 a.m. (local time) Speaker: Frank Wiercinski , senior vice president and managing director, IPAC, CGD Wiercinski served in the U.S. Army for 34 years and commanded at every level through Theater Army Command. He has received numerous U.S. Military awards and decorations, in addition to decorations from Canada, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Republic of the Philippines. Wiercinski is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Follow Cubic Global Defense @CubicDefense on Twitter and join the social media conversation using #ADECS2019. About Cubic Corporation Cubic is a technology-driven, market-leading provider of integrated solutions that increase situational understanding for transportation, defense C4ISR and training customers worldwide to decrease urban congestion and improve the militaries' effectiveness and operational readiness. Our teams innovate to make a positive difference in people's lives. We simplify their daily journeys. We promote mission success and safety for those who serve their nation. For more information about Cubic, please visit www.cubic.com or on Twitter @CubicCorp . SOURCE Cubic Corporation Related Links http://www.cubic.com NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Converge RE II (Converge Re) announced today that it has received an A- rating of from the Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) with a Stable outlook. The A- rating reflects Converge RE's strong management team, sound initial capitalization, successful track record to date in the life and annuity business, and effective asset management strategy. Converge RE is owned by David Lichtenstein, Chairman and CEO of national real estate investor Lightstone. Established in 2017, Converge RE is managed by an experienced reinsurance and insurance team with a successful history of delivering solid risk-adjusted returns to its clients. Converge RE's investment strategy leverages Lightstone's extensive real estate asset management experience across its over $6 billion portfolio to tackle complex reinsurance opportunities and employs a fixed income allocation managed by Western Asset Management, a global asset manager with more than $420 billion in assets under management. "We are pleased with this rating from KBRA, which recognizes the strength of our team, strategy and track record," said Michael LeBoeuf, CEO of Converge US. "This rating solidifies Converge RE as an integral part of Lightstone's efforts and a logical extension of its investment expertise. We are committed to continued growth and to serving as a financially responsible reinsurer to our clients, and we look forward to building on our positive momentum." To learn more about Converge RE, please visit http://converge-re.com/. About Coverge RE Converge RE is a Puerto Rico domiciled Class 5 Life and Annuity reinsurer that structures and delivers financial solutions on in-force and new business to primary life and annuity insurers in the U.S. The company is accredited as a life reinsurer by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and is a founding member of the Puerto Rico International Insurance Association. Converge RE prides itself on being able to tackle complex reinsurance opportunities and delivering creative client-centric reinsurance solutions while adhering to stringent regulatory and insurer guidelines. Converge RE is owned by David Lichtenstein, Chairman and CEO of the Lightstone, a national real estate investment firm he founded in 1988. About Lightstone Lightstone, founded by David Lichtenstein, is one of the largest and most diversified privately held real estate companies in the United States. Lightstone is active in 28 states across the country, developing, managing and investing in all sectors of the real estate market, including residential, hospitality, commercial, and retail. With over 178 existing properties, Lightstone's over $6 billion portfolio currently includes over 4.5 million square feet of office, retail and industrial commercial properties, over 15,000 residential units, and 4,300 hotel keys. Lightstone also owns over 12,000 land lots across the country. Contact: Teddy Wilson Simmons 212-704-4564 [email protected] SOURCE Converge RE The firm's new office occupies nearly all of a 20,000-square-foot floor in the One Ten Franklin Building. The office currently has 35 employee-owners and room to accommodate 100. Part of an international team of 7,000 professionals, the Burns & McDonnell office in Roanoke performs engineering, consulting, construction and environmental services to support facilities and infrastructure needs in the Mid-Atlantic region. Burns & McDonnell first opened its doors in Roanoke in 2015 with just six employee-owners and has since supported hundreds of projects for healthcare, higher education, commercial, manufacturing, aviation and government clients. "Being a Roanoke Valley native, I am especially excited about deepening our commitment in the region and continuing to support our community's critical project needs," says Jeffrey Ganthner, AIA, vice president and general manager of Mid-Atlantic offices for Burns & McDonnell. "This city is brimming with talent, opportunity, strong partners and great clients, and we couldn't be more thrilled to expand our presence and invest here." Burns & McDonnell ranks among the top 10 design firms in the U.S., according to Engineering News-Record, and among the top five on Building Construction + Design's Giants 300 Report in military sector engineering, airport facilities engineering, engineering/architecture firms and office sector engineering. The firm is also among Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2018 and has been recognized as a best place to work by more than 20 publications across the country. For photos and support materials, please visit our MEDIA KIT. About Burns & McDonnell Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies made up of 7,000 engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists, consultants and entrepreneurs with offices across the country and throughout the world. We strive to create amazing success for our clients and amazing careers for our employee-owners. Burns & McDonnell is 100 percent employee-owned and is proud to be on Fortune's 2018 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit burnsmcd.com . Contact: Elle Martens, Burns & McDonnell 816-822-3147 [email protected] SOURCE Burns & McDonnell Related Links http://www.burnsmcd.com EMERYVILLE, Calif., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The M&A Advisor announced BRG as winner of the Healthcare/Life Sciences Deal of the Year (Under $500 million) in its 13th Annual Turnaround Awards. BRG Managing Directors Haywood Miller and Peter Chadwick led a team in the sale of Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. "Since 2002, we have been honoring the leading turnaround transactions, companies and dealmakers. BRG was chosen from over 275 participating companies to receive the award. It gives us a great pleasure to recognize BRG and bestow upon it our highest honor for distressed investing and reorganization firms and professionals," said Roger Aguinaldo, founder of The M&A Advisor. "BRG represents the best of the distressed investing and reorganization industry in 2018 and earned these honors by standing out in a group of very impressive candidates." "The Orexigen case was another opportunity for us to take advantage of the wealth of healthcare talent at BRG. BRG's Healthcare Analytics and Private Equity Finance Advisory teams allowed us to broaden the potential pool of acquirers, ultimately resulting in a robust sale process," said Chadwick. BRG's Corporate Finance group provides multidisciplinary services, including transaction opinions, transaction advisory services and restructuring, to companies, fiduciaries, lenders, attorneys, funds and other investors. BRG professionals' leading-edge insights as advisors, crisis managers and corporate officers in middle-market to multinational restructurings across a diverse number of industries let them quickly present practical alternatives, design strategies that help maximize value and recommend the most viable approaches. The Corporate Finance team's broad scope of restructuring and bankruptcy services spans areas that include financial analysis, plan development and implementation, and advice on sale/merger transactions. BRG provides pre-transaction, transaction and post-transaction valuation advisory services, including diligence, fairness and solvency opinions, alternative investment portfolio valuations and post-transaction disputes. About The M&A Advisor Now in its 20th year, The M&A Advisor was founded to offer insights and intelligence on mergers and acquisitions, establishing the industry's leading media outlet in 1998. Today, the firm is recognized as the world's premier leadership organization for mergers & acquisition, restructuring and corporate finance professionals, delivering a range of integrated services. To learn more visit www.maadvisor.com. About BRG Berkeley Research Group, LLC (BRG) is a global consulting firm that helps leading organizations advance in three key areas: disputes and investigations, corporate finance, and strategy and operations. Headquartered in California with offices around the world, we are an integrated group of experts, industry leaders, academics, data scientists, and professionals working beyond borders and disciplines. We harness our collective expertise to deliver the inspired insights and practical strategies our clients need to stay ahead of what's next. Visit thinkbrg.com to learn more. SOURCE Berkeley Research Group, LLC Related Links http://www.thinkbrg.com TEL AVIV, Israel, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- bitJob , a developer of a platform to connect employees and employers with ease, full transparency and full trust will launch its platform Today, Monday, January 28, 2019 at noon ET. The platform supports both centralized payment methods (fiat money) and decentralized digital currency which ensures both the employee and employer have a crystal-clear concession and complete trust in the system, receiving the full reward for any social action made on the platform and its remuneration. Employers from various industries can publish job requests for any dedicated actions they may need and reward the user, based on the platform reward history and agreed upon price ranges, in any way they consider appropriate without additional costs for both ends. The innovative idea sprouted in early 2012. Three childhood friends (Dror Medalion-CEO & Co-founder, Aviad Gindi-CFO and Co-founder and Elad Kofman-CMO and Co-founder), like many students, were struggling to find sufficient time to earn decent income while studying. Upon graduation, they were faced with another obstacle: the lack of experience translated to fewer professional opportunities in their field. In time, their idea came to fruition in the form of bitJob. The core visionthe opportunity for all students to pursue their dreamshas led the team to run a successful Crowdfunding Campaign in 2017 (ICO), enabling the firm to create a dedicated platform and a unique digital currency for students. The student tokens, also known as STU, are based on Ethereum Blockchain and serve to reward & make payments inside the bitJob platform, and thus expand the global movement already backed by academic institutions and supports from around the world. The Ethereum technology liberated bitJob from the need to blindly trust server administrators, mass forums and mix and match sorting. Thanks to its transparent properties, a stronger authentication process and a step by step identity and verification process that takes place when performing social actions on all platforms, the process of combining both ends agile, easy and trustworthy. Students all over the world find themselves short on cash from time to time and hope to earn additional income and gain real-world experience while still in school. bitJob aims to provide them with small, fast and fitting and somewhat challenging tasks rewarded with STU currency, assisting students to earn digital currencies while enriching experience and skills for future career success. Some examples may include: Verification processes (Promote individuals' social identity by verifying profiles), Job Matching (Link people with the perfect job for them), Reputation (Ranking positions the users have held and improve employer branding), and Promotion (popularize the ecosystem with likes, shares, and other actions on social media). bitJob has started a Social Mining revolution which will eventually grant a true social based solution for students, freelancers, and employers to exchange knowledge and skills using STU tokens in a fast, easy and secured way. The new bitJob platform will be live on Monday, January 28, 2019 at noon: click here to join today. We recommend signing up to our community as soon as possible to avoid missing out on some great projects, companies and personnel. Join the revolution today and help bitJob create an equal, self-sustaining marketplace where everyone is a winner. We invite employees and employers to join our growing social mining community today, earn STU tokens, and easily stream the income You Need. Join the social revolution today, Register on the platform: https://site.bitjob.io or contact the team for any inquiry: [email protected] Stay tuned for more: SOURCE bitJob Mr. Parker will share his new book, "For Alison: The Murder of a Young Journalist and a Father's Fight for Gun Safety," and discuss how he plans to keep his promise at a National Press Club Headliners book event on Wednesday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Club's conference rooms. This event will feature a moderated discussion with the author, an audience question-and-answer session, and a book signing. Tickets are $5 for National Press Club members and $10 for the general public. When purchasing tickets for this event online, attendees will also have the option of purchasing copies of the book at check-out. To purchase tickets and copies of the book, please click here. Books will also be available for purchase at the event. Proceeds from book sales will benefit the non-profit affiliate of the Club, the National Press Club Journalism Institute, so we kindly ask that you leave all outside books and memorabilia at home. PRESS CONTACT: Lindsay Underwood, The National Press Club (202) 662-7561, [email protected] SOURCE National Press Club True crime stories are big business these days. It seems like everyone and their twisted mother is way into the idea of horrible atrocities as fantastic entertainment. But sometimes truth isn't just stranger than fiction; it's downright ridiculous. Here are a few real crime stories that even the folks at Netflix would turn down for sounding too implausible. 5 A Collection Of Wacky Hustlers Are Fighting Over A 700-Pound Cursed Emerald This story starts normally enough: with a 752-pound cursed emerald being hauled through the jungle as its carriers are attacked by panthers. A classic! Oh, but then it gets weird. This is the story of the Bahia Emerald, and it is embarrassing. Continue Reading Below Advertisement The first American rubes to set eyes on the legendary Bahia Emerald were Tony Thomas and Ken Conette, back in 2001. Truly, it was a romantic setting, the garage of that Brazilian miner, where a cat peed on the priceless gem. The pair consisted of one failed start-up entrepreneur and one failed dreamer (tough to fail at that, but nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself). They knew immediately that the emerald was their ticket to the big time, and Thomas got the miners to sell it to him for only $60,000 (the cat piss must've really brought down the value). When Thomas returned to the States, his appraiser valued the jewel at $925 million. OK, so it turned out the appraiser had pulled that number straight out of his ass, but it was a 1,700,000-carat emerald the size of a kindergartner. It was reasonable to assume it was worth a bit more than a secondhand Lexus. "Allvision's platform aggregates multiple sources of data and, through the power of machine learning and cloud computing, provides analysis tools to deliver actionable information -- giving my team the ability to make informed decisions in near real time, " said Karina Ricks, Director, Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, City of Pittsburgh, one of Allvision's most recent clients. "We are excited to be partnering with Allvision on a pilot addressing urban mobility challenges, starting with curb space management." "The real world around us is constantly captured by a range of technologies including Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), HD spherical photo, and other sensor modalities. The spatial and temporal frequency of data acquisition only continues to increase." said Dr. Aaron Morris, co-founder and CEO of Allvision. "We are developing the tools to generate actionable insights from this flood of raw reality data, empowering infrastructure owners and operators across multiple verticals to minimize costs, improve services and allocate limited resources more effectively. Our mission is to turn 3D data into digital twins of everything visible from the sidewalk, road, or rail. We are fortunate to already be serving customers spanning a range of asset management needs in the transportation sector with specific applications for urban mobility, rail and road asset owners." Allvision is capitalizing on the accessibility of autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh as a prime method of proving out how fluidly sensors on equipped vehicles can provide valuable insights for asset managers in cities worldwide. "By taking massive amounts of data from both LiDAR and photos and combining them, real-world safety concerns can be diminished significantly," Morris added. He furthered with examples of missing signage, vegetation-encroached utility lines and ADA-accessible curbs in disrepair. "These issues can be spotted quickly, without someone reporting it, or worse, having a problem arise. The data is available now to make this a reality; we're developing the tools to make it accessible." Jim Hunt, Managing Partner at Lavrock Ventures said "Allvision has been working diligently during the past year landing pilot customers which have driven the development of their data refinery and analytics platform. The founding team has spent their careers at the intersection of the digital and physical world. They created Allvision leveraging their strong backgrounds in developing solutions for capturing, maintaining and interrogating digital twins of physical assets and have multiple venture-backed exits amongst them. We are excited to lead the investment in Allvision and to work with a great investment syndicate." Representatives from Allvision will be speaking and exhibiting (booth #205) at the International LiDAR Mapping Forum (ILMF) in Denver, Colorado from January 28th to January 30th, 2019. Allvision is hiring, come join our team! - www.allvision.io/careers. About Allvision Allvision develops the platform to enable street level analytics at global scale. We provide the means to make sense of our dynamic environment to solve the world's most pressing problems from the human point of view. The founders have spent their careers at the intersection of the digital and physical worlds and are veterans of Autodesk and Bentley Systems. Allvision's HQ is in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. www.allvision.io. About Lavrock Ventures Based outside Washington, D.C., Lavrock Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that invests in enterprise software, data, and cybersecurity businesses. Lavrock prefers commercially-focused companies, but is fond of opportunities with potential growth in and around the national security ecosystem. Lavrock partners with passionate entrepreneurs working to solve our most critical problems. For more information, visit www.lavrockvc.com. Contact: Meg A. Watt, Marketing Manager, Allvision 412.346.8901 [email protected] SOURCE Allvision Related Links https://www.allvision.io LONDON, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- DG Partners, the London based investment management firm with approximately $1.1 billion in assets under management1, today announced that Tony Fenner-Leitao has joined DG Partners (US) to head marketing and business development in relation to Systematic Strategies in North America and will be based in San Francisco. David Gorton, DG Partners' Chief Investment Officer, commented: "I am thrilled to be able to secure Tony's services for the DG Partners group. Tony brings to the firm a wealth of highly relevant experience from his days at Winton Capital (where he was CEO) and latterly at Passport Capital. He will help to spearhead the growth of our business in the United States, capitalizing on the great support of Brevan Howard, my joint venture partner in BH-DG Systematic Trading LLP." Tony Fenner-Leitao was previously Managing Director and Global Head of Sales & Marketing at Passport Capital in San Francisco. Prior to joining Passport, Mr. Fenner-Leitao was Chief Executive Officer of Winton Capital in London. Mr. Fenner-Leitao has over 25 years of experience of working in financial markets for both asset management firms as well as investment banks, including Goldman Sachs and UBS in London and New York. Mr. Fenner-Leitao received a BA from Durham University in England and an MBA (with Honors) from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. "Joining DG Partners now in this new role was an exceptional opportunity given the DG platform and partnership with Brevan Howard," Tony Fenner-Leitao explained, adding, "I believe DG Partners' focus on global macro and systematic trend following strategies will continue to be among the most compelling for professional investors given the return of volatility and opportunity to generate superior uncorrelated risk adjusted returns." About DG Partners: DG Partners LLP ("DG Partners"), established in 2002, is an investment manager which services clients pursuing global macro and systematic trading strategies. DG Partners' affiliate, BH-DG Systematic Trading LLP ("BH-DG") is an investment manager and part of a joint venture between David Gorton and Brevan Howard established to pursue systematic trading strategies. Across the firm, there is a focus on fixed-income, futures and FX markets with a strong emphasis on liquidity, risk control, investor transparency and research combined with real world trading experience. Each of DG Partners and BH-DG are authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and only provide services to professional and institutional clients. Commodity interest trading involves substantial risk of loss. Persons who do not have professional experience in investments should not rely on the information contained herein. 1 Includes AUM of DG Partners LLP's affiliate, BH-DG Systematic Trading LLP, of approximately $700million. Data correct as at 31 Dec 2018. SOURCE DG Partners LLP ROCKVILLE, Maryland, January 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Efficiently-designed and well-constructed sea ports are viewed as the bedrock upon which a region's infrastructure is developed and maintained. Across the globe, freight transportation is widely achieved by sea, urging regional governments to employ dredging throughout their shores. Capital dredging remains principal in ensuring an effective and safe docking of cargo ships, fishing boats, passenger ferries, and all kinds of vessels that afloat the international waters. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/713666/FactMR_Logo.jpg ) Fact.MR's recently collated study foretells that the dredging market will record a modest 2.7% CAGR between the forecast 2017 and 2022. An effective dredging service can directly improve the social and economic development of a region by providing deeper channels to protect the submerged depends of ships. The maritime infrastructure sector continues to witness diversity in dredging techniques, with some offering maintenance of port access channels while others being designed on the basis of characteristics of the soil being dredged. In the foreseeable. Request Sample Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=922 With the world population expanding in the coastal areas, more land requires to be protected and reclaimed. In addition, a rise in sea levels has been observed, on the back of global warming, is increasing risk of natural calamities, particularly in the coastal areas. Owing to these incidences, the dredging market has been gaining traction over the past few years. Various initiatives are being taken by the governments as well as the global leaders in the dredging market, in order to support and enhance the dredging activities. For example - the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), along with five ports of the Lower Columbia River are commencing process of public scoping for preparing a long-term maintenance plan and an integrated statement of environmental impact for the federal navigation channel of the Lower Columbia River. Such initiatives will continue to influence growth of the dredging market in the near future. Dredging Market: Opportunities Abundant in Urban Development While dredging seeks extensive application across various areas ranging from trade activity to coastal protection, revenues from dredging activities in urban development will increase at a relatively higher rate through 2022, according to the study. Rapid rise in urbanization has resulted in development of cities in terms of growth and innovation in recent years. The 2016 report of the UN Habitat states that over 54% of the global population resides in cities. With urbanization illustrating no signs of abating, more people are moving to cities, thereby putting pressure on administrators to offer space amidst influx of population density growth in their area. Browse Full Report on Dredging Market with TOC- https://www.factmr.com/report/922/dredging-market In dredging market, land reclamation is gaining traction as go-to option among city planners, who deal with overwhelming pressures of urbanization. This has further led to immense requirement for dredging activities, which in turn has been favoring growth of the dredging market. Urban development entailed requirement for dredging has remained dominant in the dredging market, and the status quo is likely to prevail in the near future. The swell in infrastructure activities worldwide has driven the requirement for expansion of the existing ports, along with the development of new ones. This has further underpinned expansion of the dredging market significantly. Considering the fact that, bulk activities of the global trade are carried out via sea, maintenance of existing pathways, while creating new ones, is gaining increased emphasis. Dredging activities related to trade maintenance are likely to hold major revenue share of the dredging market, second to that of urban development related activities. Ask Our Industry Expert for more details on this Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=AE&rep_id=922 Preeminence of Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) in the dredging market is likely to prevail in the upcoming years. In North America, majority of the dredging market is likely to remain consolidated in the U.S. Revenues from the dredging market in the U.S are set to exceed US$ 1,300 Mn by 2022-end. In Europe, the U.K., France and Germany will collaboratively lead the dredging market, with the study estimating these European countries to collectively account for US$ 1,800 Mn revenues by 2022-end. Popular Industrial Goods Market Reports by FMR - Elevators Market Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking - Global Review 2017 to 2026 - https://www.factmr.com/report/408/elevators-market Marine Emission Control Systems Market Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking - Global Market Insights 2018 to 2028 - https://www.factmr.com/report/2446/marine-emission-control-systems-market About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports. Contact Us Rohit Bhisey Fact.MR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.factmr.com/ SOURCE Fact.MR Net revenue growth due to first shipments of adult-use recreational product during the period Consists of gross revenue of $14.4 million less excise taxes and returns of $2.0 million Adjusted Gross Margin (a non-IFRS measure) 1 equal to $8.8 million up from $1.6 million in prior quarter Cash cost of cultivation (a non-IFRS measure)1 equal to $0.56 /dried flower equivalent gram ( $0.74 "all-in" including non-cash costs) down from $0.62 ( $0.83 "all-in") in the prior quarter MONCTON, NB, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Organigram Holdings Inc. (TSX VENTURE: OGI) (OTCQX: OGRMF), the parent company of Organigram Inc. (the "Company" or "Organigram"), a leading licensed producer of cannabis, is pleased to announce its first quarter results for fiscal 2019. The Company's fiscal first quarter encompasses operations up to and including November 30, 2018 and as a result, includes the impact on revenue of adult-use recreational cannabis for part of the quarter, which was legalized on October 17, 2018. "The first quarter of 2019 is just the start of what we expect to be a year of tremendous growth," said Greg Engel, the Company's Chief Executive Officer. "We've always believed the Moncton Campus would be a competitive advantage for us being able to produce high-quality indoor-grown product at low cash cost of cultivation. Our first quarter results confirmed that as we reported an adjusted gross margin of 71%." The Company's net revenue for the quarter was limited by post-harvest (extraction, packaging, excising and labelling) capabilities which it aggressively looks to augment and gain greater efficiencies on. "While we continue to work hard to take advantage of our enviable inventory build to drive increased sales we are already well underway preparing for the derivative and edibles launch during the fall of 2019," remarked Greg. Note: financial figures relating to prior periods have been restated due to the reclassification of discontinued operations and the reclassification of shipping expense from selling and marketing expense to cost of sales. Select Highlights for the First Quarter of Fiscal 2019 The Company is proud to report record net sales from continuing operations for the three months ended November 30, 2018 (Q1'2019) of $12.4 million , up 419% from $2.4 million in Q1'2018, and up 287% from $3.2 million in Q4'2018. (Q1'2019) of , up 419% from in Q1'2018, and up 287% from in Q4'2018. Gross margin increased to $51.7 million in Q1'2019 from $1.3 million in Q1'2018 and $32.5 million in Q4'2018. Excluding fair value adjustments on biological assets ("adjusted gross margin") these figures would be $8.8 million , $0.6 million , and $1.6 million , respectively. in Q1'2019 from in Q1'2018 and in Q4'2018. Excluding fair value adjustments on biological assets ("adjusted gross margin") these figures would be , , and , respectively. Gross margin percentage, excluding fair value adjustments on biological assets, increased to a record 71% during Q1'19 compared to 25% in the prior year comparative quarter and 50% in Q4'2018. Reported net income from continuing operations was $29.5 million , or $0.195 per share on a diluted basis, for Q1'2019, up from a net loss of $(1.2) million , or $(0.012) per share on a diluted basis, in Q1'2018, and net income of $18.0 million , or $0.152 per share on a diluted basis, in Q4'2018. , or per share on a diluted basis, for Q1'2019, up from a net loss of , or per share on a diluted basis, in Q1'2018, and net income of , or per share on a diluted basis, in Q4'2018. Free cash flow, a non-IFRS financial measure1 defined by the Company as net income before income tax, depreciation, share-based compensation, and the fair value adjustment to biological assets and inventory, was positive for the first time at $2.9 million for Q1'2019 versus $(0.7) million for the prior year comparative quarter and $(3.6) million for Q4'2018. Outlook Fiscal 2019 sales will continue to be dominated by adult-use recreational revenue and Q2'19 will represent the first full quarter of adult-use recreational sales for the Company. The Company is almost two months into Q2 and expects net revenue for the quarter to be at least twice that of Q1 but reminds investors that actual net revenue sales may deviate materially from forecasts. 2 The Company reported inventories of $91.4 million up from $45.0 million at year-end August 31, 2018 . Organigram continues to build inventories as it continues to ramp up its packaging, labelling, extraction and excise stamping capabilities. up from at year-end . Organigram continues to build inventories as it continues to ramp up its packaging, labelling, extraction and excise stamping capabilities. The Company is also actively looking at outsourcing part of its "available for extraction" inventory balance as it represented approximately $38.0 of the $91.4 million inventory balance at quarter-end. of the inventory balance at quarter-end. The budget for Phase 4 of the Moncton Campus expansion has increased from the original $110 estimate to $120 to $125 million due to increased cost of steel, timing of winter construction, and expedited timelines. Phase 4A is expected to come online in April 2019 with 31 grow rooms, 4B in August 2019 with 32 grow rooms, and 4C in the Fall of 2019 with 29 grow rooms bringing the Company's target production capacity to 62,000 kg/yr, 89,000 kg/yr, and 113,000 kg/yr, respectively. The Company had spent approximately $37 million on Phase 4 by the end of Q1'19.3 Operational Highlights (includes events after quarter-end) Sales and Marketing Q1'2019 was the strongest sales quarter for Organigram yet. With the launch of the adult-use recreational market coupled with ongoing medical sales, the Company not only experienced its highest sales quarter of all time, it also surpassed in a single quarter what it has historically done in an entire year of sales on the medical side. The Company is currently focused on becoming an official supplier in the province of Quebec which, if completed, would secure distribution for Organigram in all 10 provinces. which, if completed, would secure distribution for Organigram in all 10 provinces. The Company continues to build its sales infrastructure with a high-quality sales team including field sales representatives and sales management to help to work with retailers and educate staff at the retailer level on Organigram's various brands. Looking forward, the Company will continue to expand production capacity and to make preparations for the introduction of a range of derivative based products, including edibles and vaporizable products. Other Milestones and Strategic Initiatives Investment in Hyasynth on September 13, 2018 the Company entered into a strategic investment by way of convertible secured debentures of Hyasynth Biologicals Inc., a biotech company based in Montreal and leader in the field of cannabinoid science and biosynthesis. The initial investment of $5 million can increase up to $10 million upon achievement by Hyasynth of certain funding milestones. Please refer to the press release dated September 13, 2018 for further details on this transaction. the Company entered into a strategic investment by way of convertible secured debentures of Hyasynth Biologicals Inc., a biotech company based in and leader in the field of cannabinoid science and biosynthesis. The initial investment of can increase up to upon achievement by Hyasynth of certain funding milestones. Please refer to the press release dated for further details on this transaction. Investment in Eviana on October 2, 2018 the Company completed a $5 million private placement senior unsecured convertible debenture investment in Eviana Health Corporation, a CSE listed company with hemp operations in Serbia. Organigram also entered into an offtake agreement with Eviana, whereby Organigram has the right, but not the obligation, to purchase up to and including 25% of Eviana's annual CBD production for a period of five years from when it is first made commercially available by Eviana at 95% of the agreed raw CBD oil wholesale market price. Please refer to the press release dated October 2, 2018 for further details on this transaction. the Company completed a private placement senior unsecured convertible debenture investment in Eviana Health Corporation, a CSE listed company with hemp operations in Serbia. Organigram also entered into an offtake agreement with Eviana, whereby Organigram has the right, but not the obligation, to purchase up to and including 25% of Eviana's annual CBD production for a period of five years from when it is first made commercially available by Eviana at 95% of the agreed raw CBD oil wholesale market price. Please refer to the press release dated for further details on this transaction. Investment in Alpha-Cannabis Germany - on October 17, 2018 the Company announced a definitive agreement whereby the Company makes a 1.625 million (approximately $2.44 million CAD) investment in Alpha-Cannabis Germany paid in cash with another 875,000 (approximately $1.35 million CAD) payable in the form of Organigram shares on the achievement of certain milestones. Please refer to the press release dated October 17, 2018 for further details on this transaction. the Company announced a definitive agreement whereby the Company makes a 1.625 million (approximately CAD) investment in Alpha-Cannabis Germany paid in cash with another 875,000 (approximately CAD) payable in the form of Organigram shares on the achievement of certain milestones. Please refer to the press release dated for further details on this transaction. On January 21, 2019 , the Company entered into an agreement with 1812 Hemp, a New Brunswick based industrial hemp research company to secure supply and support research and development on the genetic improvement of hemp through traditional plant breeding methods. As part of the deal Organigram has access to approximately 6,000 kg of dried hemp flower harvested in the fall of 2018, which it intends to purchase and begin to send for extraction within the first calendar quarter of 2019. Financial Highlights The following results include sales to the adult-use recreational market, which began in September to meet demand for the launch on October 17, 2018. Summary of Financial Results (in CAD $000s except for per share amounts) % Change % Change Q1-2019 Q4-2018 Q1-2018 vs Q4-2018 vs Q1-2018 Gross revenue $ 14,484 $ 3,205 $ 2,400 352% 504% Sales recovery (returns) (5) 8 (1) -163% n/m Excise taxes (2,040) - - n/m n/m Net revenue 12,439 3,213 2,399 287% 419% Cost of sales (incl. indirect production) 3,618 1,594 1,804 167% 101% Gross margin (excluding FV adjustment)1 8,821 1,619 595 375% 1,383% FV adjust on bio assets and inventories 42,925 30,846 722 39% 5,845% Gross margin 51,746 32,465 1,317 58% 3,829% General and administrative 2,171 1,601 921 36% 136% Sales and marketing 2,357 2,088 923 1% 155% Share-based compensation (non-cash) 972 1,172 746 -17% 30% Total expenses 5,500 4,861 2,590 8% 112% Income (loss) from continuing operations 46,246 27,604 (1,273) 68% n/m Net financing costs and investment (income) 3,944 3,860 (44) 2% n/m Income tax expense 12,785 5,653 - 126% n/m Net income (loss) from continuing operations 29,517 18,091 (1,229) 63% n/m Loss from discontinued operations (38) (74) (173) -49% -78% Net income (loss) and comprehensive income $ 29,479 $ 18,017 $ (1,402) 64% n/m Net income (loss) from continuing operations per common share, basic $ 0.231 $ 0.157 $ (0.012) 47% n/m Net income (loss) from continuing operations per common share, diluted $ 0.195 $ 0.152 $ (0.012) 29% n/m Net income (loss) from discontinued operations per common share, basic $ (0.000) $ (0.001) $ (0.002) -70% n/m Net income (loss) from discontinued operations per common share, diluted $ (0.000) $ (0.001) $ (0.002) -70% n/m Selected Balance Sheet Highlights and Financial Position (in $000 except for per share amounts) November 30, August 31, % 2018 2018 Change Cash and short-term investments $ 95,949 $ 130,064 -26% Biological assets 26,345 19,858 33% Inventories 91,441 44,969 103% Other current assets 15,785 8,323 90% Property, plant and equipment 124,838 98,639 27% Other non-current assets 14,270 714 1,899% Total assets $ 368,628 $ 302,567 22% Current liabilities $ 15,798 $ 11,250 40% Non-current liabilities 119,862 106,723 12% Total liabilities 135,660 117,973 15% Shareholders' equity 232,968 184,594 26% Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity $ 368,628 $ 302,567 22% Capital Structure Nov-30-2018 Aug-31-2018 (in CAD $000s) Long-term debt $ 12,624 $ 2,877 Convertible debentures carrying value 85,672 95,866 (with face value in parentheses) (98,073) (110,329) Shareholders' equity 229,089 184,594 Total long-term debt and shareholders' equity $ 327,385 $ 283,337 (in 000s) Outstanding shares 129,551 125,208 Options 7,546 7,710 Warrants 7,197 8,087 Restricted share units 145 145 Convertible debentures (if converted at $5.42) 18,095 20,845 Fully-diluted shares 162,534 161,995 During the three months ended November 30, 2018, approximately $14.9 million of face value of debentures were converted into common shares at a conversion price of $5.42, leaving approximately $98.1 million of the face value of debentures outstanding. Outstanding share count as at January 25, 2019 is as follows: (in 000s) Outstanding shares 129,631 Options 8,429 Warrants 7,197 Restricted share units 940 Convertible debentures (if converted at $5.42) 18,095 Fully-diluted shares 164,292 About Organigram Holdings Inc. Organigram Holdings Inc. is a TSX Venture Exchange listed company whose wholly owned subsidiary, Organigram Inc., is a licensed producer of cannabis and cannabis-derived products in Canada. Organigram is focused on producing the highest-quality, indoor-grown cannabis for patients and adult recreational consumers in Canada, as well as developing international business partnerships to extend the company's global footprint. Organigram has also developed a portfolio of legal adult use recreational cannabis brands including The Edison Cannabis Company, Ankr Organics, Trailer Park Buds and Trailblazer. Organigram's primary facility is located in Moncton, New Brunswick and the Company is regulated by the Cannabis Act and the Cannabis Regulations (Canada). Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. 1The financial information in this news release contains certain financial performance measures that are not defined by and do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and are used by management to assess the financial and operational performance of the Company. These include but are not limited to target production capacity; cost of cultivation per dried flower harvested (both "cash" and "all-in"); Adjusted gross margin (excluding fair value adjustments); Adjusted net income; Adjusted EBITDA and Free cash flow. The Company believes that these non-IFRS financial measures, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, enable investors to evaluate the Company's operating results, underlying performance and prospects in a similar manner to the Company's management. These non-IFRS financial performance measures are defined in the places in which they appear. As there are no standardized methods of calculating these non-IFRS measures, the Company's approaches may differ from those used by others, and accordingly, the use of these measures may not be directly comparable. Accordingly, these non-IFRS measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. This news release contains forward-looking information which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. 2This news release also contains forward looking financial information related to expected net revenues for Q2 of Fiscal 2019. This is based on management's review of fulfilled and existing purchase orders. Management is providing this information to give readers a sense of the Company's near-term performance in a nascent sales environment and using this information for any other purpose may not be appropriate. 3The forward-looking estimates of additional production capacity and costs related thereto are based on a number of material factors and assumptions including that: the facility size will be as estimated with the same amount of cultivation space being used per grow room for cultivation as in Phases 2 and 3; the ratio of dried flower cultivated per canopy square foot of grow room will be consistent with historical output in the Company's existing facilities; all grow rooms designated as production rooms will be utilized for their intended purposes (from time to time rooms may be used for other purposes, such as for storage); construction of the facilities will be on time in accordance with the estimates set out above and ready for final inspection by Health Canada in time to meet the target onboarding dates; and costs of construction and its various inputs will remain stable. Important factors - including the receipt of any required regulatory approvals, the results of financing efforts, facility and technological risks, agricultural risks, supply risks, construction risks, financial risks, facility and technological risks, ability to maintain any required licenses or certifications, changes in law and regulation, industry competition, execution risks related to fulfilment of purchase orders, third party transport risks, crop yields, expected number of users of medical and adult-use recreational cannabis - that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE OrganiGram Related Links http://www.organigram.ca GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With effect from 28 January 2019, Maples and Calder and MaplesFS which comprises Maples Fiduciary and Maples Fund Services, have consolidated their offerings under a single brand, now called the Maples Group, bringing together their internationally recognised offerings. This composite of collective services includes an international law firm, advising on the laws of the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Ireland, Jersey and Luxembourg and market leading global fund administration and fiduciary services. The rebranding initiative, which includes a new corporate logo and website, highlights the strength of the Maples Group as a comprehensive solution for legal, fiduciary, fund, entity formation and management services, as well as regulatory and compliance services. "We have always understood the demand from our clients for a complete and seamless service incorporating the legal advice we provide, with the specialist suite of complementary services offered by our fiduciary and fund services teams, which has been a cornerstone of our growth for many years," said Alasdair Robertson, Global Managing Partner. "The rebranding of our businesses underscores our commitment to a full service offering of the highest standards for our clients," he added. "We will continue to deliver excellence across all lines of our business and the rebrand will not impact the way that we service our clients, who can expect the same partnership-based approach and tailored solutions to which they have become accustomed." The fresh design of the new Maples Group logo reflects its ethos of fusing local and global expertise to work together seamlessly in a collaborative and integrated way, alongside the diversity of its people, services and geography. The Group currently operates from a network of 17 international locations, representing a truly global footprint, and has a headcount of over 1800 people. Renowned for its high touch, responsive client service, the Maples Group takes an innovative approach to delivering customisable and cutting edge solutions to meet the unique needs of its clients. The Maples Group's new website, www.maples.com, provides access to its wide range of services and expertise through a single portal, designed to enhance the overall user experience. "Our new corporate identity, unveiled today, is another milestone in the evolution of the Group's brand and reflects significant demand for a service provider with a holistic offering for the financial services industry," said Scott Somerville, CEO of the fiduciary, fund, entity formation and management, and regulatory services businesses of the Maples Group. "We have experienced tremendous growth in our business in recent years, which has enabled us to support our clients across the globe with an unmatched depth of service, reinforced by market leading technology and the cross-jurisdictional expertise of our professionals. "We are excited to reveal this new business strategy and look forward to giving our clients the opportunity to tap into the full suite of services that the Maples Group continues to offer and develop," he added. About the Maples Group The Maples Group is a leading service provider offering clients a comprehensive range of legal services on the laws of the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Ireland, Jersey and Luxembourg, and is an independent provider of fiduciary, fund services, regulatory and compliance, and entity formation and management services. The Maples Group distinguishes itself with a client-focused approach, providing solutions tailored to their specific needs. Its global network of lawyers and industry professionals are strategically located in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East to ensure that clients gain immediate access to expert advice and bespoke support, within convenient time zones. information, please visit: www.maples.com. SOURCE Maples Group Related Links https://maples.com Indalo's lead drug candidate, IDL-2965, which is scheduled to enter the clinic in early 2019, is an oral, selective, RGD-binding integrin antagonist that inhibits the activation of TGF- (a fibrogenic growth factor) as well as the ability of stiff extracellular matrix to promote fibroblast migration and survival. IDL-2965 displays potent antifibrotic efficacy at low once-daily doses across multiple models of disease in vital organ systems, including the liver, lung, and kidney. Indalo has completed a rigorous set of GLP toxicology and safety-pharmacology studies with IDL-2965 in preparation for human studies and has designed an efficient and adaptive Phase 1 program that enables assessment of safety, PK, and biomarker-based proof of mechanism in NASH and IPF patients. "I'm thrilled to join Indalo at this critical point in its evolution to a clinical-stage biotechnology company," commented Mr. Jacks. "Indalo's differentiated approach, which targets key RGD-binding integrins on fibroblasts and epithelial cells to inhibit multiple processes of pathologic fibrosis, has the potential to transform the lives of millions of patients suffering from serious fibrotic diseases." Mr. Jacks most recently served as the Co-Founder, President & CFO of Symbiomix Therapeutics, which achieved New Drug Application (NDA) approval for Solosec prior to the company being acquired by Lupin, Inc., in 2017. Prior to Symbiomix, he worked for several private biotechnology firms, including Tobira Therapeutics and ACT Biotech. Mr. Jacks also previously served as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence for OrbiMed and as a Director of Business Development for Pfizer, where he led the Licensing Leadership Teams for Oncology and Infectious Diseases. He received an MBA from Columbia Business School, an MSE in Civil Engineering from Stanford University, and a BSE in Civil Engineering from Duke University. "As Indalo Therapeutics prepares to take its first drug candidate into clinical trials, Robert is an excellent addition to the leadership team. He has the right combination of knowledge and skills, and a proven track record driving clinical programs forward, leading to positive outcomes for investors and patients alike," said Peter Barrett, PhD, Partner at Atlas Venture and Chair of the Indalo Board of Directors. About Indalo Therapeutics Indalo Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing integrin antagonists for patients suffering from serious fibrotic diseases such as NASH and IPF. Indalo's novel chemistry is unique compared to other therapeutic options being explored, as it provides target specificity in small molecules with favorable drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic properties. The company's lead drug candidate, IDL-2965, is scheduled to enter the clinic in early 2019. IDL-2965 provides potent antifibrotic efficacy at low once-daily oral doses across multiple models of disease in vital organ systems, including the liver, lung, and kidney. Indalo's founders have investigated integrin antagonist biology and chemistry for decades, and its R&D leadership team was responsible for the development and approval of Esbriet at InterMune. Atlas Venture and F-Prime Capital Partners co-led the company's $26 million Series A financing in 2017. The company has also received funding from BioGenerator, MTC, iSelect Fund, and other investors. Indalo's corporate office is located in Cambridge, MA. For more information, please visit www.indalotherapeutics.com. About Atlas Venture Atlas Venture is a leading biotech venture capital firm. With the goal of doing well by doing good, we have been building breakthrough biotech startups for over 25 years. We work side by side with exceptional scientists and entrepreneurs to translate high impact science into medicines for patients. Our seed-led venture creation strategy rigorously selects and focuses investment on the most compelling opportunities to build scalable businesses and realize value. For more information, please visit www.atlasventure.com. About F-Prime Capital Partners F-Prime Capital Partners is a global venture capital firm investing in life sciences, healthcare, and technology. Since 1969, F-Prime has worked closely with entrepreneurs and academics to create innovative solutions to some of the world's most significant challenges in healthcare and technology. For more information, please visit fprimecapital.com. SOURCE Indalo Therapeutics Related Links http://www.indalotherapeutics.com DELAWARE, Ohio, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Greif, Inc. (NYSE: GEF, GEF.B) ("Greif") today announced the commencement of a private offering of $500 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2027 (the "Notes"), subject to market and other conditions. The offering of the Notes is part of the financing of the merger consideration for the previously announced acquisition (the "Caraustar Acquisition") of Paperboard Parent, Inc., the parent company of Caraustar Industries, Inc. (collectively, "Caraustar"). Greif intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the Notes, together with borrowings under new senior secured credit facilities that it expects to enter into on the date the Caraustar Acquisition closes, to fund the merger consideration of the Caraustar Acquisition, redeem the $250.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 7.75% senior unsecured notes due August 1, 2019, repay outstanding borrowings under its existing senior secured credit facilities and pay related fees and expenses. The Caraustar Acquisition has not been completed as of the date of this press release and is subject to customary closing conditions. The Notes offering is not conditioned upon the completion of the Caraustar Acquisition, but Greif will be required to redeem the Notes if the Caraustar Acquisition is not completed. The Notes will be offered in the United States to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and to persons outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act. The Notes and the related guarantees will not be registered under the Securities Act, or the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction, and, unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This press release is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to buy or sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities described herein. There shall not be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. About Greif Greif is a global leader in industrial packaging products and services and is pursuing its vision: in industrial packaging, be the best performing customer service company in the world. The company produces steel, plastic and fibre drums, intermediate bulk containers, reconditioned containers, flexible products, containerboard and packaging accessories and provides filling, packaging and other services for a wide range of industries. Greif also manages timber properties in the southeastern United States. The company is strategically positioned in over 40 countries to serve global as well as regional customers. Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This communication may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to Greif's financing plans and the Caraustar Acquisition and other statements about future expectations, prospects, estimates and other matters that are dependent upon future events or developments. These forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will," "should," "could," "would," "project," "continue," "likely," and similar expressions, and include statements reflecting future results, trends or guidance, and statements of outlook. All forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, expectations and other information currently available to management. All forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forecasted, projected or anticipated, whether expressed or implied. These risks and uncertainties include: the ability to successfully complete the Caraustar Acquisition on a timely basis, including receipt of required regulatory approvals; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the definitive agreement; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the parties and others related to the Caraustar Acquisition; the satisfaction of certain conditions to the completion of the Caraustar Acquisition; the conditions of the credit markets and Greif's ability to issue debt to fund the Caraustar Acquisition on acceptable terms; the impact of indebtedness incurred by Greif in connection with the transaction and the potential impact on the rating of indebtedness of Greif; if the Caraustar Acquisition is completed, the ability to retain the acquired businesses' customers and employees, the ability to successfully integrate the acquired businesses into Greif's operations, and the ability to achieve the expected synergies as well as accretion in margins, earnings or cash flow; competitive pressures in Greif's various lines of business; the risk of non-renewal or a default under one or more key customer or supplier arrangements or changes to the terms of or level of purchases under those arrangements; uncertainties with respect to U.S. tax or trade laws; the effects of any investigation or action by any regulatory authority; and changes in foreign currency rates and the cost of commodities. Greif is subject to additional risks and uncertainties described in its Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports and exhibits to those reports. This communication reflects management's views as of January 28, 2019. Except to the extent required by applicable law, Greif undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. For more information, please refer to the contact below: Matt Eichmann, Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, 740-549-6067 SOURCE Greif, Inc. Related Links http://www.greif.com At the meeting, academic convener Wang Min gave an introduction on the committee's background, members and the academic orientation of Zhuhai Design Week. Xi Xiaole, representative of Huafa Group which was the event organizer, issued letters of appointment to members, while Ma Chenfeng, secretary general of the committee, gave a speech during which he reviewed the 2018 event and spoke of his expectations for the 2019 Zhuhai Design Week. Renowned designers gather in Zhuhai, forming a high-profile think tank Wang gave a detailed presentation on the committee's background and members at the meeting. He said that the committee is being established to serve as a high-end academic exchange platform with the goal of improving and strengthening the organization, enhancing the content and brand positioning of Zhuhai Design Week, in a move to continue maintaining the high-level academic quality of the event, and integrating resources to further the development of the design industry in Zhuhai. The academic committee is comprised of one academic convener and eight academic members, who are outstanding practitioners within a design or design-related industry, including the above-mentioned Wang Min and Chen Dongliang, David Grossman, chairman of the International Council of Design; Liu Xiaokang, secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Design Associations; Liu Xiaodu, founder of URBANUS; Ma Ke, founder of Wu Yong; Ma Quan, vice dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Arts at Macau University of Science and Technology; Tong Huiming, vice director of the Subcommittee on the Teaching of Industrial Design at the Ministry of Education; and Wang Yudong, vice director of the Office of the Organizing Committee of Beijing Design Week. The academic committee of Zhuhai Design Week has distinguished itself through its high level of scholarship, as well as by the wide range of disciplines that are included and the depth of regional coverage. In terms of the academic level, in addition to the convener, Mr. Wang, (former president of the School of Design of China Central Academy of Fine Arts and, currently, deputy director of the academy's academic committee), who was named a Yangtze River Scholar Professor, the committee includes China's top fashion, industrial and architectural designers, some of Asia's most famous graphic designers and artists as well as leaders from the world's largest organizations of designers. In terms of areas specialization, the academic members come from several different disciplines, including industrial, architectural, fashion and art design, as well as design education research and production management. In terms of regional coverage, they are from some of the world's leading design centers, including New York, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau. As a result of their efforts, the design industry has established a collaboration and exchange mechanism where high-quality dialogues as well as cooperation between key international and domestic regions takes place, driving the global convergence of the design industry. At the meeting, Xi Xiaole, the representative from Huafa Group and the organizer of the event, issued the letters of appointment, which feature the unique logo of Zhuhai Design Week, to the above-mentioned experts. Experts and scholars, through presentations and discussions, contribute to the development of a blueprint for the design sector of the Bay Area The academic committee of Zhuhai Design Week held three premium seminars from 9 am to 6 pm on January 24: the preparation and establishment seminars as well as the Zhuhai Design Center seminar at which experts and scholars, through the delivery of presentations and the engagement in discussions, made contributions to the development of a grand blueprint for the design sector of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (the "Bay Area"). During the morning, committee members first discussed the status of social and economic development as well as the regional uniqueness of both the Bay Area and Zhuhai. They believed that in addition to being the right place to hold the design week, Zhuhai has also built the world's top social circle for designers through the establishment of the committee. After engaging in discussions on the characteristics, positioning and significance of Zhuhai Design Week, members put forward three proposals: strengthening connections between the design community and a wider range of small and medium-sized firms in order to provide a platform for demonstrating the success of high quality design projects and empowering the transformation of businesses and products; increasing the number of dialogs and quality of communications among designers across the world's design industry hubs and establishing a design industry alliance for the Bay Area as a window to expanding internationally and bringing in resources; accelerating the introduction and commercialization of design and research efforts from university partners. During the afternoon, the committee proposed the idea of building the Zhuhai Design Center platform with the aim of attracting high-end manufacturing and design-related businesses in conjunction with innovative resources from home and abroad through the platform, to drive the transformation of the manufacturing, fashion and tourism sectors in Zhuhai and around the Bay Area. The committee has reached a consensus on how members can complement each other in terms of expertise, resource integration and cooperation: with the holding of Zhuhai Design Week, they will collaborate on bringing in resources from the design sector and exploring how to integrate technology and design through innovative and humanistic thinking. The aim is to drive the deep integration of high-end manufacturing and modern services on the basis of real economy-led industry innovation, make contributions to industrial agglomeration and development of a second generation of entrepreneurship in Zhuhai, further the prosperity of the area's design-related sector, and better meet growing expectations of the local population for a better life. The secretary general of the committee talks about his expectations for 2019 Zhuhai Design Week while reviewing the 2018 event During the seminars, secretary general of the committee Ma Chenfeng reviewed 2018 Zhuhai Design Week. The first edition of the event consisted of 10 sessions, including a design expo, a keynote dialogue and a parallel forum in addition to 22 interactive events, attracting over 1,000 senior designers from more than 10 countries and regions worldwide. Notably, the design expo exceeded the organizers' expectations as it not only attracted over 250,000 onsite visitors and 200,000 online visitors but also received high acclaim from local visitors. 2019 Zhuhai Design Week will be hosted once again by Huafa Group and is highly anticipated by the industry as the organizer plans to add several new topics into the event, including the 70th anniversary of the establishment of New China and the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to China while maintaining sessions that were popular among visitors last year. The committee plans to bring together leading professional think tanks, provide access to top-level design resources and identify some of the area's superior design outcomes in a move to promote the development of the Bay Area's design sector. In addition, the establishment of the committee is expected to lay a sound foundation for the holding of 2019 Zhuhai Design Week, an annual design event that will help Zhuhai become one of the most important design hubs in the Bay Area. SOURCE Zhuhai Huafa Group TORONTO, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - First Quantum Minerals Ltd. ("First Quantum" or the "Company", TSX Symbol "FM") previously reported on January 23, 2018, that a land slippage occurred on the slope of the northern zone of the open pit mine in the Cobre Las Cruces ("CLC"), located in the municipality of Gerena (Seville province) Spain. The Company can now report that, subject to regulatory approvals, a start-up of the mill is expected to commence sometime in February to process the existing stockpiles while developing a plan to mine Phase 6 of the operation is established and submitted for regulatory approvals. The stockpiles are lower grade and are expected to continue to be processed until the mining of Phase 6 can commence. Phase 6 ore is not impacted by the slippage and is accessible by the southern ramp which is not affected. The Company will provide further updates as more information is available. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of First Quantum Minerals Ltd. G. Clive Newall President For further information visit our website at www.first-quantum.com SOURCE First Quantum Minerals Ltd. Related Links http://www.first-quantum.com LONDON, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Brazil's Vale, the world's largest iron ore miner, on Friday afternoon reported the collapse of its iron ore tailings Dam 1 at its Feijao mining complex in Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil. For perspective, S&P Global Platts, the leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy markets, has released this FACTBOX "Brazil's Vale facing critical test after another iron ore tailings dam accident." Platts.com LinkedIn Facebook Twitter The dam collapse came a little more than three years after a similar accident at Samarco, a mining and pelletizing joint venture owned by Vale and BHP, which caused one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters, with a mud slide claiming 19 lives and causing production disruptions that are still reverberating. In terms of immediate iron ore production losses, the impact of the Feijao dam collapse may be smaller than the Samarco accident, but the human loss is far greater, with indications of a significant financial impact on Vale. INFRASTRUCTURE Dam 1 of the Corrego do Feijao Mine in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, breached on Friday afternoon and part of its contents hit two small buildings, B4 and B4A, which were downstream of the dam, Vale reported. reported. The height of the dam was 86 meters and had a crest length of 720 meters. The waste disposal area was 249,500 m2 and the volume disposed was 11.7 million m3. These buildings were sediment containment basins, meaning -- according to Vale -- they only contained water drainage from the rain and contents cannot be carried by the water to the outside environment. -- they only contained water drainage from the rain and contents cannot be carried by the water to the outside environment. The dam was inactive -- no tailings were being added -- and the decommissioning of the dam was being planned. At the time of the breach, employees were working in the administrative area when it was hit. Rescue and care of those affected was being carried out on site by the local fire department and the civil defense agency, Vale said. said. Tailings are the byproducts of ore production and a tailings dam is usually an earth-filled embankment dam used to store these byproducts. Vale said there was no pond and no other type of operational activity taking place. said there was no pond and no other type of operational activity taking place. Vale said the dam was built in 1976 by Ferteco Mineracao (acquired by Vale on April 27, 2001 ), using the upstream method. said the dam was built in 1976 by Ferteco Mineracao (acquired by on ), using the upstream method. Vale reported that Dam 1 had "Stability Condition Statements" issued by TUV SUD do Brasil, an international company specializing in Geotechnics. "The dam had a Safety Factor in accordance with world best practices and was above the Brazilian Standard reference point," Vale said, maintaining that the stability declarations "attested to the physical and hydraulic safety of the dam." reported that Dam 1 had "Stability Condition Statements" issued by TUV SUD do Brasil, an international company specializing in Geotechnics. "The dam had a Safety Factor in accordance with world best practices and was above the Brazilian Standard reference point," said, maintaining that the stability declarations "attested to the physical and hydraulic safety of the dam." The dam went through biweekly field inspections, all of which were reported to national mining agency ANM through the SIGBM (Integrated System for Safety Management of Mining Dams). Vale said the last ANM inspection was on December 21 , but the company had two other biweekly inspections in January, as required by law. "All these inspections did not detect any change in the state of the structure," Vale said. said the last ANM inspection was on , but the company had two other biweekly inspections in January, as required by law. "All these inspections did not detect any change in the state of the structure," said. The dam had a PAEBM (Mining Dam Emergency Action Plan), in accordance with regulations, Vale said, in addition to a video monitoring system, siren alert system (all tested) and downstream population registration. said, in addition to a video monitoring system, siren alert system (all tested) and downstream population registration. Warning sirens, however, were triggered early Sunday at another dam -- Dam 6 -- at the same location. Locals were evacuated, but the civil defense agency later lowered the critical level of Dam 6 from 2 to 1, and those who had earlier left their homes were allowed to return and the civil defense agency has been able to resume the search for the missing in the region. As of 10:00 local time Monday, 60 fatalities had been confirmed from the Dam 1 accident, with up to 300 people listed as missing. Vale said its teams have been working with the fire and civil defense agencies in support of the rescue efforts. The company has provided 40 ambulances, 800 beds and a helicopter, in addition to drinking water for the community. said its teams have been working with the fire and civil defense agencies in support of the rescue efforts. The company has provided 40 ambulances, 800 beds and a helicopter, in addition to drinking water for the community. At the time of the accident, there were about 300 workers (including contractors) in the area, Vale CEO Fabio Schvartsman said at a late-Friday press conference. TRADE FLOWS The Corrego do Feijao Mine is part of Vale's Southern System, located in the "Iron Quadrangle" of Minas Gerais State. This region produced around 118 million mt of Vale's 366.5 million mt total output in 2017. The Corrego do Feijao mine itself has a capacity of 7.8 million mt/year of high grade ore and production was halted following the accident. Southern System, located in the "Iron Quadrangle" of Minas Gerais State. This region produced around 118 million mt of 366.5 million mt total output in 2017. The Corrego do Feijao mine itself has a capacity of 7.8 million mt/year of high grade ore and production was halted following the accident. On November 5, 2015 , production of iron ore and pellets was halted at Samarco, a joint venture pelletizer owned by Vale and BHP, after its devastating dam burst. , production of iron ore and pellets was halted at Samarco, a joint venture pelletizer owned by and BHP, after its devastating dam burst. Samarco, with a pelletizing capacity of about 30 million mt/year, has yet to receive the final go-ahead to resume production. In July 2016 , Vale , Samarco and BHP established the Fundacao Renova as part of a roughly $2 billion settlement with Brazil's government for remediation and compensation programs over many years. , , Samarco and BHP established the Fundacao Renova as part of a roughly settlement with government for remediation and compensation programs over many years. Schvartsman signaled that the environmental impact of this latest incident will be less than that of the Samarco accident, because the content of the tailings is only silica. Since the Samarco incident, silica content has risen in southern Brazil iron ore products, due to reduced wet processing, and the slowdown in licensing of new mining areas and processing pits. Miners have developed dry-tailings processing to be rolled out over the next few years, to reduce the impact and need for dams and pits filled with wet tailings. iron ore products, due to reduced wet processing, and the slowdown in licensing of new mining areas and processing pits. Miners have developed dry-tailings processing to be rolled out over the next few years, to reduce the impact and need for dams and pits filled with wet tailings. But the latest dam failure could lead to "increased government scrutiny/disfavor when it comes to issuing needed permits for Samarco to resume operations," Cowen Equity Research said in a note Friday. Citi Research said Monday it expects a "very significant" financial impact on Vale as a result of the latest accident. as a result of the latest accident. Vale said late Sunday that it may suspend dividend payments to shareholders and some variable payments to company executives following the dam collapse. It had originally expected to distribute at least $4 billion to shareholders in the 2019-21 period. said late Sunday that it may suspend dividend payments to shareholders and some variable payments to company executives following the dam collapse. It had originally expected to distribute at least to shareholders in the 2019-21 period. The company reported that judges of courts in Belo Horizonte and Brumadinho in Minas Gerais state have decided to freeze company assets worth Real 11 billion ( $2.92 billion ) as a result of the accident. This represents almost half of its available cash flow, put at around $6 billion . and Brumadinho in Minas Gerais state have decided to freeze company assets worth Real 11 billion ( ) as a result of the accident. This represents almost half of its available cash flow, put at around . Vale said it has also been informed it will be fined Real 250 million by Brazil's federal environmental institute Ibama and around Real 99.14 million by Minas Gerais state. said it has also been informed it will be fined Real 250 million by federal environmental institute Ibama and around Real 99.14 million by Minas Gerais state. The company has set up independent committees to monitor rescue, assistance and recovery operations and to establish the causes of the accident and responsibility. PRICES Iron ore futures at Dalian, China rose 6% Monday in response to Vale's decision to halt operations at Corrego do Feijao. rose 6% Monday in response to decision to halt operations at Corrego do Feijao. S&P Global Platts assessed the 62% Fe Iron Ore Index at $78.70 /dmt CFR North China Monday, up $3.30 /dmt from last Friday. The front-month February TSI swap was up $4.05 /dmt from last Friday at $78.60 /dmt, with the price increases attributed to the market impact of the Feijao tailings dam collapse. /dmt CFR North China Monday, up /dmt from last Friday. The front-month February TSI swap was up /dmt from last Friday at /dmt, with the price increases attributed to the market impact of the Feijao tailings dam collapse. Cowen analysts said Friday that, should there be a supply disruption for high-grade iron ore fines, associated pellet feed and/or a further delay in the restart of Samarco, "there could be upside bias to pellet premium pricing in the Atlantic Basin. With 2019 annual Atlantic Basin pellet premium negotiations complete or nearing completion and Samarco already out of the picture in 2019, we see more of a limited impact to realized 2019 pellet premiums." Cowen is currently projecting a $6 /mt of upside in Atlantic Basin pellet premiums (on a like-for-like 62% basis) in 2019 and assume no further upside in 2020. Media Contacts: Global, Americas, Asia: Kathleen Tanzy, + 1 917 331 4607, [email protected] About S&P Global Platts At S&P Global Platts, we provide the insights; you make better-informed trading and business decisions with confidence. We're the leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy markets. Customers in over 150 countries look to our expertise in news, pricing and analytics to deliver greater transparency and efficiency to markets. S&P Global Platts coverage includes oil and gas, power, petrochemicals, metals, agriculture and shipping. SOURCE S&P Global Platts Related Links http://www.platts.com Bergstein said that Connecticut wont be able to take advantage of public-private funding opportunities for transportation infrastructure using capital from the private equity sector unless it implements tolls. As long as the state doesnt put up tolls on the border and adopts a congestion pricing system, she said, federal highway funding would not be jeopardized. Bergstein envisions a tax credit or income-indexed tolls to help offset costs to low-income residents. This honor is awarded to women who demonstrate business leadership and community advocacy, as well as a commitment to advancing the automotive industry. The award was presented by Cox Automotive President Sandy Schwartz during the Northwood University Dealer Education Award annual breakfast on January 26 at NADA Show 2019. The award is named after the late Barbara Cox, a Cox Automotive owner and the mother of chairman Jim Kennedy. "Gail exemplifies this award by sharing many of the qualities and values that we admire in Mrs. Cox," said Schwartz. "In addition to growing from one Toyota dealership to more than 60 dealerships today, Gail is a renaissance woman with her business influence spanning multiple industries including professional sports. I am honored to present this award to Gail in recognition of not only her business acumen but also her strong support of charitable giving and community service." Gail Miller and her late husband, Larry, started their business with a single Toyota dealership in 1979. The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies has grown to include more than 60 car dealerships throughout the West, the Utah Jazz, the Salt Lake City Stars, the Salt Lake Bees, theatre complexes, and a variety of other automotive, financial, and real estate companies. Today, the privately-owned Larry H. Miller Group of Companies employs more than 10,000 people. The Millers created a strong legacy of giving back to the communities in which they do business. Miller presides over the Larry H. Miller Education Foundation and the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation, which support a wide range of charitable, educational and humanitarian causes. Miller gives freely of her time and is actively involved in many business, civic and educational activities. She serves on the National Advisory Council at the University of Utah and the President's Leadership Council at Brigham Young University. Miller also serves as the chair of Intermountain Healthcare's Board of Trustees, on the Shelter the Homeless Board, and the Zions Bank Advisory Board. Miller has been recognized with honors including Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Utah and Salt Lake Community College, an honorary Doctor of Humanities from Weber State University, and the Salt Lake Chamber's highest award "A Giant in Our City." She is also the recipient of the internationally-recognized ATHENA Award. In addition to presenting the award to Miller, Cox Automotive presented a $10,000 Barbara Cox scholarship to Katelyn Demarse, a Northwood University junior studying Automotive Retail Management. Demarse has participated in Northwood University's International Auto Show for three consecutive years, serving as both captain and co-captain, her most recent team winning the Best European Display Award. Demarse is a Dean's List student, a member of the national Honors Society and has been invited to participate in the National Society of Leadership and Success. As the first member of her family to enter the automotive industry, Demarse aspires to become a general manager of a dealership one day and is also exploring opportunities on the corporate side of the industry. For more information on the Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Award, visit https://www.coxautoinc.com/barbara-cox-woman-year-award/. About Cox Automotive Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling and owning cars easier for everyone. The global company's 34,000-plus team members and family of brands, including Autotrader, Clutch Technologies, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, VinSolutions, vAuto and Xtime, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion. www.coxautoinc.com SOURCE Cox Automotive Related Links http://www.coxautoinc.com The FT rankings are widely regarded, in management education circles across the globe, as one of the most rigorous and most authoritative. For 2019, it has ranked the top 5 MBA programmes as Stanford, Harvard, Insead, Wharton and CEIBS. The CEIBS MBA also retains its position as #1 in Asia in the FT rankings and is also ranked #1 in Asia by Forbes and Bloomberg BusinessWeek . "This is a historic and very significant milestone for us and a very good way to start our celebration of the school's 25th anniversary," said CEIBS President Professor Li Mingjun. "It is remarkable what CEIBS has achieved in just 25 years since it was jointly established by the Chinese government and the European Union. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of the entire school, CEIBS' outstanding achievements in recent years are in sharp contrast to widespread concerns about the slowdown of the Chinese economy and trade tensions between China and the US." The efforts of the school's Career Development Centre (CDC) and the power of the CEIBS brand within the business community, have, for example, contributed to MBA graduates' success in landing jobs. An impressive 93% of them were employed three months after graduation, the highest among the top 5 schools in the rankings. After studying at CEIBS, graduates enjoyed an impressive 183% salary increase, also the highest among this year's top five schools. "The CEIBS MBA offers an excellent return on the investment our students make in their future. We continue to improve the level of support we provide to ensure that they emerge from our programme better positioned to move ahead in their careers," said Associate Dean and MBA Director Professor Juan Antonio Fernandez. CEIBS is also focused on staying one step ahead of the trends that will impact graduates' careers, adding, for example, Digital Business as a concentration in response to changes in the way the world does commerce. "The CEIBS MBA is the most advanced in the Asia Pacific. We have 22 electives focusing on digital or innovation related topics," added Professor Fernandez. This year's FT rankings also confirm that CEIBS has done a better job of helping students advance in their careers and achieve the goals they set when enrolling. Alumni have clearly taken note of all these improvements and there has been an increase in the number of graduates who would recommend the CEIBS MBA to others. At the same time, the rankings have reflected improvements in CEIBS' continuous efforts to provide cutting edge research that makes a significant contribution to the field of academia and can also be applied in real life. The school's faculty had 92 articles published in top journals between 2016 and 2018. There is also a strong focus on CSR, which the school's leadership has made a focus at the strategic level of the organisation. For the last graduating class before the rankings were compiled, more than 40 hours of core MBA classes were related to CSR, ethics or social and environmental issues. CEIBS' commitment to diversification in and outside of the classroom was also a factor reflected in the rankings. Meanwhile there have been other innovations and initiatives that have improved the CEIBS MBA experience even more. For example, CEIBS launched its patented Real Situation Learning Method (RSLM) that has revolutionised the traditional case method of teaching by placing both students and top company executives at the centre of face-to-face discussions that typically take place inside the company being analysed. There has also been a renewed focus on China, with new modules added to ensure that students have a solid foundation in understanding how business is done in the world's second largest economy. They are given unparalleled access to major corporations that provide insight into vital economic trends such as the globalisation of Chinese companies, innovation in China and family business succession. This is complemented by student exchange outside China at some of the world's best business schools, along with overseas elective modules (in the US, Japan, Israel, Malaysia and Europe) through which CEIBS provides vital insight into the global economy. "Having the CEIBS MBA join our Global EMBA in the world's top 5 of their respective rankings, a feat never before accomplished by an Asian business school and by only a handful of global ones, is an indicator that we are moving in the right direction," said CEIBS Vice President and Dean Professor Ding Yuan. "Looking ahead, our focus will continue to be on providing rigorous, world class academic tutelage to those who know the value of a CEIBS education, and on the professional development of business leaders who will have a global impact." About CEIBS China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) is among the top international business schools in Asia, where it is the only one to have simultaneously made it to the Financial Times' top 5 list of MBA and EMBA programmes. CEIBS has more than 22,000 alumni from over 80 countries worldwide, and over the last 25 years has provided a broad range of management programmes for more than 150,000 executives both at home and abroad. It also offers a Finance MBA, Hospitality EMBA and a wide range of Executive Education programmes. With a faculty team that has extensive China knowledge and global insight, CEIBS is uniquely equipped to nurture business leaders, at every stage of their careers, preparing them to make a global impact. An unrivalled China expert, CEIBS is guided by the concept of China Focus, and Global Significance. This is tangibly reflected in the school's activities and operations at its 5 campuses across 3 continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. CEIBS has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen in China, as well as Zurich in Switzerland, and Accra in Ghana. SOURCE CEIBS Like the ancient tales surrounding the dragon and its magic, the diamond's story began very long ago. In the earth's upper mantle, a precise combination of extreme heat and pressure provided the circumstances necessary for the diamond's birth. After the mineral formed, it undertook a tumultuous journey through the earth's crust, forced upwards against unimaginable odds through volcanic conduits and pipes. Most diamonds fracture or crumble under the tremendous stress only the strongest survive. Once the rough emerged onto earth's surface, the rough crystal found its way into the hands of Mouawad's master cutters, who transformed it into the sparkling 54.21 carat gem it is today. The unique striking final form of the Mouawad Dragon is a testament to both the confidence of Mouawad's finest cutters and the innate strength of its hue. With vibrant color beaming from every facet, the Mouawad Dragon showcases the power, wisdom, and good fortune of the mystical serpent. The Mouawad Dragon stone was discovered in the ancient alluvial deposits in South Africa. Historically, that area is known to have produced some of the largest yellow diamonds ever discovered. Diamonds with color intensity such as that of the Mouawad Dragon have long been prized by collectors and gem enthusiasts. The planning and cutting of the Mouawad Dragon took over six months to complete. The Fancy Vivid color grading of the Mouawad Dragon makes it the most desirable and rare color on the yellow diamond spectrum. Truly a sight to behold, the Mouawad Dragon is considered to be one of the most revered colored diamonds of all time. The Mouawad Dragon joins the impressive 51.12 carat D Flawless Dynasty diamond, a recent acquisition by Mouawad, in the ever-growing Mouawad collection. This collection includes many of the world's most exceptional diamonds, such as the 245.35 carat Jubilee Diamond, the 135.92 carat Queen of Holland diamond, the 69.42 carat Taylor Burton, and the largest cushion shaped D IF weighting 218.08 carat. Fred Mouawad, Co-Guardian of the Diamond Division stated, "We're thrilled to have had the opportunity to craft this extraordinary diamond from the rough, and we will soon continue the creative process by designing a Master Piece that befits its dazzling beauty." Pascal Mouawad, Co-Guardian of the Retail Division, added "Being able to tell the story from rough to jewelry is an advantage our discerning customers value." Contact: Elena Gramatica egramatica@twisterme.ae +971 (0) 526923606 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/813958/Mouawad_Dragon_Diamond.jpg SOURCE Mouawad LONDON, January 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In December, Dominica's Energy Minister, Ian Douglas, addressed the Government's plans to build a geothermal plant in the third quarter of 2019. Construction will be set on the outskirts of the capital city of Roseau. It hopes to power 23,000 homes with clean geothermal energy, which represents approximately 90% of the entire population. Funding for the geothermal project was partly acquired through Dominica's Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme. Additional funds came from the World Bank, Caribbean Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Though small in size, Dominica is considered the best second citizenship to invest in, according to an independent study by the Financial Times' publication, PWM. After they pass the due diligence checks, citizenship hopefuls then choose to either invest in real-estate or a contribute to a government fund. The latter is called the Economic Diversification Fund (EDF) and it sponsors public and private sectors in Dominica that need the financial support or have economic potential. Each eligible person to become a citizen of Dominica adds at least USD 100,000 to the EDF. If they apply jointly as a family, which is possible under Dominica's CBI Programme, these contributions amount to USD 175,000 for a couple, USD 200,000 for a family of four, and another USD 25,000 for any additional dependents. Eventually, the money goes towards modernising the local infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and even develop thriving industries like tourism and IT. UN predicts that Dominica will have the greatest GDP growth in 2019 in the Caribbean region. Considering the constant flow of foreign investment, Dominica is prepared to set long-term goals that exceed sustainability expectations on a global scale. After Hurricane Maria in 2017, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt pledged to make Dominica "world's first climate resilient nation." He immediately launched the Climate Resilient Execution Agency of Dominica, otherwise known as CREAD. It aims to consolidate sustainability efforts, raise funds and provide essential services. The geothermal plant will have a substantially positive impact the island's national advancement and the lives of its citizens. "With the commissioning of this plant, we will be in a position to benefit from clean, reliable, low-cost, renewable, high-quality energy supply in the future, which will benefit all sectors of productive activity in Dominica," said Minister Ian Douglas. In addition to exploring the benefits of renewable energy, the island's plastic ban has been in operation as of January 1st. It was described by National Geographic as one the world's most comprehensive plastic bans. This follows the island's "Housing Revolution" initiative, which builds new homes that can withstand most known weather events. Like the geothermal project, the scheme is funded by the CBI programme. About CS Global CS Global Partners is an international, award-winning, industry-leading, legal consultancy firm specialising in citizenship and residence solutions. Headquartered in the heart of London with ten offices worldwide, CS Global Partners offers tailored, strategic advice to both the clients and the countries it represents. Driving economic prosperity and transforming lives in the process, CS Global Partners transcends the traditional investment immigration industry framework, supporting the governments of Dominica, Saint Lucia and St Kitts and Nevis to promote their CBI programmes. In doing so, CS Global Partners leads by example, providing investors and governments alike with unparalleled, intelligent citizenship solutions. Visit www.csglobalpartners.com for more information. SOURCE CS Global Zero Hedge January 28, 2019 A 40-year-old French construction worker known for his role in organizing Yellow Vest protests has been handicapped for life after he was struck in the eye with a rubber police bullet, his attorney said Sunday. He is in shock. He will be handicapped for life. It is a tragedy for him and his family, said Rodriguess layer, Philippe de Veulle in an interview with BFM Television. The bearded Rodrigues, who has become a well-known figure in the yellow vest movement with 50,000 followers on Facebook, was live-streaming the protest on the website when he was hit. De Veulle said Rodrigues was struck with a flashball, referring to the 40-mm (1.6-inch) rubber projectiles used by French riot police. The devices which are not used in most European countries have become deeply controversial in France since the protests began in November, blamed for dozens of serious injuries. AFP via Yahoo! Speaking from his hospital bed, Rodrigues told LCI television that he was also hit with a stingball grenade. Everything happened very quickly. They threw a grenade at me and I took a (rubber) bullet. I was attacked twice a grenade to the foot, and the bullet. In a video of the incident, Rodrigues can be heard warning protesters to leave the Bastille due to far-left black bloc agitators who had arrived to attack the police. This article was posted: Monday, January 28, 2019 at 6:58 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Comment on this article RT January 28, 2019 The United States economy has lost at least $6 billion during the record-long partial government shutdown which ended on its 35th day on Friday. Thats according to S&P Global Ratings analysis. It said that the figure stems from loss of productivity and economic activity lost to outside business. Although this shutdown has ended, little agreement on Capitol Hill will likely weigh on business confidence and financial market sentiments, the agency said. Nearly 800,000 federal employees were furloughed or working without pay during the shutdown which started on December 22 as a result of President Donald Trumps demand for $5.7 billion in funding for US-Mexico border wall. Trump signed a three-week funding bill on Friday night, formally ending the shutdown without securing money for a border wall. He warned that the government may shut down again if he cannot get a fair deal when the stopgap bill runs out. The president also suggested that he may declare a national emergency to bypass Congress for building the wall. Last week, Trumps top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow said that he didnt expect the shutdown to do lasting damage to the countrys economy. When the government reopens and Im not here to negotiate; Im not going to make a prediction, thats up to the president you will see an immediate snapback, he told reporters. This article was posted: Monday, January 28, 2019 at 7:01 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: CNS News January 28, 2019 In response to Special Counsel Robert Muellers indictment of Roger Stone, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi put out a statement on Saturday asking what does [Russian President] Putin have on President Donald Trump. The indictment of Roger Stone makes clear that there was a deliberate, coordinated attempt by top Trump campaign officials to influence the 2016 election and subvert the will of the American people, said Pelosi. In the face of 37 indictments, the Presidents continued actions to undermine the Special Counsel investigation raise the questions: what does Putin have on the President, politically, personally or financially? she said. Here is the full text of Pelosis statement: The indictment of Roger Stone makes clear that there was a deliberate, coordinated attempt by top Trump campaign officials to influence the 2016 election and subvert the will of the American people. It is staggering that the President has chosen to surround himself with people who violated the integrity of our democracy and lied to the FBI and Congress about it. In the face of 37 indictments, the Presidents continued actions to undermine the Special Counsel investigation raise the questions: what does Putin have on the President, politically, personally or financially? Why has the Trump Administration continued to discuss pulling the U.S. out of NATO, which would be a massive victory for Putin? Lying to Congress and witness tampering constitute grave crimes. All who commit these illegal acts should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. We cannot allow any effort to intimidate witnesses or prevent them from appearing before Congress. The Special Counsel investigation is working, and the House will continue to exercise our constitutional oversight responsibility and ensure that the Special Counsel investigation can continue free from interference from the White House. This article was posted: Monday, January 28, 2019 at 7:04 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Comment on this article Breitbart January 28, 2019 Samir Kouider has been sentenced to 30 years in jail for the murder of his sisters French, non-Muslim boyfriend. The assize court in Gard rejected Mr Kouiders appeal after forensic evidence contradicted the 29-year-olds claim that his killing of Kevin Roudesly, 21, had been an accident. Having delivered several different versions of the story since his arrest on New Years Eve, 2013, Kouider this weekend told the court he had shown up outside Roudeslys residence in Avignon on December 28 only with the intention of locating his younger sister Imene, after she ran away from her aunts house two days earlier. Mr Kouider claimed that he had not known Imene was at Kevins house, nor that the pair had just agreed to renew their romantic relationship, when he agreed to meet her outside the property in Avignons Champfleury district. [Kevin] kindly greeted me, he said, before telling the court that he and his victim got into a fight over a mobile phone, during which he had unintentionally stabbed Kevin in the leg. Read more This article was posted: Monday, January 28, 2019 at 7:16 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Campus Reform January 28, 2019 The University of Georgia teaching assistant who came under fire for his racially-charged statements about white people has been suspended from Facebook for 30 days, according to a recent post on Medium. My account is out for thirty days because of this, Irami Osei-Frimpong wrote in a post on Saturday. He included a screenshot of a Jan. 22 Facebook post, which included the phrase, some white people may have to die for black people to be free. That statement is one that Osei-Frimpong has repeated as a familiar talking point and repeatedly defended on multiple platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. Osei-Frimpongs Facebook page no longer includes the post he referenced Saturday on Medium. Facebook did not respond to a request for comment from Campus Reform in time for publication. But while Osei-Frimpong acknowledged that he has been suspended from Facebook for 30 days, the latest update from the University of Georgia is that it is exploring all legal options as far as how to respond to the teaching assistants controversial comments. The university has been vigorously exploring all available legal options. Racism has no place on our campus, and we condemn the advocacy or suggestion of violence in any form. We are seeking guidance from the Office of the Attorney General as to what actions we can legally consider in accordance with the First Amendment, the university said in a Jan. 20 tweet. Osei-Frimpong has made more racially-charged statements besides saying, some white people may have to die In September, he compared white people to autistic kids. Two months later, he said that Democrats should wage war on crappy white people. More recently, Osei-Frimpong compared white country gun owners with terrorists and did not rule out violence against oppressors, whoever they may be. Following many of these statements, UGA donor backlash led the college to reconsider its approach to Osei-Frimpongs comments. A d v e r t i s e m e n t But while UGA seems to be mulling Osei-Frimpongs future employment status, at least one free speech organization is coming to his aid. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) sent a letter to UGAs president, stating, the First Amendment does not permit UGA to subject the expressive rights of faculty members or students to the whims of donors, students, or members of the public who find those views uncomfortable, objectionable, or deeply offensive. UGA has condemned the teaching assistants expression; the First Amendment prevents the institution from taking any further steps. Instead, UGA must immediately abandon its investigation into protected expression. UGA did not respond to a request for comment from Campus Reform in time for publication. This article was posted: Monday, January 28, 2019 at 6:52 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Lamont has not said whether he would consider raising the sales tax or if additional items should be taxed. The state could generate an additional $2.7 billion in annual revenue by rolling back the decades-old grocery exemption, the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis determined. That led the Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth, a group composed of mostly business leaders from across the political spectrum, to recommend the measure in a 32-page action plan issued last November. (CNN) As Venezuela's chaotic political situation continues and the world picks sides, President Nicolas Maduro is alleging the United States orchestrated a coup to remove him from the helm of the embattled nation. In a Sunday interview, Maduro also accused Juan Guaido, the self-proclaimed interim president and head of the opposition-led National Assembly, of violating "the constitution and all laws," which Maduro said is a matter for the courts. "I am not the attorney general. It will be the job of the attorney general, it will be up to the courts to determine the steps to follow and we'll see. This pertains to the justice system," he told CNN Turk's Cuneyt Ozdemir. Guaido declared himself acting president last week amid massive and deadly anti-government protests, claiming Maduro was illegitimately elected for a second term. Maduro, however, says Venezuela is "the victim of a US conspiracy," referring to reports that US Vice President Mike Pence promised Guaido full American support the day before he declared himself Venezuela's new leader. 'Nobody gives us an ultimatum' On Saturday, officials from the UK, Spain, Germany and France delivered Maduro an ultimatum: Call elections within eight days or Guaido will be recognized as president. Speaking to CNN Turk, Maduro said Venezuela has held numerous elections of late -- including presidential elections in May (which the United States and several Latin American nations did not recognize as legitimate) -- and the European countries should withdraw their demand. "Nobody gives us an ultimatum, he said. "All of Europe is bowing down to Donald Trump. It's that simple, especially when it comes to Venezuela." The Venezuelan leader told the Turkish network he has sent many messages to President Trump but has not received a response because "I think he's overwhelmed with his domestic problem and, I believe, I think he despises us. He despises all of America and the Caribbean. I think he despises the world." He continued, "This is the reason for the coup. They don't want us to get better. They sabotage us and try to destroy the economic system." Despite taking the hard line that outside interference is behind the political turmoil in his country, Maduro said he was open to sitting down with his rivals. "We will continue denouncing US lies, and I will continue to encourage national dialogue because I am up for a dialogue with all the political opposition, with the opposition media," he said. "I think dialogue should prevail. I believe in dialogue." Both Guaido and Maduro's communications minister, Jorge Rodriguez, have said Guaido has met with Maduro-aligned officials. The opposition leader also said he would consider amnesty for Maduro and his allies if they don't hamper his ascension to temporary power. 'Maduro and his mayhem' From an international standpoint, the time for dialogue seems to have passed, judging from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's address to the UN Security Council on Saturday, during which he urged members to back Guaido's transitional government. "Our nations must stand up for the rule of law and support the leader who the Venezuelan people have affirmed as their legitimate interim president," Pompeo said. "Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you're in league with Maduro and his mayhem." Maduro told CNN Turk that American "power in the world is in decline and it's ending." He also had words for the US secretary of state. "Pompeo, I see him desperate and full of hate. He's someone that speaks with a lot of hate. He is pro-war. He's not a true diplomat. He's not respectful. They think they can control the world by yelling," he said. "Once again, Venezuela will overcome this coup, and no imperial power will break the moral resistance of the people of Venezuela." Major military defection Both leaders appealed Sunday to the military, which is seen as the only institution that could press for fresh elections. During military exercises in Valencia, Maduro called for unity, saying he wanted to see the military grow "more loyal to the people, more loyal to the revolution, more loyal to the country and more loyal to the constitution." After a Mass in Caracas to honor the victims of the country's protests, Guaido pitched the amnesty bill crafted by the National Assembly that would protect troops who defect from the Maduro administration. "This is the moment to put yourself on the side of the constitution. It's not the time to be scared. It's not the time to go backwards, It is not the moment to disrespect the people of Venezuela," he said. Maduro took a major political hit Saturday when Venezuela's military attache in Washington, Col. Jose Luis Silva Silva, said he stands "by the road map of acting President Juan Guaido." The map, he said, includes ending Maduro's "usurpation of executive power," beginning the transition to a new government and organizing free and fair elections. The Venezuelan defense ministry tweeted a screen grab from Silva's statement with the word "TRAIDOR" (traitor) emblazoned over it. "Insubordination in the face of international interests is an act of treason and cowardice with the fatherland inherited from our liberator Simon Bolivar," the defense ministry tweeted. Subordinarse ante los intereses internacionales es un acto de traicion y cobardia con la Patria heredada por nuestro Libertador Simon Bolivar, por ello, repudiamos las declaraciones por parte del Cnel. Jose Luis Silva Silva, quien desempenaba cargo como Agregado Militar en EEUU. pic.twitter.com/VJRqzYz68M Prensa FANB (@PrensaFANB) January 27, 2019 In his CNN Turk interview, Maduro referred to Guaido as one of America's "political puppets." The National Assembly's amnesty bill would also offer pardons to civilians, politicians, public officials and military members accused of crimes or unconstitutional acts during Maduro's tenure or during the regime of his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, who was President from 1999 to 2013. A vote on the bill could come Tuesday. Despite the guarantees, the head of Venezuela's armed forces says he still supports Maduro. US diplomats have left, Maduro says On Thursday, a security alert said nonemergency US employees had 72 hours to leave Venezuela. But Pompeo said the United States doesn't recognize Maduro's power to expel the diplomats, and Guaido called on Venezuela's diplomats to remain in the United States. Pompeo has warned against testing the US' resolve to protect its citizens. National Security Adviser John Bolton echoed that admonition Sunday, tweeting, "Any violence and intimidation against US diplomatic personnel, Venezuela's democratic leader (Guaido) or the National Assembly itself would represent a grave assault on the rule of law with a significant response." Maduro told CNN Turk on Sunday, "They've left," referring to the US diplomats he ordered out of the country. He said he "authorized for a small group to stay," as his administration negotiates an office to represent US interests in Caracas in lieu of diplomatic relations. "They will have all the protections," he said. If this presence, called an "interests section," cannot be established in 30 days, both diplomatic missions will cease activities, select a designee to represent their interests and vacate their embassies, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The US Embassy in Venezuela issued a security alert saying it had limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens and that Americans in the country "should strongly consider departing Venezuela." Protests have been deadly A UN official said Friday that at least 20 people had been killed in protest-related violence last week, while the nongovernmental Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict on Friday pegged the tally at 29 since Wednesday night. More than 350 demonstrators were detained last week, the UN official said Friday. CNN could not independently confirm the counts. In addition to the United States and the aforementioned European countries, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru have also recognized Guaido as president. Russia, China, Cuba and Turkey are among those backing Maduro. The United States is Venezuela's biggest oil customer, accounting for 39% of the OPEC nation's deliveries last year, according to ClipperData. The US Treasury Department said Friday it plans to use economic and diplomatic tools to ensure any commercial transactions with the Venezuelan government are "consistent" with Guaido's US-recognized government. This story was first published on cnn.com, "Maduro says a US-led 'coup' is behind the political upheaval in Venezuela" South Africa: SA, Lesotho Ministers inspect border operations Home Affairs Minister Siyabonga Cwele and his Lesotho counterpart Minister Tsukutlane Au visited the Maseru Bridge Port of Entry on Monday. The walkabout was aimed at monitoring port operations on both sides of the busy border. The border experiences a high number of traveller movements for schooling, business and visits. Managing migration is one of the key ways in which we can contribute [to] growing South Africa. The cooperation with Lesotho is helping us to manage migration and helps our people transit through the port, said Minister Cwele. He said facilitating the ease of travel for people and goods was very important for trade within the Southern Africa Development Community. Following the visit to the border post, the two ministers sat down for a meeting to discuss progress made in the implementation of the Intervention Plan on Traffic Congestion at Maseru Bridge Port of Entry. The interventions were implemented in earnest in December 2018 and these have proven to be successful, said the Department of Home Affairs. The department said some of the successes of the plan include the introduction of immigration processing by Lesotho authorities; the fast tracking of the Lesotho Special Dispensation Project (LSP) people, students and mineworkers at dedicated counters during peak periods as well as dedicated lanes for business travellers into Maseru and scholars into South Africa from 6am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm. The meeting on Monday also considered the implementation of the LSP, which was introduced to manage the movement of certain categories of low skilled Basotho into South Africa, and is scheduled to expire at the end of December 2019. The meeting initiated discussions on what will happen after the expiry of the special dispensation, said the department. Further engagements are scheduled over the coming months. The deepening cooperation with Lesotho will enable us to do more, and the greater implementation of the Trusted Traveller programme is our next target, said Minister Cwele. The Trusted Traveller System enables qualifying categories of people to transit the port faster. The Ministers are considering extending the interventions to other ports of entry. Minister Au welcomed the progress that is being made in addressing congestion at the port of entry and the deepening partnership between the two nations. Lesotho has a unique geographic position in relation to South Africa. This means that SA has to consider a unique dispensation for Lesotho, said Minister Au. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-01-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The Daily Caller January 28, 2019 A Catholic bishop apologized Thursday to students the Diocese of Covington prematurely condemned over a video of their confrontation with Nathan Phillips and black supremacists. The Most Rev. Roger Foys, who oversees Covington Catholic High School as the diocesan bishop in Kentucky, apologized in a letter to the students, their families and anyone who the diocese offended with its public denouncement of the students and its subsequent announcement of an investigation into the matter. Foys claimed the diocese allowed itself to be bullied and pressured into condemning the students based on a short excerpt of hours of video of the incident, without reaching out to the students or investigating the matter further. We apologize to anyone who has been offended in any way by either of our statements which were made with good will based on the information we had. We should not have allowed ourselves to be bullied and pressured into making a statement prematurely, and we take full responsibility for it, Foys wrote, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. Foys also specifically apologized to Nick Sandmann, the Covington junior identified as the student who wore a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat and smiled at Phillips while the Native American tribal elder banged a drum in his face. Read more This article was posted: Monday, January 28, 2019 at 7:41 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Washington Examiner January 28, 2019 Border Patrol agents have spent nearly 20,000 hours since October driving asylum seekers to and from hospitals for medical evaluations, according to newly released Department of Homeland Security data. Since Oct. 1, 2018, the Border Patrol, which works in rural areas between border crossings, has seen an increase in the numbers of apprehended individuals requiring medical assistance. A total of 2,224 migrants, primarily from Guatemala and Honduras, have been hospitalized due to health issues that could not be treated on site in the last month alone, according to a CBP statement. The department said the spike in illnesses among migrants is forcing federal law enforcement to spend less time focused on serious threats because they are facilitating hospital and urgent care trips. Its also affecting communities that are trying to help with medical emergencies but are severely short-staffed. Read more This article was posted: Monday, January 28, 2019 at 7:40 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Comment on this article Carmine Sabia The Federalist Papers January 28, 2019 The family of Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann is going to sue the media. And judging by what their new attorney said they could be starting with Ana Navarro. It was Thursday when WCPO reported that the teen at the center of the scandal involving Native American and compulsive liar Nathan Phillips. The family of 16-year-old Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann, having already contracted Kentuckys largest public relations firm to help repair his image after a viral incident outside the Lincoln Memorial, on Thursday hired a Georgia attorney known for aggressive libel and slander suits against media organizations. L. Lin Wood, nicknamed attorney for the damned by former CBS anchor Dan Rather, visited the Sandmann family earlier in the day, according to a news release from Sandmann family attorney Todd McMurtry. He is committed to bringing justice to 16-year-old Nick Sandmann and his family, McMurtry wrote. Wood often (seeks) eye-popping damages for those he believes have been libeled or slandered in the press, according to a 2011 Washington Post article about his defense of Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. (Cain had been facing accusations of sexual harassment that derailed his campaign.) Other notable clients include the family of JonBenet Ramsey, who were suspects in the child pageant queens murder, and Richard Jewell, a Centennial Olympic Park guard misidentified as having bombed his workplace in 1996. Read more This article was posted: Monday, January 28, 2019 at 7:13 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Michael Snyder Economic Collapse January 28, 2019 It is difficult for me to write this article, and I will warn you in advance that some of the things in this piece are going to make you cringe. Today, there are an increasing number of signs that the very fabric of our society is rotting away all around us. We witnessed a very clear example of this last week when Kyrsten Sinema paraded around on the floor of the U.S. Senate looking like a hooker, but far more telling is what is going on behind closed doors all across America. The stories that I am about to share with you barely made a blip on the news, but they should have, because they are all indications of how far our nation has fallen. Lets start in Colorado. A 27-year-old man named Christopher Wayne Cleary was just arrested on terrorism charges after he threatened to shoot as many girls as I see Authorities said Christopher Wayne Cleary, of Denver, posted on his Facebook page that Theres nothing more dangerous than man ready to die. All I wanted was a girlfriend, not 1000 not a bunch of hoes not money none of that, he wrote, according to a probable-cause statement cited by authorities. All I wanted was to be loved, yet no one cares about me Im 27 years old and Ive never had a girlfriend before and Im still a virgin, this is why Im planning on shooting up a public place soon and being the next mass shooter cause Im ready to die and all the girls the turned me down is going to make it right by killing as many girls as I see. Thankfully authorities were able to arrest him before he was able to carry out his threats, but the sad truth is that there are thousands upon thousands more young men out there just like him. These young men feel like failures if they cant get young women to sleep with them, and this message is reinforced by popular culture over and over again. But that isnt what being a man is all about. Unfortunately, the only values that many of our young men have are the values that they have been fed by Hollywood, and Christopher Wayne Cleary was so frustrated with his inability to live up to the Hollywood ideal that he was ready to go on a mass shooting spree. Next, let me share a story with you about a young mother in Florida. When police recently arrived at the home of Angelica Crites, she didnt respond. So they entered the home and when she still didnt respond they had to pry her bedroom door open. But she still didnt wake up when they did that. In fact, it took authorities several minutes to finally wake her up. And when they looked around the house, what they discovered was like something out of a horror movie There was an overwhelming odor of ammonia and feces, and large spider webs were along the ceilings and door frames. Food and dirt was all over the floor in the living room and dining room. A mop bucket filled with dirty water and food pieces was in the dining room, the report said. The dining room had a large amount of trash in the corner and underneath a table to make food. The refrigerator was unsanitary with food, dirt and stains all over the inside and outside. Numerous insects were flying around the house. The condition of her children was even worse. They were filthy dirty and their teeth were black and gray from a lack of care. On top of everything else, animal feces had literally been smeared throughout the house The floor leading to the bathroom had animal feces smeared on it. Mold and animal feces was in the corner of the hall by the bathroom door. Crites and her children shared a bedroom, where there was a large pile of clothes in the corner, dirt on the floor and several red cups on a shelf containing an unknown black liquid and cigarette butts, the report said. In her bathroom, there were several piles of animal feces on the floor and in the bathtub, and some smeared on the floor, the report said. It is easy to criticize anyone that lives like that, but the truth is that what we are doing to ourselves as a nation is even worse. We need to be praying for children all across America, because so many of them are living in absolutely horrific situations and they have no way to escape. For example, consider what recently happened to one precious child in Indiana Back on January 14th, a young child was taken to Union Hospital. Thats according to court documents. Police, DCS, and emergency room staff say the child had a split tongue, several bruises, and other injuries. That child was later transported to Riley Hospital in Indianapolis. While there, hospital staff determined an object, most likely scissors, were used to split the childs tongue. How evil do you have to be to do something like that? But this is who we have become as a nation. And things like this happen so frequently that this story barely made a blip on the national news. Almost everyone can put up a pretty decent facade in public, but it is the things that happen behind closed doors that define who we truly are. And what one man in Arizona recently did is almost too sickening for words A nurse has been arrested in the sexual assault of an incapacitated woman who gave birth at a Phoenix nursing facility, Arizona police said Wednesday. Nathan Sutherland, 36, was a licensed practical nurse at Hacienda Skilled Nursing Facility, where the woman gave birth. The female patient had been in a vegetative state facility for at least 14 years after a near-drowning incident. Some of you may be thinking that this is just one guy, but the truth is that there are more than 850,000 registered sex offenders in the United States today. And that is just the people that have been caught. Imagine how many more there are that have not been caught. So no, this is not just an isolated incident. We are a nation that is literally teeming with sexual predators. Lastly, I want to share with you the story of Logan and Daley South. They both wear fangs and they both drink blood, and they opened up about their relationship with their girlfriend Ilona on a recent episode of Extreme Love I dont like the way blood tastes. I find it inconvenient to have to do regularly, Daley admits. Im someone that needs it, but Im not a big fan of it. For Logan, it can be very sexual for him. Although Logan and Daley both wear fangs, they dont need to bite into Ilonas neck and gorge on her blood like a scene in a horror movie to feel satisfied. In the clip, Daley uses the same tool that diabetics use to prick their fingers to draw Ilonas blood before she and Logan begin hungrily sucking on her fingers. If you took Americans from 200 years ago and showed them this, how do you think that they would react? Needless to say, they would think that we have completely lost our minds. And the sad truth is that we have definitely lost our way as a nation. Our lack of values is producing absolutely horrific results, and it is getting worse with each passing day. This article was posted: Monday, January 28, 2019 at 6:46 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Comment on this article Michael Snyder Economic Collapse January 28, 2019 What would our founders think if they could see us today? Every great civilization throughout human history eventually entered a period of decline, and we continue to get more evidence every single day that Americas decline is accelerating. But even though I am constantly writing about this stuff, I was absolutely stunned when I first saw the photo above. If Kyrsten Sinema had shown up on the floor of the U.S. Senate looking like that in the old days, she would have been immediately hauled away. But today, apparently it is perfectly acceptable for Americas first bisexual senator to parade around the Senate floor looking like a prostitute. Quite a few conservatives have remarked that she looked like the character that Julia Roberts played in Pretty Woman, but in my opinion that is being way too kind. Look, I have never been in favor of extremely strict dress codes either, but if you are going to represent an entire state in the U.S. Senate you should at least try to show a little bit of class. Kyrsten Sinema, Senator from Arizona looks more like she's in search of a stripper pole, than the Senate Floor. SMH! She's a disgrace! #stripperpole #NoClass #DISGRACEFUL pic.twitter.com/cA4zP7XXsG Rachel (@ramiefriend) January 25, 2019 Of course the truth is that Sinema is simply the product of a culture that is becoming less classy with each passing year. For example, just consider what is happening in Tennessee. State Representative Antonio Parkinson has proposed implementing a dress code for parents when they visit public schools in the state. He did this because of all the horror stories that he has been hearing People wearing next to nothing. People wearing shirts or tattoos with expletives. People coming onto a school campus and cursing the principal or the teacher out. These things happen regularly, Parkinson said. A principal I talked to told me a lady came into the office with her sleepwear on with some of her body parts hanging out. You got children coming down the hall in a line and they can possibly see this, he added. Another indication of how much America has changed since the old days comes to us from New York state. They just passed a law that will ensure that abortion stays legal in the state even if Roe v. Wade is overturned, and it makes abortions legal all the way up to birth To the sound of supporters chanting free abortion on demand, we can do it, yes we can, the New York legislature just passed the terribly named Reproductive Health Act. Its the most radically pro-abortion state-level initiative in recent memory. The new law has nothing to do with health, and everything to do with death. It removes abortion from the criminal code and makes it legal all the way up to birth, allowing all doctors and midwives to kill unborn babies, no questions asked. To celebrate passage of this new law, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered One World Trade Center to be lit up pink that night One World Trade Center in New York City, NY the centerpiece of the World Trade Center complex was illuminated with pink lighting to celebrate the Empire States passage of legislation designating abortion a fundamental right. In response, this is what country music legend Charlie Daniels had to say about this new law on Twitter Watch the wrinkles on Cuomos face lengthen as the ramifications of the thousands of murders he has sanctioned come to bear on him. The NY legislature has created a new Auschiwitz dedicated to the execution of a whole segment of defenseless citizens. Satan is smiling This third photo is one well never forget. Nick Sandmann has been through hell and back because of this image, but he never deserved any of the abuse that he has received. As the video evidence has clearly demonstrated, crazed leftist Nathan Phillips boldly approached Nick Sandmann and started beating a drum just inches from his face in an attempt to intimidate him. But Sandmann refused to be intimidated, and instead he chose to courageously smile as a grown man wildly pounded a drum directly in front of him. Nathan Phillips should be the one that the mainstream media is ripping to shreds, but instead it is Nick Sandmann that is getting all the abuse because he was the one wearing the MAGA hat. The mobs of crazed leftists in Washington D.C. that I envisioned in The Beginning Of The End are beginning to materialize. There will be a lot more controversial confrontations between liberals and conservatives in cities all over the nation, and things are likely to get a lot uglier as we approach the next presidential election in 2020. As much as we may wish that it could be true, America is never again going to be the same place that it was 50 or 60 years ago. All nations change, and our country is currently evolving at a pace that is absolutely breathtaking. If we stay on the path that we are currently on, we will continue to rapidly decline and our fate will be inevitable. But as long as there is still time on the clock, there is always an opportunity to turn things around. My hope is that there will be a great awakening among the American people, because time is quickly running out. This article was posted: Monday, January 28, 2019 at 6:51 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Customs officials intercept guns at Tema Port Customs officials at the Tema Port have intercepted three assault rifles Abolish unfair fees, charges - BoG directs banks The Bank of Ghana, BoG has in a notice directed all Banks and Specialised Iranians vote in presidential election marred by disqualification row Iranians are voting to elect a new president, with all but one of the four British Airways plane collapses at Heathrow Airport A British Airways plane has been damaged at Heathrow Airport after collapsing Young men in viral video clocking guns picked up by police The Ashanti Regional Police Command has picked up three young men who were seen Euro 2020: Scotland frustrate England in Wembley draw England will have to wait to secure a place in the last 16 of Euro 2020 Euro 2020: Scotland frustrate England in Wembley draw England will have to wait to secure a place in the last 16 of Euro 2020 Copa America: Neymar counts down to Peles record for Brazil Neymar might not win three World Cups in his career like Pele did, but he is Young men in viral video clocking guns picked up by police The Ashanti Regional Police Command has picked up three young men who were seen Customs officials intercept guns at Tema Port Customs officials at the Tema Port have intercepted three assault rifles Nigeria: Teachers and students missing after attack A University for girls in northwestern Nigeria was targeted Thursday in an Police escape latest bullion van attack on Kasoa-Winneba road A police officer on escort duties in a bullion van has escaped an attack by Euro 2020: Croatia hold Czech Republic to draw The Czech Republic took a huge step towards qualifying for the last 16 at Euro Police escape latest bullion van attack on Kasoa-Winneba road A police officer on escort duties in a bullion van has escaped an attack by Police escape latest bullion van attack on Kasoa-Winneba road A police officer on escort duties in a bullion van has escaped an attack by A/R: Police arrest three persons with human parts The police in Ashanti Region have arrested three suspects for unlawful Copa America: Neymar counts down to Peles record for Brazil Neymar might not win three World Cups in his career like Pele did, but he is McClure said the administration envisions a solution that brings all stakeholders to the table. The idea that everyone, absolutely everyone, agrees with is that we need a stable and structurally sound budget along with a clear and inclusive vision of what we want our future to be in order to provide our families and economic leaders the confidence they need to grow in Connecticut, he said. WHO says Africa experiencing full-blown third wave of COVID-19 The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said Africa is in the middle of a Ethiopian couple forego wedding party for Tigray aid An Ethiopian couple has donated funds they had set aside for a lavish wedding Police officer found dead at Flagstaff House barracks A policeman has reportedly been found dead in his room at the Flagstaff House WHO says Africa experiencing full-blown third wave of COVID-19 The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said Africa is in the middle of a Police officer found dead at Flagstaff House barracks A policeman has reportedly been found dead in his room at the Flagstaff House Euro 2020: Croatia hold Czech Republic to draw The Czech Republic took a huge step towards qualifying for the last 16 at Euro Nigeria: Teachers and students missing after attack A University for girls in northwestern Nigeria was targeted Thursday in an A/R: Police arrest three persons with human parts The police in Ashanti Region have arrested three suspects for unlawful Police escape latest bullion van attack on Kasoa-Winneba road A police officer on escort duties in a bullion van has escaped an attack by FRANCONIA [mdash] Donald "Don" Swift was born in Montreal, Quebec, on March 3, 1954, and passed peacefully from his battle with cancer on June 13, 2021, with some family by his side. He is formerly of Scarborough, Ontario, and Beaconsfield, Quebec. He is survived by his two daughters: Katie Evidence-based educational programs about drugs and guns are being developed, especially targeting children and adolescents. Legalizing cannabis, a big percentage of illegal profits, would help if not taxed to excess. Society needs newer problem-solving practices to avoid repeating past failures. Owen Sheekey Millville Wall would be a waste One of the things I took with me from 45 years in engineering is to never decide on a solution to a problem before you understand both the problem and the desired outcomes. Take as an example the wall or other physical barrier that President Trump has demanded to seal the U.S. southern border from people intent on taking American jobs, from the flow of drugs into the country, and from marauding Central American gangs. In reality these are three separate problems and a physical barrier or wall would not solve any of them. Delivery trucks for businesses along the Boardwalk are being kept off the boards as much as possible, Ryan said, and the Police Department is using smaller, lighter vehicles for Boardwalk patrols. Ryan said commercial trucks have ended up on the boards, after being directed there by GPS units, causing damage. Letter writers have told The Press about seeing trucks allowed to use the Boardwalk. We recently watched fully loaded trucks cross at Texas Avenue for the airshow that almost caved in the Boardwalk, wrote Robert Friedenberg, a letter writer from Galloway Township, in September. In September 2017, an 18,000-pound 18-wheeler tractor trailer drove onto the Boardwalk at Albany Avenue in Atlantic City and traveled more than 2 miles before getting stuck on the Ventnor Boardwalk. The driver couldnt find a ramp wide enough to exit, police said at the time. The driver was cited for driving an unauthorized vehicle on the Boardwalk. Ventnor police Chief Douglas Biagi said the driver, of Dallas, was not drunk and no one was injured in the incident. He said there was no obvious structural damage to the Boardwalk, but it would need to be inspected by an engineer. EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP The South Jersey Transportation Authority is again offering incentives to try to attract another airline to Atlantic City International Airport. The authority is offering tiered marketing incentives of $25,000 to $140,000 to draw airlines to the region. Spirit Airlines is the airports only carrier. Bob McDevitt, an SJTA commissioner since 2008, said that while there have been several versions of incentives over the years, this package was much more general and not directed at any specific airline. The more seats you provide to and from, the more money you get for marketing, and the more passengers you put on the plane, the more times you get an additional incentive, he said, adding its structured more on performance as opposed to giving money to get access. Previous attempts to provide subsidies to airlines have had minimal success. In the past, airlines lured to ACY by subsidies have stayed just as long as they were contracted to or even pulled out early. But the new incentives are tiered depending on the number of seats a carrier can provide and then sell in one year, he explained. ATLANTIC CITY After weeks of uncertainty, Luxor Capital Group, a New York-based private investment firm, has been identified as the majority stakeholder in Ocean Resort Casino. Earlier this month, Bruce Deifik, a Colorado-based real estate developer and former principal owner of Ocean, announced the property would change hands, but that he would retain a minority stake in the casino hotel. At the time of the announcement, Deifik did not identify who the new controlling entity would be. Deifik purchased the former Revel Casino Hotel in January 2018 for $229 million with a combination of financing from Luxor and J.P. Morgan Chase. The funding consisted of two bridge loans: $110 million from JPMorgan Chase Bank and $122.5 million from Luxor. The J.P. Morgan loan was repaid in June with a second loan from J.P. Morgan of $175 million. We are incredibly proud of the progress our team members have made in establishing Ocean Resort Casino as one of the premier gaming and leisure destinations in the United States, said Frank Leone, CEO of Ocean Resort Casino. We opened up the property even more effectively to the Boardwalk, and activated retail spaces and food and beverage options that have been extremely well-received by our guests. But Raciti said the missed time will throw off their projects schedule. Weve been working on a project for several years and now ... it was just going into the testing phase and now were trying to adjust the schedule so we can deploy our product, Raciti said. Bob Challender, an IT specialist at the center and the president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 200 chapter, said the chapter represents between 310 and 330 employees at the center of which approximately 50 percent were furloughed, and 50 percent were required to work without pay. He expects at least 50 percent of back pay to be paid out by the end of the week. Theres relief, of course, he said. But of all the shutdowns he can remember in his 30 years at the center, this one was by far the worst, he said, and has yet to be fully resolved. This was the most devastating, theres no doubt about it, Challender said. Like Raciti, he noted that projects are in a kind of limbo until a clean end to the shutdown is announced. Wyman said the party does not have the funds to donate all of the Sackler contributions to charity. "That moneys not here,'' she said. "We dont have a big savings account by any means. We get the money in and we spend it on the candidates. Im proud of those we did get elected because they have spoken out on opioids.'' More than $3 million will go toward 24 research projects in the first round of Rowan Universitys Camden Health Research Initiative, the college announced. The university has pledged $50 million to fund research in or impacting the city of Camden for the next 10 years. The grant funds will go to 16 departments and divisions at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, College of Science & Mathematics, College of Education, College of Communication & Creative Arts, and Cooper University Health Care. Hunger-Free Campus bill advances and other legislation: Education Briefs TRENTON Last month, almost half of all college students in the country were unsure of wher The goal of the initiative, approved by Rowans Board of Trustees in December 2017, is to stimulate medical and bioscience research at Rowan and CMSRU and with partners and to bring more top research and clinical faculty to the city to work on developing breakthrough medical cures and treatments. Dr. Beena Sukumaran, Rowans vice president of research, said the diversity of the projects addresses a range of needs, from heart health devices to health communication campaigns. Cumberland County Colleges Workforce and Community Education division, in partnership with the Center for Family Services and the Displaced Homemaker program, will host this free educational event 8:30 a.m. in the Luciano Conference Center, 3322 College Drive. A screening of the film Tricked begins at 9 a.m. A panel discussion about sex trafficking, with speakers Beverly Graham-Foy from Covenant House New Jersey, LaShaunda Carter of Veterans Sanctuary Foundation, and Dawne Lomangino-DiMauro from Statewide Human Trafficking Services Dream Catchers, begins at 10:30 a.m. Advocates from the Services Empowering Rights of Victims (SERV) program will lead two workshops from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Contact Patricia Mooneyham at pmooneyham@cccnj.edu. EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP Atlantic Christian School will host its Bowls of Hope fundraiser Saturday to benefit its educational programs, the Atlantic City Rescue Mission and the local food bank. One of the important lessons we teach our students is to be ready to share Gods love with others through our words and actions, Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen said in a news release. We look forward to being able to bless the needy in our community by sharing the proceeds from Bowls of Hope with the Atlantic City Rescue Mission and donating canned soup to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. Bowls of Hope, which began as a relief fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Sandy, allows attendees to sample a variety of soups prepared by 16 local restaurants and chefs and then vote on their favorite. Atlantic Christian students volunteer to serve and greet. In addition to the soup tasting, cans of soup and other nonperishable items are being collected for the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Southern Branch. The winning restaurant will receive the Golden Spoon Award. There will also be live music, and a silent auction. Participating restaurants and chefs are the Atlantic City Rescue Mission kitchen, Brick House Pub and Grille, Carluccios, Chickies & Petes, Eat Clean Organization, Gregorys Restaurant and Bar, The Original Soupman Deli, Sadias Tea & Coffee, Sals Coal Fired Pizza, Sofia Restaurant, Steve & Cookies by the Bay, Tacocat, Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall, Varsity Inn, Whisk Bakery & Cafe, and The Windjammer. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ADVERTISEMENT There was a new twist to the lingering crisis between the Lagos State House of Assembly and the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Monday as some lawmakers called for his removal from office. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that members of the state assembly Monday evening called for Mr Ambodes sack over allegations of gross misconduct. The governor and the state lawmakers have been at loggerheads following his failure to present the states 2019 budget earlier in the month. On Monday, the lawmakers accused the governor of committing atrocities bordering on alleged gross misconduct and illegal budgetary spending because they had yet to look into or approve the states budget for the year. This newspaper gathered that out of the 34 lawmakers who spoke at the plenary Monday, 28 of them called for the impeachment of the governor while six others called on the governor to resign. It was also gathered that the majority of the lawmakers in a voice vote supported the impeachment of the governor. But in his intervention, the Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, said the house would allow Mr Ambode to appear before it for him to address the allegations of misconduct levelled by lawmakers. He, however, asked the lawmakers who still wanted the governor to be removed to gather signatures. The state assembly thereafter asked the governor to appear before it in one week, with explanations on the alleged misconducts levelled against him or face impeachment. The house also agreed to summon Mr Ambode alongside his commissioners for finance, economic planning and budget as well as the states attorney general. All of the officials are to appear at the next sitting of the house scheduled for Monday. There has been palpable mistrust between Mr Ambode and the lawmakers following his failure to present the states 2019 budget to the lawmakers. Mr Ambode had failed to present the budget last December because the lawmakers were said to be on recess. Last week, amidst high expectations that the budget would be presented to the state assembly, the presentation failed to hold. The mistrust between the governor and the state lawmakers heightened in the wake of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress primaries that produced Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the partys gubernatorial flagbearer. Last October, the state assembly debunked speculations that it was plotting to remove Mr Ambode, following widespread rumour in government circles that the governor would be sacked. Speaking at the time, the speaker, Mr Obasa, said there was no truth in the rumour. If there would be an impeachment, it would be from the governor and if there would not be any need for impeachment, it would be from him, based on his actions, he had said. Even at that, impeachment is constitutional, so many speakers, senate presidents, presidents and others have been impeached all over the world. So, nobody can threaten us if it happens because we are representatives of the people. ADVERTISEMENT The Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, has said his support for the candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), against that of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is borne out of his commitment towards ensuring equity, justice and fairness as well as peaceful elections. He said his support for the APM candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, and not Dapo Abiodun of the APC, was in accordance with the collective decision of the APC to ensure the emergence of an indigene of the Ogun West Senatorial District, as the next governor of the state. The governor was speaking at the church service to mark the 60th birthday of the Archbishop of Lagos Ecclesiastical Province and Bishop, Diocese of Remo, Michael Fape. The event was held at Our Saviours Anglican Church, Ikenne, in Ikenne Local Government Area. It was graced by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo; former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel; elder statesman, Ayo Adebanjo; and the Akarigbo and Paramount ruler of Remo land, Babatunde Ajayi, among other dignitaries. Responding to the allegation by the church minister, Solomon Kuponu, that the decision could cause confusion among the electorate and a breach of peace, Mr Amosun said, I wont take our people for granted and it is for us not to have violence in the state and to continue to live together in peace, that all of us in All Progressives Congress, in Ogun State, took the decision. It is rather unfortunate that the people fighting us right and left, do not know what we have all agreed, since two years ago, that in the spirit of fairness, justice, equity and peace in Ogun, let us now look at our brothers from Ogun West Senatorial district. According to him, in the 43 years of existence of the state, nobody from the area has governed the state. Mr Amosun said rather than work towards anarchy in the state, as he is being accused, he has been relentlessly ensuring peace in the state. If there is one thing I thank God Almighty for, it is the security and peaceful coexistence that we now enjoy in the state. I dont know of any time, particularly in the recent time, that we have the kind of peace that we now enjoy in the state and for us not to now bring back the past days of violence. I can say it openly here that before we came on board, even in Ogun East Senatorial District here, banks cannot open before, due to insecurity. When we have eight out of every 10 people saying we have done well, that is the tonic that keeps us going. Speaking on the even distribution of infrastructure around the state, the governor said Ive been very fair to all districts in the state before my creator and I am fulfilled when I walk about, because it wont be fair to have same number of projects where 20,000 people are and where we have 400,000 people. Mr Amosun warned any politician who may be planning to rig the forthcoming elections to stay off the state. He said rigging will not be allowed in the state, adding that for me, in the final analysis, anyone that wins should win and I will personally embrace the person because I dont want anything to spoil the good administration that the good Lord has helped us to build in the state. Speaking with journalists, Mr Fape supported the decision of the governor, adding that there can be a peaceful election only when there is fairness, justice and equity, saying it is the absence of these that causes turbulence and crisis. ADVERTISEMENT The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it is taking its case over last years governorship election to the Court of Appeal and is confident of victory. The election petition tribunal, which sat in Abuja, on Monday upheld the election of Governor Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Mr Fayemi was declared the winner after he polled 197,459 votes in the election. The tribunal, led by Suleman Belgore, ruled on Monday that the allegations by the Ekiti State PDP and its governorship candidate, Olusola Kolapo, that the APC manipulated the result was not substantiated by the evidence before the court. The tribunal sat at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo. It moved its sitting to Abuja last year for fear of violence in Ekiti. The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, released a statement in reaction to the judgment. Mr Ologbondiyan urged all PDP members, particularly in Ekiti State, not to despair over the court ruling. He said the judgment of the tribunal will be overturned at the Court of Appeal and victory handed to the PDP and its candidate, Mr Eleka. The PDP holds that the Court of Appeal will consider the matter strictly on its merit particularly with the abounding evidence of rigging including violence, vote-buying, ballot stuffing and alteration of results perpetuated by the APC are still intact. Though the judiciary is passing through a trying time under the dictatorial tendencies of the Buhari Presidency, the PDP urges the Lord Justices to stand for justice by restoring the mandate freely given to the PDP candidate, Olusola Eleka, at the July 14, 2018 governorship election in Ekiti state. He added that that the entire nation and the international community widely condemned the manipulation that marred the Ekiti governorship election. He said the PDP strongly believes that justice will be served at the end of the day. The Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Olorunnimbe Mamora, on Monday, commended Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State for his achievements in office, saying posterity will be kind to him. Mr Mamora spoke in Ikeja when he led top management staff of the agency on a courtesy visit to Lagos House in Alausa. He said that his team was at Lagos House to resolve issues relating to waterways transportation and right of way of waterfront. Mr Mamora said the visit also had to do with sensitisation of waterway users on the need to always comply with waterways transportation code. With this reception, I want to highly commend you, and this is highly appreciated because you have taken a very bold step forward and we can always rely on your support. I also stand here to commend what you have done for Lagos State and for your achievements, I am sure posterity will judge you right, Mr Mamora said. Receiving the team, Mr Ambode said the state government would work with NIWA to resolve the age-long conflict between the federal agency and Lagos State Inland Waterways Authority (LASWA) over regulation and control of the waterways. He said putting the perennial conflict between NIWA and LASWA behind was the most patriotic thing to do. The governor said such a move would be in the best interest of all, especially the economic prosperity of the people. Mr Ambode said without prejudice to the matter currently before the Supreme Court on the issue, the state government was ready to implement strategies to engender peaceful resolution of the grey areas in the overall interest of the people. He expressed optimism that the development would translate to the end of the hostilities that had been going on for decades between the federal agency and LASWA. We are doing this not just for ourselves; we are doing it for Nigeria and Lagos. I believe strongly that the appointment of Sen. Mamora is divine, and even prior to his assumption as MD of NIWA and ever since he has taken over, there has not been any major complaint from the controversy between the State Government and NIWA and we are very happy for this. Let me reiterate here that I give my total support for the amicable resolution of the issue irrespective of the legal tussle that we have been having over the decades, and we also respect the rule of law. We know that whatever the decision of the Supreme Court, it will still have to be implemented by the operators, and so I give my commitment and total cooperation that anything that is outstanding, we will resolve amicably, Ambode said. He also commended the NIWA management for championing mutual relationship. Mr Ambode directed key officers of the state government to dialogue with the NIWA team with a view of coming up with a structured approach to solidifying the partnership. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The police in Lagos on Sunday said they arrested three suspected armed robbers who were part of a gang that robbed several homes in the Iyana Ipaja area. A statement by Chike Oti, the police spokesperson, said the robbers engaged the police in a shootout during which one of them, Damilare Adegbayi, 31, was shot in the leg and arrested. The police said the statement was in response to a story by The Guardian titled Robbers kill three in Lagos. According to The Guardian, two of the robbers were arrested by vigilante officials and handed over to the police. But the police in its statement said one Samuel Oyejide who fled the scene was the only one arrested by the neighbourhood vigilante group and handed over to the police. A cut-to-size locally made pistol with three live cartridges was also recovered from Damilare Adegbayi, the statement said. In view of the unfortunate incident, the CP directed the State Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) to take over investigation of the case from Dopemu Police Station and ensure that fleeing members of the armed robbery gang that perpetrated the act are arrested. The third suspect, Haruna Ibrahim, 23, was arrested later in the evening of same day by SARS operatives following confessions of the two suspects earlier arrested. The CP has deployed two teams of SARS operatives to beef up the security in the area, they are to patrol Ipaja and environs until further notice. Stone, who was born in Norwalk, was arrested Friday and charged with lying to Congress, obstructing an official proceeding and witness tampering for his role during the 2016 presidential campaign when he allegedly tried to obtain stolen Wikileaks emails damaging to Hillary Clinton. The Anambra State Government says its rejection of the Ohaneze Ndigbos endorsement of Abubakar Atiku, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has nothing to do with politics or Peter Obi. The Anambra Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C-Don Adinuba made the clarification at a press briefing in Awka, the state capital on Monday. Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra State on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), is the vice presidential candidate of the PDP. He handed over to the incumbent governor, Willie Obiano, but has since fallen out with him Obiano). Mr Adinuba said the clarification was necessitated by the story making round the media and instigated by the group that the state rejected the endorsement of Mr Abubakar because of his running mate, Mr Obi. He said the state had not in any way made reference to Mr Obi directly or indirectly in any of its interviews on the issue. The government and people of the state are disheartened by decisions of Ohaneze to desecrate the memory of Zik which coincided with the date the endorsement was made, the commissioner said. He said efforts were made to reach the leadership of Ohaneze to shift their time to 7pm as it was not fair to hold the meeting by 10am when they knew President Muhammadu Buhari was visiting the state. The commissioner said the appeal of change of time was to give Anambra delegation, the opportunity to partake in the meeting but they hurriedly held the meeting scheming out Ebonyi and Anambra States. Mr Adinuba said the Obiano government was not bothered about who the Igbo Apex Social Cultural group pitched tent with, rather the timing of their meeting coincided with Mr Buharis visit to the state. Mr Adinuba said the Ohaneze leadership led by Nnia Nwodo should have taken into consideration that Zik of Africa was being honoured on the same day of their meeting. Wisdom should have been applied by the leaders to give honour to whom, it is due, he said. He said Ohanaez Ndigbo was supposed to be part of the delegation receiving the president on such a remarkable day. He pointed out that for 23 years, many administrations had come and gone without giving due consideration to completing the mausoleum and on the day of its commissioning, Ohanaeze desecrated the memory of a worthy son of Igboland. The act is considered a sacrilege or a sabotage, Zik is the only patron of the group and he was insulted by his own, so sad, he said. Mr Adinuba described the action of the Nnia Nwodo led Ohanaeze Ndigbo group as a `political fraud saying that Ohanaeze should not be political and should stop endorsing political candidates. He said Ohaneze had in the past endorsed Jonathan, Shagari and they never won the elections, so they should stop. In a swift reaction, Damian Okeke-Ogene, President of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Anambra said the reactions of the state government was not reasonable. ADVERTISEMENT He said in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that at first instance, the group was not in the know about the presidents visit and its timetable. Mr Okeke-Ogene said that the group had observed all its due process in holding meetings from Abuja, Enugu and concluded its program. He said the meeting was statutory and would not have been cancelled for nothing and said they honoured the request of time change from 10 am to 4pm. He said the group had been endorsing candidates before now like other geopolitical zones. We endorsed Obiano and urged that the North should complete their tenure before going to South, he said. Mr Okeke-Ogene said Mr Obiano was enjoying the endorsement of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo and wondered what changed. Also, Chris Eluemunoh, the immediate past President of Ohanaeze said the group was desecrated by the state government for not involving such important group in a special visit like that. He said at their level, nobody from the group would attend any function not invited and said political leaders should learn how to respect their foundation. (NAN) The campaign trail of Atiku Abubakar was in Akwa Ibom on Monday to campaign for votes. Mr Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while addressing the crowd at the 30,000-capacity Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, promised that the federal government would set up an oil refinery in the state if he is voted into power. Akwa Ibom, though a major oil-producing state in Nigeria, has not been fortunate to have a refinery sited in the state. The federal government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has four refineries two in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, one in Warri, Delta State, and one in Kaduna State. Interestingly, none of the four refineries worked up to 50 per cent of their capacity at any time as of 2017. The refinery is going to come, Mr Abubakar said from the stage where he stood to address the crowd at the Uyo rally. Therefore, the people of Akwa Ibom I appeal to you to vote PDP. Mr Abubakar is a former vice president of Nigeria. On stage with him at the rally were his running mate, Peter Obi, the national chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus, and the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel. Mr Abubakar pointed to a young man Udim on the stage, whom he said is his personal photographer. You see, I am from Adamawa State, I dont discriminate, I dont care where you come from, he said about the photographer, apparently to emphasise that he meant it when he said he would build a refinery in Akwa Ibom if elected president. The PDP candidate reiterated his support for the restructuring of Nigeria, saying Akwa Ibom would be prosperous if the nation is restructured. Dont you want prosperity? Dont you want more jobs? Dont you want more security? Dont you want more education? he said, as the crowd kept cheering him on. I love you all, I swear to God, he added. Earlier on, the PDP national chairman, Mr Secondus, cautioned the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Akwa Ibom against any attempt to rig election in the state. Akwa Ibom is PDP, PDP is Akwa Ibom, he said. I want to warn those our friends who are from this state and who believe that elections in this state could be rigged. If you rig elections in Akwa Ibom, you rig your head, Mr Secondus said. The PDP chairman accused President Muhammadu Buharis government of intimidating the National Assembly and the judiciary. Our dear country is in distress and the whole world is aware. The economy has collapsed. People are being killed every day. ADVERTISEMENT Buhari and APC are dangerous to democracy and the existence of this country. Dont vote for them. This country must be liberated. Mr Secondus described Governor Emmanuel as a wonderful and miraculous governor. He asked the people of Akwa Ibom to re-elect him as governor. God has given you the most intelligent, the most hardworking, the most energetic, the most innovative and a world-class investment banker, Mr Secondus said of Governor Emmanuel. Before the rally, the PDP presidential candidate, Mr Abubakar, commissioned a greenhouse farm in Uyo, built by the Akwa Ibom government. He praised Governor Emmanuel for investing in agriculture. ADVERTISEMENT The Federal Government has begun the refund of over N1.3trillion owed the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) since inception, acting Managing Director of the Commission, Nelson Brambaifa, has said. The new chief executive officer of the commission, whose appointment was announced by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, spoke at the inaugural meeting of the new management of the agency in Port Harcourt, on Monday. Mr Brambaifa said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES by the spokesperson of the, Ibitoye Abosede, that the commencement of the refund process is a demonstration of President Buharis love for the Niger Delta region. He said the decision to promptly refund the debt to the Commission was not only the presidents recognition of the need to ameliorate the suffering in the Niger Delta region, but to reassure the people of governments commitment to their welfare. For the first time since the establishment of the NDDC, the chairman said the Federal Government has started fulfilling its statutory financial obligations to the Commission in full. Also, he said Mr Buhari has ensured all other statutory contributors to the funding to the NDDC, like the oil companies, equally met their financial obligations. He said such contributions will help the agency tackle all grievances of the people to restore peace and security in the region. Mr Brambaifa said the appointment of the new NDDC management team is another way to give hope to the Niger Delta people and restore their confidence that the government will take decisive action to rebuild the region. He said his board will strive to implement the mandate of the Commission, to facilitate the sustainable development of the Niger Delta into a region that is socially stable, economically prosperous, politically peaceful and ecologically regenerative. The task of developing the Niger Delta is too important to be toyed with, and too compelling to waste time on, the MD said. He enjoined all interest groups in the Niger Delta to join hands with members of the new executive management to ensure a smooth transition, as well as contribute to the immediate delivery of Mr Presidents mandate. The new MD was sworn-in alongside the acting Executive Director, Finance & Administration, Chris Amadi, and the acting Executive Director projects, Samuel Adjogbe. Some civil society organisations have called on the federal government to protect whistleblowers in Kano State against victimisation. In a statement signed by six groups, they referred to video recordings of the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, receiving wads of dollars from persons said to be contractors. The videos, which were published by an online Newspaper, Daily Nigerian in 2018, showed Mr Ganduje promising to talk to the states Accountant General on the outstanding payments. The Kano State House of Assembly proceeded to investigate the matter. It invited the publisher of the Newspaper, Jaafar Jaafar, and took his statement. The probe was, however, stalled in November by a high court of Kano State at the instance of Mr Ganduje. The Kano governor also sued Daily Nigerian and Mr Jafaar, claiming N3 billion in damages. He asked the court to compel Mr Jafaar and Daily Nigerian to write and broadcast a public apology to the governor. On January 19, the Kano State government revoked three contracts awarded to Tiamin Multi Services Ltd, a company belonging to Aminu Mohammed. Mr Mohammed is believed to be the contractor behind the videos showing Mr Ganduje receiving money from contractors. The three projects were worth N1.6 billion. Findings by this newspaper indicate that Tiamins managing director, Mr Mohammed, was the one who filmed the videos while delivering the cash to the governor at different times. Federal Governments Disappointing Approach The groups expressed disappointment at the federal government for failing to demonstrate its commitment to fight against corruption by condemning and prosecuting such high profile malfeasance. We keenly anticipated the response of the government and its anti-corruption agencies to this all too important test case. For the avoidance of doubt, we had expected that the government would consider this an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to the fight against corruption through condemning and prosecuting this high-profile malfeasance as a clear warning that the Buhari administration is serious and decisive in dealing with corruption no matter the persons involved. We regret to announce that what has actually happened since the video went public, is the exact opposite, part of the statement read. The groups also frowned at the revocation of the contracts to Mr Mohammeds company, fearing that certain categories of persons are shielded from the governments war on corruption. For a government that created incentives to encourage Nigerians to report corruption through its whistleblower policy, the fate of these whistleblowers Daily Nigerian, Mr Jafaar Jafaar and the contractor who took the risk of recording the video discourages anyone from further reporting corruption. As it stands, the contractor has lost the contracts he won and Mr Jafaar and his Daily Nigerian could be shut down and ridiculed if it loses the suit filed by the governor. Already, Mr Jafaar and Daily Nigerian are incurring huge costs in legal expenses for doing the right thing. We call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to step up and champion this cause which Mr Jafaar has very nobly begun. It is important that he is given every support needed to ensure that he is not victimized. ADVERTISEMENT Similarly, we call on the federal government to extend the protection and support which its Whistle Blower Policy promises to Mr Jafaar and the contractor. These persons are currently being victimized for doing the right thing. The government has the responsibility of demonstrating to the country and the world that it is truly poised to fight corruption, it said. The groups warned that the manner the affair is being handled is a grave disincentive for fighting corruption. It should not be seen that the fight against corruption can be sacrificed in preference of political expediency. This will be a death blow for the country and those of us who have willingly supported this fight. The groups who made this call are Centre for Social Studies and Development- We the People, Social Action, Center for Awareness on Justice and Accountability, Youth Alive Foundation, Youth Anti-Corruption Network and Center for Development Support Initiative. ADVERTISEMENT Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State has appointed Ahmed Bima, as the new Acting Chief Judge of the state High Court of Justice. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Bima was sworn-in as the new Acting Chief Judge of Niger State High Court during the valedictory court session in honour of Maria Zukogi, the outgoing Chief Judge. Mr Bello described the outgoing Chief Judge as someone with integrity and impeccable character, who worked selflessly to improve the judiciary and welfare of judges. Since my encounter with Justice Zukogi in 2016, we have had a unique working relationship, she had succeeded in reforming the judiciary and giving it a new look, he said. He urged the new acting chief judge to sustain the foundation laid by his predecessor and maintain the existing good working relationship between the judiciary and other tiers of government. Mr Bello disclosed that his administration was committed to the autonomy of the judiciary in the state. He said his administration had no problem with autonomy of the judiciary, state house of assembly and the local government. According to him, their autonomy would enable them take care of their needs directly. When we took over in 2015, we inherited a lot of problems in the judiciary, problems that have accumulated for over years, but within three years, we have been able to address some of these challenges. My commitment for autonomy of judiciary stands. I had earlier approved the autonomy of judiciary but I realised that it was not captured fully in the budget. I instructed the registrar to work closely with the legislature to make adequate provision and ensure that everything is capture in the budget, he added. The governor pledged to continue to ensure welfare of judges and provision of working environment conducive for them. In her address, Maria Zukogi, outgoing Chief Judge, commended the governor for approving fund for the renovation of 20 chief magistrates and magistrates courts across the state. (NAN) The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has promised to construct a bridge to link Pategi town in the northern senatorial district of the state with Bida emirate in Niger State if elected. Mr AbdulRazaq made the promise on Monday in Pategi at a meeting he held with community leaders at the Etsu of Nupes palace during his campaign tour of the area. According to him, the APC government will construct a bridge to link Pategi with Bida to end incessant boat mishaps on the River Niger and deepen cultural and trade relations between the two states. River Niger is, for us, not a dividing line but an area of convergence between Kwara and Niger states. We will link Pategi and Bida emirate in Niger with a bridge, even if by public-private arrangement, Mr AbdulRazaq added. He appealed to the people of the area to vote massively for all APC candidates in the coming general election. I, therefore, urge you to vote massively for President Muhammadu Buhari, all our candidates for the National and State Assembly and for me as your governor. Once you do this, we will collaborate with the administration of Mr President to build a bridge to link the two states and end the agony of losing our people to incessant boat accidents. Mr AbdulRazaq also promised the people that his government would provide jobs for the youth to end their restiveness. We will make sure that you have infrastructure, which will not only boost trade but will also generate employment. We will revive local industries, especially agro-processing factories. Importantly, our administration will accord proper respect to the traditional institutions, AbdulRazaq added. The candidate promised to end the diversion of local government funds through the so-called joint accounts, a practice he blamed for the lack of development and rising poverty at the grassroots. Responding, Ibrahim Abubakar, the Akimi of Chegban, a community under the Etsu Nupe, promised the peoples support for the APC candidate. Your aspiration has our blessings in view of your pledge to guarantee the construction of a bridge across the River Niger, Mr Abubakar said. Mr Abubakar also urged the candidate to help reactivate the long-abandoned NTA facilities in the town. In Kpada, Mr AbdulRazaq pledged to construct the long-abandoned Pategi-Kpada road, if elected. Sadiq Umar, the APC senatorial candidate for Kwara North, said the area will not remain the same if they support all APC candidates in the coming general elections. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports Mr AbdulRazaq was accompanied on the tour by top party chieftains, all the APC candidates from the northern senatorial district, and former APC governorship aspirant, Abdullahi Yamman. ADVERTISEMENT NAN also reports that the campaign tour took the APC candidate and his entourage to several towns and villages in Pategi and Edu local government areas, including Pategi, Kpada, Lade, Tsaragi and Lafiagi. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed a former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, as a member of the campaign council for the re-election of Governor Simon Lalong. Mr Dariye is currently serving a jail term at the Kuje prison over graft. He was in June 2018 sentenced to 14 years in prison by an Abuja high court for stealing Plateau funds while in office. The court of appeal in Abuja subsequently reduced the jail term to 10 years. Mr Dariye, representing Plateau central in the Senate, was jailed after being found guilty of diverting N1.7 billion state ecological fund when he was governor between 1999 and 2007. Curious Appointment The appointment of Mr Dariye was announced in a statement issued by the Plateau State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Yakubu Dati. It is not clear how Mr Dariye who is in jail is expected to campaign for the re-election of Mr Lalong ahead of the March 2 governorship polls. Despite his conviction, the former governor is still influential in the Plateau State politics, especially in the central senatorial district. Meanwhile, Mark Longyn, a special assistant on media to the governor spoke on the reason for the appointment. Theres actually nothing wrong in the partys inclusion of former Governor Dariyes name in the list. For one, Dariye has appealed his conviction and who knows if the Supreme Court would upturn the judgment of the lower court tomorrow and free him to join in the campaign? he said. Besides, politics is local and the former governor remains a great political asset in Plateau State today. Even while in custody, Dariye has a right to appeal his conviction, which he has exercised, and is eagerly awaiting its positive outcome. Dont forget that his seat in the National Assembly is still intact for same reason, he added. He said Mr Dariyes political influence remains unmatched by any former governor of the state alive today. You see, If Dariye were to contest any elective position in Plateau State against any opponent today he would win with a landslide. It is on record in this country that Senator Iyiola Omisore and ex-Abia Governor Orji won elections while in custody. People should understand that the hullabaloo over the inclusion of Dariyes name is simply the handiwork of opposition elements seeking to make a mountain out of an anthill, Mr Longyn added. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged traditional rulers in the country to canvass for peace ahead of the 2019 general elections. Mr Osinbajo made the call on Monday at the opening of the 10th National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) in Abuja. The event Themed Building a synergy towards free and fair credible and violence-free 2019 General Elections had in attendance the Chairman of NCTRN and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar; and the Co-Chairman, the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunnwusi. Also in attendance were the Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Usman; the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi; the Olubadan of Ibadan, Saliu Adetunji; and the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu. Mr Osinbajo in his speech thanked the traditional rulers for their support. He said the role of the traditional rulers in an election season is essential. The role of your royal majesties and our traditional institutions is crucial for connecting the people of your kingdoms with the federal and state agencies responsible for the conduct of the elections, Mr Osinbajo said. He also said the traditional rulers have a role to play in assisting security agencies curb violence. He said the federal government would ensure that security agencies work with them. Given the activities of unscrupulous individuals and groups who use the election season to foment trouble and disrupt the electoral process, the role of the security agencies is crucial. But the backbone of effective security is quality local intelligence, he said. The most trusted repository of local intelligence is, of course, the royal father in the domain. We will encourage the security agencies to work closely with you in this enormous task, he added. Mr Osinbajo also urged the traditional rulers to shun all violence and hate speech as it is designed to incite and provoke disturbances. I urge you all as traditional and spiritual heads of your communities to take up your responsibilities of guidance and counselling; to enlighten them on the need to shun all forms of animosity, aggression, conflicts, and violence before, during and after the elections, while mobilising them to participate, by voting for the candidates or parties of their choice at all levels, without fear of molestation, intimidation or harassment. Also, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar, said the traditional rulers are not rivals to the government but partners and stakeholders. We are not rivals to political leaders, we are partners in progress to the political leaders. We want to help them because they have the power to lead this country, he said. So we should be seen as partners in progress, as stakeholders to lead this great country. None of us is wanting to take power from them. we would continue to do our best to the best of our duties and by his grace would continue to succeed. He said the council of traditional leaders is fully in support of the government. We are 100 per cent ready as an institution to give our support to ensure there is a free and fair election in this country and whoever wins would have our full support as we have one Nigeria. The Sultan urged the traditional rulers who are chancellors in different universities in the country to speak with the government on what they can contribute to ending the ongoing ASSU strike, Mr Yakubu, in his speech, said the traditional rulers are the closest to the people at the grassroots. ADVERTISEMENT As the fathers of the people, being traditional and religious leaders in your various domains, you are the closest institution to the people at the grassroots, he said. The timing of this meeting is very significant. The 2019 general election is around the corner, and there can be no better opportunity to help compare our message of general elections to the grassroots than through our royal majesties, the INEC chief added. He also urged the traditional rulers in the country to speak with the political actors to help curb the menace of hate speech in the country. The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, said traditional rulers have a role to play in ensuring a violence-free and fair election. He said they are the closest to the youth in their various kingdoms. it is important to take everything we have discussed here to our various domains. I can mention to you we are the closest to our people. We can easily pass the message across to our people and easily stabilise any tension that might want to arise. The youth have over 80 per cent of the voting demography. it is very important that they own the country and I can always stand for Nigeria youth. I believe at some point they would understand their strength and take ownership as the country belongs to them. It is key for us to relate well with them for us to have a free, stable and fair election, he said. ADVERTISEMENT The Academic State Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday received the certificate of operation for the Nigerian University Pension Management Company (NUPEMCO) from the National Pension Commission, the regulatory agency for the countrys pension companies. The refusal of the regulatory agency to approve the teachers unions pension commission for operation was one of the major issues in the dispute between the ASUU and the federal government. But on Monday, the President of ASUU, Biodun Ogunyemi, in a short message sent across to members of the union, said ASUU received the certificate at about 11:20 a.m on Monday. Mr Ogunyemi thanked members of the union for standing solidly behind the leadership while the struggle lasted. He pledged the unions commitment to achieving reform in the Nigerian university system. His message reads; Dear Comrade, We collected the final letter of approval of NUPEMCO operational license at about 11.20a.m in PENCOM office this morning. Profound appreciation goes to all who prepared the ground and made this possible. While congratulating all our members for this landmark achievement of the union, we also thank them for their patience. The struggle continues! Biodun Ogunyemi. The union president earlier told the News Agency of Nigeria that the leadership was still consulting with its members over offers made by the federal government. According to the ASUU president, the government made some offers in the course of meetings with ASUU, which are still being deliberated on. We are still consulting with our chapters across the country. There are promises that government made and we are trying to consult with the various university chapters on the options before the union. By the time we are fully aware of what is left of our demands from what the government is offering, then we will know what steps to take, even as negotiations with the government continues. For instance, we are in touch with about 20 universities that are affected, to be sure of the level of implementation. By the time we finish our assessment, we will now send our response back to the government, concerning the level of implementation. And depending on the outcome of our further engagements with government, we will now get back to our members. Mr Ogunyemi said ASUU is expected to be involved in another round of meeting with the government within the week, adding that he expects a positive outcome. PREMIUM TIMES called Mr. Ogunyemi to know whether the new development may inform change of the unions hard stance on the ongoing industrial action. But he said he was in a meeting and that as soon as the meeting was over he would reach our reporter. ASUU has been on strike since November 4, 2018, over alleged non-implementation of agreements it entered into with the federal government in 2009 and 2017. Its demands are on the NUPEMCO licence, better welfare package and improved teaching and learning environment in the universities, among other issues. The acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN), Ibrahim Tanko, on Monday said the independence of the judiciary should be guarded jealously even as the general polls approach. Mr Tanko, whose controversial appointment is still raising dust in the polity, said the judiciary must also be allowed to function unhindered. Mr Tanko was appointed in an acting capacity by President Muhammadu Buhari in the midst of allegations of failure to declare assets levelled against the now suspended substantive CJN, Walter Onnoghen. Mr Buhari said he relied on a ruling by the Code of Conduct Tribunal asking that the embattled official should be suspended despite a stay of action ruling granted by an appeal court. The action has drawn the ire of Nigerians and some western nations who are appalled that Mr Buhari ignored a constitutional provision which stipulated the mandatory role of the National Assembly and the National Judicial Council in the removal of the top judicial officer. It is important that the Judiciary must have absolute independence, Mr Tanko said Monday. Judges should handle election petitions without any external pressure or influence either by political parties, stakeholders or economic interest groups. The Judiciary must continue to take steps to ensure that It is not seen as being partisan. The official spoke at an event organised by the Independent Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for election tribunal judges on Monday which deliberated on election matters. The ongoing two-day workshop, organised by INEC is taking place at the Andrews Otutu Obaseki Auditorium, National Judicial Institute, Abuja. The INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu was represented by May Agbamuche while Mr Tanko was represented by Zainab Bulkachuwa. Deliberations Both the INEC chairman and the acting CJN agreed elections are governed by legislation and multiple court judgment reduces the confidence of the people in INEC and the judiciary. The acting CJN said the procedure of conducting elections comes with numerous challenges. He said the workshop will present participants the opportunity to discuss and find a common course towards addressing the challenges which judges face while serving on election petition tribunals. This workshop is a unique opportunity to deliberate and agree on the basic tenets and guiding principles as well as ensuring quick dispensation of electoral matters, he explained. He also said election litigation is an inevitable part of the electoral process. INEC has the responsibility to conduct and manage elections, the Judiciary on its part is charged with the responsibility of resolving issues arising from the process, he added. He also said the present electoral system is fraught with challenges which include (controversial) party nomination, substitution of candidates, late conduct of party primaries amongstothers. This poses the need for participants in this workshop to be constantly equipped with the rudiments of the law to enable them accomplish their task with the desired efficiency and competence. He also said these will help arrive at well-researched judgments and modalities to reduce the spate of conflicting judgments emanating from courts. He urged judges to guard their integrity and the integrity of the judiciary, by avoiding acts that will bring them under the disciplinary jurisdiction of the NJC. ADVERTISEMENT The NJC according to him will not hesitate to wield the big stick of sanctions on any judicial officer who is found wanting in the discharge of his/her duties. INEC Conflicting court orders are negatively affecting the consistency, neutrality, and public perception, not only of the Commission but the Judiciary as well, Mr Mahmood, earlier in his remarks, said. The INEC chairman also said there is the urgent need to address the issue of conflicting judgments in order to engender certainty in the electoral process. It is for this reason that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) considers this workshop necessary in the best interest of our democracy, he said. Mr Mahmood said the survival of the democratic process and the consolidation of the ongoing electoral reforms require the commitment of all actors hence the workshop. The chairman said the workshop is important to both parties because it affords them a platform to further record concerns about the adjudication of electoral disputes as the election approaches. He also said this workshop will aid the commission get feedback from the sector that has reviewed its activities over the years to help it do more in aspects necessary. The commission also noted two areas of concern it will like to address: conflicting judgements and lack of consequential orders by courts. For our part, there are two major areas of concern. First is the issue of conflicting judgements arising from pre-electlon and post-election cases. Conflicting judgements, especially by courts of co-ordinate jurisdiction at the high court level, are putting the commission in a very difficult position and creating uncertainty in the process. Our second area of concern relates to the lack of consequential orders by the courts after making findings on an issue and stating the position. She was a registered Republican from 1991 to 1996 because "I thought that those were the people who best supported markets." Today, she favors "big structural change." Her Accountable Capitalism Act would produce the semi-nationalization of large corporations, with federal charters requiring (among other things) 40 percent of their directors to be elected by employees. Such accountable-to-government (not to markets) corporations must have "a material positive impact on society ... when taken as a whole." This gaseous metric will be defined and applied by government. Such federalization of corporate law would inevitably be the thin end of an enormous wedge of government control, crowding out market signals. As would her Climate Risk Disclosure Act. And her American Housing and Economic Mobility Act. And her Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act (government-run production of generic drugs). The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has called for urgent protection and humanitarian solutions for over seven million displaced persons across the Lake Chad Basin (LCB) region. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that countries in the LCB region include Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Liz Ahua, UNHCRs Regional Representative for West Africa, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja during the second Regional Protection Dialogue (RPD). She added that amidst the heightened insecurity, the Lake Chad Basin continued to face serious protection crisis. Ms Ahua explained that the region was traumatized and going through insecurity, terrorism, poverty and climatic situations that have deteriorated. Today, two-and-half years after the first RPD, all of us are gathered to share the pains being inflicted to over 7.5 million women, girls, boys, men, young and old in the Lake Chad Basin. The Regional Protection Dialogues seeks to remind the governments in the Lake Chad region on the principles of humanitarian action, principles such as respect for the people who are displaced. Non-renouncement, which means that if they flee to another country they should not be thrown out, then for us, a responsibility to ensure that if they are in camps, there are no infiltration of the bad people and creating mayhem. We remind the governments and work together with other partners to say we have a responsibility to protect you. From there, we also move to the areas of not just humanitarian assistance, but ensuring that even if they are displaced, their means of livelihoods are not diminished. At the moment, there is so much happening. The climatic conditions are pushing people to move from one place to another so, you have huge root causes. But we would like for these people, wherever they are, to be able to continue with their dignified activities, Ms Ahua said. Acknowledging the successes achieved by military operations, Ms Ahua said that there are cases of new displacements on regular basis. She said that close to 320,000 persons have been displaced anew in the last three months. Ms Ahua said that in a bid to addressing the humanitarian and protection crisis, the UN and Nigerian government launched the Humanitarian Response Strategy (HRS) and the Nigeria Regional Refugees Response Plan (RRRP). She said that the comprehensive approach plan seeks to address the weakness and vulnerabilities of refugees, IDPs, and persons of concerns and to ensure the humanitarian and development responses of actors. Yassine Gaba, UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator to Nigeria, said that as conflicts continue to linger every day, civilians bear the brunt of the crisis. Mr Gaba said that protection of civilians remained the key priority of the operation and an issue that must be tackled head-on at all levels and from all angles. ADVERTISEMENT He said that despite the challenges, the humanitarian community was determined to continue providing life-saving humanitarian assistance in support of government-led initiatives. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the second RPD was a follow up to the maiden RPD which held in June 2016 and birthed the 24 commitments Abuja Declaration. The RPD seeks to look at various achievements, progress made and challenges in the implementation of the Abuja Declaration. (NAN) President Muhammadu Buharis main challenger in forthcoming election, Atiku Abubakar, has called on Nigerians to peacefully rise in defence of democracy. The former vice president made the call in a state of the nation address on Monday, following the removal of the Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen on Friday. President Buhari said he removed the CJN on the orders of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, where Mr Onnoghen is facing charges of alleged false asset declaration. The suspension of Mr Onnoghen and the appointment of an acting CJN has been widely condemned and is deemed unconstitutional. At a news conference at the Yaradua Centre, Abuja, Mr Abubakar said the primary responsibility to resist tyranny and protect democracy in Nigeria ultimately lies with Nigerians. How we react to this challenge in the following days will determine the fate of our democracy, which has been brought to great peril by this needless crisis engineered by a government that is unwilling to subject its conducts to the requirements of our constitution, he said. Like all men of good conscience and patriots, I believe this present challenge has imposed on us yet again, the duty to rise in peaceful defense of democracy, for which so many have laid down their lives. It is on this note that I call on all Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the coming general elections to vote in defense of democracy and the rule of law, he said. Read his full statement below: STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS BY ATIKU ABUBAKAR, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP) AT THE SHEHU MUSA YARADUA CENTRE, MONDAY, JANUARY 28TH, 2019. Yet again, our dear country is passing through a difficult moment. How we react to this challenge in the following days will determine the fate of our democracy, which has been brought to great peril by this needless crisis engineered by a government that is unwilling to subject its conducts to the requirements of our constitution. Meanwhile, I commend all Nigerians and friends of Nigeria who have expressed outrage over the unlawful removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, an action, which constitutes a flagrant breach of our constitution and a frontal assault on our democracy. I want to note the universal condemnation of this unlawful act by all Nigerians, as well as the international community. I need to state that this latest action by General Muhammadu Buhari falls squarely within the pattern of executive lawlessness that has now been firmly turned into statecraft by the APC government. The serial disregard of court orders, and consequent violation of constitutionally guaranteed human rights of our citizens confirms beyond all doubt that General Buhari and his government would rather obey their own whims and operate by separate rules outside the well-established constitutional order and the rule of law. It scarcely requires emphasis that this behaviour is alien to democratic rule and more in line with that of a military dictator. Without doubt, the fight against corruption is crucial to good governance and the progress of our country. In this context, the issue of corruption as it relates to the institution of the judiciary is even more crucial. As the last refuge of the common man, our judiciary must not only be above suspicion but must also be seen to be manifestly above board. The issue at stake is not whether the Chief Justice is guilty or not, but whether his removal from office has been done in accordance with the process specified in our constitution. As a democrat, I must say, without equivocation, that no mission or goal, no matter how noble or well intended, should be used as a pretext for the subversion of our democracy and our democratic institutions. To create a condition that allows the constitution and the rule of law to become secondary to any other agenda is to pave the way for tyranny. History is replete with odious dictators whose path to dictatorship started with statements of good intentions. We must therefore remain vigilant in defense of our democracy. We are all witnesses to how this government has serially assaulted the National Assembly, a separate arm of government that represents the bastion of our democracy. However, with this attack on the judiciary, General Buhari has set a new precedent in our democracy that has no equivalence in our history, not even in the darkest days of military dictatorship. This cannot be allowed to stand. At this juncture, I must warn the APC government to desist from taking actions that may push us further down the slippery slope towards a major constitutional crisis that could derail the electoral process. General Muhammadu Buhari must remember that he is a beneficiary of a free and fair election. It is therefore a matter of honour for him to allow a political environment and process that gives confidence to everyone. All my life, I have been a democrat and a defender of democracy. Like all men of good conscience and patriots, I believe this present challenge has imposed on us yet again, the duty to rise in peaceful defense of democracy, for which so many have laid down their lives. I also know that the surest weapon against tyranny is the democratic will of the people. Nigerians have consistently demonstrated their preference for democracy, and I am, and will always remain, on the side of the people of Nigeria. ADVERTISEMENT I conclude by expressing, once again, my gratitude to the international community for standing by our country in this challenging time. However, the primary responsibility to resist tyranny and protect democracy in Nigeria ultimately lies with Nigerians. It is on this note that I call on all Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the coming general elections to vote in defense of democracy and the rule of law. We must vote out this anti-democratic government and restore our country to the path of true democracy, which is the surest way to ensure progress and prosperity for our people. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. God bless you all. Released By: Paul Ibe Media Adviser to HE Atiku Abubakar Senate President Bukola Saraki, on Sunday said the federal government would have silenced him and forced him to resign if he had skeleton in his cupboard. He said this at a reception by residents of Offa, where he led members of his party at a campaign rally in the local government, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on New Media, Olu Onemola. Mr Saraki, who addressed community chiefs and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the Buhari-led government has nothing to offer Kwara State. He also told the audience that his boldness in confronting the federal might was because he has clean hands otherwise he would have been dealt with seriously. Our campaign has a definite plan for Kwara State and Nigeria. Since we joined the PDP the party has honoured Kwara State, they gave us DG of Campaign, National Leader of the party and have agreed that if the party wins, Senate President is our slot in Kwara. But what has the other party (APC) to offer? If I have skeleton in my cupboard this government would have silenced me and forced me to drop the campaign. But for God and the support of the people I would not be standing today. They didnt want to honour our agreement. We all laboured and what they couldnt get in three times they got it and we demanded that they give to Kwara what we deserve, he said. The lawmaker who said he sees himself as a son of Offa, urged lovers of the state not to follow Mr Buhari. We need to teach our seasonal politicians a lesson on the poll date. We want community development, let everybody come and contribute their quota to our communities; when Saraki do his own and let them too do their own. I heard that some politicians have been buying JAMB forms in 2019. The question to ask is where were they in 2016, where were they in 2017? APC leaders in Kwara cant access President Buhari for anything. They will first have to go and submit their request to Lagos (APC chieftain, Bola Tinubu) and it is only when Lagos is satisfied with the request that it will be forwarded to Buhari who may or not do it. Anybody who loves Kwara will not follow Buhari. The Federal Civil Service Commission that was supposed to rotate to Kwara, he has refused and given it to another state, he said. On his part, the traditional ruler of the community, Muftau Gbadamosi, reportedly asked his subjects to vote en masse for the PDP. He said the partys leadership in the state has been faithful to his community in the last eight years. The turnout today was our own way of showing gratitude. That is our style here. Since I came on this throne, Offa has benefitted immensely from the state, even up till the last two weeks when I told them about a road and they have come to work on it. But the opposition will be issuing out any form of statement telling lies that this government has not done anything for us. There is no request we brought to the government that was denied. This is not politics; my claims are verifiable. There is no local government that has benefitted like us. I appeal to my people not to deceive us in this relationship. We should not pretend and deceive them. These ones (PDP) that we know are better than the ones we dont know, he said. Mr Saraki is the Director General of the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation. Mr Abubakar is the presidential candidate for the PDP in next months general election. The election is scheduled to hold on February 16. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Buhari-led administration will jail more corrupt Nigerians, if re-elected, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said. Mr Osinbajo said this on Sunday during his house-to-house campaign in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that traffic was at standstill as thousands of residents, including party faithful, market persons and the Arewa Community, trooped out to receive the vice president during the Sunday visit. Mr Osinbajo, the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was in the area to canvass for votes, also visited various markets and houses in the area. Speaking to people in Ifako-Ijaiye, Mr Osinbajo said grand corruption, which plagued the 16 years administration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) contributed to the lack of infrastructure for Nigerians. Mr Osinbajo said the Buhari-led APC government would focus on jobs for youths, power and providing enough resources to financially empower petty traders and business owners. The difference between us and the PDP is that we dont steal government resources. We use it for the people. We earn less and we spend more on the welfare of people than the previous government. Everybody knows Buhari is an honest man. He will not steal public fund. We shall continue to fight corruption so that we can have enough money to provide infrastructure. We have to build on the foundation we have laid. The corrupt people will be jailed. That is why the corrupt elements in the opposition are desperate to regain power. We cant leave government for the thieves. You should vote for APC because it is the only party that can do the job. We should not allow PDP to return to power, he said. Mr Osinbajo said the issues in the coming election were creation of jobs for youth, more power supply, provision of infrastructure, adding that the present administration planned to complete Lagos-Kano Rail, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge. The next level will be much better than today. More power will be available to the people and there will be more infrastructure. Too much corruption have retarded our progress. That is why Buhari is fighting corruption. If there is no corruption, there will be money to carry out the developmental projects. Buhari will fight for young and old. He will not allow anybody to steal public funds. Government will decentralised power so that there will be adequate and efficient distribution of power in the country. Government will provide adequate electricity supply for the household, artisans, corporate organisations and business enterprise, he added. The vice president, however, urged the electorates to vote for President Buhari and other APC candidates in the February 16 and March 2 elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has accredited 144 observer groups that will monitor the conduct of the forthcoming general elections in the country. The figure, as published on the commissions official website, comprised 116 domestic and 28 international observer groups. The commission advised all the accredited observers to abide by its code of conduct for election observers. INEC is pleased to announce the successful applicants to observe the 2019 general elections holding on 16th Feb. 2019 and 2nd March, 2019. All accredited observers shall abide by the code of conduct for election observers, which is available for download on the INEC website. INEC reserves the right to cancel and withdraw the accreditation of any organisation if its members or agents breach the code of conduct, the commission said. It, therefore, advised the accredited groups to obtain and complete form EC 14A (ii) from its Elections and Party Monitoring Department, at its Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, between 8am to 4pm (Monday to Friday) starting from January 28 to February 1. The commission warned that it would hand over to law enforcement agencies any group, other than those accredited, found in any state for the elections. Also, accredited field observers found in states other than where they are posted will equally be sanctioned. The accredited foreign observer groups are: African Bar Association; African Parliament of The Civil Society; African Union; British High Commission; Democrat Union of Africa; ECOWAS; Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) Republic Of Cameroon; and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa. Other accredited foreign observers are: Embassy of France; Embassy of Japan; Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt; Embassy of The Republic Of Korea; European Centre For Electoral Support; European Union; German International Agency; High Commission of Canada; and the International Foundation For Electoral System. The International Human Rights CommissionI; International Peace Commission; International Republican Institute; the National Democratic Institute; the Network for Solidarity; and the Empowerment and Transformation for All were also accredited to cover the elections. Other international obsevers accredited are: Nigerians in Diaspora Organization; Pan African Women Projects; Pan African Youth Training and Enlightenment Centre; Queen Zara Foundation for Human Resources Development; The Commonwealth; and the United States Embassy Domestic Groups On the domestic scene are Action Aid Nigeria; Advocacy for Quality Leadership and Health Awareness Foundation; African Centre For Leadership, Strategy and Development; African Christian Care Trust Organization; Transition Monitoring Group; and YIAGA Africa Initiative are some of the observer groups accredited. Others are: African Initiative for Sustainable and Positive Development; African Youth Leadership Roundtable Initiative; Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society; Alliance for Credible Election; Asabe Shehu Yaradua Foundation; Centre for Citizens With Disabilities; Centre for Strategic Conflict Management; and the Centre for Transparency Advocacy Also: Children and Youth Awareness Development Foundation; Christian Association of Nigeria; Christian Council Of Nigeria; Church Of Nigeria Anglican Communion; Citizens Rights And Leadership Awareness Initiative; and the Citizens Rights For Peace And Good Leadership Initiative. The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre; Cleen Foundation; Conscience Women of Africa Initiative; Jamaatu Izalatau Badiah Wa Ikamatu Sunnatu; Justice Development And Peace; Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria; and the National Orientation Agency also got approval to cover the elections. ADVERTISEMENT Others are: the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Policy And Legal Advocacy Centre); Nigerian Bar Association; Northern Patriotic Front; Northern Youth And Elders Awareness Forum; Police Service Commission; Shehu Musa Yaradua Foundation; and The Albino Foundation. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Abdulaziz Yari, has warned National Assembly against passing a new National Minimum Wage that would be difficult for states to pay. Mr Yari, who is the governor of Zamfara State, issued the warning in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the public hearing on new National Minimum Wage bill on Monday in Abuja. News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) recalls that labour unions had rejected the approved N27,000 by the national council of states, demanding N30,000 as a new minimum wage. Reacting to the demand, Mr Yari said the demand for N30,000 as the new minimum was not realistic. According to him, only Lagos State can afford that N30,000 as minimum wage, not even Rivers can pay that much. He said leaders must tell themselves the truth and not pass figures that would be difficult to implement in the field. It is easy to call figures, but when it comes to implementing in the field, it becomes a problem. Only Lagos can afford the N30,000 as minimum wage, not even Rivers can afford to pay that much, he said. (NAN) The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday in Abuja said 30 state governors have agreed to pay N30,000 as the new national minimum wage. The union urged the National Assembly to ignore the recommendation of N27,00 by the Federal Government. NLC made the plea at a National Assembly public hearing on the bill. The union had rejected the N27, 000 proposed by the government. NLC president, Ayuba Wabba, told leaders and members of the National Assembly at the event that N30,000 was what NLC had canvassed for and reached a compromise on. Mr Wabba said NLC accepted the figure because it was reasonable enough to see the challenge at the negotiating table. He said NLC had discussed with 30 state governors and they had all agreed to pay the N30,000. We have considered all factors and we are pleading with the House, governors and our leaders that N30,000 is a compromised position, that all of us will work together to build our country, Mr Wabba said. However, the NLC proposed four amendments to the current minimum wage bill. The NLC president said the first amendment was about the figure. He observed that item 1 provided for a minimum wage of N27,000, pleading that the figure should be changed to N30,000. The second amendment was in section 2(b) which talked about duration of four years as contained in the draft bill. The NLC proposed that it should be a four-year cycle, bearing in mind that major economic upheaval will adversely affect the value of the new minimum wage, saying this was in tandem with global best practice. Labour also sought an amendment on the threshold, asking that it should be removed, because we say every worker should be able to earn at least the minimum wage. Mr Wabba also said that those employing from 25 and below should not be exempted. He said the body charged with the responsibility of making the next review should be institutionalised. According to the NLC president, what is being proposed here is different from what is recommended in tripartite where we say that any future review will be done by a tripartite committee as done before. He said the tripartite body would come to the table on equal footing and if there was any need for any inclusion, the minister could make recommendations to the president after discussing with social partners. Lastly, Labour sought amendment to section 5 (a) which had to do with penalty. ADVERTISEMENT Mr Wabba said that the recommended penalty of N5,000 was too minimal and asked that it should be increased to a fine not exceeding N75,000.(NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The Zamfara State Governor, Abubakar Yari, has warned the National Assembly against passing a new National Minimum Wage that would be difficult for states to pay. Mr Yari, who is the Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum, issued the warning in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the public hearing on new National Minimum Wage bill on Monday in Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) recalls that the organised labour leaders had rejected the approved N27,000 by the National Council of State, demanding N30,000 as a new minimum wage. Reacting to the demand of organised labour, Mr Yari said that the demand for N30,000 as the new minimum was not realistic. According to him, only Lagos State can afford that N30,000 as minimum wage, not even Rivers can pay that much. He said that leaders must tell themselves the truth and not pass figures that would be difficult to implement in the field. It is easy to call figures, but when it comes to implementing in the field, it becomes a problem. Only Lagos can afford the N30,000 as minimum wage, not even Rivers can afford to pay that much, he said. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT A former Minister for Foreign Affairs and stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tom Ikimi, says the party will form a Government of National Unity, if voted back to power. Mr Ikimi said this on Monday at a PDP rally in Igueben, Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State. He said PDP was now a reformed party, adding that all its good members that defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) had returned to the party. Mr Ikimi also said that the party was poised to raise youth who would be the new generation of leaders to take over from the old ones like him and many others. He said that Igueben as a local government area had taken its first step of redemption by identifying and supporting PDP. Mr Ikimi noted that the February 16 election would decide whether Nigeria should continue to exist as one or not. He also said that those who wanted the country to continue to remain as one are unanimous in saying enough is enough with the present happenings in the country. He urged all that gathered at the occasion to vote PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and all PDP candidates across the country for job creation, poverty eradication, infrastructure development, security and peaceful coexistence. Similarly, Mike Onolememhen, a former Minister for Works, said the February and March elections were in the hands of the electorate and appealed to them to vote for PDP to make Nigeria better again. Earlier, Dan Orbih, Edo State chairman of the party, also said that the elections would decide the future of the country. He noted that the party had credible candidates who would ensure that jobs not completed during the PDP era and any other uncompleted projects would be completed. He appealed to all lovers of democracy to stand up and defend democracy with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). (NAN) The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on the new minimum wage on Monday commenced a public hearing on the most anticipated amendment bill. The ad-hoc committee headed by the deputy speaker, Yusuf Lasun, is currently sitting at a conference room in the new building of the House. In attendance are various interest groups and labour leaders. President Muhammadu Buhari had in a letter on Thursday, read to the lawmakers by Speaker Yakubu Dogara, urged the amendment of the National Minimum Wage Amendment Act 2011 to raise the minimum wage from N18,000 to N27,000. A tripartite committee set up by the government recommended N30,000, but the Council of State on Tuesday accepted that figure for federal staff and recommended N27,000 for state and private sector workers. The Nigeria Labour Congress rejected the N27,000. It insists on N30,000 for all workers. Accelerated Hearing Delivering his speech at Mondays opening ceremony, Mr Dogara said the House had to give the bill an accelerated hearing because it was long overdue. There are obvious reasons why the House has to give accelerated consideration to this very crucial Bill. It is a Bill that is long overdue, as the current National Minimum Wage, which was fixed in 2011, has become unrealistic due to supervening developments in the nation. He said due to the upcoming general elections, the house has to go on break but it decided to conclude the public hearing as quickly as possible to enable the House to proceed with further legislative actions on it at its plenary on Tuesday. More importantly, the consideration and passage of this Bill are equally exigent because our country is at the brink of a national industrial crisis that we can least afford at this time. Passions are extremely high within the entire Organised Labour on this issue. Even before the consideration of the Bill by Parliament, the Labour leaders have rejected the 27,000 Naira recommended to us by the Executive Arm as National Minimum Wage. At the slightest opportunity, the entire workforce in the country could be called out by Labour leaders to resume the strike action that was recently put on hold without any further notice. He said the effect that such scenario can have on the ongoing electioneering process is better imagined than experienced, adding that the entire nation is waiting and looking up to the National Assembly to do the needful, with the promptitude it deserves. In view of the foregoing, the House is approaching this exercise with a very high sense of duty, responsibility and loyalty to our nation. The speaker assured the Nigerian workers that the National Assembly is aware of and shares in their pains, patience and sacrifices as regards the issue of the minimum wage. Majority of our members are on your side as you can judge from their contributions to the debate on the Bill on the floor of the House last Thursday. The House had on Thursday passed the bill for first and second reading after receiving it from the president. The bill also passed the first and second readings at the Senate, hours after Mr Buhari transmitted the draft legislation to the lawmakers. ADVERTISEMENT In addition to the extent of Trump's personal involvement and the identity of the Trump Organization's contacts with Stone (a New York Times report earlier in the year suggested former Trump adviser Steve Bannon was one contact), further questions abound. Former FBI special agent Clint Watts asks: "Why did Stone, after seeing the Mueller investigation start, make false statements to HSPI when it was highly likely his communications with Organization 1 would be discovered?" (Watts also wonders: "Will they charge WikiLeaks or not? That is one link for collusion if they are to pursue that.") ADVERTISEMENT A popular Nigerian pastor, Sarah Omakwu, has condemned the controversial removal of Nigerias Chief Justice, Walter Onnoghen, urging Nigerians to reject his appointed replacement. We as a church condemn what Mr. President has done. We condemn it in no uncertain terms. It is wrong, Sarah Omakwu, the senior pastor of Family Worship Centre in Abuja said shortly before delivering Sunday sermon. If the man is guilty try him properly and if he is found guilty and needs to be removed, then remove him according to the constitution of the country. We reject the new CJN! He is not our CJN. He is Buharis CJN. He does not represent us, Mrs. Omakwu said to thunderous applause from church members. President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday suspended Mr Onnoghen, over allegations of fraud, and appointed Ibrahim Muhammed to act in his stead. The unconstitutional move has sparked local and international condemnation, with calls for the president to immediately reverse the decision. Mr. Buhari has denied allegations of constitutional infractions, saying he relied on the order of a court. Before Mrs. Omakwus Sunday speech, the new CJN has already been rejected by the opposition and several Nigerians who are concerned about the independence of the judiciary and the fate of constitutional democracy in the country. The pastor told the church that, Anybody who sits in this room and say it is right (Onnoghens removal), you are not on the side of God. I am not here to defend the man, am just saying there is a process you should follow in righting a wrong or removing him. What has happened is too wrong. its so annoying. You condemned him, you judged him, you removed him, you put somebody else as his replacement. Its as if Africans are not human beings. I also heard there are plans to evict him from his house. I dont know if its true or not yet. We are divided politically and when things go wrong our reactions are always guided by our personal interest. When PDP was in power and was not doing it right I said it in this pulpit. When APC goes wrong, we will say it. If my mother is wrong, I will say it. If am wrong, I will say it. Those of you who will close your eyes because you gain from this (crisis) may God have mercy on you. Yes, he might have done wrong but anybody is presumed innocent until he is tried and found guilty. If the CJN is wrong who is the one to judge him? Its the system but you (Buhari) sacked him and instituted somebody already in his place, it shows something is wrong. Anybody who sits in this room and says it is right, you are not on the side of God. The cleric called on lawyers, civil advocates, and human right activists to stand up and fight against this insanity she said was capable of causing bloodshed. A group of rotesters gathered outside the Lagos office of Channels Television on Sunday and gave the government one week to recall suspended CJN Onnoghen. ADVERTISEMENT The Nigerian Senate has filed a case at the Supreme Court to seek clarification on the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen. Relying on an order from the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), President Muhammadu Buhari last Friday suspended the chief justice replacing him with another Supreme Court justice, Tanko Mohammed. On Monday, the Senate approached the apex court seeking its interpretation on whether President Buhari acted within the provision of the constitution in his suspension of Mr Onnoghen. The Senate also wants the court to determine whether the action of the president does amount to usurpation of the powers of the Senate as provided for in Section 292 of the constitution. The section states conditions for removal of a chief justice but fails to clarify the difference between temporary removal and permanent removal. Following the filing of the case, the matter of the suspension of the CJN which is the main issue for which the Senate had planned to reconvene tomorrow, has become subjudiced, a statement signed by Yusuph Olaniyonu, media aide to Senate President Bukola Saraki says. Therefore, in line with the standing rules of the Senate not to debate issues that are already pending before the court, the reconvening of the Senate tomorrow has been put off. The previous adjournment of the Senate till February 19, 2019, stays. ADVERTISEMENT The Ekiti State election tribunal has dismissed a petition by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state challenging the outcome of the July 2018 governorship election. The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Kayode Fayemi, was declared winner, after he polled 197,459 votes in the election. The tribunal, led by Suleman Belgore, ruled on Monday that the allegations by the Ekiti State PDP and its governorship candidate, Olusola Kolapo, alleging that the APC manipulated the result, was not substantiated by the evidence before the court. The tribunal sat at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo. It moved its sitting to Abuja last year for fear of violence in Ekiti. In a judgment that lasted almost five hours, the tribunal gave various reasons for believing that the PDP failed woefully in proving its case of alleged electoral fraud. According to Mr Belgore, the PDP claimed it had over 900 witnesses in its petition, but ended up presenting only 71 of them. The court also ruled that it was very wrong for the party to expect that the testimonies of only 71 witnesses would serve to prove allegations of electoral fraud in over 1,300 poling unites. The petitioners had noted in their petition that they had over 900 witnesses but ended up calling only 71. The petitioners failed to prove that the third respondent was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes and we so declare, the tribunal ruled. Details later A businessman, Femi Otedola, on Monday told a court that he received the $500,000 used to bribe a former House of Representatives member, Farouk Lawan, from the State Security Service. Mr Otedola said this during his cross-examination by a defence lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, at the Apo Division of the FCT High Court. He appeared as the prosecution witness in Mr Lawans trial after the latter was arraigned for allegedly attempting to receive $3 million from the witness, while he chaired a committee of the House of Representatives in 2012. Mr Lawan was then chairing the committee that investigated billions spent fraudulently on petrol subsidy and the beneficiary companies. Mr Otedola, one of Nigerias richest persons, is in the oil and gas business. Mr Otedola had accused Mr Lawan of blackmailing him with a request of $3 million to clear his company from the investigation. The businessman added that he was given money after he reported Mr Lawan to the SSS in a petition. He said the money was given to him at his residence after seven SSS officials visited him, following a petition he wrote to complain about the alleged blackmail. Responding to a question from Mr Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, about the source of the money allegedly given to Mr Lawan, Mr Otedola said: It was handed over to me by the DSS. Mr Otedola added that he gave the $500,000 to Mr Lawan in two tranches of $250,000. He said the SSS had informed him that they recovered the call logs between him and other parties in the matter. Mr Otedola, however, said his only written communication with the SSS is the petition written to the agency. According to Mr Otedola, he was interrogated verbally by the SSS and did not make a written statement, besides his petition. Mr Otedola further said that the camera used in capturing the disbursement of the bribe to Mr Lawan was removed shortly after the defendant left with the money. He, however, responded in the negative when asked whether his companies, Zemon Oil and gas and Forte Oil, were in the list of companies investigated by Mr Lawans committee. Mr Ozekhome questioned Mr Otedolas account of the said bribery. He said the alleged collection of a bribe in a sting operation like that described by Mr Otedola should have included the arrest of Mr Lawan after receiving the money. Farouk Lawan Responding to Mr Ozekhomes submission, Mr Otedola said he had noted the need to arrest Mr Lawan but was told to wait till the matter is concluded at the committee. Mr Ozekhome also questioned the failure of the SSS to submit evidence of alleged calls between Mr Otedola and the other parties to the court. Mr Lawan was first arraigned in February 2013 along with another accused, Boniface Emenalo, for allegedly receiving $620,000 of the alleged bribe from Mr Otedola and his company. The case was then handled by Adebukola Banjoko also of the same FCT High Court. Ms Banjoko, however, stepped down from the matter in 2014, following allegations of bias brought against her by the defence. ADVERTISEMENT The charge was later amended to include only Mr Lawan who was accused of receiving $500,000 of the total bribe sum. ADVERTISEMENT The Code of Court Tribunal on Monday adjourned the trial of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, indefinitely, pending the determination of suit challenging the trial at the Court of Appeal. The CCT chairman, Danladi Umar, made the announcement after both parties agreed to adjourn the matter. In view of the Court of Appeal (order) to stay proceeding, I hereby adjourn the matter sine die pending the termination of the Court of Appeal, he said. Mr Onnoghen is accused of not fully declaring his asset after becoming the chief justice. On Thursday, the Court of Appeal ordered the suspension of his trial, for it to decide a suit by Mr Onnoghen challenging the case. The appeal court adjourned its main ruling on the case until January 30. In a move countering the order to delay the trial, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday announced the suspension of Mr Onnoghen. The suspension, deemed unconstitutional, has sparked widespread outcry with calls for Mr Onnoghens immediate reinstatement. Mr Buhari says he acted on a court order from the CCT. The hearing at the CCT on Monday lasted about 30 minutes. The prosecution led by Musa Ibrahim requested the case be adjourned. Ordinarily the matter was adjourned till today for hearing of the preliminary objection filed by the CJN, but with order from Court of Appeal to suspend the trial, we would be asking for an adjournment pending d ruling of the court of appeal, he said. Responding, the defendant counsel, Kanu Agabi, told the court that they would not object the application of the prosecution counsel to adjourn the matter, but suggested it should be indefinitely. The head of the panel, Mr Umar, adjourned the trial indefinitely. The Presidency on Sunday again reacted to statements issued by the United States, United Kingdom and The European Union on the illegal suspension of the countrys Chief Justice, Walter Onnoghen, by President Muhammadu Buhari. Following the controversies generated by the suspension of Mr Onnoghen by Mr Buhari on Friday and the appointment of a successor in an acting capacity, the three issued statements advising the government to retrace its steps. Before issuing the statements, the U.S. and the UK had earlier on Thursday threatened to ban from entering their countries any Nigerian found guilty of instigating violence during the forthcoming elections or anyone engaging in rigging. The presidency Saturday evening issued a statement through presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu. It said Nigeria welcomes prevailing interests and partnerships for a successful 2019 general election. It however said the government would not condone unfair interference in matters that are wholly internal. Mr Shehu again issued another statement Sunday evening saying the government has noted with interest the coordinated statements of the US, UK and EU linking the suspension of CJN Onnoghen to the conduct of the upcoming elections. We appreciate the concerns voiced by the three statements and accept that the authors of the statements believe they were acting in friendship toward Nigeria with regard to making the statements. However, we also note that friends, when not properly informed or acting in haste, can indeed make serious mistakes even with the best of intentions. Such is the case here, Mr Shehu said. He also said the statements by the three diplomatic channels seem more driven by unfounded assumptions and a certain condescension to this African democracy. The statement said the position taken by the three was unfortunate. It also afforded the Nigerian government an opportunity to clarify some points in the hope that they (US, UK and EU) will reach a deeper understanding of the situation, it added. It said the statements by the US, UK and EU speak of their respect for constitutional practice and fair elections. Onnoghen paying for his sins Mr Shehu said however that, the positions they stake tend to contravene rather than strengthen these laudable objectives. Mr Onnoghens situation, he said, is one of his own making and, to a large degree, his own choosing. He said the CJN was brought before the Code of Conduct (CCT), because of a serious breach of law regarding his assets declaration. Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen This is not a mere technicality like innocently placing a document in a wrong file or mistakenly placing yesterdays date on a document. All credible evidence indicates the CJN owned and operated several secret bank accounts. Unexplained large sums of money, exceeding several million dollars have passed through these accounts. ADVERTISEMENT Several thousand dollars are currently parked in the accounts. Multiple deposits of equal sums of money were deposited in some of those accounts during the same day. Such rapid and equal deposits are indicative of a person attempting to evade banking reporting laws and regulations, he said. He also said so far, Mr Onnoghen has given no plausible explanation for the funds or for failing to report the subject accounts in his assets declaration despite having ample time. He said given the amount of money involved and the CJNs inability to explain the source of the funds, the most plausible explanation at this point is also the most unfortunate explanation. No one did this to CJN Onnoghen. He and he alone is to blame for this turn of events. Over the years and with great frequency, the authors of the three statements have advised and even chided Nigeria about official corruption. Now we are presented with the sad and unwanted situation where the CJN is discovered to have a vast, unexplained amount of money in his pocket. Because of this he has been thoroughly discredited. It is untenable that a person in such compromised circumstances would be allowed to preside over the entire judicial system of a great nation. That would travesty the nation and what it stands for. Had the situation been reversed and the US, UK or any EU member government found that its chief judicial official is the recipient of large sums of money of questionable origin and Nigeria suggested that you retain the person in that position, you would question Nigerias bona fides. You also would swiftly move to suspend the official pending final determination of the cases against him, Mr Shehu said. He said the three would not allow a person enmeshed in legal uncertainty to preside over their legal systems until the cloud has been cleared from him. That would incentivise corruption and assault the rule of law, Mr Shehu said. The Nigerian presidency said Mr Onnoghen should have helped the process by recusing himself from the bench until the matter is settled. Instead, the government said, he indefinitely postponed a NJC meeting for no plausible reason except to avoid any consideration of this matter by the NJC. Again, this calls into question his motives while undermining the normal operations of the judiciary. The CJN cannot be allowed to use his office to shield himself from the normal operation of the law as applied to any other jurist or any other Nigerian for that matter. Such a ruse is effectively an abuse of office. His position is one of utmost public trust; it is not a shield to protect him from the fair consequence of his own actions, the government said. Onnoghen not sacked The government also claimed that the CJN has neither been removed from office nor, permanently replaced. Those who claim that he has been permanently removed, do so out of imprecision of thought or mischief. CJN Onnoghen has been suspended pending the final determination of the substantive issues in his matter. The suspension is only temporary. This is only as it should be. He cannot sit as both defendant and umpire in his own matter. No legal system allows for such self-interested adjudication; the US, UK and EU should not now ask us to embrace such an anomaly, the government said. It also said while the three friends of the country seem to give much credence to those who question the constitutionality of the suspension of the CJN, they seem to give less to those who believe what it did is constitutional and protective of the integrity of the judiciary. Only the three can answer why they have assumed this bias. Last, the three make a curious direct linkage between the CJN suspension and the elections. However, in Nigerian law there is no such linkage. The CJN does not run the election. Nor is he the first arbiter of any electoral complaints. He and the Supreme Court will only get involved as the final arbiter at the end of the appellate process. For the authors to link the CJN to the elections in this way is illogical unless they assume that election complaints will be filed and will go all the way to the Supreme Court. Here perhaps they know something about the intentions of certain political actors to which we are not privy. Yet, even with that, the US , UK and EU should want any such matters to be heard by a Supreme Court led by a CJN without an obvious and outstanding ethical and legal blemish on his ledger. To have such a person preside over any case, would call into question the impartiality of any decision rendered and undermine the rule of law. This cannot be what these three friends of Nigeria intended. Thus, they should do a bit more research on this matter and refrain from being too hastily attracted by the arguments of those who have partisan agenda at odds with the governments positions on most matters and who thus hope to use this issue as a new arrow in their quiver of partisan contestations, Mr Shehu said. ADVERTISEMENT Former French President Francois Hollande has been questioned as a witness as part of an inquiry into the murder of two journalists in Mali in 2013, Local Media reported on Monday. French judges heard the former Socialist Party head of state on January 11, over off the record conversations he had with the reporters relatives in private, during which he gave information about their murder, France Info radio reported. The report said investigating judges also questioned Bernard Bajolet, the ex-chief of the DGSE external intelligence services on December 10, 2018. Claude Verlon, 58, and Ghislaine Dupont, 51, both journalists at RFI radio were found dead shortly after being abducted in the town of Kidal in Mali on November 2, 2013. Details of why the journalists were killed remained unclear, according to the report. Backed by Mr Hollande, the United Nations Security Council gave the green light on January 11, 2013 to French troops to intervene via air and ground in the Malian crisis. This is with the aim of helping local authorities wrest control of the countrys northern region seized by Islamist armed fighters. (Xinhua/NAN) ADVERTISEMENT Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is expected to announce an increase in the minimum wage during a cabinet meeting on Monday, the first such wage hike in the country in almost 10 years. Greece emerged in August 2018 from its third international bailout since 2010 and the government, which faces a national election this year, has promised to reverse some of the unpopular reforms it implemented under bailout supervision. About 600,000 workers will be directly affected by the minimum wage increase, Deputy Labour Minister Theano Fotiou told state TV ERT. The exact amount would be announced by Tsipras, government officials said, following consultations between the government, employers and labour unions. The standard minimum monthly wage was slashed by 22 per cent to 586 euros in 2012, when Greece was struggling to emerge from a recession. A deeper cut was imposed on workers below 25 years, as part of measures prescribed by international lenders to make the labour market more flexible and the economy more competitive. Tsipras, who signed up to Greeces third bailout and whose term ends in October, has said he wants the youth minimum wage abolished. Athens had told its European lenders that it would reinstate the minimum wage process after the end of the bailout. (Reuters/NAN) ADVERTISEMENT Choices, a new election-themed Nigerian short film has premiered across several digital platforms. The production is the third Film for Life Project of the Lagos Film Academy (LFA), in association with the Global Philanthropy Alliance (GPA). The film, Choices, tells the story of Tega, the only son of a family whose father, Efe, has over the years, been a political thug and a mercenary, who disrupts electoral processes. Every election has been an opportunity for him to make money and help his family survive. This year, Tega faces a critical choice that could change not just him and his family, but the entire community. Popular Nollywood actor, Olumide Oworu of The Johnsons and MTV Shuga fame is the lead actor in the film. The short film also stars Tessy Brown (Sophia, The Lost Heir) as Tegas mom Barile and Ikponwosa Gold (Dominoes, Wetin Dey, Confusion Na Wa, Oga Bolaji) as Tegas father Efe. Heavens Obule and Idoko Gold star as the younger versions of Tega. The project is an initiative of three young aspiring filmmakers who won a $5,000 grant in the third Film for Life competition organised by LFA. The team members include the producer, Baridakara Nwilene, the writer, Alfa Faruk Umar and the director, Joshua Tostso. Speaking at the media screening of the short film in Lagos on Monday, LFA founder, Chris Ihidero, noted the storyline bothers around the upcoming general elections in Nigeria. Election year in Nigeria is basically characterized by fear, uncertainty and an increase in the level of crime rates. As a result of this, a lot of citizens become complacent and uninterested in participating in the electoral processes, thereby refusing to use the one weapon they have to effect the change that the country needs to experience which is their votes. It is also important for us to make an impact with the short film that will be made, with the grant gotten from Global Philanthropy Alliance. The upcoming election is a major social happening in Nigeria, hence the need to play our parts with the story that will be told. The producers added that the project is expected to encourage citizen involvement in the electoral processes and the upcoming Nigerian general elections. ADVERTISEMENT The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says only collaboration among African oil and gas producing countries in the development of industry infrastructure will ensure they are competitive on the global stage. The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Maikanti Baru, who said this in a goodwill message at the opening of the 2nd Nigerian International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) in Abuja, called for cooperation among all African oil and gas producers. No fewer than 14 countries, namely Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Cote dIvoire, Egypt, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, Libya, and Nigeria, are among the oil and gas producers in Africa. A cross-nation collaboration among African oil-producing countries, Mr Baru said, was essential to convert the challenges in the oil and gas sectors of individual countries to opportunities for economic growth. The NNPC boss, who identified the legal and regulatory framework as possible areas of collaboration, said synergy in these areas could enhance the abundant opportunities inherent in the new oil and gas discoveries across many countries in Africa. The GMD said the huge opportunities in the African oil and gas industry would not be fully tapped if African countries failed to address critical issues of lack of infrastructure, legal and regulatory impediments, and transparency issues. Citing the proposed Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline as an example of the type of infrastructural collaboration needed across Africa, Mr Baru said the project would traverse at least 15 West-African countries. The pipeline has intake and offtake points in the various countries before linking with the existing Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline in northern Morocco. The feasibility study has been concluded and the pre-FEED (Front End Engineering Design) optimisation study is currently ongoing. While this pipeline will help in electrification and industrialisation of these countries, it will also meet the needs of European consumers for heating, Mr Baru said. He described NIPS as a veritable platform and a melting pot to meet, discuss and share ideas on how to galvanise Africas response to global oil and gas industry challenges. This will also help move forward the Nigerian oil and gas industry and the economies of the various countries in the continent. He said NNPC shares in his vision for NIPS to be the premier African Petroleum Technology and Business Conference and the largest gathering of oil and gas professionals in the continent. On his part, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, who also represented President Muhammadu Buhari, said the time has come for players in the oil and gas industry to think Africa, think collaboration and think the future. The theme for this years summit is, Shaping the Future through Efficiency and Innovation, with a sub-theme for the first day as: Africa on the Global Stage: International Collaboration, Opportunities and the Future. NIPS 2019 attracted participants from members of African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) and Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI), amongst others. Symptoms typically begin about two weeks after a person is exposed and include a fever, a sore throat and a red or reddish-brown rash that can start from the hairline and spread over a persons entire body. Fevers can run up to 104 degrees or more. People with measles can be contagious four days before the rash appears and until four days after. Depending on geographic region, the womens health diagnostic testing market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Womens Health Diagnostic Testing PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 12:07:22 Press Information Future Market Insights Future Market Insights U.S. Office 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Web: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com Umesh SEO Manager 3479183531 email https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ # 748 Words Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comSEO Manager3479183531 Womens Health diagnostic testing comprises of various testing and diagnostic procedures for ruling out fatal diseases such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, HPV, urinary tract infections and osteoporosis. Whereas some of the diagnostic procedures are used in prenatal screening and for evaluating pregnancy and fertility. These diagnostic tests also helps in diagnosing STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) and infections. Womens health diagnostic testing procedures are available in hospitals, clinics mainly obstetrics and gynaecology clinics, pathology laboratories and radiology centres. Also increasing number of companies are providing point of care testing devices and testing kits for home usage.Womens Health diagnostic testing Market: Drivers and RestraintsWomens health diagnostic testing market is growing, this is attributed to increasing prevalence of osteoarthritis, ovarian cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancer. Also the market is expected to expand with the fastest CAGR due to increasing number of prenatal screening tests and anti-natal ultrasound along with increasing product launch for point of care testing devices. Increasing sales test kits for home usage is also expected to drive the revenue growth of womens health diagnostic testing market over the forecast period. In addition to this, growing healthcare expenditure, and rising awareness and apprehension regarding various types of malignant tumors, infectious diseases, STDs also aids the growth of womens health diagnostic testing market as increasing number of patients are opting for the diagnostic tests to rule the underlying cause of their symptoms. Also, availability of newer and advanced diagnostic systems along with increasing strategic partnerships among the diagnostic device manufacturing companies also drives the womens health diagnostic testing market, giving enormous opportunities to the companies within this market. However cost of diagnostic testing procedures might hamper the revenue growth of womens health diagnostic testing market over the forecast periodRequest Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3204 The Womens Health diagnostic testing market is segment based on the application type and end userWomens health diagnostic testing market is segmented into following types:By Application TypeCancer ScreeningBreast CancerOvarian CancerCervical CancerOsteoporosisPregnancy testPrenatal testInfectionsSTD testGynecological testOthersBy End UserHospitalsClinicsGynecology & Obstetrics ClinicsOrthopedic ClinicsDiagnostic LaboratoriesCancer diagnostic centersPathology LaboratoriesRadiology CentersCancer InstitutesWomens Health diagnostic testingMarket: OverviewWomens health diagnostic testing market is expected to grow at a significant rate, over the forecast period. The market is anticipated to perform well over the forecast period due to increasing number of patients suffering from osteoporosis. Also increasing prevalence of breast cancer and rising awareness about advanced breast cancer diagnostic techniques leads to more women opting for diagnostic procedures. Womens health diagnostic testing market is expanding globally due to increasing distribution partnerships among diagnostic testing device manufactures. The womens health diagnostic testing market is expected to grow with a fastest CAGR over the forecast period due to increasing number of people opting for endovenous laser ablation procedure for cosmetic purpose. Increasing competition among major companies in the market to develop advanced systems which provides increased precision and accuracy during treatment drives the Womens Health diagnostic testing market towards the growth curve.Womens Health diagnostic testing Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on geographic region, the womens health diagnostic testing market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa.North America is the largest regional market owing to high patient awareness levels regarding various diagnostic testing procedures for women, increasing healthcare expenditure, reimbursement options and relatively larger number of R&D exercises pertaining new product launch and marketing etc. these factors contribute for significant revenue generation for diagnostic testing devices from the region.Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR because of increasing prevalence of breast cancer in women. Also increase in geriatric population leads to more number of cases with osteoporosis is expected to boost the revenue growth of womens health diagnostic testing market throughout the forecast period.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3204 Womens Health diagnostic testing Market: Key PlayersSome players of womens health diagnostic testing market includes GE Healthcare, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Koninklijke Philips N.V., PerkinElmer Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics Inc., Hologic, Inc., Siemens Healthcare GmbH, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG whereas some regional players also have a significant presence in Womens Health diagnostic testing market. PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 13:04:59 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Web: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com Abhishek Bhudholiya Manager +1-347-918-3531 email https://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 606 Words 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comManager+1-347-918-3531 A wireless ultrasound scanner is devices which can help physician for high-quality scans in minimum time when they have limited access to traditional machines. Wireless ultrasound is a pocket sized device which can wirelessly connect to smart devices, and it can fit in the palm of a hand. This device is powered by rechargeable batteries. The scanned images can be transferred to the smart device, where they can be reviewed or shared on the cloud platform. Wireless ultrasound scanner can image abdomen, lungs, and hearts. The wireless ultrasound scanner is Class III medical devices and required 510(k) clearance for its approval. The main advantage of wireless ultrasound scanner is that it eliminate the risk of infection.Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe primary factors driving the growth of wireless ultrasound scanner is the capability to offer a quick diagnosis. Recent advancement in computing platform to reduce the size of ultrasound machine is also responsible for the growth of wireless ultrasound devices market. Increasing demand for portable ultrasound machines and point of care diagnosis will propel the growth of wireless ultrasound scanner market. Reducing cost of diagnosis and improved experience of patients during diagnosis by wireless ultrasound scanner will boost the growth of this market. The lack of expertise to hand wireless ultrasound scanner can restrain the growth of this market. Besides that, less installation of wireless ultrasound scanner in diagnostic center will hamper the growth of this market.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3399 Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market: SegmentationThe global Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market is classified on the basis of product type, application areas and end user.Based on product type, Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market is segmented into following:Hand heldLaptopPalmtopLarge PortableBased on application areas, Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market is segmented into following:Emergency RoomAcute Care UnitsIntensive care unitsOb-Gyn unitsOperating roomsBased on end user, Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market is segmented into following:HospitalsClinicsDiagnostic CenterAmbulatory Surgical CenterOthersWireless Ultrasound Scanner Market: OverviewWireless ultrasound scanner is expected to show significant growth over the forecast period owing to increasing demand for point of care diagnosis. Wireless ultrasound scanner is used for the diagnosis of lungs and abdomen, beside that it is also used for diagnosis of veterinarians. Wireless ultrasound scanner market is segmented on the basis of product type, application and end user. Based on product type wireless ultrasound scanner is segmented as handheld devices and large portable devices. Handheld devices is expected to gain maximum value share over the forecast period owing to its quick diagnosis method. Among all end user hospital segment is expected dominate the market share due increasing number of installation of wireless ultrasound scanner in hospitals.Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market: Regional OverviewBased on the geographical region wireless ultrasound scanner market is segmented into seven key regions i.e. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to dominate the market share in term of value over the forecast period due high healthcare infrastructure in this region. This market is then followed by Western Europe and APEJ region. In APEJ region China and India are expected to be major market place owing high population in this countries.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3399 Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market: Key PlayersExamples of some of the market participants in Wireless Ultrasound Scanner Market identified across the value chain include Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Clarius Mobile Health, SonopTek Co.,Ltd ., Meditech Equipment Co.,Ltd , Sonostar Technologies Co. Ltd., Shantou Easywell Technologies Co.,Ltd PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 13:01:36 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Web: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com Abhishek Bhudholiya Manager +1-347-918-3531 email https://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 746 Words 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comManager+1-347-918-3531 The introduction of value based healthcare services has changed the traditional way in which providers used to bill for care. Providers need to pay on the value of care they provide instead of paying based on the number of visits and treatment the patients undergo. This change in the reimbursement platform is driving the value based healthcare services by directing better care at low costs. But for those healthcare providers who cannot achieve the required targets, the financial fines and lower reimbursement can create a prominent financial liability. As a patient and a healthcare customer, they pay more for the services and the treatment they get, where sometimes the cost can go out of the control of the patient. But with the introduction of new health plans and value based healthcare services are coming together on the solutions which will benefit the patients wallet and health. Value based healthcare services address to the rising healthcare expenditure, clinical inefficiency and repetition of services.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3265 Global Value Based Healthcare Services Market- Market Segmentation:On the basis of Models, the Global Value Based Healthcare Services market can be segmented into,Accountable care organization (ACO)Patient-centered medical home (PCMH)Pay for performance (P4P)Bundled paymentsOn the basis of End User, the Global Value Based Healthcare Services market can be segmented intoProvidersHospitalsClinicsOthersPayersInsurance CompaniesGovernmentOthersOn the basis of Deployment, the Global Value Based Healthcare Services market can be segmented intoCloud BasedOn-PremiseOn the basis of Platform, the Global Value Based Healthcare Services market can be segmented intoStand-aloneIntegratedOn the basis of Region, the Global Value Based Healthcare Services market can be segmented into,North AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeAsia Pacific Excluding JapanJapanLatin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGlobal Value Based Healthcare Services Market- Market Dynamics:The most significant driver for the rapid development of the global Value Based Healthcare Services market is the healthcare-related risks shifting from the patients to their healthcare providers. With patient focused healthcare policies having changed the way medical care is delivered, it is now easy to see why the demand for Value Based Healthcare Services rising steadily. Where until a few years ago manual processes were the only means of carrying out everyday operations, automation and interconnectivity have made that approach nearly obsolete. Also, the global medical tourism industry is recording good growth numbers every year. This has helped healthcare providers in emerging economies adopt a positive investment option as far as care management solutions are concerned. However, it would be too early to say that the growth of the Value Based Healthcare Services market has taken off in the real sense. Several regions that have high investment potential but are restrained by the lack of internet connectivity are a missed opportunity for companies in the global Value Based Healthcare Services market. Moreover, in some countries in Asia and Latin America where basic healthcare infrastructure still remains below the desired levels, it will be a while before the environment becomes conducive to the adoption of Value Based Healthcare Services.Global Value Based Healthcare Services Market-Regional Outlook:Geographically, the Value Based Healthcare Services market has been segmented into North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Regionally, North America was the largest market for Value Based Healthcare Services and North America is anticipated to maintain its dominance during the forecast period due to rise in the healthcare reforms. Followed by Europe and then Asia Pacific. Asia Pacific is the most progressive market for Value Based Healthcare Services. This growth is mainly attributed to factors such as improving population perspective and increasing awareness Furthermore, the Value Based Healthcare Services market in Latin America is likely to expand at a significant CAGR. Brazil and Mexico are driving the Value Based Healthcare Services market in the region due to favorable initiatives taken by the respective governments. Moreover, rising research and development would fuel market growth in Latin America.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3265 Global Value Based Healthcare Services Market- Major Players:Currently, the global Value Based Healthcare Services market is highly competitive owing to the involvement of many established players and government policies. Some of the key players in the global Value Based Healthcare Services market are Deloitte, McKesson Corporation, NextGen Healthcare, Genpact Limited, Athena Healthcare, Siemens Healthcare and many others. PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 11:04:25 LA JOLLA, CA / ACCESSWIRE /January 28, 2019 / TONOGOLD RESOURCES INC. (OTC PINK: TNGL) ("Tonogold") is pleased to announce that it has today entered into a comprehensive and binding agreement ("New Agreement") with Comstock Mining Inc ("Comstock") which, on completion will provide Tonogold with, amongst other matters, 100% of the Lucerne project (including the Lucerne gold/silver deposit) in Storey County, Nevada.This New Agreement leverages off the agreement entered into in October 2017, under which Tonogold had the right to earn a 51% interest in the Lucerne gold project by investing $20 million into the project over 42-months beginning October 2017. The October 2017, agreement will be superseded by the New Agreement once completion has occurred.Tonogold will now be seeking a listing on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSXV) by way of an IPO to coincide with a capital raising in order to provide the funding to complete this acquisition and to fund the advancement of the project over the next 12-months. Further details in this respect (timing, IPO terms, participation rights of current Tonogold shareholders, etc) will be advised to the market in due course.Under the New Agreement, Tonogold will pay Comstock $15 million, of which a non-refundable deposit of $1 million was paid on January 23rd 2019 (on signing the New Agreement), with the remaining $14 million payable, at Tonogold's election, by either:$9 million cash on Completion plus $5 million cash 12-months from Completion, or$10.5 million cash plus $1.75 million in Tonogold shares (at the IPO price) at Completion plus $1.75 million in cash or, at Tonogold's election, Tonogold shares 12-months from Completion at the weighted average share price at that time.Under alternative 1 above, Comstock will be granted security in respect of the $5 million deferred payment. Under alternative 2, Comstock will not have any security interest, thus providing Tonogold the flexibility to arrange a third-party debt facility to support the TSXV equity raising.Completion of the transaction will occur once Tonogold has formally secured the funding required. Under the New Agreement, Completion is scheduled for March 31st 2019, although Tonogold has the right to extend this date to April 30th 2019 by paying Comstock a further $1 million deposit and again to May 31st 2019 for another $1 million. In both cases the additional deposits shall be applied in full to the cash payment due on Completion.In addition, Comstock will be granted a Net Smelter Return Royalty of 1.5% over future production from Lucerne.EXPANDED LAND POSITIONUnder the October 2017 agreement, Tonogold's right to acquire 51% of the Lucerne project comprised some 1,200 acres of mining claims within Storey County. The New Agreement provides Tonogold 100% control over the 1,200 acres being the Lucerne project plus 100% exploration, development and mining rights (via a lease arrangement) over Comstock's remaining mining claims in Storey County (totaling just over 2,800 acres) ("Tonogold's Expanded Land Position"), which cover major areas of the highly significant past Comstock Lode producers to the north of Lucerne, including the Belcher deposit which operated between 1863 and 1916 (1.9 million ounce AuE producer), Crown Point (1.8 million AuE ounces), Consolidated Imperial (1.1 million AuE ounces). A more comprehensive list is provided under the heading "The Comstock Lode - History" section below.The provisions in respect of Tonogold's Expanded Land Position of the New Agreement enables Tonogold to initiate and roll-out a significant new leg to its regional strategy, which will be the focus of a systematic and aggressive exploration program commencing as soon as possible. The results of this program are expected to substantially change (improve) the already significant value accretive nature of our acquiring 100% of Lucerne.Comstock will be granted a Net Smelter Return royalty of 3% from production from the Tonogold Expanded Land Position Area, reducing to 1.5% after the first year of production.Further details of Tonogold's Expanded Land Position strategy are outlined below under the heading "The Comstock Lode - History".ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE PROCESS FACILITIESUnder the October 2017 agreement, Tonogold had an option to acquire a 51% interest in the process facility, plant, infrastructure and 983 acres of mining claims to the west of Lucerne (known as the American Flats properties) by paying Comstock $25 million. An alternative arrangement was negotiated and agreed between Comstock and Tonogold and announced to the market in April 2018, which provided Tonogold the right to use the American Flats property for a fee of $1 per ton of material treated plus $1 million per annum.Under the New Agreement, Comstock shall retain ownership of the American Flats Property but provides Tonogold an option for exclusive operating rights via a 20-year lease to use, operate and manage the American Flats properties, with Tonogold paying Comstock $1 per ton of material treated (variable rate) plus $1 million per annum (fixed rate) commencing once a production decision is made, but with the following adjustments:The variable rate shall reduce to $0.50 per ton once the cumulative payments (both fixed and variable) made to Comstock under this arrangement have reached $15 millionThe variable rate shall reduce to $0.25 per ton once the cumulative payments (both fixed and variable) made to Comstock under this arrangement have reached $25 million (but with a minimum payment of $100,000 per quarter)The fixed rate of $1 million pa shall be terminated once the cumulative payments (both fixed and variable) made to Comstock under this arrangement have reached $25 millionHOLDING COSTSTonogold shall be responsible for meeting (or continuing to meet) the carrying costs (lease costs, permits, insurance, annual claim fees, property tax, etc.) associated with the areas covered by the New Agreement, including:The Lucerne Project - $1 million paThe American Flats Property $1 million pa, andThe Expanded Storey County Claims - $0.1 million pa (new commitment)The total holding costs to be met by Tonogold pursuant to the New Agreement is estimated at $2.1 million per year, of which over $1 million per year having been Tonogold's responsibility since the October 2017 agreement.STRUCTUREThe New Agreement provides for Tonogold acquiring a 100% ownership in Comstock Mining LLC (currently a wholly owned Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the The global linear bearing market is driven by the increase in demand of motor vehicle all over the world report to their offering Upcoming Future Market Insights PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 16:38:31 Press Information Future Market Insights U.S. Office 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States Abhishek Budholiya Manager +1 03479183531 email http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ # 643 Words U.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesManager+1 03479183531 Bearing are enabled the machines to move at high speeds or carry heavy loads with productivity which components are made with high accuracy. Plain bearings are simplest of the type included a surface with no moving components. Based on design type, the plain bearing market is of three kinds: journal, linear and thrust bearings. Bearing enables devices to roll and helps in reducing friction between the surface of the bearing, and its rolling over. Linear bearings are elements used for translation type motion and enable high precision linear motion on round shafts by utilizing recirculating ball pathways. Linear bearings help to bear heavy loads with high stiffness and less noise. A linear bearing motion along a single axis and provides a less friction. It is used for low friction movements along a smooth rod.Linear bearings are less expensive than classical round ball bearings, but it is easy to integrate into carriage design. The Linear bearing has a wide range of its application for an industrial and automotive purpose. A linear bearing is used to provide free motion in one direction. It helps a device that is used to enable linear or rotational movement and reduces friction and handles stress.Global Linear bearings: Market Dynamics:The global linear bearing market is driven by the increase in demand of motor vehicle all over the world. The defense and aerospace sector leads to a rising in demand for a linear bearing which aids growth to the overall market. Moreover, the rising demand of construction industry in developing regions includes Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa drives the growth of a linear bearing market. Technological advancement, however making linear bearing more durable and this hinders the aftermarket sales. The growing number of counterfeit products hampers the growth of the linear bearing market. Further, the introduction of smart bearings expected to provide opportunities to the manufacturers of linear bearing in the near future.Request Sample Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3878 Global Linear bearings: Segmentation:The global market of the global linear bearing market is segmented on the basis of types, end-use industry, and region wise.Based on types, the global linear bearing market is segmented into:Standard Linear BearingSuperball bearingsFlanged Linear BearingsLinear Bearing carriagesCeramic linear bearingsStainless linear bearingsBased on the end-use industry global linear bearing market is segmented into:Automotive IndustryIndustrialChemicalAerospaceAgricultureFood and beverage processing machineryPulp and paperPumps and CompressorMedical devicesMachine toolsGearboxesOffice equipmentRailwaysBased on region, the global linear bearing market is segmented into:North AmericaLatin AmericaEastern EuropeWestern EuropeJapanAsia Pacific excluding JapanThe Middle East and AfricaGlobal Linear bearings: Regional OutlookThe global linear bearing market is segmented into seven regions includes Eastern Europe, Western Europe, North America, Latin America, Japan, Asia Pacific excluding Japan and the Middle East and Africa. Rising rate urbanization and rise in demand for automobiles in developing countries includes China and India leads to growth in the Asia Pacific Market. Moreover, the falling prices of the linear bearing are well in this region. The growth of automotive industry in Japan and linear bearing manufacturers are opening up in order to cater to the growing demand. The Middle East and Africa has proven to be a lucrative region for linear bearing market owing to thriving automotive and construction industries. Latin America is dominated by Brazil owing to several conductive factors contributes to the linear bearing market in the region.Request to View TOC@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3878 Global Linear bearings: Key Players:The prominent key players of the global linear bearing market include:THKNippon BearingKBSSamickMPS MicrosystemNBB-BearingSchaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KGSKFNSK LtdNTN Bearing CorporationNorgren Inc.JTEKT CorporationTHK Co. Ltd.Ningbo Yinzhou Weixing Bearing Co. Ltd. PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 13:09:22 The growing number of minimally invasive surgeries is consequently expected to fuel the growth of the surgical generators market. Surgical generator plays a vital role in the electrosurgical procedure performed in most of the surgeries. Increasing number of ambulatory surgical centers and hospitals is projected to increase the demand for surgical generators, and boost the growth of the surgical generators market. Additionally, technological advancement in surgical generators, e.g., Argon Plasma Coagulation Generators, has increased the level of competition among the manufacturers in the surgical generators market.According to a latest research by Future Market Insights (FMI), the global surgical generators market is expected to account for over US$ 570.0 Mn, in terms of value, by 2028 end. The report on the surgical generators market further projects substantial growth potential with CAGR of 3.4% through 2028.As per the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of cosmetic surgical procedures performed in the U.S. were about 17.5 million in 2017, which included minimally invasive plastic surgeries. All the surgical interventions are operated with one or the other type of electrosurgical devices. In all the surgical procedures performed, approximately 80% require devices that provide energy to the tissue to perform the desired task. Electrosurgery is used for surgical ablation to perform hemostasis by causing coagulation at the targeted site, and tissue ablation is assisted by electrosurgical generator by providing highly amplified current to the cautery or ablation device.Request to View Sample of Research Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-663 New product launches and increasing investment for research and development in surgical generators by the manufacturers are the other factors projected to boost the growth of the global surgical generators market over the forecast period. Moreover, the global surgical generators market comprises a wide variety of products based on the need from the end users, which offers ease in maneuverability and precision in performing ablation procedures. For instance, in 2016, Medtronic plc. launched Valleylab FT10 surgical energy generator platform a revolutionary technology based on LigaSure vessel sealing technology for use in electrosurgical procedures.High-end healthcare facilities coupled with developed healthcare infrastructure in North America has escalated the number of ambulatory surgical centers. Besides, up-gradation of emergency rooms and ORs in hospitals is increasing the demand for surgical generators in the region. The growing geriatric population and rapidly improving healthcare infrastructure in Asia Pacific is expected to surge the demand for advanced surgical generators. Various training programs to improve the adaptability of the surgeon with reference to surgical generators have surged the demand for surgical generators in Europe.The radiofrequency-based ablation techniques such as ultrasonic ablation, bipolar electrosurgical ablation device require heavy power source and investment in capital equipment. Thus, development of low-cost ablation devices has minimized the expenditure on maintenance and repair of capital equipment, and consequently decreased the cost of surgical generators. This in turn is expected to increase the adoption of surgical generators by surgeons and physicians. Employment of Argon Plasma Coagulation Generators eliminates the difficulty and hazards encountered due to the smoke produced, while performing surgical ablation. Additionally, these devices also improve the surgeons accuracy and there is no need of altering the devices every time as the generators are compatible with a wide range of ablation devices.FMI has segmented the global surgical generators market based on product type into Electrosurgical RF Generators, Electrocautery Generators, Ultrasonic Generators and Argon Plasma Coagulation Generators and on the basis of end user he market is further segmented into Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgery Center, Specialty Clinics and Trauma Centers. In terms of revenue, the electrosurgical RF generators segment in the surgical generators market is expected to hold major share over the forecast period. According to FMI, the electrosurgical RF generators segment accounted for over 49.4% revenue share in the overall surgical generators market in 2017. However, the growing popularity of Argon Plasma Coagulation Generators and its success in various studies for rapid surgical ablation solutions is projected to fuel the segments growth in the near future. In contrary, the electrocautery generators segment in the surgical generators market is projected to exhibit limited investment opportunities, in terms of revenue, through 2028.Request Report for Table of Contents @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-663 The report tracks some of the key companies operating in the surgical generators market, including Bovie Medical Corporation, Boston Scientific Corporation, ERBE Elektromedizin GmbH, Olympus Corporation, CONMED Corporation, B. Braun Melsungen, Medtronic, Bowa, Soring, CooperSurgical, Ethicon, and KLS Martin, among others.Get complete report with Comprehensive table of contents @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/surgical-generators-market Sterilization Equipment PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 11:50:51 Press Information Future Market Insights Future Market Insights U.S. Office 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Web: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com Umesh SEO Manager 3479183531 email https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ # 663 Words Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comSEO Manager3479183531 Sterilization is the process of eliminating biological agents or any forms of lives, which include transmissible agents such as fungi, bacteria, spore forms, unicellular eukaryotic organisms and spore forms that are present in a specific surface, region, medication, fluid, etc. Sterilization is an unavoidable process in medical industry withefficacy and sterility of the sterilization equipment as prime factors. The serious issues over utilization of unsterilized equipment such as lethalhepatitis and HIV threatening public health, emphasise the importance for effective infection control. Sterilization equipment are thus a crucial part of the heath care setting owing to their extensive utilization for disinfecting and aiding in reprocessing tools and devices. With governments engaged in introducing productive measure to uplift and improve public heath, the scope of application of medical service, tools and devices has expanded significantly. Recent pandemics such as Ebola virus has emphasized the crucial need of hygienic environment and proper administration of medical faculties. Ultra high sterilization temperature equipment finds an extensive utilization in sterilization of food containers such as milk, juice & beer bottles.Global Sterilization Equipment Market: Market DynamicsWith the growth of geriatric population and increasing concern over post-operation acquired infection and diseases, the demand for sterilized equipment is increasing significantly. The increasing investment in healthcare infrastructure and focus over public health by introducing stringent regulations regarding medical equipment is positively influencing and propelling the global sterilization equipment market. However, in relatively emerging economies and countries, the high cost of sterilization equipment acts as a barrier and challenges revenue sales growth of the sterilization equipment market. Not only the utilisation is limited to medical application, but also the food and beverage industry is a prime application segment of sterilization equipment market. With prominent consumption in cleaning and disinfecting container and packages, the thriving sector is expected to create significant revenue opportunities during the forecast period. Sterilization equipment market participants are focusing over the development of equipment catering to a wider scope of tools and having extensive disinfecting properties. The sterilization equipment market is expected to witness a growing trend of outsourcing sterilizing services to independent operators during the forecast year.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2842 Global Sterilization Equipment Market: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, the global sterilization equipment market can be segmented as following:Heat SterilizationLow Temperature SterilizationEthylene oxide sterilizationVaporized hydrogen peroxidePlasma sterilizationFiltration SterilizationRadiation SterilizationBeam radiationX-rayGammaThe global sterilization equipment market can be segmented on the basis of technology as:Steam-flush pressure pulseGravity displacementPre-vacuumGlobal Sterilization Equipment Market: Regional OutlookNorth America sterilization equipment market accounts for maximum revenue contribution during the forecast period. Followed by North America, Western Europesterilization equipment market is expected to contribute significant revenue share during the forecast period owing to increasing demand for medical devices from key markets such as Germany, France and Nordics. The evolving healthcare infrastructure in Asia Pacific spearheaded by India, China and ASEAN is expected to create significant revenue and unit sales opportunities for manufacturers in the region. Pivotal focus over healthcare spending and government initiatives to improve medical services is expected to moderately increase the consumption of sterilization equipment moderately in Japan. Likewise, increased investment for medical services in the Middle East and Africa has propelled the demand for sterilization equipment. Even though the revenue contributions of Eastern Europe and Latin America sterilization equipment market are relatively low, escalating number of small and medium medical facilities are expected to register relatively higher revenue growth during the forecast period.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2842 Global Sterilization Equipment Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants in the global sterilization equipment market include Tuttnauer, Steris Corporation, Cantel Medical Corporation, Matachana Group, Celitron Medical Technologies Kft, Getinge Group, Belimed Ag, which is a part of A Metall Zug Group, MME group Inc, Anderson Products, Inc, MMM Group and Nanosonics Ltd among other key participants in the global Sterilization Equipment Market. PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 13:27:29 Press Information Future Market insight Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com Abhishek Bhudholia MANAGER 8455795705 email https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ # 712 Words Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: www.futuremarketinsights.comMANAGER8455795705 A refuse compactor commonly known as garbage or trash compactors are modern day machines for collection and compression of garbage, which in turn helps in reducing waste volume and offers high saving on waste disposal. Refuse compactors offers several benefits such as it enables to spillage of waste, and allows much higher amount of waste to get stuffed, thus saving significantly on fuel, as this reduces the number of round trips. Also, as it compacts the waste significantly, the landfill volume required reduces, saving a large share of municipalities money. The waste collected through these compactors are pushed out of the container through a hydraulic mechanism. Most companies under refuse compactor landscape offers a variegated range of products, depending upon size and needs.The global refuse compactor market is expected to expand with an impressive growth rate over the forecast period.Read Report Overview @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/refuse-compactor-market Refuse CompactorMarket: Drivers & RestraintsThe prime factor driving the demand in the global refuse compactor market is the municipalities need to reduce the waste volume and lack of landfill volume. Further, as this offers an added advantage for households and enterprises by reducing the volume, enabling them to save significantly on their waste disposal costs. This has led to wide scale adoption for refuse compactors across most municipalities in developed nations and is expected to further gain increasing traction over the forecast period. As diseases due to open waste collectors rises, and population become more aware regarding the benefits of deploying refuse compactor, the demand in the global refuse compactor market is anticipated to continuously rise over the forecast period.However, as most refuse compactors hold the waste for a longer time compared to conventional systems, its very often to generate unhealthy odors, which is restricting the demand in the global refuse compactors market.Refuse CompactorMarket: Market SegmentationThe Refuse Compactor Market is segmented into three parts based on product type and application:Based on product type, the Refuse Compactor market is segmented into:StationaryPortableOthersBased on application, the Refuse Compactor market is segmented into:Commercial UseAgricultural UseResidential UseMunicipal UseIndustrial UseOthersRefuse Compactor Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, Refuse Compactor market has been categorized into seven key regions including North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.North America is expected to be the global leader in terms of demand for refuse compactor, primarily because of high awareness in the regions population and municipality regarding the product. Further, as the region offers the highest waste disposable costs, the region is witnessing high traction for demand for refuse compactors. Western Europe is also a prominent region in terms of potent demand for refuse compactors, primarily because of increasing need for waste disposable management solutions in the region. Moreover, the region caters some of the most prominent waste solution provider companies, offering private trash compaction machines to enterprise. The Asia Pacific Exc. Japan (APEJ) region is among the fastest growing region considering the demand for refuse compactors. Most countries in the APEJ region are massively increasing their spending on waste management solutions, which would definitely fuel more demand for refuse compressors. With lack of landfill sites in the region compared to waste generated by massive countries such as India and China, compressing waste is must. In the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, GCC countries such as UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and KSA beholds a decent waste management solution, but refuse compactors are still not in sufficient quantity, Thus, the demand in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) refuse compactor market is bound to increase. Further, Latin America and Eastern Europe are also a booming market for refuse compactors, with rising waste amount and awareness. Japan is also a prominent market for refuse compactors with the region holding a significant share of the global refuse compactors market.Refuse Compactor Market: Key PlayersSome of the players identified in Global Refuse Compactor market are:-GE AppliancesBroanBigbellyACE Equipment CompanyCATCompactor Management Company (CMC)Precision Machinery SystemsMK Tech IndustriesMedj India EnterprisesGenesis Waste Handling Private LimitedKrushrElectrolux IconWhirlpoolZhengzhou Treasure Trading Co. LtdRequest Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4079 PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 13:04:33 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Web: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com Abhishek Bhudholiya Manager +1-347-918-3531 email https://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 627 Words 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comManager+1-347-918-3531 Neuromodulation is technology that is used for the alteration or modulation of the nerve activity by using chemical agents or electrical stimulation to the specific neurological sites in the body. Most of the neuromodulation devices work through electrical stimulation.Neuromodulation devices are used by the application of electrodes to the brain, peripheral nerves or the spinal cord. The electrode leads in neuromodulation devices are connected through an extension cable to a power source and pulse generator, which generates required electrical impulses. A low-voltage electrical signal passes from the impulse generator to the nerves, and work by either stimulating the neural impulses where they were not present previously or inhibiting the pain signals. Neuromodulation devices are used to treat or enhance the quality of life of people suffering from the conditions such as, chronic pain, urinary and fecal incontinence, essential tremor, epilepsy, Parkinsons disease, dystonia and psychological disorders. The conditions which are being treated with neuromodulation devices are mostly permanent in nature so it requires a long term use of neuromodulation devices.Neuromodulation Devices Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global market for neuromodulation devices is primarily driven by the increase in geriatric population in developed countries such as, the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Increasing incidence of neurological disorders is another factor responsible for the growth of neuromodulation devices market. Other growth factors for neuromodulation devices market are miniaturization of devices, new neuromodulation devices approval by regulatory bodies and increasing awareness among people.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3361 Neuromodulation Devices Market: SegmentationThe global neuromodulation market has been segmented on the basis of product type, end users and geography.Based on product type, the global neuromodulation devices market is divided into:Internal NeuromodulationDeep brain stimulationSacral nerve stimulationVagus nerve stimulationSpinal cord stimulationGastric Electrical StimulationExternal NeuromodulationTranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulationRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulationBased on end users, the global neuromodulation devices market is segmented as:HospitalsClinicsHome healthcareNeuromodulation Devices Market: OverviewNeuromodulation devices market is expected to witness significant growth due to the technological advancement of neuromodulation devices. Spinal cord stimulation is the largest segment of the neuromodulation devices market as this therapy is mostly used for the treatment of chronic pain. Deep brain stimulation is expected to be the fastest growing segment of neuromodulation devices market due to increasing prevalence of neurological disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinsons disease & dystonia and also due to lack of existing treatments. In case of the end users home healthcare is expected to be fastest growing due to miniaturization of neuromodulation devices and ease of use.Neuromodulation Devices Market: Region-wise OutlookNeuromodulation devices market is segmented into seven regions, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America is the most attractive market due to increase in the end use of devices, awareness among people and high prevalence of disease conditions such as Parkinsons disease, chronic pain, epilepsy. Followed by which is Western Europe. Asia-Pacific region is expected to be fastest growing due to increasing population, change in lifestyle, and government initiative to aware the people regarding the neurological disorders and their treatments. Japan is also an attractive market for neuromodulation devices due to ageing population and increase in the approval rate of neuromodulation devices by Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3361 Neuromodulation Devices Market: Key Market ParticipantsSome of the market participants in the global neuromodulation devices market are Medtronic, Accellent, BioControl Medical, Boston Scientific Corporation, DynaMD, Nevro Corp, NeuroSigma, Inc., NeuroPace, Inc., St. Jude Medical, Inc. Soterix Medical, Inc. and Synapse Biomedical, Inc.,. These companies are focusing on miniaturizationof the neuromodulation devices and advancement of the technology. Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Mustard Seed Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 2016 and Opportunity Assessment; 2017 2027" report to their offering. Mustard Seed Market PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 11:06:09 Mustard plant is native to Asia and is one of the widely cultivated crop across the globe. Mustard seeds are used as a major spice in Asia and are rich in phytonutrients, minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants. Mustard seeds are high in essential oil and are great source of plant sterols such as brassicasterol, campesterol, sitosterol, avenasterol, and stigmasterol. Mustard plant belongs to family Brassicaceae which also includes other crop such as, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and broccoli. Mustard plant is a winter crop and require temperate climate for its growth and is among the third leading source of vegetable oil after palm and soybean oil as per the data revealed by National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX). The global mustard seeds market is expected to witness significant growth in the coming years mainly attributed to increasing application of mustard seeds in food and beverages industry, pharmaceutical industry, personal care and cosmetic industry and others.Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-5439 Mustard Seed Market SegmentationGlobal mustard seed market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, sales channels and region. On the basis of product type the global mustard seed market is segmented into, white/yellow mustard seeds, black mustard seeds and sarepta mustard seeds. The sarepta mustard seeds segment is further sub-segmented into, brown and oriental mustard seeds. Oriental mustard seeds are darker in color in comparison to the yellow mustard seeds mainly due to its high content of phenolic compounds. White or yellow mustard seeds have the least pungent taste while black mustard seeds are the most pungent mustard seeds. By application the global mustard seeds market is segmented into, industrial application, commercial application and Household.Industrial application of mustard seeds includes its use in food and beverages, cosmetic and personal care and other applications. Food and beverages segment is the dominant application segment in the overall mustard seeds market attributable to its widespread use as a condiment. Mustard oil extracted from mustard seeds is widely used across Asian countries. Mustard seeds are also used in salad dressing in countries such as U.S., Canada and other European countries. Apart from this application of mustard seeds in cosmetic is widespread wherein mustard seeds are used as a natural scrub, hydrating agent, age defying agent and aids in hair growth, thus contributing towards revenue generation in the overall mustard seeds market.On the basis of sales channel the global mustard seeds market is segmented into, direct and indirect sales channels. Indirect sales channels are further sub-segmented into hypermarkets/supermarkets, convenience stores, specialty stores, e-commerce and other retail formats.On the basis of region the global mustard seed market is segmented into, North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa. Europe is the largest market for mustard seed globally attributable to increasing demand for mustard oil and mustard paste in cooking across the regions. Europe and Asia Pacific is the largest producer of mustard seeds globally thus contributing towards their overall revenue contribution in the global mustard seeds market. Apart from this Canada is also one of the leading producer of mustard seeds globally.Mustard Seed Market Global Market Trends and Market Drivers:The growth of mustard seed market across the globe is expected to depict significant growth in the overall market owing to increasing demand for mustard seeds in cooking and as a substitute for other oils such as sunflower oil and other oils in the market. Mustards seeds are essential source of essential vitamins including, B-complex vitamins such as folates, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, vitaminB-6 and pantothenic acid thus, increasing the synthesis of enzymes needed for functioning of nervous system and help in regulation of body metabolism. Furthermore, oil extracted from mustard seeds is traditionally being used to relive muscle pain, arthritis pain, for cancer risk prevention, asthma and several other body ailments thus contributing towards mustard seeds market growth over the forecast period.Request Report for TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-5439 Mustard Seed Market Key Players:Variety of Mustard Seed have been introduced by the manufacturers and some of the global market players manufacturing mustard seed market include; McCormick & Company, Inc., The Tracklement Company Ltd., Kaveri Seeds, Sakai Spice (Canada) Corp, Megha Corporation, Organic Products India, Sun Impex and others. The two-hour Mass of Reparation was the first of three such services scheduled by the archdiocese following the disclosure that it has paid about $50.6 million to settle more than 140 claims of sexual abuse. Last week, Blair announced that a retired state judge will review priest personnel files as the Roman Catholic Church continues to come to terms with the scandals that have drained organizational finances, shattered public confidence and caused enormous personal pain to victims. PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 18:00:14 LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / January 28, 2019 / Condor Gold (AIM: CNR; TSX: COG) is pleased to announce the results of an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (the ''MRE'') on its 100% owned La India Project in Nicaragua. The MRE as at 25 January 2019 is 9.85 million tonnes (''M tonnes'' or ''Mt'') at 3.6 g/t gold for 1,140,000 oz gold in the Indicated category and 8.48M tonnes at 4.3g/t gold for 1,179,000 oz gold in the Inferred category.The MRE was prepared by SRK Consulting (UK) Limited (''SRK'') and uses the terminology, definitions and guidelines given in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (May 2014).Highlights of Mineral Resource EstimateTotal Indicated Mineral Resources of 9.85Mt at a grade of 3.6 g/t gold, for a total contained ounces of 1,140,000oz goldTotal Inferred Mineral Resources of 8.48Mt at a grade of 4.3 g/t gold, for a total contained ounces of 1,179,000 oz goldTotal open pit Mineral Resource of 8.58Mt at a grade of 3.3 g/t gold, for 902,000 oz gold in the Indicated category and 3.01Mt at a grade of 3.0 g/t gold, for 290,000 oz gold in the Inferred categoryNew open pit Mineral Resource on Mestiza of 92Kt at a grade of 12.1 g/t (36,000 oz contained gold) in the Indicated category and 341Kt at a grade of 7.7 g/t gold (85,000 oz contained gold) in the Inferred categoryTotal underground Mineral Resources of 1.27Mt at a grade of 5.8 g/t gold, for 238,000 oz gold in the Indicated category and 5.47Mt at a grade of 5.1 g/t gold, for 889,000 oz gold in the Inferred categoryMark Child, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Condor Gold, commented:''The Mineral Resource update on La India Project totals 9.85M tonnes at 3.6 g/t gold for 1,140,000 oz gold in the Indicated category and 8.48M tonnes at 4.3g/t gold for 1,179,000 oz gold in the Inferred category and is a timely reminder of the high grade nature of this gold deposit. The Mineral Resource update includes 8,222m drilling completed since the previous Mineral Resource update in September 2014. The higher level of confidence, the Indicated category of Mineral Resource, has increased by 57 Koz.Most importantly, the drilling has proved two new satellite open pit resources. Of note is the new open pit Mineral Resource on Mestiza of 92Kt at a grade of 12.1 g/t for 36,000 oz contained gold in the Indicated category and 341Kt at a grade of 7.7 g/t gold for 85,000 oz contained gold in the Inferred category. The four satellite open pits outside the main, permitted La India open pit have combined open pit resources of 206Kt at 9.9g/t gold for 66,000 oz gold in the Indicated category and 2,127Kt at 3.23g/t gold for 221,000 oz gold in the Inferred category. The Company will conduct mining studies to determine the possibility of adding the contained gold within the satellite pits to a mine schedule to supplement the ore feed from the permitted La India open pit to the processing plant. This has the possibility to either increase annual production and/or extend the life of mine.'' Summary of Updated Mineral Resource EstimateThe MRE includes an additional 8,222m drilling since September 2014 and is 9,850kt at 3.6 g/t gold for 1,140Koz gold in the Indicated category and 8,479Kt at 4.3g/t gold for 1,179Koz gold in the Inferred category (see Table 1 below). This compares to the Mineral Resource estimate on 30 September 2014 which reported 9,557kt at 3.5g/t gold for 1,083Koz gold in the Indicated category and 8,526kt at 4.5g/t gold for 1,231Koz gold in the Inferred category.The 8,222m of additional drilling, and the updated part of the Mineral Resource, are in three areas at the core of the La India Project, all of which now contain open pit Mineral Resources reported within an optimized Whittle pit shell, applying parameters considered in line with the criteria of reporting Mineral Resources with reasonable potential for economic extraction (See Table 2 below):5,895m of infill drilling for a total of 42 drill holes on the Mestiza Vein Set has converted Inferred Mineral Resource to the Indicated category and delineated a maiden open pit Mineral Resource of 92kt at 12.1g/t gold for 36,000 oz gold in the Indicated category and 341kt at 7.7 g/t gold in the Inferred category. The Mestiza Vein Set also hosts an underground Mineral Resource of 118kt at 5.5g/t gold in the Indicated category and 984kt at 5.3 g/t gold for 169,000 oz gold in the Inferred category.1,607m of drilling for a total of 5 drill holes on the La India Vein Set extended the Mineral Resource at depth and increased the underground Mineral Resource associated with the mineralized southern ore shoot. There was no drilling within the volume associated to the La India open pit Mineral Resource. The La India Vein Set hosts an open pit Mineral Resource of 8,377kt at 3.1g/t gold for 837Koz gold in the Indicated category and 887kt at 2.4 g/t gold for 69,000oz gold in the Inferred category and an underground Mineral Resource estimate of 678kt at 4.9g/t gold for 107Koz gold in the Indicated category and 1718kt at 5.6 g/t gold for 309,000 oz gold in the Inferred category.719m of follow-up drilling for a total of 4 drill holes on El Cacao successfully confirmed the presence of a wide structure in drill hole CCDC025 of 17.1m at 1.74g/t gold (see the release dated 17 January 2017) and defined an open pit Mineral Resource of 188kt at 2.3g/t gold for 14,000 oz gold in the Inferred category and underground Mineral Resource of 474kt at 3.0g/t gold for 46,000 oz gold in the Inferred category.The MRE does not show a material change in the number of ounces of gold reported, being 1,140 Koz in the Indicated category and 1,179 Koz in the Inferred category. Notwithstanding the above, the MRE reports an increase of 57 Koz in the number of gold ounces in the Indicated category, an 40 Koz increase in the open pit Mineral Resources reported in the Indicated category, and a 56 Koz increase in the open pit Mineral Resources in the Inferred category.The MRE continues to demonstrate that there is potential to enhance the La India Project with additional material conducive to open pit mining methods. In addition to the main La India open pit there are now four satellite pits that have the potential to act as feeder pits, to provide mineralized material to the permitted plant, and to supplement feed from the main La India open pit. These satellite pits (Mestiza, America, Central Breccia and Cacao) in aggregate represent 206 Kt at 9.9 g/t Au for 66,000 oz in the Indicated catego PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 17:04:02 With a spotlight on Sustainable Futures, Superior Growth, entries are invited from organisations with outstanding programmes in protecting their global workforce International SOS Foundation Launches 2019 Global Duty of Care Awards: Now Open for Submissions Suzanne Withers International SOS Group Head of PR T: +44-(0)20-8762-8494 M: +44-(0)7825-425-500 Email: suzanne.withers@internationalsos.com The International SOS Foundation today announced the launch of the 2019 Global Duty of Care Awards. The annual awards, now in their fourth year, recognise organisations for their excellence in mitigating health and security risks and the successful protection of the global workforce. The 2019 focus, Sustainable Futures, Superior Growth, emphasises the contribution that Duty of Care can bring to building a sustainable business. Two new award categories are introduced; Remote Resilience and Belt and Road Initiative. Organisations of all sizes are encouraged to apply, specifically all professionals from security, risk management, travel, insurance, law, health and safety, occupational health, and human resources. Arnaud Vaissie, Chairman, International SOS Foundation said, Many of the established norms of international relations are facing challenges, with far-reaching impacts on business. This includes heightened sensitivity around travel and relocation. Businesses with global workforces and increasingly complicated compliance obligations need to be kept abreast of what is changing. In particular, where, when and how it will affect them and their employees. The 2019 Awards encourage sharing of best practices in all aspects of Duty of Care. This years focus on Sustainable Futures, Superior Growth reflects that by protecting human capital at work, organisations can achieve greater sustainability and growth. The 2019 awards will be hosted in Shanghai, China, a centre of exponential growth and global change as the Belt and Road Initiative gains momentum. Melissa Delaney, Senior Manager, Student Life Department at RMIT University Vietnam, winner in the 2018 Duty of Care Awards, said, Wherever they are in the world, the health and wellbeing of our student population of over 6,000 scholars is high priority. Winning the 2018 Duty of Care Award in Education for our student support, was a great accolade and acknowledgement of the robust nature of our programme. It is also a pleasure to be able to share our learnings and best practices, demonstrating how embedding student welfare and wellbeing in educational programmes can result in improved student participation and educational success. The awards will be supported by a panel of sector-leading expert judges and a host of internationally recognised organisations. The 2019 Global Duty of Care Awards will be presented in the following categories: 1. Innovation - new or novel approaches to identifying, managing and mitigating risk, including utilising advancements in technology. 2. Resilient Resilience - developing organisational robustness to protect the health, security and safety of people working in challenging, extreme or remote environments. 3. Communications - effective communications campaigns or programmes that mitigate travel, health or security risk to mobile workers. 4. Ambassador of Duty of Care - This category recognises an individual who has made significant impact in protecting people travelling and working abroad. 5. Education - effective programmes that mitigate health, security and travel risks to students, faculty and others staff in the education sector. 6. Sustainability - the role of Duty of Care and Travel Risk Management in an organisations Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability programme. 7. Belt and Road Initiative *New Category* - organisations investing in the Belt and Road initiative to help promote international relations, mobility and sustainability whilst ensuring a high quality standard of Duty of Care. To enter the 2019 Global Duty of Care Awards: To learn more, visit www.dutyofcareawards.org. Organisations and individuals may enter here. The awards entries close on Tuesday 30 April 2019 The awards shortlist will be announced on Friday 28 June 2019 Winners will be selected and presented at the Awards gala dinner on Thursday 17 October 2019 in the Grand Kempinski Hotel, Shanghai, China. Duty of Care Summit: The 2019 Duty of Care Awards will be preceded by the Duty of Care Summit, held on the same day. Now in its third year, the Summit brings together industry-leading experts for discussion, debate, practical case studies and invaluable networking on protecting mobile workers and mitigating risks. Take a look at last years event and register your interest here to be notified as soon as tickets go on sale. ENDS ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL SOS FOUNDATION - Ambassadors for Duty of Care The International SOS Foundation is an independent, non-profit organisation, established in 2011 with registered charity status. The International SOS Foundation commissions and shares research and best practice for a greater understanding and mitigation of risks in areas of Duty of Care for the global workforce. Key topics supported via thought-leadership programmes are: risk management, sustainability, prevention and work heath. For more information: www.InternationalsosFoundation.org View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005 Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Increasing Consumption of Wood Pellets in North America Fuelling Market Growth report to their offering Upcoming Future Market Insights PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 17:15:42 Press Information Future Market Insights U.S. Office 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States Abhishek Budholiya Manager +1 03479183531 email http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ # 720 Words U.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesManager+1 03479183531 Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the wood pellet market in its latest report titled, 'Global Wood Pellet Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 20172027'. According to the report, the global wood pellet market is projected to expand at a healthy CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period in terms of revenue.Wood pellets are defined as are biofuel made from compressed organic matter or biomass. These technologies use a wide range of materials such as forest & wood waste, agricultural residue, and other substances.Factors such as increasing consumption of wood pellets, increasing health consciousness among consumers, high consumption of wood pellets for residential heating, growing demand for wood pellets for electricity generation, growing exports of wood pellets rapidly growing demand for domestic wood pellets and energy, and climate change are the factors that drive the market. Enterprises and individuals, nowadays, need products that are environmentally-friendly. Collaborations between suppliers and producers ensure a strong bonding and progressive activities, and enhance the development process. This demand has given rise to the increased production of wood pellets.Request Sample Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-484 Government certification is a valuable tool to assure customers that the wood pellets are made from sustainably managed forests. Increasing certification criteria is the key restraining factor of the North American wood pellet market while exporting to other countries, where various rules mandate renewable energy production. The procurement policy of wood pellets is also one of the key restraining factors in the market here. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Forest Stewardship Council are the certification organizations in North America.19% of U.S. commercial forestland is certified by major U.S. standards.According to the Wood Pellet Association of Canada, approx. 9% of the worlds forests are certified. Out of them, more than 40% forests are in Canada, which makes these forests as an ideal source of wood pellets.On the basis of region, Western Europe is estimated to be the largest market for wood pellets, accounting for 72.6% value share of the global wood pellets market in 2017. The region continues to dominate the market, and is expected to continue to do so throughout the forecast period.Eastern Europe exports most of its produced wood pellets to other countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom, where it requires certification for exports. Various industries are focusing on getting certified with DINplus and green energy certifications, which will help in exporting the produced wood pellets. The rapid rate of the production of wood pellets in countries like Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia is a major driving factor of the wood pellet market in Eastern Europe, owing to the high amount of exports to the other developed countries of Western Europe.On the basis of end use, the industrial pellets for co-firing segment is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 11.0% and and 9.1% in terms of market value and volume, respectively, during the forecast period. This is attributed to the increasing demand for wood pellets in a wide range of end-user applications.The markets in APEJ, Western Europe, MEA, and Latin America are anticipated to contribute majorly to the global wood pellet market. The market in Western Europe is expected to account for 69.6% share in terms of value in the global wood pellet market, and be valued at US$ 14,694.6 Mn by 2027 end. The increasing demand for wood pellets for residential heating and energy and climate change in Western Europe is expected to fuel revenue growth of the market in the region. The market in Western Europe is estimated to be valued at US$ 6,686.2 Mn by 2017 end, and projected to expand at a CAGR of 8.2% during the forecast period.Factors such as increasing consumption of wood pellets, increasing health health consciousness among consumers, high consumption of wood pellets for residential heating, growing demand for wood pellets for electricity generation, growing exports of wood pellets, growing demand for domestic wood pellets and energy, and climate change are expected to drive revenue growth of the global wood pellet market.Key market participants covered in the report include Drax Biomas Inc, Rentech, Inc, Enviva Partners, LP, German Pellets GmbH, Viridis Energy Inc, AS Graanul Invest, Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc, Lignetics of Idaho, Inc, Zilkha Biomass Energy, LLC, and Energy Girvan Limited.Need more information about Report Methodology? @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-484 Research Report Insights PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 15:05:42 Press Information Research Report Insights Research Report Insights 42 joseph street, Portcarling P0B 1J0, Muskoka, Ontario T: +1-631-721-4201 Vikas Bahurupi Manager 6317214201 email https://www.researchreportinsights.com # 438 Words Research Report Insights42 joseph street,Portcarling P0B 1J0,Muskoka, OntarioT: +1-631-721-4201Manager6317214201 Security labels are used to protect product or item from getting altered, unpacked, theft, and malicious modification. These security labels prevent confidential information from getting leaked. Security labels are witnessing high demand in manufacturing and beverage industry.The global security labels market is driven by factors such as strong growth in the food & beverage industry and rising demand in consumer durables, retail, and pharmaceutical supply industries. Security labels are used to provide authentic protection to merchandise. At the time of receipt when boxes are unpacked, merchandise contain appropriate accession security labels.Request For Report Sample with Table of Contents@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upsample/120124810/Security-Labels-Market The global security labels market is consists of North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW). The Asia Pacific region dominates the global security labels market on account of rapid growth in the retail industry. As the retail industry increases, the demand for the security labels increases mainly due to the rising the incidence of theft in the retail industry.Growing manufacturing activities such as consumer good, also have the positive influence on ther growth of the market. As disposable income increases, the purchase power of the consumer increases which creating a huge opportunity to the global security labels market. China, Indonesia, India, and Japan are the crucial contributor to Asia Pacific market. China accounts for the largest share of the regional market due to the largest demand from the food & beverage, and good consumer industry.Request For Report Discount@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/updiscount/120124810/Security-Labels-Market Security labels market, by identification method, is classified into three segments, namely bar codes, radio-frequency identification, and holographic. Bar codes present a cost-effective and reliable method for collecting any kind of necessary data. Bar codes are widely used by industries such as consumer durables, retail, and transportation & logistics for keeping a track of their products, as well as for tracing outgoing shipments and equipment.In case of pharmaceuticals, safe labeling is of highest importance. As conventional labeling is less durable, it can mislead the patient and might be dangerous. In 2016, the North America pharmaceutical industry generated around US$ 450 billion. This exhibits that the demand for pharmaceutical drugs is expected to increase during the forecast period. Pharmaceutical industry being one of the major end use industry, the value for global security labels market is also expected to increase during the forecast period. Some of the top market players are 3M Company, Honeywell International Inc., UPM Raflatac Ltd, Avery Dennison Corporation, CCL Industries Inc., Tesa SE, Security Labels International, Group DC, Colour Data UK LtdReport Analysis@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upcomming/120124810/Security-Labels-Market Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Government initiatives to boost the micro irrigation systems market report to their offering Upcoming Future Market Insights PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 17:12:51 Press Information Future Market Insights U.S. Office 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States Abhishek Budholiya Manager +1 03479183531 email http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ # 530 Words U.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesManager+1 03479183531 The global water situations continue to be stressed with higher number of regions falling into water scarcity. Considering the brimming demand for water across all purposeful applications, governments are unable to locate and utilize renewable fresh water resources without running them dry. Since replenishing these natural bodies is out of the option, industries as well as individuals are compelled to optimize their water usage. In spite of causing distress in every water-associated business in the world, the stressed water situation in the world has contrastingly boosted one market in particular the global market for micro irrigation systems.From rural agriculturists to agro-industry giants, the adoption of micro irrigation systems is gaining traction owing to their ability to improve irrigational efficiency by 50-90%. According to Future Market Insights recent report, rising scarcity of water has fuelled the demand for micro irrigation systems. In 2017, the global micro irrigation systems market will reach an estimated value of US$ 4,682.3 Mn. The report projects that by the end of 2027, the market will have soared at a sizeable CAGR of 13.3%, registering an estimated value of more than US$ 16,200 Mn.Request Sample Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4303 In terms of region, the adoption of micro irrigation systems will be highest in Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region. This region has recorded the highest number of areas hit with water scarcity, and it is also recorded fastest water consumption in agriculture & manufacturing-driven economies such as India and China. The APEJ micro irrigation systems market is anticipated to account for more than 30% of global revenues by 2027. Demand for micro irrigation systems will also register lucrative growth in Latin America, as the region is expected to showcase revenue growth at 13.9% CAGR.Micro Sprinkler Irrigation Systems in Great DemandKey excerpts from the report estimate that in 2017, more than 3.5 million hectares of land in the world was irrigated with sprinkler irrigation systems. During the assessment period, the report exhibits that global revenue growth accounted by sprinkler irrigation systems will be registering a 12.8% CAGR. This segment will, however, witness sluggish growth, compared to that of mini sprinkler systems. Demand for micro or mini sprinkler systems will gain traction, but at a gradual pace as this segment accounts to merely 3% of the market value. Towards the latter half of the forecast period, the global demand for drip irrigations systems is projected to gain traction, recording US$ 5,304.1 Mn in value by 2027-end.Large private and corporate farms are expected to be largest end-user of micro irrigation systems through 2027. Over 60% of global market value will be accounted by this end-use segment by the end of 2027. Small farmers will also be observed as lucrative end-users for micro irrigation systems. The report also profiles leading players in the global micro irrigation system market, which include Chinadrip Irrigation Equipment (Xiamen) Co., Ltd., Kisan Irrigation Ltd., Finolex Plasson Industries Pvt. Ltd., Ripple Aquaplast, Irritrol, Eurodrip SA, Netafim Ltd., Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., The Toro Company, Rain Bird Corporation, Hunter Industries, Valmont Industries, Rivulis Irrigation Ltd., Lindsay Corporation, Reinke Manufacturing Company, Inc., EPC Industries Ltd., T-L Irrigation, Elgo Irrigation, Sistema Azud SA, and Nelson Irrigation Corporation.Need more information about Report Methodology? @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-4303 Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the GlobalFlexible Cable Market: Market Segmentation report to their offering Upcoming Future Market Insights PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 16:54:45 Press Information Future Market Insights U.S. Office 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States Abhishek Budholiya Manager +1 03479183531 email http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ # 719 Words U.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesManager+1 03479183531 Cable are a type of insulated wire which are usually used in transmitting electricity or telecommunication signals. Various types of cables are developed and designed for use in various purposes. The need for a combination of high-temperature and high-performance in wire insulation did become a critical factor in various platforms, and d flexible cables are one such cables that are specially designed to sustain in such platforms. Due to its insulation with fluoropolymer, such flexible cables can undergo in tight bending and physical stress associated with various critical applications. Owing to its critical usage and absence of any substitute it can be expected that flexible cable market will gain significant demand over the forecast demand.Flexible Cables Market: Drivers and RestraintsFlexible cables main consumption comes from household electrical wiring. With expansion of population and rise in individuals income it can be well predicted that there will be rise in construction of new houses as well as growth in real estate business, which will fuel up the demand of flexible wiring. Even growth in automobile industry, and growth in consumer electronics will also further strengthen the market of flexible wiring. Owing to the structure and design of automobiles and consumer electronics, flexible cables plays a pivotal role in it in connecting various points and terminals for transmission of power as well as signals which else cannot be meet with other type of rigid cables.Request Sample Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3922 Globally there has been race for various innovations in various product segment to make it more efficient and flexible. Considering this prevailing scenario it can be anticipated that there will be less of restraint for the flexible cable market.GlobalFlexible Cable Market: Market SegmentationBased on application, the global Flexible Cables market can be segmented into:Signal TransmissionPower TransmissionBased on end user industry, the global Flexible Cables market can be segmented into:Automobile IndustryElectronics Appliances IndustryEnergy & UtilitiesTelecommunicationFlexible Cables Market: OverviewGeographically, the Flexible Cables market is segmented into seven regions, namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). APEJ is the leading market for flexible cables. Countries in APEJ such as China, South Korea, and India are undergoing tremendous economic reform which has triggered implementation of various projects to industrialize and increase connectivity. Such projects will bring in scope for tremendous demand of flexible cables. Moreover countries in APEJ in 21st century has become hub for various industries such as automobiles as well as consumer electronics and IT goods, which are another avenues where there is a huge consumption of flexible cables. Next to APEJ, North America is another major market for flexible cables. Countries in North America has also various establishments such as data centers, IT industries, automobile industries as well alike APEJ which will keep the demand of flexible cables in momentum. Western Europe is another region where the demand of flexible cables will be in a healthy position due to its usage in various automobile industries as well as in renewable energy industries which are present in this region. Japan is ahead of Eastern Europe with respect to flexible cables market. Japan has been a formidable player in producing various cutting edge electronic equipment as well as automobiles. These two avenues in Japan are present in large scale which brings in quite a healthy demand of flexible cables. In MEA, countries of GCC are undergoing rapid modernization and gradually moving away from being only oil economy. Various implementation of projects and industries in GCC will bring in demand of flexible cables. Countries in Africa such as Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa are witnessing growth from various avenues and rise in demand of power transmission and connectivity will provide the necessary demand of flexible cables. At the same time, Latin America countries are not lagging behind in infrastructure. Government projects and private investments are gaining pace which will further catapult the demand of flexible cables in this region as well.Request to View TOC@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3922 Flexible Cables Market: Key playersFew of the prominent players in Flexible cable market are SAB Brockskes GmbH & Co. KGTop Cable 2015Universal Cables Ltd.LUTZE INC.FinolexCleveland Cable Company A detailed valuation of the edge-cutting technologies and the other factors influencing the growth rate of various segments has been done to smoothen out the financial variability. Business Process Management (BPM) Cloud, Mobile, and Patterns PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 22:40:44 Press Information Research N reports Sunny Denis (Sales Manager), (Research N Reports) 10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin 77064, +1-8886316977, sales@researchnreports.com, www.researchnreports.com Sunny Denis Sales Manager +1-8886316977 email http://www.www.researchnreports.com # 319 Words Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr,Houston, TX, Pin 77064,+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com,www.researchnreports.comSales Manager+1-8886316977 A report titled Global Business Process Management (BPM) Cloud, Mobile, and Patterns Market has been lately added to the Research N Reports extensive database. Their repository depicts the expert documentation of reports based on different markets and Global Business Process Management (BPM) Cloud, Mobile, and Patterns Market is one of them. This survey has outlined some of the key trends, promising advancements that the future holds, growing opportunities, latest technological advancements, and competitive landscape in major regions. It estimates the growth rate of various segments over the forecast period (xxxx).Get sample copy of this report at: https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=90291 Major Key Players in this report are: IBM, Adobe, Microsoft, Fujitsu, Red Hat, Tibco Software, SAP, NEC, Oracle, AgilePoint, BonitaSoft, EMC, Fiorano, Active Endpoints, Kofax, LexMark, Managed Methods, Nastel Technologies, Pega Systems, Progress Software, Rally Software, SOA Software, Software AG, WSO2, VMWareA detailed valuation of the edge-cutting technologies and the other factors influencing the growth rate of various segments has been done to smoothen out the financial variability. The study also involves several methodical operating systems based on communication trends and the consequent requirement for managing the device operation. Factors such as increasing internet speed and popularity of using smartphones have led to generating enormous amounts of data, therefore, making the prominence of rapid advancements in information technology.Get discount at: https://www.researchnreports.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=90291 On the basis of regional segmentation, U.S., Europe, China, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia have been taken into consideration and is therefore elaborated in the report. It also describes the key strategies adopted by the players to enhance their prominence in the global market. Also, it describes the opportunities for new entrants who want to establish a strong standing in this global market.For Enquiry OR Any Query? Ask to our Expert @ https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=90291 PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 20:08:25 Press Information Research N Reports 10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064 Sunny Denis Sales Manager 8886316977 email http://www.researchnreports.com # 617 Words 10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064Sales Manager8886316977 The 5G Technology Market report is a meticulous and assembled work which is led by primary and secondary research. The flourished segments are highlighted clearly in the report for the readers to grasp all the detailed information. 5G is a fifth-generation wireless technology, which currently is in a developmental stage, and is predicted to be commercialized in the coming two to three years. The operational speed of 5G is expected to be several times faster than the existing wireless technologies 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G and significantly penetrate the 2G and 3G wireless markets.The 5G technology market is growth at a CAGR of 21% during forecast period 2019-2025.All these segments have been presented by showcasing about their current and predicted state at the end of the forecast period. The need for this product is swelling and its recognition in the market will fuel up in the 5G Technology Market globally in the near future. The continuous demand from subscribers for better mobile broadband experiences is encouraging the growth of the market. The 5G technology will include LTE advanced and Wi-Fi coupled with new technological solutions to meet the requirements such as machine control and augmented reality.Get Sample Copy of this Report @Top Key Vendors in Market:Cisco (U.S.),Ericsson (Sweden),SK Telecom (South Korea),Korea Telecom (South Korea),Nokia Networks (Finland),Samsung (South Korea),Qualcomm (U.S.),Intel (U.S.),NEC, Ericsson, Deutsche Telekom AG, Nokia Siemens Networks, Telecom Italia, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Orange S.A., Alcatel-Lucent S.A., Corporation (Japan),Huawei (China),Verizon (U.S.),AT&T (U.S.),T-Mobile USA, Inc,LG (South Korea),China Mobile (China)5G Technology Market offers internet speed between 10 Gbps and 100 Gbps and provides ultra-low latency range from 1ms to 10ms when compared to 4G technology that offers low latency range from 40ms to 60ms. Its interdependence on various other technologies such as millimeter wave propagation, as well as IPv6 transmission protocol may pose a challenge to demand growth over the forecast timeframe. The statistical data has been a source of a reasonable comprehension of the state of drivers, threats, major opportunities, and the prime standards, rules, plans, and strategies affecting the market.The geographical segmentation is done on the basis of higher scope, productivity of the sectors in various regions such as North America, Asia, China, Japan, Latin America, and India. The 5G Technology Market is summarized with effective data about drivers, opportunities, and restraints, which promotes the growth of the businesses.Ask for discount@Objectives of 5G Technology Market: The market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the global 5G technology market based porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by usability, technology application and region.For more Information@About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Where counting on a legitimate board company for your selections will become critical. Research N Reports specializes in enterprise evaluation, marketplace forecasts and as a result getting great reports overlaying all verticals, whether be it gaining angle on modern market situations or being in advance inside the cut throat Global opposition. Persistence Market Research has announced the addition of the 4G (LTE) Devices Market to Record Stellar CAGR During 2016 and 2024" report to their offering. 4G (LTE) Devices Market PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 12:22:44 Press Information Persistence Market Research CONTACT: Persistence Market Research 305 Broadway 7th Floor, New York City, NY 10007, United States, USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353 Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Web: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com yogesh sengar team lead 800-961-0353 email http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com # 692 Words CONTACT:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.comteam lead800-961-0353 Persistence Market Research delivers key insights on the global 4G (LTE) devices market in a new publication titled Global Market Study on 4G (LTE) Devices: Single Brand Store Distribution Channel Segment Expected to Witness Significant Growth Between 2016 and 2024 In terms of value, the global 4G (LTE) devices market is projected to register a healthy CAGR of 13.1% during the forecast period owing to various factors, regarding which Persistence Market Research offers vital insights in detail.Drivers and trends impacting the marketConsumers are increasingly becoming inclined towards technological advancements in networking solutions and are adopting devices that operate smoothly and with intelligent features. The features in devices such as low network latency rate, better battery backup, and screen resolution are attracting consumers to switch to 4G (LTE) devices thus fueling the demand for 4G (LTE) devices worldwide. Convenience, affordability, and attractive data packages offered by network operators in collaboration with device manufacturers are factors encouraging consumers to try 4G (LTE) devices. This, in turn, is increasing the penetration of 4G (LTE) devices globally.A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/10466 Device manufacturers at international and domestic levels are playing an important role in the global 4G (LTE) devices market by innovating in different ways. For instance, manufacturers are collaborating with network providers to provide a better service and make it more affordable for their customers. Government initiatives in some regions to encourage deployment of advanced network data consumption is impacting the global 4G (LTE) devices market positively. Traffic for online high-quality video content is increasing, making consumers opt for advanced network operating devices featuring high-speed data. Besides other factors, increasing data consumption per person per day is anticipated to drive revenue growth of the global 4G (LTE) devices market.Market forecastThe global 4G (LTE) devices market is segmented on the basis of Device Type (Smartphones, Tablets); Pricing (Low, Low-Mid, Mid-High, Premium); Distribution Channel (Multi-brand Store [Organized, Independent], Single brand Store, Online); and Region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa). Globally, the single brand store distribution channel segment is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period as compared to the multi-brand store and online distribution channel segments, which are expected to witness relatively flat growth rates over the forecast period. In terms of value, the low price range segment in the Asia Pacific 4G (LTE) devices market accounted for 37.6% share in 2015. The developing countries in this region showcase the huge potential for low-end 4G (LTE) smartphones and tablets due to the advancements in network infrastructure.This report covers trends driving each segment and offers analysis and insights into the potential of the global 4G (LTE) devices market in specific regions. The 4G (LTE) devices market in Asia Pacific and North America is expected to register high growth rates between 2016 and 2024. In terms of value, Asia Pacific is expected to create an incremental opportunity of US$ 315.0 Bn between 2016 and 2024. Europe has a relatively small but significant market share in the global 4G (LTE) devices market, as mobile device manufacturers in this region are relatively less prominent. The 4G (LTE) devices market in Asia Pacific is expected to gain substantial market share owing to a high demand from consumers based in countries such as China, Indonesia, and India. The 4G (LTE) devices market in Asia Pacific accounted for 35.9% market share in 2016 and is expected to gain 1,145 BPS to account for 47.4% market value share by 2024. The 4G (LTE) devices market in North America is expected to continue being the second largest market over the forecast period as there is maximum mobile device penetration in that region.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/10466 Competitive landscapeThe report profiles some of the leading players operating in the global 4G (LTE) devices market such as Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics, ZTE Corporation, Huawei Technology Company Limited, Lenovo Group Limited, ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Xiaomi Inc., and LG Electronics Inc. Top market companies are focusing on increasing their offline presence by partnering with local retailers and are also making a swift strategic transition from 3G to 4G cellular data consumption. Corrugated packaging software is used to manage and automate the organization's business processes. Cardboard packaging software can cut, design, fold and print cardboard boxes. This software is provided as a packaged and standalone software solution. Corrugated Packaging Software Market PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 20:19:40 Press Information It Intelligence Markets Survey No-9/4, Flat# 6, Panchshil Park, Ganpati Marg, Nigidi, Pune 411044 Vijay Tanna Sales Manager +91-740-024-2424 email http://www.itintelligencemarkets.com # 481 Words Survey No-9/4,Flat# 6,Panchshil Park,Ganpati Marg,Nigidi, Pune 411044Sales Manager+91-740-024-2424 Corrugated packaging software is used to manage and automate the organization's business processes. Cardboard packaging software can cut, design, fold and print cardboard boxes. This software is provided as a packaged and standalone software solution. Packaged cardboard software solutions are more cost effective and more productive than stand-alone corrugated packaging software. Package software is typically combined with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions for the purpose of managing the entire business process of manufacturing plants around the world.Ask for sample copy of this report here:The global corrugated packaging software market is expected to grow strongly during the forecast period. This is due to the tremendous growth of the e-commerce market worldwide. As the variety of products purchased online increases, the demand for cardboard boxes of various sizes and shapes continues to increase. Therefore, the broad acceptance of online shopping is a key factor in promoting the growth of the corrugated packaging software market around the world. Currently, e-commerce dealers are interested in cardboard boxes with logos and brand names printed on their boxes.The global corrugated packaging software market can be categorized by type, batch and end use industries. Depending on the type, the global corrugated packaging software market can be classified as standalone software and packaged software. In terms of deployment types, the corrugated packaging software market can be divided into on premises and cloud based. Markets based on end-use industries can be classified as food and beverage, retail, consumer goods, medical, e-commerce, manufacturing and others.Major key players are:Epicor Software, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, Adren Software, Amtech Software, Avista Solutions International, Electronics for Imaging, Erpisto, Kiwiplan, Onesys, SisTrade, Theurer.com , Volume Software etc.Ask for discount copy of this report here:The report provides a clear assessment of the market. Through in-depth qualitative insights, historical data and verifiable prospects for market size. The outlook presented in the report was derived using proven methodology and assumptions. Through this, the research report serves as a repository for analysis and information on all aspects of the market, including, but not limited to, local markets, technologies, types and applications.This report provides a multi-level view of the global corrugated packaging software market. The first approach focuses on the impression of the market. These verses cover a variety of preparations, definitions, industrial chain assembly and various uses for the global market. This section also incorporates a comprehensive analysis of various expansion plans and government strategies affecting markets, cost councils and industrialized processes. The second sub-section of the report includes an analysis of the global corrugated packaging market in terms of value and size.Conclusion Concerns about the massive establishment of the global corrugated packaging market are distorted by a variety of analytical tools and comprehensive research reports. References are locked to initiate and approve clear results. PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 09:19:44 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 28, 2018 /Doubleview Capital Corp. ("Doubleview") (TSX-V: DBV, FRANKFURT: 1D4, OTC: DBLVF) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option agreement with a private company (the "Optionee") in respect of Doubleview's Red Spring Copper-Silver-Zinc Project (the "Red Spring"), located 120 km north of Smithers, BC. The private company was acquired by Mucho Cobre Resources Inc. ("Mucho Cobre") earlier this month.Under the terms of the Option Agreement, Mucho Cobre will be the operator and has the right to earn up to a 60% interest in the Red Spring over five years as follows: paying an aggregate of $500,000 to Doubleview, incurring $4,000,000 on exploration and issuing an aggregate of 2,000,000 common shares to Doubleview. Exploration tax credits incurred on the Red Spring property will be shared by the parties."The Red Spring property is a strata-bound 'redbed'-type copper deposit similar to those in several very large European and Asian copper mining districts," said Doubleview President and CEO Farshad Shirvani. "Earliest property work in the 1970s included twelve short, widely-spaced drill holes, some of which intersected strong copper and silver values, including 136 feet (41.5 metres) with 0.54% copper and 0.61 oz/ton silver. Doubleview's geological and geochemical survey work since 2013 has confirmed the merits of the main Red Spring zone and identified new areas, that included values as high as 225 g/t Silver, 3.89 % Copper and 1.55 % Zinc from the 2016 geochemical soil survey. We welcome Mucho Cobre Resources Ltd. who is joining us in continuing our exploration of this exciting property. Doubleview has received a provincial Mines Act Permit for work including drilling".The Optionee will acquire a 60% interest on Doubleview's 90% owned Red Spring upon:(a) the Optionee paying an aggregate of $500,000 to Doubleview as follows:$15,000 on or before the first anniversary of the date of this Agreement;$25,000 on or before the second anniversary of the date of this Agreement;$60,000 on or before the third anniversary of the date of this Agreement;$125,000 on or before the fourth anniversary of the date of this Agreement; and$275,000 on or before the fifth anniversary of the date of this Agreement.(b) the Optionee issuing an aggregate 2,000,000 common shares (the "Shares") to Doubleview as follows:250,000 Shares on the date of this Agreement;250,000 Shares on or before the first anniversary of the date of this Agreement;250,000 Shares on or before the second anniversary of the date of this Agreement;500,000 Shares on or before the third anniversary of the date of this Agreement; and750,000 Shares on or before the fourth anniversary of the date of this Agreement.(c) the Optionee incurring aggregate Exploration Expenditures of $4,000,000 on the Red Spring as follows:$150,000 of Exploration Expenditures on or before the first anniversary of this Agreement;an additional $350,000 of Exploration Expenditures on or before the second anniversary of this Agreement;an additional $1,000,000 of Exploration Expenditures on or before the third anniversary of this Agreement;an additional $1,000,000 of Exploration Expenditures on or before the fourth anniversary of this Agreement;an additional $1,500,000 of Exploration Expenditures on or before the fifth anniversary of this Agreement.Doubleview will retain a 0.5% Net Smelter Royalty upon commencement of Commercial Production, of which all of the Net Smelter Royalty may be purchased for $600,000.Qualified PersonMr. Erik A. Ostensoe, P. Geo., a consulting geologist and Doubleview's Qualified Person with respect to the Red Spring Property as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release. He is not independent of Doubleview as he is a shareholder and co-vendor of the Red Spring Property.About Doubleview Capital Corp.Doubleview Capital Corp., a mineral resource exploration and development company, is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is publicly traded on the TSX-Venture Exchange [TSX-V: DBV], [OTCBB: DBLVF], [GER: A1W038], [Frankfurt: 1D4]. Doubleview identifies, acquires and finances precious and base metal exploration projects in North America, particularly in British Columbia. Doubleview's flagship the Hat Gold-Copper Property has an Option Agreement with Hudbay Minerals Inc. who is carrying out exploration to further the project towards a feasibility study and to earn a cumulative interest of 65%.On behalf of the Board of Directors,Farshad Shirvani, President & Chief Executive OfficerFor further information please contact:Doubleview Capital Corp.409 Granville St., Suite #880Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2Farshad Shirvani, President & CEOT: (604) 678-9587E: corporate@ doubleview.ca NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.SOURCE: Doubleview Capital corp. PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 13:06:07 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Web: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com Abhishek Bhudholiya Manager +1-347-918-3531 email https://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 639 Words 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comManager+1-347-918-3531 Dosimetry is defined as the method of measuring the dosage of the ionizing radiation as well as the doses of medicines. Dosimetry is known for the calculation and assessment of the radiation doses, which are received by the human body. The Dosimetry is done by the two types such as internal dosimetry and external dosimetry. Dosimetry is extensively used for the protection of workers from the radiation and is applied at the official radiation sites. It is also used at the sites where unexpected irradiation can happen. The dosimetry is done by the radiation dosimeter. The radiation dosimeter is the device used to the measure of exposure to ionizing radiation. The dosimetry is majorly used in the medical industry where the required absorbed dose and a collateral dose of radiation are monitored. The increasing use of radiation therapy in the medical treatment due to increasing demand of advanced treatment verification and quality assurance system boosts the use of dosimetry and its applications in the medical industry.The global dosimetry market is segmented on the basis of dosimetry types, dosimeter devices and applications.On the basis of types of dosimetry, the global dosimetry market is segmented into:Internal DosimetryExternal DosimetryOn the basis of types of dosimeter devices, the global dosimetry market is segmented into:Active DosimetersPassive DosimetersOn the basis of applications, the global dosimetry market is segmented into:MedicalIndustrialEnvironmentalRequest Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3482 The global dosimetry market is anticipated to register a significant CAGR over a forecast period. The increasing use of radiation therapies in the medical industry such as cancer treatment boost the demand for dosimeter devices and propel the growth of the global dosimetry market. The regulatory bodies such as American Association of Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD), an international society promotes and support the medical dosimetry profession through availing various opportunities of education, training, and professional interaction to maintain the highest standards of patient care and operator safety, which also boost the dosimetry market over a forecast period. The safety rules and regulations such as Control of Radiation also augment and drives the global dosimetry market over a forecast period. The increasing use of dosimetry in the industrial and environmental purposes also drives the global dosimetry market over a forecast period.However, the lack of awareness about the use of dosimetry for the protection and safety from radiation, may hamper the demand of dosimeters and restrain the growth of the global dosimetry market. Also, the higher cost of dosimetry based devices may affect the growth of the global dosimetry market.On the basis of regional presence, the global dosimetry market is segmented into five key regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Currently, North America is contributing the leading shares to the global dosimetry market in terms of value and anticipated to register a significant CAGR over a forecast period. The Europe is also contributing the moderate shares to the market due to the increasing use of radiation-based medical treatments in the region. APAC is the most lucrative market for the dosimetry and expected to show a robust growth to the global dosimetry market due to increasing awareness about the use of dosimetry and increasing use of dosimetry due to medical tourism. MEA is at a nascent stage to the global dosimetry market and anticipated to register a decent growth to the market over a forecast period. Overall, the global dosimetry market is expected to show significant growth over a forecast period.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3482 Some of the major market players in dosimetry market globally include IBA Dosimetry GmbH, S.E. International, Inc., Canberra Industries, Inc., Mirion Technologies, Inc., Landauer, Inc., Ludlum Measurements, Inc., Centronic Limited, Ametek, Inc., Redlen Technologies, Inc. and Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc. Research Report Insights PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 15:32:07 Press Information Research Report Insights Research Report Insights 42 joseph street, Portcarling P0B 1J0, Muskoka, Ontario T: +1-631-721-4201 Vikas Bahurupi Manager 6317214201 email https://www.researchreportinsights.com # 674 Words Research Report Insights42 joseph street,Portcarling P0B 1J0,Muskoka, OntarioT: +1-631-721-4201Manager6317214201 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) equipment market refers to the tools and equipments used to detect, dispose and provide protection during explosive disposal operations. The global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) equipment market has been segmented by equipment type, application and geography. On the basis of equipment type the market has been segmented into portable X-ray systems, projected water disruptors, bomb containment chamber, EOD suits and blankets, EOD robots, explosive detectors and search mirrors among others. The EOD market on the basis of application has been categorized into defense and law enforcement. North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America are the various regions covered within the scope of research. Furthermore, a cross sectional analysis has been provided for each of the reports covered within the scope of research.Factors such as police forces modernization programs and defense modernization programs are also expected to drive the demand for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) equipment. Various defense agencies across the globe are striving to equip their forces with modern equipment in order to counter terrorist intrusions. For example, large numbers of military organizations and law enforcement organizations have adopted military EOD robots. These robots can be programmed according to a given situation and can also be repurposed in a short time. Moreover, recent surge in number of terrorist attacks have also boosted the demand for EOD in recent years. The rise of various terrorist outfits such as ISIS and Boko Haram are constantly conducting coordinated country-wide attacks against the governments across the globe.Request For Report Sample with Table of Contents@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114589/Explosive-Ordnance-Disposal-Equipment-Market These organizations are targeting malls, schools and embassies among others. As a result of these factors, defense organizations are increasingly adopting EOD equipment to counter the terrorist attacks. Furthermore, the joint efforts taken by various countries such as the U.S., Russia and France among others to curb terrorism have further resulted in an increased demand for EOD equipments. These factors in combination are expected to propel the demand for EOD equipment throughout the forecast period. However, defense budget cut by governments of various countries is restraining the demand for EOD equipment globally. For example, there has been a 31% defense budget cut in the U.S. military spending from 2010 to 2016Significant opportunities exist for the EOD equipment market as a result of continuous research and development initiatives undertaken by various manufacturers. Research and development is directed toward improving existing features as well as developing new advanced features. For example, in January 2014, DetectaChem launched a handheld explsoive detector called the SEEKERe. The SEEKERe has been designed and developed in accordance to the specifications requested by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).The company profiles of the major players in the global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment market across five major geographic regions namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa and Latin America has been extensively covered under the purview of the study. Moreover, the business strategies being adopted by the major players in the market have also been included in the report. The market attractive analysis has also been provided in the report for providing a detailed insight into the global EOD equipment market.Request For Report Discount@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114589/Explosive-Ordnance-Disposal-Equipment-Market The market dynamics, which includes the market drivers, restraints and opportunities, has also been included under the scope of the report. Market dynamics help to understand the current trends in the global market by providing insights of the distinctive factors that influence the growth of the specific market. Thus, this report provides an inclusive study of the global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment market and also provides forecast of the market for the period from 2015-2023Some of the major players operating in EOD market are: iRobot Corporation, Safariland, LLC, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Scanna Msc Ltd., NABCO, Inc., United Shield International Ltd, Reamda Ltd., API Technologies Corp., Du Pont (E.I.) De Nemours and Cobham plc among others.Report Analysis@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114589/Explosive-Ordnance-Disposal-Equipment-Market PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 09:18:42 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 28, 2019 / Casa Minerals Inc. (TSX-V: CASA, FRANKFURT: 0CM, OTC: CASXF ) (the "Company" or "Casa") is pleased to announce it has signed an option agreement with a private company (the "Optionee") for exploration of Casa's 100%-owned Keaper polymetallic (gold-silver-copper-lead-zinc) project located 20 kilometers north of Terrace, British Columbia near Casa's flagship Pitman Property. Under terms of the agreement, the Optionee has the right to earn up to a 60% interest in the Keaper Property over 4 years by: 1) spending $4 million on exploration of the property; 2) paying Casa Minerals an aggregate of $550,000; and 3) issuing an aggregate of 2,500,000 shares to Casa. Exploration tax credits on the Keaper Property will be shared by the parties."This agreement is entirely non-dilutive for Casa shareholders," said Casa President and CEO Farshad Shirvani. "It allows us to be carried in an aggressive exploration program on Keaper, furthering the successful work of the past several years. We are especially excited about following up on the recent surveys that returned high values for silver, zinc and copper. With a drill permit in place from late 2018, we look forward to an active season at Keaper." The Keaper property is a highly prospective polymetallic project with rock and soil geochemical sample survey as high as 3.93 g/t Gold, 1,512 g/t Silver, 9.90 % Copper* and 13.9 % Zinc. (*value not previously reported). The 2018 field program confirmed and extended the property's "Nelson" prospect and identified a new "Lucky Crew" prospect area. The various mineralized prospects have been partially defined in an area that extends about 3.2 kilometers northwest-southeast.The Keaper prospect area was first recognized in 2008 by provincial survey geoscientists. Casa has held claims on parts of the area since 2008 and recently added two claims for a total area of 3,602 hectares."There are numerous strong targets at Keaper," said Shirvani. "The focus for 2019 will be refining the drill targets with the results of an airborne survey that is scheduled to be flown this winter. Following that we are encouraging our new partner to do further exploration such as drilling." The Optionee will acquire a 60% interest on Keaper upon:(a) the Optionee paying an aggregate of $550,000 to Casa, as follows:$15,000.00 on execution of this Agreement (paid);$30,000.00 on or before the first anniversary of the date of this Agreement;$75,000.00 on or before the second anniversary of the date of this Agreement;$150,000.00 on or before the third anniversary of the date of this Agreement; and$280,000.00 on or before the fourth anniversary of the date of this Agreement.(b) the Optionee issuing an aggregate 2,500,000 Shares to Casa as follows:400,000 Shares on execution of this Agreement (issued);600,000 Shares on or before the first anniversary of the date of this Agreement;500,000 Shares on or before the second anniversary of the date of this Agreement;500,000 Shares on or before the third anniversary of the date of this Agreement; and500,000 Shares on or before the fourth anniversary of the date of this Agreement.(c) the Optionee incurring aggregate Exploration Expenditures of $4,000,000 on the Property as follows:$150,000 of Exploration Expenditures on or before the first anniversary of this Agreement;an additional $350,000 of Exploration Expenditures on or before the second anniversary of this Agreement;an additional $1,000,000 of Exploration Expenditures on or before the third anniversary of this Agreement;an additional $1,000,000 of Exploration Expenditures on or before the fourth anniversary of this Agreement;an additional $1,500,000 of Exploration Expenditures on or before the fifth anniversary of this Agreement.Casa will also retain a 1.5% Net Smelter Royalty upon commencement of Commercial Production, of which 0.5% of the Net Smelter Royalty may be purchased for $500,000.The transaction is subject to acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.Qualified Person:Erik Ostensoe P.Geo., a Director of the Company, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure in this news release.About Casa MineralsCasa Minerals is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties located in Canada. The Company holds a 100% interest in the polymetallic Pitman and Keaper properties and an option to acquire a 75% interest in the Arsenault VMS copper-gold-molybdenum property. Pitman, the company's flagship property, and Keaper are located near Terrace, British Columbia. The Arsenault property is located approximately 130 kilometers east-northeast of Atlin in northern British Columbia.On Behalf of Board of Directors:Farshad Shirvani, M.Sc. GeologyPresident and CEOFor more information, please contact:Casa Minerals Inc.Farshad Shirvani, President & CEO Phone: (604) 689-9523Email: contact@ casaminerals.com Forward-Looking StatementsInformation set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.SOURCE: Casa Minerals Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 20:13:58 Press Information Research N Reports 10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin 77064, Sunny Denis Sales Manager +1 888-631-6977 email https://www.researchnreports.com # 482 Words 10916, Gold Point Dr,Houston, TX, Pin 77064,Sales Manager+1 888-631-6977 Research N Reports has added a new market aptitude report to extensive market research. The report is titled Global Business Intelligence Market Research Report, which focuses on explaining key market outlooks and outlines. It also provides an overview of the global market, including listing, description and executions. It also transforms growth strategies along with cost structure and production processes.Key companies profiled in this reports:Microsoft Corporation (U.S.), IBM Corporation (U.S.), Information Builders (U.S.), TIBCO Software (U.S.), SAP SE (Germany), Oracle Corporation (U.S.), Tableau Software (U.S.), SAS Institute (U.S.), Qlik Technologies (U.S.), MicroStrategy (U.S.), Pentaho (U.S.), Yellowfin International (Australia), Sisense (U.S.), and Panorama (Canada)Get Sample Copy of Report: https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=72907 It will study the forecast period of the market in 2025, which will help to increase customers at the domestic as well as global level. Research reports are divided into various categories based on attributes such as consumption, growth rate and market share. In addition, it uses an effective analytical methodology focused on all phases of the business. SWOT analysis is used to identify strengths and weaknesses.Several factors have been considered to provide a comprehensive understanding of the market. Cost analysis of the global business intelligence market has been achieved by considering manufacturing costs, labor costs, raw materials and market concentration, suppliers and price trends. Buyers of the report can equally be earned on inspections that align their markets with components such as audience, brand strategy, and value methodology.Get Discount on this Report: https://www.researchnreports.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=72907 This report tracks key players working in the marketplace by understanding the latest ratings in the business intelligence marketplace. The latest improvements in the industry have been incorporated into the report by forecasting future market prospects. It also mentions the various marketing channels that are approaching the world market.The report also presents a competitive landscape. Regarding the manifestation of a large number of players, the current market has been immensely settled in the last few years. New market participants are considering alliances with niche players for modified application capabilities and ongoing inventions.The next part of the study will include income analysis, production, value and growth in the business intelligence marketplace. In addition, major mergers and procurement and expansion have been discussed, along with other extensions that have changed the face of the market. The final part of the report provides a summary of the emerging manufacturers operating in the marketplace and is evaluated in terms of technology and product type. The Business Intelligence Market Research Report consists of an in-depth assessment of the appropriate prospects for the global market. In addition, the overall market marketing approach provides an understanding of the performance over the next few years.For More Queries: https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=72907 PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 13:10:38 The global demand for bronchoscopes is projected to grow at a moderate annual rate till 2019, showcasing a 1.5x surge during 2018-2028. With a year-on-year growth rate of 4.3 percent in 2o19, the global bronchoscopes market is estimated to reach a valuation of US$ 441.4 Mn during the same period, as indicated in a recent report by Future Market Insights (FMI) on global bronchoscopes market. Increasing prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases including multiple respiratory and airway diseases, growing number of endoscopic surgeries, and early detection and diagnoses of critical conditions such as bronchopulmonary hemorrhage and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) are some key factors projected to further impact the sales of bronchoscopes in the coming years.Apart from the factors mentioned, technological advancements in the bronchoscopes landscapewitnessing a transformation shift from conventional invasive procedures to minimally invasive and advanced devicesis a critical factor determining the global demand for bronchoscopes, further amplifying its potential applications. White-light bronchoscopy, Navigational bronchoscopy, and Autofluorescence (blue-light) bronchoscopy among others are some notable advancements and development, driving the global demand for bronchoscopes. Moreover, thin bronchoscopes with minimally invasive features are also gaining prominence. Manufacturers of bronchoscopes have built upon original bronchoscopes by making advancements, in terms of applicability and product versatility, explains a senior analyst of the company.Request to View Sample of Research Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-7965 Top Four Manufacturers Contribute the Largest Global RevenueConsidering the growing rate of technological advancements key manufacturers of broncoscopes, are making significant investments in the research and development initiatives to further increase the product efficiency. The global broncoscopes market showcases a highly competitive landscape characterized by relatively high barriers to entry, differentiated and well established products, and notable high profit margins. Tier-1 manufacturers of bronchoscopes, including Olympus Corporation, FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Teleflex Incorporated, and HOYA Corporation, collectively hold a market share of approximately 62.5 percentwith Olympus Corporation contributing the largest revenue slice. Tier-2 players such as KARL STORZ GmbH & Co KG, Ambu A/S, and Richard Wolf GmbH and tier-3 players including Rochling Group and Shanghai AoHua Photoelectricity Endoscope Co., Ltd, collectively contribute approximately 37.5 percent revenue share to the global bronchoscopes market. Key forward market strategies include:With continued improvements in the global healthcare setting, key players seek acquisition opportunities as a key growth strategy. Olympus Corporation, Fujifilm Holdings Corporation, Teleflex Incorporated, and HOYA Corporation are likely to focus on mergers, acquisitions, and collaborations strategies, in the coming years. HOYA Corporation, for instance, acquired C2 Therapeutics, to expand its interventional endoscopy offerings in the U.S. and also provide aftersales and repair services.Besides strategic tie-ups, new product launches will continue to be the key differentiation strategy, helping manufacturers to further solidify their market position. For instance, Olympus Corporation launched Truresolution objectives for multiphoton laser scanning microscopes. Teleflex Incorporated launched LMA Gastro Airway, facilitating airway control during endoscopic procedures.Leading manufacturers of bronchoscopes are also focusing on geographical expansions, specifically in emerging nations, by acquiring local players in the endoscopy market.Key Insights Drawn from Segmentation Analysis of the Bronchoscopes MarketOn the basis of product type, video bronchoscopes are estimated to witness maximum traction. Holding an unrivaled market share of approximately 86.6 percent, video bronchoscopes sales is projected to generate nearly US$ 381.7 Mn in 2019. Utilizing the charge-coupled device (CCD) technology, video bronchoscopes can reach theIn terms of modality, flexible fiber bronchoscopes are indicated to hold a market share of nearly 93.7 percent. Single use flexible bronchoscopes will gain maximum traction, as per the report. Stringency in regulations coupled with elimination of cross-contamination risk are some key dynamics driving the demand for single use flexible bronchoscopes.Asia Pacific is estimated to remain a high-revenue churning pocket, in the global bronchoscopes market. Improved access to healthcare services and rise in demand for quality healthcare, in addition to parallel need for improved user friendly products is expected to drive the sales of bronchoscopes in APAC. Moreover, focused regional expansion strategies implemented by key manufacturers of bronchoscopes, would bring further opportunities.Request Report for Table of Contents @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-7965 Critical Market Restrainers IdentifiedRisks of cross-contamination and post bronchoscopy infection in the form of bleeding, troubled breathing, and low blood oxygen level. FMI study indicates high infection rate at ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), compared to clinics and hospitals.Growing demand for non-invasive procedures including liquid biopsy and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.Stringency in regulations demanding a pre-market approval (PMA).Get complete report with Comprehensive table of contents @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/bronchoscopes-market PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 13:05:22 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Web: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com Abhishek Bhudholiya Manager +1-347-918-3531 email https://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 700 Words 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comManager+1-347-918-3531 Biologic Response Modifiers are the substances that modulate the immune response by either increasing or decreasing the immunogenic effect. These are used in immunotherapy or biological therapy for enhancing the activity of immune system to fight infection and disease. These substances are naturally produced in small amounts in the body but some of them such as interleukins, monoclonal antibodies, inetrferons and colony stimulating factors are now being manufactured in large units by the pharmaceutical industries. Depending on the disease type, synthetic Biologic Response Modifiers mimics the natural cytokines or inhibitors against a receptor and thus been used in the treatment to restore, boost or dampen the host immune response. Various research studies has increased the knowledge regarding the biological agents and the effective targets are being identified.Increasing prevalence of cancer and autoimmune diseases worldwide and upsurge in the success rates of immunotherapy treatment is going to increase the demand of Biologic Response Modifiers. Recently in 2015, a Biologic Response Modifiers Taltz (ixekizumab) is launched by Eli Lilly in Europe which made $261m in 2015.Biologic Response Modifiers Market: Drivers & RestraintsBiologic Response Modifiers Market is likely to proliferate in the future as per current trends of increase in the number of cancer patients and autoimmune disorder cases across the globe. Immunotherapy is considered an effective treatment for patients with different types of cancer that are resistant to chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Some of the side effects such as increased risk of certain serious and opportunistic infections for patients receiving these Biologic Response Modifiers therapeutic agents, especially the risks of TB and viral infections restraints their market to grow. Some regulatory issues related to the manufacturing and export also limits the market to expand worldwide. High costs of biologics restricts its availability to all the section of population. Rituxan is one of the FDA approved Biologic Response Modifier drug having an average monthly cash price of more than $5000.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3421 Point-of-Care Genetic Testing Market: SegmentationSegmentation by Product TypeInterleukinsInterferonsColony stimulating factorsTyrosine kinase inhibitorsTNF-Angiogenic InhibitorsMonoclonal antibodiesTumor VaccinesSegmentation by Treatment TypeCancerAutoimmune DiseasesSegmentation by Distribution ChannelsHospital PharmaciesRetail PharmaciesMail Order PharmaciesBiologic Response Modifiers Market: OverviewBiologic Response Modifiers have become an important component for the effective management of patients with a variety of autoimmune/inflammatory conditions and cancer. It reduces the side-effects of various cancer treatments, which is favored by patients. Market for Biologic Response Modifiers has increased since the last decade with dozens of drugs been approved by FDA and several research studies in this area. Not only was biologic utilization growing, but the drug prices were also rising fast with a trend of more than 45%. Hefty prices and the increasing demand generated huge revenues for biopharmaceutical companies. The last decade has witnessed the development of various Biologic Response Modifiers, such as mABs, IFNs, TNF, ILs, CSFs, and antitumor vaccines but still there are many more opportunities to be explored. Increase in the clinical trials also expect more drugs in pipeline and thus the market will proliferate.Biologic Response Modifiers Market: Region-wise OutlookGeographically, North America dominates the market, followed by Western Europe and Asia Pacific. Presence of large number of biological drug and vaccine manufacturers, high per capita income, affordable treatment facility and good reimbursement scenario for life-threatening diseases proliferates the growth in North America and Western Europe segment. NIH estimates up to 23.5 million Americans have an Auto Immune Disease and cancer affects up to 9 million Americans. Western Europe is the second largest market from both the demand side and supply side scenario. Asia pacific is expected to grow at a highest rate due to increasing prevalence of cancer patient, improvement in the healthcare facilities, more establishment of pharmaceutical companies and growing number of insurance coverage. In Asia-Pacific, China has marketed the presence of large number of patients with autoimmune disorder.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3421 Biologic Response Modifiers Market: Key PlayersSome of the global key players in the market includes AbbVie Inc., Swedish Orphan Biovitrum, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, Janssen Inc., Roche Holding AG, Merck & Co., Eli Lilly &Co., Biogen and many others. Research Report Insights PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-28 15:19:09 Press Information Research Report Insights Research Report Insights 42 joseph street, Portcarling P0B 1J0, Muskoka, Ontario T: +1-631-721-4201 Vikas Bahurupi Manager 6317214201 email https://www.researchreportinsights.com # 438 Words Research Report Insights42 joseph street,Portcarling P0B 1J0,Muskoka, OntarioT: +1-631-721-4201Manager6317214201 BOPP products can be segmented on basis of their applications into electronics, food packaging, insulation, cosmetics, lamination and printing. Applications for these finely metalized films are numerous; including heat-sealant insulation and element-resistant food packaging for meat, chips, biscuits and other food products.Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films are thermoplastic polymers that find extensive applications in the packaging industry. Polypropylene (PP) is one of the key polymers used in the manufacture of BOPP films and is a derivative of petroleum. One of the primary factors propelling the growth prospects for this market is the rising demand for packaged food in the last few years. Most consumers have become increasingly conscious about the way food products are packaged, and are, therefore, looking for improved and cost-effective methods for food preservation.Request For Report Sample with Table of Contents@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upsample/120124834/BOPP-Films-for-Packaging-Market The geographical region includes in the BOPP Films for Packaging market reports are: North America, United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Russia, Central & South America, Brazil, Rest of Central & South America, Middle East & Africa, GCC Countries, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa.As consumers are continuously changing their purchasing and eating behavior and to store food for months in and even out of the refrigerator are the major factors which are rising the demand of high barrier BOPP film market. These films provide the conditions for a high-barrier layer against gas, moisture, and aromas and the advantage to keep food products fresh for a longer period.High barrier BOPP films are also used for delicate products that require an extended shelf life thereby boosting up the demnad for high barrier bOPP film market. As countries such as Vietnam are foreseeing a change in the consumer perceptions regarding food consumption,Request For Report Discount@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/updiscount/120124834/BOPP-Films-for-Packaging-Market a noteworthy number of consumers stress on nutritious food along with suitable packaging solutions that improve the shelf life of the packaged food products. Growing consumer awareness regarding packaging, coupled with a shift in the preference for flexible packaging solutions is anticipated to catapult the development of the global BOPP films for packaging market. BOPP films have even lower density than Polypropylene. The low density leads to higher yield than films of other plastics.Major companies operating in the global BOPP market include Cosmo Films Ltd., Polyplex Corporation Ltd., Manucor S.p.A., Innovia Films Limited, LC Packaging International BV, National Industrialization Company, and Jindal Poly Films Limited., among several othersReport Analysis@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upcomming/120124834/BOPP-Films-for-Packaging-Market Jim Geraghty declares Van Jones the unlikely hero of the Koch Network Winter Meetings. Hero, yes. Unlikely, not so much. The Koch machine is trending left. Thats been clear for some time. According to Geraghty, who attended the meetings, its next big ticket item, now that leniency for federal felons legislation has been enacted, is an amnesty deal, including a path to citizenship for dreamers. Geraghty notes that this will put the Koch network on the same side as many Democratic lawmakers who have decried their allegedly sinister influence for many years. Yes it will, and not for the first time. All those years of decrying the Koch Brothers seem to have paid off. They now seek a rapprochement with the left, on the lefts terms. Its clear what the Koch machine has done for Van Jones. It pushed through leniency legislation that conservatives have blocked in the past. But what has Jones done for the Koch machine, other than giving its leaders warm fuzzy feelings about bipartisanship and reconciliation? Is Jones supporting any initiative that conservatives and/or the Koch machine have traditionally backed but that liberals balk at? I dont think so. Geraghty reports that attendees of the [Koch] conference got to see a. . .video that featured an eyebrow-raising comment from Jones that he found himself on the other side of a lot of his usual allies like the NAACP, the ACLU, and the Congressional Black Caucus, who initially contended the [Firsts Step] bill didnt go far enough. (Emphasis added) Jones and Koch conned the attendees. In reality, the Koch machine doesnt think First Step goes far enough and neither, of course, does Jones. Koch has backed legislation that, unlike First Step, would make shorter sentences for federal drug felons retroactive, enabling already convicted drug dealers to benefit from them, not just dealers convicted in the future. It also backed a version of First Step that would have enabled fentanyl dealers to leave prison early, among other goodies for criminals that later were omitted. There is no real distance here between Koch, Jones, and Jones usual allies. Koch and Jones simply made a tactical decision to push for less than the full jailbreak package in order to win Republican support, including the presidents. Jones usual allies eventually saw the wisdom in this and fell into line, as the quotation above from Geraghty shows. To be clear, Im not saying that Jones is conning the Koch machine. Im saying that Jones and the Koch machine are conning conservatives. Maria Bartiromo interviewed former House Intelligence Committee Chairman and current Ranking Member Devin Nunes on her FOX News Sunday Morning Futures show yesterday. I have posted the 16-minute video clip of Rep. Nuness appearance below. Mocked and reviled by the Democrats and their media adjunct, Nunes is the voice of truth on the Mueller Switch Project and related issues. What did he have to say yesterday? Bartiromo asked Nunes to comment on the indictment of Roger Stone by Team Mueller. Five of the seven charges lodged against Stone derive from his testimony to the House Intelligence Committee in the course of the investigation that Nunes ran. On Friday Byron York took a first look at the Stone indictment here. Yesterday he took a second look here. Nunes responded to Bartiromo: I think the Mueller investigation is really at the bottom of the barrel when theyre looking at people like this because we already found in our report that Roger Stone wasnt colluding with the Russians, which that was the original intent of all this, remember? He continued: Supposedly Trump campaign operatives, so-called, were colluding with Russians. They must be embarrassed that they actually have to come to House Republicans in order to have us give them the information, the transcripts so that they go and get Roger Stone on a process foul that occurred in 2017 that Roger Stone himself is going to fight. Nunes went on to discuss the Department of Justices abuse of the FISA process, the members of the Mueller team, the continuing mystery of the scope of Muellers investigation and the apparent collusion of the Clinton campaign with the friends of Vladimir Putin. I hereby certify that the two segments with Nunes warrant your time. Quotable quote (1): I am happy that now [the Department of Justice] is going to take seriously lying to Congress theyre going to go after Roger Stone for lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional investigation. They need to start with themselves. They need to start with the former leadership of the Department of Justice and the FBI. Quotable quote (2): We dont even know what Muellers doing. We havent seen the scope memo. We dont know what hes supposed to be up to. I think its possible that the Steele Dossier the Clinton dirt is whats in that scope memo that they refuse to make public NOTE: I relied on Daniel Chaitins Washington Examiner article for the quotes in paragraphs 4 and 5 above. With a fractured polar vortex, we dont hold out much hope for any good news from any groundhog around here. But Chuckles will give it a go on Feb. 2 around 6:45 a.m. at the Lutz Childrens Museum in Manchester. The museum opens at 6 a.m. Coffee and breakfast foods will be served from 6 to 9 a.m., when admission is free, but you can see Chuckles all day until 5 p.m. The Childrens Museum in West Hartford has high hopes for Cider, who will make her prediction between 9 and 11 a.m. Breakfast also served. Regular admission applies. lutzmuseum.org and thechildrensmuseumct.org Regarding Kamala Harriss presidential prospects, a few observations on why conservatives should fear her more than other candidates in the Dem field. First, I want to add a little bit to Pauls post about Harris and Willie Brown from earlier today. Paul understates Browns full political stature by describing him as a kingmaker in Bay Area politics. Brown in his heyday as Assembly Speaker was simply the smartest politician in America, and he dominated politics in the entire state. He ran circles around Republicans repeatedly. (He also attacked me in a press conference once, for the small role I played in blocking a big pay raise for legislators. But thats a story for another day. . .) Did you know that the whole national movement for term limits grew out of the effort to oust Willie Brown? Unable to defeat Brown and Democrats at the polls (partly due to the egregious Democratic gerrymandering of California in the 1980s that made it nearly impossible for the GOP to win a majority in the legislaturethis was before gerrymandering became an offense against democracy for the left), the California GOP hit upon proposing term limits as the only means to get rid of Willie. Any collateral damage was worth it. Now heres where Willies candor expressed itself. He was brazen in shaking down the business community in California for large campaign contributions, with a mix of threats and blandishments. Give me money and youll get something; dont give me money and Ill let the left punish you. Everyone knew Willie would punish them too, but he could be bought off with some protection money. He was amazingly direct about this. One day he was down in Orange County shaking down the Republican business community the year term limits were on the ballot, and someone present related to me that Brown thundered about how undemocratic and unsound term limits are. But then he paused and gave his most direct reason: Besides, if it passes, Im going to lose my fuckin job! Which brings me to the totally unsurprising (to me) article over the weekend where he candidly admits, of course I slept with Kamala Harris. I think this is a simple case of putting a potential controversy behind you by getting it out early. Just watch: in addition to deterring others in the Dem field (or the media) from making an issue of this, if it does come up, like the old days with the Clintons, it will be dismissed as old news. P.S. Back when Willie Brown was mayor of San Francisco and Jerry Brown was mayor of Oakland, I liked to say that the Bay Area suffered a full-scale Brown-out. But believe it or not, they were sane compared to the mayors and councils that run SF and Oakland today. One other thing about Willie: in a city that was one of the first to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, that law didnt apply to him. He lit up a cigar anywhere and anytime he pleased. I kind of liked that about Willie. The erratic Andrew Sullivan has a pretty good piece up at New York magazine about the Covington boys school affair on the Washington mall, and correctly notes that the mainstream media totally lets the Black Hebrew Israelites off the hook. Even the egregious Southern Poverty Law Center identifies the Black Hebrew Israelites as a hate group, but, as Sullivan notes: And yet the elite media seemed eager to downplay their role, referring to them only in passing, noting briefly that they were known to be anti-Semitic and anti-gay. After several days, the New York Times ran a news analysis on the group by John Eligon that reads like a press release from the sect: They shout, use blunt and sometimes offensive language, and gamely engage in arguments aimed at drawing listeners near. He notes that they group people based on what they call nations, believing that there are 12 tribes among Gods chosen people. White people are not among those tribes, they believe, and will therefore be servants when Christ returns to Earth. Nothing to see here, folks. Just a bunch of people preaching the enslavement of another race in public on speakers in the most inflammatory language imaginable. . . The Washington Post ran a Style section headline about the calculated art of making people uncomfortable. In a news story entirely about the Black Israelites, the Washington Post did not quote a single thing they had said on the tape, gave a respectful account of their theology, and only mentioned their status as a hate group in the 24th paragraph, and put the term in scare quotes. Vox managed to write an explainer that also did not include a single example of any of the actual insults hurled at the Covington kids. Countless near-treatises were written parsing the layers of bigotry inside a silent schoolboys smirk. This is why more and more Americans dont just distrust the mainstream mediathey are coming to loathe and despise them, and deservedly so. Sullivan is more mild in his language, but essentially agrees: Theres a reason why, in the crucial battle for the legitimacy of a free press, Trump is still on the offensive. Our mainstream press has been poisoned by tribalism. My own trust in it is eroding. Im far from the only one. . . What was so depressing to me about the Covington incident was how so many liberals felt comfortable taking a random teenager and, purely because of his race and gender, projected onto him all their resentments and hatred of white men in general. David Bernstein of Scalia Law School at George Mason took note of a comment on Sullivans article that had been posted to another site: NOW Ive simplified the situation for myself. I dont know who was truly the aggressor/bad guy in this situation (outside the black KKK shitheads) BUT I DO KNOW THIS: These were wealthy, privileged, white teenagers in MAGA hats marching against abortion. That is plenty of reason to want to skullfuck all of them until there is nothing left but giblets and red jelly. I dont hate them for smirking and (peacefully!) protesting against people they disagree with, and I dont hate them for they did necessarily, I hate them for what they are and what they represent. Fuck these kids for their politics, fuck them for their Catholicism and their kkkuntserveatism and their hateful hats. You shouldnt need a video of some shitheel with a punchable face to know that. Also, lulz at Andrew Sullivan for complaining about anti-Catholicism like thats a bad thing. But remember everybody, its conservatives who are hate-filled bigots who judge people because of the color of their skin. Since living well is the best revenge, it is worth celebrating this parody Gillette ad based on the fiasco: And in the living well is the best revenge department, may I recommend something for your tasting list: Actually I havent tasted it yet myself, but it gets a 95 rating from the Wine Spectator, so this looks like an obvious Cellar Selection for the Power Line Wine Club. Ive ordered a half-case. Willie Brown, the longtime kingpin of San Francisco politics [UPDATE: make that California politics], thinks that part of the answer may be the political favors he did for Harris when they were having an affair and thereafter. Writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, the ex-San Francisco mayor states: Ive been peppered with calls from the national media about my relationship with Kamala Harris, particularly since it became obvious that she was going to run for president. Most of them, I have not returned. Yes, we dated. It was more than 20 years ago. Yes, I may have influenced her career by appointing her to two state commissions when I was Assembly speaker. And I certainly helped with [Harriss] first race for district attorney in San Francisco. I have also helped the careers of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and a host of other politicians. More than 20 years ago, when Brown and Harris dated, Brown was in his very early 60s. Harris was in her very early 30s. Brown was married, Harris was not. When the relationship began, Brown was Speaker of the California Assembly. While the relationship was ongoing, he was elected Mayor of San Francisco. (In the picture on the home page that accompanies this post, thats Harris placing the da mayor hat on Brown at his victory rally). Reportedly, the two broke up shortly after that. Brown placed his mistress on the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and the California Medical Assistance Commission. These part-time posts reportedly supplemented her prosecutors salary with nearly $100,000 in extra annual pay. They also helped her build her resume. In addition, Brown undoubtedly gave Harris access to important political players. To top it all off, he gave her a 1994 BMW. What to make of this? Harris having an affair with a married man wont shock many consciences these days. Harris benefiting from her relationship with a powerful man probably wont either. Hillary Clinton benefited far more from her relationship with Bill Clinton (to be fair, though, thats a marriage not an affair). Would Harris eventually have clawed her way to national prominence without the favors Brown did for her during the period in which they were lovers? One would have to know considerably more about her career and about California politics than I do to form a sound opinion about this. What Harris case illustrates is that women often benefit from relationships with older, powerful men like Willie Brown. Nothing could be more obvious. Yet in the #MeToo era its worth pointing this out. In an alternative universe, Brown might not have endorsed Harris in her first race for district attorney. Harris might have been disappointed that her two California commission posts didnt yield more in the way of political opportunities. In this scenario, Harris might have cast herself as Browns victim an attractive young woman lured into a sexual relationship with an older, not particularly attractive but powerful man by the promise of benefits not conferred. Thats the stuff of #MeToo victimhood. Harris paid her money and she took her chances. She came out a winner. Others who pay the same money come out losers. Its called life. I dont think Democratic primary voters and caucus goers will hold Harris affair with Brown against her. And if Harris is the Democrats nominee, she wont lose the morality sweepstakes to Donald Trump. However, there will be folks, including me, who think the Brown-Harris affair provides insight into Harris character. Rev. Daniel Nicewonger, pastor of First Baptist Church of Kennett Square, holds up a copy of his book inside his church. Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@postregister.com for help creating one. To be considered for an award, authors and illustrators must currently reside in Connecticut and have lived in the state at least three consecutive years or have been born in the state. Or, the work may be substantially set in Connecticut. Titles must have been published for the first time in 2018 or have a copyright within 2018 and must have a valid ISBN. Reprints of books published in another year or eBooks cannot be submitted. (CNN) The United States and Taliban representatives have said that there has been progress following six days of Afghan peace negotiations in Doha. The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilizad said Saturday that talks with the Taliban had been "more productive than they have been in the past," and that "significant progress on vital issues" had been made. In a series of messages posted to Twitter, Khalilzad also said he would be flying to Afghanistan for consultations with the government and to "build on the momentum and resume talks shortly." Khalilzad cautioned that there were still a "number of issues left to work out." "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and 'everything' must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire," Khalilzad said. US officials and Taliban negotiators were in Qatar's capital to broker a ceasefire that would lead to a sequenced agreement for dialogue, initially between the US and the Taliban and then between the Taliban and the Afghan government, a source with knowledge of the talks told CNN. "If the ceasefire is announced this will trigger a sequence of talks that will have already been agreed by heads of both sides," the source said. The source added that there is a lot at stake for Khalilizad in these talks, not least to get President Donald Trump to sign on to whatever he has been able to get from the Taliban. One concern, the source said, is that if the US pulls out troops without a deal with the Taliban, the Afghan government would fall, which could potentially see al Qaeda returning to the capital. The Taliban are currently sheltering a number of al Qaeda sleeper cells, according to the source. On Saturday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Doha talks "saw progress" on vital issues but that "until the issue of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is agreed upon, progress in other issues is impossible." The Taliban spokesman also said there wasn't a ceasefire agreement in place yet. "Reports by some media outlets about agreement on a ceasefire and talks with the Kabul administration are not true," Mujahid said in a statement. Both parties thanked the Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani for his role in facilitating the talks. Writing on Twitter, Al-Thani called the six-day meeting a "significant step in the history of peace and reconciliation" on Twitter and called on regional and international players to "unify and coordinate efforts and support#Doha in its endeavor to facilitate successful negotiations." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the news "encouraging," writing on Twitter that the US is "serious about pursuing peace, preventing #Afghanistan from continuing to be a space for international terrorism & bringing forces home." Last month, the US military was ordered to begin planning to withdraw about half of its troops in Afghanistan, according to a US defense official with direct knowledge of the matter. The US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of which are present as part of a larger NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. The conflict, known as America's longest war, has cost more than 2,400 American lives, billions of US dollars and has spanned three US administrations. While casualty figures for Afghan military and police have been classified since 2017, at least 62,000 Afghan military and police lives have been lost, according to the New York Times. The number of civilians mostly women and children killed or injured by airstrikes in Afghanistan has risen a startling 39% year on year, according to UN figures released last October. And in the past three years, the Taliban have strengthened their grip according to the most recent report released by the US government's own ombudsman of the war. In its quarterly report for the US Congress, the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said that the Afghan government currently controls or influences only 55.5% of the country's districts, marking the lowest level recorded since SIGAR began tracking district control in November 2015. In November 2015, the Afghan government controlled 72% of districts in the country, but now controls just 56% of them. Insurgent influence or control has risen to 12.5% of districts from just 7% and approximately a third of Afghanistan is a "contested" area. This story was first published on CNN.com. "US-Taliban peace talks in Doha a 'significant step'." Lt. Col. Esther Aguigui has been nominated to be the new adjutant general of the Guam National Guard, the governor's office announced Monday. Her nomination will be formally submitted for confirmation to the Legislature. "We have the utmost trust and confidence that she is the best soldier to lead the Guam National Guard into its next chapter. With three decades of service to the nation and territory, she is the model soldier who has greatly represented our Guam National Guard through her exemplary work," said Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, who is the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard. The governor added, "We thank Gen. Roderick Leon Guerrero for his service and sacrifice in the defense of our island and our nation." In June 2017, Aguigui made history as the first woman in the Guam Army National Guard to graduate from the U.S. Army War College. The 10-month program is designed to better prepare senior military and civilian leaders to service joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational security programs. Background Aguigui started as an enlisted member in the Air Force Reserve before transferring to the Guam Air National Guard, where she was the first female sergeant in the organization. Her military service includes deployments to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, to Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, in support of the U.S. military and the Philippine military's Balikatan 2011 Exercise and to Louisiana to assist with Hurricane Katrina. During her career she has received a Bronze Star, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Army Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service (Expeditionary) Medal. The Archdiocese of Agana joins the Catholic Church in the Philippines and worldwide in grieving for the victims of the church bombing Sunday in Mindanao. The twin bombings in the cathedral in Jolo, Sulu province, killed at least 20 people during a Sunday church service six days after a referendum on autonomy for the mainly Muslim region returned an overwhelming "yes" vote. "The loss of lives is immeasurable and the sorrow is deep," Guam Archbishop Michael Byrnes stated. 'Pray for our brothers and sisters' "I ask all Catholics on Guam to pray for our brothers and sisters who were killed, wounded and impacted by the horrific attack. Please pray as well for the protection of other Catholics and all people from further attacks in the region." The attack wounded more than 100 people and was one of the deadliest in recent years in a region long plagued by instability, Reuters reported. Local celebrity dancers who will take part in the eighth annual version of Dancing for the Arts had their first get-together Sunday night and got a look at their competitors. Now, its time to perfect their dance routines, get some votes and raise some cash. Thats the idea behind the annual friendly dance competition, which raises funds for the Greater Rochester Arts and Cultural Trust, as well as for local youth arts groups. This years event is April 13 at Mayo Civic Center. The 2018 event raised $127,000, with $32,500 of that total awarded to organizations offering art programs to young people. This years celebrity dancers: Lori Carrell, chancellor of the University of Minnesota Rochester Don Charlson, financial advisor, Edward Jones Chris Fierst, owner of the Half Barrel Bar and Bar Buffalo Mike Jensen, president, Gauthier Industries Jay Jewson, broker/owner, Weichert Realtors-Jewson Properties of Rochester and Wabasha Erik Kerska, Rochester fire chief Nick McLaughlin, entrepeneur, founder of Stationary Astronaut Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara, host and associate producer of R-Town Mark Pagnano, M.D., surgeon and chair of the Department of Orthopedics, Mayo Clinic Stacey Rizza, M.D., Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, and president-elect, Mayo Clinic staff They will be paired with professional dancers Gary Dahl, April Dahl, Mike Anderson, Daniel Robb, Joanie Mix-Lande, April Robb, Summer Laqua, Hannah Krystosek, Nicole Anaya and Cassandra Narr. Celebrity judges are Lisa Clarke, from Destination Medical Center; Kevin Torgerson, Olmsted County sheriff; and Sharon Gentling, award-winning competitive ballroom dancer. Voting is available online before the event, as well as at the event. OneCause is used for electronic voting, or paper ballots can be downloaded from the website. The votes add up to dollars for the Arts and Cultural Trust. Tickets, including a plated dinner, are $125. Dessert-only tickets are $50. Tickets are available starting March 1 at rochartstrust.org, or in person at the Arts and Cultural Trust office in Suite 200 of Mayo Civic Center. Following the competition, attendees are invited to stay and dance. By the end of 2019, Minnesota may take steps to reduce youth smoking and curb the e-cigarette epidemic among teens. On Thursday, the Minnesota Senate announced a package of bills to help mitigate tobaccos addictive effects and health risks. Tobacco 21 is a bill that would raise the purchasing age of tobacco products to 21 in Minnesota. Two other bills would fund free quitting services after 2020 and curb the use of e-cigarettes in places where smoking is prohibited. Tobacco usage is still Minnesotas main cause of preventable death and disease, killing more than 6,300 residents each year. And last week, the Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey indicated that the states progress in reducing smoking had stalled. Minnesotas adult smoking rate is 13.8 percent, about 574,000 adult Minnesotans in total. In 2014, it was 14.4 percent. The four-year difference marks the smallest decrease since 1999. Fewer Minnesotans than ever before had made attempts to quit, and little of those successfully quit between 2014 and 2018. And e-cigarettes saw a sharp uptick in young populations and, disturbingly, those who had never smoked before. Youth e-cigarette use rises The MAT Survey found that while the rate of cigarette smoking fell among young adults (ages 18-24), e-cigarette use in that population nearly doubled between 2014 and 2018. Flavored e-cigarettes in particular attracted young adults. More than 96 percent of youth surveyed reported that their e-cigarettes are usually flavored. The study also found an increase in e-cigarette use among people with no history of smoking. "Teachers, parents, students and our schools all tell us that far too many young people are using JUUL and other highly addictive tobacco products. We cannot sit by and watch our kids develop a lifetime addiction," said Rep. Heather Edelson (DFL-Edina), a lead author on Tobacco 21, in a press release. "Raising the tobacco age to 21 will reduce youth smoking and save lives. In the face of a youth nicotine epidemic, Tobacco 21 is the right thing to do." Adolescent addiction On Thursday, Dr. Tyler Oesterle, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Mayo Clinic, spoke to the Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee about addiction during adolescence. Addiction spikes during the teen years, he told the Minnesota Senate. Human brains develop in stages. Emotion and motivation increase first, followed by full judgment and restraint. This means that during the teen years, people are likely to be attracted to high-excitement, impulsive behaviors and exposure to those behaviors also increases around that time. While the brain is developing, alcohol and drugs like tobacco and marijuana can affect the parts responsible for planning and rewards, increasing that effect, Oesterle said. Theres also a documented IQ drop in people who use marijuana and alcohol excessively at a young age. Sen. Carla Nelson, who helped champion the Tobacco 21 bill, said the majority of addicted smokers started before age 21. Thats true for many drugs, Oesterle said. Good data suggests that 90 percent of smokers start before age 18, he said, which is a good argument for raising the tobacco purchasing age. "If you dont smoke, if you wait until youre older, around age 21 perhaps, you have less chance of developing an addiction," Oesterle said. Looking forward Mike Sheldon of Clearway Minnesota said there were good points to the MAT Survey which indicated that smoking progress had stalled, as well. Sixty percent of adults surveyed classified themselves as never-smokers. "Weve made good progress, but whats coming to us is that progress has stalled a little bit," he said. Its a reminder that anti-smoking laws and legislation are working against a multi-billion-dollar industry "that aggressively promotes its product, plus a literal addiction," Sheldon said. Sheldon hopes additionally that Minnesota will keep free addiction services available, fight tobaccos media campaigns with anti-smoking ads, and consider raising the price of tobacco again. In 2013, Minnesotas price increase on tobacco products motivated many people to quit smoking, he said. But five years later, that effect has worn off. Clearway Minnesota supports raising the smoking age to 21. As Democratic presidential candidates descend on South Carolina ahead of the "First in the South" February 2020 primary, the hunt for influential supporters and staffers in the state has begun. Many of the state's top catches have already reported receiving a flurry of calls from candidates and their campaign teams in recent weeks, a trend that is expected to continue for months to come. In consultation with some of the party's most plugged-in officials, The Post and Courier compiled this list of some of the most potentially helpful Democrats in the Palmetto State people who could play a pivotal role, both in public and behind the scenes, in shaping the primary's outcome (in alphabetical order by category): Elected officials Steve Benjamin Columbias popular mayor took on a national role this year as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, but he already had significant influence in South Carolinas Midlands. Jim Clyburn The closest figure South Carolina Democrats have to a kingmaker, the Columbia congressman will undoubtedly be the most sought-after adviser in the state during the primary. In addition to his national profile as the third-ranking House Democrat and the highest-ranking African American in Congress Clyburn has an unparalleled network in South Carolina after serving as the 6th districts representative for 26 years. Gilda Cobb-Hunter The longest-serving black State House member at 27 years, Cobb-Hunter has sizable influence in the critical Orangeburg area. She also recently took on a broader role beyond South Carolina as president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. Joe Cunningham The Charleston-areas new congressman will be resolutely focused foremost on winning his own re-election in what is expected to be a hyper-competitive race. But he can also serve as a valuable guide, particularly in the Lowcountry. Chandra Dillard Though Dillard may draw fewer headlines than some of her Statehouse colleagues, Democrats often point to the Greenville lawmaker as a rising star in the party who can help candidates in blue urban Upstate precincts. Dick Harpootlian The loquacious former S.C. Democratic Party chairman won a state Senate seat last year. But even if he wasnt an elected official, Harpootlian would have inevitably found a way to insert himself into the primary process, as he has in many cycles past. Marlon Kimpson Elected to the state senate in 2013, Kimpson wasted no time making his mark as a progressive member of the deliberative body. He plans to reprise his moderator role from 2016 for South Carolinas Democratic presidential primary, hosting a series of town halls with the candidates in the Lowcountry. John King A state representative from Rock Hill, King is the past chairman of the S.C. Legislative Black Caucus. Hes already turned some heads in the early days of the 2020 race by dinging Kamala Harris for announcing her campaign on Martin Luther King Day, a day he considers sacred. Gerald Malloy The state senator from Hartsville holds powerful sway with a bloc of Democrats in his chamber and in the Pee Dee, and he flirted with the idea of running for governor in 2018. Russell Ott A state representative from St. Matthews, Ott knows more than most about how Democrats can succeed in the South Carolinas rural areas. He is also the son of former S.C. House Minority Leader Harry Ott, who is now the president of the states Farm Bureau and has deep knowledge of agricultural policy. Mandy Powers Norrell Norrells profile rose last year when Democratic gubernatorial nominee James Smith chose the Lancaster state representative as his running mate. Though that campaign resulted in a loss, Norrells local success in a conservative district positions her as one of the states few Democratic lawmakers with proven appeal to more moderate voters. Todd Rutherford The S.C. House minority leader, who has represented much of downtown Columbia for two decades, is one of the most energetic presences in the Statehouse and would bring a loud voice to the stump if he chooses to back a candidate. Vincent Sheheen The two-time former Democratic nominee for governor, Sheheen has continued in his role as a state senator from Camden. Having run in a couple of statewide campaigns himself, few elected officials in South Carolina know more about what it takes. Stephen Wukela Wukela won a third term as the mayor of Florence, the Pee Dees largest city, in 2016. His quadrennial oyster roast for midterm elections brings out many of the state's top candidates. One of Wukela's brothers, Michael, is a Democratic operative who used to work for Benjamin in Columbia. Operatives Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! Phil Chambers A former top adviser for Smiths gubernatorial campaign and the S.C. Democratic Party chief of staff, Chambers became the first Democratic operative in the state to sign up for a potential campaign, moving to Los Angeles to join Mayor Eric Garcettis political action committee. Kendall Corley The political director for Smith's 2018 gubernatorial campaign, Corley has had a hand in many South Carolina races, including for Barack Obama and Benjamin. Corleys specialization in African-American outreach gives him expertise in S.C.s most important primary voting bloc. Ashley Medbery Floyd After helping to build Archie Parnells strong fundraising apparatus, Floyd left the embattled candidates campaign and immediately improved Smiths gubernatorial operation. A former finance director for the S.C. Democratic Party, Floyd also worked on Barack Obamas 2008 campaign and state Sen. Vincent Sheheens 2010 gubernatorial bid. Stephen Groves A top advance staffer on Elizabeth Colbert-Buschs unsuccessful 2013 campaign in South Carolinas 1st Congressional District, Groves has since gone on to work for Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign and for U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala. Groves recently left Jones office, opening him up for new opportunities. Scott Harriford James Smiths body man and deputy political director during the 2018 governors race, Harriford has since taken a new job as a field representative for Cunningham in Charleston. Though hes less experienced than many of the other people on this list, Democratic operatives in the state view Harriford as a rising up-and-comer. Mariah Hill The winning campaign manager for Joe Cunningham in South Carolinas 1st Congressional District, Hill was also a field organizer for Martin OMalleys 2016 presidential campaign and a top aide for Jason Kanders U.S. senate campaign in Missouri. Scott Hogan Hogan came to South Carolina last year to lead James Smiths campaign for the final few months of the governors race. He has a wealth of national and statewide campaign experience, including for Obama in 2012 and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Tyler Jones After steering Democrat Joe Cunninghams improbable election upset in South Carolinas 1st Congressional District as his general consultant, Jones was widely viewed as one of the hottest commodities among Palmetto State Democratic operatives. He took an early leap by signing on as the state director for a group trying to draft Beto ORourke into the race. AJ Lenar A Greenville-based ad maker for national firm GMMB, Lenar recently worked on the TV spots for Cunningham's congressional campaign and has clients all over the country. Lachlan McIntosh One of South Carolinas most experienced Democratic consultants, McIntosh got his first taste of presidential politics back in 1992 on Iowa Sen. Tom Harkins campaign. In the decades since, McIntosh has helped candidates at a wide range of levels and also served as executive director of the S.C. Democratic Party. Clay Middleton The South Carolina state director for Hillary Clintons primary campaign in 2016, Middleton went on to become a regional political director in Florida for the general election. He also led the state Democratic partys candidate recruitment efforts for the 2018 midterms and has worked for several other S.C. politicians. Alyssa Miller Miller was the communications director for James Smiths gubernatorial campaign during the primary and went on to manage David Barias U.S. senate campaign in Mississippi. In addition to her work with several high-profile campaigns and state parties, she also led public affairs at two Planned Parenthood outposts. Antjuan Seawright A Democratic strategist with his own firm, Seawright regularly appears on Fox News as a Democratic sparring partner and recently became a contributor for Buzzfeed News. Christale Spain Formerly the executive director of the South Carolina Democratic Party, Spain recently took on a position in Clyburns office. She has presidential primary experience, having led political outreach in S.C. for Bernie Sanders in 2016, and she also leads the state partys black womens' caucus, a crucial demographic for any successful primary candidate. Jalisa Washington-Price Because most Democrats expected Washington-Price to be working at a national congressional level for the 2020 cycle, rather than a South Carolina presidential level, she was not initially included on this list. But Washington-Price decided to leave her relatively new job as chief of staff of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to become the S.C. state director for U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris' campaign a valuable pick-up given her experience as S.C. political director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. Allie Watters As finance director for Cunninghams congressional campaign, Watters helped the first-time candidate raise $2.3 million, the biggest one-cycle haul in the districts history. Notably, she did it while sticking to Cunninghams promise to refuse corporate PAC money, an increasingly popular policy for Democratic candidates. Party leaders Kate Franch Franch won a second term as Greenville County Democratic Party chairwoman last year. Though the Upstate remains a conservative stronghold, Greenville County has the third highest number of Democratic primary voters after Richland and Charleston. Carol and Don Fowler The one package deal on this list, both of the Fowlers led the South Carolina Democratic Party at various points and are longtime supporters of the Clintons. Jaime Harrison An Orangeburg native, Harrison worked for Clyburn for years before becoming the first African-American chairman of the S.C. Democratic Party. After then launching an unsuccessful bid for chairman of the Democratic National Committee, eventual winner Tom Perez appointed him as an associate chairman and counselor. Harrison has been actively exploring a possible run against U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in 2020. Matt Kisner In addition to his day job as a University of South Carolina philosophy professor, Kisner leads the Democratic Party in Richland County, which has the highest concentration of primary voters in the state. Lessie Price The only person on this list from Aiken, Price is the 1st vice chair of the S.C. Democratic Party and has served for decades on the city council, where she was the first woman elected at-large in 1987. Brady Quirk-Garvan After Cunninghams victory last year, the first by a Democrat in S.C.s 1st Congressional District since 1978, many Democrats pointed to Quirk-Garvans work building up the local party in recent years as a key factor. Trav Robertson Before becoming the South Carolina Democratic Party's current chairman, Robertson led campaigns in the Palmetto State and beyond for 20 years. Activists/Others Boyd Brown A former state lawmaker and Democratic National Committee member turned lobbyist, Brown recently took on a national role in the Draft Beto group. He served as state chairman for Martin OMalley in 2016. Amy Hayes A former York County Democratic Party chairwoman, Hayes has remained hyper-involved in local politics in the Rock Hill area and is the type of tireless activist who would be valuable to any campaign. Jim Hodges The last Democratic governor in South Carolina, Hodges has since become a lobbyist but remains active in party politics. He served as a national co-chair for Obamas 2008 campaign. Sam Johnson A former aide to Benjamin, Johnson now works with Loveday at NP Strategy and has advised several other candidates in the state. Amanda Loveday A former executive director for the S.C. Democratic Party and spokeswoman for Clyburn, Loveday joined the private sector in 2016 at high-powered public relations firm NP Strategy. She recently took on a role as one of Gov. Henry McMasters appointees to the S.C. Election Commission. Phil Noble Though Noble fell far short in the gubernatorial primary last year, the Charleston businessman has been a fixture on the fringes of Democratic politics in South Carolina for decades and has made plenty of connections along the way. Joe Riley The 40-year former mayor of Charleston, Riley continues to carry clout in Lowcountry Democratic politics and backed Cunningham last year. Bakari Sellers Before he earned a national reputation as a CNN political commentator, Sellers was the youngest state lawmaker in South Carolina history. His initially preferred candidate was former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, so he has become a free agent since Patrick decided not to run. James Smith As the most recent top-of-the-ticket statewide Democratic candidate in South Carolina and a Statehouse veteran, Smith has a large network to tap into for the candidate of his choosing. He is a close ally of former Vice President Joe Biden, who endorsed and campaigned for him in the governors race. If Biden opts not to run, he will be a coveted free agent. Marguerite Willis Even before launching an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2018, Willis was well known in S.C. Democratic circles as a top donor for other candidates. Though she fell far short of Smith, Willis performed particularly well in parts of the Pee Dee, where she lives, and the Upstate. Honorable mentions: State Reps. Justin Bamberg, Beth Bernstein, Jerry Govan and Leon Stavrinakis; state Sens. John Matthews, Mia McLeod and Nikki Setzler; Mayor John Tecklenburg; Operatives Phil Bailey, Duane Cooper, Pat Drupp, Phil Dudley, Mike McCauley, Jonathan Metcalfe, John Moffett, Nick Sottile, Brandon Upson, Jimmy Williams and Michael Wukela; Activists/Others Julie Edwards, Anton Gunn, Kaye Koonce, John Kraljevich and former Gov. Dick Riley. Going back to the 1980s, acts such as Fates Warning, Obsession and Liege Lord were able to snag record deals and literally tour the world. Fates Warning especially would cement itself as one of the most influential prog metal bands of all time. The 1990s and 2000s saw hardcore rise to prominence in the state as such bands as Hatebreed and Cable would become scene darlings, the former becoming one of the best-selling bands to ever emerge from Connecticuts borders. Hatebreed vocalist Jamey Jasta would even land a gig hosting MTVs Headbangers Ball redux in the mid-2000s. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. Isolated tornadoes possible. High 83F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Low around 75F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Advertising Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have introduced a bill that would make Robert Muellers report available to both Congress and the public. The Special Counsel Transparency Act requires Mueller to submit his report both to Congress and the public. Sen. Blumenthal said, The Special Counsel Transparency Act is about a simple, bipartisan principle: the publics right to know. Our legislation would guarantee that every Special Counsel does a report complete with findings and evidence and that it be directly disclosed to Congress and the American people. A report would be required whenever a Special Counsel finishes the investigation, is fired, or resigns; assuring that the results cannot be sealed or selectively censored. A Special Counsel is appointed only in very rare serious circumstances involving grave violations of public trust. The public has a right and need to know the facts of such betrayals of public trust. Our bipartisan bill makes it the default that the American people have access to the full story, putting in context any conclusions with findings and evidence. Sen. Grassley said, Congress and the American people have a right to know how their government conducts business and spends tax dollars. Special counsel investigations are no different. I was encouraged to hear attorney general nominee William Barr place a high priority on transparency when asked at his confirmation hearing about Special Counsel Muellers investigation, and theres no reason to think that Mueller wont be allowed to finish his work. This bipartisan legislation ensures that Congress and the American people have oversight of and insight into activities and findings of special counsel investigations under any administration, Grassley said. Advertising The Bill Requires Mueller To File A Report Even If Trump Fires Him The Special Counsel Transparency Act makes it impossible for Trump to hide the Mueller report. The bill requires the special counsel to file a report to Congress within two weeks of his removal, transfer, or resignation. The report must contain all of the factual findings and evidence that the investigation has acquired. In other words, Trump cant hide the report because the bill requires Mueller to file it with Congress within two weeks of the investigations end, and he cant get rid of the report by firing Mueller. This legislation is designed to take the fate of the Mueller report out of Trumps hands. It is a great bill that should have been passed at least a year ago. It is up to the American people to pressure Mitch McConnell to allow a vote on this vital legislation. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook. (UPDATE: J. Timothys takeout is completely booked for Super Bowl weekend) J. Timothys, 143 New Britain Ave., Plainville, encourages early ordering for its signature wings in original buffalo, honey gold barbecue, teriyaki and sweet red chili flavors (also available dirt-style fried and sauced, then fried and sauced again). On Super Bowl weekend, the restaurants full menu is available for takeout on Feb. 1; and then only buckets of wings (35 to 40 pieces) are available on Feb. 2 and 3. Cold wing packs are available, with sauce on the side and reheating instructions. Preorders will be taken by phone only at 860-747-6813. jtimothys.com/super-bowl-weekend-2019. 298 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Advertising Most Democrats dont want a billionaire as their presidential candidate in 2020, according to an article published this morning by NBC News. And many of them are now telling longtime Democrat and billionaire businessman Howard Schultz that if he runs as an independent candidate in 2020 he may help Donald Trump get reelected. Democrats have been out in full force blasting the idea of an independent presidential bid by longtime Democrat and billionaire businessman Howard Schultz. Democrats have been out in full force blasting the idea of an independent presidential bid by longtime Democrat and billionaire businessman Howard Schultz. https://t.co/Cv4Y7r9q1j NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) January 28, 2019 Schultz had said he was seriously thinking of running, but he has not convinced many people that the country wants or needs his leadership. Advertising Julian Castro, a former member of Barack Obamas cabinet, who has announced he is a contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said that the former Starbucks CEO should not run. I have a concern that if he did run, that, essentially, it would provide Donald Trump with his best hope of getting re-elected, Castro said on CNNs State of the Union. Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, went much further than Castro, tweeting: Vanity projects that help destroy democracy are disgusting. If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because Im not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win. Lord, its not living up to the ideals of democracy to have a billionaire be able to launch a run simply because he has billions to do it. Vanity projects that help destroy democracy are disgusting. If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because Im not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win. https://t.co/epUYVrcEg8 Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) January 26, 2019 Lord, its not living up to the ideals of democracy to have a billionaire be able to launch a run simply because he has billions to do it. https://t.co/AMIeybCEf7 Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) January 28, 2019 Schultz appeared in a 60 Minutes interview on Sunday and said he would seek the presidency as a centrist independent. Were living at a most-fragile time not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing whats necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics, he told CBSs Scott Pelley. Donald Trump tweeted Monday morning that Schultz didnt have the guts to challenge him for the presidency. Howard Schultz doesnt have the guts to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the smartest person. Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower! Howard Schultz doesnt have the guts to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the smartest person. Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2019 Schultz said he would run as an independent because we see extremes on both sides. When he was asked if he had concerns about taking votes away from Democrats and helping Trump get re-elected, Schultz vaguely answered that he wants to see the American people win. I dont care if youre a Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, Republican, he added. Bring me your ideas. And I will be an independent person, who will embrace those ideas. Because I am not, in any way, in bed with a party. Schultz may not be in bed with any party, but it is doubtful that anybody really wants him to run for president. There will be many good, distinct choices in the Democratic primaries and there is absolutely no need for an independent to run also, especially if he might help Donald Trump win. 397 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Advertising Former Trump adviser and disgraced New Jersey governor Chris Christie writes in his new book wrote that President Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner thought firing former national security adviser Michael Flynn would end the Russia controversy, according to The New York Times. Christie, was kicked off Trumps transition team by Kushner, so there is still some bad blood between the two. When Christie was a federal prosecutor he convicted Kushners father of several financial crimes and he spent two years in federal prison as a result. In his new book Let Me Finish, which will come out tomorrow, Christie wrote that Kushner and Trump both told him they believed firing Flynn would put an end to all of the media focus and publicity surrounding the Trump campaigns Russia connections. Advertising Christie wrote that Trump at one point told him, This Russia thing is all over now, because I fired Flynn. At the time Christie, a close Trump ally, told the president, Sir this Russia thing is far from over, he wrote. What do you mean? Trump reportedly responded. Flynn met with the Russians. That was the problem. I fired Flynn. Its over. Kushner chimed in then, according to Christie, saying, Thats right, firing Flynn ends the whole Russia thing. Christie in the book wrote that the conversation was naive, according to the Times. The whole Russia thing after two years is still going strong, and even intensifying in many ways. Special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia has been going on since May of 2017. He has succeed in getting over thirty indictments, as well as several convictions and guilty pleas of top Trump campaign officials. Flynn was forced to resign shortly after being appointed national security adviser in the Trump administration due to his lying about communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States. He has since pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contact with Russians and is cooperating with the Mueller probe. Flynn was a train wreck from beginning to end, Christie wrote in the new book, according to the Times. Christie also wrote that he spent time with Trump following the release of the Access Hollywood tape that captured Trump saying derogatory things about women, including, Grab em by the pussy. Christie wrote that was one of the first times he had seen Trump embarrassed, the Times reported. 2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Advertising Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) showed that she could draw a crowd to a rally as more than 20,000 showed up to her campaign kickoff event. MSNBC reported from the scene, I have covered a lot of these campaign kickoffs. This one looked really strong. The outpouring support of the hometown of Kamala Harris was extraordinary. 20,000 people, as you said, was the estimate by the county of how many people were actually in the perimeter. Outside the perimeter, the roads were lined with people they were just all over the place, blocks and blocks away, they couldnt even see her and yet they came out from this big rally. From a crowd perspective, it was really, really strong. Video: Kamala Harris draws the first massive crowd of the 2020 presidential election. https://t.co/cMQmFO5OKc #KamalaForThePeople pic.twitter.com/8aOmcKgHAh PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) January 28, 2019 Advertising In the speech itself, Sen. Harris had a clear message: Who are we? Who are we as Americans? So, lets answer that question. To the world. And each other. Right here. And, right now. America, we are better than this. When we have leaders who lie and bully and attack a free press and undermine our democratic institutions thats not our America. When white supremacists march and murder in Charlottesville or massacre innocent worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue thats not our America. When we have children in cages crying for their mothers and fathers, dont you dare call it border security, thats a human rights abuse and thats not our America. When we have leaders who attack public schools and vilify public school teachers thats not our America. When bankers who crashed our economy get bonuses but workers who brought our country back cant even get a raise thats not our America. Video: Kamala Harris shows why Trumps 2020 advisers are terrified of her. https://t.co/LPY50S9vPA pic.twitter.com/wYYs3ipaai Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 27, 2019 And when American families are barely living paycheck to paycheck, what is this administrations response? Their response is to try to take away health care from millions of families. Their response is to give away a trillion dollars to the biggest corporations in this country. And their response is to blame immigrants as the source of all our problems. And guys lets understand what is happening here: People in power are trying to convince us that the villain in our American story is each other. But that is not our story. That is not who we are. Thats not our America. Our United States of America is not about us versus them. Its about We the people! Kamala Harris Will Be A Force In The Democratic Primary Sem. Harris showed that she can take the political gifts that have so many people excited about her for years and apply them to come through on a big stage with a speech that delivered a message and connected with voters. In what is going to be a very crowded Democratic primary field, the ability to draw a crowd will be vital. Harris begins this contest with having the home state advantage in the big California Democratic primary. Sen. Harris should fare well in South Carolina, although it might be difficult for anyone not named Joe Biden to win that state. Biden has a solid and deep organization in South Carolina, but Harris should do very well. Kamala Harris was able to address the nation and the two most important questions for any candidate. Sen. Harris answered why she wants to be president, and why voters should support her. Harris might be the Democratic favorite at this moment, but she has the look and message of a solid candidate who will be around for a long time. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook. 172 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Advertising OSWIECIM, Poland (Reuters) Dozens of Polish far right nationalists gathered at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland on Sunday to protest at the same time as officials and survivors marked the 74th anniversary of the camps liberation in an annual ceremony. The two parties gathered in different parts of the camp, now an open-air museum, and did not encounter each other. It was the first time the far right has held a protest at Auschwitz at the annual event, which is also International Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day. At the official ceremony on Sunday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other government officials were joined in prayer by some of the last remaining survivors of the death camp. In another location at the site, far right protesters wrapped in Polish flags, some stamped with the words Polish Holocaust, laid flowers and sang the Polish national anthem. Advertising The Jewish nation and Israel is doing everything to change the history of the Polish nation, said Piotr Rybak of the Polish Independence Movement, who led Sundays protest. Polish patriots cannot allow this. Asked by an opposition politician on Twitter how long it would take the government to react to such situations, Interior Minister Joachim Brudzinski wrote: React to what? To the fact that someone is not in their right mind and blames all the evil in this world and his frustrations on a particular nation? If you are trying to blame this government for anti-Semitism in the heads of seriously crazy (I believe) fools, it is indecent and unwise, he added. The protest comes at a time of surging anti-Semitism in parts of Europe and as critics accuse the PiS of trying to build a nationalist sense of grievance among Poles by seeking to minimize Polish complicity in the Holocaust. During decades of communist rule, Poles were taught to believe that, with a few exceptions, the nation had conducted itself honorably during a war that killed a fifth of the population. Many still refuse to accept research showing thousands participated in the Holocaust in addition to the thousands that had risked their lives to help the Jews and feel the West has failed to recognize Polands own wartime suffering. More than 3 million of Polands 3.2 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis, accounting for about half of the Jews killed in the Holocaust. Jews from across Europe were sent to be killed at death camps built and operated by the Germans on Polish soil, including Auschwitz, Treblinka, Belzec and Sobibor. According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Nazis also killed at least 1.9 million non-Jewish Polish civilians. Diplomatic relations between Poland and Israel were strained last year after the PiS government sought to impose jail terms for suggesting the nation was complicit in the Holocaust. (Reporting by Wojciech Zurawski; Writing by Agnieszka Barteczko and Justyna Pawlak; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Catherine Evans) Nico Vink 2019 - Mythos: Amaury Pierron - Reunion Island: Four Days Rain: Josh Woodward - Hang Time: The Lost Files: Carlmont Kids Ep. 7 - Winter Break 2019: Awake: Cwmcarn Is Rad: Team Lucky Boy - Cheptain Dirt Camp - Tricks Mania II: Passion - A Freeride Mountain Bike Documentary: Ludwig Jager - Instagram Compilation #1: Fast and Furious in Finale Ligure: Jordan Godwin - Doomsayer: Heitor: Cookie - War & Peace: Skateistan - To Live And Skate In Kabul: Dean Goes Surfing: Travis Rice - Winning Run Hakuba, Japan FWT 2019: Cowboy: Treeline: New year, new kit. Nico Vink tearing down Bike Park Chatel.Video: Leon Perrin.After two days digging, Mike Hopkins headed out for two more days of rainy riding. Video: David Peacock.As a photographer, I rarely get in front of the lens. However, I thought it about time to showcase some of my riding too. Enjoy me destroying my wheels and dangling some limbs. Thanks to @andrewdoud for all the clips this winter and make sure to check out the full winter recap on his page.These may or may not have been hiding in a random folder for years. Enjoy.Just a bunch of friends trying to make the most of time back home from college.Stay awake.The Y Mynydd downhill track is a 1.9km downhill mountain bike trail located at Cwmcarn in South Wales. We took out the drone and GoPro and made an edit to show everyone how good this place is! Rider: Marius Andriuskevicius.Every year, between autumn and Christmas, we meet with the directors of the team to share a big session. We all live far away from each other, yet we still come to see each other to share moments like this. I love these improvised shooting days where everyone comes in chill mode to have fun.A documentary by Peter Jamison delving into the lifestyles of freeride mountain bike athletes. Athletes: David Lieb, Reed Boggs, Ethan Nell, Matt Macduff, and Nicholi Rogatkin.2018 was a blast! I have filmed more clips and jibs than ever before.Now one of the most iconic enduro destinations in the world, Finale Ligure takes no prisoners. With stunning views and a beach to die for people could be easily fooled that Finale is easygoing. The trails say otherwise, used by many bike manufacturers for testing - Finale is wild! Sit back and enjoy our staff showcasing our favourite tracks in this paradoxical coastline.Jordan Godwin has had one hell of a year and now he closes it out with an incredible part for his Wethepeople Doomsayer signature frame. Enjoy over five minutes of modern street executed perfectly. Unreal."Heitor" is the first full-length adidas skateboarding video part by Heitor Da Silva. Traveling to multiple continents with stops in Barcelona, Taipei, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Buenos Aires, this edit showcases the power and spontaneity of Heitor rounded out with his unique style and finesse.Chris is incredibly good and his exploration of LAs untapped terrain is refreshing. This dude can skate anything.Skateistan - To Live And Skate Kabul is a beautifully shot film that follows the lives of a group of young skateboarders in Afghanistan. Operating against the backdrop of war and bleak prospects, the Skateistan charity project is the worlds first co-educational skateboarding school, where a team of international volunteers work with girls and boys between the ages of 5 and 17, an age group largely untouched by other aid programmes.Dean is a teenage boy who loves breakfast, Rihanna, and finding freedom in a wave.Travis Rice kicks it off in Hakuba, Japan for this year's Freeride World Tour securing first place with this epic run.In this short film by Clayton Vila, watch Sean Jordan ride Crested Butte and redefine the American cowboy.Follow a group of skiers, snowboarders, scientists and healers to the birch forests of Japan, the red cedars of British Columbia and the bristlecones of Nevada, as they explore an ancient story written in rings. A film by Jordan Manley.Photo: Eric Palmer To check out videos submitted by fellow Pinkbike members that didn't quite make Movie Mondays here In the summer of 2013, Grassroots made a splash in the quiet town of just over 11,000, as they debuted innovative and constantly rotating flavors like caramelized pear, goat cheese and blackberry, honey lavender, salted caramel bourbon and rosemary apricot. Ice cream lovers took notice, traveling from well beyond Granby and its surrounding communities, and local restaurant owners and chefs began to ask for custom flavors to add to their dessert menus. When the Florians realized their basement production space would no longer support their volume, they opted to buy the ice cream shops Park Place building, the former Averys General Store, in 2017. Logansport, IN (46947) Today Partly cloudy early. Scattered thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 89F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Scattered showers and thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low around 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Did you know you can save your preferences across all your digital devices and platforms simply by creating a profile? Would you like to get started? Yes, I'd like to register/log in Not right now No, never ask again Staff reports The Petoskey News-Review There are some rules that go with the journalism profession, among them get it first but get it right. That didnt happen with the students from a Kentucky Catholic school and a Native American drummer where it appeared the students were staring down the veteran at a rally. There was more to the story, much more, that was missing with the first videos of the event hitting social media. While it was obvious something went on at the rally, what exactly that was became clearer as more video became available. Welcome to the age of instant condemnation. Communication today means instant praise, scorn, hatred and belittlement. Forget the cute puppies they get an Awww and people move on to the next sparkly thing. Columnists weigh in, talk shows spread the narrative, peoples lives are, if not ruined, forever altered. The student with the MAGA hat face-to-face with the Native drummer will become part of the American fabric for a long time to come whether or not there was anything untoward about the encounter. The 24-hour all day every day news cycle has not served society well. Sure we want the news and we want it in a timely manner, but the get it right part sometimes gets short shrift from the get it first part of the equation. No one is served by a rush to judgment and condemnation. As a journalist for nearly 50 years I never, ever rushed to print something that would in the end prove to be wrong. You have to be right as well as quick elsewise you hurt the subject of your story and your credibility. There is no practical way to put the get it out there now genie back in the bottle. Its our new reality Twitter, Facebook, 24-hour news that has and will come to haunt us. Two good ones gone Of note in the obituaries last week were two that caught my eye, although the two men were as different as could be. Dave Leik died at 84 at his farm near Harbor Springs. Dave joined the Michigan State Police in 1956 and made his way to many postings across the state. In 1973 he became post commander at the Petoskey post and, as the cops and courts reporter for the News-Review, I worked with him for many a year. The press and police have a complex relationship we want to know things and the police in many instances dont want us to know things, especially if they are working hard to solve a case. Its cat and mouse for sure. How each party handles that, however, doesnt follow a set playbook. At its core, you have to earn the respect of the other party and not take advantage of it. Dave and I got along well we knew when to push and when to push back. And, as they say, the story always got out one way or the other. After he retired, he became a gentleman farmer and he loved it. And he wasnt done giving back to his community, serving for many years as the supervisor of West Traverse Township. No one can say he didnt serve his community and the state well. Meanwhile, Russell Baker, 93, died in Leesburg, Va., far far away from West Traverse Township. Baker was a columnist for The New York Times, and a Pulitzer Prize winning one at that. Over the years his columns covered many topics but he was not one to do politics, even though politics was what he wrote about while at the Washington bureau of the Times. The start of the story of his life in the Times started out, Russell Baker, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose whimsical, irreverent Observer column appeared in The New York Times and hundreds of other newspapers for 36 years and turned a backwoods-born Virginian into one of Americas most celebrated writers, died on Monday at his home in Leesburg, Va. He was 93. Whimsical and irreverent marked his columns. In 1983 he wrote of inheriting the family fruitcake. In 1975, a column on making dinner for himself. For many he will be remembered as the host of Masterpiece Theatre on PBS. His columns, in one of the most serious of newspapers in the country, reminded us that the little things in life are the things that matter, that bring joy to the soul or in the case of the fruitcake, consternation. If you want to know more about the fruitcake, find it here: https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/25/magazine/sunday-observer-fruitcake-is-forever.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage. Staff reports The Petoskey News-Review PETOSKEY St. Michael Academy, Northern Michigans only classical Catholic high school, invites area residents to attend a variety of special events during Catholic Schools Week, this Tuesday to Thursday, Jan. 29 to 31, at its site in Petoskey. Scheduled events include a variety of presentations and discussions designed to highlight the schools Uncommon Core curriculum and the benefits of classical education. On Tuesday and Thursday, Mass will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m., followed by a potluck lunch. St. Michael Academy Principal Richard Brake stated, Whether you have high-school-aged kids or not, we invite you stop by and check out our unique brand of classical Catholic education. At SMA, we blend faith and reason in pursuit of the true, the good and the beautiful for the nurturing and development of each students mind, body and soul. St. Michael Academy is located at 2225 Summit Park Drive, Petoskey, near the corner of Mitchell and Division roads. The full schedule of Catholic Schools Week activities at St. Michael Academy is presented below. Tuesday, Jan. 29 8:30-10 a.m., bioethics presentation, Are There Ethical Constraints on Scientific Discoveries? The Case of Food with instructors Colleen Mikelson (biology) and Andy Moe (theology) 10-11:15 a.m., bioethics roundtable discussion, Are There Ethical Constraints on Scientific Discoveries? In Vitro, Embryos, Cloning, moderated by St. Michael Academy Principal Richard Brake 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m., celebration of daily Mass 12:15-1:15 p.m., potluck lunch 1:15-3 p.m., Round Robin Classical Classes: Classical Education in Time & Space. Classes focus on Athens, Rome & Jerusalem (800 776 B.C.); Paris, London, and Philadelphia (1776 1800 A.D.); and history, literature, philosophy, mathematics and science Wednesday, Jan. 30 1-2 p.m., Public Lecture #1: Render to Caesar What Is Caesars: The Rights and Duties of Christian Citizenship, by St. Michael Academy Principal Richard Brake 2:15-3:15 p.m., Public Lecture #2: Is Chivalry Dead? The Ideal of Ladies & Gentlemen in the Age of Social Media, by St. Michael Academy Principal Richard Brake Thursday, Jan. 31 8:15-11:15 a.m., Whats So Great About The Great Books? Program features rapid-fire presentations and discussions of St. Michael Academy facultys favorite Great Books 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m., celebration of Daily Mass 12:15-1:15 p.m., potluck lunch 1:15-3 p.m., Career or Vocation: Whats the Difference? Presentations by St. Michael Academy parents, faculty, board members, guests and students Lonnie G. Allen (231) 547-6588 lallen@charlevoixcourier.com The Petoskey News-Review CHARLEVOIX Staying connected to a place you love is a lot easier with a webcam. Rick Crane, a former Charlevoix resident who lives in California, is doing exactly that with his CharlevoixCam. Crane came up with the idea of sharing a live camera feed with the community that he could enjoy as well. I was always mesmerized by the view from the bridge looking down the channel out into Lake Michigan, Crane said. The camera keeps me connected to Charlevoix. It is a place I fell in love with over the years. Each summer Crane can be seen taking pictures from the bascule bridge. He said the view of the channel toward Lake Michigan is incredible. Something about it really mesmerizes me, he said. It just has been a joy to watch this camera. It is so serene. Crane wasnt the only one to take notice of the beauty Charlevoix had to offer through his live streaming camera. In December, the 2018 edition of EarthCams 25 Most Interesting Webcams was released and CharlevoixCam was on it. I was so shocked and so excited and many people dont know about the camera, Crane said about the recognition. I give that panel of judges credit for catching the Emerald Isle going through. They must of sit in front of that camera for hours before catching that screenshot. The Top 25 most interesting Webcams also include everything from breathtaking scenery and wild animals to scientific experiments and even a Guinness World Record holder. The 20th annual list spans eight countries, according to EarthCams news release. Viewers of the top 25 can start the day with sunrise views in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, skate around the rink at New Yorks festive Bryant Park, hop over to the beautiful Italian countryside and finish with a sunset over the beaches of Brixham, United Kingdom, dance to Irish folk music inside the famous Temple Bar Pub in the heart of Dublin and dont miss last-call as the exotic nightlife winds down on the neon-lit streets of Koh Samui, Thailand. Each of the 25 cameras is listed alphabetically for viewers to choose from. When the Kilauea Volcano on the island of Hawaii erupted in May 2018, a local webcam provided continuously streaming updates of the lava flow and extended awareness of the devastating destruction to the island, said Jeff DeLiberto, CamMaster for EarthCam.com. Were always surprised by the entertaining, unique and sometimes totally bizarre cameras we discover each year when compiling our list of winners, DeLiberto said. Webcams are connecting people with beautiful locations and interesting sights in ways that we never imagined possible. We continue to be impressed with the new applications for webcam technology and how those virtual experiences are being shared with a worldwide audience. Crane hopes the recognition will allow his webcam to reach more people so they also can enjoy Charlevoix year round from anywhere in the world. It is something I can look at and keep me connected to a town I love, Crane said. I want to share this with the people of Charlevoix, people who love Charlevoix and people who have never experienced Charlevoix. Cranes partner on the project, Kyle Kopytko lives in Charlevoix and handles all the maintenance and technical work. Kopytko said they were very proud when they heard the news of the camera making EarthCams 25 Most Interesting Webcams in 2018. All of our hard work had been recognized and we knew we would have a much better shot at hitting our goal of 1,000 subscribers on Youtube, Kopytko said. Kopytko is the owner/operator of TechWise Guy in Charlevoix. His company offers computer tech support, network and smart home installations and web design for residential and business customers. Kopytko installed the camera on the Pine River Building for Crane. Originally, Crane wanted the camera to be mounted on the bridge, but he got tired of dealing with the Michigan Department of Transportation. I actually planned on mounting the camera on the bridge, but the red tape with MDOT caused me to give up. All the back and forth with emails was exhausting, Crane said. I pitched the idea to Kyle and he loved it. He helped me find a spot for the camera. Crane has invested approximately $7,000 and Kopytko invested $1,000 to get the camera installed and running for the past two years. Crane has kept the camera viewing free and ad free because he wants people to experience Charlevoix. I am happy to do it. I am not looking to make any money from it, Crane said. I just love it and get such a kick out of it. The camera provides a four-hour history that viewers can rewind through and see what they might have missed, Kopytko said. During events like The Bridge Drop and Boyne Thunder, Kopytko receives many chat messages on the video. Viewers announce where they were watching from, he said. Texas, Colorado, Florida, California and Alaska are a few of the places I remember seeing. Because the camera is live Crane said many of his friends often call him when they are walking down from the lighthouse and stop and wave to the camera. They are waving and jumping around, Crane said. That is kind of fun to watch and of course friends call from their boats during the summer and wave. Friends waving and boats traveling through the channel are not the only thing that has been viewed on the camera, Kopytko said. The craziest would probably be the dancing man. Unfortunately, we do not have a recording of said event, Kopytko said. He was definitely dancing like no one was watching, but we were. Since the recognition Crane and Kopytko hope the camera and their future projects will add to the success of Charlevoix. We feel that the ChannelCam and potential future cameras will help raise awareness by showing off the beauty that Charlevoix has to offer, Kopytko said. I myself had never heard of Charlevoix before the age of 18 and have lived in Michigan my whole life, apart from being born in New York more cameras equals more viewers equals more awareness helping with more potential tourism through media. For more information about the Top 25 most interesting Webcams, visit www.earthcam.com/top25/2018/ and to view the CharlevoixCam, visit www.charlevoixcam.com. Arielle Breen (989) 732-1111 GAYLORD Serena Lake is a new environmental education specialist serving as an AmeriCorps member at the Huron Pines host site. Originally from Lansing, Lake moved to Mackinaw City in 2014 with her husband and two children to pursue an undergraduate degree with Lake Superior State University. She graduated in December with her bachelors degree in fisheries and wildlife management, with a concentration in fisheries. During my time at LSSU I fell in love with lake sturgeon and dedicated my senior thesis research project to assessing a lower portion of the AuSable River for suitable sturgeon spawning habitat, Lake said in her AmeriCorps profile. Lake said she is inspired by children and she is very passionate about environmental outreach and education. Connecting kids with nature is essential to the future of conservation and preserving our natural world, Lake said. She also enjoys photography and spending time with her family, playing in the water, snow and forests of Northern Michigan. AmeriCorps members with Huron Pines are paired with host sites around the state to focus on enhancing Michigans natural resources and foster environmental stewardship. The program emphasizes on-the-ground conservation work and engaging local volunteers, community groups and schools in service projects, hands-on learning opportunities and educational workshops. Since 2007, Huron Pines AmeriCorps has been a program of Huron Pines that is partly supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service, Michigan Community Service Commission, Huron Pines and contributions from host sites. More information on Huron Pines and AmeriCorps is available at huronpines.org/americorps. William T. Perkins (231) 439-9353 Pipeline owner Enbridge has obtained one of the permits it needs to begin rock and soil sampling for its Straits Tunnel project. Scott Dean, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, confirmed in an email that the department granted the permit to Enbridge early last week, which will allow the company to conduct geotechnical borings in the Straits of Mackinac in an attempt to find out where a tunnel could be built. The DEQ granted that permit last Tuesday, Jan. 22. The News-Review had reached out to Enbridge the day prior for updates. We have applied for the permits we need to begin doing the rock and soil sampling in the Straits, company spokesman Ryan Duffy said in an email at that time. We are making preparations to begin doing that work in the spring. The project is a very early step in the ongoing timeline to build a tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac. In addition to other utility lines, that tunnel would house a new section of piping slated to replace the controversial tandem segment of Enbridges Line 5, which carries petroleum beneath the Straits on its way from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario. The geotechnical boring stage will potentially see Enbridge drilling into the Straits bottomlands and drawing samples from up to 24 spots along the pipeline easements western boundary. The company will use those samples to evaluate the feasibility of the tunnel project, Dean said. The company will also be drilling test pits on land, requiring it to place 1,600 square feet of temporary matting in wetlands to access the bore hole locations. The results from this work will provide information that will aid in the design and construction of a tunnel, Duffy said. That specific application has been making its way through the DEQ permitting process since late October after former Gov. Rick Snyder announced plans for for the new utility tunnel to built beneath the Straits of Mackinac. On Nov. 27, the DEQ conducted a public hearing for the project in St. Ignace. That was a little less than a month before Snyder finalized a set of agreements placing the proposed tunnel under the management of a new government entity, The Straits Tunnel Authority. Those arrangements were firmed up shortly before current Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took office at the start of this year. Within her first week, Whitmer requested Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel look into the legality of Snyders end-of-term dealings to create the tunnel authority. That investigation is still ongoing, and it remains to be seen how that will impact the projects timeline. In a statement, Nessel warned the parties involved not to move forward unless and until these matters have been resolved. The DEQ continues to handle permit applications as per state regulations, Dean said in an email. In any event, Enbridge still has at least one bureaucratic hurdle to clear before the company is able to take any action anyway. We are still waiting on the permit approval from the (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) before we start rock and soil sampling, Duffy said in a followup email to the News-Review on Monday. I dont have any update on when that approval might happen. Day after day of these images and history and walking where blood was spilled, youre learning and seeing it on a way deeper level than seeing it on TV or learning it in school," Bloom said. "More kids should be learning this if they are not. This is stepping out of your comfort zone and trying to get inside... their communities and experiences and struggles. With so much happening, its something good to do because it can help you strive to be better and act better on a human level. Steve Zucker (231) 439-9346 BOYNE CITY Like every other Northern Michigan school district, Boyne City Public Schools were closed Monday because of the winter storm that was expected to hit the area hard. But for Boyne City school officials, Mondays closure was particularly notable because it marked the last of the six days the state allows districts to miss in a school year without making up days or facing a financial penalty. Although many area school districts have had somewhere around two or three snow days so far this school year, Boyne City Public Schools arrived at its limit because of an outbreak of influenza, or influenza-like illness among students and staff earlier this month. On Jan. 14, district officials noted that at Boyne City Elementary School, a much higher-than-normal number of students nearly half of those in the elementary grades and several staff members were absent because of a flu-like illness. The following day the attendance numbers didnt improve at the elementary school and as the day wore on, more and more students at the middle school were starting to become ill, district superintendent Patrick Little noted at the time. On both days, the district had just a percent or two in attendance above the 75 percent required by the state for the day to count toward the required number of school days for the school year. On the afternoon of Jan. 15, after consulting with the Health Department of Northwest Michigan and area health care providers, district officials decided to cancel classes for the remainder of the week in an effort to allow people who were ill to recover and to help prevent further spread of the illness. In a letter that went out to parents along with an email announcing Mondays school closure late Sunday afternoon, Little explained the districts school calendar situation. Little noted that in April the district will have the option, which it will pursue, to request from the state superintendents office the forgiveness of up to three missed school days. I am optimistic, due to the documented influenza A outbreak earlier this month that our appeal may be granted, however, this is not guaranteed, Little wrote. However, he noted that even if the request for the three days is granted, there is still potentially lots of winter weather yet to come, and he asked the district to be prepared for a possible extension of the school year later into June. In fact, the forecast for the remainder of this week indicates a good chance for snowy and windy conditions to continue. I also know that we may have at least 60-70 more days of winter-type weather ahead of us. As a reminder, we had two canceled days of school due to snow last April. For this reason, I am notifying our community that we may need to extend the school year, Little wrote. He noted that the district is currently scheduled to conclude the school year with a half day on June 6. However, under the circumstances, he asked that we all keep the entire week of June 10-14 open for required days of school. The Early Learners pre-school program will not be affected by this extension. He noted that the district will notify parents and the rest of the community by the first part of May if an extension of the school year is necessary. Little concluded his letter with: Thank you for your support during these winter days that test our patience and systems for balancing the need for students to be in school and the need to have safe transit to and from school. Little told the News-Review Monday that if a school district does not meet its required number of school days and hours the state will impose financial penalties in the form of withholding a portion of the districts state aid proportionate to the number of required school days missed. (Editors note: This was sent in before Frirday and the end of the shutdown). We are in the midst of the longest partial federal government shutdown in our nations history. The flashpoint is the unwillingness or inability of either the president or congressional Democrats to concede or compromise on taxpayer funding for additional wall construction on the border with Mexico. Certainly, the president and others have made a centerpiece of their agenda the construction of a wall to stop the invasion of rapists, murderers, drug dealers and terrorists swarming across the southern border. I obviously do not live near the border and am not intimately familiar with the conditions, circumstances and impacts that occur there. Personally, I feel that the construction of a wall will not solve any underlying problem causing people to flee their countries. It will ultimately, in my opinion, be ineffective. Of greater importance to my familys security and safety are such critical functions as screening at airports, food inspections and many more services affected by the shutdown. In order to break the deadlock, I propose the following solution: Congressional Democrats fund the Presidents border wall. The President agree to an equal amount of funding to support economic development and fight corruption and crime in Central America and Mexico. Every American citizen of voting age will have another opportunity to express their opinion on this and other matters in about 18 months. That is prior to most of the aforementioned funds even being spent. RICK ROVEGNO, South Middleton Township A proposed venue rule change by the State Supreme Courts Civil Procedural Rules Committee will plunge the Commonwealth back into the medical liability crisis we endured some 20 years ago and a return to trial lawyer venue shopping will cause medical liability insurance premiums to skyrocket and patient care to suffer. In 2002, my suburban Philadelphia orthopaedic practice reluctantly informed our patients we could no longer practice in Pennsylvania. The reason we could not acquire state mandated medical liability insurance. We could not find liability insurance at any price. The Commonwealths medical liability environment was so bad that insurers refused to write policies for high risk specialists such as ob-gyns, neurosurgeons, orthopaedic surgeons and general surgeons. This is not hyperbole. This occurred merely 20 years ago. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, patients, physicians and hospitals endured the worst medical liability crisis in my working life. Pregnant women had to seek care in neighboring communities or states as hospital maternity units shuttered; medically necessary surgeries were postponed or cancelled due to the exodus of high-risk specialty physicians; and overall patient care suffered for reasons far beyond their control or comprehension. Fortunately, the General Assembly, both the Ridge and Rendell administrations and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court responsibly acted to improve the medical liability environment. The most significant reform was legislation and court rules to stop venue shopping. This was the trial lawyer tactic of removing cases from the county in which alleged malpractice occurred to a county with more plaintiff-friendly juries. Many current legislators, policymakers and jurists may not remember those events, but my colleagues and I do. We are shocked that the Supreme Courts Civil Procedural Rules Committee is even considering reverting back to the old venue rules. We must ask, what are they thinking? Without a doubt, this unwise, court-initiated venue proposal will plunge Pennsylvania back into the depths of a medical liability crisis. Lancaster County physicians will be required to defend lawsuits in Philadelphia because of Penn Healths relationship with Lancaster General Hospital. Likewise, Dauphin County physicians will end up in Allegheny County courts because of UPMCs acquisition of Pinnacle Health. Medical liability insurance premiums, that have been stable for 20 years, will suddenly skyrocket as they did two decades ago. And patients will suffer as care is curtailed and physicians retire early or leave Pennsylvania. The past is most definitely prologue if the venue rules are changed. As a spine surgeon, I am anything but an alarmist. My profession requires calm under extreme pressure. But make no mistake, if the State Supreme Court allows this venue rule change to be implemented, I will regrettably retire and my patients will need to find care elsewhere. So, I ask again, what are they thinking? Stop this ill-advised return to a medical liability crisis. -- Dr. Michael J. Gratch, M.D., is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon from Montgomery county specializing in spinal surgery. Dr. Gratchs expertise lies in the treatment of the lumbar, thoracic, and cervical spine disorders, and he performs minimally invasive spine procedures when clinically appropriate. He is Clinical Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Temple University School of Medicine as well as Drexel University School of Medicine. Dr. Gratch is a former president of the Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society and served on Governor Ed Rendells Medical Liability Task Force in 2002 and 2003. His former practice, Abington Orthopaedics, now part of Philadelphias Rothman Institute, was one of two Pennsylvania orthopaedic practices that announced shutdowns in 2002 and helped spark venue and other medical liability reforms. Police testimony against a woman accused of killing two Lancaster-area teens helped send her case from the lower courts to the Lancaster County trial court on Monday, according to the Lancaster District Attorneys Office. Debra Slaymaker-Walker, 63, faces third degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, vehicular homicide, aggravated assault and other related charges in connection with a crash that killed two Warwick High School students on Oct. 26. Meghan Keeney and Jack Nicholson, both 16, died and a third teen was injured after Slaymaker-Walker hit their vehicle on West Orange Street near the school. The three officers testified Monday to their different encounters with Slaymaker-Walker leading up to the crash, the DAs office said in a release. Northern Lancaster County Regional police Officer Alex Good encountered Slaymaker-Walker first, on Route 772. He attempted to stop her, but she fled and hit school bus before continuing into Lititz. No one on the school bus was hurt. Next, Lititz police Sgt. Jared Hahn, testified his police cruiser was nearly hit by Slaymaker-Walker as it sped through the borough, not far from the crash site. Finally, Northern Lancaster County Regional police Sgt. Rodney King testified to his findings from performing a forensic reconstruction of the crash, according to the DAs office. King testified that Slaymaker-Walker was going between 73-77 mph leading up to the impact, despite the posted speed limit being 25 mph. The District Attorneys Office said the third degree murder charges are based on Slaymaker-Walkers gross neglect and disregard of the extreme risk" she posed to others by her repeated and sustained reckless driving. Slaymaker-Walkers recklessness stemmed from the extreme speed she used when there were other vehicles in the crash area. Following testimony, Magisterial District Judge Edward Tobin determined there was enough evidence to bind all charges and send the case to the Lancaster County trial court. A formal arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 22. Slaymaker-Walker remains under house arrest on $1 million unsecured bail and under restrictions per the Lancaster County Bail administration officials. An unidentified woman was found dead Sunday underneath the Mulberry Street Bridge, located next to Howard Tire and Auto, Harrisburg Police Corporal Brian Henry confirmed. Henry, and the Dauphin County Coroners Office, said her death is under investigation, and the cause of death is unknown. She didnt have any identification on her, Henry said. There are no signs of foul play. Henry also noted that there are known homeless camps within the vicinity. Howard Henry, the owner of the auto shop, has aired his concerns about homeless individuals establishing their living quarters where the womans body was discovered. Its also the site of where a retaining wall collapsed. It is an ever present concern that without cleanup beginning sooner rather than later every kind of possibility exists, Henry said. This individual perished unrelated to the concerns of the collapse site. God rest her soul. But, the proximity of her final resting place created urgency in my heart and mind for this site to be secured and stabilized before someone is injured or killed as a result of negligence due to inaction. Harrisburg Police officers were called to the Mulberry Street Bridge to investigate a woman's death. Dauphin County Judge Lawrence F. Clark Jr. is overseeing a civil lawsuit filed in 2017 against the owner of the McFarland apartments by Henry, who had to close his tire shop below a retaining wall that collapsed out of safety concerns for his employees and customers. The wall collapsed May 5, 2016. Heavy rains triggered a second collapse in July 2016. Henry has said hes not only anxious about another person dying in that location, but also emergency personnel called to investigate could be injured. He added that the insurance haggling needs to pick up pace. All of the predictors for an additional collapse are very well acknowledged by the property owner and all named defendants, Henry said. State Sen. Daylin Leach filed a defamation lawsuit Monday against the woman who claimed he coerced her to perform oral sex in 1991 and two others who shared the accusers story. Cara Taylor, 44, alleged that the incident happened in 1991 when she was 17 years old and Leach was a 30-year-old attorney defending her mother on charges of attempting to murder Taylors stepfather. Leach denies all of Taylors allegations. Taylor testified in court that she, and not her mother, was responsible for the attempted homicide and subsequently pleaded guilty to charges of felony perjury and false swearing. Her allegations against Leach were initially aired during her mothers 1999 post-conviction court hearings but ultimately retracted. Earlier this month, after Leachs reappointment as minority chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Taylor distributed copies of an unsigned private criminal complaint to 40 state lawmakers. Democratic leadership subsequently called on outside legal counsel to investigate her claims. Leach, a Montgomery County Democrat, is seeking $50,000 and other punitive damages from Taylor and two other women, Colleen Kennedy and Gwen Snyder, who he claims knowingly spread and embellished false allegations. Cara Taylor In the suit, filed in Philadelphia, Leach refers to social media posts by all three women, referring to the 1991 incident. In one Facebook post, Snyder wrote, Daylin is a rapist and a predator, a fact confirmed by multiple women in this group. The lawmaker, best known for his support of marijuana legalization, has been dogged by accusations of inappropriate behavior since a 2017 Philadelphia Inquirer article citing campaign and legislative staffers who said he crossed the line with unwanted physical contact and sex talk. After the accusations emerged, Gov. Tom Wolf and others called on Leach to resign. While he didnt step down from the Senate, in February he abandoned a run for Congress. Leachs lawsuit only concerns Taylors allegations although, in an interview with PennLive last week, he claimed other allegations against him have been false. I know for a fact inaccurate or misleading information was published by various outlets, he said. The question is what I feel is severe enough to bring into litigation. When asked, via email, if the only three defendants were the ones named in Mondays lawsuit, Leach spokesman Zak Pyzik replied: For now... Taylor did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. On Friday, prior to the lawsuits filing, she told PennLive: My experiences are real. These are experiences that I have discussed and my mother has put on the official record for well over a decade. Leachs suit also raises questions about the private criminal complaint Taylor distributed at the Capitol, which was unsigned and did not contain information about when and where it was filed. Such complaints are filed by accusers; its up to prosecutors to decide whether theres enough evidence to file charges. Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin told PennLive that the normal procedure would be for a private criminal complaint to be filed with a magisterial district judge, who would ensure that it was signed and then forward it along to the district attorney. His office never received a formal complaint from a magisterial district judge, he said. Martin said an assistant district attorney met with Taylor on two occasions and determined that her case could not be prosecuted because of the statute of limitations. At that time, for this type [of allegation], the statute would be five years and wouldve run five years after this persons 18th birthday, he said. That wouldve been 1997. Taylor said Friday that she filed the complaint in November and expected the district attorneys offices to sign her complaint, state a reason for denial and then return it to her so she could appeal the decision. Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook. Read the TAPPED OUT special investigation of drinking water. Staff at Gettysburg National Military Park resumed regular operations today now that the federal government shutdown is over, the National Park Service said. Staff have also returned to work at the Eisenhower National Historic Site, which is preparing for a March 2019 re-opening of the site. The National Park Service thanked the support of the Gettysburg Foundation, Destination Gettysburg and all community partners, who continued welcoming visitors during the past several weeks, according to a National Park Service statement. Gettysburg and Eisenhower park employees are happy to be back at work, serving the American people and welcoming visitors to their national parks, the statement noted. Most of the Gettysburg National Military Park was open during the federal shutdown, but programs like the Winter Lecture Series were canceled for the remainder of the shutdown. The Eisenhower Historic Site, David Wills House and Soldiers' National Cemetery were also closed. The Eisenhower National Historic Site is preparing for a March 2019 re-opening of the site, the statement reports. The parks' web and social media sites will be updated with visitor program information over the next few days. The site preserves and connects visitors to the life of the 34th president - Dwight D. Eisenhower. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/gett and www.nps.gov/eise A couple in their mid-40s walked into Under the Moon Cafe in Bordentown City on Thursday night. They enjoyed a piece of cake, complimented the food and decor, paid their bill and left. But while she was cashing out, the owner said, the server noticed they left her something else. Scrawled on the back of the check in big, black lettering, were the words Dont Tip Immigrants!!! The note was left by a couple in their mid-40s who paid in cash, the owner said. Owner Santiago Orosco said he was appalled when he saw the waitress post about it on Facebook. To protect her privacy, he made his own post to make his point racist customers are not welcome at Under the Moon. Theres no home in my restaurant for hatred, bigotry, racism, homophobia, discrimination. If anyone feels the same way, dont come back, he said. Orosco believes the note, which didnt include a tip, was left for the American-born server after the couple overheard she was speaking Spanish to another coworker. Her family emigrated from Uruguay more than three decades ago. Since they paid in cash, he has no way of finding the couple. Orosco called it a cowardly move." Orosco, himself an Argentinean immigrant, said while racism has always been around, its become worse for Latinos more recently. (Its) ignorance, plain and simple. And a sense of entitlement too, he noted. People could be under the impression immigrants get things handed to them, Orosco explained. He came to America with his parents in 1991, worked his way up from a dishwasher and has owned the restaurant for 13 years. He opened up a second location in Lambertville last year. My thing is, if she went to a Chinese restaurant and people were speaking Chinese, would she reacted the same way? If people were speaking French or German, would she have left the note? he added. My place is supposed to be a loving, cozy restaurant, and my family and I worked our asses off to get what we have today. We dont need that hatred here. I apologize in advance for what may be a lengthy post. Thursday night we had a couple come in to dine at our restaurant,... Posted by Santiago Aristides on Saturday, January 26, 2019 He said the support from the community has been overwhelming, with friends and customers far and wide sending him encouraging messages. Its to the point of tears to see such a support for me, my family and the restaurant, he said. Its overwhelming but reassuring that theres these people out there. Theres much nicer people. His only message to the couple that left the bigoted note? Dont come back. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Patna: Governor Lalji Tandon, speaking at the 70th Republic Day celebration at Patna's Gandhi Maidan on Saturday, delivered a lackluster speech that included all bullet points that people of Bihar wanted to hear including the governments dedication to fight crime in the state and usher economic prosperity and social justice in Bihar. https://www.patnadaily.com/index.php/news/14097-republic-day-celebration-in-patna.html#sigProId827b017718 View the embedded image gallery online at: Beginning with the glorious history of Bihar, the Governor praised the government for fostering an environment of communal peace in the state and asked the people of Bihar to help the administration make Bihar an economic powerhouse in the coming years. He also praised the Chief Minister for taking initiative in the area of environment and steps taken to reduce corruption in the government. Reiterating Kumars Seven Resolve and his commitment to implement them in the shortest possible timeframe, the Governor touted the Chief Ministers success in providing electricity to all villages in Bihar and also its steadfastness in developing Bihar roads and highways to meet the highest standard set by the Road Construction department. One Bihari food item in every single plate in the nation - a rhetoric coined by Nitish Kumar nearly 14 years ago that rears it head each year on Republic and Independence Day was also brought up by Governor Tandon who also patted the back of the Chief Minister for improving disaster management in the state. The Governor, in an open Jeep, took salute from wings of the Indian Armed Forces including the Central Reserve Protection Force (CRPF), Bihar Military Police (BMP), Special Task Force (STF), Home Guard, District Armed Police (DAP), and the three divisions of the National Cadet Core (NCC) and honored many Bihar law enforcement officials with gallantry award. Sixteen departments of the state government presented their colorful tableau that was enjoyed by all present on the occasion. Prior to his speech, the Governor paid floral tribute to fallen soldiers at the Kargil Memorial Chowk near Gandhi Maidan. Meanwhile, Kumar hurled the national Tri-Color at his official residence while Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chowdhary did the same at the Assembly premises. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejaswi Yadav also observed Republic Day at his official residence in Patna by hurling the national flag. During the police investigation, family members said there were previous incidents during which Saldana got into the womans room specifically against the familys wishes, police said. They said the nursing home assured the family that a safety plan was in place to prevent Saldanas access to the victim. This week was one of those weeks when it feels like the dying days of an era. The old order, idolizing money and its hoarders, belching and smoking and trying to justify itself. New ideas, once unthinkable, rising. A gilded age spent. A new age of reform over the horizon, coming. Anand Giridharadas (@AnandWrites) January 25, 2019 The shortest, simplest version of the story could be written this way: Trump badly miscalculated by causing the shutdown. Two important airline unions called for a strike. The President backed down. On MLK Day, Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants, said: Almost a million workers are locked out or being forced to work without pay. Others are going to work when our workspace is increasingly unsafe. What is the Labor Movement waiting for? ... We can do this. Together. Si se puede. Every gender, race, culture, and creed. The American Labor Movement. We have the power. What I've just related is a simple, factual account of last week. But as any reading of history will tell you, the plain documentary record never gives the whole story. Context is king. This is how history works. The real war will never get in the books, Walt Whitman wrote of the Civil War. And it's true. So much of what makes a moment historic is found in the context. For instance: take FDR's First Hundred Days. Legendary right? You can Wikipedia up a list of the legislation passed. Thirteen major bills, and countless small changes. But if that's all you learnthe names of lawsyou wouldn't get a real sense of what those words meant; how they embodied the hopes progressives had been championing for decades; how the first three months of the New Deal turned America upside down. How those laws reversed a century-and-a-half of cruel economic doctrine. How the American conservative movement, for the rest of the 20th century, existed to fight back against those Hundred Days. If you simply attended to the details, the rest would be lost. You'd know the name of every tree and miss the forest. And that's what happened here. To quote the title of Joseph Heller's forgotten novel, Something Happened. We all felt it. The sundowning of the shutdown ended with a whimper, but it felt like a bang. The rest of the political world, including the press (who should have known better) rushed to give all credit to Pelosi. Eric Levitz, of New York magazine, saw correctly: For five weeks, congressional Republicans had withheld paychecks from hundreds of thousands of civil servants, prevented cancer patients from accessing much-needed medical care, jeopardized food stamp recipients' access to basic nutrition, undermined public health, devastated Native American communities, and sabotaged America's (supposedly sacred) border security because doing so was slightly more convenient for Mitch McConnell than the alternative. But on Friday, that changed because the men and women who control America's air traffic and attend to its airline passengers made it change. After weeks of unpaid labor, America's (already underfunded and understaffed) air traffic controllers finally brought the shutdown home, calling out sick in numbers large enough to grind airports across the Eastern seaboard to a halt. .... The Flight Attendant Union struck a sharper note. Do we have your attention now Leader McConnell? the union asked in its statement. The shutdown must end immediately. A closer study reveals that Pelosi, like Schumer, was merely obeying the revved-up mandate of the Democratic base. Had it been left up to the leadership, I believe they would have caved a week into the shutdown. But the base wouldn't let them. All the credit should go, then, to two groups. First, the unions of America. In the age of Trump, the labor movement is rediscovering its strength. The earlier strikes in West Virginia, Arizona, and Oklahoma prove my point. The unions won the shutdown. Second, the mobilized Dem basefervent, rabidly progressive, and uncompromising. The same base that elected AOC, Rashida Tlaib, and a dozen other honest-to-God agents of change to the Congress; the same base that is pushing corporate Dems out of the party; the same base that will deny the Clinton machine another go at the nomination. American media spends too much attention on the MAGA movement and Trump's dwindling, aging, prosperous base. The far-right white nationalism of the modern GOP is an eye-catching story. But in their rush to normalize the forces of Trump, the media missed a far more important narrative: the emergence of an empowered, growing, government-toppling left. The rise of this movement goes beyond merely electoral politics. The resurgent populist left can be seen in the hundreds of Indivisible chapters that have sprouted up across America, in the record numbers of women running for, and winning, office. It can be seen in the progressive politicization of American millennials. The conservative movement began losing the young during the age of Bush, and have continued to shed them in ungodly numbers under Trump. Most of all, we can see the rise of the American left in the fierce, unstoppable return of militant labor. It's a necessary counterbalance in this grotesque era of gilded wealth. Historians keep reminding me that the agitation in the heartland is an echo of how the conservative resurgence happened in the '70s. Forty years ago, the Democrats had control of every branch of government. They looked set to reign forever. But a conservative upheaval happened at the margins: a tax revolt in California, busing protests, rallies against the Equal Rights Amendment, and soon liberalism was on the defensive. In this last election, Orange County, the home-base of modern conservatism, went blue. Miracles and wonders abounded. The shutdown didn't have to happen, but the president did it anyway, for the same reason he's pushed anything in his presidency: ego and cluelessness. What the Court Packing Plan was to Franklin Roosevelt, the Shutdown Defeat will be Trump: the moment that power began to run back to Congress. The shutdown affected 800,000 federal workers across America. It put a lie to most of the claims Trump made about himself and his presidency. It showed his incompetence at dealmakingas if we needed any more proof. And there was no reason for it, besides the Orangeman's fool pride. What is Trump's harvest from those 35 days? Agitated workers, an activated opposition, and a pissed-off Republican base. Trump has given progressivism a generous gift. Without the president's bungling, the unions would not have been able to display such obvious power. Or the right cue. Prior to the strike, a number of pundits and commentators wondered: Why weren't airline-related unions striking? As Matt Christman discussed on Chapo Trap House, striking was the ideal response, and the logical one. The TSA workers weren't getting paid. Going for broke would scare the absolute hell out of the country. Striking just made too much sense. The power was there, waiting to be picked up. Air travel cornerstones our society. It's the chokehold of an entire civilization, and political dynamite. Seizing control of the airportsshutting them down, effectivelymeans grabbing hold of the economic bloodflow of the country. Airports are all but designed to be political, social, and security chokepoints. They were used that way last week. Thank you air traffic controllers, flight attendants, federal workers and contract employees for standing up for your rights, holding rallies, organizing and sharing heartbreaking stories over the past 35 days. You are the reason that the government shutdown finally ended. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 26, 2019 The historian and writer Corey Robin summed up the End of the Shutdown perfectly, and positioned it in the proper context. In a Facebook post, he wrote It looks like my historical trifecta is now complete. The modern GOP launched its first successful salvo against the Democratic Party with charges that the Dems wanted socialized medicine. Trump's first major defeat came over his effort to repeal the ACA. The second successful salvo of the GOP against the Dems was the charge of twenty years of treason because of alleged ties between the Democrats and the Russians. (A version of that got repeated in the late 1970s over the Team B report.) The second source of Trump's weakness has been his ties to the Russians. And then a third, and final, GOP victory came in 1981, when Reagan destroyed the air traffic controllers' union. Well look at the two unions that brought Trump down now: air traffic controllers and flight attendants. What's more, the strikes and Trump's defeat occurred during an unusually busy week for politics. It was as if fate had set up events to demonstrate the waning of American conservative power specifically, and the unraveling of the Washington consensus generally. Roger Stone's humiliating arrest was merely the most visible symbol. The waves of change were felt everywhere. While the air unions were dictating policy to Trump, and the teachers' unions were winning in Los Angeles, the media giant BuzzFeed gutted a huge chunk of its hard-working staff. BuzzFeed's success, and its recently increased stature, is due largely to the untiring work done by its rank-and-file journalists. Incidentally, this was the same staff who'd been told by the company CEO that they didn't need a union. BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Perretti, whose net worth is estimated at $200 million, is anti-union and has opposed any efforts for BuzzFeed employees to unionize so he can get away with cuts like this https://t.co/MlRJ5rPjqd Michael Sainato (@msainat1) January 23, 2019 Here's Jonah Peretti dismissing the value of a union at Buzzfeed back in 2015. https://t.co/omxsejnKdm Zach Schonfeld (@zzzzaaaacccchhh) January 24, 2019 As BuzzFeed's media reporter at the time, @perlberg, reported in 2017, Peretti said he isn't anti union, but thinks unionizing would be bad for BuzzFeed. That makes the layoffs today & those to come all the more painful, and highlights the power imbalance https://t.co/UPXbJRJTXo Hamza Shaban (@hshaban) January 26, 2019 I asked Doug Henwood, a contributing editor at The Nation, what he thought about the events of the week. He noted that the Trump cave-in showed the power of the working class to shut shit down. The transportation and logistics sectors are so vulnerable. They could shut things down in a day or two. I asked him why this was happening now. There was a feeling in the air, I said: the fever breaking on the Trump Presidency, Ocasio-Cortez being elected, the shift in the Democratic base away from Clintonism. Maybe its just a bill of forty years coming due, I wrote. Trumps election showed the old order had cracked, but so much had been going on under the surface. The air unions were the manifestation of something deeper. And since this was all spontaneous/wildcat Trump couldnt fire them, Henwood told me. A lot of people have just fucking had it. There hadnt been anything like this in decades, he added. Yes, its been a while, as the band Staind once said. But seeing the strange wonders of the past week was like watching a long-comatose body return to life. A jerk of the hand here, a twitch of the foot there. Whats the boundary between sleep and waking? Hard to say. The longest shutdown in American history ended. The culprit got called on his bullshit. And it wasnt just the government that got restarted. The last part of January is when we begin to hope for the finish to a long cold. George R. R. Martin got it backwards: Winter is going. 100 years ago Jan. 28, 1919: Two Bloomington detectives arrested W.H. Alexander, suspected of robbing the W.H. Gould jewelry store in Farmer City six nights ago. Two stolen pieces have been recovered, but more are still missing. A Farmer City officer will pick Alexander up tomorrow. 75 years ago Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Jan. 28, 1944: Marine Capt. W.C. Duncan of Bloomington was awarded the air medal for meritorious service. He shot down a Japanese fighter which had just attacked the plane leading the American formation during a mission. He lives at 1006 S. Center St. 50 years ago Jan. 28, 1969: Health officials report slow progress in the war on rats. Exterminators are pumping cyanide gas into rat holes in Normal; and everyone is watching the fields where rats are believed concentrated. Terms like rat hell are freely used in the media. 25 years ago Jan. 28, 1994: The federal appeals court in Ottawa has reversed the conviction of a New Mexico man tied to the states largest-ever cocaine seizure. Forty-three tons of cocaine were seized from a load of potatoes near LaSalle. A new trial has been ordered for Alfonso Amaya, the defendant. Compiled by Jack Keefe; jkeefe@coldwellhomes.com. All those who served in the military are familiar with the UCMJ. The UCMJ replaces civilian law for service members and in most cases establishes higher standards of behavior than civilian law addresses. Effective Jan. 1, sweeping reforms and updates to the UCMJ were implemented. The changes were characterized by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be the most significant reforms to the Uniform Code of Military Justice since it was enacted six decades ago. Examples include a new criminal offense barring sexual relations between troops in recruiting or training roles and their recruits or trainees, regardless of consent. The article barring "adultery" has been changed to extramarital sexual conduct and now includes same-sex affairs. Court-ordered legal separation has been added as an allowed defense against the charge. Conviction could result in up to a year in confinement, a dishonorable discharge and forfeiture of all retirement pay. Stalking and cyberstalking were newly added as crimes. The stolen valor (unauthorized wearing of medals of valor) penalty has increased from six months to a maximum of one-year confinement, along with forfeiture of pay and a bad-conduct discharge. DID YOU KNOW? The U.S. Supreme Court rejected appeals from military veterans who claim they suffer health problems because of open burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 60 combined civil lawsuits, against civilian military contractor KBR, contended KBR dumped tires, batteries, medical waste and other materials into open burn pits. The suits claimed the resulting smoke caused neurological problems, cancers and other health issues, including at least 12 deaths. The appeals court denied the lawsuits because KBR was essentially under military control and had little discretion in deciding how to manage the waste. As previously reported in Veterans Corner, the VA established a Burn Pit Exposure Registry in an effort to gather enough information about the medical conditions of exposed veterans to determined a causative relationship. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. VA TECHNOLOGY MOBILE ULTRASOUND The VA Health Care System is introducing an ultra-portable ultrasound device known as the Butterfly QZ, which plugs into an iPhone. The user prompts the probe into action and gives it directions with a finger-flick of an app and a tap on individual links that are pre-programmed for screening of the heart, lungs, veins of the legs and other parts of the body. Squeezing some gel on the head of the probe, the physician places the device on the patients body in the specific area of concern. Doctors who have used the device claim that, most of the time, they can figure out why a patient is having trouble breathing without sending the patient for any additional tests. VA TECHNOLOGY 3D PRINTING VA is expanding the integrated network system that enables health care staff to share best practice uses of the departments 3D printing capabilities. The Veterans Health Administration innovators across 20 sites are using 3D printing to solve a wide range of issues, from pre-surgical planning to manufacturing hand and foot orthotics. At the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, the 3D printer produces 3D model kidneys for patients with renal cancer, allowing surgeons to plan their surgical approach to maximize preservation of normal kidney tissue and avoid disturbing unaffected vessels that surround a tumor. This process saves up to two hours per surgery, reduces the time patients are under anesthesia, and increases operating room availability. VA occupational therapists are using 3D printers to manufacture specialized hand orthotics and provide same-day fitting and delivery, which offers immediate care and reduces the need for multiple visits. The digital blueprint can be saved, so a replacement can be printed quickly if the orthotic breaks or is damaged. REMINDER The new VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic will open in Bloomington in October. If you are not enrolled in VA Health Care, now is the time. Your VAC office has the VA 10-10EZ enrollment form or browse VA Form 10-10EZ online. If your enrollment has been denied, reapply because the rules change over time, and you may be eligible now. Vogler is superintendent of the McLean County Veterans Assistance Commission. BLOOMINGTON The arrival of arctic-like weather is forcing schools and organizations to alter their operations in the coming days. McLean County Unit 5 will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, the district announced late Monday afternoon. District 87 officials said schools plan to be open on Tuesday, but anticipate closing on Wednesday and Thursday. University High School, Normal, also is closed Wednesday. "At this time, the plan is for District 87 schools to be in session on Tuesday," the district said in a statement. "Based on the forecast for extreme wind chills, we do not anticipate being in session Wednesday and Thursday. However, a final decision will be forthcoming." Also, Illinois State University will close from 11 p.m. Tuesday until 9:30 a.m. Thursday; evening classes and activities on Tuesday will continue as planned until 11 p.m. when the University closes. Heartland Community College also will be closing because of the weather. The closure will begin at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday with the campus reopening at 10 a.m. Thursday. All Thursday classes that begin at 10:30 a.m. or after will meet as usual. Any classes scheduled to begin prior to 10:30 a.m. will not meet. This affects Heartland's locations in Normal, Pontiac and Lincoln. District 87 also announced plans to address the safety of bus riders and students walking to school. "The district will enact Severe Weather Alert Protocols (SWAP) for the day. When SWAP is enacted, the district partners with Illinois Central School Bus Company, Bloomington Police Department, and school resource officers. Bus drivers are instructed to pick up any student walking on a route who appears to lack appropriate clothing for the weather. If the driver is unable to pick up a student, the district office, BPD, and SROs may be contacted to offer assistance" Besides expected school closings, Amtrak announced Monday that two trains that depart daily from the Normal station will not operate Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Amtrak said trains 301 and 304 on the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor are canceled on those days. The 301 train is the southbound train that usually departs the Normal Uptown Station at 9:14 a.m. The 304 northbound train usually departs Normal at 5:56 p.m. Other agencies also are beginning to make preparations, including setting up warming stations in the region, the result of a lingering weather pattern expected to bring record-cold temperatures to the entire state later this week. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory from 10 p.m. Monday through noon Tuesday and from 6 p.m. Tuesday through noon Thursday. Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Lincoln say extremely cold air will surge into the area from the northwest starting late Monday morning, potentially bringing another brief period of freezing drizzle and snow. Another round of light accumulations of snow and ice are possible. Areas to the north will see the most impact, according to the NWS. Extreme cold weather, nearing historic levels of cold and wind chill, are expected Tuesday night through Thursday morning, when a wind chill watch is in effect for the entire region. Current forecasts indicate wind chill temperatures of 25 to 50 degrees below zero across the area. Tuesday nights low is expected to be minus 19 degrees. The high on Wednesday is going to be around minus 10 degrees, said the weather service. Temperatures could fall to minus 20 on Wednesday night, before "warming" up slightly on Thursday, when the high will be 6 degrees. Several agencies and organizations are announcing they will be opening warming centers this week. The Streator Salvation Army at 126 S. Bloomington St. will be open to anyone needing to find warmth. After 9 p.m., residents are advised to call the fire department at 815-672-2266 to be directed to the next open center. Another weather disturbance may bring an inch or so of snow Thursday night. There is good news, however: Sundays high is expected to be 47 degrees. This story will be updated. Brrr! All-time snowfall records Contact Kevin Barlow at (309) 820-3238. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_barlow Love 3 Funny 2 Wow 2 Sad 0 Angry 3 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BLOOMINGTON After nearly 30 years in prison, Donald Whalen will present his case for a new trial Monday in the 1991 slaying of his father in a showdown that will bring former police officers and a man once considered a suspect in the murder to the witness stand. Whalen, now 52, will be represented by Elliot Slosar, who is with the University of Chicagos Innocence Project. Handling the states side of the post-conviction arguments will be Assistant States Attorneys David Rossi and Trevor Sierra. The two-day hearing is expected to open with testimony from Whalen's mother Colleen Whalen, who supports her sons efforts to have his murder conviction reversed. The defense also plans to call Robert McElvaney to testify about a disagreement he had with the victim Whalen's father, Bill that led to his being ejected from the bar hours before the elder Whalen's badly beaten body was found by an employee of the former Twenty Grand Tap downtown. A judge barred jurors from hearing information about Bloomington police contact with McElvaney during Donald Whalens trial. At a pre-trial hearing, McElvaney testified that he was a regular patron at the bar and it was not unusual for him to be asked to leave. According to police testimony at the pre-trial hearing, McElvaney told officers, I wouldnt hurt Bill Whalen. Bill Whalen is my buddy. What did I do? In the 1994 decision confirming Whalens conviction, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled the link between McElvaney and the offense was speculative at best. Slosar has argued that exclusion of the information about another potential suspect denied Donald Whalen a fair trial. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Former Bloomington police chief Randy McKinley, a detective at the time of the Whalen investigation, has been summoned to testify about his contacts with Illinois State Police crime lab staff who reviewed a bloody palm print found on a pool cue near the victim. The print was key evidence against Donald Whalen. Retired crime lab scientist John Dierker is expected to be questioned about alleged discrepancies between his lab notes and an opinion he offered at Whalens trial that no one other than the defendant could have left the palm print. Defense experts Michele Triplett and Karl Reich will testify about the palm print and DNA testing performed on the knife police believe was the murder weapon. The state has disclosed that it also will call former Bloomington police detective Charlie Crowe and a lab scientist as witnesses. This story will be updated. Photos: 2018-19 McLean County jail mugshots Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 1 BLOOMINGTON In a series of 35 questions Monday during Donald Whalen's hearing seeking a new trial, his defense lawyer accused another man of killing Whalen's father in 1991. That man, Robert McElvaney of Bloomington, was called to testify at the hearing. In response to each question, however, he asserted his constitutional right not to answer, based on the possibility that his answers could incriminate him. After nearly 30 years in prison, Donald Whalen is presenting his case for a new trial in the slaying. He is nearing the end of the term he is required to serve on his 60-year sentence. Defense lawyer Elliot Slosar's questions started with an inquiry as to whether McElvaney was "filled with rage" after Bill Whalen forced him to leave what was then the Twenty Grand Tap, a downtown Bloomington bar Bill Whalen owned when he was killed in April 1991. The seriousness of the accusations built to the point of Slosar asking McElvaney if he was the person who stabbed the victim more than 30 times. Among the questions the Bloomington man declined to answer: "Isn't it true you killed Bill Whalen sometime after 2 a.m. on April 6, 1991?" McElvaney also was asked about statements he made to Bloomington police officers when they came to his door after Bill Whalen's badly beaten body was found by an employee. McElvaney was asked if he recalled telling officers, "I wouldn't hurt Bill Whalen ... what did I do?" McElvaney was accompanied in court by his Bloomington lawyer, Hal Jennings. After his client was excused without offering testimony, Jennings told The Pantagraph that refusing to answer questions was in McElvaney's best interest. "Once you open the door, it's open all the way," Jennings said. McElvaney's statements to officers were barred at Donald Whalen's trial when he was convicted of murder. His current legal team with the University of Chicago's Exoneration Project has argued that jurors should have heard about a second potential suspect. Judge Scott Drazewski also heard Monday from former Bloomington Police Chief Randy McKinley, who was a crime scene technician at the time of Whalen's murder. Defense lawyer Tara Thompson asked McKinley about how several knives and pieces of two pool cues were processed as evidence. A key argument of Whalen's petition for a new trial involves McKinley's opinion as to how a palm print was left on a pool cue used to hit the victim. At Whalen's trial, McKinley testified that blood already was on a pool cue when a hand allegedly Donald Whalen's grabbed it, leaving a palm print. The defense has questioned how an Illinois State Police crime lab scientist determined that no other person could have left the palm print. The scientist, John Dierker, was scheduled to testify Monday afternoon, but the hearing was continued until Tuesday after a water main break at the Law and Justice Center closed the building. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} McKinley said Monday he did not recall any phone conversations with Dierker about the crime lab analysis of fingerprints. After he was shown Dierker's records of the calls, McKinley acknowledged the two had talked, noting it's been 28 years since he worked on the case. McKinley, who now leads the St. Charles, Mo. police department, also was asked about documents prosecutors used to prepare him for his 1991 trial testimony. The documents were in a batch of records obtained by the defense within the past two years in response to a subpoena to the Bloomington police. McKinley said he had no idea why police had the trial preparation records. The documents, characterized as "a script" by the defense, included McKinley's handwritten note to "go ahead and say it's blood," referring to a red stain he observed on the broken pool cue and a prosecutor's direction on his testimony. "I've never been told what to say," said McKinley, adding that he has never committed perjury. McKinley also was asked about the collection of fingerprint samples collected from Bill Whalen's hands, an issue raised in a 2018 affidavit filed by Dierker in which he said he lacked a suitable print for comparison with the palm print. McKinley said a complete set of prints was taken from the victim as part of the autopsy process. A state police crime scene technician worked with McKinley "to make sure we had what John Dierker needed" for his identification of prints in the case, said McKinley. The defense has argued that Bill Whalen's prior interactions with police produced fingerprints police should been able to access during the investigation. During cross-examination by Assistant State's Attorney David Rossi, McKinley maintained he was careful to package the bent and broken knives in cardboard boxes to protect what would most likely be key evidence in the murder case. McKinley said he would not alter his handling of the Whalen case. Two defense experts are scheduled to testify Tuesday on DNA and fingerprint issues. The state has two witnesses who will address the same issues from an opposing viewpoint. Photos: Donald Whalen seeks new trial in murder of father Contact Edith Brady-Lunny at (309) 820-3276. Follow her on Twitter: @pg_blunny Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Bloomington-Normal Galleries, museums ISU University Galleries; noon-4 p.m. Mon., 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue., 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., Uptown Station, 11 Uptown Circle, Normal; rotating exhibits in three galleries; free; 309-438-8321. IWU Merwin and Wakeley Galleries; school hours, noon-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., 7-9 p.m. Tue.; 302 E. Graham St., Bloomington; rotating exhibits; free; 309-556-3391. McLean County Arts Center; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat.; 601 N. East St., Bloomington; rotating exhibits, sales, rentals, art classes and lectures; free; 309-829-0011. McLean County Museum of History; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. (until 9 p.m. Tue.), 200 N. Main St., Bloomington; permanent and rotating exhibits; adults $5, seniors $4, students, children under 12 and members free; 309-827-0428. Prairie Aviation Museum; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thu.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., 2929 E. Empire St., Bloomington; permanent and rotating exhibits and displays with aerial history themes; adults $5, ages 6-11 $3, 5 and under free; 309-663-7632. Exhibits "Native Voices: Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness"; through Feb. 14, Illinois Wesleyan University Ames Library, Bloomington; traveling exhibit; CANCELLED: 6-7 p.m. Jan. 31, Warriors in Mr. Lincoln's Army. Megan Kathol Bersett and Tyler Lotz; through Feb. 15, Brandt Gallery, Bloomington; artist reception: 5-7 p.m. Jan. 18. Jeff Bess; through Feb. 15, Armstrong Gallery, Bloomington; artist reception: 5-7 p.m. Jan. 18. Mandy Roeing Fine Art; through February, IAA Credit Union main lobby, 808 IAA Drive, Bloomington; pastel pet portraits. Sheila Allen paintings; through March 31, Normal Public Library. "Leaving Home"; LizBeth Ogiela-Scheck, Dreams 2 Create Art House, 903 S. Allin St., Bloomington. Pedal Power!; through spring 2020, McLean County Museum of History; exhibit of vintage pedal cars from the collection of Bruce Callis. ImagineAir; Children's Discovery Museum, uptown Normal; permanent exhibit shows power of wind, wind energy, aerodynamics, fluid dynamics; $7 for age 2 and older, $3 for Museums for All passholders; free, CDM members. Challenges, Choices & Change: Working for a Living; McLean County Museum of History; highlights more than 80 local workers and their daily on-the-job experiences. Challenges, Choices and Change: Making a Home; McLean County Museum of History; permanent exhibit exploring experiences of people from around the world who made McLean County their home. Abraham Lincoln in McLean County; McLean County Museum of History; permanent exhibit on Lincoln's life in Bloomington. Challenges, Choices and Change: Farming in the Great Corn Belt; McLean County Museum of History; permanent exhibit on McLean County's agricultural history. Central Illinois Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Galleries, museums Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun., 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield; Lincoln-themed exhibits, historical displays, special events, more; adults $12, seniors and students $9, ages 5-15 $5, under 5 free; 217-558-8844. Amity Township Museum; 1-3 p.m. first Sunday of month or by appointment, 510 Main St., Cornell; displays and artifacts relating to history of Cornell and Amity Township; free; 815-358-2973. Contemporary Art Center of Peoria; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., Riverfront Arts Center, 305 S.W. Water St., Peoria; rotating exhibits in two galleries; free; 309-674-6822. Dickson Mounds Museum; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 10956 N. Dickson Mounds Road, Lewistown; displays, special exhibits; free; 309-547-3721. Eureka College Burgess Hall Art Gallery; 9 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays and by appointment on weekends, third floor of Burgess Hall, Eureka College, Eureka; rotating exhibits; free; 309-467-6866. Lincoln Heritage Museum; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat., Lincoln Center at Lincoln College, 300 Keokuk St., Lincoln; Lincoln-era items, audiovisual displays, tours, exhibits, more; adults $7, children/tours $4; 217-735-7399. Museum of the Gilding Arts; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun., April-Oct., and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Sun., Nov.-March, 217 N. Mill St., Pontiac; displays, history and hands-on exhibits dedicated to the art of gilding and gold leafing; free (donations welcome); 815-842-1848. Peoria Art Guild; Foster Arts Center, Harrison and Washington streets, Peoria; rotating exhibits, gift shop; free; 309-637-2787. Peoria Riverfront Museum; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Wed. and Sat., 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thu.-Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sun., downtown riverfront Peoria; permanent and rotating exhibits, planetarium shows, Giant Screen Theater and events; $9-$11 (free parking in museum garage); 309-686-7000. Pontiac Community Art Center; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., 209 W. Madison St., Pontiac; rotating exhibits; 815-419-2472. Simpkins Military History Museum; 1-5 p.m. Tue., Thu., Sat., or by appointment; 605 E. Cole St., Heyworth; permanent and rotating military history exhibits; free (donations accepted); 309-473-3989. Time Gallery; Fondulac Bank, 201 Clock Tower Drive, East Peoria; 309-467-2331 U of I Krannert Art Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. (until 9 p.m. Thu. during fall and spring semesters), closed Sun., 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign; paintings, porcelain, historical artifacts, traveling art exhibits; $3 donation suggested; 217-333-1861. Exhibits PTHS AP Showcase; through January, Joe Bailey Gallery, Pontiac Community Art Center; 2D in various media. ExIconoclast: ReMaking Myth; an exhibit of assemblage art with found objects that connect with mythologies and classic literature, and photography exhibits emphasizing the Mackinaw River and rural America, opening reception, 10 a.m. to noon, Feb. 2; Time Gallery, Fondulac Bank, East Peoria; exhibits open through March 30; gallery talks, 10-11 a.m. Feb. 2, Art is for everybody: How to enjoy an art gallery; 10-11 am. March 2, What is found object art?; and 10-11 a.m. March 23, One view, two perspectives. American Decoy: The Invention and 10 Medical Inventions That Changed the World; opens Feb. 9, Peoria Riverfront Museum. "The Art of the Brick," opens May 25, Peoria Riverfront Museum; LEGO art exhibition. Da Vinci the Genius with The Secrets of Mona Lisa; opens Nov. 16, Peoria Riverfront Museum. Ottumwa, IA (52501) Today Thunderstorms likely in the morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 87F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening, then skies turning partly cloudy overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Maple Story Corp. preps evaluation of smaller map -- here's Maplestory M Mesos how to get in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is moving back into a testing phase as The Maple Story Corporation invites fans to test a bigger, unfinished map codenamed "Savage." This new degree is a quarter the size of Erangel or Miramar, which are the two present maps which are live on the servers right now. To ensure that Savage is equally as excellent as you possibly can as it goes live, Maple Story Corp. is asking for your feedback regarding how it plays. To get that feedback, the studio is going to hold a closed testing phase that starts April 2 at 7 p.m. Pacific period and ends April 5 a.m. Pacific. To enter, you'll need a code to get access to the experimental build of Maple Story. And it just so happens that I worked out a deal with some of best MS Mesos site the people at Maple Story Corp. to give a handful of keys to a number of my closest friends and family -- that means you. Oskaloosa, IA (52577) Today Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 86F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms before midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low around 60F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. UPDATED 1:18 p.m. with comment from Customs and Border Protection. Portland comedian Mohanad Elshieky said he felt dehumanized by Customs and Border Protection Agents who boarded his Greyhound bus in Washington and demanded to see documentation proving he was in the country legally. A series of tweets about his experience have caught the attention of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., an outspoken critic of U.S. immigration policy. This morning, ICE agents got on my Greyhound bus that was headed from Spokane to Portland. They walked around before they asked me and few others to step outside and took my documents and interrogated me for around 20 mins then claimed my papers were fake and that Im illegal. Mohanad Elshieky (@MohanadElshieky) January 27, 2019 Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that its actions were lawful and that the agencys work is vital to national security. Elshiekys experience was first reported by Willamette Week. Elshieky moved to the United States in 2014 from Libya and was granted asylum in October last year. He had faced persecution in his home country for his outspoken views and political commentary. Getting asylum gave Elshieky the permanent right to live and work in the U.S., with a clear path to citizenship. Elshieky said he was sitting near the back of the Portland-bound bus around 11 a.m. Sunday in Spokane when two men in green uniforms boarded and started asking people if they were citizens. There were about 20 people on the bus, but Elshieky said the uniformed men approached only him and three people on the bus who looked Hispanic. With probable cause, federal law allows agents to board any vehicle within 100 miles of a national border and ask people for their citizenship status. Spokane is about 95 miles away from Canada. The 27-year-old said he gave them his government-issued work permit and Oregon drivers license and said he wasnt a citizen. The agents asked Elshieky to step outside with them. The license and permit werent enough for the agents, he said, and they demanded to see his asylum papers. He told the agents he doesnt carry those because he doesnt want to lose them. But he felt confident that the issue would be sorted out quickly, Elshieky said, because one of the agents made a call to confirm his work permit was valid. He overheard a woman on the other end of the line confirming Elshieky was in the database. But when the agent got off the phone, he again demanded to see Elshiekys asylum papers. In my head, all I was thinking about was, I had my papers on me. And that wasn't enough for you, Elshieky said. The agents claimed his documents were forged, he said. One of these days, I hope people realize that the idea that ICE should be scrapped isnt so crazy after all. ICE jails children in for-profit detention centers funded by private equity grps. Kids are dying w/ 0 accountability. If thats not totally broken, I dont know what is. https://t.co/AlMgLiHVnu Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 28, 2019 Elshieky said he went on the offensive, telling the agents he knew his rights, that their actions were illegal, and that if they didnt return his license and work permit, he would have to call his lawyer. One of the agents then shouted at him to take his hands out of pockets, Elshieky said. The agents let him go, Elshieky said, and told him to carry his documentation with him going forward. An attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union blasted Greyhound and the Border Patrol in reaction to Elshiekys account. Greyhound shouldnt be authorizing CBP to come on their bus, harass individuals, pull people off the bus, Leland Baxter-Neal said. What happened to the comedian sounds to me both unlawful and very wrong and against what our countrys about. The agency described events differently. Its normal to ask people to get off a bus to check their immigration status, an agency spokesperson said, and Elshieky was allowed back on the bus within 20 minutes. The comedian did not have the documents necessary to prove he was in the country legally, the spokesperson said. Neither a drivers license nor a work permit qualify. The experience left Elshieky feeling like his legal status was used to determine his worth as a human being, he said. It felt very lonely, he said. The incident hasnt shaken the comedians commitment to this country, Elshieky said. It doesnt make him want to go back to Libya. I've established myself here, he said. Im not gonna let anyone push me out. -- Fedor Zarkhin fzarkhin@oregonian.com desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. SEATTLE The most powerful super PAC in Democratic politics is promising to make former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz a target if he launches an independent presidential bid. Democrats across the political spectrum lashed out at the billionaire businessman on Monday after he teased the prospect of an independent 2020 bid, a move Democrats fear would split their vote and all but ensure President Donald Trump's re-election. "If Schultz entered the race as an independent, we would consider him a target... We would do everything we can to ensure that his candidacy is unsuccessful," said Patrick McHugh, executive director of Priorities USA. The super PAC spent nearly $200 million in the 2016 presidential contest, much of it to support Democrat Hillary Clinton. "The bottom line," he said, "is that I don't think Americans are looking for another selfish billionaire to enter the race." Democrats conceded that they had few tools to dissuade Schultz from launching an independent campaign as he told "60 Minutes" he was considering though many were skeptical that he would actually follow through. No presidential candidate in the modern era has run a successful independent campaign. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg offered Schultz a direct message based on his own experience. "The data was very clear and very consistent. Given the strong pull of partisanship and the realities of the electoral college system, there is no way an independent can win. That is truer today than ever before," Bloomberg, who is considering a Democratic 2020 bid, said in a statement. He continued: "In 2020, the great likelihood is that an independent would just split the anti-Trump vote and end up re-electing the president. That's a risk I refused to run in 2016 and we can't afford to run it now." Tina Podlodowski, the Democratic chairwoman in Washington state, where Schultz has lived for decades, also blasted the potential of an independent campaign. "Howard, if you want to run for President, run as a Democrat," she said in a statement. "If you want to rely on your money to get elected instead of talking with voters, run as a Republican. But a billionaire buying his way out of the entire primary process does not strengthen democracy; it only makes it more likely that our democracy will be further strained under another four years of President Donald Trump." Trump himself weighed in on Monday, tweeting that Schultz "doesn't have the 'guts' to run for President!" Schultz indirectly addressed the uproar in a video posted on social media Monday. "At this time in America when there's so much evidence that our political system is broken that both parties at the extreme are not representing the silent majority of the American people isn't there a better way?" Schultz said, noting that he'd be traveling the country in the coming weeks and months meeting with voters. "And what better expression of our democracy than to give the American people a choice that they deserve." The 65-year-old Seattle billionaire launched a tour Monday to promote his latest book, "From the Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America." He has stops this week in New York; Tempe, Arizona; Seattle; and San Francisco but no dates listed for the early voting states of Iowa or New Hampshire. He's been mentioned as a potential candidate many times before, and he's done little to quell speculation about his presidential ambitions since saying when he retired from Starbucks last June that his future could include "public service." On paper, Schultz offers a number of qualities that might appeal to voters. He grew up in public housing in New York City's Brooklyn borough and became the first person in his family to graduate from college. He took over Starbucks when it sold only coffee beans, not cups it had 11 stores and fewer than 100 employees at the time and grew it into a global behemoth that now has close to 30,000 stores in 78 countries. Along the way, he adopted an ethos of corporate responsibility, making Starbucks one of the earliest U.S. companies to offer stock options and health insurance even to part-time employees, and more recently partnering with Arizona State University to cover tuition for workers who want to earn their bachelor's degree online. He's waded into contentious social issues. In 2013, Starbucks asked customers not to bring guns into stores following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and in 2015, Schultz drew anger and ridicule after he urged baristas to write "Race Together" on cups to spark conversations amid tension over police shootings of black men. Last year, after two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks while waiting for a business meeting, Starbucks closed 8,000 U.S. stores early so employees could take anti-bias training. He's been a longtime Democratic donor, contributing to the campaigns of former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, and Washington Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, among others. He has also criticized Trump, telling employees that the president was creating "chaos" and hurting business; calling Trump's tax cuts for corporations unnecessary and reckless; and vowing to hire 10,000 refugees after Trump issued an executive order banning travel from seven mostly Muslim nations. But some of his views might clash with a Democratic Party gearing up to unseat Trump. While some potential nominees, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and California Sen. Kamala Harris, have endorsed single-payer health care, heavily taxing the rich or free tuition at public colleges, Schultz has criticized such proposals as unrealistic and instead emphasized expanding the economy and curbing entitlements to get the national debt under control. "It concerns me that so many voices within the Democratic Party are going so far to the left," Schultz told CNBC last June. "I ask myself, 'How are we going to pay for all these things?' in terms of things like single-payer or people espousing the fact that the government is going to give everyone a job. I don't think that's realistic." The Democratic National Committee declined to address Schultz directly. Spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa offered this response: We are focused on defeating Donald Trump, and anyone who shares that goal should vote for the Democrat nominee in 2020. The Associated Press With word just out today of a continuing resolution to reopen the federal government until Feb. 15, now is the time to support funding for Oregons and other states national parks. Last year, legislation was introduced that would have set up a dedicated fund for national park repairs. With the support of the entire Oregon congressional delegation, it almost passed Congress. Outdoor experience is an integral part of the work we do here at Northwest Youth Corps. Since 1984, weve provided opportunities for youth and young adults to earn money, high school credit, job references, and/or professional certifications, as they build trails, enhance natural habitats, remove invasive species, and develop other valuable outdoor skills. On a larger scale, Oregons $16.4 billion outdoor recreation industry helps sustain our states economy while providing work for 172,000 people. These efforts are hampered by aging infrastructure and a lack of dedicated funding for repairs. Oregon alone has more than $115 million worth of needed repairs in historic places including Crater Lake, John Day Fossil Beds, Oregon Caves, Oregon Dunes, Fort Clatsop and Hells Canyon. I invite readers to join us in reaching out to our congressional delegation to support funding that is vital to Oregons national parks and wildlands. This Congress must succeed where the last did not, because our national parks cannot afford to wait any longer. Natalie Whitson, Eugene Whitson is the development officer for the Northwest Youth Corps The student at the center of the Covington Catholic High School controversy is quoted as saying, I wish we could have walked away. With abundant administrative experience supervising young students in Washington D.C., other major cities in the U.S. and abroad, this I know to be true: the onus of responsibility for protecting students and ensuring safe passage falls upon the school official in charge of the group. The task of properly trained adult chaperones on a field trip is to work with leadership to insulate students from potential threats and protect them at all times.With this unfortunate situation, I immediately focus on adult leaders who clearly blundered by not disentangling their youthful charge from a volatile situation. With a group of impressionable teens wearing Make America Great Again hats, the stage was set for combustion. With an absence of forethought and initiative, both assigned school leadership and adult chaperones clearly failed in their duty. They need to be held accountable for errors in judgment and lack of proper protocol.This is a learning situation for the students and none should face disciplinary repercussions. Rather, they should be led in conversation regarding time, place and manner of proper conduct in public spaces. At all times, teach and protect the children. Gerry Kosanovic, Corvallis By Michael H. Schill, Maria A. Gallegos-Chacon, Louie Vidmar and Chris Sinclair Schill is president of University of Oregon; Gallegos-Chacon is president of the Associated Students of the University of Oregon; Vidmar and Chris Sinclair are presidents of unions representing staff, faculty and administrators. State lawmakers begin the 2019 legislative session with a clear choice that will profoundly affect the future of Oregon. Will they support access to higher education by investing in our public colleges and universities? Or, by failing to meaningfully support students, will they allow soaring tuition and debt to slam the door on students and families? It is not hyperbole to say that the states future depends on ensuring that all Oregonians have access to an affordable, accessible and financially-stable education system. The surest path to future success is by obtaining a college education. Todays undergraduates are the next generation of Oregon leaders, parents, entrepreneurs, teachers, doctors, artists, scientists, farmers, architects, journalists, engineers, small business owners and more. Yet some policy makers seem content to maintain current levels of higher education funding or leave it completely out of conversations about revenue reform, which is needed to adequately support the entire education system. Without new dollars, Oregons community colleges and universities will be forced to consider double-digit tuition increases that would deny opportunity to students who need it the most. Flat funding also would lead to painful budget cuts and the loss of hundreds -- and potentially thousands -- of jobs. Some Oregonians hear a message coming from Salem that sounds as if lawmakers plan to ignore tens of thousands of college and university students who represent our collective future. We hope that is unintentional and will quickly be corrected. Over the past 20 years, the state has shifted the cost of paying for higher education on to Oregons students. In the 1990s, public support provided about two-thirds of the cost of a four-year degree for each resident student. Today, that ratio has largely been reversed, with students and families picking up the difference through higher tuition rates. Even with increases over the last few years in state dollars, public support for higher education in Oregon remains below pre-recession levels and ranks among the lowest in the nation on a per capita basis. Oregon cannot afford to fall further behind. Oregons colleges and universities have been clear that without at least $120 million for public universities and $77 million for community colleges, every institution across the state will face budget shortfalls that will have to be closed with a mix of tuition increases and budget cuts. Flat funding will close the door of opportunity for students across Oregon and will hurt the economy. The reverberations will touch students, families and communities in every corner of the state. With an eye toward the future and an unwavering focus on supporting students, now is the time for lawmakers to commit to investing in every child in Oregon. That means funding Oregons entire education system -- K-12, community colleges, and four-year public colleges and universities -- regardless of whether it is within the existing budget or with revenue from proposed new taxes. As leaders of the University of Oregon -- representing students, staff, faculty and administration -- we stand unified and ready to help lawmakers as they set to tackle these tough challenges in the coming months. Our students deserve as much and Oregons future depends on it. Michael H. Schill is president of the University of Oregon; Maria A. Gallegos-Chacon is president of the Associated Students of the University of Oregon; Louie Vidmar is president of SEIU Local 085; and Chris Sinclair is president of United Academics. A man found dead near Mount St. Helens last week was the victim of homicide, southwest Washington officials said Monday. The Skamania County Sheriffs Office said it received a report of suspicious circumstances on a forest road about 6 miles east of Cougar on Thursday afternoon and that detectives later discovered a dead person in the area. On Saturday, officials conducted an autopsy and determined the cause of death to be homicidal violence, the sheriffs office said in a news release. The agency didnt release any information about how the person is thought to have died, but said the victim was positively identified over the weekend. The identity of the victim was not released Monday, however, as officials worked to notify the next of kin. Deputies said the suspicious circumstances were reported on Forest Road 83 near its junction with Forest Road 90 about 2:15 p.m. and that detectives later found the victim in the area. Officials said they dont believe there is any ongoing threat to people in the area, but asked anyone who was around Ape Cave or Marble Mountain on Jan. 23 to contact the sheriffs office if they saw anything suspicious. -- Kale Williams kwilliams@oregonian.com 503-294-4048 @sfkale Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. A 44-year-old man who kidnapped a stranger at gunpoint as she walked along a Southeast Portland street and then shot her was sentenced Monday to 13 years in prison. Anthony David Stone also tried to sexually assault the 41-year-old woman in a secluded parking lot after kidnapping her about 2:30 a.m. on July 1, 2016, investigators say. The woman had just bought some food and had been walking with a male friend near Southeast 88th Avenue and Lafayette Street back to her apartment, when Stone pulled up with a gun and told the woman to get into his Dodge Charger, investigators say. Police responding to a 911 call immediately began searching the area before spotting the Charger speeding through neighborhoods. Police tried to stop the car but werent successful. As Stone drove over a speed bump, his gun went off and shot the woman in her lower body, prompting him to apologize and let her out of his car, she later told police. Police found her about 4 a.m. near Southeast 43rd Avenue and Woodward Street. Brent Weisberg, a spokesman for the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office, said Stone contended that he hadnt intended to kidnap that particular woman -- rather he intended to kidnap a similar-looking woman. Stone said he had a beef with that other woman: He had paid her to perform sex acts on him, but she hadnt followed through. Weisberg said the kidnapping of the 41-year-old victim appears to be a case of mistaken identity. Stone was scheduled to go to trial Monday, but instead pleaded guilty to first-degree kidnapping with a firearm, coercion with a firearm, third-degree assault with a firearm and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. Although this plea agreement does not include Mr. Stone pleading guilty to any of the alleged sex offenses, the state believes the victim, and we believe that they occurred, Deputy District Attorney Bumjoon Park said in a news release. We recognize the trauma the victim experienced, and continues to experience, because of this violent event. Proceeding to trial would have compounded that trauma. This resolution will allow the victim to continue to heal while it simultaneously holds Mr. Stone accountable. After Stone let the woman go, police learned hed collided with another car on the Hawthorne Bridge. Witnesses said a man, later identified as Stone, fired off five bullets before running from the scene. That prompted police to close the bridge for nearly five hours, backing up morning rush hour traffic. Investigators say Stone fled the state, then turned himself in more than five months later in December 2017. Stone has a criminal history that includes a federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2009 and sexual assault convictions in Connecticut in 2004. -- Aimee Green agreen@oregonian.com o_aimee Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. A judge on Monday threw out a $500,000 lawsuit filed against the city by Dont Shoot Portland leader Teressa Raiford, who claimed police singled her out and falsely arrested her during a 2015 protest. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Leslie Bottomly dismissed Raifords lawsuit, finding police had probable cause to arrest Raiford for allegedly interfering with an officer as she stood in a Southeast Portland street to lead a local demonstration in August 2015. During a 2016 trial, prosecutors didnt pursue an interference charge, but did pursue a second-degree disorderly conduct charge for allegedly obstructing traffic. Just before the trial, Judge Michael Greenlick found that parts of a police officers statements werent credible and that police didnt have probable cause to arrest Raiford for disorderly conduct. A few days later, a jury acquitted her of that charge. But Bottomlys probable cause finding means Raiford has no grounds to sue the city for alleged false arrest, battery and assault. Well appeal, said Raifords attorney, Matthew McHenry. Were not giving up. Raifords lawsuit stemmed from her arrest on the afternoon of Aug. 9, 2015. Raiford, who also is a prominent local leader of the Black Lives Matter movement and an outspoken critic of police use of force, was leading a crowd of about 100 in marking the one-year anniversary of the shooting death of Michael Brown. Brown, an unarmed African American teenager, was fatally shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Raiford said she was lawfully protesting when five police officers caught her by surprise as they suddenly crossed Southeast Division Street near 82nd Avenue, appeared behind her and arrested her while she was calling out chants. Raiford was one of a small number of protesters who were in one of the traffic lanes of Southeast Division Street. In a video of the protest, she can be seen pacing roughly 3 to 6 feet from the curb as she leads the crowd, standing on the sidewalk, in chants. After the jury acquitted her of disorderly conduct, Raiford said her arrest and prosecution were evidence of police bias and abuse of power. Her civil trial had been scheduled to start Monday and last several days this week. -- Aimee Green agreen@oregonian.com o_aimee Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. The little Oregon post office popular with people sending out wedding invitations is back in business. The 110-square-foot building in Bridal Veil will reopen Monday at 10 a.m., KPTV reports. A Christmas Eve break-in at the beloved Columbia River Gorge post office forced a temporary closure, due to extensive vandalism. The damage was significant enough to close the facility altogether, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman said in early January. Thats something we dont do lightly. The post office is pretty much the only ongoing business in the tiny former lumber town, thanks to soon-to-be-joined couples from around the country who want the postmark on their invitations to read Bridal Veil. The last mill in the town shut down more than 30 years ago, which prompted almost all of its residents to leave. The town is listed on a national ghost towns reference site. -- Douglas Perry @douglasmperry Two confirmed cases of measles in Hawaii were in unvaccinated children who traveled to the Big Island from Washington state, a top Hawaii public health official said Monday. Dr. Sarah Park, state epidemiologist for Hawaii, said Washington public health officials told her office that the family had been exposed to measles as part of the ongoing Clark County outbreak. She said public health officials went to see the family and advised them to remain in the home where they were staying unless they could show proof of vaccination. Park said the home was on a large and relatively isolated part of the Big Island. She said state officials continued to keep tabs on the family during their stay. Basically we would check in with them and just make sure they were adhering to quarantine, Park said. During their visit this month, two children in the family developed measles. The condition was confirmed with lab tests performed by the state of Hawaii. The family remained quarantined during the illness. People with measles are contagious four days before and four days after the onset of the rash that comes with the illness. The family was allowed to leave Hawaii five days after onset. They are gone, thankfully, Park said. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak on Friday, three days after officials in Clark County declared a public health emergency. The outbreak spread to Oregon on Friday, with one confirmed measles case in Multnomah County. Park said Washington public health officials notified Hawaiian authorities fairly quickly upon the familys arrival that they had been exposed to someone with a documented case of measles in Washington. They really didnt have a chance to go much of anywhere on the island, Park said. She said given the timing of the onset of the disease, the children werent contagious while in transit. They werent in an infectious period until a couple of days after they arrived in Hawaii, she said. She declined to provide their ages. We did notify our airport but based on the history and when the two developed the rash and counting back the infectious period four days before and four days after, the two that got measles were not infectious when in the airport, Park said. -- Noelle Crombie 503-276-7184 ncrombie@oregonian.com @noellecrombie Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. One more unvaccinated child has measles, according to Clark County Public Health. The Monday announcement brings the total count of people infected with measles up to 35 -- the majority of whom are children. Public health officials also identified eight new locations where people might have been exposed to the measles virus and included two daycare centers. The virus is passed through the air and can linger in an isolated space for up to two hours. One person has been hospitalized during the outbreak. The places where people might have been exposed are: St. Paul Christian Daycare, 1309 Franklin St., Vancouver: Wednesday, Jan. 16 Thursday, Jan. 17 Friday, Jan. 18 Wednesday, Jan. 23 Yelenas Daycare, 17007 NE 23rd St., Vancouver: Tuesday, Jan. 22 Wednesday, Jan. 23 Kaiser Orchards Medical Office, 7101 NE 137th Ave., Vancouver from 1:50 to 7:30 pm Thursday, Jan. 24. Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave., Portland from 2:30 to 7 pm Saturday, Jan. 19. New Life Mission Church, 3300 NE 172nd Place, Portland from 9:30 am to 2 pm Sunday, Jan. 20. Trader Joes, 305 SE Chkalov Drive, Vancouver from 12:30 to 3:40 pm Monday, Jan. 21. Dollar Tree, 305 SE Chkalov Drive, Vancouver from 1:10 to 4 pm Monday, Jan. 21. Walmart Supercenter, 14505 NE Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver 1:30 to 5 pm Monday, Jan. 21. The outbreak has started to extend outside the Vancouver area. One man who traveled to Clark County was diagnosed with measles. In Oregon, one case was discovered in Multnomah County. Its not yet clear where the person lives. Two people were quarantined during a visit to Hawaii when doctors realized they had been exposed to measles in Clark County and developed the associated rash during the trip. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak on Friday, three days after officials in Clark County declared a public health emergency. The highly contagious virus spreads through the air and can linger for up to two hours in an isolated space. People who have never received a measles vaccine are susceptible to the disease, which can be deadly. State public health officials are urging people who have not received the vaccine to get it now -- as well as people who received the first dose but never the second, both of which are recommended in the first 10 years of life. The measles vaccine is 97 percent effective, and can reduce the risk of infection if gotten within 72 hours after exposure to the virus. Clark County health officials are keeping both students and staff who cannot prove they have been vaccinated from the schools linked to the outbreak, most of which are in the Evergreen School District. Those who are excluded are also not supposed to enter other schools, child care centers or places with lots of people. Even friends and families of students and staff at Evergreen High School and Orchards, Hearthwood and Image elementary schools are asked not to attend any events or games at the schools unless immunized. The Clark County health department has placed this restriction until Jan. 30 for most schools and Feb. 5 for Orchards. To further limit the spread of the virus, health officials ask that people who think they might have measles call their doctor or health care provider before visiting a hospital or doctors office. Washington State Department of Health keeps track of residents immunization status so people can see if they need shots. Clark County Public Health also now maintains a daily call center for questions about the outbreak at 360-397-8021. SEATTLE Microsoft pledged its ample balance sheet to influence affordable homebuilding in the Seattle area. But as part of its $500 million pledge, it also asked regional cities to ease constraints on housing development and that request is running into the messy politics of local zoning. With former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire handling the lobbying, mayors from nine suburban King County cities including Auburn, Bellevue and Kirkland were asked to sign on to a letter that commits them to consider policy changes in seven specific areas. The requests include streamlining the permitting process for affordable housing developments, revising zoning laws to promote population density and waiving parking requirements for projects close to transit hubs. The mayors who signed on said they're pleased with the cash infusion in a region that's in dire need of housing. But even with the Redmond tech giant's backing, some mayors say increasing affordable housing stock remains a challenge, in both their respective city halls and in communities that may be resistant to the changes. The company's pledge includes $475 million in loans for low- and middle-income development projects, plus $25 million in grants to address homelessness. Kirkland Mayor Penny Sweet called Microsoft's push into affordable housing development "fabulous." Sweet said she hopes that driving new money into the market will allow Kirkland to offer more housing options for the retail and service-industry workers who work in shops in the city's upscale downtown district. "We just haven't had the tools to address it, and this helps," she added. Sweet says housing development in the Eastside suburb is hampered by the high cost of property and resistance in single-family neighborhoods to upzoning, which would allow developers to pursue projects reaching up to five stories. Bellevue Mayor John Chelminiak said changes to zoning laws are inevitably controversial, with more resistance at some sites than others. Microsoft hasn't specified exactly how it will invest money, but he cited two planned housing projects that could benefit from funding: One for families who earn middle-income wages but have been priced out of the housing market, and another for lower-income families. In Federal Way, Mayor Jim Ferrell said the city has already seen the impacts of adding affordable housing at a rapid pace. Federal Way absorbed 1,000 units in three apartment complexes within a few years. It had a direct effect on local schools, he said, and he heard from longtime residents who were concerned. But the city continues to have a need for housing, he added. The average monthly rent for a Federal Way apartment in 2018 was $1,388, according to Apartment Insights/RealData. In Redmond, rent was $1,595, and Kirkland, $1,935. The letter to Microsoft that Sweet, Chelminiak, Ferrell and other mayors signed isn't a promise that they'll move forward on each of the requests that are outlined. Among the requests from Microsoft is for cities to reduce impact fees on new development, which under state law can be used to pay for schools, roads, parks and fire stations. Seattle does not charge impact fees, but many others do. Bellevue and Federal Way, for example, charge transportation impact fees, and Redmond, Kirkland and Sammamish charge school impact fees. Ferrell was also cautious about Microsoft's request for cities to offer public land to housing developers at no charge or at deeply discounted prices. "When I first looked at these, I thought, 'I'm not sure we can do all of them,'" Ferrell said. "But it's a promise to utilize them when appropriate." Sweet is hoping Microsoft's affordable housing effort changes minds. "Our community has to recognize that we have to do this." Between cash and short-term investments, Microsoft's balance sheet shows it has about $153 billion in reserves and short-term investments. It is adding 2.5 million square feet to its Redmond headquarters and plans to renovate another 6.7 million square feet, with enough room for an additional 8,000 employees. Redmond wants those employees to live where they work, Mayor John Marchione said, and that requires housing not just for the engineers, but for lower-paid workers who might not be able to afford housing nearby. A steep increase in housing prices has created a gap in middle-income development, he added. The need to house the workers in their city was echoed by Issaquah Mayor Mary Lou Pauly, who said two-thirds of the jobs in Issaquah are in service and retail, which means people are having to drive into work from a more affordable area. Microsoft's plan could be seismic on the Eastside, said Villette Nolon, CEO and president of Imagine Housing, a nonprofit that provides affordable housing for Eastside low-income families. The area is often underrepresented in conversations about homelessness and housing affordability, in part because it's made up of several small cities that lack enough capital to address the issues, said Nolon. The combination of Eastside cities is the equivalent of Seattle, but each is making independent decisions, she said. But now this issue has been recognized as a regional problem. Its helping change the conversation. The Seattle Times 2025 Analysis on Serial Device Server Market Report Forecast: By key players Moxa, Digi International, Advantech, Siemens, Comtrol Corp., 3onedata, OMEGA, Westermo, Etc. Serial Device Server Market https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/36313 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/36313 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/36313 www.upmarketresearch.com Serial Device Server Market research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @UpMarketResearch offers a latest published report on Global Serial Device Server Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.It is a professional and a detailed report focusing on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments and geographical analysis. Further, key players, major collaborations, merger & acquisitions along with trending innovation and business policies are reviewed in the report. The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Serial Device Server Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2018 2025.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.For More Information On This Report, Please VisitThe generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Serial Device Server market analysis & forecast 2018- 2025 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Region- wise Analysis Global Serial Device Server Market covers: North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players reported in the market include: Moxa Digi International Advantech Siemens Industrial Communication Comtrol Corporation 3onedata OMEGA Westermo Atop Technologies Inc. Kyland Perle EtherWAN Systems Korenix Technology Sealevel Systems ORing Industrial Networking Corp. Chiyu Technology Tibbo Technology Inc. Silex Technology America, Inc. Sena Technologies UTEKGlobal Serial Device Server Market: Product Segment Analysis: 1-port Serial Device Server 2-port Serial Device Server 4-port Serial Device Server 8-port Serial Device Server 16-port Serial Device Server Others (32-port Serial Device Server, etc.)Global Serial Device Server Market: Application Segment Analysis: Access Control Systems Attendance System POS Systems OthersMajor Topics Covered in this Report: Chapter 1 Study Coverage Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Market Size by Manufacturers Chapter 4 Serial Device Server Production by Regions Chapter 5 Serial Device Server Consumption by Regions Chapter 6 Market Size by Type Chapter 7 Market Size by Application Chapter 8 Manufacturers Profiles Chapter 9 Production Forecasts Chapter 10 Consumption Forecast Chapter 11 Upstream, Industry Chain and Downstream Customers Analysis Chapter 12 Opportunities & Challenges, Threat and Affecting Factors Chapter 13 Key Findings Chapter 14 AppendixSerial Device Server Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market- driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real- time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real- time scenario.Global Serial Device Server Market: Key Stakeholders: Serial Device Server Manufacturers Serial Device Server Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Serial Device Server Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream VendorsIn this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Serial Device Server are as follows: History Year: 2013-2017 Base Year: 2017 Estimated Year: 2018 Forecast Year 2018 to 2025Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Serial Device Server Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 and its commercial landscape. Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by your competitors and leading organizations. To understand the future outlook and prospects for Serial Device Server market analysis and forecast 2018- 2025.Avail Discount On this Report @Customization of the Report:UpMarketResearch provides free customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.You can also ask for region wise market research report, as below: Serial Device Server - Global Market Status & Trend Report 2018-2025 Top 20 Countries Data Serial Device Server - North America Market Status and Trend Report 2018-2025 Serial Device Server - South America Market Status and Trend Report 2018-2025 Serial Device Server - Europe Market Status and Trend Report 2018-2025 Serial Device Server - EMEA Market Status and Trend Report 2018-2025 Serial Device Server - Asia Pacific Market Status and Trend Report 2018-2025 Serial Device Server - China Market Status and Trend Report 2018-2025 Serial Device Server - India Market Status and Trend Report 2018-2025 Serial Device Server - United States Market Status and Trend Report 2018-2025About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well- defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United States. Global Tactical Communications Market Brief Analysis by Top Key Players - CeoTronics, David Clark Inc., Silynx Communications, Invisio Communications, 3M, Sepura, Bose Coporation, Savox Communications https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/616496/?utm_source=openpr.com&utm_medium=Deepak https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/616496/?utm_source=openpr.com&utm_medium=Deepak https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/tactical-communications-market/?utm_source=openpr.com&utm_medium=Deepak www.marketstudyreport.com www.marketstudyreport.com/blog This report compiled by Market Study Report, LLC, focuses on factors influencing the present scenario of the Tactical Communications market. The research report also offers concise analysis referring to commercialization aspects, profit estimation and market size of the industry. In addition, the report highlights the competitive standing of major players in the projection timeline which also includes their portfolios and expansion endeavors.Tactical Communications Market is set to exceed USD 30 billion by 2024; as per a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Global shipments are projected to witness more than 3% CAGR between 2017 and 2024.The need for advanced systems having high-quality audio capabilities to replace the legacy systems in the military is anticipated to drive the tactical communications market growth. Advancements in communication technology, such as bone conduction, ear canal equipment, penetration of LTE in professional mobile radios is contributing towards the growing adoption of these devices. Furthermore, wireless technology in headsets is gaining precedence as it allows users easier movement and greater flexibility. To tackle the issues of miscommunication, vendors operating in the tactical communications market are leveraging compression technology and digital signal processing for the provision of clear filters for ambient sound and voice communication in any environment. The rising trend of product miniaturization is anticipated to transform the tactical communications market.Request a sample of this premium report at:Players operating in the global tactical communications market include CeoTronics, David Clark Inc., Silynx Communications, Invisio Communications, 3M, Sepura, Bose Coporation, Savox Communications, etc. The tactical communications market is characterized by high investments in R&D. In September 2016, David Clark Inc. announced the launch of DC ONE-XH Helicopter Headset which has improvements in the voice transition in terms of clarity.The tactical communications market has penetrated industrial verticals such as oil and mining, logistics, and manufacturing, which generate high noise during normal operation. To protect the hearing capabilities of the workforce, organizations are mandated by the government to provide adequate hearing protection while retaining the ability to conduct effective conversation. The usage of protective earplugs and communication headsets separately can restrict the capabilities of the user. To combat this, manufacturers are integrating robust communication systems with protective, durable gear, such as 3M Peltor ballistic proof headsets, to ensure the safety of the device and the user while maintaining high quality communications.The presence of government regulations in various economies such as the U.S and Europe are major factors contributing towards the high growth of the tactical headsets market. This equipment provides protection to the hearing of the customers from loud noises such as explosions and gunshot firings while filtering certain sounds of lower frequencies such as human speech to reach the user.The public safety applications in the tactical communications market dominated in terms of revenue share in 2016. This is attributed to the demand for covert and continuous communication channels during critical mission operations. Technological innovations such as magnetic ear canal technology allows for clear two-way communications in stealth and covert situations and are majorly adopted for usage by undercover operators and officers in the secret task forces.Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Rapid growth of the industrial sector in the Asia Pacific region is a major factor contributing to tactical communications market demand. Furthermore, several economies in this region are increasing their military spending and investing heavily in the development and procurement of safe communication channels and protective gear. For instance, India is increasing their military spending by approximately 6% during the fiscal year 2017 and is also contracting the development of tactical communication systems to local organizations such as Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) under the Make in India' program.More Details on this ReporT:About Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study Report LLC4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Blog: In Paediatric Vaccine Market Few top players such as GlaxoSmithCline, Merck, Sanofi, Pfizer and Novartis contribute to more than 70% of total vaccine market https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-toc-and-sample/438?utm_source=openpr&utm_medium=Niranjan https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout/204056?utm_source=openpr&utm_medium=Niranjan https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com The vaccine provides protection against particular diseases by improving immunity. Vaccines are the biological preparations of weakened or killed microorganism, its surface proteins or its toxins. The global pediatric vaccine market is expected to witness strong growth during the forecast period due to the launch of new products in the market.Get the Sample Report:In-depth discussion of global pediatric vaccine market includes past and current trends with future forecast through 2020. Detailed study of market drivers, threats and opportunities would assist corporate professionals in their strategic decisions. The report also proffers detailed geographical segmentation and identifies profitable areas.The global pediatric vaccine market is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR in next few years. Increase in growth would be primarily attributed to the improved understanding of immunology, which has resulted in the launch of new vaccines products. The technological breakthrough has led to the development of new vaccine class such as DNA vaccines, vector vaccines, intranasal vaccines, mucosal vaccines, and others.However, manufacturing complexity and stringent regulatory compliance are the factors that hinder the market growth. Refusal to immunization and vaccines shortages are other restraints for this market. The emergence of vaccines as therapeutic agents has added a new dimension to the vaccine industry and it could be the answer to most of the chronic diseases including cancer. Alliances, partnerships, and collaborations by big players to expand the business could also boost the market growth.Purchase the Report @Discount:Global Paediatric Vaccine Market by Type:The global paediatric vaccine market is segmented by type of vaccines into different categories such as Pneumococcal, Varicella, Combinations, Poliovirus, Hepatitis, MMR, Paediatric Hormones, HIB, Allergy, and Respiratory vaccines and Other Pediatric vaccines. Pneumococcal vaccines dominate the segment followed by HIB and other combination products.Global Paediatric Vaccine Market by Geography:Geographically, the global paediatric vaccine market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-pacific and LAMEA. North America and Europe lead the global paediatric vaccine market due to the purchasing power of costly vaccines by the consumers and favorable reimbursement policies. Asia-Pacific is the emerging market for paediatric vaccines due to rising GDP and growing demand for safe and efficacious therapeutics.Competitive Landscape:The leading companies in the global paediatric vaccine market include GlaxoSmithCline, Merck, Sanofi, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Abbott Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Pfizer, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Novo Nordisk A/S, and others. GlaxoSmithCline leads the global vaccine market followed by Sanofi and Pfizer. Prevnar-13 (Pneumococcal vaccine), by Pfizer is the top-selling brand amongst the other vaccine products.High-Level Analysis:The study identifies the potential market drivers, challenges and trends. Competitive landscape section provides explicit information of the top players ruling the global paediatric vaccine market, their operating strategies, new launches, pipeline therapies, and clinical trials. Porters Five Forces analysis has been used to determine the attractiveness of global paediatric vaccine market. Few top players such as GlaxoSmithCline, Merck, Sanofi, Pfizer, and Novartis contribute to more than 70% of the total vaccine market. This factor strengthens the suppliers power.A threat of substitute product is less due to the emergence of vaccine as therapeutic agents. An industrial rivalry is intense due to exhaustive R&D activities and clinical trials to innovate new vaccine products and vaccine delivery technology.KEY BENEFITSThis report offers the following benefits in particular: Comprehensive coverage of global paediatric vaccine market along with vaccine types, market trends, drivers and restraints would assist strategist in making strategic business decisions. Thorough attention is given to leading company portfolios, pipeline research, new launches and competitive landscape of top players. Explicit information on current clinical trials and R&D activities would be beneficial to gain a deeper understanding of future market trends. Insightful analysis of different segments helps to recognize and capitalize future opportunities within the global paediatric vaccine market.KEY DELIVERABLESThe global paediatric vaccine market is segmented into two major categories such as type and geography.MARKET BY TYPE- Pneumococcal- Varicella- Combinations- Poliovirus- Hepatitis- MMR- Pediatric Hormones- HIB- Allergy and Respiratory vaccines- Other Pediatric VaccinesMARKET BY GEOGRAPHY- North America- Europe- Asia-Pacific- LAMEAAbout Us:-Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions. AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free (USA/Canada):+1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1-855-550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb: Canadian Solar, First Solar profiled in Solar Cells Market to reach $100bn by 2024| By Key players SunPower Corporation, Sunedison, SolarWorld, Jinko Solar, Trina Solar, Yingli Solar, Tata Power Solar Systems https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/304 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/304 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/solar-cells-market https://www.openpr.com/news/1349245/Offshore-Wind-Energy-Market-to-hit-US-60bn-by-2024-By-Key-Vendors-ENERCON-Nordex-Group-Vestas-GE-Siemens-Gamesa-Senvion-MHI-Vestas-Offshore-Wind-Goldwind-Prysmian-Group-General-Cable-Furukawa-Electric-LatAm-Southwire.html https://www.gminsights.com http://solutionrocket.com The U.S. in 2015 was valued over USD 4 billion and is anticipated to expand over 14% owing to increasing utility scale installation. Government measures towards energy efficiency and carbon emission reduction will further complement the U.S. solar cells market growth. As per the Solar Energy Association, the solar industry in the U.S. installed 7,286 MW of solar photovoltaics in 2015 where the utility-scale sector represented more than 50% of the total solar PV installation.Request for a sample of this research report @China accounted for over 45% of the global solar cells market share in 2015. Rising investment in the photovoltaic industry along with tax credits, soft loans, and other special grants by the government will stimulate the business outlook. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, photovoltaic industry has witnessed record investment of USD 12.3 billion in 2015.Global Solar Cells Market is expected to grow at over 12% to surpass USD 100 billion by 2024. Increasing inclination towards sustainable energy adoption will stimulate the global solar cells market share over the forecast timeframe. Rising demand for off grid electricity along with reducing photovoltaic component cost will propel the industry landscape. As per the World Energy Outlook 2016, around 1.2 billion people in the world have no access to electricity.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Jinko Solar Trina Solar Canadian Solar First Solar Moser Baer India Ltd Yingli Solar SunPower Corporation Sunedison, Inc. Indosolar Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd. GreenBrilliance. SolarWorldRising demand for the decentralized generation systems in developing nations will enhance the penetration of the sustainable energy during the forecast period. Increasing investment towards rural electrification in off-grid locations in various countries including India, China, and Africa will fuel the solar cells market growth. In September 2015, African Development Bank (AfDB) approved USD 121 million loan and grant for the electricity expansion of rural households in Uganda.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Government initiatives towards conservation of energy coupled with ambitious targets to reduce carbon emission will further propel the solar cells market. In June 2015, Government of India has set revised solar mission target at 100 GW by 2022. As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), an estimated total investment of USD 94 billion is expected for upgradation to 100 GW solar power capacity. International Finance Corporation and World bank have also introduced programs including Lighting Africa with an aim to encourage the adoption of photovoltaic over conventional product source among off grid population.Ultra-thin film cells technology was valued over USD 3 million in 2015 and is anticipated to expand over 30% by 2024 in terms of volume. Higher efficiency and light weight compared to other alternate technology will positively encourage the industry landscape.Browse Full Report:Key participants in the solar cells market include Jinko, Sunedison, Canadian, Trina, Yingli, First Solar, Moser Baer, SunPower Corporation, GreenBrilliance, Indosolar, Tata Power, Solar World, and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.Browse Related Report:Offshore Wind Energy Market Size By Component (Turbine {Rating (< 100 kW, 100 kW to 250 kW, > 250 kW to 500 kW, > 500 kW to 1 MW, 1 MW to 2 MW, > 2 MW), Installation (Floating {Axis {Horizontal (HAWTs) [Up-wind, Down-wind], Vertical (VAWTs)}, Structure {Rotor Module, Nacelle Module, Tower Module}}, Fixed {Axis {Horizontal (HAWTs) [Up-wind, Down-wind], Vertical (VAWTs)}, Structure {Rotor Module, Nacelle Module, Tower Module}}}), Support Structure (Substructure (Steel), Foundation {Monopile, Jacket}), Electrical Infrastructure (Wires & Cables, Substation)), By Depth (0 30 m, 30 50 m, > 50 m), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, Spain, UK, France, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland, Romania, Belgium, Austria, China, India, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Jordan, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay), Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018 2024About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog: Tramadol Market Analysis and Business Opportunities with CAGR Value, Key Manufactures, Revenue Structure, Types, Applications The Tramadol market report gives CAGR value, SWOT Analysis, Industry Chains, Mergers & Acquisitions, Sales, Revenue, Price, Gross Margin, Market Share, Import-Export, Production, Consumption, Application, Competitor analysis and Forecast. The Tramadol market report covers major regions North America, United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, Rest of Europe, Central & South America, Brazil, Rest of South America, Middle East & Africa, GCC Countries, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of Middle East & Africa . The Tramadol market by Manufacturers: CSL Limited, Grnenthal GmbH, Mundipharma, Hexal AG, Labopharm, Pliva Pharma, Nippon Shinyaku, Atoz Pharmaceuticals, Rompharm Company, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Par Pharmaceutical, Kosher Pharmaceuticals, CSPC, Xinhua Pharmaceutical, Tianlong Shiye, Southwest Pharmaceutical. Market Segment by Type like Oral Type, Injection Type and by Application Hospital Pharmacy, Retail Pharmacy, Online Pharmacy. Get Exclusive Sample of Report on Tramadol market having 115 pages, profiling Leading Market Players https://www.inforgrowth.com/samplerequest/r/888153/global-tramadol-market-professional-survey-rep Initially report provides information about Tramadol Market Landscape, Industry History, Development Prospect, Relevant Policy and Trade Overview to current demand, investment and supply in the market. It also shows future opportunities for the forecast years 2018-2025. Industry chain structure is analyzed by demand of Tramadol and suppliers along with Cost Analysis, Channel Analysis and technology used for Tramadol. Market Dynamics gives data about Latest News, Merger and Acquisition of major players, Planned or Future Projects about Tramadol and Policy Dynamics. Report continues with Import-Export data and country wise market analysis. The Tramadol industry development trends are studied through both Secondary and Primary sources. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered. Ask Your Queries related to Global Tramadol Report at https://www.inforgrowth.com/customizationrequest/r/888153/global-tramadol-market-professional-survey-rep The study objectives of this report are: To study and analyze the global Tramadol market size (value & volume) by company, key regions/countries, products and application, history data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2025. To understand the structure of Tramadol market by identifying its various sub-segments. To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks). Focuses on the key global Tramadol manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years. To analyze the Tramadol with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market. To project the value and volume of Tramadol submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries). To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market. To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies. Major Points from Table of Contents 1 Report Overview 2 Executive Summary 3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers 4 Breakdown Data by Type 5 Breakdown Data by Application 6 North America 7 Europe 8 Asia Pacific 9 Central & South America 10 Middle East and Africa 11 Company Profiles 12 Market Opportunities, Challenges, Risks and Influences Factors Analysis 13 Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis 14 Research Findings and Conclusion 15 Appendix About InForGrowth: We are a market-intelligence company formed with the objective of providing clients access to the most relevant and accurate research content for their growth needs. At InForGrowth, we understand Research requirements and help a client in taking informed business critical decisions. Given the complexities and interdependencies of market-intelligence, there is always more than one source to explore and arrive at the right answer. Through our smart search feature and our reliable & trusted publishing partners, we are paving way for a more simplified and relevant research. For all your Research needs, reach out to us at: Address: 6400 Village Pkwy suite # 104, Dublin, CA 94568, USA Email: info@inforgrowth.com Phone: +1-909-329-2808 UK: +44 (203) 743 1890 This release was published on openPR. Permanent link to this press release: Copy Please set a link in the press area of your homepage to this press release on openPR. openPR disclaims liability for any content contained in this release. Power Bank Market to Witness High Growth in near future: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sony Corporation, Anker, Huawei Technologies, Xiaomi Corporation, Intex, Zagg Inc., GP Batteries, Xtrom, and Lenovo Group Ltd Power Bank Market https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2817121/?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=SBL https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-for-discount/2817121/?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=SBL https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2817121/?utm_source=SBL The report is a comprehensive exploration of global Power Bank market offering growth rates, size of the industry, competitive landscape information, factors to the contributing growth of the global Power Bank market and more.Power Bank market Overview:Power bank, also known as portable charger, is a device used for powering gadgets such as mobile phones, digital cameras, tablets, and laptops using built-in batteries through a USB port. Increased adoption of digital products equipped with rechargeable batteries, such as smartphones, iPads, notepads, Bluetooth speakers, and headphones, has boosted the growth of the global power bank market.Asia has witnessed a significant rise in adoption of power banks in the recent years. This is attributed to increasing number of smartphone users and aggrandized launch of new tablets. Moreover, portable media devices, such as laptops and cameras, are in high demand in the Asia-Pacific region. Furthermore, product launches and advancements in electronic devices are projected to offer lucrative opportunities to the Asia-Pacific power bank market. Thus, presence of top industry players in Japan & China and their increased focus on developing low-cost wireless products boost the growth of the global power bank market.Request for a sample copy of this report @The global power bank market is analyzed based on battery type, power rating, distribution channel, price range, and region. On the basis of battery type, the market is bifurcated into lithium ion and lithium polymer. By power rating, it is divided into up to 3,000 mAh, 3,0018,000 mAh, 8,00120,000 mAh, and above 20,000 mAh. Depending on distribution channel, it is segregated into online and offline. Based on price, it is fragmented into low, mid-range, and premium range.The geographical analysis is provided for North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA along with their prominent countries.The key players profiled in the report include Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sony Corporation, Anker, Huawei Technologies, Xiaomi Corporation, Intex, Zagg Inc., GP Batteries, Xtrom, and Lenovo Group Ltd.These key players have adopted strategies such as product portfolio expansion, mergers & acquisitions, agreements, geographical expansion, and collaborations to enhance their market penetration.Request for a Discount of this report @Key Benefits for Power Bank market:This study includes the analytical depiction of the global power bank market along with the current trends and future estimations to determine the imminent investment pockets.The report presents information regarding the key drivers, restraints, and opportunities.The current market is quantitatively analyzed 2014 to 2025, where 2014-2016 is accounted as historical data, base year as 2017, and the forecast year is 2019-2025 to highlight the financial competency of the industry.Porters five forces analysis illustrates the potency of the buyers and suppliers in the industry.Power Bank market Segmentation:By Battery TypeLithium IonLithium PolymerBy Power RatingUp to 3,000 mAh3,0018,000 mAh8,00120,000 mAhAbove 20,000 mAhBy Distribution ChannelOnlineOfflineBy Price RangeLowMid-rangePremium RangeBy RegionNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaMexicoEuropeUKGermanyFranceRest of EuropeAsia-PacificChinaJapanIndiaSouth KoreaRest of Asia-PacificLAMEALatin AmericaMiddle EastAfricaEnquiry Before Buying @Table of content:CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1.1. REPORT DESCRIPTION1.2. KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERS1.3. KEY MARKET SEGMENTS1.4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY1.4.1. Primary research1.4.2. Secondary research1.4.3. Analyst tools and modelsCHAPTER 2: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2.1. CXO PERSPECTIVECHAPTER 9: COMPANY PROFILE9.1. ANKER INNOVATIONS LTD.9.1.1. Company overview9.1.2. Company snapshot9.1.3. Product portfolio9.1.4. Business performance9.1.5. Key strategic moves and developments9.2. GP BATTERIES9.2.1. Company overview9.2.2. Company snapshot9.2.3. Operating business segments9.2.4. Product portfolio9.2.5. Business performance9.2.6. Key strategic moves and developments9.3. HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES9.3.1. Company overview9.3.2. Company snapshot9.3.3. Operating business segments9.3.4. Product portfolio9.3.5. Business performance9.3.6. Key strategic moves and developments9.4. INTEX9.4.1. Company overview9.4.2. Company snapshot9.4.3. Product portfolio9.4.4. Key strategic moves and developments9.5. LENOVO9.5.1. Company overview9.5.2. Company snapshot9.5.3. Operating business segments9.5.4. Product portfolio9.5.5. Business performance9.5.6. Key strategic moves and developments9.6. ZAGG INC.9.6.1. Company overview9.6.2. Company snapshot9.6.3. Product portfolio9.6.4. Business performance9.6.5. Key strategic moves and developments9.7. XTORM (TELCO ACCESSORIES B.V.)9.7.1. Company overview9.7.2. Company snapshot9.7.3. Product portfolio9.7.4. Key strategic moves and developments9.8. MI9.8.1. Company overview9.8.2. Company snapshot9.8.3. Product portfolio9.8.4. Key strategic moves and developments9.9.SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO. LTD.9.9.1. Company overview9.9.2. Company snapshot9.9.3. Operating business segments9.9.4. Product portfolio9.9.5. Business performance9.9.6. Key strategic moves and developments9.10. SONY CORPORATION9.10.1. Company overview9.10.2. Company snapshot9.10.3. Operating business segments9.10.4. Product portfolio9.10.5. Business performance9.10.6. Key strategic moves and developmentsAbout Us:Big Market Research has a range of research reports from various publishers across the world. Our database of reports of various market categories and sub-categories would help to find the exact report you may be looking for.We are instrumental in providing quantitative and qualitative insights on your area of interest by bringing reports from various publishers at one place to save your time and money. A lot of organizations across the world are gaining profits and great benefits from information gained through reports sourced by us.Contact Us:5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205, Portland,OR 97220 United Statescall answer Direct:+1-971-202-1575call answer Toll Free:+1-800-910-6452email help@bigmarketresearch.com Breast Imaging Technologies Market by Product and Technology with top key players such as Dilon Technologies, Inc., FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Gamma Medica, Inc., General Electric Company and Hologic, Inc. https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5056 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5056 www.alliedmarketresearch.com Breast Imaging Technologies Market is expected to garner $4,502 million by 2022, registering a CAGR of 8.4% during the period 2016-2022.North America and Europe together accounted for over three-fourths market share in 2015. Ionizing breast imaging technology is expected to maintain its lead throughout the forecast period.The market is expected to be driven by the rise in incidence of breast cancer globally, favorable reimbursement policies, and growth in geriatric population base. Moreover, technological advancements, such as 3D mammography, which help in the detection of breast cancer in women with dense breast tissues, boost the market growth. However, high cost of these imaging modalities and stringent regulatory approval processes are set to restrict the market growth.Ionizing breast imaging technologies market accounted for major share of the global market in 2015, owing to their ability to detect breast cancer in early stages, thus increasing the chances of survival. Moreover, advancements in breast imaging tools facilitate faster interpretation of breast tissue and generate less false positive results as compared to MRI, which further accelerates the market growth. Non-ionizing imaging technologies are projected to grow with the highest CAGR, due to the introduction of better imaging modalities such as automated whole breast ultrasound system (ABUS). In addition, unlike ionizing breast imaging technologies, these techniques use infrared radiations, reducing the risk of developing radiation-induced cancer, which is thus anticipated to witness an increased demand in future.Get the sample copy of this report @Key findings of the Breast Imaging Technologies Market : The ionizing breast imaging segment accounted for almost two-thirds of the total market in 2015, while non-ionizing breast imaging technologies is expected to be the fastest growing segment, recording a CAGR of 9.2% during the forecast period. Full-field digital mammography system accounted for more than three-fourths of the total ionizing breast imaging technologies market in 2015. 3D breast tomosynthesis segment is expected to grow with the highest CAGR of 9.9%. Among non-ionizing breast imaging technologies, breast MRI accounted for nearly two-fifths of the total market share in 2015. On the other hand, breast ultrasound is poised to grow at a faster rate at a CAGR of 9.9%. Asia-Pacific is expected to expand at the highest CAGR of 9.5%.North America was the highest revenue contributor to the global revenue in 2015 and is expected to maintain this trend throughout the forecast period. This is due to the rise in incidence of breast cancer, growth in awareness among patients regarding better breast imaging modalities, and availability of advanced healthcare facilities.key players in the market : Dilon Technologies Inc. FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation Gamma Medica Inc. General Electric Company Hologic Inc. Koning Corporation Koninklijke Philips N.V. Siemens AG Sonocin Inc. Toshiba CorporationSend Enquiry on this report @About Us:Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free: +1-800-792-5285UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1?855?550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb: Vinton, IA (52349) Today Partly cloudy skies during the evening giving way to a few showers after midnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies during the evening giving way to a few showers after midnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Application Container Market by 2025 with Key Players: Amazon Web Services, CA Technologies, Docker, Google Inc., IBM Corporation, Joyent Inc., Mesosphere Inc. https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/4693 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/4693 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/food-delivery-mobile-application-market https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com The cloud segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, due to factors such as a rise in the use of multitenancy & cloud management platforms, increase in investment in application container technology by SMEs, a major shift towards cloud computing, and virtualization. The global application container market was valued at $698 million in 2016 and is projected to reach $8,202 million by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 31.8% from 2018 to 2025.Download Sample Report@Rise in popularity of application container technology over virtual machines, surge in adoption of cloud-based computing system in organizations, and rise in trend of Internet of Things (IoT) among end users majorly contribute towards the growth of the market. However, security risks associated with the application container technology hamper the growth of the application container market.Based on deployment model, on-premise segment dominated the global market in 2016, and is expected to continue this trend during the forecast period, owing to high adoption of on-premise application containers among the heavily regulated industries due to the need of to control data and document processes. Furthermore, the cloud segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, owing to rise in adoption of hybrid cloud computing model among the end users, which used a blend of public and private cloud solutions.Get Up to 25% Discount (valid till 31 Jan'19)For Purchase Inquiry@Key Players of Application Container Market:Amazon Web Services Inc.CA TechnologiesDocker Inc.Google Inc.IBM CorporationJoyent Inc.Mesosphere Inc.Microsoft CorporationRancher Labs Inc.Red Hat Inc.The global application container market was led by the telecom & IT segment in 2016, and is projected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. However, the other segment is expected to witness the highest growth, owing to increase in awareness about application container technology is decreasing the adoption of other cloud tools such as OpenStack, PaaS, and other offerings.Similar Report:Food Delivery Mobile Application Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2023@About Us:Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free (USA/Canada):+1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1-855-550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb: Fly Ash Market Revenue Analysis to 2026 By Boral, CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V., LafargeHolcim, Waste Management, Charah, Cement Australia Pty Limited https://marketprognosis.com/sample-request/19416 https://marketprognosis.com/report/fly-ash---global-market-outlook-%282017-2026%29/pr-19416 https://marketprognosis.com/enquiry/19416 Global Fly Ash Market is accounted for $2.80 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $5.55 billion by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 7.9% during the forecast period. Increasing the focus on infrastructure and road paving, rapid expansion in the construction industry and endorsement of fly ash by governments in a variety of regions are some of the factors driving the growth of the market. However, harmful properties of fly ash and declining utilization of thermal power in the energy mix are hampering the market. Ecological-friendly construction product provides ample opportunity for the growth of the market.Detailed Sample Copy of Updated Analysis @Note: If this link doesnt work in Internet Explorer, kindly try copy pasting it in other browsers.Fly ash is a kind of pozzolan formed by the flaming of pulverized coal. The fly ash is a fine nebulous dust affluent in alumina and silica generated through a separation process such as electrostatic, mechanical etc. The fly ash is a major substance in the construction industry and used as an admixture.Top Industry Players:Some of the key players profiled in the Fly Ash market include Boral Ltd., CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V., LafargeHolcim Ltd, Waste Management, Inc., Charah, LLC, Cement Australia Pty Limited, Salt River Materials Group, Ashtech (India) Private Limited, Tarmac Holdings Limited (A Subsidiary of CRH Plc.), SCB International Materials, Inc. and Titan America LLC.Browse Report @Note: If this link doesnt work in Internet Explorer, kindly try copy pasting it in other browsers.By type, Class F fly ash segment is experiencing considerable market growth owing to its extreme usage in mass concrete and high strength mixes. It is also applicable for concreting in summer as it moderates heat grows during concrete curing. The class is expected to grow due to the wide usage of fly ash in emerging countries such as China, India, Japan, the US, and Germany. This is the outcome of the rising focus of governments of the countries to augment consumption of fly ash for ecological reasons.Based on the geography, Asia Pacific is dominating the market during the forecast period. The growth of this regional market is due to rapid industrialization and urbanization which is taking place across the regions, rising demand for better infrastructure and ease of fly ash use due to a large number of electricity generation plants are contributing to the expansion of the market.Types Covered: Class C Class F Other TypesSource Types Covered: Landfill/Pond Power PlantsApplications Covered: Bricks & Blocks Agriculture Mining Structural Fills Road Construction Water Treatment Portland Cement & Concrete Decorative Glass Other ApplicationsEnquiry Before Buying @Note: If this link doesnt work in Internet Explorer, kindly try copy pasting it in other browsers.About Market PrognosisWe at Market Prognosis believe in giving a crystal clear view of market dynamics for achieving success in todays complex and competitive marketplace through our quantitative & qualitative research methods.We help our clients identify the best market insights and analysis required for their business thus enabling them to take strategic and intelligent decision.We believe in delivering actionable insights for your business growth and success.Contact us:ProgMark Pvt Ltd,Thane - 421501India.Contact No: +1 973 241 5193Email: sales@marketprognosis.com Cards and Payments Industry in Greece: Emerging Trends and Opportunities to 2020 | National Bank of Greece, Alpha Bank, Piraeus Bank, Eurobank Ergasias, Diners Club, American Express, Visa, MasterCard, etc Cards and Payments Industry in Greece Market https://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001293793/sample https://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001293793/discount https://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001293793/buying Publisher's 'The Cards and Payments Industry in Greece: Emerging Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides detailed analysis of market trends in the Greek cards and payments industry. It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including check payments, credit transfers, direct debits, payment cards and cash transactions during the review period (2011-2015).Top Key Players:National Bank of Greece, Alpha Bank, Piraeus Bank, Eurobank Ergasias, Diners Club, American Express, Visa, MasterCard.The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, and transaction values and volumes during the review period and over the forecast period (2016-2020). It also offers information on the country's competitive landscape, including market shares of issuers and schemes.Get Sample Copy of this Report atPublisher's 'The Cards and Payments Industry in Greece: Emerging Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into the Greek cards and payments industry, including:- Current and forecast values for each market in the Greek cards and payments industry, including debit card, credit and charge cards. It also includes detailed analysis of the prepaid card market.- E-commerce market analysis and online payment types.- Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing the Greek cards and payments industry.- Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit, credit and charge cards.- Comprehensive analysis of consumer attitudes and buying preferences for cards.- The competitive landscape in the Greek cards and payments industry.Scope- This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Greek cards and payments industry.- It provides current values for the Greek cards and payments industry for 2015, and forecast figures to 2020.- It details the different demographic, economic, infrastructural and business drivers affecting the Greek cards and payments industry.- It outlines the current regulatory framework in the industry.- It details marketing strategies used by various banks and other institutions.Get discount on Purchase report @Key Highlights- In the wake of the economic crisis, the Greek government was forced to implement austerity measures to gain access to a US$95.5 billion (EUR86 billion) bailout package from the international Monetary Fund (IMF), European Union (EU) and the European Central Bank (ECB). Consequently, the government imposed capital controls and took a number of measures to arrest the outward flow of money, curb tax evasion and encourage electronic payments, including restrictions on cash withdrawals at ATMs, remittances, and the use of payment cards abroad. The latest measure is the compulsory acceptance of card-based payments at retail outlets and by certain categories of professional - such as doctors, lawyers, electricians and plumbers - effective from January 1, 2016. These measures are anticipated to encourage a consumer shift towards card payments.- In view of a decrease in profits and high operating costs, banks in Greece are cutting infrastructure spending and looking to low-cost business models such as digital banking. German-based bank Number26 launched services in Greece in December 2015, and became the country's first digital-only bank. The platform's emergence is likely to accelerate a shift towards electronic payments in Greece.- While the government has placed restrictions on transactions from international online retailers, domestic e-commerce activities are outside the boundaries of the rules. To benefit from this, payment companies are introducing new online payment solutions for domestic online purchases. The latest of these is the introduction of MasterPass by MasterCard in June 2016. MasterPass stores all a customer's payment cards in a single location. This service is supported by Alpha Bank, Piraeus Bank, Eurobank Ergasias, Axa Insurance, Leroy Merlin, Sephora and WindReasons to buy- Make strategic business decisions, using top-level historic and forecast market data, related to the Greek cards and payments industry and each market within it.- Understand the key market trends and growth opportunities in the Greek cards and payments industry.- Assess the competitive dynamics in the Greek cards and payments industry.- Gain insights into marketing strategies used for various card types in Greece.- Gain insights into key regulations governing the Greek cards and payments industry.Purchase a Copy of Report atAbout UsReportsWeb is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers.The market research industry has changed in last decade. As corporate focus has shifted to niche markets and emerging countries, a number of publishers have stepped in to fulfil these information needs. We have experienced and trained staff that helps you navigate different options and lets you choose best research solution at most effective cost.Contact UsPhone : +1-646-491-9876E-Mail : sales@reportsweb.com Global Compounding Pharmacies Market Will Reach USD 10900 million by 2022 | Worldwide Key players Fagron, PharmaMEDium, B.Braun, Institutional, Triangle, Cantrell Compounding Pharmacies Market https://www.businessindustryreports.com/sample-request/121339 https://www.businessindustryreports.com/buy-now/121339/single https://www.businessindustryreports.com/check-discount/121339 Global Compounding Pharmacies Market Report 2019 explores future trends for supply, demand and market growth rate, market size, prices, trading, competition and value chain as well as Key Players of the industrys information with forecast from 2019 to 2022.Global Compounding Pharmacies Market Overview:According to Market Analyst, Global Compounding Pharmacies Market is projected to grow at a healthy growth rate from 2019 to 2022.Request Report Sample@Compounding Pharmacies market size to maintain the average annual growth rate of 5.47% from 7210 million $ in 2014 to 8460 million $ in 2018, Market analysts believe that in the next few years, Compounding Pharmacies market size will be further expanded, we expect that by 2022, The market size of the Compounding Pharmacies will reach 10900 million $.Increasing geriatric population across the globe coupled with rising prevalence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and respiratory disorders will serve to be a high impact rendering factor for compounding pharmacies market. Compounded medicines are increasingly being used in geriatric population as they are often intolerant to the commercially available dosage form and need suitable alternatives.The compounding pharmacy market can be segmented on the basis of product type, therapeutic area, distribution channel, and region. On the basis of product type, the compounding pharmacy market can be segmented into oral medications, topical medications, suppositories, and others. topical medications are anticipated to record significant growth in the forecast period, owing to the growing demand for dermatological applications and rising market for hormone replacement therapies. On the basis of therapeutic area, the market can be segmented into pain medications, hormone replacement therapies, dermatological applications, and others. Hormone replacement therapy is anticipated to be the growing application in the forecast period.On the basis of distribution channel, the market can be segmented into compounding pharmacies, and traditional stores. compounding pharmacy stores which are approved by state regulatory bodies are anticipated to record robust growth in the forecast period.Regionally, North America was the leading region in the compounding pharmacy market. It is anticipated to be the highest revenue contributor in the forecast period. Asia Pacific is anticipated to record highest CAGR growth in the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to the growing pharmaceutical awareness among people, increasing geriatric population, and expansion of infrastructural facilities, among others.Purchase this premium research report with 125 Pages and No. of Table of contents, List of table atThe Market is segmented and projected on the basis of major key players:1 Fagron2 PharmaMEDium3 B.Braun Medical4 Institutional Pharmacy solutions5 Triangle compounding Pharmacies6 Cantrell Drug company7 Fresenuis Kabi8 Lorraines Pharmacy9 Wedgewood Village Pharmacy10 Doughterys PharmacyThe Market is segmented and projected on the basis of major Region Segmentation1 North America Country (United States, Canada)2 South America3 Asia Country (China, Japan, India, Korea)4 Europe Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy)5 Other Country (Middle East, Africa, GCC)Grab Your Report at an Impressive Discount @Key Questions Answered in this Report:1 What will the market size be in 2022?2 What is driving this market??3 What are the challenges to market growth?4 Who are the key players in Compounding Pharmacies Market?5 What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key players?TABLE OF CONTENTS1 Compounding Pharmacies Product Definition2 Global Compounding Pharmacies Market Manufacturer Share and Market Overview3 Manufacturer Compounding Pharmacies Business Introduction4 Global Compounding Pharmacies Market Segmentation (Region Level)5 Global Compounding Pharmacies Market Segmentation (Product Type Level)6 Global Compounding Pharmacies Market Segmentation (Industry Level)7 Global Compounding Pharmacies Market Segmentation (Channel Level)8 Compounding Pharmacies Market Forecast 2019-20229 Compounding Pharmacies Segmentation Product Type10 Compounding Pharmacies Segmentation Industry11 Compounding Pharmacies Cost of Production Analysis12 ConclusionAbout UsBusinessindustryReports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for global industries. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Media ContactBusiness Industry ReportsPune Indiasales@businessindustryreports.com+19376349940 Body Lotion Market to witness an outstanding growth by 2023 | Global Key players: Blissworld, Kneipp , AHAVA, FRESH , ATTITUDE, Lush Body Lotion Market https://www.businessindustryreports.com/sample-request/132726 https://www.businessindustryreports.com/buy-now/132726/single https://www.businessindustryreports.com/check-discount/132726 The Global Body Lotion Market 2019 report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends, allowing you to identify the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profitability. The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.Global Body Lotion Market Overview:The report spread crosswise over 125 pages is an outline of the Global Body Lotion Market Report 2019. The Global Body Lotion Market is anticipated to develop at a sound development rate from 2019 to 2023 as indicated by new research. The investigation centers around market patterns, driving players, inventory network patterns, technological innovations, key improvements, and future systems.Accessible Exclusive Sample Copy of this Report @The major Factors of Global Body Lotion market, such as Increasing healthcare awareness and focus toward building a confident personality could work in the favor of the global Body Lotion market.The report also covers segment data: Type, Applications, channel and Regions. Based on type the market has been segmented into Fragrance, Flavor, Cosmetics, Others. The body lotion market segment is further segmented into mass market body care lotion and premium body care lotion.Based on report analysis, the body lotion classification of the global Body Lotion market is forecast to back on the growing significance of natural ingredients that help to avoid skin dryness, hydrate the skin, and improve skin quality. The use of natural ingredients could draw a number of consumers to the body lotion market in the near future. Natural ingredients not only improve the skins immune system but also carry antioxidant properties. The body lotion segment is further bifurcated into premium and mass market body care lotions.Based on regions, Asia Pacific is predicted to dominate the global Body Lotion market in the coming years. Improving preferences for skin care products and high levels of pollution in emerging economies such as India could push the growth of the regional Body Lotion market.Purchase this report online with 125 pages list of tables and figures and all around table of contents on @Significant key players:1 Blissworld2 Kneipp3 AHAVA4 FRESH5 ATTITUDE6 LushBody Lotion market, by region:1 North America Country2 South America3 Asia Country4 Europe Country5 Other CountryGlobal Body Lotion market 2019-2023: The report is planned to join both emotional and quantitative parts of the business inside all of the areas and nations related with the examination. Also, the report moreover gives nourishment the point by point information about the crucial edges, for instance, driving components and difficulties which will describe the future improvement of the market. In addition, the report will similarly join available open entryways in littler scale markets for accomplices to contribute close by the point by point examination of forceful scene and thing commitments of key players.Snatch your report @This investigation answers to the underneath key inquiries:1 What will the market size be in 2023 and what will the growth rate be?2 What are the key market trends?3 What is driving this market?4 What are the challenges to market growth?5 Who are the key vendors in this market space?In the end this report covers information and information on limit and generation outline creation piece of the pie investigation deals review supply deals and lack import fare and utilization and additionally cost value income and gross margin of Body Lotion.Significant points in table of contents:1 Body Lotion Definition2 Global Body Lotion Market Major Player Share and Market Overview3 Major Player Body Lotion Business Introduction4 Global Body Lotion Market Segmentation (Region Level)5 Global Body Lotion Market Segmentation (Type Level)6 Global Body Lotion Market Segmentation (Industry Level)7 Global Body Lotion Market Segmentation (Channel Level)8 Body Lotion Market Forecast 2018-20229 Body Lotion Segmentation Type10 Body Lotion Segmentation Industry11 Body Lotion Cost Analysis12 Conclusion13 Methodology and Data SourceAbout usBusinessindustryreports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for global industries. As a market research company we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Media contactBusiness industry reportspune indiasales@businessindustryreports.com+19376349940 Penetration Testing Market Top Companies to Watch Out: IBM Corporation, Rapid7, Inc., Microfocus, Qualys, Inc., Synopsys Inc., Core Security SDI Corporation, Whitehat Security https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-pdf/2103 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/2103 Penetration testing is also known as pen testing. It is a simulated process used to test a computer system, application or a network to check for security weaknesses, which could be easily capitalized on by hacker. They are designed in such way that they will be useful in security assessments and security testing. For penetration testing, a wide variety of security assessment tools are used, which can be hardware-software, websites and (PEA) proprietary enterprise applications. There are various methods under the ambit of penetration testing, which include external testing, internal testing, blind testing, and double blind testing.Download PDF Brochure of Research Report:Increasing incidence of cyber-attacks and need to secure vulnerable data are key drivers for penetration testing market growthMajor driving factor for growth of the penetration testing market is the ability of penetration testing to provide security to industries from various cyber-attacks, as increasing incidence of cyber-attacks can increase the vulnerability of critical data stored by organizations and adversely impact the revenue. For instance, according to a report published by Academy and Industry Research Collaboration Center (AIRCC) in 2016, the number of web attacks in the U.S. in 2015, increased by 36% with over 4,500 new attacks each day. Moreover, increasing adoption of advance technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), and rise in disposable income has contributed to growth of the penetration testing market.Regional analysis of penetration testing marketNorth America and Europe dominated the market with respect to penetration testing and are expected to maintain their dominance during forecast period, owing to increasing adoption of cloud services and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) technology.Asia Pacific is expected to register rapid growth during the forecast period in the penetration testing market due to increased adoption of cloud-based services, primarily in India and China.Heavily regulated industries such as banking and finance are increasingly adopting Software as a Service (SaaS) for non-core functionality, Platform as a service (PaaS) for app development and testing, and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) for workload trial runs and testing for their new service offerings. Drivers of IaaS growth in the Asia Pacific include the increasing demand for more rapid processing infrastructure, as well as increasing requirement of better data backup and disaster recovery systems.Global Penetration Testing Market: Competitive LandscapeThe key players operating in penetration sensing market include IBM Corporation, Rapid7, Inc., Microfocus, Qualys, Inc., Synopsys Inc., Core Security SDI Corporation, Whitehat Security, Trustwave Holdings, Inc., Checkmarx.com LTD, VERACODE, Inc., Secure Works Inc., Acunetix, Contrast Security, and Paladion Network Private Limited.Request for Customization of Research Report:Global Penetration Testing Market: TaxonomyOn the basis of Testing Service Network penetration testing Web application penetration testing Mobile application penetration testing Social engineering Wireless penetration testing OthersOn the basis of Deployment Mode Cloud On-premisesOn the basis of Industrial Vertical Government and defense Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) IT and telecom Healthcare Retail OthersOn the basis of Regions North America Europe Asia-Pacific Latin America Middle East AfricaAbout Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com Breast Cancer Therapeutics Market Forecast 2019 with Sanofi ,AstraZeneca , Roche Diagnostics USA, Pfizer, Novartis, Eisai US, Eli Lilly and Company, Celgene Breast Cancer Therapeutics https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/466 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/breast-cancer-therapeutics-market https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/466 The Breast Cancer Therapeutics Market set is expected to witness more than 9% CAGR from 2019 to 2024.research report by Global Market Insights.Rising prevalence of breast cancer pertaining to factors like prolonged exposure to endogenous estrogens, early menarche, late age at first childbirth and late menopause will be a high impact rendering factor for the industry growth. Increasing technological advances in cancer biology and launch of several diagnostic and screening programs worldwide should drive the business size.Growing adoption of therapeutics owing to factors like blocking estrogen from binding to tumor cells, risk of distant reappearance, lowering jeopardy of reappearance in the breast that had tumor and reducing risk of developing disease in another breast will propel the industry growth.Growing awareness regarding breast cancer, rising shift towards adoption of western lifestyle, short breast-feeding timeframe and rising prevalence of obesity in women after menopause will drive the industry size.Request for a sample of this research report @Increasing rate of alcohol consumption in women, rising use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and oral birth control pills resulting in increased levels of estrogen will boost the business size over the forecast period. Growing exposure to certain carcinogens and endocrine disruptors, for example in the workplace, working night shifts results in increased risk are surging up breast cancer therapeutics market.Prohibitive cost associated with the use of breast cancer therapeutics may hamper the industry growth. Increasing cost of early and late stage disease therapy, continuing care on a per-unit time basis, accounting for the major share of lifetime cost owing to relatively extended survival of breast cancer patients may further restrain the business growth.Targeted drug therapy market accounted for largest market share in 2016 and is forecast to witness substantial growth over the coming years owing to associated factors like targeting certain parts of tumor cells that allow the tumor cells to grow faster and abnormally, resulting in turn off or blockage of chemical signals. Furthermore, features such as stopping growth of new blood vessels, changing proteins, triggering immune system, and carrying toxins to the tumor cells to kill cells will drive the therapy demand over forecast years.Chemotherapy drug segment is set to witness a low growth rate, due to factors like attacking all cells that are growing quickly and inflated cost associated with the drugs resulting in financial burden. Moreover, undesirable chemotherapy reactions and establishment of resistance to drugs resulting in multi-drug resistance are the major restraining factor in chemotherapy usage.Browse Full Report Details @Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis: Sanofi AstraZeneca Roche Diagnostics USA Pfizer Novartis Eisai US Eli Lilly and Company CelgeneRetail pharmacies held the largest market share in 2016 and will continue to be the biggest distribution channel for the industry over the forecast period. Growing shift from specialty to retail pharmacies owing to reimbursement variations and prolonged usage of oral formulations, particularly for targeted drug therapies will drive the business growth.Moreover, growing number of retail store and augmented investment in retail stores by retail giants in developing as well as developed economies will further boost the industry share. Hospitals segment will grow at a considerable rate in the coming year pertaining to administration of drugs available in injectable forms in hospital settings which are reimbursed by patients medical benefits.U.S. breast cancer therapeutics market accounted for the highest regional share in 2016 due to growing prevalence of breast cancer and increasing R&D funding through public and private sectors. Growing elderly population, breast feeding discontinuation at an early stage and increased access to cancer care will stimulate industry growth. Moreover, rising demand for tumor therapeutics will strongly drive industry growth in the country.Germany is the biggest breast cancer therapeutics market followed by other European countries. However, Poland breast cancer therapeutics market is estimated to grow with highest CAGR of above 10% in the coming years.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Asia Pacific will grow at significant rate over the forecast period pertaining to increasing incidence of disease coupled with rising adoption of western lifestyle will fuel the business growth. Rising awareness of disease prevention, refining economic settings, and increasing adoption for technologically advanced products should drive regional business growth.Breast cancer therapeutics industry is relatively competitive in nature due to broad range of pipeline products in clinical trial. Only a handful of firms offer therapeutics for breast tumour till date while others strive to introduce innovative drugs in the market over the near future. The breast cancer industry will witness a substantial expansion over next 7- 8 years.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688 Best Statistical Report of Drugs for Herpes Labialis (Oral Herpes) Market 2019-2025| GSK, Novartis, Teva, Mylan, Cadila, Apotex, Daewoong Pharmaceutical, Livzon, Luoxin, Med shine, Bayer (Campho Phenique) Drugs for Herpes Labialis (Oral Herpes) Market https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/25569 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/25569 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/25569 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/25569 www.upmarketresearch.com UpMarketResearch offers a latest published report on Global Drugs for Herpes Labialis (Oral Herpes) Market Industry Analysis and Forecast 2019-2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains 124 pages which highly exhibits on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability. The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Drugs for Herpes Labialis (Oral Herpes) global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2019-2025.Get Free Exclusive PDF Sample Copy of This Report@Drugs for Herpes Labialis (Oral Herpes) market research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period. It is a professional and a detailed report focusing on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments and geographical analysis. Further, key players, major collaborations, merger & acquisitions along with trending innovation and business policies are reviewed in the report. The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Drugs for Herpes Labialis (Oral Herpes) global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2019 - 2025.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.For more information on this report, please visit@The generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Drugs for Herpes Labialis (Oral Herpes) market industry analysis & forecast 2019-2025 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Region-wise Analysis Global Drugs for Herpes Labialis (Oral Herpes) Market covers: North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The key players covered in this study GSK Novartis Teva Mylan Cadila Apotex Daewoong Pharmaceutical Livzon Luoxin Med shine Bayer (Campho Phenique) Blistex Kelun Group Hikma Haiwang Carmex CipherGet Free Exclusive PDF Sample Copy of This Report@Market segment by Type, the product can be split into Aciclovir Valacyclovir Famciclovir DocosanolMarket segment by Application, split into External Use Oral InjectionThe Report covers in-depth analysis as follows: Chapter 1 Study Coverage Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers Chapter 4 Breakdown Data by Type Chapter 5 Breakdown Data by Application Chapter 6 North America Chapter 7 Europe Chapter 8 Asia Pacific Chapter 9 Central & South America Chapter 10 Middle East and Africa Chapter 11 Company Profiles Chapter 12 Market Opportunities, Challenges, Risks and Influences Factors Analysis Chapter 13 Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis Chapter 14 Research Findings and Conclusion Chapter 15 AppendixGrab Best Discount Price @Global Drugs for Herpes Labialis (Oral Herpes) Market Industry Analysis and Forecast 2019-2025 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market-driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real-time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real-time scenario.Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Drugs for Herpes Labialis (Oral Herpes) Market Industry Analysis and Forecast 2019-2025 and its commercial landscape Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by your competitors and leading organizations To understand the future outlook and prospects for Drugs for Herpes Labialis (Oral Herpes) market industry analysis and forecast 2019-2025.Customization of the Report:UpMarketResearch provides free customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.About UpMarketResearch:UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United States Medical Marijuana Market Competitive Analysis and Perception to Improve R&D Strategies by 2023 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-toc-and-sample/2957?utm_source=openpr&utm_medium=ss https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2957?utm_source=openpr&utm_medium=ss https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/medical-marijuana-market?utm_source=openpr&utm_medium=ss https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant cannabis sativa. There are 2 main active chemicals in Marijuanacannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which impact the brain and relieve the pain, respectively. Marijuana provides pain relief in conditions such as fibromyalgia, grand mal seizures, and other medical conditions. Similarly, it reduces symptoms of many serious medical conditions such as AIDS, cancer, and glaucoma.The increase in the prevalence of diseases and growth in demand for relieving pain in conditions such as cancer, AIDS, seizures, and other diseases majorly drive the medical marijuana market. In 2016, countries such as Colombia, Macedonia, Israel, Germany, Australia, and others allowed the medical use of marijuana.Get Sample Copy of Report @Thus, the rise in a number of countries legalizing the use of medical marijuana is anticipated to fuel the growth of the market during the forecast period. Furthermore, the stringent rules and regulations associated with medical marijuana such as Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act and increase in a number of a license issued every year stipulate demand of Marijuana in the market.Moreover, growth in investment in R&D and increase in business strategies by companies of marijuana is expected to impel the market growth. For instance, in 2016, Gibraltar Industries acquired Nexus Corporation strengthening its position as greenhouse manufacturer and distributor. However, the complex regulatory framework to obtain license majorly hinders the medical marijuana market.Make an Enquiry on this Report @Major Players:Insys TherapeuticsCara Therapeutics Inc.Canopy GrowthCannaGrow Holdings, Inc.Cannabis Sativa, Inc.Arena PharmaceuticalsAphriaGW Pharmaceuticals, plcLexaria CorpInternational Consolidated Companies, Inc.Key Benefits:The report provides a quantitative analysis to help the stakeholders to capitalize on prevailing market opportunities.The study provides an in-depth analysis of the global medical marijuana market, with current trends and future estimations to elucidate the investment pockets.Comprehensive analysis of factors that drive and restrict the growth of the market is provided.Extensive analysis of different segments facilitates to understand various products of the market.Key players are profiled and their strategies are analyzed thoroughly, which predict the competitive outlook of the market.Browse More Details of Report @About Us:Allied Market Research, a market research and advisory company of Allied Analytics LLP, provides business insights and market research reports to large as well as small & medium enterprises. The company assists its clients to strategize business policies and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.Allied Market Research provides one stop solution from the beginning of data collection to investment advice. The analysts at Allied Market Research dig out factors that help clients to understand the significance and impact of market dynamics. The company amplies clients insight on the factors, such as strategies, future estimations, growth or fall forecasting, opportunity analysis, and consumer surveys among others. As follows, the company offers consistent business intelligent support to aid the clients to turn into prominent business firm.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free (USA/Canada):+1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1855550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb: (CNN) As Britain's political impasse sharpens ahead of its March 29 withdrawal date from the European Union, an idea has gained traction among some Brexiteers that Britain should become a low tax, low regulation and low public spending paradise in the same mold of the tiny Southeast Asian city state of Singapore. Singapore's admirers include Britain's most vociferous of Brexiteers, like Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Conservative MP Owen Paterson, and entrepreneur James Dyson. The "Singapore model" was lauded by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on his recent visit to the island nation, which is smaller in size than New York City. "Britain can draw encouragement from how Singapore's separation from the Peninsula did not make it more insular but more open," he said during a news conference. Even some Remainers are advocating for it. Former advertising guru Martin Sorrell told Sky News at Davos this week that Singapore's independence "was not dissimilar to some of the things you hear around Brexit...[Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew] took Singapore to a level that people never anticipated and made it extremely successful on a much smaller scale 5 million people as opposed to 60 million people in Britain. "But the lessons are there," he added. At face value, it is easy to see why. Singapore was among the world's poorest nations in 1965, when it became independent of Malaysia. Although it has limited natural resources, the country has become one of the world's most advanced, ranking higher in 2017 than the UK for GDP per capita (at $57,714 versus $39,720), according to the World Bank; and ranking near or at the top of global indexes for health efficiency, education and competitiveness to name but a few. State spending While flattered by the new-found attention, Singaporean policy-makers seem baffled by the comparisons between two countries with wholly different demographics, population size, histories and regional locations. The top tax rate for earners in the UK is 45%, compared to 22% in Singapore. Slashing tax, be it corporate or personal, in Britain will incur a number of knock-on effects to its state spending model, explained Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in an interview with Bloomberg's editor in chief at the New Economy Forum in November. "Britain has developed a system of state welfare, of government role in the system where the government accounts for 40 to 45 percent of the GDP," he said. "The Singapore government accounts for 16% of the GDP, maybe 17%. So to say that you're going to be like Singapore, are you going to give up two-thirds of your government spending, state pensions and national health?" Geography And Singapore's successes go much deeper than just a low tax rate. For foreign multinationals, whose buildings loom high on the country's skyline, "the tax rate is one very small plank in a giant raft of attractive things about the country," Singaporean author, and Economist contributor, Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh told CNN. Singapore straddles one of the busiest commercial shipping routes in the world. Its geographical location is what drew British colonialists to it in the 19th century. Two centuries on, it has become a major global maritime and financial hub; and an integral part of the Asian supply chain. While the UK is also an important hub itself, what it lacks is Singapore's strategic advantage of drawing in companies and investment due to its strong rule of law in an otherwise unstable region. "There are not many places in Southeast Asia that can offer that much stability and a well educated, working population," Vadaketh said. Looking towards its neighbors has played a major part of Singapore's success, Kishore Mahbubani, Singapore's former ambassador to the UN and professor of public policy at the National University of Singapore, told CNN. The country is one of the founding members of ASEAN, which is now a trading bloc of 10 member states, and "no Singaporean government would contemplate [leaving ASEAN] because that would be suicidal," he said. "The ASEAN ecosystem is very important for Singapore's economy and to leave a peaceful and prosperous neighborhood is not what you want to do." The UK meanwhile will find it hard to compete against the EU, which, even amid the current populist surge, is arguably the world's most stable and largest economic bloc. Small arm, small state Singapore's small population size, of about 3.5 million Singaporean citizens, has led to a reliance on about 1.6 million foreign nationals (equating to close to 36% of the 5.6 million strong population). Something the British government will struggle to sell to the 17.4 million people, nearly 52% of those who voted to leave the EU, many of whom cited immigration concerns as their motivation. Nor is Singapore some small-state nirvana. Its government has taken a highly interventionist approach to its economy, investing deeply in its nascent industries. Much of Singapore's land is nationalized and more than 80% of the population lives in well-built, state subsidized public housing that has ethnic quotas, which are rigidly enforced something that will be hard to swallow in democratic polities. "It has a level of intrusiveness that doesn't come comfortably to the liberal mind," Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam told the BBC in 2015. But some say the high level of social cohesion in Singapore has come at a price for freedom of expression. Human Rights Watch has accused the government of curtailing political speech, launching defamation suits, enforcing draconian limits on public protest and prosecuting critics of Singapore's judiciary under the country's broad contempt of court law. That approach has raised the hackles of Britain's opposition. "Singapore is a country where basic freedoms of peaceful assembly, free speech and even sexuality are not respected but criminalized, and where the rule of law routinely means the brutal use of the cane," Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, told The Times of London. The Singaporean government rejected this criticism in a statement to CNN. "We fully respect the fundamental human rights enshrined in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," a spokesman for Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Those rights "are achieved through our laws and judicial process which are internationally respected." Singapore's constitution guarantees the right to freedom of speech and expression, but the spokesman said the right has constitutional restrictions. "Given that Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religious society, an individual's freedom of speech must be exercised with mutual respect and accord with the need to preserve a harmonious society." Singapore's authoritarian-lite system has allowed its ruling party to stay in power since independence and see through long-term policies rather than the short-termism seen in democratic countries. "Why did the IBMs of the world come here very early on?" Vadaketh said. "Part of the reason is we offered them [multinationals] lots of transparency and tax incentives, but we also gave them clarity," Vadaketh added. "Singapore said, 'hey, we are not going to have a change in government in five years... some nationalists are not going to come in and steal your assets.'" But at the same time one could argue that the government has prevented reasonable and rational discourse in the public arena, which makes it "not conducive for the kinds of jobs and industries they are trying to promote here from basic start-ups to pharmaceutical research and development," he said. That aside, companies are looking to Singapore as the technological center of gravity shifts to Asia. This week, Dyson's eponymous business, which makes vacuum cleaners and hair dryers, announced the relocation of its headquarters to Singapore. For all the talk of Britain becoming the Singapore of the West, the proponents of that dream are choosing the real Singapore instead. This story was first published on CNN.com. "Brexiteer fantasy of Singapore-style economy will be hard to achieve." Dry Eye Syndrome Treatment Market increasing demand with key Players | Johnson and Johnson Vision, Allergan, Novartis AG., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Global Dry Eye Syndrome Treatment Market https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-pdf/1173 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/dry-eye-syndrome-treatment-market-1173 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/1173 Dry eye syndrome (DES) is also known as keratisis sicca and keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Patients suffering from DES show damage to the ocular surface, instability in the tear film, and visual disturbance. Tear film covers the ocular surface, which is made up of three intertwined layers, a superficial lipid layer, produced by meibomian glands assist in reducing tear evaporation and uniform tear spreading, middle thick aqueous layer produced from lacrimal glands, and the innermost hydrophilic mucin layer produced from goblet cells of conjunctiva and epithelium of ocular surface.Download PDF Brochure Of This Research Report @The two most common types of DES are DES associated with Sjogren syndrome (SS) and DES unassociated with SS. DES can also be classified as aqueous deficiency dry eye and evaporative dry eye disorder. Patients with aqueous tear deficiency (ATD) often suffer from SS if they have shown symptoms of connective tissue disease (CTD) or xerostomia in past. Patients with primary SS showed evidence of autoimmune disease with high presence of ocular surface disease, ATD and serum autoantibodies. According to TearScience Inc., in 2012, around 86% of the patients in Europe and the U.S. were suffering from DES showed symptoms of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD, blockage of meibomian glands). The blockage causes less secretion of oil in the tears, which results in evaporation of tears too quickly.High healthcare expenditure and increasing R&D activities in the DES treatment market is expected to propel growth of DES market in North AmericaGrowing geriatric population coupled with high prevalence of dry eye syndrome owing to lifestyle disorders are contributing factors for the growth of DES market in the North America region.Asia Pacific region is emerging in DES treatment market due to large pool of patient population. According to the regional population based study published in All India Ophthalmological Society, in 2012, the prevalence of DES was 40.8% with mild symptoms and 31.7% with MGD.Global dry eye syndrome treatment market is oligopolistic in nature with few players holding majority of the share. Various strategies are adopted by market players such as new product launches, acquisitions, and agreements in order to retain market position. In September, 2017, Johnson and Johnson Vision, acquired TearScience Inc., a medical device manufacturer for treating MGD. This acquisition expanded the companys eye health portfolio. In April 2017, Allergan received marketing approval from FDA for its TrueTear Intranasal Tear Neurostimulator.For More Information @Global Key Players:Some of the major players operating in the global dry eye syndrome treatment market are Allergan, Novartis AG., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Valent Pharmaceuticals, Johnson and Johnson Vision, Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Allostera Pharma, I-Med Pharma Inc., Santen Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., AFT pharmaceuticals, Novaliq GmBh, and Auven therapeutics.Global Dry Eye Syndrome Treatment Market Taxonomy:On the basis of product type, the global dry eye syndrome treatment market is segmented into: Cyclosporine Oral Corticosteroid Artificial Tears Omega Supplements Punctual Bags Removable Bags Dissolvable Bags OthersOn the basis of disease type, the global dry eye syndrome treatment market is segmented into: Evaporative Dry Eye Syndrome Aqueous Dry Eye SyndromeOn the basis of distribution channel, the global dye eye syndrome treatment market is segmented into: Retail Pharmacies Hospital Pharmacies Online PharmaciesRequest For Customization @About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com Global Amino Acid Market 2019 Key Players:Ajinomoto, Amino, Archer-Daniels-Midland, Cargill, CJ CheilJedang. Amino Acid Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3705959-global-amino-acid-market-insights-forecast-to-2025 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/3705959-global-amino-acid-market-insights-forecast-to-2025 Amino Acid Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Amino Acid Market 2019 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting 2025 reports tits database.Executive SummaryAmino acids help in transporting and the storage of nutrients and also aid in giving cells their structure. L-Glutamate, Lysine, Methionine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Leucine, and Isoleucine are some of the types of amino acids.In this industry research report, the analysts have estimated factors like substantial spending in research and development will aid in the growth of this market until the end of 2025.Global Amino Acid market size will increase to xx Million US$ by 2025, from xx Million US$ in 2018, at a CAGR of xx% during the forecast period. In this study, 2018 has been considered as the base year and 2019 to 2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for Amino Acid.This report researches the worldwide Amino Acid market size (value, capacity, production and consumption) in key regions like United States, Europe, Asia Pacific (China, Japan) and other regions.This study categorizes the global Amino Acid breakdown data by manufacturers, region, type and application, also analyzes the market status, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.This report focuses on the top manufacturers' Amino Acid capacity, production, value, price and market share of Amino Acid in global market. The following manufacturers are covered in this report:AjinomotoAminoArcher-Daniels-MidlandCargillCJ CheilJedangEvonik IndustriesSumitomo ChemicalAdisseoChangzhou Yabang ChemicalDaesangFufeng GroupGlanbia NutritionalsAmino Acid Breakdown Data by TypeGlutamic AcidLysineMethionineOthersAmino Acid Breakdown Data by ApplicationFoodPharmaceuticalOthersAmino Acid Production Breakdown Data by RegionUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanOther RegionsRequest Sample Report @The study objectives are:To analyze and research the global Amino Acid capacity, production, value, consumption, status and forecast;To focus on the key Amino Acid manufacturers and study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in next few years.To focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the market.To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Amino Acid :History Year: 2014-2018Base Year: 2018Estimated Year: 2019Forecast Year 2019 to 2025For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2018 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.Table of ContentsGlobal Amino Acid Market Research Report 2019-2025, by Manufacturers, Regions, Types and Applications1 Study Coverage1.1 Amino Acid Product1.2 Key Market Segments in This Study1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type1.4.1 Global Amino Acid Market Size Growth Rate by Type1.4.2 Glutamic Acid1.4.3 Lysine1.4.4 Methionine1.4.5 Others1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Amino Acid Market Size Growth Rate by Application1.5.2 Food1.5.3 Pharmaceutical1.5.4 Others1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 Global Amino Acid Production2.1.1 Global Amino Acid Revenue 2014-20252.1.2 Global Amino Acid Production 2014-20252.1.3 Global Amino Acid Capacity 2014-20252.1.4 Global Amino Acid Marketing Pricing and Trends2.2 Amino Acid Growth Rate (CAGR) 2019-20252.3 Analysis of Competitive Landscape2.3.1 Manufacturers Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)2.3.2 Key Amino Acid Manufacturers2.4 Market Drivers, Trends and Issues2.5 Macroscopic Indicator2.5.1 GDP for Major Regions2.5.2 Price of Raw Materials in Dollars: Evolution3 Market Size by Manufacturers3.1 Amino Acid Production by Manufacturers3.1.1 Amino Acid Production by Manufacturers3.1.2 Amino Acid Production Market Share by Manufacturers3.2 Amino Acid Revenue by Manufacturers3.2.1 Amino Acid Revenue by Manufacturers (2014-2019)3.2.2 Amino Acid Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)3.3 Amino Acid Price by Manufacturers3.4 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans4 Amino Acid Production by Regions4.1 Global Amino Acid Production by Regions4.1.1 Global Amino Acid Production Market Share by Regions4.1.2 Global Amino Acid Revenue Market Share by Regions4.2 United States4.2.1 United States Amino Acid Production4.2.2 United States Amino Acid Revenue4.2.3 Key Players in United States4.2.4 United States Amino Acid Import & Export4.3 Europe4.3.1 Europe Amino Acid Production4.3.2 Europe Amino Acid Revenue4.3.3 Key Players in Europe4.3.4 Europe Amino Acid Import & Export4.4 China4.4.1 China Amino Acid Production4.4.2 China Amino Acid Revenue4.4.3 Key Players in China4.4.4 China Amino Acid Import & Export4.5 Japan4.5.1 Japan Amino Acid Production4.5.2 Japan Amino Acid Revenue4.5.3 Key Players in Japan4.5.4 Japan Amino Acid Import & Export4.6 Other Regions4.6.1 South Korea4.6.2 India4.6.3 Southeast Asia8 Manufacturers Profiles8.1 Ajinomoto8.1.1 Ajinomoto Company Details8.1.2 Company Description8.1.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Amino Acid8.1.4 Amino Acid Product Description8.1.5 SWOT Analysis8.2 Amino8.2.1 Amino Company Details8.2.2 Company Description8.2.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Amino Acid8.2.4 Amino Acid Product Description8.2.5 SWOT Analysis8.3 Archer-Daniels-Midland8.3.1 Archer-Daniels-Midland Company Details8.3.2 Company Description8.3.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Amino Acid8.3.4 Amino Acid Product Description8.3.5 SWOT Analysis8.4 Cargill8.4.1 Cargill Company Details8.4.2 Company Description8.4.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Amino Acid8.4.4 Amino Acid Product Description8.4.5 SWOT Analysis8.5 CJ CheilJedang8.5.1 CJ CheilJedang Company Details8.5.2 Company Description8.5.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Amino Acid8.5.4 Amino Acid Product Description8.5.5 SWOT Analysis8.6 Evonik Industries8.6.1 Evonik Industries Company Details8.6.2 Company Description8.6.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Amino Acid8.6.4 Amino Acid Product Description8.6.5 SWOT Analysis8.7 Sumitomo Chemical8.7.1 Sumitomo Chemical Company Details8.7.2 Company Description8.7.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Amino Acid8.7.4 Amino Acid Product Description8.7.5 SWOT Analysis8.8 Adisseo8.8.1 Adisseo Company Details8.8.2 Company Description8.8.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Amino Acid8.8.4 Amino Acid Product Description8.8.5 SWOT Analysis8.9 Changzhou Yabang Chemical8.9.1 Changzhou Yabang Chemical Company Details8.9.2 Company Description8.9.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Amino Acid8.9.4 Amino Acid Product Description8.9.5 SWOT Analysis8.10 Daesang8.10.1 Daesang Company Details8.10.2 Company Description8.10.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Amino Acid8.10.4 Amino Acid Product Description8.10.5 SWOT Analysis8.11 Fufeng Group8.12 Glanbia NutritionalsContinuousFor further information on this report, visit Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528/524, Amanora Chambers, Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra 411028+91 841 198 5042 Construction Paints and Coatings Market Expected to Grow faster according to new research report (2017-2023) Construction Paints and Coatings Market https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/292?utm_source=openpr_sanket https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-toc-and-sample/292?utm_source=openpr_sanket https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Construction Paints and Coatings have architectural applications such as commercial windows, building panels, curtain walls, etc. It is also used for powder coatings in aviation, and automotive sectors.Construction Paints and Coatings are paints and varnish materials such as powder and liquid. These materials are used in construction and buildings to decorate and protect various surfaces. Construction Paints and Coatings increase the resistance of the various surfaces and prevent the surface from rust and weathering. This protected layer results in raised aesthetics of the construction & buildings and makes the surface more durable.Construction Paints and Coatings market is driven by the factors such as increased activities in civil construction and due to high demand for efficient paints. These paints act as protective layers for buildings and prevent the building from corrosion, dampness and damages due to extreme weather conditions. However, the major limitation of the construction paints and coatings market is the stringent regulations of environmental protection due to which there are less number of approved chemicals present in the market. Rising practice of green buildings and products such as nano-coatings, green coating, etc., offers lot of opportunities for the growth of the market.Send Enquiry on this report @Construction Paints and Coatings Product Market Analysis:Construction Paints and Coatings product market is segmented into Solvent-borne technologies, water-borne coating, power coating, high solids/ radiation cure and others (Specialty Coatings). Water-borne coating segment is the largest revenue generating segment due to high demand for water borne coating in the commercial, residential, aviation & automotive sectors. Demand for water-borne coating accounts for nearly two-third of the global construction paints and coatings market.Construction Paints and Coatings Application Market Analysis:Construction Paints and Coatings application market is segment into residential, commercial, medical & healthcare, automotives & aviation and others (Special Products, other industries, etc). Automotives & aviation segment is the largest revenue generating segment due to high demand for efficient operations in maintenance such as paint hangers, de-icing facilities, MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) heavy and line maintenance facilities, etc.Construction Paints and Coatings geography market analysisConstruction Paints and Coatings geography market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and RoW. Asia Pacific is the dominating segment of this market due to rising growth in aviations & automotive industry.Competitive Landscape:The key strategies adopted by the companies to expand in the construction paints and coatings market are product launch, mergers & acquisitions and agreements & collaborations. These strategies would help in gaining competitive advantages and expansion of the market. The companies profiled in this report are BASF SE, Axalta Coatings System, Sherwin-Williams Company, PPG Industries, AkzoNobel N.V.High Level AnalysisThe report analyzes various macro environments of the construction paints and coatings market using porters analysis. According to porters analysis, the bargaining power of the supplier is high due to high cost of switching. The bargaining power of buyer is low due to the specialized products of construction paints and coatings market and threat of substitute is low due to unavailability of alternate products.Request Sample Report @Key Benefits The study helps to analyze the construction paints and coatings market trends to provide in-depth understanding of the entire market segment and thus, helps the market players to make strategic decisions To find out various regulations that result in lack of differential products. In addition, segmental analysis is also done to identify the largest revenue generating segment To study the various factors that are enhancing and restraining the growth of the market that would help the players in deeply understanding the market Analysis of environmental factors that would create opportunities for the growth of the market Analysis of the captivating strategies adopted by the players in the market is conducted and that would help in assisting the stakeholders to take actionable decisions To find out the recent trends of the construction paints and coatings market and opportunities that would open doors for the investors to participate in the market, which in turn would help in the enlargement and expansion of market.Key Market Segment:Construction Paints and Coatings market is segmented based on product, applications and geographies.Market by Products Solvent-borne Technologies Water-borne Coating Power Coating High Solids/ Radiation Cure Others (Specialty Coatings)Market by Applications Residential Commercial Medical & Healthcare Automotives & Aviation Others (Special Products, other industries, etc)Market by Geography North America Europe Asia-Pacific RoWAbout usAllied Market Research, a market research and advisory company of Allied Analytics LLP, provides business insights and market research reports to large as well as small & medium enterprises. The company assists its clients to strategize business policies and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.Allied Market Research provides one stop solution from the beginning of data collection to investment advice. The analysts at Allied Market Research dig out factors that help clients to understand the significance and impact of market dynamics. The company amplies clients insight on the factors, such as strategies, future estimations, growth or fall forecasting, opportunity analysis, and consumer surveys among others. As follows, the company offers consistent business intelligent support to aid the clients to turn into prominent business firm.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free (USA/Canada):+1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1(855)550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb: Gas Leak Detector 2019 Global Market Key Players Emerson Electric Company, Honeywell International Inc., Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA..... Gas Leak Detector Market 2019 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3699458-global-gas-leak-detector-industry-market-research-report https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/3699458-global-gas-leak-detector-industry-market-research-report Gas Leak Detector Market 2019Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Gas Leak Detector Global Market Growth, Opportunities, Analysis Of Top Key Players And Forecast To 2023 To Its Research Database.Description:Based on the Gas Leak Detector industrial chain, this report mainly elaborates the definition, types, applications and major players of Gas Leak Detector market in details. Deep analysis about market status (2014-2019), enterprise competition pattern, advantages and disadvantages of enterprise products, industry development trends (2019-2024), regional industrial layout characteristics and macroeconomic policies, industrial policy has also be included. From raw materials to downstream buyers of this industry will be analyzed scientifically, the feature of product circulation and sales channel will be presented as well. In a word, this report will help you to establish a panorama of industrial development and characteristics of the Gas Leak Detector market.The Gas Leak Detector market can be split based on product types, major applications, and important regions.Major Players in Gas Leak Detector market are:Emerson Electric CompanyHoneywell International Inc.Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaAMSA Safety Inc.Tyco International plc.Request for Sample Report @Major Regions that plays a vital role in Gas Leak Detector market are:North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanMiddle East & AfricaIndiaSouth AmericaOthersMost important types of Gas Leak Detector products covered in this report are:Type 1Type 2Type 3Type 4Type 5Most widely used downstream fields of Gas Leak Detector market covered in this report are:Application 1Application 2Application 3Application 4Application 5Enquiry before Buying @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Content:Global Gas Leak Detector Industry Market Research Report1 Gas Leak Detector Introduction and Market Overview1.1 Objectives of the Study1.2 Definition of Gas Leak Detector1.3 Gas Leak Detector Market Scope and Market Size Estimation1.3.1 Market Concentration Ratio and Market Maturity Analysis1.3.2 Global Gas Leak Detector Value ($) and Growth Rate from 2014-20241.4 Market Segmentation1.4.1 Types of Gas Leak Detector1.4.2 Applications of Gas Leak Detector1.4.3 Research Regions1.4.3.1 North America Gas Leak Detector Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2014-2019)1.4.3.2 Europe Gas Leak Detector Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2014-2019)1.4.3.3 China Gas Leak Detector Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2014-2019)1.4.3.4 Japan Gas Leak Detector Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2014-2019)1.4.3.5 Middle East & Africa Gas Leak Detector Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2014-2019)1.4.3.6 India Gas Leak Detector Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2014-2019)1.4.3.7 South America Gas Leak Detector Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2014-2019)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Drivers1.5.1.1 Emerging Countries of Gas Leak Detector1.5.1.2 Growing Market of Gas Leak Detector1.5.2 Limitations1.5.3 Opportunities1.6 Industry News and Policies by Regions1.6.1 Industry News1.6.2 Industry Policies..8 Competitive Landscape8.1 Competitive Profile8.2 Emerson Electric Company8.2.1 Company Profiles8.2.2 Gas Leak Detector Product Introduction8.2.3 Emerson Electric Company Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2014-20198.2.4 Emerson Electric Company Market Share of Gas Leak Detector Segmented by Region in 20188.3 Honeywell International Inc.8.3.1 Company Profiles8.3.2 Gas Leak Detector Product Introduction8.3.3 Honeywell International Inc. Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2014-20198.3.4 Honeywell International Inc. Market Share of Gas Leak Detector Segmented by Region in 20188.4 Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA8.4.1 Company Profiles8.4.2 Gas Leak Detector Product Introduction8.4.3 Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2014-20198.4.4 Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA Market Share of Gas Leak Detector Segmented by Region in 20188.5 MSA Safety Inc.8.5.1 Company Profiles8.5.2 Gas Leak Detector Product Introduction8.5.3 MSA Safety Inc. Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2014-20198.5.4 MSA Safety Inc. Market Share of Gas Leak Detector Segmented by Region in 20188.6 Tyco International plc.8.6.1 Company Profiles8.6.2 Gas Leak Detector Product Introduction8.6.3 Tyco International plc. Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2014-20198.6.4 Tyco International plc. Market Share of Gas Leak Detector Segmented by Region in 2018Continued..Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Pcb Softwarenning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune 411028: Maharashtra,: Ph: +91 841 198 5042 Therapeutic Bed Market Revenue Report 2019-2025 | by Manufacturers (ArjoHuntleigh, Bakare, Invacare Corporation, Hill Rom, Stryker Corporation, Gendron), by Regions, by Types and Applications, Forecast to 2025 Therapeutic Bed Market 2019-2026, Therapeutic Bed Market Sales, Therapeutic Bed Market Survey, Therapeutic Bed Market Insights https://www.marketresearchnest.com/report/requestsample/502134 https://www.marketresearchnest.com/Global-Therapeutic-Bed-Market-Research-Report-2019.html https://www.marketresearchnest.com/report/enquirybuy/502134 MarketResearchNest.com published an Exclusive Research Report on Global Therapeutic Bed Market Research Report 2019 that highlights the in-depth market analysis and covers significant data with future prospects of the market.The global Therapeutic Bed market is valued at million US$ in 2018 is expected to reach million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of during 2019-2025.This report focuses on Therapeutic Bed volume and value at global level, regional level and company level. From a global perspective, this report represents overall Therapeutic Bed market size by analyzing historical data and future prospect. Regionally, this report focuses on several key regions: North America, Europe, China and Japan.At company level, this report focuses on the production capacity, ex-factory price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer covered in this report.Request for sample copy of Therapeutic Bed Market Report 2019@The following manufacturers are covered: ArjoHuntleigh Bakare Invacare Corporation Hill Rom Stryker Corporation Gendron Hard Manufacturing Co. GF Health Products Sunrise Medical Medline IndustriesTherapeutic Bed Segment by Type: Acute Care Critical Care Long-termTherapeutic Bed Segment by Application: Clinical HouseholdMarket Segment by Regions: North America Europe China JapanBrowse full content and In-depth TOC of Therapeutic Bed Market Report 2019@Therapeutic Bed Consumption Breakdown Data by Region: North America-United States, Canada, Mexico Asia-Pacific-China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam. Europe-Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, Rest of Europe. Central and South America-Brazil, Rest of South America Middle East and Africa-GCC Countries, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of Middle East and AfricaThe study objectives are: To analyze and research the global Therapeutic Bed capacity, production, value, consumption, status and forecast; To focus on the key Therapeutic Bed manufacturers and study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in next few years. To focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis. To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region. To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks. To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth. To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments. To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the market. To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market. To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Therapeutic Bed: History Year: 2014-2018 Base Year: 2018 Estimated Year: 2019 Forecast Year 2019 to 2025For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2018 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.Inquiry for buying a sample copy of Therapeutic Bed Market Report 2019 @About us: - MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the Global and Southeast Asias most complete and recent database of expert insights on industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact us: - Mr. Jeet Jain, Sales Manager, sales@marketresearchnest.com ;+1-240-284-8070, +44-20-3290-4151;Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook Geriatric Care Services Market 2019 Analysis by Key Players - Gentiva Health Services, Genesis HealthCare Corp., GGNSC Holdings, Kindred Healthcare and Home Instead Senior Care and others Geriatric Care Services https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/591 https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/591 Adroit Market Research offers 2019 report on North America Geriatric Care Market 2025 that evaluates industry growth trends through historical data and estimates future prospects based on comprehensive research. The report extensively provides the market share, growth, trends and forecasts for the period 2019-2025.About the North America Geriatric Care Market:By 2025, the North America geriatric care services market is expected to reach USD 421.6 billion, driven by increasing life expectancy in the region. Rising advancements in technologies leading to the availability of improved healthcare services and advanced treatments alternatives is in turn increasing the life expectancy especially in the U.S. Rising health awareness among people and the adverse medical events among the geriatric population is accelerating the growth of the North America geriatric care services market.Request a sample copy of this report:North America Geriatric Care Services Market Competition by TOP PLAYERS, with North America Geriatric Care Services sales volume, price, revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players including: Gentiva Health Services, Genesis HealthCare Corp., GGNSC Holdings, Kindred Healthcare and Home Instead Senior CareScope of the Report (Overlook 2019-2025):The geriatric care service industry is comprised of home healthcare agencies, skilled nursing facilities, continuing care facilities, assisted living facilities and social services agencies. The market will be growing at a substantial rate driven by the increased number of baby boomers entering the retirement years and the changing demographics of the country. Furthermore, modifications in the federal regulations, specifically for the Medicaid and medicare payments, is permitting flexible and increased payment alternatives. Most of the geriatric population require long term support and services including assistance with daily activities; for instance, dressing and bathing because of cognitive or physical impairment.On the basis of service type, geriatric care services market is segmented into home care, adult care and institutional care. In 2017, home care segment accounted for the largest share of nearly 40% registering a CAGR of 5.5%. Increasing preference towards home care services when compared to institutional care services is a key factor expected to result in a significant growth of the health care services market. Home care segment is expected to witness the highest growth potential over the forecast period owing to rising inclination of consumers towards choosing hygienic and relatively more comfortable options for their treatment. Also, increasing investments by governments as well as increasing number of favourable policies by several healthcare organizations is anticipated to drive the growth of adult day care segment over the forecast period. Further, adult day care segment is anticipated to foresee a significant growth of nearly 5% between 2018 and 2025.This growth is attributed to improvements in the existing care models. Healthcare giants are becoming costumer centric by focusing on improving service quality rather than just increasing the revenues. Also, private owners are operating various small scale nursing homes and residential homes for elderly population. Mergers and acquisitions are also playing a major role in the growth of the geriatric care services market in North America. For instance, Genesis healthcare acquired Sun healthcare group which created the largest skilled nursing provider in US.The North America geriatric care services market is categorized on the basis of type which includes home care, adult day care and institutional care. The home care segment accounted for the largest share in 2015 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period registering a CAGR of 5.5% between 2016 and 2025.Key segments of the North America geriatric care services marketType Overview, 2015-2025 (USD million) Home Care Adult Care Institutional CareRegional Overview, 2015-2025 (USD million) North Americao United Stateso CanadaWhat Information does this report contain? Historical data coverage: 2014 to 2017; Growth Projections: 2019 to 2025. Expert analysis: industry, governing, innovation and technological trends; factors impacting development; drawbacks, SWOT. 6-7 year performance forecasts: major segments covering applications, top products and geographies. Competitive landscape reporting: market leaders and important players, competencies and capacities of these companies in terms of production as well as sustainability and prospects.Who should buy this report?This study is suitable for industry participants and stakeholders in the geriatric care services industry. The report will benefit: Executives of geriatric care services companies that are engaged in the distribution and marketing Managers within financial institutions looking to publish recent and forecasted statistics pertaining to geriatric care services. Government organizations, regulatory authorities, policymakers and financial organizations looking for innovative solutions. Analysts, researchers, educators, strategy managers, and academic institutions looking for insights into the market to determine future strategiesElse place an Inquire before Purchase North America Geriatric Care Services Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025:About Adroit Market Research:Adroit Market Research provide quantified B2B research on numerous opportunistic markets, and offer customized research reports, consulting services, and syndicate research reports. We assist our clients to strategize business decisions and attain sustainable growth in their respective domain. Additionally, we support them with their revenue planning, marketing strategies, and assist them to make decisions before the competition so that they remain ahead of the curve.Ryan JohnsonAdroit Market Research3131 McKinney Ave #600Dallas, TX 75204Tel: +1-214-884-6068Email: sales@adroitmarketresearch.com Marine Cables and Connectors Market: Growth Opportunities Rise as Telecommunication Infrastructure Development Activities Pick Pace, says TMR https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=36383 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/marine-cables-connector-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com With the leading ten companies collectively accounting only for about 50% of overall share, the vendor landscape of the global marine cables and connectors market hints at a high level of fragmentation and intense competition, observes Transparency Market Research in a recent report. Owing to the large number of companies in the market, competition is likely to remain intense in the next few years as well.Get The Sample Report :Vendors operating in the global marine cables and connectors market can expect a massive rise in innovative products and technological advancements as more and more companies look at revising their growth strategies to remain competitive in the market. Attempts at consolidating their positions in the market through strategic mergers and acquisitions and expansion across emerging regional markets could also remain key growth strategies adopted by leading players. Some of the most prominent vendors in the market are Fujitsu Limited, Eaton Corporation Plc., TE Connectivity, Inc., Teledyne Marine, Scorpion Oceanics, SAMCO Inc., Molex, Huawei Marine, and General Cable Company.It is estimated that the global marine cables and connectors market will register a healthy 5.3% CAGR over the period between 2017 and 2025, rising from an opportunity of US$8869.8 mn in 2015 to US$14,081.3 mn by 2025.global marine cables and connectors marketAsia Pacific to Present Promising Growth OpportunitiesOf the two key types of products that the global marine cables and connectors market vends - cables and connectors, the segment of cables held the dominant share in the overall market in 2016. The segment is likely to remain the leading revenue contributor to the overall market over the forecast period as well, exhibiting a 5.7% CAGR. The segment of connectors is likely to remain stagnant.Geographically, the market in Europe presently dominates, accounting for over 30% of the overall revenue generated by the global market in 2016. This is chiefly attributable to the rising demand for reliable and energy efficient fiber-optic cables with good performance as the telecom sector pushes boundaries and looks forward to provide high-speed connections to users. Over the reports forecast period, the market in Asia Pacific could provide promising growth opportunities, with China remaining a key contributor to the overall growth of the market.Rising Investments from Defense and Military Sectors to Aid GrowthA number of factors are likely to aid the overall expansion of the global marine cables and connectors market, including the massive wave of investments in the field of marine connectivity from telecom companies and governments with the view of improving and expanding inter- and intra-country telecom networks. The rising global demand for higher and more reliable bandwidth for effective and faster transmission of data and vast investments from the defense and military sectors are also expected to drive the market in the near future. The vast rise in data centers across the globe is also expected to favor the overall uptake of a variety of marine cables and connectors.Browse The Report :Moreover, the rising penetration of innovative technologies such as Internet of Things and cloud across a number of industries and vast growth opportunities owing to the increased focus on improving telecommunications infrastructure across several emerging economies could also prove to be beneficial for the global market.This review of the global marine cables and connectors market is based on a recent market research report by Transparency Market Research, titled Marine Cables and Connectors Market (Type - Cables (Fiber-optic Cable and Electric Cable) and Connector); (Underwater Depth - Beach Joint 1, Beach Joint 2, Burial, and Freelay); (End Use Industry - Oil and Gas, Military and Defense, Telecommunication, and Power Transmission) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 20172025.Key Takeaways:Nearly half the market is held by small- and medium-sized companiesInvestments in the area of marine connectivity with the view of improving and expanding inter- and intra-country telecom networks rise massivelyAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: BET Inhibitors Analysis, Clinical Trials, Collaboration and Developments - Resverlogix Corp., GSK, Bristol-Myers Squibb http://bit.ly/2BVLC6r http://bit.ly/2G2Wp0M http://bit.ly/2mQxa6b https://www.psmarketresearch.com The study analyzed that the BET inhibitors pipeline comprised 38 drug candidates in different stages of development.*Insights on pipeline segmentsAs per the findings of the research, most of the BET inhibitor pipeline drug candidates are being developed to be administered by oral route.Browse report sample at:*IC50 value and Kd of different types of BET inhibitorsIn BET inhibitors, IC50 value is measured as the concentration of drug at which 50% of the target is inhibited. IC50 is a pharmacokinetic measure; the lower the IC50 of drug candidate, the lesser the desired effect, and the less likelihood of the drug to have some off-target effect. Kd is known as dissociation constant of drug. It measures the rate of dissociation of the drug and its binding affinity. Birabresib (MK8628), a BET inhibitor by Merck & Co., has IC50 value of 100nM.Pre-Purchase Inquiry at:*Strategic collaborations for the development of BET inhibitorsThe research finds that different companies are collaborating for the development of BET inhibitors. In January 2017, ConverGene had entered into a sponsored research agreement with the University of Maryland, Baltimore to investigate the in vivo anti-leukemic effects of ConverGenes lead BET inhibitor drug candidates, CG223 and CG250.Browse report at:Some of the key players developing BET inhibitors are Resverlogix Corp., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, and others.About P&S IntelligenceP&S Intelligence, a brand of P&S Market Research, is a provider of market research and consulting services catering to the market information needs of burgeoning industries across the world. Providing the plinth of market intelligence, P&S as an enterprising research and consulting company, believes in providing thorough landscape analyses on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness.Contact:P&S IntelligenceToll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)International: +1-347-960-6455Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb: Teeth Whitening Products Market Rising Industry Demand, Size and Forecasting by 2025; GlaxoSmithKline, Colgate-Palmolive, Henkel, Johnson & Johnson, CCA Industries, Unilever, Church & Dwight, Brodie & Stone, Procter & Gamble Teeth Whitening Products https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/report-sample/CG091285 https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/send-an-enquiry/CG091285 https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/check-discount/CG091285 A New Advance Research Report On Teeth Whitening Products Market By Product (Whitening Toothpastes and Peroxide-Containing Bleaching Agents) and Application (Consumer Applied and Professionally Applied) - Global Industry Analysis And Forecast To 2025 Published by Crystal Market Research.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information including: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Get a Sample Copy of Report Here:Industry Competitive Insights:GlaxoSmithKlineColgate-PalmoliveHenkelJohnson & JohnsonCCA IndustriesUnileverChurch & DwightBrodie & StoneProcter & GambleGO SMILEIndustry Outlook and Trend Analysis:Teeth Whitening is referred to as Teeth Bleaching when using bleach, it is a procedure of restoring the teeth shade to original level or whitening beyond the natural level. Restoration in done by simply the process of removing stains on the teeth caused by factors, stainers like the coffee, tea, tobacco & red wine. The restoration is achieved by various oral hygiene methods by the dental professional or at home. Things like calculus & tartar are very difficult to remove without the help of dental professional. Teeth bleaching make use of hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide that can break down in hydrogen peroxide. Teeth Whitening Products use is growing due to increasing knowledge amongst the population about oral hygiene & teeth whitening products being available easily in the market. Therefore, the Teeth Whitening Products Market is anticipated to expand and has tremendous scope during the forecast period. The global Teeth Whitening Products Market anticipated to flourish in the future by growing at a significantly higher CAGR.Evaluated key Points Covered in the Report:1. Market segments and sub-segments2. Market trends and dynamics3. Market size4. Current trends/opportunities/challenges5. Competitive landscape6. Value chain analysisMarket Segmentation:Teeth Whitening Products Market, By ProductWhitening ToothpastesPeroxide-Containing Bleaching AgentsTeeth Whitening Products Market, By ApplicationConsumer AppliedProfessionally AppliedThe Regional Analysis Covers:1. Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)2. North America (U.S, Canada, Mexico)3. Europe (Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe)4. Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, South Korea, Rest of Asia-Pacific)5. Rest of the World (Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Others)Enquire for latest Report 2019 @Reasons to buy a Exclusive report?1) An extensive research study on the Global Teeth Whitening Products Market, and its entire ecosystem, describes the market trends, drivers, restraints and opportunities of the Teeth Whitening Products Market2) We provide you the longest possible market segmentation based on type of products, procedures and geography and describe the market share region wise.3) The report gives a bird eyes view on the competitive landscape which includes mergers and acquisitions, collaborations, market strategies, and new product launches.Table of Contents:1. Introduction2. Executive Summary3. Market Overview4. Market Analysis by Regions4.1. North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)4.2. Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Rest of Europe)4.3. Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Rest of Asia-Pacific)4.4. South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Rest of South America)4.5. Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Rest of MEA)5. Teeth Whitening Products Market, By Product5.1. Introduction5.2. Global Teeth Whitening Products Revenue and Market Share by Product (2014-2018)5.2.1. Global Teeth Whitening Products Revenue and Revenue Share by Product (2014-2018)5.3. Whitening Toothpastes5.3.1. Global Whitening Toothpastes Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.4. Peroxide-Containing Bleaching Agents5.4.1. Global Peroxide-Containing Bleaching Agents Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)9. Global Teeth Whitening Products Market Competition, by Manufacturer9.1. Global Teeth Whitening Products Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer (2016-2017)9.2. Global Teeth Whitening Products Price By Region (2016-2017)9.3. Top 5 Teeth Whitening Products Manufacturer Market Share9.4. Market Competition Trend10. Teeth Whitening Products Market Forecast (2018-2025)10.1. Global Teeth Whitening Products Revenue (Millions USD) and Growth Rate (2018-2025)10.2. Teeth Whitening Products Market Forecast by Regions (2018-2025)10.2.1. North America Teeth Whitening Products Market Forecast (2018-2025)10.2.1.1. United States Teeth Whitening Products Market Forecast (2018-2025)10.2.1.2. Canada Teeth Whitening Products Market Forecast (2018-2025)Continued.Further in the report, Teeth Whitening Products Market is examined for price, cost and gross revenue. These three points are analyzed for types, companies and regions. In prolongation with this data sale price for various types, applications and region is also included. The Teeth Whitening Products Market consumption for major regions is given. Additionally, type wise and application wise consumption figures are also given.To avail Reasonable Discount of Report @About Crystal Market Research:Crystal Offers One Stop Solution For Market Research, Business Intelligence, And Consulting Services To Help Clients Make More Informed Decisions. It Provides Both Syndicated As Well As Customized Research Studies For Its Customers Spread Across The Globe. The Company Offers Market Intelligence Reports Across A Broad Range Of Industries Including Healthcare, Chemicals & Materials, Technology, Automotive, And Energy.Contact Us:Judy S,304 South Jones Blvd, Suite 1896,Las Vegas NV 89107,United StatesToll Free: +1-888-213-4282Email: Sales@Crystalmarketresearch.Com Global Patent Medicine Market Key Enhancement, Growing Business Opportunities 2025 by Top Players: GSK, Pfizer Inc. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Merck, Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis Patent Medicine Market https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/report-sample/HC101492 https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/send-an-enquiry/HC101492 https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/check-discount/HC101492 A New Advance Research Report On Global Patent Medicine Market Information By Type (Product Patents and Process Patents) and Application (Adult and Children) - Global Industry Analysis And Forecast To 2025 Published by Crystal Market Research.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information including: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Get a Sample Copy of Report Here:Industry Competitive Insights:GSKPfizer Inc.Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.Otsuka PharmaceuticalMerckSanofi-AventisNovartisIndustry Scenario and Trend Analysis:The patent medicine is regularly used to allude to an item, (for example, a tonic, liniment, or elixir) which was advertised as the medicine in the U.S. amid the 1800s and mid 1900s yet was commonly of dubious viability and flawed wellbeing. The nonprescription preparation of medicine which is regularly secured by the trademark and whose substance are not completely unveiled. The major benefit associated with this medicine is it gives right of stopping others from manufacturing, copying, importing or selling an invention without the permission of patent holder. Therefore, the Patent Medicine Market is anticipated to expand and has tremendous scope during the forecast period. The global Patent Medicine Market anticipated to flourish in the future by growing at a significantly higher CAGR.Evaluated key Points Covered in the Report:1. Market segments and sub-segments2. Market trends and dynamics3. Market size4. Current trends/opportunities/challenges5. Competitive landscape6. Value chain analysisMarket Segmentation:Patent Medicine Market, By Type, Estimates and Forecast, 2014-2025 ($Million)o Product Patentso Process PatentsPatent Medicine Market, By Application, Estimates and Forecast, 2014-2025 ($Million)o Adulto ChildrenThe Regional Analysis Covers:1. Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)2. North America (U.S, Canada, Mexico)3. Europe (Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe)4. Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, South Korea, Rest of Asia-Pacific)5. Rest of the World (Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Others)Enquire for latest Report 2019 @Reasons to buy a Exclusive report?1) An extensive research study on the Global Patent Medicine Market, and its entire ecosystem, describes the market trends, drivers, restraints and opportunities of the Patent Medicine Market2) We provide you the longest possible market segmentation based on type of products, procedures and geography and describe the market share region wise.3) The report gives a bird eyes view on the competitive landscape which includes mergers and acquisitions, collaborations, market strategies, and new product launches.Table of Contents:1. Introduction2. Executive Summary3. Market Overview4. Market Analysis by Regions4.1. North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)4.2. Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Rest of Europe)4.3. Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Rest of Asia-Pacific)4.4. South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Rest of South America)4.5. Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Rest of MEA)5. Patent Medicine Market, By Type5.1. Introduction5.2. Global Patent Medicine Revenue and Market Share by Type (2014-2018)5.2.1. Global Patent Medicine Revenue and Revenue Share by Type (2014-2018)5.3. Process Patents5.3.1. Global Process Patents Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.4. Product Patents5.4.1. Global Product Patents Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)6. Patent Medicine Market, By Application6.1. Introduction6.2. Global Patent Medicine Revenue and Market Share by Application (2014-2018)6.2.1. Global Patent Medicine Revenue and Revenue Share by Application (2014-2018)6.3. Adult6.3.1. Global Adult Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)9. Global Patent Medicine Market Competition, by Manufacturer9.1. Global Patent Medicine Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer (2016-2017)9.2. Top 5 Patent Medicine Manufacturer Market Share9.3. Market Competition Trend10. Patent Medicine Market Forecast (2018-2025)10.1. Global Patent Medicine Revenue (Millions USD) and Growth Rate (2018-2025)10.2. Patent Medicine Market Forecast by Regions (2018-2025)10.2.1. North America Patent Medicine Market Forecast (2018-2025)10.2.1.1. United States Patent Medicine Market Forecast (2018-2025)10.2.1.2. Canada Patent Medicine Market Forecast (2018-2025)10.2.1.3. Mexico Patent Medicine Market Forecast (2018-2025)Continued.Further in the report, Patent Medicine Market is examined for price, cost and gross revenue. These three points are analyzed for types, companies and regions. In prolongation with this data sale price for various types, applications and region is also included. The Patent Medicine Market consumption for major regions is given. Additionally, type wise and application wise consumption figures are also given.To avail Reasonable Discount of Report @About Crystal Market Research:Crystal Offers One Stop Solution For Market Research, Business Intelligence, And Consulting Services To Help Clients Make More Informed Decisions. It Provides Both Syndicated As Well As Customized Research Studies For Its Customers Spread Across The Globe. The Company Offers Market Intelligence Reports Across A Broad Range Of Industries Including Healthcare, Chemicals & Materials, Technology, Automotive, And Energy.Contact Us:Judy S,304 South Jones Blvd, Suite 1896,Las Vegas NV 89107,United StatesToll Free: +1-888-213-4282Email: Sales@Crystalmarketresearch.Com Global PET Cups Market to Experience Significant Growth during the Forecast Period 2018-2028 // Ningbo Yi Sheng Plastic Co., Ltd., Huhtamaki Oyj, NNZ Group, Macpac S.A., Sonoco Products Company, Temma Shiki Co., Ltd https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=B&rep_id=2901 https://www.factmr.com/report/2901/pet-cups-market https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2901 https://www.factmr.com/ https://factmrblog.com/ https://insiderstribune.com The PET cups market is gaining traction due to growing demand for packaged food and beverages in countries categorized by rising per capita expenditure and increasing consumer disposable income. Moreover, the growing food and beverages market across developed as well as developing markets will act as a catalyst for the growth of the Global PET Cups Market. Manufacturers operating in the PET cups market are being constantly challenged by growing penetration of alternative packaging solutions, such as bottles, flexible pouches, etc. PET cups offer printing capabilities their surface can be printed on, and hence, they help in branding and promotion. PET cups find applications in ice cream packaging and fruits & vegetable packaging, among others. The global PET cups market is anticipated to witness moderate growth over the forecast period.Request Brochure of this Report-PET Cups Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe global market for PET cups is anticipated to grow against the backdrop of increasing consumption of packaged food & beverage products among consumers. Keeping in mind the busy lifestyle of consumers, packaging manufacturers are focusing on the manufacturing of consumer friendly and convenient packaging solutions. The global PET cups market is being primarily driven by growing demand for packaging solutions for beverages and dairy products. Manufacturers, these days, produce PET cups in a variety of sizes. PET cups are commonly used in cafes, restaurants, foodservice outlets and quick service outlets. PET cups make a better barrier to moisture, air and aroma and keep packaged products fresh. However, there are some factors that might hamper the growth of the PET cups market globally. For instance, stringent government rules and regulations regarding the use of plastic based packaging products may hamper the growth of the PET cups market during the forecast period.France became the first country to ban the use of plastic cups, plates, and bags. Many more countries have reduced the use of plastic products by implementing stringent rules and laws against the use of plasticAlong with this, easy availability of alternative solutions, such as paper cups and PLA cups, is another factor that might hamper the growth of the PET cups market during the forecast period.To know more about the PET Cups Market Visit the link-Due to product evolution and technological advancements, PET cups have emerged as an efficient and cost-effective packaging option for the food and beverage packaging manufacturers and are now much preferred over traditional polyethylene based packaging. However, paper cups are expected to overtake the market of PET cups during the forecast period.PET Cups Market: Regional OutlookGlobally, the PVC market is divided into seven key regions - North America, Western Europe, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East & Africa, and Japan. Asia Pacific excluding Japan market for PET cups is expected to grow at an above average growth rate during the forecast period. North America and Europe regions are anticipated to witness sluggish growth over the forecast period.PET Cups Market: Some of the Key PlayersSome of the key players operating in the PET Cups market are Ningbo Yi Sheng Plastic Co., Ltd., Huhtamaki Oyj, NNZ Group, Macpac S.A., Sonoco Products Company, Temma Shiki Co., Ltd., among others.The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic indicators and governing factors along with PET cups market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on PET cups market segments and geographies.Request TOC of this Report-About FactMRFactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market insights reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Blog:Read Industry News at - Global Automotive Transmission Market 2018 Growth Rate by Players: ASIN, ZF, Jatco, Getrag, Volkswagen, Honda, MOBIS, Magna, SAIC Automotive Transmission Market https://bit.ly/2DDtfnf https://bit.ly/2CZu9Jx http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-automotive-transmission-market-2018-industry-production-trends-297786 http://industrynewsblog.com/3704/global-compounding-pharmacy-market-2018-top-manufacturers-fagron-wedgewood-pharma-caps-fresenius-kabi-pharmedium-services/ Market Research Store Exposed a new deep Industry research report focuses on Automotive Transmission Market, delivers detailed analysis of market and future prospects of Automotive Transmission market. The critical and significant data in the study makes the research a very important tool for experts, analysts and managers to get ready-to-access analysis by the industry professionals. The Automotive Transmission Market report provides the complete analysis of Automotive Transmission Market Size Data and development forecast from 2018-2025.Download FREE Sample of Automotive Transmission Market Report:-The global Automotive Transmission market is valued at 103800 million US$ in 2017 and will reach 126600 million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 2.5% during 2018-2025.Description:Auto Transmissions is a machine that consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Often the term transmission refers simply to the gearbox that uses gears and gear trains to provide speed and torque conversions from a rotating power source to another device.China is the largest consumer of Automotive Transmission and is expected to retain the higher growth rate during the next five years due to strong growth in automotive industry. China have witnessed a major chunk of the production and consumption of Automotive Transmission in the Asia Pacific region. Actually, that is why manufacturers have several plants, usually close to aimed demand market.The import and export business of this industry is not frequent. The main reason lies in that many international manufacturers expand their business through building factories or investments in targeted markets. Also, many major players have built up plants in developing countries, like India and Thailand.This industry is affected by the economy and policy, so its important to put an eye to economic indexes and leaders prefer. With the global economic recovery, more and more people pay attention to rising environment standards, especially in underdevelopment regions that have a large population and fast economic growth, the need of Automotive Transmission starch will increase.This reports also include complete information of main Manufacturers/Suppliers of Automotive Transmission around the world and market share by various regions, with the company and product introduction and their position in the Automotive Transmission market.This report also includes the cost and profit status of Automotive Transmission and marketing status, Market growth drivers and challenges in this Market.For More Enquiry Ask Our Experts:-Top Companies in Worldwide Automotive Transmission Market are as follows:- ASIN, ZF, Jatco, Getrag, Volkswagen, Honda, MOBIS, Magna, SAIC, GM, Chongqing Tsingshan, Allison Transmission, Continental, Zhejiang Wanliyang, Borgwarner, Eaton CorporationThe leading competitors among the global Automotive Transmission market are applying various techniques for creating an entry further as developing within the Automotive Transmission market. On a worldwide basis, the count of recognized firms is elevating and therefore it is necessary for each market company to urge an ardent edge on others. The first techniques accepted by the well- known firms for grapple among the Automotive Transmission market embrace melioration of recent product, partnerships, mergers, agreements, and acquisition.REGIONAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE in :- United States, Europe, China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia.If you have any customized requirement regarding to Automotive Transmission, we will be happy to include this to enrich the final study and We will offer Competitors shares, Regional Analysis, Product Analysis as per your choice also.The global Automotive Transmission market report shed light on the latest technological developments, upcoming business opportunities, market restraining factors, threats to offer a perfect acumen for an in-depth market study. It also deals with the region-wise industrial environment, regulatory structure, competitive landscape, raw material resources that might influence Automotive Transmission industry.Most Applied Automotive Transmission Market in World Industry includes:- Passenger Vehicle, Commercial VehicleGlobal Automotive Transmission Market By Product includes:- MT, AT, AMT, CVT, DCTAccess Full Report:-There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Automotive Transmission market:-Chapter 1: Definition, Specifications and Classification of Automotive Transmission, Applications of Automotive Transmission, Market Segment by RegionsChapter 2: Manufacturing Cost Structure, Raw Material and Suppliers, Manufacturing Process, Industry Chain StructureChapter 3: Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Automotive Transmission, Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, R&D Status and Technology Source, Raw Materials Sources AnalysisChapter 4: Overall Market Analysis, Capacity Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)Chapter 5 and 6: Regional Market Analysis that includes North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Central America and Rest of the World, Automotive Transmission Segment Market Analysis (by Type)Chapter 7 and 8: Automotive Transmission Segment Market Analysis (by Application) Major Manufacturers Analysis of Automotive TransmissionChapter 9: Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product TypeChapter 10: Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain AnalysisChapter 11: Consumers Analysis of Global Automotive TransmissionChapter 12: Automotive Transmission Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source;Chapter 13, 14 and 15: Automotive Transmission sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Key Reasons to Purchase:To gain insightful study of the Automotive Transmission market and have thorough understanding of the Automotive Transmission Market and its financial landscape.Evaluates the Automotive Transmission Market production development, major problems, and solutions to soothe the advancement risk.To understand the most influencing driving and constraining forces in the Automotive Transmission Market and its effect in the global market.Learn about the Automotive Transmission market strategies that are being embraced by leading Automotive Transmission organizations.To understand the overview and perspective for Automotive Transmission Market.Read More Reports:-Market Research Store is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.Contact Us:-3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442, USATel: +1-386-310-3803GMTTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651 TSMC (Taiwan) Samsung (South Korea) ASE Group (Taiwan) Amkor Technology (U.S.) UMC (Taiwan) 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3648666-global-2-5d-ic-flip-chip-product-market-research-report-2019 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3648666-global-2-5d-ic-flip-chip-product-market-research-report-2019 www.wiseguyreports.com Global 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product MarketWiseGuyRerports.com Presents Global 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Market Research Report 2019 New Document to its Studies Database. The Report Contain 118 Pages With Detailed Analysis.DescriptionThis report studies the global 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product market status and forecast, categorizes the global 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in United States, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan and other regions.The major manufacturers covered in this reportTSMC (Taiwan)Samsung (South Korea)ASE Group (Taiwan)Amkor Technology (U.S.)UMC (Taiwan)STATS ChipPAC (Singapore)Powertech Technology (Taiwan)STMicroelectronics (Switzerland)Get sample Report @Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaWe can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeRest of Asia-PacificEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaTurkeyRest of Middle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoCopper PillarSolder BumpingTin-lead eutectic solderLead-free solderGold BumpingOthersOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingElectronicsIndustrialAutomotive & TransportHealthcareIT & TelecommunicationAerospace and DefenseOthersComplete Report Details @Table of Contents -Major Key PointsGlobal 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Market Research Report 20181 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product1.2 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Copper Pillar1.2.3 Solder Bumping1.2.5 Tin-lead eutectic solder1.2.6 Lead-free solder1.2.7 Gold BumpingOthers1.3 Global 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Segment by Application1.3.1 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Electronics1.3.3 Industrial1.3.4 Automotive & Transport1.3.5 Healthcare1.3.6 IT & Telecommunication1.3.7 Aerospace and Defense1.3.8 Others1.4 Global 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)7 Global 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 TSMC (Taiwan)7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 TSMC (Taiwan) 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Samsung (South Korea)7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Samsung (South Korea) 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 ASE Group (Taiwan)7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 ASE Group (Taiwan) 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Amkor Technology (U.S.)7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Amkor Technology (U.S.) 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 UMC (Taiwan)7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 UMC (Taiwan) 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2018)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 STATS ChipPAC (Singapore)7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 STATS ChipPAC (Singapore) 2.5D IC Flip Chip Product Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview..CONTINUEDAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, Industry research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK) SME Cloud Market 2019 Global Analysis By Key Players IBM, HP, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Dell EMC, Rackspace, Oracle SME Cloud Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3405054-global-sme-cloud-market-2018-by-manufacturers-countries https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/3405054-global-sme-cloud-market-2018-by-manufacturers-countries https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=3405054 WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On SME Cloud Market 2019 Global Analysis By Key Players IBM, HP, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Dell EMC, Rackspace, Oracle.Description:-The adoption of cloud-based services is increasing worldwide. Many large enterprises are already experiencing the benefits of using cloud-based technology for their business operations. The scenario is shifting toward SMEs because they can avoid investment on IT infrastructure and reduce operational costs by adopting cloud-based technology for their daily business operations. Cloud also improves performance, efficiency, and security of business operations as well as data. There are many vendors offering cloud-based solutions to SMEs as per their business requirements. A few SMEs have already adopted cloud-based technologies for their business continuity and development. Cloud is considered to be a suitable solution for all industry verticals because of features such as flexibility, automatic software upgrades, enhanced communication, and ease of collaboration between enterprise users. Moreover, SMEs are asked to pay only for the services utilized by them.Scope of the Report:This report studies the SME Cloud market status and outlook of Global and major regions, from angles of players, countries, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global market, and splits the SME Cloud market by product type and applications/end industries.The global SME Cloud market is valued at xx million USD in 2017 and is expected to reach xx million USD by the end of 2023, growing at a CAGR of xx% between 2017 and 2023.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comThe Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.North America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of SME Cloud.Europe also play important roles in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2017 and will be xx million USD in 2023, with a CAGR of xx%.Market Segment by Companies, this report coversIBMHPGoogleMicrosoftAmazonDell EMCRackspaceOracleSAPHuaweiAlibabaBaiduFujitsuCisco SystemsEquinixNetsuiteCA TechnologiesMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (United States, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversSaaSIaaSPaaSMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoSmall-Sized EnterpriseMedium-Sized EnterpriseEnquiry About Report @Table Of Contents Major Key Points1 SME Cloud Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of SME Cloud1.2 Classification of SME Cloud by Types1.2.1 Global SME Cloud Revenue Comparison by Types (2017-2023)1.2.2 Global SME Cloud Revenue Market Share by Types in 20171.2.3 SaaS1.2.4 IaaS1.2.5 PaaS1.3 Global SME Cloud Market by Application1.3.1 Global SME Cloud Market Size and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2013-2023)1.3.2 Small-Sized Enterprise1.3.3 Medium-Sized Enterprise1.4 Global SME Cloud Market by Regions1.4.1 Global SME Cloud Market Size (Million USD) Comparison by Regions (2013-2023)1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) SME Cloud Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) SME Cloud Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) SME Cloud Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.4.4 South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia) SME Cloud Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.4.5 Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa) SME Cloud Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.5 Global Market Size of SME Cloud (2013-2023)2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 IBM2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 SME Cloud Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Product A2.1.2.2 Product B2.1.3 IBM SME Cloud Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 HP2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 SME Cloud Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Product A2.2.2.2 Product B2.2.3 HP SME Cloud Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Google2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 SME Cloud Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Product A2.3.2.2 Product B2.3.3 Google SME Cloud Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Microsoft2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 SME Cloud Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Product A2.4.2.2 Product B2.4.3 Microsoft SME Cloud Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 Amazon2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 SME Cloud Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Product A2.5.2.2 Product B2.5.3 Amazon SME Cloud Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 Dell EMC2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 SME Cloud Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Product A2.6.2.2 Product B2.6.3 Dell EMC SME Cloud Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7 Rackspace2.7.1 Business Overview2.7.2 SME Cloud Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Product A2.7.2.2 Product B2.7.3 Rackspace SME Cloud Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)ContinuedBuy 1-user PDF @ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028. Corneal Surgery Devices Market 2019 Top Players Alcon Laboratories Inc., KeraMED, Abbott Medical Optics Inc., Bausch & Lomb, Inc., Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG Etc Corneal Surgery Devices Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/913 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/corneal-surgery-devices-market-913 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/913 Corneal Surgery Devices Market Research Report, Device Type Diagnostic and Corneal Surgery Devices, Vision Care, Transplantation Deep Anterior Lamellar and Penetrating Keratoplasty, Synthetic Corneas, Procedures, End User - Global Forecast till 2023Key Players for Global Corneal Surgery Devices Market:Alcon Laboratories Inc. (Switzerland), KeraMED (Canada), Abbott Medical Optics Inc. (U.S.), Bausch & Lomb, Inc. (U.S.), Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (Germany), Haag-Streit AG (Switzerland), Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG (Switzerland), Topcon Corporation (Japan), Essilor International S.A. (France), Johnson & Johnson Private Limited (U.S.), Nidek Co. Ltd. (Japan), Cooper Vision (U.S.).Corneal Surgery Devices Market Segmentation:Global Corneal Surgery Devices Market is segmented on the basis of devices types, into diagnostic devices, corneal surgery devices, vision care. Diagnostic devices are further segmented into fundus cameras, keratometers, corneal topographer, ophthalmic ultrasound imaging systems and other.Get Exclusive Sample Copy atOn the basis of transplantation type, market is segmented into deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty, penetrating keratoplasty, synthetic corneas, and other. Synthetic corneas are further segmented into boston keratoprosthesis, alphacor, osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis.On the basis of procedures, they are segmented into pre-operative examination, penetrating keratoplasty, and lamellar Keratoplasty. On the basis of end users, they are segmented into ophthalmic clinics, hospitals and other.Corneal Surgery Devices Market Overview:The Worldwide Corneal Surgery Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% during forecasted period 2018-2023. Corneal surgery is a surgical procedure where a damaged or infected cornea is treated by transplantation of corneal tissue. There are two major types of transplantation namely, penetrating keratoplasty and lamellar keratoplasty. An unhealthy or damaged cornea affects the vision by scattering or distorting light and causing glare and blurred vision. Corneal eye disease is the fourth most common cause of blindness after cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.Causes of damaged cornea include infections such as eye herpes or fungal keratitis, trichiasis, Fuchs' dystrophy, advanced keratoconus, complications from LASIK surgery, chemical burns of the cornea or damage from an eye injury, edema of the cornea, graft rejection following a previous corneal transplant and others.According to World Health Organization, in 2014, worldwide 285 million people estimated to be visually impaired in which 246 had low vision and 39 million were completely blind and 82% of people living with blindness are aged 50 and above. Increasing prevalence of ophthalmic diseases and increasing aging population is the major factor for the growth of the market.Moreover, continuous developments and high advancement in the corneal surgery devices, increasing incident of diabetes, and increasing number of corneal surgeries has provided fuel for the growth of the market. Whereas, high cost of treatment and risk of infection due to devices has hampered the growth of the market. The risk of infection is very high since the cornea has no blood vessels and it derives its nutrients from the aqueous humour. Thus, prophylaxis treatment is an important part of the treatment even if there is no infection.Cornea rejection, occurs in about 20% of cases. Graft failure can also occur at any time after the cornea has been transplanted, even years or decades later. These complications are the greatest barriers for the global corneal surgery market.Browse Complete 80 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with 68 Respective Tables and Figures atCorneal Surgery Devices Market Regional Analysis:Global corneal surgery devices market is dominated by America due to increasing geriatric population and well developed healthcare sector. Additionally, the greater number of hospitalization procedures due to greater healthcare penetration in the U.S. and Canada drives the urethritis market. The high concentration of the major hospitals in the developed countries of this region coupled with good reimbursement rates is adding fuel to the market growth. The consolidation of large healthcare players in the U.S. also causes the growth in the market due to increase in buying power of the healthcare players which results in the economies of scale.Europe accounts for the second largest market which is followed by Asia Pacific. The growth of Europe market is majorly driven by the increasing number of ophthalmic clinics and other health care organization. Europe is the second largest market in the world due to growing healthcare industry and healthcare penetration. The European market growth is led by countries such as Germany and France. Germany is expected to be the fastest growing market over the assessment period due to its large pharmaceutical industry.Asia Pacific has the fastest growing market due to the increasing number of patients suffering from visual impairment, and increasing demand for better treatment options. China and India are likely to lead this market due to fast growing healthcare sector and large unmet needs over the forecast period. South East Asian countries such as China, India, and Malaysia are projected to contribute highly to the market growth. The growing penetration of healthcare industry in the Asia Pacific region is expected to drive the future urethritis market in the region.Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are estimated to drive the Middle East & African market. Other Middle East nations to watch out for are Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and Iran. The African region is expected to witness a poor growth owing to poor economic and political conditions, and poor healthcare development. Other regions are expected to be laggards due to poor social development and tribal identities such as sub Saharan Africa.Major TOC of Global Corneal Surgery Devices Market Research Report - Forecast to 2023:1 INTRODUCTION1.1 DEFINITION1.2 SCOPE OF STUDY1.2.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE1.2.2 ASSUMPTIONS & LIMITATIONS1.2.2.1 ASSUMPTIONS1.2.2.2 LIMITATIONS1.3 MARKET STRUCTURE:2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2.1 RESEARCH PROCESS:2.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH2.3 SECONDARY RESEARCH:3 MARKET DYNAMICS3.1 DRIVERS3.2 RESTRAINTS3.3 OPPORTUNITIES3.4 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORSTOC Continued.!Ask to Expertise @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Market - Revolutionary Trends 2025 | Fujitsu Ltd., Cree Inc., Texas Instruments, EPIGEAN NV https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=2699 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2699 https://www.tmrresearch.com/gallium-nitride-semiconductor-market Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: OverviewThe constant rise in the semiconductor industry is reflecting greatly on the global gallium nitride semiconductor devices market. Despite facing severe competition from the silicon carbide semiconductor devices industry over the past few years, this market is likely to benefit from the expanding application base of gallium nitride in a number of areas in the near future.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The continual progress in novel technologies and the widening application scope of gallium nitride are projected to drive this market further in the years to come. The advent of electric and hybrid vehicles are expected to offer excellent opportunities for the growth of this market over the forthcoming years.Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: Key TrendsThe significant growth in the RF semiconductor devices industry has surfaced as the main trend in the global market for gallium nitride semiconductor devices.Since, the RF semiconductor industry is actively interconnected to the information and communication industry, creating a need for electronic devices to operate at broad frequency ranges on the basis of the applications, gallium nitride semiconductor devices are witnessing strong demand, which is reflecting positively on the markets growth. However, the high cost incurred in industrial processes may restrict this market from growing smoothly in the years to come.Request TOC of the Report @Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: Market PotentialBlue laser diodes and Blu-ray disc players are creating significant opportunity from the application of gallium nitride semiconductor devices. The ongoing rise in the demand for these products is likely to have a positive impact on the global gallium nitride semiconductor devices market in the near future. The increasing penetration of gallium nitride semiconductor devices in LED-based lightings and displays is also expected to translate into significant growth of this market over the next few years.Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: Regional OutlookThe global market for gallium nitride semiconductor devices is spread across North America, Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, and the Rest of the World (RoW). North America and Europe have emerged as the leading contributors to this market, thanks to the constant innovation and technological development in the products. The rising investments on research and development are likely to maintain the dominance of both the regional markets in the years to come.With the advent of Japan as one of the key domestic market for gallium nitride semiconductor devices, thanks to the upsurge in the semiconductor industry in the country, Asia Pacific is also projected to report a steady rise in the near future.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: Competitive AnalysisWith a number of key players, the global market for gallium nitride semiconductor displays a competitive and fragmented market. NTT Advanced Technology Corp., Toshiba Corp., International Quantum Epitaxy Plc, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp., Fujitsu Ltd., Cree Inc., Texas Instruments, EPIGEAN NV, RF Micro Devices Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., AZZURRO Semiconductors AG, and Aixtron SE are some of the leading vendors of gallium nitride semiconductor devices.These companies mostly rely on technological advancements to maintain their position in this market. However, a shift in their focus towards strategic alliances can be observed in the near future.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com Global Inorganic Chemicals Manufacturing Market Featuring Key Vendors - CF Industries Holdings, Inc., Eurochem Group, Olin Corp. and Hanwha Chemical Corp. ResearchMoz https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1846378 https://www.researchmoz.us/inorganic-chemicals-manufacturing-global-markets-to-2022-report.html/toc http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG http://summaryofmarketresearchreports.blogspot.in/ Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Inorganic Chemicals Manufacturing Market Featuring Key Vendors - CF Industries Holdings, Inc., Eurochem Group, Olin Corp. and Hanwha Chemical Corp." to its huge collection of research reports.Global inorganic chemicals market is positive with significant growth potential for caustic soda and chlorine. There is increased demand for caustic soda and soda ash due to increased demand for glass and paper products, rising demand for food products and increasing demand for cosmetic products is driving the inorganic chemicals market.The inorganic chemicals market reached a value of nearly REDACTED in 2017 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of REDACTED to nearly REDACTED by 2022.The inorganic chemicals market is concentrated with a few large players dominating the market. Major players in the market are Hanwha Chemical Corp., Yara International ASA, CF Industries Holdings, Inc., Eurochem Group, Olin Corp. and others.Nitrogen compounds accounted for the largest share of the inorganic chemicals market in 2017 at READCTED. The highest growth is projected to come from soda ash, which is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of REDACTED. Major factors included increasing demand for these products from end user industries such as papers, fertilizers and personal care products.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Asia Pacific is the largest inorganic chemicals market, accounting for READCTED of the global market. It was followed by North America and Western Europe region. Going forward, Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth in the inorganic chemicals market, estimated at grow at a CAGR of READCTED,followed by South America which is expected to grow at a CAGR of READCTED.China is the largest market in terms of value and in the inorganic chemicals market. China and India are forecasted to have the fastest growth, growing at a CAGR of READCTED and READCTED, respectively.The market is challenged by restraints such as rising trade protectionism and growing popularity of organic farming and erratic rainfall due to global warming."Browse TOC @"Report ScopeThis research report categorizes the inorganic chemicals market by type include caustic soda, chlorine, soda ash, titanium dioxide, nitrogen compounds, phosphorus compounds and sulphuric acid and sulfates.Report Includes- 98 data tables- Country specific data and analysis for USA, China, Spain, Italy, France, India, Japan, Russia, Brazil, UK and Australia- Discussion about effect of increasing demand for glass and paper products, food products and cosmetic products to the growth of inorganic chemicals market- Description of major trends shaping the inorganic chemicals manufacturing industry- A look into regulatory environment, new products and advancements, and current strategies within the industry- Profiles of the major players in the market, including CF Industries Holdings, Inc., Eurochem Group, Hanwha Chemical Corp., Olin Corp., and Yara International ASA"About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @Follow us on Blogger @ It is time to prepare for next pandemic: Kamala Harris to tell UN body Covid-19: US VP Kamala Harris to deliver message of solidarity with people of India on Friday COVID-19 cases in India heartbreaking; US determined to help the country: Kamala Harris I can unify America says Kamala Harris International oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Washington Jan 28: Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris says she's the kind of leader who can unify the country and would fight for the needs of all Americans. The first-term California senator, who announced her candidacy on Monday, planned a speech at a rally in Oakland, her hometown, later Sunday, as she outlines her campaign and introduces herself to the nation. "I'm running for president because I love my country. I'm running to be a president by the people. Of the people. For all the people," according to prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. Senator Kamala Harris announces she will run for US presidential campaign in 2020 The appearance at a plaza outside City hall was intended to portray her candidacy as the latest chapter in a lifetime of advocating for all people and to promote a message of unity. She began her career as a prosecutor in Oakland and later became California's attorney general. "My whole life, I've only had one client: The people," Harris says in her prepared remarks, echoing the words she has used in courtrooms and has adopted as her campaign's slogan. Harris, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, has drawn deeply from symbolism as she has rolled out her campaign. She entered the race on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Campaign aides say she has drawn inspiration from Shirley Chisholm, who in 1972 became the first black woman to run for president from a major party. If Harris were to win the White House, she would be the first African-American woman and first person of Asian descent to be president. Her first news conference as a candidate was on the campus of Howard University, the historically black college in the nation's capital that she attended as an undergraduate. On Friday, she was in South Carolina to speak to members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, of which she is a member. Harris' campaign is expected to highlight her career as a prosecutor as part of her rationale for seeking the presidency. Harris was the first black woman elected district attorney in California, as well as the first woman, first African-American and first Asian-American to hold that job. Some of her tenure as attorney general, particularly relating to criminal justice, has come under early scrutiny. Indian-American senator Harris tops global thinkers list Harris is among the first major Democrats to jump into what is expected to be a crowded 2020 presidential contest. Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York have announced exploratory committees. Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney and Julian Castro, federal housing chief under President Barack Obama and a former San Antonio mayor, already are in the race. Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Bernie Sanders of Vermont may also run. In her Oakland speech, Harris says she sees this year as an "inflection point" in American history and that she is best positioned to unite a divided country. "Even though we have powerful forces trying to sow hate and division, the truth is that, as Americans, we have much more in common than what separates us," according to her prepared remarks. After the rally, Harris planned to her first trip to Iowa as a presidential candidate. In the weeks before last November's elections, Harris traveled to the leadoff caucus state to campaign on behalf of Democrats, and also visited other early-voting states. Harris's campaign will be based in Baltimore and led by Juan Rodriguez who managed her 2016 Senate campaign. Aides say the campaign will have a second office in Oakland. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 5:44 [IST] Covid-19 origin: China's 'bat woman' denies Wuhan lab leak theory, claims no one got sick at her institute Shenzhou-12: China all set to launch manned mission with three astronauts for its space station China: University students asked in exam What are the advantages of AIDS? International oi-Shubham Ghosh Beijing, Jan 28: Sometimes, students are asked questions in examinations answers to which are perhaps not known to the paper-setters, either. Recently, students at China's Guangxi University faced a similar ordeal. The high-level students, who sat for an examination on the subject 'Mao Zedong Thought and Socialism with Chinese Characteristics' were asked some bizarre questions that had no relation with their subject matter whatsoever. According to a report in Shanghaiist, the very first question that the examinees encountered was: "What are the advantages of AIDS?" These 2 Chinese companies give single women employees leave to find love It was followed by questions like "Have you had sex with someone of the opposite gender?" and "Do you want to have children for the future of the country?" The examinees were students of the compulsory course at Guangxi's Beihai College of Art and Design. The students later uploaded images of the bizarre questions online to garner attention of the social media. The questions were reportedly set by one surnamed Zheng who made headlines in the past also for peculiar ideas. Last year, Zheng blamed "radiation" from the school wifi after two students suffered cerebral hemmorhages and sought switching off the wifi network at night. The questions also came to the notice of Guangxi education authorities who are now probing into the, the Shanghaiist report said. Ahead of global AIDS meet, experts warn lack of funds could see menace spinning out of control The school said the question papers prepared by Zheng were not the final exam but a "bonus test", the report added. The students have also been asked to delete their posts on the social media about the questions, it was reported. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 9:03 [IST] The Ram Temple jinx in SC; Why it is better to take the ordinance route now India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 28: Call it jinx or ample hints, the ordinance route appears to be the only way to go about the Ayodhya issue. It began with one of the judges recusing himself from hearing the case. After this, a new Bench was constituted and hearing on the matter was scheduled for Tuesday. However due to the unavailability of Justice S A Bobde, hearing will not take place tomorrow. Ayodhya dispute: No show on Tuesday, SC judge unavailable The Ayodhya dispute has been on for nearly 6 decades now. Despite an order of the Allahabad High Court, the matter has not been resolved. The HC had ordered that the land be split four ways in a bid to resolve the issue. However none of the parties were happy with the order, following which an appeal was preferred in the Supreme Court. In the SC, the matter has been pending for nearly 8 years now. When the matter had come up last year, a question of law was posed before the Bench. The question was whether a Mosque is essential to Islam. While hearing appeals against the order of the Allahabad High Court on the Ram Janmabhumi issue, the Muslim appellants had requested the court to revisit a 1994 SC verdict which had held that a Mosque is not an essential part of Islam. The 1994 verdict in the Ismail Faruqui case had also said that namaz could be offered anywhere by Muslims. The appellants said that this question of law must be answered before the SC goes into the main title suit. The court could either hold the contention in the 1994 correct or decide to revisit it. The SC however upheld the Faruqi verdict and paved the way to hear the original appeals. Another plea was filed before the court of the Chief Justice of India seeking an early hearing into the matter. However CJI, Ranjan Gogoi refused to take up the matter out of turn. In January a new Bench was constituted to hear the matter. When the matter came up for hearing, one of the advocates pointed out that one of the judges on the Bench, Justice U U Lalit had appeared for Kalyan Singh in a connected matter. Justice Lalit then recused himself from hearing the matter, following which another Bench was constituted. Judges who will hear the Ayodhya dispute in Supreme Court A new comprising Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer was constituted. The court had directed the registry to keep all documents ready by January 28 so that it could hear the matter. However on Sunday, the registry issued a circular stating that the matter would not be heard on Tuesday due to the unavailability of Justice S A Bobde. Now a fresh date would have to be fixed, following which the hearing would resume. The BJP would want a resolution to the issue before the polls are held. The party is under pressure to take the ordinance route instead of waiting for an order from the Supreme Court. Sources say that an ordinance route is likely and some announcement would be made soon. The government has been contemplating a major announcement ahead of the elections. It could either bring out an ordinance on the Ram Temple and make it a major poll issue. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 7:37 [IST] The temple in Madurai that serves chicken & mutton biryani as prasad during a festival India oi-Shubham Ghosh Madurai, Jan 28: If we told you that there is a temple in India that serves chicken and mutton biryani as 'prasad' among the devotees after a festival? Yes, it is right. The Muniyandi Swami Temple in Vadakkampatti, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, serves the non-vegetarian dish after the Muniyandi festival which is observed every Friday and Saturday of the third week of January. According to a devotee who spoke to ANI, around 1,000 kilograms of rice, 250 goats and 300 chickens are used to make the biryani and the funds are raised from public donations. The Muniyandi festival is celebrated as the local people worship Muniyandi, one of the names of Muneeswarar, considered an incarnation of Lord Shiva. The tradition is going on for 84 years. Tamil Nadu: Biryani is served as 'prasad' at Muniyandi Swami temple in Vadakkampatti, Madurai. A devotee says,'I come here every yr,we're celebrating this festival for last 84 yrs.Around 1000 kg rice,250 goats&300 chickens are used to make biryani, we use public donations for it' pic.twitter.com/6ZYEIlKZkt ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2019 As per a video posted by ANI, devotees are seen carrying 'puja thalis' on their head as drums are beaten on the background. Sacks of rice are seen stored for biryani while cooks were preparing for the non-vegetarian prasad. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 14:04 [IST] Congress ups ante against Minister Katti for asking farmer to die for seeking more rice under PDS Siddaramaiah loses cool, snatches mike from a woman but in the process pulls her dupatta India oi-Vikas SV Mysuru, Jan 28: A video of former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has gone viral in which he can be seen snatching a mike from a woman and in the process pulled down her duppatta (veil). The incident took place at a public meeting in Varuna, a constituency which Siddaramaiah's son Yathindra represents. During a meeting in Mysuru, the woman, Jamala, stood up and raised her concerns. Even after being asked to sit down, Jamala continued with her complaints and even reportedly said that she has not been able to get in touch with MLA Yathindra. At this the former CM, who is surrounded by men all around, lost his cool and lunged towards the woman to snatch the very mic she was holding. In the process, the dupatta also came off with the mic and the whole thing did look pretty bad for the former CM. Here is the video in which Siddaramaiah loses his cool: #WATCH Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah misbehaves with a woman at a public meeting in Mysuru. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/MhQvUHIc3x ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 The BJP has launched a scathing attack on the Congress over the incident and asked Rahul Gandhi to speak on the matter. Taking a jibe at the Congress, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said,"That's how they see women. They only respect women from one family." ['Control your MLAs, or I will quit': Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy warns Congress] "Rahul Gandhi should tell what he will do with him. This is a crime, the way he abused her. That's how they see women, they haven't changed since the tandoor case. They only respect women from one family," Javadekar said. Jamala, however, told the media later that she should not have spoken to a former chief minister like that. She said the former CM got angry because she banged the table with her palm. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 18:52 [IST] Man arrested for raping 17-year-old girl, putting pressure on her to change religion in UP Rescued from traffickers at 13, girl goes on to qualify CA India oi-Shubham Ghosh Hyderabad, Jan 28: Human Trafficking is a serious menace in developing societies. Be it child or woman - trafficking ruins lives of several thousands in this country still. Young children and women fall prey to traffickers who push them into child labour and prostitution. And there are even instances where a trafficker is none other than the mother of the child. According to a story in Storypick, a 13-year-old girl called Bhavani had once found herself and her siblings trapped in human trafficking and it was none but her mother who was responsible for it. Four including woman held for sex trafficking The girl faced the agony for more than a year when she was rescued by the Hyderabad Task Force with the help of some social workers. And the girl then showed all the resolve she had to qualify for Chartered Accountancy and made everyone around inspired with her story. Noted social activist Sunitha Krishnan shared the young girl's winning story in a Facebook post where she wrote, "I am chocked with emotions. One our child, Bhavani has qualified for Chartered Accountancy. With a single focus, no external help and her own efforts she finally qualified in her fourth attempt." 7 suspected human traffickers nabbed, 2 girls rescued "I still cannot forget the day we rescued her with Hyderabad Task Force,stunned to find a 13yrs old child in the room with the customer. More shocked when we found out that the mother was the trafficker and the child was in this situation for more than a year." "The child then was instrumental in getting her two siblings rescued." Krishnan also hailed Bhavani as a "tower of inspiration". For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 18:08 [IST] 'Control your MLAs, or I will quit': Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy warns Congress India oi-Deepika S Bengaluru, Jan 28: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Monday threatened to quit, saying that the lawmakers of the Grand Old Party were "crossing the line". "Congress leaders have to take care of these issues. I'm not the concerned person for it. If they want to continue with this, I'm ready to step down. They're crossing a line... Congress leaders must control their MLAs," the CM said. Operation Kamala: HDK says it is still on, BSY refutes This comes after Siddaramaiah supporters on Sunday criticised the Kumaraswamy-led government by saying that no development work has taken place even after seven months have passed since the new government has been formed. Deputy CM G Parameshwara, however, played down the entire matter even as he maintained that Siddaramaiah was the best CM Karnataka had ever had. "Siddaramaiah has been best CM. He is our CLP leader. What is wrong in expressing opinions," he said while adding that there are no complaints against Kumaraswamy as CM either. Congress MLA ST Somashekhar said that had Siddaramaiah got another five-year term, the state would have seen "real development". "It is seven months since the coalition government came to power, but development work has not yet taken off. Had Siddaramaiah got another five-year term, we would have seen real development," he said. Siddaramaiah's supporters hailed him with Congress minister C Puttaranga Shetty going to the extent of saying that he still considers his leader the CM. Motivated by hate says Trust on allegations of purchasing land for Ram Temple at inflated price Ram Mandir to farmer relief: Big announcement expected by Centre this week India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 28: One could expect some major announcement this week by the Union Government. Hoping to turn the tables ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, there are bound to be some announcements this week, sources tell OneIndia. Among the announcements expected could be an ordinance on the Ram Mandir, relief package for farmers or some decision on direct transfers. There has been plenty of buzz around an ordinance on the Ram Mandir. Several people have urged the government to take the ordinance route instead of waiting for the Supreme Court to hear and decide on the matter. Ayodhya dispute: No show on Tuesday, SC judge unavailable The Supreme Court which constituted a new Bench was scheduled to begin hearing the matter on Tuesday. However a circular by the registry on Sunday stated that the matter would not be heard as one of the judges on the Bench is not available. Justice S A Bobde who is part of the Bench would not be present on Tuesday and hence the matter would not be taken up. The Union Cabinet is also likely to approve a relief package for farmers who are grappling with falling prices. The likely relief package is seen as an attempt to assuage the farming community's discontent ahead of the general elections. "...The Agriculture Ministry's proposal on addressing income deficit syndrome of small and marginal farmers is on the agenda (at the Cabinet meeting)," a source said. Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting, which was scheduled for January 28, has been deferred, as per sources. The Agriculture Ministry has recommended several options to provide both short and long-term solutions to address agrarian distress. However, a final call will be taken in the Cabinet meeting as a huge cost is involved, they said. One of the options proposed is waiving interest on crop loans for farmers who pay on time, costing an additional 15,000 crore to the exchequer. There is also a proposal to completely waive premium for taking insurance policy for food crops. The Centre is also evaluating the scheme followed by the Telangana and Odisha governments wherein a fixed amount is transferred directly into the bank account of farmers, the sources further said. Judges who will hear the Ayodhya dispute in Supreme Court Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh had recently indicated that the government would announce an agriculture package before the 2019-20 budget. The NDA government will present an interim budget on February 1. Experts said the government has less time to implement any new scheme. The measure has to be such that it can be implemented faster to reap the political gains during the elections. It may be noted that the central government has taken farmers' issues seriously after the ruling BJP was defeated in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in the recent state polls, where rural distress was a key factor. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 7:32 [IST] Rahul Gandhi to address farmer meet during Chhattisgarh visit today India oi-Madhuri Adnal Raipur, Jan 28: Congress president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to arrive in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur Monday to address a convention of farmers. During his day-long visit, Gandhi will take part in a programme, titled 'Kisaan Abhaar Sammelan', to be held at Rajyotsav Mela ground in Naya Raipur at 2 pm, said a party spokesperson here Sunday. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and AICC in-charge of Chhattisgarh P L Punia Sunday took stock of the preparation for the function meant to express gratitude to people and farmers for voting the party to power in the state, he said. How Rahul Gandhi is changing the election 2019 narrative This will be the Congress chief's first visit to Chhattisgarh after his party formed the government last month. The Congress had posted a massive victory in the November assembly polls, winning 68 of the total 90 seats and ending the 15-year-old BJP rule. During the function, beneficiary farmers will be distributed loan waiver certificates, the spokesperson added. A large number of farmers from across the state, including the Naxal-affected Bastar division, will participate in the event, he claimed. Gandhi had assured to waive farm loans if his party was voted to power while campaigning for the assembly polls and the promise was fulfilled within three hours of the formation of the Congress government, the spokesperson added. Loans to the tune of over Rs 6,100 crore of 16.60 lakh farmers have been written off, he said. Implementing another pre-poll promise, the paddy is being procured at a rate of Rs 2,500 per quintal from farmers in the state, the spokesperson added. Besides, the Congress government has waived outstanding irrigation tax amounting to Rs 207 crore of 15 lakh farmers, he added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 9:14 [IST] Nitin Gadkari takes on Congress for its guarantee to nullify CAA in Assam if voted to power Instead of just 1, more firms should be allowed to make vaccines: Gadkari After saying more firms should be allowed to make vaccination, Gadkari clarifies Nitin Gadkari meant Congress of course: BJP clarifies on dreams remark India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Jan 28: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday clarified that Union roadways minister Nitin Gadkari's "dreams" remark was actually aimed at the Congress. BJP Spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said that Nitin Gadkari's comments were hinting at the Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi, not the BJP. He told news agency ANI that Nitin Gadkari's comments were now being twisted and that political benefit was being taken out of it. Leaders who fail to fulfill promises get thrashed by public: Nitin Gadkari "Nitin Gadkari's comments are now being twisted and political benefit being taken out of it. He was hinting towards Congress that only gave slogans of 'Garibi Hatao' but didn't do anything for poverty alleviation and towards Rahul Gandhi who makes empty promises," Rao said. Rao said Gadkari was hinting at the Congress that only gave slogans of 'Garibi Hatao' but didn't do anything for poverty alleviation, and at Rahul Gandhi, who Rao said makes empty promises. On Sunday, Nitin Gadkari said politicians who sell dreams to people and don't fulfill are "beaten up" by the public. Addressing an event in Mumbai, Union transport minister in Modi government said: "People like (political) leaders who show them big dreams. But if these dreams are not realised, then they beat them up (politically) as well. Therefore, one should only commit what they can fulfill." "I am not among those who show people big dreams, I do what I talk about," he said. The BJP's rebuttal comes after a series of cryptic comments by Gadkari were seen to carry hidden messages for his party's leadership, mainly PM Modi. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 13:59 [IST] New e-commerce FDI policy unlikely to be deferred India oi-Hardeep Singh Bedi New Delhi, Jan 28: The new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy on e-commerce policy is scheduled to come into force on February 1. While the online giants like Amazon and Flipkart are not happy with the move, the offline trading community has welcomed it. Two news reports published on January 25 have made online giants hopeful and offline traders concerned. The Reuters ran a story based on sources that - the United States (US) government is concerned about India's revised e-commerce regulations and has told officials in New Delhi and the policy will hinder the Indian investment plans of Amazon.com and Walmart Inc. Last year, Walmart invested $16 billion in buying 77 percent shares of Flipkart. The Reuters reports also said that the efforts are afoot in the US to make it a bilateral issue rather than Indian issue. The Economic Times also published a story that said the government is considering extending the deadline of February 1. It quoted an anonymous senior official as saying that "the government is considering giving an extension, but no final decision has been taken". Soon after the reports were published, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) was up in arms. It warned that any extension/ deferment/amendment or change made in FDI policy in e- commerce at this stage will be conceived as weakness of the government, which will also have political fallout. When the Department Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) issued new guidelines of policy on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in e-commerce on December 26 then the CAIT had said that new guidelines will put both online and offline traders at par. But, the notification had made online giants and the US Business community a concerned lot. [4 years of Modi govt: 100% FDI in food processing set to give impetus to 'Make in India'] Since then the US lobby has been trying hard to get some sort of relief from the government, the offline traders have been upping the pressure to ensure that the new guidelines should come into force as per schedule. Why are new FDI guidelines issued? There are two types of e-commerce companies: inventory based and marketplace based. Inventory based e-commerce company is the one which owns the goods & services and sells them directly to the customers. The FDI is not allowed in an inventory based e-commerce company. A marketplace e-commerce company is the one which does not own goods and services but acts as a mediator between seller and buyer. Companies like Amazon and Flipkart fall into this category. Hundred percent FDI is allowed in marketplace e-commerce companies. The new guidelines were issued because marketplace e-commerce companies were acting like inventory based e-commerce companies, where no FDI is allowed. For example, marketplace companies like Flipkart, Myntra and Amazon India, among others, were selling their own brands/in-house products at lower costs and higher margins. The other problem is that with huge FDI at their disposal, these marketplace players were slowly killing local competition and broadening their hegemony. The scenario was defying the Competition Commission of India vision, which says: Fair Competition for Greater Good. What are the new e-commerce FDI policy guidelines? 1. The new e-commerce FDI rules ban companies from selling products via firms in which they have an equity interest. This brings trouble for online giants like Amazon and Flipkart. For example, Amazon has stake in Cloudtail, which is a wholesaler that stocks goods and when an order is placed, it delivers. The small offline traders cannot compete with companies like Cloudtail, which buy in huge quantity from manufacturers at better discount rates and sell the products at cheaper rates. 2. The new guidelines also say that an e-commerce marketplace entity, like Amazon, cannot mandate any seller to sell any product exclusively on its platform only. This will loosen the grip of marketplace giants on sellers. Once enforced, similar products will be available on many platforms. Why deferment is unlikely? With the upcoming General Elections, the Modi Government cannot afford to invite ire of the offline trader community, which has been badly hurt by the competition from e-commerce companies. CAIT General Secretary Praveen Khandelwal told OneIndia that offline trader community, their families and employees constitute seven crore people. He also said that till now the government has not invited anyone for the consultations on the marketplace giants' request for an extension. He said that if any consultation meeting is called then the CAIT will oppose even any minor attempt to defer the enforcement of new guidelines. It's notable that Amazon and Flipkart have written to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) seeking a delay. But according to political analysts, the ruling BJP government has played a masterstroke by introducing these guidelines on the eve of general elections to keep the trader community, which has historically been the saffron party's core base, in its fold. This was very necessary for the BJP as the trader community had not only been giving votes but also donation to the party. It's notable that the offline trader community was not able to cope up with the effects of the demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST). Sensing the mood of the trader community, the Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other opposition parties had been trying to get the political mileage over the demonetisation and GST. These new e-commerce guidelines will prove like a balm for the trader community as they are now at par with the e-commerce giants. Will the consumer be affected? The answer is no as the cut throat competition will force market players to offer lucrative offers for the customers. Will it affect India's FDI environment? The answer is again no as India is such a big market that the global businesses cannot afford to ignore. Man arrested for plotting chemical attacks in Maharashtra India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Mumbai, Jan 28: Furthering its probe into the Islamic State module that was busted in Maharashtra, the Anti Terrorism Squad has arrested another person in connection with the case. ATS sources tell Oneindia that he is part of the module that wanted to carry out chemical attacks in Mumbai ahead of Republic Day. The arrest was made Saturday from Mumbra in neighbouring Thane district and a laptop, tablet computer, hard disk, pen drives, router, mobile phones and diaries were seized from his residence, an ATS official said. 15 police personnel injured in attack by tribals in Melghat The ATS had earlier arrested eight people, and detained a minor, from Aurangabad and Thane after several teams carried out searches through January 21-22, an official said. They were charged under Indian Penal Code section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Bombay Police Act. This group, during interrogation, had named the accused who was arrested Saturday, he added. He will be produced in a court Sunday, the official informed. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 7:41 [IST] LRSAM's successful test: How significant is it in India's scheme of things? India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Jan 26: The sucessful test firing of the long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) or Barak-8 significantly bolsters India's Air Defence (AD) capabilities. A key element of the air-defence of any nation is the Surface Air Defence Missiles. Ability of country to thwart incoming aerial threats like cruise missiles, UAVs, helicopters etc, has emerged as an important aspect in the modern warfare. If the ability of a country to strike back is key in the current geopolitical situation, then the capability to defend against the incoming aerial attacks is equally important. High technological prowess is required to develop an air defence sytem as air threat needs to be detected well in time, tracked and then destroyed well before it can cause any damage. Barak 8 is an Indian-Israeli surface-to-air missile (SAM), designed to defend against any type of airborne threat including aircraft, helicopters, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs as well as ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and combat jets. Both maritime and land-based versions of the system exist. On January 24, LRSAM was "successfully" test-fired from a warship off the coast of Odisha against an aerial target. The missile destroyed the target with a direct hit and all the mission objectives were met during the test-firing. [Swordfish radar: Key to India's multi-layered air defence system] LRSAM or Barak 8 features a dual pulse rocket motor as well as Thrust vector control, and possesses high degrees of maneuverability at target interception range. A second motor is fired during the terminal phase, at which stage the active radar seeker is activated to home in on to the enemy track. Barak 8 has been designed to counter a wide variety of air-borne threats, such as; anti-ship missiles, aircraft, UAVs drones and supersonic missiles. When coupled with a modern air-defence system and multi-function surveillance track and guidance radars, Barak 8 enables the capability to simultaneously engage multiple targets during saturation attacks. Multilayered air defence system: With other components of air defence, Barak-8 can add a new layer to India's ambition of developing an effective defence sheild.ndia is already working on two-tier Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) Program and has Aakash Missiles to take on aerial attacks. The S-400 Triumph missile defense system is a significant strategic upgrade in India's military hardware. In fact India badly needed such a system given the hostile surroundings and growing capabilities of China and Pakistan. Defence and strategic matters expert Major General PK Sehgal told OneIndia that India's air defence capabilities badly needed an upgrade. "We did not have anything (in terms of air defence) between 400 kms and 25 kms. This is a system which can take on the enemy from 30 kms to 400m kms. Then you are also buying Israeli Barack 8 systems which has a range of 70 kms extendable upto 100 kms. So, you will have a layered air defence to take take on threats from China and Pakistan," said Major General PK Sehgal. Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) program: Another system that India has been working on is Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) program. A Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) is a system that is designed to intercept and destroy an incoming ballistic missile on its trajectory much before it approaches the target. India's ballistic missile defence system provides a two-layered shield - 'exo' and 'endo'. What this effectively means is that the system provides protection both against ballistic missiles that are outside (exo) as well as inside (endo) the earth's atmosphere. [Akash, PAD, AAD and now S-400 triumf air defence missile system] Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) is supposed to tackle incoming missiles at ranges of 80-120 km (exo-atmospheric interception). On the other hand, the advanced air-defence (AAD) mainly consists of Akash Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM) that can intercept incoming missiles at ranges of 15-30 km (endo-atmospheric interception). For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 5:00 [IST] Amit Shah to hold rally in Haryana's Jind after abrogation of Article 370 Jind by-poll Highlights: 75.77% voter turnout recorded India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Jind, Jan 28: A high voter turnout was recorded in Haryana's Jind where the Congress and the BJP are locked in a battle of prestige. In the Jind assembly by-election, the turnout was recorded at 75.77 per cent. The election was multi-cornered in Jind in Haryana, ahead of parliamentary and assembly elections are due in later this year. All four major contenders in Jind -- the ruling BJP, Congress, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which was formed after a split in the INLD -- have pulled out all the stops for a victory, which could prove to be a morale booster for the rank and file. The Jind bypoll was necessitated following the death of INLD MLA Hari Chan Middha, whose son Krishna Middha recently joined the BJP and is the saffron party's candidate for the by-election. The Congress fielded its chief national spokesperson and sitting MLA from Kaithal constituency Randeep Singh Surjewala. The INLD is banking on Umed Redhu to retain the seat. The JJP has put its weight behind Digvijay Chautala, the younger son of jailed leader Ajay Singh Chautala, who broke away from the INLD and floated the party. Jind by-poll: A litmus test for all in this high stakes battle Here are the Highlights: Newest First Oldest First "The poll percentage at 3 pm was 60.12," an official said, adding that no untoward incident was reported. Over 60 per cent polling was recorded till 3 pm in Haryana's Jind assembly bypoll, being touted as a prestige battle between the ruling BJP and opposition Congress, which has fielded its prominent leader Randeep Singh Surjewala. The contest is also important for the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) which was formed after a split in the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). Over 60 per cent polling was recorded till 3 pm in Haryana's Jind assembly bypoll. Indian National Congress candidate Randeep Surjewala is 51 years old and has assets worth Rs. 3.37 crores and nil liability. Among three major canidates in Jind bypoll, Digvijay Chautala is wealthiest as well as the youngest. Contesting as an Independent candidate, he has support of recently formed political party Jannayak Janata Party (JJP). The party was formed by his father Ajay Chautala after split with Indian National Lok Dal. Aam Aadmi Party also announced its support to him. Digvijay has a total assets worth Rs. 23.41 crores and liabilities worth Rs. 9.63 crore. Women turned out in strength in rural areas in Haryana's Jind Byelection ; there were minor hiccups as the polling began as EVMs developed snags at some places. Haryana s Jind seat assembly multi-cornered by-election registered an over 50 per cent voter turnout by 2 p.m. on Monday, election officials said. Nearly 45% polling has been recorded till 1 am of the high-stake multi-cornered bypoll to the Jind assembly constituency. Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm. In the first two hours, 15% voters had exercised their franchise and by 10:30 am, the poll percentage rose to nearly 25%. People, including nonagenarians, queued up outside polling stations since early morning despite cold weather conditions. "Its my humble request to the people in Jind that they should actively participate in the elections and by elections by casting their votes and also motivate people around to use their franchise as well," Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar tweeted. A 101 year-old woman cast her vote at polling station number 114 during Jind bypoll in Haryana. pic.twitter.com/XLl4EDEQQB ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 A 101 year-old woman cast her vote at polling station number 114 during Jind bypoll in Haryana. Haryana's lone Jind seat assembly bypoll registered an over 25 per cent voter turnout till 10:30 am on Monday. Digvijay Chautala, Jannayak Janta Party's (JJP) candidate said,''We are confident. People will see a positive change in politics. Politics that will rise above religion, caste and creed.'' Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is backing Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) in the Jind bypoll. While addressing a rally earlier in Jind, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had declared that his party workers will campaign for JJP nominee Digvijay Singh Chautala. Kejriwal had clarified that he decided to support JJP after he found the two younger members of Chautala family 'selfless'. Dhanoo Devi, a 92-year-old woman, cast her vote at polling station number 111 in Jind. Voting is currently underway for the by-poll to Jind assembly constituency. Dhanoo Devi, a 92-year-old woman, cast her vote at polling station number 111 in Jind. Voting is currently underway for the by-poll to Jind assembly constituency. A total of 21 candidates, including two women, are in the fray. Prominent among the candidates include senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, late Hari Chand Middha's son and BJP candidate Krishan Middha and INLD's Umed Singh Redhu. Surjewala is already Congress' sitting MLA from Kaithal. The election was necessitated here after demise of INLD's sitting MLA Hari Chand Middha in August 2018. In 2009, he had defeated Mange Ram Gupta who was Cabinet Minister of Haryana. In 2014 assembly polls, he again won from Jind constituency. Counting of votes will take place on January 31. All necessary arrangements in place for smooth & peaceful conduct of polling today for bypoll to Jind assembly constituency. Haryana: Voting is underway for by-poll to the Jind assembly constituency. Visuals from polling station number 80. #JindByelection pic.twitter.com/q4ilaYBz9A ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 Voting is underway for by-poll to the Jind assembly constituency. Visuals from polling station number 80. Jind, Haryana: Randeep Surjewala offers prayers at Somnath temple. He is the Congress candidate for the by-election to the legislative assembly constituency of Jind. Voting is underway for the by-election. #JindByelection pic.twitter.com/r1MeAPaBpt ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 Randeep Surjewala offers prayers at Somnath temple. He is the Congress candidate for the by-election to the legislative assembly constituency of Jind. Voting is underway for the by-election. Jind, Haryana: Randeep Surjewala offers prayers at Somnath temple. He is the Congress candidate for the by-election to the legislative assembly constituency of Jind. Voting is underway for the by-election. #JindByelection pic.twitter.com/r1MeAPaBpt ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 Randeep Surjewala offers prayers at Somnath temple. He is the Congress candidate for the by-election to the legislative assembly constituency of Jind. Voting is underway for the by-election. Haryana: Voting is underway for by-poll to the Jind assembly constituency. Visuals from polling station number 80. #JindByelection pic.twitter.com/q4ilaYBz9A ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 Voting is underway for by-poll to the Jind assembly constituency. Visuals from polling station number 80. All necessary arrangements in place for smooth & peaceful conduct of polling today for bypoll to Jind assembly constituency. Counting of votes will take place on January 31. The election was necessitated here after demise of INLD's sitting MLA Hari Chand Middha in August 2018. In 2009, he had defeated Mange Ram Gupta who was Cabinet Minister of Haryana. In 2014 assembly polls, he again won from Jind constituency. A total of 21 candidates, including two women, are in the fray. Prominent among the candidates include senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, late Hari Chand Middha's son and BJP candidate Krishan Middha and INLD's Umed Singh Redhu. Surjewala is already Congress' sitting MLA from Kaithal. Dhanoo Devi, a 92-year-old woman, cast her vote at polling station number 111 in Jind. Voting is currently underway for the by-poll to Jind assembly constituency. Dhanoo Devi, a 92-year-old woman, cast her vote at polling station number 111 in Jind. Voting is currently underway for the by-poll to Jind assembly constituency. Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is backing Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) in the Jind bypoll. While addressing a rally earlier in Jind, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had declared that his party workers will campaign for JJP nominee Digvijay Singh Chautala. Kejriwal had clarified that he decided to support JJP after he found the two younger members of Chautala family 'selfless'. Digvijay Chautala, Jannayak Janta Party's (JJP) candidate said,''We are confident. People will see a positive change in politics. Politics that will rise above religion, caste and creed.'' Haryana's lone Jind seat assembly bypoll registered an over 25 per cent voter turnout till 10:30 am on Monday. A 101 year-old woman cast her vote at polling station number 114 during Jind bypoll in Haryana. pic.twitter.com/XLl4EDEQQB ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 A 101 year-old woman cast her vote at polling station number 114 during Jind bypoll in Haryana. "Its my humble request to the people in Jind that they should actively participate in the elections and by elections by casting their votes and also motivate people around to use their franchise as well," Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar tweeted. Nearly 45% polling has been recorded till 1 am of the high-stake multi-cornered bypoll to the Jind assembly constituency. Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm. In the first two hours, 15% voters had exercised their franchise and by 10:30 am, the poll percentage rose to nearly 25%. People, including nonagenarians, queued up outside polling stations since early morning despite cold weather conditions. Haryana s Jind seat assembly multi-cornered by-election registered an over 50 per cent voter turnout by 2 p.m. on Monday, election officials said. Women turned out in strength in rural areas in Haryana's Jind Byelection ; there were minor hiccups as the polling began as EVMs developed snags at some places. Among three major canidates in Jind bypoll, Digvijay Chautala is wealthiest as well as the youngest. Contesting as an Independent candidate, he has support of recently formed political party Jannayak Janata Party (JJP). The party was formed by his father Ajay Chautala after split with Indian National Lok Dal. Aam Aadmi Party also announced its support to him. Digvijay has a total assets worth Rs. 23.41 crores and liabilities worth Rs. 9.63 crore. Indian National Congress candidate Randeep Surjewala is 51 years old and has assets worth Rs. 3.37 crores and nil liability. Over 60 per cent polling was recorded till 3 pm in Haryana's Jind assembly bypoll. Over 60 per cent polling was recorded till 3 pm in Haryana's Jind assembly bypoll, being touted as a prestige battle between the ruling BJP and opposition Congress, which has fielded its prominent leader Randeep Singh Surjewala. The contest is also important for the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) which was formed after a split in the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). "The poll percentage at 3 pm was 60.12," an official said, adding that no untoward incident was reported. The bypoll has brought together the Congress rank as party's top leaders, including former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, state party chief Ashok Tanwar, late CM Bhajan Lal's son Kuldeep Bishnoi, CLP leader Kiran Choudhary and party MP Kumari Selja have taken to the streets to ensure Surjewala's victory. Surjewala's campaign had got a shot in the arm after a heavyweight from the area and Independent MLA from Kalayat Jai Prakash and former minister Mange Ram Gupta lending support to him. Randeep Surjewala Cong's candidate for Jind bypoll Prakash, a Jat leader, had been seeking the Congress ticket for his son Vikas Saharan. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, cabinet ministers Rambilas Sharma, Capt Abhimanyu and Manish Grover have been campaigning for Middha. Political pundits say the dormant Jat community votes are likely to be divided among Surjewala, Redhu and Digvijay as all of them are Jats which can tilt the balance in favour of the BJP candidate. The fledgeling JJP got a boost with the AAP announcing support for its nominee. The cancellation of furlough of INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala from Tihar Jail on the directive of the Delhi government led to a verbal duel between warring factions. Chautala hit back at his grandsons Dushyant and Digvijay, accusing them of "back-stabbing" him and "conspiring" with AAP to keep him out of the campaigning, a charge denied by the Hisar MP. Playing an emotional card, Chautala in an open letter to the electorate said that he was unwell and in hospital. "Despite being unwell, I wanted to come to you (seek votes). I gave an application of furlough to jail authorities which was approved from January 17 with riders that I will have to stay at Teja Khera farm house at Sirsa and should not participate in any political activities." "It is an injustice. However, all limits were crossed when the furlough from January 21 was cancelled. This has happened due to a conspiracy by Dushyant, Digvijay and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. I have been back-stabbed. I appeal to the electorate to vote for INLD candidate Umedh Singh to avenge the conspiracy hatched against me," Chautala has written in the letter. Sneh Lata, wife of Chautala senior is being heard in a video saying, "If I die tomorrow, these four persons (Ajay, his wife Naina and their sons Dushyant and Digvijay should not touch my body)." Hitting back, Naina asks, "Have you ever heard someone cursing her sons and grandsons". The electioneering has brought about sharp differences in the Chautala clan. While the BJP brokered peace with Kandela Khap (caste council) chief Tek Ram, a ticket aspirant, Leader of Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala apologised to villagers for the infamous firing incident in 2002 during the Chautala regime which led to the death of farmers. Middha is relying on "all-round development" done during Khattar's over four years regime. INLD's Umedh and Congress' Surjewala are banking upon anti-incumbency of ruling BJP alleging the saffron party "failed" to honour its poll promises. The candidate of Lok Suraksha Manch Vinod Kumar Arshi could also play spoilsport in a multi-cornered contest. Arshi, a Brahmin leader from Jind is a nominee put up by BJP's rebel MP from Kurukshetra, Raj Kumar Saini who is Manch's patron. Saini has an influence among voters from OBC communities. J&K police gun down three terrorists in Shopian, J&K As targeted killing of J&K BJP leaders continue, Lashkar front claims responsibility for latest attack Sopore attack: Lashkar operatives carried out reconnaissance along with Pak terrorist J&K: Terrorist shoots at a civilian in Pulwama India oi-Vikas SV Srinagar, Jan 28: A terrorist has reportedly shot at a civilian in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama region. The injured person has been rushed to a hospital. The person has been identified as one Tariq Ahmad Wani. He is a resident of Reshipora. His condition is not known yet. Further details are awaited. Last year in October, unidentified terrorists shot a man in Srinagar's Hyderpora area. The victim, identified as Muhammad Amin Dar, sustained grievous gunshot wounds and was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. However, he succumbed to his injuries. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 19:35 [IST] Ananth Kumar says Chop off hands that touch Hindu girl, drags Dinesh Gundurao in Twitter war India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Jan 28: Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday slammed Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde for his controversial remarks, calling it 'deplorable. Hegde, a highly controversial minister and a five-time BJP MP from Uttara Kannada, had asked people on Sunday to make "the hand which touches a Hindu woman disappear". Addressing a function, organised by the Hindu Jagrana Vedike, at Madapura in Somwarpet taluk of Kodaugu district, Hegde also claimed that history had been distorted to claim that the Taj Mahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, and instead it was a Shiva temple called Tejo Mahalaya. His comments were slammed as "deplorable" by Dinesh Gundu Rao, the President of Karnataka. Rao tweeted, "What are ur achievements after becoming a Union Minister or as MP? Wht are ur contributions for Karnataka's development? All I can say for sure, it's deplorable tht such people have become ministers & have managed to get elected as MP's." Hegde then responded to Gundurao saying that state Congress chief's only achievement is running behind a Muslim girl, an oblique reference to his wife Tabu Rao, a Muslim. I shall definitely answer this guy @dineshgrao's queries, before which could he please reveal himself as to who he is along with his achievements? I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady. https://t.co/8hVJ2wQXMU Anantkumar Hegde (@AnantkumarH) January 27, 2019 To which Dinesh attacked Hegde for lack of manners in public discourse, saying perhaps he didn't learn from "Hindu scriptures". Sad to see @AnantkumarH stoop to such low levels as to bring in personal issues. Guess its his lack of culture. Guess he hasnt learnt from our Hindu scriptures. Time hasnt run out, he can still try and become a more dignified human. https://t.co/AaX5OuUAVb Dinesh Gundu Rao (@dineshgrao) January 28, 2019 Speaking to ANI, Dinesh Gundu Rao said,''It's very sad that he talks like this. It's a very sad reflection on the type of people who hold top positions in this govt. He always uses provocative language. That's probably what his party asks him to do.'' ''But to stoop to such low levels&make personal remarks, it shows the lack of culture. It's demeaning not only of himself but also his office. I hope BJP leaders tell him & advise him to not speak like this,'' he also said. In the past as well, Hegde has waded into controversies after making inappropriate statements on sensitive issues. Earlier this month, the Union Minister had claimed that the handling of the Sabarimala issue by the Kerala government was the "daylight rape" of Hindus. Goa audio tapes authentic, Parrikar in possession of 'explosive' Rafale secrets: Rahul India oi-PTI Panaji, Jan 28: Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the "Goa audio tapes", cited by the Congress to attack the Centre on the Rafale issue, were authentic and the state's Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is in possession of "explosive secrets" that give him power over Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi's sharp attack came days after the Congress cited an audio tape in which Goa minister Vishwajit Rane was purportedly heard telling an unidentified person that Parrikar has Rafale files, due to which, he has managed to continue in the chair. Tagging a media report in which Rane was quoted as saying after the row erupted in the first week of January that the tapes were "doctored", the Congress chief tweeted: "30 days since the Goa Audio Tapes on RAFALE were released. No FIR or enquiry ordered. No action against the Minister either!" "It's obvious that the tapes are authentic & that Goa CM, Parrikar, is in possession of explosive Rafale secrets, that give him power over the PM," Gandhi said. A war of words had erupted between the Congress and the BJP over Parrikar's purported claim that he had a file on the Rafale jet deal "lying in his bedroom". In the clip released by the Congress, Rane was purportedly heard saying that during a Goa cabinet meeting, Parrikar stated he had an entire file and all documents relating to the Rafale deal lying in his bedroom. A war of words had erupted between the Congress and the BJP over Parrikar's purported claim that he had a file on the Rafale jet deal "lying in his bedroom". In the clip released by the Congress, Rane was purportedly heard saying that during a Goa cabinet meeting, Parrikar stated he had an entire file and all documents relating to the Rafale deal lying in his bedroom. Gandhi had also made an attempt in Lok Sabha's Winter Session to play an audio tape. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the tape was "false and fabricated", and asked the Congress president if he could authenticate it. Parrikar, on his part, had termed the audio clip as a desperate attempt to fabricate facts. The Congress, which has alleged corruption and favouritism in the Rafale deal and accused the prime minister for it. The government has denied the charges levelled by the Congress and said the deal is clean, without any corruption or middlemen. PTI CBI has got an ultimate certificate from Jaitley says Chidambaram India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, Jan 28: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram slammed the CBI for "indiscriminately targeting" some of the bankers, saying the agency has received "ultimate certificate" on its action from Union minister Arun Jaitley, who had criticised it. In a series of tweets, the former finance and home minister said he was glad that Jaitley's conscience and legal acumen have finally stirred to condemn the "indiscriminate targeting of eminent bankers", in cases where the allegations are about thousands of crores of rupees. 'Another jumla': Chidambaram takes dig at Centre over railway jobs announcement "The CBI has received the ultimate certificate from the one who has the best ring-side seat, the Finance Minister (on leave): 'Adventurism and megalomania have overtaken investigators'!," he said. Chidambaram said the government was in slumber when there was "indiscriminate targeting" of distinguished IAS officers and others, in cases where the allegations are about small sums of money, in an apparent reference to the Aircel-Maxis case in which a number of IAS officers have been named in the chargesheet. Chidambaram has also been named as accused by the CBI in the case. "'What cause are we serving or actually hurting?' asks the FM. He knows the answer. The cause of justice," he said. The CBI is also probing the alleged role of Chidambaram as finance minister in INX media case and had last week sought the sanction of the central government to prosecute him. Jaitley has criticised the CBI for planning to question eminent bankers like K V Kamath in the Chanda Kochhar case of alleged cheating and fraud in the ICICI-Videocon loan case. Jaitley, in a write-up on Facebook, had slammed the CBI for naming the "who's who of the banking industry" without concentrating on the "bull's eye" in the case. He had written a day after the agency filed an FIR against Kochhar and others in the ICICI case: "There is a fundamental difference between investigative adventurism and professional investigation." CBI seeks sanction to prosecute P Chidambaram in INX Media case Jaitley, who was holding the charge of finance ministry but is now on leave as he is away in the US for treatment, had said while adventurism leads to media leaks, ruins reputations and eventually invites strictures and not convictions, professional investigation targets the real accused on the basis of actual and admissible evidence and rules out fanciful presumptions. "One of the reasons why our conviction rates are poor is that adventurism and megalomania overtake our investigators and professionalism takes the back seat," Jaitley wrote. On Thursday, the CBI filed an FIR against former ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar and industrialist V N Dhoot in a Rs 3,250-crore loan involving the Videocon Group and the ICICI Bank. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 7:49 [IST] Bulandshahr violence: Accused Prashant Natt's wife cries foul, says police team had kept the phone India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Jan 28: Wife of Prashant Natt, accused in Bulandshahr Violence case arrested on 27 December, allege that the mobile phone of Inspector Subodh Kumar which was seized from their home was kept there by the police team itself which had come to search the place. Police came to us saying they have a search warrant. They asked which room is Prashant's. 2 cops went in&kept a phone on the dressing table there. When we said it isn't ours, they told us to shut up. Police had brought the phone along with themselves. Earlier on Sunday, the Uttar Pradesh police had recovered six mobile phones from the residence of the main accused in inspector Subodh Kumar Singh's killing in the December 3 mob violence at Syana in Bulandshahr district. Bulandshahr violence: Murdered cop Subodh Singh's mobile recovered from house of accused On the other hand, Atul Srivastav, Superintendent of Police (SP) City, said: "As per information received from sources, an operation was conducted to recover the mobile of the deceased policeman Subodh Kumar. His phone was recovered from the main accused Prashant Natt's house." Singh was killed along with a local resident when a mob went on a rampage over alleged cow slaughter in the district. He was cornered and attacked with stones and an axe before Natt, a taxi driver, allegedly shot him dead. Singh's two mobile phones and a pistol had gone missing after his killing. The police are yet to recover the pistol even as Natt was arrested on December 27. A postmortem report had found that the policeman had died of a bullet wound below his left eyebrow. As many as 37 accused in the case have either been arrested or have surrendered. They include Bajrang Dal's Yogesh Raj, BJP leader Shikhar Agarwal, and Upendra Raghav of the Vishva Hindu Parishad. Raj and Agarwal were arrested while Raghav surrendered to a court. Police had booked 27 and at least 60 unidentified people for Singh's killing on December 3. The state government has separately booked Azhar Khan, Nadeem Khan, and Mehboob Ali under the National Security Act (NSA) for the alleged cow slaughter that sparked the violence. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, January 28, 2019, 9:38 [IST] No objection to use of 'Krishnapatnam medicine': Andhra Pradesh govt AP: 15 students injured after school bus turned turtle in Guntur district India oi-Madhuri Adnal Amravati, Jan 28: At least 15 students suffered minor injuries while two students were seriously injured, after a school bus turned turtle in Guntur district on Monday . The injured students have been shifted to a nearby hospital. The driver of the school bus is being questioned by the police, reported news agency ANI reported. The bus was reportedly carrying over 50 students when the accident took place. The bus reportedly fell into a culvert after the driver lost control of the vehicle. The incident occurred in Veldurthi mandal when the children were on their way to school from Uppalapadu village, The News Minute reported. The children belonged to Krishnaveni Talent School and were admitted to the Government Area Hospital in Macherla. Local residents gathered in large numbers at the site of the accident and started efforts to save those injured. A case of negligence was reported at the hospital where sweepers were seen treating the injured students, according to some media reports. Submitted Photo The Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees received a $4,300 grant from the Women's Fund of Herkimer & Oneida Counties. Empower tenant advocates State Sen. Justin Waynes bill to implement mandatory landlord inspections would be a huge nanny-state law. This bureaucracy cost in Omaha alone was estimated at up to $3.9 million per year. There is a better, more cost-effective way to solve this. Empower and obligate the tenant advocates who are discovering the unhealthy, unsafe conditions. As front-line investigators, these tenant advocates should be the ones doing the reporting. At the hearing Jan. 22, tenant advocates bled out horror stories of tenants living in unhealthy, unsafe conditions. Rather than make a list of the offending apartments and zero in on the negligent landlords, these tenant advocates and their agencies support Legislative Bill 85, which mandates a bureaucracy covering all apartments and all landlords, which in all likelihood would be subsidized by taxpayers and exist forever. LB 85 is not a good solution. The reordering is underway in multiparty systems, too. Sweden recently ended a four-month deadlock over who would become prime minister when two center-right parties -- the Center and Liberal Parties -- switched sides and backed the incumbent Social Democrat. They had refused to deal with an anti-immigrant populist party, the Sweden Democrats, whose support was required for the four traditional center-right parties to elect a prime minister. And in Germany, the pro-immigrant Green Party is now the second-largest in the polls, largely because educated supporters of the leading center-right parties have been shifting their votes in reaction to the rise of the anti-immigrant populist Alternative for Germany Party. This movement creates problems for both the traditional right and the traditional left. For the right, losing these voters makes it impossible to form a majority. British Prime Minister Theresa May discovered this when she lost her majority in the 2017 election, and the continued revolt against a hard Brexit by Tories who still represent high-income voters has thrown her government into crisis. Conservative parties also can't form a majority if they move decisively to the center, as many of their voters want a hard populist policy and are willing to defect if they don't get it. A proposal at the Nebraska Legislature to require a landlord registry and mandatory inspections of rental properties in Omaha and Lincoln is an understandable attempt to protect tenants from unsafe and unsanitary housing conditions. Legislative Bill 85 is a premature effort, however, since it would have the state intervene when Omaha city leaders and staff are in the middle of developing a strategy to address the problem. State Sen. Justin Wayne represents parts of northeast Omaha where tenants have expressed concern to him about disturbing rental conditions in certain instances. He says he has introduced LB 85 to underscore the severity of the problem. City leaders and staff in Omaha have made clear that they understand the need to strengthen city policy on the issue, and they appear to be doing conscientious work to draft an approach that will be effective and affordable. They need to be given time to complete that work. Just as the Legislature rightly demands that its legitimate prerogatives as a branch of government be respected, the same should go for Omahas municipal government. Were Omaha officials ignoring this obligation and making no effort to consider a stronger policy, the state could be justified in considering some type of mandate. But it would be improper of the state to insert itself into the situation now. Omaha police say they think two men were involved in the Saturday night shooting in the Dundee area that left a third man wounded. Police say the men confronted John E. Mass, 40, and then shot him in the leg as he was entering a parking lot. The shooting, at 50th Street and Underwood Avenue, was reported at 11:10 p.m. When police arrived, they found indications of a shooting, but no victim Mass had already driven himself to the Nebraska Medical Center. He was listed in good condition Monday afternoon. Mass initially went to a nearby business for help before driving himself to the hospital, a police spokesman said. A woman who lives near 50th and Webster Streets said she heard just one gunshot followed a few minutes later by sirens as she was preparing for bed. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, police said. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Omaha Crime Stoppers at 444-STOP, at www.omahacrimestoppers.org or on the P3 Tips mobile app. Tipsters remain anonymous and may be eligible for a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in a shooting. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. I just dont think the science is there to support this, and it does have risk, said Koepsell, an associate professor in the pathology and microbiology department at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Not to say that down the road it couldnt lead to something, but it just seems premature. The use of blood products is an active area of aging research. Karmazin said work on whats known as parabiosis in mice is the scientific basis for Ambrosias treatments. In those studies, researchers who surgically joined the blood systems of young and old animals observed some positive effects on the health of aging mice. But Dr. Thomas Rando, a Stanford University aging researcher who has conducted such studies, told the American Federation for Aging Research that theres no evidence that blood donated from young people and given to older people has any health benefit. Until we have solid evidence that there really is a proven benefit in humans, I would not recommend to anyone that they receive any blood product based on the prospect that it might have some sort of rejuvenating benefit, he said in a Q&A with the aging research organization that was posted on its website. Other researchers in the field have made similar comments. At the beginning of the Omaha Symphonys South Pacific on Saturday, Principal Pops Conductor Ernest Richardson explained that we were about to hear a hybrid combining elements of a full-scale musical and a concert. The symphony should cultivate this hybrid with different musical crops each year because this experiment yielded a bounty. It had a few costumes, even fewer props and no sets, but it was expansive, expressive and just plain wonderful. When you devote much of the stage to a full orchestra, it allows musical theater fans to experience the score as it is rarely heard. Orchestra pits or backstage areas dont have a lot of room, so community theater productions often dont have a lot of musicians. Ideally, music by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein deserves so much more, and the Omaha Symphonys players delivered it with fervor and feeling. The concert was a collaboration between the symphony and Musical Theatre Wichita, which trains artists for professional careers. Many MTW alumni go on to Broadway shows. The theater provided the lead actors in the musical, but a number of Omahans were also onstage. Error: Embedded data could not be displayed. Error: Embedded data could not be displayed. The "Working Rich" Are Not Like You and Me--or the Oligarchs January 28, 2019 Rising income inequality may be a reflection of the changing nature of work. F. Scott Fitzgerald's story The Rich Boy included this famous line: "Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me." According to a recent paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Capitalists in the Twenty-First Century (abstract only), the "working rich" are different from you and me, and from the Oligarchs above them who pay little in U.S. income taxes due to offshore tax havens and philanthro-capitalist tax avoidance scams. Before we start complaining about the rich not paying their fair share, let's note that the top 3% of taxpayers--mostly "working rich"-- pay more than 50% of all income taxes. The latest available IRS data is from the 2016 tax year, as reported by Bloomberg: Top 3% of U.S. Taxpayers Paid Majority of Income Tax in 2016. The top 1% paid 37% of all income tax collected,the top 5% paid almost 60% and the top 10% paid about 70%. What's striking is the progressive nature of taxes compared to the income of each bracket: the top 1% earned about 20% of total income but paid 37% of the income tax, the top 5% earned 35% and paid almost 60% of the income tax and the top 10% earned 46% of the income and paid 70% of the tax. So what distinguishes the "working rich" from the Oligarch rich? The Oligarch rich collect passive, rentier income from the ownership of assets: stocks, bonds, real estate, etc. The "working rich" are owners of companies, and most of their income comes from human capital, meaning their knowledge, expertise and experience. According to the NBER authors' research, when these "working rich" owners retire or die, business income tanks by 75%. In contrast, the passive income from financial/physical assets continues on unchanged even if the owner retires or dies. The "working rich" have a few tax advantages in terms of their effective tax rate, but the bottom line is they pay most of the income taxes collected by the U.S. Treasury. The "working rich" are not tax cheats like the super-wealthy revealed by the Panama Papers; they're the ones doing the heavy lifting of paying most of the $1.7 trillion in income taxes (which doesn't include the payroll taxes of Social Security and Medicare, with employees and employers each paying 7.65% of wages/salaries). While a high-earner employee's tax rate is 35% above $200,000 (and 6.2% up to $132,000 for Social Security taxes and 1.45% Medicare taxes on all earned income), business owners can shift much of their income from earnings (wages/salaries) to profits or long-term capital gains, which are taxed at lower rates. This is the key difference between employees and the "working rich": the working rich, as business owners, can elect to pay themselves a salary but distribute most of their income as profits or long-term capital gains, which are taxed at 15% up to $425,800 and 20% on everything above that level. Despite this advantage, the top 1% paid an effective tax rate of 26.9% compared to 15.6% for the top 50% of taxpayers while the top 5% paid 23.5%. The other key finding of the NBER paper is that the "working rich" kept most of the gains earned by their enterprises: rather than distributing much of these gains to employees, the business owners increased their share of net profits, a trend which has fueled the income inequality so many of us have been scrutinizing. Why is this occurring? I have a theory. I doubt this theory lends itself easily to quantification, so it may be difficult to support statistically, but here goes: business owners are keeping more of the net gains because the commoditization of labor has reduced the incentives to retain the most experienced employees. In terms of human capital, the gains in productivity accrue to those with long experience in difficult, high-value tasks. The most experienced employees make the most money for the firm because they can solve problems faster and more effectively than employees with less experience. But once labor has been commoditized, i.e. sliced into discrete tasks, long experience no longer pays dividends. In a commoditized labor force, paying higher wages to retain senior workers simply doesn't make business sense. The most profitable way to manage employees is hire the least-experienced workers, get them up to speed and then keep their wages more or less the same. If they leave for another job, the tasks they were performing can be learned by new employees relatively quickly because they've been commoditized. Now that even inexperienced workers are scarce in many regions, businesses are having to pay more wages and offer more flexibility to get replacement workers. But the modest rise in wages (roughly 3%, if recent estimates are accurate), are much less than the gains being accrued by successful privately owned companies. In other words, rising income inequality may be a reflection of the changing nature of work: to streamline and automate work, labor has been commoditized wherever possible so the tasks can be performed by anyone with some training anywhere in the world. The days in which the senior workers held the most profitable knowledge in their heads, and employers who wanted to secure strong profits paid senior workers handsomely to keep them, are largely gone. Would you pay someone $30 an hour when someone getting $20 an hour produces the same output? No wonder the "working rich" are keeping most of the gains for themselves: there's not much incentive to reward seniority if seniority is no longer adding to the enterprise's core human capital. Pathfinding our Destiny: Preventing the Final Fall of Our Democratic Republic ($6.95 ebook, $12 print): Read the first section for free in PDF format. My new mystery The Adventures of the Consulting Philosopher: The Disappearance of Drake is a ridiculously affordable $1.29 (Kindle) or $8.95 (print); read the first chapters for free (PDF) My book Money and Work Unchained is now $6.95 for the Kindle ebook and $15 for the print edition. Read the first section for free in PDF format. If you found value in this content, please join me in seeking solutions by becoming a $1/month patron of my work via patreon.com. NOTE: Contributions/subscriptions are acknowledged in the order received. Your name and email remain confidential and will not be given to any other individual, company or agency. Thank you, Amy C. ($56), for your magnificently generous contribution to this site -- I am greatly honored by your steadfast support and readership. Thank you, Timothy K. ($5), for your most generous contribution to this site -- I am greatly honored by your support and readership. 5W Public Relations has formed a strategic partnership with London-based The PHA Group. The partnership will allow the two agencies to share resources across the United States and the UK. Starting in April, an exchange program will be put in place for employees of both 5W and PHA. The two agencies are already working together on several campaigns for clients in the consumer and tech space. This initiative not only benefits our employees progression and development but widens the international network and reach that we can provide to our clients., said Mark Gregory, CEO of The PHA Group. Cision has acquired digital PR platform provider TrendKite. Based in Austin, TX, TrendKite harnesses artificial intelligence and analytics to help brands understand the effect communications programs have on corporate reputation, website traffic and business outcomes. TrendKite CEO Erik Huddleston will become president of Cision following the transaction. The digital PR platform will continue to be offered as a stand-alone application. In the long term, TrendKite will become part of the Cision Communications Cloud product offering. Combining our offerings and capabilities with Cisions comprehensive earned media platform will allow us to powerfully impact the marketing communications industry, said Huddleston Investis Digital has expanded into Ireland with the launch of a Dublin office. The office will be led by sales director Niamh Tallon, who has relocated back to Dublin after working with the company in London for the last four years. The company says the expansion reflects its commitment to provide integrated, end-to-end communication solutions for its growing roster of clients in Ireland. "Investis Digital already has a strong foothold in Ireland, helping a number of key clients in the country innovate and evolve their digital capabilities," said Tallon. "The opening of a Dublin office now cements our presence here in Ireland. Founded in 2000, Investis also has offices in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, the Nordics and India. An Irish man who swallowed an expensive diamond ring at a jewellery store in Turkey recently told prosecutors that he wasnt himself when he did it, because he fell into a trance the moment he saw the beautiful diamond. Ian Campbell, who was vacationing in the Turkish seaside resort of Marmaris, was arrested on October 4, 2018, after swallowing a $40,000 diamond ring at a local jewellery store. Eyewitnesses later told police that Campbell swallowed the jewel in desperation, after realizing that he was going to be caught trying to steal it. Prosecutors instructed police to take the would-be-thief to the local hospital, where he was administered laxatives to help him return the 2.5-carat diamond ring by natural means. Turkish media tracked the journey of the jewel through Campbells stomach almost in real time, but sadly it got stuck and had to be surgically removed. Photo: Pixabay/ColiN00B The 54-year-old Irish man spent two days at the Marmaris State Hospital taking laxatives, drinking lost of water, running and jumping around to help the diamond ring pass through his digestive system, but it didnt work. After 36 hours, the tourist agreed to undergo surgery to have the ring removed. Turkish authorities opened a criminal case against Ian Campbell, and last week local media reported some pretty unbelievable quotes from his testimony to the prosecutors: I fell into trance when I saw the diamonds, the Irish tourist said. The jeweler was telling something to me but I couldnt even hear him because I was in trance. When I was conscious again, I found myself hiding a diamond in my pocket and I swallowed it in panic as jewelers started to search it. Campbell also mentioned that the bizarre gesture had been caused by the tragedy of losing his wife. She had died in a car accident and her wedding ring was lost, so whenever he sees a ring he feels a strong urge to take it. I lost my wife in a traffic accident in Ireland. Her body could not be removed from the car, which fell into a lake, for days after the accident. Her diamond ring, our wedding ring, could not be found despite a search operation in the lake. This incident caused my obsession for diamond rings. Since then, whenever I see a diamond ring on display at jewelry shops, my wife comes to my mind, the 25-year-old said. I feel a strong urge to take those rings, especially the expensive ones with higher carat diamonds. Sadly for Ian Campbell, the prosecutors didnt buy his explanation and he is now facing criminal charges. His court case is ongoing. At the event, an award for Youth of the Year will be presented to a child exhibiting outstanding qualities, and the Jane Walker Community Champion Award is given to a member of the community striving to educate and developmentally equipment children to succeed in the future. Its named after Jane Walker who was behind one of the main drives to get a Boys and Girls Club in our area, Burns said. We raise funds to make sure the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Lee County are able to keep their doors open." Promoting a better future If interested, potential guests can purchase tickets for $35 per person or sponsor a table of eight for $300 on the Boys and Girls Club website at www.bgcleeco.org. They can visit our site any time anybody ever wants to dive a little bit deeper to see what we do at the club, Burns said. We are way more than an after-school program. Our goal is to build positive and caring citizens for our community. Lee County residents can contact Burns at (334) 663-0426 to gain more insight into upcoming events, the club and opportunities to serve, and Burns encourages Business owners to partner with the club to provide jobs and educational tours for the children. Space News space history and artifacts articles Messages space history discussion forums Sightings worldwide astronaut appearances Resources selected space history documents advertisements 'Apollo 11' trailer, poster show enormity of first moon landing mission January 28, 2019 To paraphrase the words spoken by Buzz Aldrin when he first set foot on the moon, the new trailer for "Apollo 11" is "magnificent resolution." Released on Monday (Jan. 28), four days after the documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, the two-minute video offers a glimpse of some of the film's never-before-seen footage from the historic first moon landing mission 50 years ago. "The enormity of this event is something only history will be able to judge," says Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins in the "Apollo 11" trailer. The film, directed by Todd Douglas Miller of Statement Pictures and presented by Neon and CNN Films, captures that enormity and reframes it as a cinematic journey told using only archival footage and audio. Disclosure: The author of this article, collectSPACE.com editor Robert Pearlman, served as the historical consultant on "Apollo 11." Like the film and its first movie poster, which was also revealed on Monday, the trailer opens with the Saturn V, the towering rocket that powered Neil Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins to the moon in July 1969. In a series of brief clips, the trailer shows the booster being carried out to the pad and igniting for launch between shots of the astronauts suiting up for the mission, all in spectacular 70mm format. The "Apollo 11" trailer also includes scenes capturing the activity inside the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Mission Control at the Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center) in Houston, Texas. From the earlier, one particular scene centers on JoAnn Morgan, the only woman to work at a console in the Apollo 11 firing room. Miller and his team worked with NASA and the National Archives to source and digitally scan (at resolutions up to 8K) every available piece of footage from Apollo 11, including a previously unknown cache of wide high-resolution film documenting the preparations for the mission, the launch and the astronauts' recovery back on Earth. "Apollo 11" also incorporates newly-synced audio from an archive of 11,000 hours of recordings from inside Mission Control. Just before closing on the lunar module Eagle approaching a landing on the moon, the trailer turns its the focus back on us the millions of people who stopped what they were doing to watch the mission unfold. The scenes of spectators and space program workers are set against the on-screen words, "witness the last time we were one," a reference to what President Richard Nixon told Armstrong and Aldrin during his call to the astronauts on the lunar surface. "Apollo 11" is coming soon to theaters. The movie poster for Todd Douglas Miller's "Apollo 11" features an image of the Saturn V rocket taken from never-before-seen 70mm footage of the first moon landing mission. "A cinematic event 50 years in the making," the 93-minute documentary is coming soon to theaters. (Neon/CNN Films) 2021 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved. (CNN) Nearly four years after almost 1 million refugees were welcomed into the country, Germany has quietly been closing the window on asylum applications and ramping up deportations. This trend has continued even as the number of people arriving in Europe has dropped 80% since the height of the migrant crisis in 2015, according to the UN. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced that in 2018 Germany received about 185,000 asylum applications, a drop of 17% from last year, and far fewer than the 2015 peak of 890,000. "We now have the problem under control. We have put things in order," said Seehofer. "We offer protection for people who are vulnerable. However, the population will only accept asylum rights if we can repatriate those who don't need to be protected.'' Seehofer proudly stated that the number was well within the "upper limit" to migration agreed by Germany's coalition government. Applications dropping, deportations rising But what he didn't say was that while the number of applications is dropping, the number of deportations appears to be rising. Interior Ministry figures provided in response to a question from lawmakers from The Left party show that following the migrant crisis the number of deportations nearly doubled to 20,000 a year and have stayed roughly at that level ever since, despite the steep drop in arrivals. Last year, more than 8,000 people were sent back to the European Union states they first arrived in. The deportation numbers also reveal how EU countries continue to squabble over who should be responsible for incoming asylum-seekers. More than 30% were repatriated back to Italy, for example, but Greece refused to accept the majority of transfer requests from Germany, and Hungary accepted none at all. The figures also give some indication of Germany's shift away from the "Wilkommenskultur" or "welcome culture" that greeted refugees in 2015 when Chancellor Angela Merkel famously rallied Germans with the phrase "Wir Schaffen Das" or "We can do it." Right-wing surge Since then, the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged in the polls. Several high-profile crimes involving migrants have shifted public opinion, particularly the 2015-16 New Year's Eve mass sexual assault in Cologne in which scores of women were attacked by gangs of "North African men," according to police. Last summer, violent street protests erupted in the East German town of Chemnitz after a local man was stabbed to death by two migrants. The public backlash has pushed Germany's centrist parties to crack down on immigration, particularly Merkel's Christian Democrat Union and its Bavarian sister party, Christian Social Union (CSU), which was under Seehofer's leadership. But there is no guarantee that getting tough on immigration will win votes for Germany's centrist parties. While Seehofer spearheaded the government's so-called "Migration Masterplan," the CSU lost votes to both the AfD on the right, and the Greens, touting a much more liberal immigration policy, on the left. Seehofer has since been voted out as CSU party leader. 'Safe countries' Last week, Germany's lower house of parliament also voted to also place Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Georgia on its list of "safe countries of origin," making it much more difficult for asylum-seekers from those countries to gain refugee status. According to Germany's Interior Ministry, in 2017 more than 15,000 people from these four countries applied for refugee status but only seven were granted asylum. Roughly 300 from these countries were given some form of temporary humanitarian protection, which will no longer be the case if these countries are placed on the "safe" list. While Seehofer said the reclassification would speed up the refugee application process, Luise Amtsberg, the asylum affairs spokeswoman for the Greens, disagreed: "I personally find the worst thing about this debate is that it tries to trick people in Germany into thinking that the reclassification of these four countries can potentially solve the problems we indeed have with our asylum policies." 'Complete waste of resources' The drive to deport more migrants has now gone beyond new applicants to those cases that have lingered in a legal "gray area" for years in Germany, says one immigration lawyer. "We see now a kind of urgency to increase the deportation numbers, for example people who have been living in Germany for 30 years, are married to a German or have a German child. People who will almost certainly be able to get a visa again. So it's a complete waste of resources," says Philipp Pruy, an immigration lawyer with BC Legal. "The question is whether they can keep up with these deportations in the long run because it requires a financial and personnel effort. Passport replacements must be issued, people taken into custody, arrest warrants filed, planes chartered. I doubt we can keep this speed up." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Germany rolls up refugee welcome mat to face off right-wing threat." Eager to promote itself as making strides on womens rights, the United Arab Emirates on Sunday announced the winners of its Gender Balance Index awards, with the ruler of Dubai posing for pictures with the government officials collecting the accolades. They were all men. The irony wasnt lost on social media users, who accused the Emiratis of tone deafness. Im sorry to be the one to tell you, but you forgot to invite women, Rianne Meijer, a Dutch journalist, wrote on Twitter. ROME Pope Francis sought to downplay what he called inflated expectations for a global church summit on child sexual abuse next month, casting it as an educational workshop for bishops more than a definitive policymaking meeting. We have to deflate expectations, the pope told reporters on the papal plane returning to Rome from an international event for Roman Catholic youth in Panama. Because the problem of abuse will continue, it is a human problem. The summit is shaping up to be a pivotal moment in Francis nearly six-year papacy. As abuse scandals have spread beyond the United States and Europe to Latin America and Asia, the pope has faced pressure to prove that the church is capable of removing abusive priests and disciplining negligent bishops. The pope said that the meeting, to be held at the Vatican on Feb. 21 through Feb. 24, was intended to help bishops and the heads of religious orders better understand the procedures to follow when faced with allegations of abuse, and to impress on them the terrible suffering of victims. ISTANBUL A United Nations investigation team arrived in Turkey on Monday to start an inquiry into the killing of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi three months ago inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Agnes Callamard, the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings, met with the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in Ankara at the beginning of the planned weeklong visit. The minister posted a photograph of the meeting on Twitter. Ms. Callamard said the inquiry was her own initiative, independent of the United Nations or any government. Turkey, however, had repeatedly said that it was considering requesting a United Nations investigation into the killing, because of frustration at Saudi Arabias failure to cooperate on a joint inquiry. The Saudi government has placed 11 officials linked to the killing on trial in the capital, Riyadh, but has refused to extradite to Turkey any of those suspected of being involved. DUBLIN The abortion clinics website pops up at the top of a Google search for free ultrasound, its content and color scheme mimicking the governments new support service for unplanned pregnancy. Looking for abortion advice? How far along am I? The bright orange speech bubbles attached to stock images of smiling medical experts purport to inform women about abortion options that became legally available in Ireland on Jan. 1. The brick-and-mortar version of the Dublin clinic, however, is less inviting. Its true purpose is to obstruct abortions: Hanging out front, like a graphic warning on a cigarette pack, is a giant poster of a 15-year-old girl who died after receiving an abortion in London. Inside sits an ultrasound machine in a small, narrow room that has the air of a back alley medical facility. In May, Ireland voted decisively to cast aside one of the worlds most restrictive abortion bans, approving a new law that guarantees unrestricted abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy, and longer in situations in which there is a serious risk to the life or health of a woman, or in which there are fatal fetal abnormalities. LONDON Under normal circumstances, the British lawmakers Nick Boles and Yvette Cooper would hardly be called rebels. Mr. Boles, an Oxford-educated Tory, comes from a long line of colonial officers and Conservative Party stalwarts. Ms. Cooper, an Oxford-educated Labour lawmaker, became a government minister at the age of 30, and was the first woman to serve as chief secretary to the Treasury. But on Tuesday, these two moderate, establishment lawmakers, both representing districts that strongly backed Britains exit from the European Union, hope to present the British government with a historic challenge. They plan to propose an amendment in Parliament that could delay Britains departure from the bloc for a few months or even until the end of the year rather than leave without a deal. What Do They Say? The most hyped amendment, offered by Yvette Cooper of the Labour Party and the Conservative Nick Boles, is designed to make it more difficult for Britain to leave the bloc without a deal. If Parliament has not agreed to a deal by the end of February, the amendment says, Parliament should get a chance to vote on delaying Brexit, possibly for a few months or even until the end of the year. That would cheer a broad coalition of lawmakers who are aghast at the likely economic fallout of a no-deal exit, along with those who want to buy time for a second public vote on whether Brexit should happen at all. An amendment offered by a Conservative lawmaker, Graham Brady, would give Parliaments backing to a harder-line Brexit. It is designed to force Mrs. May to scrap the backstop plan that at least temporarily binds Britain and, to a greater extent, Northern Ireland to European trading rules. (That plan is meant to avoid customs checks on the historically contentious border between Ireland, a member state of the European Union, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.) What those warring amendments have in common is that they give clear signals about what Parliament does not want a no-deal exit, in one case, or temporary ties to the European Union, in the other without charting a course for what Mrs. May should negotiate instead. And there are many more. An amendment offered by a Conservative lawmaker, Dominic Grieve, would set aside six days before March 29, the Brexit deadline, for Parliament to debate a wide array of Brexit plans. Labours official amendment would let Parliament weigh in on the partys preferred Brexit deal, which includes stronger and more lasting ties to the European Unions single market, and says lawmakers should get to vote on whether to hold a second public vote on Brexit. Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity watchdog organization at the University of Toronto, has published hard-hitting research on powerful targets in recent years: Chinese government censorship, Silicon Valleys invasion of customers privacy, despotic regimes electronic surveillance of dissidents. Its the kind of work that can make enemies. So when John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, got an odd request for a meeting last week from someone describing himself as a wealthy investor from Paris, he suspected a ruse and decided to set a trap. Over lunch at New Yorks five-star Peninsula Hotel, the white-bearded visitor, who said his name was Michel Lambert, praised Mr. Scott-Railtons work and pried for details about Citizen Lab. Then as I was finishing my creme brulee, Mr. Scott-Railton said a reporter and photographer from The Associated Press, alerted by Mr. Scott-Railton and lurking nearby, confronted the visitor, who bumped into chairs and circled the room while trying to flee. At least two other men nearby appeared to be operatives one who stood at the door, another who seemed to be filming from a table, said Mr. Scott-Railton, who himself filmed his lunch companion. Medical records for 14,200 H.I.V.-positive people in Singapore were obtained by an American and illegally disclosed online, officials said Monday, in the second major data breach of the countrys public health system in less than a year. We are sorry for the anxiety and distress caused by this incident, the Health Ministry said in a statement, adding that it had started to contact affected people on Saturday. Our priority is the well-being of the affected individuals. The Singaporean police notified the Health Ministry on Jan. 22 that confidential information from its H.I.V. Registry may have been disclosed by an unauthorized person, the statement said. The ministry said it had filed a police report the next day and spent another two days working with the relevant parties to disable access to the information. Though access was successfully disabled, the information is still in the possession of the unauthorized person, and could still be publicly disclosed in the future, the statement said. It named that person as Mikhy K. Farrera Brochez, an American citizen who it said had lived in Singapore on an employment pass from January 2008 to June 2016, when he was jailed. Mr. Brochez could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday. The report said Captain Sultan had slept little the night before the flight and had been unaware of new rules in Bangladesh that required international flights to have air clearance before departing from Dhaka, leading to confusion when he prepared for takeoff. He was also considering whether to resign from US-Bangla Airlines over comments from a colleague who had questioned his competency. In the air, Captain Sultan seemed very insecure, the report said. He acted aggressively with other crew members, smoked in the cockpit and complained repeatedly about the colleagues criticism. (She was not on board.) Once in Nepalese airspace, Captain Sultan failed to follow standard procedures at a critical stage of the landing phase at Tribhuvan International Airport, the report said. This led to the loss of situational awareness that had prevented him from properly judging the angle of approach to the runway. The report also blamed air traffic controllers in Nepal for a lack of assertiveness in safely guiding the plane, a twin-engine turboprop that can carry up to 78 passengers, to the ground. Landing was completed in a sheer desperation after sighting the runway, at very close proximity and very low altitude, the report said. Captain Sultan, his co-pilot and the two other crew members on board were among those who died in the crash. The report was compiled using cockpit voice recordings, closed-circuit television footage, a flight data recorder and interviews with air traffic controllers and Nepali and Bangladeshi officials. Though an experienced pilot, Captain Sultan had struggled in the past. In 1993, he was let go from the Bangladesh Air Force in connection with his depression, the report said. He was later cleared to work again and flew planes for several airlines before joining US-Bangla Airlines in 2015, the year after it began operations. BANGKOK A deadly bombing of a cathedral in the Philippines has brought fresh attention to the Islamic States ability to metastasize across the world, even as the militant group has been reduced to a sliver of turf in Syria. The attack, consisting of two detonations, struck the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the island of Jolo at the southern end of the Philippines, a region where Muslim insurgents have for decades battled the Catholic-majority state. At least 20 people were confirmed dead in the assault, which took place just as worshipers gathered for Mass on Sunday. Through various online bulletins, the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, claimed responsibility. The violence showcased the ability of the Islamic State to graft onto faraway militant movements and fan the flames of local conflicts by striking a high-profile target like a cathedral, the premier church in a Catholic diocese. Fighters from Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia flocked to Iraq and Syria in recent years, and returnees from the Islamic States battles have strengthened the reach and tactical power of extremist groups back in Southeast Asia. The bombings in the Philippines occurred just after a Muslim-majority part of the island group of Mindanao, which includes Jolo, held a referendum on a delicate peace process. On Monday, the Philippine national security adviser, Hermogenes Esperon, implied that the bombings on Sunday were most likely the work of rebels affiliated with Abu Sayyaf, a separatist militia with a stronghold in Jolo that is excluded from the current peace process. BEIJING An outspoken Chinese human rights lawyer was sentenced to four and a half years in prison on Monday, the last to be prosecuted among hundreds of legal activists who had been rounded up in a crackdown in 2015. The lawyer, Wang Quanzhang, was found guilty of subversion of state power, the No. 2 Intermediate Peoples Court of Tianjin said on its website. That charge is usually applied to critics of the ruling Communist Party who are accused of organizing political challenges. Other lawyers and activists who had been picked up in an expansive campaign by the government that began in the summer of 2015 were either released or put on trial and sentenced. But Mr. Wang, 42, had been held for nearly three and a half years before he faced charges in a closed trial in Tianjin on Dec. 26 that even his wife was barred from attending. The crackdown, which included televised show trials in which lawyers confessed to plotting to overthrow the government and working on behalf of foreign forces, is a part of President Xi Jinpings efforts to obliterate threats to the partys control. HAVANA A tornado ripped through eastern Havana late Sunday and early Monday, killing three people, injuring 174 others and battering the capital with powerful winds and heavy rains. President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez announced the toll on Twitter, along with photographs of himself and rescue workers next to what appeared to be an overturned vehicle. Little information about the storm appeared in the state media. Photos posted on Twitter by Cuban news outlets and Havana residents showed cars crushed by fallen lampposts and other trapped in floodwaters. There is definitely a new onus on doctors to make sure that the prescribing is rational and appropriate, especially around some of the most common situations in which opioids are prescribed, including dental procedures, orthopedic procedures and emergency room visits. Of course, the prescribing doctor should know if a patient may be especially vulnerable to addiction, whether because of warning signs in the family history, psychiatric disease or adolescent experimenting. Traditionally, oral surgeons tended to be among the highest prescribers of opioids to adolescents, said Dr. Charles Berde, the founder of the division of pain medicine at Boston Childrens Hospital. With the proactive use of acetaminophen and ibuprofen around the clock, he said, most adolescents who had their wisdom teeth extracted did not need any oxycodone at all. And for those who do, he said, four pills is enough to cover the great majority of kids. In the past, Dr. Mason said, children were often prescribed too many pills, which can contribute to the risk of using the medication longer than strictly necessary, and to leftover doses remaining in the medicine cabinet. You should not keep them for use for a future time, Dr. Mason said. These are for a specific surgery, and any that remain should be disposed of, not left around to be perhaps used by another family member, or found by an exploring toddler or visiting adolescent. She recommended taking them to a local pharmacy or health center, or to a police station, or else mixing them with dirt or kitty litter before throwing them away. A study published in December in JAMA Pediatrics found a threefold increase in the mortality rate among children and adolescents from opioid poisoning, both by prescription drugs and by illicit drugs, over the past two decades. In addition to deaths among adolescents, the rate increased markedly among children under 4, underscoring the need to store these drugs safely and dispose of any leftover doses. Pediatric orthopedists are looking at whether children need any opioids at all in certain situations, said Dr. Joshua M. Abzug, the director of pediatric orthopedics and deputy surgeon in chief at the University of Maryland Childrens Hospital, who was the co-author of a 2018 review article on managing pediatric orthopedic pain in the setting of the opioid epidemic. And when they do need them, he said, doctors should limit the prescriptions to only the few pills that the child is likely to need. WASHINGTON The Trump administration imposed sanctions against Venezuelas state-owned oil company on Monday, seeking to cripple the government of embattled President Nicolas Maduro by cutting off its main source of cash. The move marked the first punitive step by the United States to force Mr. Maduro to give up power since the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, declared himself interim president last week after years of accusations of corruption in Venezuela at the expense of its people. The sanctions prohibit most American businesses from engaging in transactions with the oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., or Pdvsa. Administration officials said the financial penalties are expected to block $7 billion in assets and result in $11 billion in export losses over the next year for Venezuelas government, starving it from its most important source of revenue and foreign currency. Last week, the Trump administration recognized Mr. Guaido, the 35-year-old leader of the National Assembly, as his supporters took to the streets to demand new elections. Mr. Maduro has cut ties to the United States and has demanded that all American diplomats leave the country. WASHINGTON The fate of President Trumps $5.7 billion demand for a border wall is now in the hands of a 17-member bipartisan panel that includes some of the most senior members of Congress and, perhaps more tellingly, lacks the most vocal immigration hard-liners on Capitol Hill. Under the agreement Mr. Trump reached last week with congressional Democrats, a committee of Republican and Democratic lawmakers from both chambers known as a conference committee has until Feb. 15 to come up with a border security package. During the 35-day shutdown, many Americans accused Mr. Trump and Congress of acting like toddlers, with Mr. Trump insisting that he had to have the wall, and Democratic leaders insisting that they would not give him a penny for it. Now, a group less dominated by ideology will be in charge. One conference committee member, Senator Jon Tester, Democrat of Montana, departed from Democratic orthodoxy on Monday when he told reporters that he would be in favor of including some money for a wall in the border security package. Late last year, Mr. Tester and other Democrats on the Appropriations Committee voted for a spending bill that included $1.6 billion for 65 miles of fencing along the border. UE // Concurs de propuneri de proiecte in cadrul Programului de granturi locale al Uniunii Europene (EU) Fii schimbarea: Cetateni implicati - comunitati durabile in regiunea de dezvoltare Centru WASHINGTON Hundreds of thousands of federal employees returned to work on Monday with a presidential promise of a paycheck very quickly but no guarantee that they will be working in three weeks, when a temporary stopgap of funding expires. President Trump and congressional Democrats arrived at a short-term agreement late on Friday, reopening the government after 35 days and the longest government shutdown in history. Lawmakers have until Feb. 15 to reach a compromise on the Republican request for billions of dollars to be allocated for a border wall a wall Democrats have refused to fund. Referring to the odds that a deal could be struck over that time, Mr. Trump told The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, I personally think its less than 50-50. Mr. Trump said he would use emergency powers to fund the wall if an agreement could not be reached. In a stark reminder that federal employees were returning to work with the knowledge that they might be forced to go without a paycheck once again next month, one federal agency, the Department of Agriculture, updated its employee information website and said, We will also leave some of the shutdown-related material up for a period time, should you need to refer back to it. WASHINGTON The Justice Department unveiled sweeping charges on Monday against the Chinese telecom firm Huawei and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, outlining a decade-long attempt by the company to steal trade secrets, obstruct a criminal investigation and evade economic sanctions on Iran. The pair of indictments, which were partly unsealed on Monday, come amid a broad and aggressive campaign by the United States to try to thwart Chinas biggest telecom equipment maker. Officials have long suspected Huawei of working to advance Beijings global ambitions and undermine Americas interests and have begun taking steps to curb its international presence. The charges underscore Washingtons determination to prove that Huawei poses a national security threat and to convince other nations that it cannot be trusted to build their next generation of wireless networks, known as 5G. The indictments, based in part on the companys internal emails, describe a plot to steal testing equipment from T-Mobile laboratories in Bellevue, Wash. They also cite internal memos, obtained from Ms. Meng, that prosecutors said link her to an elaborate bank fraud that helped Huawei profit by evading Iran sanctions. The acting attorney general, Matthew G. Whitaker, flanked by the heads of several other cabinet agencies, said the United States would seek to have Ms. Meng extradited from Canada, where she was detained last year at the request of the United States. Also along for the Russia trip were Joseph R. Gregory, co-chairman of the N.R.A.s Golden Ring of Freedom, a group for donors of $1 million or more; and Pete Brownell, then the organizations first vice president, who would later become president. Congressional scrutiny of the N.R.A. has intensified since Ms. Butina pleaded guilty last month to conspiring to act as a foreign agent, in a deal with the United States attorneys office in Washington. She admitted to being part of a Russian-backed effort to use the N.R.A. to influence American politics. Two Senate committees are also investigating the N.R.A.s ties to Russia, as is the House Intelligence Committee, and the Federal Election Commission initiated a preliminary inquiry last year. Three past N.R.A. presidents Mr. Keene, Mr. Cors and Mr. Brownell have been asked for interviews in the inquiries. A critical question for investigators is the extent of the N.R.A.s financial ties to Russia. While the N.R.A. has turned over thousands of pages of records in the Senate inquiries, those documents do not include the organizations closely held donor records; it is possible, however, that federal investigators have obtained the organizations tax records from the Internal Revenue Service. Responding to questions from the Senate Finance Committee, the N.R.A. said last year that since 2015 it had brought in roughly $2,500 from people associated with Russian addresses or Russian nationals living in the United States. But that left open the question of money that may have come from shell companies or other less overt sources. The N.R.A. should provide the financial documents and other records necessary to explain the scope of their activities, Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon and the committees ranking member, said in a statement. The prospect of N.R.A. or N.R.A. officials abusing nonprofit status to work with a hostile regime and undermine our democracy is central to my investigation. The N.R.A.s outside counsel, Mr. Brewer, said that after an internal review, the group believes that no foreign money made its way into the organization for use in the 2016 presidential election. Any suggestion that the group took in Russian money, he said, fails to appreciate the steps the N.R.A. takes to guard against such an unwanted event. With Democrats now controlling the House, an inquiry led by the House Intelligence Committee has new life. CHICAGO Two of the most dreaded words in a Midwestern weather forecast polar vortex returned this week, promising life-threatening low temperatures that could shatter records and plunge much of the region into its deepest freeze in decades. Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin declared an emergency and told the National Guard to be ready to help. The University of Notre Dame announced it was closing its northern Indiana campus from Tuesday evening until Thursday afternoon. And in Chicago, city leaders deployed buses as mobile warming centers and offered tips on how to thaw frozen pipes (hair dryers work well, they said, but dont use an open flame). This is right up there with the best of the cold waves, and weve had some doozies over the years, said Tom Skilling, the chief meteorologist at WGN-TV in Chicago, where he has worked for 40 years. Mr. Skilling predicted 72 hours of subzero wind chills and 48 hours of subzero temperatures so low that were going to hear buildings and outdoor objects creaking. [Read some cold hard facts about the polar vortex: You could get frostbite in five minutes, and Des Moines will be colder than parts of Antarctica.] ST. PAUL Days after nearly dying during cancer treatments, Hunter Cantrell, a 23-year-old university student, made what seemed a quixotic decision: He would run for the Minnesota House of Representatives to plead for affordable health care for all. To the shock of nearly everyone, Mr. Cantrell flipped a Republican-held seat in the suburbs of the Twin Cities, and this month, he became one of nearly 1,700 candidates who took the seat of an incumbent in state legislatures across the nation. The vast majority of the newcomers are Democrats, and as legislatures started new sessions this month, they were already shifting the debate in a number of states to liberal pledges made during their campaigns, including lowering health care costs, promoting gun control, and expanding access to college. Republicans continue to hold majorities in most of the nations state capitals, as they have in recent years, but Democrats now control six new legislative chambers, including the Minnesota House of Representatives. Along the way, though, Minnesota where Republicans hold a narrow majority in the Senate became the only remaining state in the nation where control of a legislature is divided. We know many people end up with a risky pileup of prescribed medications. Many efforts have been made, with varied success, to correct this problem. Yet weve usually focused on physician behavior, when theres another powerful lever: pharmacists. About 30 percent of older adults in the United States and Canada filled a prescription in the last few years for one of many medications that the American Geriatrics Society recommends they avoid. Such drugs can lead to more harm like cognitive impairment or falls than good, and often safer options are available. Older adults are taking an awful lot of pills these days 66 percent take five drugs or more per day, and 27 percent take 10 or more per day so if some of those pills are no longer necessary and may even be causing harm, why not ask if it is time to deprescribe? said Dr. Cara Tannenbaum, a professor of medicine and pharmacy at the University of Montreal, and director of the Canadian Deprescribing Network. Its not easy to get patients off such drugs, though. Physicians often dont have enough information about what patients are taking, or may lack the time to talk to patients about these medications. They fear that stopping the drugs might cause harm or make patients upset. In the Balkans the transition is over, Remzi Lani, an Albanian political analyst, told me some time ago. But unlike in many post-Communist countries, Mr. Lani didnt mean a transformation from dictatorship to democracy. We transitioned from repressive to depressive regimes. He is right. The old Communists and radical ethnic nationalists are largely gone; in their places is stagnation economic, social and political. The question now is how these depressive regimes fit into a growing geopolitical rivalry. A day before his recent visit to Belgrade, Serbia, President Vladimir Putin of Russia expressed his great displeasure with Macedonias name change and accused the United States and certain Western countries of destabilizing the region; the Russian foreign minister, meanwhile, denounced the willingness of the United States to lead all Balkan states into NATO as soon as possible and to remove any Russian influence in this region. Russia wants to make clear that this is not what the people in the region want. Watching Mr. Putins visit to Belgrade and listening to his rhetoric, one couldnt help but conclude that the confrontation in the Balkans between the West and Russia is changing both in nature and intensity. In the last decade, Russia was actively defending its economic and cultural presence in the region, but it never openly challenged NATO or European Union hegemony. Not anymore. At first glance, Russias ambitions seem unrealistic. The Balkans remain firmly entrenched in the West: Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Albania and Montenegro are all NATO members and Macedonia is on its way. Every country in the region is either a member of the European Union or aspires to join it. The European Union is far and away the regions top trading partner, its biggest investor and the preferred destination for emigration. The conventional wisdom is that Russia might be a troublemaker but could hardly be more. This article is part of David Leonhardts newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it each weekday. Pete Buttigiegs notion of intergenerational justice the subject of one of my newsletters last week sent me on a data hunt. I dug into the numbers on income, wealth and other issues to see how millennials, baby boomers, my own Generation X and others are faring. The results tell a clear story, and its the story I tell in my column today: The fleecing of millennials. If you dont have time to read the full column right now, check out the first two charts. Is Nancy Pelosi tired of winning yet? President Trumps disconnection from reality is sometimes a big political advantage for him. Without any apparent interest in the facts, he is often able to persuade his supporters to believe whatever story is most favorable to himself. Other times, however, this disconnection from reality ends up hurting Trump. The filtered import of foreign imams may look like a good practical solution; in fact, its an ideological trap. These imams, even if acting in good faith, can only reinforce communalism in France and work against integration, because they are not French. In the name of laicite, France is dangerously delegating its Islam to other states. Those states benefit. For the Algerian government, the export of imams seems to confirm the countrys return to stability. Saudi Arabia sees proselytizing as a form of soft power. So does Turkey, which appears invested in maintaining a religious lobby abroad. The stakes are high, apparently. When last year the Austrian government expelled about 60 Turkish preachers to counter, it said, the creation of parallel societies and political Islam, Turkey called the move racist and Islamophobic. When the French government said it wanted to create a distinct Islam of France, Algeria speaking indirectly, via an experts op-ed in state media accused it of arrogance tinted with ignorance. The import of imams, the foreign financing of mosques these delegations of power by the French authorities are a dead end: They wont do enough to stem radicalism in France, and they will do even less to nurture the emergence of, precisely, an Islam of France. The presidents office seems to want to overcome all this. But some of the participants in that first meeting convened by Mr. Macron at the beginning of the year reacted with calculated anger before accepting the invitation. Members of the French Council of the Muslim Faith decried the colonial administration of Islam. Its a clever conflation: By invoking colonialism, they can leverage guilt as a bargaining chip while maintaining Islams communal valence. Why do that? For fear of losing power if France develops a sui generis form of Islam. Harping on Muslims status as a once-colonized group is a way of highlighting their ties to their countries of origin, over those to their host country. Past attempts to create Muslim councils the Great Mosque of Paris, the Federation of French Muslims, the Union of Islamic Organizations in France (also known as Muslims of France) that could effectively represent Frances various Muslim communities have failed. One reason is the rivalry among the groups leaders, different confessional strands and foreign governments with ties to immigrant communities. Algeria competes with Morocco, and both of them compete with Turkey and Saudi Arabia: As the journalist Henri Tincq has pointed out on Slate.fr, the Paris Mosque is loyal to Algeria, the Federation of French Muslims has ties to the Muslim World League and Morocco and the Union of Islamic Organizations in France is close to the Muslim Brotherhood. Its difficult to separate Islam from its community and the community from its country of origin without being accused of interference. Whenever the French government tries to manage Islam in France, Algeria says its meddling, when in saying so, it is Algeria that is meddling in Frances affairs. Four years ago, former New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum asked us why City & State only honors people under 40. From this innocent question, City & States annual 50 Over 50 Awards were born. This is the fourth year we have partnered with AARP in honoring 50 leaders who have distinguished themselves by helping New York in civic affairs. From crime prevention to education reform to vital nonprofit work, we are highlighting a wide array of leaders some widely known and others who have become influential behind the scenes. In this issue and at a gala event on Jan. 29, we recognize and thank these 50 people for making our city the greatest big city in America. We also highlight the work of 10 Lifetime Achievement award winners, including longtime Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Nydia Velazquez, New York City First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan, former New York City Public Advocate Mark Green and six other great New Yorkers. If you know of a colleague or another New Yorker who deserves to be on this list next year, please email me: tallon@cityandstateny.com. Tom Allon City & State President and Publisher (Profiles by Kay Dervishi.) Joseph Crowley Chairman, Queens Democratic Party joe-crowley-celeste-sloman.jpg Alt Text: Joe Crowley Title Text: Joe Crowley Description: Joe Crowley Image Credit: Portrait by Celeste Sloman During his two decades in the House of Representatives, former Rep. Joseph Crowley held powerful positions as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and member of the Ways and Means Committee. Its an honor and a privilege to represent almost three-fourths of a million people in the House of Representatives, he said. His efforts helping to pass the Affordable Care Act and the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to assist 9/11 survivors and workers are among his proudest accomplishments. While Crowleys time in Congress has ended he lost his seat to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the primary last year he continues to have a political impact on New York as chairman of the Queens Democratic Party. Asked to weigh in on his successor and the future of the 14th Congressional District, Crowley said: I think that none of us owns the seat that we are elected to. I think we need to take the time to recognize were there on behalf of the people, not just one particular sector of the society but all people. Alfonse DAmato Founder and Managing Director, Park Strategies al-damato-celeste-sloman.jpg Alt Text: Alfonse D'Amato Title Text: Alfonse D'Amato Description: Alfonse D'Amato Image Credit: Portrait by Celeste Sloman In the 1970s, when gas shortages plagued the country, Alfonse DAmato was the supervisor of Hempstead on Long Island. Concerned about residents who depended on their vehicles to get around, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with U.S. Sen. Jacob Javits. But Javits was not available, and instead DAmato was relegated to speaking with a disinterested aide. I said to myself, this is not what we should have in terms of representation, he said. The experience inspired DAmato to run for the Senate. He won a seat he would end up holding for 18 years, and at one point was dubbed Senator Pothole for his focus on constituent services. He took the nickname in stride, remembering the experiences he had as a local official. We never let partisan politics get in the way, he said, reflecting on the work of New York lawmakers. He pointed to one success in particular: a 1991 transportation bill he worked on with Democratic U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, which set aside money for highway construction and mass transit. Dean Fuleihan First Deputy Mayor, New York City dean-fuleihan-celeste-sloman.jpg Alt Text: Dean Fuleihan Title Text: Dean Fuleihan Description: Dean Fuleihan Image Credit: Portrait by Celeste Sloman During his 33 years working in the Assembly, Dean Fuleihan was the right-hand man of Speaker Sheldon Silver and the go-to adviser on the state budget. He took on a similar role in New York City Mayor Bill de Blasios administration, as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, before stepping into his current role. I do very much enjoy dealing with budgets and the problems that poses and the challenges that poses, Fuleihan said. It gives you an opportunity to help in the development of policy, just to do it in a fiscally responsible way. Asked to describe his proudest professional achievement, Fuleihan pointed to the many measures he has worked on during his decadeslong career among them recent successes like universal pre-K and improved high school graduation rates. In a time and period where people are very negative about what government can accomplish, but I think were showing here, under this mayor, that we can make accomplishments and we can do so in a responsible way, he said. Mark Green Former New York City Public Advocate mark-green-1-celeste-sloman.jpg Alt Text: Mark Green Title Text: Mark Green Description: Mark Green Image Credit: Portrait by Celeste Sloman One evening during his second year of law school, Ralph Nader called Mark Green to offer him a job with the advocacy organization Public Citizen. The conversation not only led to Green working as one of Naders Raiders a group of activists who investigated the Federal Trade Commission but also inspired him to work in politics. Nearly 50 years later, Green is best known for being New York Citys first public advocate. He has also authored or edited 23 books, served as president of Air America Radio and worked on several presidential campaigns. While Ive been a pretty consistent progressive advocate, Ive done it in a pretty eclectic way, he said. Some argue that it is better to be an advocate than a politician, but Green said he enjoys both roles. Green said many of his proudest accomplishments come from his work in city government, including changes he and his staff were able to bring after suing then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani over police misconduct records, his push for the removal of cigarette vending machines and giving women more rights in divorce proceedings. Lorraine Grillo President and CEO, New York City School Construction Authority lorraine-grillo-celeste-sloman.jpg Alt Text: Lorraine Grillo Title Text: Lorraine Grillo Description: Lorraine Grillo Image Credit: Portrait by Celeste Sloman A couple of months after Lorraine Grillo started working at the New York City School Construction Authority in 1994, she visited P.S. 721 in Queens a newly built school for students with disabilities. The experience solidified her love for her work. Watching the joy on their (the childrens) faces was the best compensation you could possibly want, she said. Grillo has since become president and CEO of the School Construction Authority and was recently appointed commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction. Under her leadership, the SCA produced more than 75,000 new school seats and opened 35 pre-K centers in less than six months. She also started the Opportunity Academy, a training program for youth interested in working in construction administration. Construction is a really, really great profession, said Grillo, who divides her day between her two roles. Why? Because you get to see and feel and touch the result of your work. So even if you work in the back office, you know you had a part in building something very special. Carolyn Maloney Congresswoman carolyn-maloney-celeste-sloman.jpg Alt Text: Carolyn Maloney Title Text: Carolyn Maloney Description: Carolyn Maloney Image Credit: Portrait by Celeste Sloman A record 127 congresswomen are now serving in the House of Representatives after the historic 2018 midterm elections. But when Rep. Carolyn Maloney and fellow Lifetime Achievement honoree Rep. Nydia Velazquez joined the House in 1993, there were fewer than half that number. Maloney was the first woman to chair the Joint Economic Committee and during her time on the New York City Council the first councilwoman to give birth while in office. Thanks to the women and like-minded men who came before and supported me, I was able to be part of a movement to shatter that glass ceiling in the male-dominated world of New York City politics, she said. After 25 years in Congress, Maloneys key accomplishments include passing a law to provide various services to first responders and survivors of the 9/11 attacks and helping to secure federal funding for the Second Avenue subway. If youre passionate about the bill youre trying to pass, she said, you have to keep looking forward and rise above the fray. John Miller Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, NYPD john-miller-celeste-sloman.jpg Alt Text: John Miller Title Text: John Miller Description: John Miller Image Credit: Portrait by Celeste Sloman Growing up as the son of a journalist, John Miller dreamed of becoming a reporter with WNEW-TV and CBS 60 Minutes. But he was also inspired by author Robert Daley a former deputy commissioner of the New York City Police Department and decided he would like to pursue a career in law enforcement as well. In the end, Miller fulfilled both dreams. He worked at the stations that had been on his radar growing up, as well as at ABC News, where he interviewed Osama Bin Laden in 1998. But he interspersed his journalism work with various roles in law enforcement at the NYPD, LAPD and FBI. In his most recent move, in 2014, Miller left CBS to take a position as head of New York Citys counterterrorism operations. I thought, What would it be like on the other side of the yellow tape? In the inner perimeter? he said. And that was kind of an extension of, Why sit in the front row when you could sit in the ring? Nydia Velazquez Congresswoman nydia-valazquez-celeste-sloman.jpg Alt Text: Nydia Valazquez Title Text: Nydia Valazquez Caption: Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez Description: Nydia Valazquez Image Credit: Portrait by Celeste Sloman Rep. Nydia Velazquezs interest in politics goes back to her childhood in Puerto Rico. She was inspired by her father, a sugar cane worker who became a political activist, organizing fellow workers to ask for better conditions. Later on, I connected the dots, she said. If you wanted to bring fairness, change, you needed to put in energy and effort. After earning her bachelors degree at the University of Puerto Rico, Velazquez received a scholarship to New York University. Several years later she made her foray into New York politics, eventually becoming the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in Congress and the first Latina to chair a full congressional committee. Over the course of her 25 years in Congress, Velazquez has worked on a variety of measures most recently advocating on behalf of Puerto Rico for relief funding in the wake of Hurricane Maria. I remember at the beginning, when some of the members kept saying congressman and I kept telling them, congresswoman, practice it, because were going to be here for years to come, she said. Keith Wright Director, Government Relations Group, Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP keith-wright-celeste-sloman.jpg Alt Text: Keith Wright Title Text: Keith Wright Description: Keith Wright Image Credit: Portrait by Celeste Sloman Keith Wright was only 8 years old when he joined the March on Washington with his parents, who often took him picketing for civil rights. When the Harlem native saw news reports about protests he had attended, he realized he was doing important work. He was inspired to pursue a career in public service. Wright served in the Assembly for 24 years and chaired various committees, including housing, social services and labor, among others. He worked on bills to help protect tenants rights as well as end the practice of requiring fingerprints from food stamp recipients. Several years ago, Wright led fellow tenants at Riverton Houses in Harlem in suing the landlord for illegally increasing rents. One thing I learned early on is if you get 75 percent of what you want, thats a good deal, Wright said. Earlier in his career, Wright worked for the Manhattan borough presidents office and New York City Transit. Since 2017, he has been the director of Davidoff Hutcher & Citrons government relations group. Michael Zetlin Co-Founder, Zetlin & De Chiara LLP michael-zetlin-celeste-sloman.jpg Alt Text: Michael Zetlin Title Text: Michael Zetlin Description: Michael Zetlin Image Credit: Portrait by Celeste Sloman Michael Zetlin was prepared to follow in the footsteps of his father, Lev Zetlin, a world-famous engineer who left his mark on New York City with projects like the Roosevelt Island Tramway and the New York State Pavilion in Queens. But when he watched his father testify in a construction failure case, he became fascinated with the law. Zetlin who holds degrees in both engineering and law combined the two fields to become a construction lawyer. Since founding the law firm Zetlin & De Chiara LLP with Michael De Chiara in 1992, he has represented clients like American Airlines and the Jewish Theological Seminary. He has also been an adjunct professor at Columbia University. Zetlin had a few words of advice for young people entering his field: Recognize that as a construction lawyer, you are a pivotal player in shaping the landscape of this city. Whether the construction is related to a tunnel, an airport, a power plant, a museum, an office building or a condominium, your efforts are instrumental for project success. Most Americans tend not to think of these egalitarian (even anti-capitalist) sentiments as part of the nations intellectual heritage. But Warren, Ocasio-Cortez and similarly situated politicians like Bernie Sanders are drawing on influential currents in American political history. Some of those stretch back to the founding era. Despite his own status as a wealthy slaveholder, Thomas Jefferson was wary of extreme disparities of wealth and thought it was incompatible with republican political ideals. Commenting on the consequences of this enormous inequality producing so much misery to the bulk of mankind in Europe, he described his position in a famous letter to James Madison in 1785. Whenever there is in any country, uncultivated lands and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to violate natural right. The earth is given as a common stock for man to labor and live on. If, for the encouragement of industry we allow it to be appropriated, we must take care that other employment be furnished to those excluded from the appropriation. He concluded with a statement of belief: The small landholders are the most precious part of a state. More than a century later, labor and agrarian radicals would make a version of this observation vis a vis the unjust and unfair arrangements that trapped farmers and industrial workers. For them, the extreme inequality and labor exploitation of the era was simply incompatible with meaningful democratic citizenship, as it left both hopelessly dependent on the owners of capital, corroding American democracys basis in the ideal of equal relations between citizens. Suddenly, without warning, the shop closes down or the worker is discharged and his wage, small at best, is cut off. He has to live, the rent must be paid, the wife and children must have clothing and food, fuel must be provided, and yet he has no job, no wages, and no prospect for getting any, wrote the socialist leader Eugene Debs in a fiery 1904 pamphlet, Unionism and Socialism, which painted a dire picture of capitalist dependency. He continued: Is a worker in that position free? Is he a citizen? A man? No! He is simply a wage slave, a jobholder, while it lasts, here today and gone tomorrow. Channeling the founders, Debs held independent material security as a precondition for individual liberty. No man is free in any just sense who has to rely upon the arbitrary will of another for the opportunity to work, he had written in 1900. As Debs saw it, if we are deprived as workers, then we cannot truly act as citizens. The family approached border officers to assert their right to ask for asylum; they were also seeking help for a son who no longer had medicine for his chronic heart condition. In response, a border officer noted that he was not a doctor, physically pushed the family back across the international line into Mexico, and told them to return to Piedras Negras and the local migrant shelter there. In the shelter, the family put their names on an informal waiting list for their chance to seek asylum again. However, their smugglers learned they had not yet entered the United States and began demanding more money, promising to infiltrate the shelter and kill the family if they did not send additional payments. Several days later, while the family walked to a convenience store, a white van screeched to a halt and armed men forced the family into the vehicle. The family was taken to a house and spent two days in captivity, until Mexican state police arrived. However, these officers had not come to save the family but rather to sit down at the table for a leisurely breakfast and to accept money from the kidnappers. When the police did pay attention to the family, it was to call Mexican immigration agents to deport them. These agents proposed a deal, to release the family for $1,000. But with no more money, the family was transported to a Mexican migration detention center. After languishing for two months, the parents and children were released into Mexico City, where the threats continued both from their former kidnappers and Barrio 18 gang members searching for the family. This familys harrowing story is far from an isolated case. In February 2017, a Honduran woman and her three children were kidnapped in the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas the migrant kidnapping capital of Mexico after trying to seek asylum with border officers on three occasions. And in November 2018, a transgender Mexican asylum seeker was robbed and assaulted in Tijuana. The next month, a Cameroonian asylum seeker was stabbed and two Honduran asylum-seeking teenagers were murdered. Routine turnbacks and the expansion of metering systems at ports of entry began in 2016. Yet last summer, border officers doubled down on the practice, stationing its agents mid-bridge from El Paso to Brownsville and at border gates from New Mexico to San Diego with instructions to reject people seeking asylum. Today, these turnbacks are occurring daily at major ports of entry along the southwest border. Kudos to our latest political supernova, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for helpfully bringing taxes back into focus, with her call for a new top tax rate of 70 percent on incomes above $10 million a year. That seemingly simple concept makes for a great headline, but its not great tax policy. While Im all for raising taxes on the wealthy (in large part because we need to deal with our growing deficit), there are more sensible ways to do it. For starters, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez seems to be ignoring the burden of state and local taxes, particularly for residents of places like her hometown. For us New Yorkers, the top rate for those levies is 12.7 percent. And thanks to the 2017 Republican tax cut, it is no longer deductible, bringing her proposed top rate to 82.7 percent. There are other, better ways to raise revenue in particular, by increasing the tax rate on capital gains and dividends and closing loopholes. Mr. Baradar was a moderate on social issues and argued for maintaining relationships with the West and Afghanistans neighbors. The hard-liners among the Taliban under the influence of Osama bin Laden had forced Western aid agencies to leave Afghanistan, and the country faced a severe famine and economic crisis. Mr. Baradar argued against isolating Afghanistan and cutting off all aid. He was aware of his countrys dependence on financial aid from the West. Although he had opposed the presence of bin Laden in Afghanistan after Mullah Omar gave him sanctuary in 1996, Mr. Baradar stayed close to Mullah Omar in Kandahar after their regime fell. Owing to his impeccable record of service to the Taliban cause, no other Taliban leader will be able to contradict Mr. Baradar if and when he takes steps toward peace. He is also the most likely figure to sell peace to the more militant Taliban commanders, who are inclined to continue fighting and want to claim total victory and impose a Shariah system on the country as they did in the 1990s. The United States will benefit from his presence in the Qatar talks, as Mr. Khalilzad and his colleagues will be speaking to a prominent and decisive Taliban leader who can make decisions. Mr. Khalilzads team has made significant headway, and American and Taliban officials have agreed in principle to the framework of a peace deal in which the Taliban promise not to host terrorist groups in the future and to help the United States rid Afghanistan of the remnants of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. The deal could lead to a full pullout of American troops in return for a cease-fire and Taliban talks with the Afghan government. Major questions remain to be resolved. The Taliban want an American troop withdrawal announced and their prisoners freed from Afghan jails as an immediate first step. The Americans have won a pledge from the Taliban that Afghan soil will never be used again by terrorist groups. The United States is also insisting on a Taliban cease-fire with both American and Afghan forces and an agreement to start talks on the future political setup with President Ashraf Ghani and the Kabul government. I as a junior in college found myself lying in bed in a hotel looking out at the red stars on the top of the Kremlin towers, saying to myself, How the hell did I get here? he recalled in a 2017 talk at the National Museum of American History in Washington. But I took a lot of pictures 200 pictures. Image Mr. Olsen in Moscow in 1954. He was one of two American students chosen to go to the Soviet Union as part of a Soviet-American exchange. Credit... via Olsen Family It was a time, during the Cold War, when few Americans had seen the Soviet Union, and he used those photographs to start a sideline giving show-and-tell lectures. (The C.I.A., his daughter said, was also interested in the pictures.) On a return visit in 1959, he became enchanted with the elevator operator at his Moscow hotel, Ludmilla Stefutkina. After he returned a year later and married her, his efforts to bring her to the United States which eventually succeeded made news across the country, partly because the Soviets had just shot down an American spy plane and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers. After graduating from Harvard Divinity School in 1959 and ministering for a time in Westboro, Mass., Mr. Olsen took a ministerial post in Berkeley, Calif., in 1962. After Bloody Sunday when the future United States representative John Lewis was among those beaten Dr. King urged religious leaders to come to Selma for a subsequent march. I heard that on the radio and my first thought was, Id like to go, Mr. Olsen said. But, besides having a packed schedule, he couldnt afford the long trip. Then a couple in the Berkeley congregation offered to pay his way. I suddenly had to rethink all those excuses, he said. His plane was delayed, so he missed the march Dr. King led that Tuesday afternoon. But he reached Selma later in the day and ran into Mr. Reeb and Mr. Miller, whom he knew. They went to dinner, and they were attacked after they left the restaurant. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] A woman was trapped for three days in the elevator of a Manhattan townhouse, where she worked, while the houses owners spent a weekend away, officials said. The woman, Marites Fortaliza, 53, of Queens, was rescued Monday morning only after a person attempting to deliver something to the building contacted the homes owners. The owners sent a family member, who saw that Ms. Fortaliza was trapped inside the broken lift and called 911, police and fire department officials said. After she was rescued Monday, Ms. Fortaliza appeared to be in good condition but was taken to a hospital for treatment, James Long, a Fire Department spokesman, said. She had been alone in the elevator since Friday evening, he added. Firefighters reported to the home at 48 East 65th Street, a five-story building on the Upper East Side, just after 10 a.m. Monday, Mr. Long said. The firefighters forced open the doors of the elevator, which was stuck between the houses second and third floors. After Its Over Dear Diary: When Sam and I broke up, I decided to sell everything. New York makes it easy. The woman who bought our kitchen table was from Williamsburg. She appeared to be around my age, late 20s, but I could be wrong. She left in an Uber after I detached the legs for her. A friend bought a pair of printed fabric chairs for $80. She also took some shelves and a plant. Sam never watered the plants anyway. One time I joked that all of our plants had an absent father. Its the kind of joke that makes me sad now. The blue couch went to two girls from Crown Heights. They were younger than me, but not by much. I told them it was comfortable enough to sleep on if you removed the back cushions. Sams dad slept on it when he visited from California. The bookshelf went to a former co-worker who lives in Manhattan. I kept the books. I sold the night stands to Julia, a hometown friend, someone I knew could handle color. They were bright yellow. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] Two leading candidates in the 2021 race for mayor of New York City are already beginning their ground game. Corey Johnson, the speaker of the New York City Council, and Scott M. Stringer, the citys comptroller, will soon begin hosting fund-raising house parties, seeking to plant a stake in what is certain to be a prolonged race for City Hall. Neither Mr. Johnson nor Mr. Stringer has formally declared his candidacy, but the small, intimate gatherings were designed with the citys new campaign finance rules which increase the power of small donations in mind. Mr. Johnson said that a year ago he had no plans to undertake an underdog run for mayor in 2021. I love this city. I love New York, Mr. Johnson said in an interview with The New York Times. The four film actors who won top honors from the Screen Actors Guild last year all went on to win the Oscar. So did the four who won the year before that. [READ: See the 2020 SAG Award nominations.] With this in mind, and the knowledge that actors make up the biggest voting branch in the academy, at least some of the winners at Sunday nights SAG Awards should feel confident about repeating their victories at the Oscars next month. Take Glenn Close in The Wife and Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody: After both added SAG trophies to Golden Globes they already picked up, they should be considered leading contenders for best actress and best actor. [Fill out your Oscar ballot here.] Ditto Mahershala Ali, who won the SAG Award for best supporting actor for Green Book on Sunday and, after winning the same award two years ago for Moonlight, joins Daniel Day-Lewis as one of only two men to win more than one SAG Award for film acting. Ali is now almost certain to take the Oscar in that category. Before you are born, and until you die, life is more or less a series of contingencies . That missed light signal may have kept you from being run over by a truck, while that crinkled lotto ticket in the laundry, had you looked, couldve been your path to absurd riches. And then theres your parents, who in any infinite number of selfish, altruistic and unforeseen ways, could have set you out on a different path altogether. Lawrence Sumulong, a Filipino-American photographer, went down this theoretical rabbit hole in Dead to Rights, his long-term project documenting his parents hometown, Manila. And, in an alternate reality, its his home, too. My life was determined, essentially, by my parents, in that it could have gone the other way, and that I could have been born in the Philippines, Mr. Sumulong said. And so throughout the entire story, Im trying to see what came about while I was away. Posted Monday, January 28, 2019 8:43 am Despite a bus cancellation, a group of students from Kirklands Lake Washington High School made it to Olympia on Thursday to express support for a statewide ban on single-use plastic straws. The idea for Senate Bill 5077 was originally conceived in the students Advanced Placement Government class, taught by Michael Dawson. It was one of two bill ideas prime sponsor Sen. Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue, agreed to work on and propose to the legislature this session. Effective July 1 Seattle banned food service businesses from providing disposable straws unless they were compostable or recyclable. SB 5077, aimed to reduce plastic waste in the oceans, would ban all single-use plastic straws, even if they were recyclable or compostable. Sean Bickley, a communications specialist for disability rights group The Arc of King County, testified with concerns for those who specifically need plastic straws to drink water. He said that efforts would be better spent banning larger plastics that are not essential to some with disabilities to access hydration, like plastic lids and utensils. Honestly Im just very horrified because Ive mostly heard people who are not affected by this issue assume that everythings going to be fine. Name dropping the disability community doesnt mean anything if youre not going to listen to us, said Bickley. The disability community has opposed straw bans, including in Seattle. Committee chair Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, acknowledged that Kuderer requested an early hearing date to open up conversations with the disability community. The Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee also heard from the Straw Kids, a group of elementary school students and parents who have been advocating for a single-use plastic straw ban for the past year. They have spoken to city councils in Redmond, Kirkland, Shoreline, and Edmonds. Kuderer, Lake Washington students, and the Straw Kids all acknowledged the impact to the disability community and called for conversations about ways to accommodate those affected. According to the Associated Press, straws account for two tenths of a percent of the plastic waste that enters the oceans every year. A plastic straw ban is not going to be the singular policy that solves our plastic pollution problem, Sen. Kuderer said. Reducing the demand for plastic straws is a concrete action we can take right now to help our environment, and honestly even the low hanging fruit is worth picking. Good morning. Serendipity arrived in our language on this day in 1754, a coinage of Horace Walpole in a letter to Horace Mann. The word apparently emerged from the title of a Persian fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip. This group of young fellows, Walpole wrote Mann, were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of. These discoveries, he explained, I call Serendipity. Serendipity is a rare pleasure. It is also a hallmark of the search bar on NYT Cooking. I typed goat there today, looking for the excellent recipe for curried goat that Priya Krishna scored for us last year in an article about Jamaican holiday cooking. The search led to some reading, some surfing, a lot of clicking and, suddenly, this lovely 2009 essay from Henry Alford, How I Learned to Love Goat Meat. Read that, why dont you? But dont just look to the past. New recipes abound across our landscape today like hey now! goats in a Chagall painting. Melissa Clark has a fantastic one for the easiest lentil soup, with garnishes galore. For his own part, Yotam Ottolenghi weighed in with a new recipe for Bolognese casserole with harissa, which Id like to see called Ottolenghi hotdish, moving forward. Well get him to Minnesota yet. In creating their egg salad sandwich, the chefs Nick Montgomery, left, and Akira Akuto were inspired by Tokyo's convenience stores. Credit... Lisa Corson for The New York Times WASHINGTON President Trump this week will turn his attention from a fight with congressional Democrats to an even more formidable negotiating challenge, one with potentially higher stakes: China. Trade talks with Beijing begin on Wednesday in Washington, kicking off a monthlong sprint of negotiations between the two nations that could prove more difficult than Mr. Trumps unsuccessful attempt to secure money from Congress for a border wall. The negotiations come at a critical moment for Mr. Trumps economic agenda and the global economy, which is beginning to slow in part because of the presidents trade policies. This week, a Chinese delegation led by Liu He, the vice premier, will meet with an American delegation led by Robert Lighthizer, Mr. Trumps top trade negotiator, and Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary. A White House official said on Monday that Mr. Liu will meet personally with Mr. Trump on Thursday. Yamiche Alcindor, the White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour and a former New York Times reporter, was also on the panel and responded to Mr. Brokaws comments. Youre talking about assimilation. I grew up in Miami, where people speak Spanish, but their kids speak English. And the idea that we think Americans can only speak English, as if Spanish and other languages wasnt always part of America, is, in some ways, troubling, Ms. Alcindor said. Among those who criticized Mr. Brokaw was Representative Joaquin Castro, Democrat of Texas. He explained in a Twitter thread that even though there are generations of Hispanics in the United States, they are, in his opinion, never truly considered American. For a celebrated journalist who spent years chronicling American society you seem stunningly ignorant of the Hispanic community in this country, Mr. Castro tweeted. Unfortunate to see xenophobia pass for elevated political commentary. As Americans brace for the next presidential campaign already underway and showing on a screen near you press pundits are worried about the news medias readiness for the challenge ahead. Will reporters follow the same assumptions that made the outcome in 2016 such a shock? Can pollsters reassure a public that has soured on the power of political forecasting? To answer those questions, I turned to a cohort accustomed to diagnosing human foibles: scholars who have expertise in psychology. After all, journalists are basically a bunch of neurotics. And with the 2020 race looming, maybe we could all use some time on the couch. All of us who thought it was inevitable that Trump would lose ignored warning signs that we were wrong, said Susan Fiske, a professor of social psychology at Princeton. TOKYO After Bernard L. Madoff, arguably the most notorious financial criminal of all time, was arrested for defrauding investors in a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme, he was released on $10 million in bail the same day. Until his trial months later, he lived and slept in his Manhattan penthouse. Carlos Ghosn, the global auto chieftain indicted on charges of financial wrongdoing in Japan, can only imagine such freedom. Last week, a Tokyo court denied his lawyers bail request for the second time in a single week. He remains consigned to a small cell inside the hulking gray jail where he has been since his arrest in November. Mr. Ghosn, 64, who until recently helmed a global car-making empire that united Nissan and Mitsubishi of Japan and Renault of France, has been indicted on charges that he underreported his income by more than $80 million for years and temporarily transferred personal investment losses to Nissan while he was chairman and chief executive. His lawyers have said Mr. Ghosn, who denies all allegations, could remain in custody for months. In the most recent court decision, he was denied bail even after he promised to surrender his passports, rent an apartment in Tokyo and pay personally for an ankle bracelet and private security guards. The details: The plan centers on a phased withdrawal of American troops in exchange for a Taliban cease-fire. The insurgent group would also pledge not to allow international terrorist groups to use Afghanistan as a hub. Whats next: The Taliban are debating the requirement that the group enter talks with the Afghan government and agree to a lasting cease-fire, two points they have long resisted. Another angle: The idea of a U.S. troop withdrawal worries Afghan women, who fear that their rights will be taken away. Shutdown is over, but the clock is ticking Negotiators from the House and Senate have less than three weeks to hash out a plan to secure the southwestern border, after President Trump signed a stopgap funding bill last week to end the partial government shutdown. Mr. Trump said he would shut down the government again or invoke emergency powers to build a wall if Congress doesnt offer a solution he likes by Feb. 15. Angelica and Lola Torrente prefigure Angelica and Maria Font, Jose Arco anticipates Ulises Lima and a toothless Tiresian poetess named Estrellita gives a foretaste of Tinajero; but these characters, archetypes for Bolano, are integrated here into a narrower time frame. At the Torrentes house, Remo falls in love with a girl named Laura, and a chapter about their visits to Mexico Citys bathhouses, which appeared out of context in Bolanos posthumous poetry collection, The Unknown University, forms a natural coda here. It can be reckless to draw connections between an authors life and his work, but this book invites such comparisons. Late in the novel, when Jan writes a letter to another sci-fi hero, he signs it with the pseudonym Roberto Bolano. The reader thrills at this revelation, one of many coded messages in this playfully difficult, gem-choked puzzle of a book, and the most nakedly exposed. The Spirit of Science Fiction serves as a key to Bolanos later work, unlocking clues to his abiding obsessions. Image From 1968, when he was 15, to 1977, when he moved to Europe, Bolano lived mostly in Mexico City, where he read incessantly, caroused, fell in love, wrote poetry and scathing reviews, lurked in cafes, and founded a vigorous yet vague literary movement called infrarrealismo. The infrarealists, young rebel poets, artists and writers like himself, liked to stage provocations for instance, disrupting a reading by the Mexican giant of letters Octavio Paz by shouting Paz is an idiot! In Mexico City in the 70s, Bolanos Sancho Panza the model for Jose Arco and Ulises Lima was the poet provocateur Mario Santiago Papasquiaro. Decades later, this fraternity re-emerged in The Savage Detectives as visceral realists. But they got their first outing, without a name, in The Spirit of Science Fiction. The mayhem and energy of their embrace of the poetic life intellectual (and hormonal) passion wedded to judgmental idealism, clinched by a sense of the absurd vibrates on the page. [ Read an excerpt from Bolanos last interview. ] By now, Bolanos international reputation is secure, but he only started publishing novels in the 1990s, late in his short life. He came to the attention of most English readers in 2003, the year he died of liver failure in Barcelona, when his exquisite allegorical fiction By Night in Chile was translated into English by Chris Andrews. By the time that book appeared in English, the myth of Bolano, as Vargas Llosa calls it (appreciatively, not derisively), had already spread throughout the Spanish-reading world; now it crossed over. By Night in Chile is narrated by a Jesuit priest, critic and failed poet named Father Sebastian Urrutia Lacroix, who gutlessly lends his learning to the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. A dissolute literato named Farewell justifies Urrutias sellout by telling him the tale of an Austro-Hungarian shoemaker who wasted his life attempting to erect a mountaintop monument to every single hero of the past, present and future. Its a metaphor for literature, one that Farewell rejects. Whats the use, he asks Urrutia. What use are books, theyre shadows, nothing but shadows. But to Bolano, a shadow was never nothing. His books are peopled with shadows that have as much, or more, vitality as living beings. The posthumous release of The Spirit of Science Fiction in Spain, 13 years after Bolanos death, provoked controversy among the authors loyalists, but there is no disloyalty in bringing this work to light. It is not unripe juvenilia; it is a hardy forerunner that stands on its own. In it, Bolano enfolds the adventures of Jan, Remo and Jose Arco along with Jans sci-fi letters and digressions into a rich and wry second narrative, packed with enigmatic, funny allusion. This interleaved narrative takes the form of an interview between a young, cynical literary prizewinner and a wide-eyed female journalist, who plays Remo to the writers Jan, allowing him to unspool the Borgesian plot of his book which concerns the caretaker of a Potato Academy in southern Chile who makes endless didactic radio broadcasts on potato cultivation, not knowing if anyone hears them. It is a gesture as futile, and as glorious in its futility, as building a monument to all the worlds heroes in Mitteleuropa, or printing magazines no one will read. As the journalist clamors for information, the author is distracted by the rowdy literati around them. Who wouldve thought renowned intellectuals could make such a racket? he asks her; and later, Do you really think this is normal? Museums have incrementally hired more people of color in recent years, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has concluded in a second iteration of a comprehensive survey, conducted last year. The survey, carried out with the Association of Art Museum Directors, the American Alliance of Museums and Ithaka S+R, a research group, collected data on more than 30,000 museum employees from 332 museums, most of which are members of the directors association. It found that in 2018, the share of people of color hired at the institutions it surveyed was 35 percent, up from 26 percent in 2015. The Mellon Foundation had released the findings of its first nationwide survey that tracked the ethnic, racial and gender makeup of art museums staff members across the country in 2015. The study was carried out in response to speculation that the museum sector has a problem of underrepresentation, particularly within leadership roles. The 2015 results confirmed that assumption. It clearly was a wake-up call for the field, Mariet Westermann, the executive vice president of the foundation, said. I went to the Theatre de la Ville twice on Saturday. Much of my visit was spent waiting in line: for security, screenings and virtually everything else. It took nearly an hour to get a visa, which everyone is required to purchase. (They give access ranging from six hours to anytime throughout the run of DAU, which ends Feb. 17.) Mine hadnt been printed yet, and I had to navigate a crowd of people trying to get new ones after the cancellations on Thursday and earlier Friday. My problem wasnt unique: Why are so many visas missing? I overheard one employee ask, to no one in particular. After finagling one, I made my way inside the theater, where you are meant to hand over your smartphone in exchange for a DAU-issued device programmed to guide you through the visit uniquely tailored to each person based on answers to an elaborate and emotionally invasive questionnaire. I took the test, but never received a device, and was left to explore on my own. It was late afternoon, yet DAU didnt seem to have woken up yet, despite being a 24-hour operation. At first, none of the films were being screened. However, the cafe and gift shop appeared to be up and running with no problems. HOUSTON, British Columbia Amid vast forests of spruce, pine and poplar trees, deep in the interior of British Columbia, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrived at a small bridge this month to clear a group of First Nations people who had set up a blockade across a narrow, gravel logging road. Dozens of officers, some equipped in military-style tactical uniforms and carrying semiautomatic rifles, stared across a plywood and barbed wire roadblock as the Wetsuweten people and their supporters gathered behind it. A helicopter circled overhead, and police boats were deployed on the pristine Morice River running nearby the protest site. Youre trespassing on Wetsuweten land, Molly Wickham yelled at the police. She is the spokeswoman for the Gitdumden checkpoint, as the blockade and surrounding encampment is known, after one of the clans of the Wetsuweten people who claim this part of the province. But the officers ignored her and started to systemically dismantle the blockade, cutting the wire and pushing against the wooden structure, testing for weak spots. Three protesters had locked their arms to it, and the pressure hurt, causing them to cry out. BRUMADINHO, Brazil Two days after a torrent of mud pouring from a ruptured mining dam left at least 58 dead and 305 missing in the Brazilian town of Brumadinho, residents had to evacuate Sunday as a second dam threatened to collapse, spurring panic and outrage at what residents called a lack of accountability for Brazils powerful mining industry. Sirens sounded before dawn, set off by heavy rains and dangerously high water levels at a dam at an iron ore complex owned by the Brazilian mining giant Vale S.A. Rescue workers looking for survivors from Fridays disaster turned instead to evacuating residents to higher ground. By the end of the day, residents were allowed to return to their homes. But for many Brazilians, this latest warning was further evidence that the system regulating the mining industry is broken, risking peoples lives and endangering the environment. Still, few expect the rules to tighten under Brazils new president, Jair Bolsonaro, who promised during his campaign to restrict fines and ease regulations on mining and other industries that exploit natural resources. President Trump came away empty-handed for now after the longest federal government shutdown in American history failed to pressure Congress into funding his long-promised border wall, purportedly to stop an inflow of drugs and crime from Mexico. But he is not done making his case on immigration. On Sunday he rattled off several figures on Twitter about how many undocumented immigrants there are in the United States, how much they cost the country financially and how many had illegally voted in Texas. There were already many problems with Mr. Trumps assertion that undocumented immigrants disproportionately bring with them more drugs and crime. And several experts said they had concerns with the figures he disseminated on Sunday. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Noncitizens casting votes in Texas In one tweet on Sunday, Mr. Trump said that 58,000 non-citizens voted in Texas, with 95,000 non-citizens registered to vote. He was citing an investigation that Texas officials had publicized days earlier but that Democrats in the state immediately questioned. The possibility of Mr. Schultzs candidacy as an independent has drawn condemnation from Democrats, who said that an independent run would split the vote on Election Day 2020 and hand Mr. Trump a second term. I have two words for Howard Schultz on a potential run for president as an independent: Just dont, Tina Podlodowski, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party of Washington, said last week as speculation mounted about Mr. Schultzs plans. Ms. Podlodowski also appeared on CNN Monday to reiterate her concerns. Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress and a former adviser to Hillary Clinton, said on Twitter, If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because Im not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win. Mr. Schultz said he was well aware of the criticism, but said it was misplaced. I am certainly prepared for the cynics and the naysayers to come out and say this cannot be done, he said. I dont agree with them. I think its un-American to say it cant be done. Im not doing this to be a spoiler. Asked if he would consider changing his mind and run as a Democrat, he said, I feel if I ran as a Democrat I would have to be disingenuous and say things that I dont believe because the party has shifted so far to the left. When I hear people espousing free government-paid college, free government-paid health care and a free government job for everyone on top of a $21 trillion debt the question is, how are we paying for all this and not bankrupting the country? Mr. Schultz said. They were disappointed that these students were not taking the opportunity to improve their English and were being so impolite as to have a conversation that not everyone on the floor could understand, Professor Neely wrote in the email. To international students, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep these unintended consequences in mind when you choose to speak Chinese in the building. She added that she had the utmost respect for international students. That being said, she wrote, I encourage you to commit to using English 100% of the time in a professional setting. The university confirmed the authenticity of the email, which was widely shared on social media. In February 2018, Professor Neely sent a similar email, which a university spokesman also verified. In that email, she acknowledged that living and studying in a foreign country was a tremendous undertaking, but relayed that faculty members were concerned about students speaking foreign languages in the departments break rooms. Speaking in your native language in the department may give faculty the impression that you are not trying to improve your English skills and that you are not taking this opportunity seriously, she wrote. As a result, they may be more hesitant to hire or work with international students because communication is such an important part of what we do. In her letter, Dr. Klotman, the dean, apologized to students and said she had asked the universitys Office for Institutional Equity to conduct a thorough review. People already think we are bad girls for dancing. What will happen to us if the Taliban become part of the government? QADRIA AZARNOOSH, a Hazara dancer whose art has been suppressed by cultural conservatives, on the possibility that American troops will leave Afghanistan as part of a peace deal with the Taliban. Two years ago this week , President Trump signed an executive order banning travelers from a number of Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. The fallout has been dire. A teenage Syrian girl who survived a bombing and is in urgent need of reconstructive surgery was barred from traveling from Germany to the United States to seek medical treatment. A 7-year-old Somali boy, whose father died, was prevented from reuniting with his mother in the United States. One American citizen was forced to move to Syria in order to live with her husband, who was barred from coming to the United States. In fact, hundreds of people from Yemen alone who had already undergone vetting and received visa approval notices from the State Department have since had those approvals rescinded or been barred from traveling to the United States. Our organization, the International Refugee Assistance Project, was among the groups that filed the first challenge to the executive order, and we won a series of injunctions temporarily blocking the ban from being enforced. But in June the Supreme Court upheld a modified version of the ban in a 5-to-4 decision. The majority sided with the Department of Justice, which had claimed that a robust waiver process would allow citizens from the blacklisted countries to enter the United States if they met certain reasonable criteria. The Trump administration had cited this as evidence that the travel ban was rooted in national security concerns and not in the discriminatory intent to ban people on the basis of their religion. This assurance was a key rationale for the courts decision. Chief Justice John Robertss majority opinion argued that a waiver process would provide humanitarian exceptions to the ban and thus supported the governments claim of a legitimate national security interest. However, in their separate dissents, Justice Stephen Breyer raised serious concerns about the waiver process, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor argued that it was a sham. This type of phishing is precisely the kind of threat that two-factor authentication is supposed to protect you against. Unlike so-called dictionary attacks in which hackers try to guess your password by running through a dictionary of possible choices forcing people to develop more complicated or longer passwords (a minimum of eight characters with uppercase and lowercase letters, and at least one symbol and one number) does not help at all when someone steals your password via phishing. So the password-complexity requirements that have reigned as a common (and irritating) best practice in every workplace for years are increasingly supplemented by two-factor authentication, to protect you against both dictionary attacks and phishing attacks. But it turns out that the one-time codes generated by peoples smartphones or sent via text message and email can also be phished. If youre the hacker, all it takes is adding a component to your fake Bank of America website so that after you prompt someone for his password, you try to log in to his real Bank of America account using the password he has just provided, triggering a second-factor alert that doesnt alarm him because he thinks hes signing into Bank of America too. Then, on your fake phishing site, you prompt him to enter his second-factor code and use it to complete the login. The activity in Amnesty Internationals report is not even the first time that two-factor authentication has been compromised in that manner. In 2014, an F.B.I. special agent, Elliott Peterson, described how malware distributed by the botnet GameOver Zeus could compromise two-factor authentication protecting bank accounts in the same way. The fact that two-factor authentication can be compromised through fairly straightforward, widely used tactics is no reason to stop using it. After all, no security tool is perfect. As long as it significantly decreases the likelihood of account compromises, two-factor authentication is still worth using. But we dont know a lot about how much two-factor authentication actually helps protect your accounts. Google has offered its optional two-step verification system to Gmail users since 2011 but has never released any data about its effectiveness at driving down account compromises. In fact, last year Google switched all of its employees from using the Google Authenticator app for two-factor authentication to physical security-key devices that need to be inserted into a computer port to complete a login. Since making that switch, Google announced last July, none of its employee accounts have been compromised. The announcement seems to imply that the security provided through the app was not regarded as sufficient by the company for its internal accounts, even though it is what many Google users rely on. Should we all be using physical security keys? How much less effective is the Google Authenticator app? We still dont know (though presumably, Google does). Black Panther and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel were the big winners Sunday night at a SAG Awards ceremony that spread the bounty among several films and television shows. [READ: See the 2020 SAG Award nominations.] Chadwick Boseman, speaking for the Black Panther cast, which took the SAG equivalent of best picture, said that he was often asked if he expected the Marvel superhero film to be such a blockbuster. (It has earned $1.3 billion globally.) He said the Nina Simone song To be Young, Gifted and Black came to mind as he thought about the lack of diversity in most Hollywood films. We know what its like to be told theres not a screen for you to be featured on, he continued. But Black Panther, he said, meant that we could be full human beings in the roles that we were playing, that we could create a world that could exemplify a world we wanted to see. Mrs. Maisel swept the comedy honors, including outstanding comedy series ensemble, and best comedy actress and actor for Rachel Brosnahan, who plays the title character, and Tony Shalhoub, who plays her father. This Is Us, the NBC melodrama, took best drama series ensemble. There were few overtly political moments Sunday evening, which more often focused on guild issues. Patricia Arquette, named best actress in a mini-series for Escape at Dannemora, thanked Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russias 2016 election interference, as she left the stage. But she drew much more applause from fellow union members when she called out production companies that didnt pay performers overtime. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg plans to merge the social media platforms messaging services WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger at a time when the company has been scarred by scandal. The services will continue to operate as stand-alone apps but will allow users to communicate across the platforms. The Holocaust: On her way to visit Auschwitz, our reporter found Heil Hitler signs and other Nazi swag at a flea market in Poland, where regulations on such sales are rarely enforced. Spain: The authorities said they had found the body of a 2-year-old boy who fell into a well nearly two weeks ago. Gandhi: Around the world, the man who led India into independence is still revered as a peaceful revolutionary. But his halo has dimmed for the Hindu right and lower castes. Australian Open: Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal for his 15th Grand Slam title, and Naomi Osaka became the first singles player from Japan to clinch a No. 1 ranking globally after defeating Petra Kvitova for her second Grand Slam title. In memoriam: Michel Legrand, the French pianist, arranger and composer of hundreds of film scores and songs, among them The Windmills of Your Mind, died at 86. I grew up in a household of poverty. Until the third grade, I lived in a tar paper shack which had been a chicken coop on my grandfather's 40-acre farm in Meridian, Idaho. There was an outhouse, and I received baths in a small round steel tub inside a well house that had running cold water. We had a coal-burning stove for heat that was in the middle of the living area. Americans view the poor as sinners who must be punished with drug tests and work requirements. Government-imposed hunger fits American contempt for poverty and those who suffer it. We punish them as if lack of funds is a communicable disease. The worlds 26 richest people own the same wealth as the poorest half of humanity, Oxfam said Jan. 21, 2019, urging governments to hike taxes on the wealthy to fight soaring inequality. One percent of Jeff Bezoss wealth was the equivalent to the entire health budget of Ethiopia, a country of 105 million people. A new report, published ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, also found that billionaires around the world saw their combined fortunes grow by $2.5 billion each day in 2018. LAFAYETTE, Ind. Police dispatchers are trained to deal with a number of situations, and a dispatcher in Indiana had to know her numbers when Health Reporter Giles is the health reporter for The Times, covering the business of health care as well as consumer and public health. He previously wrote about health for the Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World. He is a graduate of Northern Illinois University. Anderson said Samuels has either addressed the issues or is in the process of correcting them. I'm cleaning it up, Samuels said. Although the deficit remains, Anderson considers it an accomplishment the city has been able to reduce it. It absolutely hasn't gotten worse, it's gotten better, Anderson said of Lake Station's financial situation. It will be years before the city reaches a positive balance in its general fund by using the plan of operating within its means and paying expenses when it can from other funding sources outside of the general fund. Anderson said it will become more difficult to reduce spending in 2020 because of the impact of the circuit tax breakers. Lake Station could stabilize the general fund much faster if the proposed sale of Lake Station's water system to Indiana American Water is permitted to advance. The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor filed an appeal after the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in a split decision in August authorized Indiana American's proposal to purchase the utility for more than $20 million. Anderson said it's still uncertain when a ruling will be made with the appeal. "The fewer drivers on the road, the fewer accidents and the safer everyone will be. Please do them, and all first responders, a favor by staying home or if you must drive, do so with extra care, Acting Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly said in a statement. Indiana State Police Sgt. Ted Bohner said the department will also be adding additional patrols over the next few days, especially along the Indiana Toll Road, which saw heavy traffic Monday. Bohner said the dropping temperatures have turned wet roads to ice, "making things turn for the worse." "This is extreme cold, which makes it imperative that people call for help if they find themselves in a situation where their care might not be working or in an accident," Bohner said. "It can get deadly quick with the cold weather being forecasted." Indiana State Police responded Monday morning to multiple crashes on Interstates 80/94 and 65, including two jack-knifed semis about 10 a.m. on northbound I-65 just south of the U.S. 231 exit in Crown Point. By Monday afternoon, heavy snowfall had wound down. Occasional snow and possible freezing drizzle was expected in the afternoon, the weather service said. Blowing and drifting snow could become a problem, especially in open areas. INDIANAPOLIS A rite of passage for generations of often squeamish Hoosier students could be replaced by technology if state Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary, gets her way. Hatcher is sponsor of House Bill 1537 that would require all Indiana public, charter and private schools to develop policies and programs that provide an alternative to animal dissection for any student who requests one. "It seems inhumane to kill animals only for their study," Hatcher said. "Especially today, there's so much technology that we can dissect on a screen and get the same impact as if you do it in person. This is just the right thing to do." Under her plan, a student would be allowed to opt out of any portion of a course that includes animal dissection, vivisection, incubation, infliction of harm, capture, surgery, experiments or destruction. Schools then would be required to provide an alternative education project that delivers the same knowledge to the student, such as viewing a virtual dissection or studying a handheld model of a dissected animal. The measure also prohibits schools from penalizing the student in any way for choosing not to participate in classroom use of live or dead animals. He died in September 2012. He was 3 1/2 years old. "It's really important to me to continue to give back to Riley and give to research, and hopefully kids, especially with an aggressive type of tumor like him, have a better chance," Stephanie said. She held the fundraiser in partnership with Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids, a nonprofit that supported her family financially, emotionally during Adler's fight with cancer. "You've made a way to remember him that makes it fun for other kids," Kate Perschon, president of Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids, told Stephanie. "This is one of our busiest events." "It's special because we remember Adler and celebrate his birthday, which he's having maybe not here, but he's having it and we raise funds for pediatric cancer in his memory," said Donna Criner, director of Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids. Rebecca and Art Jackson, of Valparaiso, lost their 2-year-old daughter, Miranda, to cancer in 2012. They attended Sunday's event with their kids, Cooper, 1, and Madison, 8, to show their support for other families whose children have died of cancer. "You don't think about it until it hits you," Art Jackson said. "You know what they're going through." A toy train passed by on tracks close to the ceiling. In the room next door, children took turns riding in a kiddie train. And near the arcade, Adler's train set was on display for all to see. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 5 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. PORTAGE A 25-year-old Ohio man was arrested Saturday night after he was spotted inside a local church by a remote camera surveillance system, according to police. Emanuel Spikes faces a misdemeanor count of trespassing. Police said they were called to the First United Methodist Church at 2637 McCool Road at 8:41 p.m., surrounded the building and then saw a man inside, who they ordered to come out. Spikes told them he had been walking for a couple of days trying to find the library on Broadway, police said. He said he came to the church for a blood drive and was supposed to be waiting for the pastor to give him a ride back to Gary. Police said he repeatedly changed aspects of his story. The pastor of the church reportedly told police there had been a blood drive, but the building should have been empty and he was never asked to give Spikes a ride to Gary. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 WOODSTOCK Court documents revealed more details of a homicide investigation into the Saturday death of an Edinburg woman. Activists for medical and recreational cannabis in Indiana had been hoping 2019 would be a big year, but so far, it's a political non-starter. Nationwide, 33 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized cannabis for either recreational or medical uses, or both. Ohio has decriminalized small amounts of cannabis and has enacted a regulated system for medical. Illinois has allowed for medical, decriminalized recreational, and may fully legalize soon. In Michigan, possession and use for people 21 years old and over is now legal. In November 2018, Indiana Senate Democratsled by Minority Leader Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, and Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Merrillvilleunveiled their priorities for the new year, including legislation to legalize medical. Some Republicans, including Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, have been willing to cross party lines. Others have not. Oct. 18, 2018, an an interim legislative study committee failed to agree on a proposal after 14 supporters, eight detractors, and two independent researches testified. The committees initial proposal failed 8-5. A separate motion to continue to study the topic also failed, 9-4. A final report with no new recommendations passed 12-1. Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma did not include medical cannabis as one of his prime legislative priorities Jan. 7. This came after Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb torpedoed any chances of support last year when he told reporters: "I'm just not willing to look at that, especially since it is illegal right now according to the federal government. Cannabis is still considered a Schedule I drug federally, which, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency, means it is a considered to have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. In March 2018, Holcomb signed into law Senate Enrolled Act 52, which allows all Hoosiers to buy and use cannabidiol (CBD) oil that contains less than .3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the substance that gives users a high. Section 12619 of the 2018 Farm Bill removes hemp-derived products from its Schedule I status, but the legislation does not federally legalize CBD generally. Despite this opposition, Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, once again filed medical cannabis-related bills Dec. 19, 2018. Senate Bill 357 establishes a medical program, and permits caregivers and patients who have received a physician recommendation to possess a certain quantity. Senate Bill 213 would legalize recreational cannabis under 2 ounces. Senate Bill 211 establishes the Cannabis Compliance Commission to regulate all forms of legal cannabis. Lucas has also again authored several bills. House Bill 1238 decriminalizes the possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana or 5 grams or less of hash oil or hashish by making the violation a Class D infraction. House Bill 1384, co-authored by Rep. Shane Lindauer. R-Jasper, and Rep. Chris Judy, R-Fort Wayne, permits the use of medical marijuana by persons with serious medical conditions as determined by their physician. House Bill 1385 authorizes the Indiana State Department of Agriculture to establish an agricultural state plan to study the growth, cultivation, and marketing of hemp. Also, Rep. Heath VanNatter, R-Kokomo, authored House Bill 1658, which was also co-authored by Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster, which would decriminalize possession of 2 ounces or less of marijuana. Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, chairman of Senate health committee, told The Associated Press' Tom Davies on Jan. 20 that the prospects of these bills are thin. John Ruckelshaus has experienced firsthand the impact of gerrymandering. As a Republican member of the state House of Representatives in 1991, Ruckelshaus was in the minority when legislative district lines were redrawn following the 1990 census. The Democrats who controlled the process put his residence in a neighboring district. I was out, Ruckelshaus said recalling the 1991 redistricting process. I lost my seat in redistricting, and the Democrats controlled the process then. This is a process that both parties have been egregious about across the country. Thats why Ruckelshaus, now a Republican in the Indiana Senate, is taking steps to end partisan gerrymandering, or drawing legislative district lines to favor one partys political power. Senate Bill 91 is Ruckelshaus second try at redistricting reform. The proposed legislation would create an independent nine-member redistricting committee tasked with redrawing General Assembly and congressional districts. Under the bill, four people would be appointed to the commission by both parties legislative leaders and the remaining five members would be selected by a redistricting commission nominating committee. Each of Indianas five public university presidents would designate one university employee to serve on the nominating committee. For more than a decade, bills aimed at creating new redistricting standards and an independent committee have been introduced in both in the Indiana House and Senate but have never made it past committee. But both political parties have used their majority power to gerrymander districts in their favor. When Democrats were the majority in the Indiana House until 2011, they drew districts lines in favor of their party. Then, when Republicans took control of both the House and Senate chambers in 2011, the Democrats were out. Its more about politicians choosing their voters than voters choosing their politicians, said Debbie Asberry, the Indiana League of Women Voters redistricting advocate. Its hard to give up that kind of power. Asberry and the League of Women Voters are members of a statewide coalition backing Ruckelshaus bill. Members of All in for Democracy can be spotted around the Statehouse in the current legislative session raising signs and holding clocks with a simple message for lawmakers: The time for redistricting reform is now. If we dont pass a bill in 2019, the census happens in 2020 and the political party in power draws the lines, Asberry said. Common Cause Indiana, the Hoosier Environmental Council and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana are just a few of the member organizations of All in for Democracy. During its annual League Day on Jan. 16, members, including Asberry and nearly 40 other Indiana voters, visited the Statehouse to meet with their district representatives and discuss their priorities, with redistricting topping the list. We hope what weve advocated for years is that there is some sort of independent commission or citizens-led commission that helps do those first passes of drawing the maps, Asberry said. We would like that commission to look more like the body politic than just the legislators whove been elected. Republicans currently hold 67 percent of Indiana House seatsand 80 percent of the Senate seats. Gov. Eric Holcomb, however, only got 51 percent of the vote in the 2016 election, and President Donald Trump garnered 57 percent of the votefar short of the supermajority margin Republicans hold in the General Assembly. A 2017 Associated Press analysis found Indianas current legislative district boundaries favor Republican rule, using the efficiency gap a measurement that tallies wasted votes to determine that Indiana Republicans held five Indiana House seats and one U.S. House seat more than would be expected from the 2016 vote share. Were not getting a really representative government, said Julia Vaughn, policy director for Common Cause Indiana. We should be concerned as voters because a democratic election, by definition, is a contest between two people. If were going to have fair districts and fair elections, we need reform. In the 2016 general election, 8 of the 25 candidates for seats in the Indiana Senate ran uncontested four Democrats and four Republicans. Twenty-seven of the 100 candidates for seats in the Indiana House ran with no challenge from the opposing party 12 Democrats and 15 Republicans, according to Indiana voting records. They said, Well if I can be a politician and I dont even have to run a campaign and I can be elected, why am I going to mess with that? Asberry said. When were in good power, its hard to give up that power. Both Democrat party and Republican parties are guilty. Both Asberry and Ruckelshaus said theyre hopeful the legislation will make progress this legislative session, but Ruckelshaus said the future is in the hands of his Republican counterparts. Whether Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, decides to hear SB 91 in the Senate Elections committee may depend on the U.S. Supreme Courts rulings on other gerrymandering cases across the country, Ruckelshaus said. Walker said the committee schedule is still up in the air, and he declined to comment further. Walker reintroduced legislation he authored last year that creates criteria for lawmakers to follow when redrawing district lines every 10 years. The bill is currently awaiting a committee hearing. Ruckelshaus SB 91 has not been assigned to a committee, but he and the bills supporters are optimistic. We are tenacious, and we are hopeful, Asberry said. Well do everything we can to make sure these bills happen. Its probably a Hail Mary pass. Shelby Mullis is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. Craig Helmreich firmly believes that a rising tide lifts all boats. For this reason, the Indy musician and local music advocate heads up Fourth Sunday Music Co.a not-for-profit rewarding Indianapolis musicians with recording scholarships. Some artists were talking about how they had never recorded in a studio before, and I couldnt believe that, Helmreich recalls of his initial Fourth Sunday inspiration. I thought, How much could it possibly be to take somebody to the studio for one day? After talking to the audio engineers at Postal Recording studio in Indianapolis, Helmreich decided to start the program, with help from other like-minded music lovers in the Indy community. Founded in 2018, Fourth Sunday Music Co. was responsible for 10 recording sessions in 2018, with 12 (and possibly more dependent on grant funding) coming in 2019. Although not every act has released their recordings yet, the 2018 participants included artists like Clint Breeze and the Groove, Frank Dean, Meghan Cristeen Martin, and more. In 2019, more exciting local tunes should also be on the way, as acts like Allison Victoria, KeKe Songbird, J. Elliot, and Volunteer Department have already been approved for sessions. HOW IT WORKS With the intent of advancing the original music scene in Indianapolis, Fourth Sunday Music Co. encourages local artists from all lanes and styles to submit their proposals to the program. The one thing I dont like is when people email us and say, Im an artist, and Id like a scholarship. That drives me batty, Helmreich says. I just end up replying, Give us anything. Tell us what you would do, or send us a clip from your phone. There are no rules, but you have to give us something to evaluate. Recording session proposals are then reviewed by a board that consists of Craig Helmreich, Kels Arntzen, Wes Heaton, Erin Laird, and Jen Roberts. As one might expect, the main thing theyre looking for is originality. It has to have some promise, and it has to be interesting, Helmreich says. Weve gotten some stuff where you wouldnt know if its a cover or an original unless you listened to the words. That stuff is less likely to get our attention. Once an artist is approved, the board encourages them to make the most of their time at Postal by focusing on one to two songs during their 10-hour session (which are aptly held on the fourth Sunday of every month). Ideally, wed like you to do a song or two so that we can release something pretty quick, Helmreich says. In 10 hours of studio time, if you track for five hours and you mix and master for five hours, youre going to get something done. Nevertheless, he insists that its ultimately up to the artists to do what theyd like with their time. We have no ill will towards somebody who tries something that doesnt work, Helmreich says. We try to suggest what we know has worked for other people, but we never tell an artist what to do. Its theirs. In case artists need an extra horn player or two, Fourth Sunday Music Co. also has volunteer musicians who are available upon request. We have 55 volunteer musicians who have heard about us through our various ways of trying to get the word out, Helmreich says. I envision it being way more collaborative than it is already [going forward]. Once an artist is at Postal, engineers Alex Kercheval and Tyler Watkins also aim to facilitate the most comfortable recording experience possible. The music flows more naturally when everyones comfortable together, says Watkins, who is a longtime musician in his own right. Thats kind of part of the job as wellmaking everyone feel at home and relaxed. To this point, only a few local artists have unveiled their Fourth Sunday tracks to the public (hear them all at FourthSundayMusic.com). Helmreich expects to see more music surface in the coming months, however. Meghan Cristeen Martins took 11 months to come out, but it will be out in February, Helmreich says. Jeff Kellys will come out on its heels, and then somebody elses will come out after that. Now, we have a trickle and this back catalog. After enough Fourth Sunday tracks are amassed, the plan is to also release a compilation showcasing the sounds of the city. If we can get a vinyl compilation done, it puts the songs in front of a different audience, Helmreich says. Maybe half of these artists have never been on vinyl before. If we can give them vinyl, they can use it to promote themselves and accidentally promote the other 11 people that are on it. Thats what were trying to stumble our way towards. THE NEED Helmreich vividly remembers the first time he heard Meghan Cristeen Martin sing. At the end of 2017, I saw her play and was blown away by her voice, he says. I went to buy something, and she had nothing. I thought, Thats crazy. This girl is super talented. She obviously wants to do this as her vocation. After deciding to pursue Fourth Sunday Music Co., Helmreich reached out to Martin, encouraging her to take part in the program. I ended up being their first artist, says Martin, whose father played in the band Sindicato. I had known about Postal and had previously checked out the place, but the timing was never right for me until Craig came along. Already with a single out on all streaming sites, Martin will celebrate the release of her Fourth Sunday-affiliated album at the LO-FI Lounge in Fountain Square on Saturday, Feb. 23. A lot of us just need the help, Martin says of the Fourth Sunday program. Craig is very open about wanting to make this community better. He wants to bring in these artists that people arent seeing. Were all out there performing, but people dont know about us. Voted best local musician/band by NUVO readers in 2018, guitarist Charlie Ballantine also took part in the Fourth Sunday sessions in 2018, recording an avant-garde album with local composer/percussionist Rob Funkhouser. I was looking for something to do that was just out of my comfort zone, says Ballantine of his first collaboration with Funkhouser. I just asked him, Hey man. Would you like to come over and try to make some noise that sounds okay? This exploratory project is likely one that the two would not have recorded professionally due to cost. Now, through Fourth Sunday, the world will be able to hear studio works from this imaginative duo. Recording an album has gotten pretty expensive, Ballantine says. If youre a working musician, its not super likely that youll be able to do that on a large scale. So having a little help now and then with the whole process is needed. Ballantine and Funkhouser tentatively plan to release their tracks sometime this spring. In reflecting on Fourth Sunday Music Co. and its overall impact on Indianapolis, Ballantine believes Helmreich and company are doing great work. I think its incredibly important, Ballantine says. There are no strings attachedCraig just wants your creativity to be the project. Its been a great thing for Indianapolis. The significantly reduced base clock rate and TDP allow the mobile RTX 2080 to fit into a wider range of gaming laptop designs. Fortunately, memory bandwidth and number of CUDA cores remain unchanged. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 5G , Accessory , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker When Nvidia unveiled the GeForce RTX series for laptops at CES 2019, core details such as CUDA count, clock rate, memory clock rate, and RAM were all kept under wraps. Now that we're on the eve of its launch (Jan. 29), Nvidia is ready to reveal the official specifications for the RTX 2060, Max-Q RTX 2070, and Max-Q RTX 2080 for laptops. The Nvidia table below shows dramatically reduced clock rates for the Max-Q RTX series when compared to their desktop equivalents. The RTX 2080 Max-Q, for example, has a clock rate ranging from 745 MHz up to 1095 MHz compared to 1515 MHz to 1710 MHz on a standard desktop RTX 2080. The wide deltas can be observed on the RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU as well. RTX-OPS and Giga-Rays per second have also been reduced across the board. Meanwhile, CUDA count and memory clock rates for these Max-Q RTX chips look to be identical to their desktop equivalents. The lower core clock rates are accompanied by lower thermal envelopes to support a wider range of laptop form factors much like on the Pascal Max-Q series. Unfortunately, this also means that some RTX laptops will be measurably faster than others depending on how OEMs choose to implement the same GPU. As an example, a super-thin laptop with GTX 2080 Max-Q may be slower than a larger laptop with the same GPU if the OEM chooses to run it at the base clock rate only. As for the full-power RTX 2080 for laptops (non max-Q), it will also be slightly underclocked when compared to the desktop reference but with the ability to run at over 150 W if desired for more performance. The Alienware Area-51m, for example, will run the full-power RTX 2080 mobile GPU at 180 W in order provide a performance level closer to the desktop RTX 2080 reference. Laptops launching with GeForce RTX graphics will be available on January 29. Expect a deluge of reviews by media and YouTube personalities starting this week. We'll also be posting our benchmark results on the first RTX gaming laptops in the next few days. (January 28, 2019 correction: Fixed some errors regarding the table and names while adding more to the list of GPUs. Please note that an X reduction in clock rate does not directly imply an X reduction in gaming performance.) RTX 2080 Max-Q RTX 2070 Max-Q RTX 2060 (Laptop) RTX 2080 Desktop Reference CUDA Cores 2944 2304 1920 2944 RTX-OPS 37 T 31 T 26 T 60 T Giga Rays/s 5 4 3.5 8 Boost Clock (MHz) 1095 1185 1200 1800 Base Clock (MHz) 735 885 960 1515 Graphics Subsystem Power 80 W 80 W 80 - 90 W 225 W Memory Speed Up to 14 Gbps Up to 14 Gbps Up to 14 Gbps 14 Gbps Memory Config 8 GB GDDR6 8 GB GDDR6 6 GB GDDR6 8 GB GDDR6 Memory Interface Width 256-bit 256-bit 192-bit 256-bit Memory Bandwidth GB/sec 448 448 336 448 The Newberry Community Partnership will host a Community Gathering to address the upcoming Street Reconstruction Project on West Fourth Street, in Newberry. The primary issue will be how the project will affect the trees, walks and landscaping along West Fourth Street. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 29th, 2019 at 6pm at the West End Christian Community Center, 901 Diamond Street. Representatives from Williamsport Dept. of Streets and Parks, PennDOT, and the Municipal Water Authority will be in attendance to answer questions and address concerns you may have about the project. The Newberry Community Partnership urges attendance because this reconstruction project will impact residents, businesses and property owners through-out Newberry. Please keep in mind that this event is to address the West Fourth Street project, and questions or concerns not related to the West Fourth Street project will not be addressed. ROSSIE Authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a man by another hunter in northwest Iowa. The Iowa Natural Resources Department said in a news release Monday that Clay County sheriff's deputies, medics and conservation officers responded to a shooting report around 11:15 a.m. Sunday. The shooting occurred about 4 miles west of Rossi in Clay County. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The department says 47-year-old Kirk Struve was struck by a bullet believed fired by another member of his party while hunting coyotes The department says Struve was pronounced dead at a hospital. He lived in Granville. An investigation is underway. The name of the other hunter has not been released. Today Thunderstorms. High 84F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Tonight Cloudy in the evening with scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 77F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Tomorrow Thunderstorms. High around 80F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Saturday Night Live headed back to New Orleans with an over-the-top yet pitch-perfect skit Saturday night (Jan. 26). In the four-minute video clip, a pair of recent New Orleans visitors, played by James McAvoy and Heidi Gardner, unravel just about every cliche available and make up some new ones as they regale several friends with stories of their exploits in the city. From blaming their lateness on acquiring a lackadaisical appreciation for timeliness moving like a gator down Bourbon Street to describing an experience getting robbed as authentic NAwlins magic, baby, the bit is rife with absurd gems needling out-of-touch New Orleans tourists. You put Paris in a swamp, and thats NAwlins in a nutshell, baby, McAvoy informs the group. Happily, their friends arent on board for the over-the-top retelling of the couples NAwlins adventure. New Orleans is in America, one friend needfully informs Garners character. Watch the sketch in the embedded window above. The University of New Orleans this year has moved one step closer to offering a new degree program that will prepare students for a career in the field of aviation. The Louisiana Board of Regents, the states top higher education board, last month approved a new professional pilot bachelor of science program at UNO, according to a university news release on Monday (Jan. 28). UNO will be allowed to begin accepting applications for the degree program only after the program is approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which is UNOs regional accrediting body. The new program will be located within UNOs College of Business Administration, UNO stated. In a statement, John Williams, dean of the Business Administration college, said the program will extend the vision of UNO as an engine of economic development of the region. Our professional pilot program will provide a diverse air space system environment that will expose our students to a wide variety of real world challenges, resulting in highly sought-after graduates, Williams stated. UNO wants to guarantee admission to eligible transfer students from Delgado The mean annual salary for commercial pilots in 2016 was more than $86,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even so, Williams stated a looming shortage of pilots is expected due to a combination of predicted global growth in aviation and a decrease in the number of both civilian and military trainees. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Pilot retirements and turnover in Louisiana, for instance, will contribute to a 10-year growth projection for commercial pilots at 320 jobs, with an annual total of 80 openings per year from jobs in the occupation, UNO stated. UNOs professional pilot program will be accredited by the Federal Aviation Administration. UNO stated students during the 120 credit-hour program will engage in both technology-enhanced classrooms and actual flight training. Students who complete the program will meet FAA commercial and private pilot standards, UNO added. UNO plans to conduct the new program in collaboration with the New Orleans Aerial Tours & Flight Training school located at the Lakefront Airport, which is a five-minute drive from the UNO campus. The university plans to certify the faculty while the flight school provides the technical instruction. University of Louisiana System generates $10.9 billion economic impact for state, study says Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles. The University of New Orleans has agreed to provide guaranteed admission to eligible transfer students from Delgado Community College, in an effort to have more Delgado students earning bachelors degrees from UNO. UNO President John Nicklow and Delgado Community College Interim Chancellor William Wainwright last Thursday (Jan. 24) signed the new agreement during a ceremony on Delgados City Park campus, according to a UNO news release. In a statement, Nicklow said the agreement represents a major step forward in UNOs effort to work more closely with Delgado. This will provide Delgado students who are interested in pursuing a bachelors degree with a clear and predictable path to achieving that objective, Nicklow stated. We hope this leads to more degree completion. University of Louisiana System generates $10.9 billion economic impact for state, study says The agreement must still be approved by the University of Louisiana System and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. If approved, UNO stated Delgado students with 24 or more hours of transferable, college-level coursework, including the completion of a college-level math and English course, and an overall GPA of 2.25 or higher will receive guaranteed admission to UNO. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Delgado students will also be eligible for the following opportunities under the new agreement with UNO: UNO counselors on Delgados City Park and West Bank campuses will waive the application fee and admit eligible students on the spot. In a statement, Delgado Interim Chancellor Wainwright thanked UNO for its strengthened collaborations that focus on student success. Wainwright said the agreement represents a commitment by both institutions to expand opportunities for qualified Delgado students to achieve a degree by making the transfer rules and requirements seamless and supportive of achieving their goals. Louisiana to invest $13 million into Delgado's expansion in Algiers Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles. A decision to end the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at an Algiers high school is spurring complaints from several students and teachers who say stopping the program cuts off students from scholarships and other opportunities. The JROTC classes offered at L.B Landry-O.P. Walker College and Career Preparatory High School are counted as credits toward Louisianas Jump Start career diploma program with approval by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Students who complete three semesters in JROTC start in the military on a higher pay scale, or obtain a college scholarship through a college-level ROTC. The program instructors said eight seniors this year have each qualified for up to $200,000 in scholarships. JROTC nonetheless has been removed from the programs offered at Landry-Walker by the Algiers Charter School Association this year. Its removal comes amid restructuring measures at the network, where its school employees for the first time in the networks 14 years of operation will have to reapply for their positions for the 2019-2020 school year. Algiers Charters Landry-Walker has vastly expanded the post secondary options for our scholars through our career pathways, said Algiers Charter Interim CEO Stuart Gay in a released statement Friday (Jan. 25). We are committed to directing our funding in a way that will benefit all of our students, regardless of the programs they choose to participate in. Gays comments follow an exchange between members of the schools JROTC program and Algiers Charter board members during a meeting Thursday. Six students vouched for the experiences theyve received through JROTC, including three who enlisted into the military through the program. Emanuel Powell asked to re-apply as Landry-Walker football coach, sources say The JROTC students are being transferred into physical education classes, according to one teacher who asked not to be named out of concern for their job. The programs cadets were responsible for presenting the U.S. flag for the Pledge of Allegiance during school assemblies, but the teacher said the school now pledges allegiance without the flag present. Retired Navy Commander Chris Pendleton, Landry-Walkers senior naval science instructor, told the board nearly 200 students participate in JROTC, and 140 will be affected by the termination. The program recently completed a $9,000 order for cadet uniforms without knowing the program would be cut. The program also obtained a $4,000 grant for traveling expenses, Pendleton added. Pendleton didnt know JROTC was cut until he checked his class schedule a day before school returned from winter break to find no students listed for the program. He said he was confused about the programs termination, because it even receives Navy funding to support the schools ACT prep program. I have not had a single opportunity to present data which would support this programs continuance, Pendleton said. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Landry-Walker student Hans Bellegarde told the board he, his brother, and his peers need the program in order to join the Navy. Handy Bellegarde echoed his brothers comments and said hes a junior who was hoping to stay in the program next year. Im begging yall. Please, I need that class back, Handy Bellegarde said. The Rev. Robert Myers of the Second Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Landry-Walkers JROTC commander, said the schools ROTC contract states the program requires a years notice before its closure. The program also cannot be closed in the middle of an academic year, but Myers said he was told this month to wrap up the program in two weeks. We sit on almost a half a million dollars of equipment. We do more than teach class. Every piece of gear has to be accounted for, we have to give it back to the Navy, Myers said. Youre giving us two weeks to do all that. Thats why they ask you for a year. Board member Lauren King urged the board to figure out the rationale behind the programs termination. Board member James Henderson Jr. wanted as much information as humanly possible to explain the JROTCs termination. Id really like to know whos going to come up with $200,000 to help these children go to college, Henderson said. Algiers Charter board chair Aaron Jackson Jr. thanked the programs supporters for their comments and stressed we will take it all under advisement. 2 Algiers charter schools will close in 2019 amid failing grades, low enrollment Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles. A New Orleans father returned from his deployment overseas and made a surprise appearance at his daughters school on Monday (Jan. 28). First Lieutenant Eddie Dollis surprised his daughter, Emyni, during her pre-kindergarten class at Audubon Charter Schools Broadway Campus, according to a school news release. Dollis has been deployed in the Middle East for six months with the Air Force. Check out the emotional reunion in the video above, provided by the Brylski Company. New Orleans, Jefferson among 7 communities to receive $700,000 for preschool programs The B-rated Audubon Charter is one of the most in-demand schools in Orleans Parish. The school teaches Pre-K through 8th grade students at 428 Broadway Street and grades 4th through 8th at 1111 Milan Street. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Audubon officials in 2017 stated the demand for Audubons Uptown programs exceeded the schools capacity. An audit from August 2018 showing student placements for the 2018-2019 school year showed 400 students applied for 100 available kindergarten seats at Audubon, including 140 students who selected Audubon first in the OneApp. The Orleans Parish School Board in 2017 approved an application from the Board of French and Montessori Education to expand Audubons program to a new school serving students in grades Pre-K through 8th in Gentilly last fall. Parents have until Feb. 23 to apply for school placement for the 2019-2020 school year through OneApp. Families can submit their applications online via EnrollNOLAs website. Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles. A high school in Vermilion Parish will likely be closed for two days starting Monday (Jan. 28) due to an infestation of bats on campus, according to a report by KATC-TV. Images from the Gueydan Journal display a small colony of bats nestled within the ceiling corners of Gueydan High School. Vermilion Parish Schools Superintendent Jerome Puyau told KATC that Gueydan High will be closed Monday and Tuesday so the infestation problem can be resolved. Bat infestations in schools are rare, but not completely uncommon in Louisiana. McDonogh 35 High School had to battle an infestation of bats at the schools old campus in 2011, according to a report by WDSU. KIPP New Orleans was forced to move its 400 students at Believe Primary into a temporary space in 2015 because of a bat infestation at Banneker Elementary, according to a NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune article at the time. Marrero school cleaning planned after absences surge The Louisiana Recovery School District also exterminated Banneker in 2014 before the K-3 KIPP charter moved in. However, KIPP spokesman Jonathan Bertsch at the time said that was "a patchwork fix because students and teachers noticed the flying mammals were living in the attic. The re-infestation of bats at Banneker Elementary in Uptown forced KIPP New Orleans to relocate its students for two weeks leading up to the March, 2015 state tests. Video of some of the captured 2015 Banneker bats, courtesy of KIPP Believe Primary, can be viewed below. Read the complete story at KATCs website. Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles. New Orleans police are investigating a shooting that left a 29-year-old man dead in Algiers on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 27). Police received a call about shots being fired near the intersection of Diana and Verret streets about 12:50 p.m., NOPD said. When officers arrived, they found the fatally shot man, who had been struck more than once, lying face-down in the back of a home in the 1100 block of Verret Street, police said. The man died at the scene. Police did not release his name. A nearby construction worker said he heard two shots fired in succession around 12:45 p.m. At the scene, the body, shielded from view by black screens, was lying between two homes in the 500 block of Diana Street. A group of people, accompanied by the New Orleans police chaplain and a local pastor, stood near the crime tape and embraced one another as they watched investigators canvas the scene. At 2 p.m., a coroners van wove its way through a trio of boys on bikes in order to get to the scene. Details on the suspected shooter and motive were not immediately available. The investigation is ongoing. NOPD Homicide Detective Rayell Johnson is leading the ongoing investigation and can be reached at 504-658-5300 with any information on the fatal shooting. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-7867. This post was updated Monday (Jan. 28) with new details from police. A man died after he was transported for medical treatment from a New Orleans East shooting on the Interstate 10 Service Road, New Orleans Police said Sunday (Jan. 27). A call reporting shots fired in the 6500 block of the Interstate 10 Service Road, which is near the intersection of Morrison Road, was received at 3:01 p.m., New Orleans police said. A man wearing a black hoodie and black pants approached the victim and began firing shots at him, according to an initial report by the NOPD. The shooting victim was described as an adult, though his exact age was not immediately known. Police said he was shot more than once. At the scene late Sunday afternoon, police set up at least 14 evidence cones in the parking lot of Eastside Quick Lube and along the North Service Road. On the ground near one of the evidence cones was a piece of crumbled blue material and blood on the pavement. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Officers questioned people standing inside the shop, and many drivers made U-turns across the service road as they reached the crime tape that cordoned off a small portion of the road. Two Eastside Quick Lube employees heard between eight to ten shots while they were working inside the shop. After they heard the shots, they heard another man, who was with the man who was killed, yell to call 911. That man ended up calling 911 himself, the employees said. The mans death is the second reported killing in New Orleans on Sunday. Another man was shot to death in Algiers shortly before 1 p.m. near the intersection of Verret and Diana streets, police said. NOPD Homicide Detective Arin Starzyk is leading the ongoing investigation and can be reached at 504-658-5300 with any information on the fatal shooting. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-7867. This post was updated Monday (Jan. 28) with new details from police. Louisiana has the fourth highest gun death rate and fourth highest gun ownership in the nation, according to an analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Center for Injury Prevention and Control data by the Violence Policy Center, a nonprofit that seeks tighter gun control laws. Alaska, Montana and Alabama comprised the top three states in both gun ownership and death rates. Nearly 22 per 100,000 people in Louisiana died from a homicide, suicide or unintentional shooting in 2017, according to the analysis. Forty-nine percent of households in the state own a gun, the report stated. Alaska had the highest rate of gun deaths with approximately 24 people per 100,000 reported dead from a homicide, suicide or unintentional shooting, and gun ownership in 56.4 among the states households, according to the data, which was collected in 2017. The Violence Policy Center linked what it called weak" gun prevention laws, which it defined as those that add little or nothing to federal law and have permissive laws governing the open or concealed carrying of firearms in public, with the higher rates of gun-related deaths. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up States with what fit its definition of strong gun violence prevention laws had the lowest gun death rates and lower rates of gun ownership, the report stated. Hawaii had the lowest gun death rate at 2.73 per 100,000 people. States with lower gun death rates had laws restricting access to deadly types of firearms, set minimum safety standards for firearms, required permits to purchase firearms and restricted the open and concealed carrying of firearms in public, according to the analysis. The data also indicated an increase of Americans killed by gunfire nationwide, jumping from 38,658 people in 2016 to 39,773 in 2017. Gun violence in New Orleans in 2017: Who was shot, when and where Five men from the New Orleans area were arrested on charges of possessing child pornography following investigations by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations Cyber Crime Unit. Old Metairie child porn suspect molested boy at moms daycare: JPSO The arrested includes an Old Metairie man facing several hundred counts of child pornography possession and accusations of molesting a 4-year-old boy, according to authorities. Investigators also booked a St. Covington man accused of producing child pornography and molesting youngsters. Nam Vo, 40, of Covington, was booked with four counts of producing pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13 and 30 counts of possession of pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13, the attorney generals office said. Vo was also booked with eight counts of molestation of a juvenile under the age of 13. Vo was booked into the St. Tammany Parish jail. No details were available about the molestation charges against him. David Rees, 48, of Metairie was arrested Jan. 16 and booked with 250 counts of possession of pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13 and 250 counts of possession of pornography involving juveniles. During questioning, Rees admitted molesting a 4-year-old boy who attended an in-home daycare run by Rees mother, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs office. Investigators interviewed the now-28-year-old victim and additionally booked Rees with aggravated oral sexual battery and molestation of a juvenile, authorities said. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Justin Pilgrim, 35, of Kenner was booked with 17 counts of pornography involving juveniles, the attorney generals office said. At the time of his Jan. 16 arrest, he was out on a $30,500 bond after he was booked Sept. 28 on two counts of juvenile pornography possession, court records said. Pilgrim was released from the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center Jan. 18 on a $34,000 bond. David Pizzalato, 18, of Chalmette was booked with 200 counts of possession of pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13 and one counts of distribution of pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13. Pizzalato was booked into the St. Bernard Parish jail, the attorney generals office said. Andrew Smith, 21, of Kenner, was arrested Jan. 16 and booked with six counts of possession of pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13. He was being held Monday (Jan. 28) at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna in lieu of a $60,000 bond. The cases were investigation in conjunction with the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Office, the New Orleans Police Department, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriffs Office, the Hammond Police Department, the Louisiana State Police, the Kenner Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Anyone with additional information about David Rees, Nam Vo or potential victims in the case is asked to call the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations Cyber Crime Unit at 800-256-4506. Callers do not have to give their names. Louis Vuitton now has a New Orleans boutique. The French fashion house opened the 4,000-square-foot store last Thursday (Jan. 24) at The Shops at Canal Place. The location is the brands first stand-alone boutique in Louisiana. Previously, Saks Fifth Avenue sold its signature handbags and accessories at its Canal Place store. Louis Vuitton is one of several new high-profile retail brands to move into The Shops at Canal Place. Tory Burch opened a boutique on the malls first floor late last year. G-Star Raw, a luxury denim brand, also opened. Louis Vuitton is located next to Tory Burch on the first floor. The Shops at Canal Place, which is managed by OConnor Capital Partners, is undergoing a two-year renovation, which will update its interior spaces, light fixtures and kiosks. Gensler, a design firm based out of San Francisco, has been tapped to oversee the renovation work. In addition to selling handbags, luggage and other accessories, the New Orleans store offers a variety of in-store services, including hot stamping, engraving and fragrance refills. Customers will also be able to pick up online orders at the store. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Louis Vuitton joins existing tenants including Saks Fifth Avenue, Brooks Brothers, Tiffany & Co., Lululemon and Anthropologie. Rouses is building a new store in Marrero Jennifer Larino covers residential real estate, retail and consumer news, travel and cruises, weather and other aspects of life in New Orleans for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Reach her at jlarino@nola.com or 504-239-1424. Follow her on Twitter @jenlarino. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 27) Seven senatorial hopefuls bared plans on how they would solve the Philippines' pressing problems should they win a seat in the 2019 midterm elections. CNN Philippines' second senatorial forum was joined by former Interior Secretary Raffy Alunan, former Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares, former Bangsamoro Transition Commission member Samira Gutoc, former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, and former Quezon 4th District Representative Erin Tanada. Here is what went down at #TheFilipinoVotes: Senatorial Forum Part 2: Key legislations The hopefuls also identified priority bills they would file should they bag a Senate seat. Ex-Interior Secretary Alunan wants to reintegrate ethics and values formation in the education system. "We've lost it, and that's why we have to recover it in our institutions and by making sure that our families instill the proper values in our people," he said. Colmenares, a Left-leaning activist, said he will file a law repealing provisions on the value-added tax in electricity, water, and oil charges and a law against contractualization. The former Bayan Muna Representative will also push for additional Social Security System (SSS) pension and a minimum national wage of P750. Gutoc said she will push for "peace education." "Peace education guarantees against bullying, peace education guarantees a population not sleeping against rape jokes by some of our elite, peace education reminds us of decency and respect," she said. Hilbay said he aims to widen the scope of the current conditional cash transfer program, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. Roque promised to push for the full implementation of the Universal Healthcare Law, which he previously filed in the House of Representatives. "Importante po gamitin ang oversight function ng Senado para masiguro na ang korapsyon ay hindi maging hadlang na magkaroon ng libreng pagamot at magamot ang lahat," he said. [Translation: It's important to use the Senate's oversight function to ensure that corruption would not stop the country to provide free medicine so that everyone can be treated.] The former Duterte spokesperson also wants to file a "Zero-Hunger bill" to end hunger in the Philippines in 10 years. Roxas, a former Trade Secretary, eyes repealing provisions on the additional excise taxes for petroleum products under the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) and the second tax reform package. "'Pag nagmahal ang transportasyon, nagmamahal ang lahat ng pangunahing bilihin," he said. [Translation: If translation becomes expensive, everything else follows.] Roxas vowed to also oppose plans to remove incentives from foreign investors, and address the country's internet access. Tanada, the son of former Senator Wigberto Tanada, said he will look into wage meeting rises prices. "Makatarungan pa ba ang ginagamit na regional wage boards sa pagtakda ng sweldo dito sa ating bansa?" he said. The former solon claimed solving the regional wage problem may also address the issues on road congestions in Metro Manila. DILG chiefs on drug war Two former Interior Secretaries also revealed their stances on handling the administration's drug war as more than 5,000 have been killed in various anti-drug operations and multibillion-peso shipments of methampetamine hydrochloride have easily entered the country. Roxas, who was Interior chief under former President Benigno Aquino III, said the problem should be dealt with from the demand side saying that parents have to guide their children better. For those addicted to illegal drugs, Roxas said the Philippines needs rehabilitation centers, doctors and experts to solve their addiction. On law enforcement, Roxas said he will push for intelligence funds to look for big-time drug lords. He slammed the current administration as only poor drug peddlers have been arrested. "Lahat ng mga naaresto nakatsinelas, lahat ng mga naaresto 'yung mga mahihiraplahat ng mga naaaresto ay mga low-level criminals. Saan 'yung malalaki?" [Translation: Those who have been arrested are in slippers, all those arrested are poor, low-level criminals. Where are the big ones?] Meanwhile, former Secretary Alunan likened the country's illegal drug situation to 'a raging forest fire.' "Marami pang scalawags sa four pillars of the criminal justice system: police, prosecutor, judges, jails. Anybody can free themselves from the clutches of justice and the law," Alunan said. Reforms in the Human Security Act and the Revised Penal Code should be implemented, he added. Alunan was Interior chief during the term of former President Fidel Ramos. Crowd-stirring answers to Yes, No questions Some of the senatorial aspirants answers to the Yes/No questions stirred cheers and jeers from the audience. When asked if Congress should compel the President to make his medical records public, only Alunan and Roque answered 'No." Roque and Alunan were also the only ones to answer "No" when the aspirants were asked if Philippine media is under threat in this country. All of the candidates were in favor of legalizing divorce on grounds of abuse or irreconciliable differences, and the legalization of medical marijuana for ailments such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, seizures, and severe pain. It was only Colmenares who said the Bangsamoro Organic Law will not help establish long-lasting peace and uplift the lives of Filipinos in Mindanao. WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Cory Booker wont be punished for his Spartacus moment. The Senate Ethics Committee has dismissed a request from a conservative watchdog group to investigate whether Booker was in the wrong when he released documents concerning Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Judicial Watch filed the complaint last September, and the ethics committee earlier this month said it had carefully evaluated the allegations in the complaint and, based on all the information before it, determined that no further action is appropriate. Booker, a potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, had declared a Spartacus moment when he released what initially had been confidential documents during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings into Kavanaughs nomination. At least some of the papers had been cleared for release at Bookers request but the committee had yet to make them public before Booker acted. It is an absolute disgrace that the Senate Ethics Committee is giving Senator Booker a pass for willfully violating Senate rules by leaking confidential information to smear Justice Kavanaugh, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. The Senate continues the abuse of Kavanaugh and his family by refusing to act against a senator who, pretending to be Spartacus, violated the rule of law and our Constitution in trying to destroy him. Booker spokeswoman Kristin Lynch declined comment. Rather than follow normal procedures and allow the National Archives to review Kavanaughs previous writings, Senate Republicans instead asked a GOP lawyer who had represented members of the Trump administration to decide what documents the public could see. Booker, D-N.J., released them anyway, drawing criticism from Senate Republicans who had disregarded legislative norms by refusing to consider President Barack Obamas earlier nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Sen. @CoryBooker: "I'm knowingly violating the rules. Sen Cornyn has called me out for it. I'm saying right now that I'm releasing committee confidential documents." Senator @JohnCornyn: "Running for president is no excuse for violating the rules of the Senate" pic.twitter.com/A2pB19ENPP CSPAN (@cspan) September 6, 2018 Judicial Watch has continued to file lawsuits regarding Hillary Clintons private email server while fighting the ongoing investigations into whether President Donald Trumps 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. In addition, Research Director Chris Farrell told the Fox Business Network last October that Trumps State Department was occupied by George Soros. He is an investor who is Jewish, and the Anti-Defamation League said that casting a Jewish individual as a puppet master who manipulates national events for malign purposes has the effect of mainstreaming anti-Semitic tropes. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. WASHINGTON Six in 10 Americans want the new House Democratic majority to obtain and release President Donald Trumps tax returns, according to a poll released Sunday. In an ABC News/Washington Post poll, 60 percent supported such efforts, which have been led by Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., with only 35 percent in opposition. Trump is the only president in more than four decades to refuse to release his returns. Majorities also supported investigations into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, communications between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and any financial ties between Trump and foreign governments. The poll was released following a record-long 35-day federal government shutdown following Trumps refusal to sign a spending bill without more than $5 billion in taxpayer funds for a southern border wall he promised Mexico would pay. Pascrell, a member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, has led House Democratic efforts to obtain Trumps tax returns, which he said could reveal any possible conflicts of interest, such as investments in Russia and Saudi Arabia. In addition, they could show how much he personally benefitted from the tax law he and congressional Republicans pushed through in 2017. Its no surprise that an overwhelming majority of Americans want Trump to finally face real oversight and real scrutiny," said Pascrell, D-9th Dist. The election results told us as much. I have pursued this cause for two years because Americans are entitled to know if their president entered office with strings attached. Ways and Means Democrats must use our authority and obtain his business and personal tax returns. It is our responsibility. Pascrells previous attempts to force release of the returns under a 1924 federal law enacted after the Teapot Dome scandal were blocked by House Republicans when they were in the majority, but new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has said that there was popular demand for the Congress to request the presidents tax returns. The poll of 1,001 adults was conducted Jan. 21-24 and had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Walk down Memory Lane with me, back to 1997, when New Jersey's Administrative Office of the Courts promised to do something Chief Justice Stuart Rabner did this month. I was a second-term assemblywoman ready to head out to a community meeting in Kearny when I got a call from my aide saying I'd have to drive because his license was suspended. I picked him up and as we headed along Route 7, he said that when he'd gone to renew his license, the DMV (now the MVC) told him his license had been suspended because of three outstanding parking tickets from 1989. At first, I thought that was funny, so I mentioned it during my talk. Afterward, three people told me they'd recently been suspended, too, for old parking tickets. That seemed more than a coincidence. Next day at work I asked around. Seems everybody knew somebody with the same problem. All cases were recent and in no instance did anyone have a decade-old receipt, cashed check or other proof of payment. Later that week, I talked to my Trenton colleagues and learned they'd almost all received similar constituent complaints. In some cases, drivers had never even been in towns where parking tickets were received. In other cases, it wasn't their license number or vehicle. Obviously, something bad was going on. After a little digging, I learned several large municipalities had engaged the same consulting firm to help them find new ways of raising money. The consultant recommended they check old files for unprocessed parking tickets. And they found plenty. Boxes. Cartons. Jersey City, Newark, Hackensack, Camden and Atlantic City officials thought they'd found gold mines. They immediately notified DMV to suspend licenses of all identified motorists, going back 20 years. DMV officials were thrilled, too. Suspended drivers were required to pay not only original fines, but also additional charges for non-payment along with interest, and then another $50 to have their licenses restored. DMV said close to one million people were affected. I was appalled, and so were many of my Democratic colleagues. I quickly introduced legislation requiring all municipalities to process parking tickets within three years or lose the opportunity to do so. The bill also required DMV to send certified letters to motorists prior to suspension. Reluctantly, DMV officials backed the overall concept but balked at the cost of certified mail so there was only weak support from them. When news of the new bill went out, my office was swamped with letters and calls from outraged motorists, and I was invited all over the state to give talks and interviews about the bill. But it went nowhere. As a relatively inexperienced legislator when Democrats were in the minority in Trenton, I couldn't generate enough interest from legislative leadership. Most Republicans were from suburban or rural areas and hadn't been affected by the suspension blitz. There'd been a lot of interest in the media, however, and the Administrative Office of the Courts in Trenton took notice. That office, under the direction of the chief justice, manages all courts in the state. After some negotiations, they agreed to wipe out all parking tickets older than three years. They could do that with a single click on their computer -- but only if I would withdraw the bill and leave the matter to them. I did. And they did. But it seems that over the next 22 years, unprocessed tickets and other small issues began piling up again. A week ago, Justice Rabner ordered all old minor offenses wiped off the books. You may never know you were in that pile, but be grateful anyway. A former assemblywoman from Jersey City, Joan Quigley is the president and CEO of North Hudson Community Action Corp. Submit guest columns at letters to the editor at jjletters@jjournal.com. By James J. Florio Camden is rising, and Im proud to say those words with the evidence to back it up. The Rowan University/Rutgers-Camden joint board of governors has released a detailed economic analysis highlighting the current renaissance occurring in the city. In several key determinants of public health (public safety, neighborhood quality, education and outside investment), Camden has shown incredible growth in a limited amount of time. This growth is due, in no small part, to the significant investment that has been spurred by the Economic Development Agencys Grow New Jersey Assistance Program aka Grow NJ. The evidence of this historic reversal can be seen from all the way across the Delaware River. Thanks to successful corporate incentives, the waterfront is lined with new businesses, filled with opportunity, jobs and untapped economic potential. In Camden there is an understanding that in the real world, everything is connected, and this understanding has been central to the citys recent success. Laid out in last weeks report is a compelling narrative that when the public sector, private sector, nonprofit community and academia have all embodied the cooperative spirit, real progress is made possible. This is not news to the people of Camden, as theyve felt the impact of these changes firsthand. Over the past five years, the Camden County Police Department has worked tirelessly to make Camdens streets safer and to form a bond with the citizens it protects. This effort has made Camden the safest its been in 50 years and it has changed the spirit of its people. Crime in Camden is now reaching historic lows, and total crime has dropped 68 percent since 1974. The departments commitment to a community policing model, in lieu of a military-style occupation, was recognized by President Barack Obama in the Presidents Task Force report on 21st Century Policing when he visited Camden. Off the streets, Camdens children are feeling the impacts as well. In the citys public, charter and renaissance schools, were seeing how these interconnected forces manifest in improved educational achievement. Since 2012, Camdens graduation rate has increased from 49 percent to 69 percent, dropout rates have fallen from 21 percent to 10 percent, and K-8 proficiency in math and English/language arts has improved by as much as 300 percent. Today, more than 300 Camden School District students are taking college-level courses through their school, and SAT participation rates have risen by 46 percent. Throughout the city, communities are seeing unprecedented levels of investment. Within the span studied by the report just released, approximately $55 million has been dedicated to improving Camdens parks and public spaces, and $2.2 billion has been invested in, or is planned for, public transportation infrastructure such as the Glassboro-Camden line. Companies that received benefits from the Grow NJ program have made or will make at least $1.3 billion in capital investments in Camden, and the economic impact of those investments is estimated at an additional $2.6 billion benefit. All who are responsible for this progress should feel vindicated as the policies they lined up begin to fall into place, and the rank-and-file citizens who bought in and supported these new methods should be especially proud of themselves and their city. The states role in this success has been and will continue to be substantial. The Economic Development Authoritys incentive system can be, and should be, made even stronger as it administers and monitors its awards. The Comptrollers Office has stated that the incentives provided by the EDA have been critical tools in the states effort to retain and attract business enterprises. Similarly, the joint boards study concluded that incentives for residential, retail and corporate development have attracted billions of dollars of economic value to (Camden). But most important, the joint boards analysis cautioned that the growth trajectory of Camden is fragile and is very much dependent on the continuation of state investment, private capital, and other non-monetary efforts to achieve its true potential. We are witnessing one of the greatest American comeback stories in recent history, but weve only just pushed the ship to sea, and it will surely sink if we neglect our responsibility to steer it in the right direction. If we remain unified, we can reach our final destination together: a safer, more prosperous city of Camden. James J. Florio, founding partner at the law firm of Florio Perrucci Steinhardt & Cappelli LLC, served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990-1994 and as a U.S. congressman from 1975-1990 representing the greater Camden area. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Police on Long Beach Island took down an alleged drug dealer Sunday when they seized more than 25 pounds of marijuana as well as cocaine, LSD and prescription pills, authorities said. Michael Klimowicz, 28, of the Holgate section of Long Beach Township, was arrested and charged with a slew of drug offenses after authorities raided his home on the typically quiet island in the offseason, police said in a statement. In addition to pot and a half-ounce of cocaine, Klimowicz was in possession of Xanax, Adderall and drug paraphernalia. Cops didnt say what time or on what street they made the bust. Klimowicz, is being held at the Ocean County jail as he awaits his first court appearance. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Long Beach police are 609-361-2073. Chief Anthony Deely declined to answer questions or provide additional information about the bust when reached by phone Monday afternoon. Cops on LBI seized marijuana, cocaine as well as pills after raiding a Holgate home on Sunday. The drugs are show in side-by-side photos from both ends of an evidence table. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. EDITORS NOTE: A version of this story first appeared in NJ Cannabis Insider, a premium intelligence briefing that features exclusive weekly content geared toward entrepreneurs, lawyers and Realtors. View a sample issue. When the state Health Department announced it had chosen six new medicinal marijuana providers last month, patients and their advocates breathed sighs of relief. Finally, the program would double in size, from six to 12 alternative treatment centers, and patients would not have to travel as far to buy their medicine. And that may be true. But in South Jersey, the state has given the green light for two dispensaries to open on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. And the ATC which made the first request is none too happy about it. Compassionate Care Foundation, based in Egg Harbor Township, sought state permission to open a satellite dispensary in May, and the state said yes. Founder David Knowlton said they are slated to open in June, following a period of engineering and construction work. In mid-December, the Health Department announced MPX New Jersey would open an Atlantic City dispensary and a cultivation site in Galloway. Doubling up doesnt make sense, Knowlton said. We are a medicinal program. How is that improving access for patients? Knowlton told NJ Cannabis Insider. My objection is the department is losing sight of the mission: to see that patients get access, he added. Knowlton also pointed out under state law, his operation must remain a nonprofit entity, with limited access to investors and reasonably priced financing. You dont load people right on top of each other, Knowlton said. The six newbies do not have to be nonprofits. And MPX is a fast-growing company, announcing a merger with iAnthus Capital Holdings late last year which brings the operations of the combined company up to 10 states. And that was before it won the New Jersey contract. A spokeswoman for MPX Chief Operating Officer Beth Stavola could not immediately be reached for comment. Jeff Brown, director of the states medicinal marijuana program, defended the decision, saying there is enough current and potential demand for both AC dispensaries in Atlantic City and Atlantic County and the surrounding counties. Using a point system, each applicant was graded on a variety of measures, but the most significant being location to patients. Every move we made since last year has been about improving patient access, Brown said. Its why we recruited doctors and why we have removed barriers in the program, he said. A key part of that is improving competition in the market, Brown continued. Competition reduces costs and it improves quality, and at the end of the day , that is good for patients. When we are done, there will be many areas in the state, not just Atlantic City, with multiple dispensaries. Brown said hes wondered whats taken so long for Compassionate Care to open shop. They were given approvals outside of the competitive process for the Atlantic City location, he said. Is he losing confidence that Compassionate Care will deliver? I have confidence it will be open, eventually, Brown said. But its largely up to them. We want to see all these locations open as quickly as possible. Since the state made the award announcements in December, the cannabis business community has been gossiping about the $38,500 contributions Stavola made to the State Democratic Committee and Murphy in the last two years, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. Brown called the selection process entirely transparent...scored by a selection committee with no conflicts and no influence outside the Department of Health. They scored the way they scored. Are you interested in the N.J. cannabis industry? Subscribe here for exclusive insider information from NJ Cannabis Insider. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The mother of an 11-year-old girl whose bullying by fellow students at a Jersey City school was caught on video is breathing a sigh of relief that her daughter has been transferred to another school. But Crystal Mason is still angry about the incident and wants to bring attention to what she calls a persistent problem of bullying at School 24, an 800-student elementary school on Virginia Avenue. "My daughter was crying that she didn't want to go back to this school because she's afraid," said Mason. On Dec. 19, a parent of another child in the girl's class posted a video to Facebook of a group of boys attacking Mason's sixth-grade daughter, Ciara. The video shows one boy who is about a head taller than her throwing her to the ground, pushing her up against a wall and calling her a profanity. The boy is 13 years old, according to Mason. "I was devastated by the video," she said. "I started screaming and crying." The teacher who is usually in the classroom was out and replaced by a substitute, who left the room during the fight to get help, according to Mason. The parent who posted the video is Ty-Nifa Chandler-Watson. She said her son, 12, filmed it. "He sent me that video showing me that his class was out of control," Chandler-Watson said. "I posted the video to show that these kids are left unattended and alone." Her son was also a victim of bullying at the school, she added. He was attacked by a classmate, leaving him with deep scratches on his face, she said. The 30,000-student district reported 67 total instances of harassment and bullying in 2016-17, up from 62 three years before. Both moms say officials gave them the "runaround" when they asked for help in December. Chandler-Watson said her son was suspended for taking the video. Asked to comment, school district spokeswoman Maryann Dickar told The Jersey Journal she cannot comment on student disciplinary records. After The Jersey Journal contacted Dickar, the district offered to transfer Ciara to another school. That happened last week. The girl is happy there, her mom said. "She loves her new school and her new class and friends," Mason said. BAYONNE A priest and parishioner at St. Sophia Orthodox Church stopped 58-year-old serial robber in his tracks, authorities said. On Saturday morning, Adam Wisniewski, of West 26th Street, was found inside the West 22nd Street church using a screwdriver to break open the churchs donation box, authorities said. When a priest and woman parishioner confronted Wisniewski, he then pushed them out of the way and tried to flee, police said. The two were able to detain the 58-year-old until police arrived, the two told the arriving officers. No injuries were reported. Wisniewski was charged with robbery, burglary and possession of burglary tools, police said. Wisniewski was arrested and charged for similar crimes in recent years. Twice in 2014 The Jersey Journal reported that Wisniewski tried to steal autism donation containers from businesses on Broadway. And again in 2017 he tried stealing a donation jar again and was arrested. According to electronic court records, Wisniewski has been arrested at least 47 times, and has at least nine disorderly persons convictions and criminal convictions for aggravated assault, robbery, resisting arrest, drug possession, criminal trespassing, theft and three counts of burglary. He served 13 months in prison between 2012 and 2013 for theft and criminal trespassing. HOBOKEN Mayor Ravi Bhalla will give his first state of the city address Tuesday night on the Stevens Institute of Technology campus. Bhalla, who became mayor in January 2018, will give the speech at Stevens' DeBaun Auditorium, 24 5th St., at 6:30 p.m. The event will be open to the public. Tickets are not needed. A Democrat, Bhalla defeated five opponents in November 2017 to become the first Sikh elected mayor in New Jersey. He has already raised over $80,000 for a potential second term. Tom DeGise, the county executive, will give his annual address on Feb. 13. A few months ago, actor Geoffrey Owens quit his side job at a Trader Joes in Clifton after a woman sent photos she took of him working at the store to several celebrity websites. In September, when the photos were published, the former Cosby Show regular was job-shamed for trying to make ends meet between acting jobs. Even though Owens quit his job because he saw the media storm brewing, he could not avoid the unwanted attention. Owens, 57, who lives in Montclair, ended up making an appearance on Good Morning America in the wake of the incident, proudly wearing his Trader Joes nametag and Yale University cap (an alumnus of the college, he had also been an acting teacher there). The actor is best known for playing Elvin Tibideaux, husband to Sondra Huxtable and son-in-law to Cliff and Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show." Owens had appeared in 44 episodes of the hugely popular TV series, which ran from 1984 to 1992. Geoffrey Owens continues to take full advantage of his recent Trader Joes fame. Hell yea, Geoffrey Owens. #SAGAwards #TNT #Celebritypic.twitter.com/T7A1ilMmZK insecure Al (@insecure_al) January 28, 2019 Fortunately, the shame part didnt last very long," Owens told Robin Roberts when speaking about the Trader Joes photos. Many people, including directors and actors, rushed to Owens' defense on social media, criticizing the Daily Mail for job-shaming the actor, who had worked at the Passaic County grocery store for 15 months. The outpouring of support for Owens included an offer from director Tyler Perry to come work with him on a series for the Oprah Winfrey Network. And on Sunday night, Owens was front and center at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where he helped to open the show. Right after actor Mike Myers talked about his road to becoming an actor, Owens, sitting at a table in the audience, addressed the camera. Before he started to speak, a swell of woos and applause emanated from the crowd. So, somewhere in the middle of the road of my life, I found myself in the dark wood of unemployment and debt," he said. But instead of switching careers, like a sane person, I took a job at a local Trader Joes to see if I could hang in there with my career. And its actually worked out pretty well. Owens' words sparked another surge of applause. Im Geoffrey Owens, he exclaimed. And I am an actor!" From there, the camera turned to young actress Yara Shahidi (Black-ish, Grown-ish) and the shows host, Megan Mullally. Owens' featured spot in the awards show and the fanfare surrounding his appearance is just one example of the response of Hollywood and the acting community to the Trader Joes story. This past fall, Owens took Perry up on that offer of a role in the OWN series The Haves and the Have Nots. The actor also booked a part on the CBS series NCIS: New Orleans." Before the Trader Joes photos were published, Owens had worked steadily as an actor for decades, albeit usually in small TV roles that didnt last longer than an episode or a few episodes. His post-"Cosby" TV credits have included FXXs Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, HBOs The Leftovers and Divorce," CBS' Elementary" and Showtime series The Affair" and Billions. In November, Owens was a presenter at the SAG-AFTRA Foundations Patron of the Artists Awards and posed for photos with Adam Driver, Spike Lee and Henry Winkler. At the SAG Awards on Sunday, he mingled with fellow actors including Glenn Close (see photo in tweet below), who won the award for best lead actress in a film. Have a tip? Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Vans Warped Tour isnt done with New Jersey just yet. While the famed punk-rock mega-fest announced that 2018 would be its last full summer schedule as the longest-running traveling tour of its size, founder Kevin Lyman also hinted at a handful of events in 2019 to celebrate the hugely influential alternative festivals 25th anniversary. The dates were announced Monday morning and New Jersey will one of only three host states -- and the only East Coast stop -- as a pared-down version of Warped will hit the Atlantic City beach June 29 and 30. This marks a stark change in venue from the typical parking lot extravaganzas held at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, BB&T Pavilion in Camden and Raceway Park in Englishtown over the last two decades, which helped launch the careers of blink-182, Fall Out Boy and Paramore. The lineup, which typically includes dozens of brand-name and new-coming rock, punk and metal artists and promises more than 50 bands for this event, will be announced March 1. Ticket pre-sales will begin on Feb. 25 and tickets will be available to the public on March 1 on Ticketmaster. The event will be produced by Live Nation in association with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) and the City of Atlantic City as part of the Atlantic City BeachFest. 25 YEARS OF THE VANS WARPED TOUR Feb 25 Pre-Sale Tickets On Sale March 1 Lineups Announced March 1 Tickets On Sale https://t.co/rSuGQJH0ta#vanswarpedtour #warpedtour #foreverwarped pic.twitter.com/YZ4OUv50Xj Vans Warped Tour (@VansWarpedTour) January 28, 2019 Were thrilled to host the only East Coast celebration of Vans Warped Tours 25th Anniversary on the Atlantic City Beach, said Geoff Gordon, Live Nation Philadelphia Regional President said in a statement. Warped Tour was meant to take place on the surf and sand, so we welcome fans from across North America to experience this unforgettable weekend with us in Atlantic City. Over the last five years, the Atlantic City BeachFest has featured performances by P!nk, The Chainsmokers, Maroon 5, Zac Brown Band, Sam Hunt, Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band, Brantley Gilbert, Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum Bell Biv DeVoe, DMX and many more. Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@BobbyOlivier and Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Days after Santiago Orosco posted on his Facebook page that one of his American-born servers was left a bigoted note for speaking Spanish, he and his staff have been targeted by internet trolls, accused of faking the post for publicity. The incident happened Thursday night when a couple did not leave a tip for their server, replacing it with a note on the back of their receipt that read Dont Tip Immigrants!!! after hearing her speak Spanish to a dishwasher, Orosco said. Now, people are leaving mean-spirited and racist reviews on his Facebook page and trolling his company. They have no basis of anything, to accuse me of anything. It was an honest, genuine move trying to protect my employee and to make people aware this is a serious issue and its still out there, he said. I dont need the publicity. Ive been here 13 years. The server, Lorena Bassi, defended her decision to post about the couple who left the anti-immigrant sentiment on her receipt, even after complimenting her service. I just want everyone to know that my post about the couple who decided to write the nasty comment, Dont Tip Immigrants was never about the tip. My boss and I are overwhelmed with all of the people wanting to send me tips. I didnt post this to get anything out of it other than awareness, she wrote on Facebook. The note was left by a couple in their mid-40s, he said. Under The Moon Cafe, an Argentine-inspired eatery, opened in Bordentown in 2006. In 2017, another location opened in Lambertville. Orosco said he was shocked, but not surprised, to receive this note. I never intended it to get this big. It was just about standing up and saying enough is enough and stop the badgering of Spanish (speaking) people," he said. During Oroscos interview with NJ Advance Media on Monday afternoon, he received a call from a someone who told him homosexuality is a mental illness and all immigrants are squatters. Several one-star reviews have also been left on the restaurants Facebook page. Under the Moon Cafe's original location in Bordentown Horrible service. Server was speaking another language the entire time, one review reads. Another calls the staff racist. Orosco, a gay man who emigrated from Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1991, said the discrimination hurts, and thinks it comes from a place of ignorance. But he hopes the incident reminds people that everyone is an immigrant in America. This country is a country of immigrants. Im pretty sure everyones parents or grandparents came from somewhere else but the United States. So they have to be a little bit more understanding, more loving, and open their hearts and open their minds to other cultures, he said. The support hes received from residents and loyal customers has reminded him there are good people in the world, and people who understand that America still is a melting pot of immigrants, he said. Several Facebook commenters expressed support for the cafe, noting they would come eat there when in the area. People have also offered to donate money, but hes declined it all so far. Its not about the money. It was never about the money. Its about getting the word out there about the constant discrimination we face as Latinos," he added. Bossi wrote on Facebook that to make a negative thing into something positive, she will ask people to send donations to a charity in her name. Orosco said he hopes the couple who left the note learns to understand immigrants and be kind to other people, regardless of their race or background. The bottom line is immigrants come here to look for a better future. People dont walk 3,000 miles with a toddler on their shoulders to come and steal from people or smuggle drugs, he said. Not everybodys a saint, but the vast majority from my experience with Spanish immigrants and all other ethnicities, all we want is to have a better future. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Niagara Falls, NY (14301) Today Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 83F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Six of the more than 100 Guilford establishments licensed for food service showed violations in the past six months that were subject to re-inspection or follow-up, according to town Health Director Dennis Johnson. In most cases, an establishment fixed the violation within two weeks. The total number of food service establishments in town includes fast-food and sit-down restaurants, delis, schools, grocery stores and convenience stores. Recommended inspection frequency varies from one to three times per year, depending on the type of establishment, health officials said. Johnson estimated the department conducted about 105 food service inspections in the last six months. Upon inspection, restaurants receive a score out of 100 points. Each issue listed in the inspection report is assigned a specific point value. To pass, the restaurant must meet two main requirements: It must score 80 points or higher, and it must not have any 4-point infractions, which pose the highest threat to food safety. Johnson, who has directed the Guilford Health Department for 19 years, said the most common 4-point infractions occur when food is stored at improper temperatures, or when an establishment has a cross connection. A cross connection involves where the restaurants keep its hoses. If, for example, a restaurant puts a hose in a wastewater sink, it risks contaminating public water supply through a reverse flow, Johnson said. Such a flow could occur if the town fire hydrants were used, in which case wastewater from the sink could flow back up the hose. When a restaurant fails to meet requirements, an inspector sits down with the owner and explains what is needed to comply, Johnson said. The restaurant then has two weeks to fix any problems before re-inspection. Generally, Guilford food establishments are careful about food safety, Johnson said, and if one does have a 4-point violation, it works quickly to fix it. Throughout his two-decade stint in Guilford, Johnson can think of only one restaurant that did not comply in a timely manner. That restaurant eventually closed, he said. Below are the restaurants that needed either re-inspection or another form of follow-up during the past six months, with details about what happened. Shoreline Diner The Shoreline Diner worked quickly to fix two 4-point violations within the past six months, according to both Johnson and Nico Anthis, the chef and owner of the restaurant. One of the infractions had to do with the temperature at which food was stored. Anthis said the problem started with a broken refrigerator, which forced the restaurant to relocate some of its food items. The restaurant called someone to fix the problem, but the inspector showed up before the repairman had finished, Anthis said. The refrigerator was fixed by the end of the day, Anthis said. He added that the restaurant has an advanced temperature-monitoring system that helps him monitor any issues with food storage. Johnson gave a similar account: Last October, he said, an inspector found tuna salad kept at 51 degrees, which is outside the appropriate temperature range. When the inspector returned the next day, the problem had been fixed. Though the inspection report noted the issue, it also mentioned Shorline Diners use of new innovative food handling techniques. Johnson said Anthis tends to be ahead of the curve when it comes to food safety. The report also marked Shoreline Diner for a 4-point infraction in which a hand-washing sink in the basement was blocked by a rag bucket. By the next day, the report stated, the problem was fixed, bringing the score up into the mid 90s. The Brownstone House Family Restaurant A report from late last August cited the Brownstone House Family Restaurant for a cross connection, a rinse hose not placed high enough above a dishwasher sink. To prevent the risk of reverse flow, the hose needed to be at least one inch above the sink. According to a second inspection report dated the following day, Brownstone House had fixed the issue, bringing its score up to a 95. Greg Klonaras, co-owner of the restaurant, said he never has major problems, and that when an inspector asks him to fix something, he promptly does so. Ballous Restaurant and Wine Bar Reports from last August said Ballous had an inaccessible hand-washing sink in one of its kitchens but that the issue was fixed the next day, bringing the inspection score to 94. Another, minor infraction listed on the report had to do with the provision of a bucket that holds a sanitization mixture. Staff use these buckets to clean surface-wiping rags. The report noted that Ballous needed to provide such a bucket, though Johnson later recalled it was only missing from one of the establishments kitchens. Ballous fixed the issue during inspection, providing a bucket, according to the report. We take it serious. I dont play with that stuff, said owner Steve Kaye when asked about safety requirements and inspections. Som Siam Thai Restaurant Som Siam also had a 4-point violation due to problems with a hand-washing sink. The report stated that restaurant staff should not wash hands in the food prep sink and asked that the hand-washing sink remain accessible at all times. Another issue the report listed involved the solution in the dishwasher, which apparently lacked chlorine. The second report showed that both problems were fixed by the next day, bringing the score to the mid 90s. The restaurant could not be reached for comment. KCs Restaurant Pub During an October inspection, KCs Pub did not initially receive a passing score. Several weeks later, inspector Lee Archer went to the restaurant, had a discussion with owner Kelly Carney, and checked on a few issues but did not conduct a full re-inspection. Archer said he was satisfied; he considered the main infractions corrected and brought the score up to a passing grade of 83. Carney said she felt the new score would have been higher had a full re-inspection occurred. On the original inspection report, KCs three 4-point violations concerned food sourcing, temperature storage, and hand-washing practices. Overall, though, inspector Lee Archer said it is not uncommon to see these kinds of violations. There are by no means any worries at all, Archer said with regards to KCs. He visits the pub himself in his free time. The restaurant faced a deduction for hand-washing practices because an employee did not wash their hands before putting on gloves, Archer said, and by touching the gloves risked contaminating them. Carney said her manager corrected the employee. She added that Archer expected employees to wash their hands between every product they handled, regardless of whether it had the potential for cross-contamination. (Hand-washing violations, Johnson said, are likely more common among food establishments than people think. He added that whenever he eats at a restaurant and sees food mishandled, he points it out to the employee.) The other 4-point violations regarded temperature range. In one case, a delivery of ground beef measured 51 degrees, or 10 degrees above the maximum appropriate temperature. Because of the measurement, Archer gave KCs a 4-point deduction under the food sourcing category. He later said that since it was more than likely that KCs returned the shipment after the inspection, an argument in favor of eliminating the original deduction could be made. Carney said they sent the beef back when they saw it was out of range, so it never made it to the table. In these cases, her policy is always to return food, she added. Archer also wrote in his report that some beef patties were stored at 43 degrees, also outside the appropriate range, and that a walk-in refrigerator was set at 45 degrees. For those reasons, KCs received a 4-point deduction for food storage. Part of the confusion, however, could have to do with changing codes, said Johnson. Technically, the health code only requires cold storage at a temperature of 45 degrees or lower. However, the state plans to switch to FDA codes, where the cold storage temperature must not exceed 41 degrees, Johnson said. Inspectors are being asked to enforce the lower range so restaurants can get used to the new regulation, Johnson said. The policy causes some confusion, he added. Carney said she did not dispute the deduction but confirmed that the new rules led to misunderstandings on her end. She added that she has worked to comply with those. After the inspection, Carney reached out to the Health Department to discuss the issues, she said. Johnson confirmed this, noting that Carney always seeks to understand where things went wrong. Shes a team player when it comes to food safety, Johnson said. In an email to Archer, Carney apologized for some minor infractions, including a dirty can opener and an improperly-stored mop. She added in the email that a restaurant consultant was set to re-train the staff regarding safety guidelines. Another minor infraction that the report mentioned was the presence of flies. Carney said that because the restaurant has a patio, flies can become an issue when the door to the outside opens and closes constantly, but that since the inspection she has added two special lights that attract insects and keep them away from the restaurant. She said she had already had two other lights before installing the new ones. Maritime Grille An inspection report from December showed that Maritime Grille did not have any 4-point infractions; the establishment also received a high score in the 90s. However, inspectors did need to follow up with the restaurant owner because he did not have a properly-certified Qualified Food Operator employed. Certain types of restaurants must have a QFO on the premises at all times, Johnson said. The QFO is specially trained to oversee food handling and ensure that the safest methods are used. If a restaurant does not have a QFO, it has 30 days to either hire one or have someone already working at the restaurant receive certification. When asked, restaurant owner Peter Melanidis said he had someone on the premises at the time of inspection but that the persons certificate had expired. Johnson recalled that this employee in fact had a certification, but that it was lower-level than the QFO certification. Melanidis sent in proof of a QFO-certified employee within the necessary timeframe. He later said that though that employee no longer works for him, he also is now QFO certified, as is a second restaurant staff member. Though Melanidis was asked Friday to provide proof of the certificate via email, he had not sent them to the Register as of Monday morning. Maritime Grille also was cited for a lack of sanitizing rinse in the dishwasher. The problem was resolved by the following day, Johnson said. NEW HAVEN Advocates for the disabled have a message for the state: Yale New Haven Hospitals transportation options for patients to get to a new clinic site wont work. The hospital is proposing to relocate its primary care clinics to 150 Sargent Drive, where administration of the pediatric unit will be taken over by Fair Haven Health Care and adult and womens clinics will be run by the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center. One of the general objections raised early on to the plan was the longer and fewer bus rides on CT Transit to the new site in the Long Wharf area for patients who are transferred to what will be the New Haven Primary Care Consortium. Now, a letter sent to Victoria Veltri, executive director of the Office of Health Strategy, which has to approve the plan before it can go into effect, focuses mainly on problems for the disabled, but other categories are included as well. It was signed by Michelle Duprey, who heads the city of New Havens Department of Services for Persons with Disabilities; Sheldon Toubman, attorney with New Haven Legal Assistance Association; Melissa Marshall, coordinator of the Connecticut Cross-Disability Lifespan Alliance and Kathy Flaherty, executive director of the Connecticut Legal Rights Project. For those who use wheelchairs or scooters, Uber simply will not work, they wrote. The hospital is proposing to contract with UberASSIST, which has been used in other parts of the country, but not yet in Connecticut. It said drivers have to take an online course and drive a vehicle that can accommodate an assistive device, such as a folding wheelchair or collapsible scooter. The advocates were skeptical of a service that has no track record here, but more importantly, they said the majority of wheelchair users have non-folding devices. These patients will have problems transferring from the wheelchair to the sedan and the Uber drivers will be powerless to help them in these situations, they wrote. They said the solution is using a wheelchair van to transport them. Needless to say, the obligations of YNHH under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) ... do not extend only to those who use foldable or collapsible wheelchairs or scooters, but to all people with disabilities. Indeed, the need for accommodation is greater for individuals who use more sophisticated mobility equipment which does not fold or collapse, they wrote. Jeryl Topalian, director of strategy and regulatory planning at YNNH, in written answers to questions from the state, said the hospital expects current and future patients with special transportation needs, utilizing the services of Veyo, medical taxes, or other modes of transportation would continue to do so. The state Department of Social Services was hit with a class action suit earlier this month on behalf of thousands of Medicaid recipients whom Connecticut Legal Services said wait hours to get through on the phone for a ride or have missed or been late for appointments or been left stranded at doctors offices because of poor service. The state gave Veyo a three-year contract to arrange and coordinate about 5 million rides and it has been fined multiple times by DSS, according to Ct Mirror. Connecticut Legal Services said DSS spent $50 million on the service last year. The advocates said 78 percent of the disabled population is on Medicaid and cannot pay for medical taxis. They said Veyo is notoriously unreliable and will not be able to pick up the slack. We are the only voice of the people who cannot be heard, Toubman said. The hospital, in its filings with the state, said they are working through the details of a contract with Uber and it will consider other ride-sharing services, such a Lyft. It promises to advocate for more frequent bus service. In a survey of its patients, YNHH found that 66 percent of them drive to its primary care clinics, which are currently on York Street, and were happy that the 150 Sargent Drive site has a parking lot. Topalian wrote that the Greater New Haven Transit District also provides transportation services for individuals eligible for ADA certification The hospital official told the state that Coordinated Transportation Solutions offers transportation for school-aged children through older adults. Also, nonprofits offer transportation for certain populations: cancer patients, ALS patients, HIV and AIDS patients; individuals receiving HUSKY D or the Military Support Program, patients with multiple sclerosis and senior citizens. The hospital has to show that the proposal is financially feasible, improves the quality of care, accessibility and cost effectiveness for the 28,500 patients who will be served. YNHH plans to put $15.7 million into the 150 Sargent Drive site and another $4 million into bringing the Cornell Scott Hill Health Center onto its Epic computer sharing platform. The advocates wrote that the hospitals proposed use of a Uber ride service would not work for many clinic patients. Beyond the disabled, they said this included seniors, ... children who need car seats and pregnant women. They said this is an issue after the hospital clarified that patients, who now walk or use public transportation, are only eligible for the service if they live within 10 miles of 150 Sargent Drive, and, if bus service is available, it takes 40 minutes or longer to get to the new site of the clinics. The advocates then addressed the need to use a smart phone to book an Uber ride. The hospital, however, has already told the Office of Health Strategy that a patient does not need a smart phone to use Uber. The health center staff will book a ride when the patient calls for an appointment and will then arrange for a ride home at the time of the visit. The advocates said patients told them it is difficult to get through to the current YNHH clinics without the added burden of arranging Uber rides. They asked how the follow-up conversation with the driver, as he or she gets nearer to their destination, will occur when patients dont have smart phones. The hospital, in its answers to the Office of Health Strategy, said all coordination will be done through the centers staff. Vincent Petrini, senior vice president for public affairs, said in addition to looking at transportation options, the current sites for Fair Haven Health Center and the Cornell Scott Hill Health Center will remain open for all patients, even after the Long Wharf site begins providing access to collaborative, high quality care in New Haven. The plan is to transition the pediatric and womens services to the new site in September 2019 and the adult medicine clinic in spring 2020. On another topic, the latest YNHH filing with the Office of Health addresses a Patient Assistance Fund promised by the hospital to its existing patients who get more generous financial assistance than the policies in place at the Fair Haven and Cornell Scott Hill clinics. The hospital said it will make it available to certain new members of its current families, such as newborns, adopted children or foster children. It said federal law does not allow the hospital to offer it to new patients who will be under the administrative control of the Fair Haven and Cornell Scott Hill clinics. The rule prohibits any remuneration that would influence the selection of a particular provider. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577. DANBURY - Nine commercial kitchens failed their health inspections in December - mostly for food temperature violations - according to the latest records from City Hall. The nine establishments - including three restaurants, two hotels, and a bakery - were given 24 hours to correct the violations, and have subsequently passed their re-inspections. Our inspectors follow up on these reports to ensure that the corrections are made, said Lisa Morrissey, Danburys director of health and human services. If something is egregious we can actually ask them to close until the corrections have been done. The kitchens that were fined $250 for failing their inspections in December are: Basilico restaurant, Hotel Zero Degrees Danbury, La Costenita restaurant, Lous Deli & Salads, Padaminas NY Bakery, Planeta Brazil Bar & Grill, the Portuguese Cultural Center, Residence Inn by Marriott, and Stanziatos Wood Fired Pizza, the health department said. One restaurateur whose kitchen failed inspection had mixed feelings. Honestly, it was very simple stuff like food containers on the floor in the cooler, and we didnt have paper to dry peoples hands because one of the center pull paper boxes was empty, said Leo Gecaj, owner of Basilico Pizza, Pasta & Gourmet. If you go straight by the book, any kitchen is going to have a few issues. That much seems to be true. Of the 42 commercial kitchens that the city health department inspected in December, each one had multiple minor demerits - including all 33 establishments that passed inspection. Among the infractions cited in the passing kitchens were poor hygienic practices, the presence of insects or rodents, food not property thawed, and improper disposal of wastewater. As long as there arent too many of those minor violations, a kitchen can still pass, with the condition that it corrects them promptly. But none of the passing kitchens had the most serious type of violation - the four-point demerit, which is grounds for an automatic failure. Examples of four-point demerits are failing to keep food at safe temperatures, failing to protect food from spoiling or contamination, and failing to keep hands clean. A Danbury restaurant closed for 24 hours in late December while the health department investigated complaints about people getting sick after eating there. An investigation is continuing, but local health officials believe the sickness was caused by a stomach bug called norovirus. Gecajs restaurant, which was cited with 20 demerits, including unsafe food temperatures, said he stands by the integrity of his kitchen. Absolutely, he said. I wont serve anybody something that I wont eat myself. rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342 For Shane Emmett, Dan Gluck and Nick Morris, co-founders of Health Warrior, the path to creating a company that would eventually be acquired by PepsiCo (financial terms were not disclosed) started with two books. The three friends had recommended to each other Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. They came away with two conclusions: that chia seeds -- eaten by the Tarahumara Indians featured in the former -- were a powerful ingredient they needed to start eating, and that the processed food industry needed to be fixed, as detailed by Pollan. Related: What Drove This Former Schoolteacher to Create a Leading Protein and Snack Bar Company Health Warrior's products -- which include chia seeds, chia and pumpkin seed bars, protein bars, protein powder and most recently mug muffins -- can now be found in 10,000 stores. Its best-selling products are chia seed bars, with coconut the top flavor. In 2016 the company posted $9.9 million in revenue, and they raised $5 million in equity funding in 2017, per an SEC filing. Health Warrior is the first brand in Pepsico's HIVE, its business unit for emerging brands. Emmett spoke with Entrepreneur about his path from attorney in the Virginia Governor's Counsel Office to co-founder and CEO of a top bar company. Here's an edited oral history of Health Warrior. Image Credit: Courtesy of Health Warrior "In 2011, we had the idea. I just turned 30 and I'd been working 80 hours a week for a decade. I clearly needed to start eating chia seeds. It was the first time any of us had heard of it, and finding it was really hard. So we'd start eating them and people in the governor's office started eating them. "Over the course of about a year, we learned about the food industry. We knew nothing. I didn't know what the letters CPG (consumer packaged goods) meant. One of the best things we did was start this not only as a side gig, but as a hobby. My advice is to see if the market pulls it out of you. When you're doing it that way, it's a much safer way than raising a bunch of money and trying to force something on the market. You really do need a tremendous amount of capital. "[Originally, we had just sold raw chia seeds.] Margins were spectacular at the beginning because chia was really hard to find. And then it exploded. [We starting making bars because] all of packaged food was junk food, and the nutrition bar set was full of food that has more sugar than the candy bar set. We also thought at the time for chia seeds, which no one had heard of, that bars was a familiar way to introduce people to them. Related: Christopher McDougall Was Born to Run. Now He Explores the Ancient Way of Thinking About Strength Training. "[One of our friends,] Jesse Itzler, sent the bars to all of his friends. One day in 2012 we woke up and there was a Wall Street Journal story about our product in the Baltimore Ravens locker room. Some brilliant editor came up with the headline, 'the NFL's top-secret seed,' and they put a big picture of our packaging on it. We're all sitting there and we're watching the sales in real time. We sold 100,000 bars in under an hour. We were out of stock for two months after that. "A month after that, Whole Foods called and said, 'Hey, we tried these bars. We love them. We want to launch them globally.' We didn't have any employees. We had no idea what we were doing. We had jobs. But [we said] let's go for it. "It was fortuitous, because we have term limits in Virginia and I got healthcare for a year at the end of the term. So it was this point in my life, I was like I either had to go work for a law firm or take a [risk]. Image Credit: Courtesy of Health Warrior "We make everyone at Health Warrior do demos. There's no better way to get to know your customers and your products. We do get a lot of creative ideas [from potential customers at demos] before they will ever show up in syndicated data. "When our biggest customer bought our second biggest customer -- Amazon acquired Whole Foods -- we had to completely reinvent our organization to become more digitally oriented. We realized with Amazon and ecommerce being such a big part of the business, consumers really do want new flavors and formats more rapidly than traditional grocery. So you can test it and, if they love it, then you take it to market. That's going to be what people need to do going forward. Related: These Siblings Started a Refrigerated Protein Bar Company to Support Their Large Family, and Now Their Products Are Sold in 20,000 Stores "[What's most surprising about this space is] learning that humans are actually like fish and will buy whatever is merchandised well. "It's incredible to think that our food company -- an idea hatched with friends based on a couple great books that started with 10,000 lbs of chia in a condo hallway -- has evolved to an awesome shared vision of genuinely good for you and accessible food with the power of PepsiCo. We are blown away and it's still very early." Related: A Quick Oral History of Health Warrior, the $10 Million-Plus Snack Company That Was Acquired by PepsiCo This Entrepreneur Is Challenging Category Leader Bulletproof Coffee With Her Keto Creamer Startup The Creator of the Kombucha Category Says the Term 'Serial Entrepreneur' Makes Him Sick to His Stomach Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Sydney: Australia recognises and supports Venezuelas National Assembly head Juan Guaido as interim leader, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Monday, following similar endorsements from the United States and Canada. Australia recognises and supports the President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, in assuming the position of interim president... until elections are held, Payne said in a statement. She called for a transition to democracy in Venezuela as soon as possible. We now urge all parties to work constructively towards a peaceful resolution of the situation, including a return to democracy, respect for the rule of law and upholding of human rights of the Venezuelan people, Payne added. There have been mass protests in Venezuela against President Nicolas Maduro amid a severe economic and political crisis. Canberras decision follows declarations on Saturday by Spain, Britain, France, the Netherlands and Germany that said they would recognise Guaido as interim president unless Maduro calls elections within eight days. Maduro on Sunday rejected the European ultimatum. Guaido proclaimed himself acting president of the South American nation Wednesday at a mass opposition rally, and called for the military to turn against Maduros leftist government. The military has so far backed the regime, which came into power more than two decades ago led by the late Hugo Chavez. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The South Korean multinational conglomerate, Samsung, is likely to raise curtain from two of its most anticipated smartphones, Galaxy M10, M20 today in India. The smartphones will be available with a tag price under Rs 9,000 for the M10, while the M20 could be price under Rs 12,000 for the highest variant. These latest gadgets from Samsung will take on the popular Redmi phones from Xiaomi. The customers must note that the company is not hosting any special event for the launch. Instead the company has a notify me page live on the Samsung Online Store and the Amazon India online store. The Galaxy M series is expected to go on sale from February 5 itself. The Galaxy M phones will be revealed at 6 pm tonight. Samsung has already confirmed the Galaxy M phones will be online exclusive. Also, the Galaxy M series is launching in India first. Samsung Galaxy M10 expected specifications: Samsung Galaxy M10 will be the budget price variant in the series, which could start as low as Rs 7,990 for the base 2GB RAM and 16GB storage variant. The Galaxy M10 will also have a 3GB RAM and 32GB storage option for Rs 8,990, according to a report from IANS. Samsung Galaxy M10 will have a 6-inch plus display with the Infinity V notch design. The phone will be packed with dual-rear cameras and a big battery from the company. The expectation is that the battery will be around 3500 mAh, while the phone will run the Exynos 7870 processor. Samsung Galaxy M20 expected specifications: Samsung Galaxy M20 could have a starting price of Rs 10,990 for the 3GB RAM+32GB variant, while the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage option could cost Rs 12,990, according to a report from IANS. New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tweeted the Madhya Pradesh Congress on Sunday. The cryptic tweet shows how Gadkaris sapne remark gave ammunition to the Opposition ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections scheduled sometime in April. A day before, addressing an event, Gadkari had said that "political leaders are fond of spinning dreams, but if they cannot deliver it, they may take a beating from the people. So promise only what is possible. "I'm not one of those who spin dreams. Whatever I say is with 100 per cent authority," the minister added. ..? - , , , - https://t.co/AJm6EKSWce MP Congress (@INCMP) January 27, 2019 The Congress was not the only party that used Gadkaris words to attack PM Modi. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi took a dig at the Prime Minister and tweeted, @PMOIndia sir @nitin_gadkari is showing you the mirror ,and in a very subtle way ........ This comes after last years controversy, when certain media reports suggested that Gadkaris name was doing the rounds as next Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP. At that time, Gadkari was forced to clarify his stand. Let me make it clear once and for all that conspiracies to create a wedge between me and the BJP leadership will never succeed. I have been clarifying my position at various forums and shall continue to do so and expose these nefarious designs of our detractors, the Union Minister had tweeted in December last year. @PMOIndia sir @nitin_gadkari is showing you the mirror ,and in a very subtle way ........ https://t.co/W8CvyC2Rmr Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) January 27, 2019 On Saturday, Nitin Gadkari, who is also known as one the highest performing ministers in the Modi government, said that the government will take up Rs 50,000-crore projects to decongest Delhi that is battling with the twin problems of air and water pollution. Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari was addressing an event here after laying the foundation stone for a Rs 2,820-crore highway corridor project that will link Akshardham to the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) junction on Baghpat road. "Delhi is facing problem of air and water pollution. There are frequent traffic jams. We have taken a decision to start work on Rs 50,000 crore highway projects to decongest it," Gadkari said. He said the foundation stone for Dwarka Expressway, to be built at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore, will be laid next week and time has been sought from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this. The minister announced that the work on Delhi-Meerut Expressway will be completed by March, and April onwards, people can reach Meerut from Delhi in 40 minutes instead of the current 3.5 hours. Listing various projects for Delhi, the minister also said a new ring road Urban Extension Road (UER) will be constructed at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. highlights 26-year-old Harsh Chaudhary had joined Uttar Pradesh police in 2016. Chaudhary was hit on chest in the encounter and succumbed to injuries. He will accorded with a state funeral in his native place. New Delhi: A 26-year-old police constable and an alleged gangster were killed in an encounter in Uttar Pradeshs Amroha district on Sunday, the police said. A team of police had gone to arrest Shivavtar alias Shivia, a notorious gangster with over a dozen criminal cases. The police asked him to surrender but he opened fire, prompting them to retaliate. In the exchange of fire, constable Harsh Chaudhary was hit on chest and succumbed to the injuries during the treatment. Shivia was also shot in the encounter and later died in the hospital. At about 7-8 in the evening on the basis of specific information, a police team went to a tube-well located in Bachhraon area in search of a wanted criminal Shivavtar who has 19 criminal cases against him. When police asked him to surrender, he fired on the police party in which one of our constables Harsh Chaudhary sustained bullet injury and was immediately rushed to the hospital where he died during the treatment, ANI quoted Anand Kumar, Aditional Director General (ADG), Law and Order. Chaudhary, a resident of Uttar Pradeshs Hathras district, had joined the Police in 2016. He will be given a state funeral. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced Rs 40 lakh to the wife and Rs 10 lakh to the parents of Chaudhary. A government job will also be offered to one of his able family members. The encounters in are on the rise in Uttar Pradesh ever since the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government has come to the power. At least 78 alleged criminals have been killed in as many as 3,000 encounters during the Yogi government. Also, seven policemen, including Harsh Chaudhary, have lost their lives while discharging their duties. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has put an end over the speculations on the probable seat-sharing deal between his party and the BJP. Talking to media in Mumbai on Monday, Raut clearly said that there was no confirmation about the deal between the two parties ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections. When asked about reports regarding BJP and Shiv Sena fighting on equal number of seats in the General Elections, Raut said that, we have no information about it, you (media) people know more. We don't have such proposal, and we're not sitting here to accept such a proposal. We reiterate Shiv Sena will play the role of a big brother. Rauts comment comes amid reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray are set likely to meet soon. On Monday, the Shiv Sena chief had called an urgent meeting, in which he said to have discussed partys strategy for the Lok Sabha Elections. According to an India Today report, both parties have reached 23-25 seat sharing formula in Maharashtra. The state has a total of 48 Lok Sabha seats. Shiv Sena has been demanding equal 24-24 seat share agreement. Earlier, Maharashtra BJP president Raosaheb Danve on Friday had said that his party will win more seats than the Shiv Sena in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections if the latter does not enter into a pre-poll alliance with it. Addressing a press conference in Jalna, he said absence of an alliance between the BJP and the Shiv Sena will benefit the Congress and the NCP. "The BJP will win more seats than the Shiv Sena in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections if the Sena does not forge an alliance with the BJP," he said. Danve had said the BJP has already made preparations to contest all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state in case there was no alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. Danve today inaugurated the day-long conclave, while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis swill address the valedictory session later. Around 1,000 delegates from across the state are taking part in the meeting. (With inputs from PTI) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi will address a kisan rally in Chhattisgarhs capital Raipur. During his day-long visit, Gandhi will take part in a programme, titled 'Kisaan Abhaar Sammelan', to be held at Rajyotsav Mela ground in Naya Raipur at 2 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address NCC officers and cadets at Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi Cantonment. India and New Zealand to play the 3rd ODI at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. Congress leader Sajjan Kumar will be produced before the Patiala House Courts in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. 18:26 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Tabu Gundu Rao attacks Anantkumar Hegde, says people like him should mind their language Tabu Gundu Rao on Union Min Ananth Kumar Hegde's tweets: There's a line leaders need to draw. They should mind their language. I want to state that I am not a political person, I am a housewife. Why do you want to use me to polarise elections? At least you should redeem his chair https://t.co/CtDLU7LVsG ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 16:22 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Three dead, 172 injured as tornado tears through Havana. 15:35 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Patiala House Court extends interim protection of P Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram in Aircel Maxis case Aircel Maxis case: Delhi's Patiala House Court extends the interim protection of P Chidambaram and Karti Chidambaram, after rescheduling the date of hearing in the case. The court extends the interim protection till February 18. 13:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Dismissed Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) employees stage protest in front of Kerala Legislative Assembly in Trivandrum. 11:55 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Maratha reservation matter: Bombay High Court directs Maharashtra government to give copies of the report of the Backward Classes Commission to the petitioners. 10:36 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Digvijay Chautala, Jannayak Janta Party's (JJP) candidate for Jind bypoll: We are confident. People will see a positive change in politics. Politics that will rise above religion, caste and creed. Digvijay Chautala, Jannayak Janta Party's (JJP) candidate for #Jind bypoll: We are confident. People will see a positive change in politics. Politics that will rise above religion, caste and creed. pic.twitter.com/RdbPwg9lSe ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 10:23 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Sensex dives 180 points in early trade on Monday. Rupee rises 19 paise to 70.98 versus the dollar. 10:04 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Madhya Pradesh: Potato, Tomato, Chilli crops & pulse crops in Damoh destroyed due to sudden hailstorm in the region. Farmers say, "All crops are completely destroyed, we want the government to help us by giving us compensation." Madhya Pradesh: Potato, Tomato, Chilli crops & pulse crops in Damoh destroyed due to sudden hailstorm in the region. Farmers say, "All crops are completely destroyed, we want the government to help us by giving us compensation." pic.twitter.com/vMF37shz9E ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 09:58 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Haryana: Dhanoo Devi, a 92-year-old woman, cast her vote at polling station number 111 in Jind. Voting is currently underway for the by-poll to Jind assembly constituency. Haryana: Dhanoo Devi, a 92-year-old woman, cast her vote at polling station number 111 in Jind. Voting is currently underway for the by-poll to Jind assembly constituency. #jindbypoll pic.twitter.com/4JJIse8XDn ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 08:40 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Jind, Haryana: Randeep Surjewala offers prayers at Somnath temple. He is the Congress candidate for the by-election to the legislative assembly constituency of Jind. Voting is underway for the by-election. Jind, Haryana: Randeep Surjewala offers prayers at Somnath temple. He is the Congress candidate for the by-election to the legislative assembly constituency of Jind. Voting is underway for the by-election. #JindByelection pic.twitter.com/r1MeAPaBpt ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 07:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Ind vs NZ 3rd ODI: Kane Williamson wins .toss, elect to bat, Hardik Pandya back in Playing XI 07:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi: People take refuge at night shelters as cold wave intensifies in the national capital; visuals from a night shelter in Munirka. Delhi: People take refuge at night shelters as cold wave intensifies in the national capital; visuals from a night shelter in Munirka. pic.twitter.com/blxKzriDf0 ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 07:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In IMD: An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 on the Richter Scale hit Churachandpur, Manipur at 5:15 am today. 07:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Baloch activists held seven-day awareness campaign outside the Prime Minister's office in London to highlight the killings, enforced disappearances, and alleged human rights violations in Balochistan. 07:17 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Democratic Senator from California Kamala Harris officially launched her campaign for the 2020 Presidential Elections. 07:14 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Australia recognises Venezuela opposition leader as president, according to statement: AFP. 07:14 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In US' National Security Advisor John Bolton warned Venezuela of "significant response" if US diplomats or Juan Guaido are threatened 07:13 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In AFP news agency quoting a security source: Ten people have been killed in a "terrorist attack" in northern Burkina Faso, West Africa. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Days after his government honoured Nambi Narayanan, the celebrated ISRO scientist with Padma Bhushan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the scientist was falsely implicated by Kerala leaders to settle political score. More than two decades ago, a hardworking and patriotic ISRO scientist, Nambi Narayanan was implicated in a false case, just because a few UDF leaders were settling political scores. Imagine, for their own politics, they damaged national interest, troubled a scientist, the Prime Minister said while addressing a rally in Keralas Thrissur on Sunday. The UDF or United Democratic Front is a Congress-led alliance in Kerala. It is an honour that our government had the opportunity of conferring a Padma Award on Nambi Narayanan. We value each and every person who is working to make India stronger. For them, science can be abused as spying; for us, science is a matter of national pride, Prime Minister added. On Republic Day, the Narendra Modi government announced Padma Bhushan, they third highest civilian award for Narayanan. From being a celebrated ISRO scientist to being branded a 'spy' and finally awarded with the Padma Bhushan, Nambi Narayanan Saturday said he was glad that his work in the Indian space arena was finally recognised. "My name became famous because of 'spying' charges. Now I am glad that my contribution has been recognised by the government," he was quoted as saying by Pres Trust of India. On the eve of the 70th Republic Day, his name featured on the list of 112 personalities selected for the Padma awards. The 77-year-old had played a critical role in the development of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle and in the initial phase of making cryogenic engines. In 1994, his career took a turn for worse, when he was embroiled in an espionage case. The case was connected to allegations of transfer of certain confidential documents on India's space programme to foreign countries by two scientists and four others, including two Maldivian women. The case was first investigated by Kerala police and later handed over to the CBI, which found no espionage as was alleged to have taken place. The lengthy legal battle ended last year with the Supreme Court cleared all charges against Narayanan and directing the Kerala government to give Rs 50 lakh compensation to the scientist. (With agency inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Amid the row over alleged paoching of MLAs by the BJP, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is running the coalition government with the Congress, on Monday threatened to quit, saying that the lawmakers of the Grand Old Party were "crossing the line". "...If they want to continue with the same thing, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line," the Karnataka chief minsiter said when asked that the Congress MLAs in Karnataka are saying that Siddaramaiah and not Kumaraswamy is their chief minister. #WATCH: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy says "...If they want to continue with the same thing, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line", when asked 'Congress MLAs are saying that Siddaramaiah is their CM'.' pic.twitter.com/qwErh4aEq4 ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 The stern warning from the Karnataka chief minister came at a time when the Congress and the JDS are discussing alliance for the coming Lok Sabha elections. According to the sources, the Congress and the JDS has not yet reached the consensus on seat sharing. The JDS is reportedly demanding 12 of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats but the Congress is not to give it more than four seats. The four seats the Congress was willing to give to JDS falls in the old Mysore region, where Kumaraswamys party has a strong base. The development also came amid the ongoing political crisis in the state and both the ruling alliance and the Opposition BJP are trading accusations of poaching against each other. On Saturday, Kumaraswamy had claimed that the Operation Kamla was still on and one of their MLAs was offered 'huge amount of money' by the BJP to switch sides. "Operation Kamala (Lotus) is still on. Last night they (BJP) offered one of our MLAs huge amount of money. You'll be surprised to know the amount. Our MLA told them he doesn't need any gift and not to try these things with him. This is how they are still working on poaching," he had said. The BJP, however, rejected the charges, saying that whatever was happening in his party was an internal matter. "We aren't indulging in any Operation Kamala. Their MLAs are trying to go away from them due to their internal fight. It's their duty to keep them intact. They should stop giving baseless statements against us. We're 104 and 2 independent MLAs are also in opposition," BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a major relief for former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad and his family, the Patiala House Court on Monday granted regular bail to the accused in in a money laundering case against them. The case is part of the bigger IRCTC scam. Earlier on January 19, the RJD chief was granted bail by a Delhi court in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam case filed by the CBI. The bail comes while the 70-year-old is serving sentences in fodder scam cases, is currently admitted at Rajendra Institute of Medical Science in Ranchi for treatment. Prasad was earlier granted interim bail in the matter. Prasad's wife Rabri Devi and son Tejaswi Yadav were also earlier granted bail in the case. The Mondays order comes after the court had extended the interim bail of Prasad, Devi, Tejaswi and others till today in a separate case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged money laundering in the scam. The cases relate to alleged irregularities in granting the operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm. According to the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), between 2004 and 2014, a conspiracy was hatched in pursuance of which BNR hotels of the Indian Railways, located in Puri and Ranchi, were first transferred to IRCTC and later, for its operations, maintenance and upkeep, given on lease to Sujata Hotels Private Limited, which is based in Patna, Bihar. It is alleged that the tender process was rigged and manipulated and the conditions were tweaked to help the private party - Sujata Hotels. Based on the CBI case, the ED also lodged a case of money laundering against Prasad, Devi, Yadav and others. According to the charge sheet filed by CBI, between 2004 and 2014, a conspiracy was hatched in pursuance of which BNR hotels of the Indian Railways, located in Puri and Ranchi, were first transferred to IRCTC and later, for its operations, maintenance and upkeep, given on lease to Sujata Hotels Private Limited, which is based in Patna, Bihar. It is alleged that the tender process was rigged and manipulated and the conditions were tweaked to help the private party - Sujata Hotels. The RJD chief has been serving sentence in Ranchi jail since December 2017 following his conviction in fodder scam cases. Earlier this month, the Jharkhand High court had rejected the bail plea of Prasad in three fodder scam cases. (With inputs from PTI) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a stark reminder of the poor squadron health in the Indian Air Force, a Jaguar fight plane crashed in Uttar Pradeshs Kushinagar today. The plane had taken off from Gorakhpur, news agency ANI said. However, the pilot ejected safely using a parachute. Today morning, a Jaguar aircraft while on a routine mission from Gorakhpur, crashed. Pilot ejected safely. A court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the accident, the air force said in a statement . Last year, an IAF pilot was killed after a Jaguar crashed in Gujarats Kutch in June. On March 14 last year, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre had told Parliament that there were five crashes of IAF aircraft in 2017-2018, and 31 crashes in four years. The force has an estimated 600 fighter jets across 31 squadrons. According to a report, there were 11 crashes noted in 2018. The old inventory of the Air Force needs an urgent upgrade. The crash comes after 12-day war game in Jodhpur last year. On December 10, 2018, the Indian and Russian air forces began a 12-day war game in Jodhpur with an aim to enhance their operational coordination. The exercise Aviaindra was very unique as the Russian Air Force did not bring its assets and took part in the drill using Indian platforms, an IAF official had said. The first edition of the exercise was held in 2014. Interestingly, most of the fighter jets used by the Indian Air Force are of Russian origin, and already both the air forces have achieved significant levels of inter-operability, said the official. Russia has been a major partner of India in the defence sector and the cooperation has been steadily growing further. In October last year, India and Russia held a 10-day mega war game involving their armies, navies and air forces for the first time to further ramp up military ties. The exercise Indra, which took place in Russia, primarily focused on achieving coordination between forces of the two countries in a tri-services integrated theatre command scenario. It was for the first time, India participate in a tri-services exercise with a foreign country with a large-scale participation by the Navy, the Army and the Air Force. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. highlights Anant Kumar said that any hand that touches a Hindu girl "should not exist". Anant Kumar is an embarrassment to every Indian: Rahul Gandhi. Hedge's comment was also condemned by Karnataka Congress president. New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday demanded the sacking of Union Minister and senior BJP leader Anantkumar Hedge from Modi Cabinet after his controversial remark. On Sunday, Anant Kumar at a public event said that any hand that touches a Hindu girl "should not exist". He also hit out at a Congress leader by dragging his Muslim wife into a Twitter spat. "We have to rethink the priorities of our society. We shouldn't think of caste. If a Hindu girl is touched by a hand, then that hand should not exist," said Anantkumar Hegde in Karnataka's Kodagu district, adding to a growing list of controversial, ill-considered comments. The remarks of the BJP leader were also condemned by Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao, who also termed the Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship as "deplorable". "Wht are ur achievements after becoming a Union Minister or as MP? Wht are ur contributions for Karnataka's development? All I can say for sure, it's deplorable tht such people have become ministers & have managed to get elected as MP's," Rao tweeted. On Monday, Congress party chief Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and wrote, "This man is an embarrassment to every Indian. He's unfit to be a Union Minister and deserves to be sacked." This man is an embarrassment to every Indian. He's unfit to be a Union Minister and deserves to be sacked. https://t.co/SbrvEdQBur Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 28, 2019 However, the condemnation by Karnataka Congress president Rao didn't go down well with Hegde, who stooped to a new low and dragged his Muslim wife Tabu Rao. "I shall definitely answer this guy @dineshgrao's queries, before which could he please reveal himself as to who he is along with his achievements? I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady," Hegde tweeted back. Union Minister of State for Employment and Skill Development had in that past said that people should identify themselves with their religion and caste rather than being secular. Hegde also said the Constitution too would be changed in accordance with such thinking. Reacting to the Hedge's comment, Tabu Gundu Rao, said, 'I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady': First, he never ran away with me, it is a sanctimonious marriage. To drag me into it is getting way below the belt & pathetic. "There's a line, leaders need to draw. They should mind their language. I want to state that I am not a political person, I am a housewife. Why do you want to use me to polarise elections? At least you should redeem his chair," she added. Also Read: Modi's minister Anantkumar Hegde kicks up new row with 'Hindu girl' remark "We are here to change the Constitution," Hegde had said during a function organised by the Brahmana Yuva Parishat and women's organisation at Kukkanur in December, 2017. He also described secular people as those who do not have an identity of their parental blood. "Those claiming to be secular and progressive do not have an identity of their parents and their blood. One will get self-respect through such identity," he had said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The BJP Monday took a dig at the Congress and its chief Rahul Gandhi against the backdrop of the inauguration of a 5.1-kilometre-long cable-stayed bridge, christened Atal Setu, on the Mandovi River. Hitting back, the opposition party said Rahul Gandhi will visit the bridge after becoming Prime Minister in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Earlier in the day, the BJP "requested" Gandhi to "visit" the bridge, named after late BJP patriarch and former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to see how the ruling party was "transforming" India. Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were in Goa since last Saturday on a private visit. The cable-stayed bridge, the third on the Mandovi River, was opened to public on Sunday at a function attended by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. Tweeting from its official handle Monday, the BJP said, "Dear Shri @RahulGandhi, We have come to learn that you are currently on a vacation in Goa. We request you along with all Congress MLAs to visit the Atal Setu, the 3rd longest cable stayed-bridge in india over river mandovi and witness how @BJP4India is #TransformingIndia." All Congress MLAs in the state, except Aleixo Reginaldo from Curtorim, had boycotted the bridge inauguration ceremony alleging corruption in its construction. Congress' Goa unit president Girish Chodankar said the BJP inaugurated the "incomplete" bridge knowing well that they are going to lose the general elections, due in April-May. "The bridge was inaugurated despite it being incomplete, as the BJP knows that they will get defeated in the polls," Chodankar said, adding that Rahul Gandhi will "certainly visit the bridge as a PM after the polls". The Congress leader said the bridge was not open for vehicles because its work is not complete yet. Seeking to know the "real owner" of the bridge, Chodankar said, "the government claims the bridge is handed over to the state-run Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC), but workers of contractor L&T are still seen working on the project". The cable-stayed bridge is a joint venture between Larsen &Toubro and the GSIDC. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Last year, Rishi Kapoor sent his fans into a frenzy after he announced that he was heading to the US for some medical treatment and would be away from work for a while. Soon after, rumours started doing the rounds suggesting that the veteran actor has been diagnosed with cancer. However, Randhir Kapoor dismissed reports speculating his younger brother has been diagnosed of cancer. Speaking to news agency PTI, Randhir Kapoor had said, "This is all rumour. He is at the moment fine. As he is in great pain, he will be undergoing test tomorrow. He did discuss it with us regarding his health." Now Rishi Kapoor has finally broken silence on the suspense around his illness. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Rishi said that he hoped his treatment, which is currently on in New York, would end soon and he would return. My treatment is on, hopefully I will recover soon and God willing I will return. The procedure is long and tedious and one needs immense patience which unfortunately is not one of my virtue," he said. He also added how he was taking this time as a much needed break from films. Even though he hoped to return to work soon, he said he would certainly not rush into things. ''Thankfully, I am not thinking about films anymore, just want to be blank and refresh myself with a more relaxed mind. This break shall be therapeutic for me.'' The said report also added that if all went well, the actor would return to India in April this year. The actor was last seen in Netflix's Rajma Chawal, which is a humorous family drama set in New Delhis Chandni Chowk. Directed by Leena Yadav, the film also features Aparshakti Khurana and Amyra Dastur in pivotal roles. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced that his party would ensure minimum income guarantee for every poor in the country if it returns to power after the Lok Sabha polls due in April-May. Gandhi was addressing a gathering at the 'Kisaan Abhaar Sammelan' held in Naya Raipur to express gratitude to Chhattisgarh's people, particularly farmers, for voting the party to power in the state after a gap of 15 years. "The Congress has decided to take a historic decision. The Congress-led government is going to give a minimum income guarantee. This means each poor person in India will have a minimum income. This means there will be no hungry, poor people in India," Gandhi said. He also distributed loan waiver certificates to some of the beneficiary farmers during the function. Soon after his address, the Gandhi scion also took to Twitter and wrote, "We cannot build a new India while millions of our brothers and sisters suffer the scourge of poverty. If voted to power in 2019, the Congress is committed to a Minimum Income Guarantee for every poor person, to help eradicate poverty and hunger. This is our vision and our promise". We cannot build a new India while millions of our brothers & sisters suffer the scourge of poverty. If voted to power in 2019, the Congress is committed to a Minimum Income Guarantee for every poor person, to help eradicate poverty & hunger. This is our vision & our promise. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 28, 2019 #WATCH Rahul Gandhi in Atal Nagar, Chhattisgarh: After winning in 2019 we'll take a step that no party has ever taken, we will ensure minimum universal basic income for the poor. No government in the world has ever taken such a decision. pic.twitter.com/V064QfsWrM ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and senior Congress leader PL Punia were among those present at the event. This was the Congress chief's first visit to Chhattisgarh after Baghel took over the office. The Congress had posted a massive victory in last year's state Assembly polls, winning 68 of the total 90 seats. Ahead of the Assembly polls, Gandhi had assured to waive farm loans if his party was voted to power in the state. highlights Need a majboot sarkar, not a majboor sarkar, says Amit Shah. Modi promotes Make in India, Rahul busy with 'Break in India': Shah. Why couldn't Congress eradicate poverty in 55 years: Amit Shah. New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah today took a dig at Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's entry into politics and said that the grand old party, Congress, has a different definition for the OROP and for them it means "Only Rahul Only Priyanka". "When the BJP government was formed, within one-year Modiji delivered on his promise on One Rank One Pension (OROP). Modiji gave OROP to our jawans, the Congress gave 'Only Rahul Only Priyanka," Amit Shah said at a rally in Himachal Pradesh's Una. He said that the BJP's OROP is aimed to benefit Indian soldiers, while Congress party's OROP is focused to strengthen one family only. Shah lauded Himachal Pradesh for contributing in the national forces. He said that first Param Veer Chakra holder belongs to this hill state and many other war heroes are the son of this soil. "It is the Modi government that understood the pain of soldiers by implementing the OROP scheme that is One Rank One Pension, but Congress also brought OROP but it meant Only Rahul Only Priyanka," he said. Amit Shah was addressing a gathering of around 40,000 BJP workers working as Panna Pramukhs from Hamirpur parliamentary constituency which is represented by BJP MP Anurag Thakur, the son of former BJP chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal from Himachal Pradesh. Earlier, BJP president Amit Shah scoffed at the proposed grand alliance of opposition parties as that of "greed and lust" and which has nine potential prime ministerial candidates. He claimed bringing in 20-25 leaders on one stage would not serve any purpose as Narendra Modi will become prime minister again. He said that out of the 23 leaders, who attended the Brigade parade ground rally, nine of them were potential prime ministerial candidates. Shah, however, did not name anybody. "But, we have only one prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi," he said, three days after Brigade ground gathering of the opposition at Kolkata. Shah, while kickstarting 'Ganatanatra Bachao Yatra' in Bengal, vowed to overthrow the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government in the state. Asserting that the Modi government was committed to legislating the Citizenship Bill, Shah wondered whether West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will support the bill or not. After a passage in Lok Sabha, the Citizenship Bill awaits the crucial test in Rajya Sabha where the ruling NDA does not havea majority. He described the Trinamool Congress dispensation as a "government that facilitates murders" and said the party will be ousted in the general elections. "Mahagathbandhan is all about greed and lust. They want to remove Modi, while we want to remove poverty and corruption. They want a 'majboor sarkar' (helpless government) so that they can engage in corruption. We want a 'majboot sarkar' (strong government) so that we can give a befitting reply to Pakistan. It is for the people to decide whether they want a 'majboot' or 'majboor' government," he said. "Mamata di should know that bringing together just 20-25 leaders on the same stage won't serve any purpose as people will again vote to re-elect Narendra Modi as prime minister. The 100 crore people of this country stand with Modi," he said. highlights Rahul Gandhi thanks Chhattisgarh for voting Congress back to power. Beneficiary farmers were distributed loan waiver certificates at the event. Gandhi promises minimum income to every poor after 2019 victory. New Delhi: Days after waiving off over Rs 6,100 crore farm lone of 16.60 lakh farmers in Chhattisgarh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday addressed a couple of farmers' meet titled 'Kisan Abhaar Sammelan' and 'Krishi Rin Mukti Karayakram' in Naya Raipur of the state. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and senior Congress leader PL Punia were among those present at the event at Rajyotsav Mela ground in Atal Nagar. A function has been organised to express gratitude to people and farmers for voting the party to power in the state. Beneficiary farmers have been also distributed loan waiver certificates during the event. Earlier on Sunday, AICC in-charge of Chhattisgarh PL Punia took stock of the arrangements in the state. "Chhattisgarh: Congress President Rahul Gandhi at 'Kisan Abhaar Sammelan' and 'Krishi Rin Mukti Karayakram' in Atal Nagar. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also present," the news agency ANI reported. Chhattisgarh: Congress President Rahul Gandhi at 'Kisan Abhaar Sammelan' and 'Krishi Rin Mukti Karayakram' in Atal Nagar. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also present. pic.twitter.com/XjM3tUh2Wu ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 Here are the Highlights from Rahul Gandhi's thanksgiving rally in Chhattisgarh: - Minimum income to every poor if we win polls: Rahul. You had to stand in a queue during demonetisation. We guaranteed 100-day work under MGNREGA. We introduced RTI. After winning 2019 elections, every poor person would be given minimum income. This is a historic decision. No govt in the world has done this: Rahul Gandhi Rahul Gandhi in Atal Nagar, Chhattisgarh: After winning in 2019 we'll take a step that no party has ever taken, we will ensure minimum universal basic income for the poor. No government in the world has ever taken such a decision. pic.twitter.com/OwvqboxzcW ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 - Congress introduced the Green Revolution, food security: Rahul Gandhi. Have returned Tata land that was lying unutilised for years. Every crop grown here would go to dining tables across the world be it America or Japan. We brought in Green Revolution and worked on food security: Rahul - BJP diluted land acquisition bill, says Gandhi. Our land acquisition bill guaranteed four times the price of land to farmers and if industrialists did not start work in 10 years, the land would go back to farmers. But Modi and BJP diluted the bill. If the land is taken from farmers, the panchayat would have to be taken into confidence: Rahul - Modi wanted to benefit his industrialist friend in Rafale deal, the Congress chief said. What BJP could not do in 15 years, we did in 24 hours. Theres no lack of money. Modi only wants you to listen to his Mann ki Baat. Rafale was a huge contract. Lakhs of youth could have got jobs. But Modi wanted to benefit his industrialist friend: Rahul - BJP said they do not have money for loan waiver: Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Whenever we spoke of loan waiver, BJP said they dont have money. In Chhattisgarh, they said they have no money, In MP, Shivraj Chouhan said he doesnt have money. In Delhi, PM Modi said he doesnt have money for loan waiver. They dont have money for loan waiver but they can waive loans off Indias 15 richest industrialists: Rahul - All our leaders fought unitedly: Rahul said. You imposed your trust on us and helped us form the govt in Chhattisgarh. The responsibility is huge and we will try our best to fulfil it. All our leaders fought unitedly and this helped us win: Rahul Gandhi Apart from the farm loan waiver, the paddy is being procured at a rate of Rs 2,500 per quintal from farmers in the state, as promised by Congress president Rahul Gandhi during his 2018 Assembly polls campaign. Implementing another pre-poll promise, the Congress government has waived outstanding irrigation tax amounting to Rs 207 crore of 15 lakh farmers. The developments came hours after the Congress in December was voted to power in Chhattisgarh. According to reports, a large number of farmers from across the state, including the Naxal-affected Bastar division, participated in the event. This was the Congress chiefs first visit to Chhattisgarh after his party swept the Hindi heartland state in the recently concluded Assembly Elections 2018. On December 11, Congress ended the BJP's 15-year rule in Chhattisgarh by bagging 68 out of the 90 assembly seats. General elections are due to be held in India between April and May to constitute the 17th Lok Sabha in India's bicameral Parliament. Gandhi's Chhattisgarh visit comes right after his much-deserved holiday in Goa. The Congress chief and his mother Sonia Gandhi were spending a gala time in the coastal state since Saturday on what party leaders have said is a "private visit" and does not include meeting party functionaries. A picture of Gandhi, donning a blue T-shirt, at a seafood restaurant in south Goas Betul is currently doing rounds on the social networking sites. Please purchase a subscription read this premium content. If you have a subscription, please sign up for a digital website account or log in. Grief over the hundreds of Brazilians feared lost in a mining disaster has quickly hardened into anger as victims' families and politicians say iron ore miner Vale SA and regulators have learned nothing from the recent past. By Sunday night, firefighters in the state of Minas Gerais had confirmed 58 dead after a tailings dam broke on Friday, sending a torrent of sludge into the miner's offices and the town of Brumadinho. Some 300 others are unaccounted for, and officials said the odds were slim that any would be found alive. The disaster at the Corrego do Feijao mine came less than four years after a dam collapsed at a nearby mine run by Samarco Mineracao SA, a joint venture by Vale and BHP Billiton, killing 19 and filling a major river with toxic sludge. While the 2015 Samarco disaster dumped about five times more mining waste, Friday's dam break was far more deadly, as the wall of mud hit Vale's local offices, including a crowded cafeteria, and tore through a populated area downhill. "The cafeteria was in a risky area," Renato Simao de Oliveiras, 32, said while searching for his twin brother, a Vale employee, at an emergency response station. "Just to save money, even if it meant losing the little guy. ... These businessmen, they only think about themselves." Chief Executive Fabio Schvartsman said facilities were built to code and equipment had shown the dam was stable two weeks earlier. "I'm not a mining technician. I followed the technicians' advice and you see what happened. It didn't work," Schvartsman said. "We are 100 per cent within all the standards, and that didn't do it." Many wondered if the state of Minas Gerais, named for the mining industry that has shaped its landscape for centuries, should have higher standards. "There are safe ways of mining," said Joao Vitor Xavier, head of the mining and energy commission in the state assembly. "It's just that it diminishes profit margins, so they prefer to do things the cheaper way - and put lives at risk." German auditor TUV SUD said on Saturday it inspected the dam in September and found all to be in order. Blowback from the disaster could threaten the plans of newly inaugurated President Jair Bolsonaro to relax restrictions on the mining industry, including proposals to open up indigenous reservations and large swaths of the Amazon jungle for mining. Reuters Boris Johnson, the most prominent Brexit campaigner in Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative party, says she would get widespread support if she got the European Union to ditch the Irish backstop. With less than nine weeks until the United Kingdom is due by law to leave the European Union on March 29, there is no agreement yet in London on how and even whether to leave the world's biggest trading bloc. Parliament defeated Ms May's deal two weeks ago by a huge margin with many Brexit-supporting rebels in her party angry at the Irish backstop, an insurance policy aimed at preventing a hard border in Ireland if no other solutions can be agreed. "The PM wants to get rid of the backstop," Boris Johnson wrote in the Daily Telegraph, saying Ms May could insert a "Freedom Clause" to allow the United Kingdom to get out of the backstop without the agreement of the EU. "If the PM secures that change - a proper UK-sized perforation in the fabric of the backstop itself - I have no doubt that she will have the whole country full-throatedly behind her," the former foreign secretary said. He said very senior sources in the government had told him that Ms May would seek binding legal changes to the deal she agreed in November with the EU. Ireland has said it doesn't want any changes to the backstop. On January 29, parliament will debate Ms May's proposed next steps as well as alternative plans put forward by lawmakers, including some that seek to delay Britain's exit by requesting an extension to the Article 50 negotiation period. Prominent Brexit-supporting lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that Ms May's deal could be made acceptable to eurosceptic rebels in the Conservative Party if the Irish backstop was removed or nullified. AAP A Bangladeshi man dubbed 'The Tree Man' has returned to hospital after his condition worsened despite multiple operations in 2016. Abul Bajandar suffers from the rare disease epidermodysplasia verruciformis, which causes tree-like warts and imperfections to grow on his body. The condition is caused by a defect in his immune system. Mr Bajandar first noticed the condition when he was 10 years-old, before the condition grew over time into a state so bad it forced him to retire from his job as a rickshaw driver. He has undergone more than 25 surgeries since 2016, but doctors told CNN he failed to finish his treatment. A rejected Green Party leadership hopeful planning to form a rival environmental party says New Zealand might not need stricter rules on protecting its waterways. Vernon Tava, who unsuccessfully ran for the party's co-leadership in 2015, is in talks to set up a "centrist" green party that - unlike the present Green Party - could work with National. "There have been a lot of conversations over the summer over the place about a definite lack in the political market if you will, in New Zealand, for an environmental party that is a genuine green-green kind of party," he told Magic Talk on Monday. "One that isn't left or right, but is a centrist party who's primary focus is the environment." That focus would extend to not bothering with policies on other topics, instead approaching each vote on a case-by-case basis. "I don't think that you need to have policy on absolutely every single other area Sustainability as a concept - that's including economic, cultural, social and environmental sustainability - is such as well-developed concept in academia and business and so on, that you could analyse any issue that comes along through that lens and reach sensible and philosophically and politically consistent positions on that basis." As for environmental issues, Mr Tava rates water quality as the number one problem facing New Zealand. Earlier on Monday morning, Fish and Game released the results of a survey it commissioned showing 82 percent of Kiwis would back mandatory water standards, even if it meant cutting back on intensive farming. "This survey shows the public wants the Government to toughen the rules so those who are not doing the right thing will be forced to comply," said chief executive Martin Taylor, adding that support is even stronger - 90 percent - among those who say they're very or extremely concerned about water pollution. A leading property commentator has warned it will be difficult to replace KiwiBuild's out-going boss during a time where "everything is conspiring against" the scheme. On Monday it was revealed Stephen Barclay resigned from the role at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development after complaints about his leadership behaviour from employees, contractors and stakeholders. As the ministry investigates, Ashley Church, the chief executive of the Property Institute of New Zealand, is warning it will be difficult to find a replacement. "[They need] somebody who is immersed in public sector culture and understands how to run a public sector organisation with all the variations and differences that has from a private sector organisation and all that that entails," said Mr Church. While Mr Barclay claims the KiwiBuild programme was on track to meet its targets under his leadership, Housing Ministry Phil Twyford announced last week he was only confident 300 houses would be built by July - not the 1000 promised. Mr Church said making the scheme work would not be an easy task. "We are operating KiwiBuild a point in the cycle where everything is conspiring against it. We're selling houses for $650,000 or more, which I don't think many people would regard as affordable," he said. "You've got the need to find an A-type personality. Somebody [who] knows how to make an organisation successful and is able to move quickly and innovatively." Complaints were related to Mr Barclay's treatment of employees, not to his implementation of the KiwiBuild programme, according to the ministry's chief executive Andrew Crisp. But Mr Barclay, who was only in the role for six months, denies the allegations, saying that while he was employed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment from July to October 2018, there were no issues with his performance. He announced on Monday that he would pursue a case of constructive dismissal. Newshub. He said he was angry about the bill and the fact that authorities seemed to be unable to help him. "I honestly don't know what else to do," he told Stuff. "There was nothing at the time that made us think anything was wrong." Mr Barrett said the taxi was a white car with 'Wellington' on the roof sign, and there was a drivers' ID card displayed inside. He said when they arrived at their destination, the reading on the meter said $10. However when he paid, the screen had been obscured. Later that day his card was declined at a supermarket, where he realised that he had been charged an exorbitant amount for the taxi trip. Mr Barrett said the driver may have accidentally put the decimal point in the wrong place, but that it shouldn't be so hard to get the change rectified. He contacted Wellington Combined Taxis but was informed the drover was not one of theirs. Barrett told Stuff he then approached other taxi operators, but they too could not find his case. He said the matter is now in the hands of MasterCard's card disputes team. After being passed around between taxi services and authorities, Mr Barrett says he is stuck on what to do next. "I'm in a complete loop - I cannot break out of because I cannot get the contact details for this taxi company," he told Stuff. A spokesperson for the New Zealand Transport Agency told Stuff that it would investigate if a driver was identified. Newshub. The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has apologised after melting roads coated cars in a sticky black layer. The brutal summer heat is taking its toll on the bitumen which melts and rises above the chip seal, making the road surface slippery and covering vehicles in gunk. "We apologise to customers for the road surface south of the Johnstones Hill Tunnels on Friday afternoon, and to customers who may have experienced bitumen material on their vehicles," a spokesperson said on Facebook. "Crews are on standby and plans are in place to ensure the road surface remains settled." But it hasn't placated all motorists, with one person calling it a "cop out". "Pay to be stuck in traffic AND pay for tar stains on your vehicle," one person commented. "Probably using the weather as an excuse for the poor build quality of what we actually pay for," another said. The Johnstones Hill Tunnels stretch of road was one of the worse affected - a problem amplified by NZTA laying fresh bitumen seal down. While the hot weather currently bearing down on New Zealand may be appealing to beachgoers, a medical expert is warning the heat is at a dangerous level and there are concerns about a national emergency. On Monday, temperatures soared pass 30degC, hitting a high of 37degC in the Hawke's Bay and 36degC in the Marlborough Sounds, prompting warnings from meteorologists and district health boards for the public to keep hydrated. Tuesday is expected to be another scorcher, with inland areas across the North Island expected to bear the full brunt of the hot weather, according to WeatherWatch. In the South Island, Marlborough, Nelson, the West Coast, Southland and Otago may also reach 30degC. Canterbury District Health Board medical officer Alistair Humphrey said Kiwis should not be complacent, saying the weather is at an extremely dangerous level that may be closing in on being a national emergency. He said elderly and young children were particularly vulnerable, and Kiwis should make sure they are stocked up on fluids all day long and keep the windows open. "Elderly people, who don't regulate heat quite as well, [are coming into emergency departments] dizzy, not having drunk enough, not having being wearing a hat," he told The AM Show. Aucklanders should prepare themselves for some of the hottest temperatures the city has seen in years as the rest of the country also scorches. While it may not be the 37degC stunner the Hawke's Bay had on Monday, Auckland is set to hit 30degC on Tuesday - one of the hottest highs the city has seen in at least two years, according to MetService data. The previous high recorded at MetService's main Auckland weather station at Auckland Airport was in January 2018 when the city reached 29degC. At Whangaparaoa, in the north of Auckland, the mercury hit 31degC in February 2017, while the Ardmore Aerodrome near Papakura reached 30degC also in January last year. MetService says that as a result of an easterly onshore flow, central and western spots across the country will heat up a lot compared to Monday - including Levin which may be 12degC warmer. Police are asking for people to be cautious of a telephone scam in which the caller claims to work for New Zealand Police or Spark. The scammer claims they are targeting internet fraud, then goes on to commit internet fraud. Once they have legitimised themselves, the caller asks the victim to purchase iTunes gift cards at their own expense and provide them with the numbers. Scams like these are common, where the scammer will pretend they work for a widely recognised organisation in order to gain trust. After they have got the numbers, the scammer redeems the gift cards and disappears from contact. However, the scam artist maintains remote access to the victim's computer. Police say these scams run constantly. "While most people will not respond or buy into them, some people are more vulnerable." People are being urged by police to engage with elderly or vulnerable members of their families to ensure no one is falling prey to this scam. Business owners should note customers buying multiple, or expensive gift cards, and check their customers are not being pressured or scammed into buying in bulk. Anyone who has been told to install a programme that allows remote access to their computer should seek assistance to ensure it is safely removed. If you or someone you know has been scammed, police recommend first reporting it to your bank, and then your local police. Newshub. Ninjak #1 and how Javier Pulido reminds us how bold and daring comics can be An inside look on the upcoming Valiant series Ninjak by Jeff Parker and Javier Pulido Funeral services for Thomas Armond "Tommy" Ritch, 72, will be Friday, June 11 at 11 a.m. from the Chapel of Kilgroe Funeral Home. Interment to followe at Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Cemetery in Gallant. The family will receive friends on Friday from 10 a.m. until service time at funeral home I urge our lawmakers to vote no on the Equal Rights Amendment here in Virginia. The ERA would turn back the clock on women, because the ERA is out of date. Not only have supporters failed twice, with extended deadlines that have questionable legality, but our culture and our legislation have effectively moved past a time when an amendment like this was needed. The examples could go on and on, but the point is that women do not need an amendment to succeed in life. Many of the most remarkable, successful, accomplished achievers in America are women of all ages. Sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway will remain closed following the end of the federal government shutdown, as park rangers inspect road conditions along the scenic byway. The parkway, a unit of the National Park Service, was technically open during the 35-day shutdown that ended late Friday, but long stretches of road were closed due to maintenance and weather-related reasons, which include downed trees and limbs that could be hazardous to travelers. The parkway is closed from U.S. 220 in Roanoke County to the Rocky Knob Campground near Rock Castle Gorge in Floyd County, according to a real-time map on the Park Service website (bit.ly/2DFpL3K). The parkway is open north of Roanoke to around milepost 76, just north of Peaks of Otter. An 83-mile stretch of the parkway also is closed south of Fancy Gap in Carroll County to Boone, North Carolina. This not only gives us the reflection of Dr. King, Alexander said. This also gives us the application of his dream. Alexander said words is the most important part of the message he has taught since entering the all-white school more than 40 years ago. People of today are using words to put each other down, Alexander said. Words matter. Once it leaves your mouth it leaves the power for you to do anything about it. Alexander on Sunday said people cannot move forward in the United States until they move past the injustices of the past. You have to let it go, Alexander said. We as a people cant move forward if we cant get past the small stuff. One of the things Alexander carries in a backpack with him when he speaks to people is the heart-shaped balloons he passed out to people on Sunday. The world needs some love, Alexander said. We spend too much time being angry at one another. Another item in Alexanders backpack is a length of rope, which he used to illustrate the need to help people in the community. A collaboration of scientists including Professor Jean Patterson, Ph.D., of Texas Biomedical Research Institute, is working on a new way to detect Zika virus that will help guide clinicians in their treatment of patients with the disease. The test uses optofluidic chips to screen bodily fluids (blood, urine, semen) for the presence of the virus. This new approach will also help pinpoint the stage of the disease. Researchers at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Brigham Young University, and the University of California at Berkeley developed the technology being tested. "What this technology will do is tell us, first of all, if you've already been infected. If you have antibodies, you wouldn't be at risk for a new infection. It will also tell us where you are in your infection," Dr. Patterson explained. Knowing the stage of the disease is critical, since many antivirals only work early in infections and are not very effective later in the course of the disease. This particular diagnostic test would tell clinicians if the patient is still in the RNA replicating stage (a sign of recent infection) or if the patient has started to produce viral particles (an indication the disease has progressed). The mosquito-borne illness was first identified in Uganda in 1947, but Zika roared into international headlines in 2014 when cases of the virus were shown to have a connection to devastating birth defects - like microcephaly - in babies born to mothers who had Zika while pregnant. The study into a new diagnostic technology to pinpoint Zika started two years ago. Texas Biomed provides knowledge about the virus and viral material the researchers at UC Santa Cruz can test. Also, scientists are using marmosets from the Southwest National Primate Research Center to provide blood, urine and semen samples for testing. These are the kinds of samples clinicians would use for their human patients. Dr. Patterson is confident this work will bear fruit. "We've got this," she stated. Electrical engineering Professor Holger Schmidt, Ph.D., of UC Santa Cruz describes the new technology as "a lab on a chip." Optofluidics uses a combination of two technologies. Microfluidics is a process that takes small biological samples for detection purposes like medical and chemical analysis. Then integrated optics uses optical waveguides, lasers, and other optical elements on a chip. Together, these technologies can detect molecules without the need for amplification that other tests require. The same test is being developed for another pathogen Texas Biomed researches: Ebola virus. Dr. Schmidt says this less complex biological assay to detect infection would be helpful for people in remote areas like parts of Africa. Source: https://www.txbiomed.org/news-press/news-releases/experimental-zika-test-under-development-with-texas-biomed-and-national-collaborators/ A Phase 1 clinical trial of investigational vaccines intended to protect against Zaire ebolavirus (Ebola) is underway at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in the United States. The study is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Cincinnati Children's is one of nine NIH/NIAID-funded Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEUs). Part of an international effort to stop Ebola from spreading, the trial will test two experimental vaccines together for their safety and ability to produce an immune response in healthy volunteer participants. "Researchers are looking for new ways to stop these outbreaks and to treat people who become infected and develop Ebola virus disease. The development of preventive vaccines for Ebola is a top global public health priority," said Paul Spearman, MD, of Cincinnati Children's and lead investigator of the trial. He is director of the ivision of Infectious Diseases. Ebola is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola viruses. Ebola virus disease has a wide-ranging fatality rate of about 30-90 percent, depending on virus species. The hemorrhagic fever can affect organs, damage blood vessels and the body's ability to regulate itself. Once a person is infected with an Ebola virus, it can then be spread from person to person through close contact with infected body fluids. Ebola viruses have generally caused infections in a small number of people in Central Africa each year, although there have been several Ebola outbreaks since 2013. The Ebola epidemic in West Africa that began in 2013 made more than 28,000 people sick, causing more than 11,000 deaths and spread into other countries around the world. A current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has so far caused more than 700 confirmed and probable cases of Ebola virus disease. Blueprint for Immunity Researchers on the current study will examine how the vaccines work in the body to stimulate responses in the immune system that may protect against Ebola viruses. Laboratory evaluations of the vaccines are led by Karnail Singh, PhD, in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children's. Singh's laboratory focuses on the development, characterization and evaluation of candidate vaccines for Ebola virus disease. The trial is studying two experimental Ebola vaccines; the ChAd3-EBO-Z vaccine and the MVA-BN-Filo vaccine. These are weakened live-vector vaccines that cannot effectively grow in human cells but generate strong immune responses to Ebola virus proteins. Spearman said previous laboratory research shows combining the two vaccines is a promising approach to generate potentially protective anti-Ebola responses. A major goal of the current trial is to use systems biology tools that provide a biological blueprint of the responses. This will provide a better understanding of why adding a MVA- BN-Filo booster after priming the body with ChAd3-EBO-Z enhances the character and magnitude of immune response. This study will enroll up to 60 healthy volunteers between 18 to 45 years of age. Volunteers will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. All participants will receive one dose of the ChAd3-EBO-Z vaccine followed by a second dose eight days later of either: 1) the ChAd3-EBO-Z (20 participants); 2) the MVA-BN-Filo vaccine (20 participants), or 3) a placebo (20 participants). Participants will be monitored closely for adverse events for six months after initial vaccination during at least 12 clinic visits. During these visits, volunteers will receive blood tests to evaluate potential immune responses to both of the experimental vaccines. Each volunteer will participate in the trial for approximately seven months. A public health emergency has been declared in Washington with over two dozen cases of measles. Last Friday (25th January 2019), the Governor Jay Inslee said in a statement that there is an outbreak of measles and the Washington State Military Department and State Emergency Operations Center would be collaborating with the Department of Health to fight the outbreak. There have been 32 cases of measles as of Saturday says the Department of Health. 3d illustration Measles virus. Image Credit: Design Cells / Shutterstock Most of the infections have occurred in the Clark County, in southwest Washington. This borders Portland, Oregon. The infection seems to have spilled over to King County, which includes Seattle, Washington with reports of a single case. There are at present 31 cases of measles in Clark County and the numbers are on the rise, warn health officials. There is also a spread of misinformation regarding this vaccine-preventable illness in children, they add. The misinformation is spreading online, they warn. The outbreak sprung a flurry of activity on social media including Facebook and there is a spread of misinformation. The health officials are not only fighting the outbreak but also a spread of misinformation. Dr. Alan Melnick, the Clark County Public Health Director, in a statement said, I think that misinformation is doing a disservice and its dangerous. He explained that people are being dissuaded from vaccinating themselves and their children against the disease to stop the spread of this infection. According to Melnick, there is false information going around that measles is not fatal. Before the vaccine became available in the '60s and we started mass vaccination, 400 to 500 people in the U.S. died every year, Melnick explained. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control too recently encountered 35 deaths due to measles in Europe, he said. According to the officials, one infected person attended a Portland Trailblazers home game and was probably a likely source of infection. Some of the cases of measles have also visited the Portland International Airport and other busy areas including schools, hospitals, churches etc. The public health emergency declared in Clark County last week has been extended to whole of Washington in this latest announcement. Governor Inslee said, The measles virus is a highly contagious infectious disease that can be fatal in small children, and the existence of 26 confirmed cases in the state of Washington creates an extreme public health risk that may quickly spread to other counties. Sources reveal that 21 of the cases were noted among children aged between 1 and 10 years. Measles is a vaccine-preventable infection that can be easily prevented by the MMR vaccine which was first introduced in 1968 in the US. However misinformation has led a significant number of parents not vaccinate their children against this infection. According to the CDC, 2018 was the thirds year in a row that there was a rise in number of children entering school without having been vaccinated with MMR. According to the National Immunization Survey, number of 2 year olds who have never been vaccinated has risen from 0.9 percent among babies born in 2011 to 1.3 percent among babies born in 2015. The non-vaccinated population of children is particularly high in the state of Oregon. The non-vaccinated children entering schools was 1 percent in 2000 and has risen to 7.5 percent in 2016-17. Oregon is close to Clark County and this has sparked worries. According to CDC recommendations, all persons should be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella 9MMR) to protect themselves against the infections. Children should receive two doses of MMR vaccine. The first dose is to be administered between ages of 12 and 15 months and the second between ages 4 and 6 years. The K-State Juvenile Justice Collaborative, or K-State JJC, has been awarded $521,805 by the Kansas Department of Corrections and the Kansas Advisory Group to work with local communities in developing support systems for youth and families. The goal of the project, titled "Our Town, Our Kids," is to prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system and to provide services that maximize their chances of leading productive, successful lives. K-State JJC is comprised of L. Susan Williams, professor of sociology and criminology; Greg Paul, associate professor and interim department head of communication studies; Elaine Johannes, associate professor of family studies and human services and Extension specialist; and Bruce Chladny, K-State Research and Extension specialist. The project incorporates K-State Research and Extension, which has Extension professionals in each of the 105 Kansas counties, utilizing these connections to facilitate local collaboration and initiatives. Over the next two years, K-State JJC will work with stakeholders in 23 pre-selected Kansas counties: Cheyenne, Decatur, Ellis, Finney, Gove, Graham, Greeley, Hamilton, Kearny, Logan, Norton, Osborne, Phillips, Rawlins, Rooks, Scott, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Thomas, Trego, Wallace and Wichita. The project aims to build community capacity in data collection and analysis and to foster community collaboration in support of youth and families. Professionals from K-State Research and Extension will facilitate local conversations that identify areas of concern and develop knowledge bases that will prepare communities to deliver best-practice programs in their respective areas. As part of the effort to engage positive community support, K-State JJC will develop a comprehensive toolkit for all Kansas communities that will facilitate local, sustainable systems that serve unique needs of youth. K-State JJC includes top experts in juvenile justice, human development/adolescence, disproportionate minority contact, gender, trauma-informed care, data management and analysis, rural sociology, communication, restorative justice, and community facilitation and engagement. The award reflects commitments of Kansas State University, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Human Ecology, and K-State Research and Extension to engagement, multidisciplinary collaboration, and improvement of the quality of life of all Kansans. The team also has contracted with Fort Hays State University's Docking Institute director Michael Walker and April Terry for data management and expertise. A study produced by researchers of the Universitat de Valencia specifies what the care work consists of and what the different delivery systems are. In addition, it concludes that the working conditions of the auxiliary personnel of the Home Help Service (SAD, in Spanish) are better when the service is publicly owned and also that it is a highly feminised profession. The researchers of the University of Valencia Oscar Munoz, of the Faculty of Social Sciences, and Josep V. Pitxer, of the Department of Applied Economics, have published the article "El servicio de ayuda a domicilio en el area metropolitana de Valencia". This research analyses the functioning and characteristics of the Home Help Service (SAD, in Spanish) in Valencia and nine towns in the metropolitan area of the city: Alaquas, Albal, Alboraia, Benetusser, Godella, Mislata, Paterna, Rocafort and Tavernes Blanques. The work has been developed through a qualitative methodology that combines the collection of data from ten municipalities in the area with conducting in-depth interviews. Despite this, the results can be extended to other nearby municipalities thanks to information from key informants, such as companies, employers or unions. The research establishes that there are different systems of SAD provision, either through local corporations, or through outsourcing in favor of private organizations. In both cases, the activities that make up the service are practically identical. Another new feature of the research is the detection of better conditions for auxiliary staff when the service is publicly provided in aspects such as salary, working hours or type of contract. According to Oscar Munoz, the importance of this study lies "not only in making the service known, but also in the working conditions of home help workers". In this sense, Munoz points out the relationship between care work and its feminization, both in the informal and in the professional field, since around 80% of the auxiliaries are women. This researcher also highlights that there are "actions such as lifting patients, personal hygiene, accompaniments to health services, preparation of intakes, etc. The study helps us to better understand what the work of care consists of, in this case the one provided by professional staff, although that also occurs in the domestic sphere". In addition, "we refer to a task where relational and emotional components are mixed, ingredients that are often developed in the home sphere by unqualified personnel". The study emphasizes the importance of this service, makes it known among the population, and at the same time indicates the need that municipalities provide for free. Oscar Munoz points out that the population "needs services like this, especially the elderly and people in situations of dependency, who often ignore they exist. Although care work is an essential job, it is quite invisible, and there does not seem to be enough of a demand for organizations, both for-profit and non-profit, to offer it". Oscar Munoz believes the home help service (SAD, in Spanish) is indispensable, "despite being a support service, since it is a relief for families and a fundamental aid for their beneficiaries. Without a doubt, it has to be one of the public policies to be reinforced in the very near future". Source: http://ruvid.org/ri-world/the-home-help-service-in-the-metropolitan-area-of-valencia-has-better-working-conditions-with-public-funding/ Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28) The Supreme Court will hold oral arguments on the third extension of martial law in Mindanao this week even as security concerns hound the South including the deadly blasts in a Catholic cathedral in Jolo, Sulu. Oral arguments will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday in response to petitions filed seeking to nullify the congressional decision to extend martial law in Mindanao for the third time, upon the request of President Rodrigo Duterte, until December 31, 2019. Congress, in a joint session on December 12, 2018, approved Duterte's request. Three petitions against the decision, filed by Albay First District Rep. Edcel Lagman, the Makabayan bloc, and lawyer Christian Monsod, are pending at the high court. The petitioners argue that the government already achieved its goal for imposing martial law in Mindanao when it ended the Marawi siege and defeated the Maute group. They said public safety in the area is "not imperiled" because rebellion "does not exist and persist." However, the government disagreed--maintaining that rebellion still exists in Mindanao. In his letter to Congress, Duterte enumerated bombings committed by various terror groups such as those that took place in Basilan, Sultan Kudarat, and General Santos City last year. Calida, during the oral arguments, is expected to highlight the explosions in Jolo as basis to convince the court to allow the extension of military rule. The twin bombings, which occurred in the town's Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Sunday, killed at least 20 people and injured over a hundred others. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said military rule in Mindanao is needed in the wake of the deadly Jolo bombings on Sunday. "They're saying that despite martial law, there has been bombing, and therefore martial law should be lifted. There's more reason that martial law should be in place," he said. "The fact alone that there's one incident of bombing in the past year, that means martial law is effective. Can you imagine how many bombings there would have been if there was no martial law there in operation?" Panelo added. Regular use of aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may help some patients with head and neck cancer survive the disease, according to a study led by Professor Jennifer Grandis at the University of California, San Francisco. The study, which will be published January 25 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, indicates that NSAIDs are effective in patients with mutations in a gene called PIK3CA, and the researchers suggest this is because NSAIDs lower the levels of an inflammatory molecule called prostaglandin E 2 . The researchers note, however, that they are not yet able to make any specific recommendations about the type, timing, or dosage of NSAIDs such patients should take, and that their results need to be corroborated by a prospective clinical trial. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) accounts for about 4% of all cancers in the US and continues to have high rates of patient mortality. Risk factors for HNSCC include smoking, alcohol use, and human papillomavirus infection, but several studies have shown that regular use of aspirin can reduce the risk of developing the disease. However, whether aspirin or other NSAIDs can promote the survival of patients who have already developed HNSCC is unclear; studies investigating this question have so far produced conflicting results. One possibility is that NSAIDs are only effective against some types of HNSCC. Around 35% of HNSCC tumors carry mutations that activate the PIK3CA gene, which encodes the catalytic subunit of a key signaling enzyme called PI3Ka. The team of researchers led by Dr. Grandis investigated whether regular NSAID use specifically improved the survival of HNSCC patients with alterations in the PIK3CA gene. The team, which also included researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Arizona, analyzed a group of 266 HNSCC patients who had had their tumors surgically removed and, in most cases, were then treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Patients without any alterations in their PIK3CA gene were no better off if they also took NSAIDs on a regular basis (defined as taking two or more doses per week for at least six months). By contrast, regular NSAID usage dramatically enhanced the survival of patients whose PIK3CA gene was mutated and/or amplified. Among these patients, NSAIDs increased the overall five-year survival rate from 45% to 78%. NSAIDs also reduced the growth of tumors in mice injected with cancer cells harboring a mutant PIK3CA gene. By analyzing these mice, Grandis and colleagues found that NSAIDs likely inhibit tumor growth by reducing the production of prostaglandin E 2 . This proinflammatory molecule has been implicated in a variety of cancers and can be induced by the PI3Ka signaling pathway. NSAIDs may therefore also be effective against a variety of cancers that contain activating mutations in the PIK3CA gene. Indeed, previous studies have shown that regular aspirin usage can aid the survival of colorectal cancer patients carrying mutated PIK3CA. "The present study is the first to demonstrate that regular NSAID usage confers a significant clinical advantage in patients with PIK3CA-altered HNSCC," Grandis says. "Inconsistencies in the type, timing, and dosages of NSAIDs taken by patients in this study limit our ability to make specific therapeutic recommendations. But the magnitude of the apparent advantage, especially given the marked morbidity and mortality of this disease, warrants further study in a prospective, randomized clinical trial." Record cold temperatures are on the way. Learn what you can do to stay safe and prepare for the arctic weather. For Paul Schwensen, if this isnt the calm before the storm, its at least the warm before the winter. Music Riding the lightning Jim Breuer will start your night with Metallica at The Q with Light It Up Pre-Show Party Free access for current print subscribers As a home delivery subscriber, you get free unlimited digital access to news-daily.com including stories, photos, obituaries, e-edition and more on your computer, tablet or phone. All you need is your print subscription account number and your last name. Don't know your subscription number? Email access@news-daily.com with your delivery address. Activate your account now. The Community Culinary School of Northwestern CT in New Milford has announced it is the recipient of Affordable Automotive Giving Back Program. For every oil change done this month, the business will donate $5 to the school. The Connecticut Community Foundation has awarded grants totaling $96,000 to 10 nonprofit organizations serving residents of 21 towns in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills. The Community Culinary School of Northwestern Connecticut in New Milford is one of the recipients. The Clinton Township School District has notified parents and guardians that the township schools are closed Friday, Jan. 25, and Monday, Jan. 28. LONG HILL TWP. - The driver of a Long Hill school bus that crashed into a utility pole on Mountain Avenue on Monday morning, Jan. 28, has been Help support your local hometown newspaper/website. Independent local news reporting matters. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, for as little as $3, so we can continue to provide independent local reporting on our communities. Newbury woman who lost her father brings powerful film to Vue Cinema A NEWBURY woman is organising a unique film screening in the town next month to raise awareness about mental health and male suicide. Alison Collington is encouraging members of the public to watch Evelyn a film documenting the emotional impact of suicide within a family. The film follows British director Orlando von Einsiedel, who turns his camera on his own family as they attempt to cope with the devastating loss of losing his brother Evelyn, at the age of 22. The screening will take place on Sunday, February 17, at Vue Cinema, Newbury, starting at 4pm. Amazing support for BIFA award-winning documentary Evelyn, on Sun 17 Feb in #Newbury Thank you everyone for the sharing and caring! Seats still available book here: https://t.co/AgC7CiiGq2#breakthesilence#SuicidePreventionpic.twitter.com/J3Y5dgbOTa Alison Collington (@alicollington) January 27, 2019 Tickets are 11.49 each, although Mrs Collington has put aside four free tickets, courtesy of a friend who donated them for those who wish to go, but might find the price too expensive. Mrs Collington was inspired to organise the event after first watching the film in an independent cinema in Oxford but her mission to raise awareness about male suicide runs much deeper. When she was 20, Mrs Collingtons father decided to take his own life. He was 43. Now aged 56, Mrs Collington has been compelled to talk openly about her fathers death, determined to break the stigma surrounding suicide. She said: I always felt that speaking about it would make other people feel uncomfortable, but what Im finding is that getting out there is really important. What surprised me is by speaking about it, is helping other people. Ive never spoken about this publicly before in my life Im going out of my comfort zone. Mrs Collington is keen to stress that the film screening is not a charity or fundraising event. Newbury Samaritans director Jerry Dixon will also attend the event and at the end of the screening, information about local support groups for anyone who has been affected by the film will be available. In order for the screening to go ahead, 52 tickets need to be bought. Those who have bought tickets will only be debited if the screening happens. If anyone would like to see the film, they can book their tickets directly by visiting httpwww.ourscreen.com/evelyn/ Newburyport, MA (01950) Today Sunny along with a few clouds. High around 85F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear skies. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. The Internet of Things (IoT) is everywhere these days, from smart houses to smart cities to industrial applications. And now its coming to the coolers in a drugstore near you. Walgreens is testing innovative, IoT-powered "smart coolers" that combine cameras, facial recognition software, and display screens in the cooler doors to serve targeted ads depending on what it can tell about shoppers rooting around for cold drinks and frozen treats. [ Read more about IoT: Download a PDF bundle of five essential articles about IoT in the enterprise ] Bringing the online ad experience in store According to the Wall Street Journal, the system attempts to recreate the online advertising experience in brick and mortar stores, using facial recognition software to determine the age of the shopper and what products theyve already selected as well as environmental factors to determine what ads to show. Supplied by Chicago-based Cooler Screens, the technology is designed to transform retail cooler surfaces into IoT-enabled screens and [create] the largest retail point-of-sale merchandising platform in the world. This new technology could provide brick-and-mortar stores with a marketplace similar to online advertising, the Journal said. Ice cream brands could duke it out to get the most prominent placement when it is 97 degrees outside; an older man could see ads for different products than a younger woman. Even better, perhaps, the cameras can tell whether shoppers pick up items highlighted in the ad, giving advertisers instant feedback on the effectiveness of their smart cooler ads. Some 15 large advertisers have reportedly signed up for the Chicago test, which began in November, the Journal reports, and the drugstore chain plans to roll it out to stores in San Francisco, New York, and Seattle this month. Where do smart coolers fall on the creepy meter? The pilot program doesnt rely on selling user data and claims it captures and stores only anonymous metadata. The Journal quotes Arsen Avakian, co-founder and CEO of Cooler Screens, saying, The business model is not built on selling consumer data. The business model is built on providing intelligence to brands and to the retailers to craft a much better shopping experience. Avakian told the Journal that surveys indicate shoppers like the IoT coolers better than ordinary ones, but if you ask me, this project still runs a serious risk of being perceived as intrusive and creepy. Walgreens is apparently worried enough to post privacy notices and station a concierge nearby to answer any questions. Good idea. Not everyone wants their age and gender judged by a machine and some folks dont identify with binary gender choices. Its not clear how accurate the system is, but facial recognition algorithms have well-documented issues with some populations. And just because the companies arent actively selling the data, that doesnt mean there aren't privacy concerns. Worse, what if software failures lead to showing shoppers wildly inappropriate ads? That could get ugly fast. More than just ads? I hate to be cynical, but heres an idea that could help short-circuit any potential issues. If the coolers were really smart, instead of using the system to show ads, theyd be programmed to offer discounts and coupons. After all, people have repeatedly proven to be willing to put up with amazing amounts of creepy potential embarrassment for the chance to save a few bucks on groceries and sundries. Heck, for 20 percent off, I probably would, too. The state's top court is set to hear an appeal from a Vermont woman sentenced to life without parole for killing a social worker and three relatives she thought played a role in her losing custody of her daughter. The Times Argus reports the Vermont Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Feb. 19. Jody Herring is appealing her 2017 conviction in the 2015 shooting deaths of social worker Lara Sobel, as well as Herring's two cousins, Rhonda Herring and Regina Herring, and aunt, Julie Falzarano. Herring's attorney, Joshua O'Hara, argues that Superior Court Judge John Pacht unfairly sentenced his 43-year-old client to life without parole, penalizing her "for being the victim of a lifetime of abuse.'' The state argues Pacht "reasonably exercised'' discretion and the sentence was supported by evidence. A military helicopter had to make an emergency landing Sunday in Warren, Massachusetts. Police say they responded to a field in the area of Reed Street and Brimfield Road after receiving multiple 911 calls. The pilot told responding officials that some type of mechanical issue prompted the landing. Military crews were on scene to fix the issue. It's not immediately clear where the helicopter came from or where it was headed. Nobody was hurt. Public transit riders in the Boston area would pay on average 6.3 percent more to ride buses, subways and trains under a fare hike proposal announced Monday by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. If approved by the MBTA's Fiscal and Management Control Board, the new fares would take effect July 1. State law limits MBTA fare hikes to 7 percent within each two-year period. The last time they were raised was in 2016. Under the plan, most CharlieCard holders would see local bus fares increase by 10 cents to $1.80, subway fares would rise 15 cents to $2.40 and the cost of a monthly pass would go up by $5.50 to $90. Commuter rail prices would vary by region but the maximum increase for a one-way fare would be 75 cents. While stopping just short of endorsing the overall plan, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker said the process the transit system was using to address fares was "appropriate" and designed to avoid hitting riders with steep increases such as the 23 percent average hike that occurred in 2012. "The biggest and best thing the T can do to improve its performance and to get people to ride it is to do a better job of being reliable and dependable and predictable," Baker told reporters. The transit system's biggest problem was chronic underinvestment in tracks, signals and other infrastructure, Baker said, noting the MBTA plans to spend $8 billion over the next 5 years on capital improvements. Some commuters were voicing their opinions about the proposal on Monday. "So now we're going to pay for stuff that should've already been paid for, but here we are again and you need more money, for what, what are you fixing," asked Haverhill commuter Donna Artone. Lakeville commuter Alex Luch said his commute will go up a lot but he understands. "If there is a corresponding increase in service improvements, I would kind of understand it," Luch said. Former MBTA general manager Jim Aloisi thinks a better system would be to have transit increases done together to level the playing field. "We cannot have T fare increases without gas tax increases and increases in the fees we charge ride-hailing services like Uber and lift," said Aloisi. A series of public meetings will be held next month before the control board takes a final vote on the fare proposal. Authorities in Maine have released the name of a 52-year-old man who died in a fire at a mobile home. Maine Department of Public Safety Spokesman Steve McCausland said firefighters found the body of Shaun Flaherty, Jr. after knocking down the early Saturday morning fire on Dana Avenue in Kittery. McCausland said it appears to have started in the kitchen-living room area of the mobile home. The fire left the mobile home destroyed, and investigators could not determine what caused the fire. McCausland said neighbors reported the fire around 4 a.m. and firefighters found the man's body in the bedroom. Flaherty lived alone in the home. McCausland said Flaherty's death is the fourth in a Maine fire this year. What to Know Exclusive video shows an SUV driving about 3 miles on the Mass. Turnpike with a man on the hood. The SUV driver, ID'd as Mark Fitzgerald, and the man on the hood, ID'd as Richard Kamrowski, appeared in court on Monday. Prosecutors said Fitzgerald has an out-of-state record with incidents ranging from OUI to assault to reckless endangerment. A wild, caught-on-camera ride on the Mass. Turnpike ended with two men facing charges as they made an initial appearance in court for their apparent road rage confrontation. An exclusive video obtained by NBC10 Boston showed an SUV driving a significant distance on the turnpike with a man on the hood. The vehicle traveled at speeds up to 70 mph for about two to three miles before another motorist stepped in and stopped the chaos at gunpoint, footage showed. Thirty-seven-year-old Ashland resident Mark Fitzgerald and 65-year-old Framingham resident Richard Kamrowski faced a judge in Waltham District Court on charges stemming from the incident. Fitzgerald pleaded not guilty, while a not guilty plea was entered on Kamrowski's behalf; Fitzgerald, who was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident, was ordered to be held on $500 bail. Kamrowski was released on personal recognizance on charges of disorderly conduct and malicious damage to a motor vehicle. Prosecutors said a minor side-swipe crash in the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 in Weston sparked the chaos on Friday. Officials said Kamrowski stopped in the left lane to exchange documents with the other driver. However, Fitzgerald would not leave his car, according to prosecutors, and at one point, Kamrowski grabbed a metal water bottle from inside the SUV before standing in front of the car. Fitzgerald then allegedly began to drive towards Kamrowski, who subsequently jumped on the hood of Fitzgeralds car. Fitzgerald's attorney said prosecutors' facts are a one-sided version of what happened. Fitzgerald was fearful after Kamrowski grabbed the metal water bottle and tried to smash his windshield, according to his attorney Michael Chinman, adding that he drove off because he was afraid of him, and that's when Kamrowski jumped onto his hood. Several motorists attempted to put a halt to the alleged road rage confrontation. One driver, who police say is a properly licensed gun owner, left his car and ordered Fitzgerald out of his vehicle at gunpoint, putting an end to the wild ride. Prosecutors said Fitzgerald has a prior out-of-state record, with incidents ranging from a prior OUI to assault and reckless endangerment in Vermont and Connecticut. Chinman said these incidents happened over a decade ago, and that Fitzgerald has strong ties to the community in Massachusetts. Authorities say the investigation into the apparent road rage incident is ongoing, and asks anyone who has information to contact state police at 781-431-5050. An electrical malfunction Sunday left approximately 160 skiers and snowboarders stuck on a chairlift at a busy Vermont resort for a few hours, in cold temperatures. "You don't think it's going to happen," said frequent skier Keri Crafts, a Burlington resident who was dangling with her daughters one of them 9 years old on a chairlift at the Stowe Mountain Resort. "My daughter was just uncontrollably crying," Crafts recalled, describing the experience that for some of the affected guests lasted longer than two and a half hours. Stowe said its Lookout Double lift suffered an electrical problem, and a backup engine wasn't working, either. Cellphone video from skiers and riders showed patrollers evacuating guests from the mile-long lift using ropes, getting everyone down safely. A few folks, closer to the ground, chose to jump. "It's never a good idea to jump from a ski lift," said Molly Mahar, who heads the trade group Ski Vermont. Mahar described the type of emergency that happened Sunday as "infrequent." "Vermont ski areas are highly committed to lift safety," Mahar told necn. "This is something they have plans for, and they regularly train their personnel in these procedures." In a statement, Stowe Mountain Resort apologized to its affected guests and said this was the first time in nearly a decade it's had an evacuation. The resort said its focus on equipment maintenance, upgrades, and training is aimed at ensuring the safety and care of guests. "The safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority," Stowe Mountain Resort spokesman Jeff Wise said in the written statement. "There is a very high level of pride and professionalism that the Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol takes in the safety and care of our guests." According to Steve Monahan of the Vermont Tramway Division, under state policy, lifts are inspected before the start of each season and in spot checks throughout the year. Industry sources say ski areas usually need additional inspections for insurance purposes. Monahan couldn't comment on the Stowe case, because it's still under investigation, but said his inspectors tend to tally three or so evacuations a year. This year, statewide, the Vermont Tramway Division has counted five evacuations, blamed on a range of causes, Monahan said. Monahan said the state would not allow failed lifts to run again until problems are identified, repairs are made, and state inspectors are confident the machinery has passed a re-inspection. Crafts said she really appreciates the hard work of Stowe's ski patrollers, but she wished someone could have offered blankets, or at least better updates on what was going on. "It would've be nice if we had a little more information than just being trapped," Crafts said. A French judicial official says police are investigating the theft of an artwork by the British artist Banksy that was painted as a tribute to the victims of the 2015 terror attacks at the Bataclan music hall in Paris. The artwork, a black image appearing to depict a person mourning, had been made on an emergency door at the Bataclan. It was stolen last week. The judicial official was not authorized to be publicly named because the investigation is ongoing. "Banksy's work, a symbol of remembrance and belonging to all: locals, Parisians, citizens of the world, has been taken from us," Bataclan officials said on Twitter. Ninety people were killed on Nov. 13, 2015, at the Bataclan when Islamic extremists invaded the music hall, one of several targets that night in which 130 people died. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has announced the start of statewide community office hours, where constituents can have one-on-one meetings with a representative from his office. The first events will begin this week at locations around the state. In Northern Virginia, they're scheduled for Feb. 4 in Arlington and Woodbridge. See details here. Going forward, the Office of Constituent Services and Community Engagement will hold quarterly visits in each region of the state. The office currently facilitates communication between Northam and residents via phone, email, letters and meetings in Richmond. The new office hours will help community engagement specialists connect residents to state resources and provide information on services, including Medicaid enrollment and the restoration of rights. "My office may be in Richmond, but my administration serves the entire Commonwealth," Northam said in a release. "I want to ensure that all Virginians have more opportunities to engage with my office." An outbreak of violence this weekend in Washington, D.C., has left four people dead and raised the number of gun-related homicides to a total of 18 in January. Only seven homicides were reported in the same time period last year. On Saturday alone, police said there were seven people shot. Detectives are investigating four of those shootings as homicides, including a triple homicide in Southeast D.C. late Saturday night. Police said 26-year-old Sean Shuler, 26-year-old Javon Abney and 24-year-old Tyrik Hagood were shot and killed on Fort Davis Place SE. Three suspects are wanted in the shooting. A separate shooting earlier in the day killed 59-year-old Kevin Jerome Harrison in the 4100 block of Hayes Street NE. D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said Saturday night that the number of gun deaths in the District is unacceptable. "It's too small of a city to have the number of guns that we have," Newsham said. "The police department is arresting a lot of folks carrying illegal firearms. We've got to make sure we have consequences in this city to change behavior, and right now we don't have that." Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said efforts to prevent gun violence require community help. "We have had too many gun crimes at the start of 2019 and already too many lives lost," Bowser said. "Ending the violence is going to take more than just the efforts of MPD." The Trump administration is closely eyeing efforts in Europe to set up an alternative money payment channel to ease doing business with Iran and avoid running afoul of sanctions the U.S. has levied on the Islamic republic. The White House is putting the Europeans on notice, saying that if they try to do an end-run around U.S. sanctions on Iran, they will be subject to stiff fines and penalties. Unfazed, the European Union is marching forward with the plan, which, if implemented, could further strain trans-Atlantic relations. A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said preparations for the alternative system were "at an advanced stage." "I hope that we can announce the launch very soon," Maja Kocijancic told reporters late last week in Brussels. Getting out ahead of a possible announcement, a senior administration official told The Associated Press on Friday that the U.S. will fully enforce its sanctions and hold individuals and entities accountable for undermining them. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue. "The choice is whether to do business with Iran or the United States," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told the AP. "I hope our European allies choose wisely." The U.S. joined China, France, Germany, Russia and Britain in signing a pact with Iran in 2015 that offered to lift economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran's pledge to rein in its nuclear weapons program. President Donald Trump called it a "horrible, one-sided deal." He pulled out of the pact last year and restored punishing U.S. sanctions on Iran. Tehran, which denies wanting nuclear weapons, continues to abide by the agreement, and the remaining five nations in the pact are trying to keep it intact. Restoring the sanctions regime is part of the Trump administration's "maximum pressure campaign" on the Iranians to force them to radically alter their policies on developing ballistic missiles, supporting regional militant groups and violating human rights. The U.S. has many concerns about the alternative payment system, according to an outside Trump administration adviser. The adviser spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the key U.S. worries. Long-term, the U.S. worries that the alternative money payment system could become successful enough to compete with the international bank transfer system known as SWIFT. The fear is that it could eventually supplant SWIFT as the leading global institution for financial institutions to send and receive information about banking transactions. Secondly, the U.S. is concerned that other countries might try to route transactions through the European system just to circumvent U.S. sanctions, the adviser said. Thirdly, while the Europeans have signaled that the alternative money transfer system would be used only for humanitarian transactions, the U.S. is suspicious that it could be used for non-humanitarian transactions to evade U.S. sanctions, the adviser said. "We should oppose efforts to create foreign financial channels that Iran could use to circumvent America's maximum pressure campaign against it, especially when humanitarian exceptions are already in U.S. sanctions laws," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told the AP. As the administration prepares for the potential fallout from the possible the European move, it is pressing ahead with its sanctions campaign against Iran and preparing to co-host with Poland next month a conference that will focus on combatting Iranian threats. On Thursday, Treasury imposed sanctions on two Iran-backed militias in Syria and on Qeshm Fars Air, an Iranian civilian airline it accuses of ferrying weapons and personnel to Syria to support President Bashar Assad's government. The sanctions block any assets those targeted might have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with them. At the same time, the State Department told Congress earlier this month that it would waive some Iranian sanctions to allow U.S. companies to sell spare parts to Iranian airlines, which need them to operate aging, American-built Boeing jets. The waivers raised questions on Capitol Hill because some lawmakers are weighing legislation to specifically target Iran's civilian aviation sector. And Iran hawks outside the administration have expressed concern too. Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said Iran's aviation sector is being used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the Iranian military that has ties to militant networks, which Iran uses to expand its influence in the region and abroad. "What effective controls does the administration have in place to ensure that the aircraft receiving these licensed services are not facilitating Iran's support for these destructive activities?" he asked. The San Diego City Council voted Tuesday to join a California lawsuit against the International Boundary Water Commission (IBWC) over sewage flow from Tijuana, Mexico into the United States. The unanimous vote adds the city of San Diego to a lawsuit brought on by Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the San Diego Regional Water Quality Board against the U.S. sector of the IBWC over claims the agency is not adequately managing sewage-contaminated flows across the border. The lawsuit alleges millions of gallons of waste, including untreated sewage, trash, pesticides and heavy metals have been discharged from the IBWC's treatment facilities in violation of the Clean Water Act. Shorelines of Imperial Beach and the Tijuana Estuary are often closed to the public after spills on the Mexican side of the border and also due to contaminated runoff following rainfall. The lawsuit claimed beaches in Imperial Beach were closed around 150 days a year due to contaminated runoff. Closures sometimes extend as far north as Silver Strand State Beach and Coronado. The lawsuit is asking the court to force the IBWC to comply with the Clean Water Act and the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. In a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, federal attorneys argued that the IBWC is not responsible for the millions of gallons of raw and partially treated sewage that flow into the Pacific Ocean from the Tijuana area. The IBWC "has not violated any environmental law, and, in fact, has done nothing to worsen cross-border pollution. Rather, by constructing and operating a treatment plant in San Diego IBWC has greatly reduced the problems scale," attorneys said. The cities of Imperial Beach and Chula Vista, the Port of San Diego and a local environmental organization, Surfrider Foundation, have all expressed their intent to file federal lawsuits against the IBWC. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said it is possible some of these lawsuits will be consolidated since each municipality and agency have the same goal: to protect the natural habitat in the South Bay and make conditions liveable for residents. "I think youre going to see a lot of movement in 2019 as some of the infrastructure ideas come to fruition, but most importantly we need the funding," Faulconer said. Ahead of the council vote in closed session, Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Councilmember Vivian Moreno spoke publicly to urge the council to vote to join the lawsuit. The mayor's message to the council: "Lets join this lawsuit and help fix this problem once and for all," he said at a press conference along the Tijuana River Estuary, which has had a warning from the Department of Environmental Health since Nov. 29 due to contaminated runoff. "Weve spent a lot of time on the diplomatic front over the last several years and now is the time for action." The Tijuana River crosses the U.S.-Mexico border just west of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and travels northwest, through the Tijuana River Estuary and into the Pacific Ocean south of Imperial Beach. Weather Alert ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM PDT MONDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures between 98 to 102. * WHERE...In Washington, Lower Columbia Basin and Eastern Columbia River Gorge. In Oregon, Lower Columbia Basin and Eastern Columbia River Gorge. * WHEN...From noon to 9 PM PDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Another hot day is possible in parts of the Lower Columbia Basin Tuesday that could pose a risk to heat sensitive groups. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && What to Know Thousands of cartons of fruit nationwide have been recalled over concerns about possible bacterial contamination The affected fruit was sold in places like Costco and Walmart, as well as smaller retailers; it could be contaminated with Listeria Listeria can develop into an infection that could be deadly for young children and people with vulnerable immune systems Thousands of cartons of fruit sold in stores like Walmart and Aldi across 18 U.S. states have been recalled over concerns about bacterial contamination that could cause potentially deadly infections. Jac. Vandenberg, Inc., recalled 1,727 cartons of fresh peaches, 1,207 cartons of fresh nectarines and 365 cartons of fresh plums because they could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can develop into listeriosis, which can be deadly for young children or people with vulnerable immune systems. Federal officials say the affected products were shipped to major supermarket chains like Walmart and Aldi and some smaller retailers in Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia. Click here to see identifying packaging information. NBC has reached out to the company to learn what stores in Illinois were affected. No illnesses have been reported to date because of the issue, which was detected during routine sampling, officials said. Anyone who may have purchased the affected fruit is advised to return it for a full refund. Anyone with questions can contact the company at compliance@jacvandenberg.com. [NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. Healthy people may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Critical food inspections are not happening across the country due to the government shutdown. We spoke to local residents about how this will impact their grocery shopping. Police are searching for a man accused of biting an employee after stealing items from a Target store in Wilmington, Delaware. The incident occurred at the Target on 1050 Brandywine Parkway around 4 p.m. on Jan. 21, police said. Brandon Webster, 28, of Townsend, Delaware, allegedly stole merchandise from the store and was spotted outside by an employee. When the employee approached him and tried to recover the items, Webster bit him on the hand and then fled on foot toward Naamans Road, according to investigators. The employee was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries. Webster is wanted on charges of assault and robbery. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please call Trooper Snook at Delaware State Police Troop 1 at 302-761-6677. You can also call Delaware crime stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. What to Know The owner of a Bordentown, New Jersey, restaurant says a couple left an anti-immigrant note for their server who is multilingual. The message states, "Don't Tip Immigrants," according to the owner who shared a picture of the note on the restaurant's Facebook page. The owner condemned the couple and also pointed out that the server is multilingual and was born in America. The owner of a Burlington County restaurant is speaking out after claiming recent customers left an anti-immigrant message on a bill for a multilingual server. Santiago Orosco, the owner of Under the Moon Cafe in Bordentown, said the incident occurred Thursday night when a couple in their mid to late 40s entered his restaurant. The couple raved about the food, atmosphere and service, according to Orosco. At the end of service our server grabbed the check from the table, told the customers goodnight and thanked them as they were leaving, Orosco wrote on Facebook. While the server was closing out for the night, she noticed a written note on the back of the bill which stated, Dont Tip Immigrants! I can only assume that they heard our American multi-lingual server speak Spanish to another employee, Orosco said. I am utterly shocked at this blatant ignorance. Orosco said hes owned Under the Moon Cafe for the past 13 years, calling Bordentown an amazing community that he and his family are extremely proud to be a part of. He also wrote that he was proud of being an immigrant and described how hard his family worked. I truly believe that immigrants are key contributors to our society, Orosco wrote. Also, I am gay, at Under the Moon we accept all people but not ignorance and discrimination. Orosco also had a message for the couple who allegedly left the note, telling them, Please do not come back! Orosco ended his Facebook post, which has been shared over 200 times so far, with a bit of irony. Your server, who helped create an excellent experience for you, who you discriminated against with written ignorance and no tip, is not an immigrant, Orosco wrote. She is of Spanish descent, born in America and is multi-lingual. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said Sunday that those in power are trying to turn people against each other, which she says is "not our America." Harris, a first-term U.S. senator who announced her candidacy last Monday, rallied supporters outside City Hall in Oakland, her hometown and where she served as a prosecutor before becoming the state attorney general. The event was the formal kickoff for her campaign. "We are here because the American Dream and our American democracy are under attack and on the line like never before," she said. "And we are here at this moment in time because we must answer a fundamental question: Who are we? Who are we as Americans? So, lets answer that question to the world and each other right here and right now. America, we are better than this." Harris also said that racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia and transphobia are real in the U.S. "They are age-old forms of hate with new fuel. And we need to speak that truth so we can deal with it," she said. Harris cast herself as the kind of leader who can unify the country and would fight for the needs of all Americans. "Im running for president because I love my country. Im running to be a president by the people. Of the people. For all the people," she said and echoed the words she has used in courtrooms and has adopted as her campaigns slogan: "My whole life, Ive only had one client: The people." The daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, Harris entered the race on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Campaign aides say she has drawn inspiration from Shirley Chisholm, who in 1972 became the first black woman to run for president from a major party. If Harris were to win the White House, she would be the first African-American woman and first person of Asian descent to be president. Her first news conference as a candidate was on the campus of Howard University, the historically black college in the nations capital that she attended as an undergraduate. On Friday, she was in South Carolina to speak to members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, of which she is a member. Harris campaign is expected to highlight her career as a prosecutor as part of her rationale for seeking the presidency. Harris was the first black woman elected district attorney in California, as well as the first woman, first African-American and first Asian-American to hold that job. Some of her tenure as attorney general, particularly relating to criminal justice, has come under early scrutiny. Harris is among the first major Democrats to jump into what is expected to be a crowded 2020 presidential contest. Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York have announced exploratory committees. Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney and Julian Castro, federal housing chief under President Barack Obama and a former San Antonio mayor, already are in the race. Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Bernie Sanders of Vermont may also run. In her Oakland speech, Harris said she sees this year as an "inflection point" in American history and that she is best positioned to unite a divided country. "Even though we have powerful forces trying to sow hate and division, the truth is that, as Americans, we have much more in common than what separates us," according to her prepared remarks. After the rally, Harris planned to her first trip to Iowa as a presidential candidate. In the weeks before last Novembers elections, Harris traveled to the leadoff caucus state to campaign on behalf of Democrats, and also visited other early-voting states. Harriss campaign will be based in Baltimore and led by Juan Rodriguez who managed her 2016 Senate campaign. Aides say the campaign will have a second office in Oakland. What to Know Authorities say a Nebraska man who drove 17 miles in the wrong direction on a highway in Connecticut has been charged with a DWI. Officials say the SUV narrowly missed multiple police vehicles. Police say 37-year-old Kory Langan, of Columbus, is also charged with reckless driving and other offenses. Authorities say a Nebraska man who drove 17 miles in the wrong direction on a highway in Connecticut has been charged with driving while intoxicated. State police say officials received numerous 911 calls Saturday reporting that a SUV was traveling southbound in the northbound lane on I-395 in the town of Plainfield. Officials say the SUV narrowly missed multiple police vehicles before officers could deploy stop sticks to deflate three of its tires. The driver kept going, but police were able to eventually stop and arrest him. Police say 37-year-old Kory Langan, of Columbus, is also charged with reckless driving and other offenses. A person who answered the phone at a number listed for Langan told Associated Press it was the wrong number. It wasnt immediately clear if he had a lawyer. A chance meeting with a patrol car may have saved one toddler's life. Little Alexander Ramirez was being rushed to the hospital on Wednesday by his mother and grandmother because he had stopped breathing, the NYPD said. The 22-month-old was unconscious. That's when they saw a patrol car at the intersection of 104th Street and Northern Boulevard in Queens. They pulled up and said they needed help. Officers took the baby, mom and grandma in their patrol car and sped off with lights on and siren blaring to Elmhurst Hospital. On the way, one of the officers sat in the back seat with Alexander and performed CPR, police said. At the hospital, both officers and family handed Alexander over to medical staff. He regained consciousness and went back home that evening, police said. Officers FaceTimed with Alexander and his mom, who were in the Dominican Republic, for a wellness check on Friday. Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone may be accused of lying and tampering with witnesses, but it's equally notable what he's not charged with: colluding with the Kremlin in a grand conspiracy to help Trump win the presidency in 2016. The case is the latest in a series brought by special counsel Robert Mueller that focuses on cover-ups but lays out no underlying crime. It's a familiar pattern in Washington, where scandals from Watergate to Iran-Contra and Whitewater have mushroomed into presidency-imperiling affairs due to efforts to conceal and mislead. In the Russia investigation, one Trump aide after another has been accused of lying to investigators, or encouraging others to do so, about Russia-related contacts during the campaign and transition period. Mueller may well have evidence of criminal coordination between Trump associates and Russia that he has yet to reveal, but so far, he's focused repeatedly on those he believes have tried to throw federal or congressional investigators off the trail. Stone's indictment charges him with seven felonies, including witness tampering, obstruction and false statements, while leaving open the question of whether his or the Trump's campaign's interest in exploiting Russia-hacked emails about Democrat Hillary Clinton crossed a legal line. "There's sort of two possible ways this investigation could end up. One is he finds this big Russian conspiracy or collusion with the Russians to influence the election," said Randall Eliason, a George Washington University white-collar criminal law professor and former federal prosecutor. "The other, I think very real possibility, is he just finds a cover-up." The Stone case is in some way reminiscent of Mueller prosecutions that have accused former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen of lying to Congress about his role in a Moscow real estate project; former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn of lying about his contacts with the Russia's U.S. ambassador; and ex-campaign aide George Papadopoulos of lying about his knowledge that Russia had "dirt" on Clinton in the form of stolen emails. In none of those cases did prosecutors say the things the defendants lied about were crimes themselves. The absence of a definitive answer to the collusion question, more than 20 months into Mueller's work, has given the president and his allies a wedge to attack the investigation. In the hours after Stone's pre-dawn arrest at his Florida home Friday, Trump returned to his favored refrain of "NO COLLUSION" on Twitter. His lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, mocked the case as "nothing more than another false statement charge" and speculated without evidence that Mueller's inquiry was nearing an end. But with each new charge, Mueller continues to publicly untangle Trump campaign operations and their intersection with Russia's efforts to hurt Clinton and help Trump. The Stone indictment, for instance, reflects an unflattering portrait of a presidential campaign eager to exploit stolen emails about a political opponent. It alleges that Stone informed unidentified senior Trump campaign officials of what Stone was hearing about plans by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks regarding the hacked emails. It says a senior Trump campaign official "was directed" to contact Stone about additional releases and "what other damaging information" WikiLeaks had "regarding the Clinton campaign." Though those allegations don't form the basis of any of the charges against Stone, their inclusion in the 24-page indictment could signal that Mueller isn't done with that prong of the investigation. He already has charged 12 Russian military intelligence officers in the hacking of Democratic email accounts, setting up the potential for prosecutions of any Americans who might be involved in that conspiracy. "This doesn't look to me like an investigation that's about to wrap up," said Stanford law professor David Alan Sklansky. "I would be cautious about reading too much into what's not in the indictment." All told, Mueller has charged six Trump associates and 34 people overall, along with three companies. It is unclear when the investigation might end. A defiant Stone, flashing a Nixonian-style victory sign, emerged from the courthouse on Friday to proclaim his innocence and predict his vindication. He was released on $250,000 bond and will make his first court appearance Tuesday in Washington, where the case was brought. "As I have said previously, there is no circumstance whatsoever under which I will bear false witness against the president, nor will I make up lies to ease the pressure on myself," Stone said. He denied prosecutors' accusation that he repeatedly lied to the House Intelligence Committee, including when he said he had not discussed his pursuit of the stolen emails with any Trump campaign officials. Stone has previously denied that he ever bullied other witnesses to change their testimony, which is another allegation he faces. Jimmy Gurule, a Notre Dame law professor and former Justice Department official, said that so far Mueller's Russian defendants stand accused of one set of crimes and the American ones accused of separate violations, without direct evidence linking the two. But, he said, the repeated allegations of lies and false statements might speak to a "consciousness of guilt" that could pique a prosecutor's interest and suggest more grounds to pursue. "I do think that it's more than just coincidental that there's all of these communications between multiple members of the Trump campaign and Russians, and efforts by members of the Trump campaign to cover up and conceal" those communications, he said. What to Know Sebring police announced Monday that Zephen Xaver bought a 9mm handgun and ammunition just days before the shooting at a Suntrust Bank Authorities say the man who fatally shot five women at a Florida bank last week bought a gun several days before the shooting. Sebring police announced Monday that 21-year-old Zephen Xaver bought a 9mm handgun and ammunition just days before Wednesday's shooting at a SunTrust branch. A news release says testing is underway to determine if that gun was the same one used inside the bank. The shooting left four employees and one customer dead. Police have said Xaver shot the women in an apparently random act of violence. Prosecutors could seek the death penalty for Xaver, who faces five counts of premeditated murder. Xaver was hired as a trainee prison guard at Avon Park Correctional Institution on Nov. 2 and resigned Jan. 9. No disciplinary issues were reported. It's Monday, Jan. 28 and NBC 6 has the top six stories you need to know to start your work week. It will be a mostly cloudy, cool and breezy Monday morning with temperatures in the low-to-mid-50s ahead of a sunnier afternoon. No. 1 The National Weather Service is investigating whether a tornado touched down in Hialeah on Sunday. Severe weather lasted for hours in South Florida on Sunday, toppling trucks and causing some flooding. No. 2 Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that an "atmospheric phenomenon" in Havana killed three people and injured 172 others. The Meteorological Institute of the Republic of Cuba will release a report on Monday about the weather event. No. 3 Today is the first day of the 2019 tax season. Meaning you can file your taxes from Monday until mid-April. This will be the first filing season that taxpayers will see the full effects of tax laws introduced in 2017. No. 4 Former Vice President Joe Biden will attend a moderated discussion with a question-and-answer portion with the audience at the Broward Center of the Performing Arts. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. No. 5 The 'Dream Defenders' a group seen in a viral video being confronted by a man and woman on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day plan to hold another protest Monday. The group will be alongside a "related group" in Brickell at about noon to protest the redevelopment of Liberty Square. No. 6 Two drivers are recovering after a wrong-way crash on Florida State Road 826 early Monday in Miami Lakes. The incident occurred at about 3 a.m. on SR 826 northbound between Northwest 154th Street and Miami Lakes Drive. The vehicles were heavily damaged. Apple on Sunday launched its first program dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs develop apps. The Cupertino-based tech giant invited 11 companies run by women to participate in a free two-week entrepreneur camp. The goal: to help women successfully develop their apps. "We can't wait to see you and your skills and help you thrive with your apps," Esther Hare of Apple's developer relations told the group. To qualify, a company must be run or founded by a woman or have a woman on the development team. Elena Krasnoperova of Los Altos said she welcomes advice about ways she can improve the app she designed to help make life easier for divorced parents. "I feel I won the lotto," said Krasnoperova, founder and CEO of FamTerra. "Developing is a lot of hard work, and getting mentorship and advice from Apple is like a dream come true." For the next two weeks, participants will receive coding help from Apple engineers and attend sessions on design, technology and marketing. Some of the entrepreneurs are developing apps targeted specifically for women. Renee Olson, for instance, is working on a dating app that will better help women find a good match. She's hoping the entrepreneur camp will take her app to the next level. "Helping me implement new features and also just being here to network," said Olson, founder of Mental Mobile, based in Southern California. The developers are from all parts of the world, and many are hoping the experience with Apple will also help them get the financial backing they need to get their apps into the market. Apple plans to offer the camp to 20 female entrepreneurs every quarter. Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington are celebrating after finding a new species of snake, but it's how they made their exciting discovery that's really turning heads. Dr. Jonathan Campbell and his team traveled to a remote part of Mexico, accessible only by horseback, to catalogue and look at different kinds of reptiles that lived in the area. A family they befriended had recently killed a coral snake that wandered onto their property. Eager to preserve to it, he went to collect it. "At that point, I noticed it had something in it's belly," said Campbell, a Professor of Biology at UTA. "So I dissected another snake out. And much to my surprise, it was something I was totally unfamiliar with. I thought I knew most of the snakes in that area. But with a little bit of research, we were certain it was a new species." The scientific community has agreed with them, publishing their discovery in a recent scientific journal. They gave the small, eight-inch long snake the scientific name cenaspis aenigma, which translates to "mystery dinner snake." Campbell said they're still working on a common name. "It's always very exciting to think that you're holding in your hand something that no one else has ever seen," said Campbell. "I was sent a Wikipedia account of it. The description has been out for less than a month and it already has its own account -- so it's not doing too badly I guess." Campbell and his team have visited that same part of Mexico multiple times since making the discovery. But to this day, they have yet to find a live one. He said part of the difficulty in finding it -- he believes the snake spends most of its life underground. "Maybe it's not surprising that we haven't found another one," said Campbell. "But I think they're still there. And I'm looking forward to having someone write a paper down the line telling me what the live ones look like and where they were found." For the first time this year, 800,000 federal employees will head to work Monday knowing they are working toward a paycheck. Friday, the White House announced the government would reopen for 21 days while talks continue over border security and a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The move ended the 35-day partial government shutdown, with no guarantee it won't happen again. "It's helpful because it gets us paid during that time, but it's also very scary to know that in 21 days it can happen all over again," said Becky Mancha a Transportation Security Officer at Dallas Love Field Airport. Mancha, like other TSA employees, worked through the shutdown, but did not receive a paycheck for two pay periods. She expected to begin receiving pay later this week, but added she'd already canceled medical appointments and put off a deal to buy a house. Mancha said her family had been conserving, in preparation for another possible shutdown. "It's hard to know that I have to go through this when I'm doing my job," Mancha said. "I'm there everyday taking care of the mission for the TSA, making sure the public is safe when they fly." "Hopefully we don't have to go through this again, but I'm telling folks, 'Be prepared,'" said Rudy Garcia, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1040. Garcia said he expected federal workers to push for more safeguards after they worked through the 35-day shutdown. "We need laws to protect us and keep us paid," Garcia said. "And let you folks argue that out on the national level." "It's about a budget, or it's about a wall, or it's about this, or it's about that. Look at the people it's affecting. That's what you really need to look at," Mancha said. The agreement with congressional leaders will last until Feb. 15. The investigation continues into Friday's deadly crash involving a train and school bus in Athens, Texas. More has come to light about the school bus driver, John Stevens, who police say drove over train tracks right into the path of an oncoming train. Students at Athens Middle School returned to class Monday morning wearing maroon to honor classmate Christopher Bonilla. Students also placed flowers at a memorial inside the school building in memory of Bonilla. The 13-year-old was killed in Friday's crash. Bonilla's 9-year-old cousin was seriously injured in the crash. Bonilla's funeral will be held Friday at 11 a.m. in the Athens High School gym and classes at all campuses will be canceled, the school district said. Athletic events involving Athens ISD teams will also be rescheduled. Those wishing to help the families affected by the crash can donate to a benefit account at two First State Bank locations in Athens -- downtown and Tyler Street -- as well as in Malakoff, Mabank, Gun Barrel City and Corsicana. The school bus driver, identified by police as Stevens, arrived at his home on Monday with visible injuries to his face and arm. The 78-year-old spoke briefly with NBC 5 and said he wished "40 million times over it wouldn't have happened, but it did," adding "it was an accident." Regina Fuller is Steven's longtime neighbor. "He gets up, goes to work and he's really been shook up since Friday," she said. Fuller said she has driven over the exact crossing where the accident happened. "There's no light or nothing, nothing for the train to go down, so cars be going through there," she said. Athens police said Stevens came to a stop, then continued to cross the tracks directly in front of a Union Pacific train. Although there are not automated arms or warning lights in place, a witness told police they heard the train's horns as it got closer to the crossing. Athens Independent School District's spokeswoman told NBC 5 that Stevens was hired last August and had driven buses at two other school districts in the state for 11 years. "[He] came to us with a clean driving record, passed every single test, has every bit certification that a bus driver is supposed to have. That includes a medical examination. He got it, he passed it," Athens ISD spokesperson Toni Clay said. However, Clay would not say whether bus drivers undergo additional training on a district level. "From the time he was hired until the tragedy on Friday, there was no incident involving that driver," she said. Athens police are leading the investigation. Union Pacific is also investigating the crash. Police were looking at the crash report Monday afternoon trying to determine what led to the crash. Police would not say whether the school bus driver will face any criminal charges. A strike by tens of thousands of teachers in Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest school district, began Monday with picketing and a protest march to district headquarters after the two sides did not renew negotiations over the weekend. Talks broke down Friday when the teachers' union rejected as "woefully inadequate" a new offer from the LA Unified School District. With no new discussions scheduled, pickets began Monday morning as teachers stood firm on sticking points including higher pay and smaller class sizes. "We are here for the kids, to try to get the district to understand that our classes are too large," one teacher said as he held an umbrella to ward off rain. "We need more help in the classrooms, we need more help in the offices. We need nurses paid for at every school, and we had no choice. We don't want to be out here; I'd rather be in my classroom. But that's where it's gotten, and we'll be out here as long as we need to be." Schools will stay open despite the walkout. The district has hired hundreds of substitutes to replace teachers and others who leave for picket lines. The union has said it was "irresponsible" to hire subs and called on parents to consider keeping students home or join marchers during the strike. At a Monday morning news conference, United Teachers Los Angeles President Alex Caputo-Pearl addressed fellow union members, parents and students at John Marshall High School. It was one of the locations where picketing began. "Here we are on a rainy day in the richest country in the world, in the richest state in the country, in a state that's blue as it can be -- and in a city rife with millionaires -- where teachers have to go on strike to get the basics for our students," Caputo-Pearl said. "Here we are in a fight for the soul of public education. The question is: do we starve our public neighborhood schools so that they (become) privatized, or do we re-invest in our public neighborhood schools for our students and for a thriving city?" The district's latest offer included adding nearly 1,200 teachers, counselors, nurses and librarians to schools, reducing class sizes by two students, and capping class sizes to between 32 and 39 students, depending on age and curriculum. The offer also included the district's previously proposed 6 percent salary increase over the first two years of a three-year contract. The district issued a statement via social media Sunday night, noting that district campuses on Monday "will be open providing every student with a safe and welcoming learning environment," although early education centers will only be open for special-needs students, and state preschool sites will be closed. "Los Angeles Unified did not want a strike and offered UTLA leaders a $565 million package to significantly reduce class sizes, add nearly 1,200 educators in schools and provide all UTLA members with 6 percent salary raises," the statement continued. "Los Angeles Unified remains committed to contract negotiations and will continue to work around the clock to find solutions to end the strike which will hurt students, families and communities most in need throughout Los Angeles." The union, United Teachers Los Angeles, wants a 6.5 percent hike that would take effect all at once and be retroactive to fiscal 2017. Union officials said some of the district's proposals would expire after a year, calling it disrespectful. Officials said the district was imploring the union to reconsider, adding that it rejected the new offer without proposing a counteroffer. "We remain committed to resolve the contract negotiations as soon as possible," superintendent Austin Beutner said at a Monday news conference. "We made our last proposal to UTLA on Friday, which was rejected... We urge them to resume bargaining with us anytime, anywhere, 24-7. We'd like to resolve this." A majority of UTLA's 35,000 members are expected to join the work stoppage. A large crowd of protesters with picket signs gathered in the rain Monday morning outside Los Angeles City Hall. They were planning to march to district headquarters. Abram van der Fluit, a Los Angeles teacher opposed to the strike, said in a statement Sunday that colleagues who agree with him are "fearful" of speaking out against the union. He's a former UTLA member and currently part of the California Teachers Empowerment Network, which describes itself as a nonpartisan information source for teachers and the public. "I don't support the rationale for the strike as articulated by UTLA," he said. "I don't believe that the reasons for the strike should be our priorities, as teachers." Van der Fluit, a 20-year LAUSD veteran who teaches high school biology, said the union should prioritize other issues including creating access to vocational education classes and providing options for students who want to pursue careers that don't necessarily require a college degree. Much of the acrimony between the district and the union centers around the new superintendent, Austin Beutner. The investment banker and former Los Angeles deputy mayor took the job last year without any experience in education. The union argues that Beutner is trying to privatize the district, encouraging school closures and flipping public schools into charter schools. Charters are privately operated public schools that compete with the school system for students and the funds they bring in. Beutner has said his plan to reorganize the district would improve services to students and families. The teachers are tapping into a shift in public sentiment that supports better wages for educators that came with a "Red4Ed" movement that began last year in West Virginia, where a strike resulted in a raise. The movement spread to Oklahoma, Kentucky, Colorado, Arizona and Washington state. As the second largest school district in the nation, LAUSD covers an area totaling 710 square miles and serves more than 694,000 students at 1,322 schools, although 216 schools are independent charter schools, most of which are staffed with non-union teachers that would not be affected by the strike. LAUSD says about 500,000 students and 1,100 schools will be impacted by the strike. About 80 percent of the district's students come from low-income households and qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch, and around 25 percent are learning English. The district says it intends to keep all of its schools open in the event of a strike while it also continues to serve around 1 million meals each day. The district also says it intends to attempt to keep some instruction going for students during the strike. Four hundred substitutes have been hired for the task, and 2,000 administrators with teaching credentials have been reassigned. However, with more than 25,000 teachers expected to strike and at least 31,000 UTLA members set to walk out, LAUSD is expected in many cases to do no more than supervise students during the day in auditoriums and other large spaces. LAUSD has established an information hotline for parents at (213) 443-1300 to answer questions about the planned strike and its possible impact. Picketing, Rallies Begin Monday Morning Picketing began Monday morning and coincided with the news conference at John Marshall High School. A rally and march started at Grand Park on Spring Street in front of City Hall and was expected to head downtown to LAUSD headquarters. There, more picketing by teachers, parents and students is set for between 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in front of Marianna Avenue Elementary School, 4215 Gleason St. union officials said. The proceedings will wrap up with a 5 p.m. news conference at the UTLA building on 3303 Wilshire Blvd., organizers said. The UTLA said it will stream most events live on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Calls for Negotiations On Sunday, United Way of Greater Los Angeles released a letter signed by a number of civic leaders that urged both sides to come together. "This crisis cannot be solved by the Los Angeles Unified School District alone. LAUSD is on the brink of fiscal insolvency -- a stark reality that has been acknowledged by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and other elected officials, UCLA Education Professor Pedro Noguera, President Obama's former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the Los Angeles County Office of Education, several forecasts commissioned by multiple LAUSD superintendents, and by the Los Angeles Times," the letter read. "...We urge the teachers union and the school district to reach an agreement and avert a strike, and to put their collective efforts toward securing resources for our teachers and students without devastating the finances of the district. This must include resolving the issue of the district's unsustainable pension liabilities." The city of Los Angeles has established a web site, at www.lamayor.org/StudentsAndFamilies, describing city resources available to students and parents during a strike. Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city would bolster staffing and resources at city recreation centers, libraries and Family Source Centers "to support families with additional options." Meanwhile, L.A. County Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Hilda Solis filed a motion on Friday seeking to identify up to $10 million in county funds that could be directed to the LAUSD to enhance health care for students. The motion will be presented to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The county operates dozens of school-based health centers on LAUSD campuses, and the County Department of Mental Health also provides outpatient mental health services and crisis counseling throughout LAUSD. "A strike would disrupt the lives of so many students and their families. L.A. County is stepping up to help LAUSD because it is incumbent upon all of us to help find a way out of this impending crisis," Ridley-Thomas said. A tornado and pounding rains smashed into the eastern part of Cuba's capital overnight, toppling trees, bending power poles and flinging shards of metal roofing through the air as the storm cut a path of destruction across eastern Havana. Power was cut to many areas and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Monday at least three people were killed and 172 injured. The severe weather began Sunday night and continued through early Monday. "We are traveling through places affected by an atmospheric phenomenon of great intensity in Regla," Diaz-Canel wrote on Twitter. "The damage is severe, so far we regret the loss of 3 human lives and treated 172 injured. Several brigades working already in the restoration." Estamos recorriendo lugares afectados por fenomeno atmosferico de gran intensidad en Regla. Los danos son severos, hasta el momento lamentamos la perdida de 3 vidas humanas y se atienden 172 heridos. Varias brigadas trabajando ya en el restablecimiento #SomosCuba pic.twitter.com/mPo9yAnaZy Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez (@DiazCanelB) January 28, 2019 Julio Menendez, a 33-year-old restaurant worker said Havana's 10 de Octubre borough looked "like a horror movie." "From one moment to the next, we heard a noise like an airplane falling out of the sky. The first thing I did was go hug my daughters," who are 9 and 12, he told The Associated Press. Driver Oster Rodriguez said that amid a fierce storm, what looked like a thick, swirling cloud touched down in the central plaza of the Reparto Modelo neighborhood "like a fireball." He saw a bus blown over, though he said the driver escaped unharmed. Miguel Angel Hernandez of the Cuban Center for Meteorology said the tornado was a Category F3, with winds between 155 and 199 miles per hour, produced when a cold front hit Cuba's northern coast. Members of the Provincial Defense Council of Havana said 90 homes collapsed completely and 30 suffered partial collapse. More than 200,000 people lost water service, largely because of power cuts that left pumps out of service. Some 100 underground cisterns close to the coastal section of Havana were contaminated by seawater. Three electric substations were knocked out by the tornado, the strongest to hit Cuba since Dec. 26, 1940, when a Category F4 tornado hit the town of Bejucal, in what is now Mayabeque province. The windows in the seven-story Daughters of Galicia Hospital were sucked out of their frames by the wind, leaving curtains flapping in the breeze, and all the patients, new and expectant mothers, had to be evacuated. In the streets, a palm tree more than 30 feet (9 meters) tall had crushed a pre-revolutionary American car. Some of the heaviest damage from Sunday night's rare Havana tornado was in the eastern borough of Guanabacoa, where the apparent twister tore the roof off a shelter for dozens of homeless families. Cubans enduring long waits for government housing often live in such multifamily shelters for years. Maria Esther Linares, 54, was killed while hunting for safe shelter after the tornado broke the roof of the home where she was living with two granddaughters, said her grandson, Yoelkis Dip. Dianabys Bueno, 31, was living in the shelter with her husband and son after they were forced to relocate by the collapse of their home in Central Havana. Much of the housing in Havana is in dire condition due to years without maintenance, and building collapses are routine even in ordinary storms. "This has already happened to us once," Bueno said. "I'm not going anywhere." Around Havana, cars were crushed by fallen light posts and vehicles were trapped in floodwaters. The neighborhoods of Regla and 10 de Octubre appeared to have suffered some of the worst damage. State media said the city had been hit by winds in excess of 60 mph (100 kph). Leanys Calvo, a restaurant cook in the 10th de Octubre borough, said she was working Sunday night despite heavy rain and wind when she heard a rumbling noise outside and looked out to see what appeared to be a tornado touching down. "It was something that touched down, and then took off again. It was like a tower," she said, describing it as displaying colors of red and green. "It was here for two-three seconds, nothing more. They were the most frightening seconds of my life." The tornado tore the concrete roof off an apartment building in the Regla section of Havana and dumped it into an alleyway, briefly trapping residents in their homes. Marlene Marrero Garcia, 77, said she was in her ground-floor apartment with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren Sunday night when she heard electrical transformers begin to explode. Then the tornado passed. "It looked like fire, everything was red, then everything began to fall," she said. Marrero said she and her family were trapped by debris for about half an hour before firefighters arrived. She and other residents said two of their neighbors had been hospitalized. Groups in the Miami area are collecting donations for Cubans affected by the tornado. Donations can be dropped off at Porto Alegre Brazilian Grill in Hialeah from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday. Travel agency Montes de Oca Travel will also be accepting donations from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Feb. 3 at Westland Mall in Hialeah. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ordered that Illinois join a group of U.S. states committed to following the Paris Climate Agreement on reducing carbon emissions. The Democrat signed an executive order Wednesday to make Illinois the 18th member of the U.S. Climate Alliance. It means Illinois will abide by the Paris agreement that aims at reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 28 percent by 2025. Former President Barack Obama signed the U.S. onto the Paris accord in 2016 but President Donald Trump withdrew months later. Pritzker's order also directs the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to monitor the Trump administration's environmental proposals and look for ways to "protect Illinoisans from environmental harm." Illinois has already set a goal of reliance on renewable energy for 25 percent of its energy consumption by 2025. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brought the Trump administration's anti-Iran message to Gulf Arab states on Friday as he continued a nine-nation tour of the Middle East aimed at reassuring America's partners that withdrawing troops from Syria does not mean Washington is abandoning the region. Pompeo was traveling to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates where he will call for increasing pressure on Iran and push for unity among Gulf neighbors still embroiled in a festering dispute with Qatar. He'll also be promoting a U.S.-backed initiative to form what some have termed an "Arab NATO" that would bring the region together in a military alliance to counter threats from Iran. In Bahrain, the UAE and later Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait, Pompeo will also be making the case as he did on previous stops in Jordan, Iraq and Egypt that President Donald Trump's decision to pull U.S. troops from Syria is not a sign Washington is retreating from the fight against the Islamic State group. U.S. partnerships with the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council "are critical to achieving shared regional objectives: defeating ISIS, countering radical Islamic terrorism, protecting global energy supplies, and rolling back Iranian aggression," the State Department said in a statement released as Pompeo departed Egypt for Bahrain, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. But the now 2-year-old crisis between GCC members Saudi Arabia and UAE and Qatar has hampered U.S. attempts to forge a unified front against Iran. Washington's efforts to ease the dispute, begun by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have thus far failed and took another hit this week when the former general tasked to broker a solution stepped down. "A united GCC is the backbone for regional peace, prosperity, security, and stability, and is essential to countering the single greatest threat to regional stability: the Iranian regime," the State Department said. At each of his stops in the Gulf, Pompeo will be urging progress on creating the Middle East Strategic Alliance, which would join GCC militaries with those of Egypt and Jordan to serve as a counter-balance to Iran, which they all accuse of fomenting unrest and rebellion throughout the region. In addition, Pompeo will call for boosting efforts to end the conflict in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been battling Iranian-backed rebels in what the U.N. says is now the world's worst humanitarian crisis, the department said. U.N.-led peace efforts in Yemen, along with attempts to broker a political solution to the war in Syria that "expels every last Iranian boot from the country" and promoting reconciliation in Afghanistan will also be high on Pompeo's agenda, the State Department said. Pompeo kicked off the Gulf portion of his tour after a stop in Cairo, where he delivered a scathing rebuke of former President Barack Obama's Middle East policies that Obama had outlined in a 2009 address to the Arab and broader Muslim world. In a speech entitled "A Force for Good: America's Reinvigorated Role in the Middle East," Pompeo accused the former president of "misguided" thinking that diminished America's role in the region while harming its longtime friends and emboldening Iran. He unloaded on the Obama administration for being naive and timid when confronted with challenges posed by the revolts that convulsed the Middle East, including Egypt, beginning in 2011. And, he said the Trump administration was taking action to repair the damage. "The age of self-inflicted American shame is over, and so are the policies that produced so much needless suffering," Pompeo said in the speech, which was itself denounced by former Obama administration officials for pandering to autocrats, ignoring human rights concerns. "That this administration feels the need, nearly a decade later, to take potshots at an effort to identify common ground between the Arab world and the West speaks not only to the Trump administration's pettiness but also to its lack of a strategic vision for America's role in the region and its abdication of America's values," National Security Action group, a group of former officials, said in a statement. Pompeo blamed the previous administration's approach to the Mideast for the ills that consume it now, particularly the rise of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria and Iran's increasing assertiveness, which he said was a direct result of sanctions relief, since rescinded by the Trump administration, granted to it under the 2015 nuclear deal. He said Obama ignored the growth of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon to the detriment of Israel's security and not doing enough to push back on Iran-supported rebels in Yemen. Since withdrawing from the nuclear deal last year, the administration has steadily ratcheted up pressure on Tehran and routinely accuses the nation of being the most destabilizing influence in the region. It has vowed to increase the pressure until Iran halts what U.S. officials describe as its "malign activities" throughout the Mideast and elsewhere, including support for rebels in Yemen, anti-Israel groups, and Syrian President Bashar Assad. What to Know Michael Eugene Moore was featured on the TV show, accused by authorities of stabbing his wife repeatedly and abducting their child in 1996. Weeks later, the girl was found in Miami and returned to her mother in Richmond. A Virginia fugitive who was featured on "America's Most Wanted" two decades ago was arrested after a three-hour standoff with deputies in Florida, authorities said. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office said 46-year-old Michael Eugene Moore has a fugitive warrant in Virginia. Moore was featured on "America's Most Wanted" after he was accused of stabbing his wife 33 times and abducting their 5-year-old daughter in March 1996. His wife survived. Weeks later, their daughter was found in Miami and returned to her mother in Richmond, Virginia, after the little girl's photo appeared on the show. Moore remained a fugitive until Saturday. That afternoon, a license plate reader in Florida detected a vehicle that had been stolen during an armed robbery in Virginia, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. Deputies signaled the driver to stop in Palm Coast, south of Jacksonville. Moore eventually stopped but refused to get out, so the sheriff's office established a permieter and begain to evacaute homes in the immediate area, authorities said. Moore surrendered three hours later after the sheriff called in a SWAT team. Moore is being held in Florida, where police say he is facing charges of grand theft and resisting arrest without violence in Flagler County. He is also being held as a fugitive from justice for Virginia authorities, the sheriff's office said. Some abortion opponents who were in San Francisco for the Walk for Life over the weekend say they were outraged after they claim they were told to leave an art gallery in the city because of their views on the issue. The group of students from California State University, Sacramento said around 9:15 p.m. Saturday they entered the Dennis Rae Fine Art gallery located on Beach Street. They said a woman working at the gallery approached them and asked if they were part of the anti-abortion walk. After responding with a yes, the students claim the woman told them to leave. "Just an FYI, we're getting kicked out because we're pro-life," someone can be heard saying in a video that captured part of the encounter. "Good, yes, yes," the woman at the gallery says in response. "I am pro-life. I am pro-choice. You are pro-death." The gallery owner, David Schach, said what happened was a misunderstanding, and the students weren't asked to leave because of their political views. "We respect your rights, we respect your views, and I apologize," Schach said. "We were just trying to close the doors. It was late in the evening around 9:15-9:30. Im sorry this happened to you. We were not trying to force you to leave or be mean to you." Workers at the art gallery declined to speak on camera, but they said they were trying to close the gallery when the students walked in. The workers added that the students wouldn't leave and that the woman seen in the video felt threatened. The students maintained they were respectful and did nothing wrong. "I felt like it was very like 1950s, like getting kicked out of a restaurant because of your race," Carmen Perez said. "But in this case, it was because of our political views." The students later issued a statement, saying they "appreciate the owner's partial apology," but they added that the owner "fails to address the misstatements made by his employees to us." "We were peaceful and we respectfully left even though we were treated disrespectfully," part of the statement read. "This apology does not acknowledge what happened to us as Profile advocates from California who were in San Francisco utilizing our constitutional right to free speech...Never in our lives as Prolife advocates have we ever experienced such fear, disrespect and hostility for our political and religious beliefs. The owner failed to mention that his employee was clearly throwing us out for our prolife views, as she states it in the video." The students closed the statement by writing, "We send the owner and the employee love and prayers and hope that this was a one-time event and that such discrimination will never happen again on their business premises. We were taught to give respect and that is what we gave the employees at the gallery." The number of confirmed measles cases near Portland grew to 31 on Friday an outbreak boosted by lower-than-normal vaccination rates in what has been called an anti-vaccination U.S. "hot spot." Public health officials in southwest Washington, just across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon, said people may have been exposed to the dangerous disease at more than three dozen locations, including Portland International Airport, a Portland Trail Blazers game, an Amazon Locker location and stores such as Costco and Ikea. Twenty-six of the confirmed patients had not been vaccinated against measles, and the vaccination status of four others who were infected is unknown. One child has been hospitalized. Authorities say nine additional cases are suspected. One case also has been confirmed in King County, which is home to Seattle and one was confirmed Friday evening in Multnomah County, which is home to Portland. Most of the cases involved children younger than 10, the Clark County Public Health Department said in a statement. One adult is infected, and the rest are teenagers. Oregon officials didn't provide the age of the adult infected there. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, declared a statewide public health emergency for his state on Friday. Authorities in neighboring Oregon and Idaho have issued warnings. Inslee said the number of cases "creates an extreme public health risk that may quickly spread to other counties." The measles vaccine has been part of routine childhood shots for decades, and measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. But measles is still a big problem in other parts of the world. Travelers infected abroad can bring the virus into the country and spread it, causing periodic outbreaks. Last year, there were 17 outbreaks and about 350 cases of measles in the U.S. Officials still are not sure where this Pacific Northwest outbreak began. The first known patient sought medical care on Dec. 31, but it is unknown if other people may have gotten sick before that and did not seek treatment. Public health officials are focused for now on preventing more exposures. It could be weeks or even months before the "exquisitely contagious" virus runs its course in Washington, Dr. Alan Melnick, the Clark County health officer, said Friday. People who choose not to vaccinate their children are underestimating the dangers of the illness, said Melnick, who himself had measles as a child, before the vaccine was commonplace. Before the vaccine, 400 to 500 people died from the measles each year, 50,000 people were hospitalized and 4,000 people developed brain swelling that can cause deafness, he said. Between one and three cases out of every 1,000 are fatal, he said. "It's one of the most contagious viruses we have. It can have really serious complications ... and it's entirely preventable with an incredibly cheap and safe vaccine," Melnick said. Clark County has already spent more than $100,000 trying to contain the outbreak, and staff is being pulled from other duties, including restaurant inspections, he said. "It's all hands on deck. Clearly this is going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it wouldn't surprise me if we were in the seven figures by the time we're done here," he said. "These costs could have been prevented if we had everybody vaccinated." Clark County, which includes the Portland bedroom community of Vancouver, Washington, has a measles vaccination rate of 78 percent, well below the 92 to 94 percent rate required for so-called "herd immunity," said Marissa Armstrong, the department's spokeswoman. Herd immunity happens when unvaccinated individuals are protected from infection because almost everyone around them has been vaccinated and is immune to a disease. The measles vaccination rate for 2-year-olds in Multnomah County, home to Portland, was 87 percent in 2017, according to state data. The measles vaccine consists of two shots, one given by age 2 and the second usually between ages 4 and 6. Data on Portland's vaccination rate for both shots wasn't immediately available. Two doses of the vaccine in childhood are 97 percent effective and provide lifetime immunity. One dose is about 93 percent effective. Both Washington and Oregon allow vaccine exemptions for personal and philosophical reasons. The vaccine-exemption rate in Clark County for non-medical reasons was high, at 7.5 percent, Armstrong said. The incubation period for measles is seven to 21 days, which means that an unvaccinated person who has been exposed could be out in public for up to three weeks before getting sick. Patients remain contagious for four days after they develop the rash. The virus, spread by coughing or sneezing, can remain in the air for up to two hours in an isolated space. Ninety percent of people exposed to measles who have not been vaccinated will get it, public health officials said. Every time an unvaccinated person who has been exposed to measles goes out in public, "it starts that clock over again," Armstrong said. Earlier this week, authorities were successful in identifying several people who had been exposed but were not sick yet. Those people stayed home and later got ill, Armstrong said. Those who may have been exposed should watch for early symptoms of fever and malaise and then a rash starting on the head and moving down the body. Serious complications such pneumonia and brain infections can arise from the disease in some cases. (Natural News) The mainstream media is largely funded by drug companies and vaccine manufacturers and demonstrates extreme conflicts of interest in reporting on vaccines. Perhaps thats why dishonest media outlets refuse to report the following ten stunning facts about the vaccine industry that are all provably true. FACT #1) Mercury is still used in vaccines, and the CDC openly admits it. There is NO safe level of mercury for injecting into a human child. Not even trace levels. There is NO evidence of safety for mercury at any dose whatsoever. Any doctor who says the level of mercury in a vaccine is safe to inject into a child is only demonstrating their outrageous ignorance of scientific facts. Mercury is arguably the most neurotoxic element on the entire Table of Elements. It is used in vaccines for the convenience of the vaccine manufacturer at the expense of the safety of the child. Any doctor who injects mercury into a child at any dose! should be immediately stripped of their medical license. See the list of studies on the neurotoxicity of mercury at SCIENCE.naturalnews.com, now the largest relational research resource for chemicals, health, nutrients and drugs. Those study titles include: Lactational exposure to inorganic mercury: evidence of Neurotoxic effects. Neurotoxic action of inorganic Mercury injected in the intraventricular space of mouse cerebrum. Neurotoxic effects in workers of the clinical thermometer manufacture plant. Neurotoxic risk caused by stable and variable exposure to methylmercury from seafood. Additional FACT: There is no safe form of mercury as is often ridiculously claimed by vaccine pushers. Both ethyl and methyl mercury are extremely toxic to the human nervous system. Neither should, under ANY circumstances, be deliberately injected into a human child at any dose whatsoever. FACT #2) Injecting any substance into the human body makes it orders of magnitude more potentially toxic because it bypasses the protections of the digestive tract or the respiratory system. Injecting mercury into a human being at any dose should be globally condemned as a criminal act. That it is currently considered an acceptable act in the field of medicine only condemns the true destructive nature of modern medicine. Under the vaccine doctrine, First do no harm has become Poison children for profit. FACT #3) For decades, polio vaccines injected into tens of millions of people actually contained hidden cancer viruses (SV40 and others). This was openly admitted by a top Merck vaccine scientist named Hilleman. The CDC recently scrubbed its website of this information in a revisionist history purge. Up to 98 million Americans were exposed to hidden cancer viruses in polio vaccines. This is an historical fact. Read more at www.sv40foundation.org FACT #4) Top virologists working for Merck have blown the whistle and gone public with shocking revelations that claim the company routinely fabricated lab results to claim a 95% efficacy rate of its mumps vaccine in order to continue receiving government contracts on a vaccine that didnt work. See the False Claims document these scientists filed with the U.S. government here: https://www.naturalnews.com/gallery/documents FACT #5) In nearly every outbreak you hear about these days, the majority of the children affected by the outbreak have already been vaccinated against the virus! For example, outbreaks of whooping cough routinely involve children who have already been vaccinated against whooping cough. This is yet more proof that vaccines do not confer real-world functional immunity. FACT #6) The claimed history of vaccine successes against polio and other diseases is a pure fabrication. This is discussed and exposed in great detail in the powerful book, Dissolving Illusions by Dr. Suzanne Humphries. Click here to see the book at Amazon.com, or click here to visit the website (and view the charts). As these charts show, measles was almost completely eradicated before the arrival of the measles vaccine. Why the decline? Mostly due to improvements in public hygiene and sanitation. Its no exaggeration to say that good plumbing saves more lives than vaccines ever did. FACT #7) The vaccine industry refuses to conduct scientific tests on the health outcomes of vaccinated children vs. unvaccinated children. Why? Because these test would no doubt show unvaccinated children to be healthier, smarter and far better off than vaccinated children in terms of behavioral disorders, allergies and even autoimmune disorders. Check the people you know: Dont you routinely find that the most heavily-vaccinated kids are the ones who get sick all the time? Meanwhile, groups like the Amish who largely refuse to vaccinate their children have near-zero rates of autism. FACT #8) The U.S. Supreme Court has already declared that the secret vaccine court is a higher power than the Supreme Court. The so-called vaccine court is granted extraordinary powers to operate utterly outside the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and completely outside the rules of due process and law. The vaccine court itself which isnt even a court of law is a violation of law and a violation of basic human rights. It must be abolished like Apartheid. FACT #9) The mainstream media receives a significant portion of its revenues from the very same drug companies selling vaccines. This financial influence results in the media refusing to cover stories about vaccine-damaged children for fear of losing advertising revenues. This is why the mainstream media frequently features guests and authors who ridiculously claim that all the vaccine damaged children across America do not exist or are mere delusions of their parents. These despicable vaccine apologists are intellectual bullies who, like Hitlers minions, relish in aiding and abetting a real-life holocaust thats harming millions of children around the globe. FACT #10) The CDC openly admits that vaccines contain additives which are known to be potent neurotoxic chemicals. Those additives include: Mercury (still used as a preservative) Aluminum (used as an inflammatory adjuvant) Formaldehyde (used to deactivate live viruses) MSG / Monosodium Glutamate (used to caused immune system inflammation) All of these substances are toxic to human biology when injected. All of them are still listed on the CDC website as vaccine additives. There is no rational doctor or scientist in the world who can say they believe injecting infants and children with mercury, formaldehyde, MSG and aluminum is somehow safe, yet doctors inject children with these substances every single day in the form of vaccines. Doctors who inject children with vaccines are delusional. They are practicing a medical holocaust against humanity while fraudulently calling it immunization. For the record, vaccination does not equal immunization. Click here to see the book of the same title. Corporate-controlled science isnt real science at all The real truth is that science never has a monopoly on facts, and science makes enormous mistakes (such as condoning smoking cigarettes) on a regular basis. Science is also for sale and easy corrupted by corporate interests. Peer-reviewed science journals, too, are often little more than a collection of corporate-funded make-believe science tabloids. It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines, writes the former editor of The New England Journal of Medicine, Marcia Angell. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of The New England Journal of Medicine, she says in Drug Companies & Doctors: A Story of Corruption. With that in mind, take a look at the similarities between Big Tobacco science lies and vaccine industry science lies: Sources for this story include http://www.dissolvingillusions.com/ http://www.sv40foundation.org/ http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additive https://www.naturalnews.com/036328_Merck_mump https://www.naturalnews.com/041897_MMR_vaccin https://naturalnews.com/vaccines.html http://science.naturalnews.com (Natural News) A study published in CyTA Journal of Food has found that jackfruit seeds, which are often discarded in the production process, can be an alternative source of protein. The study, led by a team from the Autonomous University of Nayarit in Mexico, identified a protein isolate that can be derived from jackfruit seeds and used as a novel source of protein. In their research, the team extracted the protein isolate using an ultrasound treatment; afterward, the isolate was processed further. They also looked at the physical and chemical components of the isolate to determine the active ingredients, as well as its nutritive properties. The researchers found that the isolate derived from jackfruit to be a moderately good source of essential nutrients. In particular, the proteins were packed with amino acids like tyrosine, threonine, and lysine, with levels meeting the daily requirements set the World Health Organization. According to the researchers, the protein component from jackfruit seeds was higher than those from soy and chickpeas. They also found that the protein isolate could bind easily with water and oil, making it a great component in making bread and other baked goods, as well as beverages. Its ability to emulsify and foam easily makes it a healthy additive to desserts, foams, and even meats. [Jackfruit protein isolate] could be a novel protein source applied in food systems and may be suitable to add to [bread], cakes, toppings, beverages, whipped cream, ice cream, chiffon desserts, salad dressing, sausage, and meat products, the researchers concluded in their report. (Related: The 12 Awesome Medicinal Properties Of Jackfruits!) Enjoying the many health benefits of jackfruit While the study from Mexico looked at what the body gets from jackfruit seeds, its also equally important to note that the fruit also contains multiple health benefits. The fruit, which is a member of the fig family, is known as a fruit with a wide range of flavors. On its own, it tastes sweet and fruity like a medley of apples, pineapples, and pears, but it can also be used as a meat substitute, thanks to its texture, which many compare to that of shredded meat. Its not just versatile, jackfruits contain a lot of the nutrients that the body needs, such as vitamins A and C, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. What makes jackfruit different from other fruits, however, is that it has a decent amount of protein. A single serving can contain up to three grams of protein, compared to other fruits like apples and mangoes. Its also packed with antioxidants that are responsible for its many health benefits. Multiple studies have shown that the fruit can protect cells from inflammation and oxidative stress, which contribute to chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. For those looking to curb their sugar intake, the fruit has a low glycemic index, thanks to its fiber content. This makes it a suitable fruit for those with elevated sugar levels and even diabetes. Its not just the fruits that have health benefits. In traditional Indian medicine, the roots are used to treat diseases which range from asthma, diarrhea, and even stomach ulcers. Unlike other types of food that have a caveat, jackfruits are considered safe for most. People who are allergic to birch pollen, however, should seek the advice of a healthcare professional before eating jackfruits as the fruit may trigger an allergic reaction. Sources include: Food.news TandFOnline.com Healthline.com (Natural News) Following the recent release of the new Biosludged film by Brighteon Films, many people are now wondering why it is that some farmers are willfully going along with this heavily-polluting sham by spreading the stuff on their farms. The answer is that many of them have been misled about the alleged amazing benefits of its use in agriculture. As revealed in an eye-opening, behind-the-scenes interview by Craig Monk, a Texan whos been directly impacted by biosludge, theres an aggressive propaganda campaign aimed at deceiving not only the general public but also the people who grow our food into believing that biosludge is the greatest thing since sliced bread when, in fact, its one of the worst modern creations thats been foisted on We the People in the name of progress. In the below interview, available at Brighteon.com, Monk explains how he came to discover that virtually everything positive being said about biosludge is a flat-out lie that only benefits large corporations and cities at the expense of farmers and rural areas of the country. They were going to stop it, and the neighbor that had the 200 acres promptly came down to my front gate and blackened both of my eyes, and that started me on the research trail, Monk states about one of his pro-biosludge farmer neighbors who physically assaulted Monk after Monk called an environmental company to come out and stop biosludge applications near his home. He thought biosolids were just great, and thats what the farmers that use it think because thats the information they are fed. Its beneficial, its full of nutrients, and its tested, and its safe, he adds about some of the propaganda thats floating around about biosludge. EPA responsible for spreading lies about safety of biosludge So how are biosludge companies getting away with lying about the safety of their human waste product? Its simple: The federal government sanctioned these lies through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which several years back declared biosludge to be safe. We now know, thanks to former EPA scientist-turned-whistleblower Dr. David Lewis, that this declaration is patently false, and that nearly all of the science behind the safety of biosludge is completely fake. But the official narrative is that its all true, and this is what continues to guide biosludge policy in America today. Back in 2002, Dr. Lewis published solid evidence to show that biosludge is, in fact, not safe. He used the examples of New Hampshire teenager Shayne Conner and several of his neighbors who were harmed, and some of them killed, by exposure to biosludge near their homes. Livestock was also harmed by biosludge, he showed, though it all fell on deaf ears. For publishing this information, Dr. Lewis and several of his colleagues were questioned by the EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), multiple local and city municipalities, the National Academies of Science, multiple universities, and Synagro Technologies, a waste management company that sells biosludge all of which tried to destroy these brave men for coming forward with the truth. The effort was intended to misleadingly present sewage sludge as scientifically safe, to hide the evidence that it was not, to deliberately misreport the contents of municipal sludges, and smear David Lewis with a scientific misconduct charge after he blew the whistle, reveals Independent Science News. Dr. Lewis eventually published a lengthy, tell-all article entitled, Sludge Magic at the EPA that, indeed, tells all. This information and more is also available in the new Biosludged film, which you can watch for free at BrighteonFilms.com and Biosludged.com. For more biosludge news, check out Biosludge.news. Sources for this article include: Biosludged.com Brighteon.com NaturalNews.com IndependentScienceNews.org DeadlyDeceit.com BrighteonFilms.com (Natural News) The Covington Catholic hoax propagated by the fake news media has underscored just how far the radical left-wing will go to advance their anti-conservative, anti-American agenda. This scandal shows that the media will lie and endanger the lives of innocent teenagers, just to score a few more political brownie points. But this shocking fake news didnt spread like wildfire on its own we have social media to thank for that. Big Tech has already proven that it will censor conservatives without provocation, for the simple crime of expressing their views in a liberal-dominated space. Now, we are seeing the ramifications of this blatant censorship: Fake news spreads without opposition and it spreads fast. While tech companies like to pretend they are impartial observers to the happenings within their platforms, the truth is that Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and even Google select what each and every user sees in their newsfeed, search results or what have you. The greatest hoax of all may just be Big Techs duping of most of the country into believing they support and encourage an open internet and the free exchange of ideas. Propaganda on social media As the Covington Catholic scandal has displayed, propaganda can, and will, be spread across social media like a contagious disease. Grown adults were taking to Twitter, calling for the teenagers to be doxxed, publicly shamed, or worse and many of the pseudo-aggrieved were celebrities with large followings. There are many ways you can go about spreading fake news on social media, and getting people and organizations with lots of followers to share your content is one such way. As a post garners more likes, shares and comments, it becomes more visible in the social media sphere and as visibility increases, so do the number of likes and shares. In this way, social media is the perfect tool for spreading propaganda: Show people something that aligns with their beliefs while also provoking them into outrage, and it will be shared regardless of its factual content. Even after an outrageous image is debunked as false, a la Covington Catholic, the damage has already been done and most people will never actually see the correction, anyways. Posts correcting and calling out fake news never seem to gain as much traction as the hoax and there is strong reason to suspect this is by design. Censorship and disinformation go hand-in-hand Tech companies like Facebook and Google say that they are not suppressing or censoring anyone. Proponents of Big Techs censorship say that they are merely filtering social media for hateful content, and that this makes their actions implicitly just. This is an egregious affront to individual freedom. No longer are we deciding for ourselves what is worth reading and what isnt; with the dawn of social media, corporate influence now reigns. Former Facebook employees have outright admitted that they routinely suppressed conservative points of view. Google has also been accused of using its power to censor the internet via search results. This censorship applies to anyone who dares to challenge left-wing dogma. Whether you support the Second Amendment, are pro-life, criticize vaccines or GMOs, you are at risk of being censored by the tech mafia. So-called community guidelines are being used to silence dissenting opinions by labeling them as fake news, hate speech or whatever the social crime du jour happens to be. When this blatant censorship is combined with fake news, the propaganda machine can function at full capacity. Not only can Big Tech censor anyone and anything, the mainstream media can publish and propagate their lies completely unopposed. This is a march towards totalitarianism and we are headed there very quickly. Big Tech is acting as an arm of the corrupt, regressive Left, and they are actively trying to control the beliefs, thoughts and actions of the American population through the spread of propaganda and the silencing of their opposition. See more coverage of stories like this at LeftCult.news. Sources for this article include: USAToday.com NYPost.com MarketWatch.com TheVerge.com (Natural News) It almost sounds too horrific to be true: a government injecting people with syphilis intentionally so they can be used to test antibiotics. Unfortunately, for hundreds of Guatemalans, that nightmare was a reality in the 1940s, and it was the U.S. government carrying out the heinous acts and it was just one of many occasions where humans have been unwittingly used as guinea pigs to test drugs. Pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johns Hopkins University and the Rockefeller Foundation have now been ordered by a federal judge to face a $1 billion lawsuit over the roles they played in the horrific incident. A group of 444 victims and relatives are suing the defendants over the experiment, which sought to test out penicillin a new drug at the time and find ways to stop sexually transmitted diseases. During the 1940s and 1950s, American researchers carried out a series of highly unethical experiments on thousands of Guatemalan sex workers, prisoners, mental health patients, and soldiers; some of the victims were reportedly as young as 10. This was carried out with the U.S. Public Health Service, and the Guatemalan government gave its approval initially. It was later discovered, however, that many of the studys more disturbing aspects had been kept secret from Guatemalan officials at the time. Guatemala was reportedly chosen for the study because sex work was legal there and workers were required to get health inspections twice a week, thereby offering a somewhat controlled study environment. The idea was to determine whether antibiotics can prevent STDs like syphilis before the symptoms appear in people who have been exposed. They initially recruited workers who had syphilis to have sexual relations with prisoners, but they later resorted to directly infecting volunteers without getting informed consent. Many of those infected were left untreated, and 83 deaths have been linked to the study. The complaint says that doctors from Johns Hopkins and the Rockefeller Foundation were involved, along with four executives from companies that are now part of Bristol-Myers Squibb, the Squibb Institute and Bristol Laboratories. The experiment was kept secret until a Wellesley College professor uncovered it in 2010 while carrying out historical research. At the time, American officials offered an apology, with President Obama personally calling the Guatemalan president to apologize. If the professor hadnt been poking around, we may not have ever learned about it, which begs the question: How many other times has this happened that we dont know about? Tuskegee, other unethical studies used human guinea pigs This incident also calls to mind a similar experiment, the Tuskegee study. In that dark chapter of American history, treatment was withheld from around 400 black men with syphilis in rural Alabama so that researchers could study the course of the disease when it is left untreated and see how it causes the body to degrade. Even when penicillins efficacy in treating it became known, they werent offered it. Instead of being forthcoming, the researchers told the men they were being treated for something called bad blood, but they were only given a placebo. Interestingly, one of the doctors who was involved in the Guatemalan experiment, Dr. John Cutler, also participated in the Tuskegee experiment. This experiment, too, became the center of a major lawsuit, and it led to a serious distrust between the Africa American community and healthcare providers that lingers to this day. These two cases are sensational, but theyre hardly isolated. Unfortunately, Big Pharma, governments, and other researchers have always used humans as guinea pigs, and it tends to be the disadvantaged who suffer the most. In 1952, for example, liver cancer cells were injected into Ohio prisoners so researchers could study the diseases progression; half the prisoners in the study, which was sponsored by the NIH, were black. A decade later, Maryland children were given experimental antibiotics for acne, and the tests continued even after half the subjects developed severe liver damage. 1962 was also the year when the FDA started to require that new drugs go through three human clinical trials prior to gaining approval. Many pharmaceutical companies began satisfying that requirement by carrying out the first phase of their trials the phase that determines toxicity on prison inmates in exchange for a small amount of cash. Another clinical trial saw male mental asylum patients being injected with an experimental flu vaccine before being intentionally exposed to flu; because they were senile and debilitated, they werent able to consent to this act. According to a 2009 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a third of the drug trials that are sponsored by the top 20 U.S. pharmaceutical companies are carried out outside of the U.S., and the topic of ethical oversight is a major concern in many of the countries chosen. Experts say that instead of mental institutions and prisons, poor individuals in developing countries, many of whom cannot even read or write, are being targeted, and the idea of them giving informed consent is questionable at best. Big Pharma is rarely held accountable for such atrocities, so it will be interesting to see how the current lawsuit pans out and whether or not it will inspire any sort of meaningful change. Read MedicalExtremism.com for more reporting on the horrifying ethical violations of pharmaceutical medicine. Sources for this article include: Reuters.com Gizmodo.com NEJM.org NaturalNews.com (Natural News) A study carried out by researchers from the Queen Mary University of London have called on the U.K., as well as other countries, to look at the mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to curb spina bifida cases and other neural tube defects (NTDs). The study, which was published in Public Health, explained that an earlier report used to determine a daily upper limit for folic acid consumption set at one milligram per day was based on a flawed interpretation of data. Neural tube defects such as anencephaly and spina bifida are two of the most severe birth defects known all over the world. Unfortunately, its also one of the most common: NTDs affect one in every 500 to 1,000 pregnancies. Of the two, spina bifida is the more common, where the base of the spinal cord and surrounding vertebrae arent connected properly, resulting in a gap in the spine. This can cause issues with walking, as well as with bladder and bowel control. A child born with spina bifida may also have cognitive disabilities. Anencephaly, which is a condition where the neural tube isnt closed at the top, is a rarer condition. However, it is serious: a child born with this condition are either stillborn or will die in infancy. In the study, the researchers looked at increasing folic acid intake as a way to prevent NTDs. Folic acid a synthetic compound for folate doesnt naturally occur in food. However, it can still become biologically active after metabolic reduction. For the study, researchers proposed fortifying foods using folic acid because it is more stable and twice as bioavailable as folate. An earlier randomized double-blind trial conducted by the Medical Research Council demonstrated that increasing the intake of folic acid to 4 mg per day before and during the early stages of pregnancy arrested the prevalence of NTDs by 80 percent. However, a cross-sectional study of 500,000 women in England found out that only 31 percent of women took folic acid supplements immediately before their pregnancy. While 62 percent took supplements during pregnancy, these were taken at a time where NTDs were already too late to be prevented. (Related: Folic acid during pregnancy may reduce babys cancer risk.) The upper limit for folate comes from a study made by the Institute of Medicine which concluded that treating cases of vitamin B12 deficiency with higher doses of folic acid were more likely to have neurological damage. This was revisited in the current study, with the results indicating that folic acid did not cause the damage; rather, it was because B12 deficiency was not treated with vitamin B12. With these outcomes, the researchers opined that flour should be fortified with folic acid to increase intake to at least 0.2 mg a day and reduce the incidence of NTDs. Having such a limit, which has been set at 1 mg per day, has acted as a barrier to the wider introduction of mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to prevent neural tube defects. For both reasons, the upper limit should be discarded, the authors concluded in their report. This would have the practical effect of leaving no scientific obstacle to the introduction of mandatory folic acid fortification in all countries, which would have an important global impact on the prevention of neural tube defects. Sources include: Science.news PublicHealthReviews.BioMedCentral.com DailyMail.co.uk ScienceDaily.com NHS.uk Telegraph.co.uk NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the Pentagon in Washington D.C. on Monday (28 January 2019) for talks with Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan. Calling US leadership key for the Alliance, the Secretary General highlighted the real results seen over the past few years, including higher readiness, stepping up in the fight against terrorism, and better burden-sharing. He recalled that since 2016, European Allies and Canada have spent an extra 41 billion US dollars in real terms, and that by 2020, this figure is expected to increase to $100 billion. Ahead of next months meeting of Allied Defence Ministers in Brussels, Mr. Stoltenberg and Mr. Shanahan also exchanged views on a range of issues, including Russias violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. They agreed to continue working together to implement the decisions made at the NATO Summit in July 2018. The implementation of summit decisions, as well as other issues related to Allied security, were also on the agenda of Mr. Stoltenberg's meetings with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the National Security Advisor of the United States, Ambassador John R. Bolton. On Tuesday, 29 January 2019, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will meet the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovakia, Mr. Miroslav Lajcak, as Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE. During his visit, Mr. Lajcak will also brief the North Atlantic Council. Still and video images will be available on the NATO website after the event. Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @jensstoltenberg) Jerri-Lynn here. This piece documents how closely business interests groups in this case, oil refiners worked to rollback fuel economy emissions standards, by flooding the Department of Transportation with identical public comments as the agency considered the proposed rule change, and soliciting Republican governors to front for their propaganda campaign. Just business as usual in he public policy sausage factory, you might say. By Ben Jervey,who has been covering and working in the climate, energy, and environmental fields for a decade. He is regular contributor to DeSmogBlog. He was the original Environment Editor for GOOD Magazine, and contributes to National Geographic News, Grist, OnEarth Magazine, and many other online and print publications. His bookThe Big Green Apple: Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Living in New York Cityhas been called the bible of green living for NYC.Originally published at DeSmog Blog As the Trump administration worked to revise and relax federal fuel economy and emissions standards for cars and light trucks, an oil refiners trade group worked connections with Republican governors to rally support for the proposed rollback. Emails obtained by Documented, a watchdog group that tracks corporate influence in government, revealed that the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) were actively recruiting Republican Governors to sign onto a public comment letter supporting the weaker CAFE (corporate average fuel efficiency) standards, while also shopping around a pre-written op-ed with language borrowed from the American Energy Alliance, a free market advocacy group run by a former Koch Industries lobbyist. A blockbuster New York Times investigation published in December revealed how AFPM, using a front group called Energy4US, deployed Facebook advertisements to prompt thousands of identical public comments filed in the Federal Register supporting the proposed rule. An earlier article on the Facebook ads by ProPublica had linked AFPM to Energy4US, and researchers at DeSmogs KochvsClean had since connected the front group to more than one-quarter of all public comments that the Department of Transportation (DOT) had received on the proposed rule, while also revealing that the Consumer Energy Alliance was connected to the campaign. In addition to the more than 3,000 identical comments, the emails obtained by Documented through a number of state open records requests revealed a much broader influence campaign. Email messages show AFPM representatives reaching out to the staff of Republican governors, soliciting signatures for a formal letter that was eventually submitted to the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In another email, AFPMs Senior Vice President of Federal and Regulatory Affairs shared a pre-written draft of an op-ed with the Wyoming Governors office, asking if Governor Matt Mead would consider putting his name on it. How AFPM Rallied Republican Governors to Support the Rollback AFPM deployed the corporate-backed Republican Governors Association (RGA) and their policy arm, the Republican Governors Public Policy Committee (RGPPC), which helped circulate the letter. AFPM contributed more than $200,000 to RGA during the 2018 election cycle, according to IRS filings. Brian Sanderson, the Policy Director with the RGA, has been circulating the letter as well as informational materials to Governors across the country for review. I wanted to reach out to offer to answer any questions and ask for Governor Martinez to consider joining the attached letter, AFPMs manager of state and local outreach Peter Barnes wrote in an email to Keith Gardner, chief of staff to New Mexico Governor Martinez. Barnes wrote an identical message asking for support from Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant. Eventually, governors from Texas, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Oklahoma co-signed the letter, which was sent to the DOT and EPA on October 26, 2018, and subsequently added to the official rulemaking records. The letter was initially spearheaded by Texas Governor Abbott, whose office sent AFPM talking points on the rule. A close reading of the documents obtained paints a picture of AFPM playing an instrumental role in the organization and dissemination of this governors letter to others. AFPM Was Also Shopping Around an Op-Ed Prior to submitting the letter in the Federal Register, AFPM also asked Republican governors to publish an op-ed supporting the rule. According to an internal memo for Wyoming Governor Matt Mead, AFPM had been shopping around an op-ed supporting the changes to fuel economy standards. The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers Association has been shopping around an op-ed which supports the changes and are requesting Governors [sic] to sign on (op-ed attached). So far, to my knowledge, the op-ed has been presented to you and the Governors of New Mexico and Nebraska, the memo stated. In an email correspondence from AFPMs Senior Vice President of Federal and Regulatory Affairs, Derrick Morgan, to the Nebraska Governors office, also obtained by Documented, Morgan alleges that there was initial interest from Governor Mead of Wyoming. We put together a potential op-ed (draft attached) that will support what the Trump Administration is doing on fuel economy through the EPA and DOT, Morgan stated in an email to Nebraska Governor Chief of Staff Matt Miltenberger. The governors ultimately passed on the opportunity to put their names on the op-ed, a decision that might have spared them considerable embarrassment, considering the source of much of the language of the draft. AFPMs Op-Ed Borrowed Heavily from the American Energy Alliance The op-ed draft that was shopped around by the AFPM included many sentences lifted entirely from an April letter distributed by the American Energy Alliance (AEA), and which followed the same format as the original letter. The AEA letter also signed by representatives of 12 conservative free market groups, including Americans for Prosperity, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Americans for Tax Reform featured sections describing the fundamental problems with the Obama-era clean car standards. The sections were titled: cost to consumers, consumer choice, inefficiency, and Its a relic. The AFPM draft op-ed included similar sections titled: The mandate makes cars more expensive, The mandate minimizes consumer choice, The mandate gives California a disproportionate say in the mandate, and The mandate fails to recognize our new energy abundance. Within each of the mimicked sections, some phrases and sentences are reproduced verbatim from the AEA letter. For example, both texts include a slight variation on the line: who should decide what cars and trucks you should buy, you and your family or unelected bureaucrats in Sacramento or Washington? Compare the two: The original American Energy Alliance Letter. The draft op-ed shopped around by AFPM. Both texts also include this often debunked statement: According to the National Auto Dealers Association, the existing mandates would cause the price of an average vehicle to increase by $3,000 in 2025. There are plenty of other examples, which you can see for yourself by comparing the AEA letter with the AFPM draft op-ed. AFPM has not responded to DeSmogs questions about the provenance of the draft op-ed and if the group was actively working with the American Energy Alliance or others on this issue. So, its impossible to know whether the group was working in concert with AEA, or whether AFPM staff were simply lifting language from a fellow Koch-affiliated organization. Among other ties, AFPM has received funding from the Koch Industries PAC and has a past board member who worked for Koch Industries. These Alligators Have Gone Into Deep-Freeze Mode Motherboard Bride added pockets into her wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses Metro.co.uk. I had pockets sewn into my wedding dress: doesnt everybody? The Secrets of Lyndon Johnsons Archives New Yorker. Robert Caro. Ive read the Robert Moses book, but only one volume of the LBJ bio; the others are in my to-read stack. Consumers are doing everything they can to avoid ads. Heres how P&G, one of the worlds largest advertisers, is finding a way around that Business Insider IN THE ERA OF ELECTRONIC WARFARE, BRING BACK PIGEONS War on the Rocks Drone Sightings Keep Grounding FlightsHeres Why That Keeps Happening Afar California Burning How a California officer protected neo-Nazis and targeted their victims Guardian (Chuck L) Huawei Hullabaloo Canada trapped in China-US feud over Huawei extradition Nikkei Asian Review The Illegal CIA Operation That Brought Us 9/11 Truthdig (BB) Big Brother IS Watching You Watch The Data Colleges Collect on Applicants WSJ. The deck: To determine demonstrated interest, some schools are tracking how quickly prospective students open email and whether they click links. Moi: This is insane and just one more thing prospective students shouldnt have to worry about. Crucial biometric privacy law survives Illinois court fight The Verge. Might have posted on this decision if Id seen it earlier maybe sometime soon, once Ive had a chance to study the opinion. Pelosi Aghast Stone Indictment Proves That Trump Campaign Deliberately Campaigned For Trump Moon of Alabama. Missed this yesterday; still germane. Americans support investigating Trump, but many are skeptical that inquiries will be fair, new poll finds WaPo Brexit Ban on diesel vehicles drives Germans to the street to protest Handelsblatt People Power: 160,000 European Protesters Demand Action on Climate Crisis Common Dreams Climate Denial Efforts Target Media, Cities Filing Liability Suits Climate Liability News Gilets Jaunes Yellow vest leader badly injured in police action during protest Al Jazeera (martha r) Health Care Class Warfare Another tech bubble could be about to burst FT (David L) Syraqistan Iran inches closer to unveiling state-backed cryptocurrency Al Jazeera India China? Democrats in Disarray Venezuela Antidote du jour: Zimbabwes ambassador to Sweden Mr Samuel Mhango has died. He died at the Avenues Clinic in Harare yesterday evening. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade official Mr G. Gapare revealed the news to ZBC. Ambassador Mhango had been unwell for sometime while executing his duties in Stockholm, Sweden, and was medically evacuated back home on the 11th of January. It is understood he had a longstanding heart ailment. He is survived by his wife and four children. Mourners are gathered at number 11 Kurrichane Drive, Mandara. Ambassador Mhango was born on 16 February 1958 in Zvishavane and did his primary and secondary education in his rural area. He joined the liberation struggle in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1976. In 1978, he was seconded to Bulgaria for higher education and he obtained a Master of Science Degree in Economics. In 1983, before returning home and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he served in various capacities in Zimbabwes missions in Nigeria, Malaysia, Switzerland and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He was appointed Zimbabwes ambassador to Sweden in 2014. Burial arrangements will be announced in due course. ZBC Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News A man died on Sunday hours after being savagely beaten by soldiers in Harare the latest victim of an ongoing crackdown by security forces which began following nationwide fuel protests on January 14. Kudakwashe Rixon, 22, was returning home from work at the Long Cheng Plaza last Saturday and had just disembarked at the Copacabana terminus when he was seized by a group of soldiers in uniform, according to a police report seen by ZimLive. They dragged him to their motor vehicle (Puma) which was parked nearby. The team then ordered Rixon and other male adults who were there to lie down in the vehicle on their stomachs. The driver drove off to an unknown bushy area where the team ordered all the people to get out of the lorry by falling down, the police report of the incident reported at Harare Central Police Station under crime reference I.R 011951 says. Once outside the army truck, Rixon and the other men were repeatedly struck with wire-fastened sjamboks, knobkerries and iron rods. Rixon proceeded to his home on Canaan Chipunza Street in Mbare where his family observed that his back was swollen, with visible marks of the severe beating with crude weapons. At 8AM on Sunday, Rixon complained of severe abdominal pains. He was also failing to release stool. He died before admission at Harare Hospital. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who cancelled a trip to Davos last week and returned home in the wake of the protests and the security forces crackdown, has pledged to investigate any abuses by the military but few believe him. Soldiers remain deployed in urban areas around the country, where they are hunting down people suspected to have participated in protests on January 14. Young men are routinely rounded up in night raids and savagely beaten and tortured. Rights groups say dozens of women have been raped. The exact number of dead remains unknown, but the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights said in a January 17 statement that it had documented 12 deaths. The death toll is expected to be much higher when human rights groups consolidate their reports. Prominent Harare lawyer Fadzayi Mahere says Mnangagwa should be held accountable for the abuses by the military. Mnangagwa is the commander-in-chief only he can lawfully deploy soldiers on to the street or make them step down. The buck stops with Mnangagwa when it comes to blame for the ongoing violence, Mahere wrote in Britains Guardian newspaper. The governments resort to military control of civilian life is the clearest sign of failed leadership by Mnangagwa, who toppled former President Robert Mugabe in a military coup in November 2017, Mahere said. Its clear that until the military is removed from civilian spaces, Zimbabwe will only plunge into deeper political and economic misery, the lawyer added. ZimLive Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News AGRICULTURE minister and former Air Force boss Perrance Shiri has defended the deployment of soldiers in the ongoing military crackdown on citizens following nationwide protests recently. Shiri told thousands of Guruve villagers on Friday that the military had a duty to bring law and order where police would have failed. He said Zimbabweans must live peacefully and try to grow their economy in a non-violent environment. I heard others asking why the soldiers had to intervene, the retired chief air marshal said. You want to burn Harare while the soldiers are folding hands so that it is destroyed and we are left with a ruin? There is nowhere in the world where that thing has happened. Every country needs peace and if there are riots police are called in but if they fail or are overpowered, soldiers will be called to douse the fire. He added: There is no one who regrets why the military was called to control the situation because we could have lost a number of lives and much more on valuable properties. Can we allow for a free-for-all situation where police stations are raided and people steal their weapons? Shiri said those who participated in the riots must be prepared to face the music. He said disgruntled people should find other avenues to raise their concerns such as Parliament, peaceful demonstrations or engaging the government. Shiri said Somalia was stripped into ruins by chaos. Countries such as Somalia didnt wake up in their current situation. It all started small but went on to be prevalent. I once went to Somalia, their capital Mogadishu is like a ruin. The infrastructure is vandalised, he said. Our Great Zimbabwe is in some degree of order. It reflects some degree of modernity as compared to Mogadishu. Therefore, let us not allow ourselves to take our country to that route. We have constitutional means to follow if we have grievances. Shiri said the leadership was busy trying to engage other countries to find ways to help the country while others were destroying it. The Standard Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News EVER since he assumed office in 2017, the big question has been whether President Emmerson Mnangagwa could stop Zimbabwes economic slide before social unrest erupted in response to biting hardships, driving away the very investment that could prevent further economic decline. Mid-Januarys violent demonstrations and stay-away suggest that he has lost the race. A second question has also been answered whether, if protests did erupt, the government would walk the talk of a new dispensation that had broken with the repressive policies of Robert Mugabe. The initial signs were ambiguous. The administrations first test, before it even secured a mandate following the July 2018 general elections, was in how it dealt with protests over the delay in announcing election results and suspicions of election rigging. The 1 August demonstrations were brutally crushed through the swift deployment of the military. Soldiers gunned down fleeing civilians, killing six and wounding scores more. Mnangagwa remained aloof, allowing perceptions that the tragic debacle was the fault of his loose-cannon vice president, former defence forces commander Constantino Chiwenga. A commission of inquiry led by former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe was hastily assembled to investigate, indicating a concern with optics wholly alien to Mugabe. Mnangagwa is no born-again democrat. His last few actions in the dying months of the Mugabe era were to drive through amendments to the countrys 2013 constitution and laws which severely compromised the independence of the judiciary and prosecutor-general. Mugabes hatchet man for 37 years after independence, he gained a reputation for ruthlessness and callousness. The anxiety to present Zimbabwe under his leadership as a Second Republic where the economy and democratic space would be opened up is certainly not part of any deeply held conviction. It is motivated by the recognition that to attract investment and a cash infusion from western countries, some regard would have to be paid to human rights. The spark for the mid-January protests was a 150% hike in the fuel price, announced as Mnangagwa was about to embark on a five-nation tour. The itinerary, encompassing Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan (the last stop was Davos, which has now been abandoned), was clearly not one designed to enable information exchange on good governance. Attempts to lure investment from the West have had limited success. Mnangagwa appears to be focusing on governments more concerned with political stability and the safety of investments from marauding rioters than human rights such as those on his itinerary, and China. The change was reflected in the response to the protests. The intention now seems to be to present the government as one that will firmly suppress, rather than tolerate, dissent. The Motlanthe Commissions recommendations concerning the deployment of the military and use of live ammunition have been ignored. In the aftermath of the protests, civil society organisations report 12 people shot dead and 78 being treated for gunshot wounds. Many more have been hauled from their homes by soldiers and brutally beaten and tortured, often simply because they fitted the profile of the protesters. Over 700 people have been incarcerated in dragnet arrests, and opposition leaders and activists jailed without bail on charges of subversion simply for making statements supporting the stay-away. Government claimed that the stay-away and protests were orchestrated through social media, and ordered a blanket shutdown of the internet. Less clear is the answer to a third question whether the heavy-handed response to the protests was a result of policy discord and acrimony between the Mnangagwa and Chiwenga. On his return to Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa seemed conciliatory, saying misconduct by the military was a betrayal of the new Zimbabwe and would be investigated. However, Mnangagwa must be aware that he has now played good cop to Chiwengas bad cop once too often and that such statements will probably be treated with considerable scepticism. While Mnangagwa was travelling, presidential spokesperson George Charamba remarked that the response so far is just a foretaste of things to come. It is assumed he had approval from the fully briefed president for this hard-line statement. That there is more to come is certain. Zimbabwes problems are rooted in Mugabes profligacy and disastrous economic policies. From 2013, the government clocked up massive budget deficits. They were funded by the prolific issuance of treasury bills. Unable to pay these bills on maturity, the government resorted to the simple (albeit unlawful) expedient of ordering the Reserve Bank to make book entries into the credit columns of banks holding the maturing bills. In this way, billions of dollars of electronic money were created from thin air. With Mnangagwa coming into office in an election year, he was not about to engage in austerity measures. Half the countrys US$10 billion domestic debt has been run up under his administration. Although officially denominated as US dollars, electronic money has inevitably declined in value against real money. Before the recent protests, it traded at about 3.4 electronic dollars to one real US dollar cash. Imports, of course, must be paid in real dollars. That means a 3.4-fold increase in the price of imported products paid for by consumers in electronic money, and a sharp erosion of the purchasing power of worker salaries received in electronic money. Zimbabweans in formal employment and paid electronic money have found it impossible to make ends meet. The year began with strikes by civil servants for salary increments. These salary increases can only be paid through the issuance of more treasury bills, and a resultant further decline in the purchasing power of the improved salaries, returning workers to square one or worse. There doesnt appear to be any short-term solution. Government feels it can do no more than to sit heavily on the boiling pot. Expect to see it boiling over in the months to come. Derek Matyszak, Senior Research Consultant, ISS. Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News The question is no longer if the nation is in the throes of a housing slowdown, but rather how deep and wide it will wind up beingand how much of a blow it'll deliver to the American real estate market. The signs are becoming ever more troubling. The number of existing home sales has dropped to the lowest level in three years, price growth has slowed precipitously, and some super-pricey, bellwether cities are actually seeing prices fall. (We're looking at you, San Francisco, Dallas, and Miami!) The fact that home growth has slowed in 70% of the United States' 200 largest housing markets has economists debating whether the housing slowdown is the canary in the coal mine, warning of economic woes to come. But let's all take a deep breath and one giant step back: Not every market is slowing down. In fact, realtor.com found 10 metros where home prices are actually shooting up. Welcome to the nation's strongest housing marketsplaces that so far have eluded the shifting tides, with double-digit annual price growth. So why are some cities skyrocketing, while the rest of the country appears to have been clobbered by a double-whammy of rising mortgage rates and home prices that have risen too darn high? Depends on where you look. Places ravaged by natural disasters are seeing prices climb, as folks compete for a limited number of available properties. Those fleeing more expensive cities are substantially driving up prices in smaller and cheaper cities nearby. Some markets smacked hard by the financial collapse a decade ago are still recovering, meaning that they still have room for prices to move up. And other cities are simply seeing a torrent of new residents flowing in. Even with the deceleration in home price increases ... we are still seeing strong home buying in smaller metros that have good affordability and solid job growth, says Frank Nothaft, the chief economist at Corelogic, a real estate data firm. To find the top housing markets unaffected by the national housing slowdown, we pulled December realtor.com listing data for the 200 largest metropolitan areas.* We eliminated those with year-over-year price growth that was lower than it was a year earlier, then ranked the rest on price and price-per-square-foot increases, as well as changes in inventory, days on market, and percentage of homes seeing price bumps. So which markets are bucking the big slowdown? Let's check out the four trends continuing to push up home prices. Wildfire leveled their homesnow they're bidding up Chico prices Kyle Smith won't soon forget the orange sky outside the window of his Paradise, CA, home. On Nov. 8, the 31-year-old youth pastor found himself frantically driving his wife and 2-year-old out of the evacuated town while smoke poured into their vehicle and midday skies turned black. Camp Fire would go on to become the deadliest wildfire in California history, claiming at least 85 lives and burning down 18,000 homes and buildings. "Three days later, it was confirmed that our home was gone," Smith told realtor.com. "The entire structure was down to ashes: All that was left was the chimney. The car rims were melted down to the pavement. Everything on my block was gone." The aftermath of the wildfire has pushed Chico, CA, the metro that includes Paradise, into the No. 1 spot on our ranking. Home prices in the city, about a 90-minute drive north of Sacramento, have climbed 14.7% over the past 12 months, to a median $330,100. In the days that followed the fire, many newly homeless families poured into the city of Chico looking for hotels and apartments, quickly buying up the handful of available homes. Chico, which had a tight real estate market before the fire, soon began experiencing bidding wars and surging home prices. "Being the fastest-growing real estate market is not something anyone here is proud ofwe're a hot market in the worst way," says Dustin Cheatham, a real estate agent at Century 21 Jeffries Lydon in Chico. "People need housing, and there isnt enough supply. Our community is being pulled apart, [with] families and generations who lived close together now separated because of the Camp Fire." In the short term, prices are up, but over time, the devastation might lead some to move out of the area rather than rebuilding. In the months since the fire, Smith has bounced around, staying in family members' spare bedrooms in Chico and living in a recreational vehicle (RV) in a relative's driveway. Just this month, he finally found an apartment, but he's not sure if he'll stay. The one-story home he bought for $160,000 in 2014 would now cost more than $300,000 to rebuild, given that developers' prices are surging to meet the demand. Smith is now weighing rebuilding against moving out of state so that he can buy something more affordableand worry less about keeping his family safe. Fleeing high-cost cities, home buyers push up prices in nearby areas When home prices soar far out of the reach of locals, residents have a few options: They can start renting, they can bail entirely to another part of the countryor they can move to more affordable, smaller cities that are relatively close. The latter option is becoming more and more popular, as people seek out places where they can still afford to become homeowners. Just look at Seattle. Homes in the metro cost a median $550,000a steep climb, considering that median household income there is $82,133. That's prompted many of the folks who don't have those high-paying Amazon or Microsoft jobs to look at Spokane, WA, a four-hour drive inland. No, that's not exactly a commutable distance to the Emerald City. But high demand is still driving up prices therewith the median home price up 15.4% in the last year, to $299,100. "Around half of my buyers are from out of town," says Marianne Bornhoft, a local broker at Windermere Real Estate, and it's creating a frenzy. Earlier this month, she listed a home on a Wednesday, and by Saturday, it had attracted eight offers at or above listing price. Most Spokane newcomers are coming either from Seattle or Portland, OR. They're buying up four-bedroom Craftsman-style homes for under $275,000. They dig the endless opportunities for outdoor activities along the Spokane River: realtor.com named Spokane one of the country's top affordable outdoorsy cities last year. A similar phenomenon is happening in Greensboro, NC, where the median list price has climbed 14.6% over the past year, to $220,000. Home values are getting driven up there by an influx of folks moving from the heart of the Research Triangle in Raleigh and Durham, each around an hour away, where median home prices are $340,000 and $351,000, respectively. The triangle is home to several top universities, including Duke, as well as a slew of high-tech companies and startups. Affordable small cities with resurgent economies see higher prices The housing slowdown is most pronounced in America's most expensive cities, like San Francisco, where home prices have raced up for years. On the flip side, many of the places where home prices are still growing now are smaller metropolises where the economy took longer to rebound. A prime example is South Bend, IN. This Rust Belt city has had some rough patches as plants closed and locals left. Slowly but surely, the city has rebounded in recent years. With the help of Notre Dame University, which is located in the area, the city has built a small but dynamic tech sector and start-up scene. Elkhart, IN, just 30 minutes out of town, has seen its RV manufacturing business boom and is now paying top dollar to find talent. The rebound in South Bend has been so profound that its current mayor, Pete Buttigieg, announced last week he was pursuing the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. In response to the region's growth, home prices jumped 15.4% last year to a median $150,000. "We're seeing multiple offers if a home is priced right. The shortage of inventory is the driving factor," says Beau Dunfee, managing broker at Weichert Realtors, Jim Dunfee & Associates in South Bend. He hasn't seen signs of the housing slump that agents in Seattle and New York are experiencing. "The Midwest is usually a step behind the West and East Coast." In this case that's a good thingfor sellers, anyway. The economy of Milwaukee, WI, has also continued to grow. It boasts a total of 13 Fortune 1000 companies, including Harley-Davidson and Northwestern Mutual. Homes here sell quickly. In October, realtor.com ranked Milwaukee as one of the markets with the fastest-shrinking inventory. Over a three-year period, inventory there has dropped 37.3%, a loss of 5 million square feet. So it shouldn't be a surprise that median home prices are up 14%, to $244,640. "It looks like 2019 will be just as strong as the previous year," says local agent Beth Jaworski. There's a similar story unfolding in booming real estate markets in Birmingham, AL (10.8% price growth); state capital Trenton, NJ (16%); and Reading, PA (14.2%). They all got hit hard by the downturn and took some time to recover. But now they're looking good, with low unemployment rates and relatively affordable (if fast-growing) home prices. Booming population centers = booming real estate When droves of people move into a new community at the same time, they compete against local buyers and drive real estate prices up. And up. This is why Killeen, TX, made our list. As the home of Fort Hood, the military post employs around 54,000 civilians and soldiers and attracts contractors like General Dynamics, an aerospace firm with a presence in the region. In 2017, Killeen's population grew 1.6%, double the national growth rate of 0.8%. It isn't slowing down. From 2015 to 2030, the metro area's population is expected to grow 23%, according to the Texas Water Development Board. In response, median home prices in Killeen have jumped 13.9% to $205,000. But those are still bargain rates compared to larger Texas cities like Austin, TX, just over an hour to the north. Why pay a median $349,100 home price in the Austin metro when you could get a three-bedroom ranch home for under $150,000 in Killeen, which is within commuting distance? "People are being pushed out of Austin," says Andrea Curtis, broker/owner of United Country Premier Properties in Killeen. Columbia, SC, is best-known as the state's capital and home of the University of South Carolina. But a lot of the commotion these days is about all the moving trucks: Population growth in the Columbia metro in 2017 was 31% higher than the national rate. Much of this population growth is tied to the surging population of South Carolina and the rest of the South. Around this time of year, those mild winters in the Carolinas really start to sound niceas do the lower taxes and costs of living, particularly to young families and retirees. This is helping to push home prices higher. The median price in Columbia climbed 16.5% over the past 12 months, to $232,00. A lot of people from New York and New Jersey are moving in, says Micah Collins, a realtor at Keller Williams Realty in Columbia. "Instead of going to Miami, they are coming to South Carolina because of the cost of living. You can buy a 3,000 square-foot home here for less than $300,000." * A metropolitan statistical area is a designation that includes the urban core of a city and the surrounding smaller towns and cities. We limited our rankings to just one metro per state to ensure some geographic diversity. The post What Slowdown? The 10 Markets Where Home Prices Are Unstoppable appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. The question is no longer if the nation is in the throes of a housing slowdown, but rather how deep and wide it will wind up beingand how much of a blow it'll deliver to the American real estate market. The signs are becoming ever more troubling. The number of existing home sales has dropped to the lowest level in three years, price growth has slowed precipitously, and some super-pricey, bellwether cities are actually seeing prices fall. (We're looking at you, San Francisco, Dallas, and Miami!) The fact that home growth has slowed in 70% of the United States' 200 largest housing markets has economists debating whether the housing slowdown is the canary in the coal mine, warning of economic woes to come. But let's all take a deep breath and one giant step back: Not every market is slowing down. In fact, realtor.com found 10 metros where home prices are actually shooting up. Welcome to the nation's strongest housing marketsplaces that so far have eluded the shifting tides, with double-digit annual price growth. So why are some cities skyrocketing, while the rest of the country appears to have been clobbered by a double-whammy of rising mortgage rates and home prices that have risen too darn high? Depends on where you look. Places ravaged by natural disasters are seeing prices climb, as folks compete for a limited number of available properties. Those fleeing more expensive cities are substantially driving up prices in smaller and cheaper cities nearby. Some markets smacked hard by the financial collapse a decade ago are still recovering, meaning that they still have room for prices to move up. And other cities are simply seeing a torrent of new residents flowing in. Even with the deceleration in home price increases ... we are still seeing strong home buying in smaller metros that have good affordability and solid job growth, says Frank Nothaft, the chief economist at Corelogic, a real estate data firm. To find the top housing markets unaffected by the national housing slowdown, we pulled December realtor.com listing data for the 200 largest metropolitan areas.* We eliminated those with year-over-year price growth that was lower than it was a year earlier, then ranked the rest on price and price-per-square-foot increases, as well as changes in inventory, days on market, and percentage of homes seeing price bumps. So which markets are bucking the big slowdown? Let's check out the four trends continuing to push up home prices. 10 skyrocketing metros Claire Widman Wildfire leveled their homesnow they're bidding up Chico prices Kyle Smith won't soon forget the orange sky outside the window of his Paradise, CA, home. On Nov. 8, the 31-year-old youth pastor found himself frantically driving his wife and 2-year-old out of the evacuated town while smoke poured into their vehicle and midday skies turned black. Camp Fire would go on to become the deadliest wildfire in California history, claiming at least 85 lives and burning down 18,000 homes and buildings. "Three days later, it was confirmed that our home was gone," Smith told realtor.com. "The entire structure was down to ashes: All that was left was the chimney. The car rims were melted down to the pavement. Everything on my block was gone." The aftermath of the wildfire has pushed Chico, CA, the metro that includes Paradise, into the No. 1 spot on our ranking. Home prices in the city, about a 90-minute drive north of Sacramento, have climbed 14.7% over the past 12 months, to a median $330,100. In the days that followed the fire, many newly homeless families poured into the city of Chico looking for hotels and apartments, quickly buying up the handful of available homes. Chico, which had a tight real estate market before the fire, soon began experiencing bidding wars and surging home prices. Four bedrooms, two baths, and over 21 acres in Chico realtor.com "Being the fastest-growing real estate market is not something anyone here is proud ofwe're a hot market in the worst way," says Dustin Cheatham, a real estate agent at Century 21 Jeffries Lydon in Chico. "People need housing, and there isnt enough supply. Our community is being pulled apart, [with] families and generations who lived close together now separated because of the Camp Fire." In the short term, prices are up, but over time, the devastation might lead some to move out of the area rather than rebuilding. In the months since the fire, Smith has bounced around, staying in family members' spare bedrooms in Chico and living in a recreational vehicle (RV) in a relative's driveway. Just this month, he finally found an apartment, but he's not sure if he'll stay. The one-story home he bought for $160,000 in 2014 would now cost more than $300,000 to rebuild, given that developers' prices are surging to meet the demand. Smith is now weighing rebuilding against moving out of state so that he can buy something more affordableand worry less about keeping his family safe. Fleeing high-cost cities, home buyers push up prices in nearby areas When home prices soar far out of the reach of locals, residents have a few options: They can start renting, they can bail entirely to another part of the countryor they can move to more affordable, smaller cities that are relatively close. The latter option is becoming more and more popular, as people seek out places where they can still afford to become homeowners. Just look at Seattle. Homes in the metro cost a median $550,000a steep climb, considering that median household income there is $82,133. That's prompted many of the folks who don't have those high-paying Amazon or Microsoft jobs to look at Spokane, WA, a four-hour drive inland. No, that's not exactly a commutable distance to the Emerald City. But high demand is still driving up prices therewith the median home price up 15.4% in the last year, to $299,100. Scenic Spokane gregobagel/iStock "Around half of my buyers are from out of town," says Marianne Bornhoft, a local broker at Windermere Real Estate, and it's creating a frenzy. Earlier this month, she listed a home on a Wednesday, and by Saturday, it had attracted eight offers at or above listing price. Most Spokane newcomers are coming either from Seattle or Portland, OR. They're buying up four-bedroom Craftsman-style homes for under $275,000. They dig the endless opportunities for outdoor activities along the Spokane River: realtor.com named Spokane one of the country's top affordable outdoorsy cities last year. A similar phenomenon is happening in Greensboro, NC, where the median list price has climbed 14.6% over the past year, to $220,000. Home values are getting driven up there by an influx of folks moving from the heart of the Research Triangle in Raleigh and Durham, each around an hour away, where median home prices are $340,000 and $351,000, respectively. The triangle is home to several top universities, including Duke, as well as a slew of high-tech companies and startups. Affordable small cities with resurgent economies see higher prices The housing slowdown is most pronounced in America's most expensive cities, like San Francisco, where home prices have raced up for years. On the flip side, many of the places where home prices are still growing now are smaller metropolises where the economy took longer to rebound. A prime example is South Bend, IN. This Rust Belt city has had some rough patches as plants closed and locals left. Slowly but surely, the city has rebounded in recent years. With the help of Notre Dame University, which is located in the area, the city has built a small but dynamic tech sector and start-up scene. Elkhart, IN, just 30 minutes out of town, has seen its RV manufacturing business boom and is now paying top dollar to find talent. The rebound in South Bend has been so profound that its current mayor, Pete Buttigieg, announced last week he was pursuing the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. In response to the region's growth, home prices jumped 15.4% last year to a median $150,000. "We're seeing multiple offers if a home is priced right. The shortage of inventory is the driving factor," says Beau Dunfee, managing broker at Weichert Realtors, Jim Dunfee & Associates in South Bend. He hasn't seen signs of the housing slump that agents in Seattle and New York are experiencing. "The Midwest is usually a step behind the West and East Coast." In this case that's a good thingfor sellers, anyway. The economy of Milwaukee, WI, has also continued to grow. It boasts a total of 13 Fortune 1000 companies, including Harley-Davidson and Northwestern Mutual. Homes here sell quickly. In October, realtor.com ranked Milwaukee as one of the markets with the fastest-shrinking inventory. Over a three-year period, inventory there has dropped 37.3%, a loss of 5 million square feet. So it shouldn't be a surprise that median home prices are up 14%, to $244,640. Inventory in Milwaukee is shrinking, and not just because of the cold. realtor.com "It looks like 2019 will be just as strong as the previous year," says local agent Beth Jaworski. There's a similar story unfolding in booming real estate markets in Birmingham, AL (10.8% price growth); state capital Trenton, NJ (16%); and Reading, PA (14.2%). They all got hit hard by the downturn and took some time to recover. But now they're looking good, with low unemployment rates and relatively affordable (if fast-growing) home prices. Two-bedroom home in Reading, PA realtor.com Booming population centers = booming real estate When droves of people move into a new community at the same time, they compete against local buyers and drive real estate prices up. And up. This is why Killeen, TX, made our list. As the home of Fort Hood, the military post employs around 54,000 civilians and soldiers and attracts contractors like General Dynamics, an aerospace firm with a presence in the region. In 2017, Killeen's population grew 1.6%, double the national growth rate of 0.8%. It isn't slowing down. From 2015 to 2030, the metro area's population is expected to grow 23%, according to the Texas Water Development Board. In response, median home prices in Killeen have jumped 13.9% to $205,000. But those are still bargain rates compared to larger Texas cities like Austin, TX, just over an hour to the north. Why pay a median $349,100 home price in the Austin metro when you could get a three-bedroom ranch home for under $150,000 in Killeen, which is within commuting distance? "People are being pushed out of Austin," says Andrea Curtis, broker/owner of United Country Premier Properties in Killeen. Columbia, SC, is best-known as the state's capital and home of the University of South Carolina. But a lot of the commotion these days is about all the moving trucks: Population growth in the Columbia metro in 2017 was 31% higher than the national rate. Much of this population growth is tied to the surging population of South Carolina and the rest of the South. Around this time of year, those mild winters in the Carolinas really start to sound niceas do the lower taxes and costs of living, particularly to young families and retirees. This is helping to push home prices higher. The median price in Columbia climbed 16.5% over the past 12 months, to $232,00. Columbia, SC Sean Pavone/iStock A lot of people from New York and New Jersey are moving in, says Micah Collins, a realtor at Keller Williams Realty in Columbia. "Instead of going to Miami, they are coming to South Carolina because of the cost of living. You can buy a 3,000 square-foot home here for less than $300,000." * A metropolitan statistical area is a designation that includes the urban core of a city and the surrounding smaller towns and cities. We limited our rankings to just one metro per state to ensure some geographic diversity. The post What Slowdown? The 10 Markets Where Home Prices Are Unstoppable appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Just about every public poll taken since the shutdown shows President Donald Trump's approval rate dropping. These surveys tell us a strong majority primarily blames him. The latest Post-ABC News poll drills down to ask what voters don't like about him. The answer is: practically everything: "Nearly 6 in 10 say they have an unfavorable view of the president as a person. Similar majorities say they doubt his empathy, honesty and ability to make political deals, although on several of those attitudes, his ratings have not changed significantly during his time in office. ... Almost half of all Americans (48 percent) say they have no confidence in Trump's future decision-making." The Post-ABC poll indicates a huge difference between expectations when he first took office for Trump's performance on the economy, health care and the debt and how voters now evaluate him on these issues. More interesting perhaps for a president whose party proclaimed itself uninterested in character are the putrid ratings he gets on personal qualities. Sixty percent of registered voters view him negatively as a person, as do 63 percent of independents and 66 percent of women. A bare majority of registered voters (51 percent) think he isn't a strong leader; again, he does worse with independents (55 percent) and women (59 percent). On honesty and trustworthiness, 60 percent of registered voters think he isn't, including 73 percent (!) of independents and 71 percent of women. After two years of his presidency, 58 percent of registered voters (including 67 percent of independents and women) don't think he has the temperament to be president. Sixty-five percent of registered voters don't think he cares about people like them, including 68 percent of independents and 72 percent of women. Perhaps it is the shutdown, not the anticipated report from special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, that will be Trump's downfall. Trump's man-made disaster - the culmination of two years of chaos, meanness, bigotry and lies - leaves voters thinking he is incompetent, uncaring and clueless, much like Hurricane Katrina did for President George W. Bush. That view in all likelihood won't change, because Trump won't change. In the 2016 election, Trump wasn't viewed favorably either. But he had Hillary Clinton as a foil. It's why he still references her. Voters - in his mind, I suppose - should appreciate him because they could have had her instead. (Hmm ... no!) In any event, that suggests both a primary challenger in the GOP race and a general election candidate who can manage to best Trump in a slew of personal qualifications might have a real shot at winning. The bad news is that Trump, or his campaign advisers at least, knows that the only way he wins (other than if former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz runs as an independent) is by making his opponent(s) less likable than himself. That's going to be hard, but make no mistake: If he is around in 2020, he'll run the nastiest, most dishonest campaign we've ever seen. And if he runs and loses, don't expect that he'd necessarily accept the results. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) said Tom Brokaw's assertion that Hispanics "should work harder at assimilation" in the U.S. was "stunningly ignorant." The San Antonio native was one of many political figures within Texas and nationwide to chime in on comments the former NBC Nightly News host made while serving as a "special senior correspondent" on PBS NewsHour's "Meet the Press" panel Sunday morning. "Hispanics should work harder at assimilation, that's one of the things I've been saying for a long time," Brokaw said. "They ought not to be just codified in their communities, but make sure their kids are learning to speak English and that they feel comfortable in their communities and that's going to take outreach from both sides, frankly." FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox Castro, whose twin brother Julian Castro is running for president, responded to the comments in a Twitter thread Sunday evening. "Unfortunate to see xenophobia pass for elevated political commentary," Joaquin Castro tweeted to the show. His response to Brokaw continued. "To give some context as to why this matters, in Texas into the 1950s (and perhaps after) Spanish was literally beaten out of children. At many schools if you spoke Spanish you were hit by a teacher spanked with a ruler or paddle," he tweeted. "Parents became reluctant to pass down the Spanish language and kids came to associate it with notions of shame and inferiority. That's one reason why I find it so ironic that often times Hispanics today are shamed if they don't speak Spanish." As many reacted to Brokaw's statement online, his fellow panelist, Yamiche Alcindor, ended the segment by challenging him in person. "The idea that we think America can only speak English, as if Spanish and other languages wasn't always part of America, is in some ways troubling," she said. RELATED: Brokaw says he feels terrible commentary offended Hispanics The 78-year-old TV anchor also came under fire for what he said just before his "assimilation" comment. "Also, I hear, when I push people a little harder, 'Well, I don't know whether I want brown grandbabies,'" he said. "I mean, that's also a part of it. It's the intermarriage that is going on and the cultures that are conflicting with each other." Republican Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush fired back, tweeting: "With all due respect @Tombrokaw I am one of those 'little brown ones' and can assure you that my grandparents conveyed to me that they loved and were proud of me before they passed," he said Monday morning. Brokaw also took to Twitter to issue a thread of "truly sorry" reactions, then ended with "it worked, i got your attention. 'night." Madalyn Mendoza is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @MaddySkye One of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan since 2013 that killed six U.S. troops on Monday claimed the life of an airman from Mercedes, Texas who was based out of Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. Staff Sgt. Michael A. Cinco, 28, was identified as one of the troops killed along with five other people after an attack by a suicide bomber near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan Dec. 21, 2015, according to a report released by the Department of Defense. A woman was arrested early Monday after she drunkenly crashed into a police officer's squad car on the South Side, police said. The driver smashed into the squad car at about 2:40 a.m. at Southcross and Mission Road, trapping the officer inside. Pushed to the brink by mounting debt, compassion fatigue and social media attacks from angry pet owners, veterinarians are committing suicide at rates higher than the general population, often killing themselves with drugs meant for their patients. On a brisk fall evening in Elizabeth City, N.C., Robin Stamey sat in her bed and prepared to take her own life. To her side lay a stack of goodbye letters Stamey had written to her loved ones, including her parents who lived hundreds of miles away. Gripping a catheter loaded with a deadly dose of Beuthanasia-D and Telazol, euthanizing agents the 46-year-old veterinarian had brought home from her nearby practice, she exhaled slowly and began to bid the world goodbye. But as she turned to look at Gracie, her apricot toy poodle, Stamey started to sob. She couldn't do it. "The only person I couldn't explain my suicide to was my dog, who was sitting there looking into my eyes," Stamey recalled. "She's the reason I'm still alive." The path to rock bottom was an unexpected one for Stamey. A chipper animal lover who went back to school at age 36 to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian, she had previously worked in a few small clinics before eventually opening her own. Pushed to the brink by mounting debt, compassion fatigue and social media attacks from angry pet owners, veterinarians are committing suicide at rates higher than the general population, often killing themselves with drugs meant for their patients. On a brisk fall evening in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Robin Stamey sat in her bed and prepared to take her own life. To her side lay a stack of goodbye letters Stamey had written to her loved ones, including her parents who lived hundreds of miles away. Gripping a catheter loaded with a deadly dose of Beuthanasia-D and Telazol, euthanizing agents the 46-year-old veterinarian had brought home from her nearby practice, she exhaled slowly and began to bid the world goodbye. But as she turned to look at Gracie, her apricot toy poodle, Stamey started to sob. She couldn't do it. "The only person I couldn't explain my suicide to was my dog, who was sitting there looking into my eyes," Stamey recalled. "She's the reason I'm still alive." The path to rock bottom was an unexpected one for Stamey. A chipper animal lover who went back to school at age 36 to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian, she had previously worked in a few small clinics before eventually opening her own. Pulling this off wasn't easy; Stamey graduated from veterinary school with more than $180,000 in student debt. Her first vet jobs paid about $40,000 a year, forcing her to work long hours to scrape together enough money to get by. These financial troubles were compounded by the strains of the job, which is known for taking immense emotional, physical and mental tolls on its professionals. But like many people who work in medicine, Stamey had always thought of herself as a caretaker and was afraid to ask for help. Instead, she swallowed her frustrations and soldiered on, ignoring the creeping depression that began to cast a shadow over her life and her work. In 2007, everything fell apart. Burnt out from a near-decade of grueling work, Stamey was struck by crippling fatigue and painful internal swelling that doctors couldn't explain. This mystery ailment - diagnosed years later as Bartonellosis, or cat-scratch fever - stripped Stamey of the vigor that had once defined her, leaving her barely enough energy to crawl across her floor to feed her pet dogs, let alone run her practice. Rumors that she was addicted to drugs and alcohol, fed by small-town gossip and social media exchanges between angry clients, spread through the community. Eventually, even friends turned on her. "I didn't lose an arm or a leg, so my illness and my withering mental health wasn't real to them," Stamey said, citing a tense phone conversation with an old friend as the moment that she decided to commit suicide. "I was suffering, alone, and didn't know where to turn to for help. I just wanted it all to end." Stamey said she felt isolated in her pain at the time, but she has since learned a startling truth: Veterinarians are in the midst of a suicide epidemic of massive proportions. On Jan. 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the first study to ever examine veterinarian mortality rates in America. The results were grim: Between 1979 and 2015, male and female veterinarians committed suicide between 2 to 3.5 times more often than the national average, respectively. These findings not only reflect a higher suicide rate among all veterinarians but also suggest that women in the field are more likely to take their own lives, which starkly contrasts trends within the general population. Considering the profession is becoming increasingly female-dominated (more than 60 percent of U.S. veterinarians and 80 percent of veterinary students are now female), the study's authors suggested this trend could foreshadow even more veterinarian suicides in the years to come. Additional research, including a 2015 CDC study that found one in six veterinarians have considered suicide, have shaken the veterinary world to its core, exposing a growing crisis that few knew of and others had sought to ignore. Stamey is among those who are standing up and sharing their stories, refusing to brush the problem aside. "It was devastating to realize how many of us are hurting, but it's more important to know the cards are finally on the table," she said. "We can't truly address this until we start being honest with ourselves and caring for one another." To grasp the extent of their desperation, one must understand what it's like to be a veterinarian today. One of the most competitive medical fields - veterinary school acceptance rates are comparable with medical school acceptance rates, but prospective vets are often asked to complete more prerequisite undergraduate courses - it's a profession that attracts intelligent, driven people who, above all else, want to help and treat animals. As obvious as it is, that latter component is critical: People don't become veterinarians for prestige, power or high pay. But diving into passion-driven professions leaves the door open for compassion fatigue and burnout, and the veterinary field is riddled with mental health hazards. Unsurprisingly, two of the largest factors at play are money and death. Veterinarian school is costly. Recent studies conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the industry's largest nonprofit advocacy entity, show that the average veterinary student now graduates with $143,000 or more in debt; about one in five leave school with more than $200,000 to pay off. Veterinary salaries, which start at about $67,000 a year, aren't keeping pace with rising tuition rates. "Tuitions are going up, salaries are staying stagnant and the debt just compounds by the second. I've got friends who have graduated with anywhere from $100,000 to over $500,000 of debt," said Lynn Green-Ivey, a San Antonio veterinarian who graduated from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Science. "Many of those people with those higher debt loads are facing an insurmountable monetary challenge. They will die with that debt and it's really, really sad." The impact of these financial handicaps hits veterinarians far beyond their wallets. Pressed to pay off their debt while attempting to save money to buy homes, start families, or run their own practices, many vets find themselves routinely working well over 50 hours a week. They're even forced to pick up second jobs in some cases, taking on overnight shifts at emergency clinics or helping out at rescue shelters. "More often than not, you've got to work and work and work without a bathroom break and scarf your lunch down in three minutes or less just to keep up with the daily responsibilities," Green-Ivey said. "The pressure to do more and to do better for your clients is constant and never-ending. "We're determined, passionate people who are used to putting our clients and our animals before ourselves. But these traits, which make us good doctors, are the same things that make us more susceptible to depression, anxiety and letting negative emotions chip away at us," Green-Ivey said. Another key driver of this suicide crisis: Veterinarians are consistently asked to act as animal undertakers. Euthanizing their clients can cause what a recent study referred to as ethical conflict and moral distress, which arises when vets are forced to put aside their expert opinions and accept pet owners' decisions about if and when to put their animals down. More so, this proximity to death makes dying seem like a reasonable way to ease suffering. These factors create a troubling set of circumstances, especially since vets routinely have access to controlled euthanasia drugs. If you're armed with the knowledge of how to administer a quick, painless death and regularly experience trauma and stress, it's clear how suicide can become an accessible option. As this problem has become more publicly acknowledged, veterinarians have formed online support groups to discuss sensitive topics. It's all about providing a sense of community to people who feel isolated, said Carrie Rountree, a vet tech who lives in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Rountree created the Facebook group #TheFightingBluesForAmanda to honor her friend, Amanda Ryan, after Ryan killed herself in September. In less than two months, the group's membership grew to nearly 5,000 people and includes veterinary professionals from around the world. "Without online communities like this, I believe there would be increased risk and, consequently, even more tragic losses like Amanda's," Rountree said. "Now that we have tools like this to connect with people from all across the globe, this issue can no longer be ignored. Only through awareness can we create true change." Smaller groups, including a Facebook group Robin Stamey called "Veterinary Medicine: Staying Alive," are now sprinkled throughout social media platforms. The organization at the crest of the industry's new wellness wave is Not One More Vet. An online support network that's emerging as a leading nonprofit in the field, NOMV has spearheaded a nationwide mental health education initiative and created a grant program to provide financial assistance to veterinarians who can't access affordable mental health care. It also provides temporary relief workers to ensure emotionally depleted vets can take a few days off to rest and recharge. "We're focused on so many things right now, but at the end of the day, our first priority is training people about what to do when someone expresses the desire to die," said Carrie Jurney, a veterinary neurologist and NOMV board member. "I want that skill to no longer be necessary, but until we can dig our profession out of this crisis, the first step is that emergency, mental health CPR-level care." These grass-roots efforts have caught the attention of the AVMA, the industry's largest player. In addition to amplifying the findings of the CDC's groundbreaking research, the AVMA has created a suite of mental well-being resources for its members, including free trainings on how to identify at-risk colleagues and direct them to professional support. The organization has also begun leading discussions about work-life balance and wellness and provides guides to finding local mental health services, moves that reflect its mission to remove the profession's long-standing stigma around the topic. "For really the first time ever, this subject is being talked about from the time people walk into veterinary school, through one's early career, all the way up to the top of the industry," said John de Jong, president of the AVMA. "That's the only way we can tackle this and make real progress: through a holistic, all-hands-on-deck approach." Unfortunately, there's one X factor these organizations can't account for: relentless pressure from emotiona, sometimes misguided pet owners. Compared with dentists or doctors working in human medicine, veterinarians are more likely to have their professional opinions second-guessed or rejected by clients. The experience is not just grating. It can lead to angry Internet attacks by impassioned clients, including instances in which viral social media attacks eventually led to targeted veterinarians committing suicide. Shirley Koshi, a Bronx veterinarian who took her own life after facing a barrage of harassment and accusations of veterinary abuse in a dispute over a stray cat, is an especially haunting example of what many professionals worry could one day happen to them. The specter of Internet attacks has become so severe that the AVMA introduced a Cyberbullying Response Assistance Hotline in 2016. Despite recent efforts to address veterinarian suicide, most people in the field - the AVMA and NOMV included - acknowledge this is only the beginning of the healing process. It will take time to understand the spectrum of factors fueling this phenomenon and gauge the success of still-developing prevention strategies. But Stamey said she feels hopeful because the problem is no longer lurking in the shadows. "This isn't some abstract. These are real people's lives; husbands, wives, sons, daughters, your friends, your family, your veterinarian," she said. "Healing and perspective will take time, but for now we just need to listen and learn. You'd be shocked by who's struggling around you." A Hale County Grand Jury returned a list of 18 indictments. Fourteen people were indicted on Jan. 18. Here is a list of those indicted: Joetta Velasquez, 43, of Albuquerque, New Mexico possession of a controlled substance with intent to delivery, penalty group 1, at least 4 grams, less than 200 grams first degree felony - $25,000 bond Marisela Lopez, 29, of Plainview possession of a controlled substance with intent to delivery, penalty group 1, at least 4 grams, less than 200 grams first degree felony - $25,000 bond; unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon third degree felony - $10,000 bond Jarrod Reynolds, 29, of Tulia injury of a child with intentional bodily injury third degree felony - $10,000 bond; possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 1, less than 1 gram state jail felony - $5,000 bond Asim Dizdarevic, 56, of Plainview intoxicated manslaughter second degree felony - $20,000 bond; accident involving death second degree felony - $20,000 bond Gilberto Vera, 57, of Plainview theft of property valued to at least $2,500 but less than $30,000 state jail felony - $5,000 bond Lisa Gomez, 30, of Plainview burglary of a habitation second degree felony - $20,000 bond Rachelle Ayala, 21, of Plainview evading arrest or detention with a vehicle third degree felony - $10,000 bond; possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 1, less than 1 gram state jail felony - $5,000 bond Tiffany Downey, 32, of Plainview possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 1, less than 1 gram state jail felony - $5,000 bond Shelby Manning, 22, of Lubbock possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 2, at least 4 grams but less than 400 grams second degree felony - $20,000 bond Brandon Lewis, 22, of Midland possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 2, at least 4 grams but less than 400 grams second degree felony - $20,000 bond Danielle Canfield, 34, of Lubbock possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 1, less than 1 gram state jail felony - $5,000 bond Matthew Trevino, 17, of Abernathy sexual assault of a child second degree felony - $20,000 bond Sammy Emery, 51, unknown address driving while intoxicated third or more offense third degree felony - $10,000 bond Joel Voigt, 55, of Abernathy indecency with a child, sexual contact second degree felony - $20,000 bond A 44-year-old Texas man has pleaded guilty to two charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two young women here 20 years ago, authorities said. David Bruce Morton appeared before State District Judge Stephen Pfeffer Tuesday to plead guilty to killing Janet Ann Benoit in 1983 and Teri Lynn Mulvaney in 1984. Morton was sentenced to two life terms that he will serve in New Mexico, Santa Fe police Deputy Chief Eric Johnson said. Johnson and other detectives interviewed Morton in Lovelady, Texas, where he was serving a life sentence in the 1990 murder of Kimberly Kendall. "At that time he admitted to those (Benoit and Mulvaney's) murders," Johnson said, adding that Morton provided details about the cases that only a person involved with the crimes would know. Benoit had stopped in Santa Fe on her way to a job in Phoenix when she was bound and repeatedly stabbed in a motel room. Mulvaney was Morton's next-door neighbor at a Santa Fe apartment complex in 1984. She was found strangled in her bed. Morton was tried for Mulvaney's death in 1988, but it ended in a mistrial. "I'm sorry this ever happened," Morton said when asked by the judge if he wanted to say anything to the families of the victims. "I wish I could take it back. I'm truly sorry for the families." In a telephone interview from Kankakee, Ill., Benoit's brother David told the Santa Fe New Mexican he is glad his sister's killer has been sentenced. "I don't feel any closure," he said. "We all still miss Janet. We always will." An enormous 8,000-square-foot fortress set on 40 acres of land in Nevada's sagebrush-dotted high desert, a 2.5-hour drive from Las Vegas, is selling for $950,000. The so-called Hard Luck Castle with four-bedrooms and three bathrooms is an extraordinary and admittedly quite odd architectural wonder with a fantastical design you'd expect to find on the set of an apocalyptic science-fiction filmthink "Mad Max." Its concrete walls are 16 inches thick and wrap around the circular structure with a central staircase taking you to all four floors and a solarium encased in glass for stargazing. "It's absolutely amazing," says listing agent Jake Rasmuson of Bishop Real Estate. "You have to picture the middle of Nevada...your views are completely uninterrupted. The main house is comprised of 22 rooms including a wine cellar, a theater and game room, a viewing deck and a fountain room. There are also two working 1920s pipe organs that resonate throughout the halls when played. ALSO: 'Castle' made of fascinating items from around the Bay Area listed for $3.475 million A builder from Southern California, the owner chose the town of Gold Point (pop. 6) in Esmeralda County for his dream home due to its privacy, lack of building codes and few laws on private land. He spent $3 million and 12 years to complete his plan, and now he's ready to move onto his next adventure. "He built it all himself with help from friends ," says listing agent. He's a guy who can fix or do anything. He's an amazing craftsman." He added: "He's ready to give up the property. Purchase a boat and start a new chapter in his life." The property is off-the-grid with self-sustained energy systems using solar and wind and a 4,000 gallon water storage tank has rain catchment. There's a detached 600-square-foot workshop equipped with tools for working on cars and steel fabrication and a remodeled miner's cabin with a new bathroom and kitchen. A productive yet dormant gold mine with a "serviceable" mine shaft is also included. It was shuttered after World War II, but allegedly still contains gold. "In a lot of ways, it's a 'doomsday prepper' dream home...extremely self-sustaining and secure." That said, Rasmusson says he could also see an interested buyer might be "an astrologist, an artists, a writer, a musician, a poet, someone who really wants peace and quiet and wants two pipe organs in their home" because the organs and everything else except the owner's dog and truck are included in the sale. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28) Pope Francis asked for prayers for the victims of the bombing in a Catholic church in Jolo, Sulu, which claimed at least 20 lives. "Let us pray for the victims of the terrorist attack on the Cathedral of Jolo, in the Philippines. May the Lord, Prince of Peace, convert the hearts of the violent, and grant the inhabitants of that region a peaceful coexistence," the Pope said in a tweet on Sunday. Let us pray for the victims of the terrorist attack on the Cathedral of Jolo, in the Philippines. May the Lord, Prince of Peace, convert the hearts of the violent, and grant the inhabitants of that region a peaceful coexistence. Pope Francis (@Pontifex) January 27, 2019 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also condemned the bombing as "a despicable act of cowardice." He also sent condolences to the victims' families. An attack on people attending Sunday services is a despicable act of cowardice, and Canada strongly condemns todays cathedral bombing in Jolo, Philippines. My deepest condolences to all the families affected by this tragedy. Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 27, 2019 The World Bank also extended its condolences to affected families and said it is ready to extend assistance to the Philippines through its existing partnerships for peace and development in Mindanao. U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim and Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the twin blasts. Kim vowed the U.S. would "do everything possible to support the Armed Forces." My deepest sympathies for the tragic loss of life in Jolo. We condemn this senseless violence and we will do everything possible to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Ambassador Sung Kim (@USAmbManila) January 28, 2019 Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, meanwhile, urged the perpetrators of the bombing "to ask forgiveness of God and humanity, to leave behind their destructive ways and to start a new life of truthfulness, justice and love befitting true human beings." Tagle also called on all Filipinos, especially Catholics and Christians, not to abandon their commitment to peace. "Let us multiply good and honorable thoughts, sentiments, words and actions. Let us not abandon our efforts to dialogue with people who differ from us. Bridges are more useful than walls," he said. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) also expressed its condolences to the families of the victims and condemned the attacks. Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), expressed its condolences to the families of the victims and condemned the attacks. In a statement, CBCP President Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles also urged Catholics to join Muslims in promoting peace in Mindanao. "As we begin a new phase in the peace process with the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM), we ask our Christian brethren to join hands with all peace-loving Muslim and Indigenous People communities in the advocacy against violent extremism," it said. Archbishop-Elect Angelito Lampon and Orlando Cardinal Quevedo called the attack on the Jolo Cathedral " the most heinous desecration of a sacred place" and "a satanic act that all sacred religions must condemn." Lampon and Quevedo prayed for the families of the victims of the blast and also appealed to security and military forces to "flush out" the perpetrators of the bombing. For its part, the Ulama Council of Zamboanga Peninsula (UCZP), a group of Muslim scholars, also condemned "in the strongest term the bloody bombing of the Jolo cathedral." "The council calls the incident as a dastardly act as it is viewed by Islam as a heinous crime against humanity and whoever perpetrated such will face the dire consequences not only in this world but more so in the afterlife," the UCZP said. According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines West Mindanao Command, the blast has left 20 dead and 97 others wounded. President Rodrigo Duterte and other ranking officials are expected to visit Jolo today. The bombings came after the Commission on Elections announced the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law on Friday, following a plebiscite where all provinces under the ARMM voted for its approval. Sulu was among the provinces that had voted to reject the BOL. The attacks also occurred amid the implementation of martial law in Mindanao. CNN Philippines Correspondents David Santos and Rex Remitio contributed to this report. President Donald Trump View Photos President Trump delivered an Address on re-opening the federal government for three weeks, until February 15th. Trump was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: My fellow Americans, I am very proud to announce that we have reached a deal to end the shutdown and re-open the federal government. (Applause.) As everyone knows, I have a very powerful alternative, but I didnt want to use it at this time. Hopefully it will be unnecessary. I want to thank all of the incredible federal workers, and their amazing families, who have shown such extraordinary devotion in the face of this recent hardship. You are fantastic people. You are incredible patriots. Many of you have suffered far greater than anyone, but your families would know or understand. And not only did you not complain, but in many cases you encouraged me to keep going because you care so much about our country and about its border security. Again, I thank you. All Americans, I thank you. You are very, very special people. I am so proud that you are citizens of our country. When I say Make America Great Again, it could never be done without you. Great people. I will sign a bill to open our government for three weeks until February 15th. I will make sure that all employees receive their back pay very quickly, or as soon as possible. Itll happen fast. I am asking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to put this proposal on the floor immediately. After 36 days of spirited debate and dialogue, I have seen and heard from enough Democrats and Republicans that they are willing to put partisanship aside I think and put the security of the American people first. I do believe theyre going to do that. They have said they are for complete border security, and they have finally and fully acknowledged that having barriers, fencing, or walls or whatever you want to call it will be an important part of the solution. A bipartisan Conference Committee of House and Senate lawmakers and leaders will immediately begin reviewing the requests of our Homeland Security experts and experts they are and also law enforcement professionals, who have worked with us so closely. We want to thank Border Patrol, ICE, and all law enforcement. Been incredible. (Applause.) Based on operational guidance from the experts in the field, they will put together a Homeland Security package for me to shortly sign into law. Over the next 21 days, I expect that both Democrats and Republicans will operate in good faith. This is an opportunity for all parties to work together for the benefit of our whole beautiful, wonderful nation. If we make a fair deal, the American people will be proud of their government for proving that we can put country before party. We can show all Americans, and people all around the world, that both political parties are united when it comes to protecting our country and protecting our people. Many disagree, but I really feel that, working with Democrats and Republicans, we can make a truly great and secure deal happen for everyone. Walls should not be controversial. Our country has built 654 miles of barrier over the last 15 years, and every career Border Patrol agent I have spoken with has told me that walls work. They do work. No matter where you go, they work. Israel built a wall 99.9 percent successful. Wont be any different for us. They keep criminals out. They save good people from attempting a very dangerous journey from other countries thousands of miles because they think they have a glimmer of hope of coming through. With a wall, they dont have that hope. They keep drugs out, and they dramatically increase efficiency by allowing us to patrol far larger areas with far fewer people. Its just common sense. Walls work. Thats why most of the Democrats in Congress have voted in the past for bills that include walls and physical barriers and very powerful fences. The walls we are building are not medieval walls. They are smart walls designed to meet the needs of frontline border agents, and are operationally effective. These barriers are made of steel, have see-through visibility, which is very important, and are equipped with sensors, monitors, and cutting-edge technology, including state-of-the-art drones. We do not need 2,000 miles of concrete wall from sea to shining sea we never did; we never proposed that; we never wanted that because we have barriers at the border where natural structures are as good as anything that we can build. Theyre already there. Theyve been there for millions of years. Our proposed structures will be in pre-determined high-risk locations that have been specifically identified by the Border Patrol to stop illicit flows of people and drugs. No border security plan can ever work without a physical barrier. Just doesnt happen. At the same time, we need to increase drug detection technology and manpower to modernize our ports of entry, which are obsolete. The equipment is obsolete. Theyre old. Theyre tired. This is something we have all come to agree on, and will allow for quicker and safer commerce. These critical investments will improve and facilitate legal trade and travel through our lawful ports of entry. Our plan also includes desperately needed humanitarian assistance for those being exploited and abused by coyotes, smugglers, and the dangerous journey north. The requests we have put before Congress are vital to ending the humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border. Absolutely vital. Will not work without it. This crisis threatens the safety of our country and thousands of American lives. Criminal cartels, narco-terrorists, transnational gangs like MS-13, and human traffickers are brazenly violating U.S. laws and terrorizing innocent communities. Human traffickers the victims are women and children. Maybe to a lesser extent, believe or not, children. Women are tied up. Theyre bound. Duct tape put around their faces, around their mouths. In many cases, they cant even breathe. Theyre put in the backs of cars or vans or trucks. They dont go through your port of entry. They make a right turn going very quickly. They go into the desert areas, or whatever areas you can look at. And as soon as theres no protection, they make a left or a right into the United States of America. Theres nobody to catch them. Theres nobody to find them. They cant come through the port, because if they come through the port, people will see four women sitting in a van with tape around their face and around their mouth. Cant have that. And that problem, because of the Internet, is the biggest problem its never been like this before that you can imagine. Its at the worst level human trafficking in the history of the world. This is not a United States problem; this is a world problem. But they come through areas where they have no protection, where they have no steel barriers, where they have no walls. And we can stop almost 100 percent of that. The profits reaped by these murderous organizations are used to fund their malign and destabilizing conduct throughout this hemisphere. Last year alone, ICE officers removed 10,000 known or suspected gang members, like MS-13 and members as bad as them. Horrible people. Tough. Mean. Sadistic. In the last two years, ICE officers arrested a total of 266,000 criminal aliens inside of the United States, including those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 homicides or, as you would call them, violent, vicious killings. It can be stopped. Vast quantities of lethal drugs including meth, fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine are smuggled across our southern border and into U.S. schools and communities. Drugs kill much more than 70,000 Americans a year and cost our society in excess of $700 billion. The sheer volume of illegal immigration has overwhelmed federal authorities and stretched our immigration system beyond the breaking point. Nearly 50 migrants a day are being referred for medical assistance they are very, very sick making this a health crisis as well. Its a very big health crisis. People have no idea how big it is, unless youre there. Our backlog in the immigration courts is now far greater than the 800,000 cases that youve been hearing about over the last couple of years. Think of that, though: 800,000 cases because our laws are obsolete. So obsolete. Theyre the laughing stock all over the world. Our immigration laws, all over the world theyve been there for a long time are the laughing stock, all over the world. We do not have the necessary space or resources to detain, house, vet, screen, and safely process this tremendous influx of people. In short, we do not have control over who is entering our country, where they come from, who they are, or why they are coming. The result, for many years, is a colossal danger to public safety. Were going to straighten it out. Its not hard. Its easy, if given the resources. Last month was the third straight month in a row with 60,000 apprehensions on our southern border. Think of that. we apprehended 60,000 people. Thats like a stadium full of people. A big stadium. There are many criminals being apprehended, but vast numbers are coming because our economy is so strong. We have the strongest economy now in the entire world. You see whats happening. We have nowhere left to house them and no way to promptly remove them. We cant get them out because our laws are so obsolete, so antiquated, and so bad. Without new resources from Congress, we will be forced to release these people into communities something we dont want to do called catch-and-release. You catch them. Even if they are criminals, you then release them. And you cant release them from where they came, so they go into our country and end up in places you would least suspect. And we do as little releasing as possible, by theyre coming by the hundreds of thousands. I have had zero Democrat lawmakers volunteer to have them released into their districts or states. And I think they know that, and thats what were going to be discussing over the next three weeks. The painful reality is that the tremendous economic and financial burdens of illegal immigration fall on the shoulders of low-income Americans, including millions of wonderful, patriotic, law-abiding immigrants who enrich our nation. As Commander-in-Chief, my highest priority is the defense of our great country. We cannot surrender operational control over the nations borders to foreign cartels, traffickers, and smugglers. We want future Americans to come to our country legally and through a system based on merit. We need people to come to our country. We have great companies moving back into the United States. And we have the lowest employment and the best employment numbers that weve ever had. There are more people working today in the United States than have ever worked in our country. We need people to come in to help us the farms, and with all of these great companies that are moving back. Finally, theyre moving back. People said it couldnt happen. Its happening. And we want them to enjoy the blessings of safety and liberty, and the rule of law. We cannot protect and deliver these blessings without a strong and secure border. I believe that crime in this country can go down by a massive percentage if we have great security on our southern border. I believe drugs, large percentages of which come through the southern border, will be cut by a number that nobody will believe. So let me be very clear: We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier. If we dont get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15th, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency. We will have great security. And I want to thank you all very much. Thank you very much. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. Illinois House Republicans are out with an independent map-making plan. And Gov. J.B. Pritzker is on the record saying hell reject a legislative map drawn under political influence. The 2020 census is just around the corner, after which Illinois must redraw its district lines. Could the next decade of Illinois politics take shape on a fair map? One man stands in the way. And Illinoisans who have followed state government for more than a day can guess who that is. House Speaker Mike Madigan for decades has drawn political maps to protect partisan allies and punish others. But if enough of his caucus members side with Pritzker, there could be a shot at the most reasonable map in a generation. Madigan has made his career drawing maps. Three of them specifically, following the 1980, 2000 and 2010 censuses. His first map was the main reason he was able to ascend to the speakership. The next two kept him there. Republicans drew the map in the 1990s, which helped them take over Madigans House for two short years. Both parties play this game. But Pritzker made a pledge to voters. On the campaign trail last year, he said he would veto any map that is drafted or created by legislators, political party leaders and/or their staffs or allies. Sounds like another Madigan map wouldnt make the cut. The House Republicans came out with a plan this week that they say would provide independent map making, even though legislative leaders would have a voice in selecting the map-making commission. Its not perfect, but its better than the status quo. And a constitutional amendment would be the best way to go about long-lasting redistricting reform. Unfortunately, the political numbers dont seem to add up. It will be very difficult to get the super majority necessary to take map making power out of political hands via a constitutional amendment, to say the least. But there doesnt necessarily have to be a constitutional amendment to stop gerrymandering. Thats where Pritzker comes in. All the Illinois Constitution mandates is that a new map is passed into law by June 30, 2021. The General Assembly approves the map and the governor signs it, with a backup plan if there isnt an agreement by the June 30 deadline. Beyond that, theres plenty of wiggle room. Take these two scenarios. In the first scenario, House and Senate Democrats pass a heavily partisan map to Pritzkers desk on super majority votes. Pritzker vetoes the bill, keeping his promise. Democrats still with super majority control override Pritzker and the highly partisan map goes into effect. Editorial boards and good government groups would rightfully cry bloody murder. But Madigan would get his map for the next 10 years. And Pritzker may have kept his promise in spirit. But voters might not see it that way. Heres another hypothetical. Pritzker assembles an independent commission to draw an alternative to Madigans map. Plenty of academics and civic groups, such as the Brennan Center for Justice, have put together best practices for making such a commission. Madigan still draws his map. But due to Illinois constitutional backup plan if the General Assembly and governor cant agree on district lines, the speaker must play his cards very carefully. In this scenario, Madigan could get enough votes to send his map to Pritzkers desk. But if Pritzker picks off enough override votes by presenting a viable alternative to a hyper-partisan map, Madigan is faced with a choice: He can pass Pritzkers independent map or sit on his hands. If he sits on his hands, which party draws the map essentially comes down to a coin flip. Democrats have won three of the last four occasions in the last 40 years. But the chance is still 50-50. So which is worse for Madigan? A 100 percent chance of an independent map or a 50 percent chance of a Republican map? Maybe he goes with Option A: certainty. Time will tell whether either of these scenarios play out. And in fact, state lawmakers may not even be the right men and women for the job. The Illinois Supreme Court has left a narrow window open for a final option a constitutional amendment initiated by citizens. Madigans lawyers have kicked off citizen-led referenda on fair maps twice before. Reform groups could mount another ballot initiative campaign tailored to avoid the same fate. But thats a tough call after being burned twice before. In the end, redistricting reform could come under the dome in Springfield or by clipboards and signatures on street corners. Either way, those efforts are only helped by the governor holding on to his campaign promise. Austin Berg is a writer for the Illinois Policy Institute. He wrote this column for the Illinois News Network. Berg can be reached at aberg@illinoispolicy.org. EDWARDSVILLE Emergency warming shelters are opening in the Riverbend area as a cold front is bringing dangerously cold temperatures into the area Tuesday. The National Weather Service is predicting an arctic cold front will come through the area Tuesday through Thursday. A low of -4 degrees is expected Tuesday, with the possibility of wind chill factors as low as -40 degrees. The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes, according to the NWS wind chill watch advisory. Madison Countys Emergency Management Agency has announced a list of warming centers throughout the region. Illinois warming centers include: ALTON Senior Services Plus, 2603 N. Rodgers, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. 618-465-3298. Alton Square Mall, 200 Alton Square, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and 1-6 p.m. Sunday. 618-465-5500. Hayner Public Library (downtown), 326 Belle St., 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. 618-462-0677. Hayner Public Library (Genealogy and local history library, 401 State St., 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday; and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. 618-462-0677. OSF St. Anthonys Health Center, 1 Saint Anthony Way; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 618-465-2571. Salvation Army Alton, 525 Alby St.; 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. 618-465-7764. Hayner Public Library (Alton Square), 132 Alton Square Dr.; 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. 618-462-0677. BETHALTO Bethalto Public Library, 321 S. Prairie St.; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. 618-377-8860. Bethalto Village Hall, 213 N. Prairie St.; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 618-377-8051. BRIGHTON Brighton Senior Citizens Center at City Hall; 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 618-377-8141. Brighton Memorial Library District, 110 N. Main Street; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. 618-942-6414. CARROLLTON Greene County Senior Citizens Center, 320 N. 5th St.,; 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. 217-942-6414. Green County Health Department, 310 5th St., 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. 217-942-6961. EAST ALTON American Legion Hall Post 794, 120 East Alton Ave.; 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday. 618-254-7078. East Alton Public Library, 250 Washington Ave.; 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 618-259-0787. Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services, 606 W. Saint Louis Ave.; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (closed on federal and state holidays). 618-258-9996. Illinois Department of Human Services (Family Community Resource Center), 608 W. Saint Louis Ave. EDWARDSVILLE Edwardsville Police Department, 400 N. Main St.; Call 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for program hours. 618-656-2131. Edwardsville Public Library, 112 S. Kansas St.; 9 a.m.to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. 618-692-7556. GLEN CARBON Glen Carbon Centennial Library, 198 S. Main St.; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and 1-5 p.m. (September through May). 618-288-1212. HAMEL Hamel Community Building, 10 Park Ave.; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. 618-633-2484. JERSEYVILLE Illinois Department of Human Services (Family Community Resource Center), 110 N. Jefferson St.; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (closed federal and state holidays). 618-498-2105. Illinois Valley Senior Citizens Center, 806 E. Franklin; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 618-498-3483. WOOD RIVER Riverbend Family Ministries, 131 E. Ferguson Ave.; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. 618-251-9790. Wood River Public Library, 326; 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 12:30-4 p.m. Sunday. 618-254-4832. Wood River Roundhouse (Parks and Rec), 633 N. Wood River Ave.; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (closed noon to 1 p.m. for lunch). 618-251-3130. CARLINVILLE Illinois Department of Human Services (family community resource center), 201 McCausland St.; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed federal and state holidays). 217-854-3145. For a complete list of Illinois and Missouri warming centers visit www.211helps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Warming-Sites-with-KC-12.10.18.pdf. Residents can also call the 211 hotline to find out more information or visit the Madison County Emergency Management Agency Facebook page. Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447. JERSEYVILLE Two Missouri residents face multiple drug-related charges after allegedly delivering Alprazolam to several people in Jersey County Jan. 24. Jennifer Beiser, 20, and Caleb C. Webb, 19, both of Moscow Mills, Missouri, were each charged Jan. 25 with two counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 3 felony; unlawful possession with the intent to deliver controlled substance; and unlawful possession with intent to deliver cannabis. Webb was also charged with one county of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor; and Beiser was cited for several traffic violations relating to an accident. According to court documents, on Jan. 24 the two delivered two bars (2 mg tablets) of Alprazolam to one person, and 10 bars to another. They also had an additional 80 bars of Alprazolam and between 30-500 grams of cannabis. Webb also possessed a scale, baggies and glass pipe, police say. Beiser was also cited for improper use of electronic communications device, improper lane usage and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. According to citations, which showed an address in the 25500 block McClusky Trail, Jerseyville, Beiser was driving a 2016 Toyota Corolla when it was involved in an accident at Illinois State Route 16 and St. Marys Road. Bail for Beiser was set at $25,000, while Webbs bail was $50,000. In a separate felony filing by the Jersey County States Attorneys Office, William P. Conway, 49, of the 300 block of East Carpenter, Jerseyville, was charged Jan. 23 with forgery, a Class 3 felony; and theft, a Class A misdemeanor. According to court records he allegedly had control of a check written for more than $500. Bail was set at $25,000. Court records also show a motion filed to revoke bond in a felony charge from Aug. 2018. Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447. EDWARDSVILLE Emergency warming shelters are opening in the area as a cold front is bringing dangerously cold temperatures into the region Tuesday. The National Weather Service is predicting an arctic cold front will come through the area Tuesday through Thursday. A low of -4 degrees is expected Tuesday, with the possibility of wind chill factors as low as -40 degrees. The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes, according to the NWS wind chill watch advisory. Warming Centers agree to open their doors for individuals to seek shelter from excessive cold conditions when the wind chill is expected to be -15 degrees or less or the stagnant air temperature is 15 degrees, according to United Ways 2-1-1 program. Officials are warning residents to stay indoors during this time and Madison Countys Emergency Management Agency has announced a list of warming centers throughout the region. Illinois warming centers include: http://www.211helps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Warming-Sites-with-KC-12.10.18.pdf ALTON Senior Services Plus, 2603 N. Rodgers, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. 618-465-3298. Alton Square Mall, 200 Alton Square, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and 1-6 p.m. Sunday. 618-465-5500. Hayner Public Library (downtown), 326 Belle St., 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. 618-462-0677. Hayner Public Library (Genealogy and local history library, 401 State St., 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday; and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. 618-462-0677. OSF St. Anthonys Health Center, 1 Saint Anthony Way; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 618-465-2571. Salvation Army Alton, 525 Alby St.; 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. 618-465-7764. Hayner Public Library (Alton Square), 132 Alton Square Dr.; 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. 618-462-0677. BETHALTO Bethalto Public Library, 321 S. Prairie St.; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. 618-377-8860. Bethalto Village Hall, 213 N. Prairie St.; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 618-377-8051. BRIGHTON Brighton Senior Citizens Center at City Hall; 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 618-377-8141. Brighton Memorial Library District, 110 N. Main Street; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. 618-942-6414. CARROLLTON Greene County Senior Citizens Center, 320 N. 5th St.; 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. 217-942-6414. Green County Health Department, 310 5th St., 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. 217-942-6961. EAST ALTON American Legion Hall Post 794, 120 East Alton Ave.; 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday. 618-254-7078. East Alton Public Library, 250 Washington Ave.; 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 618-259-0787. Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services, 606 W. Saint Louis Ave.; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (closed on federal and state holidays). 618-258-9996. Illinois Department of Human Services (Family Community Resource Center), 608 W. Saint Louis Ave. EDWARDSVILLE Edwardsville Public Library, 112 S. Kansas St.; 9 a.m.to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. 618-692-7556. GLEN CARBON Glen Carbon Centennial Library, 198 S. Main St.; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and 1-5 p.m. (September through May). 618-288-1212. HAMEL Hamel Community Building, 10 Park Ave.; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. 618-633-2484. JERSEYVILLE Illinois Department of Human Services (Family Community Resource Center), 110 N. Jefferson St.; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (closed federal and state holidays). 618-498-2105. Illinois Valley Senior Citizens Center, 806 E. Franklin; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 618-498-3483. WOOD RIVER Riverbend Family Ministries, 131 E. Ferguson Ave.; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. 618-251-9790. Wood River Public Library, 326; 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 12:30-4 p.m. Sunday. 618-254-4832. Wood River Roundhouse (Parks and Rec), 633 N. Wood River Ave.; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (closed noon to 1 p.m. for lunch). 618-251-3130. CARLINVILLE Illinois Department of Human Services (family community resource center), 201 McCausland St.; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed federal and state holidays). 217-854-3145. For a complete list of Illinois and Missouri warming centers visit www.211helps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Warming-Sites-with-KC-12.10.18.pdf. Residents can also call the 2-1-1 hotline to find out more information or visit the Madison County Emergency Management Agency Facebook page. During a speech to U.S. Air Force personnel station in the United Kingdom recently, President Joe Biden warned that global warming is the greatest physical theat to the nations security. Biden has suggested that climate change poses a threat to U.S. military security on multiple occasions. In February, he noted that he had directed the Pentagon to reimagine the countrys strategy for dealing with the impact of climate change. Do you agree with the President that climate change is the great physical threat to the United States? Choices are: You voted: Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, or activate your access, to continue reading. The University is the first in the nation to introduce and include a ground-breaking automotive benchmarking technology into its mechanical engineering curriculum. When it comes to designing, constructing and using machines, theres only so much you can learn from a textbook. Thats why Michigan Technological University partners with industry to bring real-world projects and learning experiences into the classroom. A recent collaboration with Caresoft Global will provide students with a unique opportunity to explore an advanced vehicle in virtual reality. Michigan Tech, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics in particular, are very excited to have been chosen by Caresoft Global as the first university to receive this extraordinary engineering data software for the Tesla Model X, said William Predebon, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. Caresoft Global works closely with major automotive manufacturers and other industry clients to solve engineering challenges. The application and data the company gifted to the University, which has a commercial value exceeding $3 million, allows students to gain actionable intelligence and insights behind some of the leading path-breaking vehicles in the world today. Students need to see whats behind todays groundbreaking cars, said Prideep Subramaniam, director of North America Sales at Caresoft Global. They need practical experience and engineering insights. Innovation is happening in their backyard, and we want to make sure they have the knowledge they need when they enter the industry. The Caresoft technology, software and processes enable extraction of accurate 3D computer-aided design (CAD) models of complete vehicles. The CAD data is used to conduct advanced engineering analyses for computer-assisted engineering, computational fluid dynamics and other purposes. Users can also view the CAD model inside an immersive virtual reality environment. Through a high-energy scan, complete vehicle CAD data and analysis, students can assess and benchmark the vehicles components and run simulations to predict stress, durability and crash responses. Michigan Tech recently used the software and data for the first time during an automotive systems course for graduate students in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. Caresoft personnel provided the class with a look into the future of benchmarking for competitive assessment, said Predebon. There are many educational opportunities with this software, and this is just one example. We are in the process of determining how to integrate it throughout our mechanical engineering curriculum and research. Caresoft Global, which was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Detroit, was recently honored with Ford Motor Companys World Excellence Award as a Smart Brand Pillar of Technology and Innovation. It was named an Automotive News All-Star and is a finalist for the 2019 Automotive News PACE Award. The company has conducted high-energy scans and engineering analysis of company-owned Chevrolet Bolt EV and Tesla Model 3 (in addition to the Tesla Model X), and more than 20 automakers have entered into agreements to implement the Caresoft technology and benchmarking data. The fact that Caresoft chose Michigan Tech to be the first university in the country to implement this technology demonstrates the world-class reputation and research of both our mechanical engineering department and the institution as a whole, said Janet Callahan, dean of Michigan Techs College of Engineering. We are honored by Caresofts generosity and look forward to building our relationship with the company for many years to come. Michigan Technological University is a public research university, home to more than 7,000 students from 54 countries. Founded in 1885, the University offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, and social sciences. Our campus in Michigans Upper Peninsula overlooks the Keweenaw Waterway and is just a few miles from Lake Superior. The West Texas Food Bank hosted the 19th annual Empty Bowls Friday night at its Odessa location. The bowls were made at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin kiln with help by UTPB STEM Academy students and children from the Boys and Girls Club. Guests bought bowls of their choice. Empty Bowls which is used nationally to raise funds to feed people in need is a symbol that not everybody has food on their table, said Craig Stoker, the food banks director of marketing and communications. Food for Friday nights event was provided by Catfish and Co. and Jasons Deli. Real estate tech company Qualia has announced a partnership that integrates Fidelity National Financials TitleWave title-search service with the Qualia Vendor Marketplace. The Qualia Vendor Marketplace is a platform that allows title companies to place orders for title and closing services, track progress, and manage payments. Qualias partnership with Fidelity National Financial enables marketplace users to submit their title search orders to TitleWave without having to rekey order details or leave the Qualia platform. Additional documents or notes may be sent with their title-search orders at any time during the transaction. At Qualia, we aim to help title agents deliver a fantastic closing experience to their clients with every real estate transaction, said Nate Baker, CEO of Qualia. This latest integration is a continuation of our commitment to empower industry professionals with smart technology solutions that make that possible. More mortgage lenders have offered assistance to federal workers affected by the ongoing partial government shutdown. First Financial Northwest Bank announced that bank customers who are current furloughed federal employees may qualify for temporary relief loans in an amount up to twice their net monthly pay interest-free for 90 days. Additionally, customers currently in the process of obtaining a loan may be eligible to receive an additional 30-day rate lock at no additional cost. We are proud to step in and help our hardworking, dedicated customers affected by the federal government shutdown, said Joseph Kiley III, president and chief executive officer of First Financial Northwest Bank. We are committed to supporting our customers in any way we can to find solutions to ease their financial burdens during these uncertain times and encourage them to reach out so we can get them assistance as soon as possible. Kiley concluded, We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our communities every day. Moultrie, GA (31768) Today Thunderstorms likely in the morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 82F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Despite the recent recovery and newfound strength of the Canadian economy, persistent housing problems and other economic factors are contributing towards an increased danger of prolonged weak GDP growth. The manufacturing segments weakness will not help matters, according to David Doyle, Macquarie Groups Canadian market strategist and NA economist. Canadas economy, we think, is at this critical juncture, and its confronting several headwinds that includes challenged demographics, low productivity, structural imbalances like the housing situation and our trade deficit, Doyle said in an interview with BNN Bloomberg. And we see a real absence of growth drivers. In the meantime, the resurgent oil and gas sector will likely hold the fort and keep further economic weakness at bay. Even in this period of subdued growth in the energy sector, its still a major contributor to Canadas economy and a major contributor to the well-being of households across the country, Doyle explained. Read more: Volatility, not outright recession, will characterize 2019 BoC Earlier this month, BMO senior economist Sal Guatieri noted that the sharp rise in home values in red-hot Toronto and Vancouver over the past decade has contributed towards the top-heavy structure of the Canadian housing market. Guatieri cautioned that the proportion represented by real estate in the national economy might prove to be an existential risk during a sharp, sustained correction in house prices given the wealth effect on spending. The warning came in the wake of Statistics Canada report released in late December, which covered the value of non-financial assets during Q3 2018. The study found that of the $11.415 trillion in total national wealth during that quarter, real estate accounted for around 76% ($8.752 trillion). A forensic psychologist said Feb. 1 the convicted murderer facing the death penalty for killing Jimmie Holland Jr. has a "psychopathic lifestyle." We are thrilled to finally be on the agenda to get approved in February, and we think this is a huge win for our entire Henry River family, Reyes said. Federal and state tax credits are available for historic properties but Reyes said hes not sure he and his parents will avail themselves of the credits but its a nice thing to have available. If it works out that it will help with restoring the property, then they hope to use any tools available, Reyes said. The owners do have plans to redevelop the property but retain its historic roots. Reyes said they are in the early stages of redeveloping the property into a cultural hub. The company store is standing and was used as the site of the bakery in the dystopian movie Hunger Games, which used the site for the District 12 scenes where the heroes of the movie lived. He plans to use the number 16 house, which was used as the Hunger Games character Katniss Everdeens home, as a museum. Of the 35 original homes on the property, 20 remain but are in need of restoration, as well as installation of water, sewer and electrical, Reyes said. He also would like to add 12 homes to bring the total to 32. The class will meet for 16 weeks from 6 to 10 pm.and will carry four semester hours credit. This is an attempt to assist teachers involved in vocational and technical education to further their efforts and competencies in teaching industrial subjects. RECIPIENT WAS MOST SURPRISED AT AWARD David A. Yount, a dedicated and hard working member of the Burke County Rescue Squad, was happy to represent the Rescue Squad at the Morganton Jaycees DSA Banquet Tuesday night. Accompanied by his attractive wife, Ruth, he enjoyed a delicious dinner and then sat back and relaxed as the evenings program moved along. But about 8:30 p.m., W. Stanley Moore came to the speakers stand and began presenting the Young Man of the Year. Without Moore yet revealing the name, David A. Yount snapped to attention. Moore had only spoken for a few seconds when the sandy-haired foreman realized who he was talking about. To anyone sitting around him, there was no doubt that he was to be the most surprised man in the large audience. The more that Moore told about Yount and his great service to his fellowman, the more the DSA squirmed and moved around in his chair. He seemed to be silently wishing that the floor would swallow him up. She also said she was excited to come across a photo contributed by the late Nettie McIntosh that was taken in 1943 showing one of the first Naval training academies for African-American sailors in Great Lakes, Illinois, attended by six men from Burke County. Its neat, because six people from Morganton left together, Johnston said. These are Morganton names people are going to know them. Johnston said the library has hired a company from Asheville to present a program called Heroes, Soldiers and Spies from Black History to augment local information during the Gathering of the People event. Its not local, but its (about) the airmen from World War II, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas, Johnston said. I always want to have a local element, if possible, because its about this area, so what were trying to do is use this (event on Feb. 4) as a collection time to say, Hey, we dont have much information what do you all know? The first Souper Bowl took place in 2011, after the Outreach Team from FCC met to decide how to distribute money from their Grace Funds which are used for various missions and ministries in the local area, said Canerday. During one of those meetings, a suggestion was made to donate $500 that month to Burke Hospice, Canerday said. I asked the team members if they believed in God Math. I explained how the $500 could become $5,000 if we invested the money in food and found potters to donate the bowls. We could offer a piece of pottery and a meal for $10 per person and the entire $10 could go to Hospice. Their goal each year is to raise at least $5,000. The first Souper Bowl for Burke Hospice brought in around $5,500, Canerday said. Many, many people stepped up to make that first event happen and to succeed in our goal, Canerday said. We have many successful, gifted artisans that continue to generously provide the bowls and mugs for this event. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by their kindness, especially now that it has become an annual event, with this being our ninth year. Pottery for this event was donated by Walker-Mourglea Pottery in Vale and Glenn Tanzer Pottery, Hamilton Williams Gallery and Studio and Courtney Long Pottery, in Morganton, and many more, Canerday said. A vegan bride has been slammed online for banning all meat-eating guests from her wedding. The Australian woman took to Facebook seeking support from fellow vegans in a vegan-only group. However, she got quite the opposite reaction when a number of members slammed her for the move, News.com.au reports. "When your 'family' tries to guilt trip you into letting them come to your fully vegan wedding, even though they're omnivores," the bride wrote. "Just for some context, some family members were told they are not invited to my wedding because we don't want to host murderers," she continued. "Our wedding is supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives." Some people did support her decision but many were infuriated at how she had treated her friends and family. "As a vegan, this is messed up... you can't go around calling your family murderers!" one member said. "She is out of her mind. I'd be happy to cut her off of my life if I were the family," another wrote. Many users said her nearest and dearest would have respected her lifestyle and vegan offerings, if they were invited. Newshub. Whether the real estate market remains bullish or bearish, non-resident Indians (NRIs) prefer a place back in India - not just for investment returns but also to remain rooted in their country of origin. Previously, NRIs (like most other buyers and investors) had every reason to be leery of the Indian real estate market. Today, game-changing policies like Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) and goods and services tax (GST) have now boosted confidence and transparency and streamlined the property-buying process for NRIs. This has begun fuelling new NRI investments into the Indian property market. The fact that the rupee value against dollar depreciated in 2018 was also a sound reason for NRIs to view Indian real estate more favourably. And, of course, developers have been offering substantial freebies and even discounts, apart from interesting payment plans, to draw NRIs as well as domestic buyers to their projects. Mindful of the importance of fostering more positive sentiment for NRI investments into the country, the Government also eased norms to facilitate a more streamlined and less cumbersome property buying process for NRIs. With Indian real estate once again becoming an attractive proposition, NRIs who are interested in buying a home in India need to equip themselves for making the best-possible property purchase decisions. This includes understanding the regulations and processes related to Indian real estate purchase by NRIs and also knowing what they can reasonably expect from such investments. Heres a quick 'realty check': Understand FEMA Regulations The Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) stipulates that an Indian citizen residing outside the country can invest in Indian real estate, provided that the property in question is not agricultural land, plantation property or a farmhouse. There is no restriction on the number of properties that NRIs can own in India. However, NRIs obviously need to make informed decisions on such acquisitions. The most important consideration is that of whether the property purchase is for their own or their familys actual use, or as an investment for rental income and potential capital appreciation. Understand Returns on Investment (ROI) Before generalized market slowdown in 2015, the ROI on residential property in India was extremely rewarding for NRIs. However, post the slowdown, which was exacerbated by demonitisation (DeMo), RERA, and GST, there were no convincing signs of market revival until recently. As a result, there was a paradigm shift in wealthy NRI investors focus specifically, towards commercial properties, which promised far more satisfactory yields. Then, 2018 saw the beginning of a fairly decent recovery in the residential sector, thanks largely to the improved transparency and efficiency in the market. Historically, NRIs preferred investing in luxury homes by leading developers as these offered better rental income and capital appreciation. Today, NRI investors are also focused on affordable housing for rental income and better long-term appreciation. However, NRI end-users with higher purchasing power are still taking luxury housing seriously as long as the price is right. Indian luxury developers are turning out world class properties, which appeal to the expanded world-view of well-travelled NRIs. In short, both residential and commercial real estate now hold very good investment potential for NRIs, with commercial showing increasing viability on the back of favourable macroeconomic conditions, Indias thriving start-up revolution and the interest for the new kid on the office space block - co-working. Here is a broad spectrum of returns on investment that NRIs can expect from different real estate asset classes, provided that they have selected their properties wisely: Understand NRI Property Purchase Payments NRI needs no special clearances or permission to invest in Indian real estate. However, it is pertinent to note that: All monetary transactions must be done in Indian currency and through normal banking channels via an NRI account. NRIs can use either their own funds or avail of home loans from banks or other financial institutions in India. RBI mandates that all buyers, including NRIs, can avail of a maximum 80% of the overall property value via loans from financial institutions. NRIs must use inward remittances via NRO/NRE accounts in India. They can also issue post-dated cheques or opt for Electronic Clearance Service (ECS) from their NRO, NRE or Foreign Currency Non-Resident (FCNR) account. NRI Home Loans Sanctioning and Disbursement Like other Indians, NRIs are eligible for housing loans in India. As per current regulations, the loan amount cannot be credited directly into an NRIs bank account and must be disbursed to either the sellers or the developers account. Repayment of these loans is generally done through the non-resident ordinary rupee account (NRO), non-resident external (NRE) and foreign currency non-repatriable (FCNR) accounts or from other financial accounts permitted by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In terms of loan disbursements, NRIs need to contribute at least 20% of the property value from their own sources. The remaining amount is sanctioned funded by the financial institution, subject to the NRIs gross monthly income (GMI). For loan sanctioning, preference is given to qualifications, work experience and duration of stay overseas. While the loan process and benefits remain same as for resident Indians, the documents that an NRI must submit differ from Indian residents. NRIs must meet certain eligibility criteria and also issue a power of attorney (PoA) a key document required during NRI home loan processing. Understand the Documentation The days when NRIs had to visit India or rely on relatives for the initial property search, as well as interviews with property sellers, are, of course, over. Thanks to advancements in technology, NRIs can conduct the initial search online, including via 3D walk-throughs, and make closer inquiries via video conferencing. The main documents required to make any sound property purchase decision include: The propertys title deed Last tax receipts Approved project plan Notice of commencement, and Encumbrance certificate In addition to this, a valid Visa, power of attorney and PAN card are also required for the verification process. Understand Income Tax Benefits and Compliances NRIs enjoy all tax benefits that local residents do, except the TDS rate during the property sale. An NRI can claim a deduction of Rs1.5 lakh of the loans principal amount under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Under Section 24, the interest on a home loan is deductible to the extent of Rs2 lakh per annum. To get these tax benefits, a minimum of two years investment is recommended. This is because the Indian Income Tax rules state that if a property is sold within two years of purchase, the proceeds will be treated as short-term capital gains, and are therefore added to an NRIs annual taxable income. If a property is sold after two years of purchase and ownership, there is an option to reduce long-term capital gains tax by investing the proceeds in another property purchase. NRIs must file I-T returns in India, and all NRIs buying property in India have to pay property tax along with the applicable stamp duty and registration charges for the property. It is therefore advisable that they assess all costs before taking the plunge. Income earned via rent in India is also subject to income tax. Thus, NRIs should ideally obtain a PAN card before investing so that the associated financial procedures become easier. Using Property Consultants Indian real estate can be a lucrative income generator and/or a fulfilling experience for end-users but only if the property is chosen wisely. NRIs who are out of touch with the ground realities of Indian real estate market dynamics should not rely solely on marketing collaterals and online listings, as these will not reveal potential drawbacks of a short-listed option. In the rapidly-changing Indian real estate market environment, the services of accredited and credible property consultants have become more important than ever before, especially when it comes to making investments. As already mentioned, there is an increasing demand for other real estate asset classes such as mall spaces in retail, co-working in commercial, co-living and senior living in residential, and even warehousing. Indias imminent REITs will also garner significant investor interest. Without adequate professional guidance, it is challenging for NRI investors to gauge these emerging trends and isolate the best investment options. Online platforms provide innumerable options but must never influence a final investment decision. Real estate consultants can assist NRIs not only in terms of shortlisting the right options but in inspecting properties, negotiating prices and roping in the best offers on their behalf. The right property consultants will advise NRIs on critical aspects such as the past performance of various developers, individual project specifications, location pros and cons, and also on potential rental income and capital gains. They will also handle all related legal functions and process the necessary documentation. NRIs should also realize that in the case of residential real estate, a professional property consultants services come at no cost to them. Credible consultants charge brokerage from the seller, not the buyer. The new lodestone of measuring a real estate consultants credibility is RERA registration, so NRIs should only deal with agents or agencies, which have this all-important qualification. While there are still innumerable small-time brokers and brokerages operating without it, a consultancy which is duly registered under RERA is fully accountable and will not engage in any untoward activities, including misleading promotions and advice. Best Cities and Locations for Residential Property Investment Housing is still the real estate category closest to the hearts of most NRIs. Pure end-users will obviously prefer their city of origin, regardless of whether it has optimal investment potential. However, for investors, heres a list of cities and locations within them best-suited for ROI: Source: ANAROCK Research (Shajai Jacob is CEO for GCC at ANAROCK Property Consultants) We had mentioned in Fridays closing report that Nifty, Sensex were looking weak. The major indices of the Indian stock markets suffered a correction on Monday and closed with losses over Fridays close. On the NSE, there were 363 advances, 1,375 declines and 339 unchanged. The trends of the major indices during the course of Mondays trading are given in the table below: Selling pressure in banking, automobile, healthcare and consumer durables stocks pulled the Indian equity market lower by around 1% on Monday. However, global cues such as positive Asian markets aided in arresting the downward spiral. Tata Steel said its step-down subsidiary, T.S. Global Holdings Pte Ltd (TSGH), has signed definitive agreements with China's HBIS Group to divest a majority stake in its South East Asia (SEA) business. Tata Steel also said the consideration received from such sale would be "$327 million and equity stake of 30% in the entity held by HBIS Group and TSGH on 70-30 basis". The Chinese group was established on June 30, 2008, by the merger of Tangshan Iron and Steel Group and Handan Iron and Steel Group of Hebei province. Tata Steel shares closed at Rs447.00, down 1.30% on the NSE. Larsen and Toubro (L&T) on Friday reported a 33.8% increase in its standalone net profit for the October-December quarter of the financial year 2018-19. Its standalone net profit stood at Rs1,634.78 crore, up from Rs1,221.95 crore reported during the third quarter of the last financial year, the company said in a regulatory filing to the BSE. The company's total income during the period under review was Rs23,229.98 crore, 27.9% higher than Rs18,164.29 crore earned during the corresponding period of FY18. Larsen & Toubro shares closed at Rs1,302.00, up 1.29% on the NSE. State-run Canara Bank reported Rs318 crore net profit for the third quarter of fiscal 2018-19, registering a whopping 152% annual growth from Rs126 crore in the same period a year ago. In a regulatory filing on the BSE, the city-based bank said interest earned for the quarter (Q3) under review grew 13% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs12,189 crore from Rs10,775 crore in the like period a year ago. Sequentially, the net profit increased 6% from Rs300 crore and interest 9.6% from Rs11,124 crore a quarter ago. "Operating profit, however, declined 16.7% YoY to Rs2,357 crore from Rs2,831 crore a year ago but 1.3% sequentially from Rs2,327 crore, said the bank in the filing. Provisions and contingencies excluding tax declined 26% YoY to Rs1,977 crore from Rs2,674 crore a year ago and 30% down from Rs2,835 crore a quarter ago. "Provisions for non-performing assets (NPAs) shot up 43.8% YoY to Rs2,733 crore from Rs1,900 crore a year ago 13.7% from Rs2,403 crore quarter ago. Canara Bank shares closed at Rs240.70, down 5.37% on the NSE. Public sector lender Indian Bank announced about a 50% fall in its standalone net profit for the third quarter ended on December 31 in the back drop of an increased provision for bad loans, said a top bank official. For the period under review, Indian Bank posted a net profit of Rs152.26 crore down from Rs303.06 crore posted for the quarter ended December 31, 2017. Indian Bank earned a total income of Rs5,269.10 crore during the third quarter, up from Rs4,903.07 crore earned for the period ended December 31, 2017. Speaking to reporters here Padmaja Chunduru, Managing Director and CEO, said the net profit was impacted during the third quarter of the current fiscal due to higher non-performing assets (NPA), mainly due to the bank's exposure to IL&FS. Indian Bank had provided Rs973 crore towards bad loans for the quarter ended December 31 up from about Rs385 crore that was provided for the period December 31, 2017. Indian Bank shares closed at Rs218.90, down 8.18% on the NSE. Automobile major Maruti Suzuki India reported a decline of 17.2% in its net profit for the quarter ended December 31, 2018. According to Maruti Suzuki, the net profit during the quarter under review declined to Rs1,489.3 crore from Rs1,799 crore during the corresponding period of previous fiscal. "The company registered net sales of Rs189,264 million, lower by 0.1%, and net profit of Rs14,893 million, lower by 17.2% over the same period previous year," the company said in a statement on Friday. Besides, the company's net sales slipped by 0.1% to Rs18,926.4 crore over the same period last year. The auto major blamed the combination of several adverse factors such as adverse commodity prices and adverse foreign exchange rates among others which impacted profits. The company sold a total of 428,643 vehicles during the quarter, a decline of 0.6% over the same period the previous year. Maruti Suzuki India shares closed at Rs6,510.50, down 0.04% on the NSE. The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below: The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below: Picture this: Youre in your local drugstore standing in front of a wall of pain relief products trying to decide which of the many bottles of pills will stop your headache the fastest, but the tremendous pounding in your head is impairing your ability to think. And then, as if out of a dream, you see it rapid release gelcaps. Your prayers have been answered and you scoop up the bottle even though its more expensive than some of the other options assuming that in no time your headache will be gone with these fast-acting pain pills. Not so fast. According to a recent study , several over-the-counter pain pills with rapid release in their name dissolve, on average, about 30 seconds slower than cheaper non-rapid release products from the same manufacturer. One of the explanations given was the gelcap coating on the pills. When the gelcaps were removed, the study found that the pills dissolved as fast or faster than the uncoated tablets to which they were compared. These coatings serve many purposes, including making the medication easier to swallow, but appear to hinder quick dissolution, the study found. The study is now at the center of three class-action lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson, Walmart and Rite Aid . The complaint against Johnson & Johnson, which was the first of the three to use the term rapid release in 2005, states: Despite what J&Js marketing and labeling would have consumers believe, the term rapid release does not actually mean that the drug works faster for consumers than non-rapid release products. The products named in the three class-action complaints which were all filed on the same day in November by the same group of lawyers include Johnson & Johnsons Tylenol Extra Strength Rapid Release Gels, Walmarts Equate Extra Strength Acetaminophen Rapid Release Gelcaps, and Rite Aids Acetaminophen Rapid Release Gelcaps. The study found that it took more than a minute longer for Rite Aids rapid release gelcaps to dissolve than its non-rapid release pain-relieving tablets, the largest difference among products tested. Rapid release products from CVS and Walgreens were also tested. While Walgreens rapid release products performed similar to those now facing class-action litigation, it does not appear that the company has been sued. CVS rapid release pills actually dissolved faster than its non-rapid release tablets. In response to a media inquiry by TINA.org, a Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman said evaluating gelcaps against uncoated tablets is an apples to oranges comparison. She added, The benefit of a gelcap is that it provides consumers with an easy-to-swallow option. Tylenol Rapid Release Gels were developed to maintain the user experience of gelcaps, while improving the rate that the medication is released compared to conventional gelcaps. A Walmart spokesman told TINA.org, The Equate brand acetaminophen rapid-release gel capsule label is truthful and accurate; it makes no comparative claims against other products and meets the standards to be classified as rapidly released or dissolving under applicable FDA Guidance. Rite Aid did not respond to a request for comment. US President Donald Trump's administration on Sunday lifted sanctions on aluminum giant Rusal and other Russian firms linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska, defying a Democratic-led push in the US Congress to maintain the restrictions. Earlier this month, 11 of Trump's fellow Republicans in the US Senate joined Democrats in a failed effort to keep the sanctions on Rusal, its parent, En+ Group Plc, and power firm JSC EuroSibEnergo. But that was not enough to overcome opposition from Trump and most of his fellow Republicans. Advocates for keeping the sanctions had argued that Deripaska, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, retained too much control over the companies to lift sanctions imposed in April to punish Russia for actions including its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, efforts to interfere in US elections and support for Syria's government in its civil war. Some lawmakers from both parties also said it was inappropriate to ease the sanctions while Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigates whether Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Moscow. But in its statement on Sunday, the US Treasury Department said the three companies had reduced Deripaska's direct and indirect shareholding stake and severed his control. That action, it said, ensured that most directors on the En+ and Rusal boards would be independent directors, including Americans and Europeans, who had no business, professional or family ties to Deripaska or any other person designated for sanctions by the Treasury Department. RUSAL SHARES JUMP "The companies have also agreed to unprecedented transparency for Treasury into their operations by undertaking extensive, ongoing auditing, certification, and reporting requirements," the department's statement said. Deripaska himself remains subject to US sanctions. After the Treasury announcement, Rusal said Jean-Pierre Thomas had resigned as chairman and director of the company as part of the deal to lift the US sanctions. Shares in Hong Kong-listed Rusal jumped more than 5 percent in early trading on Monday. EN+ also announced a securities swap with London's Glencore Plc. Trump administration officials, and many Republicans who opposed the effort to keep the sanctions in place, had said they worried about the effect on the global aluminum industry. They also said Deripaska's decision to lower his stakes in the companies so that he no longer controlled them showed that the sanctions had worked. Rusal is the world's largest aluminum producer outside China. The sanctions on the company spurred demand for Chinese metal. China's aluminum exports jumped to a record high in 2018. Trump denies collusion, and Moscow has denied seeking to influence the US election on Trump's behalf, despite US intelligence agencies' finding that it did so. Deripaska had ties with Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager. Manafort pleaded guilty in September 2018 to attempted witness tampering and conspiring against the United States. Investor confidence in Sri Lanka is stabilising after the country repaid a $1 billion sovereign bond in mid-January, Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy told Reuters on January 28. Sri Lanka was plunged into political turmoil in October when President Maithripala Sirisena abruptly removed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and then dissolved parliament. A court later ruled the move was unconstitutional, and Wickremesinghe was reinstalled as premier. Investor sentiment took a big hit as a result of the political chaos, leading to credit rating downgrades and an outflow of foreign funds from government securities. "We see signs of stabilisation in investor confidence specially after we paid the loan without much difficulty. But there is much more to be done," Coomaraswamy said via a text message. In one sign that foreign investors' view of the economy may be improving, there was a net inflow of 4.74 billion rupees ($26.1 million) into government bonds in the week ended Jan. 23, the first weekly inflow since August. Sri Lanka repaid the $1 billion five-year sovereign bond on Jan. 14 from its reserves without any external loans. The International Monetary Fund's decision on January 16 to resume discussions with Sri Lanka over the disbursal of part of a $1.5 billion loan also helped to improve sentiment, analysts said. The political crisis had delayed the talks. The government is struggling to repay its foreign loans, with a record $5.9 billion due to mature this year, including $2.6 billion in the first three months alone. Finance Ministry officials have told Reuters that the government has been exploring all options to borrow foreign loans to repay the external debt this year. The government plans to borrow nearly $5 billion through sovereign bonds, a bilateral loan from China, a currency swap with the Reserve Bank of India, and through three state banks, Coomaraswamy said earlier this month. A series of credit rating downgrades following the political crisis have made it harder for Sri Lanka to borrow. ($1 = 181.5000 Sri Lankan rupees) Emmanuel Macron, head of the political movement En Marche ! (Onwards !) and a candidate for the 2017 presidential election, leaves the Paris book fair after a visit, March 24, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer - RTX32KN1 French President Emmanuel Macron said on January 27 he has expressed concern to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the prison conditions faced by former Renault boss Carlos Ghosn. "I have considered that the detention was very long and the conditions of the detention harsh, I have said so to Prime Minister Abe on several occasions," Macron told reporters during a visit to Egypt. The crisis surrounding Ghosn, however, did not threaten the balance of the carmaking alliance between Renault and Nissan, he said. Ghosn resigned as Renault head last week. He remains in detention following his arrest in Japan in November and indictment for financial misconduct. Moneycontrol News Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, gangsters-turned-politicians both inside and outside of jails in Uttar Pradesh have made a beeline for party tickets, Hindustan Times has reported. According to the report, Akshay Pratap Singh, leader of the newly-launched Jansatta Party (JP), met with gangster Atiq Ahmed in order to offer the don a ticket for Lok Sabha polls. Ahmed, who has been accused of assault and abduction, holds considerable influence in the Prayagraj region, according to the report. Ahmed is not new to politics. He had won on a Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket from Phulpur constituency during the 2004 general elections. He had contested again in 2014 from Shrawasti but had lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate. Another gangster-turned-politician, Mukhtar Ansari, a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator from Mau assembly constituency and currently lodged in Banda jail, might contest the upcoming national elections. According to the report, while Ansari's ticket has not been finalised as of yet, BSP supremo Mayawati has given the green signal for his brother Afzal to contest from Ghazipur. The report states that another don, Dhananjay Singh, is also in talks with both BSP and BJP for a ticket. Singh had earlier been an MP on BSP ticket but was expelled from the party in 2014, after which he had contested as an Independent candidate and lost the elections. Another mafiosi, Pawan Pandey, accused in the demolition of Babri mosque, is also eyeing the Sultanpur seat. The report states that Pandey, who has earlier been an MP on a BSP ticket, has considerable sway in the Faizabad-Ambedkar Nagar region. The gangster was a member of the Shiv Sena before switching to the BSP. Along with BSP and BJP, history-sheeters are also in race for tickets from Samajwadi Party (SP). For instance, alleged extortionist Bal Kumar Patel, brother of dacoit Dadua, is reportedly trying to contest on an SP ticket from Banda. According to an analysis by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), out of the 4,856 sitting MPs and MLAs analysed, 21 percent that is, 1024 have listed serious criminal charges against themselves in their affidavits. At least 64 ministers have cases of kidnapping against them. An earlier analysis by ADR revealed that at least 48 MPs and MLAs have cases of crime against women registered against them. Moneycontrol News Cracks seem to have reappeared in the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government in Karnataka after Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy threatened to step down from his post on January 28. "If they want to continue with the same thing, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line," Kumaraswamy said while reacting to comments allegedly made by some Congress legislators on January 27. The lawmakers had said former CM and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah "is their chief minister". In a jibe directed towards Kumaraswamy, the lawmakers had also added that "some in our country focus only on promoting their sons, daughters-in-law and grandsons" while Siddaramaiah promotes everyone. "Congress leaders have to watch out for all these issues. Congress leaders must think about all these things and control them... They are crossing the alliance's line. This is not going to affect me but Congress leaders only," the chief minister said. At least three Congress MLAs had expressed their support to Siddaramaiah, stating that while 'sons of the soil' had done nothing for communities in Karnataka, the former chief minister had taken steps to ensure proper representation. "It is seven months since the coalition government came to power, but development work has not yet taken off," Congress legislator ST Somashekhar said, targetting the Kumaraswamy-led government. "Had Siddaramaiah got another five-year term, we would have seen real development," Somashekhar added. Housing Minister MTB Nagaraj had also said his dream of becoming a minister was fulfilled by Siddaramaiah, and that "if anyone slits open my chest, they will find Mr Siddaramaiah there". The back-and-forth between the two parties comes days after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led ' Operation Lotus ' to poach Congress MLAs and dislodge the coalition government was foiled. Jharkhand Assembly election, voting, dates, election result date evm Representative image The Congress has asked its state unit presidents to carry out "intensive training" for leaders to be deputed by the party to examine the electronic voting machines (EVMs) before the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, The Times of India has reported. According to a directive issued by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), the training would focus on those aspects of the machine which need more attention in order to ensure that the machines are tamper-free. "Intensive training needs to be organised to select Congress leaders who will be deployed to each of the EVM-checking events," the directive states. The Election Commission of India (ECI) allows parties to check EVMs in four stages, starting from well ahead of the polls to an hour before them. According to sources quoted by the paper, "master trainers" would also be appointed by the party to educate polling agents, basically leaders appointed by the party. The report states that the machines would be checked for "sealing" of the machines done before and after the polling, among other things. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari asked why the ECI cannot accept a demand for going back to paper ballots if "majority stakeholders" feel the need to revert back to ballot system. "The issue is not whether EVMs can be rigged or not. There is a perception that machines can impinge upon the integrity of voting process," Tewari said. The report states that the training is likely to be held for every Lok Sabha constituency. The directive comes on the background of Opposition parties demanding a return to the paper ballot system. During an Opposition rally in Kolkata, several senior leaders, including Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Chandrababu Naidu and former Jammu and Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah, had criticised EVMs and called for a return to paper ballots. The machines were again in news recently after a self-proclaimed cyber expert organised an EVM hackathon in London . The hackathon was mired in controversy after senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal was also found in attendance. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is likely to meet the partys Members of Parliament (MPs) with a single-point agenda -- to discuss alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The meeting comes at a time when members of the Sena and the BJP have been pressurising their respective party leaders to decide quickly about the alliance. The Sena had in early 2018 announced that it would contest the Lok Sabha and assembly polls separately. The Lok Sabha polls are scheduled for April-May, while the state elections are expected in September-October. The Thackeray-led party has been repeatedly mounting attack on its partner BJP over key issues including unemployment, farmer crisis, the Rafale deal, and has in the recent times even praised the Indian National Congress. Party members want a decision soon so as to prepare for the elections either alone or as an alliance. On January 25, a report by a Marathi language newspaper Lokmat had suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Thackeray for dinner in New Delhi. The two were likely to discuss the alliance during the meeting. However, the report adds that Thackeray was keen that the Prime Minister instead come down to his residence Matoshree in Mumbai. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. The BJP has said that such a meeting was not on the cards. A Shiv Sena MP told Mint that a large number of parliamentarians had conveyed to the party leadership that a decision on the alliance needs 'to be taken now' so that they could start working in their constituencies. The lawmaker added that if the Sena was to contest all 48 seats in the state on its own, 'the likely nominees will have to be announced soon'. A BJP MP told the newspaper, Around 90 percent of the sitting Shiv Sena MPs (Lok Sabha) are not sure of retaining their seats and want an alliance. Even the Shiv Sena leadership is keen on retaining its tally (18 seats) in the Lok Sabha because that gives the Sena substantial bargaining space in government formation in 2019. If there is no alliance, we will also suffer but we will also get to contest more seats than we did in 2014. Some 50 percent of the sitting Sena MPs have told us that they are willing to contest on BJP tickets in 2019 if there is no alliance, the BJP MP added. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier expressed that both parties (BJP and Shiv Sena) would suffer if the alliance ends. Maharashtra has the second largest pool (48) of Lok Sabha seats. Winning a significant chunk of seats in the state would improve chances of either the BJP-led NDA or the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) of forming the government at the Centre. Congress Perceiving the possibility of early assembly elections in Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, the Congress is preparing a strategy for a simultaneous win in the upcoming general elections and assembly polls, according to The Economic Times. According to the report, members of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and the three Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) are preparing for simultaneous elections with the possibility of early assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra, citing internal equations and compulsions of the BJP in the two states. This may also affect Jharkhand. In Haryana, the Congress leadership feels that the weak state government led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar cannot face the assembly polls confidently in October 2019. This may let the BJP to conduct the state elections along with the general elections. Haryana PCC president Ashok Tanwar confirmed the possibility of simultaneous polls to the publication. The Haryana Congress is fully ready to face the possibility of both the Lok Sabha and the Haryana state assembly polls being simultaneously held in April-May. The Haryana Congress and the people of the state are fully prepared and united to pack off the BJP government of Haryana along with the Modi government at the Centre, he was quoted as saying. In Jharkhand, the Congress in alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), is sensing the possibility of early elections and preparing accordingly. The Jharkhand Congress is fully ready not only for the Lok Sabha polls but even for Assembly elections being held together, AICC in-charge of Jharkhand, RPN Singh said. In Maharashtra as well, the Congress-NCP camp believes early assembly elections are in the pipeline, as it feels that the BJP will fulfill Shiv Senas demand for simultaneous polls in an attempt to appease the sulking ally in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. Nitin Gadkari Viju Cherian If politics is an art, Union minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari is more of an artist. Just like art is left open to interpretation, Gadkari leaves room in his comments to be interpreted in different ways. At an event in Mumbai on January 27, Gadkari said that People like (political) leaders who show them big dreams. But if these dreams are not realised, then they beat them up (politically) as well. Therefore, one should only commit what they can fulfill. Political watchers and many in the Opposition were quick to see his comments as an indirect message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah. Given that the Opposition and many sections in society are accusing the BJP of failing fulfil the promises it made in 2014, such an extrapolation is not outlandish. Gadkari has also left enough room to deny any malice towards fellow partymen and accuse the Opposition of reading too much into his statements much like he did in December. Last month, a little over a week after the BJP lost power in three Hindi heartland states, Gadkari said that "leadership should have the 'vrutti' [tendency] to own up the defeat and failures. Then also the Opposition attributed his comments as a veiled message to Shah and Modi. Later Gadkari said that he was misquoted. Whats intriguing about Gadkaris comments is the timing at which it comes. With general elections most likely to be held in less than three months and with the BJP on the back foot, is Gadkari positioning himself as a consensus candidate in the event the BJP requires support from its allies to form a government at the Centre? Is this the Plan B of the BJP if the party fails to win a majority in Lok Sabha? Is this a sign of the cracks in the BJP edifice Modi and Shah have built? At the moment, much of this is in the realm of speculation. However, there is one thing that is increasingly becoming certain: The BJP is not showing the confidence by now associated with the party; it appears a bit wary, perhaps even rattled. For more Opinion pieces, click here Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28) Malacanang on Monday downplayed critics' claims of an "ineffective martial law" in Mindanao. This comes in the wake of the twin bomb blasts that rocked a Catholic cathedral in Jolo, Sulu on Sunday morning. In a media briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the incident should serve as "more reason" for the rule to be imposed in the region. "They're saying that despite martial law, there has been bombing, and therefore martial law should be lifted. There's more reason that martial law should be in place," he said. "The fact alone that there's one incident of bombing in the past year, that means martial law is effective. Can you imagine how many bombings there would have been if there was no martial law there in operation?" In a joint session on December 12, 2018, Congress approved President Rodrigo Duterte's request to extend martial law in the South for the third time. Lawmakers voted 235-28 to extend the rule until the end of 2019. READ: 'Uncalled for' martial law poses threats to Mindanaoans' rights - Gutoc At least 20 people were killed, while dozens others were injured when two bombs exploded within seconds at the cathedral in Jolo. The blast came two days after the Commission on Elections proclaimed the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which would eventually create a new Muslim autonomous region. 'Security lapses' Panelo also pointed out "lapses" on the part of security forces in Jolo. He questioned how the bombs were placed inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. "There may be some lapses in security, how they were able to put (bombs) there despite the fact that there were soldiers securing the place," he said. "There is no other conclusion to reach. If you have security there, and if there was one or two bombs being placed inside, then there must be a lapse in security," he added. Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, Philippine Institute for Peace Violence and Terrorism Professor Rommel Banlaoi said the group behind the deadly blast has again "outsmarted law enforcement authorities." Security officials are looking into the possible involvement of a group identified with the Abu Sayyaf called Ajang Ajang. "It tells us that this pro-ISIS group is really very clever because of the plebiscite there was a strict implementation of heightened alert Despite this heightened security alert, this group was able to mount this kind of terrorist bombing," Banlaoi said. Analyst: Suspected group behind blasts were relatives of killed Abu Sayyaf | #TheSource https://t.co/HJG578U1kL pic.twitter.com/MajujV0tzX CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) January 28, 2019 Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed anger and disappointment over the bombing. He said the President has issued a directive for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to further tighten security measures. While some Islamic groups claimed responsibility for the bombing, Panelo said the Palace will wait for authorities' official investigation. The Philippine National Police and the AFP are now put under "nationwide" heightened alert status following the blast. CNN Philippines' Alyssa Rola and Xave Gregorio contributed to this report. The chief architect of Ram temple is Chandrakant Bhai Sompura. He has also designed the Somnath temple in Gujarat, which was reconstructed after Indias independence. The Sompuras have designed over 100 temples around the world in over 15 generations. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday said there was no reason for it to doubt the Narendra Modi government's intentions on the Ram temple issue. The organisation, which is spearheading the movement for the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, however, also said that there was no progress on the issue since the government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre. "In the last four-and-a-half years, no headway was made for the construction of the Ram temple, which has led to resentment among people," VHP international president Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje said. "We are also angry about this, but we do not have any reason to doubt the intentions of the Centre on the issue," he told PTI. The former high court judge added that "we cannot say that the Centre is not constructing the temple deliberately or it does not have the intention to do so". He had learnt that the government had received legal advice that if it brought an ordinance or a law to pave the way for the construction of the temple, it could be challenged in the court, Kokje said. "It may further delay the resolution of the Ayodhya dispute," he added. Kokje also said the BJP was the only party which was a "well-wisher" of Hindus and which supported the cause of the Ram temple. Asked if the issue was being raked up in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, he said, "The BJP will not gain anything from going back on its assurance to Hindus on the Ram temple issue. But if the construction begins during its current term, then it will definitely get electoral benefits." Kokje added that some people were creating obstacles in the way of hearings in the Supreme Court in the matter and therefore, the chances of the court's verdict coming before the polls were bleak. The Supreme Court on Sunday cancelled the January 29 hearing in the politically-sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case as a member of the five-judge Constitution bench would not be available. Nitin Gadkari A day after Union minister Nitin Gadkari said leaders who fail to fulfil promises get "beaten up" by people, the NCP said his remarks reflected voices within the BJP against "failure" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while a Congress leader accused Gadkari of "lying". NCP's national spokesperson Nawab Malik on January 28 claimed that Gadkari, the Lok Sabha member from Nagpur, was also trying to establish himself as an alternative to Modi "as the BJP was going to lose" the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. "The way Gadkariji has become outspoken after the Assembly polls in the three states (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh), it indicates there will be no Modi and BJP government after the polls," Malik said. NCP's ally Congress had last month emerged victorious in the elections in these three Hindi heartland states, dislodging the BJP from power there. "Somewhere, voice is being raised within the BJP over Modi's failure. Since the BJP is going to lose, he (Gadkari) is trying to establish himself as the alternative to Modi," Malik said. Congress leader from Nagpur Ashish Deshmukh attacked Gadkari, saying he was "lying" and charged the minister with not keeping promises he had made to people about separate Vidarbha state, sea-plane at Ambazari lake in Nagpur and others. Deshmukh said Gadkari's remarks applied to the minister as well. Hence, people of Nagpur are eager to give him a "jolt" in the upcoming polls for showing false dreams to farmers, to youth about employment, and those pertaining to industries, tourism, education and medical services, a statement quoted Deshmukh as saying. Gadkari had on January 27 said political leaders who sell dreams to people, but fail to make them a reality get "beaten up" by the public. The minister had asserted he is a doer and delivers on his promises. Last month, Gadkari said at an event in Pune that leadership should have the tendency to own up defeat and failures. The remarks had come days after the BJP's dismal show in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls. At the valedictory function of the annual Marathi literary meet at Yavatmal on January 13, Gadkari had said politicians should not interfere in other fields. The meet was embroiled in a controversy after an invitation to writer Nayantara Sahgal was withdrawn apparently under pressure from a political party. Nitin Gadkari Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on January 27 said political leaders who sell dreams to people, but fail to make them a reality get "beaten up" by the public. The minister, who handles a host of infrastructure-related portfolios in the Modi government, asserted he is a doer and delivers on his promises. "People like (political) leaders who sell them dreams. But if these dreams are not realised, then they beat them up (politically) as well," Gadkari said, speaking at a function. "I am not the one who only sells dreams, but I deliver 100 per cent what I talk about," he said. Gadkari, a former BJP president, also spoke about his stint as Maharashtra's PWD minister when the Shiv Sena-BJP government was in power (1995-99) in the state. "The mediapersons in Mumbai know what kind of a person I am as they have seen how I complete projects. They do trust me," said the 61-year-old politician from Nagpur. "People used to laugh at me when I, as PWD minister, used to claim that I was going to build over 50 flyovers in Mumbai, and bring down the travel time between Mumbai and Pune to merely two hours (via 91-km expressway). "I was ridiculed but I proved them wrong and completed every project I had promised," Gadkari said. At the function, Bollywood actor Isha Koppikar joined the BJP and was made working president of the party's women transport wing. In December, Gadkari said at an event in Pune that leadership should have the tendency to own up defeat and failures. The remarks had come days after the BJP's dismal show in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly elections. As the comments created a controversy, Gadkari said his statements had been twisted and alleged "there was a sinister campaign by some opposition parties and a section of the media to twist" his comments and "draw politically motivated inferences to malign" him and his party. At the valedictory function of the annual Marathi literary meet at Yavatmal on January 13, Gadkari said politicians should not interfere in other fields. The meet was embroiled in a controversy after an invitation to writer Nayantara Sahgal was withdrawn apparently under pressure from a political party. Congress The JD(U), a constituent of the BJP-led NDA, on Monday expressed hope that the Congress plays a pro-active role and does not walk-out again when the Citizenship Bill comes up for passage in the Rajya Sabha. The Janata Dal (United), which is ruling Bihar with alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has decided to vote against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 when it comes up in the upper house of parliament. The bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India even if they do not possess any document. A JD(U) delegation that was here to attend a meeting of the parties of the northeast opposing the bill also called on leaders of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) which recently snapped its ties with the ruling BJP in Assam over the controversial bill. "We hope the Congress does not walk out as they did in the Lok Sabha as this will help in the passage of the bill," JD(U) National General Secretary K C Tyagi told reporters. After the bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha, the Congress had cited the "flaws" in it as it did not address the Assam Accord and requested the Speaker to send it to a select committee. The Congress members then staged a walk-out after the Speaker refused to accept the demand. "There are apprehensions that the Congress may stage a walkout (in Rajya Sabha also) and if this happens, there is no way that the bill can be stopped from being passed," he said. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) does not enjoy majority in the upper house of parliament. "We were concerned about the Congress walkout in the Lok Sabha. Being the largest party, it should have done floor coordination with other parties," Tyagi, an MP, added. The JD(U) leader was heading a party delegation to Assam to extend their support to the AGP and other parties protesting against the bill. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced that the party will not support the bill which threatens to change the demographic structure of Assam and the northeast and has vowed to oppose it in and outside parliament, Tyagi said. "The bill is unfortunate and is not for the welfare of the people but for political gains. We have come to Assam to extend support to the brave people of Assam who are fighting to preserve their culture and identity," he added. The JD(U) delegation held a meeting with the AGP here and was also scheduled to meet the All Assam Students Union (AASU) leadership, other organsiations and members of the civil society. AGP president Atul Bora said they held a long discussion with the JD(U) leaders who assured them that they will take all steps to ensure that the bill is not passed in the Rajya Sabha. "We have chalked out a strategy which we will not like to disclose now but we are united in our fight against the bill," Bora said. The BJP in Tamil Nadu on January 28 flayed MDMK founder Vaiko for holding a black flag demo against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Madurai visit, saying it was done for his own "promotion". The protest was not reflective of the people's sentiments, BJP state unit President Tamilisai Soundararajan said. Modi's visit, where he laid the foundation stone for an AIIMS facility at Madurai, was aimed at the development of southern Tamil Nadu, she said and questioned what Vaiko had done for the region in the past as an MP. She also took a dig at his vow to make MK Stalin the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, seeking to remind him of his bitter rivalry with the DMK President in the past. "Your black flag protest is for your own publicity and it does not reflect Tamil Nadu people's sentiments," she said in a statement. "People will not forgive those who showed black flags to the Prime Minister who had come for (launching) public welfare schemes. The BJP will also not tolerate those making cheap criticism against the Prime Minister," she added. Led by Vaiko, MDMK cadres had on Sunday staged the protest against Modi at Madurai, accusing him of betraying the interests of Tamil Nadu. Protesting party workers raised slogans against him and also released black balloons, alleging he had betrayed the interests of Tamil Nadu on Cauvery and other issues. Pointing out at Vaiko's strong pro-Sri Lankan Tamils stand, Soundararajan sought to know why he was now supporting the DMK-Congress combine, accused of aiding the earlier Mahinda Rajapakse dispensation in its fight against the LTTE which resulted in heavy civilian Tamil casualty. "This shows your often changing political colours which the people are well aware of," she said. On the Gaja super cyclone which hit the state coast in November 2018, leaving a trail of devastation including human casualty, she said the Centre had issued prior warnings and provided assistance to the state government, thus preventing large scale loss of lives. The Prime Minister took part in the people's grief even as his office monitored the relief activities by deputing Central Ministers, she added. current-affairs-trends Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Congress finalises two-step candidate selection process The partys internal survey showed that candidates favoured by booth-level workers won by greater margins in most constituencies Prime Minister Narendra Modi Day one of the auction of the gifts received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi saw a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with a base price of Rs 1,000 getting sold at Rs 22,000, according to a statement from the culture ministry. The funds raised through the auction, held at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Delhi, will go to the government's flagship project 'Namami Gange'. A dedicated site -- pmmementos.gov.in -- has been set up to display and e-auction the mementos that are priced between Rs 100 and Rs 30,000. Visitors to the site can search through the mementos on the basis of price range. NGMA did not reveal the amount raised on day one or which was the item that received the highest bidding, which they said will be revealed on Monday, after a final assessment has been made. The two-day physical auction shall culminate on January 28 and the e-auction will take place from January 29-31 for remaining items which are not sold during the physical auction on the portal. Exclusive items that were auctioned included statues, photographs, paintings and articles such as angavastram, shawls, commemorative coins, traditional musical instruments, hats, pagris and jackets, etc. Items such as statues of Gautam Buddha, portraits, photographs and paintings of Prime Minister, 3D painting of Gomukh (the origin of the holy river Ganga), Statue of Mahatma Basveshwara, Statue of Swami Vivekananda and silver coated Shivlinga were also auctioned at a high price. Union Minister for Railways and Commerce Piyush Goyal, Members of Parliament Manoj Tiwari and Meenakshi Lekhi visited the auction along with other dignitaries and senior officials from the Government of India. The only gold-plated memento on auction is an idol of Radha and Krishna, the base price for which has been set at Rs 20,000. The 4.76 kg idol was gifted to the prime minister by the Mandvi Nagar Palika in Surat. A 2.22-kg silver plate, gifted to the prime minister by former BJP MP C Narasimhan, priced at Rs 30,000, is the most expensive memento in the catalogue with a blue brocade shawl with tassels being the least expensive at Rs 200. Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma earlier said that 1,900 gifts received nationally and internationally will be auctioned. 5. The Fodder scam | A corruption scandal that ended the long reign of Lalu Prasad Yadav was first brought to light through an investigative scoop by journalist Ravi S Jha, who was working with the Asian Age. Jha explicitly drew public and legal attention into the fodder scam that involved an apparent foul play in funds worth 950 crores. The coverage exposed the implicit involvement of the Bihar government and threw light on the corruption schemes that fabricated fodder, animal husbandry and other equipments. Former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav and others were granted regular bail on January 28 by the Patiala High Court in connection to the IRCTC scam case. Tejashwi Yadav on being granted regular bail in IRCTC scam case: We are confident of getting justice. We trust the judiciary. pic.twitter.com/pe1ycSBkih ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 The bail was granted on a personal bond of Rs 1 Lakh and a surety amount each, according to reports. The next date of hearing is February 11. A Delhi court had on January 19 extended the interim bail granted to Lalu Prasad Yadav in two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The cases relate to alleged irregularities in granting the operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm. (More details to follow) Akhilesh Yadav Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav Monday said that if the Congress vows to fight against the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, it should support the SP-BSP alliance. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also welcomed Priyanka Gandhi's entry into active politics. When asked about the 'Priyanka factor' being termed as a masterstroke of the Congress, Akhilesh said, If the Congress vows to fight against the BJP, which is an expert is spreading lies, it should support our (SP-BSP) alliance. We have already spared two seats Raebareli and Amethi for them. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister was responding to questions during an interview to PTI here. His remarks assume significance in the light of Congress president Rahul Gandhi's comment that he has due regard and respect for both Akhilesh and Mayawati and there was no animosity against them. Rahul had also said his party won't play on the backfoot and added, "We will play on the front foot, be it Gujarat or Uttar Pradesh". Asked about the appointment of Priyanka Gandhi as in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East, he said, I welcome her entry in active politics. Youth should join active politics for making the new India". On Yogi Adityanath government's decision to hold cabinet meeting in Kumbh in Prayagraj, Akhilesh reminded the BJP of the connection of Kumbh to Kannauj, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by his wife Dimple Yadav. It was Raja Harsh Vardhan, whose capital was in Kannauj which started the tradition of 'daan' in Kumbh. He used to come here and give 'daan'. If the BJP government is serious about development of the state, it should tell what it has done on its own except schemes launched in my regime, he said. Akhilesh, who took a holy dip in Sangam -confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati in Prayagraj said that in his regime Kumbh arrangements were made and that too by Muslim leaders and officers. People come to Kumbh due to their faith. In our regime Urban Development Minister Mohd Azam Khan, Health Minister Ahmad Hasan and Chief Secretary Javed Usmani did the best of arrangements. The SP believes in uniting people unlike the BJP which is dividing society on communal lines," he said. Quizzed about CM Yogi Adityanath's remark that his government can resolve the Ram temple issue in 24 hours, Akhilesh said, Pehle kisano ko agle 90 dino me 'saand' se bacha lein jo fasal chaupat kar rahe hain (he should first save farmers in the next 90 days from the onslaught of bulls, which are ruining crops." Adityanath had last week said that the Supreme Court must work towards an early resolution of the Ram temple case and "...if there is unnecessary delay, institutions may lose people's trust. I want to say that the court should give its verdict soon, and if it is unable to do so, it should hand over the issue to us. We will resolve the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute within 24 hours. We won't take 25 hours". The Samajwadi Party chief said, "If such a statement is given by a chief minister on Republic Day, one can imagine what kind of the CM he must be." Promising to make caste data available if voted to power, Akhilesh said, If we come to power we will reveal caste data. Without knowing the caste data development schemes cannot be formed accurately". Mehul Choksi No Indian team is headed to Antigua to catch fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi, the Antiguan government has said according to a report by The Times of India. The Antiguan government was reacting to reports that a special long-range Air India flight had been booked to fetch a high-value target from abroad. Earlier, a report by news agency IANS had suggested that a long-haul Air India jet, which has been pulled out of the fleet, will carry a team of investigating officers tasked to get hold of the fugitives, including Choksi. There reports that the flight was bound for Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. However, the reports were denied by Antigua. Talking to the newspaper, Lionel Max Hurst, chief of staff in Prime Minister Gaston Brownes office, said, I have not been informed of any team coming to Antigua from India. Also read: Govt empowers PSU banks to seek lookout circulars against wilful defaulters The official said that his government would wish him gone, as he brings nothing to Antigua but unwanted publicity. Talking about the extradition process, he said, Choksi brought the matter before the high court, but he lost. He, however, has a right of appeal which I am sure he will exercise. If the matter is still before the courts, he cannot be extradited. Choksi, one of the alleged masterminds of the $2 billion scam in state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) and uncle of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, had fled India in early January 2018 and took oath of allegiance in Antigua on January 15, in the same year. Also read | Choksi will be brought back to India: Rajnath Singh Choksi, later in the same year, took citizenship of Antigua. Last week, he surrendered his Indian passport to the High Commission in Guyana. Meanwhile, India continues to pursue Choksi's return with the government of Antigua through diplomatic and legal channels. In August 2018, India handed over Antigua a request for Choksi's extradition. A team from India was also sent to Antigua to pursue the request, said a PTI report. Vedanta Resources on Monday announced a fresh investment of Rs 8,500 crore to expand its mining and allied operations in South Africa and has committed to invest another Rs 60,000 crore in India in the next three years. "Vedanta Resources Ltd...whose chairman Anil Agarwal, was part of the...South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa's high-powered delegation for India's 70th Republic Day celebrations, has announced a fresh investment of Rs 8,500 crore ($1.2 billion)...in the land of Nelson Mandela," the company said in a statement. "On the home front, Vedanta has so far invested Rs 2.34 lakh crore (US$33 billion) and has committed to invest another Rs 60,000 crore (US$8 billion) in the next three years," the company said. The South African President acknowledged Vedanta's contribution in South Africa's growth journey. Noting Vedanta Resources' investment of USD 1.6 billion in the Gamsberg Zinc mine in the Northern Cape province, Ramaphosa said this investment by the mining major has triggered a new wave of industrial and economic development in that part of South Africa. Out of the total USD 1.6 billion, about USD 400 million has already been spent. "It was an honour to be part of President Ramaphosa's delegation and to welcome him and his colleagues on the Indian soil as we look to strengthen this relationship further," Vedanta Resources Executive Chairman Anil Agarwal said. The global natural resources player has already invested Rs 3,000 crore (USD 400 million) in South Africa, the company said, adding that its cumulative investment in the African continent currently stands at nearly Rs 30,000 crore (USD 4 billion). "Just as we are committed to being India's premier natural resources company, Vedanta is committed to South Africa in equal measure. Looking forward, we must accelerate South Africa as a mining investment destination," Agarwal said. After acquiring the undeveloped asset from Anglo in 2011, work at Gamsberg began in mid-2016 and the mine started producing finished zinc concentrate in late-2018. The first phase of Gamsberg represents an investment of Rs 3,000 crore by Vedanta in South Africa. The second and third phase of Gamsberg could see more than double that amount, the company said. The company is currently undertaking feasibility study to build a greenfield, state-of-the-art smelter and refinery as part of the Gamsberg project. "If feasible, the construction of a smelter-cum-refinery is likely to entail fresh investment of Rs 6,000 crore (USD 800 million), thus making the Khai-Ma region of Northern Cape an industrial powerhouse," it said. An employee is seen at the front desk of Snapdeal headquarters in Gurugram on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, April 3, 2017. Picture taken April 3. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi - RTX33YCF Smaller e-commerce players like Snapdeal and ShopClues have written to the government opposing any move to extend the February 1, deadline for online marketplaces to comply with FDI rules, and urged that pressure for such relaxations need to be "resisted strongly". The position taken by these players is in contrast to that of giants like Amazon and Walmart-backed Flipkart who have sought an extension, stating that they need more time to understand the details of the framework. In December, the government had announced new regulations - under Press Note 2 - that would bar online marketplaces with foreign investments from selling products of the companies where they hold stakes, and ban exclusive marketing arrangements. These changes are expected to hit Amazon and Flipkart, the hardest. Snapdeal co-founder and CEO Kunal Bahl, in his letter dated January 25 to Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, said the "prompt implementation of Press Note 2/2018, without delay or dilution, is the first and crucial step to curb the continuing violations of the FDI policy on e-commerce". He argued that "the timelines allowed are adequate for compliance" and that Snapdeal has already updated its technical processes, engaged statutory auditors - EY as well as apprised its team and sellers about the upcoming changes in norms. Describing the proposed measures as being crucial to prevent "further damage to India's retail sector", Snapdeal said the extreme narrative being projected is an "orchestrated move" meant to pressurise authorities and "needs to be resisted strongly". ShopClues co-founder and CEO Sanjay Sethi echoed similar sentiments and urged for an "expeditious implementation of the policy clarifications, leaving no scope for extension to the given deadline". He warned that "violators" may use their clout to seek extension or relaxations in the policy, "which if allowed, will perpetuate the damages already done to micro, small and medium enterprises". ShopClues said any attempts being made to portray the clarifications (under Press Note 2) as a new policy, anti-FDI or anti-consumer is "dangerously misleading and wrong". Traders' body CAIT, had also requested the government not to accede to any demand by large e-commerce players, the US or Indian associations for changes or extensions warning that any adverse move will be opposed by the trading community "tooth and nail". RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch had also recently written to the government saying that buckling under pressure from the US will directly harm the interest of 13 crore people, who earn their livelihood as small entrepreneurs and their employees. There are reports that the US authorities have expressed concerns that the new rules could impact the investment plans of large foreign players in India. Both Amazon and Flipkart have pumped in millions of dollars into the booming Indian e-commerce market. Amazon had committed an investment of USD 5 billion -- a large chunk of which has already been pumped in across various entities (like wholesale, marketplace and payments) that it operates in India. (Image courtesy: Embassy Industrial Parks) Embassy Industrial Parks has announced its foray into South India where it has acquired 60 acres of real estate in Hosur and is planning to build a warehousing facility spread across 1.3 million square feet. The total cost for the project is Rs 280 crore, the company said. The facility is located along the industrial corridor between Bengaluru and Chennai and is barely 60 kms from Bengaluru city centre. The warehousing location is only 25 km from the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamilnadu Limited (SIPCOT) which is spread over 1200 acres and provides key support for the development of medium and large industries, sources said. Hosur is home to multiple units that produce products from trucks, automobile parts, motor cycles, textiles, electronics, TV sets and diesel engines. We feel that Hosur post-GST is the next warehousing hub in South India. We plan to acquire more land there. This park will bolster our core offering to clients in this region who can now breathe easily. We have already defined our footprint in the North so moving around the country was the obvious next step. We have a clear ambition to scale our business rapidly, and selecting the right locations is allowing us to facilitate this process," says Anshul Singhal, CEO, Embassy Industrial Parks. Embassy Industrial Parks is building a 35 million square feet portfolio of next-generation warehousing and logistics solutions. Currently, it has three functional logistics and industrial parks in Delhi NCR and Pune. Next on the anvil are five assets in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Chennai, the company said. Till date, the company has secured developmental potential of approximately 13 million square feet, of which 2 million will be operational soon, it added. OYO Rooms (Representative Image) Hospitality firm OYO has said it is planning to invest over $100 million (around Rs 711 crore) in Indonesia over the next five years to expand its presence across the country. The company is adding 70 hotels every month to its chain in Indonesia and is looking at closing 2019 with presence in 100 cities in the Southeast Asian country, OYO said in a statement. "We intend to invest over $100 million in this high-growth market and plan to expand our presence to the top-100 cities in Indonesia, including Yogyakarta, Bandung, Surabaya that we recently entered, and break into Bali over the next 11 months," OYO Hotels and Homes Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer Ritesh Agarwal said. Indonesia's hotel market is characterised by a demand-supply imbalance of quality living spaces, and OYO since the launch in the country has utilised its tech, operations, onboarding and transformational capabilities while creating an equilibrium between these factors, the hospitality firm said. Representative Image Dubai-based Lulu Group which is owned by an Indian business tycoon has announced its entry into mainland Europe after a new agreement with a Switzerland-based real estate company to develop a new four-star hotel in the Swiss city of Zurich. Twenty14 Holdings (T14H), the hospitality investment arm of Abu Dhabi based LuLu Group International, said on Friday that it has entered into a forward purchase contract with Necron AG for the upcoming IntercityHotel Zurich Airport in Rumlang municipality of Zurich. The company said its new purpose-built, 260-room hotel, set to open in 2020 and will be located close to Rumlang station and offer good transport links, including access to Zurich International Airport in 10 minutes and the city centre in 15 minutes. "We are excited to mark our entry into mainland Europe with our first property in Zurich. It is an important milestone in our group's portfolio as we work towards becoming a billion-dollar investment firm by 2020," said Adeeb Ahamed, Managing Director of T14H. The latest hotel joins a portfolio of USD 750-million worth of luxury property across the UK, the Middle East, and India led by T14H, the hospitality investment arm of LuLu Group, headed by Indian-origin businessman Yusaffali MA. In the UK, the group owns the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh, The Caledonian in Scotland and has struck a 110-million pounds agreement with property developer Galliard Homes to create a luxurious five-star hotel at 1-5 Great Scotland Yard, the former headquarters of Metropolitan Police in London. The new Swiss property will include meeting and event spaces, a restaurant, an indoor fitness centre, and spa area as well as underground and outdoor parking facilities. It will be operated by Deutsche Hospitality (Steigenberger Hotels AG) under a 20-year lease contract and is the first of many development projects planned by Necron AG's in cooperation with Deutsche Hospitality. "This is an exciting hotel development and we are delighted to be working in partnership with both Twenty14 Holdings and Deutsche Hospitality. We very much hope this is the start of a successful long-term partnership with both," said Gerard van Liempt, CEO, Necron AG. The companies involved said the design of the property will be based on the new Intercity Hotels Matteo Thun design standards, and keeping in mind business travellers and tourists, the property will feature modern guestrooms and public spaces. Thomas Willms, CEO, Deutsche Hospitality, added: "The IntercityHotel Zurich Airport launches our brand in Switzerland and adds a highly attractive location to the portfolio. "This hotel is symbolic of our growing international presence at strategically important locations and we are delighted to have such a reliable partner as the Twenty14 Holdings on our side." Twenty14 Holdings said the new hotel is its second property to be operated by Deutsche Hospitality. India's 2018 thermal coal imports rose at the fastest pace in four years, according to two industry sources, despite moves by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to cut imports in a bid to reduce its trade deficit. Coal is among the top five commodities imported by India, one of the world's largest consumers of coal, and the rise in imports of the fuel after two consecutive years of decline adds to its trade deficit. That trade gap has been hurting the valuation of the rupee, the worst performing major Asian currency in 2018. Thermal coal imports jumped 19 percent to 171.85 million tonnes in 2018, marking the fastest pace of growth since 2014, according to data from American Fuels & Natural Resources, a Dubai-based trader of US-origin coal. Energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie also said imports grew at their fastest pace since 2014, to 164 million tonnes in 2018. Imports of coking coal - which is mainly used in the manufacturing of steel - rose at the quickest rate since 2015, according to Wood Mackenzie and American Fuels. India imported 52.26 million tonnes of coking coal in 2018, up 14 percent from 45.93 million tonnes in 2017, American Fuels' data showed. The value of all coal imports for the year ended December 31, 2018 was 28.7 percent higher at 1.72 trillion Indian rupees ($24.25 billion) than it was a year earlier, according to government data from the coal and trade ministries reviewed by Reuters. Traders say coal imports grew largely due to restrictions on consumption of petroleum coke, a dirtier alternative to coal, in some parts of the country. "2018 was a booming year for coal imports in India, mostly on the back of demand from cement and small and medium-scale industries in India," said Puneet Gupta, founder of online coal and petcoke marketplace Coalshastra. "Higher demand was also fuelled by restrictions on the use of petcoke," he said. Petcoke consumption dropped about 15 percent in 2018, according to government data. BOOST FOR INTERNATIONAL MINERS While higher coal imports may be bad news for India's trade deficit, they are a boon for international miners such as Indonesia's Adaro Energy, Australia's Whitehaven Coal, US, coal miner Peabody Energy Corp and global commodity merchants such as Glencore. Indonesia provided more than 61 percent of India's thermal coal imports, while South Africa accounted for 22 percent and the United States more than 7 percent. Imports of US thermal coal, which burns better compared with Indonesian coal, almost doubled to 12.46 million tonnes in 2018, according to American Fuels. Cheaper coal from countries such as Indonesia are likely to be preferred by buyers in India in 2019, over better burning coal from the United States, due to lower freight costs, according to Ali Yasrab, director of Iman Resources, a UAE-based trader of US origin coal. "If coal prices reach 2018 peak levels, US coal will become popular in India again," Yasrab said. The ports of Mundra, Krishnapatnam and Kandla handled about 37.5 percent of all of the thermal coal imports, according to American Fuels. The Adani Group, which handles about a third of India's imported coal, said last year it expects a "reasonable rise in imports" till fiscal year 2021 due to "rail transportation challenges" affecting India's domestic coal industry. Analysts say they expect India to be a key market for global miners in 2019 as China's "war on pollution" will lead to lower demand from that country. ($1 = 70.9280 Indian rupees) Chaudhary Birender Singh, Union Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Sanitation and Drinking Water during 'Meet the Press' in Chandigarh on Tuesday, October 13 2015. Express photo by Jaipal Singh *** Local Caption *** Chaudhary Birender Singh, Union Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Sanitation and Drinking Water during 'Meet the Press' in Chandigarh on Tuesday, October 13 2015. Express photo by Jaipal Singh To ensure that there is no massive shortage of iron ore and coal from 2020 when the captive mining leases are expiring, Union steel minister Chaudhary Birender Singh on Monday said the government is looking at mining of these resources in the Northeastern states. Most of the captive iron ore and coking coal mining leases will expire in 2020 mainly in Goa Karnataka, which may lead to supply shortages, the minister said, and called for exploration on war footing in other areas where good quantity of iron ore/coal is available. In a bid to ensure raw material security, the government is looking at exploring coal and iron ore mining in the seven Northeastern states where some deposits have been reported, Singh told reporters after chairing a consultative committee meeting of the steel industry here. "Some kind of exploration on a prototype basis has already taken place in the Northeastern states and if exploration on a large scale takes place, then we may have some good raw material," Singh said. The minister also said an additional secretary is looking measure to reopen the closed mines in Odisha, Karnataka and Jharkhand. Orissa Mineral Development Corporation has some of the best iron ore and coal mines), but they are closed now. We are taking efforts to come out of the legal bottlenecks under which we re-allot or transfer those mines so that those mines become functional by again and to our plants, Singh said. "If these mines became functional, it will give us sufficient raw material for expansion of the existing plants as well as to set up new mills," he said. He also lauded the industry for the turnaround and said even public sector units like Steel Authority and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam are generating cash profit now. Singh noted that steel production also increased in 2018 and today India is the second the largest steel producer overtaking Japan. "We will also become the second largest steel consumer very soon. Our steel industry has been growing at 5 percent during the past four years," he said, adding however, our per capita consumption is still far low at 69 kg in 2018, which was 57 kg a few years back against a global average of 214 kg. Piyush Goyal Newly-appointed interim Finance Minister, Piyush Goyal, held a review meeting with public sector banks on January 28 to deliberate on wide-ranging issues including providing easy finance to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and home buyers. "Bankers held internal deliberations on various aspects of the functioning of PSBs... They discussed and deliberated on various measures to support the MSME sector, particularly, small traders, businesses and business owner at remote locations," Goyal said adding, "They discussed various measures to support finance for housing to homeowners." In the 10-hour long meeting, bankers chalked out ways to ensure better loan recoveries and easy credit disbursal. Goyal said banks reviewed measures to recover non-performing loans including Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). "Bankers discussed their internal functioning to resolve cases under the RBI guidelines and within the framework under IBC," he said. IBC was introduced in India in 2016, as the "last option" for recovering loans when "all other options fail". Under IBC, a resolution process has to be completed within a maximum period of 270 days (companies) and 135 days (individuals and smaller firms) since the initiation of the resolution process. Rajiv Kumar, Secretary of Department of Financial Services expects the recoveries through IBC to be close to Rs 1.8 lakh crore during FY19. So far since 2015, loans worth Rs 2.8 lakh crore have been recovered. This includes Rs one lakh crore recovered this fiscal. The RBI, in its bi-annual Financial Stability Report (FSR) said NPAs in the banking sector may reduce from 10.8 percent (registered in September 2018) to 10.3 percent by March 2019 and further to 10.2 percent by September 2019. The ratio was 11.5 percent at the end of March 2018. Stressing more on credit disbursal and easy financing necessities, Sunil Mehta, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Punjab National Bank said, the review meeting focused on "how the recoveries can be improved as well as (improving) our credit delivery system." "It was a review meeting to discuss day to day issues and challenges of PSBs, how to give a boost to Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and giving thrust to MSMEs," Mehta said. To boost affordable housing and achieve the vision of Housing for all by 2022, the government (Central and State) has undertaken several initiatives such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) that aims to build one crore homes in urban and rural India by 2022. Affordable housing has also been accorded infrastructure status, ensuring that developers in this segment have access to cheaper loans. In early January, RBI had allowed one-time restructuring of MSME loans up to Rs 25 crore and under the standard category as of January 1, 2019, despite having defaulted on payment. RBI Governor, Shaktikanta Das, also attended the meeting in the morning to express "expectations of the regulator" to the banks, even as it noted their expectations. "Basically, the idea was to convey to them the regulator's expectation from the banking sector in general and public sector banks in particular, and also to get from them their understanding of the current banking situation, and to get an understanding about the future outlook, the sense they have," Das said after meeting the bank chiefs. Das said there was a "need for PSBs to extend credit while observing prudential norms but without excessive conservatism." He also raised the issue of further strengthening various aspects of banking, including underwriting standards, capacity building, use of technology and governance. Tata Steel live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Moneycontrol News In a major step towards refocusing its attention on the domestic markets, Tata Steel Monday said that it will sell 70 percent of its stake in assets in South East Asia. TS Global Holdings (TSGH), a unit of Tata Steel, has signed an agreement with Beijing based HBIS Group, which is one of the largest steelmakers in the world, with revenue of over $40 billion. "As per the agreement, the divestment will be made to a company in which 70 percent equity shares will be held by an entity controlled by HBIS, and 30 percent will be held by TSGH. The agreements were signed today in Beijing, China," said a Tata Steel statement. The two assets are Singapore-based NatSteel Holdings Pte. Ltd, and Tata Steel (Thailand). The deal also includes Tata Steel's operations in Vietnam. Moneycontrol, had earlier reported that Tata Steel will retain 30 percent of its stake in these assets. The company didn't disclose financial details of the deal. The definitive agreement signed today between the two companies is a significant milestone in our strategic relationship, offering the SEA (South-East Asia) business robust growth opportunities, given the access to resources, technical expertise and regional understanding of HBIS," said T V Narendran, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Steel. The deal will help Tata Steel focus on the domestic business, which is a great opportunity, he added later during a conference call with journalists. Financial details The new entity will have an enterprise value of $685 million, including about $150 million of debt. Tata Steel is selling the stake at 1.5 times the book value of the assets, said Koushik Chatterjee, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer, Tata Steel. He added that the company will take away $327 million in cash, from the deal. Tata Steel held 100 percent stake in NatSteel, and 67 percent in Tata Steel Thailand. The two senior executives from the Indian steelmaker added that Tata Steel will hold on to the its 30 percent stake for "two-three years," and will wait for an upside before exiting the new entity. The two said an initial public offering of the new unit is an option. The unit will have its Deputy CEO and Deputy CFO from Tata Steel. But it will be up to HBIS to name the new company. The deal, added Chatterjee, will be completed in two months. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Ravi Ananthanarayanan Tata Steel's profitability will improve after the sale of a majority stake in its South East Asian steel business, an underperformer in its portfolio. In FY18, the SE Asia region contributed to 7.2% of consolidated sales but its contribution to Ebitda was only 2%. The division has been facing a tough time, partly due to competition from cheap Chinese imports. Its performance had improved consequent to restructuring but it still pulls down overall performance. Compared to Tata Steel's consolidated Ebitda/tonne of Rs 10,231 in FY18, the SE Asia division managed to deliver only a seventeenth of that, at Rs 1740/tonne. It remained at nearly the same level in the September quarter, falling by 17% over a year ago. Notionally, if this division had not been around in the September quarter, Tata Steel's Ebitda margin would have increased by 1.2 percentage points over a year ago to 21.9%. Surprisingly, Tata Steel has not sold its entire stake. Instead, it will sell a 70% stake in the SE Asia subsidiaries to HBIS of China. The buyer's identity confirms that the Chinese still find this market to be financially viable, perhaps because of their proximity to the market. Tata Steel will get $327 million (Rs 2,321 crore) for a 70 percent stake, which values the business at Rs 3,315 crore. Also, Rs 960 crore in loans sitting in the two SE Asia subsidiaries should also move out of its consolidated balance-sheet. The valuation seems fair to Tata Steel. The SE Asia businesss has been valued at an enterprise value/Ebitda of 7.6times and 0.3times its sales, based on FY18 numbers. Tata Steel itself trades at 5.5times and 0.4 times respectively. If the valuations are reasonable despite the poor performance, that could be explained by the surprise 30% that Tata Steel is retaining in the business. That can work two ways. One, HBIS is giving a leeway on valuation but only for a 70% stake, which gives it management control but lowers its immediate cash outflow. If the business does not do well, then Tata Steels residual stake may not fetch the same valuation. But the second and more cheery scenario for Tata Steel is if the business does much better under HBIS. Then, valuations could improve and Tata Steel will be able to sell its residual 30% stake to HBIS at a higher valuation. The immediate benefit for Tata Steel is improved profitability after the SE Asia business exits the portfolio (can take 3-4 months to be executed). While its revenues will decline, it frees up some capital and managements attention too. The European business is set to go into a joint venture with Thyssenkrupp AG and now with the SE Asian business out, the management can focus most of its attention on growing its presence in the Indian steel market. Tata Steel's shares were down despite this announcement but that can be attributed more to metal stocks falling. The BSE Metals Index was down by much more than Tata Steel was, at the time of writing this. Wockhardt's interest cost for FY20 was Rs 276 crore, while its operating profit for the same fiscal was Rs 98 crore. Drug maker Wockhardt said executing the US generic pipeline by using third-party manufacturing sites, expanding diabetes franchise in India and emerging markets and rolling out antibiotic pipeline in days ahead, are on top of its agenda, even as it strives to overcome US regulatory hurdles. The company said it is confident of things taking off in the next three-five years. "Our growth drivers are in place, we need to work on that and deliver on that. India business is doing well and it will have good double-digit growth growing forward, we have a good presence in the UK and US markets," said Dr Murtaza Khorakiwala, Managing Director of Wockhardt, speaking exclusively to Moneycontrol on the sidelines of Bombay Management Association's 10X Scale-Up-Conference. "We are looking more at partnerships in terms of launching products in the US. Diabetes is another growth area that we have. And the whole antibiotic drug discovery portfolio is expected to come through," Khorakiwala added. A number of Wockhardt facilities are going through a remediation process to address regulatory issues raised by USFDA, hampering its growth prospects. Wockhardt has 12 manufacturing plants, nine in India and one each in the US, the UK and Ireland. Around six of those manufacturing units are facing USFDA's restrictions. The year 2017-18 was one of the worst for the company with sales dropping 2 percent to Rs 3,937 crore and a net loss of Rs 608 crore, due to disruption related to GST transition, regulatory woes and US pricing pressure. The company isnt fully out of the woods, but signs of recovery are visible in FY19. In the nine months ended December 2018, the company grew sales by 9 percent and narrowed net loss to Rs 180 crore from Rs 454 crore in the same period. Wockhardt has a pipeline of 70 abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) as of March 31, 2018, of which 30 percent are complex generics, modified release formulations. Recovery plans The company is relying on third-party manufacturing sites to launch generic products in the US. The company recently launched generic leukemia drug Gleevac using services of a contract manufacturing site. The company which was one of the early entrants in diabetes, with human insulin, said it is planning to give a shake-up to its strategy, by going aggressive with filings of insulins and other anti-diabetes drugs in emerging markets such as Brazil, Mexico, Middle East and Russia. "We may have been a little bit slow in scaling up of the insulin business in India. But you will see scale up more significantly in diabetes space in next three years," Khorakiwala said. "We have the entire portfolio, we have insulins, analogues, we have vials, catridges, disposable pens, various delivery devices, we have oral drugs, and glucometer for glucose. We are looking at integrated management of diabetes, where we are looking at the entire lifecycle of the patient," Khorakiwala added. Anti-diabetes medications segment in India grew 12.9 percent year-on-year (YoY) in 2018 to Rs 12,143 crore, higher than the industry growth rate of 9.4 percent, according to market research firm AIOCD-AWACS, led by an unhealthy lifestyle choices. Khorakiwala said the antibiotic drug discovery programme, which the company has been pursuing for over two decades if finally bearing fruits. Wockhardt had last year filed with India drug regulatory seeking marketing approval of its first in class antibiotic drug WCK77712349 used in the treatment of ICU infections. Khorakiwala said they were expecting Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approval by end of this year. Wockhardt had received Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) status from US FDA for five of its antibiotic drugs developed internally. The company plans to launch at least one of those products in the next three years. Growth of Cafe Coffee Day in india (Image: Reuters) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Coffee Day Enterprises has requested the Income Tax Department (I-T Dept) to attach the company's shares worth Rs 150 crore instead of its holding in IT firm Mindtree that had been attached earlier, CNBC-TV18 reported. The I-T Dept had earlier attached a portion of shares held by Coffee Day Enterprises and its promoter VG Siddhartha in IT firm Mindtree over a potential tax demand. Moneycontrol has not independently verified the news report. Siddhartha, who owns about 21 percent stake in Mindtree, is reportedly looking to deleverage the balance sheet by paying off about Rs 5,000 crore of Coffee Day debt and is said to be in advanced discussions with various entities to sell his shares in the IT company. Siddhartha is believed to be in talks to divest from the office tech park in Bengaluru, according to CNBC-TV18. The report said Larsen & Toubro (L&T) had an enabling resolution with Coffee Day and Siddhartha for the 21 percent Mindtree stake. The deal is now valued at Rs 975-1,000 per share, lower than the initial offer of Rs 1,200 per share. The management at Mindtree is reportedly in talks with investors such as KKR to set up a counteroffer, as per the report. All parties involved -- Mindtree, Coffee Day, L&T, KKR -- did not comment on the development, but sources told CNBC-TV18 that the deal is in the final stage and likely to be completed this week. After the shares were attached last week, Coffee Day Enterprises -- which operates popular coffee chain CCD -- said it has already discharged its tax liability along with the revised returns. "there is no tax liability payable by the company and its subsidiaries as per the revised returns filed," Coffee Day Enterprises said in a regulatory filing on January 26. The company said its promoter had discharged all tax liability along with the revised returns and that there was no undisputed tax liability for the promoter and the company. It added that the "required action will be taken to release these shares in the next few days". According to the company, 74.90 lakh shares of Mindtree have been affected by the provisional attachment by the Income Tax Department, in which 22.20 lakh shares are held by Coffee Day Enterprises in Mindtree and 52.70 lakh shares by its promoter Siddhartha. TUSCOLA COUNTY, MI -- Its not just schools closed on Monday as a winter storm closes in on mid-Michigan. All Tuscola County offices will be closed on Monday, Jan. 28 as the storm expected to leave up to one foot of snow in some areas moves across the state. "Tuscola County offices will be closed on Monday, January 28th due to the weather, "reads a statement on Facebook Sunday night from Jodi Fettig, Tuscola County Clerk. Please stay safe and warm! A winter storm warning by the National Weather Service is set to go into effect at 4 a.m. Monday, Jan. 28 and stretch until midnight Monday night for Genesee, Lapeer, Shiawassee, Bay, Midland, Saginaw, Tuscola, and Sanilac counties. Snowfall totals of up to 12 inches is in the forecast for some communities in the warning area including Flint, Saginaw, Bay City, Lapeer, Corunna, Midland, Owosso, Bad Axe, and Sandusky. Businesses and school districts across mid-Michigan have also announced they will be closed on Monday due to the impending snowfall. MIDLAND, MI Chemical Financial Corp. officials announced on Monday, Jan. 28, that Minnesota-based TCF Financial Corp. will merge into Chemical Bank and both will operate under the TCF name and brand. The combined company will have approximately $45 billion in assets, $34 billion in total deposits and more than 500 branches across nine states. The merger comes on the heels of Chemical Bank moving its headquarters from Midland to downtown Detroit in a brand new 20-story building on the site of a current parking lot at Woodward Avenue and Elizabeth Street, where 500 employees will work. Were certainly going to have more high paying jobs relocating here to the state. At this point we dont how many, said Tom Wennerberg, chief marketing officer for Chemical Bank. Construction of the new headquarters in Detroit is slated to be complete in two years, Wennerberg said. Not only are we going to be a $45 billion bank, which is significant, it more than doubles the size of the current Chemical Bank, but we announced that Midland will still be major operating center for the bank, Wennerberg said. The combined company headquartered in Detroit will maintain an operating presence in Minneapolis and Chicago as well, according to the press release. "We are confident that this merger will enhance our ability to deliver stronger and more sustainable growth and greater value creation than either company could achieve alone, said TCF Chairman, CEO and President Craig Dahl. Chemical Bank is the largest banking company headquartered and operating branch offices in Michigan. Chemical Financial operates through its subsidiary bank, Chemical Bank, with 212 banking offices located primarily in Michigan, northeast Ohio and northern Indiana. As of December 31, 2018, Chemical had total consolidated assets of $21.5 billion. TCF is a Wayzata, Minnesota-based national bank holding company. As of December 31, 2018, TCF had $23.7 billion in total assets and 314 bank branches in Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin, Arizona and South Dakota providing retail and commercial banking services. BAY CITY, MI An Isabella County man described by prosecutors as a repeat and dangerous sex offender, is going to spend more than a decade in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington on Thursday, Jan. 24, sentenced 28-year-old Charles W. Merrill to 14 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Merrill in August pleaded guilty to attempted sexual abuse. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed two more counts of attempted sexual abuse and agreed not to not bring more charges against him. When he pleaded, Merrill said that one night in March 2018, he and friends had been at the Soaring Eagle Casino on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe Reservation in Isabella County. At some point, a female friend said she wanted to go to sleep and retired to a hotel room, Merrill said. We were drinking heavily and I ended up, um, I ended up attempting to have sex with her, said Merrill, adding the woman awoke, asked him to leave and he left. Mr. Merrill has taken 100 percent responsibility for this, even going back to before he was charged, defense Robert J. Dunn said on Thursday. He elaborated by saying Merrill had exchanged text messages with his victim after hed assaulted her, encouraging her to contact law enforcement. The only thing alcohol has ever done is destroy my life, Merrill said. Im tired of that life, your Honor. Youve been through this situation with other victims before, Ludington said. How does that happen? Your Honor, Merrill replied, I think that this is really hard for me to talk about I think the abuse I went through has some roles in my behavior. Its really hard for me to explain. I dont really know how to word this. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roy Kranz pointed out in Merrills interviews with the probation department, he denied ever having been the victim of abuse growing up. Kranz also said that in Merrills text messaging with his victim, he actually tried to discourage her from calling police by saying with his priors, hed go to prison for years. Kranz also alleged Merrill had assaulted the same victim in 2014. BAY CITY, MI The 2018 Leadership Bay County Class is one step closer to its goal of beautifying Realtor Park and improving Bay Citys West Side. The class has raised $30,000 toward its $70,000 goal to reinvigorate Realtor Park with benches, lighting, walking paths, landscaping and a 16-foot-tall steel sculpture depicting the Saginaw River flowing out to the Saginaw Bay, according to project organizers. The Michigan Economic Development Corp. is offering a $30,000 matching grant because the class met the MEDC deadline of Jan. 15 to raise $30,000, said Paul Gaiser, project leader for Leadership Bay County Class. About $10,000 is needed to help finish the project, but work is already in motion to have the park ready by the summer. We have enough for the art piece, but were still collecting money to finish the project, said Terry Spencer, a participant of the Leadership Bay County Class. The statue will cost around $35,000 and is expected to be visible to traffic passing the park, located at the intersection of Jenny and Henry streets. Gougeon Brothers, based in Bay City, donated $10,000 to the project in honor of the business late founder Meade Gougeon. He grew up and spent his whole life here on the Saginaw River and the Saginaw Bay and grew up sailing and ice boating out on the Bay and this area has just meant so much to him," said Jenessa Hilger, marketing and media specialist for Gougeon Brothers. The efforts to beautify the West Side of Bay City has prompted another group to be proactive and try to revitalize the neighborhood in the area. Community Home Solutions is in the process of applying for a Michigan State Housing Development Authority grant to assist homeowners with exterior home improvements, said Wanda Dziwura, a board trustee for Community Home Solutions and Bay County resident. Were using the project for leverage to show that there's things going on in this neighborhood, Dziwura said Its important and where we can come in is we can help some of the single family homeowners in that area. do some repairs to further beautify the area. She added that improvements would be to porches, shutters and paint. Were very appreciative of not only the leadership doing the project and taking the project on and the public art component and how it's going to give some needed attention to that neighborhood, Dziwura said. The organization will learn in March if the grant gets approved, Dziwura said. The park project is slated to be completed by June, in time for Bay Citys summertime activities such as the Tall Ship Celebration. Work is expected to begin in the park as early as April, Gaiser said. Spencer said the class is looking for a space in Bay City where Saginaw artist Jason Graham can create the steel statue. He said transferring the art piece from Saginaw to Bay City could be costly and possibly damage it in the process. Someone that has some type of commercial utility space that we could use for three months, Spencer said. To learn more about the project or to get in contact with the organizers visit here. VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI After putting out a fire, firefighters helped police subdue a man who threatened a firefighter and sheriffs deputy with a large butane lighter. The man was taken to the ground when he tried to rush the deputy. The incident happened around 7:40 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27, in the 29000 block of 62nd Avenue in Van Buren Countys Antwerp Township. Lawton firefighters responded to a report of a structure fire and found a couch on fire inside the unoccupied house. While putting out the fire, firefighters noticed a man who was trying to stab himself with a small knife. They called for police. Once sheriffs deputies got to the scene, the man appeared very agitated, police said. He waved the butane lighter at a firefighter and sheriffs deputy who was armed with a Taser. The man refused the deputys commands and rushed the deputy. He was taken to the ground by police and held by firefighters until additional officers arrived. Police said that the couch was intentionally set on fire. All of the windows of a van outside were smashed out. Police arrested a 35-year-old man who lived in the Lawton area. The suspect was jailed on outstanding warrants. Police expect to meet with prosecutors for additional charges. KALAMAZOO, MI -- Community partners believe an urban playground with natural features is the best use for a former Kalamazoo church that has sat vacant, though historic preservationists may mourn the loss of a prominent downtown fixture. First Congregational Church and the Kalamazoo Nature Center unveiled a plan to demolish 302 Academy St. and replace it with a public natural playscape for children age 2-10 on Thursday, Jan. 24. The building, sold to FCC by The River Church in 2016, was historically owned by First Reformed Church, which traces its roots to Dutch immigrants who settled Kalamazoo in the mid-1800s. Toward the end of the presentation, attendees asked the Rev. Nathan Dannison if there is any way to save the church building. He said conversations about that topic during the last five years havent yielded any solutions. We have done our very best to attempt to find a reuse for the structures at 302 Academy St., Dannison said. We know that this property, if it continues to decline, is going to continue to create problems for (Bronson Park). Our hope is to create something that is in keeping with the spirit of church square, in that church square was set aside by the founder of our city as to be a place for public use and public access." First Reformed Church was originally organized but Dutch settlers in 1850, but the current building at 302 Academy St. wasn't built until 1870. The church has since left the building, which has undergone several significant renovations in the 20th century. (Malachi Barrett | MLive.com) The building is neither Kalamazoos first nor oldest church building, but it sits in the historic church square" block bounded by West Michigan Avenue, Westendge Avenue, Academy Street and Church Street near Bronson Park. Titus Bronsons original plat map of Kalamazoo designated the block for church use. The structure would require $3 million to $5 million in deferred maintenance expenses to make it operational as a church, Dannison said. First Congregational Church conducted a national search for developers, offered to sell it to the city of Kalamazoo and larger church organizations from outside the area. Dannison said various concepts included a music venue, meeting space, maker space and incubator for nonprofits. Byce & Associates, Inc. designed a mixed-use commercial office and residential loft development. Everyone we talked to, the answer was: Yes, we will save this building,' Dannison said. And then in every single case, their construction engineers and architects looked at the building and the answer came back: No, not us.' Dannison argued that a public playground fits with other uses in the block and avoids a costly capital project that could financially and structurally endanger FCC and First Baptist Church of Kalamazoo. Are we willing to protect this building by turning it into a private entity that is closed to the public or are we interested in protecting the current prevailing use patterns for church square?" Dannison said. Ultimately the answer came down that we want church square to be open, vibrant and accessible to the whole community." First Reformed Church of Kalamazoo was organized in 1850 as the first Dutch church in the city. According to the Kalamazoo Public Library, the present structure at the corner of Academy and Church streets was dedicated in 1871, with additional renovations occurring in 1910, 1948, and 1976. The 1910 additions included new windows and a brick veneer, followed by a new steel ceiling in 1929. As worshipers arrived for services one Sunday 1947, a section of the steel ceiling and its wooden supports crashed to the floor. Dannison said the sanctuarys wooden supports are unable to handle the weight of the structure. It would be more cost-effective to deconstruct the building brick by brick, replace the wood beams with steel and rebuild the structure, he said. Instead, Dannison and a seven-member committee propose to demolish the building and replace it with a public playground. FCC and KNC are pursuing a memorandum of understanding that would keep ownership of the property under the church, in keeping with deed and plat restrictions. Several committees will be formed to address various aspects of the planning and fundraising from February to March. The group will seek public input and engagement during the planning process, Dannison said. A $1.15 million private fundraising campaign would continue through 2019. Demolition and construction is anticipated in 2020 to hit a May 2021 opening date. Kalamazoo Historic Preservation Coordinator Sharon Ferraro said she would prefer the building remain intact, but didnt oppose the idea of a natural playscape. In the best of all possible worlds, Kalamazoo would get both. Ferraro said there may yet be a developer who could be convinced to take on the project, despite its challenges. Even in the (time) since the church bought the building, the development environment in downtown has really changed, Ferraro said. The citys Historic Preservation Commission has no jurisdiction over the property, Ferraro said, since it doesnt sit within a local historic district. Meeting minutes show First Congregational Church discussed potential plans for the building with the commission in 2016. The Bronson Park Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The district contains multiple buildings around the park, including City Hall, First Reformed Church, First Congregational Church, First Presbyterian Church, the Kalamazoo Park Club, Civic Theatre and Kalamazoo County Courthouse. Kalamazoo Nature Playscape Bill Rose, former Kalamazoo Nature Center director, said the playground would recreate a natural environment, complete with like landscape features like sloped hills, natural foliage and water. Rose said playscapes offer a range of developmental benefits for children. Children are missing out on free play and exploration, he said, and are exposed to too much time behind electronics screens. Young brains develop better when allowed unstructured time to creatively play without restrictions, Rose said. Bronson Park offers open green space, but children are discouraged from climbing on park features and sculptures. Rose said children, particularly those in more urban parts of the city, need a place to connect to the natural world. We want to put this playscape right in the heart of Kalamazoo and we want it all to result in the improvement of the lives of children in our community, Rose said. Dannison said the project aligns with the city of Kalamazoos master plan, which calls for more green space, community parks and institutions that encourage healthy living. The playscape would be fenced in but free and available for all, including children with disabilities, Dannison said. The committee estimates there are 1,500 children ages 2-10 within a 10-block radius of the proposed site. We want to see that this empowers children to reach their full social, emotional, cognitive and physical potential, Rose said. The Kalamazoo Nature Center committed to holding educational events which could be aligned with scheduled events in Bronson Park. Childcare and daycare providers within walking distance could also access the playscape. Dannison said the Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, who historically owned the land before Kalamazoo was incorporated, are supportive of the project. JACKSON, MI -- All Jackson County schools, many area government offices and several local businesses are closed Monday Jan. 28, due to the winter storm hitting the area. All city of Jackson recreation centers are closed and all programs have been canceled for the day. However he Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 1107 Adrian St., will remain open as a warming and safety center. The downtown Jackson and Summit Township YMCA locations are open and will run regular hours for parents looking for something for kids to do on a snow day away from school. The Jackson Courthouse will remain open for its regular hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Neighbor 2 Neighbor WARD 4 - Community Table Talks will be postponed until a further date. The program is hosted by the Jackson Citizens Advisory Council and was to take place at Jackson High School. Township offices in Blackman and Leoni townships and Calhoun County Government buildings will close at noon. The Jackson District Library will close at 3 p.m. Any library in the county that typically opens at 1 p.m. will remain closed. The Albion District Library, 501 South Superior St., will close at 3 p.m. It will serve as a community warming center from Tuesday to Thursday during its regular hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Driver Education is canceled for the day, and students should contact ABC Testing and Training for more information. All Center for Family Health offices in Jackson, including the Walk-In Clinic, will close at noon. The Columbia Community Fitness Center, 11775 Hewitt Rd., will close 5 p.m. Jackson Area Transportation Authority is using its Emergency Snow Route Service for the rest of the day. The new routes can be found under Maps and Schedules" on the JATA website. JATA warns that buses may be slower in arriving and departing due to the snowy conditions. LifeWays Community Mental Health, 1200 N. West Ave., will close its services at 1 p.m. but the building will remain open as a warming center until 7 p.m. Lifeways also will have a two-hour delay on Tuesday, Jan. 29, with the warming center running from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Recipient Rights Annual Training scheduled for Tuesday has been canceled. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation and Community Celebration, which featured Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley, is postponed to a later date because of freezing temperatures. It was scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30 at the Bohm Theatre. The Crazy Cowboy, 215 S. Mechanic St., is closing at 3 p.m. A painting party scheduled for 6 p.m. will be rescheduled. Knights Steakhouse and Grill, 2125 Horton Road., is closed Monday. It will reopen at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Granger Waste Services is not collecting trash and recycling materials on Wednesday due to projected cold temperatures. Expect service one day later than normal for the rest of the week. Additional closures and cancellations will be added to this story as they come in, so check back for updates. Announcements of closures and cancellations also can be emailed to btwiddy@mlive.com. JACKSON, MI Police shot and killed a 29-year-old man during a domestic disturbance early Monday morning at a Jackson apartment complex, Director of Police and Fire Services Elmer Hitt said. A woman called police at 2:42 a.m. on Jan. 28 from Southridge Park on Warwick Court, saying a male acquaintance was outside banging on her door and would not leave, Hitt said in a statement. The woman said the man was known to carry a gun, he said. Officers arriving at the scene spotted the man, who was armed with a handgun, running through the complex, Hitt said. They pursued the man and shots were exchanged, he said. The suspect was hit and died at the scene, Hitt said. His name is not being released pending notification of family. The area surrounding the scene was still block off by police at 7:30 a.m. Neighbors confirmed they heard yelling and loud noises in the area at about 3 a.m. but did not know what was going on. The Jackson County Major Crimes Task Force is conducting an investigation into the incident, Hitt said. Two officers and a sergeant involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, he said. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Snow removal crews are fighting an uphill battle Monday as snow continues to dump on West Michigan, covering roads previously cleared. Its a type of a storm where two hours or maybe even an hour after we go down the road it looks like we havent been there, said Jerry Byrne, director of operations at the Kent County Road Commission. Nonetheless, Byrne said, the roads should remain driveable throughout Monday, Jan. 28, so long as commuters slow down to half the speed limit or so. Byrne warned of significantly reduced visibility due to strong winds blowing snow. One of his plow trucks was hit by a commuter early Monday. No injuries were reported, he said. Road commission officials in Ottawa County in a Facebook post Monday morning warned commuters to not drive unless you absolutely need to. Make sure you drive slow and drive for conditions if you absolutely have to head out, said Alex Boty, spokesperson for the Ottawa County Road Commission. MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa reports West Michigan could see four to six inches of snow by noon. By 11 p.m., when the storm starts winding down, snowfall totals could range from six to 10 inches across the region, according to Torregrossa. A winter storm warning remains in effect for the region until 7 p.m. Monday. One of the benefits of this storm, according to Byrne, is that its bringing a dry snow. Byrne said drier snow allows more traction than a slushier mix. About 90 to 100 plow trucks will be out in Kent County throughout Monday. Because of the frigid temperatures, they will be tossing sand and not salt, Byrne said. Crews are primarily targeting the freeway system, state trunk lines and major roadways. As they clear those, they will be looping onto secondary and side streets. Our goal is to keep the roads open and passable, Byrne said. Rural roadways are expected to be spotty throughout the day. With strong winds of up to 40 mph, some could be clear and others covered with feet of snow in some sections, he said. With hundreds of area schools closed Monday, Byrne warned parents and childcare providers to make sure kids dont play near the roadway. Dozens of flights out of Gerald R. Ford International Airport have been grounded Monday due to the storm. UPDATE: The Diocese of Grand Rapids has canceled the 10:30 a.m. Tuesday Mass due to weather conditions. GRAND RAPIDS, MI On Tuesday, Jan. 29 students and educators from Catholic schools across the Diocese of Grand Rapids will gather at the Cathedral of St. Andrew for Mass as part of National Catholic Schools Week. The focus of events and activities across the country through Saturday will be on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to the church, communities and nation. The Diocese of Grand Rapids is celebrating this week and reflecting on its efforts over the years to reinvigorate Catholic education to reverse its declining enrollment. There have been increased scholarships to help more families afford tuition, aggressive marketing and fundraising strategies. Nationwide, Catholic schools across the country have seen declining enrollment and school closures for years. In West Michigan, Bishop David Walkowiak and David Faber, superintendent of the Catholic schools in the diocese, have been actively promoting the value of children learning to grow in the faith while also engaged in meaningful and rigorous academic instruction. With enrollment growing in three of the last four years, Faber said the state of the 31 schools in the 11-county diocese is stronger than it has been in many, many years. He said they now have 6,555 students. Faber said their enrollment growth comes after 15 years of steady decline. He said Walkowiak leadership and commitment opened the door to accomplish a plan for the future and invest in the future of their schools. Bishop Walkowiak absolutely believes in Catholic schools as the single most effective means the church has ever created for evangelization, Faber said. Our vision is to grow an alliance of Catholic schools thats expanding outstanding educational ministry in any way we can. We are trying to have more and more impact on the students and families we serve and grow that population. This is the first year of implementation of Catholic Schools: Bridging Faith and Future.'' The five-year strategic plan is designed to help realize that alliance among schools by enhancing Catholic culture and mission, programmatic excellence, affordability and accessibility, and stewardship and sustainability. The plan expands on the Bishop's Catholic Schools Initiative, a three-year endeavor launched in the 2015-16 with a goal of increasing scholarships, growing professional capacity and developing a plan for future vitality. Over the course of that initiative, Faber said the diocese increased its scholarships by $2.1 million for a total $3.1 million and added 254 new students. Prior to the initiative enrollment was at 6,351 in 2014-15. The Welcome Scholarship was a key part of that initiative. The diocese offered first-time, and previous families anywhere from $250 to $1,000 per student in scholarships, depending on whether their child was in preschool, kindergarten or high school. Tuition varies at schools. At the elementary level for 2018-19, families paid approximately $2,800 per student on average for tuition, officials said. At the three high schools in Kent County, tuition ranged from approximately $7,200 to $9,780. Need-based scholarships are available. But the diocese isnt just tackling the accessibility and affordability issue regarding enrollment losses. School leadership is also emphasizing the high-quality education they deliver for those families who think there are other good education options. We believe we offer the best opportunity for families from an educational perspective, said Faber, noting the 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio. An education centered in Christ offers the best possible learning environment, in which students achieve more in school and life, feel welcomed and cherished, develop creativity and character, and grow in faith and grace -- leading to outcomes that are second to none.'' Marketing materials highlight the 99 percent graduation rate of the Class of 2018, a college attendance rate of 97 percent, and the $7.5 million those graduates accepted in college scholarships. Faith-based schools do not take the state standardized test. But like many districts and other dioceses, it uses the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment to track student growth three times a year in core subjects. The data helps teachers differentiate instruction, pinpoint intervention and enrichment needs and accelerate students academic growth. Faber said their scores have consistently been stronger when compared with MAPs national averages. He said the diocese has new curriculum standards infused with Catholic values and faith. He said they are also now using a standards based report card to provide parents more detailed information about the areas their child is achieving in and where they still need to grow. Assistant Superintendent Jill Annable said this is the second year of their Classroom Learning Labs. She said their teachers are engaging in instructional rounds at different schools to observe and learn. We know that the most effective way for professionals to grow is through collective teacher efficacy, she said, noting it is strongly correlated with student achievement. We are examining the art of teaching and growing in our professional capacity by watching expert teachers. Annable said diocese schools have become better equipped to serve special education students through its partnership with the Christian Learning Center Network, which has teams of educational consultants and school psychologists to partner with their programs. The theme of National Catholic Schools Week is Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed. Walkowiak will deliver Mass Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at the cathedral, 301 Sheldon Ave. Faber said there is reason to be excited about the future of diocese schools. This year, he said they had the largest preschool class in 21 years, 1,044 students and enrolled 489 kindergartners, the most in six years. The new St. Robert Catholic School in Ada will add a first grade in 2019-20. The diocese currently serves over 191,000 Catholics in 80 parishes. of the 31 diocese schools, 20 are in Kent and Ottawa counties. The other counties in the diocese include: Ionia, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, and Osceola. CHEBOYGAN COUNTY, MI -- A 58-year-old Cheboygan man was found dead in the roadway on U.S. 23 and police believe he was hit by at least two vehicles in Northern Michigan. Michigan State Police identified the man as David Harbert. His vehicle was located along the roadway in the same area he was hit, and the incident remains under investigation. Officers were dispatched shortly after 8:45 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25, to a report of a fatal traffic incident on U.S. 23 near Restawhile Road in Bentown Township. Police said their preliminary investigation determined that at least two vehicles ran over Harbert, who was lying in the roadway. The two drivers stayed on scene and provided statements to police. While some evidence of alcohol use was found in Harberts vehicle, no evidence of these drivers being impaired was noted, reads a state police press release, in part. Why Harbert had stopped and why he was laying in the roadway is still under investigation. Police said at least one other vehicle might have struck Harbert. Officers ask anyone with additional information to contact Michigan State Polices Gaylord Regional Dispatch at 989-732-5141. FLINT, MI All non-essential operations across Genesee County will close at noon today because of the impending winter storm. Genesee County Board of County Commissioners Chairman Ted Henry, along with consultation of Sheriff Robert Pickell and Chief Judge Richard B. Yuille, made the decision on Monday, Jan. 28. The decision was posted to the Genesee District Courts Facebook post around 9:30 a.m. All non-essential county operations are set to close at noon because of the inclement weather. Every court location across the county also will close at that time. The office of the sheriff, building and grounds, animal control and the Genesee Valley Regional Center are considered essential and will remain open. All other county buildings will close and employees will be sent home at noon. UPDATE: This crash has been cleared. ANN ARBOR, MI - Police are asking motorists to avoid a portion of southbound U.S. 23 in Ann Arbor. The snowstorm moving across the Lower Peninsula on Monday, Jan. 28 left poor road conditions and multiple crashes at southbound U.S. 23 and Geddes Road, according to a Nixle alert from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office. One crash in particular was blocking the road at exit 39 about 2 p.m., according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. Motorists, in general, were advised to stay off the roads Monday. Washtenaw County is expected to see two to five inches of snow and a winter weather advisory is in effect until 12 a.m. Jan. 29, according to the National Weather Service. A number of schools and city offices across the region were closed as of Monday afternoon. The State of Michigan is closing all offices in the Lower Peninsula on Monday due to the snowy weather, the Department of Technology Management and Budget announced. Due to the snow conditions, all state government offices are closed as of 10 a.m., the agency said in a press release. Nonessential employees are being sent home. "This is about keeping all Michiganders safe, said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a statement. All motorists are encouraged to stay off of the roads. If you must be out, please drive safely in these dangerous weather conditions and be respectful of road crews working to clear snow and ice. Some offices will remain open for critical functions, the department said, and state employees with questions about whether their work functions are deemed critical should contact their supervisor. The State Emergency Operations Center will remain open to monitor storm conditions. The state House and Senate are also closing their offices, according to Gongwer News Service. A snowstorm is hitting the state, and driving conditions are expected to be dangerous. State of Michigan offices are expected to open for normal business hours Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, according to DTMB. While its been nearly eight months since NASA has heard back from its Opportunity Rover on the surface of Mars, the space agency continues to attempt to communicate with the long-tenured rover as they hold out hope for a recovery. The U.S. space agency originally lost contact with the Opportunity rover back on June 10, 2018, when a then-global dust storm knocked out communication between the rover and officials back here on Earth. We have and will continue to use multiple techniques in our attempts to contact the rover, John Callas, Opportunity project manager, said in the release. These new command strategies are in addition to the sweep and beep commands we have been transmitting up to the rover since September. Over the past seven months we have attempted to contact Opportunity over 600 times. While we have not heard back from the rover and the probability that we ever will is decreasing each day, we plan to continue to pursue every logical solution that could put us back in touch. Related: NASA spots dust-covered Mars rover on planets surface as it waits to hear back NASA provided a brief update on the rover to its website while celebrating the fact that Opportunity has now been on the surface of Mars for 16 years. Opportunity was originally designed for a 90-day mission on Mars back in 2003. #OppyPhoneHome Update We're pulling out all the stops and trying new strategies to regain communication with Opportunity: https://t.co/9BWCgZzTWC pic.twitter.com/UsMk6PKkzQ Spirit and Oppy (@MarsRovers) January 25, 2019 However, Opportunitys mission continues, in a phase where mission engineers at JPL are sending commands to as well as listening for signals from the rover, NASA reports on its website. If engineers hear from the rover, they could attempt a recovery." The rover was only meant to travel about 1,000 yards while it has logged more than 28 miles in reality. Opportunity first landed on the Red Planet back on Jan. 24, 2004. NASA previously said that it has a two-step plan to provide the highest probability of successfully communicating with the rover and bringing it back online." On the more playful side of things, the space agency has also been playing a wake-up-themed song each day in an attempt to inspire Opportunity into waking up. Fans of the Mars Opportunity rover can even hop on NASAs website and send it a well-wishes postcard. Fifteen years on the surface of Mars is testament not only to a magnificent machine of exploration but the dedicated and talented team behind it that has allowed us to expand our discovery space of the Red Planet, Callas said in the release. However, this anniversary cannot help but be a little bittersweet as at present we dont know the rovers status. We are doing everything in our power to communicate with Opportunity, but as time goes on, the probability of a successful contact with the rover continues to diminish. MARQUETTE COUNTY, MI - A Northern Michigan University student who had been missing since Thursday was found dead Sunday by volunteers assisting authorities, who had been searching near the Yellow Dog River. The body of Guiancarlo Estupigan, 25, was found about 4:15 p.m., according to WLUC. Estupigan, a fish and wildlife major, had gone to the area of the river near County Road 510 on Thursday after telling his roommate he planned to go hiking and take pictures of some of the areas waterfalls. Authorities believe the young man became lost and disoriented when a snow storm hit that area later Thursday, according to the TV station. His body was found about 300 feet from a road. An autopsy is planned. Volunteers and law enforcement had been searching for Estupigan since Friday, when his roommate noticed he was missing, and found the mans snow-covered car in a parking area near the river. As snow begins to pile up in the states capital, the city of Lansing has declared a snow emergency prohibiting motorists from the roads, and canceling all city meetings and events for Monday, Jan. 28. Mayor Andy Schor announced the measure in a Monday morning news release, in which he said: People need to stay off of the streets so we can clear them properly. We are getting a lot of snow in very little time. In order to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors, I have declared a Snow Emergency, he said. Related: Weather to watch: High res model cranks up winds to possible blizzard status During a snow emergency, residents are prohibited from non-essential travel on city roads and from parking on the streets. In the mayors declaration, the city of Lansing estimated that it will receive 10-plus inches of snow on Monday. See below for MLive chief meteorologist Mark Torregrossas weather report from Monday morning: Torregrossa reports that Monday evening could serve up some dangerous travel conditions in southeast Lower Michigan with strong wind gusts and at least 3-5 inches of snow. Get ready for quickly increasing wind gusts Monday morning. This could produce whiteout conditions in open areas," he said in his weather report. "If you absolutely have to drive, chose the route that is more protected from the wind. By evening rush hour, it will be treacherous in Detroit and Ann Arbor and very dangerous driving conditions across the rest of Lower Michigan. Many spots will have six inches of snow by 5 p.m. It wont be easy to measure snow because it will blow around easily. 1/28/2019 4:15 AM EST Radar Update: Don't let the lack of snow so far fool you -- the worst is yet to come. Heavy snow will spread across Lower Michigan from west to east this morning with deteriorating travel conditions. pic.twitter.com/AZCz9ZWhA2 NWS Grand Rapids (@NWSGrandRapids) January 28, 2019 1/28/2019 3:50 AM EST Update: Hazardous conditions will continue into the middle of the week with life-threatening cold and accumulating lake effect snow. Frostbite will be possible in 15 minutes of less of exposure, making snow removal efforts difficult and dangerous. pic.twitter.com/HZqGndJzWe NWS Grand Rapids (@NWSGrandRapids) January 28, 2019 DRUMMOND ISLAND The ice bridge between Drummond Island to Canada is officially open. An annual natural feature the bridge allows thrill-seekers to pick their favorite form of winter transportation to travel between Drummond Island, which sits just off the eastern edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, to Canada's St. Joseph Island. Snowmobile, aero sleigh, dog sled, bicycle, cross-country skis and snowshoes are all permitted on the ice bridge, but cars and trucks are not allowed. The 12-mile ice bridge typically uses a combination of Christmas trees and reflectors to help guide travelers between the two country's islands. Travelers entering from Canada must go directly to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection reporting station at the Drummond Island Yacht Haven Dock. Here are some other travel notes provided by the Drummond Island Tourism Association: DETROIT -- As police continue to search for a suspect in the shooting death of 3-year-old Christian Miller, Crime Stoppers of Michigan is now offering a $10,000 cash reward for information that leads to an arrest of the suspect. Over the weekend, police released surveillance video of the car that was being driven by the suspected shooter. That car is described as a newer model four-door silver Mercedes being driven by a light-skinned man with a full beard. In this video, the silver car turns right and continues past the station./ When the video stops you can see the car in the right lane. Anyone with Information is asked to contact 855 MICH-TIP or 1 800 SPEAK-UP. pic.twitter.com/23FRKVrKgh MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) January 26, 2019 Miller was killed when he was shot while riding in the backseat of his godmothers car while the two were traveling northbound on the Southfield Freeway last Thursday night around 7:30 p.m. Police have said they dont know if the car was targeted specifically by the shooter, but did say they dont believe the shooting was a road rage incident. The boy and his godmother were traveling to see Sesame Street Live. He was shot between the shoulder blades and taken to Sinai Grace Hospital before being transferred to Childrens Hospital, where he later died. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-SPEAK-UP. All tips remain anonymous. Thousands of strangers responded to an urgent appeal to attend Monday's funeral for an Air Force veteran from Texas. The Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen appealed for supporters to attend the funeral of "unaccompanied" veteran Joseph Walker in a Facebook post that went viral over the weekend. "We are overwhelmed at all this love and support. We do NOT leave Veterans behind," the cemetery wrote on Facebook after the service. The line to get into the cemetery was miles long and initial reports indicated some 5,000 to 6,000 vehicles were in the line, KWTX-TV reported. Walker, of Dale, Texas, was 72 when he died of natural causes Nov. 19. He served in the Air Force from 1964 to 1968. After his death, his family contacted a funeral home in Austin to arrange for a funeral service but then could not be reached, funeral director Gilbert Cavazos told Fox News. "We made every attempt," Cavazos said. At the cemetery, the large crowd stood in silence for a recording of Taps and the presentation of the military burial flag to Doug Gault, a representative of the Texas agency that oversees the cemetery. "Today were not strangers," Marc George, a member of the Central Texas Combat Vets Motorcycle Ministry Services, told the crowd, which included an Air Force unit from Fort Hood. "Today we are family. This is our brother, Joseph Walker." "Like a lot of other vets, he signed a blank check for our nation," George said. The raid wasn't supposed to last 16 hours. But the mission for the six airmen would ultimately be a heroic effort in which they entered hostile airspace to help rescue wounded comrades and recover critical intelligence components from the battlefield. Two years after the first major special operations raid under the Trump administration, the airmen, part of the 67th Special Operations Squadron at the time, received Distinguished Flying Crosses last week for their actions in support of various tasks against terrorist operations under Operation Inherent Resolve, according to the Air Force. The awards were first reported by Air Force Magazine. The crew members awarded in the ceremony included: Maj. Ross Biechler, Aircraft Commander Capt. Justin Nadal, Aircraft Co-Pilot Maj. Mary Spafford, Evaluator Combat Systems Officer Tech. Sgt. Adam Phelan, Evaluator Loadmaster Tech. Sgt. Samuel Haydon, Evaluator Loadmaster Staff Sgt. Christopher Jones, Instructor Loadmaster While details of their exact mission the night of Jan. 28-29, 2017, remain scarce, the Air Force said the conditions were challenging. The crew, dubbed ARSON 69, was piloting an MC-130J Commando II at the time of the mission. They had worked to move 27 troops into the austere environment and refuel 25 aircraft, providing 64,000 pounds of fuel in a nearby location, according to an Air Force release about the mission. The crew even worked to repair a damaged refueling hose in addition to responding to a downed MV-22 Osprey, according to the release. "For 16 hours, in the face of multiple aircraft breaking down and deteriorating weather," Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, said during the Jan. 22, 2019, ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Florida. "In the face of constantly changing plans, ARSON 69's tenacity, flexibility and determination made a difference." The crew worked quickly to help "prepare for [a] nine service member crew casualty evacuation" and simultaneously to "recover critical intelligence materials," the release said. While Air Force officials did not specify the circumstances under which the MV-22 went down, the airmen's mission coincided with a Yemen raid that left a Navy SEAL and 30 local civilians dead and six more troops injured. On the night of Jan. 28, 2017, Navy SEAL Team 6 fought and killed fighters of an al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen in a raid that left one of the team members dead, three wounded and three injured. "These six airmen exhibit extreme competence that I think defines air commandos," Webb said. "Despite all the difficulties and despite all the chaos with the mission, they knew there was a way, and they were going to find it." Related content: Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens, 36, of Peoria, Illinois, was killed during the Jan. 28 information-gathering operation. Owens was killed in the firefight in the remote village town of Yakla. The Osprey suffered a hard landing while transporting troops and could not be flown out. It was destroyed in an airstrike. The raid was planned in 2016 under the administration of former President Barack Obama, but was personally authorized by President Donald Trump in the first combat action he approved as the new commander in chief, the Pentagon said at the time. "This is what I call the air commando standard," Webb said of the 67th, assigned to Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. "When our joint partners work with us, this is what they should expect and this is what they get." He added, "They get humble determination, extreme competence. They get tenacity, grit and determination to get the job done; they will get air commandos exactly like these six." -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. The battle over the presence of active-duty troops on the border and the appropriation of Defense Department funds to build a wall is moving to Capitol Hill this week. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Washington, the new chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said that taking money out of the DoD's military construction budget for the wall "would be a big problem." He also questioned the necessity for having active-duty troops on the border. The troop presence and funding for the wall are the main topics for a HASC hearing scheduled for Tuesday on the "Defense Department's Support for the Southern Border." As of Monday morning, the committee had yet to announce a witness list, but Pentagon officials are expected to testify. In a C-Span "Newsmakers" segment aired Sunday, Smith questioned whether President Donald Trump has the authority to declare a national emergency to take funding out of military construction, or separate funding for the Army Corps of Engineers, to extend the existing wall on the border. In signing a bill last Friday to end the partial government shutdown, Trump said he might allow the government to shut down again in three weeks or declare a national emergency to allow for funding from the military budget if Congress failed to come up with $5.7 billion for the wall. "I don't think there is an emergency," Smith said. Trump could declare one, but "there would immediately be a lawsuit," Smith said, adding that "taking billions out of the Pentagon's military construction budget would be a big problem." Another possible source of money for the wall could come from the budget of the Army Corps of Engineers, which is not officially part of the DoD budget and is allocated mostly for flood control projects, Smith said. But there could be political opposition to that method from Senate and House members whose areas would be affected. "It's money primarily for flood control projects," Smith said, "and again, taking billions of dollars away from that would be very problematic." He also questioned the purpose of having active-duty troops back up Customs and Border Protection at the border. The presence of about 2,000 active-duty troops has been extended until September. "These active troops -- what are they doing at the border? Why is it necessary to have active-duty troops at the border? I don't think it's been explained," Smith said. In a tweet Sunday night, Trump said that his other accomplishments during two years in office gave proof that his effort to build the wall also would be successful. "After all that I have done for the Military, our great Veterans, Judges (99), Justices (2), Tax & Regulation Cuts, the Economy, Energy, Trade & MUCH MORE, does anybody really think I won't build the WALL? Done more in first two years than any President," Trump said. "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" On the "Fox News Sunday" program, Mick Mulvaney, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said,, "At the end of the day, the president is going to secure the border, one way or another." Add smith wall story after last graf ending -- way or another." The committee later posted that John Rood, the Pentagon's under secretary for policy, and Vice Adm. Michael Gilday, operations director for the Joint Staff, will be testifying. They could be expected to address the border deployments, as well as military efforts to enhance security and the potential costs. The last estimate given by the DoD to Congress in late November was that the 5,900 active-duty troops who began deploying to the border Oct. 31 had cost $72 million, while the deployment of more than 2,000 National Guard troops since April 2018 had cost about $138 million. The number of active-duty troops now on the border has been reduced to 2,100, Pentagon spokesmen said Monday, but their deployment has been extended to September. About 2,350 National Guard troops remain on the border, the spokesmen said. Using military funding for the border wall has also drawn initial opposition from some Republicans. On NBC's "Meet the Press" program Sunday, when asked about the possibility of Trump declaring a national emergency, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, said, "I hope he doesn't do it." He added, "I don't think it's leverage" in the efforts to reach a compromise on government funding and border security before a Feb. 15 deadline. An emergency declaration would be tied up in the courts indefinitely, Rubio said. "It doesn't provide certainty, and you could very well wind up in sort of a theatric victory at the front end and then not getting it done." -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. The Air Force Knew It Had an Ejection Seat Problem, But Didn't Speed Up a Fix. Then a Pilot Died And his widow fears that another pilot may suffer the same fate. HARTFORD A routine meeting of the Education Committee drew a standing-room-only crowd because the agenda included an item on school regionalization. The Education Committee voted unanimously to draft 30 concepts as bills. One of those concepts was the regionalization of services. Education Committee Co-Chairmen Rep. Robert Sanchez and Sen. Douglas McCrory repeatedly stressed that they had pushed for a discussion on the voluntary regionalization of services, which is different than Senate President Martin Looneys proposed a bill that would force school districts in towns with less than 40,000 residents to consolidate with a neighboring district. I havent even read 454, McCrory said, referring to Looneys bill. Senate bill 454 would force the regionalization of a large number of towns in the state, merging their school districts with larger municipalities or cities. Only 24 municipalities in Connecticut have a population over 40,000. The law, if enacted, would become effective starting in July 2021. Looneys simple rational for his bill is: to create a more efficient educational system. A second similar bill has been submitted by Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff and Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague. Senate Bill 457 would require any school district with a student population of fewer than 2,000 students to join a new or an existing regional school district so that the total student population of such new or expanded regional school district is greater 2,000 students. The proposals have sparked a huge debate at the capitol and around the state. Education Committee members have gotten an earful. The distress has been so great, said Rep. Gail Lavielle, R- Wilton. Ive never quite seen anything like it. The town of Wilton has been vocal in its opposition to Looneys bill, which would force them to consolidate with Norwalk. Three newly elected lawmakers Sen. Will Haskell, who represents Wilton, Sen. Alex Bergstein, D-Greenwich, and Rep. Lucy Dathan, D-New Canaan all issued a statement saying they would be unable to support Looneys proposal. We have deep respect for Senator Looney and are always open to discussing the difficult issues facing our state, including the issue of regionalization, because finding efficiencies in state spending is a priority for us. However, we cannot support SB 454 to regionalize our schools, they said. Rep. Michelle Cook, D-Torrington, said if the committee ends the conversation before it even starts then were never going to make change. If regionalism is what we need to do to make education work in the state of Connecticut then we need to figure out how to make that work, Cook said. Rep. Roland Lemar, D-New Haven, said over the last four days theyve seen people express great distress over regionalizing school districts. I think thats a shame because a lot of communities have benefited greatly by the structural inequities that are inherent in our system today, Lemar said. To move beyond that we have to have conversations that are hard and challenging, Lemar added. Rep. Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said he doesnt think anyone has suggested not raising a bill for discussion, but I think we want to go into this with our eyes wide open. Candelora said the concept raised Tuesday by the committee looks at raising the concept of voluntary regionalization of services. He said the concept of forced regionalization based on population is not part of what the committee approved Tuesday. From a bigger, statewide perspective, the largest lobbying group for small towns in the state, the Connecticut Council of Small Towns (COST), wasted no time stating its opposition to both bills. Consolidation does not always produce cost savings, said Betsy Gara, executive director of COST. Several smaller school districts have explored consolidation options and concluded that consolidation would not result in significant cost savings. Instead, consolidation raised concerns regarding whether the quality of education would suffer. Gara continued: There are many reasons why consolidating small school districts may not be in the best interest of students, taxpayers, and the community. For example, many small school districts are located in rural areas where homes are spread out across a wide geographic area. For these students, forced consolidation may result in less time in the classroom and more time on the bus. The other statewide lobbying organization for Connecticuts municipalities wasnt as critical of the bills. It is too early in the session to draw a line in the sand on this important issue, said Kevin Maloney, spokesman for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) that represents 168 of the states 169 municipalities. While we dont believe these proposed pieces of legislation will pass in their current form, they are trying to address a critical issue that needs to be discussed and assessed this session, Maloney said. Gara said the legislators should spend their time working on mandate relief if they really want to help towns save money, instead of consolidation bills. Under the Minimum Budget Requirement (MBR) mandate, school districts must budget at least the same amount for education as they did in the prior fiscal year, with certain limited exceptions, Gara said. The MBR mandate is holding town budgets hostage, imposing a tremendous burden on property taxpayers to fund unnecessary levels of education spending, Gara added. Towns need more flexibility to ensure that education budgets can be adjusted to reflect declining enrollment and other areas where savings can be achieved. It's that time of year. Your coworkers and family members are dropping like flies. It can feel like the flu, or that nasty cold going around, is closing in on you from all sides. In desperation, you chug a few packets of Emergen-C, swap your coffee for cup after cup of tea, and pray you'll be spared. ALSO: Up to 7 million hit with flu, CDC warns But in reality, neither of those things is going to keep you from getting sick. In fact, many of those things you've been told to do, either to avoid getting sick or to feel better once you're already in the thick of it, have no basis in science. Click through the gallery to fact check those home remedies, "natural" cures, and other common misinformation about getting sick. So what actually works? Wash your hands a lot and avoid touching your eyes, mouth and face. Get the flu vaccine to reduce the odds you'll be hit hard by the virus. And when the flu is going around your office, you should also disinfect surfaces you touch regularly, like your keyboard. And if you do end up getting sick, rest and drink lots of fluids to aid your recovery. Plus, help your friends out by covering your mouth and nose when you cough. First of all, it's just polite. But secondly, it's also the best way to prevent spreading your germs to the innocent people around you. Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at amartichoux@sfchronicle.com. Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28) Jolo, the capital of Sulu province, was locked down and placed on heightened alert Sunday noon after two bombs went off during a mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, killing at least 21 people and injuring 97 others. Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Oscar Albayalde said Monday that he and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana issued the order to restrict movements in the town where additional roadblocks and checkpoints had been set up after the bloody incident. A PNP statement said the order would "ensure that no similar plans of terrorist groups will be carried out in other regions." "Usually kapag ganyan makikita natin halos walang tao na nasa labas para macontain itong lugar na 'to. Mayroon mga roadblocks at checkpoints," Albayalde told reporters during an inspection at the scene of the crime. [Translation:Usually during a lockdown, there are almost no people outside to really contain the area. We have roadblocks and checkpoints.] The attacks came on the heels of the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), establishing a new autonomous region in Mindanao which has been under martial law since May 23, 2017. Sulu voted against the BOL, but since the province is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) its votes were counted with the whole region. The province is contesting the constitutionality of the BOL before the Supreme Court. Albayalde said there were enough uniformed personnel on the ground to enforce the lockdown. "Yung tropa naman natin dito, kahit na 'yung AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) tsaka PNP, I think sapat naman yung numbers dito. We have enough troops dito, we have two battalions of the Special Action Force here," he said. [Translation: For our troops here, even the AFP and PNP, I think the numbers are enough. We have enough troops here. We have two batallions of the Special Action Force here.] Metro Manila Police Chief Guillermo Eleazar also placed the entire force under him on full alert status. He increased the number of checkpoints and policemen assigned in public places such as schools, markets, and churches. PNP Spokesman Bernard Banac said the heightened alert status was part of the security protocol to remind the public to remain vigilant, especially during the election period. "Ang atin lamang pinahayag na heightened alert ay standard operating procedure. Hindi dapat tayo making kalmado. Dapat tayo maging doble alert at maging vigilant and besides tayo kasi ay nasa kalagitanaan ng election period kaya ang ating direktiba galing sa Chief PNP na paigtingin ang checkpoint operations ay nagpapatuloy, kaya hindi na iba 'yung magkaroon ng heightened alert," Banac said in a separate media briefing. [Translation:Our heightened alert is standard operating procedure. We should not be complacent. We should be on double alert and vigilant. Besides, we are in the middle of an election period so the directive from the PNP chief to intensify checkpoint operations will remain. The heightened alert should not be any different.] The police confirmed that 14 civilians, five soldiers and a member of the Coast Guard were killed in the two blasts in Jolo around 8:28 a.m. on Sunday. One of the homemade bombs exploded inside the Cathedral and the other in the parking lot some 15 seconds later. The ARMM police said those injured were confined at the Integrated Provincial Hospital Office-Sulu Provincial Hospital, Sulu Sanitarium and Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital. ISIS behind blast? Col. Gerry Besana, AFP Western Mindanao Command spokesperson, said they believe local terrorist groups are responsible for the crime. He added that they cannot discount the possibility of the involvement of the international terrorist group ISIS in the carnage. ISIS has claimed responsiblity for the attack. Pope Francis and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines have called for prayers for the victims of the attacks. The Ulama Council of Zamboanga Peninsula, for its part, said the bombing is viewed by Islam as a "heinous crime against humanity." The Islamic Society of the Philippines released a statement Monday condemning the "dastardly act." Almarim Centi Tillah, president of the society and former governor of Tawi-Tawi, said they condoled with the people of Jolo. "Our appeal to Muslim and Christian brothers to close ranks and be one against the forces of evil. And continue not to be divided and instead strengthen the more ecumenism which had prevailed in Jolo all these years if not decades along unity and diversity," he said. President Rodrigo Duterte and other ranking government officials visited the site of Jolo bombings on Monday. CNN Philippines' Digital Producer Janine Peralta and Multi-platform Writer Xave Gregorio contributed to this report. You are here: World Flash The number of people killed by the collapse of a dam at a Brazilian mining complex soared to 58, with 305 people still missing in southeast Brazil's Minas Gerais state, local authorities said Sunday. Rescuers found a bus filled with bodies, Minas Gerais state civil defense spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Flavio Godinho told the media. Search operations have resumed after being halted for a few hours over concerns that a second dam could give way. There are enough supplies in the disaster-affected areas and the authorities have stopped accepting donations, according to local officials. You are here: World Flash Iran and Turkey have discussed ways, including preferential trade and bartering, to develop mutual trade amid U.S. sanctions against Iran, Tehran Times daily reported on Sunday. In a meeting held in Tehran, Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Head, Gholam-Hossein Shafeie, and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (known as TOBB) President, Rifat Hisarciklioglu, also discussed issues of mutual concern. The ICCIMA head mentioned bartering as a way of expanding trade ties between the two sides, saying "the two countries' chambers could have a significant influence on increasing bartering of goods and services." Hisarciklioglu, for his part, welcomed Shafeie's proposals and noted that establishing a desirable bartering system is one of the main solutions for Iran and Turkey to pass through the U.S. sanctions. The TOBB president is visiting Tehran with a trade delegation. G. KATROUGALOS: Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, esteemed colleagues, I shall provide answers to the questions that were put to the government. Indeed, the Greek people expect arguments from us, and not cries. Everybody notes the historical importance of the times. And precisely for this reason, we must discuss in substance and notprocedure. I shall provide answers to any questions that the parliamentary representatives posed to the government, in the order that these questions were raised. Clearly, I am submitting the Verbal Note in both languages, Greek and English, for the minutes and for distribution. With regard to the request made for the full text of the Constitution I remind -and I am speaking especially to my colleague, Mr. Loverdos- that in all constitutional orders, as well as our own, revisions are adopted by resolution, a special text of the constitutional order, always at the order of the President of Parliament. This is the main difference in democracies compared to monarchies, where the Head of State had been a key factor in the constitutional process. For comparison, I simply refer you -because from now on I am not going to say anything without referring to specific dates or documents to our own Resolution of 6 April 2001 passed by the 5th Revisional Parliament. To facilitate the Parliament, I shall ask, tomorrow also, at the next Committee meeting, that we have a comparative table outlining how the Articles stood before, and how they stand after. Each MP, starting today, may study the Verbal Note in its official translation in Greek. The second question that was raised pertained to the letter by former Minister Kotzias. I assure you that Nikos would be especially pleased to be present today, to defend an Agreement which is, to a great extent, his own achievement, and which nobody expected that the Hellenic Republic would be able to negotiate so successfully. Mr. Mertzos, the former President of the Society for Macedonian Studies best stated what the agreement achieved: It heals wounds, and does not create new ones. It will arise from the discussion that, in essence, as a result of the Prespa Agreement, we gained, we did not cede. But lets talk about the issues that were raised. Nikos Kotzias will be present in the Plenary, and he shall refer to everything. Issues were raised pertaining to the constitutionality of the Agreement. In accordance with Article 100 of the Regulation -I told you that, going forward, when we discuss the Regulation, we must speak precisely, with a reference to the Article- objections pertaining to constitutionality are examined by the Plenary of the Parliament and they shall be examined there, should they be raised. And that should be the objective of all of us. For all substantive and procedural or constitutional issues raised to be discussed in the Plenary of the Parliament, with sobriety and clarity. With regard to constitutionality, not of our own legal order but the legal order of the neighbouring country, which Mr Loverdos raised, it is clear that here, we are solely examining issues of constitutionality related to our own legal order. Despite this, I mention, once again addressing my colleague, that from the combined force of Articles 26 and 27 of the Vienna Convention, there are no grounds, based on domestic law, to challenge an obligation which arises from an International Treaty. And as you shall see, through the Verbal Note, expressly and in a manner that is binding to it, the Skopjan Government assures us that constitutional order has been observed. Now with regard to the question of issues related to the competence of this Committee, I repeat what the issue is: for a substantive discussion to take place in the Plenary of the Parliament. I remind something, and it is important, that the Interim Accord, which practically had the same content and settled a name issue included articles which are the same as those contained in the Prespa Agreement, such as Article 13 for example, which I hear, despite the fact that we continuously refute this, that it supposedly cedes rights that are different to those that the Law of the Sea grants to the neighbouring country. The Interim Accord, I repeat, never came for discussion and ratification before the Plenary of the Parliament. We wish, first of all - because we respect Democracy and the parliamentary principle - for this Agreement to be discussed. Let me put it otherwise; we only have something to gain from this discussion. I wonder, therefore, who would want to thwart the discussion in the natural forum of democracy, which is the Plenary. And let's assume that you turned down, Gentlemen of New Democracy, a debate of your Leader with the Prime Minister. Wouldnt you wish for the possibility to at least exist for these things to be discussed at the temple of Democracy, at the Plenary of the Parliament? How can someone else wish the opposite? With regard to what you said, sometimes, I believe, that a problem exists with regard to reading. Article 29 (5) refers to the constitution of the sections of Parliament, not of Committees. Article 31 (3) and (5), in conjunction with Articles 70 and 72 of the Constitution, in reality grants the President of the Parliament carte blanche, super-privileges to appoint the members of the Parliamentary Committees. And to his credit, the President of the Parliament decided to hold a drawing of the names of those independent MPs who were not initially members of the Committee. And he agreed, moreover, for the name of Mr. Danellis to be removed. Clearly, he will speak about this issue himself later on. The issues that pertain to Article 74 (2) to which the honourable President, Mr Kammenos, mentioned, precisely pertains to referral, from the Committee to the Plenary for discussion of the bills. And as Mr. Pafilis very correctly stated, this always takes place, in the context of the introductory consultative functions that the Committee possesses, even if the Committee should decide otherwise, something that I assure you, as it appears from its composition, it will not decide this time. Subsequently, another issue was raised by Mr. Loverdos. The question raised was why doesnt it come for ratification together, the Protocol of Accession to NATO together with the Prespa Agreement? This is one of the great advantages of the Agreement. We proceed towards ratification of the Agreement, provided that all the procedural steps have preceded, as well as a vote on amending the Constitution in the neighbouring country. This is, dear colleagues, what had never occurred before. In other words, without a war, for a country to agree to change its name and its Constitution, without having any other obligation beyond that which arises from an international treaty. The reason for which the Protocol of Accession does not come before us today is for the simple reason that it does not exist. Because, in order for it to exist, we must have ratified the Agreement. Therefore, this is, I am telling you, an achievement. The Agreement indeed says together, but precisely because it is impossible for the Protocol of Accession to exist if ratification by the Hellenic Parliament has not preceded, and I repeat, this is one of the great procedural achievements of the Agreement; only once we have concluded ratification and we have notified NATO of this, through our own Verbal Note, can the relevant procedure then begin. Indeed, the original text says together. This meaning of together, because otherwise a logical paradox exists, is for a vote on the two texts to be carried out as soon as possible, and this is in fact what will occur. Everything that was heard about concession of national sovereignty is clearly unfounded. This Agreement is not subject to Article 29 (2) and (3) of the Constitution. Finally, I dont believe that any other issues were raised that fall under the competence of the Government. Introductory intervention by Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos during the 2nd day of discussions G. KATROUGALOS: As it has been explained numerous times and is clearly referred to in the Verbal Note, the Agreement does not refer to ethnicity, but rather to nationality. Moreover, in all the international texts, from the Universal Declaration to the European Convention on Nationality, the term ithagenia is explicitly rendered with the term nationality and does not indicate the national integration of the individual. The Agreement cannot regulate issues related to a people or to a nation. The reason is simple: States recognise States, not people. Issues of nationality are legal issues that pertain to the relationship of the citizen with the State while, on the contrary, issues of national identity and integration into an ethnicity are issues of conscience and self-determination. In International Law no generally established characteristics exist, nor accepted general definitions for a nation or people. The right to self-determination is a right based in jus cogens and cannot become the subject of a contractual arrangement. Consequently, Greece does not recognise, nor would it be able to recognise a Macedonian nation or people through this Agreement. At the same time, on the basis of International Law, our country could not intervene in issues of self-determination of the neighbouring countrys citizens. The agreement nonetheless specifies that our neighbours accept that they have no relationship to Greek history and Greek cultural heritage. For this reason, is it expressly stipulated in Article 7(4) that both sides recognise that the official language and the other attributes (in other words cultural, ethnic etc.) of FYROM are not related to ancient Hellenic civilisation or the history, heritage, culture, or modern day features of Greek Macedonia. On Jan. 10, nearly a dozen Line 3 supporters visited the state Capitol to hand-deliver a letter to the new govorner, Tim Walz. Pictured: Twin West Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Shannon Full, Aitkin County Commissioner Anne Marcotte, Pennington County Commissioner Neil Peterson, landowner on Enbridge right-of-way Natalie Peterson, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Energy lobbyist Lauryn Schothorst, and Minnesota Grain and Feed Association Executive Director Bob Zelenka. Funeral services for Mrs. Deloris Broadhead will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 19, 2021, at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home, with Bro. Randall Sims and Bro. Lane Busbee officiating. Burial will be held at Graham Cemetery. Robert Barham Family Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted wi Our life is so full of paradoxes, we often feel that having our cake and eating it too is exactly how our life stories could be summarised. We feel a job that gives satisfaction and a good package can only be a reality in our dreams. Or that having the time of our life in college and scoring marks is a similarly impossible task, and so is getting a girlfriend/boyfriend who is fun but doesn't drive you crazy every other day. But regardless of whether you relate to any of these or not, there is one such scenario which most of us will agree to. Do you think it is very rare to come across a nurse who doesn't look like a stern hostel warden, but instead, is not only pleasing to look at, but has a lovely personality that puts you at ease, and almost makes you believe that your every other check-up would go as smoothly as that one? Well, it really might be rare to find nurses who understand our fears and inhibitions and ditch their zipped up aura to welcome us in a more comforting way, but guess what, we found a few nurses on Instagram who seem to fit the bill. So what if they are located saat samundar paar? We can always hope for things to get better back at home, but until that happens we have these bright, talented and super caring and (seemingly) approachable nurses who are setting the bar really high. Go through their Instagram profiles, and you will realise that not only are they dedicated to the #NurseLife and good at their jobs, but each one of them is exploring other aspects of their lives that make them all the more interesting. Read on to find out about them: Nurse and fitness buff Erin seems to love her job, just as much as she likes to keep fit and healthy. Yet, she knows how to enjoy her life to, and seems to love the company of friends and family. Rachel seems like the fun nurse we'd usually meet in the pediatric department, doesn't she? But whether that's where she works or not, we know that Rachel champions the cause of mental health awareness, and we already like her better for that. The Latina nurse is very passionate about her work and duty, apart from being very positive about life and all that it has to offer. She regularly shares her journey to become an able nurse on her Instagram account. We can't stop ourselves from saying that she almost looks like an Anime character in this picture, and that's her nurse uniform! So cool eh? Cardiology nurse Carisa is not just a nurse but also an anatomy and physiology tutor. She is equally into fitness and is basically an all-rounder in her life! 16-year old Harshwardhansinh Zala has designed a drone named "EAGLE A7" and it can detect and destroy landmines without any risk to human life. According to him, the technology isn't available anywhere right now and it'll immensely help Armed Forces Personnel. Landmines are explosive devices that are placed underground or even over the ground under camouflage. They get triggered by the presence, proximity or contact of a person. Landmines have been extensively used to improvise the defence of a particular territory like border regions or conflict zones. Often, they remain hidden and are active even after the conflict has ended. Twitter The use of landmines is controversial because they are indiscriminate weapons, harming soldier and civilian alike. They remain dangerous even after the conflict, in which they were deployed, has ended, killing and injuring civilians and rendering land impassable and unusable for decades. This, in turn, leads to more casualty in peacetime. Zala wants to use the technology to help India's Armed Forces and has declined many offers from abroad. "I've received many offers to go and work abroad but it is my wish to develop this drone and deploy it to serve the Indian Army and CRPF, to save our jawans from being martyred, he said. LinkedIn "This drone, from the Indian army base station, can go to the path where it has to go and detect the landmines. After detecting the landmines, the drone will send the information back to the army base station. The landmines can be viewed real-time and destroyed real-time without human risk." Zala explained. Financial Express India is known to be a major manufacturer of landmines and has used the deadly weapons both along its shared border with Pakistan and the Line of Control (LoC) in Indian-administered Kashmir. The drone industry is slowly picking gaining momentum in India thanks to the new National Drones Policy being effective. The policy has been drafted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and often dubbed "Drone Regulations 1.0". It clearly clarifies where, when and how drones can operate within India. With inputs from ANI Your twenties really are the best time to travel. You don't have as many liabilities, all your friends aren't married yet and travelling to the different corners of the world changes your perspective towards life in more ways than you can imagine. Also, let's be honest, you gotta keep up with those #travelgoals on social media! And what better place than Phuket to kick off your 2019 travel bucket list! We'll tell you why. GettyImages Bangkok is passe. Phuket is not-so-slowly and very steadily becoming the next big destination, especially for Indians. Direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru by airlines like GoAir have actually made it possible to reach Phuket in just four hours! This is the easiest international travel could ever get to a place that offers beaches most definitely cleaner than the ones you find in India, and at such an affordable price! GettyImages If you live for food, Phuket is paradise. Thai cuisine offers some of the most exquisite seafood out in the world and it's going to be a drool-worthy affair. We're talking shrimp pad Thai and Nasi Goreng! GettyImages Sunsets at Phuket are magical. The sea changes colour every passing second and the sky is unlike any other place in the whole world! Watching the sun set into the horizon in Phuket is an experience in itself. There are a lot of beaches and hotels in Phuket that offer some of the most stunning views that just cannot be missed! GettyImages Phuket is a place for everyone. The affordability is what is attracting the young Indian crowd to Thailand but if you're a fan of luxury, Phuket has some of the most interesting opportunities. In the last few months, there has been an influx of Indian buyers that have shown great interest in buying some of the most luxurious homes at Royal Phuket Marina that are also rented out for people who want to spend some time in a beautiful home, away from home, taking in the best of Phuket before they get back to their mundane lives. GettyImages Let's not forget that while Phuket is serene, calm and picturesque, it also offers nightlife you won't find anywhere else in the whole of Asia! No vacation is complete without partying and letting go, and Phuket really is one place you've got to hit with your best friends! GettyImages Talking of luxury, Koh Rang Noi, Phuket is a private island in Phuket, owned by John Baldwin and it's safe to call it a goldmine of everything expensive and fancy! This sun-soaked tropical paradise with its landscaped villas and infinity pools and breathtaking views will make you want to spend the rest of your life there! And that's just one of the many islands in Phuket! A lot of others boast of popular restaurants, quaint beaches for nature enthusiasts. GettyImages Phuket is as much about the vast, calm sea as it is about the party culture. And lately, it has been attracting a lot of boating enthusiasts because buying a boat in Thailand is duty-free. That means it is way cheaper than you would expect it to be! Owned by the British Indian businessman Gulu Lalvani, Royal Phuket Marina not only has residential quarters but is also a marina which offers all parking services you can think of to promote that fancy, waterfront lifestyle. It also hosted the Thailand Yacht Show recently that showcased some insanely luxurious boats and yachts and you'd surprised to know how much popularity it has been gaining recently amongst Indians! GettyImages Of course, there's the Thai culture that people from all around the world love exploring! When it comes to hospitality and welcoming tourists, the Thais have no match. From Wat Chalong to the Big Buddha to Weekend Night Markets to the elephant sanctuary, your itinerary is always going to be an exciting mix! GettyImages So, cancel that Goa trip and head over to Phuket! Coz travel makes memories. Flash The governor of Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk on Sunday called for Chinese investment and expertise in the reconstruction of towns and villages in the province that were destroyed in battles against the Islamic State (IS) militant group. "China has a strong and solid economy. We in Kirkuk need Chinese expertise and support in the light of official and legal frames," Rakan al-Jubouri told a joint press conference with the Chinese ambassador to Iraq. Al-Jubouri said Chinese companies can cooperate with the Kirkuk's provincial Chamber of Commerce and the Investment Board. "We in Kirkuk are facing a severe shortage of services, especially in the field of electricity and the municipality and we have some 130 destroyed towns and villages," al-Jubouri said, adding that his province has plans to help displaced people return to their homes. For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Iraq Chen Weiqing confirmed his keenness to cooperate with the provincial authorities to develop the economy in the province. "China and Iraq are friends. A few days ago I met Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. We expressed our support to his government program and our readiness to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq's infrastructure," Chen told reporters. "We have a desire to cooperate in the field of transport, communications, electricity, industry and agriculture," he said. "We are ready to receive a delegation from Kirkuk at our embassy in Baghdad to continue discussions to reach common understanding," Chen added. Large parts of the oil-rich province were badly damaged in June 2014, after the IS militants seized towns and villages. Late in 2017, the Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militant group across the country despite the presence of its remnants, who are still hiding in some rugged areas in central Iraq. Jan. 28, 2019 Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi Jeremy Erwin Mississippi Mississippi JACKSON, Miss.,/PRNewswire/ -- Magnolia Health, a leading provider of healthcare coverage that improves care across, hosted multiple back-to-school events around the state to encourage children to get their preventive screenings.Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) preventive screenings are key in children's healthy development. The screenings can help identify and diagnose health problems in children, so that they can be treated appropriately. The vaccines help to prevent diseases that are dangerous to children. To increase the awareness and availability of these screenings, Magnolia Health partnered with multiple organizations to host back-to-school events where EPSDT screenings were provided.Recently, Magnolia hosted 18 events throughout the state. Magnolia partnered with the Choices for Children mobile unit and the Jackson Hinds Comprehensive Health Center mobile unit to provide a way for children to receive the necessary screenings at multiple locations. In total, over 1,000 EPSDT screenings were performed for Magnolia Health members in"Magnolia Health is passionate about the health of children in the state of," said Dr., Chief Medical Director for Magnolia Health. "EPSDT screenings are key to their healthy development. We are dedicated to providing awareness of the importance of these screenings as well as opportunities for our members to receive them."Magnolia Health is a long-term solution to help the state ofenhance care for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) recipients, while most effectively managing taxpayer dollars. A physician-driven,-based Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), Magnolia is backed by its parent company, Centene Corporation (Centene). Centene has more than 30 years of experience in Medicaid, CHIP and other government-funded programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and long-term care. For more information about Magnolia, visit www.magnoliahealthplan.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/magnolia-health-provides-preventive-screenings-for-children-throughout-mississippi-300784066.html SOURCE Magnolia Health Chicken eggs are already important in clinical research and production specialists currently use them to make vaccines. New research is now taking the eggs potential even further by suggesting a new use for them, as repositories in which to grow specialized human proteins. Share on Pinterest In the near future, hens may start laying more eggs for science. Chicken eggs have always been a culinary staple throughout the world, and they are a great source of vitamins, fatty acids, and proteins. This, however, is not their only use. Currently, scientists use this type of egg to produce flu vaccines . Not just that new research has been looking into ways of growing human cytokines in chicken eggs. Cytokines are signaling proteins, many of which influence the behavior of immune cells, as part of the bodys immune response. Doctors prescribe cytokines, in drug form, to treat conditions such as multiple sclerosis, hepatitis C, and even some forms of cancer. Last year, a study conducted by researchers from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Osaka, Japan looked at ways of producing human interferon beta a cytokine used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis in chicken eggs. Now, a team of scientists from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom suggests that we can also grow other cytokines interferon alpha 2a (IFNalpha2a) and two types of fusion colony-stimulating factor (CSF1) protein in chicken eggs. This method of growing human proteins that can treat hepatitis and cancer could be easier and more cost-effective than existing approaches, the researchers argue. Their findings appear in the journal BMC Biotechnology. Last week, I came across some shocking statistics. Around 80 percent of employees in the United States who are living with a mental health condition do not seek treatment because of associated stigma. Share on Pinterest Its important that we feel we can talk openly about mental health. In the United Kingdom, around 19 percent of employees have taken a sick day due to stress, but a whopping 90 percent of these individuals gave their boss a completely different reason. Around 1 in 5 of us are living with a mental health condition, which begs the question: Why do we still feel that we cant talk about these issues when they are so common? While great strides have been made in breaking the stigma associated with mental health conditions, the work environment remains a particularly challenging place to talk openly about these issues. I have depression, anxiety, and [obsessive-compulsive disorder], so its a lot of juggling of difficult mental health conditions, said one member of the Medical News Today editorial team. Usually Ive felt like it needs to be kept a secret, in case people think less of me or think Ill be worse at my job as a result of it, she continued. Ive worried that I wont be given opportunities if Im thought of as being weaker than the rest of the team or somehow a liability because of my mental health. Its all about the work culture and approach toward mental health. Ive never worked anywhere where Ive been as open about my mental health as at MNT. Quite simply, we need to be able to openly discuss mental health in the workplace and help each other with any issues we might be facing. This is why the editorial team kicked off 2019 by taking part in a Mental Health First Aid course. We learned some hugely valuable skills that I hope will encourage the team to talk openly about mental health and give them the confidence to reach out for help and help others who might need it. We want to help you, our readers. Be it through tips on how to manage stress or first-person accounts of living with a mental health condition, we strive to provide you with informative and actionable content that empowers you to own your mental well-being. One related article that caught your eye this January was our feature on Blue Monday a day in January that is supposedly the most depressing day of the year, although, as youll see when you read it, this isnt strictly true. You were also interested to learn how a certain food additive could increase anxiety. Other content you found interesting includes our article on the side effects of apple cider vinegar, as well as our article looking at whether garlic can be beneficial for people with HIV. Within our news content, you were intrigued by our coverage of a study that investigated how much fiber we should eat to prevent disease, and our article on a potential breakthrough in the treatment of osteoporosis piqued your interest. We want to keep the conversation on mental health going, so please get in touch wed love to hear your ideas. You can also reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter. Thank you for reading, and have a happy and healthful February! Honor Whiteman, Managing Editor by Steven Rosenbaum , Featured Contributor, January 28, 2019 Author Douglas Rushkoff has a way of catching you off-guard. One moment hes funny, casual, hip, and then -- in a flash -- hes rivetingly serious and professorial. Just to summarize, heres his take on where we are. Were in serious trouble. Weve let tech run amok. But we can solve this problem if we stop blaming tech, and start embracing the team that matters: Team Human (also the title of his latest book). When Rushkoff spoke at New York Citys Civic Hall last week, he was preaching the gospel to true believers: a room of humans who are civic tech leaders. And he made his case with his unique brand of casual precision. "Technology is not driving itself. It doesnt want anything. Rather, there is a market expressing itself through technology. This operating system is called capitalism, and it drives the anti-human agenda in our society at least as much as any technology, he said. advertisement advertisement While capitalism and tech have put humans on the defensive, its up to humans to re-humanize our world, he added. If youve been feeling vaguely uneasy about the way so-called "social media" has made us less social, Rushkoff would agree with you. He said platforms have prioritized growth and profits over humanity, and that has led to digital platforms that "strip the topsoil" of human behavior. The topsoil of humanity. Just hold onto that idea for a moment. "Human beings are not the problem; we are the solution. To many of the developers and investors of Silicon Valley, however, humans are not to be emulated or celebrated, but transcended, or -- at the very least -- re-engineered. Rushkoff said one Valley leader's ideas made him want to fight back. Though he refused to name this person, Ruskoff was presumably talking about Ray Kurzweil, who essentially says we are at the end of the era of Homo sapiens. "This is a distinctly antihuman position, he noted, but one that made him take sides. He is, after consideration, on Team Human. Are you? "While digital business plans destroy a human-scaled economy, the digital businesses themselves compromise the human sensibilities required to dig ourselves out of this mess. The human beings running those enterprises are no less the psychic victims of their companies practices than the rest of us, which is why its so hard for them to envision a way out. Rushkoff is in turns Talmudic scholar and stand-up comic. But in the pages of Team Human, hes found a mission that is deeply personal. He talks about his book tour, fueled by planes, trains, and automobiles, as painfully hypocritical. He needs to fly to share his book, knowing that air travel is environmentally unsound. It may be his last book, he murmurs -- almost to himself. Hes a techno-optimist, whos looked around the corner and discovered a dark side he cant turn away from. "Well-meaning developers, who have come to recognize the disastrous impacts of their companies, seek to solve technologys problems with technological solutions. They see that social media algorithms are exacerbating wealth division and mental confusion, and resolve to tweak them not to do that -- at least not so badly, said Rushkoff. Is technology anti-human? Thats a thesis worthy of a deep think. Maybe Ill ask Alexa. by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, January 28, 2019 What if Google, Amazon and other tech companies building smart-home devices owned and operated the electricity to run their own hardware based on energy generated by wind farms? At the very least, these wind farms lower their cost of renewable energy to power their own data centers. Berg Insights estimates the number of households adopting smart-home systems in the United States between 2017 and 2022 will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 23%, resulting in 63.0 million smart homes. The forecast also estimates that revenue could reach $36 billion in 2022, up from $2 billion in 2017. Googles latest deal to buy energy came in September 2018, with a 10-year deal to buy renewable energy from three wind farms in Finland. advertisement advertisement Then theres Googles Makani Energy Kite project, which uses what looks like an airplane tethered to a ground station, which harnesses energy from the wind. The project says it has the potential to power the world 100 times over, yet only 4% of the worlds electricity comes from wind. While this type of device to harness energy remains limited, some anticipate a future where solar panels, battery storage and electric vehicles all become part of a smart-home ecosystem. Could these, along with Google Nest and Amazon Ring, be powered by the wind? As one media outlet suggests, any company that controls the software and systems that deliver energy could gain a formidable market position. In this scenario, Im adding into the mix search and other forms of advertising, with the ability to generate electricity from wind. To me, its an interesting thought. Google and Amazon gain more control not only of the devices, but the electricity it takes to run them to provide these internet-connected services at lower costs and better service. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google struck a deal with utilities and power providers in the U.K. and the Netherlands, as well as in Illinois, California and Texas. The company also has a deal with Reliant Energy, a Texas electricity provider owned by NRG, whose former CEO told the WSJ that in "10 or 20 years, the dominant retail electric provider in the United States is going to be Amazon or Google." by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, January 28, 2019 Contentsquare on Monday announced it has raised $60 million in Series C funding led by global investment firm Eurazeo. The funding brings total investments in the company to $120 million since 2016. All previous investors in the company also participated in the round. With the new capital, Contentsquare plans to increase research and development focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics. The AI is learning and already able to capture a signal within the content if its relevant, said Jean-Marc Bellaiche, SVP strategy of marketing and partnerships at Contentsquare . The AI is converted into insights. The funding also will help to expand business across the Americas, Europe, specifically Asia, the Middle East and Nordic regions. advertisement advertisement Bellaiche said Contentsquare has been in the U.S. for about two years and has become very successful. There is also also a need to hire more people to support growth. About 50 employees support brands in the United States today. Its clients include companies such as Walmart, Samsung, Sephora, Tiffany, LVMH, Accorhotels, Avis, BNP Paribas, GoPro, Ikea, and Nissan. The U.S. is a sophisticated market when it comes to ecommerce and analytics, but its also crowded, Bellaiche said. The funding will be important to gain more visibility. Visibility, indeed. Although not apparently related, the funding supports Googles tests to drive searches from its engine direct to answers of queries on publisher sites. When the Featured Snippet links to an article on a publisher site using Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), Google will scroll the user down to the answer in the orange highlighted section. We see many companies investing heavily in acquisition as they try to bring more people to their website, but not spending enough on content to retain visitors that come to the website, he said. And when they add content, they do it blindly. They dont know what content keeps visitors on the site and coming back. Analyzing the behavior of site visitors remains critical for marketers in order to understand which type of content attracts and retains visitors. by Tanya Gazdik , January 27, 2019 Mini USA is shifting Patrick McKenna back to head product strategy in the United States. Effective March 1, McKenna will be department head, Mini product planning and consumer events. In addition, to product strategy for current and future Mini models, McKenna is responsible for developing and executing the strategy for consumer events. Steve Ambeau joins the automaker, succeeding McKenna as department head, Mini brand communications for Mini USA. Ambeau will now shape the Mini U.S. brand strategy and lead the planning and execution of customer-facing communications. Both McKenna and Ambeau will report to Thomas Felbermair, vice president, Mini Region Americas. Mini is part of the BMW Group. Mini product has always been an area that McKenna is passionate about, having made the transition from BMW to Mini USA in 2010 to lead product strategy for Mini through May 2017 when he shifted to marketing. advertisement advertisement McKenna led the effort to hire current Mini agencies Pereira & O'Dell, 360i and Merkle in September 2017, replacing Butler Shine Stern & Partners, which resigned the account before the review began. Ambeau began his marketing career in Chicago, working for Zurich Investments. In 2011, he joined the BMW Group as digital communications manager for Mini Canada before transitioning into the brand communications head role a year later. In 2016, Ambeau moved to Munich as Mini Global Head of Digital Marketing at the BMW Group AG. He was most recently CMO for Rapid RTC, a multinational technology provider of automotive lead management solutions. by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, January 28, 2019 Newspaper stories can sometimes feel like fish tales. Like the proverbial fish tale, newspaper yarns often get embellished in the telling, although the stories of newspapers and what went on in the raucous print newsrooms of yesteryear are usually strong enough to stand on their own without embellishment. I came to this fish tale analogy while watching this new documentary about Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill -- Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists -- premiering Monday night on HBO. It is not meant as a strong criticism to point out that aspects of the world Breslin and Hamill worked in -- roughly the 1960s to the 00s -- along with the glories of the style of journalism they practiced feels romanticized here, at least a little. On the other hand, the romanticizing stems from the documentary's nostalgia and affection for the era in New York City journalism that Breslin and Hamill represented -- a world that for all intents and purposes is now gone. advertisement advertisement And it is true that the old newspaper newsrooms were colorful places, and the star columnists were often larger than life, as were many of all the other people who were thrown together there each day, and long into the night. The documentary tells the stories of Breslin, who died in 2017 at age 88, and Hamill, now 83, in parallel, since they worked in the same time frame, competed with each other, befriended each other and even once wrote for the New York Daily News at the same time. Evidently, much of this documentary was assembled while Breslin still lived, since he is seen in numerous scenes being interviewed, some of them alongside Hamill. The film touches on about a half-dozen of the most notorious stories from their careers as famous cityside columnists at various papers. Between them, the papers included the New York Herald Tribune, the News, New York Post and Newsday. The stories include the Son of Sam murders from the 1970s, the Bernie Goetz subway shootings of the 1908s and, of course, 9/11 -- plus a few others. The documentary makes Breslin the more celebrated of the two, and as some of the interview subjects point out, Breslin was at one time possibly the most famous newspaper journalist in America. Hamill was no slacker, however, in the fame department. He was a well-liked and widely read columnist who was also, for a time, a fixture of celebrity gossip columns stemming from the famous women he dated, including Jacqueline Onassis, Shirley MacLaine and Linda Ronstadt. The documentary tells a warts-and-all story here, although unfortunately for Breslin, his outsized personality gives his life story more warts than Hamill's -- at least according to this documentary. For those of us of a certain age, Breslin and Hamill paints a picture of a lost world -- not only of tabloid journalism as it was once practiced in the era before the Internet, but of an older New York that might not have been as shiny as the one we have today, but was in many ways more poignant. For those who are too young to have lived in the Breslin/Hamill era themselves, however, this film is an invaluable document of a time and a world they cannot imagine. Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists premieres Monday (January 28) at 8 p.m. Eastern on HBO. by Sean Hargrave , Staff Writer, January 25, 2019 Probably the least surprising bit of news this week is that Google will contest the 50m Euro fine it received from France's data watchdog, CNIL. The tech giant has a lot of lawyers and deep pockets, and let's face it -- nobody welcomes a 50m Euro fine, particularly if it risks encouraging other EU watchdogs to get in on the act. From the conversations I've been having this week, however -- including people in advertising and senior trade body representatives -- Google is thought to be batting on a proverbial sticky wicket. It can counter-argue all it likes, but, ultimately, CNIL probably has a good point. The fundamental problem is that GDPR was supposed to be all about a very clear explanation of why a company wanted to collect personal information, what it was going to do with it and who it was going to share it with. From the conversations I've been having it would appear that adland was waiting for a data giant to be challenged so the rest of the industry could get a better understanding of the murky waters of trading data -- particularly around programmatic. As one exec quipped: "The problem is this data is personal when it suits the tech giants, and they're selling their services, and then it's not personal when they're defending themselves to a regulator. You can't have it both ways." When ad execs can't be entirely sure that their budget is only going to display and search results that have been targeted 100% through GDPR-compliant data, you know there is a test case coming your way soon. The general feeling, from what I'm hearing, is that the London scene has been waiting for a tech giant to get a bloodied nose before a clearer way of working is accepted and trickles down through the ecosystem. As for the appeal, well again, adland seems to think Google is not defending an admirable position. "When not even the lawyers can understand your consent forms, you know you've got a problem," one exec commented, pointing out the ICO's guidance that consent was supposed to be easy enough for a chid to understand. As for pre-ticked boxes? Well, there's not even a conversation to be had there. If CNIL has found evidence of this, Google doesn't have a leg to stand on. If we all knew one thing about GDPR, it was that pre-ticked boxes were banished forever. One area where Google might find some traction is the legitimacy of the French watchdog fining a company registered in Ireland. Apparently it's a complicated legal argument that I won't claim to understand -- but the French authorities felt Ireland didn't have the full rights to regulate Google on mobile, and so it stepped in to raise a fine. If I were Google, the legitimacy of a fine from Paris for a company based in Dublin is where I would start the appeal. Probably the least surprising bit of news this week is that Google will contest the 50m Euro fine it received from France's data watchdog, CNIL. The tech giant has a lot of lawyers and deep pockets, and let's face it -- nobody welcomes a 50m Euro fine, particularly if it risks encouraging other EU watchdogs to get in on the act. From the conversations I've been having this week, however -- including people in advertising and senior trade body representatives -- Google is thought to be batting on a proverbial sticky wicket. It can counter-argue all it likes, but, ultimately, CNIL probably has a good point. The fundamental problem is that GDPR was supposed to be all about a very clear explanation of why a company wanted to collect personal information, what it was going to do with it and who it was going to share it with. From the conversations I've been having it would appear that adland was waiting for a data giant to be challenged so the rest of the industry could get a better understanding of the murky waters of trading data -- particularly around programmatic. As one exec quipped: "The problem is this data is personal when it suits the tech giants, and they're selling their services, and then it's not personal when they're defending themselves to a regulator. You can't have it both ways." When ad execs can't be entirely sure that their budget is only going to display and search results that have been targeted 100% through GDPR-compliant data, you know there is a test case coming your way soon. The general feeling, from what I'm hearing, is that the London scene has been waiting for a tech giant to get a bloodied nose before a clearer way of working is accepted and trickles down through the ecosystem. As for the appeal, well again, adland seems to think Google is not defending an admirable position. "When not even the lawyers can understand your consent forms, you know you've got a problem," one exec commented, pointing out the ICO's guidance that consent was supposed to be easy enough for a chid to understand. As for pre-ticked boxes? Well, there's not even a conversation to be had there. If CNIL has found evidence of this, Google doesn't have a leg to stand on. If we all knew one thing about GDPR, it was that pre-ticked boxes were banished forever. One area where Google might find some traction is the legitimacy of the French watchdog fining a company registered in Ireland. Apparently it's a complicated legal argument that I won't claim to understand -- but the French authorities felt Ireland didn't have the full rights to regulate Google on mobile, and so it stepped in to raise a fine. If I were Google, the legitimacy of a fine from Paris for a company based in Dublin is where I would start the appeal. Regardless of what you think of this case, it will raise the alarm for many companies outside the EU setting up a base within the EU that they are not subject to solely that country's regulator and its interpretation of GDPR. Other than that, the feeling in adland is that any business that appeals and is still found to have spread consent over several pages of legalese jargon and uses pre-ticked boxes to get consent really doesn't have a leg to stand on. Other than that, the feeling in adland is that any business that appeals and is still found to have spread consent over several pages of legalese jargon and uses pre-ticked boxes to get consent really doesn't have a leg to stand on. Allied Market Research published a report, titled,. The report states that the global renal denervation market accounted for $197 million in 2015 and is anticipated to reach $3,153 Million by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 48.5% during the forecast period, 2014-2022. An increase in occurrence of hypertension, changing lifestyle of people, development of healthcare infrastructure in emerging economies, and relatively lower cost of the procedure drive the growth of the global renal denervation market. However, strict approval procedures for renal denervation devices along with the pain associated with the procedure hampers market growth. Nonetheless, myriad renal denervation applications in other diseases and the surge of clinical trials provide lucrative opportunities for emerging market players. Request Sample Report @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/522 The report segments the global renal denervation market by product, technology, and geography. Based on product, the market is fragmented into Symplicity renal denervation system, EnligHTN, Vessix renal denervation system, Paradise renal denervation system, Iberis renal denervation system, and others. The Symplicity renal denervation system segment accounted for the largest share in 2014. Meanwhile, the Vessix renal denervation system is expected to grow at the fastest rate, with a CAGR of 57.6% from 2016 to 2022, as this system can be used for arteries of variable diameter. Based on technology, the report divides the market by radiofrequency, ultrasound and micro-infusion. The radiofrequency segment generated the maximum revenue in 2015 and is expected to maintain dominance throughout the forecast period. However, the ultrasound segment is anticipated to grow at the highest rate from 2014 to 2022, registering a CAGR of 56.4%, as it overcomes the limitations of radiofrequency devices. Regionally, Europe is expected to continue its global dominance for the next few years. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific is poised to grow at the fastest rate during the analysis period, owing to presence of ample growth opportunities in terms of unmet medical needs for the treatment of hypertension, increase in awareness about the use of advanced technologies such as renal denervation systems, and high prevalence rate of resistant hypertension. The report also profiles key players involved in the global renal denervation market, such as Ablative Solutions, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Cardiosonic Ltd, Kona Medical, Inc., Medtronic plc, Mercator MedSystems, Inc., ReCor Medical, Inc., Renal Dynamics Limited, St. Jude Medical, Inc., and Terumo Medical Corporation. They have adopted various strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, collaborations, partnerships, and others to gain a strong position in the industry. Buy Now this Report @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout/257137 About us Allied Market Research, a market research and advisory company of Allied Analytics LLP, provides business insights and market research reports to large as well as small & medium enterprises. The company assists its clients to strategize business policies and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. Allied Market Research provides one stop solution from the beginning of data collection to investment advice. The analysts at Allied Market Research dig out factors that help clients to understand the significance and impact of market dynamics. The company amplies clients insight on the factors, such as strategies, future estimations, growth or fall forecasting, opportunity analysis, and consumer surveys among others. As follows, the company offers consistent business intelligent support to aid the clients to turn into prominent business firm. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com Flash Israel is increasing its efforts to attract more tourists from China, seeing high potential of growing Chinese visitors. In 2015, the number of Chinese tourists to Israel was a bit more than 30,000, while in 2017 and 2018, over 100,000 tourists from China visited Israel. One of the key reasons for the increase of Chinese tourists to Israel is the introduction of direct flights between the two countries. There are currently direct flights from Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Hong Kong to Tel Aviv, with more direct flights expected to be launched in 2019. Israel has also opened visa centers in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, and one more to be opened in Chengdu. The centers would promote and expand Chinese tourism to Israel. In addition, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism opened in Guangzhou its second representative office in China, while the first office has been operating in Beijing. The ministry stated that according to the United Nation World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Chinese tourists are by far the top spenders. Inside Israel, the ministry has taken steps to make the Chinese tourists feel more convenient, such as bringing Chinese celebrity chefs to give cooking courses. Moreover, Israel has increased the number of Chinese-speaking tour guides, launched a Chinese-language website, and provided signage, maps, and other materials in Chinese, at major tourist sites. Besides, many Israeli guides have traveled to China, only for the propose of learning the language and culture of their Chinese potential clients. Furthermore, Israel will soon launch WeChat and Alipay to facilitate the payment with digital access for the Chinese tourists. Multiple entry visas for up to 10 years are now available for Chinese visitors, instead of the previous three-month visas. The procedures are part of the friendly measures Israel has taken to remove significant obstacles that slow down growth of incoming tourism from China. "Israeli hotels have made incredible changes to fit the Chinese travelers," said Zohar Marom, Head of Incoming Division at Amsalem Business Travel, the largest private-owned travel company in Israel. Marom said that the Israeli tourism industry puts lots of efforts into making the Chinese guests feel home here, including "a corner of Chinese breakfast" in many hotels. Some hotels have added Chinese TV channels and special-designed Chinese tea. Parts of tourist sites have started to offer brochures in Chinese and Chinese-speaking guides. Relevant stores independently learn to speak Chinese with the new guests and translate their prices and the content of the products to the Chinese tourists, said Ayal Segal, a regional manager at Kayak.com, a global online travel giant company. According to Israeli tourism authorities, the Chinese tourists prefer their first visit to the "must see" places, such as Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, and Tel Aviv. They also like to visit historical sites they have read about in the books. Chinese people find many similarities between them and the Israeli people, especially in the open nature of communication and culture, the authorities said. In addition, Chinese tourists display their fascination with Israeli innovation, technology, and education, as well as a curiosity about religion, spirituality, and Jewish wisdom. A significant portion of the worldwide diamond industry is happening in Israel, and it creates an opportunity for Chinese customers to purchase discounted jewelry, Segal added. Israel hit a record high of attracting more than 4 million tourists in 2018, which injected 22 billion new shekels (about 6 billion U.S. dollars) into the Israeli economy. UPDATE AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND The mounting need for quality healthcare services drives the market growth. Therefore, most of the companies are outsourcing R&D services as it helps to reduce costs, minimize business risks, and hasten product market entry and thus fuel the market growth. The global Medical Device Outsourcing Market generated $44.32 billion in 2016 and is expected to garner $83.95 billion by 2023, registering a CAGR of 9.5% during the forecast period, 2017-2023. Surge in medical device disorders, adherence to quality standards, reduction in market cost, and rise in geriatric population drive the growth of the global medical device outsourcing market. However, unfavorable reimbursement policies and threat of loss of confidential information impede market growth. Conversely, affordable outsourcing facilities in developing nations provide lucrative opportunities for emerging market players. Click Here To Access Free Sample Report @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/1436 The report segments the global medical device outsourcing market by product, device type, application, services, and geography. Based on product, the report sub-segments the market into finished goods, electronics, and raw materials. While the electronics segment occupied more than two-fifth share of the global market in 2016, the finished goods segment is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period, registering a CAGR of 10.0%. The market is categorized into Class I, Class II, and Class III devices based on device type, where Class II devices occupied more than half of the global market share in 2016. Based on application, the market is fragmented into orthopedic & spine, cardiovascular, radiology, general medical devices, and others. During the forecast period, the cardiovascular segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 9.9%. Based on services, the report divides the market into prototype development, finished device manufacturing, assembly & packaging, and testing & regulatory support services. The finished device manufacturing segment is projected to extend its dominance through 2023, owing to an increase in demand for affordable devices. Meanwhile, testing and regulatory support services are expected to register the highest CAGR of 10.0% during the forecast period. In Europe, France and Germany collectively contributed more than two-fifth share of the regional market in 2016. However, Asia-Pacific is projected to register the highest CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period, owing to low labor costs, low overhead expenses, and improving technical abilities to produce class III medical devices. Make an Enquiry before Buy: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/1436 The Major Key Players Are: Celestica, Inc., Creganna,, Flextronics International Ltd., Heraeus Holding, Integer Holdings Corporation, Nortech Systems, Inc., Plexus Corp., Sanmina Corporation, Tecomet, Inc., and West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. Scope of The Report: Report Attribute Details Market size available for years 2016-2023 Base year considered 2017 Forecast period 2017-2023 Forecast units Value (USD) Segments covered Product, Device Type, Application and Service Geographies covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, LAMEA Related Reports: Respiratory Care Devices Market by Product [Therapeutic (PAP Devices, Inhalers, Ventilators, Mask, & Nebulizers), Monitoring (Pulse Oximeters), Diagnostics (Spirometers, PSG Devices, and Peak Flow Meters), and Consumables & Accessories (Disposable Resuscitators, Tracheostomy Tubes, Nasal Cannulas, & Disposable Masks)], By End User (Hospitals and Homecare Settings) Global Opportunities and Forecasts, 2014-2022 Anesthesia Devices Market by Product (Anesthesia Delivery Machines, Anesthesia Disposables & Accessories, Anesthesia Monitors, and Anesthesia Information Management Systems (AIMS), Type (General and Local), Application (Cardiology, Neurology, Dental, Ophthalmology, Urology, Orthopedics, and Others), and End User (Hospitals, Clinics, and Ambulatory Service Centers): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2023 Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-market-research Follow Us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/marketresearcht The global Pharmaceutical Robots Market is anticipated to reach USD 452.7 Million by 2025 according to a new report. In 2017, on the basis of application type, inspection of pharmaceutical drugs segment holds the largest market share in this market. Regionally, North America accounted for the major share in the global Pharmaceutical Robots Market. Growth in global Pharmaceutical Robots Market is primarily driven by the expanding pharmaceutical industry, and rising need for automation in this industry. Also, increasing acceptance of laboratory automation robot and benefits associated with enabling reduction in human interventions and errors is expected to boost the pharmaceutical robot adoption. Additionally, growing demand for drug manufacturing, and increasing technological advancements in the robotic machines positively influence growth in Pharmaceutical Robots Market. Similarly, the adoption of pharmaceutical robots facilitates cost reduction in human labor, that directly led to minimization of production cost. On the basis of product type, the global Pharmaceutical Robots Market is segmented into traditional robot, and collaborative robot. Traditional robot is observed to be the dominating segment in terms of market share. However, collaborative robot segment is anticipated to grow at a faster rate, owing to its ease of maintenance compared to the traditional ones. The traditional Robot are further sub-segmented into articulated robot, SCARA robot, delta/parallel robot, cartesian robot, and dual-arm robot. Articulated robot is popular in market due to their ability to inspect the packing of pharmaceutical products. On the other hand, SCARA robot are expected to showcase a positive growth over the forecast period, due to lower cost of associated machines in comparison of other robot categories. Request Sample Report at https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3695822-pharmaceutical-robots-market-by-product-type-traditional-robot Based on the application type, the global Pharmaceutical Robots Market is sub segmented into picking and packaging, laboratory applications, and inspection of pharmaceutical drugs. Inspection of pharmaceutical drugs segment to hold the domination position during the forecast period. Growth in this segment is majorly observed due to rise in government interventions and stringent policies for approving any type of drug entry in the market. These inspection robots are majorly used for detecting cracks on tablets, color inspection, shape recognition, counting of tablets, and also for inspection of packaging for recognition of leakage from the packaging of drugs. However, laboratory application segment is expected to grow at a faster rate owing to increasing R&D in this field, and increasing need for reducing human intervention in the process of drug manufacturing. End use segment comprises of biopharmaceutical companies, and research laboratories. Biopharmaceutical companies to hold the largest share, owing to rising awareness for its use in manufacturing of medicines, and ongoing clinical trials. The leading companies operating in global Pharmaceutical Robots Market are FANUCA America Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Denso Wave Inc., ABB Ltd., Yaskawa Electric Corporation, Universal Robot A/S, Seiko Epson Corporation, Marchesini Group S.P.A., Kuka AG, and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. Table of Contents Overview and Scope Executive Summary Global Pharmaceutical Robots Market Insights Pharmaceutical Robots Market Size and Forecast by Product type, 2017-2025 Pharmaceutical Robots Market Size and Forecast by Application type, 2017-2025 Pharmaceutical Robots Market Size and Forecast by End Use type, 2017-2025 Pharmaceutical Robots Market Size and Forecast by Regions Company Profiles About Us: Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Contact Us: NORAH TRENT sales@wiseguyreports.com Ph: +1-646-845-9349 (US) Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK) E-health is the management of healthcare organization with the help of information and communication technology (ICT). ICT has been widely used in the form of medical health records and telemedicine. With the help of telemedicine, it is possible Data related to patients, staff and finance of the hospital is stored electronically. This has resulted into transformation in the means of storing healthcare data. Initially, data was recorded manually by the healthcare staff. But now single unique identification number is needed to be entered and all the data of the patient is available within seconds. E-health has many advantages over conventional methods of clinical data management such as avoidance of manual records and timely access to patient data. The factors driving for the growth of this market are extensive use of software and ICT healthcare, reduce cost, improve quality, availability of infrastructure for implementation of e-health and safe and adequate storage of data. The global E-Health Services market anticipated growing rapidly during 2019-2025. This report focuses on the global E-Health Services status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the E-Health Services development in United States, Europe and China. The key players covered in this study IBM Corporation Allscripts Healthcare Solutions GE Healthcare McKinsey Motion Computing Epocrates Telecare Corp Proteus Digital Health Boston Scientific Cerner Market segment by Type, the product can be split into EHR ePrescribing Telemedicine Clinical Decision Support Consumer health IT Request Sample Report at https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3710601-global-e-health-services-market-size-status-and-forecast-2019-2025 Market segment by Application, split into Hospitals Clinics Others Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report covers United States Europe China Japan Southeast Asia India Central & South America The study objectives of this report are: To analyze global E-Health Services status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. To present the E-Health Services development in United States, Europe and China. To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their development plan and strategies. To define, describe and forecast the market by product type, market and key regions. In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of E-Health Services are as follows: History Year: 2014-2018 Base Year: 2018 Estimated Year: 2019 Forecast Year 2019 to 2025 For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2018 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered. Table of Contents 1 Report Overview 2 Global Growth Trends 3 Market Share by Key Players 4 Breakdown Data by Type and Application 5 United States 6 Europe 7 China 8 Japan 9 Southeast Asia 10 India 11 Central & South America 12 International Players Profiles 13 Market Forecast 2019-2025 14 Analysts Viewpoints/Conclusions About Us: Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Contact Us: NORAH TRENT sales@wiseguyreports.com Ph: +1-646-845-9349 (US) Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK) Cardiac Implants Market Overview Global Cardiac Implants Market value at USD 8.91 Bn in 2017 and findings suggest a likely CAGR of 7.2% during the assessment period from 2018 to 2023. The growth of the global cardiac implants market at the above-mentioned rate will lead the market toward a value of USD 13.6 Bn by the end of 2023. Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death. According to the CDC, cardiovascular diseases are responsible for 1 in every 4 deaths in the U.S. Cardiac implants are crucial medical devices which are used to manage or treat heart diseases and the increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases has resulted in considerable growth of the global cardiac implant market. The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is in part due to the increase in the geriatric population. The global population has expanded immensely, and with the development of advanced medical technology, life expectancy has also increased. As a result of this, the aged population is growing, and with it, the incidence of heart disease. Request Sample Copy at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6726 Cardiac implants have been highly useful in helping manage these heart diseases, and many implants are designed for geriatric patients, thus driving market growth. Reimbursement policies regarding implants are increasingly becoming favorable, which has encouraged patients to seek treatment, thus driving demand for cardiac implants. Cardiac implants are consistently being developed and improved upon with the advancement of technology, making certain treatments possible and with time, increasingly affordable. Market participants actively compete to launch new products which increase growth opportunities and product demand in the global cardiac implant market. Newly developed cardiac implants often have to undergo a rigorous approval process and abide by various established standards. These stringent regulatory requirements are expected to deter growth. However, the global market will likely witness increasing opportunities in emerging economies due to the changing healthcare scenario in these countries combined with a rise in disposable income and awareness regarding medical devices. Top Players: MRFRs competitive profiling and analysis of growth strategies of leading market players have been included in the report. Market players of note include C.R. Bard, Inc., Edwards Life-sciences Corporation, Medtronic plc, Boston Scientific Corporation, Terumo Corporation, Thoratec Corporation, SynCardia Systems, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, and B. Braun Melsungen AG. Segmentation: The Global Cardiac Implants Market is made up of several key components that have been analyzed in MRFRs report. Segmentation has been determined on the basis of product, application, end-user, and region. Products have been segmented into cardiac rhythm management devices, coronary stent devices, prosthetic heart valves, and cardiac assist devices. Due to the high demand for devices to help manage arrhythmias, the market share for the cardiac rhythm management devices segment has been observed to be the most significant. Meanwhile, the coronary stent devices segment is projected to witness the fastest growth. Applications of cardiac implants have been found in arrhythmias, myocardial ischemia, acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and others. Arrhythmias are the most common application of cardiac implants. The congestive heart failure segment is growing at the fastest rate and is expected to grow considerably over the forecast period. End-users of cardiac implants are segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and others. Although hospitals have acquired the largest share of the market, the ambulatory surgical centre segment is expected to grow at the highest rate due to increased demand for emergency care of cardiovascular disorders. Browse Complete 120 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with Respective 30+ Tables and Figures at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cardiac-implants-market-6726 Regional Analysis: The Asia Pacific is expected to be a significant regional market in the global cardiac implant market, primarily due to the presence of several emerging economies in the region. The rising rate of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases in the region has contributed to the increased demand for cardiac implants in the APAC region. Countries such as Japan, China, and India are witnessing large reforms in the healthcare sector, and rapid development of the same, in tandem with government support for the advancement of existing healthcare technologies, is expected to drive the demand for cardiac implants in the region. The APAC market represents a significant opportunity for the growth of the global cardiac implant market in the coming years. The Americas and Europe have somewhat similar growth patterns and are expected to be significant markets for the global cardiac implant market. Well-developed healthcare sectors along with the presence of several market-leading players in these regions have been the key supporting factors for the growth of these regional markets. Moreover, they have a high geriatric population and favorable reimbursement policies, driving the demand for cardiac implants. Some Points from Table of Contents: Chapter 1. Report Prologue Chapter 2. Market Introduction 2.1 Definition 2.2 Scope Of The Study 2.2.1 Research Objective 2.2.2 Assumptions 2.2.3 Limitations Chapter 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Primary Research 3.3 Secondary Research 3.4 Market Size Estimation Chapter 4. Market Dynamics TOC CONTINUED! Ask Any Question at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/6726 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Meadville, PA (16335) Today Scattered thunderstorms, especially in the afternoon. High 81F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. If former Meadville resident Marcy Laderer Thomas and husband Dave Thomas ask you to go for a hike, you better be prepared. After completing the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, the couple wrapped up hiking the Continental Divide Trail, earning them the rare distinction of completing the Triple Crown of Hiking. Since its inception in 1994 by the American Long Distance Hiking Association - West, less than 400 hikers have successfully claimed the Triple Crown, the completion of the three premiere U.S. long-distance trails above for a plaque and personalized poster. Combined, these trails cover nearly 7,600 miles over 22 states and, if your heart rate hadnt already increased, have one million feet of elevation gain. "I think its pretty spectacular," Dave said about accomplishing the feat. "When you get down to the basics of it, it is just walking. After we were done and we learned more people had been in space than had finished the Triple Crown, I was floored." The Thomases hiked the 2,176-mile Appalachian Trail in 2008, leaving desk jobs in commercial insurance and information technology to pursue the East Coast trail that snakes from Maine down to Georgia. They leisurely completed the adventure, according to Marcy, in their first long-distance hike in the Crown in five months, averaging 14 miles a day. The (Appalachian Trail) was the hardest from a weather standpoint for us, Marcy said in an email. We had various forms of precipitation on 48 percent of our hiking days. Mold was growing in our food bag and on our tent. For round two, Dave and Marcy upped the pace in 2014 for the 2,656-mille Pacific Crest Trail, averaging 26 miles per day and finishing in 108 days. The trail begins near the Washington/Canada border and ends near the border between California and Mexicos Baja California. In a departure from the Appalachian Trail, Marcy said the most difficult part of the Pacific Crest was surviving the heat and long waterless stretches in the high desert of southern California, the longest being 33 miles. Dave and Marcy had to carry six liters of water each in addition to their 12-pound backpacks. For the final leg, the couple hiked the northern 1,516 miles of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), which encompasses Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. This past fall, they completed the 1,244-mile southern portion by hiking through Colorado and New Mexico to accomplish the Triple Crown. Altogether, the CDT took the Thomases about 4 1/2 months. The CDT was the hardest from a navigation and elevation standpoint, Marcy said. During one of these cross-country travels, we were at above 13,000 feet in elevation and experiencing winds of 80 miles per hour with gusts of 100 miles per hour, making it rather treacherous. It was during that period that Marcy fell and sprained both her ankles, numerous days before the next town was in reach. She and Dave kept going, rounding corners and finding bison, antelope or moose just a few yards away. The most exciting wildlife event was the wild horses in the Great Basin of Wyoming, Marcy said. A herd of about 100 horses came running towards us, stopped when they reached our side and faced us in a perfectly uniform line, as if they were soldiers in a military parade. It was an amazing sight. The Triple Crown distinction is but one of an impressive list of outdoor feats for the Thomases. For instance, the couple climbed Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental U.S., located in California at 14,505 feet; made it to Mt. Everests base camp at 17,600 feet; and scaled Island Peak, also in the Himalayas of Nepal, at 20,305 feet. More locally in 2015, Marcy was the first person to swim the 7.5-mile perimeter of Conneaut Lake close to the shoreline unassisted and without stopping. Her parents, Ed and Martha Laderer of Conneaut Lake, witnessed the feat from a pontoon boat. Marcy credited her parents for her love of the outdoors, taking her and her four siblings to their summer cottage at the lake and to numerous national parks. Dave said their initial zeal for hiking started in trips to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. After reaching the Triple Crown, the Thomases say they plan to travel via motorized methods, such as cars and planes and bid farewell to long-distance hiking, but dont count out the call of adventure for these two. They rattled off their next destinations as Hawaii, Iceland, Patagonia, Antarctica and Alaska. Its time to enjoy a sightseeing pace slightly faster than two miles per hour, Marcy said. Tyler Dague can be reached at 724-6370 or by email at tdague@meadvilletribune.com. For some time, the idea of universal basic income (UBI) has gripped the icons of Silicon Valley and social democrats of Western Europe. Fed up with the perceived ineffectiveness of traditional anti-poverty schemes, wasteful subsidies and incompetent welfare bureaucracies, many economists believe UBI is the way to address the frequent income shocks, job losses and other periodic challenges. Some countries in Western Europe and North America are currently piloting the concept. For instance, Finland and Netherlands are covering unemployed individuals with a monthly transfer. Recently, the Canada government announced a similar experiment in certain regions facing economic shocks, and many American states are vigorously debating the idea. UBI is also gaining ground among economists from the Global South. It's certainly popular in India, the country being to launch Aadhaar (biometric ID system) for direct benefit transfers and income transfer trials. The concept found a prominent place in the Union Finance Ministry's Economic Survey 2016-17 that made a strong case for transferring benefits directly into Aadhaar-linked accounts of specific individuals. UBI reflects an unconditional and universal right for a basic income to meet individual needs. As currently understood, it has three core features: universality, unconditionally and agency. Its proponents argue that poverty and vulnerability of the poor, such as farmers, informal laborers or low-skilled workers can be addressed by transferring a guaranteed minimum income rather than through wasteful subsidies. Proponents argue that, unlike in-kind transfers which treat recipients as "objects," unconditional cash transfers make them "agents," as it would entrust them with responsibility to spend their money more effectively. This is one way of passing the onus onto individuals rather than the state and its bureaucracy controlling such development processes which often produce bizarre outcomes. Further, a basic and guaranteed income that covers everyone (thereby eliminating any possible errors of exclusion common in welfare programs) can act as a safety net against sudden loss of a job, income shocks and health issues that can overwhelm an unsecured citizen. They further argue that limited unconditional cash transfers in countries like Zambia and Pakistan targeted at vulnerable groups have produced better development outcomes. The same can work in other economies, including advanced countries currently facing challenges such as rising unemployment due to automation. Finally, UBI has transformative potential as it empowers individuals to spend money in ways they would like. Further, such income transfers enhance economic liberty at the individual level as it offers recipients a choice not to engage in unproductive work simply to meet their daily needs. Yet, while it may appear a great idea to achieve equity and protect citizens from the vagaries of unemployment and indebtedness and similar conditions that can drive a person to extremes, the scheme has plenty of pitfalls. First and foremost is the fiscal capacity or the quantum of resources required to implement such a mega scheme. Second, it would be politically infeasible to roll back existing welfare schemes for UBI especially in democratic politics, where it could create apolitical backlash. Further, considering the competitive politics in which political parties do everything to improve their electoral fortunes, there will be strong incentives for parties to raise UBI payments at the risk of fiscal imbalance. Third, there is potential to create labor market distortions. Not only will free money make people lazy and dependent, such guaranteed income without any regular work affects labor mobility that can help push up wages. Finally, as transfers are unconditional, it is extremely difficult to ensure additional income will be spent by recipients on health, education and other essential needs. As experience from other cash transfer programs show, it could go on alcohol, tobacco and other such conspicuous consumption. However, although the jury is still out on the idea, it has gained considerable traction in India, where a persistent farm crisis and falling rural incomes has created a big market for UBI. While many back it to meet the needs of specific groups like farmers and informal sector workers, there are those who seek universal application. It has gained much ground in recent months, especially after the southern state of Telangana introduced the "Rythu Bandu" scheme for its farmers in 2018. Many analysts believe this is why the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) party swept state legislative polls last month. This success of TRS is encouraging other states to produce their own version of UBI. Recently, the eastern state of Odisha unveiled a new scheme called KALIA to provide income support for its farmers. With general elections only months away, a UBI scheme is under active consideration by the National Development Alliance government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a potential vote winner. Niranjan Sahoo is a senior fellow of the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Dig out those mittens, dust off the old sled and tell your stock broker to put it all in bread and milk stocks. Hiram, GA (30141) Today Cloudy with periods of light rain. High 82F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Atlanta, GA (30303) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. High 81F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Atlanta, GA (30342) Today Rain likely. High 81F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Marietta, GA (30060) Today Periods of rain. High around 80F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. As Auburn police were investigating a New Hampshire man accused of paying for sex at a motel in town, officers discovered a large fixed blade knife, Glock handgun and loaded magazine attached to the mans waistband. When officers asked the man to produce a license for the gun, he gave police a surprising response. The suspect, identified as Kang Lu of Spofford, New Hampshire, told officers he was not required to have a license to carry a firearm because he could carry one under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, according to Auburn police. Police first notice Lu around 5:30 p.m. Sunday when the gray Toyota Prius he was driving exited a Starbucks parking lot without a working rear license plate light, police wrote in a statement. The Prius then turned left onto Route 12 from a right turn only lane and stopped in a parking lot for an Arbys restaurant, police said. Police started to question Lu, 43, who had a woman in the car with him. Police learned that Lu had just met the woman in the car at a local motel, where Lu paid the woman in exchange for sex, the statement read. An officer asked Lu to step out of the Prius and noticed the large knife attached to his left hip, police said. With safety as a primary concern, officers advised Lu to raise his hands and keep them up until they could handcuff him, the statement read. Mr. Lu did not comply with this order and began reaching to his waist area, where officers located a loaded Glock handgun magazine. Lu was placed in handcuffs. Police searched Lu and found a Glock .9mm handgun stuck in the back of Lus waistband, the statement read. Lu was asked to produce a license for the firearm, but he told officers that he was not required to possess a license for any firearm and could carry one under the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, police said. Lu was charged with possession of a large-capacity firearm without a license, possession of a large-capacity feeding device and engaging in sexual conduct for a fee. Lu is a radiologist in New Hampshire, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Lus residence is listed in court records as Brookline, Massachusetts, the newspaper reported. At his arraignment in Worcester District Court Monday, Lu was ordered held without bail pending a Thursday dangerousness hearing, according to the Telegram. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf. As stores continue to vacate Worcesters Greendale Mall, its clear that retail is not a viable option for the buildings future. So what if the city purchased the property to create a one-stop-shop for all of Worcesters DPW services? Thats the idea City Councilor Sean Rose is bringing to Tuesday nights meeting. If the Greendale Mall is affordable, if its possible to consolidate, it would be a perfect opportunity for us to give residents less headaches, Rose said in a phone interview Monday morning. There are a lot of different things to take a look at to see if its feasible. Rose said the idea was born out of looking at the citys current DPW buildings, which could attract interest for their locations. The department is headquartered on Albany Street, which is right off Shrewsbury Street, an area known as restaurant row for its lineup of popular eateries and bars. Another building is on Meade Street, right next to the empty lots that will become development in two years as a part of the Worcester Red Sox ballpark project. Theres another DPW building on Skyline Drive, by Green Hill Park. But the idea does not come without possible challenges. Rose said it would be imperative that the city learn about any deferred maintenance at the 1987 building and engineers would have to take a look at the areas confusing traffic pattern. Its not clear if the city could afford the mall, which has been assessed at $12,808,800, according to city records. I think that would all be dependent upon what we got for our current properties to see if its affordable, Rose said. However, there have been rumors that the mall could be placed on the market this year. The Greendale Mall was previously owned by Simon Property Group and the malls lender filed for foreclosure in 2016. The mall was sold at auction for $11.8 million to Chicago law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP. KeyPoint Partners manages and leases the mall. A call to KeyPoint on Monday was not immediately returned. Big Lots, one of the malls few remaining anchor stores, is closing. TJ Maxx/Home Goods, Best Buy, DSW, Foot Locker and Bath & Body Works are some of the few stores that remain open. While the proposal would be taking the Greendale Mall off the citys tax roll, it would add the existing DPW buildings. Its in our best interest to consolidate and maybe even look at privatizing, said Rose, adding that he would consider leasing from a developer. The proposal is also about trying to save taxpayers a few bucks and headaches, Rose said. As its set up now, residents may have to go to several locations for DPW services. Employees may also have to split time between the buildings. Lets look at what we own and maybe theres an opportunity for us to move into something better for residents, Rose said. Rose represents the citys District 1, which does not include the Greendale Mall. But, Rose imagines that a single stop for DPW services could have spillover into his district, which includes the West Boylston Street corridor. Imagine if you had all these people who are popping in to get their permits then grab a burger at Wild Willys or go to Wicked Wings, Rose said. Selfishly, Ive always looked at that corridor as a corridor thats been underutilized. Since the idea was placed on the meeting agenda, there has been some excitement and feedback in the way of calls, emails and social media posts, Rose said. Its actually really exciting for me to have and feel and see people be engaged in municipal operations, Rose said, adding that he hopes that kind of can be bottled up for forward-thinking and proactive optimism in the city. In addition to Roses proposal, District 2 City Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson has an item on Tuesdays agenda asking that City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. provide an update to the council on recent developments at the Greendale Mall. A 26-year-old man was stabbed outside a Worcester diner Saturday morning after getting into a fight with other people already at the eatery. Police were called to the Kenmore Diner parking lot on Franklin Street around 2:30 a.m. Saturday for a report of a fight. When police got to the scene, the fight was over, and the crowd was gone. Officers then learned a stabbing victim walked into the emergency room at a nearby hospital. The man had been stabbed once in the stomach. The victim is expected to survive. The preliminary investigation revealed that two males, including the 26-year-old male victim, had gone to the Kenmore Diner, police said. They had a dispute with a group already there, and a fight broke out. During the fight, the victim was stabbed once in the abdomen. Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message or send an anonymous web-based message at worcesterma.gov/police. Calls can also be made to the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at 508-799-8651. Dangerously cold arctic air is heading towards Massachusetts with wind chills expected to drop to well below zero. Following a storm that will bring heavy snow to some parts of the state and a wintery mix to others Tuesday into Wednesday morning, temperatures will feel bone chilling cold Wednesday into Thursday, the National Weather Service said Monday. Wind chills will drop below zero across Massachusetts, with the coldest apparent temperatures likely in Western Massachusetts. It is forecast to feel as cold as -23 degrees in the Berkshires. In the Pioneer Valley, temperatures are likely to feel as cold as -18 degrees in Greenfield, -15 in Springfield. Apparent temperatures around -16 are expected in Fitchburg and Worcester. In the Greater Boston area, the wind chill is likely to see around -9 degrees. It will feel warmest on the Cape and Islands, though still below zero. Exposure to the elements over 30 minutes, there is the risk for frostbite and hypothermia, the National Weather Service said. Please dress in layers and cover exposed skin to prevent frostbite and hypothermia. Also protect your pets and check on the elderly. LONGMEADOW -- Following the resignation of four School Committee members last week, the Select Board and remaining committee members will hold a special meeting Monday to discuss filling the vacancies. With only three active members, the school board doesn't have a quorum and can't move forward with committee business, according to a press release sent by Town Manager Stephen Crane on Sunday. The School Committee / Select Board joint session will be held at 6:30 at Longmeadow High School Room A15. The agenda includes discussion of the immediate needs of the School Committee, along with setting a schedule for filling the vacancies and when residents will be able to apply to fill the vacant terms until the annual town election on June 11. Applicants will be required to attend an interview conducted jointly by the Select Board and remaining School Committee members (Armand Wray, Bronwyn Monahan and Ryan Kelly). Appointments will be made by majority vote of the two boards, according to the release. A total of five School Committee seats will now be on the ballot at the June election: two three-year terms; and three one-year terms. Four members School Committee resigned Wednesday, less than a week after voters approved a Town Meeting amendment allowing for the recall of elected officials. Committee chair Beth Baron and members Kerrin Morrin, Stephanie Jasmin and Melanie Rothstein cited the controversy over their votes against rehiring Superintendent M. Martin O'Shea. In November, the committee voted 4-3 against renewing the superintendent's contract, triggering protests from students, parents, teachers and administrators. Longmeadow Select Board / S... by on Scribd Wynn Resorts has admitted to Nevada gaming regulators that top executives knew of sexual misconduct allegations against its founder and former CEO Steve Wynn -- and failed to report or investigate them. The company, which is building its $2.6 billion Encore Boston Harbor gaming resort in Everett, acknowledged that it had failed to comply with Nevada gaming laws in a new settlement with the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The settlement includes an agreement by Wynn to pay an unspecified fine and a commitment by gaming regulators to not take action against current executives or the companys gaming license. News of the settlement comes as the Massachusetts Gaming Commissions investigation of the company remains in legal limbo. Steve Wynn, who resigned from the company and gave up his ownership stake following an explosive Wall Street Journal report on sexual assault and harassment claims against him, has sued the Gaming Commission to prevent the public release of its investigative report. In a statement, Wynn Resorts described the end of the Nevada investigation as an important remedial step and said that every employee identified by the Nevada Gaming Board as failing to investigate or report the allegations is no longer with the company. We have undergone an extensive self-examination over the last 12 months, intended to reinvigorate and implement meaningful change across all levels of the organization, cultivate a safe, healthy and supportive workplace culture, and build on our core values of respecting our employees, corporate responsibility and citizenship, and service to the community," the statement continues. The Nevada Gaming Control Boards investigation is ending almost exactly one year after the Wall Street Journal published an explosive report on misconduct allegations against Wynn, throwing the future of him and his company into question. The Journal reported that Wynn paid out a $7.5 million settlement after a manicurist at one of his casinos alleged that he pressured her into having sex against her will in 2005. Dozens of other people who worked at Wynns casinos told the Journal of a years-long pattern of sexual advances toward female employees, including exposing himself to and requesting sexual services from massage therapists at his casinos. Wynn denied the allegations, claiming they were instigated by his ex-wife during a bitter divorce settlement dispute. Following an investigation, the Nevada Gaming Control Board filed a complaint alleging that top Wynn executives -- including former President Marc Shore, former Vice President of Operations Doreen Whennen and former Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Arte Nathan -- knew of the manicurists rape allegations and failed to investigate. The investigation also found that former Wynn General Counsel Kimmarie Sinatra had learned of the $7.5 million settlement by January 2012 and knew of the rape allegations by July 2017 at the latest. Massachusetts gaming regulators have said that Wynn did not disclose the settlement during a 2013 investigation of its suitability to hold a gaming license. High-level executives also knew of and failed to investigate a second $975,000 private settlement that Steve Wynn paid out to a cocktail waitress who accused him of pressuring her into a nonconsensual sexual relationship in 2005 and 2006, according to the Nevada Gaming Board complaint. In the settlement, Wynn admitted to nearly all the allegations made by the board, with the exception of three specific allegations of executive knowledge. Wynn Resorts told regulators it has implemented major reforms since Wynn was cut loose from the company he founded, including turning over much of its board, implementing enhanced sexual harassment training and launching programs to promote gender equity in the workplace. In sum, these 25,000 employees, led by CEO Matt Maddox and a reshaped Board of Directors, are the company that stands before the Commission today, and not Steve Wynn, the settlement says. The settlement must still be approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission, who will determine the size of the fine. SPRINGFIELD Police credit a good Samaritan for intervening when a suspected shoplifter at the Save-A-Lot store in Indian Orchard turned violent Sunday. Police were summoned to the Save-A-Lot store at 459 Main St. at about 5:40 p.m., Ryan Walsh, spokesman for the police department, said. A store manager saw the suspect attempting to steal items and confront him, Walsh said. When an adult male customer attempted to stop the suspect, the suspect punched that customer a number of times in the face. Thats when the good Samaritan intervened and took the suspect down to the floor and held him until police arrived on scene, Walsh said. Arriving officers saw package of food inside the suspects jacket. He was arrested after he attempted to run away. Joseph Comstock, 27, of 1225 Allen St., was charged with shoplifting by concealment, assault and battery and resisting arrest. Comstock also had a felony arrest warrant out of Westfield District Court for annoying calls/electronic communications, threat to commit a crime, stalking and other charges. He also had fugitive from justice warrant out of Vermont for grand larceny, counterfeiting, uttering and identity theft. As federal workers return to the office after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, said Monday that she is not confident at all that there will not be another shutdown in three weeks. Warren, who is considering a 2020 presidential run, said she is open to talking about a range of ways to ensure that does not happen, from passing an automatic continuing resolution, a temporary budget to keep government agencies funded, to not paying members of Congress during a shutdown. Federal workers are not pawns in a political game, Warren told reporters, speaking at the JFK Federal Building in Boston after meeting with a group of 15 to 20 workers from federal environmental, housing and tax agencies. They should be able to do their jobs, and they should get paid for doing their jobs. President Donald Trump and congressional leaders reached a deal Friday to allow government to reopen for three weeks as they debate border security and whether to fund Trumps proposed wall along the border with Mexico. The federal government was shut down for 35 days. Workers will now receive back pay. A report released by the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the government cost the U.S. economy $3 billion as furloughed workers reduced their spending. Warren said the workers she spoke to experienced financial stress, trying to figure out how to pay rent and other expenses. She noted that even if federal workers get back pay, government contractors and people who provide services to federal workers, such as restaurant owners, will not get paid. Warren said policy differences should be worked out without shutting down government. She pointed to an immigration bill negotiated in 2013 as an example of a negotiated solution to an immigration dispute although that bill, which included a path to citizenship for immigrants without legal status, never made it into law. This is imposing pain on people to no good end, Warren said. Warren spoke alongside Steven Calder, local president of AFGE Local 3428, a government employees union. Calder works at the Environmental Protection Agency and was furloughed during the shutdown. Calder said while on furlough, workers did not know when they would be called back to work, and they had no source of income. While Calder took out a no-interest loan from a federal credit union, he noted that not all employees can do that. Calder said he has no vested interest in the wall, but only wants to make sure federal employees remain at work. Its no vacation. Believe me, Calder said. Returning to work, he said, some employees are angry, others are happy to be back. Some older employees, like him, are thinking about retiring. People like me, at the end of their career, a lot are saying I want to get the hell out of the federal government, Calder said. Reports out of Hartford are that a Holyoke man was arrested outside a nightclub after he brandished a firearm during a alcohol-fueled disturbance. The Hartford Courant is reporting police arrested and charged Nathaniel Rodriguez of Sargeant Street with a variety of charges including carrying a firearm while under the influence of alcohol, criminal possession of a firearm, theft of a firearm and reckless endangerment. He was arrested during a disturbance at 2 a.m. at Club Vanish on Meadow Street. Rodriguez was spotted by police waving a firearm within a group of people during a verbal altercation. Police told the Courant that the gun had previously been reported stolen and that Rodriguez has prior felony convictions in Massachusetts. Note: This is the third in a series of five stories about wineries in Provence, France visited by the author. A Week in Provence, Part 1 (Two wineries in La Motte, France) A Week in Provence, Part 2 (Three wineries on Cote d'Azur, France) HYERES, France - I'm still reeling from the day before in Saint Tropez when we leave this small, seaside village early in the morning. Many of the wines we tasted the day before were as stunning as the setting for Domaines Ott, the seaside winery where we finished our day of wine tasting the day before. Now, we're driving away from the coastline to the first of three wineries today. On the short, 30-minute drive along a winding, two-lane road to Chateau De L'Aumerade, the scenery quickly becomes more wide open. Less houses and buildings. More fields, trees and gentle rolling hills in the distance. I'm sure this picturesque road must be crowded in the summertime. But on a Wednesday morning in early October, we have it practically to ourselves. Later in the day, after visiting three wineries, we spend the night in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, an absolutely charming village where we stay in a former, 13th-century convent converted into a hotel. Some of the people I'm traveling with find the hotel eerie and the long hallways reminiscent of the ones in the movie, "The Shinning." I find the hotel absolutely magical. The same goes for the nearby Basilica in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, where Mary Magdalene is supposedly buried. I'm not an especially religious person, but walking through the awe-inspiring, 13th-century, stone basilica and narrow, winding streets of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume alone that night, I am absolutely spellbound by this charming village which I still fondly think about from time to time months later. Chateau De L'Aumerade (Pierrefeu-Du-Var, France) Recommended Wines 2017 Fabre En Provence Rose - Light, bright, subtle rose wine with a crisp minerality reminiscent of a Burgundy Chablis wine. Flavors and aromas (mountain laurel) linger after each taste. 2017 Chateau Saint-Honore La Londe Les Maures Rose - Similar to the wine described above but even lighter and more Sauvignon Blanc like in flavor and finish. Very easy drinking dry, rose wine. 2017 Chateau de L'Aumerade Cru Classe Pierrefeu De Var Marie Christine Rose - My favorite wine of the tasting, this stunning, subtle, complex wine has a peach and melon-like flavor with a hint of sea salt. Bright, clear, full finish. A tree-lined, gravel driveway leads from the main road to this intimate, family-owned winery. Parts of the landscape around this 740-acre winery feel more desert-like than the coastal wineries we visited the day before, which illustrates just how different the landscape can be from one winery to the next in Provence. The family-owned winery has a long, storied tradition. People have been making wine here since the late 1500s, when the wines here were made for the King of France, who fell in love with this area and its beautiful, aromatic wines. Our morning at Chateau De L'Aumerade begins with a brief tour of the winery's cellars and grounds followed by a tasting in the winery's modern tasting room. Overall, I'm impressed by the quality of the winery's light, crisp, earthy wines. I also enjoy walking around the beautifully manicured grounds surrounding the winery. Domaine de Saint Andrieu (Correns, France) Recommended Wines 2017 Domaine Saint Andrieu Cotes De Provence White - Subtle, earthy, white wine with hints of butter, salt and a hint of spice. Pleasant, polite wine that's a joy to be around. 2017 Domaine Saint Andrieu AOP Cotes De Provence Rose - Light, breezy, fragrant aromas make this rose wine stand out. Slight hint of salt but no butter-like flavors. 2017 Domaine Saint Andrieu AOP Coteaux Varois Provence Rose - More robust, meatier rose wine with a slightly salty and spicy finish. Wine evolves throughout the meal. Great conversational wine. Has a lot to say. 2016 Domaine Saint Andrieu Lily Rose - My favorite rose of the tasting, this meaty wine aged in oak barrels shows what a skilled winemaker can do with wonderful, ripe grapes. Graceful, refined with hints of chestnuts and fog. A terrific winter rose! 2014 Domaine Saint Andrieu Coteaux Varois Provence Red - My favorite wine of the tasting, this velvety-smooth red wine has a soft, raspberry-like finish with beautiful, round notes. Not a single edge to this well-balanced red wine. Love it! Some places linger in our minds, like a haunting melody or the parting glance of a beautiful woman on the other side of a crowded room. Months later, I still dream about the long, leisurely lunch our group has with Gregory Guibergia, the head winemaker at this magical hilltop winery nestled in the middle of nowhere. To get to the winery, we drive for what seems like 20 minutes up a long, winding, gravel road. On the way back, we see a heard of goats alongside the road, the same goats which produced the milk used to make some of the magnificent cheese we have at lunch with the wines. No wonder Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie bought Chateau Miraval, a nearby winery in Correns where the band Pink Floyd recorded the album, "The Wall," in the 1970s. Time seems to stand still here. Same goes for the owners of Chateau Talbot, who bought Domaine de Saint Andrieu and brought their timeless, wine-making expertise from Bordeaux to Provence. No wonder they decided to buy this winery located in a small village where retired men idle away the afternoons playing petanque, the French name for the ball-tossing game similar to bocce. But I don't know any of these details just yet as I'm sitting here at lunch tasting wines with Gregory beneath the shade of Plane trees planted near the main house at this hilltop winery. We're simply talking about his straightforward approach for making outstanding wines, cured meats and home-made cheeses. Sitting there eating lunch and tasting one great wine after another, part of me is also wondering if there's any way that I can possibly ditch my day job and spend the rest of my life here making cheese and wine and idling away my spare time lounging in the shade of these trees planted near the main house at this remote winery nestled near the top of a hill. Chateau La Calisse (Ponteves, France) Recommended Wines 2017 Chateau La Calisse Cuvee Patricia Ortelli Rose - Subtle, soft rose wine with hints of melon, strawberry and other soft fruit flavors. 2016 Chateau La Calisse Cuvee Etoiles White - Toasty white wine with chestnut flavors and a hint of grapefruit. Light, elegant and refined. 2013 Chateau La Calisse Cuvee Etoiles Red - My favorite wine of the tasting, this beautiful, soft red wine really opens up nicely very quickly. Hints of black currant and raspberries, this vibrant red wine will get even better in 3 to 5 years. I'll be honest. I am still enraptured by Domaine Saint Andrieu as we pull into Chateau La Calisse an hour or so later. But I'm quickly seduced by the charms of this beautiful, remote winery. This 24-acre winery looks like a postcard picture of a perfect, Provence winery. Large, stone chateau. Fields of lavender to one side. Gentle, rolling hills in the distance. And we as walk around the winery's vineyards and taste six different wines, I'm thoroughly impressed by the quality and delicacy of their subtle, understated wines. The organically-certified winery prepares its soils using traditional methods - claws, ploughing, no chemical weed killer or fertilizers. The grapes are harvested by hand. All of it is very impressive. And yet, I have hard time concentrating on all of this. In my mind, I'm still having lunch at the large, harvest table high up in the hills at Domaine Saint Andrieu. Already, I'm feeling nostalgic about something that just happened a few hours ago. Provence has a way of doing that - seducing you with its charms one minute, nostalgic the next one. Cheers! Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican's weekend section every Thursday. Follow Ken Ross on Twitter and Instagram. The fun at Sunday nights 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards isnt just about honoring the best in movies and TV. Even if you dont know a Star from a Bohemian, you can help ponder the nights unique fashion choices. Fans and professional critics alike will weigh in on the best and worst in attire among the celebrities arriving on the red carpe t at the Shine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles, where the two-hour awards show is being televised live at 8 p.m. Eastern on TNT and TBS. Check back here for the latest photos and other fashion updates from the red carpet. Can you believe Megan Mullallys look was purchased ONLINE! We cant even order the correct shoe size. #SAGawards pic.twitter.com/DWnjlpGRIx Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) January 27, 2019 The SAG nominees for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture are A Star is Born," Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody and Crazy Rich Asians. Up for best ensemble in TV comedy are Atlanta, ''Barry," ''GLOW," ''The Kominsky Method" and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The drama series ensemble nominees are: The Americans, Better Call Saul," ''The Handmaids Tale," ''Ozark" and This Is Us. This years SAG Awards host is actress Megan Mullally. Actor Alan Alda will receive SAGs Life Achievement Award, which will be presented by his Bridge of Spies co-star Tom Hanks. Somewhere down in New Orleans I picture a fan driving up to Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps house John Cusack style in Say Anything, and standing outside his window with a boombox over his head. Instead of playing Peter Gabriels In Your Eyes, though, the song should be Guns N Roses Patience. Said woman take it slow, and it'll work itself out fine,All we need is just a little patience.Said sugar make it slow and we'll come together fine,All we need is just a little patience. The Woj bomb dropped this morning by ESPNs Adrian Wojnarowski has sent fans scampering to the Trade Machine to dream up ways to get Anthony Davis out of New Orleans and onto their favorite teams. The timing of the news is particularly problematic for the Boston Celtics because a quirk in the Collective Bargaining Agreement prevents them from trading for Davis while Kyrie Irving is on his current contract. The outside view is that Rich Paul, Davis agent and oh by the way close friend of LeBron James, did this to give the Lakers a Seinfeldian head start in trade talks with the Pelicans. However, its important to note that teams talk all the time. Front offices are in constant contact with one another and continuously discussing players they value on each others teams. Its not as if Magic Johnson or Danny Ainge are pulling a Frank Drebin saying we're sorry to bother you at a time like this, Mr. Demps. We would have come earlier, but your future wasn't dead then. All of them, or at the very least representatives of the team, have undoubtedly had many conversations about which players are of interest to New Orleans. The big question now is whether Pauls public pressure campaign is enough to force the Pelicans into a quick deal at the deadline. There is certainly a scenario in which New Orleans decides to move quickly and avoid months of negative attention. Keeping Davis beyond the trade deadline not only invites media hoards into the bayou to pick the franchise apart, it prolongs the pain of a fanbase already stinging from the New Orleans Saints loss. The team may want to sell fans on a future as soon as humanly possible just as a way to keep the few they have left. However, the Pelicans can make this bad situation infinitely worse by accepting a bad deal for the sake of trying to pry pitchforks and torches from the masses. The Pelicans are losing a generational talent in Davis. Theres really no way to sugar coat how bad that is. However, just like forests can regenerate themselves after a fire, the Pelicans can rebuild their franchise if they take their time in finding the right trade partner. The only positive that can come out of this for New Orleans is them maximizing the return for their unibrowed star, and they can only do that by waiting until this summer. Its especially important to note that Davis is still under contract for next season, so the Pelicans are not under any move him or lose him pressure. The trade deadline isnt their last chance to make a deal, so they dont lose anything by waiting. The only pressure in this situation is whatever the Pelicans may feel from the actual timing of the trade request. The Boston Celtics have a very good package to offer the New Orleans Pelicans. Depending on how much they decide to include, some say they have the best possible package. However the Pelicans view Bostons assets, they need to be sure all potential bidders have the ability to make their offers and counter-offers. Even if the Pelicans covet another teams assets more than Bostons, they need the leverage of a Boston offer to get the most out of another team. Eliminating that leverage is simply poor negotiating. Beyond that, the Pelicans have the advantage of waiting to see how the draft lottery pans out. The wildcard of trading for picks is suddenly eliminated for New Orleans. If they wait, theyll know who gets the number one overall pick in this draft, which would give that team a significant chip to toss into the pot. Unlike Danny Ainge when he made his trades, the Pelicans will know how Sacramento finishes and where their pick stands. Theyll know if Memphis was able to find suitors for Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. Waiting to find out where both those picks land could significantly impact the value of Bostons picks. Waiting to deal with the Davis situation also gives the Pelicans time to adjust their own plans for the deadline. The general feeling around the league has been the Pelicans would be buyers at the deadline in an attempt to keep Davis around. Now that they know Davis wants out, they can decide whether to switch gears and become sellers and see what they can acquire for valuable players like Jrue Holiday and Nikola Mirotic. Its entirely possible that what New Orleans wants in return for Davis shifts based on what they get back for these other players. A great offer at the deadline could be less attractive over the summer based on what other moves the Pelicans make. The Pelicans have a monster task ahead of them. If they get this right, they can acquire some good, young talent and a bevy of draft picks that can be sold to their fans as a fairly quick rebuild (at least as far as rebuilds go). They can add both solid players and potential future stars in this deal if they follow the right steps. Do it wrong, though, and it will turn into a disaster. There is no question about that. We dont know if Ainge will be able to get one more prize out of this, but we do know that he set the example for how to flip stars and assets and build a contender. A similar path sits in front of Demps, who can turn one of the best players ever to hit the trade market into one of the best hauls a team has ever seen. He just has to choose wisely, and exercise patience. Despite Anthony Davis' trade request this morning, the New Orleans Pelicans dont feel pressure to deal him before the deadline, according to ESPNs Adrian Wojnarowski -- news that will be well received by the Boston Celtics front office. When Davis requested a trade 11 days before the deadline, the Celtics were placed in an uncomfortable position. They cant trade for Davis while Kyrie Irving is on his current rookie extension due to the Rose Rule (unless they trade Irving, which isnt happening), and they wont be able to sign Irving to a new deal until July 1. But if the Pelicans dont feel pressured to make a deal until the summer, the Celtics can get back in the mix with their collection of valuable young assets, which include Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and plenty of valuable picks. That benefits both franchises -- the Pelicans can choose between the Celtics' package and anything Bostons package might shake loose. The Celtics, of course, can have a chance to acquire Anthony Davis. Plenty of other teams will certainly inquire about Davis between Monday and the trade deadline on Feb. 7. The Philadelphia 76ers can put together an intriguing package, and the Los Angeles Lakers will probably put everything they have into an offer. But those deals will likely still be on the table this summer, and Boston likely has the potential to top any of those deals in a truly open market. The next 11 days will be wild. PITTSFIELD -- Franklyn D. Reynolds has been named to lead Berkshire Gas as its 11th president since the company's founding in 1853. Reynolds, who is also Vice President of Gas Integration for Avangrid Networks, will replace Karen Zink, who is retiring after 37 years with the Pittsfield-based natural gas utility. "Berkshire Gas is a small company with a big track record of success, which I hope to build upon," said Reynolds in a release. "I also look forward to getting involved with the communities that we serve and meeting the challenges ahead in a positive and proactive way." Reynolds holds an MBA from the University of New Haven and a bachelor's in industrial technology from Central Connecticut State University. He served 20 years with the Army National Guard, retiring as a major. Berkshire Gas is a subsidiary of the publicly-traded Avangrid, Inc. The utility provides natural gas service to 40,000 customers in 20 western Massachusetts communities. Reynolds began his career 25 years ago at Connecticut Natural Gas and Southern Connecticut Gas, where he worked in operations and management, and assisted the CEO as the companies merged with Energy East. He was subsequently named to executive positions at Avangrid Networks and Iberdrola USA. "Frank is a proven leader with broad experience in the utility industry," said Anthony Marone, president and CEO of Avangrid Networks in Massachusetts and Connecticut. "He brings a strong record to in operations and management, with a customer focus, to Berkshire Gas and the communities that we serve, as we continue to provide critical energy services in the western Massachusetts market." The news comes as Berkshire Gas continues its longstanding moratorium on new service in its Eastern Division. The company has cited pipeline constraints as the source of the problem. Zink on Nov. 16 sent a letter to customers saying the moratorium will "continue indefinitely due to the limitations on the capacity of the delivery system." The letter said investments to lift the moratorium would "drive our natural gas service rates well beyond those of competing fuels." Berkshire Gas in late 2014 imposed a service moratorium in Greenfield, Montague, Deerfield, Sunderland, and Whately, and extended it to Amherst, Hadley, and Hatfield the following March. Berkshire Gas currently seeks approval from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities for its latest five-year capacity and supply plan, a document which outlines how it plans to meet customer demand. A missing East Bridgewater woman has been found authorities said Sunday afternoon. Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz made the announcement on Twitter.A missing East Bridgewater woman has been found authorities said Sunday afternoon. Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz made the announcement on Twitter. Christine Silva was reported missing at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday after she left a Plymouth Street, East Bridgewater residence. Police were asked to check up on her, but were unable to find her at that time. Federal prosecutors said the investigation into Massachusetts State Police Trooper Daren DeJong, who pleaded guilty to an embezzlement charge Monday, was restricted to his conduct in 2016. DeJong, 57 of Uxbridge, retired in March as the overtime abuse scandal began to unfold. He pleaded guilty to an embezzlement charge related to hours he said he worked in 2016, but did not. DeJong is the sixth trooper to plead guilty to federal charges related to the scandal. His conduct before Jan. 1, 2016 was not considered in the plea deal DeJong agreed to in December, prosecutors said in a Boston federal court Monday. During the hearing Monday, federal Judge Mark Wolf asked that prosecutors lay out what would have been the governments case against DeJong had it gone to trial. Mark J. Grady, a prosecutor with U.S. Attorney Andrew Lellings office, said DeJong falsified internal Massachusetts State Police paperwork and claimed to work hours he did not. He said DeJong falsified citation dates and times to make it appear as though he was working. DeJong claimed nearly $64,000 in overtime pay in 2016 -- $14,062 of which was for unworked hours, authorities said. Grady pointed to two specific cases involving DeJong. On Jan. 24, 2016 Grady said DeJong was assigned to work a regular eight hour shift from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but also signed up for a four hour overtime shift working Accident Injury Reduction Effort patrols, known as AIRE, on the Massachusetts Turnpike and Metropolitan Tunnel systems. DeJong submitted an AIRE shift activity card that showed he had issued eight motor vehicle citations during the overtime shift. The governments investigation revealed that six of those citations were issued during DeJongs regular shift and two were issued during the overtime shift. However, DeJongs cruiser was turned off at 2:55 p.m. that day, before two of the citations had been allegedly issued. Grady said DeJong ran driver history checks on two people he claimed to have ticketed more than an hour before the citations were supposedly issued. On Aug. 29, 2016 DeJong has a regularly scheduled day off, but claimed to have worked an AIRE shift from 7:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. DeJong claimed he issued 10 citations during that time, Grady said. DeJongs cruiser had been turned off on August 26 and not turned back on until August 30 when he returned to work, Grady said. [The defendant] ran drivers history on all individuals on August 31, two days later, Grady said. It is the governments position that he created the citations on August 31 and backdated them to make it appear as though he worked the overtime. Asked if he agreed with this summary, DeJong said: I do agree with the facts your honor. Wolf then asked Grady if the government had reason to believe the scandal began in January 2016, or if there was evidence that showed it started earlier. Grady noted that of the eight troopers facing federal charges related to the scandal there was evidence of so-called ghost tickets and overtime abuse dating back to January 2015, with one instance documented in August 2015. As to whether DeJong may have participated in fraud earlier than Jan. 1, 2016, Grady did not say. This investigation has been one of incredible public significance and culpability, Grady said, noting that checking the daily schedules and activities of the troopers involved has been incredibly time consuming. The government in essence offered to the defendant, proposed to the defendant that it would base its charge on what its investigation had revealed at the time [the plea agreement] was reached, Grady said. Wolf asked that Grady provide any information about alleged misconduct before 2016 in a sentencing memo. He asked the same Brad Bailey, who is representing DeJong. Both the memos must be submitted ahead of the scheduled May 1 sentencing date, Wolf said. Here we have a law enforcement official whose admitted to violating the law and defrauding the government for over a year, Wolf said. I want to see in the probation report whatever information you have as to when the scheme started. Wolf said he could not impose an appropriate sentence without knowing the full extent of DeJongs misconduct. Grady said the U.S. Attorneys office has reviewed information from 2016 and 2015, but has not been able to access earlier records. Grady declined to elaborate when asked about the 2014 records following the hearing. He told MassLive to rely on his comments to the judge. The investigation is still far from over, Grady said. Former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Daren DeJong pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he signed up for and received overtime pay without showing up for work. DeJong, 57 of Uxbridge, is the sixth trooper caught up in the overtime scandal to enter a guilty plea to federal charges. He pleaded guilty to a charge of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds in a Boston federal court Monday. The government is expected to recommend the trooper serve six months to one year in prison, according to a plea agreement filed in December. DeJong claimed nearly $64,000 in overtime pay in 2016 -- $14,062 of which was for unworked hours, authorities said. DeJong declined to comment inside the courtroom. Brad Bailey, who is representing DeJong, said he will speak on behalf of his client at a scheduled May 1 sentencing hearing. Today is the first step toward sentencing, Bailey said outside the courtroom. My client accepted responsibility and has now moved the process into what the appropriate sentence is. Out of the 46 troopers placed under investigation for the alleged fraud, 10 have been charged. At the federal level, US Attorney Andrew Lelling is investigating the abuse, while Attorney General Maura Healey is leveling charges at the state level. Gregory Raftery, a 47-year-old retired trooper from Westwood, pleaded guilty to a federal embezzlement charge in July. In September Kevin Sweeny of Braintree pleaded guilty to embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds and one count of wire fraud. Gary Herman of Chester, a suspended Massachusetts State Police trooper, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement on Oct. 11. Also in October, US Attorney Andrew Lellings office announced that Eric Chin, a 46-year-old Hanover resident, and Paul Cesan, a 50-year-old Southwick man, both agreed to plead guilty to one count of embezzlement. Chin is a suspended trooper, while Cesan retired amid the scandal. Lt. David Wilson, a former state police trooper, has also agreed to plead guilty. His hearing is set for Tuesday afternoon. Wilson is one of three former Massachusetts State Police lieutenants facing state charges in connection with the overtime scandal. Wilson, 68-year-old John Giulino of Lanesborough and 52-year-old David Keefe of Norfolk are all charged with larceny over $250 by single scheme, procurement fraud and violation of public employee standards of conduct involving a false or fraudulent claim. Photographers who use photo management and editing apps have been caught in a changing market. Users of Apples Aperture had to deal with the demise of the app. Then theres Adobe Lightroom, which used to be sold with a perpetual software license, but then Adobe changed it to a subscription-based model. If youre a photographer seeking a powerful, traditionally licensed package, Skylum Softwares Luminar may be what you need. The new Luminar 3also known as Luminar 3 with Librariesoffers a superlative, easy-to-use image editing app twith photo management capabilities. Jackie Dove Luminars expansive photo wall gives a scenic overview of your collection. Libraries Luminar 3 debuts a new digital asset management feature called Libraries, which allows the app to compete with Lightroom functionality both in editing and photo management. It syncs with folders and subfolders and tracks all photo edits in a catalog, so you never have to move your photos out of their current location on internal and external hard drives, cloud storage, or card readers. If you change the name of a folder on your hard drive, or create a subfolder within the apps image folder, the app will immediately record and sync the change on both ends. If you have a disorganized folder on your drive containing several shoots on a single card, for example, you can use Luminar to organize and sync them. Photos are arranged by date, but you can also create collections or search by star rating, color labeling, favorites, and virtual albums, though it would be nice if the thumbnail library also revealed file names. Luminars library offers additional quick ways to find photos, like Recently Edited, Recently Added and Quick Edits. You can create virtual albums on the fly, but there is no smart album feature. The Info tab contains only the bare bones camera metadata: the app does not yet support keywords, geotags, captions, or IPTC data. Artificial intelligence features Artificial intelligence has become a buzzword in the photographic world where software compensates for the deficiencies of smartphone cameras and operator error. Skylums two new AI features, Accent AI Filter and AI Sky Enhancer, tackle the most frequent shooting issues. Jackie Dove Accent AI Filter and AI Sky Enhancer are all you may need to punch up your photo. The slider-based AI Filter lets you dynamically improve your image even when youre not sure what the problem is, or there are too many issues to individually correct. The Sky Enhancer offers an automated way to bring out more sky detail, often an issue for photographs. While the AI features are cool and useful, I found myself using them less often than I thoughtat least not as a single mode of correction. More advanced photographers may find AI filters provide a good starting point to layer in additional edits. Jackie Dove You can use the AI intelligent filters as a starting point for more targeted editing. Photo editing Luminar 3 presents you with a wall of photos so you can view whole portions of your library at a glance, complete with adjustable thumbnail views. As with previous versions, Luminar 3 is completely non-destructive, with each edit recorded in the catalog. You can go back into the history panel to revert to a previous edit or to the original photo. Jackie Dove The History panel records all edits for your image and allows you to revert to a previous state or remove all edits. The app includes eight built-in workspaces that govern which editing tools are automatically available. The Quick & Awesome workspace has only four settings, including the two AI tools. But using the AI tools doesnt prevent you from piling on additional edits via the Add Filter button, which lets you access dozens of built-in professional, utilitarian, artistic and creative filters from which you can create your own customized workspace. Jackie Dove Even after you apply edits or Looks, you can still tweak photos with filters. Luminar provides an extensive library of Looks, one-click presets that fix or enhance your images. The program comes with seven built-in Looks categories such as Essential, Street, Landscape, and more. Each is equipped with a slider that lets you adjust the intensity. Additional Looks collections, as well as additional LUTs (lookup tables), Overlays, Workspaces, and Textures are available from the Luminar website. Some are free and others range in price up to $29. Jackie Dove Luminar ships with preset Looks in various categories that apply one-click fixes and enhancements to your photos. Its quick and easy to batch process with Luminars Sync Adjustment feature. With it you can edit one photo, and when youre happy with it, you can select others and use the command to apply the same edits or Looks. Jackie Dove They Sync Adjustments feature lets you apply a combination of edits to a single photo and then apply that same formula to other photos. Performance Even on older Macs, adding photo folders to the catalog was swift, with the resulting thumbnail previews showing up almost instantaneously. Single images, edits, and Looks take a fraction of a second to come into focus, which can get irritating if youre sorting through many images. The more serious performance issues came from processes like the Erase toolfor content aware object removalwhich took longer than was comfortable most of the time. While it crunched on the image, there was no progress bar or any indication of how long the operation would take. Jackie Dove Organize and search photos according to various criteria. Luminar does not support video at all. While I do not expect a full-blown video editor, most photo apps can at least import and play video files. Bottom line Luminar 3 is an outstanding prosumer editing alternative for people seeking abundant automation and creative options for a wide range of photos. Despite its many professional features, Luminar is easy to learn and use and lets you create stunning photos. Luminars new asset management system is rudimentary, so if you need more than the basics, you may want to continue using your current utility to track keywords, geotags, and IPTC data. However, development is ongoing, with a published roadmap that acknowledges needed features and outlines company plans to release them as free updates throughout the year. China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has recently started providing global services. However, few people in the country have ever heard of Zhao Yuanfu, the man behind homegrown aerospace integrated circuits. Earlier this month, Zhao won the State Technological Invention Award, China's top science honor, for his contributions in made-in-China aerospace integrated circuits, among other achievements. By the end of 2018, 33 BDS satellites have been operating in orbit, while another 12 will be launched in the next two years. China has been building the system since the 1990s, at first using imported parts. Top scientists like Zhao have since then been working on developing China's own aerospace technology. Zhao, 56, who heads the Beijing Microelectronics Research Institute of the China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology, has led his team for years to make the first made-in-China radiation-hardening integrated circuits. In July 2015, BDS launched two new-generation satellites, the first one equipped with aerospace circuits designed and made in China. To cope with radiation in the space, the integrated circuits require extra protection against cosmic rays to work longer and more stably. Zhao has made the radiation-hardening technique part of the design rather than part of the manufacturing process as previously done. This has gained him countless state and regional science awards, 56 patents and more than 230 products. They are not only used widely in China's own Beidou satellites and space stations, but also exported to Russia, France, Germany and Switzerland, among other countries. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28) The government is undertaking a 42 billion rehabilitation of the iconic Manila Bay in the hopes to turn parts of its dark, murky waters into a swimmable beach by this year. But exactly how filthy is the iconic bay? Manila Bay rehabilitation kicked off on Sunday with gov't officials joining the cleanup drive. Some establishments are being shut down for allegedly violating environmental laws https://t.co/3o3t4ddCvl pic.twitter.com/xsoywWjWfU CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) January 28, 2019 Environment Undersecretary Sherwin Rigor told CNN Philippines' The Source that in some areas, levels of fecal coliform, a group of bacteria which may cause illness in humans, in Manila Bay reach nearly 2 billion most probable number (MPN) for every 100 milliliters (ml), when the safe level is below 200 MPN/100 ml. Rigor said coliform levels in waters at the Libertad Channel near the reclaimed land where SM Mall of Asia stands clock in at 1 billion MPN/100 ml, while coliform levels near the Port Area is at 1.1 billion MPN/100 ml. Near the Manila Yacht Club, coliform levels reach 1.4 billion MPN/100 ml, while coliform levels in Vitas in Navotas City is at 1.99 billion MPN/100 ml. On average, fecal coliform levels in Manila Bay each 330 million MPN/100 ml, Rigor said. "So lahat 'yan [everyone] the informal settlers, the industries, the establishments, the residential and of course, 'yung ating [our] daily population. Everybody has [a] part dito sa [here in this] pollution loading na 'yan," he said. Just last Sunday, the day when the government kicked off the Manila Bay's rehabilitation, the Metro Manila Development Authority collected 45 truckloads of garbage from the bay. Rigor said a truck can carry five to 10 tons at a time. Even with this much trash floating around Manila Bay, the government would only be spending 6 billion in the next three years to clean it up. Rigor said most of the funding or 36 billion would go to the relocation of some 233,000 informal settler families around the bay in the next 10 years. Government agencies are also training their sights on closing down even more establishments found to violate proper solid waste disposal guidelines, having already closed water facilities of events venue One Esplanade, and restaurants Aristocrat and Gloria Maris. They are also eyeing "coercive actions" against subdivisions that refuse to install wastewater treatment facilities, but Rigor did not say anything further about these actions. Meanwhile, the government will start cleaning up the Manila Bay from "Ground Zero" or the area near the Yacht Club and the U.S. Embassy and will move inward, as opposed to starting upstream, which Rigor said is a "geographical challenge." Simultaneous cleanup efforts will also be happening at the "main effort" or in Metro Manila and the "secondary effort" in Cavite, Bataan, Pampanga and Bulacan provinces, where half of the government's funds for the rehabilitation will be spent. The government eyes Manila Bay to have swimmable beaches by this year and have it cleaned-up and rehabilitated by the end of President Rodrigo Duterte's term but is it possible? "'Yun din 'yung sinabi nung Boracay eh. Kaya ba namin? Nakita namin, and we took the challenge and we triumphed it," Rigor said. "And we saw Boracay was too small for us." Manila Bay will be the fourth place to be rehabilitated by the government under the Duterte administration. Its cleanup follows Boracay, which was closed for six months and affected thousands of workers and hundreds of establishments, Panglao Island in Bohol, and in El Nido, Palawan. JERUSALEM Rena Quint, who survived the Holocaust as a child, spent much of this week leading up to International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jan. 27) speaking to groups about her traumatic early years and the rewarding life she has led since. With a winter weather advisory expected to bring heavy snowfall Monday, most Macomb County school districts have opted to preemptively call of featured Macomb County Tech ed students, business partners to be honored at MISD Tech ed students, business partners to be honored at Macomb ISD CLINTON TWP. Township teams up with state, county to re-do Garfield Clinton Township teams up with the state, county to redo Garfield Power is out for more than one hundred homes and businesses late this morning. Ensure you get a print copy of the Loudoun Times-Mirror delivered weekly to your home or business! Complete online access is included with all print subscriptions purchased online. Plus, up to four other members of your household can share online access through this subscription with their own, individual linked accounts at no additional charge. (Are you a current advertiser? Ask your sales rep for our special advertiser rate code!) Local News, Business & Finance, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: January 28 2019 The Zombie Remediation and Prevention Initiative Began in 2016 to Reverse the Proliferation of Vacant and Abandoned Properties and Help Families Avoid Foreclosure. Syracuse, NY - January 28, 2019 - Attorney General Letitia James today announced Zombies 2.0, the expansion of a grant initiative to address the growing statewide issue of zombie homes-- vacant and abandoned homes that are not maintained during a prolonged foreclosure proceeding. Zombies 2.0 will provide up to $9 million in grants to municipalities across the state to address housing vacancy and blight. The grants will provide funds to municipalities to increase housing code enforcement, track and monitor vacant properties, and bolster legal enforcement capacity to ensure banks and mortgage companies comply with local and state law. Far too many communities throughout New York continue to be blighted by zombie homes, said Attorney General Letitia James. These abandoned houses significantly decrease property values and threaten the safety of surrounding neighborhoods. Zombies 2.0 will be a key resource for cities and town across the state to combat this nuisance, and make communities whole. These grants are a continuation of the 2016 Zombie Remediation and Prevention Initiative created by the Office of the New York Attorney General, which provided nearly $13 million in grants to 76 New York municipalities. This years grant will allow previous recipients to continue their previous work, or will give first-time grantees the opportunity to secure funding to support their zombie and vacant property efforts. Through the grants provided by the Zombie Remediation and Prevention Initiative, municipalities: Improved data collection and analysis to track vacant and abandoned properties; Invested in new technology to better collect and analyze data to address the collective impact of vacant properties on neighborhoods; Created Zombie Coordinators and Taskforces to coordinate code enforcement activities and resources; Boosted capacity of code enforcement and legal departments to enforce relevant laws to hold lienholders accountable or seek remedies to improve housing quality; and, Connected at-risk homeowners to foreclosure prevention resources. The Zombies 2.0 funding is a result of the Office of the New York Attorney Generals $500 Million Settlement with the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2018 over the banks deceptive practices and misrepresentations to investors in connection with the packaging, marketing, sale, and issuance of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) leading up to the financial crisis. The settlement marks a total of $22 Million investments in zombie grants funded by settlements from banks. Zombie properties leave an undue burden on the communities that surround them, said Assemblymember Pamela Hunter. Neglected properties that fall into disrepair because of absentee banks attract crime and lower the property values of surrounding homes. The program announced today will give municipalities and homeowners the resources they need to mitigate blight and put communities back on track. I thank Attorney General James for continuing to help our municipalities battle the scourge of zombie properties, said Assemblymember Bill Magnarelli. Even though it has been a decade since the mortgage foreclosure crisis, our Upstate municipalities continue to deal with abandoned and blighted properties that damage neighborhoods. These new funds made available by the Attorney General will allow our cities, towns and villages to take action on these properties and return them to productive use. Communities all across New York State are affected by abandoned homes and zombie properties, said Cortland Mayor Brian Tobin. I thank the Attorney Generals Office for their support as we continue to move forward we need to be aggressive in bringing properties that are not in compliance so that they are no longer a drain in their communities. Municipalities all over the state are reducing their number of vacant homes, energizing their local economies and improving their long-term quality of life, said Helene Caloir, director of LISCs New York Stabilization Fund, which also administered the states first round of zombie grants. "One vacant house gets spruced up and soon there are prospective purchasers; surrounding neighbors start investing more in their homes as nearby properties improve; and the entire community is lifted. House by house, block by block, neighborhoods are on the upswing. Enterprise is pleased to provide resources to continue the successful work LISC and the OAG have undertaken to address "zombie" properties in communities throughout New York State, said Judi Kende, vice president and New York market leader, Enterprise Community Partners. Empowering municipal leaders to alleviate blight will create economic opportunity and turn vacant and abandoned properties into valuable assets for communities still recovering from the foreclosure crisis. The Zombie Remediation and Prevention Initiative coincided with the passage of the New York State Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act of 2016 (the Zombie Law) which requires banks and other mortgagees to externally maintain vacant one-to-four family houses during the foreclosure process or face a potential penalty of up to $500 per day per property. Zombie grantees used funds to bolster legal efforts to enforce the Zombie Law by issuing citations to noncompliant mortgagees or in some cases taking mortgagees to court to enforce the law. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is managing Zombies 2.0 with funds administered by Enterprise Community Partners. LISC will issue a Request for Applications by invitation to municipalities based on the number of abandoned residential properties within the municipality; the proportion of such properties compared to the overall number of residential properties; and its level of general economic distress. All invitees must have populations of at least 5,000 residents and at least 100 vacant and abandoned properties, or multiple municipalities can apply jointly to equal or exceed the population and vacant residential properties minimums. China will set up dedicated cemeteries for military personnel and their relatives as a way to honor their service and enhance national identity and pride, according to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. Building and maintaining military cemeteries is a key mission for the ministry, as well as an important part of enhancing services to retired veterans, Wang Zhiming, the director of the ministry's general office, said recently. "It also has great significance in improving national pride and honor for military personnel and their families, and making military careers more respectable," Wang said. The ministry is learning from experts and foreign practices to create a grand design for the cemeteries, and details will be released in due time, he said. The remains of more than 1.4 million martyrs are resting in around 4,200 protected memorials, ranging from cemeteries to columbaria. However, many of these buildings are dedicated to noted individuals or specific military campaigns and not general military personnel, the Ministry of Civil Affairs has said. This is because not all the dead are military personnel. Martyrs can also include civilians who died in war, or people who sacrificed themselves for the greater good, according to chinamartyrs.gov, a government website dedicated to Chinese heroes. For example, college student He Dongxu, 19, died saving two drowning children in 2009, and was buried at the martyrs' cemetery in Yichang, Hubei province. While honoring every martyr for their sacrifice is important, the current classification might lead to confusion for the families of martyrs and visitors, especially for those who just want to pay their respects to military personnel. Moreover, some martyr cemeteries were found selling expensive grave sites to wealthy buyers or leasing the cemetery's surrounding area to shops or real estate developers, all of which are against the rules, according to media reports. In 2014, Xinhua reported that a martyr cemetery in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, was selling grave sites for as high as 290,000 yuan ($42,650). A martyr cemetery in Ya'an, Sichuan province, was surrounded by so many shops that its original gate was blocked and a smaller gate had to be opened at the north end of the cemetery, China National Radio reported last year. To solve such recurring problems, Qian Feng, vice-minister of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, held the first meeting on military cemetery management in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, this month. Qian, along with veterans' affairs officials from 11 provinces, met to discuss the functions, eligibility, operation and burial conditions for military cemeteries. Gong Fangbin, a professor at the People's Liberation Army's National Defense University, told Beijing Youth Daily that it is important for China to build cemeteries dedicated to military personnel for their symbolic significance and to bolster national identity and pride. The United States and Russia already have similar dedicated military cemeteries in place. The US Department of Veterans Affairs' National Cemetery Administration said its 136 veteran cemeteries in 40 states received more than 5.4 million visitors last year. Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: January 28 2019 Students participate in fundraiser to help Stony Brook Childrens Hospital's programs grow and better meet the health care needs of children. Mastic Beach, NY - January 28, 2019 - The William Floyd High School Medical Club, under the direction of club advisor and science educator Terri Randall, recently donated $500 to the Child Life Program at The William Floyd High School Medical Club, under the direction of club advisor and science educator Terri Randall, recently donated $500 to the Child Life Program at Stony Brook Childrens Hospital through the Change for Children program, which is a fundraiser designed to help the hospitals programs grow and better meet the health care needs of children. Earlier this month, the Medical Club welcomed two representatives from Stony Brook Childrens Hospital, Michael Attard, a Child Life specialist, and Elisa Ruoff, a development officer, who shared a presentation about the Child Life Program and how they help kids and families cope, hope and heal during their stay at Stony Brook Childrens Hospital. Their goal is to make children feel comfortable and cared for during hospitalization, which is accomplished through their Child Life Program as it helps reduce the stress that pediatric patients and their families may experience when faced with illness, medical procedures and unfamiliar surroundings. At the conclusion of the presentation, the Medical Club presented their donation. Additionally, Medical Club members also have had the opportunity this year to learn about emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and the process of becoming one, as well as tour an ambulance thanks to Charles Voelger, Chief, Mastic Beach Ambulance Company. They also recently welcomed Colby Rowe, an outreach coordinator at Stony Brook University who specializes in Stop the Bleed training bleeding control for the injured. Mr. Rowe brought representatives from Mastic Ambulance, Long Island Community Hospitals Emergency Preparedness Unit and the Suffolk County Police Department, for the training. The William Floyd High School Medical Club provides support and mentoring for students who are looking to pursue a career in the healthcare professions, said Ms. Randall. With approximately 70 club members, students are given opportunities to participate in activities that include guest speakers, community service and selected field trips. With more special events on the way, the Medical Club is a great opportunity for any William Floyd student who is looking to contribute to their community and learn about medicine. Local News, Crime, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: January 28 2019 Janelle Hernandez, 14, and Christopher Jackson, 16, were last seen on Saturday, January 26. SCPD are seeking Janelle Hernandez (above), 14, and Christopher Jackson (not pictured), 16, two Bay Shore teens reported missing. UPDATE - January 28, 2019 - Janelle Hernandez, the 14-year-old Bay Shore girl who was reported missing on January 26, has been located, unharmed. Christopher Jackson remains missing. The investigation is continuing. Below is the original report. Bay Shore, NY - January 28, 2019 - Suffolk County Police Third Squad detectives are seeking the publics help to locate two Suffolk County Police Third Squad detectives are seeking the publics help to locate two Bay Shore teens were reported missing and are possibly together. Janelle Hernandez, 14, of 19 Connecticut Ave., was reported missing on Saturday, January 26, at approximately 8:50 a.m. Christopher Jackson, 16, was last seen at his group home, located at 199 Benton Place, at approximately 4 a.m. that day. Hernandez is Hispanic, 5 feet, 5 inches tall and approximately 115 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. Jackson is white, 5 feet 9 inches tall and approximately 170 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a red vest, blue jeans and red and black sneakers. Local News, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: January 28 2019 Free Inspections Offered in Albany, Erie, Niagara and Suffolk Counties. New York, NY - January 28, 2019 - The The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Governors Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) today announced that free child seat inspections are available to parents and caregivers during the month of February in Albany, Erie, Niagara and Suffolk counties. As part of a year-long safety initiative, state and local law enforcement agencies, together with various community safety partners, are offering free inspections by certified child passenger safety technicians. These free inspections are part of a year-round, statewide public awareness and safety initiative to better protect our children when traveling, said Terri Egan, DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner and Acting GTSC Chair. Properly installed car seats can greatly reduce the risk of death or injury during a crash, so I urge parents to use this opportunity to make sure their children are properly buckled into their car seats before hitting the road. This campaign aims to ensure all parents and caregivers are properly trained to choose an appropriate seat for the childs age and size, and that they know how to properly install the seat in the safest manner. Trained technicians will use the model of Learn, Practice, and Explain to educate each caregiver on how to select a child restraint that will fit their child, fit their vehicle and be used correctly every time. Getting safety information and car seat instructions to parents and caregivers is crucial to saving young lives. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger vehicles. The following child safety seat checks are scheduled across the state in February: CAPITAL REGION February 13: Child Safety Seat Check - Albany County 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. State Police Latham, 760 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110 Agency: New York State Police Appointment Required Contact: Trooper Donald Fougere at (518) 783-3258 LONG ISLAND February 1: Child Safety Seat Check - Suffolk County 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Blue Point Fire Department, 205 Blue Point Avenue, Blue Point, NY 11715 Agency: Town of Brookhaven Highway Department, Division of Traffic Safety Appointment Required Contact: Please Call at (631) 363-3770 WESTERN NEW YORK February 2: Child Safety Seat Check - Erie County 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Catholic Health Administration and Training Center 144 Genesee Street, Buffalo, NY 14203 Agency: Catholic Health of Buffalo, SafeKids of Western New York Appointment Required Contact: Health Connections at (716) 447-6205 February 2: Child Safety Seat Check - Niagara County 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Mount Saint Mary's Hospital 5300 Military Road, Lewiston, NY 14092 Agency: Catholic Health of Buffalo, SafeKids of Western New York Appointment Required Contact: Health Connections at (716) 447-6205 In addition to car seat inspections, parents and caregivers can view a series of videos produced by NHSTA on proper installation of rear-facing and forward-facing car seats and booster seats. NHTSA also offers information on registering a child safety seat and finding the right car seat based a childs age and size. For more information about DMV, visit dmv.ny.gov , or follow the DMV conversation online at Facebook and Twitter Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases, Politics By Long Island News & PR Published: January 28 2019 During the scholarship luncheon four individuals were highlighted for their outstanding contributions to the community. Uniondale, NY - January 28, 2019 - Nassau County Legislator Arnold W. Drucker (D - Nassau County Legislator Arnold W. Drucker (D - Plainview ) joined his colleagues in government to celebrate Nassau Countys 34th annual observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s birthday at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale on Monday, Jan. 21. During the scholarship luncheon, which was organized by County Executive Laura Curran and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Committee of Nassau County, four individuals were highlighted for their outstanding contributions to the community. Legislator Drucker presented Nassau County Citations to 2019 honorees Dr. John HigonEun, Senior Pastor, Chamsarang Korean Methodist Church in Hempstead ; Perry Green, Ed.D.: Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Adelphi University; Dana R. Boylan, Esq.: Executive Director, Nassau Countys Office of Youth Services; and Lynnette Carr-Hicks: Director of Uniondale High Schools acclaimed Rhythm of the Knight show choir. Met Eireann has forecast snow and a 'bitterly cold' spell of weath in the coming days. Meteorologist Siobhan Ryan issued the prediction of what to expect in Met Eireann's weekly farming forecast on RTE. "The outlook I'm afraid is for bitterly cold weather for the week ahead (with) mean air temperatures up to 4 degrees below average for this time of year," she said. The significant cold would mean a 'real wintery feel'. More details of what and when to expect the cold weather below picture She said northerly weather would cause a raw feel on Sunday. She said Monday would also be cold and showers pushing in from the Atlantic would turn wintery as it meets the cold weather on Monday night. Tuesday is likely to be more wintery. "Tuesday will bring some scattered falls of rain, hail sleet and snow," she said. The forecaster said there would frosty start to Wednesday and it will be one of the drier days of the week but it will not mark an improvement. The forecaster said low pressure moving in from the west look like it is going to reach Ireland on Thursday and Friday. "With that, there will be some falls for rain but as it hits some very cold weather it is likely to turn to sleet and snow also," said Ms Ryan. MET Eireann web forecast Isolated showers and clear spells over the eastern half of the country at first on Sunday night, but cloudy and misty conditions with outbreaks of showery rain in the west will spread to most areas overnight. A few showers may turn wintry on hills. Lowest temperatures falling to between -1 and +3 degrees with frost mainly in eastern and northern areas. Light west to northwest breezes will freshen along Atlantic coasts overnight with Gales possible on exposed west coasts by early morning. TOMORROW - MONDAY, JANUARY 28 Showery rain at first but it will brighten up in the afternoon with some sunny spells. Some scattered showers in the afternoon though with a few possibly wintry in the north. Cold with top temperatures again of 4 to 8 degrees in mostly moderate northwest breeze but fresh to strong at times on Atlantic coasts. On Monday night scattered showers will become confined to Atlantic coastal counties. However, a spell of rain will affect the west and southwest later and become widespread by morning, turning wintry with the risk of some accumulations on higher ground. Lowest temperatures will be around -1 to +2 degrees with widespread frost. Southwesterly winds will be mostly light to moderate. Tuesday will be very cold with outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow which will later clear to scattered wintry showers and some sunny spells. Top temperatures will reach just 2 to 6 degrees. Southwesterly winds will veer northwest and freshen. Tuesday night will be very cold with scattered wintry showers and clear spells. Lowest temperatures will fall to between zero and -3 degrees with a widespread hard frost. Wednesday will continue cold with scattered wintry showers becoming isolated and mostly dry later with good sunny spells. Top temperatures will be around 3 to 7 degrees and fresh west to northwest winds will ease. Wednesday night will be dry with good clear spells at first and it will turn very cold with lowest temperatures falling to -1 to -5 degrees with a severe frost. However, cloud will increase from the southwest with a spell of persistent rain affecting the west and southwest by dawn. On Thursday a spell of rain, sleet and snow will gradually clear northward to scattered wintry showers. Staying rather cold with afternoon temperatures of just 1 to 7 degrees in freshening easterly winds. More details on Met Eireann site Lockport, NY (14094) Today Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 83F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy in the evening followed by scattered thunderstorms after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. The pros and cons of removing a weir on the Mahurangi River to allow whitebait free passage up the river will be debated at the Warkworth Town Hall on Wednesday, February 13. The evening is the first Warkworth Town Hall Talk of the year. It will start with a presentation by Whitebait Connection coordinator Sophie Tweddle, who will talk about the Auckland Inanga Spawning Project, which is being delivered in partnership with Auckland Council. The project aims to locate potential inanga (whitebait) spawning habitat on eight river systems within the Auckland region, identify if these sites are currently being used for spawning by inanga, and recommend and implement actions to protect, restore and enhance these sites, she says. The Mahurangi River is one of the eight sites we are working on through the project. A panel discussion will follow Sophies talk, moderated by One Warkworth manager Murray Chapman. Panelists will include Mahurangi Action chair and Rodney Local Board member Tessa Berger, planner Shane Hartley and New Zealand Premium Whitebait manager Paul Decker. Council announced plans to remove the 100-year-old weir late last year. It believes the height and speed of water crossing the weir is making it near impossible for native fish particularly whitebait to move upstream to spawn. The weir was built to supply water to the former Wilson cement works and a number of residents believe it is an historic structure that should be left on the river as a reminder of Warkworths industrial heritage. Doors open at 5pm for a 5.30pm start. Even though the shutdown is over for now, the damage has already been done. According to S&P global, the economic damage from the longest government shutdown in U.S. history could exceed 5.7 billion U.S. dollars which is the cost President Trump demanded for his border wall project. Statistics show the average weekly direct and indirect costs of the partial shutdown currently add up to 1.2 billion U.S. dollars. Direct effects include the loss of productivity from the hundreds of thousands of workers who have not been paid since December 22. Experts say the productivity lost from government workers will never be regained as in previous shutdowns. Now, federal workers will be compensated after reopening, but roughly four million private-sector jobs that depend on the federal government won't receive payback. Economists earlier warned that the shutdown could slash job growth by as much as 500,000 in January and lift the unemployment rate above four percent. U.S. consumer sentiment in January fell to the lowest level in more than two years due in part to the lengthy partial government shutdown. The average one-way commute time by all modes of transportation is about 30 minutes. Why? Working on transportation issues for the World Bank in the 1970s, analyst and engineer Jacov Zahavi discovered that people appear to have a travel time budget of about an hour per day. This ranges from pedestrian-only travel in African villages to the most multimodal cities of the world. This means a working person will, on average, spend a half-hour or so commuting one way. Some will spend less and some more, but the citywide average will be about 30 minutes. A 2015 Texas Department of Transportation survey of employees in San Antonio found the average one-way commute time to be 30.1 minutes. In the 1990s, Venetian physicist Cesare Marchetti noted that over the past 200 years, the dominant transportation technology seemed to change about every 50 years. He used the fixed travel time budget and other anthropological invariants to forecast the evolution of future transportation given technological and social change. This stable travel time has become known as Marchettis constant. Marchetti found that the key to a constant, citywide travel time was the ability of people to adjust their mode of travel, and the location of their homes and/or their workplaces. These options kept travel times the same even as the cities grew. When considering key indicators for transportation success at the SA 2020 public forum in December 2010, reducing the ratio of peak to off-peak travel times (called the Travel Time Index) won by one vote over giving residents more travel options. So, the Travel Time Index is still used in San Antonio, even though researchers have shown it to have no relationship to the average commute time. It turns out that if highways are widened so that cars could go faster, people choose to drive more miles rather than save travel time, thus maintaining Marchettis constant and filling up the new road space. This prompted David Metz, the former chief scientist at the Department for Transport of the U.K., to publish an article in 2008 titled The Myth of Travel Time Saving. As vehicle miles go up, so do the emissions of ozone precursors and greenhouse gases, as well as traffic accidents, congestion delays, energy consumption, household expenditures and impervious cover. Accordingly, the federal government will generally not fund road expansions in ozone nonattainment cities. States and cities that are serious about climate action plans have stopped using measures like the Travel Time Index to make transportation decisions. A website devoted to autonomous vehicles, av-future.com, states that five decades ago a planner assumed that improvements to transportation infrastructure meant people would travel less. Since then, researchers have thoroughly disproved that notion. To future-proof San Antonios transportation system, policymakers need to make sure there are plenty of transportation and housing options to keep this city resilient. Bill Barker is an adjunct associate professor in the UTSA Center for Urban and Regional Planning Research and is recognized as a fellow by both the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the American Institute of Certified Planners. The funeral service for Chucky, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office service dog allegedly shot by a suspect during a pursuit, will be held 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 4, at Community Bible Church and will be open to the public. According to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, Chucky was shot twice by Matthew Mireles, 38, at about 11 p.m. Friday on Loop 1604, near Texas 151, following a chaotic chase that spanned multiple counties and required the assistance of several law enforcement agencies. One of the bullets severed the dog's aorta and the other grazed his face. Salazar on Monday morning provided a more detailed timeline of the events leading up to Chucky's death. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox The chase began at about 9 p.m. in Karnes City when a local officer attempted to stop Mireles for speeding. Mireles refused to pull over and the officer pursued him, authorities said. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers eventually took over the chase, which wound up U.S. 181 to Interstate 37 and eventually Loop 1604. At various times throughout the chase, Mireles fired at pursuing authorities and pointed his weapon at himself and passing drivers, Salazar said. "He was hellbent on creating as much havoc and chaos as he possibly could," Salazar said. At 10:41 p.m., Mireles got out of his car and started walking along Loop 1604. Walking slowly, he led deputies, including Chucky and his handler, on a slow foot chase for more than 20 minutes while "continuing to fire shots wildly," and pointing the gun at officers, himself, passers-by and an overhead helicopter, Salazar said on Saturday. Mireles broadcast portions of the chase on his own Facebook page, Salazar said. "That speaks a lot to the character of this person and what little regard for human life he had," Salazar said. There wasn't time to outfit Chucky with his bulletproof vest, Salazar said, because he and his handler had been part of the active chase that included Mireles, at various times, placing the lives of passing drivers in serious danger. At 11:04 p.m., Chucky was deployed toward Mireles, Salazar said. "[Chucky] launched himself at a full sprint and attempted to grab hold of suspect," the sheriff said, describing the move as "textbook." RELATED: BCSO K-9 unit shot, killed attempting to restrain chase suspect The dog's first attempt to grab Mireles by the arm failed and he was flung about six feet in front of the suspect. Mireles then fired at Chucky. One bullet struck Chucky in his side and mortally wounded him. Salazar said at least one other bullet fired by the suspect grazed the dog's face. Yet, the dog continued struggling with Mireles. "Chucky stayed in the fight," Salazar said. "You can't ask much more of any officer." After Mireles opened fire, multiple deputies armed with semi-automatic rifles shot at Mireles, striking him several times in the lower extremities. He was arrested and now faces a litany of charges, including interference with a police service animal, attempted capital murder of a police officer, aggravated assault on a public servant, and evading arrest detention with a vehicle. At least four deputies have been placed on leave in connection to the shooting, Salazar said, while two concurrent investigations take place. The sheriff said they're not accepting any donations for the funeral because the expenses have been covered. Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns 3 1 of 3 Texas Department of Public Safety Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Texas Department of Public Safety Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Texas Department of Public Safety officials say they've added a white supremacist gang member to the agency's list of most wanted fugitives Monday following his disappearance in September 2018. Clifford Nelson Locklin Jr., 45, is wanted on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft and parole violation. Authorities say he is affiliated with the Aryan Circle gang, a neo-Nazi prison gang mostly based in Texas, according to the Anti-Defamation League. You are here: Business China's outstanding yuan-denominated loans to the property sector grew at a slower pace in 2018 as government curbs continued, data from the central bank showed. By the end of last year, outstanding loans from financial institutions to the sector reached 38.7 trillion yuan (about 5.7 trillion U.S. dollars), up 20 percent year on year, according to a report from the People's Bank of China. The growth was down 0.9 percentage points from a year earlier, the report showed. Of the total, outstanding loans to individual purchasers rose 17.8 percent to 25.75 trillion yuan, down 4.4 percentage points from a year earlier. The government continued with rigorous regulations on the property sector last year to prevent asset bubbles and defuse economic risks. Meanwhile, inclusive and green financing maintained rapid growth as banks were encouraged to lend more support to the real economy. Outstanding loans in the inclusive financing area climbed 13.8 percent year on year to 13.39 trillion yuan by the end of 2018, up 5.3 percentage points from a year earlier. Inclusive financing covers credit support for small business owners, agricultural development, impoverished groups and students. Outstanding green loans in yuan and foreign currencies reached 8.23 trillion yuan, up 16 percent year on year, 6.1 percentage points above the overall loan growth for non-financial enterprises and other organizations. WASHINGTON - When Howard Schultz dipped his toe into presidential political waters on Sunday, the former Starbucks chief executive likely did not get the response he was aiming for. In a sit-down with CBS's "60 Minutes," Schultz announced he was giving serious thought to a 2020 White House run as an independent candidate. "I will run as a centrist independent outside the two-party system," said Schultz, who is set to begin a national book tour. "Both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics." Almost immediately reactions began pouring in at a furious clip. Some responses found the humor in the coffee titan's idea. Others on the left, replaying past memories of third-party and independent candidates like Ross Perot and Ralph Nader, fumed that a Schultz run would split the anti-President Donald Trump vote, essentially handing the incumbent the election. "I'm an American political historian and I can assure you that the only thing you'll accomplish by running for president as a centrist independent is helping reelect Donald Trump," author Kevin Kruse wrote on Twitter. But if anything, Schultz's announcement reignited a perennial debate among political talking heads: are third-party and independent candidates essentially quixotic historical footnotes? Or real specters of significance that can upend a general election? "It's not at all clear IMO whether an Old Rich Business Guy running a 3rd party bid would be more likely to hurt Trump or to help him. People are assuming the latter but not really presenting much in the way of proof," Nate Silver, founder of FiveThirtyEight, tweeted out amid the uproar over Schultz's plans. "If you think Ross Perot and Ralph Nader belong in the same category you probably ought to be doubting yourself a lot more." "This is a good example of where @NateSilver538 and his often-useful models fall short. For those of us who covered John Anderson, Ross Perot and Ralph Nader, there is zero doubt - zero - that a 'goo-goo' indy candidate like Schultz hurts Democrats," veteran journalist Jonathan Alter responded. "Promise." For much of the 20th century, the American political scene was locked into the two-party system, and third-party and serious independent contenders have been infrequent. According to French sociologist Maurice Duverger, the winner-take-all structure of American elections leaves little room for coalition building between political parties, and therefore the system itself favors a two-party set up, as political scientist Amanda Skuldt explained in The Washington Post in 2016. But third-party contenders have memorably popped up over the years. The question still being fiercely debated is what impact, if any, they had on the general election. In 1912, already with two terms in office under his belt, Theodore Roosevelt took on his handpicked successor, William Howard Taft, for the GOP nomination. According History.com, when Roosevelt failed to win, he broke with the party and ran under the Progressive Party banner. Roosevelt and Taft each took away swaths of the Republican vote, leading to Democrat Woodrow Wilson's election. Roosevelt, however, finished second behind Wilson, winning six states and 88 votes in the electoral college - the best third-party showing in American political history. But as History.com pointed out, since 1920, only three third-party candidates have notched significant electoral college votes: Robert La Follette in 1924 (13 electoral votes); Strom Thurmond in 1948 (39 electoral votes); and George Wallace in 1968 (46 electoral votes). Since 1980, the impact of third-party candidates has become a much-argued debate in political circles. More for you News The Daily 202: The Koch network donor retreat turns... Rep. John Anderson, R-Ill., a moderate Republican, ran against Ronald Reagan for the 1980 GOP nomination, then ran as an independent in the general election. Some have postulated that Anderson's candidacy spelled the end for Democrat Jimmy Carter by siphoning away moderate Republicans. But writing in Salon in 2011, Steve Kornacki punctured that formulation, arguing that although Anderson polled as high as 24 percent of the electorate, his problems with funding essentially doomed his campaign. Also, his appeal was the same as Reagan - he was the anti-Carter. "But at a practical level, [Anderson] was simply another option for frustrated voters who had already decided not to back Carter for another term," Kornacki wrote. "Polls found Anderson voters nearly as likely to list Reagan as their second choice as Carter." Texas billionaire Perot's impact on the 1992 presidential election has been similarly debated. Perot jumped into the race, dropped out in July, then reentered in October. Eventually he tallied nearly 19 percent of the popular vote, but no electoral college votes. In some political circles, Perot was blamed for George H.W. Bush's loss by cannibalizing the conservative vote. But exit polls showed that Perot voters were equally split on their second choice. As Kornacki also argued in 2011, economic anxiety had turned the electorate away from the Republican incumbent. Ralph Nader's run in the 2000 election could arguably be the most consequential third-party performance in recent election history. Nationally, the Green Party presidential candidate received 2.74 percent of the popular vote. The real impact, however, was on the tallies in Florida, the state that ultimately decided the contest for George W. Bush. After the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the recount and called the election for Bush, the GOP candidate won by 537 votes. Nader, however, earned almost 100,000 votes in Florida - votes that would have handed Vice President Al Gore the election if more than 537 of those voters would have turned to the Democratic ticket than the GOP nominees. But following Schultz's announcement, FiveThirtyEight's Silver pointed out the essential difference between a candidate like Nader and third-party centrists, the same mold the Starbucks executive appears to be considering. "Nader hurt Gore because he was a leftist 3rd party candidate," Silver wrote. "The centrists didn't affect things much. Johnson (2016), Perot (1996, 1992), Anderson (1980) all drew about equally from both major-party candidates." Artists of Gansu Dance Troupe visited the Latvian capital this weekend to present Chinse New Year's show to audience at the Great Guild Hall in Riga Old Town on Saturday night. Opening the concert Happy Chinese New Year, Sun Yinglai, charge d'affaires a.i. of the Chinese embassy in Latvia, invited everybody to join in celebrating the Spring Festival and learn about its traditions and symbolism. Sun stressed the significance of the year 2018 for both China and Latvia, as China marked the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up and Latvia celebrated the centenary of his statehood last year. The diplomat praised the Chinese-Latvian relations, noting that the bilateral ties are at their "highest level ever". The orchestra of the Gansu Dance Troupe, which has toured more than 30 countries and many regions for culture exchange programs, introduced to the Latvian audience Chinese musical traditions by performing Chinese melodies, including Flying Apsaras and the Silk Road, a masterpiece reflecting profound influences of Chinese dance traditions as well as the history of the region. The program included not only Chinese music, but also Latvian folksongs like Bedu Manu Lielu Bedu and The River Daugava. The rendering of The River Daugava by the Chinese artists was met by a standing ovation. Saudi-Ethiopian billionaire Mohammed Al Amoudi was released more than a year after his arrest in what authorities said was a crackdown on corruption, becoming the latest detainee to be freed under mysterious circumstances. Al Amoudi was let go after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed raised his case during a visit to Saudi Arabia last year, the premier's office said. A Saudi official said in December that Al Amoudi was charged with corruption and would face trial. Al Amoudi is the third-richest billionaire in the Middle East, with a fortune valued at $8.8 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. There was no official Saudi explanation of his release and it's unclear whether he will be barred from leaving the kingdom, like some others who were freed. The kingdom and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman have come under unprecedented global pressure after the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents at the country's consulate in Istanbul in October. Several other prominent detainees were released over the past few weeks, including Amr Al-Dabbagh -- a businessman who was formerly chief of the Saudi investment authority -- and Hani Khoja, a McKinsey & Co. partner who co-founded Elixir, a consultancy. Sami Baroum, former managing director of food processor Savola Group, was also freed, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Bakr Binladin, a Saudi billionaire who had headed the construction giant Saudi Binladin Group, was briefly released to attend a family funeral but sent back to prison on Sunday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Al Amoudi was detained in Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel in November 2017 along with dozens of princes, officials and businessmen as Prince Mohammed declared a campaign against corruption. Critics denounced the purge as a power play and a shakedown, a charge the government denies. While most detainees were released last year, a few high-profile figures are still being held, including former Economy Minister Adel Fakeih and Prince Turki bin Abdullah, a son of the late King Abdullah. It's unclear whether those sent home recently faced any charges or have gone through a settlement process; the government has not commented on or confirmed the releases. Al Amoudi's arrest was of particular interest to Ethiopia, where he owns vast assets. In May, after his visit to Saudi Arabia, Ahmed said that he had inquired after Al Amoudi and was sure he'd be freed soon. Saudi authorities have also released two male associates of a group of prominent women's rights activists who were arrested in May. Abdulaziz Al-Meshaal, a businessman and associate of the women, was released recently, according to people familiar with the matter, while lawyer Ibrahim Al-Modaimigh was released in December. WASHINGTON - The head of the Justice Department said Monday that special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation is nearing an end - the first official acknowledgment that the probe that has ensnared President Donald Trump may soon reach a conclusion. Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker made the comment during a news conference about an unrelated subject - indictments stemming from a Chinese technology firm. Asked about his view of the Mueller probe, given critical comments he had made while working as a television pundit before he started working at the Justice Department, Whitaker said that those statements were offered while he was as a private citizen. "I have been fully briefed on the investigation, and I look forward to Director Mueller delivering the final report," said Whitaker. "I am comfortable that the decisions that were made are going to be reviewed. . . . Right now, the investigation is close to being completed." Whitaker's remarks were brief and to the point, but they represent the most extensive comments on the subject by any senior law enforcement official in recent months. They also come just days after Mueller's office unveiled an indictment of Roger Stone, a longtime friend of Trump. Stone was charged with false statements, obstruction, and witness tampering. Other Mueller cases are still working through the court system, and that process could take months. Law enforcement officials, however, have said Mueller envisions eventually handing off prosecutorial work from his investigation to U.S. attorneys. Two assistant U.S. attorneys in D.C. were assigned to work with Mueller's team on the prosecution of Stone - a sign that Mueller is perhaps anticipating a time when he will have to hand off the case to the permanent Justice Department apparatus. Whitaker did not define what he meant by "close," and even if he is correct that Mueller is nearly done with his work, Whitaker may leave the Justice Department before it is complete. The Senate is expected to vote to confirm attorney general nominee William Barr next month, and his arrival would likely mean the departure of Whitaker, who previously served as chief of staff to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Barr's comments during his confirmation hearing two weeks ago before the Senate Judiciary Committee raised concerns among some lawmakers that Mueller's report may not be made public. "The rules, I think, say the special counsel will prepare a summary report on any prosecutive or declination decisions, and that shall be confidential and be treated as any other declination or prosecutive material within the department," Barr told the committee. Declination memos are written by Justice Department officials when they decline to file charges against individuals, essentially ending an investigation. They are closely guarded secrets. Barr said the attorney general is responsible for notifying Congress and reporting "certain information" once the investigation ends, and he sought to assure lawmakers that he would be as transparent as regulations allow. During the hearing, Barr also criticized former FBI Director James Comey in a way that suggested Barr, as attorney general, would limit what information is released from the Mueller investigation. Speaking of Comey's July 2016 announcement that former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Trump's opponent in the presidential election, would not be charged for her use of a private email server to do government business, Barr said: "If you're not going to indict someone, you don't stand up there and unload negative information about the person. That's not the way the department does business." And in written follow-up answers to lawmakers, released Monday, Barr expounded on that idea, saying: "I believe it is very important that the public and Congress be informed of the results of the special counsel's work. For that reason, my goal will be to provide as much transparency as I can consistent with the law." He noted that the Justice Department manual "cautions prosecutors to be sensitive to the privacy and reputational interests of uncharged third parties. It is also my understanding that it is department policy and practice not to criticize individuals for conduct that does not warrant prosecution." Those answers don't sit well with some lawmakers, who want guarantees that Mueller's findings will not be kept locked in a Justice Department file. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, on Monday introduced a bill that would ensure every special-counsel report would be released directly to Congress and the public, effectively taking out the attorney general as middleman. Blumenthal said he wanted to ensure that the results "cannot be sealed or selectively censored," adding: "The public has a right and need to know the facts of such betrayals of public trust." --- Video Embed Code Video: Acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker said Jan 28 that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation looking into Russian interference in the 2016 elections is 'close to being completed.'(The Washington Post) Embed code: The magnet fishermen hauled up the catch of the day - a few metal scraps mixed in with a World War II-era hand grenade - and secured it in the trunk of a car. At this point, many people would call the police to report a potentially dangerous explosive weapon. But the man and woman, perhaps disappointed that their trawling of Florida's Ocklawaha River had ended with a decades-old relic instead of the precious metals they were seeking, pointed their car west, toward a popular fast-food destination: Taco Bell. The couple arrived at the restaurant Saturday and reported the find, prompting a bomb squad to be sent to carry off the grenade. It will be "destroyed off site at a later time," according to an incident report from the Ocala Police Department. The grenade was corroded and did not appear to be functional, Lt. Angy Scroble said, but it was taken away out of an abundance of caution. The department described the scene as an "evacuation" on Twitter, but Scroble said officers merely secured the parking lot to keep patrons away. Some employees remained inside, she said. Bomb squad officers identified the grenade as being produced in the World War II era, although it was unclear where, Scroble said. The nearby Ocala National Forest has been used for military training in the past, she said, adding that it was uncertain whether that included any time during the 1940s. The couple involved did not return a request for comment. They were not charged with any crimes, Scroble said. A photo from the department appeared to show the rusted husk of a Mk 2 grenade, popularly known as a "pineapple grenade" because of the rectangular ridges on its body. The weapons were carried by troops from the tail end of World War I through the Vietnam War. World War II-era training bombs dropped by airplanes in the Atlantic have washed ashore in North Carolina, and U.S. coastal areas are littered with torpedoes and depth charges left after German U-boat attacks. The dangers go back further. In 2008, an American artifact collector was killed while restoring a cannonball from the Civil War, one of the estimated 1.5 million artillery rounds and cannonballs fired in the conflict. Estimates say as many as 1 in 5 were duds, and some are now buried in the ground and could threaten construction projects in Virginia, Pennsylvania and elsewhere. European developers and construction workers routinely encounter unexploded ordnance from World War II. And in Vietnam and Laos, U.S.-supplied munitions have killed or wounded thousands since the war. The email that landed Saturday afternoon in dozens of Duke University students' inboxes - but that would soon spread across the world - started out innocuously. "Something to think about . . . " the subject line read. The sender was Megan Neely, an assistant professor at Duke and then-director of graduate studies in the biostatistics department. The message was addressed to all first- and second-year biostatistics graduate students at the private North Carolina university. Neely said in the email that two faculty members had visited her office earlier that day, asking for pictures of biostatistics graduate students. She said she obliged, then asked why they wanted them. According to Neely, her colleagues wanted to identify students they had observed "speaking Chinese (in their words, VERY LOUDLY)" in the student lounge and study areas. "Both faculty members replied that they wanted to write down the names so they could remember them if the students ever interviewed for an internship or asked to work with them for a master's project," she wrote. Neely underlined and bolded the next part of her email: "They were disappointed that these students were not taking the opportunity to improve their English and were being so impolite as to have a conversation that not everyone on the floor could understand." If the implication wasn't clear enough - that Neely was encouraging students to speak only English or else face unseen barriers to future opportunities within the department - she spelled it out in her next paragraph: "To international students, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep these unintended consequences in mind when you choose to speak in Chinese in the building. I have no idea how hard it has been and still is for you to come to the US and have to learn in a non-native language. As such, I have the upmost (sic) respect for what you are doing. That being said, I encourage you to commit to using English 100% of the time when you are in Hock or any other professional setting." Neely closed her message by noting that she was copying second-year biostatistics graduate students on the email "as a reminder" because they were in the process of applying for jobs. "Happy to discuss more," she wrote. "Just stop by my office." Images of Neely's email soon hit the internet and were widely shared, sparking outrage. Many pointed out that the students were conversing with one another during what appeared to be their own time, outside the classroom - and that the United States does not have an official language anyway. Others accused Neely and the unnamed faculty members of racial discrimination and questioned whether the students had been targeted because they were speaking Chinese as opposed to another foreign language. "I'm an international student. Let's guess how many times I've been asked not to speak French," one Twitter user wrote, appending three eye-roll emoji to the message. Mary Klotman, dean of the Duke University School of Medicine, emailed all biostatistics graduate students on Saturday to say Neely had "asked to step down" as director of graduate studies for the master's program, effective immediately, and would be replaced by an interim director. Klotman said she had asked Duke's office of institutional equity to conduct a thorough review of the master's program, adding a "personal pledge" that the matter would be "addressed quickly and sensitively." "I understand that many of you felt hurt and angered by this message," she wrote. "To be clear: there is absolutely no restriction or limitation on the language you use to converse and communicate with each other. Your career opportunities and recommendations will not in any way be influenced by the language you use outside the classroom. And your privacy will always be protected." Duke spokesman Michael Schoenfeld confirmed in an email to The Washington Post that the images of Neely's email Saturday were legitimate. He also confirmed that images of an additional email from Neely that had surfaced, from February 2018, were legitimate and under review. In a February 2018 message to biostatistics students (subject line: "To Speak English or To Not Speak English . . ."), Neely said faculty members were complaining about international students not speaking English in the department's break rooms, although she did not specify the foreign language or languages. "I don't like being the language police, but I have gotten these comments enough times in the past few weeks that I feel like I should share them with you," Neely wrote then, noting that the most recent complaint was from the department leader. "Beyond the obvious opportunity to practice and perfect your English, speaking in your native language in the department may give faculty the impression that you are not trying to improve your English skills and that you are not taking this opportunity seriously." She again warned that not speaking English could have the "potential downstream effects" of not getting research opportunities in the program, because faculty members would be hesitant to hire international students. Neither Neely nor the biostatistics department leader responded to requests for comment Sunday. Asked whether any action would be taken against the unnamed faculty members who were complaining about students not speaking English, Schoenfeld said the matter would be part of the university's review. By Sunday, news of the email had spread on Weibo, a Chinese social media site similar to Twitter, with the hashtag "Duke University bans speaking Chinese" viewed more than 6.7 million times on the platform, according to the South China Morning Post. Stateside, a petition started by "concerned students" at Duke urging the university to investigate Neely's emails and the unnamed faculty members had more than 1,900 signatures as of Sunday afternoon. "We are disheartened . . . when Duke's faculty members implied that students of diverse national origin would be punished in academic and employment opportunities for speaking in their native language outside of classroom settings," the petition stated. "We are demoralized even more that a Duke graduate program director explicitly condones and even encourages such discriminatory practices by our faculty members." The Chinese community in Rwanda held a food festival here on Saturday evening to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda, the event provided traditional Chinese dishes including dumplings and noodles, with several Chinese companies and restaurants in Rwanda sponsoring the event. The foods at the festival have symbolic meanings that include luck, abundance, fortune and longevity, all of which express good wishes for the New Year, said Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda Rao Hongwei at the event. China's sincerity and goodwill for strengthening common development with African countries remain unchanged, said Rao, adding that China's development will create more opportunities for Rwanda and Africa, while their growth is also good for China. Rwanda values the existing "excellent" bilateral relations with China, and the two countries have enjoyed a long-standing relationship, said Soraya Hakuziyaremye, Rwanda's minister of trade and industry. Trade between Rwanda and China has remained steady. Rwanda will continue to work towards diversifying its economy, sending more of its exports to China and increasing Chinese investments in the country, she added. The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most important holiday in China, and falls on Feb. 5 this year. State Rep. Ron Reynolds has introduced legislation that would more than double the current minimum wage in the state of Texas. House Bill 194 would raise the minimum wage from the current $7.25 an hour to $15. If approved, the legislation would take effect on Sept. 1, 2019. Raising the minimum wage in Texas to $15 an hour will put more money into the pockets of hard-working Texans and it is a critical step in creating an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few, Reynolds said in a news release. We need to close the economic gap here in Texas, working work-full time and trying to support a family on less than $15,000 a year is impossible. A 40-hour work week at $7.25 an hour equates to $15,080 per year. At $15 per hour, a full-time job would equate to $31,200 per year. According to Reynolds, raising the minimum wage in Texas will increase earnings for thousands of workers and support local economies. Reynolds claims businesses would both increase morale and productivity. The higher minimum wage would also reduce employee turnover, which would reduce employment and training costs. Reynolds said 89 percent of those affected would be older than 20 and 56 percent would be women. NO MORE BIG PAYOUTS: State Rep. Gina Calanni's first bill takes aim at payments to outgoing superintendents Texas currently has a state minimum wage equal to the federal minimum wage set by the Federal Labor Standards Act in July 2009. Some 15 states observe the $7.25 minimum wage. Three states Montana, Wyoming and Georgia have minimum wages below the federal wage. Five southern states have no minimum wage law. The remaining 27 states have minimum wages higher than the federal minimum, led by Washington and Massachusetts at $12 per hour. California has an $11 minimum wage. On Sept. 15, 2017, the Department of Labor announced that on Jan. 1, 2018, the minimum wage rate was increased to $10.35 per hour. Tipped workers like restaurant servers are not protected by the Federal Labor Standards Act and can be paid at a lower rate than the minimum wage. Reynolds represents Texas House District 27 in Fort Bend County. rkent@hcnonline.com A Houston woman is at the center of a massive search after she went missing on January 2. The Houston Police Department's Homicide Division, Liberty County Sheriff's Office and Texas EquuSearch are asking for the public's help in locating 48-year-old Jennifer Ann Scott-Perkins. The woman left her home in Houston on January 2, 2019 and has not been seen since she left a friend's home in Shepherd, Texas shortly thereafter. Perkins last known location was when she made several phone calls from the area of Texas 146 and Texas 787 near Rye, Texas in far north Liberty County shortly after leaving her friend's home. BREAKING GROUND: Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD starts project on new Career and Technical Education facility Perkins is described as a white female, 5-foot-2, weighing 140 pounds with blond hair extending down to the middle of her back but usually worn in a pony-tail braid. She has green eyes, a light complexion, and several tattoos on her arms and back. When last seen, Perkins was wearing a pink hat, tights, boots and a thin jacket that was gray or black. According to information, Perkins was emotionally upset when she was last heard from. She was driving a gray colored 2012 Chrysler 200 with Texas license LJK 0423. If anyone has information on the current whereabouts of Jennifer Scott-Perkins or has any information regarding her disappearance, you are ask to contact the Houston Police Department's Homicide Division at (713) 308-3600, the Liberty County Sheriff's Office at (936) 336-4500 or Texas EquuSearch at (281) 309-9500. A man has been accused of breaking into a vehicle and stealing an electronic tablet, according to Laredo police. Rodolfo Valverde, 31, was charged with burglary of a vehicle and theft on Tuesday. Every fall for the past four years now, Houston foodies have been treated to an epic barbecue and Southern foods hoedown called Southern Smoke a freewheeling fundraiser that to date has brought in $1.3 million in charitable giving. Today, Southern Smoke announced a spring version of the event, accurately dubbed Southern Smoke Spring. But instead of a single big event, this springtime model will be spread over five nights (April 14-18) encompassing a variety of events and venues. Tickets will go on sale on March 5 at SouthernSmoke.org for these events: Steak night with Aaron Franklin: Barbecue world's biggest star, the owner of the legendary Franklin Barbecue in Austin, will team with Southern Smoke founder Chris Shepherd for the ultimate steak dinner. Each guest will take home a copy of Franklin's new cookbook, "Franklin Steak," to be published in April. The dinner, $350 per person, will be held Sunday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Georgia James steakhouse. Dinner with Jamie Malone: The chef/owner of The Grand Cafe and Eastside Restaurant in Minneapolis will mark her first visit to Houston with a dinner showcasing her modern interpretation of classic French fare. Malone and Shepherd were in the same class of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in 2013; they've been friends since. The dinner, $200 per person, will be held on Monday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m. at UB Preserv. Citywide steak nights: Shepherd's chef friends are getting into Southern Smoke Spring by hosting steak night (using beef donated by 44 Farms) throughout Houston. Proceeds from each steak dinner will be donated to Southern Smoke. The steak dinners will be held on two nights: April 16 and 17. Participating restaurants include Beaver's, Brennan's of Houston, Cafe Annie, Coltivare, Quattro at Four Seasons Downtown Houston, Georgia James, Goodnight Cahrlie's, The Hay Merchant, Hugo's, Huynh, Indianola, Kata Robata, The Original Ninfa's on Navigation, One Fifth Mediterranean, The Pass & Provisions, Refuge Bourbon and Steak, Tris, UB Preserv, Uchi and Xochi. Meal descriptions will be added to SouthernSmoke.org as they are determined. Southern Smoke Spring finale at One Fifth: Details for this event, to be held at Shepherd's One Fifth Mediterranean restaurant haven't been finalized. WHERE THERE'S SMOKE: How Chris Shepherd created Southern Smoke All proceeds from Southern Smoke Spring will go to the Southern Smoke Emergency Relief Fund, established after Hurricane Harvey to assist those in the food and beverage industry experiencing a financial crisis. To date, more than 150 people nationwide have received financial assistance from the emergency relief fund. Greg Morago writes about food for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Send him news tips at greg.morago@chron.com. Hear him on our BBQ State of Mind podcast to learn about Houston and Texas barbecue culture. Women Rowing North: Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing As We Age By Mary Pipher Bloomsbury. 272 pp. $27 --- A respected clinical psychologist, Mary Pipher is best known for her 1994 best-seller, "Reviving Ophelia," an astute consideration of adolescent girls. Now Pipher uses her skills to help us older girls - the 60-and-up set - women who in Pipher's words are navigating the "last stretch of the river with its treacherous currents." Despite the nautical cliche, the early pages of Pipher's new book, aptly titled "Women Rowing North," are encouraging and useful (if somewhat obvious): Resilience is key to aging well; age is less important than health; "happiness doesn't come easily"; saying "no" can be powerful. Pipher says hers is not a "how to" book, but a "how to think" book, which is a promising approach. Unfortunately, however, too many of her sentences sound like certainties or dictums. "We older women are uniquely suited for community work," she writes. Others deflate into platitudes: "When times get tough we want to buy ourselves roses or chocolate bars." And while Pipher's habit of using "we" proffers inclusion, it's also assumptive - clumping together all women's responses to aging and illness without regard to differences in temperament or economic realities. While Pipher and women she knows can afford trips to New Mexico's Ghost Ranch and camping adventures in the Rockies, millions of others can't afford a taxi ride to the doctor's office. It's not that Pipher is naive or arrogant. She's honestly committed to helping others. Her values are commendable: love of family and friends; appreciation of nature; being true to herself; an absence of vanity. But her language is not adequate to her cause. "Many times," Pipher tells us, "when I have faced a significant hurdle, I've witnessed a green shooting star ... a reassuring signal from the universe." After reading this, I worried if around the next bend of the river, there'd be another signal of union with the great Other, and sure enough there is. This time, Pipher identifies with a cholla cactus whose "pale green arms stretched Shiva-like in all directions." In the plant's "old and tattered" branches, Pipher finds signs of "new rich growth rising within" her. Ouch! More troublesome is her overuse of words such as "bliss," "transcendence" and "awe." This misty trinity of New Age exhortations - besides being hackneyed - does a disservice to women who don't wish to or can't attain them. Like many authors writing in the helping genres, Pipher believes in the healing power of certain types of epiphanies. "We feel grateful, not in spite of problems, but because of them," she offers. Is this true? It depends on one's definition of "problems" doesn't it? Then there's this: "Many of us discover ways to experience bliss and awe when we are most in pain." I read this sentence while in bed resting from a strenuous day of physical therapy to rehabilitate a femur fracture that necessitated a revision total knee replacement. Trust me, bliss and awe won't be around anytime soon. I don't deny the value of optimism. But too often Pipher's suggestions misfire, especially ones concerning the healing uses of literature. In a long passage about all the things aging women can do to forestall loneliness, Pipher suggests reading and sharing "our day" with Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary and Jane Eyre. By my calculation, that's two suicides and an ill-treated orphan who ends up marrying a blind wannabe bigamist. This is supposed to make us feel good? After reading tedious pages of Pipher's can-do philosophy, I imagined the spirits of Barbara Ehrenreich, Audre Lorde and Nancy Mairs - Furies all - sweeping down with a corrective dose of reality to counter Pipher's feel-good ethos. In her 2001 essay, "Welcome to Cancerland," Ehrenreich takes on the pink-ribbon brigade while challenging the government to fund more research on environmental causes of cancer. Lorde's 1980 book "The Cancer Journals" approaches women's health issues through a personal lens that isn't Vaselined over with silence or slogans. And in her essay "On Being a Cripple," Nancy Mairs writes directly and with humor about having multiple sclerosis. These women anchor their personal stories to political issues that affect women's health and aging - to educate for wider change and awareness overall. They're not just about the individual or squishy ideas about self-actualization. Movingly, Pipher tells us that she "has struggled with sadness and anxiety" much of her life. Her "quest for joy and happiness" is sincere, as is her commitment to helping other women achieve theirs. Some readers will treasure the book. All readers will admire her unadorned but wise summation that answered prayers are "a surcease of worry." But reading about all the questing, journeying, flourishing, rowing and growing can be exhausting. Our daily mantra shouldn't be "Old age is a massacre," as Philip Roth's "Everyman" puts it, because that's just too gloomy, however true. Getting older is messy; it forces us to face some ugly realities, some as painful as the needles on a cholla cactus. Pipher knows this but seems reluctant to write it down on paper in language that is up to the task. --- O'Sullivan writes frequently about culture and the arts. Her book of essays about John Lennon is forthcoming from Mad Creek Books. A leading Asian intellectual says the world is transforming in ways not fully understood by the West, Andrew Moody reports. Kishore Mahbubani believes the West is in denial about how the world is changing around it. The 70-year-old, who is one of Asia's leading public intellectuals, says it has yet to adjust to the emergence of China as the world's second-largest economy and the rise of other countries such as India. "Three of the top four economies in the world are now Asian. The West therefore ought to understand that this is not a world it can dominate anymore," he says. "It needs to ask itself the question as to what practical and pragmatic changes it needs to make to get used to this world, but it is not doing that." Mahbubani, who was in Beijing for a speaking event, has just published a new book, Has the West Lost It? A Provocation. The Singaporean academic and former diplomat insists, however, that he is not on a mission to belittle the West's contribution to civilization and the advancement of humankind. "We are living in a time where this great Western project to improve the human condition has succeeded. The West should be celebrating and saying, 'Hooray! We did it!' but it is instead clearly depressed." This sense of gloom is purveyed by CNN and other Western media outlets, according to Mahbubani, when they focus on such issues as the economic hardship of the US Rust Belt or Brexit when most of the world is experiencing an unprecedented rise in living standards. "You would think that this was a depressing period in history, but most people in the West are shocked to discover that the last 30 years have been the best for human history since history began. In 1950-two years after I was born-75 percent of the world's population, including me, were living in extreme poverty." Mahbubani says it is impossible to ignore the contribution of Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening-up initiative, which has delivered 800 million out of poverty and whose 40th anniversary was marked last year. "Deng Xiaoping will go down as the greatest leader of the 20th century, even greater than Churchill or anybody, because he picked his country up at a painful and even tormented time after the 'cultural revolution' (1966-76) and turned it around. He carries out the largest and most revolutionary transformation of China and opens it up to the world," he says. Mahbubani, who was speaking in the lobby of the Nuo Hotel in central Beijing after addressing the Third Understanding China Conference, co-hosted by the Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council from Dec 16 to 18, says the takeoff of China and other Asian countries was at a time when the West was experiencing a moment of "absolute hubris". This, according to Mahbubani, was when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990 and Francis Fukuyama, the US political scientist, wrote The End of History and the Last Man, arguing that Western liberal democracy had prevailed for all time. "The assumption was that the West could keep going on autopilot, but it was precisely the wrong time for it to turn on that mechanism because it was when Asia began waking up in a serious way," he says. "It was a time for the West to do a strategic U-turn and give up on the idea that it can keep dominating the world and intervening in so many conflicts, but it did the opposite. Francis is a wonderful person, but his book did a lot of brain damage to the West." Texas construction employment has reached a record high, according to federal data. The state's construction employment grew by 6.4 percent in 2018, adding 46,800 jobs, the most in the country. Between November and December, typically a slower time for construction, Texas added 4,500 jobs. WORKER SHORTAGE: Construction struggles to find workers as 23,000 jobs added in August Still, construction firms continue to worry about their ability to find the workers they need to grow. Nearly four out of five construction firms surveyed for the Associated General Contractors of America's hiring outlook said they were having difficulty filling positions, and two-thirds said they expected it will be as hard or harder to hire workers in 2019. "The construction industry ended 2018 in good shape in nearly all parts of the country, and contractors are optimistic about the volume of work available in 2019," Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist, said in an emailed statement. "But finding workers to execute those projects is likely to be a major challenge." Bringing new natural gas projects into service will be the top priority for Houston pipeline and storage terminal operator Kinder Morgan in 2019. During the company's investors day last week, Kinder Morgan executives said at the company plans to spend more than two-thirds of the $3.1 billion it has set aside for new projects on infrastructure to ship natural gas to customers both in the United States and aboard. The projects are being developed at a time of record natural gas production in the Permian Basin of West Texas and other U.S. shale plays. Domestic and international demand for U.S. natural gas is expected to grow from 8 billion cubic feet per day in 2018 to more than 29 billion cubic feet per day in 2030, figures from global energy analysis firm Wood Mackenzie show. Kinder Morgan Board Chairman Rich Kinder told investors that the two trends are creating a business opportunity for the Houston company. "All of this expanded demand has to be connected with our growing supply basins and that's where midstream companies like Kinder Morgan are key," Kinder told investors. "Our network of 70,000 miles of natural gas pipeline, which moves about 40 percent of throughput in this country, is uniquely positioned to maximize our current capacity. That's important. It's also important that, that infrastructure advantages us for new expansion and extension opportunities off of the base system that we have." Earnings: Kinder Morgan finishes 2018 with $1.4 billion profit Kinder Morgan plans to spend $715 million to maintain its current assets in 2019 but the company has also set aside nearly $3.1 billion for its 2019 discretionary budget, which the company uses for building and developing new pipelines, storage terminals, processing plants and other infrastructure. Nearly $2.3 billion of that discretionary budget has been set aside for natural gas projects in 2019. The two biggest projects are a pair of pipelines that will move natural gas from the Permian Basin of West Texas to the Gulf Coast. Kinder Morgan is leading a joint venture with three other companies to bring the Gulf Coast Express Pipeline into service by October. With a cost of $1.75 billion, the 42-inch pipeline will move 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Waha Hub in the Permian Basin to the Agua Dulce hub near Corpus Christi. The Houston company is also the lead developer in the $2.1 billion Permian Highway Pipeline. Expected to come into service in Oct. 2020, the 42-inch pipeline will move 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Waha Hub to the Katy Hub near Houston. Midstream Moves: Kinder Morgan authorizes $2 billion Permian Highway Pipeline In addition to the pipelines, Kinder Morgan is also planning to invest in projects to boost its natural gas exports to Mexico and develop other pipelines to support the growing liquefied natural gas industry along the Gulf Coast. The company plans to put its own Elba Island LNG export terminal near Savannah, Georgia into service by then end of the first quarter. Global demand for LNG expected to grow from 40 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in 2018 to nearly 75 billion cubic feet per day in 2030. With Kinder Morgan's pipelines supplying natural gas to LNG export terminals along the Gulf Coast and an export terminal of its own, the company views liquefied natural gas as a strong growth market. "Natural gas and petroleum demand is expected to grow for decades to come," Kinder said. "This growth is driven by demand from developing economies with India's demand expected to double and more while China is expected to be the largest importer of oil and natural gas. There's a combination of population growth, urbanization and economic development, which created a tremendous need for affordable and reliable energy sources." Founded in 1997, Kinder Morgan employs nearly 11,000 people. The company closed 2018 with a $1.48 billion profit on $14.1 of revenue. Expedition scientists on board a vessel in Antarctica have embarked on the last stage of their voyage the search for the wreck of the steam-yacht Endurance, which was abandoned by the British polar explorer Ernest Shackleton in 1915 when it was crushed by sea ice. They are just a few days away from the spot where the shipwreck is thought to lie at the bottom of Antarctica's Weddell Sea. [In Photos: Searching for Shackleton's 'Endurance' Shipwreck] The expedition members, on board the Dutch research vessel Agulhas II, recently completed their scientific tasks on the voyage by surveying the storied Larsen C ice shelf alongside the Antarctic Peninsula and the gigantic A-68 iceberg that separated from it on July 12, 2017 when what started as an enormous crack in Larsen C culminated in the separation of a Delaware-size, trillion-ton iceberg drifting through the Weddell Sea. Now, the Agulhas II is making its way through heavy sea ice to the last known location of the Endurance, which the members of Shackleton's expedition carefully recorded using astronomical sightings. The Dutch science research vessel Agulhas II has been in the Weddell Sea for about a month, surveying the newly exposed region beside the Larsen C ice shelf. (Image credit: Pierre Le Gall/Weddell Sea Expedition 2019) British maritime archaeologist Mensun Bound, who heads the expedition's exploration phase, said the team is hopeful about finding the historic shipwreck about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from their ship's present location thanks to a break in the weather. "Although the odds of success were initially against us, the mood within the team is upbeat given the favorable ice and weather conditions, which we think will allow us to reach the search area,' Bound said in a statement. Antarctic survival Shackleton led the expedition in 1914 in the hopes of crossing Antarctica, but the ship became trapped in the ice in February 1915. The expedition members stayed with the ship until it was crushed by the ice and sank that November. Shackleton and the 27 expedition members then spent several months trekking across the sea ice and floating on ice floes, until they finally escaped in the ship's lifeboats, which they had recovered from the wreck, to Elephant Island, near the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. [Icy Images: Antarctica Will Amaze You in Incredible Aerial Views] Most of the crew sheltered there, surviving on seal meat, while Shackleton and five others navigated in a small lifeboat for 800 miles (1,280 km) to a whaling station on the subpolar island of South Georgia, arriving in May 1916. Shackleton then made four attempts to rescue the remaining crew at Elephant Island. At the end of August 1916, he succeeded in doing so in a Chilean steam tug. Shackleton and all 27 members of the expedition survived the ordeal. Shipwreck under ice The researchers on board the Agulhas II hope to deploy an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to search the seafloor for the shipwreck. It is not known if the wreck is currently covered by a layer of sea ice or not, but the researchers hope the AUV and the detailed records left by Shackleton's expedition will help them locate the historic wreck in any case. Meanwhile, scientists on board the Agulhas II are celebrating their successful voyage to the edge of the Larsen C ice shelf a British expedition had to turn back last year because of bad weather and heavy sea ice. "We have acquired detailed observations on the glaciology, oceanography, biology and geology of the little-known area around the Larsen C ice shelf and the huge A-68 iceberg," said Julian Dowdeswell, the director of the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. "Analysis of this data will allow us to better understand the contemporary stability and past behavior of Larsen C, with its wider implications for ice-sheet stability more generally," he said. Original article on Live Science. Researchers say these chalk cylinders, carved more than 4,000 years ago, give the exact length measurements used to lay out Neolithic monuments like Stonehenge. A set of highly decorated chalk cylinders, carved in Britain more than 4,000 years ago and known as the Folkton drums, could be ancient replicas of measuring devices used for laying out prehistoric monuments like Stonehenge, archaeologists say. The researchers from the University of Manchester and University College London in the U.K. said that a fixed number of turns of a string around the hand-size objects gives a standard measurement of 3.22 meters or about 10.5 feet a length that was used to lay out many Neolithic stone and timber circles. Three of the ornately carved chalk cylinders were found in 1889, near the village of Folkton, in Yorkshire in the north of England. The smallest is 4.09 inches (10.4 centimeters) across, the next is 4.88 inches (12.4 cm) and the largest is 5.75 inches (14.6 cm). They were found in the grave of a child, which is thought to date to the late Neolithic period from 3000 B.C. to 2500 B.C. or the early Bronze Age Beaker period in Britain, lasting from 2500 B.C. to 1800 B.C. [In Photos: Stone Monument Discovered in Scotland] The Folkton drums were found in a prehistoric child's grave in the north of England more than 100 years ago. They are now displayed in the British Museum. (Image credit: Jononmac46/ CC BY-SA 3.0 Due to the location of the find and the cylinders' unusual shape, archaeologists call the objects the Folkton drums. They were thought to be unique until a very similar carved chalk cylinder was found more than 100 years later, in the village of Lavant near England's south coast it is called the Lavant drum. In a paper published in December in the British Journal for the History of Mathematics, the researchers say the circumferences of both the Folkton and the Lavant drums are based on multiples of an ancient measure known to archaeologists as a "long foot" of 12.7 inches (32.2 cm). Previous research suggests this long foot was a standard length for measuring the concentric circles of standing stones and timber posts at Neolithic monuments like Stonehenge and Durrington Walls, an earth henge about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) northeast of Stonehenge. Ancient chalk cylinders Archaeologists from the University of Manchester and University College London have determined that a string wound 10 times around the smallest of the Folkton drums would give a measure of exactly 10 long feet a length used to lay out several ancient henge monuments. The same length of 10 long feet can be found by winding a string seven times around the largest of the Folkton drums, and eight times around the middle-size drum, the researchers said. Wrapping a string nine times around the Lavant drum would also equal 10 long feet. [In Photos: A Walk Through Stonehenge] The lead author of the new study, University of Manchester archaeologist Anne Teather, said it wasn't clear why drums of different sizes were used to give the standard measure of 10 long feet. Researchers say that a string wound around the chalk drums gives an exact measurement of 10 "long feet" that was used to lay out ancient monuments like Stonehenge. (Image credit: Shutterstock) "There isn't one answer here, and probably there are several possible explanations," Teather told Live Science in an email. "We have suggested that the different-size drums all give 10 long feet, but a different subdivision of that measure, so they may have been useful when fractions of the measure were required." "Another explanation is that the drums were instructional teaching aids that would have been used to demonstrate some of the principles of mathematics and geometry," she said. Because the Folkton drums were found in the grave of a child, the researchers think the objects could have some sort of symbolic connection to childhood. "Does this mean that standard measures were somehow associated with children, or growth, or the human life-cycle including learning and the intergenerational transmission of knowledge?" study researcher Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist at University College London, wrote in a statement. "These items were almost certainly prestigious, although how, or to what extent they held social power, is unknown," he said. Prehistoric wooden originals The archaeologists think the Folkton and Lavant drums are not the actual devices used for prehistoric monuments, but rather replicas. "Chalk is not the most suitable material for manufacturing measuring equipment, and it is thought that the drums may be replicas of original 'working' standards carved out of wood," wrote University of Manchester archaeologist Andrew Chamberlain, another author of the new paper. "However, wood is not preserved on most Neolithic archaeological sites and no wooden measuring devices have been found in prehistoric Britain," he said. The latest research shows that the Folkton and Lavant drums had a very different origin from another type of prehistoric carved object found elsewhere in the British Isles, known as Neolithic stone balls. More than 500 stone balls, ornately carved by hand about 5,000 years ago, have been found in the northeast of Scotland, in the Orkney Islands, and in parts of England, Ireland and Norway.Researchers have generally ruled out the idea that the stone balls were used to make measurements it is now thought they were mainly ornamental in purpose. The Folkton and Lavant drums, however, suggest that the Neolithic monument builders of Stonehenge and other ancient henges possessed specialized geometric knowledge that may have been celebrated or taught to children in their culture. "The existence of these measuring devices implies an advanced knowledge in prehistoric Britain of geometry and of the mathematical properties of circles," Chamberlain said. Original article on Live Science. (Image credit: Figure a (left) by Dany Coutinho Nogueira; Figure b (right) by Florent Comte; Coutinho Nogueira, D. et al. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2018. Published by Wiley.) The digital re-creation of the French soldier's face: His actual eye and hair color are unknown, but most French soldiers back then had brown eyes and hair, hence the digital features of this re-creation. In a battle against Russia more than 200 years ago, a French soldier in Napoleon's Grande Armee was slashed in the face with a saber. He died a few weeks later, his body laid to rest in a mass burial pit in what was then Konigsberg, East Prussia. Now, scientists have uncovered the soldier's remains, and with cutting-edge technology, they have created a digital reconstruction of his face, according to a new study. "This wounded soldier was on the way to recovery when he died, possibly from a comorbid [accompanying] cause, [as] epidemic outbreaks of typhus and trench fever occurred in Konigsberg in late 1812 and early 1813," study first author Dany Coutinho Nogueira, a doctoral student of biological anthropology at the Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) Research University, told Live Science in an email. [Photos: Archaeologists Excavate Battlefield from Napoleonic Wars] The soldier's life took a turn when Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia in 1812. Despite Napoleon's success elsewhere, "this military campaign was a disaster, and the Grande Armee was decimated," with up to 500,000 French dead, the researchers wrote in the study. The campaign ended with the Battle of Berezina in November 1812. But the majority of the French soldiers didn't die in battle. Instead, the frigid Russian winter, infectious diseases and starvation killed multitudes, leading to mass burials, the researchers said. Some of these graves are in Konigsberg, the capital city of Eastern Prussia, which is known today as Kaliningrad, Russia. In the summer of 2006, a group of Russian researchers excavated parts of Kaliningrad. Among their findings were 12 mass graves that together contained at least 600 victims, with the individuals' military buttons still lying next to their remains, as Buzzfeed initially reported. One of these pits held 26 people, including the man who was slashed with a saber. This pit contained 26 skeletons, including the remains of individual C2, whose face was digitally re-created. (Image credit: Copyright Department of Preventive Archeology/Institute of Archeology Russian Academy of Sciences/LIA K 1812; Coutinho Nogueira, D. et al. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2018. Published by Wiley. ) Mystery man Not much is known about the man, but he was likely between 24 and 27 years old when he died, meaning he was born between 1785 and 1788, before the French Revolution began, the researchers found. An analysis of his skull and jaw revealed that the soldier was likely injured by a heavy cavalry saber in a fight against Russian troops. However, "this wound was severe but not immediately lethal," the researchers wrote in the study, as they found evidence that his bones had healed slightly before he died, likely six weeks to three months after the slashing. In fact, it was the soldier's severe wounds and missing bone that drew the researchers to him. The team wanted to reconstruct the face of a soldier with "severe facial trauma," Coutinho Nogueira said. To do so, the researchers used two techniques: mirror imaging (modeling missing bones on those from the opposite side of the skull and jaw), when possible, and looking at a reference individual as a model otherwise. In this case, the model was a 22-year-old French man. Copyright Olivier Dutour/LIA K 1812; Coutinho Nogueira, D. et al. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2018. Published by Wiley. (Image credit: The skull and jaw of the French soldier.) By using a craniofacial CT-scan of the reference individual, the researchers could give the soldier "virtual bone transplants," the researchers wrote in the study. The study didn't involve a genetic component, so "we interpreted eye and hair color using the most common phenotypes represented in France: brown eyes and brown hair," Coutinho Nogueira said. "But this young man could also have had blue eyes and blond hair." Even though this facial reconstruction isn't a perfect match for the original individual (researchers call their work an approximation), it still allows people to "focus our empathy on a face," Coutinho Nogueira said. "It is that of a young man who suffered a lot, died far from his family and never returned home." [25 Grisly Archaeological Discoveries] The soldier's fate is emblematic of hundreds of thousands of young soldiers of the Grande Armee and other European armies at that time, Coutinho Nogueira said. And some of them, including this man, received care. For instance, Baron Dominique Jean Larrey, a military surgeon who worked during the Russian Campaign (also called the French invasion of Russia), helped rescue wounded people from the battlefield and performed surgeries when possible. "[Larrey] describes in his memoirs a similar case and the recommended procedure for treating this type of injury, and it seems to correspond to what is observed on this individual," Coutinho Nogueira said. "The fact that the soldier survived for about two months, despite this injury, also shows that care, treatment and attention to the wounded continued during the retreat despite the terrible conditions." The study was published online in December 2018 in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. Originally published on Live Science. Many liken history to a river. When you are a drop of water in the river, you have no choice but to flow onward. Only when you observe it from above, can you recognize its changing course, He Fan says. The economist now has a new book, Momentum: An Ongoing History of China from 2019-2049 Vol 1: 2019, the first of a series that looks at the changes in the country from an unconventional perspective. The series takes the form of an annual report, with one book to be released every year. And starting this year, he will have recorded 30 years of Chinese history by the year 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of New China. "These are exciting years in Chinese history, with a series of major changes that will challenge our perceptions. Nothing is more interesting than writing about this era which we will be experiencing," He says. The idea for this project came from a conversation between He and Luo Zhenyu, the founder of iGet, an online learning mobile application. And both of them are fans of the book, The Glory and the Dream: A Narrative History of America, 1932-1972, written by US historian William Manchester. So, when He said to Luo that he hoped to one day write such a book, Luo replied: "Why don't you start now? You can witness and record the changes in this nation year by year." He soon started to put the idea into practice. But rather than a chronological account of the historical events, he intended to both see the broad picture and focus on the details by studying specific cases and analyzing the trends. Speaking about how he sees history, He compares it to a tree instead of a river, inspired by a connection he felt with Confucius through the ginkgo trees in Anqiu, Shandong province, which legend says were planted by the Chinese philosopher. "When we try to understand the changes in today's China, we are actually observing a tree," He says. "So, to feel its vitality, we must examine the new buds and tender branches, and also constantly pay attention to its main stem." These buds and branches, exemplified by the case studies in the book, while seemingly trivial, indicate societal trends in China. "My selection criteria is that after 30 years, they have the potential of becoming the pillars of the Chinese socioeconomic system." To He, the theme for 2018 was "shocks and twists". Based on the US-China trade war, He analyzes the three most important social changes in the Chinese economy-innovation, industrialization and urbanization. Finally, he talks about individual communities, the strength of which may seem meager, but could become the forces that will change Chinese society. In order to find cases to feature in his work, He and his team conducted multiple field studies throughout the past year covering more than 10 countries and over 20 provinces in China, visiting urban and rural areas, and interviewing people from varied professions-scholars, workers, farmers, students and entrepreneurs. A LIMERICK woman who claimed she bit another womans finger in self defence received a suspended prison sentence after she was convicted of assault. Danielle Nolan, 27, of Ashe Avenue, John Carew Park, had pleaded not guilty to the charge which related to an incident outside another house at John Carew Park on July 31, 2017. The complainant told Limerick District Court the defendant was one of a number of people who called to her home at around 8.20pm a short time after an incident had taken place a number of children. She said there was shouting and screaming and that when she went outside a fight broke out between her and Danielle Nolan. Judge Brian OShea was told the two women were grappling with each other and that the complainant had grabbed the defendants head. In an attempt to break-away the defendant scraped the complainants face and bit her thumb. The woman was treated by paramedics at the scene and attended St Johns Hospital the following day. In her evidence, Ms Nolan insisted she was defending herself and that the complainants thumb had gone into her mouth. I just bit down, I was defending myself. I didnt mean to bite her, she told her solicitor Darach McCarthy. Inspector Paul Reidy put it to the witness that she had drawn blood and that the complainant has lost feeling near the top of her thumb as a result of the bite. Were you actions justified, did you go too far, he asked? Well, I did like but I was defending myself. I stopped biting her when I heard her saying ow, replied Ms Nolan. Convicting the defendant, Judge OShea said the force used was disproportionate and that he did not believe the argument of self defence had been sustained. He said the offence was in the middle range and warranted a jail sentence. However, noting Ms Nolans age and her previous good record, he imposed a three month prison sentence which he suspended for eight months. Ms Nolan was ordered to stay away from the woman and not to comment about the incident or court case on social media. THE COUNTDOWN is officially underway to the fifth edition of Team Limerick Clean-Up, which takes place on Good Friday, April 19. Registration is now open for the major clean-up which sees thousands of volunteers across Limerick city and county take a couple of hours out from their day to tidy their local area. Among those who gathered at the the Castle Oaks House Hotel in Castleconnell for the launch this Monday morning included the youngest and oldest Team Limerick Clean-Up (TLC) participants Evelyn Sloane, 2, and pensioner Robert Coll. They were joined by Limerick senior hurling vice captain Paul Browne and full forward Kevin Downes, who brought the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Also present was Mayor of Limerick City and County, James Collins, Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche and Superintendent Derek Smart. Commenting ahead of the launch of Team Limerick Clean-Up 5, Munster and Ireland rugby legend Paul OConnell said: While we are of course looking forward to Team Limerick Clean-Up 5, its also important to reflect on what we have achieved to date. We are so thankful to every volunteer who makes TLC what it is and comes out on Good Friday to clean around their locality. Wed urge previous participants to sign up early, and anybody who hasnt yet got involved in TLC, now is the perfect time to start and help us make TLC5 the biggest and best yet and Limerick city and county the cleanest it has ever been! Five in a row! Some familiar faces joined us in Castleconnell to kick-off #TLC5 - and we're once again calling on the people of Limerick to volunteer this Good Friday and make your community a tidier place. Do it for your county. Registration is now open: https://t.co/bePWJTq9Dj pic.twitter.com/VmzAX0X46z Team Limerick Clean-Up (@TLC_Limerick) January 28, 2019 All fun and games at the launch of TLC5 here in Castleconnell. Another success story about to unfold pic.twitter.com/iYzRlEucu9 Aine Fitzgerald (@AineFitzgeraldA) January 28, 2019 Sponsored by the JP McManus Benevolent Fund, the event has seen over 360 tonnes of litter gathered from the streets by volunteers and event partner Mr Binman since its inception in 2015 equating to over 14,500 household wheelie bins. Overall participation figures have passed the 60,000-mark and included over 550 volunteer groups from every town in Limerick last year. Volunteers come from every walk of life from schools/colleges and GAA clubs, to Munster Rugby, community/residential groups, businesses, charities and well-known faces locally. The sustainability message is also key for 2019, with prevention the best cure when it comes to littering and looking after the community. Team Limerick Clean-Up is currently running the Design A TLC Bottle competition for primary schools across the county. Prizes include vouchers for school equipment and the winning designs will be printed on reusable bottles for every class member. All entries will be on display at the Hunt Museum and teachers wishing to enter their class are asked to visit the TLC website before close of business this Tuesday. Team Limerick Clean-Up is an initiative sponsored by the JP McManus Benevolent Fund and supported by Limerick City and County Council. Endorsed by Paul OConnell, the official partners include Mr Binman, the Limerick Leader and Limerick Live 95FM. Celebrating what will be a milestone year for the much-loved community event, volunteers are urged to sign up early at www.teamlimerickcleanup.ie and help make this the biggest and best TLC to date. LIMERICK TD Tom Neville will tie the knot with former Fair City star Jenny Dixon this summer. The pair shared the good news in separate social media posts on Sunday, having been engaged since September, when the Fine Gael deputy popped the question while on holiday in Italy. Saturday, July 27 is their special day, and it will take place at Jennys local church in Dublin. Their reception is set for the Powerscourt Hotel in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow. Mr Neville revealed the good news on Facebook and Instagram, while keeping in mind his late mother Goretti who died a decade ago last weekend. Referring to Goretti, the wife of his father, the former TD Dan Neville, Tom described her as one of the most important women in my life, adding she was a wife, mother, nurse and 70s and 80s feminist. Special to keep the connection to her by announcing six months from today, the wedding to the woman of my dreams, Jenny Dixon. Roll on July 27, he added. The couple started dating in 2016, after they met at an event and Jenny mistook the TD for an aspiring actor. In her own post, Jenny added: Ill wear a white dress and you your suit. Well throw a big party with friends and family. Powerscourt Hotel will forever become special. Well dance and have cake. Im so happy you offered to buy me that drink that momentous night, and I cant wait to become your wife Tom Neville. Mr Neville was elected as a TD at the first time of asking in 2016, having won a council seat in 2014. During the recession, he headed to Australia, but prior to that, he served on the old Limerick County Council between 2003 when he was co-opted in place of his Dail-bound father Dan and 2009. A MAN in his 40s has been fined after he told a Limerick garda to go f*** herself when he was told to stop drinking cans of Heineken at Arthurs Quay park during Riverfest celebrations. Damien Treacy, 46, of New Street, was charged with being intoxicated in a public place, and for engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour in a public place, under Section 4 and Section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act. Gda Emer Griffin told Judge Brian OShea at Limerick District Court on Monday last that Mr Treacy had been asked by security on the festival grounds to stop drinking cans of Heineken on May 5. After he refused, security contacted gardai at Henry Street garda station. Gda Griffin said that parents were trying to move their children away from him. She said when she asked him to stop drinking, he told me to mind my own business. He told me to go f*** myself on a number of occasions. Solicitor Liam Carroll said he accepted the gardas evidence in relation to my clients use of language. However, the court determined there was insufficient evidence that Mr Treacy, who has no previous convictions, was intoxicated. Judge OShea imposed a fine of 250 with six months to pay. THERE is profound relief in Limerick this Monday following the announcement that US sanctions against Aughinish Alumina have been officially lifted. The move finally removes the threat that has hung over the 450 jobs and hundreds of downstream jobs at Aughinish for the past nine months. It will also be welcomed with relief by car and aeronautical industries across Europe which rely on Aughinish for up to 30% of its supply of alumina. It is a huge relief, Minister of State, Patrick ODonnovan said this Monday. The threat of sanctions had created a limbo for Aughinish, he said, but now they could go ahead with their plans for future investment and expansion. There is a sense of relief locally and within the government that this has been moved on, he continued. There has a been a lot of twists and turns in this story. From a government point of view, this has occupied the minds of a lot of people and there has been a lot of concern over the last number of months. This morning there is a collective sigh of relief and the company can be left to get on with its business. Last April the US proposed sanctions targeting Oleg Deripaska, the major shareholder in Rusal, owner of Aughinish, and other Russian oligarchs, in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the US elections. But in the months since, Ireland and other EU countries, lobbied fiercely, arguing that the sanctions would have adverse and unintended consequences for them as countries friendly to the US. The sanctions were postponed several times as discussions continued with a view to Mr Deripaska reducing his holdings in the EN+ Group and Rusal. Then on December 19 came word that an agreement had been reached and the sanctions would be lifted within 30 days. But with just days to go, senior Democratic Party figures in the US, newly back in control of the House of Representatives, complained that the deal was a sign the Trump administration was going soft on Russia and Vladimir Putins friends. Votes to block the deal went ahead both in the US Senate, where it failed to get the necessary majority, and in the House where it succeeded. But as Minister of State, Patrick ODonovan explained at the time, these votes would not spell the end of the road for the deal. This weekend, his optimism proved accurate and the sanctions against Rusal Aughinish were lifted. It was also welcomed by Fianna Fail TD Niall Collins who said that the threat of sanctions had made if very difficult for the company to trade. The value of Rusal at Aughinish in Limerick to the local economy is enormous and the ongoing worry about the future viability of the jobs and company has finally now been removed, he said this Monday. Fine Gael TD for Limerick Tom Neville said: This news means that Aughinish Alumina can now focus again on its core business and future growth. This is fantastic news for the companys staff based in Limerick and around the wider region. Aughinish is a major employer in the Mid-West and the many hundreds of jobs it supports and sustains are no longer at risk. The Government worked very closely in support of Aughinish and its management ever since the sanctions were announced in April 2018.This has involved intensive work, both at home and abroad, in search of a solution to safeguard the firms future. This announcement is the culmination of a significant cross-Government effort over 10 months . We will continue building awareness in the United States of Aughinishs long history in Ireland and its importance to the Mid-West and our wider economy. These jobs are so important to Limerick and the Mid-West and Government will continue to support them. HUNDREDS of new jobs are coming to Limerick city, as biotech giant Regeneron is planning to pump an extra 200m into its operations in Raheen. Regeneron, which employs 1,200 staff in Limerick, is looking to expand its site by 240,000 square feet, more than half its current 400,000 square foot complex. So far, Regeneron has spent more than 1bn on its Limerick site over the past five years. And according to Niall OLeary, of Regeneron Ireland, they have not finished spending. According to a report in the Sunday Business Post, Regeneron also plans to construct a building with state-of-the-art facilities for research and development, as well as an 800-space, multi-storey car park. The two mayors of Limerick have both welcomed the news of Regenerons investment plans. Mayor of Limerick City and County, Cllr James Collins described it as fantastic, adding that the money they are investing in the Raheen plant shows their commitment to Limerick. He said that Regeneron has had a big influence in Limerick city and county and in the region. However, he is now calling on the local authority to provide infrastructure for the hundreds of new workers who will be travelling via public transport. Metropolitan Mayor, Cllr Daniel Butler said that it is a great signal that something special must be happening in Limerick. When Regeneron came to Limerick, I think it was a huge turning point for Limerick city to have a biopharmaceutical company of the calibre of Regeneron, in the top five companies of the world in that area. One of the top companies in the world to work for, full stop. To see this level of expansion of Regeneron, I think, is reflective of their commitment to the area, and also the calibre of employees that are available in the region. I think its a great signal that were doing something right in Limerick, he said. Regeneron creates medicines for health problems such as allergies, eye diseases and cancer. A LIMERICK man who fatally stabbed an "annoying" Romanian national who begged from him has been jailed for eight years. Imposing sentence this Monday, Mr Justice Michael White said the actions of Desmond Coyle over 13 seconds at the deceased's home on Roche's Row in the city, resulted in 58-year-old Calo Carpaci entirely needlessly losing his life. He also said the killing of Mr Carpaci was "at the upper end of the scale" in terms of manslaughter. Coyle, 60, who has an address at Davis Street, Limerick went on trial before the Central Criminal Court last December and was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Summarising the facts of the case this Monday, Mr Justice White explained that on the morning of May 24, 2017, Coyle left his home and collected his disability benefit before going to two pubs where he drank a substantial amount. He also bought some food before returning home. He then left his home again and for some reason best known to himself he left armed with a knife and in search of Mr Carpaci. When Coyle couldn't find Mr Carpaci in the areas the Romanian man used to frequent, he went to Mr Carpaci's home, entered the property and inflicted one stab wound to Mr Carpaci's heart. Mr Justice White noted that Coyle was caught on CCTV entering the Mr Carpaci's home and re-emerging 13 seconds later. The court previously heard Coyle told those who restrained him after the stabbing that he hoped his victim was dead and that he had deserved it. He later told gardai if Mr Carpaci had stopped f***ing annoying me, it wouldnt have happened. Mr Justice White said the aggravating circumstances are clear. He said Coyle, for reasons the court finds hard to explain was discommoded at the very most by Mr Carpaci who had begged from him on occasions and that this provoked Coyle to seek out Mr Carpaci at lunchtime on May 24, 2017. Mr Justice White said: It was clear from the [pathologist's] evidence that he [Mr Carpaci] was still a very healthy man and still had a good bit of life ahead of him. Mr Justice White took a number of mitigating circumstances into consideration before passing sentence. These included a previous plea by Coyle of guilty to manslaughter, Coyle's background, which the judge noted had a degree of tragedy to it, and the fact Coyle has no previous convictions. At a sentencing hearing last week, Mark Nicholas, SC, for Coyle, said his client had offered to plead guilty to manslaughter before the trial but the DPP rejected the plea. Mr Nicholas also noted that Coyle had always accepted responsibility for the killing and showed remorse when he told gardai that he wished he had not gone to Mr Carpaci's home and added: I'm not some cruel monster. Mr Justice White said it was difficult to understand how a man could reach the age of 60, with no previous convictions, and commit the crime he did. He also noted that Coyle is generally a civil man in his demeanour with people. But, he said, he had to sentence Coyle for a serious crime which was at the upper end of the manslaughter scale and sentenced him to eight years imprisonment from the date he was remanded in custody December 12, 2018. We're sorry that the ministry you were looking for is no longer available on LightSource.com. However, below are some great ministries that offer related content. Enjoy the inspiration, encouragement, and Biblical challenge from these LightSource.com ministry partners! According to village officials, the pay raise and bonuses were approved upon completion of various goals set by the village board, which included the creation of the North Avenue tax increment financing district, approval of planned development permits for proposed developments at Lake Street and Lathrop Avenue, as well as Chicago and Harlem avenues, successful renovation and construction work to village hall and successful recruitment of a new finance director. Barretstown ambassadors actors Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Aidan Gillen have launched Barretstowns Press Play campaign in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The campaigns aim is to fundraise and raise awareness of Barretstown so it can expand its programmes to serve more children who suffer from serious illness, and their families. Children with serious illness face physical and social challenges often resulting in isolation and loneliness. Children that come to Barretstown go home with increased confidence, self-esteem and, more importantly, the reassurance that happiness is not just for healthy children. Childhood stops for seriously ill children. Barretstown aims to bring back the fun of childhood. Over the next five years, the Press Play campaign will aim to raise an additional 5 million to ensure that Barretstown can serve as many children as possible. The Press Play campaign will aim to raise an additional 5 million to ensure that we can serve as many children as possible, said Dee Ahearn, CEO of Barretstown. The significance of this cant be overstated it is important to remember that hospitals treat the illness, but Barretstown treats the child. They have been doing this free of charge for Irish families for 25 years now. Im delighted to be here to celebrate the amazing work done by all of Barretstowns staff and volunteers, said Aidan Gillen. I have visited Barretstown and its clear to see that the children who attend camp, leave it with an increased sense of confidence, self-esteem and independence. Their experience at camp allows them to enjoy childhood again after the hardship of their illness and treatment. It also allows parents, and the family, gain a deeper understanding of the experience of serious illness. Its such a worthy cause because the healing process wouldnt be complete without it, added Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. Barretstown opened in Ballymore in 1984. RTE (2FM) are in Kildare this afternoon looking for people to sign a giant leaving card for Larry Gogan. Read also: Snow and sleet in places according to Met Eireann forecast for week Staff will be at Whitewater Shopping Centre at 3pm in Newbridge and Kildare fans of the radio legend are asked to pop down to pay tribute to him. The 2FM DJ will be stepping down from the station at the end of January, but it doesn't mean that he's retiring from the airwaves, as Larry is set to move to RTE Gold. In a statement, Gogan said: "I have loved all my time on 2FM and would like to thank all the amazing support from all my listeners, great colleagues and all the fantastic Irish and International artists I have been privileged to support and be a part of their success. "I am thrilled to be moving over to Gold full time and being part of that exciting new digital world." Philomena Doyle Ballyadams, Ballylinan, Athy / Ballyadams, Laois January 27 2019, Deeply regretted by her loving nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, relatives and friends. Reposing at Rigney's Funeral Home, Athy from 6pm on Monday evening with Rosary at 8pm. Removal on Tuesday morning at 10.30am to arrive at St. Joseph's Church, Ballyadams for Requiem Mass at 11am. Burial afterwards in Ballintubbert Cemetery. Paul Fanning Ballyfarsoon, Monasterevin / Artane, Dublin Son of the late May and Tom, of Chanel Avenue, Artane, Dublin. Deeply missed by his loving family, son Barry, daughters Ciara and Aoife, daughter-in-law Dinara, grandson Max, brothers Paddy and Davey, sisters Philly, Ann and Mary, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, nieces, nephews, his work colleagues in the GPO, extended family relatives and a wide circle of friends. Funeral Arrangements Later. Raymond McMahon Glenashling Nursing Home, Celbridge / Blackrock, Dublin January 26, 2019 (suddenly) in the loving care of the staff at Glenashling Nursing Home. Special son of the late Eamonn and Mai. Sadly missed by his loving brothers Stephen and Peter, sisters-in-law Noeleen and Fiona, nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grandniece, cousins, extended family and his many dear friends. Reposing at Glenashling Nursing Home (W23 X279) on Tuesday (29th. January) from 7pm to 8pm. Funeral Mass in Glenashing Nursing Home on Wednesday morning (30th. January) at 11am followed by burial in Shanganagh Cemetery. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, The Oblates Lourdes Fund. Bridget ( Cis) Tierney (nee Keogh) Coologmartin, Donadea, Naas, Kildare / Ballyfermot, Dublin Formerly of Violet Vale, Ballyfermot. Peacefully in her 100th year, in the tender care of the dedicated staff of TLC Nursing Home, Maynooth, wife of the late Tommy. Sadly missed by her loving sons George and Derek, daughters Concepta and Ann, sons-in-law John and Jack, daughters-in-law Nora and Ann, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends. Reposing at TLC Nursing Home, Straffan Road, Maynooth from 5pm on Tuesday with rosary at 7pm. Removal on Wednesday morning to arrive at the Oblates Church, Tyrconnell Road, Inchicore for Requiem Mass at 10am. Burial afterwards in Bluebell Cemetery. Family flowers only please. Donations if desired to the Alzheimers Society of Ireland. Donations box in church. A convicted rapist who was awarded damages after being assaulted while serving his prison sentence has brought a legal challenge over an alleged delay in a review by the DPP into complaints of perjury by prison officers. The action has been taken by Darius Savickis who wants the High Court to direct the DPP to complete a review into the decision not to prosecute prison officers over evidence they gave before the High Court in 2013. Savickis was awarded damages after the jury hearing his civil action found he was assaulted by several prison guards on September 29th 2009 while he was serving a sentence at Castlerea Prison in Co Roscommon. The incident was captured on CCTV. Originally from Lithuania, Savickis (48) with an address at An Fiodan Doughiska Co Galway was assaulted by a prison officer while serving a six-year sentence for orally raping a 23-year-old German woman when she was walking home from work in Galway on November 28th 2005. In High Court proceedings he claims that in 2017 the DPP agreed as part of an agreement to settle other proceedings he had brought, to review the decision not to prosecute anyone over the evidence given to the High Court. He claims his solicitors wrote to the DPP in March, April and November 2018 asking about what progress had been made in the review. In a response received in early January, the DPP's office stating the review is "ongoing" taking longer than anticipated and would be "concluded early in the New Year." No explanation has been offered for the delay in conducting the review, it is claimed. In 2013 a jury hearing Savikis High Court civil action awarded Savickis 224 after force had been used by the officers. Attributing 95 per cent responsibility to Savickis, the jury reduced its award from 4,500 to 224. He appealed and in 2016 the Court of Appeal found he was assaulted and awarded him 10,000, plus 5,000 exemplary damages over the evidence given by the prison officers and 2,225 over the use of unreasonable force. The Court of Appeal concluded that prison officers had lied under oath as part of an effort "to hide their complicity" in what was wrongful conduct in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The Judge presiding over the High Court action in 2013 remarked that the CCTV pictures made it "blatantly obvious "Savickis was "punched by a prison officer who denied it with all his colleagues." In 2017 Savickis, applied to the High Court for permission to bring judicial review proceedings against the DPP and Garda Commissioner over the DPPs' March 2017 decision not to prosecute the prison officers for perjury. That action was compromised after the DPP agreed to review the decision not to prosecute. In his latest judicial review action, Savikis seeks damages, as well as an order directing the DPP to complete the review within such time the High Court deems fit and proper. He also seeks various declarations including that the DPP has had a reasonable time to complete a review of the decision not to prosecute several prison officers who allegedly committed perjury during his civil action in 2013. He further seeks declarations including that the DPP has breached his rights to fair procedures and breached its duty to vindicate Savikis's rights as a victim of a crime to bodily integrity. Permission to bring the action against the DPP was granted, on an ex parte basis, by Mr Justice Seamus Noonan on Monday. The Judge made the matter returnable to a date in March. A ramp is needed at a pedestrian crossing outside a busy hotel in Portlaoise as people are not slowing down or stopping at the crossing according to a Portlaoise councillor. Cllr Pauline Madigan said the pedestrian crossing outside the Killeshin Hotel at the Dublin Road in Portlaoise is dangerous because there is no ramp to give drivers a reason to slow down. She asked the council to install a ramp. I would plead with anybody that doesn't drive on this road to just drive up and down maybe once or twice a day just to see the danger that there is outside the Killeshin Hotel. Because there is no ramp, drivers are not stopping at the pedestrian crossing and if I have had one person say this to me I have had at least 20 people say this to me in relation to outside the Killeshin Hotel and one of the main reasons for us not slowing down is because there isnt a ramp just there on the pedestrian crossing so at least then we would have to slow down. "It just seems to be very dangerous, she said. Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald said this crossing is forgotten about. I don't know why but it is one of the crossings that seems to be forgotten about even by locals. I always believed that it is dangerous, you seem to be on top of it before you realise and coming from the town end it's nearly worse, you don't get that long view of it. Maybe a warning sign is needed, she said. Mr Farham Nasiem, a senior engineer in road design said Road design will review this pedestrian crossing any upgrade works required will be carried out in 2019. Cllr Madigan said this was a vague response and called for action on this serious issue. READ MORE: Thieves cause 4,500 damage to Portlaoise shop. The worst of Storm Gabriel could miss Ireland but Met Eireann forecasts that another weather event in the Atlantic, that could be called Storm Erik, looks to be on course for Ireland. In her latest forecast, Met Eireann Joanna Donnelly said Gabriel is likely to miss Ireland to the south but is on course for France where large accumulations of snow are likely. However, she said another 'weather event' is developing in the Atlantic and is expected to impact on Thursday. In her bulletin after the RTE News she said the low pressure is associated with the possibility of snow. She said the extent of the weather event will be determined by the centre of the low pressure over Ireland. The next named Atlantic storm by Met Eireann would be called Erik. Met Eireann has issued a Status Yellow weather warning until Saturday due to the likely impact of the cold snap this week. More below tweets Clear and cold early tonight with scattered showers and widespread frost but the showers will become more widespread and wintry later tonight. Lows of -1 to +2 degrees in moderate westerly breezes. pic.twitter.com/8SkMKU91PZ Met Eireann (@MetEireann) January 28, 2019 A developing area of low pressure over the western Atlantic has been named as 'Storm #Gabriel' by the French Met office. The low centre tracks to the south of the UK, but rain, sleet & #snow will push across the country on Tuesday & Wednesday pic.twitter.com/gOn5Z99QBN January 28, 2019 Read also: YELLOW ALERT ISSUED BY MET EIREANN s Tim Ryan - Durrow The death took place on Sunday, January 27 of Tim Ryan of Carrigan St, Durrow. Peacefully at Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise. Husband of the late Betty. Deeply regretted by his loving daughters Sarah and Helena, sister Una, sons-in-law Ger and Noel, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and friends. Reposing at his daughter Sarahs) residence at Swan Rd, Durrow from 2pm on Monday. Funeral prayers on Monday evening at 7pm followed by removal to Holy Trinity Church, Durrow (arriving 7.45pm approx). Requiem Mass on Tuesday at 11am followed by burial immediately afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. Philomena Doyle - Ballyadams The death took place on Sunday, January 27 of Philomena Doyle of Ballyadams. Deeply regretted by her loving nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, relatives and friends. Reposing at Rigney's Funeral Home, Athy from 6pm on Monday evening with Rosary at 8pm. Removal on Tuesday morning at 10.30am to arrive at St. Joseph's Church, Ballyadams for Requiem Mass at 11am. Burial afterwards in Ballintubbert Cemetery. Jim Bracken - Portlaoise The death took place on Saturday, January 26 of Jim Bracken of 33 Oakleaf Place, Portlaoise. Reposing in the Chapel of Rest at the Regional Hospital Portlaoise from 6pm until 8pm. Requiem Mass on Monday at 10am in S.S. Peter and Paul's Church, Portlaoise. Interment afterwards in S.S. Peter and Paul's Cemetery. Josephine Fitzpatrick - Dublin and Mountmellick The death took place on Friday, January 25 of Josephine Fitzpatrick of Rialto, Dublin and formerly of Graigue, Mountmellick. Peacefully, in the care of her family and the staff of Leopardstown Park Hospital. Beloved daughter of the late James and Elizabeth. She will be very sadly missed by her loving sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, extended family, friends and neighbours. Reposing at Leopardstown Park Hospital on Monday from 2pm until 4pm, followed by removal to St. Josephs Church, Mountmellick, arriving at 7pm. Funeral Mass on Tuesday morning at 11am, followed by burial in St. Josephs Cemetery. Isaac Stanley - Ballintubbert The death took place on Friday, January 25 of Isaac Stanley of Kellyville, Ballintubbert. Peaceully in his 95th year at Droimnin Nursing Home, Stradbally. Loving husband of Sadie. He will be fondly remembered by his wife, nieces, nephews, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law and a wide circle of relatives and friends. Reposing at Droimnin Nursing Home on Sunday from 1pm until 3pm. Reception Service in St. Patrick's Church, Stradbally at 4pm on Sunday. Funeral Service on Monday at 1.30pm followed by burial in Killermogh Churchyard, Balacolla (arriving 3.15pm aprox). A group of six local Republican incumbents plan to jointly announce their re-election campaigns Monday in Warren County. The announcements will cover two county offices -- freeholder and sheriff -- and the four total state Assembly seats for the 23rd and 24th Legislative Districts covering Warren and surrounding counties. (FIND YOUR LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT) Warren County reliably votes Republican; there has not been a Democrat on the freeholder board since 2002. The county had more than 29,000 registered Republican voters to about 18,000 Democrats at the close of 2018, according to state voter registration records, though there were almost as many unaffiliated voters (28,500) as Republicans. The campaign kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday at Warren County Community College. The candidates are: Assemblyman John DiMaio (R-Warren, Hunterdon, Somerset)Express-Times Assemblyman John DiMaio. The former Hackettstown mayor is seeking his sixth two-year term in the state Assembly for the 23rd District (southern Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset). DiMaio, 63, is the president of A. DiMaio and Son contractors in Hackettstown, where he served as a councilman and mayor nearly 20 years. He was a Warren County freeholder from 2000 to 2009, when he took office in the statehouse. Assemblyman Erik Peterson (R-Hunterdon, Warren, Somerset)SL Assemblyman Erik Peterson. Like DiMaio, Peterson has also been a 23rd District assemblyman since 2009. The 52-year-old was a Hunterdon County freeholder for three years before taking state office, where he serves as the assistant Republican whip. Peterson has a law office in Clinton. Assemblyman Parker Space (R-Sussex, Warren, Morris) Assemblyman Parker Space. Space has represented the 24th District (northern Warren, Sussex and Morris) since 2013. The 50-year-old is the owner of Space Farms, a zoo in Sussex County, where he lives. Space has also been a volunteer firefighter for 30 years, served in municipal government for five and spent three years on the Sussex County freeholder board. Assemblyman Harold "Hal" Wirths (R-Sussex, Warren, Morris)Rob Jennings | NJ Advance Media Assemblyman Harold Hal Wirths. The 43-year-old Wirths started his first term in the Assembly last year, following a six-year stint as head of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development under Gov. Chris Christie. Wirths represents the 24th District and was a Sussex County freeholder for 10 years. Warren County Sheriff James McDonald.courtesy photo for lehighvalleylive.com Warren County Sheriff Jim McDonald. The former Washington Township police chief won the office of Warren Countys top cop in 2016 and is seeking his second three-year term. Now a resident of Phillipsburg, he previously served more than 30 years in the township police department. As sheriff, he oversees the county jail, courthouse security, prisoner transport and sales of seized property, among other duties. Warren County Freeholder Jason SarnoskiExpress-Times Warren County Freeholder Jason Sarnoski. The Hackettstown resident is seeking his fourth three-year term on the three-member freeholder board, where he is currently the director. He serves as the county governments liaison to municipalities in northern and eastern Warren County. New Jerseys primary election will be June 4. The general election will be Nov. 5. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. It happened twice in the same day: Hackettstown police were called to a local Wawa, and both times charged employees with stealing money from the convenience store. The first call on Saturday came at 8:20 a.m. from the Mountain Avenue Wawa, according to a police news release on Monday. Nineteen-year-old Donnell Gatling Jr., of Brooklyn, New York, was charged with fourth-degree theft for allegedly stealing $228 between Jan. 20 and 21. The second call from the same store came at 3:13 p.m. That time, police said, 20-year-old Michael Cavaliere, of Belvidere, was charged with third-degree theft for stealing $1,130 between Jan. 10 and 20. Both men were released pending court appearances. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Before forging ahead with e-learning days this week, though, Superintendent Julie Lauck said administrators surveyed staff to make sure they were ready to conduct meaningful lessons on an e-learning day. Results of the survey, issued Friday, were due by noon Monday. The federal government was shut down down for five weeks. Its too bad we cant do the same thing here in Pennsylvania until the elected officials in Harrisburg listen to the people about school property taxes. In 2017 the vast majority of voters cast ballots for tax reform. Not one representative in Harrisburg is doing anything to give the taxpayers their request. Last Thursdays paper again had many sheriff sale listings. Im sure not all of them are tax related, but none of them should be. Our legislators are working for us. Give us what we want. Bob Pflugler Lower Nazareth Township A Wind Gap woman admitted Monday she bilked her elderly friends and the Pocono Slate Belt Shooting Association out of more than $430,000. Lisa A. Shafer was sentenced Monday to 27 to 54 months in state prison followed by seven years of probation, according to court documents. Northampton County Judge Anthony Beltramis sentence requires Shafer to pay back the $430,000 she was accused of taking. Records say Shafer bilked several Slate Belt friends out of money, several of whom were over 60 years old. They include Peter Gheller of Bangor; John Duvall of Washington Township, Northampton County; Patrick Donahue of Upper Mount Bethel Township; Lester Harris of Polk Township, Monroe County; Donald Menecola of Washington Township, Northampton County; Brett Hardenstine of Barrett Township, Monroe County; and Staci Horne of Upper Mount Bethel Township. Court records say Shafer wrote out more than $75,000 in checks to herself using Pocono Slate Belt Shooting Association club funds dating back to 2008, when she and her husband were named caretakers and moved in to the club-owned home. The clay bird trap shooting club is in the 700 block of Lake Minsi Road in Upper Mount Bethel Township. She kept suspicious club members off her trail by creating a fake law firm and fake state revenue officer, both of which she claimed signed off on investigations clearing her of wrongdoing back in 2012, court records say. Shafer pleaded guilty Monday to receiving stolen property, filing a false insurance claim and multiple counts of theft by deception. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. Lawmakers are returning to the Pennsylvania Capitol, but they haven't revisited a response to child sexual abuse scandals since the debate's collapse on last year's final voting day. The Legislature's new two-year session begins in earnest Monday, with little mention of legislation reflecting the state attorney general's grand jury report on child sexual abuse in Pennsylvania's Roman Catholic dioceses. Legislation proposed last year would give now-adult victims of child sexual abuse a two-year reprieve from time limits in state law that otherwise would bar them from suing perpetrators and institutions that covered it up. The provision was recommended by the grand jury, and backed by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Gov. Tom Wolf, the House of Representatives, Senate Democratic leaders and victim advocates. It was opposed by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and the Senates huge Republican majority. The provision passed the House overwhelmingly last month, but Republican senators said they considered it unconstitutional and warned that cash awards in such lawsuits carried serious consequences for church charities. Scarnati says he has no plans to restart legislation and is satisfied by how Pennsylvanias dioceses have moved to set up victim compensation funds. That includes the Allentown diocese, which administers to 251,000 Catholics in a five-county area that includes the entire Lehigh Valley. Under the Allentown fund, victims will give up their right to sue the church, but they will not be silenced if they accept money from the fund. House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler says hes been discussing new legislation. Walter Floyd admits he ransacked his Pen Argyl home, flipped over a table and threw around furniture. But he doesnt admit that he beat his dog to death. The 50-year-old borough resident told Slate Belt Regional police he has enemies and there are people who might want to do this to him, according to Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Abraham Kassis. The case involving the death of Princess is the first case in Northampton County to go to trial under Pennsylvanias aggravated animal cruelty law. Floyd was the first Northampton County resident charged with the law that went into effect June 30, 2018. It makes killing or seriously injuring an animal a felony. Police found Princess dead just after midnight Jan. 13, 2018, according to former Slate Belt animal control officer Christine Mammi. The dog was a 15-pound Chiweenie, a cross between a dachshund and a Chihuahua. Defense attorney Robert Eyer said no one saw the dog killed and theres no direct evidence that Floyd beat her. Suspicion that he killed the dog doesnt equate to a guilty verdict, he said. Walter Floyd did nothing more than come home and find his dog was beaten. He is and remains presumed to be innocent of any of these charges, Eyer said. Princess the Chiweenie was found dead Jan. 18, 2018. Her owner is charged with aggravated animal cruelty. (Courtesy Christine Mammi)Courtesy Christine Mammi Mammi said the dog suffered a crushed skull. Her leg had a compound fracture with the bone poking through the skin. Despite the seriousness of the injuries, Floyd claimed he came home and found the dog had died in her sleep. Mammi said he told her he was so upset he trashed his house. Slate Belt Regional police responded to the disturbance Floyd created at his home in the 200 block of C Street, Kassis said. Floyd admitted he had been drinking prior to the incident at the American Legion hall next door. Eyer pointed out that Floyd was the one who told police to call Mammi. If he killed the dog, it doesnt make sense for him to call an animal control officer, he said. Veterinarian Karin Breitlauch testified Monday that Princess died from blunt force injuries. Six days after Princess died, Floyd was confronted with evidence that the dog could not have died in its sleep, Mammi said. He said he believed somebody had broken into his house, eaten his noodles and killed his dog," Mammi said. Kassis said inconsistencies in Floyds statements the night of his death and during the later interview with police and Mammi are proof that he killed his dog. Kassis said the interview was videotaped and jurors will see the video. Testimony in the case will continue Tuesday before Northampton County Judge Stephen Baratta. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. When Bethlehem police found a woman last week shackled inside a car by her husbands hand, it was not the first time , authorities said. Police released new details Monday on the arrest of John VanHorn, after the discovery of his shackled wife Wednesday morning in the 900 block of Jennings Street. Officers were called for a handcuffed woman asking for help, according to police. After finding the woman, police said they found VanHorn driving by the area in a vehicle he had borrowed. VanHorn had the keys to his wifes shackles, as well as two realistic looking BB guns, city police said. Police interviewed the victim, and she reported she had been shackled numerous times inside VanHorns vehicle while he went to work over the past six months. Family members picked up the woman after she was interviewed, police said. The 50-year-old VanHorn was arraigned Wednesday afternoon on a single charge of false imprisonment, and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Police called Monday morning for a woman shot in a Northampton County home said the reported crime was a hoax. A little before 7 a.m., Bethlehem Township police were called for a woman shot in a home in the 4100 block of Washington Street. The caller reported the shooter was still in the residence and residents were sheltered in place. Officers responded and shut down surrounding streets, only to find the call was a hoax. No one was endangered or injured, police said in a news release. Police are now investigating the call and trying to identify the caller. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Bethlehem City Councils longest serving member plans to seek another term. Councilman J. William Reynolds announced Monday that he plans to seek another four-year term in 2019. The 37-year-old Democrat has been a city councilman since 2008. He waged an unsuccessful primary bid for mayor in 2013. Bethlehem continues to be a model of what a city can be in the 21st century -- progressive, diverse and economically strong, Reynolds said in a news release. "I am asking the people of Bethlehem for their support for another term so we can continue the important progress we have made in the areas of climate action, neighborhood revitalization, open and transparent government, and economic development. Reynolds is a lifelong resident of the city. He attended Bethlehem Area School District schools, graduated from Moravian College and teaches at William Allen High School in the Allentown School District. During his last four years on council, Reynolds cited the success of his Bethlehem 2017 legislative agenda, rolled out when he was then serving as council president, a parliamentarian position. It spurred the creation of Bethlehems first climate action plan and Northside 2027, a neighborhood revitalization strategy involving residents, the Bethlehem Area School District and Moravian College. Bethlehem is creating its first open data portal in hopes of encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, he noted. It also led to the development of the Financial Accountability Incentive Reporting (F.A.I.R.), which requires developers working in the city who receive economic development incentives to file annual reports disclosing certain figures, like jobs created. 8 ideas pitched to give Bethlehem a brighter future Hes also proud to have worked with the administration and council to continue to improve the citys finances, reflected in the citys recent upgrade to an A+ bond rating by S&P. Reynolds said hes also been a vocal advocate for state legislation that protects the environment, marijuana decriminalization, equality and increased funding for the Bethlehem school district. If elected to another term, Reynolds promised to continue to deliver on the action plan, Northside 2027 and extend the open data initiative. His other focuses would be economic development and revitalization, public safety, improving communication with citizens via social media channels and continuing to partner with the school district to combat issues affecting the citys most vulnerable kids. This year, four council seats are up for grabs. Councilman Shawn Martell, a Democrat, has announced he does not plan to run for another term. Martell was first elected to council in 2015 along with Councilman Michael Colon, newcomers who edged out Councilman Michael Recchiuti by seven votes in the May primary. He was the second-highest vote getter behind Reynolds. Dr. Paige Van Wirts seat is also up for re-election. Van Wirt was appointed to fill the final two years of Eric Evans term when he stepped down to become city business administrator. Van Wirt, who waged an unsuccessful write-in campaign in the general election before being appointed, intends to run to fill the seat. Easton Area High School guidance counselor Grace Crampsie Smith, a Democrat, has announced she plans to run for council. Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. - The United States government, United Kingdom and France have been warned against making 'undiplomatic' comments that could heat up the polity in Nigeria - The warning to the countries was issued by a civil society organisation - Concerned Nigerians urged these countries to respect Nigeria and her decision and stop meddling in her affairs A civil society organisation has warned the United States government, United Kingdom and France against making undiplomatic comments that could heat up the polity in Nigeria. The organisation gave the warning at a massive rally in support of President Muhammadu Buhari and the suspension of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen in an alleged false declaration matter. Rallying at the embassies of the United States of America, France and the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, the Concerned Nigerians urged these countries to respect Nigeria and her decision and stop meddling in her affairs. The convener of the protesting group, Okpokwu Ogenyi, said the decision of the presidency to suspend Onnoghen was in order and should not be politicised. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Ogenyi said: "Please note that The 1999 Nigeria Constitution, as amended, is very clear on assets declaration by public officials. Declaration of assets by public officers in Nigeria is not a voluntary exercise. Instead, they are mandated by the law to do so before and after occupying public offices. "The Constitution in Section 172 states, A person in the public service of the Federation shall observe and conform to the Code of Conduct. "Paragraph 11 of the Code of Conduct (Ethics of Work for Public Officers) stipulates that, Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, every public officer shall within three months after the coming into force of this Code of Conduct or immediately after taking office and thereafter:(a) at the end of every four years; and (b) at the end of the term of office; submit to the Code of Conduct Bureau a written declaration of all his properties, assets and liabilities and those of his unmarried children under the age of 18 years. "And that Any statement in such declaration that is found to be false by any authority or person authorized in that behalf to verify it shall be deemed to be a breach of this Code. Any property or assets acquired by a public officer after any declaration required under this Constitution and which is not fairly attributable to income, gift or loan approved by this Code shall be deemed to have been acquired in breach of this Code unless the contrary is proved. "Hence public declaration of assets is best recommended so that both the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) together with its Tribunal (CCT) and the general public may work in agreement. "The Ambassadors may wish to know that there are stipulated penalties for violation of the CCB law in Nigeria regardless of the position the individual occupies as the law is no respecter of persons," Ogenyi said. READ ALSO: Breaking: Fayemi wins at tribunal According to the group, the embattled CJN for inexplicable reasons decided to act in a contrary and morally bankrupt manner by not declaring parts of his assets. The CSO said that such act he attributed to forgetfulness" cannot be condoned in any saner clime. "Dear Ambassadors, such an act cannot be condoned in a sane clime, and even in America, Britain, and France," Ogenyi said. He also said that the CSO expects that members of the Diplomatic community would at some point appreciate the efforts of the present administration in sanitizing the system and some restraint in public conduct given that the general elections are around the corner so as not to send the wrong message to the voting public. "Nigeria is a sovereign country, and as such, that must be clearly understood and appreciated by all, including members of the Diplomatic community in Nigeria. Respect for our people and values are sacrosanct. Unguarded public statements could incite the general public given the peculiarities of the time we have found ourselves. And so they should be minimized or avoided if possible. "The fact remains that the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria violated the law and not a case of witch hunting or political persecution. And there are penalties for breaking the law the world over, Nigeria inclusive." he said. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Code of Conduct Tribunal has adjourned indefinitely the trial of the embattled Chief Justice of Nigeria who is facing charges of alleged non-declaration of assets at the tribunal. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app At the resumed hearing on Monday, January 28, the chairman of the CCT, Danladi Umar, while giving his ruling said the matter has been adjourned sine dine pending ruling of the Court of Appeal on the application for stay of proceeding filed by Onnoghen. The CCT chairman upon presiding over the matter at 11.24 am on Monday, January 28, had apologised for the delay over today's hearing. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! Onnoghen's Trial is Politically Motivated - APRJ | Legit TV Source: Legit Social media is going crazy with reactions as there was a recent fight between two men unknowingly dating the same girl, after one of them publicly proposed to her. When it comes to double dating, a lot of people tend to have various reasons to back up these acts, While others do it to avoid disappointment from one person, others do it out of sheer indiscipline and greed. As it appears, some people lack the expertise involved in double dating and this Nigerian lady currently trending on social media, is one of them. According to the videos circulating on the internet, she accepted a public proposal from one man after which another guy, believed to be her other boyfriend, showed up at the scene and started a fight. READ ALSO: Personal letter from the Editor-in-Chief of Legit.ng (former NAIJ.com) A Twitter user identified as Hiibeekay shared the videos and wrote: "This is getting out of hand, guys please propose inside your house, not this public embarrassment youll pulling, she said yes to this guy and then the main boyfriend showed up ." See videos below: READ ALSO: See how far we have come - 57-year-old RMD says in lovely birthday post to wife In the video, the guy who appeared hurt and betrayed by her actions is heard screaming: "I just proposed to this human being last week." The lady is seen cowering on the floor with her head bowed down in shame. The angry lover goes on to shove the other guy to the ground. Surprisingly, the second guy does nothing to defend himself and covers his face in embarrassment, much to the dismay of the growing crowd surrounding them. See reactions below: Perhaps it is safe to say public proposals are not always the best way to go about popping the big questions as unforeseen external factors may play against you or your lover. Meanwhile, social media has been buzzing ever since a wedding footage of a couple hit the internet and for obvious reasons too! A typical African wedding often comes with glamour no matter the budget, especially in a country like Nigeria where people are big on celebrations. However, not everyone is big on the glitz and glamour. For this reason, many people would rather have an unconventional wedding with as few guests as possible. However, this couple took the word unconventional to a whole new level. In the video which is currently circulating the internet, not only are the couple dressed in a rather peculiar style considering the nature of the occasion, their public display of affection is a tad bit awkward which some might find hilarious too. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News on Legit.ng News App Get the hottest gist on Africa Love Aid HELLO! NAIJ.com (naija.ng) upgrades to Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better How would you react if your woman rejects your marriage proposal in public? | Legit TV Source: Legit - Mass defection has hit APC in Cross River state, as over 1,000 of its supporters defected to the PDP - Sunday Omang, assistant secretary of the APC, who is among the defectors said he took the decision because of Governor Ben Ayade's good works in the state - Omang was a member of President Buharis campaign organisation in the state until his defection Emerging reports have claimed that Sunday Omang, assistant secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River state, and over 1,000 of his supporters have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Guardian reports that the defectors made the move during Governor Ben Ayades campaign rally in Bekwarra local government area of the state. This is contained in a statement by Ayades campaign team and chief press secretary and senior special assistant on media, Christian Ita. READ ALSO: NJC reportedly summons emergency meeting over Onnoghens removal It was learnt that Omang was also a member of President Muhammadu Buharis campaign organisation in the state until his defection. He said: My decision to join the PDP was never influenced in anyway by anybody. Rather, I took the decision alongside my supporters to join PDP because of the good works Governor Ayade is doing to transform Cross River. At the rally, he said the northern zone of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the over 50,000 commercial motorcyclists in Bekwarra declared their unalloyed support for the governor in his re-election bid. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda In another news, thousands of youths dumped the PDP for the APC in Bayelsa. They were received by former governor and APC leader in the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, at the weekend. The defectors, mostly youths, who are indigenes of Tombia-Ekpetiama clan, said the PDP had nothing to offer them and promised to work for the emergence of APC candidates in their constituencies. One of them, Ebi Alamiyeseigha, said he held many positions in the PDP in the past but chose to abandon the party because it had not brought development to their clan. Sylva commended the defectors, saying that they took the right decision by abandoning the PDP. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that a former youth leader of the opposition PDP in Nuku- Sabon Gari ward of Abaji area council, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Peter Yandu, and 157 other members have defected to the ruling APC. According to the report, the former youth leader said he and other members had been in PDP since 1999 but were later abandoned by the party they worked for. Speaking on Wednesday, January 9, Yandu said since the party had abandoned them, they decided to pitch tent with the ruling APC after series of consultations with some of his former PDP members in the area. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. I married four wives, built houses under Buhari's regime - farmer boasts| Legit TV: Source: Legit.ng The Weather Service said the expected deep freeze will begin Tuesday, calling for it to be sunny and cold with a high near 6. Wind chills will be as low as minus 19, the Weather Service said, again with strong winds and gusts as high as 30 mph. Overnight lows Tuesday into Wednesday are expected to hit minus 19, the Weather Service said. With the wind chill, itll be in the minus 38 range. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28) A controversial bill seeking to lower the minimum age of responsibility of children in conflict with the law (CICL) to 12 hurdled the House of Representatives on final reading Monday. Lawmakers voted 146-34 on House Bill (HB) 8858, which aims to amend Republic Act (RA) 9344 of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, previously setting the age at 15. They also deleted the word "criminal" that modified "responsibility" in referring to youth offenders. The House initially lowered the age of responsibility to 9 which passed the first reading on January 21. However, following backlash from experts and opposition from senators, it was moved up to 12 years old. SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, through a substitute bill, introduced last-minute changes during the plenary session on January 23. President Rodrigo Duterte has supported the measure to lower the age of responsibility. In a chance interview after an event in Pasay City last week, he told reporters he was "comfortable" with 12 years old being the new standard. Duterte added he would have also been amenable to lowering the age of liability to 9. He said it would force parents to discipline their children at a young age. "Kasi ang gusto ko (because what I want is), at that age, pati ang (even) parents must be conscious of the criminal accountability already," the President said. House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo earlier promised to pass the bill because "the President wants it." Under HB 8858, children younger than 12 years old are referred to as "children in conflict with the law below the age of responsibility." Children who are 12 years old and above will be held liable for crimes if they are found to have acted with discernment. Youth offenders who commit serious crimes such as murder, kidnapping and rape would be placed in juvenile intervention and support centers, also known as Bahay Pag-asa, which are currently run, maintained and funded by their respective local government units (LGU). HB 8858 amended the act to transfer the operations and management of the centers to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which will also provide funding from its annual budget. After conviction by the court, offenders will carry out the sentence in agricultural and training facilities also run by the DSWD. CBCP: Save the children The Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reacted to the House's approval of the bill lowering the minimum age of responsibility. A pastoral letter released Monday said, "There is no way we can call ourselves a civilized society if we hold children in conflict with the law criminally liable. Children who get involved in crimes, such as those who are used as runners by adult drug pushers, do not deserve to be treated as criminals." The CBCP added these youth offenders would instead be rescued, as it is obvious they come from "very poor families and raised in an environment of abuse." "We beg our country's legislation to give the bills they are drafting some serious rethinking and consider the greater harm that such a move can cause on the young people of our country," the CBCP said. Several others have also voiced their opposition to lowering the age of responsibility. At CNN Philippines' Senatorial Forum Sunday, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said, "Eighteen years old ang age of majority. Bakit natin paparusahan, bakit natin ikukulong ang mga kabataan sa mas murang edad na 12 or nine?" [Translation: 18 years old is the age of majority. Why would we punish, why would we jail our children at a much younger age at 12 or nine?] Senator and former Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian also expressed his opposition at lowering the age of responsibility to 12, as he believed the current Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act is enough. "Ako personally, I'm not in favor kasi sa Valenzuela, five years ago nag implement na kami ng Bahay Pag-asa, and in our experience there, 75 percent ng batang pinasok doon, naibalik namin sa pamilya, nagaaral, ang iba nasa UP (University of the Philippines) pa. Kung may proper facility, proper intervention program, and magtatrabaho LGU (local government units), may pag-asa ang mga bata," he said. [Translation: Personally, I'm not in favor because five years ago in Valenzuela, we implemented Bahay Pag-asa and in our experience there, 75 percent of children who went into the program returned to their families, went to school, and some have even gone to UP. If there are proper facilities, a proper intervention program, and if the LGUs work, children will have hope.] CNN Philippines correspondents Xianne Arcangel and Joyce Ilas contributed to this report. South Africa: SA, India to strengthen cooperation in agriculture The governments of South and India have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of agriculture, forestry and fisheries. The two countries made the commitment during a bilateral meeting between South Africas Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Senzeni Zokwana and Indian Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Parshottam Rupala, in New Delhi, India last week. The bilateral meeting was aimed at strengthening cooperation in agriculture, forestry and fisheries with a special focus on the areas of crop and animal production, research, food and nutrition security, agroforestry, aquaculture and agro-processing. The meeting was a culmination of technical discussions which took place at the 4th Joint Working Group on Agriculture between the two countries. During a meeting, Zokwana and Rupala recognised the importance of agriculture to the economies of their respective countries, and committed to continue deepening bilateral trade in agricultural commodities. South Africa gained market access for persimmons and mangoes in 2016. Work is currently at an advanced stage to gain market access for avocados, litchis and pickled sheep and goat skins. The ministers recognised the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Research and Education between the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in 2018. They urged both institutions to expedite the finalisation of a work plan to outline a programme of action on cooperation in research and education. The areas to be covered in the work plan include crop breeding, silk production, agricultural biotechnology, post-harvest technologies and agriculture education and training. They also agreed to explore opportunities in the area of the bamboo value chain. Addressing poverty and hunger Further agreements were made on working together on mutual food and security initiatives directed towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with specific reference to SDG 1 addressing poverty; SDG 2 addressing hunger; and sharing their experiences in the development of drought resistant varieties and bio-fortified varieties. Both Ministers further noted the importance of the soil-water-energy relationship and committed to intensifying initiatives in this nexus to address sustainable agricultural systems. Revolutionary agricultural development Experiences were shared in extension services on the importance of it in the Fourth Industrial Revolution to ensure revolutionary agricultural development was emphasised. Furthermore, the Ministers agreed on convening an inaugural bilateral seminar on extension. The seminar will be a platform to share best practices and set a new bilateral agenda on extension and technology transfer. South Africa will host the first seminar, where a joint action plan will be crafted. In strengthening the marketing of commodities, the National Agricultural Marketing Council of South Africa and the National Institute of Agriculture Marketing of India will sign a Memorandum of Understanding. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-01-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. - The minister of finance, Zainab Ahmed, said AMCON has recovered N1tn from debtors since its establishment in 2010 - Ahmed said 60% of the recovery was cash while non-cash assets such as properties and equity securities accounted for the balance of 40% - The finance minister tasked the new board of the debt recovery agency to come up with innovative ways to recover outstanding loans The federal government has said that the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, since the commencement of operations in 2010, has recovered about N1tn from debtors of banks whose loans were taken over by the corporation. The Punch reports that the minister of finance, Zainab Ahmed, said this in Abuja during the inauguration of the board of AMCON. Legit.ng gathers that the newly constituted board is under the chairmanship of Muiz Banire (SAN). READ ALSO: Policeman killed in Edo is a cultist - Commissioner AMCON is an agency set up by the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to bail out banks through the purchase of non-performing loans and to recover loans from debtors. The finance minister added that 60% of the recovered amount was cash while non-cash assets such as properties and equity securities accounted for the balance of 40%. She said over the same period, AMCONs repayment of its indebtedness to CBN was over N1tn, while its total debt obligation to the CBN currently stood in excess of N5tn. Ahmed explained that going by the current economic realities, the federal government could not afford to write-off the debts in the short term. She tasked the new management board to come up with creative strategies to recover the outstanding loans since it had now become a moral obligation for the government to recover the outstanding liabilities. Her words: At inception, the corporation acquired over 12,000 non-performing loans worth approximately N3.7tn from 22 commercial banks; injected N22tn as financial accommodation to ten banks. The direct impact of that action is seen in the protection of about N3.66tn of depositors funds and approximately 14,000 jobs were saved. AMCON has been able to recover over N1tn since inception to the 2018 year end. AMCONs total debt obligation to the CBN is currently in excess of N5tn. It is evident that the federal government cannot afford to write off this debt in the short term hence, our moral obligation to pursue obligors and recover the debts owed. She admitted that the corporation had made significant progress in its management of toxic assets in the financial sector. Ahmed said that the government would do all it could to recover debts to AMCON and hinted that payment to any contractor in this category might be frozen until such obligations to AMCON were met. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Legit.ng had earlier reported the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday, October 10, confirmed Muiz Banire, a former legal adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the chairman of the governing board of AMCON. Minister of industry says economy is improving; Nigerians disagree | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng News - JAMB says it earned the sum of N1.3 billion between January 18 and 24, 2019 - The examination body also disclosed that nine of its more than 700 Computer-Based Test centres taking part in the ongoing registration exercise for the 2019 UTME's have been suspended - JAMB is is also currently closely monitoring activities at about 10 centres in Lagos and Plateau states and will take action on them following its forthcoming management meeting The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says between January 18 and 24, 2019, it generated the sum of N1.3 billion as revenue. The announcement was made in Volume 1, Number 4 of the JAMBulletin- a weekly publication of the office of its registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, Premium Times reports. READ ALSO: NJC reportedly summons emergency meeting over Onnoghens removal Legit.ng gathers that the money is part of JAMB's revenue generated from registration for its 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), amongst other sources. The examination body also disclosed that nine of its more than 700 Computer-Based Test centres taking part in the ongoing registration exercise have been suspended. The centres were suspended over allegations that they engaged in illegal activities. The affected centres include the University of Benin ICT Computer Based Test (CBT) and DA Civic Centre, both in Benin City, Edo state; Mardakem Company Ltd., Oron, Akwa Ibom state; Bintels Global Services Ltd, Aguleri, and Noble & Shuaib ICT Ltd, Alor, Anambra state. Other suspended centres are Global ICT Connect Ltd at the Benue State University, Makurdi; Medes ICT Centre, Idepe, Okitipupa, Ondo state; Divine Success All CBT Centre, Iseyin, Oyo state and Riyom ICT Centre, Plateau state. The examination body is also currently closely monitoring activities at about 10 centres in Lagos and Plateau states; disclosing that appropriate action would be taken on these centres when its management meets on Monday, January 28. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the president of Nasrul-Lahil-l-Fath Society, Alhaji Kamil Bolarinwa, advised students against obsession with smartphones and other mobile devices in order to excel in their studies. Bolarinwa gave the advice while inaugurating free JAMB tutorials for Muslims and non-Muslims at NASFAT headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja. He said that the free JAMB tutoring would run till the commencement of the examinations, urging those intending to sit for the examinations to utilize the opportunity. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: We have updated to serve you better! Nigerians express mixed feelings as JAMB reduces admission cut-off to 120 - on Legit TV: Source: Legit - The slain police officer killed by unknown gunmen in Benin is a member of a cult group, according to the police commissioner in Edo state - The slain officer who was killed alongside two members of his cult group was said to have been fighting a rival cult group - Arrests have been made in relation to the killings and some guns recovered The commissioner of police in Edo, Hakeem Odumosun, has said that the policeman killed by unknown gunmen in Benin on Saturday night was a member of a secret cult. The CP told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that two other persons were killed in the shoot out that claimed the life of the officer. NAN had reported that a police officer, identified as Oisa Ehigie, was shot dead along Normayo/Sakponba road of Benin City. It was also reported that the killing may not be unconnected with activities of secret cults that had claimed several lives in the city recently. READ ALSO: Akwa Ibom elders kick against suspension of CJN Onngohen The commissioner said the slain officer was killed alongside two members of his cult group. According to him, the slain policeman died while fighting on the side of his cult group against rival cult group. Three people were killed in the fight, the police officer and two others. I have gone to see his family. It is a cult killing and the officer is a cultist, the CP said. The commissioner, who said arrests have been made in relation to the killings, also said some guns had been recovered. Odumosun said that there is no hiding place for cultists in Edo. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, retired seven deputy inspector-general of police who are his seniors. The seven officers were said to have joined the police before IGP Adamu, who was appointed on January 15 after the former IG Ibrahim Idris was retired when he attained 60 years. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! 2019 Election: New IGP Speaks Tough | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng News - Presidency has urged Christians to support Buhari's administration and pray for the government - President Buhari's spokesperson, Femi Adesina, said many of the comments he has heard against the government are from the church - According to Adesina, instead of criticising and judging those in government, they should be prayed for Femi Adesina, the special adviser on media and publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, has urged Christians to support and pray for the government instead of criticising and judging those in power. Adesina, who spoke at a meeting organised by the Christian Press Association of Nigeria (CPAN) in Lagos state, said most of the criticisms and comments against the government are from the church, Daily Trust reports. READ ALSO: NLC storms National Assembly for public hearing over minimum wage The presidential spokesperson also said the numbers of Christians in President Buhari's cabinet is equal to the number of Muslims. He said: How frequent do you pray for your leaders and how much support do you give them? Instead of criticising people in government and judging them, pray for them. Before the minister of state for labour and employment, the late Ocholi, died, we had more Christians in the cabinet than Muslims and after his death, the number became equal. Unfortunately many of the comments I have heard against the government are from the church." PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the president, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle said the association will not endorse any presidential candidate in the forthcoming election. Ayokunle made the assertion in a statement signed by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the special assistant, media and communications to the CAN president, on Tuesday in Abuja. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: We have updated to serve you better! Pastor Adeboye, Imams should join politics to move Nigeria forward - Olulade - on Legit TV Source: Legit.ng - President Muhammadu Buhari has invited APC senators to the Presidential Villa - The president will meet with the senators on Monday, January 28 - The meeting will reportedly focused on the recent suspension of the CJN, Walter Onngohen Ahead of the Senate's resumption on Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari has invited senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Presidential Villa, Abuja for a meeting over the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen. The senators are reportedly meeting with the president on Monday, January 28, to prepare on how to defend the president's decision to suspend Onnoghen. The Punch reports that the invitations to the meeting were signed by the director general of the APC presidential campaign organisation, who is also the minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. READ ALSO: More corrupt people will be sent to jail Osinbajo However, an APC source who spoke to the press said: So, we need to talk to our members in the Senate and impress it on them not to allow Saraki to impose his personal opinion on them. APC members of the House of representatives have reportedly scheduled an emergency meeting for Monday as well. The meeting was called by the majority leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, via text messages on Sunday evening. Members of the opposition party, PDP have accused the presidency of inviting the APC senators to bribe them ahead of the Senate's meeting on Tuesday. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app The PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said: President Buhari is not only apprehensive that the Senate might sanction him for violating the constitution and usurping its statutory duties regarding the handling of issues related to a CJN, the parliament may also open an inquest into how President Buhari, who parades himself as Mr Integrity, allegedly procured an order from the CCT upon which he announced the illegal suspension of the CJN. There are reports that the said order is suspicious and subject to investigations, being not argued or issued in the open court; following which a distressed Buhari Presidency now seeks to corrupt and undermine the Senate. Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the National Judicial Council (NJC) reportedly called an emergency meeting over the federal governments suspension of Walter Onnoghen from the office of Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), over alleged non-declaration of assets before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). The meeting was called by some NJC members in line with its rules and will be held in Abuja by 10am on Monday, January 28. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! South-South governors condemn trial of CJN Onnoghen | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng Reports have emerged that the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has retired seven deputy inspector-general of police who are his seniors. Premium Times, citing police sources on Sunday, January 27, listed the officers affected by the retirement to include: 1. Maigari Dikko, the DIG in charge of finance and administration 2. Habila Joshak, the DIG in charge of operations 3. Emmanuel Inyang, information and communications technology 4. Agboola Oshodi-Glover, logistics and supply READ ALSO: NJC reportedly summons emergency meeting over Onnoghens removal 5. Mohammed Katsina, research and planning 6. Sani Mohammed, training and development 7. Peace Ibekwe-Abdallah, federal criminal investigation and intelligence The newspaper states that the retirement of the senior officers would be announced formally later by the police force, noting that police spokesperson, Frank Mbas telephone was switched off at the time of the report on the retirement emerged. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda The seven officers were said to have joined the police before IGP Adamu, who was appointed on January 15 after the former IG Ibrahim Idris was retired when he attained 60 years. The retirement of the officers is said to be in line with the norm in the police force that recommends the retirement of senior police officers when an officer junior to them in service or lower in rank is appointed to lead the institution. In another report, the acting IGP, Mohammed Adamu, was said to have on Thursday, January 24, asked members of an election committee set up by immediate past IGP Ibrahim Idris to explain how about N311.640 million given to the committee was disbursed. Daily Independent reports that the Force Headquarters sources allegedly hinted that some of the committee members reported and were interrogated, but were allowed go back to their various commands. Legit.ng gathered that the newspaper said source could not, however, disclose the number of those who reported and their ranks. The IGP was said to have directed DIG (R&P) Mohammed Katsina to interrogate them. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! 2019 Election: New IGP Speaks Tough | Legit TV Source: Legit Recently, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen was suspended by the president of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari. This action has generated quite a lot of reactions from Nigerians. One of the people who have taken to reacting is Nollywood actress Maryam Charles. The beautiful actress was agitated about the suspension of the CJN. She took to her Instagram page to register her discontent about the issue. In her statement, she labeled Nigerians as hypocrites who could not stand up to what was wrong but only took to social media to sigh and make observatory remarks. In a way, the actress also took to addressing those in power. She said they should remember that they would also have to leave the position any time soon. READ ALSO: Ladies, the advantage you have over him is your feminine power - Actress Maryam Charles Read her words below: "Nigerians are hypocrites. No, it's not a mistake. I said what I said. If we aren't, why do we keep quiet when things are going so wrong? We have become so used to our twisted system that it has become normal. If this isn't the case, how can the Chief Justice of Nigeria be suspended and all the noise we are making is just on social media? What happened to leading protests? Where are the civil organizations? READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda "Everyone is content with commenting on social media and that is it. Sigh! E go better. But Mr President, remember the country is for all of us. I won't call you a tyrant like some people have been doing. Instead, I think you have forgotten what happens after you leave office. One day, you too will step out from your siren lead convoy. Till then sha , till then." PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group Some Nigerians could not help but comment about the post. Some supported her staunchly while others registered their disapproval. See some of the reactions below: PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app okinloba: "Well said @maryamcharles. I pray for more wisdom for you @maryamcharles" iretomiwaoluranty: "Well said sis.... May God help us all..." shezzy605: "You look so beautiful" jerrykingchidera: "So beautiful I didn't even read the caption" ithsmejaycrown: "Mmasinachi" Maryam Charles who always weighs in on relationship issues recently took to saying that men who beat their women do not deserved to be called men in the first place. What a saying! NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better South-South governors condemn trial of CJN Onnoghen | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng In today's article, we are going to tell you about Saudi Arabia scholarship for international students and how to get it. We have prepared for you some options that are considered to be the best for foreign applicants. So, if you are the person, who wants to get a degree in this country, then read on! Photo: en.wikipedia.org, news.stanford.edu Source: Depositphotos Saudi Arabia scholarship program As it is known, there is a law allowing the admission of the international students in all specialties (the only restriction is medical specialties, where non-citizens are not admitted) to the universities of Saudi Arabia. About 25 institutions of higher education throughout the country have opened their doors to foreign applicants. Comfortable conditions of studying, providing residence, and friendly policies regarding international students make universities of Saudi Arabia one of the most popular destinations for studying in the Middle East. Photo: abouther.com Source: Depositphotos Also, there is a bunch of scholarships which are pretty attractive for international students, who are indeed promising and gifted. Several times per year students from all over the world can get an opportunity to obtain one of these scholarships and catch some luck with studying at one of the leading universities in Saudi Arabia. So, what kind of scholarship for international students in Saudi Arabia is available? Scholarship in Saudi Arabia for international students 2019 One of the most popular scholarship programs in Saudi Arabia is KAUST scholarship. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is a private research university in Saudi Arabia. A lot of professional with currently brilliant careers have received education at this university. Students of any graduate and postgraduate programs can apply for the scholarship. Photo: scholarshipfellow.com Source: Depositphotos Scholarship size: full payment of tuition fees; monthly allowance (from $ 20,000 to $ 30,000 annually, the amount depends on qualifications and progress in training); accommodation; medical insurance (including a dentist); relocation allowance. Also, it is highly recommended to pass the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) general test. A high test result will be important when your candidature will be considered as relevant for admitting the application. So, how one can get a scholarship? Photo: en.wikipedia.org Source: Depositphotos The scholarship is paid on the basis of the documents provided: application; test of knowledge of English; GRE general test (optional); an official certificate with grades from the university in which the student had previously studied; three letters of recommendation (recommendation letters are important, and they should be sent directly by the recommender); CV. Applications are accepted three times a year. Detailed information and answers to questions can be obtained by contacting admissions@kaust.edu.sa or by visiting the official website kaust.edu.sa. Madina institute of leadership and entrepreneurship scholarship Another popular scholarship in Saudi Arabia that can be achieved by international students is provided by Madina institute of leadership and entrepreneurship. Photo: vocfm.co.za Source: Depositphotos READ ALSO: King Abdulaziz University scholarships for international students This is one of the higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia that presents leaders and entrepreneur to the world, who consequently make a significant contribution to the future of humankind. It also provides an opportunity to get high-grade scholarships for those students that are eager to become professional leaders or entrepreneurs in years to come. Lately, the university has submitted a scholarship, which name is YES scholarship. This scholarship is supposed particularly for international students, who do not have Saudi Arabia citizenship, providing them with five special advantages. Also, YES scholarship allows you to get such benefit as tuition fee of two weeks. Regrettably, this one does not include expenses for transportation and living. Photo: kiplinger.com Source: UGC So, what are requirements to the applicants of YES scholarship in Madina institute of leadership and entrepreneurship? They are as follows: The applicant has to fulfill his or her degree with high GPA (Grade Point Average); The applicant has to be employed at some company. The required working experience is at least five years; The applicant must have the best performance; The applicant has to possess some administration qualities; The applicant has to hold businessperson experience or ambition. The applicant must be very communicative and open-minded. If you recognize yourself in the qualities mentioned above, then you definitely have a chance to get a scholarship and should apply for it. To do this, please, follow the link mile.org. Islamic development bank scholarship The last Saudi Arabia scholarship is Islamic development bank (IsDB) scholarship in the young professional program that is particularly suggested to those international students who have a master's degree (graduate level) and they are principally interested in supporting the Islamic development bank to reach their purposes and objectives. Photo: twitter.com (user @isdb_group) Source: Depositphotos READ ALSO: Top 10 heap schools in Canada This universal establishment will assist international students to get all the advantages of studying for their best career and future. So, what students are welcomed to apply for the Islamic development bank scholarship in the young professional program? Photo: ilimvemedeniyet.com Source: Depositphotos Saudi scholarship program rules for the candidates are: The applicant has to be a member of the IsDB community. Non-Muslims that are participants of the IsDB community are able to apply as well; The applicant has to possess a degree; The applicant has to hold the GPA (Grade Point Average) certificate with a minimum average score of 3.5 points; The applicant must not be older than 35 years old, including the period of the interview; The applicant is not required to have work experience; The applicant has to be proficient in English. If you are willing to apply for this scholarship, then follow the link to do it isdb.jobs. We hope that you have found this article useful and informative, and it has answered all the questions you have about the list of the best scholarships for international students in Saudi Arabia. READ ALSO: How to study medicine in Canada? Source: Legit.ng News - As the general elections in Nigeria approach, the stakes are getting higher both for politicians and international observers of politics - The governments of US and UK said that they will restrict the visas of those who are caught interfering with the polls - Both world powers said that the general elections are not only important to Nigeria, but also to the entire African continent The United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) on Thursday, January 24, revealed that they will have serious punishments for anyone who is involved with any crime related to Nigeria's forthcoming general elections. Referring to the polls as being of grand importance to the entire African continent, both nations said that the repercussions may include visa restrictions. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda The US mission in Nigeria in a statement said:The conduct of the upcoming elections in Nigeria is important not only for Nigeria, but for the African continent. It added: The United States government does not support any specific candidate or party in Nigerias upcoming elections. The United States supports the Nigerian democratic process itself. We support a genuinely free, fair, transparent, and peaceful electoral process." On its part, the UK government said: "23 days to the Presidential and National Assembly elections and 37 days to the Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections, the British High Commission in Abuja would like to reaffirm our strong support for free, fair and peaceful elections in Nigeria. "We and our international partners remain committed supporters of Nigerias democracy. We do not support any party or individual and believe that the Nigerian people should be able to choose their leaders in an environment free from hate speech and insecurity. "We continue to provide significant support to Nigerias Independent National Electoral Commission and to Nigerian civil society to help them deliver credible elections. "We also regularly engage with actors across the political spectrum to encourage them to respect electoral rules and maintain an atmosphere of peace and calm. "We will be deploying an extensive observation mission for the forthcoming elections, including coordinating with the EUs Election Observation Mission. Our monitors will in particular be looking out for any attempts to encourage or use violence to influence the elections, including on social media. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! "We would like to remind all Nigerians that where the UK is aware of such attempts, this may have consequences for individuals. These could include their eligibility to travel to the UK, their ability to access UK based funds or lead to prosecution under international law. "The UK is a friend and partner of Nigeria. We hope our continued support will play a role in helping Nigeria take a further step towards consolidating the progress made since democracy returned in 1999." Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the deputy British high commissioner, Harriet Thompson, on Friday, November 30, 2018, assured Nigeria that the British government had no intention of interfering in the 2019 general election. Thompson, however, said the British government would be monitoring the election closely and urged the Nigerian government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure free and fair elections. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! 2019 Election: New IGP Speaks Tough | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng I want to thank the 285 faculty members for their professionalism as theyve worked without a contract this year, Hardin said. While the thousands of periods that weve taught represents a large part of our day, it does not represent the full story of what we do. Outside of the contract, we meet with students before and after school and during lunch periods. We use our evenings and weekends to plan for classes, grade papers and meet with colleagues to prepare. We write approximately 1,200 college recommendations for each senior class. We spend our summers preparing for new courses, new semesters and new curriculum. We work with the property developer to do re-plantings on the site and a payment is made to the city for tree inches that cannot be accommodated on the site, Czerniak said. We use those funds for the enhanced plantings generally in the area of development to enhance screening and the general wooded area in the community. New Delhi, January 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out a stern message to Pakistan while addressing the National Cadet Corps (NCC) rally in the national capital on Monday. PM Modi said the nation is "fully capable" to retaliate if its territorial integrity is challenged, adding that the Army has been giving a befitting response to those who want to vitiate the state of peace. Modi added that the Army is working with a clear motto -- it would not provoke the enemies, but if subjected to adversity, the forces would not leave them unhurt. "We will not hesitate in taking a step when it is about national security," he said. Indian Army Will Not Hesitate to Launch Another Surgical Strike, Says Lt Gen Devraj Anbu. "Today the entire world is saying that India is not only full of possibilities, but India is also fulfilling all of them, be it economic conditions or our capability to fight our enemies," the Prime Minister further added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at NCC rally in Delhi, earlier today: Our army has given a clear message that, 'Hum chhedte nahi hai, lekin kisine agar chhedha toh hum chhodhte bhi nahi hain'. We will not hesitate in taking a step when it is about national security. pic.twitter.com/4POd377K4W ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 Apart from sending a veiled geopolitical message to Islamabad, Modi praised the NCC cadets for playing a crucial role in the success of his cleanliness campaign - the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The Prime Minister also appreciated the role of NCC cadets for their immense contribution during Kerala floods. Earlier, cadets from all three wings of the armed forces, Army, Navy and Air Force presented Guard of Honour to the Prime Minister followed by a march past by contingents. The Prime Minister also presented awards to the best cadets in different categories. A total of 2,070 cadets, including 698 girl cadets drawn from 29 States and 7 Union Territories participated in this year's camp. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 28, 2019 07:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). New Delhi [India], Jan 27 (ANI): A man allegedly set himself ablaze outside the Delhi Police headquarters on Sunday.According to the Delhi Fire Department, the incident occurred at around 8 pm.The man is currently undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital. His condition is critical.An investigation is underway to ascertain the motive behind the incident.Further details are awaited. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) The Lake of the Ozarks area will feel the coldest temperatures of the winter this week, and meteorologists are warning Midwesterners to protect their homes and themselves from the bitter cold. A strong push of arctic air is expected to dip into the Midwest, including mid-Missouri, by mid-week. Strong wind gusts are expected to yield wind chills between -10 and -20 Tuesday evening through Wednesday. According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Mike Doll, "Some locations in the Midwest will be below zero continuously for 48-72 hours." The brunt of the cold will be felt further north, but Lake of the Ozarks will spend quite a while in single digits. This extreme cold is thanks to a polar vortex, which is a whirling cone of cold air high up in the atmosphere that normally spins over the North Pole. However, sometimes a jet stream will push the vortex further into North America, causing incredibly cold temperatures. The bitter cold has already hit the Upper Midwest, with St. Paul, Minn. in the single digits and falling on Monday morning. Though temperatures in the Lake area are not expected to plunge quite as low as in Minnesota, we can expect on Wednesday to drop close to record temperatures of a high of 7 and a low of -7 that were set in 1966. Lake of the Ozarks Polar Vortex Weather Forecast Monday: Rain and snow are expected before noon with a chance of snow between noon and 1 p.m. with little to no accumulation expected. Chance of precipitation is 60%. High near 43 with temperatures falling to around 24 by 5 p.m. Wind chills are predicted to drop as low as 10. NW wind 10-17 mph, gusting up to 28 mph. Mostly cloudy night with a low near 12 and wind chills around 0. NW wind 9-17 mph, gusting up to 28 mph. Tuesday: Clouds are expected to increase with a high around 29 and wind chill values as low as 0. W wind 9-16 mph with gusts up to 28 mph. Flurries are possible after 7 p.m. with mostly cloudy skies and a low around 0. Wind chills are predicted to be as low as -11. N wind 9-15 mph with gusts near 25 mph. Wednesday: Flurries possible before 7 a.m. High around 10 with mostly sunny skies. NW wind 6-11 mph. Wednesday night expected to be mostly cloudy with a low near 5. Thursday: Mostly cloudy with a high around 34. Thursday night expected to be mostly cloudy with a low near 28. OSAGE BEACH, MO. Lake Regional Health System will host "Go Red For Women" on Friday, Feb. 1, to support womens heart health. The free, interactive session is scheduled 9 a.m. to noon in the hospitals third floor conference rooms. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, responsible for about one in four female deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Go Red For Women is an American Heart Association campaign to raise awareness of womens heart disease and to encourage action to save lives. All too often, women dont realize their hearts are in trouble, said Jennifer Newman, R.N., BSN, cPT, Lake Regionals director of Cardiac Services. Go Red For Women provides key information to keep women and their loved ones in the know about heart health. Members of Lake Regionals heart care team will present on the risk factors and symptoms of heart disease in women. They also will share exercise tips and guidance for heart-healthy nutrition. Go Red For Women attendees who wear red will receive a free gift. All participants will receive a voucher for a free lipid profile test at Lake Regionals annual Cardiovascular Screening on Saturday, Feb. 16. Attendees also will be registered to win a $50 gift card to Woods Supermarket. Although the session is free, registration is required. Visit lakeregional.com/GoRed to register, or call 573-348-8222 for more information. Lake Regional Health System provides comprehensive cardiovascular care for area residents and visitors. To learn more, visit lakeregional.com/HeartCare. Lake Regional offers a variety of educational programming throughout the year, including health talks on arthritis, diabetes, heart attack and stroke. Several health fairs and screenings also are held annually throughout the lake area. For information on upcoming events, visit lakeregional.com/events. Milan, January 28 - Former paparazzi king Fabrizio Corona seems to have violated conditions of his release from jail into a therapeutic community and will thus have to return to detention. He reportedly committed several crimes and violations of his conditional release, including on December 10 going to an area notorious for drug addicts and pretending to buy drugs. He had previously been prohibited from frequenting drug users. The Milan prosecutor's office has requested that his release from jail into the therapeutic community be revoked. Rome, January 28 - Italy could pull its contingent from Afghanistan within a year, defence ministry sources said Monday - but Foreign Minister Enzo Moavaro Milanesi said this was the first he had heard of it. "(Defence) Minister (Elisabetta) Trenta has instructed the Interforce Operating Command (COI) to assess the start of planning to withdraw the Italian contingent in Afghanistan," the sources said. "The time frame could be 12 months," they said. The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement's MPs on parliamentary foreign affairs committees welcomed Trenta's decision as "very positive". The Trump administration's announcement late last month that it wanted to halve US troops in Afghanistan from 14,000 to 7,000 had repercussions on Italian plans for a reconfiguration of its own 800-strong contingent, sources said Monday. A reduction had already been envisaged but thus far a complete closure of the mission had not been discussed, they said. Italian soldiers have been in Afghanistan since 2003. Asked about Trenta's reported move, Moavero said "I'm learning of this now, that she reportedly said it today. She didn't talk to me about it". "As soon as I get back to Rome," he said on a visit to Israel, "or as soon as I manage to hear from Minister Trenta, we'll talk about it again". Getting rid of the road posts, too, should lessen property taxes in the targeted townships, Link said, pointing out the city of Waukegan crews could easily snowplow and maintain the 6.7 miles of unincorporated Waukegan Township roads. McSweeney said he sees the bill only pertaining to Lake and McHenry counties as an experiment to see how consolidation works in suburban counties before similar legislation is rolled out covering the entire state. Rome, January 28 - The centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) on Monday filed a bill to set up a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the mass drownings of migrants in the Mediterranean. The remit of the body would be to "identify the principal and secondary causes of shipwrecks in this area". It would look into the "timeliness and procedures for sea rescues, respect for the laws and international conventions on fundamental human rights, and the possible violation of such rights". Jerusalem, January 28 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Monday with Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi, where the leaders discussed topics including Iran, bilateral cooperation, and the EastMed gas pipeline. Netanyahu spoke about "Iran's efforts to militarily entrench itself in Syria and its attempts to destabilise the Middle East". He highlighted bilateral cooperation between Israel and Italy and said the two leaders spoke about the EastMed gas pipeline, with which he said "Israel intends to export its own natural gas to Europe, passing through Cyprus and Greece". On Sunday, Moavero paid tribute to Holocaust victims at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. He expressed "shame" on behalf of Italy for the 1938 racial laws and also touched on the topic of migrants. "The Shoah was infinitely more horrible. It's also true, however, that the root is a lack of ability to understand and demonstrate humanity," Moavero said.(ANSAmed). Milan, January 28 - A former university lecturer in business finance, Alberto Micalizzi, got six years in jail Monday for defrauding Italian and foreign clients, especially Russians, of tens of millions of euros. Micalizzi was dubbed the "Madoff of the Bocconi", from the prestigious private Milanese university where he used to work. Rome, January 28 - An amendment on a crackdown on Xylella in the government's simplification decree was declared inadmissible on Monday. The amendment made it compulsory to destroy infected olive trees and mandated jail time of 1-5 years for those who failed to comply. Ruling anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) founder Beppe Grillo had slammed the measure, calling the prison terms "like something out of a horror film". Rome, January 28 - Interior Minister and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini said on Monday in a radio interview on RTL that the government will close the CARA asylum seeker centre in Mineo, Sicily, by the end of this year. "The bigger the centres are, the easier it is for criminals to infiltrate," Salvini said. The trails go for miles and into Wisconsin, but Ethan knows to only go for a couple of miles in and always pay attention to landmarks so he can make his way back safely. He also has a cell phone with him in case of an emergency, Vanderbosch said. Based in Houston, WindSync chose to present the world premiere of Mellits piece at Ravinia because they had such a great experience in their inaugural performance there last April, LaMoure said. They also spent several days doing workshops with young musicians from local schools last year and will do so again this year. We have middle school students who are in charge of the lights and music and we have parents who help put the acts together. We also have parents who are electrical contractors and help us set up the lighting, she said. "I want to help the community, to help people become citizens," Hernandez said, adding that he most appreciates "the people, the welcome, and helping them with the papers, because sometimes they don't know how to fill them out." He was listed in good condition with a superficial wound, Bryk said. He told police he did not wish to press charges. Be sure and download the Storm Team 3 app to keep up with weather developments Venezuela's opposition leader warns of another massive rally as Maduro blames US for protests This joint investigation demonstrates that law enforcement can combat emerging and existing transnational criminal organizations by employing the full range of federal, state and local law enforcement authorities and resources in the fight to identify, investigate, disrupt and dismantle these organizations at every level of operation, Gibbons said in the release. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28) President Rodrigo Duterte has given another government post to an official he sacked four months ago. Former Labor Undersecretary Joel Maglunsod was appointed Executive Director III of the National Maritime Polytechnic, an agency under the Labor Department. Duterte signed his appointment paper on January 25 and was released to the media on Monday. Maglunsod, one of the last left-leaning officials in the Duterte administration, was fired by the President in October 2018. Duterte appointed Maglunsod and other leftist individuals to the Cabinet as he reached out to communist rebels to talk peace. But peace negotiations have been called off and officials identified with the Left have either been fired, rejected by the Commission on Appointments, or have resigned. Auburn, IN (46706) Today Cloudy skies during the morning hours followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 88F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely in the evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms later on. A few storms may be severe. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. A North Korean art troupe began its performance in China's capital city on Saturday, the first show in the neighboring country in three years and a demonstration of close ties between the two countries. A delegation of senior officials and a 280-strong art troupe, led by Ri Su-yong, vice chairman of the ruling party's Central Committee, arrived in Beijing on Thursday for the show. North Korea announced the performance plan early last week. The performance comes after its leader Kim Jong-un returned from his fourth visit to China and meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, an apparent show of stronger ties between the two allies ahead of a planned second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump next month. The troupe is reportedly composed of members from the North Korean army's State Merited Chorus and Samjiyon Band. Early Saturday, Beijing's National Center for the Performing Arts tightened security around the area and installed facial recognition tools at the front gate, indicating that the show was about to start soon. Hours later, an estimated 2,000 people passed through the gate to watch the performance. Each of them apparently carried a ticket that read "Performance by North Korean Art Troupe in China." The North Korean artists are expected to perform again on Monday, when Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, are widely predicted to show up to watch the performance. Saturday's performance is the first of its kind since the North's Moranbong Band called off a planned performance in Beijing at the last minute in 2015 after China reportedly took issue with aspects of the performance featuring the North's nuclear and missile development. (Yonhap) After noon Monday Seeley said OHare International Airport, the only location that sends accumulation totals to the weather service every six hours, had a total event accumulation of 4.2 inches. Other sites that rely on volunteers to send in totals only do so every 24 hours at 7 a.m. and since it was still snowing at that time Monday, totals werent available until 7 a.m. Tuesday, she said. (CBS NEWS) -- The mother of a patient at a long-term care facility where an incapacitated woman gave birth could hardly believe that a 36-year-old nurse who helped care for her son was the suspect arrested this week. "He was very loving, very compassionate. Or he pretended to be. And I really trusted him," Angela Gomez said of the suspect, Nathan Sutherland. She said never in her "wildest dreams" did she think Sutherland would be the suspect authorities were looking for. "I suspected others, but I was wrong, and he fooled everybody," Gomez said, CBS affiliate KPHO-TV reported. Sutherland, a licensed practical nurse, worked at the Hacienda HealthCare facility in Phoenix from 2011 until his arrest on Tuesday, CBS News' Carter Evans reported. He was charged with sexual assault and vulnerable adult abuse in a case involving a 29-year-old incapacitated woman who had been at the facility since she was 3 years old. She gave birth to a baby boy in December. Phoenix police arrest nurse in case of incapacitated woman who gave birth Police have made an arrest in the sexual assault of a patient at a Phoenix long-term healthcare facility. Police were first alerted when a staff member called 911 saying "one of our patients had a baby and we had no idea she was pregnant." Ultimately, investigators obtained DNA samples from male employees at the facility, Including Sutherland. Results showed he was a match to the baby. Defense attorney David Gregan described Sutherland as a family man and said there no "direct evidence" that he "committed these acts." "I know at this point there's DNA. But he will have a right to his own DNA expert," Gregan said. Hacienda sent a letter to patients' families following the incident saying patients are entitled to free STD and pregnancy tests. Gomez, whose 27-year-old son was cared for by Sutherland at times, went to the facility Wednesday to get her son tested. She said Sutherland worked the night shift and that she wasn't sure about the extent of contact he had with her son, KPHO-TV reported. "He's afraid. Not all the time but every once in a while, and he's expressed that," Gomez said about her son. "We've asked him why and he's said he's afraid of the monster, is what he says. And I've said, 'What's the monster's name?' but my son never says the name of the person he's afraid of." Gomez is concerned there may be other victims at the facility. Karina Cesena, another parent, moved her daughter from the Hacienda facility after she found out about the woman who gave birth. She said nothing about Sutherland's demeanor stood out. Hacienda HealthCare said in a statement Wednesday that Sutherland underwent "an extensive background check" when he was hired. Continue reading from CBS News 14-year old knocked out in fight at North City middle school, taken to hospital * FTSE 100 down 0.9 pct* FTSE 250 down 0.6 pct* Ocado gains after report of talks with M&S* Oil majors lose big (Adds company news items, updates to closing prices, changes analyst quote) By Muvija M and Shashwat Awasthi Jan 28 (Reuters) - London's main bourse ended Monday's session at its lowest in nearly a month as yet more downbeat data from China and U.S. bellwether Caterpillar's weak forecast unnerved investors, while Ocado outshone after a report of a deal with Marks & Spencer. The FTSE 100 index slid 0.9 percent to a low not seen since Jan. 4, while the more domestically focussed FTSE 250 shed 0.6 percent. BP and Shell tumbled 2.4 percent and 1.7 percent respectively as oil prices slumped on evidence of more growth in U.S. crude supply. Overnight, Asian shares had rallied after Washington temporarily ended the longest U.S. government shutdown in history. But data from China showed earnings at its industrial companies shrank again in December. That rekindled tensions among investors already rattled by repeated signs of a slowdown in China amid its ongoing trade dispute with the United States. In response, British stocks with more exposure to Asia fell - HSBC dipped 1.1 percent and luxury goods maker Burberry lost 1.5 percent. Dampening the mood further were bleak earnings reports from Wall Street and comments from European Central Bank President Mario Draghi that the euro zone economy has performed worse than expected in recent months. "Fears about a 2019 recession appear overblown. We see global growth slowing, not enough to end the expansion but enough to keep major central banks on hold," wrote BlackRock analysts ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's first policy meeting in 2019 scheduled this week. U.S. stocks dived as weak forecasts from Caterpillar , the world's largest heavy equipment maker, and chipmaker Nvidia accelerated worries about a slowdown in China taking a bigger bite off corporate profits. All the sectors in the FTSE 100 ended negative. Investors were also bracing for votes in parliament on Tuesday aimed at breaking a Brexit deadlock. With just two months before Britain is due to leave the European Union, there are still no signs of an agreement on terms that would get through parliament. Tesco hit session lows after Britain's biggest retailer said it could axe 9,000 jobs in its UK stores and head office to simplify operations and achieve targeted cost savings. The stock closed 1.7 percent lower on the day. Among a handful of gainers was Ocado, which rallied as much as 7 percent during the day but ended with a 2.1 percent gain after the Guardian reported the online grocer has held talks with Marks & Spencer on a food-delivery service. M&S also handed back earlier gains to rise just 0.1 percent. Mining companies inched up 0.2 percent after hitting their highest since November as Chinese iron ore prices jumped after a deadly incident at top producer Vale over the weekend. Flybe jumped 15.2 percent after confirming its largest shareholder had urged the airline to remove its chairman and investigate its cut-price sale to a consortium. In news driven moves, Petra Diamonds tanked over 20 percent as lower diamond prices at its flagship Cullinan mine overshadowed an increase in revenue, while recruiter SThree eked out a 1.1 percent gain after reporting a jump in earnings. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ocado outshines FTSE 100 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Muvija M and Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; editing by Josephine Mason, Larry King and Andrew Cawthorne) outside U.S. +91 80 6749 3638; Reuters Messaging: muvija.m.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))UK hot stocks: [HOT and GB] Wall Street: Gilts report: Euro bond report Pan European stock report: Tokyo stocks: HK stocks: Sterling report: Dollar report:* For company prices, click on -* Company directory: By sector:* For pan-European market data, click on -* European Equities speed guide................ FTSE Eurotop 300 index........................... DJ STOXX index................................... Top 10 STOXX sectors........................ Top 10 EUROSTOXX sectors................... Top 10 Eurotop 300 sectors.................. Top 25 European pct gainers.................... Top 25 European pct losers..................... )) Link Crossing will be a unique community. We worked hand-in-hand with staff to make sure every detail was addressed, he said. There are no material changes to the plans since they were presented a year ago. (Adds analyst's comment, news items, updates share moves, adds graphic) Jan 28 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 inched lower on Monday as worries over a slowdown in China offset relief over the reopening of the U.S. government, while Ocado rallied on a report of a deal with Marks & Spencer. The blue-chip index had dipped 0.1 percent at 1033 GMT. So had the FTSE 250. Shell and BP were weak as oil prices fell on signs that output may rise further, with U.S. companies adding rigs for the first time this year. British American Tobacco and Imperial Brands gave up 1.8 percent and 2.6 percent respectively and were among the top drags on FTSE 100. But losses were capped as mining stocks added 1.5 percent, becoming the best blue-chip performers, as Chinese iron ore prices jumped after a deadly incident at top producer Vale over the weekend. Overnight, Asian shares rallied after Washington temporarily ended the longest U.S. government shutdown in history. But data from China showed earnings at its industrial companies shrank again in December. That rekindled tensions among investors already rattled by repeated signs of a slowdown in China amid its ongoing trade dispute with the United States. "At the start of a stacked week ... the FTSE suffered the kind of muted, negative open that has become routine in the last few sessions," Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell wrote. Investors were also bracing for votes in parliament on Tuesday aimed at breaking a Brexit deadlock. With just two months before Britain is due to leave the European Union, there are still no signs of an agreement on the terms that would get through government. A Guardian report that Ocado has held talks with Marks & Spencer on a food-delivery service helped Ocado shares jump 6 percent to its highest since September. They were up 4.1 percent by 1007 GMT. M&S added 2 percent, reaching levels not seen since late November. Another boost to FTSE 100 came from Vodafone , which advanced 1.4 percent, recouping some of its losses last week after a quarterly update. BT also rose more than 1 percent. Mining companies were also buoyed by comments from Jefferies analysts, who upgraded their forecast for iron ore price and recommend investors buy Rio Tinto , BHP and Anglo American. Airline Flybe jumped 18 percent after confirming that its largest shareholder had urged the company to remove its chairman and investigate its cut-price sale to a consortium that included Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic, Stobart Group and Cyrus Capital. Petra Diamonds slumped more than 10 percent as lower diamond prices at its flagship Cullinan mine overshadowed an increase in half-year revenue. (Reporting by Muvija M and Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; editing by Josephine Mason, Larry King) KABUL (Reuters) - The United States is committed to withdrawing foreign forces from Afghanistan to end more than 17 years of war, a senior U.S. government official said on Monday, speaking after six days of American peace talks with Afghan Taliban militants. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described significant progress in talks last week with the Taliban in Qatar about a foreign troop pullout, but more negotiations were needed on a ceasefire and its timing. Of course we dont seek a permanent military presence in Afghanistan, the official said in the capital Kabul. Our goal is to help bring peace in Afghanistan and we would like a future partnership, newly defined with a post-peace government, the official told Reuters. We would like to leave a good legacy. There could not be a withdrawal without a ceasefire, the official said. The issue looms as a sticking point in the next round of talks on Feb. 25, with the U.S. official saying Taliban negotiators wanted a full withdrawal before a ceasefire. U.S. special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad told the New York Times on Monday a draft framework had been completed but details still needed to be worked out. We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement, Khalilzad told the Times in an interview in Kabul. The Taliban have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals. U.S. forces in 2001 toppled Afghanistans Taliban leaders who had harbored al Qaeda militants responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States that killed about 3,000 people. Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Monday he was encouraged by U.S. peace talks with Taliban insurgents but added he had not yet been asked to plan for a full withdrawal of troops from the more than 17-year-old war. Its encouraging, Shanahan, who said he had been briefed on the talks, told reporters outside the Pentagon before meeting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Asked whether he had been tasked with planning a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, Shanahan said: I have not. Despite the presence of U.S.-led foreign forces training, advising and assisting their Afghan counterparts, the Taliban control nearly half of Afghanistan and stage near-daily attacks against the Western-backed Afghan government and its security forces. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said last week that 45,000 members of the countrys security forces had been killed since he took office in 2014. Trump is planning to withdraw more than 5,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a U.S. official said in December, in the latest sign that the U.S. presidents patience is thinning with Americas longest war and overseas military interventions. Trump last month rebuffed top advisers and decided to pull U.S. troops out of Syria as well. CORE CONCERNS Both U.S. officials and the hardline Islamic group hailed progress after the talks on Saturday with Khalilzad. Taliban sources told Reuters on Saturday that the United States had agreed on the withdrawal of foreign troops within 18 months of the signing of a pact but the U.S. official said a timeline was not discussed. The 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan are part of a NATO-led mission and a U.S. counter-terrorism mission largely directed at groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda. Some 8,000 troops from 38 other countries are participating in the operation, known as Resolute Support. The U.S. official said progress was made on addressing core U.S. concerns that Afghanistan will not be used as a base by al Qaeda or Islamic State for attacks against the United States and its allies. That is why we came to Afghanistan in the first place, the official said. Apart from the ceasefire, the Taliban did not discuss the need for talks with the Afghan government to reach a durable political settlement, the U.S. official said. Taliban officials have repeatedly refused to talk to the Afghan government, which they regard as a U.S. puppet, throwing into question how effective a peace deal could really be. The Taliban do want, however, to join an interim government post-deal, something that alarms Ghani. Khalilzad, an Afghan-born American diplomat, met Ghani for four hours on Sunday to outline progress and seek his support. Ghani said in a televised address that the presence of foreign forces was based on an international agreement and they will not be required forever. No Afghans want foreign forces in their country for the long term, Ghani said. The current presence of foreign forces is based on need ... and according to an exact and arranged plan we are trying to bring down that number to zero. * At 0630 GMT the rand was 0.04 percent weaker at 13.6200 per dollar, little changed from its close of 13.6150 on Friday in New York. * The rand has struggled to hold recent gains below the 13.60 technical resistance mark and is seen by traders drifting within a narrow range, with a topside target of 13.70. * With no major economic releases due locally, market attention first turns to a statement by the European Central Bank later in the session and the beginning of the U.S. central bank's policy meeting on Tuesday. * Bonds opened firmer, with the yield on the benchmark paper due in 2026 down 0.5 basis points to 8.715 percent. * Stocks are set to open slightly lower at 0700 GMT, with the JSE securities exchange's Top-40 futures index falling 0.15 percent. (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier) * U.S. lifts April sanctions on aluminium producer Rusal* Removal of Rusal sanctions mostly priced in - analysts* PRICES: (Updates prices, adds graphic) By Zandi Shabalala LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Aluminium prices fell on Monday after the United States lifted sanctions on the world's second largest aluminium producer United Company Rusal . The United States announced in December its intention to lift the sanctions on Rusal and other Russian firms linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska which were imposed in April. Benchmark aluminium on the London Metal Exchange (LME) had surged to a seven-year high the when sanctions were imposed on fears of a supply squeeze, but ended the year down 18.6 percent mainly due to the U.S.-China trade war. Aluminium fell 2 percent at $1,882 a tonne on Monday by 1515 GMT, erasing the previous session's gains that took the metal to its highest since Dec. 24. "This doesn't have the equivalent shock factor as the initial decision ... this was largely priced into the market," said Macquarie analyst Vivienne Lloyd, referring to the lifting of sanctions. Meanwhile, the LME lifted its suspension on placing Rusal metal on warrant after blocking the metal in April. BMO Capital Markets analyst Colin Hamilton said there was potential for aluminium stocks that were previously held off-exchange now becoming visible to the market which could cause some near-term pressure on prices. "However, we remain of the view that, with the market in heavy deficit and demand set to improve, the skew of price risk into mid-year is to the upside," he said in a note. Inventories of aluminium stand at 1.3 million tonnes in warehouses approved by the LME, near their lowest since May 2018. There is likely to be little price support from top aluminium consumer China in the near term, with the country shutting down for the week-long Lunar New Year break early next month. Anticipated restarts to alumina production, including at Norsk Hydro's Alunorte plant in Brazil, could keep pressure on prices, analysts have said. The Rusal sanctions helped boost Chinese exports of aluminium in 2018 by 20.9 percent as producers plugged the supply hole left by Rusal. The removal of the sanctions will mean aluminium users around the world will pay less for their material, but U.S. tariffs on imports of the metal mean limited gains for the country's consumers. In the latest in the Sino-U.S. trade dispute, Chinese Vice Premier Liu will visit the United States on Thursday and Friday for the next round of trade negotiations with Washington. In other metals, copper edged down 0.5 percent to $6,025 a tonne, zinc was down 0.5 percent to $2,673 after touching a three-month high. Lead slipped 0.7 percent to $2,094, having touched its highest since Sept. 4, tin was steady at $20,690, while nickel hit its highest in nearly three months before retreating 0.6 percent to $11,885. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Top base and precious metals analysis - GFMS LME aluminium price ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Tom Daly in BEIJING; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and David Evans) zandi.shabalala.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))LME price overview COMEX copper futures Base metals news All metals news All commodities news Metals diary Foreign exchange rates SPEED GUIDES )) * U.S. lifts April sanctions on aluminium producer Rusal* Removal of Rusal sanctions mostly priced in -analysts* PRICES: (Adds closing prices) By Zandi Shabalala LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Aluminium prices fell on Monday after the United States lifted sanctions on the world's second-largest aluminium producer, United Company Rusal . The United States announced in December its intention to lift the sanctions on Rusal and other Russian companies linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Benchmark aluminium on the London Metal Exchange (LME) surged to a seven-year high on fears of a supply squeeze after sanctions were imposed in April, but they ended the year down 18.6 percent mainly because of the U.S.-China trade war. Aluminium ended 2.7 percent down at $1,867 a tonne on Monday, having hit its lowest in nearly a week and erased the previous session's gains to its highest since Dec. 24. "This doesn't have the equivalent shock factor as the initial decision ... this was largely priced in to the market," said Macquarie analyst Vivienne Lloyd, referring to the lifting of sanctions. Meanwhile, the LME lifted its suspension on placing Rusal metal on warrant after blocking the metal in April. BMO Capital Markets analyst Colin Hamilton said there was potential for aluminium stocks that were previously held off-exchange now becoming visible to the market, which could cause some near-term pressure on prices. "However, we remain of the view that, with the market in heavy deficit and demand set to improve, the skew of price risk into mid-year is to the upside," he said in a note. Inventories of aluminium stand at 1.3 million tonnes in warehouses approved by the LME, near their lowest since May 2018. There is likely to be little price support from top aluminium consumer China in the near term, with the country shutting down for the week-long Lunar New Year break next month. Anticipated restarts to alumina production, including at Norsk Hydro's Alunorte plant in Brazil, could keep pressure on prices, analysts have said. The Rusal sanctions helped to boost Chinese exports of aluminium in 2018 by 20.9 percent as producers plugged the supply gap left by Rusal. The removal of the sanctions will mean aluminium users around the world will pay less for their material, but U.S. tariffs on imports of the metal mean limited gains for the country's consumers. In the latest in the Sino-U.S. trade dispute, Chinese Vice Premier Liu will visit the United States on Thursday and Friday for the next round of trade negotiations with Washington. In other metals, copper closed 0.9 percent down at $6,002 a tonne while zinc was up 0.3 percent at $2,680 after touching a three-month high. Lead slumped 1.5 percent to $2,078, having touched its highest since early September, while tin closed with a 0.2 percent decline at $20,650 and nickel hit its highest in nearly three months before ending 1.2 percent down at $11,825. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Top base and precious metals analysis - GFMS LME aluminium price ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Tom Daly in BEIJING and Maytaal Angel in LONDON; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and David Goodman) zandi.shabalala.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))LME price overview COMEX copper futures Base metals news All metals news All commodities news Metals diary Foreign exchange rates SPEED GUIDES )) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trumps administration on Sunday lifted sanctions on aluminum giant Rusal (0486.HK) and other Russian firms linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska, despite a Democratic-led push in the U.S. Congress to maintain the restrictions. Earlier this month, 11 of Trumps fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate joined Democrats in a failed effort to keep the sanctions on Rusal, its parent, En+ Group Plc, and power firm JSC EuroSibEnergo. But that was not enough to overcome opposition from Trump and most of his fellow Republicans. Advocates for keeping the sanctions had argued that Deripaska, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, retained too much control over the companies to lift sanctions imposed in April to punish Russia for actions including its annexation of Ukraines Crimea, efforts to interfere in U.S. elections and support for Syrias government in its civil war. Some lawmakers from both parties also said it was inappropriate to ease the sanctions while Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigates whether Trumps 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Moscow. But in its statement on Sunday, the U.S. Treasury Department said the three companies had reduced Deripaskas direct and indirect shareholding stake and severed his control. That action, it said, ensured that most directors on the En+ and Rusal boards would be independent directors, including Americans and Europeans, who had no business, professional or family ties to Deripaska or any other person designated for sanctions by the Treasury Department. The companies have also agreed to unprecedented transparency for Treasury into their operations by undertaking extensive, ongoing auditing, certification, and reporting requirements, the departments statement said. Deripaska himself remains subject to U.S. sanctions. Trump administration officials, and many Republicans who opposed the effort to keep the sanctions in place, said they worried about the impact on the global aluminum industry. They also said Deripaskas decision to lower his stakes in the companies so that he no longer controlled them showed that the sanctions had worked. Rusal is the worlds largest aluminum producer outside China. The sanctions on the company spurred demand for Chinese metal. Chinas aluminum exports jumped to a record high in 2018. Trump denies collusion, and Moscow has denied seeking to influence the U.S. election on Trumps behalf, despite U.S. intelligence agencies finding that it did so. Deripaska had ties with Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign manager. Manafort pleaded guilty in September 2018 to attempted witness tampering and conspiring against the United States. Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Peter Cooney (Kitco News) - Russia should offer gold to its pro-U.S. dollar investors a safe-haven option that will be produced in Russia, said CEO of the Russian trading floor Moscow Exchange (MOEX). We know that there are a number of super conservative investors who bought the U.S. dollar and kept the money under the pillow, thinking that it is the safest option out there, CEO of Russias largest exchange group Alexander Afanasiev said when speaking to the Lower House of Russias Parliament last week. Now, it is time to offer an alternative to people who are looking for safety when investing. Lets offer an alternative to the U.S. dollar in the form of Russian gold, which will be produced here investment gold, he said. During his speech, the MOEX chief also said that there has been an increase in Russian investors over the past year and a half and that they are all acting surprisingly rational. Gold plays an important role for Russia, especially when it comes to the central banks recent surge in bullion purchases. Since 2015, Russias central bank has been the number one gold buyer out of all other countries, acquiring 828 tonnes over the last four years, which brought the reserve total to 2,036 tonnes of gold, according to the latest report by TD Securities. Growing interest from central banks could mean higher gold prices this and next year, said the Canadian bank, citing evidence of banks stepping up their bullion purchases. Central bank gold holdings have grown by a dramatic 13 percent (roughly 3,900 tonnes) since the lows recorded back in 2009 and are expected to grow by another 800 tonnes over the next two years, TD Securities head of global strategy Bart Melek wrote in a report published just over a week ago. In addition to continued purchases by Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and India, now includes China the yellow metal could well move above our positive projections, The bank described gold as nobody's liability and listed several reasons why central banks from around the world are interested in increasing their official gold reserves, including a move away from the U.S. dollar. The desire to diversify central bank FX portfolios from the USD, which still represents over 60 percent of global FX reserves, is one of the key reasons to buy gold, Melek wrote. The U.S. [will] likely [be] sharing its superpower status with China (possibly India over the long term), [and] golds reliability, time-tested ability to preserve wealth and almost universal acceptance makes it a good reserve asset. (Kitco News) - If you love gold, look at copper, said CopperBank executive chairman Gianni Kovacevic, pointing to a surge in demand. There is a new invisible hand for commodities. And within this hinge of history, we are going go to about 50% of final energy as electrification from the current 19% and it will all happen in 30 years and it will be enabled with metals. Copper is the big winner, Kovacevic told Kitco News on the sidelines of the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference. Kovacevic keeps his focus on copper but says that investors dont have to choose between copper and gold. When you look at the big copper-gold mines, they give us a lot of gold output, he said. I always tell my friends that love gold to focus on the copper. You get all the gold as a byproduct and you're going to get all that benefit. You don't necessarily have to look at primary gold deposits, which are harder and harder to find. Another interesting investment Kovacevic is looking at is helium yes, party balloons, but not quite People associate helium with balloons at parties. It is not the case. It's a high-tech commodity. You'll find it in MRIs, the high-tech industry, cooling for servers, and nuclear power plants, he said. And there is a big shortage of it around, with one of the biggest reserves located conveniently in the U.S. [Supply] is falling off a cliff. We haven't found a lot of new helium reserves and so it trades right now at $279 per MCF when natural gas is at $4-$5, which is a huge differentiator, Kovacevic noted. One of the most prolific areas is on the New Mexico-Arizona border. That's where a lot of the high grade, high-quality helium reserves have come from. MASON CITY, Iowa With slick road conditions and strong winds, the Iowa State Patrol (ISP) is urging drivers to use caution. ISP has several tips for drivers in case they do get stranded in the elements. Slow down, give themselves plenty of following distance, and make sure you buckle your seatbelt, Iowa State Patrol Lieutenant Dana Knudtson told KIMT. That is a great start to preventing accidents and keeping you safe should you be in one. But with current conditions making travel more difficult, what should you do in the event you become stranded? Turn your flashers (hazard lights) on and turn your headlights off so that youre not blinding traffic if youre facing traffic, Said Lt. Knudtson. You can call 911 so that we can get someone out to you. Lt. Knudtson also suggests keeping a winter travel kit in your vehicle, equipped with supplies such as blankets to keep you warm if your vehicle was to stop running while stranded. 511.org is also available online for drivers to evaluate the latest road conditions and planning the safest route accordingly. ROSSIE, Iowa (AP) Authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a man by another hunter in northwest Iowa. The Iowa Natural Resources Department said in a news release Monday that Clay County sheriff's deputies, medics and conservation officers responded to a shooting report around 11:15 a.m. Sunday. The shooting occurred about 4 miles (7 kilometers) west of Rossi in Clay County. The department says 47-year-old Kirk Struve was struck by a bullet believed fired by another member of his party while hunting coyotes The department says Struve was pronounced dead at a hospital. He lived in Granville. An investigation is underway. The name of the other hunter has not been released. In addition to her role as assistant majority leader in the Latina Caucus being a great honor, Chapa LaVia says she is well aware of the responsibility that falls on her shoulders to help the next generation of lawmakers, particularly women and other minorities who are beginning to find their voices, not just in the state arena but also on the federal level. AUSTIN, Minn. A man is pleading not guilty to selling methamphetamine to a confidential police informant. Tom Heuangsayaseng, 33 of Austin, was arrested on January 15 and charged with 1st degree sale of drugs. Austin police say he sold 27.81 grams of meth to an informant on December 13, 2018. No trial date has been set. Heuangsayaseng is being held in the Mower County Jail on $750,000 bond. Authorities say Heuangsayaseng was convicted in Mower County in 2007 for a 1st degree drug crime and served seven years and 10 months in prison. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa A Michigan man arrested in Floyd County is now facing federal charges. Keith Tucker, 50 of Detroit, MI, was stopped on December 31, 2018 for a traffic violation on Highway 218. Law enforcement says Tucker was found with a softball-sized amount of heroin and a loaded .45 caliber handgun. He has now been indicted in Cedar Rapids Federal Court for conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm as a drug user. Tucker is also accused in Floyd County District Court of possession with intent to deliver heroin and possession of contraband in a correctional facility in Floyd, but state charges are often dismissed to allow for federal prosecution. ROCHESTER, Minn. - Authorities are releasing the name of the man found dead Sunday morning. Police are identifying him as 22-year-old Ali Alfred Gombo. They say he lived at 917 4th Avenue NW with a relative. As of now, investigators say Gombo's death likely did not involve foul play. According to the police department, an autopsy will take place in the next 24-48 hours. Stay with KIMT for the very latest. PREVIOUS STORY ROCHESTER, Minn. Authorities are investigating a dead body found Sunday. A neighbor called Rochester police after seeing a man laying down outside on a deck in the area of 4th Avenue NW and 10th Street NW. Police say they arrived to find a 20 to 30 year old deceased male. Investigators say the cause of death is unknown but it is not being considered a suspicious death, just unusual to find a body lying outside in the cold. Rochester police say they want to make sure and complete the investigation before severe winter weather is expected to roll in Sunday afternoon and evening. If you think the cold across the Midwest and Northeast is bad now, just wait. Over the next week there will be two cold waves impacting the eastern half of the country. The first one will bring temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees below normal across the Midwest. The second will be the one for the record books. Over 20 cities have the potential to break record lows Wednesday and Thursday morning. And, more than 35 cities have the potential to have their coldest high temperature on record Wednesday and Thursday. This isn't just about records, though. The second cold blast will be very widespread, bringing below freezing temperatures all the way down to Florida. In fact, over 68 million people -- nearly a quarter of the US population -- will have a temperature fall below zero next week. Cities such as Minneapolis and Chicago are not forecast to have a high temperature above freezing for at least the next 10 days. "Record breaking and potentially historic outbreak of cold still appears to be in the offing for the middle of next week," according to the Chicago National Weather Service. "Greater than normal degree of forecast uncertainty in temperatures, due in large part to models showing all-time records being broken and in some cases shattered." NWS Chicago also tweeted people should "ensure the car, home and your family are ready." The forecast models the weather service is referring to have consistently shown numerous days dropping to at least minus-20 degrees or colder next week. For reference, Chicago has had only 15 days ever drop to minus-20 or colder in 150 years of record keeping. There is also the potential that Chicago will see multiple days that fail to reach 0 for the high temperature -- something that has happened only twice in the past 20 years, and 22 times in the past 100 years. Add wind to the extremely cold temperatures and much of the upper Midwest will see wind chill values of minus-35 to minus-55 during the middle of next week. These conditions make it dangerous to be outdoors for any period of time as frostbite can occur in just five to 10 minutes. As Leaving Cert students across the country deliberate their choices ahead of the CAO deadline on February 1, the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) is encouraging young people in Kilkenny to consider a career in the tourism and hospitality sector, one of Irelands most successful industries. The IHF has created a dedicated website, Get a Life in Tourism, supported by Failte Ireland, which offers comprehensive information on the many careers available and how to get started as well as the various courses available at Institute of Technology Carlow. A free print Get a Life in Tourism magazine is also being published, which will be distributed to over 700 second-level schools, including those in Carlow and Kilkenny. In addition to courses available through the CAO, Get a Life in Tourism provides details on a variety of career options accessible through PLC courses as well as opportunities for those who wish to start working straight from school. Every year, the hospitality and tourism businesses around the country recruit over 6,000 entry-level employees across all areas of their operations. These include food and beverage; catering; accommodation services; reception; leisure centre and spa facility management; sales and marketing; human resources; IT; management and finance. Aidan Quirke, Chair of the South East branch of the IHF commented: Tourism is Irelands largest indigenous industry, providing employment in every county in Ireland including Carlow and Kilkenny. It offers thousands of opportunities for young people interested in pursuing a career in tourism with enormous potential for professional development and advancement. Were encouraging school leavers especially to explore the many options available, from earn and learn chef programmes through to the wide selection of specialist third-level courses on offer throughout the country for those interested in obtaining a recognised qualification. If you are looking for an exciting challenge, with endless career possibilities then tourism and hospitality is the path for you. Get a Life in Tourism features personal stories from young people already working in tourism and hospitality that offer a realistic picture of what to expect from a career in the sector, providing young people with valuable first-hand information to help them make their course or career choice. The tourism and hospitality sector in Carlow and Kilkenny supports 6,200 jobs and contributes some 155m to the local economy annually. Tourism now supports an estimated 266,000 Jobs in Ireland, over 70% of which are outside Dublin. Tourism created over 94,000 new jobs since 2011 Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted news content meticulously written by our local journalists. Please kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. We sincerely value your support. The planned boundaries of TIF District 9 are Galena Boulevard on the north, Stolp Avenue on the west, Downer Place on the south and the west bank of the Fox River on the east. The district would take in a good chunk of Stolp Island, which forms the heart of downtown Aurora. It includes the Paramount and the new Aurora Arts Center building, but also other downtown buildings that could be part of future redevelopment plans. The lawyer has submitted a barrage of filings, some of them striking racial tones and some of them strangely sexual, filled with allegations of collusion and conspiracy, and all pointing to a deep belief that powerful people are working together to keep his brother behind bars. When U.S. Sen. George Norris in 1934 crisscrossed Nebraska to promote a unicameral state legislature, a radical political experiment, he appealed to his fellow citizens fiscal conservatism. His proposal to eliminate a house of government, he wrote to the editor of the Lincoln Star at the time, is first a proposition to reduce taxes and second a proposition to improve government. That cost savings certainly propelled the constitutional amendment to success with voters wearied by the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. But the lasting legacy of Norris campaign stretches far beyond the reduced rate of government still enjoyed today. Nebraskans enjoy a statehouse that is designed to be exceedingly transparent - with a public hearing on all bills and no conference committee - and further removed from party politics because of his insistence making the legislative branch nonpartisan in nature. As the 2019 Legislature begins its work, the Journal Star editorial board urges the newly convened state senators to embody Norris vision for the chamber. The power struggle in Venezuela between President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition-controlled National Assembly intensified dramatically last week when assembly leader Juan Guaido declared himself the countrys legitimate president. But regardless of what one thinks about the merits of Guaidos claim or the rightness of his cause, the long history of U.S. intervention in Latin America complicates the uprising hes leading against the fraudulently elected Maduro. As recently as a year and a half ago, President Donald Trump publicly mulled a possible military option to oust Maduro. And just a day before Guaido claimed power, Vice President Mike Pence wrote in the Wall Street Journal that the U.S. strongly supports the National Assembly and Mr. Guaido and that Maduro has no legitimate claim to power. So the administrations stunningly swift recognition on Wednesday of Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate president was hardly surprising. Nevertheless, it is worrisome, given the long memory of American involvement in coups and regime change in the region especially if the primary U.S. goal is (as it should be) restoring legitimate and democratically elected government to the oil-rich but deeply troubled nation. BROSVILLE, Va. Scooted close to the table in a high chair at Westside Diner, 14-month-old Emma Grace Kennedy reached her pudgy arms toward the star-shaped cereal puffs that sat on a plastic Minnie Mouse placemat on Jan. 9. Her small finger entrapped the puffs, bringing them to her mouth where two tiny teeth welcomed the opportunity to chomp on the captured prey. Her mother, Kristen Murphy, smiled tenderly as she watched her, placing more puffs on the mat. Her bright blue eyes colored a hue shared with her mother were round with innocence, appearing to be blissfully unaware of the chaos that ensued around her seven months ago after her father, Carl Ray Kennedy, abducted her from her mothers car at a gas station in Danville. That abduction in June spurred a two-day manhunt to find the then-7-month-old Emma that drew national attention. Law enforcement from all levels in two different states collaborated before finding her in a trailer and returning her to Murphy. On the day before the Jan. 9 interview, Kennedy pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and child neglect, along with four other charges. He could be sentenced for up to 36 years in prison for the charges and still faces federal charges after he was indicted in November for violating a family abuse protective order. Taking her spoon and skimming it across the top of her sausage gravy, Murphy offered the rich cream to Emma, who turned her face away at first. Shes very spoiled, said Murphy with affection. When Emma doesnt get her way, she lets you know. As patrons and Westside Diner staff passed by the table, Emma was showered with cooed compliments. People smiled across the room at the infant, complimenting her hair-do two blonde pig tails defying gravity as they sprouted out of her head. Her hair had grown much longer in the past seven months. Cindy Davis, co-owner of Westside Diner and a close friend of Murphy, beamed at mother-daughter duo each time she passed by the table. She looks just like a little cabbage patch kid, doesnt she, said Davis once as she made her rounds. In the months since the abduction, Emmas become very independent, always trying to do things on her own even if shes not physically capable yet, said her mom. But that independent streak hasnt stopped the pair from growing a strong bond. Shes definitely a mommas girl, said Murphy. For Murphy, raising Emma alone was unexpected. She said shed thought Kennedy would be by her side. Its not an easy task raising a child as a single mom, she said, after delivering another dab of sausage gravy into Emmas now-eager O-shaped mouth. You know that saying, it takes a village to raise a child? Well, it definitely does. She said she was in a relationship with Kennedy for three years a time shes trying to move forward from through counseling services that the commonwealths attorney office helped to connect her with. Because of all the things hes done, I cant imagine being with anyone else right now, she said. She turned her gaze to Emma, whos high chair was positioned at the end of the table. Now its all about Emma. Everything I do is for Emma. Murphy said the court process has been stressful for her, reliving and retelling darker pieces of her life baring everything. Ive felt naked a lot of times in front of a lot of people, she said of the past seven months, still awaiting the federal charges to sort out. To support them, Murphy works at night, which means shes usually asleep during the day while Emmas at day care. However, on her days off, she said she tries to spend every minute possible with her now-toddling daughter. Emmas already missing a father, and its important for me that Im here, said Murphy. That Im present. By this point, Murphy had lifted Emma from her high chair and placed her on her lap. A stripe of baby tummy flashed the diner, her purple unicorn shirt displaced while she squirmed into a comfortable position. Murphy lifted her drink to her lips to sip and as she brought it back down to the table, Emma opened her mouth. Murphy brought the straw her way and Emmas mouth closed, gulping. Murphy shook her head and chuckled. See? Spoiled. She spoke of her shock at the backlash thrown at her from the public on social media after the abduction, before Emma was found. Some people called her Casey Anthony. Murphy said she took responsibility for going to meet Kennedy at the gas station, but her intention wasnt to have Emma with her nor to have him take her child. That was the most agonizing two days of my life, she said. While theres been little indication that Emma was affected in any severe way by the incident, she still worries. Sometimes I wonder if whats worse is not knowing what happened during that time, said Murphy. Emma, attempting to use an adult-sized fork, stabbed at the scrambled eggs on Murphys plate. With the equivalent of an egg crumb attached to the tip of a prong, Emma shoved the fork toward her mothers mouth. Murphy graciously accepted the crumb-size portion of scrambled egg. Thank you, Emma, she said. Thats another thing about her. Emma, she shares. Virginia Baptist Hospital lead licensed mental health professional Ryan Smith, who serves in the child and psychiatry unit, said research shows children as young as 3 months can be affect by a traumatic experience, whether they remember it or not. Trauma could come from experiencing anything from being in a home where their parents are yelling to something as serious as an abduction. A lot of people think that babies dont notice or they cant remember, but the thing is theyre able to get scared just like the rest of us, she said. Even if they cant remember, the body still can. If they are traumatized, Smith said signs can arise throughout the infants lifetime as their minds are still on edge, potentially changing its architecture. Your brains still scared that it could happen again, she said. She said the mothers stress, through no fault of her own, after a traumatic incident could also impact the babys perception of their environment as safe. But, the really cool thing is that our brains are not crystallized, said Smith. We can heal from trauma. Outside the stresses of court, Murphy said theyve received an outpouring of support from the community over the past seven months. Smith said support from family, friends and health care providers gives the brain a chance to chill out. Its just a matter of time before health and healing return, said Smith. From the people at Westside Diner to law enforcement to family members and friends, Murphy hasnt been alone. Once, when Davis paused next to the table, she announced Murphy was an excellent mother. After the interview with Murphy ended, Davis said, With everything shes been through, its amazing how well shes handling everything. She amazes me. Aside from Davis, the wife of one of the police officers who first entered Murphys home after the abduction watches Emma from time to time. Both the officer and his wife continue to support her and Emma. We kind of created a bond, said Murphy. Murphys also stayed in contact with Emmas four siblings on her fathers side. They have been big influences in her life, she said. Slowly, Emma slid onto the floor from her mothers lap and stood on her own, wavering slightly. She had taken her first steps 10 days before on New Years Eve. She toddled around the diner a few minutes, tugging Murphy behind her. Emma clasped Murphys index finger, unwilling to let go. Its her world, and Im just living in it, Murphy said with a sigh and a shrug. When Murphy reclaimed her finger, Emma sat down on the floor. Her brow furrowed, face scrunched and mouth began to open in preparation for a cry to escape. But then, Murphy started to reach her hand out again and as it neared Emma, the tantrum started to reverse course. The infants face relaxed as hand drew closer, and Emma put her own hands out to meet it. Murphy scooped the toddler up from the ground. Surrounded by her mothers arms, Emma was at peace. OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE A new $1.3 billion military facility will soon open at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the first of more than 3,500 employees will begin moving into U.S. Strategic Command's new Command and Control Facility in the spring. Work on the project began in October 2012. The facility is 916,000 square feet (85,098 square meters). Vice Adm. David Kriete is StratCom's deputy commander. He says the facility is "a national asset" designed to serve as the nation's military command headquarters, even during a national emergency. Kriete says the project is in its second phase, which focuses on installing technology in the facility. The headquarters will have oversight of the nation's space forces, missile defense, electronic warfare and nuclear arsenal. Kriete says StratCom plans to move all staff into the new headquarters by the end of the year. As most news stories go on to note, with day-for-day "good time" credit, Van Dyke would walk out of prison a bit more than three years from now. Prisoners don't earn good time by sewing clothes for the poor, teaching literacy classes, administering haircuts or otherwise performing noble deeds. They earn it by not misbehaving egregiously while behind bars not committing new offenses that earn new punishments, in other words. KEARNEY Its one thing to read a book. Its another to see the characters, emotions and themes come to life on stage. Thats what actor Anthony Lawton will be doing to C.S. Lewis book The Great Divorce, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Kearney Evangelical Free Church, 4010 Seventh Ave. I find that for a lot of people, when they read, they dont know how it would sound if the character would say it, and so its very helpful to have an actor who knows the work well, understands these characters, say those lines in the way that the right meaning is communicated, said Dave Rozema, a professor who works in the UNK Department of Philosophy, the organization sponsoring the performance. But, in addition, I would say it just heightens the emotional impact of the story, and it really causes you to reflect more than just a reading of it. The Great Divorce, simply, is a work of fiction that follows one man, Clive, who takes a bus ride from hell to heaven. Hes joined by a variety of other characters, many of whom, for one reason or another, make the decision not to stay in heaven. UNK Philosophy professor Tom Martin describes the tale as a classic wrestling of good and evil. interest and costs as provided by law, and any other relief deemed just and equitable by this Court, plus publication costs. You are fur- ther notified that you will be con- sidered to be in default and the court will proceed accordingly to enter judgment against you on or after March 7, 2019, unless an ap- propriate written response is filed with the Buffalo County Court on or before March 7, 2019. Defendant's SALEM, Ore. A man accused of state-spanning crimes including ramming law enforcement vehicles with a stolen U-Haul van was last located in Medford, according to a statement from Oregon State Police (OSP). The incident began just after 4 p.m. on Sunday when OSP dispatch received a call about a U-Haul van driving recklessly on I-5 Northbound near Albany. When a state trooper found the U-Haul and tried to pull the driver over, the driver kept going. "Due to heavy traffic, the OSP trooper discontinued attempting to stop the U-Haul and requested OSP personnel in Salem attempt to locate it," the agency said. Minutes later, troopers learned that the U-Haul had been reported stolen in Seattle earlier in the day on Sunday, and was full of Amazon packages for delivery. OSP said that troopers tracked the U-Haul to a Fred Meyer gas station in Salem and tried to surround the driver later identified as 38-year-old Jose Flores, with a last known address in Medford. Flores managed the pull the U-Haul out and avoid the troopers, careening onto a nearby street where he hit two other vehicles, temporarily becoming wedged there, OSP said. A trooper pulled across the van's rear to block it in. Apparently adverse to being contained, OSP said that Flores began ramming all three vehicles until he made a passage to escape. "The U-Haul sustained extensive front end damage and returned to Interstate 5, traveling northbound," OSP said. After troopers followed Flores back into I-5, OSP said that the man eventually pulled over to the side of the freeway and stopped. Troopers then took him into custody without incident although he could not be immediately identified. Despite damage to multiple vehicles during the pursuit, OSP said "no injuries were reported to the motoring public, law enforcement or suspect." Investigators confirmed that the back of the U-Haul was filled with packages out for delivery from Amazon. Anyone in the Seattle area that is missing or did not received their scheduled delivery from Amazon should call the Oregon State Police Dispatch Center at 1-503-375-3555 and reference OSP Case Number SP19-032026. Flores is being held in the Marion County Jail on the following charges: - Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle - Unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle - Possession of a stolen vehicle - Fail to yield to an emergency vehicle - Fail to obey police officer - Attempted Assault on a police officer - Fail to perform duties of a driver - Mail Theft - Reckless Driving - Reckless Endangering - Attempt to Elude - Vehicle - False Information to a Police Officer CENTRAL POINT, Ore. An Erickson Air-Crane helicopter crashed near a dam and sank under water while fighting a wildfire in Victoria, Australia Erickson, Inc. and Kestrel Aviation confirmed on Monday. In spite of the crash, the pilot and crew members made it out alright, an Erickson spokesman said. According to the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC), the S-64 Aircrane helicopter nicknamed "Christine" was aiding with firefighting efforts on the Thomson Catchment Complex fires near Jericho in the state of Victoria, east of the Australian capital in Melbourne. "The aircraft was actively engaged in fighting the Thomson Complex Catchment bush fire in a challenging and dynamic fire environment," Erickson said in a statement. For an unknown reason, the helicopter crashed near a dam and began to sink into the water. The three members of Christine's crew were able to swim from the wreckage to the edge of the dam. All of Christine's crew were recovered, then treated and released from a local hospital soon after the incident. Erickson said that preliminary data indicates that all aircraft and flight systems were operating normally at the time of the crash. Kestrel and Erickson said that they are cooperating fully with investigative authorities. ABC reports that all six of Australia's Aircranes have been grounded until the cause of the crash has been determined by investigators. Erickson offered that they will be implementing a "rolling, global safety stand-down" to review and reinforce the importance of crew safety. "Kestrel and Erickson will continue to support active fire suppression efforts with our fleet in coordination with the Australian authorities," said Erickson. Just last week an Erickson-owned helicopter this one a Bell 206 crashed near Ashland. The pilot did not survive the crash. Erickson, Inc. has its headquarters in Portland, but the company's main facility is located in Central Point. Its Aircrane aircraft have become an integral part of wildland firefighting operations across the world. SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) A comedian from Portland, Oregon, isn't laughing after his encounter with Border Patrol agents in Spokane, Washington. Mohanad Elshieky was ordered by Border Patrol agents to get off the Greyhound bus as he was preparing to travel back to Portland after a performance Saturday in Pullman. The Spokesman-Review reported that Elshieky tweeted that he was interrogated for 20 minutes by agents who contended his papers were fake and that he was in the country illegally. This morning, ICE agents got on my Greyhound bus that was headed from Spokane to Portland. They walked around before they asked me and few others to step outside and took my documents and interrogated me for around 20 mins then claimed my papers were fake and that Im illegal. Mohanad Elshieky (@MohanadElshieky) January 27, 2019 A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol spokesman said Elshieky stated he was from Libya and presented the agents with an Oregon driver's license and an employment authorization card. The spokesman said that neither is considered a valid document to satisfy a federal law requiring a non-citizen immigrant who is not a minor to carry certain documentation. Failure to comply is a misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum $100 fine and maximum 30-day prison sentence. Elshieky tweeted that he was granted asylum and has lived in the United States for five years. Eventually, the agents released him and told him to carry proper paperwork. The Spokane City Council in October voted to restrict such searches, but Mayor David Condon has refused to enforce the law. KCTV5.com is now with you on the go! Get the latest news updates and video, StormTrack5 weather forecast, weather radar, special investigative reports, sports headlines and much more from KCTV5 News. >> Click/tap here to download our free mobile app. << Copyright 2019 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28) Part of CNN Philippines effort to uphold election integrity for the May 2019 polls is forming the Reality Check Team to fact-check politicians statements and report on new trends of fake news and suspicious online behaviors. CNN Philippines worked with a team of global academic experts and student volunteers in the second #TheFilipinoVotes senatorial forum to guard against online trolls systematic attempts to plant questions, divert attention, and hijack the conversation. During the forum that pitted seven senatorial candidates in political discussion, CNN Philippines resident sociologist Nicole Curato invited citizens online to weigh in on the debate and send their comments and questions on the Facebook and Instagram livestreams as well as the hashtag #TheFilipinoVotes on Twitter. The Facebook livestream garnered over 96,000 views and over 15,000 comments. During the debate, Curato and the Reality Check Team were alerted by several planted questions and divisive comments from suspicious accounts. On Twitter and Instagram, recently created anonymous accounts with low numbers of followers and content posted questions and comments in support of a particular candidate. The Reality Check team performed due diligence to vet each submission and review the social media profiles that authored them. A team found an anonymous account @NonSequitur2018 on Twitter, opened only in December 2018, aggressively posting statements of support for senatorial bet Florin Hilbay and the Otso Diretso team while attacking other candidates. The account also sent in questions directed to Hilbay via the hashtag #TheFilipinoVotes in the aim of generating a favorable impression for the candidate. Jonathan Corpus Ong of the Reality Check Team said, In our previous research on the 2016 elections entitled Architects of Networked Disinformation , what we call anonymous influencer accounts might look innocent or even funny but they actually systematically attempt to hijack public attention by artificially engineering trending hashtags and finding ways to shift the media agenda. We always need to be alert and learn to unfollow these bad actors. The team also found evidence of real organized political fans attempting to influence the discussion within Facebook comment threads and Twitter hashtag conversations by fanning the flames of divided political camps. Polarized fan rallying on social media was visible among Liberal Party supporters and Mar Roxas supporters in particular as well as supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte. Many of the online users appeared to copy-paste similar scripted statements of support for Roxas while at other times accused Harry Roque and Rafael Alunan as lapdogs of President Duterte. Their comments did not address any of the candidates positions on issues discussed in the forum, affirming their strong group identity through sloganeering statements. Screengrab from CNN Philippines #TheFilipinoVotes Part 2 Facebook Live Screengrab from CNN Philippines #TheFilipinoVotes Part 2 Facebook Live Screengrab from CNN Philippines #TheFilipinoVotes Part 2 Facebook Live Neither President Duterte nor the Liberal Party was explicitly referenced by any of the senatorial bets. But the team found that active posters online tried to rally their political camps by returning to the political divides and further entrenching them in the public conversation even though questions posed by senatorial forum moderators Pia Hontiveros and Pinky Webb tried to steer discussions to policy rather than personality. Nevertheless the Reality Check Team found positive evidence of political learning and passionate democratic participation from our tracking of online conversations. For example, some undecided voters expressed how politicians performances in the forum have already affected their choices for the May polls. Samira Gutoc was a revelation. Alam ko na naman na I'm going to vote for all opposition senators, pero iba pa rin getting to know her in this forum. I'm glad I went!!!! SAMIRA GUTOC FOR SENATOR! #TheFilipinoVotes Patricia (@patriciacoreen) January 27, 2019 Others meanwhile used social media to express emotional affection for the politicians that affirmed their social and political beliefs. Samira Gutocs emphatic denunciation of rape jokes inspired some netizens, while her impassioned delivery of a line from the Disney film Pocahontas won over some voters. Screen grabbed from Twitter using #TheFilipinoVotes hashtag At the end of the forum, the Reality Check Team went live on Facebook to review lessons learned from monitoring #TheFilipinoVotes senatorial forum. Watch out for more exclusive reports from the team exposing the emerging trends in fake news and organized media manipulation in the next months leading into the May polls. CNN Philippines Reality Check Team aims to monitor politicians promises and report on organized media manipulation by suspicious online actors. The team includes Jonathan Corpus Ong, Nicole Curato, Samuel Cabbuag and Rossine Fallorina, with active support by UP Diliman student volunteers Cariece Antonio, Ysabela Calderon, Samantha Gabronino, Isabela Maria Padilla, and Camille Rose Pajarillo. The project is also supported by Australia National University, the University of Canberra, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Barr described the Pence conversations in response to a question from Whitehouse about whether he had ever discussed Mueller's investigation with anyone at the White House. He has also acknowledged that he discussed Mueller with Trump himself when he turned down an opportunity to represent the president in the special counsel's investigation. But Venezuela is very reliant on the U.S. for its oil revenue. The country sends 41 percent of its oil exports to the U.S. Critically, U.S. refiners are among the few customers that pay cash to Venezuela for its oil. That's because Venezuela's oil shipments to China and Russia are usually taken as repayment for billions of dollars in debts. Before the July 22, 1994 coup, the conditions at Gambias notorious Mile 2 prison were far from good, but the military takeover would bring a special challenge: congestion. Built in the outskirts of Banjul, the countrys capital, the prisons cells for high-profile prisoners are 2 by 3 meters wide. They either have a plank of wood for a bed or a concrete floor. Built next to swamps, the building is mosquito-infested, according to its former inhabitants who have appeared before Gambias Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) since it started its public hearings on January 7. For Babucarr Jatta, the conditions in Mile 2 were quite simply not good enough for an animal. A slender man in his late forties, Jatta is a former prison medic, now commissioner of Janjanbureh prison, the countrys main detention centre lying 230 kilometers from Banjul. He appeared before the nine commissioners in his prison uniform, and sat facing the lead counsel Essa Faal and his team, occasionally peeking at an audience of about forty people to his right. Prisoners denied access to hospital Before the 1994 coup, any prisoner coming to Mile 2 must come with a warrant. You are either a convict or a lawful detainee undergoing trial, explained Jatta. Following the coup, the rule was broken, as Mile 2 became home to dozens of top Gambian senior security officers and government officials. It did not take long before a fallout occurred among military leaders who accused some of their colleagues of attempted counter-coup. So detainees, mostly soldiers, were gradually dripping in. We experienced overcrowding after the coup, Jatta said. Prisoners were brought to Mile 2 without a warrant or any document. Normally what they told us was: it is an executive order. Soldiers would tell Jatta that they were investigating, and so prisoners should not have access to their lawyers or family members. Babucarr Jatta was of special significance to these prisoners. According to him, the military made it clear that detainees could not be taken to hospital nor any doctor be brought to see them. Yet most were brought with multiple wounds and bruises and needed medical attention. That made Jatta a special person for anyone with such needs. Jatta, in fact, was never trained to handle complicated medical issues. He said he was trained at the Polyclinic, a hospital in Banjul, on first aid: mostly dressing of wounds and administering of painkillers. I can read blood pressure and also recognize some vital signs, he added. But despite the inadequacies in skills, equipment and medicine at the prison, Jatta was the go-to guy. This is not normal but who was there to refuse the executive order? the medic told the TRRC. Fighting back the trauma of mock executions Testimonies before the Truth Commission are often tense with an occasional flare of emotions as victims narrate their ordeal. One moment, however, that most of them remember with the flicker of a smile is an encounter with Babucarr Jatta. Ebrima Chongan, a former police operations commander who was arrested and jailed at Mile 2 for two and a half years, and the first witness before the Commission, remembers him as a good man. Also fondly remembering Jatta was Mamat Cham, a former army captain, now commander of the Gambian army, who was also detained at Mile 2 after the 1994 coup. Jatta recalled how he treated both Cham and Chongan a day after they were reportedly subjected to mock execution and tortured. Ebrima Chongan sustained multiple injuries on his head and back. Mamat Cham had the same injuries and excessive bleeding from his nose, the medic testified. According to information before the Commission, following that mock execution, Ebrima Chongan, Mamat Cham and one R.S.M Jeng, were taken to a separate prison. At that time their colleagues had already seen them being kicked and dragged and then heard volleys of gunfire. They had concluded that they had been killed. Thats when soldiers came for the rest of the detainees and told them: We are coming for you next. Thats how Babucarr Jatta got himself an additional role: trauma counsellor. He knew the prisoners had not been killed because he had treated them. He took a risk, went to their prison, opened the door and brought them out for their colleagues, who were told to stand at the gate of their cells, to see them. This, according to the medic, helped the prisoners, some of whom he had earlier described as mentally unstable as a result of mock executions. Memories of the morning shift At Mile 2, the Security Wing has four classifications. Confinement is considered the worst. The Wing is partitioned from the Main Yard by a thick concrete wall of about 4 meters tall with a black metal door. Jatta said when he started his morning services, giving medicine to prisoners, people in the Main Yard would tell him to help them first because if he got into the Security Wing, it would take a lot of time for him to come out. Even prisoners in the Main Yard would tell me: you have work to do there [at the Security Wing] because we heard some noise. They said they heard shouting and gunfire, the witness said, suggesting torture. Babucarr Jattas role as a medic at the time was a difficult task. Reliving those memories before the Commission proved to be no less so. But as Jatta himself said, he did it for Gods sake and at that time, no one knew if you will be the one to be arrested next. I could be in their position too, he concluded, referring to the detainees. VISIT TO THE NOTORIOUS MILE 2 PRISON On November 18, Gambias Truth Commission investigating human rights violations under the regime of former dictator Yahya Jammeh, undertook a visit of the Security Wing of Mile 2, the small nations most notorious prison, often euphemized by Jammeh as my hotel. The Security Wing was where several senior security officers and prominent former government employees, including ministers, were jailed and tortured following the 1994 military takeover. The area is partitioned from the State Central Prisons Main Yard by a thick wall of about 4 meters tall with a thick black metal door. Several witnesses of TRRC have explained the fear that grips them any time they hear the noise of that door being opened. For them, the sound meant that they were either going to be tortured or taken away and killed. We have come here because it is important for us to understand what the witnesses are telling us, said Lamin Sise, chairman of the Truth Commission, as he discussed with Ansumana Manneh, the director general of Mile 2. Part of the mandate of the commission is to recommend institutional reforms, said Sise, as he explained the rationale of their visit. This was the first site visit for the TRRC. In the previous two weeks, the Commission had heard harrowing stories of witnesses who reportedly went through torture, mock execution and, in some cases, death in Mile 2, about 4 kilometers from Banjul, Gambias capital city. The Security Wing currently holds 70 inmates. It is still next to what several witnesses described as a mosquito-infested swamp. Security Wing Number 1 is a 12-room cell built by the colonialists. Each room is about 3 by 2 meters, where people are kept in solitary confinement. This is where Commission witnesses such as the countrys former deputy police chief Ebrima Chongan, former captain Sheriff Gomez and current commander of the Gambian army Brigadier General Mamot Cham were detained. Mustapha K Darboe, published on 01.22.2019 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 28, 2019) - Vendetta Mining Corp. (TSXV: VTT) (Vendetta or the Company) is pleased to announce the results of an independent Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for its Pegmont Lead-Zinc Project (the Project) in Queensland, Australia. The PEA was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101). The PEA was developed by a team of independent consultants, including AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd., (AMC), GR Engineering Services (GRES), and AARC Environmental Solutions (AARC). Unless otherwise noted, all dollar figures reported are Australian dollars. Project Economic Highlights: Mine Life 10 years at 3,000 tonne per day open pit followed by underground Long Term Consensus Metal Prices: $0.94 /lb Lead, $1.09 /lb Zinc and $16.50 /oz Silver US Dollar to Australian Dollar exchange rate of 0.75 Preproduction Capital of $170M and Life of Mine Sustaining Capital of $59M Pre-Tax NPV (8%) $201M and IRR 32% After Tax NPV (8%) $124 M and IRR 24% After tax payback period 3.5 years Spot price case after tax NPV (8%) $158 M and IRR 27% Spot price case after tax payback period 3.0 years Average annual production of 124M lbs of lead, 50M lbs of zinc and 298K ounces of silver Life of mine all-in sustaining Cash Cost (AISC) of $ 0.71 / lb payable lead in concentrate (after credits) Average net smelter return (NSR) 135 /t of ore Opportunities for continued refinement through further mine plan optimization and metallurgical test work There remain significant Mineral Resources not included in the PEA mine plan, which, with further drilling will potentially increase the mine life or increase production rate Michael Williams, Vendetta's President and CEO commented "The results outlined in the PEA demonstrate a robust, stand-alone project. The Project has been able to take advantage of Pegmont's location in the centre of well-developed infrastructure to deliver a pre-start capital that makes this an achievable project to develop for an aspiring junior miner. We are pleased with the strong results of the PEA and intend to now move to add incremental tonnes that can be brought into the mine plan, continue with early permitting work and expand exploration efforts. In addition to extracting more value out of the Project Vendetta will move forward with evaluating value adding opportunities in the region. The PEA demonstrates low risk economics and well-established mining and milling techniques in a stable and supportive jurisdiction." Project Technical and Financial Details Economic Results and Sensitivities Table 1 summarises the key economic inputs. Base case metal prices and exchange rates are based on institutional consensus pricing. Income and other taxes presented in the PEA are preliminary, based on general Australian corporate tax rates and do not reflect any tax planning opportunities. Table 1: Summary of Key Economic Inputs and Results Unit Base Case Spot Case1 Inputs Zinc Price US$/lb $1.09 $1.18 Lead Price US$/lb $0.94 $0.91 Silver Price US$/oz $16.50 $15.31 Discount Rate % 8 8 Exchange Rate AUD/USD 0.75 0.71 Payable Metal - Lead % 95 95 Payable Metal - Zinc % 85 85 Minimum Deduction - Lead % 3 3 Minimum Deduction - Zinc % 8 8 Australian Corporate Tax % 30 30 Economics Pre-Tax NPV at 8% $M 201 249 IRR % 31 37 Payback Period Years 2.7 2.4 Economics After-Tax LOM Cash Flows (Undiscounted) $M 288 343 NPV at 8% $M 124 158 IRR % 24 27 Payback Period Years 3.5 3.0 LOM Payable Metal Lead M lbs 1,069 1,069 Zinc M lbs 317 317 Silver M oz 1.1 1.1 Costs Cash cost2 $/lb payable lead 0.65 0.60 AISC cost3 $/t lb payable lead 0.71 0.66 As of January 22, 2019, spot lead, zinc and silver prices are London Metal Exchange cash buyer, and exchange rate is Reserve Bank of Australia official rate. Cash costs include all operating costs, smelter, refining and transportation charges, net of byproduct (zinc and silver) revenues. All in Sustaining Costs (AISC) include total cash costs and all sustaining capital expenditures. As indicated in Table 2, project cashflow and NPV are particularly sensitive to changes in exchange rate and lead price, while relatively less sensitive to changes in zinc price, operating and capital expenditures. The table below shows the effect on the after-tax economics of the Project of increasing or decreasing metal prices, capital and operating costs and exchange rates against the disclosed base case assumption. Table 2: After-Tax NPV (8%) Sensitivities Input Input Factor 85% 90% 95% 100% 105% 110% 115% Lead Price ($US / lb) 42.7 70.0 97.3 124.4 151.1 177.8 204.5 Zinc Price ($US / lb) 95.3 105.1 114.8 124.4 134.0 143.6 153.2 Capex (life of mine) 145.9 138.7 131.6 124.4 117.1 109.7 102.2 Opex (per tonne milled) 174.9 158.1 141.2 124.4 107.4 90.2 73.1 Exchange Rate (US$:A$) 234.7 197.9 161.2 124.4 87.1 49.5 12.0 Capital and Operating Cost Estimates Initial and Sustaining Capital GRES provided capital estimates for all project infrastructure, mineral processing, bore field, gas pipeline, camp, fuel storage, offices and workshops. Equipment pricing was based on quotations and actual equipment costs from recent similar GRES projects considered representative of the Project. The capital estimate is deemed to be of a level of accuracy consistent with industry standards for a PEA. Underground sustaining capital, including decline access, ventilation and electrical was estimated by AMC based on benchmarked data. Contingencies were applied to the capital cost estimate as an allowance by assessing the level of confidence in the engineering estimate basis and vendor or contractor information. Table 3: Initial and Sustaining Capital Area Initial ($M) Sustaining ($M) Total ($M) Site Infrastructure (on and off site) 39.6 1.2 40.8 Mineral Processing 69.9 2.1 72.0 Mining (establishment and underground) 18.3 37.0 55.3 Project Indirects (EPCM & Owner Costs) 32.3 - 32.3 Closure - 14.5 14.5 Contingencies (mine, process & infrastructure) 10.3 3.9 14.2 TOTAL PROJECT 170.3 58.7 229.0 Operating Costs Operating costs were estimated by GRES and AMC are summarised in Table 4 Table 4: Operating Cost Summary Area Units Cost Open Pit Mining $/tonne mined $3.08 Underground Mining $/tonne mined $50 Processing $/tonne milled $26.30 Common Site G&A $/tonne milled $6.24 All-In OPEX $/tonne milled $74.30 Off-site Charges Projected Treatment Charges (TCs) and transport charges for the lead and zinc concentrates were provided to AMC by Ocean Partners, specialist consultants and traders in base metal concentrates. Off-site charges include concentrate transport to smelters, located in Mt Isa (Lead) and Townsville (Zinc), treatment and refining charges and potential penalties as shown in the Table 5 below. Table 5: Off-Site Cost Summary Off-site Charges Units Lead Concentrate Zinc Concentrate Transport to Smelter $/wmt conc. $50 $100.58 Smelter Treatment Charge US$/dmt conc. $165 $181 Silver Refining US$/oz $0.80 $0.80 Minimum Deduction units 3 8 Lead in Zinc Concentrate US$/dmt conc. - $2/1% lead > 3.5% Chloride (Cl) + Fluorine (F) Penalty US$/dmt conc. $2/100 ppm Cl+F > 500 ppm - Iron (F) Penalty US$/dmt conc. - $1.50/1% iron >9% Note wmt: wet metric tonne, dmt: dry metric tonne Mineral Resource Update The basis for the PEA is the Mineral Resource estimate completed by AMC. The Company reported details of the Mineral Resource update in a news release dated August 9, 2018. Table 6 summarises the current Mineral Resource, including those Mineral Resources that were not included in the PEA mining inventory. Full details of the Mineral Resource estimate are detailed in the Technical Report. The Company continued to drill subsequent to the effective date. Results from these additional holes and future planned programs will be used in future updates to the Mineral Resource. Assay results have been released and will be described in the Technical Report. Table 6: 2018 Mineral Resource Estimate, as of July 31, 2018 (see notes for details) Classification Material type Tonnes (kt) Pb (%) Zn (%) Ag (g/t) Indicated Transition 1,111 4.9 2.3 8 Sulphide 4,647 6.9 2.6 12 Total 5,758 6.5 2.6 11 Inferred Transition 1,829 5.2 2.0 7 Sulphide 6,447 5.1 3.1 9 Total 8,277 5.1 2.8 8 1. CIM Definition Standards (2014) were used to report the Mineral Resources. 2. Cut-off grade applied to the open pit Mineral Resources is 3% Pb+Zn and that applied to the underground is 5% Pb+Zn. 3. Based on the following metal prices: US$0.95/lb for Pb, US$1.05/lb for Zn, and US$16.5/oz for silver. 4. Exchange rate of US$0.75 : A$1.0 5. Metallurgical recoveries vary by zone and material type as follows: Lead to lead concentrate: from 80.6% to 91.3% for transition and 88.0% to 92.7% for sulphide. Zinc to zinc concentrate: from 19.3% to 75.2% for transition and 61.8% to 78.5% for sulphide. 6. Using drilling results up to April 15, 2018. 7. Mineral Resource tonnages have been rounded to reflect the accuracy of the estimate, and numbers may not add due to rounding. Mine Planning AMC utilized the Geovia Whittle pit optimization process to define ultimate pit limits. The mine scheduling package Minemax was then used to target the most economic ore early in the mine life with constraints applied for the timing of in-pit tailings storage. The open pit has been designed to be a conventional contractor truck-and-shovel operation. Average open pit mining recovery and dilution applied were 95% and 5% respectively. Material is delivered by haul truck to a run of mine (ROM) pad to be loaded into the primary crusher, with discharge from the crusher conveyed to a coarse stockpile adjacent to the mill. Mining commences in the Burke Hinge Zone pit (BHZ), a satellite pit to the main zones which allows for 410 kt of sulphide and 80 kt of transition plant feed to be stockpiled on the ROM pad for start of processing. Mining then moves to another separate pit, Main 1, followed by Main 2 and a pushback into Main 3 to complete the locations for life of mine in-pit tailing storage. The largest pit has four stages (Main 4 to 7). The open pit contractor mining fleet includes 90 t class trucks, loaded by 200 t diesel-hydraulic shovels. Drill and blast will be undertaken with track mounted drill rigs drilling 150 mm holes. Explosives are planned as down hole service by an explosives supplier. Haul roads are designed to be 23 m wide to allow for two-way traffic at a maximum gradient of 10%. Where possible waste is also placed onto in-pit dumps to reduce overall costs. Over the mine life, a total of 8.9 Mt of material is sent to the mill from the open pits and a total waste movement of 110.8 Mt, for a life of mine strip ratio of 12.5:1. Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of the open pit areas. The underground areas were assessed by comparing open pit value to the value generated using the DatamineTM Mine Shape Optimizer (MSO) software. The combined value at each depth then determines the maximum value. The underground Mineral Resources are primarily flat dipping (23 to 30) and vary in thickness across each zone (3 m to 12 m), lending themselves to room and pillar mining. The more steeply dipping portions of Zone 3 are suitable for long hole open stoping. Three separate areas could be optimally mined from underground; one directly beneath the main pit (Zone 3A) and one to the side of the main pit (Zone 3B), and the Bridge Zone. A minimum 20 m crown pillar is left between the pit and stopes. For room and pillar extraction AMC has applied a dilution factor of 10% at zero grade to the Mineral Resource and a mining recovery factor of 86% has been applied to the stopes. For long hole mining AMC has applied a dilution factor of 12% at zero grade to the Mineral Resource and a mining recovery factor of 95% to the stopes. Long hole stopes are backfilled with waste rock. Contractor mining using trackless diesel loaders and trucks and diesel-electric drilling equipment is planned. Declines provide fresh air intake, with each panel having a ventilation shaft fitted with a primary exhaust fan on surface. Figure 2 shows the underground panels in relation to the open pit stages. Open pit mining accounts for 84% or 8.9 Mt and underground for 16% or 1.7 Mt of the total 10.6 Mt of material processed. The Mineral Resource used for the PEA mine design does not include any of the Zone 5 resource which is included in the Mineral Resources above (Table 6). Screening work indicated that this zone needs to be expanded to arrive at a potential extraction strategy, with the possibility that these resources may ultimately be brought into a future mining plan. Figure 1: Open Pit Areas Figure 2: Underground Mining Areas, view looking west Processing Two metallurgical test work programs have been conducted on samples from Pegmont, as reported by the Company on March 6, 2017 and March 5, 2018, and summarised in Table 7. The later test work being more detailed locked cycle test work on the zones forming the basis of the mining inventory of the PEA, and were used as the basis for developing the process design criteria for the PEA. Table 7: Recoveries and concentrate grades by Zone mined in the PEA Zone Test Type Bond Ball Mill Work Index kWh/t Lead Concentrate Zinc Concentrate Pb Recovery % Pb Grade % Zn Recovery % Zn Grade % Sulphide Zone 1 Locked Cycle 18.4 91.8 66.3 75.5 54.5 Zone 2 Locked Cycle 20.9 90.8 67.8 71.3 54.9 Zone 3 Locked Cycle 20.1 89.7 68.2 73.7 54.8 Bridge Zone Locked Cycle 19.1 92.7 68.0 70.4 52.3 BHZ Locked Cycle 16.6 91.5 70.6 61.8 50.7 Transition Zone 1 Locked Cycle - 91.3 72.5 75.2 53.3 BHZ Open Cycle - 80.6 57.0 19.3 48.9 The process plant operating costs were developed by GRES based on a design processing rate of 3,000 tonnes per day of material for the flotation plant. The plant will normally operate 24 hours/day, 365 days/year. A conventional sequential flotation circuit has been selected for the recovery of the lead and zinc minerals from the Pegmont deposit. The process plant shall consist of a conventional three stage crushing and a single stage ball mill grinding circuit, followed by differential flotation of the lead and zinc minerals to produce separate saleable lead and zinc concentrates. The concentrates from the lead and zinc flotation circuits will be thickened and subsequently filtered on site for road transport to off-site smelters. The lead concentrate will be transported by road to the Mt Isa, while the zinc concentrate will be transported by road to a rail siding located at the nearby town of Malbon, and then transported by rail to Townsville, Queensland. The containerised transport of concentrate and rail loading infrastructure will allow the transport lead and / or zinc concentrate to alternative smelters out of the port of Townsville if commercially more advantageous to do so. Tailings from the flotation plant will be thickened to approximately 53% solids by weight. Water recovered in the tailings thickener will be recycled to the process plant. Tails will be disposed of in mined out open pits. Figure 3: View of the processing plant layout, looking east Broken Hill type deposits typically have iron in the zinc concentrate, attracting a penalty when present at over 9%. Iron in zinc concentrate ranges from 5.5% to 11.0% in the zones at Pegmont. Fluorine + chlorine attract a penalty in the lead concentrate over 500 ppm, this is below detection limits for standard geochemical analysis for fluorine, precise fluorine analysis is pending for most of the PEA mine plan, precise fluorine assayed 50 ppm and 147 ppm in BHZ transition and sulphide respectively. In the absence of precise fluorine analysis in the other zones flouring levels of 500 ppm were assumed. Cadmium is present in the zinc concentrates at levels of between 2740 ppm and 3830 ppm in the PEA mine plan, it attracts a penalty over 4000 ppm, hence no penalty is applied. Figure 4: Production Summary Infrastructure Access Road access to the Project is via public roads from the Selwyn Toolebuc Road, approximately 130 km south-southeast of Cloncurry. The PEA includes developing a 10.5 km all-weather unsealed road, 3.2 km of which is new and includes a crossing of Sandy Creek from the Selwyn Toolebuc Road to the plant which then continues onto the accommodation village. The Project will be a fly in - fly out operation, with flights from Townsville to the existing Osborne Airport, a fully sealed all weather airport, capable of servicing jet powered aircraft, currently servicing Chinova's Osborne operations. These locations are shown on a map in Figure 5. Power Located approximately 16 km to the south of the Project is a high-pressure natural gas pipeline, the "Cannington Lateral", which provides gas to the Osborne and Cannington Mine sites. The line runs from the main north south line supplying Mt Isa. A 16 km long spur line is planned to supply Pegmont with natural gas for power generation. Electrical power for the operation will be gas fired generator sets, estimated to be an average load of 6.1 MW for the processing plant and associated services, and excludes the future underground mining requirement. Electrical power will be generated by gas fired generator sets, each rated at 2,500 kW at full load and expected to run at 80% load and 2000 kW each. Including mining and camp demand power, nominally four sets will be required to be running with five sets installed for demand and standby application. Process Water Process water shall comprise recovered water from the tailings thickener, return water from the tailings storage facility and topped up by raw water from a borefield. Both Osborne and Cannington Mines obtain process water from borefields located in the Great Artesian Basin. The PEA contemplates constructing a borefield comprising five bores sunk in the Great Australian Artesian Basin, reporting to a transfer tank, and then be pumped via a 27 km long pipe line and stored in a 1,000 m3 raw water tank located adjacent to the process water pond. No specific groundwater investigation for process water was performed for the PEA. Airstrip, Camp and Services During construction rooms at the existing 300-person Osborne camp will be rented from Chinova. A new 204-person accommodation village will be built to the north of the Project and shielded from both noise and light by a series of local hills. The village is located approximately 2 km from the processing plant, providing ease of access for personnel. Communications to the Project is planned to be provided by a installing a spur (approximately 16.6 km long) of the existing Telstra Fibre optic cable which runs in parallel to the high-pressure gas line, offset by 150 m. Potable water will be generated onsite from the raw water supply via a reverse osmosis plant before being pumped to the plant and mining amenities as well as the accommodation village. Separate packaged sewerage treatment system will be installed to treat both the accommodation village and the processing plant/mining demands. Diesel fuel for light vehicles and the mining fleet is stored in self bunded modular tanks. Figure 5: Map of Local Area Infrastructure Closure Planning The Project will remove and stockpile topsoil from mining and infrastructure areas for use in reclamation work. Waste dumps, including in-pit dumps above pit lake water level, will be re-sloped and topsoil spread prior to revegetation. In-pit tails areas, once stable will be capped with waste rock, sloped to shed water off the tails area, and topsoil spread prior to revegetation. A closure bund will be placed around the pits. Opportunities for Project Enhancement Additional optimization studies are anticipated to improve the overall economics. Specific areas of advancement include; Geostatistical review of the Mineral Resource estimate, investigating grade envelope definition Further infill drilling with diamond core Additional metallurgical test work to advance optimisation of recovery, including variability test work Investigate post primary crusher material sorting Investigate flash flotation of lead and optimal grinding size to improve zinc floatation Reduce reagent and collector dosages to reduce mill OPEX Mining; waste dump placement, scheduling of open pit and underground interaction, more detailed underground mine planning Permitting The Pegmont Project will be subject to federal, state and local regulatory requirements. A new mining license covering parts of the existing exploration permit will be required, at the same time application for an infrastructure mining licences over the bore field pipeline, gas pipeline corridor will be made. The applications trigger a Right to Negotiate process with the Native Title party and landholder compensation negotiations. ARC Environmental Solutions have undertaken flora and fauna base line surveys over parts of the Project located on the exploration permit and the mining licences, indicating no threatened flora or fauna species are present. Baseline flora and fauna surveys will need to be expanded to include the infrastructure corridor containing the bore field water and gas pipelines, and the fibre optic telecommunication cable. Other baseline surveys and cultural heritage surveys over the Project area will be required. Project development requires the existing Environmental Authority will be amended by way of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), describing the Project design, baseline results and potential impacts. About Preliminary Economic Assessments While the results of the PEA are highly encouraging, by definition a PEA is considered preliminary in nature and includes Mineral Resources, including inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves have not yet demonstrated economic viability. Due to the uncertainty that may be attached to Mineral Resources, it cannot be assumed that all or any part of a Mineral Resource will be upgraded to Mineral Reserves. Therefore, there is no certainty that the results concluded in the PEA will be realized. About Vendetta Mining Corp. Vendetta Mining Corp. is a Canadian junior exploration company focused on advanced stage exploration and development at the Pegmont Lead Zinc Project in Australia. Vendetta has an option to acquire a 100% interest by completing certain work requirements and making option and advance royalty payments. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.vendettaminingcorp.com Qualified Persons and Technical Report Peter Voulgaris, MAIG, MAusIMM, a Director of Vendetta, is a non-independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, who participated in the preparation of the Mineral Resource update and PEA. Mr. Voulgaris has reviewed the technical content of this press release, and consents to the information provided in the form and context in which it appears. The following Qualified Persons, under the terms of National Instrument 43-101, participated in the preparation of the Technical Report and have reviewed the technical content of this press release for the Pegmont Project and consent to the information provided in the form and context in which it appears. Geology and Mineral Resource John Morton Shannon, P.Geo., Principal Geologist at AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd., is an independent qualified person, as defined in NI 43-101. Dinara Nussipakynova, P.Geo., Principal Geologist at AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd., is an independent qualified person, as defined in NI 43-101. Mining Philippe Lebleu P.Eng., Principal Mining Engineer at AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd., is an independent qualified person, as defined in NI 43-101. Gary Methven P.Eng., Principal Mining Engineer at AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd., is an independent qualified person, as defined in NI 43-101. Infrastructure, Metallurgy and Mineral Processing Brendan Mulvihill, MAusIMM CP (Met), Senior Process Engineer at GR Engineering Services, is an independent qualified person, as defined in NI 43-101. A Technical Report titled "Pegmont Project Mineral Resource Update and Preliminary Economic Assessment" prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this news release. For the final full details and further information with respect to the key assumptions, parameters, and risks associated with the results of the PEA, the Mineral Resource estimates included therein, and other technical information, please refer to the complete Technical Report to be made available on SEDAR. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Michael Williams" Michael Williams President & CEO 604-484-7855 Forward Looking Information The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forwardlooking statements" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian Securities laws. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts are forward looking statements, including the anticipated time and capital schedule to production; estimated project economics, including but not limited to, mill recoveries, payable metals produced, production rates, payback time, capital and operating and other costs, IRR and mine plan; expected upside from additional exploration; expected capital requirements; and other future events or developments. Forward-looking statements include statements that are predictive in nature, are reliant on future events or conditions, Forwardlooking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forwardlooking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forwardlooking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forwardlooking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forwardlooking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in commodities prices; changes in expected mineral production performance; unexpected increases in capital costs; exploitation and exploration results; continued availability of capital and financing; differing results and recommendations in the Feasibility Study; and general economic, market or business conditions. In addition, forwardlooking statements are subject to various risks, including but not limited to operational risk; political risk; currency risk; capital cost inflation risk; that data is incomplete or inaccurate; the limitations and assumptions within drilling, engineering and socioeconomic studies relied upon in preparing the PEA; and market risks. The reader is referred to the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators for disclosure regarding these and other risk factors, accessible through Vendetta Mining's profile at www.sedar.com There is no certainty that any forwardlooking statement will come to pass and investors should not place undue reliance upon forwardlooking statements. The Company does not undertake to provide updates to any of the forwardlooking statements in this release, except as required by law. This news release presents certain financial performance measures, including all in sustaining costs (AISC), cash cost and total cash cost that are not recognized measures under IFRS. This data may not be comparable to data presented by other silver producers. The Company believes that these generally accepted industry measures are realistic indicators of operating performance and are useful in allowing comparisons between periods. NonGAAP financial performance measures should be considered together with other data prepared in accordance with IFRS. This news release contains nonGAAP financial performance measure information for a project under development incorporating information that will vary over time as the project is developed and mined. It is therefore not practicable to reconcile these forwardlooking nonGAAP financial performance measures. We connect our community to the epic moments in Jewish life, invigorating a Jewish heritage that honors the past and hopes for the future. We assist people in need to overcome lifes challenges, transforming daily life for over 500,000 Chicagoans of all faiths. We support Israel and the Jewish people worldwide, advocating on key issues and providing humanitarian assistance for millions. We respond swiftly to crisis situations, mobilizing resources and rushing aid to communities in distress worldwide. Moncks Corner, SC (29461) Today Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High 83F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 72F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Summerville, SC (29483) Today Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. Potential for heavy rainfall. High 84F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 73F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. As for the No State of the Union address, really, who cares? This address is a big pep rally and I doubt that anyone really is informed by what is said. That said, the president should have the right to address anyone he wants to in the well of the Congress. This is the peoples house, not House Speaker Nancy Pelosis personal property. Tony Gagliardi East Bend Trump hate In response to the Jan. 23 letter So delighted, I would like to make a clarification. As a Republicans worst nightmare, a raving wall-eyed liberal (self-description), I dont hate President Trump. In fact, I dont know him. I see him on TV, read about him in the newspaper and visit him on social media. We are not neighbors. I am, however, a bit of a witness, both to his behavior and his actions, and the resulting effects. And here is where the letter writer and I part company (an age-old tradition in this country, so I consider both of us patriots). I do find Trumps behavior despicable, but thats just a gut reaction and since hes not likely to invite me to dinner or a party, not too important. Trump never was able to sell the public on the existence of an emergency at the border, perhaps because there isn't one. Nor could he convince a majority that the wall was needed, perhaps because it isn't. In trying to come up with a face-saving compromise, Trump (or perhaps Stephen Miller, who seems to be in charge when immigration comes up) slipped in one too many poison pills (e.g., denying a slew of asylum claims). Trump's own staff, in essence, blocked his retreat. As for the disastrous Senate vote on Thursday, it is far from clear whether Trump knew it would fail or whether he was deluded, convinced that Republicans -- who had been grumbling and warning him all along that this was a disastrous mistake -- would simply go along. Unions had become ossified, serving as member-service organizations that offered workplace representation and collective-bargaining assistance but not much fire. Now, the existential threat posed by Janus hasn't materialized -- membership has held steady -- and, instead, has spurred a renewal of activism. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees feared it could lose 30 percent of its revenue. Instead, the AFSCME reports that for every free rider opting out since Janus, it has gained seven new members. It has continued to notch organizing wins (220 since July 2016, resulting in more than 22,000 newly organized members). It has also trained more than 25,000 activists over the past three years to spread the union gospel. Back in February when the case was argued, I suggested the justices beware the unintended consequences of their actions, lest they revive labor militancy. Alito expressed no such worry. In his scornful majority opinion that jettisoned decades of precedent, he dismissed the "loss of payments" that would be "unpleasant" for unions. Only one can be the next Obama. Maybe not even one. The coalition that Barack Obama built in 2008 was so powerful, and so successful in Democratic primaries, that 2020 contenders are treating it as a blueprint. But in a field with a dozen or more presidential candidates, no one is a perfect match to win over all of the key constituencies that drove Obama to electoral success. While it's still early in the race, what appears to be happening is candidates are trying to peel away different parts of Obama's coalition. The dynamics are similar to the philosophy that in commerce a marketplace is always in the process of either creating or undoing bundles. What's unclear right now is who will splinter off which groups, and what the Democratic marketplace will look like as the 2020 primaries approach. The world of commerce can be instructive. The most well-known recent example of unbundling a popular bundle might be Craigslist. In the early 2000s, Craigslist was a one-stop shop for local commerce, where users could find anything from an apartment to a job to a place to sell their wares. It had classic network effects: Its high user base attracted people and businesses interested in using the platform, which made it difficult for competing platforms to attract users. At its peak, Craigslist was a powerful bundle of online services. The major media have gone gaga over the number of women newly elected to Congress and those announcing their run for the White House in 2020, with more female candidates likely to follow suit. But medias bias one of many is revealed in their focus on mostly liberal women with barely a mention, if they are mentioned at all, of women who are conservative. Reporters, commentators and hosts on major networks, and including some cable outlets, speak of womens issues, as if all women think, or should think, alike. Worse, they never examine whether ideas floated by liberal women are anything new or whether they have worked in the past or are working presently. Many liberal pronouncements seem to be taken at face value, with little pushback to explain how they plan to make their proposals work, especially those that have been tried and failed before (consider programs to wipe out poverty, along with increased spending to improve public education, as just two of many examples). Another example: the presidential candidacy announcement by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.). Harris has been in the Senate for only two years but already she hears Hail to the Chief playing for her? Who does she think she is, Barack Obama? A independent Schultz bid would also require him to qualify for the televised general election debates, a major platform for candidates in the final months of a campaign. In 2016, the commission that oversees those debates required candidates to meet a two-part test to participate: They must appear on enough state ballots to have a mathematical chance of victory in the Electoral College, and they must receive at least 15 percent support in five national public polls that meet certain criteria. As runners were about to begin the 5K, Cam Elliott was given the honor of seeing them off at the line and blowing the air horn to get things started this chilly Saturday morning. Elliott, 8, was there for the runners return, with his right hand stretched out, giving each person a high five and a wave as they crossed the finish line. Its really cool to see him start off the race and then be able to greet everyone as theyre coming back, so its just really cool, said Ron Dunsmore, one of the runners. It brings everything full circle. It was expected for a 5K thats named after Cam. Saturday marked the second annual 5K for Cam, which raises awareness for Apert syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects the formation of the hands, feet and skull of those who have it. Cam has Apert syndrome. Hes had more than a dozen surgeries in his lifetime related to the condition. The first 5K was held to raise awareness and help the Elliotts with medical expenses. But this year, that money will go toward paying the way for families in the Southeast to attend a regional conference on Apert syndrome that the Elliott family and their friends are going to put together. Those who know me and still talk to me know I always wanted to be a wheelin-dealin kiss-stealin gear-jammin coffee-slammin truck-driving daddy sweet talking every carrot-top waitress from the Queen City to Shaky-Town. But the journalism gig came along and my trucking dreams faded. But it appears that opportunity has finally pulled in to the terminal. Oscar Meyer is hiring a driver for the Wienermobile. The company is taking applications through Jan. 31 to become a Hotdogger starting this June and continuing for 12 months. The perfect Hotdogger would represent the Oscar Meyer brand as a goodwill ambassador through radio and television appearances, newspaper interviews, according to the news release. Here is a portion of the cover letter I plan to send a long with my resume and application. Dear Mr. Meyer: It has come to my attention that you are currently seeking a driver for the legendary Wienermobile, one of the most iconic mobiles of all time, right up there with the Batmobile, the Bloodmobile and Mobile, Alabama, birthplace of Hall-of-Famer and real homerun king Hank Aaron. Two people were displaced and a dog overcome with smoke was revived in the wake of a Sunday-morning fire in an apartment on North Cherry Street, Winston-Salem firefighters said. Battalion chief Robert Wade said the fire in apartment B at 2336 N. Cherry St. was called in at 8:54 a.m. On arrival, Wade said, flames were burning out of the front of the apartment. By 9:21 a.m. the fire was under control. No one was at home at the time of the fire, but firefighters found and revived a dog they found inside that had been overcome with smoke. Firefighters revived the rescued dog with oxygen. Wade said the American Red Cross was helping the displaced people. Two men lived at the apartment. Officials said damage to the apartment building amounted to about $20,000, with some $1,500 in losses to the contents. The cause of the fire is undetermined, but authorities said the fire was not intentionally set. Wade said the other apartments in the unit were not damaged in the fire, nor did they lose electricity. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. When Forsyth County transferred ownership of the courthouse property to Winston Courthouse, the deed excluded from the sale all the monuments on the property, and said that Forsyth County had the right to ask for an easement to maintain and/or remove the monuments at the countys expense. The county has never obtained the easement, and county attorney Gordon Watkins said the county is not involved in the discussions over the statue. Davis, in his letter on behalf of the UDC, said the deed raises the question as to whether this deed ... reserves to Forsyth County ... the right to determine the preservation of the statue. Both the city and Winston Courthouse say they are accepting the UDCs previous claim of statue ownership. Carmons letter to the UDC of Dec. 31, 2018, states that it does not appear that the statue is publicly owned. Davis, making apparent reference to a quotation from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., says in his letter that waiting 60 days to find out the answers to his questions does not violate the legal principle that justice too long delayed is justice denied. Were taking it at face value that filing season will go as scheduled, said Brad Gray, managing partner with Gray, Callison & Co. PA. Gray projected that a lot more clients will take the increased standard deduction unless they have extensive medical expenses and charitable giving to itemize. The standard deduction for the 2018 tax season was raised to $12,000 for single filers, $18,000 for heads of household and $24,000 for married couples filing joint returns. According to The Motley Fool contributor Matthew Frankel, just 5 percent of taxpayers are expected to itemize deductions starting in the 2018 tax season. In recent years, about 30 percent of all tax returns contained itemized deductions. Gray said federal tax reform may lower the amount that local charities receive since some taxpayers are less inclined to give if they dont get the deduction. Gray said clients who are required to take a partial withdrawal from their IRA after age 70.5 are sending the funds directly to a charitable organization in order to meet the minimum donation amount. A Kernersville man was indicted Monday on charges that he assaulted a woman with a knife and left her in a car on the side of Business 40 last year. Rosendo Jimenez Santiago, 35, of Afton Park Drive, was indicted by a Forsyth County grand jury on felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury. The woman was found on the side of Business 40 near the Macy Grove exit about 9:40 a.m. May 11, 2018. According to the indictment, the woman's name is Sara Lynn Montalvo Bodden. Kernersville police said she had cuts to her throat and underwent surgery for serious injuries. The Kernersville Police Department said Bodden and Santiago knew each other, and investigators were trying to establish where the assault happened. It was not immediately clear when his first court date in Forsyth Superior Court will be. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A Duke University professor who emailed students asking them to "commit to using English 100% of the time" while in department buildings has apologized for her message, saying it was inappropriate. "I deeply regret the hurt my email has caused," Megan Neely, an assistant professor of biostatistics, stated in a follow-up email to students Sunday. "It was not my intention. Moving forward, it is my sincerest wish that every student in the Master of Biostatistics is successful in all of their endeavors." Until recently, Neely was also the director of graduate studies in Duke's biostatistics department. Early Saturday afternoon, she sent an email to dozens of Duke students that started out innocuously enough. "Something to think about . . . " the subject line read. The message was addressed to all first- and second-year biostatistics graduate students at the North Carolina university. Neely said in the email that two faculty members had visited her office earlier that day, asking for pictures of biostatistics graduate students. She said she obliged, then asked why they wanted to know. According to Neely, her colleagues wanted to identify students they had observed "speaking Chinese (in their words, VERY LOUDLY)" in the student lounge and study areas. "Both faculty members replied that they wanted to write down the names so they could remember them if the students ever interviewed for an internship or asked to work with them for a master's project," she wrote. Neely underlined the next part of her email in bold: "They were disappointed that these students were not taking the opportunity to improve their English and were being so impolite as to have a conversation that not everyone on the floor could understand." If the implication wasn't clear enough - that Neely was encouraging students to speak only English or else face unseen barriers to future opportunities within the department - she spelled it out in her next paragraph: "To international students, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep these unintended consequences in mind when you choose to speak in Chinese in the building. I have no idea how hard it has been and still is for you to come to the US and have to learn in a non-native language. As such, I have the upmost [sic] respect for what you are doing. That being said, I encourage you to commit to using English 100% of the time when you are in Hock or any other professional setting." Neely closed her message by noting she was copying second-year biostatistics graduate students on the email "as a reminder" because they were in the process of applying for jobs. "Happy to discuss more," she wrote. "Just stop by my office." Images of Neely's email soon hit the Internet and were widely shared, sparking outrage. Many pointed out that the students were conversing with one another during what appeared to be their own time, outside the classroom - and that the United States does not have an official language anyway. Others accused Neely and the unnamed faculty members of racial discrimination and questioned whether the students had been targeted because they were speaking Chinese as opposed to another foreign language. "I'm an international student. Let's guess how many times I've been asked not to speak French," one Twitter user wrote, appending three eye-roll emoji to the message. Mary Klotman, dean of the Duke University School of Medicine, emailed all biostatistics graduate students on Saturday to say Neely had "asked to step down" as director of graduate studies for the master's program, effective immediately, and would be replaced by an interim director. Klotman said she had asked Duke's office of institutional equity to conduct a thorough review of the master's program, adding a "personal pledge" that the matter would be "addressed quickly and sensitively." "I understand that many of you felt hurt and angered by this message," she wrote. "To be clear: there is absolutely no restriction or limitation on the language you use to converse and communicate with each other. Your career opportunities and recommendations will not in any way be influenced by the language you use outside the classroom. And your privacy will always be protected." On Sunday, Elizabeth DeLong, the biostatistics department chair, sent a follow-up email to biostatistics students apologizing for the situation. "We very much value our international students and their contributions to our program and we recognize that the message that was sent Friday was not appropriate," DeLong wrote, according to text of the message provided to The Washington Post. "Although it was not meant to be hurtful, it came out that way and was clearly in error." DeLong's email was jointly signed by Neely and included a direct statement from the assistant professor. "Please accept our sincere apology," they concluded. Duke spokesman Michael Schoenfeld confirmed in an email to The Washington Post that the images of Neely's email Saturday were legitimate. He also confirmed that images of an additional email from Neely that had surfaced, from February 2018, were legitimate and under review. In a February 2018 message to biostatistics students (subject line: "To Speak English or To Not Speak English . . ."), Neely said faculty members were complaining about international students not speaking English in the department's break rooms, although she did not specify the offending foreign language or languages. "I don't like being the language police, but I have gotten these comments enough times in the past few weeks that I feel like I should share them with you," Neely wrote then, noting that the most recent complaint was from the department chair. "Beyond the obvious opportunity to practice and perfect your English, speaking in your native language in the department may give faculty the impression that you are not trying to improve your English skills and that you are not taking this opportunity seriously." She again warned that not speaking English could have the "potential downstream effects" of not getting research opportunities in the program, because faculty members would be hesitant to hire international students. Asked whether any action would be taken against the unnamed faculty members who were complaining about students not speaking English, Schoenfeld said the matter would be part of the university's review. The Duke Chronicle, the college's independent student newspaper, reported that first-year Chinese graduate students in the biostatistics department had issued a statement, in Chinese, asking for a "thorough investigation of the incident." The students, who did not want to give individual interviews, also asked for the unnamed faculty members to be identified, according to the newspaper. By Sunday, news of the email had spread on Weibo, a Chinese social media site similar to Twitter, with the hashtag "Duke University bans speaking Chinese" viewed more than 6.7 million times on the platform, according to the South China Morning Post. Stateside, a petition started by "concerned students" at Duke urging the university to investigate Neely's emails and the unnamed faculty members had more than 1,900 signatures as of Sunday afternoon. "We are disheartened . . . when Duke's faculty members implied that students of diverse national origin would be punished in academic and employment opportunities for speaking in their native language outside of classroom settings," the petition stated. "We are demoralized even more that a Duke graduate program director explicitly condones and even encourages such discriminatory practices by our faculty members." This story was originally published in The Washington Post. I know its hard to believe that it can be different, that your vote even matters, when other candidates are part of the corruption and system that got us here in the first place, Enyia says, without naming any of her opponents in the Feb. 26 election. Im not here because Ive spent years chasing power in an unjust system. Im here doing what Ive been doing all of my life: challenging those in power; fighting to build systems that are equitable, just and put people first. David Abel, 72, died June 18th, 2021, at his home in El Dorado, AR, surrounded by his family after a short battle with cancer. David was born November 26, 1948, in Sacramento, CA, to Earnest "Bood" Abel and Peggy Downing Abel. David attended school in Miami, OK, and graduated in 1967. He joi At 8 a.m. Monday the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee of the Wyoming House will hold a hearing on a bill that would change the law requiring local governments to publish legal notices in newspapers. House bill 201 would allow local governments to post notices of public meetings, requests for contract bids, salary listings and other information on their own websites. The Wyoming Press Associaiton opposes the bill and a related bill that was introduced more recently, saying they would reduce government transparency and hurt newspapers. The second bill, HB 242, would create a state website for public notices, a move the Wyoming Press Association described parallel to creating a state-run media outlet akin to whats found in totalitaria countries. This will give the ability of local govenrmetns to hide whatever notices they want form their communities by publishing them on a state website that will seldom be looked at by average citizens and business people because they dont have the time to wade thorugh the notices for the whole state., said Bob Bonnar, associate publisher and editor of the News Letter Journal. Allie Gross covers Teton County government. Originally from the Chicago area, she joined the News&Guide in 2017 after studying politics and Spanish at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Mohammeds parents had closed themselves in a room but were able to tell officers through a window that their son had a gun. Communicating in Urdu, the parents threw a set of keys out the window and told officers to enter through the back door, Steinberg said. Weather Alert ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING... The Flash Flood Watch continues for * Portions of central Georgia, east central Georgia, north central Georgia, northeast Georgia, northwest Georgia and west central Georgia, including the following areas, in central Georgia, Baldwin, Bibb, Butts, Crawford, Jasper, Jones, Monroe, Peach and Putnam. In east central Georgia, Greene, Hancock, Taliaferro, Warren and Wilkes. In north central Georgia, Barrow, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Gwinnett, Henry, Morgan, Newton, North Fulton, Rockdale, South Fulton and Walton. In northeast Georgia, Clarke, Jackson, Madison, Oconee and Oglethorpe. In northwest Georgia, Carroll, Haralson, Paulding and Polk. In west central Georgia, Chattahoochee, Coweta, Harris, Heard, Lamar, Macon, Marion, Meriwether, Muscogee, Pike, Schley, Spalding, Stewart, Talbot, Taylor, Troup, Upson and Webster. * Through Sunday evening. * A tropical low pressure system will bring heavy rainfall to portions of Georgia today and Sunday. Rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches are expected over the watch area, with higher amounts to 6 inches possible over portions of western and north Georgia. Quickly accumulating rainfall will easily allow for efficient runoff and increase flash flooding potential. * Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks and inundate fields, roads, businesses and other property. Street flooding could also lead to road closures. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. && Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or making a contribution. Subscribe or contribute Enterprise cloud vendor Nutanix has officially opened its new Singapore-based Asia regional office as it continues investment in the region. Located at Suntec Tower 1 in the heart of the city, the new facility is capable of housing 120 staff to meet the companys rapidly growing workforce. Nutanix says the new facility is dedicated to providing the most modern workplace environment focused on employee engagement, productivity, creativity and customer experience, and the office will be the companys flagship facility in the region. There is also a dedicated training centre and collaboration lounge in the new facility where both staff and customers can get hands on with Nutanixs latest technologies. Matt Young, senior vice-president, Asia Pacific at Nutanix, said, This workplace is designed for a high growth, fast paced, digital future and embraces all the freedom, flexibility and simplicity that we provide to our customers. We now have one the most advanced offices, in the worlds most dynamic region. We are all thrilled at the opportunities ahead. Nutanix says the Singapore office is yet another one in a series of office expansions, with the recently opened new Tokyo facility and expansion of its India operations in Ahmedabad and Pune, India bringing its regional presence to 25 offices in 13 countries. John McCallum has been fired by Justin Trudeau for his comments about the extradition of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou. Canada's ambassador to China, John McCallum, has been sacked by his country's government for making statements about the arrest by Ottawa of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou that were favourable to the Chinese side. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Saturday he had fired McCallum after his comments created a political furore, with statements that Meng stood a good chance of not being extradited to the US from Canada where she was arrested on an American request on 1 December last year. The envoy had told an event in Markham, Ontario, on 22 January, where Chinese-language media were present, that Meng had "some strong arguments she can make before a judge" in fighting extradition. On 24 January, McCallum backtracked, saying he had misspoken. But a day later, he spoke to the Canadian newspaper Toronto Star, saying that if the US agreed to cancel the extradition request "that would be great for Canada. Trudeau's office issued a statement saying, Last night I asked for, and accepted, John McCallums resignation as Canadas ambassador to China." No reason was given. Meng was arrested in Vancouver on 1 December at the request of US law enforcement under the terms of a bilateral extradition treaty. The US has now said it will make a formal bid to extradite her to face charges of violating its sanctions on Iran. Asked about McCallum's sacking and whether Beijing thought Canada had made the right decision, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing in Beijing on Monday: "This belongs to Canada's domestic affairs and China has no comment on it. I want to point out that the Meng Wanzhou case is definitely not a pure judicial case. There are strong political motives and manoeuvrings behind it. "The Chinese people and the international community know that very well. We once again urge the Canadian side to make the right choice, immediately release Meng Wanzhou, and guarantee her safe return to China at an early date." At the hearing, prosecutors confronted Johnson with his grand jury testimony a tactic they could again use at Carters trial. In that testimony, he claimed that Carter confessed to him in 2011 when both were cellmates at Stateville Correctional Center, saying he had been armed and on the hunt for robbery victims when he came across a cop with a brand new whip street slang for his car and ended up shooting the officer. Ithaca, NY (14850) Today Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 87F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Huntsville, TX (77320) Today Some sun in the morning with increasing clouds during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 93F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 78F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Monday, January 28th, 2019 (11:10 am) - Score 10,816 The parent company to cable ISP Virgin Media, Liberty Global, is planning to test a new concept in the United Kingdom that would harness their existing cable ducts and broadband street cabinets in order to help deploy charging points on residential streets for electric cars (EVs). Naturally the c.40,000 street cabinets used by Virgin Medias cable broadband and TV network already have their own power supplies, which with some extra expense could be upgraded to support a new network of charging points for electric cars. Deutsche Telekom has done something similar in Germany with 12,000 of their own cabinets. The fact that such cabinets would also have a data link could be another bonus, particularly with EVs generating ever more data about how theyre being used. According to the FT (paywall), Virgin Media has already received some public funding for the project (EV Charging for Public Spaces) from the Governments Innovate UK programme (part of a plan to help reduce car emissions). At first the new setup is due to be tested at only around six sites by Easter 2019, with the first trial starting this week in Southwark (supported by start-up Connected Kerb). Going forward its also anticipated that Streetplug and JuiceNet may become involved, although this is still subject to negotiation and possibly the outcome of Virgins trials. As we understand it the operator would be more likely to support the construction of new charging points near to their existing street cabinets (via existing cable ducts and connectivity), as opposed to completely converting their own cabinets. Liberty Global are also planning to conduct similar trials in Belgium via Telenet. The move could give telecoms operators another avenue to extract additional revenue from their existing networks. However we suspect that doing something like this might be much harder for arch rival Openreach (BT), which has certain regulatory responsibilities to consider with respect to cable ducts and other aspects of their infrastructure. We did ask Openreach but they declined to comment. UPDATE 31st Jan 2019 We have been trying to get some clarification from Connected Kerb on precisely how theyre harnessing Virgin Medias infrastructure (we think theyre using their fibre ducts for a new power cable and also data connectivity from their cabinets) but have so far been unable to get a response. In the meantime we have added some pictures of the new system below and included a comment from business ISP Glide. Ben King, Director at Glide, said: There are certainly a few stumbling blocks when it comes to adapting our existing telecoms infrastructure to support electric vehicle charging, not least from a health and safety perspective. Running power cables at high voltage through telecoms ducts would only be possible from a safety perspective with fibre, meaning any copper telecoms cables wouldnt be adaptable. Secondly, the cabinets typically sit on the back of a footpath, meaning the car charging cable would act as a trip hazard, and there would need to be ample space for a car to park without blocking the pavement. There is also an issue with planning permission, as The Electronic Communications powers we use to plant cabinets grants us permission to do so only for the purpose of providing telecoms services, whereas EV chargers would require planning permission. It would be interesting to understand how Virgin Media plan to execute this in practice well definitely be watching with interest. We also have some details of the charging rules. Apparently the max stay in a charging bay is 4 hours and the cost is usually 3.50 per hour (includes the cost of parking while paying to charge). See Smartkerb.com for more info. on that and if you stay longer than 4 hours then expect a 10 penalty. Monday, January 28th, 2019 (12:01 am) - Score 30,861 Telecoms operator Openreach (BT) has today revealed the next batch of 11 areas that will benefit from their roll-out of 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP infrastructure in 2019, which should cover 3 million UK homes and businesses by the end of 2020. Plus 3,000 extra engineers will be added. At present Openreachs full fibre network covers 682,000 premises (here) but last year the operator made a significant Fibre First commitment to ramp this up, which is supported by their recent move to hire an additional 3,500 engineers (here). As a result theyre now adding more than 13,000 extra premises to FTTP each week (this is expected to rise quite a bit during 2020 to hit the targets). Technically speaking Openreach has been rolling out FTTP since 2008/9, although that was only a very limited deployment and had plenty of teething problems. By comparison the more recent Fibre First effort has already announced or started a much more significant roll-out in Coventry, Belfast, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Swansea and The Wirral. Going forward Openreach has also consistently expressed an aspiration to cover 10 million UK premises by around 2025, albeit at a cost of between 3bn to 6bn (full details). However this desire is still dependent upon Ofcom agreeing to support softer regulation, reduced logistical barriers (improved planning, wayleaves etc.) and the ability to switch-off old copper networks as areas move to FTTP (expensive and complex) etc. We should add that some of the above requested changes have already filtered down as part of the Governments Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review (FTIR), although were still awaiting the announcement of a solid agreement on the 10 million aspiration. 11 New Openreach FTTP Areas for 2019 The big news today is that Openreach has decided to announce 11 new locations where it will be building new FTTP networks during the whole of 2019, which is a big change because until now we had become use to the operator taking a much more piecemeal (unveiled one-by-one) approach to such announcements. But theres more. For the first time, they also plan to publish information on their website detailing build plans for the next 12 months, including the total number of exchange areas to be reached in each location. It will also publish details of the specific exchanges where FTTP is currently being built, has already been built, or it intends to start building within the next three months (all of this data will be reviewed on a quarterly basis). NOTE: Openreach doesnt usually cover 100% of the general areas they announce for FTTP. We do not know how many premises in each area will benefit. The New Locations Bury Barking & Dagenham Bexley Croydon Greater Glasgow Harrow Merton Redbridge Richmond upon Thames Salford Sutton Coldfield On top of this Openreach currently employs 24,282 field engineers and, as stated above, they hired another 3,500 new engineers last year. The good news is that theyve now announced their plans for recruiting a further 3,000 new engineers of which around 1,600 are newly created roles over the next 12 months. The 3,000 roles include (across Openreachs ten service delivery regions) 226 roles in Scotland; 346 in the North East (inc. Yorkshire and Humber), 277 in the North West, 280 in North Wales & the North Midlands, 419 in East Anglia, 306 in South Wales & the South Midlands, 334 in the South East, 428 in London, 389 in South Central and 262 in the South West. The business is creating 12 similar regional training centres across the UK in Bradford, Bolton, Crawley, Exeter, Livingston, Newport, Nursling, Peterborough, Romford, Thornaby, Yarnfield and a further centre in Northern Ireland. Margot James, UK Minister for Digital, said: Openreachs publication of clear plans for where, when and how they will be investing in new fibre networks is an important step. Long term commitments from the industry like this are very important for local communities who need this kind of guarantee on when they will be able to take advantage of the benefits that fibre can bring. Demand for full fibre broadband is only going to increase, and through our modern Industrial Strategy weve worked hard to create an environment that will encourage commercial investment like this. Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach, said: Openreach is ambitious for the UK and is determined to build full fibre as quickly as possible to ensure the country has a reliable broadband network capable of supporting future data-hungry services and applications essential for boosting productivity and sustaining our position as a leading digital economy. In the last year, weve learnt to build at high quality, and at a competitive cost. This year, well prove that we can build the network on a vast scale and connect customers seamlessly. Were making great progress towards reaching our target of upgrading three million homes and businesses to full fibre by the end of 2020 reaching another 13k premises per week and these new recruits will play a crucial role in that programme. Openreach is a people business and our new apprentices will enable us to fulfil our commitments, with an ultimate ambition to deliver the best possible connectivity to everyone, everywhere, equally, across the entire country. Were committed to being the UKs national provider, so on top of our recruitment plans announced today, weve made public the next 11 locations where well start building over the next 12 months. Well also be publishing updated plans every three months to give people a clear idea of where were building. At this point we should remind readers that most of the FTTP currently being built by Openreach stems from their own commercial investment, although we are seeing a fair bit that also comes from existing state aid supported contracts across the UK. As we recall the initial Fibre First programme (3 million premises) should see them build their optical fibre network to cover around 800,000 premises in Broadband Delivery UK areas (mostly rural) and new housing sites, plus to around 1.7 million premises in towns and cities (many of these will also cater for businesses). In terms of ISP choice, BT naturally has a bunch of their own BT Ultrafast packages (G.fast and FTTP based) on sale and we recommend checking out other ISPs like Zen Internet, iDNET, AAISP, Freeola and Cerberus Networks for some rival packages on the same network. Naturally this is only available to those covered by Openreachs FTTP and for the time being that coverage is still very limited. Sadly neither TalkTalk, Plusnet nor Sky Broadband have formally launched FTTP packages using Openreachs network, but as availability grows we do expect some of those providers to join. Meanwhile other network operators, such as Vodafone, may be more focused upon building their own alternative networks and time will tell whether or not they include Openreachs ultrafast fibre. All of this will no doubt help the Government to achieve their current target of supporting FTTP networks to cover 10 million UK premises by the end of 2022 and 15 million by the end of 2025 (here), which will of course involve input from many AltNet ISPs and not just Openreach (summary of UK full fibre deployments). We also expect a fair bit of urban overbuild from those. The current government has also talked about delivering a nationwide full-fibre to the premises network by 2033. At present this is just an aspiration and is likely to require billions of fresh public investment (similar to the earlier BDUK programme). World Australia Says No Proof Writer's Detention in China Related to Canadian Arrests Australian Defense Minister Christopher Pyne speaks to the media at the Australian embassy in Beijing, China on January 24, 2019. / REUTERS SINGAPOREThere is no proof that Beijings detention of a Chinese-born Australian writer is related to the arrest of Canadians in China, Australian Defense Minister Christopher Pyne said on Monday. Yang Hengjun was detained in southern China earlier this month and taken to Beijing where China has said he was held under coercive measures, a euphemism for detention, as he is being investigated on suspicion of endangering state security. In terms of the detention of Mr. Yang, I dont see any evidence that the detention of Mr. Yang is linked to decisions made by the Australian government in recent times. Nor do I see it being linked to the detention of the two Canadians, Pyne told a security forum in Singapore. Pyne held talks in Beijing last week aimed at repairing ties with Australias largest trading partner that have been strained since 2017, when it accused China of meddling in its affairs. Pyne said he had spoken to Chinese authorities during his trip to ensure that he (Yang) has been well cared for, treated fairly and transparently. Tensions have risen in recent weeks between China and some Western countries after two Canadians, a diplomat on unpaid leave and a consultant, were arrested in China on suspicion of endangering state security. Australia joined international condemnation of the arrest of the Canadians, but Yang has long been in the sights of Chinese authorities. He has criticized what he described as Chinese interference in Australia. Yangs lawyer, Mo Shaoping, told Reuters that his client was suspected of espionage, and was being held under residential surveillance at a designated location. News Missing Myanmar Border Guard Officer Found in Bangladesh Still Waiting Return Myanmar Border Guard Police Constable Aung Bo Bo Thein. / Border Guard Bangladesh DHAKA Bangladesh had yet to return as of Saturday a Myanmar Border Guard Police officer who went missing last week and was found two days later wandering around intoxicated in Bangladesh. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) says Constable Aung Bo Bo Thein, 28, with Myanmars No. 5 Border Guard Police branch, was rescued in the Banhatirachhara region of Bandarban District on Thursday morning. It says the constable had gone missing while on duty on Tuesday and was found drunk and wandering aimlessly about 3.5 km from the border. We are ready to hand him over as soon as we finish the formalities, BGB Ramu Region commander Brigadier General Ainul Morshed Khan Pathan said Saturday, adding that he was already in contact with his counterparts in Myanmar about the officer. Brig. Gen. Ainul did not elaborate on what those formalities were. A BGB official in Dhaka, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media, said the handover was still waiting for approval from the Foreign Ministry. A Foreign Ministry official told Dhaka-based daily the New Age on Friday that the agency was waiting for a formal request for the constables return from Myanmar. The neighbors have handed over border guard officers before. In June 2015 Myanmar handed over a BGB officer it had abducted a few days earlier during a firefight between border guard patrols from each country along the Naf River, which marks part of the border between the two countries. In July of the same year the BGB said it had rescued a Myanmar soldier who was believed to have been abducted by the Arakan Army, a separatist rebel group in Myanmar. Since August 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya have fled western Myanmar for Bangladesh, following a military crackdown in Rakhine State triggered by militant attacks on police posts in the area. According to rights activist Nur Khan Liton, who has helped record the Rohingya refugees testimonies, some of the refugees claim that the rescued constable had participated in some of the Myanmar security forces alleged rights abuses. At least two Rohingya victims told us that this private was posted in the Taugbazar area of Buthidaung [Township] with the [Border Guard Police] and that his team members were involved in the massive attacks, killings, torture and arson against Rohingya in the past, said Nur Khan. He urged the Bangladeshi government to interrogate the constable about Myanmars alleged ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya and arrange to have his testimony recorded at the International Criminal Court for use in any future prosecution of the countrys leaders. Bangladesh shares a 271-km border with Myanmar, more than half of which is unprotected, according to the BGB. Here's the story: A self-involved East Village performance artist dumps her male lover for a lesbian social activist, leaving the guy in a funk, and creates a performance piece that targets an avaricious landlord and causes a riot. All around them, people are dying of AIDS and neglect. Their best buds, a gay male couple in which one of the guys is HIV positive, is eventually consumed by the disease. His death adds new meaning to the lives of the survivors, who are redeemed by love. Sounds like "Rent," Jonathan Larson's multi-million dollar Broadway smash that opens in Chicago on Tuesday night, right? Except that it's "People in Trouble," a 1984 novel about AIDS and activism penned by Sarah Schulman, a New York fiction writer. Schulman is convinced that Larson, now dead, pirated her novel in the creation of "Rent." While she's talking to lawyers about filing suit (she's not yet done so), Schulman has written a book about what she claims is Larson's plagiarism, "Stagestruck: Theater, AIDS and Marketing," coming out next year from Duke University Press. In it, Schulman claims that Larson, who died of a brain aneurysm on the night of "Rent's" final dress rehearsal in 1996, couldn't have written the play without being familiar with her work. Schulman says Larson employed her storyline, characters and even certain details such as the watch alarms used by people with AIDS in the early and mid-1980s to remind them to take their medication. "He ripped me off," she says. At least one person - Michael Korie, an opera librettist who worked with Schulman on a stage treatment of "People in Trouble" - claims Larson told him in 1994 that he read Schulman's book while he was developing "Rent." "We were at an awards presentation and we were both seated at the same table," says Korie. "To the best of my recollection, he described (what he was working on) as a love triangle set in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the lives of people who were grappling with issues of AIDS, arts and homelessness; he described it as a `La Boheme' for the '90s." But to Korie, Larson had just described Schulman's novel. "I asked Jonathan Larson, `Did you ever hear of "People in Trouble"?' and he responded with surprise and said, `It's funny you should mention that -- I didn't think too many people were familiar with it.' He said it had influenced his ideas on his own show. I don't remember the exact words. At the time, I didn't think anything of it." Although Korie believes Larson used Schulman's book -- or possibly the treatment of "People in Trouble" that made the rounds of New York theaters in the late-1980s -- he doesn't attribute the similarities to deliberate plagiarism. "Sometimes ideas get in the air," he says. "I admire Jonathan's work, and I also admire Sarah's. This is just a terribly unfortunate situation." The attorneys for Larson's family and estate dismiss all of Schulman's allegations. "I've never heard of Sarah Schulman and I've never heard of Jonathan being familiar with her book," says Orin Snyder, a lawyer and spokesperson for the Larson family. "No one has copyright over AIDS, the East Village, homosexuality, performance art or watch alarms." A number of similarities Both "Rent" and "People in Trouble" share the same milieu: an apocalyptic New York in which artists and poor people, at the mercy of ever-more-greedy real estate developers, are being driven out of their homes. Both Larson and Schulman's characters are surrounded by homeless street vendors and junkies, and are in constant danger of having nowhere to go. In both the show and the novel, there's a heterosexual coupling that's ruptured when the woman artist has an affair with a lesbian social activist. Also in both works, the male lover and the lesbian interloper meet by accident and end up liking each other and chatting about their common lover. In the novel, Molly, the lesbian, and Kate, the artist, become involved with an AIDS activist group that targets a greedy landlord trying to evict poor people, artists and people with AIDS. In "Rent," the group of friends, including Joanne, the lawyer, and Maureen, the artist, organize against a landlord who's trying to evict poor people, artists, and people with AIDS. In "People in Trouble," Molly and Kate attend to a gay male activist friend as he lay dying from AIDS, which inspires them to fight for their beliefs -- including the right of people to food and shelter. In "Rent," a friend's death from AIDS -- attended by Maureen and Joanne, among others -- confirms the group's belief in love. In the novel, Kate creates a performance piece -- an installation goes up in flames -- which causes a full-scale riot. In "Rent," Maureen creates a performance piece -- the audience ends up mooing en masse -- which also leads to a riot. The outcomes, however, are different: In Schulman's story, the landlord is killed during the riot. In "Rent's" sunnier version, the landlord repents. One inspiration: `La Boheme' Most of the similarities with Schulman's novel lie within the first act of "Rent." The second act, which is much shorter, more closely parallels Giacomo Puccini's opera "La Boheme," which Larson acknowledged as inspiration from the start (and which coincidentally just opened over the weekend at the Lyric Opera, even as the Chicago road company is in previews for "Rent"). "La Boheme," which premiered in 1895 in Italy, depicts artists, composers and their friends leading a life of romanticized poverty. The biggest difference between Puccini's opera and Larson's musical is that "La Boheme's" Mimi dies, and "Rent's" Mimi does not. In "People in Trouble," the action is seen through the eyes of Molly, the lesbian protagonist. In "Rent," the story is told through Mark, Maureen's heterosexual filmmaker boyfriend who mostly stands back and watches. (In fact, at one point, he's chastised for his passivity by his best buddy, Roger.) By changing the point of view of the story, Schulman asserts, Larson also subtly transformed the meaning of the story. "Now -- in `Rent' -- straight people are the heroes of the AIDS crisis, which is just not true," says Schulman, who was a member of ACT UP, the AIDS activist group, for seven years. "In `Rent,' straight people never have to deal with the guilt of having abandoned gay people during the AIDS crisis." There are other specific points of commonality in the two works beyond the story line. In "People in Trouble," an AIDS activist group steals credit card numbers to feed the poor. In "Rent," Tom, a gay man, uses an ATM machine for similar purposes. In both plays, watch alarms play a symbolic role in alerting people with AIDS to take their medicines on time. News Military Column Detains Villagers, Loot Valuables in N. Rakhine The wounded child who is being transferred from Sittwe to Yangon General Hospital as of Monday evening, photographed at Sittwe General Hospital on January 28, 2019. / Min Aung Khine / The Irrawaddy YANGON A military column raided an entire village and looted gold, jewelry, cash and dozens of mobile phones from the villagers of Tha Mee Hla Village in Rathedaung Township in northern Rakhine State on Saturday, according to Arakanese lawmakers. Rathedaung Township representative, Lower House lawmaker Daw Khin Saw Wai said that she was initially informed by a villager over the phone on Saturday. Considering how serious the allegations were, she asked regional lawmaker U Than Naing to get firsthand accounts from the victims on Sunday morning. U Than Naing then went to the village to confirm the incident. Firstly, I thought its hard to believe because we never expect such kind of treatment from the army, said Daw Khin Saw Wai. U Than Naing posted on social media on Sunday stating that he found only 10 homes in the village spared of bullets out of a total 84 homes. Some homes were struck by artillery fire and had bullet holes. He wrote that a seven-year-old child had been wounded by an artillery explosion near his home and had to be immediately transported to Sittwe General Hospital for medical treatment. Another two women from Tha Mee Hla were also wounded by artillery shells. As of Monday evening the wounded child was being transported to Yangon for treatment at Yangon General Hospital. U Than Naing reiterated the ordeals of the villagers, explaining that military troops had looted their gold, jewelry and other belongings. Tha Mee Hla villager Daw Aung Win told him that army soldiers looted about 0.22 pounds of jewelry while the entire population of the village were held at the local school building without food or water from Saturday morning until the evening. As soon as he heard the villagers reports, he made a number of attempts to call Rakhine State Border Affairs Minister Col. Htein Lin and the National League for Democracy (NLD)-appointed Chief Minister of Rakhine State U Nyi Pu on Sunday but his attempts were ignored. U Than Naing said that he could understand the battles between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar Military in northern Rakhine but that they should not have cruelly looted the savings of 64 homes. When The Irrawaddy attempted to contact Rakhine States Border Affairs Minister Col. Phone Tint on Monday the calls went unanswered. Both Daw Khin Saw Wai and U Than Naing told The Irrawaddy that they will officially lodge complaints with evidence to the relevant authorities, including the commander-in-chiefs office. Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief offices spokesperson Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun has denied the allegations, saying there was no raid by the military on the ground. In an interview with The Irrawaddys Sittwe correspondent, U Than Naing criticized the official military response, saying their responses are incorrect. They should not deny on this. Denial is their normal reaction. It truly happened there and I even posted some pictures of the incident. He said that he was currently traveling from Rathedaung to Sittwe in order to relate the incident to his party headquarters and will officially complain through the party to the higher authorities. He claims there hadnt even been any serious fighting between government troops and the AA rebels near Tha Mee Hla village. The soldiers raided and shot into the village after the column was attacked with a series of remotely detonated mines. He was told that some army soldiers could have been wounded but he was unable to independently identify the casualties. U Than Naing explained that the army column confiscated about 60 mobile phones from the villagers and returned only 16 devices as of Sunday. Daw Khin Saw Wai said the villagers later identified the army column as the 99th Light Infantry Division. On its official Facebook page, pro-military organization Thayninga Institute for Strategic Studies, headed by Naing Swe Oo, a former military medical doctor, accused the villagers of detonating five remotely controlled mines on a military column while soldiers were conducting clearance operations near the village. He said there were no casualties in the army column. He claimed that as the incident occurred close to the village, the army did not make counter attacks and a border police unit entered the village and arrested some suspicious villagers there. He acknowledged that border police confiscated some mobile phones without elaborating on the number and went on to accuse villagers of leaking information to the AA rebels. He bluntly denied that soldiers looted any of the villagers belongings. He said, Acting as informants of the insurgents is violating existing laws and action could be taken. Some Arakanese have been using Facebook to criticize the actions of the military soldiers: Are they fighting or robbing there? one person has commented. The AA issued battle updates in their website on Sunday which confirmed the clash near Tha Mee Hla Village in Rathedaung Township and it accused government troops of committing rights violations against civilians. It says soldiers detained the villagers at the school and beat up some of the men. Two villagers were arrested but set free on later Saturday evening. The AA says they have already documented rights abuses committed by military troops in northern Rakhine State and will officially lodge complaints to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in April. News KNU Rejects Militarys Claims It Extorts Civilians, Denies Launching Attacks KNLA soldiers are seen at the groups headquarters in Karen State during the 67th Karen Martyrs Day in August 2017. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy CHIANG MAI, ThailandThe Karen National Union (KNU) has denied allegations by the Myanmar military that it is extorting money from civilians, and rejected the Armys characterization of clashes between it and government troops as an effort to expand its area of control. Separately, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) issued its own rebuttal of the militarys recent claims against EAOs, saying it did not accept the terms of the militarys four-month truce. The Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) included its complaints against the KNU in a statement released Friday in which it accused ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) of burdening the public by continuing to recruit and extort civilians and expand their territories. In addition to the KNU, it mentioned all of the EAOs based in northeast Myanmar, including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Taang Nationalities Liberation Army, Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army North, Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army South and Pa-Oh National Liberation Organization. It accused them of destabilizing the region and violating the terms of the truce. It said these activities were occurring not only within the five military commands covered by the militarys four-month truce in the north and northeast, but also in three commands close to KNU-controlled areas in the south. Specifically, the Tatmadaw said the KNU was extorting money from civilians in areas under the militarys Southeast and Coastal Commands, and had launched mine attacks against vehicles carrying government troops under the Southern Command, near an area controlled by the KNUs Brigade No. 5 last week. The Tatmadaw urged the KNU to strictly follow the principles of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). Separately, KIO leader General Gun Maw responded to the Tatmadaws claims in an open letter to all EAOs published on Sunday. He urged any EAOs that agreed to the terms of the Tatmadaws truce to abide by it, but added, For the KIO, we agree with nothing [proposed by the government or Tatmadaw], even after our last informal talks with the NRPC on Jan. 21. We [only] agreed to hold further talks. The KNU released a statement on Saturday saying that the organization was fighting for equality and self-determination, and had long enjoyed the support of its people. It said the group obtains financial support from the public in the areas [it] controls in accordance with set regulations to manage the security and development of the people in their areas. Thus, the KNU said, The Tatmadaws accusation of extortion against the KNU is a violation of Article 5 (b) and (f) under Chapter 3 of the NCA. Article 5 (b) prohibits signatories from assaulting or insulting each other either directly or indirectly. Article 5 (f) requires signatories to refrain from aggressive propaganda and false or defamatory statements or speech that could undermine the dignity of the organizations. The group suggested that more thorough discussions were needed to reach a common understanding of the NCAs principles, in order to avoid further allegations and finger pointing. It said Article 25 (a) of the NCA clearly allows the EAOs to implement security and development arrangements in their respective ceasefire areas, and says these will have to be implemented through further negotiations between the signatories. The KNU has pushed for those negotiations to be held, but the Tatmadaw and the government have declined to do so, citing the need to discuss demarcation issues. The KNU said the anti-vehicle mine attacks were the result of a failure to hold negotiations to avoid further military engagements, despite the fact that the KNU has proposed negotiations on troop deployments in the area since September 2012. KNU general secretary Padoh Saw Tadoh Moo said in remarks posted on the groups Facebook page that the current clashes were due to troops on both sides engaging in movements without providing prior notification. He said, We think troops in these areas are concerned whenever the other side crosses a set boundary, and it leads to clashes. We must resolve this issue. It arises because we have different interpretations of the NCA and are not yet able to hold talks on avoiding troop engagements. The KNU general secretary said the group welcomed the Tatmadaws formation of a Negotiation Team and said it would meet the team soon, following the commemoration on Jan. 31 of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Karen revolutionary movement. The KNU announced a temporary withdrawal from the formal peace process in October last year, but has held informal talks with the governments Peace Commission twice since then, in November 2018 and mid-January. At the most recent talks, it agreed to hold further meetings with government and military leaders. Burma U Wirathu Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for Unauthorized School U Wirathu delivers a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony of Mahawthada National Private High School in Mandalay Region on January 26, 2019. / De Hlaing Winn / The Irrawaddy MANDALAYFirebrand nationalist monk U Wirathu held a groundbreaking ceremony for a school building on Saturday morning in Patheingyi Township, Mandalay Region, despite the regional governments refusal to give permission for the project. The monk who is infamous for his racial and religious hate speeches said he applied to the regional government for permission to build a permanent school in June 2017, but the regional government has yet to reply. There are over 150 students attending tenth and eleventh grades at the school, and the monk wishes to build a four-story school building to replace the current makeshift classrooms. It is time [Mandalay Region Chief Minister] U Zaw Myint Maung makes a black-and-white decision. If [the planned school] is against the law, he should make an official announcement by stating clearly which law it violates, said U Wirathu, who is a staunch opponent of the ruling National League for Democracy. If it is in line with the law, he should announce officially when exactly it would be allowed, and how long we have to wait, said the monk, calling the ban an authoritarian act and abuse of power. U Wirathu, Buddhist monks, and members of the committee to establish the school named Mahawthada National Private High School attended the groundbreaking ceremony. The school will be built on an 8-acre plot of land in the village of Kyauk Chaw in Patheingyi Township. The district general administration department sent a warning notice on Friday afternoon, and officials came in person on Friday evening and asked the monk not to continue with his school project. The site for the planned school, according to the general administration department, is under the management of the government. We requested the monk not to do unlawful things. We sent a letter and also met him in person and asked him not to continue. He can do nothing before the [regional] government grants permission. We have barred him on behalf of the government, said district administrator U Aung Mon Latt. The school compound has been walled, the gate has been built, and an artesian has been dug, according to the monk. The school will only teach the official curriculum designed by the government, and will not teach politics or religion, said U Wirathu. The school is totally free from politics and nationalism. It is purely a philanthropic school. We absolutely guarantee that, U Wirathu told The Irrawaddy. However, he admitted that those on the school organizing committee are members of various political parties and agencies. The monk believes that the government has banned the school because of the involvement of political parties in the school organizing committee and also because the school will be built under his backing. I am very happy to go to prison if I am arrested under 505 (b) [of the Penal Code which is a law against defamation of the State] for building a school, said U Wirathu. Burma Thousands of IDPs Sign Petition Urging Shan Groups to Stop Fighting People displaced by fighting in northern Shan State shelter in Hsipaw on Dec. 10, 2018. / Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint / The Irrawaddy Over 3,000 ethnic Shan IDPs in Hsipaw, northern Shan State have signed a petition calling on two rival Shan armed groups to stop fighting and enter peace negotiations, according to local sources. The IDPs sent the petition to the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD)s office in Hsipaw town on Jan. 22. It is the second such petition sent to the groups this month. Sai Lao Hseng, secretary of the SNLD office in Hsipaw, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that Local people often have to run away from fighting. In their villages, they cannot work to earn enough money to eat. They want to go back to their villages as soon as they can. Therefore, they signed a petition asking the two armed groups to stop fighting, and to enter peace negotiations. Fighting between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), the two Shan armed groups, escalated recently in Hsipaw Township over a territorial dispute. Previously, the RCSS had fought only against the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in northern Shan State, but fighting broke out between the RCSS and SSPP last year over disputed territory. Some local Shan were killed and some wounded, included children, in fighting in the township in December. At least two clashes have broken out this month in Hsipaw Township between the two armed groups, leaving local people feeling unsafe in their homes. We want them to sit down together at the negotiating table, because our people have been suffering a lot, Sai Lao Hseng said. There are five IDPs camps in Hsipaw catering to over 1,000 people. Some IDPs are sheltering at Buddhist monasteries. Sai Lao Hseng went to some IDP centers on Monday to distribute supplies along with a group of local donors from Kyaukme Township. Sai Lao Hseng said it saddened him to see the conditions in the camps. I only visit the camps occasionally. I cannot bear to see the condition of the IDPs in the camps, he said. When you look at their faces, you feel bad for them. The Committee for Shan State Unity (CSSU) is the main group working to broker peace between the two armed Shan groups. Other Shan organizations including the SNLD are working with the CSSU to help find a political solution to the conflict in Shan State. On Jan. 11, more than 4,000 IDPs signed the first petition calling for peace between the groups, according to the SNLD. The signatures were first sent the SNLDs headquarters in Yangon, and from there to the two Shan armed groups. Sai Leik, a senior leader of the SNLD who has worked to try to bring the two Shan groups to the negotiating table, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that his party had sent the signatures to the two armed groups but had yet to receive a reply. We sent them to the two armed groups. The first time we sent over 4,000 signatures. We sent over 3,000 the second time, Sai Leik said. According to the SNLD, neither armed group has responded with even so much as a phone call. Nor have they offered proposed dates for a meeting. The CSSU wants the two groups to meet in early February. We want them to stop fighting each other. Mainly, we are worried about the children and elderly people who are IDPs, Sai Leik said. The children need to study, but they cannot go to school, as they have to stay at the IDP camps, he said. The SNLD leader added that the group wants the EAOs to resolve their territorial dispute in order to stop fighting. For a long time the RCSSs base has been in southern Shan State. After signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in 2015, the group tried to move its troops to northern Shan State. To do this, it needed to take territory around Namtu Township, but this territory is claimed by the SSPP, leading the groups to attack each other. Burma Govt Plans To Set Up Coast Guard under Civilian Control A Myanmar Navy vessel / Myanmar Navy NAYPYITAWThe Myanmar government is planning to establish a coast guard under the control of the civilian government, not the military, according to Union Minister for Transport and Communications U Thant Sin Maung. The ministry held a meeting in December on establishing a coast guard to protect national security and fight drug and arms smuggling, as well as human trafficking, the minister told reporters in Naypyitaw on Saturday. The coast guard is necessary for our country. Most countries have one. So, we will hold extensive discussions on how to structure it, what training to provide and how to fund it, and present [our recommendations] to the Presidents Office, the minister said. The Presidents Office wishes to establish it as a civilian department, he said. The Navy has the manpower and equipment required to form a coast guard right away, but it would be hard for it to handle certain tasks, such as inspecting commercial ships. The coast guard will therefore be formed with personnel from various departments including Immigration, Customs, Fire Services and Marine Administration, he said. The Defense Ministry will cooperate on establishing the force, said the minister, adding that officials from the ministry attended the meeting in December. When contacted by The Irrawaddy, Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) spokesperson Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun suggested that the Defense Ministrys participation in the meeting could be taken as a sign that the Tatmadaw approves of the plan. He declined to comment further, however. We need a coast guard. There are problems with smuggling and immigration. We need it. But I dont know much about the structure and scope of duties, said U Aung Thu Nyein, a director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy. He suggested the coast guard be established as part of the police force, with participation from the Army and various civilian departments. According to Article 338 of the 2008 Constitution, all armed forces in the Union shall be under the command of the Defense Services chief. Asked by The Irrawaddy about the Tatmadaw chiefs constitutional mandate, U Thant Sin Maung said: This shouldnt be a problem. We just need [the Tatmadaws] approval. For example, the Forest Department and the Immigration Department are equipped with arms. There are civilian agencies that need to use arms, he said. [Establishing a coast guard] is a formidable task that calls for collaboration among various departments. Besides vessels, we also need technicians, he added. Responsibility for maritime security is currently shared by the Myanmar Navy and the Maritime Police Force. Burma 2018 Tourist Numbers Rise Slightly, Chinese Up 38% Chinese travelers wait for sunset on a Bagan Temple. / Shutterstock YANGONChinese arrivals in Myanmar increased by 38 percent last year compared to 2017, and topped the list of travelers to Myanmar, deputy director-general of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, Daw Khin Than Win, told The Irrawaddy. The increase is attributable to the issuing of a visa-on-arrival for Chinese passport holders, she said. On Oct. 1 last year, the Myanmar government launched a one-year pilot project that grants visa exemptions to travelers from Japan, South Korea, Macao and Hong Kong, and issues on-arrival visas for Chinese travelers at a cost of $50. The number of travelers from other Asian countries also increased as a result, said Daw Khin Than Win. Myanmar received a total of 3.55 million foreign travelers in 2018, a sharp increase from 3.44 million in 2017, she said. In 2018, Myanmar received 297,400 Chinese travelers through airports and sea ports. It was followed by Thailand with 291,231, and Japan with just 104,376 visitors. These figures do not include travelers who came into Myanmar through the land borders with border passes. Meanwhile, the Union of Myanmar Travel Association reported a 50 percent decline in the number of travelers from western countries in 2018 compared to previous years primarily due to the Rakhine crisis. Some local tour companies have been struggling due to the decline, said joint secretary of the association U Thet Khaing. The government should take measures to attract more western travelers, he said. We have asked [the government] to relax regulations on western travelers, he told The Irrawaddy. The Asian market is growing. Many Chinese people go on foreign trips today. Some European countries are even carrying out promotions targeting Chinese travelers. We should also try, he said. Some companies can only cater for English-speaking travelers, and find it hard to serve Chinese customers. It is not a problem for big tour companies, but it is difficult for smaller ones to hire Chinese-speaking guides, he added. Despite the increase in the number of Asian tourists, tour companies have reported a decline in revenues. Travelers from Europe tend to stay two to three weeks in Myanmar, while Asian travelers only stay a maximum of one week. Their spending power is different. Thats why there is a sharp decline in revenues, he said. Asian travelers visit fewer places and spend less than those from western countries, so those engaged in tourism businesses do not earn as much as they did, said Daw Thandar Oo, a tour guide of 20 years. However, she is optimistic that Myanmar will be able to win western travelers back if tour operators can develop more diverse packages which include activities like hiking, camping, homestays and so on in addition to the existing cultural tours to pagodas and temples, which Myanmar has marketed over the past 25 years. The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism expects to receive 4.5 million foreign travelers in 2019. There are around 2,500 tour operators, big and small, in operation in Myanmar, and around 10 percent of them did not renew their licenses in 2018. Asia Philippines Vows to Crush 'Terrorists' After Church Bombs Kill 20 The interior of a bullet-riddled Catholic church is seen in Marawi, southern Philippines, on May 22. / Reuters MANILA The Philippines vowed to destroy those behind twin bombings that killed 20 people during a Sunday church service in the countrys restive south, six days after a referendum on autonomy for the mainly Muslim region returned an overwhelming yes vote. The attack wounded more than 100 people and was one of the deadliest in recent years in a region long plagued by instability. It came amid hope and excitement about the ratification of a devolution plan that aims to bring development, jobs and peace to one of Asias poorest and most volatile places. The first explosion went off inside the cathedral on Jolo Island, in Sulu Province, and was followed by a second blast outside, which was detonated as security forces raced to the scene, officials said. The enemies of the state have boldly challenged the capability of the government to secure the safety of the citizenry in that region, said Salvador Panelo, spokesman of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. The armed forces of the Philippines will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack via the militant groups Amaq news agency, describing it as twin suicide bombings that it said killed 120 people. Police are investigating but suspect it was the work of Abu Sayyaf, a domestic militant group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and is notorious for its bombings and brutality. They want to show force and sow chaos, national police chief Oscar Albayalde told DZMM radio, suggesting Abu Sayyaf was the prime suspect. Civilians bore the brunt of the attack, which also killed five soldiers. Police lowered the death toll from 27 to 20 after discovering duplications in initial records. Jolo is a stronghold of the group, which runs a lucrative piracy and kidnapping operation that successive governments have failed to break up. The group, which operates in the waters and islands of western Mindanao, has beheaded numerous foreign captives when ransom demands were not met. Images of the inside of the Jolo church showed several rows of wooden pews destroyed, with debris strewn across a blackened floor. Speaking in Panama, Pope Francis condemned what he called a terrorist attack and during a prayer for the dead and wounded said: May the Lord, prince of peace, convert the hearts of the violent ones. Dastardly act The attack followed Fridays announcement that the region, a mainly Muslim part of the predominantly Catholic Philippines, had ratified the creation of an autonomous area called Bangsamoro, with 85 percent of voters behind it. Although Sulu was among only a few areas that rejected autonomy, it will still be part of the new entity when it is fully formed in 2022. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana called the attack a dastardly act and urged the local population to cooperate and deny terrorism any victory. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon called those responsible mass murderers and extremist criminals. We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace, he added. The referendum came amid concerns about the presence of extremists in the Philippines and the possibility that foreign radicals will join those of Indonesia and Malaysia in gravitating to Mindanao to capitalize on porous borders, jungles and mountains, and an abundance of arms. The Philippine military in mid-2017 encountered its biggest and longest battle since World War Two when an alliance of extremists loyal to Islamic State, among them foreigners and children, overran Marawi City and tried to establish a caliphate. Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf faction leader anointed as Islamic States Southeast Asian emir and wanted by the United States, was killed during that battle. From the Archive Where are the Assassins? Suspects appeared in court for the first time on March 17: gunman Kyi Lin (left), ex-captain Zeya Phyo and ex-lieutenant Aung Win Zawbrother of Aung Win Khaing. Ex-lieutenant colonel Aung Win Khaing (far right), an alleged key perpetrator in the plot, is still at large. Tuesday marks two years since National League for Democracy legal adviser U Ko Ni was gunned down at Yangon International Airport. While four suspects have been brought to trial, suspected mastermind Aung Win Khaing remains at large, and several key witnesses have yet to testify despite the court having held more than 100 hearings so far. Observers were already expressing frustration at the lack of progress in the case in March 17, 2017, when The Irrawaddy first published the article below. Assassins and schemers behind the killing of prominent lawyer U Ko Ni are still at large one-and-a-half months after the crime was committed. Will they be apprehended soon? Thats what we are all waiting for. On Friday, four suspects appeared in court in Rangoon for the first time: ex-lieutenant Aung Win Zawbrother of Aung Win Khaingex-captain Zeya Phyo, gunman Kyi Lin, and a new suspect in the case: Aung Win Tun. Ex-lieutenant colonel Aung Win Khaing, an alleged key perpetrator in the plot to kill the National League for Democracy legal adviser, is still at large after he curiously disappeared in Burmas capital Naypyidaw. The public suspects that in this high-profile murder, there are bigger fish at large than Aung Win Khaing. There is considerable disquiet that the Home Affairs Ministry, which is responsible for the case, has yet to bring a key culprit to court and disclose the true picture of the case. At a ceremony in Rangoon on Saturday to mark 40 days since U Ko Ni was shot dead at Yangon International Airport on Jan. 29, patron of the ruling NLD party U Tin Oo said he was surprised that important suspects were yet to be arrested. He urged the authorities to apprehend them as soon as possible. Like him, the public is impatiently waiting for the truth, while the victims family is waiting for justice. There are almost endless unanswered questions surrounding the case: Why did Aung Win Khaing flee to Naypyidaw, the city with the most surveillance in Burma, instead of a distant hideout like other criminals? What is behind the fact that all key suspects are ex-military officials? Are any other high-profile individuals or organizations involved in the case? How could the alleged assassins afford to spend nearly US$100,000 on the assassination? Why is it taking so long for the police to apprehend Aung Win Khaing? All are valid questions and people are trying hard to connect the dots. Many people are convinced that U Ko Ni was targeted because of his strong criticism of the military-drafted 2008 Constitution and had consistently advocated for the amendment of the undemocratic charter. Among the many questions, the biggest for a lot of people is why all key plotters in the case are ex-military officials. A former military colonel named Lin Zaw Htun, currently a lawmaker for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), was questioned by police over his friendship with two of the suspects, ex-army men Aung Win Khaing and Zeya Phyo. Some members of the general public worry that current influential elements in the institution, or associates linked to it, are involved in the case. This theory is only set to keep growing as long as the police and the Ministry of Home Affairs fail to thoroughly explain the case and bring the culprits to justice. No one has dared to publicly give voice to this suspicion yet. Meanwhile, the military has denied the theory before it came to light in public. The armed forces chief of general staff Gen Mya Tun Oo said in a press conference on Feb. 28 that the military, known as the Tatmadaw, was not responsible when asked if he knew of any organizations behind the assassination. His answer indicated that top military officials have the impression that people suspect that the Tatmadawor high-ranking officials in the establishmentmight be involved in the murder, perhaps due to the involvement of ex-military persons. Gen Mya Tun Oo rejected accusations around Lin Zaw Htun that implicated the Tatmadaw: Even if he [Lin Zaw Htun] is involved, it has nothing to do with the Tatmadaw. He has resigned from the army. The Tatmadaw is not involved, even if he is found of guilty. But suspicion remains over Lin Zaw Htuns close friendship with the two key suspects Aung Win Khaing and Zeya Phyo. Significantly, it has been reported that Lin Zaw Htun served as personal security officer for the commander-in-chief of the military, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. Lin Zaw Htun retired from the army in 2015 to run for office under the USDP. The positions on the case of the military-controlled Home Affairs Ministry and the military itself differ from the ruling NLD party and its leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmas State Counselor. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attended the ceremony in Rangoon last month to mark one month since the incident and described U Ko Ni and driver U Nay Win, who died trying to apprehend the gunman Kyi Lin, as martyrs. At the Feb. 28 press conference a day before, Minister of Home Affairs Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe downplayed the significance of the suspects as ex-military officials and said that the assassins were motivated by extreme nationalism and personal grudges. His responses became the subject of ridicule in day-to-day conversations and on social mediawhich the military leaders must have noticed. The ex-military officials involvement in the murder has definitely done nothing to improve the image of a military already accused of human rights abuses in Kachin, Shan, and Arakan states. There is only one way for the military and home affairs ministry to control this damageto seriously try to bring all key suspects into court as soon as possible. Otherwise, conspiracy theories will continue to spread and grow. This important murder case should not simply disappear in the same way Aung Win Khaing slipped away in Naypyidaw. Business Myanmar Opens Major Investment Summit in Naypyitaw Delegates at the Invest Myanmar Summit 2019 pose for a group photo after the opening ceremony in Naypyitaw on Monday. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy NAYPYITAW The Myanmar government opened a two-day investment summit in Naypyitaw on Monday aimed at drumming up interest in the country, showcasing some 120 projects worth more than $3 billion combined. The Invest Myanmar Summit 2019, the countrys first, is part of the governments efforts to counteract a significant decline in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Myanmar over the last two fiscal years. A collaboration between the government and business community, the event aims to provide an opportunity for businesses to meet and for local and international investors to discuss the countrys investment potential. More than 1,600 local and foreign delegates are expected to attend and 40 companies are exhibiting. In her opening address, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said she was confident the summit would highlight the opportunities available to both local and foreign investors. The summit will provide you with the opportunity to explain Myanmars exciting and ever evolving investment market, she told those in the audience with projects to sell. The summit is an important part of the Myanmar Investment Promotion Plan (MIPP), which aims to attract more than $200 billion in investment from responsible and quality businesses over the next 20 years. The MIPP was launched in October by the Myanmar Investment Commission and outlines four strategic periods for attracting FDI. It aims to attract an average of $8.5 billion a year by 2026, $12.3 billion by 2031 and $17.6 billion by 2036. The government believes FDI is a key driver of economic development and is committed to developing an open, fair and clear investment policy, according to the MIPP. It wants to foster long-term growth by focusing investment in four areas: export-oriented industries; domestic market-oriented industries, resource-based industries and knowledge-based industries. The countries and territories being targeted during this weeks summit include China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, India, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Given Myanmars strategic location between India and China and its access to the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said, the country can help connect regional markets to international trade routes. With our advantageous geographical location, relatively low labor costs, and the enormous potential of our people, its the best time for grasping the opportunity that will arise as the global pendulum swings from West to East, she said. Ten of Myanmars states and regions are participating in the event: Karen, Chin, Mon, Rakhine, Shan, Yangon, Sagaing, Mandalay, Irrawaddy and Tanintharyi. The industries being targeted include manufacturing, garments, electricity and energy, tourism, education, food processing and fisheries, health care, infrastructure and property. Following the opening ceremony on Monday, Myanmars Great Wall Foodstuff and Hong Kong International Sugar Engineering inked a memorandum of understanding for a $200 million investment in a sugar mill and biomass plant in Katha Township, Sagaing Region. The plans call for the mill to produce 10,000 tons of sugar a day and for the plant to churn out 60 MW of electricity. The Myanmar Investment Commission said the slowdown in investment in Myanmar was due to ongoing concern about the countrys political stability, weak macroeconomics, residual investment restrictions and uncertain investment approval procedures. It said there was a lack of skilled labor and investment promotion and that infrastructure, the financial sector and the business regulatory systems were underdeveloped. The government projects Myanmars gross domestic product to reach 106 trillion kyats by 2021, 152.17 trillion kyats by 2026, 218.47 trillion kyats by 2013 and 313.64 trillion kyats by 2036. The MIPP also hopes to make improvements to the business environment that will raise Myanmars rank in the World Banks ease-of-doing-business index into the top 100 by 2020 and the top 40 by 2035. Myanmars 2018 ranking was 171 while Laos ranked 141, Cambodia 135 and the Philippines 113. Consensus outrage, my friend said, as we realised that while we were meant to be talking to each other, we were listening to the conversation at the next table in the coffee shop. Three couples were at that table, and they were discussing the presence, on social media, of photographs of a four-car fatal crash on the M50. Not just photographs, one of them said, but videos. Can you imagine? Everybody could imagine, and a moment of appalled silence ensued, while the coffee drinkers considered the pain of the family of the dead driver when they were shown the pictures and learned that anybody else could look at them, too. This is just not acceptable and something should be done, one of the people at the next table said. The gardai were on it, someone else said. The gardai were going to check CCTV cameras to identify the cars that slowed down to take the photos or the footage that ended up on social media. But its probably not illegal to upload that kind of stuff, a third person at the table said, and then added a guess that the guards could get them for using their mobile phoness while driving. Maybe, if they did, the case would get into the media, and it would serve as a warning to everybody else. Well, at least to the kind of people who would do such a horrible thing. I suggested to my friend that the approach attributed to An Garda Siochana had worked pretty well in the case of Al Capone, who was eventually brought to book, not for any of his high crimes, but for tax evasion. Which, my friend fair-mindedly conceded, had sent a clear message to the Mafia, and other crooks in the US, during Prohibition. That message being: Think strategically. You can continue to commit murder and mayhem, as long as you get a good tax accountant. Its a fair point. Whenever the right-minded talk of sending out a message, it tends to make the message-sender feel great, while actually being markedly ineffective. Its usually the wrong message going to the wrong cohort at the wrong time. The gardai may and we must hope they do identify and punish the heartless neophiliacs responsible for the M50 photographs. But this may send another wrong message: that the few minutes directly after this crash just happened to coincide with the passage along that stretch of the motorway of an untypical bunch of socially irresponsible, crudely heartless, social media-addicted voyeurs, because, of course, no normal people would ever gawk at and record such a tragedy. Only exceptional perverts would do it. Believing that makes us feel good. Were on the right side of this one, and on the other side sit the rubber-neckers who are always egging to see dreadful details as they pass the site of a car crash. The problem is that, statistically, the rubber-neckers would seem to be in the majority. Any crash on the M50 reduces all of Dublin to a near standstill, not because its impossible to pass the crashed cars, but because its impossible to pass the gawkers who slow down or stop their own vehicles, with or without using their mobile phones, lest they miss any detail that could be passed on to others Many people, this weekend, who would be horrified at the suggestion that they would take a photograph while passing a fatal car crash, were nonetheless eager to hear the details of the crash, learn the sequence of what happened, and share it. Many people, too, who would themselves not take such a picture, let alone upload it, nevertheless could not resist looking at it on their smartphones, using the excuse that this did not actually add to the distress of the dead drivers family. The excuses are as varied as the opportunities to disrespect the dead. Serious history books and TV documentaries include photographs of Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, after they were murdered by partisans and strung up from the roof of a garage. But thats OK, because they were fascists and it was a long time ago. In addition, it doest feel so bad, because the pictures are in black and white, but in the recently produced coffee-table book, The Colour of Time, a new history of the world from 1850 1960, the most ghastly of these post-mortem photographs has been expertly colourised, so the two look recently dead. We dont see close-up shots of assassinated politicians or hoodlums anymore, but we saw such photographs in an Irish tabloid newspaper, of a deceased gang member in his car within, I believe, the last decade. The mainstream editor who published those photographs would have been part of a continuum going back a century or more, that continuum believing that the families of criminals had one option to them if they didnt want to see their relatives corpse in the paper: dont buy the paper. Or, if they spotted it in a newsagents, look away. We traditionally outsourced the invasion of the privacy of the dying or dead to photo journalists, which allowed us to slurp up the fruits of their labour, while condemning them outright. Those who accidentally captured a tragedy while it happened like Abraham Zapruder, who took the most famous 26 seconds of footage in history, of the assassination of then US president John F Kennedy, in 1963, were given a guilt-free pass, on the basis that it all came as a complete surprise to the man with the movie camera. No harm to the late Mr Zapruder, but it was a remarkably profitable surprise. His 8mm film sold the next day to Life magazine for a sum that would be close in value to $1.25m today. The explosion and fire that destroyed the airship the Hindenberg, in 1937, is just one of the internet listicles of horrifying deaths. The constant market for vicarious morbid thrills never goes away. Every day, for example, tourists in their dozens stop at the point where actor James Dean was killed in a car crash. The difference between the James Dean tourism and the photography on the M50 is twofold. James Dean was world-famous, whereas the driver on the M50 was an anonymous private citizen. And the M50 incident was filmed just a few days ago, whereas the film star died way back in 1955. While not seeking to ameliorate the responsibility of the ghouls, it is possible some of the people who shared what they filmed last week believed that only their friend would see it, who would never let it go further. They might have been horrified to find out that it reached the family of the dead driver. Or not. As the old Ulster saying has it, Its easy to sleep on another mans wound An air corps whistleblower has written to the Defence Forces Chief of Staff to inform him of his decision to retire early over what he has claimed is the authoritys failure to protect him. The decision comes two months after the whistleblower wrote to junior defence minister Paul Kehoe complaining of the unwarranted treatment he has received since he submitted a protected disclosure on health-and-safety issues. In this communication with Mr Kehoe, the whistleblower included signed statements from two air corps personnel, the contents of which, he said, were evidence of an attempt by those in authority to isolate and vilify him and turn his colleagues against him. He is one of three whistleblowers to make complaints about the chemical exposure suffered by air corps maintenance staff, the details of which were first revealed by the Irish Examiner two years ago. The whistleblowers decision to retire follows the outcome of a redress-of-wrongs complaint he submitted against his commanding officer, after he learned that his superior delayed processing paperwork relating to his continued service in the air corps for nearly three years. In his complaint, the whistleblower said he believed this failure to process this paperwork was as a consequence of his decision to submit a separate protected disclosure in 2014 about the lack of qualifications of those signing off on aircraft maintenance work. In responding to the complaint, the commanding officer said he waited to process the documentation, as the whistleblower was on sick leave at the time of the application. He added he was not in a position to decide whether he could recommend that the whistleblower was fit to continue in the air corps. The commanding officer further pointed to previous complaints made against him by the whistleblower, which he said constitutes a consistent pattern of vindictive and bullying behaviour against him. In his concluding remarks, seen by the Irish Examiner, the officer investigating the complaint last September ruled that applications for continuance in service should be processed within reasonable timeframe and that a period of almost three years does not seem reasonable. However, he said it was not unreasonable for the commanding officer to form the view that the whistleblowers sick leave at the time of his application was enough for him not to recommend a continuation of service, but that he should have issued a non-recommendation, rather than leave the application in limbo. He further said the whistleblowers call for disciplinary action against his commanding officer was disproportionate, given the whistleblower continued to serve throughout the period, and suffered no loss in pay or terms as a result of the incident. The investigating officer said relations between the two men had broken down to a significant extent and suggested mediation between the pair. He also said it is is important that [the whistleblower] be assured that he will in no way be penalised or prejudiced for having made any protected disclosures. Where matters of concern are raised by any member of the air corps, they should be supported, and, where necessary, protected, for their efforts to bring about positive change, said the investigator. In November, the whistleblower wrote to Mr Kehoe to complain that he was receiving continuing and unwarranted treatment as a result of his disclosures, and attached two signed statements by named air corps personnel. One member stated he was told he was precluded from a meeting he had arranged about outsourcing metal work to a private company because he had been seen speaking to the whistle-blower. The other air corps member said that, last July, a flight sergeant complained about the health and safety regime that came into place since protected disclosures were made about conditions in the air corps. He alleged the sergeant said: You can thank [the whistleblower] for this; he is getting exactly what he wants now; we wont be able to have any chemicals in the hanger now, thanks to him The whistleblower told Mr Kehoe that he rejected his commanding officers statement that none of the whistleblowers complaints against him were upheld. He further said the commanding officers allegation that his complaints were vindictive and bullying were deliberate lies, in an attempt to blacken my name and influence the outcome of the military investigating officers investigation. It appears that, in exercising my legal right to submit a complaint against my commanding officer, in circumstances where I believe I have been wronged, is now deemed by my commanding officer to be an abuse of process, vindictive, and bullying, the whistleblower wrote. I now respectfully request you, as the Minister with Responsibility for Defence, to please clarify your position on this issue. Three weeks later, Mr Kehoes private secretary replied to direct the whistleblower to submit his complaint to the Defence Forces ombudsman. Last month, the Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, in noting the findings of the whistleblowers redress of wrongs, recognised the quality of the investigating officers report, and the clear, concise and balanced manner in which it is presented. This office acknowledges, and will at all times vindicate, the rights of personnel to submit grievances through the appropriate channels, he said. However, Vice Admiral Mellett said no complaint, in any format, insulates a complainant from the requirement to act in accordance with military discipline. I consider some of the comments made by the complainant in the course of this application to be, at best, questionable and contrary to Defence Forces values, he said. In informing Vice Admiral Mellett of his intention to retire this month, the whistleblower said he has yet to receive assurances that he would not be penalised or prejudiced for having made any protected disclosures, as per the investigating officers recommendations. I note that both you, as the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces and General Office commanding the air corps, both failed to provide any such assurances, the whistleblower said. Responding to this newspaper, both the Defence Forces and the Department of Defence issued similar statements, in which they said they cannot go into detail, in relation to any actions being taken on foot of any individual disclosure, so as to ensure that such individuals confidentiality is not breached. They said any member of the Defence Forces who feels they were penalised, or were threatened with penalisation, for having made a protected disclosure, should bring the matter to the attention of the ombudsman for the Defence Forces. Both the department and the Defence Forces said the health and welfare of the men and women of the Defence Forces is a priority and that they are committed to compliance with the requirements of the Protected Disclosures Act, 2014, and to the protections contained in that act. Mr Kehoe has made it clear to the department and the Defence Forces that the protections of the act must be afforded to those who make qualifying disclosures under the act, according to the department. The whistleblower said he previously submitted a complaint to the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces in 2015, is still awaiting an outcome, and believes he has continued to be marginalised since. In January 2017, the Irish Examiner revealed how air corps whistleblowers raised concerns about maintenance staff exposure to cancer-causing chemicals. A complaint to the Health and Safety Authority prompted an investigation, after which the watchdog threatened legal action, unless the air corps implemented a series of recommendations. A year-long programme of improvements followed, after which the HSA closed its case. Meanwhile, the State is facing 21 legal cases brought by former air corps members, at least seven of which have been taken by men who say their chronic illnesses were caused by their undue exposure to chemicals. The Government has ruled out any investigation into whistleblower claims that inspection reports dating back to the 1990s, which raised concerns about conditions in the air corps, were deliberately destroyed. An investigation into the whistleblowers other claims found that appropriate records to demonstrate the air corps compliance with health-and-safety standards are not readily available. A decade of annual audits of the air corps by the State Claims Agency were not made available to the investigator, nor was a report that raised concerns about the safety management of the cancer-causing trichloroethylene. The details of this report were previously revealed by the Irish Examiner. It found that there were no records to show that personal protective equipment, or training on the dangers of the chemical, were provided to staff. It also found that work areas were not segregated and doors to adjoining areas were left open, that the workers tea room and meeting area were located in an adjoining area, raising the risk of food being contaminated, and that workers clothes could have been contaminated, as personnel lockers were located in the immediate area where the chemical was used. Ian Diamond and his wife, Josie, have failed to secure a place for their autistic son in 26 schools and are unable to find a home tutor willing to stay long-term. Every day is a gruelling battle for their rights, says Michael Clifford. IAN Diamond gets up to fight every morning. His days are filled with the usual busyness of the average middle-aged family man, revolving around work and family. But there is the added, and considerable, investment of time in his five-year-old son, Dylan, who is on the autism spectrum. But beyond all that there is the constant, daily battle for the basic resources to ensure that his son gets the services to which he is legally entitled. The law cherishes all children equally, especially in education. But the experience of Ian Diamond, his wife, Josie, and thousands of other parents in this State, is that their childrens needs are a low priority. Ian has contacted 26 schools without success, in an attempt to get a place for his son. There is a possibility of a place in one school, but it does not meet his sons needs, although the family are grateful for that schools efforts. A small minority of schools provide classes for children who are on the autism spectrum, but they have lengthening queues. Other schools provide nothing. Ian Diamonds search has not been confined to the locality of the family home, in Walkinstown, on the south side of Dublin city. He has been looking right across the city, and concludes that the demand for a basic education for children who are on the autism spectrum is simply not being met. He knows that his experience is not unique, but where he differs from most parents in the same position is that he is putting his head above the parapet. I genuinely think that people are totally afraid to speak out, for fear of losing what small bit of hope they have, or even some small amount of resources, he says. But parents are spending the whole time chasing around and it is just not good for your mental health. Dylan Diamond was born in May 2013. During his first two years, his parents noticed that his speech, in particular, was not coming on as they believed it should be. There were the regular developmental check-ups and it wasnt looking good. I was adamant that his language development wasnt coming along, Ian Diamond says. I tried to get speech-and-language therapy from the HSE, but I was redirected to the assessment-of-needs process. Dylan Diamond, 5, who has autism and is receiving no formal education because of the unavailability of a suitable place for him. The assessment of needs is conducted to check whether a child should be diagnosed with a particular condition, which, in theory, can then lead to a tailoring of services to meet the childs needs. It is a legal entitlement under the 2005 Disability Act. It involves a multidisciplinary team assessing the childs needs in areas such as speech-and-language therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and psychology. The assessment is required to access HSE services. It is also important that any assessment is conducted in as tight a timeframe as possible. Early intervention is vital in child development and particularly in the area of autism. It can be the difference between a child reaching a high level of functionality or languishing at a stage of development from which it is difficult to advance. With this in mind, the Disability Act included a provision that any assessment must commence within three months of an application, and be completed within another three months. Ian Diamond applied for his sons assessment on August 28 2015. Three months later November 25 the HSE requested assessments from private therapists, who made up the multidisciplinary team. These assessments were to be furnished to the HSE before January 6 2016, in order that the final report be compiled within the statutory time limit of January 25. The individual assessments were carried out without delay. They were done within the timeframe, Ian Diamond says. But these were preliminary results, which had to be compiled in the final report. They were all pretty negative and vague references to a lack of communication skills and that hed performed poorly. The final report pulls together the individual assessments and comes to a conclusion as to whether or not the child has a disability under the act. This is carried out by an assessment officer within the HSE. That report is then passed onto a liason officer, who will give a list of the supports and services that will in theory be provided to the child. The report was not completed within the statutory timeframe. Ian and Josie waited and waited for the final report. They rang and wrote, but to no avail. They filed a complaint (which was eventually upheld). Meanwhile, Dylan went further months without any intervention. Later, in response to a complaint the Diamonds would make, the HSE admitted that: Currently, there is no assessment officer or liaison officer in post in the Dublin south-west area. This has been the situation for some time now. As a result, a backlog has occurred. By the summer of 2016, the Diamonds were despairing of the lack of a reply. In July, they decided to seek a private diagnosis. Within two weeks, they had an appointment. Following a face-to-face assessment lasting about 50 minutes, Dylan was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. His condition was such that a special school or dedicated autism unit was far preferable to placement in mainstream schooling. Increasingly, parents who can afford it, and many who cant, seek a private diagnosis. As the diagnosis is a key requirement to access services, many feel compelled to get one as quickly as possible, irrespective of the cost. While the law places obligations on the HSE in terms of diagnosis, it does not do so in terms of the provision of services. Apart from what his parents have managed to access privately, Dylan received only a handful of therapy sessions last year. During his first two years, Dylans parents noticed his speech was not coming on as it should have been. THE next hurdle the family faced was accessing education. Current policy is to mainstream children wherever possible. For those who would experience grave difficulty in mainstream, some schools have specialised autism spectrum disorder (ASD) classes and there are a scattering of special schools dedicated to children with special needs. Before all that, there is the challenge of pre-school education. There are a limited number of pre-school ASD units in the country, all of which have lengthy waiting lists. The only option open to the Diamonds was to access a private unit. These units are funded by parents through the home tuition grant awarded to those who cant access a public unit. The private unit was across the south side of the city, in Inchicore. The only viable means of reaching it was by a bus, part-funded by the parents. This bus was required to pick up children across the city, ensuring that a journey that might have taken Dylan around 15 minutes often took 90. A rare piece of luck fell the familys way for Dylans second pre-school year, when a place was found in a unit in a local school. The placement meant, among other things, that he was entitled to a place on a school bus. These services for children with a disability appear to be down to luck or chance, rather than rooted in the rights of citizens. Despite spending his pre-school year in the local school, Dylan was out of luck when it came to places in the schools ASD class for school-age children. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the body charged with overseeing the provision of education for those with special needs. Youre given lists and away you go, he says. If youre having trouble, they try to help you and make suggestions, but Im not sure how much teeth that body has anyway. They cant force schools to open units. Most of it is down to the Department (of Education). Another search ensued. In this one, Ian contacted a total of 26 schools across the south side of Dublin, looking for a place for his son in an ASD unit or special school. Some of the schools dont have a unit, irrespective of demand. Others had long waiting lists. In some instances, the schools didnt even bother getting back to him. At government level, there doesnt even appear to be an acceptance that the level of services does not meet reasonable demands. In response to the parliamentary question last December, then Minister for Education, Joe McHugh, denied there was a shortage of places. While it is not always possible or practical that a special class-placement would be available in a childs local school, the NCSE has informed my Department that, in general, they are satisfied that there are sufficient ASD special class-placements to meet existing demand nationally, he replied to the written question. The key word here is nationally. While there are undoubtedly parts of the country where needs are met, there are others including large tracts of the capital city where they are not. As with much to do with disability services, its all about luck rather than rights. Unable to find a place for his son, Ian Diamond attempted the last resort: home tuition. One tutor who was due to start teaching Dylan pulled out within two days, as she had been accepted for a full-time job. Another search ensued. The Diamonds found another tutor, but, after three weeks, she said she had to hand in her notice, because she had got a full-time job. Ians impression is that the conditions for home tutors ensure they only do it until something better comes along. They have to fill out timesheets and then the department rings you to confirm and they dont appear to get paid in a timely manner. A lot of them also have a primary qualification in psychology, rather than teaching, and so have trouble being recognised by the teaching council. But we have no choice. Were looking for another tutor now. The battle goes on: constant ringing, e-mailing, pleading, meeting, all in an attempt to access what every child in the country is nominally entitled to. If the worse came to the worst, Ian could concede that Dylan might have to enter mainstream schooling, notwithstanding the extent of his needs. I know a few people who felt forced to go down that route, he says. And their children are finding that they get, maybe, a couple of hours of schooling a day and are then sent home, because thats all that can be done for them. The other option is to pack up and try to relocate to where services do exist. What am I expected to do, move down to Offaly? he asks. I dont have a job there and neither does my wife. Is that what we are supposed to do? Are we expected to pack up and move, because services for my son are not what they are supposed to be? In the meantime, the battle goes on. The daily grind of trying to obtain basic services for their children is part of life for thousands of parents who are forced to rely on nothing more than luck. Disability laws inclusive, but only in theory The laws, as passed by the Oireachtas, are clear and unambiguous in relation to educating and assessing the needs of children with a disability. Anybody arriving in the country to check out how well children are treated would nod approvingly at their inclusivity. Anybody scratching beneath the surface of the statutory provisions might conclude that they arent worth the paper theyre written on. For while the laws are inclusive, the implementation and policing of the laws betrays a disregard for some of the most vulnerable children in the State. Last month, the new Education (Admission to schools) Act came into force. Section 8 confers powers on the minister to direct a school to make provision for a special class for children with a disability. Typically, an autism spectrum disorder class might have between four and six pupils. One of the reasons for this new law is there has been a reluctance by some in education including patron bodies and boards of management to provide a a dedicated class for special education. As a result, there are large areas in the States cities, in particular, where the demand for special education is not being met. So far, so inclusive. However, section 8 of the act has 20 subsections, nearly all of which represent a hoop through which the minister must jump before he invokes the new power. If parents, a patron body, a board of management or a teachers union, or other interested parties, want to stop a special class in their local school, they have ample opportunity. The hoops also give an out for any minister who may fear taking a political hit for going against the wishes of any of the vested interests. Being inclusive is fine and dandy, as long as nobody is discommoded, would seem to be the guiding principle. An older law that purported to commit to inclusivity is the Disability Act 2005. Section 14 makes provision for an assessment of needs for children for whom there is reason to believe they might have special needs. The assessment must commence within 90 days of application and a report of the assessment furnished in another 90. The tight timeframe reflects the urgency given to early intervention. The experience of Ian Diamond and his family would not be unusual, in respect of the lack of urgency given to cases. Over a year after he applied for the assessment, on 28 August 2015, he had not received the report. He complained and his complaint was upheld. The recommendation by the complaints officer was issued on August 4, 2016, and stated that Dylans assessment report is prepared no later than August 18, 2016, and issued in conjunction with his service statement no later than September 18, 2016. The appointed deadline came and went and no report was issued. On November 7, Ian Diamond appealed the failure to implement the recommendation to the Office of the Disability Appeals. On December 21, 2016, the Diamonds were finally furnished with a report and service statement, nearly a year after they were legally entitled to receive it. The appeals officer ruled on the matter on February 7, 2017: As the complaints officers timeline of September 18, 2016, has been breached, I must uphold this appeal. However, as the service statement has now been issued, I do not need to comment further on this appeal case. Quite obviously, the law designed to protect some of the most vulnerable children in the State was broken here. There is no consequence for such a breach, no rush on anybodys part to garner sufficient resources to ensure that the law is abided by, no real big deal about it at all. The body politic, for its part, can claim that it did its duty by the most vulnerable and then shrug its shoulders. Nothing to do with us. Feeling bad about those new years resolutions? Psychologists Trish and Aisling Leonard-Curtin tell Geraldine Walsh why its important to let them go. It may only be the beginning of yet another year, but many of us are continuing the cycle of being overwhelmed despite promising ourselves that this year would be different. Dry January, the excessive need to get out walking and shed the winter cobwebs and keeping our new years resolutions leaves us swamped, overburdened and unnecessarily stressed. No wonder we fall back into old ways, feeling resentful or disappointed. January is a difficult month. The sparkle has gone and the cold creeps in, making it a very challenging time. Psychologists Aisling and Trish Leonard-Curtin, (who married in 2017) recognise the somewhat unrealistic expectations we give ourselves at this time of year. Their bestselling book, The Power Of Small, published by Hachette Ireland, encourages us to relinquish the overwhelming moments in our lives and consciously step outside our comfort zone by embodying The Power of Small instead. Encompassing mindfulness in a way to enable us to break everything down into small manageable steps is the basis of The Power of Small making these changes doable and, most importantly, noticeable. Avoiding being trapped in the big promises of life is a big ask, but with the insight of Aisling and Trish, its entirely possible to see ourselves through difficult times and manage everything else that comes our way. Aisling and Trish have given five tips to help you make more manageable, sustainable and healthy changes for a richer and more meaningful life. Give yourself permission to let go of unsustainable new years resolutions You can breathe a sigh of relief if youve resolved to radically change your health, well-being, job and relationships in one fell swoop. We give you permission to let go of such huge and overwhelming resolutions. Far from helping you to change your life in all areas, these massive resolutions actually reduce your chances of following through on making any sustainable and maintainable changes to your life in the long-term. Extend compassion towards yourself if youve fallen off the bandwagon The default response for many of us when we break a promise to ourselves is to go into a shame cycle where we start berating ourselves for having no will power and hence being a terrible person. Far from helping us get back on track, this cycle fuels our inner critic and ultimately keeps us away from the changes that we crave. If youve broken a promise to yourself, take a deep breath, refocus on whats important to you, if anything, about this self-promise and engage in one small action that your future self will thank you for. For example, if you want to eat healthier and youve just eaten two chocolate bars from a multi-pack, rather than going with the in for a penny, in for a pound mentality, extend compassion that youve eaten two bars and consciously choose not to eat the third. Ground yourself in your underlying values Many self-promises fail because they are not truly grounded in something that is important enough to you in the first place. If you dont have a strong enough value underlying whatever change you want to make, then you will not be willing to experience the inevitable unwanted thoughts and emotions that will arise as you start doing something new, such as eating healthily, or let go of doing something, such as smoking. A small, yet effective, tool is to remind yourself of why you wanted to make this change in the first place each morning and throughout the day. If you cannot connect your desired changes to underlying values, then youre probably better off letting go of this change and choosing something new that gives you a sense of purpose. Shift your focus from good and bad to towards and away actions Many of us get caught in the trap of labelling our actions and ourselves as good when we follow through on our resolutions and bad when we inevitably act contrary to our resolutions. This keeps us caught in a judgment and shame cycle. Instead, honestly and gently reflect each day on which actions bring you closer towards who and where you want to be in 2019 and which actions brought you further away. Once you realise that your actions are bringing you away from who and where you want to be, you can choose and engage in one small towards move instead. Small and Steady Wins the Race Whilst its ever-so-tempting to create grand goals and want to reach these immediately, small and steady changes in your actions are likely to lead to the most sustainable changes. Look at whatever goals youve set for yourself in 2019. See if you can break these down into small, manageable chunks. Keep making your goals smaller until you feel 80% confident that you can follow through on these actions. The Power of Small by Aisling and Trish Leonard Curtin is published in Trade Paperback by Hachette Ireland, 16.99 A rolling line of white-capped waves sometimes forms what appears a natural defensive line around the glorious Co Donegal island of Inishbofin. This innermost of a trio of islands is tantalisingly close to Magheraroarty beach in the northern part of the county and this Maginot Line of surf appears to forbid entry. Not to worry. Our ferry bisects the green and white swell like a sunbeam through a cloud. Welcome to the other Inishbofin, much smaller than its Co Galway namesake. Inishbofin, or the Island of the White Cow. In contrast to its two near neighbours Inishbeg and Inishdooey, which are much much smaller and much less enticing (and much harder to reach), Inishbofin is wonderful for a lazy stroll. This amazing 1,200km coastline of Donegal with its deep inlets, sweeping bays, and varied islands is pounded by the merciless Atlantic but the payoff is a series of golden beaches which stretch away as far as the eye can see, their sands having been deposited by the mighty ocean. The blue flag beaches of Rosnowlagh, Culdaff, Carrickfinn and several others bear witness to the mighty geological forces that created them. The distant Tory Island lies 14km off the pier at Magheroarty, a sentinel of sorts. Mount Errigal with its white quartzite slopes forms a focal point in the backdrop. The egg-timer-shaped Inishbofin lies just under a kilometre off Magheraroarty beach and measures about 2km by 1km except for a middle part 100m wide. Erroonagh Bay and Toberglassan Bay nearly meet, and probably one day will, thus creating a new island, but for now they form two parabolas of a glorious geometry. Their two gorgeous beaches are infused with the hues of the disintegrated pink granite bedrock and banks of marram grass are combed back over the dunes. It is a comfortable haven for dozens of bird species From this part of the island northwards there is almost no sign of human habitation. All the houses, contemporary and historic, are clustered around a few lovely boreens on the south side The island is no longer populated year-round but, as in many cases of depopulated islands, the descendants of the original residents have returned to summer residences there. A 1986 RTE documentary by Doireann Ni Bhriain revealed the hardship on the island but also the craic. There was a lively traditional music scene and dancing was very popular. I think we had a good life, former islander Margaret McFadden told the programme. There were always good neighbours to help you. The main worry was over when the turf was landed. Then youd be all right. I did all the work myself with help. Youd be working like a man. We were often caught [out] on the island but we were all right. We had a shop and never once ran out of food. Inishbofin has its own mysterious disappearance to rival that of the British aristocrat Lord Lucan who vanished without trace in the 1970s and whose case transfixed the public till his body was found in London in 2017. Arthur Kingsley Porter was a Harvard academic in Fine Art as well as being an intrepid traveller. He bought Glenveagh House in 1929 and in his explorations around Donegal arrived at Inishbofin. Enraptured with the island, he built a fishermans hut on the northern side, an exception to the rule. One day in 1933, while out walking, he simply disappeared. It was not known if he travelled away, fell into the sea or fell victim to some other mishap. His wife Lucy reported: Kingsley will not return tonight. Kingsley will never return. A person returning to Ireland after, say, 40 years abroad would be amazed at the vast changes in the landscape since the 1970s. With large-scale levelling of ditches and hedgerows, big fields have been created from many small fields. All you can see in major farming areas are grass and cattle, stretching to distant horizons, with some wire fencing here and there. Its all about intensive farming and getting maximum productivity from the land. Nature and wildlife have been pushed to ever-diminishing margins, if not wiped out altogether. Wetlands have been drained, putting even further pressure on wildlife habitat, while once-common wildflowers are no longer seen. The Governments Food Harvest 2020 plan envisages huge increases in stock numbers and farm output, which has drawn predictable cries of concern from environmentalists. However, there are also signs that attitudes are changing, though slowly. A recent RTE Eco Eye programme dealt with the plight of disappearing bees and included an interview with well-known east Cork farmer Donal Sheehan in his role as manager of a biodiversity project in the Bride Valley. Farmers there are rewarded for helping wildlife. Those participating are provided with habitat plans that identify the most suitable wildlife management options for individual farms. Farmers in the Bride River catchment, from Glenville, Co Cork, to Tallow, Co Waterford, are being asked, for example, to allow hedgerows, as well as wild flowers and other vegetation, grow on margins of fields. They are being paid for their conservation actions. Its believed to be the first pilot project in an intensive farming area and could be a model for many other parts of the country. The need to provide financial incentives to farmers underpins the idea: the higher the wildlife gains, the higher the payment for a farmer. Farmers are also being paid for the ongoing management of selected, existing wildlife habitats: The message is you dont have to reduce your production capacity, but you can make a huge improvement in biodiversity - says Donal Sheehan In his book, Whittled Away, Padraic Fogarty wistfully recalls a time when farming in Ireland was low-intensity and mainly organic, also accommodating a wide range of plants, birds and insects. Alas, this has been replaced by a production-driven range of subsidies with little regard for the environment. To maintain production levels, tonnes of fertiliser, both artificial and animal manures, have to be spread, often polluting rivers and streams into which it discharges. Hopefully, the Bride Project heralds new ways of doing things. A culture of zero tolerance to verbal or physical sexual harrassment is to be encouraged at one of the countrys largest universities by the expansion of an intervention programme to all 22,000 students. The Bystander Intervention initiative will urge University College Cork (UCC) students to consider their shared responsibilities and to act on them to prevent and combat sexual harrassment and violence both on and off campus. The programme has already been piloted over two years through workshops with UCC students of law, applied psychology, nursing, and midwifery, led by Louise Crowley of the universitys law school. It is being made available to all students at the college as an online module. It is to be launched today at a conference marking the start of UCCs inaugural Bystander Intervention Week, being attended by minister of state for higher education Mary Mitchell OConnor. The issue of sexual violence and harassment, unwanted advances and unsolicited abusive comments is a deeply ingrained societial poison and one which is no less prevalent among third-level students, Ms Crowley said. Through initiatives such as the Bystander Intervention programme, we can create an environment which demands an awareness of the unacceptability of all such behaviour. In turn, Ms Crowley said, students can be educated to recognise that they can effect cultural change. It is also intended that students will be empowered to recognise the problem and to speak up as part of a collective voice and reject any attempt to normalise violence and harassment. The online platform will allow to students develop an understanding of the key issue of consent, and the boundaries surrounding sexual assault, rape, and abusive relationships. Ms Mitchell OConnor said she hopes what is learned from the new initiative will be applied in all other colleges. The third-level experience is a period of growth, a time for exploration and the first true experience of independence in a young persons life, she said. This should not be marred for anyone by the unacceptable behaviour of another. On Jan. 27, 2019, Chicago police officers responded to a call to assist a citizen after he became trapped in Lake Michigan after attempting to save his dog from the icy water. Officers from the 20th District stepped onto the partially frozen lake to assist the man and his dog to safety. (Chicago Police Department) On Jan. 27, 2019, Chicago police officers responded to a call to assist a citizen after he became trapped in Lake Michigan after attempting to save his dog from the icy water. Officers from the 20th District stepped onto the partially frozen lake to assist the man and his dog to safety. (Chicago Police Department) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 27) Four senatorial were asked how Filipinos can be protected by the influx of Chinese workers to the country, as CNN Philippines hosted its second senatorial forum at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City Sunday. Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, and former Interior Secretaries Raffy Alunan and Mar Roxas, gave their opinions on the issue, all saying jobs meant for Filipinos should be given to Filipinos. Hilbay said corruption seems to be linked to the arrival of these foreign workers as many of them come to country illegally. "Hindi natin sila nata-track, hindi natin alam kung bakit sila nandito in the first place. And that is a problem that is of paramount importance the corruption that is associated with the influx of Chinese workers," he said. [Translation: We can't track them, we don't even know why they're here in the first place. And that is a problem that is of paramount importance the corruption that is associated with the influx of Chinese workers.] Alunan said the country's gatekeepers were "easily bought." "I think that there are people that are allowed inside the country because of corruption. And that's because our gatekeepers like the Bureau of Immigration are easily bought. There's also a lot of human smuggling going on, our borders are very porous, and we don't have enough gatekeepers to prevent from people coming in," he said. It falls on the government, he said, to upgrade its ability to secure the country and protect the people. Roxas, meanwhile, said there were enough skilled workers in the country to fill the jobs going to Chinese workers. "Ano bang pinag-uusapan natin dito? Sa construction, pagkakarpintero, pagtutubero, pagiging mason kaya ng Pilipino 'yan. Maraming Pilipino ang may kayang gampanan ang trabahong 'yan," he said. Both former Interior secretaries also addressed the issue of Chinese workers involved online gambling operations in the country. Alunan said, "We may not have the kind of expertise for online gambling once it comes to translation, to translators, but there is a problem and even China itself realizes that it has clamped down on online gambling to the detriment of the Malaysian economy. And pretty soon, I expect China to clamp down on online gambling in the Philippines as well. Roxas added, "Ang dahilan kung bakit nandito yung mga online gaming na yan ay dahil ipinagbabawal yan sa China." [Translation: The reason why online gaming is here is because it is illegal in China.] Roque was the only one among the four who questioned whether there were enough skilled Filipino workers to fill jobs in industries who need their abilities. "Kailangan po ng masusing pag-aaral, kung ano talaga ang kakulangan natin at kung meron ba tayong sapat na manggagawa para gumawa nito," he said. [Translation: We need to study what our deficiencies are and if we have enough workers to fill jobs.] Roque's answer did not sit well with some of the audience, and shouts of "meron!" were heard as he spoke. But he gave the reminder that similar situations are seen in other countries where there are overseas Filipino workers. "Huwag nating kalimutan na 11 miliion na mga Pilipino po nagtatrabaho sa iba't-ibang bansa. Bakit? Dahil sa mga bansang ito, hindi sapat ang kanilang manggagawa," he said. [Translation: Don't forget that 11 million Filipinos work overseas because there also aren't enough workers in these countries.] An inventory must be made, Roque said to determine what exactly the country needs in its Build, Build, Build program as well as the needs of the private sector. "Pag-aralan natin ilan ang available na market dito. Siyempre po, kinakailangan ang gobyerno mag-train ng mas maraming skilled at semi-skilled workers... pero kung talagang kulang, e di dun natn bigyan ng mga legal na permits at kinakailangan ipatupad ang mga batas," he said. [Translation: Let's study how many are available in the market here. of course the government has to train more skilled and semi-skilled workers... but if there is really a lack, then that's when we give legal permits and implement the law.] Just last week, former President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III said the Duterte administration should look into the supposed increasing number of Chinese migrant workers in the country. "Kinukuha ba 'yung trabaho na para sa Pilipino? 'Yung mga Pilipino, nakikita sa survey, parating sinasabi, nagsasalita ng katiyakan ng trabaho, pagkakaroon ng trabaho at panatilihin ang trabaho. Kailangan mareview natin ito." [Translation: Are they getting the jobs for Filipinos? Filipinos are seen in the survey always saying about securing jobs, employment and tenure. This should be reviewed.] in November last year, the Department of Labor said there was an influx of foreigners toursits particularly Chinese tourists who end up working in the country. In a Senate committee hearing in 2018, it was revealed that 115,652 Alien Employment Permits (AEPs) were issued by the government to foreigners from 2015 to 2017. Of the total, 51,000 permits were issued to Chinese nationals. Some 2,000 Chinese were also given jobs in construction in the past three years. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said 21,320 AEPs were issued within the first three months of 2018. According to the Bureau of Immigration, 393 foreign nations were arrested in 2018. Of these, 304 were Chinese nationals who were overstaying or working without permit. Under the Labor Code, an AEP can only be issued to foreign workers if there are no interested or competent Filipinos to perform the job. DOLE said the permit can only be issued for jobs that require a highly-specialized technical, supervisorial, and managerial work. Once a foreigner secures the permit, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and Department of Justice can give that foreigner a working visa. But the BI revealed it also issued special working permits even without AEP from DOLE. A teenager, 17, has been charged with attempted murder of a family member in connection with a stabbing at his home in Tallaght in Dublin. The boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, had been charged earlier with assault causing harm to the man at a house on July 27 last. A convicted rapist who was awarded damages after being assaulted while serving his prison sentence has brought a legal challenge over an alleged delay in a DPP review into complaints of alleged perjury by prison officers. The action has been taken by Darius Savickis who wants the High Court to direct the DPP to complete a review into the decision not to prosecute prison officers over evidence they gave before the High Court in 2013. Savickis was awarded damages after the jury hearing his civil action found he was assaulted by several prison guards on September 29, 2009, while he was serving a sentence at Castlerea Prison in Co. Roscommon. The incident was captured on CCTV. Originally from Lithuania, Savickis (aged 48) with an address at An Fiodan, Doughiska, Co. Galway, was assaulted while serving a six-year sentence for orally raping a 23-year-old German woman when she was walking home from work in Galway on November 28, 2005. In High Court proceedings, he claims that in 2017 the DPP agreed as part of an agreement to settle other proceedings he had brought, to review the decision not to prosecute anyone over the evidence given to the High Court. He claims his solicitors wrote to the DPP in March, April and November 2018 asking what progress had been made in the review. In a response received in early January, the DPP's office stated the review is "ongoing" and taking longer than anticipated and would be "concluded early in the New Year". No explanation has been offered for the delay in conducting the review, it is claimed. In 2013 a jury hearing Savikis' High Court civil action awarded him 224. Attributing 95% responsibility to Savickis, the jury reduced its award from 4,500 to 224. He appealed and in 2016 the Court of Appeal found he was assaulted and awarded him 10,000, plus 5,000 exemplary damages over the evidence given by the prison officers and 2,225 over the use of unreasonable force. The Court of Appeal concluded that prison officers had allegedly lied under oath as part of an effort "to hide their complicity" in what was wrongful conduct in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The Judge presiding over the High Court action in 2013 remarked that the CCTV pictures made it "blatantly obvious "Savickis was "punched by a prison officer who denied it with all his colleagues". In 2017, Savickis applied to the High Court for permission to bring judicial review proceedings against the DPP and Garda Commissioner over the DPPs' March 2017 decision not to prosecute the prison officers for perjury. That action was compromised after the DPP agreed to review the decision not to prosecute. In his latest judicial review action, Savikis seeks damages, as well as an order directing the DPP to complete the review within such time the High Court deems fit and proper. He also seeks various declarations including that the DPP has had a reasonable time to complete a review of the decision not to prosecute several prison officers who allegedly committed perjury during his civil action in 2013. He further seeks declarations including that the DPP has breached his rights to fair procedures and breached its duty to vindicate Savikis's rights as a victim of a crime to bodily integrity. Permission to bring the action against the DPP was granted, on an ex parte basis, by Mr Justice Seamus Noonan today. The matter will come back before the court in March. Paintings donated by Dublin artist Tony Gunn have raised nearly 12,000 for Alone. The elder care charity ran a pop-up shop in St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre in Dublin over Christmas. The project was backed by Lisney, U Store It and Delaney Removals in a shop space donated by the shopping centre, allowing all the proceeds to go directly to the charity. Grainne O'Loughlin, Alone's communications manager, paid tribute to the 70 volunteers who gave up their time to man the tills at the shop. She said: "It was fantastic, especially coming up to Christmas, to have such fantastic volunteers coming in and out every day, helping us to sell the paintings and try to encourage footfall around the shop and they really did an amazing job." The countrys first ever statutory advisory committee to support monitoring of Irelands implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will begin work today with the official appointment of 11 members. The Disability Advisory Committee will advise the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) on how best to fulfil its independent monitoring role set out under Article 33 of the UN Convention. The committee is made up of a majority of people with disabilities and will meet at least three times a year over a three-year period. The 11 members were recruited through an open public process and will be joined on the committee by three IHREC members. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was ratified in 2018, more than a decade after being first signed by Ireland, and is now in force, with Ireland due to produce its first report to the UN on its implementation in 2020. The new appointees include Shelly Gaynor, chairperson of Independent Living Movement Ireland, and playwright Rosaleen McDonagh. Nine of the members are living with disabilities and are active professionally in working for improvements in disability rights, services, technologies and opportunities for full inclusion in the economic, academic, sporting, and cultural life of the country. Emily Logan, IHREC chief commissioner, said: The question of how Ireland meets its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities must be put in the spotlight. This new Disability Advisory Committee will be an important mechanism to ensure that the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission can fulfil its mandate to hold the State to account on the rights of people with disabilities. The Members of the Disability Advisory Committee bring with them significant personal and professional experience, and wide expertise in relation to the rights of persons with disabilities in Ireland. An Air Corps whistleblower is to take early retirement from the Defence Forces, less than two months after telling the junior defence minister that he had received continuing and unwarranted treatment for making protected disclosures on health-and-safety issues. Last November, the whistleblower wrote to minister of state Paul Kehoe and asked him to clarify his position as to his ongoing situation within the air corps. In writing to Mr Kehoe, the whistleblower included signed statements from Air Corps personnel, the contents of which he said supported his claim that the authorities were attempting to isolate and vilify him, and turn his colleagues against him. Last September, a military investigating officer ruled on a complaint the whistleblower had made against his commanding officer, regarding a delay of nearly three years in the processing of paperwork concerning his continuation of service. The whistleblower had alleged the commanding officers failure to process this paperwork was as a result of a protected disclosure he had made. The investigation found that the time taken to process the paperwork was not reasonable, but said disciplining the commanding officer, as per the whistleblowers request, was not proportionate. As part of his findings, the investigator said it is important that the whistleblower be assured that he will in no way be penalised or prejudiced, for having made any protected disclosures. The whistleblower told Mr Kehoe that he has yet to receive any such assurances from his superiors, and that continued attempts to marginalise him contravene protected disclosure legislation. Earlier this month, the whistleblower wrote to the Defence Forces chief of staff, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, to inform him of his decision to retire ahead of the mandatory age, due to his superiors response to the outcome of his complaint against his commanding officer. I believe I have no other option but to retire from the Defence Forces, due to the lack of protection being afforded to me and the adverse health effects of same, the whistleblower said. His commanding officer had told the investigation that the whistleblowers complaint was the latest in what was a consistent pattern of vindictive and bullying behaviour against him. In his written response to the findings, general officer commanding the Air Corps, Brigadier General Sean Clancy, said he noted with disapproval the redress sought by the whistleblower. However, the whistleblower has provided Mr Kehoe with signed statements by other Air Corps personnel. One of the statements, seen by this newspaper, recounts an instance when one Air Corps staff member said he was precluded from a meeting he had arranged after he was seen speaking to the whistleblower. The other Air Corps personnel recalled a flight sergeant complaining about the extra health-and-safety measures required since the whistleblower made his disclosures. Ireland has one of the lowest rates of any European country for carrying out operations on a condition that is one of the main causes of impaired vision. Figures published by the EU show Ireland had the joint lowest rate together with Slovakia for operations to remove cataracts. Both countries perform an average of two cataract operations per 1,000 individuals each year. Around 4.5m cataract operations were performed in the EU, including 10,385 in Ireland, in 2016 the latest year for which comparative figures are available. Cataract surgery is now a common medical procedure involving the extraction of the lens from an eye with most patients having the surgery on a day-release basis. The European Commission said the proportion of the population which had a contract operation varied noticeably across the different EU member states but the vast majority carried out between 4 and 12 operations per 1,000 inhabitants at least twice the average in the Republic. The Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO), which represents more than 200 eye doctors, said there was no doubt that there were not enough eye specialists employed in the Irish healthcare system. We know from waiting lists that is the case and there is a need to expand capacity in this area, an ICO spokeswoman said. The ICO, however, said the situation was probably not as bad as painted by the EU figures, as they did not appear to include the number of cataract surgeries carried out at private hospitals and clinics as well as patients who travel to Northern Ireland for the same operation under the Cross-Border Directive scheme. The spokeswoman said there had also been an increase in the number of cataract operations at public hospitals over the past 18 months which had helped to bring down waiting lists, although Ireland was still likely to have comparatively low cataract surgery rates. The ICO welcomed the opening of dedicated cataract units at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin and at Nenagh Hospital. The facility in Co Tipperary, which was only open one day a week last year, is scheduled to perform up to 2,000 cataract surgeries after it moves to a five-day operation. Dedicated stand-alone centres are the most efficient approach to carrying out cataract surgery, the ICO spokeswoman said. Health Minister, Simon Harris said the number of people waiting for cataract operations had fallen from more than 10,000 in July 2017 to 6,449 by the end of 2018 a decline of 36%. The National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) also acknowledged that waiting lists for cataract operations were falling but still expressed concern that patients experienced unnecessary delays which could affect their quality of life. Northern Irelands former police chief has warned that there is no logical way to avoid a hard border, potentially manned by soldiers, if Britain leaves the EU without negotiating a deal in just two months time. Hugh Orde issued the warning as Government sources separately claimed they were being held to ransom by landowners demanding massively inflated prices for that land that would be needed for new Dublin and Rosslare port customs check sites. Speaking after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said on Friday that a no-deal Brexit could see soldiers return to posts on a hard border with the North, and before a crucial House of Commons Brexit plan B vote tomorrow, Mr Orde said the risk was growing more likely by the day. Despite a spokesperson for Mr Varadkar, Tanaiste Simon Coveney, and senior Government ministers downplaying the suggestion at the weekend, former PSNI chief constable Mr Orde said there was no way around the logical outcome of a no-deal Brexit. He added that it could act as a catalyst for dissident republicans to see the fixed points as a target for attack. The short answer is no, Mr Orde told RTEs This Week programme. There is no logical way I can see to have a soft border, unless you have equality in terms of customs and freedom of movement, which are the preconditions the EU has set. In my judgement, you will have to see some form of physical barrier. History tells us that they are, by definition, targets as soon as you have a fixed point. To recreate a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic would have huge significance in terms of security. I think, by definition, those people [working on the border] would be at risk. They would become a target. Asked if using modern cameras or scanners to monitor vehicles could prevent the need for a hard border, as has been claimed, Mr Orde said the short answer, again, is no. Warning this poses huge consequences, he added: It creates a catalyst for people to exploit that situation, and certainly dissident republicans. Worryingly, we saw a car bomb only last week in Derry, and its a statement, in my judgement, that things are going to only get more difficult, not less. A hard border, if I was the chief of the PSNI still, would worry me greatly. People seem to have their heads stuck in the mud, hoping it is all going to go away, and, of course, it hasnt. Mr Orde was speaking as the Irish Examiner can today reveal that Irelands no-deal Brexit contingency plans have hit a major problem over the amount of money land-owners are demanding to give up property near Rosslare and Dublin ports. Government sources said taxpayers were being held over a barrel by businesses, farmers, and private citizens, who were demanding massively inflated sums for their land. A senior Office of Public Works source said that with just under nine weeks to go before Brexit, the Government was becoming increasingly anxious over the need to ensure that acres of sites needed for new customs checks were secured. However, the senior source said negotiations remain fraught, with land-owners adding zeros to the price of their sites, because they know they have us over a barrel. With particular owners, they [officials] are finding it very difficult. Negotiations are fraught, the source said. A spokesperson for the Office of Public Works declined to comment, until discussions are complete. Meanwhile, speaking on the BBC, before the crucial House of Commons Brexit plan B debate which includes amendments on ruling out a no-deal, ruling out the backstop, and extending Article 50 to December begins today, followed by a vote tomorrow, the Tanaiste warned that Ireland will not back down and that the EU will not allow any non-backstop deal. The message was repeated by European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker and vice-president Frans Timmermans, who insisted we cant throw Ireland under the bus. However, a second EU message that the backstop could be re-examined, if Britain moves to allow a UK-wide customs union has led to British speculation the EU is cracking under the high-stakes pressure. There are further calls to remove a ban on cars in Cork City. The measure, which was introduced in August, does not allow cars to travel along Patrick St in the city from 3.30pm to 6.30pm. Dear Suzanna: The answer is yes and no. Nails Magazine says that if you put it in the fridge and leave it there for a few weeks at a time, it will slow down the thickening of the polish. On the other hand, if you keep it refrigerated but take it out often to polish your nails, then put it back in the refrigerator it makes no difference to the polishs shelf life. If you do refrigerate, bring it to room temp before opening it. The family of Stephen Warde is offering a 4,400 reward for any information that would lead directly to finding the missing Irishman. Mr Warde, aged 32, entered Malaysia as a tourist on November 15 last year. His brother Donal Warde, 34, said Stephen was seen on CCTV footage outside Mercu Summer Suites on Jalan Sultan Ismail in Kuala Lumpur on December 28. He also said that Stephen last checked his WhatsApp messaging app at 1.30am on January 2. "The key for us right now is to find out what happened between December 28 and January 2. "However we appreciate it as well if anyone can volunteer more recent information as well," he said. He is described as being a quiet and placid man with dark brown hair, brown eyes, 511 in height, of a heavy set and was last seen wearing a blue and purple T-shirt, khaki shorts and black sneakers. Donal added that his brother, who works in the e-commerce industry, had been to Malaysia at least once before. Donal said he, his mother Mary Morrissey and another three siblings have flown into Kuala Lumpur to handle the matter. Malaysian police authorities are investigating a report that Mr Warde was spotted close to where he had been staying. A number of police officers have been assigned to investigate the case as they trawl through any CCTV images that may have caught on security cameras close to where he had been living and in the area where the possible sighting occurred. Mr Warde, who is from a large family, was last seen a month ago on, a day before his tenancy was to expire. He had been due to fly to Thailand on the same day. All of his belongings were still in the unit when searched by police. His passport has not been used to exit the country. Speaking by phone Police chief Assistant Commissioner Dang Wangi Shaharuddin Abdullah said: We were alerted to Stephens disappearance by the international police authority Interpol. As a result, our search for him started straight away. His mother Mary and several of her children have been here for several days and are helping us with our search. They are being looked after by the Irish Embassy here in Kuala Lumpur. There have been two reported sightings of Stephen, one in December and one today in a place known as Daiau Kaco, 15 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur. A Moroccan man contacted us as he believes he saw Stephen thanks to reports on social media. I sent two detectives to the area, to check out the claim and to retrieve any CCTV available. They have reported back to me that he was spotted in a laundry shop and we have checked security cameras there but, unfortunately, he is not captured in them. Several officers are due to travel to the area tomorrow and along with local district police, to carry out searches, and question locals. Im due to inform his mother and sisters of this development tomorrow. (Tuesday) We definitely believe Stephen is still alive and we will find him. Checks showed his passport has not been used to exit the country. His mother and sisters are coping well and are being very patient. It is a painful process for them. His mother said his disappearance is totally out of character for him. Stephens family are liaising with the Irish Department of Foreign affairs in a bid to locate him. A Department spokesperson said: Foreign Affairs is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Dang Wangi police headquarters at +603-26002222 or its control centre hotline at +603-26977099 or the nearest police station. The Minister for Finance has again ruled out granting pay increases to nurses. Strike action by 43,000 nurses and midwives begins on Wednesday, Read More: The strike will begin at 8am on Wednesday and will end at 8am on Thursday. They want pay increases to bring them in line with other health professionals. Finance Minister, Paschal Donohoe says the State will only negotiate on the public sector pay agreement. "The government is available to engage in the industrial relations machinery of the state across the next 48-hours in advance of the potential industrial action on Wednesday," said Mr Donohoe. "But all of the engagement is those fora has to be anchored in the fact that we have a collective wage agreement." Meanwhile, patient groups are appealing for both sides in the nurses dispute to make one final effort to avoid strike action. A leading GP group is seeking an immediate meeting with HSE officials over the deepening cervical cancer tests crisis, due to widespread concern among its members over the number of tests being sent back because they have expired. The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) demanded the meeting last night, saying there are genuine fears that the problem is far bigger than is being suggested. In a letter to the head of the HSEs national screening service, Charles OHanlon, NAGP president Maitiu O Tuathail said the GP group wants absolute transparency on what has caused the issue. And, just 24 hours before Health Minister Simon Harris attends an emergency meeting of the Dails health committee to answer questions both on cervical cancer tests and on the National Childrens Hospital scandal, Dr O Tuathails letter said the HSE must now organise a meeting with GPs to clarify what has gone wrong. Our members can clearly show the samples have been sent in ample time, that the sample was in date when taken and sent, but that there was a delay at some point between the sending of the sample and the processing of the sample in the lab, Dr O Tuathail wrote to the HSE. This is presumably as a result of the increase in smear samples the labs are receiving. I am aware that the turn-around time for processing smears, in some cases, is now 12 weeks. This would seem problematic, given that smears are deemed expired at six weeks from the time they have been taken. This issue is significant as it means patients must undergo a repeat smear, in three months time, adding further to any fears patients may have. The note to the doctors does not indicate why the delay took place, and in some cases patients have contacted our members asking why they were slow in sending the sample to the lab, when this was not the case. This is most unhelpful. We would welcome a meeting with you if we can assist you in resolving this issue. We will need to communicate with our members as to what is occurring, as they in turn will have to deal with women who have yet another repeat smear to face. The NAGP letter which was also copied to the Health Minister, Simon Harris, and the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar came after a week of growing concern surrounding the cervical cancer tests service. This is because of Dail revelations that 1,000 of the free smear checks which took place in the aftermath of last years original cervical cancer tests scandal are effectively useless because chronic backlogs mean the accuracy of their results cannot be guaranteed. A separate issue surrounding approximately 6,000 HPV tests has also emerged, with the HSE due to publish the exact number of women affected later this week. Meanwhile, Opposition parties have once again demanded that Mr Harris answers key questions on this issue and on the subject of the runaway costs of the new National Childrens Hospital, at an emergency meeting of the Dails health committee tomorrow. Fianna Fail health spokesman Stephen Donnelly and his Sinn Fein counterpart, Louise OReilly, said there is a need for complete clarity on the issue immediately, due to legitimate concerns over both scandals. More than 3,300 households in serious mortgage arrears have been spared the loss of their homes with the help of the Abhaile scheme. The State-funded support service says it helped broker permanent or trial solutions for these households over the past two years. It is currently working to secure similar outcomes for a further 6,148 households who are also in serious default and facing the threat of repossession. In total, 11,695 individual borrowers, representing more than 10,000 households, received financial and/or legal advice through the scheme between July 2016 and June 2018. Around 16%, or 1,868 borrowers, stopped engaging with the service after initial consultations so their outcome is unknown, but there is a policy of following up with such people to encourage them to re-engage. Just 3% surrendered their homes to their lenders, in some cases to trade down to a less expensive property, while 0.5% had their homes repossessed. More than 7,000 of those who were assisted were in arrears for two years or more. Abhaile services are jointly funded by the Departments of Justice and Social Protection and are delivered through the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), the Insolvency Service of Ireland, the Legal Aid Board, and the Citizens Information Board at a cost of just under 6m a year. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said the service was delivering real solutions for borrowers in arrears. I am particularly pleased to see that Abhaile is delivering results, even for borrowers in the more challenging levels of arrears, who are those most at risk, he said. Abhaile is undoubtedly making an important contribution to the drop in arrears for this worst-affected category and is helping those who fell into arrears due to loss of earnings, illness or family separation. Abhaile services are free to the user and confidential. To be eligible, applicants need to be in arrears, insolvent and facing repossession proceedings or the threat of such proceedings. Only people living in properties considered far in excess of their needs are excluded. Over the first two years, the take-up rate exceeded expectations by several thousand. The majority of those who sought help received vouchers to engage a personal insolvency practitioner, while others were assisted by a dedicated mortgage arrears advisor. Around 2,500 were given vouchers to consult a solicitor, almost 4,800 were assisted in court by an Abhaile duty solicitor and more than 7,000 were supported in court by a court mentor. Most recent Central Bank statistics show some 64,510 mortgages on family homes are in arrears, with around 28,000 of those in arrears for two years or more. Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty urged anyone in mortgage arrears to make contact with the service. I would encourage anybody who is afraid of losing their home due to mortgage arrears to take the first step and call MABS and seek assistance, she said. The MABS helpline runs Monday-Friday, 9am-8pm, on 0761 07 2000, and further details can be found at mabs.ie. Well-known sporting and television personalities have been recruited to take part in a series of talks aimed at helping secondary school children look after their mental health, nutrition and deal with risks posed by social media. Kathryn Thomas, Anna Geary, Derval ORourke, fitness guru, Pat Divilly and mental health advocate and suicide survivor Graham McCormack will address students at three different venues in Co Cork during February and March as part of Cork County Council-sponsored 'Teen Talks.' We are delighted to announce #TeenTalksCork events taking place in Charleville, Bantry & Little Island for #ty students. Join us for an exciting morning talking health, fitness, nutrition & positive mental health with @annagcork @gokathrynthomas @patdivilly @dervalorourke pic.twitter.com/whReiQ5OTh Cork County Council (@Corkcoco) January 28, 2019 The event was launched at a special reception in County Hall yesterday by the Mayor of the County Cork, Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy. As part of Healthy Cork, we are committed to supporting our young people and their health and wellbeing," he said. "We are inviting transition year students across Cork to come to Teen Talks to hear from their peers, health and fitness experts and those who are experienced in creating coping mechanisms for the challenges that we face today. Teen Talks communicate important messages, in an engaging way, about life and positive changes you can adopt to help you live a healthy, happy life. Council chief executive Tim Lucey said the local authority is rolling out the Teen Talks series to highlight health, nutrition and fitness to the people of Cork. This series of events supports our students, and really looks at ways to deal with school, family, health and social media challenges through the power of positive mental health, fitness and nutrition. We have a great line up of young speakers that will inspire and motivate students - Mr Lucey said. Secondary schools are invited to bring transition year students to the free events at the Charleville Park Hotel on February 28, the Radisson Blu Little Island Hotel March 5 and Bantrys West Lodge Hotel on March 7. For more information, or to register visit www.corkcoco.ie Cardi B has been confirmed to headline Longitude this summer. The rapper was due to play the Dublin festival last year but pulled out because she was pregnant. Joining Cardi as a co-headliner will be Future who had already been announced for the Sunday night slot. She will now join acts including Chance The Rapper and A$AP Rocky who will headline the other days at Marlay Park. Today, the festival announced a number of new acts for the 2019 line-up. Anne-Marie, Vince Staples, AJ Tracey and Joey Purp are among the other acts announced. Some 90 jobs will be created in Cork after medical device firm DePuy Synthes announced a 36m investment and outsourcing company Capita signed a 12m contract with Electric Ireland. DePuy Synthes, part of the Johnson & Johnson group, said there would be 30 new roles at its new research and development investment at its innovation centre in Ringaskiddy. The centre produces replacement knee and hip joints and employs around 1,000 at the Loughbeg site. The firm established its Cork base in 1997 and saw a 53m expansion in 2015. It's innovation centre was opened a decade ago. Tanaiste Simon Coveney said the 36m investment "clearly demonstrates the strong commitment" of the firm to Cork. Depuy Synthes global leader Gary Clerkin said it is "crucial that we continue to deliver impactful research outcomes". "This advanced materials and surface technology centre will help accelerate innovation through the supply chain and shape the products of the future. A central element of this investment, the 3D Printing Development and Launch Centre, complements the 3D bioprinting partnership with Trinity College Dublin launched last year," he said. Great news for Cork - 80 new jobs announced for Cork and Sligo in a partnership between Capita Customer Solutions and Electric Ireland #acityrising pic.twitter.com/el4FZQLo3u Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) January 28, 2019 The Cork arm of UK outsourcing firm Capita said it would create around 60 jobs in Cork and a further 20 in Sligo after it signed a three-year contract worth 12m with Electric Ireland to manage credit control and collection services. The deal could reach 25m, the firm known as Capita Customer Solutions said, with an option to extend the contract by four more years. The firm employs 650 in its operations in Clonakilty, Cork and Sligo. The company was originally set up as SouthWestern in 1996 before being acquired by Capita in 2014, before rebranding in 2016. Mr Coveney said: "This is very good news not just for Capita, but for the communities in Cork and Sligo where the company is based. Capita has an excellent track record in the provision of credit collection services and has a wide range of expertise to draw on. Capita chief executive John Lewis said the firm would take a sympathetic view of customers in difficulties paying bills. "When a customer is late in paying for their energy, we understand it can be a challenging experience, which is why we find the solution that is right for them. "We are working to make sure customers do not build up what can become unmanageable debts and look to deploy debt avoidance strategies to prevent such situations occurring in the first place," he said. Vancouver, British Columbia - January 28, 2019 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) North American Nickel Inc. (TSXV: NAN) (OTCBB: WSCRF) (CUSIP: 65704T 108) (the "Company") is pleased to report the results of a detailed geological, geochemical, and geophysical investigation to test the P-058 sulphide zone and the keel zone of the large Fossilik intrusion located centrally on the Company's 100% owned Maniitsoq nickel-copper-cobalt-PGM sulphide project in southwest Greenland. The melanorite keel area is interpreted to be the primary source of high grade mineralization previously identified in the P-058, P-059, and P-004 zones at the SW margin of the intrusion. The work was designed to establish whether the keel structure of the Fossilik intrusion has the potential to host a deposit that would surpass an economic hurdle for additional exploration and potential future development. The 2018 exploration program at Fossilik integrated results from historic exploration that established a strong empirical relationship between the highest grades and tenors of magmatic sulphide mineralization and the distribution of high magnesium oxide (MgO) norite rocks, termed melanorites. Geochemical and geophysical data point to the importance of dense melanoritic bodies with elevated levels of MgO and chromium (Cr) as the principal repository of known magmatic sulphide mineralization. Moreover, the high conductive signature of mineralization comprising heavy disseminated, breccia, and massive sulphides makes this type of mineralization an exceptionally good target for deep-penetrating surface electromagnetic surveys (EM). Surface and drill core sampling completed in 2018 indicate that the base of the primary intrusion is located towards the southwest in an area of melanorites that are developed within the Fossilik intrusion inbound of the known mineral zones. The 2018 program of surface profile EM surveying, diamond drilling, and borehole electromagnetic (BHEM) survey work was designed to test the keel structure of the Fossilik intrusion and provide a new understanding of the potential of this structure to host highly conductive massive and disseminated sulphide mineralization that represent the possible source of the known mineral zones. Based on the results of the 2018 program and previous data, a detailed 3D model of this geological environment was constructed (figure 1). North American Nickel is convinced the Fossilik magma achieved the conditions required for sulphide saturation, however, the location and configuration of economically important concentrations of primary and remobilized sulphide mineralization remains unconstrained at this time. Drilling to date has yet to define the outermost halo of a cohesive magmatic sulphide body interpreted to represent the source of the multiple shallow high grade nickel sulphide zones occurring at Fossilik. Figures may be viewed using the link provided at the end of this release. NAN CEO, Keith Morrison, commented: "Our global understanding of sulphide mineralization associated with intrusions like Fossilik has provided the framework for the 2018 exploration program. The results of this work has established that the most prospective stratigraphy of the intrusion is located towards the southwestern corner where most of the known near-surface mineralization is situated. There is no doubt that this geological environment is prospective, but surface EM, drilling, and detailed geochemical studies confine the source of this mineralization to depth. The next steps at Fossilik will be the review of our economic model to determine a minimum deposit size and maximum depth, before justifying additional drilling." Three holes totaling 2,626.7m were designed and drilled following the surface melanorite mapping and deep penetrating EM program on Fossilik. These three holes (MQ-18-161, 173 and 184) were strategically positioned within the south western area of the intrusion. The fourth drill hole MQ-18-158, was designed to test the margin of the main Fossilik Intrusion adjacent to the P-058 mineral zone (see News Release dated November 23, 2017). This area represented the possible link to the source of the remobilized sulphides with high Ni tenor that occur at P-058. Further details of the drilling completed at P-058 are given below. Table 1: Drill Collar Information, P-058 Fossilik Intrusion Note: Collar coordinates in UTM WGS84 Zone 22N * Hole targeting P-058 zone ** Hole Positioned within the High MgO Fossilik Keel Table 2: Assay Results, P-058 Fossilik Intrusion Note: Intervals represent core lengths, not necessarily true widths. NSA - No Significant Assays Hole MQ-18-158 was drilled to a depth of 797m but did not intercept any significant mineralization. However, the follow up BHEM survey indicated that the P-058 zone continues further at depth along its known mineralized trend identified in 2017. The overall footprint of the P-058 mineralization is now interpreted to extend from surface to a depth of 695m based on BHEM results and remains open at depth (figure 2). The surface mapping and geochemistry coupled with the three holes (MQ-18-161, 173 and 184) drilled into the south western part of the Fossilik intrusion now confirms, that, the most prospective keel portion remains unconstrained at depth as it lies below the bottom of drill hole MQ-18-173. Although, the 2018 work program did not identify significant mineralization in the keel structure of the intrusion, the potential for a discovery at depth remains open, and the data continues to help vector towards mineral zones at the boundary of the intrusion and within the adjacent gneiss units. "Technical Information; Qualified Person" The Company is not aware of any legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the project other than those set out in its annual information form filed on www.sedar.com. Please see below under the heading "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements" for further details regarding risks facing the Company. All technical information in this release has been reviewed and approved by Peter C. Lightfoot, Ph.D., P.Geo. (Consulting Chief Geologist), who is the Qualified Person for the Company. About North American Nickel North American Nickel is a mineral exploration company with 100% owned properties in Maniitsoq, Greenland and Sudbury, Ontario. The Maniitsoq property in Greenland is a Camp scale permitted exploration project comprising 2,985 square km covering numerous high-grade nickel-copper + cobalt sulphide occurrences associated with norite and other mafic-ultramafic intrusions of the Greenland Norite Belt (GNB). The >75km-long belt is situated along, and near, the southwest coast of Greenland accessible from the existing Seqi deep water port with an all year-round shipping season and hydroelectric power potential from a quantified watershed. The Post Creek/Halcyon property in Sudbury is strategically located adjacent to the past producing Podolsky copper-nickel-platinum group metal deposit of KGHM International Ltd. The property lies along the extension of the Whistle Offset dyke structure. Such geological structures host major Ni-Cu-PGM deposits and producing mines within the Sudbury Camp. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of the Company. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the success of exploration activities; impact of mineralogy, estimation of mineral resources at mineral projects of the Company; the future economics of minerals including nickel and copper; synergies and financial impact facilities; the benefits of the development potential of the properties of the Company and currency exchange rate fluctuations. Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan," "expect," "project," "intend," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of the Company and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include variations in metal grades, changes in market conditions, variations in recovery rates, risks relating to international operations, fluctuating metal prices and currency exchange rates, and other risks of the mining industry, including but not limited to the failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this press release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered if the property is developed. Statements about the Company's future expectations and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbours created thereby. Since these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the Company's actual results may differ materially from the expected results. For further information on the project, please see National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) technical report prepared by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. (SRK) dated effective March 17th, 2017, titled "Updated Independent Technical Report for the Maniitsoq Nickel-Copper-Cobalt-PGM Project, Greenland", available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com or at www.northamericannickel.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mark Fedikow President North American Nickel Inc. For more information contact: North American Nickel Inc. Jaclyn Ruptash Corporate Communications (604) 770-4334 Toll free: 1-866-816-0118 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp California fire investigators last week concluded that a major 2017 wildfire was caused by privately owned electrical equipment, prompting the states new governor to estimate that PG&E Corps potential wildfire liabilities could be almost cut in half. Investors in the utility, which is preparing to file for bankruptcy, initially sent its shares up 80 percent, but PG&E said it still faced huge potential liabilities from other fires. That would include the Camp Fire, the states deadliest, in 2018. Regardless of todays announcement, PG&E still faces extensive litigation, significant potential liabilities and a deteriorating financial situation, the utility said in a statement. PG&E still planned to seek bankruptcy protection around Monday, despite the findings on the 2017 Tubbs Fire, a person familiar with the matter said. In a brief statement, the California Department of Forestry and Fire said its investigators did not identify any violations of state law, Public Resources Code, related to the cause of this fire. It did not mention PG&E specifically. The Tubbs Fire on Oct. 8, 2017 burned 36,807 acres from Napa County to suburban Santa Rosa, in Sonoma County, killing 22 people and injuring one firefighter, according to CalFire. It was part of a conflagration of more than 170 fires that burned 245,000 acres, CalFire said. PG&E is facing liabilities that could potentially exceed $30 billion because of the possibility that its equipment was involved in starting the devastating wildfires in the state in 2017 and 2018. The mounting liabilities have sent investors fleeing and prompted downgrades of its credit ratings, pushing it to the brink of bankruptcy. Public outcry over PG&Es spotty safety record has made lawmakers unwilling to back bailout legislation for the utility, which provides electricity and natural gas to 16 million customers in northern and central California. California Governor Gavin Newsom told reporters outside his office in Sacramento that the Tubbs Fire liabilities accounted for about half of the $30 billion estimate and called the report a surprise. He added, however, that he did not know whether a reduction in liability would lead the company to pull back from a possible bankruptcy filing. PG&E will continue to face lawsuits from fire victims and survivors who may not accept the premise of the CalFire report, Newsom said. This does not close out all of these lawsuits, he said. While CalFire did not blame PG&Es equipment for the Tubbs Fire, the company had been found responsible for 17 other blazes that year, he noted. According to PG&E, the 2017 wildfires spurred lawsuits from some 3,800 individual plaintiffs. There are another 2,100 individual plaintiffs as a result of 2018 fires. If PG&E files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, wildfire cases would be put on hold, the company has said. PG&E has stated repeatedly that it should not be held liable for the Tubbs Fire because it involved a private electrical facility. In November, Morgan Stanley analysts said in a note to clients that they were encouraged PG&E would not be held responsible for that fire. Shares of PG&E rose nearly 75 percent to close at $13.95. After Reuters reported that the company still planned to file for Chapter 11, the shares fell 5.5 percent in extended trading. PG&E shareholder BlueMountain Capital Management said in an emailed statement that the utility should not rush into a bankruptcy filing, which would be totally unnecessary and bad for all stakeholders. But Moodys Investors Service said bankruptcy was likely. PG&Es numerous regulatory, legislative, and credit challenges are largely unchanged and we still expect them to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the next few days, Jeff Cassella, vice president and senior credit officer, at Moodys said in a statement. State Senator Bill Dodd, who helped pass a bill last year to allow utilities to raise rates to help cover 2017 fire costs, said he believed bankruptcy for PG&E was still a done deal, despite CalFires findings. I dont think this changes their cash position going forward and doing what they have to do maintain a safe grid, he said by phone. (Reporting by Shanti S. Nair in Bengaluru, Mike Spector and Jon Stempel in New York and Jim Christie in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler, Bill Berkrot and Richard Chang) Related: Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Legislation Wildfire A: As far as the being a part of the lower class, its gotten worse. The middle class, because they usually try to live in mixed-race communities, its gotten better. Now the police force, however, for that lower class is more dangerous because (the police) dont feel threatened whatever they do. Would he have shot someone 16 times (in my neighborhood, back in the day), the whole community would have converged on (Van Dyke) immediately and maybe he would have been shot by one of the neighbors in the old community. (The police) just start shooting depending where you are. (Laquan McDonald) could not have been shot 16 times in Hyde Park. All of Hyde Park would have been enraged. In my day, many (white) police were known by the people in the community. Even with black officers now, they are not as responsible to the community as they used to be. There is a difference in terms of that kind of change. Some for the better, many worse. Florida will get potentially hundreds of million dollars for Hurricane Michael recovery after President Donald Trump agreed to expand the number of days the federal government will reimburse state and local governments for cleanup efforts, the states governor announced Thursday. The federal government had already committed to reimburse Florida for five days of storm cleanup. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said that is now being expanded to 45 days after he had a private meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday. He loves the Panhandle, he loves the folks here, and I think he understands that this was not just a typical storm, DeSantis said while standing in front of a building that was destroyed by the storm. When the president knew the scale of the debris, he just said, `Look weve got to help these guys. By comparison, he said Hurricane Irma in 2017 affected all 67 counties and left 2.5 million cubic yards of debris. Last October, Hurricane Michael left 25 million cubic yards of debris and only hit a portion of the Panhandle between the Gulf of Mexico and the Alabama and Georgia borders. The storm nearly wiped the small coastal town of Mexico Beach off the map. When you have a $3 million budget for the city and you have $80 million in debris costs, thats a tough nut to crack, DeSantis said of Mexico Beach. DeSantis said the federal money has already been appropriated and wont be affected by the partial federal government shutdown. Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said the state will be able to pick the 45 most costly days of the storm cleanup for reimbursement. This is in the hundreds of millions of dollars in savings in local taxpayer money. This is money thats now back in the state budget, back in the city coffers, said Moskowitz. This is needed, it is necessary, and we thank our federal partners for recognizing what needs to be done in Florida. In Bay County, the county hardest hit by the storm, the change in reimbursement could translate into a savings of $60 million, said county manager Robert Majka Jr. Its very, very important, Majka said. Every dollar we get in assistance is a big help. ___ Associated Press reporter Mike Schneider in Panama City contributed to this report. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Florida Hurricane Mexico The government may be reopening, but the consequences of the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history are likely to linger for national parks, forests, the federal workforce and cutting-edge scientific research. Some may even be permanent. Many fire crews missed their window for controlled burns to prevent wildfires. Irreplaceable relics may have been damaged in unguarded national parks. Science experiments were abandoned. And a generation of talent may now think twice about signing up for government, while workers returning to a month of unopened emails and missed meetings will have to decide which of their priorities to sacrifice this year. And theres the threat it could happen all over again. Congressional negotiators start work this week to find a permanent budget solution due by Feb. 15. President Donald Trumps acting chief of staff on Sunday didnt rule out another shutdown. The lapse in funding has prevented progress on projects that would normally occur at this time of year, affecting partners, tribes, local communities and businesses, John Haynes, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, said in a statement. Qualification training in fields such as firefighting and law enforcement has been delayed. Certain fuels treatments to improve forest conditions have been delayed or canceled. Work that could only be done during winter months may not be completed. Public Lands Ecologists and conservationists are bracing for lasting damage on the nations public lands and wild places herons poached from Floridas Everglades, felled desert succulents that would take decades to regrow, defaced relics from rocky outcroppings in the West. These are natural ecosystems, said Jonathan Asher, a government relations manager with the Wilderness Society. We cant just go out there and make it better. Images of damage have already become iconic symbols of the shutdowns toll on nature. From Californias Joshua Tree National Park, an image of the eponymous plant slashed down to make room for off-road vehicles went viral on Twitter. But Collin OMara, president of the National Wildlife Federation, said hes heard reports of wider-ranging damage that hasnt yet been documented. That includes harm to fossils and ancient rock carvings in Utah and Colorado, injuries to sea turtles and manatees by motorized boats in the Everglades, and sage brush trampled by vehicles. Weve also heard some poaching issues in the Everglades, where folks are going in and taking birds, OMara said. Its a million little things. The impacts may be concentrated in the U.S. West harsh, isolated landscapes with rugged features that betray their fragility. Even a footfall can crush living cryptobiotic crust in western parks and public lands, much less the off-road vehicles reported driving across them. Damage that will have to be addressed stems not just from people deliberately driving or treading into forbidden areas, Asher said, but also unintentional harm, like when well-meaning volunteers slipped bleach into composting toilets. The physical damage isnt limited to land. The shutdown is delaying updates to government rules dictating catch and size limits for salmon and other marine species that will in some cases force fishermen to limit what they collect under outdated, unduly stringent restrictions. In other cases, too many fish may be plucked from the sea this season. For instance, salmon fishermen worked under tight restrictions in 2018 that wont be eased this year if federal officials cant finalize an updated rule in time, curtailing potential harvests, said Miriam Goldstein, a marine biologist who directs ocean policy at the Center for American Progress. Workforce A widely cited concern about the lasting effects of the shutdown, but one thats hard to quantify, is what it will mean for the governments ability to keep the workers it already has and attract talented workers in the future. In the months after the 2013 shutdown, which lasted 16 days, the number of federal employees taking early retirement increased, according to data published by the Office of Personnel Management. Roy Wright, who ran insurance and mitigation at the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency until 2018, recalled counseling his employees after the 2013 shutdown that it was worth staying put. Theyre not going to do it again, he recounted telling his staff at the time. Everyone knows that shutdowns always end poorly. This time, Wright said, a similar message will be harder to get across, at FEMA and other agencies. Theres going to be a problem with both retention and future recruitment, said Wright, now president of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. One of the really sour pills from this will be that long-term loss of a work force that is not interested in public service. The shutdown could also make it harder for the government to find contractors with the skills it needs, said David Berteau, president of the Professional Services Council, a group that represents federal contractors. Many of them may begin to look for and will take jobs in the private sector, he said. Training The shutdown poses another threat to the governments ability to do its job in the future: the cancellation of crucial, time-sensitive training. Each year in January and February, the National Hurricane Center, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, runs three one-week training programs for local officials in hurricane-prone areas. The goal is to teach them how to use the centers information to make decisions about how to respond to coming storms, including whether and when to issue evacuation orders actions that can affect millions of Americans. Most of these people have never had a meteorology class in their life, said Eric Blake, a scientist and union steward at the center. We take them through the basics of hurricanes. We teach them about the kind of info that the hurricane center has that can be very useful for them. The first two of those courses were canceled, and the third may go as well. And Blake said theres no room in the calendar to reschedule those courses before hurricane seasons starts in June. Whats happening at the NHC has parallels across the federal government. Training for air-traffic controllers ground to a halt during the shutdown, threatening to make it harder to add to a workforce already at a 30-year low, said Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Wildfires Missed training courses arent all that cant be made up after the shutdown ends. By halting forest management practices, the shutdown has increased the likely damage from wildfires later this year. In many parts of the country, winter is the only time for prescribed burns, which are easiest to contain when conditions are relatively cool and wet. Those burns have been scrapped for now, which means more areas that wont be protected from fires after a year of devastating blazes in California and elsewhere. Nick Goulette, executive director of the Watershed Center in Northern California, which works with the federal government on forest restoration, said the shutdown has forced the cancellation of prescribed burns during the increasingly short window for doing those burns safely. Those controlled burns are also the very thing the president criticized California for not doing enough of. Now, Trumps own administration has put those burns on hold, and time is running out. You cant discount the irony, Goulette said. Science Foundation The shutdown forced a weeks-long closure of the National Science Foundation, a hub for research grants. The NSF canceled more than 80 review panels, in which specialized scientists grade applications and decide what research grants to fund, covering everything from molecular biology to cyber infrastructure. Because the upcoming calendar is jam-packed, rescheduling the sessions and clearing the mounting backlog could take months, said Benjamin Corb, with the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. NSF grants helped fund research that led to everything from the creation of Google to the development of the revolutionary CRISPR gene-editing technique, he said. How many Googles, how many lasers, how many CRISPRs are not getting funded now because of the shutdown? Corb asked. There are going to be long-term impacts were not going to even realize until were six months out wondering why are we so far behind, and why did that lab shut down? Time and Money Once agencies reopen, staff will have to grapple with reshuffling priorities given that time and in some cases funds have been lost. Some agencies have tapped into so-called no-year appropriations and carryover funds to sustain operations, a short-term fix that could leave the actual programs normally reliant on that money starved for dollars later this year. For instance, the Interior Department used carryover funds to continue some oil and gas activity, and the National Park Service tapped multi-year appropriations and recreation fee revenue to offer some services during the shutdown. Normally, individual parks keep 80 percent of recreation and entrance fees they collect, with funding required by law to go to enhancing the visitor experience. That funding helps pay for the clearing of trails, maintenance projects and education programs. How far are those accounts going to be spent down? asked Dan Puskar, executive director of the Public Lands Alliance. As we lose revenue today, well have less to invest in conservation service corps to do trail work, well have less money to work on deferred maintenance projects, less money to do education programs. Even before the shutdown, there was a roughly $12 billion backlog of necessary park maintenance, Asher said. The backlog will have grown, he said, and because parks have used fee revenue to stay open, there will be even less of that money to address it. Even when government is fully functioning, these agencies would say theres too much work and not enough people, said Elizabeth Klein, a former Interior Department official. Now they will be extra stressed to get back the time that was lost, compress previously identified schedules and clean up whatever messes occurred during the shutdown. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics USA California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Hurricane Wildfire Training Development AmWINS Group, Inc., a global distributor of specialty insurance products and services, has launched a new product designed to protect insureds against social engineering losses while also providing education and risk mitigation services. Losses covered under the new product can include those arising from situations where insureds are fraudulently induced into transferring money or securities in good faith reliance following a telephone, written or electronic instruction purportedly from a client, vendor or employee. The product is available in 47 states and Washington, D.C. AmWINS developed the new product in partnership with AXIS Insurance and is offering it exclusively with AXIS. The product also provides free training about social engineering for employees through KnowBe4, a global security awareness training provider. It also offers a significant discount on additional training and services offered through KnowBe4 such as phishing security test reports, phishing reply tracking and more. The new product also includes precise policy language that addresses social engineering fraud losses. Historically, traditional crime policies did not cover social engineering claims because the insured employee voluntarily transferred funds, and cyber liability policies did not provide coverage because social engineering losses often occur without the penetration of an organizations network. Standard commercial crime policies may not include limits for social engineering, and cyber liability policy sub-limits, generally up to $250,000, are inadequate for potential social engineering losses. To address this gap, the product offers limits ranging from $100,000 to $10 million. AmWINS can secure additional capacity for higher limits from other insurers. AXIS also offers social engineering coverage on an excess basis, including the ability to drop down over a sub-limit for social engineering on the underlying insurance. AmWINS Group, Inc. is an independent wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products in the United States, dedicated to serving retail insurance agents by providing property and casualty products, specialty group benefit products and administrative services. Based in Charlotte, N.C., the company operates through more than 115 offices globally and handles premium placements in excess of $15.3 billion dollars annually. AXIS Insurance, the insurance business segment of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited, provides property & casualty, professional lines, terrorism, marine, energy, aviation, credit & political risk, environmental, accident & health coverages and other customized insurance products. Products are offered through distribution partners, which include wholesale brokers, retail brokers and designated managing general agents/underwriters in the U.S. and abroad. Topics Cyber Excess Surplus Fraud Training Development Small business owners who want to use independent contractors need to be sure these workers really arent employees. Federal and state government agencies are on the lookout for businesses that use independent contractors, or freelancers, to evade Social Security, Medicare and unemployment taxes and workers compensation and disability insurance. Companies that are audited and determined to be using employees misclassified as independent contractors face fines. The penalties for non-compliance can be significant, warns Wendy Silver, owner of Beyond the Workplace, a human resources consultancy based in Needham, Massachusetts. She suggests owners consult an attorney before classifying a worker as an independent contractor. The IRS has criteria by which it measures whos an employee and who isnt. Much of the criteria has to do with control over the employee. For example, who determines where and when the worker is at work? How closely is the worker supervised? Who purchases tools and supplies? Can the worker do work for other people or companies? Is the worker paid by the hour, weekly or other time period, or instead receives a flat fee? The IRS, as it does in many issues, looks at the totality of circumstances. So if all the criteria point toward the worker, for example a graphic artist, being an independent contractor, the fact that the worker is paid by the hour wont necessarily turn this into an employer-employee relationship. The relationship itself is another key factor. Are the services the worker provides a key aspect of the companys regular business? Officials might look to see how the workers assignments compare to those of a companys full-time staffers. But make sure theyre not doing the same thing as your employees, suggests Michael Boro, a consultant with PwC whose expertise is in workplace issues. Owners can find out more about the governments criteria on the IRS website, www.irs.gov. Companies can be audited randomly, or federal or state officials could be tipped off to possible misclassification in other ways. If theres something suspicious about the 1099 forms sent to independent contractors, the IRS might want to investigate further. State officials often look at unemployment tax payments. If an independent contractor sues the company, the government might want to investigate. Some owners might want to use an independent contractor rather than temporary employee. But the two are not interchangeable, warns Kyle Lawrence, owner of Berkshire Payroll Tax, a Sandisfield, Massachusetts, company that helps businesses comply with employment tax laws. If the worker fits the governments criteria for an employee, a business cant call the worker an independent contractor. Related: Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Commercial Lines Business Insurance Contractors Small Business With U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May refusing to budge from her Brexit position, members of Parliament are proposing a range of amendments demanding a change of direction. Some overlap and some complement each other. The chances of passage depend on how May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn order their lawmakers to vote. Heres a summary of the main options proposed so far. Its up to Parliaments speaker to pick which amendments go to a vote. The Cooper-Boles Delay Labours Yvette Cooper and Conservative Nick Boles are trying to force May to delay Brexit day to avoid crashing out without a deal on March 29. Theyre asking Parliament to vote to change its own rules so that, for one day, it can debate a bill which would require May to seek from the EU an extension of Article 50 until the end of the year. If its approved, these are the key dates to watch: Feb. 5, when the legislation would be debated, and Feb. 26, when May would have to ask for an extension if her deal hasnt been passed. Chance of passing: High, if Labour supports it. Its been signed by several Tories who have recently joined the ranks of rebels and are determined to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Boles told BBC Radio on Monday that it has a great deal of support among ministers and in Cabinet. The latest Parliamentary order paper lists 103 supporters of the amendment. Scrap the Backstop Conservative backbencher Andrew Murrison has submitted two amendments that call for the Irish backstop, the most controversial part of the divorce deal, to be scrapped, or at least rewritten. One calls for a time-limit to be inserted, the other for it to be replaced with alternative arrangements. Rewriting the backstop would make the deal more palatable to a swathe of opponents in the Conservative Party, but the EU has been adamant it wont renegotiate. Graham Brady, a co-sponsor of the second amendment, said it would prove Mays deal isnt dead despite its overwhelming defeat in Parliament earlier this month. If my amendment is carried, she goes back to Brussels and says to them you wanted to know what we can get through the House of Commons: this is it, Brady told BBC Radio. Chance of passing: Medium depending on whether the government backs them. The amendments have gained support from May allies and high-profile Tories, and there have been hints that government support is possible. A similar amendment wasnt selected for a vote earlier this month and theres no guarantee either of these will be. Labours Customs Union Or Second Referendum Corbyn is demanding Parliament hold a vote on different options. His amendment specifies two: staying in a customs union with the European Union (the model Labour favors), and a second exit referendum. Chance of passing: Low. Even Conservative politicians who back a second referendum are unlikely to support something with Corbyns name on it. And the Labour leader still looks more wedded to trying to force a general election. Indicative Votes Labours Hilary Benn, who chairs Parliaments Brexit Committee, wants a series of free-standing votes on the Brexit options, as recommended by his committee. They include a customs union, though not Labours exact model. Chance of passing: Medium to high, depending on whether Labour swings behind it. Give Parliament Control Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, a Conservative and leading campaigner for a second referendum, is asking for six days of Brexit debate over February and March when back-bench members of Parliament are in control. The last of those is March 26, three days before Britains scheduled departure from the EU. Like the Cooper-Boles plan, this is designed to give rank-and-file politicians power to direct next steps, and could provide for a last-ditch attempt to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Chance of passing: Medium to high, if Labour supports it. Its been signed by more than 50 MPs, including Tories who arent habitual rebels. Rule Out No Deal Former Conservative minister Caroline Spelman has teamed up with Labours Jack Dromey to propose an amendment that rules out a no-deal Brexit. Chances of Passing: High, if selected. The House of Commons already indicated in a vote on a Finance Bill amendment this month that a majority of lawmakers oppose a no-deal Brexit. As of Monday, more lawmakers had put their names to this amendment than any other: 129. Article 50 Extension Labours Rachel Reeves, who chairs Parliaments Business Committee, is also calling on May to seek an extension to the Article 50 exit process if she hasnt gotten a deal through Parliament by Feb. 26. Chance of passing: Medium to high, depending again on Labours position. Citizens Assembly Labours Stella Creasy and Lisa Nandy want an extension of Article 50 to allow a 250-member so-called citizens assembly selected to be electorally representative to consider Brexit and make recommendations. Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown has backed the idea in the media. Chance of passing: Very low. Neither Mays Tories nor the Labour Party support it, and its conclusions would likely immediately be challenged by people who disagreed. Still, the model was adopted by Ireland ahead of its referendum on legalizing abortion. Second Referendum Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable is asking for the government to prepare for another Brexit referendum. Chance of passing: Very low. The proposal has only been signed by Liberal Democrats and is unlikely to be called. If it were, with neither main partys leadership backing a referendum, this would do well to get more than 200 votes. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics Legislation Europe Uk Brexit When the man running one of Londons biggest metals brokerages found a new client who wanted to finance large volumes of nickel held in warehouses in Asia, he thought the deal promised major rewards. Less than a year later, he worried that the disastrous decision to go ahead with the trade would cost him his job. Simon van den Born, global head of metals at Marex Spectron, expressed his concerns about Hong Kong-based Come Harvest Holdings on a call with colleagues in January 2017, after it emerged that some of the documents underpinning more than $30 million worth of financing deals with the company were fake, according to court disclosures in London last week. It might look kosher, but it aint fking kosher, van den Born told two colleagues who had been involved in the deal, documents filed by Marexs insurer show. It might cost me my job. The case lays bare the risks of relying on paper receipts, still prevalent in the global metals industry, even after a massive warehousing scam was uncovered in the Chinese port of Qingdao in 2014 that left banks and trading houses facing billions of dollars in losses. The warehouse documents are relied upon to prove every pound of metal involved in a transaction actually exists and who owns it. Marex and representatives for CHH discussed doing deals totaling nearly $600 million over 2016 and 2017, and the brokerage approached French bank Natixis SA to finance the transactions. By the time the fraud was uncovered, Natixis had lent more than $30 million to Marex, which it had in turn passed on to CHH. To date, Marexs efforts to recover the funds from CHH have proven largely unsuccessful, and Natixis is suing Marex to recoup its losses. Marex and Natixis arent the only companies to be caught up. In a separate case in London, commodities brokerage ED&F Man has said its also out of pocket. The link is the little-known Hong Kong-based CHH. In both cases, CHH provided the warehouse receipts that later turned out to be forgeries. ED&F is claiming damages of nearly $300 million from CHH and an associated company known as Mega Wealth International, based out of the same address. There is significant overlap in the background of the two cases, lawyers for CHH said in a letter addressed to the trial judge, which was read out in court Jan. 22. Natixis and other parties to the suit claim that Marex officials had concerns about dealing with CHH and its associate Steven Kao, but signed the contracts anyway. With CHH threatening to pull out unless the deal was concluded quickly, Kevin Nutt, chief operating officer of Marexs metals business, told a colleague in a phone call in late 2016: It just scares the sh-t out of me that theyre putting us under so much pressure for this. Marexs Nutt said: These guys Steven Kao is sitting in that room saying Were dealing in billions of dollars every day. Yknow, hes desperate for $5 million really? CHH honestly and reasonably believed the documents to be genuine, according to its court documents filed in the ED&F Case. CHH Principal Wai Kwok Wong told Marex it was willing to undo the contracts, but didnt have liquid funds available. Marex has so far recovered just $1 million. Our introduction to Come Harvest had come through very strong channels, Nutt said in court. We had also been told that Mr. Wong was a very wealthy Chinese businessman with properties in China which we wouldnt expect to see necessarily in the financial statements of Come Harvest. In its filing, Marex said it simply would not have undertaken the transactions at all if had entertained any material concerns as to the authenticity of the relevant warehouse receipts. Representatives for Marex and Natixis declined to comment. Simon Bushell, a lawyer for Come Harvest Holdings and Mega Wealth International Trading, said: ED&F Mans claims against Come Harvest and Mega Wealth are being vigorously defended. A lawyer for Steven Kao declined to comment. The scandal has also embroiled a Glencore Plc-owned warehousing company that was storing the metal, with Marex alleging that it was involved in the conspiracy. Access World said that the digital copies of receipts underpinning Marexs initial deals appeared genuine, and in later transactions the brokerage flew a courier to Singapore to have documents physically authenticated. Access World confirmed that they were genuine, but when Natixis later took the documents to be tested again after the fraud had come to light, they failed Access Worlds authentication checks. If Access Worlds conduct were not to be fraudulent, there would have to have been a staggering coincidence, Marexs lawyer Alain Choo-Choy said, because Access World was authenticating receipts at the same time as CHH was committing a fraud using those 16 receipts, Choo-Choy said. A representative for Access World declined to comment. At around the same time, Access World uncovered a similar but unrelated fraud involving receipts held by Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. and ED&F Man, setting in motion their efforts to pursue CHH and Mega Wealth for damages in courts in the U.S., Asia and London. There is a sophisticated program going on here and its likely were caught up, Marexs van den Born told colleagues when details of the fraud emerged. We could have a $30 million problem. Related: Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics Lawsuits Fraud London China Officials in Delaware say a data breach at a third-party administrator for health insurance companies has affected five companies and 650 consumers. The Department of Insurance announced Thursday that BenefitMalls Oct. 11 breach has affected five companies in Delaware and 650 of their consumers. Officials say people with health insurance with Highmark BCBS, Aetna, Emblem Health, Humana, or UnitedHealth should monitor their postal mail carefully. Aetna is notifying those impacted by the breach by mail and offering a free subscription to credit and identity monitoring services. Officials say other companies may do the same. Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro says in a statement that the department will conduct further investigations. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Cyber Delaware Many insurance companies use outsourced third-party vendors who receive and manage their data, and oftentimes, its not the insurance organizations security controls that are the most vulnerable, but those of the third-party vendors. Things like blockchain, which would allow us to have more security around our own data and be able to only allow access for certain transactions under smart contracts, could really move us towards being able to break this cycle of really not understanding and being able to control the access and availability of our data, said Westcott. The industry wont just struggle with the emerging risk of how the mass of data coming from an increased use of IoT devices will be secured. Insurance companies operate in a highly regulated environment, which can make it doubly difficult to implement new ways of handling and securing data collected from, for instance, wearable technology devices, into underwriting activities, while making it transparent to regulators whether this new technology didnt lead to an unfair advantage or discriminatory practice. Its a double-edged sword for insurance companies because not only do they have to worry about the security of this new data, but how are we even going to use this? said Westcott, explaining that blockchain could give insurance companies a greater ability to control and secure that data. Under a blockchain environment, its not necessarily raw data that youre sharing or that you are exposing it is some of the insights into your raw data that youre exposing, and thats a big difference. Its different than sending a file that contains all of this data to a third party, to a regulator, to be able to examine. Its a great deal different to allow through smart contracts some information to be exchanged without necessarily exposing the raw data in the process. We really have to examine and now is a great time for us, its the perfect opportunity to start looking at how we actually can be collaborative and more transparent to give us greater security. During a panel on data, privacy and cyber underwriting at the Emerging Risks & Innovation Summit, experts will in part explore the developing regulatory environment around consumer protection and how companies can be responsive in their technology solutions to address this issue when managing data. Instead of looking at this as a problem, look at it as an opportunity, said Westcott, adding that its not just about filling another insurance policy, but actually looking at data in our industry, the usefulness of it and the way we use it, and the way we are able to connect it. I think that having that dialogue is very important. Take a deeper dive into this issue at the Emerging Risks & Innovation Summit in May 2019. National insurer Farmers Insurance recently donated $30,000 to support the Armed Services YMCA San Diego. Through the National Auto Body Councils (NABC) Recycled Rides program, Farmers also donated a refurbished automobile to a military family stationed at nearby Camp Pendleton. In a special ceremony, Farmers presented the family with keys to a car restored by local technicians. The technicians also tapped local businesses, who contributed gifts, toys and certificates to stuff the trunk with additional surprises for the family. In addition to this, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield the BCBS company serving Washington, DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia is making an extra $1 million contribution to FEEA as well as $500,000 in donations to food banks and human service organizations in the area. For nearly six decades, FEP has been a steadfast partner to federal workers and their families, providing the security and stability that comes with health insurance, and helping them achieve good health and well-being, said William A. Breskin, senior vice president of government programs for BCBSA. This contribution is a natural extension of what we do and who we are, and furthers our mission of protecting members and their families from financial hardship. We are honored and value greatly the generous commitment of the Blue Cross Blue Shield companies during this extraordinary time of need for many government employees and their families, said Joyce Warner, executive director for FEEA. We know many families were living paycheck to paycheck even before the shutdown. Not having their normal pay has been devastating to many families. Just as we have partnered for decades with FEP to provide relief and support to these families, we are thrilled to be able to provide special focus in this time of greater need. This is very on brand for Shameless, but Im still waiting for the show to give us a sense of what Santiago is thinking and feeling. We know how traumatizing it is for children to be separated from their parents in an unfamiliar country no less but outwardly Santiago appears confident and well adjusted aside from his compulsion to pick up a broom and clean every time he walks into a roomful of white people. (A habit were meant to assume was drilled into him at the ICE facility? Or something else?) With five episodes left, lets hope the show gives us Santiagos inner monologue as well. Bates comments come in the run up to the inaugural Claims Tech Summit, which is set to take place in Sydney later this year. There, she will be joined by a host of other industry professionals to discuss the major trends and risks of the rapidly evolving sector. Often tech investments will go hand in hand with some efficiency benefit, but if efficiency is your sole motivator and the benefits arent flowing to the customer in terms of improved speed, accuracy and experience, it is likely your investments wont deliver on the customer experience in the short or long term, Bates tells Insurance Business. With technology putting more power and choice in the hands of consumers, the stakes are higher than ever when it comes to getting technology investments right. For Zurich, this means approaching technology with one major question in mind what technology experiences are customers having as retail consumers that they will soon come to expect from a commercial insurance provider? For example, most postal and courier companies let you track your deliveries online in real-time, so it makes sense that you should be able to track the progress of your insurance claim in the same way, Bates tells Insurance Business. To meet that expectation, Zurich rolled out a system dubbed Z-Track which lets customers track the progress of their claims, and opt-in to automatic email notifications. The firm is also in the process of investing in a new claims platform. By partnering with an experienced provider and ensuring the subject matter experts working in the project team are from the business, have a depth of knowledge and are keen to bring about change, the team is ensuring we simplify how we manage a claim to ensure the resulting customer experience is positive, she says. The Berowra forum was held to provide Suncorp customers with an update on progress, address any queries or concerns, as well as allow them to discuss their claims with client managers face-to-face. We know we need to communicate better and be more transparent about how we respond to natural disasters, so we took the initiative to invite customers to the forum and give them the opportunity to speak directly with us, said Gary Dransfield, Suncorp Insurance CEO. We had more than 60 customers attend this forum, and based on the positive feedback were already looking at when we can come back to meet with more of our customers in the area. Dransfield said Suncorp was aiming to have 80% of all the hailstorm-related roof repairs underway by the end of April and 80% of car repairs scheduled by the end of July. The insurance boss also warned about unauthorised tradespeople who are out to con affected customers. While weve seen this behaviour in previous events, particularly hailstorms, were noticing these scammers becoming more sophisticated in their approach, Dransfield said. Some are going so far as replicating vehicle signage to impersonate authorised builders. Dransfield also echoed the Insurance Councils advice to customers about the use of claims advisors or advocates. Our systems are designed for customers to work with us directly, but they can choose to use external advisers, such as claims advocates, at any time, Dransfield said. Our experience is there are two types of advocates the ones that work in the best interest of the customer and those that are leveraging already-vulnerable customers for their own commercial gain. Given this, it is very important that customers are aware of the risks associated with engaging a third party that proactively approaches them, as there will be a cost and it is not covered by the policy. Suncorp will host more community forums in the coming months. ICWA is sponsoring the Excellence Innovation category, which rewards a person, team, or organisation that has developed new or different approaches that improve outcomes for people with disability. Innovation is key to ensuring that the disability sector continues to deliver positive outcomes to people with disability, increasing independence, and reducing care costs, said Kane Blackman, commission secretary at the ICWA. This is particularly important to the Insurance Commission given our critical role of providing care and compensation to claimants injured in motor-vehicle crashes and at work. We encourage nominations from people with disability, families, carers, and staff in disability sector organisations. Other award categories include Excellence in Home and Family Support, Excellence in Supporting Social Inclusion, Excellence in Improving Employment Opportunities, Excellence in Regional Support, Excellence in Advocacy and Rights Promotion, Excellence in Innovation, and Excellence in Leadership. Finalists and winners will be announced at a gala dinner at Crown Perth on May 11, with winners for each category to receive a cash prize of $2,000 and a trophy. Prior to that, Garrity was strategic customer and broker relationship director at Royal Sun Alliance, also in Singapore. He was also chief executive officer and chief operating officer at Lockton Companies. In Nick, IGI has identified a proven industry expert, who will be able to provide immediate strong leadership and strategic direction to the groups plans for growth in Asia, said Wasef Jabsheh, chief executive officer of IGI. In the reinsurance space we have grown organically by attracting top talent, and Nicks expertise in generating growth by creating and retaining high-calibre teams in cross-cultural environments will be key to IGI further building scale in Asia. IGI is an international specialist re/insurer founded in Amman, Jordan in 2001. It is registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre and has offices in London, Bermuda, Amman, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, and Casablanca. Local Twin Cities artists Enzyrose, Eyenga Bokamba, Noah Lawrence-Holder, LeShon Lee, and Meadow Gillispie, talk about their reaction to the murder of George Floyd, the trial of Derek Chauvin, and life as a black artist during this time. It's just fantastic to see an artist who's now in his mid-60s being able to do something so different, Witkovsky said. It does go back to the root of certain things, but you know, it's black and white, which he did once before, recently, but (otherwise) hadn't worked that way for decades. It's gelatin silver printing, which he hadn't done for decades. It's landscape, which he has done in the merest way, but really not at all that anyone would know. And it's not urban. Woodbridge, VA (22192) Today Intervals of clouds and sunshine in the morning with more clouds for later in the day. High 91F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 71F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. The Latest from Barchart Sign up to receive your Watchlist or Portfolio sent to you by email up to 4 times a day; available at market open, mid-day, market close or end-of-day. Premier Members can also receive the results of custom Screeners - alerting to price or trend changes during and after each trading day. Sign up for a risk-free 30-day Barchart Premier trial. Agriculture, biodiversity, climate change, water resources the list of challenges currently facing planet earth is long and weighty. But new technologies can play a key role in helping society devise sustainable solutions to these pressing issues. Here, artificial intelligence (AI) offers a whole range of new and unforeseen approaches, and the aim must now be to exploit this potential. CeRRI has been commissioned by Microsoft to organize a new forum at the crossroads between AI and sustainability. To be held on February 12 13, EarthLab will bring together AI experts and pioneers in environmental protection and sustainability. Their collaborative brief will be to examine the opportunities for new AI implementation scenarios, in a dialog process specially designed to generate new ideas for AI applications that serve to protect the planet. Ideally, this will lead not only to AI-based solutions that serve the common good, but also to the development of methods and strategies that substantiate how AI can be used to tackle the problems facing society. The forum is supported by an advisory board with members from industry, science and research, politics and civil society. In the wake of the event, there will also be the opportunity to apply for grants from the Microsoft AI for Earth program. AI and sustainability: using one to promote the other AI is based on the processing of huge amounts of data and an analysis of their complex interrelations. It has manifold applications across many areas. To harness this potential in the service of a greater sustainability, a broad spectrum of expertise and skills in the relevant fields needs to be linked together. This is precisely what EarthLab will do. To achieve a sustainable future, we must tailor technology to the needs of society, to the challenges we face as a society, and to the attainment of sustainability targets, says Simone Kaiser, deputy director of CERRI at Fraunhofer IAO in Berlin. And for that, we need an intensive dialog between experts from different fields. If we are to take on the task of shaping our future, we need new methods and new strategies. EarthLab shows us how to do this. AI solutions for greater sustainability depend on new forms of innovation On a more general level, we need to be asking how innovation can be tailored more closely to the needs of society and to ethical concerns. In order to tap the potential of new technologies such as AI and help create a more sustainable future, it is important to take into account diverse perspectives and different stakeholders, and to get society involved in this discussion at an early stage, Kaiser says. For those interested in taking a closer look at EarthLab, an evening event is being held on February 12 at 6.30 pm in Microsofts Digital Eatery in Berlin: Erde an KI?! Neue Ideen fur unseren Planeten (Earth to AI! Any New Ideas for our Planet?) As well as providing a taster of the latest sustainable AI solutions, the program also features keynotes from Dirk Meyer (German Federal Ministry for the Environment), Marco Vollmar (WWF), and Alma Cardenas (Microsoft). Simone Kaiser Deputy Head of Research Unit Responsible Research and Innovation Team Leader Societal Trends and Technology Fraunhofer IAO Hardenbergstr. 20 10623 Berlin Phone +49 30 6807969-22 E-Mail: simone.kaiser@iao.fraunhofer.de Johann Jakob Hauermann Societal Trends and Technology Fraunhofer IAO Hardenbergstr. 20 10623 Berlin Phone +49 30 6807969-299 E-Mail: johann-jakob.haeussermann@iao.fraunhofer.de https://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/press-and-media/latest-news/1410-earthlab- https://www.cerri.iao.fraunhofer.de/de/projekte/AktuelleProjekte/earth-lab-micro https://www.microsoft-berlin.de/artikel/erde-an-ki-mit-kunstlicher-intelligenz-z Insurance fraud seems like it might be an easy thing to do. Insurance companies are often so huge, one wonders how they might not even notic... John Kapoor, founder of Chandler, Arizona-based Insys Therapeutics Inc., has said he committed no crimes and believes he will be vindicated at trial. (Insys Therapeutics photo) The movie delivers, in its chosen way. But its a soulless way. The violence may be for laughs, and many Neeson fans will likely respond to the larky brutality of Cold Pursuit, which is very different from the stars previous mid-winter vehicles (The Grey is my favorite). But I dont get much psychic recreation from this sort of action movie. In the original, Stellan Skarsgard played the avenging snow angel, and with him, at least, you got the sense of a solid if vaguely unsettling citizen unraveling, by degrees, one killing at a time. With Neeson its different: Hes like the wedge at the front of his own plow, taking care of business efficiently, and not for a moment anything resembling human. From fights over chicken biryani to being served bad rasam, it seems, in India, weddings seem to get called of for the weirdest and the most frivolous reasons. ALSO READ: Man Calls Off His Wedding Because The Bride's Family Served Bad Sambhar And Rasam To His Guests And now again, another wedding was called off after the bride refused to cover her head during the ceremonies. The bride-to-be, Varsha Sonawa, was planning to wear an evening gown but the groom's family took objection to that insisting she wear a saree. They further added they wanted Varsha to cover her head. Reuters But after the bride-to-be refused their demands, an argument broke out between both families. The incident took place in Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, where Varsha and Vallabh Pancholi were to get married, reports India Today. Reuters ALSO READ: Wedding Called Off Over Chicken Biryani! Turns out, Varsha is a government servant and Vallabh Pancholi a civil engineer, and probably that makes it more disheartening: they let such a frivolous matter come in between them. Things got to a point where both the families reached the police station. According to the report, police officials rushed to the police station to mediate between the two parties. But nothing seemed to work as the couple finally called off their wedding. A pilot who was released from Bangladesh Air Force in 1993 because of his mental condition including depression was in charge of the US-Bangla Airlines Flight BS211 which crashed in Kathmandus Tribhuvan International Airport on March 12, 2018, killing 51 people, a probe has found. According to the findings of the Accident Investigation Commission, loss of situational awareness of crew member caused the mishap. AFP/FILE The commission which examined the medical records of the PIC (pilot in command) found that in 2002 Abid Sultan was cleared to fly civilian aircraft after the medical examiners did not find any symptoms of stress and depression on him. However the investigators have concluded that Sultan was going through tremendous personal mental stress and anxiety, and a series of erroneous decisions on his part led to the crash, Kathmandu Post reported. The Pilot in Command (PIC) was also flying the plane under stress and was emotionally disturbed as he felt that the female colleague of the company questioned his reputation as a good instructor. This together with the failure on the part of both the crew to follow the standard operating procedure at the critical stage of the flight contributed to loss of situational awareness to appreciate the deviation of the aircraft from its intended radial that disabled them sighting the runway, the report said. AFP/ FILE They also found that Sultan had been smoking cigarettes frequently during the hour-long flight from Dhaka, a habit that the pilot who had clocked more than 5,500 flying hours, had not disclosed to the airlines. The report further added that minutes before the crash Sultan had stated that the planes landing gear was down and locked but co-pilot found that the landing gears were not down. This has led the investigators to believe that Sultan was unaware of the surrounding. AP/ FILE This loss of situational awareness indulged the PIC into some dangerous manoeuvres of the aircraft at a very low altitude in the hilly and mountainous terrain around TIA. Finally, when the crew sighted the runway, they were very low and too close to runway 20 and not properly aligned with the runway, the report added. The flight crashed on its second landing attempt, killing as many as 51 people on board. Have you planned you travel destinations for this year yet? If not here is one you should you should consider - Kerala. According to CNN Travel, Kerala is one of the 19 best places to visit in 2019. Kerala is the only tourist destination from India that has made it to the list which includes Christchurch in New Zealand, Egypt, Fukuoka in Japan, Ghana, Grand Canyon in US, Hawaii Island in US, the Hebrides in Scotland, Jaffa in Israel, Liechtenstein, Lima in Peru, New York City, Normandy in France, Oaxaca in Mexico, Oman, Plovdiv in Bulgaria, St. Barts in French West Indies, Space Coast in Florida and Weimar in Germany. BCCL "This area of India has it all: sun, sea, sand, good food, houseboats, culture and wildlife. Its spectacular natural landscapes -- think palm trees and sprawling backwaters -- lend the region the nickname "God's Own Country," this is how CNN's list described Kerala. BCCL Last year, Kerala Lonely Planet had awarded the Best destination for families award to Kerala. BCCL The state which received as many as 1,46,73,520 domestic tourists in 2017 and industry generated an income of Rs 8,392.11 crore. However, 2018 was not an ideal year for the state, which was hit by a massive flood in August. According to Kerala Tourism, there was an estimated dip of 18.46% and 12.56% in the previous year. We all have heard stories of heroism quite often. But this episode is somewhat different. Last week, a Telangana bus driver, Darini Mahender was having a normal day ferrying his passengers until he started feeling breathless. According to The Hindu, the driver with 50 passengers on board thought he could withstand the pain and drive to the nearby hospital. However, his pain didn't subside and he collapsed on the steering wheel. He was writhing in severe pain but ensured he stopped the bus to safety. Photo: BCCL/Representative Image One of the passengers was a doctor who immediately rushed to the driver's rescue providing first-aid. On the other hand, his fellow passengers called the ambulance but to no avail. With each passing minute critical for the driver, another driver, Tirupathi, volunteered to drive the bus to the nearest hospital. Photo: BCCL/Representative Image On reaching the nearest hospital, there were no doctors nor medical equipment. Sensing emergency, other passengers of the bus decided to pool in money to book an ambulance for Rs. 2000 as the money collected from the ticket fare was insufficient. Mahender finally reached the hospital and timely action by the passengers helped him come out of danger. Such acts make us realise how one act of kindness can create a chain reaction. The Ayodhya case hearing has been deferred once again and will not take place on January 29 due to unavailability of Justice S.A Bobde. The announcement was made via a circular released by the top court on Sunday. A five judge bench was due to hear the politically contentious Ayodhya case. Ayodhya case won't be taken up for hearing by the 5-judge constitution bench of Supreme Court on January 29 due to the non-availability of Justice SA Bobde pic.twitter.com/wzuJsBjwSJ ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2019 This comes two days after the apex court had reconstituted the five judge bench by including Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Abdul Nazeer in the case. Along with these two, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice S A Bobde and D Y Chandrachud are also supposed to hear the matter. PTI reported that Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Abdul Nazeer were brought in to replace Justice UU Lalit and Justice NV Ramana as both of them were a part of the three-judge bench, headed by former CJI Deepak Misra. The three judge bench had refused to refer the matter to a five-judge Constitution bench by a 2:1 verdict in September last year. Reportedly, former CJI Misra had rejected a plea for constitution of a five judge bench in this case given the significance of communities. AFP/ File The newly constituted bench was expected to meet later this month not for a hearing but to draw up a schedule for the hearing. No further date has been set for the matter. On January 10, the SC had moved the hearing to January 29 after Justice UU Lalit recused himself from hearing the case after advocate Rajeev Dhavan pointed out that he had appeared as a counsel for BJP leader Kalyan Singh (former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh who was allegedly known for his role in Babri Masjid demolition). Photo: AP As per PTI, the bench in its order had said that there are 120 issues framed by the Allahabad High Court, 88 witnesses, testimonies running into 13,886 pages, 257 other documents, High Court judgment into 4,304 printed pages and 8,533 typed pages, and original records lying in 15 sealed trunks in a locked room. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court had divided the disputed land in Ayodhya into three parts for each of the parties, the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. The hearing on this case is pending before the apex court for the last eight years. A long standing demand of the Indian diaspora living across the globe could finally become a reality. The government has reportedly asked national carrier Air India to introduce a 'flat rate' for transporting bodies from abroad.Until now, the charges were levied on the basis of the weight of the body, including the coffin. Read More. Here's More Top News For The Day: 1) Meet India's 'Gau Rakshak' From Germany Who Received The Padma Shri For Looking After 1,800 Cows A 61 year old German woman who has been appreciated in the past for giving shelter to sick, abandoned and injured cows. Friederike Irina Bruning who is popularly known as gau mata ki aashraydaatri was conferred with the fourth highest civilian honour-Padma Shri for her unceasing efforts towards animal welfare. Read More. 2) 70-Year-Old Unwell Man Carried On Shoulders For 9 Kms To Hospital As Snowfall Blocked Roads In Himachal A senior citizen had to be carried on shoulders to the nearest hospital that was 9 kilometres away as heavy snowfall had blocked all roads in Himachal Pradesh. No vehicle could run after heavy snowfall blocked arterial roads in Mandi and the neighbouring areas. The elderly man had to be carried for 9 kilometres, from Kal Chham village in Saraj valley to Chakudhar, the nearest health centre, said locals. Read More. 3) How's The Josh? Ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Asks In First Public Speech In Months Goa's Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar made his first public speech on Sunday, ever since he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year. On Sunday, in his first public event, Parrikar was present at the event in Panaji to inaugurate a cable-stayed bridge on the Mandovi river. Read More. 4) He Received Excellence Award On Republic Day, Hours Later He Was Stripped Off His Post As Uttarakhand Education Officer Almoras Chief Education Officer Jagmohan Sonis win at Republic Day was just a flash-in-the-pan. Hours after he was conferred with the Chief Ministers award for excellence and good governance in education, he was removed from his post on grounds of corruption charges. Read More. 5) Jaywalkers To Blame As They Comprise 53% Of Total Deaths On Mumbai Railway Tracks In 2018 According to Government Railway police (GRP) data, out of a total of 2,981 deaths on Mumbais suburban railway network last year, 1,619 cases were of people hit by trains while crossing tracks. Read More. The clouds of controversies might continue to hover over Karan Johar's chat show but one fact that can't be turned down is- it's one of India's most entertaining chat shows. The show is in its sixth season and even though there have been a few hits and misses with controversies, the upcoming episodes look quite promising. In today's episode, KJo will brew another cup of piping hot Koffee with some gossip and anecdotes and two stars in the spotlight today would be Bhumi Pednekar and Rajkummar Rao. Known for their unconventional choice of roles and delivering some memorable performances, both actors will grace KJo's couch today. Star World India As per videos of what's stored for us in tonight's episode, it looks like one hell of a ride. While Rajkummar Rao took to Twitter to share his thoughts about the episode, he wrote: I love coffee but this Koffee was special. Had a great time with the most wonderful Karan Johar and the brilliant Bhumi Pednekar on Koffee With Karan today. Bhumi too looked pretty pepped up about her debut on the show. She wrote, Had a great cup of coffee today with my favorite Karan Johar and the brilliant Rajkummar Rao. Fun fun fun. A lot of secrets will be unveiled and Pednekar, who started her journey as a casting assistant, reveals the names of stars who she had auditioned during her beginning days. Star India KJo would ask, Have you auditioned any people who are actors today? and she will spill the beans and reveal names like Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda, Kriti Sanon, Pareeniti Chopra and Ranveer Singh. Well, there is another name on the list and that's e Rajkummar Rao. Pednekar went on to add how she applauded Parineeti Chopra when she was auditioning for Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. Talking about his choice of films, Rajkummar Rao added that for him, choosing film for a script is more important than money. He added that he has never chosen a film just for the sake of money. Well, just a few hours to go before we see all this madness! This one looks like one joyful ride that we wouldn't want to miss. Agree? Aamir Khan is an excited father as he is looking forward to his eldest son Junaid's Bollywood debut. While Junaid has been someone who has always consciously made an efforts to stay away from the spotlight, not many know that he has been studying acting for a long time. Twitter Aamir Khan had invited journalists on Sunday at his residence in Mumbai to talk about his production venture Rubaru Roshni. Helmed by Svati Chakravarty Bhatkal, the documentary will revolve around three unbelievable and compelling stories of forgiveness. Agencies Talking to media, Aamir Khan was quizzed about upcoming plans for his son to which he said, Agencies He has studied acting and has been doing theatre for more than a year. But I believe in the power of screen test. So Junaid would have to go through the grind and prove himself. As a father, my only advice to him is that he should play leads but only those that are characters. This is a rule I follow and really believe in. More than being a hero, you need to live a character on screen. Thats the joy of acting. He further added that he's proud of the fact that he has pulled off characters that have managed to stay in the hearts of people. He added, In my three decades in the industry, no fan has ever called out to me by my name in public. It has always been the last character that I have played on screen. I really feel good about it. That shows that my characters have left a mark." During the interaction, Aamir was asked if we will ever get to see a biopic on his life to which he had an interesting reply. Talking about the possibilities of who could reprise his role in his biopic, he took his son Junaid's name. He said, I think Junaid (his son) can do it. He might be a good choice. Plans call for TCF to merge into Chemical Financial, and the combined holding company and bank will operate under the TCF name and brand. The company will have more than 500 branches in nine states, with "significant operation centers" including Minneapolis and Chicago. remaining of Thank you for Reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Send to Email Address Your Name Your Email Address Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Email check failed, please try again Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. I spent a lot of time practicing especially when I was in high school. I would practice every day. Id go to school and build a project to practice for the masonry contest every single day. Sometimes Id build two or three a day. Id go to school and Id build one and sometimes two at school and then Id come home and build another one some days and it really pays off when you win." CONCORD- On January 22, the Concord Police Department held their first Spanish speaking Crime & Safety Briefing at Barber-Scotia College in collaboration with El Puente Hispano, and with the participation of more than 100 members of the Latino community. Concord Police Chief Gacek and his command staff were present at this event, along with some of their Spanish speaking officers. Concord Police has been holding these meetings with the mainstream community every six months for the last 3 years with the purpose of providing the community with information about what they have been doing, and how well they have been doing it. On this occasion, Sgt. Ramon Gonzalez did precisely that, but in Spanish. He presented the crime statistics and all the information pertaining to the departments performance for the last year to a very interested crowd. This was also an opportunity for the community to voice their concerns and ask questions. I realized several months ago that we were not doing a good enough job of communicating with the entire community. You are a part of our community, and the language barrier that may exist between us is not a sufficient reason to ignore your desire to be informed. Said Chief Gacek. The top US envoy in Venezuela has been meeting officials of President Nicolas Maduros government to try to ease heightened tensions, despite the two countries having cut ties, according to officials in Caracas. Foreign minister Jorge Arreaza appeared on state TV holding up photos of US charge daffaires James Story and a senior Venezuelan government official as proof. We are acting in good faith from Venezuela, Mr Arreaza said. We aspire to see the US also co-operate in good faith. The two countries broke relations last week after US President Donald Trump recognised opposition legislator Juan Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate leader, even as embattled socialist Mr Maduro holds the reins of power. Expand Close Juan Guaido during mass at a church in Caracas (Rodrigo Abd/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Juan Guaido during mass at a church in Caracas (Rodrigo Abd/AP) In the ensuing stand-off, US officials have labelled Mr Maduro a dictator and called for him to step down, while he has accused the White House of leading a coup to overthrow him and plunder Venezuelas oil and gold resources. Mr Maduro recalled Venezuelan diplomats from the US and ordered all US embassy staff out of the country, but later backtracked to try to open a dialogue over the issue. Mr Arreaza said Mr Story met Venezuelan government officials over four consecutive days last week, including Wednesday, the day Mr Guaido declared himself interim president, sparking violent clashes between demonstrators and the National Guard. The communications are aimed at creating an open dialogue between the US and Mr Maduros government, Mr Arreaza said. The US Justice Department has unsealed criminal charges against Chinese tech giant Huawei, two of its subsidiaries and a senior executive, accused of misleading banks about the companys business and violating US sanctions. The company is also charged in a separate case with stealing trade secrets from T-Mobile, according to federal prosecutors. Prosecutors are seeking to extradite the companys chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, and allege she committed fraud by misleading banks about Huaweis business dealings in Iran. She was arrested on December 1 in Canada. Expand Close Meng Wanzhou (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Meng Wanzhou (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press/AP) As I told high-level Chinese law enforcement officials in August, we need more law enforcement co-operation with China, acting attorney general Matt Whitaker said at a news conference. China should be concerned about criminal activities by Chinese companies, and China should take action. US prosecutors say Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom to sell equipment in Iran in violation of US sanctions. Meng misled US banks into believing the two companies were separate, according to the Justice Department. Expand Close Acting attorney general Matt Whitaker (Jacquelyn Martin/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Acting attorney general Matt Whitaker (Jacquelyn Martin/AP) As you can tell from the number and magnitude of the charges, Huawei and its senior executives repeatedly refused to respect US law and standard international business practices, said FBI director Chris Wray. Huawei is the worlds biggest supplier of network gear used by phone and internet companies and has long been seen as a front for spying by the Chinese military or security services. Prosecutors also allege that Huawei stole trade secrets, including the technology behind a robotic device T-Mobile used to test smartphones, prosecutors said. A jury in Seattle ruled that Huawei had misappropriated the robotic technology from T-Mobiles lab in Washington state. The Huawei case has set off a diplomatic spat with the three nations, which has threatened to complicate ties between the US and Canada. President Donald Trump said he would get involved in the Huawei case if it would help produce a trade agreement with China, and said in December that he would intervene if I thought it was necessary. A UN human rights expert has arrived in Turkey for a visit related to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard and her team of experts on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara. Turkeys official Anadolu news agency said they are also expected to meet the countrys justice minister and the Istanbul prosecutor heading the investigation. Expand Close Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (Hasan Jamali/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (Hasan Jamali/AP) Mr Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who wrote critically about the Saudi crown prince, was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2. His remains have still not been found. Turkish officials have called for an international investigation and complained of a lack of co-operation by Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has charged 11 people over the killing and is seeking the death penalty against five of them. SThrees profit is on the up (PA) Recruitment specialist SThree booked rising sales and profits in 2018 following strong growth in Continental Europe and the US. The group posted a 13% rise in revenue to 1.25 billion in the year to November 30, while pre-tax profits jumped 20% to 47 million. Gross profit, SThrees preferred measure, rose 12% to 321.1 million. The group continued to make good progress throughout 2018Gary Elden, SThree's outgoing chief executive The performance was driven by Germany and the Netherlands, which together saw growth of 20%, whilst the US was up 8%. However, in the UK and Ireland, where Brexit has taken its toll on the hiring market, gross profit fell 5% to 53.1 million. As well as the impact on recruitment, SThree flagged ongoing uncertainty surrounding the potential outcomes of Brexit that could trigger an impairment risk in 2019 or future periods. Outgoing chief executive Gary Elden said: The group continued to make good progress throughout 2018. This resulted in a strong financial performance which, demonstrating our resilience, was delivered despite the ongoing macro-economic and political uncertainties. We are on track with the delivery of the five-year plan as set out at the November 2017 Capital Market Day. Looking forward to the year ahead, our post-year end trading is in line with expectations and we remain well positioned to benefit from the growth opportunities in our chosen STEM markets. Investigators work the scene of a shooting in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, which left five people dead in two parishes. Photo: AP A Louisiana man who authorities say killed five people, including his own parents, was caught yesterday following a day-long manhunt that spanned multiple states. Dakota Theriot (21) shot and killed his girlfriend, her father and her brother before driving to a neighbouring county, where he killed his parents, authorities said. Theriot then drove more than 1,600km north-east to Richmond County in Virginia, where he was arrested early yesterday. Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said the rampage began shortly before 9am on Saturday, when authorities in Livingston Parish, east of Baton Rouge, received a 911 call about three victims who had been shot. Those victims were the suspect's girlfriend, Summer Earnest (20), her father, Billy Earnest (43), and her younger brother, Tanner Earnest (17). Mr Ard said there were two children inside the home, aged seven and one. They were not harmed. Theriot then stole Billy Earnest's 2004 Dodge pickup truck and drove to Ascension Parish, about 50km away, and shot his parents, Elizabeth and Keith Theriot, both 50, inside their trailer, authorities said. Expand Close Shooting suspect Dakota Theriot. Photo: AP / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Shooting suspect Dakota Theriot. Photo: AP Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre said the suspect's father was still alive when officers arrived and was able to tell them that his son had shot him. Dakota Theriot previously lived with his parents before they asked him to leave a couple of weeks ago, authorities said. He then moved in with his girlfriend and her family. Authorities said they had just started dating. After the shooting, Theriot drove for 16 hours overnight to Warsaw, Virginia, where his grandmother lives. When he arrived, two deputies were at the house. ( Washington Post) University of Chicago Medicine is reaching out to patients with clinic appointments during the cold weather to see if theyd like to reschedule their visits. It will also accommodate employees who wish to stay overnight during the worst of the weather, said spokeswoman Ashley Heher, in an email. Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan president, yesterday dismissed an ultimatum from five European countries giving him eight days to call new elections, describing the move as "complete insolence". Britain, France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands said on Saturday that if Mr Maduro did not call a vote within that time-frame, they would join others in formally recognising the head of Venezuela's parliament as the legitimate president. In his first interview since the intense leadership struggle began last week, Mr Maduro branded the European ultimatum a "mistake". "Venezuela is not tied to Europe. This is complete insolence," he told CNN's Turkish channel. Regional powers such as the US, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Argentina announced last week that they would recognise Juan Guaido as the legitimate president after the 35-year-old opposition leader swore himself into office at a rally in Caracas. But other countries, such as Russia, China, Iran, Syria, Cuba and Turkey, have come out in support of Mr Maduro, accusing Washington of leading an imperialist intervention in the South American nation. On Saturday, Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, told the UN that countries must "pick a side", urging them to also recognise Mr Guaido. "We call on all members of the Security Council to support Venezuela's democratic transition and interim president Guaido's role," he said. The battle for international loyalties mirrors an arguably more crucial one within Venezuela's government and military ranks. Mr Guaido has been calling for the armed forces to defect, and while the top brass has remained firm, on Saturday a leading military envoy to the US announced his defection. In a video recorded at the embassy in Washington, Col Jose Luis Silva said called on "my brothers in the armed forces" to recognise Mr Guaido "as the only legitimate president". He told Reuters that a consular official in Houston and another in a US city also recognised Mr Guaido. The opposition leader said that "many more" Venezuelan diplomatic staff around the world had promised to shift allegiance to him. Mr Guaido claims that the re-election of Mr Maduro in May was a sham, and as he was not sworn in by the national assembly, but instead the government-stacked supreme court, he does not have constitutional legitimacy as president. According to sources, Mr Guaido plans to seek funding from the IMF for his parallel government. But he will need more defections at home to ultimately move into the Miraflores presidential palace. Yesterday, opposition politicians led local communities in approaching military barracks and handing over a proposal for amnesty for crimes committed during the rule of Mr Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez. Meanwhile, Mr Maduro attended army exercises, met with troops and watched as tanks fired into a hillside. ( Daily Telegraph London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] A 21-year-old man suspected of killing his parents and three other people was arrested when he drove up with a gun to his grandmothers house in Virginia on Sunday, a sheriff said. Dakota Theriot shot and killed three people the woman believed to be his girlfriend, her brother and father in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, before taking her fathers truck, driving to neighbouring Ascension Parish and shooting his parents, according to authorities. Expand Close Dakota Theriot (Richmond County Sheriffs Office/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dakota Theriot (Richmond County Sheriffs Office/AP) At a trailer where the parents lived, drops of blood trailed out to the front steps from the bedroom where Keith and Elizabeth Theriot were shot. In the bedroom, blood soaked pillows were strewn on the bed and patches of what appeared to be dried blood were on the floor. Dozens of stuffed animals decorated the room. Kim Mincks and Jacob Chastant also lived in the trailer and were friends with the Theriots. Ms Mincks was in the house at the opposite end of the trailer when the shooting happened but did not hear anything. Law enforcement officers came into her room on Saturday morning and woke her. Expand Close Kim Mincks reacts inside her home (Gerald Herbert/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kim Mincks reacts inside her home (Gerald Herbert/AP) They said something terrible happened here, get up, get dressed and walk outside, she recalled them saying. Ms Mincks and Mr Chastant said Theriot had struggled with drugs over the years, had violent outbursts and had recently been kicked out of the trailer. We know he had a drug problem, she said. He got kicked out last Monday because of the drug problem. His dad kicked him out of here. He did have a violent streak. Theriots grandmother in Warsaw, Virginia, had checked into a hotel on Saturday night, fearing he might show up there, Richmond County Sheriff Stephan B Smith said in a phone interview. The woman asked authorities to check her house on Sunday morning to make sure it was safe before she returned. While deputies were there, Mr Smith said, Theriot drove up with a firearm pointed out the window of a pickup truck. A sheriffs statement said deputies sought cover and challenged Theriot, who then dropped the gun and was arrested without incident. He said the pickup Theriot drove to his grandmothers house was apparently the one taken in Louisiana. Expand Close Investigators at the scene of a shooting in Ascension Parish (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Investigators at the scene of a shooting in Ascension Parish (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate/AP) Theriot will be brought back to Ascension Parish to be booked on two counts of first-degree murder, home invasion and illegal use of weapons, a statement by Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre and Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said. Authorities have identified the victims in Livingston Parish as Billy Ernest, 43; Tanner Ernest, 17, and Summer Ernest, 20. Mr Ard said Summer and Theriot were in a relationship and he had been living with her family for a few weeks. Authorities said earlier that Keith Theriot survived the shooting long enough to let them know who shot him. According to Mr Webre, officials got a dying declaration from him, and only enough information to let us know that it was his son that committed this act. Laura Plummer has been locked up in an Egyptian jail for almost a month A British woman jailed in Egypt after painkillers were discovered in her luggage has been released. Laura Plummer, 34, from Hull, was sentenced to three years in prison on December 26 2017 for taking 290 Tramadol tablets into the country. The shop worker applied for and was granted early release after serving a third of her sentence. Ms Plummer told The Sun: "My two-week holiday in the sun turned into a nightmare." She added: "I'm so happy to be going home. I mean, who goes on holiday for two weeks and then stays 14 months? "I just wish I wasn't being deported. But I promise you - I'll never set foot in an airport again." Ms Plummer was arrested at the airport on October 9 2017 when she flew into the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. She claimed she was taking the tablets - which are legal in the UK but banned in Egypt - for her Egyptian partner Omar Caboo, who suffers from severe back pain, and had no idea what she was doing was wrong. The Plummer family has previously said Ms Plummer had no idea that what she doing was illegal and was just "daft". They said she did not try to hide the medicine, which she had been given by a friend, and she thought it was a joke when she was pulled over by officials after arriving for a holiday with her partner. Mrs Sinclair said her daughter was being held in terrible conditions in a communal cell with no beds, sharing with up to 25 other women. A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "Our staff continue to do all they can to support Laura and her family, and our Embassy remains in regular contact with the Egyptian authorities." A soldier inside the church after the bomb attack in Jolo, the Philippines. Photo: Reuters The Philippines vowed to destroy those behind twin bombings that killed 20 people during a Sunday church service in the country's restive south, six days after a referendum on autonomy for the mainly Muslim region returned an overwhelming Yes vote. The attack wounded 81 and was one of the deadliest in recent years in a region long plagued by instability. It came amid hope and excitement about the ratification of a devolution plan that aims to bring development, jobs and peace to one of Asia's poorest and most volatile places. The first explosion went off inside the cathedral on Jolo island, in Sulu province, and was followed by a second blast outside, which was detonated as security forces raced to the scene, officials said. "The enemies of the state have boldly challenged the capability of the government to secure the safety of the citizenry in that region," said Salvador Panelo, spokesman of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. "The armed forces of the Philippines will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals." There was no immediate claim of responsibility but police suspect the bombings were the work of Abu Sayyaf, a militant group that has pledged allegiance to Isil and is notorious for its bombings and brutality. "They want to show force and sow chaos," national police chief Oscar Albayalde told DZMM radio, suggesting that Abu Sayyaf was the prime suspect. Jolo is a stronghold of the group, which runs a lucrative piracy and kidnapping operation that successive governments have failed to break up. The group, which operates in the waters and islands of western Mindanao, has beheaded numerous foreign captives when ransom demands were not met. The attack followed Friday's announcement that the region, a mainly Muslim part of the predominantly Catholic Philippines, had ratified the creation of an autonomous area called Bangsamoro, with 85pc of voters behind it. Although Sulu was among only a few areas that rejected autonomy, it will still be part of the new entity when it is fully formed in 2022. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana called the attack a "dastardly act" and urged the local population to co-operate and "deny terrorism any victory". Civilians bore the brunt of the attack, which also killed five soldiers. Police lowered the death toll from 27 to 20, after discovering duplications in initial records. Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Mara Lane attend History Channels Roots mini-series premiere at Alice Tully Hall on Monday, May 23, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Wolf Rhys Meyers and Jonathan Rhys Meyers attend The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation's Annual 'A Time For Heroes' Family Festival at Smashbox Studios at Smashbox Studios on October 28, 2018 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation) Jonathan Rhys Meyers says he is the happiest he has ever been now he has a family. 'The Tudors' star said he has had a new perspective on life since his son Wolf was born in 2016. "I'm much happier than I have ever been," he told the Irish Independent as he helped celebrate 25 years of Barretstown, the charity that helps sick children and their families. "Once you have your first child, you become the past. We're all busy giving out to ourselves and driving ourselves forward. A child gives you a new perspective on life." Rhys Meyers got his start in the acting industry aged just 16. He doesn't believe he was too young starting out compared with some child stars, but reckons the acting world is a grown-up industry and not one he would be pushing his son into. Expand Close Mara Lane with husband Jonathan Rhys Meyers and baby son Wolf. Picture: Instagram / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mara Lane with husband Jonathan Rhys Meyers and baby son Wolf. Picture: Instagram "It was just the way it was, I was 15 when I did my first commercial, and 16 almost 17 when I was in my first film," he said. "It was young, but not too young - I have just worked with a girl who was seven years old. Very talented, but seven. "It is a grown-up world - and I do love working with kids, kids bring something special - but I wouldn't encourage my son to be an actor. Of course, I'd tell him 'do whatever you want to do', but I wouldn't push it, even though he has been in a short film with me." Awards season is in full swing and there have been plenty of nominations for Irish talent in the industry. 'The Favourite' racked up 10 Oscar nominations, short film 'Detainment' got a nod, and 'Late Afternoon' is also in the running for an Academy Award - although there was a miss for Saoirse Ronan, who lost out on an Oscar nomination for 'Mary Queen of Scots'. However, Rhys Meyers - himself a Golden Globe winner - reckoned the time for the Carlow actress to pick up a golden statue would come soon and, when it happened, it would be on numerous occasions. "I mean, Saoirse is so young, and she has been nominated three times for the Oscars, and she isn't even 25," he said. "I'm sure she will win an Academy Award, I'm sure she will get a slew of them." He said winning awards wasn't something actors should focus on, but it did open up opportunities for rising stars. "It comes with the territory and means a lot when it happens. As soon as you get nominated, it changes how much you will be paid on your next job," he said. "It opens doors." Expand Close Support: Barretstown ambassadors Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Aidan Gillen help launch the campaign. Photo: Brian McEvoy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Support: Barretstown ambassadors Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Aidan Gillen help launch the campaign. Photo: Brian McEvoy Rhys Meyers and fellow actor Aidan Gillen were on hand yesterday to launch Barretstown's new Press Play campaign. It aims to raise an additional 5m over the next five years to ensure that Barretstown can expand its programmes to serve more children who suffer from serious illness and their families. "As a parent, you can feel helpless, and Barretstown gives them an outlet, a chance at restarting your family," he said. Alicia OSullivan has come a long way in just 12 months. The 17-year-old from Skibbereen in West Cork fostered a new interest in digital media, travelled to Romania as part of an international partnership, and was crowned the ESB TechSpacer of the Year. Its not been a bad year, all things considered! The modest student believes that her success shows what can happen when young people are given the right support, environment and opportunity to embrace new challenges. There are many young people who have the same passion and interests in social issues as I do, and want to make a difference and do things to raise these issues, explains Alicia. I was very lucky that I have had the support from others and the chance to do this. A chance to learn new skills Her own journey to being named ESB TechSpacer of the Year started when she joined Comhairle na nOg a year ago. This local youth council gives young people a chance to get involved in the development of local services and policies. Working with this organisation and YMCA West Cork opened her eyes to how digital creativity can be used to highlight social issues and tell important social stories. Alicia was tasked with creating a video on cyber safety for young people, which required her to learn media editing, camera skills and PhotoShop at the local Ludgate Hub in Skibbereen. I had never thought about digital creativity before I was given the opportunity to use the cameras and software. I have learned so many skills over the last year, skills that have helped me to win the ESB TechSpacer of the Year award. The resulting project, entitled I Care, captures Alicias passion for social advocacy. It was an opportunity to speak about using social media to drive positive change and how it can shine a light on real social issues. I use social media a lot to gauge and spread messaging on what young people are and should be talking about, explains Alicia. The words inspire and influence came up a lot, and that is basically what I wanted my project to be about. In my video, it is just me talking about the importance of young people being involved, taking responsibility for change, influencing others and being the very best we can be in life. The video also included highlights from her trip to Romania with Changing Minds, an Erasmus partnership between Ireland and Romania. Supporting young people and showcasing their work The ESB TechSpacer of the Year Award is part of the ESB Creative Tech Fest, a national showcase for the TechSpace creative education network. More than 300 young people aged between 10 and 18 from over 70 local youth clubs and groups were recognised for their project work in STEAM and Digital Media at the event, and had the opportunity to engage in in workshops, talks and interactive exhibitions. The Skibbereen student says it is an important initiative to showcase the great work being done by young people, which also gives them a chance to learn and get inspiration from their peers. It was an amazing opportunity for young people to get first-hand experience and learn about new technologies and skills, she says. There was a lot of innovative projects by young people all over the country which were extremely impressive. I met a kid as young as 12 showing me the ropes of tech. It was inspiring for me and for every young person there on the day to see such a movement of young people getting involved in STEM, digital creativity and invention. Pat ODoherty, Chief Executive of the ESB, praised the creativity and innovation of the young people involved in TechSpace. We are proud to support the work of TechSpace through our Generation Tomorrow programme, which supports organisations working to empower young people through STEAM learning initiatives, he said. ESB Creative Tech Fest is an incredible showcase of creativity and innovation from young people across the country, and highlights their potential to find creative solutions to the challenges they face today and will face in the future. Whats next for this years winner? For Alicia, she plans to spend her 500 prize money on a camera to further enhance her digital skills and is looking forward to learning more through her year-long mentorship programme with ESB. The aspiring lawyer has a deep interest in politics and intends to pursue that interest after school. In the meantime, she remains committed to supporting good causes and important social issues. For young people like me, it is important to believe in yourself and to try new things. It can open a whole new world for you. #esbbrighterfuture #generationtomorrow Sponsored by: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's recent interview on Bloomberg TV on the effects of a no-deal Brexit on Ireland has seemingly drawn criticism from all sides of the debate. On the contrary, Mr Varadkar is spot on with his analysis. A no-deal Brexit would prompt the EU to protect the single market, and despite assurances the EU would insist on border checks. Indeed, it has been suggested that such a hard border could be located to the continent, which would not satisfy Irish interests as this would treat the UK and Ireland in a similar way. Although at this juncture having infrastructure on our border is a moot point, it is blatantly obvious that in the absence of any future agreement by the House of Commons on a way forward, a hard border on the island of Ireland is inevitable. In light of the DUP turning its back on the people of Northern Ireland, who overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU, and the fact that the Irish government has sought an opt-in to the EU for Northern Ireland, if reunification were to take place, the intransigence of the DUP and its Brexiteer comrades makes a border poll leading to a united Ireland more than likely. Peter Mulvany Clontarf, Dublin 3 It's time the Government appreciated our nurses As the HSE and Department of Health prepare for the imminent industrial action by the nurses' unions there will doubtless be many attempts to morally blackmail the nurses into curtailing their withdrawal of services. Already there has been much in the media about the number of patients whose operations, treatment or clinic appointments will be cancelled due to this action. But the number of cancellations due to one day of industrial action by nurses pales into insignificance in comparison to the number of operations cancelled and other treatment delays due to the mismanagement of the health service by our current and previous administrations. Planned surgery has been reduced to less than 50pc of normal since January 1 this year. For many years now planned surgery has been cancelled on a regular basis, and the current winter bed crisis differs little from the annual daily bed crisis. The idea that surgery cancelled due to a short period of industrial action would actually make any significant difference is laughable. Hospital waiting lists have increased solely because of the lack of resources put into the system and the fact that, for many years, the administration determined that fewer hospital beds were required and have reduced the number of beds available until we reached this critical situation. Nurses have been poorly treated and poorly paid for many years and the only surprise is that they have waited so long to take industrial action. Nurses do not, as most other workers do, get paid for lunch breaks. Nurses do not get paid overtime, should a nurse put in extra hours they are "owed hours" which will be given back when the service allows, needless to say this is a rare event. Recent shortage of nurses has resulted in requests to carry out extra shifts on this basis rather than offering any financial recompense. Newly trained nurses are leaving the country as soon as they finish their training and are greeted with open arms in countries such as Canada and Australia. They would be less likely to leave should they be offered better pay and conditions. We are constantly hearing about the overspend on the National Children's Hospital, which is heading towards 2bn. Had the Government built the hospital 10 or 15 years ago when it was envisaged, perhaps the extra 1.5bn that it is now spending could have been used to employ more nurses under better working conditions. Doctors and patients appreciate and value the work done by our nurses, it is time the Government did so too. Unless we treat and pay our nurses as they are in other countries our health service will only deteriorate further. Peter O'Rourke, FRCS (Tr & Orth) Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Letterkenny University Hospital What we can learn from a brief history of walls The words of the week, if not the decade, are borders and walls. We have the US and a 'possible' border with Mexico, and the United Kingdom and its border with Ireland and the EU. Both cases are causing political difficulties and even embarrassment for their respective leaders. History can provide many lessons if we have the wisdom to listen and learn. A short history of walls should provide some points to be considered. The first great wall was the 'Wall of Jericho', a wall with a history that has many different stories. The original wall was probably a flood wall, although the wall in the Bible was more a defensive wall. In the Bible this wall was brought down by the noise of Trumpets, whereas the Mexico wall is being pushed up by the noise of Donald Trump. The Great Wall of China, about 21,000km long, shows what can be done especially if you have a megalomaniac as a leader. The Mexican border will only be about 1,600km as natural borders will help. The China wall was well constructed and heavily supported by military forces and was difficult to breach, although bribery often helped gain access. Most of it is now in ruin, often stolen to be used in other constructions. Hadrian's Wall in the UK was thought to be built to keep the northerners, mostly the Scottish, out - although its real purpose became a taxation border to control the economy. The escape from the European Union means that a border has to be built between the borth and south parts of Ireland for basically the same reason. This lesson has not been remembered. The Berlin Wall separating East and West Berlin was beaten in many ways, including tunnels. It was eventually basically torn down by the people and now exists mainly as a pile of rubble, probably bigger than the original wall, being sold to tourists as the perfect souvenir for their visit. History tells us that walls do not work for long and instead, as Pope Francis suggested, bridges should be built instead. Leaders, wake up and listen, please. Dennis Fitzgerald Melbourne, Australia Another week brings another series of landmark votes around Brexit in the British parliament. But hopefully, this time, we may finally learn something about where this distressing process is going - beyond the risk that we are all racing towards the cliff edge. We have been told throughout December and much of this month about what the UK MPs do not want from the EU-UK divorce procedure. They very definitely, and in huge numbers, do not want the draft deal done by their prime minister, Theresa May, with her EU counterparts on November 25 last at a special summit in Brussels. But more than two-and-a-half years after the landmark 52pc to 48pc vote to leave the EU, the British lawmakers remain riven and rudderless about the next moves. A very small minority have few fears about a no-deal Brexit crash-out, which in the absence of anything else will automatically happen in just two months and one day, on March 29, bringing economic carnage to these islands. A sizeable number of MPs would prefer the UK stayed with the EU, or at very least did a deal which as closely as possible mimicked continued EU membership. Others want an extension to the timetable, some of those want this to facilitate a re-run of the referendum. The EU has signalled an extension to the March 29 deadline is possible - but it needs a resolution plan laid out to justify such an extension and not a continuation of the current diffuse parliamentary conflicts. To do this, the EU would have to negotiate the legally tricky territory of European Parliament elections due next May. That is no easy task - but if the political will is there, then legal devices can be found. Mrs May continues to keep the prospect of a no-deal Brexit alive in the forlorn hope she can somehow bounce her parliament into voting for her draft deal. The draft document is a good deal for Ireland - but not much use if it does not get the necessary ratification by the Westminster parliament. Tomorrow night, in a series of votes on parliamentary amendments, the MPs will set out what they want her to do next. Some MPs want to delay Brexit or adopt new strategies, but others are demanding changes which might allow them to support it. These changes focus on the backstop, the arrangement intended to keep the Irish Border open by temporarily tying London to the EU's trade rules. Again, we hear pointless calls to end the backstop which are not feasible. In 1998, Seamus Mallon famously dubbed the Good Friday Agreement 'Sunningdale for slow learners'. This week we may have 'Brexit for slow learners' - if all goes well. Those Brexit debates which should have begun three years ago may be about to commence. The last public hanging in Ireland was in 1868, so it's more than a century since the ghoulishness associated with death was in any way acceptable viewing. Nowadays this kind of prurience is mostly confined to science fiction dystopias like 'The Hunger Games' or a particular kind of driver who slows down to video a car crash, hoping to record something shocking. Shortly after the fatal collision in which a woman was killed last Thursday, graphic pictures and video of the M50 scene started appearing on social media sites. Gardai asked people to stop sharing the images and are examining CCTV footage of passers-by. Everyone has expressed appropriate outrage. It is right that we are outraged, but the web is full of dark images, and the urge to post the pictures of last Thursday's crash seems to be part of a frightening new normal. Our curiosity about anything dark or grisly isn't new. But today everyone has a camera in their pocket and photos of accident victims can circulate swiftly around the internet and cause distress to grieving families. Could and should we now make it criminal for someone to take pictures of accidents? My generation grew up with a very loose definition of privacy, sharing everything online from our morning cup of coffee to moments that really should be private, like our baby's first smile. Documenting every aspect of your life unfiltered leaves little room for self-reflection, and the pressure to post content as soon as it happens means things that should be kept private end up getting broadcast to millions of people before the creator has time to process the actual message we are sending out into the world. Most of us agree that certain types of graphic content should be prohibited and we want to see some accountability from social media companies that profit from what we post. But would that accountability break the web? If we want the internet to continue to be a space for creativity and innovation, we have to be careful about how we go about it. Gardai have said they can use motorway traffic laws to prosecute drivers who may have taken photographs of the accident's aftermath, and have already identified one person. Drivers using mobile phones can be charged with distracted driving. Last year, the driver of an articulated truck in Cork was convicted of careless driving as he had used both hands to take photos of an accident on the South Ring Road. He was fined 600 and given five penalty points. We should now go further and make it criminal to actually take photos at accident scenes. Cathy's Law is a 2012 New Jersey statute that bans paramedics from sharing photos or videos of accident victims without their permission. That law was prompted by the case of Cathy Bates, a woman who died in a car accident, a photo of which was posted on Facebook before the family was even notified of her death. There are also issues around privacy. Our privacy rights don't extend to the dead but many courts around the world have concluded that families of deceased individuals do have privacy rights to the deceased. There have been a number of instances where that kind of intrusive behaviour has led to the development of new privacy laws. In 2012 a family tormented by explicit accident photos of their daughter on the internet settled a lawsuit against the California Highway Patrol for leaking accident photos of their daughter that went viral worldwide. The Catsouras family were paid $2.375m (2m) and the lawsuit rewrote law throughout California concerning the privacy rights of surviving family members. We clearly need to adjust our laws so that we have consequences for this kind of behaviour. In the meantime, we all need to think a bit harder about how we use social media and what we choose to post on it. A yearlong investigation of Sweet Leaf's sales practices centered on a practice known as "looping," where a customer purchases the maximum amount of marijuana that Colorado law permits and repeatedly returns to the same retailer to purchase more on the same day. Prosecutors believe people using the strategy at Sweet Leaf locations purchased more than 2 tons of marijuana intended for sale on the black market. Chaos in Westminster and unity across the European Union has emerged as the general theme of Brexit to date, curated by careful messages choreographed skilfully from Brussels - until now. Throughout negotiations, the EU has moved as a bloc; words spoken by the Taoiseach often echoed phrases used by Jean-Claude Juncker and Michel Barnier. The message has been consistent, as has the tendency to underline just how consistent it has been. How often have we heard that EU solidarity is stronger than it's ever been? Any suggestion of a wobble anywhere and the Irish Government was quick to say that, if anything, that solidarity is only getting stronger. Meanwhile, in Westminster there has been no consensus around much at all since the referendum result. This has been pointed to as often as possible by EU leaders. In recent days, Mr Barnier used the disunity in the UK parliament to ramp up the threat of a no-deal Brexit. By not coming together around one solution, MPs were risking an accidental no-deal exit - the only outcome there is a majority against, he warned. But this week the mixed messages were not emanating from the House of Commons or from fevered briefings from ministers around Theresa May's Cabinet table. They were coming from the EU and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar - and, whatever the motives behind various contradictory statements from key actors this week, it all pointed to the fact that Ireland is facing a tense eight-week endgame. On Monday, Poland's Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz suggested a five-year limit on the backstop could be the route out of the current deadlock. The idea was shot down by Tanaiste Simon Coveney less than an hour later, with back-up from Germany. In Westminster, Mrs May had conceded in parliament that changing the backstop was the surest way to win support for the exit deal. On Tuesday, EU Commission spokesman Margaritas Schinas told reporters that if he was forced to speculate then he would concede, yes, there would be a hard Border in Ireland in the event of no deal. It was "obvious", he said. It came as a bolt from the blue for the Government, who had no advance warning that he was about to stray unexpectedly from the script on the Border question. A spokesman immediately said the Irish Government "will not accept a hard Border on this island and therefore we are not planning for one". It was the first significant divergence between EU and Ireland on the issue which has wound its way to the epicentre of Brexit. On Wednesday, the Commission sought to clarify the remarks and the message appeared back on track: the EU would do everything it could to not allow a hard Border to emerge on the island of Ireland. But at home, it was too late. Pressure ramped up on the Government to share details of what work is being done to plan for avoiding a hard Border. Agriculture Minister Michael Creed was on the ropes during a radio interview when he repeatedly refused to discuss how a Border would be avoided in a no-deal exit. But yesterday it was the Taoiseach who took a sharp U-turn from his own reluctance to spell out the reality of a crash-out Brexit, warning no deal could see the return of soldiers and police to the Border. It was his most explicit warning about the worst case scenario to date and his first concession that a hard Brexit may mean a hard Border, even if Ireland is not the one to erect it. Privately, sources close to the Fine Gael leader were insisting the message stemmed from frustration with the British government. It topped off a week which saw confusion over Brexit that has reigned in London spread to Dublin and Brussels - at a time when cool heads are needed. The Irish Government has abandoned its policy of keeping out of Theresa May's way by staying out of the Brexit debate in the UK. In November a directive was issued to TDs, senators, MEPs and ministers to steer clear of British media in a bid to take the heat out of the negotiations. But now the Government has pursued a different tack - throwing caution to the wind and appearing on as much British media as is possible to squeeze in over a weekend. It is a risky strategy - Irish intervention in UK politics has become a lightning rod for Brexiteers over the past two years. There has also been an undercurrent of anti-Irish sentiment that has emerged amid the endless debate. One former minster famously complained to a BBC reporter that the "Irish really should know their place". It has irked many that Ireland has so firmly stood with the EU despite its close ties with the UK on trade and other areas. It has also become a bone of contention that Ireland's demands have become Europe's red lines. The media blitz this weekend risks galvanising that sentiment even further at a time when further compromise is needed from MPs, but it is seen in Government circles as necessary to challenge the "false narrative that we are at the beginning of something, instead of at the end of something" and to remind Britain of its obligations. But a hardening of anti-Irish sentiment is also worrying amid stark warnings about a return of violence. The threat of violence re-emerging on this island has been the focus of much of the Brexit debate to date, with experts warning consistently that Brexit has the potential to act as a spark to reignite the troubles of the past. In that context, the tone and the content of everything uttered by Irish ministers must be carefully weighed. Yesterday saw both junior minister Helen McEntee and Tanaiste Simon Coveney appear on two of the UK's most high-profile current affairs shows. On 'The Andrew Marr Show' on BBC1, Mr Coveney outlined in notably strong tones that the Irish and EU position is not for turning. No deal would be ratified that did not involve a backstop, he said, adding: "It's as simple as that." What's more Ireland will "insist" on the UK keeping its word on commitments made. The marked shift in the tone emanating from Dublin is said to stem from "frustration" with the British position. This was why Taoiseach Leo Varadkar made dramatic claims about troops on the Border in Davos, according to his aides. He was later forced to roll back on those comments amid a backlash. The Tanaiste's message was more controlled and more explicitly pointed towards Westminster and those holding out for a change on the backstop. The Cork TD was at pains to point out that the ongoing stalemate is not a game of chicken, but it is - and it's a matter of who will blink first. The offensive in the British media was a bid to drive home the message that Ireland, and by default the EU, is not for blinking - but it is a precarious course to navigate. It's official - 2018 was a record year for Irish tourism, with visitor numbers surpassing the 10 million milestone for the first time ever. Over 10.6 million overseas arrivals were recorded last year, according to the Central Statistics Offices latest official overseas travel report - up from 9.93 million in 2017, which was itself a record year. The figures saw North American visitors jump 13.4pc to almost 2.4 million, while tourists from mainland Europe rose 9.5pc (driven by Germany and Italy) and Australia and developing markets recorded an increase of 6.7pc. British figures were largely static, posting growth of just 1pc. "Whilst the British market was somewhat flat, this is not surprising given the uncertainty attaching to Brexit, said Minister for Tourism, Shane Ross. Overall, though, it is heartening to see market diversification is driving our growth. Despite the good show, Brexit hangs like a Sword of Damocles over the tourist industry. Historically, Britain has been the single most important inbound market for Irish tourism, and still accounts for over 35pc of all visitors. Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, welcomed the record figures but said the continued uncertainty around Brexit, and its impact on outbound travel from Britain, "remains a real concern. As the Brexit cut-off date of March 29 approaches, Tourism Ireland has been focusing on diversifying Ireland's source markets, while Failte Ireland is managing a 5 million fund to prepare businesses for the challenges it may bring. "With the increasing likelihood of a no-deal Brexit, as well other unforeseen political and economic developments in the US and Northern Europe, the sector will need to continue to show agility and resilience in the months ahead," cautioned Paul Kelly, its chief executive. Despite this, the forecast is for even higher visitor numbers in 2019, with Tourism Ireland aiming to grow overseas revenue to 6.5 billion for the entire island. For now, Irelands tourism strategy focuses on driving visits from markets beyond Britain, while spreading arrivals throughout seasons and regions - and not just cramming more numbers into peak places at peak times. Read more: It's been nearly two years since our world changed forever. I appreciate that sounds dramatic, but it was the day we welcomed our beautiful twincess, Susie, and our angel, Grace, into this world rather suddenly and unexpectedly. On April, 7, 2017, I was 30 weeks and one day pregnant, and my pregnancy, by all accounts, had been going pretty well. Over the course of my pregnancy, I attended the twin clinic fortnightly, where I got to see my identical twin girls who were consistently thriving. By 28 weeks, they were still showing no signs of the dreaded twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), something I had never heard of until we became pregnant with twins. Going back to the day in December 2016 when we had our first scan with our second pregnancy, to say we were shocked when we saw two heads on the ultrasound scan is an understatement. We were 100pc overwhelmed, surprised and speechless. Secretly, I was so scared, but I was also so happy to have been given this surprise gift and the prospect of growing our family to five - something at my age I thought would be very unlikely. I remember calling my siblings to tell them the news - I was crying, and they were secretly laughing (in a good way) at the daunting prospect of us having three babies all under the age of 19 months (by the time the twins were due). After the surprise of hearing we were expecting twins, my husband, Mark, and I agreed that we would find out the sex so that we could be as prepared as possible. So from an early stage, we knew that we were expecting identical twin girls, and we were both very excited. We had great fun trying to pick names for our girls. When we had our first girl, Mary-Kate in November 2015, the name came easily to us as it was linked to my mam, Mary, who sadly passed away in 2010. For the twins, I recall how we decided that we both liked the names Susie and Ellie, and had pretty much agreed these would be the names - until, of course, Mark mentioned the character out of Dallas, Sue Ellen, and that quickly changed our minds! We both liked Grace, and were happy with our choice of Susie and Grace. I'm so happy we had selected names, as it meant that when news broke that twin 1 (the medical term) was born sleeping, everyone from the outset spoke of our beautiful Grace. April, 7, 2017, a day forever etched in our hearts... Expand Close Bernadette and Mark in the hospital with their twin daughters, Susie and Grace. Grace was born sleeping / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bernadette and Mark in the hospital with their twin daughters, Susie and Grace. Grace was born sleeping I had rung the hospital early that Friday morning mentioning I had reduced movement, and just wanted to see the girls to ensure everything was OK. I got a taxi on my own to the hospital and arrived at 6.10am that morning. I was greeted by the midwife on duty, and straight away she did the routine checks. When I think back, I was so naive - which is healthy, by the way! The midwife was able to get two heartbeats with the Doppler [ultrasound] and this was a huge sense of relief to me, but, little did I realise at the time, one of those heartbeats was mine. Everything happened so quickly. I was brought into a new room where I could get a full ultrasound scan. I asked was everything OK, and the junior doctor nervously said they needed someone else to look. Then the consultant confirmed what was feared and said, "We have to get you to theatre". I just said, "Can I ring my husband?"and her reply will forever be engraved in my memory: "Sorry, we don't have time, we have to try save twin 2". I asked: "What about twin 1?" and got the response, "She is gone". Some people have been shocked when I told them what was said, but, to be honest, I think it was the right thing to say, because I knew before I was put to sleep that one of my girls wasn't going to make it, and all my strength, prayers and energy were focused on our twin 2 (Susie) and willing her to be OK. It all happened very quickly, which is a credit to the medical team, and the twins were delivered at 6.51am and 6.52am, just 40 minutes from when I had arrived at the hospital. I must acknowledge that the hospital, doctors and nurses were amazing on that day. My first memory after waking up was seeing Mark in the recovery room with tears in his eyes, but also his phone in hand to show me the first photo of Susie, who he had just seen in the ICU. We were told the next 48 hours were critical for Susie. Shortly afterwards, I got to hold Grace, our beautiful, amazing Grace, who looked so perfect, but was stillborn as a result of an acute TTTS (we were later advised that the hospital might have one or two cases a year; sadly, we were the one case that year). What is TTTS? In medical terms, twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome can affect identical twins who share a placenta. It happens when there is an imbalance in the placental blood vessels that connects the twins. If the blood doesn't flow evenly between the twins, one, called the recipient twin (in our case, this was Grace) gets more blood, while the other gets less blood (the donor twin, Susie). Something I have had to reconcile with is that TTTS is not caused by anything I, as a mum, did or did not do. Acute TTTS can happen very suddenly and is caused by random events that have no primary prevention. I often wonder if, in the future, will there be medical advancements that can help detect TTTS in pregnancies? For instance, if I wore a monitor throughout the pregnancy (something like a pacemaker or otherwise), could it be possible to notice when a twin was in distress so that you would seek medical attention sooner? I really do hope further developments can be made here so as to help improve the survival rates of multiples that are impacted by TTTS. Preparing to say goodbye Special appreciation must go to the charity Now I Lay me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS). We were able to arrange for the volunteer professional photographer (Denise) to meet us in our room in the hospital that Friday evening to take the photos of Grace. To be honest, the furthest thing from our minds was to have professional photos taken, and now, as I look back, I am so grateful that photos were taken that day, when Grace looked her best. Not only that, we will always be grateful to Denise for helping us to have the confidence to hold our beautiful Grace and to admire her beautiful features. You could say we were nervous about handling our precious angel as we didn't want to disturb her, and Denise helped us admire Grace's petite hands, feet, body. She was so perfect. It can't have been easy for Denise as she cried with us and captured some very raw emotions in the photos, which, although they were difficult, we will always cherish. Another charity that is now very close to our heart is Feileacain (the Irish for butterfly). Through this charity, we were able to arrange to get Grace's foot and hand prints. They were presented in a lovely memory box, along with teddies, a lock of Grace's hair and, very importantly, the charity provided the cold cot for Grace, in which she was able to lie, beside me, in our hospital room for five days before we brought her to her final resting place. The importance of those five days cannot be underestimated. My time was divided between wanting to spend as much time as possible with Grace and also trying to be with Susie, and just willing her to get stronger. It helped a lot when the hospital gave me a computer tablet that allowed me to see Susie in ICU while I stayed with Grace. In an odd way, it was easier to see Susie on a screen, as she looked bigger and less stressed from all the machines she was connected to. On the day we left the hospital with Grace, Susie had her own special journey from ICU to the High Dependency Unit, when she came off the ventilator and CPAP machine within her first week. The whole NICU experience isn't easy, but Susie made it as easy as possible for us, as each day of the six weeks she was in hospital she continued to improve. We were so scared to bring her home as she was still so tiny, but the one thing I have learned is that preemie babies are so strong and little fighters, and Susie continues to surprise us each day. Returning to normal I am now acutely aware of the amount of twins I see (especially twin girls). I haven't been able to unfollow the Irish Multiple Births Association page on Facebook, which I joined when I realised I was pregnant with twins. I see other mums talk and share experiences and photos about their twins and multiples. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy for these mums, but at times I wonder if I am torturing myself as I imagine how life would be with Grace. Would she and Susie really be absolutely identical? Would I be able to tell them apart? What mischief would she have got up to with Susie and Mary-Kate? It makes me smile to wonder and imagine how things could have, and should have, been. But alas, that is not our reality. I often ask myself if I will ever return to what I would have classified as 'normal' again - the 'normal' me that existed before losing Grace. One of the hardest aspects of losing Grace has been dealing with other people's reactions to our loss. Awkwardness, pity, shock and the sense that we should not talk about or grieve for Grace, and we should just be happy that we have her surviving twin, Susie. And of course, it goes without saying that we are so grateful for our Susie Sunshine. People seem to struggle with understanding that it is possible to both be grieving for Grace and happy about Susie. I just wish that is was easier to talk about Grace, safe in the knowledge that she is treated like our other daughters. What I find hard in trying to act 'normal' is that I also feel guilty that I continue to live a life and be happy, all the while missing a piece of my heart, missing a piece of myself. I know that Grace wouldn't want me to feel like this, and that she would want me to be happy and mind her sisters and dad, but sometimes it just feels like there is a gap in our lives doing this without her. I will always celebrate Grace on her birthday, but my heart aches on family occasions, and will continue to ache on each and every milestone along the way; her absence will be forever felt. I will always talk about her, keep her pictures up, and support loss-families in memory of her. I will continue to talk about her to her twin sister; tell her big sister all about her; tell strangers when they ask how many children I have. I will always acknowledge that she existed. I include her in the number of children I have, because she is my daughter. Death does not erase a life, nor does it erase our love. I am very proud to be a twins' mum. I will always want to honour Grace's memory. Both Grace and Susie lived in me. Grace changed my life. She mattered. And so I pick myself up and try my best to focus on all the positives in our lives - and there are loads, including my loving husband, beautiful daughters, and supportive family and friends. Grace will always be in our hearts, and is with us everywhere. Her grandma Mary is minding her for us in Heaven, and she is looking out for her sisters who have a very special guardian angel in our amazing Grace. Malaysian police authorities are investigating a report that a missing Irishman was spotted close to where he had been staying. Tourist Stephen Warde (32) from Kinvara, Co Galway arrived in Malaysia alone on November 15 last and rented a unit at the Mercu Summer Suites along Jalan Sultan Ismail in Kuala Lumpar. A number of police officers have been assigned to investigate the case as they trawl through any CCTV images that may have caught on security cameras close to where he had been living and in the area where the possible sighting occurred. Mr Warde, who is from a large family, was last seen a month ago on December 28, a day before his tenancy was to expire. He had been due to fly to Thailand on the same day. All of his belongings were still in the unit when searched by police. His passport has not been used to exit the country. Speaking today by phone Police chief Assistant Commissioner Dang Wangi Shaharuddin Abdullah said: We were alerted to Stephens disappearance by the international police authority Interpol. As a result our search for him started straight away. His mother Mary and two of his sisters have been here for several days and are helping us with our search. They are being looked after by the Irish Embassy here in Kuala Lumpur. There have been two reported sightings of Stephen, one in December and one today (Monday) in a place known as Daiau Kaco, 15 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur. A Moroccan man contacted us as he believes he saw Stephen thanks to reports on social media. I sent two detectives to the area, to check out the claim and to retrieve any CCTV available. They have reported back to me that he was spotted in a laundry shop and we have checked security cameras there but unfortunately he is not captured in them. Several officers are due to travel to the area tomorrow and along with local district police, to carry out searches, and question locals. Im due to inform his mother and sisters of this development tomorrow. We definitely believe Stephen is still alive and we will find him. Checks showed his passport has not been used to exit the country. His mother and sisters are coping well and are being very patient. It is a painful process for them. He is described as being a quiet and placid man with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and is 511 in height and of a heavy set. His mother said his disappearance is totally out of character for him. Stephens family are liaising with the Irish Department of Foreign affairs in a bid to locate him. A Department spokesperson said: Foreign Affairs is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Dang Wangi police headquarters at +603-26002222 or its control centre hotline at +603-26977099 or the nearest police station. A young woman diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer, who wanted to be given the chance to have a baby, has passed away. Alice Taylor (26) was battling against stage 3B terminal cancer, which had spread to her heart, lungs and liver, since a PET scan last May. The Kilkenny woman passed away surrounded by her parents Martin and Wendy, brothers James and William and her partner David O'Dea in St Anne's Ward in St Vincent's Hospital on Friday. A funeral will be held at St Brigid's Church, Ballycallan, at 11am on Wednesday. Never a person to give up without a fight, Ms Taylor wanted to raise 150,000 to enable her to receive the specialised treatment, via doctors in New York advising which immunotherapy drugs would best suit her. Friends and family had been campaigning for months for her to get access to the drug 'Pembro', and more than 100,000 had been donated to an online fundraiser. Cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan said that Ms Taylor's death had "floored" her. "I had met her and her mum Wendy at St Vincent's Hospital where Alice moved for treatment to get on Pembro, which she had started. It was obviously too late for her. She was far too young to die," she said. From the village of Ballycallan, Ms Taylor was more used to caring for others through her job at SOS Kilkenny, which provides day and residential services for adults with intellectual disability, than looking after herself. "It's hard to explain how you feel when given a terminal diagnosis. I am angry to think I may not be able to do and see a lot of things that I would like to do. I'm sad that I may not be around to have our baby brought into the world. I'm worried about my family, Dave [boyfriend] and friends and how they are coping with this situation," she had said. Her cancer treatment began following her diagnosis in November 2017 after she attended her GP. Although shaken by the diagnosis, both Ms Taylor and Mr O'Dea approached it in a strong and positive manner. The couple first met at Waterford Institute of Technology in 2012 when Ms Taylor was studying for a degree in social care. Mr O'Dea remained by her side ever since. "During my first appointment in Dublin, I received the news that I would never conceive or carry my own child. Gone was my lifelong dream of having beautiful little babies and becoming a mother. This news was as bad, if not worse, than the diagnosis itself," Ms Taylor had said. After much discussion with the oncology team, the couple were offered fertility treatment at the Rotunda Hospital to create a blastocyst or embryo that would remain cryogenically frozen until a suitable surrogate could be found. "We successfully saved one blastocyst so we have a baby in waiting which is amazing and we are so thankful for. I really want to be here for our baby and see him or her grow up," added Ms Taylor. The latest member of the Haughey family seeking election to local office has said his family name comes with "strengths and weaknesses". Cathal Haughey hopes to be the newest member of Ireland's most famous political dynasty and is running for Fianna Fail in Clontarf, north Dublin, in May's local elections. His family tree shows deep roots in Irish politics. Cathal is the son of Conor Haughey, whose brother is Fianna Fail TD Sean Haughey, a former junior minister. His great-grandfather and grandfather both served as Taoiseach. Charles J Haughey was married to the late Maureen Lemass, the daughter of the late Sean Lemass, a veteran of the War of Independence and Civil War, who also served as Taoiseach and Fianna Fail leader. "I suppose it [the family name] comes with strengths and weaknesses," said Cathal. "Obviously, Sean and Charles have represented the area in the past, so there is a strong link to the name. "But for other people, they wouldn't be a fan of Charles, or of Sean or of Fianna Fail - it's swings and roundabouts." "I would say anyone is entitled to put their name forward for election," he added. "I'm putting myself forward, and the strengths and weaknesses of my name are something I have to live with." In recent months, the 22-year-old Dublin City University student has been canvassing in the ward he will contest for a seat in - which includes Clontarf, Raheny, Killester and Donnycarney. He said he had received a "largely positive" reception. Cathal will run alongside Fianna Fail party stalwart Deirdre Heney. The party did well in the 2014 local elections, becoming the largest party at local level, and is looking to add to its numbers this time around, despite a poor performance in recent polls. The elections will also be the first electoral test following the party's division on the issue of repealing the Eighth Amendment, which left it seemingly out of touch with the mood of the nation. However, with a number of candidates in their 20s and 30s, the party is "on the right track to get the new blood in", Cathal said. While this is his first tilt at elected office, unsurprisingly given his family history, Cathal has long been involved in the Fianna Fail party and is currently Dublin chair of its youth wing Ogra Fianna Fail and chair of the party's DCU branch. He said he could not point to which of his high-profile relatives his politics were more closely modelled on, saying that they were all very different, but he said that his uncle Sean, who is currently TD for Dublin Bay North, had been a mentor. Cathal worked as director of elections for his uncle in 2014, when he won a council seat, and in 2016, when he was re-elected to the Dail. the Irish Ambassador to Israel has been "reprimanded" by the Israeli Foreign Ministry over legislation that seeks to ban Israeli goods produced in the Occupied Palestinian Territories from being sold in Ireland. This week the Dail passed the Occupied Territories bill, originally proposed by Independent Senator Frances Black and backed by Fianna Fail and Opposition parties. The Government has opposed the legislation and warned that it contravenes EU law as well as putting US investment here at risk. Speaking in the Dail this week, Tanaiste Simon Coveney said that the proposed law "will do serious damage to Ireland". The Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem said it had "summoned" Irish ambassador Alison Kelly and she was "reprimanded for the outrageous legislative initiative". A spokesperson for the DFA said: "Ambassador Kelly conveyed the position of the Irish Government in opposing the bill." A government minister has claimed he and his wife "simply couldn't afford" a commercial rates bill of more than 15,800 for their pub after a local authority had a judgment registered against their business. Galway County Council obtained the judgment against Gate Lodge Properties Limited, which is owned by Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development Ciaran Cannon and his wife, Niamh Lawless. The company operates the Gate Lodge Pub in Carrabane - a small village between Athenry and Loughrea. The couple have run the pub since 1999. The company has run up an outstanding commercial rates bill of 15,823. Mr Cannon explained that they "simply couldn't afford" the rates bill that was accrued during the economic recession, but said they remain committed to paying the money owed. The Fine Gael TD earns 129,854 per annum as a junior minister, and employs his wife Niamh as his secretarial assistant on a State-paid salary of up to 44,726 a year. Mr Cannon said he expects the pub's rates bill to drop substantially once a review of commercial rates in the county is finished. "The Valuation Office in Dublin determines our rates bill based on a rudimentary measurement of the trading area of the building...[rather than] the current capacity of the pub to generate an income. "So, big pub equals a very big bill - currently 5,600 per annum," said Mr Cannon. "The Valuation Office is about to revalue all commercial premises in Co Galway...From speaking to officials in that office, I'm told that our new annual rates bill will be approximately 1,000. "That will make everything much more manageable, thus allowing us to pay back our rates debt even quicker." Mr Cannon criticised the rates system in the Seanad in 2010, and voted for legislation in March 2015 that expedited the revaluation of commercial properties for rating purposes by the Valuation Office. He told this newspaper that the couple had bought the Gate Lodge with a loan from AIB of 300,000 in 1999. "At the time, it was trading well, turning over just under 150,000 per annum," he said. "Fast forward to 2018 and things have changed drastically, to the point where our annual turnover is now 52,000." Mr Cannon said his wife works in the pub most nights and draws no salary from the company. He said they are meeting representatives from AIB this week to discuss restructuring the loan. "We're not confident of a positive outcome," he added. He said the pub's rates were paid "consistently" until 2011, when it was hit by the recession and other challenges faced by rural pubs. He said a payment arrangement with the council was agreed in 2016, which is intended to cover the annual rates bill and "begin paying back the debt". "We are fully intent on continuing this arrangement and Galway County Council is aware of this," he added. The council, which registered the judgment for 15,823 last week, did not respond to a request for comment. A man in his eighties has lost his life in a single-vehicle incident. The fatality brings to 10 the number of people who lost their lives on Ireland's roads in just eight days. Gardai at Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny are now investigating the crash which occurred at Coolcullen between 7pm and 8pm last night. The male driver, who was the sole occupant of the car, was killed when the car left the road and collided with a pole. His body was removed from the scene and taken to University Hospital Waterford where a post mortem will take place. The local coroner has been notified. The road is currently closed and local diversions are in place. Garda forensic collision investigators are due to examine the scene this morning. Investigating Gardai are appealing for any witnesses who may have travelled the road or can assist them to contact Castlecomer Garda Station on 056-4440650, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station. Fresh concerns have been raised about the operation of the new Domestic Violence Act, which has been beset with implementation issues since it was introduced on New Year's Day. The act was hailed on its introduction for improving protections available to victims of domestic violence, including the creation of a new offence of coercive control. However, the Law Society has now warned that a failure to enact new court rules in conjunction with the act could give rise to procedural loopholes which alleged abusers could potentially exploit. It fears the absence of such rules could give rise to legal challenges to orders made already under the act, including emergency barring orders, and have a negative impact on victims. The society, which represents and regulates solicitors, has called on the Department of Justice to enact draft District and Circuit Court rules required under the act as a matter or urgency. It is unclear why this was not done in tandem with the introduction of the act, as is usually the case. Following queries from the Irish Independent, the department said it expected the rules would be signed into operation by Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan this week - almost a month after the act was commenced. The issue is the latest teething problem to beset the act. Expand Close Warning of injustice: Family law solicitor Keith Walsh / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Warning of injustice: Family law solicitor Keith Walsh Just a day after it came into force, District Court Judge Grainne Malone raised concerns over domestic violence charges being prosecuted by gardai rather than lawyers due to the complexity of the legislation. A little over a week later, a statement from the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors expressed "deep concerns" at a lack of training for its members in advance of the act coming into force. Keith Walsh, a family law solicitor and chair of the Law Society's Family and Child Law Committee, said the failure to introduce new court rules when the act was started was "completely unsatisfactory" and "facilitates injustice". "We have an excellent new Domestic Violence Act but no rules of court for it at district and circuit level," he said. This means judges have to make ad hoc decisions on issues such as how much notice should be given to parties affected by applications. Mr Walsh said this could give rise to procedural loopholes which alleged abusers could potentially exploit. It could also prevent orders from being made. In a statement, the department said new rules were drafted by an independent court rules committee in December and sent to the department for observations. It said the Attorney General was also consulted. Joanne Hayes, who was accused of killing baby John in Co Kerry in 1984 The Department of Justice has defended plans to keep confidential the terms of a settlement with Joanne Hayes - the woman at the centre of the Kerry Babies case - as it is in keeping with her wishes. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and An Garda Siochana issued a formal apology to Ms Hayes last January for her treatment at the hands of the State. The Kerry woman was wrongly accused of killing a baby discovered on a beach more than 30 years ago. DNA evidence last year proved conclusively what she had always maintained - that she was not the mother of 'baby John', who was found with multiple stab wounds on White Strand in Cahersiveen on April 14, 1984. She received apologies from the Government and the Garda over her treatment during the investigation and a subsequent tribunal. Both Mr Varadkar and Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said last year she was entitled to compensation over her treatment, but negotiations on any settlement have not yet concluded. Proposals revealed in a Sunday newspaper suggest that an offer drawn up by the Department of Justice state there would be a confidentiality clause attached and no liability would be accepted by the State. It would also mandate Ms Hayes and family members to forfeit the right to any further legal actions. A spokeswoman for Mr Flanagan said: "The Government and An Garda Siochana have already apologised to Ms Hayes. "Ms Hayes asked for her privacy to be protected and the State and Department of Justice have sought to respect her wishes as they endeavour to reach a settlement with her and others in this complex case." She said it was relevant to recall that the tribunal was held in public and covered extensively by the media. "No-liability clauses are generally automatic features of ex-gratia payments. That is the nature of an ex-gratia payment," she added. "Neither is there anything secret about an ex-gratia payment. This method is necessary as the statute of limitations has long since gone. "The terms will be confidential in keeping with Ms Hayes's express wishes. And, naturally, like any negotiation, it will not be conducted in public, but if and when finalised, it will be accounted for in the normal way (in the annual Appropriation Account)." Ms Hayes had been known to be pregnant around the time of the baby John killing, which led to her arrest. She had given birth to a baby on the family farm, but her baby died shortly after birth and was buried on the property. She was arrested based on a bizarre theory that she had been pregnant by two different men and gave birth to both babies. Nurses are in talks at the Labour Court in a last ditch bid to avert a 24-hour strike on Wednesday. The Labour Court is trying to determine if there is a basis to formally intervene in the dispute. The Chairman of the court, Kevin Foley, invited the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and Psychiatric Nurses Association to attend discussions this evening. The INMO has accepted the invitation but strike preparations are continuing. Arriving for talks, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions Patricia King said she had been invited by the courts chairman for an exploratory discussion on the dispute. Im certainly not going to predict whats going to happen but were certainly going to have a full I would say an open discussion with the chairman to let him now where were at, she said. Expand Close Talks: Paediatric nurse Catherine Sheridan, from Galway, outside the Workplace Relations Commission at Lansdowne House, Dublin yesterday during the negotiations on strike action. Photo: Justin Farrelly. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Talks: Paediatric nurse Catherine Sheridan, from Galway, outside the Workplace Relations Commission at Lansdowne House, Dublin yesterday during the negotiations on strike action. Photo: Justin Farrelly. When asked what has changed since last weeks failed talks at the Workplace Relations Commission, she said she did not know. Were going to have to go in and have our conversations with him and obviously the employers will do likewise, she said. She said she was always hopeful a resolution could be found. Earlier, Tanaiste Simon Coveney pleaded for compromise as he insisted the Government was doing everything possible to avoid the all-out nurses strike on Wednesday. Mr Coveney - speaking in Cork at a Capita Customer Solutions jobs announcement - warned that while the Government are examining options to resolve the nurses pay and working conditions demands, Ireland cannot afford the consequences of breaching public sector pay deals. But he acknowledged the concern the threatened strike action has caused for patients and the elderly across Ireland with more than 40,000 nurses set to back the strike action. The strike is set to coincide with a weather alert as freezing temperatures sweep across Ireland. "Of course we are concerned - an all-out nurses strike on Wednesday would cause very, very significant disruption for patients. We don't want to see that," he said. "We respect nurses and indeed nurses unions. They are great people - doing a very difficult job and I hope that we will be able to find a way of avoiding strike action on Wednesday. "By working with nurses unions to find a way forward that they can accept but that is also consistent with the wage agreements." The Tanaiste said that with Ireland facing uncertainty over Brexit and other global economic challenges, the country must stick to public sector pay guidelines. "The country simply cannot afford to breach agreements that we have already put in place across the public sector generally," he warned. "This is about trying to show some willingness to reach out on both sides to find a way forward that is consistent with the public sector pay agreements and I hope that we can make some progress on that." Mother-of-two Catherine Sheridan is a 46-year-old children's nurse who works in Co Galway. She said she's striking because of what she sees "every single day". She is among 40,000 nurses including staff nurses, midwives and psychiatric nurses who are getting ready to mount pickets this Wednesday. They want a 12pc pay rise to put their wages on a par with other professional grades. "It's as simple as that," said Ms Sheridan, who grew up in Carna, Connemara. "Nurses and midwives are facing absolutely dire working conditions every day. The pay levels just aren't attractive enough to retain nursing staff. Working short has become the new normal for us." She said paediatric nursing requires specialist training and nurses with particular skills who can look after sick children. "But they're leaving. Poor pay and conditions are driving them out. "These are highly skilled, dedicated nurses, and they're burning out. I love nursing. But I do ask myself, what am I doing here, 'why am I putting up with this?'" Devastating news from Gaoth Dobhair tonight. A cloud of sadness over the area. Thoughts and prayers are with those involved and their families. Pearse Doherty (@PearseDoherty) January 27, 2019 Ms Sheridan speaks out as nurses prepare to strike this week. However, the strike is due to clash with some of the most bitter weather the country has endured this winter - posing a risk to patients with respiratory diseases and people vulnerable to heart attacks. Strike The strike will also hit pregnant women whose outpatient appointments are being cancelled. If they experience problems with their pregnancy on Wednesday they will have to queue in the A&E of their maternity hospital. Phil Ni Sheaghdha, head of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), held contingency plan talks with strike committees across the country yesterday. It comes as more chaos looms today when the executive of the National Ambulance Representative Association meets and is expected to sanction a series of strikes. It follows last week's action over the right to union representation which forced Army paramedics to be drafted in. Members of the INMO, which is seeking a pay rise for staff nurses which employers say would cost 300m, will withdraw their labour on Wednesday except for emergency cover. The HSE spokeswoman said local injury units will be shut. Cancer surgery will go ahead but no other planned operations will take place. All outpatient appointments will be cancelled. Medical abortions will be confined to women who may go over the 12-week time limit if they are delayed. In the community, all day centres for older people or people with disabilities, where nurses are employed, will close as will all routine community nursing services and health centre clinics where nurses participate. A spokeswoman for Health Minister Simon Harris said he is urging both sides of use "the time and mechanisms available to avoid this dispute". A wage rise is ruled out but there is speculation a commission to examine nurses' pay may be brought forward. Former health minister Mary Harney has been appointed to the board of Brindley Healthcare, one of the country's largest nursing homes operators. As health minister in 2009, she introduced the Fair Deal scheme for nursing home care, which provides State funding for private as well as public nursing home care in exchange for a portion of residents' income and assets. The former Tanaiste is now a director of a number of firms in the health sector, as well as sitting on boards of public bodies, including the Irish Hospice Foundation. Brindley Healthcare is one of Ireland's largest privately owned nursing home groups. Set up by Amanda Torrens in 2000 with a 35-bed nursing home in Co Donegal, it now has eight nursing homes and more than 400 beds. Ms Harney was brought into Brindley by shareholder BGF Ireland, an investment fund backed by the Government and the main banks. It recently invested 10m in Brindley to fund acquisitions and growth. BGF Ireland's Leo Casey will also join the Brindley board, which is chaired by Noel Daly. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 27) Despite recent incidents including deadly bomb blasts in the south, senatorial hopeful Samira Gutoc believes martial law in Mindanao is "uncalled for" and poses threats to certain rights of residents At CNN Philippines' second Senatorial Forum on Sunday, Gutoc said the imposed military rule in the Minanao, which has been extended for another year, should not be justified. "There is no invasion, there's no lawless rebellion," the former Bangsamoro Transition Commission member said during the program at Ateneo De Manila University. Gutoc also addressed the twin bomb blasts that tore through a cathedral in Jolo, Sulu, but maintained there's no need for a widened martial law. "We thought that we should be strengthening more our peacekeeping measures," she added. "I feel that martial law is uncalled for, we have a freedom of press, it should be guaranteed. The right to liberty and motion should be guaranteed, and it is under threat under martial law." Samira Gutoc on the justification of martial law in Mindanao: There is no invasion, no lawless rebellion in Mindanao | #TheFilipinoVotes https://t.co/YuEX8968An pic.twitter.com/ovdWg6ABiH CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) January 27, 2019 Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay echoed the sentiment. "Si President Erap (Estrada), pinasok niya ang Camp Abubakar, nag-deklara ba siya ng batas militar? Hindi. Si Presidente (Noynoy) Aquino, Zamboanga siege, Sulu seige, nagdeklara ba siya ng batas militar? Hindi. Ang pagdedeklara ng batas militar ay usaping legal at kontstitusyonal, hindi (kung) komportable ba ang mga tao doon o hindi," Hilbay said during the forum. [Translation: President Erap went inside Camp Abubakar, but did he declare martial law? No. President Aquino, there were the Zamboanga siege, the Sulu siege, but did he declare martial law? No. The declaration of martial law should be on a legal and constitutional basis-- and not if the people in there are comfortable.] At least 20 people were reported killed, while dozens of others were injured when two bombs exploded within minutes Sunday at the cathedral in Jolo. The attack came days after the Commission on Elections proclaimed the ratification of the Bangsamoro law creating a new Muslim autonomous region, and while martial law remains imposed in the southern third of the country. Former Interior Secretary Raffy Alunan, however, said martial law is still favored by Mindanaoans. "They consider it a preventive measure because Mindanao still has many threats-- banditry, terrorism, insurgency," Alunan countered. "What happened in Jolo is another case in point. I think to the extent that the people in Mindanao are comfortable and safe and secure, because of martial law, then let's grant it to the people of Mindanao," he added. Alunan, however, clarified the current situation in Mindanao is different from that of the iron-fist rule of former President Ferdinand Marcos' era. "The important thing is martial law in Mindanao is not the same as the Marcos era. These guys are laid back. They act to prevent acts of terrorism," he added. Gutoc and Alunan were among the seven senatorial hopefuls who took part in forum alongside former Rep. Neri Colmenares, former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, and former Rep. Erin Tanada. In a joint session on December 12, 2018, Congress approved President Rodrigo Duterte's request to extend martial law in the South for the third time. Lawmakers voted 235-28 to extend the rule until the end of 2019. Martial law was first proclaimed in 2017 in the wake of a terrorist attack on Marawi City in May. Inquiries: Gardai at the scene of the shooting at St Attracta Road, Cabra. Gardai are investigating if a drive-by shooting in the capital over the weekend is linked to the Hutch/Kinahan feud. A gunman fired four shots into the house on St Attracta Road, Cabra, shortly before 10pm on Saturday. Three people, including an innocent 46-year-old woman and her 19-year-old son, were in the house at the time. The woman's older son, a 29-year-old man, was also at home and is believed to be the target of the shooting. One of the bullets entered the sitting room while another struck a bedroom window, but no injuries were reported. The 29-year-old occupant was previously arrested in an operation targeting the Kinahan cartel last year, and gardai are probing if that arrest is linked to the shooting over the weekend. However, a source said that a number of other motives will be probed, including if the incident is connected to a local dispute. The suspected target previously served a four-year jail term after a number of firearms were found on waste ground near his home. In the aftermath of the gun attack, gardai recovered four shell casings on the ground outside the house. A Garda cordon remained in place at the scene on St Attracta Road yesterday, while gardai conducted door-to-door inquiries. "Gardai in Mountjoy are appealing for witnesses following a shooting incident in Cabra," a spokesman said. "Shortly before 10pm a number of shots were fired at a house on St Attracta Road, Cabra. None of the occupants in the house at the time was injured. Windows at the front of the house were damaged." The scene of the tragic accident where four young men lost their lives. North West Newspix Garda at the scene of a local road near Gleann hUallach, Gaoth Dobhair where four young men lost their lives in a road accident. Photo: Damien Eagers / INM (L-R) Micheal Roarty, Shaun Harkin, John Harley and Daniel Scott lost their lives in the crash The four young men who have lost their lives following a horrific road crash in Co Donegal have been named locally. The victims have been named locally as John Harley (24) from Falcarragh; Daniel Scott (aged in his twenties) from Gortahork; Shaun Harkin (22) from Falcarragh and Micheal Roarty (24) from Gweedore. Expand Close Garda at the scene of a local road near Gleann hUallach, Gaoth Dobhair where four young men lost their lives in a road accident. Photo: Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Garda at the scene of a local road near Gleann hUallach, Gaoth Dobhair where four young men lost their lives in a road accident. Photo: Damien Eagers / INM Gardai described the scene of the crash on a local road near Magheraroarty, Gortahork, as "devastating". The incident occurred on a mountain bog road near a bridge, not too far from the coast road, between Gortahork and Gweedore. The four were travelling in a Toyota Corolla vehicle. Local gardai attended the scene and were joined by the chief superintendent from Buncrana and other gardai from Milford last night. Expand Close Daniel Scott / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Daniel Scott Local councillor Seamus O'Domhnaill described the victims as "four fine young men" and expressed his condolences with their family and friends. "Four of the finest young men that anyone would want to have in any community have been tragically and devastatingly taken away from us, he told Independent.ie. Members of the Gweedore and wider community are more than devastated. Everybody sends their condolences to their family and also to their group of friends, they were all friends in school." All four of the young victims were travelling in the same car. No other vehicle was involved. Expand Close Micheal Roarty / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Micheal Roarty The emergency services were alerted to the crash shortly before 9pm. Local gardai secured the scene while ambulances and fire crews attended from across the county. Despite their efforts, all four men were pronounced dead at the scene. Forensic collision investigators continued to work at the scene of the crash today, trying to establish the sequence of events before the fatal crash. The car ended up off the road beside a low bridge at the bottom of a dip in a minor road. The roof of the vehicle was cut off by the emergency services during the rescue efforts. Expand Close John Harley / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp John Harley As the gravity of the depth of the tragedy spread around the western Donegal communities of Gweedore, Gortahork and Falcarragh, Supt David Kelly of Milford garda station issued an appeal for information on sightings of the car the men were traveling in yesterday. Garda last night, at approximately 8.40pm received a report of a single vehicle collision at Gleannhualach. When they attended the scene they found one vehicle, a 01DL registered silver Toyota Corolla hatchback off the road and there were four casualties. Also in attendance were the HSE ambulance service and our colleagues from Donegal County Council fire and rescue service. "It was dark, it was a tragic scene, family members arrived. I'd like to sincerely on behalf of the Gardai and my other colleagues to offer our condolences to the families, their friends and the community following this tragic incident. "I would like to make an appeal now to the public and the local community. If anyone saw that silver Toyota Corolla with a 01DL registration travelling in the direction of Magheroarty to Gweedore yesterday evening prior to 8.40pm, or indeed earlier in the day to please contact the Gardai at Milford garda station on 074 9153060 or the garda confidential line 1800 666111." Grief A local priest who attended the scene last night described the incident as "the stuff of nightmares". Fr Brian O'Fearraigh, from the parish of Gweedore, said he received a call to attend the scene at approximately 9pm last night. Speaking to RTE's Sean O'Rourke, Fr O'Fearraigh said he paused at the top of the hill and looked into the valley as he travelled to the area, aware by the scene below that tragedy had struck. Expand Close Shaun Harkin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Shaun Harkin "It just makes no sense whatsoever, it is a terrible tragedy," he said. "It was made clear when I arrived that it was a terrible tragedy and horror. We stood altogether and we had a few prayers when the family members arrived. "We stood still and we spoke and we embraced. Sometimes in tragedies like this, words can fall silent and I think that your presence and the presence of one another is what's important. "These communities have been plunged into the depths of grief and mourning in this most tragic of events." Fr O'Fearraigh said nothing can prepare you as a priest for tragedy, but said he is comforted by the fact that there is a strong community in the north-west and people will help each other. He also paid tribute to the emergency services at the scene. "Their dedication is next to none," he added. "It's important we have that and it's important to acknowledge it. "They don't seek praise, but it's important to say thank you." Parish priest for Gortahork Fr Sean O'Gallchoir said it is a tragedy that spans three parishes in north-west Donegal. Speaking earlier this morning on RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland, Fr O'Gallchoir said there will be a "void" for the parents for the rest of their lives. "People are just saddened and stunned, and in disbelief and totally numb," Fr O'Gallchoir said. "On behalf of everyone, we extend our sympathies to the parents, to the families and friends of the four young men. "It is felt right across the communities as they come from three different parishes, two of the young men are here in Gortahork, one in neighbouring Falcarragh and one in the parish of Gweedore, very well-known young men and very well-known families." Fr O'Gallchoir said he spoke to two of the families last night after the accident. "The two boys were in the same class in primary school, the same class in secondary school, they grew up together. They were friends all their lives," he continued. "I was talking to the parents last night and it just beyond belief. They are totally devastated and in shock and in great grief. "The community will rally around, people will do their best, but this will be a void for the rest of the parents' lives." The local priest said people in the area are "bewildered" by the tragedy. "It's unbelievable for young people to see, these boys they grew up, they went out with." Local Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty said there was a "cloud of sadness over the area", adding that his thoughts and prayers were with the dead men's families. He paid tribute to the four men, saying they had their full lives ahead of them. "As the news filtered through, a cloud of sadness descended on the entire area. When you hear of a tragedy like a car crash, you fear the worst. This was beyond the worst. "These were four friends who had all their lives in front of them, and they had their lives snatched from them." Fianna Fail TD for Donegal Pat the Cope Gallagher expressed his shock and sadness. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of these men. I know the community will rally around the families over the tough days and weeks ahead. I would like to pay tribute to the Gardai and the emergency services and first responders, who arrived swiftly on the scene and tended to the victims." Tragedy The four deaths bring to 10 the number of people who have lost their lives on Irish roads over the last week. Last night, a man in his eighties lost his life in a single vehicle collision near Coolcullen in Co Kilkenny. On Friday, Joseph and Louise Waller, who were both in their 70s, were killed in a single car crash near the Monaghan and Armagh border at Killyneill Cross. Their car left the road and ended up in a bog. It is believed their car had become submerged in water. On Thursday, a pedestrian in his 40s died after he was struck by a 4x4 vehicle on the Dublin Road, Monasterevin, Co Kildare. Earlier that day, Dublin woman Jackie Griffin was killed in a collision on the M50. And after 9am on the same day, a passenger in her 80s died after the car she was travelling in was involved in a collision in Loughrea, Co Galway. Last Sunday night, a 60-year-old man was involved in a collision with a truck in Dungarvan, Co Waterford. Strong ties: Patrick Prendergast and David Eastwood sign the agreement between the two universities. Photo: Fennell Photography Trinity College Dublin and the University of Birmingham have signed a formal partnership designed to help Brexit-proof the two universities when Britain departs the UK. The nature of the agreement is unusual on these islands, as membership of the EU has provided the infrastructure for the collaboration involved. But notwithstanding inter-governmental commitments to protect education, the UK's withdrawal from the EU will present unknown challenges about the maintenance of relationships. The partnership aims to mitigate the effects of Brexit by strengthening academic links, enhancing collaborative research and providing for free movement of students and researchers between the two universities. The University of Birmingham is one of the UK's largest and ranks higher than Trinity in global university rankings. Trinity Provost Dr Patrick Prendergast and University of Birmingham vice chancellor Professor David Eastwood signed a memorandum of understanding at a ceremony in Dublin, which was also attend by UK Ambassador to Ireland Robin Barnett, a former student of Birmingham. Dr Prendergast said it was a critical time for both countries and he looked forward to strengthening research links and building exchange programmes. A DUBLIN woman has pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty charges after a malnourished dog was allegedly found chained to a bathtub in her home. Nikita Somerville with an address at Peadar Kearney House, Railway Street, Dublin 1 will go on trial later this year. She appeared before Judge Anthony Halpin at Dublin District Court today facing five counts under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 in connection with her pet Pomeranian dog. In an outline of the prosecution evidence, Judge Halpin heard it was alleged, A pet dog was discovered in her home chained to a bathtub by a Garda attending the premises. The Pomeranian was examined and found to be malnourished, the court heard. Ms Somerville told the court she was pleading not guilty. Judge Halpin advised her to speak to a solicitor as the charge can attract a sentence of up to six months. He noted she was pleading not guilty and ordered that her trial would take place on a date in March. She was granted legal aid for a solicitor to represent her. She faces five charges for not keeping a brown Pomeranian in a manner to safeguard its welfare, for causing suffering to the pet, being reckless regarding its welfare, and not providing sufficient water or food. It was her second appearance on these charges. The case first came before the court when she was summonsed to appear on January 14 last. It was adjourned until today for the court to see what attitude she had toward the charges. The dog was put into the care of the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the court had heard. A conviction on the charges can result in fines of up to 3,000 per charge as well as a sentence of up to six months. The court also has the power to ban a defendant convicted under the legislation from owning an animal. Passengers who suffered as a result of the delayed delivery of the WB Yeats ferry are in line for compensation pay-outs that could be worth hundreds of euro. Thousands of Irish Ferries passengers had their bookings for the Dublin to France ferry cancelled between July and September last year, owing to a delay in the German shipbuilding yard completing the new ship. The National Transport Authority (NTA) investigated Irish Ferries after more than 100 people complained of cancellations. The authority was not satisfied that the unavailability of WB Yeats is an extraordinary circumstance hindering the performance of the cancelled passenger services which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken, it said in its report today. It said it formed the opinion that Irish Ferries is failing to comply with maritime regulations. After being notified of the decision, Irish Ferries submitted representations to the NTA and these representations were reviewed and discussed. However the board confirmed its initial finding. The compensation payments are based on reasonable expenses arriving from the cancellation of the booking, a spokesman for the NTA said. However, the NTA said if a passenger accepted reimbursement of their ticket price in full, then no further compensation is payable. Irish Ferries has a period of two months to comply with the notices. In a statement, the company expressed its disappointment with the issuing of notices by the NTA. These cancellations were due to extraordinary circumstances which were completely outside of the companys control, it said. Since the delay was due to unforeseen delays by the shipbuilder, and was notified to passengers months ahead of planned sailings, Irish Ferries does not agree that the company infringed the relevant EU Regulation. Irish Ferries said it believed it took every reasonable action to provide passengers with alternative travel options including a no-quibble immediate refund to allow them to make alternative travel plans. A goodwill gesture of 150 discount for a sailing to France this year has already been provided to all customers impacted by the cancellations, it said. ________________________________________ Martin Clunes has said that returning to Hawaii 23 years after he proposed to his wife there felt special. The star of Doc Martin recently return from the US state to film for his upcoming series, Islands Of America, which will also see him visit Alaska and the east coast. It was the first time Clunes, 57, had returned to Hawaii since he proposed to his wife, Doc Martin producer Philippa Braithwaite, there. The pair share a daughter, Emily, who was born in 1998. Expand Close Martin Clunes proposed to his wife Philippa Braithwaite in Hawaii 23 years ago (Ian West/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Martin Clunes proposed to his wife Philippa Braithwaite in Hawaii 23 years ago (Ian West/PA) Clunes said he had missed Philippa so much on his last trip to the island that he proposed soon after she arrived to visit him, despite her being jet lagged and in a strange place. He said: I was doing a holiday programme, I wish theyd come back, they were just great. And theyd agreed to fly Philippa out, and Id done San Francisco and Hawaii on the same trip and she came out at the end of the Hawaii shoot. It was the longest wed been apart, and I missed her so much that I proposed, while she was really jet lagged and in a strange place. Expand Close Martin Clunes is made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen (Jonathan Brady/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Martin Clunes is made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen (Jonathan Brady/PA) Asked how it felt to return to the island, he replied: It was special. I could remember the name of the hotel where I proposed, so I typed that in on Google EarthIt found the area, and you could go down into Google street, and because I remembered what was out of the window I pinpointed the room where I proposed. But we didnt go back to Maui this time and we didnt go to Kauai, which I love. I went to Molokai which was amazing. Tourists dont really go there, and to go beyond the kitsch and to see what Hawaiian life was all about. Previous iterations of the programme have seen Clunes island hopping in Britain and Australia. Islands Of America airs on February 5 on ITV. Many times, while reading Margaret Kelleher's absorbing and very well-written book, I was reminded of Brian Friel's Translations. Friel's play is a lyrical exposure of the failure of the English language to express Irish sentiment. Hugh, an Irish 'go-between' supporting the translation of Irish place names into English during the first Ordnance Survey, observes, 'it can happen that a civilisation can be imprisoned in a linguistic contour which no longer matches the landscape of fact'. In The Maamtrasna Murders, linguistic imprisonment moves from being a metaphor to becoming a grim reality. The extraordinary details of the Maamtrasna murders make compelling reading. The series of events that culminated in the execution of three Irishmen, are shot through with confusion, deception, and ignorance. Further, the unfolding drama betrays a kind of raw cruelty that has captivated reporters, researchers, and readers since the murders took place on the night of August 17, 1882. The location of the murders was remote, some 40 miles from Galway city. Maamtrasna was set below mountains, and consisted of less than two dozen cottages and hovels. Not all of the inhabitants could speak or understand English, and some were monoglot Irish. Much of the land was poor, and locals were related and intermarried in a way that seemed almost incestuous. The peculiar sleeping arrangements of siblings, and the primitive living conditions which included keeping animals inside the dwellings, would feed English newspaper reporters with exactly the kind of detail that would be devoured by readers in Manchester, London, and eventually in America. Expand Close Myles Joyce, who pleaded his innocence to the end / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Myles Joyce, who pleaded his innocence to the end But the details that were of greatest interest, were those surrounding the gruesome nature of the deaths of the Joyce family - John Joyce, his wife Bridget, his mother Margaret, his daughter Peggy, and his stepson, Michael. The men were shot and the women were beaten to death with such brutality that their brains poured from their skulls. Michael survived briefly, long enough to give a deposition. His younger brother, Patsy, had also been shot, but somehow survived. Descriptions of the crime scene are eerie: John Joyce's body lay naked on the ground. Dogs had chewed at the mother's corpse, by the time two constables arrived from Finny. Equally chilling are the narratives that surrounded the event: the men who discovered the bodies did not immediately send for the police; locals who later arrived at the scene would not help young Patsy who was close to death. Nobody would enter the house for fear of somehow becoming implicated in the atrocities. Confusion increased when, two days after the murders, the coroner's inquest began outside the house of the Joyce victims. Margaret Kelleher's meticulously researched book provides details of the gruesome massacre at the outset, but signals at an early stage that this book is not merely a history of the events surrounding the murders. Rather, her aim is to interrogate ways in which the case of the murders and trials were 'a salutary example of an Irish-speaking man wrongly convicted of murder in an English-speaking court'. From the moment the inquest commenced, the investigations failed to take account of the need for accurate translations of eyewitness statements and sworn accounts. Even the jury of 18 that was sworn in, included Irish monoglots with very limited understanding of what was going on. Kelleher's research, which included comparing newspaper accounts, police records, and crown records, shows how Irish-language testimonies were both misunderstood and concealed. As Kelleher argues, 'Who spoke what language mattered greatly in the Maamtrasna trials'. From the outset, there was no clear motive for the murders. However, when three Maamtrasna men went to the police to make a statement identifying 10 locals, the opportunity to make arrests and dispense justice was seized. Kelleher provides clarity and careful analysis of the events that followed, as two of the 10 'turned Queen's evidence', leaving eight men to face sentences. A complicated web of lies and deception threatened to derail the legal process. But, in a climate of unrest and land wars, the British public was baying for blood. Only three months earlier, the Chief Secretary, Lord Frederick Cavendish, had been fatally stabbed in the Phoenix Park. Swift and decisive justice was demanded. The Lord Lieutenant, John Spencer, played a key role in expediting it. Queen Victoria, like a black widow spider, waited in anticipation. Three of the eight men were executed: they were Patrick Casey, Patrick Joyce, and Myles Joyce. Their faces stare from the pages of Kelleher's book, in an inset of photographs that also includes the five men who were jailed for life, and the two 'approvers' who testified against them. It would later emerge that one of the approvers was nowhere near the crime scene, and could not have known who committed the murders. Indeed, it is likely that some of the murderers were never charged, and may have been amongst those who gathered on the day of the inquest outside the Joyce house. Many times in the years that followed the executions, there have been attempts to open inquiries into the murders and exonerate Myles Joyce, whose story is at the centre of Kelleher's work. He pleaded his innocence to the end. Both Patrick Casey and Patrick Joyce stated that Myles was innocent, even as they accepted their own death sentences. But Myles Joyce, who neither spoke nor understood English, was grossly misrepresented in court. An executioner came from England to undertake the hangings at Galway jail. The skill of an executioner included knowing how to prepare the ropes, and how to calculate the weight of the condemned men and the distances that their bodies should drop in order to ensure instant death. Myles Joyce, pleading his innocence in a language that many did not understand, put up resistance to the end with the result that his death was not instant, and he died by strangulation. Margaret Kelleher writes that the Maamtrasna murders is 'a story of violence, which includes the violence of the State'. The final section of the volume reminds us that this violence has not been consigned to history. With great clarity and precision, Kelleher writes that the injustices that arise 'from a State's failure to recognise languages other than those officially sanctioned also have contemporary significance, and recent asylum cases offer disturbing instances.' A consequence of migration and mobility, is that there is an urgent need for public services interpreters. Here in Ireland, and elsewhere, this need is poorly addressed. Kelleher concludes, 'We can only begin to imagine the fateful encounters that are now taking place between the monolingual, or reluctantly bilingual, practices of our judicial and legal systems and the tremendously complex biographical trajectories of those seeking refuge and citizenship.' If there is a single moment of consolation at the end of this compelling volume, it is knowing that in 2015, the Irish government commissioned an expert review of the case of Myles Joyce. Undertaken by Dr Niamh Howlin of UCD School of Law, the review concluded that 'his conviction was unsafe'. Last year, on April 4, Myles Joyce was granted a posthumous pardon by President Michael D Higgins. Professor Deirdre Raftery is a historian of education at University College Dublin so Far, the Maisacher Togohilfe supported the partner NGO in Togo, Aimes Afrique, in the implementation of medical operations on the Land. Now there is a new challenge: hip to allow operations. Maisach presented again and again with doctors, patients, operations with heavy Huftschaden, were forced to surrender to despair their fate. Of artificial hips they had never heard of. The Doctors of Aimes Afrique, the people, to clarify: There is Suffering hope by modern medicine. But the implementation of the hip-OPs represents a big challenge: a suitably equipped SURGERY, the sophisticated surgical equipment, the expensive hip replacements all of which is not available in Togo. The Togohilfe financed with own funds and a grant from the free state of Bavaria, the necessary equipment for the operating room of the Clinique International Kodom in Lome. The Maisacher Association mobilized with Aimes Afrique, orthopedic surgeons from Bavaria, who travelled on a voluntary basis and at their own expense to Togo. Hardly arrived, rolled up the Sleeves and began to operate. The German-Togolese operation team had played fast. The operations for poor patients succeed easily and all the features. Margret Kopp, Chairman of the Togohilfe, says: "effective, sustainable development cooperation: for the benefit of poor patients to help immediately, and for the improvement of the medical capacities as a sustainable investment." The help to come and work in the long term. Therefore, the Association is collecting donations for the project. Updated Date: 28 January 2019, 12:04 Tesco has insisted its 10,000 Irish staff wont be affected by the supermarkets announcement that it is slashing jobs. The UK retailer said its overhauling its UK business and that 9,000 staff could be affected, though it said it hoped to offer redeployment to as many as half of these. An Irish spokesperson said todays announcement only relates to the UK stores, though did not rule out that Irish jobs could be hit in future as the company seeks to run its business more simply. The spokesperson said details of cuts are always announced to staff here. In an announcement entitled Building a more simpler, more sustainable business, Tesco said it was going to close deli counters in 90 outlets, and remove a hot food service available to employees in around a third of stores. The market is challenging and we need to continually adapt to remain competitive and respond to how customers want to shop. Were making changes to our UK stores and head office to simplify what we do and how we do it, so were better able to meet the needs of our customers, Tesco UK and Ireland chief executive Jason Tarry said. The French government is planning to force the chairs and chief executives of big companies headquartered in the country to pay their personal taxes there, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has said. "We will reinforce the rules of fiscal residency, we will do it through a law," Mr Le Maire said in a radio interview with France Inter yesterday. "There will be an obligation to be a fiscal resident in France when you are at the head of a big French company." In his interview, he said legislation he'll propose in "the coming months" will target large companies including those listed in the main Paris stock exchange and companies where the government holds stakes. Whether France can introduce legislation barring residents of neighbouring European Union member states holding top jobs remains to be seen. However, an anti-elite backlash by so-called Yellow Vest protesters against a proposed fuel tax has piled pressure on President Emmanuel Macron's government to prove it is not out of touch with ordinary voters. The move also follows reports that Carlos Ghosn, controversial former CEO of French carmaker Renault, and ex-chairman of Nissan, has not been tax domicile in France since 2012. Earlier this month French newspaper 'Liberation' reported that Mr Ghosn had been tax resident in the Netherlands, which - unlike France - has no wealth tax. After his dramatic arrest last year Mr Ghosn has been charged in Japan with under-reporting income, which he denies. French resident high earners pay PAYE at a rate of 45pc on worldwide earnings over 156,244. They are also liable for wealth tax, which ranges from 0.5pc on global assets worth more than 800,000 to 1.5pc on assets over 10m. My previous column dealt with a proposal by the EU Commission on how EU decision-making on certain tax issues could be "streamlined" by removing the need for unanimous agreement by all countries. Instead, these matters would be decided by a weighted system ("qualified majority voting") where measures could be carried if supported by a minimum number of countries. So unanimity of consensus for tax was in the EU's cross-hairs. My reaction is "non, merci", because tax sovereignty or "our tax revenue is not the EU's tax revenue" matters. Since that column, it's been reported that a spokeswoman for our Minister for Finance explained: "Taxation is a sovereign member state competence." She said such decisions at EU Council level on tax matters "require unanimity" and "Ireland does not support any change being made on how tax issues are agreed at EU level." I don't think we could have been clearer unless we added "so there!" Since that column, the public consultation period with the Department of Finance on the tax treatment of the somewhat X-files-like area of "hybrids" and corporate interest deductions closed. All this came about because of the EU's Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD), which we signed up to. As a segue into this from the abovementioned unanimous voting point, the June 2016 press release announcing the ATAD's agreement explained that "in negotiating the Directive the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, sought to ensure that Ireland's sovereignty on tax rates was fully protected". We are consistent. The consultation's hybrids bit dealt with instruments and entities that our law sees one way while other countries might see them another. This consultation looks at the resulting mismatch. This means that if your corporate group carries on activities cross-border, then this law will be required reading when passed in Finance Act 2019. It's not all about exotic financial instruments because it can affect common commercial transactions depending on how the law ends up. Interest deductions do what they say on their tin. This relates to interest on borrowings and other financing of a corporate group's activities and so covers a multitude of taxpayers and transactions. One of my first lecturers had a mantra, "cash is the lifeblood of business", and you borrow cash to finance your business. The directive wants to change (read reduce) the tax effects of that borrowing. The way that it works is that net borrowing costs will only be tax deductible up to 30pc of a taxpayer's (read corporate group's) earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda). In short, the interest companies pay might not all be tax deductible. Apart from that, a standalone company may be given the right to fully deduct net borrowing costs if it is, in short, not part of a group. Alternatively, a taxpayer may be given the right to deduct net borrowing costs below a 3m threshold. These options are up to individual countries to allow. My reaction: we should allow this. Another option is that the ATAD allows member states to have two different group exclusion provisions based on either an "equity/total assets" ratio or a group EBITDA test. This is effectively a balance sheet or P&L approach. Your group might be "asset heavy", so one option may be more beneficial over the other. Therefore, many commentators (I'm one) argue this is not a one-size-fits-all point, but rather tax law should allow taxpayers to choose the most appropriate option. That just acknowledges that corporate groups that build bridges are not the same as those writing algorithms for the next must-have app. All these options will determine how competitive we are when compared to our European counterparts. Best-in-compliance class could put us back of the investment class. Here's the kicker, the ATAD says member states can have a transitional period if their own "targeted rules" on interest deductions (countermeasures) for preventing 'base erosion and profit shifting' (BEPS) are "equally effective" to those contained in the ATAD. Those countries can still apply their targeted rules until the end of the first fiscal year following the agreement between the OECD Members on a minimum standard for interest deductions, or, at the latest, until January 1, 2024. The public consultation document mentioned earlier explains (as did the Department's previously published roadmap) that we would be bringing about such a rule but "the timing of that legislation will be determined following further engagement with the European Commission. Ireland remains of the view that our national targeted rules for preventing BEPS risks are equally effective to the interest-limitation rule set out in Article 4 of the directive and will continue to engage with the European Commission in this regard... In view of the complexity of our existing interest limitation rules, it is anticipated that transposition could potentially advance, at the earliest, to Finance Bill 2019". So we could have an interest restriction, possibly five years ahead of schedule, if the OECD does not bring about a minimum standard any time soon. Are our interest rules complex? As Daniel Craig whispered as James Bond in Casino Royale after he executed his second kill: "Yes [dramatic pause] considerably". But that's a huge understatement because they are galactically complex. A company can borrow money to acquire another or lend to another company and claim a tax deduction on that borrowing's interest. Simple, right? When that deduction first became law almost 40 years ago, the related legislation was about three-quarters of a page long. Now it's almost nine pages. The relief has remained practically the same; it's just that the targeted countermeasures have ballooned the law. But that's only one type of interest deduction, there are special rules for financing a company's trade, financing rental properties, overseas borrowing and the list goes on. So we should continue to argue for a 2024 change date; but whenever we have to adopt this new-fangled interest restriction should we be simplifying our related tax code as the quid pro quo? "Yes, considerably." Simplicity eats complexity for breakfast, and our competitors will be looking at chinks in our armour when all EU countries have to bring about similar law. A corporate group's lifeblood is not the place for weakness. Tax breaks to encourage older homeowners to downsize are among a raft of new measures aimed at promoting dedicated housing for people over 55. Former minister James Reilly will table a motion in the Seanad this week calling for a raft of new measures including ring-fenced funding, changes to inheritance tax and exemptions from property tax for so-called 'bespoke' housing built and reserved for older people. It calls on the Department of Housing to publish a plan for housing for over 55s and to offer options including new funding models to provide for tailored housing for the elderly. The motion, supported by all Fine Gael senators, also calls on the Government to "review the tax regulations and alter them to encourage and enable persons living in large homes inappropriate for their current needs to downsize to bespoke housing for the elderly". This could be done by exempting "bespoke housing" from property tax, but it also says the Government should also examine the suite of current capital and other taxes to see if an incentive can be designed to encourage downsizing. Inheritance tax is considered a viable area where allowances could be made to encourage people to move to smaller homes and also help family members who may be looking to get on the housing ladder. The private members' motion also calls for zones to be reserved for housing for elderly people, along the same lines as land is zoned for school use now. Under the proposal, the department would have to collaborate formally with the HSE and others in order to ensure wraparound services were available alongside tailored housing to allow people to live in their homes for as long as possible. That idea echoes proposals being teased out by Junior Health Minister Jim Daly who has suggested retirement villages as a solution to Ireland's expanding elderly population. The proposals are designed to help people avoid the "scourge of loneliness associated with inappropriate housing" and would be a "win-win-win for the elderly, the first-time buyers and the State", Mr Reilly said. Fingal councillor Tom O'Leary, who works with Mr Reilly, is due to discuss a project with Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy this week, with a view to forming a co-op to deliver up to 50 homes in the area for older people. Meanwhile, Mr Murphy is due to publish a policy document in the coming weeks examining options to encourage the elderly to downsize and to ensure delivery of homes suitable for older people. The amount of money paid by the Government to private landlords has spiralled by more than 200m in four years. Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) are also set to rise substantially in the coming months as the Government looks to the rental sector to ease the housing crisis. HAP is paid to private landlords on behalf of those entitled to housing support. Figures released to Fianna Fail's Darragh O'Brien show that in 2014, just 390,000 was spent on HAP payments, with fewer than 500 households on HAP. Last year, 276.6m was paid, with more than 40,000 households being accommodated via HAP. There were 25,500 separate landlords and agents in receipt of monthly HAP payments, according to the department's most up-to-date data which does not account for the final three months of 2018. The Government plans to ramp up spending on HAP to 422m this year, with plans for almost 17,000 more households to be added to the scheme. Mr O'Brien said Fine Gael was "pouring taxpayers' money into the private sector". "Under Fine Gael, we are seeing a massive rise in HAP spending, rather than investment in direct build. This is a short-term approach that will ultimately cost the State billions of euro," he said. However, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy defended the spend and said "HAP is necessary now, but we are coming to a point where we are reducing our dependence on HAP". He said if Fianna Fail was "paying attention", it would understand that spending had increased on social housing beyond initial Rebuilding Ireland targets. "New HAP leases created this year will be down on last year because the stock of social housing is increasing," he said. "In 2021, more people will be accommodated in social housing homes than in new HAP tenancies." Cork-based Lyonshall has sought to increase the size of its development near University College Cork Plans for almost 1,400 new student bed spaces have been submitted since the start of the year as the housing crisis continues to hit those in third-level education seeking accommodation. Like most demographics, the student housing sector is facing a significant shortfall with demand for spaces more intense than ever before. At the time of last year's CAO offers there were 3,070 properties available nationwide. Prime Living has applied to build 706 purpose-built student bedrooms in Sandyford in south county Dublin. The Swedish company bought a 1.8 acre site at the junction of Blackthorn Road and Carmanhall Road for around 10.3m in 2017. It intends to spend upwards of 20m on the development itself. The site was originally purchased with permission to build 147 apartments, a creche, a cafe, and a gym. It is 3km from UCD and within walking distance of Luas stations that can deliver students to Trinity, the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, and DIT. It follows Prime Living's first investment in Ireland - a development site in Letterkenny in Co Donegal. Prime intends building around 136 bed spaces there. The company itself is a joint venture with Cara Cove Holding. Among its directors is Sweden-based Ian McGlinchey, who owns a series of Irish pubs overseas. Prime Living holds 70pc of the Prime Living Sandyford Ltd entity, while Cara Cove owns the remainder. Due to the scale of the project, Prime Living has gone straight to An Bord Pleanala and can expect a decision on the matter by May 7. Elsewhere, Cork-based Lyonshall has sought to increase the size of its development on the Bandon Road, despite intense local opposition. The developer was given the green light in August to build 320 units near University College Cork, but has returned to the board with an intention to build 419. Nearby residents said the development would lead to an over-concentration of student housing in the area. Finally, planning advisers Declan Brassil and Co have applied for another 235 student bed spaces on the Mangan Road in Dublin 8. A study from property website Daft, published in August, accused the government of negligent inaction on student housing, stating just 1,400 homes were available in Dublin for more than 80,000 students. Speaking to the Sunday Independent, housing policy analyst Mel Reynolds said it was not surprising that developers were interested in student housing. Its a very profitable end of the market if you can get them rented. Even though there is a considerable level of them being built, a significant shortfall still remains, he said. Rachel Shelly, Head of Medical Technologies, IDA Ireland; Shannon Crespin, VP Global Supply Chain, DePuy Synthes; An Tanaiste, Simon Coveney, T.D. and Gary Clerkin, Global Leader, Manufacturing Engineering, Science & Technology, DePuy Synthes. (Picture : Adrian OHerlihy) Jan. 28th 2019 Med tech firm DePuy Synthes is to create 30 jobs at its Irish hub as part of a 36m investment in research and development. The company, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 1998, is a global leader in orthopaedic and neurological solutions. As part of the new five year R&D project, the scale of activities at the DePuy Synthes Ireland Innovation Centre in Ringaskiddy will expand. This includes the establishment of a 3-D Printing Development and Launch Center on-site, in addition to the J&J 3D Bioprinting Laboratory, which launched last year in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin. Shannon Crespin, VP, Global Supply Chain, DePuy Synthes said the team in Cork "continues to develop ground-breaking healthcare solutions, underlining our ongoing commitment to improving patient outcomes and shaping the future of healthcare delivery". Tanaiste Simon Coveney TD said the investment demonstrates the strong commitment by DePuy to the site at Loughbeg. The project is supported by the Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation, through IDA Ireland. Dublin-based e-commerce platform eShopWorld is to double the physical size of its headquarters in Swords, close to Dublin Airport, as it ramps up for expansion. eShopWorld employs around 300 staff globally, including 180 in Dublin. It plans to increase that headcount by 50pc within two years. The company has also appointed Ray Thorpe as chief information security officer, responsible for its overall information security strategy. He's joining from global standards organisation BSI. It follows a number of senior management hires globally, including Cynthia Hollen as president of its US business. Information security is a major focus, according to eShopWorld CEO Tommy Kelly. "In today's retail climate, cybersecurity is at the forefront for every business leader, and Ray's appointment underpins our continuing commitment in this regard," Mr Kelly said. The company's technology is used by businesses to manage online sales, and clients are understood to include big brands like Victoria's Secret and Nike. Turnover in 2017 was 320.6m and the Irish business is targeting revenues of $1bn within three years. In Swords, eShopWorld has doubled its headquarters' office space to 24,000 sq ft in a deal with landlord Ryanair, by taking a second floor in the Concourse building at Airside Business Park, under a three-year lease. Developer Johnny Ronan has revealed how he and his team laid the foundations for the two biggest office lettings in the history of the State as he exited from Nama. "We sought a meeting with the IDA and we asked them 'what do you need to attract foreign direct investment?' The answer was clear. There was a real requirement for big, flexible floor plates on over 100,000 square feet capable of accommodating major employers. So that's what we set out to do," Ronan told the Sunday Independent. The businessman was speaking to this newspaper following Facebook's announcement last Monday of its intention to add 1,000 jobs this year at its new European headquarters, which is now under development on the site of the AIB Bank Centre in Ballsbridge. Ronan's company Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE) and its funding partners, Colony Capital, will be responsible for the delivery of a major share of the new campus, having signed a 25-year lease agreement with Facebook for the entirety of Fibonacci Square, the 350,000 sq ft (32,500 sq m) of offices they are delivering at its Merrion Road entrance. Up until nine days ago, Ronan's deal with Facebook had been the single largest office letting since the foundation of the State. That record fell however following the announcement by Salesforce of its intention to rent all 530,000 sq ft (46,184 sq m) Ronan is developing at Spencer Dock in Dublin's North Docklands. The company's move to the Spencer Place scheme will give it scope to grow its existing 1,400 strong Irish-based workforce by several thousand employees in the future. Last week, Salesforce said it will create 1,500 jobs over the next five years. When counted with the Vertium, the 172,000 sq ft (15,992 sq m) Burlington Road building he built and let to Amazon in 2016 as part of a joint venture with U+I and Paddy McKillen, the Salesforce and Facebook deals bring Ronan's post-Nama office lettings to over one million square feet (1,052,000 sq ft). But while he is happy with what RGRE has achieved, Ronan acknowledges the role of the IDA, saying: "I have to commend the IDA for their vision. They do an extraordinary job. Obviously, there was a greater financial risk in delivering spaces of over 100,000 square feet, That's why so few developers were doing it. But we went to Colony and told them what the IDA needed, and they [Colony Capital] were happy to support us." Clay Center, KS (67432) Today Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Three out of four Irish people think automation and robots will cause unemployment, a new survey of 1000 people claims. However, the iReach survey also says that most people believe robots will be good for the economy. The poll claims that just 16pc of us see no threat to employment in Ireland as advances are made in technology. And 76pc of Irish people believe that job automation will contribute to a rise in unemployment here. However, 55pc view job automation as positive for the Irish economy. Almost everyone (94pc) believes that large scale job automation will occur at some point in the future, with just under half (46pc) predicting that it will happen in the very near future. As to what kind of automation might come next, two thirds of us doubt that robot receptionists or assistants on wheels will become common in hotels or retail outlets. 56pc predict that this robotic way of running a hospitality business will not become a threat in Ireland, with the top cited reason that a high level of customer service trumps a robot, as people want the personal touch, said thesurvey results. Respondents experience of automated systems to date are dominated by self-checkouts (80pc), online check-ins (74pc) and ATMs (91pc). The export of thousands of tonnes of Northern Irish animal waste destined for the Republic could be threatened by a no-deal Brexit, farming and political representatives have said. Massive amounts of chicken and pig manure are sent to anaerobic digestion plants in Ireland each year to create energy. If the frontier becomes a border with the EU in less than 10 weeks, no one knows that will happen to it, SDLP Assembly member John Dallat said. The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) said solutions could involve spreading more on the land, incineration and the use of other waste at energy facilities. Historically it would have been burned in a Scottish incinerator. Mr Dallat said: I believe there is now a real risk to our rivers, watercourses, lakes and indeed the sea as ammonia and other nitrates build up to levels that are well above what is considered safe, and we have no Assembly to address this issue. He said ammonia levels are higher in Northern Ireland than elsewhere in the UK or Republic. It is a noxious gas which emanates from animal waste. The East Londonderry Assembly member estimated that up to 75,000 tonnes of animal waste are sent to the Republic each year for processing into energy. The UK is due to exit the EU at the end of March but Westminster has rejected the draft Withdrawal Agreement on the table. It leaves a no-deal exit the default position unless another plan is agreed. Senior civil servants briefing Stormont Assembly members on delivery plans for their departments in the absence of a functioning legislature disclosed to Mr Dallat details of the potential impact. Expand Close Ammonia levels are higher in Northern Ireland than elsewhere in the UK or Republic (PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ammonia levels are higher in Northern Ireland than elsewhere in the UK or Republic (PA) This brings directly into focus the wisdom of the promotion of intensive farming methods which demand outlets for huge volumes of sludgeJohn Dallat Litter from poultry farms and sludge from intensive pig farms may not be exported to anaerobic digestion plants in the Republic following Brexit, the public representative said. Expand Close Ulster Farmers Union deputy president Victor Chestnutt said there could be barriers to the export of animal waste following a no-deal Brexit (UFU/PA). / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ulster Farmers Union deputy president Victor Chestnutt said there could be barriers to the export of animal waste following a no-deal Brexit (UFU/PA). He added: This brings directly into focus the wisdom of the promotion of intensive farming methods which demand outlets for huge volumes of sludge. Digesters use organic material like slurry and silage to make a biogas which is burned to produce electricity. Victor Chestnutt, deputy president at the UFU, said: There are going to be potential barriers for litter. It usually goes to arable land as fertiliser. Under a no deal you would effectively become a third country, moving that to an EU country. All the rules of third countries would apply to that and the EU already has its rules for third country waste but it is one of the secondary issues. He said the export of animal product was the immediate priority. Effectively litter is something which is easier to move, historically it would have been to Scotland to be burned in an incinerator, then it became more attractive to go south to be used as fertiliser. He said the Tully Quarry development had taken a substantial amount for biogas, burning for energy. There are alternative technical solutions to export, for example local land spreading, incineration and use in AD (anaerobic digestion) plants. Equally, it disrupts trade, it is whether there are more efficient ways that we look utilise it. An AD project outside Ballybofey in Co Donegal was to be constructed by Co Antrim-based Williams Industrial Services, but the firm has gone into administration. The project received a 9.3 million loan from Government jobs creation agency Invest NI. Sheep farmers are "under siege" from dogs who are attacking their flocks, it has been claimed. Some 42 sheep have been killed in the past two months in Co Louth alone, and half of them died in just the past week, according to Louth IFA rural development chairman Matthew McGreehan. Nationally, he said there were dog attacks on a daily basis, and in the north Louth area "we have had up to nine dog attacks in last two months, and I would not have heard about them all". He said two attacks in the past week had claimed the lives of 21 sheep. In one incident, 19 sheep were killed and many more were injured. In the second attack, two were killed and another 12 injured. The injured sheep were often bitten under their neck, which was "very serious", he said. Mr McGreehan said that in one case, there were a total of 70 sheep in the field and the balance of the flock "were heavy in lamb and were very traumatised" following the attack. The stress of an attack can lead to the sheep aborting or the lambs being stillborn, he said. Mr McGreehan, who is also chairman of the Cooley branch of the IFA in north Louth, claimed farmers were "under siege" as a result of the attacks. He said the well-known advert from the 1980s, which warned dog owners about the dangers of letting their pet out at night, could be re-run to raise awareness of the problem. In the advert, the family pet dog is let out at night and runs off and attacks sheep, before returning to the family home covered in blood. Mr McGreehan said: "Dog owners should understand that, running free, their dog can be a killer." He said that if the problem continued, dog wardens could be asked to take any stray dog off the streets, because "if not under effective control, the dog warden can take action, to prevent attacks [on sheep]". Sinn Fein Louth county councillor Antoin Watters backed the need to raise awareness among dog owners. "The sheep are heavy in lamb now at the minute, and any of these things at all are detrimental to a flock," he said. "In farming livelihoods, the margins are thinning up and if you are losing lambs, it takes a lot of money to make it up and this has a big effect on them." He said Louth County Council had issued fixed penalty notices to owners under the Control of Dogs Act and had euthanised a number of dogs that were caught. "I want to raise awareness about it, because people do not realise the damage a dog can do," he added. "It is a family pet, but whenever it gets out and into a flock of sheep, it turns into a different animal altogether." Dog owners are liable to compensate farmers if their dog injures or kills a sheep. In the case where there is an attack on a flock and multiple kills, the cost of compensation could be "substantial", said Mr McGreehan. The IFA estimates there are between 300 and 400 dog attacks on sheep each year, with between 3,000 and 4,000 sheep killed or injured. Shane O'Loughlin is a dairy farmer from Aughrim, Co Wicklow. Every day he draws around 10,000 litres of water from a spring on his land, which provides drinking water for his 110-strong herd. Last July, the spring ran dry. It didn't come back until November 8. It was the first time in living memory that it failed. "I'm the fourth or fifth generation here," he says. "The spring was set up years ago, and all the pipework was replaced around 10 years ago. There's a man in his 80s living on the farm, who started working here when he was 14, and he had never seen it run dry. "In early July, I noticed a problem. Over about a week, things started to go slack. By mid-July, it was gone." The farm had no back-up mains supply. While the well serving the family home continued to flow, Shane was forced to draw water from a stream on his land for months. "Around two tankers a day kept me going, rising to four tankers a day, around 18,000 or 20,000 litres (in total). You'd try and get the first tanker filled before 6.30am. It would take around 45 minutes to fill one load, but at peak I needed four loads. "At the worst of the drought, between milking, drawing water and cutting grass and bringing it to the cows, it was a nine-hour day before I did anything else. "I continued to draw water, two loads a day, until November 8. I was surprised at how quickly the spring came back, it was full pelt. The financial cost was significant, but the time and labour cost was worse, and the stress of having to do it." The unprecedented weather of 2018 has thrown the vulnerability of our ageing and creaking water network into sharp focus. Storm Emma and the Beast from the East early in the year saw pipes burst in sub-zero temperatures and treatment plants struggle to keep up with demand. Restrictions affected 370,000 people. And while most welcomed the glorious summer sunshine, it resulted in widespread restrictions as demand spiked and sources ran dry. Just how vulnerable is Ireland's water supply, especially in light of climate change which will place unprecedented stress on the sources we have? And what is being done to address the looming problem? Irish Water abstracts 1.7 billion litres of water every day to serve more than four million people and an estimated 180,000 businesses. The group water sector supplies much of the remainder, although some families and businesses rely on private wells. Most water for agriculture comes from small, private sources. Irish Water draws from 280 surface water sources, including rivers and lakes, which provide 80pc of total supply. In periods of drought, they can fail, but most recover fast. There are 906 smaller sources including springs and boreholes which provide the remainder. These take longer to fail, but need more time to replenish. We have a "phenomenal" number of sources, one industry expert says. Northern Ireland has just 24. We have over 1,000. They range in scale from The Strand in Laois, which serves just three households, to the River Liffey, which provides 85pc of supply to Dublin and surrounding counties. Some 40pc of the river's flow is abstracted every day, highlighting the enormous reliance placed on just one source. Dublin isn't an outlier. Cork largely relies on the Lee, Galway the Corrib and Limerick the Shannon. The biggest groundwater source in Laois supplies up to two million litres a day from just one borehole. Ireland has lots of rain, but it doesn't fall where it's most needed. Much of the national population is located around Dublin, but apart from the Wicklow Mountains, most rain falls on the west coast in counties including Cork, Kerry, Galway and Donegal. Ireland is expected to get more rainfall overall as climate change takes hold, but summers are likely to be drier. That raises the prospects of water shortages unless we plan ahead. That said, droughts are not a new phenomena. An analysis of historical records conducted by a team including Dr Conor Murphy from Maynooth University found that Ireland was subject to persistent droughts in the 1800s, 1820s, 1850s, 1880s, 1920s, 1930s, 1950s and 1970s. 1995 saw a prolonged drought in the midlands and in the summer of 2013, at least 10 local authorities restricted supplies. But the last 40 years, researchers noted, had been unusual due to the absence of persistent drought events. Much of our infrastructure has been built since then, meaning it is not designed to adapt to a changing climate. There was no indication that 2018 would see anything other than a normal summer. Early in the year there were frequent storms with above-average rainfall recorded, leading to higher water levels in many areas. Melting snow from Storm Emma helped maintain the saturated ground conditions into April, but by May, most Met Eireann weather stations were reporting below-average rainfall, with very little following into June. As of June 27, the majority of the country was in drought, defined as 15 consecutive days with less than 0.2mm of rainfall. Rivers in Wicklow, Louth, Tipperary, Galway, Cork and Cavan were at or approaching record low levels. Such was the extent of the severe drought that Irish Water warned there were likely to be "serious deficiencies" of water available. Demand across the Greater Dublin water supply area, which takes in large parts of Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, spiked at an average of 616 million litres a day in June compared with average demand of 553 million litres the same month one year previously. "Large-scale outages are inevitable if demand is not reduced through voluntary reductions or restrictions in water usage," a technical report to the utility's board said, adding supply was "at risk of imminent failure". The picture was no better nationally. Of 790 drinking water treatment plants assessed in late July, just 18 - 2pc - were operating normally. The rest were enduring drought conditions. In addition, the soil moisture deficit - essentially the amount of water in the soil compared with what it can hold - ranged from -45mm to -88mm. This meant at least this volume of rain was needed before water would soak through and replenish the various drinking water sources on which the citizens of the State rely. Rising demand Restrictions were introduced in early July which were not fully lifted until late September. In the interim, Irish Water and group water schemes struggled to keep up with demand which shot up by some 40pc on some private schemes. The utility was forced to find new sources in Kilkenny and Laois, and transport water for 35,000 people every day in Kilkenny, Limerick, Wicklow, Cork, Waterford, Carlow, Tipperary and Clare because treatment plants could not meet local demand. One small group water scheme in Cavan, serving 25 homes, was forced to spend 150 a day bringing in water by tanker. Denis Drennan, a farmer at Maddoxtown in Kilkenny and chair of the ICMSA (Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association) Farm and Rural Affairs Committee, is highly critical of the cut-offs. "Irish Water implemented a one-size-fits-all when they cut water off at night. If you have a couple of hundred cattle drinking a couple of hundred litres of water each, it's a problem," he says. "The main drinking period for a cow is after evening milking. Even if it does come back at 7am, there's an animal welfare issue. Most of our members have a private water supply because they can't rely on Irish Water." Four months after restrictions were lifted, parts of the system remain on a knife-edge. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that while most sources are back to normal, some remain vulnerable. The River Deel, which serves families in Limerick, remains at low levels. The main source for Mullingar, Lough Owel; Lough Bane, which supplies Kells and Oldcastle, and Lough Lene which supplies Castlepollard, are all hovering near historic lows. "During 2018, Lough Owel and Lough Bane reached their lowest levels in over 30 years and Lough Lene was also very low," a spokesman said. "Of concern is that water levels in these lakes have not recovered much since the summer. "The net effect of this may be seen during the summer of 2019 if we get another dry summer, unless there is a significant amount of rain in the intervening period." Irish Water says a new supply is needed for Dublin and the midlands, where 330 million litres a day will be abstracted from the River Shannon at the Parteen Basin, before being piped 170km to Dublin with connections along the way. There is opposition to the 1.3bn plan, permission for which is expected to be sought for this year, but the utility insists it's not just for Dublin. Tipperary has eight sources providing eight million litres which are "inadequate, shallow" and "vulnerable". Offaly imports water from neighbouring counties, and a "vulnerable" source serves Edenderry. Laois has nine different sources, most of which should be retired, while Meath has "limited" and "vulnerable" groundwater sources. All these counties would benefit from the project. This week it emerged that the Lough Talt supply in Sligo will have to be abandoned due to its impact on the local eco-system. It serves 13,000 and will be replaced with a new source from Lough Conn, 40km away. Dublin's supply is a serious worry, especially in light of the fact that the system has little headroom or spare capacity and its population is growing. Some 1.6 million people rely on the Poulaphouca reservoir in the Wicklow Mountains. It must release water to maintain river flows and protect the environment, and serve the two biggest treatment plants in the country: Leixlip which produces 205 million litres a day and Ballymore Eustace which produces 308 million. If storage levels dip below 100 days, Irish Water goes on "high alert", water resource planner with the utility, Angela Ryan, says. "Over the summer, it would have fallen below that line," she says. The company says it manages supplies through pressure reductions and other network controls, and will shortly begin a public consultation on a National Water Resources Plan, designed to future-proof the network. It will mean some sources will have to be abandoned, Ryan says. "For every water supply across the country, we're looking at how sustainable those sources are. We're looking at population growth, to try and ensure we have enough supply to meet demand. "The options can be to find new supplies and to reduce leakage. We also have to look at how we all use less water. "We will have to find new sources. In some places, we have four or five small treatment plants, all abstracting from tiny sources. We'll come up with a huge amount of problems, and will have to prioritise those problems over a 25-year timeframe, to get Ireland moving to a sustainable and resilient supply." But should we build more reservoirs, like Poulaphouca, as a back-up? "Poulaphouca is a very good source because you can store water in the wet period of the year. But it was an enormous engineering feat which would have involved flooding entire valleys. "This is not something which can be delivered in a very short space of time. We also have to look at environmental impact, and projects like Poulaphouca might not even be possible (today). "But it's a reservoir on a river, and a very effective water supply site. We have Inniscarra on the Lee in Cork which is similar, and which provides the majority of drinking water for Cork City. Extraction from Parteen (the Shannon scheme) is almost exactly like Poulaphouca, in that the river and dam are in place." The issues are mirrored in the group water sector, which serves around 6pc of the population. Jean Rosney from the National Federation of Group Water Schemes says 22 schemes reported issues at the height of the summer, with 10 having to draw from alternative sources. "The increase in demand put huge pressure on the treatment plants and some were operating 24 hours a day," she says. "In terms of future planning, schemes are now looking at additional and back-up sources and installing generators at treatment plants and pump houses. Schemes are ramping up their leakage control measures to ensure there is sufficient capacity for future situations. I'd say some are looking at new sources." The State faces the challenge of developing and upgrading treatment plants and systems which can operate into the future as climate change takes hold, while abstracting no more water than absolutely necessary. Angela Ryan says Irish Water does not plan to draw more than 1.7 billion litres a day at any point in the future - even taking into account of population growth. Reducing leaking, upgrading the network, finding more sustainable supplies and reducing consumption will be key to a resilient supply. "All the assets we are designing and building, we are testing them against climate change standards," she says. "It will need better utilising of reservoir and groundwater sources." But in the meantime, Shane O'Loughlin worries about the future. The father-of-three, who is also chair of the ICMSA Farm Business Committee, is hoping for rain. "I'm very worried about this summer coming. We had a wet December, probably six weeks of normal weather, but the ground has never got wet. We could get a wash-out spring, but it's going to take a hell of a good year to put last year behind us. "People are talking about climate change coming but for farmers, it's here. The weather has been unbelievable in the last year. There's strong evidence to say it's already here. Things are on their head." Paul Melia is the Irish Independent's Environment Editor Farmers at the recent CalfCare event, which was organised by LacPatrick Dairies as part of the Animal Health Ireland (AHI), Teagasc and Volac series of CalfCare events this spring Over the next six weeks, over 540,000 calves will be born on beef and dairy farms in Ireland. Farmers at a recent CalfCare event week learned that it is critical to give calves the best start before weaning. Speaking on the farm of LacPatrick Dairies and Maudabawn Co-op supplier Gerard McNally, Monaghan-based Teagasc Dairy Advisor James ODonoghue and JP Harkin from Volac told the some 150 in attendance that farmers need to get their calves to double their bodyweight between calving and weaning. The event was organised by LacPatrick Dairies as part of the Animal Health Ireland (AHI), Teagasc and Volac series of CalfCare events this spring. If a calf lands on the ground at 40kg or 45kg then you need to be hitting 90kg or 100kg by the time youve weaned them. You need to get there as quickly as possible, ODonoghue explained. To do that, you need to make sure that the calf is healthy. Calves must get the right about of milk and concentrates to make sure the rumen develops correctly. If the rumen doesnt develop in the right way then youre going to have longer-term issues for the calf later in life. "A healthy calf will day gain about 0.7kg/day so the first 40 days are critical. If they arent doing that growth rate in the first 40 days, youll be feeding 9kg or 10kg per day when theyre weanlings or yearlings to catch up, Harkin said. ODonoghue and Harkin spelled out 10 key steps for which farmers should abide by in order to have healthy calves hitting their weight targets. Draft Free Zone ODonoghue said the number one priority for calves is to ensure calves have an environment which is draft-free. The last thing you want is a draft getting into the calves. Harkin said the perfect shed doesnt exist but a farmer must do everything to block drafts getting to calves. Dont spare the straw Despite the price, theres no substitute for straw especially for calves under three weeks, Harkin said pointing out that peat and sawdust are cheaper alternatives and may be suitable for older calves but do not have the same benefits as straw in the first three weeks. In particular, the Volac man pointed to the nesting effect of straw which has a critical role in new born calves. How much milk replacer do I need? This is an age old question for farmers feeding milk replacer instead of whole milk to calves. ODonoghue says a farmer should, in perfect conditions, budget for having one bag of milk replacer for every 27 calves per day. Access to fresh water Access to fresh, clean water is critical. and Its not enough to think calves will get all their fluid from milk which should be considered as a feed source according to ODonoghue. Check the temperature If calves are not warm enough then they will just burn through their metabolic energy to keep warm rather than using it for growth, ODonoghue said. If the calfs temperature is under 10C then the farmer must act by increasing bedding and feeding. For every 5C under 15C, an extra 50grams of milk replacer should be fed to calves. Feed concentrates From day one, easy access to concentrates should be left with calves. Harkin said the concentrates are not so much about the feed value but are critical in developing the rumen as quickly as possible in order to hit weight targets. Ease of access for farmer A farmer needs to be able to access pens of calves at ease to assess the health of the calves. A farmer should not have to climb multiple gates to get into see if their calves are healthy and well. Slope and drain A calf pen should have a gradient of 1:20 to ensure that urine and damp runs away from the calves. Bedding should be laid at the top of the slope in the pen. Drains collecting seepage should have a fall of 1:60. Give them space No more than humans, calves need their space too. ODonoghue said a calf needs to have between 1.5m2 and 2m2 per calf up to 8 weeks of age. Aim for the higher space allowance as this will be needed as the calf grows. Check for happy calves How to do you know if your calves are happy? They lie with their head and ears up and their feet nestled underneath them according to Harkin. Thats what you want to see when youre looking at calves in a pen. The Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed has stressed to his fellow EU Agriculture Minister's that securing an adequate budget is critical to the future Common Agriculture Policy (CAP). Under plans for the EUs budget for 2021-2027, farmers would receive around 232 billion in direct support, a drop of more than 30 billion from the current seven-year budget. Minster Creed has been actively engaging with counterparts from France, Spain, Finland, Portugal and Greece, who have all called for the restoration of the CAP budget for the 2021 2027 period to current levels. Up to 20 Member States have joined this alliance and Minister Creed has said the group will continue to work together in an effort to build consensus on this point. Addressing fellow Ministers for Agriculture today, he said there is one key issue. That is to ensure an adequate budget for the entire CAP. "The CAP budget is the key," he warned fellow Ministers. The last EU budget negotiations went down to the wire, taking two and a half years of haggling. Member States and the European Parliament are set for tough talks, with hopes of an agreement in the autumn. Germany and France, the biggest paymasters putting in 19pc and 17pc of the budget respectively, are ready to plug some of the Brexit gap if the budget suits their new priorities. Paris, for example, wants to see some budget allocated to the 19-member euro zone as part of plans to bolster the EU single currency. With its traditionally strong farm lobby, France is also likely to defend farmers from pressure to cut back on EU subsidies. Ireland's position on the budget has been so far unequivocal. From the Taoiseach to the Minister for Finance and Minister Creed, Ireland wants to see the budget restored to the previous level, taking into account that there will no longer be the UK contribution. Some 80pc of the EU funds for Ireland come through the CAP. For every euro Ireland puts into EU funds we get back a higher amount through CAP. However, the Commission's proposals are based on a certain increase in member state contributions and not all member states are willing to make a contribution. The Dutch led the charge for rich northern states unwilling to step into the Brexit breach: A smaller EU ... should have a smaller budget, Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said. Calling a halt: Jason Rice and Kieran Larkin, dressed as a soldier and a customs officer during a protest by Border Communities against Brexit at Carrickcarnan, Co Louth. Photo: Colin O'Riordan Dissident republicans are "hitching themselves to the Brexit bandwagon" to launch a new wave of terror, a former police chief in the North has warned. Former PSNI assistant chief constable Alan McQuillan said the inadequate phone warning ahead of the recent Derry car bomb was "a recipe to create another Omagh". He warned there would be further attacks. He was the second senior police figure from the North to warn about the terror threat posed by dissidents yesterday. Former PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde said there was no way to avoid the return of security patrols in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Meanwhile, as Theresa May prepares to outline her Brexit 'Plan B' in Westminster tomorrow, she is working to defeat a bid by MPs to have Brexit delayed if she cannot reach a deal with the EU. The British prime minister warned that taking no deal off the table could hand Remainers a "blank cheque" and delay Brexit or cancel it entirely. Mr McQuillan said dissidents were intent on further attacks, despite a sustained security push by police and intelligence services. It follows reports that MI5 has stationed more than 700 officers in Belfast as part of an operation to combat the growing terrorist threat. The spy agency's main target is the so-called New IRA, a group of some 40 hardliners responsible for the Derry car bombing. Expand Close Nigel Dodds: Accused the Taoiseach of amateur dramatics. Photo: PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Nigel Dodds: Accused the Taoiseach of amateur dramatics. Photo: PA Mr McQuillan said the dissidents "will use fears over a hard Border to try and ramp up their activities". "The dissidents are hitching themselves to the Brexit bandwagon. I think there will be further attacks, I think they remain dangerous. But I don't think they'll succeed. "They're destroying the lives of Derry people. Let's be honest, it's not damaging people in Dublin or London." He said there were 6,500 officers in the PSNI - 1,000 fewer than recommended. Mr Orde also voiced his concern that a hard Border would be exploited by dissidents. He accused politicians of not paying enough attention to the potential for a return to violence and said there was no way to avoid the return of security patrols in the event of a no-deal Brexit. "At the moment, you see anything that starts to create the perception of a hard distinction between north and south, it creates a catalyst that allows people to exploit that position and dissident republicans would be in that category," he told RTE's 'This Week'. He described the Derry car bombing as a "significant move", adding: "It's a statement that things are going to get more difficult, not less." Referring to politicians, he said: "People seem to have their head stuck in the mud and [they are] hoping it will all go away and certainly it won't and it hasn't." Meanwhile, Tanaiste Simon Coveney has moved to clarify controversial comments made by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last week about the return of troops to the Border in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Mr Varadkar's office was later forced to clarify he was not speaking about sending Irish soldiers or gardai to police the Border. Mr Coveney said the Taoiseach was attempting to paint a picture of the reality of the Border 20 years ago before peace was brokered. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said the "mixed messages" from the Government would only heighten tensions. Deputy DUP leader Nigel Dodds accused the Taoiseach of "amateur dramatics" and accused Dublin of deploying "incendiary language". "Such amateur dramatics do nothing to make progress and only play on people's fears," he said. Theresa May has urged her party to support a demand for the backstop to be replaced with "alternative arrangements". The UK prime minister has asked Tory MPs to back the position during a series of Brexit votes in the House of Commons on Tuesday. This proposal is being brought by Conservative backbencher Sir Graham Brady despite Brussels insisting that there will be no alteration on the backstop - which is the guarantee of no hard border in Ireland. Conservative chairman Brandon Lewis announced that Tory MPs will be whipped to support an amendment tabled by senior backbencher Sir Graham in the series of votes on Tuesday evening. And Tory backbenchers Andrew Murrison and John Baron withdrew their rival amendments, which would have required the scrapping or time-limiting of the backstop, which is designed to avoid the need for a hard border in Ireland following Brexit. But the dramatic move was far from guaranteed to deliver a majority for the plan, after it failed to win the support of the influential European Research Group of Conservative eurosceptics. However Cabinet minister Damian Hinds said alternatives to the controversial backstop were already being considered. Asked if the Government would support the Brexit amendment backed by Sir Graham, the Education Secretary told BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme: "The Prime Minister has been clear already that alternative arrangements are an alternative to the backstop - as by the way, is extending the implementation period. "So it is not necessarily the case that if we did reach that point the backstop would have to come in anyway. "It is an uncomfortable thing for the European Union, as it is an uncomfortable thing for us - there are some things about it, like the fact that we would have free market access but without paying, free movement would be over, we would be out of the common agricultural policy and fisheries policy - that's not comfortable for the EU either." Firepower Sir Graham said his amendment would give "enormous firepower" to Theresa May when she returns to Brussels by setting out what the UK Parliament would back. He told 'Today' that any alternative arrangement would have to be "legally binding" as "I don't think anybody is going to accept something which is just warm words". Sir Graham said his amendment was drawn up after meetings with ministers including Mrs May. Asked if it had Government backing he said: "I hope so... I don't know so. The amendment was born out of a number of conversations I had with colleagues including members of the Government, including the Prime Minister. "I had also spoken to people in the DUP too and I'm hoping that the way in which the amendment is crafted can attract that very broad support and if we can win the vote on my amendment then I think it gives the Prime Minister enormous firepower." Expand Close People stand next to a mock militarised border crossing as they attend a protest by anti-Brexit campaigners, Borders Against Brexit in Carrickcarnan, Ireland, January 26, 2019. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp People stand next to a mock militarised border crossing as they attend a protest by anti-Brexit campaigners, Borders Against Brexit in Carrickcarnan, Ireland, January 26, 2019. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne But European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas again insisted that Brussels would not reopen the Withdrawal Agreement negotiations. "We have a unanimous EU27 position on the Withdrawal Agreement which reflects the common EU position," he said. "This Withdrawal Agreement has been agreed with the UK Government, it is endorsed by leaders and is not open for renegotiation." Asked if that position would change if MPs vote to demand changes to the Irish backstop, Mr Schinas said: "The only thing I have to say is that we shall wait for the result of the vote of the Commons tomorrow. "Then we will wait for the Government to tell us what are the next steps. That's how it's going to work." Contingency Brussels' senior officials will consider the latest "Brexit preparedness and contingency" measures at this week's College of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday. Tuesday's House of Commons debate on the Government's EU withdrawal deal will be opened by Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and closed by the Prime Minister. The day's debate will be followed "as soon as possible" by a second meaningful vote on whatever deal has been secured with Brussels, said the spokesman. Like the meaningful vote defeated by a margin of 230 earlier this month, this will also be amendable. It is understood that the second meaningful vote - expected to take place in February - will go ahead whether or not the EU has agreed to amend the Withdrawal Agreement reached with the UK in November. Mrs May's spokesman was asked whether there was any indication that Brussels might be ready to reconsider the backstop arrangements, either by reopening the Withdrawal Agreement or by attaching further conditions or assurances in the form of a codicil. He replied: "I think there is recognition that the UK leaving with a deal is in their interests as well as those of the UK. "If we are going to leave with a deal, clearly we are going to have to make some changes to secure parliamentary support." The spokesman added: "I don't envisage any circumstances in which there would not be a second meaningful vote." Stubborn Expand Close Sammy Wilson. Photo: Getty / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sammy Wilson. Photo: Getty Meanwhile Sammy Wilson, the DUP's Brexit spokesman, has urged Theresa May to "face down the stubbornness" of Dublin and Brussels over her Withdrawal Agreement. He said the Prime Minister should "exploit the cracks" emerging in their "illogical" position as he urged Ireland to work "constructively" with the UK. Mr Wilson added: "Whether it was waving front page stories about bombs 30 years ago or silly talk about troops being sent to the border, the Irish government has exploited the Brexit negotiations for its own narrow political domestic aims. To use border communities in such a way is quite disgraceful. "Leo Varadkar may have thought in his naivety that it was wise to suck up to the EU. Maybe he even hopes to get a post in Europe in the future, but in reality he should be cautious." A no-deal Brexit threatens to derail plans to help remove over a million units of counterfeit medicines per year from the Irish market. The upcoming Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) will introduce a range of measures to ensure that every pharmaceutical product reaching the consumer is fit for consumption. From February 9, all medicines must be scanned and authenticated by pharmacists before being dispensed, making it illegal to sell any products not registered by manufacturers on the European Medicines Verification System. However, UK access to the EU database will be revoked in the case of a hard Brexit, according to industry expert John Cahill of PharmaLex. In 2017, more than one million dosage units of counterfeit or substandard medicines destined for the Irish market were detained by authorities, including steroids, sedatives, erectile dysfunction pills and cancer medication. "Without access to this data hub, UK pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors will be unable to work within the FMD's authentication system and their legal obligation to adhere to the new regulations would be removed," he said. Irish households are increasingly gloomy about the economic outlook, amid growing fears of a no-deal Brexit. Bank of Ireland's Consumer Pulse - based on a mix of consumer surveys - shows households were gloomier about economic prospects in January, with more negative than positive responses for the first time in three years. Using a standardised scoring system, the latest Consumer Pulse reading was 87.7 in January, down 1.6 on December. The same measure gave a reading of 100 a year ago. Most people are more downbeat about the wider economic situation than about their own personal prospects, the survey found. The data show 39pc of respondents think it is a good time to purchase big ticket items like furniture and electrical goods, while 29pc are likely to buy a car in the next 12 months. Group chief economist for Bank of Ireland Dr Loretta O'Sullivan (pictured right) said Brexit is dominating sentiment. "Uncertainty about how the UK will leave the EU has reached fever pitch in recent weeks, with talk of a no-deal Brexit to the fore. "The analysis published last week by the Central Bank shows that a disorderly Brexit is an especially bad outcome for the Irish economy. Households are well aware of this, as their gloomier assessment of economic prospects in this month's Pulse survey testifies," she said. On the business front, sentiment held steady in January but remains low, Dr O'Sullivan said. "The squeeze on exporters is continuing, with the pound falling to over 90p against the euro at the end of last year amid the heightened political drama in the UK." The Irish border backstop may never need to be triggered if the UK changes its 'red line' Brexit demands to Brussels and remains within the EU Customs Union or even the Single Market, Tanaiste Simon Coveney indicated. However, the Cork TD warned the UK that the backstop is otherwise not open to re-negotiation as he flatly rejected suggestions from powerful Conservative MPs that Prime Minister Theresa May could now seek a 'Freedom Clause' over the Irish border backstop to allow the controversial Withdrawal Treaty to be ratified by Westminster. Mr Coveney also insisted, despite comments from 1922 Committee Chairman Graham Brady MP and former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson MP, that both the EU Commission and EU Parliament will not ratify any UK Brexit treaty unless it includes a back-stop as agreed last year. Mr Johnson predicted that Prime Minister Theresa May will visit Brussels to secure a so-called 'Freedom Clause' in the Irish border back-stop which will allow her get the Withdrawal Treaty through Westminster and avoid the UK crashing out of the EU without ongoing trading arrangements. "This is nothing new - there are plenty of voices in Westminster who want to change the backstop. We have made it very clear that the time for debate and discussion over the backstop was when it was being negotiated," Mr Coveney said. "People refer to it as the Irish backstop - the backstop was a series of compromises agreed with the British Government, with the EU negotiating teams and signed off by all 28 Governments including the British Government at the end of two years of negotiation. "What we are saying during the ratification process, which is where we are now, is that the EU is not willing to re-open that negotiation around the Withdrawal Agreement. "I would remind people that the backstop element of the Withdrawal Agreement - which is a mechanism that may never be triggered or used, we hope, if the future relationship is comprehensive enough to avoid that - that backstop insurance mechanism was designed and then re-designed around British 'red lines' - that have now resulted in a series of compromises that some people in Westminster now seem to want to change again. "It was actually designed around the 'red lines' that the Prime Minister outlined. The Irish position has been consistent, informed, fair and respectful to the UK. "The negotiation took two years of intensive negotiation to conclude and the EU is not willing to re-open that around the backstop element." Mr Coveney refused to comment on the various amendments to the Withdrawal Treaty now before Westminster - or speculation that the UK may seek an extension of time for the treaty talks. "That is a matter for the British Parliament. People like Michel Barnier and Jean Claude Juncker - as well as voices in Ireland - have always said that, because of the 'red lines' that the British outlined, that they are not only leaving the EU but that they are insisting on leaving the Customs Union and the Single Market. "If those 'red lines' were to change in terms of their approach to the Customs Union and Single Market, that would result in the EU changing their approach as well to facilitate that. "Of course, if the approach towards the EU Customs Union and Single Market were to change from the EU, the likelihood of a back-stop ever being used becomes much, much less likely. "Therefore the back-stop, presumably, would be less of a problem for many in Westminster." Mr Coveney added that just because Westminster votes something through "that does not mean the EU will automatically accept it". "I do not believe that a Withdrawal Agreement will be ratified by the European Parliament if there is not a backstop in it. "I do not believe that a Withdrawal Agreement will be ratified by EU Governments if there is not a back-stop in it. "Because, throughout this process, Ireland and the EU have been absolutely united on this issue - the need to protect the peace process, the need to protect relationships on this island and the concerns around how you manage a border between two jurisdictions on this island, one of them in the EU, Customs Union and Single Market and the other out of all three. "It is a very, very difficult thing to do if you don't continue to support the mechanism that is pragmatic, sensible and legally sound by which to do it. "That is why the negotiation took so long. "Those that are advocating a change to the back-stop or its removal don't have any credible answers that I have heard anyway in terms of how you solve that border problem unless you change 'red lines' around the future relationship." He didnt hit her. He didnt yell. He didnt cheat, as far as she knows. It was just that, less than two years into their marriage, Zalika Amadous husband had changed. Hed become far too neglectful and indifferent for a young woman who expected, well, more. Her mother, who at 14 had married a stranger twice her age, couldnt understand the fuss. Shed stuck with her husband for five decades until he died. But for Amadou, who married at 16, simply having a husband was not enough. So, on a busy morning in Maradi, Niger, she sits in front of a judge at a crowded Islamic court on the sidewalk and asks for what young women across the region are seeking like never before: a divorce. For centuries, women have been expected to endure bad marriages in many conservative pockets of West Africa. Divorce happens, but most often the husbands were the ones casting off their partners. Its the end of the world when a husband and wife dont stay together, says Amadous mother, Halima Amadou. Recommended Saudi women to start getting divorce confirmation by text message But here in Niger, a place where women have less education, lower living standards and less equality with men than just about anywhere else in the world, a quiet revolution is playing out. Many women like Amadou come to this sidewalk court every month to push for a divorce, frustrated not only by their husbands inability to earn a living during a time of economic hardship, but also because their basic views on relationships have changed. They want to choose whom and when to marry, not be pushed into marriages. They demand respect and, better yet, love. And when their husbands fall short, women are the ones driving this new culture of breakups. Young women now go into marriages with certain expectations, says Alou Hama Maiga, secretary general of the Islamic Association of Niger. If these expectations are not met at some point, then divorce is inevitable. The Islamic judge who presides over the street-side religious court in Maradi, Nigers third-largest city, says that divorces initiated by women have doubled in the past three years, with nearly 50 women a month coming to end their marriages. These young women dont want to suffer any more, says the judge, Alkali Laouali Ismael. There is a solution to their problems, and they know they can find it here. Lawyers, womens associations, local officials and academics who study the region say the increase is happening across West Africa in urban and rural, as well as Muslim and Christian, areas as women assert more control over their relationships. The total divorce rate is relatively stable or even declining slightly in some parts of West Africa, they note, but underneath that are huge changes in divorce patterns and society at large. Young women now go into marriages with certain expectations. If these expectations are not met at some point, then divorce is inevitable Alou Hama Maiga, Islamic Association of Niger Women are more educated now and in some areas marry later in life, factors that academics say lead to more stable marriages. At the same time, more women are moving into cities and joining the workforce, empowering more of them to discard bad marriages. Dakars Association of Female Lawyers says it now helps three times as many female clients seeking divorce as it did even just four years ago. Many women in Dakar are independent and have jobs and have money, says Daouda Ka, a lawyer who handles divorce cases. In the past, they were just tolerating bad marriages. Now, if it doesnt work out, they leave. In Ghana, 73 per cent of divorce cases handled by the Legal Aid Scheme of Greater Accra were filed by women in 2016/17, a big shift from the past. Divorce, once considered taboo for conservative Christians, is being presented in some church sermons as a better option than ending up with domestic violence or adultery. Amadou spent her childhood in Maradi, a busy city of small shops and open-air markets ringed by clusters of farming villages. It was at a wedding that a friend played matchmaker for Amadou, pointing out a man twice her age, Noura Issa. Amadou hadnt necessarily been looking for a husband. She was busy taking sewing classes that she had persuaded her family to pay for. I wanted to be able to support myself, she says. Still, when her friend called the next day to ask whether Issa could visit her, Amadou agreed. The couple married and moved into his home outside the city centre. Soon after they were settled, Issa told her the sewing classes were a waste of money. He didnt want her leaving the house. But his tailoring business was struggling. Nigerias economic crisis had spread across the border to Maradi, a major trading centre between the two countries. Many women in Dakar are independent and have jobs and have money. In the past, they were just tolerating bad marriages. Now, if it doesnt work out, they leave Daouda Ka, divorce lawyer Already impoverished, Niger has been particularly hard hit by the spillover of problems from Nigeria, including nearly 10 years of war with Boko Haram, the radical Islamist group that has torn through the region. A few years ago, Issa was earning the equivalent of nearly 11 a day, sewing and hemming clothes. Suddenly, he couldnt earn half that much. Husbands cant support their wives the way they used to, says Ismael, the religious judge. The economic problems are compounded in Niger because polygamy is so common. Men in the mostly Muslim nation can have up to four wives. The country also has the highest birthrate in the world, with women in Niger giving birth to seven children on average. Ismael says most of the women who come before his court seeking divorce cite financial problems. Despite the changing mores, child marriage rates are among the highest in the world, and teenagers in Niger have more children than anywhere in the world, according to the United Nations. Driving the early marriages is a fear that girls will shame their families by becoming pregnant before they wed. A girl must be married to avoid being in trouble, says Laouali Oubandawaki Iro, the village chief of Giratawa, a town on the outskirts of Maradi, explaining the areas traditions. He is in his early 60s. Two of his wives are teenagers. But the push to limit child marriage has helped shift attitudes. In recent years, aid groups have poured in to alleviate poverty and stem population growth by focusing on child and forced marriages. Local groups and Nigers government have joined in. Amadou figured that her case was clear-cut when she went to the sidewalk court. But the judge tells the couple to go home to try to work it out one more time. If they still want a divorce, he tells them, come back in two days. After the hearing, Issa drops his head, conceding that finances are tight and that he doesnt give Amadou all the little gifts she would like. But that wasnt in the marriage contract, to give her presents, he says. Im tired of coming here, he huffs. Ive decided. Two days later, the couple arrive at court from opposite sides of the street. You told us to come back if we couldnt work it out, so were back, Issa says. Now what do we do? The couple go about the tedious process of publicly divvying up their belongings salt, spices, plates, a pitcher used for washing before prayers. The judge says Amadou will have sole custody of their son until he is seven, and that Issa will pay for the childs meals for the next two years. No problem, Issa says. The couple sign the divorce papers. Is this good for you? says the judge, turning to Amadou. I think this is a relief for you. She nods, a wide smile spreading across her face.Amadou plans to marry again, to someone who loves her back. New York Times A few years ago, I had a bizarre encounter in a black cab late one night. My cabbie started telling me about the sex dungeon he ran with his wife. It was a perfectly pleasant chat: nothing overtly inappropriate, and I was marvelling about what a progressive little vignette this was (not to mention the print quality of the sex dungeon leaflet he handed me) when he asked the fateful question: What would someone of your culture make of what Ive just told you? Now, if you look like me that is, brown-skinned, black-haired, and with a voluptuous nose youve probably found yourself in this sort of conversation. The sort that starts out as a perfectly civil discussion (about sex-positive small businesses, for example) but then the rugs pulled out from under you, and it becomes apparent that youre actually an ethnic pawn in one persons weird, point-scoring game of demographic-bashing. Tiredly, I explained to the cabbie that I dont really have a culture, being from East Sussex, and that my ethnicity is mixed. Most of my family is French, Spanish and Italian, I told him. But Im one-quarter mixed Indian-and-Nepalese, too. There was a silence as the cabbie absorbed this information. 'Racist' on trial for murdering Muslim woman in courtroom Show all 2 1 /2 'Racist' on trial for murdering Muslim woman in courtroom 'Racist' on trial for murdering Muslim woman in courtroom 255625.bin AP 'Racist' on trial for murdering Muslim woman in courtroom 255626.bin EPA And what would your Asian relatives make of my sex dungeon? he asked, at which point I exited the cab. To be brown in a white-majority country is to experience all sorts of racism from the covert to the violent, so this particular encounter didnt stick in my teeth. But it was a depressing reminder that people have a habit of erasing the non-Asian parts of me to suit them. And Im tired of having my identity dictated to me based on what white people think I look like. It happens all the time. Once, a nurse quite without provocation wheeled in a translator to explain a medical procedure to me in Hindi (I dont speak Hindi). Ive been asked: But legally youre Asian, right? and I have friends and family members who, even to this day, refer to me as Nepalese when introducing me to their friends. I think the problem is twofold: the concept of mixed-race Asians isnt widespread in British society. And, secondly, despite the fact that Asia is an enormous continent, theres a habit of lumping all Asians (and any non-white people, really) together. When I was chatting to a co-worker whose family was from Sri Lanka, someone commented: You must have so much in common! Quite apart from the fact that Im only part Asian, Sri Lanka and Nepal are 1,480 miles apart, which is roughly the distance between the UK and its famous cultural ally, Poland. Even among liberal-minded people, there seem to be very set ideas of what an Asian person is, and what a mixed-race person is. To be honest, Im not even comfortable describing myself as mixed-race. Being two-parts Asian (and that contains two very separate countries) to three-parts European (again, in distinct bits), Ive only ever thought of myself as mixed. The race part is generally only ever brought up by white people. I love that society is becoming more multiculturally aware, and I understand that, sometimes, making assumptions is part of that process. But I really cant wait until everyone starts understanding racial nuance. Because there are lots of people in the UK who dont fit into those stereotypes. I alone know a Liberian-Finnish-Japanese woman from Gloucestershire, and a Malaysian-Maori-Geordie with a thick Glaswegian accent. Until attitudes improve, if its simpler, you can call me Eurasian. Or even just Robyn, which is my name. And if youre reading, slightly racist cabbie, my culture wouldnt bat an eyelid at your sex dungeon. I mean, Im from Brighton. A disabled passenger was turned away from a flight because she was travelling alone. Shen Chengqing, a 22-year-old wheelchair user, arrived at Hong Kong International Airport for a Hong Kong Airlines flight to Tianjin on Friday 25 January, only to be denied boarding. She claimed staff told her that she would not be able to take the three-hour flight as she couldnt walk and was unaccompanied. Because of this reason, we refused to let her board the plane alone, a Hong Kong Airlines employee allegedly told Shens friend who had gone with her to the airport. Shen, who has flown every month for the past six months or so, was surprised and upset by the rule. Disability History Month: Barnardos unseen 125-year-old photos Show all 8 1 /8 Disability History Month: Barnardos unseen 125-year-old photos Disability History Month: Barnardos unseen 125-year-old photos William Large was admitted in 1888, aged around seven and a half. His mother had died of tuberculosis the previous year, and his father was sent to the workhouse. According to records, the fathers carelessness and cruelty to the child have caused the hip disease with which the little one is afflicted. William was also deaf and had tuberculosis. He was trained within the print school at Stepney, and was able to secure employment as a printer in 1899 Barnardos Disability History Month: Barnardos unseen 125-year-old photos Fred Forty was born in 1875 in Cheltenham, into a wretched home. His mother died of tuberculosis, and his father, a shoemaker, was described as drunken and totally unconcerned with his six children. Fred had at least two operations on his cleft palate which were unsuccessful, and had only one eye as a result of an accident. He was admitted in 1888, aged 13. Fred died in 1895 and is buried at Tower Hamlets cemetery Barnardos Disability History Month: Barnardos unseen 125-year-old photos Kate McLoughlin was born in 1882 in Nottingham, and was admitted to Barnardos at the age of seven by the local vicar. Her father had been in prison several times, and was in jail at the time. The family of five lived in one room which the local vicar described as, the most utter squalor and filth. It was the very worst home he knew in his parish. Kates mother battled alcoholism, and while she was out drinking, her first child drowned in a bucket of water, and another was seriously burnt. When Kate was just a baby, she fell out of her mothers arms, and subsequently suffered hip disease and deformity. After care and training in the homes, she went into domestic service in 1905 Barnardos Disability History Month: Barnardos unseen 125-year-old photos Alfred Smith was born in 1875 in the town of Rugeley, Staffordshire. His father died of diabetes nine years later, leaving seven children. His mother was unable to work due to abscesses on her legs, and was receiving parish relief. Alfred had his right leg amputated when he was just 13. Two years later, he was admitted to the homes, and received an apprenticeship in the Tailors workshop. In 1895, he was working as a tailor in Surrey Barnardos Disability History Month: Barnardos unseen 125-year-old photos Thomas Marks was born in Rhymney, Caerphilly, in 1885. He was orphaned at a young age when both parents died as a result of heavy drinking. When Thomas was just eight, he had both his legs cut off from the trunk by an engine running over him. Despite this, he managed to scrape a living on the street as a pickpocket until he was admitted to Barnardos at the age of 15. He was given an apprenticeship in the tailoring workshop and subsequently found employment as a tailor on leaving the homes. By 1899 he had his own business in Wales Barnardos Disability History Month: Barnardos unseen 125-year-old photos Herbert Harris was admitted in March 1892 aged 18. His father died from tuberculosis three months after Herbert was born and his mother remarried a porter who worked at the Millwall Dock Company. Herbert was working at paper mills in Millwall when both his hands were drawn into some machinery. He spent three months in hospital where his arms needed to be amputated one above, the other below the elbow. His mother received 50 from Herberts employer which was used to stock her shop. The admission report says that it appears that none of the money was spent on behalf of the boy, apart from buying a barrow for him on which he might sell fruit. Herberts aunt claimed his mother and her husband brutally ill-treated him, that the husband had severely beat both Herbert and his mother. And in his admissions report, was described as, civil-mannered and in great fear of his mother and her husband. Herbert died in August 1896 and is buried in Tower Hamlets cemetery Barnardos Disability History Month: Barnardos unseen 125-year-old photos Elizabeth Lines was born in 1884 in Deptford, London. Her father died of tuberculosis three years later. A fall during infancy is believed to have caused abscesses on her knee-joint, which made it necessary to amputate her leg when she was just 19 months old. She was admitted aged eight, and received training which helped her secure work as a dressmaker in Port Talbot by 1905 Barnardos Disability History Month: Barnardos unseen 125-year-old photos Alfred Collings was born in November 1895 in Plymouth and admitted in January 1905 aged nine. His father died from pleurisy and pneumonia in 1901, with his mother receiving 10 insurance money. Soon after the death Alfred suffered a fall which led to the bone in his foot becoming diseased. Unfortunately the problem wasnt identified or treated for a long time and eventually the parish doctor ordered him to the infirmary, where his foot was amputated. The admission report says: Alfred is of a specially bright, lively and mischievous disposition and has been petted and spoilt by the men in the infirmary. He was perpetually playing pranks Barnardos I felt very anxious and angry at the time, she told the South China Morning Post. I dont understand why this could happen in Hong Kong. She added: If there are safety concerns, there should be better facilities to ensure my safety, instead of not allowing me on a plane. The airlines website recommends passengers with disabilities travel with a personal care attendant as cabin crew cant assist passengers in using the toilet, eating or taking medication for safety reasons. Recommended The complete guide to booking a holiday as a disabled person I do not need help with eating or using the bathroom. All I need is assistance to move my wheelchair, said Shen. The airlines written rejection states she was turned away because she is unable to walk long distances. Shen had to pay for another one-way ticket for a flight the next day, which cost her more than 2,000 yuan (225), and had to be accompanied by a friend for the flight. Besides the money and delay to my work and other schedules, I also caused trouble for my friends, and worried my family, she said. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events I thought taking flights from Hong Kong would be reliable. I did not expect this. The Independent has contacted Hong Kong Airlines for comment. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been ridiculed after men were awarded every prize for gender balance. The government was mocked after pictures were posted on the Twitter account of the vice-president of the UAE, where he was seen handing out prizes to the winners of the Gender Balance Index 2018 over the weekend. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the ruler of Dubai, congratulated the recipients of best personality supporting gender balance, best federal authority supporting gender balance and best gender balance initiative. He insisted women were central to shaping the future of the country. Critics drew attention to the absurdity of the gender balance awards which celebrate efforts to reduce the gender gap within the federal government and to promote equal opportunities solely being dished out to male recipients. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty A tweet which celebrated the awards sparked derision on the social media site. Wow really nailed the diversity there. One of those dudes was wearing grey, said one Twitter user. This has to be a joke, added another. You have achieved excellent balance of men with dark facial hair, and men with light facial hair. My congratulations, said another. The UAEs Gender Balance Index awards acknowledge progress made in government departments over the last year in meeting female participation goals established by the government in 2015. We are proud of the success of Emirati women and their role is central to shaping the future of the country. Gender balance has become a pillar in our government institutions, a tweet from the official Dubai media office said. A later tweet by the Government of Dubai Media Office included a photo showing five women standing beside Sheikh Mohammed and the male recipients, but it did not identify them. A statement by the official Dubai Media Office quoted Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, president of the UAE Gender Balance Council, as saying it had achieved a goal set in 2015 to reduce the gender gap across all sectors of government. The UAE cabinet approved legislation to ensure equal pay for women back in April. But last month the country was ranked 121st out of 149 countries overall in the World Economic Forums 2018 Global Gender Gap Report and 134th in terms of economic participation and opportunity. Recommended UAE asked Matthew Hedges to became a double agent The report said there had been a reduction in the gap with regard to legislators, senior officials and managers, counterbalanced by an expanding overall wage gap. But rights organisations say gender discrimination remains a deeply ingrained problem across the UAE. UAE law allows domestic violence as long as the assault does not exceed the limits set by Islamic law, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). HRW also highlighted the fact that discrimination on the basis of sex and gender was not included in the definition of discrimination in the UAEs 2015 anti-discrimination law. Denmark has started work on a 44-mile fence along the southern border with Germany in an attempt to prevent the spread of African swine fever. Authorities hope the barrier will prevent wild boars from spreading the disease, which poses a threat to Denmark's lucrative pork industry. The country's government has warned that Denmark's pork exports to non-European countries, worth 1.2bn annually, could be affected by the disease. "An outbreak of African swine fever in Denmark would immediately halt all exports to countries outside the EU," Esben Lunde Larsen, the country's former environment minister, told The Copenhagen Post last year. "A fence will help prevent infected boars from moving across the border and make it easier for hunters to exterminate the boar population in Denmark. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The 1.5-metre tall steel fence was approved by legislators in June. Denmark is the only EU country where pigs outnumber people, with 215 pigs to every 100 residents. Additional reporting by agencies A man stole a $1m (760,000) painting from a Russian gallery in broad daylight after unsuspecting visitors assumed he worked there. CCTV footage showed the young suspect calmly approaching the work of art on Sunday evening at Moscows Tretyakov Gallery as members of the public looked on. After stopping to briefly look at the painting of a Crimean mountaintop, by Arkhip Kuindzhi, the man then brazenly lifted it off the wall and walked out. Russian police said they had arrested a 31-year-old suspect and recovered the undamaged painting. The work titled Ai-Petri. Crimea was discovered after a tip-off hidden at a building site outside Moscow, officers said. During an interview with detectives investigating the theft the suspect denied he had committed any crimes and said he could not remember where he had been on Sunday. Officials at the gallery said the painting had been taken from a temporary exhibition which did not have any alarms fitted. Vladislav Kononov, an official at the Ministry of Culture, told reporters all pictures at the gallery would be fitted with sensors and alarms from now on. Recommended Art gallery discovers more than half of its paintings are fake The picture dates from 1908 and was completed shortly before Kuindzhi a Russian realist landscape painter died. Russian state television reported Ai-Petri. Crimea was worth more than $1m. Other works by the same artist have sold for more than $3m at auctions. It is not the first time the Tretyakov Gallery, one of Russias most renowned museums, has experienced an embarrassing lapse in security. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events In May a man attacked a famous 19th-century painting of Russias first tsar with a metal pole. The attacker reportedly damaged the artwork, which showed Ivan the Terrible cradling his dying son, because he was enraged at its supposed historical inaccuracy. For us Muscovites this is shameful, Ludmila Gavrina, a visitor said on Monday. Something needs to change. Trevor, who became known as the worlds loneliest duck, has died after being attacked by dogs on the remote Pacific island of Niue. The bird developed into a local celebrity before achieving international fame last year for being the only member of his species living in the tiny nation. Trevor is thought to have arrived on Niue, some 1,500 miles northeast of New Zealand, during a tropical storm in 2018, although exact details of how he reached the island were never determined. An announcement of his death, posted on his Facebook fan page, described him as a very cool duck who had won the heart of so many locals and tourists. The page added that the ducks body had been discovered in a bush after apparently being attacked by dogs. Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Show all 19 1 /19 Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Bed of Seals By Cristobal Serrano of Spain Winner of the Animals in their Environment category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Kuhirwa Mourns Her Baby By Ricardo Montero of Spain Winner of the Behaviour: Mammals category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Mother Defender By Javier Aznar of Spain Winner of the Wildlife Photographer Portfolio Award PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Blood Thirsty By Thomas P Peschak of Germany and South Africa Winner of the Behaviour: Birds category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Night Flight By Michael Patrick O'Neill of the USA Winner of the Underwater category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Signature Tree By Alejandro Prieto of Mexico Winner of the Story category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Mud-Rolling Mud Dauber By Georgina Steytler of Australia Winner of the Behaviour: Invertebrates category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Desert Relic By Jen Guyton of Germany and the USA Winner of the Plants and Fungi category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Pipe Owl By Arshdeep Singh of India Winner of the 10 Years and Under category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Lounging Leopard By Skye Meaker of South Africa Winner of the 15-17 Years Old category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Crossing Paths By Marco Colombo of Italy Winner of the Urban Wildlife category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 The Sad Clown By Joan de la Malla of Spain Winner of the Wildlife Photojournalism category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 The Vision By Jan van der Greef of the Netherlands Winner of the Black & White category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 The Ice Pool By Cristobal Serrano of Spain Winner of the Creative Visions category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Dream By Michel do Oultremont of Belgium Winner of the Rising Star Portfolio award PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Windsweep By Orlando Fernandez Miranda of Spain Winner of the Earth & Environments category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Duck of Dreams By Carlos Perez Naval Winner for the 11-14 Years Old category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 Hellbent By David Herasimtschuk of the USA Winner of the Behaviour: Amphibians category PA Wildlife photographer of the year 2018 The Golden Couple By Marsel van Oosten of the Nehterlands Winner of the Animal Portraits category PA Trevors death prompted an outpouring of grief both on Niue and abroad, with Trevor Mallard, speaker of the New Zealand parliament who the duck was named after, leading the tributes. Deepest sympathy to the people of Niue from the parliament of New Zealand, he wrote. Trevor first found fame in September last year, when he became the subject of a New Zealand Herald story titled The sorry tale of Niues only duck. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The piece detailed the troubles the duck had faced since arriving on the island, including finding a home in an alien habitat. Without any lakes or ponds on Niue, Trevor had been forced to live in a puddle by a roadside, where he was attacked regularly by an aggressive rooster neighbour. However, the human residents of the island were more welcoming of the duck and enlisted the local fire brigade to top up his puddle whenever it began to dry out. A leading human rights lawyer has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for defending cases that were seen as sensitive by the Chinese government. Wang Quanzhang was arrested in 2015 as part of a crackdown in which more than 200 activists and rights workers were detained by the authorities. Human Rights Watch said Mr Wangs lengthy sentence - on a charge of subversion of state power - made a mockery of the rule of law President Xi Jinping claimed to uphold. Amnesty International's China researcher Doriane Lau called it a gross injustice. It's outrageous that Wang Quanzhang is being punished for peacefully standing up for human rights in China. He must be immediately and unconditionally released, she said. Mr Wang was held for more than three years before he was tried in a closed hearing on 26 December that lasted just one day. Foreign journalists and diplomats were barred from attending. On Monday morning, the court in the north-eastern city of Tianjin announced the sentencing in a statement online. Mr Wang was found guilty of subverting state power, sentenced to four years and six months in prison, and deprived of political rights for five years, the statement read. The charge of subversion is loosely defined in Chinese law and it wasn't clear what specific illegal acts Mr Wang had been accused of committing. The lawyer had sought to use the letter of Chinese law to defend citizens against the state - pursuing land rights cases on behalf of poor villagers, accusations of police torture or defending members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement. Such was the secrecy surrounding his own detention that many, including his wife Li Wenzu, did not know for a long time whether or not he was alive. She was barred from attending the December hearing by security forces. Ms Li has championed her husband's case since he went missing, staging a 100 km (62 miles) march from Beijing to Tianjin, shaving her head to protest his treatment and filing almost weekly petitions to the Supreme People's Court. Li Wenzu has her head shaved to protest the detention of her husband and Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang (AFP/Getty Images) She wrote in a statement on Twitter that her husband was innocent and the "inhuman" behaviour of law enforcement officials toward Wang was a violation of Chinese law. "I respect and support every choice that Wang Quanzhang has made. I will continue to defend Wang Quanzhang's rights," she said. The UN has previously raised Mr Wangs case, calling on authorities to "ensure his due process rights are respected after the December hearing, and saying there were "serious human rights concerns" about the way his case had been handled. China cancels Christmas Show all 7 1 /7 China cancels Christmas China cancels Christmas A man sells Christmas decorations on a street of Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China cancels Christmas a promoter dressed as a teddy bear rest along a retail street in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China cancels Christmas A family walk past images of Santa Claus in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China cancels Christmas A worker guards the entrance of a shop decorated with images of Santa Claus in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China cancels Christmas Sales staff from an apparel shop dance wearing Christmas themed costumes to promote a year end sales in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China cancels Christmas Sales staff from an apparel shop dance wearing Christmas themed costumes to promote a year end sales in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China cancels Christmas a sales person waits for customers near a Christmas tree decoration in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) The 2015 crackdown on rights lawyers was seen as a major turning point in President Xis rule, showing a ruthless streak as he crushed any potential challenge to his authority. Nor has it fully subsided. One of Mr Wangs lawyers, Yu Wensheng, had been acting as his defence attorney until he was stripped of his licence and then arrested in January. He is now being investigated for "inciting subversion. Confidential data detailing the HIV-positive status of thousands of people living in Singapore has been leaked online by a US citizen, officials in the country have said. Records leaked include 5,400 Singaporeans diagnosed as HIV-positive before January 2013 and 8,800 foreign residents diagnosed before December 2011, the city state's Ministry of Health (MOH) said. The information includes the names, medical information, phone numbers and addresses of those affected. The records are still in the posession of the leaker, Mikhy Farrera Brochez, a US citizen who has previously been convicted of fraud and drug-related offences. "While access to the confidential information has been disabled, it is still in the possession of the unauthorised person, and could still be publicly disclosed in the future," the MOH said. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Mr Brochez lived in Singapore between January 2008 and June 2016. His Singaporean partner, Ler Teck Siang, is a doctor who served as head of the country's National Public Health Unit (NPHU) between March 2012 and May 2013. "Ler had authority to access information in the HIV Registry as required for his work," a spokesperson from the MOH said. "This incident is believed to have arisen from the mishandling of information by Ler." In September 2018 the doctor was convicted of abetting Mr Brochez "to commit cheating", the MOH said. Meet the young woman born with HIV who now helps others realise its 'no longer a death sentence' He was also convicted of providing false information to police officers and was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Mr Brochez was deported from Singapore in early 2018, after serving a prison sentence for "numerous fraud and drug-related offences". He was found to have lied about his HIV-positive status in order to obtain and maintain his employment visa. The US citizen had already left the country when officials realised that he still had access to the medical records. On 22 January 2019 the MOH was notified that Mr Brochez had leaked the information online. "We are sorry for the anxiety and distress caused by this incident," the department said in a statement. "Our priority is the wellbeing of the affected individuals." Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Although Singapore does not stop HIV-positive tourists from visiting the country, there are restrictions on people remaining in the city state for over 90 days. Citizens of other nations who live in the city-state and are HIV-positive can be expelled from the country, but not if they are married to a Singaporean citizen. A US student who reportedly broke an expensive lamp while drinking on a night out in Tokyo remains in jail nine months after the incident in which he is said to have initially thought police officers arresting him were gang members extorting him for money. Julian Adame, a senior student at Redlands University in California, had been studying religion in Bali for several months, and had planned to visit Tokyo for a few days before going on to Thailand to meet a friend. But when the 22-year-old didnt arrive to meet fellow student Kate Emmons, she began to get worried, and began ringing foreign embassies to find out what had happened to him. I had put out on Instagram a picture of Julian and asked if anyone had heard from him since I hadnt heard from him in eight days, Ms Emmons told US news outlet ABC10. One person reached out to me and said that he was in contact with Julian right before [he was] arrested. They were supposed to hang out the next day. After further calls she learned Mr Adame had met some people in the hostel he was staying and had gone out for drinks with them on 22 May 2018. Ms Emmons told ABC10 the alcohol and in combination of him traveling made Mr Adame fall asleep while he was out with his new friends. The next thing he knew he was being woken up by the police who told him he had broken a lamp worth $900 (680) and that they needed to see his passport. His companions had left the bar they had been drinking in. Mr Adame had reportedly been previously warned that criminal gangs in Tokyo may dress as police officers in efforts to extort foreign travellers. Believing this to be the case, Mr Adame, who doesnt speak Japanese, initially refused to cooperate with the police. They transferred him to a community police box where footage was recorded of him saying, Youre going to kill me, Ms Emmons said. He was then reportedly put in an unmarked police car by officers who were not in uniform who took him to his hostel to retrieve his passport. Ms Emmons told the San Diego Union-Tribune Mr Adame was convinced they were gang members pretending to be police officers When the police then tried to handcuff him, in his panic Mr Adame accidentally scuffed one of the officers chins, Ms Emmons said. She said she has been able to visit Mr Adame in jail in Tokyo, but the pair have not been allowed to speak in English together. Mr Adame plans to plead guilty to the charges which include resisting arrest, but there have been numerous setbacks which have delayed a court appearance, including the Japanese authorities demanding several translations of what Mr Adame was recorded saying. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty A United States Department of State spokesperson told ABC10: US citizen Julian Adame was arrested in Tokyo on May 22, 2018. The safety and security of US citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities. We are providing all appropriate consular assistance to Mr Adame. Consular officers are in contact with Mr Adames family and friends, and visit him at the Tokyo Detention Centre regularly. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Support free-thinking journalism and subscribe to Independent Minds The University of Redlands issued a statement which read: We are aware that Julian Adame remains detained in Japan after events that occurred during personal travel, not associated with a university program. We have been in contact with local and international law enforcement agencies in Japan to ask for status, express our concern, and offer our assistance. Authorities in India have been criticised for relocating almost 300 crocodiles from a reservoir next to the worlds tallest statue to allow for a seaplane service to land nearby. The animals, some of which are almost 10ft long, currently reside in the water near the 182-metre Statue of Unity of independence icon Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The statue, which is located in the state of Gujarat and is almost twice the size of the Statue of Liberty, cost 330 million to build and is a major tourist attraction. It is, however, 125 miles from the states main city of Ahmedabad and can only be visited by bus. To improve access to the site, the government has approved three seaplane routes to land nearby, according to the Times of India. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Officials are now luring the crocodiles, which live near the statue, into metal cages before transporting them elsewhere to allow for the introduction of the seaplane service. Crocodiles are protected species in India and there have been accusations that their removal is a violation of Indias wildlife protection legislation. "If the government has spent crores of rupees making the Statue of Unity, it should spend some more money to make an artificial pond for landing the seaplanes without disturbing the ecological balance and natural habitat of crocodiles," Community Science Centre director Jitendra Gavali told the Indian Express. So far it is thought a dozen crocodiles have been moved and were placed in pick-up trucks. It is unclear where they have been relocated to but it is understood that they have stayed within the state. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Security Adviser John Bolton joined White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders during a press conference on Monday to announce the new sanctions, which they said had been kept secret prior to the announcement. In making the sanctions public, the White House warned "all options are on the table" when it comes to dealing with the ongoing conflict in Venezuela. The sanctions target Venezuelas state-owned oil monopoly, with the US goal being the seizure and diverting of Mr Maduros wealth assets to Juan Guaido, the opposition leader who Donald Trump and other world leaders have thrown their support behind. As the head of the countrys elected Congress, Mr Guaido invoked powers within the Constitution and declared himself the interim president of Venezuela last week. Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Show all 18 1 /18 Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Protesters clash with the Bolivarian National Police during a demonstration against the government of the Venezuela and president Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on 23 January 2019 EPA Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Demonstrators cheer as Venezuela's National Assembly head Juan Guaido declares himself the country's "acting president" at a rally in Caracas AFP/Getty Images Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Opposition supporters take part in a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Opposition supporters take part in a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Juan Guaido, head of Venezuela's opposition-run congress, declares himself interim president of the nation until elections can be held during a rally in Caracas demanding leader Nicolas Maduro's resignation AP Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Opposition supporters carry letters to form the word "Democracy" while taking part in a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Police watch over marching anti-government protesters in Caracas EPA Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government A vehicle is overturned as opposition demonstrators block a road during a protest against the Venezuelan government AFP/Getty Images Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government A National Police officer fires rubber bullets during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government A demonstrator throws back a gas canister while clashing with security forces during a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Security forces look on after clashing with opposition supporters participating in a rally against Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's government REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Demonstrators during a protest against the government of Nicolas Maduro at Plaza Altamira in Caracas Getty Images Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Demonstrators during a protest against the government of Nicolas Maduro at Plaza Altamira in Caracas Getty Images Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government EPA Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government AFP/Getty Images Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government The remains of a statue of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez is seen hanging from a pedestrian bridge after it was destroyed in San Felix, Venezuela REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Riot police on motorcycles clash with opposition demonstrators during protests in Caracas AFP/Getty Images Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Supporters celebrate Juan Guaido declaration that he is Venezuelan president EPA We have continued to expose the corruption of Maduro and his cronies and todays action ensures they can no longer loot the assets of the Venezuelan people, Mr Bolton told reporters at a briefing on Monday. The sanctions will include a freeze on any assets the firm may have in US jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with it. Recommended Venezuela crisis shows we are returning to Cold War ways The United States is holding accountable those responsible for Venezuela's tragic decline, and will continue to use the full suite of its diplomatic and economic tools to support Interim President Juan Guaido, the National Assembly, and the Venezuelan people's efforts to restore their democracy, Mr Mnuchin said on Monday. Today's designation of PDVSA will help prevent further diverting of Venezuela's assets by Maduro and preserve these assets for the people of Venezuela. The path to sanctions relief for PDVSA is through the expeditious transfer of control to the Interim President or a subsequent, democratically elected government, he said. PDSVA is the acronym for the state-owned oil company. Senator Marco Rubio, a vocal critic of Mr Maduro who has called for such sanctions, welcomed the move even before it was announced. The Maduro crime family has used PDVSA to buy and keep the support of many military leaders, Rubio said. The oil belongs to the Venezuelan people, and therefore the money PDVSA earns from its export will now be returned to the people through their legitimate constitutional government. The sanctions will not likely affect consumer prices at the gas pump but will hit oil refiners, particularly those on the US Gulf Coast. Venezuelan oil exports to the US have declined steadily over the years, falling particularly sharply over the past decade as its production plummeted amid its long economic and political crisis. Still, Venezuela has consistently been the third- or fourth-largest supplier of crude oil to the United States, and any disruption of imports could be costly for refiners. In 2017, the most recent year that data were available, Venezuela accounted for about 6 percent of US crude imports. Valero and Citgo are among the largest importers of Venezuelan crude. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events But Venezuela is very reliant on the US for its oil revenue. The country sends 41 percent of its oil exports to the US Critically, U.S. refiners are among the few customers that pay cash to Venezuela for its oil. That's because Venezuela's oil shipments to China and Russia are usually taken as repayment for billions of dollars in debts. Additional reporting by AP A congressman who served on Capitol Hill for nearly twenty years has entered hospice care following a recent hospitalisation. Walter Jones, a Republican who represented North Carolina, suffered a broken hip at his home on 14 January. The following day, the 75-year-old politician underwent surgery at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, his office said. Mr Jones office released a statement on Saturday, announcing his health has declined after sustaining a broken hip last week. He is now in hospice care. The family asks for your prayers, and for their privacy to be respected during this difficult time. North Carolina GOP chairman Robin Hayes released a statement following news of Mr Jones health condition. The news about Walter Jones entering hospice is extremely sad for the entire Republican family, the statement read. We pray for comfort and peace for him and his family. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Mr Jones has been battling illness in the past few months. In December 2018, he was granted a leave of absence from Congress after missing a number of votes. He served on the Committee on Armed Services, and is a member of several other caucuses. Recommended Investigation into North Carolina voter fraud begins Mr Jones was just recently re-elected to the House of Representatives in November after running unopposed. The North Carolina Republican is the son of Walter B Jones, Sr, a Democrat who also served in Congress representing the same state from 1996 to 1992. Following his fathers retirement, Mr Jones ran for his seat as a Democrat in 1992. He lost the election and switched parties prior to the 1994 election, which he won. Mr Jones served in Congress since 1995. Donald Trumps State of the Union address is back on, now that the longest federal government shutdown in history has finally ended but it may include some caveats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has invited the president to deliver his spech at the Capitol on 5 February in a formal letter. Pelosi said in her letter that she and agreed on the new date after speaking with Mr Trump. The historic tradition was pushed back this year because of the 35-day government shutdown, spurred by the presidents demands for $5.7bn to go towards his campaign promise of a US-Mexico border wall. Congress must pass a joint-resolution inviting the president to make the speech in the US House of Representatives before he can address the nation. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty With Mr Trump expected to announce a newly-scheduled State of the Union address in the coming days, heres the history behind the significance and meaning of the presidential speech. When did State of the Union addresses begin? The State of the Union has varied in form throughout early-American history, with George Washington and John Adams both delivering their addresses directly to Congress. When Thomas Jefferson assumed the Oval Office he ended the practice of delivering the speech to Congress, instead sending lawmakers a written letter addressing the nation. Woodrow Wilson then ended the tradition of sending written letters, becoming the first president to address Congress with an executives message in nearly a century. Has the State of the Union always been televised? Calvin Coolidge was the first president to conduct a State of the Union address over radio in 1923. However, the first televised State of the Union address occurred under Harry Truman, who also officially renamed the speech the State of the Union after the term was popularised by Franklin D Roosevelt. The State of the Union address was then moved from a daytime speech to 9.00pm. under Lyndon B Johnson in an effort to garner a larger audience throughout the nation. Has a State of the Union address ever been delayed? The State of the Union has only been delayed once before Mr Trumps shutdown. Ronald Reagan pushed back the speech after the historic Challenger space shuttle explosion on 28 January. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Meanwhile, just two presidents in US history never delivered a State of the Union address throughout their tenure in the White House. William Henry Harrison died just 32 days after his inauguration of pneumonia, while James Garfield was assassinated within the first year of his presidency. But that isnt to say the State of the Union is guaranteed annually. A slate of modern US presidents have declined to deliver the major speech during their first year in office, including Mr Trump, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan. President Donald Trump came away empty-handed for now after the longest federal government shutdown in American history failed to pressure Congress into funding his long-promised border wall, purportedly to stop an inflow of drugs and crime from Mexico. But he is not done making his case on immigration. On Sunday, he rattled off several figures on Twitter about how many unauthorised immigrants there are in the United States, how much they cost the country financially and how many had illegally voted in Texas. There were already many problems with Mr Trumps assertion that unauthorised immigrants disproportionately bring with them more drugs and crime. And several experts said they had concerns with the figures he disseminated Sunday. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Non-citizens casting votes in Texas In one tweet Sunday, Mr Trump said that 58,000 non-citizens voted in Texas, with 95,000 non-citizens registered to vote. He was citing an investigation that Texas officials had publicised days earlier but which Democrats in the state immediately questioned. The investigation, by the Texas secretary of states office, said that 95,000 people who were registered to vote in the state had at some point told a law enforcement agency that they were not citizens. Out of that number, 58,000 had voted at some point since 1996. Politicians and voters advocates are asking officials to investigate both figures. Because we have consistently seen Texas politicians conjure the specter of voter fraud as pretext to suppress legitimate votes, we are naturally sceptical," state representative Rafael Anchia, a Democrat in the state House, told The New York Times. Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio blames immigration on French colonialism in Africa Even if the numbers are deemed accurate, those 58,000 voters could have become citizens before casting ballots. More than 50,000 people were naturalized in Texas in 2017, according to the Department of Homeland Security. We have a reason to distrust these numbers, said Andre Segura, the legal director for the ACLU of Texas. Theres a long history of these numbers being inaccurate. Voter fraud is extremely rare. In Florida, the administration of the former governor, Rick Scott, had tried to purge non-citizens from voter rolls in 2012. It started with a list of 180,000 voters based on drivers license data, according to The Tampa Bay Times. Ultimately, 85 people were removed from the rolls, according to the newspaper. The cost of illegal immigration In another tweet, Mr Trump said that the cost of illegal immigration so far this year is $18,959,495,168. Cost Friday was $603,331,392. It is not clear where Mr Trump arrived at those figures. They track with a tweet from last month in which he declared that the country loses 250 Billion Dollars a year on illegal immigration. But several experts said those figures were far too high. There is little research on how much unauthorised immigrants cost the United States. The highest costs would generally be related to education and health care, but many unauthorised immigrants pay taxes and are typically barred from receiving many of the costliest benefits, like Medicaid. No study seems to comprehensively address a net cost, instead focusing on either the costs or the benefits. Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Show all 14 1 /14 Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Immigrant children, many of whom are separated form their parents, are housed in Texas' tent city Reuters Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border A two-year-old Honduran asylum seeker cries as her mother is searched and detained near the US-Mexico border Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Undocumented migrants ride on the top of a freight train referred to as the beast, or La Bestia Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border A cage inside a US Customs and Border Protection detention facility in Texas Reuters Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US Border Patrol Academy All new agents must complete a months-long training course at the New Mexico facility before assuming their posts at Border Patrol stations, mostly along the US-Mexico border Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US-Mexico border fence A group of young men walk along the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border fence in a remote area of the Sonoran Desert Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US-Mexico border fence in the US Man looks through US-Mexico border fence into the US in Tijuana, Mexico Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US-Mexico border fence US Border Patrol agent Sal De Leon stands near a section of the US-Mexico border fence while stopping on patrol on in La Joya, Texas Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US Border Patrol Academy US Border Patrol instructor yells at trainees after their initial arrival to the academy Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Memorial service in Guatemala Families attend a memorial service for two boys who were kidnapped and killed in San Juan Sacatepequez, Guatemala. Crime drives emigration from Guatemala to the United States, as families seek refuge from the danger Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Arrests on the border Undocumented immigrants comfort each other after being caught by Border Patrol agents near the US-Mexico border Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Detention holding facility A boy from Honduras watches a movie at a detention facility run by the US Border Patrol Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Mexican farm workers Mexican migrant workers harvest organic parsley at Grant Family Farms in Wellington, Colorado Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Mexican family in Arizona A Mexican immigrant family sits in the living room of their rented home in Tuscon, Arizona. The family that Arizona's new tough immigrant law had created a climate of fear in the immigrant community. Getty They tend to talk past each other, unfortunately, said Randy Capps, the director of research for American programs at the Migration Policy Institute. The National Academy of Sciences concluded in 2016 that immigration, both legal and illegal, benefited the economy. It said that the average immigrant cost state and local governments about $1,600 a year from 2011 to 2013, but that their children and grandchildren paid far more in taxes than they consumed in public services. Alex Nowrasteh, a senior immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute, said the highest figure he had seen came from the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favours restricting immigration. It has said unauthorised immigrants cost the country at least $116 billion per year. The Cato Institute disputes that figure, which Nowrasteh said did not take into account the economic benefits of unauthorised immigrants. He and others have questioned the groups methodology. Theres no basis to any of those numbers about the fiscal cost, he said. The presidents numbers are even twice as bad. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Number of undocumented immigrants in the country Mr Trump also claimed that in the United States there are at least 25,772,342 illegal aliens, not the 11,000,000 that have been reported for years. Again, several experts said Mr Trumps numbers were too high. It appears that Mr Trump is making his claim based on a study conducted by researchers affiliated with Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which estimated the number at 22 million. Starting with an estimate in 1990, the researchers modeled how the population would change in future years based on immigration rates, demographic change and deportations, among other factors, eventually arriving at the 22 million estimate. Why is the Home Office getting so many immigration decisions wrong? The conclusions of that study, published in the journal PLOS One in September, have been challenged, with some questioning whether it underestimated the number of immigrants who had left the country. The researchers have also acknowledged that their results diverge from existing estimates. Most other studies say the number is around 11 million or 12 million. The Pew Research Center estimated that it was about 10.7 million in 2016. In 2015, the Department of Homeland Security estimated the number to be 12 million. Theres been no evidence of a new, rapid increase of the population, Mr Capps said. William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, said the methodology used by Pew had been vetted over decades. They have a general sense that what they are doing is reasonably OK, he said of the Pew researchers. I trust them. They have been doing this for a long time. The New York Times President Donald Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, believed that the Russia thing would end as a side effect from the firing of the national security adviser, retired lieutenant general Michael Flynn, in the early days of the administration, according to an account in a new memoir by Chris Christie. The incident recounted in Mr Christies book, "Let Me Finish, is among the anecdotes describing how the president and Mr Kushner grappled with a campaign and a presidency that Mr Christie says neither was prepared for. Part autobiography and part firsthand accounting of a presidency, the book, which will be released Tuesday, paints Trump as a phenom who was obviously effective as a candidate but who has relied on the wrong people and has been ill-served by many advisers, including some members of his family. Mr Christie, the former two-term governor of New Jersey and a longtime friend of the president, was among Mr Trumps challengers for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He became a key, early supporter of Mr Trump after withdrawing from the race, and then ran Trumps transition until he was fired shortly after the election, reportedly at the direction of Mr Kushner. He recently withdrew from consideration as White House chief of staff. Three main themes emerge in the book in relation to Mr Trump. Mr Trump is less of a cartoon figure than he is in most accounts contained in new books about the White House. But Mr Christie describes him as averse to interpersonal conflict with people he likes, needlessly nasty to some subordinates and prone to trusting people he should not. Mr Kushner, whose power has grown recently, appears as a shadow campaign manager and chief of staff in the White House, often giving his father-in-law questionable and problematic advice, according to the book, on topics including Mr Flynn; how Democrats would perceive the firing of James Comey as FBI director; his initial support for the campaign chairman, Paul Manafort; and how West Wing and key Cabinet jobs were filled. And a number of unqualified figures attached themselves to Mr Trump and pandered to Mr Kushner, Mr Christie said, particularly after he was dismissed from the transition team. One was Mr Manafort, who bluntly told Mr Christie in the spring of 2016 that he was succeeding over a rival campaign aide because Im smart enough to agree with Jared, and he is not. US Governor Chris Christie shows off his 'dad dance moves' with Jimmy Fallon On 14 February 2017, Mr Christie and his wife, Mary Pat, had lunch scheduled with the president. It happened to be the day after Mr Flynn whom Mr Christie did not back for the national security adviser role was dismissed for lying to the vice president about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the transition. Mr Kushner decided to attend. As Mr Kushner tucked into his typical salad, Mr Christie wrote, the president said to him, This Russia thing is all over now, because I fired Flynn. Mr Christie said that he started laughing, and the president asked why. 'Sir, I said, this Russia thing is far from over,' Mr Christie wrote. Mr Trump responded: What do you mean? Flynn met with the Russians. That was the problem. I fired Flynn. Its over. Mr Kushner added, Thats right, firing Flynn ends the whole Russia thing. Mr Christie, who wrote that it all sounded naive, recalled Mr Kushner telling him that he was crazy when he said they would most likely still be discussing the Russia issue in February 2018. Trump: FBI said Michael Flynn didn't lie The investigation into Russian meddling in the election and whether the Mr Trump campaign was involved has been going on for more than two years, and has resulted in the indictments or guilty pleas of several former campaign officials, including Mr Flynn and Mr Manafort. In an interview Sunday, Mr Christie said that he did not believe Mr Flynn was let go because of the Russia inquiry, but because keeping him on was untenable after officials said he had lied to the vice president. I think they thought that a result of that would be that this Russia stuff was over with, but I did not ever hear anybody say that that was the motivation, he said. Mr Christie said the campaign was too disorganised and threadbare to run a Tom Clancy operation, and said he never saw evidence of collusion with Russian officials. But he argued that people like Mr Flynn never should have been hired in the first place. Flynn was a train wreck from beginning to end, Mr Christie said in the book, recounting that during the one early debate session that Mr Flynn was invited to, he suggested that Mr Trump reverse himself and support abortion rights, because it would take away an issue from Hillary Clinton. Mr Christie was similarly wary about Jeff Sessions serving as attorney general, suggesting he mishandled his recusal from the Russia inquiry. He also took aim at Steve Bannon, Mr Trumps former chief strategist, saying he manufactured scenes about Mr Christie in books and news media accounts. Repeatedly, Mr Christie suggested that people around Mr Trump, such as Mr Bannon, promoted themselves at the presidents expense. Mr Christie lifted the curtain on some of the most explosive moments of the campaign, including when Mr Trump was presented with the audio of the infamous Access Hollywood tape for the first time. He had initially insisted the language used was not something he would say. When he heard the tape, he acknowledged, Its me. Mr Christie said it was one of the few times he had seen Mr Trump personally embarrassed. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty He described frantically writing a statement with Mr Trumps eldest daughter, Ivanka, to give to the candidate to end days of controversy after Mr Trump said a judge was biased against him because of his Mexican-American heritage. Mr Christie detailed some of the bizarre back and forths he had with Mr Trump or his aides about various jobs, including the candidate appearing to toy with both him and Mike Pence about who would be his running mate. He described Mr Trump as clearly torn when his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was fired. They watched together as Lewandowski went on CNN to defend Mr Trump after his dismissal, and Mr Trump said they should call him together. To me, this all felt a little bizarre, Mr Christie wrote. ''Didnt we just fire him? I asked. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Mr Trump answered. But weve got to call and tell him he did a great job.' Mr Christie recounted introducing Mr Trump to Pence, at a meeting where Pence said a short prayer. Does he do that all the time? Mr Trump asked Mr Christie later. When Mr Christie replied yes, Mr Trump responded, Interesting. He recalled the first time he met Mr Trump, in May 2002, at a restaurant where Mr Trump insisted on ordering for him. When dinner ended, a fan who had waited outside for an hour asked Mr Trump to take a photograph with her. Her camera jammed repeatedly. Impatient, Mr Trump looked at the woman and said, Sweetheart, lets do this the next time we get together. He disappeared into a black limousine. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is still considering whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto ORourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he has been thinking about running for presidency, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor with a net worth of around $50bn has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in the next month or so whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is ready to do this and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a 50 per cent chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesnt think he will run for president, but never say never. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin But Mr Christie said there was another side to the president, describing conversations with Mr Trump where he was concerned for his children. Whats going to happen to them if Im not there? Mr Trump wondered about his adult children if he became president. I think people draw him in very, very stark colors, and I dont think that thats who he is, Mr Christie said in the interview. I think theres a lot more nuance to it. Repeatedly, however, the story returns to Mr Kushner, whom Mr Christie recalled watching, silently, as Mr Kushner denounced Mr Christie to Mr Trump in a meeting and urged him to exclude Mr Christie from the transition effort. He tried to destroy my father, Mr Kushner said, according to Mr Christie, a former US attorney who prosecuted Mr Kushners father, Charles, on tax evasion and other charges. Mr Trump did not side with his son-in-law. When Mr Kushner lost the battle, he told Mr Christie that they should let bygones be bygones and work together, Mr Christie wrote. But time and again, he said, he heard from other officials that Mr Kushner was working against him. On election night, Mr Kushner asked Mr Christies son to take a picture of him and the governor, a moment he said he could never have imagined years earlier, according to the book. Mr Christie was dismissed from the transition three days later. The New York Times NBC News personality Tom Brokaw, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by two women who worked with him in the 1990s, apologised on Sunday for making xenophobic comments regarding Hispanic immigration while appearing on Meet the Press earlier that morning. The veteran journalist, who chimed in during a roundtable discussion over President Donald Trumps government shutdown and his demand for a $5.6bn steel-barrier wall on the US-Mexican border, expressed his long-held belief that Hispanics should work harder at assimilation. While discussing the southern border, Mr Brokaw mentioned the fears about Hispanic immigrants among Republicans. But the fact is, on the Republican side, a lot of people see the rise of an extraordinary, important, new constituent in American politics, Hispanics, who will come here and all be Democrats, Mr Brokaw said. Also, I hear, when I push people a little harder, Well, I dont know whether I want brown grandbabies. I mean, thats also a part of it. The 78-year-old journalist then went on to express some of the viewpoints he shared with Republicans on immigration. Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Show all 14 1 /14 Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Immigrant children, many of whom are separated form their parents, are housed in Texas' tent city Reuters Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border A two-year-old Honduran asylum seeker cries as her mother is searched and detained near the US-Mexico border Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Undocumented migrants ride on the top of a freight train referred to as the beast, or La Bestia Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border A cage inside a US Customs and Border Protection detention facility in Texas Reuters Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US Border Patrol Academy All new agents must complete a months-long training course at the New Mexico facility before assuming their posts at Border Patrol stations, mostly along the US-Mexico border Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US-Mexico border fence A group of young men walk along the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border fence in a remote area of the Sonoran Desert Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US-Mexico border fence in the US Man looks through US-Mexico border fence into the US in Tijuana, Mexico Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US-Mexico border fence US Border Patrol agent Sal De Leon stands near a section of the US-Mexico border fence while stopping on patrol on in La Joya, Texas Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US Border Patrol Academy US Border Patrol instructor yells at trainees after their initial arrival to the academy Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Memorial service in Guatemala Families attend a memorial service for two boys who were kidnapped and killed in San Juan Sacatepequez, Guatemala. Crime drives emigration from Guatemala to the United States, as families seek refuge from the danger Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Arrests on the border Undocumented immigrants comfort each other after being caught by Border Patrol agents near the US-Mexico border Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Detention holding facility A boy from Honduras watches a movie at a detention facility run by the US Border Patrol Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Mexican farm workers Mexican migrant workers harvest organic parsley at Grant Family Farms in Wellington, Colorado Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Mexican family in Arizona A Mexican immigrant family sits in the living room of their rented home in Tuscon, Arizona. The family that Arizona's new tough immigrant law had created a climate of fear in the immigrant community. Getty Its the intermarriage that is going on and the cultures that are conflicting with each other, he added. I also happen to believe that the Hispanics should work harder at assimilation. Thats one of the things Ive been saying for a long time. You know, they ought not to be just codified in their communities but make sure that all their kids are learning to speak English, and that they feel comfortable in the communities. And thats going to take outreach on both sides, frankly. A few moments later, Yamiche Alcindor, a White House correspondent for PBS News Hour, addressed Mr Brokaws remarks on assimilation. Recommended NBC anchor Tom Brokaw accused of groping and forcibly kissing woman I would just say that we also need to adjust what we think of as America, Ms Alcindor said. Youre talking about assimilation. I grew up in Miami, where people speak Spanish, but their kids speak English. And the idea that we think Americans can only speak English, as if Spanish and other languages wasnt always part of America, is, in some ways, troubling. Mr Brokaws comments sparked outrage and criticism from Democrats, progressives and journalists alike. On Twitter, Representative Joaquin Castroa Texas Democrat serving as chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucusreferred to Mr Brokaws statements as xenophobic and stunningly ignorant. [Tom Brokaw], for a celebrated [NBC News] journalist who spent years chronicling American society you seem stunningly ignorant of the Hispanic community in this country, Mr Castro tweeted on Sunday. Unfortunate to see xenophobia pass for elevated political commentary. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who became prominent for his writing as a undocumented immigrant in the United States, chimed in too. Dear [Tom Brokaw]: Define assimilation, Mr Vargas tweeted. Im sure you know that the United States of America does not have an official language. The USA speaks in many tonguesthen as now. That linguistic diversity is part of our strength, especially in a globalized economy. On Sunday evening, Mr Brokaw posted a series of tweets clarifying his statements on Meet the Press that morning and apologised for them. I feel terrible a part of my comments on Hispanics offended some members of that proud culture, he tweeted. From my days reporting on cesar chavez to documenting the many contributions of hispanics in all parts of our culture [...] ive worked hard to knock down false stereo types. in my final comment in Meet i said ALL sides hv to work harder [...] at finding common ground which i strongly believe. dialogue not division. Tom Brokaw's representatives did not yet respond to The Indepedent's request for comment. The former CEO of Starbucks has said he is considering running for the US presidency as a centrist independent in 2020. Howard Schultz, who has an estimated net worth of $3.3bn, stepped down as head of the coffee giant last year and is believed to be exploring his options. The 65-year-old had previously donated to Democratic campaigns, describing himself as a life-long supporter of the party, but has since criticised both the Democrats and the Repuublicans. "We're living at a most fragile time," Mr Schultz told CBSs 60 Minutes on Sunday. "Not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged every single day in revenge politics." Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is still considering whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto ORourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he has been thinking about running for presidency, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor with a net worth of around $50bn has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in the next month or so whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is ready to do this and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a 50 per cent chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesnt think he will run for president, but never say never. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin Mr Schultz has previously donated $150,000 (113,000) to Democratic campaigns but he has been greeted with significant pushback from the party at his intentions of running as an independent. There are fears that his run could draw support from an eventual Democratic nominee and ultimately hand Donald Trump another four years in office. Among those urging him not to run as an independent are David Axelrod, the former adviser to Barack Obama and Tina Podlodowski, the Democratic Party chairwoman in Washington state, where Mr Schultz has lived for decades. "For somebody who is professing to be a lifelong Democrat, I think to be running as in independent in this particular cycle is not a wise thing to do," Ms Podlodowski said. She also called on Mr Schultz to either run as a Democrat or invest in the party infrastructure. Mr Schultz has been mentioned as a potential candidate many times before and has done little to quell speculation about his presidential ambitions since he retired from Starbucks last June. If he were to enter the race he would be the most high-profile candidate without prior elected experience. Although his office did not respond when asked for comment, he has posted on Twitter. Mr Schultz grew up in public housing in Brooklyn, New York, and became the first person in his family to graduate from college. He took over Starbucks when it sold only coffee beans, not cups it had 11 stores and fewer than 100 employees at the time. Mr Schultz grew it into a global brand that now has close to 30,000 stores in 78 countries. Along the way he adopted an ethos of corporate responsibility, making Starbucks one of the earliest US companies to offer stock options and health insurance even to part-time employees, and more recently partnering with Arizona State University to cover tuition for workers who want to earn their bachelor's degree online. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Mr Schutlz has also criticised Mr Trump, telling employees that the president was creating "chaos" and hurting business; calling his tax cuts for corporations unnecessary and reckless; and vowing to hire 10,000 refugees after Mr Trump issued an executive order banning travel from seven mostly Muslim nations. He has been critical of the Democratic Party and criticised many of their proposals as being unrealistic and instead emphasised expanding the economy and curbing entitlements to get the national debt under control. "It concerns me that so many voices within the Democratic Party are going so far to the left," Mr Schultz told CNBC last June. "I ask myself, 'How are we going to pay for all these things?' in terms of things like single-payer or people espousing the fact that the government is going to give everyone a job. I don't think that's realistic." Additional reporting from agencies A dangerous polar vortex moving through the Dakotas into Chicago, Illinois and on to New England is blasting the US with super-cold arctic air and sub-zero temperatures. By Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, Chicago will hit -30C (-25F), the National Weather Service said. This is dangerous, deadly cold, said Richard Bann, meteorologist with the NWSs Weather Prediction Center in College Park Maryland. Exposed skin loses heat fast, like you dont even know, He added. Blizzard conditions are predicted across parts of the western Ohio Valley and snow is expected Tuesday through Wednesday from the Great Lakes area into New England, the weather service said. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Most of the snow will be in the Dakotas, the Twin Cities and Central Michigan, where they might get a foot or more, Mr Bann said. Upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire will see less than a foot. Boston and cities in the east will get less than an inch. Its going to be cold throughout the east coast, he continued. Even parts of Mississippi and Alabama might see an inch or two of snow before this is over. But Chicago will take the main brunt of the super-cold weather. Frigid temperatures were already affecting parts of northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin. The mercury dipped to minus -42C (-44F) in International Falls, Minnesota, on Sunday morning, breaking the previous record by eight degrees, the NWS said in a tweet. The agencys Des Moines branch said dangerous, life-threatening cold air will impact Iowa from Tuesday morning through Friday morning, with wind chill values on Wednesday likely to reach -48C (-55F) across the northern part of the state. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Delta Airlines said it would waive change fees for passengers affected by the winter weather in Chicago, Detroit and areas of the Upper Midwest. Reuters contributed to this report Hillary Clinton has not ruled out running for president in 2020, a new report claims. The former US senator and secretary of state has told friends that she is "not closing the doors" on her Oval Office ambitions. CNN correspondent Jeff Zeleny said during an appearance on Inside Politics: "I'm told by three people that as recently as this week, she was telling people that look, given all this news from the indictments, particularly the Roger Stone indictment, she talked to several people, saying 'look, I'm not closing the doors to this.'" "It does not mean that there's a campaign-in-waiting, or a plan in the works," he added. Ms Clinton was the Democratic nominee for president in 2016 but lost to Donald Trump in a seismic upset, though she did win the popular vote. Sources point to FBI office in New York City for Hillary Clinton leaks Show all 8 1 /8 Sources point to FBI office in New York City for Hillary Clinton leaks Sources point to FBI office in New York City for Hillary Clinton leaks NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 4: A view of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a field office on the 23rd floor, November 4, 2016 in New York City. FBI Director James Comey informed Congress last Friday that his agency was taking steps to review newly discovered emails relating to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary ClintonAs private email server. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Getty Sources point to FBI office in New York City for Hillary Clinton leaks NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 4: A view of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a field office on the 23rd floor, November 4, 2016 in New York City. FBI Director James Comey informed Congress last Friday that his agency was taking steps to review newly discovered emails relating to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary ClintonOs private email server. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Getty Sources point to FBI office in New York City for Hillary Clinton leaks NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 4: A view of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a field office on the 23rd floor, November 4, 2016 in New York City. FBI Director James Comey informed Congress last Friday that his agency was taking steps to review newly discovered emails relating to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary ClintonOs private email server. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Getty Sources point to FBI office in New York City for Hillary Clinton leaks NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 4: A view of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a field office on the 23rd floor, November 4, 2016 in New York City. FBI Director James Comey informed Congress last Friday that his agency was taking steps to review newly discovered emails relating to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary ClintonOs private email server. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Getty Sources point to FBI office in New York City for Hillary Clinton leaks NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 4: A view of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a field office on the 23rd floor, November 4, 2016 in New York City. FBI Director James Comey informed Congress last Friday that his agency was taking steps to review newly discovered emails relating to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary ClintonOs private email server. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Getty Sources point to FBI office in New York City for Hillary Clinton leaks NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 4: A view of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a field office on the 23rd floor, November 4, 2016 in New York City. FBI Director James Comey informed Congress last Friday that his agency was taking steps to review newly discovered emails relating to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary ClintonAs private email server. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Getty Sources point to FBI office in New York City for Hillary Clinton leaks NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 4: A view of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a field office on the 23rd floor, November 4, 2016 in New York City. FBI Director James Comey informed Congress last Friday that his agency was taking steps to review newly discovered emails relating to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary ClintonAs private email server. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Getty Sources point to FBI office in New York City for Hillary Clinton leaks NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 4: A view of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a field office on the 23rd floor, November 4, 2016 in New York City. FBI Director James Comey informed Congress last Friday that his agency was taking steps to review newly discovered emails relating to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary ClintonAs private email server. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Getty She was the first woman to ever run for president through securing the nomination of a major political party. But the Democratic field for the 2020 election is already crowded with Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Tulsi Gabbard and Kirsten Gillibrand among the politicians eyeing a run for the White House. A clear frontrunner is yet to emerge and though more than eighteen months remain until the election, more candidates for the Democratic nomination are expected to declare soon. "I think we have to at least leave our mind open to the possibility that [Clinton] is still talking about it," Mr Zeleny said. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events "She wants to take on Trump. Could she win a Democratic primary to do it? I don't know the answer to that." More than once over the last four years, while Michael Guidry was trying to assemble and pitch his plan to build the countrys first deepwater seaport on Libyas coast, the 64-year-old Texan found himself in peril. There was the time a shisha cafe owner quickly ushered him out a back door amid anti-American murmurs by customers. There were the numerous checkpoints manned by suspicious teens armed with assault rifles peering into his vehicle. But the worst day had to be when he narrowly missed being surrounded and possibly captured by Isis militants on the outskirts of the eastern Libyan city of Derna. Weve had some bad days, he acknowledged during a phone interview. For Mr Guidry, perseverance paid off. This month the Libyan seaport authority agreed to grant the former security contractor the $1.5bn (1.1bn) deal to build the countrys first port suitable for the worlds largest cargo vessels at the eastern Libyan city of Susah. If were lucky, this will be the jewel of North Africa, he told The Independent. Recommended Libya sinks into poverty as the oil money disappears into foreign bank Vast, oil-rich Libya, which toppled its longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in a 2011 Nato-backed uprising, is in tatters. Separate governments claim authority in the east and west and armed groups sometimes dont recognise either of them. Security in the capital, Tripoli, hit a new low last week with clashes in the southern suburbs between rival militias vying for control of the countrys largest city. Residents complain of a lack of any public services. The de facto ruler of Libyas east, army officer Khalifa Haftar, has made a move on the countrys southern oil fields, sparking clashes in the countrys most impoverished region and claims that the eastern army was engaged in acts of intimidation, kidnapping and looting. Foreign powers primarily the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey and Qatar are meddling, even allegedly sending arms to their favoured clients in violation of a UN embargo, something they deny. The UN hopes for a June election, an aspiration many Libya observers consider unrealistic. A rendering of what the deepwater port at Susah, Libya, may look like after all three phases are complete (Guidry Group) But some see the country eventually settling down. Despite the political divisions and failed attempts to create rival regional institutions, the countrys central bank, finance ministry, national petroleum company, utility authorities and several other institutions still strive to operate as single units. The International Monetary Fund said Libya grew 11 per cent last year. The Falanx Group, a London-based security and risk advisory firm, said in an assessment this month that Libya would this year achieve a maximum oil output of 1.6 million barrels per day for the first time since the fall of Gaddafi. Mr Guidry is also optimistic, because, he said, the Susah port project shows the country can still come together when something significant is at stake. Whats happened is that the seaport authority of the east has talked to the seaport authority of the west, convinced them this is a national priority, he said. In a statement, Hassan Jwaili, one of the seaport chairmen in eastern Libya, said both sides of the country were working closely together on everything related to the ports and maritime capabilities. The Susah port, located 25 miles northeast of the easts de facto administrative headquarters in Bayda, will be situated in a natural harbour 18 metres deep and suitable for the modern supertankers considered the most cost-effective vessels for transporting goods across oceans. The project has already caught the attention of port and maritime specialists. Site of the future deepwater seaport at Susah, Libya. (Guidry Group) Despite 1,100 miles of Mediterranean coastline, Libyas ports are badly outdated, with antiquated technology for moving shipping containers on and off freighters. Mr Guidry said the new port will equipped with the most up-to-date technology, surpassing the speed and efficiency of major Mediterranean ports in Egypt and Tunisia. Sudan and land-locked Chad have already voiced interest in using the Susah port to import goods. Mr Guidry estimates the port will generate at least $60m in annual revenue by 2022 and twice that by 2040. Now its time to bring the economy where it needs to be, said Mr Guidry. The Susah port project is on a design, build, operate and transfer model that would allow Mr Guidrys firm to run it for at least its first 25 years. He and his eight-person team won the deal in a bidding competition, beating eight proposals from firms in China, Russia, France and Italy. He said he received no help other than security warnings from US consular officials holed up at a temporary embassy in neighbouring Tunisia. Mr Guidry came to Libya as a security contractor four years ago and said he fell in love with the country, and wanted to invest in something that would also create work for the people who welcomed him into their homes. He said he put his own money into the project, even drawing from his retirement savings. He noted that Susah lies near an ancient archaeological site where legend has it Mark Antony built his love Cleopatra a swimming pool. Five years ago people would have said: Hes crazy. Theyre going to cave in on him, or: Hes gonna break, said Mr Guidry. But its real and it is happening. French President Emmanuel Macron has told his Egyptian counterpart that security could not be separated from human rights. Things havent gone in the right direction since 2017 bloggers, journalists are in prison and because of that Egypts image can find itself suffering, he told a joint press conference with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. He added: Stability and durable peace go together with respect for individual dignity and the rule of law, and the search for stability cannot be dissociated from the question of human rights. Rights groups and activists have repeatedly called on France which considers itself the birthplace of human rights, to raise the matter with Egypts president. After Mr Sisi led a military coup to oust his predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013, rights organisations have claimed that Egyptian security forces have arrested thousands of people, including many of those behind the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The country has also been accused of arbitrary detention, disappearances and torture, and silencing most independent media. Mr Macron said said he felt the current crackdown had become worse than those led by Mr Mubarak. I think that the policies as they are being done are perceived by intellectuals, the Egyptian civil society, as being even stronger than [under] the Mubarak regime, he said. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Firing back, Mr Sisi told reporters that rights should be taken in the context of regional turbulence and the fight against terrorism. Egypt does not advance through bloggers, he said. It advances through the work, effort and perseverance of its sons. Mr Macron dismissed suggestions that French weapons in Egypt were being used against civilians, saying they had only been used for military purposes. He also said no potential new military contracts were talked about during the meeting with Mr Sisi beyond a possible deal for 12 fighter jets. Officials signed a series of economic and development deals including French support for social policies and female entrepreneurship and a memorandum of understanding for the expansion of Cairos metro. Agencies contributed to this report Close Countdown to Brexit: How many days left until Britain leaves the EU? Theresa May is under pressure to seek fresh concessions over Irish backstop as MPs gear up for a series of critical votes that could alter the course of Brexit. Jacob Rees-Mogg said his Eurosceptic allies will not support a compromise amendment to remove the backstop tabled by Tory grandee Sir Graham Brady despite Conservative MPs being ordered to vote for it on Tuesday by the government. The prime minister is scrambling to find a plan to unite the Commons, after MPs overwhelmingly rejected her Brexit deal by 230 votes earlier this month. Meanwhile Labour found itself under pressure over its position on the governments immigration bill. At first the party issued a one-line whip to abstain and shadow home secretary Diane Abbott announced the party would not oppose the bill during its second reading, insisting they would seek amendments at committee stage. But ninety minutes later, after facing widespread criticism, the leadership issued a single-line-whip - which is not binding for its MPs to vote against. Labour MP Chris Leslie described the situation as an utter shambles. A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Show all 65 1 /65 A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit An estimated 700,000 people marched through London to demand a final say on the withdrawal agreement Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Red smoke from a canister hangs in the air as around 100,000 demonstrators march through London during a People's Vote anti-brexit demonstration savings banners and placards Anti-Brexit People's Vote March for the Future in London Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Mayor of London Sadiq Khan takes part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Protesters wearing final Say shirts and holding placards Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit MP Chuka Umunna (left) and MP Vince Cable (right) as MP Anna Soubry (centre) addresses Anti-Brexit campaigners at a rally after the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A Peoples Vote march attendee calls for a Final Say Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators with banners 'We're with EU' during the People's Vote March for the Future in London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Protesters at Londons march for the future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Editor of The Independent Christian Broughton speaks to demonstrators in Parliament Sqaure after they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A poster at the March for the Future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 campaigner wrapped in EU flag Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators pass Trafalgar Square as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators wave Union and European flags and hold up placards as they pass Trafalgar Square, taking part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A demonstrator holds a message during a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators take part in the 'People's Vote March for the Future,' in central London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A protester brandishes an Independent t-shirt during the Brexit March Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Tens of thousands of people take part in People's Vote March for the Future in central London. The march organised by the People's Vote campaign is led by young people calling for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA During the debate home secretary Sajid Javid confirmed that there would be no targets in the immigration bill but reaffirmed a commitment to bring net migration down to more sustainable levels. He revealed that, under the new legislation, EU citizens would be able to come to the UK for up to three months without a visa before being required to apply for leave to remain. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Mr Javid went on: They will be allowed to work temporarily but will need to apply for leave, and pay an application fee if they want to stay longer. We plan to grant them three years leave subject to identity, security and criminality checks, this will give us the time needed to run our EU settlement scheme for EEA and Swiss nationals that are already living here, and ensure there is no sudden shock to UK businesses as the future system is put in place. But the leave will be strictly temporary. It cannot be extended and those who wish to stay will need to meet our future immigration requirements. See below for our coverage as it happened. Theresa May has been plunged into a fresh Brexit crisis after anti-EU Tories rejected her plan B attempt to rescue her deal and threatened to inflict another Commons defeat on Tuesday. The prime minister took the extraordinary step of urging her MPs to back an amendment that requires the Northern Ireland backstop to be replaced even though it effectively rips up her own agreement with the EU. However, just 30 minutes earlier in a dramatic underlining of her weakness the hardline 60-strong European Research Group (ERG) rejected the wording as too vague. Without ERG support, the amendment, tabled by Tory backbenchers leader Graham Brady, appeared doomed to fail wrecking No 10 hopes that it would persuade the EU to give way. Recommended May ready to demand removal of Irish backstop after Tory pressure Even before the setback, Brussels made clear it would, in any case, never accept a UK demand to replace the backstop, insisting the EU was not going to reopen the agreement. Heidi Allen, a leading pro-EU Tory, said the prime minister was dreaming if she believed her strategy could succeed, telling The Independent: She is doing nothing other than pandering to the ERG again. Despite the continuing stalemate, Ms May told the emergency meeting of Tory MPs that she wanted to stage a second meaningful vote on her deal by 13 February. "Brexit betrayal" march in London Show all 43 1 /43 "Brexit betrayal" march in London "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester holds an anti-BBC sign Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator holds a sign in the picket line Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester carrying a noose at the "Brexit betrayal" march. The man carrying it told a reporter: "That's what the traitor May deserves." AP "Brexit betrayal" march in London Pro-brexit supporters hold a sign opposed to Nigel Farage Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Protesters carry a defaced British flag on the march Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Tommy Robinson addresses a rally after taking part in a Brexit 'betrayal' march in central London PA "Brexit betrayal" march in London Police officers attempts to keep rival protesters from clashing at the Brexit 'betrayal' march in London Victoria Jones/PA "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester holds an anti-Theresa May sign Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator and his dog Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator at the protest Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit sign at the rally Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Pro-brexit demonstrators endorse UKIP Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A Brexit 'betrayal' march protester wearing a Make Britain Great Again hat in London on 9 December 2018 Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty "Brexit betrayal" march in London Brexit 'betrayal' marchers gathering on Park Lane ahead of a protest Angela Christofilou/ The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London The "Brexit Betrayal" march passes through Central London Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Tommy Robinson tells protesters to join Ukip via their mobile phones on stage next to leader Gerard Batten (right) at the Brexit 'betrayal' march Gareth Fuller/PA "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester speaks thorugh a megaphone on the march Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator walks in the picket line Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit anti-May sign at the rally Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester carries a Union Jack on the march Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator wrapped in the Union Jack Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit anti-May sign at the rally Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Pro brexit demonstrators move through Central London Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator marches with sign Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator holds a rude sign in the rally Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London The march passes down Victoria Street near Parliament Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A festive protester marches near Parliament Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester holds a mock noose as the march passes down Victoria Street towards Parliament Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester wrapped in the Union Jack marches down Victoria Street towards Parliament Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester makes some noise on the march Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester dressed as a dinosaur holds a sign rallying against "Davocracy" - in reference to the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester holds a pro-brexit sign on the march Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London The march approaches parliament Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester distributes pro-brexit lapel badges Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A demonstrator wears an anti-EU poster and holds an anti-BBC sign Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A smoke bomb is deployed in Parliament Square as the march comes across the counter-demonstration Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A flag bearing the Arms of Plantagenet flies in theprot Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Protesters on the Brexit 'betrayal' march in London on 9 December 2018 Angela Christofilou/ The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Protesters on the Brexit 'betrayal' march in London on 9 December 2018 Angela Christofilou/ The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Brexit 'betrayal' marchers gathering on Park Lane ahead of a protest on 9 December 2018 Angela Christofilou/ The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Brexit 'betrayal' marchers gathering on Park Lane ahead of a protest on 9 December 2018 Angela Christofilou/ The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Before that, the prime minister faces the embarrassment of another defeat on Tuesday, if the ERG stands by its threat to vote against Mr Bradys amendment. No 10 saw it as a mechanism of sending a clear message about the concessions the EU needed to make if the thumping 230-vote defeat on the divorce deal, a fortnight ago, is to be overturned. But anti-EU Tories leapt on its vague suggestion for the backstop to be replaced by alternative arrangements without setting out what they would be. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the ERG chairman, said the group would stand firm, even if a whip is imposed, saying the amendment was just an expression of opinion without an alternative to the backstop. Earlier, Sabine Weyand, the EUs deputy chief Brexit negotiator, sought to kill any hopes of a rethink in Brussels, saying: Theres no negotiation between the UK and EU thats finished. Ms Weyand ridiculed the Brady amendment for failing to spell out what the alternative arrangements are, saying: We havent found them ... They dont exist. She also warned the risks of a no-deal Brexit were rising, saying: Theres a very high risk of a crash-out not by design, but by accident. Tuesdays next steps debate will also see an attempt, led by Labours Yvette Cooper, to force the government to seek a nine-month Article 50 extension, if the Commons has not passed a deal by the end of February. However, the radical attempt for parliament to take control by passing its own legislation to delay Brexit can only succeed if Jeremy Corbyn backs the amendment. That support was cast into doubt when Jon Trickett, the shadow cabinet office minister and a key Corbyn ally, said it would be ignoring the views of millions of ordinary folk, by failing to respect the referendum result. The warning raised the prospect of no amendments passing leaving the UK still in dangerous limbo, with just 59 days until the 29 March deadline for withdrawal. In the meeting of Tory MPs, Ms May also faced down Boris Johnson, after he challenged her on what difference the Brady amendment would make. We wont know unless you support us Boris, she told her former foreign secretary. Get behind it and we will find out. One Tory MP described the exchange as the prime minister at her spikiest, adding: It got one of the loudest cheers. Brandon Lewis, the Conservative party chairman, confirmed the Brady amendment would be whipped, saying: It is about giving a message to Europe about what can go through parliament in terms of dealing with the backstop issue. Ms May had insisted the backstop is unavoidable, telling MPs in November: There is no alternative deal that honours our commitments to Northern Ireland which does not involve this insurance policy. The latest Westminster drama came as supermarkets issued a stark warning they could run out of food and be forced to hike prices if the UK crashes out of the EU with no deal. Nine senior executives signed an open letter to MPs, organised by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), arguing items with disappear from supermarket shelves. Meanwhile, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, told MPs that medicines will be prioritised over food if a no-deal Brexit disrupts supply chains. He told the Commons health and social care committee that of course medicines should get priority over food, arguing the proportion of food imported into Britain is much smaller than medicine. Labour's leadership was forced into a U-turn on the government's Brexit immigration bill after its decision to abstain was met with anger from party members and MPs. Just 90 minutes after shadow home secretary Diane Abbott confirmed the party would not oppose the second reading in the Commons, it was announced that they would vote against. Labour MP Chris Leslie said the frontbench had thrown away the chance to defeat the government and described the situation as an utter shambles. Both he and former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna had urged the party to impose a three-line whip to oppose the bill to take a stand against Tory immigration policy. Instead the party issued a single-line whip, which is not binding on MPs. Several other Labour MPs had already confirmed they would be voting against the bill, regardless of their leaderships position. Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Show all 20 1 /20 Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Brexit supporters outside parliament PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An anti-Brexit protester adjusts her pro-EU wig AFP/Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A message to Jeremy Corbyn in support of a peoples vote Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A mock Titanic captained by Theresa May heads towards an iceberg in a stunt by campaigning group Avaaz AP Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Anti-Brexit protesters outside parliament PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Protesters of opposing sides are in close contact outside of parliament PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Paintings of Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage speaks to the media at the protests outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A pro-Brexit protester in Parliament Square Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Opposing protesters share the space outside parliament Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An anti-Brexit protester holds EU balloons outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Anti-Brexit protesters stand on Westminster Bridge PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage speaks to the media at the protests outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament EPA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A pro-Brexit protester sets up outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An Avaaz campaigner holds a Peoples Vote life float Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A demonstrator holds a sign advocating a no-deal Brexit outside parliament AFP/Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An anti-Brexit protester waves an EU flag on Westminster Bridge PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Protesters of opposing sides demonstrate outside parliament AFP/Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Protesters of opposing sides stand near parliament Reuters The original decision to abstain had received widespread criticism, with Liberal Democrat MP Ed Davey describing it as beyond pathetic and both Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon and Conservative MP Anna Soubry expressing their dismay on Twitter. Staggering that Labour frontbench appear to have stopped opposing todays Immigration Bill, which ends free movement and hands Ministers total control on migration policy, Mr Leslie tweeted. This government bill ends free movement, fails to secure UK/EU citizens rights and delegates future immigration rules to ministers. Surely needs opposing?! Mr Umunna said that the bill needed opposing to detoxify the appalling debate around immigration in this country and argued that free movement should be reformed from within the EU. The bill does not secure the rights of over 1 million UK citizens to live and work in other EU countries and of over 3 million EU citizens to do likewise in the UK, he added. The salary threshold of 30,000 for skilled worker visas, proposed by the government, presumes those earning less are not high skilled which is plain wrong. The SNPs shadow leader of the House of Commons, Pete Wishart, said the Labour abstention was shameful. Ms Soubry confirmed she would be voting against the bill. However, Labour insisted it opposed Tory policy on immigration and would be seeking amendments to the bill at committee stage. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Our immigration system must be ready post-Brexit, and for that reason we need an immigration bill, a party spokesman said. But Labour totally opposes the Toriesdisgraceful hostile environment policy, their terrible treatment of EU and UK citizens, their persistent anti-migrant campaign and their shameful labelling of workers earning less than 30,000 as low-skilled. Labour has set out our proposed immigration system that supports the needs of our economy and treats people fairly. We will introduce a work visa for all those we need to fill skills and labour shortages across a range of professions we need to come here based on the needs of our economy, not a false distinction between high and low skilled workers based on their salary. Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott was repeatedly heckled in the Commons as she announced that Labour would not oppose the bill on its second reading despite criticising Tory policy on immigration. Conservative MP Kenneth Clarke, the Father of the House, interrupted her speech to express surprise that Ms Abbott was denouncing it from beginning to end but is saying the official opposition is not opposing it. Ms Abbott replied: We will not be supporting this legislation tonight but we will be watching to see what comes out of committee. This is not the end of our deliberations on this bill, we will see how it is amended in committee before taking a decision on the vote for the third reading. When news broke that Labour were now opposing the bill, SNP MP Angus MacNeil told the Commons: Apparently Labour have now U-turned and they are now going to oppose the bill. The response from the Labour frontbench: Wait and see! Student backing for Jeremy Corbyns Labour Party has fallen amid growing support for a Final Say referendum on Brexit, a new poll has found. The survey revealed that backing for Labour among the core group of young supporters who have helped maintain Mr Corbyns power dropped 10 percentage points in a year. At the same time the groups desire to see a new referendum take place on the outcome of Brexit has risen as the clock ticks down to 29 March. The poll commissioned by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) comes after a cross-party group of MPs, including several from Labour, accused Mr Corbyn of standing in the way of the younger generation having a say on Brexit. The MPs announced last week that they would not bring forward a new referendum proposal for the Commons to vote on this Tuesday, because without Mr Corbyns direct support it would have no chance of success. A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Show all 65 1 /65 A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit An estimated 700,000 people marched through London to demand a final say on the withdrawal agreement Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Red smoke from a canister hangs in the air as around 100,000 demonstrators march through London during a People's Vote anti-brexit demonstration savings banners and placards Anti-Brexit People's Vote March for the Future in London Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Mayor of London Sadiq Khan takes part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Protesters wearing final Say shirts and holding placards Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit MP Chuka Umunna (left) and MP Vince Cable (right) as MP Anna Soubry (centre) addresses Anti-Brexit campaigners at a rally after the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A Peoples Vote march attendee calls for a Final Say Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators with banners 'We're with EU' during the People's Vote March for the Future in London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Protesters at Londons march for the future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Editor of The Independent Christian Broughton speaks to demonstrators in Parliament Sqaure after they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A poster at the March for the Future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 campaigner wrapped in EU flag Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators pass Trafalgar Square as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators wave Union and European flags and hold up placards as they pass Trafalgar Square, taking part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A demonstrator holds a message during a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators take part in the 'People's Vote March for the Future,' in central London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A protester brandishes an Independent t-shirt during the Brexit March Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Tens of thousands of people take part in People's Vote March for the Future in central London. The march organised by the People's Vote campaign is led by young people calling for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA This week Ms May will seek support in the Commons for an attempt to go back to Brussels and renegotiate the deal she has already agreed with the EU, in particular seeking changes to the Irish backstop though European figures have ruled out any concessions. The poll carried out for HEPI by YouthSight found that backing for Labour among a weighted sample of more than 1,000 undergraduates was at just over half, with some 52 per cent saying they would vote for Mr Corbyns party. Recommended Corbyn faces Brexit revolt from MPs backing second referendum But this was down by 10 percentage points on the same survey undertaken just over a year ago in December 2017, when 62 per cent said they would back Labour. Support for Mr Corbyns party was still significantly higher than its rivals backing among students for the Conservatives fell one point, from 14 per cent to 13 per cent, and for the Lib Dems, it rose one point from 7 per cent to 8 per cent. But the sizeable fall will not go unnoticed for a party that prides itself on representing the views of young people looking for a better future. This could leave Corbyn unable to guarantee the student vote to the same levels which boosted his result in the last general election Rachel Hewitt, director of policy and advocacy at HEPI At the same time the poll showed that students had increasingly strong feelings on Brexit and the need for the country to have a peoples vote to determine its path less than half of those questioned, some 43 per cent, were old enough to vote at the last referendum in 2016. The survey showed that 69 per cent of the group now backed giving the British public a Final Say on the outcome of Brexit, compared to 62 per cent who wanted a new vote in December 2017. Rachel Hewitt, director of policy and advocacy at HEPI, said: While students generally continue to be both pro-Remain and supportive of the Labour Party, these results suggest Labours current position over Brexit may have cost them some support among students. This could leave Corbyn unable to guarantee the student vote to the same levels which boosted his result in the last general election. Brexit: 17 billion already ripped out of UK public purse due to decision to quit EU, research shows The Independents campaign for a Final Say referendum has been backed by the National Union of Students and more than 1.1 million people having signed the petition. NUS vice president Amatey Doku said the findings reflect the fact that students overwhelmingly voted for Remain in 2016 and continue to be in favour of staying in the EU by a large margin. He said: Any party which enables Brexit risks losing support from students, as this report shows. Thats why if politicians want our support, they must represent us during this most critical of moments, the ripples of which will be felt most keenly by my generation. The best way to do this is to support a peoples vote on the Brexit deal, and to truly give us a final say. The fall in student support for Labour could be explained by several different reasons, but the concurrent rise in support for a new vote just as Mr Corbyns own MPs accuse him of prevarication over the issue is stark. At an event on the steps of parliament last week Labour and Tory MPs announced they would not table a cross-party amendment for a second referendum because it stood no chance of passing the Commons without Mr Corbyns support. Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street Show all 30 1 /30 Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street Today the Independent's Final Say campaign and People's Vote delivered to 10 Downing Street their respective petitions calling for a public referendum on Theresa May's Brexit deal The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street L to R: Christian Broughton, Editor, The Independent, Justine Greening, Conservative MP for Putney, Labour MP for Streatham Chuka Umunna, Lara Anne Spirit from People's Vote, Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, Holly Baxter, Co-Editor Independent Voices and Christina Koci-Edwards from People's Vote hand in a petition to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street Front row L to R: Christina Koci-Edwards from People's Vote, Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, Labour MP for Streatham Chuka Umunna, Christian Broughton, Editor, The Independent, Vince Cable Lib Dem MP for Twickenham, Lara Anne Spirit from People's Vote and Justine Greening, Conservative MP for Putney The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent's editor Christian Broughton delivered over one million Final Say signatures and People's Vote spokesman Chuka Umunna MP delivered 300,000 signatures to Downing Street on Monday December 3 at midday The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street A supporter of the second referendum helps Vince Cable Lib Dem MP for Twickenham out of the rain during a protest The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street L to R: Labour MP for Streatham Chuka Umunna, Lara Anne Spirit from People's Vote, Christian Broughton, Editor, The Independent, Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, Justine Greening, Conservative MP for Putney and Christina Koci-Edwards from People's Vote on their way to hand in a petition to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street Christian Broughton, Editor, The Independent, Justine Greening, Conservative MP for Putney and Labour MP for Streatham Chuka Umunna hand in the petition to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, Labour MP for Streatham Chuka Umunna and Justine Greening, Conservative MP for Putney hand in petitions to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Final Say petition delivered to Downing Street The Independent/Lucy Young Luciana Berger, a former shadow health minister, said: Regrettably the Labour leadership wont commit to an achievable policy and yet we know that the majority of Labour voters, supporters and members want a final say on any Brexit deal. Yet at a time when Labour should be championing a peoples vote, the leadership avoids answering that call. She added: There are millions of young people in our country that supported the Labour Party at the last general election. Over two million of them were under the age of 18 in 2016. They would today now have a vote. And so many whom I speak to cannot understand why Labour is standing in the way of the younger generation having a say on this. Education secretary Damian Hinds says no-deal Brexit must remain possible Three of Mr Corbyns MPs later moved in parliament to redraft his strategy, so it ties Labour unambiguously to giving Britain a new referendum. The leader has already submitted the Labour Partys own amendment setting out how he thinks the country should proceed, but it disappointed many backers of the Peoples Vote campaign because it failed to fully commit the party to backing a new referendum. Mr Corbyns approach would require ministers to find time for MPs only to consider and vote on options including renegotiating the withdrawal agreement and also then legislating to hold a public vote on any deal that successfully passes through the Commons. The Labour Party has been contacted for comment. HEPI sponsored Wave 5 of the HEPI/YouthSight Monitor, which was answered by 1,048 full-time undergraduate students and undertaken between 4-8 January. Weights are used to ensure the sample is representative by age, gender and university type Theresa May is ready to demand the removal of the Irish backstop from her Brexit deal, in a significant toughening of her stance ahead of a fresh Commons showdown. Downing Street refused, multiple times, to say the prime minister still accepted the withdrawal agreement must include the insurance policy laid down by the EU, to avoid border checks. Instead, No 10 said the commitment was only to avoiding a hard border by some means arguing the crushing 230-vote defeat of her deal a fortnight ago meant changes are going to have to be made. The new stance will be seen as encouraging Brexiteer Tories seeking to pass an amendment on Tuesday that requires the Northern Ireland backstop to be replaced with alternative arrangements. However, the EU has repeatedly ruled out reopening the backstop controversy, insisting again today that it is not open for renegotiation. Recommended Student Labour support down as backing for Final Say Brexit vote jumps Ms May has previously insisted the backstop is unavoidable in some form, telling MPs in November: There is no alternative deal that honours our commitments to Northern Ireland which does not involve this insurance policy. But, asked if that was still the governments position, her spokesman replied: The deal, including the withdrawal agreement and therefore the backstop, was rejected by MPs a by a significant margin. Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Show all 20 1 /20 Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Brexit supporters outside parliament PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An anti-Brexit protester adjusts her pro-EU wig AFP/Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A message to Jeremy Corbyn in support of a peoples vote Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A mock Titanic captained by Theresa May heads towards an iceberg in a stunt by campaigning group Avaaz AP Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Anti-Brexit protesters outside parliament PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Protesters of opposing sides are in close contact outside of parliament PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Paintings of Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage speaks to the media at the protests outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A pro-Brexit protester in Parliament Square Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Opposing protesters share the space outside parliament Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An anti-Brexit protester holds EU balloons outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Anti-Brexit protesters stand on Westminster Bridge PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage speaks to the media at the protests outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament EPA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A pro-Brexit protester sets up outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An Avaaz campaigner holds a Peoples Vote life float Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A demonstrator holds a sign advocating a no-deal Brexit outside parliament AFP/Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An anti-Brexit protester waves an EU flag on Westminster Bridge PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Protesters of opposing sides demonstrate outside parliament AFP/Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Protesters of opposing sides stand near parliament Reuters So, if we are going to ensure parliamentary approval for the withdrawal agreement, we are going to have make changes to that. Asked, again, if the prime minister could now seek a deal without the backstop, the spokesman added: Our position is that we must avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland and that absolutely remains the case. The comments come ahead of a series of crunch votes on Tuesday, including a cross-party attempt to force an extension of the Article 50 deadline, to avoid a no-deal Brexit. No 10 is expected to back the amendment, put forward by Graham Brady, the Tory backbenchers leader, to replace the backstop altogether. It is seen by some ministers as a way of delivering an ultimatum to the EU, by offering firm proof of the concessions needed in order for the divorce deal to pass. However, in Brussels, the European Commission ruled out reopening the agreement, saying: We have a unanimous EU27 position on the withdrawal agreement which reflects the common EU position. This withdrawal agreement has been agreed with the UK government, it is endorsed by leaders and is not open for renegotiation. Meanwhile, some leading Brexiteers backed away from the Brady amendment, suggesting it will struggle to pass on Tuesday, even if selected. Iain Duncan Smith told the BBC that Ms May must announce her intentions, saying: We need more than backbench amendments with nods and winks from the government. We need clarity and purpose. And Bernard Jenkin told ITV News he would not support it as it currently stood, adding: It's deliberately vague because it's meant to mean different things to different people. Barnsley and Liverpool have been named as the cities worst affected by cuts to local government funding over the past decade. The Yorkshire city has seen a 40 per cent reduction in day-to-day council spending a higher proportion than anywhere else in Britain, according to a new report by the Centre for Cities. When calculated per resident, Liverpool was found to be hardest hit by austerity measures, with an 816 reduction to council services funding for every person living in the northwest city. The study reveals how sharp the nations economic divide still is, 10 years on from the banking crisis. Northern English cities have been disproportionately affected by austerity, with their spending cut on average by a fifth, while cities in the south and east of England experienced far lower average losses of 9 per cent. Doncaster, Wakefield and Blackburn also feature in the top five urban areas with the biggest fall in local government spending. Seven of the 10 cities with the largest council cuts are in the northeast, northwest or Yorkshire. Since cuts took hold in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, urban areas have been hit twice as hard as rural communities, according to the think tanks latest annual report. Almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of cuts to local government funding over the last decade have fallen on cities. This equates to a loss of 386 per city dweller since 2009/10, compared to 172 per person elsewhere, it said. Services that councils are not legally obliged to deliver, such as planning, libraries and cultural activities, have seen the deepest cuts. Not all cities have seen big reductions in spending. But only two cities Luton and Oxford have seen increases in overall spending in the past decade, experiencing real terms rises of 21 per cent and 15 per cent respectively in their day-to-day expenditure. The new report, Cities Outlook 2019, found that rising social care demands were adding to the pressure on many councils finances. Ten years ago, just four out of 62 cities spent more than 50 per cent of their budget on social care, compared to half of all councils now. Social care has taken up a growing share of overall council spending, rising from 38 per cent of spending in 2009/10 to 46 per cent in 2017/18. The report said the dominance of Brexit had, ironically, drowned out any policy that would help improve the economies of those places that voted to leave. It described cities as being in limbo, paralysed by a lack of clarity over future funding. Anti-austerity protesters march in London, 2018 (PA) Centre for Cities chief executive Andrew Carter said: Councils have managed as best they can but the continued singling-out of local government for cuts cannot continue. There is a very real risk that many of our largest councils will in the near future become little more than social care providers. Fairer funding must mean more funding for cities. The think tank is calling for the upcoming spending review to address the financial challenges facing cities and give local authorities more say over how they raise and spend funds. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Labour MP Andrew Gwynne, shadow communities and local government secretary, said: The Tories have shamefully stripped back funding for local authorities, leaving many councils on the brink of collapse and the vital public services that people rely on at breaking point. The government must stop targeting deprived areas with its politically motivated cuts and provide sustainable funding for councils to protect local services. Communities Secretary James Brokenshire said the government was providing local authorities with 91.5bn over the next two years. This coming year local government is getting 1bn extra in funding a real terms increase to strengthen services and support local communities. The Centre for Cities study did not include any statistics from Northern Ireland. A stolen dog has been returned to her owners after more than four years apart. Nala, a Staffordshire bull terrier, was taken from her Blackpool home in 2014. Despite her owners reporting the theft to the police, the culprits were not traced and Nala was instead sold on to another family who did not know she had been stolen. Her new owners then moved hundreds of miles south and resettled in Kent, a seven-and-a-half-hour journey away. Years passed before Nalas true origins came out by accident, after a routine check-up at the vet. The dog in photography: 1839-Today Show all 11 1 /11 The dog in photography: 1839-Today The dog in photography: 1839-Today Elena Lusenti, 2016 Courtesy of the artist/TASCHEN The dog in photography: 1839-Today Nadar (Gaspard Felix Tournachon), Paul and His Dog, c 1865 The J. Paul Getty Museum/TASCHEN The dog in photography: 1839-Today Studio Bengue & Kindermann, c. 1890 Hans Christian Adam/TASCHEN The dog in photography: 1839-Today Arnold Genthe, c1913 The Library of Congress/TASCHEN The dog in photography: 1839-Today Lisette Model, Dog Show, New York, c. 1946 Lisette Model Foundation/TASCHEN The dog in photography: 1839-Today John F. Kennedy, 1949 John F. Kennedy Library/TASCHEN The dog in photography: 1839-Today Todd Webb, 79th Street, New York, 1952 Yancey Richardson Gallery/TASCHEN The dog in photography: 1839-Today Bruce Davidson, East 100th Street, Harlem, New York, 1966 Magnum Photos/TASCHEN The dog in photography: 1839-Today William Wegman, To Sleep, 1995 Pace/MacGill Gallery/TASCHEN The dog in photography: 1839-Today Fatima NeJame, 2012 Courtesy of the artist/TASCHEN The dog in photography: 1839-Today The Dog in Photography 1839Today Raymond Merritt Hardcover, 14 x 19.5 cm, 688 pages US$ 20 | 15 | 15 TASCHEN Nurses discovered she had been microchipped and when they read the information from the device realised she must have been stolen from her original home in Blackpool. PC Martyn Tulk from Kent Police was then put on the case and contacted his colleagues in Lancashire to ensure the terrier was returned to her rightful owners. It was a pleasure to be able to reunite the dog with its rightful owner, the officer said. After being away for so long it was great to see the recognition Nala had for her family. The person who had innocently bought Nala was extremely supportive and although they were also a victim in this they helped us to ensure she was returned. It shows the importance of micro-chipping your pets, which is a legal requirement, in returning lost and stolen pets with their rightful owners. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The law changed in 2016 to force all dog-owners to microchip their dogs and ensure the details on the chip are kept up to date. The government said at the time it was needed to reunite the 102,000 canines which were picked up on the streets as strays or stolen animals each year. In 2016, before the law changed, some 86 per cent of owners had already voluntarily microchipped their pets. A schoolgirl who was found hanged after a family argument was only reported missing to police by her parents nearly eight hours after she stormed out, an inquest heard. Amber Peats body was discovered three days after she went missing in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, after a row with her mother. A coroners court heard the argument began after the 13-year-old was asked to clean a cool box which had been used to store food on an extended family holiday in Cornwall. Her mother Kelly Peat had heard the front door slam shut shortly after the dispute at about on the evening of 30 May, 2015. The inquest heard a passer-by saw somebody of Ambers description enter a hedgerow area near the family home about 40 minutes later. In pictures: The search for Amber Peat Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: The search for Amber Peat In pictures: The search for Amber Peat Amber Peat, 13 at the time, went missing after she left her house after a row with her family in Mansfield Getty Images In pictures: The search for Amber Peat Amber Peat went missing on 30 May and wasn't found until three days after she went missing Getty In pictures: The search for Amber Peat People from the local community gathered near to the home of Amber, in Westfield Lane, to volunteer in the search Getty In pictures: The search for Amber Peat Up to 400 police staff were involved in the search for Amber, who had a history of running away Nottinghamshire Police In pictures: The search for Amber Peat Police officers searched the scene in Westfield Lane Getty In pictures: The search for Amber Peat Volunteers from the local community searched for missing teenager Amber Peat in Mansfield In pictures: The search for Amber Peat Amber Peat's mother, Kelly and and stepfather, Danny, appealed for help finding her Sky News/YouTube In pictures: The search for Amber Peat A poster appealing for information about missing teenager Amber Peat In pictures: The search for Amber Peat Volunteers were organised by police into small groups to search the local area In pictures: The search for Amber Peat Amber Peats body was discovered three days after she went missing Getty In pictures: The search for Amber Peat Search for missing Amber Peat Flowers and tributes lay at the scene where Amber was found dead in bushes Getty In pictures: The search for Amber Peat Flowers and tributes lay at the scene Getty Images Although up to 400 police staff were involved in the search for Amber, who had a history of running away, her body was only recovered on 2 June. Detective Constable Tina Gilfoyle, of Nottinghamshire Police, said Ms Peat and Ambers stepfather Danny Peat had been to Tesco and had tea before reporting the youngster missing in the early hours of 31 May. Providing background of the teenagers disappearance, Ms Gilfoyle said the family had moved 11 times in Ambers lifetime. Ms Gilfoyle told the inquest: The reason for wanting to move [to Mansfield] was that Amber had been running away and there were concerns she may have been groomed by a paedophile. here were no social workers allocated in her lifetime but there had been an assessment of the family. Flowers and tributes lay at the scene in Westfield Lane, Mansfield, where a body was found during the search for missing 13-year-old girl Amber Peat in Mansfield. (Getty) Referring to statements given by younger members of their family about their extended holiday, Ms Gilfoyle said: They reported Amber had been troubled quite a lot there. There had been lots of arguments she had been prevented from going to the beach, and together with her cousin she had written a run away list. Ms Gilfoyle said Ambers stepfather had threatened to hit her after she took some Cherryade without asking and scowled at him on the way back from the holiday. Summarising what happened on the day Amber disappeared, Ms Gilfoyle said: She was trying to get her mums attention but her mum shuts the door on her, leaving Amber alone in the hallway. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events A short while later, the door slams and Amber is gone. They went up the street and Kelly thought she saw someone in the bushes but when they went, there was no-one there. Ambers former teacher at John Davies Primary School in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Joanna Holt, said she had always seemed unhappy. She felt very put upon at home, she said. She said she had a lot of jobs to do that her siblings werent expected to do. The inquest heard there was no evidence of physical neglect and no sign that Amber was malnourished at the time of her death. Home Office pathologist Frances Hollingbury said there were no traces of alcohol or drugs in her body and no suggestion of a mental illness. For confidential support in the UK, contact the Samaritans on 116 123. An endangered red panda has vanished from a zoo in Belfast, police in Northern Ireland have said. The animal went missing on Sunday and officers said it was believed to be currently taking in the sights of beautiful Glengormley, the suburb of Belfast where the zoo is located. Red pandas, which are between 50 and 64cm long, are not aggressive creatures but can become defensive if they feel cornered. Police said local drivers should be particularly careful in case the cat-sized animal attempted to cross some of the major roads in the area. Our curious friend has not yet learned the green cross code, so if motorists could also be vigilant, they asked. Endangered and threatened species of Britain Show all 10 1 /10 Endangered and threatened species of Britain Endangered and threatened species of Britain Hedgehog In 1950 there were an estimated 36 million hedgehogs in the UK, there are now only one million Getty/iStock Endangered and threatened species of Britain Hazel dormouse The population of the hazel dormouse is thought to have declined by over one third since 2000. It is threatened by loss of habitat Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Red squirrel Famously ravaged by the North American grey squirrel, the red squirrel is nowadays very rare with a population of around 140,000 Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Mountain hare The population in Scotland stands at 1% of its 1950 level and only one colony remains in England in the Peak District Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Natterjack toad Threatened by the disappearance of their coastal habitats, the natterjack toad is now only found at a handful of site across the UK Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Water vole Once found across Britain, the water vole is no longer anywhere to be seen in 90% of waterways Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Turtle dove On the Red List of conservation concern, the turtle dove population has declined by 97% since 1970 Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Small tortoiseshell butterfly Amid a general decline in butterfly population since records began in the 1970s, the small tortoiseshell saw a 38% drop in population in 2018 Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Noble chafer beetle Classed as vulnerable, the noble chafer beetle became increasingly rare throughout the 20th century due to habitat loss. Members of the public are encouraged to report any sightings to the People's Trust for Endangered Species gbhone Endangered and threatened species of Britain Stag beetle Their population is not known but due to habitat loss and other threats they are a protected species. Members of the public are encouraged to report any sightings to the People's Trust for Endangered Species Getty The circumstances of the animal's apparent escape were unclear. When contacted by The Independent, a spokesperson for the zoo said none of the keepers had yet looked into how the creature had managed to free itself. "All the keepers are out at the moment attempting to find the red panda," she explained. "At the moment our main priority is finding it, [the escape] will be investigated afterwards." Since the disappearance was publicised early on Monday morning, members of the public had contacted the zoo with possible sightings. Recommended Penguins stolen from zoo discovered two months later But none of them had been credible, the spokesperson said, adding that one was believed to have actually been a badger. Two red panda cubs were born at the zoo in June last year, but only began venturing outside in November. The pair were born to Chris, a red panda from a Dutch zoo, and Vixen, who came from Dresden Zoo in Germany. The species is native to the Himalayas and southern China, and is instantly recognisable thanks to its reddish-brown fur and long tail. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the red panda is facing a very high risk of extinction. The manager of Belfast Zoo, Alyn Cairns, said last year the breeding programme for red pandas was crucial because they were losing their habitat in the wild and being illegally hunted for their fur. Their bushy tails are also highly prized as a good luck charm for newlywed couples in China. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Our mission is to be a major force in conserving and safeguarding habitats and wildlife to make a significant contribution to their survival in the future, she told the BBC when the cubs were born. The twins are therefore not only a cause for celebration for the Belfast Zoo team but for the species as a whole, she added. There are believed to be fewer than 20,000 red pandas left alive. A 12-year-old rape victim in Northern Ireland has been forced to travel to England under police escort for an abortion, MPs have been told. Dawn Purvis, former director of the Marie Stopes pregnancy advice service in Belfast, said an officer seized samples from the procedure as evidence. The child, who was not identified, could not be treated in Northern Ireland due to strict laws prohibiting the procedure in most circumstances. Northern Ireland has a ban on abortions in almost all cases even rape or incest. The 1967 Abortion Act, which established legal abortion, has never applied in Northern Ireland. Terminations are only allowed in cases where the woman's life is in danger or there is a permanent or serious risk to her mental or physical health. "The police had to go with her, they attended the surgical procedure to seize the evidence, Ms Purvis said. "That is inhumane treatment of a young child who did not have a passport and had to leave the country. It is unclear when the incident happened or whether the girl faced any action as a result. Theresa May has faced pressure to give MPs a free vote on the issue after abortion was legalised in the Republic of Ireland following a historic referendum last May. Ms Purvis, a former Independent Unionist member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, appeared before the Commons Women and Equalities Committee on Friday during its hearing in Belfast on Northern Ireland's abortion law. Northern Irish women protesting anti-abortion laws take illegal pills Show all 8 1 /8 Northern Irish women protesting anti-abortion laws take illegal pills Northern Irish women protesting anti-abortion laws take illegal pills Campaigners intervene after police try to lead away one of the three women (centre with sunglasses) who publicly took an abortion pill during a demonstration outside Belfast's Crown and High Courts, where counter-demonstrations were held by both sides of the Northern Irish abortion argument. PA Northern Irish women protesting anti-abortion laws take illegal pills Police officers watch on from close by as abortion rights campaign group ROSA, Reproductive Rights Against Oppression, Sexism and Austerity hold a protest in Belfast Getty Northern Irish women protesting anti-abortion laws take illegal pills Eleanor Crossey Malone takes an abortion pill as abortion rights campaign group ROSA, Reproductive Rights Against Oppression, Sexism and Austerity distribute abortion pills Getty Northern Irish women protesting anti-abortion laws take illegal pills Ruth Coppinger TD addresses the crowds outside Belfast's Crown and High Courts where counter-demonstrations were held by both sides of the Northen Irish abortion argument. PA Northern Irish women protesting anti-abortion laws take illegal pills Eleanor Crossey Malone displays an abortion pill packet after taking a pill Getty Northern Irish women protesting anti-abortion laws take illegal pills Protestors dressed as hand maidens stand as abortion rights campaign group ROSA, Reproductive Rights Against Oppression, Sexism and Austerity distribute abortion pills from a touring bus Getty Northern Irish women protesting anti-abortion laws take illegal pills An unidentified woman takes an abortion pill as abortion rights campaign group ROSA, Reproductive Rights Against Oppression, Sexism and Austerity distribute abortion pills from a touring bus Getty Images Northern Irish women protesting anti-abortion laws take illegal pills A robot drone delivers abortion pills as abortion rights campaign group ROSA, Reproductive Rights Against Oppression, Sexism and Austerity distribute abortion pills Getty "We saw many young women we could not help, from the roma or travelling community, victims of domestic violence, she told MPs. "One woman came in with a boot mark on her face where she was constantly battered and raped by her abusive partner over Christmas, and she could not leave Northern Ireland and the law here does not help women. Twelve abortions were carried out in Northern Ireland last year, official statistics show. Amnesty International is calling for liberalisation of the stringent rules - saying more than 900 women travelled to England and Wales for the procedure during the same period. There has been a dramatic increase in threats to Londons green belt land from developers who only plan to use a fraction of the land for affordable housing, according to a new report. Research by the London Green Belt Council (LGBC), an alliance of 100 organisations, shows five out of every six local authorities are planning to build on the supposedly protected land. In all, 202,700 new dwellings have been proposed for the land, a 64 per cent increase on two years ago, which researchers said posed the greatest ever threat to the green girdle around the capital. The report states there is enough previously developed land in the area to accommodate all these homes and more, with 4,934 hectares of brownfield land available which could hold a minimum of 260,383 new homes. Environment news in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 Environment news in pictures Environment news in pictures Davos 2019: David Attenborough issues stark warning about future of civilisation as he demands practical solutions to combat climate change Sir David Attenborough has issued a stark warning about climate change to business figures gathered in Davos, telling them that "what we do now...will profoundly affect the next few thousand years". On the eve of this year's World Economic Forum, the renowned naturalist told the audience that the worlds of business and politics should "get on with the practical solutions" needed to prevent environmental damage. "As a species we are expert problem solvers. But we've not yet applied ourselves to this problem with the focus it requires. "We can create a world with clean air and water, unlimited energy, and fish stocks that will sustain us well into the future. But to do that, we need a plan," he said. The broadcaster made his speech after receiving a Crystal Award, which is awarded by the forum to "exceptional cultural leaders". AFP/Getty Environment news in pictures At least 60% of wild coffee species face extinction triggered by climate change and disease Two decades of research have revealed that 60 per cent of the worlds coffee species face extinction due to the combined threats of deforestation, disease and climate change. The wild strain of arabica, the most widely consumed coffee on the planet, is among those now recognised as endangered, raising concerns about its long-term survival. These results are worrying for the millions of farmers around the world who depend on the continued survival of coffee for their livelihoods. As conditions for coffee farming become tougher, scientists predict the industry will need to rely on wild varieties to develop more resilient strains Alan Schaller Environment news in pictures Warming Antarctic waters are speeding the rate at which glaciers are melting The Antarctic ice sheet is losing six times as much ice each year as it was in the 1980s and the pace is accelerating, one of the most comprehensive studies of climate change effects on the continent has shown. More than half an inch has been added to global sea levels since 1979, but if current trends continue it will be responsible for metres more in future, the Nasa-funded study found. The international effort used aerial photos, satellite data and climate models dating back to the 1970s across18 Antarctic regions to get the most complete picture to date on the impacts of the changing climate. It found that between 1979 and 1990 Antarctica lost an average of 40 gigatonnes (40 billion tonnes) of its mass each year. Between 2009 and 2017 it lost an average 252 gigatonnes a year. This has added 3.6mm per decade to sea levels, or around 14mm since 1979, the study shows Nasa/Getty Environment news in pictures Greater Manchester to ban fracking, paving way for confrontation with government over controversial industry Greater Manchester is to effectively ban fracking, raising the prospect of fresh confrontation with the government over the controversial industry. All of the regions 10 councils are to implement planning policies which create a presumption against drilling for shale gas in their areas, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has announced. Campaigners said the move was the latest sign that the tide was turning against fracking, which has been the subject of multiple legal battles across the country. Critics of fracking say it poses environmental and health risks. Drilling at the UKs only operational fracking site, run by Cuadrilla in Lancashire, has repeatedly been halted due to earth tremors. But ministers support the industry and last year unveiled plans to accelerate the development of new drilling sites Ross Wills Environment news in pictures Japan confirms plan to resume commercial whaling in its waters from next year Japan will resume commercial whaling next year for the first time in more than three decades, in a move that has provoked strong criticism from campaigners and the international community. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said his nation would leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume hunting the marine mammals in Japanese waters. However, he stated the activity would be limited to Japans territory and the 200 mile exclusive economic zone along its coasts. This means controversial scientific trips to Antarctica in which Japanese vessels killed hundreds of whales, as well as activity in the northwest Pacific, will stop in 2019 AP Environment news in pictures COP24: Environmental groups criticise morally unacceptable climate deal reached after major Poland summit Diplomats from around the world have agreed a major climate deal after two weeks of United Nations talks in Poland. But climate campaigners warned the deal effectively a set of rules for how to govern the 2015 Paris climate accord agreed between almost 200 countries lacked ambition or a clear promise of enhanced climate action. Activists cautiously welcomed elements of the plan, saying important progress had been made on ensuring that efforts to tackle climate change by individual nations can be measured and compared. But environmental groups were also highly critical of the agreement, warning it lacked ambition and clarity on key issues, including financing for climate projects for developing countries. The COP24 deal, which is aimed at providing firm guidelines for countries on how to transparently report their greenhouse gas emissions and their efforts to reduce them, was confirmed on 15 December, after talks overran Reuters Environment news in pictures Unprecedented changes needed to stop global warming as UN report reveals islands starting to vanish and coral reefs dying Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut almost in half by 2030 to avert global environmental catastrophe, including the total loss of every coral reef, the disappearance of Arctic ice and the destruction of island communities, a landmark UN report has concluded. Drawing on more than 6,000 scientific studies and compiled over two years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings, released this morning, warn enormous and rapid changes to the way everyone on Earth eats, travels and produces energy need to be brought in immediately. Though the scientists behind the report said there is cause for optimism, they recognised the grim reality that nations are currently nowhere near on track to avert disaster AFP/Getty Environment news in pictures Africas three biggest elephant poaching cartels exposed using DNA from illegal ivory shipments DNA taken from massive shipments of ivory has been used to identify the three largest wildlife trafficking gangs operating at the height of Africas elephant poaching epidemic. Ivory tends to be shipped around the world from African ports in bulk, and scientists have used genetic evidence gleaned from intercepted batches to reveal their origins. Led by Dr Samuel Wasser from the University of Washington, they traced a number of these shipments to three cartels operating out of Kenya, Uganda and Togo. Evidence collected by Dr Wasser has already helped convict ivory kingpin Feisal Mohamed Ali, and as his team joins the dots between shipments they plan to shore up the cases against more of the continents most prolific smugglers Art Wolfe It also claims that local planning authorities are being given no option but to release green belt land for development due to pressure from central government despite it only being likely to provide less than 10 per cent of the affordable housing needed. Researchers said that, contrary to claims by developers, building in the green belt did virtually nothing to address the crisis of affordability of housing, especially for young people in the South East. Last year the government issued an updated national planning policy framework, rejecting calls for a complete ban on building in the 14 green belt areas across England originally designed to protect the countryside from urban sprawl. Richard Knox-Johnston, chair of the London Green Belt Council (LGBC), said the government must take action more urgently than ever to avoid irreparable damage to the integrity of Londons protected land. Government at all levels, supported by developers, claim that development in the green belt will provide more affordable housing, especially for young people but, as this report shows, this is not the case. Young people are being cruelly misled, he added. Councils are being pressurised by government to set targets which are much higher than the likely need and are, on occasions, forced to accept even higher housing numbers to accommodate growth from neighbouring authorities. The government should be taking steps to reduce the pressure on councils to build on green belt land by focusing on brownfield land and genuine housing need and restricting the ability of councils to de-designate Green Belt land. The report, based on research by eight South Eastern county branches of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, found that 83 per cent of local planning authorities with land in the London Metropolitan green belt were proposing to allocate some of it for development. In all, 519 London green belt sites were found to be under threat by July 2018, compared to 403 a year before and 203 in July 2016, when the LGBC published its first report. The increase in the number of proposed dwellings was even greater from 123,000 in July 2016, to 159,300 in July 2017, and 202,700 in July 2018. It comes after an analysis by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) last year indicated that plans to free up green belt land for housing development would do little to ease the affordability crisis. The findings revealed that only 22 per cent of the 460,000 homes planned on land released from the green belt would meet the governments definition of affordable, prompting concerns that people were being sold a lie by developers. Housing minister Kit Malthouse said: We are determined to build the homes our country needs, but we have been clear that the use of green belt land should be a last resort. Thats why we strengthened green belt protection with councils now having to show they have exhausted all other reasonable options to meet development needs before even considering changes to the green belt and then evidence exceptional circumstances to justify development. Nasa is trying to save its Opportunity rover, a robot that is feared dead on Mars. Engineers have been trying for months to revive the struggling rover, which hasn't been heard from since June. Nasa thinks it was knocked offline by a huge dust storm that engulfed the entire planet and covered Opportunity. Now the agency is sending it a host of new commands in an attempt to force the 15-year rover to get back in touch with Earth. "We have and will continue to use multiple techniques in our attempts to contact the rover," said John Callas, project manager for Opportunity at JPL. "These new command strategies are in addition to the 'sweep and beep' commands we have been transmitting up to the rover since September." Sweep and beep refers to technology that allows Nasa to shoot signals towards Opportunity telling it to respond with a simple beep. Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427 more commonly known as WR 124 and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region The new messages will last for a number of weeks. They will deal with a whole host of scenarios, each of which is relatively unlikely and so it is probable the rover will stay out of touch on Mars. Nasa engineers are trying to see if the radios Opportunity uses to talk with Earth are broken, or if the internal clock inside the rover is offset. Engineers will tell the rover to switch onto its backup rover and to try and reset its internal clock just two of a range of different potential solutions that have been tried. "Over the past seven months we have attempted to contact Opportunity over 600 times," said Callas. "While we have not heard back from the rover and the probability that we ever will is decreasing each day, we plan to continue to pursue every logical solution that could put us back in touch." Engineers need to try and get in touch with the rover before the current dust-clearing season, which will allow the winds to push the dust off Opportunity's solar panels, comes to a close. It will soon be winter on Mars, which will bring a cold climate that could forever destroy important parts of the rover. Supermassive black holes in the depths of space have been used for the first time to measure the universe growing, yielding intriguing results. Astronomers found the universe appears to be expanding faster than previously thought, a discovery that suggests a whole new set of rules is required to understand the cosmos. The rate of universe expansion is known as the Hubble constant, named after the American astronomer who also gave his name to the famous space telescope. It has proved a tricky value to pin down, because while the cosmos has been getting bigger since the Big Bang, the rate seems to vary depending on where astronomers look and how they measure it. In a new study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, scientists used black holes sitting at the core of distant galaxies as reference points by which to measure the speed of growth. Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427 more commonly known as WR 124 and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region These bodies constantly spew out radiation, placing them among the brightest points in the universe. Black holes are the most luminous persistent sources of the universe and allow us to measure its expansion rate at very early times, explained Dr Elisabeta Lusso from Durham University. Using data collected from 1,600 supermassive black holes as the universe expands and they move away from each other, the scientists were able to record the rate of this expansion. Recommended Nasa measures how fast universe is expanding and finds bizarre result Previous efforts had used the light produced by exploding supernovae to measure the growth of the universe, but such measurements could only go back so far in time. The luminous black holes allowed Dr Lusso and her colleague Dr Guido Risaliti to peer back further, providing a clearer picture of early universe expansion. The discrepancy they recorded matched the contradictory results previously obtained by the European Space Agency and Nasa. Nasa releases first video of most distant object in universe These results suggest the early expansion of the universe is different from that predicted by the standard model of cosmology, which describes the age, history and contents of the universe. According to Dr Lusso, one explanation for this could be the mysterious force known as dark energy a theoretical form thought to occupy most of the universe and account for much of its energy. Recommended Hubble Space Telescope breaks in middle of US government shutdown We may need to explore new physics, for example rethinking the potential properties of dark energy, she said. Dr Risaliti, of the Universita degli Studi di Firenze, said if this dark energy is evolving with a density that increases as time passes this could provide an explanation for their results. However, this is only one of the many models all including new physics proposed by the theorists, and much more work is needed to find a unique solution, he said. After fleeing al-Shabaab in Somalia, the two men hid for a month in the Lacta forests on the Kenya borderlands. There were other defectors there, some living off the land, others using their guns to rob villages and travellers. All of them were fearful of the vengeful fighters they had left behind and, also, the retribution of state forces. Both the men are of Somali background. One, Yasir, grew up in Germany and lived briefly in Britain. The other, Tawfiq, was born and raised in Kenya. Both had gone to Somalia following the call of jihad; both claim to have become disillusioned; both say they are seeking a new life away from violence. The accounts they give, in a meeting at a small town in Kenya, are at times contradictory and evasive. But a lot of what they say appears, after cross-checking with other sources, to be true. And their deep apprehension about the uncertainties and dangers which lie ahead seem to be genuine. Photo: CTV News A B.C. Supreme Court judge has sentenced Garry Handlen to life in prison, calling him a sexual predator who preys on the vulnerable and weak to commit barbaric crimes. Handlen was convicted by a jury earlier this month of the first-degree murder of Monica Jack, who disappeared while riding her bike on May 6, 1978. A conviction of first-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence of 25 years without parole, although Justice Austin Cullen noted that Handlen is eligible to apply for parole in 15 years through the so-called faint-hope clause because he killed the girl before the law was eliminated. Jack's cousin Debbie John told the sentencing hearing that she has carried enormous guilt about Jack's murder because she was the one to suggest they ride their bicycles into Merritt the day Jack disappeared. John says people in the Interior community searched rivers and mountains for any sign of the happy girl and continued to hope she would be found. Handlen's trial heard he grabbed Jack from a highway pullout, tossed her bike in a lake and then dumped her body on a hillside where some of her remains were found 17 years later. Leading supermarkets, including Sainsburys, Asda and Waitrose, are among a host of large retailers to warn MPs that a no-deal Brexit in March will see items disappear from supermarket shelves and could put the UKs food security at risk. Nine senior executives signed an open letter to MPs written by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) on Monday urging the government to prevent crashing out of the EU. A disorderly Brexit and trading under World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms would cause significant disruption and push up food prices, the group warned. Signatories the letter, which also include the bosses of Marks & Spencer, McDonalds UK, Lidl, Co-op, Pret a Manger and KFC, warned that the timing of Brexit on 29 March made problems more acute. Nine in 10 lettuces sold by the group of companies at this time of year are imported from the EU, along with 80 per cent of tomatoes and 70 per cent of soft fruit. Britain before Brexit: Wales Show all 16 1 /16 Britain before Brexit: Wales Britain before Brexit: Wales Swansea A giant anonymous message calls after a shopper leaving the town centre, his bags full with advent calendars and Christmas wrapping paper, reminding him of the non-material hes lacking. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Wrexham Two notices occupy the same wall, both white, both prohibitive. Yet the distance between them goes further than the grey bricks: they are separated by political and everyday concerns, by enmity and whats simply not allowed. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Cardiff Another tent pitched in a British town centre, adding to those I saw in Coventry and Margate and Great Yarmouth and elsewhere. It looks so out of place, so unadapted, and I can almost hear the bitter scrape of a tent peg on concrete, unable to penetrate, unable to settle in and secure. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Swansea Its jarring to see the sanitised whiteness of the hospital on the high street. Its clinical, no frills description is at odds with the puns and the slogans of big-name brands. Yet its more mysterious too: the crucial details are absent, only its origin is laid bare as a clue. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Merthyr Tydfil The site of the former police station, now demolished, the ground bare behind bars. The sign hangs like an historical artefact, revealing not only what once was, but how the public and the law were divided. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Aberystwyth Thank you notes to God are displayed in St. Michaels Church. Im interested in how people interpret His role in their lives and how they express gratitude. I try to ignore innuendo when I see this note, and consider the vague completeness of Gods contribution. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Port Talbot A view of the Tata Steelworks from an underpass by the M4. It flanks the southern side of the motorway, facing the hills to the north and the town between and below. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Swansea A disused road sign, first in Welsh, then in English, propped up against a tanning shop. The surface of the body designed to sell the product has been satirised with graffiti in Arabic: Oh, fire of my heart! I read the message as a subversive play on heat and attraction in our society, counterposing the superficial, sexualised burning of the bodys exterior (tanning) with the purer, warmer image of the interior fire of love. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Aberystwyth The university Geography Society beats the History Society in a drinking competition. Participants turn glasses over above their heads to prove that theyre empty. Student supporters cheer from the balconies in drunken delirium. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Port Talbot A distinctly twenty-first-century British hieroglyphic. A symbol conveying an obsession with virility, with its tendency to tarnish and spoil, to reduce everything it touches to an insignificant canvas for its power. I would say it has something to do with Port Talbots phallic steelworks and their daily emission, if I hadnt seen it so much elsewhere in Britain. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Merthyr Tydfil Children imagine the future of the town, and in so doing transform the present, from something static and fixed to a place of becoming, where now is simply a transitional phase, pregnant with the utopian possibilities of Las Tydfil, a place combining two of Britains strongest currents: environmentalism and gambling. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Cardiff The Welsh Dragon is printed on plastic bags probably because the company thinks it can sell more products by tapping into the countrys niche patriotism. Yet, it also means that the Welsh Dragon is being treated as rubbish, thrown to the gutter, trashed in landfill, left as litter in a mess of detritus. Richard Morgan Britain before Brexit: Wales Cardiff Black Friday on Queen Street. The street is lined with commercial exclamations - of sales and deals and time running out - that sometimes appear better as ironic parodies of the fate of the capitals rough sleepers than notices of the products and bargains they promote. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Swansea An anarchist imperative opposite the prison wall, suggesting to the residential area that fundamental, wholesale social change cannot come about through participating in the democratic political process, but only by rejecting it, confronting it, and rising against it. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Merthyr Tydfil Investment cut in half. The promise of a sale broken. Once an announcement, now discarded to the street, visible only to those looking down, more meaningful now than ever before, in the company of rotting autumn. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Wrexham The town has a similar accent to the Liverpudlian one. There are hints that it shares an undercurrent of resentment towards The Sun newspaper too. Richard Morgan/The Independent The letter stated: As this produce is fresh and perishable, it needs to be moved quickly from farms to our stores. This complex, just in time supply chain will be significantly disrupted in the event of no deal. Even if the UK government does not undertake checks on products at the border, there will still be major disruption and long delays at Calais. The French government has said it will enforce sanitary and customs checks on exports from the EU. The warning comes ahead of a series of crunch votes in parliament on Tuesday, which will include an attempt by a cross-party group of MPs to rule out a no-deal Brexit. The move, led by Labour MP Yvette Cooper and Conservative Nick Boles, seeks to delay Brexit until the end of December if a deal cannot be reached with the EU. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said at a Commons committee on Monday that medicines would be prioritised above food in the event of a no-deal Brexit. He conceded there was a lot more that needs to be done to safeguard supplies of vital medicines but insisted that his department had enough time. Just over half of medicines have some touch point with the EU and therefore need a plan for significant disruptions at the border, Mr Hancock told the Health and Social Care Committee. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The BRC letter said freight trade between Dover and Calais could suffer severe disruptions in the event of a no deal. For consumers, this will reduce the availability and shelf life of many products in our stores, the letter said. The companies said they are also extremely concerned about the impact of tariffs. Only around 10 per cent of our food imports, a fraction of the products we sell, is currently subject to tariffs so if the UK were to revert to WTO most-favoured-nation status, as currently envisaged in the no-deal scenario, it would greatly increase import costs, which could in turn put upward pressure on food prices. Some hardline backers of Brexit advocate unilaterally slashing the UKs own tariffs to zero but this would have a devastating impact on farmers in this country which are a key part of supermarkets supply chains, the letter said. It comes after Airbus chief executive Tom Enders said last week the aerospace giant would have to move some UK operations elsewhere if no deal with the EU is agreed. Brexit is already costing the UKs public finances 17bn a year, according to a detailed study released ahead of critical votes in parliament this week. The amount would be sufficient to pay 10,000 more police to patrol the streets and train nurses to fill every vacancy in England, and still leave enough to cover the UKs current contribution to the EUs budget. The research from the Centre for European Reform estimates the UK economy is 2.3 per cent smaller than it would have been had Britain voted to remain in the EU back in 2016. A government spokesperson said: The UK has a high level of food security built upon a diverse range of sources including strong domestic production and imports from other countries. This will continue to be the case whether we leave the EU with or without a deal. The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry to prevent disruption and we are using these to support preparations for leaving the EU. Nissan said on Monday it has received an inquiry from US regulators over a scandal surrounding the pay of its ousted chair Carlos Ghosn. The Japanese car manufacturer said it was cooperating fully with the Securities and Exchange Commissions (SEC) inquiry. Nissan shares fell 0.8 per cent in Tokyo on Monday to 920.3 yen, slightly more than the average of 0.6 per cent across all stocks in the Nikkei index. The SEC is looking into whether Nissans disclosures around executive pay were accurate and whether adequate controls were in place to prevent improper payments. Nissans former chair has been detained in Tokyo since his arrest on 19 November, along with another company director, Greg Kelly, on charges relating to alleged underreporting of Mr Ghosns income by millions of dollars. Both men deny wrongdoing. The SECs interest is not a formal investigation but it potentially opens up a new front in the scandal around Nissan and its former star boss. The Japanese companys shares are listed on the Nikkei in Tokyo but can be traded in the US through what are known as American depositary receipts, which give the SEC jurisdiction. Mr Ghosn last week stepped down from his role as chief executive of Renault, which along with Mitsubishi makes up a three-company alliance with Nissan. French president Emmanuel Macron, whose government is Renaults largest shareholder, on Friday expressed concern about Mr Ghosns conditions in jail and the length of his detention. All Ill say is that I felt the detention was too long and too hard, and I told Abe that, Mr Macron said, when asked about a conversation with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. Im just concerned that the case of a French citizen should respect basic decency. It is common for Japanese authorities to hold suspects for weeks or even months before trial. Tesco staff must be finding it tough to smile at customers this morning. Weekend reports suggested 15,000 of them could lose their jobs at the UKs biggest supermarket chain. The company initially reacted by slamming down the shutters, before later saying that the plans were being finalised and that it would bring forward efforts to communicate them to employees. As to when that might happen, who knows or dares to dream. Our priority is to support our colleagues throughout, said a memo to staff from chief operating officer Tony Hogett. He has a strange way of showing that. Its notable that Tescos priorities did not include offering any clarification to the shopworkers union, at least not as of this morning. The company seems to be adopting the Theresa May approach to dealing with Usdaw: Ignoring it until very late in the day. Following the example of the worst PM in British political history is not a clever thing to be doing. Perhaps someone might like to communicate that to Tesco CEO David Lewis. He has been walking on water almost since he arrived to sort out the mess Philip Clarke had left behind him. This rather counts as his first banana skin. And its a big one. But what of those plans? According to the reports they involve swinging the axe when it comes to the grocers fresh food counters; the in store butchers, bakers, and fish mongers. These are expensive to staff and maintain when you could just put the stuff on the shelves. But customers seem to like them. Restoring the relationship with them, and improving the service they received, was one of Lewiss early priorities and successes. It helped him to reawaken the sleeping giant, and revive it as a force to be reckoned with. It is something that has been repeatedly demonstrated in the sales figures Tesco issues. The trouble is Lewis hasnt yet managed to produce the sort of profits that has them going yowza in the City. This plan, whenever it finally emerges, is presumably aimed at doing that. Lewis seems willing to risk annoying his customers while casting his staff in the role of sacrificial lambs so he and his executive team can feast with the bonus boys in the City. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. Its not a good look. It is something the Tesco alums now running Morrisons should take note of. Their Market Street initiative is all about fresh food, delivered to counters from farms that the grocer uniquely owns. Now might be a very good time for Morrisons boss David Potts to get in touch with his advertising people with a view to giving it a renewed push so Tesco customers know that theres a place where they can still find the fresh food counters they like. Katie Price has revealed she is planning to adopt a Nigerian orphan. The former glamour model made the announcement on This Morning, saying she has plenty of rooms in her house. She told television presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby that she had been thinking about adoption for some time, but now feels ready to expand her family. Ive always said I wanted to adopt a child, she said. I dont care if theyve got disabilities or AIDS. I want to offer them a place." Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Show all 18 1 /18 Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Model Madeline Stuart, who has Down's syndrome, standing on a runway during rehearsal at the Angel Orensanz Foundation during New York Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline having her final touches made before before walking in the Colleen Morris presentation of the Spring/Summer 2019 collection during London Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline has her makeup applied backstage before the Colleen Morris Presentation Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline enjoying her time backstage of the Soiree show at London Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline walking onto the catwalk for the Colleen Morris presentation Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline and her mother, Rosanne, pose for photos while sightseeing in Trafalgar Square Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline walking in the Swedish School of Textiles show at London Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline celebrates after stepping out of a taxi cab as she arrives for New York Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline looks through a window as her mother is interviewed about Madeline's modelling career Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Rosanne Stuart attempts to cover her daughter, Madeline, from rain as they walk to a show during New York Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline waits backstage as a dress is steamed before a runway show during New York Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline having her make up applied backstage before walking in the Lulu Et Gigi presentation at New York Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline being assisted backstage before walking in the Rutu Bhonsle runway show at New York Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline standing backstage before walking in the Burning Guitars runway show during New York Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline standing backstage between two male models at New York Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline stands among models backstage after walking in the Burning Guitars presentation during New York Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline sits at the Remedy Diner with her mother and manager Rosanne after walking in a runway show during New York Fashion Week Reuters Model with Down's syndrome makes strides worldwide Madeline sits in the back of a taxi cab after walking in a runway show during New York Fashion Week Reuters The mother-of-five said the idea came about after she get talking to a woman at her nail salon who works for an orphanage in Nigeria. When asked why she wouldnt adopt a British child, Price replied: It is so hard to adopt over here. Its easy abroad but just hard to bring them back to the country. Ive looked into it for ages. The 40-year-old explained that her decision to adopt doesnt mean shes ruling out plans to have more biological children. Hopefully something will happen. I still want my own kids don't get me wrong and will definitely have more, she said. But if I can offer a place there are enough rooms in the house. Eleven bedrooms there are too many to fill. Price cares full-time for her 16-year-old son Harvey, who has Prader-Willi syndrome - a rare genetic condition that causes a wide range of physical symptoms, learning difficulties and behavioural problems - and also shares custody of her daughter, Princess, and son, Junior, with ex-partner Peter Andre. She also has two more children, Bunny and Jett, with her third husband Kieran Hayler. Price appeared on This Morning to talk about moving on from her recent stint in rehab following issues with drink and drugs last year. She is now studying for a paramedic's degree, planning a film of her life and planning to turn her books into a movie. Speaking of her troubled past, Price added: I have hit rock bottom in so many ways, I couldn't get more bottom. The only way is up now. I want to say to people there's no need to be ashamed of anything, just go for it." McDonalds will add bacon to its famous Big Mac burger recipe for the first time ever in the UK. Until now, the brands star sandwich has consisted of two beef patties, Big Mac sauce, lettuce, a slice of cheese, pickles and onions. This is the first time since the Big Mac was launched in the UK in 1968 that the fast food chain has changed its statement recipe. Thanks to popular demand, the fast food giant is also bringing back two more burgers the Grand Big Mac and the Mac Junior with added bacon. The Big Mac variants were originally released as part of a limited-edition offer by the fast food chain when it celebrated the Big Macs 50th birthday last year. McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Show all 24 1 /24 McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay JD Wetherspoon, McDonald's and TGI Fridays stage walkouts in a pay dispute Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Strikers want to highlight the issue of poverty pay and insecure working in the UK hospitality industry. Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay The hospitality sector employs around 4.5 million people ten per cent of the UKs working population. But its workers have not traditionally organised to demand better pay and conditions, making the current strike significant, despite its small scale Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay A growing movement of low-paid workers, particularly in the fast-food industry, has come together over recent years, catalysed by the Fight for $15 campaign in the US Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay A McDonalds spokesperson said the company was disappointed to hear about planned UK strikes and said the numbers of people involved represented an extremely small proportion of its 120,000 workforce. Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay This is against a backdrop of more people choosing to join our business, with more than 1,000 new managers recruited in the past year. Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Shadow chancellor John McDonnell backed the action and reiterated Labour's plan to give all workers a living wage of 10 an hour. "I am giving my support to the striking workers in Wetherspoons, TGI Fridays and McDonald's today," he said. "These are workers that have been ignored by their employers and are simply asking for a wage they can live on and the same basic rights at work we should all be entitled to." Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Wetherspoon spokesperson Eddie Gershon said rates of pay at the pub chain were increasing as they are in the economy generally. We are also moving to the same rate for 18-21s as we already have for over 21s from 5 November 2018, he said. In addition, we are putting up the rate of pay. In the last financial year we paid record monthly bonuses and free shares of 43 million, equivalent to about 50 per cent of our net profits. Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou McDonald's, Wetherspoons and TGIs workers strike over pay Angela Christofilou So, how much will these bacon-filled burgers set you back? The Big Mac with bacon costs 3.09 and will include two slices of streaky bacon (the original Big Mac without bacon is still available). As you might have guessed, the Grand Big Mac is a bigger version of the Big Mac. It consists of sesame topped buns, two beef patties, two slices of cheese, lettuce, onions, Big Mac sauce and bacon and costs 4.08. Meanwhile, the Mac Junior is a small version of the Big Mac and is made up of just one beef patty, a slice of cheese, lettuce, onion, pickles and Big Mac sauce, sandwiched together in a sesame topped bun. It is priced at 2.29. The bacon-filled Big Mac, Grand Mac and the Mac Junior will only be available in restaurants nationwide until 19 March, so youll want to get your greasy mitts on the limited-edition burgers pronto. Michelle Graham-Clare, head of marketing at McDonalds UK & Ireland, said: The customer reaction to our Grand Big Mac and Mac Jr last year was phenomenal, the love for the iconic Big Mac surpassed all expectations. Which is why I am delighted to introduce bacon to the Big Mac range, a twist on a classic. On 29 January, participating McDonalds restaurants in US will also offer customers free bacon in a launch dubbed Bacon Hour. Diners will be able to add bacon, without charge, on the side with any menu item for one full hour from 4-5pm, local time. The Big Mac was created by Jim Delligatti, a Pennsylvania McDonalds franchise owner, who wanted to create a hamburger big enough to feed hungry steel workers who arrived at his restaurant after work. Delligatti came up with the burger that included two beef patties and served it for the first time in his Uniontown, Pennsylvania, McDonalds in 1967. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events In 1968, the new burger was introduced to McDonalds throughout the United States and went on to be known as the Big Mac. News of McDonalds adding bacon to its Big Macs comes a week after the good chain offered its customers free cheeseburgers for Blue Monday. Arctic summers may be hotter now than they have been for 115,000 years, according to new research. Evidence that this century is the warmest the region has faced for millennia came from plants collected in the remote wilderness of Baffin Island. As glaciers melt in the Canadian Arctic, landscapes are emerging that have not been ice-free for more than 40,000 years. While providing worrying evidence of climate change taking place, this also allows scientists to investigate previously inaccessible areas. The Arctic is currently warming two to three times faster than the rest of the globe, so naturally, glaciers and ice caps are going to react faster, said Simon Pendleton, a PhD student at the University of Colorado at Boulder who led the research. Glacier collapse shows climate impact Show all 20 1 /20 Glacier collapse shows climate impact Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Meltwater pools on top of the Helheim glacier near Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Safety officer Brian Rougeux works with student Febin Magar to assemble a radar dome while working in a science camp on the side of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Airplane Mechanic, David Fuller, left, works with a local worker to move a Nasa Gulfstream III during a pre-flight inspection before a flight to support the Oceans Melting Greenland research mission Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Meltwater pools on top of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Earth Science Flight Programs Director at Nasa, Eric Ianson, looks out at the Greenland ice sheet Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Glacial ice is seen from the window during the Nasa flight Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Oceanographer David Holland's science camp on the side of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact A large crevasse forms near the calving front of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Safety officer Brian Rougeux uses a drill to install antennas for scientific instruments that will be left on top of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Tabular icebergs float in the Sermilik Fjord after a large calving event at the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Radar Engineer, Ron Muellerschoen, monitors data collection inside a NASA Gulfstream III flying above Greenland to measure loss to the country's ice sheet Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact GPS tracking equipment is left on top of the Helheim glacier REUTERS Glacier collapse shows climate impact Sunshine lights up the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact A glacial terminus above the east coast of Greenland REUTERS Glacier collapse shows climate impact Student Febin Magar watches as leftover wood burns in a research camp Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Tabular icebergs float in the Sermilik Fjord after a large calving event Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Oceanographer David Holland repairs a broken GPS module at his research camp Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters We travel to the retreating ice margins, sample newly exposed plants preserved on these ancient landscapes and carbon date the plants to get a sense of when the ice last advanced over that location. The Arctic ice has effectively preserved ancient mosses and lichens for thousands of years, providing the scientists with a valuable insight into the past. They sampled around 50 plants from 30 ice caps in the region, as well as rock samples to confirm the age and history of ice coverage across the landscape. Recommended Arctic has experienced its five warmest years on record Radiocarbon dating of the plants collected from these ice-free margins revealed it had been tens of thousands of years since they had last thawed. Youd normally expect to see different plant ages in different topographical conditions, explained Mr Pendleton. A high elevation location might hold on to its ice longer, for example. But the magnitude of warming is so high that everything is melting everywhere now. This information, combined with data from ice cores taken on Baffin Island and Greenland, suggested the region is currently experiencing its warmest century for 115,000 years. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The researchers also suggested that the island was likely to be completely devoid of ice within the next few centuries. Their results were published in the journal Nature Communications. In their most recent assessment of the Arctic environment, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a US government agency, found the region had been warmer for the past five years than at any other point since 1900 when records began. The impacts of this rapid warming include earlier plankton blooms, more extreme weather and a massive decline in reindeer populations. Olivia Colman has revealed she battled with Wikipedia to get her age changed after discovering the website had it listed incorrectly. The British actor, who is Oscar-nominated in the Best Actress category for her role in The Favourite, noticed the online free encyclopedia had added eight years on to her age. She emailed them under a false identity so that she didnt appear vain but didnt get a response. I didnt get a reply, and wrote again going sorry guys, but I know its wrong. And they didnt reply, Colman, 44, revealed on a new podcast hosted by her former Broadchurch co-star, David Tennant. So I said, actually, this is me, and its really upsetting me that youve made me eight years older than I actually am. They said, wed have to see a birth certificate to prove it, and I went, whose f***ing birth certificate have you looked at in the first place to make me eight years older? she quipped. The 65 best movie insults of all time Show all 65 1 /65 The 65 best movie insults of all time The 65 best movie insults of all time Avengers Assemble (2012) "This is my bargain, you mewling quim." Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) "Hey, where'd you get those clothes, the toilet store?" DreamWorks Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) "How could you sleep with Fat Bastard? No, I mean, literally, how could you do it? He's so fat, the sheer mechanics of it are mind-boggling." New Line Cinema The 65 best movie insults of all time Bad Moms (2016) "Well, you look like a bag of d***s" REX The 65 best movie insults of all time Bad Santa (2003) Youre an emotional f***ing cripple. Your soul is dogs***. Every single f***ing thing about you is ugly. REX The 65 best movie insults of all time Blade: Trinity (2004) "You c*ck-juggling thunderc***!" New Line Cinema The 65 best movie insults of all time The Breakfast Club (1985) "Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?" Universal Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) "If staying here means working within 10 yards of you, frankly, I'd rather have a job wiping Saddam Hussein's arse." Universal Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Bull Durham (1988) "From what I hear, you couldn't hit water if you fell out of a f***ing boat." Orion Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Burn After Reading (2008) "I have a drinking problem? F*** you, Peck. Compared to you we all have a drinking problem." Macall Polay The 65 best movie insults of all time The Campaign (2012) "You know what the difference between your momma and a washing machine is? When I dump a load in a machine, the machine doesn't follow me around for three weeks." Warner Bros Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Casino (1995) "You horse manure smelling motherf***er, you." Universal Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time The Cat in the Hat (2003) "Do you know how hard it is telling people were related?" DreamWorks Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Closer (2004) "Go f*** yourself, you WRITER!" Columbia Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Clueless (1995) "Youre a virgin and you cant drive." Paramount Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Con Air (1997) "You're somewhere between a cockroach and that white stuff that accumulates at the corner of your mouth when you're really thirsty." Buena Vista Pictures Distribution The 65 best movie insults of all time The Death of Stalin (2017) "You smell like rendered horse, you burning a**hole." eOne Films The 65 best movie insults of all time Donnie Darko (2001) "You can go suck a f***." Pandora Cinema The 65 best movie insults of all time Duck Soup (1933) "He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you he really is an idiot." Paramount Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Easy A (2010) "Don't you think it's a little strange that your boyfriend is 22-years-old and still in high school?" Screen Gems The 65 best movie insults of all time Erin Brockovich (2000) "That's all you got, lady - two wrong feet and f***ing ugly shoes." Columbia Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Escape Plan (2013) "You hit like a vegetarian" The 65 best movie insults of all time The Favourite (2018) "You look like a badger." Fox Searchlight Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time A Fish Called Wanda (1988) "To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people." The 65 best movie insults of all time Full Metal Jacket (1987) "You climb like old people f***, Private Pile." ColumbiaCannonWarner The 65 best movie insults of all time Gangs of New York (2002) I dont give a tuppeny f*** about your moral conundrum, you meat-headed s*** sack. Miramax Films The 65 best movie insults of all time Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) "You're in more dire need of a blowjob than any white man in history" Buena Vista Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time The Hangover (2009) "You are literally too stupid to insult." Warner Bros. Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time His Girl Friday (1940) "Listen, you insignificant, square-toed, pimple-headed spy!" Columbia Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Home Alone (1990) "You're what the French call: 'les incompetents'." DON SMETZER/20TH CENTURY FOX/The Kobal Collection/WireImage.com The 65 best movie insults of all time In Bruges (2008) "YOU'RE AN INANIMATE F***ING OBJECT!" Universal Studios/Focus Features The 65 best movie insults of all time In the Loop (2009) "Allow me to pop a jaunty little bonnet on your purview and ram it up your a*** with a lubricated horse c***." IFC Films The 65 best movie insults of all time Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) "I should have had you wear double condoms. Well, we shouldn't have done it in the first place, but if you ever do it again, which as a favour to women everywhere, you should not, but if you do, you should be wearing condom on condom, and then wrap it in electrical tape. You should just walk around always inside a great big condom because you are s***!" CBS Films The 65 best movie insults of all time Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) Perry: "Look up 'idiot' in the dictionary. You know what you'll find?" : "Look up 'idiot' in the dictionary. You know what you'll find?" Harry: "A picture of me?" Perry: "No! The definition of the word idiot, which you f***ing are." REX The 65 best movie insults of all time Knocked Up "Your face looks like Robin Williams' knuckles. The 65 best movie insults of all time The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) "Were you always this stupid or did you take lessons?" The 65 best movie insults of all time The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) "My great aunt Jennifer ate a whole box of candy every day of her life. She lived to be 102 and when she'd been dead three days, she looked better than you do now." Warner Bros. The 65 best movie insults of all time Matilda (1996) "Your mummy is a TWIT." TriStar Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time The Mist (2007) Ill tell you what. The day I need a friend like you, Ill just have myself a little squat and s*** one out. REX The 65 best movie insults of all time Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries." EMI Films The 65 best movie insults of all time National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, d***less, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey s*** he is." The 65 best movie insults of all time Parenthood (1989) "I wouldn't live with you if the world were flooded with piss and you lived in a tree." Universal Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Phantom Thread (2018) "Are you a special agent sent here to ruin my evening and possibly my entire life?" REX The 65 best movie insults of all time Point Break (1991) "You're a real blue flame special, aren't you, son? Young, dumb and full of cum. What I don't know is how you got assigned here. Guess we must just have ourselves an asshole shortage, huh?" REX The 65 best movie insults of all time The Princess Bride (1987) "I'll explain and I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you warthog faced buffoon." Vestron Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Roxanne (1987) "Is that your nose or did a bus park on your face?" REX The 65 best movie insults of all time Say Anything (1989) "I got a question: if you guys know so much about women, how come you're here on a Saturday night completely alone drinking beers with no women anywhere?" The 65 best movie insults of all time Scarface (1983) "Even if I were blind, desperate, starved and begging for it on a desert island, you'd be the last thing I'd ever f***." Universal Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time School of Rock (2004) "You're tacky and I hate you" The 65 best movie insults of all time Sexy Beast (2000) "You're the f***ing problem you f***ing Dr White honkin' jam-rag f***ing spunk-bubble!" REX The 65 best movie insults of all time She's All That (1999) "To everyone here who matters, you're spam. You're vapour. A waste of perfectly good yearbook space." Miramax Films The 65 best movie insults of all time Short Circuit (1986) "Hey laser-lips, your mother was a snowblower." REX The 65 best movie insults of all time Shrek (2000) "You dense, irritating, miniature beast of a burden." REX The 65 best movie insults of all time The Silence of the Lambs (1991) You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but youre not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Agent Starling?" Orion Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) "Why, you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder." 20th Century Fox The 65 best movie insults of all time Step Brothers (2008) "You're not a doctor. You're a big fat curly headed f***." REX The 65 best movie insults of all time There Will Be Blood (2007) "You're just the afterbirth, Eli, slithered out on your mother's filth. They should have put you in glass jar on a mantelpiece." Paramount Vantage/Miramax Films The 65 best movie insults of all time Three Amigos (1986) "You dirt-eating piece of slime. You scum-sucking pig. You son of a motherless goat." Orion Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Toy Story (1995) "You are a sad strange little man, and you have my pity." Buena Vista Pictures Distribution The 65 best movie insults of all time Wayne's World (1992) "Benjamin is nobody's friend. If Benjamin were an ice cream flavour, he'd be pralines and d***." Paramount Pictures The 65 best movie insults of all time Whiplash (2014) "You are a worthless, friendless, piece of shit whose mommy left daddy when she figured out he wasn't Eugene O'Neill, and who is now weeping and slobbering all over my drum set like a f***ing nine-year old girl." REX The 65 best movie insults of all time The Witches of Eastwick (1987) "In the short time we've been together, you have demonstrated every loathsome characteristic of the male personality and even discovered a few new ones. You are physically repulsive, intellectually retarded, you're morally reprehensible, vulgar, insensitive, selfish, stupid, you have no taste, a lousy sense of humour and you smell. You're not even interesting enough to make me sick." REX The 65 best movie insults of all time Withnail & I (1987) "Monty, you terrible c***." HandMade Films The 65 best movie insults of all time The Wizard of Oz (1939) "You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk!" Loew's, Inc. The 65 best movie insults of all time The Women (1939) "You wanna see a bad facelift? Helen Danvers, two o'clock. She looks like she's re-entering the Earth's atmosphere." REX At the time of writing, the site listed her age correctly however, ten minutes later, it was back to being incorrect. Colman's correct age listed on the free online encyclopedia (Wikipedia) ...and 10 minutes later, listed incorrectly (Wikipedia) The actor also said that she cant cope with being recognised in public and now lives like a hermit now her profile has risen following her performance in The Favourite. However, she maintained that she doesnt begrudge people approaching her as being recognised goes hand-in-hand with... getting work that Im loving and always dreamt of. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The Golden Globe-winning Colman will overtake Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth in the forthcoming season of The Crown. Howard Schultz's potential 2020 presidential bid is off to a rocky start. The former CEO of Starbucks's announcement that he might run as a "centrist independent" in a tweet on Sunday drew immediate criticism on Twitter and elsewhere. Several Democratic leaders pointed out that a Schultz campaign could help re-elect President Donald Trump by siphoning votes away from the Democratic candidate. The announcement came one day before Schultz embarks on a nationwide tour for his new book, From the Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America. At least one Democratic leader criticized Schultz's potential political aspirations even before Schultz made his announcement. "I have two words for Howard Schultz on a potential run for president as an independent," Tina Podlodowski, chair of the state Democratic Party of Washington, said in a statement last week. "Just don't." Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline tweeted, "Howard, I like your coffee, but please don't do this. You're not going to win." He added: "You're just going to make it easier for @realDonaldTrump to win." Schultz will make an official decision after his three-month book tour, he told The New York Times. He added that his decision to run as an independent candidate stems from his disagreements with several policy proposals from Democrats. "When I hear people espousing free government-paid college, free government-paid health care, and a free government job for everyone -- on top of a $21 trillion debt -- the question is, how are we paying for all this and not bankrupting the country?" he told the Times. Schultz rose to fame after transforming Starbucks from a seven-store coffee chain in Seattle in the 1980s into a world-renowned coffee empire. During his tenure as a CEO and chairman, Schultz introduced full health care coverage for full-time and part-time employees, as well as stock options and free college tuition programs. Rumors of the billionaire's candidacy started swirling last year after he stepped down from his chairman role at Starbucks. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is also rumored to be mulling over a potential bid. For Nick Hanauer, a Seattle-based venture capitalist who was an early Amazon investor, being a successful business leader does not necessarily mean you are fit to lead a country. On the 7th floor of Atlanta's historic Biltmore Hotel, high above the Bird and Lime e-scooters below, Paul Judge stands by a window. He points toward nearly every building within a few-block radius. "Five years ago, these spaces were all dirt," he says. Now, they're full of startups--and Judge, a serial entrepreneur who's been on the tech scene for 21 years, is responsible for much of that growth. The cybersecurity firm he co-founded in 2011, Pindrop, occupies office space on three floors of the Biltmore. Judge's early stage venture capital firm, TechSquare Labs, is a five-minute walk away--and as he passes by, a man leans out the front door. "Hey, Paul!" Judge is practically a celebrity in Atlanta's entrepreneur world, partly because he's the most accomplished black tech founder in the city. The 41-year-old Baton Rouge native moved here in 1995 to attend Morehouse College, and never left. After a few successful startups, he started using his capital to help other Atlanta-based entrepreneurs get off the ground. Now, a new generation of young and ambitious black founders are working to craft their own versions of his career path. Atlanta has a 52 percent black population, according to census data, and it's brimming with entrepreneurs who benefit from what Judge describes as the "three Cs"--colleges, corporations, and culture. Atlanta's schools--including Georgia Tech, Georgia State, and black universities like Morehouse College and Spelman College--are churning out talented black developers and engineers. Pair that with the city's thriving black culture--from actors and musicians like Tyler Perry, Donald Glover, and Outkast to politicians like John Lewis and current mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms--and the result is what Mike Ross, a local black angel investor, describes as an atmosphere "like Harlem was in the '20s." Three years ago, entrepreneurs Ryan Wilson and T.K. Petersen opened The Gathering Spot, a private membership club created to build community between black entrepreneurs from local colleges, Atlanta's celebrities, and executives from corporations like Coca-Cola and Home Depot. "The Gathering Spot, humbly, has become one of the places in town where people know that important conversations are going to be held," Wilson says. "We've been fortunate that other people have come to see this space as one of those central places where you can connect with people." His proof: The club has more than 1,000 members, including founders of black-led startups like consumer robotics maker Monsieur, political engagement app Empowrd, and visual recognition tech company Partpic, which was sold to Amazon for an undisclosed sum in 2016. In particular, Partpic co-founder Jewel Burks Solomon, 29, is one of the city's most recent success stories. Growing up in Nashville, Burks Solomon dreamed of moving to Atlanta and starting a business. Upon doing it in 2013, she found plenty of like-minded black entrepreneurs experiencing a common challenge: difficulty securing funding. Of the $2 million Burks Solomon raised for Partpic, only $25,000 of it came from a local source--Ross, one of the city's few black angel investors. "Atlanta has a high population of black entrepreneurs. The investor landscape doesn't necessarily look the same," explains Burks Solomon. "I'm a black person, and I'm also a woman--and if you look at the numbers, we don't get invested in at the same rate as our white male counterparts." Shawn Wilkinson, founder of blockchain cloud storage company Storj, faced similar hurdles when he was trying to fundraise in 2015. "Then I brought on an older, white co-founder," says Wilkinson, who's 27 years old and black. "And suddenly, we're just getting so many more leads and actually closing deals." The company has since raised $33 million over seven funding rounds, according to Wilkinson. Some of Atlanta's black founders believe they can change that equation by building or selling successful companies and then investing in other black founders. "We're trying to create this momentum where we can start having major exits or major growth in our businesses to really start shaping the ecosystem," says Candace Mitchell, 31, founder of Atlanta-based digital hair-care startup Myavana. Burks Solomon is already leading the way. She's helped fund five minority-led startups since selling Partpic, including a surplus food management platform called Goodr and The Gathering Spot. And successful companies are emerging--the increasingly popular online scheduling tool Calendly, for example, was founded by Tope Awotona, an Atlanta-based native Nigerian. Black entrepreneurs in other parts of the country are taking notice. In December, Tristan Walker sold his personal care business, Walker & Company Brands, to Procter & Gamble. Rather than relocate his operations from Silicon Valley to P&G's Cincinnati headquarters, he threw a curve ball: The company would be moving to Atlanta. "I've been spending more time over the past year in Atlanta, and I get this feeling that I had back in 2008 when I came to the Bay Area where you knew something was about to pop off," Walker explains. "I feel that way in Atlanta now across every industry." Creating great visual content on a budget is not only possible -- it's necessary if you want to stand out against the competition. A visual workbench is a set of graphic assets -- including illustrations, icons, graphs, and other visual elements -- that you can repurpose whenever you need a new visual asset for social media, your blog, other another platform. A strong visual workbench is like a great pitch deck. If you've got a pitch deck already, you know the drill: you want to spark the interest of potential clients, so you invest a great deal of time and effort into building that deck, which the outlines key elements of your business and explains your value proposition. It might include icons or illustrations related to your product or service offerings, or graphs that show the gains you've achieved for past clients. You probably made sure to follow your brand guidelines, or opted for a similar look and feel to your website. A visual workbench is much like that pitch deck. It should include key visual elements that you can repurpose again and again for different uses and contexts. Invest in a single great workbench, and you could see huge returns. Here are five advantages of creating a visual workbench. 1. A more agile marketing team One of the biggest bottlenecks that marketing teams face involves their access to great visual content. Visual assets for social media, blog posts, white papers, and other marketing materials can be expensive and time-consuming to create. This can delay the release of new content or force your team to create slipshod, low-quality visuals or release text-only content with no visual accompaniment at all. When you have a visual workbench, your marketing team instantly becomes more agile. They can pull simple icons or useful graphs from the workbench to quickly create new visual assets for a variety of purposes. Did you write a blog post about your top three most popular products? All you have to do is pull the icons associated with those three products, and you've got everything you need for a great blog header. 2. Higher-quality visual content Another big advantage of a workbench is you don't have to settle for lower quality. If your team is creating something from scratch every time you need a new visual, that's time-consuming. Therefore, they might not have the time they need to make truly high-quality designs. When you create your workbench, devote the time and effort to ensure all its elements are custom-made and thoughtfully designed. You'll only have to dedicate that time once. From then on, you'll know that everything you put out into the world projects that same attention to detail and devotion to quality. 3. Consistent branding Creating visual content that has a consistent look and feel not only boosts brand recognition. It also makes your company look more professional, organized, and reliable. So if you've got a large workbench that's all utilizing the same design style and color palette, all the marketing materials you create using that workbench will automatically have a similar look and feel. It's a great way to build a brand that's instantly recognizable, even when your visual assets don't include your company logo. Alternatively, if you're launching a particular marketing campaign, it makes sense to create a workbench just for that campaign. That way, you'll have a campaign-specific look and feel that will stand out in a careful, controlled way from your company-wide brand guidelines. 4. Lower costs When you're not designing everything from scratch, you're saving money. So invest the time and money into creating one great visual workbench, and you'll actually spend less on visual content in the long run. Just make sure to make minor changes to your assets for different contexts. This avoids overuse, and prevents your workbench from becoming stale. Such changes could be as simple as altering the color palette. You might change an illustrated figure from male to female, alter the type of shirt the character is wearing, or put a different object in her hand. These small shifts are still much quicker than creating something entirely new, every time. 5. More engagement Today's consumers know how to differentiate the good visuals from the bad, and they won't interact with or share bad content. If your marketing team is always scrambling to create enough visuals and often settling for less, you won't get the engagement you're looking for. Higher-quality visuals don't just translate to better engagement -- they'll boost your conversions. That means more customers, increased revenue, and faster business growth. Photo: Google Street View Bystanders jumped to save a child from a near-drowning incident at a suburban Victoria swimming pool on Sunday. Langford YMCA confirms multiple people helped rescue the child, including two off-duty paramedics and the pool's on-duty lifeguards, CTV News reports. CPR was performed on the child, who was conscious before being taken to hospital. with files from CTV Vancouver Island (The Center Square) The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is warning residents keen on recreating in the water to look out for cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, in Illinois waters, which can be toxic to humans and pets. Photo: Remind.com Remind.com is claiming a partial victory after waging a social media campaign designed to persuade Rogers and Bell to reverse a fee increase that indirectly affected a free two-way texting service for teachers, students and parents. The San Francisco-based company had warned it wouldn't be able to provide the free texting version of its service to its Canadian users who have wireless plans with Rogers, Bell, or their respective subsidiaries. Remind said Friday in an email and on Twitter that Bell Canada had informed the company that it will reverse the fee increase but Rogers Communications Inc. hadn't done so. A spokesman for Bell said in an email to The Canadian Press that it has agreed to an extension of the old fees while the carrier works towards a longer-term business arrangement with Remind. Rogers didn't comment on the situation prior to the publication deadline. All the companies have acknowledged that the Remind service can be accessed over a cellular data service, but those may incur carrier fees. Remind's app has a variety of uses including notifying groups about class assignments, schedules of emergencies as well as two-way communications between individual teachers, students and parents. Rogers and Bell have said previously they don't have a direct contractual relationship with Remind which accesses their networks through two intermediary companies but they were willing to discuss a compromise. None of the companies' representatives would disclose the per-message fees involved. But Remind chief executive Brian Grey said in an interview its annual costs would jump from "tens of thousands of dollars'' to "hundreds of thousands of dollars'' and the increase is unsustainable for the company at this stage of its development. Grey said Remind doesn't use its platform as a method for distributing advertising and its revenue comes from the sale of a large-scale version of the service to schools and districts, a practice launched in January 2017 in the United States. "Longer term, our plan would be to bring that to Canada and other markets. But we're just not there yet,'' Grey said. Companies in this story: (TSX:RCI.B, TSX:BCE) Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation2@journalnet.com for help creating one. Community Information If you would like to submit an upcoming event or community announcement, please contact our staff at 208-232-4161 or send an email to cjohnson@journalnet.com. We will also accept news from local clubs and engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements. You can post your community or club events on our calendar. Obituaries Submit an obituary/notice All obituaries must be placed by your mortuary or onlineDeadline is 3 p.m. for publication the next day. The ISJ is not responsible for spelling, grammar, or basic mistakes. Photo: CTV News UPDATE: 10:10 a.m. Vancouver police are searching for suspects after what they describe as a brazen robbery and shooting at a medicinal marijuana store on the city's east side. Sgt. Jason Robillard, a police spokesman, says in a release that two masked suspects entered Stepping Stone Holistic Living Store around 5 p.m. Sunday. Robillard says the pair made demands before one of them fired a gun, hitting a 32-year-old customer. He says the wounded Vancouver man was taken to hospital and will recover. The suspects fled before police arrived but investigators have not said if the pair escaped with any merchandise. The police department's major crimes unit has been assigned to the case and officers are seeking information on the holdup from the public. The Canadian Press ORIGINAL: 6:55 a.m. Staff at a Vancouver cannabis dispensary say shots were fired during an attempted robbery. Police have yet to issue a statement, but an employee tells CTV News that a customer was shot in the leg during the incident Sunday evening on Kingsway. A large police presence was seen at the Stepping Stone Holistic Living shop, and a canine team was searching a nearby alley. The injured party was treated by paramedics. with files from CTV Vancouver Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 27) Two senatorial aspirants who took part in CNN Philippines senatorial forum said Philippine media practitioners are not facing any threats. "Under threat by whom? Is it under threat by criminals? If its criminals who kill journalists indiscriminately, of course I will say yes. Right? Rafael Alunan told CNN Philippines in an exclusive interview. Alunan and Harry Roque raised their No signboards when asked if the Philippine media is facing threats. If the insinuation is that the media is being threatened by the government, my god the government is being pilloried every day by the press. We cant have a freer press than now, Alunan said. Alunan added that some media personalities abuse the freedom of the press, saying that they can be judgmental" and licentious." There are many media personalities that tend to go overboard, he said. The former Interior Secretary said laws to protect journalists are already in place, but they are not being implemented. This was echoed by Roque. "Theres no extraordinary threat facing the media. Of course the bill of rights is there to guarantee freedom of the press knowing that governments will naturally not like the media. But I think sufficient safeguards exist so that the media can defend itself, he said. Meanwhile, former Rep. Neri Colmenares, former Bangsamoro Transition Commission member Samira Gutoc, former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, and former Rep. Erin Tanada answered in the affirmative when asked if media in the country face threats. The Philippines is among Southeast Asian countries considered the worst places for journalists, according to a report of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The report, entitled "Southeast Asia Media Freedom Report 2018," gave the Philippines 7.7 points out of 10 for media impunity the highest among the countries in the region. It counted 12 journalists and media personnel killed under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. Malacanang, however, debunked these claims, saying the killing of these journalists had nothing to do with their profession. Critics have also denounced the tax evasion cases filed against online news outfit Rappler and its chief executive officer Maria Ressa, with some claiming the Duterte administration is harassing the media firm. Roque disputed critics claims, reiterating that Rapplers case is a legal issue. We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@idahopress.com for help creating one. Seychelles: Fishing community wants limits on size, amount of fish caught to help Seychelles' endangered dpecies January 24,2019 | Source: AllAfrica The fishing community in the Seychelles has called for more measures to better manage some of the island nation's endangered species and make artisanal fisheries more sustainable, including limiting the size and amount of fish caught. The new call follows the completion of a project by the Green Islands Foundation (GIF) - a not for profit organization - which developed a baseline of threatened species in the artisanal fishery through fisher interviews, consultation, literature review and an intensive 12-month survey of artisanal catch. Some of these fish feature on a list of 15 species which are classified globally as endangered. The fishing community is calling on the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) to put measures in place to control the amount and size of fish caught by artisanal fishermen. The agreed set of measures endorsed by the fisher community is aimed at minimising the impact of artisanal fishery on these species. "The project fits in the country's Blue Economy strategy to reduce fishing pressure and promote sustainable management of artisanal fisheries," explained Wilna Accouche, the Chief Executive of the Green Islands Foundation. Accouche added that "it will eventually result in improved site-level conservation status of various threatened species and contribute to a more diverse, resilient and productive marine ecosystem on the Mahe plateau." The information was collected during an intensive survey of the artisanal catch in 2017 at seven key landing sites and points of sales in Mahe - the main island of the Seychelles archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. The exercise revealed results on the size of fish being caught, methods of fishing that had more impact than others, species of fish that was more commonly fished and the times of the year they were caught. "These results were used to discuss potential and practical measures that fishermen thought they could start to voluntarily implement. The agreed measures were presented to the authority. It is expected that the measures will be formulated into regulations that are permissible under the Fisheries Act of 2014 that allows for co-management," explained Accouche. The group is engaging with the SFA to incorporate the effective time span of the provisions in line with the duration of the Mahe Plateau Demersal Fishery Management Plan to properly monitor the artisanal fishery and enforce the threatened species provisions to ensure their effective implementation. Some of the threatened species which the study revealed includes the humphead wrasse, the scalloped hammerhead, great hammerhead and the ornate eagle ray. The Chief Executive of the SFA, Ronny Renaud, said that the proposed measures will be reviewed and then presented to the board of directors of the authority. "Then we will do what we call domestication of the measures in the regulations within the fisheries act. These will then be enforced and same will be brought to the government for their endorsement," explained Renaud. demonstrate the feasibility of the fisher-led management of fish stock and threatened species conservation. Florent Pool from the Roche Caiman Fishermen Association said their community is fully supportive of the measures. "It is important for artisanal fishing to understand the importance of not catching juveniles," said Pool. "Our associations have expressed our willingness to take the below-specified measures to reduce the impact of the artisanal fishery upon the listed threatened species, subject to the below-stated conditions." This project was conducted in partnership with Fishermen Associations from Roche Caiman and Bel Ombre, the Artisanal Sharks' Fishers Association, Fishermen and Boat Owners Association, the Seychelles Fishing Authority as well as fishers around Mahe. Theme(s): Fisheries Development and Aquaculture. Call for Ireland's political parties to unite behind coastal communities Sinn Fein MEP Liadh Ni Riada has called on all political parties to unite behind a series of broad principles designed to protect our fishing industry, coastal communities and islands. The Ireland South MEP, who sits on the EU Fisheries Committee, made the call at the launch of a fisheries rights charter in Castletownbere today, with local councillor Paul Hayes. This document, which sets out 24 key points of action, is the work of numerous consultations within the fishing industry, with NGOs and with coastal communities, she said. The guiding principles it contains are driven by the people who know this industry and these areas best, those who live and work in them. Nobody has more incentive to ensure that our oceans are managed ethically and sustainably than those whose lives and livelihoods rely on them. Therefore I would hope that all political parties can get behind these principles and bear them in mind when it comes to dealing with our oceans, whether in negotiations in Brussels or debates in the Dail. The Irish fishing industry and the coastal communities that it sustains have been badly let down by successive Irish Governments and by the European Union. What could and should have been a vibrant and sustainable driver of growth in our national economy has been held back by bad policy and political neglect. There is no overnight solution to the catalogue of wrongs done to fishermen and fishing communities, however I believe the first step in setting things to right is for policymakers to show respect to those involved in the industry and to our coastal and island communities, by listening to what they have to say. Whether they are from the islands, Castletownbere, Dingle, Kilmore Quay, Rossaveal, Killybegs, Howth, Ard Glass,Kilkeel or Portavogie, Sinn Fein wants to work with all fishers to promote our fishing sector in a fair and equitable manner. I would encourage everybody, particularly those who it most effects, to read this charter and to contact your local councillors, TDs, MLAs and MEPs and urge them to adopt these guiding principles for their own. Councillor Paul Hayes also endorsed the charter and called on the Government to do more to protect coastal communities. Castletownbere is not unique in feeling abandoned by the government, he said. Coastal communities right around the country are all telling us the same story; that the only time the government pays any attention to our oceans is when they are selling them off. Ireland needs a dedicated Minister for the Marine, someone whose sole responsibility will be to protecting, promoting and sustaining our coastal economies and communities. 2019 BAILY PUBLICATIONS LTD Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. After record sargassum influx, CRFM initiates fact-finding study in CARICOM states with support from Japan January 27,2019 | Source: Caribbean News Now The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) has initiated a regional fact-finding study to document the record-breaking influx of sargassum seaweed in the Caribbean Sea in 2018, and the impacts this phenomenon has been having on countries in the region since 2011. The fact-finding survey is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which has coordinated official development assistance from Japan to CARICOM states for over two decades. Over the past seven years, massive sargassum influxes have been having adverse effects on national and regional economies in the Caribbean, with substantial loss of livelihoods and economic opportunities, primarily in the fisheries and tourism sectors. Large sargassum influxes had been experienced in this region in 2011, 2014 and 2015, but it reached unprecedented levels in 2018, with more sargassum affecting the Caribbean for a longer period of time than had previously been observed. It is estimated that clean-up could cost the Caribbean at least $120 million in 2018. The CRFM Ministerial Council adopted the Protocol for the Management of Extreme Accumulations of Sargassum on the Coasts of CRFM Member States in 2016. The protocol has been guiding the drafting of national Sargassum management protocols for Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines, with support from the CC4FISH project, an initiative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). In the coming weeks, the CRFM Secretariat will lead extensive consultations with key national stakeholders in the public and private sector, including interests in fisheries, tourism, and environment, as well as with coastal communities and other related sectors. Remote surveys and field missions in select member states will provide a broad knowledge-base on exactly how the phenomenon has been affecting the countries. Through the project, the CRFM will identify heavily affected areas, the time and frequency of extreme blossoms and accumulation of sargassum, the quantity of accumulation, and elements associated with it, such as the species of fish and types of debris. A review of the history and scope of the impacts (both positive and negative) will be conducted and the extent of financial losses quantified. The CRFM will also identify research and countermeasures taken by the national governments, regional organizations, research institutions, and other development partners and donors. Finally, the study will suggest actions and scope of support that Japan may provide to help the countries address the problem. According to the CRFM, sargassum influxes disrupt fishing operations through gear entanglement and damage; impeding fishing and other vessels at sea; reducing catches of key fisheries species, such as flyingfish and adult dolphinfish; changing the availability and distribution of coastal and pelagic fisheries resources; and disrupting coastal fishing communities and tourism activities. However, this challenge has also inspired innovative interventions, and opportunities for revenue-generation include value-addition through the production of fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, animal feed, and biofuel. The CRFM notes, though, that the financial or other benefits remain to be quantified. The sargassum phenomenon is believed to be driven by several factors, including climate change and increased sea surface temperature; change in regional winds and ocean current patterns; increased supply of Saharan dust; and nutrients from rivers, sewage and nitrogen-based fertilizers. 2004-2018 Caribbean News Now Theme(s): Others. Mount Greylock Extended Care Facility Administrator Honored For Leadership PITTSFIELD, Mass. The American College of Health Care Administrators honored Maria Craft, administrator of Mount Greylock Extended Care Facility in Pittsfield, as a 2018 recipient of the ACHCA Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award, the third consecutive year she has been so honored. The award, named in memory of visionary ACHCA member Eli Pick, recognizes administrators whose teams have achieved dimensions of organizational quality that few others have been able to reach. "I'm honored to receive this recognition a third time, but the results we have achieved at Mt. Greylock Extended Care Facility are due to the hard work and dedication of every single team member here," Craft said. "We are a five-star Medicare rated facility and hold the Silver-Achievement in Quality award from the American Health Care Association, all with the support of the caregivers at Mt. Greylock Extended Care. I'm grateful to all of them." Only 7 percent of facilities nationwide qualified, and Craft was one of 44 recipients in Massachusetts who received the Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award. This award recognizes the administrator of record who provided leadership throughout the award year. Eligibility for this award is based on three years of skilled nursing facility survey data, including the health, fire (life safety), and complaint surveys, as well as top quartile performance on designated quality measures. The criteria also included an 80 percent or greater facility occupancy and a three-year avoidance of a Special Focus Facility status. Mount Greylock Extended Care Facility is a nonprofit organization that has been caring for people in the heart of the Berkshires since 1987. Located in a wooded residential area less than a quarter of a mile from Berkshire Medical Center, the facility provides top quality, personalized short-term rehabilitation, long-term skilled nursing care and respite care in a warm, homelike setting. Hospice services are available for compassionate end-of-life care. Mount Greylock is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, an organization that integrates additional quality improvement principles into the daily operations with focus on improved resident outcomes. Mt. Greylock is owned by Berkshire Healthcare, a leader among nonprofit, post-acute care organizations in Massachusetts, and is managed by an affiliate of Berkshire Health Systems. For more information, visit the website. Grammys + IBM + Muzooka = New AI Powered GRAMMYconnect The Grammys have created a new site that traces the connections both obvious and wonderfully obscure between the 19,000 artists and individuals that have been nominated for or won a Grammy over the years. Created by Havas, GRAMMYconnect leverages IBM Watson's artificial intelligence to comb the web, along with artist information from Muzooka and Grammy.com. When it went live, Watson Discovery identified more than 20 million connections between artists, industry professionals, and other celebrities. Fans can navigate by genre, award category or by clicking on the image of an artist to see who theyre connected to. Perhaps they studied at the same music academy. Or got their start on The X-Factor. Or maybe they are both Best New Artist nominees from Albania, like Dua Lipa and Bebe Rexha. "This partnership is about empowering discovery and identifying connections connections between those who create music, as well as those of us who love music, says Evan Greene, Chief Marketing Officer of the Recording Academy. Muzooka, which helps artists and their teams manage their media assets across multiple platforms from a central hub, has been gathering momentum in recent months thanks to a number of new partnerships. Share on: Photo: The Canadian Press A family leaves to apply for asylum in the United States, at the border, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Tijuana, Mexico. President Donald Trump said the odds congressional negotiators will craft a deal to end his border wall standoff with Congress are "less than 50-50." As hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers prepared to return to work, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he doesn't think the negotiators will strike a deal that he'd accept. He pledged to build a wall anyway using his executive powers to declare a national emergency if necessary. "I personally think it's less than 50-50, but you have a lot of very good people on that board," Trump said in an interview Sunday with the newspaper. The president was referring to a bipartisan committee of House and Senate lawmakers that will consider border spending as part of the legislative process. The president's standoff with Democrats on Capitol Hill is far from over and the clock is ticking. The spending bill Trump signed on Friday to temporarily end the partial government shutdown funds the shuttered agencies only until Feb. 15. It's unclear if the Democrats will budge. Trump seemed girded for battle over the weekend, sending out a series of online messages that foreshadowed the upcoming fight with lawmakers. "BUILD A WALL & CRIME WILL FALL!" he tweeted. Is Trump prepared to shut down the government again in three weeks? "Yeah, I think he actually is," acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said. "He doesn't want to shut the government down, let's make that very clear. He doesn't want to declare a national emergency." But Mulvaney said that at "the end of the day, the president's commitment is to defend the nation and he will do it with or without Congress." The linchpin in the standoff is Trump's demand for $5.7 billion for his prized wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, a project Democrats consider an ineffective, wasteful monument to a ridiculous Trump campaign promise. Asked if he'd willing to accept less than $5.7 billion to build a barrier on the southern border, Trump replied: "I doubt it." He added: "I have to do it right." He also said he'd be wary of any proposed deal that exchanged funds for a wall for broad immigration reform. And when asked if he would agree to citizenship for immigrants who were illegally brought into the U.S. as children, he again replied, "I doubt it." California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the leading Republican in the House, said Democrats have funded border barriers in the past and are refusing this time simply because Trump is asking for it. "The president is the only one who has been reasonable in these negotiations," he said. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, a member of the Democratic leadership in the House, said his colleagues are looking for "evidence-based" legislation. "Shutdowns are not legitimate negotiating tactics when there's a public policy disagreement between two branches of government," he said. Jeffries said that Democrats are willing to invest in additional infrastructure, especially at legal ports of entry where the majority of drugs come into the country. The Duke of Cambridge talked about the social stigma often linked to mental illness, which he believes is caused by the stiff upper lip approach by members of the wartime generation. The refusal to openly talk about such horrendous events led to a stoic attitude that many of their children eventually inherited, William explained. Wartime was very, very difficult for everybody, he said. No matter how much you would talk, you were never going to fix the issue. A whole generation decided that this was the best way of dealing with it. They then, completely by accident, passed that on to the next generation. So a whole generation inherited [the idea] that this was the way you deal with your problems: you dont talk about it. However, a new generation is starting to see the problem differently. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Houston, MO (65483) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 92F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Photo: Contributed As some towns and cities across Canada are dealing with winter weather, others in B.C. are battling over balmy temperatures. Environment Canada said Kamloops and Bella Coola were both 11 degrees at 2 p.m., Pacific Standard Time on Sunday. They are battling it out for the Canada hotspot today, who will win? Kelowna residents were treated to sunshine and 7 degree weather on Sunday, while people living in Winnipeg had -20 degree conditions, -29 degrees in Thunder Bay and -13 degrees in Toronto. Editor's note: This editorial has been corrected to reflect the measles advisory for Ellis County was issued in 2018. A measles outbreak health advisory issued last year by the Texas Department of State Health Services is a reminder that this state is walking down a dangerous path by issuing too many waivers to parents who dont want their children to get immunization shots required to attend school. Texas is one of 18 states that allows waivers of school vaccine requirements based on parents conscience or personal beliefs. Last year nearly 57,000 students claimed a non-medical exemption from taking otherwise mandatory shots to attend school. Houston, Austin, Fort Worth and Plano all rank among the top 15 metropolitan areas in the nation for vaccine exemptions. Many of these waivers were granted at the request of parents who still believe the debunked theory that childhood immunization may cause autism or other disorders. Despite scientific evidence that the theory is just plain wrong, Texans for Vaccine Choice has successfully lobbied the Texas Legislature to kill any bill that would make it more difficult to get a vaccine waiver. The state issued a measles advisory after six cases were confirmed in Ellis County, south of Dallas. The advisory noted that one person with the disease went to the movies at a Waxahachie theater last January. It takes 10-12 days for measles symptoms to show. What if a child at that movie theater wasnt vaccinated? What if that child went to school not knowing he was contagious. Thats how easily an outbreak can spread. A public health emergency was declared Jan. 18 in Washington state, where 26 measles cases have been confirmed since the month began. The outbreak was mostly confined to Clark County, Wash., where almost a quarter of all public school students are not vaccinated. Officials said 19 of the 23 cases had never received a measles vaccine. Eighteen are children 10 years old or younger. For most people, measles means a blotchy skin rash, a runny nose, maybe a cough but the disease can be fatal. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the last measles death in the United States was recorded in 2015. Worldwide, however, the disease kills more than 100,000 people a year, most of them children with no access to the vaccine that could have saved their lives. Texas needs to clamp down on the number of vaccine waivers this state is granting. Legislators swayed by preservation of personal liberties groups like Texans for Vaccine Choice forget that every freedom has its limits. That is especially so when it comes to protecting the lives of vulnerable children. Children have a fundamental right to be protected against deadly childhood infections, just like they are entitled to be placed in a car seat or a safety belt, said Dr. Peter Hotez, head of the Texas Childrens Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. That shouldnt be so hard for legislators to understand. Brett Ligon has not been to Mass since the Sept. 11 arrest of Father Manuel La Rosa-Lopez. A longtime Catholic, he was married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Conroe in 1993 and moved in recent years to St. Matthias the Apostle in Magnolia. Now the district attorney of Montgomery County, he cant bring himself to go back. I havent been to Mass since we arrested the priest but thats a personal issue, he said. Im a mad DA, which is what victims need. We dont need a DA whos looking for forgiveness. Ligon, 50, made no secret of his ties to the Conroe church where La Rosa-Lopez worked as more than 60 local, state and federal law enforcement officials descended on the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houstons headquarters on Nov. 28, looking for evidence linked to accusations that the priest molested two young parishioners over a three-year period. And Ligons made it clear he wont stop there warning that other members of the clergy who may have done wrong will come under scrutiny from his office. When Im there on a Sunday, Im there to worship, Ligon said at the time of the search. When Im there on a Monday through Friday, my job is to investigate thoroughly. Its the biggest case of alleged priest abuse in the Houston area in decades and the biggest of Ligons 10 years as Montgomery County district attorney, where he has built a reputation as an aggressive prosecutor who wont back down. Ligon has vowed to go all the way to the Vatican to investigate the allegations. And with the archdiocese poised to release the names this week of any priests since the 1950s deemed credibly accused of child sexual abuse, it also threatens to stain the legacy of local Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who leads the U.S. Conference of Bishops as it works to draft a response to sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Ligon declined to comment recently about the allegations and his decade as district attorney, but he made his feelings clear during the November search of the archdiocese. There are so many lay Catholics, he said at the time, who are ready for the church to come clean. Not intimidated by national headlines The complicated test of prosecuting a case so close to home is not lost on Phil Grant, the judge of Montgomery Countys 9th District Court whose friendship with Ligon dates to 1996. The two signed on to work for legendary Harris County District Attorney Johnny Holmes on the same day, and Grant joined him as first assistant district attorney in Montgomery County after Ligon won the election as DA in 2008. I think Brett is very challenged to do the right thing in this particular matter because of his faith, Grant said recently. I have seen him, in the past decade, growing in his faith and it becoming a bigger part of his life. Because of that, he takes this matter even more seriously. As Montgomery County DA, Ligon has targeted two key issues decreasing drunken driving fatalities and making his home turf what he called a no-fly zone for sex offenders. As he entered office in 2009, he secured funding for a Childrens Safe Harbor investigator and campaigned for tougher sentences for child molesters. He also formed an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which apprehended more than 60 suspects last year who walked into sting operations believing they were meeting a child for sexual contact. And he challenged Harris County District Attorney Kim Oggs decision to decriminalize low-level marijuana possession in 2017, saying her policy to allow citations but not arrests for small amounts of marijuana amounted to selective enforcement. He said he didnt want Montgomery County to become a sanctuary for dope smokers. We preserve, protect and defend the constitutions of the United States and the state of Texas, Ligon said. When you choose what laws you dont want to enforce then this becomes mob mentality. Grant joined Ligon in prosecuting then-Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson for child abuse, a case that led to the athlete avoiding jail time after he pleaded no contest in 2012 for whipping his 4-year-old son. The arrest garnered national attention that only grew after Ligon demanded Peterson be arrested for admitting to smoking a little weed while out on bond Hes not intimidated by cases that are going to make those national headlines or have a significant repercussion throughout the community, Grant said. A little over the top Ligon left the Harris County District Attorneys Office in 1999 after Holmes announced his retirement, and joined the Houston Police Officers Union. It was a job that brought him the strong support of law enforcement when he challenged incumbent Montgomery County DA Michael McDougal in 2008. He won 57 percent of the vote in the Republican primary and sailed into office without a Democratic opponent in the general election. Former HPOU President Ray Hunt said Ligons firmness toward the law is an asset. His pet peeves are the people who violate the law, even if hes trying to convict somebody on a misdemeanor, Hunt said. Hes not afraid to get into the courtroom. Last week, in fact, Ligon was in court prosecuting Rafael Leos-Trejo, a Spring man accused in the Feb. 16 death of his wife, Jessica Torres Leos. If youre a bad guy, you better stay out of Montgomery County. I can promise you that, Hunt said. Critics, however, say otherwise. Conroe defense attorney Gilbert Garcia, who ran against Ligon in the GOP primary in 2012, accused him of being a publicity hound. Garcia attends Sacred Heart and knew La Rosa-Lopez at the time the abuse is alleged to have taken place. He said Ligon went too far while taking questions about the search of the archdiocese. When he said hell go to the Vatican, that seemed a little over the top to me, Garcia said recently. I find it outlandish to go there. During the 2012 primary, Garcia took exception to Ligons appearance on TV personality Nancy Graces show to discuss the capital murder case of a nurse who killed a Spring woman and abducted her newborn baby. Ligon joined Grace on-air the day after the slaying more than a year before the nurse pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. And he likened Ligons tough-on-crime approach to a police state. Ligon also may have a bit of a temper. A news helicopter caught him in a heated exchange with a church lawyer as investigators shuffled in and out of the archdiocese in November, as DiNardo loomed over a portion of the 15-minute conversation in a nearby alley. And once, while working for the police union, he sued a Houston lawyer for defamation after she accused him of lollygagging after he asked to delay a case. The suit went to mediation and was dismissed about a year later in 2002. Focus on the children La Rosa-Lopez was arrested in 2018 after being charged with four counts of indecency with a child. The alleged victims now adults told Conroe police they were molested at Sacred Heart from 1998 to 2001. A third accuser says La Rosa-Lopez inappropriately touched him at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Houston in 1992 when he was a 12-year-old altar boy. Investigators have now seized records from St. John Fisher Church in Richmond, where La Rosa-Lopez was previously assigned; Sacred Heart church; the Shalom Center treatment facility for priests in Splendora; and the archdiocese. Ligon personally helped investigators at Sacred Heart as they executed the search warrant in September and again at the archdiocese. Before the police reports were filed, however, La Rosa-Lopez was removed from the Conroe parish in April 2001 and sent to the Shalom Center to undergo treatment until January 2002, records show. He returned to his priestly duties at the St. John Fisher Church in Richmond in about 2003 or 2004, according to church and court records. Its not clear whether Bishop Joseph Fiorenza was leading the diocese at the time or DiNardo had already arrived in Houston from the Diocese of Sioux City in Iowa. La Rosa-Lopez remained at the Richmond parish until August, shortly before his arrest, according to the archdiocese. DiNardos handling of the complaints could also come under scrutiny. One of La Rosa-Lopezs accusers told a Conroe police investigator that the cardinal appeared to be dismissive of her claims when they met to discuss her allegations, and DiNardos computers were among the items seized from the archdiocese, according to court records. Archdiocese officials have said they are cooperating fully with investigators. DiNardos response to the allegations of widespread sexual abuse within the Catholic and the growing criticism of a widespread cover-up has put members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at odds with his leadership. The Vatican in November postponed a vote to establish a lay commission for receiving complaints against bishops, reportedly for pushing the measure without giving the Pope adequate time to review the legal implications. Molestation claims against ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick in Washington, D.C. and the release of a sweeping Pennsylvania Grand Jury report in August have further stirred questions about the churchs handling of complaints. The 900-page Pennsylvania report revealed the names and assignment history of 300 predator priests from six dioceses there who were accused of molesting more than 1,000 children. The report prompted dozens of nationwide dioceses to release details about sex abuse in their religious jurisdictions by posting lists of credibly accused clergy members. The 15 dioceses in Texas, including the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, are set to release their lists by Thursday. Ligon and his team of investigators have looked to the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office as a model for their probe into the local priest. Ligon credits the work of three prosecutors Wesley LeRouax, Nancy Hebert and Tyler Dunman for developing the charges and the ongoing investigation. Dunman said Ligon has kept the focus on the children. As a person who grew up in Montgomery County all his life, raised his family here, he takes a lot of pride in protecting kids its a personal thing for him, not just a mantra, Dunman said. We take that and turn it into something thats workable and whats most effective. And then we unleash the dogs. Youre looking at them. Only way to win this battle Ligons faith offers a measure of hope for the alleged victims of La Rosa-Lopez and others molested by Catholic priests. Michael Norris, who heads the local chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said he was unaware that Ligon was Catholic until the November search of the archdiocese. But he sees it as key to the prosecution. This is the only way were going to win this battle by having good Catholics change this, Norris said. Last week, at a SNAP meeting in Houston, the woman who brought the allegations about La Rosa-Lopez to Conroe police told the Houston Chronicle that she didnt initially believe her complaint would have any impact on the priest. She credits Ligon with taking charge of the investigation. Hes one of my heroes, she said, asking not to be identified. Him standing up for the children means the world to me. That parish is on fire for justice. nicole.hensley@chron.com CARACAS, Venezuela - The Venezuelan opposition is in talks with sympathetic military and civilian officials in a bid to force out President Nicolas Maduro, self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido said in an interview Sunday with The Washington Post. Backed by the United States and a host of Latin American countries, Guaido also said the opposition will test the socialist government by bringing in food aid to ease a crippling humanitarian crisis. Guaido and his opposition are locked in a high-stakes play to drive Maduro from power. In Caracas, Maduro's top brass and defense minister have sworn their allegiance to him. The new head of Venezuela's democratically elected National Assembly - a body stripped of its power by Maduro in 2017 but still recognized internationally - Guaido has argued that Maduro must leave his post. Maduro was elected to a second six-year term last year, but the vote was widely derided as fraudulent. Virtually unknown outside of Venezuela before this month, the 35-year-old industrial engineer proclaimed himself interim president last week. Guaido told The Post that talks with the military were proceeding behind the scenes. He also hailed a move on Saturday by Maduro's former military attache in Washington to switch allegiance to Guaido. "We have been in talks with government officials, civilian and military men," Guaido said. "This is a very delicate subject involving personal security. We are meeting with them but discreetly." Antonio Rivero, a Venezuelan general in exile in Miami, said he has spoken with high, middle and lower military officials who find fault with Maduro but remain fearful of a full break. "Many soldiers are desperate," Rivero said. "The armed forces are broken already." In the slum of Petare in eastern Caracas, anti-Maduro residents approached National Guard stations to hand out fliers with an amnesty pledge to encourage the drab-clad guards to turn against Maduro. One guard burned the paper as they shouted, "Soldier, my friend, you're the only one missing." The crowd had met early and had bought the guards baked goods for breakfast. "We're asking them to stop going out to the streets to repress us. We're asking them to come out to support us," said Manfredo Gonzalez, a social worker. As Guaido seeks to establish a transition government, he said he was in the process of naming "foreign representatives." The State Department announced Sunday that it had accepted the credentials of Carlos Vecchio, an exiled Venezuelan opposition leader appointed by Guaido, as Venezuela's representative in the United States. Guaido said that ahead of his proclamation as president, he had met or spoken with several U.S. senators, including Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. The history of U.S. military involvement in Latin America has raised questions about whether the White House would direct a military intervention to oust Maduro. President Donald Trump has said "all options" are on the table, while defense officials have sought to tamp down speculation that the Pentagon could become involved. Rubio disputed that the United States would participate in a coup. Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," he said the United States is "simply supporting the democratic institutions" in Venezuela. "This is the U.S. supporting the people of Venezuela, who want their constitution and democracy followed," he said. "That's a fact." Administration officials, however, have openly called for Maduro's departure. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has additionally called on the Venezuelan military to stand on the side of "democracy," while Vice President Mike Pence has issued a video that supports anti-Maduro street protests. The United States and Venezuela broke diplomatic relations last week, as the Trump administration recognized Guaido, and Maduro responded with an order for U.S. diplomats to depart Caracas by Jan. 26. Maduro, however, backed off and agreed to allow minimal staff in the country for 30 days as the two sides negotiate the establishment of more limited "interest offices." If no deal is reached at the end of that period, diplomats would need to leave within 72 hours. The United States last week ordered the departure of nonemergency personnel from Venezuela but has said the embassy will remain open with a skeleton crew. In an interview with CNN Turk, a Turkish news channel, broadcast on Sunday, Maduro confirmed that a small number of U.S. diplomats were still in Caracas. "I have authorized a small group to remain, to carry out the negotiations that will take place during 30 days for the establishment of an interests office," Maduro said. "We do not have diplomatic and political relations with them. I broke them." He lashed out at European powers that have given him eight days, starting Saturday, to call new elections. If he doesn't, they have threatened to recognize Guaido. "They must withdraw this ultimatum. Nobody can give us an ultimatum," Maduro told the network. Guaido told The Post that the opposition was preparing to challenge the government's authority by bringing food aid into the country, aid made possible by a $20 million pledge from the United States, as well as offers from Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and the European Union. Maduro has largely blocked aid in the past, claiming that reports of rapidly spreading hunger and disease in Venezuela is a fiction invented by his enemies. "Humanitarian aid is the center of our policy, and we are working on the logistics," he said. "We believe this will be a new dilemma for the regime and the Armed Forces. They'll have to decide if they're on the side of the people and want to heal the country, or if they will ignore it. I believe we're going to achieve it. They're going to let it in." He said his challenge to Maduro is in an early, sensitive phase. He said "many elements need to be solved" before he would seek new elections. He suggested it would take six to nine months to do so if Maduro steps down and the electoral system could be rapidly purged of corruption. Guaido credited foreign backing for the government's restraint in dealing with him. Although Guaido was briefly detained earlier this month, Maduro's government has treaded relatively lightly; it has arrested, charged or driven into exile other opposition leaders. Late Sunday, Guaido called for a new large-scale protest to take place Wednesday. He called a second protest for Saturday, the day European powers appear set to recognize him as Venezuela's interim leader. The growing recognition has placed practical burdens on his fledgling transitional government, including how to pay for embassy rents and staffing in countries where he is viewed as Venezuela's emergency leader. The opposition has said Guaido is partly counting on Venezuelan assets frozen by the United States, which the Trump administration has pledge to put at his disposal to carry out diplomacy and governance. Guaido said the fledging transitional government seeks to take control of Citgo, the U.S. oil company wholly owned by the Venezuelan state via American subsidiaries, but suggested it might take time. Influential Venezuelan exiles were calling on the Trump administration to take steps that could secure Citgo as a source of revenue for Guaido's transitional government. "Nothing will signal Mr. Maduro more pointedly than the loss of control over foreign assets," said Pedro Burelli, a former member of the board of directors of Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, which owns Citgo. "Other than liquid assets owned by an array of public entities, control of Citgo would be a game changer," he said. --- Faiola reported from Rio de Janeiro and Kryger from Miami. Carl Tremblay, HONS / Associated Press If you're from the Northeast, or if you haven't been to Chicago, you may dismiss deep-dish pizza out of regional pride. That would be a mistake. Real Chicago-style pizza is certainly thick, but its texture and flavor are something special: Instead of being bread-like, the crust offers the contrast of a good biscuit airy inside, lightly crisp outside, and flaky throughout and boasts a rich taste that holds its own under any topping. We wanted to achieve such results at home. At lifes weak moments, the right soup can right wrongs, lift spirits, even make a bad head cold seem tolerable for the moment, anyway. There is something about a well-made soup that nourishes and soothes both body and soul. Fortifying and life-affirming, soup can be almost magical, a spell cast in thousands of flavors and foundations. In Houston, were lucky to draw on the riches of all our indigenous and latter-day cuisines to make up our dazzling soup repertoire. Mexico, Louisiana and the Deep South have long contributed to the oeuvre, and a rich spectrum of Asian traditions now chimes in. Simply put, there has never been a better Houston era for the consumption of soups. And optimal time to enjoy them is right now, in the unpredictable depth of midwinter. Here are some of our favorite or dare we say super? bowls to add to your life list. Mai Pham and Mizanur Rahman also contributed to this story. Posole Verde at Cuchara Some Houstonians swear by red pozole when the weekend rolls around, a traditional time to serve this Mexican hominy soup. But at Cucharas lively brunch , which feels like a mini-vacay in Mexico City, its the verdant green chicken pozole that haunts: its green-chile-spiked broth earthy and alive, its hominy kernels nice and springy, its textures animated by lots of fresh add-ins. Squeeze in some lime juice, some crunchy radish and onion, some leafy cilantro. Crumble in some crackly fried mini-tortillas. Its a dance in a bowl. Details: $12, weekend brunch only; 214 Fairview; 713-942-0000; cuchararestaurant.com French Onion Soup at Maison Pucha Bistro Theres nothing so suited to winter as the savor and cheesy stretch of a well-made French onion soup. This letter-perfect version, by French-trained Ecuadoran chef Manuel Pucha, gets its gravitas from deeply caramelized onions, mahogany broth touched with a tinge of espelette pepper and just the right quotient of elastic Alpine cheese. Bonus: It sidesteps the common over-sweetness trap, and its baguette crouton doesnt fight back. Details: $10; 1001 Studewood; 713-637-4976; maisonpucha.com Chicken Avgolemono at Niko Nikos Niko Nikos owner Dimitri Fetokakis omits the usual egg whisked into the clear, lemony avgolemono its how his Greek mother did it. That only amplifies this sunny soups curative powers. The key is generous amounts of dill and the perfect ratio of broth to elements (chicken, rice, shredded carrot, onion, celery). With pita slices for soaking and an extra squeeze of lemon, its a day-brightening gift. Details: $6.50; 1040 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. N. (832-981-4976), 2520 Montrose (713-528-4976) and 301 Milam (in Market Square Park); nikonikos.com Tonkotsu Ramen at Ramen Bar Ichi The creamy, five-hour tonkotsu Kurobuta pork broth exhibits a level of richness and depth of flavor that can only be achieved with true mastery of the ramen craft. Add thin, Hakata-style noodles and toppings fresh-scorched chasu pork belly slices, wood-ear mushrooms, marinated bamboo shoots, a tuft of green onion and a sheet of crisp nori seaweed to balance out the broth. A joy to slurp to the very last drop. Details: $11; 1801 S. Dairy Ashford, Suite 108; 281-531-7980; ramenbarichi.com Honorable mentions: Spicy Miso Ramen at Tiger Den; Spicy Soy Ramen at Kata Robata Southern Bean Stew at Better Luck Tomorrow A vegan soup filling enough to be a whole meal, served at a cocktail bar co-owned by a James Beard Award-winning chef? Yep, and we never get tired of eating it. The heart of the lively, tomatoey stew base is the beans chef Justin Yu switches between black-eyed peas and purple hull peas. The nourishing arteries are wilted greens (currently an Italian variety of lacinato kale, sometimes collards) and caramelized carrot cubes. Mixed together, its soul-satisfying stuff. Details: $14 for a bowl; 544 Yale; 713-802-0845; betterlucktomorrowhou.com Snapping Turtle Soup at Brennans of Houston The turtle soup has been on the menu since Brennans opened here in 1967. And it remains one of the joyous constants of celebratory dining in Houston, a roux-dark swamp of haute-Creole magic. Enriched with veal stock and livened with lemon juice, this bracing, voluptuous elixir with its traditional splash of dry sherry at the table is, by all rights, legendary. Details: $10; 3300 Smith; 713-522-9711; brennanshouston.com Kimchi Soft Tofu Soup (Soondubu Jjigae) at Korean Noodle House Soondubu jjigae can come with mushroom, seafood or beef. But at Korean Noodle House, the kimchi version is the standout. Using house-made, 2-week-old fermented kimchi, owners Raymond and Myung Kim cook the kimchi in a beef broth base to yield a thick, pleasingly pungent liquid. King Oyster mushroom and radish are added for texture. The soup arrives at the table in a bubbling cauldron. Glorious. Details: $11.50; 10016 Long Point; 713-463-8870; koreannoodlehouse .wixsite.com Honorable mention: Soondubu Jjigae at Jang Guem Tofu and BBQ House Red Lentil Soup at Empire Turkish Grill This classic central Anatolian-style lentil soup matches the Memorial dining rooms serenely genteel environs. Pureed but not quite, tomato paste helps smooth the gritty texture of the lentils, and its all gently lifted by a bit of mint and balancing spritz of lemon. An ideal precursor to a grilled-meat platter or as a hearty lunch, given a basket of fresh-baked, sesame-laden Turkish bread. Details: $4.50; 12448 Memorial, 713-827-7475; empireturkishgrill.com Honorable mention: Lentil and Sausage Soup at Carrabbas Wagyu Pho at Saigon House Chef Tony Nguyens oxtail pho broth oxtail and beef bones simmered for 12 hours with spices and aromatics is intense. His Wagyu Pho is next level. Nguyen grills paper-thin slices of melt-in-your-mouth Marble Ranch beef, then serves them rare atop a bed of fresh noodles. With copious amounts of green onion and gold flakes for pizazz, the bowl is then carried to the table where the broth is poured table-side. Details: $17.99, 3101 Main; 713-529-1100; saigonhousehouston.com Honorable mention: Pho Dac Biet at The Pho Spot; Vegan Pho at Les Noodle Smoked Chicken Tortilla Soup at Tribute It starts with a stock made with chicken feet, then the bones of smoked chicken, then a spicy undertow of dried guajillo and ancho peppers. Onion and tomato, too, naturally. Thats the essential broth to chef Neal Coxs revelatory bowl of goodness that will spoil you for any other tortilla soup in town. Its poured over house-smoked chicken meat, fried corn tortillas and other goodies. Dont pass on the honey butter yeast rolls. Details: $10; The Houstonian Hotel, 111 N. Post Oak; 713-685-6713; houstonian.com Niku Udon at Ishin Udon Restaurateur Mike Tran offers a variety of broths and toppings at Ishin Udon, from Kakuni udon topped with pork belly to Kanuki udon topped with tempura. But the Niku, or beef udon, is the real winner. Served in a slightly sweet dashi and topped with a generous helping of thinly sliced, marbled beef, the thick wheat noodles have a wonderful slippery elasticity that make them super fun to eat. Details: $8.50; 9630 Clarewood, Suite A15-B; 713-239-2955 Mole De Olla (Oxtail Soup) at Hugos Served in fall and winter, this richly beefy oxtail soup is like some supernal caldo de res. Tender oxtail with traces of sumptuous, gelatinous connective tissue meets roasty zucchini, crisp seared green beans and spears of baby corn in a brick-red beef broth energized with just a bit of guajillo chile. Those arent mushroom caps bobbing around theyre cushy yellow and blue corn dumplings. Add some cilantro, onion and a squirt of lime if you like, but this soup is magnificent as is. Details: $14; 1600 Westheimer; 713-524-7744; hugosrestaurant.net Borscht at Riel On the menu since it opened two years ago in Montrose, the warm borscht at Riel is pure beet immersion. Chef Ryan Lachaine uses salt-roasted beets as the vegetal base but adds a tinge of maple syrup, true to his Canadian roots. Veal stock, tomatoes and a touch of vinegar bring depth and complexity to the bowl, topped with grated fresh horseradish, creme fraiche and dill. Details: $10; 1927 Fairview; 832-831-9109; rielhtx.com Seafood Gumbo at Floyds Cajun Seafood Houston is not really a great gumbo town. (Sorry, its true.) Still, there are plenty of spots to get your fix. We love this one for its deeply flavorful, tar-colored roux and for the amount of protein chunks of crab meat and multiple plump, well-cooked shrimp packed into even a small cup. Its more brothy than porridgelike and doesnt get bogged down in frivolous vegetables outside a bit of a green onion garnish. Rice comes on the side for personal customization, along with lagniappe toasted garlic bread. Details: $5.95 for a cup, $8.95 for a bowl; 20760 Interstate 45 S., Webster; 281-332-7474; other locations in Cypress, Pearland and Sugar Land; floydscajunseafood.restaurant Honorable mention: Seafood and sausage gumbo at The Rouxpour; seafood gumbo at Goode Company Seafood Vietnamese Duck Noodle Soup at Le Colonial Everything about this soup is extraordinary. Executive chef Hassan Obaye cures Long Island Rohan duck for four days before roasting it until the skin glistens with a mahogany sheen. The fragrant, pure duck broth is prepared in the traditional French method, simmered with myriad spices. For the final product, duck breast is sliced and served atop al dente wonton egg noodles, with shiitake mushroom and bok choy and a side of colorful Vietnamese pickles. Details: $22; 4444 Westheimer; 713-629-4444; lecolonialhouston.com Honorable mention: Mi Vit Tiem at Thim Hing Sandwich Minestrone at Damians Cucina Italiana One of Italian cuisines iconic soups can be found at one of Houstons iconic Italian restaurants. The minestrone is the original recipe from founder Damian Mandola cabbage, potatoes, zucchini, squash, carrots, onion, celery and beans in a tomato-tinged chicken broth. Its simple purity and veggie goodness make it essential. Details: $9.50; 3011 Smith; 713-522-0439; damians.com Matzo Ball Soup at The Classic The umami-rich broth, perhaps thanks in part to koji seasoning on the chicken, sets this soup above the fray. Stock is made fresh daily with hormone-free, non-GMO whole Red Bird chickens. The hand-rolled matzo balls the Classic uses from-scratch matzo meal and duck fat instead of schmaltz soak in the broth before the whole package, sprinkled with ample chives and shredded carrot, is delivered. Blessedly, the accompanying silver pot contains enough broth to refill your bowl twice. Details: $5; 5922 Washington; 713-868-1131; theclassichouston.com Honorable mention: Mishmosh Soup at Kenny & Ziggys; Matzo Ball Soup with noodles at New York Bagels Shabu Shabu at Shabu Zone Premium ingredients such as Heartbrand Wagyu beef, large freshwater prawns and fresh blue crab are only part of the draw at this busy shabu-shabu (Japanese hot pot) buffet in Asiatown. A wide assortment of fresh vegetables, noodles, house-made sauces and a choice of seven broths (dashi, spicy original, miso, tonkotsu, shoyu, vegetable and sukiyaki) served in individual pots over a quick-heating induction burner make the all-you-can-eat experience so pleasurable youll want to repeat it, and often. Details: $16.99 (lunch), $25.99 (dinner); 11201 Bellaire, Suite 2, 832-850-7849; shabuzone.com Tortellini en Brodo at Giacomos Cibo e Vino So simple. So gripping. That is the tortellini in brodo at Giacomos, where chef Lynette Hawkins housemade pasta ringlets swim in a clear, bracing mixed-bone broth that employs turkey, beef and chicken. The tortellini are stuffed with a mortadella, chicken and pork mix sharpened with salty Parmesan, so that they stand out in bold relief from the gentle, nourishing broth. Its a contrast that captivates from the first spoonful to the last. Details: $9.50; 3215 Westheimer; 713-522-1934; giacomosciboevino.com Mien Ga at Pho Ga Dong Nai Feeling puny, or dissatisfied? This chicken and cellophane-noodle soup is a deeply restorative outlier on pho specialist Pho Ga Dong Nais menu. Its powers spring from the exceptional clear, golden chicken broth thats a stock in trade here, brewed slowly from the bones of Texas free-range, organic chickens. Then come soft, expressive chicken slices, savory-sweet shallots frizzled in garlic oil and slippery, transparent bean threads. Host Christine Dang likes to add big pinches of ground white pepper for a spicy grip that turns warm on the tongue. Details: $7.95; 11528 Bellaire, Suite G; 281-530-2323; facebook.com/PhoDongNai Menudo at Pueblas Mexican Kitchen Tripe isnt everyones cup of soup. But if you like the classic Mexican hangover soup of tender hominy and supple tiles of beef tripe, Puebla serves its hearty menudo on Saturday. The slick red broth offers depth and complexity with luscious chile goodness flavored with oregano, garlic and onion. Perfecto. Details: $9.99; 6320 N. Main, 713-426-9062; pueblasmexicankitchen.com Honorable mention: Teotichuacan Mexican Cafes bracing bowl of spicy red magic. food@chron.com Photo: Contributed To her surprise, a former Penticton city councillor now running for federal office was mentioned by Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer during a speech Sunday. Scheer, while listing off new Conservatives joining the party during a Conservative caucus speech mentioned seasoned business leaders who are new to politics like Helena Konanz in South Okanagan West-Kootenay. Konanz, now in her first official federal campaign after serving for seven years on Penticton city council, said she was surprised when Scheer name-checked her during a speech in front of hundreds of Conservative caucus members on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Sunday, and broadcast live on Facebook. It was really an honour to be mentioned. There were a couple hundred candidates in the room so it was an honour to be singled out, Konanz said. Konanz attended the three-day intense training session in Ottawa with hundreds of other candidates and MPs in the Conservative caucus. It was also a time for the candidates to meet each other, so it was a really good experience, Konanz said. She spent time with the party members reviewing and discussing the upcoming platform and the approach to the next nine months heading into the election. A lot of the candidates are just like me, they havent had any experience in federal politics so we had some training on how that works, Konanz said. Theres a lot of nuts and bolts that go into a federal campaign that are a lot different than a municipal campaign, so I learned a lot. Konanz is pledging to focus on the issues she has heard from citizens while knocking on doors in the riding. And their concerns are what you would guess, the economy, the deficit and how much are taxes actually going to go up. People are concerned they are actually going to work harder and make even less, Konanz said. Konanz is joining MP for Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola Dan Albas for a town hall meeting on the Alberta energy crisis along with Alberta MP Shannon Stubbs. Stubbs, the Conservative shadow minister for natural resources, is meeting with the public from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28 at the Days Inn in Penticton. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP by email at [email protected]. The psychedelic palm trees looming onstage are only the first marker that Houston Grand Operas current production of The Pearl Fishers belongs in the realm of pure fantasy. No more, no less. Imposing, geometrical, faintly luminescent, these fake trees open a portal to the ancient island of Ceylon, or modern-day Sri Lanka, and permit the audience to fully immerse themselves in George Bizets 1863 opera. The Pearl Fishers was not especially popular at the time of its creation except, tellingly, with the great French composer Hector Berlioz but has struck a bigger chord in recent years, proof of the publics inexhaustible appetite for fictional young lovers willing to sacrifice everything else in the name of passion. The power of Bizets brilliant score to erase any lingering doubts about the operas misbegotten origins should not be discounted, either. The Pearl Fishers When: Continues Feb. 2, 5, 8 Where: Wortham Center, 501 Texas Ave. Details: $20-$270; 713-228-6737, houstongrandopera.org See More Collapse The highest standard this Pearl Fishers production must satisfy, however, is simply for HGOs actors and chorus to hold their own with the lavish scenery and costumes designed by Dame Zandra Rhodes, the British textile sorceress who has outfitted the late Princess Diana and Freddy Mercury, and whose current clientele includes Kylie Minogue and Blondies Debbie Harry. Its no easy feat; Rhodes clothes are that evocative. Tropical teals accent the villagers outfits; even their clothing cant escape the ever-present sea from which they draw their livelihood. Their leader, Zurga, chooses a crimson-and-cobalt ensemble (and no shirt) while his old friend Nadir turns up from an extended hunting trip sporting purple trousers and a tunic of royal blue. Leila, the veiled young priestess whose appearance rekindles Zurga and Nadirs old romantic rivalry, is resplendent in a sherbet-hued sari; her high priest, Nourabad, likewise favors robes of rose, coral, and goldenrod soft tones that mask his dogmatic adherence to religious custom. A dozen years before Carmen, Bizet was but 25 when he completed Pearl Fishers, and the flush of youth blooms throughout the score. Conducted by HGO first-timer Roderick Cox, the orchestra lingers on Bizets radiant melodies and rousing choruses, one or two of which verge on becoming a howling mob. Whatever else it may be, The Pearl Fishers is not short on drama. As Zurga, American baritone Alexander Birch Elliott projects the appropriate authority as the villages newly appointed leader, and anguish when he discovers his old friend whom he welcomes back from a long spell in the jungle with the gorgeous Act 1 duet Au fond du temple saint seems to have betrayed him for the affections of Leila, with whom he shares a closely guarded secret. Elliott deserves an extra pat on the back for stepping into his HGO debut on such short notice; original actor Mariusz Kwieciens sudden departure was only announced the morning of Fridays premiere. Making in his debut in the role, tenor Lawrence Brownlee brings real warmth to his early scene with Elliott and tenderness to his duets (on and offstage) with soprano Andrea Carrolls Leila. As the beguiling priestess, Carroll credibly animates the characters inner tensions between her sacred calling and earthier desires. In a scene where she could easily be pleading for her life, her powerful Act 3 duet with Elliott makes it clear shes no pushover. The operas fourth and final featured role is the dour cleric Nourabad, played by Argentinan bass-baritone Federico de Michelis. (He, Carroll, and Elliott are all HGO Studio alumni.) He may be the villain of the piece for standing in the way of true love, but de Michelis comes off less as a diabolical zealot than someone who simply takes his divine oath very seriously indeed. Opera legend holds that Pearl Fishers librettists Eugene Cormon and Michel Carre later admitted to Bizet that had they known how spectacularly his score would turn out, they would have given him better material to work with. Besides the historical awkwardness resulting from the abrupt setting change from Mexico to Ceylon, its no secret that the operas plot is riddled with some pretty significant holes like Zurgas sudden change of heart at the very end, for example. In fact, the current issue of Opera Cues, the periodical available free to anyone attending an HGO performance, contains a thoughtful discussion between HGO artistic and music director Patrick Summers; Sixto Wagan, director of UHs Center for Art and Social Engagement; and luminaries from the local Sri Lankan community about how contemporary productions should properly address the Pearl Fishers creators glaring historical inaccuracies and almost comically myopic grasp of ancient Ceylonese culture. In so many words, their verdict is: so long as Pearl Fishers is enjoyed as a fantasy romance and not any sort of nonfictional account of long-ago Ceylon, its fine. Or at least excusable. All the better to let Bizets ravishing music and Rhodes electric visuals speak for themselves. Which they do, quite handsomely. Chris Gray is a writer in Houston. Robots infiltration of the workforce doesnt happen gradually, at the pace of technology. It happens in surges, when companies are given strong incentives to tackle the difficult task of automation. Typically, those incentives occur during recessions. Employers slash payrolls going into a downturn and, out of necessity, turn to software or machinery to take over the tasks once performed by their laid-off workers as business begins to recover. As uncertainty soars, a shutdown drags on, and consumer confidence sputters, economists increasingly predict a recession this year or next. Whenever this long economic expansion ends, the robots will be ready. The human labor market is tight, with the unemployment rate at 3.9 percent, but theres plenty of slack in the robot labor force. This next wave of automation wont just be sleek robotic arms on factory floors. It will be ordering kiosks, self-service apps and software smart enough to perfect schedules and cut down on the workers needed to cover a shift. Employers are already testing these systems. A recession will force them into the mainstream. A new analysis from Mark Muro, Robert Maxim and Jacob Whiton of the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan think tank, finds much of the nation will be susceptible to the upheaval caused by automation in coming decades, particularly young people, minorities and Rust Belt workers. The total number of jobs will rise in the long run, but many workers will be forced to adapt. Robots will continue to roil the long-suffering manufacturing sector, Brookings finds. They will also move into low-skill service jobs such as food services workers once considered too cheap or too difficult to automate. Economists generally focus on workers performing repetitive tasks, including rote mental or clerical work in an office cubicle and rote manual labor on a factory floor, to measure the influence of technology. Middle-income work has evaporated in recent decades. Americans are now divided between the high-paid employees who design machines, the low-paid workers who sweeps up after it, or the even lower-paid service workers who serves fast-casual sandwiches to the other two. In an upcoming paper from Review of Economics and Statistics, economists Nir Jaimovich of the University of Zurich and Henry Siu of the University of British Columbia found that 88 percent of job loss in routine occupations occurs within 12 months of a recession. In the 1990-1991, 2001 and 2008-2009 recessions, routine jobs accounted for essentially all of the jobs lost. They regained almost no ground during the subsequent recoveries. Firms in cities hit hardest by the Great Recession raised their skill requirements for new employees and invested more in technology, according to economists Brad Hershbein of the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research and Lisa Kahn of the University of Rochester. Their 2018 American Economic Review analysis of almost 100 million online postings collected by Burning Glass Technologies in 2007 and 2010-2015 found strong signs companies were replacing workers who performed routine tasks with a combination of technology and more skilled workers. The effect was especially pronounced for cognitive workers such as office clerks, office administrators and salespeople. The economy is near full employment - the point at which everyone who wants a job has one. The unemployment rate has been at or below 4.0 percent for 10 straight months. But the labor market for robots has room to grow. As wages rise and human help gets pricey, companies have experimented with alternatives. The Washington Posts Peter Holley has tapped into a deep vein of corporate automation efforts in recent months. Cooler-sized robots deliver food for $1.99 at George Mason University in suburan Washington. Tall, slim robot assistants patrol Giant supermarkets in search of spills and hazards. Walmart planned to install 360 floor-cleaning robot zambonis by the end of January. A start-up called Robomart hopes to start running mobile supermarkets in robotic minivans in the Boston area in partnership with Stop & Shop. But while many businesses dabble, few have gone all-in yet. While you begin to see more kiosks in Panera in the boom period, Muro said, the real urgency may occur for companies if theres a recession in the next two to three years. The big players are lining up. Amazon reportedly plans to add as many as 3,000 cashierless stores by 2021 to augment its cashierless digital storefront. Sams Club and what Bloomberg calls a fleet of competitors are following suit. (Amazons chief executive, Jeff Bezos, also owns The Washington Post.) It may seem odd that automation progresses most rapidly during and after recessions, when unemployment is high and humans are cheap. But as Muro and Whiton point out, workers start looking much more expensive during recessions once you account for businesses declining revenue. Because of the work they tend to do, young workers are most susceptible. They comprise 9 percent of the workforce but 29 percent of food-service workers. Men, who hold seven out of 10 production jobs, will likely face more upheaval than women. Hispanic workers are more exposed than any other race or ethnic group, Brookings found. American Indians and black workers also face elevated risk of their job changing or vanishing due to technology. The Rust Belt areas hammered by the Great Recession remain automations likeliest targets. Technology will shake up Toledo, Ohio, more than any other metro area in the country, Brookings found. Much of the rural South and Midwest will also face further transformation. There are lot of questions about how the next recession will work, Muro said. It could be a rough next episode. The Transportation Security Administration plans to reopen its Terminal B checkpoint, which was closed during the partial government shutdown, early Wednesday, the Houston Airport System says. The ticketing counter in Terminal B will also reopen. The checkpoint had been closed since Jan. 13 over TSA staffing issues as TSA agents called in sick. TSA workers were among federal employees in the Houston area who had been furloughed or required to work without pay amid the shutdown, the result of President Donald Trump's clash with congressional Democrats over funding a wall on the nation's border with Mexico. Eddie Lampert's last-ditch moves to save Sears have been lambasted by workers rights groups, the company's unsecured creditors and bankruptcy experts alike. The latest stakeholder to come out swinging: The pension insurer for the U.S. government. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. over the weekend came out against Lampert's proposed $5.2 billion bid for the fledgling retailer. In papers filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Saturday, the PBGC specifically pointed to a $1.7 billion funding gap that, the corporation says, Lampert's bid doesn't account for. Plus, bankruptcy experts say Sears could become the latest example among retailers and other companies that, once thrown into bankruptcy, see their pension plans wiped clean. When companies file for bankruptcy, it's become common for them to shed pension plans they can't fund, said Larry Perkins, a bankruptcy expert and chief executive of SierraConstellation Partners. That's one reason the PBGC exists in the first place: To protect pensioners. "Overwhelmingly, they're left holding the bag," Perkins said. Earlier this month, Sears avoided a total shutdown after Lampert won a bankruptcy auction for Sears Holdings Corp. Lampert had upped his offer to $5.2 billion as part of a pitch to keep roughly 400 stores open nationwide - and spare 45,000 jobs. The proposal was made through Lampert's hedge fund, ESL Investments. ESL declined to comment. Lampert's proposal still has to be approved by the bankruptcy court. A hearing is set for Feb. 4. The PBGC often steps in for underfunded pension plans when companies can't pay. The agency funds itself off of insurance premiums paid by pension funds, not taxpayer money. On Jan. 18, the PBGC said it would take over some of Sears' defined-benefit pension plans covering 90,000 people and which are 64 percent funded, The Wall Street Journal reported. By making up the difference, PBGC is Sears' largest unsecured creditor. Anticipating Sears' decline, the PBGC bought a stake in the Kenmore and DieHard brands. It said that if Lampert's bid is approved, the sale would undercut its interests in those brands and their royalty payments. Sears filed for bankruptcy in October, prompting calls for the 126-year-old company to finally meet its end. Despite Lampert's moves to keep the chain alive, the company's unsecured creditors have cautioned against an attempted revival that might only cause more harm. On Jan. 17, the lawyers for a committee of Sears' unsecured creditors asked a judge for permission to sue Lampert and ESL Investments over the company's demise. "ESL's current bid to 'save the company' is nothing but the final fulfillment of a years-long scheme to deprive Sears and its creditors of assets and its employees of jobs while lining Lampert's and ESL's own pockets," the lawyers wrote. The PBGC's criticism is unlikely to have any impact on whether the sale goes through, Perkins said. The PBGC is in line behind many other secured lenders and claimants that, in the bankruptcy process, take priority. But when it comes to advocating for workers, Perkins said there's still "a shakedown value" in the PBGC making its voice heard. "What they're saying is that . . . [Lampert] is benefiting out of this thing, and we need to benefit more than we are," Perkins said. The fate of Toys R Us could still be fresh in the minds of PBGC officials, Perkins said. Workers and activists groups have kept up pressure on the firms that bought Toys R Us to pay severance. In November, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Bain Capital announced that each had committed $10 million to a fund for former Toys R Us workers. The amount pledged was well below the $75 million a workers rights group said was owed to laid-off workers. But the fund was still considered rare among private-equity-backed companies that file for bankruptcy. Generally it works the other way: When Marsh Supermarkets filed for bankruptcy in 2017, its owner - the private-equity firm Sum Capital - left more than $80 million in debts to workers' severance and pensions unpaid. Now advocates are pressuring Sears to protect its own pension plans. "Money set aside for pensions is not a liability - it's a duty and promise to hardworking people," said Lily Wang, an organizer with the labor group Rise Up Retail. "Wall Street firms assume that responsibility when they buy companies, and that doesn't change just because they run it into the ground." Bruce Miller, 56, worked at Sears for nearly 36 years when he was laid off from his New Jersey store in June. After losing his job, he lost his house as well. He's worried that Lampert isn't going to fund pension plans for him and his fellow workers. He's afraid of Lampert sending one message: "There's no more money in the pension plan. You're out of luck." Drake's exclusive OVO x Air Jordan 4 collab has resurfaced in recent weeks, sparking rumors that the kicks might actually release in celebration of the Air Jordan 4's 30th anniversary. The latest look at the rare paint splatter 4s comes courtesy of Drake's fellow Jordan Brand ambassador Travis Scott, who took to instagram to share a quick video of the elusive sneakers. The "Paint Splatter" OVO AJ4 is actually based off an unreleased sample from 1989. The design is similar to the beloved "Bred" Air Jordan 4 colorway with the addition of red laces and a white and red paint splatter around the midsole and heel. Detailed images of the kicks surfaced last year, courtesy of sneaker collector depeche23mode, and it was revealed that this particular "OVO" pair includes a gold OVO owl hidden behind the heel tab. DJ Khaled also got his hands on the OVO 4s and he provided a closer look via instagram. Check out his videos and photos in the posts embedded below, and stay tuned for any release details. Jordan Peele debuted the trailer for his upcoming film Us on Christmas day which sparked a lot of fan theories surrounded around the idea that it may be a follow-up to Jordan's 2017 film Get Out. The Oscar-nominated filmmaker recently spoke with Empire about the movie and how it differs from his previous film. Jordan told the publication that the idea for Us first started when he began to follow the thread of we are our own enemy. The movie itself is answering that question. I cant say its not specifically about race, but I dont want to go too deep into its meaning because its there for everybody to discover on their own," he added, describing Us as a horror film without any caveats. There hasnt been a horror film about a black family, that I can remember. I think thats an important thing to note," he explained. "We have a lot of films in this genre where a family meets a monster, but the fact weve never seen a black family in that situation is a problem to me. Theres a presumption in the industry that if black people are the leads in a film it has to be in some way about race. I wanted to show that we can push past that. Check out the trailer once more below and catch the film in theatres March 22nd. Tory Lanez is striving to become the biggest artist on the planet. The rapper's also trying to rap circles around every MC that's worthy of battle. After duking it out with Joyner Lucas -- and winning -- Don Q came at Tory's neck, ready to battle him bar-for-bar. Don came through with a serious diss track titled, "I'm Not Joyner" over the weekend which simply prompted Tory to clown the New York rapper on Instagram. Don Q has now taken to the 'Gram in response to Tory's lack of response. "U scared @torylanez..whoever from Ny on his side SUCK MY DICK and move to Canada u should b ashamed of yourself," Don Q captioned a video he posted on his Instagram page, responding to Tory Lanez' video telling him to suck his d**k after landing in America. "Well, 48 hours is up," Don Q said about the release of "I'm Not Joyner" which dropped on Saturday. N**gas is scared, n**gas is soft. Niggas dont wanna do nothin'. Your 48 hours is up. You a bitch!" Don Q then alleged that Tory Lanez has been running around with guys from New York and trying to find out information on him and his baby mother. The two later went onto Instagram Live where Tory committed to responding to "I'm Not Joyner" on wax. Keep your eyes peeled for that. On the countywide discussion that is bound to get much more contentious as we go on, I'll state up front that I'm all for charter government for Carroll County. For the life of me I can't understand why some want to continue the process of going, hat in hand, to Annapolis to have those from the far reaches of the state decide what we, in our little bit of heaven, can or can't do. Aren't the citizens of this county astute enough to decide for ourselves if our Sheriff or States Attorney, or other official deserves a pay raise, or if we can install an artificial turf field, or the myriad of other things that only affect us but require approval by the state legislature? Azealia Banks sparked some more controversy when she made offensive comments about the Irish and Irish women after an encounter on an airplane. She went on to describe Irish people as "a bunch of prideful inbred leprechauns who have ZERO global influence." Since her social media rant, an Irish lawyer responded to her words with a statement in which he asserted that Banks' words are punishable by law apparently, explaining that anything deemed to be hate speech on social media is a crime. "Hi #azeliabanks [sic] in light of your recent comments on #instagram about Irish women & Irish people generally, perhaps I can introduce you to the #CommunicationsAct2003 (s127) before you land in England," said Tomas McGarvey. According to McGarvey, Section 127 of the UK's Communications Act of 2003 says that it's an offense to "send a message that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character over public electronic communications network." Banks took to Instagram to address Mcgarvey's new revelation and accused the threat to be spurred form racism, adding that if her actions are punishable by law, then so are the responses that she's gotten. "Racism at its finest," she penned. "The eagerness to put a black woman in a cage. EL OH EL. If Im gettin arrested then we will have to go through my DMs and arrest each and every person who said racist things to me, which would mean youd basically need to arrest the entire country of Ireland. Im not sure what kind of point these folk are trying to prove but the racism keeps jumping out of them like vomit on a stomach virus. Literally cannot believe the kind of negro-hunt these folk are on about. [...]The fact that these people think this should scare me into submission to let people say racist things to me so long as I dont say them back is hilarious. Arrest me and THEN do what?[...] 212 will shoot straight to the top of the charts and I will become a part of UK School curriculum, Feminist Theory, he will literally make me a HUGE star for arresting me. A blessing in disguise." Jordan Brand's 2019 sneaker lineup continues to reveal itself, and it appears that there are several different Air Jordan 11 Lows in the works. In fact, sneaker source @Zsneakerheadz reports that at least two separate "Snakeskin" low-top 11s will be releasing this year. In addition the recently unveiled "Navy Snakeskin" colorway, a "Light Bone" rendition is also on tap to release on June 1 for $185. Along with the Snakeskin Air Jordan 11 Lows, it is also being reported that an "Orange Trance" colorway will release in women's sizes. Those kicks, also rumored to release in the Spring of 2019, feature a white leather upper accompanied by the traditional patent leather detailing in a bright orange hue. On top of that, word is already out that the iconic "Bred" Air Jordan 11 will be releasing during the 2019 Holiday season, following in the footsteps of the Concords that dropped at the end of December. Argyle hotel network consists of eight mid-scale and upscale brands, including Argyle Grand Hotel, Argyle Boutique Hotel, Argyle Resort, Argyle Hotel, Ausotel and Ausotel Smart, Argyle Suite, Bondi Shack and Argyle Academy, ranging from business hotels to five-star luxury hotels. GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd. (NYSE: GHG) today announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement to become a major shareholder of Argyle Hotel Management Group (Australia) Pty Ltd. Mr. Kevin Zhang, its founder and CEO and his management team will remain one of the largest shareholders of Argyle, and become an integral part of GreenTree's management team. This transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed on or around March 31, 2019. Argyle hotel network consists of eight mid-scale and upscale brands, including Argyle Grand Hotel, Argyle Boutique Hotel, Argyle Resort, Argyle Hotel, Ausotel and Ausotel Smart, Argyle Suite, Bondi Shack and Argyle Academy, ranging from stylish business hotels to five-star luxury hotels, all showcasing the unique Australian life style and flavors. The majority of these properties are located in South West China. Strategically, Argyle's highly distinguished brand portfolio and geographic coverage are highly complementary to GreenTree's business and expansion plans. Argyle's management team under the leadership of its founder and CEO, Mr. Kevin Zhang will continue to lead Argyle to fulfil its mission to become an outstanding premier hotel company in China and Asia. Mr. Kevin Zhang commented: "I am very pleased to become part of the GreenTree family. Alex and I see immediate and long-term benefits from this collaboration. GreenTree's proven market leadership, superior technology, strong membership program and powerful development experience will augment Argyle's efforts. This will help us become a world class luxury to mid-scale lifestyle hotel brand sector in China and South East Asia and bring ultimate value to our property owners, our people and our guests. I am confident that this transaction and our joint cooperation going forward will strengthen both companies' portfolios and operations." "We are very excited about this strategic investment," said Mr. Alex Xu, Chairman and CEO of GreenTree. "Argyle's established footprint in China and Southeast Asia is complementary to our chain, and its mid and upscale brands, with their strong Australian style, will become more popular in China. We will support Kevin and his team to further enhance Argyle's successful operations, increase the pace of its expansion to become premier hotel brands in Asia and the world. Overall, we are confident that this acquisition will benefit our shareholders, and franchisees and our customers." Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource Hotel Lawyers share tax news for those owning interests in foreign entities. The tax lawyers at JMBM have significant experience in advising clients with international business interests, and keep them informed of developments that affect their businesses. Recently, JMBM issued a Tax Alert regarding the obligations of those owning an interest in a foreign entities to determine whether a repatriation tax payment must be made under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Yes, the IRS imposes a penalty for failure to report, so compliance is critical. I am pleased to share this information with you, which is provided by my partner, Scott Harshman, Chairman of JMBMs International Tax Group. Tax Alert: Foreign Entity Ownership Compliance - Don't Ignore the Repatriation Tax - By Scott A. Harshman In 2017, if a client owned an interest in a foreign entity (directly or indirectly through a tiered entity structure), then an evaluation should have been done to determine whether the client owed a repatriation tax under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Many clients, and their tax advisors, are unaware of this obligation and have failed to pay this tax. The repatriation tax was meant to tax accumulated earnings of a controlled foreign corporation. For clients that own an interest in multiple foreign entities, the accumulated earnings may offset one another from each entity. Two tax rates potentially apply, 15.5% and 8%. The rules are complex, but in simple terms, if a U.S. person owns an interest in a controlled foreign corporation or owns any interest in a foreign corporation through a domestic corporation, they likely should have paid the repatriation tax beginning in 2017. A special election may be made to pay this tax in 8 installments. Additionally, an election under IRC Section 962 would treat an individual, trust or estate shareholder as a corporation to potentially receive more favorable tax treatment. This analysis and election must be done each year. A controlled foreign corporation is a foreign corporation (some entities may be a corporation for U.S. tax purposes even if called something else) where U.S. persons who own more than 10% also collectively own more than 50% of the entity (but note that the repatriation tax applies to any domestic corporation that owns a foreign entity). Constructive ownership rules apply and generally attribute stock ownership from family, entities, trusts and estates. Now that we are in 2019, tax professionals are starting to understand the new tax rules for foreign entity reporting and disclosure, including the 2017 repatriation tax under IRC Section 965 (such as those described above). The IRS continues to provide new guidance in this area to help tax advisors apply these new rules. Additionally, new rules related to what is called Subpart F Income related to controlled foreign corporations just became even more complicated, and in many situations, more severe. Prior to enactment of TCJA, some shareholders of foreign entities were able to defer the tax on income created in a foreign country. Now this benefit has been greatly reduced and most foreign source income will be taxed currently in the U.S. regardless of whether this income is distributed to the U.S. shareholder. In other words, the IRS power to essentially disregard the foreign corporate structure for U.S. income tax purposes continues to broaden. It is important to calculate and report this income each year to avoid interest and penalties. Although not changed by TCJA, many U.S. clients that own 10% in a foreign entity, acquire 10% or more, or reduce their interest below 10%, fail to report this to the IRS. The IRS imposes a $10,000 penalty for failure to report. JMBM can provide solutions to bring clients back into compliance with respect to these disclosure rules (which are separate and apart from tax requirements) JMBMs International Tax Group is helping clients, and their tax advisors, to understand the clients U.S. tax obligations in relation to their foreign entity ownership and the new rules under TCJA including the repatriation tax under IRC Section 965 and the new Subpart F Income rules referred to as Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income, or GILTI. Dont let the name fool you, the tax applies to most income, not just income from intangible assets. Failure to pay the tax could result in an audit with assessment of tax, interest and penalties. We work with clients and their tax advisors to mitigate these consequences. Additionally, if you failed to pay this tax, there may be other compliance issues that have not been addressed. For advice on foreign entity compliance and these new complex rules contact: Scott A. Harshman, SHarshman@jmbm.com, +1 949-623-7224 Jamie Ogden, JOgden@jmbm.com, +1 310-201-3510 This is Jim Butler, author of www.HotelLawBlog.com and hotel lawyer, signing off. Please contact us if you would like to discuss any issues or development that affect your hotel interests. We would like to see if our experience might help you create value or avoid unnecessary pitfalls. Whos your hotel lawyer? Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource Celebration Part of Inaugural 'Night of a Thousand Stars' Gala in Support of American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AHLEF) honored the winners of the 2019 Stars of the Industry Awards, which included top hotel employees in the hospitality and lodging industry for their outstanding accomplishments, service, and leadership. The winners were chosen from 320 nominations from all sectors of the industry and across the country. The Stars of the Industry awards showcase the amazing and passionate women and men who make hotels feel like home and move our industry forward. So much of their work is behind the scenes, and this is a wonderful opportunity to give them the praise and recognition they deserve, said Chip Rogers, CEO and President of AHLA. Tonights distinguished winners and finalists go above and beyond for their guests and our hotels because of their commitment and passion to their work and our industry. We are honored to be here tonight to celebrate the true industry stars who keep our industry strong. AHLA Vice Chair, Jon Bortz, Chairman, President & CEO, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust and AHLA Secretary/Treasurer Justin Knight, President & CEO, Apple Hospitality REIT hosted the award ceremony at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles as part of the first ever Night of a Thousand Stars gala, the Foundations premier fundraiser ahead of the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS). The pair presented the winners with their awards, alongside the new incoming AHLA Board Chair, Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and AHLA immediate past chair, Mark Carrier, President of B.F. Saul Hospitality Group. Incoming AHLA President & CEO Chip Rogers was also in attendance. This years Stars of the Industry were selected by a panel of industry leaders. AHLAs 2019 Stars of the Industry winners are listed below: NORTH STAR AWARD: LODGING EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR: Lee Dratch, Night Auditor, Columbus Airport Marriott, Columbus, Ohio The North Star Award, the most prestigious award presented at AHLAs Stars of the Industry ceremony, is given to a non-management level associate who makes a significant difference day in and day out in the hospitality business. Over the past eight years, Lee Dratch has gone above and beyond in his duties as a Night Auditor for the Columbus Airport Marriott in Columbus. Lees contagious personality, dedication to his job, and reliability at Marriott is the reason he is considered a true rock star by his peers. NORTH STAR AWARD FINALISTS Maria Delgado, Room Attendant, Hyatt Regency OHare, Rosemont, Illinois a North Star Award finalist, Maria Delgado has spent the past 32 years taking great pride in her work as a Room Attendant at the Hyatt Regency OHare in Rosemont. Marias commitment and passion for the industry shows through her work and dedication to her job. Her leadership and outlook inspire others, which is the reason her peers refer to as the heart of Hyatt. Gloria Quintanilla, Laundry Attendant, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Houston by the Galleria, Houston, Texas - Over the past ten years, Gloria Quintanilla, a Laundry Attendant at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Houston and North Star Award finalist, has been a dedicated member of the hotel team. During Hurricane Harvey, Gloria arrived to work despite a three-hour walk in the rain through the flooded and devasted streets. She inspires those around her and is referred to as a super star at the DoubleTree Hilton. OUTSTANDING GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR (SMALL PROPERTY): Matthew Parsons, General Manager, AC Hotel Atlanta Buckhead at Phipps Plaza, Atlanta, Georgia Matthew Parsons is the General Manager of the 16-room AC Hotel in Atlanta, entering its second full year of operation. Matthew was instrumental in the hotels opening process, focusing on innovative ways to generate buzz, and in turn received one of the highest scores for a pre-opening test by Marriott. Because of Matthews leadership and success, the AC Hotel, now entering its second full year of operation, has the same management team from day one. OUTSTANDING GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR (LARGE PROPERTY): Steven Cunningham, Complex General Manager, Wyndham Grand Hotel & Spa Galvez, Tremont House & Harbor House, Galveston, Texas Steven Cunningham has been the General Manager of the Wyndham hotel in Galveston for the past nine years. Stevens passion for the industry and compassion for his staff is what sets him apart. After Hurricane Harvey impacted the area, Steven provided displaced employees and their families with housing, meals, resources at the hotel and even gift cards to help during the difficult time. PAVING THE WAY AWARD: Stacy Smith, General Manager, Hyatt Place Washington, DC/National Mall, Washington, DC Over the past four years as General Manager at the Hyatt Place Washington, DC/National Mall, Stacy Smith has shown exceptional leadership as a role model at the hotel and within her community. In 2015, Stacy started a program called City Partner Pathways, now funded by the DC government, that provides disadvantaged people with the opportunity for a life-long career. As a result of the program and Stacys mentorship, more than two dozen 18-24-year-old young adults have gotten training and a job at the hotel. STEVAN PORTER EMERGING HOSPITALITY LEADER AWARD: Andrew Carroll, Grand Club Concierge, Grand Hyatt Denver, Denver, Colorado Andrew Carroll is a concierge at the Grand Hyatt in Denver. Andrew takes great pride in his job, knowing that he is making an honest difference in his guests lives. Andrews colleagues have said that they have never come across someone so dedicated to customer service, and his guests agree: Over a one-year period, more than 55 guest service surveys have mentioned Andrew by name, citing specific examples of how Andrew goes above and beyond for his guests. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource Performance 25 January 2019 HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee The U.S. hotel industry reported positive year-over-year results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 13-19 January 2019, according to data from STR. Advertisements In comparison with the week of 14-20 January 2018, the industry recorded the following: Occupancy: +5.0% to 58.4% Average daily rate (ADR): +3.4% to US$124.32 Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +8.5% to US$72.54 STR analysts partially attribute the week's substantial growth figures to a calendar shift. Growth for Monday of the week was especially pronounced due to comparison with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day last year: 14 January 2019 (standard business day) vs. 15 January 2018 (MLK Day). Significant performance increases were also noticeable on Saturday of the week. That was likely due in part to the Women's March as well as the long weekend that ended with this year's MLK Day. Interestingly, the performance pattern thus far this month is similar to the first three weeks of January 2013the last time the month began on a Tuesday. During that year, RevPAR was slow for the second week of January prior to strengthening into the week that proceeded MLK Day. The following week then produced more modest growth. Additional weeks of data will be necessary to analyze any further impact as a result of the government shutdown. Among the Top 25 Markets, Atlanta, Georgia, registered the largest increase in RevPAR (+39.1% to US$95.62), which was driven by the second-largest jump in occupancy (+16.8% to 74.4%) and the highest rise in ADR (+19.1% to US$128.51). Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia, experienced the most significant spike in occupancy (+17.8% to 60.2%) and the second-largest jump in RevPAR (+30.7% to US$83.64). San Francisco/San Mateo, California, ranked second in ADR percentage growth (+14.2% to US$242.12) for the week. Overall, 19 of the Top 25 Markets reported an increase in RevPAR. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-New Jersey, saw the only double-digit decrease in RevPAR (-10.5% to US$67.56), due to the second-steepest decline in occupancy (-6.6% to 57.3%) and the largest drop in ADR (-4.2% to US$US$117.93). Houston, Texas, experienced the largest decrease in occupancy (-7.1% to 61.6%) and the second-largest drop in RevPAR (-8.7% to US$64.80). Download STR's weekly U.S. hotel review here. Press Release 28 January 2019 Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced that Hyatt expects 40 new hotels to open in California, Oregon and Washington by the end of 2021, fueling Hyatt's regional brand growth by nearly 45 percent. The new executed properties - under management and franchise agreements - will join 89 Hyatt-branded hotels that are currently open and operating in California, Oregon and Washington. Advertisements The West Coast is a priority for developers due to business demand from several strong markets in cities like San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Ore., and Seattle. Further reasons to support Hyatt's strategy to focus on West Coast growth includes corporate and leisure travelers from Asia, where Hyatt has strong brand name recognition. "The West Coast U.S. is a primary area of focus for Hyatt, and we see enormous potential to grow our portfolio of brands in this region," said Jim Chu, global head of development and owner relations, Hyatt. "Today's announcement further demonstrates the overall strength and resonance of Hyatt-branded hotels with developers, owners and guests." Most notably, new West Coast properties include Hyatt House San Jose/Cupertino (March 2019) to be located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the 350-room Grand Hyatt at SFO (Summer 2019) which will be the only hotel on airport grounds, the 600-room Hyatt Regency Portland at Oregon Convention Center (Early 2020) and Thompson Hollywood (Early 2020). These will complement the recently opened Hyatt Regency Seattle, the largest hotel in the Pacific Northwest, per number of rooms (1,260) and meeting space (103,000 square feet). Complete list of new West Coast U.S. properties: Park Hyatt Park Hyatt hotels provide discerning, affluent business and leisure guests with elegant and luxurious accommodations. Each Park Hyatt hotel is custom designed to combine sophistication with distinctive regional character. parkhyatt.com Park Hyatt Los Angeles at Oceanwide Plaza (Calif.), 184 guestrooms, 2020 Park Hyatt Los Angeles Residences at Oceanwide Plaza (Calif.), 164 residences, 2020 Grand Hyatt Grand Hyatt hotels celebrate the iconic in small details and magnificent moments, providing sophisticated business and leisure travelers with elegant accommodations, extraordinary restaurants, bars, spas and fitness centers, as well as comprehensive business and meeting facilities. grandhyatt.com Grand Hyatt at SFO (San Francisco, Calif.), 351 guestrooms, Summer 2019 Andaz Andaz hotels draw upon surrounding neighborhoods to craft distinctively local experiences, fully immersing guests in each inspiring destination through unique expressions of local culture. Andaz hotels are designed to reflect their surroundings and feature an innovative service model that creates a barrier-free and non-traditional environment. andaz.com Andaz Palm Springs (Calif.), 150 guestrooms, Fall 2019 The Unbound Collection by Hyatt The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand is designed to provide a portfolio of unconventional upper-upscale and luxury properties ranging from historic urban gems to contemporary new build hotels, boutique properties, and resorts. Each hotel is one-of-a-kind and offers story-worthy and extraordinary experiences for our guests. unboundcollectionbyhyatt.com A hotel within The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand, located in Hollywood, Calif., 64 guestrooms, Late 2019 Destination Hotels Destination Hotels is a collection of more than 40 upscale and luxury independent hotels, resorts and residences across North America. Serving as both the explorer and the guide, Destination hotels ensure a sense of genuine belonging and the chance to encounter life-enhancing discoveries. destinationhotels.com A hotel within the Destination Hotels brand, located in Oceanside, Calif., 226 guestrooms, Q4 2020 Hyatt Regency The Hyatt Regency brand prides itself on connecting travelers to who and what matters most to them. Conveniently located in urban and resort locations in more than 30 countries around the world, Hyatt Regency hotels serve as the go-to gathering space for every occasion, offering a one-stop experience that puts everything guests need right at their fingertips. hyattregency.com Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center (Ore.), 600 guestrooms, Early 2020 Thompson Hotels Founded in 2001, Thompson Hotels is an award-winning international hospitality brand that delivers a new take on modern luxury at the refined edge of travel. Each location offers a stunning, carefully layered and dynamic urban or resort setting that molds into the surrounding community. thompsonhotels.com Thompson Hollywood (Calif.), 190 guestrooms, Early 2020 Hyatt Centric Hyatt Centric hotels are full service lifestyle hotels located in prime destinations that are created for millennial-minded guests who view their hotel as more than a place to stay. Hyatt Centric hotels help guests discover the world's most compelling destinations like an in-the-know local. hyattcentric.com Hyatt Centric Mountain View (Calif.), 168 guestrooms, Spring 2019 Hyatt Centric Korea Town Los Angeles (Calif.), 310 guestrooms, Fall 2021 Hyatt Centric Downtown Sacramento (Calif.), 172 guestrooms, Fall 2020 Hyatt Centric Downtown Portland (Ore.), 215 guestrooms, January 2020 Hyatt House Hyatt House hotels are designed to welcome guests as extended stay residents. Apartment-style suites with fully equipped kitchens and separate living areas remind guests of the conveniences of home. hyatthouse.com Hyatt House San Jose/Cupertino (Calif.) 148 guestrooms, March 2019 Hyatt House San Jose Airport (Calif.) 165 guestrooms, April 2019 Hyatt House LAX (Los Angeles, Calif.), 129 guestrooms, February 2020 Hyatt House Davis (Calif.) 118 guestrooms, July 2020 Hyatt House Los Angeles USC Medical Campus (Calif.), 200 guestrooms, August 2020 Hyatt House Sacramento Airport - North Natomas (Calif.), 92 guestrooms, November 2020 Hyatt House Pomona (Calif.), 100 guestrooms, November 2020 Hyatt House Livermore (Calif.), 130 guestrooms, March 2021 Hyatt House Seatac Airport (Seattle, Wash.), 139 guestrooms, April 2021 Hyatt Place Hyatt Place hotels offer a modern, comfortable and seamless experience, combining style and innovation to create a casual hotel environment for today's multi-tasking traveler. From the lobby to the guest rooms to in-hotel dining, every touchpoint is designed with the high value business traveler in mind. hyattplace.com Hyatt Place San Jose Airport (Calif.) 190 guestrooms, March 2019 Hyatt Place Santa Barbara (Calif.), 88 guestrooms, April 2019 Hyatt Place Fresno, California (Calif.), 126 guestrooms, April 2019 Hyatt Place Vacaville California (Calif.), 136 guestrooms, July 2019 Hyatt Place Bakersfield (Calif.), 120 guestrooms, September 2019 Hyatt Place LAX (Los Angeles, Calif.), 272 guestrooms, February 2020 Hyatt Place Sacramento Airport - North Natomas (Calif.), 109 guestrooms, November 2020 Hyatt Place Pomona (Calif.), 115 guestrooms, November 2020 Hyatt Place Sunnyvale (Calif.), 90 guestrooms, January 2021 Hyatt Place Hayward (Calif.), 119 guestrooms, January 2021 Hyatt Place Paso Robles (Calif.), 131 guestrooms, February 2021 Hyatt Place Livermore (Calif.), 90 guestrooms, March 2021 Hyatt Place San Carlos (Calif.), 103 guestrooms, March 2021 Hyatt Place SeaTac Airport (Seattle, Wash.), 237 guestrooms, April 2021 Hyatt Place Vancouver Washington (Wash.), 113 guestrooms, September 2020 Hyatt Place Portland - Pearl District (Ore.), 176 guestrooms, November 2020 Joie de Vivre Since its founding in San Francisco in 1987, the Joie de Vivre brand has made curating playful travel through local connections and eclectic experiences its signature. Each Joie de Vivre hotel is an original concept designed to reflect its neighborhood. jdvhotels.com A hotel within the Joie de Vivre brand, located in Oceanside, Calif., 161 guestrooms, Q4 2020 El Capitan, a Joie de Vivre Hotel (Merced, Calif.), 114 guestrooms, Q1 2020 tommie tommie is a carefully edited hotel and gathering place that inspires guests to author their own experiences. By focusing on the essentials and providing fun, relevant choices, the tommie brand offers a fresh lens for the youthful and open-minded to explore, connect and discover. tommiehotels.com tommie Hollywood (Calif.), 212 guestrooms, Q1 2020 The term "Hyatt" is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates. Press Release 28 January 2019 The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd announced today that Ted Teng is stepping down from his position as President and CEO, effective April 12, 2019, after 10 years leading the company. The Leading Hotels of the World Executive Committee has named Shannon Knapp, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, as interim CEO, assuming responsibilities as of April 13, 2019. Advertisements "On behalf of the Executive Committee, I would like to thank Ted Teng for his leadership and invaluable contributions to LHW over the past decade," said Andrea Kracht, Chairman, Executive Committee of The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. "He has remained steadfast in his commitment to reignite the now nine-decade old brand by honoring its traditions, while innovating to achieve greater strength and success for the future. It was this commitment that enabled LHW to achieve unprecedented member hotel revenue in 2018, surpassing $1 billion for the first time in the company's history." "After 10 years as President and CEO of Leading Hotels, I am proud of re-establishing the company's position in the industry and the growth that we have been able to accomplish," said Ted Teng, President and CEO, The Leading Hotels of the World. "Since joining the company in 2008, I have held firm to my guiding principle, 'Preserve, Enhance, and Invent,' focusing on restoring the Leading Hotel's foundation to better serve its member hotels, enhancing the quality of the collection and redefining a differentiated business strategy to guide the company into the future." Teng's career, spanning 40 years, has been rooted in hospitality industry. Prior to joining The Leading Hotels of the World, Teng led the growth of some of the world's most prominent hotel brands, serving as president, chief operating officer of Wyndham International, Inc., and president, Asia-Pacific, for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., following the merger of Starwood Lodging, Westin, and Sheraton. In addition, Teng has been dedicated to developing the future generation of hospitality leaders through his service at his alma mater, The School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, as well as other hospitality schools and development programs around the world. As the Executive Committee considers the plan for CEO succession, they have asked Shannon Knapp to lead the company through the transition. Knapp has been instrumental in the company's growth over the last five years and a driving force of strategy and innovation at Leading Hotels. Knapp also brings extensive experience in the broader travel industry. Prior to joining Leading Hotels as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, she spent 15 years with American Express, where she had the opportunity to work in both the Corporate and Leisure travel divisions, managing travel programs, partners and benefits for the consumer and travel consortia business. Press Release 28 January 2019 GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd. (NYSE: GHG) ("GreenTree" or the "Company"), a leading franchised and managed hotel chain in China, today announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement to become a major shareholder of Argyle Hotel Management Group (Australia) Pty Ltd. ("Argyle"), an owner and operator of hotels in China and South East Asia. Mr. Kevin Zhang, its founder and CEO and his management team will remain one of the largest shareholders of Argyle, and become an integral part of GreenTree's management team. This transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed on or around March 31, 2019. Advertisements Argyle hotel network consists of eight mid-scale and upscale brands, including Argyle Grand Hotel, Argyle Boutique Hotel, Argyle Resort, Argyle Hotel, Ausotel and Ausotel Smart, Argyle Suite, Bondi Shack and Argyle Academy, ranging from stylish business hotels to five-star luxury hotels, all showcasing the unique Australian life style and flavors. The majority of these properties are located in South West China. Strategically, Argyle's highly distinguished brand portfolio and geographic coverage are highly complementary to GreenTree's business and expansion plans. Argyle's management team under the leadership of its founder and CEO, Mr. Kevin Zhang will continue to lead Argyle to fulfil its mission to become an outstanding premier hotel company in China and Asia. Mr. Kevin Zhang commented: "I am very pleased to become part of the GreenTree family. Alex and I see immediate and long-term benefits from this collaboration. GreenTree's proven market leadership, superior technology, strong membership program and powerful development experience will augment Argyle's efforts. This will help us become a world class luxury to mid-scale lifestyle hotel brand sector in China and South East Asia and bring ultimate value to our property owners, our people and our guests. I am confident that this transaction and our joint cooperation going forward will strengthen both companies' portfolios and operations." "We are very excited about this strategic investment," said Mr. Alex Xu, Chairman and CEO of GreenTree. "Argyle's established footprint in China and Southeast Asia is complementary to our chain, and its mid and upscale brands, with their strong Australian style, will become more popular in China. We will support Kevin and his team to further enhance Argyle's successful operations, increase the pace of its expansion to become premier hotel brands in Asia and the world. Overall, we are confident that this acquisition will benefit our shareholders, and franchisees and our customers." About Argyle Hotel Management Group (Australia) Pty Ltd. The Argyle Hotel Management Group (Australia) Pty Ltd. ("Argyle") a leading hotel management group manages over 100 hotels and resorts across the Asia Pacific, and has earned a reputation as an Australian icon in Asia Pacific. With more than a decade of experience providing the very best that Australian hospitality has to offer, Argyle has built a comprehensive operating platform and attracted a group of hotel professionals with expertise knowledge. Argyle comprises eight distinct brands Argyle Grand Hotel, Argyle Boutique Hotel, Argyle Resort, Argyle Hotel, Ausotel and Ausotel Smart, Argyle Suite, Bondi Shack and Argyle Academy. Argyle's brands cover every segment from mid-scale to luxury and long term stay. Argyle has won awards including the New South Wales Premier Export Award in 2017, the New South Wales finalist for the Australian federal government's Business Services Award in 2017, and the Winner of the Australian Chamber of Commerce Award for Excellence in Services 2017/2016. The China Tourism Board has included it among China's top 10 international hotel groups and top 60 domestic hotel groups since 2013. For more information on Argyle, please visit http://cn.argylehotels.com/. Press Release 28 January 2019 G6 Hospitality, owner and franchisor of the iconic Motel 6brand and the extended stay brand Studio 6, announced today it experienced significant growth in 2018, including the opening of its 1,000th franchise location, and is anticipating even more development activity in 2019. Advertisements "We accomplished a great deal in 2018 that helped us achieve year-over-year growth. I'm very optimistic about our year ahead. We have one of the largest pipelines of any economy brand in the industry and expect it to continue to grow with the approaches we've been taking to make an even bigger impact in 2019," said Rob Palleschi, CEO at G6 Hospitality. "With our continued focus on selective conversions, aggressive renovation schedules and plans to invest in key properties, we will continue to generate growing interest in our brand with new and existing franchisees." Additional key development highlights for 2018 include: 127 properties opened 85 new or first time franchise partners 179 hotels in the pipeline, including 60 new construction projects New design prototype fuels growth and spearheads dual-brand opportunity Part of G6 Hospitality's growth is due to the 13 newly opened dual-brand locations in 2018 with an additional 28 hotels in the pipeline. Motel 6/Studio 6 Austin South-Airport will be the first purpose-built dual-brand hotel in the company's history when it opens in February 2019. G6 Hospitality unveiled a new design concept at American Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) that allows owners to build a Motel 6, a Studio 6 or a dual-brand location. The new prototype makes future conversions from a single to a dual-brand property more efficient if market conditions warrant the additional product. According to Mike McGeehan, chief development officer at G6 Hospitality, the company has seen a great deal of interest in the new concept already. "The dual-brand offering is very inviting to developers because it gives us the opportunity to attract two different guest segments to fill rooms," said McGeehan. "At G6 Hospitality, we have a competitive advantage being one of the few franchisors that can offer a dual-brand option in our segment." "We've reimagined and upgraded what a Motel 6 or Studio 6 looks and feels like, but we'll always remain true to our brand promise," said Palleschi. "Business and leisure travelers will continue to have a consistent brand experience in a clean, comfortable room at an affordable rate. Meanwhile, our formula for success stays the same for our franchise partners, with industry-leading returns." G6 Hospitality created the new model with franchisees in mind, focusing on construction and operational efficiencies while still delivering a contemporary economy lodging experience for guests. Enhancements include the introduction of multifunctional environments, a more contemporary design and more natural light. In addition to new construction, the company is investing in rejuvenating key corporate-owned and managed properties in 2019, including the original Motel 6 location on the Santa Barbara, Calif. beachfront, San Diego, Las Vegas Strip, Jackson Hole, Wyo., Jacksonville, Fla. and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more information and details on franchising with G6 Hospitality, please visit www.g6hospitality.com/franchising. The incident happened around 6:30 p.m. at the McDonalds in the 3900 block of Falls Road. Store employees told officers that two armed men dressed in black had entered demanding money from the cash register. They then fled. Supplier News 28 January 2019 Triometric, a leader in API analytics for the travel industry, is delighted to be involved in two key ways at this year's annual and popular HEDNA Global Distribution Conference being held 28-30th January in Los Angeles. Innov8 Innov8 is HEDNA's interactive forum that features eight innovative solutions that are tackling some of hospitality's distribution challenges and positively shaping the sector. Jonathan Boffey, Triometric's SVP of Business Development will be presenting in eight engaging minutes an overview of the company's unique approach to getting very high volumes of API transaction data in fit shape for deep enterprise-wide analysis using open-source or advanced analytic platforms. This innovation resonates strongly with the conference theme "Connected Like Never Before" as the industry witnesses a big shift in the adoption of open-source technologies and AI-based applications which depend on quality source data. The Innov8 session takes place between 11.15 - 12.40 on Wednesday 30th January Hotel Analytics Working Group (HAWG) The Hotel Analytics Working Group, under the stewardship of its three co-chairs, which includes Matthew Goulden, CEO of Triometric, will be unveiling its latest white paper: "Investing in Analytics" to all HEDNA delegates interested in getting more out of their data to optimise their distribution performance. The Analytics Working Group raises awareness of the opportunities data analysis brings to optimize cost and conversion and thereby empowering hoteliers to make intelligent decisions about their distribution strategies. The session will provide an overview of the White Paper and associated Use Cases and will provide an interactive forum to encourage idea contributions. This white paper follows the popular Report Finding from a hotel distribution landscape survey released last year. The session will be held between 15.45 and 17.00 on Monday 28th January. HEDNA (Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association) is the only global forum exclusively dedicated to the advancement of hospitality distribution through strategic collaboration and knowledge sharing. HEDNA's global conferences deliver the most comprehensive information, insights, and dialogue on trends in hotel distribution. Participating hoteliers discover effective engagement methods and discuss the latest technological advancements needed to compete in today's dynamic hospitality landscape. Visit Triometric to request a meeting at HEDNA or to schedule a demo to learn more about Trio Data Engine. Press Release 25 January 2019 Targeting the backpacker segment may be an effective means of diversifying Hong Kong's tourism market and promoting sustainable tourism, according to Dr Wantanee Suntikul, Dr Denis Tolkach, Dr Elizabeth Agyeiwaah (Ph.D. graduate) and Mr Ching-Nok Lung (BSc graduate) of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In a recently published article, the researchers revealed that, according to survey results, "backpackers are pushed by the search for new ideas and pulled by the unique food culture of Hong Kong". Destination marketers in the city should also be aware that backpackers are more likely to support the local economy than other types of tourists, many of whom visit because of its reputation as an international shopping destination. Advertisements Until very recently, Hong Kong's tourism market was dominated by continual growth in the number of mainland Chinese tourists, who were "predominantly interested in shopping". However, this trend has been reversed in the past few years, as the number of mainland visitors dropped from a peak of 47.2 million in 2014 to 40.3 million in 2016. Potential reasons for this change include "local residents' resentment towards shopping tourism", especially parallel trading, in which goods are transported from Hong Kong to mainland China for resale, and the general economic downturn. Whatever the reasons, the researchers stress that there is an "urgent need for Hong Kong to diversify its tourism offerings". The backpacker market presents one such opportunity, because these tourists "demand little infrastructure development" and tend to spend more money with local businesses, thus benefitting local communities. Importantly, the researchers note that backpackers are an "educated group" of generally younger adults who like to travel independently and interact with the communities they visit. They are usually quite adventurous and "do not confine themselves to their 'comfort zone'" but prefer to explore unfamiliar places with an emphasis on outdoor activities and eco-travel. Because they often spend longer at a destination, their overall spending is higher than that of other tourist groups, and they often visit more remote districts and use local services, thus spreading their expenditure throughout the local economy. However, the benefits of the backpacker market have also been challenged, with some studies suggesting that there may be limited or even negative effects on local communities. Understanding the motivations, preferences and behaviour of backpackers in Asia is an important first step in deciding whether and how to attract this particular group. The researchers thus conducted a survey of backpackers staying at seven youth hostels in Hong Kong, as hostels are an "inexpensive accommodation option that is popular among backpackers". Other respondents were surveyed while taking part in outdoor activities, such as hiking on the popular MacLehose Trail and Dragon's Back Trail. Overall, 90% of the respondents were staying in youth hostels and the other 10% were interviewed outdoors. More than 60% of the respondents were independent female travellers in their twenties, and more than 93% held a Bachelor's degree. Almost 80% came from North America, Australia or Europe, and just over 20% from Asia. Their average length of stay in Hong Kong was a week or less, and they spent around US$46-86 per day. According to the researchers, they tended to "visit remote areas of the city, guided in their itineraries by guidebooks and social media". The main 'pull' factors that motivated the backpackers to visit Hong Kong were the "unique local food", the opportunity for "friendship with people of different countries" and the "local lifestyle". The researchers note that the desire to experience local food is not generally associated with backpackers' travel motivations. This is an important finding because it differentiates backpackers in Hong Kong from those in other destinations and indicates a means of attracting this group of travellers. Food as a pull factor "serves as a source of employment and income for local food providers and indirectly for local farmers". It also offers opportunities for cultural exchange between travellers and host communities. Shopping was ranked as the lowest priority, as expected given the usual interests of this group of travellers. Rather more surprisingly, outdoor activities also ranked very low, despite such activities normally being one of the main attractions for backpackers. The researchers suggest that this may be because Hong Kong is not "primarily a nature-based destination" and outdoor activities are not part of the destination's image. Among the internal 'push' factors that motivated the respondents to visit Hong Kong, the top three were "learning new things", "independence" and "experiencing unfamiliar life". Again, the researchers note that the most important factor, the desire to learn new things, differs from that found in studies conducted elsewhere, which have tended to identify escape and relaxation as backpackers' main internal motivation. Similar to backpackers elsewhere, the majority of respondents preferred to stay in youth hostels, although they differed in the "elements and qualities" that they expected. "Friendly local staff" was the most important accommodation feature, along with areas for meeting new friends. As the researchers note, these features fit well with backpackers' desire to learn new things, as friendly local staff "provide an environment for interaction and local knowledge", and this is complemented by the opportunity to make new friends. Another Hong Kong-specific feature identified by the study is the preference for local street markets. The researchers highlight this as "indicative of how Hong Kong's existing attractions could be capitalised on", because backpackers are more interested in exploring the unique features of a destination, which does not require any additional infrastructure. Another important element of the contribution backpackers make to Hong Kong is the extent to which they contribute to the development of sustainable tourism. To be sustainable, tourism must aid in economic and societal development, cultural conservation and environmental protection, meeting the needs of the present community while preserving resources for future generations. Backpackers' approach to travel and tourism is beneficial in this respect, as the market generally shows high sensitivity toward promoting sustainability and concern for the environment and local culture. The backpackers interviewed in Hong Kong certainly endorsed these values. For instance, they were much more likely to buy products from local shops than from international brands, thus supporting local employment at the destination. They also contributed to sustainable tourism by supporting local activities, such as participating in cultural workshops and other culture-related activities, and interacting with village residents. As the researchers note, the point of sustainable tourism is to enhance the positive effects on destinations, and this is "exactly what backpackers in Hong Kong are likely to do while enjoying their trip". The study provides plenty of suggestions for how Hong Kong can be marketed as a destination for backpackers, who are an important segment of the tourism market. The researchers note that even though Hong Kong has a reputation for "grand infrastructure projects, commercial attractions and shopping", the backpacker market is interested in supporting small local businesses, shopping in local markets, and visiting cultural and natural attractions. Consequently, creating diversity in the tourism market by targeting this group could lead to "a high propensity for cultural exchange and environmental preservation". Yet the researchers also warn that their findings indicate the "backpacker segment is a heterogeneous group" and the push and pull factors may differ for other destinations. Destination marketers should thus develop strategies relevant to their particular destinations. Lung, Ching Nok, Suntikul, Wantanee, Agyeiwaah, Elizabeth and Tolkach, Denis. (2017). Backpackers in Hong Kong - Motivations, Preferences and Contribution to Sustainable Tourism. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 34(8), 1058-1070. Event Sirha (International Hotel, Catering and Food Trade Exhibition) brings together all the players of the foodservice industry and introduces new products and latest trends around the world. Held at the Lyon Eurexpo venue (France) in January in odd-numbered years, for more than 30 years it has been host to several major international gastronomy contests: Bocuse d'Or and Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie. Sirha is now exported internationally with events held in Brazil, Hungary and Turkey. Sirha 2019 is organized by GL Events Appointment 28 January 2019 From head waiter to heading operations for an entire restaurant group, David Perlmutter has taken on just about every role in the restaurant industry over the last two decades. His latest challenge sees him stepping into the hotel sector as Fusion's Group Food & Beverage Manager. Perlmutter joins Fusion, which operates several wellness-inspired resorts and hotels throughout Vietnam, at a fertile time for the group. The company plans to open two new properties in 2019, with two "all-suite" hotels and three "all-spa-inclusive" resorts already in the Fusion portfolio alongside the recently launched Alba Wellness Valley by Fusion. As the group expands, Perlmutter's role will involve taking Fusion's signature onsite restaurants back to their roots, elevating simplicity and authenticity over blue-sky reinvention. It's a direction that will also complement Fusion's holistic wellbeing philosophy, with healthy cooking styles, little to no use of oils or added fats, and an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables all ubiquitous in Vietnamese cuisine. While the French-national now lives and breathes all things food related, working in F&B wasn't initially on his radar. Since switching paths, he eventually went on to manage several restaurants in Paris and made the move to Asia three years ago. His most recent position was group director of operations for the Farandole Group in Bangkok, where he was responsible for oversight of three popular restaurants and bars in the city. Perlmutter's position with Fusion is his first F&B role within a hotel group. Appointment 28 January 2019 From Danish hotel brand in growth to new Nordic hotel operator with international focus. Per Denker Srensen has been appointed CEO of Core Hospitality. He will be leading Core Hospitality, which operates Hotel Marina and Quality Airport Hotel Dan in Copenhagen and have two Moxy Hotels in the pipeline. The promotion occurs after Deutsche Hospitality invests in the Danish brand, Zleep Hotels. Maintaining operations in focus For more than 20 years, Per Denker Srensen has had management positions in the hospitality industry's largest companies in the Nordics. In the past few years, Per has been the COO of the Danish hotel chain, Zleep Hotels, where he helped develop the current efficient operational model. Per will now develop the young hotel group, Core Hospitality, which was established by the sister company, Zleep Hotels. The two companies are now being separated further due to Deutsche Hospitality's investment in Zleep Hotels. Contrary to most competitors in the Nordics, Core Hospitality has an international focus and will thus add exciting brands to the market, among which is Moxy Hotels in Copenhagen in just a few months. Per Denker Srensen's career Industry Update Appointment 25 January 2019 Evita Chidiac Appointed Director of Room At Raffles Dubai, United Arab Emirates As director of rooms, Chidiac is responsible for overseeing all rooms division functions at Raffles Dubai. With 15 years of managerial experience in luxury hospitality, she joins the property from the Arlo Soho hotel in New York City, where she was director of rooms and a pre-opening team member since March 2016. She started her career as an assistant housekeeping manager for the Parker Meridien in New York, and worked her way up in landmark properties in the city including Jumeirah Essex House Hotel (now Marriott), Fairmont The Plaza, Hilton Fashion District, The Manhattan Affinia Collection, where she oversaw refurbishments in all properties. Chidiac holds a Bachelor of Arts in Tourism & Hotel Management from the University of Balamand in Lebanon. As director of rooms, Chidiac is responsible for overseeing all rooms division functions at Raffles Dubai. With 15 years of managerial experience in luxury hospitality, she joins the property from the Arlo Soho hotel in New York City, where she was director of rooms and a pre-opening team member since March 2016. She started her career as an assistant housekeeping manager for the Parker Meridien in New York, and worked her way up in landmark properties in the city including Jumeirah Essex House Hotel (now Marriott), Fairmont The Plaza, Hilton Fashion District, The Manhattan Affinia Collection, where she oversaw refurbishments in all properties. Chidiac holds a Bachelor of Arts in Tourism & Hotel Management from the University of Balamand in Lebanon. Raffles Hotels & Resorts Raffles Hotels & Resorts epitomizes enchanting experiences, embodying global sophistication and residential charm, imbued with heartfelt service like a gentle breeze. At Raffles, guests arrive as residents, leave as friends and return as family. more information Recent Appointments at Raffles Marina Kutskaya - Spa Manager 25 January 2019 Kutskaya joins Raffles Dubai as spa manager and will oversee the spa, fitness centre and pool operations, as well contribute to the Raffles Spa brand. With more than 10 years of experience, she started her career in Ukraine before moving to Dubai in 2013 where she worked at the Armani Hotel Dubai as a spa supervisor. read more Chadi Chemaly - Executive Assistant Manager of Rooms 1 February 2018 Raffles Hotel Singapore is pleased to announce the appointment of Chadi Chemaly as its Executive Assistant Manager of Rooms from 1 February 2018. Chadi brings with him over 15 years of experience in hospitality, achieving outstanding results in Housekeeping and Room operations across the globe. read more SuperSonic Imagine Presents New Ultrasound at Middle East Trade Fair By HospiMedica International staff writers Posted on 28 Jan 2019 Image: The Aixplorer MACH 30 ultrasound system (Photo courtesy of SuperSonic Imagine). SuperSonic Imagine (Aix-en-Provence, France) presented its new Aixplorer MACH 30 ultrasound system at the Arab Health exhibition, the first international healthcare event in the Middle East that welcomed nearly 100,000 visitors from 159 countries. SuperSonic Imagine specializes in ultrasound medical imaging and manufactures the flagship Aixplorer series of products, which feature the exclusive UltraFast technology. The latest addition to the Aixplorer range is the Aixplorer MACH 30 ultrasound platform that introduces the next generation of UltraFast imaging, which optimizes the systems innovative imaging modes: ShearWave PLUS, Doppler UltraFast, Angio PL.U.S, and TriVu. The new generation of UltraFast imaging technology allows Aixplorer MACH 30 to deliver an image acquisition rate 200 times faster than conventional ultrasound systems. All of SuperSonic Imagines innovative modes have been optimized to give better diagnostic performance while offering exceptional image quality over all conventional imaging modes, thanks to preserved purity of the ultrasound signal. For instance, the new generation of ShearWave Elastography (SWE PLUS) allowing the stiffness of tissue to be viewed and measured in real time on a color map has been significantly improved, particularly the acquisition speed and examination depth. Aixplorer MACH 30 ultrasound platform combines a sophisticated and functional design, speed, technological innovation and a new user experience. For instance, its unique SonicPad touchpad is an intuitive interactive system that improves the radiologists workflow by reducing the users movements by up to 77% and the examination time by up to 32%. The SonicPad allows radiologists to focus their attention on analyzing on-screen clinical information rather than which buttons to push for optimal image acquisition. Additionally, larger screens improve the comfort and ease of using the Aixplorer MACH 30. The Aixplorer MACH 30 has been very positively received in the Middle East, a market where SuperSonic Imagine has been present from the very beginning. This is because our technological innovation brings effective solutions to improve diagnosis and monitoring of diseases that are public health issues in this region such as chronic liver disease and breast cancer, explained Michele Lesieur, CEO of SuperSonic Imagine. The Middle East is a strategic territory for SuperSonic Imagine. Over a number of years we have developed a very active network of distributors across this region, and today we are seeing strong growth which we think will accelerate as we market the Aixplorer MACH 30, continued Kurt Kelln, Vice President and Chief Business Officer of SuperSonic Imagine. Enter the Once Upon A Child Spring Style Sweepstakes today for the chance to WIN! Refresh your child's wardrobe! You could be the LUCKY WINNER of $200 in Store Cash! Economic Development: Will work with all types of business and organizations in town to attract new types of businesses and retain existing business. This would be done by listening to current businesses to see what the town has done, is doing, and what they believe the town needs to do for businesses to come and stay. Promote the advantages that Mt. Airy has: Location, educated workforce, low tax rate. Work with state and local governments to leverage economic development programs and funds that could assist the town's current and future business owners. Just scan and upload a photo of your completed "news story" and you'll be entered for a chance to have your story published. Click here to find out where to get a COVID-19 vaccine or test. To find out how many local residents have been vaccinated for COVID-19, click here. Use the map to find numbers for individual counties. Find detailed statistics about COVID-19 tests, cases and deaths by county and for the state as a whole on the Indiana State Department of Health's online dashboard. The roads are going to be wet because they are going to start treating, and everything is going to freeze, he said. The most dangerous part is the people who have four-wheel drive who think they are indestructible and dont realize that all four-wheel drive does is help you get started. Once you get going, its not different than any other kind of vehicle, especially on ice. Antebellum army experimented with ships of the desert ON A SPRING MORNING IN 1883, a homesteader near Eagle Creek in southeast Arizona left her adobe house to fetch water. Suddenly, the woman screamed. From inside the house, a second woman had looked out to behold a huge, strange red animal with a rider on its back. The second homesteader barricaded the door and began to pray. At nightfall, menfolk returned from hunting sheep stolen by Apaches to find the would-be water carrier trampled to death and surrounded by huge cloven footprints. A few nights later, several miles northeast, two prospectors awoke terrified as a beast stove in their canvas shelter. Clambering to their feet, the pair watched a large, ungainly animal gallop off, leaving a trail of cloven prints and, snagged on brush, tufts of red hair, inspiring legends of the Red Ghost. The mystery beasts presence in the Southwest of the 1880s dated back four decades, to a time when westbound pioneers confronted the Rockies, the Sierras, and vast deserts between as they trekked toward the rich valleys of coastal California and Oregon. Pioneers crossed the continent using three main routes: the northerly Oregon and Humboldt trails, each originating in Missouri; and the southerly Gila Trail, starting from El Paso, Texas and traversing New Mexico and Arizona to Southern California through fry-pan hot Indian territory. Migrants depended on draft and pack animals. Horses were suitable for short stretches but required grain to supplement local forage. Oxen were sturdier, cheaper, and more dependable, but maddeningly slow. Mules, though stubborn, seemed the best bet: stronger, hardier, less picky about food and slower to thirst. Their flinty hooves easily negotiated mountain and prairie terrain; and their tough hides withstood saddle and harness abrasions. To protect western pioneers from Indians, Americas fledgling Army established cavalry outposts along the main trails. Provisioning these isolated garrisons challenged military logisticians, particularly in the most irksome desert for beasts in the world, as one Army quartermaster called the New Mexico terrain surrounding Fort Yuma. And once established out West, homesteaders needed a way to stay in touch with one another and folks back East. That meant reintroducing the camel to America. North America had been the home of the original camels, which stood scarcely a foot high. Evolution wiped out those prehistoric North American ancestors, but their descendants, double-humped Siberian and Chinese Bactrians and speedy, single-humped North African Arabians called dromedaries became essential to transport and commerce in those regions. Spanish and English colonists in America imported a few camelidae specimens for tasks like hauling ore. These experiments failed but the era of westward expansion revived interest. As early as 1837, U.S. Army Captain and Seminole War veteran George H. Crosman was advocating that the military import and test camels. Crosman corresponded with E.F. Miller, a generals son, who shared his enthusiasm. The two envisioned in the seven-foot-tall, half-ton camel an ideal means of negotiating Americas deserts. With its dexterous lips and razor teeth, a camel would eat virtually anything. The animals series of regurgitant stomachs consumed every mote of nutrient and moisture. Humps stored fat, a reserve drained as needed until the hump turned flaccid. A camel ordinarily drank its fill every three days but could survive much longer. Camels hardened feet need not be shod; and they are so sure-footed that desert armies mounted light artillery on them. Capable of proceeding at 10 mph without a load, a heavily burdened camel slowed considerably but still was able to travel 12 hours without pause. With proper care, a camel lived 40 years, compared with horses at 30, mules 27, and oxen 20. In the 1800s, average human lifespans approximated the camelsallowing long and productive cross-species partnerships. Crosman and Miller failed to impress U.S. Quartermaster General Thomas S. Jesup, but the case for camels eventually gained new urgency. The United States had acquired vast stretches of Southwest territory after defeating Mexico in the 1846-1848 conflict, whereupon prospectors combing the conquered territory discovered gold and silver deposits. Mexican War veterans like Quartermaster Corps officer Henry C. Wayne, knowing the terrains rigors and weather, recognized the camels suitability. Still, Jesup resisted. Camel adherents finally found a welcoming ear in U.S. Senator Jefferson Davis (D-Mississippi). Davis, whose first wife had been a daughter of Zachary Taylor, had fought in Mexico alongside Old Rough and Ready. Named secretary of war in 1853 by President Franklin Pierce, Davis asked Wayne to make a case to Congress for camel transport. In his formal report, Wayne included a martial option: fleet Arabians might be used against Indians in promptly punishing their aggressions. Congress balked. However, newspaper editors, lecturers, and authors fostered the idea until, in 1855, the U.S. House of Representatives appropriated $30,000today, roughly $900,000for the purchase and importation of camels and dromedaries for military purposes. Davis set to work, naming Wayne director of the Camel Military Corps and arranging for U.S. Navy storeship Supply, fresh from Commodore Matthew Perrys sally to Japan, to undertake a camel-buying expedition in the Mediterranean. Wanting recommendations for a suitable skipper, Davis turned to Edward F. Beale, a Mexican War Navy veteran who also had explored Death Valley with frontiersman Kit Carson. Beale nominated a kinsman: Lieutenant David Dixon Porter, a scion of a nautical family whose ranks included adoptive brother David Farragut. Wayne, carrying orders from Davis to buy both Bactrian and Arabian specimens, sailed for Europe in spring 1855 to consult with zoologists before joining Porter late that July aboard Supply at La Spezia, Italy. The plan was to sail to Tunis, acquire a camel, and study its management on shipboard. In North Africa, Porter and Wayne connected with Gwinn H. Heap, Porters brother-in-law and Beales close friend. Son of camel expert Samuel Heap, former American consul at Tunis, Gwinn knew the region, knew camels, and possessed the skill to illustrate the expeditions travels. At Tunis the Americans bought a camel. In addition, the local bey gifted them two more. The dromedaries adapted well to life at sea. Tethered below, the animals gave very little trouble, very much less than a horse, Heap reported. After pauses to dock in Malta, Smyrnanow Izmir, Turkeyand Salonikanow Thessaloniki, GreeceSupply arrived at Constantinople, now Istanbul, Turkey, in October 1855. Demand generated by forces fighting the war in Crimea made camels too expensive for the Americans, but British demonstrations of Bactrians and Arabians performance convinced Wayne to stick with dromedaries. The party sold two of the test camels then sailed for Alexandria, Egypt, arriving late in November. The Americans soon learned about camel idiosyncracies. Shady camel merchants disguised sick or overworked stock by blowing air through a reed to inflate limp humps. Camels ear-piercing groans, especially while being loaded, carried for miles. Worse, furious excitement seized bull camels during a prolonged rutting season. Males eyes reddened and mouths projected bladder-like membranes emitting burbling sounds like a human breaking wind. The sex-crazed beasts jousted among themselves and assaulted handlers, vexing their American stewards. In defense, Wayne hired three indigenous drovers to assist Albert Ray, his American wrangler. Egyptian dromedaries were cheap but Egypt was stingy with export permitsuntil the Americans proffered gifts: two rifled muskets, ammunition, and a mold for casting Minie balls. Carrying ten dromedaries, Supply left Alexandria in January 1856 for Smyrna, where Gwinn Heap was already shopping. He greeted Supply with a 21-animal herd: 19 Arabians15 male, 4 femaleone Bactrian, and one mixed-breed Booghdee. Wayne figured a Bactrian would mollify his boss, Davis. When Supply departed Smyrna for America on February 15, Waynes stock, augmented by the birth of an Arabian and purchase of another Bactrian, numbered 33. Wayne had spent only a third of the funds allotted. Storms plagued Supply all the way back. Of six calves born at sea, four died as did a birthing female. On May 14, 1856, 34 camels stepped ashore at Indianola, Texas, a small Gulf Coast port. As Porter and Heap arranged another buying trip, Wayne launched the Camel Military Corps experiment. In the days ahead, while Waynes beasts made a few friends, they encountered many more skeptics and outright detractors. Watching a dromedary kneel so a drover could load it with two 300-pound hay bales, Indianolans guffawed. The animal wouldnt rise, much less move. Once handlers increased the load to four bales of hay, however, the beast calmly stood and strode off. After acclimating his charges for three weeks, Wayne set out for the interior. Outside Victoria, Texas, Wayne met Pauline Shirkey, 10. He gave the girls mother, Mary, camel hair clippings from which she spun thread and knit socksa gift Wayne sent to President Pierce. Before the caravan departed for San Antonio, Pauline took a memorable ride. The camel bells were jinglingand I was sitting on the back of this unusual steed, she marveled 75 years later. Most locals shied away from the animals odor, noise and, not least, their ability to terrify other livestock. A camels scent, an expert noted, was more easily imagined than described. Presaging the tactic associated with early automobiles, Wayne sent a horseman ahead. Get out of the road! the rider would shout. Camels are coming! By the time the camel herd settled at Camp Verde, an Army post sixty miles northwest of San Antonio, the animals had demonstrated the advantages they offered the army. Once away from populated areas, Wayne advised Davis, camels delivered high-capacity, low-consumption, long-range desert transport for freight, mail, even infantry. The versatile creature could also be mounted with a small gun throwing shrapnel. Wayne and Davis diverged on what came next. Wayne favored patient breeding; Davis wanted immediate full-scale testing. Orders were orders, but Wayne, sensing changes ahead, looked to transfer. Denied re-nomination for the 1856 presidential election, incumbent Democrat Pierce yielded the party reinsas well as the presidencyto James Buchanan. Davis subsequently lost out in a March 1857 cabinet shakeup. He was replaced by former Virginia governor John B. Floyd just as David Porter and Gwinn Heap were delivering 41 additional camels to coastal Texas. Accompanying the beasts were 10 foreign contract workers; notable among them were two Turks Hadji Ali and Eliasand Greek-born George Caralambo. Having completed their contractual obligations, Porter and Heap moved on as did Wayne who, after turning over the Corps to Captain Innis N. Palmer, transferred to Philadelphia. At first, incoming Secretary of War Floyd seemed eager to put the fledgling Camel Corps to work. A four-month debut projectsurveying for construction of a federal road north from El Paso to Fort Yuma, then west to the Colorado River, an 800-mile trek ending at the California borderbegan that June. Employing 25 Arabians from Camp Verde, each toting roughly 700 lb., and 75 mules, each carrying about 175 lb., Beale led the expedition through country where everything ahead is dim, uncertain or unknown, except the dangers. At one point, Beale, riding a large white dromedary stallion named Seid, galloped off, sheik-like, on a 27-mile scouting foray. The best horse or mule in our camp, he marveled, could not have performed the same journey in twice the time. The party reached California on October 17 but Beale wasnt quite done. After sending a 22-animal caravan to Fort Tejon, an outpost adjoining what is now Californias Los Padres National Forest, Beale saddled Seid while Hadji Alihis name Americanized as Hi-Jolly saddled Tuile. Accompanied by horsemen, the two riders navigated their Arabians across more than 200 miles of barren terrain to reach El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula. The animals arrival at what is now Los Angeles stirred excitement. Camels had reached the American West. Citing Beales enthusiasm, Floyd unsuccessfully urged Congress to buy 1,000 more camels, even though Lloyd and Jesup scarcely were able to employor maintaintheir existing herd. One Arizona cavalry captains request to use Arabians to chase marauding Indians did get Jesups endorsement, but Lloyd turned down the overture. At Camp Verde, meanwhile, Innis Palmer pleaded for funds to clothe his nearly naked foreign drovers. A major impediment was Department of Texas commander David E. Twiggs. I know that no living animal can bear the pressure of 600 pounds and go through a campaign in our country, Twiggs declared. By now the West Coast Arabians had relocated to Camp Fitzgerald near Los Angeles. With little else to do, Hi-Jolly and George CaralamboGreek George to allgave camel rides to curious schoolchildren. Male camels began to scrap. During one particularly vicious fight, Tuile stepped on Seids head, killing the stallion. Learning of the camels corralled down South, Newman S. Clarke, the California Departments San Francisco-based commander, requested jurisdiction. Jesup agreed, but it was September 1860 before Clarke instituted a camel express resupply route, an erstwhile Dromedary Line, between Los Angeles and Fort Mohave, 300 miles northeast. Greek George inaugurated the run only to have his camel die en route. When Clarke died that October, the Dromedary Line ceased. Mules stayed the preferred beast of burden. By now, civilian camels were reaching American shores. In October 1858, American steamship Thomas Watson, a known slaver, docked at Galveston, Texas. The owner of record, Mrs. M. J. Watson, declared her vessel was carrying 89 camels. She asked British Consul Arthur T. Lynn for the certification of health required of vessels leaving Galveston for British ports. Suspecting Watson was bound for Cuban slave ports, Lynn declined. During the ensuing dispute, Watson let the beasts go free. About half succumbed to disease or slaughter before she paid a local rancher to round up the survivors. He pastured them on the mainland but, when payments stopped, they too were set loose. In July 1860, San Francisco merchant Otto Esche returned to San Francisco from China with 45 winter-hardened Bactrians. He quartered the animals in a tent on Bush Street, planning to auction them individually. When Esches $1,200-per-head asking price got no takers, he sold ten in a package deal to Julius Bandmann, who pastured them near Pacific Street with occasional thistle-grazing forays to the Presidio. Bandmann resold the beasts for service as pack animals working the Washoe silver mines in distant Esmeralda County, now part of Nevada. Esche, meanwhile, sold a British Columbia mining outfit two dozen animals for a total of $6,000. Employed until 1863 on the rugged Old Cariboo Road, the Cariboo camels eventually were set loose. At least one, said to have been mistaken by a hunter for a bear, was killed, butchered, and served as grizzly steaks. Some of the beasts meandered south to Idaho and Nevada. By then, two dozen Military Camel Corps Arabians had completed their final meaningful job, a midsummer 1859 topographical survey of the Big Bend region in southwest Texas. As Wayne and Beale had, expedition leader Second Lieutenant Edward L. Hartz extolled the animals. The patience, endurance and steadiness which characterize the performance of the camels during this march, Hartz wrote in his journal, is beyond praise. Civil war undid the Camel Corps. When Texas seceded on January 28, 1861, former U.S. Army camels were neglected and abused. Some creatures delivered rural mail; one hauled a Confederate generals baggage. Another, Old Douglas, served with the 43rd Mississippi Infantry; he was killed at Vicksburg. Three camels escaped to federal lines in Arkansas, they were auctioned in St. Louis. When peace was declared, Camp Verdes 66 surviving camels were sold at auction for just $330 to Bethel Coopwood, a Confederate cavalryman who had fought in Arizona and New Mexico. Selling the Ringling Brothers Circus five animals, Coopwood employed the rest of the herd carrying freight between Laredo, Texas, and Mexico City. That business soon failed. The army also auctioned its California camels. Caravanned amid great curiosity up the coast to San Francisco in 1863, all three dozen Arabiansincluding Tuile, now Old Tule and 35 years oldfetched $1,945 from Samuel McLaughlin. He sold a few to a small circus, sent others to silver mines in Nevada, and staged a few Great Dromedary Races. In ensuing decades, remants of Americas camel experiment made occasional news. Edward Beale kept several at his ranch near El Tejon, California, training a pair to pull a sulky on 100-mile trips to Los Angeles. In advance of July 4, 1876, animals that had passed through Otto Esches and Julius Bandmanns hands climbed 9,000-foot Mount Davidson, Nevada, hauling firewood to fuel a centennial bonfire visible from all parts of the Washoe Valley. By mid-1857, all but three Levantine drovers had returned to their homelands. As late as the 1885-1886 cavalry campaign against the Apache war chief Geronimo, Hadji Ali, now a naturalized citizen named Philip Tedro, skinned mules for the army. He married a Tucson woman and fathered two daughters but died impoverished and alone in 1902. Greek George, too, became a citizen. Known as George Allen, he lived for a time near what is now Hollywoods Santa Monica Boulevard. Speaking only Spanish and recognizable by a Homeric and seemingly bulletproof thatch of beard and hair, he died in 1913. The Turkish-born Elias was to exert the most significant impact. Moving to Sonora, Mexico, where he wed a Yaqui Indian woman, Elias operated a ranch and fathered Plutarcho Elias Calles. Nicknamed El Turco, Calles served as a populist Mexican president 1924-1928. By the mid-1880s, American interest in camels as beasts of burden had run out. Cowboys and Native Americans who encountered feral camels were more inclined to kill than domesticate them. Accordingly, the 1883 sightings of Arizonas Red Ghost sparked the sort of wonder later sparked by UFOs. The Arizona mystery resolved itself in stages over the next decade. A month after the water carriers death, a rancher claiming to have seen the Red Ghost described a shaggy red-hued camel carrying a human figure. Seeing the same apparition weeks later, prospectors shot at it; the animal fled, shaking loose a human skull with bits of flesh and hair attached. Finally, in 1893, a rancher saw the Red Ghost consuming his turnip patch, grabbed a rifle, and killed the beast; inspection revealed that knotted rawhide strips, some cutting into the dead animals hide, had been securing remnants of a corpse. The only question, noted the Mohave County Miner, is whether the man was tied on him for revenge or merely as an ugly piece of humor by someone who had a camel and a corpse for which he had no use. Over ensuing decades, camel sightings persisted but gradually dwindled. Old Topsy, last documented descendant of the original Camel Military Corps, died in 1934. Attendants at Griffith Park, the Oakland Tribune reported, destroyed her after she became crippled with paralysis. This story originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of American History. Subscribe here. In 1859, 429 human beings were put up on the block FROM THE PLATFORM, auctioneer William Walsh greeted the 200 bidders milling in the large hall with one side open to cold March winds and announced the first item for salea Negro family standing on the platform, available for inspection. Would-be purchasers studied the catalogue, which identified the lot on offer: George, age 27, Prime Cotton Planter Sue, 26, Prime Cotton Planter George, 6, Boy Child Harry, 2, Boy Child Walsh started the bidding at $300 per head, cajoling the men milling on the floor to compete with one another until somebody had bought the whole family for $2,400. As the slaves stepped down to meet their new owner, Walsh gaveled the next lot onto the platform. Bidders carefully inspected the slaves, checking arm and leg muscles, ordering each to walk and squat, pulling open mouths to reveal teeth. A slave named Primus stepped onto the platform with his wife Daphney, their three-year old daughter, and a newborn. Daphney had wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and the baby she clutched to her breast. This pose irked some bidders. What do you keep your nigger covered up for? one bidder yelled. Pull off her blanket. Whats the matter with the gal? another man said. Aint she sound? Pull off her rags and lets see her. The auctioneer explained that the mother was merely trying to keep her baby, born only 15 days earlier, warm. Daphney removed the blanket, exposing her child and herself. The family sold for $2,500. It was March 2, 1859. At Ten Broeck racetrack outside Savannah, Georgia, Pierce M. Butler, a playboy from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was selling 429 slaves. The sale was taking place under duress. In the 1820s, Butlers grandfather, also Pierce ButlerFounding Father, hero of the Revolution, U.S. senatorhad left his namesake and the boys older brother John plantations totaling 10,000 acres on Butler Island and St. Simons Island, Georgia, along with the hundreds of Negroes who worked those cotton, rice, and tobacco fields. To inherit this fortune, the youths had only to change their family name, Mease, to Butler. The boys did so, divvying ownership of the slaves. In 1834, Pierce Butler married British actress Fanny Kemble. An abolitionist as well as a celebrity, Kemble was appalled by the treatment accorded her husbands slaves. The couple argued over the matter. Later, back in Philadelphia, Kemble caught Butler cheating. Their 1845 divorce cost him plenty, and then he squandered what remained of his fortune on the stock market and the high life. Deep in debt by 1859, the profligate planter sold his Philadelphia mansion. But his debts outran those proceeds, so he decided to liquefy another asset: his half of the island plantations work force. The United States had outlawed the importing of slaves in 1808; in the ensuing decades bondsmen had become a valuable commodity across the South. Now, Butler decided, auctioning his 429 slaves could save him from bankruptcy. His one concession to human decency: Though slave dealers commonly broke up families, Butler insisted that husbands were not to be separated from wives; parents and young children were to be kept together. The Butler auction, managed by slave dealer Joseph Bryan, was the largest such event staged in the country in years, perhaps the largest ever. The proceedings at Ten Broeck attracted hundreds of planters and slave dealers, as well as Mortimer Thomson, a correspondent for the New York Tribune, Horace Greeleys newspaper. Like many journalists of the era, Thomson wrote under a goofy pseudonymQ.K. Philander Doesticks. He usually contributed humorous piecesabout fortunetellers, boxers, bohemians, and P.T. Barnums baby beauty contest. This time the assignment was deadly serious. Southerners detested the Tribune for its frequent denunciations of slavery, so Thomson posed as a prospective bidder. He arrived early in Savannah and for days sauntered the racetrack grounds, watching buyers inspect slaves housed temporarily in stalls usually reserved for horses. Like the slave dealers, Thomson used his copy of the catalogue to make notes, surreptitiously transcribing conversations he overheard. Well, Colonel, I see you looking sharp at Shoemaker Bills Sally, one buyer said to another. Going to buy her? I think not, the other man replied. Sallys a good, big strapping gal, and can do a heap o work, but its five years since she had any children. Shes done breeding, I reckon. Throughout the two-day auction, a cold rain blew into the hall where bidding took place. Bidders warmed themselves with whiskey sold at a bar downstairs. The slaves could only shiver. Thomson closely watched black men and women as bidders vied to acquire them. Some slaves regarded the sale with perfect indifference, never making a motion, the newsman wrote. Others strained their eyes with eager glances from one buyer to another as the bidding went onSometimes two persons only would be bidding for the same chattel, all the others having resigned the contest, and then the poor creature on the block, conceiving instantaneous preference for one of the buyers over the other, would regard the rivalry with the intensest interest, the expression of his face changing with every bid, settling into a half smile of joy if the favorite buyer persevered and secured the property, and settling down into a look of hopeless despair if the other won the victory. By the end of the sales second day, auctioneer Walsh had sold all 429 slaves for a total of $303,850about $700 per man, woman and child. The auctioneer popped corks on bottles of Champagne. Buyers sipped the bubbly while Pierce Butler strolled among his former chattels, handing each a parting gift of four shiny 25-cent pieces fresh from the Philadelphia mint. Thomson caught a New York-bound train and started writing. Instead of his usual comedic skylarking, he simply described what he had seen and quoted what he had heard, striking a tone of muted outrage and understated irony: Guy, chattel No. 419, a prime young man, sold for $1,280, being without blemish; his age was twenty years, and he was altogether a fine article. His next-door neighbor, Andrew, chattel No. 420, was his very counterpart in all marketable points, in size, age, skill, and everything, save that he had lost his right eye. Andrew sold for only $1,040, from which we argue that the market value of the right eye in the Southern country is $240. Thomson lost his cool only when describing buyers making smutty wisecracks while pawing female slaves: This sort of thing makes Northern blood boil, and Northern fists clench with a laudable desire to hit somebody. It was almost too much for endurance to stand and see those brutal slave-drivers pushing the women about, pulling their lips apart with their not too cleanly hands, and committing many another indecent act, while the husbands, fathers and brothers of those women were compelled to witness these things, without the power to resent the outrage. On March 9, 1859, the Tribune published Thomsons 9,000-word article under an ironic headline: American Civilization Illustrated. Two days later, by popular demand, the Tribune reprinted the story. Soon Thomsons chronicle of the great slave sale was appearing in newspapers around the North, and in the Times of London. The American Anti-Slavery Society published the article in pamphlet form. Thomson went back to his beat. Two years later, when civil war broke out, he covered the conflict for the Tribune. The Ten Broeck auction dispersed Butlers former property to new locations across the South and financed a lengthy European vacation for their former owner. In 1863, Fanny Kemble, 18 years divorced from Butler, published Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation, a book composed of letters shed written 25 years earlier detailing the wretched lives of the black men and women she had observed on Butler Island and St. Simons Island in 1839. Journal became a bestseller in America and England, prompting another repackaging of Thomsons article, this time as a slender volume billed as A Sequel To Mrs. Kembles Journal. After the war, Butler returned to Georgia to manage his plantations, the land now worked by gangs of sharecroppers that included many of his brothers former slaves. He died of malaria in 1867. His ex-wife, famed as an actress, playwright, poet, and memoirist, outlived him by 26 years. Thomson died in New York in 1875. Like most reporters, he was quickly forgottena fate he shared with the 429 slaves sold on the two days that came to be known as the weeping time. _____ Up from the Stacks Famous in its day, Mortimer Thomsons article sank out of sight, available only in libraries inclined to keep obscure old books or microfilms of the New York Tribune. Digitized online, the original is available at publicdomainreview.org/collections/what-became-of-the-slaves-on-a-georgia-plantation-1863/. A brief excerpt: THE LOVE STORY OF JEFFREY AND DORCAS By Mortimer Thomson Jeffrey, chattel No. 319, marked as a prime cotton hand, aged 23 years, was put up. Jeffrey being a likely lad, the competition was high. The first bid was $1,100, and he was finally sold for $1,310. Jeffrey was sold alone; he had no encumbrance in the shape of an aged father or mother, who must necessarily be sold with him; nor had he any children, for Jeffrey was not married. But Jeffrey, chattel No 319, being human in his affections, had dared to cherish a love for Dorcas, chattel No. 278; and Dorcas, not having the fear of her master before her eyes, had given her heart to Jeffrey. Jeffrey and Dorcas had told their loves, had exchanged their simple vows, and were betrothed Be that as it may, Jeffrey was sold. He finds his new master; and, hat in hand, the big tears standing in his eyes, and his voice trembling with emotion, he stands before that master and tells his simple story, praying that his betrothed may be bought with him. Though his voice trembles, there is no embarrassment in his manner; his fears have killed all the bashfulness that would naturally attend such a recital to a stranger, and before unsympathetic witnesses. He feels that he is pleading for the happiness of her he loves, as well as his own, and his tale is told in a frank and manly way. I loves Dorcas, young Masr. I loves her well and true. She says she loves me and I know she does. De good Lord knows I loves her better than I loves anyone in de wide worldnever can love another woman half so well. Please buy Dorcas, Masr. Were be good servants to you as long as we live. Were be married right soon, young Masr, and de chillum will be healthy and strong, Masr, and deyll be good servants, too. Please buy Dorcas, young Masr. Jeffrey then remembers that no loves and hopes of his are to enter into the bargain at all, but in the earnestness of his love he has forgotten to base his plea on other grounds till now, when he bethinks him and continues, with his voice not trembling now, save with eagerness to prove how worthy of many dollars is the maiden of his heart. Young Masr, Dorcas prime womanA-1 woman, sir. Tall gal, sir, long arms, strong, healthy and can do a heap of work in a day. She is one of the best rice hands on de whole plantation, worth $1,200 easy, Masr, and first rate bargain at that. The man seems touched by Jeffreys last remarks, and bids him fetch out his gal. Lets see what she looks like. Jeffrey goes into the long room, and presently returns with Dorcas, looking very sad and self-possessed, without a particle of embarrassment at the trying position in which she is placed. She makes the accustomed curtsy and stands meekly with her hands clasped across her bosom, waiting the result. The buyer regards her with a critical eye, and growls in a low voice that the gal has good points. Then he goes on to a more minute and careful examination of her working abilities. He turns her around, makes her stoop and walk; and then takes off her turban to look at her head, that no wound or disease be concealed by the gay handkerchief. He looks at her teeth, and feels her arms, and at last announces himself pleased with the results of his observations. Jeffrey, who has stood near, trembling with eager hope, is overjoyed and smiles for the first time. The buyer then crowns Jeffreys happiness by making a promise that he will buy her, if the price isnt run up too high. And the two lovers step aside and congratulate each other on their good fortune. But Dorcas is not to be sold until the next day, and there are 24 hours of feverish expectation. Early next morning, Jeffrey is alert, and, hat in hand, encouraged to unusual freedom by the greatness of the stake for which he plays, he addresses every buyer, and of all who will listen he begs the boon of a word to be spoken to his new master to encourage him to buy Dorcas. And all the long morning he speaks in his homely way with all who know him that they will intercede to save his sweetheart from being sold away from him forever. No one has the heart to deny a word of promise and encouragement to the poor fellow, and, joyous with such kindness, his hopes and spirits gradually rise until he feels almost certain that the wish of his heart will be accomplished. And Dorcas, too, is smiling, for is not Jeffreys happiness her own? At last comes the trying moment, and Dorcas steps up on the stand. But now a most unexpected feature in the drama is for the first time unmasked: Dorcas is not to be sold alone, but with a family of four others. Full of dismay, Jeffrey looks to his master, who shakes his head for, although he might be induced to buy Dorcas alone, he has no use for the rest of the family. Jeffrey reads his doom in his masters look, and turns away, the tears streaming down his honest face. So Dorcas is sold, and her toiling life is to be spent in the cotton fields of South Carolina, while Jeffrey goes to the rice plantation of the Great Swamp. And tomorrow, Jeffrey and Dorcas are to say their tearful farewell, and go their separate ways in life, to meet no more as mortal beings. In another hour I see Dorcas in the long room, sitting motionless as a statue, her head covered with a shawl. And I see Jeffrey, who goes to his new master, pulls off his hat and says: Ise very much obliged, Masr, to you for tryin to help me. I knows you would have done it if you could. Thank you, Masr, thank you. Butitsvery hard. And here the poor fellow breaks down entirely and walks away, covering his face with his battered hat, and sobbing like a very child. He is soon surrounded by a group of his colored friends, who, with an instinctive delicacy most unlooked for, stand quiet, and with uncovered heads, about him. A US university professor has been removed as director of a graduate programme, amid a furore over an email she sent urging students not to speak Chinese, a media report said. Megan Neely, an assistant professor at the Duke University in North Carolina, told students that not speaking English could lead to unintended consequences for international students, the BBC reported. The email was sent after two unnamed faculty members of the biostatistics Masters programme complained to her about students speaking Chinese in public areas in the department. The controversy erupted after screenshots of Neelys email to biostatistics students went viral online over the weekend. Duke University confirmed to US media that the screenshots were genuine. Neely said that the two faculty members had asked her if she had photos of students on the Masters programme, before picking out a number of first-year students who they observed speaking Chinese (in their words, very loudly), in the student lounge/study areas. Neely said that the faculty members told her they wanted to write down the names so they could remember them if the students ever interviewed for an internship or asked to work with them for a masters project. They were disappointed that these students were not taking the opportunity to improve their English and were being so impolite as to have a conversation that not everyone on the floor could understand, the BBC reported. To international students, she continued, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep these unintended consequences in mind when you choose to speak in Chinese in the building. She added that she respected international students for learning in a non-native language, but I encourage you to commit to using English 100% of the time when you are in Hock (the faculty building) or any other professional setting. Her email went viral on Twitter and Chinese social media, while Dukes medical faculty has promised to review its biostatistics programme. Many have criticised Neelys email as racist or insensitive, and raised concerns that faculty members were discriminating against international students. However, some ethnic minority students on the Masters programme told the BBC they supported Neely, describing her as a supportive programme director and definitely not a racist, not even close. Senator Kamala Harris officially launched her campaign for Democratic presidential nomination at a rally at which she said the world and the United States were at an inflection point, attacked President Donald Trumps policies, and invoked repeatedly her Indian-origin mother as her inspiration. Harris had announced her White House 2020 run past week on Martin Luther King Day, but on Sunday, she kicked it off ceremonially in Oakland, California, where she was born and spent her formative years and where she returned as a lawyer to start her career in law enforcement as a district attorney. With a giant US national flag as the backdrop, Harris, 54, began by talking about her parents Donald Harris, who came to the US from Jamaica, and Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who came from India. And said she and her younger sister were raised to value public service and fight for justice. Her mother would say, she said,Dont sit around and complain about things, do something. Basically I think she was saying, Youve got to get up and stand up and dont give up the fight. She mentioned her mother a couple of times and the word fight more than 20 times, in varying contexts. Harris launched shortly into her reasons for the seeking the highest political office in the country. We are here knowing that we are at an inflection point in the history of our world, she said. We are at an inflection point in the history of our nation. We are here because the American Dream and our American democracy are under attack and on the line like never before. And in a thinly veiled reference to President Trump who she did not name even once she said, we have leaders who lie and bully and attack a free press and undermine our democratic institutions thats not our America. Trump has made more that 8,100 false and misleading statements since taking office, according to fact-checkers at The Washington Post, and has called press the enemy of the people. Harris was scathing in her all-around criticism of the Trump administration. On immigration, Harris called the proposed wall along the border with Mexico the presidents medieval vanity project and said it will not work and spoke of the administrations practice of putting children separated from their families in cages. The first-term senator addressed bluntly questions of race, anti-Semitism and discrimination of all kinds that have seen a resurgence. Lets speak an uncomfortable but honest truth with one another: racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, transphobia are real in this country. They are age-old forms of hate with new fuel. She mentioned the march of white supremacists in Charlottesville and the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburg. On foreign policy, the senator said Americas position in the world has never been weaker than it is under the Trump administration. Democratic values are under attack around the globe. When authoritarianism is on the march. When nuclear proliferation is on the rise. We have foreign powers infecting the White House like malware. Harris left barely any issue untouched in what was the most high-profile launch rally by any of the Democrats who in the fray so far climate change is not science fiction; too many unarmed black men and women are killed in America; people are drowning in debt; economy today is not working for working people. Indian Americans, who have watched Harriss rise in politics, are extremely excited by her run for the White House. We have done well extremely well professionally, educationally, created businesses and opportunities, said Ramesh Kapur, an entrepreneur and Democratic strategist who attended the Oakland rally, but electing a president of your own DNA will the ultimate sign of that we have truly arrived. The community is following Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in US Congress who is set to formally launch her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination next week, just as closely. Though not of Indian origin, the lawmaker from Hawaii has been embraced by the community as one of their own. India on Monday lodged a strong protest over the burning of the Indian flag outside its high commission on Saturday, Indias Republic Day, by pro-Khalistan supporters, while the Foreign Office said it is disappointed over the second such incident within a year. The Indian mission sent a note verbale to the Foreign Office and is set to raise the issue at various levels in the near future. The incident occurred after India had informed British security officials of the possibility of it happening on January 26. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: We are disappointed that anyone would choose to burn the Indian flag on any day, let alone the celebration of Republic Day, and we regret the upset that this will have caused. We congratulate India on her 69th Republic Day celebration, and look forward to deepening our relationship further as we prepare to leave the European Union and forge new partnerships with key global allies. Videos and still images of the protest outside India House showed one flag being burned, others being stamped and kicked around by demonstrators shouting pro-Khalistan and anti-India slogans, holding placards with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and national security advisor Ajit Doval in the presence of some British police personnel. A Scotland Yard spokesperson said on Sunday: We are aware of a social media video that appears to be from the demonstration outside India House in Aldwych on Saturday, 26 January. No allegations of crime have been reported. We are working to establish the exact circumstances of the video. The incident appeared set to spark another round of diplomatic tension on issues related to Khalistan that have engaged the two countries since the mid-1980s. London and the UK have long been the base of groups and individuals supporting Khalistan. Saturdays was the second such incident in London within a year. The Indian flag was also mutilated in Parliament Square during the April 2018 visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting. Indias strong protest at the time had prompted an apology from the Foreign Office. The Foreign Office said last week that Britain does not condone the burning of national flags: We are proud to be a country that fiercely protects the rights of individuals to peaceful protest and free speech as essential parts of a vibrant democracy, provided that demonstrators act within the law. We do not condone the burning of national flags, which is deeply offensive to most people, the spokesperson had added. Each month, Carroll Hospital recognizes the extraordinary achievements of members of the Carroll Hospital staff with a program called Associate WOW Service Awards. From those who are nominated to receive Associate WOW Service Awards each month, one SuperStar of the Month is chosen. And, from a year's worth of winners, one SuperStar of the Year is selected. As retailers raised the spectre of food shortages if the UK left the EU on March 29 without an agreement, Downing Street insisted on Monday that the agreement voted down in parliament earlier this month will have to be changed by Brussels. EU officials, however, insisted that the agreement forged after over two years of talks is not open for re-negotiation, setting up another round of battle of attrition between the two capitals. Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit Plan B is due to be voted in the House of Commons on Tuesday. A raft of amendments to the Plan B statement made by May last week will also be taken up on Tuesday, seeking to alter aspects of the Brexit process, including on the sensitive issue of the backstop for Ireland-Northern Ireland. A Downing Street spokesman said: What we have consistently heard from European leaders is that they want the United Kingdom to leave with a deal. Theres a recognition that the United Kingdom leaving with a deal is in their best interests, as well as those of the UK. The deal which has been agreed was defeated by parliament. Therefore, if we are going to leave with a deal, clearly we are going to need to make some changes in order to win parliamentary support. However, the demand for change was soon shot down by Margaritis Schinas, spokesman of the European Commission: We have a unanimous EU27 position on the withdrawal agreement which reflects the common EU position. This withdrawal agreement has been agreed with the UK government, it is endorsed by leaders and is not open for renegotiation. The only thing I have to say is that we shall wait for the result of the vote of the Commons tomorrow. Then we will wait for the government to tell us what are the next steps. Thats how its going to work. Meanwhile, a letter by the British Retail Consortium signed by several major food retailers warned MPs that a no-deal Brexit will threaten the UKs food security, leading to higher prices and empty shelves. The letter from the retailers says there will be significant risks to maintaining the choice, quality and shelf life of food, the BBC reported. We are extremely concerned that our customers will be among the first to experience the realities of a no deal Brexit, the letter says. Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes Director - Joe Berlinger Rating - 2.5/5 Extremely wicked, shockingly evil and vile. This was how the judge described serial killer Ted Bundys crimes, before he sentenced him to death. These words, taken in the same order, will also serve as the title for an upcoming film about Bundy, directed by Joe Berlinger. Berlinger is somewhat of a pioneer in the true crime genre, having burst onto the scene in the early 90s with his Paradise Lost trilogy, which he co-directed with the late Bruce Sinofsky. Those movies, told over the course of a decade, literally helped save the lives of three young men, convicted of the murder of three children. They are, to this day, despite the overabundance of exhaustively researched podcasts and lavishly crafted documentary series, the gold standard of true crime. Watch the Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes trailer here With the genre now witnessing a golden age, Berlinger before debuting Extremely Wicked has released a preamble of sorts, the four-part Netflix documentary, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes - titled, as youd agree, with decidedly less panache. This is an interesting scenario, one that affords the same filmmaker two bites at the apple, in two highly contrasting forms. It reminded me of when Andrew Jarecki made All Good Things, a drama about accused murderer Robert Durst, with Ryan Gosling in the lead role, and followed it up in 2015, with his HBO documentary series, The Jinx, which led to the arrest of Durst. Like the Jinx, the biggest card Conversations with a Killer has up its sleeve is that it offers viewers an account of the story straight from the horses mouth. Scattered throughout its four episodes are snippets of audio recordings made during multiple interview sessions conducted by a journalist, when Bundy was in prison. Unlike the Jinx, however, barely anything Bundy says is of value, or interest - its hardly the confessional it has been advertised as. In situations such as this, when the subject has already been so widely and thoroughly profiled, it pays to provide unique insight into either his methods, or his psychology. Conversations with a Killer does neither. It makes only the most half-hearted - forgive the pun - stabs at understanding why Bundy did what he did. It is mostly content in merely reporting what happened, with little to no subtext. Bundy was a killer of women, perhaps the most infamous since Jack the Ripper. That in itself, especially now, is an idea worth exploring. It is said that he murdered, over the course of many years and across several states, more than 30 young women. And the manner in which he killed them - there were sexual overtones to his crimes, which included necrophilia, all conducted with brutal violence - was especially gruesome. And yet, Bundy maintained his innocence until the very end, and retained his disarming charm. Many women in the show point out how oddly good-looking he was, a trait he tragically used to lure many of his victims. He looked like one of us, says a future lawyer, alluding also to Bundys college education and solid family support. It was perhaps this mysterious allure that inspired Berlinger to cast Zac Efron as Bundy in his upcoming film. The twists and turns his life took are undeniably interesting. For instance, Bundy successfully staged multiple jail-breaks. And towards the end of his life he took on a Hannibal Lecter-style role as an advisor to the FBIs nascent serial killer department. Perhaps a future season of Netflixs Mindhunter will revisit this story. Also read: Mindhunter review: David Fincher kills it with his new Netflix show, one of the best of the year But Conversations with a Killer seems neither interested in mining Bundys life for pulp thrills, nor seeking any sort of emotional catharsis for his victims and their families. It plays simply like reading a Wikipedia page, scored to jarring electronic music. For fans of true crime - and I count myself as one - Bundy and his terrible misdeeds will be enough of a reason to stick around till the end, especially since four episodes is hardly a commitment at all. But for curious outsiders, the telling will prove to be too dry to evoke any sort of visceral emotion - a key to any true crime storys success. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @RohanNaahar Eleven special air-conditioned double-decker buses purchased for 8.80 crore to run the hop-on, hop-off services in the city are gathering dust at Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertakings (BEST) depot at Santacruz for the past 10 months. Why? Nobody knows. While two senior officials of the tourism department and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) blamed internal politics, Madan Yerawar, minister of state for tourism, elaborated on how he has consistently followed up on the delay, without mentioning what was causing it. HT could not confirm the exact reason for the delay as tourism minister Jaykumar Rawal did not respond to text messages or calls. Hop-on, hop-off buses allow you to get off and onto the bus on the pre-decided route multiple times, with ticket validity for 24, 48 or even 72 hours. The 45-seater buses, purchased by MTDC for nearly 80 lakh each, have audio-visual guides, chemical toilets and restaurant-like customised seating. The buses were to start from two spots Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in the western suburbs and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in the island city. The bus starting from CSMT was to travel via the museum, Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Mani Bhavan, Haji Ali and other spots in the city. The bus from SGNP was to travel via the same route in the opposite direction. Tourists have to pay 400-500 for a person, and are offered free breakfast along with other facilities. Currently, MTDC offers a tour of south Mumbais tourist spots using BESTs double-decker bus Nilambari. The tourist has to shell out 180 and 60 for a journey on the bus, which has an open upper deck. The plan to run the service, on the lines of Metros across the world, has been pending since 2015-2016. The idea dates back to the Congress-NCP government, and its execution began during the BJP-Shiv Sena rule. In 2015, the district planning committees (DPC) for Mumbai and Mumbai suburban districts, in their budget, allocated 3.11 crore and 5.60 crore for these buses, respectively. A private operator was appointed as a contractor. In March 2016, MTDC signed an agreement with the operator to provide the bus service. The buses were ready within six months, but their registration was completed at Kalyan road transport office (RTO) by mid-2017. By then, MTDC was reluctant to launch the service and the private operator handed over the buses to the corporation in March 2018. Since then, the buses are parked at the depot. Yerawar said, I have written 10 letters to get this service off the ground. It will be an innovative service, and will certainly get good response. I dont know what the issue is. Recently, MTDC wrote to the operator to launch the service from January 26, 2019, but the plan didnt materialise. We will launch the service soon, said Abhimanyu Kale, managing director of MTDC. An MTDC official, however, admitted that as the buses have been unattended for a long time, they cant be put to service without repairs, which will lead to expenses for the authority. HT contacted the private operator, but he refused to comment on the issue. According to the agreement signed in 2016, MTDC was to get 11%, 15% and 21% revenue share in the first, second and third year from the private operator, respectively. The revenue share will be 26% and 31% in the fourth and fifth year. MTDC has lost the revenue for the first year. Last year, film make-up artist Sailee Bhiwandkar was awarded by the Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) for setting a record on her Vespa. She was recognised for covering the longest distance by a woman on a vintage vehicle, with a 300km ride from Mumbai to Pune and back. The wheels for Sailees achievement were set in motion in 1967 when her family had bought that Vespa. The Bhiwandkars sense for the classics is further evidenced by the regular presence of three generations Sailee, her father Sanjeev and grandfather Praful at multiple vehicle rallies in the city over the years. On Sunday, the familys three Vespas and a Honda VF500F were four of 65 vehicles on display at a vintage vehicles exhibition at Shelkes Vintage Inn in Kolshet Road, organised by the Heritage Vehicle Owners Club of Thane. Sundays was the 11th edition of the popular exhibition. Vintage bikes and scooters at the exhibition. (Praful Gangurde/ HT Photo) The exhibition saw participants from Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and Pune. I come to Thane every year, especially for this show, says Dr Ajit Kanbur, a gynaecologist who moved to Dubai around eight years ago. Kanbur displayed a four-doored Standard Herald, which he said is rare today. The car is a British make and was introduced in the Indian market in the 1960s. It originally had two doors, which was inconvenient for Indians. As sales dropped, the company started producing four-doored models. However, production stopped soon after. Therefore, it is very rare to find a four-doored Standard Herald, he explained. The Indian Maharajas fascination with the Rolls Royce since the early 1900s is well documented. However, there are few vehicles that have been erased from public memory, claimed Vinnay Gurav, one of the founders of the club. On the list of such forgotten vehicles that were part of the exhibition are Rajdoot Runabout, Rajdoot GTS 175, Enfield Fantabulous, Innocenti and Honda 250N Super Dream. The oldest vehicle on display was the Austin 12, dating back to 1929. A four-doored 1972 Standard Herald (left) at the exhibition. (Praful Gangurde/ HT Photo) The first event held by the club began as an informal gathering near Masunda Lake, Thane, in December 2006. The founders of the club Gurav, Digamber Yadav, Edward Rodrigues and Prakash Shelke met at 7am with three vehicles. In a matter of hours, morning joggers and residents had thronged the area to look at the cars, according to Gurav. The traffic was out of control and had to be diverted by the police. It was this response that got us thinking about organising a formal event. We worked round the clock for the next few months and our first event was held in May 2007, he added. The Uttar Pradesh cabinet meeting will be held on the banks of the Sangam at the Kumbh mela in Prayagraj for the first time on Tuesday, following which the ministers will watch the Vicky Kaushal-starrer Uri at a special screening in a mobile theatre. Prayagraj district magistrate Suhas LY said preparations were complete for the meeting and the holy dip that the ministers are expected to take in the Sangam waters. Special security arrangements have made around the integrated command and control centre, the venue of the cabinet meeting, in Sector 1 of the Kumbh Mela area. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will arrive at the Bamrauli airport from Lucknow at 10 am and head straight for the Kumbh Mela. The ministers, along with the chief minister, are likely to have a darshan of Akshayvat and Hanuman temple later in the day. The meeting will be a replica of the ones held in state capital. The chief minister, 24 cabinet ministers, including deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, will attend the meeting. Senior officials to be present at the meeting include the chief secretary, additional chief secretary and secretaries of various departments, he said. Read: Priyanka Gandhi may begin formal political role in UP with Kumbh holy dip State government spokesperson and cabinet minister Sidharth Nath Singh said the Hindi film, Uri-The Surgical Strike, would be screened for the cabinet in a mobile theatre after the ministers attend the meeting and bathe in the Sangam. The meeting is scheduled at 11am and there is speculation that major decisions could be taken. When asked, a government spokesman, however, said the agenda for the meeting was being finalised. The area around Sangam nose was cleaned and decorated on Monday for the holy dip that the ministers would take after the cabinet meeting. In December 2003, a UP cabinet meeting was organised in the State Public Library situated inside the Chandrashekhar Azad Park premises in Allahabad (now renamed as Prayagraj) when Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati was the chief minister. The first meeting of the UP Legislative Assembly was organised in the same State Public Library on 29 July, 1937. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has said that his party would guarantee minimum income for all the poor of the country if it formed the government at the Centre after the 2019 elections. At the same time, he took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government at the Centre on the issue of farmers loans. Invoking the Green revolution of the 1960s, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress had done many historic things in the past and that it was going to do another historic thing if it came to power in 2019. He was speaking at a farmers rally at Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh. Congress laid the foundation of the Green Revolution. We worked on food security. We brought in the Milk revolution, the telecom revolution, Gandhi said. Listing out the various revolutions that took place in the country including the White Revolution, the telecom revolution, Rahul Gandhi said that his party would provide minimum income to the poor of the country. We cannot build a new India while millions of our brothers & sisters suffer the scourge of poverty. If voted to power in 2019, the Congress is committed to a Minimum Income Guarantee for every poor person, to help eradicate poverty & hunger. This is our vision & our promise. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 28, 2019 Once we win the 2019 elections, we have decided to give minimum income guarantee to all the poor of the country. This will be done for the first time by Congress government in 2019, he said. Rahul further accused PM Modi and the ruling BJP of trying to create two Indias , One India is of the Rafale scam, Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya, Mehul Choksi and the other of the poor farmers. Attacking the BJP government at the Centre and the prime minister, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the PM and his government had no money to waive off the farmerss loans, but had money to give to a handful of industrialists. When we were in the Opposition in Chhattisgarh, we spoke about farmers and asked the BJP government to waive the farmers loans, we would be told that there is no money. When we asked for the same in Madhya Pradesh, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government would say there is no money. In Rajasthan also we got the same answer. In Delhi, PM Modi says Indian government has no money to waive farm loans. But you have enough money to give to 15 major industrialists, Rahul Gandhi said. The watchman of India does not have Rs 6,000 crore for the farmers, but has Rs 30,000 crore for Anil Ambani, Gandhi said referring to the Rafale deal. We had promised that whatever happens, well waive off farmers loans in 10 days. and we did that. I told you it will be done in 10 days, but I told chief minister Bhupesh Baghel to do it in 2 days. He did it in one day. What the BJP leaders couldnt do in 15 years, we did in 24 hours, Gandhi said. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced that his party will ensure a minimum income guarantee for every poor person in the country if it comes to power after the summers Lok Sabha elections, pre-emptively staking claim to a welfare scheme which some speculate could be part of the Interim Budget the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government will present on February 1. Gandhi made the announcement at the Kisaan Abhaar Sammelan held in Raipur to express gratitude to the people of Chhattisgarh, particularly farmers, for voting the party to power in the state after a gap of 15 years. We are now taking a step which no government in the world has taken before. The Congress party has decided to give every poor person a minimum income guarantee if we come to power in 2019. This means each poor person in India will have minimum income and the money will be transferred into the bank account. There will be no hungry, poor people in India, Gandhi said. Recent months have seen an increased interest in the concept of Universal Basic Income (UBI), although the idea has been around for some time and been discussed by policy makers for a few years. UBI is a periodic cash payment made to all citizens to cover their basic needs. To be sure, Gandhis idea, details of which arent available yet, sounds more like a minimum income guarantee for specific households (in this case, poor ones), as opposed to a universal one. This was confirmed by the head of the partys data analytics cell Praveen Chakravarty What Rahul Gandhi has promised is not Universal Basic Income but minimum income guarantee, which will be progressive in nature, unlike a situation where even the top 1% gets direct cash payments. It will basically involve identifying persons below a minimum income threshold and giving them differentiated payments on the basis of distance from that threshold. Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said: People of India know the reality of Congress and have seen through its games. Gandhis claim to provide minimum income guarantee for the poor is like hundreds of Congress announcements which are not meant to be implemented. His party remained in power for 58 years at the Centre and made thousands of announcement. If they had been implemented, the face of the country, including of the poor, would have been different, Prasad said. The Congress dwelt on UBI in a 2017 document The Real State of the Economy 2017: Where are the jobs Mr Prime Minister that was released by the party on January 30, 2017, a day before the official Economic Survey for 2016-17 was released. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote the foreword to the document. Incidentally, the official Economic Survey also featured an entire chapter on UBI that year. There is no question that potential resources exist that could fund a modest UBI scheme, but even deciding on what the minimum amount should be can be controversial, the document said. The party did spell out in clear terms what UBI should not do. UBI is welcome, but not at the cost of existing welfare schemes like MGNREGA [Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act] or through reduced spending on education and health, it added. In its purest form, and also for it to make sense, economists have held, UBI should replace all other subsidies and benefits. There is a hint in the document that the Congress could take an MGNREGS-like approach to UBI by first launching a pilot in select regions. It would be worth experimenting with pilot UBI implementation in select districts. It we do not remove existing subsidies during this pilot, we can monitor and see if claims on these subsidies gradually diminish, the document added. Indeed, even on Monday, Gandhi spoke about rights-based initiatives of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government MGNREGA, National Food Security Law and Right to Information before making the poll promise. According to Economic Survey report of 2016-17, UBI (something similar to minimum income guarantee) of Rs 7,620 per year could cost as much as 5% of GDP. As per the last poverty estimate done on basis of National Sample Survey Offices consumption survey of 2011-12, there were about 269 million poor in India. Subsequently, an expert committee under former Reserve Bank of India governor C Rangarajan in June 2014, estimated that 29.5%, or 363 million, Indians were poor. However, the Rangarajan Committee report was not accepted by the government. The next consumption survey report is likely to be made public in June 2019. The 2019 manifesto of the Congress will contain more details, Chakravarty and former finance minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram said (the latter in a tweet). This is expected by March, HT learns. Chidambaram tweeted that the Congress government will generate resources to implement the promise made by Rahul Gandhi, and called the party presidents announcement historic. Neelanjan Sircar, assistant professor at Ashoka University, said: It is difficult to say how a minimum income guarantee promise will actually work for the Congress in the elections. Voters might want to see tangible benefits from such a scheme before committing themselves politically to the idea. However, such announcements might help the Congress in stealing potential advantages of similar rhetoric by the BJP, he added. BJP president Amit Shah would kick off his partys campaign in Odisha on Tuesday by meeting more than 30,000 booth-level workers in four crucial parliamentary seats considered to be fort of ruling Biju Janata Dal ahead of the assembly and Lok Sabha elections later this year. Shah, who in July 2017 started the Mo Booth Sabuthu Mazboot (My booth is the strongest) programme to expand the partys footprints at the grassroots, would hold closed door meetings with the workers in Salepur area of Cuttack. BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said booth-level committee members from 6,350 booths in the four Lok Sabha constituencies of Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur would brief Shah about the voter outreach they have done in last one and half years. Shah would also brief them about strategies to impress upon the first-time voters in the age group of 18-25 years. Till 2014, the BJPs booth level presence in Odisha was very weak. After Amit Shah became the party president, for the first time we have booth-level workers in all the 37,606 booths of the state. The Salepur meeting would be all about stocktaking of the partys preparations before we hit the ground running, said Kumar. In the 2014 assembly election, the party had got 18% of the votes cast and secured ten assembly seats and in the general election in the same year it won 21.5% of the votes winning just one seat. This year, the party seeks to win at least 35% of the votes and win at least 40 assembly seats. BJP sources said Shahs focus on the four Lok Sabha constituencies is significant as the Navin Patnaik-led BJD has a near impregnable fortress in these places. Apart from winning all the four seats, the BJD had won 22 out of the 25 assembly seats there leaving three for the Congress. The BJP drew a blank in those places. Read more| Congresss OROP is Only Rahul Only Priyanka: Amit Shah in Una At the Salepur meeting, Shah would not address any public rally and would only strategise with each of the booth level workers as well as the booth prabharis on the ways to impress the voters. Each of the booths would have around 800-1,000 voters. Our strategy is to get at least 50% of the votes or at least 350 votes in each of the booths, a senior BJP leader, who did not want to be named, said. As each of the booths have several beneficiaries of central government schemes like Ujjwala, Soubhagya as well as toilet construction, the information about each of the beneficiaries booths are being fed into a secure website. The booth workers are expected to meet each of these voters and urge them to vote for BJP, the leader said The BJP had started booth-level committees in each of the booths from July 2017 onwards with 25-30 workers as members. Each of the booths had an in-charge called booth prabhari, who is not a local. Sources said Shah would urge the booth-level workers to target the nearly 17 lakh first-time voters, as per latest voters list by the Election Commission. As the youth look towards (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi with hope, the youth in the 18-22 age group would be our first target. The second group that we looking at is 22-37 years group as we feel many of them must be dissatisfied with the performance of Naveen Patnaik government, said the BJP leader quoted above. BJP leaders said each of the women ministers in the Modi government, including Nirmala Sitharaman, Smriti Irani and Maneka Gandhi, would have videoconference in the coming weeks with women leaders of the party. The party is also planning to send customised voice messages to ASHA as well as Anganwadi workers from Prime Minister Modi about the work done by the NDA government at the Centre. From creating WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages to highlighting the drawbacks of the BJD government, the party has charted out elaborate plans of targeting 40 lakh smartphone users in Odisha. Shah would come back to Odisha on February 3 to address a tribal convention being organised by the party in Puri. And, Prime Minister Modi will come to Berhampur town on February 12. Modi promotes Make in India, Rahul busy with Break in India: Shah Modi ji promotes Make in India, while Rahul is busy with Break in India, said Amit Shah in Una Need a majboot sarkar, not a majboor sarkar: Amit Shah We need a majboot sarkar, not a majboor sarkar. We need a majboot sarkar that can give Pakistan a hard time for killing our soldiers, said Amit shah in Una. Provided over 50 crore people with health facilities: Amit Shah In four and a half years, BJP government provided 50 crore people with health facilities, 8 crore people with toilets, and has helped over 2.5 crore people to construct their houses. Why couldnt Congress eradicate poverty in 55 years: Amit Shah Even today, Congress president in his speeches bring up the issue of poverty, however, I want to ask Rahul baba what did Congress govt do for 55 years. Its only us who are taking measures for eradication of poverty. They couldnt even provide a gas cylinder to every house ion the country, said Amit Shah in Una. Narendra Modi govt introduced One Rank One Pension: Amit Shah For over 70 years, no one cared about the jawan, when Narendra Modi government came to power, we introduced One Rank One Pension (OROP). However, the Congress also follows OROP, which is Only Rahul Only Priyanka, said Amit Shah. Amit Shah reaches Una BJP national chief Amit Shah today reached Una in Himachal Pradesh to address Panna Pramukh Sammelan. Why BJP uses Panna Pramukh model The Panna Pramukh model was successfully implemented in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Since then, the BJP has repeatedly gone back to this model to win assembly elections elsewhere. The model became a potential tool for disseminating political messages, voter mobilisation, inter-personal contact with voters and, lastly, direct feedback from the ground. What is Panna Pramukh model Under the Panna Pramukh model, the party appoints a pramukh (or prabhari) who is given a list (panna, literally page) of names of 8-12 families. Each pramukh is asked to focus on these families to create a larger vote base. The model was first used in Gujarat when the saffron party rode to power for three successive terms. Amit Shah to address Panna Pramukh Sammelan Ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP national chief Amit Shah will on Monday address a Panna Pramukh Sammelan in Una, Himachal Pradesh. The Shiv Sena on Monday insisted that it is the senior partner in the alliance with the BJP in Maharashtra and will always remain so. But Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that the BJP wants an alliance but it isnt helpless. We are the big brother in Maharashtra, we were the big brother and will stay the big brother, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said after a party meeting in Mumbai, according to ANI. CM Fadnavis said the BJP wants an alliance to keep those who looted the nation out of power. BJP is not helpless, yes we want alliance but for development of nation. BJP is the party which reached 200 from 2, he said. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut after party meeting in Mumbai: We are the big brother in Maharashtra, we were the big brother and will stay the big brother. pic.twitter.com/xnjddcv3rz ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 When it comes to numbers, the BJP is ahead with 121 members in the 289-member legislative assembly against the Shiv Senas 63. In the Lok Sabha, 18 Shiv Sena MPs were elected from Maharashtra out of 48 seats while the BJP won in 23 seats. The alliance between the two parties has come under strain in the wake of the Shiv Senas unsparing criticism of the BJP over a range of issues. Earlier his month, BJP president Amit Shah in a veiled warning to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said that if no alliance happens for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP would crush its ex-allies like its opponents Shahs warning drew a prompt response from the Shiv Sena which threatened to bury the BJP. Created by the Josie King Foundation, the Patient Safety Hero Award is presented to caregivers who work hard to create a culture of patient safety within their health care organization. This can be achieved through various ways including listening to patients or their family members; encouraging them to speak up and ask questions at any time; improving communication and teamwork; and addressing potential safety concerns. At Carroll Hospital, the award is given to an associate whose actions most closely meet the award's criteria, and from a year's worth of honorees, one Patient Safety Hero of the Year will be announced at an annual banquet. Police in Uttar Pradesh will introduce a two-step verification process for anyone calling their internet portal with information related to bombs and train accidents after a 15-year-old threatened to blow up several places in Ghaziabad. The Class 9 student sent multiple bomb hoax messages through chat box available on the departments UP100 portal. The messages were sent by the teenager on the UP100 portal on January 24 and 25 just ahead of the Republic Day celebrations. The boy only provided nine digits of mobile numbers and kept sending the threatening messages. Sources in the police said the boy seemed to be miffed with the system and inspired by a Bollywood movie Wednesday. The incident forced police to activate surveillance and even roped in UP special task force to track the message sender. The boys location was traced on Sunday and it was decided to let him off considering his family conditions, said officials. We are now going to introduce two-stage verification to authenticate user sending messages on UP100 portal chat. A four-digit passcode will be sent to the mobile of the callers and UP100 officials will call him/her up to know the passcode. Similar code will be sent to the chat option for further verification. However, these passcodes will be sent only in critical cases, Mohammad Imran, superintendent of police UP100 at Lucknow, said. The chat box available on UP100 asks for the name, mobile number and district of the message sender. Officials said the chat option currently also accepts less than ten digits of mobile numbers. This, they said, was a best practice in order to ensure timely help in case of emergency situations. Many callers dont provide their ten digit mobile number just to maintain secrecy. In such cases, our criterion is to offer timely help. However, the two-stage passcode verification will help us authenticate callers who are giving critical information. After authentication, their identities will be kept secret, Imran said. If passcodes do not match or they are not able to provide the codes, we will come to know that they are not genuine callers. Legal action may be taken against such callers. We are going to implement the passcode verification within a couple of days, he said. The officials added that in case of critical information they will mandatorily seek details and identity of the message sender and will consider it as not genuine if the caller fails to establish their identity. This will be done through chat box messages in case he has not provided his full ten digit mobile number. Further, OTPs will be sent on his mobile to authenticate him, the officer said. Uttar Pradesh government, as a part of an innovative plan, would set up hair collection centres where the barbers would sell the hair for Rs 40 per kg. In the first phase, the centre would be operational in ten districts which have been identified on the basis of high availability of human hair. The hair would be used in making amino acid with cow urine and dung, which would be sold in the open market. Bhartiya Harit Khadi Gramodyog Sansthan (BHKGS), a unit of Khadi Board and Gramodyog, has prepared an ambitious scheme to promote cottage industries. In this plan the hair collection centres would be set up in ten cities of the state including Kanpur and Lucknow. Minister for Khadi Gramodyog, Satyadeo Pachauri said the centres would be set up by the first week of March. An memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has already been signed with a company for installing the plant for producing amino acid from hair, cow urine and cow dung. Amino acid was required for producing organic manure and also for producing pesticides and insecticides. On the one hand the barbers would get an additional income from the waste and on the other hand this would check the practice of throwing waste hair on roadside, Pachauri said. The minister said the BHKGS had conducted a survey and found that over 800 kg of hair was thrown as waste in the cities. The waste hair would prove to be a potential raw material for producing amino acid which had multi- purpose use. The sale price of amino acid would be around Rs 150, per litre he added. Controller of the Training Program run by BHKGS Vijay Rai said that after two years hectic research on the project we had been able to produce amino acid with human hair, cow dung and cow urine. We are imparting training to people so that they could run the collection centres and help in amino acid production. In the first phase the centres would be set up in Kanpur City, Kanpur Dehat, Lucknow, Banda, Sitapur, Hardoi, and Faizabad. More such centres would be opened in other districts of the state, he added. The plan was accelerated after the Khadi Gram Udyog was approached by a company from Karnataka and placed an order for 50,000 litre of amino acid on trial basis. If it was found fit for their products the company would require about two lakh litres of amino acid per month, he said. Amid growing demand to curb recurring shutdowns, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said he was willing to convene an all-party meet to discuss ways to control hartals, which is crippling the states thriving tourism sector but was non-committal on a blanket ban. Kerala has witnessed five state-wide hartals three called by the Sabarimala Karma Samiti, an umbrella organisation of Hindu outfits opposing the entry of women of child-bearing age into Sabarimala temple, and two by Left trade unions (part of an all-India strike) in the last three months. We are ready to convene an all-party meet. Let us first arrive at a political consensus. Then we can think of measures to control it, the CM said in the assembly while admitting the states image was taking a beating because of repeated hartals. Without mentioning the Sabarimala issue, he said frequent hartals were a right-wing ploy to pull the state backward. But he said it was not possible to do away with hartals as a form of political protest. This is a political form of protest, perhaps as a last resort. But it has become a primary resort for certain forces, he said. When many opposition members favoured a legislation to curb frequent shutdowns, the CM was non-committal. Interestingly, Left parties have been at the forefront of calling work disruptions earlier, but now even smaller outfits belonging to different ideological groups successfully enforce hartals in the state. Union minister of state for tourism, K J Alphons had made a fervent plea recently, saying hartals were bleeding the tourism industry in the state. When newsmen pointed out that his party BJP was leading this time in calling maximum shutdowns, he said whoever enforced work disruptions and forced shutdowns should be dealt with firmly. He also chided his home state, Kerala, saying at this rate, it will have to start hartal tourism. In the wake of frequent shutdowns and travel advisories from the UK and the US with regard to the Sabarimala agitation, tour operators said many high-end cruise ships bypassed Kerala. According to statistics compiled by Say No to Hartal, an NGO, the state had observed 97 shutdowns in 2018 which includes state-wide, district and panchayat and block levels. Right wing groups (BJP and allies) top the list with 33 calls followed by opposition UDF 27 and ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) 16. After the Kerala Travel Mart in May held to showcase the tourism potential of the state the CM had called an all-party meet to exempt tourism sector from the purview of hartals, but it remained only on papers. Besides inflicting untold miseries on travellers, patients, students, traders and others, estimates indicate that the state loses Rs 2,000 crore revenue on a day of hartal. People will have to come forward to resist this menace. Protesters are restricting the free movement of people. It infringes upon their fundamental rights, said Kerala Vyapari Vikasana Ekopana Samiti leader T Nazruddin. After Nipah virus outbreak and the worst flood of the century, the tourism industry is slowing returning to normal. December-January is the peak season and this time, it witnessed maximum shutdowns. If the situation continued like this, the state will suffer badly, said E M Najeeb, president of the Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry. In Kerala, the tourism industry generates Rs 29,000 crore revenue annually according to the state tourism department. On January 3, the last hartal called by Sabarimala Karma Samiti to protest the entry of two women in Sabarimala, at least 90 buses of the ailing Kerala State Road Transport Corporation were damaged in stoning incidents. Later, KSRTC held a mourning rally with damaged fleet carrying a slogan, I am poor, please spare me. A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Guwahati on Monday convicted, Ranjan Daimary, chief of militant outfit National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), and 13 others in the 2008 Assam serial bombings that killed 90 people. Over 470 people were injured in what is believed to be one of the worst terror strikes in India, which were carried out a little less than a month before the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. The quantum of the punishment will be announced on January 30. At least 11 bombs had gone off almost simultaneously in Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, and Kokrajhar in Assam on October 30, 2008. The CBI had earlier said RDX, ammonium nitrate and Trinitrotoluene were used to trigger the blasts. Except Mridul (Goyary), we all have been convicted. We will fight it out in the higher court, Daimary said after the court verdict. While Goyary has been acquitted, another accused Nilim Daimary has been let off with a fine. There were a total of 22 accused of which 15 faced trial. Seven others remain absconding while two of them are believed to be dead, said TD Goswami, special public prosecutor engaged by the CBI for the trial. Goswami said the CBI will press for a maximum sentence, including death penalty for the accused. While Daimary was out on bail, the rest of the accused facing trial including George Bodo, B Tharai, Raju Sarkar, Nilim Daimary, Anchai Bodo, Indra Brahma, Loko Basumatary, Khargeswar Basumatary, Prabhat Bodo, Jayanta Bodo, Ajay Basumatary, Mridul Goyary, Mathuram Brahma and Rajen Goyary were in judicial custody. We will not be satisfied with anything less than a death sentence, Kamla Choudhary, whose husband Rajesh Choudhary, an autorickshaw driver, was killed under Ganeshguri flyover where one of the bombs exploded. In December 2017, the case was transferred to a special fast track court after years of delay in the sessions court. According to Goswami, the CBI filed three chargesheets, took help of around 650 witnesses, and 687 additional documents. Daimary, the founder and chief of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland was arrested in Bangladesh in April 2010 and handed over to Indian security forces at the border immigration post in Meghalaya. After his bail, he had been in talks with the Government of India he The other dominant faction NDFB(P) is also in talks while the NDFB(S) led by B Saoraigwra is still active and has been accused of multiple incidents including the massacre of Adivasis in December 2014. Earlier, in 2017, as the fast track court started trial, Daimary had reportedly said trial and talks cannot continue simultaneously. Anjali Daimary, a rights activist and sister of Ranjan Daimary said This kind of judgement and peace talks cannot go together, as she waited for her brother to be brought out of the court. As a head of the organisation how can he be involved, she said. An unknown Islamic militant outfit had initially claimed responsibility for the bombings . The following days, the Assam Police suspected the role of Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami and ULFA. However, after we got our hands on a couple of key suspects a trail emerged to Ranjan Daimary, recalled R Chandranathan, DGP, Meghalaya, who led the Special Investigations Team of the Assam Police which cracked NDFBs involvement before the case was transferred to the CBI. According to prosecutors, Daimary, masterminded the attack from Bangladesh, then an active base for militant groups of the Northeast including the ULFA. The central and Assam governments were on Monday asked by the Supreme Court to provide within three weeks details of the number of people declared foreigners in the north-eastern state in the last 10 years by Foreigners Tribunals and the number deported. The direction came from a bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi hearing a public interest litigation filed by activist Harsh Mander. The petition highlights the condition of detention centres in Assam and also the fact that inmates continue to languish there for years without any legal assistance. In January 2018, Mander visited Assam, when he was special monitor for the National Human Rights Commission, a post he subsequently quit. The state was asked to file an affidavit of the total number of detention centres, the inmates lodged there and the period of their detention. The court also wanted details on whether all inmates in the detention centres have been declared foreigners or whether there are also persons whose cases are pending before the FT, part-judicial bodies that decide on whether a person is a foreigner or not. According to an official of the Border Organisation of the Assam Police, mandated to detain foreigners, there were 1,029 inmates in six detention camps across the state as on November 30, 2018. The court observed that if you cannot deport them to neighbouring countries, you cannot keep them in detention indefinitely. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta submitted that inmates living in the detention centres were those who were declared foreigners. Nobody is lodged on mere apprehension, he said. The court wanted the affidavits to have a yearly break-up of the number of foreigners declared by the tribunal over the last decade, and details of how cases of repatriation that failed. Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Prashant Bhushan raised concerns on the condition of those held in these detention centres. When asked as to how many persons were living in such centres, he said he was not aware of the exact figures but that there were approximately 2,000 people. Bhushan said the US Supreme Court had ruled in a case that such people can be detained only for a reasonable time and if they cannot be deported within such reasonable time, they must be released with any conditions that may be imposed. Mehta said there were six detention centres and there were only about 980 people who had to be deported in these centres. He also read out the estimated break-up of the number of those who had been deported in the earlier years but said he cannot vouch for the information as he was reading out from a paper handed over to him during the hearing. Aman Wadud, a Guwahati based human rights lawyer, said: A foreigner can be deported only when the country of origin accept them after confirming their nationality. When Indian citizens are declared as foreigner for hyper-technical reasons (lack of documents), they can never be deported because their country of origin is India. The result is indefinite detention. And honble SC rightly said they cant be kept in detention indefinitely. Supreme Court asks Centre and Meghalaya government to continue efforts to rescue miners trapped in an illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district. A bench headed by Justice AK Sikri asked the governments to keep looking for the miners, days after Indian navys divers detected the body of a second miner. The order came after the Meghalaya government had informed it that the workers trapped in an illegal coal mine for more than a month may have died. Additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta had assured the court that the Centre was not abandoning efforts to rescue the trapped miners. At least 15 miners were trapped in the remote illegal coal mine in Khloo Ryngksan in East Jaintia hills district when it got flooded due to nearby Lytein river on December 13. One body, belonging to Amir Hussain (30), as identified by his wife and mother, was recovered last Thursday and a second was detected on Saturday. Divers are now making efforts to pull out the second body. We are hopeful of taking it out as soon as possible, a rescue official said. He said that the second body was detected from the same rat-hole coal mine where the underwater remotely operated vehicle (UROV) found the first body of a miner on January 16. The court has posted the matter for next hearing on February 4. A month after the police found three headless bodies stuffed in a plastic drum in Kharak village of Bhiwani district, the police on Sunday arrested two men for the murders. The prime suspect is on the run. Police said the three headless bodies were of a 30-year-old Assamese woman and her two daughters aged 12 and 3. The prime suspect of the murders, Rajesh, a scrap dealer, was the father of the womans three-year-old daughter. Police said the woman had come to Bhiwani with her daughter some years ago after separating from her husband in Assam. Here, she met accused Rajesh and fell in love with him. The duo started living together, though did not solemnise marriage. They also had a daughter three years ago. Police said Rajesh hid this relationship from his family, who recently found about it. He was also angry at the woman as she was asking for money to raise her two daughters, the police said. To get rid of her, Rajesh conspired with his friends to kill the woman and her daughters on December 27 last year. He buried their heads deep in the ground and stuffed the body parts in a drum. Police said Rajesh had been troubling the woman for a long time. A shopkeeper from whom the woman had sought help a long time ago went to the police and raised suspicion after he read about the case in the newspapers. An investigation into his claims got the police close to two accomplices of Rajesh who helped him in the murder. The two have been identified as Makhan Lal and Punam alias Fouji. Police said Rajesh was on the run and raids were being conducted to nab him. The Supreme Court will hear in April the central governments nine-year-old curative plea seeking higher compensation for the survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy from Union Carbide Corp a move that comes months before the latter ceases to exist because of a corporate restructuring. A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi agreed to the Centres request to have an early hearing of its petition filed in December 2010. Additional solicitor general Madhvi Diwan appeared for the government . Union Carbide is now owned by Dow Chemicals, which has merged with DuPont to create Dow DuPont. By April 1, Dow DuPont plans to break up into three companies in a plan that will see the end of Union Carbide as an entity. To be sure, Dow acquired Union Carbide in 1999, a decade after the final settlement in the Bhopal case was arrived at. That is the settlement the Centre is challenging. The Centre filed a curative petition in December 2010 and wants a re-examination of the top courts February 14, 1989, judgment. According to that verdict, compensation for the accident was fixed at ~750 crore. Subsequent orders, of February 15 and May 4, 1989, determining the mode of payment and settlement also need to be reconsidered, the Centre has said. The governments application to list the curative petition for an early hearing was filed in November 2018. It said the matter is extremely important involving public interest and any further delay in hearing will not be in public interest. Irreparable loss and damage will be caused if the matter is not taken up on urgent basis, it added. On December 3, 1984, poisonous Methyl Isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory in Madhya Pradeshs capital killed thousands of people and left many suffering from the impact of the exposure. According to official estimates 3,787 people died in the industrial disaster but the unofficial estimate is around 8,000 immediately and another 8,000 over the years. According to the Centres petition, the earlier settlement was based on incorrect assumptions on the number of deaths, injuries and losses, and did not take into account the subsequent environmental degradation. The curative petition has put the number of deaths in the tragedy at 5,295 and injuries at 527,894. It said the earlier settlement was based on 3,000 deaths and 70,000 injuries. While the survivors of the tragedy have been fighting in courts for adequate compensation, a Bhopal court on June 7, 2010, convicted seven executives of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) to two years imprisonment in connection with the incident. Though the then UCC chairman, Warren Anderson, was the prime accused in the case, he was declared an absconder on February 1, 1992, as he did not appear for the trial. Anderson died in September 2014. Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangthan (BGPMUS) convener Abdul Jabbar Khan welcomed the Supreme Courts decision and said he hoped that justice would be done to the victims. The unjust settlement of February 1989 was a complete sham with each gas victim being finally awarded less than one-fifth of the sum allotted even as per the terms of that settlement. Welcoming the top court decision, Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information and Action said: Neither the central government nor the state government ever presented facts on actual number of deaths and extent of injuries to the victims. Until and unless a correct figure is presented before the court, how will justice be done to the victims? Its the duty of the governments to present a correct figure before the court. The Supreme Court today asked the Enforcement Directorate to inform it by Wednesday about the dates when the agency wants to question Karti Chidambaram in INX media case so that the court can ascertain whether he can be permitted to travel abroad. On Wednesday, the court will also hear Karti Chidambarams plea seeking permission to travel abroad from February 21 to 28. Karti Chidambaram, the son of former Union finance minister P. Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI at the Chennai airport on his return from the United Kingdom on February 28, 2018. He was granted bail by the Delhi high court on March 23, 2018. Among the bail conditions was that he had to deposit his passport with the trial court. He was allegedly involved in the INX media money laundering case for giving a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to the group in 2007 Earlier this month, the ED also questioned Chidambaram . Congress president Rahul Gandhi is slated to reach Chhattisgarh capital Raipur today for a farmers gathering. During his day-long visit, his first after swearing-in of the Bhupesh Baghel-led party government, he will participate and address the Kisaan Abhaar Sammelan, intended to express gratitude to people and farmers for bringing the party back to power in the state after 15 years, PTI news agency quoted a state Congress spokesperson as saying. The Congress had posted a massive victory in the November assembly polls, winning 68 of the total 90 seats. A large number of farmers from across the state, including the Maoist-affected Bastar region, will participate in the event where beneficiary farmers will be distributed loan waiver certificates, the spokesperson added Ahead of the state assembly elections, Gandhi had assured to waive farm loans if his party was voted to power while campaigning for the assembly polls and within hours of the governments formation, the promise was kept, the spokesperson said. While loans to the tune of over Rs 6,100 crore of 16.60 lakh farmers have been written off, the Congress had also moved to implement another pre-poll promise, by procuring paddy at a rate of Rs 2,500 per quintal from the states farmers. Also read | Parties to fight it out in high-stakes Jind bypoll in Haryana today Besides, the Baghel government has waived outstanding irrigation tax amounting to Rs 207 crore of 15 lakh farmers, he added. Chief minister Baghel and party in-charge of Chhattisgarh P L Punia on Sunday took stock of the preparation for the function to be held at Rajyotsav Mela ground in Naya Raipur at 2 pm. Gandhi had also been invited by the chief minister to a programme for return of land acquired from tribals in Bastar district, mostly in Lohandiguda area, in 2008 for a Tata Steel project. The acquisition had led to widespread protests. However, this subsequently failed to take off and the company had formally pulled in early 2016. The Congress had also promised that this land would be returned to the farmers, if it came to power and the Baghel government had issued the orders earlier this month after the cabinet cleared it in late December. The chief minister had invited Gandhi to the event which was planned to kick off this month end. However, it was not clear whether this event would be held during the Congress chiefs present visit. Also read | Leaders who sell dreams but dont deliver get thrashed by people, says Union minister Nitin Gadkari I fully appreciate the federalism component of this debate, but as a general proposition, eligibility issues have been delegated to the states, said Feldman, a former Department of Justice attorney. Attorney General Frosh has not been shy about weighing in on these issues. To the extent there is any legal question raised about any bill, we will clarify them. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) For CNN Philippines second senatorial forum, seven senatorial aspirants former DILG chief Raffy Alunan, human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares, civic leader Samira Gutoc, former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, former DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, and former Deputy House Speaker Erin Tanada discussed their platforms, the programs that they aim to prioritize, and their stance on conflicting issues, among others. Before they went on stage, CNN Philippines Life asked them a few questions, one of which is what principle they live by revealing that despite belonging in differing parties, standing by opposing truths, and coming from divergent backgrounds, most, if not all of them, believe to always have integrity and to do whats right. Photo by JL JAVIER Raffy Alunan The first thing Ill do if I win the elections is Ill go to church. I knew I was called to become a public servant when I was invited by President Cory Aquino in 1999 to join her government. The first bill I will file if elected is reform the criminal justice system. I want to become senator because I want to serve my country and I want to die knowing that I tried my best to leave behind a better Philippines for all Filipinos. A principle that I always live by is honesty, moral courage, integrity. Photo by JL JAVIER Neri Colmenares The first thing Ill do if I win the elections is [ipasatupad] ang batas na nagtatanggal ng excise tax ng TRAIN, batas na matagal ko na ring na-file sa Kongreso at pagtanggal ng VAT sa presyo ng kuryente, tubig, at langis. I knew I was called to become a public servant the very year I was a candidate. I never expected to be a candidate when I was a human rights lawyer. I ran for the public office in 2007 but before that never even entertained also becoming a public official. The first bill I will file if elected is the bill that will take out or repeal the excise tax of TRAIN Law and a bill that will eliminate the VAT taxes of kuryente, tubig, at langis. I want to become senator because I want to continue the fight weve been launching in the House. I want to continue the fight weve been waging for the people lower prices, increased wages, tanggalin ang contractualization, mataas na sahod at pensyon, and of course, anti-anything that violates rights, tyranny. These are platforms weve been waging in the House and we just hope we continue that in the Senate. A principle that I always live by is my father said pag tama ka, panindigan mo at pag mali ka, dapat you have the humility na aminin. I always live by that. Pag tama, tama. Pag mali, mali. Photo by JL JAVIER Samira Gutoc The first thing Ill do if I win the elections is to check how the Marawi rehabilitation is doing. I knew I was called to become a public servant when I was called by civil society to make a decision for people who are not part of the usual political equation. The first bill I will file if elected is to have an oversight on the Marawi rehab. I want to become senator because I feel that the voice of mga na iitswapera ay kailangan nang may manindigan para sa kanila. A principle that I always live by is no pain, no gain. Photo by JL JAVIER Florin Hilbay The first thing Ill do if I win the elections is file the bill on 4Ps [Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program]. I knew I was called to become a public servant when I became a professor at the UP College of Law. The first bill I will file if elected is a bill on 4Ps. I want to become senator because I think the Senate needs outsiders. The Senate needs new voices. A principle that I always live by is integrity. Photo by JL JAVIER Harry Roque The first thing Ill do if I win the elections is draft my bills, ready them for filing. I knew I was called to become a public servant when I think when I was 7, when I saw that a nun had to hide in our house because she was being hunted by the military. The first bill I will file if elected is right to food bill, zero hunger bill. I want to become senator because Ive proven my worth as a lawmaker when for a short period of 16 months, as a member of the Congress, I authored almost all of the landmark bills produced from universal health care to free lunch to free irrigation to free wi-fi and free tuition for state universities and colleges. A principle that I always live by is stand firm when on the right. Photo by JL JAVIER Mar Roxas The first thing Ill do if I win the elections is get to work. I knew I was called to become a public servant when I realized you could do so much more to help people by working inside the government, or work in the government, or making the government do things as opposed to your own person as a charity. The first bill I will file if elected is remove the tax sa fuel sa TRAIN 2. I want to become senator because I firmly believe malayo pa ang kayang marating ng Pilipino. Hindi ko tanggap na hanggang third world o kulelat nalang tayo. A principle that I always live by is do whats right. Photo by JL JAVIER Erin Tanada The first thing Ill do if I win the elections is thank God. I knew I was called to become a public servant when I became aware of what my grandfather was doing. The first bill I will file if elected is review of the minimum wage. I want to become senator because I want to serve the people. A principle that I always live by is integrity. PM Modi and BJP want to create two Indias: Rahul PM Modi and BJP want to create two Indias one of Rafale scam and industrialist-friends and other of poor farmers: Rahul Minimum income to every poor if we win polls: Rahul You had to stand in a queue during demonetisation. We guaranteed 100-day work under MGNREGA. We introduced RTI. After winning 2019 elections, every poor person would be given minimum income. This is a historic decision. No govt in the world has done this: Rahul Congress introduced Green Revolution, food security: Rahul Have returned Tata land that was lying unutilised for years. Every crop grown here would go to dining tables across the world be it America or Japan. We brought in Green Revolution and worked on food security: Rahul BJP diluted land acquisition bill Our land acquisition bill guaranteed four times price of land to farmers and if industrialists did not start work in 10 years, the land would go back to farmers. But Modi and BJP diluted the bill. If land is taken from farmers, the panchayat would have to be taken into confidence: Rahul Modi wanted to benefit his industrialist friend in Rafale deal: Rahul What BJP could not do in 15 years, we did in 24 hours. Theres no lack of money. Modi only wants you to listen to his Mann ki Baat. Rafale was a huge contract. Lakhs of youth could have got jobs. But Modi wanted to benefit his industrialist friend: Rahul BJP said they do not have money for loan waiver: Rahul Whenever we spoke of loan waiver, BJP said they dont have money. In Chhattisgarh, they said they have no money, In MP, Shivraj Chouhan said he doesnt have money. In Delhi, PM Modi said he doesnt have money for loan waiver. They dont have money for loan waiver but they can waive loans off Indias 15 richest industrialists: Rahul All our leaders fought unitedly: Rahul You imposed your trust on us and helped us form the govt in Chhattisgarh. The responsibility is huge and we will try our best to fulfil it. All our leaders fought unitedly and this helped us win: Rahul Gandhi Rahul Gandhi to address farmers rally in Raipur Congress president Rahul Gandhi reached Chhattisgarh capital Raipur today for a farmers gathering. During his day-long visit, his first after the swearing-in of the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government, he will participate and address the Kisaan Abhaar Sammelan. The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Assam government to submit details of the total number of detention centres in the state and the inmates lodged there. The Supreme Courts order to the Assam government came during a hearing of a petition filed by human rights activist Harsh Mander. The Supreme Court has also asked the state to provide the period for which the inmates have been lodged in the detention centres. The Court also directed the government to provide details on whether all the inmates lodged in such detention centres have been declared as foreigners or not and there are any inmates whose applications before the foreign tribunal are pending. The Assam government has also been directed to give details of how many inmates have been deported and what has been the states success rate. The state has been given three weeks time to file an affidavit with the details. The court said that the affidavit should contain information as to how many inmates have been declared as foreigners by the tribunals in the last decade. Year-wise break up needs to be furnished by the Centre, the court said. Hearing the case, the court observed If the inmates have not been accepted by a foreign country despite they being declared foreign then they cannot remain under detention. In his PIL, Mander has questioned the keeping of people in Assams detention centres for an indefinite period on suspicion of being foreigners. In his petition, Mander has claimed that keeping people in detention for years was illegal and also a violation of human rights. Its official. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Nitish Kumar will kick off National Democratic Alliances Lok Sabha campaign at a rally at Patnas Gandhi Maidan on March 3. BJP president Amit Shah and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan, besides other senior NDA leaders, will also be present. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA partners have chosen the date as the Election Commission of India may notify the Lok Sabha election dates in early March. State JD (U) president Bashistha Narayan Singh, at a joint press meet attended by BJP and LJP state presidents Nityanand Rai and Pashupati Kumar Paras, said, The NDA will highlight people-centric initiatives taken under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the country and chief minister Nitish Kumar in the state. It will be the mother of all rallies. We expect that the organisational strength of the three parties will be able to mobilise record public participation, which, we believe, will be facilitated by a favourable disposition towards the development work done by respective governments, Singh said. State BJP president Rai said that the NDA will compare work done by Opposition parties for 55 years at the Centre and in the state to the report card of Modi and Nitish. Also read | Rahul Gandhi to attend thanksgiving rally for farmers in Chhattisgarh today The idea is to put things in right perspective before people so that they may be able to weigh UPAs misinformation campaign on the balance of developmental work done by the NDA, he said. LJP state president Paras said the March 3 rally will be historic in terms of public participation in the last 30-40 years. It is essentially an election rally and BJP president Amit Shah and other senior NDA leaders will be present. The ECI is likely to notify poll dates between March 6 and 10, he said. To a query whether the rally was being organised on March 3 to pre-empt the Opposition from organising a joint rally, the BJP state president said, It is a Sunday and, as such, will not cause inconvenience to school children or office goers. The Congress is slated to hold Jan Akansha Rally on February 3. On Grand Alliances aim to pull off an impressive show, he said, We have an excellent track record. We dont fear the Opposition as we will expose them. We will win 40 out of 40 LS seats under the leadership of Nitish Kumar in the state. In a way, his reply put a stamp on who would be the face of NDA in the state. It will be Narendra Modi at the country level and Nitish Kumar in the state, Rai said. The CM has prevailed on the BJP to part with five of its sitting MPs in 17-17-6 seat share for BJP, JD (U) and LJP. He, however, remained evasive on the participation of Patna Sahib MP Shatrughan Sinha, who attended Mamata Banerjees Kolkatta rally. He did not attend Sundays event. Right decision will be taken at the right time, Rai said. Also read | BJP ready for Lok Sabha elections, Congress in disarray: Jai Ram Thakur A day after the Uttar Pradesh police claimed to have recovered slain police inspector Subodh Kumar Singhs phone from the home of the main accused Prashant Natt, his wife claimed that the police itself had planted the phone. Police came to us saying they have a search warrant. They asked which room is Prashants. Two cops went in and kept a phone on the dressing table there. When we said it isnt ours, they told us to shut up. Police had brought the phone along with themselves, news agency ANI quoted her as saying. SSP Bulandshahar Ajay Kumar refuted the allegations. The accused will never accept their crime. The search was carried out on courts order and 6 mobile phone were recovered from the house of Natt, he said. On Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh police claimed to have recovered six mobile phones from Prashant Natts residence. Prashant Natt was arrested on December 27 in connection with the killing of inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in the violence that took place at Syana in Bulandshahr district on December 3. Also read: UP CMs thok do mentality behind cops death in Ghazipur, says Akhilesh After the recovery of the phones from Prashant Natts home in Chingrawathi village, Syana police circle officer Ravindra Kumar Mishra said one of the six phones appeared to be that of Subodh Kumar Singh. Mishra said once it is established that the phone belonged to Singh, it will help the police prove that Natt was at the crime spot and took away the phone after killing the inspector. Mishra said Natts family has been asked for the documents for the other five phones to identify their owners. Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a local resident were killed when a mob went on a rampage over alleged cow slaughter in the district on December 3. Inspector Singh was attacked with stones and an axe before Natt, a taxi driver, allegedly shot him dead. Singhs two mobile phones and a pistol were reported missing after his killing. The police are yet to recover the pistol. As many as 37 accused in the case have either been arrested or have surrendered. They include Bajrang Dals Yogesh Raj, BJP leader Shikhar Agarwal, and Upendra Raghav of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Raj and Agarwal were arrested while Raghav surrendered before a court. Police had booked 27 and at least 60 unidentified people for Singhs killing on December 3. The state government has separately booked Azhar Khan, Nadeem Khan, and Mehboob Ali under the National Security Act (NSA) for the alleged cow slaughter that sparked the violence. The stage is set for the high-stakes Jind bypoll that dominated Haryanas politics for the last one month. Besides being a test for the states ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress, the by-election on Monday will also indicate whats in store for the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) after it split into two, and the newly floated Jannayak Janta Party (JJP). That the bypoll is being held just months ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Haryana makes it even more important. The ruling BJP, which fielded a new entrant, Krishan Middha, is hoping to continue its winning streak in the state after it swept all five municipal corporation elections last month. Political observers say the ruling party has an advantage as it is the only one that has fielded a non-Jat candidate in Jind, which has 170,000 voters. Randeep Surjewala of the Congress, Umed Singh Redhu of the INLD and Digvijay Chautala of the JJP are all Jats. In Jind, the last time a Jat candidate was elected was in 1972. Since then, the constituency has always elected a non-Jat candidate. This gives the BJP an advantage, not only because it is the only party that fielded a non-Jat candidate but also because Jat votes will be divided into three parts due to the three Jat candidates, said Raj Singh, a political expert. Read | OP Chautalas furlough cancelled, AAP to support JJP in Haryana bypoll As Jats were perceived to be upset with the BJP due to their unfulfilled reservation demand, the saffron party largely campaigned in urban areas to bag the Punjabi, Baniya and Brahmin votes. The Congress, which is banking on Surjewalas popularity, let go its internal rift for a change. Bhupinder Hooda, Ashok Tanwar and Kiran Choudhry all came out in Surjewalas support. The JJP got a boost with the AAP announcing its support to it and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal addressing a Saturday rally where he told the electorate that he decided to support the JJP after he found the two younger members of the Chautala clan selfless. The defender of the seat, INLD, got a major setback after its supremo Om Prakash Chautalas furlough was cancelled and he could not come out of jail to campaign. The party sought votes, slamming the JJP in videos in which Chautala took on his grandsons, Dushyant and Digvijay. Poll observers say Loktantra Suraksha Party candidate Vinod Ashri, too, has the potential to play spoilsport in the multi-cornered contest. Ashri, a Brahmin leader from Jind, is a nominee put up by BJPs rebel MP from Kurukshetra, Raj Kumar Saini, who has an influence among voters from OBC community. Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah landed in controversy on Monday when he lost his cool with a woman Congress worker at a public meeting in Mysuru. Siddaramaiah yelled at the woman and snatched her mike which led to her dupatta being pulled off. The woman was criticising local MLA and Siddaramaiahs son Yathindra for not meeting the people of his constituency. The incident took place at a public meeting in Varuna, the constituency of Siddaramaiahs son. The woman, Jamalar, who was a former vice-president of the T Narsipura taluk panchayat, was airing her grievances regarding the erratic electricity supply in the area. A video of the incident that went viral shows Siddaramaiah getting angry after the woman banged the table while insisting that this was the first time she was seeing Yathindra, after the assembly elections. #WATCH Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah misbehaves with a woman at a public meeting in Mysuru. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/MhQvUHIc3x ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 An irate Siddaramaiah snatched the mic from Jamalars hand and asked her to shut up. Be quiet, shut up. You say all sorts of things. That boy [Yathindra] keeps coming here. Listen to me, have you ever told me any of these things? How many times have you told me? I cant write a letter to invite you, you have to come here when I am here. Please sit down! You struck the table, why? Who has worked for this area, did you do the work? Shut up and sit down. There is a way to talk. You speak like you are a big leader, he said. Siddaramaiah later said he wasnt misbehaving and only trying to stop a long speech. When I was trying to stop a long speech of a party worker thw incident happened. It was an accident, there was no bad intention. I know her for 15 years, she is just like my sister, news agency ANI quoted him as saying. The BJP targeted the Congress-JD(S) government in the state and said Dushasana has been finally reborn and resumed power in Karnataka. Senior BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar said Congress president Rahul Gandhi needs to answer. Rahul Gandhi should tell what hell do with him. This is a crime, the way he abused her. Thats how they see women. They only respect women from one family, Javadekar said. The National Commission for Women took cognisance of the issue and said it would send Siddaramaiah a notice. .@NCWIndia has taken cognisance of the incident. The commission will write to Karnataka Police to thoroughly investigate the matter and take appropriate action, as per law, it tweeted. Speaking later to the media, Jamalar said she has no issues with Siddaramaiah. He (Siddaramaiah) was the best CM. I only told him about some grievances and spoke roughly. I shouldnt have spoken like that to a former a CM. He got angry because I slammed the table, she said. Read more| Congress MLAs crossing the line: HD Kumaraswamy offers to quit as Karnataka CM Union minister and NDA leader Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday said there is no question of bringing in an ordinance on construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya and the government would wait for the Supreme Courts verdict on it. I am happy that Prime Minister Modi has told the Parliament that the government will wait for the Supreme Courts verdict on Ram Mandir and act accordingly. It is a closed chapter and hence there is no question of bringing in an ordinance or legislation in Parliament, he told reporters in Bengaluru to a question. Paswan said this when asked to comment on the delay in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case hearing due to non availability of a judge. The Supreme Court on Sunday cancelled the January 29 hearing in the politically sensitive Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case as one member of the five-judge Constitution bench would not be available. Paswan said that though RSS and BJP leaders have been raking up the Ram Mandir issue, the prime minister had not even once raised the issue, which is good. On conferring Bharat Ratna to former president Pranab Mukherjee, Paswan said there should not be any question of controversy in it because the award has been announced by the government and not by the BJP or RSS. There should not be any question of a controversy on conferment of Bharat Ratna on Pranab Mukherjee. The award has been declared by the government, not BJP or RSS, he added. Some are saying he was given the award because he attended an RSS event. Is this an issue? In the past, many top Congress leaders also attended RSS events, he argued. To a query, Paswan expressed confidence that the Modi government would retain power in the coming Lok Sabha elections since the so called Mahagatbandhan has not found a strong prime ministerial candidate. For the last two years I have been saying that thereis no vacancy for prime ministers post except Modiji in the 2019 elections. The biggest problem facing opposition parties is lack of strong leadership. They are yet to decide on a prime ministerial candidate, he said. Also, Congress has a bad reputation of ruining coalition partners by withdrawing support, Paswan said. A special Cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday, which was supposed to take up the governments much-awaited farm package and the Presidents speech to Parliament, was cancelled by the government, an official said on condition of anonymity. The farm package, which contains a bunch of proposals, will be one of the last major policy decisions of the Narendra Modi government ahead of the summers parliamentary elections. The package is aimed at addressing an agrarian crisis. A regular Cabinet meet, scheduled for Wednesday, may discuss proposals related to the package, the official added, although no agenda to that effect was available yet. The reasons for the cancellation of Monday meeting werent immediately clear. There are two options before the government. One, it could bring the farm package as a separate proposal again before the Cabinet on Wednesday. The Cabinet agenda on Monday contained a proposal to address income deficit syndrome of farmers, according to the official. The second option is to include the farm-package as part of the Budget itself. The Budget is generally approved by the Cabinet hours before its presentation in Parliament, although details of the finance bill itself are rarely, if at all, shared. This Cabinet meet is usually held in Parliament. In any case, Wednesday is the last Cabinet meeting scheduled before Parliament convenes (on January 31). So, there is a possibility that the farm package may figure in the Budget itself, a second official familiar with the matter said. The proposals in the farm package include an income transfer scheme, crop insurance at a flat premium of Re 1, direct transfer of minimum support prices to a farmers account and zero interest on short-term crop loans for those farmers who have a credit history of making timely repayments. The panel set up to recommend names for appointments to anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, according to two people aware of the development. The Supreme Court had last week asked the Lokpal committee to recommend the names by February end. It had questioned the delay in this regard and directed the Centre to do whatever required for enabling the committee to complete its work. The apex court will hear the matter again on March 7. The panel will be meeting for the first time in the national capital [New Delhi] on Tuesday, a government official said. A member of the panel, too, confirmed the first meeting will be held on Tuesday. The government had in September constituted the eight-member panel to recommend names for the top anti-corruption ombudsman. Former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai is heading the panel. According to a personnel ministry order, the committee also includes retired bureaucrat Lalit K Panwar, former Allahabad high court judge Sakha Ram Singh Yadav, ex-State Bank of India chief Arundhati Bhattacharya, Prasar Bharati chairperson A Surya Prakash, Indian Space Research Organisation head A S Kiran Kumar, former Gujarat police chief S S Khandwawala and ex-solicitor general Ranjit Kumar. As per the guidelines, the search committee would recommend the names for selection to a Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led panel. According to the Lokpal Act, the Prime Ministers panel has the Lok Sabha speaker, leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, chief justice of India or an apex court judge he nominates as its members. The Lokpal will have a chairman and eight members. It can inquire into offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act including against the Prime Minister with specified safeguards. Sitting and former Union ministers as well as current and former Parliament members also come under its purview. The Lokpal can look into allegations of corruption against government employees and those of companies, societies or trusts set up by acts of Parliament or financed or controlled by the central government. Employees of associations of people receiving funding from the government or having received public donation or foreign funding up to Rs 10 lakh annually, too, come under the Lokpals purview. Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi were granted bail by a Delhi court on Monday in the IRCTC scam case. The case relates to alleged irregularities in granting the operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm. The Patiala House court granted bail to Lalu Yadav and others on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and a surety amount each. The next date of hearing is February 11. The 70-year-old Lalu Yadav, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief is serving sentences in fodder scam cases and is currently admitted at Rajendra Institute of Medical Science in Ranchi for treatment. According to the chargesheet by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), between 2004 and 2014, BNR hotels of the Indian Railways, located in Puri and Ranchi, were first transferred to IRCTC and later given on lease to Sujata Hotels Private Limited, which is based in Patna, Bihar. It is alleged that the tender process was rigged and manipulated and the conditions were tweaked to help the private party - Sujata Hotels. Based on the CBI case, the ED also lodged a case of money laundering against Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi and others. The probe agency has alleged that Prasad was aware about the whole process and was keeping a track of the tender proceedings. Lalu Yadav also served as railway minister from 2004 to 2009. After inviting them to participate for an event on Monday, the Congress dropped the names of former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students union leaders Kanhaiya Kumar and Shehla Rashid at the last minute. Kumar and Rashid were scheduled to be panelists at the Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on 72nd Martyrdom Anniversary in New Delhi on Monday. The first invite, issued by the minority department of the All India Congress Committee, had the names of Kumar and Rashid along with Professor Apoorvanand, Ashok Vajpeyi and Manoj K Jha, for a panel discussion. However, the department later dropped their names to avoid any controversy in the wake of recent developments. Subsequently, Rajya Sabha member KTS Tulsi and Congress spokespersons Manish Tewari and Priyanka Chaturvedi were included in the panel discussion. Kumar and Rashid have been named in a Delhi Police charge sheet in the JNU sedition case. At the AICC press briefing, Tewari defended inviting Kumar and Rashid, saying a charge sheet was not a proof of their being guilty. However, he remained evasive on why their names were struck off. Asked if the invite was withdrawn following the BJPs criticism, Tewari said the media was trying to create a storm in a teacup. The partys minority department later claimed that Kumar and Rashid had cited their unavailability at the event after which new names were included. Islamabad is willing to resume peace talks with New Delhi but only after elections in India, Pakistans information minister Fawad Chaudhry has said. Terming the present circumstances unfit for talks, Chaudhry told Gulf News in an interview, We have delayed our efforts to hold talks with India because we do not expect any big decision from the present Indian leadership. It is useless to talk to them now unless there is some stability. We will move forward once the new government is formed after the elections. He said opening of the Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pakistan last November would not only help the Sikh community but also improve bilateral ties. Asked which Indian leader Pakistan would prefer for peace talks, the minister said, We will respect any Indian leader and the party elected by the Indian people. And, we would like to move forward to hold dialogue with whosoever comes into power in India. He said Pakistan was playing its role at a fairly advanced level for the Afghan peace dialogue. We expect a positive outcome from the negotiations between the US and the Afghan Taliban. US President Donald Trump also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan last year, seeking Islamabads help in facilitating a negotiated settlement of the lingering conflict in Afghanistan. Chaudhry said a meeting between Khan and Trump is on the cards but it would be possible only after the peace talks. We are waiting to see this happen, he said. Notorious previously for its cattle smugglers, Mewat in southern Haryana, has emerged as a new hub of illegal arms makers, say police. The gunrunners have an intricate network of manufacturing and supply. HTs Leena Dhankhar travels to the heart of these operations in Mewat to see how dealers of illegal weapons are churning out guns out of mere scrap INTRODUCTION Katta, aslah: The folklore From Maoists in dense forests to criminal gangs in Delhi-NCR, improvised guns have always been the weapons of choice for outlaws. They are cheaper, easy to procure, practically untraceable and easy to dispose wiping out a crucial lead in criminal investigation. According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, in 2016, of the 1,863 firearms recovered in Haryana, 1,799 were countrymade weapons (crude/ improvised). In Delhi, of the 774 arms seized, 765 were made locally. In Uttar Pradesh, of the 17,429 seized weapons, 16,990 were made locally in illegal factories. Police officers who have busted gunrunning rackets and investigated smuggling of illegal weapons in Haryana say that traditionally many of these operations were traced to Munger district of Bihar and some in Sahebganj and Malda districts of Jharkhand and West Bengal. These districts were hubs of the legal gun business in India once. However, a large number of skilled gunmakers went out of jobs after the demand for guns tanked due to cumbersome licensing process and the rising costs. Police officers say many of the skilled workers joined gunrunners since they had no source of sustenance. This, they say, may explain the variety and good quality of illegal guns. With bare minimum technology, they are able to produce all kinds of guns from pistols to the three-naught-three and assault rifles. Delhi-NCR is both the biggest market as well as the hub of smuggling of illegal weapons, say police officers. This is one of the reasons why, according to sources, gunmakers have been shifting base closer to Delhi-NCR. In Haryana, at least 10 villages have been on the radar of security agencies and the local police for illegal guns manufacturing. The racket came to light when several local criminals were arrested with these handmade guns. Last year, on July 27, a 45-year-old TV channel staffer was shot dead on Jharsa Road. Police probe established that he was shot with a countrymade pistol sourced from Mewat. On June 7, this year, two criminals arrested for shooting at an HR manager in Gurugram had also told the police that they bought the guns from Mewat. THE BADLANDS The Mewat connection Mewat, officially Nuh district, corresponds to the ancient kingdom of Matsya, which has been mentioned in the epic, Mahabharata. The region, which shares its boundaries with Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, has a population of about a million as per the 2011 Census and a literacy rate of 56% the lowest in Haryana. The crime rate in Mewat is lowest in Haryana but nearly 100 gangs are active in the areas bordering the district. These gangs are mostly involved in cheating, vehicle theft and carjacking, Nuh superintendent of police Rajesh Duggal said, adding that at least 30 of them are big gangs. Traditionally, criminals from the region had been involved in cattle theft. The notoriety that these gangs had earned the region is such that any criminal gang involved in cattle theft, highway robberies and kidnapping would be termed Mewati gang by local police. The term was lapped up by the media and often news reports would be headlined Mewati gang busted. However, police officers have warned that the modern criminals active in the region have graduated from just being cattle thieves to kidnapping, card frauds and vehicle thefts. Behind the security that one of the most inaccessible, narrow lanes provide where even police teams fear to tread these criminal gangs operate with impunity. Gunmaking is, however, is new even for Mewat. The police are yet to confirm whether the gunmakers have been trained by those who shifted base from Bihar to UP, or by somebody else. The scale of the operation could be gauged from the fact that the trade is going on in at least 10 villages of the district. Jhimrawat, Jamalgarh, Luhingya, Singar, Rithad, Nai Tirwada, Pachgaon, Adbar, Ghasera and Lingua Kalan are on the police radar for suspected illegal gun manufacturing. THE INSIDER The making of a Mewati gun Hindustan Times travelled to the heart of the operation in villages of Mewat and Uttar Pradesh. The rendezvous was fixed at a house in Jhimrawat village, which turned out to be a one-room property, situated next to a cattle shelter. At the promised hour, 10 men with a sheet of cotton cloth covering their faces, revealing just the eyes, approached the HT correspondent, hoping for a big order from a buyer from Gurugram. They led the correspondent to an agricultural field, nearly two kilometres away. As the kingpin led the correspondent to an area inside the field, four members took pre-decided positions on different trees the watchtowers to alert others in the event of a raid. Hidden beneath a pile of straw and dry leaves, the tools were revealed by the kingpin. They were not much a battery-operated fan, some wood logs, steel strips, a steel pipe and a temporary furnace. The deal was to make a pistol. And, 35-year-old Rahim Khan took just an hour to make a gun out of a heap of metal trash. Khan quickly cut a steel pipe, retrieved from the steering wheel of a truck, and bored it into a wooden grip. He fashioned a trigger out of a small steel sheet, attached the trigger to a firing pin using a small spring and the pistol was ready to be shipped. Khan spoke like an expert on weapons and showed no qualms in admitting that he was an expert in the business. We get all the latest updates on the design from our counterparts in UP, said Khan. He, however, did not elaborate further on his links with the gangs in the neighbouring state. Asked about the demand and his customers, Khan said the demand for countrymade guns has gone up over the years as people want to settle scores among themselves. Lately, criminals involved in street crime such as snatching and thieves and drug pushers also prefer to have small arms to secure themselves from competition. It also helps them during a chase by the police, he said. The next stop was Kot, a village in the Hathin tehsil of Palwal district also known as Meo village as it is part of Mewat. On the outskirts of the village, at least 20 men were engaged in manufacturing .32 bore pistols, which is popular among criminals in Delhi-NCR. In Bishambhara village of UPs Mathura district, at least 10 gangs are involved in manufacturing countrymade weapons. Many of them have links with their counterparts in Mewat. Most of them make .315 bore pistols and 12 bore shotguns. In Hathiya village of UP, at least 20 units are engaged in manufacturing weapons. Some people involved in the business said Hathiya is the hub of wholesale gun dealers, who also supply to smaller operations. They also supply raw material to manufacturers. THE BUSINESS Demand and supply Police officers involved in busting illegal weapons rackets were not able to put a number on how many people are involved in the business but they claimed that it was considerably simple operation that ran on trust and is protected by the principal of omerta the code of silence. Nobody deals with strangers. The orders are placed by middlemen trusted by both the makers and the users of the weapons. Neither the buyers ask from where the guns would come nor do manufacturers ask who was buying the guns. It is the middlemen who gets the guns and delivers them. The men involved in the business said they do not take orders or deliver directly. The business is done through middlemen, or the suppliers, whose place the order and deliver the arms to the buyer. Neither the manufacturers ask middlemen about the deliveries nor about buyer. They dont sell these weapons to strangers unless they have a word with someone they trust. Considering the low input costs and easily available raw material, the profits are good. A simple pistol, called Katta, can be made in just Rs 500. It is sold for Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,500. Comparatively, a legal pistol costs ?30,000-?35,000. A homemade .315 bore pistol is sold for Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000. Unlike some legal businesses, where middlemen walk away with most of the profits, the illegal gun making is pretty democratic. A gunmaker in one of the villages, who identified himself with his first name only, Asif, said when the demand is good, a Karigar (artisan) makes about Rs 25,000- Rs 30,000 a month. The Mewati gunmakers rely on scouts, who have contacts with criminals and gangsters. They also admit to sources inside jails, where they strike deals and convey the orders to the gun makers. The sale is made only after a client has a verbal guarantee from a person known to the maker. There is no record of sale as the manufacturers maintain complete secrecy. Personal guarantee is the only currency besides cash. LAW IS CATCHING UP Busting the gangs Police said at least 20 gangs have been busted in the last one-and-a-half years but admit that most of these criminals are habitual offenders, who return to business soon after they are released. Nazneen Bhasin, who was the superintendent of police, Nuh district, before being transferred to the Special Task Force (STF), Gurugram Police, said at least 57 people involved in the illegal weapons trade had been arrested during her tenure and hundreds of illegal guns had been seized. Unemployment and the lure of easy money drive the youth in Mewat region to take up crime, Bhasin said. Bhasin said the district police had regular interactions with their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana. But the entry of small illegal arms into the neighbouring areas continues. Intensifying their protests against infrastructure development around Statue of Unity in Gujarat, thousands of tribals Monday took out a 30-km foot rally from Kevadiya to Rajpipla in Narmada district. Clash between police and tribals were reported last week during the foundation-laying ceremony of Haryana Bhavan in the vicinity of worlds tallest statue, overlooking the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Kevadiya. Residents of over 15 villages have been protesting since Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 182-metre-high statue in October 2018 and the Gujarat government also invited other state governments to construct own guest houses at the site, which is fast emerging as a top tourist destination. At the end of rally, various tribal groups including the Bhilistan Tiger Sena, the Adivasi Ekta Parishad, the Samast Adivasi Samaj, the Indigenous Army of India, the Royal Rathwa Group, the Jamin Adivasi Bachao Andolan Samiti, the Adivasi Manasabha and the Primitive Group among others submitted a memorandum to Narmada district collector. Along with the demand of immediately putting a break on more infrastructure development in the area, we also want the government to withdraw cases registered against tribal leaders in connection with last week protest against foundation laying ceremony by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, said tribal leader Praful Vasava. Read more| The story behind the making of Statue of Unity Tribals have been alleging that enough damage has already been caused to their area by the worlds tallest statue project. Several tress were cut to make way for new roads even as many tribals have been shifted away from their native villages so that state guest houses can come up, said Vasava adding, Though the Kevadiya gram panchayat had passed the resolution that no state guest house will be allowed to be constructed here, the state government organized the ceremony for Haryana government. While a tent city offering five-star accommodation has already been built by the Gujarat government to attract tourists, plans to build a water aerodrome in one of the ponds of Sardar Sarovar Dam for the landing of seaplane are underway providing air connectivity to tourists from city like Ahmedabad. Read more| 300 crocodiles relocated to allow seaplane service at Statue of Unity Fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi on Sunday said he has full faith in the law and government of Antigua, his newly adopted country, amid reports that India was preparing for his extradition. Speaking to HT from Antigua, Choksi said the matter of his extradition is sub-judice and yet to be disposed of by Antiguan courts. Undoubtedly, India is the country of my birth. But presently I am not well and not able to travel. Once I am well and able to travel, I will clear my name, he said. When asked about reports that an aircraft was being sent to the Caribbean to bring him to India, Choksi said, In the past as well, fake news has destroyed my reputation and my business. Choksi and his nephew, diamantaire Nirav Modi, have been accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of defrauding state-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) of Rs 13,500 crore in issuance of letters of undertaking and foreign letters of credit. Choksi and Modi left India in the first week of January and have not returned despite repeated summons from the investigating agencies and courts. Both of them have been charged by CBI and ED. Last July, Choksi, 59, was traced to Antigua after US authorities informed India about his travel to the Caribbean nation. Choksi, who owns Gitanjali Gems, became an Antiguan citizen under its programme that extends its citizenship in exchange for investment in the island nation. He has surrendered his Indian passport. CBI, through the ministry of external affairs, approached Antiguan authorities asking for Choksis extradition. India does not have an extradition treaty with Antigua and Barbuda. The countrys foreign minister, EP Chet Greene, told his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj during a meeting last September that his government will cooperate with India on the extradition but refused to set a timeframe for resolving the matter. In December, India managed to secure an Interpol Red Notice against Choksi, further tightening the case for extradition. Choksi has maintained that due to the action of investigating agencies, which included attachment of his assets by the ED, his brand value diminished due to which he could not settle his dues. I lost my business and brand value was destroyed, all my employees lost their jobs. I had not defaulted on payment of loans till my business was closed without preliminary enquiry. I could have settled all my dues had my business not been shut down in a matter of days, he reiterated on Sunday. Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday described child marriage as a dangerous burden for girls. A girl who is not physically or mentally ready, is not mature and does not understand the world must not be burdened with marriage, she said on the second day of a three-day meet She is the Solution: Summit of Grace at the Parmarth Niketan Camp in the Kumbh Mela area. The main focus should be on ensuring proper nutrition, education and sanitation for women and girls, she added. Our Shakti doesnt need empowerment from someone else, they need to recognise that they themselves are the power, Mahajan said. The summit was organized under the joint auspices of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA) and Parmarth Niketan, with technical support from the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and UNICEF. Uttar Pradeshs women and child development minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi urged women and girls across the state to seize the initiative. Women and girl must take pride in themselves. Only then will society change, she said. Union minister of state for human resource development Satyapal Singh lauded GIWA for raising the issue of child marriage through faith leaders who are spiritual guides to millions. Women empowerment is the amrit (nectar) that will cleanse our society of ills such as child marriage and gender inequality, he said. Over 500 faith leaders and followers of various religions came together at the summit, calling for an end to gender discrimination and child marriage. Swami Chidanand Saraswati, president of Parmarth Niketan and co-founder of GIWA, said, This is a very historic coming together. We are at the Sangam to address issues troubling our world. Today, we are here to break our silence and to stand together against child marriage and say yes to education and sanitation of the girl child. Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, secretary general of GIWA, said, Our women and girls need to be free from violence, inequality, stolen childhoods and lack of sanitation. The power of faith changes how people think and how people act, she said. During the summit, 10 women Kumbh Mela sanitation workers were honoured with sarees and 15 community champions were felicitated with certificates and a shawl. Sue Coates, deputy executive director, WSSCC, said: I dont wear the robes of the distinguished women and men around the table. I know in my heart the movement cannot be stopped. No matter how you arrive at the Kumbh, you see children along the road, and often a little girl. Until we reach into the heart of that little girl, then she cant take responsibility for her life. During the summit, a signature campaign will be launched to bring hundreds of thousands of Kumbh visitors on board the fight to end child marriage, with a view to set a world record in the process. UP has made significant improvements in reducing child marriage over the past decade. No other state in India has reduced child marriage faster than UP, said Javier Aguilar, chief, Child Protection, at UNICEF India. Between 2005-06 and 2015-16, the incidence of child marriage in UP reduced from 59% to 21.2%, while the national average dropped from 47% to 26.8% over the same period. However, with one in every five girls in UP married before 18, child marriage continues to affect hundreds of thousands of children in the state. Twenty districts in UP have a higher incidence of child marriage than the national average of 27%. Shrawasti, a district in UPs Terai region has the highest incidence of child marriage in the country, at 68.5%. A trial court in Chennai framed charges against VK Sasikala, a former confidant of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, in four cases pertaining to violation of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) registered by the Enforcement Directorate. The more-than-two-decade-old cases have returned to haunt Sasikala, who is now lodged in a Bengaluru prison in a disproportionate assets case, as the Madras high court has directed the court to complete trial in four months. Apart from the case relating to the purchase of the sprawling 900-acre Kodanadu tea estate, other cases pertain to acquiring equipment and hiring of transponder facility for JJ TV, the earlier avatar of the present Jaya TV. While Sasikala was the chairman-cum-director of JJ TV, her nephew Bhaskaran was the managing director. Both have been arraigned by the ED in these cases. The charges were framed with Sasikala making her appearance through video conference from the Parapana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru. Additional chief metropolitan magistrate S Malarmathy read out the charges to Sasikala, who denied all of them and contended that all the cases against her were foisted. She also sought the courts sanction to cross-examine the prosecution witnesses. The ACMM then framed the charges and posted the next hearing to February 18. Cross-examination of prosecution witnesses is expected to commence on that date. Charges had been framed against Bhaskaran in July 2017. The ACMM issued a warrant for Sasikalas appearance in person to complete the formalities for framing of charges. But she approached Madras high court challenging this, following which the high court ordered that charges to be framed through video-conference and stipulated that the trial too should be completed in four months. The Supreme Court on Monday took a view that the challenge to compulsory recitation of Sanskrit and Hindi prayers in Kendriya Vidyalaya schools across the country requires a debate before a larger bench, preferably a Constitution bench of five judges. A bench of justices RF Nariman and Vineet Saran said the petition filed by Madhya Pradesh-based advocate Veenayak Shah raised questions of seminal importance, in particular as to the correct interpretation of Article 28 (1) of the Constitution. Article 28 (1) of the Constitution prohibits religious instruction in schools wholly maintained by the State. The petitioner was specifically referring to the recitation of the prayer, Asato Ma Sadgamaya, and said this was mandatory irrespective of a students faith and belief. Substantial question of Indian Constitution arises in the fact of this case. List it before the Chief Justice of India (CJI) before an appropriate bench, the court ordered, brushing aside solicitor general Tushar Mehtas argument that the petition doesnt need a hearing. Mehta appeared for the Centre, which in an affidavit filed earlier sought to distance itself from the controversy. When the matter came up for hearing before the SC, Mehta asked for some time to file a revised affidavit. At this, justice Nariman said the petition raises an important constitutional issue. We shall indicate that the matter should be listed before a constitution bench, it said. SC rules do not allow a two-judge bench to refer a matter directly to the Constitution bench. Therefore, justice Nariman said the bench would send it to the CJI for appropriate orders. Mehta, however, differed with the judges view. Asatoma Sadgamaya, Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya just means lead me from darkness to light, he said. This is universal truth, there is nothing religious about it, he argued. But justice Nariman said the lines were taken from Upanishad and said the arguments were meant to be made before a larger bench. Once the order was pronounced, Mehta pointed out that an emblem in every courtroom of the Supreme Court has a line taken from the Mahabharata: Yato Dharma Tato Jya. Now this does not make your lordships religious. These are universal truths, he said. The line pointed out by him means, where there is justice, there is victory and is actually the motto of the SC. The bench also allowed a fresh petition filed by Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind to be placed before the CJI. The plea has raised similar concerns as Shah and sought quashing of Article 92 of The Code of Kendriya Vidyalayas that mandates all schools to have a common prayer. Defending the government order on compulsory recitation of the prayers , Mukul Kanitkar of the Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal, an offshoot of the RSS that works in the education sector, said, In 2013, Indonesia, which has 87% Muslim population, gifted a 16-foot-high statue of Goddess Saraswati, [the Hindu goddess of education and wisdom] to the United States and it is installed in Washington DC. If a nation with a high Muslim population still worships Saraswati, I dont see how prayers can hurt anyones sentiments in schools. This is just a political stunt. A police constable and an alleged history-sheeter were killed in an encounter in Amroha district of western Uttar Pradesh on Sunday evening, the police said. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced compensation of Rs 40 lakh for the wife of slain constable Harsh Chaudhary and Rs 10 lakh to his parents, as well as extraordinary pension to his wife and a government job for a dependent, a government statement said. The history-sheeter killed in the encounter was identified as Shiv Avtar alias Shivia and there over two dozen cases against him, the Amroha superintendent of police office said. Harsh Chaudhary and another constable were on patrol duty when they spotted two suspects in the forest of Indrapur. When the suspects opened fire, Harsh Chaudhary sustained a bullet injury on his chest and collapsed on the spot. Shivia was killed when the police returned the fire. Constable Harsh Chaudhary, resident of Hathras district, joined the police force in 2016. Inspector general of police, Moradabad, Ramit Sharma and other senior police officials rushed to the spot after the incident. Harsh has laid down his life while discharging his duties, said the IG. BJP president Amit Shah on Monday cornered Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and it newly-appointed general secretary in eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra by revising OROPs abbreviation in Himachal Pradeshs Una to put across his point against the main opposition party. Amit Shah is in Una town to address the Panna Pramukh Sammelan, a grassroots-level convention, organised to brace the partys cadres ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to be held later this year. For over 70 years, no one cared about the soldier. When the Narendra Modi government came to power, we introduced One Rank, One Pension (OROP). However, the Congress also follows OROP, which is Only Rahul Only Priyanka, Amit Shah said. He was referring to the One Rank, One Pension programme to equalise pension payments for retired military personnel in the country to take a jab at Congress dynastic politics after Priyanka Gandhi was entrusted with the job last week to shore up the grand old partys chances in the politically-crucial Uttar Pradesh. His Bharatiya Janata Party has also described the move as the Congress acceptance of Rahul Gandhis failure as its leader. Watch: Only Rahul only Priyanka is Congress OROP: Amit Shah Amit Shah continued his attack on the main opposition party accusing it of not doing enough for the people when it was in power. Even today, the Congress president in his speeches brings up the issue of poverty. However, I want to ask Rahul baba, what did the Congress governments do for 55 years? He asked. Its only us who are taking measures for the eradication of poverty. They couldnt even provide a gas cylinder to every house in the country, Shah said. Also read | Rahul Gandhi took right decision: Akhilesh on Priyankas political debut The BJP president also enumerated the programmes launched by the Modi government, which he said benefited millions of people in the country. In four and a half years, the BJP government provided 50 crore people with health facilities, eight crore people with toilets, and has helped over 2.5 crore people to construct their houses, he said. Amit Shah said the country needs a government which is strong and not a helpless one. We need a majboot sarkar, not a majboor sarkar. We need a majboot sarkar that can give Pakistan a hard time for killing our soldiers, he said. He also accused Rahul Gandhi of encouraging those who are anti-national as he raked the issue of the event that was held on February 9, 2016, in New Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to protest the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Rahul Gandhi JNU mein desh drohi naare lagane walo ki peeth thap thapane jaate hai. Rahul baba, mere neta ko jitni gaali deni hai dedo, lekin kaan khol ke sun lo, agar Bharat maa ke tukde karne ki baat ki to sarkar kisi ko nahi bakshegi, iski jagah salankho k pichhe hai (Rahul Gandhi encourages those who shout anti-national slogans. Rahul baba, you can abuse my leader (Narendra Modi) as much as he can but listen carefully the government wont spare anyone who talks about dividing the country. They deserve a place behind bars), he said. Modi ji promotes Make in India, while Rahul is busy with Break in India. This is third Panna Pramukh Sammelan held ahead of the general elections in the hill state. Union home minister Rajnath addressed a Panna Pramukh Sammelan in Mandi in November last year and Union health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda presided over one in Solan last month. Under the Panna Pramukh model, the party appoints a pramukh or prabhari who is given a list or panna, page in Hindi, with the names of 8-12 families. Each pramukh or chief is asked to focus on these families to create a larger vote base for the party. The model was first used in Gujarat when the BJP rode to power for three successive terms. It was successfully implemented in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the party ideological mentor. Since then, the BJP has repeatedly gone back to this model to win assembly elections in other states. It has become a tool for disseminating political messages, voter mobilisation, inter-personal contact with voters and, lastly, direct feedback from the ground. The BJPs top brass including, former chief ministers Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal and the partys state unit chief Satpal Singh Satti were also present at the Sammelan. Its organisational secretary Ram Lal was also there. Lok Sabha member from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur hit out at the Congress, saying that it was unnecessarily indulging in mudslinging. Our party has given a corruption-free government to the people of India, he said in his address earlier. Former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said the policies and programmes of the Narendra Modi-led government were being lauded the world over. Trumps administration too praised the work of the Modi government, Dhumal said. Like Thakur, Dhumal also criticised the Congress and said that the party was a divided house in Himachal. Former chief minister Shanta Kumar urged the cadres to ready themselves for elections. Elections are just like a war. All workers need to work hard for the partys victory in Himachal, he said. Himachal Pradesh has four parliamentary seats of Shimla, Solan, Hamirpur and Mandi, and the Bharatiya Janata Party won all of them in the last Lok Sabha election in 2014. Also read | Zero plus zero results in zero: Yogi Adityanath on Priyanka Gandhis political debut | BY Lynchy | Strongbow Apple Ciders has launched its Chinese New Year campaign, created by Bonsey Jaden Malaysia, that features a playlist of refreshing sounds of the brands much-loved apple ciders. For the first time, Strongbow is leveraging on the power of autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) technology to invigorate the festivity. The campaign aims to illustrate the magic of sounds, made from a bottle or can of Strongbow Apple Ciders. The narrative of the campaign lies in every title of the five tunes in the playlist; each named after relatable festive scenarios -created to refresh awkward conversations during the Chinese New Year celebrations. With subtle brand mentions, the playlist leads the consumer through various conversations during the festive gatherings and provide a sensorial solution to creatively engage with friends and family. Its a great story to convey to our consumers and for them to share the refreshing moment with their loved ones. Thats exactly how we intend to add value for our consumers, especially during this festive period, said Jiri Rakosnik, Marketing Director of Heineken Malaysia Berhad. The binaural audio experience covers from the clinking of ice cubes right to the very last sip of the apple cider. The monologues were performed by local prominent dubbing artists like Jo Kukathas, Davina Goh, Jeremy Teoh and Denise Chan. Rather than telling our audience how our products actual taste, the campaign conveys a specific feeling generated by the sounds of product from time they open a bottle of our apple ciders the goal of the campaign is to introduce an inspiring, emotional, refreshing experience that will savour every moment spent with their loved ones, he added Rakosnik also said that the format of ASMR tunes allows the brand to not only convey its character in a pleasant, calming way but also demonstrates that Strongbow has its ways to refresh every occasion, scenario or mood. The festive campaign will also be working with some prominent influencers who will be sharing their personal experiences and creatively interacting with their audiences through a combination of hashtags, videos and posts on Instagram. The friction in the uneasy alliance between the Congress and the Janata Dal (S) in Karnataka escalated today with chief minister HD Kumaraswamy threatening to quit and accusing Congress MLAs of crossing the line. An irate Kumaraswamy said he was ready to step down if coalition partner Congress decided it wanted to continue with Siddaramaiah. It will not affect me, but Congress leaders. They must control their MLAs. If in open meetings, if they react like this, it is left to them. If they want to continue (with Siddaramaiah) I am ready to step down, they must think about all these things. Yes, they are crossing a line, he told ANI. The provocation for Kumaraswamy seems to be the statement of a Congress MLA on Sunday that former CM Siddaramaiah should have got one more opportunity. MLA S.T. Somashekar said that development work in Bengaluru city had slowed down under the coalition regime and road development is not progressing like it did when Siddaramaiah was the chief minister. Somashekhar said that had Siddaramaiah, who is currently the chief of the coordination committee of the coalition, been made the chief minister again, he would have changed the face of Bengaluru. In seven months of the coalition government, not even an action plan has been formed for the development of the city, he said. Whether he is power or not, all Congress workers say even today he is the chief minister, theres nothing new in that The Congress, though, has not taken kindly to the latest outburst of support for the former chief minister. Somashekar was issued a show-cause notice by the party for his statements, and one leader said the party was considering similar disciplinary measures against others as well. Siddaramaiah himself played down the controversy on Monday, saying he would speak to all those concerned. Yes we will control our MLAs, he said. First of all, we have formed a coalition government deciding that the JD(S) should get the chief ministers post, so there is no question of me taking over the post, he said. Deputy chief minister G Parameshwara however said that Somashekar was expressing his opinion. (Siddaramaiah) is always the best CM, who said he isnt? (Somashekhar) has expressed his opinion. (Siddaramaiah) is our CLP leader and (did) well the last five years, nobody can dispute that, Parameshwara said. However, other Congress leaders have also expressed similar sentiments. Karnataka Dy CM on 'Congress MLAs say Siddaramaiah is their leader'': Siddaramaiah has been best CM. He is our CLP leader. For the MLA, he (Siddaramaiah) is the CM. He has expressed his opinion. What is wrong in that? We are all happy with him (Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy). pic.twitter.com/bnvAUiM9OA ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 On Sunday, backward classes welfare minister MTB Nagaraj said that his heart always chanted the name of Siddaramaiah, who is the chief of the Congress legislature party. The way Lord Hanumans heart kept chanting Lord Rams name, my heart chants the name of Siddaramaiah, he said. Another minister, C Puttarangashetty said for him, Siddaramaiah was still the chief minister. Former minister HM Revanna, too, said that Siddaramaiah had introduced many good programmes for the state as chief minister. It was not a Lingayat leader who made it mandatory for government offices to have a photo of Basavanna, it was Siddaramaiah, he said. A few days ago, MLA K Sudhakar said, Siddaramaiah is not former but still the chief minister for us. Last month, Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar had broken down at a public meeting while claiming that Siddaramaiah was defeated by some vested interests. He gave such a good government over five years and still the people did not support him, he had said. The seven-month-old Kumaraswamy government has faced multiple challenges since it came to power last May. The latest threat came earlier this month after the opposition BJP allegedly tried to lure away Congress MLAs to topple the government. Comparisons between the current government and the previous one, where the Congress enjoyed a majority of 122 seats in the 224-member assembly, have been ever present over the past eight months. Thanks to his five-year term, Siddaramaiah became only the second chief minister complete the full term in state, since it was reorganised. But having faced a defeat in the Chamundeshwari assembly constituency in the assembly elections in May, and only scraping through in the Badami seat, Siddaramaiah had taken a brief sabbatical in the immediate aftermath of the polls. Congress leaders had blamed Siddaramaiah for the setback the party faced in the polls. However, since then, and especially after he was elevated to the All India Congress Committee, he has emerged as a rallying force in the Congress, with ministerial aspirants and disgruntled leaders choosing to deliberate with him and not other senior leaders. Even after the recent Cabinet expansion in December, senior leaders had complained that Siddaramaiahs choices had been preferred over others. The controversy comes even as the parties are yet to formulate a seat sharing formula in the state ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Senior BJP leader Govind Karjol said it was clear that this government did not enjoy the support of its own legislators. Of course, as an opposition we will raise questions about the functioning of the government. However, the Congress MLAs repeatedly insisting that Siddaramaiahs government was better shows that they endorse our view that this government is not doing much work. This being the situation, in my opinion Kumaraswamy should resign, something that even Congress MLAs seem to be saying, he said. Political analyst Narendar Pani said the Congress seemed to be trying to project Siddaramaiah as its leader to consolidate its position for the seat-sharing discussions with the JD(S). It looks like they want to put a united front to show that they are not dispersed to help them in the seat-sharing discussions the party will hold with former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, he said. BJPs key ally, the Janta Dal (United) has said that the alliance will suffer if the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), which is facing stiff opposition from several outfits and organisations in the Northeast, is passed in Rajya Sabha. A JD(U) delegation arrived in Guwahati on the invitation of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), BJPs former ally which withdrew from the alliance in protest against the proposed amendment in the law. On Tuesday, the AGP will host a key meeting of regional parties in Guwahati to deliberate on the bill which is facing stiff opposition. Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma said almost all regional parties are coming together and will request the Union government to reconsider the bill. We will talk to home minister (Rajnath Singh). If possible, we will convey the feelings of the masses to the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) also. With the passing of this bill, the NDA will suffer and the BJP will suffer, KC Tyagi, JD(U) general secretary who arrived in Guwahati along with party vice-president Prashant Kishor and two other leaders, said. The delegation will also be meeting Meghalaya chief minister Sangma and his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga. Tyagi said the JD(U) will vote against the unconstitutional bill in Rajya Sabha. We are here on the invitation of the AGP and to extend our total support. We had earlier met in Patna. (Bihar chief minister) Nitish Kumar had said from Parliament to the streets, we are with them, with the fighting masses of Assam, AGP, AASU and other civil society organisations, Tyagi said. He said the JD(U) is apprehensive that the Congress is in support of the bill. The bill has been passed in Lok Sabha. Our complaint also is that Congress should not have walked out in Lok Sabha. It became easy to pass the bill. We are apprehensive if the Congress is helping from the back door, Tyagi said, hoping that Congress and allies would vote against it. We met Rajnath Singh and apprised him of the situation in Northeast. He was also concerned, Tyagi said, after he addressed a joint press conference with AGP leaders in Guwahati. AGP president Atul Bora said at least nine parties are participating in tomorrows meeting. Among the key participants are NPP, NPF, UDP, MNF, NDPP, JD(U) and IPFT. NPP, IPFT, UDP, MNF are part of the North East Democratic Alliance, a regional alliance led by the BJP. Conrad Sangma, the chief minister of NPP-led Meghalaya government which had passed a resolution against the CAB, said, All the parties decided that we should meet and express our concern to the Union government. Zoramthanga, chief minister of Mizoram, who leads the MNF, which has been opposing the bill, confirmed his attendance. (With inputs from David Laitphlang in Shillong) A group of gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA T Raja Singh on Monday rescued as many as 63 cows and calves which were allegedly being transported in a container truck to an abattoir on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Acting on specific inputs, the gau rakshaks chased the truck and waylaid it near Shamirpet in Medchal district, about 25 km from Hyderabad in the morning. Raja Singh, the lone BJP legislator representing Goshamahal assembly constituency in Hyderabad, also reached the spot well in advance, following the tip-off. They found that a large number of cows and calves were stuffed in the container with just two lids on the top open for breathing. They caught hold of the driver and handed him over to the local police. The driver told the police that the cattle were being transported from Narasannapet in Andhra Pradeshs Srikakulam district to Al Kabeer, a popular beef exporting firm at Rudraram village in Sangareddy district. According to Shamirpet police inspector B Naveen Reddy, the driver has been taken into custody and arrangements have been made for sending the rescued cows to notified sheds. We have registered a case under various sections of the Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, he said. Raja Singh, the legislator who declared cow protection as his prime duty, said the activists had recorded a major achievement in cow protection. Known for his controversial and inflammatory comments, Singh had kicked up a row by supporting incidents of lynching of people for alleged cow slaughter. The Editors Guild of India has termed the barring of journalists from covering the Republic Day function in Srinagar on Saturday as an unprecedented state-sponsored attack on press freedom in Jammu and Kashmir. It is shocking that the journalists were stopped in spite of their entry passes issued by the state government. The state governments earlier decision to deny entry passes for covering the Republic Day function to many other senior journalists is equally deplorable, the Guild said. Six senior mediapersons who were stopped at the main gate of the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium by security personnel on Saturday, were Mehraj-ud-Din and Umar Mehraj of United States-based Associated Press Television Network, Danish Ismail who works for Reuters, Agence France Presses Tauseef Mustafa , ANI bureau chief Bilal Ahmad Bhat and Aman Farooq of a local Urdu daily, Kashmir Uzma. Kashmir Editors Guild said that they were not allowed by the security men on the pretext that police have got adverse verification report against them. The security wing of the J&K police had issued a letter signed by the additional superintendent of police (security), Kashmir, stating that the pass of six journalists issued to them were cancelled following an adverse report received from the CID. The incident had triggered protests by other journalists many of whom decided not to cover the Republic Day function. This is an unprecedented state-sponsored attack on freedom of press and demands an inquiry into how lapses were allowed to take place, the Editors Guild of India said, seeking an assurance from the government that such reprehensible acts will not be repeated. Advisor to governor and in-charge home department, K Vijay Kumar on Saturday said that the entire process of security clearance for issuance of passes to journalists will be reviewed for better coordination in future. He said the incident occurred because of procedure followed by the police during events. Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde has waded into another controversy after his comments that the hand that touches a Hindu woman must not exist as he attacked Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao over his reaction. Hegde made the hands comment on Sunday while, addressing a function organised by the Hindu Jagrana Vedike in Karnatakas Kodaugu district. If anyone touches a Hindu girl then that hand should not exist. This is how history is written. Where it is a question of making history there you can see valour, where it is a question of studying history, then cowardice comes forth. Do you want to be makers of history or students of history? the Union minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship had asked. The president of Congress Karnataka unit Dinesh Gundu Rao condemned Hedges statement later on Sunday, saying nothing better could be expected from the minister and that he was openly calling for vigilantism. Wht are ur achievements after becoming a Union Minister or as MP? Wht are ur contributions for Karnatakas development? All I can say for sure, its deplorable tht such people have become ministers & have managed to get elected as MPs, Rao had tweeted. #WATCH: Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde in Kodagu, "We have to rethink about priorities of our society. We shouldnt think of caste. If a Hindu girl is touched by a hand, then that hand should not exist." #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/4uVNnIrNeu ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2019 Hegde, however, dragged Raos wife Tabu Rao as he reacted to the Congress leaders remarks. I shall definitely answer this guy @dineshgraos queries, before which could he please reveal himself as to who he is along with his achievements? I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady. The spat on Twitter did not stop there. Sad to see @AnantkumarH stoop to such low levels as to bring in personal issues. Guess its his lack of culture. Guess he hasnt learnt from our Hindu scriptures. Time hasnt run out, he can still try and become a more dignified human, Rao tweeted back. Also read | Hand that touches Hindu woman should not exist, says Union minister Ananth Kumar Hegde This is not the first time that the Union minister has made controversial statements. He said earlier in January that the Kerala governments handling of the controversial issue of the Sabarimala temple was the daylight rape of Hindus. Last year, Hegde compared opposition leaders to crows, monkeys, foxes, and donkeys, slamming them for coming together to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the elections. Before that in 2017, he had claimed that the BJP government came to power to amend the Constitution to remove the word secular from the Constitution. Also read: Opposition disrupts Lok Sabha proceedings over Hegdes remarks mocking seculars Google is Binish Humayuns 3am friend. The last time Humayun, an undergraduate at Delhi University, wanted to figure out how to respond to rude behaviour, she searched it online. Google told me that I should not judge the person. Maybe he or she had a bad day. I should try to put myself in their shoes, she recalled. That made so much sense. Google cant respond to every thought going through her head, however. So she sometimes writes poems. Her first poem was sparked off by a gaali (swear word). Five months ago, she wrote a second one. It captured my uncertainties and how unsure I was about myself, and things around me, she said. Her latest is about mental health: Despite watching so many people, she is unable to be at ease What is it that she is searching for? Tranquillity, silence or peace? I am still in that phase. At the same time, I feel wiser now from the time when I wrote that poem. This is how we all evolve, no? said the 19-year-old English (Hons) student. Humayun will cast her first vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Voting is a sort of ritual in her family. She does not remember her parents ever skipping the exercise. She looks at elections as one of the few occasions when a commoner feels powerful. But Humayun does not follow politics closely. When she does, she struggles to get the fine print. Everyone is shouting and countering each other. If Congress highlights the Rafale deal, the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] mentions Bofors. The media presents both sides of the story it is difficult to make sense of it and form an opinion, she said. One day at a time Like most 19-year-olds, Humayun finds her preferences and priorities changing every day. RK Narayans Swami and Friends was part of my school syllabus. I was very fond of it. In college, I got introduced to Shakespeare. I also read Tennessee Williams play Glass Menagerie. After that, I found Narayans work relatively juvenile. He writes well but I am past that age, you know, she shrugged. College (Mata Sundri College for Women) to her is as much about studies as about friends and fun. She and her friends hang out in central Delhis Press Area, which got its name from its rows of newspaper offices. They often discuss childhood, movies, classes and the idea of independence. One should fulfil responsibilities towards family. But this should not be done at the cost of your own aspirations, choices and social circle, she said. Humayun wants to pursue a Masters in English not to build a career around it but for the love of the language. I am going with the flow. Logical progression would be higher studies. But I have not thought about that, she said. Sometimes her days are spent watching Hindi film songs on a loop, sometimes doing nothing at all. Her mother, a homemaker, spends hours discussing films, books and life at their home in central Delhi. Her father, who trades in handicraft at Turkman Gate, a Walled City neighbourhood, is more into current affairs. It is he who tells her whats going on in the world, other than some news apps on her mobile phone. Papa knows the details of Indian politics and history like the back of his hand. He reads all the newspapers. When a controversy remains in the news for a few days or weeks, he gives me a primer on it. I wish media reporting was as clear as his explanations, she said. She has three younger brothers, all of them in school. She often shares her experiences with them, expecting that they will learn from them. I have an impressionable mind. I tend to believe everyone. I wonder as a citizen about what is better for me and why, she said. Among the politicians who have caught her attention, she finds Congress leader Shashi Tharoor best. He is nuanced, reads a lot, speaks his mind and always have facts to back his argument. That is rare for an Indian politician in this day and age, she said. Muslim identity Humayun has come to terms with some peoples curiosity about her life as a young Muslim woman.Occasionally, people do ask me if I am allowed to wear jeans or socialise. Earlier, I used to find it odd, even annoying. Now I tell them, yes, my parents have given me the freedom to choose my attire, she says. Stereotypes about her religion do not offend her anymore. Humayun said that perhaps the need to explain her culture comes out of a sense of responsibility she feels as a Muslim. The onus lies on us. I believe people have wrong notions or misconceptions about each others religion largely because of a lack of dialogue. We get worked up very easily. We do not try to understand why a person thinks that way, she said. Unlike most people of her age, Humayun isnt living a parallel life on social media. She says that she has never looked for validation from Facebook friends. I find the idea of likes and shares overwhelming. It has no impact on my choices. I wonder why people share details such as what they are eating. Why am I supposed to know that? she quipped. Humayun is aware of her privileges as a Delhi resident. She likes the big citys momentum. I have not sat down to think that Oh My God, the city is changing. I am part and parcel of the overall transformation. For example, now we can apply for college admissions online. Imagine the queues in the university until a few years ago. What about thousands of people who migrate to Delhi on a daily basis, adding to its already crumbling infrastructure? It is easy to blame migrants for rising congestion and surge in crime rate. We dont ask ourselves what are we doing to resolve civic issues. Also, I think migrants are not always part of the problem. They also contribute to the making of a city. It will be difficult to manage without them. Not in a rush Unlike her city, Humayun is not in a rush. Traffic and congestion is part of daily life in every city. Why do we Delhiites get annoyed on roads? Why do we see have so many road rage cases? This is because we are used to getting everything in an instant. We need to be patient, she said. But Humayun does have problems with the world. The top among them is gender disparity. There are different standards for men and women. When something goes wrong in society in a family or in a larger group the easiest option is to blame the woman. Part of the problem is that women are not united. We dont stand together, she pointed out. The other day she came across an article which hinted at a solution. The piece made the argument that the two genders should be seen as different entities. Right now, we say that if man is A, woman is less than A. This is a faulty comparison. Let them grow at their own pace, she says. When she votes this year, Humayun says, she will prefer a party that gives priority to education and womens issues. Education is key. Look around us. We see so many dropouts. Then there are people who have done schooling but are hesitant to apply for college admissions because they dont find themselves at par with students from middle and upper-middle class families. Various governments appear to be doing so much on this front. Somewhere, something is not working - right? Humayun wants to make an informed choice. I cant remain indifferent to developments in my country. Democracy is all about accountability. Political thoughts Humayun says she will refuse if she gets an offer to join politics. She thinks politicians should focus on resolving issues instead of making fun of each other during press meets and even in Parliament. And what does she think about the issues of instant triple talaq, and temple and cow politics? There is nothing wrong in discussing these issues because they are of concern for certain sections of society. Parties raise other issue too, but those do not get the same media hype. For example, Yogi Adityanath talks of policies to save cow. Media immediately picks it up. But are we sure he has not spoken about any other scheme since he came to power? she asked. A two-day auction of around 1,800 gifts and mementos Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received since he came to power in 2014 concluded on Monday. The auction was held to raise funds for the Centres project for the Ganga conservation Around 270 items have been auctioned over the two days. A physical auction has its limitations. That is why we also have an e-auction for three days. This will allow a broader bidding, said culture minister Mahesh Sharma. A wooden bike, with a reserve price of Rs 40,000, was auctioned for Rs 5 lakh on day two. A painting showing Modi carrying an umbrella and a red bag on a railway platform was sold for the same amount. Buyers of both items refused to identify themselves. People have shown tremendous enthusiasm for the auction. Imagine a wooden bike with a reserve price of Rs 40,000 being sold for Rs 5 lakh and a memento of Golden Temple with a reserve price of Rs 10,000 being sold for Rs 3.5 lakh, Sharma added. I had thought of buying the bike the moment I saw it. And why not? The money is going for a noble cause, one of them said. Dalmia Bharat Group managing director Puneet Dalmia, who bought a replica of Amritsars Golden Temple for Rs 3.50 lakh, said he participated in the bidding solely because the money raised would be going for Ganga mission. Dalmia bought five items worth Rs 6.5 lakh. A metallic sword was sold for Rs 1 lakh against a base price of Rs 5,000. The Gujarat government had organised a similar auction of around 450 items to raise money for the Clean Ganga programme in 2015. Five years after Nurmahal-based Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (DJJS) head, Ashutosh Maharaj, was declared clinically dead, his body continues to be preserved in a freezer at -22C. On January 28, 2014, after he complained of chest congestion, an ambulance was called from Ludhiana-based Satguru Partap Singh Apollo Hospital and doctors pronounced him no more. Today, 20 followers guard his room round the clock. Every six months, a panel of three doctors, formed on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana high court, inspects the body to check for decomposition. The panel comprises Dr Ajay Goyal from anatomy department of the Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana, Dr Gautam Vishvash from forensic medicine department of the same college, and the Jalandhar civil surgeon. The last inspection was done in December 2018. The DJJS has also tasked its own team, including a few specialists from Delhi, to check the body every fortnight, claimed dera sources. Who was Ashutosh Maharaj? Mahesh Jha, aka Ashutosh Maharaj was born in 1946 at Nakhlor village in Darbanga district of Bihar, as per his passport. After leaving his wife and son, around 18 months after marriage, Ashutosh became a disciple of Satpal Maharaj, founder of Manav Uthhaan Sewa Samiti (MUSS). He started his own sect in 1983. Initially, he organised programmes in villages, before purchased a 16-marla house in Nurmahal city and formed the DJJS, which was registered in 1991 with New Delhi as headquarters. Today, the DJJS has a 40-acre campus on the Jalandhar-Nakodar road and more than 100 centres in the country. A view of Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan near Nurmahal, Punjab, Wednesday, January 29, 2014. (Pradeep Pandit / HT Photo ) Succession war behind preserving body? Tongues started wagging within hours of the death of Ashutosh Maharaj about a possible explanation for the dera deciding to preserve the body. Initially, followers and politicians were sent messages announcing his death with the information that the last rites would follow. However, within hours, the dera contradicted itself, claiming that Ashutosh was clinically dead, and was in samadhi (deep meditation). It was also claimed that he would be normal very soon. This claim coincided with the arrival of DJJS men from Delhi. In hushed voices, dera insiders claim that a war of succession over dera property, valued at crores and spread across the country, dictated this move. However, there is no authentication. The DJJS, whose properties were in the name of the trust till Ashutosh was alive, has never seen any issue on who will run the show. The management from Delhi, however, has an increased say in the affairs now. An annual show of the DJJS, held on each Guru Purnima Puja, continues to witness rush of followers but the presence of pPolitical leaders has decreased. The past five years have also seen the case play out in court. A 2014 order of a single-judge bench of the Punjab and Haryana high court on cremating the body was overturned by a division bench that on July 5, 2017, also allowed preserving his body. A Bihar native, Dalip Jha, had moved court seeking permission for the last rites of Ashutosh, claiming that the DJJS head was his father. No change in body: Civil Surgeon Jalandhar civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Kumar Bugga said, There are no signs of decomposition of the body. A bacteria culture test on the body has come out negative. When asked specifically if any chemical had been injected or used to preserve the body, he added nothing of this sort had been done. A two-day auction of around 1,800 gifts and mementos Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received since he came to power in 2014 began on Sunday to raise funds for the Centres project for the Ganga conservation. An e-auction for the unsold items would be organised from January 29 to 31 after the two-day auction closes on Monday. Avyansh Gupta, 10, became the youngest bidder at the auction as he bought a Lord Hanuman idol for Rs 3,800. He plans to buy a turban and a bamboo hat as well. Gupta, a Ghaziabad-resident, said he has done a project on the Ganga in his school and decided to participate in the auction when he saw an advertisement about it to raise funds for the rivers conservation. We wanted to make him understand the concept of an auction and give him some in-depth knowledge of the Ganga, said Guptas mother, Barkha. A 2.22 kg silver plate worth Rs 30,000, which former Bharatiya Janata Party Parliament member C Narasimhan had gifted to Modi, was the most expensive item to go under the hammer. A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, with a base price of Rs 1,000, was sold for Rs 22,000. A blue brocade shawl with tassels was the least expensive at Rs 200. Other items include swords, musical instruments, turbans, shawls, traditional jackets, bows, arrows, masks, and photographs of historical and political figures. A painting showing Modi walking on a railway platform with an umbrella and a bag and his photo in a meditative posture were among the most sought after items. Adwaita Gadanayak, the director general of New Delhis National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) that is organising the auction, likened Modi to a saint. He said all the items have an emotional value attached to them. We exhibited the items in October last year and then we proposed an auction. I am so happy that this [auction] could actually happen. NGMA refused to reveal the amount of money raised on day one. Laviikk Agarwal, 10, who accompanied his grandfather, Vinod Agarwal, bought a metal portrait of Modi. I am an admirer of Modiji. I feel proud to own something that had been gifted to our Prime Minister. I will keep this portrait in my room, he said. Hindu Sena vice president Surjeet Yadav, who bought around 20 items worth over a lakh, said they will be bidding for more items. Our objective is to contribute towards the Ganga mission. What can be a better way of doing it? Ratan Gupta, who came from Kanpur to bid for a sword, said the swords auctioned so far were expensive. Venkatesh Das Agarwal, a heritage collector from Kolkata, called the auction a good precedent and such events should be promoted for the world to see. Union minister Piyush Goyal, who attended the event, lauded Modis initiative to auction the gifts to raise funds for the Ganga Project. In a press release on Thursday, Pakistan announced a successful training launch of the short range, nuclear-capable Nasr missile. A surface-to-surface missile, Nasrs range is a mere 60 kilometres. But, it is no surprise that this launch follows so closely on the heels of Indian Army chief Bipin Rawats announcement on reviving the idea of integrated battle groups (IBGs) to launch a quick, conventional assault on Pakistan. IBGs are closely associated with the Indian Armys Cold Start doctrine that came about in the aftermath of the failure of Operation Parakram (2001-02). Essentially the tussle between India and Pakistan is about fighting their favourite wars. India is conventionally superior and wants to confine its war with Pakistan within the conventional realm. Pakistan wants to keep the conflict either in the sub-conventional realm (read terrorism) where it enjoys the monopoly in this dyad, or escalate it to the nuclear realm where it has parity with India bypassing a conventional war entirely. The Indian Army evolved the Cold Start doctrine of a limited conventional war because it realised that Pakistans nuclear weapons would not allow for a full-scale, conventional war. The doctrine was never endorsed by the Government of India but it provided Pakistan with an excuse to build short range, nuclear-capable missiles, like Nasr, to target Indian formations undertaking conventional strikes. Indias non-response to 26/11 showed that either the Cold Start had not been operationalised or the army wasnt confident of pulling off such strikes in a crisis situation. General Rawat has now brought the idea up front and centre. He is saying the IBGs will be war-gamed and physically tested by May. This undoubtedly enhances the credibility of the Cold Start doctrine. Playing exactly to the script, Pakistan is now flaunting Nasr. The use of Nasr carries a number of risks like early use by on-field commanders. Moreover, its use doesnt guarantee that a large number of Indian Army personnel can be taken out. However, deterrence is often in the adversarys mind. As long as Indian leaders continue to be deterred by Nasr, it will continue to be effective. | BY Lynchy | After a three month highly competitive pitch, BBDO Guerrero has won two significant projects from the Philippine Department of Tourism. BBDO Guerrero is the agency that launched the highly successful Its More Fun in The Philippines tourism campaign in 2012 and their reappointment to the business involves refreshing this enduring tagline. This campaign was highly awarded at the time, including winning a Grand Prix for Effectiveness at the WARC awards. BBDO Guerrero is tasked with developing an integrated marketing communications campaign to be launched this year. This campaign is intended to clearly define the Philippines as a country where you can experience all the very best in tourism, from beautiful beaches, to cultural events and attractions, from eco-tourism to land and water sports. It is a diverse country with something for everyone. The campaign also hopes to sustain a general awareness for the Philippines as a more fun travel destination, especially for todays travellers who seek more immersive experiences. Separately, the agency is also tasked to support DOTs sustainability agenda and help promote the country via a digital public relations campaign. With the rehabilitation of some of the countrys key travel destinations made as a key priority, this campaign would aim to inspire local support for local initiatives and entice more eco-friendly tourists to visit the Philippines. Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said, Im excited to collaborate with BBDO on this new campaign the Its More Fun 2.0. And with the same creative minds helping us on our sustainable tourism campaign a significant advocacy that will preserve our country for generations to come Im optimistic that we will achieve the same level of success. David Guerrero, Creative Chairman of BBDO Guerrero (pictured right), said, Were delighted to be working with the department. Tourism is a vital industry for the economy and its an honour to be selected for this task. BBDO Guerrero first started working with the Philippine Department of Tourism in December 2011 and the relationship ended at the end of 2016. In addition to BBDO Guerreros appointments, the Philippine Department of Tourism also tasked DDB Philippines as the creative agency to communicate this sustainable tourism in the Philippines agenda. Touch XDA was appointed as the media planning and buying agency for the strategic international placements of the branding campaign. A 51-year-old woman and her live-in partner allegedly thrashed her son to death with bricks and sticks at their east Delhi home on Sunday after he objected to their liquor and drug addiction, police said. The woman, Subhadra Devi, and her 30-year-old partner, Ajeet Kumar Mishra, then tried to pass off the murder as a road accident and even called an ambulance, Jasmeet Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police (east), said. But the ambulance staff as well as the womans son-in-law sensed foul play and alerted the police, leading to the arrests of the couple within hours of the killing. The deceased was identified as Ravinder Pathak, a 30-year-old rickshaw-puller. He lived with his mother and her live-in partner, also a rickshaw-puller, in a rented room in New Ashok Nagar. The couple also has a three-month-old son. The woman had deserted her husband who lives at his native village in Basti district of Uttar Pradesh, Singh said. The officer said that the couple would frequently drink and do drugs, leaving Pathak furious. In the early hours of Sunday, Pathak again objected to the couples drinking, but it was met with violence, the officer said. Devi and Mishra allegedly went on to beat her son with bricks and sticks until he died. There was also a muffler lying at the crime spot. They may have also strangled him with the muffler, said the officer. After the killing, the suspects allegedly visited Noida, called an ambulance and cooked up a story about Pathak meeting a road accident, police said. But when the ambulance arrived in Noida, the staff was informed that the victim was in New Ashok Nagar. When the ambulance staff saw the crime scene and Pathaks injuries, they realised that it was a murder case. They informed the police around 8.30am, said the officer. But the suspected killers managed to escape from the spot and reached north Delhis Azadpur where Devis daughter and son-in-law live. They again cooked up an entire story about Pathaks accident and sought help. Devis son-in-law noticed a lot of blood on Mishras pants and realised he was lying. He convinced them to hop onto an auto-rickshaw and visit the crime scene. Mishra tried to jump out of the auto-rickshaw mid-way too, but Devis son-in-law ensured he couldnt escape, the officer said. The duo landed right into polices net after that. They have been booked for murder and later arrested. Pathak was married, but his wife had deserted him, police said. The decomposed bodies of an elderly couple were found inside their flat in south Delhis East of Kailash on Saturday. The womans hands were tied in front. Her husband lay dead on the floor next to the bed. There were many naphthalene balls near their bodies. The police have launched a probe to find if it is a suicide or murder. Police said that the couple identified as Virender Kumar Khaneja, 77, who had retired as a senior manager of a multi-national consumer goods company and his wife Sarla, 72, a home maker lived alone in the Mount Kailash apartment, with their elder son, a doctor settled in the US. The couples younger son had died of natural causes in 2017. The couple had registered themselves as senior citizens with the Delhi Police and were last visited by a constable on January 19. The police, more than 36 hours after the incident having come to light, said that they were probing if the man murdered his wife before killing himself. They, however havent recovered a suicide note. Though the door was locked from inside, and there wasnt any sign of a forced entry suggesting the role of an intruder police have not ruled out the possibility of murder. Investigating officers are also probing if anyone had spare keys to the flat. Police suspect that excessive consumption of naphthalene balls some of which were found scattered near the bodies could be one of the reasons behind the couples deaths, but are waiting for the autopsy report before drawing any conclusion. Police said prima facie it does not appear that the couple was depressed. They had recently purchased a car and were socially active. It is certainly a case of unnatural death. We are trying to ascertain the circumstances under which the couple died. As of now an inquest proceeding under section 174 of the code of criminal procedure (CrPC) has been initiated, said Chinmoy Biswal, deputy commissioner of police (southeast). The bodies have been preserved in the mortuary. The autopsy will be conducted once the couples son, Amit Khaneja, arrives and claims the bodies, he added. Neighbours told police they had last seen the couple on January 19. A CCTV camera recording of January 18 also shows the couple near their flat. DCP Biswal said that on Saturday around 10.30am, the police control room received a call regarding an elderly man, a resident of Mount Kailash apartments, not answering his phone. The caller identified himself as a distant relative of the couple. The caller told the police that the last telephonic conversation he had with the couple was on January 16. The relative told us that the couples mobile phone numbers had been unreachable since January 16. After he came to the Amar Colony police station and gave the couples residential address, we sent a team to the flat, said a police officer, who asked not be named. The officer said that the front and back entry doors of the flat were locked from inside. A police team then climbed on to a neighbours balcony to reach the balcony of the couples flat. They broke open the door and a foul smell immediately hit them. The womans hands were tied. Her body was lying on the floor next to the bed. Her husbands body was on the floor on the other side of the bed. His hands or legs were not tied, the officer said. A woman living in the adjacent flat, who again did not wish to be named, said that they learnt about the elderly couples death only when the police came to break open the flats door on Saturday. The couple lived alone since their younger son, Sumit Khaneja, died of prolonged illness in 2017. They had gone to the US and returned after living with their elder son for around six months, she said. The neighbour said that the couple had a part-time domestic help, who used to come to their house for cooking and other household chores. We are questioning the domestic help to find out why she did not inform anybody in the apartment, even when she had found the house locked and the couple unreachable in the last one week, said the officer. Jet Airways India Ltd. is seeking the approval of shareholders to convert loans into equity as the ailing carrier saddled with $1.1 billion of debt negotiates a rescue deal with its lenders and partner Etihad Airways PJSC. Indias biggest full-service carrier has called an extraordinary general meeting on February 21 in Mumbai, during which it will also seek consent for lenders to appoint company directors and boost its capital, according to a filing Monday. The airline, 24 percent owned by Etihad, didnt say whether the three sides have reached an agreement over the terms of the rescue. Jet Airways, Etihad and lenders have been in talks for weeks to work out a revival plan, although no commonly agreed proposal was presented to the government, a ministry official said January 25 in New Delhi. The Mumbai-based carrier has struggled with low fares in an increasingly competitive market, losing money in all but two of the past 11 years.s Lenders led by State Bank of India, the countrys biggest lender by assets, have sought 35 billion rupees ($492 million) of investment from founder Naresh Goyal and Etihad before they can revamp its debt, people with knowledge of the matter said earlier this month. Jet Airways said Jan. 16 it was considering various options on the debt-equity mix. Shares of the airline fell 2.5 percent to 246.80 rupees as of 1:08 pm in Mumbai. They have dropped 67 percent in the past 12 months. As entire Bollywood came together to celebrate the courage and hard work of Mumbai Police at their annual event, Umang, so did actors and real-life couple, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. The two were spotted dancing with Shah Rukh Khan on stage and posing with policemen for selfies later. Pictures shared online from the event show Shah Rukk, Alia and Ranbir pull off a few thumkas on stage. The two are then seen talking to each other on stage, sharing laughs and smiles. Alia was seen in a green anarkali suit with big chandelier earrings. Ranbir was seen in a navy blue suit and tie. Both of them looked stunning together and their fans agreed. I adore both of them, wrote a fan. Such beautifull couple..., wrote another. Apart from Alia, Ranbir and Shah Rukh, actors Ranveer Singh, Katrina Kaif, Janhvi Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez and Akshay Kumar also performed at the event. Amitabh Bachchan delivered a speech in honour of the police at the event. Also read: Inside pics from Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas wedding reception in US Alia and Ranbir are currently working on their first movie together, Brahmastra. The film is directed by Ayan Mukherji and also stars Amitabh Bachchan and Mouni Roy. Ranbir confirmed his relationship with Alia in May 2018. He spoke about her in an interview with GQ magazine. Its really new right now, and I dont want to over speak. It needs time to breathe and it needs space. As an actor, as a person, Alia is whats the right word? flowing right now. When I see her work, when I see her act, even in life, what she gives is something that Im aspiring to for myself. Its new for us, so let it cook a bit, he had said. Alia too, more or less, confirmed their relationship with her latest appearance on Koffee With Karan. In a recent interview with HT, Alia said, Its not as if a relationship is an achievement. It is just a part and a very important part of my life. Its seamless as well as beautiful, and should be celebrated when it has to be. Right now, it should just be left on its own and kind of kept in a corner where it can stay safe and warm, she said. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor Sara Ali Khan, who is currently riding high on the success of her latest release Simmba, recently talked about her dating experience in an interview to Filmfare. The actor said that she has only ever dated one guy, union minister Sushil Kumar Shindes grandson, Veer Pahariya. Sara and Veers pictures went viral in 2016. The two were then rumoured to have broken up. Hes the only one I have dated. I have had no other boyfriends in my life. When asked if they had a bad break up as was reported by tabloids, she said, My heart has not broken. It is all good, I promise, she said. Sara recently featured in an episode of Koffee With Karan where she confessed she has a crush on Kartik Aaryan. I think he is damn cute yaar, she had said about him. Since then, both Sara and Kartik have been asked about each other in several interviews and press meets. Saras co-star from Simmba also introduced the two to each other at an event. Also read: Koffee with Karan 6: Bhumi Pednekar says she stalks Ameesha Patel online Sara made her movie debut opposite Sushant Singh Rajput in Kedarnath. She was then seen in Simmba. Her choice to become an actor wasnt always so clear. When I finished the tenth grade, I was almost convinced that I wanted to do medicine. But the thing is that I have a mild tremor problem and I realised that I cant do surgery. So, I decided to do law and I studied History and Political Science. But then in my last year, I did an acting course, Sara said at a Leadership Lecture Series of Global Indian International School on Sunday. The 25-year-old actor said she was always studious. Describing herself, she said she is somebody that till date loves reading and has studied almost every subject and has thoroughly enjoyed it in a university like Columbia and a city like New York. But the rush that she felt while doing theatre on stage, she says she had never felt like that. Thats when I knew what I knew since I was a child. (with inputs from IANS) Follow @htshowbiz for more Writer Apurva Asrani has launched a fresh attack on actor Kangana Ranaut, with whom he has been involved in a public war of words ever since they had a falling out while making their film, Simran. Apurva, alluding to the behind-the-scenes drama that went on during the making of Manikarnika, wrote in a tweet that despite everything that happened, it was still a flop film. You can... Hijack the passion project of a senior director. Hire another director, but fire him after hes completed the film. Claim credit as the films director. Even have the trade & press support your evil shenanigans... but still make a flop film! Apurva wrote, and added the hashtag, #InstantKarmasGonnaGetYou. You can... Hijack the passion project of a senior director Hire another director, but fire him after he's completed the film.. Claim credit as the films director.. Even have the trade & press support your evil shenanigans.. ..but still make a flop film!#InstantKarmasGonnaGetYou Apurva (@Apurvasrani) January 26, 2019 Responding to Apurvas tweet, Soni Razdan asked why Ketan (the senior director to whom Apurva was referring) didnt raise an objection when his passion project was hijacked years ago. Apurva replied by writing that he did, but no one stood up for him. Apurvas tweet received several replies with people either taking Kanganas side, or criticising her alleged methods. Kangana is such a phenomenal actress. I wish she stopped playing these games. she should realise her career is going downhill quite fast, one person wrote. Audience doesnt care about he said/she said crap. We care about a good movie with good acting and Kangana was INCREDIBLE in the movie and whether you like or not she stole the show with her brilliant performance. Time to let past go. Focus on your work? wrote another. Manikarnika, based on the life of Rani Laxmibai, has made approximately Rs 40 crore over its opening weekend. Kangana reportedly took over as director of the film after the original filmmaker, Raja Krishna Jagarlamudi known as Krish, was made to leave the project over differences. A similar situation had transpired on Simran, when Apurva had alleged that Kangana had taken over his screenplay and was undermining director Hansal Mehtas authority on set. While Mehta at the time had refused to acknowledge any disagreements with Kangana, a recent tweet of his seemed to indicate that he did not get along with her. Mehta has since deleted the tweet. You can... Hijack the passion project of a senior director Hire another director, but fire him after he's completed the film.. Claim credit as the films director.. Even have the trade & press support your evil shenanigans.. ..but still make a flop film!#InstantKarmasGonnaGetYou Apurva (@Apurvasrani) January 26, 2019 Apurva has commented on Manikarnika in the past, as well. In a September tweet thread, the writer had said, A star hijacking a film & running down the hard work of crew member/s is the worst form of hara-kiri there is. When affected filmmakers cannot control this & instead put on a facade of a dignified silence, they allow a monstrous ego to go on a rampage & eventually kill the film. Before your self-esteem is eroded. Unless of course you are greedy for a commercial hit and are prepared to sacrifice your team. I think in the current hijacked film the director has bowed out, he added. Also read: Kangana Ranaut was always rude, said my version of Manikarnika looked like a Bhojpuri film, says director Krish Krish recently opened up about how he was treated during the making of Manikarnika. Refuting Kanganas claim that she has directed 70% of the film, Krish told SpotboyE that the actor was always rude on set. Kangana even told me that Zee Studios hadnt liked what I had made. It was looking like a Bhojpuri film. I laughed. People know my previous work. We argued but she wanted her own way. I just couldnt understand, adding Kangana was rude over the phone and she is rude all the time. Kangana will next appear opposite Rajkummar Rao in Mental Hai Kya, following which she will star in Ashwiny Iyer Tiwaris Panga. Follow @htshowbiz for more Two forces are colliding as the UK Parliament struggles to decide the direction of Brexit: the government, which wants to salvage the divorce deal it has negotiated, and those who want to avert a no-deal exit and find another way forward. Its now time for a third force to make some decisions. The government is trying to revive Prime Minister Theresa Mays deal, which it argues correctly is the only sure route to an orderly Brexit. Mays chief Brexit negotiator, Olly Robbins, has reportedly sent her a list of possible amendments in an effort to resuscitate her plan after its defeat in Parliament. Against that are lawmakers from both major parties aiming to prevent a no-deal Brexit happening by default on March 29. An amendment bearing the name of Labours Yvette Cooper would require the government to ask the European Union to extend the deadline if a deal cannot be reached before the end of February. The motion, which would be binding on the government, has a good chance of passing. Those pushing to prevent a no-deal exit disagree, however, on the endpoint: Coopers backers want a close relationship with the EU similar to the one Norway enjoys, while supporters of Conservative Dominic Grieve, who has submitted a separate amendment, advocate a second referendum. Either way, the chances of the UK leaving without a deal may all but disappear next week. That creates a moment of maximum decision for leading Brexiter, Jacob Rees-Mogg: Is he in a negotiation or leading a revolution? Rees-Mogg understands that the entire Brexit project is now at risk of being delayed, reversed or watered down. He also can see his party being torn apart. Do he and his supporters in the European Research Group insist there is only one, pure Brexit and risk it slipping away? The choice is also one between loyalty to party and loyalty to a lifelong cause. A revolutionary movement as Ivan Rogers, formerly Britains top civil servant in Brussels, has argued the Brexiter movement is doesnt care what it has to blow up on the way to achieving radical change. It doesnt compromise. But Rees-Mogg is sending conflicting signals. He struck a more conciliatory tone this week, saying Mays deal is preferable to no Brexit. He noted outbreaks of realism, presumably referring to discussions about how the hated backstop might be changed. But he has also called on the government to suspend (or prorogue) Parliament if MPs seek to shut down the no-deal option. Others have suggested the government should, in those circumstances, ask the Queen to withhold Royal Assent for legislation that blocks no-deal. The first would likely destroy what faith remains in Parliament and the second would upend centuries of constitutional convention. If the point of Brexit is to restore parliamentary sovereignty, thwarting the will of Parliament would be a strange fight to pick. Brexiters havent given up the argument that the EU will somehow be distraught enough to come to the rescue, a position that is starting to look embarrassing. The EU has so far refused to consider any fundamental change to the backstop, which keeps Britain locked inside the customs union in the event a hard border with Ireland cant be avoided. The threat to leave without a deal was totemic for the hard-Brexit wing of the Conservative Party. While May adopted the posture, it always lacked a certain credibility. The EU understood it would be an act of monumental economic self-harm. And if the UK was so willing to carry out the promise, why was it negotiating so fervently for a transition period to maintain the economic status quo? Brexiters are also clinging to the idea that a move to World Trade Organization rules, and then a great free-trade deal down the road, is workable. In a lecture at University College London on Tuesday, Rogers gave (and I highly recommend) a devastating critique of an argument that would make snake oil salesmen blush. Other pretences for Brexiteer absolutism are similarly strained. They repeatedly claim that the root problem is that a remain-voting Parliament is unwilling to do the bidding of a leave-voting public. And yet, thanks to a clever poll conducted by Number Cruncher Politics, we have a pretty good sense that mischaracterizes what voters want. If asked their preferences remain, leave, no deal the results are predictably polarised. But when asked what they can live with, respondents found Mays deal the least bad outcome. None of this is to dispute the core Brexiter critique of the EU that its federalizing impulses arent what the UK wants or needs. That was, and is, an honourable position. But it always comes back to the same question: What then? It is one the eurosceptic movement failed for years to answer and avoided entirely during the 2016 campaign. The Institute of Economic Affairs even ran a competition in 2013 to find the best approach to leaving Europe; the range of options was as wide as todays debate reflects. Perhaps they are happy simply to stand up for sovereignty in perpetuity without any need to make the messy choices that those who govern must; there is a certain romanticism in that, even if it lacks realism. The March 29 deadline may well be delayed even, as German Chancellor Angela Merkels trusted ally Peter Altmaier has suggested, just to give Parliament more time to reflect. If that happens, the choice will be much as it is now between the inevitable compromises that an orderly Brexit requires and letting voters, in their wisdom, decide. Hardliners like Rees-Mogg will finally have to reveal not what they want, but what they can live with. The change from revolutionary to realist, however, can feel like a horrible letdown. If Rees-Moggs side do somehow fall in behind the Prime Minister, it may even be too late. The Brexit revolutionaries may now just be outnumbered by Cooper and Grieves ranks of counter-revolutionaries; they, too, have had a taste of what its like to lead a rebellion. The views expressed are personal Bloomberg Opinion | BY Kim Shaw | Gawen Rudder, principal of The Knowledge Consultancy, believes symbols communicate faster, symbols are more direct. From the first Egyptian hierolgryphs and our Aboriginal rock art, to the Christian cross, Olympic rings, branding irons, body tattoos, street graffiti From the Coca-Cola Spencerian script to the Nike swoosh, identity branding has evolved over time to become an extraordinarily powerful business tool. The ubiquitous logo (from Greek logos word) is but the tip of the brand iceberg. The worlds great designers include such names as Saul Bass (remembered also for his film titles), the irascible George Lois, Michael Wolff of Wolf Olins and perhaps Andy Warhol. Here in Australia, the creatives and companies which have shaped the landscape include Ken Cato, Mimmo Cozzolino, Garry Emery, Tony Lunn, Les Mason and Brian Sadgrove. Then there are newer independents like Houston which, overseen by renowned industrial designer Marc Newson, refreshed the Qantas logo; the crew at Principals; plus local offshoots of global corporate holding companies like FutureBrand (IPG), Interbrand (DDB), Maud (Accenture), Re (M&C Saatchi), SomeOne (VCCP) and Landor, Designworks and Cornwell (all WPP companies.) A brand should talk to you, reassure you and deliver trust a quality thats in shorter supply today. Around the board room table, a trusted brand is a companys most important assets, which is why the decision on corporate branding is often at the CEO/Chair level. A brand logo can evolve and change imperceptulally over time, as in the case with Vegemite, but the essential colour palette and diamond design remains and reassures. As branding veteran Hans Hulsbosch says, What gets me up in the morning is that branding allows, even demands, that you get to use both sides of your brain. That heady mix of creativity and business nous. The magic and the logic. Back stories covering a cross-section of familiar logos are testament to that heady mix: The Nike Swoosh: In 1971 Carolyn Davidson was a graphic design student at Portland State University. For her lecturer Phil Knight (later co-founder of Nike), she came up with a wing-shaped logo. For this she invoiced him at a modest two dollars an hour, totalling US$35. Some years later, and re-thinking the transaction, she was honoured with 500 Nike shares which today are valued in excess of $500,000. Rand the Brand: As a young page designer for magazines like Esquire, Paul Rand set his sights on the then-unknown price of $100,000 for a single brand design like IBM. To help achieve this, he re-branded himself and changed his name from Peretz Rosenbaum to a more Madison Avenue- friendly four-letter combination simple, symmetrical and memorable. Warhols Mother: Similarly, Andy figured hed never get his five minutes of fame with a name like Andrej Warhola, so he too changed his name and became a brand. In his early days as a designer-cum-illustrator for such brands as Tiffany, I.Miller and Dior he enlisted his mother, Julia, to pen her singular baroque and rather quirky hand-writing for his work. Clients loved it, and Andy had her alphabet converted to Letraset. Chupa Chups: From the Spanish Chupar to suck. The yellow daisy logo was designed by Salvador Dali over coffee. Surrealist Dali also appeared in TV commercials for Alka-Seltzer, a French chocolate brand and collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock to create the dream sequence in Spellbound. Floating the Boat: In 1964 Landor moved head office on to a ferry boat, docked in San Francisco Bay. Like the Chiat\Day / Frank Gehry binoculars building near Venice Beach, its unexpected creative environment attracted visitors like Andy Warhol, Tom Wolfe, Issey Miyake, Marshall McLuhan and others. A Subliminal Arrow: Have another look at Landors FedEx logo. Blink. Look again and see the arrow. Subtraction is the secret the use of negative space where the colour white defines the arrow. Theres a Bear in There: Or check out the Toblerone pack. See Mount Matterhorn that defines the Swiss chocolate pyramid shape? Look again for the bear from Bern in the negative space. The Sound of Music: Back in 1994, Intel for all intents and purposes an invisible brand pioneered sonic branding. The five-note Intel Inside mnemonic. What you hear are the words they want you to associate with its brand. Apple craft beautiful sounds for their users to associate with their brand experience. (Do I hear a faint effect accompanying the Netflix logo with what sounds a little like the double-table-knock in House of Cards that the now-disgraced Kevin Stacey caused to collapse?) The Rolling Stone: When the brand was born in 1928, Holdens Motor Body Builders appointed a sculptor to design their enduring lion and stone logo. It was based on a prehistoric fable in which lions were seen rolling stones, which in turn inspired the invention of the wheel. The Green Dot: Check out Deloittes green full point. CMO Matt McGrath tells me the colour is a huge part of internal branding and everything revolves around the circle iconography. Our obsession with branding began in the sixties, when Rosser Reeves described the difference between ads that made product claims and those that depended on imagery. Brands, Reeves wrote in his classic 1961, Reality in Advertising, establish contact with the subconscious below the word level. They do this with visual symbols instead of words. Symbols communicate faster. Symbols are more direct. As Reeves added, Their sole purpose is to create images and moods. We know that hungry or thirsty children, long before they can actually read, recognise the golden arches of Maccas or the special script of Coke. An apple-green shopping bag acts as a beacon to a certain supermarket and a kangaroo tail makes us feel like home. Todays static images are being increasingly supplemented and magnified by digital magic, motion graphics, sound bites and more. And tomorrows technology will continue to amplify the power of branding. The Soo Line freight depot was built in 1908 and operated passenger service until 1965. The Soo Line continued to use the building for offices until 1989. Since then, various businesses have used the depot, including a garden center, a computer business, a candy store and an art gallery. In 1993, the depot was used as a setting for scenes in Disneys film Iron Will, which was filmed in and around the Twin Ports. Staff reports The Herald-Mail Looking out for older people: Id like to know when are the independents, Republicans, the Democrats, whoever, going to start looking out for us older people? Walter Bowie, Hagerstown Beware of false prophets: Elaine Smith, I am sure God was thinking during the 2016 election, let Me put a thrice-married, serial-cheating, foul mouth in office when good Christian men like Kasich, Bush and others were running against him. So, His hand must have been on the 2018 election to rectify this mistake. The support for this man by Christians is astounding and hypocritical. Obama was more Christian than Trump. ... Beware of false prophets. Alan Phillips, Hagerstown We need a wall: We need a wall. If you were against a wall, you need only read (the Jan. 17) Herald-Mail. At the top of the front page, read the article on Washington County drug and alcohol deaths. This is one Maryland medium-sized county. Do the math for the whole country. If half of these numbers are drug-related and even 1 percent of those are from drugs brought across the unfenced areas of the Southern border, a wall would be a wise decision. Then, read Byron Yorks editorial on page A4. How many people need to die from drugs, gang violence, criminals and smugglers before something is done? Hang in there, President Trump. It needs done! Larry L. Smith, Warfordsburg, Pa. Complicit in murder: The day is Friday, the 18th of January, and it is March for Life Day. I urge every pro-lifer, everyone who is in favor of the life of a baby that is living inside its mothers womb, to stand up and say it, declare it and stay with pro-life. The baby has no voice. We are the babys voice. Anyone who is pro-choice or pro-abortion is complicit in the murder of all babies. Thats the truth. Olga Amatucci, Hagerstown Honest discussions on race: Elder Raymond Young was called out for a mistake in the race of a man in a murder. He corrected his error, something Ive yet to hear from a Trump supporter. This person also mentioned the racial divide increasing in the last eight to 10 years. Thats true. Obama getting elected was a wake-up call to many that white America was becoming a browner America. Hate groups grew and hate crimes jumped with Trumps election. The Klan and American Nazi Party were quick to endorse him because they saw a believer. Trump is a racist, no doubt. ... His history of not renting to blacks, the Central Park 5, birtherism and Mexicans are rapists are just a few examples. ... People need to embrace meeting those different from themselves and having honest discussions. George C. Weagly, Hagerstown Jennifer Fitch waynesboro@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. Shalom Christian Academy, a private school in Guilford Township, Pa., was evacuated Saturday after a 911 caller made a threat, Pennsylvania State Police said. The threat involved the school and people attending a sporting event, according to a state police news release. The call was received at about 5:30 p.m. Police said the school was searched and no one was injured. Jennifer Fitch Jennifer Fitch waynesboro@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. Pray and pray often. The Rev. Ronnie B. Tucker Sr. gave that directive to those who gathered Sunday afternoon at Central Presbyterian Church in Chambersburg for a Martin Luther King Jr. memorial service. Hosted by the United Churches of the Chambersburg Area and other organizations, the annual service was rescheduled from Jan. 20 due to inclement weather. Tucker reminded congregants that King served time in jail, as did the apostle Peter as described in the Christian Bible. He said both men and their fellow believers prayed for the change that freed them. Tucker credited prayer for bringing about the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act and other legislative initiatives in the 1960s. "We ought to pray all day and all night long," he said. "We should pray until something happens." That prayer should be done while walking the streets of Chambersburg, which is a community plagued by sin like other parts of the country in spiritual welfare, according to Tucker, a recently retired associate professor of political science at Shippensburg (Pa.) University and author of a book about affirmative action. The service featured performances from youths with NETwork Ministries and YMCA Teen Achievers. It also highlighted winners from an essay contest about King's life and legacy in the civil-rights movement. Those who wrote winning essays included: Lin Bishop Best, first grade at Scotland (Pa.) Elementary School Summer Jones, seventh grade at Chambersburg Area Middle School North Liberty Leonard, third grade at Grandview Elementary School Elizabeth Porter, third grade at Grandview Elementary School Darren Rosenberry, first grade at Scotland Elementary School Kaylie Stull, fifth grade at Hamilton Heights Elementary School Staff reports The Herald-Mail WASHINGTON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 100 W. Washington St., Hagerstown Tuesday, Jan. 29 Agenda 8 a.m.: Open session 8:05 a.m.: Closed session To discuss the appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation or performance evaluation of appointees, employees or officials over whom the panel has jurisdiction; or any other personnel matter that affects one or more individuals To consider a matter about a proposal for a business or industrial organization to locate, expand or remain in the state To consult with council to obtain advice on a legal matter 10 a.m.: Reconvene in open session Commissioners reports and comments Reports from county staff members Citizens participation Youth Meritorious Award Presentation of proclamation announcing January as Pork Month to Waltz Family Farm Senior staff presentation Retirement and other post-retirement employee benefit presentation 12:30 p.m.: Recess 1:30 p.m.: Reconvene in open session Local preference discussion County STEP and cost-of-living-adjustment follow-up Division of Environmental Management reorganization Request for local funding support for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant Public Safety Training Center water service Weed-control budget transfer Sewer-debt forgiveness discussion 3 p.m.: Adjourn WASHINGTON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION No meeting Tuesday, Jan. 29 HAGERSTOWN CITY COUNCIL City Hall, council chambers 1 E. Franklin St., Hagerstown Tuesday, Jan. 29 Agenda 7 p.m.: Regular session Historic District Commission appointment * Robert E. Powell, term to expire July 23, 2020 Community Development Block Grant Public Service Review Committee appointments * Howard Bowers, term to expire Jan. 28, 2020 * Kathleen OConnell, term to expire Jan. 28, 2020 * The Rev. Katie OHern, term to expire Jan. 28, 2020 Board of Zoning Appeals appointment * James Stouffer Jr., term to expire Jan. 31, 2022 Public hearings: * Annexation of Foggy Bottom land * Annexation of Antietam Creek creek bed City administrator comments Mayor and council comments Consent agenda * Department of Community and Economic Development - Street-closure requests for 2019 events * Department of Parks and Engineering - Phase two of stormwater-utility development for $127,747 by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Inc. of Chicago - Handicap ramps, cost not to exceed $120,000, by MIM Construction of Frederick, Md. * Utilities Department - Water: Ford F-450 with dura-box body for $50,948 from Keystone Ford of Chambersburg, Pa. - Wastewater: Muffin Monster for primary sludge pumps for $22,077 from JWC Environmental of Santa Ana, Calif. Unfinished business * Approval of resolution: Parking-rate amendments (tabled Nov. 26) New business * Introduction of ordinance: Changes in city police and fire employees retirement plan, amendment 13 * Approval of resolution: Revised student parking rates * Approval of resolution: Execution of lease agreement for a portion of city property known as Buro Box, 60 W. Washington St. * Approval of Hagerstown Suns fireworks schedule for 2019 * Approval of funding for Discovery Station * Approval of Utilities Department electric- distribution transformer purchases for the remainder of fiscal 2019 * Approval of memorandum of understanding for the Washington County Police Academy * Approval of license agreement for the temporary installation of public art Adjourn Arrangements can be made in advance for people with disabilities who want to attend any of these meetings. For the county commissioners, call 240-313-2216. For city council, call 301-797-6617 (Voice/TDD). Today Partly cloudy and windy this evening. Cloudy with diminishing winds late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 55F. Winds NNW at 20 to 30 mph. Tonight Partly cloudy and windy this evening. Cloudy with diminishing winds late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 55F. Winds NNW at 20 to 30 mph. Tomorrow Thunderstorms in the morning, overcast during the afternoon with occasional rain. High near 60F. Winds N at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. Dave McMillion davem@herald-mail.com Dozens of workers are expected to fan out across Washington County on Wednesday as part of an annual attempt to get an idea of how many homeless people are living in the county. The number of homeless people, along with other information obtained about the individuals, is sent to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said Mark Sewell, a continuum-of-care services coordinator at the Washington County Community Action Council. The information is used to help determine funding for homeless programs, Sewell said. The process, referred to as a point-in-time count, is performed in late January every year to help determine the number of homeless individuals, families and veterans in the country. Such counts were conducted Wednesday in Berkeley County, W.Va., and Franklin County, Pa. People conducting the count in Washington County will visit locations where homeless people are known to be, such as the Union Rescue Mission and The Salvation Army, Sewell said. They also will go to the Alice Virginia and David W. Fletcher Branch Library, which gets a lot of visitors; Soul Haven, which operates a drop-in center during the day; and the cold-weather shelter operated by Reach of Washington County, he said. Counters also will go into known homeless camps for the tally, Sewell said. Authorities already are working with a homeless management information system to address issues such as permanent housing, said Jeannie Asbury, deputy director of Reach of Washington County. State officials will pull names from that list to be included in the Washington County count, Asbury said. Workers will record whether homeless individuals are male or female, and ask them other questions, such as whether this is the first time they have been homeless, Sewell said. They also will ask individuals how the experience has been for them, he said. The problem of homelessness in the county and how to manage it periodically pops up in local government meetings. Last week, Reach of Washington County announced that it plans to work with the city on a new program to provide job opportunities for homeless individuals by hiring Reach clients to help clean up the city. C.J. Lovelace cj.lovelace@herald-mail.com Herald-Mail Media, Hagerstowns newspaper of record for more than 190 years, will be under new ownership by the end of the week. Schurz Communications on Monday announced its plans to sell its publishing division assets, including Herald-Mail Media, to GateHouse Media LLC. The sale is expected to be completed by Thursday. GateHouse, one of the largest publishers of locally based print and online media in the U.S., will take ownership of 20 regional papers and several special publications in Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania and South Dakota. Herald-Mail Media President Andy Bruns said the sale would result in some changes, but not likely any more than we had already been implementing over the last dozen or so years. We have continually made changes to adapt to our customers changing habits since the digital revolution began, and thats certainly not going to stop with new ownership, he said. With GateHouse at the helm, Bruns said, Herald-Mail Media will have access to more resources when it comes to new content and advertising solutions. They are a big player in local media ... so we are optimistic that you will enjoy any changes we make going forward, he said. The transition included the layoff of three full-time employees. Two worked in the newsroom and the other was in the papers digital department. The sale does not include Antietam Broadband, another Hagerstown company that Schurz Communications owns. The privately held company based in Mishawaka, Ind., which sold off its television and radio stations in 2015, plans to continue its investments in cloud and managed IT services and broadband operations. Our leadership team, Board of Directors and ownership group are dedicated to helping the company stay true to its roots of fostering communication and connections while charting a successful course for the future, Todd Schurz, president and chief executive officer at Schurz Communications said in a news release. This is a natural next step forward in our evolution as a company given our mission to help solve challenges by linking people, businesses and communities, he said. We will continue to explore the types of investments that support our commitment to technology and anticipate adding new employees to our team and new companies to our portfolio in the near future. Schurz Communications focus on technology began with the purchase of four broadband companies. A fifth is in the works. Herald-Mail Medias roots date to The Daily Mail, a newspaper that started in 1828 and became an afternoon daily in 1890, and The Morning Herald, Hagerstowns first daily morning paper in 1873. In 1920, the two papers merged, but maintained morning and afternoon publications. Schurz Communications purchased both in 1960. The two newspapers then merged into one daily morning publication in October 2007. Herald-Mail Media is based at 100 Summit Ave. in Hagerstown. It covers the Tri-State area, including Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties in West Virginia and Franklin and Fulton counties in Pennsylvania. The company employs 61 full-time workers and 37 more on a part-time basis, factoring in the latest cuts. GateHouse, headquartered in Pittsford, N.Y., has 145 daily publications and operates in more than 555 markets across 37 states, reaching 22 million people on a weekly basis and serving more than 221,000 business customers. It owns the Record Herald in Waynesboro, Pa., and the Echo-Pilot in Greencastle, Pa., as well as Central Penn Business Journal, based in Harrisburg, Pa. Dave McMillion davem@herald-mail.com An 18-year-old man who enlisted in the U.S. Army was arrested and charged with first-degree arson in connection with a fire that significantly damaged a two-story garage at 17808 Virginia Ave. in July, the Maryland State Fire Marshals office said Sunday night. Aleczander Dean Adams also was charged with first-degree malicious burning and malicious destruction of property, according to a news release from the fire marshals office. Adams was being held Sunday without bond at the Washington County Detention center, the release said. Deputy state fire marshals were able to determine that an ignitable liquid was used to help start the July 1 fire. The blaze significantly damaged the inside of the garage, and flames extended to the roof of the building. Deputy state fire marshals launched a criminal investigation to determine who was responsible, the release said. Investigators determined that a family member of the owner was observed coming from the garage moments before the fire, the release said. The individuals actions were recorded on a surveillance camera. Investigators were unable to interview the family member because the person enlisted in the U.S. Army, the release said. State fire marshals office officials contacted an Army criminal-investigation unit. During an interview, Adams confessed to starting the fire, the release said. Adams was taken into custody with the help of military police at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, and transported to the Cochise County (Ariz.) Jail. An extradition team from the Maryland State Fire Marshals office and the Maryland State Police transported Adams from Arizona to Washington County on Saturday, the release said. Dave McMillion Staff reports The Herald-Mail TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Md. 0077 Monday, Jan. 28, weigh-in 7 to 9:15 a.m., meeting 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. First Christian Church, 1345 Potomac Ave., Hagerstown. Call Patsy P. at 301-582-2292 or Patsy M. at 301-733-1905. TOPS 048 Monday, Jan. 28, 6 p.m., Grace United Methodist Church, 712 Church St., Hagerstown. Group meets every Monday. Gam-anon Monday, Jan. 28, 7 to 8:30 p.m., 33 E. Church St., Frederick, Md. Use side entrance. An anonymous self-help program for friends and family whose lives have been affected by someone with a gambling problem. Call 240-409-2395. Gamblers Anonymous Tuesday, Jan. 29, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Hebron Mennonite Church, 13315 Highlane St., Hagerstown. Group meets every Tuesday. Call Chris at 301-331-8790 or go to www.gamblersanonymous.org. TOPS Md. 466 Wednesday, Jan. 30, weigh-in 9 a.m., meeting 10 to 11 a.m., Shiloh United Methodist Church, 19731 Shiloh Church Road, Hagerstown. New members welcome. For information, call Kathie Boyce, secretary, at 301-305-2773. Dual Diagnosis Recovery Wednesday, Jan. 30, noon to 1 p.m. Christ Reformed Church, 140 W. Franklin St., Hagerstown. For those with an addiction with mental or emotional diagnosis. Closed meeting every Wednesday. Call John B. at 240-452-9113. Concerned Persons Wednesday, Jan. 30, 6 p.m., Meritus Behavioral Health, 11116 Medical Campus Road, east of Hagerstown. Meets weekly. Free group for those who care about someone who is addicted and are confused or stressed because of a loved ones addiction or substance abuse. No registration required. Use Robinwood orange entrance. 301-766-7600. Co-dependents Anonymous Thursday, Jan. 31, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Haven Lutheran Church, 1035 Haven Road, Hagerstown. Twelve-step meeting for men and women whose common purpose is to develop healthy relationships. For more information, call 301-293-2243 or go to www .coda.org. TOPS 0308 Thursday, Jan. 31, weigh-in 4 to 4:30 p.m., meeting 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 216 N. Cleveland Ave., Hagerstown. New regular weigh-in and meeting day. Call Marie S. at 301-824-3245 or Fanny C. at 301-730-1638. Breast-feeding support group Friday, Feb. 1, 1 to 1:30 p.m. Robinwood Professional Center, 11116 Medical Campus Road, Suite 122, east of Hagerstown. Green entrance. For pregnant women planning to breast-feed and mothers who currently do so. For more information, call 301-790-8530. Alcoholics Anonymous If you think you have a problem with alcohol, call 301-733-1109 and dial zero. Al-Anon/Alateen A group for anyone affected by a family members or friends drinking. Call 240-285-9831. Narcotics Anonymous Call 800-777-1515 or go to http://na2day.tripod .com. The crowd, he said, parted to let him through. All except for the boy, since identified as Nick Sandmann, a junior. Phillips said the boy blocked him when he moved left. When he moved right, Sandmann did the same. In a written statement, the boy denied blocking Phillips. To be honest, he wrote, I was startled and confused as to why he had approached me. But the boy in that video, smirking, trying not to laugh, is not startled or confused. He looks, rather, entitled and smug. Indeed, what gave the image its initial, visceral power was the sense that his expression was one we have seen before. It was on the face of an SS man as he cut off a rabbis beard on a Warsaw street, on the face of an Alabama state trooper waiting at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Heck, it was on the face of a hulking high school boy as he prepared to dunk a smaller kids head into the toilet. It was the eternal expression of the bully at the head of a mob. For more information or to register for the painting classes: Contact Kyle Buckland at kyle.buckland@gmail.com or Call the Town Square Center for the Arts at 276-429-1276 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Follow the Town Square Center for the Arts on Facebook and at www.tscaart.com. GLADE SPRING, Va. A nationally acclaimed artist is coming to Glade Spring in February to share with the public the same methods and techniques that have made him a successful artist. Kyle Buckland, whose paintings hang among hundreds of private, public and corporate collections around the world, will conduct ongoing painting classes beginning Feb. 7 at the Town Square Center for the Arts. Buckland will teach classes each Thursday from 7:15-8:45 p.m. for adults 18 and older. Classes for youth ages 12 to 17 will be held from 6-7 p.m. Although the classes are designed for beginners, Buckland encourages artists of all skill levels to join. I want to reach out to folks and provide them with the basic building blocks for creating a successful painting, he said. The classes will run as long as students want to progress, said Buckland, who will work with students on an individual basis while teaching skills in figure painting, still life and landscapes. Students will also have opportunities to enroll in his advanced workshops. The Abingdon artist, whose style is deeply rooted in the philosophies of impressionism, has been featured a number of times on OutdoorPainter.com, the home of Plein Air magazine. He has won many awards, conducted paint-outs and taught local painting classes at every level. In 2017, Buckland captured the Best in Week Platinum Award, sponsored by Plein Air magazine and the Floyd Center for the Arts, for his painting A Quiet Night on the Town. He competed with as many as 30 artists from around the country. In addition, he took second place at the Bath County, Virginia, Plein Air Festival and has been asked to exhibit at Warm Springs Gallery in Bath County, a high-end gallery that represents Virginia landscape artists. Buckland has also conducted a series of online tutorials on YouTube called The Artful Souls. Its neat to have a broad audience because I get emails from people on the other side of the world telling me theyve gotten the courage to buy an easel and go outside to paint on location, he said. But the thing you lose on a mass level is the direct interaction you get with a small class. I look forward to working with students in Glade Spring and the surrounding areas. At 35, Buckland has been painting for 20 years, always focusing on portraying the beauty of the natural world around him. That never ceases to be my main inspiration, he said. As an instructor, his goal is to teach students to value their own views and thoughts. Self-discovery is going to be an important part of my class. I want my students to have the correct tools in their toolboxes to convey what they want on canvas. What I dont want to do is turn out a bunch of Kyle Buckland clones, he said with a laugh. The artist will encourage students not to rush their learning experience. Theres no barometer for measuring your success when you start painting. You should enjoy yourself. I tell students that even if they throw away their paintings when theyre done, the paint is not wasted because theyre taking away an important lesson from that paint, he said. He will begin by teaching his students how to see things more simply. At first, I will strip away complicated mumbo jumbo you find in a lot of art books, Buckland said. No materials are required for the first several classes. Students will receive a list of materials they gradually can acquire as they progress in skills. Classes held each Thursday are $85 per month. Space is limited, and classes will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Carolyn R. Wilson is a freelance writer in Glade Spring, Virginia. Contact her at features@bristolnews.com. Campus News UB Curriculums capstone project sets university apart UB Capstone, the final requirement of UB's general education program, pulls together all aspects of students' learning experiences at the university. Photo: Douglas Levere By ANDREW CODDINGTON I think a lot of schools are dealing with the issue of making general education meaningful, something that students can take with them. UB is the trendsetter. Were on the cutting edge. Jeffrey Kohler, clinical instructor UB Capstone Speaking with UB Capstone Clinical Instructor Jeffrey Kohler, you get the sense that he would be passionate about the program even if he were not involved. Many institutions offer capstone projects as a way for students to reflect upon their learning experience and pull it together into a comprehensive whole. At most schools, however, the capstone is limited to particular fields of study. Here, it forms part of the UB Curriculum, UBs general education requirements, and that makes the university unique. Kohler and his colleagues have presented on the UB Capstone to not only other area schools, but those from around the country and even Canada; many have expressed interest in developing a program modeled after UBs. I think a lot of schools are dealing with the issue of making general education meaningful, something that students can take with them, Kohler says. UB is the trendsetter. Were on the cutting edge. The UB Curriculum, which is crowned by the UB Capstone, is a complete reimagining of general education launched by the university in fall 2016. Before, as in most other schools, general education classes were like hurdles students had to jump over before moving on to their major coursework. They were never asked to think about how knowledge in non-major courses could be useful to them, or how one field of study could relate to and inform another. By contrast, the UB Curriculum is a holistic educational experience with a beginning and an end. It starts with the UB Seminar, an intimate yet intensive big-idea course that all incoming students take, with titles like Handling Monsters: A Handbook and The Ancient World in the Movie. After that, students devise their own path, acquiring the building blocks of lifelong learning scientific literacy, cultural competence and the like through the Foundations, while digging deep across disciplines on a particular theme, such as equity, power and justice, or human nature, in the Pathways. That process of connecting knowledge across fields culminates in the UB Capstone, which challenges students to reflect on the entire journey, integrating everything theyve learned both inside and outside the classroom. Blueprint for a capstone The UB Capstone takes the form of a one-credit course, UBC 399. Throughout the semester, students enrolled in the class assemble a digital ePortfolio spanning all of their UB Curriculum coursework. Unlike a more conventional, manila-file portfolio that might wind up socked away in a filing cabinet, the ePortfolio lives on the web, allowing students to personalize their sites, keep a permanent archive of their work, revisit, revise and share. Students are introduced to the application used to create their ePortfolios during the UB Seminar. Thus, long before they even enroll in UBC 399, they begin working on their final capstone project at this stage by adding artifacts to their ePortfolios. An artifact is an assignment that a student has completed in a UB Curriculum course, one that they feel represents their learning in that particular course. The process of adding artifacts encourages students to start thinking about their education and goals in the long term from the beginning of their UB career. The ePortfolio includes several other elements in addition to artifacts: a homepage, where students introduce themselves and which they can personalize with photos and backgrounds; a statement about their philosophy of learning; a section where they can write about their extracurricular activities and explore how those have impacted their learning (and vice versa); and two essays in which they reflect on their curriculum Pathways. The reflective essays can help demonstrate the ways in which different classes are related to one another even when those connections are not necessarily obvious. Taken together, these components create a comprehensive chart of a students general education, demonstrating not only what theyve learned, but also how their ideas have changed and changed them over time. The "Learning Philosophy Statement" page from Lauren Fibich's ePortfolio. The personal touch Although every ePortfolio features the same components, each one is unique, reflecting the individual work and experiences of the student who created it. Matthania Volmy, a senior who completed her capstone last year, says she enjoyed making her portfolio her own. Even though (capstone) is a course, you can still make it fun, she says. I loved being creative and being able to put whatever I want into it. Volmy, who is double majoring in health and human services and sociology of health and society, chose to showcase her extensive extracurricular experience, including volunteering with Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and Walk to End Alzheimers, and helping with activities programming at a local assisted living facility. I wanted to include the things that Im passionate about, she says, adding that those extracurricular experiences have been just as formative as her lessons inside the classroom in getting her started down the path toward becoming a health care administrator. Lauren Fibich at the top of Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks. Students are encouraged in their capstone projects to integrate their experiences outside the classroom with their academic work. Lauren Fibich completed the capstone her senior year and is now enrolled in UBs Graduate School of Education. You can learn a lot about yourself, like how you got from point A to point B, she says. I think many of us are so rushed from semester to semester that were only thinking about handing in this assignment, doing this, doing that, and not really thinking about the long-lasting lessons we can take from our classes. Fibich found the capstone so useful she plans to continue using the ePortfolio platform, which students maintain access to as alumni, in graduate school to help demonstrate her competency in the areas and certifications her program requires. And when she becomes a teacher, she says, she will use a similar application with her own students to engage them in the same sort of reflective learning that she benefited from at UB. Finding the right path LEBANON, Va. A Virginia man escaped an early morning fire with no injuries but most of his possessions were destroyed. On Monday, emergency responders were dispatched to a mobile home fire at 21 Cook Avenue in Lebanon, according to a news release from Russell County Emergency Management. The owner of the home had called 911 from a neighbor's home to report the fire. Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department, Cleveland Volunteer Fire Department, Lebanon Police Department, Lebanon Life Saving Crew, Russell County Sheriff's Office, American Electric Power and RCEM responded to the fire. The cause of the fire was unknown. The lone male resident was transported to the hospital where he was treated and released. No other injuries were reported. The victim escaped with a t-shirt, sweat pants and a pair of socks. The mobile home and its contents were destroyed in the fire. Power and other utilities were disconnected from the structure. The American Red Cross Mountain Empire Chapter, Russell County Salvation Army and The Christian Center will provide immediate basic needs. Further donations to help the victim are welcome and appreciated, the news release said. This is the second structure fire in Russell County in 2019. If You Go What: McPhersons Farm Equipment Where: 20571 Wilderness Road, Rose Hill, Virginia Open: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to noon Call: 276-832-0450 Hay and cattle farmer Bobby McPherson is banking on used farming equipment to expand his livelihood. Part of a longtime farming family in western Lee County, Virginia, McPherson opened a business in 2018 to sell and service farming equipment. And, recently, McPhersons expansion got a shot in the arm thanks to a Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority [VCEDA] seed capital matching grant. It will help us be more efficient and grow, said McPherson, 38. This farmer said he opened his sideline business, McPhersons Farm Equipment, about a year ago to give fellow farmers more options when it comes to equipment. The new business offers a full line of parts and service while also selling new and used tractors and farming equipment at Rose Hill, a rural community along U.S. Highway 58 between Jonesville and Cumberland Gap. Parts and service keep any business going, said McPherson, who plans to use the $10,000 grant to buy used equipment to add inventory at his new business. Were trying to get some used equipment in for those people who just cannot afford to buy something new, said McPherson. Its going to draw in more people to our business. McPhersons Farm Equipment lies along a two-acre plot fronting his familys 60-acre farm, established decades ago by his grandfather, Roy Lee McPherson, and kept going by his father, Lee McPherson. Located close to what is now the Constitutional Oaks Industrial Park, the new business offers Branson tractors, which McPherson describes as well built, heavier, a simple tractor for repairs, and anyone can use it. Tim Blankenbecler, director of the Small Business Development Center at Wise Countys Mountain Empire Community College, worked with McPherson to prepare his application to VCEDA for grant program, which is designed to assist for-profit businesses with less than 10 full-time employees. The fields surrounding McPhersons business serve as the showroom for larger equipment such as tractors and hay equipment. In addition to the Branson tractors, McPherson also plans to offer Titan implements, Samasz hay equipment and Makita power tools. We went with Makita hand tools because this company is the largest manufacturer of battery-operated hand tools, anything from drills to large chain saws, tools for homeowners and for commercial contractors, said McPherson. Still, being able to take trade-ins and sell used equipment is an important part of the new business, said McPherson, who also plans to hold auctions to sell used machinery. Daily operations of the new business will be handled by McPherson and his father. As the business grows, McPherson said he may need to hire qualified mechanics and salesmen. As for advertising, McPherson is relying on help from his family, including his daughters, Sarah, 12, and Hannah, 9, who made signs and marched along U.S. 58 to advertise the new business, said McPherson, a graduate of Thomas Walker High School. McPhersons wife, Jessica, an X-ray technician for Stone Mountain Health Services in Jonesville, is also helping with the new business, as well as the familys L&M Construction, which has built structures in Scott County, Virginia. Today, working on the farm, running a construction business and operating the equipment company has proven to be a balancing act for McPherson. And its fun, he said. Any business, it takes time to get it built up. And with this construction business, it was the same way. It took several years to get it up and going, and we know this is going to take a few years to get it up and going also. Support local journalism We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story. Shane Ragsdale, formerly of Greenville, beloved son of Sheila June Winters and father Sariah Vanderwal-Ragsdale, passed away May 31, 2021 in the ICU of Hilo Hawaii hospital of pneumonia. Hi memorial service was held June 12, in Makapala, Hawaii. His fellowship on Earth will be missed; antici Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email customercare@heraldandnews.com for help creating one. tributes have been paid to a young woman who died last Friday after a battle with cervical cancer. Alice Taylor (26), from Kil- kenny, died in St Anne's Ward of St Vincent's Hospital with her parents Martin and Wendy, brothers James and William and partner David at her bedside. Expand Close Vicky Phelan. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Vicky Phelan. Health advocate Vicky Phel- an paid tribute to Alice, saying she was "floored" by the news of her death. "Reading about Alice's death has floored me," she said. "I had met her and her mum, Wendy, at St Vincent's Hospital where Alice moved for treatment to get on [cancer drug] Pembro, which she had started." Ms Phelan wrote on Twitter that Alice was "far too young to die". Emotions Alice, from the village of Ballycallan, was more used to caring for others, through her job at SOS Kilkenny, which provides day and residential services for adults with intellectual disability. Alice had said: "It's hard to explain how you feel when given a terminal diagnosis. "I feel many different emotions. I am angry to think I may not be able to do and see a lot of things that I would like to do." She said she was worried about her family, her boyfriend and friends, and how they were coping with the situation. "But at the same time, I am optimistic and feel very lucky to have had such a fantastic upbringing and a wonderful life up to now." Alice met her partner at Waterford Institute of Technology in 2012, when she was studying for a degree in social care. Her cancer treatment began following the diagnosis of cervical cancer in November 2017. Alice's gruelling treatment began the week before Christmas that year, with 25 sessions of external radiation, three sessions of inter- nal radiation and chemotherapy. Several sessions a week meant Alice practically moved to Dublin with her devoted parents and David, each taking turns to care for her while juggling college and work. Alice eventually returned home from hospital last February. However, devastating news arrived in May when the results of the post-treatment Pet and MRI scans, used to highlight trouble areas in the body caused by the disease, revealed the worst possible news. The cancer had not responded to treatment. The Pet scan showed Alice had Stage 3B terminal lymph node positive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, with metastases in the liver, lungs and heart. Precious While awaiting further testing, and in order to buy Alice some precious time, she began aggressive chemotherapy in July. Alice had been hoping to take part in further genetic testing available at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York. This was to determine the most appropriate drugs and treatment for her condition. She will be reposing at her home tomorrow from 4pm, concluding with rosary and vigil prayers at 7pm. Her removal, to St Brigid's Church in Ballycallan, will take place on Wednesday morning for requiem mass to begin at 11am. The accused had mental health issues and became addicted to tablets. (stock photo) A young man who threatened to bite a garda then became violent as he was arrested had "spiralled out of control" on tablets. Nathan Harold (24) was jailed for four months by Judge Mary Cashin at Dublin District Court. Harold, of Ratoath Avenue, Finglas, pleaded guilty to breach of the peace, viol- ent behaviour in a garda station and unlawful poss- ession of a screwdriver. Dublin District Court heard the incident happ-ened at North Earl Street last July 4. The accused was intoxicated and being aggressive and abusive to passersby. Restrained A garda told him to leave the area and Harold threatened to bite him. When arrested and taken to Store Street Garda Station, he became "extremely violent" and had to be restrained in a cell, the court heard. He had a screwdriver when searched and spat at gardai. The accused had mental health issues and became addicted to tablets, which were the root cause of his offending, his barrister Conor Burke said. He had "spiralled out of control", and when the gardai stopped him he became "incredibly agg- ressive", he said. Tomi Jinad is currently suspended from work. A bank worker has appeared in court charged with computer fraud at his workplace. Tomi Jinad (23) was granted bail and had the case against him adjourned at Dublin District Court. Mr Jinad, of Grange Park View, Raheny, is charged with dishonestly operating, or causing the operation of, a computer with the intention of causing loss to another, or making gain for himself or another. The offence is alleged to have happened at KBC Bank on Sandwith Street in the south city centre on dates between last December 22 and 30. Defence solicitor Michael French said he was applying for bail. A garda sergeant said there was no objection to bail, subject to conditions. Judge Bryan Smyth granted bail in the defendant's own bond of 200, with no cash lodgment required. passport Under bail conditions he must surrender his passport and not apply for a new one, sign on at Raheny Garda Station and be contactable by gardai at all times. The court heard Mr Jinad's phone had been seized as part of the garda investigation. Judge Smyth granted free legal aid after Mr French submitted a statement of Mr Jinad's financial means to the court and said that as could be seen in the charge, it related to his employer. The court heard the accused was currently suspended from work. The case was adjourned until later in the day, when the accused's partner brought his passport to court, to be given to gardai. Mr Jinad was remanded on bail to appear in court again on a date next month. The accused has not yet indicated how he intends to plead to the charge. A close associate of cartel lieutenant Liam Roe was one of three people arrested in an operation targeting organised crime over the weekend. On Saturday, members of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) stopped a suspicious car travelling through the Cavan area. Expand Close Gang boss Liam Byrne. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Gang boss Liam Byrne. Three men from Dublin were arrested and the vehicle was searched. However, the only notable item recovered was a BB gun, which is used for Airsoft in Ireland and is not an illegal firearm. The three men arrested were later released without charge. Shootings The Herald has learned one of the men targeted in the operation is a Drimnagh man who has links to Kinahan cartel associates based in the capital. This individual, who is in his mid-30s, is considered by gardai to be a prolific dealer operating on the city's southside, but he has very few criminal convictions. His home in the capital has also been targeted in a number of shootings over the years, according to sources. A source told the Herald: "This man has connections in the Cavan area which may explain why he was in that part of the country. "But gardai don't believe they were going off to play Airsoft. However, there were no grounds to immediately charge them and they were released without charge." The main target of the weekend's operation has close connections to Roe, a well-known associate of the Kinahan cartel who has been described as a "trusted lieutenant" of Liam Byrne, head of the Byrne organised crime gang. Byrne's brother, David, was shot dead in the Regency Hotel murder almost three years ago. Roe has also been described in the High Court as being involved in organised crime for most of his adult life. He was a prime target of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) in its fight to seize some 1.4m worth of assets from the Byrne organisation. He is Liam Byrne's constant companion and "an integral part of the crime gang". Roe has claimed that he is unemployed, relying on his father's financial support and on friends for transport. But he was once stopped at Dublin Airport with 60,000 in his check-in bag. When challenged, he produced a bank account which showed a balance of 294,000. His lavish lifestyle was laid bare in court, including a number of holidays to luxury destinations. He took six trips in one year to the UK, America and Spain, taking in Conor McGregor's fight with Chad Mendes in Las Vegas in July 2015. Roe has also been targeted during the long-running Hutch/Kinahan feud, but survived after a gunman's handgun jammed. The incident happened at the Red Cow Hotel in November 2015, and resulted in increased tensions between the feuding gangs. A north inner city criminal connected to the Hutch gang - who is currently in jail - was blamed by the Kinahan gang for the botched targeted attempt on Roe. Free access for current print subscribers As a home delivery subscriber, you get free unlimited digital access to premium content on HenryHerald.com, including local news, local sports, obituaries, legal notices, local features, and the e-edition. All you need is your print subscription account number and your last name. Don't know your subscription number? Email access@henryherald.com with your delivery address. Activate your account now. A MOCK water rescue operation was staged on the River Thames near Henley. About 15 volunteers from Oxfordshire Lowland Search and Rescue took part in Fridays event, which was to mark an 11,000 donation by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks. A company representative was shown rescue techniques and equipment including a fibre-optic camera which can be used to search for people underwater. The volunteers, who acted as though they were searching for a missing adult, used the camera mounted on an 8ft pole to search the river bed from a pontoon at Upper Thames Rowing Club, off Remenham Lane. Two of them held the pole, which also had a light on the end, while volunteer Andy Thomson, from Nuffield, viewed the feed on a screen linked to the camera by a fibre-optic cable. A fourth man held the boat in place using a horizontal ladder while two others acted as spotters for the missing person. The rescue team also demonstrated their mobile command centre inside a Ford Transit van equipped with a 13ft transmitter mast. This has monitors displaying a map with the location of every volunteer which can be traced from their radio signal. This means that whenever there is a promising lead, the controller can send whoever is nearest to investigate. The van also has a first aid kit so when someone is found the volunteers can give basic treatment until paramedics arrive. Also present was dog handler Julie Shepherd and four-year-old cocker spaniel Rip, who is training to be a search dog. Some dogs track the scent of a person who was recently in the area while others can follow the smell of specific items and people. They all wear a bell so their handlers dont lose them in undergrowth. Andrew Jenkins demonstrated his drone, which has a camera that broadcasts a signal to a monitor on the ground. The camera films in either colour or in infra-red, which shows people more clearly because of their body heat. OxSAR is one of 35 chapters of Lowland Rescue, which is responsible for all inland searches in the UK apart from those conducted by Mountain Rescue and was founded 10 years ago. It has 68 volunteers who have attended 470 callouts, including 68 last year for missing people, mostly elderly dementia sufferers. It was involved in the search for Frederick Lawson, 82, from Shiplake. who went missing last April and was found dead in the River Thames two weeks later. His family held a fund-raising party for the group in July, which raised 1,000. The volunteers are aged between 20 and 75 and come from a range of backgrounds and about a third are women. They train once a week at different locations around Oxfordshire. SSENs grant will go towards water rescue training and equipment. Previous contributions from the company were used to upgrade the command van. The group also recently received a similar sum from the Government as part of a 1million drive to support charities that protect people on Britains inland waterways. OxSAR chairman David Woodgate, who lives in Henley, said: As a voluntary organisation, we rely on companies like SSEN to fund us and are delighted that they have decided to support our water search capability. This money will help us build on the techniques and approaches we have developed so that we can help in a range of scenarios from missing people to floods. When a person goes missing, it is immensely reassuring for families to know that people are looking and there is still hope. It is wonderful when the search ends happily and makes all our time and effort worthwhile but even when there is a sad ending it is comforting for the families to know that every possible step was taken to find their loved one. Ian Reynolds, SSENs regional head for Oxfordshire, said: This organisation and the essential service it provides is well recognised across the region and its wonderful to help it expand its kit and skills. The benefits this brings to our communities cant be underestimated. SSENs Resilient Communties Fund, which was set up in 2014, awards sums of up to 20,000 to protect vulnerable residents or help communities prepare for emergencies. For more information, visit www.ssen.co.uk/resiliencefund Flat Rock Park Foundation hires new fundraiser The Flat Rock Park & Recreation Foundation has hired Tracey Daniels as its new director of development, replacing Maurean Adams. Adams, who retired after five years of serving the Foundation Board, played a crucial role in bringing the Park at Flat Rock to life. Daniels has more than 25 years of experience in public relations, marketing, community outreach and programming. She also serves as social media and website consultant for the Town of Tryon Tourism Board. I am honored to work for this incredible organization, town and public facility," she said. "Building upon the foundation and Maureans history and success, I am confident I can further the momentum, enthusiasm and dedication to the park and our supporters. Daniels has drafted a tentative plan for 2019 that includes dedication ceremonies, a donor thank-you event, the annual Feast & Frolic gala and an official early-summer celebration for the Tot Lot Playgrounds completion. Public parks have always been part of the fabric of my life," she said. "My father worked tirelessly at Harmon Field in Tryon. Outdoor education and programming directly correlates to the health and happiness of my son. Hiking trails and nature walks are my happy place. The Park at Flat Rock is a local gem and I am honored to help the park continue to thrive, shine and grow. Joining the staff late last fall, Julia Buchanan continues as a part-time administrative assistant while Myra Grant expands her role as grant coordinator and development advisor. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by the Village of Flat Rock, the Flat Rock Park and Recreation Foundation raises the funds required to fulfill the vision of a signature municipal park for the community. That vision includes opportunities for recreation, health, and education for all generations while preserving the natural beauty that draws visitors from far and wide to Western North Carolina. Duncan Fraser is chair of the Board of Directors. For more information, contact Daniels at tracey@villageofflatrock.org or 828-697-8100 or visit the Park at Flat Rock Facebook page. Lansdale, PA (19446) Today Chance of a shower or two during the evening, followed by partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Chance of a shower or two during the evening, followed by partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Preparations are being looked at for the possible imposition of martial law after a no-deal Brexit, it has emerged. Tomorrow, as part of a series of debates about the ways forward, MPs are likely - Speaker Bercow permitting - to vote on an amendment jointly proposed by the Labour MP Yvette Cooper and the Conservative MP Nick Boles. In order to cope with a no-deal Brexit, thousands of British companies are gearing up to move operations overseas if the United Kingdom crashes out of the European Union, the media reported. Angela Rayner said her party would be prepared to back an amendment to the Government's Brexit deal created to push the Article 50 deadline beyond 29 March. Appearing on Ridge on Sunday on Sky News, she went on: "I think if we end up with a second referendum then us as politicians have failed the public". Rayner also revealed she would vote to stay in the European Union if there was a second poll but described a narrow victory for Remain as the "the worst case scenario", adding: "what are we going to have then, a best of three?" "If that means backing an amendment, then we will do that". "I don't think people want to see a delay to Article 50, I don't think people want to see us in a second referendum". Ms Cooper said she was not seeking to "block Brexit" with her amendment but insisted Theresa May was playing a "game of chicken" by taking the United Kingdom closer to a no-deal situation. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has refused to enter talks with May until a No deal is ruled out. "I hope he [Mr Corbyn] will support it", she told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. "In the end someone has to take some responsibility and say: "if the Prime Minister runs out of time she may need some more time" - that is not about blocking Brexit, that is about being responsible and making sure you can get a Brexit deal". Despite Prime Minister Theresa May refusing to take the prospect of a no deal off the table, Mr Ellwood wrote in the Sunday Times: 'It is now time to rule out the very possibility of no deal. Patients undergoing long-term treatment with steroids may suffer from metabolic side effects. Researchers at the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen and the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), partners in the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), have now pinpointed a mechanism that leads to so-called steroid diabetes. Their findings have been published in Nature Communications. Glucocorticoids such as cortisone have been used to treat inflammatory diseases such as asthma or rheumatism for many decades, and they are the most commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, explains Prof. Henriette Uhlenhaut, Group Leader at the Institute for Diabetes and Obesity (IDO) at the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen and the Gene Center of the LMU. They are also frequently used in autoimmune diseases, organ transplantations and cancer. It is estimated that between one and three percent of the Western population are currently receiving these drugs which corresponds to more than one million Germans alone. However, although glucocorticoids are prescribed for a wide range of conditions, their use is limited by the various side effects including unwanted metabolic effects* that can occur during treatment. Once the glucocorticoids bind to their receptor inside the cell, the receptor starts switching numerous genes on and off. These include various metabolic genes, which can consequently cause so-called steroid diabetes, Henriette Uhlenhaut explains. In the current study, her team together with colleagues from the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, the Salk Institute in San Diego and the University of Freiburg set out to identify the exact sequence of events that occurs once the steroids bind their receptor. What struck us most was the E47 transcription factor, which along with the glucocorticoid receptor is responsible for the changes in gene expression, particularly in liver cells, explains Charlotte Hemmer, a doctoral candidate at the IDO and first author of the current study. We were able to identify the underlying pathway by conducting genome-wide analyses and genetic studies. In order to corroborate their findings, the scientists then proceeded to examine a preclinical model lacking the E47 gene. The loss of E47 actually protected against the negative impact of glucocorticoids, while an intact E47 gene led to metabolic changes such as high blood sugar, elevated blood fat levels or a fatty liver as a response to steroid treatment, Charlotte Hemmer adds. Since the components of the newly discovered mechanism are also conserved in humans, Henriette Uhlenhaut and her team, along with their clinical cooperation partners, would now like to find out whether their results can be translated to human studies. If this is the case, it could open up new opportunities for therapeutic intervention and the use of safer immuno-suppressants in order to combat the side effects of steroid therapy. Further Information * Glucocorticoids are a type of steroid hormones produced by the adrenal cortex. The name is derived from their role in glucose metabolism, where they promote the production of glucose to provide energy in response to stress or fasting. ** Transcription factors are proteins that determine whether certain genes are transcribed or not. As a rule, they influence (positively or negatively) the way in which the RNA polymerase binds to the DNA sequence that is coded for the specific gene. Background: The current project was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). In 2014, Henriette Uhlenhaut also received a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for her work on the processes regulated by the glucocorticoid receptor. In the Interview she discusses what fascinates her about the project. Original Publication: Hemmer, MC et al. (2019): E47 modulates hepatic glucocorticoid action. Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-08196-5 As German Research Center for Environmental Health, Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the prevention and therapy of major common diseases such as diabetes mellitus, allergies and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen has about 2,300 staff members and is headquartered in Neuherberg in the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 19 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 37,000 staff members. As one of Europes leading research universities, LMU Munich is committed to the highest international standards of excellence in research and teaching. Building on its 500-year-tradition of scholarship, LMU covers a broad spectrum of disciplines, ranging from the humanities and cultural studies through law, economics and social studies to medicine and the sciences. 15 percent of LMUs 50,000 students come from abroad, originating from 130 countries worldwide. The know-how and creativity of LMUs academics form the foundation of the Universitys outstanding research record. This is also reflected in LMUs designation of as a university of excellence in the context of the Excellence Initiative, a nationwide competition to promote top-level university research. The German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) is a national association that brings together experts in the field of diabetes research and combines basic research, translational research, epidemiology and clinical applications. The aim is to develop novel strategies for personalized prevention and treatment of diabetes. Members are Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen German Research Center for Environmental Health, the German Diabetes Center in Dusseldorf, the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam-Rehbrucke, the Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden of the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen at the University Medical Center Carl Gustav Carus of the TU Dresden and the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen at the Eberhard-Karls-University of Tuebingen together with associated partners at the Universities in Heidelberg, Cologne, Leipzig, Lubeck and Munich. Heart attack survivors may think the worst is behind them. But many later develop heart failure, a progressive disease marked by shortness of breath and swelling in the legs. Symptoms can prevent patients from working, exercising even picking up grandchildren. Heart failure occurs after a heart attack when enough of the heart muscle dies, causing the rest of the heart to overwork, which leads to more damage. To protect an overworked, failure-prone heart, cardiologists typically prescribe medications that encourage the heart to take it easy, said Daria Mochly-Rosen, PhD, professor of chemical and systems biology and the George D. Smith Professor in Translational Medicine. Mochly-Rosen is hoping to tackle heart failure at the molecular level. She and her colleagues developed a compound that in preliminary tests appeared to improve heart function in rats with heart failure caused by a heart attack. The study was published Jan. 18 in Nature Communications. Julio Ferreira, PhD, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo, is the lead author. One contributor to heart failure following a heart attack is the accumulation of broken or dysfunctional mitochondria, the small organelles in cells that produce energy. The researchers identified a pair of proteins that, when bonded, gum up the normal activity of mitochondria and contribute to heart failure. One of those proteins, protein kinase C beta 2, is found in higher levels in failing human and rodent hearts. The researchers tapped their chemistry know-how to develop a compound called SAMA (pronounced samba), which can prevent these proteins from bonding, thereby improving mitochondrial function and providing more energy for the heart. In tests, post-heart-attack rats that developed heart failure and were treated with SAMA had better cardiac function measured by how well their left heart ventricles pumped blood with each heart beat than rats that werent treated with SAMA. We greatly improved their hearts, Mochly-Rosen said. If humans are going to be like rats, perhaps we can treat them with a drug that prevents this deterioration. She added that they also gave healthy rats doses of SAMA and it had absolutely no effect, an indication that the compound is nontoxic. Mochly-Rosen and Ferreira suspect that SAMA will also be effective in humans. If so, it has the potential to be developed into a drug for human heart attack patients, they believe. Im hopeful SAMA will be accepted by the industry for drug development because it appears very promising, Mochly-Rosen said. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Sao Paulo Research Foundation, the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, Brazils Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, the Brazilian National Institute for Science and Technology and Brazils Center for Research and Development on Redox Processes in Biomedicine. Stanfords Department of Chemical and Systems Biology also supported the work. The anonymous incident was recounted in a much anticipated report released Wednesday as Starbucks Corp. seeks to mend its reputation after a highly publicised confrontation in Philadelphia last April where a store manager called police on two black patrons who later said they were waiting for a business meeting to start before ordering. In response to the Philadelphia uproar, Starbucks now is training employees to treat anyone who walks in the door as a customer, whether they intend to make a purchase or not. The fresh take on Starbucks long-time goal of creating a third space a public place for interaction and leisure away from home and work offers a fresh set of challenges, employees said in the report prepared for Starbucks by a law firm to measure progress on diversity and inclusion. In each of my listening sessions, partners shared how difficult it is to achieve this goal in communities that are deeply affected by addiction, mental illness, or homelessness, former US Attorney General Eric Holder, who assisted with the study, wrote in a letter included in the 67-page report from Covington & Burling LLP. These conversations highlighted a powerful tension between Starbucks efforts to create a welcoming third place on the one hand, and the realities of life in our most vulnerable communities on the other. Reports findings Overall, the report found that Starbucks has improved already robust diversity and inclusion policies since April. But it still has work to do to prevent an embarrassing repeat of what happened in Philadelphia mostly related to training and staffing in vulnerable areas where homelessness or mental illness may be more prevalent. With more than 14,000 Starbucks cafes in the US, there are lots of opportunities for incidents to arise with an open-door policy. One group of employees which Starbucks calls partners had to call for emergency medical aid after a woman gave birth in their stores bathroom, Holder said in his summary, calling some of the stories of in-store experiences stunning to hear. Other partners shared equally disturbing, if less dramatic, examples of having to navigate highly charged, or potentially violent, interactions. State Rep. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Havre, said during a Havre teleconference with local legislators that House Bill 21, Hannahs Act, sponsored by Rae Peppers, D-Lame Deer, will involve the Montana Department of Justice assisting in cases of murdered and missing indigenous women. Speaking in Helena, Bachmeier added that this bill will be attached to a $100,000 appropriation to help departments communicate and collaborate. Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, said the bill was brought forward and will expand work on missing persons to include all Montanans. He said currently no agency has a data-tracking system in place to track cases of missing or murdered indigenous women and children. As Montana citizens the feeling is that we should all be a part of this stuff, the whole process, Windy Boy added. Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester, said one of the bills he has recently seen during this legislative session is a bill in support of stripper wells. He said this bill will make it economically feasible for oil companies to get oil in places which may have previously posed a problem. He added the bill will hopefully encourage oil companies to drill. Tempel said that the Senate Education Committee has been working on a few bills regarding teachers fraternizing with students and aligning school lockdown procedures with fire codes. He added that current procedure for school lockdowns are in violation with the states fire codes. Windy Boy said a bill he is working on would help with students attending tribal colleges who have credits that do not transfer to other four-year universities outside of the reservation. He said this has been a problem for some time, and is unfair to tribal students, causing them to have to spend more time and money to obtain the same degrees as everybody else. Its time just to do it, he added. Bachmeier said that it seemed shocking to him that campuses on Indian reservations, that are accredited by the same accreditation groups, are not always able to transfer. Andrea Melle, a single mother of two children who have autism, Kerrie, 21, and Drew, 19, spoke during the teleconference, concerned about the future of Medicaid. Melle said she is the sole caregiver for her children and if work requirements are tacked on to Medicaid she would be have to pay people to go into her house and care for her children, which would cost upwards of $42,000, or pay to have them placed into a home, which would be more expensive. She likes taking care of her children, she said, and by her taking on the responsibilities of a caretaker she is saving the state money by caring for them herself. Im hoping that Medicaid expansion stays like it is, it is very important for many people, Melle said. Its working, I dont know why we want to change what is working already. She added that she had also recently read that in Gov. Steve Bullocks budget proposal he proposed to cut some Medicaid services in addition to Big Sky Waivers which allows people to be taken care of at home to qualify for payment through expanded Medicaid. The waivers already have 1,800 people on the waiting list, Melle said, and Bullock wants to cut almost $15 million from this program. She added that this waiver is already difficult for people to move up on the waiting list, with people moving up only if someone else on the waiting list dies or no longer needs services. We cannot afford having cuts to these waivers, Melle said. We need more money for these waivers. Windy Boy said that he is a co-signer of a bill by Rep. Mary Caferros, D-Helena, for Medicaid expansion, which is a if its not broke, dont fix it approach to the issue. He added that he disagrees with needing a work requirement and has seen first-hand how a work requirement is detrimental to a program. Bachmeier said a work requirement would cost more than it would save. It would cost millions of dollars more to administer this program than it would be saving kicking people off it. Its reprehensible, to put it simply and bluntly, Bachmeier said. I will not support it. Havre Police Department An officer initiated a vehicle stop on Bullhook Road at 8:04 a.m. Friday, after noticing that the driver matched the description of someone law enforcement was looking for. -- Bradley Lynn Perkins of Havre, 19, was arrested on a Justice or City court warrant Friday at 8:16 a.m. on Third Street. -- A summons was issued after a caller on Ninth Avenue Northwest reported a violent dog Friday at 9:31 a.m. -- A Fifth Street caller reported a stolen truck Friday at 9:59 a.m. -- One 13-year-old was issued a summons and another 13-year-old was arrested, each on a charge of disorderly conduct, after a caller at Havre Middle School reported a disturbance at 12:10 p.m. Friday. -- A caller at a Montana Avenue business reported a stolen gun Friday at 2:51 p.m. -- Joshua Kay Blatter of Havre, 29, was issued a summons Friday at 6:06 p.m. at the police station on a criminal contempt charge related to a Drug Court violation. -- Jason T. Bigknife of Box Elder, 43, was arrested on a charge of trespass to property after a caller at a First Street West establishment asked officers Friday at 8:50 p.m. to drive around the building to search for a suspicious man. -- A 15-year-old was issued a summons on a careless driving charge, during a vehicle stop on Second Street West. -- Amanda Rae Martin of San Leando, California, 30, was arrested on charges of shoplifting and obstructing a peace officer or other public servant and on four Justice or City court warrants after a caller at a First Street establishment asked officers Saturday at 1:46 a.m. to come check out the bathroom. -- Betty Bailey Ranes of Havre, 58, was arrested at the police station Saturday at 8:13 a.m. on a criminal contempt charge related to a 24/7 Sobriety Program violation. -- A caller at Third Avenue and Third Street reported a non-injury vehicle crash between a sport utility vehicle and a Ford Focus Saturday at 10:31 a.m. -- A Dodge Ram slid into Bullhook drainage on Fourth Avenue at 10:46 a.m. Saturday. -- A caller on Seventh Street reported a domestic disturbance Saturday at 3:46 p.m. -- A Havre High School administrator asked Saturday at 7:41 p.m. for officers to provide standby assistance at the gymnasium. -- Catherine Autumn Star St. Marks of Havre, 39, was arrested on a Justice or City court warrant and James Allen Dominick of Havre, 46, was arrested on charges of driving with a suspended or revoked driver's license and failing to carry proof of vehicle insurance, during a vehicle stop on 15th Avenue Saturday at 9:32 p.m. -- Cole Thomas Young of Havre, 31, was arrested on charges of traffic crime, no insurance and driving under the influence, during a vehicle stop at U.S. Highway 2 and 16th Avenue Sunday at 2:16 a.m. -- Jennifer Rae Ehry of Havre, 41, was issued a summons on a vicious dog charge after a faller at Northern Montana Hospital reported a dog bite Sunday at 9:10 p.m. -- Officers were asked Sunday at 10:42 p.m. to assist Rocky Boy Police Department in locating a stolen vehicle they thought might be in Havre. Hill County Sheriff's Office A Fort Belknap caller asked for assistance Friday at 9:30 a.m. looking for a stolen vehicle. -- A caller on First Avenue West in Kremlin reported a stolen vehicle Friday at 11:47 a.m. -- Joshua Daniel Kaupang or Havre, 35, was arrested on charges of resisting arrest, obstructing a peace officer or other public servant and trespass to property and on five Justice or City court warrants after a caller at a U.S. Highway 2 East reported Friday at 3:59 p.m. four tires had been stolen. -- An officer reported Saturday at 1:06 a.m. initiating investigation of a stolen vehicle on 13th Avenue. -- A caller at a U.S. Highway 2 West business reported Saturday at 1:36 p.m. a stolen vehicle. -- Deputies were asked Sunday at 9:16 a.m. to assist Rocky Boy Police Department in locating a stolen vehicle they thought might be in the Havre area. -- William Joe Skidmore of Havre, 38, was issues a summons on a charge of driving with a suspended or revoked driver's license, after a caller on U.S. Highway 2 Northeast reported vehicles racing on the highway Sunday at 8:18 p.m. -- Sean Ryan Koivisto of Williston, North Dakota, 23, was issued a summons on a charge of driving with a suspended or revoked driver's license, during a vehicle stop on Highway 2 West Sunday at 8:29 p.m. Havre Fire Department Emergency medical personnel responded to two calls Saturday, two Sunday and one early this morning. Havre Animal Shelter The Havre shelter this morning held one medium-hair cat, one short-hair cat, one long-hair 8-month-old kitten and two long-hair 6-month-old kittens of unknown gender, one medium-hair female cat and four medium-hair male cats, as well as nine cats for its trap-spay/neuter-release program. -- The Havre shelter also held this morning a male American bulldog, two female mixed-breed dogs, a female Labrador retriever dog, a male Australian cattle dog-blue heeler-corgi 8-month-old puppy, a male shepherd dog and a female Anatolian shepherd-husky 10-month-old puppy. Births A girl was born Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, to Aimee Jo Gardipee and Lorenzo J. Rodriguez of Havre. -- A boy was born Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, to Bailey and Christopher Walter of Havre. Yes No Yes, but if only all other methods are ruled out first Not sure Vote View Results Haiti - News : Zapping... 10 billion deficit in the first quarter ! The economist Pierre-Marie Boisson estimates that for the first quarter of the current fiscal year (October to December 2018) the budget deficit is already more than 10 billion gourdes. The subsidies for petroleum products or the subsidy granted to the EDH are the explanations of the Government to justify this important deficit... West Palm Beach Investor Delegation Fednel Monchery, the Director General of the Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Communities received a delegation of potential investors from West Palm Beach (Florida), led by the mayor of this County, Pastor Edmond Chaplaun. Twinning trails with municipalities in Haiti and development projects were on the agenda of this first meeting. Discussions are expected to continue soon in West Palm Beach, where a delegation from Haiti will visit. It will be issues between the parties of Sanitation, Agriculture and Tourism Projects. UNNOH wants 35% of the national budget for education The National Union of Normal and Haitian Normalians (UNNOH) calls on the Government to grant 35% of the National Budget to education instead of the 12% included in the draft budget which was rejected and returned to the Executive https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26775-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26743-haiti-politic-the-2018-2019-budget-returned-to-jovenel-moise.html Workshop on Gender Violence The UNPol component of Minujusth initiated a series of sensitization workshops on gender-based sexual violence in schools in the city of Hinche (Central Dept.) Medical Cooperation A working session was held between Dr. Domersant Rene Jr of the Mental Health Unit and Dr. Didie Herold Louis of the National Ambulance Center to discuss the framework for cooperation between these two entities of the Ministry of Health. Training on Educational Seismology The College Catts Pressoir in collaboration with the Universite Cote-d'Azur organized a training workshop on educational seismology, a vector to reduce our vulnerability. The Alliance for Risk Management and Business Continuity (AGERCA) was represented by Mrs. Fania JOSEPH Director of Operations. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : Reduced electrical distribution, EDH explains The engineer Jean Nicolas Herve Pierre-Louis, the Director General of Electricity of Haiti (EDH) explains that the shortage of electric recorded across the country during the month of January is linked, for the hydro-electric production, to the rainfall indicating that currently Haiti is in low water season (December to April). For this reason, the 54-MW Peligre power plant with its 3 turbines in the rainy season, currently produces only 14 MW with only one turbine in operation, which affects the power supply to the Central Plateau and the metropolitan area. On the other hand, at the level of thermal power plants, all operators have been experiencing serious fuel supply problems for several weeks (fuel oil and gas oil) and EDH is not an exception to this "temporary fuel crisis", says Pierre-Louis, pointing out that this lack of fuel has caused severe rationing in Port-au-Prince and in the cities of Provinces. He assures that with the availability of fuels and the standardization of supplies, the EDH service will be able to gradually resume the pace of its distribution on the various circuits throughout the country. Pierre-Louis, emphasizes that it will however be necessary to wait for the return of the rainy season (May to November) to complete the capacities of production with the entrance with full power on the grid of the Hydro-Electric Power Plan of Peligre. In addition, he points out that, beyond these cyclical aspects, the EDH faces structural problems that explain the company's inability to respond strategically and effectively to these problems, citing as a cause : the low payment rate of bill from its customers (12.1% in December 2018 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26711-haiti-flash-nearly-90-of-edh-customers-have-not-paid-their-bill.html ) ensuring that the steps to improve the company's relations with its customers are progressing; fraud, the theft of electricity and the construction of extensions of networks outside the norms whose consequences are detrimental for both the company and its subscribers. Finally, he said that the company would need 1.6 billion gourdes per month to ensure its autonomy, while its monthly revenue around 400 million gourdes on average for the entire territory. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26696-haiti-notice-reduction-of-electricity-in-port-au-prince-the-edh-explains.html HL/ HaitiLibre We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Week 4 in review: Here's your first clear look at the Galaxy S10 It was a fascinating week with many interesting stories to talk about. Stories about the conventional - Galaxy S10 and Sony Xperia XZ4 leaks, Lenovo Z5 Pro GT on AnTuTu - and stories about concept phones without buttons and foldable phones. The most popular stories of the week revolved around the trio of Galaxy S10 smartphones. We saw a blurry live pic of the Galaxy S10+, then a better-looking image of the Galaxy S10 showing a crypto wallet and finally revealing, high-quality Galaxy S10 and S10+ photos that left little to the imagination. The last batch of high-quality images of the Galaxy S10 and S10+ reveal the triple cameras as well as the 3.5mm headphone jack (yay, still alive). Xiaomi made waves with video of the company's co-founder playing around with its first foldable phone. The prototype looks truly amazing and we do hope to see it at the MWC next month even if chances for that are slim. The Sony Xperia XZ4 made its weekly appearance, this time in the form of images of its extra-tall homescreen. The Xperia XZ4 will feature Sony's Side Sense which allows you to double tap the side of the phone to bring out a list of AI-curated app shortcuts. Perhaps 21:9 is too tall but it may also be a stroke of genius - we're eager to see it in person and find out. Meizu and vivo unveiled phones with no buttons and a seamless design. Meizu's Zero and vivo's Apex 2019 concept phones don't even have USB ports, they lack physical buttons or any other openings on their bodies. Speaking of concept phones, we saw schematics of Motorola's revival of the V3 legend - the RAZR 2019 will be a foldable and flexible device with two cameras and a second screen on the outside. Moving away from rumors and leaks we have Apple's short film "The Bucket", made for the Chinese New Year, and shot entirely on the iPhone XS. It sparked a debate here at HQ as to whether Apple really shot it entirely on the iPhone or used third party cameras. In another video we saw the new Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 being used and abused, and even survived. Finally, DxO started testing selfie cameras this week and already put 10 phones through its new gauntlet. The Google Pixel 3 has the best selfie camera for photos, the Galaxy Note9 the best for video. See you next week! Image of Sony Xperia XZ4 homescreen surfaces It looks like the XZ4 will feature Sony's Side Sense and will use Android 9 Pie's navigation gestures by default. Samsung Galaxy M20 early review praises the battery life The phone will have a huge 5,000mAh battery, which (according to the reviewer) is slow to drain and quick to charge. Here's our first look at the new Motorola RAZR 2019 Thanks to images from a patent filing, we get our first look at the foldable RAZR 2019. Brazil's Anatel lists batteries for all three Galaxy S10 models as 3,000mAh That sounds about right for the S10 Lite, but the Galaxy S10 and S10+ were supposed to have larger batteries. Huawei unveils the 5G CPE Pro router with Wi-Fi 6, it uses the new Balong 5000 chipset The company also unveiled the Tiangang core chip for 5G base stations, which can be deployed twice as fast as old 4G stations. Lenovo Z5 Pro GT with Snapdragon 855 tops AnTuTu charts It beats even the venerable Apple A12 chipset inside the iPhone XS and the latest Kirin and Exynos chipsets. Sources familiar with the matter say that Samsung is looking to buy an Israeli-based company, Corephotonics in a deal worth $150 million. That's the team that developed Oppo's periscope camera module with 5x lossless zoom. The collaboration between Oppo and Corephotonics has been going for a few years now and it's unclear yet if the Samsung acquisition will put an end to it. Perhaps Oppo's recently announced 10x zoom was also developed in collaboration with Corephotonics. Corephotonics's latest product is a triple-camera setup achieving a zoom of 25x, although its exact specifications are yet to be detailed. Currently, Corephotonics have an ongoing legal battle with Apple. The Cupertino-based company claims the camera firm has infringes on patents from the dual-camera iPhones. Source | Via The dream of a mobile device that's all screen dates back to the times of Isaac Asimov. We are getting there, but we need to get take a few more painful steps. Last week my colleague Kaloyan said bezel-less is not the way forward, but I think he missed the point - he was simply making a point about the devices with curved edges that provide less than ideal grip. Side bezels were already practically non-existent more than a year ago Phones like the Honor View 20, Huwawei nova 4 and Samsung Galaxy A8s are the next step after the eyesore that was the notch. The infamous cutout is still giving many of us nightmares, but its days are numbered. It will not be long before the hole trend is over too. We already have engineers working on ways to put the selfie camera beneath the screen and eventually the need for any cutouts will be a distant memory. The waterdrop notch is not the destination - it is the path You see the selfie camera is the last big element at the front of our phones that necessitates that some part of it isn't active screen. And with social media giving selfie shots such great importance it's not going away. Yet it's just of another challenge that needs to be overcome before we get the phones of the future. The Mi Mix bottom bezel is shrinking with time So back to the bezel-less design. I think the solution is a 2017 Xiaomi Mi Mix with a modern twist where the bottom bezel disappears in the style of modern iPhones - think X, XS or XS Max. Of course, there are also sliders, pop-up mechanisms and dual screen phones. There are plenty of solutions to work with without curving the edges, so technically we have bezel-less phones in the 2019 sense, we just don't appreciate them. The future is bright Of course, there is also the sexy vivo Apex 2019 concept. It has no keys, no ports, and most importantly - no selfie camera. This looks futuristic enough. Other companies will follow suit just like they did with the under display fingerprint scanner and before you know it, true bezel-less design will be here. And it doesn't have to be uncomfortable at all - curved edges might take away some grip, but if the consumers speak loudly enough with their wallets flat frames can make a return. Failing that, user interfaces and screen technologies will inevitably improve enough so accidental touches won't be an issue. At that point if you really want bezels for your hit of nostalgia you'll simply need to get a case for your phone and you are done. But you'll be missing on all the glorious improvements of technology. GREENWICH Frank Kelly, a retired police detective with deep roots in Greenwich, was recently cited by an Irish-American newspaper as a model of excellence in the law-enforcement community. The Irish Echo, which bills itself as the oldest Irish-American newspaper in the country, gave Frank Kelly its Law and Order Award, along with 19 other recipients. This annual event celebrates the brave men and women in law enforcement work hard to keep us safe and to keep society running smoothly, The Echo wrote in announcing the winners of the honor. The awards were presented Friday at the Manhattan Club in midtown Manhattan. Kelly joined the Greenwich Police Department in 1969. He served as youth officer in the mid-1970s, counseling troubled youths, as well as overseeing drug and crime prevention efforts at the schools. In the early 1980s, he became a detective and took over the Identification Division, responsible for collecting and collating crime scene evidence such as fingerprints and photographs. Kelly founded the Emerald Society of the Greenwich Police Department. He also co-founded and played the drum for the Emerald Society Pipe Band. He was named the grand marshal of the Greenwichs St. Patricks Day Parade in 2004. Kelly has also been active as volunteer driver with the American Cancer Societys Road to Recovery program, which provides rides to patients undergoing treatment with chemotherapy and radiation. Asked by the newspaper to list three things people didnt know about him, Kelly responded: I breed and raise silver fox rabbits. I love everyone. No exceptions. Im kind of an open book. As to his law enforcement career, Kelly wrote, The things Ive seen and learned during that time will last a lifetime. NORWALK Since Officer Phil Roselle was shot in a training accident in September 2017, his family has suffered the ups-and-downs of a strenuous recovery along with him. But, after more than a year of unending dialysis sessions, bouts of depression and disputes with the state Workers Compensation Commission, he and his family are starting to believe that, maybe, all of his suffering hasnt been in vain. State Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, has introduced a bill that would help public safety officers, like Roselle, forced to retire due to injuries suffered in the line of duty. The measure would allow any municipality to pay public safety employees forced into retirement by such injuries the difference between their disability retirement pay and the regular rate of pay prior to their retirement. I have been fighting this battle for Phil for over a year, but I can honestly say when I received the news from the senators secretary about Senator Bob Duff filing the bill for Phil, I started to see a light at the end of the tunnel, said Debbie Roselle, Phils wife. Under current law, public safety employees in Connecticut can only receive up to 75 percent of their pay from workers compensation when forced into retirement by an injury. Under the proposal, Duff said, municipalities would have the freedom to go a step further under special circumstances. With two-thirds vote of its legislative body, a municipality would be able to supplement an injured employees disability pay annually, until they reach the age of 65. A program or resource such as this that can assist officers who are seriously injured in the line of duty is something that I would wholeheartedly support, said Norwalk Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik. The Roselles have been pushing for such a measure since October 2018, when they learned of a law in Massachusetts that allowed municipalities to step in where workers compensation might fall short. They credit the Massachusetts-based Violently Injured Police Officers Organization and its co-founder, Mario Oliveira, for being the impetus behind the bill. I was told from the very beginning from several people to give up this fight and have Phil settle for anything. That was not good enough for me which was my motivator to keep going and will continue to keep going simply because I believe in justice, said Debbie Roselle. Though the bill was referred to the state legislatures Joint Committee on Planning and Development on Thursday, Duff was hesitant to call its passage a sure thing. There are probably about 5,000 bills being proposed right now for this legislative session, about 200-something actually make it through both chambers and earn the governors signature, so we certainly have our work cut out for us, Duff said. Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said if the bill is eventually voted into law, hed consider enacting the measure for Roselle though he also noted it would require the approval of the citys Common Council. I am supportive of finding reasonable ways to help these brave women and men who are putting their lives on the line every day. This proposal is a first step, and I plan to watch closely as it moves through the state legislature, Rilling said. GREENWICH A new tenant is up and running at the North Greenwich Shopping Center, and problems with vacancies there are a thing of the past. Craig DeCollibus, co-owner of Stateline Fitness, opened his doors at a new 3,000-square-foot facility on Jan. 18, as part of a soft-opening process. A formal opening will be held in February. DeCollibus, who works with a partner in the fitness business in White Plains, N.Y., was looking to expand their business through the years. The retail center in the neighborhood just south of the border with North Castle, N.Y., and the hamlet of Banksville, seemed like a good choice. From here, the next closest gym in any direction is 10 miles away, said DeCollibus. It seems like were in the middle of nowhere, but were actually in the middle of everything Greenwich, Armonk, Bedford, Rye Brook. Were in a good spot. An IGA supermarket closed there in 2010, leading to a drop-off in the number of visitors to the retail complex, and a number of vacant storefronts resulted. The shopping center has slowly come back. DeCollibus, a resident of Rye Brook, N.Y., said the fitness center is doing pretty good so far, and he hopes to grow the business in coming months. The center is mostly doing group classes, though personal training is also offered. The operation concentrates on strength and conditioning. Free-weights and cardio-machines are the primary tools of the trade. DeCollibus, who has an MBA and worked previously in corporate finance, said he looked at the demographics and business conditions in the area before proceeding. He appreciates the warm welcome he has received so far from other business owners in the area. Everyone wants everyone else to be successful, he said. The gym owner says he enjoys the work and the challenges he has embarked on. Ive worn suits for 10 years, Im happy to wear sweats now, he joked. The shopping center has shown new life in recent months with the expansion of a cafe and food market, and a florist and wine shop. A large space in the anchor site at the North Greenwich Shopping Center, part of the the former IGA, is still vacant and being marketed. Other retailers are happy to have the new business running. Its a positive thing. Hes a really great guy and I think hell do well, said Alfonso Criscuolo, owner of Banksville Pizza and Pasta. Ryan Belmont, of Computer Emporium, said, Im happy to have anyone come in. In terms of vacancies here, its definitely turned the corner. The town planning and zoning commissioners made a change to allow the new business to operate there, as group fitness was not an allowed use under the previous zoning at the site. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com GREENWICH The Representative Town Meeting will be reconvening Monday night at Central Middle School after an emergency evacuation last week caused the sudden interruption of the boards work. The RTM had been in the middle of its regularly scheduled meeting Jan. 21 when a gas leak caused things to be cut short. A gas leak was found outside the school after several RTM members reported smelling a gas odor when they walked in for the meeting. The fire department was called, and the meeting had to be adjourned when the evacuation was ordered. The RTM will go into session at 8 p.m. Monday at Central Middle School. While the January RTM call was a relatively light one, only about 25 minutes of the meeting was completed before the adjournment last week. The meeting will be brought back into order Monday night to complete the rest of the call. That includes consideration of $420,000 in funding for improvements on the playing field at Hamilton Avenue School. The field is uneven and in poor condition; community members and school officials have been calling for the work to be done for years. The RTM could also, if the members allow it, consider the towns participation in a state policy to help federal workers affected by the recent government shutdown. The state law, passed last week, would allow municipalities to provide extensions on property tax payments for federal workers who were furloughed or forced to work without paychecks during the shutdown. Last week, the Board of Selectman approved a request from Tax Collector Howard Richman to grant a 60-day extension for federal employees who had property taxes due on or before Feb. 1, which is the deadline for town residents. The extension, if approved, would go into effect retroactively to Jan. 25, which is the day the shutdown ended. The extension is not currently on the RTMs call for January, but Moderator Tom Byrne said last week it can be added if the bodys members approve by a two thirds majority. Before last weeks evacuation, the RTM approved $750,000 in funding for two major projects at Greenwich High School. Both the science wing and the performing arts center, as well as the nearby gymnasium, suffered flooding damage after two separate incidents. Approval from the RTM was needed to pay for those repairs. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com GREENWICH For the first legislative session in nearly a century, Greenwichs representative delegation to Hartford is split by party. Since the elections of state Rep. Steven Meskers (D-150) and state Sen. Alex Bergstein (D-36), constituents in town have wondered how the new dynamic will play out in a group traditionally monopolized by Republicans, during a historically partisan period of national politics. The newly elected officials join longtime incumbent state Reps. Frank Camillo (R-151) and Livvy Floren (R-149) in the Greenwich delegation, and a have found common ground on several issues, including gun safety and environmental protections, even some economic matters. Its important we acknowledge theres going to be some issues we disagree on, Camillo said during a panel discussion moderated by Hearst Connecticut Media Group Vice President Matt DeRienzo on Sunday at YWCA Greenwich. But I hope we can show you we can discuss the issues and still work together on a lot of things. Bergstein said shes not a politician only thinking about the next campaign. I just want to go in look at the system and see where we can make changes to run things better and tackle the biggest issues facing the state, she said. We have to have these hard conversations and really focus on facts in order drive solutions forward. When asked if they would buck their party on bills that would negatively impact Greenwich, the Democrats said they would do whats in the best interest of the people they represent. Bergstein cited her stance against proposed bills from Democratic leadership that would increase mill tax rates and regionalize schools. Those bills would be pretty devastating to our community, she said. Among the most polarizing issues between the Democratic and Republican lawmakers right now is the prospect of reinstating tolls on the states highways. Bergstein, who has been targeted by anti-toll protestors because shes already introduced a toll bill, said the issue is an example of the difficult discussions that need to happen to move forward with solutions to state problems). Meskers reiterated his support for tolls, saying, Someone has to pay for use of roads and right now Im paying for 100 percent of it. We are running a multi-state charity on our highways. Both Floren and Camillo said there is already enough money for fixing the states transportation infrastructure, and now the newly set lockbox for transportation funding will ensure it is spent only for that purpose. Now, every dollar we collect going to transportation is going to be spent only on transportation, Floren said. If we implement a 4 cent per-gallon gas tax, that would beyond pay for (needed infrastructure improvements). Camillo took issue with estimates cited by Bergstein that 30 to 40 percent of Connecticuts highway traffic is from out of state, saying he knows local business owners who would be negatively impacted by the reinstatement of tolls on highways. On another matter, an upcoming event at Town Hall organized by Carl Higbie, a Trump administration appointee who came under fire for saying racist, xenophobic, sexist and homophobic slurs, has been questioned by some residents who object to his use of the Greenwich government building. When asked about the Higbie event, Floren said she has no interest in Higbies redemption tour. I believe people can evolve and change, I just dont think this is a case when thats going to occur, she said. Town Hall has its meeting policies and he met the qualifications. We have to honor his right to free speech. What you dont have to do is attend. Camillo, who said hes known Higbie for many years, said he was asked to speak at the event and only agreed to give opening remarks about civility, tolerance and respect. He has since pulled out, citing a time conflict with his Hartford duties. Im a free speech guy, he said. If we as public officials cant have this discussion, who will? We all make mistakes, and if this thing turns into a circus, then Im wrong. But we have to be willing to give someone that chance. When asked what their hopes are for the current legislative session, Floren said hers is that newly elected Gov. Ned Lamont her neighbor, constituent and friend will fulfill his campaign promises. My hope is hes going to keep his word and really listen to people on both sides of the aisle, she said. I pledge to each one of you I will be an optimist until Im not. All of the elected officials encouraged their constituents to reach out to them about the issues they care about. We rely on you, your expertise and your lived experience to inform us on what the issues are, said Bergstein. She served as a board member for Eden's Cooperative Christian Ministries, was a dedicated Sunday school teacher and a tireless worker for the Salvation Army, distributing gifts to the needy through the agency's annual Giving Tree program, he said. The busy couple also made time to walk for exercise. But living on a busy thoroughfare without sidewalks made that footloose time a bit difficult. "Nick and Cindy live in this beautiful home on Stadium Drive, and we really appreciated the fact that they lived in Eden, because some people don't," Dougherty said. "Every once in a while, Nick would say, 'When are you going to build a sidewalk?' "So, through Kelly Stultz (Eden's director of planning and inspections) and the magic of DOT, here's the sidewalk they're going to build all the way from Pierce Street to Edgewood Drive," Dougherty said, smiling. "And we're going to make you come back, because this is going to be the 'Honorary Nick and Cindy Freitag Sidewalk.' So you'll have to come back for the ribbon cutting." As Bennett College races to meet a fundraising goal that may mean life or death for the tiny school in Greensboro, two major gifts have provided a surge of hope and momentum. The Papa Johns Foundation and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation of Winston-Salem each said last week that it was making a $500,000 donation to Bennett. Each foundation pledged as well to recruit additional donors. The gifts increased the grand total in donations to $2.7 million as of Friday. The school has set a Feb. 1 deadline to reach a $5 million target. Bennett (enrollment 470) is raising the money as a show of good faith to an accrediting agency that the college is working, urgently, to address its fragile finances. That agency the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges has said it will revoke Bennetts accreditation because of the colleges tenuous fiscal footing. Bennett plans to appeal that ruling in mid-February and began the quick-strike campaign to help make its case. Without accreditation Bennett would lose eligibility for federal grants and student loans and could be forced to close. We have made the case before for Bennett. The League of Women Voters of North Carolina is concerned about a recent decision to relocate the pressroom from the first floor of the General Assembly Building in Raleigh to a much smaller space in a corner of the basement. The League has long held the belief that a transparent, open government is a requirement for good government. The reporting of journalists about activities at the General Assembly is necessary to the people of North Carolina as they work to learn about legislation, hearings and committee meetings. Citizens who cannot attend these meetings rely on journalists to inform them. The League is concerned that the decision to move the pressroom will decrease access to legislators by credentialed journalists and affect their ability to report to the people on actions taken by the General Assembly. UNC-CH Chancellor Carol Folt was pushed out of her job early after she ordered the removal of the granite base left behind after the statue above it was yanked off last summer. Folt said she acted to protect public safety because the pedestal remained a focal point of passionate protests, both pro and con. Surprised by Folt's unilateral move, the system's Board of Governors gave her until Jan. 31 to leave. On Friday, the board gave Roper authority to negotiate her exit package. Finding a temporary substitute for Folt has been Roper's top focus since taking over as universities president from Margaret Spellings 10 days ago, he said. Spellings, former President George W. Bush's education secretary, resigned in October after repeatedly clashing with the Board of Governors. Roper said he would replace Folt with someone who knew they would hold the job for perhaps 18 months while a national search for a permanent replacement is recruited. "It will need to be a person who knows the situation here and is known by the people here" in North Carolina, Roper said. "This needs to be somebody who is a person of stature, who has the gravitas, to see what needs happen to move the university forward." Roper, 70, ducked a question about whether he would seek to stay on as president of the public university system. "We'll just see how it all works out," he said. GREENSBORO Guilford County Schools is fixing a statewide technical glitch that caused rounding errors in quarterly grades for some North Carolina students this school year. Because of this, district leaders expect to have to delay sending out the next round of report cards. We want to do right by every single student, Chief Academic Officer Brian Schultz said. As of mid-Monday afternoon, he was still waiting to learn how many, if any, Guilford County Schools students received incorrect grades for first-quarter. The glitch caused some North Carolina quarterly grades to be incorrectly rounded to the tenths of a point, Schultz said. That could make a difference when the numerical quarterly grade is on the extreme borderline between letter grades, he said. The error could cause incorrect rounding either up or down. It did not affect past school years. More than 100 school districts and 59 charter schools in North Carolina use the system, he said. Other school districts have reported some incorrect grades linked to the problem. Schultz said the district asked data managers at each school to complete a technical fix for the problem by the end of business last Friday. The university is very possessive of its four. It bothers me when I hear people saying theyre the Greensboro Four, said Myja Gary, an A&T senior from Virginia who is serving as Miss N.C. A&T this year. No, theyre the A&T Four. Joseph McNeil remembered how he and the other members of the A&T Four met on the steps of the Dudley Building after the first sit-in. There on those steps they recruited more students to help their cause 16 on Day 2, 64 more the day after that. McNeil said they werent sure they wanted to go back to Woolworth after that first day. But they did. That decision to return, he said Monday, was one that made us all live as better human beings and live with a greater sense of human dignity. Later, the commemoration moved to one of A&Ts academic buildings. Several hundred high school and college students packed the auditorium to hear the wisdom of their elders. Pull up your pants. Turn down the music. Pay attention. Read the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Surround yourself with people heading in your same direction. Believe in yourself. Franklin McCain Jr., the son of the late member of the A&T Four, said he worries for the future. RALEIGH North Carolina tax officials are ready to start accepting individual tax returns from residents. The North Carolina Department of Revenue said it will open the 2019 individual income tax season Monday. That's the same day that federal tax filing season is scheduled to start. Those who electronically filed state tax returns before Jan. 28 should start getting acknowledgements Monday. State tax officials say that enhanced identity theft protective measures could cause some refunds to take longer than normal. Tax returns are due on April 15. The others tried to get Richmond, named the best math student his first semester at A&T, to leave Greensboro, where he was struggling. He lost a federal job training and counseling position that he was good at when funds ran out. But Richmond always came back, especially to care for his ailing parents. He died in 1990. Integration at last Back in 1960, the sit-ins lasted for months. Woolworth agreed to open the lunch counter under its own terms July 25, allowing its black employees the first bite to eat at the counter. McCain, who had gone back to the suburbs of Washington during his summer break, bought a plane ticket just to be there. It was a day that Khazan, who grew up in Warnersville, a Greensboro community founded by freed slaves after the Civil War, told anyone who would listen on the playground. He said he would sit at the counter one day, just as he would one day taste the water coming out of the whites only fountains, which he at the time suspected tasted like lemonade. CHARLOTTE A North Carolina Democratic legislator is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican incumbent Thom Tillis. State Sen. Erica Smith, from Northampton County in the northeast, announced her 2020 bid to unseat Tillis on Saturday through social media and at a Democratic Party gathering in Charlotte. Smith is a math instructor and ordained minister first elected to the legislature in 2014. Mecklenburg County Commissioner Trevor Fuller also announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination last week. Primaries are in March 2020. Smith's announcement came as 500 members of the Democrats' executive committee met. There current party Chair Wayne Goodwin was re-elected for another two-year term. He was the only candidate. Former state Rep. Bobbie Richardson was elected first vice-chair, defeating current first vice-chair Aisha Dew and another candidate. Two Winston-Salem residents were arrested and a third is being sought in the armed robbery of a Davidson County sweepstakes business Saturday night. At approximately 9 p.m., Davidson County deputies responded to an armed robbery at The House Sweepstakes, 6969 Old U.S. 52, near Lexington, according to a news release from the sheriffs office. Video at the business captured three people entering the business together. Once inside, a man wearing a bandana over his face, brandished a firearm and demanded money. Once the money was obtained, the trio left the building. Two of the suspects, whom police identified as Raymond Andre Brown, 45, of Althea Street, and Tanya Renee Mabe, 43, of Devonshire Street, left the scene in a vehicle. They were later apprehended on a nearby street while waiting for the third suspect, Corey Lamont Gaddy, 40, of Thomasville Road, according to the sheriffs office. Brown and Mabe were arrested and charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and placed in the Davidson County Jail, each under a $25,000 secured bond. Their court date is set for Feb. 15 in Lexington. Gaddy, who has not been located, has outstanding warrants for robbery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, second-degree kidnapping, carrying a concealed weapon and assault by pointing a gun, according to the sheriffs office. KERNERSVILLE While authorities were booking a Kernersville man for two sexual battery charges on Friday, a third victim called Kernersville police to report yet another case, a Forsyth County magistrate reported. Stefan Ryan Shuford was charged Friday with three counts of sexual battery and three counts of assault on a female, after he allegedly thrust his face into the buttocks of three different women on South Main Street in Kernersville. The crimes occurred in a public place, authorities said. The crimes are all misdemeanors. Thats not all: The magistrate reported that two weeks ago, Shuford was charged with sexual battery in a similar case, but that Shuford was released after that incident after posting a $10,000 bond. Shufords bond was set at $55,000 following his arrest on Friday. He remained in the Forsyth County Detention Center on Sunday, authorities said. Shuford is 25 years old and lives on Avenbury Circle, authorities said. In all three of Fridays assaults, authorities said, Shuford grabbed his victims and pushed his face into their buttocks. Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@skagitpublishing.com for help creating one. Goshen, IN (46526) Today Cloudy skies during the morning hours followed by thunderstorms in the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 88F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely in the evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms later on. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. This is the right hand doing business with the left hand, said Thomas Hadwin, a former executive for electric and gas utilities in Michigan and New York who now lives in Virginia and has been critical of Mountain Valley. So if you expect that to represent the need of the marketplace, its not doing that. End users of the gas, such as Roanoke Gas, have been identified for just 13 percent of the pipelines capacity. Demand for natural gas is leveling off at the same time pipeline construction is rising, critics say, which could lead Mountain Valley to export the gas to customers overseas. Lawyers for FERC counter in briefs filed with the D.C. Circuit that the 20-year contracts, referred to as precedent agreements, account for 100 percent of the pipelines capacity. That demonstrates that there is a market for the gas, they argued, and that the companies involved would not have invested in the project unless they were confident it will succeed. FERC also found studies showing a lack of demand for natural gas to be unpersuasive, the attorneys said. Was Mountain Valleys use of eminent domain under the FERC certificate allowed by the Natural Gas Act? Thankful for the press every day To the editor: In response to the Jan. 23 letter to the editor, The evil, lying press is at it again, its truly odd that the author, Robert Hudson, thinks the media especially MSNBC and CNN are fake news when both instances that he referred to were reported truthfully. Both networks reported what Buzzfeed said and also what Special Counsel Robert Mueller said in response. Both sides of the story were reported. These two news outlets also correctly reported what happened with the students from Kentucky, correctly telling both sides of the story. These networks have never had to apologize for telling lies like Fox News has had to do many times over. Granted, both networks have their people making comments just like Fox News does all of the time. Its funny how all of the sudden Hudson and others think what Mueller says is truthful about the Buzzfeed story when they have put him down for the past year. Its also comical when they put these networks down but support a president who couldnt tell the truth if his life depended on it. Ive been unfollowing Twitter mates who habitually list Trumps old crimes and personal frailties as though they were news. They dont seem to understand that for many, raw anger has turned into acceptance of what he is. Theres no fixing Trump. Hes a problem that needs managing. Enter House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She is a model of self-control. She speaks in the calm manner needed for dealing with people who act on impulse. Mother of five, shes a proven master at containing tantrums. Measured leadership in national politics is exactly what most Americans want. Theres a yearning for normality in their national politics. On this subject, we urge some of the hotheads on the left to modulate their emotions. It is in their interests to play it cool, assuming that their interests center on getting Democrats elected and not building their own brands for a niche audience. Thus, it was pleasant to watch a Golden Globe Awards presentation that didnt bubble over with rage at the man in the Oval Office. The moral preening in the past was hard on the stomach, including for many who agree with the messages. Hollywoods elite should know that celebrity does not necessarily confer superior political insight. Im a graphic designer at heart, Harold said during an interview at the reception. Harold also re-created picket signs and placed them on the wall behind the area where viewers watch footage, giving them a sense of being in the middle of the protests. We need to empower people here that they were a big part of history, Harold said. Also on display is a water hose used to spray Danville protestors in 1963 as well as handcuffs and a billy club from the era. Harold said it is not known whether the latter two items were used on protestors. The significance of having the exhibit at the Sutherlin Mansion that houses the museum was most certainly not lost on museum officials, which is presenting the display in partnership with the group History United. Its amazing that its here in the Danville museum, said Karice Luck, program coordinator with History United. Confederate President Jefferson Davis resided at the Sutherlin Mansion during the last days of the Civil War from April 3-10, 1865. In the house, Davis held the last full cabinet meeting of his presidency and authored his last official proclamation as president of the Confederacy, which fought to preserve slavery in the South and lost. She said families sometimes cant afford to pay to both send kids to school and feed them while at school, so these meal pouches offer a form of relief. Tonkin said it amazes her how people who are so far removed from another place can still make a difference. These people may never go to Haiti, but theyre impacting lives there, she said. Rise Against Hunger provides the tools for packaging the meals but rely on volunteers to put everything together into a final meal bag. Davis described Saturdays mood as joyful. With every 1,000 meals complete, a gong sounded, quickly followed by cheers from the tables of volunteers. We love to be able to conjoin forces when we can and do more, said Davis. Students from Tunstall High School, Chatham High School and Chatham Hall joined the Rotarians as well, along with a sprinkling of community members. Davis and Rodenburg said the youths participation added to the days excitement, and the students didnt mind volunteering either. Gloucester, MA (01930) Today Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High near 80F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Clear skies with a few passing clouds. Low near 65F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Arab League calls for Syrian integrity, peaceful solution to crisis Iran Press TV Sun Jan 27, 2019 05:15PM Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit has stressed the need for maintaining Syria's territorial integrity against foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorist groups, and a peaceful settlement to the conflict there. During a meeting with the United Nations' new envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, in the Egyptian capital city of Cairo on Sunday, Aboul Gheit said the solution to the conflict in Syria must meet the aspirations of all Syrians while preserving unity in the country and region. He went on to say that his 22-member regional organization's stance vis-a-vis the crisis is in line with the related UN Security Council resolutions, saying the conflict "is considered first and foremost an Arab issue." The high-ranking Arab diplomat then underlined the need for measures to stop regional and international meddling in Syria, saying such interventions have had negative repercussions on the course of the conflict settlement. Aboul Gheit also called for the complete elimination of terrorism from the Syrian soil. Pedersen, for his part, briefed the Arab League chief on the most important results of his initial contacts with the parties concerned with the crisis in Syria ever since he took office earlier this year. On Saturday, Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui called on the Arab League to restore Syria's membership, saying the "natural place" of the country is within the 22-member regional organization. "Syria is an Arab state, and its natural place is within the Arab League," Jhinaoui said during a news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Tunis. "The question of Syria returning to the Arab League does not depend on Tunisia but on the Arab League," he noted, adding, "The foreign ministers (of member states) will decide on this subject." Tunisia is scheduled to host the 30th annual summit of the Arab League in March. The Arab League suspended Syria's membership in November 2011, citing alleged crackdown by Damascus on opposition protests. Syria denounced the move as "illegal and a violation of the organization's charter." Washington Lifts Sanctions Against Russian Companies En+, Rusal, Eurosibenergo Sputnik News 00:25 28.01.2019(updated 00:26 28.01.2019) US Treasury Department announced in a press release that it lifts sanctions on Russian firms Rusal, En+ and Eurosibenergo. US Treasury Department announced that it lifts sanctions on Russian firms Rusal, En+ and Eurosibenergo, noting however that the sanctions against Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska remain in place. "The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today lifted sanctions imposed on En+, Rusal, and EuroSibEnergo following an earlier notification submitted to Congress on December 19, 2018 All sanctions on Deripaska continue in force," the press release read. Previously, the US authorities introduced sanctions against several Russian businessmen and companies controlled by them, including Deripaska and his companies. The Treasury later revealed its plans to abandon the sanctions, citing the companies' readiness to undergo structural changes to reduce ownership of Deripaska, who was targeted by US sanctions. The businessman himself and his assets were to remain under the restrictions. Sputnik U.S. Lifts Sanctions On Rusal, Other Firms With Links To Deripaska By RFE/RL January 27, 2019 WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Treasury Department says sanctions imposed on three companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska have been lifted. The action, which was vehemently opposed by the Democratic-controlled U.S. House, was announced on January 27 in a statement by the Treasury. The Treasury said the removal of sanctions was based on the fact that aluminum giant Rusal, its parent company En+, and power firm EuroSibEnergo "have reduced Oleg Deripaska's direct and indirect shareholding stake in these companies and severed his control." "This action ensures that the majority of directors on the En+ and Rusal boards will be independent directors -- including U.S. and European persons -- who have no business, professional, or family ties to Deripaska or any other [sanctioned individuals], and that independent U.S. persons vote a significant bloc of the shares of En+," it added. The sanctions were initially imposed in April, but they roiled global metals markets, unnerving businesses in the United States and Europe; Rusal is one of the world's largest aluminum producers. The U.S. administration later reached a deal with the Russian firms to end Deripaska's control in return for a lifting of sanctions. On January 17, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to stop sanctions on the companies from being lifted. The vote was mainly symbolic, given a similar measure failed to be approved by the Senate a day earlier. President Donald Trump's administration had lobbied lawmakers hard to not pass the measure. U.S. critics have accused the president of making too many concessions to Russia with nothing in return, while Trump has insisted he has been tougher on Moscow than previous presidents. Many Democratic lawmakers, and even some Republicans, insist that it is inappropriate to ease the sanctions at a time while Special Counsel Robert Mueller is probing whether Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Moscow. "We are dealing with the enemy. We are in an investigation," Democrat Maxine Waters, chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, said before the House vote, which passed 362-53 in favor. Deripaska, who is widely believed to have close ties to the Kremlin, agreed to dispose of his controlling stakes in the companies. He himself remains subject to U.S. sanctions. According to Russian state-run TASS news agency, Deripaska has reduced his stake in En+ to 44.95 percent from about 70 percent previously. In addition to his ties to the Kremlin, Deripaska also was a former business partner with Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman. Manafort was convicted in federal court in Virginia in August 2017 of bank fraud and tax evasion connected to his work with pro-Russia elements in Ukraine. He later pleaded guilty in a separate case to two counts of conspiracy to avoid a second trial in Washington, D.C. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-sanctions-lifted-rusal- deripaska-russia-kremlin/29734352.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Six killed, over a dozen injured in bomb and gun attacks across Iraq Iran Press TV Sun Jan 27, 2019 02:06PM Iraqi security officials and medical sources say at least six people have lost their lives and more than a dozen sustained injuries when separate bomb and gun attacks struck the country's northern provinces of Salahuddin and Nineveh as well as the eastern province of Diyala. Shirqat police chief colonel Majeed Ghatran said two policemen died and eight others were wounded when a bomb hit a bus transporting security forces on their way to work near the town, located some 300 kilometers (190 miles) north of the capital Baghdad, on Sunday. He added that another bomb struck a second group of officers, who were heading to the location of the first explosion, killing two and wounding three. Moreover, Police Lieutenant Abdelkadir al-Jabbouri said unidentified gunmen fatally shot an Iraqi man and his wife in the town of Shoura, south of Mosul. Police Captain Habib al-Shimari also said militants had attacked a security checkpoint in Diyala, injuring five security personnel. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for Sunday's attacks, but such assaults bear the hallmark of those carried out by Daesh Takfiri terrorists. Former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared the end of military operations against Daesh in the Arab country on December 9, 2017. On July 10 that year, he had formally declared victory over Daesh in Mosul, which served as the terrorists' main urban stronghold in Iraq. In the run-up to Mosul's liberation, Iraqi army soldiers and Hashd al-Sha'abi fighters had made sweeping gains against Daesh. Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January 2017 after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19 that year. Daesh began a terror campaign in Iraq in 2014, overrunning vast swathes in lightning attacks. Iran does not allow interference in its defense policies: Qassemi Iran Press TV Sun Jan 27, 2019 04:16PM The Islamic Republic acts independently in adopting its defense policies and will never allow other countries to interfere in that regard, says the spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry. Speaking in an exclusive interview with the IRIB News Agency, which was published on Sunday, Bahram Qassemi said, "As we have said time and again, we determine our own defense policies and will not allow others to interfere with such issues." Iran will never hold negotiations with others about its missiles and defensive matters and will follow its own national and indigenous policies, he said. The Iranian official reiterated that Iran's missile program is a domestic issue of a completely deterrent nature and has been designed to defend the country. Qassemi was referring to recent remarks by France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian against Iran who said on Friday that his country was ready to impose new sanctions on Tehran if no progress was made in talks over its ballistic missile program. "We have begun a difficult dialog with Iran... and unless progress is made we are ready to apply sanctions, firmly, and they know it," Le Drian said, demanding that Iran change its behavior in the region, particularly regarding its presence in Syria. Diplomats previously told Reuters that new sanctions being considered by EU countries over the missile issue could include asset freezes and travel bans on the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRCG) and people involved in Iran's ballistic missile program. During his interview, Qassemi said the French officials had to consider the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 and see that Iran's missile issues are in no contradiction to it. UN Security Council Resolution 2231 enshrines the 2015 international nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which Washington has withdrawn under the pretext, among others, that it should have included Iran's missile program as well. Under the deal, reached between Iran and six major powers, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, Tehran agreed to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions. Elsewhere in his remarks, Qassemi also reacted to the French foreign minister's claims about Iran's regional role, saying, "Our policy vis-a-vis regional and neighboring countries is completely clear." "We are interested in having peaceful and cordial relations with all regional and neighboring countries and want to be able to lead the region toward stability and development," the Iranian official said. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in December that Resolution 2231 had not imposed any ban on Iran's missile program. "As the foreign minister, I can say that the issue of missiles has never been subject to negotiations between Iran and its [opposite negotiating] sides," Zarif said. The top Iranian diplomat's remarks came after Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said the Islamic Republic is currently one of the world's topmost missile powers despite being subject to severe sanctions during the past 40 years. "Today, Iran is among the world's topmost powers in building missiles, radars, armored vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)," the Iranian defense minister said in an exclusive interview with IRNA, emphasizing that Iran's defense power is meant to send the message of peace and friendship to other nations. France's Macron in Egypt Amid Defense, Rights Concerns By Lisa Bryant January 27, 2019 French President Emmanuel Macron left a France roiled by ongoing yellow vest protests for another tumultuous region the Middle East and talks with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on regional politics and weapons sales, shadowed by the looming U.S. troop pullout from Syria. Macron's three-day Egypt visit, his first official trip there since taking office in 2017, underscores that country's role as vital ally in the fight against terror and hub of stability in a restive region. Crucially, too, Cairo is a big-spending client for French weapons manufacturers, buying warships and fighter planes, with more potential sales in the pipeline. Human rights pressure But the French president is facing heavy pressure to speak out against allegations of widespread human rights violations in Egypt, including those reportedly using equipment purchased from France. Adding to the pressure is a letter written to Macron by the family of a French teacher killed in police custody in 2013, calling for the "truth" behind his death. "I imagine that President Macron is going to attempt to walk a fine line," between raising rights concerns and prioritizing regional stability and security, said Dana Stroul, senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Macron's first task on his arrival Sunday was less controversial: visiting the temples of Abu Simbel in Upper Egypt with his wife, Brigitte. Talks later with Sissi are expected to range from reinforcing economic cooperation, to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, to Libya and Syria. Place on world stage Since taking office in 2017, the 41-year-old Macron has pushed for greater French clout on the world stage. He has hosted summits on climate change, peace, the Sahel and Libya. He criticized the Trump administration's decision to pull out of Syria, saying "an ally must be dependable," and that France would remain militarily involved in the region. But Paris is no substitute for Washington, experts note, and French troops are already stretched in the Sahel. Still, Stroul believes France can partially help fill the U.S. withdrawal gap in other ways. "What the French and the Europeans can do is play a much more robust diplomatic role in insisting the U.N. process be used for a political transition in Syria, and more robustly using sanctions and the potential to contribute to reconstruction as a leverage," Stroul said. Those measures, she added, will help ensure "the U.S. withdrawal does not just leave a vacuum for Russia, Iran and other adversaries to fill." Weapons deals Potential weapons deals are also expected to headline Macron's Egypt talks. One of the world's top arms exporters, France has supplied Egypt with warships and cruise missiles over the years, and Cairo was the first client to buy French Rafale fighter jets, says Paris-based defense expert Pierre Tran. "Egypt is a very important arms client for France," Tran said. "It effectively bailed out France by buying two Mistral helicopter ships that France had to buy back from Russia" because of a canceled deal. France's La Tribune newspaper speculated Egypt would agree to buy dozen more Rafale fighter jets during Macron's visit, but the French presidential palace has reportedly said there will be no announcements during this visit. Discussions over the Egyptian purchase of two more French corvette warships, on top of four already bought, are also at "an advanced stage," France's Le Monde newspaper reported. Activists detained, tortured More certain is pressure at home for the president to speak out about rights abuses, including those tangling French weapons sales. Human rights advocates blame Egypt for detaining and torturing scores of activists over the years since the 2013 coup, among other repressive measures. An October report by rights group Amnesty International claims French military and security equipment was used by Egyptian security forces in "brutal repression." And a recent report by nongovernmental group Front Line Defenders described worker abuse at an Alexandria shipyard building corvettes in partnership with the French company Naval Group, a practice that reportedly flouts France's laws requiring French firms to establish mechanisms to prevent right abuses. "France has been nurturing the dictatorship by equipping it with weapons and surveillance equipment, which has allowed the regime to go after the population and human rights activists," said Antoine Madelin, international advocacy director at the Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights, or FIDH. During talks with Sissi in Paris in 2017, Macon gave the Egyptian president a list of Egyptian prisoners of whom he demanded the release, and the government says rights remain a priority for the French president. "We engage in open and regular dialogue with Egypt on the issue of human rights," a French foreign ministry spokeswoman told reporters ahead of Macron's trip, saying such talks would continue including on individual rights cases. But rights groups say Macron's government has not done enough. "The French government is facing a moral failure for not putting human rights in front of its economic interests," Madelin of FIDH said. Adding to the pressure is a recent letter to Macron by the family of slain French teacher Eric Lang, who had been living in Cairo for 20 years. In 2013, he was allegedly beaten to death while being detained in an Egyptian prison. Six Egyptians were jailed for his killing, but the family has blamed Egyptian police. "We don't understand why our country abandoned a French citizen and didn't put all its political weight to shed light on his death," wrote Lang's sister and mother. Still Egypt's role as a key stabilizer and regional, if waning powerhouse, is key for France and other western countries. Both countries are concerned by the turmoil in Libya, migration, and other sources of regional instability, including terrorism. On Libya, French efforts to increase its influence in the North African country's politics has led to a power rivalry with Italy that some analysts believe undermines U.N. peace efforts. Both European countries hosted summits last year on Libya's future. December 2018 elections in Libya, agreed to during the French summit, have been postponed amid ongoing fighting by rival militias, among other roadblocks. Missile launch shows China's DF-26 able to adjust position mid-flight, attack moving aircraft carriers: expert Global Times By Liu Xuanzun Source:Global Times Published: 2019/1/27 16:00:50 Close-up details of the Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile DF-26 show that the missile can greatly adjust its position mid-flight to accurately attack a moving aircraft carrier, experts said Sunday after China showed the launch of its new-generation missile for the first time. Western media frequently question the DF-26's ability to hit a moving vessel, saying China had never practiced attacking such a target. The recent exercise demonstrated the missile's capability, experts said. People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force conducted a live-fire exercise somewhere in Northwest China featuring the launch of two DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missiles, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Thursday. The nose of the missile has a double-cone structure with four fin-like flight control surfaces symmetrically built around the base of the warhead, the CCTV report shows. This is the first time the launch of a DF-26 missile and detailed images of its appearance have been made public. Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday that the special design enables the missile to accurately control the attack trajectory, as the four flight control surfaces provide super maneuverability and guide the warhead during the terminal stage to hit a slow-moving aircraft carrier. Song, who used to serve in the Second Artillery Corps (now the Rocket Force) of the PLA, said the double-cone structure provides the missile with increased targeting capability, speed, and stealth, making it more difficult to intercept. "An information network connected to the warhead, which possibly includes satellites, ground and naval radar in addition to radar on the missile itself, will constantly update the location of a moving target, informing flight control where to guide the missile," a Beijing-based military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday. Already in service with the PLA Rocket Force, the DF-26 can carry conventional or nuclear warheads and is capable of launching precision strikes on land targets or medium and large vessels at sea, said Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian at a routine press conference in April 2018. However, many foreign military experts and media doubted the missile's capability to fulfill its claimed role. US media outlet CNN quoted Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, as saying in January that no military has ever successfully developed an anti-ship ballistic missile and using one would also require practice launches, which China has shown no evidence of having done. The recent exercise is an example of practiced launches, said Song. The DF-26 is said to have an effective range of 4,500 kilometers, and could reach US naval bases in Guam in the western Pacific, china.com reported. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 814-368-3173 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. Russia Detects US Military Satellites' Manoeuvres in Outer Space Report Sputnik News 11:18 27.01.2019 The reported manoeuvres come after US President Donald Trump presented the country's new Missile Defence Review last week, saying that in line with the document, Washington "will recognise that space is a new war-fighting domain, with the Space Force leading the way". Russian surveillance systems have detected the separation of two smaller space vehicles from a large US military satellite in geostationary orbit, according to a document from the Astro-Cosmic Scientific Centre which Sputnik obtained. The document said that the separation of two sub-satellites, USA-285 and USA-286, from the EAGLE carrier vehicle was tracked by the Russian Automated Warning System for Hazardous Situations in Outer Space on 23 April 2018. An analysis of the sub-satellites' movements revealed "an unpredictable change in the trajectory of one of them, which may be a sign of its manoeuvring capabilities", the document concluded. On April 14, the US rocket Atlas V launched two US Air Force satellites into orbit, including the Continuous Broadcast Augmenting SATCOM (CBAS) and the experimental ESPA Augmented GEO Laboratory Experiment (EAGLE) demonstrator. The reported satellite manoeuvres come about a week after US President Donald Trump presented the country's new Missile Defence Review, which aims to strengthen and expand country's missile defence capabilities on land, sea, and in space amid alleged fears it will spark a nuclear crisis with Russia and China. According to the document, the US will explore space-based interceptors as a means of engaging, with offensive missiles in their boost phase in order to boost its missile defence capabilities. The new review also pushes for developing a layer of space-based sensors that will enhance US capabilities to detect and track more complex missile threats. The Russian Foreign Ministry, for its part, warned that the new US Missile Defence Review leads to the revival of the Reagan-era Star Wars program at a higher technological level. Sputnik Guaido Says He Wants to 'Increase Pressure', Not Spark Conflict in Venezuela Sputnik News 01:03 28.01.2019(updated 01:39 28.01.2019) The opposition leader who last week declared himself Venezuela's interim president, Juan Guaido, called the situation in Venezuela an "almost magical moment" for the economically devastated country. Guaido, who claimed President Maduro had "usurped" power with last year's election, argued that this gave him the authority to claim temporary leadership as the presidency was left "vacant", he explained in a recent interview with the Guardian. "Frustration has turned to hope. People are daring to dream again we have awoken from a nightmare to have new dreams, to dream of the future, to dream of our country, [to dream] not of what we were, but of what we can become," said the 35-year-old politician. Guaido was supported by the US, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging members to support the self-declared president of Venezuela at a specially convened meeting of the UN security council on Saturday. Yet Britain, France, Germany and Spain say they will recognise Guaido as interim president unless fresh elections are called within eight days. Guaido also realises that his opposition movement still lacks support from the Venezuelan military. Last week Venezuela's defence minister slammed Guaido's "criminal plan" to destabilise Venezuela and said he would support Maduro. Guaido noted that the discharge of 3,600 military officials since last year was proof of the "emerging" support for protesters within the armed forces. "We have yet to consolidate these [gains] in order for us to really to be able to execute the process that will lead us to a transitional government and, ultimately, to fresh elections," the opposition leader said. Earlier Venezuelan former trade minister, Moises Naim raised concerns that Venezuela could become a fractured country due to the confrontation between Guaido and Maduro. He told the Guardian he was worried that the country could fragment under the control of different chieftains and warlords and generals and narco-traffickers and envisioned the possibility of "Venezuela becoming like a tapestry of different power centres." Guaido tried to answer these fears by insisting that "the idea is to increase pressure," not spark a conflict. The self-declared interim president said that there are risks "but there will be bigger rewards." "We all know that the situation is dire but regardless of this, I have received encouragement. It's been great to see a newfound hope," he added. He also noted that new the elections should be called as soon as possible after Maduro is gone. The latest move of the head of Venezuela's opposition-led National Assembly is scheduled for Sunday as he is set to announce a fresh anti-government rally on Sunday. "I urge everyone to be attentive as today at 8:00 p.m. local time [00:00 GMT] we will announce the next manifestation which should be convincing," Guaido wrote on Twitter. Sputnik Australia Recognizes Guaido as Venezuelan Interim President Sputnik News 03:19 28.01.2019 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Australia recognizes the head of Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the country's interim president until elections are held in the country, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement on Monday. "Australia recognises and supports the President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, in assuming the position of interim president, in accordance with the Venezuelan constitution and until elections are held. Australia calls for a transition to democracy in Venezuela as soon as possible," the statement read. On Wednesday, Guaido, the head of Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared himself the country's interim president in a move that had been recognized by the United States, Canada and a number of other countries. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused Washington of orchestrating a coup in the Latin American country and said that Caracas was severing diplomatic ties with Washington, asking US diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours. However, a representative of the US State Department has told Sputnik that Washington had no plans to close its embassy in Venezuela and would continue evaluating the situation "on the ground." Sputnik One-Time Trump Aide Might Cooperate in Russia Probe By Ken Bredemeier January 27, 2019 Roger Stone, a long-time friend and adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, said Sunday he would consider cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and discuss his conversations with the U.S. leader. Stone, charged last week with lying, obstruction and witness tampering in connection with Trump's campaign, told ABC's "This Week" show, the extent of his cooperation with Mueller's 20-month probe would be something he would "have to determine after my attorneys have some discussions." He added, "If there's wrongdoing by other people in the campaign that I know about, which I know of none, but if there is, I would certainly testify honestly." The 66-year-old Stone, arrested in a pre-dawn FBI raid Friday on his Florida home, has denied wrongdoing, saying hours after his apprehension, "I will plead not guilty to these charges, I will defeat them in court. I believe this is a politically motivated investigation." As he left court Friday after posting a $250,000 bond to secure his freedom pending trial, Stone said, "I have made it clear that I will not testify against the president, because I would have to bear false witness against him." Stone told ABC that if he cooperates with Mueller, "I'd also testify honestly about any other matter, including any communications with the president. It's true that we spoke on the phone, but those communications are political in nature, they're benign, and there is certainly no conspiracy with Russia." Stone said he never discussed cooperation with Russia with Trump. "Everything that I did... is constitutionally protected free speech. That is what I engaged in - it is called politics," Stone said. Stone is the sixth key figure in Trump's orbit to be accused of criminal offenses as a result of the Mueller investigation. Five men - former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, campaign aide Rick Gates, foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, one-time national security adviser Michael Flynn and former personal attorney Michael Cohen have pled guilty or been convicted of various offenses. Papadopoulos served a short jail term, while Cohen has been sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to turn himself in in early March. Manafort, Gates and Flynn are awaiting sentencing. After Stone's arrest, Trump sought to distance himself from his one-time aide, saying on Twitter, "Roger Stone didn't even work for me anywhere near the Election!" 20 Dead, 81 Hurt in Philippines Cathedral Bombing By VOA News January 27, 2019 Twin bombings Sunday at a cathedral in the restive southern Philippines have killed 20 people and wounded 81. Police say earlier death tolls were incorrect because of double counting. The government, in a statement, has promised to hunt down the attackers "until every killer in brought to justice and put behind bars." The statement said, "the ruthless perpetrators" will be shown "no mercy." The first bomb exploded during Mass inside the cathedral in Jolo, in the province of Sulu. As military and police forces rushed in to help, the second bomb went off. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte condemned the bombing as an "act of terrorism." United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called "for the perpetrators of these crimes to be swiftly brought to justice." Late Sunday, Islamic State's news agency Amaq said the terrorist group claimed responsibility for the blasts. Jolo is situated in a mostly Muslim region of the predominantly Catholic Philippines. The blasts come just days after the region held an autonomy referendum, which was overwhelmingly approved. Sulu province voters, however, rejected the autonomy vote but it still will be part of the new entity. Sulu is home to the Islamist militant group Abu Sayyaf, which has been blamed for a number of deadly bombings. Cameroon Struggles to Secure Neighbors, Its Own Territory By Moki Edwin Kindzeka January 27, 2019 While Sudan hosted a new round of Central African Republic (C.A.R.) peace talks this week (Thursday, Jan. 24), Cameroon's military was announcing new troop deployments to contain spillover from fighting inside C.A.R.'s border. In Bossangoa, the capital of Ouham, more than 200 people came to hear Gaston Guella, an official of the Bossangoa council in the Ouham prefecture in western C.A.R., assure them in the Sango language that forces of the Multi-Dimensional United Nations Peacekeeping Operation in Central Africa (MINUSCA) would track down a group of armed men that attacked their city Friday night. Bossangoa Mayor Pierre Denamge said Friday's attack, which residents said left six people wounded and caused many to flee their homes for safety, indicates the population and peacekeeping forces should remain on high alert. The town has not had an attack in the past six weeks, and Denamge credited Cameroonian troops, who constitute the bulk of the U.N. peacekeeping force, saying they are doing a good job. He says the people of C.A.R. are satisfied with the work done by the Cameroon military, especially as villagers can continue farming, fishing and hunting without fear of harassment, and traders can go to their shops because they know they have protection from the troops under the U.N. peacekeeping mission. He said everyone is happy that peace is returning and chaos is being reduced. However, 40-year-old cattle rancher Ahmed Mahmoudou said the magnitude of the attack indicates the armed rebels are not ready to lay down their weapons. He says the population was helpless and running in all directions when indiscriminate and heavy shooting began at the village's Catholic church. He says members of his self-defense group decided to withdraw and alert the military because they could tell the attackers were more heavily armed. Many people have fled the area since 2013, and deserted streets and burned roofs are a stark reminder of the violence the Central African town had witnessed before the arrival of the U.N. troops. U.S. citizen Kenneth Gluck, the U.N.'s deputy special representative and deputy head of MINUSCA, says if the stability that has been established since last year continues, refugees and internally displaced persons can start to return to the western part of the country. "This is exactly the part the country where we have seen the greatest progress toward peace and stability, and in great part because of the efforts of the Cameroonian soldiers and officers and policemen," Gluck said. "We see in the west of the country a real progress toward stabilization, which should allow during 2019 the gradual return of refugees and displaced persons." Since 2013, thousands have been killed in C.A.R., and a quarter of the population of 4.5 million people has fled their homes. Peace talks in Khartoum Last Thursday, peace talks to end chronic violence in the Central African Republic began in Khartoum, with representatives of the government and 14 armed groups in attendance, according to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the C.A.R. The U.N. peace mission is made up of more than 13,000 troops and police, and Cameroon contributes more than 1,000 troops. Other pockets around the country are held by militias who say they are defenders of a particular community or religious group, but they often fight over mineral wealth. The conflict began in 2013 when a mainly Muslim rebel movement called the Seleka overthrew President Francois Bozize, a Christian. That move triggered the rise of a predominantly Christian militia called the anti-Balaka. Border deployment Cameroon's military sings as it also deploys to Garoua Boulay, the border town with C.A.R. The soldiers say that besides fighting to bring peace to C.A.R., they also must fight to stop the spillover of the crisis from neighboring countries, including the robberies and kidnappings that are on the rise. Armed groups from the C.A.R. have been stealing supplies and taking dozens of people hostage for ransom. Cameroon also is mobilizing troops along the country's northern border with Nigeria to fight Boko Haram terrorists, and in the western English-speaking regions where separatists have been fighting to create an English-speaking state. The military has not given any official announcement, but it is believed both their resources and military are already stretched. US 'Serious' About Promoting Peace in Afghanistan, Withdrawing Troops - Pompeo Sputnik News 05:59 27.01.2019 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is willing to promote peace in Afghanistan and withdraw its troops from the country, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday. "The U.S. is serious about pursuing peace, preventing #Afghanistan from continuing to be a space for international terrorism & bringing forces home. Working with the Afghan gov't [government] & all interested parties, the U.S. seeks to strengthen Afghan sovereignty, independence & prosperity," Pompeo posted on Twitter. There are currently around 14,000 US troops on top of around 16,000 servicemen from NATO and partner states deployed in Afghanistan. The forces are engaged in a training and support mission for the Afghan military there. Afghanistan has long been suffering from an unstable political, social, and security situation due to the activity of various terrorist and radical groups, including Daesh*. The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, supported by a US-led coalition, are conducting joint offensive operations to combat terrorism across the country. *Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/Islamic State/IS), a terrorist group banned in Russia and a wide number of other countries. Sputnik Hezbollah Says Can Retaliate Against Israel in Case of New Airstrikes on Syria Sputnik News 06:50 27.01.2019 BEIRUT (Sputnik) - Lebanon-based military group Hezbollah does not rule out that it, Iran, and Syria could retaliate against Israel if it conducts another airstrike on Syria, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said. "There's a possibility that we will make a decision on various responsive measures over Israeli aggression, since what happened the last time [in Syria] was very dangerous," Nasrallah told Lebanese Al Mayadeen broadcaster late on Saturday. He specified that Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria the members of the anti-Israeli alliance Axis of Resistance could respond to Tel Aviv's aggression, emphasizing that their capabilities should not be underestimated. Earlier in the week, Israel delivered three airstrikes on reported Iranian targets in Syria. At least four Syrian servicemen were killed and another six were wounded in the airstrikes. Hezbollah has been supporting the Syrian government in its fight against terrorist groups since 2012 upon Damascus' request. Nasrallah has repeatedly emphasized that Hezbollah troops were ready to leave Syria immediately after the Syrian government asked them to do so. Sputnik Venezuelan Senior Official Says Guaido Acknowledged Being Under US Govt Pressure Sputnik News 07:28 27.01.2019(updated 08:01 27.01.2019) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Jorge Rodriguez, Venezuelan vice-president for communications, culture, and tourism, claimed on Sunday that Juan Guaido, who declared himself the country's interim president on Wednesday, had acknowledged that he was pressured by US politicians. Rodriguez said that on Tuesday Guaido had met with Venezuelan Constituent Assembly President Diosdado Cabello and Freddy Bernal, a member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, in Caracas' Hotel Lido. "This senor [Guaido] has confessed to Diosdado that he could not stand the pressure from the United States and that [opposition politicians] Leopoldo Lopez and Maria Corina [Machado] were calling him by the phone all the time to convey messages from [US Senator] Marco Rubio and [Colombian President] Ivan Duque," Rodriguez said in a statement released on the website of the government. Rodriguez has also provided a video featuring a man, resembling Guaido, entering the hotel. Guaido has denied meeting with Cabello. However, later on Saturday, he acknowledged that he had met with Venezuelan officials, without specifying either their names or the dates of the meetings. "I am going to meet with all the officials in order to put an end to usurpation and hold free elections. Have I talked with officials or not? I obviously have," Guaido said at a meeting with his supporters. On Wednesday, Guaido, the speaker of the opposition-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly, declared himself the country's interim president just one day after the assembly declared President Nicolas Maduro, who has been ruling the country since 2013, a usurper. Maduro accused Washington, which immediately recognized Guaido as interim president, of staging a coup in Venezuela. Russia has stressed that it only recognizes Maduro as the legitimately elected Venezuelan president. Sputnik At Least 20 People Killed, 81 Injured in Explosion in Philippines - Reports Sputnik News 07:39 27.01.2019(updated 19:44 27.01.2019) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The death toll in the blasts that hit a cathedral in the southern Philippine province of Sulu on Sunday morning has climbed to 20 people, while the number of injured reached 81, local media reported, citing police. One improvised explosive device detonated inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, located in Sulu's Jolo municipality, and another at its entrance, the Rappler news portal specified. According to the Rappler news portal, police have announced that 20 civilians are among those killed in the explosions, while soldiers account for the rest of the victims. Mujiv Hataman, the governor the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where the Sulu province is located, believes that the attack has been most likely committed by terrorists. "At this point in time, we do not want to make speculations, but we can be sure that this is 99% the handiwork of terrorists," Hataman was quoted as saying by the news portal. Later in the day, Pope Francis condemned the bombing attack inside the cathedral referring to it as "terrorist attack". At least five soldiers were among those killed. According to the police, all the injured people were evacuated immediately. The country's Armed Forces and National Police are currently working to ensure security in the area. Sputnik Venezuelan Defence Ministry Slams Military Attache's Move to Recognize Guaido Sputnik News 09:55 27.01.2019(updated 17:55 27.01.2019) CARACAS (Sputnik) - The Venezuelan Defence Ministry said on Sunday that Col. Jose Luis Silva, a military attache at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, has committed treason by recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as country's interim president. "To surrender to international interests is an act of treason and cowardice towards the homeland inherited from our liberator Simon Bolivar, so we reject the statements of Col. Jose Luis Silva, who had served as military attache to the United States," the ministry wrote on Twitter. On Saturday, the Venezuelan attache told the US Spanish-language daily newspaper El Nuevo Herald that he did not recognize Nicolas Maduro as the Venezuelan president. Silva also called on the global community to recognize Guaido, who declared himself the country's interim president on Wednesday, as the "true president of Venezuela." The situation in Venezuela, which has been hit by mass protests since the beginning of the week, escalated on Tuesday when the opposition-controlled National Assembly declared that Maduro had usurped power. Guaido, the National Assembly speaker, has proclaimed himself interim president. The United States, alongside a handful of other nations, recognized Guaido as the interim president, after which Maduro accused the US of organizing a coup in Venezuela. Maduro also cut off diplomatic relations with Washington and ordered US diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours. Russia stressed that it only recognizes Maduro as the legitimately elected Venezuelan president, warning against any interference or intervention. Sputnik Japan Won't Budge on Kuril Islands Position - Cabinet Deputy Chief Secretary Sputnik News 10:50 27.01.2019 TOKYO (Sputnik) - The Japanese government has not changed its principal stance on the disputed Kuril islands amid ongoing peace talks with Russia and continues to insist that they are Japan's ancestral territory, Deputy Chief Secretary of the Japanese cabinet Koichi Hagiuda said. "The Japanese government's basic stance, stating that the [Kuril] islands are our [Japan's] ancestral territory, remains unchanged," Hagiuda told the NHK broadcaster. Earlier in January, Moscow and Tokyo, which did not sign a peace treaty after the end of World War II, primarily due to the territorial dispute over the Kuril islands, and technically remain at war with each other, held the first round of peace talks. The disputed group of four islands Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai is currently governed by Russia, which insists that the territories were transferred to the Soviet Union after the end of the war and have been an integral part of the country ever since. Ahead of his recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which took place on Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Japan would claim sovereignty over the Kurils but had no intention of deporting Russian citizens living there if the islands were indeed conceded to Tokyo. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in turn, stressed earlier in January that the two sides had agreed to work on the basis of the 1956 joint declaration, meaning Japan's recognition of "Russia's sovereignty over all the islands of the South Kuril ridge." Sputnik US, Canadian Jets 'Identified' Russian Bombers in Airspace Near Canada - NORAD Sputnik News 11:07 27.01.2019 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - On Saturday, the Russian Defence Ministry said that two Tu-160 strategic bombers had carried out a planned flight over the neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean, spending over 15 hours in the airspace. The ministry noted that all flights had been conducted in strict accordance with the international rules on the use of the airspace. "An E-3 AWACS, 2x F-22, 2x CF-18 fighter jets from North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) positively identified 2x Russian Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers entering the Canadian Air Defence Identification Zone on January 26, 2019. Bombers remained in international airspace and did not enter sovereign territory," NORAD wrote on Twitter. Two F-22 Raptor fighters of the United States Air Force, two CF-188 fighters of the Royal Canadian Air Force as well as the E-3 Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft have "identified" two Russian Tu-160 bombers in the international airspace near Canada, NORAD said on Sunday. The Tupolev Tu-160, also known in Russia as the White Swan for its huge white wings reaching a 55-metre span, is a supersonic strategic bomber developed in the early 1980s. The jet can reach Mach 2 speeds and fly up to 12,300 kilometres without refuelling. Tu-160 can also carry up to 40,000 kilogrammes of ordnance, such as 6 Raduga cruise missiles or 12 Kh-15 (NATO codename AS-16 Kickback) short-range nuclear missiles. Sputnik Venezuela's Maduro Open to Dialogue, Doesn't Rule Out Meeting Trump - Reports Sputnik News 14:45 27.01.2019(updated 18:07 27.01.2019) This comes after earlier this week, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called opposition leader Juan Guaido a US "puppet" and accused the United States of organising a coup in Venezuela. Nicolas Maduro is open to dialogue with the international community, however, he stressed that opposition leader Juan Guaido breached the constitution by declaring himself president, the Venezuelan president said in an interview with CNN Turk on Sunday. Maduro went on to note that he may meet US President Donald Trump. He also urged EU member states to revoke their ultimatums requesting a fresh election in Venezuela within eight days. On Saturday, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom called on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to hold a "free and transparent" snap election. If he fails to do so within eight days, they threatened to recognise Juan Guaido as the country's interim president, following Washington's move. Maduro's remarks come after on Wednesday, Juan Guaido, the speaker of the opposition-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly, declared himself Venezuela's interim president. Sputnik Kremlin Spokesman Refutes Reports of Russian Military Presence in Venezuela Sputnik News 17:05 27.01.2019(updated 17:10 27.01.2019) VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik) - Media reports claiming that Russian military contractors have arrived in Venezuela to reinforce the security of President Nicolas Maduro are untrue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday. "Fear sees danger everywhere. Of course not," Peskov told the Rossiya 1 broadcaster when asked whether it was true that Russian military were protecting Maduro in Venezuela. The Reuters news agency reported on Friday citing sources that Russian private military contractors flew into Venezuela to help guard Maduro amid ongoing protests in the country. Russian Ambassador in Caracas Vladimir Zaemsky told Sputnik that the report was "another hoax." On Wednesday, Juan Guaido, the head of Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared himself the country's interim president in a move that had been recognized by the United States and a number of other countries. Russia, China, Mexico, Uruguay and other countries, on their part, have expressed support for Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president, with Moscow expressing readiness to act as a mediator in the conflict between the government and the opposition. Sputnik Kremlin: Talks on Peace Deal Between Russia, Japan Hampered by Tokyo's Sanctions Sputnik News 17:23 27.01.2019 VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik) - Conclusion of a peace treaty over the disputed Kuril islands between Moscow and Tokyo is impeded by Japan's sanctions against Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday. "They [Japan] support the sanctions regime, and this is one of the issues, one of the situations, which seriously hamper the signing of the peace treaty," Peskov told the Rossiya 1 broadcaster. Japan joined the sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States against Moscow in 2014 after Crimea's reunification with Russia and amid the crisis in eastern Ukraine. In October 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted at the Valdai Discussion Club forum in Sochi that confidence between the two countries needed for signing the peace treaty was undermined by some factors including Tokyo's sanctions against Russia. At the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in September, Putin proposed Japan to sign the peace treaty without any preconditions by the end of 2018, but it had found no understanding on the part of Tokyo, Peskov noted. The Russian-Japanese relations have long been complicated by the fact that the two nations never signed a permanent peace treaty after the end of World War II. The deal was never reached because of a disagreement over a group of four islands Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai that are claimed by both countries. They are collectively referred to as the Southern Kurils by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan. Sputnik Caracas Compares EU Ultimatum for New Elections to Actions of Colonial Powers Sputnik News 21:09 27.01.2019(updated 21:10 27.01.2019) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Sunday rejected an ultimatum from several EU countries to call fresh elections within eight days, stressing that they were acting like "colonial powers." "The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly rejects the statement by the European Union from January 26, which has confirmed its decision to join the coup d'etat, orchestrated by the US government, bearing in mind the attempt to give Venezuela the ultimatum reminiscent of the style of colonial powers," Arreaza said on Twitter. Earlier, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain issued an ultimatum to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, saying that he had eight days to organize elections or they would recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's interim president. The Netherlands has also supported the ultimatum. On Wednesday, Guaido, the head of Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared himself the country's interim president in a move that had been recognized by the United States and a number of other countries. Russia, Mexico, Uruguay and other states, on their part, have expressed support for Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president, with Moscow expressing readiness to act as a mediator in the conflict between the government and the opposition. Sputnik Violence Against US Diplomats to Be Met 'With Significant Response' - Bolton Sputnik News 21:34 27.01.2019(updated 23:36 27.01.2019) On Sunday, the last group of US diplomats left Venezuela, according to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who noted that he had tasked the nation's foreign ministry to initiate talks with Washington. Washington will respond to violence and intimidation directed toward US diplomats or Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido, stated John Bolton, the White House national security adviser, on Sunday. "Any violence and intimidation against US diplomatic personnel, Venezuela's democratic leader, Juan Guiado [sic], or the National Assembly itself would represent a grave assault on the rule of law and will be met with a significant response," Bolton tweeted. Bolton's tweet comes after the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, said earlier in the day that he had ordered the country's foreign ministry to begin talks with the US within 30 days on the creation of so-called offices of mutual interests. Earlier, the US alongside a handful of other nations recognized Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela. Maduro quickly accused the Washington of organizing a coup in the country. Maduro cut off diplomatic relations with the US and demanded that US diplomats leave the country within 72 hours. On Wednesday, Guaido, the speaker of the opposition-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly, declared himself the country's interim president. Sputnik 'We Have Succeeded In Surviving': An Interview With Exiled Tajik Islamic Party Leader Muhiddin Kabiri By Bruce Pannier January 27, 2019 According to Tajikistan's government, the disbanded Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) is a "terrorist organization" with evolving ties in the global network of extremist groups. The IRPT helped recruit citizens of Tajikistan to go to Syria and Iraq and join the ranks of jihadist groups, and even recently conspired with the militant group Islamic State (IS) to carry out attacks inside Tajikistan, Tajik authorities allege. Most others view the IRPT differently. When the Justice Ministry revoked the IRPT's registration as a political party in August 2015 (after years as the only legally registered Islamic political party not just in Tajikistan but across the entire former Soviet space), the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan issued a statement expressing concern about the ban on the IRPT and saying, "International observers believe these actions are politically motivated and intended to eliminate the IRPT -- Tajikistan's last remaining opposition group -- and intimidate its supporters," adding that "it is vitally important to distinguish between peaceful political opposition voices and violent extremist acts." For its part, Human Rights Watch (HRW) noted, "The ruling comes amid a worsening government crackdown on dissent, and after a long and harsh government-orchestrated campaign against the party." Subsequent attempts by Tajik authorities to convince other governments and international organizations to recognize the IRPT as a terrorist group have largely failed. Interpol withdrew its "red notice" for the IRPT's leader in February 2018, and many IRPT leaders and their families who fled the country have since found asylum in Europe. However, Tajikistan's government maintains its position that the IRPT is responsible for or involved in wrongdoing on Tajik territory. Tajik officials often make public references to the IRPT, typically branding it a terrorist or extremist group. Since being banned in Tajikistan in 2015, the IRPT has had limited opportunities to present its side of the story in response to government accusations. (An exception is the OSCE's annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw, which IRPT representatives have regularly attended since 2016.) The government's charges against the IRPT have been well-covered by international media and are referenced in the stories appended as links to this article. In an effort to provide a fuller picture of the dispute between the Tajik government and the IRPT, Qishloq Ovozi asked the leader of the former Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, Muhiddin Kabiri, to respond to questions about his organization. Kabiri responded in writing during the first half of December to questions from Qishloq Ovozi. You're welcome to skip ahead to that interview if you like, but here's some useful context. The IRPT was part of an alliance, called the United Tajik Opposition, that battled the Tajik government during the country's 1992-97 civil war. The June 1997 peace accord -- which was also endorsed by Iran, Russia, and the United Nations -- ended the war and allowed opposition groups to be registered and integrate into Tajikistan's political arena, even guaranteeing them 30 percent of government posts at all levels. The deal was subsequently regarded by many international experts on conflict resolution as a successful model for resolving other civil wars, including the Afghan war between government and Taliban forces. Muhiddin Kabiri became the IRPT's leader after the death in August 2006 of Said Abdullo Nuri, a signatory to the 1997 peace accord on behalf of the opposition. Before it was banned by the government, the IRPT was the second-largest political party in Tajikistan, with around 40,000 officially registered members. However, it had steadily been losing prominence: In Tajikistan's March 2015 parliamentary elections, the IRPT lost its last two seats in parliament and its last government posts. The Tajik government's expulsion of the IRPT from the country began with the revocation of its registration as a legal political party on August 28, 2015. The move was followed in September by a chain of events that concluded with the government branding the IRPT an extremist group. On September 4, 2015, Tajikistan's government claimed that Deputy Defense Minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda had launched an attack on a police station in Vahdat, outside Dushanbe. Tajik authorities called Nazarzoda's purported attack an attempted coup and connected the IRPT to Nazarzoda. The IRPT denied links to Nazarzoda. Nazarzoda had been a member of the opposition at the start of the civil war, but he left for Kazakhstan in 1993 and only returned once the war was over, quickly finding a place in the Defense Ministry. There is no public evidence to suggest Nazarzoda was connected to the IRPT after his return to Tajikistan. He was killed in a security operation on September 16, 2015. By the end of September 2015, the Tajik Justice Ministry had declared the IRPT a terrorist organization. Tajik authorities detained 13 of the IRPT's leaders who were still in the country after the Nazarzoda incident. They were all later convicted. IRPT deputy leaders Saidumar Husaini and Mahmadali (Muhammad) Hayit were sentenced in June 2016 to life imprisonment. UN Special Rapporteur David Kaye said after the sentencing, "The crackdown on the IRPT over the last year silenced one of the few opposition voices in the country, seriously compromising the prospects for public participation in Tajikistan's political life." In May 2018, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Hayit's detention violated several articles of the UN Declaration of Human Rights and recommended Hayit's immediate release. All are still in prison. In 2017, Tajikistan amended legislation to allow courts to try and sentence suspects in absentia. Kabiri's trial in absentia started in February 2018. In the closed-door proceedings, he reportedly faced 16 charges, including inciting racial, national, regional, or religious hatred and plotting the violent overthrow of the government. Tajikistan's Supreme Court found Kabiri guilty in early October and sentenced him to a lengthy prison term. Information about just how long the prison sentence was, and of what charges Kabiri was found guilty, was not made public. Here is a slightly edited translation of Kabiri's Russian-language responses to Qishloq Ovozi's questions. Qishloq Ovozi: You were recently tried in absentia and sentenced to a long prison term. What is your response to the trial process and the charges against you? Muhuddin Kabiri: Already a year ago, the authorities were forced to introduce amendments to legislation so that they could convict me in absentia, without any lawyers or court proceedings. Especially after Interpol removed me from the international wanted list and not one country or international organization recognized the charges of the authorities against us, [Tajik authorities] took this step. I and my representatives not only did not take part in this process, I don't even know what specifically they accused me of. I do not even have a copy of the court decision, which by law must be presented to anyone convicted. From the very start, the entire process contradicted all laws and logic. Therefore, it has no judicial force and I do not recognize it. Qishloq Ovozi: Tajikistan's government says the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) is an extremist group and that you worked together with the so-called Islamic State (IS) extremist group in planning attacks in Tajikistan, such as the attack on the foreign bicyclists at the end of July. How do you respond to these accusations? Kabiri: After the attack on the bicyclists, we condemned that terrorist attack and called for the creation of an international commission to investigate this crime. This was an extremely vicious crime that deserved condemnation. This was a heavy blow not only to Tajikistan but to all Muslims. After all, many [critics] are waiting for such a moment in order to further accuse Islam, Muslims, or those connected with Islamic opposition groups of all sorts of sins. That is what has been done by Tajikistan's authorities. It is as if they prepared in advance for this incident and quickly, without any preliminary investigation, accused our party. Even after ISIS claimed responsibility, the authorities continued to blame us. Tajik authorities are speculating on the situation with radicalization and terrorism. The impression is being created that they are interested in the presence of the constant threat of terrorism in the region and in the country. They are doing everything they can so that this topic remains relevant for everyone, the population and the international community. [It's being done] so that people don't think or talk about the economy, social life, free elections, corruption, etc. Most importantly, they want to show the world that in Tajikistan there never has been and never will be a peaceful opposition, and that any political activity by citizens will turn into radicalism and chaos. This is why [the Tajik authorities] are interested in the constant presence of this threat so that, under the guise of battling terrorism, they can carry out a genuine war on the opposition, those who think differently, and those who do not agree with their policies. We are convinced that the Tajik authorities chose these tactics for the long haul and do not intend to correct their mistakes. They are counting on the fact that the West, Russia, and China have no other recourse and will all be forced to accept whatever the Tajik authorities do or say. As concerns the authorities' other absurd accusation -- that we asked [Islamic State] to carry out this terrorist attack -- this is not even worth responding to. IS and other extremist groups consider us to be their ideological opponents, and we consider them as such. We have always been against violence, totalitarianism, and sowing ideology in society -- for whatever reason, religious or secular. One can see we differ from those other groups. Since the authorities brazenly and maliciously accuse us of cooperation with IS, there are logical and direct questions one can pose. For example, why would we "order" a terrorist attack against citizens of European countries when are living in European countries, where they have given us protection, freedom, and shelter? How is that in our interests? If the Tajik opposition were willing to do such a thing, why against European tourists? Why not against the criminals in government, who are responsible for the deaths, suffering, and humiliation of thousands of the country's citizens? There are some other important questions that authorities don't answer. Why did they kill all the members of the group [of suspects in the attack on the cyclists] after they were apprehended and left only the leader? Why do [the authorities] persistently not want to connect this crime with IS? Why don't [the authorities] listen to the recommendations and advice of international organizations, experts, and diplomats who year after year tell them to stop putting pressure on the peaceful opposition, rights activists, journalists and those who think differently [from the authorities], insofar as it is fomenting radicalism among the population? It is impossible to say that [the authorities] don't understand or don't know this. There are people working [in the government] who have academic degrees, who have contact with experts and international organizations. They even have experience working abroad. In fact, they understand very well, but they have strong interests in the situation developing this way. Everything is going according to their plans. Qishloq Ovozi: The IRPT was banned toward the end of 2015 and declared an extremist group in Tajikistan. You and some others were not in the country at that time, but thousands of IRPT supporters remain there. What can you say about their situation? Are you able to maintain communication with some of them? What about top IRPT officials Hikmatullo Saifullozoda, Mahmadali Hayit, and Buzurgmehr Yorov, the lawyer who agreed to defend IRPT officials in court, for example? Kabiri: Immediately after the banning of the party, we issued a statement about halting our activities not only in Tajikistan but across the post-Soviet space. We stated that no one has the right to act in the name of our party in these countries until the next decision. That way, we helped thousands of our members and supporters who did not succeed in getting out to avoid investigations and pressure from the authorities. Later, the authorities themselves declared they would investigate former members of the party if they carried on political activities in our party's name after the ban. But unfortunately, they did not keep their word and more than 100 people were arrested or questioned during this time. [The Tajik authorities] often detained people and, after receiving a certain sum of money, released them. And the more intractable or influential figures were thrown in prison on the basis of fictitious charges and forced to make statements against the party. Some of those who were investigated had stopped their political activities before the ban on the party. The most recent example is Naimjon Samiev, the former head of the party's branch in the Sughd region, who left for Russia in 2014 and ceased his activities. In November 2018, they arrested him in Chechnya at the request of Tajik authorities and secretly, without a trial, brought him to Tajikistan. Many migrants who earlier cooperated with us in Russia were forced to sign a statement at the embassy in Moscow in 2015 that they were ceasing their activities for the party. But this did not save them, and just the other day several people were forced to post video statements in which they said they were not members of our party. This shows that the repressive mechanism is still working. Concerning our political prisoners, we receive information about them from relatives and those close to them. Often, when they desperately need something. According to the information we receive, they are kept in inhumane conditions, humiliated and beaten. Under various pretenses the conditions of their incarceration are stiffened. For example, all the political prisoners are put on lists of those "likely to try to escape" and every two hours they are made to go through extremely humiliating procedures like squatting on their hands, or with their hands on their heads, until they fall over, even under heavy rain or [the hot] sun. Recently, relatives of political prisoners who are outside the country formed a committee for their support and they conducted several rallies. One example is the meeting at the embassy in Berlin near the Bundestag. The UN Committee for Human Rights has already demanded that several political prisoners be freed immediately -- Zayd Saidov, Mahmadali Hayit, and Buzurgmehr Yorov. This committee is looking into the cases of several others, and we hope in the near future there will similar calls, for example, in the cases of Sayfullozoda Husaini and Rahmatullo Rajab. Qishloq Ovozi: The IRPT was part of Tajikistan's government for 18 years. Can you describe the IRPT's relations with the Tajik government during that time? What do you think was the reason, or the reasons, that Tajik authorities chose to remove you from the political scene in Tajikistan? Kabiri: We entered the government with the 30 percent quota in 1998 and out of all the opposition groups, 54 people received posts at various levels, including local administrative posts. At the most, there were 10 members of our party and at the most they stayed in these posts until 2005. Therefore, it is impossible to say we were part of the government for 18 years. As the authorities accumulated power into the hands of [President Emomali Rahmon], he gradually removed all representatives of the opposition from their posts, leaving only those who could not be called opposition figures. So, in fact, he dismantled the peace agreement by 2005, but the status quo was preserved. As concerns the reasons why he decided to cast us and other genuine opposition forces from the legal political field, this was connected with his plans to ultimately create family rule in the country. He analyzed who and which forces could not resist this, independent of ideology or size. For example, he understood that even the loyal Communists under the leadership of a person such as [former leader of the Communist Party of Tajikistan Shody] Shabdolov would support his plans without any particular enthusiasm. Already for him, ordinary and silent loyalty was not enough. He demanded complete obedience. We and the Communists always had but two places in parliament, but this turned out to be too much. He threw opponents into prison. Some people were killed in unclear circumstances. Others fled the country. He oversaw the necessary changes in the constitution that gave him the right to lead the country for life and transfer power to his children, with the political field devastated and without even one voice inside the country to oppose him. Not only in parliament, but throughout the country there was not one public voice against [him or his government]. He got what he wanted, full power, the possibility to transfer this power to his children, and control over the wealth of the country. But for how long? And it's unclear what kind of scenario he sees for the future for his children and his clan. Qishloq Ovozi: What are your plans now? Kabiri: We [base our plans on] the situation in which our region is now in and we do not set tasks that cannot be fulfilled. We have succeeded in surviving the shocking condition we found ourselves in and have adapted to the new realities and made the necessary reorganization. That is very important for any political forces in exile. We are set to work in several directions. Work with our migrants so they do not fall under the influence of radical groups; build a constructive relationship with all governments and international organizations that are interested in a stable and democratic Tajikistan; set up members and supporters of the party and the National Alliance for a difficult, possibly long battle; and most important, that this battle should always be waged by peaceful means. One could argue with our plans for uniting all opposition groups of Tajikistan, wondering if this is possible. It is known we created the National Alliance of Tajikistan that four opposition parties and movements joined. Today, this is the most optimal thing. We set for ourselves the task of uniting all opposition groups to the greatest extent possible. No one, ever, anywhere would be able to unite all the spectrum of opposition in society and to set such a task would be unrealistic. There is and always will be reasons why political groups cannot enter into a united coalition and this needs to calmly be taken into consideration. That was the way it was with the UTO, where many politicians or groups did not enter. Not joining this or that coalition does not mean groups cannot cooperate. A path to cooperation can be found even without a coalition, if there is a common goal and general vision of the future. That is what we are doing now with many groups and figures. Qishloq Ovozi: What were the strategic mistakes the party made during these 18 years? Kabiri: Of course, there were mistakes I made and the party made. For example, after the signing of the peace agreement, our party did not focus attention on strengthening civil society. This was a mistake. We attempted to do something, but it turned out not to be enough. Maybe for this reason, civil society was weak and even our support could not set it on its feet. That was surely the major mistake of the opposition in the past. However, we did provide help to publications, NGOs, students, athletes, even to state institutions. I remember when the only religious musical orchestra in the country had financial difficulties. They appealed to us, and the leadership of the party paid for their charges and salaries. Naturally, this did not fall into the activities of a political party, but many awaited such help from us. We need to separate political and religious activities at an early period. We understood this and started an internal process and thought the authorities should also be interested in this. We even hoped for moral support. But it turned out they were just interested in preserving the party in its original form until its closure. That we realized the intentions of the authorities so late was our mistake. RELATED LINKS HIGHLIGHTING GOVERNMENT STATEMENTS ON KABIRI AND HIS PARTY: https://www.dw.com/ru/------/a-18751079 https://rus.ozodi.org/a/first-deputy-minister-calls-Islamic-party-terrorists-/29481728.html https://lenta.ru/news/2015/09/29/pivt/ http://marzbon.tj/?p=3254 https://www.newsru.com/world/05sep2016/interpol.html https://regnum.ru/news/2370652.html https://www.rbc.ru/politics/01/08/2018/5b6192cf9a79477adc063e1b http://sugd.tj/index.php/tj/navid/9465-2018-05-17-07-00-56 https://www.fergananews.com/news/23950 The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/interview -with-exiled-tajik-islamic-party-leader- muhiddin-kabiri/29733702.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Kremlin Casts Doubt On Report It Sent Military Contractors To Help Venezuela's Maduro By RFE/RL's Russian Service January 27, 2019 The Kremlin has cast doubt about a report that it has sent as many as 400 private military contractors to Venezuela to help embattled socialist President Nicolas Maduro strengthen security amid opposition protests and a competing claim to leadership by opposition head Juan Guaido. Speaking in a January 27 appearance on "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin," a weekly show on state TV, Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, was asked, "So are 400 of our fighters guarding Maduro in Venezuela or not?" He responded by saying, "Fear has 100 eyes," suggesting reports citing that figure were exaggerated or untrue, but did not answer the question directly. Peskov was then asked whether the Kremlin would "officially confirm" such reports and responded, "Of course not." He was not asked directly whether any Russian military contractors had been sent to Venezuela and did not volunteer that information. Previously, Peskov had said only that the Kremlin "has no such information" on the January 25 report by Reuters. The sources told Reuters that the contractors are associated with the so-called Wagner group of mostly former Russian service personnel who have been involved in clandestine operations in foreign countries. Yevgeny Shabayev, head of the All-Russia Officers Assembly with ties to Russian military contractors, said he had heard the number of Russian contractors in Venezuela could be around 400, although other sources spoke of smaller numbers. Dmitry Aleshkovsky, a prominent Russian activist and blogger, says he found evidence of a state-owned Rossia airliner that could have carried out the flight mentioned by Reuters to deliver the contractors. He says a Russian aircraft of the special flight squadron Russia IL-96 with the tail number RA-96019 flew on January 19 from Moscow to Senegal. From Senegal on January 23 it went to Paraguay, and from there on the same day toward Havana until the plane's transponder using for tracking purposes was turned off. According to publicly available data, he says the plane landed twice more possibly in Havana and in Caracas. After that, the transponder was turned back on and data show the plane landed back in Moscow. Private Russian military contractors have been reported in other countries, including Syria, Ukraine, and in African nations. On January 23, Russia Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that military contractors were operating in Sudan after British press reports stated that they were helping to crack down on protesters in that country, which is an ally of Moscow. But she denied they had anything to do with Russian state bodies. Guaido, the president of the opposition-led National Assembly, on January 23 declared himself acting president in Caracas, as tens of thousands of people marched across the country against Maduro. Dozens of protesters have been killed in the unrest. On January 26, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on all United Nations members to recognize Guaido as Venezuela's interim president, calling Maduro's government nothing more than an "illegitimate mafia state" and a "socialist experiment" that has caused the economy to collapse. "Now it is time for every other nation to pick a side. No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you're in league with Maduro and his mayhem," Pompeo said at a January 26 special session of the UN Security Council. Maduro, who took office in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez, has been criticized for alleged human rights abuses and for his handling of Venezuela's economy. Maduro was sworn in for a second term two weeks ago but has been met by international condemnation. An estimated 3 million people have fled the country amid shortages of items like medicine and food. With reporting by Interfax and TASS Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kremlin- denies-report-it-sent-military-contractors-to-help- venezuela-s-maduro/29734187.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. U.S., Canadian Jets Scrambled To Escort Russian Bombers Away From North American Coastline By RFE/RL January 27, 2019 U.S. and Canadian fighter jets were scrambled to escort two Russian nuclear-capable bombers away from the North American coastline in the Arctic region, military officials say. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) on January 26 said two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers were identified entering an area patrolled by the Royal Canadian Air Force on January 25. It said two U.S. F-22 and two Canadian CF-18 fighter jets flew to the location and escorted the Russian bombers out of the zone. The U.S. jets flew out of a base in the U.S. state of Alaska, the military said. The reports did not specify the exact location of the encounter. The military monitors air traffic in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, which extends 320 kilometers off Alaska. Russian state-run TASS news agency on January 27 cited U.S. officials as saying the Russian jets did not enter "sovereign territory." It quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying the two strategic bombers "completed a scheduled flight over neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean [and] practiced refueling" during a 15-hour flight. There were no reports of conflict between the Russian and the U.S. and Canadian warplanes. "NORAD's top priority is defending Canada and the United States," General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, the NORAD commander, said in a statement. "Our ability to protect our nations starts with successfully detecting, tracking, and positively identifying aircraft of interest approaching U.S. and Canadian airspace." NORAD, a combined U.S.-Canadian command, uses radar, satellites, and aircraft to monitor aircraft entering U.S. or Canadian airspace. U.S. officials have reported several incidents of U.S. and Canadian jets scrambling to intercept Russian warplanes and escorting them from the region. In September 2018, the Pentagon issued a protest after U.S. Air Force fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace west of Alaska. In that incident, the jets followed the Russian craft until they left the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone. In April 2017, Russian warplanes flew near Alaska and Canada several times, prompting air defense forces to scramble jets after a two-year lull in such activity. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the incident, saying the bombers were performing "scheduled flights over neutral waters" when they were escorted by the U.S. F-22 warplanes. Encounters between Russian and NATO warplanes in various parts of the world have increased in recent years as Moscow demonstrates its resurgent military might. Moscow said it scrambled a jet in June 2017 to intercept a nuclear-capable U.S. B-52 bomber it said was flying over the Baltic Sea. With reporting by AP, Reuters, and Fox News Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-canadian-jets -scramble-escort-russian-blackjack-bombers -away/29733515.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. U.S. Peace Envoy In Kabul After 'Significant Progress' Made In Qatar By RFE/RL January 27, 2019 U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is consulting with Afghan government officials following six days of talks with the Afghan Taliban in Qatar aimed at ending the 17-year conflict in Afghanistan. Khalilzad traveled to the Afghan capital, Kabul, on January 27 after the envoy, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Taliban officials hailed progress toward peace. Reuters, quoting a Qatari Foreign Ministry official, reported the talks were successful enough that the two sides have "agreed tentatively to reconvene on February 25." Highlighting the effort in a series of tweets, Khalilzad said on January 26 that the United States and the Taliban had made "significant progress," adding that the talks in Doha were "more productive than they have been in the past." He also emphasized that the sides "have a number of issues left to work out" and that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed." "Encouraging news from [Khalilzad]," the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted. The top U.S. diplomat also wrote that the United States was "serious about pursuing peace, preventing Afghanistan from continuing to be a space for international terrorism & bringing home forces." Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that while there was "progress" at the meetings, reports of an agreement on a cease-fire were "not true." Mujahid also said in a statement that talks about "unresolved matters" will continue. Until the withdrawal of international troops was hammered out, "progress in other issues is impossible," he insisted. Earlier, unidentified Taliban sources quoted by the Reuters news agency said the two sides had finalized clauses to be included in a draft agreement. They envisaged foreign forces withdrawing within 18 months of the deal being signed in return for assurances that Al-Qaeda and the extremist group Islamic State (IS) would not be allowed to use Afghanistan as a base to attack the United States and its allies. The Western-backed government in Kabul has struggled to fend off a resurgent Taliban, as well as IS and Al-Qaeda militants, nearly two decades after a U.S.-led coalition drove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan in 2001. The Taliban has so far refused to hold direct negotiations with the Afghan government officials, whom they dismiss as "puppets." The militants say they will only begin talks with the government once a firm date for the withdrawal of U.S. troops has been agreed. With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, AFP, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-peace -envoy-in-kabul-after-significant-progress-made- in-qatar/29733921.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. US says progress made in Taliban talks amid reports of troop pull-out deal Iran Press TV Sun Jan 27, 2019 04:40AM The US envoy leading the so-called "peace talks" with the Taliban terrorist group has confirmed "significant progress" in the negotiations amid claims by the group that the American side has agreed to a troop-withdrawal deal. "Meetings here were more productive than they have been in the past. We have made significant progress on vital issues," Zalmay Khalilzad said in a Twitter message on Saturday from Qatar, where the talks have been underway for the past six days. Khalilzad noted, however, that no deal had yet been finalized with the militant group that has claimed responsibility for numerous bombings and terror attacks against the Afghan government and civilian targets as well as on the US-led foreign troops in the war-torn country. He further expressed confidence that talks would resume shortly. "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and everything must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire," he further wrote. A US State Department spokesperson, however, declined to comment on Khalilzad's statements. Meanwhile, US negotiators Saturday agreed on a draft peace agreement, setting out the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan within 18 months, according to the details of the agreement given to Reuters by Taliban sources. "The policy of the Islamic Emirate during talks was very clear until the issue of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is agreed upon, progress in other issues is impossible," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, using another name the group calls itself. It was not immediately clear whether the draft described by the Taliban sources was acceptable to both sides or when it could be completed and signed. The Taliban sources further said other clauses in the draft include an agreement over the exchange and release of prisoners, the removal of an international travel ban on several Taliban leaders by Washington and the prospect of an interim Afghan government after the ceasefire is signed. They also confirmed provisions in the draft that have wider repercussions for Afghanistan's ties with its neighbors, particularly Pakistan, India and China. The sources added the deal include provisions that separatist militants from Balochistan, a resource-rich southwestern Pakistani province, will not be allowed to use Afghan soil to target Pakistan. According to the sources, the terrorist group gave assurances that Afghanistan will not be allowed to be used by allied al-Qaeda and rival Daesh (ISIL) terrorist groups to attack the US and its allies a key early demand of Washington. Daesh terrorists were among the militants initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government. They further said the deal included a ceasefire provision but they had yet to confirm a timeline and would only open talks with Afghan representatives once a truce was implemented. Up until now, the Taliban has repeatedly rejected the Afghan government's offer of holding talks, preferring instead to talk directly to the American side. "In 18 months, if the foreign forces are withdrawn and ceasefire is implemented then other aspects of the peace process can be put into action," a Taliban source said, quoting from a portion of the draft. Despite the presence of US-led forces in Afghanistan 17 years after their invasion to drive Taliban from power, the terrorist group controls nearly half of the country. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said last week that 45,000 members of the country's security forces had been killed since he took office in 2014. The United States has nearly 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led mission, known as Resolute Support. US, Canada scramble jets to escort Russian bombers Iran Press TV Sun Jan 27, 2019 02:00PM The United States and Canada have sent four fighter jets to shadow Russian long-range bombers flying near Canadian air defense identification zone in the Arctic region, authorities say. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed that two US Air Force F-22 stealth aircraft and two Canadian Royal Air Force CF-18 fighter jets were scrambled on Saturday to escort two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack nuclear bombers. The Russian jets were flying near an area off the North American coastline that is regularly patrolled by the Royal Canadian Air Force, according to US media reports. The encounter ended without any conflicts. NORAD admitted in its statement that the Russian bombers remained in international airspace and did not enter US or Canadian territory. NORAD states on its mission statement that it uses advanced radars, satellites and fighter jets to monitor aircraft flying in and out of US or Canadian airspace. "NORAD's top priority is defending Canada and the United States. Our ability to protect our nations starts with successfully detecting, tracking, and positively identifying aircraft of interest approaching U.S. and Canadian airspace," General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, the NORAD commander, said in a statement. This is not the first time that Russian and American military forces come in close contact. In fact, such incidents have increased in number over the past years as a result of growing tensions between the two sides in the Middle East and the Pacific region. American aircraft and warships have been flying close to Russian territories in the Black Sea region on a regular basis, prompting similar responses from Moscow. Days ago, Russia warned US Navy destroyer USS Donald Cook against approaching Russian coasts, stressing that Moscow is closely watching and monitoring the warship's actions. In early November, A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a US Navy EP-3E Aries spy plane that was approaching the Russian territories during NATO military drills in the Black Sea. Venezuela's Maduro rejects Europe's call for new election Iran Press TV Sun Jan 27, 2019 03:37PM Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has rejected an ultimatum made by a number of European countries that calls for a new election in the Latin American state within eight days, amid a profound political crisis there. In an interview with CNN Turk aired on Sunday, the Venezuelan president rejected the European ultimatum to either hold a new election within eight days or see the Europeans recognize opposition figure Juan Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela. Thirty five-year-old Guaido, an unknown figure until recently, has already proclaimed himself "interim president" of Venezuela. The United States quickly recognized him as the leader of the country. Britain, Germany, France, and Spain announced that they would recognize Guaido if Maduro failed to call a new election within eight days. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza has lambasted that ultimatum as "childlike." "Europe is giving us eight days? Where do you get that you have the power to establish a deadline or an ultimatum to a sovereign people," Arreaza said at a United Nations Security Council session on Saturday. Other countries, including Russia, Turkey, China, and Iran, have expressed support for the elected government in Venezuela and condemned outside interference in the country. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday urged the world to support Guaido and reject "Maduro and his mayhem." The US, Canada, most Latin American, and many European countries have labeled Maduro's second-term election win gained last May as fraudulent, a claim strongly rejected by Caracas. Maduro, 56, was sworn in for his second term on January 10, after a vote marred by an opposition boycott and claims of vote-rigging, leading to large anti-Maduro protests. Venezuela's incumbent president retains the loyalty of the armed forces, though the country's top military envoy to Washington, Col Jose Luis Silva, on Saturday defected to Guaido, calling on other military officers to follow suit. Maduro on Friday lambasted Trump for seeking to orchestrate a "coup" against his government by supporting the self-declared leader. Russia, too, has accused Washington of engineering a coup in Venezuela. Washington has a long record of sponsoring "regime change" campaigns in Venezuela and other countries. In 2002, the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez was ousted for two days in a US-backed coup that was ultimately defeated. Shortly after Trump's recognition of Guaido as Venezuela's "acting president" on Wednesday, Maduro said he was severing diplomatic and political ties with Washington, ordering the closure of Venezuela's embassy and consulates in the US. He also gave officials in the US diplomatic mission in Caracas 72 hours to leave the country. Despite the cutting of the ties and the US meddling in his country's domestic affairs, Maduro did not rule out the possibility of meeting with Trump in the CNN Turk interview. He said such a meeting would be improbable but not impossible. During the past few weeks, pro- and anti-government rallies have been held in the Venezuelan capital. At least 20 people have been reportedly killed in the country's recent clashes, prompting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to call on Friday for an independent investigation into the deaths. Mulvaney refusing to rule out military action in Venezuela Iran Press TV Sun Jan 27, 2019 08:29PM US President Donald Trump's acting chief of staff has refused to rule out military action in Venezuela in the midst of a political crisis there. "I don't think any president of any party who is doing his or her job would be doing the job properly if they took anything off the table," Mick Mulvaney said on "Fox News Sunday." "I think the president of the United States is looking at this extraordinarily closely." Trump has distanced the US from Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro by recognizing opposition figure Juan Guaido as the legitimate leader. Guaido, who has been serving as the president of the national assembly of Venezuela only since the beginning of this month, has proclaimed himself "interim president" of Venezuela, a claim the US rushed to back. The United States and some of its European allies have announced that they would recognize the 35-year-old member of the centrist social-democratic Popular Will party as the president of Venezuela if Maduro refuses to hold another election within eight days. President Maduro rejected the European ultimatum in an interview with CNN Turk aired earlier Sunday. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been pushing the United Nations to recognize Guaido as Venezuela's president, an idea in part opposed by Russia and China. Maduro, 56, was sworn in for his second term on January 10, after a vote marred by an opposition boycott and claims of vote-rigging, leading to protests against him. IRONHORSE Dragons train for lethality during Combined Resolve XI By Sgt. Lisa Vines January 27, 2019 GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -- Enduring sub-zero temperatures, Soldiers worked a schedule consisting of nothing but train, eat, sleep, repeat. Demanding 12-hour shifts are the standard for Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, during Combined Resolve XI, phase II, near the Camp Aachen training area in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Jan. 15-25, 2019. Combined Resolve plots Soldiers in combat scenarios against near-peer enemies. Soldiers across the brigade worked nonstop to ensure they are ready to face any potential adversary. "If I'm not in the TOC (tactical operations center) or on guard duty, I'll be asleep or working on Humvees and tracked vehicles," said U.S. Army Pfc. Cord Peterson, a fire control specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1-82 FA. In the TOC, personnel maintain constant contact with the M109 Paladin crews and battalion batteries on the firing line. The fire direction center is the link between the Soldiers on the ground and the TOC. "We choose the missions, we choose the ammo and where to shoot," said Peterson. "We decide when to shoot it and how to shoot it." Maintaining communications with the teams on the firing lines is key to a successful mission. In addition to properly engaging a steady link to Soldiers on the firing lines, it is also mission critical to come to the field prepared. With temperatures reaching 20 below freezing, Soldiers found ways to stay warm. The U.S. Army issued modular sleep system provides comfort in temperatures down to negative 50 degrees Fahrenheit when used in conjunction with various layers of extreme cold weather clothing. "The field is whatever you make it out to be," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Pearsall, a cannon crewmember section chief assigned to Bravo Battery, 1-82 FA. "If you come well prepared, you will have an okay time. It's not the best time because we're away from our families but, if you bring a sleeping bag that the Army issued you, at least you won't be cold at night." Throughout the Atlantic Resolve rotation, Soldiers have had the opportunity to grow and learn. From life lessons to tips on what to pack for the field, no one is going home empty-handed. "I've learned about talking on the radio, doing charts and maps," said Peterson. "This has shown me how much I've learned throughout the rotation, but there are a lot of things we still need to learn." Combined Resolve is the big finale of field problems for the Ironhorse Brigade. Soldiers are excited to make plans for when they finally get home. "I believe it's great training for our guys," said Pearsall. "This is our last field problem, and our guys are excited to finish it." More than 5,500 service members from across the globe participated in Combined Resolve XI at U.S. Army Europe's Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels training areas from November 2018 to January 2019. The training exercise gives units deployed in support of Atlantic Resolve the opportunity to participate in a combat training environment alongside multinational partners before returning home. Pompeo Hails 'Significant Progress' In U.S.-Taliban Talks On Afghanistan By RFE/RL January 26, 2019 WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hailed what he called "significant progress" made by the U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan after six days of talks with the Taliban in Qatar aimed at ending the 17-year conflict. "Encouraging news from [U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad]," Pompeo wrote on January 26 on Twitter. "He reports significant progress in talks with the Taliban on Afghanistan reconciliation." Pompeo also wrote that the United States is "serious about pursuing peace, preventing Afghanistan from continue to be a space for international terrorism & bringing home forces." Washington is working with the Afghan government and "all interested parties," he added, and seeks to "strengthen Afghan sovereignty, independence & prosperity." Pompeo's optimistic remarks come after Khalilzad, the veteran U.S. diplomat, said progress had been made in six days of discussions with the Taliban in Qatar. He cautioned on Twitter that no deal had been finalized with the militants, but he said further talks would resume shortly. He also said that he was flying back to Afghanistan to discuss the talks. "Meetings here were more productive than they have been in the past. We have made significant progress on vital issues," Khalilzad said in a tweet. "We have a number of issues left to work out," he said, while adding that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and 'everything' must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive cease-fire. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that while there was "progress" at the meetings, reports of an agreement on a cease-fire and talks with Kabul "are not true." "Since issues are of critical nature and need comprehensive discussions, therefore it was decided that talks about unresolved matters will resume in similar future meetings," Mujahid said in a statement released on January 26. The statement added that until the withdrawal of international troops was hammered out, "progress in other issues is impossible." Earlier, unnamed Taliban sources quoted by Reuters had said the hard-line Islamic group had offered assurances that Afghanistan will not be allowed to be used by Al-Qaeda and the extremist group Islamic State (IS) to attack the United States and its allies. "In 18 months, if the foreign forces are withdrawn and cease-fire is implemented then other aspects of the peace process can be put into action," a Taliban source told Reuters, quoting from the draft. More talks on the draft are expected in February, again in the Qatari capital, Doha, Reuters reported, quoting Taliban sources. The Taliban has so far refused to hold direct talks with Afghan government officials. The Kabul government has struggled to fend off a resurgent Taliban, as well as Islamic State and Al-Qaeda militants, nearly two decades after a U.S.-led coalition drove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan in 2001. With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, AFP, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pompeo- hails-program-us-taliban-talks-afghanistan- qatar/29733095.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Sun Sunday 99 /62 Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 90s and lows in the low 60s. Samsung Galaxy M series launch event: Catch the live streaming here News oi-Vivek Samsung is most likely to announce the Galaxy M10, Galaxy M20, and the Galaxy M30 Samsung is all set for the launch of new series of devices in India on the 28th of January 2019, to compete against the likes of the Redmi and Xiaomi smartphones. The company is most likely to launch the Samsung Galaxy M10, Samsung Galaxy M20, and the Samsung Galaxy M30 smartphones, and catch the live streaming of the launch event on GizBot. The Samsung Galaxy M series launch event is scheduled to happen on the 28th of January at 6:00 PM. As the company has already confirmed, all three smartphones will be available exclusively on Amazon. You can catch the Samsung Galaxy M series launch webcast on Amazon India, Samsung Facebook page, and Samsung India official website. Samsung Galaxy M10 possible specs The Samsung Galaxy M10 is the most affordable smartphone of the lot and is expected to cost Rs 8,990. The smartphone will come with a 6.2-inch IPS LCD screen with HD+ screen resolution, protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass. The smartphone will feature 2/3 GB of RAM with 16/32 GB of internal storage with a dedicated micro SD card slot for additional storage expansion. The Galaxy M10 will be the most affordable smartphone from Samsung with a dual camera setup. Samsung Galaxy M20 possible specs The Samsung Galaxy M20 will feature an FHD+ resolution display with a water-drop (infinity-U) notch, offering higher screen to body ratio. The smartphone will be powered by an Exynos Octa-core chipset with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. The smartphone will feature a 5000 mAh battery with support for fast charging and dual SIM card support with dual VoLTE and other improved connectivity features. The Galaxy M20 is expected to cost Rs 11,990. Samsung Galaxy M30 possible specifications The Samsung Galaxy M30 is expected to come with a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with 2340 x 1080p resolution, protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass. The smartphone will feature the newly launched Exynos 7409 SoC with 4/6 GB of RAM and 64/128 GB of internal storage with a dedicated microSD card slot. Unlike the Galaxy M10 and the M20, the Galaxy M30 will feature a triple camera setup with a standard RGB sensor, a telephoto lens, and a super wide-angle lens. The Galaxy M30 will feature a 5000 mAh Li-ion battery with support for fast charging via USB type C port with a dedicated 3.5mm headphone jack. Best Mobiles in India Redmi X with an in-display fingerprint sensor to launch on 15th of February News oi-Vivek Redmi X is the first Redmi smartphone to feature an in-display fingerprint sensor Redmi, the budget smartphone brand from Xiaomi is all set to launch a new smartphone in China on the 15th of February, which is most likely to be launched in India as well. Redmi has released a new teaser image, teasing the launch of the Redmi X smartphone. First Redmi smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor The official teaser image of the Redmi X smartphone confirms that the device will feature an in-display fingerprint sensor. The Redmi X is the first smartphone from the company with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The teaser image does not reveal additional specs of the Redmi X smartphone. Here are the possible specs-list of the Redmi X. There is also a possibility that the Redmi Note 7 Pro might be launched as the Redmi X, as the possible Redmi Note 7 Pro is expected to come with a 48 MP Sony camera and other improvements compared to the Redmi Note 7. Redmi X possible specifications According to reports, the Redmi X is most likely to come with a water-drop notch display with FHD+ resolution. Considering the in-display fingerprint sensor, the device will have an OLED display with 2.5D curved tempered glass protection. The smartphone is most likely to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC with 4/6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot for memory expansion. The smartphone is also expected to offer dual SIM card slots with support for 4G LTE and VoLTE on both the slots. Like the Redmi Note 7, the Redmi X is expected to come with a 48 MP primary camera (Sony IMX 586 sensor) with features like 4K video recording and super slow-motion video recording video capability. Stay tuned to GizBot for more information on the Redmi X smartphone, the first Redmi smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor. Via Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications LG G8 ThinQ leaked press renders reveal dual-lens rear camera setup News oi-Sandeep Sarkar LG G8 ThinQ will sport a display panel with a notch on top and will have a curved edge design. The MWC 2019 is slated to begin next month in Barcelona, Spain and during the event, the smartphone brands are expected to introduce their next device. While brands like Samsung, Sony, Nokia, and others are gearing up for their releases, the South Korean tech giant LG is also prepping up to bring its next flagship device during the event. LG is expected to introduce its next premium offering the LG G8 ThinQ at the MWC 2019 event next month. LG has already scheduled an event for February 24, 2019, and it is expected that the company will release its flagship LG G8 ThinQ during the event. Now, just ahead of its February launch the press renders of the device has been leaked online. The leaked renders give a picture of some of the key specifications which the smartphone will pack. As per the latest leaked renders, the LG G8 ThinQ will sport a display panel with a notch on top and will have a curved edge design. Unlike the premium LG V40 ThinQ that uses a triple-lens rear camera setup, the LG G8 ThinQ uses a dual-lens setup at the rear. The leaked renders don't reveal any information of the camera lenses, however, the device might use one super-wide angle camera. The leaked press renders were first spotted by XDA Developers and as per the renders, the device appears to be crafted out of metal. The design could also consist of a metal casing with a glass back similar to the one which LG G7 ThinQ sports. The LG branding will be inscribed at the bottom of the device. Coming to the placement of the keys, the volume rockers along with the Google Assistant button is placed at the left panel of the device. Whereas, the right panel of the device stores the SIM card tray and antenna bands. The 3.5mm audio jack for headphone connectivity along with the speaker grill is placed at the bottom of the device. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Google I/O 2019 date and venue announced: Everything you need to know News oi-Vivek Google I/O 2019 will happen from 7th of May to 9th of May Sundar Pichai, CEO Google has officially confirmed about the upcoming developer's Google's Developers event, Google I/O 2019. According to the latest tweet from Sundar, the Google I/O 2019 will be at Shoreline Amphitheatre from 7th May to 9th of May 2019. For the third time in a row, Google is hosting the I/O 2019 at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California. As of now, there is no information on what's cooking in the upcoming Google event. However, considering the previous I/O event, the company is most likely to announce the following aspects. Glad the transmission was received:) See you at Shoreline Amphitheatre May 7-9 for this year's I/O! #io19 pic.twitter.com/CXWpQR4Eza Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) January 25, 2019 Android Q Google will announce the features of the upcoming Android OS, Android Q at the I/O 2019, where the company will also share the details to install test/beta ROM on select Android smartphones, which includes Pixel and other smartphones launched in 2018. Android Q is expected to pack in a bunch of new features, including the system-wide dark theme to offer better battery life, revamped app permission and more. Android Q public beta will be available for the Google Pixel 3 and the Google Pixel 3 XL for sure for the day of the announcement. Hardware The search engine giant is most likely to announce the much anticipated Google Pixel 3 Lite, and Google Pixel 3 Lite XL with the same camera unit as the standard Pixel 3 with sub-par build quality at an affordable price. These smartphones will be powered by the 600 series Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage. Unlike the standard Pixel 3, these smartphones will not support wireless charging or IP rating. However, the Pixel 3 Lite and the "XL" comes with a dedicated 3.5mm headphone jack. The company recently acquired a part of smartwatch technology from Fossil, and Google is most likely to showcase the first smart watch designed and engineered by Google with the latest WatchOS. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Gillette, WY (82718) Today A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 55F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 55F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Mikheil Saakashvili together with Georgian emigrants plan to return home - GeorgianJournal Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. Over the last 25 years or so, advocates of openness in state government have lost ground each time the Legislature met, as bill after bill removed yet another set of records from public inspection records that used to be open, back in the days when Oregon was considered a national leader for government transparency. Over the years, legislators wrote into law hundreds of exemptions to the state's open records law no one is quite certain how many, but Ginger McCall, the state's public records advocate, said in a recent report that at least 550 exemptions exist. To be clear, some of those exemptions are justified. But many never were, and yet they linger in state law. The tide has turned somewhat in recent legislative sessions, as committees formed to examine the state of the public records law and new efforts were launched to clarify and add structure (and some teeth) to the rules governing access to records. Still, every session brings with it the chance for additional exemptions to be added to the state's already-lengthy list. Bills that would do that already have been introduced this session. But, to be fair, this session also features bills that should cheer advocates of open government. Here's a look at a few of the bills that have caught our interest thus far this session: When people think about economic development over the years, its been focused on three main pieces: Recruitment of new businesses into a town, ... business retention and expansion ... and then marketing regions for tourism, which also brings in economic development dollars. All three of those are very important. But we bring in the fourth leg of the stool, which is entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem building. Because sometimes people forget: Who started Weyerhaeuser? An entrepreneur. Who started Nike? An entrepreneur. Who started Nancys Yogurt? An entrepreneur. So were working with those early, early stage companies, even in idea stage, so that they become the next big players in Oregon. And I think once you start to see more and more success stories, and these success stories can take time five or 10 years for a startup to ramp up in scale thats when I think were going to see more of Oregon adopt this model. Wright: One of the first things we work on with entrepreneurs is help them do this process called value proposition design. Entrepreneurs have this idea that theyre in love with, but it may not be successful. So I take them through a process of discovering their customer and whether or not they can actually make a viable business out of this before they invest a bunch of time and money into it. And some of them go, Oh, we need to pivot. This isnt going to work. And so they change. We help them fail fast without losing any money and not that much time. And then the other thing (is) that we dont go in and just say, Oh, a community needs to do this and this. We work with the entrepreneurs who are there, and it varies. In some places, small manufacturing is really picking up. Other places, its food and beverage. Other places, its tech or financial or clothing. ... So we go in and partner with what existing communities and entrepreneurs are bringing to the table and helping that grow. How did all this happen? Why is the governor ringing down the gavel on a land sale of $3,500? I had to go to the source on state capital matters, reporter Peter Wong, who, as always, did not let me down. Wong noted that the board goes back to statehood and that it would take a constitutional amendment to change its membership. Wong also shared an anecdote about another state group, which consisted of the same three elected officials. The Board of Control managed state institutions such as prisons, the state hospital and the Fairview and MacLaren facilities until Gov. Tom McCall turned in into the Department of Human Resources (now Services) in 1971. And there remains a large conference room in the governors office which is called the Board of Control Room, even the though the board in question has been defunct for 50 years. Ah, history. One other thing on boards and commissions. They almost always take public testimony. In fact the biggest chunk of time at the State Lands Board meeting I attended was consumed by public testimony. I witness a LOT of public testimony, some good, some bad. And let me just say that just because you are speaking to the guv doesnt mean your testimony is any good. Galveston, TX (77553) Today Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High around 90F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Windy. Showers developing overnight. Low 84F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%. An estimated 1,714 cartons of cigarettes are sold in King George County every day, and county officials would like to impose a tax on smokes so they can get a piece of the nicotine pie. Its not just a money-grabber, said Richard Granger of the King George Board of Supervisors. We want to make sure our region is safe and we dont have to worry about these kinds of criminals. There are several cigarette outlets in King George along U.S. 301 near the Maryland border, and having so many places that offer Marlboros and Mavericks, Newports and Camels impacts law enforcement, said Sheriff Steve Dempsey. Cigarette outlets tend to have more break-ins than other markets or convenience stores, said Dempsey, whose department investigates four to six such robberies a year. In addition, King George has been part of regional investigations of cigarette smuggling since the early 2000s. Thats when people buy cigarettes in Virginia, where the tax is 30 cents per pack, the second-lowest in the nation. Then, they truck them up North where they can cash in on the difference in cigarette taxes. In New York City, the excise tax is $5.85 per pack. Cox said he taught them some basic science about phosphorus, nitrogen and pH levels so the 4Hers could see how these things were getting into the environment and changing it. So, over the course of time, what came out of that was concept of developing the park, Cox said. Ive always wanted to put it in Fredericksburg because Im from here and grew up on the Rappahannock and loved every minute of my time on the river. Cox, who lives in Blacksburg, has visited several places to get ideas, including the Brock Environmental Center and Stone Laboratory, Ohio State Universitys island campus on Lake Erie. Professional researchers from across the Midwest work at Stone Lab to solve pressing issues facing the Great Lakes, and its programs have provided hands-on science education to thousands of school children and adults. He said that hes hoping to use Stone Lab as a model for the Rappahannock River Ecological Park, and will be meeting with people from there along with representatives from Virginia Tech and possibly UMW. Hed also like to involve the business schools at both universities in developing a detailed business plan for the park. The American Canoe Association, which is headquartered in Fredericksburg, is interested as well. There is a long series of events that have gotten me to this point, Cox said. Ive almost gotten to the point of believing that it is destined to happen. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. And those distracted driver statistics more than likely are low since it is a difficult thing to prove. The latest data suggest that drivers are using their phones in riskier ways, David Kidd, who co-authored the study and a senior research scientist with Highway Loss Data Institute, said in a release on the findings. Its not just phones that distract us, though. The report lists other distractions (smoking, grooming, adjusting the radio or GPS, wearing earphones, to name a few) that take the attention of drivers off the road. When people talk about distracted driving, most often cellphones are the focus, but drivers are distracted by other secondary behaviors more often than cellphones, Kidd points out. Things as simple as drinking coffee or talking to your kids can take your attention away from the road. School bus scofflaws Speaking of dumb and dumber, last week nine drivers in Spotsylvania got a dose of the blue light special for passing school buses stopped with stop signs out and red lights flashing. You have to try to fail that test. Bill McAvinney won the Prince B. Woodard Leadership Award , which salutes a person who has provided a lifetime of service and commitment to the region. Its named for the former Mary Washington College president whose vision, integrity and dedication to serving others made him a pillar of the community. McAvinney's work in the insurance and financial services industry has spanned more than three decades. He has also followed his passion of mentoring other men, particularly through his work with the Christian Business Mens Connection. For more than 15 years, he has spearheaded one of the regions largest eventsthe Fredericksburg Prayer Breakfast (formerly the Mayors Prayer Breakfast)which brings together 400 community members who pray for the community. Over the past year, he has served as the national president for CBMC, where he travels around the country in pursuit of its mission. MISSION BBQ has donated $368,628 from sales of its American Heroes Cups to Wreaths Across America. The company donates $2 of the purchase of every American Heroes Cup to a charity supporting national military charities and local first responders. This latest donation will help to sponsor over 36,000 veterans wreaths to remember our fallen U.S. service members during the 2019 holiday season. Care Advantage, the largest privately owned home care provider in Virginia, will hold a job fair and hiring event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 7 at 10653 Spotsylvania Ave. in Spotsylvania County. The company began in 1988, and was recently voted the Best Homecare Provider by Richmond Times-Dispatch readers. It is looking to fill a variety of positions in all aspects of home health care including RNs, CNAs, PCAs, LPNs, office support staff and sales support. Applications are available at careadvantageinc.applicantpro.com/jobs. Fred left the organization several months later. And Lynne was blamed by that President for causing him to leave. Who is to blame when your best employee leaves? Or should anyone be blamed? It depends. In some situations, excellent employees are not supported as they probably should be. If they dont feel appreciated by their supervisors, they should look for a place they will be valued. And appreciation is not always monetary. Supervisors have to tell them, privately for sure, and publically, as appropriate, how terrific and important to the organization they are. They need to be listened to because these employees are valuable and have good ideas and opinions. Employees who dont feel valued will leave, even if its to get away from a bad situation. I encourage people to run to a good situation and not just away from a bad one. But in situations like Freds, should anyone have been blamed? Fred had great support from everyone around him and received numerous accolades for his excellent work. I was a huge fan of his and did what I could to promote both his program and Fred himself. Two Maids & A Mop Soars To New Heights On Entrepreneur Magazines 40th Annual Franchise 500 List Residential Cleaning Brand Ranked on List of Top Franchises January 28, 2019 // Franchising.com // BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Two Maids & A Mop announced today that it has been named to Entrepreneur magazines Franchise 500 list, considered the worlds first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Two Maids & A Mop has been rated in the top two-thirds of the rankings overall. The prestigious award validates the progress the company has made in the past year. In 2018, the brand added more than 25 locations, bringing the total to 70 locations in communities throughout the United States. Were honored to receive this ranking, said Ron Holt, CEO and founder of Two Maids & A Mop. Most importantly, our inclusion on this list is a testament to the continued success of our franchisees and their passion for our brand. Were a disruptive force in the service industry, and we have no intentions of slowing down in 2019. The key factors that go into Entrepreneurs evaluation include costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. All franchises are given a cumulative score based on more than 150 data points, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500 in ranking order. As we celebrate 40 years of producing the Franchise 500, its a good opportunity to step back and look at how much has changed since that first ranking in 1980, says Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur. While the franchise business model has changed little, the strongest franchise brands are constantly evolving and innovating to keep up with changing trends and technology. Founded in 2003 in Pensacola, Florida, Two Maids & A Mop has rapidly become one of the leading providers of residential house cleaning services in the country. The company offers a unique compensation plan and employee motivation tool, the Pay for Performance model, allowing customers to rate their cleaning service experience. This rating in turn determines the level of compensation the brands Professional House Cleaners (PHCs) receive, thus motivating them to provide every customer with the exceptional customer service the brand was founded upon nearly 16 years ago. Over its 40 years in existence, the Franchise 500 has become both a dominant competitive measure for franchisors and a primary research tool for potential franchisees. Two Maids & A Mops position on the ranking is a testament to its strength as a franchise opportunity. To view Two Maids & A Mop in the full ranking, visit www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500. To learn more about Two Maids & A Mop, visit: http://twomaidsandamop.com. About Two Maids & A Mop Two Maids & A Mop is a residential cleaning franchise headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The first location opened its doors 16 years ago in Pensacola, Florida, and it currently serves 70 markets across the United States. The residential cleaning service was ranked #11 on Entrepreneurs Top 100 New Franchises list in 2018. In 2016, Inc. Magazine named Two Maids & A Mop the fastest growing cleaning company in America. The company landed on Inc.s list of 10 Franchises That Swept the Nation in 2015. About Entrepreneur Media Inc. For 40 years, Entrepreneur Media Inc. has been serving the entrepreneurial community providing comprehensive coverage of business and personal success through original content and events. Entrepreneur magazine, Entrepreneur.com, and publishing imprint Entrepreneur Press provide solutions, information, inspiration and education read by millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners worldwide. To learn more, visit entrepreneur.com. SOURCE Two Maids & A Mop ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus The Sandy Miller Team Joins Engel & Volkers Jacksonville Beach 20-year industry veteran and local top producer Sandy Miller and team join Engel & Volkers Jacksonville Beach JACKSONVILLE, FLA (PRWEB) January 28, 2019 - Engel & Volkers today announced that top producer Sandy Miller has joined its Jacksonville Beach real estate brokerage. With over 20 years of industry experience, this is the first time Miller has ever made a move to another brokerage. Conducting over $30.6 M in 2018, Miller is among the top 10 real estate advisors in Duval county. The Sandy Miller Team was formerly the third-highest producing team at Watson Realty Corp. After two decades of support and mentoring from my former broker, I developed the strength and confidence to make a move, said Miller. I wanted to experience something new and different. I chose Engel & Volkers for a multitude of reasons, including workplace culture, a network of seasoned colleagues, impressive marketing offerings and fantastic word of mouth in the community. While Watson Realty Corp was a great place to start my career, I needed a change to allow me to excel to the next level. At the time of her departure, Miller was the top producer at Watson Realty Corp. Intracoastal, out of 28 producing agents. She was also the ninth highest producing agent in Duval county. Miller is joined by her team of three who made the move to Engel & Volkers Jacksonville Beach with her: Kelli Crofts, Buyer Specialist; Cindy Marjenhoff, Licensed Administrative Assistant and Steve Samaras, Back Office Manager. Were thrilled to have Sandy and her team join us, said Corey Hasting, License Partner and Broker of Engel & Volkers Jacksonville Beach. Since I opened the brokerage, my goal has always been to create an environment for top producers to thrive and excel amongst professional peers. Hasting has already achieved great feats for Engel & Volkers Jacksonville Beach; including recruiting 18 top producers and ranking among the top brokerages in the city. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2018 Member Profile, the median tenure for Realtors with their current company is four years; meaning the average real estate agent may switch offices as often as five times during a 20-year span. Millers loyalty and commitment had clearly identified her as an industry outlier, as her move to Engel & Volkers Jacksonville Beach was her first in over 20 years. With the help of her team and new brokerage affiliation, Miller expects a personal record breaking 2019, including increasing her average units per year from 125 to 150. About Engel & Volkers Engel & Volkers is a global luxury real estate brand. Founded in Hamburg, Germany in 1977, Engel & Volkers draws on its rich European history to deliver a fresh approach to luxury real estate in the Americas with a focus on creating a bespoke, white-glove concierge client experience at every stage of the home buying or selling process for todays savvy homeowner. Engel & Volkers currently operates approximately 150 shop locations with over 3,000 real estate advisors in the Americas, contributing to the brands global network of over 11,000 real estate professionals in more than 30 countries, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services, including real estate, yachting and aviation. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and platforms; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated. For more information, visit http://www.evusa.com. About Engel & Volkers Florida Engel & Volkers Florida is the Master License Partner of the global luxury real estate brand Engel & Volkers in the state of Florida. Recognized for uniquely recruiting, training and equipping some of the top professionals in the real estate industry, Engel & Volkers Floridas exclusive franchise model positions its license partners at the top of the premium market to gain market share and support their bottom line. The company represents franchise locations in: 30A Beaches, Belleair, Boca Raton, Bonita Springs-Estero, Cape Coral, Clermont, Delray Beach, Destin, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville Beach, Jupiter, Madeira Beach, Marco Island, Melbourne, Melbourne Central, Miami-Coral Gables, Olde Naples, Orlando-Winter Park, Palm Beach, South Tampa, St. Pete, Stuart, Wellington, and Windermere. Engel & Volkers Florida is continuing to strategically strengthen and expand its presence in premium real estate markets across the state of Florida. If you would like to know more about the Engel & Volkers brand or how to join its global network, which is known for demonstrating competence, exclusivity and passion, feel free to call our corporate office, located at 633 Tamiami Trl N, Suite 201, Naples, FL 34102 USA. Tel: +1 239-348-9000. For more information about Engel & Volkers Florida, please visit florida.evusa.com Media Contact: Linzee Werkmeister Engel & Volkers Florida Email: Linzee.Werkmeister@evusa.com Tel: (239) 348-9000 SOURCE Engel & Volkers Florida ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) - We are following the Vice President all day during her trip to Greenville, SC, follow along for the latest updates on her visit. ANDERSON, SC (FOX CAROLINA) -The Anderson County Sheriff's Office says a man threw about 80 grams of meth out of the window while he was trying to flee from deputies during a traffic stop. Please either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. North Las Vegas Police said the suspect in Mondays officer-involved shooting had kidnapped two women, killed one, and sexually assaulted the other, before police shot and killed him. (Meredith) -- A 9-year-old fourth-grader balances a busy schedule every weekday, Kairan Quazi attends elementary school during the day and goes to college in the evening. In Sunnyvale, California, Kairan majors in math and chemistry at Las Positas College, according to Huffington Post. "My weekdays are a little crazy, honestly," Kairan said in an interview with WBAL. In the morning during the weekday, he attends Helios, a school for gifted children, then after elementary school he heads over to Livermore, California to sit in for his college courses. "I was a 3-year-old preschooler when I corrected my teachers knowledge of the constitutional requirements to be U.S. president," Karian wrote in an op-ed for Huffington Post. According to WBAL, his parents said doctors qualified him as profoundly gifted, clarifying that his IQ is above the 99.9th percentile of the general population. Karian previously attended private school but by third grade he was teaching himself calculus and organic chemistry. The 9-year-old exceeded expectations for learning the curriculum taught at his old school so his parents decided to consult a series of specialists. The gifted 9-year-old was transferred to Helios and Las Positas College, two places that allow him to thrive and perform at his best. Karian told WBAL, he was 'a bit nervous' at first to take college classes, but his classmates eventually warmed up to him after a few weeks. His hand is always raised, ready to answer his professor's questions. He said he is encouraged to let others take a shot at answering questions in class. Karian said he plans to graduate from Las Positas and Helios within the next two years and then attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (KCPQ/CNN/Meredith) -- The mother of an autistic boy in Washington is accusing school administrators of locking her son outside by himself. There's even security video of the boy walking around trying to get back inside. Javohn Perry said she was devastated when she saw a video of her 11-year old autistic son wandering around Springbrook Elementary School in Kent after allegedly being locked out by the principal on Dec. 14. That was a horrible thing to do. Anything could've happened to him. He was alone. No one was outside with him. I think that it's unacceptable, Perry said. Perry said her son Jamar has had behavioral issues related to his disability, but she said no one from the administration, including principal Ashli Short, notified her about the incident. Her son told her what happened, so she requested video footage from the school's surveillance system. She admitted that she did [lock him out] when I asked her. She said that yes, she locked him out. That she felt she was in danger, so she wanted to make sure everyone was safe, so she locked him outside, Perry said. Perry said the principal also instructed other staff to keep Jamar out, and one para-educator even closed the blinds on Jamar as he tried to get back inside of his classroom. Feeling frustrated by Short's actions, Jamars grandmother got involved and took their concerns to the Kent school board. The decision this principal made to intentionally lock my grandson outside of the school building clearly was child endangerment, pure negligence and it put him in imminent danger, grandmother Lovine Montgomery said. The Kent School District placed Short on paid administrative leave and started an investigation. The district said Short's administrative leave is not disciplinary but is a part of the process of an active investigation. The district released a statement saying, Our number-one priority during this time continues to be the excellent education and the safety of our students. Perry said she's removed her son from Springbrook Elementary and is looking at other schools that can meet his needs. She hopes an investigation will lead to action by the district. MAPLEWOOD, Mo. (KMOV.com) -- A daycare owner has been charged after a 3-year-old suffocated in her St.Louis-area home back in November, 2018. Laura Minnick has been charged with seven counts of endangering the welfare of children. The charges were filed Friday, January 26. Minnick, 39, was intoxicated when police responded to the death of the 3-year-old at her unlicensed daycare back in November, according to police. Officers responded to the home after a report of an infant girl in cardiac arrest. When they arrived, Minnick said the child rolled over onto her face and stopped breathing. Court documents say the girls lips were blue and her body was cool to the touch when emergency responders arrived. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. Six other children were found in the home. Some of them were covered with shelves, boxes and crates. Minnick told police she hid them so they would not escape. The daycare was in the 3600 block of Cambridge in Maplewood. Click here to read our original coverage. The US and Canada have observed Data Privacy Day every January 28th since 2008. It is a follow-on to Data Protection Day in Europe that commemorates the Jan. 28, 1981 signing of the Council of Europe treaty known as Convention 108. This treaty was the first legally binding agreement designed to protect an individual's right to digital privacy, anticipating the increasingly automated processing and distribution of personal data. While remarkably prescient, the original authors and signers of Convention 108 could not have possibly foreseen how data would be being created, shared, processed, and stored today, nor the volume of personal data that exists for virtually every human being on earth. That original treaty has been enhanced by legally binding legislation over the years in nearly every country in the world, culminating most recently with the most comprehensive law ever enacted to protect personally identifying information (PII). The EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the most important change to data privacy regulation since that first treaty was signed in 1981. It provides comprehensive data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union and the European Economic Area, including the export of personal data outside the EU and EEA. It has also raised the bar in other countries around the world, with volumes of new legislation patterned after GDPR. The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, for example, signed into law in June of 2018, gives California citizens the right to know what personal data businesses possess. As with the EU's GDPR. Californians in 2020 will not only be able to require that organizations delete their PII, but also forbid those organizations from selling their data to third parties. Since California is now the fifth largest economy in the world, surpassing the UK last year, the impact of this new law will have national and international implications. This past July, two months after the passage of the California law, the White House announced that it was working on a new "consumer privacy protection policy that is the appropriate balance between privacy and prosperity." Since then, members of Congress have introduced multiple data protection bills. What this means for your organization If your organization does business with any organizations or individuals in the EU, you have already had to make significant changes to how you process, manage, and store the data of EU residents. Prepare now to provide many of the same sorts of protection to your US and Canadian customers. Here is a quick checklist of the things you will need to do: 1. Implement a comprehensive, integrated security strategy. It has been said that there cannot be any data privacy without good data security. Because of that, you have to start by ensuring that any PII data your organization touches is secured from the moment it enters your network to the moment it leaves. This includes applying security measures and policies that can seamlessly identify, follow, and secure data as it moves between network domains and devices, including across multi-cloud or SD-WAN environments, as well as into your storage area network (SAN). Security plays a critical role in helping you know where every bit of data is located and who and what has access to it. An integrated security framework allows all security components to see other devices, share and correlate information between them, and participate in a coordinated threat response. It needs to be woven into and across every aspect of your evolving network to enable things like unified policy creation, centralized orchestration, and consistent enforcement. This approach allows you to extend visibility deep into your infrastructure to see every device, track every application and workflow, and more importantly, see and secure all data. It also allows you to demonstrate compliance with regards to protected privacy requirements and the verification of its secure storage, use, and removal. 2. Change what and how you collect PII data. New privacy laws such as GDPR define individuals as the sole owners of their data, and not businesses or institutions. As a result, these individuals must be able to withdraw their consent to the collection of their data as quickly and easily as it was given. This will require organizations to collect only the minimum amount of data needed for a specific purpose, and to then be able to completely remove it when it is no longer needed. 3. Reorganize your data so that PII can be easily identified, flagged, and deleted. Be prepared to demonstrate to compliance officials that you can prevent specific data from being shared or sold to third parties and that you can remove all instantiations of an individual's PII regardless of where it is being stored or used. For larger organizations, this is not a trivial task. It will require significant retooling of databases, rewriting software applications and websites, and redesigning internal processes to simplify and accelerate internal processes to identify all data related to a single customer. The GDPRs right to be forgotten (RTBF) means that data needs to be found and removed quickly and easily, rather than relying on humans to hunt for each instance of personal information scattered across your distributed network. 4. Encrypt PII to ensure that if possesses no risk if compromised. You should consider encrypting data in transit and at rest in your network. Encryption negates the value of data if it is compromised. But encrypting large volumes of data is no easy task. Organizations should consider ability of encryption performance and any associated degradation of performance. Summing Up New and looming data privacy legislation reflects growing public concern about the protection and personal ownership of PII. Data Privacy Day is an urgent reminder that every organization that touches personal data needs to re-evaluate its IT security infrastructure. Are your IT security solutions able to effectively communicate, regardless of where they have been deployed, to optimally protect data and provide network-wide visibility? Does your network include sophisticated data-protection measures such as threat prevention and detection, pseudonymization of PII, and internal segmentation to isolate and track customer and employee data? And finally, have you documented, and more importantly, tested your data-breach response plan? Todays organizations need to be able to answer yes to these questions if they want to be prepared for the new data privacy regulations on the near horizon. Explore The CISO Collective - an online content hub and mobile application that provides CISOs with one stop to find the most relevant news and information to enable them to be more effective in their roles. Read more about how Fortinet is working to solve the cyber skills gap with our Network Security Expert program, Network Security Academy program or our FortiVets program. It's the news thousands of furloughed workers were waiting to hear: The unprecedented 35-day government shutdown that left roughly 800,000 federal workers without pay has finally come to an end, at least for now. On Jan. 25, President Trump agreed to reopen the government for three weeks while negotiations over border security continued. As such, not only will hundreds of thousands of workers be eligible for a paycheck once again, but they'll also be getting back pay for the month-plus period they weren't receiving income. It's certainly a dose of relief, especially in light of the number of workers who resorted to debt this past month in the absence of actual wages. But before we all get too comfortable with this seemingly positive turn of events, let's remember that the government could very well shut down once again after this three-week period comes to an end, leaving those same 800,000 workers in a similar boat. Of course, it's not just federal workers who risk losing their income for a stretch. While private-sector workers aren't directly affected by factors such as government shutdowns, none of us is immune to an extended loss of earnings. Any given employee, government or otherwise, could get laid off out of the blue, or encounter another scenario in which there's no money coming in. That's why we all need to learn one very important lesson from the whole shutdown ordeal: We need emergency savings, no matter how secure we think our jobs are. Building your safety net The recent shutdown is an example of why emergency savings are so important. Without money in the bank, we all risk falling behind on our bills the minute an unplanned expense or missed paycheck comes into play. And while any amount of savings is better than having no savings at all, there's a reason we're told that our emergency funds should contain a minimum of three months' worth of living expenses. That way, there's enough money to cover a stretch of unemployment, or an even more extensive shutdown than the one we just experienced. Now, if you're starting out with pretty much no money in the bank, you're not going to build your emergency fund overnight. But if you begin saving small amounts, you'll slowly but surely create that cushion so that the next time you need money in a pinch, it's there for you. For starters, you can cut back on some expenses so you're able to free up cash. That could mean canceling a cable plan or gym membership, giving up a car you can technically live without, or cutting back on leisure and restaurant meals. Next, look into getting a side job on top of your regular one. Your earnings from it won't already be earmarked for existing expenses, which means you should have no trouble saving them. Finally, make a point of sticking whatever extra money comes your way into the bank until you've reached that three-month threshold. That means if you get a tax refund, bonus, commission, or generous birthday check from a family member, it should all go directly into savings. The government might be open for now, but who knows what's in store for the federal workers who saw their worlds turned upside down this past month? The same holds true for private-sector workers, who don't face the same set of risks but aren't guaranteed a steady paycheck, either. You never know what sort of unpleasant financial surprise life might have in store for you, and if you want to avoid stress, debt, and a host of similarly unpleasant consequences, make building an emergency fund your next priority. The world is changing the way it conducts business. For centuries, humans have used cash to buy and sell goods and services because local fiat currency has been the most efficient way to to conduct commerce. Yet, over the past several decades, technology has drastically changed consumer behavior as well as how governments respond with new rules and regulations. Recent seismic payment shifts away from cash have been driven by the rapid rise of e-commerce and mobile payments. Meanwhile, businesses have faced new opportunities and problems. How quickly is the world moving toward a cashless economy? Are certain geographic areas more likely to experience this transformation? Is this a positive change for society? We'll explore these questions, with an aim to capture nuanced positions, while discussing different ways investors can profit from this massive global economic shift. Let's start with perhaps the most complex and important piece of the puzzle: how governments around the globe are addressing the digitization of money and how these regulations might spur or dampen future growth of companies betting on a strong digital economic future. Can a government ban cash? Can governments ban cash? The short answer: They can certainly try. And whether you think attempts to regulate or ban cash are examples of big government run amok or bold attempts to curb tax evasion and black market activities, it's important to recognize that some governments have already tried an outright ban on currency notes. While these attempts have been rare, less drastic regulations surrounding the use of currency notes and bills are more common. Paying attention to these developments in different areas of the world can help investors identify places where there may be opportunity. Countries in northern Europe are moving most rapidly toward cashless societies, and while most of the movement is driven by consumers and industry, governments are also playing a role in the end of paper money. In Sweden, merchants are allowed to legally reject cash, with "No cash accepted" signs sprouting up around the country. More than half of all banks in the country do not accept cash deposits or even keep currency on hand. Denmark's Chamber of Commerce recommended a similar law, permitting Danish retailers to reject cash, but the law was rejected by the country's parliament. The Norwegian Conservative political party championed the notion for Norway to become a cashless society by 2030. Closer to home, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers argued that banning high denominations of cash, such as the $100 bill, would go a long way toward stamping out black market activities, including drug dealing and terrorism. While not government-related, Visa incentizes domestic merchants with $10,000 in rewards for ceasing cash acceptance. However, these moves pale next to India's sudden -- and what many described as reckless -- move to ban the 500 and 1,000 rupee bills in November 2016. These currency notes had been the country's two most widely used. The unexpected announcement caused mad rushes to exchange and deposit the notes and temporarily disrupted much of the emerging country's economy. While it is doubtful that the original goals of hindering illegal activities and rampant tax evasion were met, the move did jump-start India's electronic and digital payment ecosystem. In Visa's 2018 third-quarter conference call, CEO Al Kelly touted the company's 20% payment volume growth and control of 50% of the market place. In 2017, Paytm's payment volume quadrupled as the digital wallet user base exploded. The positives of a cashless society Society can benefit from the rise of digital and electronic payments at the expense of physical currency in many ways. Consumers benefit from the security and convenience that credit cards and other forms of digital payments provide. After all, unlike most other methods of payment, once cash is taken and the bad guy gets away, there is no institutional recourse for the victim. The money is gone, unlikely to ever come back. With credit cards, American consumers are given much greater legal protection and can only be held liable for $50 if they have been victims of fraud or theft. Non-cash payments are also much more convenient. Frank McNamara discovered this lesson when he took clients out to dinner in New York City in the late 1940s and discovered, to his horror, that he did not have cash to pay for the meal. His wife bailed him out of an embarrassing situation by arriving to foot the bill. The circumstance made McNamara think of a way for customers to pay for what they could actually afford, but not with the money they had on hand. His solution was the Diners Club card, a charge card that could be used at participating restaurants and hotels. A plastic payment revolution was born. Consumers loved not having to carry large amounts of cash to make their purchases. There are also benefits for merchants in removing cash from transactions. Studies show consumers are willing to spend more and are less sensitive to price when they use a credit card than with cash, which means retailers can charge more for products and services when they accept cards as a means for payment. Security is also an issue for businesses. There are costs to keeping money safe, such as on-site safes and secure transportation from the business location to the bank. Cash exposes businesses to the possibility of embezzlement, theft, and robberies. Accounting for this security can be both expensive and taxing. In fact, some studies suggest the use of cash costs a society as much as 1.5% of its GDP. Governments have incentives to push for a cashless society. Law bodies are the ones introducing these laws and regulations to ban cash. Ending the use of cash in society curbs fraud because there's no room for fudging numbers when all payments are electronic, whether it be citizens or employers trying to dodge taxes or businesses trying to inflate revenue. Cash is anonymous and largely traceless, making it ideal for negotiating illegal transactions, which, of course, the government has an interest in stopping. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is one of many who have argued cash is a boon to criminal activity. As he wrote in The Washington Post, "[I]llicit activities are facilitated when a million dollars weighs 2.2 pounds as with the 500 euro note rather than more than 50 pounds as would be the case if the $20 bill was the high denomination note." He concluded that "a moratorium on printing new high denomination notes would make the world a better place." The negatives of banning cash Some of the very characteristics that can make cash problematic are also reasons why it's so useful and integral to our society. Cash is private, so using it makes keeps your transactions safe from surveillance. It's extremely difficult for others to see how you're spending your money, from nosy family members, as well as third parties, like your bank, credit card company, or credit rating agency. If you only use cash, you won't be at risk of having your account drained by a criminal or hacker who gets ahold of your information. Then there's a sticky issue of how to determine the limits of what government should be trusted to track. Many believe this is the real reason behind government attempts to restrict the use of cash, including Steve Forbes who wrote in response to Summers, "The real reason for this war on cash ... is an ugly power grab by Big Government." In an age where data breaches are virtually an everyday occurrence and big tech companies know us better than we know ourselves, it is easy to see why concerns about privacy and personal security are paramount. London-based security company G4S issued a Global Cash Report, in which its CEO Jesus Rosano summed up cash's attractive qualities: "People trust cash; it's free to use and readily available for consumers, it's confidential, it can't be hacked and it doesn't run out of battery power -- these unique qualities continue to hold significant value to people living on all continents." Finally, some people say that refusing to accept cash is a form of discrimination against people who are the least well-off economically. In 2014, the Office of the Inspector General stated that about one-quarter of the country's adult population lived outside the "financial mainstream," which the report defined as either not having a bank account or having to use expensive services such as payday lenders. Many low-income earners don't have the same kind of access to financial institutions as the average person, for an array of different reasons. After some New York City restaurants, such as Sweetgreen and Dig Inn, decided to stop accepting cash for payment, legislation was introduced to penalize such behavior with a fine, on the premise that it discriminated against the city's financially underserved. According to New York City Councilman Richie Torres, "We should not be stigmatizing how poor people purchase goods and services." How to profit from the war on cash These complicated trade-offs are what free societies must wrestle with. Ultimately, people will come down on opposite sides of the issue and make different decisions concerning how to handle their own personal transactions. Either way, it's undeniable that the use of electronic and digital payments is growing rapidly around the world. In 2011, Mastercard released a study claiming that cash was still used as a payment method in 85% of the transactions facilitated around the world and good for about 60% of total retail transaction value. Six years later, at Mastercard's 2017 investor day, CEO Ajay Banga said that cash was now being used in about 80% of the world's transactions. In other words, while the use of digital and electronic payment methods is rising, there's still a long runway of growth. There are several options for investors to consider as they explore how they can best position their portfolios to take advantage of these changing consumer habits while avoiding risk from potential regulations. American Express is finally taking its digital presence seriously, partnering with PayPal Holdings and acquiring two fintech start-ups, an AI-powered concierge app called Mezi, and Cake, a mobile payments solutions app. Amex is also increasing its merchant coverage, meaning its cardholders can use it in a growing number of places, boosting an important revenue stream. Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) is being led by a new CEO who appears committed to maintaining the company's legacy of world-class customer service. Discover also has a major presence in the student and personal loan space, making it one of the few domestic companies with a presence in lending and payments. With a P/E ratio well under the market's average, it might also feature the most attractive valuation of all the stocks we will consider. Brazilian payments company PagSeguro Digital is showing torrid revenue growth, but margin pressure, or the company's ability to profitably offer its services without lowering its price, has kept the stock price down. Tencent's payment platforms now boast an incredible 800 million monthly active users but is being held back due to regulatory concerns surrounding its video game business. But while these companies all might offer investors market-beating returns, I don't believe they are all necessarily best-in-class. Company Type Market Capitalization Alibaba Group Holding NYSE:BABA) Chinese e-commerce $413 billion American Express NYSE:AXP) Credit card $86.1 billion Discover Financial NYSE:DFS) Credit card $22.4 billion Mastercard NYSE:MA) Credit card network $210 billion PagSeguro Digital NYSE:PAGS) Brazilian payments $7.5 billion PayPal Holdings NASDAQ:PYPL) Digital wallet $111 billion Square NYSE:SQ) Payment processing $32.2 billion Tencent OTC:TCEHY) Chinese social/payments $420 billion Visa NYSE:V) Credit card network $306 billion What are the top investments for a cashless society? Here are the five best ways for investors to profit from this cashless movement: 1. Alibaba Group Holding Alibaba makes this list due to its 33% stake in Ant Financial, the fintech juggernaut responsible for Alipay and consortium of other financial services including Ant Fortune, MYbank, and Zhima Credit. In Alibaba's 2018 Q3, Ant Financial boasted 700 million active users in China, a number made all the more staggering since 70% of its user base used at least three of its services. Ant Fortune is a mobile app that allows users to invest in a variety of Chinese investment vehicles, usually commission-free. MYbank is a cloud-based online banking platform for small businesses in China, where only approximately 14% have access to banking services such as loans and credit. Zhima Credit is a private credit platform that essentially generates credit scores for Chinese consumers who opt to use its services. CEO Daniel Zhang shared the company's long-term goals in his 2018 letter to shareholders: Looking ahead, our vision is to deliver digital transformation for all our clients using cloud-computing technology in the areas of retail, marketing, finance, logistics and other supporting services within the Alibaba Operating System. Globalization has always been Alibaba's longterm strategy. We are making progress toward our goal to realize 'global buy,' 'global sell,' 'global delivery,' 'global travel' and 'global pay.' This will ultimately create one truly globalized digital economy where goods can move freely around the world, and not just from China to the world. Alibaba's intentions to reshape finance and enable a cloud-based, global payments platform make the company a particularly compelling fintech investment for an economy moving away from the use of cash. With a massive base of 700 million members, there's a decent-sized chance Alibaba is a huge catalyst toward a universal payments and e-commerce platform. 2. Mastercard Mastercard essentially acts as a toll road for consumers' money, taking a small cut every time it moves funds from consumers' bank accounts to merchants' accounts when a purchase is made. For all intents and purposes, in the Western world, Mastercard operates as one part of a duopoly with Visa as a payments network. It currently has about 2.5 billion cards issued across the globe and its products facilitate nearly 20 billion transactions every quarter. Its business model necessitates partnerships with banks and other financial institutions. Mastercard does not directly lend money to consumers. That responsibility falls on the shoulders of its banking partners, so Mastercard is not liable for the massive amounts of credit card loans held by its cardholders. While this also means Mastercard does not collect interest on these loans, the underlying results is that it runs an extremely asset-light business model, one with an envy-inducing non-GAAP operating margin of 59.4%, according to its most recent earnings presentation. This high operating margin allows Mastercard to return money to shareholders by repurchasing shares and issuing dividends, while investing in complementary services that it can upsell to existing clients. These bundled services include features and products ranging from data analytics and reward program management to fraud prevention tools and digital services. Accounted for in its "other revenues" segment, these services have maintained a double-digit growth rate for several consecutive quarters and are becoming an increasingly larger revenue stream for the company. Beyond adding to the company's top and bottom lines, these services make Mastercard's relationship with its clients much stickier, meaning it's harder for its partnering banks and credit unions to leave Mastercard for a competitor if the client relies on Mastercard for other services. 3. PayPal Holdings The best way to think of PayPal might be as an operating system for money. From its digital wallet platform, account holders can send money to friends, make quick and secure online purchases, or transfer money to different accounts. The company is benefiting from society's move away from cash, not the least of which is manifested by the growth in mobile payments, transactions facilitated with a mobile device. Judging by its growing 250 million-plus active account user base, PayPal is beginning to develop a real network effect moat, meaning PayPal's service becomes more valuable the larger its platform grows. As more consumers sign on to PayPal's service, the more compelling it is for merchants to accept PayPal as a payment method. Furthermore, the more merchants that accept PayPal, the more consumers can use the platform. CEO Dan Schulman acknowledged the company was enjoying significant tailwinds from the move to a cashless society and mobile commerce. In the company's 2017 fourth-quarter conference call, he said, "We are riding powerful and accelerating tailwinds created by 2 global trends, the digitization of cash and the mass adoption of mobile devices. We are actively positioning ourselves to take full advantage of these trends and strategically moving our business into areas where we believe these transformations are creating the strongest opportunities." Mobile payment volume represents 40% of PayPal's total payment volume, and the segment is quickly growing. A huge driver of PayPal's mobile success is its One Touch platform, where users can make transactions with one click on a registered device. This removes the hassle of entering cumbersome and tedious information into a small smartphone screen with each purchase. It's also more secure, as users are not leaving their personal identification and payments information on different websites, but instead giving it out as tokenized data through PayPal. Merchants love the platform because shoppers who use PayPal are much more likely to finalize a purchase compared to those who use other payment methods. One Touch has more than 100 million consumers and 10 million merchants participating on the platform. 4. Square Square was founded by Twitter's CEO Jack Dorsey who developed the concept after a friend had a hard time selling a piece of art because he didn't have the ability to accept credit cards as payment. Square released its first product, a small square-shaped device that plugs into a mobile device, enabling any person with a cell phone to accept payments from credit and debit cards. Merchants began using these at the point-of-sale and the company soon expanded its suite of offerings. The product effectively democratized payments, enabling small businesses -- think food trucks, farmer market vendors, etc. -- to cheaply accept card payments for the first time. Square's quarterly gross payment volume (GPV), the total amount of money facilitated through Square's point-of-sale system, is now $22.5 billion, and has grown between 29% to 31% year over year for five consecutive quarters. Square's products for sellers have grown to include a robust suite of products for small businesses that were traditionally only available to larger retailers. This ecosystem differentiates Square form its payment processing peers because it gives it a deeper relationship with its merchants rather than just a vendor offering a commoditized service like cash registers. This subscription and services-based revenue segment has show explosive growth, with sales even eclipsing a triple-digit growth rate year over year in recent quarters. Square's products are also beginning to appeal to larger businesses. In the company's 2018 third quarter, businesses with annualized payment volume over $500,000 represented 24% of Square's customer base, up from just 16% two years before. There is also evidence that many of Square's sellers are growing within its ecosystem, a good indicator of future success for Square. More than 40% of Square's large sellers (defined as having GPV between $125,000 to $500,000) started off as micro sellers (less than $125,000 in GPV) on the company's payments platform. 5. Visa Sporting a near identical business model to Mastercard, Visa's network provides fast and safe transport for funds from a consumer to a merchant bank account after transactions. It does not lend money to its card holders, meaning that it also features an asset-light business model with an operating margin that even tops Mastercard's. In 2018, the fiscal year's adjusted operating margin came in at 66%. Visa's management team sees the greenest pastures for future growth in developing economies, where local currency notes are still used more than other forms of digital and electronic payment methods. In the company's 2018 third-quarter conference call, CEO Al Kelly said: As I look at our business ... over the next number of years, the bulk of our growth is going to come from overseas. It's something we're putting a lot of time and attention too. I've personally spent a lot of my personal time overseas. So, I think you're going to continue to see us invest in these markets. The cash displacement opportunity is great. One of the company's greatest opportunities is in India, where the company enjoys a more than 50% market share. Visa recently renewed deals with five of the country's largest banks. Kelly said he was "confident that these deals contribute to further strengthening of our market leadership position across debit and credit products" in the country. Investments making a cashless society possible Alibaba, Mastercard, PayPal, Square, and Visa represent the purest ways to invest in the digitization of money. What makes these investments particularly compelling is that they are not passively benefiting from society's move toward digital and electronic payments but are actively driving that change. Alibaba's Alipay and PayPal's core platform and Venmo, make it easier than ever for consumers to use their mobile devices to manage their money and facilitate transactions tp merchants but also between friends, families, roommates, coworkers, and classmates. Merchants love the platforms because it helps them complete more online sales. Mastercard and Visa make it quick and safe to transfer money across digital and electronic channels. E-commerce would not resemble anything like its current state without these networks and the security and protection they provide to consumers and merchants. Finally, Square makes it possible for small businesses to participate in the digital economy. Before Square, small merchants relied on the use of cash to sell their wares. Now it is easy for these sellers to make sales by accepting credit and debit card payments without expensive hardware or even a landline necessary. With these positions in your portfolio, you'll be set to cash in on a cashless world. By continuing to browse our site you agree to our Privacy & Cookie Policy. > Privacy & Cookie Policy I Agree JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Tucked away on the slope of Mount Zion lies a little-known memorial site for Jewish victims of the Holocaust. A cluster of tiny, dark caverns that modestly commemorates one of the greatest horrors of modern times. JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Tucked away on the slope of Mount Zion lies a little-known memorial site for Jewish victims of the Holocaust. A cluster of tiny, dark caverns that modestly commemorates one of the greatest horrors of modern times. The Chamber of the Holocaust, a six-room cellar whose walls are covered with gravestones, sits beside a tomb some believe to be the burial place of the biblical King David and next to the site where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus held the Last Supper. The memorial was established in 1949, four years after the end of World War Two and a year after Israel was founded, as Holocaust survivors who came as refugees to the country sought a place to mourn their families. "There was no cemetery, no grave. Their families had literally gone up in smoke," said Aharon Seiden, the chamber's curator. "The Chamber of the Holocaust was built as a symbolic cemetery, as a place for Holocaust survivors to come and cry and mourn for their families." Ashes of victims were interred there and the hundreds of gravestones that cover the walls commemorate the Jewish villages and towns whose communities were wiped out by the Nazis. In stark contrast to Israel's official Holocaust memorial - the massive Yad Vashem complex, the Holocaust Chamber is funded largely by private donations and is far less known to Israelis and tourists alike. It displays artefacts brought from Europe by survivors such as scorchedTorah scrolls, a jacket and drum the Nazis had Jewish prisoners make out of Torah parchments and the striped prisoner uniforms worn in concentration camps. "We were just walking around and we found this museum," said Viera Barlikova, a 27-year-old tourist who was travelling in the Holy Land with her brother. "We come from Slovakia and that dark part of history also touched us." (Reporting by Rinat Harash and Maayan Lubell; Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by stephen Farrell and Kirsten Donovan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Guerrero, the Mexican region, is one of the country's most violent regions, where rump groups of criminals belonging to defeated but once powerful drug cartels fight to control lucrative drug smuggling routes Chilpancingo: Ten members of rival civilian self-defense groups were killed in a gun battle in the Mexican state of Guerrero, a local security official said late on Sunday. Guerrero, located on Mexico's southern Pacific coast, is one of the country's most violent regions, where rump groups of criminals belonging to defeated but once powerful drug cartels fight to control lucrative drug smuggling routes. In response, armed civilian vigilante groups have emerged in an attempt to maintain peace. "Members of two groups of armed civilian groups that call themselves community (self-defense) police faced off in a gun battle on Sunday," said Roberto Alvarez, the regional head of security. After the clash state police found "two vehicles that showed multiple bullet impacts and inside lifeless bodies of 10 people," Alvarez said. The statement did not say how many people were found in each vehicle, or which groups the victims belonged to. Drug-related violence has resulted in some 200,000 deaths in Mexico since December 2006, according to official figures. Spearfish, SD (57783) Today Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low 57F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low 57F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%. The crisis in OPEC member Venezuela, where the president is locked in a power struggle with the opposition, could impact the oil market, the Saudi energy minister said on Monday. Riyadh: The crisis in OPEC member Venezuela, where the president is locked in a power struggle with the Opposition, could impact the oil market, Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid al-Falih said on Monday. "Of course, developments in Venezuela may have an impact on the (oil) markets ...We are watching developments there, and there could be an impact on the oil market balance," al-Falih told Al-Arabiya news channel. Oil production in Venezuela has dropped sharply in the past months from over two million barrels per day to around 1.4 million bpd. The Latin American nation sits on the world's largest crude reserves of over 300 billion barrels, most of it heavy crude that is costly to produce. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido have been locked in a power struggle since Guaido proclaimed himself "acting president" Wednesday amid angry protests over the country's economic woes. The standoff has split the international community between nations that recognise Guaido as president, including the US and a dozen countries in the region, and those that still recognise Maduro, including Russia and China. OPEC members and their non-cartel producers late last year decided to cut output by 1.2 million bpd to shore up sluggish prices. The six-month agreement that includes major non-OPEC producer Russia took effect from the beginning of January. Falih said it was premature to say if the production cuts deal would be extended. With Saudi Arabia's footprint in Pakistan growing bigger and bigger and the latter's history with nuclear proliferation, Islamabad appears as Riyadh's likeliest partner in its ballistic missile programme and to develop nuclear weapon's capability The Saudis are at it again. After similar efforts in the 1980s when Riyadh got itself the rather erratic DF-3 from China, reports now suggest that the Saudis may have gone one better and decided to develop their own ballistic missile programme. Imagery analysis seems to indicate a solid propellant plant and a testing site deep inside the country. The degree of ownership is, however, doubtful. The Saudis are accustomed to buying what they want. Their own expertise to start even a nascent programme is probably negligible. Clearly, someone somewhere is helping, and a lot. The Saudis, much like everyone else, have their own national security concerns. In the 1970s, when Iran and Iraq were hurling missiles at each other in the so-called war of the cities, the Saudis, among others, decided it was time to acquire a few missiles of their own. There were other concerns too, including some domestic ones. The house of Saud could not be seen as lagging behind the capabilities of others in the region, including Pakistan. An analysis by the Federation of American Scientists at the time outlines the diverse motivations towards acquiring missilery from Beijing, among which was also an annoyance with Washington over the pressure to concede on the Palestinian issue. So, it turned to China and acquired the basic DF-3, and later, probably, the far more reliable DF-21. Those motivations may have changed somewhat. Though Irans missile and nuclear capabilities remain a major issue, there are others as well. Among them is a perception of waning US power in West Asia, which fuelled a far more muscular Saudi foreign policy of which the intervention in Yemen is only one example. Such perceptions are only buoyed by the growing influence of China in the region. Loss of faith in the US baton is also evident elsewhere. Analysts have been warning of the dangers of a missile arms race in West Asia, as Israel prepares to upgrade its own missile and rocket force. That in itself is enough to rile Riyadh. Meanwhile, a test case will be apparent soon. The Saudis are in talks with the US for a massive deal for nuclear power plants valued at up to $800 billion which comes with an insistence that they would produce their own fuel. This has so far been prevented by the US Congress, enraged by the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Underlying all this is some uneasiness, sparked by fears that such a deal could lay the stepping stones for its own covert programme. Into all this volatility comes the Saudi-Pakistan relationship, which has slowly become evolved or degraded into something of a dependency. From the time of the effusive former president Asif Ali Zardari and his successor Nawaz Sharif, the countrys serious debt crisis has led Pakistani governments to look for alternative sources of funds. In 2014, for instance, the mysterious donor who loaned $1.5 billion to Sharif was none other than Saudi Arabia, causing the flagging Pakistani rupee to rally to its highest levels in thirty years. Reportedly, this loan was given against the personal guarantee of the prime minister. The very next year, the payback was apparent when the Saudis demanded Pakistani aircraft, ships and ground troops for the war in Yemen. That proposal was unceremoniously shot down by the Pakistani Parliament in a rare display of courage. As their man in Islamabad, this would have put Sharif into a quandary. After all, he and his family had enjoyed Saudi hospitality during the Musharraf years. There is another less remembered period of Saudi largesse. Sharif was head of the government during the 1998 nuclear tests. Hit by sanctions, the Pakistan economys collapse was prevented by Saudi generosity in terms of billions in oils support. It was no surprise therefore that in 1999, a Saudi Prince visited Pakistani nuclear facilities at Kahuta and viewed the Ghauri missile, access even denied to an earlier prime minister Benazir Bhutto. As Gary Samore, former US president Barack Obamas advisor on non-proliferation observed: The Saudis believed they have some understanding with Pakistan, that, in extremis, they would have claim to acquire nuclear weapons from Pakistan. The satellite imagery seems to suggest that the Saudis have made the transition from an understanding to outright assistance from a nuclear weapons state that was well known for its proliferation activities. After all AQ Khan, 'father' of Pakistan's nuclear bomb who conceived what was once known as the Nuclear WalMart was widely believed to have aided Saudi Arabia in accessing some nascent capability, in the form of designs and data. While the Saudis may not yet have a nuclear bomb, the imagery seems to indicate a clear intent to set up its own missile programme. To reiterate, the owning of a missile programme would involve assistance by the several thousand retired servicemen and technicians already present in the Kingdom, and a few specialised experts in the field. Given the close Chinese angle, it may even involve Chinese scientists and engineers. But theyre hard to hide. The bulk of personnel at such sites would certainly be brown-skinned, Muslim and strongly sympathetic. Even a nascent Saudi capability would set West Asia by the ears, creating a maelstrom that would challenge even the most capable US diplomat. Though US president Donald Trump may still be set on that massive deal for nuclear energy, he is unlikely to ever countenance a Saudi weapon that would even marginally complicate US interests in the region. The most obvious path is to find the source supplier of this growing expertise. That shouldnt be difficult. The Saudi footprint in Pakistan just keeps getting bigger every year, so that it's hard to miss. THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A gas leak led to an explosion in the Hague that injured nine people when part of their apartment building collapsed, the Dutch city's fire department said on Sunday. In a statement, the Hague fire department said 7 people had been taken to nearby hospitals. THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A gas leak led to an explosion in the Hague that injured nine people when part of their apartment building collapsed, the Dutch city's fire department said on Sunday. In a statement, the Hague fire department said 7 people had been taken to nearby hospitals. (Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Catherine Evans) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. With Huawei facing flak over the allegations that Beijing could use its technology for spying, the United States and some of its allies including Australia and New Zealand have already banned the Chinese telecom giant from 5G networks. The controversy surrounding Chinese tech group Huawei has snowballed into a major international crisis. In addition to the intense scrutiny over its ties with the Chinese government, the company is now also sharing tensions with Canada and US over the arrest of one of its top executives. This comes at a time when the US is reportedly pressurising its allies to ban Huawei from building its fifth-generation (5G) computer and phone networks. The isolation of Huawei Several leading economies are planning to launch 5G networks in their territories. With Huawei facing flak over the allegations that Beijing could use its technology for spying, the United States and some of its allies including Australia and New Zealand have already banned the Chinese telecom giant from 5G networks. The New York Times reported that Britain and Poland are among the countries which are being asked to refrain from allowing Huawei to setup it's 5G network. The report said that officials in the Donald Trump administration hinted that Poland's decision could affect the future deployment of American troops in the country. A couple of weeks ago, Poland announced that it had arrested a Chinese Huawei executive and a former Polish security official on spying allegations. Polands president Andrzej Duda also suggested that Huawei was likely to be shut out of the plans. Polish officials are now in talks with the European Union and North American allies for its future course. Finlands Nokia and Swedish telecoms company Ericsson are the leading two European competitors who could provide 5G telecoms equipment for Poland, the largest economy in eastern Europe. France, too, has stepped up controls of telecoms infrastructure used in next-generation networks. The government is readying an amendment to the appropriate law to make the vetting process more stringent. French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said last week that Paris was aware of the risks of Huaweis access to mobile networks and said the government would take the necessary steps when needed. Moreover, a charity founded by Prince Charles has stopped accepting donations from Huawei. Oxford University also said it was suspending research grants and donations from Huawei. Britain's defense secretary and intelligence chief have both voiced concerns about the company's involvement in 5G networks. Vodafone the worlds second largest mobile operator too, joined the bandwagon. Its chief executive Nick Read said the company was pausing the deployment of Huawei equipment in its core networks until Western governments give the Chinese firm full security clearance. Exclusion can affect 5G progress Huawei, founded in 1987 by a former military engineer, has rejected accusations that it is controlled by the ruling Communist Party in China or that it modifies its equipment to allow eavesdropping. Huawei's founder Ren Zhengfei, in a rare public appearance, told reporters on 15 January that he would reject requests from Chinese authorities for confidential information about its customers. In mid-2018, Huawei surpassed Apple as the number two in global smartphone brand behind Samsung in mid-2018. The company was seen as a major player in the development of next-generation mobile networks in Europe, the company's biggest market outside China. However, the latest developments have pushed back its prospects. Senior Alibaba executive Joe Tsai called the US treatment of Chinas Huawei Technologies as extremely unfair. I think what the American government and together with the Five Eyes Alliance what theyre trying to do with Huawei - is a bit unfair, theres definitely a political agenda behind it, Tsai said in Hong Kong. But the exclusion of Huawei could hamper 5G development. China's envoy to the European Union Zhang Ming said in an interview with Financial Times, that efforts to limit the involvement of Chinese technology in upcoming 5G projects in Europe might bring serious consequences to the global economic and scientific co-operation." What sparked a diplomatic row? The ruling Communist Party's plans for state-led development of next-generation technology, along with robotics and artificial intelligence, triggered a trade war with President Donald Trump. Both sides have raised tariffs on tens of billions of dollars of each other's goods in the dispute over American complaints that Beijing steals or pressures foreign companies to hand over technology. On 1 December 2018, Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou who is also the daughter of the founder Ren Zhengfei was arrested at the Vancouver airport by the Canadian police. The arrest was based on US' allegation that the top Chinese executive had committed fraud by misleading banks about Huawei's business dealings in Iran. The arrest severely damaged the relations between China and Canada. On 6 December, Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau said that the authorities took the "appropriate" decisions without any political involvement or interference. Beijing retaliated for Mengs arrest by arresting multiple Canadian citizens and sentencing one to death. Last week, McCallum told Chinese media in Toronto that the Meng's extradition to the United States "would not be a happy outcome." He suggested the case was politically motivated and said the US could make a trade deal with China in which it would no longer seek her extradition, and two Canadian detained in China could then be released. But on Thursday McCallum walked back the remarks and said he "misspoke." Following criticism, Trudeau fire McCallum. On 21 January, a group of 143 academics and former ambassadors from around the world released an open letter to Chinese president Xi Jinping, urging him to free the two detained Canadians. And so, the pressure grew against China. Richard Fadden who served as the head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service spy agency from 2009 to 2013 said that Canada should ban Huawei from supplying equipment to Canadian 5G networks because the security risk is too great. If China would resort to putting Canadians to death to defend its corporate national champion, what might it do if the Chinese Communist Party had unfettered access to Canadas vital communications networks? he wrote in The Globe and Mail. An optimistic Huawei Despite the situation, Huawei still went ahead to announce plans for a 5G smartphone last week that will use its own technology instead of US components. The handset, billed by Huawei as the first foldable fifth-generation smartphone, will be unveiled in February. CEO of the company's consumer unit Richard Yu told reporters that the sales of Huawei smartphones and other consumer products showed "no influence" from Western security warnings as they rose more than 50 percent last year over 2017. "In this complicated political environment, we still maintain strong growth," Yu said. The company said it serves 45 of the 50 biggest global phone companies and has signed contracts with 30 carriers to test 5G technology. "Worldwide, all the carriers love us," said Yu. Whether this optimistic picture painted by Huawei holds true or not will be clearer in the days to come. With inputs from agencies OSWIECIM, Poland (Reuters) - Dozens of Polish far right nationalists gathered at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland on Sunday to protest at the same time as officials and survivors marked the 74th anniversary of the camp's liberation in an annual ceremony. OSWIECIM, Poland (Reuters) - Dozens of Polish far right nationalists gathered at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland on Sunday to protest at the same time as officials and survivors marked the 74th anniversary of the camp's liberation in an annual ceremony. The two parties gathered in different parts of the camp, now an open-air museum, and did not encounter each other. It was the first time the far right has held a protest at Auschwitz at the annual event, which is also International Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day. At the official ceremony on Sunday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other government officials were joined in prayer by some of the last remaining survivors of the death camp. In another location at the site, far right protesters wrapped in Polish flags, some of the stamped with the words "Polish Holocaust", laid flowers and sang the Polish national anthem. "The Jewish nation and Israel is doing everything to change the history of the Polish nation," said Piotr Rybak of the Polish Independence Movement, who led Sunday's protest. "Polish patriots cannot allow this." The protest comes at a time of surging anti-Semitism in parts of Europe and as critics accuse the PiS of trying to build a nationalist sense of grievance among Poles by seeking to minimise Polish complicity in the Holocaust. During decades of communist rule, Poles were taught to believe that, with a few exceptions, the nation had conducted itself honourably during a war that killed a fifth of the population. Many still refuse to accept research showing thousands had participated in the Holocaust - in addition to the thousands that had risked their lived to help the Jews - and feel the West has failed to recognise Poland's own suffering during the war. More than 3 million of Poland's 3.2 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis, accounting for about half of the Jews killed in the Holocaust. Jews from across Europe were sent to be killed at death camps built and operated by the Germans on Polish soil, including Auschwitz, Treblinka, Belzec and Sobibor. According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Nazis also killed at least 1.9 million non-Jewish Polish civilians. Diplomatic relations between Poland and Israel were strained last year after the PiS government sought to impose jail terms for suggesting the nation was complicit in the Holocaust. (Reporting by Wojciech Zurawski; Writing by Agnieszka Barteczko and Justyna Pawlak; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. PARIS (Reuters) - A mural by British street artist Banksy on a fire-exit door at Paris' Bataclan theatre, where Islamist militants killed 90 people three years ago, has been stolen, the venue said on Saturday. The work, one of a series of murals painted last June in the French capital and attributed to Banksy, showed a veiled female figure in a mournful pose. 'We are today filled with a deep sense of indignation PARIS (Reuters) - A mural by British street artist Banksy on a fire-exit door at Paris' Bataclan theatre, where Islamist militants killed 90 people three years ago, has been stolen, the venue said on Saturday. The work, one of a series of murals painted last June in the French capital and attributed to Banksy, showed a veiled female figure in a mournful pose. "We are today filled with a deep sense of indignation. The work of Banksy, a symbol of contemplation belonging to all - residents, Parisians and citizens of the world - has been taken from us," the Bataclan said in a Twitter post. Thieves with a van had stolen the door on which the mural was painted the previous night, a police source told Reuters. The Bataclan theatre was stormed by militants during a rock concert in November 2015, as part of coordinated attacks in and around Paris that caused killed 130 people. Some of Banksy's works in Paris, which also addressed issues like immigration, were vandalised soon after they were put up, while others were protected by screens. The murals of Banksy, who keeps his real name secret, have become prized attractions for collectors. A work created last month in an industrial town in Wales, depicting a child enjoying snow that is in fact pollution, was sold for over 100,000 pounds ($132,000). ($1 = 0.7576 pounds) (Reporting by Gus Trompiz, Simon Carraud and Emmanuel Jarry; Editing by Edmund Blair) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Harris, a first-term US senator from California who announced her candidacy last Monday, rallied thousands of supporters at the Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, her hometown and where she served as a prosecutor before becoming the state attorney-general. Oakland: Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, standing outside of Oakland's city hall, formally kicked off her campaign for the White House on Sunday, presenting herself as the leader who can best unite an America that is at an "inflection point" and facing a critical question. "We are here because the 'American dream' and our American democracy are under attack and on the line like never before," Harris said. "And we are here at this moment in time because we must answer a fundamental question: Who are we? Who are we as Americans? So, let's answer that question to the world and each other right here and right now. America, we are better than this." Harris, a first-term US senator from California who announced her candidacy last Monday, rallied thousands of supporters at the Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, her hometown and where she served as a prosecutor before becoming the state attorney-general. Harris invoked the speech that Robert F Kennedy gave in 1968 when he announced that he would challenge President Lyndon B Johnson, noting that Kennedy said "at stake is not simply the leadership of our party and even our country, it is our right to moral leadership of this planet." Harris added, "So today I say to you, my friends: These are not ordinary times, and this will not be an ordinary election, but this is our America." Harris' campaign is filled with historic possibility. If she ultimately wins the White House she would be the first African-American woman and first person of Asian descent to be president. Harris, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, said that as she and her sister, Maya Harris, grew up in the East Bay they were "raised by a community with a deep belief in the promise of our country, and a deep understanding of the parts of that promise that still remain unfulfilled." She has attributed her decision to become a lawyer and a prosecutor to her upbringing, and said on Sunday that she and her sister were "raised to believe that public service is a noble cause and the fight for justice is everyone's responsibility." She said she is running "with faith in God, with fidelity to country, and with the fighting spirit I got from my mother." Harris' launch has drawn heavily on symbolism. She officially entered the race on Martin Luther King Jr Day. Campaign aides say she has drawn inspiration from Shirley Chisholm, a New York congresswoman who in 1972 became the first black woman to run for president from a major party. Harris' first news conference as a candidate was on the campus of Howard University, the historically black college in the nation's capital that she attended as an undergraduate. On Friday, she was in South Carolina to speak to members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, of which she is a member. Other members of the group, wearing traditional pink and green, were on hand at Sunday's rally. Her choice of Oakland for her campaign launch was both biographical and symbolic. The state of California has played a leading role in resistance to the presidency of Donald Trump. And Oakland itself, where she was born and spent her formative years, has a history of activism. The plaza outside City Hall where Harris spoke once housed Occupy Oakland's encampment. When Barack Obama ran for president in 2008, he picked the site for his first Bay Area campaign event. Michael Ahrens, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, called it "fitting" that Harris chose "the most liberal district in deep-blue California to launch her campaign." Harris' campaign is expected to highlight her career as a prosecutor as part of her rationale for seeking the presidency. Harris was the first black woman elected district attorney in California, as well as the first woman, first African-American and first Asian-American to hold that job. On Sunday, she said she has long known the criminal justice system to be "deeply flawed" but that she also knew the "profound impact law enforcement has on people's lives and its responsibility to give them safety and dignity." Harris said throughout her life she has "only had one client: the people," echoing the words she has used in courtrooms and has adopted as her campaign's slogan. Harris also did not shy away from taking on Trump directly. She said the US welcomes refugees and called the wall that Trump wants to build at the southern border a "medieval vanity project" that would not actually stop transnational gangs, which she noted she battled as state attorney general. She also said that, as president, she would "always speak with decency and moral clarity and treat all people with dignity and respect." "I will lead with integrity. And I will tell the truth," she said. Harris is among the first major Democrats to jump into what is expected to be a crowded 2020 presidential contest. Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York have announced exploratory committees. Former Maryland representative John Delaney and Julian Castro, federal housing chief under President Barack Obama and a former San Antonio mayor, already are in the race. Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Bernie Sanders of Vermont may also run. After the rally, Harris planned to her first trip to Iowa as a presidential candidate. In the weeks before last November's elections, she traveled to the leadoff caucus state to campaign on behalf of Democrats, and also visited other early-voting states. Harris's campaign will be based in Baltimore and led by Juan Rodriguez, who managed her 2016 Senate campaign. Aides say the campaign will have a second office in Oakland. The Associated Press The space snowman visited by NASA on New Years Day is pitted all over and has a bright collar between its two fused spheres. These are the newest details to emerge about Ultima Thule, the most distant object ever explored. A close-up picture taken by NASAs New Horizons spacecraft right before closest approach on Jan. 1, and released Thursday, shows lots of little pits on Ultima Thule. Theyre less than a half-mile (0.7 kilometers) across. Theres also a much bigger, circular depression on the smaller lobe, considered the snowmans head. Scientists dont know if these are impact craters or sinkholes. Categorized as a contact binary, the approximately 20-mile-long (32-kilometer-long), reddish Ultima Thule has both light and dark patterns. The brightest spot is where the two lobes connect. Scientists say the varied shading may help explain how the ancient object was formed, as the solar system was emerging 4.5 billion years ago. Lead scientist Alan Stern of Southwest Research Institute promises even better pictures during the next month. It will take almost two years for New Horizons to transmit all the data from the flyby, 4 billion miles (6.4 billion kilometers) away. At such a vast distance, it takes more than six hours for radio signals to travel one way. New Horizons is already more than 19 million miles (30.5 million kilometers) beyond Ultima Thule. Launched in 2006, the spacecraft became the first visitor to the dwarf planet Pluto in 2015. Ultima Thule was its second target. A third destination even deeper inside the so-called Kuiper Belt on the frozen fringes of our solar system could be possible in the 2020s. tech2 News Staff In a bid to counter its rivals, telecom major Vodafone recently launched a new long-term validity plan for Rs 154. While the new Rs 154 plan offered validity of 180 days and 600 free on-net calling minutes for the prepaid users, Vodafone revising some of its existing plans is now offering extra data benefits to its subscribers. According to a TelecomTalk report, the telecom operator has modified prepaid plans that bundled 1.5 GB of 4G/3G daily data. The modified prepaid plans that include Rs 209 and Rs 479 recharge pack will now offer 1.6 GB of 4G/3G data benefits per day. Apparently, the Rs 529 prepaid plan that falls under the 1.5 GB daily data plan list will continue offering the same benefits. As per the report, Vodafone has recently updated its Rs 199 and Rs 459 prepaid plans which now provide 1.5 GB data per day instead of the 1.4 GB data limit per day that it previously offered. Besides the 100 MB additional data benefit, other offers in these prepaid recharge packs remain the same. The Rs 209 and Rs 479 prepaid plan provide subscribers unlimited voice calling benefit, 100 SMSes free per day and subscription to Vodafone Play. The Rs 209 prepaid plan has a validity period of 28 days, while the Rs 479 prepaid pack comes with 84 days validity. Vodafone reportedly launched a Rs 24 prepaid plan last week. The prepaid recharge pack which is said to be an open market plan is brought for those users who want to extend their account validity for an additional 28 days. The leading telco recently introduced its yearly plan for Rs 1,499. The plan bundles 1 GB of daily data, unlimited voice calling benefits and free 100 SMSes for a year-long validity of 365 days. To take on Vodafone, Airtel came up with a year-long prepaid plan as well for a price of Rs 1,699. The annual prepaid plan from Airtel includes similar benefits to that of the Vodafone long-term validity plan. Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison. Samsung has announced the Galaxy M20 in a 3 GB RAM and a 32 GB storage variants, and a 4 GB of RAM and a 64 GB storage variant. The smartphone will come with the Samsung One UI, and support for Widevine L1 to let you play HD videos on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Samsung's very first India-focus lineup, the Galaxy M-Series is finally expected to launch at 6 pm today. The new series is expected to debut three new phones the Galaxy M10, Galaxy M20 and Galaxy M30. The series is going to feature several Samsung firsts such as triple-rear cameras in a budget phone, Infinity-U and Infinity-V displays, and a 5,000 mAh battery. The series will also mark the debut of the company's Exynos 7 Series 7904 processor. Pricing will be key for Samsung as it tries to play catch up with a number of Chinese smartphone brands including the likes of Honor and Xiaomi. From what we know, all the phones will be sold exclusively on Amazon starting 5 February. Reuters Chinas envoy to the European Union warned that excluding Chinese tech group Huawei could hamper new 5G mobile networks, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Efforts to limit the involvement of Chinese technology in upcoming 5G projects in Europe might bring serious consequences to the global economic and scientific co-operation, Ambassador Zhang Ming said in an interview with FT. Some Western governments, led by the United States, have barred the use of the Chinese companys equipment in new networks over concerns the technology could be used for spying. Huawei has denied the claims, saying network security has always been its priority. In more news related to Huawei, the Chinese tech giant announced plans on 23 Wednesday for a next-generation smartphone that will use its own technology instead of US components, manoeuvring to gain a competitive edge and sidestep complaints it is a security risk. The leading supplier of network switching gear for phone companies, Huawei Technologies Ltd. is spending heavily to develop its own chips, an area where the US dominates. That can reduce Huaweis multibillion-dollar annual components bill and help insulate it against possible supply disruptions when US-Chinese relations are strained. Nitin Gadkari said political leaders who sell dreams to people but fail to make them a reality get 'beaten up' by the public. The minister, who handles a host of infrastructure-related portfolios in the Narendra Modi government, asserted he is a doer and delivers on his promises. Mumbai: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said political leaders who sell dreams to people but fail to make them a reality get "beaten up" by the public. The minister, who handles a host of infrastructure-related portfolios in the Narendra Modi government, asserted he is a doer and delivers on his promises. "People like (political) leaders who sell them dreams. But if these dreams are not realised, then they beat them up (politically), as well," Gadkari said, speaking at a function in Mumbai. "I am not the one who only sells dreams, but I 100 percent deliver what I talk about." Gadkari, a former BJP president, also spoke about his stint as Maharashtra's public works department (PWD) minister when the Shiv Sena-BJP government was in power (1995-99) in the state. "Mediapersons in Mumbai know what kind of a person I am as they have seen how I complete projects. They do trust me," said the 61-year-old politician from Nagpur. "People used to laugh at me when I, as PWD minister, used to claim that I was going to build over 50 flyovers in Mumbai and bring down the travel time between Mumbai and Pune to merely two hours (via the 91-kilometre expressway). "I was ridiculed but I proved them wrong and completed every project I had promised," Gadkari said. At the function, Bollywood actor Isha Koppikar joined the BJP and was made working president of the party's women's transport wing. In December, Gadkari said at an event in Pune that leadership should own up to defeat and failures. The remarks had come days after the BJP's defeat in the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections. As the comments created a controversy, Gadkari said his statements had been twisted and alleged "there was a sinister campaign by some Opposition parties and a section of the media to twist" his comments and "draw politically-motivated inferences to malign" him and his party. At the valedictory function of the annual Marathi literary meet at Yavatmal on 13 January, Gadkari said politicians should not interfere in other fields. The meet was embroiled in a controversy after an invitation to writer Nayantara Sahgal was withdrawn apparently under pressure from a political party. Without making a direct reference to the row, Gadkari had said, "Politicians should learn not to interfere in other fields. People who are in universities, educational institutes, literature and poetry, they should be dealing with their (respective) areas." BJP workers in Kerala sought to use the Sabarimala protests to trigger a Hindu consolidation that they failed to achieve through the hardline Hindutva politics. The virulent attack launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government and the Congress on the Sabarimala issue during his two visits to Kerala within a span of a fortnight indicates that faith will be his partys core issue in the ensuing Lok Sabha election in the state. The issue was thrown up after the Pinarayi Vijayan government implemented after the 28 September, 2018 Supreme Court verdict allowing entry to women of all ages in the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala. By violently protesting the entry of women between the age of 10 and 50 inside the temple, the BJP workers sought to use the issue to trigger a Hindu consolidation that they failed to achieve through the hardline Hindutva politics. However, the state leadership of the party senses huge potential in the issue to not only consolidate the Hindu votes but also make inroads into the minority vote bank. They, have, therefore, started wooing the minorities by dubbing the Communists move as an attack on the faith as per their atheistic agenda. The Prime Minister has endorsed the state leaderships calculations by harping on the issue in both the rallies he addressed at Kollam on 15 January and at Thrissur on 27 January. Cleverly avoiding any mention of the court verdict and the state governments obligation to implement it, he launched a scathing attack on the LDF government for its handling of the issue and the Congress for adopting a double standard on the issue in both the places. "Kerala's cultural ethos are under attack from the party that is ruling the state. The Sabarimala issue has got the attention of the entire nation. I fail to understand why the communist government is trying to undermine the countrys culture and civilisation which stood the test of the time," Modi said while addressing a public meeting in connection with the Yuva Morcha state conference at Thrissur on Sunday. Modi also sought to put the Congress in the same bracket by pointing out is national leaderships stand welcoming the apex court verdict. This is viewed by political analysts as a clever bid to project the BJP as the sole saviour of faith and attract upper caste Hindus and minorities, who traditionally back the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the state, into the BJP camp. The aggressive campaign by the BJP against the entry of women in Sabarimala and the 10 percent quota for the economically weak in the general category have helped the party in building a bridge to the Nair Service Society (NSS), which hold considerable sway over the 13 percent Nair population in the state. BJP leaders consider the appreciation extended by NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair to the partys Sabarimala campaign and the quota law will bring the Nairs close to the party. Nair has been shunning the BJPs bid to rope in the NSS into the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), saying he doesnt want the NSS to be identified with the Hindutva politics. The party hopes that he organisation will review the stance and back the BJP in protecting the faith. The presence of influential spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi at the Ayyappa Baktha Sangamam (Ayyappa Devotees Gathering) that the Sabarimala Karma Samithi organised at Thiruvananthapuram on 20 January and the greetings sent by Sri Ravi Shankar on the occasion have lent greater respectability to the Sabarimala campaign led by the Sangh Parivar. The BJP's endeavor is to translate the goodwill into votes during the Lok Sabha election. Modi's two visits to the state this month has galvanised the workers. The state leadership is awaiting the visit of Party president Amit Shah next month to consolidate the position further. Amit Shah wants the party to win at least 12 seats in Kerala. However, the party think tank consider it too tall an order in a state with 45 percent minority population, which is still skeptical about saffron partys Hindutva agenda. Incidentally, the latest ABP-CVoter survey shows a Lok Sabha seat a distant possibility for the BJP in the coming election. They survey says the saffron party would only be able to increase its vote share from 15 percent in 2016 to 19 percent in 2019. The survey predicting 14 seats to the UDF and the remaining four to the LDF has even surprised the political pundits, who thought that the LDF will sweep the election with the BJP eating into the UDFs upper caste Hindu vote bank. Political analysts had reached such a conclusion as the BJP gains in the previous local body and Assembly elections had proved to the UDFs loss. This, they explained, was because the backbone of the LDF is lower caste Hindus, who normally do not change their political affiliation easily. This is the reason why the BJP could not make major gains in the Assembly election despite roping in Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a political outfit the lower caste Ezhava community, accounting for 23 percent of the states population, into the NDA fold. However, analysts, like George Podippara, believes that there could be a churning in this constituency because of the Sabarimala issue. He said that a large number of LDF vote bank comprise believers, who will find it difficult to come to terms with the dilution of the customs and rituals in the Sabarimala temple. He, however, said that this section may find it equally difficult to vote for BJP, which they have been opposing traditionally. They may not find the same difficulty in voting for the Congress, which has also been opposing the entry of menstruating women in Sabarimala albeit peacefully unlike the BJP. I, therefore, find the survey result realistic. The state has been witnessing a phenomenon of people belonging to rival political combinations joining hands in defeating the BJP in the past elections. Whenever BJP comes close to victory, they vote for the next party with the winning chance cutting across political affiliations. This has happened several times in the past elections and the phenomenon may be repeated in the coming election too, he said. Podippara said that the beneficiary this time could be Congress since a large number of people in the state, especially minorities, believe that only the grand old party can take on the saffron party nationally. He pointed out that voters in Kerala were showing split preference in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections because the LDF is not in a position to come to power at the Centre. With the Left parties losing their base in its other bastions in West Bengal and Tripura, there is no reason to believe that they will have any major role to play at the Centre unless they align with the Congress or mahagathbandhan of the regional parties. On the other hand, the victory that the Congress got in the Hindi heartland has changed the perception of the people towards the party. Podippara believes that this may help the Congress in Kerala. Shocked over party MP Mausam Noor joining the Trinamool Congress, the Congress on Monday accused Mamata Banerjee's party of trying to finish it off and paving the way for the 'communal' BJP in the state. Noor, the niece of the late Congress stalwart ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury, is a two-time Congress MP from Malda (North). Kolkata: Shocked over party MP Mausam Noor joining the Trinamool Congress, the Congress on Monday accused Mamata Banerjee's party of trying to finish it off and paving the way for the "communal" BJP in the state. Noor, the niece of the late Congress stalwart ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury, is a two-time Congress MP from Malda (North). "TMC's claim that it wants to fight the BJP and strengthen secular forces in Bengal and India is absolutely bogus and this poaching of our MP is the biggest example of it. TMC is trying to finish the Congress," state Congress president Somen Mitra said. "If someone wants to leave the Congress and join some other party how can we stop him or her...When I met Congress president Rahul Gandhi last year I told him to talk to Mausam as she might switch over to TMC," he said. He said the Congress will put up its candidate from the constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. According to state Congress sources, 39-year-old Noor has been a strong advocate of alliance with the TMC in West Bengal which was rejected by the party's state leadership. Noor's uncle Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury, the MP from Malda (South), is also in favour of forging an alliance with the TMC. He and Congress MLA Maniul Haque had met TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee at his residence in 2018. "We knew Mausam was in touch with the TMC leadership but after Congress' victory in the three Hindi-heartland states, she had said that she would be with the Congress and there is no question of joining the TMC," said another senior state Congress leader. Congress' in-charge of Bengal Gaurav Gogoi said the party's central leadership is aware of the development but would not like to comment on it as of now. This is the first time that a Congress MP defected to the Trinamool after it formed the government in the state in 2011. After 2016 assembly polls, 14 Congress MLAs have switched over to the TMC. Senior state Congress leaders, who did not wish to be named, said the defection should be a message for the high-command who are in favour of keeping TMC in its "good books". The Jind bypoll has turned into a four-cornered prestige battle between BJP, Congress, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) All major political parties seem to be slugging it out against each other for victory in the Jind bypolls that took place on Monday. A small city in heartland Haryana, Jind by-election is being taken as a litmus test by parties contesting in the Haryana Assembly elections and the Lok Sabha polls later this year. What seemed like another bypoll, the Jind elections has turned into a four-cornered prestige battle between BJP, Congress, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP). While the BJP has fielded Krishan Midha, Randeep Surjewala is fighting for the Congress, Umed Singh Redhu of the INLD and Digvijay Chautala as an Independent backed by the Jannayak Janata party (JJP). The bypoll was necessitated after the death of INLD legislator Hari Chand Midha in August 2018. A total of 21 candidates are in fray for the polls, including two women, and nearly 1.7 lakh people are eligible to vote. The desperate attempts and careful plotting of candidates by political parties only highlights the high-voltage confrontation between factions. Interesting to note that former INLD legislator Hari Chand's son Krishan Midha is fighting on a BJP ticket. Krishan represents the Punjabi-Brahmin community in the region, which is predominantly a Jat-dominated constituency. It is to be noted that no Jat leader has won this Assembly seat since 1972 and there are about 12,000 voters each of the Brahmin and Punjabi communities. The Congress has an equally interesting candidature. All eyes turned on the party when it announced the name of senior leader Surjewala, who is also the head of the AICC communication department. Surjewala, a sititng MLA from Kaithal, had defeated former chief minister OP Chautala from Narwana in 2005 and will now be locked in a contest against his grandson Digvijay Chautala. Surjewala's name came amidst speculations of in-fighting within the party with a faction supporting former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the chief minister probable for the upcoming Assembly elections. Surjewala, initially reticent, was pushed by the party in the lack of any other leader who could give BJP and the newly-launched JJP a strong fight. Haryana: Voting is underway for by-poll to the Jind assembly constituency. Visuals from polling station number 80. #JindByelection pic.twitter.com/q4ilaYBz9A ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 On the other hand, an NDTV report had also talked about how Surjewala's nomination brought about a "rare unity" among Congress' top leaders, including Hooda, state party chief Ashok Tanwar, late chief minister Bhajan Lal's son Kuldeep Bishnoi, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhary and party MP Kumari Selja who had actively campaigned for him. Going beyond the two big guns are the two regional parties fighting for leadership and popularity Chautala family-led INLD and its breakaway faction JJP, headed by MP Dushyant Chautala. Tapping on the large number of Jat votes, both INLD and JJP has nominated Redhu, a local Jat leader who is also backed by a faction of the prominent Kandela Khap ( a caste council), and Digvijay, another Jat leader. Both candidates are first-timers. The JJP got a boost when Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced its support to the party, even addressing a rally on Saturday. According to a News18 report, the 11,000-strong Baniya community in Jind city could become the deciding factor in tilting votes in favor of Digvijay and change the tide of the bypoll. The cancellation of INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala's three-week furlough from Tihar jail recently on a Delhi-government directive was perhaps an indication of Kejriwal's strong backing to JJP in the run up to the polls. The directive led to a verbal duel between the warirng Chautala factions with Om Prakash hitting back at grandsons Dushyant and Digvijay, accusing them of "back-stabbing" him and "conspiring" with AAP to keep him out of the campaigning. The strong contenders, in-fighting within parties and a neck-to-neck fight has given a dramatic twist to the Jind bypoll, thought to be a poll forecast for the Lok Sabha elections. In the poll season, claims of EVM manipulation have become part of our everyday news cycle science be damned. Editor's Note: This article appears in the print edition of Firstpost. To read other stories from the paper, click here. *** We were all riveted to our television screens this week as a masked cyber expert proclaimed that the 2014 Lok Sabha election was stolen by the Bharatiya Janata Party by hacking electronic voting machines en masse. The evidence for his claims is conspicuously thin: we have no idea of the credentials of the supposed cyber expert or verifications of his hyper-real claims, including mass killings and assassinations. But that hasnt stopped plenty of people who should know better from buying the story that EVMs can be manipulated using low-frequency waves, which conspiracy theorists refer to as military grade technology. This is because claims of EVM manipulation have become part of our everyday news cycle science be damned. The Election Commission of India has on several occasions explained the workings of the machines and even conducted hackathons inviting the sceptics to prove their claims. No one has been able to hack an EVM in these hackathons but that has done little to put an end to the conspiracy theories. Such manipulation is simply not possible. The technology used in EVMs and the processes put in place by the ECI do not allow such hacking. I speak from experience. I was a polling booth agent for the Aam Aadmi Party during the 2014 election. I have had extensive discussions with engineers who work on embedded software and device drivers. I also have 20 years experience in the technology sector. First, the technology aspect. An EVM consists of a control unit and a ballot unit. The ballot unit is the one that voters use to pick their preferred candidate, or reject all of them (NOTA), and the control unit is where the vote is recorded. Each booth at a polling station has a combination of the two units that are connected through a wire. The control unit has a piece of software listening on a port to receive a vote from the ballot unit. Just because the control unit receives a vote over the wire from a ballot unit doesnt in any way mean that it can receive a vote or malicious code that can manipulate votes wirelessly from another source. For it to be able to do so, the control unit has to be explicitly designed and manufactured to be compatible with wireless mechanisms and protocols. That involves both a hardware component called a Network Interface Card in average desktops, laptops, servers, etc as a well as a software component that can listen for wireless messages. The ECI has repeatedly said EVMs arent manufactured for wireless communication. Any potential hacker should have at least gone to the ECI hackathon and just opened up the machine to check for that. Also, the code, which assigns a vote to a candidate, totals votes for each of the contestants and adds up the votes registered on a machine, is burnt into the chip. The device is one time programmable, which means this burning of code into the chip can only be done once per EVM. It is not the model where software is downloaded separately and installed and later upgraded. Second, the poll process, which I have seen for myself. Each polling centre has multiple booths. For instance, a school can be a polling centre and a room in the school can be a booth. Four election officials are present in each booth. In addition, an agent for each candidate is also allowed I was the agent posted for AAPs Bangalore Central candidate. An hour before voting begins, the polling officer conducts a mock poll involving all the agents to ensure that the keys have been correctly mapped to candidates. The control unit is then reset and polling begins. Once polling ends, the officer generates a receipt from the control unit that mentions the total number of votes polled in that booth. The receipt is signed by each agent and the EVM sealed with a receipt inside it. Each agent is also given a written receipt, mentioning the number of votes polled. On the counting day, candidates agents use these receipts to cross-check that the votes displayed by the EVMs are the same as those on their receipts and also that the main signed receipt is in the machine. This ensures that no manual tampering can be done between the polling and counting days. Let us for a moment assume a scenario of a possible hacking via wireless transmission. Even if one were to assume that malicious code can be remotely injected into an EVM through wireless transmission, just thinking of what the code has to do starts to boggle the mind. The code cant just assign all votes or extra votes to a given candidate since the total is signed off after polling ends. This means the code has to be intelligent enough to dynamically rebalance the total number of votes in each EVM. The injected code has to be aware of which candidate to assign more votes to and also the proportion in which the remaining votes have to be distributed so that suspicions are not raised. The code should also know where exactly in the EVM is candidate information stored and also where the votes are stored. As if doing it at an individual EVM level is not difficult enough, this manipulation has to be orchestrated across all machines in a constituency. The total votes polled would have to remain unchanged even as the preferred candidate gets more votes. But, the mandate should not be flagrantly at odds with the mood of the people. This should hold true for all other contestants as well, including Nota. Perhaps, the next time the ECI organises a hackathon, it should just bring some unprogrammed EVMs, ask these master hackers to burn their code into the chip and demonstrate their master algorithm for such mass manipulations. That would be a challenge worthy of the saviours of Indian democracy. (The writer is a software developer and architect.) Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Monday lashed out against Congress MLAs and said they 'were crossing the line' after a few stated that Siddaramaiah was 'still their chief minister'. Karnataka Congress in-charge KC Venugopal on Monday asked the party to send a show cause notice to Congress MLA ST Somashekhar, seeking a clarification on his remarks that Siddaramaiah, the current Congress Legislature Party chief, was "still their chief minister". Venugopal's direction came soon after Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said the state Congress MLAs "were crossing the line", threatening to resign, a move that would lead the Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka to collapse. "...If they (Congress MLAs) want to continue with the same thing, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line," Kumaraswamy said. "Congress leaders have to oversee all those issues. I'm not the concerned person for it. Congress leaders must control their MLAs." #WATCH: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy says "...If they want to continue with the same thing, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line", when asked 'Congress MLAs are saying that Siddaramaiah is their CM'.' pic.twitter.com/qwErh4aEq4 ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 However, Deputy Chief Minister G Parmeshwara defended the Karnataka Congress MLA who made the remark, saying that considering Siddaramaiah their leader was just an opinion. "Siddaramaiah has been the best chief minister. He is our CLP (Congress Legislature Party) leader. For the MLA, he is the chief minister. He has expressed his opinion. What is wrong in that? We are all happy with him (Kumaraswamy)," Parmeshwara said. In response, Siddaramaiah said, "(The media) are the people who create trouble. (They) ask one person, then second person and then third person. There is no trouble, I will speak to Kumaraswamy," according to ANI. Former Karnataka CM & Congress leader Siddaramaiah on 'Congress MLAs say Siddaramaiah is their leader': You (media) are the people who create trouble. You ask one person, then second person and then third person. There is no trouble, I will speak to HD Kumaraswamy pic.twitter.com/Be7letrUrQ ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 The rift between the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) has been evident for months, and there has been speculation over how long the coalition government would survive in Karnataka. Also, amid the power play between Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah, there have been rumours that the BJP was trying to play this discord to its advantage and poach Congress MLAs. In August, Siddaramaiah had announced he would like to be chief minister again. I want to become the chief minister and I will. Many of my adversaries ganged up against me after the 2018 Assembly polls. Hence, I couldnt get the post But politics is not stagnant. It will keep changing, he was quoted as saying by reports. The Congress had downplayed the statement and said, We were confident before the Assembly polls that Siddaramaiah would become chief minister again, but then the party lost the elections. There is nothing wrong in him saying he will become chief minister again. It doesnt mean he plans to unsettle the Kumaraswamy government to accomplish his goal," Revenue Minister RV Deshpande was quoted as saying by the Deccan Chronicle. The first signs of discord appeared in June, barely a month after the coalition government was formed. Siddaramaiah had expressed his displeasure over Kumaraswamy's decision to present two full-fledged budgets. With inputs from agencies Lashing out at his brother and former minister Daggubati Venkateswara Rao, whose son Hitesh was about to join the opposition YSR Congress, Naidu alleged that the Daggubati family was joining the YSRC only for power. Amaravati: Protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Tamil Nadu reflected the "mood of the nation", Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said Monday. "The Tamilians protested with black flags and balloons, against the neglect of the state that suffered damages in cyclone Gaja," Naidu told his party leaders during a tele-conference in Amaravati, warning Modi would face much severe protests in Andhra Pradesh. "The protests in Madurai reflected the mood of the nation against the BJP. Compared to Tamil Nadu, the Centre did grave injustice to Andhra Pradesh," Naidu said. "Modi and (Amit) Shah will face much severe protests and opposition if they visit Andhra Pradesh," he asserted. He said there was every need to save the country and also fight for the rights of the states. "We should work with the sole objective of defeating the BJP," he told the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) rank and file. Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) cadres, led by party founder Vaiko had on Sunday staged a protest against Modi in Madurai, accusing him of betraying the interests of Tamil Nadu. Lashing out at his brother and former minister Daggubati Venkateswara Rao, whose son Hitesh was about to join the opposition YSR Congress, Naidu alleged that the Daggubati family was joining the YSRC only for power. "There is no party that Daggubati did not join. Starting with the RSS, Daggubati (Venkateswara Rao) joined BJP, TDP, Congress, (again) BJP and now YSRC," Naidu said. "She (Daggubati Purandeswari) was a Central minister in the Congress government and he was an MLA. They then joined the BJP and now are going to YSRC," Naidu added. Purandeswari is the chief minister's sister-in-law. "Their defections are only for the sake of power. They used NTR out of sheer opportunism and brought disgrace to the legend. Now, they are joining YSRC. We should expose their hollowness," the TDP chief told his party men. Mexico #3 on 2019 World's Best Places to Retire List Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - With spiraling costs compelling more and more North Americans to move overseas, retiring abroad has never been more attractive. But finding the right location among the myriad options available can be daunting. That's what the annual International Living Global Retirement Index does. Using input from their team of correspondents on the ground all over the world, they combine real-world insights about climate, health care, cost of living, and much more to draw up a comprehensive list of the best retirement destinations on the planet. Out of the top ten countries listed on the 2019 index, Latin American destinations took the top 3 spots. Panama was given the title of "The World's Number 1 Retirement Haven," followed by Costa Rica, with Mexico coming in at number three. Mexico could be the retirement spot for you if you seek an adventure overseas, but don't want to give up all the comforts of home. Almost anything you use or consume in the U.S. is also available in Mexico, though how easily available depends on where you base yourself in the country. With two long coasts, mountains and colonial cities, the challenge is that Mexico offers many appealing lifestyle and climate alternatives, and you need to decide where you might be happiest. Here's International Living's take on retirement living in Mexico: As many as 1 million U.S. and Canadian citizens already call Mexico their home, with more joining them all the time. In terms of numbers, Mexico is the most popular expat destination for North Americans in the world. This should come as no surprise, actually. Mexico has a lot to recommend it. Convenience, for one thing: From the U.S. and Canada, you can drive to Mexico, or fly there in a few hours, in most cases. Mexico offers many of the First-World conveniences we're used to, including good highways, plenty of airports, reliable telephone service, and fast internet connections. Mexico's lower cost of living means a comfortable, fulfilling, life will likely cost you a fraction of what you pay "back home." As much as 50 percent below what you'd pay in the rest of North America. And then there are all those enticing differences that make Mexico so special: the vibrant local culture and rich history; the friendly people and their relaxed lifestyle; the sunny climate; the delicious food and drink; the miles (nearly 6,000) of coastline, much of it warm, sandy beach. You'll also enjoy a slower, more relaxed pace of life here, where children still play in the streets and neighbors really know each other. And thanks to Mexico's large size and varied geography, those moving here have so many choices... little silver-mining towns where the winding streets seem to head up to the clouds... fishing villages where you can rise at dawn to buy the day's catch fresh from returning fishermen... beach towns where the sound of surf and the tang of salt water linger in the air... and cosmopolitan cities. These are just some of the things that have drawn an increasing number of adventurous expats to call Mexico home, even those still working, including me. When you decide to make the move, take into account your personal preferences, needs, budget, and desires, and look at the options available to see which destination best suits your needs. You can see the entire 2019 Global Retirement Index at internationalliving.com. There is a case to be made against Priyanka on how her elevation concentrates power in the hands of one family, but this case cannot be made by repeating the dynast charge alone. BJPs counter-Priyanka Gandhi strategy is not going according to plan. When Rahul Gandhi announced that his sister is joining active politics and will take an important part in the campaign for upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had embarked on a cautious strategy. Mindful of the fact that Priyanka is smarter, more eloquent and charismatic than her brother and bears some resemblance with grandmother Indira the countrys only female prime minister who remains a tough-as-nails figure in Indian politics despite her autocratic strain, BJP tried to refrain from launching personal attacks against her. Instead, the party had decided to focus on the motivations behind Rahuls decision to field his sibling and the sense of entitlement that runs through members of the Gandhi family who treat Congress party as their private firm. It made perfect sense too. Focusing on Priyanka blunts BJPs most effective weapon in the elections the personality of Narendra Modi. The prime minister still remains a much-admired figure, and surveys have pointed out to the fact that his personal popularity outstrips that of his rivals and towers even over his own party. The BJPs campaign strategy, therefore, revolves around making the general elections a referendum on Modis personality in the lines of a presidential campaign in the US. The BJP feels comfortable with a Modi versus Rahul contest since the Congress chief, despite some late successes, still cuts a bumbling figure in politics. Pitted against Rahuls expressions that vary between poker face and righteous indignation, Modi is considerably the better communicator. This picture, however, changes when it becomes a Modi versus Priyanka contest that the Congress is trying to encourage by handing over eastern Uttar Pradesh to the elder Gandhi that includes the prime ministers Varanasi constituency. Posters of a Modi vs Priyanka fight (though it is still not clear if she will contest in the election) are already visible in Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka brings an untested x-factor to the equation. Coupled with her ease and spontaneity, she also taps into the appeal that a deeply feudal society instinctively harbours for the progeny of a strong leader, especially if there is some amount of physical resemblance between the two. Her made-for-TV personality endears Priyanka further to the media which remains obsessed with the dynast. There has been no discussion in the media over the skill set that Priyanka brings to the table, her views on substantive policy decisions and her opinion on the quotidian issues concerning common man. Instead, we have had endless discussions on her sartorial elegance and the apparent ballsy decision to take charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, as if the statement alone is indicative of her spunk and calibre. In this age of vacuous and lopsided media debates, the brother may be no match for Modi in a personality contest, but the sister may be able to hold her own. This is doubtlessly a perception until such time that the result proves otherwise, but politics is a game of perception, not data. The BJPs original plan was to highlight the fact that it was Rahuls leadership failure that compelled him to fall back on sister Priyanka, and how the airdropping of one more Gandhi on the helm is indicative of the culture of entitlement and elitism that defines Congress. BJP leader R Balashankar writes in NDTV: By promoting Priyanka, the Congress has exposed two things. One, that it no more considers corruption and dynastic politics as issues that matter to voters. Two, it is an admission that Rahul Gandhi has not impressed the opposition ranks enough to fall under the Congress umbrella for a "mahagathbandhan" Priyankas debut will certainly unsettle the opposition frontline. It will also raise questions about Rahul Gandhi's leadership abilities Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad posted on Twitter: RS Prasad: Priyanka Ji has become General Secy, my good-luck to her. Since party is a family concern, these kinds of postings are nothing unusual, except to say with a caveat, why she has been given limited role of only Eastern UP? Perhaps her persona merited a wider role for her pic.twitter.com/pIMlqsDhE4 ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2019 These calibrated attacks, that came in the aftermath of the announcement, stuck to the larger plan. The idea was to not give Priyanka the opportunity to play the sympathy card. Unfortunately for the BJP, the rough and tumble of everyday politics upset the best laid plans. Since the first few days, myriad BJP leaders have made sexist and bizarre remarks that any smart politician could use as a weapon. Bihar minister Vinod Narayan Jha came out with a sexist remark that Priyanka is very beautiful but votes cannot be won on the basis of beautiful faces Other than that she holds no political achievement or talent, he was quoted, as saying by ANI. His party colleague and Bihars deputy chief minister Sushil Modi took a dig at Congress for inducting a woman with a tainted life partner. Then there is BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who said that Congress doesnt have any leader that is why it brings in chocolaty faces and they want to fight elections with these faces. This shows their lack of confidence. On Sunday, senior BJP MP Subramanian Swamy claimed that Priyanka suffers from a bipolar disorder and she beats up people. Speaking to news agency ANI, he said her ailment does not make her fit to lead a public life. The public should know when she is likely to lose mental balance. S Swamy on #PriyankaGandhiVadra : Usko 1 bimari hai jo sarvjanik jivan mein anukool aur upyukt nahi hai, usko bipolarity kehte hain yaani uski hinsawadi charitra dikhai padti hai, logon ko peet'ti hai. Public ko pata hona chaiye ki kab santulan kho baithegi, kisi ko pata nahi. pic.twitter.com/psVoVcbnvx ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2019 Apart from the fact that Swamys statement can be considered as insensitive and stigmatising for those who suffer from such a mental ailment, this line of attack directly plays into Priyankas hands by allowing her to bypass policy debates and focus on 'herself'. If the Gandhi scion is really as effective a communicator as she is touted to be, this one remark by Swamy should be enough for her to build some political capital in much the same way Modi turned chaiwala jibe into a tour de force. Attacking Priyanka for her husbands alleged financial misdeeds is also a poor strategy. If Robert Vadra is really guilty of anything, it reflects poorly on the NDA government instead which has been unable to take any concrete action against him in five years. Any rhetoric now will be counter-productive. In fact, any action against Vadra at this late stage will give Congress the chance to cry foul. BJPs attacking of Priyanka on dynasty also makes little sense. This weapon has been blunted by overuse. If voters can accept dynast Rahul as Congress may argue on the back of recent electoral success there is no reason why they wont accept another dynast. There is a case to be made against Priyanka on how her elevation concentrates power in the hands of one family, but this case cannot be made by repeating the dynast charge alone. It must be accompanied by a substantive debate on how nepotism and elitism which Priyankas ascension elucidates is bad for the country. BJPs lazy charges against Priyanka instead give her an easy way out. Union minister and BJP Lok Sabha election in-charge for Uttar Pradesh JP Nadda Monday said the party will go to Lok Sabha polls with a target of bagging 74 plus seats from the state. Lucknow: Union minister and BJP Lok Sabha election in-charge for Uttar Pradesh JP Nadda Monday said the party will go to Lok Sabha polls with a target of bagging 74 plus seats from the state. Addressing a meeting of party convenors in Chandauli, Nadda said, "In 2014, the strength of our party in Uttar Pradesh was 36 lakh workers. "Now our strength is 1.80 crore workers. We will go to Lok Sabha polls with the promise of making Narendra Modi the Prime Minister again." Nadda said the "clean image" of the prime minister and various welfare measures initiated by the Centre and the state government will ensure BJP's victory in the polls. He urged the party workers to gear up for the Lok Sabha election without bothering about the rival political parties. Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey, on this occasion, said, "Winning against the BJP has become a challenge for all the parties and hence they are engaging in 'gathjod' (alliances). "People who had never united in the past are now coming together owing to the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and increasing attraction of the masses towards the BJP." Pandey also said, "In the alliance, Mayawati will eventually reduce Akhilesh to a minnow (is gathjod mein Mayawati Akhilesh ko poori tarah se babua banakar chhodenge). Union minister Manoj Sinha, who was also present on the occasion, exuded confidence that the BJP's performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls will be better than that of 2014. BJP Chennai unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan also took a dig at Vaiko's vow to make MK Stalin the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Chennai: The BJP in Tamil Nadu on Monday flayed MDMK founder Vaiko for holding a black flag demo against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Madurai visit, saying it was done for his own "promotion". The protest was not reflective of the people's sentiments, BJP state unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan said. Modi's visit, where he laid the foundation stone for an AIIMS facility at Madurai, was aimed at the development of southern Tamil Nadu, she said and questioned what Vaiko had done for the region in the past as an MP. She also took a dig at his vow to make MK Stalin the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, seeking to remind him of his bitter rivalry with the DMK President in the past. "Your black flag protest is for your own publicity and it does not reflect Tamil Nadu people's sentiments," she said in a statement. "People will not forgive those who showed black flags to the Prime Minister who had come for (launching) public welfare schemes. The BJP will also not tolerate those making cheap criticism against the Prime Minister," she added. Led by Vaiko, MDMK cadres had on Sunday staged the protest against Modi at Madurai, accusing him of betraying the interests of Tamil Nadu. Protesting party workers raised slogans against him and also released black balloons, alleging he had betrayed the interests of Tamil Nadu on Cauvery and other issues. Pointing out at Vaiko's strong pro-Sri Lankan Tamils stand, Soundararajan sought to know why he was now supporting the DMK-Congress combine, accused of aiding the earlier Mahinda Rajapakse dispensation in its fight against the LTTE which resulted in heavy civilian Tamil casualty. "This shows your often changing political colours which the people are well aware of," she said. On the Gaja super cyclone which hit the state coast in November 2018, leaving a trail of devastation including human casualty, she said the Centre had issued prior warnings and provided assistance to the state government, thus preventing large scale loss of lives. The Prime Minister took part in the people's grief even as his office monitored the relief activities by deputing Central Ministers, she added. AAP had been critical of both the BJP and the Congress leadership and if it joins hands with the grand old party to stop BJP, it would turn out to be the case of another 'unholy alliance' put together to counter the common rival There have been tumultuous political journeys and governments that have abruptly fallen previously as well, but a political discourse like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is not just difficult to map, it's a challenge only somebody like an Arvind Kejriwal could have taken the risk of, given that he had nothing to lose when he entered the political fray. However, what has panned out for the party whose majority government is currently serving the national capital in the seven years since its inception, is nothing short of a roller coaster ride which has seen more faces leave the party than join it. AAP-Congress to join hands? When on Wednesday, AAP leader Amanatullah Khan said that somebody had told him that people are going to vote for the Congress because the next prime minister will be from that party, he went on to say something which is new for AAP but not surprising given the current political scenario. Khan said that "if this happens, then we will also extend support to their (Congress') prime minister". Even though both AAP and Congress have repeatedly maintained that there was no immediate possibility of an alliance in Delhi or elsewhere ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the parties may be mellowing down to allow each other a chance in the coalition universe. After all, Khan's remark comes just days after the newly appointed Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit refused to rule out the possibility of a pre-poll partnership with AAP. Dikshit in an exclusive interview with Firstpost hinted that the decision to not to ally with AAP could change if the situation demanded. In politics, we cannot predict what will happen after two months or even after two weeks. Decisions are taken keeping tab with new developments in the field," Dikshit had remarked. Meanwhile, until now, the AAP had been critical of both the BJP and the Congress leadership and if it joins hands with the grand old party to stop BJP, it would turn out to be the case of another 'unholy alliance' like the BSP-SP combine in Uttar Pradesh which was put together to battle the saffron party. Just a few days back, amid a spat with the Congress over the Delhi's water and power tariffs woes, AAP leader Gopal Rai had said, Despite disagreement within the party, a view emerged that we are willing to drink the poison of the Congress. But the way Congress in-charges have spoken, it appears that for the Congress, their arrogance is greater than the country." Rai said that the AAP-Congress alliance was a suggestion made by like-minded leaders. Farooq Abdullah, MK Stalin, Chandrababu Naidu, Mamata Banerjee among others stressed that despite disagreements with Congress, we should fight the elections together in the interest of the country." It was at the same media interaction that Rai denied any possibility of an alliance with Congress and announced that AAP would field candidates in all constituencies in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. The party is also planning to field candidates in Uttar Pradesh, as claimed by the party's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh. Similarly, Dikshit herself had earlier ruled out any possibility of talks of an alliance with AAP. No, there have not been any talks and nor are there going to be any talks of alliance with the AAP," she had said. But as they say, in politics, equations change overnight and you should never say never, it seems the DPCC chief has learned that hard way after seeing the fallout of former president Ajay Maken with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party. Ajay Maken's tiff with AAP Maken was publicly at loggerheads with Kejriwal and co and one of the reasons for his exit as the DPCC chief was dubbed to be the fact that he was not ready to give the green signal to an alliance with AAP in Delhi. He had called out AAP for its inefficiencies numerous times during his tenure as the DPCC head, terming the party as "corrupt". Maken had said that no party worker or leader wants an alliance with the AAP at a time when the graph of the Kejriwal government is declining fast and that of the Congress going up. Arvind Kejriwal is the person who stood with the likes of Baba Ramdev, General VK Singh, and Kiran Bedi during the Anna movement. The party can go for a secular alliance but how can we have an alliance with those who spoke against the Congress in the company of Baba Ramdev and Kiran Bedi, Maken had questioned. The AAP on its part, did little to mend its ties with Congress when it raised the issue of taking away Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna in the Delhi Assembly. The AAP passed a resolution in the Assembly to this effect and a controversy blew up when AAP MLA Alka Lamba, who was earlier a part of the Congress, resented against it. There were reports of Lamba being asked to resign from AAP which were later doused as mere rumours. But the episode was enough to dent the AAP-Congress ties further. Post the incident, Dikshit was quoted as saying, "The way they talked about Rajiv Gandhi in the Assembly... we were hurt by it and it was not right." Following this, AAP also alleged that its office in Central Delhi's Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg was ransacked by the Youth Congress workers on 24 December, 2018 and had warned that such "action could lead to a reaction". According to several media reports, in a meeting of the DPCC, headed by Maken in November 2018, a resolution was passed to oppose the alliance. However, top Congress leaders were of the view that the Congress, with AAP, could win 25 of the 30 seats in Punjab, Delhi and Haryana. Kejriwal wants Congress' support? However, post Maken's exit on 5 January, the murmurs of an AAP-Congress alliance have only gotten stronger with former party leader and senior journalist Ashutosh writing in an article, how Kejriwal has been constantly pushing for such a setup for over a year now. In a piece that Ashutosh wrote for satyahindi.com, published on 1 January, he says that between AAP and Congress, it was Kejriwal who proposed the idea of the alliance first. "The truth is that Kejriwal decides what happens in AAP. And Kejriwal wants an alliance with Congress. He has been pushing for it for the past one year. Some other parties have also worked as communication channels for AAP and Congress. Ashutosh further wrote that a big impediment to this alliance was Congress Delhi unit under Maken. Another piece on the same website, published on the same day, analysed Maken's exit. Congress Delhi unit kept telling the party high command that it shouldnt get into an alliance with AAP since it is continually becoming unpopular in the capital," it read. Rumours of a pre-poll alliance as an offer from AAP to Congress had started doing rounds in early 2018. Maken had tweeted in June 2018: "On 'so-called' offer of AAP to Congress for three seats, look at my reply to Kejriwal! When the people of Delhi are continuously rejecting Kejriwal government, why should we come to their rescue? After all, Kejriwal with team Anna supported by RSS helped in creating this monster of Modi!" However, Ashutosh suggested in his article that an alliance could help the AAP-Congress combine win all the seven seats in Delhi, whereas a failure to join forces will split votes that are common to both parties i.e Muslims, Dalits and the slum dwellers. He also hinted at the possibility of a similar alliance in the 13 seats of Punjab, if the deal goes through in the capital. BJP, meanwhile, was quick to mock the opportunistic nature of the would-be alliance. The leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said the failed alliance had exposed the AAP. This failed alliance has exposed the fact that the AAP was, is and will always remain just a Delhi party till it survives. All these alliances against the Modi government will see a similar fate in the days to come, he said. AAP chief Kejriwal, on the other hand, has been flip-flopping on his stand. Earlier, Kejriwal had responded in the negative when he was asked if his party would join the 'mahagathbandhan', a proposed grand alliance of the Opposition parties. "My politics is the politics of the people, the politics of development, the politics of welfare. Our politics is not the politics of gathbandhan (alliance)," he had said. However, later, Kejriwal shared the stage with Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders at a massive farmers' protest in Delhi. Then on 10 December, 2018, Kejriwal also attended a meeting of 17 Opposition parties. Kejriwal was reportedly urged to drop his anti-Congress stance by MK Stalin, who met him after discussions with Rahul. "Don't keep a negative stance against the Congress. The country needs a mahagatbandhan and you have a role in it," Stalin reportedly told Kejriwal. However, at the same event on Wednesday where Khan gave signals of supporting Congress, Kejriwal yet again attacked the later. "If I felt the Congress could win, the AAP would give them all the seven seats (in Delhi) and leave the contest in their favour. The Congress cannot win even a single seat in Delhi," he remarked. Bringing out his anti-BJP, anti-Congress front in full force, Kejriwal said: "Neither Modi nor Rahul will become the prime minister. We will support anyone else who becomes the prime minister." Kejriwal has been advocating that any vote polled in favour of BJP will only be advantage BJP and nothing more. "They apparently speak against Modi, saying even the Congress was better than him. It is a ploy to shift votes to the Congress and if that happens, the BJP will win the Lok Sabha polls," Kejriwal reiterated at the public gathering. AAP ministers have been maintaining that any vote given to Congress would be a waste as the fight is only between AAP and BJP. The bone of contention between the two warring parties is believed to have been the number of the seats the Congress wants to contest in the National Capital. Of the seven seats in Delhi, the AAP is not ready to cede more than two seats for the Congress, according to a PTI report. The huddle in Punjab Meanwhile, AAP's alliance efforts with the Congress in Punjab have also not yielded any positive results after the party failed to breakthrough in the Assembly elections, though, it is the principal opponent in the state. Earlier in January, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh had said, Till now there is no question of Congress allying with the AAP as the party does not have its presence in Punjab. Even Kejriwal has been critical of the Punjab government accusing it of betraying people and ignoring the demands of the Dalits, backward classes and the poor in the state. In June 2018, AAP faced major embarrassment and drubbing from Singh when the Leader of Opposition in Punjab Sukhpal Singh Khaira triggered a controversy by extending support to hardliners demanding a referendum on Khalistan by 2020. Khaira said that those who are demanding the referendum are living in independent countries and that the demand is the outcome of the injustice which was meted out to Sikhs during in the last 34 years in India. Reacting to Khaira's statement, Singh had slammed the party and asked Kejriwal to clarify his stand on the referendum. Singh also demanded to know whether Khaira's statement had the backing of AAP's central leadership. This was significant considering Kejriwal himself was accused of hobnobbing with pro-Khalistanis while campaigning in Punjab in the run-up to the Assembly elections in 2017, Singh alleged. Khaira's resignation was sought but AAP later recused itself from his views. Kaira eventually resigned from the party citing Kejriwal's "dictatorial" leadership. The many 'not-so-aam' exits Talking of resignations, AAP has been bridled with exits of prominent members. Several founding leaders of the AAP either left the party or were sacked since its inception in 2012. Leaders like Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan who were part of the 2011 anti-corruption crusade headed by Anna Hazare which led to AAP's formation were unceremoniously removed in 2015 for "anti-party activities". Post which, reports of Kejriwal's dictatorial approach in running the party came aplenty. In fact, one of the recent members to leave the party, Punjab MLA Baldev Singh cited Kejriwal's "dictatorial, arrogant and autocratic style of functioning" as the reason for his exit on 16 January. He said that the party has "totally deviated" from the ideology and principles on which it was formed after the Anna Hazare movement. Baldev said that he was "deeply shocked" when Kejriwal led AAP "unceremoniously and undemocratically removed an honest Khaira from the post of LoP, without taking Punjab MLAs into confidence". In November, 2018, Khaira, along with Kanwar Sandhu, was suspended from AAP for indulging in "anti-party" activities. In July 2018, he was removed as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Punjab Assembly after he criticised Kejriwal for tendering his apology to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia. "Your meek apology to the drug-tainted former minister Bikram Singh Majithia further revealed your double standards in politics," Baldev wrote in his resignation letter to Kejriwal. Interestingly, Baldev also lashed out at Kejriwal for "flirting with the Congress" and called it "another example of sheer political opportunism" on the politician's part. Before Baldev, when Ashutosh left AAP on 15 August, 2018, it was widely reported that had been upset with the party leadership ever since he was denied a Rajya Sabha ticket. Kejriwal's decision to nominate businessman Sushil Gupta and chartered accountant Narain Dass Gupta for Rajya Sabha along with Sanjay Singh didn't go down well with leaders like Ashutosh and Kumar Vishwas, reports said. However, Ashutosh had cited "personal reasons" for his departure and hasn't interacted with the media since. Previously, the dissidence and discontent within AAP was exposed further with Ashish Khetan's resignation. Khetan, who has been associated with Kejriwal since 2013, had said that he wanted to focus more on his career as a lawyer but, according to media reports, Khetan wanted to contest the 2019 elections from the New Delhi parliamentary seat but his demand was not accepted by the leadership and he was upset about the same. AAP's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) suspended Karawal Nagar MLA Kapil Mishra in May, 2017 after he went public alleging corruption charges against Kejriwal and Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Kumar Jain. Mishra claimed that he was an eyewitness to the exchange of Rs 2 crore between Kejriwal and Jain, a claim rubbished by both. Mishra has since declared a 'Twitter war' with Kejriwal and his team and actively tweets its criticism. AAP's best-known face in Maharashtra and youth leader, Mayank Gandhi also resigned from the party in November, 2015. Gandhi had alleged that Kejriwal was "hell-bent on destroying" the organisation. The Maharashtra unit of AAP was disbanded following its "reluctance" to act against Gandhi for his rebellion. Founding member, Yogendra Yadav, who had also been an important member of Hazare's anti-corruption protests in 2011, was sacked in March 2015 for 'anti-party activities' and expressed his displeasure openly. "I am not surprised as from the past few days the matter was moving in such direction. Though I also cannot deny the fact that I am hurt by it. How would you feel if someone drags and throws you out of your own house," he had said on his ouster. Along with Yadav, another founding member and senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan was also expelled. Bhushan hit out at former party colleagues and said that "those who have expelled us face serious charges themselves". He accused the leadership of hooliganism and dictatorship while alleging that Kejriwal is ruthlessly stifling voices of dissent. A third founding member, Anand Kumar was also shown the door along with Yadav and Bhushan and went on to join the duo's non-political movement 'Swaraj Abhiyan'. Another member who was thrown out of the party for 'anti-party activities' was Ajit Jha. However, the first member to call Kejriwal a 'dictator' was Vinod Kumar Binny who was denied a ministerial berth by Kejriwal. He quit the party in January 2014 and later joined the BJP. Apart from Binny, Shazia Ilmi also left AAP to switch to BJP. Ilmi too was one of the founding members of AAP but quit the party in May 2014, saying it has deviated from its core values. The journalist-turned-politician had said that "lack of inner democracy" triggered her resignation. "There is a crony clique that runs the AAP," Ilmi said in a press conference after resigning. Another member Anjali Damania resigned from the party after a TV channel aired a sting operation of Kejriwal allegedly trying to buy out Congress MLAs to form a government in Delhi. "I quit... I have not come into AAP for this nonsense. I believed him. I backed Arvind for principles, not horse-trading," Damania had tweeted. Captain GR Gopinath who founded India's first low-cost carrier Air Deccan in 2003, quit the party in May 2014 citing growing differences within the party leadership and criticised Kejriwal for "shoot and scoot" politics. Others in the list of dissidents who have parted ways with AAP include Kumar Vishwas, Ashwini Upadhyay, Maulana Qazmi (referred to the party as a "fraudulent entity"), Surajit Dasgupta, Nutan Thakur, Maulana Maqsood Ali Kazmi, SP Udayakumar, MS Dhir (said that Kejriwal didn't deserve a second chance), Madhu Bhaduri and Ashok Agarwal. Bhaduri had quit the party claiming ill-treatment of women party leaders. "I have just one issue, and that is humanity. And women are humans. In this party, women are not considered humans, she had said in her statement. Whereas Agarwal had said that the party was functioning as a private limited company and was becoming directionless. In a letter to Kejriwal, Agarwal wrote that he joined the party for its strong principles but now the goals for which it was created for were getting lost. However, unperturbed by the series of exists, Kejriwal on 20 January hit out at those who left the party, calling them "opportunists" who were greedy for posts and tickets. "Our political opponents started saying AAP has begun to disintegrate. Nobody in the country has the courage to disintegrate the party," he said. "Congress, Akali Dal and BJP have tried their best in the last five years to weaken the party but God has been with us. Those who have left AAP were not worthy of staying in the party. They were opportunists and were greedy for tickets and posts. They tried to break the party. God wielded the broom and all bad persons are now out," the party chief said. Interestingly, Hazare himself has criticised Kejriwal in the past saying that "he has lost credibility". The L-G tussle AAP on Thursday said that it will be approaching the Supreme court on its issues with the Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. The Kejriwal government is claiming that they are not able to make decisions because of the delay in the judgements and wants to know who has control over the administration of the anti-corruption bureau. In July 2018, the apex court ruled that the Lieutenant Governor does not have independent decision-making power and the real power must lie with the elected government. The court ruled that Baijal could not adopt an "obstructionist" approach in sorting out differences with the Kejriwal government. The Dipak Misra-led bench also said that Baijal and Delhi ministers must settle matters by discussion and that the relationship between Centre and the state government should be healthy. The decision came days after Kejriwal and his ministers spent nine days in a "sofa dharna" at Baijal's house, demanding that he step-in to end the IAS officers' "boycott" of the AAP government. The officers' protest was triggered by the allegations of Delhi's top bureaucrat, Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, that he was attacked by AAP lawmakers at a meeting called at midnight by Kejriwal at his home in February 2018. AAP, meanwhile, had accused Baijal of abusing his powers and blocking all decisions taken by the Delhi government. The power tussle between the Delhi government and the LG started within months of the AAP taking power in Delhi in 2014. At that time Najeeb Jung was the L-G and he was dragged in a court battle between the Delhi government and the Centre. Arguments followed on transfer and appointment of bureaucrats, the power of which rests with the L-G. Kejriwal protested vehemently when the Delhi Police Joint Commissioner MK Meena was appointed as the new chief of ACB by Jung. Following this, there was controversy over Swati Paliwal's appointment as the DCW chief, for which, Jung alleged his permission wasn't taken. In December 2015, CBI raided the Chief Ministers Office and Kejriwal blamed Narendra Modi and Jung for it. After several rounds of allegations and counter-allegations and discord over almost all decisions taken by both the parties, AAP moved Supreme Court. Kejriwal called Jung "Hitler" in the process and eventually, Jung resigned on 22 December, 2016. However, Kejriwal had similar issues with the new L-G Baijal as well. In December 2017, the turf war between Kejriwal and Baijal reached Parliament, with a Rajya Sabha member claiming that the chief minister was being treated like a peon. The AAP government argued that the L-G has been taking many executive decisions and a harmonious interpretation of Article 239AA of the Constitution was needed to fulfil the constitutional mandate for a democratically-elected Delhi government. It accused the L-G of making a mockery of democracy, saying he was either taking decisions of an elected government or substituting them without having any power. Other controversies Kejriwal has repeatedly raised the issue of his safety after claiming a threat to his life on being attacked with shoes/slippers, eggs, ink, stones, chilli powder and slaps. He now has Z plus security but recently an unidentified person had threatened the Delhi chief minister on call claiming that he could be "harmed soon". Earlier in January, the CM's office had received an anonymous email threatening to kidnap Kejriwal's daughter. In 2016, a person had called Delhi Police's emergency number 100 and threatened that AAP chief will be shot dead as soon as he enters Delhi. Apart from this, Kejriwal's apologies to Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Kapil Sibal and more landed him in a rather sorry state of affairs. AAP was also in the news when the central government removed nine of its advisors including advisor to deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Raghav Chaddha and Atishi Marlena. AAP's East Delhi candidate Marlena dropped her last name and there were reports of her doing it under party pressure because her surname sounded 'Christian'. However, despite all this, the party is confident of a good show in not just the Lok Sabha elections but also of sweeping Delhi again. And as of now, the party may or may not place the 'broom' in 'hand' for doing the same. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that if Congress is fighting BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, it should support the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh Lucknow: Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav Monday said that if the Congress vows to fight against the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, it should support the SP-BSP alliance. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also welcomed Priyanka Gandhi's entry into active politics. When asked about the 'Priyanka factor' being termed as a masterstroke of the Congress, Akhilesh said, If the Congress vows to fight against the BJP, which is an expert is spreading lies, it should support our (SP-BSP) alliance. We have already spared two seats Raebareli and Amethi for them. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister was responding to questions during an interview to PTI here. His remarks assume significance in the light of Congress president Rahul Gandhi's comment that he has due regard and respect for both Akhilesh and Mayawati and there was no animosity against them. Rahul had also said his party won't play on the backfoot and added, "We will play on the front foot, be it Gujarat or Uttar Pradesh". Asked about the appointment of Priyanka Gandhi as in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East, he said, I welcome her entry in active politics. Youth should join active politics for making the new India". On Yogi Adityanath government's decision to hold cabinet meeting in Kumbh in Prayagraj, Akhilesh reminded the BJP of the connection of Kumbh to Kannauj, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by his wife Dimple Yadav. It was Raja Harsh Vardhan, whose capital was in Kannauj which started the tradition of 'daan' in Kumbh. He used to come here and give 'daan'. If the BJP government is serious about development of the state, it should tell what it has done on its own except schemes launched in my regime, he said. Akhilesh, who took a holy dip in Sangam -confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati in Prayagraj said that in his regime Kumbh arrangements were made and that too by Muslim leaders and officers. People come to Kumbh due to their faith. In our regime Urban Development Minister Mohd Azam Khan, Health Minister Ahmad Hasan and Chief Secretary Javed Usmani did the best of arrangements. The SP believes in uniting people unlike the BJP which is dividing society on communal lines," he said. Quizzed about CM Yogi Adityanath's remark that his government can resolve the Ram temple issue in 24 hours, Akhilesh said, Pehle kisano ko agle 90 dino me 'saand' se bacha lein jo fasal chaupat kar rahe hain (he should first save farmers in the next 90 days from the onslaught of bulls, which are ruining crops." Adityanath had last week said that the Supreme Court must work towards an early resolution of the Ram temple case and "...if there is unnecessary delay, institutions may lose people's trust. I want to say that the court should give its verdict soon, and if it is unable to do so, it should hand over the issue to us. We will resolve the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute within 24 hours. We won't take 25 hours". The Samajwadi Party chief said, "If such a statement is given by a chief minister on Republic Day, one can imagine what kind of the CM he must be." Promising to make caste data available if voted to power, Akhilesh said, If we come to power we will reveal caste data. Without knowing the caste data development schemes cannot be formed accurately". Peter is a gay man from Mumbai whose homosexuality isnt news to those close to him. In one photograph, he is portrayed standing behind a curtain. Fears showing his face because of possible repercussions at his job,' the caption says. This photograph belongs to a time when Section 377 was still part of the Indian Penal Code. The fear is rooted in present-day India. Laws, after all, are philosophical until faith in them is universalised. The courts may have decriminalised homosexuality, but they have not wiped out the stigma surrounding it. Flicking a switch in the night gives you light, but it doesnt change the fact that it is still dark. Getting rid of the stigma surrounding the issue will take time, and can perhaps only be done by engaging with it. The project and exhibition 'Both sides of the Veil: Living and Loving in Queer India' at the India Habitat Centre offers that opportunity. (Above left: Karthika, a member of the hijra community, poses for a portrait near her home in the Dharavi area of Mumbai, India. She lives in a neighbourhood that many hijras call home. Above right: Bhoomika Pandhare, a young bisexual woman, poses for a portrait.) The project, composed and put together by Washington-based art director Aarti Singh and photographer Jake Naughton includes images, audio and video installations. Jake and I started planning the project and our first shoot in March 2017, then made our first trip in June/July 2017. On that trip, we visited Patna in Bihar and then Delhi. Then we spent a few months processing that content and researching and planning for our next trip. We then travelled to Mumbai in March 2018, Aarti says. Naughton, an openly gay man himself, has already worked on projects concerning queer communities around the world. It has always been my ambition to make work that challenges the viewer to explore greater nuance and dive deeper into the complexities of the world around us. I want to create work which leaves the viewer with questions and a sense of provocation, rather than simply confirm the narratives they suspected all along, he says, It was important to imagine a way to tell this story in a form that showcased its complexity rather than shied away from it. (Above left: Satya (pseudonym), a gay man in Patna, Bihar, poses for a portrait. Above right: Karan Solanki, a young transgender man, poses for a portrait in Mumbai.) The fact that Aarti is not a member of the community is a point she says she is aware of. For me, there are critical components to consider in the way that we gather content for storytelling of this nature components which are often ignored by the media. Jake and I tag-teamed in terms of what kind of expertise we each bring to the project. He's less familiar with India and working here, but I bring a lot of experience in that area, she says. Naturally, Aarti chose Bihar, her home, to begin the shoot. But given the geography, were there considerations that were imperative? It was crucial for us to come to each portrait with respect for our subjects. We made sure to ask everyone we photographed how they wanted to be represented, what they felt comfortable showing and what they wanted to keep private, etc. We also didn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable or unsafe, Aarti says. (Above left: Roshni, a member of the LGBT community in Patna, poses for portraits. Above right: Inder Vhatwar poses for a portrait with his fiance Ashish Srivastava in the home the two share in Mumbai.) The project, funded by the Pulitzer Foundation, has been put up as a 55-panel display. It is immersive, tender in texture, but haunting in its implications. Naturally, the two have had to build trust with their subjects. Though the lived experiences of queer people here in India are often very different than my own, I think it helps put people at ease to know that we have that in common and it helps to build trust. One particularly memorable conversation was with Karan, a transgender man from Mumbai. He was really nervous during the interview and so I gave him the microphone and had him interview me about me, my relationship with my partner, Naughton recalls. (Above: Reshma, a transgender activist and director of a grassroots organisation in Patna, Bihar, poses for a portrait.) Not too long ago, international photographers were criticised for their desensitised view of Indias margins. I think, as a subject, having that agency is key, because it makes the process more equitable. We also showed everyone the images as we were making them, and made sure to check in regularly after the fact to make sure that people were still comfortable having their images be published. As responsible storytellers, promoting the well-being and dignity of one's subjects is at the center of what we do, Aarti says. Indias reality, Naughton says, is a bit of a contradiction. It might have decriminalised gay sex, but social stigma remains. To the point that members of the gay community still risk overexposing themselves. Things in the US are very different than India. The United States has marriage equality, in many cases we have a lot of legal protections around housing, healthcare, employment, etc that are missing in India. But there are still a lot of challenges for the LGBTQ community in the United States, too. Homophobia is still common, legal protections aren't everywhere, and things for transgender people in particular have a very long way to go. In that respect, India and its protection for transgender people are a long way ahead of the US, Naughton says. (Above: Members of the LGBTQ community in Mumbai play Holi at Juhu Beach, at an outing organised by Gay Bombay.) As for change, it can only be gradual, like a good education. Legality is one thing, social acceptance is another and a much more difficult thing to achieve. It's part of why we wanted to have the show now, even though the law has been decriminalised it's just the first step on a long road towards full equality, Aarti adds. All photos Jake Naughton Both Sides of The Veil: Living and Loving in Queer India is on display at the India Habitat Centre, Delhi At the Words Count Festival, Pavan Varma, the author of works such as Being Indian and Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism's Greatest Thinker will be awarded the WordSmith 2019 prize The Words Count Festival, an initiative aimed at bringing together speakers from several socio-political spheres to share their insights on various pertinent issues, is set to be held on 3 February 2019 in Pune. Curated by the author Advaita Kala, the day-long event will feature talks that cover issues such as secularism, nation building and the journey of a writer, among other topics. Present at the event will be eminent figures such as the lyricist and chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Prasoon Joshi, who will deliver a talk on 'Musings on our Times', and author and former minister Jairam Ramesh, who will also be interacting with those gathered. A panel discussion, From Blank Page to Book, features authors Kavita Kane, Dimple Kaul, Shefali Vaidya, Saiswaroopa Iyer, moderated by VK Karthika. Member of Parliament Assadudin Owaisi will also address the audience on the future of secularism in the country. The festival will start in the morning with the session, 'How's the Josh', a talk delivered by Sunil Ambekar, the national organising secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), followed by an interaction with author and member of parliament, Varun Gandhi. Pavan Varma, the author of works such as Being Indian and Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism's Greatest Thinker, will be awarded the WordSmith 2019 prize at the event. The Words Count Festival will close with a speech by the minister of Textiles, Smriti Irani, in a discussion titled, Scripting Her Story, From Star to Star Campaigner. Words Count Festival will be held on 3 February 2019 at JW Marriott in Pune. More details here. Western Railway provided segways to Railway Protection Force cops at railway stations, like Churchgate, Mumbai Central, Bandra Terminus, Andheri, Borivali Mumbai: The Western Railway has provided segways, the two-wheeled, self-balancing and battery-powered electric vehicles, to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel deployed at major railway stations in Mumbai. The vehicle, introduced on the Republic Day, will help the RPF in keeping an eye on every nook and corner of the railway stations, specially on long platforms, Western Railway's Chief PRO Ravinder Bhakar said on Monday. "This is the first-of-its-kind initiative by the Indian Railways. We have got six segways and five more are expected in the next few weeks," he said. These segways will be used by RPF personnel at Churchgate, Mumbai Central, Bandra Terminus, Andheri and Borivali stations, he added. Currently, segways are used by Marine Drive police in South Mumbai to patrol on the promenade and the officials need sufficient training to operate these self-balancing vehicles. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a compensation for the family of UP constable Harsh Chaudhary who was killed in an encounter in Amroha on Sunday. Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a compensation of Rs 40 lakh to the wife and Rs 10 lakh for the parents of Uttar Pradesh Police constable Harsh Chaudhary who was killed in an encounter in Amroha on Sunday. In addition, one government job for a family member has also been announced. The deceased constable was a native of Hathras district. A state funeral would be accorded to him, police informed. Anand Kumar, Additional Director General (ADG), Law and Order, said the encounter ensued when a police party went in search of a criminal at Bachhraon in Amroha district. When the police asked the history-sheeter to surrender he hurled fire at the police in which constable Harsh sustained bullet injury. He was immediately rushed to TMU hospital Moradabad where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment. In the retaliatory fire, the criminal Shivavtar also sustained bullet injury and later succumbed at the same hospital. At about 7 or 8 pm, on the basis of specific information, the police team went to a tube-well located in Bachhraon area in search of a wanted criminal Shivavtar who has 19 criminal cases against him. When police asked him to surrender he fired on the police party in which one of our constables Harsh Chaudhary sustained bullet injury and was immediately rushed to the hospital where he died during the treatment, said Kumar. A cold wave swept over the northern states of India namely Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and New Delhi A cold wave swept over the northern states of India over the past week, with heavy snowfall being reported in the higher reaches of the Himalayas. Meanwhile, rainfall lashed New Delhi and the cities and towns of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Meteorological department has predicted that temperature will hover around 4 Celsius in Delhi till the next three days, which would also have a negative impact on the air quality. IMD officials told The Times of India that the cold wave condition is currently spread across the northern plains, with snowfall also recorded in the mountains. As dense fog blanketed the capital, 16 trains coming into Delhi were delayed, according to ANI. Meanwhile, temperatures dipped below freezing point in various towns across Jammu and Kashmir, which is witnessing the period of Chillai Kalan, the 40-day-long duration when the state experiences the harshest winter. Jammu and Kashmir is likely to receive heavy snowfall and rainfall on 30 January, an IMD statement said. In Drass, the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 31 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest place in Jammu and Kashmir, PTI reported on Monday. At 1.8 Celsius, Adampur was the coldest place in Punjab, while Haryanas Narnaul recorded a temperature of 3 Celsius, making these towns the coldest locations of their respective states. In Himachal Pradesh, the snowfall gave way to sunshine on Monday morning, as Lahaul and Spitis Keylong was the coldest place in the state, with temperatures falling 17 below freezing point. A fresh western disturbance is expected to lead to widespread rain and snowfall in the state between 30 January and 1 February, PTI quoted an IMD statement. These adverse weather conditions posed a hurdle for the villagers of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. When heavy snow blocked the roads in the area, an ailing 70-year-old man had to be carried on a palanquin to be taken to a hospital. He was carried by the villagers for nine kilometres, from Kal Chham to Chakudhar, from where a vehicle took the man to the hospital, according to ANI. The news agency further reported that over 300 machines and 2,000 people were deputed after 500 roads in Himachal Pradesh were closed following heavy snowfall over three days. Puerto Vallarta Real Estate The Settlement Co.'s Mexico Resort Real Estate Report Mexico is the #1 destination for Americans and baby-boomers that retire abroad, with an estimated 1 million+ Americans residing there. Up to half of these expatriates own real estate in resort areas. Share La Paz, BCS - In this edition of The Settlement Company's Mexico Resort Real Estate Report, John K. Glaab shares information about condominium HOA meetings in Mexico, Medicare in Mexico, the 2018 NAR and AMPI real estate conferences, and paying tax on Mexican rental properties. Things You Should Know About Condo HOA Meetings in Mexico Harriet Murray, Cochran Real Estate, Puerto Vallarta Understanding how condominium ownership works should begin with the things you should know about condo meetings in Mexico. First, knowing how homeowner meetings for condos in Mexico work is an important responsibility for owners. The homeowner meetings are the top authority for the running of the building. Meetings are both ordinary and extraordinary. There will be at least one ordinary meeting a year, held within the first three months of every year. Notices for the ordinary meeting are legal if at the first meeting, there are at least 51 percent of the condominium rights represented. If 51 percent are not present, a second meeting will be scheduled no sooner than seven days or later than 14 days. At this second meeting, the majority of the homeowners, or their representatives, present will be declared a majority. The general meeting must take place in the city where the condominium is located and notice for the meeting must be issued at least 15 days prior to the meeting. Read more at Understanding how condominium ownership works should begin with the things you should know about condo meetings in Mexico. First, knowing how homeowner meetings for condos in Mexico work is an important responsibility for owners. The homeowner meetings are the top authority for the running of the building. Meetings are both ordinary and extraordinary. There will be at least one ordinary meeting a year, held within the first three months of every year. Notices for the ordinary meeting are legal if at the first meeting, there are at least 51 percent of the condominium rights represented. If 51 percent are not present, a second meeting will be scheduled no sooner than seven days or later than 14 days. At this second meeting, the majority of the homeowners, or their representatives, present will be declared a majority. The general meeting must take place in the city where the condominium is located and notice for the meeting must be issued at least 15 days prior to the meeting. Read more at expatsinmexico.com. Medicare in Mexico Could Benefit U.S. Reihan Salam, The Atlantic As the U.S. population ages, demand for home health aides and other low-wage service workers who can provide for the elderly is increasing, and this rising demand is often cited by advocates of higher immigration levels. The trouble, of course, is that low-wage workers will one day age themselves, and their low incomes mean that they will need safety-net benefits and wage subsidies to lead decent and dignified lives on U.S. soil. Medicare-in-Mexico offers an alternative. For years, U.S. retirees have been settling in Jalisco, Guanajuato, Baja Sur, and the Mexican Caribbean in large numbers, and they've been doing so despite the fact that Medicare does not cover health services outside of the United States, even if extending coverage would yield substantial savings for U.S. taxpayers. By covering health services for Medicare-eligible Americans in Mexico, the U.S. could generate employment opportunities for low-skill workers in Mexico, including Central American migrants. It might also Read the full article at As the U.S. population ages, demand for home health aides and other low-wage service workers who can provide for the elderly is increasing, and this rising demand is often cited by advocates of higher immigration levels. The trouble, of course, is that low-wage workers will one day age themselves, and their low incomes mean that they will need safety-net benefits and wage subsidies to lead decent and dignified lives on U.S. soil. Medicare-in-Mexico offers an alternative. For years, U.S. retirees have been settling in Jalisco, Guanajuato, Baja Sur, and the Mexican Caribbean in large numbers, and they've been doing so despite the fact that Medicare does not cover health services outside of the United States, even if extending coverage would yield substantial savings for U.S. taxpayers. By covering health services for Medicare-eligible Americans in Mexico, the U.S. could generate employment opportunities for low-skill workers in Mexico, including Central American migrants. It might also meaningfully reduce Medicare expenditures, since the cost of offering benefits would be considerably lower in Mexico than in the U.S., as Marla Haims and Andrew Dick suggested in a 2010 report for the Rand Corporation.Read the full article at theatlantic.com Two National Real Estate Conferences took place in November 2018, the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI), and the United States' National Association of Realtors (NAR). Annual Conference of The Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals Liliana Elena Gonzalez, Mexatua Realty, Morelia, Michoacan The forty-seventh edition of the National Real Estate Congress of AMPI took place from November 28 to 30, 2018 in the city of Oaxaca, in the state of Oaxaca. The conference included educational sessions, international networking, and a meeting of Presidents from AMPI's Sections across Mexico. At the Annual General Meeting, ten new members were elected to the National Advisory Board. As well, Roberto Barrios of Mexico City was elected Vice President of the association. The 2019 Annual Conference and General Assembly will be in San Luis Potosi. The forty-seventh edition of the National Real Estate Congress of AMPI took place from November 28 to 30, 2018 in the city of Oaxaca, in the state of Oaxaca. The conference included educational sessions, international networking, and a meeting of Presidents from AMPI's Sections across Mexico. At the Annual General Meeting, ten new members were elected to the National Advisory Board. As well, Roberto Barrios of Mexico City was elected Vice President of the association. The 2019 Annual Conference and General Assembly will be in San Luis Potosi. National Association of Realtors Meeting The 2018 National Association of Realtors was held in Boston. Two of the most popular and informative educational sessions were presented by Dr. Lawrence Yun and Leigh Brown. NAR's Chief Economist Lawrence Yun discussed recent developments in the U.S. economy and their impact on the housing market. He reviewed recent trends in 2018, as well as his expectations for the beginning of 2019. Dr. Yun was joined by Lisa Sturtevant, president and founder of Lisa Sturtevant & Associates. She presented, "How to increase the supply of affordable housing in the market." Leigh Brown of Concord, North Carolina presented, "Four Pillars of Real Estate Success." Leigh is a member of Associated Realty of the Americas" (AREA). Earlier in the year, Leigh was the "Mistress of Ceremony" at the AREA Annual Retreat in Newport Rhode Island. Vince Malta, President Elect of NAR hosted a reception for AREA members attending the Conference. The 2019 Realtors Conference and Expo will be held in San Francisco November 9-11. Taxes on Rental Property in Mexico Program Growing As owners of Mexican properties become aware of the consequences of not paying taxes on rental properties, The Settlement Company program is growing. The Mexican Tax department (SAT) Mexican Immigration and banks in the three NAFTA countries are all cooperating in an attempt to decrease tax evasion in this country. A prominent Los Cabos REALTOR wrote the following in The Gringo Gazette, a local English language newspaper: "If you are renting your place you need to pay taxes on your income. Historically, SAT (our version of CRA and IRS) has looked the other way, but a few bad apples have spoiled it for everyone. SAT has started calling on Homeowners Associations and I believe it is only a matter of time before they take action." For more information, visit rentaltaxmexico.com, or email info(at)settlement-co.com John Glaab is Director, International Marketing at The Settlement Company, Mexico's oldest title and escrow company. A Certified International Property Specialist, he is a founding member of AMPI Los Cabos and the new Global Mexico Real Estate Institute. In 2012, John was named the International Real Estate Member of the Year by NAR. For further information, contact John at John Glaab is Director, International Marketing at The Settlement Company, Mexico's oldest title and escrow company. A Certified International Property Specialist, he is a founding member of AMPI Los Cabos and the new Global Mexico Real Estate Institute. In 2012, John was named the International Real Estate Member of the Year by NAR. For further information, contact John at John.Glaab(at)settlement-co.com. Site Map Print this Page Email Us Top The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to provide various details about the detention centres in Assam, the period of detention of detainees and the status of their cases before the foreigners' tribunal. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to provide it various details on the number of functional detention centres in Assam and the number of foreigners detained there in the past 10 years. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna was hearing a petition filed by activist Harsh Mander on the condition of detention centres in Assam and the prolonged detention of foreigners there. The apex court asked the Centre to provide various details about the detention centres, the period of detention of detainees and the status of their cases before the foreigners' tribunal. "We would like to know as to how many detention centres are there. We also want to know how many persons are lodged there and since when," the bench said. The bench also asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to provide details of how many persons had been declared foreigners so far and how many of them had been deported till date. The court sought year-wise details of foreigners who had illegally entered India in the past 10 years. The Supreme Court, which has sought details within three weeks form the authority, has posted the matter for further hearing on 19 February. The five-judge bench hearing the Ayodhya case was reconstituted on 25 January as Justice UU Lalit, who was a member of the original bench, had recused himself from hearing the matter. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Sunday cancelled the 29 January hearing in the politically-sensitive Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case as one member of the five-judge Constitution Bench will not be available then. The sitting of the Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi stands cancelled as Justice SA Bobde will not be available on 29 January, as per a notice issued by the Supreme Court registry. "Take notice that due to non availability of Justice SA Bobde on 29 January, 2019 (Tuesday), sitting of Constitution Bench in Chief Justice's court, comprising the Chief Justice, justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer, stands cancelled. "Therefore, the Constitution Bench matter will not be taken up for hearing," the notice stated. The five-judge bench was reconstituted on 25 January as Justice UU Lalit, who was a member of the original bench, had recused himself from hearing the matter. When the new bench was constituted, Justice NV Ramana was also excluded from the new Constitution Bench. No reason was cited for the exclusion of Justice Ramana in the new Constitution Bench. Besides the CJI, the new bench comprises justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer. In the fresh bench, justices Bhushan and Nazeer made a come back to hear the matter. Both of them were part of an earlier bench headed by then CJI Dipak Misra (now retired). It had, on 27 September, 2018, refused to refer to a five-judge Constitution Bench the reconsideration of the observation in its 1994 judgment that a mosque was not integral to Islam. While Misra and Bhushan had said it has to find out the context in which the five-judge bench had delivered the 1994 judgment, Justice Nazeer had given a minority verdict disagreeing with the two judges. Nazeer had said whether a mosque is integral to Islam has to be decided considering religious belief which requires detailed consideration. On 10 January, Justice Lalit had recused himself after expressing disinclination to participate in the hearing any further as he had appeared as a lawyer for former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh in a related matter "sometime in the year 1997". Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among three parties the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. On 10 January, the bench, in its order, had noted that the apex court registry's secretary general has informed the CJI that in four suits, out of which these appeals have arisen, in all 120 issues have been framed for trial and a total of 88 witnesses were examined. It had noted that depositions of witnesses run into 13,886 pages and a total of 257 documents exhibited. Senior diplomat Sunjay Sudhir has been appointed as India's Ambassador to the Maldives, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Monday. New Delhi: Senior diplomat Sunjay Sudhir has been appointed as India's Ambassador to the Maldives, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Monday. Sudhir, a 1993 batch Indian Foreign Service officer who is presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, is expected to take up the assignment shortly, the MEA said in a statement. His appointment comes at a time when the two countries are strengthening ties after a new government came to power in the island nation in 2018. Meanwhile, the MEA also announced that Vijay Singh Chauhan, presently Consul General, Consulate General of India, Sao Paulo, has been appointed as the Ambassador of India to Burkina Faso. He is also expected to take up the assignment shortly. The Supreme Court on Monday referred a PIL challenging the compulsory recitation of Sanskrit and Hindi hymns as 'morning prayers' of Kendriya Vidyalayas to a Constitution Bench. The Supreme Court on Monday referred a PIL challenging the compulsory recitation of Sanskrit and Hindi hymns as 'morning prayers' of Kendriya Vidyalayas to a Constitution Bench. According to reports, a bench headed by Justice Rohinton Nariman ruled that a Constitution Bench would be appropriate for the matter. The bench noted, "Religious instructions in school is a question of seminal importance." The matter will be placed before Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to appoint the judges for the bench. Reportedly, the petition, filed by lawyer Veenayak Shah, sought the discontinuance the songs in 1,125 Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country saying that "religious instruction" could create "a lot of obstacles in developing a scientific temperament among the students". It also stated that an educational institute funded by the state could not propagate a religion. Supreme Court refers to constitution bench, a plea challenging compulsory recitation of Sanskrit and Hindi hymns in the morning assembly of the Kendriya Vidyalayas. pic.twitter.com/8n2h8FsDCk ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 The petition also said that the practice was in violation of Article 19 and Article 28(1). A report by Live Law said, "The expression 'Religious Instruction' in Article 28(1) conveys that teaching of customs, ways of worships, practices or rituals cannot be allowed in educational institutions wholly maintained out of State funds. According to Shah, the common prayer is a 'religious instruction' within the meaning of Article 28 of the Constitution of India and should therefore be prohibited." In September, the Centre sought to distance itself from matter. The HRD ministry, which is in-charge of the KVS, has told the court that the issue of mandatory singing of Sanskrit and Hindi verses with folded palms and closed eyes during morning assemblies does not concern the ministry. The ministry had asked the court to dismiss the writ petition. With inputs from agencies Addressing the gathering, Justice Sikri called for the need to 'uphold the law and Constitution and save democracy' at a time when its values were 'at stake' the world over Gandhinagar: Men have a key role to play in the fight for gender equality, Supreme Court Judge DY Chandrachud on Sunday said as he called for the need to de-construct the stereotype of gender roles. Justice Chandrachud, who was part of the five-judge bench that allowed women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, said violence and discrimination faced by females were compounded by people's "insensitivity to women's rights and issues". He was addressing graduating students at the convocation ceremony of the Gujarat National Law University in the presence of his colleague from the Supreme Court, Justice AK Sikri. "Women have to deal with shocking gender wage gaps, forms of violence and harassments, forced adherence to feminine, impossible standards of beauty, compounded by what I think might be the worst of all insensitivity to women's rights and issues," Chandrachud said. "The fight for gender equality cannot be fought by women alone. Men have a key role to play in demanding and supporting this societal shift by being a part of conversation and of the movement," he added. Chandrachud called for the need to de-construct the stereotypes of gender roles, an exercise that "must be practised every passing days". The country is faced with "disturbing inequalities and disparities in access to opportunities, including access to education," the SC judge said and exhorted the law students to use their privilege to "try and change injustices of society". "The same values which grant privilege to some rob others of their humanity. There is, hence, an urgent need to address this. "And if you choose to remain a beneficiary and do nothing, you are complicit in furthering a grave injustice," he told the audience. The judge said instances of a child being denied basic education because of his parents' financial status, a person being denied housing because of religion, a woman not getting access to public spaces because of her menstrual status, or a Dalit subjected to indignity present "glaring examples of the inability of our society to grant a citizen an equal and humane existence". "The Constitution envisions an egalitarian society, but it is you the citizens, and particularly students of younger generation who can make this Constitutional vision a reality for the morrow," Chandrachud said. Addressing the gathering, Justice Sikri called for the need to "uphold the law and Constitution and save democracy" at a time when its values were "at stake" the world over. He said judges have to perform "a vital role" at a time when the world is "undergoing transformation of a different kind", and when there is "backsliding of democratic values". Sikri called for bridging the gap between the law and the society and added that students joining judicial fraternity will have to perform these roles "in challenging days". He told the students that while they should look to earn money in this "lucrative profession," they should also ensure the marginalised sections of the society get "social justice". "The thing which can be admired about this profession is that you can earn a lot of money by maintaining moral, ethical values, which in some of the other professions one has to sacrifice," Sikri said. He advised the budding judicial professionals to keep their "humane aspect" at the heart of their career. "That is what we have to do when we are taking up social causes," Sikri said. A total of 462 students graduated at the 9th convocation ceremony of the law university. Fawad Chaudhry, Minister of Information of Pakistan, said the Pakistan government would respect any Indian leader and the party elected by the Indian people Dubai: Pakistan will try to resume peace talks with India only after election results are out as it is "useless" to talk to New Delhi because no big decisions are expected from the present Indian government, a senior minister has said. Fawad Chaudhry, Minister of Information of Pakistan, said that the time is not right to hold a dialogue as the Indian leaders are preparing for the upcoming general elections, Gulf News reported. "It is useless to talk to them (India) now unless there is some stability. We will move forward once the new government is formed after the elections," he said. "We have delayed our efforts to hold talks with India because we do not expect any big decision from the present Indian leadership," he said. He said the Pakistan government would respect any Indian leader and the party elected by the Indian people. When asked which Indian leader will suit Pakistan more when it comes to peace talks Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi , the minister said it does not matter for Pakistan. "And, we would like to move forward to hold dialogue with whosoever comes into power in India," he said. The Indo-Pak ties strained after the terror attacks by Pakistan-based terrorists in 2016 and India's surgical strikes inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The ties further nose-dived in 2017 with no bilateral talks talking place between them. India has been maintaining that terror and talks cannot go together. Chaudhry said the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pakistan in November, 2018 is a remarkable development between the two countries because it will not only help the Sikh community but also benefit the Indo-Pak relations. On being asked who calls the shots in Pakistan when it comes to foreign policy the army or the civilian government, Chaudhry said, "Of course Prime Minister Imran Khan." "During the earlier regimes, there had been conflicts between the civilian government and the army on various issues as they were not capable of talking to each other frankly. But this is the not the case anymore since Imran Khan has come into power," he said. tech2 News Staff Xiaomi's alleged Android Go smartphone, the Redmi Go recently appeared online. While several reports pointed out Xiaomi's very first Android Go smartphone's imminent launch in India, another Android Go from leading brand HMD Global might be in pipeline. The device supposedly called Nokia 1 Plus has been spotted online in the Google Play Console Device catalogue. Folks at XDA Developers who managed to unearth details about the alleged Nokia 1 Plus suggest that the phone runs Android 9 Pie (Go Edition). For those unaware, Android Go is an optimised version of Googles Android OS designed for entry-level devices with low RAM capacity. The device with the code-name ANT is said to be powered by a MediaTek processor. As per the XDA Developers report, the purported Nokia 1 Plus features a MediaTek MT6739 processor and the chipset is paired with 1 GB of RAM. The processor is said to have four ARM Cortex-A53 cores and it is coupled with a 570MHz Imagination Tech PowerVR GE8100 GPU. The listing further reveals that phone to have a display resolution of 480 x 960 pixels. In a related report, TigerMobiles citing reliable inside source suggested that the Nokia 1 Plus will have dual-SIM support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and micro USB connectivity for charging. Notably, the Nokia 1 that was introduced last year came with similar pixel resolution and RAM capacity. The supposed Plus version isnt expected to carry significant upgrade over its predecessor, however, reports indicate that the phone would have a larger footprint as compared to the Nokia 1. Meanwhile, the Finnish company is gearing up to showcase its first flagship of the year, Nokia 9 PureView next month. HMD Global has already sent media invites for the same and it is expected to unveil the device at MWC 2019. The Nokia 9 Pureview is rumoured to take the hole punch display trend and said to feature a 5.99-inch PureView display with 2K resolution and HDR10 compatibility. Three of the many criticisms of Nandini Krishnan's book Invisible Men are that she maintains a voyeuristic curiosity about the bodies of transmen, that she consistently misgenders them, and that she sets herself up as the judge of whether people pass as the gender they identify with It was with a sense of sinking disappointment that I made my way through Invisible Men. The books premise is quite promising, because the narratives of transmen have rarely been welcomed into public consciousness. However, the writer, Nandini Krishnan, has loosely packaged the gut-wrenching stories of several transmen into a meandering and voyeuristic narrative that often denies us the very agency we have exercised in self-determining our gender. It does many of us a personal and political disservice. I am an interviewee featured in the book and am appalled at the way the book has taken shape. A Life in Trans Activism, a book by A Revathi on her history of activism and support for transmen, features many of the same narratives by some of the same transmen interviewed for this book. In an ethically thorough process, formal narratives were faithfully transcribed from recordings without any intervention by the author, and translated back to the interviewees in multiple meetings to ensure accurate representation. Consider the care which she, even as a fellow transperson, takes to accurately represent the lives of transmen with minimal personal narrative interference. Krishnans book is a stark contrast and stands as a testament to all the ways in which an uninformed personal narrative can fundamentally misconstrue and do an injustice to the self-narration of transgender men. Sometimes, ordinary people, laypeople as Krishnan calls them, tell me this whole transgender thing is very complicated. How does a well-meaning cis person not offend trans people? The answer can be found right there in the book: Krishnan correctly says that when interacting with someone who does not identify with the heteronormative binary, it is usually best to ask how that person would like to be addressed in terms of noun, pronoun and adjective. What she fails to add, and to follow, is that being respectful is about then consistently referring to that person by their chosen noun, pronoun and adjective. Multiple times in the book, Nandini Krishnan fails to respect the gender identities and preferred pronouns of the participants to whom she has ostensibly listened to for hours while they talk precisely about their gender identities and lives. To her credit, Krishnan does seem to have gotten the memo that transpersons do not change gender the moment we undergo transformative physical procedures. However, she perpetuates the old, transphobic media trope of using names and pronouns that do not respect peoples chosen identities to describe them prior to their social transition. One of the most egregious examples of her misgendering is when describing Living Smile Vidyas book, the first published autobiography of a transwoman in India by Rupa Publications. The fact that Living Smile Vidya reveals her own given name in the book does not constitute carte blanche for any reader to refer to her by her given name and pronouns! This is akin to a white person thinking it appropriate to use the n-word to refer to someone and justifying it with the claim that this black person has used it for themselves. This is a book whose pioneering role in trans publishing continues to be largely ignored by the publishing fraternity. Penguin would do well to realise that with Invisible Men, they will be letting down readers who have come to expect a certain standard of sensitive and fastidious editing from such a publication house. Krishnan uses inappropriate pronouns to describe interviewees such as Bilal and Rumi Harish prior to their transition. Some of the other examples of misgendering are quite bizarre it is rare for a writer to make up entirely new and unheard ways of misgendering people. She uses the pronoun R to describe Rumi and S to describe Sunil, despite their insistence at not being referred to by any pronoun. (Conjugating R as R-self in particular sounds a lot like herself). It is hard enough to get society to accept the pronouns trans people use for ourselves without having to accommodate the products of the authors imagination. Nandini Krishnans linguistic incompetence also plays into her misgendering. Her other novel form of misgendering comes from her uninformed translation of the Tamil pronoun adhu as it, which is an inaccurate translation of the colloquial use of the word in non-Brahmin Tamil to refer to someone familiar. Again, Krishnan is not entirely clueless she acknowledges that this is probably a politically incorrect thing to do but she goes ahead anyway to refer to a person non-consensually with that dehumanising pronoun. She justifies this by claiming that a trans woman named Priya Babu had informed her that pre-operative transwomen must earn their female pronouns failing yet again to see a distinction between language use within a community, and appropriate use of language from anyone outside the community, regardless of whether they identify as an ally or friend. But certainly, one must wonder about the dereliction of duty by the editors in not doing a simple check for the accuracy of the authors translation. More understandable is her ignorance of the hijra bhasha that transwomen employ. Unfortunately, despite this ignorance, she gamely attempts to translate the word panthi," used by transwomen, as cismale. By this token, she misgenders Selvam by describing him as not a panthi. However, several of us transmen have been referred to as panthis by transwomen, and the word panthi refers to a man, whether cis or trans. In describing Selvam instead as a pre-operative transman whose biological functions were identical to mine, she disrespects and misgenders him, violates the NALSA judgement of the Supreme Court by specifying the state of his body, and makes an uninformed statement about his biological functions (yes, they might share some biological functions such as digestion and micturition, but she seems unaware that both gender and sex are about other parts of the body). Clearly, Krishnans misgendering is not limited to problematic pronoun use. Misgendering is perhaps most stark in the drawings in the book. Apart from being quite amateurish, they disrespect transmens bodies in the crudest possible ways. The first sketch is one that sticks to her favourite trope, that of wedding trans history with Hindu mythology, and it depicts Shikhandi as a flat chested man with W-shaped genitalia I assume this depicts a vulva/vagina. This crudeness is beyond disrespectful, and other such illustrations follow in the book, such as depictions of hijab-clad girls dreaming of being boys derisive images that are all extremely disrepsectful and ignorant of the reality of trans lives. Even the cover of the book is demeaning, picturing transmen as men emerging out of the head of a distinctly woman-like face. Many transmen have never identified as anything but men or boys, have never looked like that cover page, and have certainly never wanted to be represented by such an image. To depict transmen as such is an inexcusable misrepresentation. Krishnan has provided many examples in the book where transmen have corrected her perception of transmen as not men for example, when she tells one man he looks like some guy, and he replies I am some guy. Yet, she persists in referring to transmen as another category of neither-man-nor-woman while describing her interpretation of a story in the Ramayana, echoing the very definition in the 2016 version of the Government of Indias Transgender Persons Bill that she criticises. This is one of many examples where she clearly fails to learn from the central conceptual framework that girds transmens lives: Transmen are men, plain and simple! Nandini Krishnan sets herself up as the judge of whether people pass as the gender they identify with. She writes, I saw nothing of the woman in him about a Manipuri man running the lottery; I sensed no femininity in S; and the only feminine features on Bilal were his large eyes and soft mouth. She comments on a transmans voice betraying his gender, despite the fact that before he spoke he was in fact being correctly perceived as his gender male implying that it is Krishnan who does not see his gender as male. Transmen as a group fail before the Krishnan screening committee. Krishnan speaks of her sympathy towards the Peter Pan-like appearance of transmen, the apparent youth of transmen, particularly pre-transition. She speaks of how the hairless faces and high-pitched voices of those who had not started their hormone therapy made it easier to picture them as little boys. [Nandini, I am 35 years old and do not take hormones. Kindly do not picture me as a little boy. It is bad enough that the Government of India declared in their Trans Bill 2018 that I would have to either live with my parents or in a shelter home]. She writes of having worried about seeing transmen as innocuous since they lack the organ most women have been taught to dread. This quaint, old-fashioned phrasing belies the fact that while she questions her own dismissiveness of toxic masculinity in transmen, she does not question her inaccurate assumption that transmen are lacking in penises penises that are too dreadful to be called penises. Throughout the book, Krishnan maintains this voyeuristic curiosity about the bodies of transmen, tracking transitions, not even sparing a transman who died on the operating table by describing him as having a vestigial uterus. The uterus figures even in the way she uses old, sexist uterine tropes to describe transmen as making histrionic, sometimes hysterical, declarations. At the outset of the book she describes transmen as born with the anatomy of womanhood and the conviction of manhood. Later, she uses the voices of imaginary characters to suggest to the reader that while transmen might see themselves as men, the world sees them as women: The watchman who would have seen a girl in tears, not a boy in depression; the transwomen who found a transman to be a woman who had the body they so desired; the policemen talking to the girl they saw on the bed. Likewise, she reminds the world through a transmans paraphrased narrative that transwomen have the same male bodies as any cisman. Krishnan doesnt spare the partners of transmen either, scrutinising whether partners of transmen betray discontent, wondering in what ways did surgery change the relationship, stating that these partners ached to have biological children with the men they loved. This is apart from an ableist and transphobic passage where she describes a couple singing love songs to each other that no sane cisgender couple would. Perhaps the most disgusting part of the book is where she attributes Kirans disability to the failure of his parents to administer six bitter spoonfuls of vaccine. In one heartbreaking segment, she concludes a passage about a trans man who has described his successful move away from the indignities visited upon him from a forced marriage and forced femininity, towards living independently as a man with his partner with her own imagination of him wearing a sari and making chutney at home. She puts him back where he escaped from, instead of honouring his journey. In an interview about the book, she describes him as having given birth as a woman. These humiliating references revisit the original acts of sexual violence this man faced. For transmen, sexual violence is often perpetrated not just as sexual violence against a man, but with the intention of misgendering transmen and showing us our place in the assigned gender binary. It is an act of violence and power aimed at taking away the power of self-determination for trans men. It takes some serious insensitivity for a cis woman not to realise that a survivor of sexual violence must be given the space to speak in their own words precisely to take back that power of self-determination. To feminise a transman survivor of sexual violence in imagining him as a married and pregnant woman is to reinforce the intention of that act of sexual violence. [Knowing this man as a friend makes it quite difficult for me to describe how devastated I know he would feel at reading this.] Another devastating moment is when Krishnan refers to an incident where a transman got his period for the first time in months and bled heavily. But he refused to wear sanitary pads. She goes on to describe his trauma while performing on stage, having to wear a skirt. This was one of many examples where the book triggered my own dysphoria the intense pain a transgender person feels when forced, either socially or physically, to confront a body that does not match the brains somatic expectation of that body. Lest any cisgender reader imagine that pronouns are trivial, you must understand that misgendered pronoun use is the act of socially forcing a transgender person to revisit their dysphoria. Krishnan finds other moments in the book to remind the reader that transmen menstruate, in one case solely to claim she is woke enough to have forgotten that a transman might, while making it clear that earlier she had not begun to see transmen as male, at least not as male as cismen. While conceding in the foreword that she made several transmen revisit extremely traumatic incidents in their past, she confidently decides that she must, because otherwise, how could she let the world know about their lives? This theme, of Krishnan doubting the ethics of her research and then going right ahead out of a need to play cisplaining saviour, reverberates throughout the book. In the introduction, she wonders whether she is being voyeuristic in focusing on surgeries, but then goes ahead based on the assumption that transmen need information on these surgeries. Transpeople who can afford an English book this expensive will certainly have had the resources to find the considerable amount of information on the internet. More worryingly, a transman whose family refused to support his transition, with the exception of one family member, recently lost the support of that member because they read Invisible Men, and concluded that the surgeries did not sound like they would make for the complete manhood that Krishnan describes a doctor saying all transmen want. This is terribly alarming, because apart from affecting the mental health of the trans reader, it is affecting crucial, life-saving support systems as well. Despite justifying her dwelling on medical procedures for the sake of the hypothetical Indian transman reader, the book is clearly looking to rich, Western, cis voyeurs for an audience. There is no other reason to rely on Hindu mythological tropes to contextualise the history of transpeople, largely transwomen, in India. To do so while recounting a list of transmen in recorded world history who are almost entirely from the West is also an act of selective, saffronised historical memory. In describing the only transmasculine-relevant myth of Shikhandi, Krishnan also takes a bizarrely sanghi turn by referring to the myth of his exchange of genitalia with a yaksha as arguably the worlds first undocumented sex change operation. This facepalm moment joins the list of cringeworthy myth-as-medical-history claims that has left all of us in the science community in despair. It is unclear whether Krishnan covers the question of trans identity in conflict zones such as Kashmir and Manipur in order to understand the intersections between these experiences, or to just add sensation value crude titles of chapters such as 'Why Didnt the Indian Army Want to Search Me?' certainly suggest the latter. This kind of voyeurism takes a somewhat colonial ethnographic tone, with awkward descriptions of thick dosais as a novel indicator of poverty and long-drawn descriptions of the invective directed at her by a transwoman whom she misgenders. The latter passage, in which a transwoman is justifiably enraged at Krishnan walking into her own neighbourhood and misgendering her, is evocative of Krishnans general response to the criticism around this book, which is to see herself as an innocent do-gooder being mysteriously yelled at by menacing transpeople. This, then, is the central puzzle of the book the question of how Krishnan learns so little from her work and even from her own introspection. It is unclear whether she suffers from a form of cognitive dissonance, or whether the book was published in such a rush that she was unable to move towards some semblance of an integrated narrative. She wonders if she is voyeuristic and othering, she panics about reducing people to anecdotes; the answer to all these questions is Yes, and yet she never reaches that conclusion herself. She states in the introduction that she learned she could hurt her interlocutors with language that misgenders, and then goes ahead to do exactly this. She knows we are often near suicidal from being misgendered, and then makes a book that has triggered dysphoria and suicidal ideation in many transmen. Even more ironically, Krishnan excoriates the writer Chimamanda Adichie for her own insensitivity in seeing transwomen as somehow distinct from women. And yet, a quote from Krishnans writing about Chimamanda Adichie would easily apply to Nandini Krishnan: Adichie consistently refused to apologise, and sought instead to explain herself. Krishnans particular form of explanation is somewhat bizarre: she has defended her lack of an apology by claiming that these are honest opinions but then, prejudice is almost always honest and naked. When policemen have asked me what my body looks like, they are expressing their honest curiosity. When the draconian trans bill was drafted that strips transpeople of the right to self-identification and punishes rape visited upon transpeople with vastly lower sentences of 6 months - 2 years in comparison to rape upon transwomen, it was based on the recommendations of another Krishnan-like self-styled expert, Piyush Saxena. This man also provided the Hindustan Times with some honest opinions: that transwomen are sexually very hot, and that the differential punishments for rape upon a transgender person versus a cisgender woman were justified because vagina rape causes a different sort of mental trauma to the lady. The sole role the writer of the foreword plays is to make Krishnan look better than him. Manu Joseph has already flexed his muscles writing derogatory essays about people he knows nothing about, famously writing that my friend Rohith Vemula may have simply died due to depression rather than institutional repression. He continues this kind of honest airing of his prejudices, describing transwomen as muscular eunuchs even as the Government of India has learned not to use this derogatory word. He puts all transpeople in our place in his mental assignment of the gender binary, describing transwomen as men who strive to become women and transmen as women who wish to become men. He grandly declares that gender is not a spectrum and that those of us who disagree are charlatans. He ends by stating that transmen are women who use the latest medical advances to liberate themselves from their gorgeous female shapes, who will cut away their breasts, destroy their long flowing hair and, somewhat bizarrely, fix agonising penises. Apart from asserting that transmen are women, it is clear that his idea of women is from a gaze of objectification, essentialism and archaic condescension. His idea of penises is a bit harder to fathom, but perhaps he ought not to project his own penis agony upon the penises of transmen. Another justification Krishnan cites in lieu of apology is in claiming that some of the interviewees remain friends with her. This question of friendship is an important one, given that Krishnan ingratiated herself with several interviewees, me included, by claiming to be a friend of other interviewees. As I clarified to the author after reading the book, friends do not write voyeuristic narratives about their friends. While she was carefully respectful in her descriptions of interactions with those of us who bear substantial class and caste privilege, she has taken seriously problematic liberties with some of the working class, Dalit, Adivasi and Bahujan interviewees who were interviewed in non-English languages. For example, the book features not just their formal interviews, but takes up several pages describing informal interactions with their friends and partners to which she was privy in good faith but which they never imagined would make it to the book. Some of these partners and friends are not open as community members, and they certainly did not consent to being interviewed. Krishnan reverted to only those whom she formally interviewed in non-English languages with an English script, and they did not trouble her for translations out of trust. Many of these interviewees have years of experience dealing with reporters and have never had a violative experience of this kind. Despite her relative care to not offend her English-speaking interviewees, most of the openly trans interviewees who have read the book have denounced or distanced themselves from it. Non English-speaking transmen have come to realise how Krishnan has written about them through the slow process of our doing what the author is ethically bound to do: translate the final script. Although Krishnan did include some undistorted transcriptions of voice recordings, large sections of the book are paraphrased and attributed to transmen in ways that distort their narratives. She also lazily lifted several pages worth of material from the Facebook posts of transmen; as well as sections from plays and myths, most of which are not even remotely related to transmen. If Krishnan had been more sensitive and had learned from what her interviewees told her, we might have been more forthcoming. Such a book might have been worth reading. Those of us who believe cis people can learn to fully understand their trans friends, and have seen amazing allies who do, have had our hope for the evolution of cis cognition somewhat wrecked by this book. Krishnan is troubled by Gees assertion that her book, in claiming authorship by inserting her own narrative into a body of work largely populated by the labour of storytelling shouldered by transmen, is an act of epistemic violence. And yet, despite his explaining to her the process by which she could ethically compile and translate an anthology of their narratives, she decides that the route that would enable her to claim sole authorship and the right to tell other peoples stories is the one she wants to take. While she justifies this by saying she wishes to explain her own journey as an ally, all she reveals of herself in this journey is her own transphobia and her self-image as sympathetic listener, with many nights spent crying tears of sympathy into her pillow. Krishnan even worries about visibility, and asks how transpeople as a community benefit from visibility, and yet never makes the connection between this and my own response in the book to her questions which explained to her the fact that transmen benefit from our relative invisibility. Other explanations I gave her about the relationship between trans and intersex identity have been chopped up into fragmented quotes and distributed between disparate sections of the book, not making any sense in some of those contexts. The narrative is disjointed and the editors were clearly on vacation. The questions she asked me about violence and employment discrimination faced by transmen were discarded in her final narrative, which choses to largely focus on sensationalised stories and attempts to dig up intra-community tensions for the readers voyeuristic pleasure. Knowing most of the interviewees, I can see the points at which each of us got wary and withheld substantial parts of our narratives from the book. My mistake was to not withdraw my narrative from the book outright. It is a serious political mistake to have participated in a book like this because the concern is that once a book is written, published and publicised by Penguin, it becomes the authoritative book on a subject, despite being riddled with mistakes and derogation. One only hopes that the Krishnans of this world are not set up as experts" on the community who draft draconian laws that make our lives substantially more difficult, in the way that jokers like Piyush Saxena have been. As it stands, this book may only be accurately read as a half-baked compilation of partial narratives of transmen. Instead, go read A Revathis A Life in Trans Activism for the real deal. Members of the JACTTO GEO launched an indefinite strike on 22 January to press for nine demands, which include reverting to the old pension scheme, settling a 21-month pay arrears according to the new pay commission guidelines, and hike in pay for secondary grade teachers. The Tamil Nadu Police has arrested 150 people in connection with the protests by Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisations and Government Employees Organisations (JACTTO GEO) in Tiruvallur, Sun News reported on Monday. The members of the JACTTO GEO launched an indefinite strike on 22 January to press for nine demands, which include reverting to the old pension scheme, settling a 21-month pay arrears according to the new pay commission guidelines, and hike in pay for secondary grade teachers. The JACTTO GEO leaders will hold a high-level meeting in Madurai on Monday to decide the further course of action. "Even though the government has arrested and suspended many of our senior members, we have formed a shadow high-level committee to replace them and coordinate the strike, the body's state co-ordinator Meenakshi Sundaram was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express. The arrests were made on the day the Tamil Nadu government-mandated deadline for teachers to resume work comes to an end. In a letter addressed to the chief education officers of all the districts, the school education department director said that the positions of the teachers who do not resume on Monday will be considered vacant, reported The News Minute. Those who rejoin work after Monday will be allotted any posting in the revenue district as per vacancy and will face departmental action, the letter further said. On 25 January, the Madras High Court said that no contempt can be initiated against government teachers in Tamil Nadu on strike, as it has not stayed the strike or declared it illegal. The division bench, comprising Justices M Sathyanarayanan and P Rajamanickam stated this when counsel Naveen Kumar Murthi made an urgent mention to move contempt. Making it clear that the court had only directed them to return to work by 25 January in the interest of children, the bench said "it is for the government to monitor and take appropriate action against those who flout the order of the court." In wake of the protests, the Tamil Nadu government had decided to to engage retired and temporary staff members to handle primary grade classes. All district-level officials were directed to engage temporary teachers and pay them a consolidated amount of Rs 7,500 per month, reported The Times of India. Chief Minister EK Palaniswami accused the Opposition parties of instigating the protesters. "(The Opposition parties) have been making a false claim that the state government is refusing to meet the demands despite having sufficient funds. In reality, the government is facing financial constraints due to a cyclone on one hand and drought on the other," another article by The New Indian Express quoted him as saying at a public meeting on Saturday. DMK leader MK Stalin hit out at the AIADMK government, saying that the protests were a result of "anarchy". On Saturday, the Tamil Nadu government had suspended nearly 420 teachers across the state on Saturday in view of the protests. News18 had quoted state minister D Jayakumar as saying in a statement that the striking teachers protests with demands that cannot be fulfilled. The suspension was inevitable. The teachers were arrested and came out on bail. We cannot allow them to work when they have an FIR that involves them, a school education department official was quoted as saying in the report. With inputs from PTI Not content with condemning lawful gun owners, The Sun then libels Justice Brett Kavanaugh by suggesting that he and Justice Neil Gorsuch would somehow rewrite the Constitution in the pending New York City case which the court agreed to review. Perhaps The Sun should take a look at the facts of that New York case before bemoaning the Supreme Courts decision to consider it. The law at issue barred persons who were licensed to keep a gun at their home in the city from ever taking their licensed gun, unloaded and in a locked container, outside the city, for target practice, competitions or even to another home elsewhere in the state of New York. Instead, these persons were only permitted to visit one of seven firing ranges within New York City (with a population of 8.5 million people). This sort of law is utterly irrational and, indeed, New York City never even attempted to make a case that such transport outside the city somehow created a risk to public safety. It is nothing less than gun control for the sake of mindless gun control. Perhaps The Sun would like to see a version of that law in Baltimore? Somehow, we doubt that it would make a smidgens worth of difference in the violence that pervades Baltimore. The Kashmiri journalist community, following this, boycotted the ceremony on Saturday in protest against the police action. The Editors Guild of India (EGI) on Monday issued a statement saying that the barring of Kashmiri journalists from Republic Day function in Srinagar was an "unprecedented state-sponsored attack on press freedom" and demanded an inquiry into "such lapses" that are "allowed to take place". The EGI, in the statement criticised the "arbitrary manner" in which several senior journalists of Jammu and Kashmir were restricted to cover the Republic Day function on January 26, despite their possessing entry passes "issued by state government's Information Department". The Editors Guild of India has issued a statement. pic.twitter.com/WqXniu5Jai Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) January 28, 2019 On Saturday, Jammu and Kashmir Police denied six senior photo and video journalists working for top national and international media organisations in Srinagar entry to cover the Republic Day function at Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium, The Indian Express reported. According to the news portal, a letter by Security Wing of the state police signed by the Additional Superintendent of Police, Security, Kashmir, mentioned a CID report to bar all the six journalists to cover the event at the venue. "The CID report in respect of below mentioned persons belonging to Media group have been found adverse and you are directed not to permit them inside the venue as their media cards for Republic Day 2019 treated as cancel," the letter read. The journalist community, following this, boycotted the ceremony on Saturday in protest against the police action. They also took out a rally from the Kashmir Press Club and marched towards the historic clock tower in Srinagar. The Kashmir Editors Guild (KEG) demanded action against the police officials, News18 reported. "KEG demands that the state government take stringent action against the police officers who sought to muzzle the press and take steps to create a situation where media can function freely and discharge its duty to the citizens by providing information on the happenings in the state," the KEG said in a statement. According to News18, the name of journalists who were barred include veteran journalists Yusuf Jameel, Mehraj ud Din of The Associated Press, Habib Naqash of GreaterKashmir, Tauseef Mustafa of AFP, Bilal Bhat of ANI and Ashraf Wani of Aaj Tak. Journalists Danish Ismail of Reuters and Amaan Farooq of GreaterKashmir were also barred. The elderly couple in Delhi was registered under the senior citizen category in the police records of southeast district. The beat officials used to visit them frequently. The staff had last visited them on 15 January and fixed their water issues New Delhi: Decomposed bodies of an elderly couple were found inside their house in southeast Delhi's Amar Colony, police said on Sunday. They have been identified as Virender Kumar Khaneja (77) and his wife Sarla (72). Police were informed about a senior citizen going missing at around 10.30 am. A police team then reached the couple's house where it found the flat locked from inside. The couple's phones were switched off, Chinmoy Biswal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast), said. At the instance of relatives and neighbours, police broke the lock of the flat, he said. The decomposed bodies of the couple were found lying on the floor in a room, Biswal added. The couple's son Amit Khaneja, a doctor, lives in the US, the officer said. According to preliminary investigation, police did not find any signs of forced entry in the house, the DCP said. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. Investigation is underway to ascertain the cause behind the unnatural deaths, he said. The couple were registered under the senior citizen category in the police records of southeast district, he said. The beat officials used to visit them frequently. The staff last visited them on 15 January and fixed their water issues, police said. The Congress on Monday dubbed as 'manufactured controversy' the reports that it had withdrawn invites to former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Kanhaiya Kumar and Shehla Rashid to an event organised by the party's minority cell. New Delhi: The Congress on Monday dubbed as "manufactured controversy" the reports that it had withdrawn invites to former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Kanhaiya Kumar and Shehla Rashid to an event organised by the party's minority cell. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari, when asked about the media reports and BJP's criticism over the issue, said the AICC Minorities department had organised the event to commemorate the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and it was its prerogative who to invite or not invite. Tewari slammed the reports as "manufactured controversy", without elaborating on whether the invite to Kumar and Rashid was extended and later withdrawn. Responding to a question on the issue, BJP minister Prakash Javadekar said the Congress, which was once a mainstream party, has become a "narrow-minded party" that even the SP and the BSP were not ready to forge an alliance with it. Tewari, while apparently referring to the chargesheet against former JNU student leader Kumar and 9 others, accused of raising anti-India slogans, said a chargesheet is nothing more than the best appreciation of fact and circumstances as understood by the investigative officer. "Indian jurisprudence stands on a very clear footing that you are innocent until conclusively proven guilty and as I am given to understand by newspaper reports that even the court has not taken cognizance of that particular chargesheet," he said. While Uttar Pradesh has the lowest proportion of individuals that fall under the Scheduled Tribes only 0.57% of the most populous state in the country by most indicators, this minuscule section of society is disproportionately suffering. 600 Adivasis have come to the dharna, says Chetkumar, the head of the Adivasis who have congregated on the ghats of the Ganga in a peaceful protest, Theyre aggrieved because theyre never gotten anything from the government to date. Chetkumar, along with the rest of the community, is holding a dharna at Shastri Ghat in Varanasi, where hes come armed with a six-point list of demands for the government to help realise their rights as citizens. The huge gathering of tribals from across districts of Uttar Pradesh, in Prime Minister Modis constituency, Varanasi, is a deliberate one. While Uttar Pradesh has the lowest proportion of individuals that fall under the Scheduled Tribes only 0.57% of the most populous state in the country by most indicators, this minuscule section of society is disproportionately suffering. They have literacy rates lower than the countrys average for STs. There were only 51 Primary Healthcare Centres in the tribal areas in UP, as of 2017, to cater to a population of 10,31,076 people. Only 52.46% of all ST households in UP are in liveable conditions, as defined by the 2011 Census; 6.92% fall in the extreme category of dilapidated. Only 43% of these homes have a source of drinking water within their premises. 64.5% dont have latrines within the premises. We dont have water tanks for our homes, we have no resources really, says Jigna, an Adivasi woman present at the dharna. I have small children. We have no means to live. Where do we stay? Do we as Adivasis not have a right to live? We have rights, do we not? Indeed, it would be mindful to hark back to the Indian Constitution here, which recognises the need to protect tribal interests, especially tribal autonomy and their rights over land, through the Fifth and Sixth Schedules. In India, most of the tribes are collectively identified as Scheduled Tribes and their right to self-determination is guaranteed by Article 244 Administration of Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas. Tribals in India are also protected under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act of 1996. There is also the Forest Rights Act (2006), which gives the tribal and other forest-dwelling population individual or collective rights over forest land for habitation, cultivation or livelihood, given the inextricable relationship between tribes and the forests, and the colonial denial of that relationship. Despite these legal provisions, as well as eligibility to welfare schemes, the ground reality clearly highlights that there is much left to be desired in their execution. We want a ration card, housing, ownership of land land on which five generations have grown up, but theyre refusing to let us make a house on it, says Sugaga, another protestor. Even with the FRA, matters of land ownership for Adivasi communities is far from black and white. In UP, till 2018, 93,644 claims were received by the FRA; in turn, only 18,555 individual titles have been distributed. 74,945 claims were rejected. And UP has realized 0% of the 1,913,577 acres of potential Community Forest Rights land. Many politicians and officials have promised us that theyd get things done for us, but that hasn't happened, says Sugaga, pointing to the failure of bureaucracy as a possible reason for why so many Adivasis seem to fall through the cracks of the system. She illustrates her own experience: We went to the Chief Development Officer with a charter of demands and he just dismissed us, asking if we had nothing better to do! If we had what we needed, would we be doing this? Jigna too echoes her dissatisfaction with the government, I have no faith in any official. Chetkumar is direct and to the point about the purpose of the dharna: The main reason why we have gathered here today is to make sure that our demands reach the Prime Minister. With the 2019 elections right around the corner, and the BJP having taken a significant hit in the state assembly elections in 2018, it would be wise to heed Chetkumars honesty when he says, One thing is clear. We will now only elect someone who listens to us. And at least superficially BJPs Varanasi head Azad Vishvakarma claimed he did, We certainly hear their demands and feel their pain. If something is lacking in their lives, we will do it now. When asked if he had read their charter of demands, he responds, Yes, yes, I'll read it. Later. Khabar Lahariya is a women-only network of rural reporters from Bundelkhand. Tata Steel on Monday signed an agreement to sell 70 percent stakes each in its two Southeast Asian arms to the HBIS Group of China for around $480 million Mumbai: As part of its strategic plan to exit non-core markets and focus more on the fast-growing home market, Tata Steel on Monday signed an agreement to sell 70 percent stakes each in its two Southeast Asian arms to the HBIS Group of China for around $480 million. The company runs NatSteel Holdings in Singapore and Tata Steel Thailand, through a Singapore-based fully-owned subsidiary TS Global Holdings, which signed a definitive agreement with an HBIS Group-controlled entity-the second largest alloy maker in China--to divest its majority stakes in these two arms--a move closer to mark the Tatas' long-awaited exit from these two markets. The Chinese steel major will give $327 million in cash to the Tatas and take over $150 million combined debt of these companies. Still the deal is 1.5 times the book value of these companies. This is the second major deleveraging that Tata Steel has done in as many years having merged its heavily loss-making European operations with ThyssenKrupp last year by creating a new giant joint venture with the German engineering and alloy major. The agreement was signed in Beijing, the company said, adding post-deal, the Tatas will continue to hold 30 percent each in these two companies through TS Global Holdings. "As per the agreement, the divestment will be made to a company in which 70 percent equity will be held by an entity controlled by HBIS and 30 percent will be held by TS Global Holdings," the company said. While the enterprise value of the deal is estimated at around $685 million, Tata Steel is expected to get only around $327 million along with deleveraging of debt of around $150 million on both the entities. "We've been working on this since the past few months and finally we have been able to sign a definitive agreement for selling our stakes in these firms. So, in the new JV our stake will be 30 percent while the rest will be held by the HBIS Group," managing director & chief executive TV Narendran told reporters in a conference call from Beijing. "The rationale behind this divestment is an optimum return on capital. This partnership is strategic as HBIS, the second largest steel producer in China, gets an entry in the Southeast Asian markets and we as a partner can take the benefit of the upside and also bring in capital," he said. Narendran further said since China is already a mature market apart and the world's largest alloy maker with nearly 1,000 mt in annual capacity, the next growth opportunity for HBIS is the Southeast Asian market that is currently 80-90 million tonne and growing at 7-8 percent. "We have the option to spend capital either in our home market where we have a good presence and are profitable or in overseas. Since the home-market opportunity is massive we decided to focus on this and with divestment we are creating a structurally strong enterprise," he added. Narendran further said the partnership with the Chinese will offer the Tatas robust growth opportunities in Southeast Asia, given the access to resources, technical expertise and regional understanding of the HBIS. Whether they will look at exiting these markets later, Narendran said, "currently we have decided to remain as a partner and stay invested in the JV for three years. After that we may decide on how we would monetise it either by IPO or through other means, either in parts or whole." Chief financial officer Koushik Chatterjee said almost the entire proceeds from the sale will be used to pare debt. "This will be used largely for our deleveraging at the group level. We'll be getting $327 million in cash from the deal. That apart, debt to the extent of $150 million of these entities will be taken over by the Chinese company. This will get deleveraged from the group balance sheet. In all, the deleverage will be to the extent of $450 million." Whether Tata Steel will have representation in the new entity, Narendran said the deputy chief executive and deputy chief financial officer will be appointed by Tata Steel with board representation. But the name of the new JV will be decided by HBIS, he added. Tata Steel has an annual crude steel capacity of 27.5 mt with a very diverse geographical presence. The Hebei province-based HBIS Group was established in June 2008 by merging Tangshan Iron & Steel Group and Handan Iron and Steel Group and is the second largest steel maker in China, serving home appliances, automobile, nuclear power, marine engineering, bridges and construction sectors. The Tata Steel counter closed with a loss of 1.55 percent at Rs 445.65 on the BSE reflecting the heavy selling in the market that pulled down the benchmark by over 1 percent. To keep watching Indias No. 1 English Business News Channel CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day. To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day. The value of the brand Tata has soared 37 percent to $19.5 billion in 2019, helping the conglomerate break into the top-100 in a global brands list, according to a report Mumbai: The value of the brand Tata has soared 37 percent to $19.5 billion in 2019, helping the conglomerate break into the top-100 in a global brands list, according to a report. The salt-to-software group has been ranked 86th in the list compiled by the London-based consultancy Brand Finance, up from 104 in 2018, the statement said, adding it is the only domestic brand in the global top-100. "The Tata group has seen an impressive increase in brand value in 2019, and have been rewarded by being the only Indian brand within the top 100 most valuable brands in the world," Brand Finance chief executive David Haigh was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Tata group. Reacting to the recognition, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran said, "this recognition will encourage us to drive our businesses in a socially responsible manner globally while continuing to strive for excellence through innovation and entrepreneurship." The improvement in brand value was aided largely by the performance of the group's cash-cow Tata Consultancy Services, Haigh said. The statement further said the brand value was also helped by the group's automotive and steel companies as also the inclusion of a wider number of Tata group entities for computing the value. To keep watching Indias No. 1 English Business News Channel CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day. To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day. Traders' body CAIT, had also requested the government not to accede to any demand by large e-commerce players New Delhi: Smaller e-commerce players like Snapdeal and ShopClues have written to the government opposing any move to extend the 1 February, deadline for online marketplaces to comply with FDI rules, and urged that pressure for such relaxations need to be "resisted strongly". The position taken by these players is in contrast to that of giants like Amazon and Walmart-backed Flipkart who have sought an extension, stating that they need more time to understand the details of the framework. In December, the government had announced new regulations - under Press Note 2 - that would bar online marketplaces with foreign investments from selling products of the companies where they hold stakes, and ban exclusive marketing arrangements. These changes are expected to hit Amazon and Flipkart, the hardest. Snapdeal co-founder and CEO Kunal Bahl, in his letter dated 25 January to Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, said the "prompt implementation of Press Note 2/2018, without delay or dilution, is the first and crucial step to curb the continuing violations of the FDI policy on e-commerce". He argued that "the timelines allowed are adequate for compliance" and that Snapdeal has already updated its technical processes, engaged statutory auditors - EY as well as apprised its team and sellers about the upcoming changes in norms. Describing the proposed measures as being crucial to prevent "further damage to India's retail sector", Snapdeal said the extreme narrative being projected is an "orchestrated move" meant to pressurise authorities and "needs to be resisted strongly". ShopClues co-founder and CEO Sanjay Sethi echoed similar sentiments and urged for an "expeditious implementation of the policy clarifications, leaving no scope for extension to the given deadline". He warned that "violators" may use their clout to seek extension or relaxations in the policy, "which if allowed, will perpetuate the damages already done to micro, small and medium enterprises". ShopClues said any attempts being made to portray the clarifications (under Press Note 2) as a new policy, anti-FDI or anti-consumer is "dangerously misleading and wrong". Traders' body CAIT, had also requested the government not to accede to any demand by large e-commerce players, the US or Indian associations for changes or extensions warning that any adverse move will be opposed by the trading community "tooth and nail". RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch had also recently written to the government saying that buckling under pressure from the US will directly harm the interest of 13 crore people, who earn their livelihood as small entrepreneurs and their employees. There are reports that the US authorities have expressed concerns that the new rules could impact the investment plans of large foreign players in India. Both Amazon and Flipkart have pumped in millions of dollars into the booming Indian e-commerce market. Amazon had committed an investment of $5 billion -- a large chunk of which has already been pumped in across various entities (like wholesale, marketplace and payments) that it operates in India. Flipkart, which saw Walmart picking up 77 per cent stake for a whopping $16 billion earlier this year, has also invested in various areas over the years. To keep watching Indias No. 1 English Business News Channel CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day. To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day. Marriot may buy 10% stake in Chalet Hotels, which owns top-end hotels in India including JW Marriot Mumbai and the Bengaluru Marriot, for about Rs 574 crore. US-based hospitality company Marriott International plans to acquire a minority stake of 10 percent in Chalet Hotels of Chandru L Raheja, said a media report. Marriot may buy 10 percent stake in Chalet Hotels, which owns top-end hotels in India including JW Marriot Mumbai and the Bengaluru Marriot, for about Rs 574 crore, said a report in The Times of India. Marriot's plan to buy a stake in Chalet Hotels indicates the world's largest hospitality chain's big bet on India, where it operates 100 properties, said the report. Chalet Hotels on Friday announced a Rs 1,600-crore initial public offering (IPO) which includes the issue of fresh equity and also sale by promoters, said a PTI report. This is one of the biggest offerings in the IPO market, which has otherwise been a lull in recent months due to volatilities in the market. The IPO consists of equity shares of face value of Rs 10 aggregating up to Rs 950 crore and an offer-for-sale of up to 2.46 crore equity shares. On 19 January, Marriott International announced that it would open 20 hotels in India this year and the first of these was inaugurated in Ahmedabad Renaissance Ahmedabad Hotel. The world's largest hotel chain is planning to open seven more hotels in Gujarat in the next three years, Marriott International vice-president (South Asia) Neeraj Govil said. "This year, we are opening 20 hotels in India and this 'Renaissance' (in Ahmedabad) is the first one," he said. At present, Marriott International, having over 6,000 hotels across the world, operates 98 properties in the country under 15 different brands, including 'Renaissance', he added. While Govil is bullish about the growth potential in India and Gujarat, he feels the Goods and Services Tax (GST) range of 18 percent and 28 percent (depending on room tariffs) should come down. In December 2018, Marriott International opened Fairfield by Marriott Goa Anjuna, making it the 14th Fairfield hotel in India. "This is our first Fairfield by Marriott property to debut in Goa and the 15th for the brand in South Asia," Mike Fulkerson, vice president, brand and marketing, Asia Pacific, Marriott International said. With PTI inputs To keep watching Indias No. 1 English Business News Channel CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day. To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day. Piyush Goyal, who was given additional charge of the finance ministry last Wednesday as Arun Jaitley is away to the US for a treatment, is his expected to discuss a host of issues including credit offtake and bad loan position of lenders. New Delhi: Finance Minister Piyush Goyal will meet the CEOs of public sector banks Monday to take a stock of the banking sector, and discuss ways to improve their financial health, sources said. The meeting assumes significance as it comes just three days ahead of the Budget 2019-20, the last from this government before the general elections expected to be held in April-May. The full-day meeting is likely to be attended by Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das, who is going to announce his first monetary policy review on 7 February. Goyal, who was given additional charge of the finance ministry last Wednesday as Arun Jaitley is away to the US for a treatment, is his expected to discuss a host of issues including credit offtake and bad loan position of lenders. Among the key issues, sources said, the meeting will review progress of various schemes of the government being implemented through the government. It will also review the credit flow to MSMEs, agriculture and retail sectors. Besides, sources said, the meeting will also review financial performance of the banks for the nine months ended December 2018. Non-performing assets (NPAs) would also come up for deliberation, they added. Public sector banks (PSBs) have seen a decline in bad loans by over Rs 23,000 crore from a peak of Rs 9.62 lakh crore in March 2018 due to various initiatives taken by the government. At the same time, PSBs have also made a record in recovery of Rs 60,726 crore in the first half of the current financial year, which is more than double the amount recovered in the corresponding period last year. According to the latest finance ministry data, non-NPA accounts overdue by 31 to 90 days (Special Mention Accounts 1 & 2) of PSBs have declined by 61 percent over five successive quartersfrom Rs 2.25 lakh crore as of June 2017 to Rs 0.87 lakh crore in September 2018. In his first stint as finance minister for 100 days last year, Goyal was instrumental in setting up a committee headed by non-executive chairman of Punjab National Bank Sunil Mehta to examine whether creation of an asset reconstruction company or asset management company to help in faster resolution of stressed assets. Follow full coverage of Union Budget 2019-20 here To keep watching Indias No. 1 English Business News Channel CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day. To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day. The I-T department has attached a portion of shares held by Siddhartha and Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd in IT firm Mindtree over a potential tax demand. Coffee Day Enterprises founder VG Siddhartha is expected to offer alternative security to release his attached shares in Mindtree, media reports said. He is the single largest shareholder in the mid-size IT services headquartered in Bengaluru. At the end of December 2018 quarter, Siddhartha held 54.69 lakh shares (3.3 percent stake) in Mindtree, while Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd had more than 1.74 crore shares (10.63 percent stake). Another entity, Coffee Day Trading Ltd holds over 1.05 crore shares (6.45 percent holding). Mindtree's promoters, which include Subroto Bagchi, Krishnakumar Natarajan, NS Parthasarathy, and Rostow Ravanan, together hold roughly 13 percent stake in the company. Siddhartha could offer shares of other companies, bank guarantees or a bond, a report in The Economic Times said. The I-T department has attached a portion of shares held by Siddhartha and Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd in IT firm Mindtree over a potential tax demand. Further, Coffee Day Enterpriseswhich operates popular coffee chain CCDsaid it has already discharged its tax liability along with the revised returns. " there is no tax liability payable by the company and its subsidiaries as per the revised returns filed. The promoter has discharged all the tax liability along with the revised returns. Further, there is no undisputed tax liability for the promoter and the company," Coffee Day Enterprises informed in a regulatory filing on Saturday. It also said that the "required action will be taken to release these shares in the next few days". According to the company, 74.90 lakh shares of Mindtree have been affected by the provisional attachment by the Income Tax Department, in which 22.20 lakh shares are held by Coffee Day Enterprises in Mindtree and 52.70 lakh shares by its promoter Siddhartha. Coffee Day Enterprises and its promoter V G Siddhartha have "received orders u/s. 281B of Income Tax Act, 1961 provisionally attaching few shares held in Mindtree to safeguard the interest of the Revenue in respect of possible future tax and penalty obligations in respect of open assessments", it said. "The company would like to clarify that in response to notices u/s 148 & 153A of the income tax, the promoter and the company have filed required revised returns," said Coffee Day Enterprises in a clarification filed to bourses. Siddhartha, who owns about 21 percent stake in Mindtree, is said to be in advanced discussions with various entities to sell his shares in the IT company. On 26 January, Mindtree had also informed the stock exchanges that the I-T department has attached a portion of shares held by Siddhartha and Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd in IT firm Mindtree. It added that the attachment also "prohibited for transfer or charge" of 22.2 lakh equity shares of Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd, and 52.7 lakh shares held by Siddhartha. The order would be applicable for six months from the date of the order i.e. 25 January 2019, it said. --With PTI inputs To keep watching Indias No. 1 English Business News Channel CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day. To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day. If carjackers knew that the next car they stopped had a good possibility of a well-armed driver putting two 9-mm bullets in their chest, it might get their attention. Likewise, muggers, rapists, thieves and gunmen would have to weigh the possibility that their next attack could be their last one. While it is dreadful to think that a respectable and law-abiding citizen would have to resort to such measures to protect themselves, it is a necessity forced on them by the citys leadership that is helpless to do the job of making the city safe for everyone. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh had recently indicated that the government would announce an agriculture package before the 2019-20 budget. The NDA government will present an interim budget on 1 February. New Delhi: The Union Cabinet is expected to soon approve a relief package for farmers grappling with falling prices of their crops and to tackle distress in the farm sector, according to sources. The likely relief package is seen as an attempt to assuage the farming community's discontent ahead of the general elections. "... The agriculture ministry's proposal on addressing income deficit syndrome of small and marginal farmers is on the agenda (of the Cabinet meeting)," a source said. Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting, which was scheduled for Monday, has been deferred, as per sources. The agriculture ministry has recommended several options to provide both short- and long-term solutions to address agrarian distress. However, a final call will be taken at the Cabinet meeting as a huge cost is involved, they said. One of the options proposed is waiving interest on crop loans for farmers who pay on time, costing an additional Rs 15,000 crore to the exchequer. There is also a proposal to completely waive premium for taking insurance policy for food crops. The Centre is also evaluating the scheme followed by the Telangana and Odisha governments wherein a fixed amount is transferred directly into the bank account of farmers, the sources further said. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh had recently indicated that the government would announce an agriculture package before the 2019-20 budget. The NDA government will present an interim budget on 1 February. Experts said the government has less time to implement any new scheme. The measure has to be such that it can be implemented faster to reap the political gains during the elections. It may be noted that the central government has taken farmers' issues seriously after the ruling BJP was defeated in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in the recent state polls, where rural distress was a key factor. Farmers are in distress owing to a fall in the prices of most crops in view of bumper crop. Follow full coverage of Union Budget 2019-20 here To keep watching Indias No. 1 English Business News Channel CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day. To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day. The Department of Financial Services sought Rs 4,000 crore in the Budget for fund infusion in three insurance companies New Delhi: The upcoming Budget may have provision for Rs 4,000-crore capital infusion for public sector general insurance companies to shore up their capital. The Budget 2019-20 is likely to be presented on 1 February. According to sources, the Department of Financial Services sought Rs 4,000 crore in the Budget for fund infusion in three insurance companies -- National Insurance Company, Oriental Insurance Company and United India Insurance Company. Depending on the capital that Budget provides, the individual allocation would be made, sources added. This capital is required to strengthen their financial health. The profitability of many general insurance companies, including that of state-owned ones has been under pressure owing to rising underwriting losses and higher claims. It is to be noted that the government, in Budget 2018-19, had proposed to merge National Insurance Company, Oriental Insurance Company and United India Insurance Company. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Budget speech had announced that the three companies would be merged into a single insurance entity. The process of merger is likely to be completed during the current fiscal. As on March 31, 2017, the three companies together had more than 200 insurance products with a total premium of Rs 41,461 crore and a market share of around 35 per cent. Their combined net worth is Rs 9,243 crore, with total employee strength of around 44,000 spread over 6,000 offices. In 2017, state-owned New India Assurance Company and General Insurance Corporation of India were listed on bourses. Initial estimates suggest that the combined entity formed by merging the three insurers will be the largest non-life insurance company in India, valued at Rs 1.2-1.5 lakh crore. Click here for full coverage of Union Budget 2018. To keep watching Indias No. 1 English Business News Channel CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day. To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day. Petrochemical complex, BPCL Kochi refinery is a Make in India initiative aimed at reducing dependence on imports. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday dedicated to the nation an integrated refinery expansion complex of the public sector Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited at the Kochi Refinery. He also laid the foundation stone for a petrochemical complex at the refinery and a skill development institute at Ettumanoor besides inaugurating a mounded storage vessel at the LPG bottling plant of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited here. The integrated refinery is a modern expansion complex and would transform the Kochi Refinery as the largest PSU refinery in the country with world class standards. It is equipped for production of cleaner fuels. It will double the production of LPG and diesel and commence production of feedstock for petrochemical projects in the plant. Mounded Storage Vessel, IOCL LPG Bottling Plant, inaugurated by Modi has a total storage capacity of 4350 MT. Storage capacity at the plant was enhanced to meet the LPG requirement of nearly six days bottling capacity of the plant. It is considered the safest storage vessel ensuring highest level of safety for plant and adjacent areas. LPG receipt through pipeline will bring down movement of LPG tankers on roads. Petrochemical complex, BPCL Kochi refinery is a Make in India initiative aimed at reducing dependence on imports. The skill development institute at Ettumanoor backed by the Ministry of Petrochemical and Natural Gas will provide vocational training and enhance employability and entrepreneurship for deserving youth both in oil & gas and other industries. This world class institute was being set up at an eight acre campus allocated by the state government and would have a capacity to skill around 1,000 youths annually in 20 different skills. To keep watching Indias No. 1 English Business News Channel CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day. To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day. The report added that AirAsia India's application will be considered by the group of ministers (GoM) headed by the finance minister Budget carrier AirAsia India has reportedly sought official permission from the civil aviation ministry to start overseas flights as it has completed four-and-a-half years of operations in the domestic sector, a media report said. The airline is reportedly targetting Southeast Asian countries in the beginning, The Economic Times said, citing an aviation ministry official. The report added that the airline's application will be considered by the group of ministers (GoM) headed by the Union finance minister. Airlines were earlier required to fly for at least five years on domestic routes before being allowed to fly internationally. In December last year, AirAsia India had announced the induction of 20th aircraft in its fleet, making it eligible to fly on international routes. Airlines can operate in overseas markets by having 20 aircraft in the fleet or 20 percent of total capacity (in terms of average number of seats on all departures put together), whichever is higher for local operations, according to the 2016 civil aviation policy. The CBI had launched a probe against AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes, Tata Trust executive and AirAsia India non-executive director R Venkataramanan for allegedly lobbying the government for international flight permits and violating rules that prevent foreign airlines from controlling an Indian operator. In March 2018, the then MD and CEO Amar Abrol of AirAsia India had set a target to commence flights to overseas destinations by January 2019. He said the company would serve those markets which were already connected by the airliner's group entities -- AirAsia Malaysia, AirAsia Indonesia, AirAsia Thailand. "We will be flying mostly to Malaysia, Indonesia and neighbouring SAARC countries as well. Bangladesh, Nepal and so on and so forth," he had said. Launched in June 2014, AirAsia India's 51 percent is owned by Tata Sons, while the remaining 49 percent stake is held by Malaysian no-frills carrier AirAsia Berhad. With inputs from PTI To keep watching Indias No. 1 English Business News Channel CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day. To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day. PHC Holdings Corporation (headquarters: Tokyo, Japan, hereafter PHCHD) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) (hereafter Thermo Fisher), the world leader in serving science, to acquire Thermo Fisher's Anatomical Pathology business for approximately US$ 1.14 billion. Thermo Fisher's Anatomical Pathology business is one of the leading providers of microscope slides, instruments and consumables in the industry and is part of Thermo Fisher's Specialty Diagnostics Segment, operating in the US, Europe and China with approximately 1,200 employees. PHCHD is a global healthcare company that offers value-added products and services across diabetes care, diagnostics, life sciences and healthcare IT. Aiming to achieve further business growth, PHCHD will expand its business portfolio through the acquisition of the business from Thermo Fisher. Hidehito Kotani, Ph.D. and CEO of PHCHD commented, "We are pleased to have signed the agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific. Their anatomical pathology business has shown steady growth with their strong customer base in global hospital markets, especially in the United States. This is a solid business with good growth potential and we believe it will create value for our stakeholders as part of our growing diagnostics and healthcare portfolio." PHCHD currently expects to close the transaction in the second quarter of 2019, subject to customary closing conditions and the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals. About PHC Holdings Corporation Incorporated in 2014, PHC Holdings Corporation is a global healthcare company. Its subsidiaries include PHC Corporation and Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG. Committed to its corporate mission, "We contribute to the wellbeing of society through our diligent efforts by creating new value for all the people who wish for better health," the company develops, manufactures, sells and services medical equipment and solutions across diabetes care, diagnostics, life sciences and healthcare IT. PHC Holdings Corporation group's consolidated net sales in FY2017 was 192.6 billion yen with global distribution of products and services for more than 125 countries. PHC Holdings Corporation changed its name from Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd. in April, 2018. For further information on PHC Holdings Corporation, please visit www.phchd.com. About Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of more than $20 billion and approximately 70,000 employees globally. Its mission is to enable its customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Thermo Fisher Scientific helps its customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to market and increase laboratory productivity. Through its premier brands Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services the company offers an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive support. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005721/en/ Contacts: Corporate Communications Department PHC Holdings Corporation Masayo Okada, +81-3-6778-5311 POZNAN, Poland, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- SMSEagle, a leading provider of hardware SMS gateways, today announced a new suite of hardware, the NXS-9700-4G and the NXS 9750-4G which provide compatibility with almost any 4G/3G network in the world. The new 4G series of SMSEagle NXS-97xx devices meets the requirements of a transition from 3G to 4G that happens in advanced telecom markets. It answers upcoming 3G network shutdowns in Australia and the U.S. in the following years, and what is more, can also provide access to LTE-only operators like Verizon and Sprint in the U.S. NXS-97xx-4G is EU-originated product, for automatic sending & receiving of SMS messages. SMS messages are sent directly to the 4G network. This shortens the critical path in comparison to online SMS services, allows connectivity even during an Internet failure and provides confidentiality and privacy of information. Depending on the version, it can be equipped with one or two internal 4G modems with 3G-fallback. NXS-97xx-4G comes standard with several features that support a flexible, reliable environment for IT professionals: intuitive GUI for easy configuration over 30 plugins for Network Monitoring Systems (it is a must-have tool for any datacenter administrator) API allows software developers to seamlessly integrate SMS capability into their external systems unique Email To SMS feature, allowing to convert email messages into SMS texts advanced self-monitoring mechanisms that control work of internal 4G modems and many other functions making it one of the most advanced hardware SMS gateway product "Our new products are equipped with all the strength and performance efficiency to support everyday operations," SMSEagle Product Manager Radoslaw Janowski said. "Their extensive network compatibility and modem flexibility establishes the NXS-9700/NXS-9750 as the go-to hardware SMS gateway solution for IT professionals, worldwide." About SMSEagle SMSEagle is a leading brand of SMS gateway hardware worldwide. The product allows you to send SMS alerts coming from network monitoring systems, SMS tokens from authentication systems, convert email to SMS messages, send and receive SMS texts using API. The gateway is designed for professionals who rely on reliability and easy integration with existing IT systems. For more information, visit https://www.smseagle.eu/ Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 28, 2019) - MAX RESOURCE CORP. (TSXV: MXR) (OTC Pink: MXROF) (FSE: M1D1) ("MAX" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will resume trading on Wednesday January 30, 2019. As previously announced (see Max press releases of June 18, 2018 and January 9, 2019), Max continues to pursue the acquisition of mineral rights and concessions in and around the Novita Project from Condoto Platinum Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble Metals Limited. Because Max proposes to issue 26,665,896 common shares to Noble Metals on the closing of this transaction (constituting approximately 32.7% of the issued and outstanding shares of Max after adjusting for the transaction), the transaction would constitute Noble Metals as a new 'control person' of Max and requires both TSX Venture and shareholder approval. Max has been working with TSX Venture in an effort to obtain conditional approval while simultaneously adjusting the transaction structure to remediate concerns developed over the course of its due diligence. Max anticipates that it should be in a position to request shareholder approval in the near future. The transaction remains subject to TSX Venture approval. About Max Resource Corp. Max Resource Corp.'s focus is to explore and consolidate gold and platinum group mineral assets in the richly endowed Choco mineral district of Colombia and to explore the Gachala sedimentary copper hosted mineral belt of Colombia. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF MAX RESOURCE CORP. "Brett Matich" Brett Matich, CEO and President For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.maxresource.com or the Company's profile at www.SEDAR.com. If you would like to be added to Max Resources' news distribution list, please send your email address to info@maxresources.com. For more information contact: Investor Relations Tel: (+1) 604 365-1522 Info@maxresource.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed as "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the Company's anticipation that it will resume trading as scheduled, and that it should soon be in a position to request shareholder approval. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include: changes in market conditions, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in the price of commodities (particularly copper), unanticipated changes in key management personnel and general social, economic or geo-political conditions. Mining exploration and development is an inherently risky business. Accordingly the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/42495 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 28, 2019) - Benchmark Botanics, Inc. (CSE: BBT) ("Benchmark" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the addition of a well-respected agriculture industry leader Mr. Hua Zhang PhD to the Benchmark team as Vice President of Production. Mr. Zhang will provide operational expertise overseeing overall production strategies and planning as the Company continues to expand and ensure the highest quality cannabis products are produced at its Peachland Cannabis Complex and the Pitt Meadows Greenhouse Operations. "The addition of Hua further strengthens our team and we look forward to working with this well-known industry leader,' said William Ying CEO, Benchmark Botanics. "Professionalism and quality are central to bringing the best products to market, we welcome his expertise as we continue to grow our business around the country and into international markets." Mr. Zhang has a long and extensive history of agricultural growing and production experience. Most recently he was Head Grower and Director of Production for Hortalizas Argaman in Jalisco Mexico where he oversaw the 135-acre farm including cucumber and tomato greenhouse production. Prior to Hortalizas Agraman, Mr. Zhang worked in Canada for 18 years which included being the Head Grower for Amoco Farms and Enns Plant Farms. He managed year-round production planning, climate and irrigation controls, labour budgeting, developing and implementing IPM strategy, personnel training and development. In 1997, he graduated with a PhD in Horticulture from Kansas State University. Mr. Hua Zhang stated, "I'm excited about working with Benchmark Botanics and leading the Company's production in this growing and vibrant industry. Growing is my passion and I am particularly enthralled with the cannabis industry. I'm looking forward to this opportunity to make Benchmark Botanics a world leader in the cannabis industry." The addition of Mr. Zhang is the latest example of Benchmark Botanics' strategy for building and working with the best talent in the industry. Coupled with our licensed production facilities, a rapidly expanding international medical cannabis business, and growing medical cannabis research, the Company is uniquely positioned to realize the opportunity presented by the advancement of cannabis legislation in Canada and increasingly around the world. Benchmark on January 24, 2019 granted 450,000 stock options to Mr. Zhang and 600,000 stock options to Hon. James Moore, Benchmark's board of director announced in a news release on January 9, 2019. These options are exercisable at C$0.45 per share expiring in 5 years and vesting over a 2-year period in accordance with the terms of Benchmark's Stock Option Plan and subject to regulatory approval. About Benchmark Botanics Inc. Benchmark Botanics is a diversified multi-licensed cannabis producer focused on a three-way vertical business model targeting the medical, pharmaceutical, and recreational markets in Canada and the EU. The Company's business plan also includes a strategy to become a Canadian licensed producer to pioneer selling medical cannabis and hemp in China and throughout Asia. Benchmark Botanics is focused on producing the highest-quality, indoor-grown cannabis for patients and adult recreational consumers, as well as developing international business partnerships to extend the Company's global footprint. Benchmark Botanics' 100% owned subsidiary, Potanicals Green Growers Inc. is a Health Canada licensed producer under the Cannabis Act and its regulations (formerly ACMPR). The Company is producing at its indoor Peachland Cannabis Complex and is in the design stage for a Phase II expansion of an additional 50,000 square foot facility there. Along with cultivation and production, the company's Peachland BC facility also provides propagation, cultivation, cloning, storage, research and development, genetics and is progressing towards CBD oil extraction and an EU-GMP certification. As part of its expansion strategy the company is building its second facility, a 4-acre Pitt Meadows Greenhouse Operations in BC. The Company has established several European Union partnerships including the rights to "The Bulldog" trademark in Canada.The Bulldog trademark has a long-established successful history as one of the most well-known cannabis cafe brands in Amsterdam and around the world. Benchmark Botanics has also entered into an agreement with Barcelona, Spain-based Green BCN Corp. ("BBG Projects") for the development and production of new strains of cannabis plant and their propagating material for future sale and distribution. Benchmark Botanics has also established German commercial partnership to potentially export the Company's products into the EU markets. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.benchmarkbotanics.com or the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. If you would like to be added to Benchmark Botanics' news distribution list, please sign up at this link https://benchmarkbotanics.com/signup/ Investor Relations info@bbtinc.ca ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF BENCHMARK BOTANICS INC. /s/ "William Ying" William Ying Chief Executive Officer Tel: 604-238-0005 www.benchmarkbotanics.com The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this release. FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. More particularly and without limitation, the news release contains forward-looking statements and information relating to Company's corporate strategy. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company, including, without limitation, the Company's ability to carry out its business plan. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to several factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to identify and complete additional suitable acquisitions to further the Company's growth as well as risks associated with the medical marijuana industry in general, such as operational risks in development and production delays or changes in plans with respect to development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of the capital markets; the uncertainty of receiving the required licenses, production, costs and expenses; health, safety and environmental risks; marketing and transportation; loss of markets; environmental risks; competition; incorrect assessment of the value of the potential market; ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; failure to obtain required regulatory and other approvals and changes in legislation, including but not limited to tax laws and regulated regulations. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, timelines and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws or the Canadian Securities Exchange. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/42491 The European Investment Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares The European Investment Trust plc ("the Company") The Company announces that on 28 January 2019 it purchased the following number of its ordinary shares of 25 pence each on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. Ordinary Shares: Date of purchase: 28 January 2019 Number of ordinary shares purchased: 20,000 Lowest price per share 780.5p Highest price per share 780.5p The Company intends to cancel the purchased shares. Following the above transaction, the Company has 40,971,269 ordinary shares in issue. Each of the Company's shares carries one vote. Accordingly, the total number of voting rights of the Company is 40,971,269. 28 January 2019 LEI: 213800QNN9EHZ4SC1R12 Enquiries: Kenneth J Greig Edinburgh Partners AIFM Limited Tel: 0131 270 3800 The Company's registered office address is: Beaufort House 51 New North Road Exeter EX4 4EP Raising taxes, as called for by the teachers union, is the wrong solution because Baltimore County is already an expensive place to live. There is so little money left for the residents to live a happy life. As always, the middle income and the poor take the big hit when taxes are raised. Middle income residents become poor. The real question is, why the leaders of the Baltimore County and state governments do not speak up about the federal waste of tax money on foreign aid to nations that have no respect for life, freedom of speech or the pursuit of happiness. Unparalleled position in mobile ticketing Paragon ID (Euronext Paris - FR0011980077 - PID), the leading provider of identification solutions for Transport, e-ID, Traceability, Brand Protection and Payment, is pleased to announce that it has signed a partnership with Wizway Solutions, a leading player in the digitisation of tickets on NFC (Near Field Communication) smartphones. Just a few weeks after the announcement of its strategic investment in airweb, Paragon ID announces a partnership with Wizway Solutions which completes its digital offering for mobile ticketing solutions required by a growing number of transport networks and cities. Paragon ID's technologies are particularly strong in the digital front end where the applications and remote sales platform, accessed through its strategic investment in airweb, combine with its own secure, software solution NFC/HCE (Host Card Emulation) to provide a technical offer which is unrivalled in the market today. For larger transport networks, which require secure contactless NFC ticketing solutions, Paragon ID's HCE solution will be integrated in Wizway Solutions' suite of digital services to allow all NFC-enabled smartphones to act as a contactless ticket. For smaller and medium-sized transport networks, airweb's dynamic QR code service will provide a highly adaptable digital ticketing solution with fast implementation. Wizway Solutions was born from the shared vision of four key market players - RATP, SNCF, Gemalto and Orange - of making contactless solutions accessible to all. The company, which announced its partnership with Samsung last week, is the sole industrial player in Europe providing a comprehensive NFC platform, having access to hardware security solutions (such as the Secure Element embedded in Samsung smartphones) and software security solutions with Paragon ID technology. Extending its partnership to Wizway Solutions gives Paragon ID - already a world-leading supplier in smartcards as well as magnetic and contactless tickets - the opportunity to offer the most comprehensive mobile ticketing offer in the market, tailorable to the specific needs of its customers. It also opens doors to new markets in emerging countries. Clem Garvey, CEO at Paragon ID says: "Paragon ID and Wizway Solutions share a common goal which is to provide the best and most secure customer experience for travellers and transit authorities. We are pleased to be working closely with them to offer the best and widest mobile ticketing available on the market." Louis Brosse, CEO of Wizway Solutions: "We are very happy to partner with Paragon ID, a company already recognized for its know-how in transit ticketing, security and successful implementation of HCE solutions. Wizway Solutions will widen the scope of its comprehensive industrial platform, to provide contactless mobile ticketing to an even larger number of travellers and transit operators." About Paragon ID Paragon ID is a leader in identification solutions, in particular in the e-ID, Transport & Smart Cities and Traceability & Brand Protection sectors. It has recently entered the area of Payment through its acquisition of Amatech Group. Paragon ID employs more than 600 staff, with manufacturing sites in three continents (US, Europe and Asia), close to its customers. Paragon ID is listed on Euronext Paris with a majority of its shares being held by Paragon Group, a leading provider of Identification and Customer Communications services. Paragon Group has a turnover in excess of 800 million and over 6,000 employees. Paragon Group combines generations of experience with the latest innovations in technology and smart data to enable responsive and meaningful interactions between organisations and their customers. For further information about Paragon Group, visit www.paragon-europe.com. For further information about Paragon ID, visit Paragon-id.com. Share identification: Paragon ID - ISIN Code: FR0011980077 - Mnemonic code: PID. Contacts Paragon ID Clem Garvey CEO Phone: +33 2 48 81 61 00 clem.garvey@paragon-id.com ACTUS finance & communication Investors relations Mathieu Omnes Phone: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 92 momnes@actus.fr ACTUS finance & communication Press Relations Alexandra Prisa Phone: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 90 aprisa@actus.fr About Wizway Solutions Wizway Solutions is the French leader in digital ticketing on NFC Smartphones. Aimed at simplifying contactless transport, Wizway offers a global solution for the digitisation of transport cards and tickets on NFC Smartphones that has already been taken up by the main transport networks in France. For further information about Wizway Solutions, visit www.wizwaysolutions.com Press Contacts Wizway Solutions Pepper Menthe Communication Samira Chakkaf Andalouci Tel.: +33 (0)7 86 11 14 52 samira@peppermenthe.com Pepper Menthe Communication Sophie Lozach Tel.: +33 (0)6 63 17 36 43 sophie@peppermenthe.com ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Recevez gratuitement par email les prochains communiques de la societe en vous inscrivant sur www.actusnews.com Communique integral et original au format PDF:Telecharger le PDF A well-known customer intelligence company, Infiniti Research, has announced the completion of their latest article on the latest pricing strategies adopted by companies to boost their profitsThe article gives a comprehensive overview of the new pricing strategies such as penetration pricing, economy pricing, psychological pricing and promotional pricing. It also highlights the important factors involved in the pricing of products that are relevant in today's competitive business scenario. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005444/en/ The new pricing strategies in the marketing. (Graphic: Business Wire) Adopting the right pricing strategies is a complex task and involves developing a precise knowledge of the market and its consumers. Keeping prices too high or low to maximize profits or sales can result in heavy losses for companies. This makes it vital for companies to formulate pricing strategies that can consider factors such as consumers' ability to pay, market conditions, and productions costs before the pricing of products. Companies also need to identify their value proposition before adopting any competitive pricing strategy. If achieving operational efficiency is a key value proposition for the company, then they need to devise a competition-based pricing strategy. On the other hand, if the company's value proposition is product leadership, then they are required to price their products comparatively higher to similar products in the market. Companies require precise pricing strategies to stay ahead of the curve. Get in touch with our experts and know how our portfolio of price analysis solutions can help you adopt the right pricing strategies. The new pricing strategies in the marketing: Penetration pricing Companies adopt various strategies while entering a market to gain substantial market shares. This either comes in the form of free services or low prices for their products for a limited period of time. This is one of the most sought pricing strategies employed by companies to set up their customer base in a particular market. Want to analyze customers' sensitivity to price changes and identify the price gap between a retailer's and competitors' prices? Request a free proposal and achieve your business goals with the help of our competitive pricing solutions. Economy pricing At times, companies decide not to spend more on promoting products and services. This is the time when they keep the marketing cost of their products to the minimum. This strategy is quite effective and is widely used by companies as it delivers significant sales during the time of recession. Psychological pricing Psychological pricing strategies are usually adopted by companies when they want to market their product to price-conscious customers. Since psychological pricing is based on consumers' emotional responses rather than their rational responses, it proves to be highly beneficial in gauging the desired consumer base. Even if consumers are not acquitted with the market, prices still remain the deciding factor in making the purchase or availing a particular service offering. Does the process of adopting accurate pricing strategies still seem complex to you? Request for more information and know how our competitive intelligence services can help you address the complexities of such strategies. About Infiniti Research Established in 2003, Infiniti Research is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies. To know more, visit: https://www.infinitiresearch.com/about-us View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005444/en/ Contacts: Infiniti Research Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 844 778 0600 UK: +44 203 893 3400 https://www.infinitiresearch.com/contact-us Artprice (Beijing): The West's immense interest in Chinese art Far from Beijing and Shanghai, thousands of kilometers from the Middle Kingdom, masterpieces of Chinese art survive, change hands and move from collection to collection. In New York, London, Paris and Brussels, Western collectors - fascinated by an entirely different relationship to drawing, writing, form and colour - are keen to obtain historical works of Chinese art - sometimes thousands of years old. thierry Ehrmann: "Europeans and Americans are also interested in the great 20th century Chinese masters, especially those who managed to build bridges with Western culture... while lots of Contemporary Chinese artists (graduates of major art schools in the country) have managed to garner the support of some prestigious galleries in the United States and to seduce some of the Western world's most powerful collectors". Top 5 Chinese artists outside China by 2018 Auction Turnover Zao Wou-Ki (1921-2013) - $31,250,600 Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) - $18,509,500 Pan Tianshou (Attrib.) (1897-1971) - $4,804,000 Lin Fengmian (1900-1991) - $3,118,500 Yang Feiyun (1954) - $2,793,300 The awakening and consolidation of the Chinese art market obviously had a profound impact on exchanges of all Chinese artworks throughout the world. In recent years, the price ratings of many Chinese artists have grown exponentially, thanks to a massive, passionate and impatient will to regain control of their own heritage. Little by little, Chinese artworks are ending up back in their country of origin: Chinese collectors are today - logically - the largest purchasers of Chinese art. As a result, Westerners wishing to participate in this market are forced to follow the prices movements or step out of the ring. As the centre of gravity of the global Art Market shifts towards the East, a new price equilibrium is emerging. And Chinese artworks are the first to benefit. The artist Fang Lijun in his studio, welcoming Wan Jie (Chairman of the Artron Group), on the right, and thierry Ehrmann (Artprice Chairman), in the center. Art made in Europe The paintings of several Chinese artists who settled in Europe during the first two thirds of the 20th century are particularly sought-after by Western buyers, especially since the 2008 financial crisis. In 2000, San Yu's (? ?) Woman with arms raised (c. 1920-1930) was acquired for $1,200 at Piasa in Paris; it has just been sold for $170,000 at Sotheby's in the French capital. And this result is far from being an isolated case. The prices of works by Chu Teh Chun show overall growth comparable to that of San Yu's works: +2,000% since the beginning of the 21st century according to Artprice's price index calculations. There can be no doubt that the extraordinary value accretions of the Franco-Chinese lyrical abstractions created by Chu Teh Chun and, to an even higher level, of those created by Zao Wou-Ki, have been substantially boosted by the recent deaths of these artists (2014 and 2013 respectively). In the long run, their price charts show a stunning evolution. Zao Wou-Ki's painting 23.05.64 was auctioned for the first time in 1991 by the auction house Briest in Paris for $78,000. In December 2000, an Asian collector acquired it at Camels (in Paris again) for $251,600. On 30 September 2018, the same piece fetched $11,547,240 at Sotheby's in Hong Kong! The return of Chinese works Via Hong Kong, the Chinese Art Market is managing to recover lots of masterpieces dispersed all over the world. Among the most recent, an imposing 4.35 metre long scroll featuring a painting by Su Shi - ?, active in the 11th century, was sold for $59,206,800 at Poly last month. The scroll, which also contains four colophons by major Chinese intellectuals between the 11th and 17th centuries, was kept in a private Japanese collection after spending many years in Tokyo's Soraikan Collection. As Alex Chang, CEO of Hong Kong's Poly auction house, explained in Artprice's 2017 Contemporary Art Market Report: "I think there will eventually be a junction point between Oriental art and Western art. [...] However, I believe that as far as traditional Chinese art is concerned, Western collectors will probably continue to focus their interest primarily on objects and antiques, while Asian collectors will prefer Chinese calligraphy and painting". The conquest of America... The major American galleries play a vital role in the dissemination of Contemporary Chinese art in the world. Not only by offering them exposure in their exhibition spaces located in the world's principal economic capitals, but also by their participation in the world's most prestigious Contemporary art fairs. In this context, the contribution of the Pace Gallery (which has branches in New York, London, Beijing, Hong Kong, Palo Alto, Seoul and Geneva) has allowed more or less the entire Western world to discover a whole wave of Contemporary artists Chinese. Of the 12 currently represented by the Pace Gallery, six were graduates from the famous Capital Academy of Fine Art in Beijing between the late 1980s and early 2000s (Qia Xiaofei). This school has been an incredible breeding ground for new Chinese artistic creation. But the country's most famous Contemporary painters were not all graduates from this Academy. Zhang Xiaogang and Yue Minjun - both represented by the Pace Gallery and among the most popular Chinese oil painters for Western collectors - received artistic training at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and the Hebei Normal University respectively. In their next Art Market Report (March 2019), Artprice and their exclusive partner Artron (chaired by thierry Ehrmann and Wan Jie respectively), will offer a detailed analysis of the different facets of the Chinese Art Market and of the growing success of the country's artists. Try our services (free demo): https://www.artprice.com/artist/23640/baishi-qi Subscribe to our services: https://www.artprice.com/subscription Copyright 2019 thierry Ehrmann - www.artprice.com About Artprice: Artprice is listed on the Eurolist by Euronext Paris, SRD long only and Euroclear: 7478 - Bloomberg: PRC - Reuters: ARTF. Founded by thierry Ehrmann (see Who's who certified Biography ) (c) https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2018/10/bio-2019-whos-who-thierry-ehrmann.pdf ). Dicover Artprice in video: https://www.artprice.com/video Artprice is the global leader in art price and art index databanks. It has over 30 million indices and auction results covering more than 700,000 artists. Artprice Images gives unlimited access to the largest Art Market resource in the world: a library of 126 million images or prints of artworks from the year 1700 to the present day, along with comments by Artprice's art historians. Artprice permanently enriches its databanks with information from 6,300 auctioneers and it publishes a constant flow of art market trends for the world's principal news agencies and approximately 7,200 international press publications. For its 4,500,000 members, Artprice gives access to the world's leading Standardised Marketplace for buying and selling art. Artprice is preparing its blockchain for the Art Market. It is BPI-labelled (scientific national French label) Artprice's Global Art Market Annual Report for 2017 published last March 2018: https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-art-market-in-2017 Artprice is associated with Artron Group the Chinese leader in the Art Market, its solid institutional partner. About the Artron Group: "Artron Art Group (Artron), a comprehensive cultural industrial group founded in 1993 by Wan jie, is committed to inheriting, enhancing and spreading art value. Based on abundant art data, Artron provides art industry and art fans with professional service and experience of quality products by integrated application of IT, advanced digital science and innovative crafts and materials. Having produced more than 60,000 books and auction catalogues, Artron is the world's largest art book printer with a total print volume of 300 million a year. It has more than 3 million professional members in the arts sector and an average of 15 million daily visits, making it the world's leading art website." Artron's Web: www.Artron.net Artprice's Contemporary Art Market Annual Report for 2017 - free access at: https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-contemporary-art-market-report-2017 Artprice's press releases: http://serveur.serveur.com/Press_Release/pressreleaseen.htm https://twitter.com/artpricedotcom Artmarket News: https://twitter.com/artpricedotcom & https://twitter.com/artmarketdotcom https://www.facebook.com/artpricedotcom 3.6 million subscribers http://artmarketinsight.wordpress.com/ Discover the Alchemy and the universe of Artprice http://web.artprice.com/video, which headquarters are the famous Museum of Contemporary Art, the Abode of Chaos: http://goo.gl/zJssd https://vimeo.com/124643720 The Contemporary Art Museum The Abode of Chaos https://www.facebook.com/la.demeure.du.chaos.theabodeofchaos999 3.5 million subscribers Contact: ir@artprice.com ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Recevez gratuitement par email les prochains communiques de la societe en vous inscrivant sur www.actusnews.com Communique integral et original au format PDF:Telecharger le PDF 28 January 2019 Altona Energy plc ("Altona" or the "Company") Application for Admission to the NEX Exchange Growth Market Change of Registered Office Altona (AIM: ANR) announces that it has today applied for admission of its entire issued share capital of 1,558,957 ordinary shares of 10p each ("Ordinary Shares") to trading on the NEX Exchange Growth Market ("NEX"). Admission is expected to take place on Friday 1 February 2019. The Company cannot guarantee a successful outcome to the application process. Company Information Altona is an exploration company focused on the evaluation and development of its significant coal resource exceeding 7 billion tonnes (1.3 billion tonnes historic JORC compliant) in the northern portion of the Permian Arckaringa Basin in South Australia. Through its wholly owned Australian subsidiary Arckaringa Energy Pty Ltd, Altona holds a 100% interest in three exploration licences covering 1,944 sq. kms in the northern portion of the Permian Arckaringa Basin in South Australia including three coal deposits - Westfield (EL5676), Wintinna (EL5677) and Murloocoppie (EL5678). All three deposits lie close to the Adelaide to Darwin railroad and the Stuart Highway. The Company was admitted to trading on AIM on 10 March 2005. A copy of its admission documents dated 4 March 2005 can be accessed on its website, www.altonaenergy.com. This website is where items can be inspected under Rule 75 of the NEX Rules for Issuers, from 1 February 2019. Further to the announcements made by the Company on 2 November 2018 and 16 January 2019 regarding the status of its nominated adviser ("Nomad"), the Board has concluded it is not in a position to appoint a Nomad prior to the deadline of 1 February 2019. Therefore, trading in the Company's shares on AIM is likely to be suspended on 1 February 2019 and on 4 March 2019 the admission of its AIM securities will be cancelled. The Ordinary Shares are eligible for CREST settlement. There are no restrictions on the transfer of Ordinary Shares. The Company is subject to the UK City Code on Takeovers and Mergers. The Company holds no Ordinary Shares in treasury. Details of the Directors Qinfu Zhang - Executive Director Mr Qinfu Zhang has over 30 years work experience in the fields of clean energy and manufacturing. Mr Zhang holds the position of chairman at Wintask Group Limited, Shaanxi Hailang Group, Hlevel Co. Ltd, and Fu'an Biology Technology Co., Ltd. Phillip George Sutherland - Operations Director Mr Sutherland tended his resignation to the board on 29 November 2018 and will leave the Company on 29 January 2019. Chi Ma - Non-Executive Director Mr Ma is the nominated board representative of Sino-Aus Energy Group Ltd and joined the board in March 2016. He holds a number of directorships in China and has many years' experience in various companies, including those within sectors such as energy, engineering, real estate and technology. Mr Ma brings a wealth of knowledge and business acumen to the Company On admission to NEX a UK based non-executive director will be appointed to the Board. Sector classification Mining Change of Registered Office and Principal Place of Business The Company has changed its Registered Office with immediate effect, to the following: 16 Finborough Road London SW10 9EQ The Company's principal place of business is South Australia. Shareholder Information The percentage of Ordinary Shares not in public hands as at 18 January 2019 is 35.23%. Name of shareholder / director Number of Ordinary Shares held Percentage of enlarged issued share capital Wintask Group Ltd* 230,000 14.75 Eaton Equities Ltd 215,000 13.79 Sino-Aus Energy Group Limited* 100,000 6.41 Philip Sutherland 2,941 0.19 *Qinfu Zhang is the Chairman of Wintask Group Limited and Chi Ma is the representative of Sino-Aus Energy Group Limited. This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 596/2014. -ends- For further information, please visit www.altonaenergy.com or contact: Altona Energy plc Qinfu Zhang, Executive Director +44 (0) 7795 168 157 Northland Capital Partners Ltd (Nomad and Broker) Matthew Johnson / Gerry Beaney (Corporate Finance) Abigail Wayne (Corporate Broking) +44 (0) 20 3861 6625 Alfred Henry Corporate Finance Ltd (Proposed NEX Exchange Corporate Adviser) Jon Isaacs / Nick Michaels +44 (0) 20 3772 0021 Leander (Financial PR) Christian Taylor- Wilkinson +44 (0) 7795 168 157 About Altona Energy Altona's principal focus is on the evaluation and development of the Company's flagship Arckaringa Project to exploit the significant coal seams contained in three exploration licences in the northern portion of the Permian Arckaringa Basin in South Australia. 28 January 2019 Acron Group's Output Reached 7.5 million tonnes in 2018 The Group's Consolidated Output (including operating results for Acron, Dorogobuzh and North-Western Phosphorous Company) Product, '000 t 2018 2017 YOY, % MINERAL FERTILISERS Ammonia 2,616 2,595 0.8 Incl. in-house consumption 2,178 2,044 Nitrogen fertilisers 4,235 3,807 11.2 Incl. in-house consumption 958 1,117 AN 1,798 1,975 -8.9 Incl. in-house consumption 355 688 Urea 1,015 882 15.0 Incl. in-house consumption 602 429 UAN 1,422 950 49.7 Complex fertilisers 2,519 2,894 -13.0 Incl. in-house consumption 44 75 NPK 2,329 2,219 4.9 Incl. in-house consumption 44 75 Bulk blends 190 675 -71.8 Total commercial output for Mineral Fertilisers 6,190 6,060 2.2 INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS Organic compounds 475 445 6.9 Incl. in-house consumption 239 221 Methanol 108 102 6.0 Incl. in-house consumption 87 82 Formalin 174 162 7.3 Incl. in-house consumption 151 138 Urea-formaldehyde resins 193 181 7.0 Incl. in-house consumption 1 2 Non-organic compounds 824 779 5.8 Low-density and technical-grade AN 170 132 28.7 Industrial urea 119 72 66.4 Calcium carbonate 473 514 -7.9 Liquid carbon dioxide 55 56 -1.4 Argon 7 6 19.1 Total commercial output for Industrial Products 1,060 1,003 5.7 PHOSPHATE INPUTS Apatite concentrate 1,214 1,167 4.0 Incl. in-house consumption 950 898 Total commercial output for apatite concentrate 264 269 -2.0 TOTAL COMMERCIAL OUTPUT 7,514 7,332 2.5 Note: Commercial output is output less in-house consumption. Chairman of Acron's Board of Directors Alexander Popov commented on the results: "For the sixth year in a row, we are pleased to report an increase in production. This is not an accident or coincidence - it is the result of hard work on the part of our entire team. We are proud of these numbers, but we are not going to stop there. Our development strategy and the results we have already achieved will support several more years of sustainable production growth. "The most notable events of 2018 were the launch of the sixth urea unit and the record high UAN output. In 2019, we are excited to launch two nitric acid units that are currently in the final stage of construction. In addition, Dorogobuzh's ammonia unit will be significantly upgraded to increase its capacity by more than 20%". Performance Analysis In 2018, commercial products output reached a record high 7.5 million tonnes, up 2.5% year-on-year. Mineral fertiliser output increased 2.2% to 6.2 million tonnes. Acron's site in Veliky Novgorod upgraded its urea units and launched the new Urea-6 unit, boosting output to 1.134 million tonnes, which broke down as 1.015 million tonnes of agricultural urea and 119,000 tonnes of industrial urea. Output of UAN, which is produced from a urea solution, increases in line with the production of urea solution. In 2018, UAN output was 1.422 million tonnes, making Acron Group the world's largest exporter of this fertiliser. Moreover, total UAN capacity today is even higher and reaches 1.7 mtpa. Acron Group's complex fertiliser production was down 13% year-on-year to 2.519 million tonnes due to reduced output of bulk blends in response to market conditions. Group shifted production to favour nitrogen products and NPK. Therefore, chemical NPK production was up 4.9%. In 2018, apatite concentrate output was up 4% year-on-year to a record high of 1.214 million tonnes. Ore extraction from the underground mine is gradually increasing, and in the reporting period, the underground mine produced 18% of the total ore output. Market Trends In 2018, the average urea price was USD 251 FOB Baltics, up 15% year-on-year due to high demand in Latin America and India and decreased export from China due to higher production costs. Along with urea prices, UAN prices also increased 23% in 2018 to USD 179 FOB Baltics. In the reporting period, the average AN price was down 2% to USD 188 FOB Baltics as demand shifted to other nitrogen fertilisers that are safer to transport. Acron Group reacted flexibly by shifting production from AN and increasing UAN output to the maximum. In 2018, the average NPK price also showed an upward trend due to an increase in all three market segments: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash. The average price for NPK 16-16-16 was up 13% to USD 300 FOB Baltics, and the NPK premium over the product basket remained high. In Q4 2018, prices for almost all products rose in response to high seasonal demand in Latin America and increased cost of production in Europe due to higher gas prices. Average Indicative Prices, USD/t, FOB Baltic/Black Sea Q4 2018 Q3 2018 Q4 2017 Q4 2018 / Q3 2018 change Q4 2018 / Q4 2017 change NPK 16-16-16 316 308 271 2.5 % 16.4 % AN 186 213 218 -12.6 % -14.7 % UAN 229 174 162 31.6 % 41.4 % Urea 293 263 239 11.2 % 22.5 % Ammonia 336 303 286 10.8 % 17.6 % 2018 2017 2018 / 2017 NPK 16-16-16 300 265 13 % AN 188 193 -2 % UAN 179 145 23 % Urea 251 218 15 % Ammonia 288 267 8 % Media contacts: Sergey Dorofeev Anastasiya Gromova Tatiana Smirnova Public Relations Phone: +7 (495) 777-08-65 (ext. 5196) Investor contacts: Ilya Popov Investor Relations Phone: +7 (495) 745-77-45 (ext. 5252) Background Information Acron Group is a leading vertically integrated mineral fertiliser producer in Russia and globally, with chemical production facilities in Veliky Novgorod (Acron) and the Smolensk region (Dorogobuzh). The Group owns and operates a phosphate mine in Murmansk region (North-Western Phosphorous Company, NWPC) and is implementing a potash development project in Perm Krai (Verkhnekamsk Potash Company, VPC). It has a wholly owned transportation and logistics infrastructure, including three Baltic port terminals and distribution networks in Russia and China. Acron's subsidiary, North Atlantic Potash Inc. (NAP), holds mining licenses for 13 parcels of the potassium salt deposit at Prairie Evaporite, Saskatchewan, Canada. Acron also holds a minority stake (19.8%) in Polish Grupa Azoty S.A., one of the largest chemical producers in Europe. In 2017, the Group sold 7.3 million tonnes of various products to 65 countries, with Russia, Brazil, Europe and the United States as key markets. In 2017, the Group posted consolidated IFRS revenue of RUB 94,342 million (USD 1,617 million) and net profit of RUB 14,260 million (USD 244 million). Acron's shares are on the Level 1 quotation list of the Moscow Exchange and its global depositary receipts are traded at the London Stock Exchange (ticker AKRN). Acron employs approximately 11,000 people. For more information about Acron Group, please visit www.acron.ru/en. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 28, 2019) - Edgewater Wireless Systems, Inc. (TSXV: YFI) would like to cordially invite you to visit us at Booth #710 at the Cantech Investment Conference to be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (255 Front St. West, Toronto) on Tuesday January 29 - Wednesday January 30, 2019. The Cantech Investment Conference opened the floodgates of capital to Canada's innovation companies. The Conference has grown every year since its inception in 2013 and has been host to every major player in Canadian technology and finance. This is the hallmark event, that attracts the interest of investors, funds and media from both sides of the border to meet with Canadian innovation entrepreneurs. For more information and/or to register for the conference please visit: https://cambridgehouse.com/cantech-investment-conference We look forward to seeing you there. For further information: Edgewater Wireless Systems, Inc. Andrew Skafel +1 613-271-3710 andrews@edgewaterwireless.com www.edgewaterwireless.com Successful DriveWealth/Stake Relationship to Expand from Australia to South America CHATHAM, New Jersey, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- DriveWealth, LLC, a leader in global digital trading technology, today announced the expansion of its partnership with Stake, the first non-U.S. company to offer commission-free trading in U.S. stocks, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). The DriveWealth platform is fueling the new offering, giving South American users their first zero-commission digital access to the U.S. equity markets, beginning in Brazil in early March. The new offering will allow Brazilians to easily access the world's largest and most dynamic stock market. DriveWealth CEO Robert Cortright said: "Our partnership in Australia with Stake has been a great success to date, with thousands of users signing up each month. Both of our companies are focused on bringing simple, digital, affordable access to the U.S. equity markets for investors around the world, and this expansion into South America is an important step forward in achieving that goal." Stake CEO Matt Leibowitz said: "No matter where you live, you should have equal access to opportunity. Our focus is to deliver the best trading experience in the world's biggest and most important share market, the U.S. stock market. We're on a mission to democratize access to global financial markets and believe that this access should be direct, simple and accessible. Our partnership with DriveWealth aligns perfectly with that mission." Brazilians can learn more about how to access the new offering and receive key notifications at hellostake.com/br . With customers and partners in more than 140 countries, DriveWealth is the pioneer in bringing digital access to the U.S. securities market for investors around the world. The company was founded with the mission to democratize investing in the U.S. stock market by making it available to everyone, globally, at an affordable cost. Feature by feature, DriveWealth has eliminated many of the barriers investors typically encounter with legacy brokers, creating its own proprietary infrastructure that allows investors to purchase securities without minimum account balances, high transaction costs or full share quantities. Today, DriveWealth provides this innovative investing technology and its own customizable suite of application programming interfaces (APIs) to partners all over the world, allowing investors everywhere to gain access to the highly stable, liquid and regulated U.S. stock market with a fully accessible, straightforward user experience. Stake, together with DriveWealth, now makes it possible for those outside the U.S. to access Wall Street, cutting the red tape they would typically experience when opening such an account with an investment broker in the United States and putting their money to work in the world's biggest share market. About DriveWealth DriveWealth Holdings, Inc., wholly owns DriveWealth, LLC, a member of FINRA and SIPC. DriveWealth, LLC is a licensed carrying and self-clearing broker offering digital brokerage solutions to broker-dealers, advisors and online partners worldwide through its proprietary investment platform. DriveWealth, LLC delivers access to the U.S. securities markets along with an array of digital products that power both emerging and established financial companies. For more information, please visit DriveWealth.com. About Stake Headquartered in Sydney, Stake in 2017 launched a web and mobile trading platform now used by more than 20,000 customers. Its mission is to open up the world of investment opportunity for those living outside the U.S., with a focus on breaking down the barriers that have limited global trading for so long. Drawing on decades of experience and strong partnerships, the Stake platform is straightforward, affordable and easy to use. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/783298/DriveWealth_Logo.jpg TSYS (NYSE: TSS) today announced that KBC Bank Ireland plc has extended its agreement with TSYS to continue processing the bank's credit and debit card portfolios. As the leading digital bank in Ireland, KBC Bank continues to bring innovative banking solutions to the Irish market through its digital first customer centric strategy. TSYS serves as a key partner and supported the bank's recent enablement of its digital applications platform and launch of Wallet Pay. These are examples of customers wanting faster, efficient and safe digital banking options. TSYS will continue to offer strategic support to position KBC for future growth and help drive their innovative product suite forward. "TSYS and KBC have developed a strong relationship over the past few years," said Rene Kruse, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of International Markets, TSYS. "We will continue to work with the bank to deliver new and innovative solutions and help meet their strategic long-term goals." "We are delighted to extend our partnership with TSYS and look forward to their continued support as we bring new market innovations and digital experiences to our customers for a better banking experience," said Alistair Carter, Head of Cards and Payments, KBC Bank Ireland. About TSYS TSYS (NYSE: TSS) is a leading global payments provider, offering seamless, secure and innovative solutions across the payments spectrum from issuer processing and merchant acquiring to prepaid program management. We succeed because we put people, and their needs, at the heart of every decision. It's an approach we call 'People-Centered Payments Our headquarters are located in Columbus, Ga., U.S.A., with approximately 13,000 team members and local offices across 13 countries. TSYS generated revenue of $4.9 billion in 2017, while processing more than 27.8 billion transactions. We are a member of The Civic 50 and were named one of the 2018 World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere magazine. TSYS is a member of the S&P 500 and routinely posts all important information on its website. For more, visit tsys.com. About KBC KBC Bank Ireland employs over 1,200 people in Ireland and has retail banking hubs in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Kildare, Waterford, Wicklow and Kilkenny. KBC's Innovation Hub in Dublin is where digital solutions are created and tested for customers in Ireland and then rolled out across other KBC markets in Europe. The Innovation Hub is part of KBC Group's 1.5 billion investment in digital transformation. KBC is the only bank in Ireland to offer digital wallets from four of the world's leading technology companies; Apple Pay, Google Pay, FitBit Pay and Garmin Pay. This builds on KBC's drive to transform banking by bringing innovation to the market in response to growing customer demand for easy, secure and digitally-led solutions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190128005068/en/ Contacts: Cyle Mims TSYS Media Relations +1.706.644.3110 cylemims@tsys.com Shawn Roberts TSYS Investor Relations +1.706.644.6081 shawnroberts@tsys.com Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. ~ Both MBA & GEMBA Ranked 5th Globally SHANGHAI, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) has consolidated its leading position among global business schools, with its MBA programme moving up a further 3 places to #5 in the Financial Times' ranking of the world's top 100 full-time MBAs. This is the first time in the school's history that the MBA has been so highly ranked and the first time CEIBS has had two programmes in the top 5. The CEIBS Global EMBA is now also #5 in the FT's ranking of EMBA programmes worldwide. The FT rankings are widely regarded, in management education circles across the globe, as one of the most rigorous and most authoritative. For 2019, it has ranked the top 5 MBA programmes as Stanford, Harvard, Insead, Wharton and CEIBS. The CEIBS MBA also retains its position as #1 in Asia in the FT rankings and is also ranked #1 in Asia by Forbes and Bloomberg BusinessWeek. "This is a historic and very significant milestone for us and a very good way to start our celebration of the school's 25th anniversary," said CEIBS President Professor Li Mingjun. "It is remarkable what CEIBS has achieved in just 25 years since it was jointly established by the Chinese government and the European Union. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of the entire school, CEIBS' outstanding achievements in recent years are in sharp contrast to widespread concerns about the slowdown of the Chinese economy and trade tensions between China and the US." The efforts of the school's Career Development Centre (CDC) and the power of the CEIBS brand within the business community, have, for example, contributed to MBA graduates' success in landing jobs. An impressive 93% of them were employed three months after graduation, the highest among the top 5 schools in the rankings. After studying at CEIBS, graduates enjoyed an impressive 183% salary increase, also the highest among this year's top five schools. "The CEIBS MBA offers an excellent return on the investment our students make in their future. We continue to improve the level of support we provide to ensure that they emerge from our programme better positioned to move ahead in their careers," said Associate Dean and MBA Director Professor Juan Antonio Fernandez. CEIBS is also focused on staying one step ahead of the trends that will impact graduates' careers, adding, for example, Digital Business as a concentration in response to changes in the way the world does commerce. "The CEIBS MBA is the most advanced in the Asia Pacific. We have 22 electives focusing on digital or innovation related topics," added Professor Fernandez. This year's FT rankings also confirm that CEIBS has done a better job of helping students advance in their careers and achieve the goals they set when enrolling. Alumni have clearly taken note of all these improvements and there has been an increase in the number of graduates who would recommend the CEIBS MBA to others. At the same time, the rankings have reflected improvements in CEIBS' continuous efforts to provide cutting edge research that makes a significant contribution to the field of academia and can also be applied in real life. The school's faculty had 92 articles published in top journals between 2016 and 2018. There is also a strong focus on CSR, which the school's leadership has made a focus at the strategic level of the organisation. For the last graduating class before the rankings were compiled, more than 40 hours of core MBA classes were related to CSR, ethics or social and environmental issues. CEIBS' commitment to diversification in and outside of the classroom was also a factor reflected in the rankings. Meanwhile there have been other innovations and initiatives that have improved the CEIBS MBA experience even more. For example, CEIBS launched its patented Real Situation Learning Method (RSLM) that has revolutionised the traditional case method of teaching by placing both students and top company executives at the centre of face-to-face discussions that typically take place inside the company being analysed. There has also been a renewed focus on China, with new modules added to ensure that students have a solid foundation in understanding how business is done in the world's second largest economy. They are given unparalleled access to major corporations that provide insight into vital economic trends such as the globalisation of Chinese companies, innovation in China and family business succession. This is complemented by student exchange outside China at some of the world's best business schools, along with overseas elective modules (in the US, Japan, Israel, Malaysia and Europe) through which CEIBS provides vital insight into the global economy. "Having the CEIBS MBA join our Global EMBA in the world's top 5 of their respective rankings, a feat never before accomplished by an Asian business school and by only a handful of global ones, is an indicator that we are moving in the right direction," said CEIBS Vice President and Dean Professor Ding Yuan. "Looking ahead, our focus will continue to be on providing rigorous, world class academic tutelage to those who know the value of a CEIBS education, and on the professional development of business leaders who will have a global impact." About CEIBS China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) is among the top international business schools in Asia, where it is the only one to have simultaneously made it to the Financial Times' top 5 list of MBA and EMBA programmes. CEIBS has more than 22,000 alumni from over 80 countries worldwide, and over the last 25 years has provided a broad range of management programmes for more than 150,000 executives both at home and abroad. It also offers a Finance MBA, Hospitality EMBA and a wide range of Executive Education programmes. With a faculty team that has extensive China knowledge and global insight, CEIBS is uniquely equipped to nurture business leaders, at every stage of their careers, preparing them to make a global impact. An unrivalled China expert, CEIBS is guided by the concept of China Focus, and Global Significance. This is tangibly reflected in the school's activities and operations at its 5 campuses across 3 continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. CEIBS has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen in China, as well as Zurich in Switzerland, and Accra in Ghana. It's not America's business to expel Iran from Syria. Iran worked with Russia in Syria to defeat ISIS. Syria isn't asking for America's help in expelling Iran. It has its own allies to assist in that endeavor, if it chooses to ask. Syria is a sovereign country that has the right to decide which foreign entities are welcome within it. But how do you evict a heavily armed 250-pound brute who's intent on staying to play policeman? Pratham Chills With Sudeep Pratham, the winner of Bigg Boss Kannada 4, was seen enjoying himself at the blast. Here, he can be seen chilling with Sudeep and reliving his time on the show. We are sure, he would have enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane. An Awesome Trio Pratham also caught up with Dhanraj and Priya Sudeep. The three posed for a few photos and spend time together. Pratham was the star attraction of Bigg Boss Season 4. He had an eventful stay on the show and hearts because of his 'good boy' image. During the show, he also had a reconciliation with his father and it left many fans teary-eyed. Rapid Rashmi Steals The Show Rapid Rashmi was one of the most popular contestants on Bigg Boss Kannada Season 6. She grabbed plenty of attention because of her fiesty nature and lively antics. Unfortunately, despite being popular, she was eliminated from the show and failed to win it. "I am proud for being part of Bigg Boss Kannada. All these while I was recognised as Big FM Rashmi and from now on I will be Bigg Boss Rashmi," she had told Sudeep after leaving the house. To Conclude... Towards the end of the party, the contestants posed for an epic group photograph. The photo clearly is one for the ages. Bigg Boss Kannada Season 6 was truly one for ages. Bigg Boss Kannada Season 6 was truly a good experience for all concerned and the party was the best way to bring it to an end. Aamir Doesn't Feel The Need To 'Forgive' Victor For The Flop-Show The actor said, "I don't need to forgive Victor. Every director that I've worked with, they are good and their intentions are good. We all aim to make a good film but sometimes it doesn't happen." 'I Don't Mind Failing With My Director' "Filmmaking is difficult. I'm a team player. If my director has gone wrong, I've gone wrong with him. I don't mind failing with my director on his or her instincts. I don't have a problem. I believe in the director and if he has gone wrong, I have too. We will learn from our mistakes," the actor said. Aamir Says The Audience Came To Watch The Film On His Name "The audience came to watch the film on my name. So it was my responsibility. To that audience, I feel Personally and fully responsible." The Audience Can Be Harsh In Their Criticism' "I have met a lot of people who told me they liked the film. But I don't judge these things. I think the audience has full right to say exactly what they want and they can be harsh in their criticism, that's their right." People Got A Chance To Take Out Their Frustration With Thugs, Says Aamir "If there was a certain amount of harshness, so be it. Also, I didn't give a flop film for a long time! So, the audience got a chance to take out their frustration, which is good too." 'It's Been Years Since I Have Had A Failure' He further added, "It's been years since I have had a failure. The best thing to do to from a failure is to do a good film, which I plan to do." Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. An online interactive map created by vegan activists shows the addresses and contact numbers of dairy farms in the UK. The online map, accessible to anyone, details the location of hundreds of dairy farm businesses across the UK. The website behind the map, ProjectCalf.com, shares tips on how to record footage on farms, and says there are no format or no rules to follow for activists who want to go to a farm. Whilst the site states it is a 'lawful' and 'peaceful' activist group, the map will be seen as a threat to farm security in the face of increased vegan campaigning. The website states: Once you have picked your farm, you decide how you want to do it. This is the beauty of Project CALF. Its a project suited to the way YOU like to do activism. It follows news of an animal rights charity based in Australia launching a similar online interactive map showing farm addresses. Australian farmers and members of the public have now demanded the charity 'Aussie Farms' be banned from Facebook after sharing the map and for the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission to retract Aussie Farms' charitable status. The National Farmers Federation (NFF), an organisation that represents farmers and the agricultural sector in Australia, has called the map a malicious social media campaign. They are extremely anxious and very angry that their workplace, and their home, has become the target of extreme and dangerous activities, NFF president, Fiona Simson said. British farmers have heavily criticised vegan-inspired campaigns. 'Veganuary', which advocates the public to adopt a plant-diet for the whole of January, has been slammed for spreading misguided and misleading messages about food, farming and the environment. Forty-eight MPs and peers who own or manage farms claimed 5.7m in EU farming subsidies in 2017, an investigation has revealed. Parliamentarians claimed millions in common agricultural policy (CAP) payments in 2017, analysis by the Guardian shows. Records show that the largest single payment was made to Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk, who received 473,000. He is the director of Norfolk Estate Farms Ltd. However, he told the paper he did not receive any financial benefit. He said: For the last 10 years the main thrust of the farming operation has been to try and find a middle way between sustainable food production and reversing the decline in many red-listed species of birds, broad leaf weeds, wild flowers and insects which used to be plentiful on arable farmland. Conservative MP for South Dorset, Richard Drax owns the 7,000-acre Charborough estate. He received 411,000. Despite voting for Brexit in the European Union referendum, he admitted the subsidies he receives will be 'considerably reduced'. Matt Ridley, the fifth Viscount Ridley, runs two firms, Blagdon Farming Ltd and Plessey Checks Farming Ltd, which received 316,000. However, he said he is against farming subsidies: I have argued against subsidies for farming in general, even though this is against my personal interest in the short run, but that some allowance may need to be made for the way British farmers are restricted in how they can farm competitively because of environmental and other rules. Ive argued that environmental payments should be by results, rather than intentions, and would welcome moves in that direction post-Brexit, as implied in the agriculture bill, he said. In the future, farmers will receive money to make improvements to the environment under a new system of subsidies after the UK leaves the EU. As part of Defra Secretary Michael Gove's 'green Brexit' pledge, farmers will be rewarded for planting wildlife habitats, woods, wildflower meadows and other environmental benefits. He has called the EU's CAP 'environmentally damaging and socially unjust '. However, some farming bodies have concerns that Gove's commitment to a 'green Brexit' favours the environment at the expense of food production. Two men have been arrested at a 'horrific' slaughterhouse involved in the production of the West African delicacy 'smokies'. Dyfed-Powys Police arrested the two men at a Pembrokeshire slaughterhouse on January 21. Approximately 15 sheep were found at the site, with the police force calling the conditions 'horrific'. Smokies are a West African delicacy. In the UK, they are often made from illegally butchered sheep where the skin of the animal is left on and blow-torched, and the spine is not removed, in contravention of UK and EU law. A spokesman for Pembrokeshire county council said: The individuals arrested have been released pending ongoing enquiries. A little re-cap of yesterdays horrific job...the importance of community intelligence, communication and our vital relationships with our partner agencies and the exposure of such illegal practices @NWPRuralCrime @DyfedPowys @PGCCMarkCollins pic.twitter.com/SF5gsGRNkY Rural Crime Team: Dyfed-Powys Police (@DPruralpolicing) January 22, 2019 Investigations are underway relating to a range of potential offences under food safety, animal by-products, and animal welfare legislation. Smokies are a processed sheep product which are considered to be a delicacy by some ethnic communities. They cannot be legally produced and the sheep are always slaughtered, processed, distributed and sold illegally on the black market, typically in urban areas with large ethnic communities. Maybe Mr. Hogan is enjoying the moment and soaking up some attention while he can. But maybe he really will run and that could be bad news. We say that not because hes unqualified to be president in what may be the faintest praise weve ever uttered, he is manifestly more so than the actual president. Were not worried that a campaign would divert his attention from running the state his has often been a light hand on the tiller while the General Assembly drives policy, and thats worked out pretty well. We arent scared of retaliation against Maryland by President Trump. He certainly might try, but the Democratic House, led by the former Nancy DAlesandro, would presumably have our back. Nor is our concern that he would lose, and badly, to a president with a lock on the Republican base and a way of eviscerating opponents on the campaign trail. Losing in a campaign that stands for a sane conservative alternative to Trumpism (and weakens the presidents general election prospects in the bargain) would be a worthwhile pursuit. by Spencer Babbitt | Kings Correspondent | Sun, Jan 27th 9:07pm EST Richaun Holmes (foot) will play Sunday against the Lakers. (Duane Rankin on Twitter) Fantasy Impact: Holmes has sat out the last four games with a sprained foot but will return to action Sunday in Los Angeles. With DeAndre Ayton out, Holmes will likely get the start unless Igor Kokoskov decides to stick with Dragan Bender. No matter which player starts, both stand to benefit from Ayton's absence. First Republic Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides private banking, private business banking, and private wealth management services to clients in metropolitan areas in the United States. It operates through two segments, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management. The company accepts deposit products, such as checking, money market checking, savings, passbook deposits, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It also offers a range of lending products that comprise residential mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, multifamily loans, commercial real estate and construction loans, personal and business loans, single family construction loans, and other loans and lines of credit to businesses and individuals. The company's loans are secured by single family residences, multifamily buildings, and commercial real estate properties. In addition, it provides wealth management services, which include various investment strategies and products, online investment management services, trust and custody services, full service and online brokerage, financial and estate planning, and access to alternative investments, as well as investing, insurance, and foreign exchange services; and treasury services. Additionally, the company offers online and mobile banking services; refinancing services; and ATM and debit cards. As of December 31, 2020, the company offered its services through 92 offices, including 80 licensed deposit-taking offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Newport Beach, and San Diego, California; Portland, Oregon; Boston, Massachusetts; Palm Beach, Florida; Greenwich, Connecticut; New York, New York; and Jackson, Wyoming, as well as 12 additional offices that provided lending, wealth management, and trust services. First Republic Bank was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Read More Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI Austria ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI Austria ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. As could be expected, Mr. Franchot isnt happy with the bill sponsored by Sens. Pinsky and Montgomery County Democrat Nancy King. On his Facebook page, he called on the General Assembly to defeat it, saying the executive order mandating a post-Labor Day start has proven to be highly popular with families across our state as well as a godsend for local, independent businesses that are already struggling to succeed. We find those assertions dubious at best, and considering how poorly Maryland public school students have been doing lately on certain standardized tests (less than one-third passed the PARCC math test and less than 42 percent in grades three to eight passed English last year), wed think the comptroller would be more worried about what happens when school is in session than the precise dates when it is not. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, and his wife Peng Liyuan on Sunday met with Ri Su Yong, a senior official from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and watched a performance by DPRK artists. Xi Jinping (C), general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, and his wife Peng Liyuan meet with Ri Su Yong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee, vice-chairman of the WPK Central Committee and director of the party's International Department, who led an art troupe from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 27, 2019.[Photo:Xinhua] Ri, a member of the Political Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee, vice-chairman of the WPK Central Committee and director of the party's International Department, is leading an art troupe to visit China. This visit, as an important cultural exchange activity for implementing the consensus reached by the two sides, as well as a significant event in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-DPRK diplomatic relationship, will be a great success to cement friendship between the two peoples, Xi said. Ri extended to Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan warm greetings and good wishes from Kim Jong Un, chairman of the WPK and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, and his wife Ri Sol Ju. Xi asked Ri to convey the cordial greetings and good wishes to Kim and his wife. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, and his wife Peng Liyuan pose for a group photo with artists of an art troupe from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after watching their performance in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 27, 2019. Xi and Peng met with the art troupe led by Ri Su Yong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee, vice-chairman of the WPK Central Committee and director of the party's International Department, before its performance.[Photo:Xinhua] Xi said he and Kim had reached important consensus on the development of China-DPRK party-to-party and state-to-state relations in the new era during their four meetings since 2018. China stands ready to work with the DPRK to implement the important consensus reached by the two sides, so as to better benefit the two peoples and contribute to world peace, stability, development and prosperity, Xi said. Art and cultural exchange is an important, unique and traditional component in bilateral ties, Xi said, calling for joint efforts in implementing the consensus on strengthening art and cultural exchanges and cooperation, so as to consolidate the foundation of good will of the people, carry forward traditional friendship, and promote the development of respective socialist cultures. Ri expressed gratitude to Xi and his wife for watching the performance. This visit and art performance represented Kim's deep feelings to Xi and the DPRK people's profound friendship with the Chinese people, Ri said. The DPRK side will earnestly implement the important consensus reached by Kim and Xi, strengthen friendly cooperation and contribute to writing a new chapter in DPRK-China friendship, Ri added. The performance featured famous and popular songs in both the DPRK and China. The visit of the DPRK art troupe is at the invitation of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee. Hong Kong: CE presented with economic report Chief Executive Carrie Lam today met Heritage Foundation Founder Edwin Feulner to receive a copy of the 2019 Index of Economic Freedom report at Government House. The report ranked Hong Kong as the world's freest economy, a title the city has received for 25 consecutive years. Mrs Lam expressed gratitude to the Heritage Foundation for affirming Hong Kong's commitment in upholding free market principles. She was pleased the city's overall score remained at 90.2 in the report, making it the only economy to attain an overall score of more than 90. The report recognised Hong Kong's economic resilience, high-quality legal framework, low tolerance for corruption, high degree of government transparency, efficient regulatory framework and openness to global commerce, she added. Hong Kong has to keep moving forward amid increasingly keen competition between cities in the region, she said, adding it will continue to facilitate free market operation and improve the environment for doing business, including the launch of tax concession measures this financial year. She added Hong Kong will enhance its international competitiveness to consolidate its leading status as an international city and financial centre. However, the report's rating for Hong Kongs judicial effectiveness was lower compared with last year. It said the judiciary is independent, but Beijing reserves the right to make final interpretations of the Basic Law, effectively limiting the power of Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal. In disagreeing with this view, the Chief Executive said the arrangement of enabling the Court of Final Appeal to exercise the power of final adjudication over court cases and the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress to exercise the power of final interpretation of the Basic Law is a unique arrangement which realises one country, two systems and a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong. Mrs Lam said the city's independent judicial power and the power of final adjudication are protected by the Basic Law. The fairness and impartiality of the judiciary, which is free from any interference, are beyond doubt, she added. This story has been published on: 2019-01-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The following companies are subsidiares of Hyundai Motor: Beijing Jingxian Motor Safeguard Service Co. Ltd. (BJMSS), Beijing Jingxianronghua Motor Sale Co. Ltd., Bluewalnut Co. Ltd., Boston Dynamics Inc., China Millennium Corporations (CMEs), China Mobility Fund L.P., Extended Term Amortizing Program LLC, Genesis Motor America LLC, Genesis Motor Europe Gmbh (GME), Genesis Motor Sales(Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Genesis Motor Switzerland AG (GMCH), Genesis Motor UK Limited (GMUK), Green Air Co. Ltd, HCA Exchange LLC, HCCA Funding Inc., HCCA Funding Two Inc, HCCA Funding Two Inc., HK Lease Funding LP, HK Real Properties LLC, HK Retail Funding LP, HMB Holding Participacoes Financeiras Ltda, HR Mechanical Services Limited, HYUNDAI KEFICO MEXICO S. DE R.L.DE C.V., HYUNDAI KEFICO VIETNAM COMPANY LIMITED, HYUNDAI MOTOR SINGAPORE PTE.LTD. (HMS), Hydrogen Energy Industry Fund, Hyundai ABS Funding LLC, Hyundai America Technical Center Inc. (HATCI), Hyundai Assan Otomotiv Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S. (HAOSVT), Hyundai Asset Backed Lease LLC, Hyundai Auto Canada Captive Insurance Inc. (HACCI), Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. (HACC), Hyundai Auto Electronics Company Ltd., Hyundai Auto Lease Offering LLC, Hyundai CHA Funding LLC, Hyundai Capital America (HCA), Hyundai Capital Australia Pty Limited, Hyundai Capital Brasil Servicos De Assistencia Financeira Ltda, Hyundai Capital Canada Inc. (HCCA), Hyundai Capital Europe GmbH, Hyundai Capital India Private Limited (HCI), Hyundai Capital Insurance Company, Hyundai Capital Insurance Services LLC, Hyundai Capital Lease Inc. (HCLI), Hyundai Capital Services Inc., Hyundai Capital Services Limited Liability Company, Hyundai EURotem Demiryolu Araclari, Hyundai HK Funding Four LLC, Hyundai HK Funding LLC, Hyundai HK Funding Three LLC, Hyundai HK Funding Two LL, Hyundai HK Lease LLC, Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility AG (HHM), Hyundai KEFICO Corporation (Hyundai KEFICO), Hyundai Lease Titling Trust, Hyundai Millennium (Beijing) Real Estate Development Co. Ltd., Hyundai Mobility Lab (HML), Hyundai Motor America (HMA), Hyundai Motor Brasil Montadora de Automoveis LTDA (HMB), Hyundai Motor Commonwealth of Independent States (HMCIS), Hyundai Motor Commonwealth of Independent States B.V (HMCIS B.V), Hyundai Motor Company Australia Pty Limited (HMCA), Hyundai Motor Company Italy S.r.l (HMCI), Hyundai Motor Czech s.r.o (HMCZ), Hyundai Motor DE Mexico S DE RL DE CV (HMM), Hyundai Motor Deutschland GmbH (HMD), Hyundai Motor Espana S.L.U. (HMES), Hyundai Motor Europe GmbH (HME), Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center GmbH (HMETC), Hyundai Motor France SAS (HMF), Hyundai Motor India Engineering Private Limited (HMIE), Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMI), Hyundai Motor Japan Co. Ltd. (HMJ), Hyundai Motor Japan R&D Center Inc. (HMJ R&D), Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama LLC (HMMA), Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech s.r.o. (HMMC), Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Rus LLC (HMMR), Hyundai Motor Netherlands B.V. (HMNL), Hyundai Motor Poland Sp. Zo. O (HMP), Hyundai Motor Sport GmbH (HMSG), Hyundai Motor UK Limited (HMUK), Hyundai Motors Indonesia (HMID), Hyundai NGV Engineering, Hyundai Partecs Co. Ltd., Hyundai Protection Plan Florida Inc., Hyundai Protection Plan Inc., Hyundai Rio Vista Inc., Hyundai Rotem Brasil Industria E Comercio De Trens Ltda., Hyundai Rotem Company Hyundai EURotem Demiryolu Araclari SAN. VE TIC. A.S ORTAK GIRISIMI, Hyundai Rotem Company Hyundai EUrotem Mahmutbey Projesi ORTAK GIRISIMI, Hyundai Rotem Malaysia SDN BHD, Hyundai Rotem USA Corporation Moceanlab Inc., Hyundai Translead Inc. (HT), Hyundai Truck & Bus (China) Co. Ltd. (HTBC), Hyundai Truck And Bus Rus LLC (HTBR), Hyundai de Mexico SA DE C.V. (HYMEX), Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC Co. Ltd, KB Leaders Private Securities Fund1(Bond Mixed), KEFICO Automotive Systems (Beijing) Co. Ltd., KEFICO Automotive Systems (Chongqing) Co. Ltd., Kia Motors, KyoboAXA Private Tomorrow Securities Investment Trust No.12, MOCEAN Co. Ltd, Maintrans Company Services, PT. HYUNDAI MOTOR MANUFACTURING INDONESIA (HMMI), Power Protect Extended Services Florida Inc., Power Protect Extended Services Inc., Rotem Equipments (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Samsung ETF rotation Private Investment Trust 1, Shinhan BNPP Private Corporate Security Investment Trust No.34, Stamped Metal American Research Technology Inc. (SMARTI), Stamped Metal American Research Technology LLC, and ZER01NE Accelerator Investment Fund No.1. Wall Street analysts have given United States Oil Fund a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but United States Oil Fund wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Wall Street analysts have given Global Crossing Airlines Group a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Global Crossing Airlines Group wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. As for the transgender ban, the Supreme Court has not issued a final ruling on the matter but instead has lifted lower court bans on the policys implementation while challenges to it, including one in Maryland, proceed. That still leaves the door open for the justices to decide on the issue in the future. Given the conservative-leaning make up of the court, we doubt that would bode well in the long-run for all trans soldiers to be able to serve openly. The ban bars those who identify with a gender different from that listed on their birth certificate from serving and prohibits the military from paying for gender reassignment surgery in nearly all cases. The ban would not apply to transgender soldiers already openly serving or those who would serve under the gender identity assigned at birth. Black Knight, Inc. provides integrated software, data, and analytics solutions in North America and Internationally. The Software Solutions segment offers software and hosting solutions comprising MSP, a software as a service application platform for mortgage and home equity loans; Bankruptcy/Foreclosure solutions for managing and automating a range of various workflow processes involving distressed and non-performing loans; Invoicing, a Web-based solution that helps servicers to save time and eliminate errors; Servicing Digital, a white-labeled mobile solution; Loss Mitigation, an integrated solution that supports retention and liquidation workouts; Claims, an integrated solution which manages default-related claims process; and Empower, a loan origination system used by lenders to originate mortgages, home equity loans, and lines of credit. This segment also provides LendingSpace, a lending platform that facilitates real-time communication between correspondent loan sellers and purchases; Exchange, a platform that provides an interconnected network of originators, agents, settlement services providers, and mortgage loan investors; and Expedite Close, an end-to-end closing solution that offers the flexibility and scalability lenders need in an eClosing software solution; Optimal Blue PPE, a product and pricing solution used by lenders and mortgage brokers; CompassPoint, which provides tools, reporting, calculations, and automation capabilities; and AIVA, an artificial intelligence virtual assistant. The Data and Analytics segment offers property ownership data, lien data, servicing data, automated valuation models, collateral risk scores, behavioral models, lead generation, multiple listing service, and other data solutions. The company was formerly known as Black Knight Financial Services, Inc. and changed its name to Black Knight, Inc. in October 2017. Black Knight, Inc. was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of American International Group: AGC Life Insurance Company, AIG APAC HOLDINGS PTE. LTD., AIG Advisors S.r.l., AIG Aerospace Insurance Services Inc., AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd., AIG Asset Management (Europe) Limited, AIG Asset Management (U.S.) LLC, AIG Assurance Company, AIG Australia Limited, AIG Brazil Holding I LLC, AIG CIS Investments LLC, AIG Canada Holdings Inc., AIG Capital Corporation, AIG Capital Services Inc., AIG Claims Inc., AIG Egypt Insurance Company S.A.E., AIG Employee Services Inc., AIG Europe (Services) Limited, AIG Europe Holdings S.a.rl., AIG Europe S.A., AIG Federal Savings Bank, AIG Financial Products Corp., AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd., AIG Global Asset Management Holdings Corp., AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp., AIG Global Reinsurance Operations, AIG Holdings Europe Limited, AIG Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, AIG Insurance Company China Limited, AIG Insurance Company JSC, AIG Insurance Company of Canada, AIG Insurance Company-Puerto Rico, AIG Insurance Hong Kong Limited, AIG Insurance Limited, AIG Insurance Management Services Inc., AIG Insurance New Zealand Limited, AIG International Holdings GmbH, AIG Investments UK Limited, AIG Israel Insurance Company Ltd, AIG Japan Holdings Kabushiki Kaisha, AIG Kenya Insurance Company Limited, AIG Korea Inc., AIG Latin America I.I., AIG Latin America Investments S.L., AIG Lebanon SAL, AIG Life Holdings Inc., AIG Life Insurance Company (Switzerland) Ltd, AIG Life Limited, AIG Life South Africa Limited, AIG Life of Bermuda Ltd., AIG MEA Holdings Limited, AIG MEA Limited, AIG Malaysia Insurance Berhad, AIG Markets Inc., AIG Matched Funding Corp., AIG PC Global Services Inc., AIG Philippines Insurance Inc., AIG Property Casualty Company, AIG Property Casualty Inc., AIG Property Casualty International LLC, AIG Property Casualty U.S. Inc., AIG Re-Takaful (L) Berhad, AIG Resseguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., AIG Shared Services Corporation, AIG South Africa Limited, AIG Specialty Insurance Company, AIG Technologies Inc., AIG Travel Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., AIG Travel Assist Inc., AIG Travel Assist Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., AIG Travel EMEA Limited, AIG Travel Inc., AIG Uganda Limited, AIG Vietnam Insurance Company Limited, AIG WarrantyGuard Inc., AIG-FP Pinestead Holdings Corp., AIG-Metropolitana Cia. de Seguros y Reaseguros S.A., AIGGRE EOLA LLC, AIGGRE Europe Real Estate Fund I GP S.a r.l., AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I GP LLC, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I LP, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund II GP LLC, AIU Insurance Company, AM Holdings LLC, Ageas Protect, AlphaCat Managers Ltd., American General Corporation, American General Life Insurance Company, American Home Assurance Co. Ltd., American Home Assurance Company, American Home Assurance Company Escritorio de Representacao no Brasil Ltda., American International Group Inc., American International Group UK Limited, American International Overseas Association, American International Overseas Limited, American International Realty Corp., American International Reinsurance Company Ltd., American International Underwriters del Ecuador-Holding S.A., American Security Life Insurance Company Limited, Arthur J. Glatfelter Agency Inc., Avondhu Limited, Blackboard Customer Care Insurance Services LLC, Blackboard Insurance Company, Blackboard Services LLC, Blackboard Specialty Insurance Company, Blackboard U.S. Holdings Inc., Chartis Takaful Enaya B.S.C. (c), Commerce and Industry Insurance Company, Crop Risk Services Inc., Eaglestone Reinsurance Company, Ellipse, Fortitude Group Holdings LLC, Fortitude Life & Annuity Solutions Inc., Fortitude Reinsurance Company Ltd., Franklin Life Insurance Company, Fuji Fire and Marine, Glatfelter Insurance Group, Globe and Rutgers Insurance Group, Grand Isle SAC Limited, Granite State Insurance Company, Group Risk Services Limited, Group Risk Technologies Limited, Illinois National Insurance Co., Jefferson Eola Venture LLC, Johannesburg Insurance Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, Laya Healthcare Limited, Lexington Insurance Company, MG Reinsurance Limited, Mt. Mansfield Company Inc., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh Pa., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Vermont, New Hampshire Insurance Company, PT AIG Insurance Indonesia, Pine Street Real Estate Holdings Corp., Private Joint-Stock Company AIG Ukraine Insurance Company, Risk Specialists Companies Insurance Agency Inc., SA Affordable Housing LLC, SAFG Retirement Services Inc., Service Net Warranty LLC, Stratford Insurance Company, SunAmerica Affordable Housing Partners Inc., SunAmerica Asset Management LLC, Talbot Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Ltd., Thai CIT Holding Company Limited, The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York, The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, Travel Guard, Travel Guard Group Canada Inc./Groupe Garde Voyage du Canada Inc., Travel Guard Group Inc., Tudor Insurance Company, VALIC Financial Advisors Inc., Valic Retirement Services Company, Validus Holdings, Validus Holdings (UK) Ltd., Validus Holdings Ltd., Validus Reinsurance (Switzerland) Ltd, Validus Reinsurance Ltd., Validus Ventures Ltd., Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services Inc., Western World Insurance Company, and Western World Insurance Group Inc.. CryoLife, Inc. manufactures, processes, and distributes medical devices and implantable human tissues worldwide. It offers BioGlue, a polymer consisting of bovine blood protein and an agent for cross-linking proteins for cardiac, vascular, pulmonary, and general surgical applications; On-X prosthetic aortic and mitral heart valve, and On-X ascending aortic prosthesis; cardiac preservation services; PhotoFix, a bovine pericardial patch; and E-vita OPEN PLUS and E-vita OPEN NEO, a hybrid stent graft system. The company also provides E-xtra DESIGN ENGINEERING products for the treatment of aortic vascular diseases; E-nside, an off-the-shelf stent graft for the treatment of thoraco-abdominal disease; E-vita THORACIC 3G for the endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms; E-nya, a thoracic stent graft system for the minimally invasive repair of lesions of the descending aorta; E-ventus BX, a balloon-expandable peripheral stent graft for the endovascular treatment of renal and pelvic arteries; E-liac to treat aneurysmal iliac arteries, and aneurysmal iliac side branches; and E-tegra, an abdominal aortic aneurysms stent graft system. In addition, it offers synthetic vascular grafts for use in open aortic and peripheral vascular surgical procedures; PerClot, an absorbable powdered hemostat for use in surgical procedures; and cardiac laser therapy products, such as SolarGen 2100s Console and SoloGrip III disposable handpieces. Further, the company sells CryoVein femoral vein and CryoArtery femoral artery vascular preservation services; CarbonAid CO2 diffusion catheters and Chord-X ePTFE sutures for mitral chordal replacement; and ascyrus medical dissection stents, as well as offers pyrolytic carbon coating services to other medical device manufacturers. The company serves physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities, as well as cardiac, vascular, thoracic, and general surgeons. CryoLife, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Kennesaw, Georgia. Read More Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. designs, manufactures, and distributes products to the oil and natural gas industry in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Drilling & Downhole, Completions, and Production. The Drilling & Downhole segment designs, manufactures, and supplies products, and provides related services to the drilling, downhole, and subsea markets, as well as other markets, such as alternative energy, defense, and communications. This segment offers drilling technologies consisting of capital equipment and a line of products consumed in the drilling; downhole technologies, such as cementing and casing tools, and protection products for artificial lift equipment and cables; and subsea remotely operated vehicles and trenchers, specialty components and tools, and complementary subsea technical services. The Completions segment provides products and related services to the coiled tubing, stimulation, and intervention markets. This segment offers pressure pumping, hydraulic fracturing and flowback services markets, including hydraulic fracturing pumps, cooling systems, flow iron, wireline cable, and pressure control equipment, as well as related recertification and refurbishment services; and coiled tubing products, such as coiled tubing strings and line pipes. The Production segment designs, manufactures, and supplies products, and provides related equipment and services to the production and infrastructure markets. This segment supplies production equipment, including well site production and process equipment; and a range of industrial and process valves. The company was formerly known as Forum Oilfield Technologies, Inc. and changed its name to Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. in August 2010. Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Read More Dr. Beasley entered Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, from which she received her medical degree in 1986, and completed her residency training at Sheppard-Pratt, where she was a staff psychiatrist from 1990 to 1992, before entering private practice. BRIDGEPORT - One of the most violent city rivalries in recent years exploded in a melee in the lobby of the Golden Hill Street court Monday morning. More than two dozen people men and women battled each other, quickly overwhelming the meager force of judicial marshals as horrified onlookers ran for cover. Local and state police called to the scene blocked off Golden Hill Street and barred entrance to the courthouse as reinforcements rushed to help the marshals get order in the court. One marshal was injured and three people were arrested. Social media had been blowing up all day Sunday following the arrest of 39-year-old Jayvell Washington for the fatal shooting on Saturday of 50-year-old Eugene Rogers. More for you News Disruption at Bridgeport courthouse brings heavy police... Where were the police? They should have known this was going to happen, said Tanisha Pierce, Rogers cousin. These people were fighting my family in the courthouse, this never should have happened. Jermained Felton, 38, of Fairview Avenue, was charged with third-degree assault, third-degree assault on an elderly person and breach of peace. He was released after posting $125,000 bond. Shamar Swinton, 37, of Somers Street, was charged with interfering with police, breach of peace and third-degree assault on an elderly person and was being held in lieu of $135,000 bond. Antiqua Washington, 29, of Burritt Avenue, Stratford, was charged with breach of peace and third-degree assault and was released after posting $25,000 bond. After the courthouse was cleared, Washington was arraigned on charges of murder, criminal possession of a weapon and possession of a pistol without a permit. Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton ordered him held in lieu of $3 million bond and continued the case to Feb. 13. Mr. Washington is presumed innocent under the law and is confident that he will be acquitted at trial, his lawyer, Michael Riley, said later. Washington and members of the Rogers family have been engaged in a violent series of confrontations since the summer of 2017, according to police. In one incident, Mayor Joe Ganim was standing outside the Rogers family home after a shooting when more shots rang out, although he was not hurt nor apparently the intended target, police said. On July 1, 2017, Chaz Rogers was shot to death on Stratford Avenue. His older brother, Hassan Boobie Rogers, was later arrested for allegedly shooting at a friend of Washingtons whom he blamed for killing his brother. Then on July 23, 2017, Eugene Rogers was walking on Trumbull Avenue when, police said, he was shot twice in the abdomen. He survived that shooting. Washington, who had served seven years in prison for a 1998 manslaughter conviction, was charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, illegal use of a firearm and criminal use of a firearm for shooting Eugene Rogers. He was released after posting $500,000 bond. Shortly after 9 a.m. on Saturday, police said officers were dispatched by the Bridgeport Police Departments Shot Spotter system to the Citgo gas station and Pitt Stop convenience store on Reservoir Avenue. When officers got there, they found Eugene Rogers lying on the ground, motionless, police said. He was bleeding from a bullet wound in his head, and police said he had a silver and black gun in his left hand. Police said the gas stations video surveillance showed Washington parked in a Mini Cooper at the gas station when he was approached by Rogers. Rogers began to pull a handgun from the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt, police said, when Washington drew first and fired, then drove off. Police said they determined that Washington was wearing a GPS monitoring bracelet as a result of the conditions of his bond. They said detectives traced him to Fairview Avenue, where they arrested him in front of his girlfriends home. Police said that when asked if he knew why detectives were there, Washington replied, Yeah, and placed his hands behind his back. Ned Gerard / Ned Gerard BRIDGEPORT The citys Superintendent of Schools has announced that Thomas Hooker School will remain closed this week, following an incident last week in which a sprinkler pipe caused water damage. Schools Superintendent Aresta Johnson visited the school Sunday to assess the cleanup. She found that, although significant remediation has occurred, according to a new release, the school isnt in condition to open Monday, as air quality tests showed three classrooms registering at unacceptable mold levels. Though she was given Wednesday as a possible target date to reopen, Johnson said the school likely wont reopen until next week. Expedia CruiseShipCenters holds its formal grand opening in Brookfield 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, its first location in Connecticut under local franchisees and spouses Jim and Mary Villamana. The travel agency focuses on ocean and river cruises, but books other vacation trips as well, having recently helped put together a chauffeur-driven tour of Ireland for a client. The couple have been operating Expedia CruiseShipCenters since late November at 67 Federal Road in Brookfield, located just off Route 7 in a retail and office plaza across from Kohls. Mary Villamana said the location appealed for its high visibility to large numbers of passing vehicles. Cruise ships remain a popular vacation destination for many, with Northeast ports from New York City to Bar Harbor, Maine, seeing increasing numbers of visitors. The Cruise Lines International Association estimates that more than 27 million people booked a cruise last year. Expedia acquired a controlling stake in CruiseShipCenters in 2009, having previously held a 50 percent interest. Today, Expedia CruiseShipCenters has more than 250 franchisees that employ about 5,500 people, with Expedia not breaking out the subsidiarys financial results separately from the parent company. Mary Villamana runs the day-to-day operations of the Expedia CruiseShipCenters office in Brookfield, with her spouse a corporate accountant in Shelton. Jim Villamana said the couple had been searching for several years for a business to acquire, whether an independent entity or through franchising. This just excited me because of the travel aspect of it, he said. I always felt, in the next half of our life, I wanted us to be able to travel more. ... Theres other (franchises) that are more home-based, but this appealed to me because I liked this business model of a brick-and-mortar (location). Travel agencies have survived the age of Expedia and Priceline, with both independent entities as well as major chains operating locally including the Liberty Travel subsidiary of Flight Centre Travel Group which has southwestern Connecticut locations in Danbury, Stamford, Norwalk and Fairfield. Other companies with southwestern Connecticut agents who are focused specifically on the cruise industry include the Cruise Planners subsidiary of American Express and the CruiseOne affiliate of DreamVacations. The agency model is a strategy Expedias archrival Booking Holdings has not adopted, with the Norwalk-based company keeping its business strictly in the digital realm via websites like Booking.com, Priceline.com and Kayak.com. Weve got this mantra at Expedia, the vision, which is we are the worlds travel platform and the word platform is important, said Expedia CEO Mark Okerstrom, speaking at a November travel conference in Los Angeles sponsored by the Sherman-based market research firm Phocuswright. We run a massive platform that is essentially networking consumers, and corporate travelers, and companies, and traditional travel agents ... massive amounts on the demand side, and on the supply side, were networking together every single provider of inventory. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman Croatia Airlines has said it has no plans to add new routes to its network in 2019, following three years of continuous expansion. The carrier noted, "For any further growth and the opening of new routes, Croatia Airlines will require additional aircraft. The expansion of our fleet and network is foreseen through the company's recapitalisation under the Croatian government's National Reform Programme". Croatia Airlines added a total of twelve new routes over the past three years, most of which are maintained on a seasonal summer basis. The network growth has been enabled through the lease of two additional aircraft over the summer months. Speaking to EX-YU Aviation News, Croatia Airlines said, "Through a decision passed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia on January 4, 2018, Croatia Airlines was put back on the list of companies of strategic and special interest to the Republic of Croatia, and on April 26, 2018 the government passed the National Reform Programme. The goal of this is to ensure the companys further development, and to strengthen the competitive advantages and position of Croatia Airlines on the air traffic market via a quality strategic partnership. This would include an expansion of the companys flight network, an increase in Croatia Airlines' market share, and recapitalisation for the purpose of facilitating the future development of Croatia Airlines". The company noted that its main goal in 2019 is to ensure stability in the increasingly volatile air transport sector. "Croatia Airlines will continue to focus on managing all business risks, and on ensuring the best possible conditions for regular business operations. Jet fuel prices are expected to continue being the most significant risk, and the company will, in that regard, try to reduce its negative effects on the companys overall business operations". It added, "The further improvement of the quality of service and network business model are also the companys goals, as well as further investment in the fleet in order to maintain the highest level of flight safety". Felon and former state Sen. Carlos Urestis Helotes estate is heading for the foreclosure auction block. The 8,100-square-foot mansion, featuring six bedrooms and six full bathrooms, has been posted for the Feb. 5 foreclosure auction by a mortgage servicer for lender Security Service Federal Credit Union, records show. The property, at 15530 Spur Clip, is slated to be sold outside the Bexar County Courthouse. Uresti received court approval in September to sell the property, which is listed for $1.5 million. The matter is still before the court, according to Daryl Fields, a spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office in San Antonio. As I understand it, the house is still under contract and was supposed to close at the end of the month. Stay tuned, Fields said in an email Monday. Uresti, the longtime Democrat, and his wife, Lleanna, had the house built in 2013 long before his 2017 indictment on charges that he was involved in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors in a now-defunct oil-field services company called FourWinds Logistics. A federal jury last February found Uresti, 55, guilty on 11 felony charges. A judge later sentenced Uresti to 12 years in prison and ordered him to pay $6.3 million in restitution to victims of the fraud. On ExpressNews.com: Uresti gets 12 years in prison The property was posted for foreclosure on Jan. 14. Were just enforcing the terms of the (loan) contract, said Brian Engel, an Austin attorney for the trustee conducting the foreclosure sale, San Antonio attorney Marty LaCoutoure. The Urestis had received an offer from an undisclosed party to buy the property in September. At the time, Uresti, along with the U.S. attorneys office, asked Senior U.S. District Judge David Ezra for authority to sell the property. Ezras had issued a restraining order in March barring Uresti, his wife and other family members, representatives and others from disposing of any assets without court approval. Prosecutors asked for the order after alleging Uresti was selling furniture, statues and artwork, which they said could hinder his victims ability to recover their losses. The government also alleged that a divorce petition, filed by Lleanna Uresti shortly after her husbands conviction, was largely to avoid the lien that will arise at sentencing to enable it to apply their property to his restitution debt. Lleanna Uresti has denied the allegation. If the property is sold before the foreclosure, any monies remaining after payment of the outstanding mortgages, taxes and costs related to the sale would go into the courts registry and be applied to the restitution judgment. Mikal Watts, a lawyer for Uresti, didnt have any information on the foreclosure or why the property hasnt sold. This is the first Ive heard about this, Watts said. Juanita Pelaez-Prada, a lawyer for Lleanna Uresti, said she believed there is an ongoing effort to sell the property. I think the parties are still working to accomplish that, Pelaez-Prada said. The Helotes property is described in a Realtor.com listing as a Tuscan sanctuary with stylish Italian warmth (and) hints of royalty. Uresti last month sold his former law office building at 924 McCullough to Hill Country Real Holdings for an undisclosed price, property records show. Two weeks after the sale closed, signage bearing Urestis name was removed from the building. Uresti surrendered his law license following his conviction. On ExpressNews.com: Uresti sells former San Antonio law office building Uresti is awaiting sentencing next month in a public corruption case out of Reeves County in West Texas. He pleaded guilty to a single bribery charge, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. As part of his plea, he agreed to drop the appeal of his conviction and sentence in the case involving the oil-field services company. Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD WASHINGTON - If doubts existed that newly minted Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy would continue the conservative ways of his predecessor, 30-year veteran Lamar Smith of San Antonio, they are being erased by Roys votes early in this fractious Congress. When the House voted 357-22 last week to prevent President Donald Trump from withdrawing from NATO, as the president has threatened to do, Roy was in the distinct minority supporting Trump. In an even more lopsided tally, Roy was one of just seven House members, all Republicans, voting against legislation to ensure that some 800,000 federal workers affected by the government shutdown get back pay. After Senate passage and a 411-7 House vote, Trump signed the measure into law. Roy, of Austin, a former top aide to Sen. Ted Cruz with strong ties to the Texas tea party, has taken pains to explain what some see as his callous attitude toward what he called the fake shutdown, writing op-eds and responding to detractors on social media. I was voting against Congress essentially giving itself a get out of jail free card to just continue to just put shutdowns on auto pilot, he said, sitting in his stark, new Washington office as yet free of adornments. Does it concern me how people perceive what Im doing on behalf of Texas 21? Yes. I want them to understand why. I just think too many of our colleagues say, Hey, I just want to avoid tough votes. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Roys constituents are likely to see many tough votes from him, votes he sees rooted in principle and in his conviction that things have gone badly wrong in Congress. In pressuring for change in how Congress operates, Roy referred to himself as a Republican version of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the newly elected activist congresswoman from New York, who is roiling waters in her Democratic Party. I doubt she and I agree on many issues. But functionally, this place is broken, he said. Roy, a 46-year-old lawyer, would seem to have latitude to operate. In a Democratic year, voters chose him in November over Joseph Kopser, a moderate, an Iraq war veteran and an entrepreneur the sort of Democrat who might succeed in a territory where the GOP has had a substantial advantage in the past. The 21st District stretches from the northern reaches of San Antonio to Austin and includes Hill Country to the north. Lamar Smith, elected in 1986, was an immigration hardliner who became known nationally for his skepticism of climate change. Roy echoes many of Smiths views on immigration, devoting his initial speech on the House floor this month to immigration and what he called chaos and lawlessness on the southern border. He added: Yet members on both sides of the aisle have buried their heads in the sand over the last several decades, talking instead of doing. The speech drew praise from far-right news outlets. Perhaps no freshman congressman arrived in Washington this January with more national movement support than did Rep. Chip Roy, gushed ConservativeMedia.com, which posted the speech. House Democrats, looking ahead to the 2020 elections, already are eyeing Roy's seat, which he won by less than three percent of the total votes cast. A memo released on Monday by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee included Roy's district and five others in Texas on a list of 33 labeled Democrats' "initial offensive battleground." Referring to the Texas districts, the memo asserted that Roy and the others have suburban areas experiencing population booms and an increasingly diverse electorate where Republicans struggled last year. On Saturday, Roy sent out a fundraising solicitation noting that Democrats are attacking him for supporting Trump's demands for tougher border security measures. Its still January, just months after an election, and the national Democrats are already running desperate campaign ads again because theyre so out of touch on keeping Americans safeThey know our district is the gateway to turning Texas blue, Roys email read. Work history includes stints with Cornyn, Perry, Paxton In addition to working with Cruz, Roy spent time on the Washington staff of Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn. In Texas, he headed the office of state-federal relations in the Rick Perry administration and later worked as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons top assistant. Roy also has been vice president of strategy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank. There arent many issues you can throw at me where Im not going to at least have a deep knowledge of, or comfort in knowing who to go talk to, to figure it out, he said. For subscribers: Texas think tank seizes its Trump moment Greg Mueller, president of Creative Response Concepts, a conservative-aligned public relations firm in northern Virginia, said that people he talks to are very excited about him coming to Congress. There were a lot of races people were concerned about, but his was at or near the top. I think hes seen as the future of the party. Hes very smart, politically savvy and hes measured and articulate in how he explains conservative policy, theory and philosophy. I think hes going to chart a lot of courses for the conservative movement, he said. Roys talents appealed to the House Freedom Caucus even before he was elected. The caucus PAC, supported by corporate donations, contributed $143,000 to Roys campaign. Roy is settling in as a stalwart member of the Freedom Caucus, the alliance of roughly three dozen Republicans that works to push the GOP in a rightward direction. Its unclear how much clout they will have in the chamber now that Republicans are in a minority. But caucus members continue to exert influence on Trump on border issues and other matters. Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, called Roy exactly the kind of guy Congress needs to show what can be accomplished if Republicans regain control of the House in the next election. He can convey our message in a compelling fashion, Jordan said. Roy said the importance of the Freedom Caucus goes beyond ideology. The real function is, theyre serving as a check against the current broken system where the powerbrokers make decisions at the top and just say Heres what were going to do, he said. Roy isnt shying away from criticizing his own party about spending, a factor, be believes, in Republicans losing the House last year after two years of full GOP control in Washington. You just demonstrate rote incompetence when you are leaving us with a trillion dollars in deficits this year on top of $22 trillion in debt, he said. You said you were going to do something to secure our border, and you didnt. And you said you were going to fight for I use the term health care freedom and you didnt. Its hard to really take that to the people and say, Hey, send me back. After working behind the scenes for leading Texas politicians, Roy expresses relief in being on his own now. Theres a liberation in not having to think in someone elses voice, he said. Youre always having to think, How do I frame this in a way I think this is what my boss believes or wants to say? he said. That constraint at least kept you in some lanes. But now I dont have any lanes that arent of my own making, or that my staff doesnt help me stay in, he said. Theres danger in that liberation, Roy added, perhaps referring to the threat of operating too far outside the lanes in which more typical Republican politicians move. My constituents will make up their minds about whether they believe that what Im standing up for, what I believe in, reflects the values of the 21st district. Theyll make a decision in a year if theres a primary and two years in the general, and so be it, he said. Currently, the Historic Preservation Commission reviews projects and alterations proposed for historical properties and districts in Howard County, and has limited oversight duty changes in properties are often required to receive a certificate of approval from the commission. But the countys existing ordinance states that such approval isnt needed when work is carried out in accordance with an approved subdivision plan, or in regard to tree clearing, construction of public streets and other features such as storm drains. Councilman Greg Brockhouse, the staunchest ally the local firefighters union has on the San Antonio City Council, is once again urging the labor organization to begin contract negotiations. The San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association has racked up several victories, Brockhouse noted in a letter to its members, including winning on two of its three proposed charter amendments. One of the propositions, seen as a referendum on City Manager Sheryl Sculley, led to her announcement that she would retire this year. And the city dropped a long-standing lawsuit that challenged a provision in the firefighters contract. President Chris Steele had vowed not to negotiate while his union faced litigation, but had said the union would begin talks within a week of the city dropping its suit. That hasnt happened. On ExpressNews.com: Firefighters union remains silent on offer to start contract talks In early December, Brockhouse said he was disappointed that the union hadnt started contract talks after the city dropped its lawsuit and said he had met personally with the unions leadership, telling them, The deals at the table and youve got to come back. Now, Brockhouse is leaning on Steele and his negotiating team to make good on Steeles promise. I am calling on you, the men and women of the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association, to return to the negotiating table and begin the process of rebuilding trust, Brockhouse wrote in the letter released Monday. Steele did not respond to a telephone call seeking comment. The unions refusal to come to the negotiating table is untenable, he said. Firefighters have been working under a contract that expired on Sept. 30, 2014. Most provisions of the agreement, including health care coverage, remain in place for up to 10 years while a new contract is being negotiated, but wage increases dont occur when a contract is in evergreen that period between expiration and a new agreement. That means San Antonios firefighters havent received a raise in more than four years. And because their eventual pensions are tied to their salaries, and the citys contribution into the pension fund is tied to their salaries, the stalemate over contract negotiations is having a significant impact on firefighters futures. In his letter, the former firefighters union consultant writes that the city has lost on multiple fronts and suggests that the firefighters display some humility and begin negotiating. You have accomplished much. I respect you all for what you do for our community. But, I have a greater responsibility to the city as a whole, the city I know you love, Brockhouse wrote. We need you back at the table. We need to argue like family and come to an agreement. In calling on the union to negotiate, Brockhouse appears to be placing some distance between himself and the union whose president was secretly recorded talking about a plan to get Brockhouse Steele called him our guy elected as mayor in the May 4 city elections. On ExpressNews.com: In secret recording, union leader lays out plan to make Brockhouse mayor Its not the councilmans first attempt at trying to separate himself from the union. Hes also suggested that Proposition B, the charter amendment that places a salary cap and term limit on future city managers, may need to be revisited in the future because the limitations arbitrarily set by the firefighters union when it pitched the amendment to voters are too onerous. Brockhouse has indicated he might run against Mayor Ron Nirenberg, but hasnt made any announcement. For his part, Nirenberg suggested that Brockhouse is merely playing politics. I have had an open door to talk with the firefighters since I took office, and the city has been ready to negotiate at any time, Nirenberg said in a statement. We are still ready and waiting for the union to come to the table. Just in time to launch his next campaign, Councilman Brockhouse finally wants to do the right thing. The city has asked the union to begin negotiations at least nine times since the contract expired in 2014 to no avail. Brockhouse fired back at Nirenberg, perhaps offering a taste of whats to come if he jumps into the mayoral race. Sitting back and waiting is typical of the mayors leadership style lackluster, Brockhouse said. Thats Ron. We need to act and get this resolved. The brave, nameless critics are worried about politics. I am pushing solutions. If (the firefighters union) comes back to the table, we all win. Ron hasnt been able to get it done; lets see if I can help. The filing deadline for the May 4 elections is Feb. 15, and no major challenger has stepped up to oppose Nirenberg. Josh Baugh is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jbaugh@express-news.net | Twitter: @jbaugh When a seat in the Texas House opened unexpectedly this month, local activist Steve Huerta decided to seek it, he said, because his status would make it a historical race. But that status Huerta was convicted of a felony nearly two decades ago bars him from running for public office, state officials said. On Feb. 12, Huerta will appear on the ballot for Texas House District 125 anyway. With the special election just two weeks away and early voting already taking place, officials say its too late to remove his name. A self-described social justice policy adviser active in the Democratic Party, Huerta has flouted eligibility requirements in another way. Candidates for the seat must live in the district for at least a year before they file. When Huerta applied this month for a place on the ballot, he listed as his permanent address a house in the district that he later acknowledged was where a friend lives. Huerta leases a West Side apartment outside the district. In August, he cited that apartment as his permanent address in a separate application to run for precinct chair. I have more than one address, Huerta said. You have to remember, I do a lot in my community. So if Im not in one neighborhood, Im in another. On ExpressNews.com: Early voting begins for special election Huerta, who is co-chair of the rules committee for the Bexar County Democratic Party, added, Im by the rules, trust me. Im single, so Im not bound to do anything other than what I want to do. When I was homeless, I would sleep in 125. Huerta, 50, said that after living on the streets of San Antonio as a homeless teenager in the 1980s, he joined the Army and served for less than two years as a cook in Germany. He has touted his status as a veteran on the campaign trail and spoken about his commitment to helping other veterans. But this week, Huerta is facing a complaint in court that he took $500 from the mother of an Iraq War veteran in exchange for assistance with her sons pending criminal case. Allen Arredondo-Braaten, a former Marine facing a charge of aggravated sexual assault, said Huerta did next to nothing to help him after taking the money. Huerta denied the claim. I did more than what he needed, Huerta said. Army stint On a recent Saturday morning, four of the five candidates in District 125 sat at Lubys Cafeteria on Fredericksburg Road, each seeking the endorsement of the Bexar County Tejano Democrats Senatorial District 19. Former state Rep. Justin Rodriguez had resigned the seat two weeks earlier to accept an appointment on the Bexar County Commissioners Court, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott to announce a special election to replace Rodriguez, even as the 86th legislative session got underway. Arrayed before the voters at Lubys were the candidates: Ray Lopez, a retired AT&T marketing director who served on the City Council; Art Reyna, a Leon Valley attorney who previously held the seat; Coda Rayo-Garza, a coordinator for San Antonio Independent School District; and Huerta. (Fred Rangel, a Republican, did not attend the forum.) On ExpressNews.com: Meet the candidates in House District 125 Manuel Medina, a political consultant and former chair of the Bexar County Democratic Party, sat at a table close to the candidates. Huerta worked for Medinas unsuccessful mayoral campaign in 2017. Medina was ousted as the party chairman a year later. But some officials, including Huerta, remain loyal to him. At Lubys, Medina acknowledged that he was working on Huertas campaign: Volunteer where I can, he said, laughing. The forums moderator, Air Force veteran Larry Romo, asked all the veterans that served under our American flag to stand. Both Lopez and Huerta stood to applause. We dont take care of our veterans, Huerta told the crowd. There are things that can be done that we are simply not doing. Military records show that Lopez joined the Army in 1968 and was honorably discharged from the Army Reserve in 1974. He said he re-enlisted soon after and served an additional eight years. Huerta joined the Army in 1989 but was gone by the next year, according to the National Archives and Records Administration. He said he could not provide paperwork showing the reason he was let go. I got into some trouble, Huerta said after the forum. Young kid. Alcohol. Back in San Antonio after his short stint in the Army, Huerta got into even more trouble. No pardon Before his felony, Huerta managed to escape incarceration. He was charged with evading arrest in 1994 and received probation a sentence that was extended despite numerous violations. Two years later, Huerta was charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon. A jury found him not guilty. Then, in February 1999, Huerta was pulled over on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. In his right front pocket, police found a small baggie containing less than a gram of cocaine, according to police records. Huerta was charged with possession, a state jail felony. He pleaded no contest and was placed on three years of deferred adjudication, a form of probation. The sentence was revoked after he violated its conditions by using marijuana, court records show. In 2001, Huerta was sentenced to six months in jail for the felony. To run for public office in Texas, a candidate must have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities, according to the Texas Election Code. Huerta has not received a pardon. But he said hes eligible to run for office anyway simply because his voting rights have been restored. The right of citizenship is the right that gives us the right to vote and the right to run for public office, said Huerta, who advises other formerly incarcerated people. When someone is given their voting rights back, they are given their citizenship rights back, and therefore that allows us to run for office. State officials disagree. In 2004, Ann McGeehan, the Texas secretary of states then-director of elections, wrote a memo asserting that unlike with voting rights, there is no automatic restoration of a convicted felons right to run for office. Absent a pardon, she wrote, the candidate must have obtained a judicial release from his or her disabilities in order to run for any office to which this section applies. Huerta has received none of the above. I dont think I need (a pardon), he said. A piece of paper from the governor isnt going to change who I am. Sam Taylor, communications director for the secretary of state, said his offices assessment hasnt changed since the 2004 memo. But Huerta cannot be deemed ineligible unless someone submits a conclusive public record such as court documents, he said. In any case, its too late to remove Huerta from the ballot. If hes declared ineligible and wins, Taylor said, it would create another vacancy. Dispute over consulting On Dec. 4, 2017, Arredondo-Braaten, the former Marine, was arrested on a list of charges including aggravated sexual assault. A police report accused him of pistol-whipping his then-girlfriend and sexually assaulting her. Later that month, his mother, Alicia Arredondo, was introduced to Huerta, who persuaded her to sign a $1,000 contract and provide $500 up front. In the agreement, Huerta pledged to complete an array of services, including the preparation of a parole strategy. Arredondo is now seeking more than $9,000 in damages; a hearing is set for Thursday before Justice of the Peace Roberto Vazquez. He didnt provide me anything, Arredondo said. He told me that once he got the information, there were different programs, he would work with the attorney and come up with a plan and try to get Allen help. On ExpressNews.com: Special election candidates talk school funding Arredondo-Braatens former court-appointed attorney, Mark McKay, said Huerta called him once. I got a strange vibe when I spoke to him, McKay said. It sounded like he was trying to be a lawyer or something. He was a scammer. Thats just the feeling I had. Arredondo-Braatens trial is set for next month in criminal district court. A Felony Veterans Treatment Court was established in Bexar County last year, but Arredondo-Braaten does not qualify for it because of the severity of his charges. Huerta acknowledged that. The felony court system failed him, not me, Huerta said. What I did was I developed for (Arredondo) what it was she hired me for, a re-entry and a parole packet. He added, I think she probably didnt truly understand what it is we were trying to do. Residency To be eligible to run in House District 125, Huerta must have lived there for a year before filing, said Taylor with the secretary of states office. According to Huerta, he wasnt living in the district five months ago. In August, Huerta applied to run for precinct chair in the Democratic primary and listed as his permanent address an apartment he leases in the 1800 block of West Thompson Place. The apartment is not in District 125, nor is it even in the precinct he was seeking at the time. On Jan. 14, less than two hours before the deadline, Huerta filed to run in the looming special election. As his permanent address, he listed an address in the district: a home in the 600 block of Acuna Street. Confronted with the discrepancy, Huerta said hes now living on Acuna Street to help a friend. Thats where a friend lives, he said. A pastor friend of mine who Ive known since my childhood, actually. I help him because he had some surgery, so he has a child and he couldnt move around. Like his felony conviction, Huertas shifting residency is unlikely to jettison him from the ballot. We take them at their word, Taylor said, unless somebody else challenges them in court. bchasnoff@express-news.net A new finding from a 25-year study led by a San Antonio researcher further addressed concerns about the possible negative effects of a drug used to lower the risk of prostate cancer, the most common cancer found in men. The study previously found that finasteride, a hormone-blocking drug prescribed to treat enlarged prostates and, at a lower dose, hair loss, has been associated with a 25 percent reduction in men developing prostate cancer. But initially, the study also found a higher risk of aggressive tumors. In the follow-up study, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers delved deeper into the drugs long-term effect on death rates. The early concerns regarding an association between finasteride and an increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer have not been borne out. the researchers stated. The study is the latest to come out of a large clinical trial of finasteride and prostate cancer that dates to the 1990s. The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial began in 1993 and, over the next four years, enrolled more than 18,000 men. Researchers sought to determine whether the drug reduced the risk of developing prostate cancer. The participants were divided into two groups, with the men randomly assigned to take either finasteride or a placebo. The study was led by Dr. Ian Thompson, president of Christus Santa Rosa Hospital Medical Center who previously headed the Cancer Therapy and Research Center at UT Health San Antonio. About 10 percent of the trials participants were from the San Antonio area, Thompson said. Related: Drug offers hope in war on prostate cancer The trial ended in 2003 and its results were published soon after. The data raised concerns about finasterides safety. While the drug had reduced mens overall risk of developing prostate cancer, it also found that men who took the drug were at a higher risk for aggressive high-grade prostate tumors. The contradiction led researchers to conduct further analyses. One possible reason more aggressive cancers were discovered during the course of the trial could be that finasteride shrinks the prostate, making it easier to detect cancer in the gland, Thompson said. In 2013, the team published results showing similar survival rates between the men who were administered finasteride and those who took a placebo. A lower risk of diagnosis For the study released last week, researchers matched trial participants to a national database of death records to determine how many men in the trial had succumbed to prostate cancer or other causes of death. Finasteride was associated with a 25 percent lower risk of dying from prostate cancer, but researchers could not prove definitively that the drug reduced the rate based on small number of men who died of that disease fewer than 100. A much larger study would be required to prove that, Thompson said. The latest finding, he said, answers lingering questions about the trial. We know that the drug doesnt reduce a mans risk of dying from prostate cancer. We dont have any evidence that thats the case, Thompson said. But we do know that it reduces a mans risk of being diagnosed. The American Cancer Society estimates that 175,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year and more than 31,000 men will die of it. The clinical trial was initiated during an era when doctors were increasing screenings for prostate cancer, leading to more diagnoses. However, not all forms of prostate cancer are deadly, and treatment options can lead to side effects including incontinence and sexual dysfunction. Because of that, there are concerns in the medical community about over-treatment of prostate cancer. Screening may reduce the risk of death from prostate cancer but often leads to the detection of prostate cancer that will remain asymptomatic during a mans life, the researchers wrote. On ExpressNews.com: Rapamycin Holdings hires new CEO as its drug approaches human trials Dr. Howard Parnes, who works in the cancer prevention division of the National Cancer Institute, said the new finding was part of a strong randomized trial that has produced remarkable results. However, he said the study does not support prescribing finasteride to those at high risk for developing prostate cancer because that was not the population studied. Still, he added, the results may ease concerns about the drugs potentially negative consequences. The indication in the latest study of the drugs reduced mortality rate from prostate cancer, while not definitive, was reassuring, he said. To a large extent, it allays the concern that this drug is causing an increase in high-grade cancer that will translate into worse outcomes, Parnes said. It doesnt definitively prove it, but it goes a long way to allaying those concerns. Not for everybody Dr. Otis Brawley, a professor of oncology and epidemiology with Johns Hopkins University who was involved n the study early on, said that because finasteride is a cheap, generic drug thats widely available, there will be little financial incentive for pharmaceutical companies to seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration to label it for prostate cancer prevention. However, he said physicians could still prescribe it for off-label use. Some consumers have pushed back against the manufacturer of finasteride and are part of a class-action lawsuit alleging multiple side effects, including sexual dysfunction, according to media reports. According to a 2017 study by Northwestern Medicine, finasteride has been linked to higher risk of erectile dysfunction during prolonged use and persistent sexual dysfunction for 1.4 percent of men. Thompson acknowledged that finasteride carries a low risk of potential side effects, including sexual dysfunction, lower libido and breast tenderness and said the drug is not for everybody. However, he said problems like erectile dysfunction are also associated with aging and can result from treatment for prostate cancer. Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba Sheriff Javier Salazar suspended the deputy chief overseeing Bexar County Jail late Saturday after deputies released an inmate without a required electronic monitor, the latest in a string of missteps that have plagued the Sheriffs Office and its detention facility over the past year. Salazar said he personally brought the man, Terrik Andres McCoy, back into custody Sunday after deputies couldnt contact him. McCoy, 26, had finished a sentence for a misdemeanor conviction of evading arrest or detention when he was released Saturday without the state-mandated monitor. A deputy misread McCoys release order, and a supervisor did not catch the deputys mistake, Salazar said. Obviously this is a cause for concern for us. Weve had this happen a couple of times, he said. Its something that we just absolutely need to look at more in depth. Less than two weeks ago, an inmate was mistakenly released from the jail even though Immigration and Customs Enforcement had filed a detainer, a request that an inmate be held beyond his or her scheduled release date so federal authorities can consider whether to bring immigration-related charges. Salazar said he told Deputy Chief Ruben Vela, the interim jail administrator, after that incident that the agency needed to make sure it didnt happen again. Here we are less than two weeks later, and its happening again, Salazar said. I was starting to see a pattern develop. On ExpressNews.com: Bexar jail chief resigns amid woes at the facility Salazar suspended Vela and announced Capt. Avery Walker would assume responsibility over the jail. The agency opened an internal investigation into the error and said it would also conduct an audit of current systems and practices to determine what changes are necessary. Vela had been running the jail as Salazar searched for someone to permanently take the job. Both Vela and Walker are candidates for the position, Salazar said, and theyre the only active deputies on the list of 50 or 60 applicants. The error comes during a particularly tumultuous period at the jail. Last year, 26 BCSO staff members, mostly jailers, were arrested for crimes ranging from assault to drunk driving. Salazar then brought in a law enforcement psychologist that he said he hoped would help change the culture and curb misconduct in the department, which has about 1,500 deputies. Vela took the reins of the jail in September after the resignation of Bobby Hogeland, the previous administrator. Hogelands departure came during that slew of arrests, and questions were also raised about excessive spending under his watch. Hogeland approved spending roughly $55,000 in 2017 on 68 office chairs to replace old, battered chairs, according to KENS-TV. County Judge Nelson Wolff said that was part of the reason why he left. Earlier last year, a deputy chief who helped oversee the jail retired in April after it was found to be in noncompliance with a state commission on jail standards. The jail passed compliance inspections after Salazar changed jail policies and reallocated resources. Whats frustrating for me is we know what needs to be done, Salazar said. He said its exasperating when he asks a deputy to do something and it doesnt come to fruition. On ExpressNews.com: Top San Antonio psychologist to tackle pervasive issue of deputy misconduct at BCSO Last year, around the time when Hogeland left, Salazar said he identified an issue at the jail involving supervisors. Jailers work five-day weeks, and under the current system, they have a different supervisor every day. Salazar said that means supervisors arent as able to identify performance or behavior issues with employees. He asked Vela to implement a Unity of Command system to remedy the problem, but the deputy chief did not implement it quickly enough. That was a factor in his suspension, the sheriff said. In Saturdays incident, the Texas Department of Criminal Justices Parole Division required McCoy to have an electronic monitoring strap upon his release, the sheriffs office said. It appeared the monitor was ordered because McCoy failed to comply with conditions of parole for another conviction of burglary of a habitation by force, the TDCJ said. A spokesman for the state agency commended the sheriff for quickly recognizing and remedying the error. A lawyer who has previously represented McCoy also couldnt be reached. The sheriff said he had some spare time at work Sunday and decided to help search for McCoy. A warrant was put out for the man because a parole officer could not find McCoy at the address he provided. Salazar said he checked another possible address for the suspect and found him in the front yard. He was able to take him into custody without incident. Another man, Charles Elliott Franks, 32, was also arrested for an unrelated misdemeanor warrant. Salazar said McCoy was brought back to the jail, where parole officers planned to equip him with the GPS monitor Sunday night and release him. The sheriff hopes to name a permanent jail administrator within the next month. He said he plans to meet with Vela in the coming days to discuss his future. As were trying to get the culture of this organization turned around battleships dont move on a dime, Salazar said. It takes time to make that turn but, as head of this agency, I need to be able to control that process. And if its not moving fast enough for me, Ive got to do certain things to speed it up. This report has been clarified based on information provided Monday by the TDCJ. McCoy was required to have an electronic monitoring device, not a GPS tracker. Dylan McGuinness covers local politics and the Bexar County government for the Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dylan.mcguinness@express-news.net | Twitter: @DylMcGuinness Almost a third of Texas prison guards quit their jobs last year, as officer turnover rose yet again despite starting salary hikes and hiring bonuses. Correctional officer turnover soared to over 29 percent, and agency-wide turnover checked in at 24.8 percent. Only two large state agencies the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and Texas Juvenile Justice Department saw more of their employees leave. Weve never seen numbers like this, said corrections officer Lance Lowry, a former union president. It is a crisis. At the same time, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is still battling high job vacancy rates, a problem officials have tackled in part by over-staffing a dozen units in desirable locations and then shipping extra officers to understaffed rural prisons for days at a time, according to state records. And, while some units are enjoying an excess of guards, the number of facilities with an officer vacancy rate of more than 25 percent has nearly doubled in the past year. The departures are driven by the same factors that have plagued the prison system for years: low salaries and remote locations, prison experts and officials said. Were more than 3,000 corrections officers short, said state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, who chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. So what do you do? You raise the pay. But part of it is almost impossible they put the prisons in all the wrong places. While the agency cant move prisons to more populous locals, state officials can ask for more money and they have, pitching across-the-board raises in the legislative funding request state lawmakers will start grappling with next week. Strong economy means better jobs The uptick in departures comes amid a rise in turnover across all state agencies, according to a year-end report from the Texas State Auditors Office. Driven by a strong economy and low unemployment, overall turnover across state government rose to 19.3 percent in Texas, the highest figure seen in at least five years as far back as the offices online data goes. In the prison system, guard turnover has been consistently higher than average, hovering around 25 percent from 2013 to 2015 and dipping to 22.8 in 2016. Then in 2017, turnover rose to 28.2. At that point, Lowry called it a mass exodus, but this year the number went up again, to 29.5 percent. All told, last year the prison system accounted for about 26 percent of the state workforce and 31 percent of departing employees. Even as turnover figures rose, however, officials in recent months highlighted their success in bringing down vacancy figures. And thats true in some places. In November 2017, correctional officer vacancy stood at 14.29 percent. Afterward, that number rose, peaking at 15.22 percent in April, the highest it has been in at least a decade, according to department data. The latest figures, from November 2018, show vacancies back down, to 14.17 percent. Filling the gaps But even as officer vacancy numbers have dipped slightly across the agency, the number of severely understaffed units increased while the most robustly staffed facilities gained more employees. In November 2017, 12 units had less than 75 percent of the targeted staffing levels; in the latest figures from November 2018, that number rose to 22 units. And, while there were no units more than 100 percent staffed at the end of 2017, the latest figures showed 12 units almost all in metropolitan areas were overstaffed. Thus, while facilities like Segovia Unit in Edinburg and Hutchins State Jail in Dallas are more than 110 percent staffed, the Daniel Unit in rural Snyder, with a population 11,000, has a 45 percent officer vacancy. Using those extra guards to bridge the gap, prison officials are now shipping workers from better-staffed units to those lacking officers. We are overstaffing at targeted units to have the ability to provide relief to correctional officers assigned to staff-challenged units, said TDCJ Executive Director Bryan Collier. This provides short-term help to stabilize staff levels so units can operate as normally and safely as possible. For one work cycle four to five days the agency will drive officers to understaffed units, putting them up in motels or in facility housing so they pick up unfilled shifts. Lowry said the maneuvering does not make financial sense. They have an easier time recruiting in urban areas than rural areas, he said. A lot of times they have to travel to shorter units and work overtime. Then you end up having to pay them overtime for the travel. In the 2018 fiscal year, the department laid out more than $80 million in overtime pay for officers and sergeants. That was almost twice as much as the year before, and more than any other in the past decade, according to information obtained through a state open records request. At the present time, Whitmire said, they dont have another option. Youve got to have corrections officers to run a prison. A vicious cycle A strong economy and a robust oil and gas industry are two of the culprits behind the prison systems entrenched staffing problems, experts and corrections officials say. When there is an economic climate as robust as it is in Texas correctional officer staffing has traditionally been a challenge, said prison spokesman Jeremy Desel. This year is no exception. But theres also more to it than that, according to some experts. Turnover is not a systemwide problem, its unit-by-unit, said Scott Henson, executive director with the criminal justice reform-focused nonprofit Just Liberty. Its that weve got a handful of units where its sort of chronic and as the economy booms, those are not great jobs. Often, data shows, those units are in rural locations and the ongoing staffing problems may simply beget more staffing problems. In the facilities where youve got understaffing, that leads to safety problems and then when its an unsafe environment the staff dont want to be there and it creates a vicious cycle, said Michele Deitch, an attorney and criminal justice consultant who teaches at the University of Texas at Austins LBJ School of Public Affairs. Mark Adcock, a former captain at the Telford Unit in East Texas, concurred. Youre always working short handed, he said. If you have 40 peoples jobs and you only have 30 (people), you still have to do 40 peoples jobs. That, more than anything, drives people away. Short of decreasing the prison population or closing units in remote locations both ideas advocates floated in the past offering better pay may be one of the most immediate solutions to attract more workers. To that end, the agency started with a starting salary increase for new officers effective February 2018. The state also shelled out more than $9 million last fiscal year in $4,000 and $5,000 recruitment bonuses. But when that didnt solve the problem, officials shot for a bigger ask with a $170 million legislative request to increase pay by a few thousand dollars at each step of the pay ladder. The state Senate Finance Committee will start tackling the agencys budget request on Monday. keri.blakinger@chron.com Students who attended Pre-K 4 SA in its initial year performed slightly better on the states third-grade standardized tests than did their peers from other public prekindergarten programs and both groups did better than those who did not attend a public pre-K, according to a new study. It was the first such comprehensive comparison for graduates of the city program, which has drawn national attention as former Mayor Julian Castros signature achievement, a highlight of his political narrative as he seeks next years Democratic Party nomination for president. The study looked at reading and math test scores of the 400 students who attended Pre-K 4 SA in the 2013-2014 school year and about 9,500 others in their third-grade classes who had similar demographics, said Mike Villarreal, who led the research as director of the University of Texas at San Antonios Urban Education Institute. Though the full study wont be released for about a month, Villarreal presented the findings to the Pre-K 4 SA board Monday. The study was funded by Pre-K 4 SA and the Urban Education Institute using funds from a grant from the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation. Graduates of Pre-K 4 SA boosted math and reading test scores in their classes, Villarreal said. Measured as a percentage that met or exceeded the statewide average passing rates, graduates of the city program led those without public pre-K by more than 11 percentage points in reading and 15 in math. Compared with those who came from other public prekindergarten programs, their lead in math was 5.6 percentage points but in reading was statistically insignificant. The study also found that enrollment surged in other public pre-K programs starting with the 2013-2014 school year, which suggests that the new city program created a surge of awareness about the value of early childhood education, Villarreal said. Last year, the first group of students to attend Pre-K 4 SA as 4-year-olds reached third grade, the level at which the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR exam, is first given. They been taught at two prekindergarten model centers, but the city program has since expanded to four such sites teaching 500 students each. Voters here launched Pre-K 4 SA by approving a one-eighth-cent-per-dollar city sales tax for it in 2012. Villarreal, a former state representative, is married to Jeanne Russell, who helped create the city program as Castros education policy adviser when he was mayor. A significant enrollment boost in early education programs in San Antonio happened the next year a bump that researchers didnt see in other major Texas cities they examined and Pre-K 4 SAs teacher training component and grants to partnering school districts also created ripple effects that improved their quality, Villarreal said. Our findings suggest that San Antonios investment in quality early education had a positive effect even beyond those children who enrolled in the model centers, he said. Future cohorts will also be studied, Villarreal said. The institute can track students academic careers all the way through adulthood and see their earnings through special access it has to data collected from the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Workforce Commission, Villarreal said. The data dont include private schools but will still provide the most advanced research framework San Antonio has known, he said. While its very encouraging to see these positive results, were all very anxious to see how the program is performing in the second cohort and the third cohort later on, Villarreal said. Researchers also plan to develop a qualitative investigation to answer the why questions, Villarreal said, something Pre-K 4 SA CEO Sarah Baray said she wants in order to focus on what works. Our goal is really to understand what compels these changes in behavior so that we can then help other children reap the benefits, Baray said. The Pre-K 4 SA graduates showed better school attendance from kindergarten through third grade, missing an average of 33 fewer days of school over those four years than their peers who did not attend public prekindergarten programs. Villarreal said the study assumed that subsequent cohorts from Pre-K 4 SA also maintained the higher attendance rate to estimate that they together brought a gain of $9.7 million in state funding to San Antonio school districts. State per-pupil funding is based on daily enrollment. Those who came from other public prekindergarten programs had attendance rates that were almost as good, the study found, and the benefit to their school districts was estimated at $13.5 million in state funding. Every day of instruction matters. When children have more instructional time, it stands to reason that theyre able to perform at higher levels, Baray said. Secondly, when children love going to school and their parents feel like its a good experience, they are also more likely to make sure they get there. The other public prekindergarten recipients in the study had attended both half- and full-day programs, depending on what their school districts offered, Villarreal said. The third-grade comparisons included charter schools as well as traditional public schools. Of all the different subgroups of students, economically disadvantaged children showed the most profound effect of early education, Villarreal said. The study found that students who participated in Pre-K 4 SA and public prekindergarten programs were two-thirds less likely to be placed in special education. We dont know the why, Baray said of that finding. We do know that when children have high-quality education early on, it often helps them to perform at levels at which their later teachers can see are substantial, and they dont have the same concerns that they would have if theyre performing at lower levels and so are less likely to recommend them for special education. Krista Torralva covers several school districts and public universities in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | Krista.Torralva@express-news.net | Twitter: @KMTorralva Morey Kogul will give a free authors talk Jan. 30 on Running Breathless: An Untold True Story of WWII and the Holocaust from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Miller Branch Library, 9421 Frederick Road, Ellicott City. It will include a slide show for historical context, video clip of the authors father and a reading from his debut novel. Books will be available for purchase and signing. To register, go to hclibrary.org/classes-events or call 410-313-1950. Monday, January 28, 2019 Each year, the third Monday of January is dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr. Prior to that day this year, I attended the movie Green Book, based on a a true story that occurred in the 1960s. I was incredibly moved by the film, which depicted incidences of racial prejudice and discrimination. In this story, a black musician named Doc." hires an Italian man, Frank (aka "Tony Lip"), to be his chauffeur for scheduled performances throughout the mostly-segregated southern United States. Fortunately, they have a Green Book." that lists places where both blacks and whites are welcome. Initially the two men don't get along, as Tony is uncomfortable being asked to act in a more refined way, while Doc is disgusted by Tonys uncouth habits. However, as the tour progresses, Tony is impressed with Docs talents as a pianist and increasingly appalled by discriminatory treatment of Doc by their hosts and the general public when he is off stage. A group of white men threaten Docs life in a bar, and Tony rescues him. He then tells Doc not to go out without him for the rest of the tour. When Doc is caught having a gay encounter with a white man, Tony bribes the officers to prevent the musicians arrest. Doc becomes upset that Tony seemingly rewarded the officers. Later the two are arrested when a police officer pulls them over late at night, and Tony punches the cop after being insulted. While they are incarcerated, Doc asks to call his lawyer, and uses the opportunity to reach Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who orders the governor to release them. Tony is amazed by the experience, yet Doc is humiliated. They argue, and Tony angrily says he considers himself more black." than Doc. Having reached his breaking point, Doc laments that his affluence prevents him from identifying with many people of his race, while his color prevents him from being accepted by most white people. This bind makes him feel very alone in the world. It is a poignant moment in the film that brings home the isolation and pain of prejudice. Having had personal experience of how prejudice and discrimination occur, I can relate to this story. I was involved in a civil rights project in the 1970s. My husband and I traveled to Mississippi and were met by LC, a black man who was our counterpart in the effort to have black children temporarily live with white families, and white children to live with black families. Our joint effort began with my husband and I spending the night in LCs home. As he drove us through the town and passersby observed us all together, the tension and even hostility were palpable. I was not fearful during this time, yet I knew deep within me the truth of this life-and-death-issue. Consequently, I was determined to pursue ways to change prejudice into approval and appreciation of all races, genders, and creeds. Dear readers, are you aware of and/or have you participated in prejudice against others? Are you one who values and seeks freedom and justice for all? Comments are most welcome. BREXIT POUND UPDATE 13:30 28/1: The pound Sterling (GBP) continued to shed gains through Mondays European trading. After Fridays, twenty-month, high of 1.1601, the Pound-to-Euro (GBPEUR) exchange rate drifted lower and was last seen trading at 1.1510. Paring gains from Fridays three-month best of $1.32172, the Pound-to-Dollar (GBPUSD) cross was last seen trading at $1.31534 after a brief dip below the $1.315 handle. Speculation over the route out of the political deadlock which has all but halted Brexit progress continues to be a key driver for GBP-paired crosses with any developments which stand to reduce the likelihood of a no-deal outcome perceived as positive for the pound. On the eve of parliamentary debates and votes which will see MPs back or reject proposed amendments to PM Mays bill, pro-Brexit Tory Boris Johnson has called on the PM to get tough with Brussels and insist on a renegotiation of the controversial Irish backstop provision. However, commentary from EU officials has shed doubt on whether this is an achievable goal for the PM, with President of the European Commission stating, The Withdrawal Agreement on the table is not open for renegotiation. It includes the backstop. Should the PM fail to secure meaningful reassurances over the finite nature of the backstop arrangements, its unlikely the PM will be able to win over wayward Tory and DUP MPs who initially rejected the agreement on issues related to the Irish backstop. Head of macro-strategy at SSGA (London), Timothy Graf, commented In the very short term, we would be cautious on the pound as none of the amendments tomorrow are legally binding unless the government prepares to shift its red lines, and we havent seen anything yet. British Retail Consortium Warns of Empty Shelves in No-Deal Outcome Monday saw UK retailers issue a joint letter to the government in the face of growing concerns over post-Brexit trade. Whereas manufacturers have ramped up their Brexit preparations, stockpiling goods ahead of anticipated trade disruption, the warning from the British Retail Consortium highlights the impossibility to stockpile fresh produce and that shelves could be left bare in a no-deal Brexit outcome. Fresh produce retailers currently rely on just in time logistics to ensure produce reaches shelves and in turn consumers as quickly as possible. Citing the governments own estimates that freight through Calais, a main supply route for EU grown produce, could decline by 87%, British retailers outlined their growing concerns should a deal not be reached. The letter stated, While we have been working closely with our suppliers on contingency plans, it is not possible to mitigate all the risks to our supply chains and we fear significant disruption as a result if there is no Brexit deal." - Boris Johnson Calls for "Freedom clause" - UK business call on government to "get a grip" - PM May reported to privately rule out no-deal Brexit Pound Sterling (GBP) rates Retreat From Multi-Month Highs Ahead of Parliamentary Debates Pound Sterling (GBP) exchange rates basked in an upwelling of Brexit optimism last week, with the GBP achieving its largest gains against several peer currencies in over a year. The Pound-to-Dollar (GBP) exchange rate saw out the week up 2.54%, breaking above $1.32 for the first time since October 2018. Against the Euro (EUR), the Pound-cross (GBPEUR) surged 2.11% to the top end of the mid-term range, peaking at a 20-month high of 1.1602 before paring gains slightly into the new week. Senior Danske Bank analyst, Piet Christiansen, wrote in a research note, GBP has performed strongly over the past two weeks as the risk of a no deal Brexit appears to be declining. We find the rally in GBP fair given that the post Brexit outcome distribution for EUR/GBP looks increasingly skewed towards the downside. The latest wave of Brexit optimism comes as MPs look set to back amendments which would elevate parliamentary powers over the nature and route of Brexit proceedings with market participants interpreting the developments as reducing the odds of a no-deal Brexit outcome. Global head of FX strategy at Morgan Stanley (London), Hans Redeker, commented It shows that the number of lawmakers who want a hard no-deal Brexit is falling fast in parliament and that is positive for the pound in the short term. Support was also seen stemming from reports by the Sun newspaper that the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which props up PM Mays minority Conservative government had privately agreed to back PM Mays deal should she be able to secure assurances over the Irish backstop provision. Into the new week and the pound-positive headlines continued with unconfirmed reports from the Sun suggesting that PM May had privately ruled out a no-deal outcome to senior Tory politicians. Thus far, the PM has been wary to firmly discount the possibility of a no deal as a) as it stands a no deal Brexit is the default outcome should the UK and EU not finalise a deal before March 29th and b) to rule out a no deal reduces the PMs leverage recent rhetoric from the government has focused on PM Mays deal or no-deal as the only viable options. Writing for the Daily Telegraph, pro-Brexit Conservative, Boris Johnson, called on the Prime Minister to nullify the backstop provision altogether. Johnson wrote, If the PM secures that change a proper UK-sized perforation in the fabric of the backstop itself - I have no doubt that she will have the whole country full-throatedly behind her. He added that in lieu of the backstop provision, which would impose measures to avoid a hard Irish border notwithstanding a deal between the UK and EU, the PM could instead insert a Freedom clause to allow the UK to unilaterally withdraw from the backstop arrangement. However, Deputy Irish Prime Minister, Simon Coveney, commented over the weekend that the current backstop provision already represents a compromise and something that was not going to change. Meanwhile, UK firms have continued to pressure the government with the head of the UK shipping industry calling on politicians to get a grip on Brexit. Ambiguity over future trade relations and cross-channel logistics have severely dampened business optimism in recent months and inflated eco-stats as firms stockpile ahead of an unknown outcome. Chief executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping, Bob Sanguinetti, said We need put aside party politics and in the moment of need that we find ourselves in, we need to look at the bigger picture and look at what is best for the country. Sanguinetti added, In the absence of a viable alternative to the Withdrawal Agreement, we continue to be heading for a no-deal scenario which is damaging, disruptive and chaotic to business, to manufacturers and consumers. Tuesday (29th) will see the House of Commons debate the Prime Ministers proposed Plan B alongside any alternative plans put forward by MPs and tabled amendments including some which are expected to boost parliamentary powers over the route ahead and also force the government to request an extension to the looming March 29th deadline as MPs pursue a majority backed proposition. We could see some significant Brexit developments over the next 48 hours. Investors will be focused on the EUs official response should PM May push for a time-limit to be imposed on the backstop provision something the EU have already said they will not provide and which amendments, if any, are backed by a majority during Tuesdays voting with indications that parliament are taking further control in a bid to block a no-deal outcome or extend the article 50 deadline, likely to support the GBP further. Danske Banks Christian wrote, we reckon that it would require more than the approval of the Cooper amendment - either in the form of higher probability that a deal could be passed soon or a call for a 2nd referendum - to trigger a break below 0.86 (EURGBP) at this stage. - We highlight this weeks big market drivers. - Important data releases, big earnings reports and trade talks will keep markets volatile. - But first, the market is still trying to gage last weeks big Fed news. - The markets have a lot still to digest from last week before we start the new week. Fridays big news came from a Wall Street Journal report stating the Fed is "close to deciding they will maintain a larger portfolio of Treasury securities than theyd expected when they began shrinking those holdings two years ago, putting an end to the central banks portfolio wind-down closer into sight." In other words, the Fed could end its Quantative Tightening program much earlier than expected. This is a big dovish surprise for the markets, and one which could send the US dollar much lower and help stocks recover further. In other news, President Trump announced an end to the longest US Government Shutdown in history, but the market impact of this is unclear, especially with the prospect of further disagreements in the near future. There has been no resolution on the budget for the border wall. FOREX CALENDAR Monday January 28 ECB President Draghi makes the introductory statement at the ECON hearing in the European Parliament today. Tariff-sensitive CAT reports before the bell, but the main focus of the day will probably further reaction to the Fed report from Friday. 23:50 JPY BoJ Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes (Sunday) 13:30 USD US Chicago Fed National Activity Index 14:00 EUR ECB President Draghi's Speech 22:45 NZD NZ Imports/Exports/Trade Balance Tuesday January 29 There is another Brexit parliamentary debate and vote today in the UK. The optimal outcome this time (short of accepting the deal voted down on Jan 15) is an extension to the Brexit date of Mar 29. The vote expected around 1900. Fourth largest DJIA stock MMM (5.32% weight) reports before the bell, but the big one is AAPL, who report around 2130, and have already prewarned of reduced earnings. There is a rate decision on HUF. 14:00 USD US S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices (YoY) 15:00 USD US Consumer Confidence 21:30 WTI API Stock 23:50 JPY Japan Retail Sales Wednesday January 30 A big day today. Chinese Vice-President Liu leads a 30-strong delegation visiting the US for two days of trade talks. Expect some soundbites. The rate decision is at 1900, and a hold is expected by all (99.5% priced in on the CME Fedwatch tool). However, the content of the December meeting minutes will be scrutinised, although of course we have already had a lot of dovish signals since the last hike in December. Watch out for the ADP report, the estimate of 178k doesnt make much allowance for the shutdown. 00:30 AUD Australia CPI (Trimmed mean e 1.8% pr 1.8%) 07:00 EUR Germany Gfk Consumer Confidence Survey 09:30 GBP UK Mortgage Approvals 10:00 EUR DE10 Bond Auction 10:00 EUR Eurozone Business Climate 13:00 EUR Germany CPI (YoY prelim) (e 1.8% pr 1.7%) 13:15 USD US ADP Employment Change 15:00 USD US Pending Home Sales (MoM) 15:30 WTI EIA Stock 19:00 USD Fed Rate Decision/Statement (e 2.5% hold) Thursday January 31 Lots of European data today, with the first reading of European Q4 GDP. These preliminary GDP reports do not move the markets as much as the actual, which is several weeks away. 00:01 GBP UK Gfk Consumer Confidence 01:00 CNY China PMIs 03:30 AUD RBA Rate Statement 07:00 EUR Germany Retail Sales 08:55 EUR Germany Unemployment 10:00 EUR Eurozone GDP (Q4 prelim) (YoY e 1.2% pr 1.6%) 10:00 EUR Eurozone Unemployment 13:30 USD US Jobless Claims 13:30 CAD Gross Domestic Product (MoM) 14:45 USD Chicago PMI 16:00 EUR Germany BuBa President Weidmann speech 17:30 CAD BoC Wilkins Speech 21:30 AUD Australia AiG Performance of Mfg Index 23:30 JPY Jobs to applicants ratio/Unemployment Friday February 01 The first day of the new month starts with close focus on the UK PMI (as GBP is so volatile these days), and oil giant XOM (2% of DJIA) reporting before the bell. However, its NFP day, with a reduced estimate from usual, probably due to the shutdown which has now (temporarily) ended. AHE and unemployment estimates are unchanged from last month. To finish the week, the important ISM PMI is at 1500, although it doesnt have the same effect when coincidental with NFP. 01:45 CNY China Caixin Manufacturing PMI 08:55 EUR Germany Markit Manufacturing PMI 09:00 EUR Eurozone Markit Manufacturing PMI 09:30 GBP UK Markit Manufacturing PMI 09:30 GBP UK Mortgage Approvals 13:30 USD NFP/AHE/UnEmpl/Participation (e 168k pr 312k) 14:45 USD US Markit Manufacturing PMI 15:00 USD US Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index 15:00 USD US ISM Manufacturing PMI (e 54.3 pr 54.1) 18:00 WTI Baker Hughes Rig Count this news is not available New research published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology, reveals that prescription opioids are commonly used long-term to treat pain in older patients with severe osteoarthritis. The study also found substantial statewide variation in rates of treatment with long-term opioid therapy for osteoarthritis, which was not fully explained by differences in patient characteristics or access to healthcare providers. Long-term use of prescription opioids for the treatment of chronic pain carries the risk of dependence and other serious harms. Osteoarthritis in the hip or knee is a common source of chronic pain in the United States, as it affects nearly 30 million US adults and has a prevalence that is expected to rise with the aging of the population. To evaluate long-term opioid use in patients with severe osteoarthritis and to examine differences based on geography and healthcare access, Rishi J. Desai, MS, PhD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and his colleagues analyzed 2010-2014 Medicare data on osteoarthritis patients undergoing total joint replacement. The analysis included 358,121 patients with an average age of 74 years. One in six patients used long-term prescription opioids (?90 days) for pain management in the year leading up to total joint replacement, with an average duration of approximately seven months. More strikingly, nearly 20 percent of the long-term users consumed an average daily dose of ?50 morphine milligram equivalents, an amount that was identified by recent guidelines as potentially imparting a high risk of opioid-related harms. The average percent of long-term opioid users among advanced osteoarthritis patients varied widely across states, ranging from 8.9 percent in Minnesota to 26.4 percent in Alabama. Access to primary care providers was only modestly associated with rates of long-term opioid use (an average adjusted difference of 1.4 percent between areas with highest versus lowest concentration of primary care providers), while access to rheumatologists was not associated with long-term opioid use. "These findings suggest that regional prescribing practices are key determinants of prescription opioid use in chronic pain patients, and geographically targeted dissemination strategies for safe opioid prescribing guidelines may be required to address the high use observed in certain states," said Dr. Desai. ### Additional information The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Members of the media may sign up for embargoed news or to request a copy of any study please contact: Penny Smith +44 (0) 1243 770448 (UK) Josh Glickman +1 201-748-6572 (US) newsroom@wiley.com Follow us on Twitter @WileyNews Full Citation: "Association of geography and access to healthcare providers with long term prescription opioid use in Medicare patients with severe osteoarthritis: A cohort study." Rishi J. Desai, Yinzhu Jin, Patricia D. Franklin, Yvonne C. Lee, Brian T. Bateman, Joyce Lii, Daniel H. Solomon, Jeffrey N. Katz, and Seoyoung C. Kim. Arthritis & Rheumatology; Published Online: January 28, 2019 (DOI: 10.1002/art.40834). URL Upon Publication: http://doi. wiley. com/ 10. 1002/ art. 40834 Author Contact: Marck Murphy, BWH Media relations manager, at mmurphy90@bwh.harvard.edu. About the Journal Arthritis & Rheumatology is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and covers all aspects of inflammatory disease. The American College of Rheumatology (http://www. rheumatology. org ) is the professional organization whose members share a dedication to healing, preventing disability, and curing the more than 100 types of arthritis and related disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones. Members include practicing physicians, research scientists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the ACR. For more information, please visit http://wileyonlinelibrary. com/ journal/ art . About Wiley Therefore, during the breeding season in 2018, the Conservation Biology Team of the University of Barcelona marked six Egyptian vultures with GPS emitters to conduct its tracking: Ros, Obac, Avenc, Oris, Picatxo and Asticot. The first three birds were born in 2018: Ros and Obac came from the Natural Park of Sant Llorenc del Munt i l'Obac, and Avenc, from Espai Natural de les Guilleries-Savassona. Oris was born in 2017 and came from another recovery center; Picatxo was born in 2016 in la Garrotxa, and Asticot was born in 2014 in southern France. The three last ones formed a group of Egyptian vultures that had been caught and released in Osona. The GPS-GSM technology allowed the precise tracking of the movements, use of space and migration process of these Egyptian vultures to Africa. "This is one of the first times that GPS-GSM emitters have been used in these species, which is endangered worldwide, with the aim to know about their transcontinental movements and to track their way back to Catalonia in Spring", says lecturer Joan Real, head of the Conservation Biology Team of the UB. This study was carried out as part of the project "Aplicacio de noves tecnologies per coneixer els efectes del canvi global i local en les poblacions iberiques d'aufrany. Aplicacions per a la conservacio", led by the Conservation Biology Team of the UB, from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona. The project, which has the support of Red Electrica de Espana SAU, Fundacio Catalunya - La Pedrera and Diputacio de Barcelona, counts on the collaboration of other researchers and naturalists, as well as foresters. Tracking the vultures: a great team work Placing emitters in vultures was possible thanks to the collaboration of several organisms and naturalists. In this joint action, the Biodiversity and Environment Service of Generalitat de Catalunya provided the authorization for the marking and tracking of vultures, while the Grup de Suport de Muntanya del Cos d'Agents Rurals (mountain support group of foresters) of Generalitat de Catalunya carried out climbing tasks and caught the young birds. Expert Victor Garcia, member of the Subdirectorate-General of Natural Environment and Forestry of the Ministry for Ecological Transition, captured the vultures and placed the emitters. The Conservation Biology Team of the UB, a distinguished group in the study of threatened birds of prey, conducted the tracking of these vultures, apart from bird ringing them, and took measurements and biological samples. All beings that were found injured or dead were diagnosed by the experts from the Recovery Center on Torreferrussa from Generalitat de Catalunya. Last, the project also received the support of the experts from the Natural Park of Monteserrat, the Natural Park of Sant Llorenc del Munt i l'Obac, the la Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, the Natural Area Guilleries-Savassona and the Consortium of Natural Spaces of Ripolles, apart from the foresters of the mentioned places who took part in the tracking of the vulture population. Migratory behaviour and threats In a few weeks, the six Egyptian vultures had created a great amount of data regarding the feeding areas, phenology, movements and causes of death. Like in many other raptors, death linked to human activity is a big problem for the preservation of the species. Although the venom used to illegally hunt carnivorous animals is one of the main threats to these raptors, the data brought by the monitoring of the six beings show that other ways such as electrocution with electric lines, can cause deaths and are probably a big threat to the viability of Egyptian vulture populations. A difficult journey The destinations of the six Egyptian vultures have been very different. Oris was released in a landfill to ease its contact with other beings from the same species and to find food. This one got used to this place in such a way that one could say it lives in this landfill. This vulture entered a recovery center after leaving the nest and remained there until it was released last Spring, so it could not migrate. This fact could cause the loss of the migratory instinct, since it has not shown any signs of leaving. As it was expected, Picatxo and Asticot were the most active regarding movement, due their non-breeding condition. During July and August, they carried out movements in a wide area, mainly in Catalonia, and visited feeding areas such as reeds, landfills and areas with extensive livestock. Both coincided in a feeding area for some days before starting the active migration, which was fast. Picatxo crossed the Strait of Gibraltar on August 16, while Asticot did so on September 3. They reached southern Mauritania in a few days. There are no signs of location for the former one, probably due being in an area without GSM coverage. As for the latter, researchers receive its location. Regarding the young birds, migration took place later, as expected. Once Avenc left the nest, it stayed in the landfill area for some weeks, probably with its progenitors. It started its active migration on September 7 and after a scale of a few days in Catalonia and Aragon, it crossed the Strait on September 18. It is now in the south of Mauritania. The other young birds from Sant Llorenc del Munt i l'Obac have a different ending. Obac began the active migration in late August and reached Albacete in two days, where it got electrocuted with electric lines. It could survive for several days until it was caught on September 20 by foresters in Castilla-La-Mancha, who brought him to a recovery center. However, researchers do not know if it will fully recover from the injury. Regarding Ros, it began the active migration in early September and reached southern Spain in a few days, where it stopped for five days. On September 10, while flying over Granada, it had an accident. Although this is under investigation by Environment agents from Junta de Andalucia, the cause of this accident may be due human activity. In this context, the obtained data, although dramatic in some cases, is important and of great interest to address the challenges of the conservation of this endangered species. Also, within the frame of the project -active from 2017 to 2020-, it is expected to mark more Egyptian vultures with GPS emitters to continue studying how they live and how they get resources, and therefore get more scientific data on their survival and movements. ### In the late 19th century, Robert Fleischman's great-grandfather was an architect, engineer and builder in southern Italy before he immigrated to the United States. With the receipt of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award to Italy, Fleischman is returning to his roots. In February, he'll head to the University of Salento in Lecce for six months to lead an integrated research and teaching program in earthquake engineering. "When I was in high school, I was just interested in sports, and my mom said, 'I want you to be an engineer,'" Fleischman said. "She gave me a protractor that belonged to my great-grandfather, and that set me on my path to where I am today." A professor of civil and architectural engineering and mechanics at the University of Arizona, Fleischman is one of more than 800 U.S. citizens who will teach, conduct research and provide expertise abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Modern Techniques for Ancient Structures His teaching program will focus on two tracks: how to build the earthquake-resistant buildings of tomorrow and how to successfully retrofit existing historic buildings that present a danger to people, particularly in southern Italy. It will include a seminar series, short courses and a hands-on five-day workshop. The seminars will be available to undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Salento, streamed as a webinar to other universities in Southern Italy and offered to local practicing engineers. He will apply his research into precast concrete to investigating prefabrication methods for the construction of new earthquake-resistant buildings in southern Italy's urban centers. He'll also use his knowledge of using fiber-reinforced polymers to strengthen beams, arches and columns to develop approaches for retrofitting older existing buildings. "One of my colleagues in Italy was looking at a building where the bottom was from Roman times, on top of that was a medieval wall, and on top of that was some Renaissance construction," Fleischman said. "One building had all of this history, with different materials and techniques linking it to the cultural and historical heritage. While I know more about modern construction, my colleague in Italy is an expert on these older buildings, so there's an opportunity for exchange." Earthquake-Proofing Around the World Fleischman is looking forward to expanding his area of study and exposing Italian students to some of the United States' leading earthquake engineering research, and it's an opportunity he's well prepared for. Fleischman has led large research projects that developed safer building methods and influenced seismic code provisions. He has coordinated post-earthquake efforts in Chile and Japan, and traveled to Haiti and New Zealand in the wake of major earthquakes as part of a post-quake reconnaissance team. Nearly $4 million of his research portfolio has involved collaboration with at least three universities, in places such as Italy, New Zealand, Mexico, England and Kazakhstan. Through hosting visiting scholars from Chile, Iran and Palestine; teaching a short course for Asian and Middle Eastern scholars on earthquake engineering; and developing curriculum for a degree program at the American University of Phnom Penh, he's become well-versed in working with different cultures. He's no stranger to Italy, either: He delivered two short courses at the University of Rome in 2012, participated in an Italy-led European Union commission research project and has attended workshops on multiple Italian earthquakes. He also speaks Italian at an intermediate level. "On a personal level, my wife and I are both half Italian, so I'm excited about translating my notes into Italian and interacting with people bilingually," he said. "I'm also excited to contribute to the department's effort to expand its international profile in both education and in research." ### In a race against time, an American professor and a Haitian CEO have teamed up to establish private nature reserves to protect Haiti's disappearing species. Now, with funding from Global Wildlife Conservation and Rainforest Trust, the first such park has been purchased: Grand Bois, a mountain in the southwest of Haiti with rare and endangered plants and animals. "The native species of plants and animals in Haiti need greater protection," says Professor S. Blair Hedges, director of Temple University's Center for Biodiversity, who has been surveying, with helicopter, the last remaining tracts of Haiti's original forests before they disappear. In November 2018, he and his team reported, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that Haiti has less than 1% of its original primary forest and is going through a mass extinction of biodiversity. However, they identified a few remaining biodiversity 'hot spots' where original forests and their species still exist, including Grand Bois. His partner in the effort is Haitian businessman Philippe Bayard, CEO of Sunrise Airways and president of the leading conservation group in Haiti, Societe Audubon Haiti. Since they teamed up nine years ago, Hedges and Bayard raised public awareness about Haiti's disappearing species through videos, brochures, public lectures, and a documentary film. Haiti's government took notice. In 2015, Haiti declared Grand Bois a national park, identifying it as a priority for conservation and validating the critical need to acquire and protect the area. Parks were also created for Deux Mamelles and Grand Colline, other mountainous hot spots in southwestern Haiti. There are, however, limited resources from the Haitian government for protection of these large and remote areas, whether publicly or privately owned. To assemble the mountain tracts, Bayard and Hedges sought donors to purchase private land and help pay for park management. Two experienced conservation organizations, Global Wildlife Conservation and Rainforest Trust, joined the effort. After delays from government instability in the last two years, the Grand Bois purchase was completed on January 18 of this year. "It is a jewel of biodiversity with about one half of the orginal forest intact above 1,000 meters of elevation," explains Hedges, "Its more than 1,200 acres holds at least 68 species of vertebrates including some found nowhere else in the world and plants and animals previously thought to be extinct, such as Ekman's Magnolia tree and the Tiburon Stream Frog. A first step in managing Grand Bois involved creating a nursery for the magnolia trees, with technical assistance from Fundacion Progressio, an NGO in the neighboring Dominican Republic. "That Grand Bois and the two other areas were named as national parks based on our work has been gratifying," says Hedges. "Now with funding from Global Wildlife Conservation and Rainforest Trust, we are beginning the process of land purchase and management to build a network of private nature reserves and to assist the government in managing other protected areas." For decades, Bayard and Hedges have witnessed the continual degradation of the environment in Haiti. "Sadly, conservation efforts in Haiti were not producing convincing results and therefore the current system of protected areas is not working. Something different was truly needed," said Audubon Society of Haiti president Bayard. He knew that a new strategy was necessary and a private trust fund was the answer. As a result, the pair recently founded Haiti National Trust to preserve the country's natural environment and biodiversity. "We are trying to embark on a new direction for biodiversity conservation in Haiti," said Bayard. Morne Grand Bois is found in Haiti's Massif de la Hotte mountain range, the number one priority conservation area in the country and one of the most important areas for amphibians in the world. Because 19 amphibians here are critically endangered, the Massif de la Hotte is an Alliance for Zero Extinction site and also a Key Biodiversity Area, which is a nationally identified region of global significance. In addition to his research and conservation work in Haiti, Hedges has collaborated with the Philadelphia Zoo to keep alive and/or captively breed the most endangered frog species still found in the country. As head of Temple's Center for Biodiversity, Hedges coordinates research that seeks to understand how species evolved, what species currently exist, how species interact with each other and the environment, and how scientists and society can save species from extinction. ### About Haiti National Trust Haiti National Trust (HNT) works to protect the environment and biodiversity of Haiti for future generations through land purchase and management. HNT believes that biological diversity must be saved because of its intrinsic value and importance for humanity. Healthy forests secure soil for crops, stabilize drinking water, and keep coastal communities and reefs alive and thriving. HNT engages local communities to help us maintain, protect, and expand the critical ecosystems of Haiti. We are a non-profit charity. More information at http://www. HaitiTrust. org About Rainforest Trust Rainforest Trust is a leading international conservation organization that has been steadfast in its mission for 30 years to save endangered species through the purchase and protection of imperiled tropical habitats in partnership with local partners and communities. Since its founding in 1988, Rainforest Trust has helped protect over 18 million acres of rainforest and other tropical habitats in more than 125 project sites around the world. Presently, Rainforest Trust is working to establish a network of over 190 protected areas toward its goal of strategically protecting 50 million acres by 2020. Rainforest Trust has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, and 100 percent of project gifts directly fund vital conservation action. More information at http://www. RainforestTrust. org About Global Wildlife Conservation Global Wildlife Conservation protects endangered species and habitats through science-based field action. GWC envisions a world with diverse and abundant wildlife and is dedicated to ensuring that the species on the verge of extinction are not lost. The global organization brings together scientists, conservationists, policymakers and industry leaders to ensure a truly collaborative approach to species conservation. More information at http://www. globalwildlife. org Acknowledgements The purchase of Grand Bois was made possible by a generous donation from the Sheth Sangreal Foundation (through Global Wildlife Conservation) and from Rainforest Trust. Contact information: Professor S. Blair Hedges, sbh@temple.edu Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) developed a micro-electromechanical energy harvester that allows for more flexibility in design, which is crucial for future IoT applications. Nowadays, it would be hard to not notice that electronic devices have become incredibly small. The use of miniature sensors in the upcoming Internet of Things (IoT) era could enable us to develop applications that were only seen in science fiction. However, microelectronic devices still require power to run, and energy-harvesting micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) can be used so that these minuscule contraptions can run on ambient energy, such as that coming from mechanical vibrations. As depicted in Fig. 1, conventional MEMS energy harvesters use an electret (the electrical equivalent of a permanent magnet; it has permanent charge stored in it) placed in an MEMS tunable capacitor, which has a moving electrode that is pushed by ambient forces, inducing the movement of charges. Unfortunately, this design is very constrained because the fabrication processes for both the electret and the MEMS components have to be compatible. Therefore, a team of scientists, including Assistant Professor Daisuke Yamane from Tokyo Institute of Technology, proposed a new MEMS electret-based energy harvester that consists of two separate chips: one for the MEMS tunable capacitor, and one containing an electret and dielectric material to form another capacitor (Fig. 1). "This allows us to physically separate MEMS structures and electrets for the first time," states Yamane. The energy-harvesting mechanism of the device is shown in Fig. 2 above. The capacitance of the electret circuit is fixed (Cfix), whereas that of the MEMS tunable capacitor (CM) changes according to the stretching of the spring (caused by external vibrations). When CM becomes higher than Cfix, a movement of charges is induced and the tunable capacitor gains charge. Likewise, when Cfix is higher, charges move in the opposite direction and the capacitor in the electret circuit gains charge. These movements of charges represent electrical power that can be exploited. The left side of Fig. 2 below shows pictures of the fabricated chips and a simplified diagram, and the right side shows that voltage can be effectively generated. "The proposed method can be a promising way to enhance the design and fabrication flexibility of both MEMS structures and electrets," concludes Yamane. Loosening up design constraints expands the limits for engineers and will accelerate the onset of the IoT era so that we can reap its benefits. ### San Antonio, Texas (January 28, 2019) - A collaboration of scientists including Professor Jean Patterson, Ph.D., of Texas Biomedical Research Institute, is working on a new way to detect Zika virus that will help guide clinicians in their treatment of patients with the disease. The test uses optofluidic chips to screen bodily fluids (blood, urine, semen) for the presence of the virus. This new approach will also help pinpoint the stage of the disease. Researchers at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Brigham Young University, and the University of California at Berkeley developed the technology being tested. "What this technology will do is tell us, first of all, if you've already been infected. If you have antibodies, you wouldn't be at risk for a new infection. It will also tell us where you are in your infection," Dr. Patterson explained. Knowing the stage of the disease is critical, since many antivirals only work early in infections and are not very effective later in the course of the disease. This particular diagnostic test would tell clinicians if the patient is still in the RNA replicating stage (a sign of recent infection) or if the patient has started to produce viral particles (an indication the disease has progressed). The mosquito-borne illness was first identified in Uganda in 1947, but Zika roared into international headlines in 2014 when cases of the virus were shown to have a connection to devastating birth defects - like microcephaly - in babies born to mothers who had Zika while pregnant. The study into a new diagnostic technology to pinpoint Zika started two years ago. Texas Biomed provides knowledge about the virus and viral material the researchers at UC Santa Cruz can test. Also, scientists are using marmosets from the Southwest National Primate Research Center to provide blood, urine and semen samples for testing. These are the kinds of samples clinicians would use for their human patients. Dr. Patterson is confident this work will bear fruit. "We've got this," she stated. Electrical engineering Professor Holger Schmidt, Ph.D., of UC Santa Cruz describes the new technology as "a lab on a chip." Optofluidics uses a combination of two technologies. Microfluidics is a process that takes small biological samples for detection purposes like medical and chemical analysis. Then integrated optics uses optical waveguides, lasers, and other optical elements on a chip. Together, these technologies can detect molecules without the need for amplification that other tests require. The same test is being developed for another pathogen Texas Biomed researches: Ebola virus. Dr. Schmidt says this less complex biological assay to detect infection would be helpful for people in remote areas like parts of Africa. ### The Zika optofluidics research is funded in part by a grant from the National Institutes of Health "HYBRID INTEGRATED MOLECULAR ANALYSIS (HIMAS) FOR POINT-OF-CARE DIAGNOSTICS" 5R33AI100229-05. Other funding was made possible from generous Texas Biomed donors. The collaboration of scientists working on the project have applied for another scientific grant and they plan to apply for a grant to commercialize the experimental Zika test. Also to be considered by the judge is a motion by the defense to exclude multiple autopsy and crime scene photographs of what is essentially the same thing, according to court filings. The state responded that crime scene photos are relevant to the nature and extent of the injuries to the victims. HOUSTON - (Jan. 28, 2019) - When you light up a metal nanoparticle, you get light back. It's often a different color. That's a fact - but the why is up for debate. In a new paper in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters, Rice chemist Stephan Link and graduate student Yi-Yu Cai make a case that photoluminescence, rather than Raman scattering, gives gold nanoparticles their remarkable light-emitting properties. The researchers say understanding how and why nanoparticles emit light is important for improving solar-cell efficiency and designing particles that use light to trigger or sense biochemical reactions. The longstanding debate, with determined scientists on either side, is about how light of one color causes some nanoparticles to emit light of a different color. Cai, the paper's lead author, said the debate arose out of semiconductor research in the 1970s and was more recently extended to the field of plasmonic structures. "The Raman effect is like a ball that hits an object and bounces off," Cai said. "But in photoluminescence, the object absorbs the light. The energy in the particle moves around and the emission comes afterwards." Eight years ago, Link's research group reported the first spectroscopy study on luminescence from single plasmonic nanorods, and the new paper builds upon that work, showing that the glow emerges when hot carriers - the electrons and holes in conductive metals - are excited by energy from a continuous wave laser and recombine as they relax, with the interactions emitting photons. By shining specific frequencies of laser light onto gold nanorods, the researchers were able to sense temperatures they said could only come from excited electrons. That's an indication of photoluminescence, because the Raman view assumes that phonons, not excited electrons, are responsible for light emission. Link and Cai say the evidence appears in the efficiency of anti-Stokes as compared to Stokes emission. Anti-Stokes emission appears when a particle's energetic output is greater than the input, while Stokes emission, the subject of an earlier paper by the lab, appears when the reverse is true. Once considered a background effect related to the phenomenon of surface-enhanced Raman scattering, Stokes and anti-Stokes measurements turn out to be full of useful information important to researchers, Cai said. Silver, aluminum and other metallic nanoparticles are also plasmonic, and Cai expects they'll be tested to determine their Stokes and anti-Stokes properties as well. But first, he and his colleagues will investigate how photoluminescence decays over time. "The direction of our group moving forward is to measure the lifetime of this emission, how long it can survive after the laser is turned off," he said. ### Co-authors of the paper are Rice alumni Eric Sung, Runmin Zhang, Jun Liu, Yue Zhang and Wei-Shun Chang; research scientist Lawrence Tauzin; graduate student Behnaz Ostovar, and Peter Nordlander, a professor of physics and astronomy, of electrical and computer engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering. Link is a professor of chemistry and of electrical and computer engineering. The research was supported by the Robert A. Welch Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research via the Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative and the National Science Foundation. Editor's note: Links to high-resolution images for download appear at the end of this release. David Ruth - 713-348-6327?david@rice.edu Mike Williams - 713-348-6728?mikewilliams@rice.edu Read the abstract at https:/ / pubs. acs. org/ doi/ 10. 1021/ acs. nanolett. 8b04359 This news release can be found online at https:/ / news. rice. edu/ 2019/ 01/ 28/ plasmonic-pioneers-fire-away-in-fight-over-light/ Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews Related materials: Link Research Group: http://slink. rice. edu/ members/ slink/ Nordlander Nanophotonics Group: http://nordlander. rice. edu/ home Wiess School of Natural Sciences: https:/ / naturalsciences. rice. edu Images for download: https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2019/ 01/ 0129_STOKES-1-WEB-19l9ih8. jpg Rice University researchers argued for the dominance of photoluminescence as the source of light emitted by plasmonic metal nanoparticles in a new paper. Their techniques could be used to develop solar cells and biosensors. (Credit: Illustration by Anneli Joplin/Rice University) https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2019/ 01/ 0129_STOKES-2-WEB-1l3zxcj. jpg Rice University graduate student Yi-Yu Cai adjusts a microscope to focus on gold nanorods, the target of new research into the source of useful light emissions from metal nanoparticles. (Credit: Photo by Jeff Fitlow) https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2019/ 01/ 0129_STOKES-3-WEB-1i67rrm. jpg Rice University researchers are looking into the source of light emitted by plasmonic metal nanoparticles. In a new paper, they argue for the dominance of photoluminescence as opposed to Raman scattering. From left: Yi-Yu Cai, Behnaz Ostovar and Lawrence Tauzin. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) To be listed as UNESCO World Heritage requires special care and protection of valuable cultural monuments and pieces of Art from threats such as biodeterioration caused by microcolonial black fungi. The culprits lodge their branch-like structures (hyphae) deep into the stone forming fissures and cracks and also produce polysaccharides that trigger corrosion. These fungi are well known for their unique resistance to hostile environmental conditions, including extreme temperatures, high solar and UV radiation, severe droughts and low abundance of nutrients. As a result, they survive in hot and cold deserts, saltpans, acidic and hydrocarbon-contaminated sites and exposed rocks surfaces. All of this makes them a particular challenge to conservationists and biologists who care for historic monuments. During a multi-disciplinary scientific survey at the 8-century-old cathedral Se Velha de Coimbra (Old Cathedral of Coimbra), which is the only Romanesque cathedral in Portugal to have survived relatively intact since the Reconquista times, scientists retrieved a peculiar slow-growing microcolonial black fungus. What Joao Trovao of the University of Coimbra (Portugal) and his colleagues were looking at turned out to be a species of a whole new family (Aeminiaceae) in the order of the sooty mould fungi. The new species, its new genus and the novel family are described in the open-access journal MycoKeys. To define the new group of fungi, the researchers first scraped off samples from a deteriorated limestone artwork in the "Santa Maria" chapel and then conducted an extensive and integrative analysis, based on morphological, physiological, ecological characters and DNA sequences. As for the origin of the previously unknown fungus, the scientists hypothesise that the species had 'arrived' at the Old Cathedral of Coimbra with the limestone used during its construction. Coming from the unique nearby areas of Anca and Portunhos, such limestone has been used on several of the "Our Ladies of the O" statues, as well as in the portal of the Royal Hospital in Santiago de Compostela (Spain). Currently, these fungi are considered endemic to the limestone quarries in the Iberian Peninsula. "Regarding stone monuments exposed to the environment, microcolonial black fungi are considered one of the main culprits for the phenomenon of stone biodeterioration, being responsible for severe aesthetic, biochemical and biophysical alterations," comment the scientists. "It is, therefore, crucial to gather deeper knowledge regarding their biodiversity and their biological, ecological and physiological unique characteristics, in order to span our knowledge regarding these fungi and, at the same time, allow the development and improvement of tools to protect stone monuments from their deteriorative effects." ### Original source: CORVALLIS, Ore. - Researchers at Oregon State University have found that a chemical mechanism first described more than two centuries ago holds the potential to revolutionize energy storage for high-power applications like vehicles or electrical grids. The research team led by Xiulei (David) Ji of OSU's College of Science, along with collaborators at the Argonne National Laboratory, the University of California Riverside, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, are the first to demonstrate that diffusion may not be necessary to transport ionic charges inside a hydrated solid-state structure of a battery electrode. "This discovery potentially will shift the whole paradigm of high-power electrochemical energy storage with new design principles for electrodes," said Xianyong Wu, a postdoctoral scholar at OSU and the first author of the article. Findings were published today in Nature Energy. "Coming up with Faradaic electrodes that afford battery's energy density and capacitor's power with excellent cycle life has been a big challenge," said Ji, associate professor of chemistry. "So far, most of the attention has been devoted to metal ions - starting with lithium and looking down the periodic table." The collaborative team, however, looked up - to the single proton of hydrogen - and they also looked back in time, to Theodor von Grotthuss, a German-born Lithuanian chemist who in 1806 penned the theory on charge transport in electrolytes. Von Grotthuss was just 20, and living in a region beset with political upheaval, when he published "Memoir on the decomposition of water and of the bodies that it holds in solution by means of galvanic electricity" in a French scientific journal. "In the turmoil of his time and place, he managed to make this big discovery," Ji said. "He was the earliest to figure out how electrolyte works, and he described what's now known as the Grotthuss mechanism: proton transferred by cooperative cleavage and formation of hydrogen bonds and O-H covalent bonds within the hydrogen-bonding network of water molecules." Here's how it works: Electrical charge is conducted when a hydrogen atom bridging two water molecules "switches its allegiance" from one molecule to the other, Wu explains. "The switch kicks disjointed one of the hydrogen atoms that was covalently bonded in the second molecule, triggering a chain of similar displacements throughout the hydrogen-bonding network," he said. "The motion is like a Newton's cradle: Correlated local displacements lead to the long-range transport of protons, which is very different from metal-ion conduction in liquid electrolytes, where solvated ions diffuse long distances individually in the vehicular manner." Added Ji: "The cooperative vibrations of hydrogen bonding and hydrogen-oxygen covalent bonds virtually hand off a proton from one end of a chain of water molecules to the other end with no mass transfer inside the water chain." The molecular relay race is the essence of a fantastically efficient charge conduit, he said. "That's the beauty of it," Ji said. "If this mechanism is installed in battery electrodes, the proton doesn't have to squeeze through narrow orifices in crystal structures. If we design materials with the purpose of facilitating this kind of conduction, this conduit is so ready - we have this magic proton highway built in as part of the lattice." In their experiment, Ji, Wu and their collaborators revealed the extremely high power performance of an electrode of a Prussian blue analog, Turnbull's blue - known by the dye industry. The unique contiguous lattice water network inside the electrode's lattice demonstrates the "grandeur" promised by the Grotthuss mechanism. "Computational scientists have made tremendous progress on understanding how the proton hopping really occurs in water," Ji said. "But Grotthuss' theory was never explored to avail energy storage in detail, particularly in a well-defined redox reaction, which had the aim to materialize the impact of this theory." While very excited about their findings, Ji cautions that there's still work to be done to attain ultrafast charge and discharge in batteries that are practical for transportation or grid energy storage. "Without the proper technology involving research by materials scientists and electrical engineers, this is all purely theoretical," he said. "Can you have a sub-second charge or discharge of a battery chemistry? We theoretically demonstrated it, but to realize it in consumer devices, it could be a very long engineering journey. Right now the battery community focuses on lithium, sodium, and other metal ions, but protons are probably the most intriguing charge carriers with vast unknown potentials to realize." ### The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy supported this research. Antibiotic-Resistant Genes (ARGs) that were first detected in urban India have been found 8,000 miles away in one of the last 'pristine' places on earth, a new study has shown. Soil samples taken in the Kongsfjorden region of Svalbard have now confirmed the spread of blaNDM-1 into the High Arctic - an ARG originally found in Indian clinical settings, which conditionally provides multidrug resistance (MDR) in microorganisms. Worldwide spread of blaNDM-1 and other MDR genes is a growing concern because they often target "last resort" classes of antibiotics, including Carbapenems. Carried in the gut of animals and people, the research team, led by Newcastle University's Professor David Graham, say that blaNDM-1 and other medically-important ARGs were found in Arctic soils that were likely spread in the faecal matter of birds, other wildlife and human visitors to the area. "Polar regions are among the last presumed pristine ecosystems on Earth, providing a platform for characterizing pre-antibiotic era background resistance against which we could understand rates of progression of AR 'pollution'," says Professor Graham, an environmental engineer at Newcastle University who has spent 15 years studying the environmental transmission of antibiotic resistance around the world. "But less than three years after the first detection of the blaNDM-1 gene in the surface waters of urban India we are finding them thousands of miles away in an area where there has been minimal human impact. "Encroachment into areas like the Arctic reinforces how rapid and far-reaching the spread of antibiotic resistance has become, confirming solutions to AR must be viewed in global rather than just local terms." Concern over the spread of Antibiotic-Resistant (AR) genes Increasing antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis. An example is NDM-1, which is a protein that can confer resistance in a range of bacteria. NDM-1 was first identified in New Delhi and coded by the resistant gene blaNDM-1. Strains that carry blaNDM-1 were first found in clinical settings in 2008, but by 2010 blaNDM-1 was found in surface waters in Delhi. Since then, the resistant gene has been found in over 100 countries, including new variants. There are currently few antibiotics to combat bacteria that are resistant to Carbapenems - still a last-resort antibiotic class - and worldwide spread of blaNDM-1 and related ARGs is a concern. "What humans have done through excess use of antibiotics on global scales is accelerate the rate of evolution, creating a new world of resistant strains that never existed before," explains Graham. "Through the overuse of antibiotics, faecal releases and contamination of drinking water, we have consequentially speeded-up the rate at which superbugs might evolve. "For example, when a new drug is developed, natural bacteria can rapidly adapt and can become resistant; therefore very few new drugs are in the pipeline because it simply isn't cost-effective to make them." Benchmark for tracking resistance Published today in the academic journal Environmental International, this latest research was carried out by an international team of experts from the Universities of Newcastle, York and Kansas and the Chinese Academy of Science in Xiamen, and was funded by the UK Natural Environmental Research Council and other agencies. Analysing the extracted DNA from forty soil cores at eight locations along Kongsfjorden, a total of 131 ARGs were detected. "The resistance genes detected were associated with nine major antibiotic classes, including aminoglycosides, macrolides and -lactams, which are used to treat many infections. As an example, a gene that confers MDR in Tuberculosis was found in all cores, whereas blaNDM-1 was detected in more than 60% of the soil cores in the study. "This finding has huge implications for global AR spread," warns Graham. "A clinically important ARG originating from South Asia is clearly not 'local' to the Arctic." "Identifying an ARG 'gradient' across the study landscape, which varies as a function of human and wildlife impact, shows there are still isolated Polar locations where ARG levels are so low they might provide nature's baseline of antimicrobial resistance," Graham says. "The gradient of resistance genes closely reflects corresponding indicators of wastes in the geochemistry, which suggests a novel basis for identifying sites for further AMR research" adds lead author, Dr Clare McCann, of Newcastle University. "The only way we are going to win this fight is to understand all pathways that lead to antibiotic resistance. Clearly, improved antibiotic stewardship in medicine and agriculture is crucial, but understanding how resistance transmission occurs through water and soils is also critical. We contend that improved waste management and water quality on a global scale is a key step." ### On Jan. 4, 2019, at 4:37 a.m. EST the CAPER-2 mission launched from the Andya Space Center in Andenes, Norway, on a 4-stage Black Brant XII sounding rocket. Reaching an apogee of 480 miles high before splashing down in the Arctic Sea, the rocket flew through active aurora borealis, or northern lights, to study the waves that accelerate electrons into our atmosphere. CAPER-2, short for Cusp Alfven and Plasma Electrodynamics Rocket-2, is a sounding rocket mission -- a type of spacecraft that carries scientific instruments on short, targeted trips to space before falling back to Earth. In addition to their relatively low price tags and quick development time, sounding rockets are ideally suited for launching into transient events -- like the sudden formation of the aurora borealis, or northern lights. For CAPER-2 scientists, flying through an aurora provides a peek into a process as fundamental as it is complex: How do particles get accelerated throughout space? NASA studies this phenomenon in an effort to better understand not only the space environment surrounding Earth -- and thus protect our technology in space from radiation -- but also to help understand the very nature of stars and atmospheres throughout the solar system and beyond. "Throughout the universe you have charged particles getting accelerated -- in the Sun's atmosphere, in the solar wind, in the atmospheres of other planets, and in astrophysical objects," said Jim LaBelle, space physicist at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and principal investigator for the CAPER-2 mission. "An aurora presents us with a local laboratory where we can observe these acceleration processes close at hand." Technically, the CAPER-2 team is interested in what happens just before an aurora starts glowing. Electrons, pouring into our atmosphere from space, collide with atmospheric gases and trigger the aurora's glow. Somehow, they pick up speed along the way. "By the time they crash into our atmosphere, these electrons are traveling over 10 times faster than they were before," said Doug Rowland, space physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who also studies particle acceleration. "We still don't understand the fundamental physics of how that happens." The CAPER-2 team focused on a special kind of aurora that forms during the day. Unlike the nighttime aurora, the daytime aurora is triggered by electrons that stream in directly from the Sun -- and we know far less about them. "There's been a huge amount of research done on the regular nighttime aurora, but the daytime aurora is much less studied," said Craig Kletzing, space physicist at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and coinvestigator for the mission. "There are good indications that there are some similarities and there are also some differences." The team is focusing on how the electrons that create daytime auroras are jostled around by waves, in ways that may or may not differ from nighttime auroras. Two kinds of waves are of special interest, and have opposite effects. Alfven waves, named after Swedish Nobel laureate Hannes Alfven who first predicted their existence in 1942, are thought to accelerate the electrons. These huge waves -- measuring tens to hundreds of miles long from peak to peak -- propagate along Earth's magnetic field lines, whipping electrons to and fro. On the other side are Langmuir waves, which are generated by the electrons themselves -- a process that steals some of the electrons' energy and slows them down. CAPER-2 will carry a high-resolution wave-particle correlator to measure them, the first sounding rocket mission to do so for the daytime aurora. "This is very data-intensive," said LaBelle. "It's unique to sounding rockets to be able to look at this mechanism in this level of detail." For the launch, the CAPER-2 team traveled to northern Norway, one of the few places that can put a rocket within range of the daytime aurora. Every day, northern Norway rotates under an opening in Earth's magnetic field known as the northern polar cusp, where particles from the Sun can funnel into our upper atmosphere. Meeting the aurora right where they form is the best way to understand physical processes that are far too large to replicate in a lab. "It's a kind of natural laboratory," LaBelle added. "We take our experiment to two different environments, where the variables are different, and then test the theory and answer the questions." ### CAPER-2 was the third of nine sounding rocket missions taking part in the Grand Challenge Initiative - Cusp, an international campaign to explore the northern polar cusp. The VISIONS-2 and TRICE-2 missions launched in early December, and the fourth mission, G-CHASER, launched on Jan. 13. The window for AZURE, the next mission in the Grand Challenge Initiative - Cusp, opens on March 23, 2019. Total release foggers, commonly known as "bug bombs," are ineffective at removing cockroaches from indoor environments, according to a new study from North Carolina State University. Bug-bomb chemicals fail to reach places where cockroaches congregate the most - on the underside of surfaces and inside cabinets, NC State researchers say. Besides leaving behind numerous cockroaches, bug bombs also leave behind nasty toxic residue in the middle of floors and countertops, areas cockroaches generally avoid but which are heavily used by humans and pets. "There's been a general assumption that bug bombs work to eliminate cockroaches indoors, but no one had conducted a formal assessment of their efficacy and any exposure risks," said Zachary DeVries, an NC State postdoctoral researcher and the lead author of the study, published in BMC Public Health. "We've done that simultaneously in this study." To understand more about the effectiveness of total release foggers, the researchers tested four different commercially available bug bombs with various insecticide active ingredients in five different apartment complexes with moderate to severe infestations of German cockroaches (Blattella germanica), common indoor household pests. "All the fogger products contained pyrethroids, a class of fast-acting insecticides, and some contained piperonyl butoxide, a chemical that prevents roaches from metabolizing, or breaking down, the insecticide," said Coby Schal, Blanton J. Whitmire Distinguished Professor of Entomology at NC State and senior author of the paper. After gauging estimates of cockroach populations in 20 homes, the researchers set off the bug bombs, following the labels' instructions - and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines on preparing the homes for fogger release - to the letter. The researchers then monitored cockroach populations two weeks and one month after the bombs were released and found no declines from the pre-intervention estimates. "The bug-bomb products did absolutely nothing to control cockroach populations in these homes," DeVries said. Meanwhile, the researchers treated 10 additional homes with either a commercially available gel bait or a professional-grade gel bait. Gel baits are generally applied in small dabs via syringe, so they can be placed directly in the places where cockroaches hide. In contrast to the bug bombs, these baits were effective, after two and four weeks, in eliminating cockroach populations in the 10 homes. To further test the effectiveness of bug bombs, the researchers placed both roaches raised in the lab and roaches captured in the homes into greased cages - making them inescapable - and set the cages on the floor and in upper cabinets of the studied homes during the deployment of the bug bombs. "The lab roaches, which are not hardy, had high mortality, as expected," DeVries said. "The roaches captured in the homes and then brought back, however, had far lower mortality rates than you would expect from direct exposure to bug bombs, confirming the ineffectiveness of these products when used for German cockroach control." The researchers also examined whether bug bombs increased insecticide exposure risks in the homes. Prior to doing that, however, they swabbed floors and kitchen surfaces and found insecticide residue already present. "Baseline levels of insecticides in these homes makes sense, because residents with moderate to severe cockroach infestations are likely to use insecticides to attempt to eliminate roaches," DeVries said. "However, what was most disconcerting was that these swabs were collected from the middle of floors and kitchen surfaces, locations where roaches don't generally congregate." Four to six hours after the bug bombs were deployed, the researchers again swabbed floors, kitchen surfaces, walls and cabinets and found average insecticide residues increased 600 times baseline levels on all horizontal surfaces. One month later, those surfaces were swabbed again; 34 percent still had higher insecticide residue levels than the baseline. "Bug bombs are not killing cockroaches; they're putting pesticides in places where the cockroaches aren't; they're not putting pesticides in places where cockroaches are and they're increasing pesticide levels in the home," DeVries said. "In a cost-benefit analysis, you're getting all costs and no benefits." "This is of particular concern in low-income communities, where bug bombs are frequently used because professional pest control may be too expensive," Schal added. ### Study co-authors include NC State research technician Richard Santangelo, former NC State graduate student Jonathan Crissman and lab assistant Russell Mick. Funding for the work came from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Healthy Homes program (grant NCHHU0017-11), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (grant PE-95450709), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Center for Human Health and the Environment, P30ES025128), and NC State's Blanton J. Whitmire endowment. Note to editors: An abstract of the paper follows. "Exposure risks and ineffectiveness of total release foggers (TRFs) used for cockroach control in residential settings" Authors: Zachary DeVries, Richard Santangelo, Jonathan Crissman, Russell Mick and Coby Schal, North Carolina State University Published: Online Jan. 27, 2019, in BMC Public Health DOI: 10.1186/s12889-018-6371-z Abstract: Background: The German cockroach, Blattella germanica, is one of the most challenging pests to eradicate from indoor environments. Professional pest control is often prohibitively expensive, prompting low-income residents to turn to over-the-counter consumer products, including total release foggers (TRFs, "bug bombs"). Despite their widespread use, little is known regarding either the associated pesticide exposure risks or the efficacy of TRFs. Methods: Cockroach-infested homes were recruited into the study. Wipe samples were collected from various surfaces before TRFs were discharged, immediately after, and one month later to determine pesticide exposure risks in 20 homes (divided equally among four different TRF products). Simultaneously, cockroach populations were monitored in all homes to assess the efficacy of TRFs. In parallel, 10 homes were treated with gel baits (divided equally between two bait products), to compare TRFs to a more targeted, low-risk, do-it-yourself intervention strategy. Results: TRFs failed to reduce cockroach populations, whereas similarly priced gel baits caused significant declines in the cockroach populations. Use of TRFs resulted in significant pesticide deposits throughout the kitchen. Across all products, pesticides, and horizontal kitchen surfaces, pesticide residues following TRF discharge were 603-times (SEM 184) higher than baseline, with a median increase of 85 times. Conclusions: The high risks of pesticide exposure associated with TRFs combined with their ineffectiveness in controlling German cockroach infestations call into question their utility in the marketplace, especially because similarly priced and much safer bait products are highly effective in the indoor environment. A fusion gene is a new gene made by joining parts of two different genes. The current thought is that fusion genes can happen in cells with unstable genome when part of the DNA from one chromosome moves to another chromosome. When the fusion gene is transcribed into RNA, the product is a fusion RNA that then is translated into a fusion protein. Fusion proteins may lead to cancer development. For instance, they are found in some types of cancer such as leukemia, prostate, breast, lung and others, and are being studied for the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. "According to this accepted notion, fusion genes precede fusion RNA, but some studies have raised doubts that this is always the case. In particular, cancer studies have reported the presence of fusion RNA in individuals in which the corresponding fusion gene cannot be detected," said corresponding author Dr. Laising Yen, associate professor of pathology & immunology and of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor College of Medicine. To explain these findings, about 10 years ago scientists proposed the 'cart-before-the-horse-hypothesis,' which puts forward the idea that fusion RNA can form first and then guide the rearrangement of genes to form the corresponding fusion gene. Although this process has been found in simpler organisms such as the paramecium, studies have yet to come forward showing that this proposed RNA-mediate gene rearrangements also happen in mammalian cells. Until now. "The Yen lab works on RNA, and one of our interests is to study it in relation to cancer, ovarian and prostate cancer specifically," said first author Dr. Sachin Kumar Gupta, postdoctoral associate in pathology at Baylor College of Medicine. "In this study, we investigated whether the cart could actually be before the horse. Can a fusion RNA induce the corresponding fusion gene?" The researchers worked with prostate cancer cell line LNCaP, which lacks the fusion gene TMPRSS2-ERG found in 50 percent of prostate cancers. To test "the cart before the horse" hypothesis, Gupta and his colleagues expressed in LNCaP cells a short fusion RNA consisting of part gene TMPRSS2 and part gene ERG. If the short fusion RNA led to the formation of the fusion gene TMPRSS2-ERG, they expected to find evidence of the newly created fused gene both in the DNA genome and in the form of the full-length fusion RNA produced from that fusion gene. Making sense of the 'cart before the horse' "When we expressed the sense or coding short fusion RNA, we did not detect evidence that the fusion gene had been formed," Gupta said. "We then thought, why not try the antisense fusion RNA instead?" Antisense RNA is an RNA strand with a sequence that is complementary to the one of a sense or coding RNA. Coding RNA is the one that is involved in the translation of genetic instructions into protein. In theory, the authors explain, antisense RNAs should bind to the same genome segment sense RNA binds, just to a different DNA strand, and could mediate gene rearrangements leading to the formation of fusion genes. "We found that if we overexpress the short fusion RNA in the antisense orientation, but not in the sense orientation, we can induce gene fusion in a tissue culture setting in three days," Yen said. "We showed this for two different fusion genes." "We were very surprised. This is a non-coding RNA for which we have shown a new function: it can induce the formation of fusion genes. The antisense RNA, not the sense RNA, is the cart before the horse," Gupta said. The researchers also showed that this RNA-induced gene fusion can occur in non-cancerous, normal cells. Expressing antisense fusion RNA in normal prostate epithelial cell lines resulted in the formation of the corresponding fusion gene in these cells. "Our study suggests an early stage mechanism for the formation of cancer fusion genes that provides a new perspective in cancer development," Yen said. "We have uncovered a second way by which gene recombination can happen. We propose that this process is mediated by RNA with sequences that are similar to, and antisense to, those of the joined genes." Cancer fusion genes are important for therapy and biomarker development. Fusion genes also have a lot to say regarding how a normal cell begins to transform into a cancer cell. Therefore, the authors explain, understanding the mechanisms of fusion gene formation could lead to the development of treatments to prevent cancer. The researchers would next like to investigate whether RNA-mediated gene fusion also can happen in other types of cancer and explore the molecular mechanism for diagnosis and therapy. ### Interested in learning all the details of this work? Read it in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Liming Luo at Baylor College of Medicine also contributed to this work. Financial support was provided by the National Institutes of Health (grants R01EB013584, DK56338, and CA125123), the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (grants HIHRRA RP160795, RP150578, RP160283), the Pilot Grant from Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Dunn Gulf Coast Consortium for Chemical Genomics. One of the main obstacles to successfully treating breast cancer is the cells' ability to change in ways that make them resistant to treatment. Understanding the cellular mechanisms that mediate this cancer cell plasticity may lead to improved treatments. Taking a step in that direction, a team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine has discovered that breast cancer cells can shift between two forms of the cell surface molecule CD44, CD44s and CD44v. Published in the journal Genes & Development, the study shows that breast cancer cells expressing mainly CD44s have increased metastatic behavior and resistance to therapy, while those expressing CD44v do not associate with these behaviors but do present increased cell proliferation. "One of the goals of my lab is to better understand the mechanisms that allow breast cancer cells to be remarkably heterogeneous, which is one of the reasons cancer is difficult to treat," said corresponding author Dr. Chonghui Cheng, associate professor at the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, of molecular and human genetics and of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor College of Medicine. "In this study, we investigated cancer stem cells, a cell population that has the plasticity to generate cells with different properties, focusing on the cell surface molecule CD44." CD44 is a well-known marker of cancer stem cells and one that is extensively studied in the Cheng lab. The CD44 gene can produce two different forms of the protein - CD44s and CD44v - via a process called alternative splicing. Cheng and her colleagues investigated whether there was a difference in the two forms of CD44 expressed in human breast cancer cells. They also wanted to know whether the different forms of CD44 contributed differently to the disease. To answer their questions, Cheng and her colleagues took an unbiased approach. They conducted bioinformatics analyses of breast cancer patient data collected in the Cancer Genome Atlas database. "Our analyses show that CD44s and CD44v, the two major forms of CD44 generated by alternative splicing, have distinct biological functions in breast cancer," said Cheng, who also is a member of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Our findings support that cancer cells can use different forms of CD44 to survive and that they also can switch from one form of CD44 to the other," said Cheng. "Cancer cells expressing high levels of CD44s have properties of cancer stem cells, they tend to be metastatic or recurrent and to survive treatment. But when they switch to CD44v, they have fewer cancer stem cell properties but are engaged in proliferation. Alternative splicing is the mechanism that allows the CD44 proteins to switch." The researchers envision that by manipulating the levels of the two forms of CD44, it might be possible to change the cancer cell properties in ways that may enhance the cancer's susceptibility to treatment. "We anticipate that other genes that also undergo alternative splicing could as well contribute to the cells' fate and to the plasticity that generates cancer heterogeneity," Cheng said. ### Other contributors to this work include Honghong Zhang, Rhonda L. Brown, Pu Zhao, Sali Liu, Xuan Liu, Yu Deng, Xiaohui Hu, Jing Zhang, Xin D. Gao, Yibin Kang, Arthur M. Mercurio and Hira Lal Goel. The authors are affiliated with one or more of the following institutions: Baylor College of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Princeton University and University of Massachusetts Medical School. This study was supported by National Institutes of Health grants R01CA182467, R01GM110146, R01CA203439 and T32CA080621, the Brewster Foundation, the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas Rising Star Award RR160009. Boston, MA -- A new study by investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital examines the impact of having first-contact, comprehensive, coordinated and continuous care. Known as primary care, the value of this kind of care has been hotly debated. In a nationally representative survey of more than 70,000 adults with and without primary care, investigators found that primary care resulted in more high-value care, slightly more low-value care, and a better health care experience for patients. Their results are published in JAMA Internal Medicine. "These results point to how restructuring U.S. health care through a primary care-first approach could lead to substantially improved health care. If you have a primary care relationship, you have a better experience with care, better access to care, and a 10 percent increase in things like high-value cancer screening, diabetes care and counseling," said corresponding author David Levine, MD, MPH, MA, a physician investigator in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care at the Brigham. "Patients who don't have this continuous relationship, and instead have fractionated care, lose out on high-value care and a better care experience." Levine and colleagues conducted their analysis on U.S. adults aged 18 or older who participated in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. They compared the experiences of 49,286 patients with primary care to 21,133 adults without primary care. They identified underused services likely to benefit a patient (high-value care) and services considered either inappropriate or of little to no benefit (low-value care). The team found: Of patients with primary care, 78 percent received high-value cancer screening (e.g., colorectal screening or mammography) compared with 67 percent without primary care. Patients with primary care received more recommended diagnostic and preventive testing (e.g., influenza vaccine, blood pressure readings). Counseling, especially smoking cessation counseling, was higher among patients with primary care. Patients received similar rates of low-value care, apart from antibiotics. Eleven percent more primary care patients received antibiotics inappropriately than patients without primary care. Of patients with primary care, 79 percent reported an excellent global rating of their health care compared with 69 percent without primary care. The team reports that, overall, Americans' use of primary care was relatively low, with about one-quarter of patients not having primary care even though most had health insurance. The researchers also note that primary care was associated with worse care for heart failure and pulmonary disease. However, they point out that this may be due to the relatively small number of respondents without primary care who had these diseases and that many of these patients were co-managed by specialists. "We've seen a trend in people opting for less primary care suggesting that the American health care system doesn't place much value on primary care," said Levine. "However, our study finds that the primary care relationship can lead to better quality care and a better experience for patients. There's more to health care than a one-time interaction that isn't comprehensive. Having continuity that accounts for the whole person is much more important than anyone thought previously." ### Funding for this work was provided by the Institutional National Research Service Award (T32HP10251) from the National Institutes of Health and the Ryoichi Sasakawa Fellowship Fund. Brigham Health, a global leader in creating a healthier world, consists of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, the Brigham and Women's Physicians Organization and many related facilities and programs. With more than 1,000 inpatient beds, approximately 60,000 inpatient stays and 1.7 million outpatient encounters annually, Brigham Health's 1,200 physicians provide expert care in virtually every medical and surgical specialty to patients locally, regionally and around the world. An international leader in basic, clinical and translational research, Brigham Health has nearly 5,000 scientists, including physician-investigators, renowned biomedical researchers and faculty supported by over $700 million in funding. The Brigham's medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and now, with 19,000 employees, that rich history is the foundation for its commitment to research, innovation, and community. Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital is a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and dedicated to educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. For more information, resources, and to follow us on social media, please visit brighamandwomens.org. Russian scientists studied abandoned arable land in the European part of Russia where temperate forests grow. The study showed that trees start to grow on the abandoned fields immediately after the land has been withdrawn from agricultural use. This finding contradicts the belief that trees appear on the fields only after grass that was approved earlier. As it turned out, the presence or absence of grass fires in a given area plays a key role in the stages and rate of overgrowth. The results are published in Ecological Processes. The area of ??abandoned land in the Russian Federation, especially in its European part, is huge. Arable land was massively abandoned in the late 1980s - early 1990s due to the socio-economic changes. For the first two years, such abandoned lands are overgrown with birch, gray alder, and willow trees. Spontaneous overgrowing of forest vegetation occurs even in fields that have been used in agriculture for a long period of time (up to several centuries and longer). However, as many biologists point out, the density of undergrowth on former arable lands varies greatly in the same climatic conditions, up to the complete absence of trees. Researchers from the Pushchino Science City in Russia suggested that grass fires are the most important factor determining the overgrowth of certain types of vegetation. Generally, a fire is considered a natural and unavoidable danger that plays a fundamental role in maintaining biodiversity of ecosystems. Scientists have reconstructed a 30-year history of grass fires in the south of Moscow region and analyzed the characteristics of the territory using archival satellite images. In addition, the researchers identified several sites for detailed study and assessed plant species diversity, soil quality and the relationship between soil and vegetation for three types of territories: often burning fields, unburned fields overgrown with forests, and for old forests bordering them. "Our results showed the key role of grass fires in shaping differences in soil and vegetation in restoring abandoned lands. Settlement of forest species without fires occurs very quickly if this field is near a forest rich in different species. Although usually the time required for this is estimated as 100, 200 or even 300 years, we saw that the restoration of forest flora on former arable lands took only 20 years", notes leader of the study Larisa Khanina. Scientists analyzed how grass fires spread and found out that several factors increase the ignition chance: the presence of burning landfills among the neighboring ones, the presence of small settlements within a radius of 300 meters, and the type of land. If the area is overgrown with trees of high density, then the chances of ignition are small, the smaller the trees, the greater the chance of ignition. Moreover, fires likelihood seems to depend on climate conditions. All in all, despite the ecological theory saying that the forest can grow over the abandoned field only after five years after the grass stage, new study suggests that abandoned arable land in the center of the European part of Russia is immediately overgrown with forest if there are no fires. ### The beds, which can be used as single beds or combined into bunk beds, are meant for families that need beds for their children but cannot afford them, according to DuBois. She said she has seen children sleeping on towels or rolled-up blankets. Families receive a new bed frame, which is assembled during delivery, along with a new mattress and bedding. DALLAS, Jan 28, 2019 -- A newer type of blood-thinning medications, non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs), is now recommended as the preferred alternative to warfarin for reducing the risk of stroke associated with atrial fibrillation (AFib), according to a focused update to the 2014 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/Heart Rhythm Society Guideline for the Management of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation. AFib is a type of irregular heartbeat in the atria, or upper chambers of the heart. Because the heart beat is irregular, blood can pool and then clot inside the atria, particularly in the left atrial appendage, a pouch that is part of the anatomy of the upper left chamber of the heart. If the clots formed within the left atrium migrate within the blood and reach the brain, a stroke caused by a blocked artery can occur even in people with no obvious symptoms of AFib. Blood-thinning medications called anticoagulants have long been recommended to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with AFib who have an increased risk of thromboembolism (blockage of a blood vessel by a clot travelling in the bloodstream) and/or stroke caused by narrowed or blocked arteries To reduce stroke risk in appropriate AFib patients, a newer class of anticoagulants known as NOACs is now the preferred recommended drug class over the traditional medication warfarin, unless patients have moderate to severe mitral stenosis (narrowing of the mitral valve) or have an artificial heart valve. NOACs include dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban. "Patients with AFib are at increased risk of stroke, which can be devastating. A goal of treating AFib patients is to make blood less likely to form clots, which reduces the risk of stroke. New scientific studies show that NOACs may be safer for patients because there is less risk of bleeding, and they may also be more effective at preventing blood clots than warfarin," said Craig T. January, M.D., Ph.D., co-chair of the focused update published simultaneously in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology and the Heart Rhythm Society journal, HeartRhythm. Guidelines rank recommendations as strong, weak, or harmful on the basis of the quality and quantity of the scientific research that supports each recommendation. Recommendations with the highest level of evidence have more than one randomized controlled trial reporting similar results, whereas the lowest-ranked recommendations are based on the clinical experience of experts. Along with the strong recommendation to use NOACs in favor of warfarin for many patients, the new guidelines recommend: Weight loss for overweight or obese patients. Studies find that losing weight can reduce the health risks associated with or even reverse AFib. It can also lower blood pressure (high blood pressure is often associated with AFib). New drugs are available to reverse the effect of NOACs (called reversal agents). These reversal agents, while used infrequently, are helpful when there are signs of severe bleeding caused by a NOAC or when a patient on a NOAC needs an emergency surgical procedure. "AFib patients should talk to their healthcare provider about any concerns they have about their prescribed medications and whether or not losing weight would benefit their health," said January, who is professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. The new guidelines also suggest that NOACs could even be used in people at lower risk of stroke than previously thought. Although the evidence for this recommendation is not yet definitive, emerging research is beginning to suggest that the benefit of NOACs for reducing stroke risk outweighs the risk of taking them, said January. ### Co-authors are L. Samuel Wann, M.D. (co-chair); Hugh Calkins, M.D.; Lin Y. Chen, M.D.; M.S., Joaquin Cigarroa, M.D.; Joseph C. Cleveland, Jr., M.D.; Patrick T. Ellinor, M.D., Ph.D.; Michael Ezekowitz, MBChB, D.Phil.; Michael E. Field, M.D.; Karen Furie, M.D.; MPH, Paul Heidenreich, M.D.; Katherine T. Murray, M.D.; Julie B. Shea, M.S.; RNCS, Cynthia M. Tracy, M.D. and Clyde W. Yancy, M.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript. Additional Resources: Available multimedia located on the right column of the release link: https:/ / newsroom. heart. org/ news/ updated-treatment-guidelines-for-atrial-fibrillation-recommend-a-new-class-of-blood-thinners-to-help-prevent-stroke?preview= f741f319c4d967509fd29a62b952d400 Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association's policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals. Foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations and health insurance providers are available at https:/ / www. heart. org/ en/ about-us/ aha-financial-information . About the American Heart Association The American Heart Association is a leading force for a world of longer, healthier lives. With nearly a century of lifesaving work, the Dallas-based association is dedicated to ensuring equitable health for all. We are a trustworthy source empowering people to improve their heart health, brain health and well-being. We collaborate with numerous organizations and millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, advocate for stronger public health policies, and share lifesaving resources and information. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1. About the American College of Cardiology The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its more than 52,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit acc.org. About the Heart Rhythm Society 2019-01-26 Maeci Referring to the events that are unfolding in Venezuela, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, confirms the following: We fully endorse the joint declaration that the European Union Member States released today on the situation in Venezuela, which we have contributed to drafting. With our heartfelt sympathy for the Venezuelan people, many of whom are of Italian descent, in the face of the dramatic ongoing events, we express our closeness to the families of the victims. We call for an effective national reconciliation and constructive initiatives aimed at avoiding serious and negative developments, assuring respect for fundamental rights and enabling a prompt return to democratic legitimacy, guaranteed by free and transparent new elections. The services celebrating and honoring the life of Loretta Ball, 91, of Enid are pending under the direction of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home. Condolences and special memories may be shared with the family online at WWW.Brown-Cummings.com. I am a retired Naval Officer and small business owner, outside of my work at the News & Eagle. My wife Tammy and I enjoy serving together at church and attending Gaslight and ESO. We have two daughters, three dogs and little free time. Follow James Neal | Religion/Health Reporter Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Elkhart, IN (46516) Today Mostly cloudy in the morning with scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. A few storms may be severe. High 88F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely in the evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms later on. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Bird spokesperson Mackenzie Long said: "Bird has concerns regarding the City Council's proposed regulations of e-scooters, particularly regarding the proposal to criminalize rider behavior with overly severe consequences and the suggested fee structure. We were pleased to learn that Department of Transportation has already said they will amend the proposal to eliminate the overcriminalization of e-scooters, and we hope they will similarly revisit the proposed fees. We are working with City Council and the Department of Transportation and we hope to help define a framework that can best serve everyone in the community." La Paz, Jan 28 (epa-efe).- Bolivian state hydrocarbons company YPFB said Monday that it plans to invest some $1.45 billion in the natural gas sector this year, including $450 million on exploration efforts. Roughly $20 million of that exploration budget will go toward the digging of the Florida-X2D exploratory well, Hydrocarbons Minister Luis Alberto Sanchez said to mark the start of work at the site on Monday. The drilling of the exploratory well in the southern municipality of Cabezas began with the objective of "evaluating the hydrocarbon potential" at a depth of more than 4,400 m (14,436 ft), he said. He also mentioned that it is estimated that by mid-year the drilling operations will be concluded, noting that "If positive, it will allow for the discovery of a new field." Also, "it would allow expanding exploratory opportunities for new gas resources in the area and areas that have yet not been explored," the minister said. Sanchez said that for 2019 the ministry expects to sink "about 20 exploratory wells" as part of a push to "expedite the start of drilling all the wells." "We continue to work on increasing our reserves, our production and our income for the country. We will continue to attract new investments and continue to be an important pillar for the economy," he said. Bolivia has about 10.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, the second-largest reserves in Latin America, valued at about $70 billion, according to YPFB. Natural gas is one of the Bolivian State's main revenues - especially when sold to countries such as Argentina and Brazil - a trade La Paz hopes to extend to other neighboring countries such as Paraguay and Peru. The Bolivian government says that its natural gas is the most competitively priced in the region, selling for a little more than $6 per million BTUs (British thermal units), while Chilean gas is sold for roughly $10 per million BTUs. Under President Evo Morales, who took office in 2006, Bolivia has also sought to develop a petrochemical industry based on its gas reserves. The Andean nation opened its first petrochemical complex in September 2017. The plant, which represents an investment of some $950 million, produces both urea- and ammonia-based fertilizer. Ronald E. O'Dell, 60, of Altamont, died at 1:08 p.m., Sunday, June 13, 2021 at home surrounded by his family. Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, June 19, 2021 at Sidener Cemetery, rural St. Elmo with Robert O'Dell officiating. Visitation will be from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., F When new technologies come about, so do the hypes around them. Think back to WiMAX it was certain to take over the communications world, but then came LTE and LTE advanced to challenge its position. Todays hype is 5G, with all the great things it will bring. It is true that it will become an important element in self-driving cars, due to its provision of fast communication with mega bandwidth and low latency. But the world is running ahead of itself. We talk as if 5G is coming tomorrow and I am not referring to the few trials that have started up here and there, even in Lesotho and Soweto. They are what they are, just trials! One Government spokesperson recently made a frightening remark: Why does industry still want spectrum for 4G broadband if we can skip 4G and go straight to 5G? It seems that all the focus is on the fact that we urgently need spectrum for 5G. Undoubtedly, we do, but what about the problem of interconnecting the thousands of base stations. Will fibre be the answer? Will it be millimetre wave point-to-point or will it be satellites or a combination of all? Perhaps these are the bigger challenges than spectrum! The problem with hype is that the focus on the many current communications issues is lost, 5G may solve future challenges but right now the focus should be on connecting South Africans with LTE broadband. When T-Mobiles chief executive went before US Senate lawmakers towards the end of last year to make the case for his companys merger with Sprint, he argued the deal could help preserve US dominance in high-tech wireless networks for smartphones and other devices. According to the Washington Post he told lawmakers Well make sure America wins the global 5G race. 5G will unlock capabilities that will fuel job creation and innovation well beyond what we have seen so far. T-Mobile is not the only carrier touting the amazing new capabilities of 5G, or fifth-generation data networks. The entire industry, South Africa included, spent much of 2018 marketing a dazzling future to consumers, one in which the successor to 4G LTE enables entirely new technologies, such as self-driving cars and remote medicine. Despite the hype, 5G is still a long way from becoming a reality. In South Africa, mobile companies are struggling to make LTE (4G) work for the majority of South Africans. They still do not have spectrum to offer a viable LTE service that will deliver broadband to all in the country. Currently limited LTE is delivered in major cities by spectrum refarming, a fashionable term for steeling spectrum at the cost of 2G and 3G services on which the majority of South Africans still depend. Another hype doing the rounds in South Africa is that 5G will solve communication problems for rural populations. It is difficult to believe that such pronouncements are made as it is a scientific fact that while 5G will deliver huge bandwidth at incredible speeds, it requires base stations or similar systems every few hundred metres and some form of interconnect such as fibre, millimetre wave radio systems, or satellites. At this time, most rural areas do not have a fibre backbone or high bandwidth connections. Spectrum is not 5Gs biggest challenge The spectrum required for 5G is in the 26, 40 and 66 71 GHz bands, not the same as the 4G spectrum problem for which the 700 800 MHz and the 2,6 GHz spectrum is required, the so-called high priority bands. Digital TV migration would have gone a long way to bring broadband closer to rural communities but because of many years of bickering about whether the service should be encrypted or not, digital migration has not yet happened and there is no digital dividend so much spoken about. The 700 800 MHz band is particularly suited for rural areas as base stations can cover much longer distances than the 2,6 GHz or higher frequency bands. The 5G interconnect challenge Delivering the keynote address at the FTTX annual conference in Durban last year, FTTX Council president, Andile Ngcaba, said as industry is preparing for the rollout of 5G, the cooperation between municipalities and the optic fibre industry is crucial given that for 5G to cover a city block, 15 to 20 micro base stations are required on average, each one connected by a fibre link. But can every city block and industrial business park be dug up to install all the required fibre? Municipalities are pushing back at the proposed rapid deployment policy plan included in the draft ECA Amendment Bill. The problem of getting wayleaves is not likely to be resolved any time soon as the draft bill has been sent back by Parliament to the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) for major revision. New wireless systems are now challenging the space occupied by fibre. Globally, operators are looking at wireless technology as a new, low cost alternative for interconnect. On the surface, it looks like the worlds of wired and wireless are colliding, but what we are actually seeing are two uniquely different broadband networks maturing and evolving in ways that are mutually beneficial, but standing in the wings is the satellite industry claiming a portion of the interconnect pie. For some commercial satellite communication operators, there is a focus on backhaul transport of 5G networks. This will likely require the extension of 3GPP protocols primarily by adaptation of satellite communication equipment to support the integration with cellular networks requiring interoperability tests with 5G terrestrial infrastructure. With the development of 5G systems, satellite communications systems can leverage open standards to reduce the development, deployment and operational cost of terminals, as well as other satellite network infrastructure equipment such as gateways. This will make the inclusion of satellite network solutions into the 5G ecosystem much more economically attractive than if proprietary standards are followed. This approach will facilitate a tighter operational integration (e.g., plug-and-play approach) into the 5G heterogeneous network to support vertical hand-over and/or multi-connectivity under common network management. The on-going 5G standardisation process provides a unique opportunity to insert satellite specific hooks as required. 5G will not come tomorrow. The industry may finalise some of the specifications but then the real work has to start to plan networks. While spectrum is an important issue, it is the interconnection of base stations and the development of a robust network that will remain a major point on the agenda for the next few years. Related Articles After six long, sometimes raucous days of striking, Los Angeles teachers ended their protest claiming victories that included lower class sizes, more support staff, and commitments from the district to invest in socially minded initiatives. In other words, the contract negotiations went far beyond the bread-and-butter issues typical in labor disputes, and instead were centered on a more philosophical discussion of how the United Teachers Los Angeles views the future of public education in the city. Thats a model of bargaining that some say is likely to be replicated in Chicago this year, as well as in Oakland, Calif., where teachers are gearing up for their own strike. This shift in collective bargainingknown as bargaining for the common goodcomes after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that many have predicted will weaken unions coffers and membership rolls. Like in Los Angeles, teachers unions might start bringing broader social concerns to the bargaining table in an attempt to maintain community support. In L.A. and in other cities, teachers are trying to transform the nature of collective bargaining, said Joseph McCartin, the executive director of the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University, which studies and advocates for workers rights. Historically, its just been about wages and benefits and maybe marginally about some of the conditions. [Now], theyre making the conditions central. Los Angeles teachers were striking for a 6.5 percent pay raise, with back pay to July 2016, smaller class sizes, more counselors, nurses, and librarians in schools, and a commitment from the district to rethink the growth of charter schools. They didnt get the pay raiseinstead, the contract deal resulted in a 6 percent pay raise, with 3 percent retroactive for the 2017-18 school year. But teachers in the nations second-largest district made progress on essentially every other demand. Los Angeles Unified has agreed to hire 300 more nurses, 82 more teacher-librarians, and at least 17 more counselors to maintain a 500:1 student-to-counselor ratio in secondary schools. District officials have also removed a clause in the contract that allowed them to raise class sizes for financial reasons. The union was also pushing for a cap on the number of charter schools in the city, which could not be negotiated as part of a labor contract. But the district did agree to allow union representatives more input in charter school co-location, which is when a charter school is on the same grounds or in the same building as a traditional public school. The union has said co-location takes away resources from the traditional schools. The Los Angeles Unified school board will also vote on a resolution asking the state to establish a charter school cap. The district has agreed to create 30 community schools, which have wraparound social services for students. Additionally, the district and the union will form a committee that will develop a plan to reduce the number of assessments by 50 percent, and partner to look for ways to create more green spaces on school grounds. Finally, the district will eliminate random searches of students in 28 schools, and provide legal support and an informational hotline to students and families facing immigration-related concerns. Many of these are nontraditional labor demandsbut they were important to students and community members who supported striking teachers. UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl said in a news conference that when the bargaining process began two years ago, the union surveyed its members, students, and community members to draft a collective vision of the future of public education in Los Angeles. This is much more than just a narrow labor agreement, he said. Its a very broad compact around things that get at social justice, educational justice, and racial justice. The unions victory in Los Angeles, McCartin said, is bound to have ripple effects. Indeed, in a press conference, Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey said the contract deal in Los Angeles was extremely important to his unions bargaining team, which started negotiating with the district just last week. It shows what we can do if theres a will and with enough force and with a commitment to funding the schools, he said. The Chicago unions four main demands echo those of teachers in Los Angeles. Its asking for better pay and benefits, smaller class sizes, more support staff, and improvements on social demands, which Sharkey said include more sanctuary schools and investments in affordable housing. The current contract expires at the end of June. In Oakland, 375 miles north of Los Angeles, teachers are preparing to vote next week on whether to authorize a strike. Theyre fighting for a competitive livable wage, smaller class sizes, and more support staff. But Harley Litzelman, a high school history teacher and a school site representative to the Oakland Education Association, said teachers are also trying to address the toxic political agenda of the district. Inspired by the fight in Los Angeles, teachers are fighting against the expansion of charter schools and the cash-strapped districts proposal to close as many as 24 schools, he said. We are leading a political movement, Litzelman said. Bargaining for the Common Good Teachers unions organizing for their students and the broader community, rather than just their own members working conditions, is called bargaining for the common good, or social unionism. The Los Angeles teacher strike isnt the first occurrenceexperts point to the 2012 Chicago teacher strike as the seminal eventbut its one of the biggest. United Teachers Los Angeles had planned for a potential strike for a couple of years, working closely with the community in order to generate a groundswell of support, McCartin said. As one union has watched another, theyve learned ways to bring the community in, he said. With L.A., this is a full-blown methodology now. I think youll start to see other teachers unions picking up on it. Even so, Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, said bargaining for broader social issues has been happening in pockets for years. Notably, teachers in St. Paul, Minn., have pushed for a reduction in standardized testing, smaller class sizes, and less severe disciplinary measures for students in their contract negotiations. This notion of bargaining for the common good is something AFT locals have been involved in for a long time, but because of the [Los Angeles] strike, it gets the attention it deserves, Weingarten said. Teachers want what children need. Just last month, Chicago charter school teachers went on strike for smaller class sizes and pay raisesbut also for the 15-campus Acero charter network to provide sanctuary for undocumented students. And of course, teachers in a half-dozen states walked out of their classrooms last year. A push for higher pay was a driving force behind many of those widescale protests, but teachers also framed their walkouts as a fight for their students. Teachers across the state of Virginia will rally at the state Capitol on Jan. 28 for more school funding. Organizer Sarah Pedersen said in an email she expects between 2,000-3,000 teachers, at least. Denver teachers are also planning a potential walkout , though with salaries at the forefront. Becoming More Political Jon Shelton, an associate professor of democracy and justice studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay who writes about the history of teacher strikes, said many big-city teachers unions have inner caucuses that are progressive and take stances on racial and social justice. In places like Los Angeles and Chicago, those progressive members are in leadership positions, he said. I think for unions who have these caucuses and teachers who are becoming more politically conscious, this is becoming a more effective model of organizing, Shelton said. Its proven to really galvanize a discussion about the present and the future of public education. Theres another factor that could influence the spread of social unionism: Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public-sector unions could not collect agency or fair-share fees from workers who declined to become members but were still represented in collective bargaining. The unions had argued that the fees only cover collective bargaining, and not political activities, but the justices ruled 5-4 that the arrangement still violated the free speech rights of nonmembers. Once the court took that position, then the natural response of unions is, OK, if everything we do is political, well get political, said McCartin, pointing to UTLAs demand for an immigration defense lawyer, among other things. We can now take off the straitjacket that we used to live under, where we could only ask for our wages, and were going to use the bargaining process to ask for much more. This tactic could also be another way to retain and recruit members, McCartin said. Because teachers can now stop paying dues to the union and still be represented in collective bargaining, observers expect teachers unions to lose members. The National Education Association has projected about a 10 percent membership decline over two years. But people like being part of an organization that fights not only for them, but for their community, McCartin said. In Los Angeles, he said, teachers can now say the union doesnt just fight for me, it makes L.A. better. The carrier directed $1 million to the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund, an independent nonprofit organization that provides emergency financial assistance to federal and postal workers and their families. The donation matches a $1 million donation made to the same group by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program on behalf of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and its 36 affiliates that includes CareFirst. Police arrested 1531 government employees who participated in the JACTO -GEO protest on Monday. The education department has also issued a suspension of 27 government teachers as criminal charges have been filed against them. The Monday grievance day meeting was also affected because of the protest. The fourth day of the indefinite strike by the JACTO-GEO resumed on Monday despite the arrest of 58 organizers with JACTO-GEO on Monday near the Dharmapuri collectors office. The arrest of teacher gathered near the Collector office leading to altercations and arguments breaking out between teachers and police. So far police have reported that 1531 government employees have been arrested. Since thousands of JACTTO-GEO members have continued their indefinite strike on Monday too, though few of them were lodged in prison, hundreds of police officials led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Ara Arularasu were deployed in the city. The arrested teachers said that the police are being unfair. According to a teacher, the police just walked up to them and forced them into the bus. But senior police officials said, "During the three days of protest traffic was severely affected and the people are aggrieved over this. We were doing our duty to maintain peace." Meanwhile, the Education Department has announced that 27 teachers have been suspended from active duty. Ramasamy, CEO of Dharmapuri said that the 27 teachers were suspended as criminal charges were lodged against them. Ramasamy also added that currently the application for the temporary teachers are being collected and so far 1800 applications have been collected and are being reviewed. The Monday grievance day meeting was also disrupted by the police, as many people who had come to file petitions were prevented entry. A senior police official said that many people had gathered to watch the protest, the people were also being a cause for the severe traffic problem. He added that "we did not prevent them from entering we just asked them to use the second entrance so that police do not mistake them for protestors." (UN Photo/Loey Felipe)Participants at the 2019 United Nations Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony on Jan. 28, 2019. International Holocaust Remembrance Day was commemorated at UN Headquarters in New York, honoring the memory of some six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust during World War Two. They died along with many other victims of what the UN chief Antonio Guterres called "unprecedented, calculated cruelty and horror" on Jan. 28, UN News reported. "From a deadly assault on a synagogue in the United States to the desecration of Jewish cemeteries in Europe, this centuries-old hatred is not only still strong it is getting worse," said Secretary-General Guterres. In Germany, the day before, a government delegation laid a wreath at the former Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, Deutsche Welle reported.. At the commemoration, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has warned Germany's Holocaust memory is under "pressure from the extreme right." The German delegation led by Armin Laschet, the premier of Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp on Jan. 27. Laschet laid a wreath at the camp's execution wall along with a group of young German Jews, Muslims and Christians. "Auschwitz shows what can happen when people's worst qualities come to bear," Laschet said. "The inconceivable crimes of the past must be a warning and an obligation for every new generation," he added. PROLIFERATION OF NEO-NAZI GROUPS In New York, Guterres commemoration message on Jan. 28, pointed to "the proliferation of neo-Nazi groups, and attempts to rewrite history and distort the facts of the Holocaust." As the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps recede in time, leaving fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors, the need to be vigilant grows stronger. In this year's theme: "Holocaust Remembrance: Demand and Defend Your Human Rights", youth are encouraged to learn valuable lessons from the Holocaust, such as acting forcefully against discrimination and defending essential democratic values. Neo-Nazism and hate groups on the rise, together with other forms of hatred around the world, so the theme also highlights the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Guterres recalled the quote by former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, Jonathan Sacks: "The hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews." The UN chief said, "We see bigotry moving at lightning speed across the Internet.", He pointed to "intolerance entering mainstream politics targeting minorities, Muslims, migrants and refugees, and exploiting the anger and anxiety of a changing world." "Now more than ever, let us unite in the fight for universal values and build a world of equality for all," said the UN chief. As part of a week of commemorative activities, a ceremony on Jan. 28 in the UN General Assembly Hall featured first-hand testimony from survivors, memorial prayers, musical elements. It heard the of Sara J. Bloomfield, Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, who after 81 years, continues working to raise Holocaust awareness, deepen the understanding of its hard-learned lessons, confront denial and advance genocide prevention. By Laura Cascada One of the U.S.'s most dangerous industries is becoming even more hazardous for workers, as animal welfare and consumer safety are also put on the line. The federal government is allowing more and more slaughter plants to kill animals at increasingly dangerous rates. At the end of September, the Trump administration announced that the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would be granting waivers allowing chicken slaughter plants to operate at higher kill speedsgoing from a staggering 140 birds killed per minute (or more than two birds every single second) to 175. This misguided decision benefits only the profit-driven meat industry. It does so at the expense of millions of animals, workers and consumers. Four waivers have recently been granted to chicken plants that will join 20 already killing as many as 175 birds each minute. A gut-wrenching new undercover investigation by my organization, Compassion Over Killing (COK), reveals high-speed horrors behind the closed doors of one of those initial 20 plants, and why these waivers must come to a screeching halt. Reckless High-Speed Slaughter Exposed Marking the second time in just three years that a COK investigator has exposed the alarming consequences of high-speed slaughter, this heartbreaking hidden-camera footage was filmed inside Amick Farms in Hurlock, Maryland. COK's investigator documented workers punching, shoving or throwing birds down the hurtling line; birds slowly drowning in electrified stunning baths during equipment breakdowns; and "red birds," chickens who were not fully bled out before entering the scalding tankevidence that they entered the tank while still alive. Amick Farms: High-Speed Chicken Slaughterhouse Exposed www.youtube.com / Compassion Over Killing "Birds can be seenstill hanging from the shacklesin the water bath. It is likely that the birds would have experienced prolonged, possibly painful electrical shock while they died of drowning," said Dr. Sara Shields, a farm animal behavior and welfare specialist at Humane Society International, in an expert statement in response to COK's footage. "This situation is totally unacceptable from an animal welfare perspective." COK submitted its video evidence to local authorities as well as to FSIS, urging the agency to revoke increased line speeds at Amick Farms and other high-speed plants, and stop issuing any further waivers. Though the criteria for receiving a waiver specifies that plants "must be able to demonstrate that faster line speeds will maintain or improve food safety," among other requirements, COK's new investigation has shown that faster lines lead to enormous animal suffering. Amick Farms responded to The Washington Post's coverage of the investigation, neglecting to take any real responsibility for the cruelties happening behind the doors of its slaughterhouse. At current rates of 140 birds slaughtered per minute at most plants, birds are already enduring horrific suffering. In addition, workers, who must keep up with the fast-paced assembly line environment, are forced to take inhumane shortcuts. Yet, with the government's recent announcement, we're moving quickly backward from bad to much worse. Other COK investigations have documented birds being improperly shackled, dumped onto the conveyor belt and being roughly handled by workers struggling to keep up with rapidly moving lines. Birds suffer during this short and tragic journey to the kill linealready having endured severely overcrowded and filthy conditions on factory farms where they were bred for unnaturally rapid growth. After these birds spend their lives standing, eating and sleeping in their own waste (often causing painful ammonia burns on their skin) and possibly even having their legs collapse under the unnatural weight of their own genetically manipulated bodies, the life of a "broiler" chicken farmed for food culminates in the horror of painful slaughter. In addition to the obvious cruelty toward farmed animals in the final moments of their short lives, high-speed slaughter lines also pose grave danger to workers. Many employees at slaughter plants are already vulnerable undocumented workers exploited in one of the nation's most dangerous industries to work. Even at current line speeds, they're often denied bathroom breaks to keep up the pace at all costs, and can suffer painful medical issues and severe injurieseven amputations. But instead of taking pause to address the dangers of this reckless program, the USDA is expanding itand not just for chickens. The Public Speaks Out Against High-Speed Pig Slaughter In late 2015, a COK undercover investigator worked at Quality Pork Processors (QPP) in Austin, Minnesota, a pig slaughterhouse that exclusively supplies to Hormel, the maker of SPAM and other pork products. Held up as a model plant for the USDA's high-speed pig slaughter programthe Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point-Based Inspection Model ProjectQPP kills approximately 1,300 pigs every hour. The terrifying truth revealed in undercover footage paints a picture very much like the horrors seen at Amick Farms: pigs being beaten, shocked and dragged to the kill floor. Many were also improperly stunned, possibly leading them to enter the scalding tank alivejust like the "red birds" documented at Amick. In this fast-paced environment, pigs covered in feces or pus-filled abscesses were also seen processed for human consumptionall with a USDA inspection seal of approval. In April 2018, Compassion Over Killing's former investigator, now out from behind the camera after his work at QPP and other slaughterhouses, delivered a quarter-million signatures to the USDA demanding it to end its regressive high-speed pig slaughter program. Yet the USDA continues to frame its high-speed program as a "modernization" of the meat industry. There's nothing modern about reducing already minimal protections for consumers, animals and workers. Though animal organizations and workers' rights advocates alike are fighting these reckless speed increases, and the USDA has received more than 83,000 comments regarding this programmany opposed to itthe enormous lobbying power of the National Chicken Council continues has put pressure on the USDA to eliminate speed caps altogether. The USDA has denied a countrywide increase so far, but there's little stopping the agency from granting waivers for individual slaughter plants across the United States. To stand in solidarity with exploited workers, tortured animals and unknowingly duped consumers, the easiest solution is to leave these cruelly mass-produced animal products off our plates. By voting with our dollars and avoiding these products altogether, we show the USDA, National Chicken Council and huge corporations running these plants that we do not support these cruel practices that harm human and non-human animals in the name of profit. Allowing slaughterhouses to run their kill lines at even faster speeds is a reckless decision by this administration that will lead to increased animal suffering, continued worker exploitation and compromised food safety. Tell the USDA: Not so fast. Take action and sign the petition at HighSpeedHorrors.com. Laura Cascada is Director of Corporate Outreach at Compassion Over Killing. She works to increase the availability of vegan options nationwide and bring about positive changes for animals in the meat, dairy and egg industries. This article was produced by Earth | Food | Life, a project of the Independent Media Institute, and originally published on Truthout. The partial government shutdown that has endangered nature and visitors at understaffed national parks finally came to an end Friday, when President Donald Trump agreed to temporarily reopen the government despite not receiving any money for his proposed border wall. The deal will put some 800,000 federal workers, who have now missed two paychecks, back to work while the president and Congress try and reach a deal over funding for the wall that would put 93 species at risk from extinction. But the fix, which ends the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, is only temporary. "If we don't get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15 again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency," Trump said Friday, as CNN reported. "We will have great security." The agreement does mean, however, that park rangers and other staff can begin to assess the damage done during the shutdown, as many parks remained open to the public but understaffed. In shutdowns under previous administrations, the parks have typically closed entirely. Park staff will also move to reopen services that were shuttered. "The damage done to our parks will be felt for weeks, months or even years. We want to thank and acknowledge the men and women who have devoted their careers to protecting our national parks and will be working hard to fix damage and get programs and projects back up and running," National Parks Conservation Association President Theresa Pierno said in a statement. "We implore lawmakers to use this time to come to a long-term funding agreement and avoid another disaster like this. Federal employees, businesses, communities and national parks deserve better." Here is what the return to normal looks like at parks around the country. 1. Mississippi National River and Recreation Area The Visitor Center for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area in Minnesota reopened Saturday and saw 180 guests in its first hour, Superintendent John Anfinson told The Associated Press. He said his employees had "big smiles on their faces" when he visited. Park Ranger Sharon Stiteler captured the mood when she tweeted a video of the center's gate opening under the word, "Weeeee!" 2. Joshua Tree National Park Dozens of supporters of Joshua Tree National Park saw in its full reopening with a rally Saturday to call attention to the havoc wreaked in the park during the shutdown, when several Joshua Trees were cut down and rocks damaged. The rally was originally planned to call for an end to the shutdown, but went forward anyway despite Friday's announcement. "What's happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years," former Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent Curt Sauer told The Palm Springs Desert Sun. 3. Yellowstone National Park Visitor Centers at Yellowstone National Park reopened Sunday, and a majority of staff are returning Monday to resume operations, The Associated Press reported. "For example, employees will begin to process the backlog of applications for special use permits, film permits, commercial use authorizations, and research permits. By midday Monday, the public will also be able to obtain permits for the non-commercially-guided snowmobile access program," the park website explained. 4. Mesa Verde National Park Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, on the other hand, will not be able to reopen until Feb. 4. This is because of rock falls that returning staff must now clear. "During the shutdown, several large rock falls occurred on the main park road between mile markers two and three, causing damage to the road and guardrail," Mesa Verde spokeswoman Cristy Brown said, as National Parks Traveler reported. "Repairing the road damage and replacing the guardrail, along with substantial snow removal, are necessary to ensure visitor and staff safety prior to the park reopening." 5. Mount Rainier National Park Staff at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington have a different blockage to clear: snow. While access to the park's Longmire section is fully restored as of Sunday, it is likely to take several days to restore vehicle access from Longmire to the popular Paradise area. "Significant targeted snow removal is required on all roads, pull-outs and parking areas between Longmire and Paradise. Staff are working now to restore safe access to this popular winter recreation area as quickly as possible. A projected opening date will be established as soon as possible," the park said in a release. Residents, lawmakers and environmentalists from a seaside community in Los Angeles County are questioning why it took a whole week for government officials to inform them of a well blowout that sprayed natural gas and other fluids nearly 60 feet into the air for several minutes. On Jan. 11, hotel construction workers in a populated area in Marina del Rey dug into an abandoned, 1930s-era oil well, causing an eruption of mainly methane, heavy abandonment mud and water. Video footage shows the fluids shooting high into the sky, and a worker rappelling away to avoid injury. The oil well was last sealed in 1959 and was in the process of being re-sealed before the release. But government officials did not notify the public about the incident for at least a week, LAist reported, prompting major concern from local residents and L.A. City Councilman Mike Bonin, who said on Facebook that "the site is immediately across the street from the homes of several hundred City residents I represent." "I am particularly concerned at the lack of notification to neighbors, and at continued risks of leaks due to a potential lack of structural integrity of the well, which state officials said was a 'serious concern.' This incident also raises concerns about other old and abandoned wells in the area," he added. On Jan. 18, the California State Department of Oil Gas & Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) issued an emergency order to bring the well under control, to permanently plug the well and to investigate why it occurred. The statement noted that the Jan. 11 blowout was a threat to life, health, property and natural resources. "Because of the serious concerns about the structural integrity of the well and the sensitive location of the well, efforts to secure the site and properly plug and abandon the well must be undertaken without delay," DOGGR stated. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued an incident update on Jan. 23 that said DOGGR learned of the incident on the afternoon of Jan. 11 and that "the leak was quickly contained and first responders reported from the scene that there was no continuing methane release." "The well currently is emitting no gas and there is no emergency impacting public safety," the update stated. Still, residents, lawmakers and environmentalists are wondering why state and local government officials failed to notify residents as soon as the leak was discovered. Briana Mordick and Damon Nagami of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) are demanding accountability and transparency from DOGGR and other responsible state and local agencies, especially since DOGGR was one of the agencies that dealt with the infamous 2015 Aliso Canyon gas leak that impacted thousands of residents of near Porter Ranch and caused significant environmental damage from methane pollution. "People living near oil and gas operations have a right to know what's happening in their communities," Mordick and Nagami wrote. "California is home to some of the densest urban oil and gas drilling anywhere in the U.S., with homes, schools, parks, and beaches located in some cases just tens of feet from oil and gas wells," they continued. "Nearly five and half million people in California live within one mile of an oil and gas well. It's also home to more than 140,000 plugged and abandoned wells, like the one in Marina Del Rey." Councilmember Bonin concluded in his Facebook post that "fossil fuels are dangerous." "Whether it is their production or their use, they threaten our environment and our safety," he wrote "That is why I support aggressive measures to transition to 100 percent renewable energy sources, why I support the STAND-LA effort to impose a safe buffer from fossil fuel extraction and sensitive uses such as schools and residences, and why I am calling for additional investigation of this incident and greater assurances that my constituents are safe." In an effort to fight climate change, Germany announced plans to quit coal mining and burning by 2038. All 84 of the country's coal-fired power plants will be shut down over the 19-year time frame, a government-appointed commission announced Saturday, according to The Los Angeles Times. It's a significant move as nearly 40 percent of Germany's electricity comes from coal-fired power plants. "This is a historic accomplishment," Ronald Pofalla, one of four commission leaders, announced at a news conference after more than 20 hours of negotiations. "It was anything but a sure thing. But we did it," he added. "There won't be any more coal-burning plants in Germany by 2038." The commission's plan provides about $45 billion in aid to coal-producing regions affected by the phase-out. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government is expected to adopt the plan. "Good for the economy and climate: The report of the climate/coal commission is widely supported by business and environmental organizations," Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, a trusted advisor to Merkel, tweeted on Saturday. "Less CO2, more new jobs. Security of supply and affordability: a strong signal!" If the exit goes according to plan, renewable energy will effectively supply 65-80 percent of Germany's power in two decades' time, since the country also pledged to close all its nuclear reactors by 2022, the Times noted. Renewable energy replaced coal as Germany's main power source for the first time last year, accounting for 41 percent of the country's electricity, according to Reuters. But some environmentalists warned that the commission's recommendations are not ambitious enough for Germany to meet its obligations under the Paris climate agreement. Germany, which has the highest greenhouse gas emissions across the European Union, needs to phase the highly polluting fossil fuel out of its electricity sector by 2030 in order to meet its Paris target, according to Climate Analytics, a Berlin-based climate science and policy non-profit organization. "If Germany were to adopt the coal commission's proposal, it would be the only EU country with a coal exit date after 2030, setting a worrying precedent for climate action in Europe and around the world," the group said in a press release. "Delaying coal exit until 2038 would put Germany behind other leading European economies including France and the United Kingdom, both members of the Powering Past Coal Alliance. The alliance includes 30 governments (of those 11 are EU member states), 22 provinces and cities and 28 transnationals, who pledged to phase out coal by 2030." Greenpeace International also tweeted that "there's a problem" with a coal exit by 2038: That's too late to stop worsening climate change. "Germany has finally stepped up and joined most of its European neighbors in setting a phase-out date for coal, with support for workers, and deserves credit for that," Jennifer Morgan, the executive director of Greenpeace International, said in a press release. "But the target of 2038 is not enough to protect Germany or other countries from the dangerous impacts of climate change, nor to meet the goals of the Paris agreement." "Every week we see more and more evidence that climate change is accelerating, bringing with it forest fires, violent storms, and other extreme weather. That should be pushing countries, and Germany should be leading to increase their ambition, to deliver more and to deliver it faster," Morgan added. We are excited to kick off our inaugural celebration of FeBREWary, an initiative that aligns so well with why we built this brewery in the first place: to celebrate American beer innovation, Oliver Gray, marketing manager for Open Gate Brewery, said in a press release. Part of our mission here in Maryland is to become a permanent fixture of Baltimore culture and welcome beer lovers from around the world with the unmatched Irish hospitality that Guinness is known for. By Common Dreams staff At least 80,000 people marched in a cold rain in Brussels Sunday in another massive protest demanding that the European Union take urgent and far-reaching action to address the world's climate crisis. Sunday's march was the fourth climate march in the past three weekseach one significantly bigger than the lastas students across Belgium and other European countries have skipped their high school and college classes in order to shame those in power who refuse to move urgently. Youth for Climate also demonstrated in Brussels on Jan. 24. StampMedia / Flickr "The objective of the march is to challenge the Belgian government as well as the heads of state and government who will attend the European Council summit in Brussels on 21 and 22 March," Larry Moffett, one of the organizers of Sunday's march, told the Brussels Times. "The march participants will call on them to meet the target of a 65 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030." In France, organizers said more than 80,000 people demonstrated in French towns and cities on Sunday. An online petition they set up on the issueat laffairedusiecle.nethas already gathered more than 2.1 million signatures and organizers want to hit three million. "Onions, not concrete," and "Less consumption, more butterflies" were among the messages on placards at a demonstration in central Paris. The climate strike movement grew out of a direct action by Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old climate activist from Sweden who skipped school in September to hold her own demonstration outside Swedish parliament. On Friday, an estimated ten thousand students took to the freezing cold streets of Berlin, Germany as they added their voices to the growing youth-led climate global uprising. The Brussels event was described as Belgium's biggest climate march ever. Trains from across the nation were so clogged that thousands of protesters failed to reach the march in time and organizers had to begin the march early to ease the congestion. The march ended at the headquarters of the European Union. Reposted with permission from our media associate Common Dreams. Brazil endured one of the deadliest mining disasters in its history when a mining dam collapsed Friday in the southeastern city of Brumadinho, The New York Times reported. The death toll rose to 58 by Sunday, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense said, and 305 people are missing. Rescue operations had to pause Sunday when another nearby dam looked ready to burst and 3,000 were evacuated. The evacuation order was later lifted when authorities determined the second dam was safe, CNN reported. Both the ruptured dam and the dam that threatened to burst are owned by the iron ore mining company Vale, which also co-owned a dam that burst three years ago in the city of Mariana, killing 19 and earning the title of worst environmental disaster in Brazil's history. "We are not dealing with an accident, but with a crime against people and nature. How many lives do we still have to lose [until] the Brazilian state and mining companies learn from their mistakes?" Greenpeace Brazil Campaigns director Nilo D'Avila said in a statement reported by CNN. However, there is concern that Brazil's newly elected right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro will not act to improve safety standards for the mining industry, since he promised during his campaign to ease fines and regulations for industry, The New York Times reported further. Bolsonaro did promise on Twitter that his government would act to prevent more collapses following the disaster, The Guardian reported. Both the Mariana and Brumadinho dams were certified as "stable" before they collapsed. The Brumadinho dam was certified as recently as December. But experts told The New York Times that the mining companies are the ones that choose auditors to work with and provide those auditors with documents. "These are not exceptional events. Dams rupture. More will come," State University of Rio de Janeiro Geography Professor Luiz Jardim told The New York Times. "Either the monitoring system is flawed, or companies have figured out how to work around it." Another safeguard that failed Friday was the alarm system that mining companies are supposed to put in place to warn nearby residents of a collapse. The alarm sounded ahead of Sunday's evacuation, but not Friday's rupture. "They told us that if anything ever happened, an alarm would go off to give us time to get everything out," collapse survivor and 39-year-old machine operator Dari Pereira told The New York Times. But that didn't happen, and he and his family had no time to retrieve their car, clothing or pets. "Seconds after we left, I saw a wave drag away everything, the house, everything," he said. The collapse hospitalized 23 people and left mine waste referred to as tailings that officials say will be contained within two days, CNN reported Monday. The Brazilian National Water Agency said it would supply water to the impacted area. Decode Your Future with an Online Computer Science Degree from Drexel Drexel University's online computer science programs are designed to prepare you for work on the cutting edge of technology. The curriculum is designed for students with any level of experience or previous knowledge. Choose the program thats right for you. Learn More. The borderless promise of e-commerce doesn't mean one size fits all. Your business can have customers from around the globe, but if you want to keep them and grow, it is crucial to understand local shopper preferences and behaviors, and be able to respond to them. Without localization, you won't have an effective go-to-market strategy, and your opportunity for growth will stall. Sure, the advent of selling online means that conventional borders no longer exist. Consumers are expected to spend US$1 trillion on cross-border e-commerce by 2020, according to a report by McKinsey. Also, online buyers are not afraid to purchase goods from foreign merchants, as a recent KPMG study confirms, with international sales making up more than 40 percent of the total for the countries located in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. However, selling across borders is not the same as selling at home. If you can't create a localized, trusted and customized experience for shoppers, you definitely will suffer from low conversion rates -- or even worse, fail to win their business at all. Shoppers may be willing to browse an offshore merchant, but the quality of the buying experience and how much the vendor is trusted factor heavily into consumers' decision-making. Localization is critical, as it contributes to the trust that is so important to global buyers. Vendors need to start by crafting a localization strategy. However, many don't understand what the minimum requirements need to be and where to begin. Following are a few things to consider. Audit Your Local Audience, Markets and Resources Once you have prioritized your markets and determined which ones you want to optimize, focus on auditing the unique aspects of those markets that will impact buying behavior the most. Any strategy that doesn't consider the language, culture, preferences, needs and even idiosyncrasies of the local market is doomed to fail. Connecting with global buyers requires an approach that treats each market differently. This means localizing each aspect of the buying experience, which includes everything from the payment method, currency, prices, text, labels and messages, to date and time, phone number, graphics, formatting, punctuation and addresses. Creating an audit of the market will help you determine the must-haves to be successful in the region. Translating Your Site Is Not Enough Many sellers still believe that translating a site into the local language solves the localization issue. It doesn't. English is the language of the digital world, but the reality is that in most countries, 80 percent of transactions occur in the local language. However, translation is only a small piece of the puzzle. Localizing content, product, all documents, pricing, communication and onboarding also should be considered. Ultimately, support must be offered in the local language, too. Consider a Different Layout, Flow and Shopping Cart Besides language translation, there are many localization elements to consider. The design of a website for China should differ greatly from one for Japan -- even if you're selling the same product. Likewise, user experiences that work in Europe don't always have the same impact for shoppers in North America or other regions. As with website content layout and flow, buyers expect your shopping cart to reflect their local preferences and norms. Conversion rates for non-localized shopping carts are significantly lower. This involves localizing every aspect of the cart -- which means text, labels, messages, dates, times, phone numbers, prices, graphics, formatting, number of steps in the ordering process, length of forms, information that is prefilled and more. It's essential that you research the best layout and flow that will work in each region, and then fine-tune them by testing different versions and comparing their conversion rates. Online shoppers in France, for example, prefer carts with a blue and white color scheme and a more formal tone to their text. French customers also react better to positive language versus negative -- such as "what to do" instead of "what not to do." Plus, in France, they are very fond of the Carte Bancaire payment method. On the other hand, in China you need to offer Alipay as a payment method or WeChat Pay. In our experience, businesses that sell in the Chinese market conduct more than 50 percent of their transactions via Alipay alone. It's not just payment or colors schemes either. Cultural and societal considerations are critical. In China, it is recommended that you avoid the number four, which is considered unlucky. In some countries, selling online can be more difficult for foreign companies. For example, Latin American countries such as Brazil, Chile and Argentina have stringent currency laws that make it illegal even to publish prices in currencies other than the local one. In addition, it's a prerequisite that customers have a nationally issued bank card for any payment purposes. You need to know the lay of the land in every country you want to have a presence in. The Price Needs to Be Right An important deciding factor when buying online is the price. While some aspects may be beyond your control, such as shipping and handling or fulfillment, many others are not, such as regional-appropriate pricing. Just because your product is priced competitively in one market, that doesn't mean the same is true in another. Transparency can be accomplished by giving shoppers the option to view the price in their local currency. However, a better practice is to use GeoIP detection technology, which identifies the shopper's location and displays the local currency automatically. Being able to set the pricing by location allows you to adjust your strategy to the economic reality of each market, and to the costs that you incur by doing business in that particular geography. Payments Change Everything Payment localization isn't just a matter of convenience. It's a determining factor in the buying decision, and it's a good way to establish a level of trust and comfort that no amount of marketing or promotion can provide. In addition to increased conversions, card purchases transacted with the combination of a local payment method, gateway and merchant bank have a much higher chance of being approved than any type of foreign payment. However, creating the necessary infrastructure to localize payments is neither cheap nor easy. The typical payment processor will be able to provide coverage only for a single country or region. That means you'll need to source and sign a processor for every region or country in which you intend to sell, as well as set aside time and resources to integrate and maintain them. If your plans include expansion into multiple markets, finding an e-commerce platform that can help you scale is the best option. To be successful on a global scale requires payment capabilities that involve more than just completing transactions. Advanced payments can be an invaluable tool to increase conversion or renewal rates, reduce churn, and improve the customer experience. Among them are solutions such as credit card updating services, which ensure that recurring billing remains intact by updating a customer's card expiration date automatically, or intelligent payment routing, which redirects the payment through to the most appropriate gateway or processor, and configurable retry logic, which recovers up to 20 percent of failed transactions due to soft declines. Local Customer Support Is a Must Seventy-eight percent of consumers have abandoned a transaction because of a bad service interaction, according to American Express. Hence, it's critical to your localization strategy to provide good shopper support -- from providing a local phone number, a localized email system (sent in local languages and during business hours) and even a toll-free number. Additionally, email follow-ups, order recovery, lead management, and even marketing messages all need to be localized for an optimal experience. The Certainties in Life Are Death and Taxes OK, let's not get too gloomy here. Even taxes can be manageable. Regardless of where your company is based, you're legally required to properly manage and collect sales and value-added taxes levied on each transaction. The amount, the authority responsible for collecting it, and the rules governing it can differ from country to country. You need to know how much tax to charge and which entities and businesses are exempt. Many of these details can be automated with templates that support pan-regional commerce and have GeoIP location detection to identify the shopper's country of origin. Other details, such as how and where to distribute the tax proceeds, must be handled by the seller (as the merchant of record) or its proxy. Companies wanting to accelerate sales can leverage a digital commerce provider to act as a merchant of record in each country. In addition to tax handling, such providers can manage all the financial aspects of the transactions, leaving you with just the proceeds. Data Protection Compliance: A Reality We're increasingly seeing more regulation to protect citizens' personal information across multiple borders. In the case of GDPR, any company that interacts or does business with EU citizens or EU-based companies must comply. New laws in the U.S., such as in California and Vermont, have similar mandates protecting local citizens and businesses. Compliance is essential as a result, because the failure to comply can result in crippling fines. Hence, it makes business sense for merchants to work with an e-commerce partner that has an established governance structure that supports broad compliance, and that conducts regular compliance assessments and audits. Where Do We Go From Here? E-commerce continues to represent a huge opportunity for businesses, with no signs of slowing down. However, the companies that capitalize on this growth the best will be the ones that have comprehensive strategies in place to deal with optimizing sales in prioritized markets. This includes plans for international growth in which localization plays a critical role. However, as we've seen, global e-commerce isn't one size fits all. It requires careful consideration of the marketplace you are entering, and it may seem truly beyond the scope of most companies. Before expanding, businesses need to arm themselves with knowledge about where to prioritize their efforts. They also need to choose a partner with the right combination of skills to get them there: expertise in global e-commerce capabilities, relationships, even access to local affiliates and resellers that can help any merchant penetrate into a local market quickly, effectively, and with the right knowledge and marketing power behind them. Erich Litch is president and chief operating officer of 2Checkout. The EBRD is supporting important infrastructure private public partnerships (PPP) projects in Jordan, with the purchase of an indirect equity stake in Airport international Group (AIG), the concessionaire operating Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan (QAIA). The Bank is committing up to 30.5 million to AIG through acquisition of an indirect stake in Meridiam Eastern Europe Investments 2 SAS (Meridiam), which acquired 32 percent of AIG last year. AIG is a private shareholding company incorporated in Jordan in 2007, and holds a 25-year BOT concession from the Government of Jordan for the rehabilitation, expansion and operation of QAIA. In April 2018, a consortium comprising ADP Group, Meridiam and Asma Capital, acquired 85.25 per cent of the shares from several selling shareholders including Edgo Group which continues to be a shareholder today with a 4.75 per cent stake. ADP, one of the world's largest airport companies, increased its stake to 51 per cent and Meridiam acquired 32 per cent. With its participation in the project, the EBRD is helping to strengthen the resilience of the Jordanian economy, by supporting the development of PPPs markets and the capital markets of the country generally. It aims to be a catalyst that will attract more investment capital into PPP projects and support the development of a secondary market for PPPs in order to attract institutional investors. Drawing on its long experience in developing sustainable infrastructure projects in emerging economies, the EBRD will use its involvement to contribute to enhanced engagement with environmental and social issues by AIG. QAIA was first inaugurated in 1983 to become Jordans key gateway to the world. Located 35 kilometers from the heart of the capital, Amman, it provides passenger, air cargo and aviation support services. It gives direct access to major business and travel destinations in Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East, and heritage sites like Petra, the Dead Sea and the Wadi Rum Desert. Jordan became an EBRD shareholder in 2012 and to date the Bank has committed more than 1.3 billion across 43 projects in various sectors of the economy, in addition to US$ 120 million of trade facilitation lines to local banks. North Andover, MA (01845) Today Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 89F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Clear skies with a few passing clouds. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Fugitive bribery suspect Pei Zhanrong, a former human resources and social security official in northeast China's Jilin Province, has returned to China and turned herself in nearly two years after fleeing overseas, China's top anti-graft authority announced Monday. Pei, 65, a former chief of the division for demobilized military officers' placement and deputy inspector at the human resources and social security department in Jilin Province, was suspected of taking bribes and fled overseas in March 2017, according to a statement by the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission. In June 2017, Jilin provincial prosecutors launched an investigation into Pei's suspected crimes, before she was added to an online wanted list by the authorities, the statement said. Pei is cooperating in returning her illegal gains, according to officials. The fugitive repatriation and asset recovery office under China's Central Anti-Corruption Coordination Group has vowed unremitting efforts to hunt down fugitives and recover stolen assets. Readers Survey As our valued readers, we want to hear from you. Please take a moment to fill out the survey below. - Thank you, Eastern Arizona Courier Click Here A new movement for beef farmers in Ireland, which hopes to regain control of an animal from birth to slaughter and beyond, as well as allowing the farmer make a living, will have its first meeting for farmers in Monaghan this Wednesday January 30 at 8pm in the Glencairn Hotel in Castleblayney. Micheal Rafferty, the beef plan representative for County Monaghan contacted the Dundalk Democrat regarding the new movement. According to Michael, the beef plan movement started about four months ago when a group of farmers got together to put together a plan for the Irish beef sector. The movement has since grown to 15,000 members. Micheal said that, despite the importance of the beef sector to the rural economy, farmers had never put down on paper what they aspired from the sector. This is the first plan written by farmers for farmers. We are seeking to take back control of our industry, said Micheal, by assembling 40,000 farmers countrywide to stand together, as the current situation of selling our produce in single file has not yielded a viable or sustainable enterprise for us or our families. In fact the group has now formed a company, but all those involved are volunteers who are farmers and feel passionately about changing the destination we are all heading towards. I myself farm part-time outside Carrickmacross and run an organic suckler beef farm, Micheal continued. The Monaghan meeting will feature a top drawer of speakers from the beef plan leadership who will explain our plan, and update farmers on the opportunities which have surfaced since we started on this journey last November. We believe farmers shouldnt just accept their lot, but deserve to be paid a decent price for their top quality cattle, and that price should be a profitable price, not 3.70 as is on offer from factories at the minute. Dairy, tillage, sheep and all category of farmers are welcome to come to the meeting. Every meeting across the country has been full house, night after night, and our support base now stands at 15,000. We would encourage farmers to come early and register with the beef plan which only costs 10 euro. This covers administration, venue costs and other costs. As the rep for County Monaghan, I would encourage all farmers including young farmers to come along and hear what this new group are all about. We have received the full backing of 7 breed societies and ICSA, IHFa and Farmers rights group to name a few. Our meeting in Ballinsloe was filmed and featured on ear to the ground on RTE TV this[last] week. We have been very encouraged by the huge numbers of young farmers who have supported the group right around the country, and they will be warmly received in Castleblayney too, Micheal concluded. For more information go to www.beefplan.ie Dundalk native Bernie Bradley, who works as a Social Inclusion Officer in Monaghan County Council, has been appointed to the first ever statutory advisory committee in Ireland to support monitoring of Irelands implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Bernie has worked in the area of accessibility and equality for 25 years, working in both community and voluntary sector and public sector. Since 2004 she has worked in the local government sector leading significant cultural and organisational change in equality and accessibility in Monaghan County Council. Bernie has developed numerous policies and initiatives to improve accessibility for people with disabilities that have been implemented in local authorities throughout the country. Bernie holds a Masters Degree in Public Management and a Professional Diploma in Human Rights and Equality. Bernie is also involved in the area of disability rights in a voluntary capacity with Down Syndrome Ireland. Bernies daughter Jinny who is 6 and has Down syndrome attends St Malachys infant school. Eleven members in total were appointed to their roles on the Disability Advisory Committee by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (the Commission). The Disability Advisory Committee, made up of a majority of people with disabilities is brought together by the Commission to support its statutory function of monitoring Irelands implementation of the UN Convention. The CRPD was ratified in 2018 more than a decade after being first signed by Ireland and is now in force. Ireland is expected to produce its first report to the United Nations in Geneva on its implementation of the Convention in 2020. Article 33 of the Convention requires an independent mechanism to monitor the implementation, a role which will be fulfilled by the Commission. The appointments to the Disability Advisory Committee are for a three-year term and come after an open competitive process. Eleven people are being appointed with a significant majority of members being people with disabilities. ADA [ndash] Wanda Lee Brewer, 91, of Ada, Oklahoma passed away Sunday, June 13, 2021, in Ada. Services for Wanda will be held Thursday, June 17, 2021, at 10 a.m. at the Estes-Phillips Funeral Home Chapel, with Bro. Roger Arter officiating. Interment will follow at New Bethel Cemetery. For up A Dothan woman is arrested after law police say she stabbed another woman on Jan. 19 in the 2600 block of Flynn Road. Ciera Emani Chambers, 20, of Dothan, was arrested Friday, Jan. 25, and charged with second-degree assault-knife. Police say that during an altercation, Chambers pulled a black pocket knife out of her pocket and cut the victim on her right arm. The victim was transported to the hospital with a non-life threatening wound, said Dothan Police Lt. Lynn Watkins. Chambers is out of jail on a $10,000 bond. Get Breaking News Alerts Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A five-hour manhunt for a suspect who fled on foot during an attempted traffic stop for speeding was called off early Monday in Dale County. According to Dale County Chief Deputy Mason Bynum, a vehicle traveling in the area of Dale County Road 1 and Highway 167 was speeding, and when a deputy attempted to turn around to perform a traffic stop, the suspect jumped out of a vehicle and fled on foot. The incident began Sunday evening at 8 p.m., Bynum said. The deputy clocked a motorist speeding, and when the deputy attempted to turn around to pursue the driver, the driver had already fled on foot. When the deputy made contact with the rolling vehicle, the vehicle was empty. The search was suspended at about 1 a.m. Monday with no arrest. We have a few leads we are currently working, but anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to call the Dale County Sheriffs Office at 334-774-1839, Bynum said. The Dale County Sheriffs Office was assisted in the hunt by the Level Plains Police Department, The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the Alabama Department of Corrections K9 Unit. Get Breaking News Alerts Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. One thing I want people to know is that some people look at me and think Im so fearless and can do anything, and Im not trying to brag, but I get nervous and Im so hard on myself, Mathner said. I want girls my age to know that yes, its a scary experience but its so worth it. Its normal to be afraid, to be nervous. This program is worth every single ounce of fear and anxiety -- you can come out of this program with zero dollars and still gain something form it. Theres so much to learn; we learn skills we can take with us for the rest of our lives. Its a definite misconception that the only way to compete is to win. Its a privilege and a gift to have this program in our county, so even if you dont think youll win, it doesnt mean you wont get anything out of it. Youll definitely get something out of it, no matter how much money you win or dont win. Booker prize-winning author Roddy Doyle will be in Donegal shortly. Doyle will speak at the Bundoran Community Library on Monday, February 11 to celebrate the first anniversary of the creative writing programme Fighting Words North West. Author of The Commitments and The Van among other titles, he will participate in a story-writing session with students from Holy Family National School in the morning, and he will speak with prospective Fighting Words volunteers from 2:00 to 3:30 in the afternoon. Members of the public are invited to attend the afternoon talk in the Bundoran Community Library. Fighting Words North West is a regional branch of the national Fighting Words creative writing programme founded by Roddy Doyle and Sean Love in 2009. Headquartered near Croke Park in Dublin, Fighting Words has helped thousands of students discover the power of their imaginations and creative writing skills. Branch programmes have sprung up in Donegal, Cork, Belfast, Galway, Wicklow, Kerry, Kildare and Wexford. Stories from Fighting Words North West and other centres have been showcased in special supplements to The Irish Times. FWNW creative writing sessions have been enthusiastically supported by the Donegal Library System. All volunteers are Garda vetted and trained in child-protection policies and procedures. According to Fighting Words North West Coordinators Tom Sigafoos and Monica Corish, We're delighted with the response and participation in Fighting Words in our first year. We've worked with students from Bundoran, Ballyshannon, Creevy and Killygordon in Donegal, from Kinlough in Leitrim, and from Belleek in Fermanagh. Our volunteers come from Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo. Fighting Words North West has become a genuine regional enterprise. And the results are great. When the students get to exercise their imaginations, the sky is the limit. Teachers and principals who wish sign up their classes for free Fighting Words creative writing sessions, and adults who are interested in helping as volunteers, can contact the FWNW Coordinators at northwest@fightingwords.ie. For information about the national Fighting Words programme see www.fightingwords.ie Putting that free energy around you to good use with minuscule energy harvesters Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have developed a micro-electromechanical energy harvester that allows for more flexibility in design, which is crucial for future IoT applications. Unlike conventional electret-based MEMS energy harvesters, which contain the entire system in a single chip, the proposed design methodology involves having the electret and the MEMS tunable capacitor in different chips, loosening up design constraints./ Image: Daisuke Yamane Nowadays, it would be hard to not notice that electronic devices have become incredibly small. The use of miniature sensors in the upcoming Internet of Things (IoT) era could enable us to develop applications that were only seen in science fiction. However, microelectronic devices still require power to run, and energy-harvesting micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) can be used so that these minuscule contraptions can run on ambient energy, such as that coming from mechanical vibrations. As depicted in Fig. 1, conventional MEMS energy harvesters use an electret (the electrical equivalent of a permanent magnet; it has permanent charge stored in it) placed in an MEMS tunable capacitor, which has a moving electrode that is pushed by ambient forces, inducing the movement of charges. Unfortunately, this design is very constrained because the fabrication processes for both the electret and the MEMS components have to be compatible. Therefore, a team of scientists, including Assistant Professor Daisuke Yamane from Tokyo Institute of Technology, proposed a new MEMS electret-based energy harvester that consists of two separate chips: one for the MEMS tunable capacitor, and one containing an electret and dielectric material to form another capacitor (Fig. 1). "This allows us to physically separate MEMS structures and electrets for the first time," states Yamane. The energy-harvesting mechanism of the device is shown in Fig. 2 above. The capacitance of the electret circuit is fixed (Cfix), whereas that of the MEMS tunable capacitor (CM) changes according to the stretching of the spring (caused by external vibrations). When CM becomes higher than Cfix, a movement of charges is induced and the tunable capacitor gains charge. Likewise, when Cfix is higher, charges move in the opposite direction and the capacitor in the electret circuit gains charge. These movements of charges represent electrical power that can be exploited. The left side of Fig. 2 below shows pictures of the fabricated chips and a simplified diagram, and the right side shows that voltage can be effectively generated. "The proposed method can be a promising way to enhance the design and fabrication flexibility of both MEMS structures and electrets," concludes Yamane. Loosening up design constraints expands the limits for engineers and will accelerate the onset of the IoT era so that we can reap its benefits. How AI can save Earth's biodiversity Our planet is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction, the worst since dinosaurs roamed the earth, 65 million years ago. Every 14 minutes, an elephant is killed in Africa, while a Rhino is slaughtered every 11 hours. It is because of countless direct and indirect human actions, such as poaching, overpopulation, habitat destruction and climate change, that our with data science company planets rich biodiversity is taking such a huge hit. By Ganes Kesari, co-founder and head of analytics of data science company Gramener Our planet is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction , the worst since dinosaurs roamed the earth, 65 million years ago. Every 14 minutes, an elephant is killed in Africa, while a Rhino is slaughtered every 11 hours. Over 14,000 species in the US are listed as endangered , many of which have been around for millions of years. The responsibility for this crisis lies with us, humans. It is because of countless direct and indirect human actions, such as poaching, overpopulation, habitat destruction and climate change, that our planets rich biodiversity is taking such a huge hit. We know that species are becoming extinct at a rapid pace at least 1,000 times more quickly than would be expected in the absence of human activities. - Lucas Joppa , Chief Environmental Officer at Microsoft. Technology: friend or foe? Environmentalists are facing insurmountable odds as poachers resort to the latest technology in night-vision goggles, military grade weaponry, and sophisticated transportation. Thankfully, its the state-of-art technology thats also giving a boost to conservation efforts around the world. The revolutionary advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have unlocked the ability to rapidly process a variety of signals, identify risks from them accurately, and provide real-time alerts to the conservationists. In this fight against human greed, AI models have turned into an unlikely ally, helping save our biodiversity, paradoxically from our own hands. The immense power of Deep Learning models Deep Learning models, a type of AI system, are particularly effective at pattern recognition and identification. For example, when these models are given thousands of pictures of whale sharks, they can learn to spot a unique whale shark from a future sighting, with remarkable accuracy. A feat that humans would struggle to match. In addition, these models are particularly effective at doing this with unstructured data such as images, videos and audio clips -- formats that computers have been struggling with for decades. The deep learning models are first taught with pre-labelled images, and then learn their lessons by running hundreds of iterations on high-performance, GPU infrastructure. These trained models can then instantly identify any new picture that theyre presented with. AI for Social Good The Nisqually Foundation in the US recently faced the challenge of identifying salmon species from underwater camera trap videos, a task which required the precious time of its expert biologists. Microsoft AI for Earth and Gramener devised a deep learning solution that was able to process hundreds of hours of video to identify frames with the snapshots of fish. The application was then able to identify the salmon species with high accuracy, saving over 80% of human effort in the processing and identification of salmon from the videos. Such AI solutions hold immense potential in identifying hard-to-track species, provided there are enough labelled images available to train the models. Adding to the efforts are citizen environmental groups such as iNaturalist , which act as thriving online social networks that exist with the primary aim of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe. Leveraging the rich database of millions of crowdsourced pictures of plants and animals, Microsoft and Gramener built an AI solution that can name them real-time from over 5,000 species. This solution has been packaged as a public API on the Microsoft AI platform and is available for use by citizen scientists and NGOs. Penguin Watch is a citizen science project that captures time-lapse pictures of penguin colonies using fixed cameras in several locations in Antarctica. However, if the the identification and classification of species is labor-intensive for humans, spotting changes in their population counts across years presents an even bigger challenge, especially as these multi-year pictures run into the hundreds of thousands. AI has come to the rescue of these penguins, who are threatened by climate change and human disturbances. Density-based deep learning algorithms learn from the crowd-sourced annotated images, wherein volunteers place dots to identify every penguin. Armed with this training, the models built by researchers at the University of Oxford and machine learning teams around the world provide accurate counts of the birds in each picture. This intelligence helps researchers better understand threats to the ecosystem and answer deeper questions on wildlife dynamics. Wildbook is an open source platform from Wildme that uses photographs of skin patterning behind the gills of each shark to uniquely identify Whale Sharks from public photographs submitted from the ocean sightings. This makes it possible for members of the public to contribute to the conservation of this beautiful species, just by submitting their holiday snaps. Over on the African continent, national parks pose a different kind of conservation challenge for elephants. With tens of thousand square miles of roadless territory and a very dispersed elephant population, monitoring the elephant population is tough and poaching has seen an unprecedented rise. AI models can be put to use here in conjunction with aerial defence efforts by organizations such as Save the Elephants , wherein anti-poaching aircrafts capture continuous shots of aerial pictures of the landscape. AI models can then spot elephant herds from thousands of such pictures and accurately tell them apart from images of cattle or other wildlife to identify concentrations of vulnerable elephants. With all this in mind, there is a glimmer of hope that these efforts to conserve our planets biodiversity will be worth it. Streaming data feeds generated by the latest smart devices can be converted into actionable intelligence by AI. With an ability to uniquely identify, name and monitor all of our endangered species, AI models will soon be able to alert us of the next poaching incident, enabling rangers to reach the spot, even before the poachers. Snapshot of Salmon species detection solution developed for Nisqually Foundation, by Gramener and Microsoft Species Classification API built by Gramener and Microsoft AI Detection solution built by Gramener and Microsoft that works on Aerial images captured by Save the Elephants foundation (aerial shot on the left; AI detection on the right) The author is a co-founder and head of analytics at Gramener, and helps NGOs adopt AI models in their conservation efforts. He is an Industry recognized speaker in Data science and is recognized as a top writer in 'Artificial Intelligence' on Medium. TN CM seeks withdrawal of DPR for Karnataka's Cauvery dam Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Planiswami has called for a withdrawal of the permission given to Karnataka for a detailed project report (DPR) on a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu. I seek your kind personal intervention and request you to instruct the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the Central Water Commission to reject outright and return the Detailed Project Report of the Mekedatu Project submitted by Karnataka, said Palaniswami. The unilateral action of the Karnataka government proposing to construct a new reservoir at Mekedatu and for which the DPR was presented to the Central Water Commission, was a clear violation of the Supreme Court judgement of February 2018, he pointed out in his letter According to him, lakhs and lakhs of farmers of Tamil Nadu dependent on Cauvery water are agitated that they will be deprived of their due share of water as per the judgement of the Supreme Court dated February 16, 2018, if Mekedatu or any such project is taken up in the Cauvery basin by upper riparian states, said the Tamil Nadu chief minister. His 92-page memorandum to Modi also sought cancellation of permission given to the Kerala government for conducting a survey of a new dam in Mullaiperiyar. Additionally, Palaniswami also sought conferment of Bharat Ratna on two former chief ministers of the state, C N Annadurai and J Jayalalithaa. It also sought regional air connectivity under the Udan scheme for three cities in the state Salem, Hosur and Neyveli. The chief minister also sought Modis help in protecting the fireworks sector in the state, which provided jobs to 800,000 workers. Fifteenth Finance Commission to visit Punjab Headed by Chairman NK Singh, the Fifteenth Finance Commission will visit Punjab from 29 January to 1 February, 2019, making it the 17th State that the commission will have visited. The commission will begin its visit with meetings with representatives of the panchayat raj institutions (PRIs) and the urban local bodies (ULB). This will be followed by a meeting with the representatives of political parties in the state. On its next visit, the commission is scheduled to have detailed meeting with the state government headed by the chief minister of Punjab along with other cabinet ministers of the state and senior officials. The commission will also visit Amritsar where it will hold meetings with the state representatives of trade and industry. It will also conduct site visits to see development works progressing in the state. Prior to its visits to Punjab, the Commission has been holding detailed briefing meetings with the A.G. of Punjab, the Chief Secretary of Punjab as well as with the Central Government regarding issues pertaining to the State of Punjab. Subscriber content preview SEATTLE The Footprint Cal Park apartments, at 1806-1812 12th Ave., sold for just under $14.5 million, according to King County records. The sellers were two LLCs related to La Serena Holdings and the developer Footprint, which acquired the land in 2011 for just over $1 million, then developed it. . . . Subscriber content preview The state of Washington faces several big transportation challenges in the coming decades, and they are laid out in a new report from the Washington State Transportation Commission. The seven-member citizen commission has just released an update of its transportation policy plan, called WTP 2040 and Beyond. Its previous plan, the 2035 Washington Transportation Plan, was released in 2015. . . . Subscriber content preview PORTLAND (AP) A $13 million lawsuit has been filed against a fitness center chain after a 62-year-old Oregon man collapsed and died while running on a treadmill. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Oregon by the man's wife, claims the 24 Hour Fitness in Portland failed to train the only employee on duty how to respond to the emergency and how to find the automated external defibrillator. . . . Highlights: Samsung to launch Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 in India today. Both the phones will be Amazon exclusive and will also be available on the companys e-commerce portal. These phones are expected to debut with Infinity-V displays. In a bid to capture more market share, Samsung will launch it Galaxy M-Series smartphones, the Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20, in India today. The smartphones are aimed at millenials and will reportedly replace the Galaxy J, On and C series.The Galaxy M series will be sold exclusively via Amazon India and Samsungs own e-commerce portal. The South Korean company has claimed that these phones will deliver power-packed performance. Amazon has already made a microsite for the new M series smartphones with a Notify Me button and a similar button is also available on Samsungs official website. Previous reports and leaks had suggested that Samsung will launch a total of four phones, but it later turned out that today the company will launch only two of the rumoured phones. These phones are expected to give tough competition to phones from Xiaomi, Honor and Realme, which are currently leading the mid-segment smartphone market.The launc of the two handsets will be live streamed on the company's NewsRoom, which you can visit here. Samsung Galaxy M10 specifications The Galaxy M10 is said to fall in the affordable smartphone segment and Digit.in learnt that the phone will be priced at Rs 8,990. It is expected to be offered in two variants, and its likely that the lower variant will retail for Rs 8,990. The phone could be offered in 16GB and 32GB storage variants, both with 3GB of RAM. The device has already been seen listed on Geekbench revealing some of its specs. It is likely to be powered by an octa-core Samsungs Exynos 7870 processor. The Galaxy M10 is likely to sport a 6.5-inch display but it would not be an AMOLED panel. Further, the phone is expected to house a 3,400mAh battery. As per the listing, the dimensions of the Samsung Galaxy M10 are - 155.7 mm x 75.8 mm. The display size is expected to be roughly 6.5 inches and it is expected to sport an Infinity-V type display. It may have a 13MP rear shooter and a 5MP selfie camera. The physical fingerprint sensor is expected to be on the back panel. Samsung Galaxy M20 specifications There are chances that the Samsung Galaxy M20 will be priced Rs 12,990 and is expected to debut with the Infinity-V display. A few days ago, spec sheet and manual of the Galaxy M20 were leaked showing the phone sporiting a 6.3-inch LCD display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. Due to the presence of the Infinity-V display, it has an aspect ratio of 19.5: 9 and an estimated pixel density of 409 pixels per inch. The illustrations show that the Galaxy M20 has a headphone jack, USB Type-C port and main antenna at the bottom along with one speaker of the pair on the phone. Citing the manual, the news platform says that there is Dolby Atmos support, which has been seen in Samsung smartphones lately. The SIM drawer is on the left edge, and the volume buttons, power button are on the right edge. In the camera department, the rear camera setup is said to have a 13MP primary sensor with a f/1.9 aperture and 1.12m pixel size. This is expected to be paired with a secondary 5MP sensor for depth information. Under the hood, the Galaxy M20 may have Exynos 7885 SoC, coupled with by 3GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of storage. It is seen running Android 8.1 Oreo and may have a 5000 mAh battery. The fingerprint sensor is expected to be at the back. Related Read: Samsung Galaxy M20 tipped to ship with massive 5000mAh battery, waterdrop notch Highlights: Pegatron could soon set up a manufacturing plant in India. The company also plans to set up shops in Indonesia and Vietnam. The rate of expansion will apparently depend upon the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China. One of Apples contract manufacturers, Pegatron, will soon set up shop in India, along with two other countries like Indonesia and Vietnam. As per a report by 9to5Google, via The Financial Times, Pegatron president SJ Liao has announced that the company will expand manufacturing from China to some other countries. More information regarding the expansion plans will be doled out but as for the rate of expansion, it is said to depend on the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China. Currently, Foxconn plants are operational in India and Vietnam, but the company doesnt yet manufacture any Apple devices here. However, a report claimed that Foxconn executives would visit India in February to talk about the companys plans about manufacturing Apples flagship iPhones in the country. There have been some rumours circulating on the internet that suggest that Apple is planning to commence manufacturing of its flagship phones in India. The company seems to be going through a tough time since a new report suggests that its shipments considerably lowered in China due to ongoing legal and political troubles. This could be a direct effect of the increased competition from Chinese smartphone manufacturers and also the prices set by the company for its own products. However, by making its own devices in India, Apple might have a chance to lower the prices of its top end phones. This would certainly not be easy since Samsung reportedly sent a letter to the Indian government recently. The letter stated that the company will reduce making phones, stop production of flagship phones and lower exports in India because of the hurried implementation of Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) that the government has put in place for increasing production of phones in India. The government has hastened implementation of Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) by two months and asked companies to commence local manufacturing of the components like touch displays and panels by next month (February) instead of any time in 2019-20. Those companies that are unable to do so will have to pay a 10 percent duty tax, which could go up to 11 percent with surcharge, on any imported components. Wistron, another Apple device manufacturer assembles iPhone SE in India but theres no information if the current manufacturing plant is capable of making displays for the company's flagship phones as well. There is also a chance that with Pegatron bringing manufacturing to India, Apple could plan ahead and talk to the manufacturer for bringing display manufacturer to the country. However, we will have to wait for any more concrete information on the company's plans, Related Reads: Samsung might cease manufacturing of flagship smartphones in India Apple iPhone shipments for Q4 plummet in China Highlights: Google I/O 2019 event date and venue announced. The event will be hosted at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The company is expected to unveil Android Q and maybe the Pixel 3 Lite series of phones. Google is well known for showing off some really great innovations at its annual I/O developer conferences and the company will host its I/O 2019 event from May 7 to 9 this year. The announcement comes from the companys CEO Sundar Pichai, who tweeted the dates on which the event will be held, along with the confirmation of the venue - Shoreline Amphitheatre. The Mountain View, California based location has been the venue of choice for Google I/O since the last three years. Theres no official information on what announcements Google will be making at the event but going by reports, we have an idea of what we can expect at the event. Glad the transmission was received:) See you at Shoreline Amphitheatre May 7-9 for this year's I/O! #io19 pic.twitter.com/CXWpQR4Eza Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) January 25, 2019 Google can be expected to unveil Android Q at Google I/O 2019. The next iteration of the operating system for Android smartphones has already leaked in an early beta build that suggested Google could finally implement a system-wide dark theme. There might also be revamped permissions and more. A recent report claimed that the company could bring native support for face recognition hardware in Android Q, enabling users to use face recognition to sign into apps or authorise purchases. However, the new feature will reportedly require users to set a password, PIN and pattern as a backup. While Google announces its third generation Pixel smartphones and other devices at the Made By Google event in 2018, there is a chance that it could unveil a lite variants of the Pixel 3 at I/O 2019. There have been numerous sightings and leaks of the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite smartphones that are expected to be toned down versions of the original Pixel 3 phones. Some reports on the phones are conflicting but it seems that the Pixel 3 Lite might feature a 5.56-inch display, while the 3 XL Lite could sport a 6-inch screen. Both devices might feature a notch-less display design and could be announced with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The company could also announce a mysterious device called Google Coral that was recently spotted on Geekbench. The device is listed with 6GB RAM and scores 3,296 points in single core tests and 9,235 in multi-core tests. There are speculations of the device being powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset that was released recently and the listing shows that the phone is running Android Q. Cover Image Credits: @deletescape Related Reads: Google may bring support for facial recognition hardware in Android Q: Report Mysterious Google device with 6GB RAM spotted on Geekbench Google Pixel 3 XL Lite spotted on Geekbench with Snapdragon 710 SoC, 6GB RAM Statement by Tanaiste and Government Ministers on Aughinish Alumina Press release The Tanaiste and Government Ministers have welcomed todays confirmation by US authorities that Aughinish Alumina (AA), the Limerick-based alumina processing firm, will no longer be directly impacted by American sanctions that were imposed on EN+ and Rusal AAs parent companies in April 2018. This follows the conclusion of a de-listing process by the US Treasury, which effectively lifts those sanctions on those parent firms and their subsidiaries, including AA. Speaking after todays confirmation, the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Simon Coveney T.D, said: As I have made clear before, the Government has always fully understood the rationale behind these US sanctions. We share the view that unacceptable actions by the Russian regime, and those connected to it, should not go unpunished. At the same time, we have been determined that legitimate measures taken by the US authorities do not cause inadvertent damage to Irish companies like Aughinish Alumina. We have therefore worked hard, principally through our Embassy in Washington, with the US Administration towards an outcome that would protect jobs sustained and supported by the company in Limerick and across the Mid-West. While todays confirmation means that that outcome has been secured, we will continue engaging with the US authorities, and with our EU partners, to help avoid such a scenario arising again in the future. The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Ms Heather Humphreys T.D., said: The confirmation today that Aughinish Alumina is no longer directly impacted by the US sanctions imposed in April 2018 is positive news for the company, its hard-working employees and the Mid-West region as a whole. The firm can now focus again instead on its core business and future growth. Minister Humphreys continued: While the immediate threat to Aughinish has now been removed, the Government recognises that the legitimate concerns which gave rise to these sanctions remain a matter of significant debate within the US political system. That is why we will continue building awareness in the United States of Aughinishs long history in Ireland and its importance to our economy. The Minister of State with special responsibility for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Mr Pat Breen T.D., also welcomed todays news and spoke about the efforts made by Government over the last nine months to support AA: Ever since the sanctions were announced on 6 April 2018, intensive work has been undertaken across Government in search of a solution. Government Departments particularly Foreign Affairs & Trade and Business, Enterprise & Innovation have worked closely and effectively with one another on what has been a complicated and fast-moving situation. Our Embassy in Washington, in particular, played a key role in leading our engagement with the US authorities. Those collective efforts, and the high-level of cooperation that underpinned them, have helped achieve todays positive outcome for Aughinish Alumina. The Minister of State with special responsibility for Public Procurement, Open Government and eGovernment, Mr Patrick ODonovan T.D., commented as well on todays developments, saying: As a Limerick T.D., I know just how important Aughinish Alumina and the jobs it supports across the County are to the wider area. The Government has worked extremely hard to safeguard the future of the company and we will continue to support the firm in the time ahead. Minister ODonovan added: We are appreciative of the helpful and constructive approach taken by the US authorities in our engagement with them in connection with Aughinish Alumina. This was particularly evident when Minister of State Breen and I travelled to Washington in July to increase awareness within the US system about the situation faced by the company and to seek a solution. ENDS Aughinish Alumina is an alumina processing company located on the banks of the Shannon in Askeaton, County Limerick. A major industrial facility, it employs over 600 people and produces approximately a third of Europes alumina, a key input to aluminum production. Established in 1983, Aughinish Alumina was acquired by the Swiss firm Glencore International AG in 1999 before its subsequent acquisition by Rusal, a Russian company and the worlds second biggest aluminium producer, in 2007. On 6 April 2018, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 26 specific Russian individuals and 15 Russian companies, including Rusal, its parent company EN+, and its major shareholder Mr Oleg Deripaska. Because of the manner in which such measures are applied, other companies, including Aughinish Alumina, which were owned or controlled by those specified firms, also effectively became sanctioned as well. The US Treasury Department did, however, following representations from the Irish Government and others, subsequently issue a number of licenses that allowed Rusal and its subsidiaries to effectively maintain operations pending either the full imposition of the sanctions or their removal. Since the sanctions were announced, the Government has engaged extensively with the US authorities, with the Taoiseach, the Tanaiste, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe T.D., Minister of State Pat Breen T.D. and Minister of State Patrick ODonovan T.D. all raising the issue with senior members of the Administration. An agreement was subsequently reached in December 2018 between the US Treasury with Rusal and EN+ on changes to their ownership and governance, thereby allowing the sanctions on those firms and their subsidiaries to be lifted. That agreement has now taken effect and Aughinish Alumina is therefore no longer impacted by the sanctions. Previous Item | Next Item Minister Helen McEntee announces 2019 EU Jobs campaign Press release Minister Helen McEntee announces 2019 EU Jobs campaign Campaign highlights job opportunities available for Irish people in EU Institutions Vitally Important for Irish people to take up work in EU institutions to enhance Irelands presence 29% of Irish Officials working in policy areas in the EU are aged 58 and over Minister for European Affairs Helen McEntee has announced the 2019 EU Jobs campaign to promote the opportunities that are available for Irish people who want to work in the EU institutions. At the moment there is a decreasing number of Irish people working in the EU institutions, this needs to be replenished, so that we avoid a demographic cliff-edge. Over the coming weeks I will be travelling around the country visiting a number of third level institutions to highlight the wide variety of job opportunities that are available in EU institutions. The type of jobs available include positions in policy areas, legal, translation, administrative and research services as well as a wide variety of internships. Do you want to work in an environment thats fast paced, dealing with the pressing issues of our time, like Brexit or climate change? Would you like to be living in cosmopolitan cities and work as part of a multicultural work force? Then you should come along and learn more about working in the EU institutions. Last year, as part of the Future of Europe Campaign, my Department and I held a series of EU Jobs information seminars across the country. This year I will again visit 3rd level institutions to promote the opportunities that exist for Irish citizens within the EU Institutions. People who are interested in working in the EU should come along to these events to learn more these opportunities. You will hear from officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and testimonials from Irish people who have experience of working in the EU. The aim of this campaign is to increase the number of Irish people applying for these roles and increase our presence in the EU Institutions. In recent years the numbers of Irish people working in EU institutions has been declining sharply because of the increasing number of retirements. We are taking numerous steps to address this issue, including this campaign; and also engaging with the EU Commission on the possibly development of actions that will improve Irish Citizens chances of success in obtaining these positions. ENDS Minister Helen McEntee will be visiting the following 3 rd level institutions over the coming months - University College Cork Tuesday, 29th January 2019 - Technological University Dublin Wednesday, 13 th February 2019 - NUI Maynooth Wednesday, 6 th March 2019 - University College Dublin (TBC) Wednesday, 13 th March 2019 - Trinity College Dublin Wednesday, 20 th March 2019 level institutions over the coming months - University College Cork Tuesday, 29th January 2019 - Technological University Dublin Wednesday, 13 February 2019 - NUI Maynooth Wednesday, 6 March 2019 - University College Dublin (TBC) Wednesday, 13 March 2019 - Trinity College Dublin Wednesday, 20 March 2019 Further information will be available from the Careers Services of the relevant institutions and at www.dfa.ie/EUJobs in due course. Ireland in the EU Commission -In 2012 there were 503 Irish officials working in the EU Commission alone. -This had declined to 401 by the end of 2016, with a projected decline to 294 by 2025. - Since 2010, just 18 Irish officials have been recruited across all policy posts. - 29% of all Irish officials working in policy areas are 58 years old or older. Previous Item | Next Item Before the end of this month, the US is expected to request the formal extradition of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou from Canada. The development would be a climactic twist in a saga that has dominated headlines since Mengs arrest in December, but the story is far from over because it isnt merely about the accusations against the CFO. Indeed, the ongoing US security concerns surrounding Huawei have deep ramifications for the future of 5G. The first 5G trials are already underway, and aim to deliver on a vision of interconnected cities powered by the lightning-fast transfer of data between sensors and devices. However, the aim of 5G is to facilitate every level of life, and control over such an all-pervasive ecosystem would place great power in the hands of its wielder. US suspicion of Huawei is nothing new - the Chinese vendor has long been effectively barred from selling to the US market but the prevalence of Huaweis equipment in the construction of 5G networks is evidently considered a bridge too far in the fight to stay in control of the technology. Over the past year, the New York Times reports that US authorities have firmly cautioned allies against using network equipment made by Huawei and other Chinese manufacturers, including ZTE. The warnings seem to have proven effective in 2018, New Zealand, Australia and Japan all announced that they would block operators from choosing Huawei equipment for their 5G rollouts, while the UKs British Telecom recently announced that it would remove Huawei equipment from its networks allegedly following warnings from the countrys intelligence services. US security concerns over Huawei and other Chinese manufacturers focus around a relatively recent law stipulating that Chinese companies and individuals must cooperate with the countrys authorities upon request. Given that the Communist Party of China is well known for restricting access to Internet content and screening communications between Chinese citizens, it is understandable that such a law could cause concern in the context of international espionage. However, there is virtually no concrete evidence to suggest that Huawei has engaged in any such activity. Earlier this month, the vendors founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei held his first press briefing in many years in the wake of the recent arrest of Meng, who is also his daughter. Speaking about the cooperation law, he stated: I support the CPC, but I would never do anything to harm another country or another individual, and added that Huawei had never been asked to supply a customers data to the CPC, saying we would definitely say no to any such request. Ren is a former engineer with the Peoples Liberation Army, which has been the root of much US suspicion of Huawei. Indeed, documents revealed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that in 2010, the NSA covertly broke into Huaweis head office in an attempt to prove that Ren was still a PLA member, and that the vendor was therefore under the control of the Chinese army. The New York Times notes that the other goal of this operation was to identify any backdoors in Huaweis equipment, allowing the NSA to run surveillance and indeed hostile operations in the event that the vendor sold network equipment to enemies of the US. The fact that it proved unsuccessful in this endeavour appears to remain the basis for many of its security fears. Since this incident, the US has cooperated with the UK to continue searching for backdoors in Huaweis source code and discovered a function that would allow the vendor to access and control some of its networks remotely from its Shenzhen offices. However, it appears to be a software feature the function is not hidden and apparently not malicious, and appears to exist as a remote diagnostics and update tool. Nonetheless, there were situations in which the feature enabled data to circumvent data centres, and this was seized upon as evidence that Huawei equipment could be used for cybercrimes or espionage. Recent news that a Huawei executive was arrested on espionage charges in Poland has done little to quell concerns. The company immediately sacked Wang Weijing, who was apprehended together with Polish former intelligence official Piotr Durbajlo on suspicion of working for Chinese intelligence agencies. Huawei stated that his activities had no connection to the company, and said Wang had brought their name into disrepute. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Zhang Ming the Chinese envoy to the European Union claimed that a security story was being spun around Huawei in an attempt to stoke fear against Chinese network equipment. Zhang warned that issuing official bans against the use of Huawei equipment could be detrimental to global cooperation - scientifically and economically, as well as in terms of 5G deployment. Huawei has displayed a willingness to work with authorities to demonstrate that its equipment does not present any security risks, and it has expressed that it is open to amending its business practices in order to avoid being frozen out of the UK market, which is an important foothold for it in Western Europe. Vodafone Group headquartered in the UK last week stated that it would suspend deployment of Huawei equipment in its European core networks, but the groups CEO Nick Read appeared to defend Huawei by stating that banning the vendors equipment would impede the flow of 5G deployment in Europe, as well as increasing the costs. It is clear that the US is unwilling to cede its technological lead to Huawei in the 5G era, but equally it is demonstrable that operators consider Huaweis equipment to be essential going forward. While there are grounds for concerns that Chinese equipment could be used for espionage, there is little evidence that this is the case. Moreover, the US has expressed a readiness to exploit backdoors in Huaweis equipment for its own purposes, but it has been unable to locate any. Does this suggest that they do not exist, or merely that they are difficult to find? And what does it infer about the level of access that the US enjoys to equipment manufactured by Western vendors? As we roll inexorably towards the 5G era, these questions will only become more pertinent. Originally written by: Edgar Sanchez-Sinencio, Ph.D. and Jerry Rudiak (Vidatronic, Inc.) Revised: January 2019 by Stephen M. Nolan (Vidatronic, Inc.) ABSTRACT Power management of battery-powered electronic devices is becoming increasingly more important for the microelectronics industry. This white paper details the difference between low dropout (LDO) voltage regulators that use external output capacitors and those that do not, and how your system designs can benefit from not using an output capacitor. Well-designed capless LDO voltage regulators can have multiple benefits, and they are presented here. INTRODUCTION The demand for battery-powered electronic devices with better performance and higher efficiency continues to increase, driving engineers to design systems that provide best-in-class performance, while consuming minimal power. Subsequently, the power management of such devices is increasingly more important for the microelectronics industry. For systems to be successful in the market, it is vital to increase the operating time of the device and the battery while reducing the total system cost. The power supplies in complex systems are divided into multiple power domains to provide noise isolation as well as to improve power efficiency with options to turn on/off different power islands. Therefore, an increasing number of voltage regulators are required. The low drop-out (LDO) voltage regulator is often used to provide a stable and highly-accurate low-noise output voltage. The LDO voltage regulator can be in a standalone Power-Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC), or an embedded circuit within a System on a Chip (SoC). A typical LDO voltage regulator normally requires an external capacitor. This external capacitor is usually necessary to have acceptable transient response, power supply noise rejection (PSR), and stability of the LDO. The external capacitor, however, is usually bulky, occupies valuable board space, decreases long-term reliability, and consumes valuable pins in SoC devices. Additionally, the practical selection of a real capacitor that meets all the requirements of the LDO over a broad range of operating conditions can be very difficult. An ideal solution would not require an external capacitor. Some LDO voltage regulators use architectures that do not require the external load capacitance. These are referred to as capacitor less, capless, and capacitorfree. The absence of the external capacitor brings many economic advantages; however, significant degradation can often be seen in areas of transient performance and power supply noise rejection. As a result, significant design challenges accompany the capacitor-free LDO voltage regulator that must be economically and efficiently overcome. The tradeoffs of LDO voltage regulator architectures and the advantages of capless LDOs are presented below. LDO VOLTAGE REGULATOR ARCHITECTURES A typical LDO voltage regulator consists of a voltage reference, an error amplifier, a pass transistor, and a resistor feedback. The output voltage of the regulator is fed back as one of the inputs to the error amplifier. Therefore, LDO voltage regulators are a closed-loop architecture circuit. Because feedback exists, a poorly designed voltage regulator can become unstable in response to a transient condition at the input or output and can produce ringing or, worst-case, continuous oscillations at the output. When designing a voltage regulator, loop-response analyses must be done to ensure stable operation. Gain and phase margin are two important loop stability analyses that are considered in any good regulator design. LDO VOLTAGE REGULATORS WITH EXTERNAL LOAD CAPACITORS Traditional LDO voltage regulators use off-chip output capacitors in the range of a few microfarads. This topology has one dominant pole at the output, which yields good stability in the loop-response analyses. Offchip capacitors also contribute to good power-supply noise rejection, line regulation and load regulation. There are, however, several practical concerns that must be considered when selecting external output capacitors in those applications where they are required. External, discrete capacitors have non-idealities that can be critical. There is a parasitic Effective Series Inductance (ESL), and a parasitic Effective Series Resistance (ESR). Both ESL and ESR decrease the capacitors performance at high frequency. Figure 1. External Capacitor Model There exist several elaborate models of a real capacitor. In Figure 1, above, we include a relatively simple model of a real capacitor to illustrate its nature. It consists of four impedances, connected as shown. The impedance on the left is the ESR, the middle is the ideal capacitor connected in parallel with a large leakage resistor, and on the right is the ESL. The behavior of this model for low and high frequencies relative to the resonance frequency, o, is also illustrated. The reactance of an ideal capacitor is 12????????????, which decreases as frequency increases. At very high frequencies, the reactance of the capacitor can become very small. When doing a loop stability analysis of a traditional regulator, it can be found that if the impedance is too small, the dynamic response can be degraded, as this becomes a dominant pole that can dramatically reduce phase margin. However, as shown in the model above, the total impedance includes both the reactance of the capacitance and the ESR. Therefore, a minimum ESR is usually needed so that the total impedance doesnt go to zero at high frequencies. Unfortunately, a large ESR can create a zero that extends the unity gain frequency in the closed loop, yielding a larger unity gain frequency but severely deteriorating the phase margin, making the system unstable. While the minimum ESR is a concern, the maximum ESR is the more critical value to ensure stable operation. To satisfy stability, LDO voltage regulator manufacturers impose restrictions on the ESR of the output capacitance, requiring it to be bounded within a specific range of minimum and maximum values. Furthermore, these stability analyses should consider that the capacitor non-idealities are sensitive to mechanical effects, and vary with bias and temperature. Capacitance variation over temperature can be 20% or more. ESL and ESR are usually not specified versus temperature or given a target tolerance; however, they can vary widely, causing their impact over temperature on loop dynamics to be extreme. The lack of specification adds risks to the LDO voltage regulator system operation because it becomes difficult for the user to guarantee that the LDO voltage regulator will work over all operating conditions. You can see that the capacitor non-idealities must be carefully considered in conventional LDO voltage regulator designs. This makes selection of a real capacitor for use in the application a difficult challenge. It should be noted that an incorrect selection of the external load capacitor might lead to stability problems, excessive power dissipation, and noise, which will all reduce the battery and product life. LDO voltage regulator applications use three main types of capacitors: ceramic, tantalum, and in some larger power applications, aluminum electrolytic. Different capacitor technologies have different performance capabilities and costs. Ceramic capacitors are the most common capacitors used in LDO voltage regulator applications for their low cost and reduced footprint size. Ceramic capacitors typically have much lower ESL and ESR (in the range of several 10s of milliohms, compared to tantalum capacitors which typically have an ESR in the range of 100s of milliohms) and therefore work better at high frequencies, but they are also usually available only in smaller capacitance values. For this reason, it is common, to use a large-value electrolytic or tantalum capacitor for bulk capacitance, and to add a small ceramic capacitor in parallel to allow highfrequency bypassing of the bulk capacitor, thus extending the useful frequency range of the external capacitance. Where a tantalum capacitor is used, its ESR is more sensitive to temperature variations, forcing designers to anticipate how to compensate for this perturbation. There are other factors that should be considered when selecting the output capacitor besides the ESR. For example, failure modes. Ceramic capacitors typically behave as an open circuit when they fail, while tantalum capacitors typically fail shorted. These considerations contribute to the complexity of designing reliable circuits when discrete external capacitors are required. In practice most LDO voltage regulators can only guarantee stability for a specific output capacitance range. However, there are often real, practical situations where the load capacitance of the device to be powered by the LDO voltage regulator is not known in advance. In such cases, LDO voltage regulators are required to properly operate with a wide range of capacitance loads, from near-zero to several microfarads. Capacitors have board real estate and economic cost implications. Furthermore, for multiple reasons explained above, selecting output capacitors for reliable operation can be very difficult. Therefore, we should explore the use of capless LDO voltage regulators and their advantages and limitations. CAPLESS LDO VOLTAGE REGULATORS The capless LDO voltage regulator is appealing for both discrete and SoC integrated applications. The absence of the external load capacitance is extremely attractive since this can translate into a reduced printed circuit board (PCB) area and lower Bill-of-Materials (BOM) costs. Additionally, one less capacitor is one less device that can fail and does not need to be soldered. In SoC applications where the LDO is integrated on-die, the savings and benefits are even greater due to the reduction of external pins as well as pad and package connections and their associated cost and electrical impedance considerations. Figures 2 and 3 depict the differences between LDO voltage regulators with an off-chip capacitor and capless LDO voltage regulators. Figure 2. LDO Voltage Regulator with Off-Chip Capacitor Figure 3. Capless LDO Voltage Regulator Eliminating the external capacitor also brings elimination of the metal paths, bond wires, and PCB traces. In addition, the concerns about the severe non-idealities of the discrete capacitors such as ESR and ESL are irrelevant. Multiple LDO voltage regulators are usually used in complex systems; therefore, not needing to use external capacitors has a multiplier effect on these benefits. The conventional off-chip capacitor LDO voltage regulator depends heavily on the external capacitor for its stability and performance. This voltage regulator has a dominant pole at the output node and can be designed to be stable for a specific load capacitance and bounded range of ESR and ESL. The capless LDO voltage regulator doesnt have an output dominant pole but rather an internal dominant pole varying with the load current. Providing a stable LDO voltage regulator under any load current range and any load capacitor range (from no capacitor up to a few microfarads) is a challenging design problem. Several solutions have been proposed for capless LDO voltage regulators, but they are functional under only a limited range of output current and/or load capacitance. Keep in mind that various applications can present a very wide range of load capacitance to the LDO voltage regulator, from extremely low to a large capacitance of the order of a few microfarads. A practical and robust capless LDO voltage regulator must be stable under all those extreme scenarios. There have been attempts in the academic world and the industrial sector to provide a practical capless LDO voltage regulator, but many of the architectures have severe limitations, preventing their practical use. Several reported in literature obtain decent results, but only for a specific parameter such as load regulation, line regulation, or settling time. The large majority can only guarantee stability for a narrow range of load capacitance, between 0 pF to 100 pF, and a maximum load current of less than 100 mA. They also suffer significant losses in areas of dynamic performance and PSR effectiveness. There is, however, one capless LDO voltage regulator architecture existing in the market today that provides true capless operation as well as low quiescent current, low dropout voltage, better than 1% output voltage accuracy, >40dB power supply noise rejection (PSR) at 10 MHz, and best-in-class dynamic load and line transient performance all while providing unconditional stability regardless of the capacitance of the load. Vidatronic, Inc has developed an advanced-architecture capless LDO voltage regulator that is unconditionally stable, with or without output capacitance up to 4.7 F. Using their patented Noise Quencher technology, Vidatronic LDO voltage regulators are able to obtain best-in-industry transient performance and PSR, all without requiring output capacitance. These advantages make this family of LDO voltage regulators the optimum choice for SoC and system designers alike. CONCLUSION In this paper, we have presented the disadvantages of LDO voltage regulators that require the use of external output capacitors, and the advantages that capless LDO voltage regulator architectures provide SoC or system designers in terms of cost and board area savings. For more information on Vidatronics advancedarchitecture LDO voltage regulators, power switches, and voltage references & regulators, go to: http://www.vidatronic.com/ip-solutions/. FURTHER READING Learn more at vidatronic.com. If you wish to download a copy of this white paper, click here SALT LAKE CITY Hillary Clinton may be considering a third run for the presidency in 2020. But if she runs, she'll have a lot of competition from other Democrats. CNN White House correspondent Jeff Zeleny reported Sunday that Clinton is telling people that shes not closing the doors to the idea of running in 2020. He added that three people told him media coverage of the ongoing indictments in the Russia investigation, especially the indictment of Roger Stone and several other former associates of President Donald Trump, sparked Clinton to say, Look, Im not closing the doors to this. Whether the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and former secretary of state will actually run again is far from certain. Zeleny added that the rumors dont mean that theres a campaign-in-waiting, or a plan in the works. Nevertheless, he said, I think we have to at least leave our mind open to the possibility that she is still talking about it. She wants to take on Trump. Could she win a Democratic primary to do it? I dont know the answer to that. The Democratic field is already getting crowded, with a couple of dozen candidates jostling in the ring. According to The New York Times, eight Democrats are officially running for president, with two all but certain to run, four more likely to run, and nine who might run. The Times classified Clinton as unlikely to run. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is also considering a presidential run as an independent. According to a recent poll from CNN, former vice president Joe Biden is in the lead for the Democratic nomination, with 30 percent of the potential Democratic electorate saying they'd support his nomination. In second place is Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, with 14 percent, followed by former Texas congressman Beto ORourke with 9 percent, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., with 5 percent, and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., with 4 percent. Heres a breakdown of the Democratic presidential frontrunners. Official candidates: First, of the eight Democrats who have officially declared candidacies, the three frontrunners are women. In order of Voxs ranking by public profile, they are: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., 69 Served as Massachusetts senator since 2013. Taught law at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard. Has faced controversy over her purported Native American heritage. Progressive who wants to "fix capitalism, not end it," according to Vox. Focus: income inequality, according to the Times. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., 54 Served as California senator since 2017. Former California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney. Half Tamil Indian and half Jamaican, young and female, she would bring "history-making potential, according to the Times. Focus: Shes proposed major middle-class tax cuts, the Times reported. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., 52 Served as New York senator since 2009. Former U.S. representative from New Yorks 20th congressional district. Has sponsored legislation to improve prosecution of sexual assault in the military and supports Medicare for all and universal paid family leave, Vox reported. Focus: Womens equality, according to the Times. The other Democratic candidates who have confirmed their candidacies, ranked by public profile, are Julian Castro, former mayor of San Antonio and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii; John Delaney, a former representative from Maryland; and Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Candidates yet to launch formal presidential bids: According to the Times, the two candidates who are all but certain to run are: Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., 49 Served as New Jersey senator since 2013. Former mayor of Newark, New Jersey. Rhodes scholar and first black senator from New Jersey. Focus: Criminal justice reform, according to the Times. John Hickenlooper, 66 Former governor of Colorado. Former mayor of Denver. Political moderate. Focus: Consensus-building around issues like expanding Medicaid, gay rights and gun control, the Times reported Other likely candidates: Of the four candidates that are likely to run, two have especially big names: Former Vice President Joe Biden, 76 Vice president under Obama who has run for president twice before. Former Delaware senator. One of the most well-liked members of the Democratic Party, according to the Times. Focus: Increasing economic protections for low-income workers, according to the Times Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., 77 Served as Vermont senator since 2007. Runner-up for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. Describes himself as a democratic socialist. Focus: Medicare for all, free college tuition, curtailing the influence of billionaires and Wall Street, according to the Times. The other two candidates likely to run are Steve Bullock, Montana governor and former attorney general; and Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles. Some other big names in the might run category are media mogul and former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, who has considered running for president for more than a decade, according to the Times; and Beto ORourke, a former Texas congressman who enjoys a large social media following. ORourke burst onto the national scene when he ran for a Senate seat against incumbent Ted Cruz in 2018. Although he didnt win the race, he quickly became something of a political celebrity and built up a successful fundraising machine, the Times reported. Its unclear what this crowded field will mean for the Democratic Partys chances against Trump as it heads into the 2020 election. Reporter Matthew Rosza outlined two possible outcomes in Salon. If the Democrats choose someone who appeals to the party faithful and can win the primaries because the bar for what is deemed victory has been lowered, he writes, they could get wiped out by Donald Trump. But if the size of the field forces the eventual nominee to become a better and tougher candidate, then well all look back and say it was a good thing that so many people threw their hats in the ring. Helaine Olen, an opinion writer for The Washington Post, argued the high number of candidates will be advantageous for Democrats. The sheer number of candidates considering a run greatly increases the chances of a gradual winnowing of the flock, something that will allow supporters to slowly coalesce around one candidate and then another, instead of feeling forced into an allegiance, come hell or high water, she wrote. You know, like in the last Democratic presidential primary. So far, Trump remains unchallenged for the 2020 Republican nomination, although a series of Republicans have expressed interest in running. Trump has already raised $100 million for the 2020 election, according to the Guardian. Another potential opponent is Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, who tweeted Sunday, I love our country, and I am seriously considering running for president as a centrist independent. I love our country, and I am seriously considering running for president as a centrist independent. Howard Schultz (@HowardSchultz) January 28, 2019 Trump responded to this with a tweet of his own Monday morning, writing that Schultz doesnt have the guts to run for President. FILLMORE, Millard County A Salt Lake man who allegedly touched multiple times a 14-year-old waitress in a Fillmore restaurant has been arrested and charged. Craig Bruce Parsons, 64, was charged Monday in 4th District Court with sex abuse of a child, a second-degree felony, carrying a loaded concealed firearm, a class A misdemeanor, and carrying a dangerous weapon, a class B misdemeanor. On Sunday, Parsons was at the Paradise Restaurant in Fillmore when he allegedly touched the butt of a 14-year-old waitress three times, according to charging documents. "This was also observed by another juvenile witness," charging documents state. Police escorted Parsons out of the restaurant. While doing so, officers asked if he was carrying any weapons. Parsons said no, the charges state. "Once he was placed in handcuffs, I conducted a pat search of Parsons. In his right coat pocket, I located a loaded pistol. There was also a fixed blade knife located on his side with a six-inch blade," the officer wrote in his report filed with the Millard County Jail. SALT LAKE CITY A documented gang member currently facing federal drug and firearms charges was charged Monday in state court with raping a teenage girl. Daniel "D-Mac" Silva, 27, of Salt Lake City, is charged in 3rd District Court with rape and forcible sodomy, both first-degree felonies, and obstructing justice, a second-degree felony. In February 2018, a 14-year-old girl and her friend were picked up by Silva at a convenience store near the girls' school. Silva then provided alcohol and marijuana to the girl, dropped off her friend and took the teen to his house, according to charging documents. In the house, Silva led the girl to his bedroom, according to police. When the girl said she was not comfortable with that, he told her "he did not care and forced himself on her," the charges state. The next morning, the girl was sexually assaulted again, according to the charges. Silva later dropped her off at Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City. "When she was dropped off, the defendant had a gun on his lap and told (the girl) not to tell anyone his name," the charges state. Silva is currently in the Salt Lake County Jail awaiting his court proceedings on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and two other drug distribution cases, according to court records. SALT LAKE CITY President Donald Trump said Monday that he supports measures to bring Bible study into classrooms. Numerous states introducing Bible Literacy classes, giving students the option of studying the Bible, Trump wrote in a tweet. Starting to make a turn back? Great! Numerous states introducing Bible Literacy classes, giving students the option of studying the Bible. Starting to make a turn back? Great! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2019 Why it matters: The tweet comes as multiple states had introduced legislation to allow public school students to study the historical significance of the Bible, according to The Washington Post. The legislation has drawn objections from groups seeking to protect the separation of church and state. The groups argue that the bills are backdoor attempts to promote Christianity in public schools, The Washington Post reported. Context: Aaron McWilliams, a Republican state representative from North Dakota, explained to Fox Newswhy there are multiple states considering this legislation. Theres a separation of church and state, but theres not a separation of books from education, McWilliams said. Williams told Fox News earlier in January that his state has proposed a bill that would allow for elective Bible study classes to fit the social studies curriculum. "The intention of this bill is to provide an option to schools to teach a class on the Bible from a historical perspective," he said. "My position is that no religious text should be excluded from being taught as it relates to the historical or philosophical influences in our history or on our society today." Bigger picture: Other states considering legislation surrounding Bible literacy include Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia and Florida. SALT LAKE CITY Newly sworn-in House Speaker Brad Wilson began his first few minutes on the dais Monday calling for an even greater challenge than Gov. Gary Herbert gave lawmakers in his budget proposal. Rather than working toward a $200 million net tax cut, Wilson said he's suggested legislators now working on writing a tax reform bill to shoot for a bigger cut to the sales tax rate while broadening the tax base one he said would be the "largest single tax cut in Utah's history." "A $200 million tax cut is good," Wilson said. "Something great would be to deliver the largest single tax cut in Utahs history, to the tune of at least $225 million." Without a tax "restructuring," Wilson said, Utah will run into financial trouble down the road. Utah's general fund will be "gobbled up," he said, "and we will be unable to fund roads, public safety and basic government programs." "This work will not be easy, but it must be done," he said. On top of calling for tax reform, Wilson also wants another big change: a new state office building. "I believe it is time to strengthen the ties between the people of Utah and our seat of government. Due to its location, the Capitol complex isnt particularly accessible," Wilson said. "And because I dont want to begin my tenure as speaker by inciting riots in the gallery, I wont even think about articulating how fun it is trying to find parking up here." So, Wilson said he's urging the Executive Appropriations Committee to work with the Capitol Preservation Board to draft a proposal to replace the state office building with "a new facility where Utahns can come to experience a deeper connection to our states rich history, as well as solve the parking problem." Senate president New Senate President Stuart Adams devoted much of his opening day speech to history, calling Founding Father Samuel Adams, for whom his grandson was named, "a cool guy. He reminds me of so many of you." Adams mentioned taxes only in passing, asking senators to "imagine a sustainable, broad, fair tax system" among a long list of challenges that also included improved air quality and health care that is affordable for all. Also on the Senate leader's list to envision is "the old state office building removed and replaced with a new building, with additional parking, allowing the public more functional access to their state Capitol." That statement elicited a brief murmur among obviously surprised senators before they began applauding. Adams also took the opportunity to remind senators Utah has been selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee to bid for a future Winter Games. Later Monday, Adams told reporters he was surprised to hear the House speaker talk about a $225 million tax cut in his speech. He said it was the first time he'd heard the proposal. "We haven't talked yet, but I assume we will if he put it in his speech," the Senate president said, adding it is too soon to talk specifics. "To try to actually fixate on an exact amount, I think that's problematic on the first day of the session," Adams said. "I think we're going to try to get there but exactly how it's going to end up ... we're a ways from making those final decisions." Record-setting tax cut Wilson told reporters later Monday he arrived at the $225 million number after realizing there was a $220 million tax cut about a decade ago. He said he saw an opportunity for lawmakers to "do a meaningful tax cut in that same range" but aim a little higher. "I just thought it was a good reminder that we could do something significant here," Wilson said. The new speaker stressed he didn't want the broader effort to get lost amid questions of the size of the tax cut. "Whether it's $200 million or $225 million in terms of a tax cut, there's a bigger effort here," Wilson said. "The more important piece of this is what comes first, which is fixing our broken tax structure and broadening the base and lower the rate. If we accomplish that or when we accomplish that, then it gives us a lot of options in terms of what we can do to help citizens keep more money in their pockets." Wilson, however, didn't have specifics yet on exactly how the state could broaden its tax base, other than suggesting there could be new taxes on goods that have shifted to a more service-based economy, such as landscaping services or entertainment streaming services like Netflix. Others have also mentioned the possibility of broadening taxes to ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft. Wilson also hinted the cut could come from sales tax, income tax or both. Herbert called for enough money to come from imposing sales tax on enough services to lower the state's current 4.7 percent sales tax rate to below 3.9 percent when combined with a $200 million tax cut. It's not clear how much the rate would need to lower to achieve a $225 million tax cut, because Wilson said it would depend on how much lawmakers could broaden the base. Just how much in new sales tax collections Herbert's plan would require has been estimated at between $600 million and $800 million, although those figures do not take into account the $200 million his budget sets aside for a sales tax rate cut. Reps. Tim Quinn, R-Heber City, and Robert Spendlove, R-Salt Lake City, are working with the Senate to develop proposals, Wilson said. "I think sometime in the next week or two you'll see some proposals start to come out, but there's a number of options," the speaker said. The other new proposal made Monday was for replacing the 1950s-era office building that sits north of the Capitol and stands out against the classic architecture of the rest of the complex. It's not the first time lawmakers have considered tearing down what's known as the state office building. But previous plans made on the heels of a quarter-billion dollar remodeling of the Capitol were dropped after the 2008 economic downturn. Adams said a new public parking terrace near the office building has already been recommended, but building that without addressing the aging structure would be a "Band-aid" on the complex. A price tag for the project has not yet been made public, but the Senate president said it could be built over several years. He said any plans would include a review of what agencies needed to located at the complex. SALT LAKE CITY A new bill that would allow terminally ill people in New Mexico to obtain medication "to bring about a peaceful death" has galvanized opponents who say the legislation would radically expand the boundaries of medically assisted suicide beyond what is authorized in other states. Writing in National Review, attorney Wesley J. Smith said the bill reveals the true radical heart of the assisted suicide/euthanasia agenda with provisions that allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants not just doctors to prescribe the lethal drugs in a process that can include a video consultation. Unlike legislation recently filed in Utah, which says the patient must have six months or less to live, New Mexicos bill would make the option available to anyone with an incurable illness that will cause death in the foreseeable future. And it would allow a patient to receive the drugs two days after the prescription is written. Proponents of medical assistance in dying say the use of telemedicine diagnosing and treating patients from a distance through technology is a logical next step for a practice that has been legal in some states for more than 20 years. They applaud New Mexico for drafting a bill that removes unnecessary regulatory roadblocks that make a dying persons last stage of life even more difficult, and in some cases, prohibit the person from taking advantage of the law because of mandated waiting periods. One study found that one-third of people who requested a prescription in California died before they were able to obtain it, said Kim Callinan, executive director of Compassion & Choices, a nonprofit with offices in Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., that advocates on end-of-life issues. "What the New Mexico lawmakers are very smartly doing is saying our goal is to pass legislation that both protects patients and is compassionate," said Kim Callinan, executive director of Compassion & Choices, a nonprofit with offices in Portland, Oregon and Washington D.C., that advocates on end-of-life issues. New Mexicos bill, which is being taken up by legislators this week, follows on the heels of Hawaiis, which took effect Jan. 1 and also allows for video consultations. It would make New Mexico the eighth state (plus the District of Columbia) to authorize medical aid in dying. Seven other states, including Utah, have bills pending, and Callinan said said she knows of 10 others expected to have bills filed soon. The prescribing of drugs to cause death, already a volatile subject, becomes even more controversial when done over the internet, similar to debate over prescribing pills that cause abortions online, or even birth control. So, too, does the prospect of legalizing premature death via prescription drugs in a state that has some of the nations highest rates of both suicide and opioid overdoses, as New Mexico does, according to a disability-rights advocate who opposes medically assisted suicide. What the bill says Health policy consultant Oliver Kim has noted that former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a physician, was criticized in 2005 for evaluating Terri Schiavos condition after viewing her on a video. (Schiavo, the Florida woman at the center of a contentious right-to-die case, died in 2005.) Although Frist backed away from calling his review of videos an actual diagnosis, it is interesting to think how the use of technology to make a remote determination of a patients condition has changed since Frist made his assessment, Kim wrote for the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechology and Bioethics at Harvard Law School. It may seem kind of unusual to people, but (telemedicine) is really catching on because of the distance challenges, provider shortages and difficulties in finding access to a care provider. Health policy consultant Oliver Kim In an interview with the Deseret News, however, Kim, an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, said he doesnt believe that New Mexicos inclusion of telemedicine makes the bill more radical, as opponents have charged. It may seem kind of unusual to people, but (telemedicine) is really catching on because of the distance challenges, provider shortages and difficulties in finding access to a care provider. In some ways, its not surprising that a state like New Mexico, which has done a lot with telemedicine, would think to incorporate it," Kim said. Prescription management and renewal is one of the most common uses of telemedicine, according to one study, along with diagnosis of minor conditions such conjunctivitis or a fever, birth control counseling and mental health therapies. (Radiologists, psychiatrists and cardiologists are the physicians most likely to practice telemedicine.) Although telemedicine enables some people to consult with providers in other states, both New Mexico and Hawaiis bills restrict medical aid in dying to adults residing in the states, contrary to some claims that the bill would create a wave of "suicide tourism." Robert Schwartz, professor emeritus at the University of New Mexico School of Law, said the inclusion of telemedicine is a kindness, making medical assistance in dying available to people in rural communities, many of whom already make use of telemedicine. Right now, you look at Oregon or Washington or California, and you can see the people who use the law are in Oregon for example urban people, not entirely, but by and large. Thats because (in rural areas) its harder to get access, much harder to find a doctor willing to write a prescription. In some counties, it's harder to find a doctor altogether, he said. To ask a rural patient nearing death to drive to a city to see a doctor is an unnecessary hardship, particularly if the patient has already been seeing a doctor via a video link, Schwartz said. Telemedicine is greatly advanced in New Mexico; we have the largest telemedicine program in the country. Its normalized here in a way that hasn't been in some other places. So New Mexico seems a particularly good place to offer this through telemedicine, Schwartz said. Other components of the bill, however, have also caused concern. Like other states, New Mexico stipulates that the official cause of death be listed as the underlying illness, not the drugs the dying person ingests, in effect compelling the prescriber to lie on the death certificate, Smith wrote in National Review. Further, allowing a nurse practitioner or physician assistant to write the prescription and shrinking the waiting period required in other states means "a patient could go to a nurse practitioner on Monday morning, be examined, have a telemedicine consult, receive the prescription that day, have the poison dispensed on Wednesday, and be dead before Thursday begins," Smith wrote. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are able to prescribe most types of drugs, although the range varies by state. The New Mexico law would require doctors to tell all dying patients they have the right to request lethal drugs, but health care providers would not be legally bound to prescribe them and could opt out, as in other states which is why proponents of the legislation say there's a need for a greater pool of health care providers who are able and willing to prescribe. At least two health care providers in Hawaii have said they will not fill lethal prescriptions at their pharmacies, according to an Associated Press report. The wrong message? In a statement, the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops called these provisions "dangerous" and said the bill amounts to "euthanasia via remote, impersonal diagnosis." Noting that the use of lethal drugs would be presented to patients as one of their options, the Steubenville, Ohio-based Patients Rights Council said that by enacting the bill, New Mexico would turn "assisted suicide into a medical treatment." The Roman Catholic Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other religious bodies are among the foremost opponents of physician-assisted death, maintaining that palliative care can ease the suffering of the terminally ill, and that God alone should decide when a person dies. But others have posited arguments against assisted suicide that don't involve religious faith, and many medical associations officially remain against the practice, or have adopted a neutral stance, as the American Academy of Family Physicians did last year. Disability-rights groups have also taken a strong stand against medical-aid-in-dying legislation. John Kelly, who was instrumental in the defeat of a bill in Massachusetts two years ago, is the New England regional director of Not Dead Yet, a national nonprofit that opposes medical aid in dying. He calls the New Mexico bill "appalling." To Kelly, the bill does not represent a qualitative change in the problems he sees with similar bills, but it peels away some of the trappings of safeguards and makes it look as nakedly death-centered as it always has been. Moreover, Kelly questions the wisdom of a state endorsing premature death by prescription drugs for some of its citizens while bemoaning overdose drugs by others. This bill would put the state in the business of promoting suicide by overdose when New Mexico has the fourth highest suicide rate in the U.S. and rates are increasing among all demographics," he said. And New Mexico has a tremendous number of deaths by prescription drugs. Rather than countering this epidemic, now this bill comes along and says suicide is good and overdose by prescription drugs is the best way to get there. Thats exactly the opposite message of what New Mexicans need to hear, Kelly said. Proponents of physician-assisted death eschew the use of the term assisted suicide, saying that, unlike healthy people who kill themselves, people who choose this option dont want to die, but are nearing death because of an illness. In Oregon, the first state where medically assisted death was legal, most people who request lethal prescriptions have cancer or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The most common reasons for seeking lethal drugs are that they do not want to suffer and/or are no longer to take part in activities that make life worthwhile, Oregon records show. A peaceful death, however, is not guaranteed, as the request the patient must sign says. Under the bill filed in New Mexico, the patient would acknowledge that death generally occurs within three hours after taking the drugs, but may take longer. Oregon records show that death occurred anywhere from 1 minute to 4 days after patients took the drugs. And seven people have survived after taking the drugs, regaining consciousness and later dying from their illness. Elizabeth Whitefield, the New Mexico judge for whom the End of Life Options Act is named, died last year after an 11-year battle with cancer. A proponent of medical aid in dying, Whitefield testified on behalf of an earlier bill, but was not able to choose the option for herself in her last days, said her friend, Mary Torres, an attorney who was present in Whitefield's final hours. Although Whitefield did not die in obvious pain and distress as she had feared, Torres said her friend was adamant that other people should be able to obtain a prescription to end suffering. The day before her death, Whitefield told Torres, "This is so hard." I think this act would have given her the opportunity to say goodbye on her terms. Because cancer had taken everything from her, this would have given her the chance to flip the bird at cancer and say Im going out on my terms." Torres said. Torres and Whitefield's husband, Paul Thorne, will be in Sante Fe this week to lobby for the passage of the bill. But even proponents say it may not survive in its present form. "We are excited that the New Mexico Legislature is tackling the issue. They're looking at this in a really innovative way and saying we want to learn from other states," said Callinan, of Compassion & Choices. "But where they end up at the end, however, is not necessarily where the bills starts." SALT LAKE CITY Heress a look at the news for Jan. 28. Heres what incoming Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson is focused on ahead of the 2019 legislative season. A new report highlights how were using mobile screen time. Read more. David Crosby premieres brutally honest documentary at Sundance. Read more. Utah Jazz used a red-hot second-half shooting spree to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves and winter snowstorm headed to Minnesota. Read more. We offer a look at how to get involved in the Utah Legislature, whether you have 5 minutes or all day. Read more. The Ted Bundy film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. And, according to our review, it was made palatable by Zac Efron and the lack of gore. Read more. A look at our InDepth coverage: Our most-read articles: News from the U.S. and world: SALT LAKE CITY A Bountiful lawmaker who is a family physician has filed legislation that would clarify that Utah teachers can teach the factual information about contraception but not advocate for its use. HB71, sponsored by Rep. Ray Ward, R-Bountiful, spells out that instruction on the "medical characteristics, effectiveness and limitations of contraceptive methods and devices" is allowed. "If its allowed in the curriculum, you may teach the basic medical science about it. Nevertheless, you cant advocate," said Ward. While Utah's state sex education curriculum is abstinence-based, instruction about contraception is allowed under state law and State School Board rules. Some schools teach an abstinence-only curriculum. Most Utah schools teach about contraception with some beginning in junior high, depending on local school board policies. Students may not participate in human sexuality education without parental permission, and parents have the option to opt their children out of any section of the curriculum. Current state law prohibits teachers from advocating or encouraging the use of contraceptive methods or devices. "Im in agreement with that principle. Its not a teachers place to advocate or to encourage the use of contraceptives. But there is basic medical information that is really important. To me, that's a very important part of the sex ed class. Its well north of 90 percent of adults, in their adult lives, use contraceptives to make their family turn out how they hope it does," Ward said. Some teachers, for fear of overstepping the law, might skip over the unit on contraception or minimize their instruction "or not talking about that for fear of that line," Ward said. "Right now we have a guardrail on one side of the road, that you cant go off this side of the road. And by the way, you dont know exactly where the guardrail is. If someone were to come in and complain you were advocating, because its not defined, you could be in trouble," he said. "Im hoping that the balancing line will make it easier for them to teach the basics and know that that part is OK." Jodi Kaufman, health education specialist for the Utah State Board of Education, said support or opposition of a legislative proposal is the purview of the board. "This clarifies for parents and teachers exactly what can be taught," she said. Kaufman said the state's health teachers are required to attend training every three years, which covers what is permissible to teach and how to respond to spontaneous questions from students. "Sometimes, especially a new teacher can be a little bit apprehensive of what exactly they're allowed to do. This bill absolutely clarifies and more importantly, it maybe clarifies for parents what is allowed," Kaufman said. The State School Board's website also offers this guidance: "When answering factual questions, make sure you are: Providing medically accurate information. Within the core standards, Utah state law, and district or charter school guidelines. Considering the age/maturity level of your students. Objective, brief, and concise in your response." The Utah State Board of Education is working through a process to update its health education core standards. Ward's bill does not impact that process, Kaufman said. "If this bill passes, it doesn't have any effect on our draft standards. Our standards would still be aligned with this if it passes," she said. SALT LAKE CITY Even though Monday marks the start of the 2019 Legislature, it could still be weeks before Republican lawmakers are ready to roll out details of a sweeping plan to extend sales taxes to services that's been in the works for months. If that sounds familiar, it's because a similar plan to broaden the sales tax base while reducing the state sales tax rate was a key piece of Gov. Gary Herbert's proposed budget released in December. "We agree on the problem and we agree on part of the solution, that we need to expand the base," said Rep. Tim Quinn, R-Heber City, vice chairman of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. But Quinn, who started putting together legislation to deal with the issue last spring, said there are some differences between what he and Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, want to do and the governor's plan. Quinn is expected to sponsor what may be one of the most impactful bills of the 45-day session with Fillmore, chairman of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee, serving as the Senate sponsor. Nobody is ready to talk specifics, but Herbert called for enough money to come from imposing sales tax on enough services to lower the state's current 4.7 percent sales tax rate to below 3.9 percent when combined with a $200 million tax cut. Just how much in new sales tax collections his plan would require has been estimated at between $600 million and $800 million, although those figures do not take into account the $200 million his budget sets aside for a sales tax rate cut. That's coming from the state's $1.3 billion budget surplus largely from unexpected growth in income tax revenues. Some of that money has already been put in so-called "rainy day" accounts as a hedge against a possible economic downturn. Leaders of the Legislature's Republican supermajority have already said their preference for any tax cut would be in the state's income tax rate, reduced last year from 5 percent to 4.95 percent. And they may not be sold on as big a reduction in the sales tax rate, either. "Maybe we do lower it a little bit," Quinn said, but he stressed there should be more sales tax revenue collected after what's being called tax modernization, not the same amount as the governor's plan would provide. "If we start letting numbers direct policy, that's a bad idea. We're not setting a target on that," the lawmaker said of how much additional sales tax revenue should be raised. "We're starting with where we want to get to from a policy standpoint." Incoming House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, said it's a complex issue. "I do agree with the governor that if we're going to do this, a logical place to start is to look at the things we used to receive tax revenue from that were products that have shifted into services," Wilson said. Herbert and his staff have frequently brought up the example of a homeowner who used to buy a lawnmower that was subject to sales taxes but now hires a lawn care service that is not taxed. Wilson said there's another way to look at broadening the tax base. "That is, we just tax every service. Everything. And lower the rate overall. So we are looking at every option between that and just bringing in a few services," he said. "We've got some really smart people working on it." Incoming Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said it's a tough task that may take some time. "If we don't go to work on it, we'll never get it done. I think it will get done. It's a matter of how long it will take," Adams said. "It's a heavy lift. I wouldn't promise anyone it will happen this session." The reason lawmakers and the governor are looking at starting to tax services is because of such changes in consumer spending, reducing the base from covering about 70 percent of the Utah economy in the 1980s to just over 40 percent now. It's a phenomenon that was recognized by then-Gov. Olene Walker some 15 years ago, but one that's been politically difficult for lawmakers to tackle. What's changing is that growth in sales tax revenues is lagging behind increased income tax receipts. Because the Utah Constitution requires that income taxes go only toward education, the imbalance puts pressure on the state's general fund that's made up mostly of sales tax revenues and pays for other government services. "The state government is overly reliant on the most volatile revenue stream, income tax," Fillmore said. "We're incentivizing rapid government growth in boom economic years and tax increases in bust years." Fillmore said he wasn't ready to talk about what services he'd like to see taxed, and the governor has already brought up what may be seen as luxury purchases such as limousine rides. But Quinn said there are more mainstream types of services likely to be taxed. He said those include Uber and other ride-sharing services, and Netflix and other streaming services purchased individually. "We're trying not to have sacred cows, trying not to say, 'This industry can't be touched.' At the same time, we know there are some industries that are essential," Quinn said, including health care and housing transactions. "We are being very careful. We know. We understand. We're cognizant that health care and housing are unaffordable," he said. But with a $200 million income tax cut, Quinn said, the "vast, vast majority" will pay less overall in taxes. "At the end of the day, this will be a tax cut. This will be a significant tax cut to the state of Utah," he said, promising the bill that ultimately emerges "will be as fair as possible." So far, only Republicans have been working on the bill. Fillmore said that will change with the start of the legislative session, when Democrats as well as various stakeholders will be brought into the drafting process. That process won't become public until the bill is finished in the coming weeks. "It's not like this is being done in secret. We're meeting to hash out some principles," Fillmore said on trading what he called taxes on productivity, income taxes, for taxes on consumption, sales taxes. "Ideally, we'll get broad consensus." The governor's deputy chief of staff, Paul Edwards, said the process is not unusual. "Taxation is complex and technical. As is typical, our administration is providing information and technical assistance to legislators who are likely to sponsor tax modernization legislation as they ask for it," Edwards said. Edwards pointed out that "before any piece of legislation becomes law, it will go through the full public process of hearing and debate in both chambers of our Legislature." House Minority Leader Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, said he was irked but not surprised that Republican lawmakers so far have been working on the bill with the governor's office but not Democrats. "I do think from a good public policy perspective you do need to do something," King said, calling for lawmakers to consider carefully the impact of imposing taxes on services on lower-income Utahns. "We ought to be very careful about what services we choose. I don't think we ought to be taxing haircuts. We ought to be taxing plastic surgery," he said. "You don't want the broadening of sales taxes to hurt working people." Contributing: Katie McKellar SALT LAKE CITY It only happened once, and it was at the hands of incoming House Speaker Brad Wilson. His predecessor, outgoing House Speaker Greg Hughes, remembers the day vividly. It was during the 2012 legislative session. Wilson had been a member of the House for a little over a year, and Hughes, at the time, was the majority whip. Hughes was about to go head-to-head with Wilson on the House floor over a Senate bill Wilson was sponsoring. It would require parents to accompany their children at tanning salons, a bill Hughes found too "cumbersome" and restrictive. ... one of the things that I keep trying to impress upon everybody is the state of Utah is the way it is today because of actions taken 30 to 40 years ago. Incoming House Speaker Brad Wilson The bullish Hughes said he was "used to having success" on the House floor, and thought for sure after his "passionate" arguments for a substitute bill, he'd get the votes. But after Wilson "respectfully" made his case against, Hughes said he watched with dismay no one else voted in favor of his substitute, aside from two lawmakers who submitted "ayes" only after Hughes gave them sideways glances. "It's the biggest whooping I've ever taken on the floor of that House, ever in my life," Hughes said, chuckling. "And it was at the hands of Brad Wilson. The guy beat me like a rented mule." That's Wilson, Hughes said. A powerful, effective and hard worker, but quiet, measured and level-headed. "Like the polar opposite of me," Hughes said, laughing. "Brad, he's someone who thinks through issues. He's very calm. He's deliberative. He's just very thorough in what he does." So Hughes, who didn't seek re-election this year, said he's happy to "hand the gavel" to the Kaysville Republican, who ran unopposed to take the speaker's chair starting Monday when the 2019 Legislature officially convenes. As a "very deliberative leader," Hughes said, Wilson will bring a "very interesting blend" to the "controlled chaos" of the House. Wilson, a homebuilder and developer, was elected to the House in 2010. He powered through years of controversy as co-chairman of the prison relocation commission. He served as the House majority leader before winning the speaker's seat. The Davis County native lives with his wife, Jeni, and three children, ages 19, 16, and 14, in Kaysville. He's president and CEO of Destination Homes, a residential homebuilder. He sees himself as a policy wonk and finances wiz, more than a politician. Even though Wilson, 49, doesn't have the same wild energy that came with Hughes, the new speaker's fellow legislators say they expect to see Wilson move the needle on big issues on the slate for 2019, including tax reform. "Speaker Wilson will have his own approach and unique leadership style, which will be good, but I think you'll find much of the same momentum, heavy lifts, the commitment to get hard things accomplished that many could punt or resist," Hughes said. "He's going to be phenomenal. He's going to do an incredible job." During a recent interview with the Deseret News in his new office, Wilson demonstrated the energetic shift from his predecessor. In a calm and collected tone, he discussed his vision for the House and his plans to tackle tough issues during the session. One of the biggest issues on his plate: tax reform, and the governor's proposal to "modernize" the state's tax base. "We have a tax system that's not working in an economy that we're in today," Wilson said. "There's probably no issue in the state right now from a fiscal health standpoint that is more pressing than getting our tax system aligned with the economy." Wilson said he believes the governor's proposal to broaden the base by adding taxes to some previously untaxed services all while lowering the rate to under 3.9 percent and reaching a $200 million net tax cut is doable. "Absolutely," he said. But Wilson didn't yet have any specifics on how. A bill is expected in mid-February. Other issues? How to handle the voter-approved Medicaid expansion. Wilson also said he's particularly interested in economic growth and how Utah attracts businesses, as well as housing affordability and changes to higher education. Again, Wilson didn't go very far into specifics but said details would come later. Overall, though, Wilson said he plans to lead with a hawk's eye. "We need to take the long view," Wilson said. "As the Legislature, we can be very reactive. We could worry about the issue of the day, the issue of the month, but that doesn't serve the citizens of the state very well. "Over the course of my legislative career, as well as today, one of the things that I keep trying to impress upon everybody is the state of Utah is the way it is today because of actions taken 30 to 40 years ago," he said. "So we need to think about our role today in 20- to 30-year increments." So what kind of leader does he plan to be? Reflecting on his answer, Wilson recalled his predecessors, not only Hughes but also the late Becky Lockhart. Hughes "is a force of nature" with a "dynamic personality and equally passionate about policy," Wilson said with a smile. Lockhart was "very technical" and "strong-willed" and an "incredible mentor to me." He credited them both with "loving to do really hard things and move the needle." Wilson sees himself as a policy wonk but with the same passion to do "hard things" all while working with his colleagues to get work done. He called the House's November leadership election "very unusual" because there were so few, if any, challengers for most positions. "There's a high degree of trust, a high degree of common interest in doing really difficult, hard things, and commitment to that," Wilson said of his fellow legislators. "It makes me feel like I've got this incredible opportunity as we move into the session to make the state a lot better." Last year, Wilson challenged Gov. Gary Herbert's power when he championed the recently passed ballot initiative allowing lawmakers to bypass the governor to call themselves into special session. Despite last year's bill, Wilson said he has a "great relationship" with the governor. Herbert in a prepared statement lauded Wilson for his leadership. Since the beginning of his service in the Legislature, Speaker Brad Wilson has excelled because of his ability to bring people together. He is a natural leader," the governor said. "I also appreciate his understanding of free-market capitalism and its importance in generating prosperity for all Utahns. Rep. Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, (who previously served as House majority leader before Rep. Francis Gibson, R-Mapleton, won the post) said Wilson will serve the House well as a "planner" who will be a "very solid" and "steady" leader. Most of all, Dunnigan said he knows he can "trust" Wilson. "That's our currency at the Capitol, as far as I'm concerned," Dunnigan said. "Your bond is your currency. I've never known Brad to tell me he was going to do something and not do it." House Minority Leader Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, called Wilson "thoughtful," "smart" and "careful." "He measures twice and cuts once," King said. "I like that about him." King said he's confident Wilson, though he's obviously going to look out for the interests of the GOP, will also take his role as speaker seriously and will "work to try to represent the interest of all members of the House." "I think we've got a healthy respect for each other," King said. "I'm sure there are going to be times when we disagree but it's not going to be the end of the world." At home, Jeni Wilson says her husband is a "very engaged" father, even though his busy schedule demands a lot of time away from home. Most of all, Jeni Wilson credits her husband with doing the right thing, even if he'll be met with backlash. "He's not in it for the photo-op," she said. "He doesn't care who gets the credit. He's willing to do hard things and possibly unpopular things if he believes it's in the best interest of the state." ******* House Speaker Brad Wilson Age: 49 Residence: Kaysville Education: Bachelor's degree in business from Weber State University Career: Homebuilder and developer Public offices: Elected to Utah House of Representatives in 2010 Family: Married, three children The Utah Legislature begins its 2019 session Monday, facing an enviable $1.3 billion surplus and a statewide unemployment rate of about 3.2 percent. It also convenes in one of only a handful of states where lawmakers serve part time with minimum staff and low pay. Utah legislators make $273 per day while serving, with varying extras for lodging and meals. Its not a position people seek for the money. Skeptics may not believe there is a direct correlation between that and the states current prosperity, but the Beehive State has shown convincingly that a true citizen Legislature, where members serve for 45 days and then return to live and work among their constituents, does not impede progress despite a fast-growing population. That doesnt mean everything the Legislature does is right. Certainly, states with full-time, highly paid lawmakers dont get everything right, either. But Utahns should be thankful their state representatives remain as accessible as they are. That relationship may be tried by some of the difficult decisions awaiting lawmakers this year. Large surpluses can be a blessing and a curse. While only roughly half of this years excess is in ongoing funds, expect numerous interests to vie for a share. In his proposed budget, Gov. Gary Herbert would like to return some of it to taxpayers through a reduction in the sales tax. He would combine this with reform of that tax, removing many exemptions, thereby broadening the base of transactions subject to it, and then lowering the rate. We anticipate this will be a major focus of discussion and debate at the Capitol. And while the exact details of the governors budget may not be up for debate, the idea of removing as many exemptions as possible is a good one. Many lawmakers worry that a recession may be looming in the near future, given the current booming economy and the length of time since the last slowdown. When economies contract, sales tax revenues tend to decline dramatically as people stop making purchases. A broader sales tax base would serve to lessen that blow, especially if the tax applied to necessary services such as haircuts. Beyond economic issues, some lawmakers have shown a desire to amend some of the initiatives voters passed in the last election. They may have been emboldened by changes made to the successful medical marijuana initiative in a December special session. But this would be a mistake. Changes to the medical marijuana measure, known as Proposition 2, came after months of negotiations between supporters and opponents. Their negotiated agreement was announced weeks before the election, but not in time to change ballots. The final amended law demonstrated the best aspects of representative government, where all sides agree to compromise for the greater good. No such compromises exist with either the Medicaid expansion or the independent redistricting initiatives that also passed. While it would not be illegal for lawmakers to change these measures, doing so would call into question the value of Utahs Constitution, which allows citizens to propose laws through a petition process. Lawmakers should at least wait a year or two to see how these measures play out. Clean air is bound to be an issue this year, as well. The governor has proposed allocating $100 million toward improvements. Lawmakers are toying with ideas that would make transit free on bad air days, outlaw wood-burning stoves and fireplaces each winter season or provide incentives to convert those to natural gas. These ideas have merit. Utah has made great strides toward cleaning the air in recent years, with much of the credit going toward the Environmental Protection Agency and cleaner-running automobiles. But inversions remain a perpetual challenge requiring constant efforts to improve. The recent end to the federal government shutdown made this session a bit easier. Unless it shuts down again in February, Utah lawmakers no longer will need to worry about using the Rainy Day Fund to keep national parks open or to keep certain federal services going. As always, we suspect other, unanticipated issues will arise and dominate headlines during this session. We urge lawmakers to remain focused on substantive matters of health, safety and economic prosperity. We also urge Utahns to become engaged in the process, with a measure of gratitude for those who serve part time, with little compensation, on their behalf. SALT LAKE CITY New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just went to Twitter war with White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and she used a Bible verse in doing so. Sanders, who is a devout Christian, said the U.S. government should let God decide on environmental protections. "I don't think we're going to listen to her on much of anything, particularly not on matters that we're going to leave into the hands of a much, much higher authority," Sanders said on Sean Hannity's Fox News show Tuesday night, according to Raw Story. She said the fate of the planet should be left in "the hands of something and someone much more powerful than any of us," a clear reference to God, according to Business Insider. Ocasio-Cortez, who was raised Catholic, shared a story of Sanders comments on Twitter. She added a Bible verse for good measure. "'Genesis 1: God looked on the world & called it good not once, not twice, but seven times. Genesis 2: God commands all people to "serve and protect" creation. Leviticus: God mandates that not only the people, but the land that sustains them, shall be respected,'" Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. Genesis 1: God looked on the world & called it good not once, not twice, but seven times. Genesis 2: God commands all people to serve and protect creation. Leviticus: God mandates that not only the people, but the land that sustains them, shall be respected. https://t.co/AhWd3vuVBd Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 23, 2019 She added, "You shouldn't need a Bible to tell you to protect our planet, but it does anyway." You shouldnt need a Bible to tell you to protect our planet, but it does anyway. (h/t to @RELEVANT mag for source excerpts that I adapted for the previous tweet) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 23, 2019 Headlines: Sanders made headlines this week after President Donald Trump tweeted that Sanders doesnt appear at press briefings anymore because of inaccurate media portrayals of the White House, according to my report for the Deseret News. SALT LAKE CITY Among married moms, the wealthy and the poor are more likely to join the ranks of stay-at-home moms than are middle-class moms. But the reasons behind the decision to work for pay outside the home rather than stay home with kids varies greatly between the have-lots and have-nots. That's according to researchers at the Institute for Family Studies, who describe the married, stay-at-home mom population as a U-shape, with a high proportion of moms deciding to stay home at each end of the income and education spectrum. "Mothers married to a husband who makes less money are themselves often less-educated, and they don't make that much money when they work," said Wendy Wang, director of research at the institute and co-author of the report, "The Real Housewives of America: Dad's Income and Mom's Work." Education and income go hand-in-hand, with those who are better educated able to bring in more income. For less-educated women, child care may be hard to find and expensive relative to what they can earn, so for many it makes more sense to stay home with the kids. On the other side of the income scale, wealthy couples have more choice, Wang said. High-income couples can afford to choose whether both parents work or one stays home with the kids. They can decide whether the family will benefit most from mom working or staying home to be with the children. It is in the middle class where married mothers are most likely to go to work: They typically earn enough to make the cost of child care feasible, and may choose work to get further ahead financially. The report finds that 46 percent of the mothers whose husbands earned at least $250,000 a year don't work for pay. And just over a third of mothers married to men earning less than $25,000 a year are not in the workforce. Mothers married to men earning between $50,000 and $75,000 a year are the least likely to stay home, with three-fourths in the labor force. The mean household income for husbands in the analysis was $60,000. I think many Americans think, based on the popularity of shows like 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,' that stay-at-home mothers are the preserve of the rich. But this report shows that SAHMs (stay-at-home mothers) are more common among both the well-off and the poor," said W. Bradford Wilcox, a senior fellow at the institute and visiting scholar with the American Enterprise Institute. A child's impact Wang and her co-author, institute research fellow Robert VerBruggen, analyzed data from the 2017 American Community Survey to look specifically at working patterns for married couples who are parents. They limited their analysis to women whose husbands work full time, year-round. Among married couples, the report notes that in about half of families with children, both parents work, though not necessarily full time. For some low-income women, it's not really a choice because they can't afford to have other people taking care of their kids. Wendy Wang, director of research at the institute and co-author of the report, "The Real Housewives of America: Dad's Income and Mom's Work." "Circumstances change when you have a child," said Wang. "Then couples make the decision on what works for their families. Different families use different strategies to cope with their responsibilities." A Gallup poll in 2015 showed how women's desire for paid work outside the home change with the birth of a child. According to the poll, "More than half of women, 56 percent, who have a child younger than 18 would ideally like to stay home and care for their house and family, while 58 percent of those without young children would rather work outside the home. Having young children makes little difference in men's preferences, with close to three-quarters preferring to work regardless of their parenting status." But it's not solely a matter of choice, nor is choice available for all couples. "For some low-income women, it's not really a choice because they can't afford to have other people taking care of their kids. It makes more economic sense for them to stay at home and I am sure that some want to," Wang said. Children only stay home with you a certain number of years. Wendy Wang, director of research at the institute The 2018 Global Family & Gender Survey from the Institute for Family Studies and Wheatley Institution reached a similar conclusion. It added part-time work to the mix of options and found that 37 percent of mothers with minor children (regardless of marital status) prefer part-time work and 21 percent don't want to work outside the home. Among those without minor children, 28 percent wanted part-time work and 10 percent prefer not to work. In reality, though, 45 percent of married mothers work full time and 26 percent work part time. Married mothers with young children are the group least likely to work full time, the new IFS report finds. "Children's age is a really interesting factor in the whole picture," Wang said, "Children only stay home with you a certain number of years." The report says mothers of children younger than 3 are the least likely to be working for pay. When the kids go to school, about half of married mothers go to work, at least part of the time. Supporting choices The report also suggests that couples who marry today tend to have similar educations and thus earning power, which is called "assortative mating." Put simply, people tend to marry peers. "In the old days, a doctor would marry a nurse. Now a doctor will marry another doctor," Wang told the Deseret News. Furthermore, "people who are better-educated are also more likely to marry in general than people who are uneducated," she said. Mother's education is a proxy for her earning capacity, the researchers note, adding that despite the U-shaped curve, mothers who have an advanced degree are the most likely to be in the labor force. Wang interprets that to mean that when couples decide whether a mother will work, "opportunity costs play a role," too. Very highly skilled and educated women may choose to stay in the work force because they have high earning and advancement opportunities that benefit their families. "There are probably not a lot of women who get an advanced degree thinking, 'I am going to be a stay-at-home mom after I get it,'" Wang said. The choices mothers make about work today often involve economics and don't necessarily reflect what they would choose if they could decide solely based on preference, Wang said. "On the one hand, we definitely have women who would love to work but don't have the opportunity; they can't afford to," she said. "On the other hand, a majority of married mothers do not prefer a full-time job. They have a strong desire for spending more time with their children. It's just different families divide up responsibility in different ways and we want to support them all." It's clear, she added, that families need some support for their choices. Middle-class families, for instance, are struggling to balance work and family. According to the report, "her education, his income and their child's age all loom large in shaping who does what in contemporary American married families." The report emphasizes somewhat humorously that its authors aren't taking a position on whether women should work or stay at home. "We're not showing up at the 'mommy wars' to support a certain side," the two wrote. "VerBruggen is the son of a stay-at-home mom and the husband of a working one, so he's not allowed to say anything judgmental about either arrangement, while Wang is a working mom who is sometimes envious of her stay-at-home friends." The 2020 Utah Legislature general session starts Monday, Jan. 27, and if you think you don't need to pay attention, think again. Your state legislators could one day be U.S. senators or representatives. 46 of the current 100 senators, 198 representatives and close to half of all U.S. presidents previously served as state legislators, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Additionally, laws that start in state legislatures sometimes make it to other states, or even Congress. For example, in 2015 Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said the health care plan he enacted during his time as governor of Massachusetts was a precursor to President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, according to NPR. Even though Utah's lawmakers have already been elected, there are still plenty of ways citizens can get involved in the legislative process, whether they have a whole day or only five minutes to spare. If you have five minutes Find out who your representatives are. This is as easy as visiting the Utah State Legislature website and entering your street address and ZIP code. Once you know who represents you, you have someone to keep accountable. Follow the Legislature on social media. Both legislative bodies post updates to various social media channels. Senate: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube House majority: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube House minority: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube This account auto-tweets official Utah Legislature actions, and the hashtags #utleg and #utpol are good to follow on Twitter for updates from legislative bodies, legislators and journalists alike. Your own representatives may also post updates to individual social media accounts. Get updates from credible news sources. Some local news organizations offer frequent Legislature updates. Find a source that you like and sign up to get updates through whichever channel works best for you. The Deseret News posts coverage on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also sign up to receive Deseret News email newsletters or notifications via the Deseret News app. Do some studying. Learn what these legislative terms mean, how to read a bill, or how a bill becomes a law. Track the status of a bill. If there's a current bill you're interested in, you can see where the bill is in the legislative process and see how your representatives voted on it under the "Status" tab. You can also use the Legislature's floor calendars and bill tracking service to keep tabs on bills. If you have 20 minutes Contact your representatives. Find their contact information using the Senate and House rosters. This former Congressional employee recommends calling your representatives, but if thats too intimidating, just get in touch any way you can. Email them. Write them a letter. Visit their office. Tweet at them. Remember, they work for you, so find a way to let them know what you think about what theyre doing, including which bills they support and sponsor. Figure out which issues are important to you. If you're not sure where to start, take some time to think about the issues in your community that matter to you. You might find some ideas by sorting through legislative committees and bills by subject. For example, if youre interested in education, you can keep track of the bills that address education, or the committees that address education and which topics theyre addressing in their meetings. You can also calculate your taxpayer receipt to find out where your tax dollars are going. After that, you may have a few opinions on how tax money is allocated. If you have an hour Attend (or watch) committee meetings. Because committee meetings are open to the public, youre welcome to attend them at the Utah state capitol. If you cant attend in person, the Legislature website streams live audio and keeps archived audio of committee meetings. Look for scheduled meetings by committee, or simply view the calendar on the Utah State Legislature home page. Attend a town hall meeting. Town hall meetings are a great way to speak to your representatives in person, ask questions and tell them what you think. Sign up for your representatives' email lists to get notified about when they hold town halls. If you have all day Watch floor debates. You can also watch live floor debates on the Legislature home page, or archived floor debates in the Hearings/Debate tab of the bill you're interested in. Testify before a legislative committee. Keep track of the committees that cover topics that are important to you. Those committees are required to post public notices of their meetings, as well as the agendas for those meetings. Once you find a meeting that's relevant to the issue you're interested in, attend it and testify, using this as your guide. Take a tour of the Capitol. You can tour virtually or in person. Tours start hourly from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday thorough Friday. Police take one person into custody following arson attempt in Bala Cynwyd Philip E. Heron is editor of the Daily Times. Call him at 484-521-3147. E-mail him at editor@delcotimes.com. Make sure you check out his blog, The Heron's Nest, every day at http://delcoheronsnest.blogspot.com. Follow him on Twitter, @philheron. Late last month it was reported that Apple will begin assembling its flagship iPhones in India through a local unit of Foxconn as early as this year. This will be the first time the Taiwanese contract manufacturer will have made its product in India, sources familiar with the matter have stated. In related news, Apples other contract manufacturer, Pegatron also has plans on doing the same. As per a report by The Financial Times, Pegatron will begin building production capacity in three countries including India; with the other two being Indonesia and Vietnam. As of now, Pegatron takes care of around 30 per cent of the assembly of Apples orders and the contract manufacturer has so far relied almost entirely on China. However, Pegatron now looks to change that with its expansion into India, Vietnam and Indonesia. Speaking about the expansion, Pegatrons president SJ Liao said that they will divulge more information on the subject in the near future. However, the rate of expansion will also depend on the trade war thats taking place between the US and China. While Pegatron makes no official statement regarding Apple, its plain to see the connection between Pegatron and Foxconn plans, and reports indicating that high-end iPhone assembly will soon begin in India. Also, with the growth of smartphones and consumer electronics stagnating in markets such as China, companies are starting to focus on other large markets such as India. Recently it was reported that Foxconn, which already makes phones for Xiaomi Corp in India, will invest Rs 25 billion (USD 356 million) to expand the plant, including investment in iPhone production. Foxconn will be assembling the most expensive models, such as devices in the flagship iPhone X family, potentially taking Apples business in India to a new level. The work will take place at Foxconns plant in Sriperumbudur town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. This investment may create as many as 25,000 jobs. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Bengaluru: Widening of the gap between Congress and JD(S) in their alliance in the state of Karnataka is evident as Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Monday threatened to step down if Congress MLAs continue to attack him. Reacting to an incident from Sunday, at an event where some Congress MLAs hailed Siddaramaiah as their CM CM Kumaraswamy said that the MLAs are crossing all lines and if things were to continue like this, he would step down from his post. "...If they want to continue with the same thing, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line", when asked 'Congress MLAs are saying that Siddaramaiah is their CM', CM Kumaraswamy reportedly said to ANI. Attacking the Kumaraswamy government during the event on Sunday, Congress MLA ST Somashekhar said, "It is seven months since the coalition government came to power, but development work has not yet taken off. Had Siddaramaiah got another five-year term, we would have seen real development." The seven-month-old Kumaraswamy government in Karnataka has faced multiple challenges since it came to power in May 2018. The latest threat came earlier this month after the opposition BJP allegedly tried to lure away Congress MLAs to topple the government in the state. If the Congress vows to fight against the BJP, which is an expert is spreading lies, it should support our (SP-BSP) alliance. We have already spared two seats Raebareli and Amethi for them, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said. (Photo: PTI) Lucknow: Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said that if the Congress vows to fight against the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, it should support the SP-BSP alliance. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also welcomed Priyanka Gandhi's entry into active politics. When asked about the 'Priyanka factor' being termed as a masterstroke of the Congress, Akhilesh said, If the Congress vows to fight against the BJP, which is an expert is spreading lies, it should support our (SP-BSP) alliance. We have already spared two seats Raebareli and Amethi for them. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister was responding to questions during an interview to PTI in Lucknow. His remarks assume significance in the light of Congress president Rahul Gandhi's comment that he has due regard and respect for both Akhilesh and Mayawati and there was no animosity against them. Rahul had also said his party won't play on the backfoot and added, "We will play on the front foot, be it Gujarat or Uttar Pradesh." Asked about the appointment of Priyanka Gandhi as in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East, he said, I welcome her entry in active politics. Youth should join active politics for making the new India." On Yogi Adityanath government's decision to hold cabinet meeting in Kumbh in Prayagraj, Akhilesh reminded the BJP of the connection of Kumbh to Kannauj, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by his wife Dimple Yadav. It was Raja Harsh Vardhan, whose capital was in Kannauj which started the tradition of 'daan' in Kumbh. He used to come here and give 'daan'. If the BJP government is serious about development of the state, it should tell what it has done on its own except schemes launched in my regime, he said. Akhilesh, who took a holy dip in Sangam confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati in Prayagraj said that in his regime Kumbh arrangements were made and that too by Muslim leaders and officers. People come to Kumbh due to their faith. In our regime Urban Development Minister Mohd Azam Khan, Health Minister Ahmad Hasan and Chief Secretary Javed Usmani did the best of arrangements. The SP believes in uniting people unlike the BJP which is dividing society on communal lines," he said. Quizzed about CM Yogi Adityanath's remark that his government can resolve the Ram temple issue in 24 hours, Akhilesh said, Pehle kisano ko agle 90 dino me 'saand' se bacha lein jo fasal chaupat kar rahe hain (he should first save farmers in the next 90 days from the onslaught of bulls, which are ruining crops." Adityanath had last week said that the Supreme Court must work towards an early resolution of the Ram temple case and "...if there is unnecessary delay, institutions may lose people's trust. I want to say that the court should give its verdict soon, and if it is unable to do so, it should hand over the issue to us. We will resolve the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute within 24 hours. We won't take 25 hours". The Samajwadi Party chief said, "If such a statement is given by a chief minister on Republic Day, one can imagine what kind of the CM he must be." Promising to make caste data available if voted to power, Akhilesh said, If we come to power we will reveal caste data. Without knowing the caste data development schemes cannot be formed accurately". CHENNAI: The AIADMK will lead the alliance in case the party forms the electoral alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha election, party senior and Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar has said. During the previous last Lok Sabha elections we had won 37 seats under the leadership of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithas. Now our target is all 40 Lok Sabha constituencies including the lone Puducherry seat, Jayakumar has said and indicted that his party is striving hard in pursuing its goal of winning all the seats. Maintaining that the AIADMK would lead the alliance that it forms, Jayakumar told reporters in Madurai on Sunday that his party would emerge as a force at the national level and that it would play a key role in government formation at the Centre. He however did not elaborate on whether the AIADMK is in talks with any parties. Speculation is rife that the BJP and AIADMK will forge an electoral alliance. Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced compensation of Rs 40 lakh to the wife and Rs 10 lakh for the parents of Uttar Pradesh Police constable Harsh Chaudhary who was killed in an encounter in Amroha on Sunday. In addition, one government job for a family member has also been announced. The deceased constable was a native of Hathras district. A state funeral would be accorded to him, police informed. Anand Kumar, Additional Director General (ADG), Law and Order, said the encounter ensued when a police party went in search of a criminal at Bachhraon in Amroha district. When the police asked the history-sheeter to surrender he hurled fire at the police in which constable Harsh sustained bullet injury. He was immediately rushed to TMU hospital Moradabad where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment. In the retaliatory fire, the criminal Shivavtar also sustained bullet injury and later succumbed at the same hospital. At about 7-8 in the evening on the basis of specific information the police team went to a tube-well located in Bachhraon area in search of a wanted criminal Shivavtar who has 19 criminal cases against him. When police asked him to surrender he fired on the police party in which one of our constables Harsh Chaudhary sustained bullet injury and was immediately rushed to the hospital where he died during the treatment, said Kumar. A woman thanks Anjani Kumar, Hyderabad commissioner of police and Shikha Goel, commissioner, crimes and SIT, for rescuing her child as part of Operation Smile. Hyderabad: Hyderabad police, under their initiative called Operation Smile, rescued 325 children who were missing and working as child labourers. All the children were rescued in January. The officials also booked 14 cases against various establishments for engaging underaged children to work. Among the lot were children from other states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and even Nepal, officials said. The police have identified about 200 hotspots in the city where children are engaged as labourers. Operation Smile was launched on January 1. It is a month-long programme to trace missing children and rescue child labourers and those engaged in begging. In Hyderabad City, 17 teams were formed, each headed by an official of sub-inspector rank. So far in the city 325 children, including 11 girls, have been rescued. Of these, 53 children were admitted to rescue homes and 272 handed over to their parents, said the police commissioner of Hyderabad City, Anjani Kumar. He added that the police was grateful to the management of the three schools for agreeing to provide free education to these children. The police conduct Operation Smile in January and Operation Muskaan in July to trace missing children involved in child labour, bonded labour, micro industries and begging, and trafficked children, and rescue them by restoring them to their parents or other family members. Children from different states are rescued and relocated to their parents. Relevant cases were registered and investigated into. Seven of the rescued children were below 10 years of age, 38 were aged 11-14 years while 280 children were between 14-18 years of age. During this operation, 14 cases were booked against various establishments for engaging child labourers. Further, a fine amount of Rs 6,75,365 was imposed on the said establishments for various violations. The rescued children were found working in different types of establishments/factories, engaged in making bags, bangles, biscuits, bakery, electrical items, mechanic shops, computer work, fabrications, welding shops, tiffin centres etc, said the official. We first observe the children for 2-3 days and then approach them to gain information, said the additional commissioner of police, Crimes and SIT, Ms Shikha Goel. The Darpan face recognition application was used for checking details of children with the database. The city police admitted three children to schools. Raipur: If the Congress wins the next general election, it will guarantee a minimum income for the poor in the country, Congress president Rahul Gandhi announced at the Kisan Abhar Sammelan organised here to express the partys gratitude to farmers for voting the Congress to power in Chhattisgarh. However, Congress had promised to write off loans of farmers within ten days of coming to power in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Our governments in these three states have implemented the promise made by the Congress, he added. He said his party has always worked in the interest of the farmers and cited the return of agriculture lands acquired for an abandoned Tata Steel project in Chhattisgarh by the state government to the farmers. He also recalled that it was the Congress that was instrumental in ushering in the green revolution in the country. The investigation revealed that the accused had committed several dacoities in and around Bengaluru to raise funds. The investigators are looking to find out if they had committed similar offences in Telangana state. Hyderabad: The National Investigation Agency has stated that the conspiracy and planning for the explosion at the Kalachakra maidan in Bodh Gaya during the visit of Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama in 2018 were done in Marredpally in the city and Chennai. An NIA senior official told this newspaper, In November 2017, the accused travelled to Hyderabad and rented a room. During their stay, Mustafizue Rahman of the JMB went to Hyderabad to meet them. After that, he fixed a meeting for Adil Sheikh and Ahmad Ali with Kausar at Chennai, where the conspiracy took its final form. A NIA source said The hideout of the JMB was at Marredpally in Secunderabad and at Chennai, where JMB leaders Kausar and Dilawar met other handlers and planned the blast a month before the incident. They used fake names to travel and while renting houses. The investigation revealed that the accused had committed several dacoities in and around Bengaluru to raise funds. The investigators are looking to find out if they had committed similar offences in Telangana state. The official said: After meeting Kausar in Chennai, Ahmad and Adil returned to Hyderabad and shared the details of the meeting with the others. On December 13, Rahman returned to Hyderabad and stayed for a day before leaving to Bihar along with Dilawar. The next day they reached Patna and then Jehanabad. They stayed in the city for more than 15 days between November 29 to December 15, 2017. It was found that it was after the blast that the remaining accused left the city and shifted their base to other hideouts. The arrests were made subsequently. On Monday, the NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet in the NIA special court at Patna with regard to the case in which it mentioned the hideouts and travel plans of the accused before allegedly resorting to the offence. The NIA had recovered two live improvised explosive devices (IEDs) following the blast at Bodh Gaya. The motive was to attack symbols of Buddhism in retaliation to the alleged atrocities committed on the Rohingyas in Myanmar and to overawe the Centre, the NIA said. "Two monkeys have died in Wayanad. We are therefore on a high alert in tribal hamlets in Gundlupet taluk too," Chamarajagar District Health officer, Dr Prasad K.H. said. (Representional Image) Mysuru: Health officials of HD Kote taluk in Mysuru district are on a high alert after it was confirmed by two Kerala hospitals that two people who had recently visited Thimmana Hosalli Haadi tribal hamlet of the taluk near Nagarahole on the Kerala border, had contracted KFD (Kyasanur Forest disease or Monkey fever. HD Kote taluk health officer Dr Ravi Kumar T said, "the two people, both named Suresh, were treated at Manandavadi government hospital and at Kazikod government hospital. Both are from Ambakalli village in Manandwadi taluk and were confirmed to have been infected by KFD by health officials in Kerala. Both patients who have married girls from Thimmana Hosalli tribal hamlet in HD Kote taluk, had reportedly visited the girls' parents. Also there were two deaths of 45 year Chandru on January 19 and 40 year old Bhaskar from Thimmana Hosalli Haadi at Aanemaala hospital. Since the autopsies have not been done, the exact cause of death is unknown. We have also visited Manandavadi government hospital and Kazikod government hospital and have collected their blood samples and sent them for testing for KFD to the National Institute of Virology at Nimhans in Bengaluru. The reports are awaited," he said. He added, "with Ambakalli in Kerala (from where the two patients hail) just 8 kms from Thimmana hosalli hamlet, we are on a high alert and are taking precautionary measures in 16 tribal hamlets including Thimmana hosalli which comes under DB Kuppe public health care centre in HD Kote taluk. KFD is tick borne, it spreads through the bite of the infected tick which is found on the hair of monkeys which have died unusually. We are getting 25 boxes with 60 bottles of Di Methyl Phthalate (DMP) liquid from health department on Monday. We plan to distribute them among tribals of these 16 tribal hamlets and even among forest watchers and are asking them to apply it on their body to prevent being bitten by the ticks when they enter the forest. We are also directing them to cover themselves well and not sleep on the open ground. Dr Ravi Kumar said. He added, "The symptoms of KFD include high fever, chronic headache, intestinal bleeding and meningitis. There is no specific treatment, however vaccinations are available. Since four years all forest officers have been given this vaccination. "Two monkeys have died in Wayanad. We are therefore on a high alert in tribal hamlets in Gundlupet taluk too," Chamarajagar District Health officer, Dr Prasad K.H. said. So far eight KFD cases have been confirmed in Shivamogga district, according to health department sources. CHENNAI: Her joy knew no bounds when she had a chance of a lifetime to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he flew down to the Temple City to lay the foundation stone for AIIMS project and also address a mammoth rally of the BJP on Sunday. Arulmozhi Sarvanan, the Mudra Yojana beneficiary from Madurai had sold thermos flasks to the Prime Ministers Office through Government eMarketplace (GeM). She had decided to meet the PM during his visit to Madurai and Modi allotted her time and accepted her greetings. This entrepreneur, from modest beginnings, had applied and obtained a Mudra loan for her business when the Union Government launched the Mudra Yojana for small entrepreneurs to get loans without collateral. Her chore was to supply simple goods and products to government offices. After coming to know about the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), she registered on it and to her surprise in 2017, while browsing the GeM site, she noticed that the Prime Ministers Office was keen on purchasing a few thermos flasks and she readily responded. The PMO confirmed the order and the flasks were supplied and the payment made. Arulmozhi shared this success story with the Prime Minister through a letter and Modi later mentioned it in his Mann KiBaat programme in mid-2017. In her letters to the PM, she addressed Mr. Modi as her father. Her business grew gradually and recently, she wrote to the Prime Minister again, informing him of the updates in her business, and the transformation in her life. Interestingly, the turnover of her enterprise has crossed Rs. 1 crore in the current financial year. And it all started with an order of Rs. 234 on GeM. Arulmozhi, who was using firewood for cooking has now switched to a gas cylinder and she is planning to give up her cooking gas subsidy. She hopes to avail a home loan. According to her, the GeM makes her believe it is a great platform for Government offices to save public money. To her, the GeM is not just a means to a business but a service to the nation, she says. Doing business has become even easier after GST implementation. Arulmozhis success story is an example of how Governments reforms can transform peoples lives socially and economically. Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during a ceremony to dedicate the integrated expansion complex of Bharat Petroleums Kochi refinery on Sunday. Thrissur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at the Congress for making ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan a pawn to settle scores in the partys factional fight two decades ago. It showed the lackadaisical way in which the Congress treated the strategic interests of the country, Mr Modi said addressing the valedictory meeting of the Yuva Morcha state conference on Sunday afternoon. Mr Modi said that Nambi Narayanan was a hardworking and patriotic scientist and that it was an honour for his government to confer the Padma award on him. In his 40-minute speech, Mr Modi came down heavily on the LDF government, the CPM and the Congress on the Sabrimala issue, corruption and the allegations raised by the Opposition parties against electronic voting machines. The cultural ethos of Kerala were under attack which was being led by the party heading the government in the state. The Congress which took different stands at the centre and in the state on the Sabarimala issue had exposed its double standard, he said. Sabarimala has attracted the entire nations attention. The people are watching how the Communist government is disrespecting all aspects of Keralas culture. One does not understand why the communists are undermining our culture and civilisation which have stood the test of time, Mr Modi said. He lashed out at the LDF and the Congress over the corruption charges citing the resignation of LDF ministers and the solar scam during the time of the UDF government. In 2014, you made me the chowkidar of this country and I assure you that as long I am here, I will not allow corruption at any cost, he added. He also listed the achievements of the NDA government and said that compared to 2014, the families with toilets had gone up from 38 per cent to 90 per cent and households with LPG connections from 55 percent to more than 90 percent. Nearly six crore poor women were provided free LPG connections, he said and pointed out that Kochi had the biggest refinery in India. BJP state president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam and Rajya Sabha MP V. Muraleedharan were present among others. Hyderabad: Junior doctors allege that professors in medical teaching colleges are lobbying to increase their retirement age from 58 to 65 by claiming that there is a serious dearth of professors in some super speciality departments in government hospitals. K. Mahesh Kumar, president of Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA) says the problem is actually with delayed recruitment. There are some departments in which professors are getting retired. If professors leave service there is no one to get promoted to that position. The situation arises due to non-recruitment of assistant professors since eight years. If assistant professors had been recruited as per regulations, they would have been eligible to be professors by now. Taking advantage of the situation, some people are asking to increase the retirement age from 58 years to 65 years, Mr Kumar said. Mr Kumar adds that there are 500 to 600 vacancies of assistant professor posts and the immediate requirement is to fill these vacancies. Those who are going to retire should be hired on contract basis for the time being. Within four or five years the department will have sufficient professors. Rather than doing this, some are pressurising for hike in retirement age. If retirement age is hiked there wont be options for freshers. For seven-eight years everything will be blocked. The already existing staff who are assistant professor and associate professor cant get promoted, added Mr Kumar. In a letter to health and family welfare principal secretary, A. Shanti Kumari, Mr Kumar stated that around 50 professors are retiring in the next two years and incertain departments of teaching hospitals there are no eligible associate professors to be promoted as professors, which may lead to de-recognition of Post Graduate courses. He requested to reappoint the professors on contract basis in required departments. He was immediately rushed to the local hospital. Doctors declared him out of danger. Bhopal: A 2-year-old boy fell into a 70-foot-deep borewell dug in the vicinity of his house in a village in Madhya Pradesh, while playing, police said on Sunday. The kid, identified as Tej Pratap of Kerhar village under Chindrangi Gadaba police station in Singrauli district, was rescued at around 11 in the morning on Sunday, 12 hours after he fell into the open bore well. The child could not see the open bore well dug in an agriculture land due to darkness and slipped into it while playing. His father, Aditya Pratap, noticed him falling into the bore well and reported the matter to the local police immediately for help. The incident took place at around 10.30 in the night of Saturday, a senior district officer who had rushed the spot along with a rescue team to save the kid, told this newspaper on Sunday. A JCB machine was used to build a passage to reach out to the child who was found stuck at a depth of around 70 ft in the bore well. The kid was taken out of the bore well at around 11 in the morning after an uninterrupted rescue operation that lasted around 12 hours, he added. The child was being supplied oxygen and engaged in talks with his kin during the period to keep his morale high. He was immediately rushed to the local hospital. Doctors declared him out of danger. Bengaluru: Yeshwanthpur police opened fire at a notorious rowdy sheeter after he attacked two constables with a machete while trying to evade the arrest in RMC Yard police station limits early Sunday. The accused has been identified as Gautham, 22, a resident of B.K. Nagar in Yeshwantpur and was listed as rowdy sheeter in Yeshwanthpur police station. He had more than seven criminal cases against him, including attempt to murder. According to the police, on Thursday evening, Gautham along with his two friends, Prashanth and Salman attacked two people identified as Vinod Kumar and Maruti with lethal weapons near Matha School in Yeshwanthpur and escaped. Around 2 am, the police received credible information that Gautham and his friends were in RMC Yard and rushed to the spot. Gautham noticed the police approaching him and immediately attacked two constables, Shivakumar and Bajanthri with a long machete. The inspector opened fire in the air to warn him to surrender and later shot at his leg when he tried to flee. The two constables have sustained injuries and were rushed to the Victoria Hospital, where they are being treated. Gautham was also taken to the Victoria Hospital. Melania Trump has been previously awarded USD2.9 million by another British media outlet in 2017 after she won a defamation lawsuit filed against them. (Photo: AFP) London: A British media outlet has apologised "unreservedly" to US First Lady Melania Trump over an inaccurate article it published earlier this month and agreed to pay "substantial damages" along with covering legal costs borne by her "as a mark of regret". "Following Telegraph magazine cover story 'The mystery of Melania' published on January 19, we have been asked to make clear that the article contained a number of false statements which we accept should not have been published," the media outlet stated in an article published on its website. "We apologise unreservedly to The First Lady and her family for any embarrassment caused by our publication of these allegations," the outlet highlighted. The article, written by an American author Nina Burleigh, has since been removed by the newspaper, according to CNN. The First Lady had sought corrections to the article through her attorney. Amongst them, the British media outlet has clarified that Melania's father, Viktor Knavs, was not a "fearsome presence" as claimed by them in the January 19 article. "Mrs Trumps father was not a fearsome presence and did not control the family," the newspaper stressed. "Mrs Trump did not leave her Design and Architecture course at University relating to the completion of an exam, as alleged in the article, but rather because she wanted to pursue a successful career as a professional model," the media outlet outlined in an article titled 'Melania Trump - An Apology'. "Mrs Trump was not struggling in her modelling career before she met Mr Trump, and she did not advance in her career due to the assistance of Mr Trump," they further clarified. They also apologised for "wrongly" claiming that Melania's family relocated to New York in 2015 to live in buildings owned by Donald Trump. "They did not," the apology spelt out. "The claim that Mrs Trump cried on election night is also false," the statement issued by the media company said. "I could say I'm the most bullied person in the world...one of them if you really see what people are saying about me," the First Lady had claimed in October last year while talking about her 'Be Best' initiative which focuses on social media and online behaviour. Global warming, fishing and growing numbers of tourists who flock to the region for whale watching and diving pose a threat to their population. (Photo: AFP). The clear and calm waters of Reisafjorden, in Norway's Far North, have in recent years become the winter playground of the Scandinavian country's killer whale population. At three degrees Celsius (37 Fahrenheit), the cold water is perfect for the herring which, ahead of the spawning season in February and March, have fattened up and make a tasty dish for the hungry killer whales, also known as orcas. But in the past 20 years, the herring migrated 300 kilometres (190 miles) north, leaving the Lofoten Islands in search of waters that remain under six degrees Celsius the temperature required for them to reproduce. The Norwegian killer whales, which only occasionally feast on seals or smaller whales, have followed the herring. "We believe that the global warming which is responsible for the rising water temperatures has pushed the herring further north," said Pierre Robert de Latour, founder of the organisation Undersea Soft Encounter Alliance, on board a whale-watching vessel. In the long term, they're going to move even further north. If the stocks were to diminish it would be an environmental catastrophe for whales, orcas, sea birds and cod," he warns. For now, the killer whale population along Norway's coast appears to be thriving. It's not unusual for several boats carrying dozens of amateur divers to converge in the same fjord, with both boats and divers coming within just a few metres of the giant mammals. "Norwegian authorities aim to implement some recommended regulations of such activities," Haug said. "Whale watching is a good way of raising awareness and educating people about these animals and their life in the oceans, but too much could cause some problems," said Robert de Latour, himself a nature guide. Fifteen years ago, Hollywood's most famous killer whale died in a Norwegian fjord. Keiko, a male orca captured in 1979 off Iceland around the age of two, spent most of his life in water theme parks before starring in the 1993 hit movie "Free Willy". After a massive international campaign, Keiko was released into the wild in Iceland, before he headed for Norway one of the only countries in the world that hunts whales, albeit not killer whales. He died in December 2003, at the age of 27. Amsterdam: At 130 years old, one of Vincent van Goghs famous paintings of sunflowers in a vase has become too delicate to keep touring the world and will have to stay at home in Amsterdam. Thats one of the key findings of experts conducting a six-week assessment and restoration of Sunflowers, painted by the Dutch master in southern France in 1889. The base and paint layers are stable, but sensitive to vibrations and changes in air humidity and temperature, said Van Gogh Museum director Axel Ruger. It is therefore important that the painting is moved as little as possible and that it is displayed in a stable environment, he said. In addition to the minor restoration, a team of experts has uncovered details about precisely what materials Van Gogh used, including the exact roll of linen its canvas was cut from. They said they were now more confident Van Gogh, who painted the canvas in January of 1889, had based it on an earlier Sunflowers he painted in the summer of 1888, which now hangs in the National Gallery in London. In the restoration, a layer of wax is being removed, but several varnishes applied over the years and now dirty or discolouring cannot be removed because they have bonded with the underlying paint. Sunflowers will go back on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam on February 22 under new, gentler lighting. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription and are still unable to access our content, please link your digital account to your print subscription If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. This page may contain outdated information Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival Past Event - Saturday, November 14, 2020 This page may be updated if the event is repeated $35 - $75 | General Admission seating for children 16 and under FREE with adult purchase Enjoy bluegrass, old-time, and gospel music combined with family fun in an entertaining, smoke- and alcohol-free environment. One of the Midwests premiere bluegrass events! Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival The Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival, one of the Midwest's premiere bluegrass events, is held every March and November at the Roberts Convention Centre in Wilmington, OH. Check our website for the list of featured performers. In addition to award-winning bluegrass performances, enjoy workshops, raffles, vendors and more. All-Night Jam Sessions welcome! Free parking including RV space. Completely accessible to people with disabilities. Smoke and alcohol free concert area. For tickets and more information see www.somusicfest.com or call 937-372-5804. E-mail: info@somusicfest.com. RELATED EVENTS For those who are fans of his music, Almost Heaven: Songs of John Denver is a must see and a fitting title as the show is close to paradise for them. For those who are fans of his music, Almost Heaven: Songs of John Denver is a must see and a fitting title as the show is close to paradise for them. Everyone else is likely to become a fan, due to the vocal stylings of the talented cast. If not, well there is plenty of sweet potato souffle and even fried green tomatoes to enjoy. Almost Heaven features a wide collection of Denvers songs, twenty-six of them to be exact. I kept expecting The Muppets to appear and do the 12 Days of Christmas. The show is basically a staged version of a greatest hits album, with dance steps included. I went in knowing a handful of Denvers songs, and left having learned a few things, and with a deeper appreciation for his music. One of the things I learned is that Denver isnt his real last name. Its actually a word thats too long and difficult for me to spell, so Denver was a good choice. Rather than search on Google, go see the show find out what it is. Prior to Almost Heaven, I was already aware that the Clint Eastwood of La Comedia, Chris Beiser, excels as both a director and actor. Beiser directs the majority of the shows, but this time takes center stage as narrator/Denver. His performance will most certainly make your day. Before even opening his mouth, Beiser has a commanding stage presence that consumes your attention. His perfect singing voice is just icing on the cake, or in this case, more like snow on the mountaintops. In between songs, Beiser shares some details about Denvers life, as pictures are shown on a large screen from throughout Denvers life. A highlight is Beisers highly energized rendition of Thank God Im a Country Boy. The rest of the cast share in the vocal duties and also serve as fan letter writers in a few scenes. Their voices all blend together nicely. Chris Kramer a.k.a duct tape, because of his worth and dependability in so many ways, is as valuable as always. You can put Kramer anywhere, and just like duct tape, he will perform admirably. Whether doing a solo This Old Guitar, or part of an ensemble Rocky Mountain High, Kramer brings an elevated level of professional excellence to the show. The other male is Digger Howard, whose talents keeps him from being overshadowed. Beautiful in voice and appearance are Hannah Brown, Tonya Oslack, and Christen Placa. The trios voices form a sound as stunning as a picturesque sunset with Wild Montana Skies. The shows most touching moment is Placas heartfelt singing of Im Sorry. While Take Me Home Country Roads is a song I knew, and its performance is splendid, I had no idea that it was about being anti-war. I thought Denver was just a simple-minded country boy, but a number of his songs are political, like Draft Dodger Rag and What are we Making Weapons For. Another thing I learned is that Denver wrote, Leaving on a Jet Plane, which Im thankful for because it added a song I was familiar with. Special mention must also be made of the fun version of Grandmas Feather Bed which the cast does in their pajamas and is finely choreographed. Almost Heaven continues at La Comedia through February 17. Its a timeless theme, brilliant score, and beautiful choreography are all layered together to create a theatrical masterpiece - Chicago, will be at the Schuster this weekend. Preview of 'Chicago' with Terra C. MacLeod Though shes never lived there, a part of Terra C. MacLeod considers Chicago to be home as shes starred in the hit musical for over ten years. Both on Broadway and for the national tour, as well as in countries around the world, MacLeod has played Velma in Chicago. The longest-running American musical in Broadway history and the winner of six Tony awards, Chicago, starring MacLeod will be at the Schuster Center on February 1 & 2. Despite its rich history, MacLeod believes theres no time better than the present to see Chicago and all that it has to offer. Its a timeless theme, brilliant score, and beautiful choreography are all layered together to create a theatrical masterpiece, she said. With how it deals with the judicial system and fame it's more relevant now than ever before. We live in an age where popularity is dominant. In all the years Ive done the show Ive never seen it resonate with audiences as much as right now. Originally from Montreal, Quebec, MacLeod opened Chicago in Montreal in 2003. She then traveled with the show to France and London. Between stints on Broadway and national tours, MacLeod has done some film & television work with appearances in the Lizzie McGuire Movie, The Dead Zone, and The Reagans. In addition, shes been in several other stage productions such as Spamalot, The Producers, A Chorus Line, and Guys and Dolls. MacLeod always welcomes the chance to play Velma, whom she has gotten to know very well. Playing a character who is not the most likable can be challenging. How do you portray a murderess? Velma is a survivor with a lot of grit and toughness. She never gives up. I draw out those traits and show her humanity, she said. The dancing in Chicago is highly regarded, and though MacLeod has done the steps countless times, she refuses to rest on her past achievement. She continues working on expanding her abilities. I still take master class workshops. I believe in digging deeper and growing as a dancer, she said. The presentation of Chicago is different than most shows as theres no elaborate set pieces or dazzling special effects. The orchestra is stationed directly on the stage and the casts words are strongly relied on to tell the story. Its very simple with a level of rawness to it, yet still powerful, said MacLeod. Theres a reason audiences from around the world have enjoyed Chicago and MacLeod urges those in Dayton to see why. Its a cast of people who love what they are doing and a rare chance to see a masterpiece of production. Dont miss it, she said. Chicago is at the Schuster Center for just three performances; February 1 at 8 p.m. and Februay 2 at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. by Wang Zhicheng He is the last of the "709" group - arrested in 2015 - to be condemned. The sentence is "subversion against the state". His wife Li Wenzu not allowed to attend the trial. Xi Jinping's promise of a "rule of law" failed. Tianjin (AsiaNews) - Wang Quanzhang, 42-year-old human rights lawyer, was sentenced this morning to 4 and a half years in prison for subversion against the state. The Tianjin Intermediary Court also ruled that Wang be deprived of political rights for five years. Journalists, diplomats and family members of the accused could not participate in the trial, which took place behind closed doors last December 26. Wang Quanzhang is the last of the human rights lawyers to be tried after a series of arrests began on July 9, 2015. The operation has been dubbed "709" and had led to the arrest of at least 300 lawyers. Many of them were tried, sentenced; several have "confessed in video"; others have emerged from the prison broken by the physical and psychological torture they suffered. Human rights lawyers are a group of personalities of the legal world which include many Protestant and Catholic Christians who by exploiting the bottlenecks in Chinese law, have tried to guarantee justice to peasants whose lands have been expropriated of their land, underground Christian communities, members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, dissidents such as Ai Weiwei, Gao Zhisheng, Chen Guangcheng and Uighur academician Ilham Tohti. To curb pressures on the courts and the Party, in November 2016, the Ministry of Justice introduced new rules for lawyers and law firms, which prohibit actions that can "create discontent with the Party", running counter to the president Xi Jinpings promise to implement a "rule of law" in China. Wang's wife, Li Wenzu, has always supported her husband, organizing marches, petitions, demonstrations along with the wives of other lawyers, and asking the authorities to reveal the place of detention, to grant him medical care and a real trial. For this he suffered death threats and house arrest. by Mathias Hariyadi The reasons for Nahdlatul Ulamas greater involvement in the country political life "are contained in the Quran", says NU president. The worlds largest Islamic organisation wants the Religious Affairs Ministry. In April 2019, President Joko Widodo will face off against Prabowo Subianto, backed by Islamist political parties. Jakarta (AsiaNews) Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest moderate Islamic organisation in Indonesia and the world with 90 million members, is demanding more leeway in Indonesian politics and hopes "the victory of its representative in the next presidential election," said yesterday NU President Said Aqil Siradj (picture 1), at an event marking the 73rd anniversary of Muslimat NU, the movements women branch. During the meeting, attended by thousands of NU members at Jakartas Soekarno Sport Stadium (picture 2), Siradj said that the reasons for NUs greater involvement in the country political life "are contained in the Quran". "The Prophet Muhammad was called to form a mass organisation that played an important role in society, the NU president explained. NU leaders should take on important positions in the countrys religious life. The minister for Religious Affairs should be one of us. Otherwise, many mistakes will be made." Since Indonesias independence, a NU representative has always headed that ministry. Presidential elections in April will see the president Joko Widodo and NU member (picture 3) run for re-election against Prabowo Subianto, backed by Islamist political groups. Widodo chose as vice presidential candidate Ma'ruf Amin, chairman of the Council of the Indonesian ulema (MUI) and former NU chief advisor (he resigned after he was chosen). Until an hour this was announced, former Justice Minister Mohammad Mahfud Md was expected to be his pick. According to some sources, the president's political advisers persuaded him to drop Mahfud since he is not well liked by the NU nor the presidents party, the National Awakening Party. Siradjs statement has been controversial. However, for Helmy Faishal Zaini, NU's secretary general, the remarks by the NU president should be seen as "words of encouragement" to the members of the organisation. Prof Siradjs message, Zaini notes, is that Those who are not experts in the Quran cannot speak about Islam'. This is his response to Indonesias current situation, where more and more Muslim clerics are delivering sermons in mosques that threaten social harmony. by Melani Manel Perera The authorities prohibit the use of trawling nets and dynamite near shorelines. Fisher associations had complained for a long time that such methods destroy ecosystems and coral reefs. Colombo (AsiaNews) The Sri Lankan government has banned bottom trawling, a fishing method that threatens local fisheries. For small fishermen's associations, the most affected by this destructive type of fishing, the decision was long overdue. "It is a victory for small scale fishers," said Herman Kumara, national convener of the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO), speaking to AsiaNews. Fisheries Minister Dilip Wedaarchchi banned the Lyla and Surukku nets on 1 January 2019, which was ratified on 21 January. According to the fishermen, these nets threaten the survival of local fisheries by degrading the seabed. For Kumara, this is not the first time the island's authorities try to limit fishing methods that destroy fish ecosystem and coral reefs, such as trawling nets and dynamite, near the shoreline. The first law dates back to 2002, but it has never been enforced to the letter. The use of Lyla and Surukku nets, in his view, "leave few fish in the sea. This decision will allow a more equitable distribution of resources." by Stefano Caprio The churches of Russian emigration were under the protection of the Patriarch of Constantinople during the Soviet period. After the break between Bartholomew and Kirill, they risk being absorbed into the Greek Byzantine world. The risk of losing the Russian identity. A Letter from Metropolitan Joann to Bartholomew I. Rome (AsiaNews) - The Patriarchate of Constantinople has suspended a divinis father Dionisij Bajkov (see photo) for three months. The Orthodox priest was serving in San Remo at the historic church dedicated to the Most Holy Savior, Saint Katherine and Saint Seraphim of Sarov. It is one of the churches of the Russian archdiocese that was suppressed last November by the ecumenical patriarchate, who were told to stop commemorating their Archbishop, to join the clergy of the Greek metropolises, to consider the parishes and communities as part of these metropolises , and finally to deliver all the required documents and parish registers. The suspension was decided by Metropolitan Gennadios (Zervos), head of the Greek Orthodox in Italy, based in Venice. Father Bajkov ignored his directives, and continued to commemorate the Archbishop of Paris Ioannis of Chariopoulis, born Jean Renneteau, a 76-year-old Frenchman born in Bordeaux, who represents the historic "French orthodoxy" originating from the Russian emigration of the following years to the revolution. Furthermore, the parish priest of San Remo did not attend the meeting convened in Venice on 23 January. Like him, other priests in Italy also deserted the convocation to Venice, and further suspensions and threats are expected for days. The church of San Remo is perhaps the most famous among the Italian Orthodox churches; as Father Dionisij himself reiterated in an interview with Nezavisimaja Gazeta, "is the city's visiting card, and is shown on all tourist maps, which is why it has long been targeted by the Greeks. To avoid controversy, we will keep it closed until February 23rd, when there will be the assembly of our Archdiocese ". The parish priest also added that he is ready, if necessary, to "lock the doors". Other priests, 10 in total, that make up the exarchate of Paris, have decided to abstain for the next month from all the liturgical celebrations. The conflict between Greeks and Russians in Europe will not be easily resolved given the different sensibilities of the two ethnic Orthodox communities. The coexistence under the Constantinopolitan jurisdiction dates back to the period after the revolution, when the Russian emigrants found welcome in part in the ecumenical patriarchate, but was reactivated in an explosive way after the quarrels between Moscow and Constantinople in recent months, which led to the creation of the Ukrainian autocephalous Church (there are many Ukrainians and Moldovans among the "European Russians"). Last September, as soon as the news was released that Bartholomew would grant autonomy to the Ukrainians, some priests of the European Russian community began to agitate. Already in October, Archpriest Georgi Blatinskij, in service at the other prestigious Nativity church and St. Nicholas in Florence, had announced the decision to leave the Greeks to return under the authority of the patriarchate of Moscow. Probably to cut off all controversy, in November the Russian archdiocese was suppressed, eliminating any ambiguity between Greeks and Russians in the patriarchate structures. Faced with this unexpected turnaround, at the end of December the patriarch of Moscow Kirill made the decision to restructure the network of Russian churches in European countries, appointing the young bishop Ioann (Roscin), recently sent to Italy, with the title of metropolitan Korsun and all of Western Europe, based in Paris. One of the purposes of this appointment is precisely the desire to attract Russian priests to the Moscow jurisdiction, disappointed by Constantinople, which in part date back to the post-revolutionary diaspora, but in part still greater they had escaped from the Muscovite patriarchate. The Assembly of the now ex Greek-Russian Archdiocese will take place next February 23, which will have to decide whether to subject itself to Constantinople and lose its identity, or seek an agreement with Moscow, hoping to preserve at least a semblance of autonomy. Meanwhile, Bishop Ioann of Charioupolis has sent a dense and respectful letter to Bartholomew, which traces the history of the European Russian community and defends the reasons for a very particular ecclesiological vision. The European Russians, in fact, have tried in this century to keep the Russian identity, which seemed to have been canceled by the Soviets at home, intact, through the Byzantine tradition and integration into democratic and secularized Europe. Fidelity and innovation, two concepts difficult to harmonize even for Catholics and Protestants, all the more so for a Church that is often defenseless in the face of history and politics, like the Orthodox Church, which is now being tested again like never before. Here is a look at some of the recent local stories you will want to check out. President Trump remains bullish that the North Korea nuclear threat can be contained. The president praised the "incredible meeting" he had on Jan. 18 with a top representative of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, trumpeting the "tremendous progress" the two sides had made. The optimistic view is that the White House meeting with Kim Yong-chol, a former North Korean intelligence chief and now his government's lead nuclear negotiator, was indeed productive, and Mr. Trump is on his way to resolving one of the world's most complex and dangerous nuclear weapons problems. But a path to that outcome isn't yet visible to the outside world. North Korea has forgone nuclear tests, missile tests and rhetorical attacks for more than 400 days. That's an important development. At the same time, however, it continues to produce nuclear fuel, weapons and missiles. It has not denuclearized, as Mr. Trump has demanded. So, as the two leaders prepare for their second summit (reportedly next month in Vietnam), the pressure is on the Trump administration to articulate a realistic strategy for achieving a mutually agreed upon outcome. Just as he threatened not to surrender over the speech, Trump insists he will never cave on his demand that Congress give him $5.7 billion for a border wall. As I said, he's a slow learner. A deal that would let him claim some measure of victory has always been available. The only question is how much more political damage he wants to do to himself and his party before he takes it. Leading Democrats have strongly indicated that they are willing to give Trump $5.7 billion for "border security." Some portion of that money could be vaguely earmarked for barriers and fencing allowing Trump to tell his base that Congress gave him money for his border wall, and Democrats to say they did no such thing. This would be a great deal for Trump because and I can't say this often enough the "big, beautiful wall" that he ridiculously promised during the campaign is totally unfeasible and will never be built, much less paid for by Mexico. And it would be a great deal for the president because the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to decide how public money is spent. Anti-Amazon activists in northern Virginia said they would continue to oppose the deal, both when the Arlington County Board votes on local incentives in February or March, and in the legislature in future years. "This is going to be a multi-year fight," said Danny Cendejas, an organizer with La ColectiVa, part of the For Us, Not Amazon coalition. "We will have time to build up and oppose giving away money to corporations and invest in our communities instead." The Virginia bill provides for cash grants to Amazon of $22,000 per new full-time job for the first 25,000 jobs, for a maximum of $550 million. After that, grants of $15,564 per new job would be issued for up to 12,850 additional jobs, for a total of $200 million. The jobs must pay an average of $150,00 per year. Del. Alfonso Lopez, D, whose Arlington, Virginia, district is close to the Amazon site, voted against the package. "Folks are worried that they and the other low-income families are going to be priced out of the area's home-owning and rental markets," Lopez said. "I'm concerned about the impact on my community and our residents now, not on the benefits that we might see in 5, 7 and 10 years." Del. Lee Carter, D-Manassas, also voted against the bill. Every day in our marriage, she would chant, morning and night, Rick Turner said. Even when she was sick, I would read to her and she would chant. It played a very important part in her life, to be with the men and women of the Soka Gakkai organization. It had a profound impact on her life. Rick Turner said she drew many of her friends and family members into Buddhism. She used to do it in a very kind, non-threatening way, he said. Shes got many of her relatives and friends practicing Buddhism right now. Tarik Turner, one of her children, said the way she treated people was one of her best qualities, and something for which shell be remembered. He described her as attentive, patient and warm and as a mother who was supportive of her three childrens desires. She was the real calming influence in our family. Dad is probably more of a vocal, out-front person; my mom was more quiet and reserved to most people, but in the house she was a fun mom, Tarik Turner said. The Hospice of the Piedmont has increased its baseline wages to $15 per hour. Ron Cottrell, president and CEO of the hospice, said he told staff members about the increase on Thursday. The next day, more than 40 employees saw an increase in their pay stubs. We had many people working two jobs to make ends meet, and to be able to pay a living wage will improve our ability to recruit and retain more staff members and give better service to patients, Cottrell said. Previously, the lowest wage earned by a hospice employee was $13 per hour. Those employees should see a gross increase of $4,160 per year. Cottrell said the hospice planned to increase its baseline wage next year, but a donor offered to fund the first year of the wage increase. Cottrell said the donor requested anonymity. It just warms my heart to pay a living wage, Cottrell said. To see it as part of our strategic plan and then actually happen earlier than planned, is amazing. Many of the employees affected are certified nurse assistants, Cottrell said. According to tax documents, the hospice employed 232 people in 2017. by Nirmala Carvalho The incident occurred during the prayer service. The attackers beat the faithful gathered to hear the Sunday sermon. Some musical instruments destroyed; three copies of the Bible ripped. Mumbai (AsiaNews) - A group of radical Hindus attacked a Pentecostal church in Chhattisgarh. The incident occurred yesterday during Sunday prayers, according to Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christian (GCIC), who "strongly condemns the attack on the Pentecostal church". The Christian leader reports: "Yesterday around 9.30 am, the Rev. Ajay Ravi was preaching at a meeting of about 25 people. Suddenly, without any provocation, 15 people stormed the church, while others waited outside. The attackers were shouting that the people gathered in prayer were insulting the gods and goddesses [Hindu] ". Later the interruption of the prayer service degenerated into real violence. The radicals, continues Sajan K George, "beat up the faithful, insulted the women. Then they ripped three copies of the Bible, broke some musical instruments and destroyed a motorcycle. " The attack took place the day following the 70th anniversary of the Republic. According to the president of the GCIC, "it is a shame. Religious freedom is guaranteed by the Constitution. This attack intimidates the vulnerable Christian community, [and spreads] fear and insecurity, above all because of the anti-conversion law in force in the State ". Wipro Limited operates as an information technology (IT), consulting, and business process services (BPS) company worldwide. It operates in three segments: IT Services, IT Products, and India State Run Enterprise Services (ISRE). The IT Services segment offers IT and IT-enabled services, including digital strategy advisory, customer-centric design, technology consulting, IT consulting, custom application design, development, re-engineering and maintenance, systems integration, package implementation, infrastructure, analytics, business process, research and development, and hardware and software design services to enterprises. It serves customers in various industry verticals, such as banking, financial services, and insurance; health business; consumer business; energy, natural resources, and utilities; manufacturing; technology; and communications. The IT Products segment provides a range of third-party IT products comprising enterprise platforms, networking solutions, software and data storage products, contact center infrastructure, enterprise security, IT optimization technologies, video solutions, and end-user computing solutions. It serves enterprises in various industries primarily in the India market, which comprise the government, defense, IT and IT-enabled services, telecommunications, manufacturing, utilities, education, and financial services sectors. The ISRE segment offers IT services to entities and/or departments owned or controlled by the Government of India and/or various Indian State Governments. The company has research collaboration agreements with the University of Texas at Austin; Tel Aviv University, Israel; Swinburne University, Melbourne; IIT Kharagpur; IIT Madras; IISc Bangalore; and University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore; and strategic relationship with Amazon Web Services in the area of DevOps. Wipro Limited was founded in 1945 and is based in Bengaluru, India. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Hyatt Hotels: CHANCELLOR STREET CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION INC., GLENDALE HOTEL PROPERTIES L.L.C., HT-SEATTLE HOLDINGS LLC, 1379919 ALBERTA INC., 319168 ONTARIO LIMITED, 3385434 CANADA INC., ADMINISTRACION DE PERSONAL ANDARES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., AIC HOLDING CO., AIRPORT PLAZA ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AIRPORT PLAZA HOTEL LLC, AIRPORT PLAZA OFFICE BUILDING LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AMERISUITES FRANCHISING L.L.C., ARANCIA LIMITED, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS N.V., ASIA HOSPITALITY INC., ASIA HOSPITALITY INVESTORS B.V., ASIAN HOTEL N.V., ATRIUM HOTEL L.L.C., AUSTIN RESORT BEVERAGE LLC, AmeriSuites Hotel, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - AZERI, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - CAYMAN, BASTROP MARKETING L.L.C., BAY II INVESTOR INC., BELLEVUE ASSOCIATES, BH PLAZA LLC, BRE/AMERISUITES PROPERTIES L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC GP L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC PROPERTIES L.P., BURVAN HOTEL ASSOCIATES, CAL-HARBOR SO. PIER URBAN RENEWAL ASSOCIATES L.P., CELAYA RESORTS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES LLC, CHESAPEAKE RESORT LLC, CIUDAD DEL CARMEN DIAMANTE RESORT S. DE R.L. DE C.V, COAST BEACH L.L.C., COMPAGNIE HOTELIERE DE LAGON BLEU, CPM SEATTLE HOTELS L.L.C., CRW INVESTMENT LLC, CTR INTEREST HOLDCO INC., DALLAS REGENCY LLC, DENVER DOWNTOWN HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, DESARROLLADORA HOTELERA ACUEDUCTO S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DH BEVERAGE LLC, DIAMANTE RESORT LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DISTRICT HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, EXHALE ENTERPRISES GIFT SERVICES COMPANY, EXHALE ENTERPRISES II L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES III INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES IV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES V L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES VIII INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES X INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV TCI LTD., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXI INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXIII INC., FAN PIER L.L.C., FAR EAST HOTELS INC., G.E.H. PROPERTIES LIMITED, GAINEY DRIVE ASSOCIATES, GALAXY AEROSPACE COMPANY LLC, GHE HOLDINGS LIMITED, GRAND HYATT BERLIN GMBH, GRAND HYATT DFW BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND HYATT SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., GRAND HYATT SF L.L.C., GRAND RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND TORONTO CORP., GRAND TORONTO VENTURE L.P., GREENWICH HOTEL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, H.E. ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. AUSTIN L.L.C., H.E. BERMUDA L.L.C., H.E. CAP CANA L.L.C., H.E. DRISKILL LLC, H.E. GRAND CYPRESS L.L.C., H.E. IRVINE L.L.C., H.E. KANSAS CITY L.L.C., H.E. LENOX L.L.C., H.E. NASHVILLE L.L.C., H.E. NEWPORT L.L.C., H.E. ORLANDO L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOTEL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC PARKING L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC RETAIL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA SANSOM L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND HC L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES HOLDING L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO I L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON OWNER L.L.C., HAPP INVESTOR LTD., HARBORSIDE HOTEL LLC, HARBORSIDE LAND LLC, HC PORTLAND JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HC ROYAL PALMS L.L.C., HCV CINCINNATI HOTEL L.L.C., HE ORLANDO HOTEL LLC, HGP (TRAVEL) LIMITED, HH NASHVILLE HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH NASHVILLE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH PORTLAND L.L.C., HHMA BURLINGTON BEVERAGE L.L.C., HI HOLDINGS (SWITZERLAND) GMBH, HI HOLDINGS BAJA B.V., HI HOLDINGS BRAZIL S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS CELAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS CIUDAD DEL CARMEN B.V., HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS-INDIA LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS GUADALAJARA B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP CABO B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP TIJUANA HOTEL B.V., HI HOLDINGS KYOTO CO., HI HOLDINGS LA PAZ B.V., HI HOLDINGS LATIN AMERICA B.V., HI HOLDINGS NETHERLANDS B.V., HI HOLDINGS PLAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS RIO S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS RIVIERA MAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS VIENNA S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS ZURICH S.A.R.L., HI HOTEL ADVISORY SERVICES GMBH, HI HOTEL INVESTORS CYPRUS LIMITED, HIHCL AMSTERDAM B.V., HIHCL HP AMSTERDAM AIRPORT B.V., HIHCL HR AMSTERDAM B.V., HILP HOTEL SERVICE PROVIDER LLC, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH & CO KG, HOTEL INVESTMENTS HOLDING CO LLC, HOTEL INVESTMENTS L.L.C., HOTEL INVESTORS I INC., HOTEL INVESTORS II INC., HOTEL PROJECT SYSTEMS PTE LTD, HOTEL SERVICES CIUDAD DEL CARMEN S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HOTELS CS CELAYA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HP ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK JV LLC, HP AUSTIN L.L.C., HP BEVERAGE DALLAS DFW AIRPORT LLC, HP BEVERAGE SUGAR LAND LLC, HP BOSTON HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE L.L.C., HP INDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, HP LAS VEGAS BEVERAGE L.L.C., HP M STREET L.L.C., HP ROUTE 46 TEXAS LLC, HP SAN FRANCISCO L.L.C., HP SAN JUAN L.L.C., HP TEN TEXAS LLC, HPHH ATLANTA L.L.C., HPHH DENVER L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE L.L.C., HQ CHESAPEAKE LLC, HR LOST PINES RESORT LLC, HR MC HOTEL COMPANY S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES II S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HRHC LLC, HT- WAILEA LLC, HT-AVENDRA GROUP HOLDINGS L.L.C., HT-AVENDRA L.L.C., HT-CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES INC., HT-CHESAPEAKE RESORT INC., HT-HOTEL EQUITIES INC., HT-HUNTINGTON BEACH INC., HT-JERSEY PIER INC., HT-JERSEY PIER L.P., HT-JERSEY PIER LLC, HT-LONG BEACH L.L.C., HT-MIAMI BEACH L.L.C., HT-PARK 57 INC., HT-SEATTLE LLC, HT-SIERRA L.L.C., HT-VANCOUVER INC., HTLB L.L.C., HTS - NS L.L.C., HTS - NY L.L.C., HTS-ASPEN L.L.C., HTS-BC INC., HTS-INVESTMENT L L.C., HTSF L.L.C., HTW BEVERAGE LLC, HY LONG BEACH HOTEL LLC, HYATT (BARBADOS) CORPORATION, HYATT (JAPAN) CO. LTD., HYATT (THAILAND) LIMITED, HYATT ARUBA N.V., HYATT ASIA PACIFIC HOLDINGS LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRALIA HOTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRIA GMBH, HYATT BEACH FRONT N.V., HYATT BORNEO MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT BRITANNIA CORPORATION LTD., HYATT CC OFFICE CORP., HYATT CHAIN SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT CRYSTAL CITY LLC., HYATT CURACAO N.V., HYATT DISASTER RELIEF FUND, HYATT DO BRASIL PARTICIPACOES LTDA, HYATT EQUITIES L.L.C., HYATT FOREIGN EMPLOYMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT FRANCHISING CANADA CORP., HYATT FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT FRANCHISING LATIN AMERICA L.L.C., HYATT FULFILLMENT OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT GLOBAL SERVICES INC., HYATT GTLD L.L.C., HYATT HOC INC., HYATT HOLDINGS (UK) LIMITED, HYATT HOSPITALITY SERVICES L.L.C., HYATT HOTEL MANAGEMENT LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CONSULTANCY SERVICES ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF KANSAS, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF MARYLAND, HYATT HOTELS FOUNDATION, HYATT HOTELS MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, HYATT HOTELS OF CANADA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF FLORIDA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF PUERTO RICO INC., HYATT HOUSE CANADA INC., HYATT HOUSE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT HOUSE HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY L.L.C., HYATT INDIA CONSULTANCY PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (ASIA) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (EUROPE AFRICA MIDDLE EAST) LLC, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - JAPAN LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - SOUTHWEST ASIA LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -SEA (PTE) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS CO., HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOTEL MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL MILAN L.L.C., HYATT INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL SERVICES INC., HYATT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HYATT LACSA SERVICES INC., HYATT LOUISIANA L.L.C., HYATT MAINZ GMBH, HYATT MARKETING SERVICES INC., HYATT MARKETING SERVICES NIGERIA COMPANY LIMITED, HYATT MINNEAPOLIS LLC, HYATT MINORITY INVESTMENTS INC., HYATT MSS L.L.C., HYATT NORTH AMERICA MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, HYATT OF BAJA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HYATT OF CHINA LIMITED, HYATT OF FRANCE S.A.R.L., HYATT OF GUAM LIMITED, HYATT OF ITALY S.R.L., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF MACAU LIMITED, HYATT OF MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF PHILIPPINES LIMITED, HYATT PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS L.L.C., HYATT PLACE ANNE ARUNDEL BEVERAGE INC., HYATT PLACE CANADA CORPORATION, HYATT PLACE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT PLACE OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT REGENCY COLOGNE GMBH, HYATT REGENCY CORPORATION PTY. LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES CANADA INC., HYATT SERVICES CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT SERVICES GMBH, HYATT SERVICES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT SHARED SERVICE CENTER L.L.C., HYATT TRINIDAD LIMITED, HYCANADA INC., HYCARD INC., HYSTAR L.L.C., Hyatt Corporation, INFORMATION SERVICES LIMITED, INTERNATIONAL RESERVATIONS LIMITED, JOINT VENTURE ITALKYR CLOSED JOINT STOCK COMPANY, JUNIPER HOTELS PRIVATE LIMITED, KSA MANAGEMENT INC., KYOTO HOLDING CO., LHR-PARTNERS LTD., LORING PARK ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, LOST PINES BEVERAGE LLC, MACAE PARTNERS S.A.R.L., MAHIMA HOLDINGS PRIVATE LIMITED, MARION RESERVATION CENTER L.L.C., MEXICO CITY HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MILAN HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MIRAVAL ARIZONA GUARANTOR LLC, MIRAVAL GROUP LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA HOLDINGS LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA OPERATING CO. INC., MIRAVAL RESORT TUCSON LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS I LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS II LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS III LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS TRUST, MRG ATX BEVERAGE HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS II LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX INVESTMENT LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG ATX OPERATIONS LLC, MRG CRW HOLDINGS LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG CRW OPERATIONS LLC, MUNICH OPCO GMBH, Miraval Resort, OASIS LUXURY RENTALS INCORPORATED, PARIS HOTEL COMPANY B.V., PARK HYATT HAMBURG GMBH, PARK HYATT HOTEL GMBH, PARK HYATT WATER TOWER ASSOCIATES L.L.C., PH NEW YORK L.L.C., PHMC RESIDENCIAS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., POLK SMITH REGENCY LLC, PT HYATT INDONESIA, PVD INVESTMENT COMPANY S.A.R.L., Peabody Hotels & Resort, RCG PROPERTIES LLC, REGENCY BEVERAGE COMPANY LLC, REGENCY RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, RESERVATIONS CENTER L.L.C., RIO JV PARTNERS PARTICIPACOES LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS S.A.R.L., ROSEMONT PROJECT MANAGEMENT L.L.C., ROUTE 46 MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES CORP., RUNWAY HOLDING L.L.C., RUNWAY L.L.C., SAO PAULO INVESTMENT COMPANY INC., SAO PAULO INVESTORS LIMITED, SASIH, SDI EQUITIES INVESTOR L.L.C., SDI INC., SDI SECURITIES 11 LLC, SDI SECURITIES 6 LLC, SELECT HOTELS GROUP L.L.C., SELECT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., SEOUL MIRAMAR CORPORATION, SERVICIOS DE HOTELERIA SAN JOSE S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SERVICIOS HOTELEROS LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SETTLEMENT INVESTORS INC., SHG PUERTO RICO INC., SIERRA HEALTHSTYLES LLC, SJC DESARROLLOS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SKS CORP. N.V., SMC HOTELS B.V., SOROCABA PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA, SOROCABA PARTNERS S.A.R.L., STANHOPE L.L.C., STARHILL LORING PARK L.L.C., SUGAR LAND/HP LLC, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL COMPANY LIMITED, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, TIJUANA PARTNERS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., TR MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT LLC, TUCSON VILLAS HOLDINGS LLC, TUCSON VILLAS LLC, TWO SEAS HOLDINGS LIMITED, Two Roads Hospitality, WAILEA HOTEL & BEACH RESORT L.L.C., WAILEA HOTEL HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS L.L.C., WEST END RESIDENCES L.L.C., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY INC., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY OF ILLINOIS, ZURICH ESCHERWIESE HOTEL GMBH, and ZURICH HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V.. The following companies are subsidiares of Vodafone Group: 360 Connect S.A., [email protected] Telecom, A-ccelerator B.V., A-ccelerator Holding B.V, AAA (Euro) Limited, AAA (MCR) Limited, AAA (UK) Limited, Acorn Communications Limited, Africonnect (Zambia) Limited, Ag Mercantile Company Private Limited, Al-Amin Investments Limited, Amsterdamse Beheer- en Consultingmaatschappij B.V., Apollo Submarine Cable System Limited, Array Holdings Limited, Asian Telecommunication Investments (Mauritius) Limited, Aspective Limited, Astec Communications Limited, Autoconnex Limited, Aztec Limited, BelCompany BV, Bluefish Apac Communications Pte. Ltd, Bluefish Communications, Bluefish Communications Limited, Business Serve Limited, C&W Worldwide Nigeria Limited, C.S.P. Solutions Limited, CCII (Mauritius) Inc., CGP India Investments Ltd., CGP Investments (Holdings) Limited, COOP Mobil s.r.o, CT Networks Limited, CWGNL S.A., CWW Operations Limited, Cable & Wireless Access Limited, Cable & Wireless Americas Systems Inc., Cable & Wireless Aspac Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Services Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Svyaz LLC, Cable & Wireless Capital Limited , Cable & Wireless Communications Data Network Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Starclass Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Technical Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd (Beijing Branch), Cable & Wireless Europe Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless GN Limited, Cable & Wireless Global (India) Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Business Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Holding Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Telecommunication Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Holdco Limited, Cable & Wireless Networks India Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Trade Mark Management Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Waterside Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Pension Trustee Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Voice Messaging Limited, Cable & Wireless a-Services Inc, Cable & Wireless a-Services Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited Indian Branch Office, Cable and Wireless Nominee Limited, Cable and Wireless Worldwide South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cavalry Holdings Ltd, Celfocus Solucoes Informaticas Para Telecomunicacoes S.A, Cellops Limited, Cellular Operations Limited, Central Communications Group Limited, Central Telecom (Northern) Limited, Centurion GSM Limited, Chelys Limited, City Cable (Holdings) Limited, Cobra do Brasil Servicos de Telematica ltda., Commnet Cellular Inc., Complete Network Technology, Connect (India) Mobile Technologies Private Limited, Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited, Dataroam Limited , Device Insight, Digital Island (UK) Ltd, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, East Africa Investment (Mauritius) Limited, Emtel Europe Limited, Energis (Ireland) Limited, Energis Communications Limited, Energis Holdings Limited, Energis Local Access Limited, Energis Management Limited, Energis Squared Limited, Erudite Systems Limited, Esprit Telecom B.V., Eudokia Limited, Euro Pacific Securities Ltd., Eurocall Holdings Limited, Europolitan Holdings AB (now Europolitan Vodafone AB), FB Holdings Limited, FM Associates (UK) Limited, FinCo Partner 1 B.V., FireFly Networks Limited, Flexphone Limited, GS Telecom (Pty) Limited, Gateway Communications Africa (UK) Limited, Gateway Communications Tanzania Limited, General Mobile Corporation, Generation Telecom Limited, Ghana Telecommunications, Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited, Global Cellular Rental Limited, Globe Limited, GrandCentrix GmbH, Grupo Corporativo ONO S.A.U., H3ga Properties (No 3) Pty Limited, HBO Nederland Cooperatief U.A., HBO Netherlands Channels sro, HBO Netherlands Distribution B.V., Hellas Online, How2 Telecom Limited, Hutchison Essar Ltd, Indus Towers Limited, Intercell Communications Limited, Internet Network Services Limited, Invitation Digital Limited, Ipergy Communications NV, Isis Telecommunications Management Limited, Jaguar Communications Limited, Jaykay Finholding (India) Private Limited, Jupicol (Proprietary) Limited, KABELCOM Braunschweig Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, KABELCOM Wolfsburg Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, Kabel Deutschland, Kabel Deutschland Holding, Kabel Deutschland Holding Erste Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Holding Zweite Beteilgungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Neunte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Siebte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabelfernsehen Munchen Servicenter GmbH & Co. KG, LG Financing Partnership, LGE HoldCo V B.V., LGE HoldCo VI B.V., LGE HoldCo VIII B.V., LGE Holdco VII B.V., LLC Vodafone Enterprise Ukraine, Le Bunt Holdings Limited, Legend Communications Limited, Liberty Global, Liberty Global Content Netherlands B.V., London Hydraulic Power Company, M-PESA Foundation, M-PESA Holding Co. Limited, ML Integration Group Limited, ML Integration Limited, ML Integration Services Limited, MV Healthcare Services Private Limited, Mannesmann AG, MetroHoldings Limited, Mezzanine Ware Proprietary Limited (RF), Mirambo Limited, Misrfone Trading Company LLC, MobiFon S.A., Mobile Commerce Solutions Limited, Mobile Phone Centre Limited, Mobile Wallet VM1, Mobile Wallet VM2, Mobile by Sainsburys Limited, Mobiles 4 Business.com Limited, Mobileworld Communications Pty Limited, Mobileworld Operating Pty Ltd, Mobilvest, Motifpros 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Multi Risk Indemnity Company Limited, Multi Risk Limited, ND Callus Info Services Private Limited, Nadal Trading Company Private Limited, Nat Comm Air Limited, National Communications Backbone Company Limited, Navtrak Ltd, Netforce Group Limited, Netgrid Telecom SRL, Number Portability Company (Proprietary) Limited, ONO, Omega Telecom Holdings Private Limited, Oni Way Infocomunicacoes S.A, Oskar Mobil S.R.O., Oxygen Solutions Limited, P.C.P. (North West) Limited, PPL Pty Limited, PT Network Services Limited, PTI Telecom Limited, Peoples Phone Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Group Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Limited, Plex Limited, Plustech Mercantile Company Private Limited, Prime Metals Ltd., Project Telecom Holdings Limited, Quickcomm Software Solutions, Radio Opt GmbH, Rian Mobile Limited, SBC SMART CITY 1517 B.V., SMMS Investments Pvt Limited, Safaricom Limited, Safenet N.P A., Sarmady Communications, Scarlet Ibis Investments 23 (Pty) Limited, Scorpios Beverages Pvt. Ltd, Silver Stream Investments Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Ltd., Singlepoint Payment Services Limited, Siro Limited, Spar Aerospace (Nigeria) Limited, Sport TV Portugal S.A, Starnet, Stentor Communications Limited, Stentor Limited, Storage Technology Services (Pty) Limited, T.W. Telecom Limited, T3 Telecommunications Limited, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern Beteiligungs GmbH, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern GmbH & Co. KG, TNAS Limited, TSM NZ Limited, Talkland Airtime Services Limited, Talkland Australia Pty Limited, Talkland Communications Limited, Talkland International Limited, Talkland Midlands Limited, Talkmobile Limited, Tele2 Italia SPA, Tele2 Spain, Telecom Investments India Private Limited, Telecommunications Europe Limited, Ternhill Communications Limited, The Cobra Group, The Eastern Leasing Company Limited, The Old Telecom Sales Co. Limited, Thus Group Holdings Limited, Thus Group Limited, Thus Limited, Thus Profit Sharing Trustees Limited, TnT Expense Management LLC, Tomorrow Street GP S.a r.l., Tomorrow Street SCA, Torenspits II B.V., Townley Communications Limited, Trans Crystal Ltd., UMT Investments Limited, UPC Nederland Holding I B.V., UPC Nederland Holding II B.V., UPC Nederland Holding III B.V., Unified Communications, Uniqueair Limited, Urbana Teleunion Rostock GmbH & Co.KG, Usha Martin Telematics Limited, VAPL No. 2 Pty Limited, VBA (Mauritius) Limited, VBA Holdings Limited, VBA International (SL) Limited, VBA International Limited, VEI S.r.l., VM SA, VND S.p.A, VSSB Vodafone Shared Services Budapest Private Limited Company, Verwaltung Urbana Teleunion Rostock GmbH, Victus Networks S.A., Vizzavi Finance Limited, Vizzavi Limited, Voda Limited, Vodacall Limited, Vodacash s.p.r.l., Vodacom (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Business (Angola) Limitada, Vodacom Business (Ghana) Limited, Vodacom Business (Kenya) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa (Nigeria) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa Group (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa Group Services Limited, Vodacom Business Cameroon SA, Vodacom Business Cote Divoire S.A.R.L., Vodacom Congo (RDC) SA, Vodacom Financial Services (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Group Limited, Vodacom Insurance Administration Company (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Insurance Company (RF) Limited, Vodacom International Holdings (Pty) Limited, Vodacom International Limited, Vodacom Lesotho (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Life Assurance Company (RF) Limited, Vodacom Payment Services (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Properties No 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Properties No.2 (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Tanzania Limited Zanzibar, Vodacom Tanzania Public Limited Company, Vodacom UK Limited, Vodafone (NI) Limited, Vodafone (New Zealand) Hedging Limited, Vodafone (Scotland) Limited, Vodafone 2, Vodafone 4 UK, Vodafone 5 Limited, Vodafone 5 UK, Vodafone 6 UK, Vodafone Albania Sh.A, Vodafone Alternatif Telekom Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Americas 4, Vodafone Americas Virginia Inc., Vodafone And Qatar Foundation L.L.C, Vodafone Asset Management Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Automotive Deutschland GmbH, Vodafone Automotive Electronic Systems S.r.L, Vodafone Automotive France S.A.S, Vodafone Automotive Iberia S.L, Vodafone Automotive Italia S.p.A, Vodafone Automotive Japan K.K, Vodafone Automotive Korea Limited, Vodafone Automotive SpA, Vodafone Automotive Technologies (Beijing) Co Ltd, Vodafone Automotive Telematics Development S.A.S, Vodafone Automotive Telematics S.A, Vodafone Automotive UK Limited, Vodafone Belgium SA/NV, Vodafone Benelux Limited, Vodafone Bilgi Ve Iletisim Hizmetleri AS, Vodafone Business Services Limited, Vodafone Business Solutions Limited, Vodafone Canada Inc, Vodafone Cellular Limited, Vodafone Central Services Limited, Vodafone China Limited (China), Vodafone China Limited (Hong Kong), Vodafone Connect 2 Limited, Vodafone Connect Limited, Vodafone Consolidated Holdings Limited, Vodafone Corporate Limited, Vodafone Corporate Secretaries Limited, Vodafone Czech Republic A.S., Vodafone DC Pension Trustee Company Limited, Vodafone Dagitim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Data, Vodafone Distribution Holdings Limited, Vodafone Egypt Telecommunications S.A.E., Vodafone Elektronik Para Ve Odeme Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Empresa Brasil Telecomunicacoes Ltda, Vodafone Empresa Mexico S.de R.L. de C.V., Vodafone Enabler Espana S.L., Vodafone Enterprise Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Austria GmbH, Vodafone Enterprise Bahrain W.L.L., Vodafone Enterprise Bulgaria EOOD, Vodafone Enterprise Chile SA, Vodafone Enterprise Communications Technical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Corporate Secretaries Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Denmark A/S, Vodafone Enterprise Equipment Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited Czech Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited DubaiI Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Finland OY, Vodafone Enterprise France SAS, Vodafone Enterprise Germany GmbH, Vodafone Enterprise Global Businesses S.a r.l., Vodafone Enterprise Global Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Global Network HK Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Global Network Pte. Ltd., Vodafone Enterprise Hong Kong Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Italy S.r.L, Vodafone Enterprise Korea Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Luxembourg S.A., Vodafone Enterprise Netherlands BV, Vodafone Enterprise Norway AS, Vodafone Enterprise Regional Business Singapore Pte.Ltd., Vodafone Enterprise Singapore Pte.Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Spain S.L.U. Portugal Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Spain SLU, Vodafone Enterprise Sweden AB, Vodafone Enterprise Switzerland AG, Vodafone Erste Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Vodafone Espana S.A.U., Vodafone Euro Hedging Limited, Vodafone Euro Hedging Two, Vodafone Europe B.V., Vodafone Europe UK, Vodafone European Investments, Vodafone European Portal Limited, Vodafone Finance Limited, Vodafone Finance Luxembourg Limited, Vodafone Finance Sweden, Vodafone Finance UK Limited, Vodafone Financial Operations, Vodafone Financial Services B.V., Vodafone Fixed Ltd, Vodafone Foundation, Vodafone Foundation Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Gestioni S.p.A, Vodafone Ghana Mobile Financial Services Limited, Vodafone Global Content Services Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise (Hong Kong) Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise (Italy) S.R.L., Vodafone Global Enterprise (Japan) K.K., Vodafone Global Enterprise (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Vodafone Global Enterprise Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise Russia LLC, Vodafone Global Enterprise Taiwan Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise Telecommunications (Hellas) A.E., Vodafone Global Network Limited, Vodafone Global Network Limited Slovakia Branch, Vodafone Global Services Private Limited, Vodafone GmbH, Vodafone Group (Directors) Trustee Limited, Vodafone Group Pension Trustee Limited, Vodafone Group Services GmbH, Vodafone Group Services Ireland Limited, Vodafone Group Services Limited, Vodafone Group Services No.2 Limited, Vodafone Group Share Trustee Limited, Vodafone Hire Limited, Vodafone Holding A.S., Vodafone Holdings (Jersey) Limited, Vodafone Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Vodafone Holdings Europe S.L.U., Vodafone Holdings Luxembourg Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Finance Pty Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Receivables Pty Limited, Vodafone IP Licensing Limited, Vodafone India Digital Limited, Vodafone India Limited, Vodafone India Services Private Limited, Vodafone India Ventures Limited, Vodafone Institut fur Gesellschaft und Kommunikation GmbH, Vodafone Intermediate Enterprises Limited, Vodafone International 1 S.a.r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone International 1 S.a r.l., Vodafone International 2 Limited, Vodafone International Holdings B.V., Vodafone International Holdings Limited, Vodafone International M S.a r.l., Vodafone International Operations Limited, Vodafone International Services LLC, Vodafone Investment UK, Vodafone Investments (SA) Proprietary Limited, Vodafone Investments Australia Limited, Vodafone Investments Limited, Vodafone Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Vodafone Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone Ireland Distribution Limited, Vodafone Ireland Ltd., Vodafone Ireland Marketing Limited, Vodafone Ireland Property Holdings Limited, Vodafone Ireland Retail Limited, Vodafone Italia S.p.A., Vodafone Jersey Dollar Holdings Limited, Vodafone Jersey Finance, Vodafone Jersey Yen Holdings Unlimited, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland Field Services GmbH, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland GmbH, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland Kundenbetreuung GmbH, Vodafone Kenya Limited, Vodafone Leasing Limited, Vodafone Libertel B.V., Vodafone Limited, Vodafone Luxembourg 5 S.a r.l., Vodafone Luxembourg 5 S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone Luxembourg S.a r.l., Vodafone Luxembourg S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone M-PESA SH.P.K., Vodafone M-Pesa S.A, Vodafone M.C. Mobile Services Limited , Vodafone Magyarorszag Mobile Tavkozlesi Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Vodafone Malta Limited, Vodafone Marketing UK , Vodafone Maroc SARL, Vodafone Mauritius Ltd., Vodafone Mobile Commerce Limited, Vodafone Mobile Communications Limited, Vodafone Mobile Enterprises Limited, Vodafone Mobile NZ Limited, Vodafone Mobile Network Limited, Vodafone Mobile Operations Limited, Vodafone Mobile Services Limited, Vodafone Multimedia Limited, Vodafone Nederland Holding I B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding II B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding III B.V., Vodafone Net Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Network Pty Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Foundation Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Limited, Vodafone Next Generation Services Limited, Vodafone Nominees Limited1, Vodafone ONO S.A.U., Vodafone Oceania Limited, Vodafone Old Show Ground Site Management Limited, Vodafone Overseas Finance Limited, Vodafone Overseas Holdings Limited, Vodafone Panafon International Holdings B.V., Vodafone Panafon UK, Vodafone Partner Services Limited, Vodafone Payment Solutions S.a r.l., Vodafone Portugal Comunicacoes Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Procurement Company S.a r.l., Vodafone Property Investments Limited, Vodafone Pty Limited, Vodafone Qatar Q.S.C., Vodafone Retail (Holdings) Limited , Vodafone Retail Limited, Vodafone Roaming Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Romania S.A, Vodafone Romania M - Payments SRL, Vodafone Romania Technologies SRL, Vodafone Sales & Services Limited, Vodafone Satellite Services Limited, Vodafone Servicios SL.U, Vodafone Servizi E Tecnologie S.R.L, Vodafone Servicos Empresariais Brasil Ltda., Vodafone Shared Services Romania SRL, Vodafone Specialist Communications Limited, Vodafone Stiftung Deutschland Gemeinnutzige GmbH, Vodafone Technology Solutions Limited, Vodafone Teknoloji Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Tele-Services (India) Holdings Limited, Vodafone Telecel-Comunicates Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Telecommunications (India) Limited, Vodafone Telekomunikasyon A.S, Vodafone Towers Limited, Vodafone UK Content Services Limited, Vodafone UK Investments Limited , Vodafone UK Limited1 , Vodafone US Inc, Vodafone Ventures Limited1 , Vodafone Vierte Verwaltungs AG, Vodafone Worldwide Holdings Limited, Vodafone Yen Finance Limited , Vodafone m-pesa Limited, Vodafone-Central Limited Vodaphone Limited, Vodafone-Panafon Hellenic Telecommunications Company S.A., VodafoneZiggo Group Holding B.V, Vodata Limited , Vouchercloud SA (Pty) Ltd, Wataneya Telecommunications S.A.E, Waterberg Lodge (Proprietary) Limited, Wayfinder, Wheatfields Investments 276 (Proprietary) Limited, Wireless Interactions & NFC Accelerator 2013 B.V., Woodend Cellular Limited, Woodend Communications Limited, Woodend Group Limited, Woodend Holdings Limited, XB Facilities B.V, XLink Communications (Proprietary) Limited, Your Communications Group Limited, ZUM B.V., ZYB, Zelitron S.A., Zesko B.V., Ziggo B.V., Ziggo Bond Company B.V., Ziggo Deelnemingen B.V., Ziggo Finance 2 B.V., Ziggo Financing Partnership, Ziggo Holding B.V., Ziggo Netwerk B.V., Ziggo Netwerk II B.V., Ziggo Services B.V., Ziggo Services Employment B.V., Ziggo Services Netwerk 2 B.V., Ziggo Zakelijk Services B.V., and Zoranet Connectivity Services B.V.. The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, 2nd Road Pty Ltd., ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Ltd, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Innovation Singapore Holdings Pte, ?What If! Limited, ?What If! Shanghai Co. Ltd, ?What If! USA LLC, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD Dialeto Agencia de Publicidade SA, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Beijing) Mobile Technology Co Ltd, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co Ltd, Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (South Africa) Pty Limited, Accenture (UK) Ltd, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Azerbaijan Ltd, Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BV, Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A, Accenture CAS GmbH, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc., Accenture Capital DAC, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd., Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SAS, Accenture Customer Services Limited, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Delivery Poland sp. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital France Holdings SA, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance (Gibraltar) III Ltd, Accenture Finance GmbH, Accenture Finance GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II GmbH, Accenture Finance II GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II Ltd, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services Srl, Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Ghana Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Ltd., Accenture Global Services Ltd, Accenture Global Solutions Ltd, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services Ltd, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc., Accenture Holding GmbH, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holding GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SAS, Accenture Holdings plc, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company (Accenture Endustriyel Yazylym Cozumleri Limited irketi), Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company (Accenture Endustriyel Yazlm Cozumleri Limited Sirketi), Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture Insurance Services SAS, Accenture Insurance Services SpA, Accenture International BV, Accenture International Capital SCA, Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture International Sarl, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea BV, Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Managed Services SpA, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Middle East B.V, Accenture Middle East BV, Accenture Minority I BV, Accenture Minority III Ltd, Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi (Pty) Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Newco LLC, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations Sp. z o.o., Accenture Outsourcing SRL, Accenture Outsourcing Services, Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations BV, Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru S.R.L, Accenture Peru S.R.L., Accenture Post Trade Processing SAS, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process Ltd, Accenture Product Lifecycle Services, Accenture Properties, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture S.A., Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture SAS, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sendirian Berhad, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Ltd, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.r.l., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services Sp. z o.o., Accenture Services Sp. z.o.o., Accenture Services and Technology Srl, Accenture Services fur Kreditinstitute GmbH, Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Servicos Administrativos Ltda, Accenture Servicos de Suporte de Negocios Ltda, Accenture Solutions Co Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Sp. z o.o., Accenture Sp. z.o.o., Accenture SpA, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc., Accenture Sub Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag KFT, Accenture Technologia, Accenture Technologia Consultoria e Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Technology Infrastructure Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions SAS, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn. Bhd., Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures BV, Accenture Technology Ventures S.P.R.L., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co., Accenture Vietnam Co. LTD, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Limitada, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Customer Insight Limited, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Agave Consultants Limited, Agilex Technologies Inc., Allen International, Allen International Consulting Group Ltd, Alnova Technologies Corporation S.L., AlphaBeta Advisors, Altima, Altima Asia Ltd., Altima SAS, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Appaloosa Technology SAS, Arca, Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Avanade, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade (Thailand) Co Ltd, Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Denmark ApS, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Ltd, Avanade Europe Services Ltd, Avanade Federal Services LLC, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SAS, Avanade GZ Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd. (SH), Avanade Guangzhou, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy SRL, Avanade KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Netherlands BV, Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland Sp. z o.o., Avanade Poland Sp. z.o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain SL, Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Ltd, Avanade do Brasil Limitada, Avanade Osterreich GmbH, AvantBiz Consulting Limited, Avenai, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Boomerang Pharmaceuticals Communications Ireland Limited, Bow & Arrow, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brand Learning LLC, Brand Learning Ltd, Brand Learning Partners Limited, Brand Learning Pte Limited, Bridge Energy Group LLC, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CadenceQuest Inc., Capable Marketer Limited, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc., Certus Solutions Consulting Services Ltd, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cimation UK Limited, Cirruseo, Cirruseo SAS, Clarity Insights, Clearhead, Clearhead Group, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas (SN) (PTE.) Limited, Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Ltd., Cloud Talent Limited, Cloudsherpas, Cloudsherpas Inc., Codagenic Pty. Ltd., Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda., Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda., Context Information Security, Coritel S.A., Corliant Inc., CreativeDrive, CustomerWorks Europe SL, Cutting Edge Solutions Ltd, D5 Global Holdings LLC, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd., DMA Solutions Limited, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (Australia) PTY LTD, DayNine Consulting (Deutschland) GmbH, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting France SAS, DayNine Consulting Japan K.K., DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings, Declarative Holdings LLC, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digiplug SAS, Digital Consulting & Software Services LLC, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Ltd., Duck Creek Technologies, Duck Creek Technologies LLC, Deja Vu Security LLC, ESR Labs, Elcurator SAS, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting L.P., End-to-End Analytics, Energuia Web, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Ltd., Energy Quote Private Ltd., EnergyQuote JHA, EnergyQuote JHA Ltd., EnergyQuote Trading Ltd., Enimbos, Enkitec, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V. , Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enterprise System Partners PR LLC, Enterprise System Partners S.A.S., Epylon, Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Fairway Technologies Inc, Fairway Technologies LLC, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, First Annapolis International, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Focus Group Europe Limited, Formicary, Formicary Holdings Limited, Formicary Limited, FusionX, FutureMove Automotive, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, Genfour Limited, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gestion Altima Canada Inc., Global Public Firm S.L., GlobalView SAS, GoodFilm GmbH Filmproduktion Stuttgart, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., Hagberg Consulting Group, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Hytracc Consulting UK Limited, Hytracc Holding AS, I-Faber S.p.A., IBB Consulting, IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INCAD, INSITUM, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Imagine Broadband (USA) Ltd, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Industrie&Co, Infoman AG, Infoman Schweiz AG, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Infusion Development Inc., Infusion Development UK Limited, InfusionDev LLC, Innoveer Solutions India Pvt Ltd, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria Brasil LTDA, Insitum Consultoria Colombia SAS, Insitum Consultoria Europa SL, Insitum Consultoria Peru SAC, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., Intrepid, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Advertisement (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inventor Technology Limited, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, Javelin Group (Bulgaria) EOOD, Javelin Group Limited (UK), Javelin Group SASU, K Comms Group Limited, KCS.net AG, KCS.net AG West, KCS.net Deutschland GmbH, KCS.net Holding AG, KCS.net Osterreich GmbH, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Ltd, Kogentix Singapore Pte. Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kunstmaan NV, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon UKI, Kurt Salmon UKI Ltd., Kurt Salmon US LLC, LINKBYNET, LabAnswer, LabAnswer Government, LemonXL Limited, Logistics Market Place Limited (UK), Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Corporation, Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte. Ltd., Mackevision UK Ltd, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd., Maihiro, Matter, Matter Llc, Maud Corp Pty Limited, Maxamine International, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing Corporation, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mindtribe Product Engineering LLC, MobGen, MobGen Technology S.L, Moonrise NV, Mortgage Cadence, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, N3 LLC, NBS Marketing Inc., NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile, Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Chile SpA, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda., New Energy Aborda, New Energy Associates Ltd, New Energy Group, New Energy S.r.l., NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage China Ltd., NewsPage Pte Ltd, Nice Agency Limited, Northstream, Northstream AB, Northstream Holding AB, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology LTDA, Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Octo Technology SPRL, Octoman SAS, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium Consulting Ltd, Orbium GmbH, Orbium Holding AG, Orbium Inc., Orbium International AG, Orbium International sp. z o.o., Orbium Licences AG, Orbium Limited, Orbium Pte. Ltd., Orbium Pty Ltd, Orbium Services sp. z o.o., Orbium Sarl, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PCO Innovation Canada Inc., PCO Innovation EURL, PIXO PUNCH Limited, PLM Systems S.r.l, POC Holdings, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, Pach Invest SARL, Pach Invest SAS, PacificLink Group, PacificLink iMedia Ltd., Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald Inc., Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Partners Technology Mexico Holdings BV, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production K/S, Perseroan Terbatas. 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Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, and solid-serVision.com GmbH. China rewards the envoys of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malta and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The China-Pakistani Economic Corridor is the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative. However, South Asian countries are increasingly afraid of Chinas debt trap. Former Italian PM D'Alema is one of the awards recipients. Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) China bestowed special awards on the ambassadors of Pakistan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Malta and Bosnia-Herzegovina in China for their contribution to the New Silk Road, this according to Global Times, the official English-language paper of the Communist Party of China. The Super Ambassador Awards were handed out in a ceremony last Thursday in Beijing. Former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema was one of the recipients. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is one of the flagship projects in Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a plan for the large-scale infrastructural development of ports, railways, roads, highways, with which Beijing wants to get its goods to the heart of Europe. The BRI strategy involves a total of 65 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa. Pakistan, with its 57 billion dollars in Chinese investments, is among the largest beneficiaries of Chinese aid. However, the government of Imran Khan recently decided to cancel an energy agreement to reduce the countrys exposure to Beijing. In fact, in recent months concern has grown among Asian countries over a potential debt trap with China. Experts believe that the business model promoted by Beijing endangers national interests. One of countries whose envoy received a reward, the Maldives, slammed Chinas investments. Last November, the Maldivian government in fact charged China with inflating the prices of infrastructure projects in order to put other nations into debt. For its part, China has rejected such claims in the case of Sri Lankas economy. Criticism in this case stems from Beijings deal with the South Asian nation to lease Hambantota Port, in southern Sri Lanka, for 99 years. Could This Be the Biggest US Gold Discovery in Years? (Ad) See how this tiny, unknown gold company secured a prime land package right next door to the worlds two largest gold producers in Nevadas famed Carlin Trend where 84 Million gold ounces have already been extracted. Best of all, investors can still get in well below US$0.50 per share. Details Here. Legend Who Bought Amazon In 1998 Says: Now Is The Time (Ad) Wall street legend Chris Rowe says theres a huge stock market event looming - and hes revealing his #1 pick for free. Click here to find out more. Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol. The company is involved in oil and gas refining, marketing, and bulk selling activities. It produces conventional, premium, and reformulated gasolines; gasoline meeting the specifications of the California Air Resources Board (CARB); diesel fuels, low-sulfur and ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuels; CARB diesel; other distillates; jet fuels; blendstocks; lube oils and natural gas liquids; and asphalts, petrochemicals, lubricants, and other refined petroleum products. As of December 31, 2020, the company owned 15 petroleum refineries with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.2 million barrels per day. It sells its refined products through wholesale rack and bulk markets; and through approximately 7,000 outlets under the Valero, Beacon, Diamond Shamrock, Shamrock, Ultramar, and Texaco brands. The company also produces and sells ethanol, dry distiller grains, syrup, and inedible corn oil primarily to refiners and gasoline blenders, as well as to animal feed customers. It owns and operates 13 ethanol plants with a combined ethanol production capacity of approximately 1.69 billion gallons per year. In addition, the company owns and operates crude oil and refined petroleum products pipelines, terminals, tanks, marine docks, truck rack bays, and other logistics assets. Further, it owns and operates a plant that processes animal fats, used cooking oils, and other vegetable oils into renewable diesel. The company was formerly known as Valero Refining and Marketing Company and changed its name to Valero Energy Corporation in August 1997. Valero Energy Corporation was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Read More First Horizon Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Horizon Bank that provides various financial services. The company operates through four segments: Regional Banking, Fixed Income, Corporate, and Non-Strategic. It offers general banking services for consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments. The company also underwrites bank-eligible securities and other fixed-income securities eligible for underwriting by financial subsidiaries; sells loans and derivatives; and offers advisory services. In addition, it offers various services, such as mortgage banking; title insurance and loan-closing; brokerage; correspondent banking; nationwide check clearing and remittance processing; trust, fiduciary, and agency; equipment finance; and investment and financial advisory services. Further, the company sells mutual fund and retail insurance products; and credit cards. It operates approximately 490 banking offices in 12 states under the First Horizon Bank brand; and 29 offices in 18 states under the FHN Financial brand in the United States. The company was formerly known as First Horizon National Corporation and changed its name to First Horizon Corporation in November 2020. First Horizon Corporation was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Read More More than 10,000 people marched through Paris on Sunday in protest. Paris: More than 10,000 people marched through Paris on Sunday in protest at "yellow vest" violence during the anti-government demos that have have drawn tens of thousands of people to the streets over the past 11 weeks. Since mid-November President Emmanuel Macron has offered concessions and debates seeking to quell the weekly rallies that often end in violent clashes with police in the most serious challenge yet to his government. In Sunday's rival protest, the crowds marched in rain from the Place de la Nation square to the Bastille monument, some chanting "Yes to democracy, no to revolution" as they waved French and European Union flags. Dubbed the "red scarf" movement, the centrist initiative is the brainchild of an engineer from Toulouse who was horrified by the violence seen among more extremist "yellow vest" demonstrators. Many protesters joining the rally said they were not against "yellow vest" demands for greater help for France's poor, but were sick of the clashes and destruction that have marked protests. A nursing manager who gave her name as Marie-Line said she believed the yellow vests had just cause to "grumble", but came "to say that this verbal and physical violence must stop". "It's not a protest against the yellow vests -- it's a protest to say, you've made your demands, we are listening to them," Francois Patriat, a senator from Macron's centrist party, told AFP at the demonstration. "There are other places to discuss this than the street. You cannot block the country and economy because you consider the president to be illegitimate." Sunday's protest was almost double the size of the "yellow vest" demonstration in Paris a day earlier, when some 4,000 people came out to rail against Macron. The protesters are named after the luminous road safety vests that they wear. Originally sparked by rises in fuel taxes, the movement quickly snowballed into a widespread revolt over accusations the president, an ex-banker, is out of touch with rural and small-town France. But their numbers have ebbed in recent weeks after Macron announced a series of policy climbdowns and launched a two-month consultation to allow people to vent their anger. Saturday's protest in Paris saw a prominent "yellow vest" activist, Jerome Rodrigues, badly injured after claims he was hit in the eye by a police rubber bullet -- an anti-riot weapon that has become highly controversial in France. "He is in shock. He will be handicapped for life. It is a tragedy for him and his family," Rodrigues' lawyer Philippe de Veulle told BFM television. Rodrigues, a construction worker, was placed in an artificial coma overnight after the incident at the Bastille monument on Saturday afternoon. The 40-year-old, who has 50,000 followers on Facebook, was live-streaming the protest on the website when he was hit. De Veulle said Rodrigues was struck in the eye with a "flashball", referring to the 40-mm (1.6-inch) rubber projectiles used by French riot police. Junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez on Sunday told LCI television there was "no evidence" to show Rodrigues was hit by a police rubber projectile. Investigations were still ongoing into the incident. The devices -- which are not used in most European countries -- have been blamed for dozens of serious injuries at "yellow vest" protests, leading to calls for them to be banned. On Saturday, police using the weapons were for the first time deployed wearing body cams in a bid to increase transparency. Rodrigues' lawyer insisted his client was not one of the "hooligans" who have been joining the weekly protests to cause trouble for police. In the video, Rodrigues can be heard several times warning protesters to leave the Bastille area because hard-left "black bloc" agitators were coming to attack the police. Rodrigues is lodging a complaint against police, his lawyer said. Witnesses picked up the projectile that struck Rodrigues and police are set to investigate the circumstances of the incident. National Bank Holdings Corporation operates as the bank holding company for NBH Bank that provides various banking products and financial services to commercial, business, and consumer clients in the United States. It offers deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, and other deposit accounts, including fixed-rate and fixed maturity time deposits. The company also provides commercial and industrial loans and leases, such as working capital loans, equipment loans, lender finance loans, food and agriculture loans, government and non-profit loans, owner occupied commercial real estate loans, and other commercial loans and leases; non-owner occupied commercial real estate loans consisting of loans on commercial properties, such as office buildings, warehouse/distribution buildings, multi-family, hospitality, and retail buildings; small business administration loans to support manufacturers, distributors, and service providers; term loans, line of credits, and real estate secured loans; residential real estate loans; and consumer loans. In addition, it offers treasury management solutions comprising online and mobile banking, commercial credit card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, electronic bill payment, lock box, remote deposit capture, merchant processing, cash vault, controlled disbursements, and fraud prevention services, as well as other auxiliary services, including account reconciliation, collections, repurchase accounts, zero balance accounts, and sweep accounts. As of February 24, 2021, the company operated through a network of 89 banking centers located in Colorado, the greater Kansas City region, New Mexico, Utah, and Texas. It also operates 128 ATMs. The company was formerly known as NBH Holdings Corp. and changed its name to National Bank Holdings Corporation in March 2012. National Bank Holdings Corporation was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Read More 10 Million People Started Trading Last Year Heres What to Do Next (Ad) How do you make money trading? What are the secrets pros use to beat the market day after day? Former Chicago Board Options Exchange trader reveals all the insider tricks... Get the Full Report Now (No Credit Card Required... Limited Time Only) Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI Germany ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI Germany ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. The following companies are subsidiares of D.R. Horton: 10700 Pecan Park Austin Inc., 11241 Slater Avenue NE LLC, 2 C Development Company LLC, 8800 Roswell Road Bldg. B LLC, 91st Avenue & Happy Valley L.L.C., ANN & 215 LLC, Austin Data Inc., BP456 Inc., C. 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The words of the adhan succinctly embody the basic principles of Islam and its teachings. One of the most characteristic and stirringly evocative symbols of Islam is the adhan ((literally meaning announcement,, also called in Turkish: ezan), the Arabic call to prayer, dramatically intoned in a resonant cadence by a muezzin (Arabic muaddin, prayer caller) who summons the faithful to prayer, traditionally by climbing to the top of a minaret to issue his call. There is also a tradition of reciting adhan into the ear of a newborn. The root of the word is adhina, meaning to listen, to hear, and be informed about. Another derivative of this word means ear. To summon worshippers, the Jews use a trumpet and the Christians use a bell, but the Muslims use the human voice. Prophet Muhammads mace-bearer and steward, Bilal ibn Rabah, an Egyptian Negro, was the first muezzin to call the adhan at Mecca. The adhan was originally a simple Come to prayer, and Bilal would roam the streets to remind people about prayer time. After the emigration of the Prophet and his followers from Mecca to Medina, a companion of the Prophet named Abd Allah ibn Zaid had a vision in which he tried to buy a wooden clapper to summon people to prayer. But the man who had the clapper advised him to call out to the people instead and to intone a short message. Ibn Zaid went to the Prophet with his story and he, while approving it, told him to ask Bilal, who had a marvellous voice famous for majestically sonorous renditions of the Quran , to perform the task. The sonorous cadence continues to stir 1.6 billion Muslims, from Morocco to Jakarta, five times a day: Come to prayer. Rise up to your welfare! And in the last hours of darkness just before dawn: Come to prayer. Rise up to your welfare. For prayer is better than sleep. Responding to this call, praying in the mosque, and making the pledge to God is the only thing need to become a Muslim. At this point one crosses over from Dar ul Harb, the house of the pagan, into Dar ul Islam, and the house of Islam (submission). This is a very simple exercise. The emphasis is on not making a verbal mistake rather than on believing something. The prayer carpet is carried by the Muslim when he travels abroad. At the times of prayer, he will determine the direction of Mecca, roll out his prayer carpet, and say his prayers to Allah. Muslims are instructed to turn to the Kaaba shrine in Mecca during prayers. The words of the adhan succinctly embody the basic principles of Islam and its teachings. The standard adhan can be translated as: Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that Muhammad is the prophet of Allah. Come to prayer. Come to salvation. Allah is most great. There is no god but Allah. The first phrase is proclaimed four times, the final phrase once, and the others twice, the worshippers making a set response to each phrase. With no fixed melody or meter, the sound of adhan is a function of certain linguistic features. Long vowels occur in the last words in most phrases of the adhan, and these can often be melismatically extended, while the timbre of adhan is influenced by the pronunciation of various letters in Arabic. The adhan pervades the entire Muslim culture, and remains a highly pivotal and evocative symbol of the Islamic faith. Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI Japan ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI Japan ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Ralph Lauren Corporation designs, markets, and distributes lifestyle products in North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers apparel, including a range of men's, women's, and children's clothing accessories, which comprise sandals, eyewear, watches, fashion and fine jewelry, scarves, hats, gloves, umbrellas, and belts, as well as leather goods, such as handbags, luggage, small leather goods, and belts; home products consisting of bedding and bath products, furniture, fabrics and wallpapers, lightings, tabletops, floorcoverings, and giftware; and fragrances. It sells apparel and accessories under the Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Golf Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Golf, RLX Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, Club Monaco, and other brand names; women's fragrances under the Ralph Lauren Collection, Woman by Ralph Lauren, Romance Collection, Ralph Collection, and Big Pony Women's brand names; and men's fragrances under the Polo Blue, Safari, Purple Label, Polo Red, Polo Green, Polo Black, Polo Supreme, Polo Sport, and Big Pony Men's brand names. The company's restaurant concepts include The Polo Bar in New York City; RL Restaurant in Chicago; Ralph's in Paris; and Ralph's Coffee concept. Ralph Lauren Corporation sells its products to department stores, specialty stores, and golf and pro shops, as well as directly to consumers through its retail stores, concession-based shop-within-shops, and its digital commerce sites. The company directly operates 530 retail stores and 654 concession-based shop-within-shops; and operates 80 Ralph Lauren stores, 31 Ralph Lauren concession shops, and 139 Club Monaco stores and shops through licensing partners. Ralph Lauren Corporation was founded in 1967 and is based in New York, New York. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Zimmer Biomet: Abbott Spine, Beijing Montagne Medical Device Co. Ltd., Beijing Montagne Medical Device Co. Ltd., BioMet, Biomet 3i Australia Pty. Ltd., Biomet 3i Belgium N.V., Biomet 3i Benelux Holdings N.V., Biomet 3i Dental Iberica SL, Biomet 3i LLC, Biomet 3i Mexico S.A. de C.V., Biomet 3i Netherlands B.V., Biomet 3i Nordic AB, Biomet 3i Portugal Lda, Biomet 3i Switzerland GmbH, Biomet 3i Turkey, Biomet 3i UK Ltd., Biomet 3i do Brasil Comercio de Aparelhos Medicos Ltda., Biomet Acquisitions (Unlimited), Biomet Argentina SA, Biomet Australia Pty. Ltd., Biomet Biologics LLC, Biomet Brazil Medical Device Ltda., Biomet C.V., Biomet CV Holdings LLC, Biomet Cementing Technologies AB, Biomet Chile SA, Biomet China Co. Ltd., Biomet Deutschland GmbH, Biomet Deutschland Holding GmbH, Biomet Fair Lawn LLC, Biomet Finance US LLC, Biomet France Sarl, Biomet Global Supply Chain Center B.V., Biomet Healthcare Management GmbH, Biomet Holdings B.V., Biomet Hong Kong CBT Ltd., Biomet Hong Kong Holding Ltd., Biomet Hong Kong No. 1 Ltd., Biomet Inc., Biomet Insurance Ltd., Biomet International Inc., Biomet International Orthopedics LLC, Biomet Leasing Inc., Biomet Manufacturing LLC, Biomet Mexico S.A. de C.V., Biomet Microfixation B.V., Biomet Orthopedics LLC, Biomet Orthopedics Puerto Rico Inc., Biomet Spain Orthopaedics S.L., Biomet Sports Medicine LLC, Biomet Trauma LLC, Biomet U.S. Reconstruction LLC, Biomet UK Healthcare Ltd., Biomet UK Ltd., CD Diagnostics, CD Diagnostics Inc., CD Laboratories Inc., Cayenne Medical, Cayenne Medical Inc., CelgenTek Innovations Corporation, Centerpulse Ltd, Changzhou Biomet Medical Devices Co. Ltd., Citra Labs LLC, Clinical Graphics, Compression Therapy Concepts Inc., Compression Therapy Products, D.S. Comp Ltd., Dornoch Medical Systems, Dornoch Medical Systems Inc., EBI Holdings LLC, EBI LLC, EBI Medical Systems LLC, EBI Patient Care Inc., ETEX Corporation, ETEX Holdings Inc., Electro-Biology LLC, Endius, Espanormed S.L., Etex, ExtraOrtho, Hakuho Company Ltd., IC Guided Surgery SRL, Implant Concierge LLC, Implant Innovations Holdings LLC, Implex, InnoVision Inc., Interpore Cross International LLC, JERDS Luxembourg Holding Sarl, Kirschner Medical Corporation, Knee Creations, LDR Brasil Comercio Importacao e Exportacao Ltda., LDR Holding, LDR Medical Hong Kong (branch), LDR Medical S.A.S., LVB Acquisition Inc., Lanx Puerto Rico LLC , Lanx Srl, Medical Compression Systems Inc., Medtech SA, Medtech SAS, Medtech Surgical GmbH, Medtech Surgical Inc., NORMED Medizin-Technik GmbH, ORTHOsoft ULC, Ortho Transmission, Orthopaedic Advantage LLC, Ospol Participacoes Ltda., Representaciones Zimmer Inc. S. de R.L. de C.V., Respondwell, SM Re Ltd., Scandimed Holding AB, Shanghai Biomet Business Consulting Co. Ltd., Synvasive Technology, Synvasive Technology Inc., ZB COOP C.V., ZB COOP LLC, ZB Cayman (Asia) Holding Ltd., ZB Cayman Island CBT 2 Ltd., ZB Dental India Private Limited, ZB EMEA 1 LP, ZB EMEA Finance UK 1 Ltd., ZB EMEA Finance UK 2 Ltd., ZB EMEA Finance UK 3 Ltd., ZB EMEA US UK LLC, ZB Hong Kong CBT 2 Ltd., ZB Hong Kong Holding Ltd., ZB Hong Kong Ltd., ZB Manufacturing LLC, ZB UK Group Holdings Limited, ZH2LX Barbados Branch (branch), Zfx, Zfx GmbH, Zfx Innovation GmbH, Zhejiang Biomet Medical Products Co. Ltd., Zimmer (Shanghai) Medical International Trading Co. Ltd., Zimmer Asia (HK) Ltd., Zimmer Australia Holding Pty. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Asel Alarabiya Limited Company, Zimmer Biomet Asia Holding B.V., Zimmer Biomet Asia Holdings Pte. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Austria GmbH, Zimmer Biomet BVBA, Zimmer Biomet CBT, Zimmer Biomet CBT 2, Zimmer Biomet CMF and Thoracic LLC, Zimmer Biomet Canada Inc., Zimmer Biomet Centroamerica SA, Zimmer Biomet Comp Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Denmark ApS, Zimmer Biomet Dental Canada Inc., Zimmer Biomet Dental K.K., Zimmer Biomet Deutschland GmbH, Zimmer Biomet Distribution LLC, Zimmer Biomet Finance Srl, Zimmer Biomet Finance US Holding Inc., Zimmer Biomet Finland Oy, Zimmer Biomet France Holdings SAS, Zimmer Biomet France SAS, Zimmer Biomet GK, Zimmer Biomet Global Holdings Switzerland GmbH, Zimmer Biomet Hellas SA, Zimmer Biomet Ireland Limited, Zimmer Biomet Italia Srl, Zimmer Biomet Korea Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Nederland B.V., Zimmer Biomet New Zealand Company, Zimmer Biomet Norway AS, Zimmer Biomet OUS Holdings AG, Zimmer Biomet Polska Sp. z.o.o, Zimmer Biomet Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Zimmer Biomet Pty. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Romania S.R.L., Zimmer Biomet South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Spain S.L., Zimmer Biomet Spine Inc., Zimmer Biomet Sweden AB, Zimmer Biomet Taiwan Co. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet UK Ltd., Zimmer Biomet US 2 Holding Inc., Zimmer CBT I Holding Inc., Zimmer CBT II Holding Inc., Zimmer CEP USA Holding Co., Zimmer CEP USA Inc., Zimmer CIS Ltd., Zimmer CV Inc., Zimmer Caribe LLC, Zimmer Cayman Islands Holding Co. Ltd., Zimmer Co-op Holdings LLC, Zimmer Colombia SAS, Zimmer Czech sro, Zimmer Dental (Shanghai) Medical Device Co. Ltd., Zimmer Dental Chile Spa, Zimmer Dental GmbH, Zimmer Dental Inc., Zimmer Dental Italy Srl, Zimmer Dental Ltd., Zimmer Dental SAS, Zimmer Finance Ireland, Zimmer France Manufacturing Sarl, Zimmer Germany Holdings GmbH, Zimmer GmbH, Zimmer GmbH Euro IP Branch (branch), Zimmer GmbH Winterthur Branch (branch), Zimmer Gulf FZ LLC, Zimmer Inc., Zimmer India Private Ltd., Zimmer International Logistics GmbH, Zimmer Investments LLC, Zimmer Knee Creations Inc., Zimmer Luxembourg II Sarl, Zimmer Luxembourg Sarl, Zimmer Manufacturing B.V., Zimmer Manufacturing B.V. (branch), Zimmer Medical Malaysia SDN BHD, Zimmer Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., Zimmer Orthobiologics Inc., Zimmer Orthopedics Manufacturing Limited, Zimmer Production Inc., Zimmer Pte. Ltd., Zimmer Slovakia sro, Zimmer Southeast Florida LLC, Zimmer Spine Next Inc., Zimmer Spine SAS, Zimmer Surgical, Zimmer Surgical Inc., Zimmer Surgical SA, Zimmer Switzerland Holdings LLC, Zimmer Switzerland Manufacturing GmbH, Zimmer Tibbi Cihazlar Sanayi ve Ticaret AS, Zimmer Trabecular Metal Technology Inc., Zimmer Trustee Ltd., Zimmer UK Limited, Zimmer US Inc., and Zimmer do Brasil Comercio Ltda.. With the US committed to withdrawal, Turkey faces two immediate challenges. On December 19, 2018, US President Donald Trump reversed American policy in Syria. He announced that US troops would return home in 30 days since the Islamic State had been decisively defeated. Four days later, responding to concerns that some ISIS fighters remained in the country, President Trump tweeted that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would eradicate whatever is left of ISIS in Syria. Mr Trump immediately lost his defence secretary James Mattis and his special envoy for the fight against ISIS, who both swiftly resigned in protest. Mr Trump then diluted the timeline for the soldiers return, saying on December 26 that it would be a strong, deliberate and orderly withdrawal from Syria, and that US troops would remain in Iraq to handle any possible ISIS resurgence and to watch over Iran. Two of his seniormost officials secretary of state Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton agreed that Mr Trumps withdrawal plan left the Syrian Kurds at the mercy of the Turkish Army and attempted to assure the Kurds that no harm would come to them. But Mr Pompeo affirmed that there would be a quick withdrawal from Syria, while Mr Bolton insisted on conditions relating to the Kurds safety being met by Turkey. President Erdogan sharply rejected these conditions, saying: Turkeys national security is non-negotiable. Mr Bolton was also rebuffed in Washington responding to queries relating to conditions set by him for the withdrawal, the military spokesman said: We dont take orders from Bolton. With the US committed to withdrawal, Turkey faces two immediate challenges. The first is how to handle the threat from the Syrian Kurds who, with US support, have carved out a large chunk of Syrian territory in northeast Syria as their homeland. The second pertains to Idlib in September last year, Turkey and Russia had agreed to delay the Syrian governments assault on this last rebel enclave. This was based on the assurance that Turkey would separate the extreme jihadis from Hayat Tahreek al Shaam (HTS), the new name of the Al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat Nusra that controls this town, from the moderate rebels made up of the Turkish-sponsored Free Syrian Army (FSA). Four months later, Turkey can show little success at Idlib in early January, HTS militants attacked FSA forces, evicted them from Idlib and now control large parts of the western countryside. This has provided the opportunity for the Syrian government to launch its much-delayed attack on Idlib. Observers see in this development a considered Turkish decision to prioritise confronting the Kurds over maintaining influence in Idlib. This could be part of a Turkish-Russian grand bargain: Russia has always been most concerned about the proliferation of jihadi elements in Syria. As recently as January 11, the Russian foreign office spokesperson noted that Idlib had become a shelter for thousands of terrorists. On the Kurdish front, Turkish leaders have been threatening to take the town of Manbij once it is vacated by the Americans and then move against the Kurds east of the Euphrates. However, Turkeys generals know that military action will pose serious difficulties it will require more forces than Turkey has in Syria, they will have to move deeper into Syrian territory, and above all they will have to accept heavy casualties. Here, Mr Trump appears to have resolved Mr Erdogans dilemma. On January 14, Mr Trump posted a tweet in which he threatened to devastate Turkey economically if they hit the Kurds. He also referred to the need to set up a 32-km buffer zone along the Syria-Turkey border. Showing uncharacteristic self-restraint, Mr Erdogan refused to attack Mr Trump and instead focused his remarks next day on the buffer zone idea. He recalled that this had been proposed by him to President Barack Obama earlier and that he had repeated it to President Trump in a recent telephonic conversation. He added that the buffer zone will be formed by us (Turkey), though he later clarified that nothing had been finalised and all aspects would be discussed with parties concerned. The situation in northern Syria has just been complicated by two ISIS attacks, one on January 16 and the other on January 21. In the first attack in Manbij, four US soldiers and five Kurd fighters were killed, while in the second suicide attack on a US-Kurdish convoy near Hasakeh, five Kurds were killed. Fearing that these attacks might delay the US withdrawal, Mr Erdogan has hastened to assure Mr Trump that Turkey could immediately assume responsibility for security at Manbij. As of now, the US response remains unclear. Amid the competitions and uncertainties in Syria, the Gulf Arab countries have initiated restoration of diplomatic ties with the Bashar al-Assad regime the UAE opened its embassy in Damascus on December 27, and this will be followed shortly by Kuwait and Bahrain. This is clearly aimed at countering the influence of both Turkey and Iran, though Turkey is viewed as the more immediate challenge. In the coming months, more Arab nations are expected to affirm ties with Syria based on their shared Arab identity and the promise of generous funding for reconstruction, while maintaining a strong outreach to Russia. Russia remains at the centre of regional diplomacy, with Moscow still the go-to capital for all West Asian players. Its principal challenge is to reconcile the competing interests of Turkey and Iran, keep intact the Astana peace process and ensure that its own interests in Syria and the region are safeguarded. Given the priority it attaches to maintaining Syrian integrity and sovereignty, it is opposed to Turkeys territorial ambitions in the north. It will seek to address Turkeys security concerns by promoting Kurdish interests not through a homeland but through autonomy in a united, federal Syria. It will also back the buffer zone idea but insist that it be under the Syrian government rather than Turkish control. This makes sense because the border has a mixed population of Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen. Mr Trumps withdrawal announcement has set all interested parties scampering to seek the best advantage for themselves, but Americas own interests and intentions still remain confusing and uncertain, even obscure. Welcome to the Trump era! Our portfolio of high quality UK commercial property is focused on London Offices and Retail around the UK. We own or manage a portfolio valued at A13.7bn (British Land share: A10.3bn) as at 30 September 2020 making us one of Europe's largest listed real estate investment companies. Our strategy is to provide places which meet the needs of our customers and respond to changing lifestyles - Places People Prefer. We do this by creating great environments both inside and outside our buildings and use our scale and placemaking skills to enhance and enliven them. This expands their appeal to a broader range of occupiers, creating enduring demand and driving sustainable, long term performance. Our Offices portfolio comprises three office-led campuses in central London as well as high quality standalone buildings and accounts for 65% of our portfolio. Our Retail portfolio is focused on retail parks and shopping centres, and accounts for 31% of our portfolio. Increasingly our focus is on providing a mix of uses and this is most evident at Canada Water, our 53 acre redevelopment opportunity where we have plans to create a new neighbourhood for London. Sustainability is embedded throughout our business. Our places, which are designed to meet high sustainability standards, become part of local communities, provide opportunities for skills development and employment and promote wellbeing. In April 2016 British Land received the Queen's Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development, the UK's highest accolade for business success for economic, social and environmental achievements over a period of five years. Read More Ad Resource Stock Digest 1,538 Interested This Week Could This Be the Biggest US Gold Discovery in Years? See how this tiny, unknown gold company secured a prime land package right next door to the worlds two largest gold producers in Nevadas famed Carlin Trend where 84 Million gold ounces have already been extracted. Best of all, investors can still get in well below US$0.50 per share. Wall Street Legend Who Picked Bitcoin in 2016 Shares #1 Pick for the 2020s (Ad) Picking the right investment of the decade can transform your life Microsoft in the 80sAmazon in the 90sApple in the 2000sBitcoin in 2016... Any one of these could have made you a millionaire many times over. Today, the Wall Street legend who picked the last investment of the decade The answer will surprise you. The BIG CON Screwing Americans (Ad) The rich and powerful are thrilled... Inflation is GREAT for them. Its everyone else wholl get screwed. But according to an ex-Wall Street vet, theres actually a way for YOU to turn the tables just make this one move before July 29th. Click here to see why The 217 sq km greenfield capital city of Amaravati on the Krishna river could be another. What seems a daring new concept in foreign relations is really an old Indian strategy. But treating regions instead of nations as economic or diplomatic partners sounds like a Singaporean innovation because the little red dot quoting Indonesian President B.J. Habibies jibe compensates for its smallness with imaginative thinking. So I wasnt surprised when Gopinath Pillai, the brilliant Singaporean entrepreneur who was already his countrys ambassador-at-large, also became Singapores special envoy to Andhra Pradesh. His involvement gives the Rs 58,000-crore project for Amaravati, the states new capital, a much better chance of success than Singapores previous mega-ventures in India. Presumably, an appointment such as Mr Pillais doesnt call for specific agrement the term for a diplomatic representative needing the approval of the host government to which he or she is accredited. If it does, Mr Pillais personal standing must have overcome Indian reservations. Not all South Block mandarins were overjoyed way back in the 1990s when the Thais first mooted the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. We dont like these Southeast Asians playing games with our islands! an Indian diplomat in Singapore muttered, possibly thinking of the late President Sukarnos threat during the 1965 India-Pakistan war to seize the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. I wouldnt be surprised if someone grumbled this time that Singapore was trying to annex Andhra Pradesh! This kind of pettiness scotched Keralas bold plan for regional cooperation in 1993. Perhaps someone had stumbled upon an external affairs ministry file about attempts to murder Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer, the dewan of the old Travancore state, who had dared to support his maharajas declaration of independence on June 18, 1947. Forty-six years later, Keralas industries minister P.K. Kunhalikutty held extensive talks with Singaporean officials and announced that Kerala would be the first Indian state to station an official there to woo investors throughout the Asean region. Mr Kunhalikutty was not boasting when he claimed that setting up business in Kerala is an old European custom. Ask Vasco da Gama. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan had told a US congressional committee that Kerala supplied teak for King Solomons palace. Legend has it that when Thomas the Apostle landed at the Roman staging post of Muziris in Kerala in ad 52 and founded the worlds oldest Christian church, a Jewish girl played the flute to welcome him. Cochins Jews, descended from refugees who fled Nebuchadnezzars sacking of Jerusalem, launched the worlds first Jewish state. Chinas 14th century Admiral Zheng He sailed several times to the Malabar coast, leaving behind the giant cantilevered fishing nets (cheena vale) still in use. Singapore welcomed Mr Kunhalikuttys initiative, but remembering Ramaswami Iyer, New Delhi feared that economic objectives might incite political ambition. The nervousness was born of ignorance for region-based diplomacy isnt new for us. At the third India-Asean New Delhi business summit in 2004, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approvingly quoted Sinnappa Arasaratnam, the author of Maritime India in the Seventeenth Century, to recall that India had profited from the autonomy enjoyed by littoral states with little interference from groups that would not have understood the needs and demands of the predominant activity of commerce. He argued that mutually beneficial business links between Indias coastal states and Southeast Asia would lend meaning to P.V. Narasimha Raos Look East policy (which responded to Lee Kuan Yews long-standing invitation to India to engage with Southeast Asia) and eventually give shape to the idea of an Asian Century. Nevertheless, no Indian state took up the lead Kerala was forced to abandon. Yet, international interaction is not always a prerogative of sovereignty. Several Australian and Canadian states pursue their business interests in foreign capitals. Western Australia opened an office in Mumbai some years ago. Governor Qin Guangrong of Chinas Yunnan province visited Kolkata in late 2008 on an aggressive trade and tourism mission directed at West Bengal, but the Kunming-Kolkata link is today popular mainly with smugglers. Ruins of grand projects litter the India-Singapore past. The Madras Corridor would have been an exclusive manufacturing zone for Singaporean investors. Singapore Airlines proposed airbridge meant an all-inclusive package direct from Europe or the United States to relatively small Indian airports serving clusters of tourist destinations. Several Singapore companies wanted a bite of Bengalurus new international airport. The end of Indian Airlines monopoly encouraged SIA and Tata to set up a company in Mauritius for a Singapore$846-million joint venture domestic airline. There was talk of special export-oriented economic zones, sparkling new townships, schools, colleges, banks, and training institutes. More Indian firms would follow the Tatas and Punj Lloyd in acquiring companies in Singapore. The pre-establishment clause of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement signed in 2005 entitling Singapore-registered enterprises to be treated at par with Indian companies was expected to herald a larger process of Asian integration and attract floods of funds from abroad. Singapore would enjoy permanent middlemans fees as bilateral trade soared to more than $50 billion by 2010. Discussing these failed visions, Singapores Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, told me once: We dont need flagship projects. High visibility means politicisation that feeds into the instinctive suspicion of foreigners and foreign money that Indias ultra-nationalists exploit for their own ends. The exception was the one-stop S$250-million Bangalore Information Technology Park housing international high-tech companies involved in computers, electronics and telecommunications. It is still the relationships principal showpiece. The 217 sq km greenfield capital city of Amaravati on the Krishna river could be another. Gopinath Pillais private business activities in this country make him familiar with its strengths and sensitivities. If he can guide the Singapore consortium that is building Amaravati to live up to N. Chandrababu Naidus dream of a Singapore in the making, he might be able at last to realise the vision that had inspired P.V. Narasimha Rao and Lee Kuan Yew. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Citizens Bank, National Association that provides retail and commercial banking products and services in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking. The Consumer Banking segment offers traditional banking products and services, including checking and savings accounts, home and education loans, credit cards, business loans, mortgage and home equity lending, and unsecured product finance and personal loans, as well as wealth management and investment services to retail customers and small businesses. This segment also provides indirect auto finance for new and used vehicles through auto dealerships. The Commercial Banking segment offers various financial products and solutions, such as loans and leasing, trade finance, deposit and treasury management, cash management, and foreign exchange and interest rate risk management solutions; and loan syndications, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. It serves government banking, not-for-profit, healthcare, technology, professionals, oil and gas, asset finance, franchise finance, asset-based lending, commercial real estate, private equity, and sponsor finance industries. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. operates approximately 2,700 ATMs and 1,000 branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions, as well as through online, telephone, and mobile banking services; and maintains approximately 130 retail and commercial non-branch offices. The company was formerly known as RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc. and changed its name to Citizens Financial Group, Inc. in April 2014. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1828 and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Sealed Air: AFP (Shanghai) Limited, AFP Inc. (Branch), AFPTOH LTD, Aconcagua Distribuciones SRL, Air Ride Pallets Hong Kong Limited, Austin Foam Plastics Inc., Auto-C LLC, Automated Packaging Systems, B+ Equipment, B+ Equipment SAS, Beacon Holdings LLC, Biosphere Industries, BluPack (New Zealand), Blue Dot Packaging Pty Ltd., CPI Packaging Inc., CPI Packaging Systems Inc., Cactus (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Cactus Shanghai Trading Co. Ltd., Ciras C.V., Ciras C.V. - Luxembourg Branch, Ciras C.V. Luxembourg Branch, Cleanwise Inc., Cryovac (Malaysia) SDN. BHD, Cryovac (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Cryovac Brasil Ltda., Cryovac Chile Holdings LLC, Cryovac Holdings II LLC, Cryovac Inc., Cryovac International Holdings Inc., Cryovac LLC, Cryovac Leasing Corporation, Cryovac Londrina Ltda., Cryovac Packaging Portugal - Embalagens Ltda., Cryovac Packaging Portugal Embalagens Ltda, Cryovac Sweden AB, Cryovac-Sealed Air de Costa Rica S.R.L., DELTAPLAM Embalagens Industria e Comercio, Deltaplam Embalagens Industria e Comercio Ltda, Diversey, Diversey Australia Pty. Ltd., Diversey Austria Trading GmbH, Diversey B.V., Diversey Belgium BVBA, Diversey Brasil Industria Quimica Ltda., Diversey Canada Inc., Diversey Centroamerica S.A., Diversey Danmark ApS, Diversey Hungary Acting Off-shore Capital Management Limited Liability Company, Diversey J Trustee Limited, Diversey Trustee Limited, Diversey Ceska republika s.r.o. clen koncernu Diversey, Entapack Pty. Ltd., Fagerdala (Chengdu) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Chengdu) Packing Co. Ltd. (Chongqing Branch), Fagerdala (Chongqing) Packaging Co. Ltd. (Branch), Fagerdala (Huiyang) Packaging Co. Ltd, Fagerdala (Huiyang) Packaging Co. Ltd. (Branch), Fagerdala (Shanghai) Foams Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Shanghai) Polymer Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Shenzhen) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Suzhou) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Suzhou) Packing Co. Ltd. (Hefei Branch), Fagerdala (Thailand) Limited, Fagerdala (Xiamen) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala Leamchabung Limited, Fagerdala Leamchabung Ltd., Fagerdala Malaysia Sdn Bhd., Fagerdala Mexico S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Mexico S.A. de C.V. (Chihuahua Branch), Fagerdala Mexico Supply Chain S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Packaging Inc. (Indiana), Fagerdala Shanghai Foams Co. Ltd., Fagerdala Singapore Pte Ltd, Fagerdala Singapore Pte Ltd (Branch), Fagerdala Singapore Pte. Limited, Fagerdala Singapore Pte. Limited (Taiwan Branch), Fagerdala Singapore Pte. Ltd., Fagerdala Suzhou Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala Suzhou Packaging Co. Ltd. (Hefei Branch), Fagerdala Thailand Ltd., GEIE VES, Getpacking.com GmbH, Indonesian Rep Office of Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited, Invertol S. de R.L. de C.V., JCS Sealed Air Kaustik, JSC Sealed Air Kaustik, Kevothermal LLC, Kevothermal LLC, Kevothermal Limited, Nelipak Holdings, Pack-Tiger GmbH, Packaging C.V., ProAseptic Technologies S.L., Producembal - Producao de Embalagens Ltda., Proxy Biomedical Ltd., Reflectix Inc., SLD Air Packaging Paketleme Malzemeleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Saddle Brook Insurance Company, Sealed Air (Asia) Holdings B.V., Sealed Air (Barbados) S.R.L., Sealed Air (Canada) Co./CIE, Sealed Air (Canada) Holdings B.V., Sealed Air (China) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air (China) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air (China) Limited, Sealed Air (China) Ltd., Sealed Air (India) Limited, Sealed Air (Israel) Ltd., Sealed Air (Korea) Limited, Sealed Air (Latin America) Holdings II LLC, Sealed Air (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sealed Air (New Zealand), Sealed Air (Philippines) Inc., Sealed Air (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Sealed Air (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Sealed Air (Thailand) Limited, Sealed Air (Ukraine) Limited, Sealed Air Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Sealed Air Africa (Pty.) Limited, Sealed Air Americas Manufacturing S. de R. L. de C. V., Sealed Air Argentina S.A., Sealed Air Australia (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Pty Ltd., Sealed Air Australia Pty. Limited, Sealed Air B.V., Sealed Air Belgium N.V., Sealed Air Central America S.A., Sealed Air Chile S.P.A., Sealed Air Colombia Ltda., Sealed Air Corporation (US), Sealed Air Denmark A/S, Sealed Air Embalagens Ltda., Sealed Air Europe Holdings C.V., Sealed Air Europe Holdings LP, Sealed Air Finance B.V., Sealed Air Finance II LLC, Sealed Air Finance II LLC (Sucursal Mexico), Sealed Air Finance Ireland Unlimited Company, Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l. Luxembourg (L) Root Finance Branch, Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l. US Finance Branch, Sealed Air Funding Corporation, Sealed Air Funding LLC, Sealed Air General Trading LLC, Sealed Air Global Holdings C.V., Sealed Air Global Holdings I C.V., Sealed Air Global Holdings I LLC, Sealed Air GmbH, Sealed Air Hellas S.A., Sealed Air Holding France S.A.S., Sealed Air Holding France SAS, Sealed Air HoldingS I LLC, Sealed Air Holdings (New Zealand) Pty. Ltd., Sealed Air Holdings I C.V., Sealed Air Holdings LLC, Sealed Air Holdings South Africa Proprietary Limited, Sealed Air Hong Kong (Jakarta Indonesia Branch), Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited, Sealed Air Hungary Ltd., Sealed Air International Holdings LLC, Sealed Air International Holdings LLC , Sealed Air Investment and Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Investment and Management Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Japan G.K., Sealed Air Korea Limited, Sealed Air LLC, Sealed Air Limited, Sealed Air Luxembourg (I) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg (II) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Management Holding Verwaltungs GmbH, Sealed Air Multiflex GmbH, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) I B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V. - Deutsche Zweigniederlassung, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V. - Deutsche Zweigniederlassung, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) III B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) III B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands Holdings V B.V., Sealed Air Nevada Holdings Limited, Sealed Air Norge AS, Sealed Air OY, Sealed Air Packaging (India) Private Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Packaging LLC, Sealed Air Packaging Materials (India) LLP, Sealed Air Packaging Materials (India) LLP, Sealed Air Packaging S.L.U., Sealed Air Paketleme Malzemeleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Sealed Air Peru S.A.C., Sealed Air Polska Sp. Zoo, Sealed Air Pty Limited, Sealed Air S.A S., Sealed Air S.A.S., Sealed Air S.r.l., Sealed Air South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Sealed Air Svenska AB, Sealed Air Taiwan Limited, Sealed Air US Holdings (Thailand) LLC, Sealed Air Uruguay S.A., Sealed Air Venezuela Corporation, Sealed Air Verpackungen GmbH, Sealed Air de Mexico Operations S. de R.L. de C.V., Sealed Air de Venezuela S.A., Sealed Air s.r.o., Shanklin Corp, Shanklin Corporation, Soinpar Industrial Ltda., TART s.r.o., TART s.r.o. Joint Venture, TTS-Ciptec, TXAFP Asia Pacific Ltd., TXAFP GP LLC, TempTrip LLC, Trigon Industries, and Vietnamese Rep Office of Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited. The following companies are subsidiares of Mueller Industries: ATCO Rubber Products, ATCO Rubber Products Inc., Aegis Oil and Gas Leasing Ltd., Amwest Exploration Company, Arava Exploration Company, Arava Natural Resources Company Inc., B & K Industries Inc., B&K Industries, B&K LLC, Bayard Mining Corp., Canco Oil & Gas Ltd., Carpentertown Coal & Coke Company, Changzhou Mueller Refrigerant Valve Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Climate Components LLC, DENO Holding Company Inc., DENO Investment Company II Inc., DENO Investment Company Inc., Die-Mold Tool Limited, Extruded Metals, Extruded Metals Inc., Great Lakes Copper Ltd., Halstead Industries, HeatLink Group, Heatlink Group Inc., Heatlink Group USA LLC, Howell Metal Company, Itawamba Industrial Gas Company Inc., Jungwoo Metal Ind. Co. Ltd., King Coal Company, Leon Water Enterprises Inc., Lincoln Brass Works, Lincoln Brass Works Inc., Linesets, Linesets Inc., MA Industrial Secured Lending LLC, MCTC LLC, MCTP LLC, MII Financial Corporation, MPC Foundry Inc., MPC Machine Shop Inc., Macomber Building and Land Corporation, Macomber Construction Company, Macomber Incorporated, Micro Gauge, Micro Gauge Inc., Microgauge Machining Inc., Mining Remedial Recovery Company, Mueller Brass Co., Mueller Brass Forging Company Inc., Mueller Brass Holding Company Inc., Mueller Canada Holding Co. Ltd., Mueller Casting Company Inc., Mueller Comercial de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Mueller Copper Tube Company Inc., Mueller Copper Tube Products Inc., Mueller East Inc., Mueller Europe Investment Company Ltd., Mueller Europe Limited, Mueller Fittings Company Inc., Mueller Fittings LLC, Mueller Formed Tube Company Inc., Mueller Impacts Company Inc., Mueller Industrial Realty Co., Mueller Industries Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mueller LBHC Inc., Mueller Middle East B.S.C., Mueller Packaging LLC, Mueller Plastics Corporation Inc., Mueller Plastics Holding Company Inc., Mueller Press Company Inc., Mueller Refrigeration Holding Company Inc., Mueller Refrigeration LLC, Mueller Refrigeration Products Company Inc., Mueller Southeast Inc., Mueller Streamline China LLC, Mueller Streamline Co., Mueller Streamline Holding S.L.U., Mueller Streamline II LLC, Mueller Streamline Trading LLC, Mueller Tool and Machine Inc., Mueller de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Muellux Holding Company I SARL, Muellux Holding Company II SARL, NICNA Mexico Proyectos S. de R.L. de C.V., NICNA Mexico Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Overstreet Hughes, Overstreet-Hughes Co. Inc., PexCor, Pexcor Manufacturing Co. Inc., Precision Tube Company LLC, Propipe Technologies, Propipe Technologies Inc., Sherwood Valve, Sherwood Valve Products Inc., Southland Pipe Nipples Company Inc., Streamline Copper & Brass Ltd., Summit Systems Inc., Tecumseh Products Co., Tecumseh Products Holdings LLC, Tube Forming, Turbotec Products, Turbotec Products Inc., U.S.S. Lead Refinery Inc., USSRAM Exploration Company, United States Fuel Company, Vemco Brasscapri, WTC HoldCo I LLC, WTC HoldCo II LLC, WTC Holding Company, Washington Mining Company, Westermeyer Industries, Westermeyer Industries Inc., and White Knob Mining Company. This Is By Far My #1 Income Stock (Ad) This company owns the bestselling drug in the world, which brought in $19.9 billion in revenue last year. And today, I want to give you the name, the ticker symbol and my full analysis completely free - no strings attached. Click here to get it. Vermilion Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of petroleum and natural gas in North America, Europe, and Australia. It owns 81% working interest in 642,300 net acres of developed land and 87% working interest in 376,700 net acres of undeveloped land, and 613 net producing natural gas wells and 3,034 net producing oil wells in Canada; and 96% working interest in 248,900 net acres of developed land and 91% working interest in 222,100 net acres of undeveloped land in the Aquitaine and Paris Basins, and 325 net producing oil wells and 3.0 net producing gas wells in France. The company also owns 49% working interest in 930,000 net acres of land and 51 net producing natural gas wells in the Netherlands; and 36,900 net developed acres and 965,900 net undeveloped acres of land, and 61 net producing oil wells and 8 net producing natural gas wells in Germany. In addition, it owns offshore Corrib natural gas field located to the northwest coast of Ireland; and 100% working interest in the Wandoo offshore oil field and related production assets that covers 59,600 acres located on Western Australia's northwest shelf. Further, the company holds 138,000 net acres of land in the Powder River basin, and 136.6 net producing oil wells in the United States; and 951,200 net acres of land in Hungary, 244,900 net acres of land in Slovakia, and 2.4 million net acres of land in Croatia. Vermilion Energy Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More The US is still the worlds mightiest and only comprehensive global power. Foreign policy is the external aspect of national policy. It covers the whole gamut of global, regional and neighbourhood developments, movements and strategies. When national policy is substandard it puts a ceiling on the success of foreign policy no matter how good it is. Take a look: What are the foreign policy challenges faced by Naya Pakistan? Similarly, given the external dependency of Pakistans national policy, it cannot achieve its goals without a prioritised and resourced foreign policy. Some aspects of external policy are primarily dealt with by specialised ministries, departments and services. But the Foreign Office should not be held responsible for the negative consequences of bad decisions it had no part in taking. This often happens and is always at the cost of the national interest. This is obvious. Yet in practice it is usually ignored. Why? The main reason is the unwillingness of corrupt or weak governments to take any risks for good governance, including good foreign policy. This is the soft state syndrome. It is often a prelude to a failing state. It precludes serving the national interest. Powerful vested interests define the national interest and make foreign policy. What is to be done? If the political system is made participatory and inclusive it will eventually find the right answers. If it remains elitist, exclusive and exploitative it will not. Changing the system, however, involves risk-taking. The US is still the worlds mightiest and only comprehensive global power. Afghanistan is a force multiplier for Pakistans security or insecurity. As regards India, the core issues for Pakistan are progress towards a Kashmir settlement acceptable to opinion in the Valley and radically improving the horrendous human rights situation there. For India it is Pakistans use of terrorist proxies. These core issues need to be addressed to the satisfaction of each other if dialogue is to be meaningful. Finding common ground for a negotiating process to be sustainable is a challenge. Indian interference in Balochistan is a fact. However, the Balochistan problem is not of Indias making. It is due to institutionalised bad governance and exploitation over decades. Pakistan should continue to extend its hand of cooperation irrespective of a lack of response from India. It should keep the LoC quiet as best it can. It should build on the Kartarpur initiative. It should extend normal trading or MFN rights as promised. This is arguably a WTO obligation also. Pakistan should offer travel, communications, confidence and security-building (including regular nuclear and water-management) discussions and proposals. Let India take its time to respond. Pakistan cannot lose by being consistent and reasonable. Realistic rather than provocative narratives need to be developed. The people of both countries need to get to know each other more directly instead of through warped images. Differences need to be contained, addressed and reduced through a realistic working relationship. This will enable South Asia to meet the survival challenges of the 21st century. The leaders of both countries should make appropriate statements, stay in touch, and unfold a range of innovative initiatives. If India demurs, even after its elections, that is its problem. India is justly regarded as a large neighbour with a small heart. Many Afghans see Pakistan similarly despite the massive Afghan goodwill accumulated during the Soviet occupation. Why? Pakistan need not create a two-front situation for itself. Being large-hearted towards a smaller neighbour is actually good strategy. Specific issues are more easily resolved when the fundamentals are okay. By arrangement with Dawn 5 Ways to Win at Trading (Ad) More people are trading options... But most are doing it wrong... and LOSING money. Former Chicago Board Options Exchange trader reveals five secrets you MUST know before putting a penny in the market... Get the list of all five now. To Any American Who Owns a Cell Phone (Ad) If you own a cell phone, then mobile service providers hope you never get to see this video that could soon go viral. His experiment could strike a bad chord with mobile phone companies. But youve got to see what this man discovered and what it means for phone users in the weeks ahead. Click here to see this video before it's removed The following companies are subsidiares of Hilton Worldwide: 259 Pitt Street Pty Ltd., 3750 Residential Management LLC, 90210 Biltmore Management LLC, 90210 Desert Resorts Management Co. LLC, 90210 Grand Wailea Management Co. LLC, 90210 LLC, 90210 Management Company LLC, ATM Hotels Pty. Limited, Adana Hilton Enternasyonal Otelcilik Limited Sirketi, Adda Hotels, Adda Properties Limited, Addis Ababa Hilton Private Limited Company, Admiral I Pty Limited, Admiral II Pty Limited, Admiral III Pty Limited, Admiral Investments Pty Limited, Andiamo's O'Hare LLC, Ankara Enternasyonel Otelcilik Anonim Sirketi, Avenue Louise Hotel Partners S.N.C., Bally's Grand Property Sub I LLC, Blue Bonnet Security LLC, Brighton at Kingston Plantation L.L.C., CHW Holdings LLC, Canopy Brand Management LLC, Chancel Service Corporation, Chesterfield Village Hotel L.L.C., Comfort Hotels International Limited, Comfort Hotels Limited, Comfort Inns BV, Conrad International (Belgium) LLC, Conrad International (Egypt) LLC, Conrad International (Egypt) Resorts Corporation, Conrad International (Indonesia) Corporation, Conrad International (Thailand) Limited, Conrad International Hotels (HK) Limited, Conrad International Investment (Jakarta) Corporation, Conrad International Manage (CIS) LLC, Conrad International Management Services (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Conrad Management LLC, Conrad Osaka Godo Kaisha, Curio Brand Management LLC, Curio Management LLC, DT Management LLC, DT Real Estate LLC, DTM Atlanta/Legacy Inc., DTR FCH Holdings Inc., DTR Houston Inc., Destination Resorts LLC, Doubletree De Mexico S.A. De C.V., Doubletree Hotel Systems LLC, Doubletree Hotels LLC, Doubletree International Franchise LLC, Doubletree LLC, Doubletree Management LLC, Dunkeld Lodges (Management) Limited, Embassy Development LLC, Embassy Suites Club No. 1 Inc., Embassy Suites Club No. Three Inc., Embassy Suites Club No. Two Inc., Embassy Suites Management LLC, Florida Conrad International Corp., Grand Hotel Imperial dd, Grundstucksgesellschaft Belvederer Allee Weimar mbH, H Alliance Inc., HBM Global Risk Corporation, HI Investment (Colombia) EU, HI US Finance LLC, HIC Dormant Holding LLC, HIC First LLC, HIC Gaming Inc., HIC Group International Luxembourg S.a.r.l., HIC Holdings BV, HIC Holdings LLC, HIC Hotels U.S.A. LLC, HIC Racing (Chiswick) Limited, HIC Racing Corporation, HIC Roissy Netherlands BV, HIC San Pablo Limited Inc., HIC Second LLC, HIC Treasury Limited, HIRO Hotel GmbH & Co KG, HIRO Verwaltungs GmbH, HLT Amity LLC, HLT Aro Manage Limited, HLT Audubon LLC, HLT Bradford Limited, HLT Brazil LLC, HLT Conrad Domestic LLC, HLT Drake LLC, HLT ESP International Franchise LLC, HLT ESP International Franchisor Corporation, HLT ESP International Manage LLC, HLT ESP International Management Corporation, HLT ESP Manage LLC, HLT English Operator Limited, HLT Existing Franchise Holding LLC, HLT Franchise V Borrower LLC, HLT German Manage GmbH, HLT German Services GmbH, HLT HSM Holding LLC, HLT HSS Holding LLC, HLT International Existing Franchise Holding LLC, HLT International Manage LLC, HLT JV Acquisition LLC, HLT Lifestyle International Franchise LLC, HLT Lifestyle International Franchisor Corporation, HLT Lifestyle International Manage LLC, HLT Lifestyle International Management Corporation, HLT Lifestyle Manage LLC, HLT London Manage Limited, HLT Managed Mezz VI-A LLC, HLT Managed Mezz VI-B LLC, HLT Managed Mezz VI-C LLC, HLT Managed Mezz VI-D LLC, HLT Managed Mezz VI-E LLC, HLT Managed Mezz VI-F LLC, HLT Managed Mezz VI-G LLC, HLT Managed Mezz VI-H LLC, HLT Managed Mezz VI-I LLC, HLT Managed Mezz VI-J LLC, HLT Managed Mezz VI-K LLC, HLT Managed Mezz XI-A GmbH, HLT Managed Mezz XI-B GmbH, HLT Managed Mezz XI-C GmbH, HLT Managed Mezz XI-D GmbH, HLT Managed Mezz XI-E GmbH, HLT Managed Mezz XI-F GmbH, HLT Managed Mezz XI-G GmbH, HLT Managed Mezz XI-H GmbH, HLT Managed Mezz XI-I GmbH, HLT Managed Mezz XI-J GmbH, HLT Managed Mezz XI-K GmbH, HLT Managed VI Holding LLC, HLT Managed VI-A Borrower LLC, HLT Managed VI-A Holding LLC, HLT Managed XI-A Borrower GmbH, HLT Managed XII-A Holding LLC, HLT Mexico LLC, HLT Operating Mezz III-K Limited, HLT Operating Mezz V-K Limited, HLT Operating Mezz VII-A Limited, HLT Operating Mezz VII-B Limited, HLT Operating Mezz VII-C Limited, HLT Operating Mezz VII-D Limited, HLT Operating Mezz VII-E Limited, HLT Operating Mezz VII-F Limited, HLT Operating Mezz VII-G Limited, HLT Operating Mezz VII-H Limited, HLT Operating Mezz VII-I Limited, HLT Operating Mezz VII-J Limited, HLT Operating Mezz VII-K Limited, HLT Operating VII-A Borrower GmbH, HLT Owned IX Holding Limited, HLT Owned IX-A Holding Limited, HLT Owned Mezz IX-A Limited, HLT Owned Mezz IX-B Limited, HLT Owned Mezz IX-C Limited, HLT Owned Mezz IX-D Limited, HLT Owned Mezz IX-E Limited, HLT Owned Mezz IX-F Limited, HLT Owned Mezz IX-G Limited, HLT Owned Mezz IX-H Limited, HLT Owned Mezz IX-I Limited, HLT Owned Mezz IX-J Limited, HLT Owned Mezz IX-K Limited, HLT Owned Mezz V-A Limited, HLT Owned Mezz V-B Limited, HLT Owned Mezz V-C Limited, HLT Owned Mezz V-D Limited, HLT Owned Mezz V-E Limited, HLT Owned Mezz V-F Limited, HLT Owned Mezz V-G Limited, HLT Owned Mezz V-H Limited, HLT Owned Mezz V-I Limited, HLT Owned Mezz V-J Limited, HLT Owned Mezz V-K Limited, HLT Owned Mezz VII-A LLC, HLT Owned Mezz VII-B LLC, HLT Owned Mezz VII-C LLC, HLT Owned Mezz VII-D LLC, HLT Owned Mezz VII-E LLC, HLT Owned Mezz VII-F LLC, HLT Owned Mezz VII-G LLC, HLT Owned Mezz VII-H LLC, HLT Owned Mezz VII-I LLC, HLT Owned Mezz VII-J LLC, HLT Owned Mezz VII-K LLC, HLT Owned V Holding Limited, HLT Owned V-A Holding Limited, HLT Owned VI-A Holding LLC, HLT Owned VII Holding LLC, HLT Owned VII-A Holding LLC, HLT Palmer LLC, HLT Prism LLC, HLT Secretary Limited, HLT Stakis IP Limited, HLT Stakis Operator Limited, HLT Waldorf=Astoria International Manage LLC, HPP Hotels USA LLC, HPP International LLC, Hampton Inns Management LLC, Hapeville Investors LLC, Hilmex Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Hilstock Hotel Holding Corporation, Hilton (Hellas) Monoprosopi EPE, Hilton (Maldives) Private Limited, Hilton Argentina SRL, Hilton Beverage Corporation, Hilton Beverage LLC, Hilton Brazil Operacoes E Participacoes Ltda., Hilton Canada Co., Hilton Chicago Beverage I LLC, Hilton Chicago Beverage II LLC, Hilton Chicago Beverage III LLC, Hilton Chicago Beverage IV LLC, Hilton Copenhagen ApS, Hilton Corporate Director LLC, Hilton Cyprus Limited, Hilton Domestic Franchise LLC, Hilton Domestic Management LLC, Hilton Domestic Operating Company Inc., Hilton Egypt Trading Company (a/k/a Hilton Lil Tigara), Hilton El Con Management LLC, Hilton El Con Operator LLC, Hilton Enternasyonal Otelcilik AS, Hilton Enternasyonal Otelcilik AS - Ankara branch, Hilton Finance (UK) Limited, Hilton Franchise Holding LLC, Hilton Garden Inns Management LLC, Hilton HHC Limited, Hilton HIH Limited, Hilton Hawaii Corporation, Hilton Holdings LLC, Hilton Honors Worldwide LLC, Hilton Hospitality LLC, Hilton Hotel Management (Shanghai) Co Ltd, Hilton Hotel Management (Shanghai) Co Ltd - Beijing branch, Hilton Hotel Management (Shanghai) Co Ltd - Shenzhen branch, Hilton Hotel Management Services Private Limited, Hilton Hotel Service Co Limited, Hilton Hotels (Ireland) Limited, Hilton Hotels of Australia (Melbourne) Pty Ltd, Hilton Hotels of Australia Pty Limited, Hilton Illinois Holdings LLC, Hilton Illinois LLC, Hilton Internacional de Venezuela CA, Hilton International (Bulgaria) EAD, Hilton International (France) SAS, Hilton International (Germany) GmbH, Hilton International (Moscow) LLC, Hilton International (Nederland) BV, Hilton International (Switzerland) GmbH, Hilton International (Thailand) Limited, Hilton International Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Hilton International Australia Holding Pty Ltd, Hilton International Australia Pty Limited, Hilton International Barbados Limited, Hilton International Canada CRA ULC, Hilton International Co (Belgium) BVBA, Hilton International Ecuador LLC, Hilton International Entities Holding Limited, Hilton International Franchisor LLC, Hilton International GAMMA, Hilton International Holding LLC, Hilton International Holding USA Corporation, Hilton International Holdings LLC, Hilton International Hotels (U.K.) Limited, Hilton International IP Holding 2 Limited, Hilton International IP Holding Limited, Hilton International Jamaica Limited, Hilton International LLC, Hilton International LLC - Hong Kong branch, Hilton International Manage (Argentina) SRL, Hilton International Manage (Maldives) Pvt. Ltd, Hilton International Manage LLC, Hilton International Manage LLC - Canada, Hilton International Manage LLC - Costa Rica, Hilton International Manage LLC - Egypt, Hilton International Manage LLC - South Africa, Hilton International Manage LLC Branche (Tunisia), Hilton International Management (Middle East) Corporation - Ukraine Representative Office, Hilton International Management LLC, Hilton International Management LLC (Sri Lanka), Hilton International Master Holding Limited, Hilton International South Africa (PTY) Limited, Hilton International Trinidad Limited, Hilton International Trocadero, Hilton International Vermogensverwaltung GmbH, Hilton International Wien GmbH, Hilton Israel Ltd, Hilton Italiana Srl, Hilton Malta Limited, Hilton Management LLC, Hilton Management Liquor LLC, Hilton Mexico Promatora SA de CV, Hilton Munich Airport Hotel Manage GmbH, Hilton NUS HSS Inc., Hilton Nairobi Limited, Hilton PCB S.a.r.l., Hilton Reservations Worldwide L.L.C., Hilton Russia LLC, Hilton Russia LLC - Russian branch, Hilton San Diego LLC, Hilton Service Center GmbH, Hilton Supply Management LLC, Hilton Systems Solutions LLC, Hilton Telemarketing LLC, Hilton Tobago Unlimited, Hilton Travel Services LLC, Hilton U.S. Finance LLC, Hilton UK Corporate Director Limited, Hilton UK Hotels Limited, Hilton UK Manage Limited, Hilton UK Pension Trustee Limited, Hilton Worldwide Domestic FS Treasury LLC, Hilton Worldwide FS Treasury Limited, Hilton Worldwide Finance Corp., Hilton Worldwide Finance LLC, Hilton Worldwide Franchising LP, Hilton Worldwide Holding 1 Limited, Hilton Worldwide Holding 2 Limited, Hilton Worldwide Holding LLP, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., Hilton Worldwide International CRA Holdings C.V., Hilton Worldwide International Holding 1 LLC, Hilton Worldwide International Italy S.r.l., Hilton Worldwide International Japan Godo-Kaisha, Hilton Worldwide International Luxembourg Holding S.a r.l., Hilton Worldwide International Myanmar Company Limited, Hilton Worldwide International Puerto Rico LLC, Hilton Worldwide International Singapore Pte. Ltd., Hilton Worldwide International do Brasil Ltda., Hilton Worldwide Limited, Hilton Worldwide Limited Hong Kong Branch, Hilton Worldwide Limited Korea Branch, Hilton Worldwide Manage Branchco Limited, Hilton Worldwide Manage Branchco Limited (Ukraine), Hilton Worldwide Manage Branchco Limited - Sucursal em Portugal, Hilton Worldwide Manage Branchco Limited -Colombia, Hilton Worldwide Manage Branchco Limited Branch - Georgia, Hilton Worldwide Manage Branchco Limited Korea Branch, Hilton Worldwide Manage Branchco Limited spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia Oddzia w Polsce, Hilton Worldwide Manage Branchco Ltd - Uruguay Branch, Hilton Worldwide Manage Limited, Hilton Worldwide Parent LLC, Hilton Worldwide Services Limited, Hilton of Malaysia LLC, Hilton of Panama Limited, Hilton of Spain S.L., Hiro Grundstucks GmbH & Co KG, Home2 Brand Management LLC, Home2 Management LLC, Homewood Suites Management LLC, Hotel Clubs of Corporate Woods Inc., Hotel Corporation of Europe (Milan Branch), Hotel Corporation of Europe LLC, Hotel Maatschappij Schiphol BV, Hotel Management (Middle East) LLC, Hotel Management of Minneapolis Inc., Hotelbetriebsgesellschaft Hochstrasse GmbH, Hotels Statler Company Inc., Inhil Cp. Inc., Innvision LLC, International Brand Hospitality Austria GmbH, International Brand Hospitality GmbH, International Company for Touristic Investments S.A.E., International Hotels (Kenya) Limited, International Rivercenter Lessee L.L.C., Istanbul Park Hilton Enternasyonal Otelcilik Limited Sirketi, Izmir Enternasyonel Otelcilik Anonim Sirketi, Izmir Hilton Enternasyonal Otelcilik AS, Kayseri Hilton Enternasyonal Otelcilik AS, LXR Management LLC, Livingwell Australia Pty Limited, MAPLE HOTELS MANAGEMENT COMPANY LIMITED, MC Treasury Limited, Madagascar Hilton SARL, Margate Towers at Kingston Plantation L.L.C., Mayaguez Hilton Corporation - Puerto Rico branch, Mayaguez Hilton LLC, Mersin Hilton Enternasyonal Otelcilik AS, Milbuck Holdings Inc, Morning Light Co Ltd, Motto Management LLC, Munchen Park Hilton Zweigniederlassung der Hilton International LLC, Nagoya Hilton Co Ltd, Nippon Hilton Co Ltd, Odawara Hilton Co. Ltd, On Command Corporation, Operadora de Hoteles Loreto S. de R.L. de C.V, Osaka Hilton Co Ltd, P55 Beverage LLC, PH Hotel GP LLC, PH Hotel Partners LP, PT Hilton International Manage Indonesia, PT. Conrad Management Indonesia, Peacock Alley Service Company LLC, Potter's Bar Palmer House LLC, Promus Hotel Services Inc., Promus Hotels Florida LLC, Promus Hotels LLC, Promus Hotels Parent LLC, Promus/FCH Condominium Company L.L.C., Promus/FCH Development Company L.L.C., Puckrup Hall Hotel Limited, SALC II LLC, SALC III LLC, SALC Inc., Servicios y Recursos Administrativos Hoteleros S. de R.L. de C.V., Signia Hotel Management LLC, Societe d'Exploitation Hoteliere d'Orly EURL, Societe d'exploitation Hoteliere La defense SAS, Societe de Development Hotel Pointe des Blaguers B.V., Splendid Property Company Limited, Sunrise Resources (Australia) Pty Ltd, Tapestry Management LLC, Tel Aviv Hilton Limited, Thayer Hotel Investors Trust IV, Tokyo Bay Hilton Co. Ltd, Tru Brand Management LLC, UK Leasing Leicester Limited, Vista Real Estate Management Company, WA Collection International LLC, Waldorf=Astoria Management LLC, Washington Hilton L.L.C., and World Hotels B.V.. Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in Asia, Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; And Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment provides mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, group retirement and savings products, and institutional asset management services through agents and brokers affiliated with the company, securities brokerage firms, and financial advisors pension plan consultants and banks. The Insurance and Annuity Products segment offers deposit and credit products; individual life, and individual and group long-term care insurance; and guaranteed and partially guaranteed annuity products through insurance agents, brokers, banks, financial planners, and direct marketing. The Corporate and Other segment is involved in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance businesses; and run-off reinsurance operations, including variable annuities, and accident and health. It also manages timberland and agricultural portfolios; and engages in insurance agency, portfolio and mutual fund management, mutual fund dealer, life and financial reinsurance, and fund management businesses. Additionally, the company holds and manages oil and gas properties; holds oil and gas royalties, and foreign bonds and equities; and provides investment management, counseling, advisory, and dealer services. Manulife Financial Corporation was incorporated in 1887 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More First American Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services. It operates through Title Insurance and Services, and Specialty Insurance segments. The Title Insurance and Services segment issues title insurance policies on residential and commercial property, as well as offers related products and services. This segment also provides closing and/or escrow services; products, services, and solutions to mitigate risk or otherwise facilitate real estate transactions; and appraisals and other valuation-related products and services, lien release and document custodial services, warehouse lending services, default-related products and services, title insurance, closing services, and related products and services, as well as banking, trust, and wealth management services. In addition, it accommodates tax-deferred exchanges of real estate; and maintains, manages, and provides access to title plant data and records. This segment offers its products through a network of direct operations and agents in 49 states and in the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, and internationally. The Specialty Insurance segment provides property and casualty insurance comprising coverage to residential homeowners and renters for liability losses and typical hazards, such as fire, theft, vandalism, and other types of property damage. It also offers residential service contracts that cover residential systems, such as heating and air conditioning systems, and appliances against failures that occur as the result of normal usage during the coverage period. First American Financial Corporation was founded in 1889 and is based in Santa Ana, California. Read More 1+ days ago | June 17th, 6:30 AM Are You Losing Money in the Market Due to One of These Reasons? Humans have a knack for doing what they know over and over again. For example, you may have the same type of investing strategy you've used for 10 years. But have you ever stopped to consider whether it's actually working for you? Maybe fees have eaten you alive. Maybe you haven't earned as much as you'd like. It's always good to brush up on the good ol' basics. A state health official said a swine flu treatment facility is available in all districts and state and civic-run hospitals. The states health minister, who is handling additional charge, stated that the five-point programme for prevention of swine flu should be implemented in the state. (Photo: Representational/PTI) Mumbai: Swine flu (H1N1) cases have been reported from eight districts in Maharashtra, and 11 people succumbed to the virus between January 1 and January 24. In total, 66 cases have been reported from the state, and more are expected, stated the states health officials. The states health minister, who is handling additional charge, stated that the five-point programme for prevention of swine flu should be implemented in the state. The data accessed by The Asian Age revealed that the spread of H1N1 has been aggressive in Nagpur, where 29 cases of swine flu were reported till January 24. Other districts that have seen swine flu cases include Nashik (10), Kolhapur (9), Pune (8), Akola (4), Pimpri Chinchwad (3), Thane (2), and Solapur (1). As for deaths, the air-borne ailment has claimed five lives in Nagpur and three each in Pune and Kolhapur. State health minister Eknath Shinde said, I have conducted a review meeting regarding these cases. We have administered 1,77,000 people with Oseltamivir tablets and the number of patients affected with H1N1 virus is 66. He added, Currently, there is cold weather in the state. In some areas, rainfall has been experienced. Since this environment is advantageous for the spread of the swine flu virus, the number of patients is increasing. Usually, between July and September and during February and March patients affected by this type of virus are seen. This year, however, due to the change in weather, cases were observed in January. A state health official said a swine flu treatment facility is available in all districts and state and civic-run hospitals. Citizens should take the advice of medicos if their cold and fever last more than two days. Private doctors should also prescribe Oseltamivir tablets for those suffering from a cold for more than two days, he said. At present, the condition of five patients diagnosed with the contagion is critical and they have been put on ventilator support at various hospitals. Finance PhD: Move your money BEFORE June 30th (Ad) The clock just started on the biggest financial event in 20 years. And the next months could decide your wealth in 2021. Heres what to do now. American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected] | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. As a bonus to opt-ing into our email newsletters, you will also get a free subscription to the Liberty Through Wealth e-newsletter. You can opt out at any time. Man Who Picked Tesla, Bitcoin Makes Next Pick of the Decade" (Ad) Picking the right investment of the decade can transform your life Today, the Wall Street legend who picked the last investment of the decade months (even years) before his peers will finally reveal his new #1 pick for the 2020s. Its not 5G, artificial intelligence, EVs, or clean energy. The answer will surprise you. Click To See This #1 Pick. A Bangladeshi airline pilot, harbouring severe mental stress, lost situational awareness and tried to land the plane in sheer desperation when its crashed in Nepal last year, killing 51 people onboard, an investigation report said on Monday. The US-Bangla Airlines plane (Flight BS211) from Dhaka crashed on its second landing attempt at the Kathmandus Tribhuvan International Airport on March 12, 2018. Fifty one people were killed and 20 others injured in the crash. Among the dead, 28 were Bangladesh nationals, 22 Nepalese and one Chinese. The pilot and co-pilot also died in the crash. The 43-page investigation report, compiled by Nepalese officials and released on Monday, said the probable cause of the crash was the pilots disorientation and loss of situation awareness. Contributing to this, the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprop aircraft was offset to the proper approach path that led to maneuvers in a very dangerous and unsafe altitude to alight with the runway, it said, adding that landing was completed in a sheer desperation after sighting the runway, at very close proximity and very low altitude. Nepali investigators also cast a spotlight on the history of mental health of pilots in the final report on the crash and recommended that before the renewal of licence of any permanently grounded pilot due to a medical reason, a thorough periodic physical and psychological status should be assessed. It said a system should be adopted to monitor the medical condition closely in all subsequent medical examinations as well. The investigation commission recommended that all airline pilots should undergo a psychological evaluation as part of the training or before entering into service. The report, submitted to Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari on Sunday, said the pilot, Abid Sultan, had been released from the Bangladesh Air Force in 1993 due to depression and was only allowed to fly civilian planes from 2002 after a detailed medical evaluation. The Nepali investigators said the flight captains past behaviour should have been a warning sign. Sultans detail medical history was not reviewed by the US-Bangla Airlines when he was hired, the report said, adding that medical examination of the pilot in successive annual medicals was not focused on his previous medical condition of depression, which seemed mandatory. As per the US Federal Aviation Administration rules, captains are required to have a first-class medical certificate renewed every year if the pilot is under 40 years of age and every six months if the pilot is 40 years or older. Psychological checks are not required. Many pilots refuse to seek treatment for mental health issues because they fear the medical assessment will have a negative impact on their career. This may have cost the passengers lives as well as the airlines, Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, member-secretary of the investigation committee was quoted as saying in the Kathmandu Post. Sant Siddh Bhau reviewed pre arrangements of forth coming 94th Urology camp in a meeting held at Sewa Sadan eye hospital here on Monday. This camp will be organised from February 13 to 22, 2019. On the occasion, Managing Trustee of SSEH LC Janiyani, staunch followers of Sant Tejumal Dhanwani, Lokumal Aswani and Mama Bhambharam were also mainly present. The proposed camp will be organized with the financial assistance received from Jeev Sewa Sansthan and Anju and Gul Chandiramani of Dubai. It was told in the meeting that all required permissions have so far been received to organize the camp. Consents to render free services of Urologists from USA and INDIA have also been received. Permissions of foreign surgeons to perform surgeries in India have also been received from Medical Council of India, Delhi. Arrangements of Blood, Medicines, Surgical items, operating equipments have also been made. Periodic maintenance of Central Oxygen system, Generators and Lifts have been done. Foreign Urologists of Medical Mission Foundation of Kansas city America Dr Tammy Neblok Beiran, Dr Brandon Pomroy, Dr Alexender Chow, Dr Narendra and Dr Pratibha Khare, Dr Radha Sukhani will operate patients of various urinary ailments like Prostate enlargement, Stone in urethra, Gal Bladder, Harnia and Hydrocele etc. Besides foreign surgeons, local urologists Dr CP Dewani, Dr Sudhir Lokwani, Dr BM Loya and Dr Rajendra Punjabi will preliminarily diagnose the patients and treat them if required. If some patients are identified for their surgery, they will be admitted in the hospital. Registration of the patients will be done on February 13 from 8 am to 2 pm. Even though Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is yet to give her nod to the date for launching the party campaign for 2019 parliamentary polls, Congress leaders and workers are busy preparing a blueprint for her grand entry into politics with a press conference in the state capital on February 4. There are also plans to send Priyanka to Prayagraj to take a holy dip at the Sangam during Kumbh the next day. Priyanka is likely to address her first public rally at Ramabai Maidan in Lucknow, permission for which has been already sought by UP Congress leaders. In all these programmes, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will accompany Priyanka and use the Lucknow rally to kick-start the party campaign for the parliamentary elections. Both Rahul and Priyanka along with AICC general secretary in-charge of UP west, Jyotiraditya Scindia will address at least a dozen rallies together. However, a final programme will be announced once Priyanka lands in India around Wednesday midnight. Sources in the Congress maintained that pursuing soft Hindutva on the lines of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka is likely to begin her formal political career by taking a holy dip at the Sangam during Kumbh on February 5. A day earlier, Priyanka will take charge as Congress general secretary and in-charge of UP east in the presence of Rahul Gandhi in Lucknow. Earlier, the two had planned to visit Kumbh soon after the programme in Lucknow but as Shahi Snan falls on February 4, they postponed their Prayagraj visit for the next day. This is perhaps the first time that the Gandhi siblings will take a dip at the Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers. Earlier in 2001, then Congress president Sonia Gandhi had attended Kumbh Mela and taken a holy dip. Interestingly, Rahul Gandhi, whose public zeal for Hinduism began with the April 2015 visit to Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand, has planned his first rally in UP on February 10, the auspicious day of Basant Panchami. His sister would also start her innings from Lucknow on Mauni Amavasya. Sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party maintained that to counter the plan of Congress scions, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tried to take mileage by organising a Cabinet meeting at Kumbh on Tuesday. During the 2017 Gujarat assembly polls in which the Congress gave a scare to the ruling BJP, Rahul had embarked on several temple visits and continued the trend during elections in Karnataka where he visited over 20 major temples and mutts. The Congress also came out claiming Gandhi to be a janeu dhari Brahmin, prompting criticism from the BJP. And while performing prayers in Rajasthan, Gandhi revealed his gotra as Dattatreya and later introduced himself as Kaul Brahmin of Dattatreya gotra. One hardcore Communist Party of India -Maoist (CPI-Maoist) rebel carrying a cash award of Rs one lakh was arrested from Jageshwar Bihar police station in Bokaro district on Monday, police said. Working on a tip-off a joint team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 26 Battalion and Bokaro police arrested the rebel Bihari Manjhi from Lalghar, at Tuti Jharna under Jageshwar Bihar police station, said Kartik S Superintendent of Police Bokaro. Manjhi was arrested while extorting the levy money from a road contractor at Tuti Jharna. During interrogation, he admitted that he worked for Mithilesh Singh group in the Jhumara hillocks regions. On the direction of Singh, he rushed to collect the levy funds there, added the SP. Dozens of the naxal violence cases have been registered at the different police station at Bokaro, Hazaribagh and Giridih, Police said. Faced with the daunting task of countering the Bahujan Samaj Party-Samajwadi Party alliance and the plunge of Congress honcho Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into politics, the Bharatiya Janata Party has revived its tried and tested electoral strategy of mera booth sabse mazboot. The strategy is the brainchild of BJP president Amit Shah and in the run up to 2014 Lok Sabha polls, he, as BJP general secretary and in-charge of UP, had experimented it with great success. Shah will be reaching Lucknow on January 30 to take stock of the preparations for the Lok Sabha polls and will hold six meetings in as many regions of the state over the next 10 days with BJP booth-level presidents. For effective management of organisational structure, the BJP has divided 80 Lok Sabha seats of the state into 19 sectors. The BJP has firmed up the strategy under which, before issue of election notification by the Election Commission, meetings of senior BJP leaders with convenors of sectors would be organised for activating booth-level organisation. Senior BJP leaders, who are scheduled to tour the state include former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, partys UP incharge and Union Health Minister JP Nadda, UP co-incharge Govardhan Bhai Jhadapiya, BJP vice-president Dushyant Gautam, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Sushil Modi, and former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Raman Singh. There are 1.63 lakh polling booths in Uttar Pradesh and with 21 members each at nearly 1.4 lakh booths, over 29 lakh party workers will be deployed for ensuring the success of party candidates in the Lok Sabha elections. In Lucknow, Shah will meet presidents of polling booth committees of 16 Lok Sabha constituencies of Awadh region. The meeting will have the presence of about 25,000 booth-level presidents of the party. It will be a political message from the BJP president to the booth presidents, who are the lowest-level leaders, BJP state vice-president and booth committee in-charge JPS Rathore said. Shah will visit Kanpur and Lucknow for two such meetings on January 30 and later head to west UP for two more meetings on February 2 and 6. He will thereafter chair meetings in Varanasi and Gorakhpur on February 8. Shah will be accompanied by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, JP Nadda and BJP state chief MN Pandey in these meetings. Shah is also expected to dwell on the aspect of BSP-SP alliance and guide booth-level presidents on how to counter the challenge and make voters aware that it is an alliance of corrupt and casteist forces while the BJP booth-level president is the yoddha (warrior) of the party. Booth-level presidents will also be motivated to ensure good and early turnout of BJP voters on the day of polling with the aim to hit the 50 per cent vote share, the lack of which proved to be the undoing of the BJP in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls. Before Shah lands in UP, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, JP Nadda and two co-incharges would hold meetings in six regions of the state and prepare a report on the poll preparations of the BJP. The Mains examination of Jharkhand Public Service Commission commenced today amidst large scale deployment of security personnel outside the 57 examination centres in State. The first day of examination passed off peacefully without any major incident. Ranchi DDC, Divyanshu Jha said, The examination commenced peacefully there was no disturbance from any examination centres. However, around more than 100 students staged a peaceful protest march outside the JPSC office at Circular road. The students staging the protest demanded the Government to remove anomalies in the test. Chandan Kumar, one of the protesting students said, The Government should cancel the Mains examination is larger interest of students as the issue is subjudice in High Court. As per JPSC examination schedule the Mains examination will be held from January 28 to February 1. The Mains paper consist of 1050 marks with 100 marks compulsory (Hindi/English), 150 marks papers on regional languages, and four papers each consisting of 200 marks on subjects. The JPSC in 2015 issued the advertisement of 326 administrative posts. The PT examination was held on December 2016, while the results were declared on February 2017. The commission declared the results of 5,400 candidates, however, months later it revised the results declaring 6100 candidates as successful. As per earlier examination calendar, the mains test was to be held on January 29, 2018, however, some candidates approached the High Court with a plea that no reservation roaster was followed. The State Government to look into the grievances of candidates and other anomalies constituted a committee headed by state revenue and land reforms Minister Amar Bauri. On August last year the JPSC again issued fresh results declaring 34,634 candidates eligible for the Mains examination. However, the JPSC issue again rocks the assembly with opposition stalling the assembly proceedings. Leaders of opposition, Hemant Soren raised the issue both inside the house and outside, he said, The Governments inability to solve JPSC issue reflects its failure. The Government has become arrogant as it has majority in house. Congress MLA from Lohardaga Sukhdeo Bhagat too raised the issue in the house, he said, Out of 55 persons who are in the scrutiny process of PT examination papers, 18 persons are appearing in the Mains examination. This shows the gross negligence of the government in conducting the examination. Fadnavis said that there are 40,000 villages in Maharashtra and six lakh villages exist in India. Mumbai: Praising the role of gram parivartaks (village transformers) in shaping the rural economy, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on the occasion of Republic Day said financially em-powering six lakh villages would transform the nation. He also released Katha Parivart-anachi, a book of stories of rural transformation at Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan. A thousand villages were selected under this Village Social Transformation Programme (VSTP), which is being jointly undertaken by the state and corporate houses. The chief minister felicitated the village transformers, who had been appointed for each village. Mr Fadnavis said that there are 40,000 villages in Maharashtra and six lakh villages exist in the country. In order to bring social and economic reforms in these villages, every section of society should take initiatives, he said. The chief minister said that the programme, which was started two years back, is successful due to the efforts of gram parivartaks and peoples participation. Gram parivartaks have done the work of taking the governments schemes to the people on ground level. With the help of corporate social responsibility fund of the corporate companies, the works are being carried out in these villages, he added. Gram parivartaks are the soul of this programme and that other villages too would take inspiration from the successful programme and strive to transform themselves, he said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia laid the foundation stone for the 11,000 new classrooms in over 200 Government schools, at a function at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, New Friends Colony on Monday. Notably, this is the second phase of infrastructure expansion by the Delhi Government, after a successful rollout of 8,000 new classrooms between 2015 and 2018. Kejriwal in his address said, Today is historic day, not only for Delhi, but for the whole nation. Delhi Government is building more classrooms this year, than the number of classrooms being built by all the Governments of States and Central Government combined. Speaking at the foundation ceremony, the Deputy Chief Minister said, 25 new schools have been built, 31 are under construction & the blue prints for 78 new schools have been decided. We have no illusion that having built the right infrastructure, the work on education is completed. Today Delhi Government schools perform better than even private schools, selections in competitive examination from Government schools have gone up from 40-50 to 250 plus. This has been possible because the people voted for AAP as a harbinger of honest governance. Some people opine that education should be kept away from politics, I say to them that the fact that we kept education away from politics, is the reason why the govt schools of the nation are in such sad state. Its high time we bring Education in the political discourse of the country, said Sisodia. A delegation of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Mission met Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Monday. Nath held discussion with the delegation in connection to make smart villages on the lines of smart cities. The Chief Minister gave instructions in the meeting that implementation of projects should be ensured at the earliest by completing all the formalities after examining the proposed projects, so that projects could be completed within the next 3 years. Besides, Kamal Nath expressed hope before the delegation for its investment in Mono Rail Project, Forest Conservation, Joint Forest Management and Bio-Diversity project. The Chief Secretary SR Mohanty was present on the occasion. It was informed by the delegation that consent has been given by Japan to provide financial assistance for execution of Group Water Supply Schemes in Madhya Pradesh. A project costing Rs 3,000 crore is proposed for financial assistance from JICA. Under the project, potable water will be made available through domestic tap connection to about 20 lakh rural population of 1735 villages of 9 blocks of Mandsaur, Neemuch and Ratlam district. Misato Takahasi-Country Officer, Kazunori Nakai-Engineer, Kenichiro Iwahori-Programme Specialist, Suborto Talukdar-Principal Development Specialist, Mayasuki Fuji of JICA Consultant Firm Nippon Koei Company Ltd, Team Leader Risa Kikuchi, Sub-Leader Hidehisa Tamura, Akiro Natori of Facility Planning, Operation and Maintenance were part of the JICA delegation. Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party may have elbowed Congress out of their gathbandhan (alliance), but the sudden entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Uttar Pradeshs electoral arena seems to have disturbed their poll arithmetic. The alliance partners preferred to ignore the popular perception that accommodating the Congress in their scheme of things and offering it an honourable numbers of seats would be to their benefit. The BSP-SP alliance has left only two seats Amethi and Rae Bareli for the Congress. The BSP-SP alliance was announced in Lucknow on January 12 and two weeks later, Congress announced the entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into politics and appointed her as All-India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of eastern UP. The region is important for the alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party as SP is likely to contest majority of the seats there and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also have high stakes in the eastern region of the state. Sources in the SP confirmed that Priyankas sudden entry has applied brakes to the seat-sharing process as both the alliance partners are analysing the Priyanka factors impact on the electoral prospects of the Congress. Both parties have sought reports from ground zero in east and west UP on the electoral profile of Congress, particularly the mood of Muslims and their stance towards the Congress. The sources said that the candidates would be declared for all 76 seats (38 each of SP and BSP) well ahead of the announcement of poll schedule by Election Commission of India. Selection of candidates and seat distribution has been finalised. The BSP is to get a larger representation in west UP and Bundelkhand, while the SP will get more seats in east and central UP, the sources added. The Priyanka factor has added to the discomfiture of SP. Candidates of SP and BSP have been finalised on two seats each in Bundelkhand. SP candidates fear that the forceful entry of Congress in this scenario, if it happens, will not only complicate seat-sharing in Bundelkhand but also hurt their poll prospects on whatever number of seats they get. Though SP leaders claim that they will get a lions share of seats in east UP, the influence of Afzal Ansari and his brother, don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in Ghazipur, Mau, Azamgarh and Ballia districts can create problem for the SP. Afzal is likely to contest from Ghazipur seat on BSP ticket. The sources said that the BSP would not field its candidate at Kairana and Ghaziabad. In May 2018, Samajwadi Party had contested the Kairana bypoll on the symbol of Rashtriya Lok Dal. The Congress candidate had finished second in the Ghaziabad Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 general elections. The BSP had finished second on 35 seats but drew a blank in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The SP had won five seats and finished second on 28 seats. There is no difference among the two parties over sharing of Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats as SP candidates had won the Lok Sabha bypolls held there in March, 2018. Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested a 35-year-old man carrying a reward of Rs one lakh who allegedly supplied illegal ammunitions to Maoists in Odisha, police said on Monday. The accused was identified as Raj Bahadur (35), resident of Ara district in Bihar. On his arrest, police recovered 35 cartridges from his possession. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah stated that in the year 2018, two ammunition suppliers were arrested. During their interrogation, they disclosed that they procured the cartridges from Ara district in Bihar. They revealed that one Raj Bahadur of Bihar was their main source for the supply of illegal cartridges. It was also revealed that Raj Bahadur was arrested earlier too for the supply of illegal cartridges to the Maoists in Odisha. Efforts were made to locate arrest him, but he continued to evade arrest. A reward of Rs 1 lakh was declared by Delhi Police Commissioner on his arrest, Kushwah stated. Police disclosed that they received specific input on Wednesday stating that Raj Bahadur will be visiting one of his acquaintances in Shiv Ganj Colony area of Ara in Bihar. A team led by Assistant Sub Inspector Raj Kumar and Umesh Kumar with other staff laid a trap and Raj Bahadur was arrested, he said. During interrogation, police found that he is the brother-in-law of one Ram Krishna Singh, an ammunitions supplier. He was involved in the supply of illegal cartridges since 2008. He used to procure cartridges from one Santosh, resident of Patna, Bihar. He along with Ram Krishna Singh was arrested in Odisha in the year 2008, for carrying cartridges to supply to Maoists in the area. Apart from the supply of illegal cartridges Ram Bahadur also indulged in other criminal activities in his locality. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said that if the Congress vowed to fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, it should support the SP-BSP alliance. Akhilesh was responding to a question whether Priyanka Gandhi Vadras entry in politics was indeed a masterstroke of the Congress. The SP chiefs remarks assume significance in the light of Congress president Rahul Gandhis comment that he had due regard and respect for both Akhilesh and Mayawati and there was no animosity against them. Rahul had also said that his party would not play on the back foot and instead play on the front foot, be it Gujarat or Uttar Pradesh. Asked about Priyanka Gandhi Vadras appointment as in-charge of east UP, Akhilesh said, I welcome her entry in active politics. Youth should join active politics for the making of a new India. On Yogi Adityanath governments decision to hold Cabinet meeting in Kumbh Mela Area in Prayagraj, the SP chief reminded the BJP of the connection of Kumbh to Kannauj, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by his wife Dimple Yadav. It was Emperor Harsh Vardhan, whose capital was in Kannauj, who started the tradition of daan in Kumbh. He used to go there and give daan (alms). If the BJP government is serious about development of the state, it should tell what it has done on its own, except inaugurating schemes launched during my (SP) regime, he said. Akhilesh, who took a holy dip in Sangam in Prayagraj, said that during his regime Kumbh Mela arrangements were made that too by Muslim leaders and officers. People come to Kumbh driven by their faith. In our tenure, Urban Development Minister Mohammad Azam Khan, Health Minister Ahmad Hasan and Chief Secretary Javed Usmani made the best of arrangements. The SP believes in uniting people unlike the BJP, which is dividing society on communal lines, he said. Asked about Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths remark that his government could resolve the Ram temple issue within 24 hours, Akhilesh said, Pehle kisano ko agle 90 dino me saand se bacha lein jo fasal chaupat kar rahe hain (He should first save farmers in the next 90 days from the onslaught of stray bulls, which are ruining crops). Yogi had last week said that the Supreme Court must work towards an early resolution of Ram temple case and if there was unnecessary delay, institutions may lose peoples trust. He asked the court to give its verdict soon, and if it was unable to do so, it should hand over the issue to the BJP which would resolve the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute within 24 hours. Akhilesh said, If such a statement is given by a Chief Minister on Republic Day, one can imagine what kind of Chief Minister he must be. Promising to make caste data available if voted to power, the SP chief said, If we come to power, we will reveal caste data. Without knowing the caste data, development schemes cannot be formulated accurately. The Delhi Government on Monday said that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders will interact with farmers on Swaminathan Committee Report on Tuesday. Development Minister Gopal Rai Gopal Rai will preside over the conference with the farmers. Various issues pertaining to reasonable weighted cost of production and to suggest at separate Maximum Support Price (MSP) for Delhi farmers will be discussed. Incidentally, last year in December, AAP Government had formed an expert committee comprising of a senior scientist from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), farmers representatives and officers of the Agriculture Department for drafting the Agricultural Policy for Delhi. According to Delhi Government spokesperson, the committee has deliberated upon various issues pertaining to Agriculture in Delhi. One of the important issues before the Committee was to give recommendations on separate Minimum Support Price (MSP), 50 per cent more than the weighted cost of production taking into the consideration the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee Report on farmers, stated Governments release. A committee of officers of Agricultural Unit was constituted for the purpose of calculating the cost of cultivation of wheat, paddy and mustard crop of Delhi. The Committee has worked out the cost of production and is in the process of calculating the average cost of production, the official said. The members of committee constituted for drafting Agricultural Policy, farmers and other stake holders and officers of Agricultural Department of Odisha and Telangana Government have also been invited in this brain storming session. Final decision will be arrived at after further consultations with all stakeholders. Despite several constraints like infrastructural development issues, India is on its way to double its tiger population in 2022 from 1,411 in 2010 as resolved during the St Petersburg declaration in 2010. India has around 70 per cent i.e. 2,226 of the worlds tiger population. The latest numbers will be known by May end this year when results of fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation, 2018, is likely to be declared. Neighbouring Nepal, with an estimated 235 wild tigers, too seems to be progressing well to achieve its goal by the due target date as set by the 13 tiger range countries in Russia. However, most of the other countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Bhutan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, which have initiated the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) are either still struggling hard to up the numbers. Countries like Cambodia dont even have a single tiger. However, what is bothering the conservationists in India is that 22 per cent of the total striped cats in India are roaming outside the tiger reserves, exposed to poachers and man-animal conflicts among others. In 2018, nearly half of the total tiger deaths 49 to be precise were outside tiger reserves in the States like Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh due to urbanisation and agricultural expansion. Besides, poaching remains a cause of concern inside the tiger reserves too. Little wonder, for the third straight year, the number of tiger deaths in India has crossed the 100-figure mark. Underscoring the need for protection of the big cats, Union Environment Minister Dr Harshvardhan at an event here after releasing the report India Tiger Action Plan said conservation of tigers is a duty which has to be meticulously pursued and more innovative ways need to be devised so that targets adopted can be bettered. He was speaking at the two days conference starting Monday here to discuss the status of the Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP), initiated in St Petersburg, Russia with an aim to double the number of tigers by 2022. China, which is facing flak for allowing breeding of captive tiger farms did not attend the meeting. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Member Secretary Anup Kumar Nayak talked about challenges and gaps in tiger conservation pointing out that at present, India has 50 tiger reserves in 18 States which account for about 2.21 per cent of the countrys geographical area. Stressing on improved and contiguous habitats for the long-term survival of the species which has highest degree of protection under Indias wildlife laws, Nayak said five new tiger reserves have been notified which shall increase inviolate area for focused tiger conservation by 2310.73 square kilometres. Rajesh Gopal, Global Tiger Fund (GTF) head, said tiger recover is very fast if appropriate prey-base and protection measures are initiated. He said champions are needed for revival of this iconic species which is an indicator of vibrant bio-diversity and helps in conserving ecosystem. Sejal Worah from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said tiger dispersing outside the reserves can be protected with the help of community. Deputy DG of Nepal Environment Ministry Gopal Prakash Bhattarai said his country had 121 tigers in 2009 which has now increased to 235 in 2018 because of various protection measures particularly with the help of army and community support. BJP insists on 2014 formula as partner seeks more seats in LS polls The ruling saffron alliance partners on Monday indulged in posturing over a possible tie-up between them for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, with the Shiv Sena contending that it was a big brother in Maharashtra and the BJP retaliating that it was not helpless to run after its long-term ally for a seat-sharing arrangement for the LS elections. From the statements emerging from the two long-term saffron allies, it became quite clear that while the Shiv Sena was not averse to a tie-up with the BJP provided it was offered more number of seats to contest in the seat-sharing arrangement, the BJP was keen on inking the electoral alliance by not giving more than number of seats that it had allotted to the ally in the 2014 polls. It may be recalled that in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls which the two saffron parties had contested as an alliance, the BJP and Shiv Sena had contested 26 and 22 seats respectively in the State. The two parties had put up a spectacular performance in the polls by together winning 40 seats (BJP-22 and Sena-18 seats) out of total 48 seats. In an indirect pointer to a climbdown from its earlier stand of going it alone in Lok Sabha polls, the Shiv Sena said it is the big brother in Maharashtra and will continue to remains so, thus indicating it would not be averse to a tie-up with the BJP provided it is offered more number of seats to contest in the polls. Talking to mediapersons after a meeting of party MPs at Thackerays Bandra residence Matoshri, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut evaded a reply to a query if the Sena was firm on going it alone in the Lok Sabha polls but said, We have not received any proposal from the BJP. Nor has any BJP leader met Uddhav Thackeray in this regard. Asked to comment on the intense speculation that the BJP had offered 50:50 seat-sharing formula to the Shiv Sena, Raut said, This is a just a rumour and false news. We did not discuss any proposal from the BJP at the MPs meeting with Uddhavji. We have also not received any such proposal. Shiv Sena has always practised politics on the basis of its conditions. Even today, irrespective of who is in power in Maharashtra and at the Centre, we have been strong in our stand since late Balasahebs time. We are the big brother in Maharashtra and will continue to be so. And this big brother will shake the throne in Delhi, Raut said. Indulging in tough talk that also carried a message that the BJP was keen on having a tie-up with the Sena for the Lok Sabha polls, Maharshtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, We are not helpless. Dont bother about the alliance (for the Lok Sabha polls). The party ( Shiv Sena) that believes in Hindutva will come with us. Otherwise it will go against us. Jo ayega uske saath aur nahi ayega uske bina (We will go with those who come with us and will go without them if they dont come with us). We will not rest until the Modi Government is reinstalled in the country. Speaking at the concluding ceremony of the BJPs State executive meeting held at Jalna in Marathwada region, Fadnavis said, We are keen on an alliance with the Shiv Sena. We would like this alliance for the larger good of the country. All those who believe in Hindutva should come together. We are trying to bring all the Hindutva forces together. We do not want power to go back to those who have looted the country in the past. Thats why we are working towards forging an alliance with the Shiv Sena. But, no one should assume that we are helpless. If someone believe that way, it will be merely their assumption. Our is a party of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajypayee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are a party that came up from zero. We can never be helpless, the Chief Minister said. From the statements of both Raut and Fadnavis, it is evident that they are indulging in hard bargaining over seat-sharing, before getting to the negotiation table. A Banksy artwork at the Bataclan music hall in Paris, painted in tribute to the victims of the 2015 terror attack, has been stolen. The white painting of what appears to be a young person looking down at the ground was on a black door at the concert venue. The Bataclan confirmed the theft on Twitter. Luvre de @originaIbanksy hommage aux victimes du 13/11 a ete volee. pic.twitter.com/FMHoobzRXm Bataclan (@bataclan_) January 26, 2019 Briton Nick Alexander was among 90 music fans killed in a massacre during an Eagles of Death Metal concert at the Bataclan when coordinated attacks took place in the French capital in November 2015. The Bataclan said it was announcing the theft with a deep indignation, adding the artwork was a symbol that belonged to everyone locals, Parisians and citizens of the world. In June last year, Banksy, who is thought to hail from Bristol, posted two pictures of the artwork on Instagram, captioning one of them Fire door, Bataclan. The Bataclan concert hall in Paris, France, ahead of the venues reopening by Sting, as mourners prepare to mark one year since the Paris terrorist attacks. Earlier this month, a Banksy artwork painted on the side of a steelworkers garage was sold to an art dealer for a six-figure sum. John Brandler, 63, who owns Brandler Galleries in Essex, said he had agreed the mural could be kept in its current location in Port Talbot, South Wales, for a minimum of two years. The artwork, which shows a child dressed for snow playing in the falling ash and smoke from a skip fire, is Banksys first to appear in Wales and is believed to be a comment on pollution linked to its steel plant. Steelworker Ian Lewis, 55, said it was like Christmas had come early after the work appeared on the side of his garage in Taibach on December 18 but later said he was struggling to cope with the attention. A range of tales make headlines in the Sunday papers, from the latest political movements ahead of next weeks Brexit vote through to a royal sorry to the victim of a car crash. The Sunday Times leads with an investigation into big tech, reporting that 30 families have accused technology giants of abetting the suicides of their children. The Sunday Telegraph runs with criticism of the Electoral Commissions push to enhance its investigatory powers. The front page of tomorrow's Sunday Telegraph: 'Tory fury as election watchdog seeks police powers' #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/bHLwr9hYXF The Telegraph (@Telegraph) January 26, 2019 The Observer reports that there will be a mass exodus of companies from the UK should Britain leave the European Union without a deal. While the Independent writes that Brexit is already costing Britain 17 billion a year, with the figures based on research suggesting the UK economy is 2.3% smaller than it would have been had Remain prevailed. The Sunday Mirror carries details of a note sent from the Duke of Edinburgh to a woman who was injured in a crash involving the Queens consort. What the papers say - January 27 (PA) Royal Exclusive - Prince Philip: Im Deeply Sorry. Sunday Mirror reveals personal apology letter from the Duke of Edinburgh after his horror car smash. pic.twitter.com/dfOTO8ZIXs Russell Myers (@rjmyers) January 27, 2019 The Mail on Sunday writes about a witness who saw the speedboat crash in London which led to the death of Charlotte Brown, saying it nails former fugitive Jack Shepherd. The Sunday Express says Brussels is close to caving in over the Irish border backstop. And the Daily Star on Sunday reports on the health of former Coronation Street star Ken Morley. Frail at 130, Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' will stay at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam from now on. Amsterdam: At 130 years old, one of Vincent van Goghs famous paintings of sunflowers in a vase has become too delicate to keep touring the world and will have to stay at home in Amsterdam. Thats one of the key findings of experts conducting a six-week assessment and restoration of Sunflowers, painted by the Dutch master in southern France in 1889. The base and paint layers are stable, but sensitive to vibrations and changes in air humidity and temperature, said Van Gogh Museum director Axel Ruger. It is therefore important that the painting is moved as little as possible and that it is displayed in a stable environment, he said. In addition to the minor restoration, a team of experts has uncovered details about precisely what materials Van Gogh used, including the exact roll of linen its canvas was cut from. They said they were now more confident Van Gogh, who painted the canvas in January of 1889, had based it on an earlier Sunflowers he painted in the summer of 1888, which now hangs in the National Gallery in London. In the restoration, a layer of wax is being removed, but several varnishes applied over the years and now dirty or discolouring cannot be removed because they have bonded with the underlying paint. Sunflowers will go back on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam on February 22 under new, gentler lighting. This week sees the 20th anniversary of a major milestone for the Duchess of Cornwall. It is unlikely to be marked on Monday by the Royal Household but Operation Ritz in 1999 was a big deal. Just before midnight on January 28 1999, the Prince of Wales and his long-term love, Camilla Parker Bowles, stepped out in public for the first time as a couple. The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles leave the Ritz Hotel in London after attending the 50th birthday party of Camillas sister, Annabel Elliott (Toby Melvilla/PA) They were photographed in front of Londons Ritz Hotel as they left a 50th birthday party for Camillas sister, Annabel Elliot. The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles on January 28 1999 (John Stillwell/PA) Charles and Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall, eventually went on to marry in 2005, but in 1997, following the death of Charless ex-wife Diana, Princess of Wales, Camilla mostly stayed away from the limelight. Future king Charles, then 50, and his former mistress had gone to great lengths to avoid being seen or photographed together in public. But the carefully choreographed coming out signalled their relationship was finally official. Camilla and Charles leaving the Ritz ( Neil Munns/PA) The departure may have had important ramifications for their future public life together, but it was over in seconds. Charles emerged first, just ahead of Camilla, and walked down the steps of the hotel into a barrage of camera flashlights. At the foot of the steps, a beaming prince momentarily lost sight of Camilla, glancing to either side before guiding her with his arm towards the kerb side rear passenger door of their waiting Vauxhall Omega. Charles and Camilla being driven away from the Ritz (Peter Jordan/PA) He then walked casually but briskly to the opposite door, smiling briefly to the assembled media before he climbed in and was driven away. Camilla will legally become Queen Consort when Charles becomes king unless there is a change in the law. Royal aides insisted, when she married Charles, that Camilla did not want to be queen and said originally that she intended to be known instead as Princess Consort the first in British history when Charles acceded to the throne. Any mention of Princess Consort was removed from Charless website during a revamp in 2018. The Duchess of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales during the State Opening of Parliament in 2016 (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA) State banquets, State Openings of Parliament, royal tours and even joint engagements with the Queen have become the norm for Camilla 20 years on from a brief, but momentous appearance as she headed home from a party. A prolific former thief taunted his victims by posting pictures of their stolen motorbikes on social media. The reformed ex-criminal said he and his friends posted selfies while wearing balaclavas in which they threatened they were coming for your bikes. He would tear around Bristol on stolen bikes with his friends until they ran out of petrol and then set them ablaze. According to police, 10 motorbikes are stolen every week in the city. In a BBC Inside Out West documentary, the reformed thief explained why he went on his crime spree. Ryan the fake name he is given in the BBC programme to protect his identity said he would hack off chains with bolt cutters and sometimes even used angle grinders to steal a motorbike. The thieves would taunt their victims by posting pictures of their ruined motorbikes (BBC Inside Out West/PA) He said it was the large, powerful bikes he looked out for the most. Bikes are so easy to steal, he said. Bigger bikes are even easier to steal. Two wires mostly. I did it for fun really. It was just a game for me. Explaining why his friends put their exploits on social media, he said: It was about throwing it in peoples faces and saying We can do what we want. If I want a bike Im going to take it and theres nothing anyone else can do about it. And by putting it on Instagram, it was saying F*** you. We werent bothered about being seen we wanted to be seen. The police finally caught up with Ryan when tracking devices attached to stolen motorbikes were traced to his home. Ryan and his criminal friends would threaten bike owners in Bristol with alarming social media posts (BBC Inside Out West/PA) But a prison sentence did little to deter him. I got 18 weeks. I did nine weeks and I was back out at it again, he said. Inspector Rob Cheeseman, who is leading Avon and Somerset Polices investigation into Bristol vehicle theft, told the documentary the force is using social media to catch the thieves. We do a lot of work around building up our intelligence picture, he said. We use the social media platforms where they brag and boast about their exploits and we use that to our advantage to make sure we are as up to date as possible in terms of who the offenders are. The documentary also follows the Bristol volunteers who have reunited 82 stolen bikes with their owners. BBC Inside Out West will be aired on BBC One West at 7.30pm on Monday. It will be available on iPlayer immediately afterwards. A Holocaust survivor has paid tribute to the courageous actions of his parents during the Second World War to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. Steven Frank was just five years old when the Nazis invaded his home town of Amsterdam in 1940. His father, Leonard, who helped hide Jews and arrange papers for them as part of the Dutch Resistance, was betrayed and arrested in late 1942. The lawyer was also the legal member of a board that governed one of the most advanced Jewish mental hospitals in the world. Despite three friends petitioning the authorities for clemency because of his contributions to Dutch society, he was taken to Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland, where he was gassed age 39. Mr Frank, 83, from Hertfordshire, said: One day my father went off to work, he kissed us all goodbye and I never saw him again. The next thing that happened was my mother was informed that he had been arrested, and (she) took complete control. We fled from our home, we went into hiding all in different places. For me, to be hiding wasnt particularly onerous, it didnt mean a great deal to me (as a young child). Nothing happened to our home so my mother returned. Steven Franks father died at Auschwitz (Dave Thompson/PA) Mr Frank was speaking ahead of a commemorative event organised by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust on Sunday. He said Holocaust Memorial Day was always especially poignant because it falls so close to the anniversary of his fathers death on January 21 1943. Speaking of his pride in his fathers bravery, he said: He hadnt in his heart to turn his back on these mentally handicapped people and go to the safety of England with his wife and three children. He felt he had to stay behind and speak for them, thats why we never escaped and went to England. Mr Frank also praised the courage of his mother, Beatrix, who came to the Netherlands from England before the war. She was determined that the family make it through the war to be reunited with his father. After his father was arrested, his mother disguised herself as a male cleaner to visit him in prison, Mr Frank said, and she cut mens hair to earn money. Beatrix and her children were placed on a list in the hope that they could stay in the Netherlands and were taken to Barneveld in March 1943. But in September 1944 the family were sent to Theresienstadt camp in occupied Czechoslovakia an arduous journey with nothing but the stench of human sweat and urine. When they arrived, his mother asked to work in the camps laundry, aware it was one of the only places with hot water. Mrs Frank would wash her sons and others clothes in secret to prevent them from succumbing to a Typhus epidemic. Mr Frank recalled: She was absolutely determined she would present her three sons to her husband after the war she was convinced he would survive. The great tragedy was that by the time we had left our house he was already dead. She was convinced he would be alive because of the man that he was. I think that kept her going, thinking that he would be there and she would be able to present her three children to him at the end of the war. The camp was liberated by the Red Army in 1945, and Mrs Frank and her three sons moved to England to rebuild their lives. One in 20 UK adults does not believe the Holocaust took place, a survey suggests, while one in 12 believes its scale has been exaggerated. Almost two-thirds of respondents (64%) either could not say how many Jews were murdered or grossly under-estimated the number, a survey of more than 2,000 people by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) found. On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of people, including survivors, politicians and members of the public, will gather to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and remember its six million Jewish victims. More than 11,000 activities are expected to take place, while ceremonies will be held in London, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A national commemorative ceremony will take place in Westminster to mark the day, which is also acknowledging the 25th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda and 40 years since the end of the genocide in Cambodia. Holocaust survivor Steven Frank, who was one of 93 children who survived the Theresienstadt camp in Czechoslovakia along with his two brothers, said the figures were terribly worrying. His father, who helped hide Jews as part of the Dutch Resistance, was arrested in Amsterdam and taken to Auschwitz in Nazi-occupied Poland, where he was gassed on January 21 1943. Mr Frank, 83, said he was surprised that the survey found as many as one in 20 people still did not believe the Holocaust took place. He said: In my experience, people dont have a solid understanding of what happened during the Holocaust and thats one of the reasons I am so committed to sharing what happened to me. At one of my talks, I met someone who said the Holocaust didnt happen. The only way to fight this kind of denial and anti-Semitism is with the truth I tell people what happened, what I saw and what I experienced. Education is so important. If we ignore the past, I fear history will repeat itself. Holocaust survivor Steven Frank (Holocaust Memorial Day Trust) HMDT chief executive Olivia Marks-Woldman said: The Holocaust threatened the fabric of civilisation and has implications for us all. Such widespread ignorance and even denial is shocking. Without a basic understanding of this recent history, we are in danger of failing to learn where a lack of respect for difference and hostility to others can ultimately lead. With a rise in reported hate crime in the UK and ongoing international conflicts with a risk of genocide, our world can feel fragile and vulnerable. We cannot be complacent. Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: We know that education is vital in the fight against ignorance and hate. Whatever the statistics, one person questioning the truth of the Holocaust is one too many and so it is up to us to redouble our efforts to ensure future generations know that it did happen and become witnesses to one of the darkest episodes in our history. Communities Secretary James Brokenshire, who will be speaking at Sundays event, said: It remains essential now as ever to remember the Holocaust, to understand why it happened and to learn the stark lessons it gives. We must never forget where hatred and bigotry can lead. He added: This Government is clear that anti-Semitism has no place in our society and we all have a role to play in confronting hatred and extremism whenever and wherever it occurs. The Scottish Greens have warned they cannot support the Governments proposed budget as it stands, saying it would be damaging for local services across the country. They argue the current level of funding proposed for local government means they cannot back the SNP administrations budget for 2019-20. The Greens have called for a fundamental change of position from ministers ahead of the first vote on the budget on Thursday. Ministers say the budget proposes real terms increases in funding for councils and they are urging MSPs from other parties to unite behind the spending plans. With the SNP not having a majority in the Scottish Parliament, Finance Secretary Derek Mackay needs the support of at least one other party if his financial package is to be approved. Patrick Harvie wants to see further support for local government (John Linton/PA) The Greens, who say they have reached agreement with the SNP on four previous occasions, argue the budget contains fresh proposed cuts and they are looking for more money to be allocated to Scotlands councils. Total funding for both the revenue and capital budget in the local government settlement is up more than 210 million, with overall Scottish Government support to local government at 11.1 billion. This includes core funding and cash from other areas, but council umbrella body Cosla argues that due to money already committed and ring-fencing, both core capital and revenue budgets have been cut by 2%, at 198 million and 207 million respectively. Scottish Greens co-convener Patrick Harvie said: The Greens went into this years budget process with a precondition of progress on local tax reform, to make council budgets less dependent on the Government in future. Im convinced that a solid package of measures can be agreed, which over the coming years would empower Scotlands councils and finally end the unfair council tax. But the Government seem determined to force through a hugely damaging budget for 2019/20, decimating local services around the country. Thats not something we can support. As councils prepare to set their budgets for the coming year the threat to jobs, services like education and community facilities such as swimming pools and libraries is very real. A crisis in local services can be avoided, but it will require a fundamental change of position from the Scottish Government. Meanwhile, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have said Mr Mackay must take independence off the table if he wants to unlock budget talks with them. Leader Willie Rennie said: If the Finance Secretarys talks with the Green Party are faltering, he knows exactly what he needs to do to unlock talks. The damage done by independence to public services would be enormous. We are not asking the SNP to abandon their belief in independence. We just want the SNP minority Government to cease preparations for the remainder of this Parliament. Mr Mackay said the 11.1 billion settlement for local government represents a real terms increase in both revenue and capital funding, and a real terms increase in total overall support. He said the Scottish Parliament should unite behind the plans to provide certainty on public spending and economic investment amid ongoing Brexit uncertainty. Mr Mackay said his door remains open to opposition parties to secure a deal and ensure the budget passes. He said: With unemployment in Scotland below 100,000 for the first time on record, it is essential we do all we can to protect our economy amid the ongoing Brexit uncertainty. The Scottish budget we propose offers that stability and provides as much certainty as possible in the circumstances. Our spending plans for 2019-20 provide a real terms funding increase for Scotlands essential public services, including additional funding of almost 730 million for our health and care services and more than 180 million to raise attainment in our schools. The budget also gives a vital boost to our economy through our 5 billion infrastructure investment programme. The SNP is to call for the clock to be stopped on Brexit when it lodges an amendment to the Prime Ministers blueprint. MPs have been tabling amendments in Parliament to Theresa Mays deal, which was rejected at Westminster by an overwhelming 230 votes earlier this month. SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford is to table an amendment on Monday calling on Mrs May to note the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Commons all voted overwhelmingly to reject her deal. It will also seek an extension to Article 50 the mechanism which triggered the process of the UKs withdrawal from the EU call for a no-deal Brexit to be ruled out, and demand that Scotland should not be taken out of the EU against its will. The SNP said its MPs will also back the amendments tabled by Labours Yvette Cooper and Conservative former attorney general Dominic Grieve. Mr Grieves would give MPs powers to take control of the parliamentary agenda on a series of days in the run-up to the official date of EU withdrawal on March 29 to pass resolutions on the way ahead. Ian Blackford is to table a motion seeking an extension to Article 50 (House of Commons/PA) A cross-party group of MPs, including Ms Cooper and Tory former minister Nick Boles, is seeking to give time for a Bill to suspend the Article 50 withdrawal process if there is no new deal with Brussels by the end of February. Mr Blackford said: With just a matter of weeks before the Brexit date, the Prime Minister must change course before it is too late. The Tories think they can do anything they like to Scotland and get away with it, but in this crucial week the wishes of the people of Scotland must not be ignored. If, as the Prime Minister claims, the UK is a partnership of equals, then she must stop putting the interests of the right-wing of her party ahead of the interests of the people of Scotland. To protect jobs and living standards we need to stop the clock on Brexit and the Prime Minister must stop threatening the disaster of no deal. A UK Government spokeswoman said: We are leaving the EU on March 29. The choice is between a deal or no-deal. Its time for all MPs to get behind the Prime Ministers deal and avoid a no-deal. We are engaging extensively with businesses and people in Scotland, as well as with the Scottish Government. The amendments will be voted on by MPs on Tuesday. Frances yellow vest movement has kept up the pressure on President Emmanuel Macron with mainly peaceful marches and scattered skirmishes on its 11th straight weekend of action. The rallies and protests took place despite internal divisions among the protesters and growing worries about violence. Multiple anti-government protests took place in Paris and other cities, centred on Macron policies which are viewed as favouring the rich. About 80,000 police officers were deployed to patrol the events and to disperse any trouble. A few cars were set ablaze in the Normandy town of Evreux. In Paris, crowds gathered at the columned headquarters of Frances lower house of parliament. Police used tear gas on demonstrators at the iconic Bastille Plaza, some of whom hurled missiles in response. It was the 11th weekend of protests in a row in France (Michel Euler/AP) Armoured vehicles circled the Arc de Triomphe monument as a group of protesters weaved down the famous Champs-Elysees, the site of recent rioting. Some yellow vest leaders want to maintain momentum by holding protests after dark as well as during the day. Two groups planned events at Place de la Republique in eastern Paris, with some protesters threatening to defy police and stay overnight. Mr Macron has sapped some support for the movement by taking an active role in recent days in a national debate in towns across France, launched to address the protesters concerns. Protesters gathered in the Place de la Republique in eastern Paris (Kamil Zihnioglu/AP) Participants at the Champs-Elysees march called Mr Macrons national debate a smokescreen to distract the French from his pro-business policies. They expressed views which ranged from the far left to the far right. Many want Mr Macron to restore Frances wealth tax and allow the public to propose national referendums on anything from pulling France out of the euro to rewriting the constitution. It is unclear how long the movement can maintain its momentum. Mr Macron scrapped the fuel tax hike that initially sparked the protests and offered widespread tax relief when the protest violence hit a peak in December. Police officers group outside a Paris restaurant (Michel Euler/AP) One branch of the movement launched a bid this week for the European Parliament elections in May, but other protest leaders disagree with the idea. In another challenge for the yellow vest movement, rival groups calling themselves the red scarves plan demonstrations on Sunday to condemn violence unleashed by recent protests. In between the Saturday protests, yellow-vested crowds have occupied scattered roundabouts and tollbooths around France, disrupting traffic to express a sense of neglect by the central government. The movement began on November 17, and is named after the fluorescent garments French motorists must carry in case of emergency. A 21-year-old man is being hunted after his parents were shot dead in their home in Louisiana. Dakota Theriot, 21, has been identified by police as a prime suspect after Keith and Elizabeth Theriot were killed in their trailer in Gonzales on Saturday morning. Police arriving at the scene said they were able to interview one of the victims before they died and that information led them to name the couples son as the suspect. Dakota Theriot, 21, is being sought by police (Ascension police/AP) Three other people were also shot dead nearby in an incident being linked by police. Billy Ernest, 43, Summer Ernest, 20, and Tanner Ernest, 17, were found dead at their home. A relative said she believes Theriot had recently started dating Summer Ernest. Theriot remains at large and police said he is considered armed and dangerous. Englands hopes of a famous rearguard in Barbados ended in a humiliating 381-defeat in the first Test as unheralded spinner Roston Chase took remarkable figures of eight for 60. Chase arrived at the Kensington Oval with a career bowling average north of 47, but played the role of languid assassin despite finding no appreciable spin. England will look back in horror at their latest visit to Bridgetown, having been rolled over for 77 in the first innings and spent almost an entire wicketless day failing to part a seventh-wicket pair. But their capitulation at the hands of a functional off-break bowler who had expected to play a peripheral role was arguably the most surprising twist of all. Windies complete a huge win over England! Roston Chase finishes with remarkable figures of 8/60 as the Windies win by 381 runs. pic.twitter.com/OyscpELsyL ICC (@ICC) January 26, 2019 From 215 for four they were dismissed for 246 on the fourth evening, with Rory Burns career-best 84 the scantest of rewards. The task ahead of England as they started out 56 without loss was formidable somehow find a way to shatter the world record chase by reaching 628 or hang around for two entire days for a draw. First to have their say were Burns and Keaton Jennings, a rookie opening pair looking to answer questions over their long-term future as well as overcome more immediate travails. Rory Burns, who made 84, was a rare bright spot for England (Ricardo Mazalan/AP). Burns already had 39 to his name after a swift start on the third evening, quickly reaching his second half-century. His second scoring shot zipped involuntarily wide of third slip, but he was also able to dispatch a couple of half-volleys as he settled in. He continued to mix positivity, and a decent range of strokes, with some dicey moments, but Jennings slowed to a crawl, scoring 14 in 84 balls. When he was finally tempted out, Alzarri Joseph slanting one towards the cordon, a thick edge was gratefully snaffled by Jason Holder. England came within moments of reaching lunch without further loss, Jonny Bairstow scoring at a livelier rate than his predecessor, but faltered in the final over. One of the GREAT spinners Roston Chase .... #8For !!!!!!! Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) January 26, 2019 That had been handed to Chase, who must have been as surprised as anyone to see his fifth ball sneak between Burns bat and pad to part the stumps. The Windies returned in high spirits, only briefly punctured when Joe Root was out to a no-ball. Shannon Gabriel did everything right generating pace, finding just the right amount of bounce and thudding the glove except keep his boot the right side of the line. At least he learned his lesson, staying just behind when he banged one in at Bairstow, who brushed it away from his ribs and into the gloves of stand-in wicketkeeper Shai Hope. England captain Joe Root was furious with the manner of his dismissal (Ricardo Mazalan/AP). Despite more speed and hostility from Gabriel it was the gentle offerings of Chase which continued to hurt England. Root was furious to donate his wicket to the 26-year-old, yelling in self-reproach and thudding bat against helmet, after angling a flat off-break to Darren Bravo at slip. Holder cannot have intended to utilise Chase as long or as productively as this but watched on in delight as he duelled with Ben Stokes. There was a little back-and-forth between the pair, a poor lbw decision over-ruled by the batsman, who broke the shackles long enough to skip down the track and launch a sweet six down the ground. It was Chase who won the day, though, drifting one into the knee-roll and winning a sounder decision this time. At 215 for five defeat was now certain, but the manner and the swiftness cast England in a poor light. Moeen Ali fared worst of all, bagging his second duck of the match just before tea after wafting Chase fancifully to slip. Chase took a wicket in each of his next three overs and, although he relied on some outstanding fielding on each occasion, the selection of shots was curious at best. Jos Buttler cannot have expected John Campbell to leap to his left and claim a diving one-handed chance, but why was he whipping aerially through midwicket anyway? Ben Foakes and Adil Rashid also perished to skilful catches and Sam Curran was last man out, stumped on the wander, as Chase celebrated a scarcely believable day in the sun. West Indies spinner Roston Chase was Englands unlikely nemesis as their hopes of a brave rearguard crumbled on the fourth afternoon of the first Test. After being blown away for 77 by brilliant pace bowling on Thursday, England gifted four wickets to the gentle off-spin of Chase and were staring a hefty defeat in the face. Rory Burns, who made 84, Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali all fell to the all-rounder despite no appreciable spin and very little trickery. We are six wickets down at tea on Day 4. Scorecard: https://t.co/hMJYIoKAUh#WIvENG pic.twitter.com/S0cvDzYpjq England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 26, 2019 By tea the tourists were 217 for six, still 411 adrift and with four full sessions in front of them in Barbados. Burns, having scored 39 of Englands 56 for nought the previous evening, started the the day brightly if not flawlessly. His second scoring shot zipped wide of the slips for four, but he also dispatched a couple of half-volleys with authority. His second Test fifty came up in 79 balls and he quickly moved past his previous best of 59. While the Surrey skipper was progressing nicely Keaton Jennings slowed to a crawl before Alzarri Joseph slanted one across him and drew the error. Given the circumstances the decision to flash outside off was as regrettable as the edge which flew swiftly in the direction of Jason Holder at second slip. Jennings has now scored 20 or fewer in 19 of his 30 Test innings and looks to be clinging to his place. Jonny Bairstow proved a livelier foil for Burns, reeling off a handful of boundaries, including three in an over from Englands first innings conqueror Kemar Roach. Lunch was mere moments away when Holder tossed the ball to Chase. With minimal spin and reliable bounce there was no real explanation for Burns allowing his fifth delivery to creep between bat and pad and into the stumps. West Indies Roston Chase, right, celebrates with captain Jason Holder after dismissing Joe Root (Ricardo Mazalan/AP). Buoyed by the success, the Windies almost picked off captain Root with the fourth ball after lunch. Shannon Gabriel did everything right generating pace, finding just the right amount of bounce and thudding the glove except keep his boot the right side of the line. Root was only a yard or so from the boundary rope when he was turned around for a second chance. Bairstow (30) did not enjoy the same luck when Gabriel banged one in at him, brushing it away from his ribs and into the hands of stand-in wicketkeeper Shai Hope. Despite more speed and hostility from Gabriel it was the gentle offerings of Chase which continued to hurt England. Root (22) failed to make the most of his reprieve, rocking back to a straight ball and giving Darren Bravo slip practice. Yelling in self-reproach and pressing his bat to his helmet, Root took Englands best hopes with him. Chases big day continued when he drifted one into Stokes knee-roll for an lbw shout upheld on the field and via DRS, the England man departing for 34. Moeen bagged his second duck of the match soon after, nonsensically wafting Chase to slip. It also follows the NDA governments decision to give 10 per cent quota to the economically backward section in the general category. Raipur: Taking a cue from Garibi Hatao slogan of Indira Gandhi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday declared to introduce a historic measure to guarantee a minimum income to the poor in the country, if his party wins the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Addressing the Kisan Abhar Sammelan organised in Raipur to thank farmers for voting Congress to power in Chhattisgarh in the November Assembly elections, Mr Gandhi gave a broad outline of the measure, saying, a fixed amount would be transferred to the account of each unemployed poor every month. Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government at the Centre on the issue of farmers loans, Mr Gandhi said, The Congress has decided to take a historic decision...The Congress-led government is going to give minimum income guarantee. This means, every poor person in India will have a minimum income. This means there will be no hungry, poor people in India (any longer). No other country in the world has taken such an initiative so far, he said, highlighting that Congress has delivered on its previous poll promises including the rural job scheme and RTI. The announcement, seen as the biggest Lok Sabha poll promise made by the Congress after the one on farm loan waiver, comes ahead of the Union Budget, the last to be presented by the Modi government before the polls in May, which is widely speculated to come with big ticket populist schemes that would pave the way for cash transfer to farmers instead of subsidies as a sort of monthly income support. It also follows the NDA governments decision to give 10 per cent quota to the economically backward section in the general category. Later, Mr Gandhi, We cannot build a new India while millions of our brothers & sisters suffer the scourge of poverty. If voted to power in 2019, the Congress is committed to a minimum income guarantee for every poor person, to help eradicate poverty & hunger. This is our vision & our promise, he said in his tweet. Projecting his party as pro-farmer, Mr Gandhi distributed symbolic loan waiver certificates to some of the beneficiary farmers and hit out at the BJP-led Union government for writing off `3.5 lakh crore worth of loans of 15 big industrialist but not waiving off loans of farmers. Continuing his attack on the Centre over the Rafale figher jet purchase issue, he reiterated the allegation that the government ensured a benefit of `30,000 crore to industrialist Anil Ambani in this worlds biggest defence contract. Narendra Modi and the BJP want to create two Indias one of loan waiver (for industrialists), Rafale scam, Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Narendra Modi. In that you will get whatever you want... If you want Rafale contract, you will get it. If you want land, water, electricity, you will get it, Mr Gandhi said. The other India is of the poor, the weak, farmers, the youth. You are not going to get anything in that India. There you will only get Mann Ki Baat, 24 hours only Mann Ki Baat, Mr Gandhi said, referring to the Prime Ministers monthly radio address. He said the previous BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had ignored the demand to waive crop loans saying that they had no money. The BJP- led NDA government also rejected the farmers plea to write off their loans offering similar argument. However, Congress had promised to write off loans of farmers within 10 days of coming to power in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Our governments in these three states have implemented the promise made by the Congress, he added. The Congress has waived loans for farmers from cooperative and state-run banks worth above `6,100 crore after coming to power in Chhattisgarh. He said Congress always works in the interest of the farmers and cited the return of agriculture lands acquired for an abandoned Tata Steel project in Chhattisgarh by the state government to farmers, to drive his point home. He also recalled that it was the Congress which was instrumental in ushering in green revolution in the country and bringing the food security Act. A university professor has accused the Democratic Unionist Party of running around Europe attempting to self-harm Northern Ireland. Colin Harvey, professor of human rights law at Queens University Belfast School of Law, also called for the British Government to ensure the rights of people living in Northern Ireland are enshrined before the UK leaves the EU. There is a lack of clarity and certainty. We need rights codified and enshrined in law, he said. We do not need warm words about the Common Travel Area. We need it written down and formalised. Massive cheer in the room as Paul Gosling comments that "If only the British government could organise Brexit as well as the organisers here today". #IrelandsFuture. pic.twitter.com/vDo7IBVCXE Ireland's Future - Todhchai na hEireann (@IrelandsFuture) January 26, 2019 The professor was speaking at the Beyond Brexit event in Belfast which examined what Northern Ireland would look like post-Brexit. He said: We acknowledge the special arrangements in the Withdrawal Agreement and the majority of people here want to see the (backstop) protocol as a medicating factor for the terrible situation we are in. Literature on display at the Beyond Brexit event (Brian Lawless/PA) We are beyond the stage of warm words. There are things the British Government can do get on and do it. We are being told that we cannot talk about the Good Friday Agreement mechanism for permanently getting rid of the hard border on this island. We will not be seeking permission from anyone to talk about the unity of our country. Professor Harvey also defended the events organisers for not inviting Unionists to speak at the conference at Belfasts Waterfront Hall. Let me absolutely clear, we apologise to no-one for being here today and having the conversation about the rights of Irish citizens, he said. I make no apology for being with you today. The Beyond Brexit gathering in Belfast is the latest initiative by Irelands Future a collective of Irish citizens living in the region seeking to highlight the potential impact of Brexit on their rights and livelihoods. Political commentator Brian Feeney told the audience that Irish citizens living in Northern Ireland have been left behind by the Irish Government. Mr Feeney, who was one of a number of panellists speaking at the event, also accused the British Government of being in contravention of the Good Friday Agreement. He explained: Their default position is: if you are living in the North, you are a British citizen and there is nothing you can do about it. They say an international treaty has no constitutional position in Her Majesty Governments law. We hear all these promises (from the Irish government), we are told: You wont be left behind, we are totally committed to this warm words. Thats all we get. Journalist Paul Gosling said that he has been left appalled by people in England who he claimed do not care about the border. The rise of English nationalism is what drove Brexit. It represents a challenge and a threat to democracy, he added. He also said he could not support a border poll at the present time. We have to think and plan. We could have a defeat in the South which could put us back many years, he continued. The prospect of united Ireland is reasonable. A hardening of the border in Ireland will be met with a demand for a unity referendum, the Sinn Fein president has told a Brexit conference. More than 1,500 people attended the Beyond Brexit event in Belfast, which examined the future of Northern Ireland and the Republic after the UK leaves the EU. During her speech, Mary Lou McDonald called for the Irish Government to convene a forum in a bid to begin planning for Irish unity. The event was organised by Irelands Future, a collective of Irish citizens living in Northern Ireland seeking to highlight the potential impact of Brexit on their rights and livelihoods. Other speakers at the Waterfront Hall included SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, Irelands Education Minister Joe McHugh and deputy leader of Fianna Fail Dara Calleary. Ms McDonald said crashing out of the EU with no deal in place would lead to a hardening of the border. There are no little Irelanders here and we will not tolerate the narrowness of the Brexiteers or policy of isolation imposed by Brexiteers, she said. A crash means a hardening of the border and the loss of rights and continued uncertainty and instability. A hardening of the border is inconceivable and will be met with the demand for a unity referendum. We dont exactly know what will happen over the next few weeks or months. Its not in our hands, its in the hands of a minority Tory Government in London, and that is the crux of the problem. Its irresponsible and arrogant for a Dublin Government to shout down any prospect of a unity referendum. While there were no Unionist politicians speaking at the event, Ms McDonald issued a direct message to the unionist community saying they would have a home in a united Ireland. She added: You will have a place at the table, a place at the centre of political life and not left in the margins of Westminster. The Protestant, loyalist and unionist community are part of the fabric and diversity of our nation and they must be part of the discussion in shaping the new Ireland and be partners in building a new Ireland. Our shared and often troubled history can be reconciled. Regardless of Brexit there will be a unity referendum. Its our job to secure that, to win it and win it well. Mr Eastwood, however, said now is not the right time for a border poll. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood voiced concern about any hardening of the Irish border (Brian Lawless/PA) There are Unionists who are willing to engage and explore new possibilities, he said. Unionism should have nothing to fear in a conversation based on persuasion and consent. My appeal to unionism is this try to convince us of your vision for the future and well try to convince you of ours and then in time let the people decide. He also raised his concerns over the hardening of the border, saying it would be a deliberate violation of the political process by the British Government. There is no getting away from the fact that Brexit has changed everything and will continue to change everything, he added. Mr McHugh, a Donegal TD, told the crowd it is imperative that the peace process is protected. He added: The impact of Brexit will of course be felt across this island in many different ways. We are doing everything we possibly can to prepare for and mitigate those impacts. We believed it was imperative to protect the hard-won progress in repairing and building the three sets of relationships encompassed by the Good Friday Agreement which were all supported and improved by our common EU membership. We have never sought to use the context of Brexit to advance any other political agenda. Irish Education Minister Joe McHugh told the conference that the peace process must be protected after Brexit (Brian Lawless/PA) Referring to last Saturdays New IRA car bomb in Derry, Mr McHugh said it was an appallingly reckless act of terror. Mr Calleary was critical about how Brexit has consumed political systems, adding that issues on both sides of the Irish Sea have been minimised and forgotten about. He said: The issues about health, homelessness, infrastructure, are all relegated. Those are the issues that peoples lives are dependant on, yet the energy of politics, the energy of the civil service, has been consumed by this political process. We cannot ignore issues like climate change, we cannot ignore inequality in our education system, health and housing system. We have to come up with a process that can deal with the issues around rights-based legislation and issues that are blocking the return of the institutions. Meanwhile Niall Murphy, a Belfast solicitor and co-organiser of the event, criticised the DUPs opposition to an Irish language act. He described it as an example of the DUPs sneering contempt for parity of esteem. He added: Our language is an intrinsic part of all of our identity as citizens, yet we endure contemptuous taunts, such as Curry My Yoghurt and Crocodiles, and the cancellation of microscopic bursaries for the Donegal Gaeltacht. A man who was rescued from the River Clyde after disappearing from a restaurant has died in hospital. The alarm was raised for the 42-year-old when he was reported missing from an eatery on Rue End Street in Greenock, Inverclyde, at around 1pm on Saturday. Police, the coastguard and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service carried out a search for the missing man and he was recovered from the water in the harbour at around 2.30pm. He was taken to Inverclyde Royal Hospital, where he died a short time later. A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident. A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal. A pedestrian is in a serious condition in hospital after being struck by a car in a hit-and-run, police said. The 23-year-old man was crossing a road in Moodiesburn, North Lanarkshire, when he was hit by a silver Ford Fiesta. The car driver failed to stop following the collision, which happened some time after midnight on Friday. Emergency services went to the scene, on Stoneyetts Road, near the Gartferry Road junction, and the victim was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He remains in hospital in a serious condition. Police Scotland officers are appealing for information as they work to trace a Ford Fiesta and a grey Vauxhall Corsa. Police are seeking information about two cars following the crash (Yui Mok/PA) Both cars were seen driving alongside each other in Central Way, Cumbernauld at 12.08am on Friday. The cars then travelled along the A8011 and on to the M80, M73, A80 and various other roads in the Moodiesburn and Chryston areas. The Ford Fiesta headed off towards Gartferry Road after hitting the man in Moodiesburn. Officers are seeking information about both cars between 12.08am and 12.31am and are asking anyone with dash cam footage from the area at that time to come forward. The road was closed for several hours to allow police to carry out their inquiries at the scene. The coastguard is helping emergency services in the search for a missing pensioner. Phyllis Milne, 86, was last seen at around 10pm on Friday by a family member and reported missing from Quarryhill in Keith, Moray. Phyllis Milne was last seen at around 10pm on Friday (Police Scotland/PA) She is described being around 5ft 6in, of medium build with grey thick short curly hair and wears glasses. The elderly woman is potentially wearing a beige jacket with a fur collar and hat. Police are asking anyone with information to contact them on 101. Scottish constitutional relations secretary Mike Russell has labelled comments made by Tory MP Mark Francois about German bullying as obscene. The SNP MSP said extreme Brexiteer Mr Francois remarks about not submitting to German bullying because his D-Day veteran father did not either should be condemned. Mr Russell was speaking at a Peoples Vote rally in Edinburgh, and told the audience of around 150 about his own father, who was injured during the Second World War. He said: At the age of 19 he volunteered (He) was a sergeant at Dunkirk and had a bullet through his knee. And I think if there was one thing that he believed that he could achieve it was that his 19-year-old son would never go through that experience, just as my 19-year-old son will never go through that experience. Mark Francois remarks were obscene. They were wrong. They should be condemned. We should remember that is what we are up against. The reality is were trying to do something to change a system which is immensely complicated, immensely complex, and by doing so with an extraordinary carelessness and xenophobia as we saw in Mark Francois remarks. Mr Russell also said there is viable potential to hold another referendum before Britain leaves the European Union on March 29 if work begins as soon as possible and the options of ruling out a no-deal or extending Article 50 are not taken. He said the latter would complicate matters further because of the upcoming European elections. Tory MP Mark Francois (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Mr Russell added: I spend about half to three-quarters of my time working on issues of a no-deal Brexit and it is literally unthinkable that we would find ourselves in those circumstances. And contrary to what the Prime Minister says, a no-deal Brexit can be ruled out with a vote in the House of Commons and the stroke of a pen. If the elected representatives of the people cannot in the end find the solution, how do you get a solution except by returning to the people? And you return to the people either in an election, or you return to the people by means of a referendum. That is where we are now. Of course, best practice referendums do require a considerable amount of time to organise. But it is physically possible to organise the best possible referendum within the time available provided that work starts now. Sir Anton Muscatelli, principal at Glasgow University, also spoke at the event and remarked on how Brexit would impact upon the Erasmus programme. The academic revealed the institute could lose around 12% of funding through a lack of uptake in the scheme because of the border difficulties in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Speaking in a personal capacity as an economist, Sir Anton told the audience: Young people at my university keep telling me how much they value their feeling, that they belong to a common European home. Where being a citizen of an EU country does mean being a citizen of somewhere. It means feeling proud of your national identity whilst still feeling that you belong everywhere in Europe. In contrast, the Prime Ministers misplaced thesis is about being a citizen of everywhere in Europe, not a citizen of nowhere. I believe this is the defining issue. Those of us who value our relationship with Europe and what it means to be European will make our voices heard. A few months ago, he called Brexit was the most unhinged example of national self-sabotage in living memory. Pleased to be speaking at @euromovescot meeting this morning in Edinburgh on #Brexit and the deleterious impact its already having. @marklazarowicz Anton Muscatelli (@UofGVC) January 26, 2019 On Saturday, Sir Anton added: The people advocating (a no-deal Brexit) are modern day alchemists trying their base to turn metal into gold. But we all know where that ends up. Base metal doesnt turn to gold, Brexit isnt going to turn into anything less than an unmitigated disaster regardless of any imagined deal which provides all the benefits of the single market with none of the obligations. The UK faces an unprecedented political crisis and the only people who can get us out of this mess are the people by voting again. Failure by the politicians means people must now take back control of our destinies. Mike Russell, Sir Anton Muscatelli and Catherine Stihler in Edinburgh (Douglas Barrie/PA) Also on the panel was Catherine Stihler MEP, who is standing down from her position before Brexit and the next election to join a data-sharing initiative. The Labour representative said: The first thing I ever worked upon was to battle labelling, to put graphic warnings on cigarette packets. You might not think thats a big issue but when you think about the fact we could regulate at a European level over 300 million people to create one rule rather than 15-20 different countries, you could never have done that if it hadnt been for us working together. I feel very proud that I instigated that and weve led in Scotland with tobacco legislation. We also didnt have braille on pharmaceutical packaging. People from the industry said if it hadnt been for that amendment or work we would never have done it. That makes such a difference across the whole of the EU. I hope the future of the EU is that we will still be members and that each one of you will help us will help us together. Rescuers are searching for survivors in a huge area of south-eastern Brazil buried by mud after the collapse of a dam holding back mining waste. At least nine people are dead and up to 300 more are missing after the disaster in Minas Gerais state. State governor Romeu Zema said: Most likely, from now on we are mostly going to be recovering bodies. Workers with Brazilian mining company Vale were eating lunch on Friday afternoon when the dam collapsed, unleashing a sea of reddish-brown mud that knocked over and buried several structures belonging to the company. Dozens of companys employees will act as volunteers helping with reception and identification services. Vale is already providing all the necessary resources (food, water, medicines etc). Vale Global (@valeglobal) January 25, 2019 The level of devastation in the city of Brumadinho and surrounding areas quickly led President Jair Bolsonaro to describe it as a tragedy. Vale CEO Fabio Schvartsman said he did not know what caused the collapse, and confirmed that about 300 employees were working in the area when it happened. About 100 have been accounted for, and rescue efforts are under way to determine what had happened to the others. Mr Schvartsman told a news conference that the principal victims were our own workers, adding that the restaurant where many of his staff ate was buried by the mud at lunchtime. A collapsed bridge near Brumadinho, Brazil (Bruno Correia/Nitro via AP) After the dam collapsed in the afternoon, parts of Brumadinho were evacuated, and firefighters rescued people by helicopter and ground vehicles. Local television channel TV Record showed a helicopter hovering inches off the ground as it pulled people covered in mud out of the waste. Photos showed rooftops poking above an extensive field of the mud, which also cut off roads. The flow of waste reached the nearby community of Vila Ferteco and a Vale administrative office, where employees were present. Another dam administered by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton collapsed in 2015 in the city of Mariana in Minas Gerais state, resulting in 19 deaths and forcing hundreds of people from their homes. A cut-off road near Brumadinho (Leo Drumond/Nitro via AP) Considered the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history, it left 250,000 people without drinking water and killed thousands of fish. An estimated 60 million cubic metres of waste flooded rivers and eventually flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Mr Schvartsman said what happened on Friday was a human tragedy much larger than the tragedy of Mariana, but probably the environmental damage will be less. Mr Bolsonaro, who assumed office on January 1, said he has sent three cabinet ministers to the area. Flooding triggered by the dam collapse (Bruno Correia/Nitro via AP) We will take all the possible steps to minimise the suffering of families and victims, Mr Bolsonaro said in a speech, which he posted on Twitter. The president plans to tour the area later. The far-right leader campaigned on promises to jump-start Brazils economy, in part by deregulating mining and other industries. Environmental groups and activists said the latest spill underlined a lack of regulation. The rivers of mining waste raised fears of widespread contamination. According to Vales website, the mine waste, often called tailings, is composed mostly of sand and is non-toxic. However, a UN report found that the waste from the 2015 disaster contained high levels of toxic heavy metals. Boris Johnsons father and reported partner were among protesters at an event opposing Japans plans to resume commercial whaling. Stanley Johnson and ocean conservationist Carrie Symonds, who is reported to be Boriss girlfriend, were speakers at the anti-whaling protest in central London on Saturday. Japan took the decision in December to leave the International Whaling Commission, and this week Japanese whalers were discussing plans to start commercial hunting along the north-eastern coasts for the first time in three decades. Mr Johnson and Ms Symonds were spotted smiling and chatting together after they both addressed the crowd. Speaking to the Press Association beforehand, Ms Symonds said: I think that whaling is incredibly cruel. Theres no two ways about it. And the main reason often given for whaling is that its tradition. But I think that this is the kind of tradition that should remain in the dustbin of history. Quite frankly weve all seen the pictures of whales being slowly killed with the sea turning red with blood as theyre harpooned. Its violent. Its disgusting. And these are some of the most endangered and intelligent and beautiful creatures we have. Stanley Johnson introduces himself to Carrie Symonds at an anti-whaling protest (John Stillwell/PA) She added: How about we start a new tradition today? And instead we have a tradition where we protect these animals, we respect these animals and we recognise how lucky we are to live alongside these animals. When asked whether Boris Johnson would be joining her at the protest she declined to comment. Speaking before he addressed the crowd, Stanley Johnson said: Theres no humane way to kill a whale, no humane way. So theres a huge task in front of us now. The Japanese have said theyre going to withdraw in July from the International Whaling Commission. Activist Dawn Smith takes part in an anti-whaling protest (John Stillwell/PA) We must appeal to them not to do that. We must appeal to them not to start commercial whaling again. And I think we have to be ready to say: Look, if you do go on, then there will be sanctions. Dominic Dyer, from the Born Free Foundation, was the main organiser of the protest which drew a crowd of a few hundred. He said the protest was held due to Japans decision to leave the International Whaling Commission and to go back to whaling from the beginning of July. We think this sets a dangerous precedent for other countries to follow, he said, adding: We could see South Korea break out of the IWC, and China break out of the IWC. Stanley Johnson (front centre) joins activists taking part in an anti-whaling protest outside the Japanese Embassy in central London (John Stillwell/PA) We have serious worries that the geographical area that Japan will hunt whales in is a migration route and a movement route for many whales, including many endangered species. He added: Were starting what we hope is a global movement in London that will see similar protests in America, Australia, Canada and we hope this will generate huge public and political opposition to make the Japanese government change its mind. The demonstration began in Cavendish Square followed by a march to the Embassy of Japan on Piccadilly. Thousands of Indians have gathered in the capital to watch a display of the countrys military power, amid tight security during the Republic Day celebrations. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was the chief guest at the parade, which celebrates the anniversary of the adoption of Indias Constitution in 1950. India had first invited President Donald Trump but US officials declined, citing a scheduling issue. Schoolchildren, folk dancers, and police and military battalions marched through New Delhis parade route on a cold morning, followed by the military hardware display that included M777 American Ultra Light Howitzers artillery guns, T-90 main battle tanks, locally made nuclear-capable missile systems and infantry combat vehicles. Indian army tanks during the parade (Manish Swarup/AP) Men, women and children in colourful dresses performed traditional dances and acrobatics on the sun-bathed boulevard, drawing applause from the spectators. The spectacle ended with Indian air force aircraft whizzing past the saluting base. Millions of Indians watched the 90-minute display on TV. The theme of the parade was the 150th birthday of Indias independence leader, Mahatma Gandhi. Mr Ramaphosa watched with interest and waved at tableaux depicting among other things Gandhis life as he won independence for the country from British colonialists in 1947. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was guest of honour (Manish Swarup/AP) Gandhis days in South Africa influenced his decision to resist racial segregation and other injustices with nonviolent protests. Similar parades were held in Indian states, including Jammu-Kashmir and Manipur, where separatist militants do not accept Indian rule and called for general strikes. There were no immediate reports of any insurgent violence from these areas. The possibility of an insurgent attack prompted more than 50,000 police and paramilitary soldiers to guard the parade route in the Indian capital. The parade concluded with a flypast (Manish Swarup/AP) Four Indian National Army veterans, aged over 90, also took part in the parade, seated on a tableau. They were followers of Subhash Chandra Bose, a Congress Party leader who formed an army to fight British colonial rulers with the help of the Japanese in the 1940s. At least seven people have died and around 200 remain missing after a mining dam collapsed in Brazil. President Jair Bolsonaro described the collapse in the city of Brumadinho as a tragedy. Seven bodies had been recovered by late on Friday, according to the governors office of Minas Gerais state. But it was feared the death toll would grow as rescue and recovery teams dug through feet of mud. Fabio Schvartsman, CEO of mining company Vale, said he did not know what caused the collapse. About 300 employees were working when it happened. About 100 had been accounted for, and rescue efforts were under way to determine what had happened to the others. The principal victims were our own workers, Mr Schvartsman told a news conference, adding that the restaurant where many ate was buried by the mud at lunchtime. Dozens of companys employees will act as volunteers helping with reception and identification services. Vale is already providing all the necessary resources (food, water, medicines etc). Vale Global (@valeglobal) January 25, 2019 After the dam collapsed in the afternoon, parts of Brumadinho were evacuated, and firefighters rescued people by helicopter and ground vehicles. Local television channel TV Record showed a helicopter hovering inches off the ground as it pulled people covered in mud out of the waste. Photos showed rooftops poking above an extensive field of the mud, which also cut off roads. The flow of waste reached the nearby community of Vila Ferteco and a Vale administrative office, where employees were present. A collapsed bridge near Brumadinho, Brazil (Bruno Correia/Nitro via AP) Ive never seen anything like it, said Josiele Rosa Silva Tomas, president of Brumadinho residents association. It was horrible the amount of mud that took over. Ms Silva Tomas said she was awaiting news of her cousin, and many she knew were trying to get news of loved ones. Another dam administered by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton collapsed in 2015 in the city of Mariana in Minas Gerais state, resulting in 19 deaths and forcing hundreds from their homes. Considered the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history, it left 250,000 people without drinking water and killed thousands of fish. An estimated 60 million cubic meters of waste flooded rivers and eventually flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. A cut-off road near Brumadinho (Leo Drumond/Nitro via AP) Mr Schvartsman said what happened on Friday was a human tragedy much larger than the tragedy of Mariana, but probably the environmental damage will be less. The state fire department said about 200 people were missing. The Minas Gerais governors office said 150 were missing. Mr Bolsonaro, who assumed office on January 1, said he lamented the accident and sent three cabinet ministers to the area. We will take all the possible steps to minimise the suffering of families and victims, Mr Bolsonaro said. Mr Bolsonaro planned to tour the area by helicopter on Saturday. The far-right leader campaigned on promises to jump-start Brazils economy, in part by deregulating mining and other industries. Environmental groups and activists said the latest spill underscored a lack of regulation. Flooding triggered by the dam collapse (Bruno Correia/Nitro via AP) The latest spill is a sad consequence of the lessons not learned by the Brazilian government and the mining companies responsible for the tragedy with Samarco dam, in Mariana, also controlled by Vale, Greenpeace said in a statement. History repeats itself, tweeted Marina Silva, a former environmental minister and three-time presidential candidate. Its unacceptable that government and mining companies havent learned anything. The rivers of mining waste raised fears of widespread contamination. According to Vales website, the mine waste, often called tailings, is composed mostly of sand and is non-toxic. However, a UN report found that the waste from the 2015 disaster contained high levels of toxic heavy metals. Vale is Brazils largest mining company. Two hours after the accident, its stock fell 10% on the New York Stock Exchange. Just before midnight Saturday, firefighters put out a list of 187 people who had been rescued throughout the afternoon. Of the 427 workers who were on hand when the dam collapsed, 279 had been accounted for, Vale said in a statement. More than 100 firefighters were on the scene and another 200 were expected to arrive Saturday. The SC bench headed by CJI Gogoi has already said that there is no need to conduct an investigation into the details of Rafale pricing. Congress had released which they claimed to have conversation between CM Parrikar and Health Minister Rane, stating that Parrikar had all files related to the deal in his bedroom. (Photo: Twitter | @INCIndia) New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday demanded action on ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for allegedly being in possession of files related to the Rafale deal. Taking to Twitter, he wrote, "30 days since the Goa Audio Tapes on RAFALE were released. No FIR or enquiry ordered. No action against the Minister either! It's obvious that the tapes are authentic & that Goa CM, Parrikar, is in possession of explosive RAFALE secrets, that give him power over the PM." The Congress party, earlier this month, had released an audio clip claiming that Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar possessed all files related to the deal. Congress party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala claimed that Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane was speaking in it to another person about the deal. In the audio, Rane, as claimed by Congress, divulged that Parrikar, who was the Defence Minister when the Rafale deal was signed in 2016 between India and France, had "all files related to the deal in his bedroom." Later, Rane hit back at the Congress, asserting that the audio tape was doctored and Parrikar made no mention about Rafale deal and its documents. "The audio tape is doctored. Congress has stooped to such a low level to doctor a tape to create miscommunication between the Cabinet and Chief Minister. Parrikar has never made any reference to Rafale or any documents. I have asked him for a criminal investigation into the matter," Rane told reporters. The Supreme Court on December 14 last year had dismissed all petitions seeking court-monitored probe into the Rafale deal with France, saying that there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the deal. The top court said it was not its job to go into the issue of pricing. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, has already said that there is no need to conduct an investigation into the details of Rafale pricing. The Rafale jet deal controversy has been on the boil over the last few months. The Congress and other opposition parties have been alleging irregularities in the high-profile deal. Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is likely to persist with Fernando Llorente for the FA Cup fourth round at Crystal Palace. Llorente has started the last two games following the injury to Harry Kane and has endured a mixed time. He scored an own goal and missed two good chances in the 2-1 win at Fulham before making up for an abject first-half performance in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea by scoring the goal that sent the tie to penalties. The 33-year-old Spaniard has never started three games in a row in his previous 18 months at the club but is set to be given the nod by Pochettino at Selhurst Park. The Argentinian said: He scored on Thursday, no? His performance was good. I am happy with him. To manage is when you dont play too many games and its normal that youre in a different physical level and we need to assess him for Sunday to see if hes ready to play again. Fernando Llorente is set to keep his shirt for Spurs against Crystal Palace (Nick Potts/PA) But if hes ready hes going to play again for sure. Llorente may keep his shirt but Spurs will otherwise rotate as they manage a period of four games in 10 days. Hugo Lloris and Kieran Trippier are likely to come back into the side after missing out at Chelsea while Pochettino, who admits struggling with the quick turnaround, could make other changes. "We have a very busy period ahead and that is why we are going to rotate and manage the squad." #COYS pic.twitter.com/IvkqKny5qO Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 25, 2019 It is difficult because when you are focusing on a semi-final against Chelsea on a Thursday and you didnt sleep properly, he said. It is our responsibility to think but we are still disappointed from Thursday. But we are going to be completely recovered with full energy. Palace is going to be a difficult game, of course we are going to rotate because we need to rotate because we have two Premier League games on Wednesday and Saturday. It is going to be tough too, we are going to need full energy in every game. Sunday is going to be a game we need full energy in. Spurs hopes of winning silverware were dealt a blow with that loss at Chelsea, but that does not put more pressure on the FA Cup, according to Pochettino. I think its the same, he added. Its important. Always when you are going to play, its the most important game that you have ahead. Palace now is our most important game for sure. With the longest shutdown in US history officially over, heres a look at how the federal government will get back to regular business: When will federal workers get paid? It is unclear at this time. The White House tweeted that it will be in the coming days. Some 800,000 workers were given leave or required to work without pay. They will receive back pay. While the Trump administration is promising to pay federal workers as soon as possible, a senior official said agencies are in charge of their own payroll issues and workers should check with their departments for details about when the back pay will arrive. Under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act that President Donald Trump signed into law on January 16, workers are to get their back pay as soon as possible after the lapse in appropriations ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates. That means they should not have to wait for their next payday to get those back wages. The Office of Management and Budget instructed agencies on Friday night to ensure they had adequate staff on hand to support payroll processes and to answer employees benefit questions as they return to work. Because of the Presidents actions, Federal workers will be paid in the coming days. To the public servants who have worked without pay and been furloughed, we thank you. To Congress, it is time to negotiate and address the humanitarian crisis on our border once and for all. The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 25, 2019 How soon before the Smithsonian Museums reopen? The Smithsonian tweeted that all of its museums and the National Zoo will reopen on Tuesday January 29 at their regularly scheduled times. What about the national parks? Many remained open during the government shutdown, but at reduced staffing levels. Theresa Pierno, president and chief executive of the National Parks Conservation Association, said some parks suffered terrible damage during the shutdown. One of the first jobs for park workers will be to assess that damage. The damage done to our parks will be felt for weeks, months or even years, she said. P Daniel Smith, deputy director of the National Park Service, said the National Park Service is preparing to resume regular operations nationwide though the schedule for individual parks may vary depending on staff size and complexity of operations. Many parks which have been accessible throughout the lapse in appropriations remain accessible with basic services, he said. Visitors should contact individual parks or visit park websites for their opening schedules and the latest information on accessibility and visitor services. Some parks which have been closed throughout the lapse in appropriations may not reopen immediately, but we will work to open all parks as quickly as possible. Will air travellers get a break soon, too? The shutdown had become a source of growing alarm for travellers and airlines. The absence rate among airport screeners peaked at 10% last weekend, meaning longer queues. On Friday, the absence of six air traffic control workers contributed to massive delays along the East Coast. LaGuardia Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were particularly affected, and delays rippled outward from there about 3,000 late flights by mid-afternoon. The end of the shutdown should relieve those problems. However, the Transportation Security Administration has emphasised that the large majority of passengers have not suffered from the shutdown. The TSA said that only 3.7% of travellers screened on Wednesday about 65,000 people waited 15 minutes or longer. (PA Graphics) When will President Trump deliver his State of the Union address? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she will discuss a date with Mr Trump once the government is open. She did not give any further details on Friday, except to say Ill look forward to doing that and welcoming the president to the House of Representatives for the State of the Union. A zoo has introduced three Star Wars-themed baby otters to the world and theyre so cute they come with Mark Hamills seal of approval. Asian small-clawed otters Han, Luke and Leia made their first public appearance at Kansas City Zoo on Friday. They join their siblings Connor, Clover and Otis in the exhibit, as well as mum Cai and their dad, who goes by the decidedly un-Star Warsy name of Ian. If you look closely you might just spy Ian telling Luke some unwanted news about his parentage. The adorable little otters caught the attention of none other than actor Mark Hamill, who of course played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies. The zoo said in a Facebook post: They still have a lot of swim lessons ahead to master their abilities! (Kansas City Zoo) Swim or do not swim. There is no try. Donald Trump has agreed to a deal to reopen the US government for three weeks, backing down from demanding that Congress give him money for his border wall before federal agencies get back to work. Submitting to mounting pressure amid growing disruption, Mr Trump said he would sign legislation funding closed agencies until February 15 and try again to persuade lawmakers to finance his long-sought wall. The deal he reached with congressional leaders contains no new money for the wall but ends the longest shutdown in US history. First the Senate, then the House of Representatives swiftly and unanimously approved the deal. The president signed the bill late on Friday and his administration asked federal department heads to reopen offices in a prompt and orderly manner. Mr Trumps retreat came in the 35th day of the partial shutdown as intensifying delays at the nations airports and another missed payday for hundreds of thousands of federal workers brought new urgency to efforts to resolve the standoff. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, middle, said of her members: "Our unity is our power." (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Tonight, we are sending legislation to the Presidents desk that will re-open our government for Americas families & small businesses, as well as ensure federal workers finally receive the pay they deserve. #EndTheShutdown pic.twitter.com/nkVLTF3jF5 Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 26, 2019 The shutdown was ending as Democratic leaders had insisted it must reopen the government first, then talk border security. The president thought he could crack Democrats, and he didnt, and I hope its a lesson for him, said the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of her members: Our unity is our power. And that is what maybe the president underestimated. Mr Trump still made the case for a border wall and maintained he might again shut down the government over it. Yet, as negotiations restart, Mr Trump enters them from a weakened position. A strong majority of Americans blamed him for the standoff and rejected his arguments for a border wall, recent polls show. I wish people would read or listen to my words on the Border Wall. This was in no way a concession. It was taking care of millions of people who were getting badly hurt by the Shutdown with the understanding that in 21 days, if no deal is done, its off to the races! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2019 If we dont get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and Constitution of the United States to address this emergency, Mr Trump said. The president has said he could declare a national emergency to fund the border wall unilaterally if Congress does not provide the money. Such a move would almost certainly face legal hurdles. As part of the deal with congressional leaders, a bipartisan committee of House and Senate lawmakers was being formed to consider border spending as part of the legislative process in the weeks ahead. As Democrats have said all along, the solution to this impasse was to separate funding the government from our disagreements over border security. This agreement endorses that position. Im about to talk to the press with @SpeakerPelosi. Watch: https://t.co/nX1TuDpEJP Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 25, 2019 They are willing to put partisanship aside, I think, and put the security of the American people first, Mr Trump said. He asserted that a barrier or walls will be an important part of the solution. The deal includes back pay for some 800,000 federal workers who have gone without paychecks. The Trump administration promises to pay them as soon as possible. Also expected is a new date for the president to deliver his State of the Union address, postponed during the shutdown. But it will not be January 29 as once planned, according to a person familiar with the planning. Cabinet tensions over the prospect of a no-deal Brexit broke into the open again as the Government floated the idea of delaying the UKs withdrawal from the EU. Justice Secretary David Gauke insisted quitting the bloc without an agreement would be pretty disastrous after Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said ministers should back Theresa Mays stance of leaving the option on the table. Mr Gauke also suggested that he backed MPs being given a free vote on some Brexit issues. Asked if he believed it would be pretty disastrous for the UK to leave the EU without a deal, Mr Gauke told the BBC: Yes, I do. Mr Gauke said he would need to consider his position if a no-deal policy was adopted when other options were available. He said: What I have said repeatedly is if there is a conscious choice right, thats it, were going no deal when there are other options available, that would be something I would find extremely difficult. And, given the requirements of collective responsibility, then, obviously, Id have to consider my position. Pressed on whether he backed MPs being given a free vote on extending Article 50 when amendments to the Governments Brexit motion are debated in the Commons next Tuesday, Mr Gauke said: I think there is a case for free votes in this area to resolve things. As far as Tuesday is concerned we need to see what all the amendments are going to be, to see whether Tuesday is a crunch point or not. I do think that Parliament is entitled to be involved in this process. That we should not be in a position where we, sort of, railroad this through Parliament without Parliament giving its consent. The comments came as Mrs Leadsom signalled that the UK could remain in the EU beyond the scheduled March 29 exit date. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The Commons Leader told BBC2s Newsnight: We can get the legislation through. And in particular I think we do, in spite of everything, have a very strong relationship with our EU friends and neighbours and Im absolutely certain that if we needed a couple of extra weeks or something, that would be feasible. Mrs Leadsom said that with good will the necessary legislation could go through Parliament on schedule. Stressing the need for Cabinet unity on the possibility of a no-deal exit, Mrs Leadsom said: Im totally aligned to the Prime Minister. I believe that is where collective responsibility should lie. So number one, the legal default is we leave the EU on March 29 without a deal unless there is a deal is in place. That hasnt changed. That is the Prime Ministers view and thats my view. Mrs Leadsoms comments came after Chancellor Philip Hammond declined to rule out quitting his post if the UK goes through with a no-deal Brexit. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Mr Hammond said a no-deal Brexit would cause significant disruption and damage to the economy, and that it went against what Leave voters had been told before the 2016 referendum. Irelands Europe minister, Helen McEntee, insisted that a backstop to prevent a hard border was absolutely necessary due to the UKs red lines on leaving the single market and customs union. The backstop would see the UK obeying EU customs rules if no wider trade agreement is settled after a transition period. Ms McEntee told the BBC: It is because of those red lines that a backstop is absolutely necessary. I think now, for some reason, the onus by the UK has been shifted back on Ireland. That we should compromise. That we are the ones that are trying to be awkward or difficult. We are protecting a peace process. There is an obligation on the UK to ensure that the peace process, the Good Friday Agreement, is protected. And any suggestion that they can walk away from that, we simply wont accept that. A defaced road sign welcoming motorists to Northern Ireland on the main motorway border in Co Louth (Brian Lawless/PA) European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker used a telephone call during the week to tell Mrs May that the price of revisiting the backstop would be altering her red lines in favour of a permanent customs union, according to the Guardian. Mr Juncker said the current terms of the Withdrawal Agreement would be non-negotiable without a shift in Londons position, the newspaper reported a leaked diplomatic note stating. Tory MP Andrew Murrison, who has tabled a Commons amendment requiring the backstop to be replaced with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border, called for movement from Dublin. Referring to the current backstop proposal, he said: The crucial thing here is its not for a period of time it doesnt allow us to get out after a while its potentially forever. And thats the problem. And thats why my amendment would seek to put a sunset, as it were, on that part of the agreement. He added that limiting it to five years could work, stating: The Polish foreign minister, very helpfully, suggested five years. That seems not entirely unreasonable to me. Mr Murrison added: Dublin needs to understand that if Brexit goes wrong then the UK will not prosper. But the effects in the Republic are going to probably be even worse. So, it is in all of our interests to make sure that what happens is good for us all, including the European Union. That means getting this deal over the line. The repercussions of a no-deal scenario could be similar to the national emergency faced by Iceland during the volcanic eruptions in 2010, according to the Cabinet Office, the Guardian reported. The impact on Iceland from the volcanic ash clouds is seen as a useful example by the Cabinet Office of the kind of escalating disruption that could face the UK this spring, according to the newspaper. Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph reported that concern over how the PM is handling Brexit is causing donors to refuse to give money to the Tory party. The Midlands Industrial Council secretary David Wall told the newspaper: With the level of confusion within Parliament at the moment the uncertainty over a possible election, a possible change of leader most donors are reluctant to make donations at this time. We all need some clarity on what direction the Conservative Party and the Government are going in. TOKYO (AP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged Monday he will further expand his country's already improving ties with China but said Japan still needs to bolster its defense capability as far as space amid concern about Chinese military activity and uncertainty over North Korea's denuclearization. In a policy speech to Parliament, Abe omitted references to South Korea, which he had routinely mentioned as Japan's most important neighbor, as Tokyo tries to distance itself amid escalating spats over history and alleged incidents between the two defense forces. Abe said Japan-China relations have returned to "normal" since he visited Beijing in October and he now wants to further promote their cooperation in trade and other areas. "Japan-China relations have fully returned to a normal orbit," Abe said. "I will elevate it to a next level by deepening exchanges in every area in all levels." Apparently drawn closer amid shared trade friction with the U.S., the two Asian rivals have improved their ties since a low in 2012 during a dispute over east China Sea islands controlled by Japan but claimed by China. Yet, Japan still needs to expand defense capability, especially in space and cyberspace, Abe said. Japan has repeatedly said China's growing military presence threatens regional security and its recent rapid advancement in space technology is an additional concern. Japanese officials have also said North Korea remains a missile and nuclear threat since it has not taken concrete steps except for a vague promise it made at the June summit with the U.S. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers his policy speech during a parliamentary session in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. Abe pledged Monday he will further expand his country's already improving ties with China but said Japan still needs to bolster its defense capability as far as space amid concern about Chinese military activity and uncertainty over North Korea's denuclearization. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Japan, under pressure from President Donald Trump's demand for more American imports, is to start trade talks with Washington later this year. Japan has already increased purchases of expensive U.S. missile defense systems and other arms. Maintaining good ties with China is one of most important diplomatic goals for Abe, but analysts said it may be affected by how things work out between the United States and China. "Even if Prime Minister Abe wants to further improve Japan-China relations, it would be influenced by U.S.-China relations," said Harukata Takenaka, international politics professor at National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies. "It would be difficult for Japan to make a decision by itself." Abe did not mention South Korea as the key U.S. allies and close economic partners are currently locked in disputes over military issues and wartime history. Japan's Defense Ministry is reportedly considering not participating in a multinational defense exercise planned in South Korea this spring. Abe said he seeks to achieve unresolved postwar legacies during his leadership - settling island disputes and signing peace treaty with Russia and normalizing relations with North Korea, while cooperating with other countries toward achieving the North's nuclear and missile program abandonment. The Soviet Union took the four southernmost Kuril Islands during the final days of World War II. Japan asserts territorial rights to the islands, which it calls the Northern Territories, and the dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty. Abe has held dozens of meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years in a bid to solve the dispute, and they agreed in November to accelerate negotiations based on a 1956 Soviet proposal to return two of the islands to Japan. Their talks this month in Moscow produced little progress. The parliament's ordinary session lasts for 150 days until late June. Abe, who took office in December 2012 and is serving his third term, seeks to lead his party to win parliamentary elections in July and strengthen his grip on power until 2021 or possibly beyond. ___ Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers his policy speech during a parliamentary session in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. Abe pledged Monday he will further expand his country's already improving ties with China but said Japan still needs to bolster its defense capability as far as space amid concern about Chinese military activity and uncertainty over North Korea's denuclearization. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Negotiators for the United States and the Taliban insurgents have reached "agreements in principle" on key issues for a peace deal that would end 17 years of war in Afghanistan, the top U.S. envoy said Monday. The statement by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad followed six days of talks last week with the Taliban in Qatar, where he urged the insurgents to enter into direct negotiations with the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Ghani on Monday assured Afghans that their rights will not be compromised in the name of peace with the Taliban, who have been staging near-daily attacks against Afghan forces, causing scores of casualties every week. Their offensive has not let up despite the severe Afghan winter and the insurgents now hold sway over nearly half of the country. Khalilzad said in an interview with The New York Times that an agreement in principle was reached with the Taliban on the framework of a peace deal "which still has to be fleshed out" that will see the insurgents commit to guaranteeing that Afghan territory is not used as a "platform for international terrorist groups or individuals." He said the deal could lead to a full pullout of U.S. troops in return for a cease-fire and Taliban talks with the Afghan government. In his statement released by the U.S. Embassy, Khalilzad said, "We made progress on vital issues in our discussions and agreed to agreements in principle on a couple of very important issues." In this photo released by the Afghan Presidential Palace, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, center, speaks to U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, third left, at the presidential palace in Kabul. Afghanistan, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. The Afghan president's office said Monday that Khalilzad shared details of his recent talks with the Taliban in Qatar with Ghani and other Afghan government officials. A statement from the office quotes Khalilzad as saying he held talks about a cease-fire with the Taliban but that there has been no progress yet on that issue. (Afghan Presidential Palace via AP) "There is a lot more work to be done before we can say we have succeeded in our efforts but I believe for the first time I can say that we have made significant progress," he said. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said he has been briefed on the talks and described them as encouraging, but he also told reporters that the department has not been directed to prepare for a full withdrawal from Afghanistan. Speaking before a meeting at the Pentagon with Shanahan, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said any discussion about the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan would be premature. He said Khalilzad had briefed NATO allies on the talks weeks ago. "We are in Afghanistan to create the conditions for a peaceful negotiated solution," Stoltenberg said. "We will not stay longer than necessary, but we will not leave before we have a situation that enables us to leave or reduce the number of troops without jeopardizing the main goal of our presence and that is to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for international terrorists once again." He added that he believes it's too soon to speculate on withdrawal because "what we have to do now is to support the efforts to try to find a peaceful solution. We strongly support those efforts." Ghani sought to assure Afghans that no deals would be made without Kabul's awareness and full participation. "Our commitment is to provide peace and to prevent any possible disaster," Ghani said in an address to the nation. "There are values that are not disputable, such as national unity, national sovereignty and territorial integrity." Ghani's office said he and Khalilzad met late Sunday in Kabul to discuss details from the talks. Khalilzad's statement emphasized the inclusion of the Afghan government in the talks. "There is a false narrative that Afghans are not included. That is not true. The Afghan voice is there," he said. "We are working together to get to a comprehensive cease-fire. We are working with the Afghan government, with international partners, to find implementing mechanisms to reach these goals." Khalilzad has met with the Taliban on a number of occasions in recent months in the latest bid to end America's longest war. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to topple the Taliban, who were harboring Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. The statement from Ghani's office also claimed that the Taliban demanded from Khalilzad the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan, but that there was also no agreement on that issue. The statement added that Khalilzad has no authority to discuss issues such as a future Afghan administration but that his goal is to facilitate an intra-Afghan dialogue, meaning direct talks between the Taliban and Kabul. Khalilzad had tweeted Saturday about progress in the talks in Qatar, where the insurgents have a political office, saying: "Meetings here were more productive than they have been in the past." "We made significant progress on vital issues," he tweeted, without offering details. Abdul Hakim Mujahid, a former Taliban official and currently a member of the High Peace Council, an independent body of clerics and respected Afghan figures, said he believes the Qatar talks resulted in a "good understanding between both sides" but that more discussions are needed in the coming weeks or months. "Afghanistan's problem is not so simple that it can be solved in a day, week or month, it needs more time and more discussions," Mujahid told The Associated Press. The Taliban have in the past refused to negotiate directly with Kabul - a standing that does not appear to have changed. They have maintained that they are prepared to talk with U.S. officials only and only about the pullout of foreign forces from Afghanistan. Afghan political analyst Waheed Muzhda says he believes that Khalilzad and the Taliban have reached agreement on both the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and a cease-fire deal, but that neither side is prepared to say so at this point. "But peace talks are not possible unless both sides first agree on a cease-fire," Muzhda said. In Monday's address to the nation, Ghani also stressed that U.S. and other foreign forces are in Afghanistan because they are needed here and that if there is to be any downsizing or pullout, the Kabul government will have to play a role in the talks. Ghani also reiterated his call on the Taliban to engage "in direct talks with the Afghan government." FILE - In this March 13, 2009, file photo, Zalmay Khalilzad, special adviser on reconciliation, speaks during a news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan. Khalilzad said Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, that "significant progress" was made during lengthy talks with the Taliban in Qatar and that he was traveling to Afghanistan for more discussions aimed at ending the country's destructive 17-year war. Khalilzad said on his official Twitter account that he wants to build on six days of meetings in Doha, the capital of Qatar. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File) Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan speaks with the media as he waits for the arrival of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Pentagon, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, left, stands with Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison, as they wait to greet NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg upon his arrival at the Pentagon, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) SAO PAULO (AP) - A massive, deadly river of pale brown mud released by the collapse of a mining company dam threatens to cause an environmental disaster for Brazil, potentially snatching away livelihoods and driving the spread of disease, activists warned Sunday. Mining giant Vale said the thick, slow-moving mud that is spreading down the Paraopeba River from Friday's dam collapse in southeastern Brazil is not toxic. But environmental organizations said the torrent of iron ore mine waste contains high levels of iron oxide that have the potential to cause irreversible damage. Accidents on this scale trigger a domino effect, said Malu Ribeiro, a project coordinator at SOS Mata Atlantica, a nonprofit organization that has been monitoring water quality since a similar disaster in the area in 2015. "The entire ecosystem is affected," she said, bringing economic hardship for local communities and, for example, a proliferation of disease-bearing insects. "Even if it was just sand, the volume is gigantic," said Carlos Rittl, a director at the Observatorio do Clima, a network of 43 nonprofits in Brazil. "There is a very fine residue (of iron oxide) that will be deposited on the bed of the river." That means each time it rains heavily in the future, the iron ore deposit will be churned back up to the surface and contaminate the river again, experts say. Mud floods an area two days after a dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019. Brazilian officials on Sunday suspended the search for potential survivors of a dam collapse that has killed at least 40 people amid fears that another nearby dam owned by the same company was also at risk of breaching. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Officials at the Brazilian Environment Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment at the weekend. In what is regarded as the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history, a dam jointly operated by Vale and BHP Billiton collapsed just over three years ago in the same state of Minas Gerais, killing 19 people. The accident at the Mariana mining site also drove hundreds of people from their homes, left 250,000 people without drinking water and killed thousands of fish. Vale insisted that the latest accident, near the city of Brumadinho, represented less of an ecological threat, though 37 people were reported dead as of Sunday. "The damage from the environmental point of view is much lower than (Mariana's)," Vale CEO Fabio Schvartsman said, though he noted, "the human tragedy must be greater." At the moment, environmentalists predict the impact of the latest dam collapse will be felt up to 300 kilometers (160 miles) from the mining site. That is far less than in 2015, when contamination was detected 670 kilometers (416 miles) away. However, environmental organizations are anxiously watching to see whether a hydroelectric dam downstream from Brumadinho will be able to withstand the surge of mud coming down the River Paraopeba. The two dam breaks have put Vale under fire from several directions. Brazilian police are investigating the company for alleged corruption. Vale has also been accused of human rights abuses and of failing to comply with environmental regulations. It has paid fines in some cases and settled with authorities in others. JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Eka Tjipta Widjaja, patriarch of one of Asia's richest families and the founder of a sprawling Indonesian conglomerate, has died. He was 97. Widjaja passed away on Saturday evening, according to Gandi Sulistiyanto, a managing director at the Sinarmas conglomerate. The son of migrants from Fujian in China, Widjaja was a coconut oil trader on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi in the 1930s before building businesses in palm oil, pulp and paper and mining. Forbes estimated Widjaja's fortune at $8.6 billion last year, making him Indonesia's third-richest person and the family among the 25 richest in Asia. He had several wives and according to some reports as many as 40 children. Sinarmas is known for the record $14 billion default of its Asia Pulp and Paper business in 2001. Earlier this decade it became an international pariah as Greenpeace campaigned against its destruction of Indonesia's rainforests. MEXICO CITY (AP) - A suspect has been arrested for the killing of indigenous land rights activist Julian Carrillo in the Sierra Madre mountains of northern Mexico. Chihuahua state Gov. Javier Corral says Saturday the presumed murderer has been detained for the October shooting death. Carrillo was a leader of the Tarahumara community of Coloradas de la Virgen who fought illegal logging and was under government protection since 2014 due to death threats. His house was burned in 2016, and at least four of his family members were slain in recent years. Carrillo recounted to Amnesty International shortly before his death that criminals had taken over community land to grow opium poppy and cannabis, and that he faced threats for speaking out against the incursion. He had also expressed opposition to a mining concession. This came after Congress MLAs at an event on Sunday claimed that they believed Siddaramaiah as rightful CM. Bengaluru: Widening of the gap between Congress and JD(S) in their alliance in the state of Karnataka is evident as Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Monday threatened to step down if Congress MLAs continue to attack him. Reacting to an incident from Sunday, at an event where some Congress MLAs hailed Siddaramaiah as their CM CM Kumaraswamy said that the MLAs are crossing all lines and if things were to continue like this, he would step down from his post. "...If they want to continue with the same thing, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line", when asked 'Congress MLAs are saying that Siddaramaiah is their CM', CM Kumaraswamy reportedly said to ANI. Attacking the Kumaraswamy government during the event on Sunday, Congress MLA ST Somashekhar said, "It is seven months since the coalition government came to power, but development work has not yet taken off. Had Siddaramaiah got another five-year term, we would have seen real development." The seven-month-old Kumaraswamy government in Karnataka has faced multiple challenges since it came to power in May 2018. The latest threat came earlier this month after the opposition BJP allegedly tried to lure away Congress MLAs to topple the government in the state. EHRENBERG, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities say officers fatally shot a wanted man during a traffic stop near the Arizona-California border following a 146-mile (235-kilometer) pursuit from California. The Arizona Department of Public Safety said 26-year-old Christian Albarran was shot Thursday after he didn't comply with commands and made what appeared to be a threatening movement to troopers and a La Paz County sheriff's deputy. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said the pursuit on Interstate 10 and other highways began in California after deputies recognized Albarran as being wanted on warrants alleging domestic violence and identity theft. Arizona officials said the California Highway Patrol indicated Albarran had a handgun and was considered dangerous. DPS spokesman Bart Graves said he could not provide additional details Saturday, including whether officers found a gun in Albarran's vehicle. --- This story has been corrected to fix the misspelling of La Paz County. BEIRUT (AP) - The head of the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon warned Israel late Saturday over its continued attacks in Syria, saying a miscalculation could drag the region into a war. Hassan Nasrallah made the comment during a wide-ranging interview that lasted more than three hours with the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV station. Nasrallah said Iran, Syria and Hezbollah could "at any moment" decide to deal differently with Israel's actions in Syria and hinted that Tel Aviv might be a target. Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said: "Be cautious. Don't continue what you are doing in Syria. Don't miscalculate and don't drag the region into a war or a major confrontation." Nasrallah said circumstances in the region have changed as Iran and its allies, including his group, expand their influence in the region. This means any war can be on more than one front, Nasrallah warned. Israel has recently increased its attacks on suspected Iranian military targets in Syria, confirming such targeting in a shift from its longstanding policy of playing down or not commenting on its military activities in the war-torn country. FILE - In this Aug. 2, 2013, file photo, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah speaks during a rally to mark Jerusalem day or Al-Quds day, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. On Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, the head of Lebanon's Hezbollah group is warning Israel of widening its attacks in Syria because a miscalculation can drag the region into a war. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File) Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy, and it has repeatedly warned that it will not allow Iranian troops - who have been fighting alongside Syrian government forces - to maintain a permanent presence in postwar Syria. In the latest violence, the Israeli military claimed responsibility for a series of airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria last Monday, saying it was responding to an Iranian missile attack a day earlier. The Iranian launch followed a rare Israeli daylight air raid near the Damascus International Airport. Nasrallah said Israel has failed to realize what he said are its goals in Syria: undermining the Syrian government, forcing Iran from Syria and preventing Hezbollah from acquiring precision missiles. He also said Netanyahu is the person "most disappointed" by U.S. plans to withdraw from Syria and cited the pullout as another "failure." Nasrallah's appearance followed news reports in Israel and elsewhere that his health was failing. He dismissed the reports as "lies." "I don't suffer from any health problems," said Nasrallah, who seemed relaxed and at times joked with his interviewer and sipped on tea and water. "I have been active, and I also lost weight," he said with a giggle. The Hezbollah leader regularly addressed his supporters and made TV appearances about pressing issues in the region and Lebanon. But the 59-year-old Nasrallah, who has led his group through different wars with Israel for nearly three decades, had not appeared since November despite Israeli escalation in Syria and along Lebanon's borders. Nasrallah described his silence as intentional, saying Hezbollah chose not to address Israel's attacks so as not to feed what he called an Israeli "publicity stunt." In December, the Israeli military launched "Operation Northern Shield" to detect and destroy what it has described as a vast network of Hezbollah tunnels built for militants to sneak across the border into Israel, capture territory and stage attacks. Israel discovered at least six tunnels, which it said were Hezbollah's prime strategic investment for its next potential war. In the first comments about the tunnel operation, Nasrallah played down the discoveries, saying Hezbollah would need more than a few tunnels if it ever decided to invade Israel. He also said at least one of the tunnels was built more than a decade ago. "This is a 13-year-old (Israeli) intelligence failure," Nasrallah said. NEW YORK (AP) - Trevor Bates, a linebacker for the Detroit Lions, was arrested Saturday in New York on charges that he failed to pay a taxi fare and then punched a police officer, who suffered a concussion. Bates faces charges including assault, resisting arrest, theft of services and obstructing governmental administration after police were called around 1:30 a.m. to a hotel near LaGuardia Airport, said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. Bates, 25, was taken to a police precinct house for refusing to pay the $32 yellow taxi fare from Manhattan to the Hampton Inn in Queens, the prosecutor said. Bates, originally from Maine, is being held pending arraignment. It was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer. At the precinct house, Bates was told that as long as there were no outstanding warrants, he would receive only a desk appearance ticket and be allowed to leave, Brown said. The prosecutor said Bates refused to be fingerprinted and became increasingly agitated. As Sgt. James O'Brien tried to calm him down, Brown said, the athlete punched him in the face and was hit with a stun gun to subdue him. FILE - This June 4, 2018 photo, shows Trevor Bates of the Detroit Lions. Police say Bates was arrested in New York for failing to pay a taxi fare and then punching a police officer in the face in the early hours of Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. The 25-year-old linebacker was charged with assault, resisting arrest and theft of service after police were called around 3 a.m. Saturday at a hotel near New York's LaGuardia Airport. (AP Photo/File) O'Brien suffered a concussion and needed stitches over his left eye, according to the prosecutor. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Bates was taken to a hospital in Queens for evaluation. The Lions' general manager, Bob Quinn, said in a statement that the team is aware of Bates' arrest but has no further comment for now. If convicted, Bates faces between probation and up to seven years in prison. Bates is in his first season with the Lions, appearing in nine games. MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) - Officials say a Florida woman killed his boyfriend, dismembered his body in a camper trailer and drove it two hours away, covering up the crime for months. Sumter County Sheriff's Office says deputies arrested 47-year-old Penny Rebecca Pospisil on Friday on charges of second-degree murder and mutilation of a dead body. Authorities say 55-year-old Anthony Mitchell died of blunt force trauma in August after he started living with Pospisil in an RV village in Lake Panasoffkee, northwest of Orlando. Neighbors noticed a bad smell coming from the trailer. In September, Pospisil drove the vehicle to Melbourne, where people also noticed a smell. Melbourne police discovered Mitchell's body on Dec. 30 after a well-being check in the campground. Police began investigating with Sumter County authorities, leading them to the Friday arrest near Melbourne. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indianapolis police are investigating an overnight shooting at a bar that left five people hospitalized, including two in critical condition. Deputy Chief Valerie Cunningham tells WXIN-TV that officers responding to a reported disturbance about 2 a.m. Saturday at the Brotherman Tavern found "pandemonium" at the scene. She says officers found three people with apparent gunshot wounds and began providing life-saving aid. Two other people shot at the bar were hospitalized after leaving the scene. Sgt. Jim Gillespie said Saturday afternoon police believe the five victims' injuries "are survivable." He says two were in critical condition and the three others were in serious but stable condition. Gillespie says no arrests have been made, but police believe someone involved in an earlier disturbance at the bar may have left the scene and returned and opened fire. MEXICO CITY (AP) - More than 25,000 Mexican workers at dozens of factories south of Brownsville, Texas, went on strike Friday after owners of the plants that assemble for export refused union demands for a 20 percent pay hike and an annual bonus. The Union of Maquiladora Industry Industrial Workers of Matamoros, the SJOIIM, said that by late Saturday nine companies had agreed to meet the salary and bonus demands. Union leader Juan Villafuerte thanked union members who had stood outside in the rain and cold, noting "we hope to soon conclude this labor action." The government of Tamaulipas state said at least one company announced plans to leave the city of Matamoros. The state's development office said other companies had halted expansion projects. The strikes affect factories that make auto parts, medical equipment, plastics and other goods. The labor strife comes on the heels of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's promise to double the minimum wage in communities along the U.S. border to 176.2 pesos a day, the equivalent of $9.28 at current exchange rates. However, workers who were making more than minimum wage in Matamoros factories would not have benefited from the hike in the minimum wage, sparking discontent. The workers are also demanding a one-time bonus of about $1,685. The new border minimum wage is higher than the prevailing minimum in the rest of the country, about $5.35 per day. However, the cost of living along the border is much higher than in the rest of the country. AKRON, Ohio (AP) - Officials say a financially motivated cyberattack on computer servers forced an Ohio city to shut down its 311 call center line as it prepared to dig out from a snowstorm. The Akron Beacon Journal reports a city of Akron spokeswoman says the attack included ransomware that demanded thousands of dollars. Ransomware is malicious software that threatens to publish a target's data or block access to it. Mayor Dan Horrigan said at a news conference Friday the city learned of the attack Tuesday and that it also targeted "critical" hardware and software systems. The FBI and Ohio State Highway Patrol have joined Akron's investigation into the attack. Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday approved Horrigan's request for state help and activated eight cybersecurity experts from the Ohio National Guard Cyber Team. ___ Information from: Akron Beacon Journal, http://www.ohio.com BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - Several thousand people have marched through snow-covered streets in Serbia's capital to protest the populist government of President Aleksandar Vucic for an eighth week. The protesters accuse Vucic of stifling hard-won democratic freedoms in the Balkan country that was involved in a series of wars during the 1990s. He denies the accusation. Braving freezing temperatures, the president's critics blocked traffic in the center of Belgrade as they marched by the state TV building and toward the government headquarters on Saturday. The organizers want Vucic to ease what they say is a tight grip on Serbian media. He is a former extreme nationalist who now says he wants Serbia to join the European Union. The protests started after thugs beat up an opposition politician in November. People light torches and march during a protest against populist President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. The protesters are seeking to keep up the pressure on Vucic whom they accuse of stifling hard-won democratic freedoms in the Balkan country that went through a series of wars in the 1990s'. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) People march during a protest against populist President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. The protesters are seeking to keep up the pressure on Vucic whom they accuse of stifling hard-won democratic freedoms in the Balkan country that went through a series of wars in the 1990s'. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) People march during a protest against populist President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. The protesters are seeking to keep up the pressure on Vucic whom they accuse of stifling hard-won democratic freedoms in the Balkan country that went through a series of wars in the 1990s'. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) People hold a banner that reads: ''#1 out of 5 million'' during a protest against populist President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. The protesters are seeking to keep up the pressure on Vucic whom they accuse of stifling hard-won democratic freedoms in the Balkan country that went through a series of wars in the 1990s'. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) LONDON (AP) - Hundreds of people assembled near the Irish border to highlight the risks Brexit poses to peace in Northern Ireland. The protesters gathered near Newry in Northern Ireland on Saturday to reject the possibility of a "hard" border with ID checks and customs controls going up between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit. Some created a mock border checkpoint where actors dressed as soldiers and customs officers showed what such a protected boundary might look like. There is concern on both sides that a guarded border could jeopardize a hard-won coexistence since a 1998 agreement largely ended decades of sectarian and nationalist violence. The British and Irish governments don't want a hard border, but the European Union has said it's likely unavoidable if the U.K. leaves the EU without a deal. Demonstrators hold banners on the Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland border, near Newry in Northern Ireland, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Protesters angered at the prospect of a hard Brexit built a mock wall across part of the Irish border, the theatrical gesture on Saturday was the centrepiece of a County Down demonstration against future border checks. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) A demonstrator holds a banner on the Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland border, near Newry in Northern Ireland, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Protesters angered at the prospect of a hard Brexit built a mock wall across part of the Irish border, the theatrical gesture on Saturday was the centrepiece of a County Down demonstration against future border checks. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) A banner hangs on a tractor during a demonstration on the Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland border, near Newry in Northern Ireland, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Protesters angered at the prospect of a hard Brexit built a mock wall across part of the Irish border, the theatrical gesture on Saturday was the centrepiece of a County Down demonstration against future border checks. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) Due to the land boundary agreement between the two countries in 1974, a fence has to be constructed beyond 150 yards from Zero Line. Guwahati: The ministry of home affairs has decided to induct Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) besides other technical gadgets for effective border management along the unfenced international border of India with Bangladesh in Assam. The plan to upgrade frontier surveillance comes amid an uproar over identification of illegal foreigners in the state and governor Jagdish Mukhis remark that there is no place for illegal foreigners and only the indigenous people of the state have the right on its resources. Informing that fencing the entire stretch of the India-Bangladesh border is not feasible due to several geographical barriers, security sources said that fencing on stretch of nearly 61 km in Assam was pending. Pointing out that the ministry of home affairs has decided to manage about 48 kms of such stretch by non-physical barriers, security sources said that India has more than 4,000 kms of international border with Bangladesh and construction of physical barriers all along the border is not feasible because of geographical constrains like riverine border, elephant corridors, soil erosion and objections from Bangladesh. Pointing out that the Border Security Force (BSF) has identified the vulnerable stretches of the border and the gaps in fencing, security sources said that various agencies engaged in border guarding have started using technological solutions to deal with the problem. A comprehensive border management system is being introduced to deal with infiltration and smuggling. The system, which is also called smart fencing, will be introduced all along the border starting with the vulnerable patches. Security sources said that technical gadgets, including night vision goggles, advanced telescopes, search lights, hand-held metal detectors, hand-held thermal imagers, have already been used and unmanned aerial vehicles would also be inducted soon for effective border management. The Indian government has also started taking steps for strengthening the institutional framework to improve guarding of the border with Bangladesh. Standing committees, headed by the chief secretaries of the states having international border with Bangladesh, have been constituted to evolve a standard operating procedure of the border protection grid. All the stakeholders are included in the grid for proper response in case of a border defence breach, security sources added. Sources said that some other measures, including increasing the strength of the BSF, have also been taken. Informing that at present, 81 battalions of the BSF are deployed in over 900 border outposts constructed along the border, security sources said that steps have been taken to increase the strength of the BSF. Moreover, the BSF personnel deployed along the international border with Bangladesh have also been directed to sensitise the local people and NGOs about the need to help the forces in dealing with infiltration. Admitting that the topography of the border makes international border between Assam and Bangladesh vulnerable to infiltration and smuggling, security sources said that dense population right up to the zero line is another problem in ensuring border management. The illegal migrants cross over, mingle with the population of the border areas by taking advantage of ethnic similarities, particularly in Assam and West Bengal, and stay on in India. Moreover, due to the land boundary agreement between the two countries in 1974, the fencing has to be constructed beyond 150 yards from the zero line and in view of the habitation right up to the zero line, in some places it is not possible to put fencing. AKRON, Ohio (AP) - The parents of a 2-year-old girl found unresponsive on the front porch of an Ohio home on a frigid February day have been sentenced to prison. The Akron Beacon Journal reports 23-year-old Tierra Williams and her former boyfriend, 25-year-old Dariaun Parker, had hoped to receive probation at sentencing Friday in Akron. They pleaded guilty to child endangering in November for Wynter Parker's death. Summit County Judge Alison McCarty sentenced Williams to 18 months and Parker to two years, saying their family dysfunction contributed to Wynter's death. McCarty said she might consider releasing them early. Prosecutors said Parker lost track of Wynter while Williams was out with the couple's 4-year-old son. Williams' attorney said her client cooperated with authorities. Parker's attorney said neither parent engaged in criminal activity before Wynter's death. ___ Information from: Akron Beacon Journal, http://www.ohio.com BRUMADINHO, Brazil (AP) - The Latest on the mining dam collapse in Brazil (all times local): 9:15 p.m. Authorities say at least 40 people have died from a dam collapse in Southeastern Brazil, and the death toll is expected to rise. Officials from the Minas Gerais fire department released the latest number on Saturday night after a full day of searching by rescuers digging through feet (meters) of mud in intermittent rains. Searches were suspended at nightfall and expected to begin again at 4 a.m. on Sunday. Estimates of those still missing ranged between 200 and 300. An aerial view shows a destroyed bridget after a dam collapsed in Brumadinho, Brazil, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Rescuers searched for survivors in a huge area in southeastern Brazil buried by mud from the collapse of dam holding back mine waste, with several people dead and hundreds missing. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) The collapse of the dam owned by Brazilian mining company Vale happened Friday in the early afternoon when many employees were eating lunch. The cafeteria was completely buried and rescuers have not yet been able to access it. ___ 6:35 p.m. Authorities say the death toll from a dam collapse in Southeastern Brazil has risen to 34 and searchers expect to find even more bodies. Officials from the Minas Gerais fire department released the latest number on Saturday after hours of searching by rescuers digging through feet (meters) of mud in intermittent rains. In addition to the dead, 23 people have been hospitalized. Employees of the Brazilian mining company Vale were eating lunch Friday afternoon when the dam collapsed, unleashing a sea of reddish-brown mud that knocked over and buried several structures of the company and surrounding areas. ___ 4:25 p.m. Israel says it's sending a mission to Brazil to help in rescue operations and provide aid after the collapse of a dam holding back mining waste. A statement Saturday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says the mission will leave within 24 hours. Netanyahu made the help offer during a call with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been an enthusiastic ally of Israel. ___ 4 p.m. Rescuers in helicopters are searching for survivors in a huge area in southeastern Brazil buried by the collapse of dam holding back mine waste. At least nine people are dead and up to 300 missing. More than 24 hours since the disaster, finding many more survivors is looking increasingly unlikely. Minas Gerais state Gov. Romeu Zema says that "most likely, from now on we are mostly going to be recovering bodies." Still, there are some signs of hope. Authorities announced they had found 43 more people alive Saturday, though the number missing was still at 300. An aerial view shows destroyed vehicles and wagons after a dam collapsed in Brumadinho, Brazil, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Rescuers searched for survivors in a huge area in southeastern Brazil buried by mud from the collapse of dam holding back mine waste, with several people dead and hundreds missing. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say a sheriff deputy has shot and killed an armed man in Florida after he pointed his firearm at the officer. The Escambia County Sheriff's Office said in a Saturday statement that deputies were told the gunman was threatening to kill another family member in a rural area north of Pensacola. The suspect did not follow the deputies' orders and raised his gun in the direction of one of them. The man was shot and died at the scene Friday. The sheriff's office has not named him or the deputy involved, but it said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting. Deputies were originally responding to a welfare check in a remote area near the Alabama border in the northwestern tip of the Florida Panhandle. PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - Federal public defenders for a man accused of kidnapping and killing a University of Illinois scholar from China are asking for more time to prepare their case due to the government shutdown. The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports that Brent Christenson's defense team Friday asked for 30 more days to amend a notice declaring their intent to pursue a mental health defense to avoid the death penalty if Christenson is convicted. They say they've been unable to pay for a psychiatric evaluation of Christenson due to the shutdown. Christenson is charged with abducting and killing Yingying Zhang in Urbana in June 2017. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, saying they believe Christensen also tortured the 26-year-old woman. Her body hasn't been found. SANAA, Yemen (AP) - The United Nations' food agency is demanding access to its wheat stocks after fighting in the port city of Hodeida endangered its silos, setting two on fire. The Red Sea mills located in eastern Hodeida appeared to have been hit by mortar fire, a U.N. statement said. "This is the first time we are seeing conditions like this. We need this wheat," said Lise Grande, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Yemen. Stephen Anderson, World Food Program country director, said access is needed to transport what's left. The mills are housing 51,000 metric tons of wheat, almost a quarter of the World Food Program's stock of wheat. Since fighting intensified in September and warring parties cut a main intersection outside Hodeida, WFP has had no access to the mills. RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - The Palestinian Health Ministry says a man has been killed in clashes with Israeli troops and settlers in the West Bank. Hamdi Naasan, 38, was killed Saturday and six others were injured, one in serious condition, at al-Mughayyir village near Ramallah city. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported Jewish settlers from a nearby outpost had entered the village, prompting confrontations with local residents before the Israeli military "stormed the village" and fired at the people. The Israeli military said a settler was slightly injured without requiring evacuation. It said the incident will be reviewed. Earlier on Saturday, hundreds attended a funeral of a teenager killed by Israeli soldiers as he hurled stones at them Friday. Over 400,000 settlers live in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied in 1967. Inas Hamed, center left cries among other mourners during the funeral of her son Ayman Hamed, 18 at the family house in the West Bank village of Silwad, near Ramallah Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Israeli soldiers shot and killed the Palestinian teen and wounded another as a group of young men hurled stones at the troops. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser) Women sprinkle water on the face of a crying mourner during the funeral of Ayman Hamed, 18, at the family house in the West Bank village of Silwad, near Ramallah Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Israeli soldiers shot and killed the Palestinian teen and wounded another as a group of young men hurled stones at the troops. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser) Mourners carry the body of Ayman Hamed, 18 at the family house, during his funeral in the West Bank village of Silwad, near Ramallah Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Israeli soldiers shot and killed the Palestinian teen and wounded another as a group of young men hurled stones at the troops. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser) KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) - An explosive device went off outside a cinema in a busy part of Kenya's capital Saturday and injured two people, police said. One of those injured in the explosion in Nairobi was a handcart pusher who received a small piece of luggage from an individual who later fled. The other was a newspaper vendor, said Philip Ndolo, police commander in charge of Nairobi. A manhunt was underway for the unidentified person reported to have deposited the luggage in a cart, Ndolo said. Detectives think the luggage contained an improvised explosive device that went off, a police officer at the scene told The Associated Press. The officer spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. The Kenya Red Cross said it sent emergency teams to the scene, which was sealed off by law enforcement officers. A man with minor injuries is taken away by paramedics from the scene of a small blast in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. An explosive device went off after a handcart pusher was given a small piece of luggage by an unknown person outside a cinema in a busy part of the capital Saturday night, injuring one person, a police officer said. (AP Photo/John Muchucha) The explosion happened two days after the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi issued a security alert reminding the public about "the continued need for sustained vigilance in public spaces such as shopping malls, hotels, and places of worship." Kenya is recovering from a Jan. 15 attack in which gunmen stormed a hotel complex and killed 21 people. The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which is based in neighboring Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack on the DusitD2 hotel and shopping complex. Al-Shabab, which has ties with al-Qaida, has often targeted Kenya in retaliation over Kenya's military involvement in Somalia. Al-Shabab also carried out the 2013 attack at Nairobi's nearby Westgate Mall that killed 67 people, and an assault on Kenya's Garissa University in 2015 that claimed 147 lives, mostly students. FORT HANCOCK, Texas (AP) - Donald Trump didn't carry many parts of Texas' heavily Democratic areas along the border with Mexico, but he won remote Hudspeth County thanks to people like Terry Rose. And the 71-year-old mechanic saw the longest shutdown in U.S. history as a campaign promise kept. "I want less government. That's what we're getting," said Rose, who was having lunch with a group of friends in Fort Hancock, an enclave with fields of cotton, alfalfa and chili peppers just across the border from El Porvenir, Mexico. "I'm understanding about federal employees, but if you're 'non-essential' it's hard to feel too badly for you." The shutdown - which lasted 35 days and ended Friday with Trump agreeing to fund the government for three weeks - did dramatically shrink the size of government at least temporarily. Funding was cut off for nine of the 15 Cabinet-level departments and about 800,000 employees went without pay, nearly half of whom were deemed non-essential and told not to report to work. Even as it eroded the president's approval rating, the shutdown energized a segment of the Republican base that has for decades heard GOP presidential hopefuls vow to abolish the IRS and mothball the departments of Education, Energy or Interior or many other agencies, without actually accomplishing anything close. It's a reminder that should Trump choose a shutdown again, as he threatened Friday, he is likely to have some supporters cheering him on. But the shutdown didn't repair a decades-long schism within the Republican Party between conservatives, who would like to see some parts of government contract but don't mind creating deficits for things like tax cuts and defense spending, and libertarians, whose main goal is to get government out of peoples' lives almost entirely. Trump has backed increasing the size of the federal budget, whether to raise military spending or to spend billions walling off the entire U.S.-Mexico border, making him no true champion of small government. Libertarians and fiscal conservatives are also quick to point out that shuttering the government indiscriminately because of political squabbles did nothing to reduce long-term federal spending or have any lasting, meaningful impact on government's overall size and scope. In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, photo, mechanic Terry Rose talks about the government shutdown at his business in Fort Hancock, Texas. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research suggests staunch supporters of President Trump like Rose may be becoming harder to find, though. It showed that a majority of Americans blame the president for the shutdown and reject his argument that spending $5.7 billion on a border wall will significantly reduce crime, boost the U.S. economy or deter drug smugglers. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Jeffrey Miron, director of economic studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, noted that the shutdown continuing for so long likely will end up costing taxpayers more to make up for lost time as things begin returning to normal. "This just makes small-government people, and conservatives who claim to be small-government people, look like they're angry, aggressive, willing to cause people to go without their paychecks," Miron said. Rose considers himself a conservative and not a Republican, but concedes he almost always votes GOP. He said he feels for those who missed paychecks: "I don't want to be mean to them, but it's really a system that's overburdened, out of control." Gene Henderson, a 69-year-old Vietnam veteran and retired Border Patrol agent, agreed that the shutdown was a positive example of small government and predicted it could cement Trump's 2020 re-election. "People sent him up there to stop all this stuff and to drain the swamp," Henderson said of Washington. "And he'll be sent up there again." But Joe Brettell, a Republican strategist in Houston, said the shutdown taught the Trump administration "how widespread and diverse the federal government is." "There isn't a single member of the House that doesn't have a federal agency in their district," Brettell said. "As a result, you've got members of all stripes taking calls from people facing really dire financial situations." It's hard to get farther away from Capitol Hill than Fort Hancock, a dusty desert town of about 1,800 that feels straight out of 1950s Hollywood Wild West central casting. Trump won the county that encompasses it, Hudspeth, by 179 votes out of fewer than 900 cast in 2016. But much of the rest of Texas' heavily Hispanic border areas tend to favor Democrats. Possible 2020 presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke hails from neighboring El Paso County, which went for Hillary Clinton by nearly 45 percentage points. Still, locals have an unusual view of the issue at the center of the shutdown - the border wall - because they can see it literally from two sides. A barrier of towering steel runs through much of town, then stops, giving way to low barbed-wire or, eventually, nothing at all. That means some residents know life with a border wall and others know life without one. Many Trump supporters here dismiss the notion of building a wall the length of the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, but believe Trump was right to hold out for expanding it as much as possible. Isela Duran, who was part of the construction crew that helped build the Fort Hancock wall about 10 years ago, said she feels for the federal workers who were furloughed so long. "But I think about us over here, too, and keeping ourselves safe." The shutdown damaged Trump's overall approval ratings, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which showed the number of Americans who approve of his performance dropping to 34 percent from 42 percent a month earlier. Among Republicans, however, Trump's approval rating remained close to 80 percent. Sitting at Angie's Restaurant, which specializes in "Mexican and American food," including burritos and cheeseburgers, Rose said he still pins his hopes on Trump. "If Trump gets another four years and a Congress that can work with him, we can save the country," he said. "If not, it will become like Europe. Out of control." In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, photo, Gene Henderson, from left, Brandon Henderson, and Terry Rose, right, dine at Angie's Cafe in Fort Hancock, Texas. Gene Henderson, a 69-year-old Vietnam veteran and retired Border Patrol agent who now has a small farm, said the shutdown has furloughed federal inspectors needed to grade his cotton before it can go to market, but he thinks President Trump should continue the shutdown long enough to cement his re-election. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, photo, mechanic Terry Rose refills his iced tea at Angie's Cafe in Fort Hancock, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research suggests staunch supporters of President Trump like Rose may be becoming harder to find, though. It showed that a majority of Americans blame the president for the shutdown and reject his argument that spending $5.7 billion on a border wall will significantly reduce crime, boost the U.S. economy or deter drug smugglers. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - The thousands of tourists who travel to a remote Native American reservation deep in the Grand Canyon each year to camp near a series of picturesque, blue-green waterfalls will have to do so without the benefit of professional guides. The Havasupai Tribe has decided not to allow outfitters to escort visitors this year down the long, winding path that leads to its small, roadless reservation and on to its main tourist draw: towering waterfalls that cascade into swimming holes that are warm year-round. Tourists can visit the waterfalls, either by reserving a room at the tribe's only lodge or by snapping up a coveted permit for one of its hundreds of camping spots scattered amid a creek. But starting in February, they'll have to find their own way to the reservation's waterfalls and caves, and carry their own food and gear. Abbie Fink, a spokeswoman for the Havasupai Tribe, said the Tribal Council's decision isn't a reflection on the outfitters. Rather, she said the tribe wanted to manage all tourist traffic itself. "It's not solving a problem. It's returning the enterprise to the control of the tribe," she told The Associated Press. For years, the tribe has set aside spots for tour companies, which often bought permits in bulk. The outfitters paid a licensing fee of several thousand dollars, and some had elaborate setups with gourmet meals, inflatable couches and massage therapists. Most brought just the essentials. FILE - This 1997 file photo shows one of five waterfalls on Havasu Creek as its waters tumble 210 feet on the Havasupai Tribe's reservation in a southeastern branch of the Grand Canyon near Supai, Ariz. Reservations open up next month for tourists eager to snag a camping spot at the bottom of the Grand Canyon where blue-green waterfalls appear like oases in the desert. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty, File) Fink couldn't say exactly how much tour guides paid or how many licenses have been issued in the past. She said the Tribal Council would re-evaluate outfitter licenses for 2020. The tribe relies heavily on tourism and estimates that between February and November, it gets 30,000 to 40,000 visitors per year to its reservation deep in a gorge west of Grand Canyon National Park that's accessible only by foot or helicopter, or by riding a horse or mule. The tribe does maintenance in the campground and on the trails in December and January. The tribe doesn't allow day hikes, so visitors wanting to take in its waterfalls and other sights must reserve overnight trips in the campground or at the sole lodge. Rooms in the lodge, which can be booked only by phone, are sold out for the rest of this year. Reservations for 2020 start June 1. Permits for 2019 camping spots become available online Feb. 1 and are expected to sell out in minutes. People on social media have been strategizing for months about how to boost their chances, including by setting up an account early, recruiting friends and family to try to book a trip and repeatedly refreshing multiple internet browsers. The permits are $100 per person per night Monday through Thursday, and $125 a night Friday through Sunday, slight increases over last year. The tribe grants about 300 camping permits a day, Fink has said. Adam Henry, co-owner of Discovery Treks, books between 100 and 200 people on the Havasupai trip each year but has had to stick to offering trips in other spots of the Grand Canyon. He says that's not always welcome news for tourists intent on venturing to the waterfalls. The hike takes tourists 8 miles (13 kilometers) down a winding trail through desert landscape before they reach the first waterfall. Then comes the village of Supai, where 600 tribal members live year-round. Another 2 miles (3 kilometers) down the trail is the campground with waterfalls on both ends. "The blue-green water is what people want to see," Henry said. "It's certainly a significant bummer for people who aren't going to be able to get out there on their own." Christine Miller, who works with the tour guide company Wildland Trekking, said tourists can find packing lists online and videos on Havasupai to help plan their trip. The advantage to having a tour guide is knowing how to reach the sights off the main trail, including other waterfalls, caves and swimming pools. "There are not really any good maps out there to tell you when to cross, when not to cross" the creek, she said. The tribe temporarily suspended licenses for outfitters in 2016 in part to review the impact that supplies loaded onto pack animals had on the animals and the trail. Fink did not respond to questions about what came out of that review. FORT HANCOCK, Texas (AP) - The government shutdown that ended Friday did dramatically shrink the size of government. At least temporarily. That energized some Republicans who for decades have heard GOP presidential hopefuls vow to abolish the IRS and mothball the departments of Education or Energy or Interior or many other agencies. But it didn't repair a decades-long schism within the Republican Party between conservatives, who call for small government but don't mind creating deficits for things like tax cuts, and libertarians, who want government out of peoples' lives almost entirely. President Donald Trump has backed increasing the size of the federal budget substantially, making him no true small-government champion. Libertarians also note that shuttering the government indiscriminately because of political squabbles did nothing to reduce long-term federal spending or government's overall scope. In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, photo, mechanic Terry Rose talks about the government shutdown at his business in Fort Hancock, Texas. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research suggests staunch supporters of President Trump like Rose may be becoming harder to find, though. It showed that a majority of Americans blame the president for the shutdown and reject his argument that spending $5.7 billion on a border wall will significantly reduce crime, boost the U.S. economy or deter drug smugglers. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, photo, Gene Henderson, from left, Brandon Henderson, and Terry Rose, right, dine at Angie's Cafe in Fort Hancock, Texas. Gene Henderson, a 69-year-old Vietnam veteran and retired Border Patrol agent who now has a small farm, said the shutdown has furloughed federal inspectors needed to grade his cotton before it can go to market, but he thinks President Trump should continue the shutdown long enough to cement his re-election. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, photo, mechanic Terry Rose refills his iced tea at Angie's Cafe in Fort Hancock, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research suggests staunch supporters of President Trump like Rose may be becoming harder to find, though. It showed that a majority of Americans blame the president for the shutdown and reject his argument that spending $5.7 billion on a border wall will significantly reduce crime, boost the U.S. economy or deter drug smugglers. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Sounds poll bugle in TN, Kerala; assures action against looters. Madurai/Thrissur: Asserting his governments resolve to fight corruption and nepotism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at the united Opposition, saying disparate parties are coming together out of fear and negativity as their leaders are afraid of being caught by the government for their involvement in corruption. Sounding the poll bugle in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Mr Modi attacked the proposed Mahagatbandhan of Opposition parties that vowed to dislodge him in the coming Lok Sabha polls at last weeks meeting in Kolkata and said, All they have in common is hatred for me. They say that keeping aside all other considerations they must unite to remove this watchman. However big a group they form, out of fear and negativity, Narendra Modi will stand firmly with the poor, he said at a BJP rally in Tamil Nadus Madurai. The Congress has repeatedly used the watchman sobriquet to target the Prime Minister, with party chief Rahul Gandhi even coining the slogan Chowkidar chor hai while levelling corruption allegations against Mr Modi in the Rafale jet deal. Looking to make corruption a poll plank in the Lok Sabha election, Prime Minister said, All those who were used to making deals in government contracts, defence deals and welfare schemes are now facing the music. That is why they are all coming together. Assuring justice against the countrys economic offenders, Mr Modi said, Any person who has cheated or looted the country shall be brought to justice. This is regardless of whether he is in India or abroad. The Prime Minister was apparently referring to economic offenders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi who are wanted in connection with defaulting on huge bank loans but are now abroad. Mr Modi also hit out at critics of the 10 per cent quota for the economically weaker sections. It is unfortunate that an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust is being created by a few people in Tamil Nadu to serve their own selfish interests, he said, obliquely referring to the DMKs move to challenge in the Madras high court the Constitutional amendment providing for 10 per cent EWS quota. At a Yuva Morcha rally in Keralas Thrissur, Mr Modi slammed the Congress and the Left parties, saying they have no respect for institutions, including the Election Commission, and all their talk of democracy is the biggest joke. The Congress and communists talking about democracy is the biggest joke. What is happening in some parts of Kerala political workers are killed just because their ideology is different from the communists, he said and added that the mindset of the Emergency still lives in the minds of many Congress leaders. The Prime Minister, who was in Kerala for the second time this month, once again raked up the Sabarimala issue and alleged that the cultural ethos of the state was under attack from the ruling Communist party in the state. Issue of the Sabarimala Temple has got the attention of the nation, people are seeing the manner in which the Communist government is disrespecting all aspects of our culture, he said. Mr Modi slammed the Congress-led Opposition, United Democratic Front, in Kerala for implicating former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan in an espionage case, saying they did so as some party leaders wanted to settle political scores. The Prime Minister said it was an honour for his government to have got the opportunity to confer the Padma Bhushan on Mr Narayanan, who was implicated in a false case. A few years ago, a hard working and patriotic ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan was implicated in a false case just because a few UDF leaders wanted to settle political scores, he said. The Prime Ministers attacks on Opposition parties have sharpened since last week, when 23 parties held a mega rally in Kolkata under the initiative of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan said Saturday that "significant progress" was made during lengthy talks with the Taliban in Qatar and that he was traveling to Afghanistan for more discussions aimed at ending the country's destructive 17-year war. Zalmay Khalilzad said on his official Twitter account that he wants to build on six days of meetings in Doha, the capital of Qatar. "Meetings here were more productive than they have been in the past," he said without providing details. "We made significant progress on vital issues." Taliban officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media said they have reached an understanding on the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops and that Afghan soil will not be used for attacks or threats against the U.S. or other countries. It wasn't clear whether Khalilzad is seeking written guarantees from the Taliban that they will distance themselves from al-Qaida operatives, including Ayman al Zawahiri, who live among them or at the very least have safe passage and havens within territory they control. Zawahiri, an Egyptian, took over the leadership of al-Qaida following the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan by U.S. Navy SEALS. FILE - In this March 13, 2009, file photo, Zalmay Khalilzad, special adviser on reconciliation, speaks during a news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan. Khalilzad said Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, that "significant progress" was made during lengthy talks with the Taliban in Qatar and that he was traveling to Afghanistan for more discussions aimed at ending the country's destructive 17-year war. Khalilzad said on his official Twitter account that he wants to build on six days of meetings in Doha, the capital of Qatar. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File) There are also believed to be a number of Arabic-speaking jihadis associated with the Haqqani network, considered the most lethal of the Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. It wasn't clear how the U.S. could verify Taliban promises to ensure Afghan territory is not again a staging arena for attacks outside its borders. There was also no indication that the Taliban would agree to a cease-fire, which Khalilzad has been seeking, or when the Taliban would hold direct talks with the Afghan government, something they have continued to reject. The Haqqanis did send three representatives to a meeting with Khalilzad in the United Arab Emirates last month, an indication that they are in sync with the Taliban leadership conducting the negotiations. It wasn't immediately clear if any were in attendance this past week in Qatar. The Taliban negotiating team that met this week in Qatar with Khalilzad were all senior members of the movement. They included Salam Hanafi, Muhammad Hanif and Mohammad Zahid Ahmadzai __ all members of the Taliban leadership council __ Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban's Qatar office, Shahabuddin Dilawar, Muhammad Fazl and Khairullah Khairkhwah. Both Fazl and Khairkhwah were among five Taliban freed from the U.S. prison at Gunatanamo Bay in 2014 in exchange for U.S. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl who had been captured by the Taliban in 2009 after he wandered off his base. These negotiations are the most significant held to date. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a statement Saturday said the Taliban are steadfast in their demand that no substantive progress is possible without a troop withdrawal. But he did acknowledge progress. "This round of negotiations revolving around the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and other vital issues saw progress; but since issues are of critical nature and need comprehensive discussions therefore it was decided that talks about unsolved matters will resume in similar future meetings," he said. Last week, the Taliban threatened to walk away from talks, accusing Washington of seeking to "expand the agenda" - presumably a reference to U.S. demands that the insurgents hold direct talks with Kabul. Khalilzad has said that any peace talks must include the Afghan government and a comprehensive cease-fire. Khalilzad has met with the Taliban on a number of occasions in recent months in the latest bid to end America's longest war. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to topple the Taliban, who were harboring Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. The Taliban have staged a comeback in recent years and today hold sway over nearly half the country. ___ Gannon reported from Ottawa, Canada. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed. DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio city's appeal arguing a police officer is immune from liability for fatally shooting a black man holding a pellet rifle inside a Walmart store has delayed a federal civil rights trial until later this year. The Hamilton-Middletown Journal News reports U.S. District Judge Walter Rice has moved the trial from Feb. 4 until Oct. 28 while the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considers Beavercreek's immunity claim, filed Friday. Rice previously ruled that the lawsuit against Beavercreek police officer Sean Williams, who shot 22-year-old John Crawford III in August 2014 within seconds of spotting him holding the unpackaged rifle, could continue. Rice hasn't decided yet whether a lawsuit filed against Walmart, which argues it wasn't liable for the shooting, can continue. Beavercreek's law director declined to comment. DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio judge has agreed a woman was insane when she killed her two children and has ordered her institutionalized at a mental health facility. Thirty-one-year-old Claudena Helton was charged with aggravated murder for fatally shooting 8-year-old daughter Khmorra and 6-year-old son Kaiden in May 2017 in the southeast Ohio city of Dayton. The Dayton Daily News reports a Montgomery County judge accepted Helton's insanity plea at a hearing Friday and ordered a review in six months. Helton's attorney said two psychological reports concluded she was not guilty by reason of insanity and a third said she was competent to stand trial. Neighbors told police Helton was in a trance-like state after the slayings. Helton told police she killed her children to "save them from the evils of the world." ___ Information from: Dayton Daily News, http://www.daytondailynews.com NEW YORK (AP) - Long term, lawyers and activists battling to ensure that transgender people can serve openly in the U.S. military are convinced they will prevail. Short term, they are braced for anguishing consequences if the Trump administration proceeds with its plan to sharply restrict such service. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote Tuesday, gave the administration the green light to put the policy into effect even as legal challenges continue. "I'm absolutely optimistic with respect to the long-term prospects," said Sharon McGowan, legal director of the LGBT rights group Lambda Legal, which is pressing one of the lawsuits. "The question is: How long is the long term?" McGowan and other activists see parallels between the battle and the 17-year saga involving the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prohibited gay men and women from serving openly in the armed forces. After prolonged controversy and litigation - as well as the discharge of more than 13,000 military personnel - Congress repealed the Clinton-era policy in 2010, and gay service members were able to serve openly beginning in 2011. LGBT rights activist Andy Blevins, who served in the Navy from 2007 to 2011, said he underwent three investigations related to "don't ask" before he was finally discharged on medical grounds. He is now executive director of OutServe-SLDN, which represents LGBT personnel in the military and is engaged in the litigation against the Trump plan. Blevins grows emotional in describing the "daily struggle" to keep his sexual orientation a secret before repeal of "don't ask," yet he suggested that currently serving transgender people face even tougher circumstances. They were told in 2016, in the waning months of the Obama administration, that they would be able to serve openly, then were jolted in 2017 when President Donald Trump tweeted his intention to ban all transgender people from the military. This 2017 photo provided by Lambda Legal in January 2019 shows Megan Winters at Joint Base Anacostia-Billing in Washington. Among those active-duty trans service members is Winters, 30, a plaintiff in the Lambda-Outserve lawsuit who has been in the Navy almost six years. She formerly served with the Office of Naval Intelligence in Washington and now is assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush, based in Norfolk, Va. "I do my job to the best of my ability every single day and will do that as long as I'm able to," she said in a telephone interview. "I recall how I felt the first time I put on the uniform. I genuinely wish that upon any American who wishes to serve." Asked if Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019 Supreme Court vote made her apprehensive, Winters paused before saying it was hard to answer. (Lambda Legal via AP) "They were told it's OK to be transgender ... then the rug is pulled out from under these dedicated service members," Blevins said. Yet he said activists have made major progress in convincing politicians and the public that the Trump plan is based on misinformation and prejudice. "We have optimism that we're going to win the war," he said. "This is just a setback, a speed bump." OutServe-SLDN's legal director, Peter Perkowski, is teaming with Lambda Legal lawyers on one of four lawsuits challenging Trump's plan. Though he shares Blevins' long-term optimism, he is wary of the outcome if any of the lawsuits reach the Supreme Court, now with a solidified conservative majority thanks to the addition of Trump appointees Neal Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. "There's a certain segment of the court that's kind of hostile to our issues in the LGBTQ community," Perkowski said. "Beyond that, I don't make any predictions." Meanwhile, Perkowski said, transgender people seeking to enlist are frustrated by legal uncertainties, while currently serving trans personnel are worried about their job security. "They just want to continue to do their jobs without this cloud hanging over them, without being tagged as inadequate," he said. Among those active-duty trans service members is Megan Winters, 30, a plaintiff in the Lambda-Outserve lawsuit who has been in the Navy almost six years. She formerly served with the Office of Naval Intelligence in Washington and now is assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush, based in Norfolk, Virginia. "I do my job to the best of my ability every single day and will do that as long as I'm able to," she said in a telephone interview. "I recall how I felt the first time I put on the uniform. I genuinely wish that upon any American who wishes to serve." Asked if Tuesday's Supreme Court vote made her apprehensive, Winters paused before saying it was hard to answer. "I want to tell you I stand steadfast and hold my head up high - but it is a little difficult," she said. "The president of the United States is my commander in chief. If they called for the end of transgender service, if it's a lawful order I would have to obey it. But I truly want to continue serving my country." According to a report issued by the Pentagon last year, there were 8,980 service members who identify as transgender. Details of how the Trump plan might be implemented remain unclear; some currently serving trans personnel - perhaps including Winters - might be able to remain in the military. However, the court vote clears the way for the Pentagon to bar enlistment by people who have undergone a gender transition. It also would allow the administration to require that military personnel serve in accordance with their biological gender unless they began a gender transition under the Obama-era rules. Activists doubt the current Republican-controlled Senate would move to block the transgender ban. And it would face a potential Trump veto if it did so. However, Aaron Belkin of the California-based Palm Center, which studies LGBT-related military issues, said public opinion now favors transgender military service, and added, "The Democrats will reinstate an inclusive policy on the first day they're back in power." Supporters of Trump's efforts include Tony Perkins, a Marine veteran who is president of the conservative Family Research Council. He says the courts should not interfere with the ability of the U.S. president as commander in chief to set military policy. "The Pentagon isn't in the business of equality," Perkins said recently. "Either the military's priority is protecting America - or it's helping people on the path to self-actualization. It can't do both." But Lambda Legal's McGowan said top military commanders have said there were minimal problems related to the Obama administration's moves to allow transgender service. The Trump policy, she said, "has nothing to do with national security or unit cohesion - it's about throwing red meat to a portion of Trump's political base." McGowan evoked Katie Schmid, a South Korea-based Army staff sergeant who is a plaintiff in Lambda's lawsuit. "They're telling Katie, you're unfit to die for this country," McGowan said. "I can't think of a more offensive thing to say to someone willing to put their life on the line." For LGBT rights leaders, Trump's proposed ban is only one of several attacks on transgender Americans. They also cite a Justice Department memo concluding that civil rights laws don't protect transgender people from workplace discrimination and the scrapping of Obama-era guidance encouraging school officials to let transgender students use bathrooms of their choice. Los Angeles teachers who declared a victory after a six-day strike have added momentum to a successful wave of activism by educators framing their cause as a push to improve public education, not just get pay raises. Teachers in Denver, Oakland, Virginia, Texas, Washington and Illinois are planning rallies, marches and, in some cases, strikes of their own - actions that have fed off one another since the movement began last spring in West Virginia. "Some of this action breeds more action," said Daniel Montgomery, president of the teachers union in Illinois, where the nation's first strike against a charter school network ended last month in Chicago. "People look around and say, 'It is possible to do this. The teachers walked out in West Virginia and the walls didn't cave in.'" In several states, governors and lawmakers are moving pre-emptively to address teachers' grievances through proposals to increase money for education. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and new House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, both Republicans, emphasized more spending on schools as they were sworn in this month. Elected officials in New Mexico , Georgia , Indiana,Mississippi and Arkansas are among others who have proposed increases in teacher pay early in the new year. "Some state legislators may get wise and head this off ahead of time," said Kenneth Dau-Schmidt, a labor and employment law professor at Indiana University. "You may see less strikes just because legislatures get out in front of the problem." FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 file photo, elementary school teachers Iris Marin, center, and Mireya Gutierrez, right, and Lorena Redford, clench fists at a rally in downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles teachers who declared a victory after a six-day strike have added momentum to a wave of activism by educators. They've tapped a common theme and found success by framing their cause as a push to improve public education, not just get pay raises. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) In Los Angeles , 30,000 teachers returned to work Wednesday. They settled for the same 6 percent raise offered early on by the nation's second-largest school district, but they also secured promises for smaller class sizes and more nurses and counselors to benefit students. Labor historian Joseph McCartin, a professor at Georgetown University, said the recent actions have been more popular politically than a series of teacher strikes in the 1970s because of how they are framed. "What you're seeing in each of these cases is when teachers did engage in militancy, they did so not just to win raises for themselves, and sometimes not even primarily to win raises for themselves," he said, "but to push back against the austerity regime that was undermining public education." Montgomery said teachers have made a point to discuss things like crowded classrooms and inadequate supplies, an approach that drew public support for Detroit teachers during "sickouts" in 2016. "They couldn't strike, but the teachers did a sickout to call attention to rats in school districts and buckled gym floors and standing sewage and things like that, and people see that and they get outraged," the Illinois union leader said. "It's bringing it to people's consciousness in a way that they can see and feel." Unions in several districts have been taking cues from the movement that began with the nine-day teacher walkout in West Virginia before spreading to Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona and beyond. Denver teachers were ready to walk out Monday before school officials asked the state to intervene, delaying their plans to strike over the district's pay scale after more than a year of negotiations. A Washington state union that represents school employees invited a West Virginia teacher to an assembly last spring after their walkout ended with a 5 percent raise for teachers and other staff. "West Virginia was inspiring to our folks because the teachers weren't just saying, 'Hey, give teachers something,'" said Tricia Schroeder, executive vice president of Local 925 of the Service Employees International Union. The union represents school health staff and other paraprofessionals from the Issaquah School District east of Seattle who voted earlier this month to authorize a strike amid contentious bargaining. In Texas, teachers plan to converge March 11 at the state Capitol, where 12 seats in the Republican-led House flipped to Democrats that emphasized education funding during the midterm election. After teachers in neighboring Oklahoma won an average $6,100 raise with a nine-day walkout last spring, Texas State Teachers Association President Noel Candelaria said he received several calls suggesting a walkout. Striking is illegal in Texas, so teachers organized around the election and plan to keep up the pressure, he said. Teachers across Virginia plan to march on the Capitol in Richmond on Jan. 28 to demand lawmakers restore funding lost to Great Recession-era cuts and pay teachers in line with the national average. Like Texas, where the march coincides with spring break, it won't shut down schools. Virginia educators are requesting leave as they test the waters in a state where teacher strikes are illegal. "When you take on these things, you really have to do them together. It really has to be big," said Sarah Pedersen, a middle school history teacher who helped form Virginia Educators United to build unity. "We're expecting between 1,000 and 3,500 people. We need to ensure that we can grow to 30,000 to 40,000 people." About 200 teachers participate in a rally outside Denver Public School headquarters in downtown Denver, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. Teachers have overwhelmingly voted to strike but their plans to walk off the job have been placed on hold after the district asked the state to intervene. (AP Photo/P. Solomon Banda) FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2019 file photo, teachers strike in the rain outside John Marshall High School in Los Angeles. Teachers who declared a victory after a six-day strike have added momentum to a wave of activism by educators. They've tapped a common theme and found success by framing their cause as a push to improve public education, not just get pay raises. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File) FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 file photo, teachers and supporters rally in the rain in Los Angeles. Los Angeles teachers who declared a victory after a six-day strike have added momentum to a wave of activism by educators. They've tapped a common theme and found success by framing their cause as a push to improve public education, not just get pay raises. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File) CHULUOTA, Fla. (AP) - Authorities in Florida say they have detained a man considered a person of interest in a triple homicide near Orlando. Seminole County Sheriff's Office says 29-year-old Grant Amato was found early Saturday in a hotel room in a neighboring county and detained "without incident." A previous statement by the sheriff's office said Amato was considered armed and dangerous. Deputies found the bodies of two men and a woman in a home in rural Chuluota, northeast of Orlando. Officials have not revealed the identity of the victims or the cause of death. There were no signs of a break-in, leading investigators to believe the victims knew the killer. Authorities arrived at the scene after an employer of one of the victims called the sheriff's office to request a well-being check. RAVENNA, Ohio (AP) - A 13-year-old Ohio boy who stole a handgun from his grandfather's gun cabinet and fatally shot his 11-year-old brother has been sentenced to seven years in a youth prison. The Record-Courier reports a judge in northeast Ohio's Portage County on Friday decided not to classify the 13-year-old as a serious youthful offender, which means he can't be sent to adult prison for rule violations. The Associated Press is not identifying him because of his age. The shooting occurred last April in Streetsboro. The boy was subsequently diagnosed with multiple psychological disorders. A psychologist said those disorders were rooted in the abuse he suffered as a toddler before he and his brother were adopted. The boy said in court he didn't realize he loved his brother until he was dead. ___ Information from: Record-Courier, http://www.recordpub.com MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - An inmate serving a life sentence has been captured after escaping earlier this week from an Alabama prison. A statement by the Alabama Department of Corrections said Corey Aris Davis, 30, surrendered early Saturday in Kentucky. The surrender took place without violence. Further details were not immediately available. The Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to a telephone message or email from The Associated Press seeking comment Saturday. Davis was serving a life sentence for human trafficking when he escaped from the St. Clair Correctional Facility in Springville on Wednesday. Investigators determined Davis, who had been assigned to a work detail, hid inside a trailer used to haul furniture while he was working in the prison furniture plant and used a piece of furniture to conceal himself, Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Bob Horton wrote in a statement. He said the trailer left around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday for another prison industries facility in Montgomery. Prison officials believe three other inmates helped Davis escape. Investigators are trying to determine how Davis got into the trailer unseen and why he was not reported missing until a security check at 8 p.m. Wednesday night. The Alabama prison has been placed on lockdown during the investigation. One of Alabama's larger prisons, the lockup in St. Clair County has beds for 1,075 inmates, according to a statistical report from October. Inmate advocates have complained about problems at the prison including violence and security lapses. The Alabama Department of Corrections said they are also investigating why the inmate was not reporting missing for nearly eight hours. Davis was sentenced to life in prison in 2017 for two charges of human trafficking in Lauderdale County, records show. Court document shows Davis had faced charges of sexual torture, rape, sodomy, kidnapping and burglary, but he agreed to plead guilty to human trafficking. PARK CITY, Utah (AP) - Shia LaBeouf latest film was born in an unusual place - court-ordered rehab. The actor spent time writing the script for his semi-autobiographical "Honey Boy" while he was being treated for substance abuse after a 2017 arrest. "He wrote this script in rehab and actually sent me an email from there with the script," said Israeli director Alma Har'el. "So it was pretty mind blowing. I couldn't say no to that." LaBeouf premiered the film at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday in Park City, Utah. He didn't speak with the media but posed alongside his mother, Shayna Saide, and fellow actors. The former "Transformers" star plays an alcoholic and abusive father of a child actor, who is played at different ages by Noah Jupe (of "A Quiet Place") and Lucas Hedges ("Boy Erased"). "I think it was emotionally difficult for anybody to do what he did and I think nobody has ever done it before," Har'el said. "He stepped into his own trauma and played his father in it - the most complicated relationship he's ever had, that defined his life more than anything else." Actor Shia LaBeouf poses at the premiere of "Honey Boy" during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP) LaBeouf had admired an early documentary by Har'el and they'd developed a working relationship over the years. "We did a music video. He was kind enough to finance my second film when nobody but nobody else would," she said. In 2017, LaBeouf pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction stemming from his attempt to elude police following a vulgar public outburst in Georgia. He was also ordered to pay $2,680 in fines and fees, perform 100 hours of community service, enroll in anger management counseling and complete a drug and alcohol evaluation. That's when he began on "Honey Boy." Har'el said the film shines a light on LaBeouf's private struggles. "It's a story about the things you inherit. Shia definitely inherited a lot of his passion towards acting from his father. But he also inherited other things that he has to deal with for the rest of his life. And he's trying to do it as best as he can. He had to do it in the public eye, unlike many of us. So it's been very challenging. And I think this film really kind of deals with that," she said. "Honey Boy" is seeking a distributor at Sundance. Director Alma Har'el, left, and actor Shia LaBeouf pose at the premiere of "Honey Boy" during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP) Director Alma Har'el, left, and actor Shia LaBeouf pose at the premiere of "Honey Boy" during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP) PANAMA CITY (AP) - The latest on Pope Francis' visit to Panama (all times local): 7:20 p.m. The Vatican says an estimated 600,000 people have turned out for Pope Francis' vigil at World Youth Day in Panama. Many of the pilgrims will sleep outdoors in the Metropark zone where Francis will return Sunday for an early morning Mass before heading back to the Vatican. Organizers have said all along they expected this World Youth Day to be much smaller than in years past, primarily because the January dates don't coincide with school vacations in North America and Europe. Francis is presiding over the Saturday night vigil, which has included testimony from a family with a child with Down Syndrome and a Panamanian youth speaking about his struggle with drugs. Pilgrims rest before the arrival of Pope Francis for a vigil at Campo San Juan Pablo II in Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Sister Maria De Guadalupe from El Salvador says the World Youth Day experience has been intense. "It has been very dynamic, a bit exhausting but it is worth it to hear the pope when he passes and receive his blessing and especially because it encourages young people." ___ 5:35 p.m. Pilgrims to the Roman Catholic Church's World Youth Day in Panama have set up tents in the middle of a sun-drenched esplanade where they await a vigil with Pope Francis on his second-to-last day in the country. The idea is to sleep there overnight and then take in a final Mass to be celebrated Sunday. Claudia Martinez is at her third World Youth Day after attending the event in Rome in 2000 and in Canada in 2002. The 41-year-old is one of the more than 6,000 people who came to Panama from El Salvador. Martinez says they "bring the presence of our first saint," a reference to the recently canonized Oscar Romero. The Salvadoran archbishop was shot to death in 1980 and made a saint last October. Martinez says the most impactful part of the event in Panama so far has been the pope's messages "challenging" young people. ___ 3:20 p.m. Young people have challenged Pope Francis on the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal and the plight of Christians in the Middle East as the youth take center stage in the final events of World Youth Day in Panama. Francis lunched Saturday with 10 young pilgrims from around the world who are attending the religious rally. The Vatican described the atmosphere as familiar and festive, and the young people said they were surprised at Francis' informality and interest in their questions. Brenda Noriega was born in Mexico and lives now in San Bernardino, California. She said she told Francis that the sex abuse scandal was a "crisis we can't avoid talking about." She said Francis assured her that the church was committed to supporting victims. Young people are expected to be protagonists as well later Saturday during World Youth Day's final vigil. ___ 10:15 a.m. Pope Francis is seeking to inspire Panama's priests and religious sisters as he acknowledges that they may have grown weary from the burdens of their work and the "wounds of the church's own sin." Francis celebrated Mass on Saturday in Panama City's main cathedral, Santa Maria la Antigua basilica. The Mass served to formally reopen and consecrate the church's altar after a yearslong renovation. In his homily, Francis spoke frankly about the pressures, frustrations and anxieties facing priests and nuns in a rapidly changing world where he said it sometimes seems the Catholic message has no place. The pope warned that such anxieties can sometimes be paralyzing, but he urged them to recapture the joy and faith that inspired them originally. Francis celebrated the Mass at the half-way point of his four-day visit to Panama for the church's World Youth Day. ___ 9:15 a.m. Bells are tolling in Panama City's historic center as Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass at the city's main cathedral. At the halfway mark of his four-day visit, Francis will dedicate the new altar of the Santa Maria la Antigua basilica during Saturday's Mass and then have lunch with youths in town for World Youth Day. In the evening he'll celebrate an open-air vigil service, one of the mainstays of the Catholic Church's youth festival. During the Mass, Francis will be seeking to inspire Panama's priests and religious sisters - after having sought to inspire Central America's bishops, politicians and even its young prisoners. Pilgrims lined the route of Francis' open-sided popemobile as it wound its way through the narrow streets of the Casco Viejo old town, a UNESCO world heritage site. ___ 1 a.m. Pope Francis has sought to inspire Panama's young people, its prisoners, its politicians and its bishops. On Saturday he turns his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters as he reaches the midway point in his Central American visit. Francis will celebrate Mass in the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral in the old section of Panama City with the country's priests and nuns. Later he'll preside over the final vigil before World Youth Day's culminating Mass on Sunday. On Friday, Francis brought World Youth Day to Panama's juvenile delinquents, celebrating an emotional penitential liturgy inside the country's main youth prison since the inmates couldn't participate in the Catholic Church's big festival of faith outside. Priests get ready to distribute Holy Communion during a Mass with Pope Francis in the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral, in the old section of Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turned his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters as he reacheed the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) Pope Francis blesses a group of pilgrims as he arrives to celebrate Mass at the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral on the occasion of his visit for World Youth Day, in Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turns his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters as he reaches the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves from his popemobile as he arrives to celebrate Mass in the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral in Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turns turns his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters as he reaches the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) Flanked by a security detail, Father Mauricio Rueda Beltz, papal trip organizer, left, and Panama Archbishop Jose Domingo Ulloa, Pope Francis waves as he arrive to a celebrate Mass in the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral in Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turns turns his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters as he reaches the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) Pope Francis leads a Station of the Cross, at Santa Maria la Antigua field along the Cinta Costera in Panama City, at sunset Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Catholic faithful stand outside the Apostolic Nunciature hoping to get a glimpse of Pope Francis, in Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis will turn his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters on Saturday as he reaches the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Tito Herrera) A pilgrim prays during a Stations of the Cross event lead by Pope Francis at Campo Santa Maria la Antigua, along the Cinta Costera of Panama City, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) Pope Francis arrives to celebrate a Mass at the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral on the occasion of his visit for the World Youth Day, in Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turns his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters as he reaches the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) No new date has been mentioned. New Delhi: Citing that one member of the five-judge Constitution Bench would not be available on Tuesday, the Supreme Court on Sunday cancelled hearing in the politically sensitive Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case, scheduled for that day. No fresh date for the hearing has been mentioned. The sitting of the Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, stands cancelled as Justice S.A. Bobde will not be available on January 29, said a notice issued by the Supreme Court registry. Apart from the CJI, the Bench includes Justices S.A. Bobde, D.Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S.A. Nazeer. The five-judge Bench was re-constituted on January 25 as Justice U.U. Lalit, a member of the original Bench, had recused himself from hearing the matter. In the fresh bench, Justice Bhushan and Justice Nazeer made a come back to hear the matter. Both of them were part of a earlier Bench headed by then CJI Dipak Misra (now retired) which had on September 27, 2018, refused to refer to a five-judge Constitution Bench the reconsideration of the observation in its 1994 judgment that a mosque was not integral to Islam. While Justice Misra and Justice Bhushan had said it has to find out the context in which the five-judge Bench had delivered the 1994 judgment, Justice Nazeer had given a minority verdict disagreeing with the two judges. Justice Nazeer had said whether a mosque is integral to Islam has to be decided considering religious belief which requires detailed consideration. On January 10, Justice Lalit had recused himself after expressing disinclination to participate in the hearing any further as he had appeared as a lawyer for former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh in a related matter sometime in the year 1997. Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad HC judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among three parties the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. On January 10, the Bench in its order had noted that the apex court registrys secretary general has informed the CJI that in four suits, out of which these appeals have arisen, in all 120 issues have been framed for trial and a total of 88 witnesses were examined. It had noted that depositions of witnesses run into 13,886 pages and a total of 257 documents exhibited. ROME (AP) - Three United Nations agencies appealed Saturday to Italy to allow 47 migrants off a private rescue ship after a week in cold weather and decried a "'boat-by-boat" approach that keeps vulnerable asylum-seekers at sea while European nations squabble. Sea-Watch 3, operated by a German aid group, could be seen about a mile offshore from Syracuse, Sicily as fishermen, priests and others turned out for a solidarity rally in support of the stranded passengers. The ship rescued the migrants on Jan.19, but Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has refused to let private rescue boats into the country's ports. Salvini has argued the vessels' presence on the Mediterranean encourages human traffickers. Italian authorities said the people on the Sea-Watch 3 were picked up in an area that is within Libya's search-and-rescue jurisdiction. They allowed the ship to shelter in Italy's territorial waters Thursday as the weather worsened farther out. The mayors of Naples and Palermo have offered their ports, but national authorities hold jurisdiction. Germany aid group Sea-Watch has said several migrants were spending cold nights above deck due to space constraints and at risk of being swamped overboard by waves. The passengers include 13 unaccompanied minors aboard, according to the U.N. agencies. A juvenile court judge in Catania urged the government Friday to grant the rescue ship permission to disembark them. An Italian Coast Guard patroller flanks the Sea-Watch rescue ship off the Sicilian coast where it found shelter, about one nautical mile from Siracusa, from gale winds sweeping the Sicilian Channel, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. The Sea-Watch is carrying 47 people saved from the sea. Italian Interior minister Salvini yesterday tweeted that the government is "ready to send food, medicine and whatever may be needed, but Italy's ports are and will remain closed". (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli) Sea-Watch spokeswoman Giorgia Linardi said the cramped conditions in the 20-square-meter (200 square feet) space below deck reminded some passengers of the detention facilities in Libya where they awaited an opportunity to embark for Europe in smugglers' rubber dinghies and wooden fishing boats. Aboard Sea-Watch 3, "they are amassed in a cold room, a mile from the coast" of Italy, Linardi said. The U.N.'s International Organization for Migration, refugee agency UNHCR and UNICEF, which is concerned with children's welfare, expressed "grave concern" and said that "this situation can't drag on for long, above all in a difficult period like winter." "The absolute priority remains that of saving human lives and guaranteeing a port of safe disembarkation and adequate assistance to those who have already risked life aboard flimsy vessels," the three agencies said in a joint statement Saturday. Italy has equipped the Libyan coast guard to better intercept trafficked migrants. U.N. officials and human rights advocates say returning rescued migrants to largely lawless Libya will expose them again to torture, rape, overcrowding and scanty rations. Maritime law specifies that boats are supposed to bring rescued people to the nearest safe port, and human rights advocates have argued that Libya isn't safe for detained migrants. In a statement on Twitter, Linardi said a 24-year-old Gambian man on Sea-Watch 3 bears a scar from forehead to chin. She said he was slashed in Libyan detention, where his hands were tied to a ceiling, according to a video sent to his relatives. Rescued migrants have told Italian authorities that smugglers often call migrants' families to hear screams of pain in hopes they'll send more money to the traffickers. "Until Libya is considered a safe port, all European states should finally show a sense of responsibility and solidarity," the U.N. statement said. The agencies called for "the current 'boat-by-boat' approach" to be replaced with a "mechanism for safe and orderly disembarkation in the central Mediterranean." ___ Frances D'Emilio is on twitter at www.twitter.com/fdemilio COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Investigations are underway into allegations that a doctor working for an Ohio hospital system ordered inappropriately high doses of pain medication to dozens of patients, leading to the deaths of at least 28 people at two hospitals. A review of events so far based on information provided by Mount Carmel Hospital System, details in lawsuits and accounts from patients' family members: Oct. 25: Columbus-based Mount Carmel receives formal report related to care provided by Dr. William Husel. Nov. 19: Mount Carmel receives second formal report related to Husel's care and broadens an internal investigation. Nov. 21: Mount Carmel receives a third report and prohibits Husel from providing patient care. Dec. 5: Mount Carmel fires Husel, notifies the State Medical Board of Ohio and meets with Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien. Two days later, the hospital notifies the Ohio Boards of Pharmacy & Nursing. Dec. 11: Mount Carmel begins training staff on changes in procedures and on existing and updated policies. Dec. 27: Mount Carmel first contacts families of patients affected by Husel's actions to notify them and apologize. Jan. 14: The first lawsuit is filed over the deaths, against the health system, a pharmacist, a nurse, and Husel, alleging a "grossly excessive" dosage of the powerful painkiller fentanyl was ordered to hasten the death of 79-year-old Janet Kavanaugh in December 2017. The same day, allegations against Husel become public as the hospital system releases a statement revealing the deaths of 27 patients who received doses of pain medication that were potentially fatal. The hospital's President and CEO Ed Lamb apologizes and says they are investigating how it happened. In an internal video released to employees the same day, Lamb said Husel's orders were carried out by employees who "made poor decisions" and ignored existing safeguards. Jan. 16: In the first public comments from a family member, David Austin, of Columbus, says he felt "like somebody kicked me in the chest" when he was told of the alleged circumstances of the death of his wife of 36 years, Bonnie Austin, in September. The same day, Mount Carmel says it identified a 28th patient. Attorneys for Hustel issue their first "no comment." Jan. 17: The widow of a man treated by Husel says news of the circumstances of her husband's death left her shocked that such a scenario could happen despite procedural and technological safeguards. Christine Allison, of Columbus, says "the system failed tremendously" in the case of her 44-year-old husband, Troy. Jan. 19: The Ohio Department of Health confirms its investigation of Husel on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Jan. 24: Mount Carmel acknowledges that Husel kept working for four weeks after concern was raised last fall. It also says it is now investigating whether some patients got excessive doses while they might still have had the opportunity to improve with treatment. The hospital raises the total number of patients receiving excessive doses of pain medication to 34. Jan. 25: State Medical Board suspends Husel's license, says doctor invoked his right against self-incrimination when he met with representatives this week and was questioned. Two additional lawsuits filed, over the deaths of 69-year-old Joanne Bellisari in May 2015 and 80-year-old Jim Allen in May 2018, bringing the total to six lawsuits as of Friday. ___ Associated Press writers Kantele Franko in Columbus and John Seewer in Toledo contributed to this report. EMPORIA, Va. (AP) - Just north of Emporia, one of Virginia's poorest cities, sits a 1,600-acre tract of weeds, wildflowers and the occasional wild turkey. Save for a few patches of trees and parcels of cotton, the site is virtually empty. But it's heavy with expectations. Officials have poured about $25 million into the Mid-Atlantic Advanced Manufacturing Center in the hope of attracting a factory filled with workers bringing home healthy paychecks, bolstering a region with high unemployment and few opportunities, but haven't succeeded so far. In the past decade, the state has sunk more than $100 million into land acquisition and development at a handful of such megasites dotting Virginia's struggling rural south and southwest but has little to show for it, losing out to states offering better infrastructure and incentives. A heavier focus on land acquisition rather developing the sites so plants can be operational within 18 months has put Virginia at a disadvantage as other Southern states welcome advanced manufacturing projects such as car and aerospace factories and pharmaceutical and fertilizer plants, top economic development officials and lawmakers say. "We can make the first cut or two on a big project, but when we get down to the very end, ... we are limited in what we can offer in the commonwealth," said Republican Del. Chris Jones, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Natalie Slate, Director of Economic Development for Greensville County poses in front of a promotional billboard off route Interstate 95 on the southern corner of Mid-Atlantic Advanced Manufacturing Center that has been developed in Emporia, Va., Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. Officials have plowed $25 million in the last decade hoping the site, dubbed the Mid-Atlantic Advanced Manufacturing Center, will one day be home to busy factories filled with local workers bringing home healthy paychecks, boosting a region suffering from high unemployment and low opportunities. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) Virginia also can't compete with other Southern states offering massive direct incentives, as state officials have balked at matching the big checks. South Carolina, for example, beat out Virginia for a Volvo plant after offering about $200 million in incentives. John Boyd Jr., a New Jersey-based site selection consultant, said Virginia enjoys a good reputation as a business-friendly state but landing a major car manufacturing plant is unlikely because carmakers prefer to locate in other Southern states with an existing supply chain. "Success breeds success in this industry," he said. Affluent Northern Virginia - with a booming, diverse workforce and close proximity to the federal government - has excelled at luring new businesses. Amazon cited the area's plentiful tech workers when recently announcing it was building a new headquarters there. Virginia officials say a key lesson from landing Amazon over states that offered three or four times as much cash is that incentives are only one factor companies consider when picking locations. Workforce development is key, too - one that Virginia has neglected when choosing sites in the past, Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne said. "Some of these sites, we could get them ready and I think they still have a very little chance of succeeding," Layne said. Compounding the issue, the state doesn't know exactly what it has to offer companies. The online database of available sites, both for megasites and smaller locations, is missing critical information, like what kind of utility infrastructure is available, Virginia Economic Development Partnership President and CEO Stephen Moret said. The development partnership is working on a detailed inventory of sites 25 acres and bigger. Until that study is done, Moret said, it's too soon to say whether public money has been spent on a site that will have to be written off. "I truly don't know," he said. That's raised some questions about whether spending on the megasites is worthwhile. "This school of 'if we build it, they will come' on spec is risky business," said Greg LeRoy, executive director of the corporate subsidies watchdog group Good Jobs First. The push to create megasites began in 2004, when several manufacturers were looking for locations in the Southeast, according to Tim Pfohl, grants director for Virginia's tobacco commission. The commission, an independent board created to use national tobacco settlement money to promote economic development in tobacco-dependent areas, allocated $100 million to buy land and bring in infrastructure. Nearly all of that has been spent on eight sites in the state's south and southwest, and even more money has been sunk into the sites by other grants and local governments. Former Gov. Gerald Baliles recently suggested in a speech to higher education officials that perhaps a better use for the commission's remaining money - which has funded projects far beyond just megasites - would be to funnel it instead into a trust fund for education. But Moret said preparing sites is critical if the state wants to increase the number of advanced manufacturing jobs. He said Virginia needs more fully developed sites and a better-coordinated effort between local governments, the state and private businesses like Dominion Energy, the state's largest electric utility. Without that focus and commitment, he said, neighboring states are just more attractive to companies looking to build. "We have to have prepared sites or we're going to lose," Moret said. Gov. Ralph Northam recently proposed spending $20 million more to improve infrastructure at the state's megasites. Layne said the money, which has to be approved by the General Assembly, will be limited to the sites determined most likely to attract new businesses. The director of economic development for Greensville County, home to the Mid-Atlantic Advanced Manufacturing Center, said it's hard to explain to people that developing megasites is a long process when they see millions going in and nothing coming out. Natalie Slate said the site has come close to landing major projects, including the Volvo manufacturing plant that instead chose South Carolina. The Greensville site is even more attractive after a recent $2.2 million state grant to upgrade its sewage infrastructure, she said. "We're ready," Slate said. "We're getting a lot more attention." ___ Rankin reported from Richmond, Virginia. A promotional billboard off route I95 sits on the southern corner of the Mid-Atlantic Advanced Manufacturing Center that has been developed in Emporia, Va., Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. Officials have plowed $25 million in the last decade hoping the site will one day be home to busy factories filled with local workers bringing home healthy paychecks, boosting a region suffering from high unemployment and low opportunities. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) PRAGUE (AP) - A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust still attracts attention, 75 years since their creation. Amid brutal conditions at the ghetto, the children made them during secret art classes led by artist Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, mostly in 1943-44. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home, helping the children cope with the cruel reality. They survived thanks to Dicker-Brandeis, who hid them in two pieces of baggage in Theresienstadt before her deportation to a death camp. They belong to Prague's Jewish museum and are on display in the Pinkas Synagogue. Visitor Alexandra Diffey from Britain said: "It's very, very moving. It is interesting. I've been thinking as I was walking around because my father was in a concentration camp, so it sort of hits home how it was for the Jews. I just think young people should really come here and see for themselves and maybe learn something." A visitor looks at the collection of drawings at the Jewish Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, made by Jewish children who passed through the Terezin Ghetto during WWII. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Some 35,000 victims died in Theresienstadt, also known as Terezin, during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. Some 87,000 others were transported from Terezin to Auschwitz and other Nazi death camps where most of them perished. A visitor looks at the collection of drawings at the Jewish Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, made by Jewish children who passed through the Terezin Ghetto during WWII. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Visitors look at the collection of drawings at the Jewish Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, made by Jewish children who passed through the Terezin Ghetto during WWII. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Visitors look at the collection of drawings at the Jewish Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, made by Jewish children who passed through the Terezin Ghetto during WWII. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) A visitor looks at the collection of drawings at the Jewish Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, made by Jewish children who passed through the Terezin Ghetto during WWII. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Tourists visit the Pinkas synagogue in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust now displayed in the Pinkas Synagogue, still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) The cemetery of the former Nazi concentration camp in Terezin, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust now displayed in the Pinkas Synagogue, still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Visitors walk through the cemetery of the former Nazi concentration camp in Terezin, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust now displayed in the Pinkas Synagogue, still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Visitors walk through the cemetery of the former Nazi concentration camp in Terezin, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust now displayed in the Pinkas Synagogue, still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Visitors walk through the cemetery of the former Nazi concentration camp in Terezin, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust now displayed in the Pinkas Synagogue, still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Visitors take photographs at the former Nazi concentration camp in Terezin, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust now displayed in the Pinkas Synagogue, still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Visitor walks at through the former Nazi concentration camp in Terezin, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust now displayed in the Pinkas Synagogue, still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) An unnamed monument at the former Nazi concentration camp in Terezin, Czech Republic, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. A unique collection of some 4,500 drawings by children who were interned at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust now displayed in the Pinkas Synagogue, still attracts attention even after 75 years since their creation. The drawings depict the everyday life as well hopes and dreams of returning home. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syria called on Turkey on Saturday to withdraw its troops from Syria's northern territories and end support for armed opposition groups in order to revive a two-decade-old bilateral security agreement. Russia has encouraged Turkey and Syria to refer to the 1998 treaty to deal with security concerns along their shared borders in the wake of a planned U.S troop withdrawal from northern Syria. It wasn't immediately clear if and how Moscow would reconcile differences between Turkey and Syria, who have been openly hostile toward each other since the start of the Syrian civil war. A Syrian Foreign Ministry statement said Turkey has violated the agreement since 2011 with its support of armed opposition fighters, then its ensuing military incursions into Syria since 2016, which it called "occupation." Turkey has sent troops into Syria and backed armed groups in a bid to uproot Islamic State group militants and Syrian Kurdish militias it labels "terrorist organizations" from near its borders. "Reactivating this treaty takes place by restoring the situations on the borders between the two countries to how they were," said the Syrian Foreign Ministry, calling on Turkey to withdraw and stop arming opposition groups. "This would enable the two countries to activate the agreement that guarantees the security and safety of the borders between them." Turkey says the 1998 treaty gives it the right to move into Syria, justifying its troop deployment in the country and a possible new offensive designed to push out the Syrian Kurdish militia that Ankara considers to be an existential threat. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, gestures as Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to him during a joint news conference following their talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019. Russia and Turkey are jockeying for clout in Syria as the U.S. plans to withdraw its troops from the country. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) In a meeting between Russian and Turkish presidents this week, Vladimir Putin signaled his country was willing to accommodate Turkey's concerns but encouraged Ankara to use the 1998 treaty with Syria to help ensure border security. Meanwhile, Russia has been supportive of Damascus regaining control of territories after U.S. troops withdraw and has backed dialogue between the Syrian government and the Kurdish militia. The U.S. has maintained a military presence in northeastern Syria to battle Islamic State group militants with support from the local Kurdish fighters. The plan to withdraw triggered the scramble for how to fill their absence. Speaking in southeastern Turkey on Saturday, Erdogan said his country is committed to the 1998 treaty and has worked to implement it. The Adana protocol was signed in October 1998 following heightened tensions between Turkey and Syria the Kurdish militants operating across the borders. Syria promised to root out the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, waging an insurgency in Turkey after allowing them to operate from there since the 1980s. With the agreement, Syria declared the PKK a terror organization and promised to prevent attacks against Turkey emanating from its territories. The agreement also promised close security cooperation between Turkey and Syria. ___ Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb in Beirut and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed to this report. ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) - Tamara Chernykh, 81, still can't forget those tiny pieces of bread that her granny used to put under her pillow as a night treat for a starving four-year-old girl in besieged Leningrad during the deadly winter of 1941-1942. Chernykh's grandmother, who gave the bread out of her own scanty food ration, said they would bring good dreams. What her granny didn't tell her was that while sharing her bread with the little girl she was dying from starvation herself. The Nazi siege of Leningrad lasted nearly 2 years until the Soviet Army drove the Nazi troops away on Jan. 27, 1944. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than one million Leningrad residents died of hunger and air and artillery bombardment in one of the most horrifying episodes of World War II. On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, a native of the city, will lead events marking the 75th anniversary of the end of the blockade of the city that has regained its old name, St. Petersburg. When the advancing Nazi troops closed the circle around Leningrad on September 8, 1941, Chernykh's family consisted of six members living together: herself, her mother, her 12-year-old brother Valentin, her mother's sister and her four-month-old baby daughter, and the granny. As the city faced daily air raids and artillery barrage, the family moved to a basement downstairs, where all six slept together on a full-size bed, with the baby in the middle to keep her warm. In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019 photo, Tamara Chernykh, 81, a survivor of the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II, looks at her photo album in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Nazi siege of Leningrad lasted nearly 2 and a half years until the Soviet Army drove the Nazi troops away on Jan. 27, 1944. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than one million Leningrad residents died of hunger and air and artillery bombardment in one of the most horrifying episodes of World War II. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Like most Leningrad residents, they had to survive on a daily ration of just 125 grams (less than 0.3 pounds) of bread and whatever other food they could buy or exchange at local markets after selling their belongings. In the daytime, Chernykh and her baby cousin mostly stayed put under several blankets in the darkness. There was no heating during the first and the coldest winter of the siege, when temperatures outside sometimes plunged to -40 degrees C (-40 degrees F). To distract the children from hunger, cold and bombardments, Chernykh's mother kept reading them stories and poems. Everyone's favorite fairy tale at the time was the one about the magic tablecloth that brought any food desired. "We imagined how that tablecloth would give us meat, fish, soup, porridge," Chernykh told The Associated Press at her apartment. "As for me, I always had a special dream about a sugar roll with cream." Chernykh's granny was the first to die. "One morning I woke up to not find her in our bed," she said. "My mom said that granny went to see a doctor, but somehow I understood the truth and cried bitterly." Chernykh's brother, who helped extinguish fire bombs dropped by Nazi planes, got infected with brain fever and died in a hospital. Miraculously, Chernykh's baby cousin, Galina, survived even though her mother lost her breast milk during the siege. "They say she survived thanks to the chocolate that Galina's father, who fought the Nazis outside Leningrad, brought now and then from his army food ration," Chernykh said. After the siege, Chernykh graduated from a medical school, worked for the Red Cross, became an honorable donor and wrote poetry about the siege. She has two children and five grandchildren, and at her age is still full of energy, doing up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) Nordic walking daily. As the city prepares to mark the 75th anniversary of complete liberation from the Nazi siege, Chernykh joined other survivors to remember its hardest moments. They maintained a moment of silence to remember the victims, toasted to the victory over Nazis, sang war songs and danced. Natalya Malacheva, 68, says her family still keeps a pledge taken by her grandmother during the siege. Malacheva's grandmother and a relative promised on Jan. 1, 1942 that if they survive, they'd take care of the grave of Malacheva's uncle, then a 21-year-old medical student who died from hunger and pneumonia. "To this day our family takes care of the grave," Malacheva said. "I bring my grandchildren there on important memory dates." Chernykh and her remaining family were evacuated from the city in September 1942, travelling by a barge along the Ladoga Lake that was constantly barraged by Nazi warplanes. She remembers the joy of a warm porridge with butter that was served before the ride - but still shudders at the memory of another barge with hundreds of people on board that followed theirs being hit by a Nazi plane. "A sailor on our barge had to cut the towing cable to save our barge from sinking along," she said. "Nobody from the sunken barge survived. It was dreadful to see only a suitcase that popped up on the waves." In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019 photo, Tamara Chernykh, 81, a survivor of the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II, speaks to The Associated Press in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Nazi siege of Leningrad lasted nearly 2 and a half years until the Soviet Army drove the Nazi troops away on Jan. 27, 1944. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than one million Leningrad residents died of hunger and air and artillery bombardment in one of the most horrifying episodes of World War II. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019 photo, Tamara Chernykh, 81, 2nd left, a survivor of the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II, receives a memorable medal marking the 75th anniversary of complete liberation of the city in St.Petersburg, Russia. The Nazi siege of Leningrad lasted nearly 2 and a half years until the Soviet Army drove the Nazi troops away on Jan. 27, 1944. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than one million Leningrad residents died of hunger and air and artillery bombardment in one of the most horrifying episodes of World War II. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019 photo Tamara Chernykh, 81, a survivor of the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II, gets ready to go to a party marking the 75th anniversary of complete ending of the blockade in her apartment in St.Petersburg, Russia. The Nazi siege of Leningrad lasted nearly 2 and a half years until the Soviet Army drove the Nazi troops away on Jan. 27, 1944. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than one million Leningrad residents died of hunger and air and artillery bombardment in one of the most horrifying episodes of World War II. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019 photo Tamara Chernykh, 81, a survivor of the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II, attaches a memorable medal marking the 75th anniversary of complete liberation of the city in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Nazi siege of Leningrad lasted nearly 2 and a half years until the Soviet Army drove the Nazi troops away on Jan. 27, 1944. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than one million Leningrad residents died of hunger and air and artillery bombardment in one of the most horrifying episodes of World War II. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019 photo Tamara Chernykh, 81, 3rd right, together with other survivors of the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II, observes a moment of silence for its victims during a party marking the 75th anniversary of complete ending of the blockade in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Nazi siege of Leningrad lasted nearly 2 and a half years until the Soviet Army drove the Nazi troops away on Jan. 27, 1944. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than one million Leningrad residents died of hunger and air and artillery bombardment in one of the most horrifying episodes of World War II. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019 photo Natalya Malacheva, 68, whose grandmother survived the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II, speaks to The Associated Press in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Nazi siege of Leningrad lasted nearly 2 and a half years until the Soviet Army drove the Nazi troops away on Jan. 27, 1944. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than one million Leningrad residents died of hunger and air and artillery bombardment in one of the most horrifying episodes of World War II. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019 photo Tamara Chernykh, 81, left, a survivor of the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II, dances during a party marking the 75th anniversary of complete ending of the blockade in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Nazi siege of Leningrad lasted nearly 2 and a half years until the Soviet Army drove the Nazi troops away on Jan. 27, 1944. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than one million Leningrad residents died of hunger and air and artillery bombardment in one of the most horrifying episodes of World War II. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019 photo Nikolai Shalnov, 91, a survivor of the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II, speaks to The Associated Press in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Nazi siege of Leningrad lasted nearly 2 and a half years until the Soviet Army drove the Nazi troops away on Jan. 27, 1944. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than one million Leningrad residents died of hunger and air and artillery bombardment in one of the most horrifying episodes of World War II. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Children wearing military uniform carry a wreath in St.Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, marking the 75th anniversary since the end of the Nazi German and Finnish Siege of Leningrad, now named St.Petersburg. The Nazi German and Finnish siege and blockade of Leningrad was broken on Jan. 18, 1943, but finally lifted Jan. 27, 1944. More than 1 million people perished during the 900-day siege. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Children wearing military uniform carry a wreath in St.Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, marking the 75th anniversary since the end of the Nazi German and Finnish Siege of Leningrad, now named St.Petersburg. The Nazi German and Finnish siege and blockade of Leningrad was broken on Jan. 18, 1943, but finally lifted Jan. 27, 1944. More than 1 million people perished during the 900-day siege. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) LONDON (AP) - Britain's Telegraph newspaper has apologized and paid damages to U.S. First Lady Melania Trump after publishing an article it says contains many false statements. The newspaper said Saturday it apologizes "unreservedly" to Mrs. Trump and her family for any embarrassment caused by the content of a cover story published Jan. 19 in the newspaper's weekly magazine supplement. "As a mark of our regret we have agreed to pay Mrs. Trump substantial damages as well as her legal costs," The Telegraph said. The newspaper did not disclose the size of the settlement with Mrs. Trump. The Telegraph said it falsely characterized Mrs. Trump's father's personality, falsely reported the reasons she left an architecture program, and falsely reported her career as a model was unsuccessful before she met Donald Trump. "We accept that Mrs. Trump was a successful professional model in her own right before she met her husband and obtained her own modelling work without his assistance," the newspaper said, also acknowledging it had incorrectly reported the year when the couple first met. "The claim that Mrs. Trump cried on election night is also false," The Telegraph said. FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018 file photo, US First Lady Melania Trump speaks during a town hall meeting on opioid addiction at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.. Britain's Telegraph newspaper said Saturday Jan. 26, 2019, it apologizes "unreservedly" to Mrs. Trump and her family after publishing an article it says contains many false statements, and paid damages. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) It also retracted the statement that Mrs. Trump's father, mother and sister had relocated to New York in 2005 to live in buildings owned by Trump. The Telegraph is one of Britain's leading broadsheet newspapers and is traditionally aligned with the Conservative Party. It is not the first time Mrs. Trump has successfully challenged the British press. She received damages and an apology from the Daily Mail in 2017 after bringing a libel action against the popular tabloid. FARAFENNI, Gambia (AP) - Gambian President Adama Barrow and his Senegalese counterpart, Macky Sall, cut the ribbon this week on a project that was decades in the making, a bridge that links the north and south banks of the Gambia River and ties the neighbors closer together. "Our wish is that the bridge stands from now on as a symbol of Senegambian unity, friendship and love," the Gambian leader told thousands of people who gathered to witness the inauguration and walked across in celebration. Tiny Gambia pokes like a finger into the side of Senegal, its larger and more prosperous neighbor. For years, many Senegalese living in the capital, Dakar, and other parts of the north had to drive for hours to skirt around Gambia or wait in long lines for a ferry to reach the southern region of Casamance. The 1.9-kilometer (1.1-mile) Senegambia Bridge is one of West Africa's longest and is expected to have positive impacts on the economy. The project emerged in the 1970s but failed to materialize due to profound areas of disagreement. Gambia's first president, Dawda Jawara, was interested in constructing a dam across the river. Longtime President Yahya Jammeh, who stepped down in early 2017, considered the bridge as the least of his priorities. In this photo taken on Jan. 21, 2019, Senegal's President Macky Sall, center left, and Gambian President Adama Barrow, center right, drive past a newly inaugurated bridge in Banjul, Gambia. The leaders of Senegal and Gambia have cut the ribbon on a project that was decades in the making, a bridge that links the north and south banks of the Gambia River and ties the neighbors closer together. A boom in trade is expected for this part of West Africa. (AP Photo ) Fode Seck, executive secretary of the Senegalo-Gambian Secretariat, said the whole West African subregion will benefit from the bridge, describing it as part of the Trans-African Highway project. The CEO of the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alieu Secka, said the bridge will boost trade between the countries, saying Gambia exported $11 million worth of products to Senegal in 2016 while imports totaled $81 million. "The bilateral trade is expected to surge," he told The Associated Press. Funded by the African Development Bank, the bridge is expected to last 100 years. Fatou Njie, a resident of the nearby community of Farafenni, told the AP that people's prayers have come true. "We will no more experience long queues of vehicles that used to delay the free movement of people across the river Gambia," she said. ___ Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa In this photo taken on Jan. 21, 2019, Senegal's President Macky Sall, left, and Gambian President Adama Barrow, right, drive on a newly inaugurated bridge in Banjul, Gambia. The leaders of Senegal and Gambia have cut the ribbon on a project that was decades in the making, a bridge that links the north and south banks of the Gambia River and ties the neighbors closer together. A boom in trade is expected for this part of West Africa. (AP Photo ) This photo taken on Jan. 21, 2019, shows a newly inaugurated bridge in Banjul, Gambia. The leaders of Senegal and Gambia have cut the ribbon on a project that was decades in the making, a bridge that links the north and south banks of the Gambia River and ties the neighbors closer together. A boom in trade is expected for this part of West Africa. (AP Photo ) This photo taken on Jan. 21, 2019, shows a newly inaugurated bridge in Banjul, Gambia. The leaders of Senegal and Gambia have cut the ribbon on a project that was decades in the making, a bridge that links the north and south banks of the Gambia River and ties the neighbors closer together. A boom in trade is expected for this part of West Africa. (AP Photo ) In this photo taken on Jan. 21, 2019, people attend the inauguration of newly constructed bridge in Banjul, Gambia. The leaders of Senegal and Gambia have cut the ribbon on a project that was decades in the making, a bridge that links the north and south banks of the Gambia River and ties the neighbors closer together. A boom in trade is expected for this part of West Africa. (AP Photo ) JUBA, South Sudan (AP) - Tracing his fingers over the metal fencing at a United Nations protected site in South Sudan's capital, Nhial Nyuot Nhial hung his head as he contemplated going home after years of civil war. "At the moment it's impossible for someone to leave," he said. The 33-year-old is among tens of thousands of people who are still sheltering in such camps across the country, the legacy of an unprecedented decision by a U.N. peacekeeping mission to throw open its doors to people fleeing war. Nhial has been in the Juba camp since 2014, shortly after the country erupted in fighting. A fragile peace deal signed between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar in September has brought little comfort. Like many in the camps, Nhial still fears for his life and refuses to leave. What began as a temporary experiment is looking more like a permanent refuge for more than 190,000 people living in squalor in the six U.N. protected sites. Now the U.N. has pushed for the camps to close, amid warnings by the international community that rushing the process could re-ignite violence among ethnic groups. "If or when the walls of the protection sites come down, there will still be dangerous intercommunal tensions and massive protection needs," said Lauren Spink, senior researcher on peacekeeping for the Center for Civilians in Conflict, an international non-profit group. An internal U.N. draft shared with aid agencies in September and seen by The Associated Press detailed a plan for "all services to be permanently relocated outside" Juba's two U.N. sites by the end of January, according to the document. In this photo taken Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, residents of the Mangateen camp for the internally-displaced line up to get water from a borehole, on the outskirts of the capital Juba, South Sudan. Tens of thousands of people are still sheltering in United Nations protected camps across the country, the legacy of an unprecedented decision by a U.N. peacekeeping mission to throw open its doors to people fleeing war. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) The plan, which was never made public, has yet to be implemented and U.N. mission chief David Shearer said there has been no decision to close the camps at any particular time. "People moving back to their homes have to make their own decisions," he told the AP. Five years of fighting have killed almost 400,000 people and left more than seven million, or two-thirds of the population, in "dire need" of humanitarian assistance, according to South Sudan's 2019 humanitarian response plan, which will cost $1.5 billion. The cash-strapped government doesn't have the means to resettle the more than four million people who have been displaced from their homes. More than two million of them fled the country. "Given the population and the people that will need to be resettled, it's really massive," said Hussein Mar Nyuot, South Sudan's minister for humanitarian and disaster management. The government is largely relying on the U.N. and aid agencies to implement its resettlement plan, which includes safe passage and a three-month package of food for people who want to go home, Nyuot said. The government has said it will provide land and security for returnees. At least one South Sudan expert said the number of people willing to leave the U.N. sites and return from refugee camps in neighboring Uganda and elsewhere will be a true test of peace. "If we see that number significantly go down . in a meaningful, lasting way over several months maybe we can measure the peace agreement in steps like that, as opposed to just believing what politicians say and what statements are," said Pete Martell, a journalist and author of a new book on South Sudan, "First Raise a Flag." In the last six months, about 17,000 have voluntarily left the camps, according to the U.N. But continuing unrest in South Sudan has civilians worrying about whether the government can provide for and protect them. Even inside the U.N. camps, violence occurs. In August, due to intercommunal clashes inside one of Juba's U.N. sites, almost 3,500 people were relocated to Mangateen, a displaced persons' camp run by the government on the edge of the city. People there said the camp doesn't feel safe. "Living here is a danger," said John Tut, Mangateen's camp coordinator. Earlier this month government soldiers came to the gates and threw rocks at civilians while shouting insults, the 42-year-old said. There is also not enough space. About 1,500 people currently live in a stifling warehouse waiting for the government to allocate more land for the site. Seated on the floor of the warehouse, Elizabeth Nyamai shrugged. "We're not living in good conditions, we're living in fear with no basic needs being met," the 28-year-old mother of five said. "I've lost hope in the government, whatever they say we don't believe." ___ Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa In this photo taken Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, residents of the Mangateen camp for the internally-displaced line up to get water from a borehole, on the outskirts of the capital Juba, South Sudan. Tens of thousands of people are still sheltering in United Nations protected camps across the country, the legacy of an unprecedented decision by a U.N. peacekeeping mission to throw open its doors to people fleeing war. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) BEIJING (AP) - Chinese police say investigators have concluded an explosion in an apartment building in the country's northeast was set off by a man killed in the blast. The city government of Changchun said Saturday on its social media account that the man identified only his surname, Guo, also set off an explosion in the building's underground parking lot. Video of Friday's incident posted on social media showed smoke billowing out of the 30th-floor apartment and the entrance to the parking garage. The government announcement said Guo suffered from cancer. It said he killed a man with whom he had business disputes in another city before driving to Changchun. GST revenue has averaged around Rs 96,000 crore per month so far this fiscal and this reflects the cash component being deposited by businesses. Under the present dispensation, there is no provision for real time matching of ITC claims with the taxes already paid by suppliers of inputs. New Delhi: Concerned over a decline in GST revenues, tax officials are likely to examine the high usage of input tax credit (ITC) to set off tax liability by businesses, sources said. The issue of high ITC was flagged at the meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) which was set up by the GST Council to look into the reasons for revenue shortfall being faced by a large number of states. According to sources, availing ITC ideally should not result in loss of revenue but there could be possibility of misuse of the provision by unscrupulous businesses by generating fake invoices just to claim tax credit. During the meeting of the GoM, it was pointed out that as much as 80 per cent of the total GST liability is being settled by ITC and only 20 per cent is deposited as cash. GST revenue has averaged around Rs 96,000 crore per month so far this fiscal and this reflects the cash component being deposited by businesses. Under the present dispensation, there is no provision for real time matching of ITC claims with the taxes already paid by suppliers of inputs. The matching is done on the basis of system generated GSTR-2A, after the credit has been claimed. Based on the mismatch highlighted by GSTR-2A and ITC claims, the revenue department sends notices to businesses. Currently there is a time gap between ITC claim and matching them with the taxes paid by suppliers. Hence there is a possibility of ITC being claimed on the basis of fake invoices, a source said. Once the new return filing system becomes operational, it would become possible for the department to match the ITC claims and taxes paid on a real time basis. The revenue department would now analyse the large number of ITC claims to find out if they are genuine or based on fake invoices and take corrective action, sources said. GST collection stood at Rs 1.03 lakh crore in April, Rs 94,016 crore in May, Rs 95,610 crore in June, Rs 96,483 crore in July, Rs 93,960 crore in August, Rs 94,442 crore in September, Rs 1,00,710 crore in October, Rs 97,637 crore in November and Rs 94,726 crore in December 2018. PARIS (AP) - France's yellow vest movement kept up pressure on President Emmanuel Macron with mainly peaceful marches and scattered skirmishes Saturday, its 11th straight weekend action despite internal divisions and growing worries about protest violence. Multiple anti-government protests took place in Paris and other cities, centered on Macron policies seen as favoring the rich. France deployed about 80,000 police officers to patrol the events and to disperse trouble. A few cars were set ablaze in the Normandy town of Evreux. In Paris, crowds gathered at the columned headquarters of France's lower house of parliament. Police used tear gas on demonstrators at the iconic Bastille Plaza who hurled items within reach. Armored vehicles circled the Arc de Triomphe monument as a group of protesters weaved down the elegant Champs-Elysees, the site of recent rioting. Some yellow vest leaders want to maintain momentum by holding protests after dark as well as during the day. Two groups planned Saturday events at Place de la Republique in eastern Paris, and some protesters threatened to try to defy police and stay overnight. Macron has sapped some support for the movement by taking an active role in recent days in a national debate in towns across France, launched to address the protesters' concerns. A demonstrator kicks away a teargas canister fired by police during a march in Paris, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. France's yellow vest protesters hit the streets again Saturday, keeping up pressure on President Emmanuel Macron even as internal divisions and frustration over protest violence cloud the movement's future. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) Participants at the Champs-Elysees march called Macron's national debate a "smoke screen" to distract the French from his pro-business policies. They expressed views from the far left to the far right, or a middle-ground, middle-class malaise. Many want Macron to restore France's wealth tax and allow the public to propose national referendums on anything from pulling France out of the euro to rewriting the constitution. "We are forgotten," said protester Mervyn Ramsamy, a hospital employee from north of Paris lamenting recent closures of maternity wards and other medical services in already struggling areas. "We won't give up." It's unclear how long the movement can maintain its momentum. Macron scrapped the fuel tax hike that initially sparked the protests and offered widespread tax relief when the protest violence hit a peak in December. A 52-year-old home care worker who identified herself only as Nadine says the measures aren't enough, so she's still protesting. "I have a salary of 1,200 euros. I don't run out of money by the 15th of the month, I run out of money by the 6th of the month. I can no longer manage to survive. That's why I'm here, because nothing is moving, nothing is changing," she said on the Champs-Elysees. One branch of the movement launched a bid this week for the European Parliament elections in May, but other protest leaders disagree with the idea. In another challenge for the yellow vest movement, rival groups calling themselves the "red scarves" plan demonstrations Sunday to condemn violence unleashed by recent protests. Police armed with guns firing non-lethal rubber balls - which have seriously injured several - are equipped with body cameras Saturday for the first time, in an experiment to record use of the weapons, providing context and eventual evidence if needed. In between the Saturday protests, yellow-vested crowds occupy scattered roundabouts and tollbooths around France , disrupting traffic to express a sense of neglect by the central government. The movement began Nov. 17, named after the fluorescent garments French motorists must carry in case of emergency. ___ Milos Krivokapic contributed. Yellow vest demonstrators march down the Champs Elysees in Paris, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. France's yellow vest protesters are hitting the streets again, keeping up pressure on President Emmanuel Macron even as internal divisions and frustration over protest violence cloud the movement's future. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) A Yellow vest demonstrator wearing a crown prepares to march down the Champs Elysees in Paris, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. France's yellow vest protesters are hitting the streets again, keeping up pressure on President Emmanuel Macron even as internal divisions and frustration over protest violence cloud the movement's future. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) Police officers and Yellow vest demonstrators gather near the Arc de Triomphe before a march in Paris, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. France's yellow vest protesters are hitting the streets again, keeping up pressure on President Emmanuel Macron even as internal divisions and frustration over protest violence cloud the movement's future. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) A police officer aims tear gas during a demonstration in Paris, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. France's yellow vest protesters are hitting the streets again, keeping up pressure on President Emmanuel Macron even as internal divisions and frustration over protest violence cloud the movement's future. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) A yellow vest demonstrator walks alongside a police officer with the words 'condolences Mr Macron, you are no longer President, during a march in Paris, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. France's yellow vest protesters are hitting the streets again, keeping up pressure on President Emmanuel Macron even as internal divisions and frustration over protest violence cloud the movement's future. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - A military base deep inside Saudi Arabia appears to be testing and possibly manufacturing ballistic missiles, experts and satellite images suggest, evidence of the type of weapons program it has long criticized its archrival Iran for possessing. Further raising the stakes for any such program are comments by Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who said last year the kingdom wouldn't hesitate to develop nuclear weapons if Iran does. Ballistic missiles can carry nuclear warheads to targets thousands of kilometers (miles) away. Officials in Riyadh and the Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. Having such a program could further strain relations with the U.S., the kingdom's longtime security partner, at a time when ties already are being tested by the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Jeffrey Lewis, a missile expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, said heavy investment in missiles often correlates with an interest in nuclear weapons. "I would be a little worried that we're underestimating the Saudis' ambitions here," said Lewis, who has studied the satellite images. The images, first reported by The Washington Post, focus on a military base near the town of al-Dawadmi, some 230 kilometers (145 miles) west of Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Jane's Defence Weekly first identified the base in 2013, suggesting its two launch pads appear oriented to target Israel and Iran with ballistic missiles the kingdom previously bought from China. In this Nov. 13, 2018 satellite image from Planet Labs Inc that has been annotated by experts at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, a suspected Saudi ballistic missile base and test facility is seen outside of the town of al-Dawadmi, Saudi Arabia. A military base deep inside Saudi Arabia appears to be testing and possibly manufacturing ballistic missiles, experts and satellite images suggest, potentially thrusting the kingdom into a weapons program it long has criticized its archrival Iran for possessing. (Planet Labs Inc, Middlebury Institute of International Studies via AP) The November satellite images show what appear to be structures big enough to build and fuel ballistic missiles. An apparent rocket-engine test stand can be seen in a corner of the base - the type on which a rocket is positioned on its side and test-fired in place. Such testing is key for countries attempting to manufacture working missiles, experts say. Michael Elleman, the senior fellow for missile defense at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Washington, also reviewed the satellite photos and said they appear to show a ballistic missile program. The question remains where Saudi Arabia gained the technical know-how to build such a facility. Lewis said the Saudi stand closely resembles a design used by China, though it is smaller. Chinese military support to the kingdom would not come as a surprise. The Chinese have increasingly sold armed drones to Saudi Arabia and other Mideast nations, even as the U.S. blocks sales of its own to allies over proliferation concerns. Beijing also sold Riyadh variants of its Dongfeng ballistic missiles, the only ones the kingdom was previously believed to have in its arsenal. Asked by The Associated Press on Friday about the base, China's Defense Ministry declined immediately to comment. "I have never heard of such a thing as China helping Saudi Arabia to build a missile base," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. Neither Saudi Arabia nor China are members of the Missile Technology Control Regime, a 30-year-old agreement aimed at limiting the proliferation of rockets capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear bombs. Saudi Arabia, along with Israel and the United States, have long criticized Iran's ballistic missile program, viewing it as a regional threat. Iran, whose nuclear program for now remains limited by its 2015 deal with world powers, insists its atomic program is peaceful. But Western powers have long feared it was pursuing nuclear weapons in the guise of a civilian program, allegations denied by Tehran. Iran has relied on its ballistic missiles as its own air force is largely made up of pre-1979 fighter jets. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, has a fleet of modern F-15s, Typhoons and Tornadoes - which raises the question of why the Saudis would choose to develop the missiles. Elleman, the defense expert, said that while Saudi pilots are skilled, the kingdom still needs American help with logistics. "Today, they rely heavily on direct American support. There is no absolute guarantee that U.S. forces and supporting functions will aid a Saudi attack on Iranian targets," Elleman told the AP. "Ballistic missiles are a reasonable hedge against those concerns." Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has been targeted by ballistic missiles fired from neighboring Yemen by the Houthi rebels, some of which have reached Riyadh. Researchers, Western nations and U.N. experts say Iran supplied those missiles to the rebels, something Tehran and the rebels deny. Saudi Arabia is pursuing its own nuclear program, and Prince Mohammed, the 33-year-old son of King Salman who is next in line for the throne, said it would race for an atomic weapon if Iran were to develop one. "Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible," Prince Mohammed told CBS' "60 Minutes" in an interview aired last March. A Saudi program would only complicate efforts by the U.S. and its Western allies to limit Iran's ballistic missile program, said STRATFOR, the Austin, Texas-based private intelligence firm. STRATFOR said that "should Saudi Arabia move into a test-launch phase, the United States will be pressured to take action with sanctions," as it has done with Iran. Congress has grown increasingly critical of Saudi Arabia since the Oct. 2 assassination of Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, allegedly carried out by members of Prince Mohammed's entourage. The kingdom's yearslong war in Yemen also has angered lawmakers. If the Saudis produce "medium-range systems inherently capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the response will be much more robust, though likely out of public view," Elleman said. "Congress, on the other hand, may lash out, as this will be seen as another affront to the U.S. and regional stability." ___ Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed. In this Nov. 13, 2018 satellite image from Planet Labs Inc that has been annotated by experts at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, a suspected Saudi ballistic missile base and test facility is seen outside of the town of al-Dawadmi, Saudi Arabia. A military base deep inside Saudi Arabia appears to be testing and possibly manufacturing ballistic missiles, experts and satellite images suggest, potentially thrusting the kingdom into a weapons program it long has criticized its archrival Iran for possessing. (Planet Labs Inc, Middlebury Institute of International Studies via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) - The Russia investigation snared another associate of President Donald Trump with the arrest of self-described political "dirty trickster" Roger Stone. The charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller reveal new details about how the Trump campaign sought to benefit from the release of hacked material damaging to Hillary Clinton. But they don't definitively answer the key question in the Russia probe: Did the Trump campaign coordinate with Russia's efforts to sway the 2016 election? Some takeaways from the indictment against Stone, who was arrested Friday. WHAT'S STONE ACCUSED OF DOING? Lying to Congress. Obstructing the House intelligence committee's Russia investigation. And witness tampering. The charges stem from what prosecutors say were Stone's efforts to conceal the nature of his discussions during the 2016 election about WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group that released thousands of emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. U.S. intelligence agencies and Mueller's investigators have said Russia was the source of that hacked material. Roger Stone, a confidant of President Donald Trump, speaks outside of the federal courthouse following a hearing, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Stone was arrested Friday in the special counsel's Russia investigation and was charged with lying to Congress and obstructing the probe. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Prosecutors say Stone lied during his Sept. 26, 2017, testimony before the House intelligence committee about his interactions regarding WikiLeaks and his communications with the Trump campaign. They say he also falsely claimed he didn't have documents requested by the committee when he did. And he is accused of "corruptly" persuading one of his associates, New York radio host Randy Credico, not to testify before the House intelligence committee in an effort to conceal Stone's false statements. Stone has denied any wrongdoing, saying any misstatements he made were "immaterial and without intent." WHO IS ROGER STONE? He's a longtime political consultant, a purveyor of conspiracy theories and an unabashed reveler in his own reputation for underhanded tactics. A self-described "dirty trickster" with a tattoo of former President Richard Nixon on his back, Stone served on Trump's campaign during the early months of the 2016 presidential race. Though he was quickly ousted from the campaign, he has remained an ardent defender of the president and a colorful critic of the Mueller probe. The indictment and Stone's response Friday only served to build on that reputation. The document quotes Stone encouraging Credico to cover up Stone's false statements to the House intelligence committee by doing "a 'Frank Pentangeli,'" a reference to a character in "The Godfather: Part II" who lies before Congress. Stone, who calls Credico a "rat" and "stoolie," is also quoted as threatening to take Credico's dog, Bianca, away from him. After his release from custody Friday, Stone called in to the conspiracy theory show, Infowars, from the courthouse to dispute the charges. He branded the conversation an "exclusive." He then walked out smiling to speak to a crowd of reporters and a live cable news audience, torching his arrest as politically motivated. WHAT DOES THE INDICTMENT SAY ABOUT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN? It says that people in the highest levels of the Trump campaign were trying to find out WikiLeaks' plans to release derogatory information on Clinton, and Stone was the chosen conduit in that effort. The indictment says that by June and July 2016, Stone told senior Trump campaign officials that WikiLeaks had obtained documents that could be damaging to Clinton's campaign. Then later, after WikiLeaks released hacked material from the Democratic National Committee on July 22, 2016, the indictment says a senior Trump campaign official "was directed" to contact Stone about additional releases and "what other damaging information" WikiLeaks had "regarding the Clinton campaign." The indictment does not name the official or say who directed the outreach to Stone. It notes that Stone then continued to pass information along about WikiLeaks and quotes conversations he had with Steve Bannon, who served at the highest level of the campaign and later joined the White House. The indictment doesn't accuse any campaign officials of wrongdoing or say that they coordinated directly with WikiLeaks. It also doesn't say that Stone had any special knowledge of WikiLeaks' plans. HOW IS THIS BAD FOR TRUMP? It adds to the growing list of Trump associates who have been charged in the special counsel's probe. And it renews questions about why so many people around the president have been accused of lying in the Russia investigation. Stone is the sixth Trump associate charged by Mueller, joining a cast of Trump's former national security adviser, his campaign chairman, his former personal lawyer and two other campaign aides. The indictment also paints an unflattering picture of the president's campaign. It shows that people in then-candidate Trump's inner circle were actively trying to politically benefit from material stolen from Democratic groups and the Clinton campaign during the election. HOW IS THIS GOOD FOR TRUMP? The president himself isn't accused of a crime. Stone isn't implicated in any conspiracy with WikiLeaks or the Russian government, and neither is anyone else in the campaign. That lack of direct allegations of colluding with Russian election interference provided new ammunition for Trump and his allies to attack the special counsel's probe. After the indictment was announced, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the charges against Stone "don't have anything to do with the president." Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow said the indictment "does not allege Russian collusion by Roger Stone or anyone else." For his part, the president tweeted: "Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country! NO COLLUSION!" ___ Read the indictment: http://apne.ws/1P23qpR WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's confidant Roger Stone has been charged with lying about his pursuit of Russian-hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton's 2016 election bid. Prosecutors allege that senior Trump campaign officials sought to leverage the stolen material into a White House victory. The self-proclaimed dirty trickster, arrested by the FBI in a raid before dawn Friday at his Florida home, swiftly blasted the prosecution as politically motivated. In a circus-like atmosphere outside the courthouse, as supporters cheered him on and jeering spectators shouted "Lock Him Up," Stone proclaimed his innocence and predicted his vindication. "As I have said previously, there is no circumstance whatsoever under which I will bear false witness against the president, nor will I make up lies to ease the pressure on myself," Stone said. The seven-count indictment , the first criminal case in months in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, provides the most detail to date about how Trump campaign associates in the summer of 2016 actively sought the disclosure of emails the U.S. says were hacked by Russia and then provided to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. It alleges that an unidentified senior Trump campaign official was "directed" to keep in contact with Stone about when stolen emails relating to Clinton might be disclosed. Stone is the sixth Trump aide or adviser charged by Mueller and the 34th person overall. The nearly two-year-old probe has exposed multiple contacts between Trump associates and Russia during the campaign and transition period and revealed efforts by several to conceal those communications. The indictment brings the investigation even further into Trump's circle of advisers and suggests campaign officials were eager to exploit the stolen messages for political gain. But prosecutors did not accuse Trump of wrongdoing or charge Stone with conspiring with WikiLeaks or with the Russian intelligence officers Mueller says hacked the emails. They also did not allege that Trump aides knew in advance of the hacking. Roger Stone, a confidant of President Donald Trump, stands outside of the federal courthouse following a hearing, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Stone was arrested Friday in the special counsel's Russia investigation and was charged with lying to Congress and obstructing the probe. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) The prosecution mirrors other Mueller cases in alleging cover-ups and deception, accusing Stone of lying to lawmakers about WikiLeaks, tampering with witnesses and obstructing a House intelligence committee probe into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the election. Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said the indictment "does not allege Russian collusion by Roger Stone or anyone else." Trump, in a tweet Saturday, said that if Stone "was indicted for lying to Congress," then "what about the lying" by top law enforcement and Obama-era national security officials, though he presented no specifics to support his assertion of such "lying." CNN aired video of the raid at Stone's home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, showing agents in body armor using large weapons and night-vision equipment, running up to the home and banging on the door. "FBI open the door!" one shouts. "FBI, warrant!" Stone could then be seen in the doorway in his sleepwear before he was led away. Though not uncommon for the FBI to make early-morning arrests of targets under indictment, it's the first time Mueller has used that tactic. In court papers, prosecutors wrote they had concerns that if Stone was tipped off to the indictment, it would increase the risk he would flee or destroy evidence. Hours after his arrest, Stone appeared in court in a blue polo shirt and jeans. In releasing him on $250,000 bond, a magistrate judge restricted Stone's travel to South Florida, Washington and New York City and ordered him to avoid contact with witnesses. He's due Tuesday in a court in Washington, where the case was filed. "This morning, at the crack of dawn, 29 FBI agents arrived at my home with 17 vehicles, with their lights flashing, when they could simply have contacted my attorneys and I would have been more than willing to surrender voluntarily," Stone said outside court. Known for his political antics, conspiracy theories and hard-ball tactics, Stone has reveled in being a Washington wheeler-dealer dating back to former President Richard Nixon's administration. On Friday, he mimicked Nixon's famous "V'' gesture as he left the courthouse. Stone, a longtime friend of the president's, briefly served on Trump's campaign, but was pushed out amid infighting with then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Though sidelined, he continued to communicate with Trump and stayed plugged into his circle of advisers. The indictment says Stone repeatedly discussed WikiLeaks in 2016 with campaign associates and lays out in detail Stone's conversations about emails stolen from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and posted in the weeks before Trump beat Clinton. The document says that by June and July 2016, Stone had told senior Trump campaign officials that he had information indicating that WikiLeaks had obtained damaging documents on Clinton. After WikiLeaks on July 22, 2016, released hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee, the indictment says, a senior Trump campaign official "was directed" to contact Stone about additional releases and "what other damaging information" WikiLeaks had "regarding the Clinton campaign." The indictment does not name the official or say who directed the outreach to Stone. Though no officials are identified by name, one Trump campaign aide cited in the case is Steve Bannon, who later became Trump's chief White House strategist. Bannon, referred to as a "high-ranking Trump Campaign official," exchanged emails with Stone in October 2016 about WikiLeaks' plans. The indictment quotes from those emails, which had previously been made public by news outlets. While the indictment provides some new insight into the Trump campaign, it deals largely with what prosecutors say were Stone's false statements about his conversations about WikiLeaks with New York radio host Randy Credico and with conservative writer and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi, who rejected a plea offer from Mueller last year. The indictment says Stone carried out a "prolonged effort" to keep Credico from contradicting his testimony before the House intelligence committee. During that effort, prosecutors note that Stone repeatedly told Credico to "do a 'Frank Pentangeli,'" a reference to a character in "The Godfather: Part II" who lies before Congress. Stone is accused of threatening Credico, including through messages in which he called him "rat" and "stoolie." He also threatened to "take that dog away from you," a reference to Credico's dog, Bianca. "I am so ready. Let's get it on. Prepare to die (expletive)," Stone also wrote to Credico. Stone has said for months he was prepared to be charged, while maintaining he had no inside information about the contents of the emails obtained by WikiLeaks or the timing of their release. Still, he has long attracted scrutiny because of his WikiLeaks-related comments, especially a 2016 tweet - "Trust me, it will soon (be) the Podesta's time in the barrel" - that appeared to presage knowledge that Podesta's emails would soon be released. In a tweet Friday, Podesta turned Stone's words against him, writing that it was now "Roger's time in the barrel." ___ Read the indictment: http://apne.ws/1P23qpR ___ Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo in Washington, Jonathan Lemire in New York, Jennifer Kay in Miami and Terry Spencer and Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report. Former campaign adviser for President Donald Trump, Roger Stone walks out of the federal courthouse following a hearing, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Stone was arrested Friday in the special counsel's Russia investigation and was charged with lying to Congress and obstructing the probe. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) A protester holds up a sign as Roger Stone, right, a confidant of President Donald Trump, speaks outside of the federal courthouse following a hearing, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Stone was arrested Friday in the special counsel's Russia investigation and was charged with lying to Congress and obstructing the probe. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) People holding signs reading "Lock Him Up" argue with a counter protestor outside of the federal courthouse where Roger Stone, a confidant of President Donald Trump, has a hearing, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Stone was arrested Friday in the special counsel's Russia investigation and was charged with lying to Congress and obstructing the probe. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) FILE - In this Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, file photo, Roger Stone speaks at the American Priority Conference in Washington. Stone, an associate of President Donald Trump, has been arrested in Florida. That's according to special counsel Robert Mueller's office, which says he faces charges including witness tampering, obstruction and false statements. Stone has been under scrutiny for months but has maintained his innocence. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) In this courtroom sketch Roger Stone, a confidant of President Donald Trump, second from right, attends a federal court hearing, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Stone was arrested Friday in the special counsel's Russia investigation and was charged with lying to Congress and obstructing the probe. (Daniel Pontet via AP) In this courtroom sketch Roger Stone, left, a confidant of President Donald Trump, attends a federal court hearing, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Stone was arrested Friday in the special counsel's Russia investigation and was charged with lying to Congress and obstructing the probe. (Daniel Pontet via AP) Police work at the entrance of the street where Roger Stone, a confidant of President Donald Trump, lives, as FBI agents search his property, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Stone was charged with lying about his pursuit of Russian-hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton's 2016 election bid, with prosecutors alleging that senior Trump campaign officials sought to leverage the publication of the stolen material into a White House victory. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) NEW DELHI (AP) - Thousands of Indians converged on a ceremonial boulevard in the Indian capital to watch a display of the country's military power and cultural diversity amid tight security during Saturday's national day celebrations. Schoolchildren, folk dancers, and police and military battalions marched through the capital's parade route on a cold morning, followed by a military hardware display that included M777 Howitzer artillery guns, T-90 main battle tanks, locally made nuclear-capable missile systems and infantry combat vehicles. Similar parades were held in other Indian states, including Jammu-Kashmir and Manipur, where separatist militants don't accept Indian rule and called for general strikes. Police said government forces killed two suspected militants Saturday on the outskirts of Indian-held Kashmir's main city, Srinagar. A police statement said Indian troops laid a siege in the area based on "credible input" of presence of militants, leading to a gunfight. The slain militants "had serious plans of a terrorist act today," the statement said. Suspected militants carried out at least half a dozen grenade attacks in the region on Friday, targeting police and paramilitary camps, police said. There were no reported injuries. Most Kashmiris support the rebel cause that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. Authorities shut down the internet on mobile phones in the region, a common tactic to make organizing anti-India protests difficult and discourage dissemination of protest videos. An Indian security personnel helps another with a headgear before participating in a parade to mark Republic Day in Gauhati, India, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) The possibility of an insurgent attack prompted more than 50,000 police and paramilitary soldiers to guard the parade route in the Indian capital. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade, which celebrates the anniversary of the adoption of India's Constitution in 1950. India had first invited President Donald Trump but U.S. officials declined, citing a scheduling issue. Men, women and children in colorful dresses performed traditional dances and acrobatics on the sun-bathed boulevard, drawing applause from the spectators. The spectacle ended with Indian air force aircraft whizzing past the saluting base. Millions of Indians watched the 90-minute display on television sets in their homes across the country. The theme of the parade was the 150th birthday of India's independence leader, Mohandas Gandhi. Ramaphosa watched with interest and waved at tableaux depicting among other things Gandhi's life as he won independence for the country from British colonialists in 1947. Gandhi's days in South Africa influenced his decision to resist racial segregation and other injustices with nonviolent protests. Four Indian National Army veterans, aged over 90 years, also took part in the parade, seated on a tableau. They were followers of Subhash Chandra Bose, a Congress party leader who formed an army to fight British colonial rulers with the help of the Japanese in the 1940s. Bose advocated an armed struggle for Indian independence and led the radical wing of the party in late 1920s and 1930s. ___ Associated Press writer Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar contributed to this report. Indian army tanks and other military equipment roll past Rajpath, the ceremonial boulevard, during Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. India marks Republic Day on Jan. 26 with military parades across the country. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) An Indian air force helicopter sprays flower petals as Assam police personnel take part in a parade to mark Republic Day celebration in Gauhati, India, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) Indian school girls wearing traditional outfit dance during Republic Day celebrations in Gauhati, India, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) WASHINGTON (AP) - With the longest shutdown in U.S. history officially over, here's a look at how the federal government will get back to regular business: ___ WHEN WILL FEDERAL WORKERS GET PAID? It's unclear at this time. The White House tweeted that it will be "in the coming days." Some 800,000 workers were furloughed or required to work without pay. They will receive back pay. While the Trump administration is promising to pay federal workers as soon as possible, a senior official says agencies are in charge of their own payroll issues and workers should check with their departments for details about when the back pay will arrive. Under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act that Trump signed into law on Jan. 16, workers are to get their back pay "as soon as possible after the lapse in appropriations ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates." That means they shouldn't have to wait for their next payday to get those back wages. The Office of Management and Budget instructed agencies Friday night to ensure they had adequate staff on hand to support payroll processes and to answer employees' benefit questions as they return to work. ___ HOW SOON BEFORE THE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUMS REOPEN? The Smithsonian tweeted that all of its museums and the National Zoo will reopen Tuesday, Jan. 29 at their regularly scheduled times. ___ WHAT ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARKS? Many remained open during the shutdown, but at reduced staffing levels. Theresa Pierno, president and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association, said some parks suffered "terrible damage" during the shutdown. One of the first jobs for park workers will be to assess that damage. "The damage done to our parks will be felt for weeks, months or even years," she said. P. Daniel Smith, Deputy Director of the National Park Service, said "the National Park Service is preparing to resume regular operations nationwide though the schedule for individual parks may vary depending on staff size and complexity of operations. "Many parks which have been accessible throughout the lapse in appropriations remain accessible with basic services," he said. "Visitors should contact individual parks or visit park websites for their opening schedules and the latest information on accessibility and visitor services. Some parks which have been closed throughout the lapse in appropriations may not reopen immediately, but we will work to open all parks as quickly as possible." ___ WILL AIR TRAVELERS GET A BREAK SOON, TOO? The shutdown had become a source of growing alarm for travelers and airlines. The absence rate among airport screeners peaked at 10 percent last weekend, meaning longer lines. On Friday, the absence of six air traffic control workers contributed to massive delays along the East Coast. LaGuardia Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were particularly affected, and delays rippled outward from there - about 3,000 late flights by midafternoon. The end of the shutdown should relieve those problems. That said, the Transportation Security Administration has emphasized that the large majority of passengers haven't suffered from the shutdown. The TSA said that only 3.7 percent of travelers screened Wednesday - or about 65,000 people - waited 15 minutes or longer. ___ WHEN WILL THE PRESIDENT DELIVER HIS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she will discuss a date with President Donald Trump once the government is open. She did not provide any further details Friday, except to say "I'll look forward to doing that and welcoming the president to the House of Representatives for the State of the Union." RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - The man who bought two rifles that terrorists used to kill 14 people in a 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino wants to withdraw his guilty plea. Through his lawyer, Enrique Marquez told a federal judge Friday that he'll withdraw his 2017 plea to providing material support to terrorists. Attorney John Aquilina says he'll file the motion by May 13. Aquilina won't detail the reason for the decision, which federal prosecutors are expected to challenge. Marquez was facing a potential 25-year prison sentence. Marquez bought the semi-automatic rifles used by Syed Rizwan Farook and Farook's wife, Tashfeen Malik, in the attack on a Christmas party gathering of San Bernardino County employees. The couple later died in a police firefight. Prosecutors said Marquez knew Farook but wasn't involved in the attack. PARK CITY, Utah (AP) - Harvey Weinstein's name was intrinsically linked to the Sundance Film Festival for years, which makes it somewhat fitting that 14 months after his career began to unravel the festival played host to the world premiere of a documentary about his rise and fall. "I'm so happy it's at Sundance," said "Untouchable" director Ursula Macfarlane, whose film debuted Friday night in Park City. "It's the perfect place for a film about Harvey." The film is semi-biography of the disgraced mogul, packed with interviews from people who knew him as a concert promoter in Buffalo, those who worked alongside him at Miramax and The Weinstein Company, like Zelda Perkins, his former assistant, director Mark Gill and producer Jack Lechner. It also features a handful of women who came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct, including actresses Rosanna Arquette, Erika Rosenbaum, Caitlin Dulany and Paz de la Huerta. "We knew that at the heart of it we wanted to tell some of the accusers' stories, but we couldn't spend the whole film telling those stories because it would probably just be too intense and too much," Macfarlane said. "We also wanted to tell the story of Harvey and to understand what kind of human he was, and why people liked him and why he had this charm and this spell where he could draw people in. We couldn't just say he's a monster and he was raping people for 40 years...We wanted to understand how he got in a position where he was able to do these things." Weinstein has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex. Friday's premiere occurred hours after Weinstein appeared in a Manhattan courthouse to change his legal team in a rape and sexual assault case . Former employees in the film describe his charisma and power and how extraordinary it was to be part of Miramax during its salad days, while also detailing his monstrous and abusive tendencies (like throwing marble ashtrays at people's heads) and how he considered himself to be "the sheriff" of New York. Rosanna Arquette, left, and director Ursula Macfarlane pose for a portrait to promote the film "Untouchable" at the Salesforce Music Lodge during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP) "It's important that it wasn't all sexual but also about the psychological abuse and physical abuse," Macfarlane said. "I get the feeling having met former staffers that there is a sort of PTSD of just having been an employee in the office." Getting people who worked alongside him to talk was a struggle, however. Macfarlane says the culture of fear still lingers for people who work in the industry. She tried to get Weinstein on camera as well, but he declined multiple requests. "I'm really proud of the ones we did get on board," she said. "It was very courageous of them to talk about their regrets and what they feel they could have done better." Kathy Declesis, a former assistant to Weinstein's brother Bob, describes how she quit after being privy to how the company was handling misconduct allegations. Macfarlane knows she could have continued following the developments in Weinstein's criminal case, but decided to let his downfall be the end of her film. "You could do the 5-part series in 10 years' time when maybe you would get the interview with Harvey, who knows what would have happened by then, but I think we had an energy and a momentum," she said. "I want people to come out and say 'OK this is very distressing and depressing but what can we do about this?' I want there to be a bigger point to it." ___ Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr Rosanna Arquette, left, and director Ursula Macfarlane pose for a portrait to promote the film "Untouchable" at the Salesforce Music Lodge during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP) Rosanna Arquette poses for a portrait to promote the film "Untouchable" at the Salesforce Music Lodge during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP) PANAMA CITY (AP) - Young people challenged Pope Francis on the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal and the plight of Christians in the Middle East as the youth took center stage Saturday in the final events of World Youth Day in Panama. Organizers said some 600,000 people turned out for Saturday's main event, an evening vigil service in the Metropark area of east Panama City. Many of them were spending the night in tents or just on sleeping mats to be in place for an early morning final Mass formally ending the religious festival. After looping through the cheering crowds in his popemobile, Francis told the young he understood their anxieties and fears for a future where jobs are scarce and education not always available. "It is easy enough to criticize and complain about young people if we are depriving them of the jobs, education and community opportunities they need to take root and to dream of a future," he told the pilgrims, many of whom clutched rosaries, swayed in prayer and draped themselves in flags from across the Americas and beyond. The vigil was the culmination of a busy day for Francis that included a luncheon with 10 young pilgrims representing each of the continents. The Vatican described the atmosphere as familiar and festive, and the young people said they were surprised at Francis' informality and interest in their questions. Brenda Noriega, a Mexican-born youth minister from San Bernardino, California, said she told Francis that the sex abuse scandal in the United States was a "crisis right now we cannot avoid talking about." She said Francis called abuse a "horrible crime" and assured her that the church was committed to supporting victims. Pilgrims watch as Pope Francis arrives for a vigil at Campo San Juan Pablo II in Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) She said Francis also stressed the need for prayer, noting that he sent U.S. bishops on a retreat with his own preacher earlier this month ahead of his big summit on abuse prevention in February at the Vatican. "For me as a youth minister, that means a lot," Noriega told reporters after the luncheon. "Youth ministers, we have been with people who have been angry but sometimes we forget about prayer. We react too easy and too fast. So I think what His Holiness is telling us and the church is to first pray, build community and not forget about accompaniment." It was the first time the abuse scandal has come up publicly during Francis' four-day visit to Panama. The abuse scandal hasn't erupted publicly in Central America in the same way it has in the U.S., where the Catholic hierarchy is facing a crisis in confidence over its decades-long failures to protect young people from priests who rape and molest children. During the luncheon, held on the campus of Panama City's main seminary, the guests peppered Francis with questions. Palestinian pilgrim Dana Salah said she asked Francis about the flight of Christians from the lands of Jesus' birth. She said the pope assured her "'Palestine will always remain the land of Jesus.'" Emilda Santo Montezuma, an indigenous Panamanian, said she spoke to Francis about the environment and the rights of indigenous peoples - two issues particularly dear to Francis' heart which will be the focus of a meeting of Amazonian bishops at the Vatican later this year. Francis' support, she said, would embolden indigenous people to fight for their rights. "It fills me with a lot of strength and to say to young people that we can do a lot, and more than we have done," she told reporters. Francis started the day by reopening Panama City's main cathedral, Santa Maria la Antigua, which is considered the first cathedral of mainland America. He also consecrated its altar after a yearslong renovation, rubbing holy oil onto the altar's marble top, his vestment sleeves rolled up. In his homily, Francis spoke frankly about the pressures, frustrations and anxieties facing priests and nuns in a rapidly changing world where it sometimes seems the Catholic message has no place. Francis warned their weariness can sometimes be paralyzing due to the burdens of their work and the "toxic" conditions in some of their communities. "The weariness of hope comes from seeing a church wounded by her own sin, which so often failed to hear all those cries that echoed the cry of the Master: 'My God, why have you forsaken me?'" Francis said. Francis wraps up his visit Sunday with the morning Mass and a visit to a church-run home for people suffering HIV. Pope Francis speaks during a vigil at Campo San Juan Pablo II in Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Thousands of pilgrims watch as Pope Francis arrives for a vigil at Campo San Juan Pablo II in Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis boards a vehicle after celebrating Mass at the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral, in the old section of Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turned his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters as he reached the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) Priests get ready to distribute Holy Communion during a Mass with Pope Francis in the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral, in the old section of Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turned his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters as he reacheed the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) Pilgrims rest before Pope Francis arrives for vigil with youth at Campo San Juan Pablo II in Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Priests and nuns kneel in prayer as Pope Francis celebrates Mass in the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral in the old section of Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis is seeking to inspire Panama's priests and religious sisters, acknowledging they have grown weary from the "wounds of the church's own sin," but urging them to find again the joy that sparked their vocations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Security personnel keep watch during a Mass with Pope Francis in the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral, in the old section of Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turned his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters as he reached the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) A Catholic faithful kisses the hand of Pope Francis after arriving in his popemobile to celebrate Mass in the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral in Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turned his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters Saturday morning, as he reached the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) People hold out their phones as Pope Francis arrives in his popemobile to celebrate Mass in the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral in the old section of Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turned his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters as he reacheed the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) Pope Francis consecrates the main altar spreading holy oil on it during a Mass in the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral in the old section of Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turns his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters as he reaches the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Flanked by Papal Master of Ceremonies Bishop Guido Marini, right, and liturgical assistant Jan Dubina, Pope Francis consecrates the altar during a Mass in the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral in the old section of Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turns his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters Saturday, as he reaches the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis greets young pilgrims as he arrives to celebrate Mass at the Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral on the occasion of his visit for World Youth Day, in Panama City, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Francis turns his attention to the country's priests and religious sisters as he reaches the midway point in his five-day Central American visit. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Sen. Kamala Harris returned to South Carolina on Friday, using her first visit to this early-voting state as an official presidential contender to tap into a sorority network that could prove crucial as she develops her campaign. In a room festooned in pink and green - the signature colors of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the country's oldest black sorority - the newly minted presidential candidate spoke at the Pink Ice Gala, a scholarship fundraiser. "For we, the members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., we stand on the shoulders of women who were leaders, who 111 years ago said to us, we must honor sisterhood, and we must honor service," Harris said of AKA, a stronghold in the black community, which she pledged as an undergraduate student at Howard University. "That is truly part of the essence of our sorority, which is to stand together as sisters, with our heads up, challenging others to do like we do, knowing that we must serve others." Harris launched her campaign earlier this week on what would have been the 90th birthday of the slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. She plans a formal campaign launch in Oakland on Jan. 27. This is Harris' first trip since the fall to South Carolina - a crucial proving ground, particularly for Democratic presidential hopefuls testing out their messaging with a largely black electorate. Alpha Kappa Alpha, founded in 1908, is the oldest black sorority in the country. Harris, a first-term senator and former California attorney general known for her rigorous questioning of President Donald Trump's nominees, would be the first woman to hold the presidency and the second African-American. California Sen. Kamala Harris appears at a fundraiser for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., of which she is a member, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019 in Columbia, S.C. Sen. Kamala Harris returned to South Carolina on Friday, using her first visit to this early-voting state as an official presidential contender to tap into a sorority network that could prove crucial as she develops her campaign. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard) Harris, 54, who grew up in Oakland, California, is one of the earliest high-profile Democrats to join what is expected to be a crowded field, portraying herself as a fighter for justice, decency and equality in a video distributed by her campaign as she announced her bid earlier this week. "They're the values we as Americans cherish, and they're all on the line now," Harris says in the video. "The future of our country depends on you and millions of others lifting our voices to fight for our American values." Skipping the formality of forming an exploratory committee, instead going all in on a presidential bid, Harris joins what is expected to be a wide-open race for the Democratic presidential nomination. There's no apparent front-runner at this early stage, and Harris will face off against several Senate colleagues. Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York have both formed exploratory committees. Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota are also looking at the race. If Booker enters the race, he and Harris could face fierce competition for support from black voters. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who unsuccessfully sought the 2016 Democratic nomination, is also considering a campaign. Several other Democrats have already declared their intentions, including former Maryland Rep. John Delaney and former Obama administration housing chief Julian Castro. On Friday night in Columbia, Harris stood arm-in-arm with hundreds of AKA members, holding hands and singing the sorority's song. "I just love her," longtime AKA member Genice Thompson said of Harris, noting that the senator has a built-in support system among sorority members across the country. "I don't know if she'll win, but I just love her." ___ Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP. WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump will emerge from the longest government shutdown in U.S. history politically weakened, his reputation questioned and his signature campaign promise still glaringly unfulfilled. The 35-day partial shutdown over the president's demand for billions of dollars to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border was, in the end, futile. Facing defections within his own party, sagging poll numbers and public criticism for interrupted services, the self-proclaimed master dealmaker accepted an agreement that he had previously spurned and set an ignominious record that will remain part of his legacy. Days after Trump marked the midpoint of his term, the shutdown highlighted the disquieting side effects of his unconventional governing style and the trials that lie ahead for him in dealing with emboldened Democrats. The folly of the effort was readily apparent inside the White House, where aides had warned Trump even before the shutdown began that there was no avenue to success in the showdown with Capitol Hill. Democrats ran for office on preventing Trump from building the wall - and it's hardly a popular idea even among Republican lawmakers. Advisers watched in shock as Trump declared in a December meeting with lawmakers that he would be "proud" to shut down the government. And when he ultimately did just that, they feared the messaging war had already been lost. "He was playing double-A ball against major leaguers," said former Republican Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, who once headed the House GOP's campaign arm. By backing himself into the shutdown with no way out, Davis said, Trump displayed a lack of discipline from the start. The strategic deficit was only magnified by what allies saw as tactical errors. Trump spent the holidays tweeting from the White House rather than making public appearances to showcase his readiness to negotiate. He didn't deliver a public address or visit the border to make his case until weeks had already gone by. Perhaps most crucially, he underestimated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the unity of congressional Democrats, thinking the Californian would be more amenable to a deal on the wall once she won the speakership. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Hispanic pastors in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Trump's message zigzagged sometimes by the hour. He maintained he was proud of shutting down the government and then tried to pin the blame on Democrats. One moment he signaled he was ready to concede the wall in favor of other barriers on the border, and the next he tweeted he was fighting for the wall as strongly as ever. It was emblematic of the dysfunctional White House culture he has fostered and the challenges that have been manifest on decisions big and small for two years. By the end of the shutdown, West Wing aides and outside allies of the president began to look at the seminal promise of Trump's 2016 campaign as an immense - and unachievable - burden on his presidency. It was complaints that Trump appeared to be passing up his last, best opportunity to make good on his build-the-wall pledge that led Trump into the shutdown to begin with. Conservative commentators and House Freedom Caucus members fired off warnings that Trump's base would sour on him if he didn't use the last days of unified GOP control of Washington last year to try to get money for the barrier. But in his quest to appease his base, the president tarnished his standing with the American public. Overall, 34 percent of Americans approve of Trump's job performance in a survey released this week by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That's down from 42 percent a month earlier and nears the lowest mark of his two-year presidency. "Hopefully now the president has learned his lesson," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a press conference with Pelosi. The impasse was an early test for Pelosi after her return to the speakership, one that she appeared to pass handily. Democrats remained unified against White House efforts to divide the caucus, and they head into the next round of debate over border security funding determined to make good on their own 2018 promises to block Trump's wall. As White House aides suggested that the shutdown had brought Democrats to embrace border "barriers," Pelosi make clear her party remained resolved against the wall. "Have I not been clear?" she said. "No, I have been very clear." Trump, characteristically, refused to concede that he'd conceded. Instead, he insisted he hadn't caved to Democrats, and he threatened yet another shutdown even while bemoaning the last one's impact on Americans. "This was in no way a concession," Trump tweeted late Friday. "It was taking care of millions of people who were getting badly hurt by the Shutdown with the understanding that in 21 days, if no deal is done, it's off to the races!" ___ Associated Press writer Alan Fram contributed to this report. ___ EDITOR'S NOTE: Zeke Miller has covered the White House and politics in Washington since 2011. Follow him at http://twitter.com/zekejmiller ATHENS, Texas (AP) - One student was killed and two other individuals were injured after an East Texas school bus was hit by a train on Friday, authorities said. The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported the collision took place around 4 p.m. when the bus was at a train crossing in Athens, located about 70 miles (112 kilometers) southeast of Dallas. At a news conference Friday evening, Athens Police Chief Buddy Hill said a 13-year-old male middle school student was killed. A 9-year-old girl in elementary school was injured and flown to a Dallas hospital, where she was in critical but stable condition. No other students were on the bus, according to the school district. The bus driver was also injured and taken to a hospital, where he's in stable condition, Hill said. "My heart is broken for the families," said Athens school district Superintendent Blake Stiles. Youth pastors sing during a vigil at Athens First United Methodist Church after a train struck a school bus, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019 in Athens, Texas. One student was killed and two other individuals were injured after an East Texas school bus was hit by a train on Friday, authorities said. (Cory McCoy/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP) The names of the two students and the bus driver were not immediately released. Authorities were still determining a cause of the collision. Hill said there were no wooden gate arms or warning lights at the train crossing where the collision took place. Community members gathered for a vigil at Athens First United Methodist Church after a train struck a school bus, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019 in Athens, Texas. One student was killed and two other individuals were injured after an East Texas school bus was hit by a train on Friday, authorities said. (Cory McCoy/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP) A guest pastor addresses mourners gathered for a vigil at Athens First United Methodist Church after a train struck a school bus, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019 in Athens, Texas. One student was killed and two other individuals were injured after an East Texas school bus was hit by a train on Friday, authorities said. (Cory McCoy/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP) Pastors pray with mourners and community members during a vigil at Athens First United Methodist Church after a train struck a school bus, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019 in Athens, Texas. One student was killed and two other individuals were injured after an East Texas school bus was hit by a train on Friday, authorities said. (Cory McCoy/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP) A mother comforts her son at Athens First United Methodist Church after a train struck a school bus, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019 in Athens, Texas. One student was killed and two other individuals were injured after an East Texas school bus was hit by a train on Friday, authorities said. (Cory McCoy/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP) CHICAGO (AP) - Some legal experts believe there's a reasonable chance the prison sentence of less than seven years imposed on a white Chicago police officer last week for second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times could be tossed out and a new sentencing ordered. Van Dyke, 40, went to trial charged with first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 45 years. But jurors in October opted to replace it with second-degree murder after finding Van Dyke shot McDonald out of fear for his life, though that fear was unreasonable. They convicted him of one count of second-degree murder, which carries a prison term of between four and 20 years, and of 16 counts of aggravated battery - one for each shot. Each count of aggravated battery carries a prison term of between six and 30 years. Because of the number of counts and other factors, it's widely agreed that Van Dyke could have gotten a far stiffer sentence if sentenced on the battery counts. If he is not resentenced, Van Dyke will almost certainly serve just half of his second-degree murder sentence and end up behind bars for only around three years when credit for good behavior is factored in. Many community activists have called the sentence a mere slap on the wrist. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said this week that his office would review the Van Dyke sentence. Here's a look at how that happened and some of the legal issues involved: FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2019 file photo, former Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke attends his sentencing hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago, for the 2014 shooting of Laquan McDonald. The Illinois attorney general's office has signaled it may be considering a rare sentencing-related appeal if it concludes the white Chicago police officer's less-than-seven-year prison sentence in the slaying of black teenager McDonald was wrongly calculated. The office said in an emailed statement Thursday, Jan. 24, it is reviewing Van Dyke's sentence. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File) Q: WHAT'S THE BIG LEGAL ISSUE? A: At sentencing, Judge Gaughan laid out the decisive legal question he had to answer before he could pronounce sentence. "Was it more serious," he asked, "for Laquan McDonald to be shot by a firearm or is it more serious for Laquan McDonald to be murdered by a firearm?" The issue stems from what is known in Illinois as the one-act, one-crime doctrine. If the accused is convicted of multiple crimes for what amounts to a single act, then the judge can only sentence the defendant for the most serious crime. The doctrine was designed to prevent prosecutors from trying to inflate sentences by piling charges onto a single act. Under the doctrine, a bank robber who beat a guard outside a bank, who fatally shot someone inside and who got away with the bank's money would have committed three separate acts and so can be sentenced for all three. But Van Dyke's shooting of McDonald was considered a single act; the 16 shots fired over a span of no more than 30 seconds both murdered him and physically battered the 17-year-old. Gaughan said second-degree murder was the more serious crime, adding: "Common sense comes to an easy answer." Q: CONTROLLING PRECEDENT? A: Several legal experts said his answer may sound easy and intuitive, but that it's also wrong. They say his conclusion runs directly counter to guiding precedent - a 2004 Illinois Supreme Court ruling in a case called People v. Lee that also involved someone convicted of both second-degree murder and aggravated battery. The majority of justices concluded that trial judges need simply look at the sentences Illinois legislators deemed appropriate for each crime: Between two crimes, the one with the higher sentence is the more serious. Though it's counterintuitive, they said unambiguously that aggravated battery had the higher sentence, hence is the more serious crime under Illinois law. In his brief, 10-minute explanation of his sentence for Van Dyke, Gaughan did refer to the People v. Lee case. But he only cited its dissent, in which Justice Robert Thomas said the length of the sentences shouldn't be the sole factor determining the seriousness of a crime. Thomas suggested judges should have more leeway and look at each sentencing on a case-by-case basis. Q: DOES HIS REASONING RAISE QUESTIONS? A: Several legal experts said Gaughan's reference only to a dissent on such a crucial question does raise red flags. "It's very, very unusual," said Chicago based-criminal attorney Phil Turner. "The majority decision is the controlling decision. As a lower court judge, you are bound to follow the majority opinion." Turner speculated Gaughan went into the hearing knowing he wanted to impose a relatively light sentence. "He was clearly looking for some support from somewhere for what he was doing," which he found in the dissent, Turner said. "He had a conclusion and wanted to justify it." Turner said a sentence in the decades would have been more appropriate. He calls Gaughan's sentence "a joke," saying it sends the message that police officers aren't subject to the same set of sentencing rules. Another defense attorney also not connected to Van Dyke's case, Steve Greenberg, said he sympathized with Gaughan's reference to common sense. But he also agreed that by reaching for a dissent to justify his sentence he may have opened the way for a higher court to throw the sentence out. "From a logical standpoint, I think (Gaughan's) sentence is correct," he said. "From a legal standpoint, it might not be." He added: "I think there is a fair chance the higher court would say the sentence was wrong." Van Dyke's lawyer, Dan Herbert, disagreed in a statement this week responding to talk about an appeal of the sentence. He said "the judge in this case carefully considered the arguments made and issued the correct ruling under the law." Q: WHY IS THE ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL WEIGHING IN? Kwame Raoul, sworn in as the state's new attorney general just five days before Van Dyke was sentenced, previously represented a district in the Illinois Senate that includes minority areas on Chicago's South Side. He frequently campaigned on civil rights and spoke out about police abuse after McDonald's killing. A spokeswoman for the attorney general's office, Maura Possley, said in a brief Thursday statement that "we are going to do a careful review of the record and the law and make a determination based on our review." But she offered no details, including on potential lines of argument in any appeal. After Raoul's office announced that it was reviewing Van Dyke's sentence, Herbert criticized the attorney general, saying the action was politically motivated. He said the attorney general's office could have weighed in prior to sentencing in a friend-of-the-court brief and made its views clear to the judge then. "Now he suddenly has concerns after the sentencing in the wake of some public outcry," Herbert said in a written statement. "This is about politics not the law." The special prosecutor who tried the case, Joseph McMahon, confirmed this week his office was also reviewing the sentence. But he was non-committal. His statement said prosecutors can't directly appeal a sentence but can seek what is called a writ of mandamus - an order from the Illinois Supreme Court telling a judge to adhere to the correct law. Q: HOW RARE ARE BIDS FOR RESENTENING? A: Very rare. People convicted of murder often appeal their convictions or sentences. It's much rarer for prosecutors to even attempt to appeal a sentence they aren't happy with. That's true in part because prosecutors know sentencing judges have enormous discretion on many matters and that higher courts typically give them the benefit of the doubt. A rare instance when Illinois prosecutors successfully sought a higher sentence was the case of Jang Bae, convicted of murder in the deaths of three firefighters killed in a 1985 blaze that Bae, an electronics store owner, paid someone to start in trying to collect on a $250,000 insurance policy. Cook County Judge Earl Strayhorn had rejected calls at the original sentencing to impose the death penalty, handing Bae a 70-year prison sentence instead. The Illinois Supreme Court agreed with prosecutors and found Judge Strayhorn got the law wrong and that, after refusing to impose the death penalty, his only option was to sentence Bae to life in prison. NEW YORK (AP) - The researchers who reported that Israeli software was used to spy on Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi's inner circle before his gruesome death are being targeted in turn by international undercover operatives, The Associated Press has found. Twice in the past two months, men masquerading as socially conscious investors have lured members of the Citizen Lab internet watchdog group to meetings at luxury hotels to quiz them for hours about their work exposing Israeli surveillance and the details of their personal lives. In both cases, the researchers believe they were secretly recorded. Citizen Lab Director Ron Deibert described the stunts as "a new low." "We condemn these sinister, underhanded activities in the strongest possible terms," he said in a statement Friday. "Such a deceitful attack on an academic group like the Citizen Lab is an attack on academic freedom everywhere." Who these operatives are working for remains a riddle, but their tactics recall those of private investigators who assume elaborate false identities to gather intelligence or compromising material on critics of powerful figures in government or business. Citizen Lab, based out of the Munk School at the University of Toronto, has for years played a leading role in exposing state-backed hackers operating in places as far afield as Tibet , Ethiopia and Syria . Lately the group has drawn attention for its repeated exposes of an Israeli surveillance software vendor called the NSO Group, a firm whose wares have been used by governments to target journalists in Mexico , opposition figures in Panama and human rights activists in the Middle East . John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog group, holds his cell phone which has its camera blocked by an adhesive sticker, as he poses for a photograph, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, in New York. The Citizen Lab, an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, does research and development at the intersection of digital media, global security, and human rights. Its researchers have recently been targeted by a mysterious group of undercover operatives. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) In October, Citizen Lab reported that an iPhone belonging to one of Khashoggi's confidantes had been infected by the NSO's signature spy software only months before Khashoggi's grisly murder. The friend, Saudi dissident Omar Abdulaziz, would later claim that the hacking had exposed Khashoggi's private criticisms of the Saudi royal family to the Arab kingdom's spies and thus "played a major role" in his death. In a statement, NSO denied having anything to do with the undercover operations targeting Citizen Lab, "either directly or indirectly" and said it had neither hired nor asked anyone to hire private investigators to pursue the Canadian organization. "Any suggestion to the contrary is factually incorrect and nothing more than baseless speculation," NSO said. NSO has long denied that its software was used to target Khashoggi, although it has refused to comment when asked whether it has sold its software to the Saudi government more generally. ___ The first message reached Bahr Abdul Razzak, a Syrian refugee who works as a Citizen Lab researcher, Dec. 6, when a man calling himself Gary Bowman got in touch via LinkedIn. The man described himself as a South African financial technology executive based in Madrid. "I came across your profile and think that the work you've done helping Syrian refugees and your extensive technical background could be a great fit for our new initiative," Bowman wrote. Abdul Razzak said he thought the proposal was a bit odd, but he eventually agreed to meet the man at Toronto's swanky Shangri-La Hotel on the morning of Dec. 18. The conversation got weird very quickly, Abdul Razzak said. Instead of talking about refugees, Abdul Razzak said, Bowman grilled him about his work for Citizen Lab and its investigations into the use of NSO's software. Abdul Razzak said Bowman appeared to be reading off cue cards, asking him if he was earning enough money and throwing out pointed questions about Israel, the war in Syria and Abdul Razzak's religiosity. "Do you pray?" Abdul Razzak recalled Bowman asking. "Why do you write only about NSO?" ''Do you write about it because it's an Israeli company?" ''Do you hate Israel?" Abdul Razzak said he emerged from the meeting feeling shaken. He alerted his Citizen Lab colleagues, who quickly determined that the breakfast get-together had been a ruse. Bowman's supposed Madrid-based company, FlameTech, had no web presence beyond a LinkedIn page, a handful of social media profiles and an entry in the business information platform Crunchbase. A reverse image search revealed that the profile picture of the man listed as FlameTech's chief executive, Mauricio Alonso, was a stock photograph. "My immediate gut feeling was: 'This is a fake,'" said John Scott-Railton, one of Abdul Razzak's colleagues. Scott-Railton flagged the incident to the AP, which confirmed that FlameTech was a digital facade. Searches of the Orbis database of corporate records, which has data on some 300 million global companies, turned up no evidence of a Spanish firm called FlameTech or Flame Tech or any company anywhere in the world matching its description. Similarly, the AP found no record of FlameTech in Madrid's official registry or of a Gary Bowman in the city's telephone listings. An Orbis search for Alonso, the supposed chief executive, also drew a blank. When an AP reporter visited Madrid's Crystal Tower high-rise, where FlameTech claimed to have 250 sq. meters (2,700 sq. feet) of office space, he could find no trace of the firm and calls to the number listed on its website went unanswered. The AP was about to publish a story about the curious company when, on Jan. 9, Scott-Railton received an intriguing message of his own. ___ This time the contact came not from Bowman of FlameTech but from someone who identified himself as Michel Lambert, a director at the Paris-based agricultural technology firm CPW-Consulting. Lambert had done his homework. In his introductory email , he referred to Scott-Railton's early doctoral research on kite aerial photography - a mapping technique using kite-mounted cameras - and said he was "quite impressed." "We have a few projects and clients coming up that could significantly benefit from implementing Kite Aerial Photography," he said. Like FlameTech, CPW-Consulting was a fiction. Searches of Orbis and the French commercial court registry Infogreffe turned up no trace of the supposedly Paris-based company or indeed of any Paris-based company bearing the acronym CPW. And when the AP visited CPW's alleged office there was no evidence of the company; the address was home to a mainly residential apartment building. Residents and the building's caretaker said they had never heard of the firm. Whoever dreamed up CPW had taken steps to ensure the illusion survived a casual web search, but even those efforts didn't bear much scrutiny. The company had issued a help wanted ad, for example, seeking a digital mapping specialist for their Paris office, but Scott-Railton discovered that the language had been lifted almost word-for-word from an ad from an unrelated company seeking a mapping specialist in London. A blog post touted CPW as a major player in Africa, but an examination of the author's profile suggests the article was the only one the blogger had ever written. When Lambert suggested an in-person meeting in New York during a Jan. 19 phone call , Scott-Railton felt certain that Lambert was trying to set him up. But Scott-Railton agreed to the meeting. He planned to lay a trap of his own. ___ Anyone watching Scott-Railton and Lambert laughing over wagyu beef and lobster bisque at the Peninsula Hotel's upscale restaurant on Thursday afternoon might have mistaken the pair for friends. In fact, the lunch was Spy vs. Spy. Scott-Railton had spent the night before trying to hide a homemade camera into his tie, he later told AP, eventually settling for a GoPro action camera and several recording devices hidden about his person. On the table, Lambert had placed a large pen in which Scott-Railton said he spotted a tiny camera lens peeking out from an opening in the top. Lambert didn't seem to be alone. At the beginning of the meal, a man sat behind him, holding up his phone as if to take pictures and then abruptly left the restaurant, having eaten nothing. Later, two or three men materialized at the bar and appeared to be monitoring proceedings. Scott-Railton wasn't alone either. A few tables away, two Associated Press journalists were making small talk as they waited for a signal from Scott-Railton, who had invited the reporters to observe the lunch from nearby and then interview Lambert near the end of the meal. The conversation began with a discussion of kites, gossip about African politicians, and a detour through Scott-Railton's family background. But Lambert, just like Bowman, eventually steered the talk to Citizen Lab and NSO. "Work drama? Tell me, I like drama!" Lambert said at one point, according to Scott-Railton's recording of the conversation. "Is there a big competition between the people inside Citizen Lab?" he asked later. Like Bowman, Lambert appeared to be working off cue cards and occasionally made awkward conversational gambits. At one point he repeated a racist French expression, insisting it wasn't offensive. He also asked Scott-Railton questions about the Holocaust, anti-Semitism and whether he grew up with any Jewish friends. At another point he asked whether there might not be a "racist element" to Citizen Lab's interest in Israeli spyware. After dessert arrived, the AP reporters approached Lambert at his table and asked him why his company didn't seem to exist. He seemed to stiffen. "I know what I'm doing," Lambert said, as he put his files - and his pen - into a bag. Then he stood up, bumped into a chair and walked off, saying "Ciao" and waving his hand, before returning because he had neglected to pay the bill. As he paced around the restaurant waiting for the check, Lambert refused to answer questions about who he worked for or why no trace of his firm could be found. "I don't have to give you any explanation," he said. He eventually retreated to a back room and closed the door. ___ Who Lambert and Bowman really are isn't clear. Neither man returned emails or phone calls. The websites for both of their supposed companies went offline within hours of the publication of this article, and chunks of information, including the men's last names, were removed from their respective LinkedIn profiles. Despite their keen focus on NSO, the AP has found no evidence that the men were linked to the Israeli spyware merchant, which is adamant that it wasn't involved. The kind of aggressive investigative tactics used by the mystery men who targeted Citizen Lab have come under fire in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal. Black Cube, an Israeli private investigation firm, apologized after The New Yorker and other media outlets revealed that the company's operatives had used subterfuge and dirty tricks to help the Hollywood mogul suppress allegations of rape and sexual assault. Scott-Railton and Abdul Razzak said they didn't want to speculate about who was involved. But both said they believed they were being steered toward making controversial comments that could be used to blacken Citizen Lab's reputation. "It could be they wanted me to say, 'Yes, I hate Israel,' or 'Yes, Citizen Lab is against NSO because it's Israeli,'" said Abdul Razzak. Scott-Railton said the elaborate, multinational operation was gratifying, in a way. "People were paid to fly to a city to sit you down to an expensive meal and try to convince you to say bad things about your work, your colleagues and your employer," he said. "That means that your work is important." ___ Lori Hinnant and Nicholas Garriga in Paris, Aritz Parra in Madrid, Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Joseph Frederick in New York contributed to this report. ___ Online: Emails and a transcript relating to the undercover operatives: https://www.documentcloud.org/search/projectid:42174-Citizen-Lab-Undercover-Op Raphael Satter can be reached at: http://raphaelsatter.com In this image from video, a man who identified himself as Michel Lambert, a director at the Paris-based agricultural technology firm CPW-Consulting, reacts during an interview at a restaurant in New York on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. Lambert is one of two undercover operatives who have lured members of the Citizen Lab internet watchdog group to meetings at luxury hotels to quiz them for hours about their work exposing Israeli surveillance. (AP Photo/Joseph Frederick) John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog group, holds his cell phone which has its camera blocked by an adhesive sticker, as he poses for a photograph, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, in New York. The Citizen Lab, an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, does research and development at the intersection of digital media, global security, and human rights. Its researchers have recently been targeted by a mysterious group of undercover operatives. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) This Friday, Jan. 25, 2019 photo shows the facade of a building on Paris' Avenue Parmentier. The address was supposedly the home of CPW-Consulting, but an Associated Press investigation has found that the firm is little more than a front for an elaborate undercover operation targeting security researchers. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) A woman walks through the interior of the building on Avenue Parmentier in Paris on Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. The address was supposedly the home of CPW-Consulting, but an Associated Press investigation has found that the firm is little more than a front for an elaborate undercover operation targeting security researchers. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) A woman walks past a building on Avenue Parmentier in Paris on Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. The address was supposedly the home of CPW-Consulting, but an Associated Press investigation has found that the firm is little more than a front for an elaborate undercover operation targeting security researchers. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) This Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 photo shows the Crystal Tower skyscraper in Madrid, Spain. The high-rise building supposedly hosted a company called FlameTech, but an Associated Press investigation has found that the firm is little more than a front for an elaborate undercover operation targeting security researchers. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 1, 2016 file photo, Bahr Abdul Razzak, left, and his wife Noura Al-Ameer, use their smartphones in Istanbul. Abdul Razzak was one of two security researchers who have recently been targeted by a mysterious group of undercover operatives, an Associated Press investigation has found. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) Federal workers who have gone a month without getting paid during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history expressed relief Friday that a deal had been reached to end the impasse, but are worried they'll be in the same spot in a few weeks. Ivan Tauler and his wife spent an exhausting three weeks calling, researching and haggling to get relief from government agencies, schools, banks and utility companies to scrape by during the shutdown that caused him to be furloughed from his cartographer job at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in West Virginia. For Tauler, the end of the shutdown was far from a cause for celebration. The deal announced Friday by President Donald Trump only reopens the government for three weeks while negotiations continue over the president's demands for money to build his long-promised border wall. "We won't be spending money like we normally would," said Melinda Tauler. "We will be more cautious about our finances than normal until we know that the government is not going to be closing every couple of weeks." Tauler was one of about 800,000 furloughed federal workers thrust into weeks of uncertainty and financial hardship - leading many to take out loans, apply for unemployment, do temporary jobs and launch online campaigns asking for donations. The end of the 35-day impasse came on what would have been the second payday with no checks for federal workers. The deal includes back pay federal workers who have gone without paychecks, with Trump vowing that they will get paid very soon. FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2019 file photo, Rebecca Maclean, a housing program specialist for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Pittsburgh, stands outside her home in Pittsburgh. Maclean, whose furlough began Dec. 21, was washing dishes and listening to NPR when the news broke of a deal to temporarily end the shutdown. She isn't celebrating quite yet. "I'm cautiously optimistic at this point," she said. "Until (Trump) puts ink to paper, I'm not going to check my bank balance." (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) Eileen Hartigan, who works as a nurse at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, felt a deep sense of relief financially. But it was mixed with the feeling of being used by politicians. The 52-year-old Virginia woman is a Trump supporter who blamed the shutdown on all sides, though she doesn't understand how her "being out of work made any difference on the immigration issue." "The politicians are acting like middle school children with their tantrums," she said. "Not elementary school children because they still respect adults. But middle school children because they think they're better than everybody." Alecia Lane, a management analyst with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from Laurel, Maryland, is excited she'll get a paycheck soon but said the only luxury spending she might do right away is taking her two sons, 12 and 8, to the movie theater. Lane was among hundreds of federal workers who launched GoFundMe campaigns to get financial help during the shutdown. She needed help to pay her own bills and send money to help her autistic brother and mother who live in Kentucky. She said it was embarrassing to have to make that public plea. "I'm saving every dime. I never want to be in this position again," said Lane, a U.S Navy veteran. "I'm worried that we'll be right back in this situation in three weeks. He (Trump) wants that border wall. To be honest: I was shocked that they even reached this deal." Lane scoffed at Trump's assertion in his Friday announcement that federal employees agreed with him and weren't complaining. "Who was he talking to?" Lane said. "Everyone was complaining, let's be real." Single parent Leisyka Parrott, a Bureau of Land Management employee in Arcata, California, was driving with her son Friday when she heard a radio news broadcast about the deal to reopen the federal government for three weeks. Her cellphone immediately began buzzing with congratulatory text messages from friends, who know she has been furloughed from her job since Dec. 21. Rebecca Maclean, a housing program specialist for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Pittsburgh whose furlough began Dec. 21, was washing dishes and listening to NPR when the news broke of a deal to temporarily end the shutdown. She isn't celebrating quite yet. "Until (Trump) puts ink to paper, I'm not going to check my bank balance," she said. She and her husband have been grateful for the outpouring of support from neighbors. Some dropped off food. Twice, somebody anonymously dropped off grocery store gift cards on their front porch. The Taulers were approved for food stamps and arranged for free breakfasts and lunches from the schools for their four children, and Ivan Tauler had already submitted his unemployment application. He said the family is left with hard feelings for politicians and a deep desire to keep more money in savings. "This seems to be a recurring theme so we're definitely going to be prepared for it," Tauler said. ___ Associated Press Writers Michael Kunzelman and Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed to this report. VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - The number of confirmed measles cases near Portland grew to 31 on Friday - an outbreak boosted by lower-than-normal vaccination rates in what has been called an anti-vaccination U.S. "hot spot." Public health officials in southwest Washington, just across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon, said people may have been exposed to the dangerous disease at more than three dozen locations , including Portland International Airport, a Portland Trail Blazers game, an Amazon Locker location and stores such as Costco and Ikea. Twenty-six of the confirmed patients had not been vaccinated against measles, and the vaccination status of four others who were infected is unknown. One child has been hospitalized. Authorities say nine additional cases are suspected. One case also has been confirmed in King County, which is home to Seattle and one was confirmed Friday evening in Multnomah County, which is home to Portland. Most of the cases involved children younger than 10, the Clark County Public Health Department said in a statement. One adult is infected, and the rest are teenagers. Oregon officials didn't provide the age of the adult infected there. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, declared a statewide public health emergency for his state on Friday. Authorities in neighboring Oregon and Idaho have issued warnings. A sign prohibiting all children under 12 and unvaccinated adults stands at the entrance to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, Wash., Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a statewide public health emergency Friday as confirmed measles cases rose to 30, with nine more suspected. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus) Inslee said the number of cases "creates an extreme public health risk that may quickly spread to other counties." The measles vaccine has been part of routine childhood shots for decades, and measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. But measles is still a big problem in other parts of the world. Travelers infected abroad can bring the virus into the country and spread it, causing periodic outbreaks. Last year, there were 17 outbreaks and about 350 cases of measles in the U.S. Officials still are not sure where this Pacific Northwest outbreak began. The first known patient sought medical care on Dec. 31, but it is unknown if other people may have gotten sick before that and did not seek treatment. Public health officials are focused for now on preventing more exposures. It could be weeks or even months before the "exquisitely contagious" virus runs its course in Washington, Dr. Alan Melnick, the Clark County health officer, said Friday. People who choose not to vaccinate their children are underestimating the dangers of the illness, said Melnick, who himself had measles as a child, before the vaccine was commonplace. Before the vaccine, 400 to 500 people died from the measles each year, 50,000 people were hospitalized and 4,000 people developed brain swelling that can cause deafness, he said. Between one and three cases out of every 1,000 are fatal, he said. "It's one of the most contagious viruses we have. It can have really serious complications ... and it's entirely preventable with an incredibly cheap and safe vaccine," Melnick said. Clark County has already spent more than $100,000 trying to contain the outbreak, and staff is being pulled from other duties, including restaurant inspections, he said. "It's all hands on deck. Clearly this is going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it wouldn't surprise me if we were in the seven figures by the time we're done here," he said. "These costs could have been prevented if we had everybody vaccinated." Clark County, which includes the Portland bedroom community of Vancouver, Washington, has a measles vaccination rate of 78 percent, well below the 92 to 94 percent rate required for so-called "herd immunity," said Marissa Armstrong, the department's spokeswoman. Herd immunity happens when unvaccinated individuals are protected from infection because almost everyone around them has been vaccinated and is immune to a disease. The measles vaccination rate for 2-year-olds in Multnomah County, home to Portland, was 87 percent in 2017, according to state data. The measles vaccine consists of two shots, one given by age 2 and the second usually between ages 4 and 6. Data on Portland's vaccination rate for both shots wasn't immediately available. Two doses of the vaccine in childhood are 97 percent effective and provide lifetime immunity. One dose is about 93 percent effective. Both Washington and Oregon allow vaccine exemptions for personal and philosophical reasons. The vaccine-exemption rate in Clark County for non-medical reasons was high, at 7.5 percent, Armstrong said. The incubation period for measles is seven to 21 days, which means that an unvaccinated person who has been exposed could be out in public for up to three weeks before getting sick. Patients remain contagious for four days after they develop the rash. The virus, spread by coughing or sneezing, can remain in the air for up to two hours in an isolated space. Ninety percent of people exposed to measles who have not been vaccinated will get it, public health officials said. Every time an unvaccinated person who has been exposed to measles goes out in public, "it starts that clock over again," Armstrong said. Earlier this week, authorities were successful in identifying several people who had been exposed but were not sick yet. Those people stayed home and later got ill, Armstrong said. Those who may have been exposed should watch for early symptoms of fever and malaise and then a rash starting on the head and moving down the body. Serious complications such pneumonia and brain infections can arise from the disease in some cases. ____ Follow Gillian Flaccus on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus A sign prohibiting all children under 12 and unvaccinated adults stands at the entrance to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, Wash., Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a statewide public health emergency Friday as confirmed measles cases rose to 30, with nine more suspected. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus) FILE- This Feb. 6, 2015, file photo, shows a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine on a countertop at a pediatrics clinic in Greenbrae, Calif. Health officials say the number of confirmed cases of measles in western Washington has grown to 30, with nine more cases suspected. Clark County Public Health said Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, that 29 of the cases are in southwest Washington and one confirmed case is in King County, which is home to Seattle. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2015, file photo, a flyer educating parents about measles is displayed on a bulletin board at a pediatrics clinic in Greenbrae, Calif. Health officials say the number of confirmed cases of measles in western Washington has grown to 30, with nine more cases suspected. Clark County Public Health said Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, that 29 of the cases are in southwest Washington and one confirmed case is in King County, which is home to Seattle. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday delayed next month's execution of a condemned Ohio man and ordered the prison system to look at alternative lethal injection drugs. The announcement by the Republican governor followed a federal judge's ruling this month that said Ohio's current execution protocol could cause the inmate "severe pain and needless suffering." Warren Keith Henness was scheduled to die by lethal injection Feb. 13 at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. Henness was convicted of killing 51-year-old Richard Myers in Columbus in 1992. Authorities say Myers had been helping Henness find a drug treatment for his wife. DeWine's order raises new questions about Ohio's troubled death penalty system, including the possibility of an additional round of delays lasting months or years. It took Ohio more than three years to establish its current three-drug lethal injection protocol, in part because of the difficulty many states have had finding drugs. The state carried out the first execution under the current system in 2017. This undated photo provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections shows Warren Keith Henness. The Ohio Parole Board on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 rejected a clemency request by Henness, a condemned killer who says he's innocent of the fatal shooting of a volunteer addiction counselor and is asking that his life be spared. Henness was convicted of killing 51-year-old Richard Meyers in Columbus in 1992. (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections via AP) The drug scarcity occurred over the past decade as multiple manufacturers and distributors put their drugs off limits for executions. The first drug in Ohio's system, the sedative midazolam, has also been subject to lawsuits that argue it exposes inmates to the possibility of severe pain because it doesn't render them deeply enough unconscious. Because of Ohio's use of midazolam, federal Judge Michael Merz called the constitutionality of the state's system into question in a Jan. 14 ruling and said inmates could suffer an experience similar to waterboarding. However, Merz did not stop the execution. Instead, he said that under a test created by a previous U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Henness couldn't demonstrate that a feasible execution alternative exists, and thus the execution could proceed. Merz's ruling is likely headed to a federal appeals court, which has previously upheld the use of midazolam in Ohio. Three additional executions are scheduled before September. It's likely attorneys in all those cases will ask for similar delays. Henness' lawyers, who had asked DeWine on Thursday for the delay, were pleased with the decision. "We commend Governor DeWine for his leadership and for ensuring the justice system operates humanely in Ohio," said David Stebbins, a federal public defender, in an emailed statement. The announcement was DeWine's first as governor regarding a death penalty case. Myers was a lab technician at a veterans hospital in Chillicothe in southern Ohio and frequently volunteered with Alcoholics Anonymous. Prosecutors said Henness kidnapped Myers, bound and then shot him at an abandoned water treatment plant, and then stole his credit cards, checks and car. Henness, 55; his wife, Tabatha Henness; and friend Ronald Fair drove around in Myers' car for several days afterward, forging the checks and using the credit cards, according to prosecutors. Henness' wife and their friend pleaded guilty to minor charges of forgery and then testified against Henness at trial. Henness' attorneys have argued he deserves mercy because of lingering questions about the others' involvement in the killing. Prosecutors say Henness has a history of lying and refusing to take responsibility for the killing. Myers' widow and son "are extremely disappointed that after almost 27 years from the vicious execution style murder of their loved one that there is further delay in carrying out the court's lawful sentence," Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said in an emailed statement. The Ohio Parole Board unanimously rejected Henness' plea for mercy this month. ___ Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus . ___ This story has been updated to correct the victim's last name to Myers, instead of Meyers. UNITED NATIONS (AP) - New information has been received that could shed light on the mysterious 1961 plane crash that killed U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold on a peace mission to then newly independent Congo, the U.N. legal chief said Monday. Miguel de Serpa Soares told the General Assembly that a preliminary review of the information - from intelligence, security and defense archives and other sources - showed it could add to knowledge about "the context and surrounding events of 1961." He said it could also add to knowledge about "the presence of foreign paramilitary and intelligence personnel in and around the Congo, and the capacity of armed forces present in and around the region at that time." Serpa Soares was briefing the General Assembly on the interim report by former Tanzanian chief justice Mohamed Chande Othman, who has been reviewing new information on the crash of Hammarskjold's chartered DC-6. Widely considered the U.N.'s most effective secretary-general, Hammarskjold, a Swedish diplomat, died when the plane went down near Ndola Airport in modern-day Zambia, then the British protectorate of Northern Rhodesia. Congo won its freedom from Belgium in 1960 and Hammarskjold was flying into a war zone infested with mercenaries and riven by Cold War tensions. Foreign multinationals coveted its vast mineral wealth and the country was challenged by a Western-backed insurgency in Katanga province, which hosted mining interests belonging to the United States, Britain and Belgium. FILE - In this May 19, 1953, file photo, Dag Hammarskjold, recently appointed secretary general of the United Nations who is on a visit to Sweden, smokes his pipe at a press conference held at the Foreign Office in Stockholm. The U.N. legal chief says new information has been received that could shed light on the mysterious 1961 plane crash that killed Hammarskjold on a peace mission to newly independent Congo. Miguel de Serpa Soares told the U.N. General Assembly on Monday, Dec, 3, 2018, that the information comes from intelligence, security and defense archives and other sources. (AP Photo, File) In October 2017, Othman said in a report, "It is plausible that an external attack or threat may have been a cause of the crash." Serpa Soares noted that Othman asked nine countries - Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States - to appoint "an independent and high-ranking official to conduct a dedicated internal review of their intelligence, security and defense archives to identify information that may be of relevance to the Dag Hammarskjold investigation." He said seven countries took action following the request 11 months ago and new information was received from some officials as well as from other sources. There was no response from South Africa and the United Kingdom, he said. In recent months, Serpa Soares said, Othman asked the African nations of Angola, Congo, Portugal, Zambia and Zimbabwe to appoint senior officials for similar reviews and has already received notification of appointments by Congo and Zimbabwe. Serpa Soares stressed that "the active participation of member states remains of the highest importance in our shared search for the truth in this matter." Sweden's deputy U.N. ambassador, Irina Schoulgin, thanked countries that have appointed national investigators, stressing their importance "to drive the investigation forward." She strongly urged countries that haven't appointed an investigator "to do so without further delay." "We owe it to the families of those who perished 57 years ago and to this organization itself" to review all records and archives, including those that remain classified, Schoulgin said. FILE - In this Sept. 19, 1961, file photo, searchers walk through the scattered wreckage of a DC6B plane in a forest near Ndola, Zambia. The U.N. legal chief says new information has been received that could shed light on the mysterious plane crash that killed U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold on a peace mission to newly independent Congo. Miguel de Serpa Soares told the U.N. General Assembly on Monday, Dec, 3, 2018, that the information comes from intelligence, security and defense archives and other sources. (AP Photo, File) The motorcade of United Nations special envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths is seen on January 28, 2019 after he arrived in Sanaa on his third trip to Yemen of the month The United Nations envoy for Yemen said Monday the expected timeline for a truce in the flashpoint city of Hodeida and a prisoner swap between warring parties has been pushed back. Martin Griffiths hosted hard-won peace talks between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and rival Iran-aligned Huthi rebels in Sweden last month. The two parties, who have been at war for four years, agreed at the talks to a mass prisoner swap and an ambitious ceasefire pact in Hodeida, the Red Sea city home to the impoverished country's most valuable port. Griffiths, who was in rebel-held Sanaa on his third trip to Yemen this month, said there had been "changes in timelines" for both deals. "That momentum is still there, even if we have seen the timelines for implementation extended, both in Hodeida and with regard to the prisoner exchange agreement," he told Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. "Yet such changes in timelines are expected, in light of the facts that the timelines were rather ambitious and we are dealing with a complex situation on the ground." Griffiths also confirmed reports of plans to replace retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert, who heads the monitoring team tasked with overseeing the Hodeida truce. "General Cammaert's plan was to stay in Yemen for a rather short period of time to... lay the ground for establishing the Hodeida mission," he said. "All the speculations about other reasons for General Patrick's departure are not accurate." Cammaert arrived Saturday in Yemen. At the United Nations, diplomats told AFP that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has chosen Cammaert's replacement: former Danish general Michael Lollesgaard. His candidacy has been proposed to the UN Security Council, which has 48 hours to accept or refuse, two sources told AFP on condition of anonymity. Lollesgaard commanded the UN mission to Mali (MINUSMA) from 2015 to 2016, and then became Denmark's military representative to NATO and the European Union in 2017. The Huthis, who control Hodeida, have accused Cammaert of not being up to the task and of pursuing "other agendas." UN diplomats told AFP that his relationship with Griffiths was strained. - Meeting with rebel leader - Griffiths hosted hard-won peace talks between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and rival Iran-aligned Huthi rebels in Sweden in December 2018 Griffiths, meanwhile, met with rebel leader Abdel Malek al-Huthi, the group said. The Huthi chief affirmed that he remains committed to the deal struck in Sweden and accused the government of "putting obstacles in the way of its implementation," said rebel official Mohammed Abdelsalam. Hodeida was for months the main front line in the Yemen war after government forces supported by Saudi Arabia and its allies launched an offensive to capture it in June. But a precarious calm has largely held in the city since the ceasefire agreement came into force on December 18. The Hodeida agreement stipulates a full ceasefire, followed by the withdrawal and redeployment of rival forces from the city -- two clauses that have yet to be fulfilled. Griffiths said another round of consultations was temporarily on hold pending progress on the current agreements. Earlier this month, he said that planned talks had been postponed until February. "We are all on the same page that we need to see progress in implementing what was agreed in Sweden before convening the next round of consultations," Griffiths said. The Yemen conflict has killed some 10,000 people since a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in support of the beleaguered government in March 2015, according to the World Health Organization. Human rights groups say the real death toll could be five times as high. The war has pushed 14 million Yemenis to the brink of famine in what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Libyan men walk amidst debris of a destroyed building in the town of Al-Goualiche, 120 kilometres (75 miles) west of the capital Tripoli "Our town has been looted, homes wrecked and olive trees torched," Moftah Mohammed said in dismay on returning home to Al-Gawalesh in western Libya after years wandering from place to place. Al-Gawalesh, perched on the slopes of Jebel Nefussa, 120 kilometres (75 miles) west of Tripoli, paid the price for its support of former dictator Moamer Kadhafi during a 2011 NATO-backed revolt in which he was captured and killed. Once home to close to 10,000 people, the town is a scene of desolation: wind- and dirt-swept, burnt-out homes, destroyed schools and other public buildings, devoid of any public services. "It was July 6, 2011" when he and his family like all other residents had to flee Al-Gawalesh, Mohammed said. "To stay would have meant death," in the face of NATO air strikes on Kadhafi's forces. Fear of reprisals by neighbouring communities which had sided with the victorious rebels kept it a ghost town for the past seven-and-a-half years. In the face of often entrenched bitterness and a hunger for revenge, the United Nations mission in Libya has been working for reconciliation through the return of displaced communities to their pre-war homes. The way was cleared for a return to Al-Gawalesh with a reconciliation deal signed back in 2015 between representatives of the towns of Jebel Nefussa that came along with promises of financial aid. A Libyan boy walks in a burnt and destroyed building in the town of Al-Goualiche, 120 kilometres (75 miles) west of the capital Tripoli But Mohammed said the pledges have remained a dead letter due to inaction by successive government commissions. Another recent returnee, Mohammed Bukraa, a man in his 70s who uses crutches, said he "broke down" when he saw his home and those of his two sons had been set ablaze. - Health risks - The town's mayor, Said Amer, said residents were still waiting for compensation payments to repair their homes. "Some families have no choice but to live in these burnt-out homes, not realising the risks posed to their health and that of their children," the mayor said. The municipality says families have filed 1,600 compensation claims, none of which have been settled. A Libyan man gestures inside a burnt building in the town of Al-Goualiche, 120 kilometres (75 miles) west of the capital Tripoli Libya's financial woes have blocked reconstruction in towns such as Al-Gawalesh, according to the internationally recognised Government of National Accord. "We need a development plan and financing for reconstruction that we don't have," Yussef Jalala, minister for the displaced in the Tripoli-based GNA, told AFP. He pinned the blame on the international community. "On several occasions the international community has promised aid to help rebuild devastated towns but nothing has materialised," he said. According to the latest figures published by the International Organization for Migration, Libya's displaced number around 187,000. Human Rights Watch this week raised the alarm over the fate of Tawergha, a town in northeast Libya that also sided with Kadhafi during the revolt. Most of its 48,000 inhabitants have still been unable to return, more than seven years on, it says. "The Government of National Accord should urgently devise a strategy for Tawerghans' safe return, ensuring reconstruction and security," it said. "While nothing can reverse seven years of forced displacement and dispersal, a measure of accountability for causing and preventing their return will not only bring justice to victims of serious violations and restore dignity, but it could serve as a deterrent for future crimes," HRW said. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will lead a delegation of 30 people to Washington With a month left in their truce, senior US and Chinese officials will meet in Washington this week, hoping to move toward a bargain to end their unprecedented trade war. Beijing's trade envoy, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, will lead a 30-person delegation at the invitation of US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who is heading up the American effort. At a meeting in Argentina last month, US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to bury the hatchet provisionally -- with Trump delaying a sharp increase on US duties for $200 billion in Chinese goods until March 1. Washington has made its demands clear: China must agree to far-reaching "structural" reforms in its trade practices, curbing massive state intervention in markets and the alleged theft of American technological know-how, including through hacking and the forced transfer of intellectual property. Trump also wants to cut the soaring US trade deficit with China, which in 2017 hit a record $375 billion, not including trade in services. Since last year, the world's two largest economies have exchanged tit-for-tat tariffs on more than $360 billion in two-way trade, with the largest amount, more than $250 billion, imposed by Washington. The American president's protectionist moves have begun to weigh on the Chinese economy, which last year posted its slowest economic growth in nearly three decades, causing Trump to claim he has the upper hand in the talks. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday Washington and Beijing remained "miles and miles" from the finish line in their talks, cautioning against putting too much hope for a final resolution at this week's talks. "I think next week's negotiations will be critical in determining whether the Chinese are willing to talk about any of the structural issues the United States is concerned about," Edward Alden, a trade expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, told AFP. - 'Made in China 2025' - Early this month, Chinese officials signaled they were open to reducing the trade imbalance but there has been scant sign of movement on Washington's tougher demands. A deal could be especially hard to reach should Beijing prove unwilling to cede any ground on the state subsidies at the heart of Xi's vision for industrial pre-eminence. "It will be very difficult to reach an agreement unless the Chinese are willing to address some of those issues," said Alden. The Chinese are likely to reject any US demand seen as an obstacle to the "Made in China 2025" strategic plan, according to Alden. Launched in 2015, the plan aimed to achieve Chinese dominance in cutting-edge technologies likely critical to the future success of developed economies, including robotics, artificial intelligence, aerospace and electric autos. Betty Wang, senior China economist at ANZ Banking Group, said Beijing was likely to hold steadfast to its industrial planning. "'Made in China 2025' is a necessary strategy for China to achieve sustainable development," she said, adding that the general consensus held China could not continue being the world's factory floor in order to grow. "China's transformation to high-end manufacturing and high value-added services is also a step China must go through for its domestic sustainable development," she said. Nevertheless, Chinese officials could offer a show of good will. State media last month reported that lawmakers were considering new foreign investment regulations that would ban forced technological transfers -- or the requirement that foreign companies fork over intellectual property as a condition for access to the humongous Chinese market. This is the Brooklyn, New York courthouse where the trial on drug-related charges of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman began in November 2018, with dozens of witnesses testifying about huge drug sales, widespread corruption and frequent killings Over the space of nearly three months, a New York jury has heard 54 witnesses deliver dramatic evidence against accused Mexican drug boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Former associates, ex-employees and a onetime mistress, most of them now inmates in American prisons, have drawn a blood-soaked picture of the Sinaloa cartel -- of which El Chapo was co-leader for 25 years -- confirming that violent TV series like "Narcos" about notorious drug trafficker Pablo Escobar have not strayed far from the truth. According to the witnesses, the Sinaloa cartel flooded the United States with cocaine with the blessing of countless police, military officers and Mexican officials -- going all the way up to the president -- who turned their heads in exchange for bribes worth millions. The prosecution lawyers in New York, having shone a stark spotlight on the powerful cartel, are close to wrapping up their case. The question now is whether the defense can introduce sufficient doubt to save El Chapo from conviction and a likely life sentence. Here is a summary of some of the most striking testimony to date: - Compromising recordings - With the help of Christian Rodriguez, a Colombian who was El Chapo's communications chief, US government agents intercepted some 200 conversations between the cartel boss and his associates, hired killers, and corrupt Mexican officials. Investigators also intercepted encrypted messages between El Chapo and others, sent on Blackberries that the trafficker used to spy on his associates and his mistresses. In one message read to the jury, El Chapo speaks with associate and a former mistress known as "la Fiera" about setting up dummy corporations in Germany and Ecuador in order to export drugs "to Europe, to Canada, to Australia and to the United States." They also discuss the purchase in Belize of 700 kilograms (1,540 pounds) of cocaine. - Friends in Chicago - Accused drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, seen here at the Mexico City airport in January 2016, risks life in prison if convicted of a series of charges Pedro Flores, a Chicago-based trafficker, testified that he and his twin brother had received 38 tons of cocaine from El Chapo and from the cartel's other boss, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, between 2005 and 2008, along with 200 kilos of heroin. He said he sold it all in the United States -- the cocaine for a total of $800 million and the heroin for $10 million. After surrendering to American agents, the brothers secretly taped dozens of conversations with El Chapo. In one of them, in 2008, Pedro Flores negotiated with El Chapo over the price of 20 kilos of heroin. - A steep price markup - El Chapo's accountant, Jesus Zambada, brother to "El Mayo" and the cartel's boss in Mexico City, told the jury how El Chapo purchased Colombian cocaine for $3,000 a kilo and then sold it in New York for $35,000 a kilo -- a markup of more than 10 times the cost. All the drugs, an average of 80 to 100 tons a year, were sent to the United States, he said. - Airplanes full of dollars - El Chapo's former pilot and business manager, Miguel Angel "Gordo" Martinez, testified that the cartel boss would sometimes receive as many as three cash-filled airplanes from the United States in a single day. Each plane carried "eight to 10 million dollars," he said. He also told how El Chapo worked with Colombian suppliers to finance deliveries of up to 14 tons of cocaine -- transported by boat to international waters off Mexico, where Colombian crews would transfer the drug to El Chapo's employees. Martinez estimated that from 1990 to 1993 El Chapo thus imported 25 to 30 tons of cocaine into Mexico each year. - Torture and killings - Jeffrey Lichtman, attorney for accused drug cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, is seen arriving on January 23, 2019 at the New York courthouse where his client faces charges that could bring a life sentence Isaias Valdez Rios, described as a hired killer for El Chapo, testified that he saw the drug king torture and execute three rival drug traffickers, burying one of them alive. The two others had bones broken before being killed. Their bodies were then burned. While El Chapo has not been directly accused of murder, the hired killer's testimony -- the bloodiest and most macabre heard so far -- could help seal his fate. Other witnesses said they had seen El Chapo order kidnappings and killings of rivals or of police who refused to accept bribes. They said El Chapo had a permanent security guard of perhaps 100 men armed with pistols, automatic arms, bazookas, grenades and rocket launchers. The Israeli army has since 2013 claimed hundreds of attacks on what it says are Iranian military targets and advanced arms deliveries to Hezbollah The chief of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement on Saturday warned Israel against continuing strikes in Syria targeting mainly Iranian positions, saying it could fuel war in the region. Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly, Hassan Nasrallah said in an interview with al-Mayadeen television: "Don't make an error of judgement and don't lead the region towards war or a major clash." "At any moment the Syrian leadership and the axis of resistance can take a decision to deal with the Israeli aggression in a different manner," Nasrallah said, referring to the alliance between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. Israel has said the first strikes targeted mainly facilities it claimed belonged to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force. It said they were in response to a medium-range, surface-to-surface missile the Quds Force fired from Syria at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Sunday, which Israeli air defences intercepted. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said 21 people had been killed in the strikes, the majority of them Iranians. The Israeli army has since 2013 claimed hundreds of attacks on what it says are Iranian military targets and advanced arms deliveries to Hezbollah, with the goal of stopping its main enemy Iran from entrenching itself militarily in neighbouring Syria. Israel has warned it will continue to target positions in Syria held by Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said January 16 the UN office had been informed by "credible sources" people were killed between December 16 and 18 in four villages in Yumbi More than 50 mass graves have been identified in western Democratic Republic of Congo after a spate of killings in the region, a UN rights group has said. "There are more than 50 mass graves, as well as common and individual graves that we have identified" in Yumbi in western Mai-Ndombe province, said Abdoul Aziz Thioye, director of the UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) in DR Congo following a joint fact-finding mission with local authorities. "This suggests that the number (of deaths) is quite high because a communal grave depending on size may contain five, ten bodies" or even "one hundred bodies or four times more", said Thioye on Friday. The army chief in western DRC, General Fall Sikabwe, told AFP an investigation had begun. "They have killed soldiers and policemen, taking their weapons to slaughter with," he said, giving no further details about the killings. Earlier this month, the UN said at least 890 people were killed during three days of inter-communal clashes in the region. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement on January 16 that the UN office had been informed by "credible sources" that the people were killed between December 16 and 18 in four villages in Yumbi. The violence appears to have been rooted in a longstanding rivalry between the Banunu and Batende ethnic groups, sparked when Banunu tribespeople buried a traditional chief on Batende land on the night of December 13. Around 465 houses and building were then burned down or pillaged, including two primary schools, a health centre, a market and the office of the national elections commission, the UN rights office said. The UN refugee agency said earlier this month that 16,000 people had fled from the villages into the neighbouring Republic of Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville. In 2009, ethnic clashes in the region forced 130,000 people to seek shelter in Republic of Congo -- which now hosts 60,000 refugees, mainly from the DRC, the Central African Republic and Rwanda. McCallum had been making headlines in recent days for his comments regarding the Meng Wanzhou, Chinese giant Huawei's chief financial officer who was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 and is facing extradition to the United States Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said he had sought and accepted the resignation of Ottawa's ambassador to China, days after the diplomat sparked controversy with criticism of the US extradition request for a top Huawei executive. "Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's Ambassador to China," Trudeau said in a statement that did not explain why the decision had been taken. McCallum has been making headlines in recent days over comments regarding Meng Wanzhou, Chinese giant Huawei's chief financial officer who was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 and is facing extradition to the United States. Accused of fraud linked to violations of American sanctions on Iran, she is out on bail, but her arrest has sparked an escalating diplomatic crisis between Ottawa and Beijing. McCallum briefed lawmakers Tuesday on the plight of two Canadians detained in China and a third placed on death row in what are widely seen as retaliatory moves by Beijing. After the briefing he told Chinese-language media in Markham, Ontario that he believed the US extradition request was seriously flawed. He cited political comments on the case by US President Donald Trump, the "extraterritorial aspect" of Meng's case and the fact that Canada did not sign on to the Iran sanctions that Washington wants her extradited for. McCallum's remarks were immediately panned by opposition parties and others for seeming to undercut the strict hands-off approach to judicial matters touted by the Canadian government. The following day he issued a statement saying that he "misspoke," and "regrets" that his comments "have created confusion." But on Friday, McCallum told The Vancouver Star that it would be "great for Canada" if the US dropped its extradition request. "From Canada's point of view, if (the US) drops the extradition request, that would be great for Canada," he told the newspaper at a charity function. "We have to make sure that if the US does such a deal, it also includes the release of our two people. And the US is highly aware of that," he said. Trudeau's statement hailed McCallum's almost two decades of public service, which it said he carried out "honorably and with distinction." McCallum previously held a number of cabinet posts, including defense minister, minister of veteran affairs and immigration minister. The statement added that, effective immediately, McCallum's deputy Jim Nickel would represent Canada in Beijing as its charge d'affaires. Lawyer Saif-ul-Mulook, pictured November 2018, fled to the Netherlands from Pakistan in November 2018 after violent protests erupted over the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision to overturn the conviction of his client Asia Bibi, who was on death row The Pakistani lawyer of a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy Saturday jetted out of the Netherlands to "hopefully assist his client for the last time" in a Pakistani court hearing, a Dutch MP said. Saif-ul-Malook fled to the Netherlands from Pakistan in November last year after violent protests erupted over the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision to overturn the conviction of Asia Bibi, who was on death row. Pakistan's Supreme Court will decide on Tuesday whether to allow an appeal against Bibi's acquittal, lawyers in the case have said. Christian Union party parliamentarian Joel Voordewind tweeted a picture of himself and Malook saying "this afternoon (Saturday) I escorted Asia Bibi's lawyer, Mr Malook to Schiphol airport." "He's going back to Pakistan to hopefully represent Asia for the last time in her case," Voordewind said. The Netherlands last year granted Malook a temporary stay, but Voordewind said Malook will "unfortunately lose his asylum status in the Netherlands." The allegations against Bibi date back to 2009, when Muslim women accused her of blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed, a charge punishable by death under the colonial-era legislation. Her case drew the attention of international rights groups and swiftly became the most high-profile in the country. If the court refuses to allow the appeal, it will remove the last legal hurdle facing Bibi, who is a prime target in conservative Muslim-majority Pakistan and remains in protective custody. Bibi was on death row for eight years for blasphemy, a hugely sensitive charge. - Ambassador threatened - The Dutch ambassador to Pakistan received a death threat after far-right politician Geert Wilders (pictured January 10, 2019) organized a Prophet Mohammed cartoon competition Meanwhile, the Dutch ambassador to Pakistan is to return to Islamabad next month after receiving a death threat last year, reportedly from Islamists angry over anti-Islam tweets by far-right politician Geert Wilders, Dutch media reported earlier Saturday. Ardi Stoios-Braken "will fly back to Islamabad in early February," the daily tabloid Algemeen Dagblad said. She was on leave in the Netherlands in late October last year when she received word "that a letter arrived at the embassy from Pakistani authorities." "The letter spoke of a 'specific threat' and was related to the Mohammed cartoon contest which had already been cancelled months before," the paper said. Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in November that Stoios-Braken, a veteran diplomat, faced "threats" in Pakistan, apparently over "blasphemous depictions" by Wilders on Twitter. Wilders in August called off a planned Prophet Mohammed cartoon competition that stirred anger in Pakistan. Pakistan's interior ministry in October wrote a secret memo on plans to "target" the Dutch ambassador by the hardline Islamist Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan party (TLP), media from both countries reported at the time. The TLP, founded in 2015, led protests in August calling for Pakistan to sever diplomatic relations with the Netherlands over the Wilders cartoon contest. The TLP has denied making any threats. The Pakistani government however has since launched a crackdown on the TLP, charging its leaders with sedition and terrorism. But authorities also struck a deal with the protesters to end the violence, forming an agreement which included allowing a final review of the Supreme Court's judgement. Spain's Pedro Sanchez kicked off a series of ultimatums delivered by EU nations The European Union and several of its member governments gave embattled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro an ultimatum on Saturday, saying they would recognise opposition leader Juan Guaido as president unless he calls elections within eight days. But Venezuela's foreign minister rejected the warnings, saying "nobody is going to give us deadlines or tell us if there are elections or not". The coordinated announcements are the most explicit yet from EU countries as the 28-member bloc struggles to draft a joint statement with regards to its position on the crisis in Venezuela. Here is a roundup of European statements after the United States, Canada and major South American governments recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido, who proclaimed himself acting president in a challenge to Maduro. - European Union - The European Union "will take further actions" if new elections are not called in Venezuela in the coming days, EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said. This would include "the issue of recognition of the country's leadership". Mogherini threatened 'further actions' on behalf of the EU - Spain - Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, was the first EU leader to issue an ultimatum, saying that "if within eight days there are no fair, free and transparent elections called in Venezuela, Spain will recognise Juan Guaido as Venezuelan president". Spain is closely linked to Venezuela, a former colony, as some 200,000 of its nationals live there. Spain was "not looking to impose or remove governments in Venezuela, we want democracy and free elections in Venezuela", Sanchez said. - Germany and France - Germany and France quickly followed, backing the eight-day ultimatum. French President Emmanuel Macron said in a tweet that "the Venezuelan people must be able to freely decide on their future". Also on Twitter, German government spokeswoman Martina Fietz used nearly identical language, adding "complete security" as a necessary condition for elections. - Britain - 'Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela," said Britain's Jeremy Hunt British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that "after banning opposition candidates, ballot box stuffing and counting irregularities in a deeply flawed election, it is clear (president) Nicolas Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela". "@jguaido is the right person to take Venezuela forward," he said in a tweet. "If there are not fresh & fair elections announced within eight days, UK will recognise him as interim president to take forward the political process towards democracy. "Time for a new start for the suffering ppl (people) of Venezuela." - The Netherlands - The Netherlands is closely following developments in Venezuela as several of the Dutch kingdom's Caribbean territories such as Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire are just off the coast of the troubled South American country. "The Venezuelan people must have the right to determine themselves what their future will look like," Foreign Minister Stef Blok said, calling for "free, transparent and democratic elections". - Portugal - Portugal joined its fellow EU members' call, saying that one week was "an appropriate timeframe" for Maduro to announce fresh elections. "In our opinion it is impossible to end the political deadlock and the very serious social crisis in Venezuela without free, transparent and credible elections," said Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva. - Italy - Italy's Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi called for "a rapid return to democratic legitimacy, guaranteed by new free and transparent elections" in Venezuela, although his statement contained no mention of a timeframe. "With heartfelt thoughts for the Venezuelan people and the many with Italian origins, we express our closeness to the families of the victims in the face of the dramatic events taking place," he said. - Austria, Greece - Austria and Greece have been reluctant to join other EU members' initiatives to put pressure on Maduro. Greece's ruling party Syriza has publicly backed him, with party secretary Panos Skourletis voicing "full support and solidarity" to what to he called "the legal president". burs-jh/ach Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah giving a television interview on al-Mayadeen channel on January 26, 2019 Israel took "years" to discover cross-border tunnels from Lebanon, the leader of the Hezbollah movement Hassan Nasrallah said Saturday in a rare television interview. "The Israelis discovered a number of tunnels after many years, and it's not a surprise, the surprise is that these tunnels, they took some time to find," Nasrallah said on the al-Mayadeen channel. Earlier this month Israel concluded an operation to unearth and destroy tunnels which the army accused Hezbollah of digging across the border from Lebanon. "Yes, there are tunnels in southern Lebanon," Nasrallah said, in his first comments on the issue since Israel announced the operation on December 4. The Hezbollah leader refused to specify whether they were built before the 2006 war between his militia group and Israel, or who had constructed them. The month-long war killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. "One of the tunnels discovered in recent weeks is 13 or 14 years" old, said a smiling Nasrallah. The Israeli operation brought to light the "failure" of the country's intelligence services, he added. Israel's army said on January 13 it had destroyed all cross-border tunnels, either with explosives or by filling them with a cement-like material to make them unusable. The military did not given a total figure for the tunnels found, although it announced six during the course of the operation. Israel alleges Hezbollah had planned to use the tunnels to kidnap or kill its civilians or soldiers, and to seize a slice of Israeli territory in the event of any hostilities. Lebanon and Israel are technically still at war, but the border has remained relatively calm in recent years. Hezbollah is the only movement to refuse to give up its weapons after Lebanon's civil war between 1975 and 1990. Criminal investigators officers collect evidence at the scene of a blast in the center of Nairobi that wounded at least two people Two people suffered light injuries in an explosion in central Nairobi on Saturday, police said, with the Kenyan capital on edge nearly two weeks after a jihadist attack claimed 21 lives. Philip Ndolo, regional police commander, said a roadside vendor was given a "small box" to transport in his cart by a "Somali gentleman" which exploded. The Somali pretended to have forgotten his identity papers and told the vendor he was fetching them and left, police said. The blast then happened near a restaurant and a bus station. "We have slight injuries to the vendor, on the right hand, and slight injuries to the newspaper vendor (who was nearby) on the right leg," he said. An AFP journalist at the scene said the area had been cordoned off by police, who were conducting a search near a metal handcart. Islamist militants carried out an attack and almost 20-hour siege this month of the DusitD2 hotel and office complex in Nairobi involving a suicide bomber and four gunmen who were all killed by security forces. Migrants onboard the Dutch-flagged rescue ship Sea Watch 3 watch an Italian coast guard vessel Save the Children and other aid agencies on Saturday appealed to Italy to allow minors rescued in the Mediterranean to land, amid the latest diplomatic row over the fate of migrants saved at sea. "These young people have already suffered enough violence and abuse during their journey to Italy and are particularly vulnerable," Raffaela Milano, the director of the Italian arm of Save the Children, said in a statement. She called for an "immediate" response to the call by Catania prosecutors to allow the minors on board the Dutch-flagged rescue ship Sea Watch 3, currently sheltering from bad weather off Sicily, to be disembarked. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), its children's agency (UNICEF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) also called for an "urgent" solution for the minors and other migrants, saying the situation was "critical". But far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini repeated his refusal to take in the migrants, and claimed the 13 unaccompanied minors were nearly 18 years old and not children. "I will not change my mind. Italy's ports are closed and will remain closed to people traffickers and their accomplices," he said. Salvini has insisted Germany or the Netherlands take responsibility for the 47 mainly sub-Saharan African migrants, who were rescued off Libya by the German NGO Sea Watch a week ago. "If the Netherlands' government is not able to control the ships that sail under its flag, it should take it off them!" he said. Dutch Migration Minister Mark Harbers said his country "was not obligated" to find a solution, telling Italy's Corriere della Sera daily that the Sea Watch 3 had acted "of its own initiative". "It is up to the captain to find a safe port for the 47 migrants he saved," he said, adding that the Dutch government would "not participate in an ad hoc solution". - 'Every minute counts' "For three days we have faced storms, strong winds and heavy rain," a doctor on board told ANSA news agency. EU members have failed to agree on a permanent mechanism to relocate migrants who reach Europe's shores The migrants "are wet because there is not enough room under cover. They have no room to rest," she said, adding that many of them had scars from violence inflicted on them in Libya. The mayor of Syracuse, Francesco Italia, has said he would welcome those rescued and some inhabitants in the Sicilian coastal city on Saturday hung white sheets from their balconies, with the message "let them disembark". Dozens of residents gathered for a sit-in on the beach, where the ship could be seen just over a mile out. Sea Watch called for "an end to this odyssey" and cited a 16-year-old Guinean onboard who left home two years ago to find work to support his family after his father died, and who said he was forced in Libya to work at gunpoint for no pay. "They killed one of my friends in front of me. He was killed because one morning he couldn't get up to go to work," he said. Milano warned that "every extra minute spent on the ship... is likely to leave indelible marks that these youngsters will carry with them for the rest of their lives". Migrants rescued by ships have frequently been left in limbo since Italy's anti-immigration government began turning them away last summer. The 47 mainly sub-Saharan African migrants were rescued off Libya by the German NGO Sea Watch a week ago Since coming to power last year, Italy has been demanding greater solidarity from reluctant fellow EU states. But EU members have failed to agree on a permanent mechanism to relocate migrants who reach Europe's shores, even though arrivals have dropped sharply since a peak more than three years ago. US special representative for Afghan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad says there has been "significant progress" in peace talks with the Taliban to end the war in Afghanistan The United States and the Taliban said Saturday they had made substantial headway in negotiations to end the 17-year US war in Afghanistan, although sticking points remained. Zalmay Khalilzad, who was named by President Donald Trump's administration to find a way out of the war, held an unusually long six days of talks with Taliban representatives in Qatar. "Meetings here were more productive than they have been in the past. We made significant progress on vital issues," Khalilzad wrote on Twitter. Khalilzad -- who headed to Qatar after talks in Afghanistan and its key neighbors -- said he was returning to Kabul to discuss the negotiations. "We will build on the momentum and resume talks shortly. We have a number of issues left to work out," he tweeted. "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and 'everything' must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire." While he has not given details, floated proposals include a withdrawal by the United States of its troops in return for Taliban guarantees not to shelter foreign extremists -- the initial reason for the US intervention. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later tweeted he had heard "encouraging news" from Khalilzad. "The U.S. is serious about pursuing peace, preventing #Afghanistan from continuing to be a space for international terrorism & bringing forces home," he added. "Working with the Afghan govt & all interested parties, the U.S. seeks to strengthen Afghan sovereignty, independence & prosperity." Trump has been eager to end America's longest war, which was launched shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Trump has already said he will pull half of the 14,000 US troops from Afghanistan. - Dispute on Kabul's role - Afghan forces escort alleged Taliban fighters in Jalalabad Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that while there was "progress" at the meetings, reports of an agreement on a ceasefire and talks with Kabul "are not true." "Since issues are of critical nature and need comprehensive discussions, therefore it was decided that talks about unresolved matters will resume in similar future meetings," he said in a statement. But a senior Taliban commander sounded optimistic after the talks with the Afghan-born Khalilzad, who played key diplomatic roles in former president George W. Bush's administration. "The US has accepted many of our demands and both sides are very much agreed on major points, but some points are still under discussion," the Taliban commander told AFP on condition of anonymity by phone from Pakistan. "We are moving forward and a lot of progress has been made so far. "Efforts are underway to find some middle ground to solve the remaining disputed issues. The Afghan government is one of them," he added. Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani also hailed the dialogue, tweeting: "This progress marks a significant step in the history of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan." The Taliban in the past have refused to deal with the internationally recognized government of President Ashraf Ghani. Abdullah Abdullah, the de facto prime minister of Afghanistan, recently voiced frustration that the Taliban was excluding the Kabul government, warning that a peace process "cannot take place by proxy." - Heavy toll by Taliban - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani attends a conference in Geneva in November 2018 Afghan authorities have put a brave face on the negotiations, noting that Kabul has already taken charge of security. Ghani said Thursday that 45,000 Afghan security forces have died since September 2014 -- a stunning casualty rate of more than 28 dead per day that analysts say has contributed to low morale. Ghani is running for reelection in July, which could come at the height of the Taliban fighting season -- unless a ceasefire is reached. The length and apparent breadth of the Taliban talks are unprecedented, signaling that both the United States and the Taliban see a path forward. In a sign of the seriousness, the Taliban appointed a co-founder of the hardline Islamic movement as its Qatar-based negotiator with the United States -- Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2010 but released in October as the United States stepped up diplomacy. He was considered the number two to Taliban chief Mullah Omar, who died in 2013. Joe Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, a US foundation that promotes peace, said that Baradar's return showed the hubris of war, recalling that he had offered to surrender soon after September 11. "Bush administration refused. They wanted to defeat the Taliban, not negotiate. Now, he's back to make a deal, and he's going to get a lot more," Cirincione tweeted. Khalilzad last met with the insurgents last month in the United Arab Emirates, which has jockeyed with Qatar for influence in Afghan diplomatic circles. Palestinian mourners carry the body of 25-year-old Ehab Abed, who was shot dead a day earlier by Israeli fire during clashes along the Gaza border with Israel Qatar said Saturday it will no longer fund salaries of Hamas employees in Gaza but will still give aid to poor families, after the Palestinian enclave's Islamist rulers refused to accept wage payments over conditions allegedly attached by Israel. We "will not pay the salaries of the Hamas employees", Qatar's ambassador to the Gaza Strip Mohammed al-Emadi told AFP on Saturday. An informal deal between Israel and Hamas in November had seen Qatar agree to send $90 million (80 million euros) through six monthly payments to Gaza, in exchange for relative calm along the Israeli border, which has been rocked by often violent Hamas-backed protests since March 2018. The first two monthly payments of $15 million were disbursed and went mainly to paying salaries of around 40,000 Hamas civil servants, while around a third of each monthly payment helped impoverished Gazans. But the deal became a major bone of political contention in Israel -- whose territory is used for delivery of the cash -- and also in Gaza. "The tension was very high on Hamas ... internally and on the Israeli government the tension also was very high from the opposition," Emadi told AFP in Gaza. Emadi said his country would still donate the remaining $60 million in aid it has committed, but mostly through United Nations programmes instead. "Both sides are relieved now; totally relieved, and it is much better" this way, he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was criticised by political rivals over the deal. Last week Israel's premier temporarily blocked the funds after a flareup on the frontier. He later relented but on Thursday Hamas refused to accept payment of salaries for its personnel, accusing Israel of changing the terms of the agreement. Israel's Hayom newspaper reported that Netanyahu had proposed funds be disbursed on Fridays -- the day when protests along the border are invariably most intense -- to dampen violence. - New payments - Impoverished Gazans will still receive funds. On Saturday 94,000 families in the Gaza Strip started receiving new $100 payments from Qatar, AFP journalists said. Half the funds would be distributed Saturday and the rest Sunday, officials said. At a post office in the Gaza Strip, hundreds of people queued to collect their money. Inside the crowded building each family had to register its name before receiving a $100 bill. Osama Koheil, an unemployed 38-year-old, said the funds were a short term bonus but wouldn't solve his or Gaza's financial crisis. "100 dollars won't last until the end of the month with schooling, rent, electricity etc," he told AFP. "But it is better than nothing." Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008. Israel imposes a crippling blockade of Gaza which it says is necessary to isolate Hamas but which critics say amounts to collective punishment of the two million residents. Fears of a fourth round of conflict remain. At least 245 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since major Hamas-backed protests began in March. Two Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period. US special representative for Afghan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad says there has been "significant progress" in peace talks with the Taliban to end the war in Afghanistan The US envoy negotiating with the Taliban hailed "significant progress" Saturday in finding a solution to end Afghanistan's long-running war. "Meetings here were more productive than they have been in the past. We made significant progress on vital issues," Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special representative for Afghan reconciliation, wrote on Twitter. Khalilzad met for an unexpectedly long six days with the Taliban in Qatar. He said he was flying back to Afghanistan to discuss the talks. "We will build on the momentum and resume talks shortly. We have a number of issues left to work out," he tweeted. "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and 'everything' must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire." While he did not give further details, floated proposals include a withdrawal by the United States of its troops in return for Taliban guarantees not to shelter foreign extremists -- the initial reason for the US intervention. President Donald Trump has been eager to end America's longest war, which was launched shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Trump has already said he will pull half of the 14,000 US troops from Afghanistan. Sudanese protesters chant slogans against President Omar al-Bashir during a demonstration in the capital Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman on January 25, 2019 The group spearheading protests against Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir called for night-time rallies across the country on Saturday and new demonstrations over the next few days. Deadly anti-government protests have rocked the east African country for more than a month. Rallies triggered by a government decision to triple the price of bread swiftly mushroomed into nationwide calls for an end to Bashir's three decades in power. Officials say 30 people have died as protests have turned into violent clashes, while rights groups say more than 40 people have been killed including medics and children. "We are calling on our people across the country to hold demonstrations on Saturday night near their residential areas," the Sudanese Professionals Association, which is leading the protest campaign, said in a statement. It said protesters were also called to hold sit-ins in every district square on Sunday, followed by daily demonstrations until Wednesday. Although the umbrella group of doctors, engineers and teachers remains unknown to many, its calls have brought thousands of protesters onto the streets, including in the capital Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman. Authorities led by the country's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) have cracked down on protesters, opposition leaders, activists and journalists in a bid to prevent the spread of demonstrations. Bashir, who came to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989, has remained steadfast in rejecting calls to resign. He has blamed the deadly violence on "infiltrators" among the protesters. While the spark for the first protests on December 19 was the rise of bread prices, anger has been mounting for years over worsening economic hardships and deteriorating living conditions. That ire has now spilt onto the streets as protesters chant their main slogan calling for "freedom, peace, justice". Bashir has blamed the economic woes on the United States. Washington lifted its trade embargo on Sudan in October 2017 after two decades of bruising economic punishment, but that failed to revive the country's financial situation. Around 600 revellers joined the first-ever Pride boat parade in Yangon Rainbow flags flew high and gay anthems blasted out over Yangons river as a flotilla of boats took to the water of Myanmars biggest city on Saturday for the countrys first-ever Pride boat parade in a sign of growing acceptance for LGBT rights. Some 600 revellers partied under a blazing sun as the discreet community slowly emerges into the limelight in a country where gay sex remains illegal. Compared to just five years ago when the festival got off the ground, "Myanmar LGBT people, especially young people, are now more courageous and more 'out'," said Hla Myat Tun, co-director of &Proud, which organises the celebration and other events across the country. Wooden boats displayed LGBT rainbow flags during the Pride Boat Parade, part of the Yangon Pride festival Last year marked a milestone after authorities granted permission to hold the event for the first time in a public park with some 12,000 people coming along. Flushed with their success, organisers re-branded this years event as a true 'Pride', even if a full march through the streets remains an elusive goal in a country still wary of protests. Billboards sporting huge photos of LGBT couples were plastered across the city in the build-up to the festival. The boat party kicked off the packed programme of events that will include films, debates and the much-anticipated drag queen Olympics, featuring handbag throwing and stiletto races. The boat party kicked off a packed programme of Pride events But there is a very serious message beneath the flamboyance. Perceptions can be very different away from the main cities and many LGBT people often still face discrimination in the socially-conservative country. "Most non-LGBT people are not understanding LGBT persons," said 28-year-old activist and transgender woman Shin Thant, adding that a lot more work is needed to combat the comical stereotypes of LGBT people reinforced by TV and film. The festivals theme this year is "Heroes" to celebrate those who are standing up to fight for the community. Perceptions can be very different away from the main cities and many LGBT people still face discrimination in the socially-conservative country Macho actor Okkar Min Maung was recognised as a role model after shocking the country with his coming out Facebook video last year. He was travelling in the US, but his mother accepted the award on his behalf, saying she was happy to have a gay son. With rainbow flags painted on his cheeks and pink beads round his wrist, make-up artist Thu Yar Zaw, 25, told AFP how much the festival means to him. "At work people didnt accept me being gay. I was quite depressed, but I dont have that feeling any more." Democratic Republic of the Congo's newly inaugurated President Felix Tshisekedi made human rights a focus in his first day in office Six hundred Congolese rebels whose conflict killed several thousand people in the restive Kasai region, have ended their war and surrendered their weapons in a sign of support for new President Felix Tshisekedi, local authorities said on Saturday. Tshisekedi was sworn in on Thursday as president of Democratic Republic of Congo, marking the country's first peaceful handover of power after chaotic and bitterly disputed elections. Wearing red bandanas, the militiamen surrendered AK47 rifles, hunting shotguns, machetes, knives, arrows and various amulets to the Kasai-Central provincial authorities, an AFP correspondent said. "These 600 militiamen responded to our appeal for peace. We have a new president and we should all support him. We call on those who are still in the bush to also hand over their weapons," said local governor Denis Kambayi. Authorities estimate around 1,700 militia fighters were operating in the area. Around 50 rebel recruiters from Kasai region surrendered to authorities earlier this month after welcoming Tshisekedi's presidential election win. Several thousand people were killed between 2016 and October 2017 in four provinces during an insurgency by the Kamwina Nsapu (Black Ant) militia, named after a leader killed in a security force operation in August 2016. "We have handed over our weapons because for us the war is over. The people have taken power with the election of Felix Tshisekedi, so for us there is no more justification for war," said Raphael Kabeya, a local militia commander, told AFP. Kamwina Nsapu was a tribal chieftain who opposed the Kinshasa government and his rebels battled government forces and the pro-government Bana Mura militia. Beyond a death toll which UN sources put at some 3,000 -- including two UN experts sent to investigate the conflict -- the rebellion displaced around 1.4 million people. Kabeya called on a rival militia Bana Mura to also surrender their weapons and end fighting as part of a reconciliation. Another militia group also surrendered in neighbouring Tshikapa region, witnesses told AFP. Militia tensions in the central region and fighting in the country's troubled east were among the complications in December's elections to replace President Joseph Kabila that were marred by repeated delays. Tshisekedi on Friday turned the spotlight on human rights in his first day in office after succeeding Kabila who was in power for 18 years. He has vowed to release all political prisoners swiftly and moved to reconcile with other candidates in a sign of hope in a country that has been chronically unstable since its independence from Belgium in 1960. Britain, the United States and the European Union have all now expressed concern at Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's decision to suspend the country's most senior judge International pressure was growing Saturday on Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari after the EU, the United States and Britain questioned his decision to suspend the country's top judge. All three statements expressed concern at the timing and manner of the action, coming just weeks before presidential and legislative elections set for February 16. Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen would have ruled on any dispute in the elections. But on Friday Buhari suspended him, pending the resolution of a corruption trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. He said he took the decision in compliance with a ruling by the tribunal -- a ruling that Onnoghen is challenging. "The decision to suspend the Chief Justice has led to many Nigerians, including lawyers and civil society observer groups, to question whether due process was followed," said a statement from the EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM). "The timing, just before the swearing in of justices for Electoral Tribunals and the hearing of election-related cases, has also raised concerns about the opportunity for electoral justice," it added. "The EU EOM calls on all parties to follow the legal processes provided for in the constitution and to respond calmly to any concerns they may have," it added. Buhari, who came to power in 2015 on a pledge to fight corruption, is seeking a second term. The US embassy also said it was "deeply concerned" at the decision to replace Onnoghen "without the support of the legislative branch on the eve of national and state elections". The British High Commission also expressed "serious concern over the suspension". It added that "the timing of this action, so close to national elections, gives cause for concern. "It risks affecting both domestic and international perceptions on the credibility of the forthcoming elections". Nigerian lawyers and opposition parties have already condemned the suspension. Onnoghen was charged on January 12 for false declaration of assets, after millions of cash in local and foreign currencies were allegedly traced to his accounts. Buhari also accused him of frustrating the war against corruption by freeing graft suspects before his court. He has replaced him with Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, who was his second-in-command. A collection of all 248 skateboards produced by streetwear brand Supreme has been sold for a record $800,000 at a Sotheby's online auction A collection of all 248 skateboards produced by streetwear brand Supreme has been sold for a record $800,000 at a Sotheby's online auction. Supreme, founded by British designer James Jebbia and established in 1994 in New York's Soho neighborhood, gained a special status among skateboarding connoisseurs with its streetwear-inspired clothing. Starting in 1998, it also began offering quality, limited-series boards designed by big-name artists like Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Richard Prince. The collection, sold in a two-week online auction that ended Friday, included Louis Vuitton-monogrammed decks, a series of Last Supper decks and a tribute to Nike Air Jordan sneakers. Also in the collection was a custom-made Louis Vuitton trunk worth several thousand dollars. The entire Supreme production was brought together by Los Angeles collector Ryan Fuller, who began his yearslong quest in 2005. "I tried to hold off on buying decks for as long as possible because I knew once I started I'd have to have them all," Fuller said in a video released by Sotheby's. While the collection was sold on the lower end of its estimated value -- up to $1.2 million, according to Sotheby's -- it is by far a record for skateboard sales. In 2012, a board owned by skater Jamie Thomas was purchased for $38,425 at a charity auction organized by the Tony Hawk Foundation. And in June 2018, at a sale organized in Hong Kong by Sotheby's, a series of eight custom boards designed by American artist Kaws was auctioned for $55,700. "We've seen an increase in value of skateboards over the last five years and it's a category we're really interested in doing more," said Sotheby's global head of e-commerce Noah Wunsch. "It's considered art. People like living with these boards," he told AFP. Turkish-backed Syrian rebels participate in a training exercise using an armoured vehicle provided by the Turkish army near Tal Hajar in Aleppo's province, a few kilometres from areas controlled by a Kurdish-led coalition The Syrian government on Saturday condemned Turkey's military presence in northern Syria as a violation of a 1998 protocol between the two countries. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted the Adana Protocol gives his country the right to intervene militarily in the neighbouring country. Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies control part of northern Syria, and Ankara has repeatedly threatened another military operation against Kurdish fighters on its southern border. On Saturday, the foreign ministry in Damascus accused Ankara of repeatedly breaching the Adana deal throughout Syria's eight-year war. "Since 2011, the Turkish regime has violated and continues to violate this agreement," a ministry source said, quoted by state news agency SANA. The source accused Turkey of "supporting terrorists", using the regime's usual term for both jihadists and rebels. It said Ankara was breaching the deal through "occupying Syrian territory via terrorist organisations linked to it or directly via Turkish military forces". Rebel backer Turkey has twice led incursions into northern Syria in 2016 and 2018, since when its forces and allied Syrian proxies have controlled a patch of territory on the border. Ankara has repeatedly threatened to march on areas further east, where Kurdish fighters it views as "terrorists" have led the US-backed battle against the Islamic State jihadist group. Washington last month said it would pull all its troops from the war-torn country, leaving the Kurds scrambling to find a new ally in Damascus to avoid a Turkish assault. On Friday, Erdogan said Turkey expected a "security zone" to be created in Syria in a few months. Turkey accuses the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) which have led the fight against IS of being an extension of its outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The Adana deal was signed in 1998 to end a crisis between the neighbours, sparked by the then presence in Syria of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and bases run by the group. Turkey argues the protocol provides Ankara with the legal ground to intervene in Syria against the PKK and its affiliates, because of the Syrian regime's failure to act against the group. Damascus has regained control of almost two-thirds of the country after significant Russia-backed victories against rebels and jihadists since 2015, and hopes to see all areas of the country revert to its rule. Syria's war has killed 360,000 people and spiralled into a complex conflict involving world powers since starting in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests. No caption Spain, France and Germany on Saturday gave embattled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro an ultimatum, saying they would recognise opposition leader Juan Guaido as president unless he calls elections within eight days. The ultimatum comes as international pressure mounts on the Maduro regime to agree a new vote, with the United States, Canada and major South American players already recognising Guaido, who proclaimed himself acting president of Venezuela during massive street rallies this week. After four years of economic pain that has left Venezuelans short of food and medicine and driven more than two million to flee, Guaido is trying to oust Maduro following controversial elections that saw the socialist leader sworn in for a second term. "If within eight days there are no fair, free and transparent elections called in Venezuela, Spain will recognise Juan Guaido as Venezuelan president" so that he himself can call such polls, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a televised announcement. French President Emmanuel Macron followed suit in a tweet, saying "the Venezuelan people must be able to freely decide on their future," as did German government spokeswoman Martina Fietz. The coordinated announcements are the most explicit yet from EU countries as the 28-member bloc struggles to draft a joint statement with regards to its position on the crisis in Venezuela. - 'Not looking to impose' - Spain had wanted the EU to take a tough line on Maduro by calling for immediate elections, failing which the bloc as a whole would recognise Guaido, the 35-year-old head of Venezuela's National Assembly. But countries like Austria, Greece and Portugal are much more reluctant. In fact Greece's ruling party Syriza has publicly backed Maduro, with party secretary Panos Skourletis voicing "full support and solidarity" to what to he called "the legal president." President Donald Trump's administration has spearheaded the international pressure on Maduro, who accuses Washington of being behind an attempted "coup," by declaring his regime "illegitimate." On Saturday at a UN Security Council meeting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will urge members to recognise Guaido as interim president, the State Department said. Washington's support for Guaido led Maduro to close the US embassy and consulates and break diplomatic ties. US diplomats in Venezuela have until Saturday to leave the country, but Washington has refused to fully comply fully with the exit order. Guaido is instead urging the US diplomats to stay and keep the embassy's doors open. Maduro's reelection last year was contested by the opposition and criticised internationally -- but he has until now retained the loyalty of the powerful military. Spain is closely linked to Venezuela, a former colony, as some 200,000 of its nationals live there. Sanchez insisted Saturday that Spain is "not looking to impose or remove governments in Venezuela, we want democracy and free elections in Venezuela." A total of 33 roads remain blocked in over 10 regions of Algeria because of snow Algeria's civil protection unit said Saturday five people died after being swept away by flood waters as a cold snap in the Maghreb brought snow to several of the country's regions. "All the victims have been retrieved over the last 48 hours after being swept away by waters in Annaba, El Tarf, Tizi Ouzou and Tipaza," the civil protection body said. Salvage operations took place in more than 17 areas and around 100 people have been rescued in the last 24 hours. A total of 33 roads remain blocked in over 10 regions because of snow, the civil protection unit said, adding "snow clearing operations are progressing". Elsewhere in North Africa, neighbouring Tunisia's interior ministry said on Friday two people were killed by flooding and cold weather, after heavy snowfall. The decision by Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend the country's top judge ahead of next month's elections has been condemned by some critics as an attack on the judiciary and the constitution Nigerian lawyers have condemned President Muhammadu Buhari's suspension of the country's top judge shortly before the presidential elections as a "coup" against the judiciary and an attack on the constitution. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) -- the umbrella body for lawyers -- added its voice to a growing chorus of protests at Friday's decision to suspend Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen. Onnoghen would have ruled on any dispute in the February 16 presidential and parliamentary elections, but Buhari ordered his suspension pending the outcome of corruption charges that he disputes. Buhari, who came to power in 2015 on a pledge to fight corruption, is seeking a second term in office. The Nigerian Bar Association condemned the president's intervention, accusing Buhari of an 'attempted coup against the Nigerian Judiciary'. In a statement issued Friday, it appealed to the national assembly to intervene to reverse the decision. "The action of the Executive portends a slide into anarchy and complete deconstruction of the Rule of Law and due process," the statement added. "It amounts to an absolute breach of the Constitution and the usurpation of the powers of the Senate and the Nigerian Judicial Council." Buhari, a retired army general who headed a military government in the early 1980's, has been criticised in the past for flouting court orders asking him to release suspects facing graft and criminal charges. But he said he took the decision in compliance with a ruling by the Code of Conduct Tribunal -- a ruling that Onnoghen is challenging. Onnoghen was charged on January 12 for false declaration of assets, after millions of cash in local and foreign currencies were allegedly traced to his accounts. Buhari also accused Onnoghen of frustrating the war against corruption by freeing graft suspects before his court, and replaced him with Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, his second-in-command. - 'Morally and legally justified' - Lagos constitutional lawyer Olisa Agbakoba, a former president of the Bar Association, described the suspension of Onnoghen as "the most violent denigration of the Nigerians constitution". The independent Punch newspaper also condemned the suspension in a strongly worded editorial Saturday. "The Presidents singular and misguided action has the tendency to plunge the country into an unnecessary constitutional crisis and, perhaps, derail 20 unbroken years of democratic governance," it wrote. But law professor Itse Sagay, head of a government-appointed advisory body on graft, defended Buhari. Onnoghen had admitted that he did not fully comply with the assets declaration requirements, he argued. "The suspension is morally justified and legally justified. "Morally, he should not be in that office considering what has happened. Legally, the president has powers to remove him," he said. Debo Adeniran of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders lobby group also backed the president. "The judiciary has been a clog in the wheel of the anti-corruption war," he said. "It's on record that judges have been frustrating graft cases by granting frivolous rulings and injunctions," he added. The sanctions against Onnoghen would "send a correct signal to other judges to sit up", he said. "Onnoghen has to step aside pending the outcome of his trial." On Friday, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) halted its presidential campaigns for 72 hours in protest at the suspension. Their presidential candidate -- and Buhari's main challenger -- Atiku Abubakar condemned the move against Onnoghen as a "brazen dictatorial act". A woman wearing a niqab face veil carries a crying infant near the Omar oil field in the countryside of the eastern Syrian Deir Ezzor province on January 25, 2019 after fleeing the Islamic State group's last pocket in Syria As US-backed forces advanced, 22-year-old Dima Qatran buried one of her twin babies, then picked up the other and fled the Islamic State group's crumbling pocket in eastern Syria. Clutching her remaining 11-month-old daughter, she joined hundreds escaping the last shreds of the extremist group's "caliphate" near the Iraqi border. She fled through the cold desert on foot towards territory held by US-backed fighters, where she boarded a truck to take her to a camp for displaced IS families further north. "I had twins," Qatran told AFP on Friday, tears streaming down her face, at a pit stop along the way. "I buried one, and the second is dying. She has diarrhoea and keeps vomiting. I can't bear it. My daughter died of cold and hunger." The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are fighting to expel the last IS fighters from a few hamlets in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor. "We slept in the street for 11 days after my home was bombed" in Baghouz, a village on the front line, she said. Qatran said she arrived in Baghouz with her husband's family a year ago after fleeing the town of Albukamal to the west, which was retaken from IS by Russia-backed regime forces in late 2017. The young mother said all she wanted was to be reunited with her husband who works as a cook in Turkey, and claimed to have no affiliation with IS. "I'm scared of them," she said. - 'Just hunger' - Hundreds of women and children have been fleeing what remains of the IS "Hajin pocket" in eastern Syria for a camp of displaced families further north as US-backed forces advance on the last holdout of the jihadists Near the Omar oil field, women and children -- some of whom had faces ravaged by rashes -- descended from the back of a dozen small trucks, caked in dust and visibly exhausted as the SDF allowed a quick break. A mother dashed down from a vehicle, rushing her two children out of sight to relieve their bladders, while others pleaded for food and drink, saying that with the bombardment and siege, they had not eaten for days. Infants screamed while their mothers did their best to soothe them. For days, hundreds have been fleeing what remains of the so-called "Hajin pocket" east of the Euphrates River, SDF officials said. According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor more than 8,000 people have fled since Monday, including around 1,000 jihadists. Since early December, some 29,000 people have escaped the fighting, the Observatory said. Sara al-Sahar, 32, paced around with her baby trying in vain to pacify him. He's "hungry and sick," said the mother of two. "There's no food over there, just hunger," she said of areas under IS control. "Nothing -- not even nappies." Sahar also insisted she had nothing to do with IS, a claim that AFP could not immediately verify. "We walked for six hours" in the desert before reaching SDF-controlled territory, she said. - 'Is it far?' - Hundreds of people including children on Friday January 26, 2019 arrived in territory controlled by the US-backed SDF forces from territory held by the Islamic State group, hungry, cold and exhausted Around 750 people reached SDF-held territory from IS-held territory on Friday, Mohammed Suleiman Othman, an official with the Syria Democratic Council said. They included 600 civilians, mostly Iraqis related to IS fighters, he said. But 150 men were detained on suspicion of belonging to IS, after screening near the frontline. Fourteen women and their children of various nationalities including from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Turkey were ferried off to a special centre for questioning. Inside that centre, women sat with their children in a large room. One was changing her baby, with a nappy improvised from fabric and plastic bags. In a corner, 20-year-old Mariam from Ukraine fed her baby before she wiped her face with her hands. "I need to rest before I can remember what happened to me," she said, speaking in classical Arabic, reluctant to answer any questions. Near the Omar oil field, women asked how much longer before they reach the Al-Hol camp in the northeastern province of Hasakeh. "Is it still far? We're so tired," one of them said. "We were doing so well... If the frontlines hadn't got closer, we wouldn't have left at all," said Umm Baraa of live under IS after fleeing a jihadist-controlled area in eastern Syria as US-backed forces advanced on the region Tayyeba, 54, said she escaped with her husband, but the SDF detained him for questioning. "We fled as the frontlines started getting closer," she said, wrinkles visible under her black face veil. Umm Baraa, 20, said: "The streets are full of people who can't find anywhere to sleep. We were running from one neighbourhood to another." She said her husband -- an IS fighter -- died recently in an air strike. "We were all doing so well... If the frontline hadn't got closer, we wouldn't have left at all," she said of life under IS. "Now we don't know what awaits us." The Republic Day parade at the heart of the Indian capital had the usual broad array of security forces Thousands watched as tanks, camel-mounted forces and motorbike stunt riders paraded in New Delhi Saturday, as India marked its seventieth Republic Day in an annual display of culture and military might. Security was tight, especially in the capital where large sections were sealed off for the parade and visiting dignitaries including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was the guest of honour. The day marks the date in 1950 when India's new constitution came into effect Around 25,000 police and paramilitary forces were deployed across the city for the event. The day marks the date in 1950 when India's new constitution came into effect. India gained independence from Britain in 1947, but went through a transitional phase when it was still classed as a dominion. The parade at the heart of the Indian capital had the customary colourful array of security forces, including camel-mounted border forces in vivid turbans, tanks, missiles and groups from across the country in regional dress. Security was tight, especially in the capital where large sections were sealed off for the parade On the eve of the national day, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind urged people to vote in national elections due by May. "An election is not just a political exercise. An election is a collective call to wisdom and a collective call to action," Kovind said in his speech. "This makes the very act of voting a sacred act," he added. On the eve of the national day, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind urged people to vote in the upcoming national elections Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who analysts say is locked in a hard-fought electoral battle, hopes to be re-elected in the upcoming elections. Ramaphosa, who is leading a delegation to India, held a meeting with Modi and said he hoped for closer bilateral cooperation between the two countries. "(We) concluded this morning a three year strategic programme of cooperation," Ramaphosa told journalists after the Friday meeting. The scupture of a head is displayed at the "Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa" exhibit at the Block Museum in Chicago A first-of-its kind exhibition opening Saturday at a Chicago museum is challenging long-held views of the Middle Ages, exhibiting African artifacts that place the continent at the center of global trade and culture. The traveling exhibition "Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time" debuts at the Block Museum on the suburban Chicago campus of Northwestern University, before traveling to other North American museums. The exhibit showcases more than 250 items, including many rare and precious artifacts on loan from West African institutions in Mali, Morocco and Nigeria, and traveling for the first time outside of their home countries. The aims is to showcase what scholars have known for some time -- that Africa was part of an interconnected world in the Middle Ages that brought wealth to the continent, and spread cultural and religious practices far and wide. Africa "was definitely an economic engine" during the Middle Ages, said the Block Museum's Kathleen Berzock, who spent seven years curating the exhibit. "The driving idea behind the exhibition is that in the medieval period, Africa, and particularly West Africa, was playing an absolutely critical role in bringing together regions that extended from Europe to North Africa to the Middle East," Berzock said. - Recent discoveries, new history - These bowls and vases on display are part of an exhibit of Medieval African artifacts that place the continent at the center of global trade and culture Organizers said the exhibit was the first time that a US museum had partnered with African counterparts to challenge notions of the continent isolated from the rest of the world during the eighth through sixteenth centuries. On display are artifacts that show evidence of global economic trade in African goods and materials, with emphasis on the role of West African gold. These include rare fragmentary artifacts discovered at Saharan archeological sites, as well as African sculptures made of French copper, European religious artifacts made of African ivory, and other pieces of gold, ceramic, glass and textile. The objects tell a pre-slavery, pre-colonial narrative largely left out of history books and school classrooms, organizers said. "This history has not been brought to the fore," said Abdulkerim Kadiri, acting Director-General of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments, who traveled to the United States for the show opening. "The recent discovery of these art objects has led to this exhibition," Kadiri told AFP. The exhibition next will travel to Toronto's Aga Khan Museum in September, and to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art in Washington DC in April of 2020. - 'Center of intellectual excellence' - The exhibit showcases more than 250 items, including rare artifacts on loan from museums in Mali, Morocco and Nigeria The idea of medieval Africa as "being the center of intellectual excellence," paid for by world-wide connections and wealth, "is really important for people to understand," said the Smithsonian's African Art museum director Augustus Casely-Hayford. The exhibit comes at a sensitive time in the art world, as important questions are being asked about repatriation of African art taken to Western countries during the colonial era. A study commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron in November 2018 recommended returning African treasures held by French museums -- a radical policy shift that could put pressure on other former colonial powers. Sudanese protesters chant slogans and raise signs against President Omar al-Bashir during a demonstration in the capital Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman For decades, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has kept dissenting voices low and opposition groups in disarray creating a political vacuum that a group of professionals has recently rushed to fill. Public anger against worsening economic hardship and deteriorating living conditions has pushed doctors, engineers and university professors to come together under the umbrella of the "Sudanese Professionals Association" and lead nationwide calls for Bashir to step down. Although the association remains unknown to many, its calls have echoed across the country bringing thousands of protesters onto the streets, including in the capital Khartoum. The protests were initially triggered by the tripling of bread prices. But they have swiftly evolved into deadly confrontations with the security forces. "The Sudanese scene has been lacking a leader on political, economic, security and social levels," an SPA spokesman Mohamed Youssef al-Mustafa told AFP, speaking from Khartoum. Sudan has about 100 political parties, but none have sought to steer the protest movement. So the association has sought to organise protests. But in the end, Mustafa says, "it's the people who lead." - No structure - It started when back in 2012, in response to new laws restricting the freedom of political parties, a group of 200 professors at the University of Khartoum formed a group, prompting other professionals in the capital to form similar gatherings, Mustafa says. Groups of veterinarians, media workers, pharmacists, teachers, lawyers and others were later created making up the main eight separate gatherings of the Sudanese Professionals Association by 2016. "Now every city in Sudan has a gathering of professionals," Mustafa said. Sudanese school girls join an anti-government protest in Khartoum's twin city Omdurman on the west bank of the Nile river Unlike political parties, SPA has no organisational structure and holds no records of the number of its members, he added. "It's not recognised by the government, but its setup is in line with Article 40 of the constitution," he said. The article stipulates "the right of peaceful assembly" as well as the "freedom of association" including forming and belonging to political parties, associations, trade unions and professional federations. SPA has for years been concerned with resolving the issues of the professionals, gathered under its umbrella. But last month, it took on a more political role as the protests swelled, strengthening the spirit of revolt, announcing schedules for demonstrations and organising marches on the presidential palace. It has even proposed a plan to form a transitional government if Bashir quits. And on Friday, the country's main opposition leader and former prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi threw his support behind the demonstrators. "This regime has to go immediately," Mahdi, leader of the Umma Party, told hundreds of worshippers at a mosque in Omdurman. "A period of transition will come soon... we are supporting this (protest) movement," Mahdi said, adding more than 50 people have been killed in the protests. Officials say 30 people have died in the protests, while rights groups have put the death toll at more than 40. "The way protesters follow this group is strange," said Sudanese journalist Faisal Mohamed Saleh, pointing out that the protests always start exactly at the time designated by the group. "It's an achievement for this group, considering that the protesters don't even know who the main leaders of this association are. Protesters just trust them." - 'Post-Bashir' plan - But Mustafa dismissed plans that SPA would turn into a political party. "There is no thought of turning the professional entity into a political party," he said, adding many members already belong to some political parties. But since December 19, the group has joined forces with Bashir's main opponents. Sudan's Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh shakes hands with President Omar al-Bashir as the latter returns from a trip to Qatar Opposition groups including the National Consensus Forces Alliance and Nidaa al-Sudan have signed a document with regime change being the main objective. It also outlines a post-Bashir plan including rebuilding Sudan's justice system and halting the country's dire economic decline. Mohamed al-Asbat, another SPA spokesman living in Paris, says the association will continue to use peaceful means to bring about political change. "The reason people are flocking to us it the association's ability to maintain peacefulness and use of soft communication," he said. Thousands of Australians joined an 'Invasion Day' rally in Melbourne calling for a rethink of national day celebrations they say are disrespectful to indigenous people Thousands of Australians attended "Invasion Day" rallies across the country on Saturday calling for a rethink of national day celebrations they say are disrespectful to indigenous people. The annual January 26 Australia Day holiday commemorates the arrival of the first British settlers in 1788, but for many Australians it marks the beginning of colonial oppression of Aboriginal people. Several thousand joined the annual march in Melbourne Saturday chanting "Always was, always will be Aboriginal land", and holding placards stating "Australia is a crime scene". Thousands more joined similar demonstrations in major cities around the country, calling for a change of date, or for the day to be abolished altogether. Australia Day commemorates the arrival of the first British settlers in 1788 but for many Australians it marks the beginning of colonial oppression of Aboriginal people "Why would you want to celebrate this concept called Australia? It is founded on lies, founded on genocide, founded on murder," Melbourne protestor Dominic Guerrera told AFP. "There's nothing to celebrate in that." Divisions have deepened in recent years with increasing calls to change the date. Amid the heightened sensitivities this week Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced government funding of a voyage to mark the 250th anniversary of explorer Captain James Cook's first journey to Australia. Canberra pledged about $6.5 million to a circumnavigation of Australia in a replica of Cook's ship, the Endeavour, which in 1770 brought the British into contact with eastern Australia and foreshadowed the colonisation of the continent. Demonstrations were held in major cities around the country, calling for a change of date, or for Australia Day to be abolished altogether The story of Cook's voyage and his "discovery" of territory declared New South Wales on the east coast has stirred debate in Australia, with Aboriginal people inhabiting the land for more than 60,000 years before the first European explorers arrived. Meanwhile, the uncovering this week in London of the remains of British explorer Matthew Flinders, who is credited as the first to circumnavigate the Australian continent in 1802-1803, has also added to the controversy. An aboriginal aide to Flinders named Bungaree has been largely eclipsed by his British captain, but historians now believe he played a crucial role in success of the voyage. Morrison, who has resisted calls to change the date, said Saturday Australia cannot "walk away" from its past. Aboriginal people remain the most disadvantaged Australians, with higher rates of poverty, ill-health and imprisonment than any other community "Australia is the story of being overcome, to be able to see the better nature of Australians and the values we hold together, all races, all peoples, all cultures, all religions, all languages even," he told reporters. Aboriginal people remain the most disadvantaged Australians, with higher rates of poverty, ill-health and imprisonment than any other community. Australia Day is also celebrated across the county, with picnics, traditional Aboriginal performances and citizenship ceremonies, where more than 16,000 new Australians pledged their commitment to the nation Saturday. John McCallum, Ottawa's ambassador to China, told a newspaper that it would be 'great for Canada' if the US dropped its extradition request for Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou Ottawa's ambassador to China told a Canadian newspaper Friday that it would be "great for Canada" if the US dropped its extradition request for Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. The remarks to The Vancouver Star come one day after he walked back comments that the detained Chinese executive has a "strong case" against extradition to the United States. "From Canada's point of view, if (the US) drops the extradition request, that would be great for Canada," ambassador John McCallum told the Star. Meng was arrested on December 1 while changing planes in Vancouver at the request of the United States, which says she committed fraud by lying to bankers about allegedly violating American sanctions on Iran. She has been released on bail, but her arrest has sparked an escalating diplomatic crisis between Ottawa and Beijing. McCallum on Tuesday briefed lawmakers on the plight of two Canadians detained in China and a third placed on death row in what are widely seen as retaliatory moves by Beijing. After the briefing he told Chinese-language media in Markham, Ontario that he believed the US extradition request is seriously flawed. He cited political comments on the case by US President Donald Trump, the "extraterritorial aspect" of Meng's case, and the fact that Canada did not sign on to the Iran sanctions that Washington wants her extradited for. McCallum's remarks were immediately panned by opposition parties and others for seeming to undercut the strict hands-off approach to judicial matters touted by the Canadian government. The following day he issued a statement saying that he "misspoke," and "regrets" that his comments "have created confusion." On Friday, speaking at a charity lunch in downtown Vancouver, McCallum told the Star that if the United States strikes a trade deal with China it should also benefit Canada. "We have to make sure that if the US does such a deal, it also includes the release of our two people. And the US is highly aware of that," he said. Canadian officials did not have any immediate reaction to the comments when contacted by AFP. Meng's extradition hearing is expected to start in February. The process could take months or years. While the People's Liberation Army and its veterans are venerated as heroes, authorities have little tolerance for public dissent Chinese authorities on Friday ordered the arrest of 19 people for allegedly organising protests by military veterans in two cities last year, state media reported. The 19 people are accused of "gathering crowds to disturb social order" in the eastern cities of Pingdu in October or Zhenjiang in June of last year and "intentional assault", official news agency Xinhua reported, citing prosecutors. The Zhenjiang rally was organised to protest the alleged beating of elderly ex-soldiers demanding better pensions, witnesses told AFP at the time. The demonstrations highlighted the years-long struggle among former soldiers of the world's biggest standing army to get better benefits, posing a headache for the country's Communist leadership. Authorities in China have little tolerance for public dissent but the People's Liberation Army and its veterans are venerated as heroes, and protests continued for days in the city of Zhenjiang before police intervened. The nine suspected organisers of the the Zhenjiang protest allegedly assembled more than 1,000 people in front of the city government illegally and "engaged in violent confrontation with police and security staff," Xinhua said. In Pingdu 10 people were alleged to have organised veteran protests which Xinhua said attacked the police, smashed cars and obstructed government operations. Thousands of army veterans have staged protests in recent years against officials whom they accuse of denying them benefits. China's defence ministry had vowed in 2016 to improve living standards for veterans after thousands had demonstrated outside army offices in Beijing. China has laid off more than a million troops since the 1980s and vowed last year to further cut its two-million strong army. So much of the president's brand is linked to the aura of decisiveness he embodied as star of the long-running "Apprentice" television show that it's hard for many to imagine him as anything less than a hardball businessman Donald Trump loves to make the pistol gesture when pronouncing his "You're fired" catchphrase. But in the tussle with Democrats over the longest US government shutdown in history, the legendary dealmaker may have shot himself in the foot. So much of the president's brand is linked to the aura of decisiveness he embodied as star of the long-running "Apprentice" television show that it's hard for many to imagine him as anything less than a hardball businessman. However, the shutdown, which Trump finally ended Friday, after 35 days, brought home that the White House is not the same as a real estate magnate's boardroom, let alone a reality TV set. With growing numbers of unpaid federal employees in financial trouble, airports clogging up and even the Secret Service agents guarding the White House missing a second paycheck, Americans were crying out for leadership. Instead, what they got for five weeks from both Trump and his Democratic opponents were playground-level arguments and political drift. Finally Trump, who'd vowed not to "cave," did just that, agreeing to reopen government for three weeks while dropping his demand for immediate funding of a controversial US-Mexico border wall. It was the rarest of things for a man who has often boasted of his ruthlessness and ego: a personal retreat for the greater good. - Siege mentality - The big climbdown capped a rough day. At dawn on Friday, FBI agents arrested former associate Roger Stone in the alleged Trump-Russia collusion probe, boosting the sensation of a White House under siege. Stone is the sixth person with ties to Trump to be charged in special prosecutor Robert Mueller's huge investigation. Trump spokeswoman Sarah Sanders tried to project coolness, dismissing Stone's arrest as "nothing to do with the president and certainly nothing to do with the White House." Stone's fate -- he faces seven counts including witness tampering, obstruction of justice -- is "not something that affects us in this building," Sanders said. But a short time later, it became clear that someone in the building wasn't feeling quite so blase: her boss. "Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country! NO COLLUSION! Border Coyotes, Drug Dealers and Human Traffickers are treated better," Trump tweeted. - 'Screw you, screw them' - The brash New Yorker has made a career of projecting strength and self-confidence. That especially applies to his negotiating prowess. "My style of deal-making is quite simple and straightforward. I aim very high, and then I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing to get what Im after," he said in "The Art of the Deal" -- the ghost-written autobiography that did much to create that image of the ultimate American tycoon. So when he refused to fund swaths of the government back in December, Trump thought his show of executive power would force Congress to submit to his request for $5.7 billion in funding for US-Mexico border wall extensions -- a central promise in his surprise 2016 election. However, Trump, a newcomer to politics, apparently hadn't reckoned on having to deal with a lower house of Congress which from January came under control of the Democrats. By contrast, Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi, his main antagonist, has decades of experience at shutdown politics and that showed throughout. As Pelosi's own daughter told CNN: "She'll cut your head off and you won't even know you're bleeding." What's next? After losing round one, Trump promises a second round in three weeks, should he still not have got his wall funding. That could mean another government shutdown or invoking emergency powers to get wall funding without congressional approval. The senior Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, cautioned Trump against further conflict. "Hopefully now the president has learned his lesson," he said. But Trump, possibly stung by headlines that screamed of his retreat, offered a rebuttal, repeating a threat to shut the government again. "This was in no way a concession," Trump tweeted. "It was taking care of millions of people who were getting badly hurt by the Shutdown with the understanding that in 21 days, if no deal is done, it's off to the races!" And as Trump says in "Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life," another of the many books under his name: "My motto is: Always get even. When somebody screws you, screw them back in spades." Sydney's desalination plant has officially been switched on, returning it to operation for the first time in seven years. But the plant's finished product won't be flowing out of the city's taps until at least April. Sydney's dam storage dropped below 60 per cent on Sunday, triggering the long-awaited restart procedures and putting the plant back in operation for the first time since 2012. Sydney Desalination Plant chief executive Keith Davies said drinkable water will be delivered to Sydney's drinking water supply "within the next three to four months". "In line with our operating licence, we expect it will take up to eight months from restart for the plant to reach its maximum capacity of producing 250 million litres per day of water - or about 15 per cent of Sydney's drinking water requirements," he said in a statement. "The plant plays an important part in assisting the NSW government in implementing its wider measures aimed at alleviating the metropolitan impacts of the current drought." NSW Water Minister Don Harwin said there was no reason to be alarmed about Sydney's water because the dams still had more than two years' worth of water supply. The plant has been in an extended testing phase for months after being in a deep state of preservation. It has only previously operated once between 2010 and 2012. Under its contract, the desalination plant must operate for a minimum of 14 months under the metropolitan water plan and potentially until dam levels return to 70 per cent. Sydneysiders can expect their annual water bills to increase by about $30 as a result. Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has labelled a Victorian government letter about a school cash package as a "first indication" it will sign up to the Commonwealth's deal. "I saw this as the first indication that (Victoria) might be serious in following every other state and territory education minister in coming to an agreement with the Commonwealth government," Mr Tehan told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday. A $751.8 million, five-month funding deal had been struck between Victoria and the Commonwealth earlier this month, while all other states and territories have inked five-year funding deals. It will be a year of firsts - and lasts - for more than 800,000 students in Queensland in 2019. Firsts for the 66,000 preppies about to take their initial steps into the education system, and for the schoolgirls who can now wear shorts or pants thanks to an overhaul of state uniform policy There will also be firsts for thousands of Year 11 students who will be the first to study new subjects, sit external exams in Year 12 and graduate with an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). The Year 12s also make history as Queensland's first ever prep class in 2007 to graduate as the last group to sit the Queensland Core Skills Test and the last to receive an OP. Education Minister Grace Grace said more than 560,000 students would attend 1241 state schools and 270,000 students in 515 non-state schools. State schools will welcome 47,000 youngsters into prep, with numbers on-par with previous years. Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) Executive Director David Robertson said among the students enrolling at the state's 240 independent schools in 2019 were about 7400 new Prep students, and more than 12,000 Year 7s entering high schools. "2019 is a milestone year for Queensland schooling with historic changes to the state's senior assessment and tertiary entrance systems commencing," Mr Robertson said. Principals, teachers and other school staff have been hard at work preparing their education programs and classrooms ahead of the first school bell, while parents have been busy finalising stationery, uniforms and family schedules. Queensland Independent Schools Parents Network Executive Officer Sue Kloeden said establishing positive routines early was important for students and parents. "I encourage parents to talk with their schools about how best to help their children settle in, particularly prep students and those who are new to a school," Ms Kloeden said. The majority of Queensland schools will start the new school year on Tuesday. Australian schools are being urged to take a stand against bullying and cyberbullying, and join the national day of action. The prime minister and education minister say they have written to schools across the nation asking them to sign up to the ninth National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence on March 15. More than 4750 schools have already registered but about 4650 have yet to, according to a joint statement from PM Scott Morrison and Education Minister Dan Tehan on Sunday. "Bullying is something we all need to be aware of," the statement said. "It is an issue that is sadly affecting more and more of our kids and everyone in the community can do something about it." Around half of all Year 3, 4 and 5 students report bullying at some level and one in five young Australians have experienced cyberbullying, according to research. Schools that register receive anti-bullying materials and teaching resources. Quade Cooper's Melbourne Rebels debut was put on hold by an injury that forced him out of the 52-38 trial loss to the ACT Brumbies in Canberra. A knee niggle picked up late in the week ruled former Queensland Reds five-eighth Cooper out of the entertaining pre-season match on Saturday, adding to a number of Wallabies players who weren't involved. The Brumbies scored eight tries to six in the 90-minute contest played in hot conditions. Their first three went to Test outside centre Tevita Kuridrani, who made a sparkling return to rugby in his first game for six months. Kuridrani hadn't played since injuring his pectoral muscle in last season's final Super Rugby match and produced a performance that suggested he'll push hard for a return to the Wallabies fold. Fellow-midfield Len Ikitau crossed twice as the Brumbies backline, in particular, impressed. Both teams fielded a host of new faces, including veteran Test prop James Slipper, who was solid in his first appearance for the Brumbies since finishing at the Reds. One of the better Rebels performers was three-Test lock Matt Philip, who this week extended his contract to the end of 2021. The Brumbies and Rebels will square off again in Canberra in the opening round of Super Rugby, on February 15. Firefighters will try to contain as many fires as they can in Tasmania before the weather heats up again in the island state. More than 50 fires are raging with 500 firefighters, including some from interstate and New Zealand, spending Australia Day fighting to keep threatened communities safe. Over the past month, fires have burned through 99,000 hectares of land. They also recently forced hundreds of people into evacuation centres and have destroyed a homestead, a shed and a fishing hut. On Saturday, Tasmania Fire Service's Deputy Chief Officer Bruce Byatt said there were 52 fires, 23 with active fire edges. "The key thing we need people to be aware of is even though conditions are milder today, this could be regarded as the 'eye of the storm'," he said. Firefighters want to get on top of as many blazes as possible, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning next Wednesday will be another high-temperature day. The Great Pine Tier fire was almost 40,000 hectares on Saturday, with significant fire activity in the Waddamama area putting communities at risk. There was also some bitter news. "Disappointingly, we've had reports that a fire has started from a discarded cigarette butt in the Fortescue Bay Road area," Mr Byatt said. "We're still in the middle of a total fire ban and something as small as a cigarette butt carelessly discarded can have catastrophic consequences." Several communities remained at risk from the Great Pine Tier and Riveaux Road/Tahune fire on Saturday evening. Erratic fire activity in the Tahune area brought the fire front closer to the outer areas of Geeveston and remote area crews have been there around the clock. A protection plan for the Walls of Jerusalem National Park has been enacted and remote area teams are pushing into the area. Communities near bushfires are encouraged to remain alert and proactively seek accurate information from the Tasmania Fire Service. Community meetings will be held in Zeehan, Rosebery, Bothwell, Miena and Maydena on Sunday. A stunning first-half strike from Ola Toivonen has helped Melbourne Victory to a 2-1 win over Sydney FC in an entertaining Big Blue clash on Australia Day. Victory went ahead 2-0 before seeing off a late surge by the Sky Blues to leapfrog Steve Corica's men into second spot on the A-League ladder in an enthralling encounter on Saturday night in front of 21,085 fans at AAMI Park. Victory dominated possession from the opening whistle, with crisp passing and high-tempo play, and thoroughly deserved to go ahead in the 20th minute. Toivonen stepped up to take the free kick after James Troisi was felled just outside the penalty area. The Swedish star sent a beautifully crafted, curling strike over the wall and into the top left corner off the post, giving Andy Redmayne no chance. Toivonen, with 10 goals from 13 appearances, was involved in the Victory's second goal with a well-timed ball releasing Spanish midfielder Raul Baena. Troisi finished the scything move, lashing home Baena's cut-back close to the penalty spot in the 54th minute. But the visitors had looked more dangerous after the interval and finally broke through thanks to Milos Ninkovic with 63 minutes gone. Lawrence Thomas could only parry Ninkovic's first shot and he finished the job well from an acute angle. The Sky Blues will consider themselves unlucky not to depart with a point after a strong finish, but Thomas was important with a brilliant save denying Adam Le Fondre with just over 10 minutes left. Indigenous groups calling for the date of Australia Day to be changed have marched at the front of the traditional Australia Day parade through the centre of Adelaide. The small but vocal group, chanting "always was, always will be Aboriginal land" were the first of about 3500 people from 100 community groups to take part in the march from Victoria Square to Elder Park. It was a far cry from what happened two years ago when several hundred activists blocked the route and forced authorities to call an early halt to the event. On that occasion, one of the organisers, Latoya Rule, shaved her head to highlight the suffering of Aboriginal people. Saturday's march was watched by about 30,000 people, with most staying on for the free concert, featuring Australian artists, and the obligatory fireworks. Earlier on Saturday, Elder Park was also the venue for a smoking ceremony to mark the significance of the area to the local Aboriginal community. Ngarrindjeri elder and Greens Senate candidate Major "Moogy" Sumner said the ceremony was particularly significant on Australia Day, serving to protect everyone from all cultures who participated in the various activities. But he said his own community were no less determined to see the date of Australia Day changed. "It's something that would be good for everybody," he said. "Then we can come together as one nation, not separate little nations. "So we can plan a future together." In another first, images of Aboriginal leaders past and present also featured in a special light show set tho continue over the long weekend in the Adelaide parklands. Australia Day Council of SA chief executive Jan Chorley said the nightly project aimed to bridge the differing views of Australia Day. "This is a first for our state, a significant installation that infuses our understanding of Elder Park, its history and its people" she said. Ms Chorley said the wider Australia Day celebrations in Adelaide were an opportunity to promote unity and belonging. "This is when the city shines, when it reflects on its history, celebrates who were are as nation and joins together in a unifying and reconciled spirit," she said. The body of a man believed to be a missing war veteran has been found north of Perth. Police say they believe the body of Brock Hewitt has been discovered in Gabbadah, near Moore River, on Saturday. His death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be prepared for the coroner. The discovery was made following pleas from Mr Hewitt's parents to come home. The 29-year-old father was last seen on January 7, when he told his mother he was going fishing. At a press conference, Mr Hewitt's father Rick said his son was a keen four-wheel-driver and bushman, and "not just a son (but) a mate." Internationally renowned paediatric cardiologist Dr Bo Remenyi has told new Australian citizens in Darwin that her citizenship is the most important thing in her life. She joked that it was more important even than her husband who was not present at an Australia Day ceremony, at which 69 people from 26 different countries became citizens. Dr Remenyi fled communist Hungary with her mother and sister before getting to Australia as "political migrants". Australia was "truly welcoming" and her family found themselves in a two-bedroom apartment with a fully stocked fridge after having to share a bedroom with all of her family in Hungary. When her mother became seriously ill and couldn't work, Rotary and the Salvation Army helped her poor family with food and support. Dr Remenyi said there were years of hard work, assimilating and learning English before she was able to get an Australian government scholarship and study medicine. She now saves the lives of babies and children with heart problems including in remote communities. "I became a doctor and had this amazing opportunity, all my life people were helping us out and finally now I was in a position to give back to the Australia people and the community," she said. "I am proud to be Australian, Australia has given me freedom that I could never have imagined in a communist country, my efforts and the hard work my family put in led to amazing rewards out of that." Ridwanu Abdul Rahaman from Ghana received his citizenship after coming to Australia seven years ago. His met his Australian wife Rebecca when she was singing in a band called Afro Moses that was playing in Ghana and the couple now have two daughters. "This is a big deal, I am happy to be part of Australia," he said. Mohamed Enayet Hossain received his citizenship after he came to Australia from Bangladesh, spent nearly a year at the Christmas Island detention centre and was granted refugee status. He said he felt lucky and has a job and was joined by his friend Khokon who was also at Christmas Island with him but is still awaiting citizenship. An alternative event titled "January 26" was also held with Indigenous speakers to discuss Australia Day and whether the date should change because it represents a day of mourning and an invasion. Territory Labor politician Ngaree Ah Kit was part of the panel. Australia Day in the NT included a "ute run" convoy from Darwin to nearby Noonamah. The Berry Springs Tavern held thong throwing and pie eating and a "best dressed bogan" competition. Professional fisherman and shooter-turned indigenous affairs minister Nigel Scullion says he is quitting parliament because it is time to retire and not because the Coalition is set to lose government. The 62-year-old Northern Territory Country Liberal Party senator will not recontest this year's election after being elected in 2001. He was handed the indigenous affairs portfolio in 2013. "More than 17 years ago they selected a very ordinary fisherman and sometimes buffalo shooter to go to the senate ... a very ordinary person like me," he told reporters on Saturday. "I've ended up sitting around the decision making table in Australia, I think that's a signal to Territorians and to others that anyone can do anything ... you should stick your hand up as well." The decision had "nothing to do with Scott Morrison" or the government's predicament. As someone who worked as a young man in the Arnhem Land bush with Aboriginal people shooting buffaloes, Senator Scullion saw himself as having a better understanding of many of the issues than "southerner" academics. However critics pointed to the work-for-the-role Community Development Program he fiercely championed as a paternalistic policy that discriminated against Aboriginal people, with harsher financial penalties and obligations than for city people. Indigenous people continue to have far worse health, mortality, literacy and numeracy, child abuse and imprisonment rates. But there have been improvements in mortality rates for Aboriginal babies, education among school leavers and young adults and employment and income. He said he believed the Coalition government had put in place the right processes to improve the plight of Aboriginal people, but acknowledged disadvantage was still a major problem. "You are not going to close a 200-year gap in five years," Senator Scullion said. "We have a better understanding about policies and how we can work together. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have co-designed so much of the work we have done and that is one of the great legacies of the last five years." The prime minister said on Saturday there was "no-one like Nige". He had delivered real jobs to indigenous Australians and "his passion for Indigenous people is unequalled in the parliament," he said. Nationals Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack paid tribute to Senator Scullion for a "unique ability to understand and relate to country people". The powerful Northern Land Council, representing Aboriginal land rights, said the senator had overseen some significant native title claims, including the 52,000ha Kenbi land claim. "Senator Scullion showed a willingness to consult with and listen to the views of Aboriginal people in our region." NLC Chairman Samuel Bush-Blanasi said. A 12-year-old boy has gone missing in Melbourne, sparking a public appeal for help. Rekay Teah was last seen in Thomastown about 4pm on January 22, wearing a black hooded top, red cap and black runners. Police have released an image of the boy, who has been described as 180 cm tall with a medium build and black curly hair that is shaved on the sides. Anyone who sees him or has information on his whereabouts has been urged to contact Epping Police Station. South Australia should be the final resting place for explorer Matthew Flinders after the discovery of his remains in London, SA-BEST says. MP Frank Pangallo says he will write to Premier Steven Marshall and Adelaide Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor calling on them to investigate having the remains of Captain Flinders reinterred either in Adelaide or in another location in SA. "Flinders was one of the greatest explorers whose voyages put this country literally on the map and paved the way for our colonisation, particularly in SA and Tasmania," Mr Pangallo said on Sunday. High rates of Aboriginal incarceration, poor life expectancy and an appalling number Aboriginal children being taken from their families are all issues with their genesis in the dispossession of Australia from its indigenous peoples, a rally in Perth has heard. Several hundred people gathered in the city centre on Saturday to mark what they call "invasion day" Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said January 26 was not an appropriate day for national celebrations but was rather a "day of mourning". "Until Australia acknowledges the truth we cannot be celebrating our nation properly," she said. "This land was stolen from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. "It is time that Australia recognised that this is not an appropriate date." Senator Siewert said Australia needed to properly address the ongoing impact of dispossession and colonisation, including incarceration rates and health issues among indigenous communities. "Those issues are all a clear indication that we are still not doing things right in this country," she said. At least 18 people, including a 17-year-old boy, have been arrested for drug offences at Victoria's Rainbow Serpent Festival. The teenager was arrested for drug trafficking and will appear at a children's court at a later date, while a 25-year-old French woman was also arrested on the same charge and will appear alongside three others in Ballarat Magistrates Court on Tuesday. Sniffer dogs were brought in to the notorious music festival near Ballarat, which saw one young man suffer a suspected drug overdose on Friday. The cast of Rent: Live broke bad news to viewers during its live broadcast on Sunday on Fox. Jordan Fisher and Vanessa Hudgens huddled with the cast as they addressed the audience early in the three-hour broadcast. Vanessa, 30, was the messenger as she revealed that 'Brennin Hunt, our Roger', during Saturday rehearsal 'broke his foot' and 'won't be performing tonight'. Scroll down for video Broken foot: Brennin Hunt, shown in an undated file photo, broke his foot during a Saturday rehearsal for Rent: Live and was unable to perform on Sunday on the Fox show Jordan, 24, told viewers that most of the show would be pre-taped from Saturday's night rehearsal performance and that Brennin would join them for the final number. He then said that the cast and crew had embraced the 'show must go on' mentality and cited late Rent creator Jonathan Larson saying, 'No day but today'. Brennin, 26, took to Instagram Stories on Sunday and shared a video showing a cast on his right foot while his trousers were being altered so he could participate. 'We had to customize these pants because of that thing,' Brennin said pointing to his foot. Social media: Brennin took to social media on Sunday after breaking his foot in rehearsal Altered pants: The actor had to have his trousers altered due to his foot cast 'Breaking my foot last night was not fun, but it's been great being back on set with everybody,' he added. 'I love these people so much. They've showered me with love and kindness, which is the essence of this musical and I am just truly honored and blessed to be part of this Rent family and I hope you guys enjoy tonight,' Brennin said. Brennin suffered the foot injury in rehearsal during the final act, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 'Last night during a live performance of Fox's production of Rent, one of the actors, Brennin Hunt, was injured,' read a statement from Fox. Not fun: The 26-year-old actor said breaking his foot was 'not fun' but he was glad to be back with the cast 'But in the spirit of Rent, everyone producers and cast, original and current is dedicated to ensuring that tonights broadcast must, and will, go on,' the statement concluded. There are no understudies for the primary cast members, which includes Vanessa, Tinashe and Kiersey Clemons, but Fox has confirmed that they were using recorded portions from Saturday's rehearsal during the live broadcast. Fox statement: 'Last night during a live performance of Fox's production of Rent, one of the actors, Brennin Hunt, was injured,' read a statement from Fox During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, director Alex Rudzinski spoke about their 'back-up plan' in case something goes wrong. 'What we do have is a backup recording from the night [before],' Rudzinski said during the production's press day. 'So the night before we do a full dress rehearsal on camera to tape, so should the metaphorical meteor hit the studio, we can switch to that back up recording, and it's with an audience, and so there is a degree of back up there.' Backup plan: Brennin, shown earlier this month in Los Angeles, did not have an understudy He added that they had a similar back-up for 2016's Grease: Live, which he also directed, which they had to use, briefly. 'Actually, I think on Grease, we lost sound for eight seconds and we switched. I think we had to switch to the back up for eight seconds, and no one noticed. Reporters from THR were present when the injury took place, revealing that the injury actually took place during the final commercial break, when the actor was not on stage. Rent cast: Michael Greif, the stage director best known for Broadway sensation Dear Evan Hansen, told the over 1,000 people assembled that Hunt had 'rolled his ankle' Michael Greif, the stage director best known for Broadway sensation Dear Evan Hansen, told the over 1,000 people assembled that Hunt had 'rolled his ankle.' Greif said that Hunt had wanted to complete the performance, which only had approximately 15 minutes left when the injury took place. Hunt competed in The X-Factor and appeared in Nashville. He is playing the part in Rent originated by Adam Pascal. The high-energy rock musical celebrates survival among the artists and homeless of New York's East Village. It contains the memorable songs Seasons of Love and Another Day. She relocated with her family from Melbourne to Italy earlier this month. And radio personality Kate Langbroek, 53, revealed the first glimpse of her new life in Bologna on Monday. Taking to Instagram, she shared a photo of her apartment's exterior, alongside the caption: 'On this Australia Day holiday, who can see our Vegemite in our Italian window?' She's not in St Kilda anymore! Kate Langbroek offered a glimpse at her modest new life in Italy on Monday by sharing this photo of her apartment window Indeed, eagle eyed fans were able to notice a familiar yellow and red container sitting behind one whitewashed windowpane. A day earlier, the mother-of-four shared another photo of herself, husband Peter Lewis and their children walking through the streets of Bologna. 'First day walking to school... 0 degrees... #sixtakeitaly,' Kate wrote in the caption. The Langbroek family made their big international move on Sunday, just days after Kate admitted she wasn't entirely sure why she was doing it in the first place. 'First day walking to school': A day earlier, the mother-of-four shared another photo of herself, husband Peter Lewis and their children walking through the streets of Bologna Bologna bound! Kate and her family (pictured) made their big international move on Sunday Appearing on The Project last Wednesday, Kate confessed: 'I can't tell you why because I've got NFI [no f**king idea].' She added: 'But at the time it seemed like a good idea that we would take our four children and got to live in Italy for a year. 'Why? I don't know. I'm hanging by a thread.' 'I'm hanging by a thread': Last Wednesday, Kate confessed on The Project that she had no idea why she was heading overseas for a year Still got her job! Kate will continue to host the Hughesy & Kate radio show from a studio in Italy Kate will continue to host the Hughesy & Kate radio show from a studio in Italy. She was going to resign from her job, but her colleague Dave Hughes, 48, encouraged her to keep working. 'The reason that we left KIIS FM [at the end of 2017] was because I only wanted to sign a one-year contract because I knew that we wanted to go and live overseas this year,' Kate told News.com.au last Monday. While she assumed she would have to quit working in the Australian media, Dave told her, 'You're crazy, we've got to keep doing the show.' He's remained in the public eye after a broken engagement and suicide threats marred the end of 2018. And Pete Davidson joked about a prior rehab stint in Park City during a press event with pal Machine Gun Kelly at the Sundance Film Festival on Monday morning. The 25-year-old comedian said it was nice not being in rehab before swigging a beer during a sit down with the cast of his latest flick, Big Time Adolescence. Friends: Pete Davidson joked about a prior rehab stint in Park City during a press event with pal Machine Gun Kelly at the Sundance Film Festival on Monday morning 'I love Park City, Utah because the last time I was here I was in rehab,' he admitted while holding a Stella Artois. 'So it's nice to be on the other side and it also speaks wonders to your rehab facilities.' Pete poured back his beer before admitting to a stint at the luxury Cirque Lodge facility in Utah. 'Four years ago,'he said. 'It worked out great,' he quipped before taking a sip of his alcoholic beverage. Pete stayed warm in the winter weather with a beige leather jacket and black hooded sweatshirt covered in splatter paint. Sip: The 25-year-old comedian said it was nice not being in rehab before swigging a beer during a sit down with the cast of his latest flick, Big Time Adolescence. 'I love Park City, Utah because the last time I was here I was in rehab,' he admitted while holding a Stella Artois Fashion: Pete stayed warm in the winter weather with a beige leather jacket and black hooded sweatshirt covered in splatter paint His co-star and friend Machine Gun Kelly - real name Richard Colson Baker - opted to wear a black peacoat with forest green fur lining the lapels. The guys could barely hold back their excitement for being at the festival as Kelly flashed the middle finger to fans. The pair star alongside Jon Cryer and Sydney Sweeney in the coming-of-age comedy about a suburban teenager under the destructive guidance of his best friend, an aimless college dropout. Late last year, Pete penned a harrowing message in a now deleted post on Instagram which terrified his friends, family and fans. Out and about: Co-star and friend Machine Gun Kelly - real name Richard Colson Baker - opted to wear a black peacoat with forest green fur lining the lapels Duty calls: The cast of Big Time Adolescence discussed the upcoming film He wrote: 'I really don't want to be on this earth anymore. I'm doing my best to stay here for you but I actually don't know how much longer I can last. All I've ever tried to do was help people. Just remember I told you so.' He ended it with a heart emoji. Following the comment, the New York Police Department sent an officer to SNL's studios in Manhattan to ensure the star was present and not in distress, according to the New York Times. Separately, an NBC staffer called the NYPD to confirm that Davidson was in fact in the building and 'fine.' The cryptic message was posted shortly after Pete and then-fiancee Ariana Grande called off their engagement, a relationship which began just months before. Pete told Teen Vogue in August, 'I've been in and out of mental health facilities since I was nine,' adding he had made a suicide attempt in the past. His father, a New York City firefighter, died during the terrorist attacks on 9/11. They tied the knot on December 1. And Malin Akeman and new husband Jack Donnelly seem to be settling nicely into married life, with the pair going on a family outing to a Los Angeles flea market on Sunday. At one point the 40-year-old Watchmen actress exchanged kisses with both her 33-year-old actor hubby and her five-year-old son Sebastian. Picture perfect: Malin Akeman and new husband Jack Donnelly seem to be settling nicely into married life, with the pair going on a family outing to a Los Angeles flea market on Sunday The Swedish beauty was decked out in head to toe black for the family fun day, pairing a black tank top with dark jeans. On her feet the actress wore black ankle boots and she shielded her eyes behind dark aviator shades. The blonde bombshell's hair fell in waves and she wore it with bangs. Akerman accessorized with a mustard colored suede purse, complete with long tassels and she carried her purchases in a black plastic bag. Back in black: The Swedish beauty was decked out in head to toe black for the family fun day, pairing a black tank top with dark jeans Her English husband seemed to have grown comfortable in his role as a stepfather, as he carried Malin's son in his arms for much of the excursion. Akerman shares Sebastian with her ex-husband, Italian musician Roberto Zincone. Zincone filed for divorce on December 2, 2013 and the Rampage actress married Atlantis actor Jack in 2018 in a Tulum, Mexico beach ceremony. Her hit show The Big Bang Theory is in its final season. Kaley Cuoco looks like she might be making plans for what to do now that her CBS sitcom is wrapping up. The 33-year-old has gotten back in the saddle with competitive horse showing with her husband, Karl Cook by her side. In the saddle: Kaley Cuoco returned to competitive horse showing this weekend with her husband by her side as the two were spotted in La Quinta, California The pair were snapped snuggling up together in La Quinta, California on Monday after both the actress and her husband showed off their horseback riding skills at a competition. Kaley was makeup free with messy helmet hair as she headed to the luxury trailer with her husband and parents. Still dressed in her white riding pants with a baggy white T-shirt, the star slipped out of her boots and into New Balance sneakers. The blonde beauty did not place in the competition her husband Karl did bring home a win. PDA: The couple were caught getting cozy after they each showed horses from their jointly owned company Big Bay City Casual: Kaley was makeup free with messy helmet hair as she headed to the luxury trailer with her husband and parents Kaley is a lover of horses and a competitive horse shower but hasn't competed since last spring. Taking to Instagram, the California native said her return to competition made her a bit 'nervous.' 'I havent shown since May, feeling a bit rusty but so grateful for my amazing horses and awesome team #bigbaycity for always backing me up!' 'I havent shown since May, feeling a bit rusty but so grateful for my amazing horses and awesome team #bigbaycity for always backing me up!' Wow! The blonde beauty did not place in the competition her husband Karl did bring home a win She attended this recent competition with her company Big Bay City which is owned by herself and her husband. The actress shared several shots and videos on her rides on social media and seemed thrilled to be back with her beloved horses. 'My heart is so full! I have not shown my gorgeous Si Bella in over 2 years due to injuries. 'My heart is so full! I have not shown my gorgeous Si Bella in over 2 years due to injuries.' Apprehensive: The CBS star said she was 'nervous' about riding competitively again 'This mare has done amazing things for me, and Im thrilled shes back!!!' Kaley has starred as Penny on Chuck Lorre's brainy juggernaut since 2007. The show is currently airing it's 12th and final season. Natalie Portman did her best to blend in with the masses as she hit the grocery store on Monday. Making an early start, the 37-year-old loaded up on goods in Los Feliz. The mother-of-two dressed down for her outing in blue jeans and a cable knit sweater, wearing a cross-body Dior bag. Stocking up: Natalie Portman is in casual mom mode as she hits the grocery store in jeans and a sweater in Los Angeles on Monday Natalie was seen loading up her car with her purchases before heading home. The Harvard grad and her choreographer husband Benjamin Millepied will celebrate their daughter Amalia's second birthday next month. The Vox Lux actress and the 41-year-old Frenchman - who also have a seven-year-old son Aleph - originally met when he crafted the ballet in Darren Aronofsky's 2010 thriller Black Swan. Natalie has been speaking out about her beliefs in recent months, claiming she was sexualised as a young actress. The actress began her career in the film industry when she was a young teenager and she felt she was sexualised from that age but insists it was 'not her doing' but 'a part of her public identity'. Running errands: Natalie was seen loading up her car with her purchases before heading home She told People magazine: 'I know I was sexualised in the ways that I was photographed or portrayed, and that was not my doing. That becomes a part of your public identity.' She also skipped attending the Genesis Prize Laureate ceremony because she didn't want to 'endorse' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Roseanne Barr hit out at Natalie, following the move. 'It was really sickening, I find her repulsive,' Roseanne snapped. 'She was raised in incredible privilege of safety in the Jewish state and knows nothing about anti-Semitism. She's the darling of the left here, the Jewish left in Hollywood.' The Donald Trump supporter continued: 'She is a complete hypocrite who grew up in safety and privilege, like I said before, and knows nothing about what she speaks of.' Meanwhile, the Star Wars alum will next portray astronaut Lucy Cola in Noah Hawley's sci-fi flick Lucy In The Sky alongside Ellen Burstyn, Jon Hamm, Zazie Beetz, Dan Stevens, and Tig Notaro. From the smile on her face, Blac Chyna was having the time of her life, twerking away by the pool in Hawaii. But the 30-year-old was missing court-scheduled time with daughter Dream to take the trip, according to a report on TMZ. Dream's father Rob Kardashian is said to have only discovered Chyna was out of town when he prepared to drop off their two-year-old on Saturday. MIA: Blac Chyna twerks in Hawaii 'after going awol during her scheduled time with Dream' Out of town: Saturday was the day to hand over Chyna's daughter Dream, but instead the former stripper was out of town The former couple no longer have any direct contact, with Dream's nannies handling drop offs. But after Chyna's nanny failed to respond, Rob reached out to Chyna's management company and eventually discovered she had gone to Hawaii, a source tells TMZ. Videos shared to Instagram show Chyna with her new boyfriend Kid Buu at the Ritz-Carlton in Hawaii. Having fun: Videos shared to Chyna with her new boyfriend Kid Buu at the Ritz-Carlton in Hawaii, where she twerked by the pool in a cabana Dream's mom: Rob and Chyna share 50/50 custody of their daughter, after a highly contentious split and resultant custody battle They are pictured dining on the balcony, before Chyna wears a white lace bodysuit and aggressively twerks in a cabana by the pool. Buu is even seen squeezing Chyna's spots in one image. Rob and Chyna share 50/50 custody of their daughter, after a highly contentious split and resultant custody battle. The two split in December 2016, about one month after the birth of their daughter. Just last week reality star Chyna was visited by police after an anonymous caller claimed she was drunk and neglecting Dream. After investigating the situation, it was determined that no one at the home was drunk and that Dream had been properly cared for, which included a nanny on site for extra help. Shared custody: Dream is seen in an Instagram post by her father, Rob Kardashian Advertisement She revealed her new romance last week, after she was spotted hand-in-hand with the American musician in December. And Iskra Lawrence looked glowing in love as she showcased her sensational curves during a fun beach day in Miami on Monday just hours after revealing she has received 'hate' and 'racism' since confirming her relationship with Philip Payne. The British model, 28, showed off her famous curves in a tiny mint green bikini set with a cropped vest-style top and high-rise bottoms. Loved-up: Iskra Lawrence looked glowing in love as she showcased her sensational curves during a fun beach day in Miami on Monday just hours after revealing she has received 'hate' and 'racism' since confirming her relationship with Philip Payne Iskra styled her newly-dyed silver locks into a relaxed loose hairdo, she added a slick of sun-kissed make-up for her beach babe look. The blonde beauty appeared in her element as she posed up a storm, paddling in the idyllic water and playing fun games on the beach. Iskra later changed into denim gym shorts and a matching crop top as she layered her ensemble with a khaki green jacket over the top. She accessorised her ensemble with white trainers, a gold pendant necklace and a pink baseball cap to complete her look. Stunning: The British model, 28, showed off her famous curves in a tiny mint green bikini set with a cropped vest-style top and high-rise bottoms New look: Iskra styled her newly-dyed silver locks into a relaxed loose hairdo, she added a slick of sun-kissed make-up for her beach babe look The British model later joined the Miami Beach Fire Department as she put on a yellow fire fighter helmet and playfully posed with staff in front of a fire engine. Iskra's beach day comes after she took to Instagram just hours earlier to reveal she has had both 'hate' and 'racism' since confirming her relationship with Philip Payne. The blonde beauty took to her social media platform to share a sweet loved-up picture of herself kissing the handsome American musician. Smitten: She confirmed her new romance last week, after she was spotted hand-in-hand with the American musician in December however the model revealed she has had 'hate' and 'racism' since sharing their relationship Happy: Iskra couldn't stop smiling as she enjoyed a day out on the Miami beach on Monday Having fun: The blonde beauty appeared in her element as she posed up a storm, paddling in the idyllic water and playing fun games on the beach However, in the caption, Iskra revealed that despite receiving 'so much love and support', the couple were also subjected to 'hate and racism'. Encouraging her followers to be kind, the stunning model then shared her own poem promoting kindness. She said: 'Today is #hellotokindness @hellomag Ive had such mixed feelings this week, so much love and support when for the first time in my life I shared my relationship online. Fire fighter: The British model later joined the Miami Beach Fire Department as she put on a yellow fire fighter helmet and playfully posed with staff in front of a fire engine Suits you!: Iskra appeared in her element as she rocked the accessory and even sat inside a fire engine 'But the fears I had came true when @philipapayne and I started receiving targeting hate and racism. So heres a poem Ive written to share my feelings and spread some kindness - I hope you will share it too.' She then shared her poem followed by the hashtags: '#loveislove #philipandiskra #interracialcouple #relationshipgoals #couplegoals #happiness #love #bestfriends #poetry #kindness #bekind #endracisim.' Isrka confirmed her relationship with her new beau last week, as she made things Instagram official with a gushing, romantic post shared in celebration of his birthday. Strike a pose: The British model playfully posed with staff in front of a fire engine as she put her arm in the air In the image, the British beauty is seen wearing a green floral bikini as she gazes lovingly into her partner's eyes as they stand together in a field of sunflowers. Captioning the image, she wrote: 'We were robbed of the opportunity to announce our relationship on our own terms because of pap pics posted online (Im so sorry to anyone we didnt get to tell beforehand). 'But this is our love story and for the first time ever Im posting my man...even though its scary allowing something so pure and private to be out in social media for the whole world to pick apart and judge, I dont care and I want to share us with the world.' She continued: 'My @philipapayne happy birthday and even though you know how so feel I thank God everyday for you. Im so happy you found me. This love is easy and free and brings out the best in us. 'I wont get to mushy but Im excited for our future and this next year of life I know will be your and our best yet! Im ready to support, grow and create new memories with you, love you so much P.' Acknowledging the photographer of the heartwarming snap, she concluded: 'PS thank you so much for capturing this moment @andrewbuda its truly magical.' Iskra was first spotted with Phillip at the start of December, where she was seen walking hand-in-hand with him in between her busy photoshoot schedule. The couple could be seen sweetly kissing one another's hands during their leisurely stroll, with the model donning bright sandals and a blue fleece for the occasion. While later that week, Iskra and Phillip shared a warm embrace and kiss in between a different beach shoot in Miami. Leaving on a jet plane: Last week, she shared a snap from the airport, as she jetted off from Philip's base in Austin, Texas, to head to Paris The beauty was born in Worcestershire, England and she was accepted into the National Youth Theatre at the young age of 15. She was also a competitive swimmer on the national level at the same age. The influential model has long been an advocate for posting photos on social media and other platforms without the use of Photoshop or other digital enhancements. Not only does she refuse to have her photographs enhanced, but she actively calls out body shamers on social media. Iskra also appeared in the 2017 documentary Straight Curve that focused on body image and presented a TEDx talk entitled Ending the pursuit of perfection at the University of Nevada in 2017. The multi-talented star is a global role model for Aerie, American Eagle's lingerie line, and she made her New York Fashion Week debut in 2016 for Chromat. Jonathan Rhys Meyers has revealed he's the 'happiest he's ever been' since starting a family with wife Mara Lane. The Tudors actor, 41, and his striking other half welcomed their first child, a son named Wolf Rhys, in December 2016. Previously, Mara credited the Irish star for 'being a natural' when it comes to fatherhood in the months that followed Wolf's birth. Happy: Jonathan Rhys Meyers has revealed he's the 'happiest he's ever been' since starting a family with wife Mara Lane Now speaking to the Irish Independent, the Cork native, who was supporting 25 years of Irish children's charity Barretstown, explained that welcoming his first child has given him a new perspective on life. He said: 'I'm much happier than I have ever been. Once you have your first child, you become the past. We're all busy giving out to ourselves and driving ourselves forward. A child gives you a new perspective on life.' Aside from discussing fatherhood, the Bend It Like Beckham actor got his start in acting aged just 16 after a casting agent spotted him in a pool hall in Cork while looking for boys to star in Irish film classic, The War of The Buttons. Although the opportunity passed him by, the casting agents encouraged him to pursue a career on the silver screen. Fatherhood: The Cork native explained that welcoming his first child has given him a new perspective on life Family: The Tudors actor, 41, and his striking other half welcomed their first child, a son named Wolf Rhys, in December 2016 Now reflecting on his early start in acting, Jonathan insisted that he wasn't young starting out compared with some child stars, but believes the acting industry is a 'grown-up' world and not one he will be pushing his son into. He continued: 'It is a grown-up world - and I do love working with kids, kids bring something special - but I wouldn't encourage my son to be an actor. 'Of course, I'd tell him "do whatever you want to do", but I wouldn't push it, even though he has been in a short film with me.' 'Natural': Previously, Mara credited the Irish star for 'being a natural' when it comes to fatherhood in the months that followed Wolf's birth All smiles: Jonathan pictured to RTE's The Ray Darcy Show in Dublin on Saturday His comments come months after he vowed to stay sober after being detained following a drunken row with his wife onboard a plane in July. In an interview on Larry King Now, the actor admitted drinking doesn't 'suit' him as he spoke about the incident, which led to him being detained at Los Angeles' LAX airport when his plane touched down on the runway. The Dracula star, who was accompanied by his wife Mara and their one-year-old son on the flight from Peru, recalled: 'My wife and I had been travelling since 3 o'clock in the morning from Peru back to Los Angeles. 'And they gave away our tickets it was just a problem with the airline. We had our baby, who was teething at the time, and it was all kind of frustrating. Delight: He said: 'I'm much happier than I have ever been. Once you have your first child, you become the past' Adding: 'So we eventually got on the flight and my wife went to sleep and I very stupidly decided to order a drink. When my wife found that I'd ordered a drink, she got very, very angry with me because I shouldn't drink. 'It doesn't suit me and I had been sober for a long time.' Jonathan admitted he was 'upset' by his actions but had apologised to all involved in the incident and thanked police for being 'incredibly kind and understanding'. Career: Jonathan believes the acting industry is a 'grown-up' world and not one he will be pushing his son into (Pictured with wife Mara in 2017) He continued: 'And so I felt that mistake and I got upset and I took out an e-cigarette. And the airline staff told me that I wasn't allowed to smoke an e-cigarette so I put it away. 'Then I spoke to the Los Angeles police once we got there, who were incredibly kind. Incredibly understanding. I apologised for my behaviour, and that's the entire story.' Jonathan's battle with alcoholism has been well documented over the years and he is believed to have had six stints in rehab - first checking into a rehab centre in Malibu in 2005 seeking treatment for alcohol abuse, before returning two years later in 2007. Mara revealed in 2017 that she had suffered a miscarriage with the couple's second child. Back on track: Jonathan has vowed to stay sober after being detained following a drunken row with his wife Mara (pictured above) onboard a plane in July At the time, she had shared a video of the moment she was told her baby had no heartbeat - telling fans that she and Jonathan wanted to be 'transparent' with their grief and help others in similar situations. She revealed that the couple chose to bury their baby, Willow, under a tree at their home. Mara explained: 'I have been given peace and Baby Willow is now planted in the tree in front of our home that has weeping long branches and leaves so we can brush our faces in soft leaves in passing or we can see the baby dance with the wind in the branches as they sway. 'It is helping me process the situation as Nature does.' After Carrie traded in her Cosmos, The Dude is swapping his White Russian. Jeff Bridges has joined Sarah Jessica Parker in reviving their most iconic characters for the #PourItForward campaign with Stella Artois. A week after SJP turned back into Carrie Bradshaw for a short video to promote the clean water charity, she's back in her Manolos with the 69-year-old actor as his famous character from The Big Lebowski. #PourItForward: Stella Artois released a new ad with Jeff Bridges as The Dude joining Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw for their clean water campaign on Monday With his long shaggy facial hair, sunglasses and signature woolen sweater, The Dude abides once more for a good cause. In a short video that the two stars shared simultaneously on Instagram, their characters ran into each other over a cold beer in a swanky restaurant. Bridges wrote on Instagram: 'Careful man, there's a beverage here!' '@SarahJessicaParker and I are bringing back some beloved characters with a twist, because thanks to @stellaartois and @water, when you change up the usual you can do good! Learn more at the link in my bio! #Ad #PourItForward' Good cause: Jeff and Sarah Jessica both shared the ad on their respective Instagram pages '@SarahJessicaParker and I are bringing back some beloved characters with a twist, because thanks to @stellaartois and @water, when you change up the usual you can do good!' The video is set to the recognizable instrumental tune present in every episode of Sex and the City and sees a glam Carrie trot into a posh restaurant. Sarah, as her most famous HBO character, was clad in a gold lame dress with a sequin coat and a black fascinator. When the waiter asks if she will have her usual Cosmopolitan, she orders a Stella Artois instead. Shock! In the short video, the two star's characters switch their usual drink orders for a cold beer at a swanky restaurant What?! The restaurant staff stops in their tracks, dropping plates and setting fire to dishes when they hear the orders The band screeches to a halt at hearing the order - plates and jaws are likewise dropped and the kitchen practically goes up in flames. Cue The Dude. As the music switches, Bridges shuffles in wearing his characters signature sweater, sweats and sandals as he steps over the broken plates and sidles up to the bar. Charity: Last week SJP released her first ad recreating the opening sequence to Sex and the City for Stella 'Carrie may have changed drinks, but it's for the cause,' Sarah Jessica wrote on Instagram when she posted the video. He asks the bartender: 'Wild night, huh?' 'White Russian,' queried the bar keep expecting The Dude to order his usual. 'No, Gary give me a Stella Ar-toes,' The Dude answered, butchering the foreign name. Back in his element: Bridges shuffles in wearing his characters signature sweater, sweats and sandals as he steps over the broken plates and sidles up to the bar The Dude: The actor even stepped back into some jelly sandals for the spot Bridges wrote on Instagram: 'Careful man, there's a beverage here!' Shock rippled through the restaurant once more as The Dude took a seat nearby Carrie. 'Excuse me,' Carrie said to The Dude with a tap on his shoulder. 'Good choice.' 'The Dude abides,' Bridges quipped to camera. The usual? Like Carrie and her Cosmos, The Dude always drank White Russians 'White Russian,' the bartender asked the actor. 'Carrie may have changed drinks, but it's for the cause,' Sarah Jessica wrote on Instagram when she posted the video. 'Thanks to @stellaartois and @water, when you change up the usual you can do so much good by helping give access to clean water to someone in need. 'Join me (and Carrie) and @thejeffbridges and help Pour It Forward. X, Sj #Ad #PourItForward' 'No, Gary give me a Stella Ar-toes,' The Dude answered, butchering the foreign name. (seen here on the left from The Big Lebowski) 'The Dude abides,' Bridges quipped to camera citing his most famous line. Last week she released an ad with the company that recreated the opening sequence of her iconic HBO series for the clean water campaign. The Belgian beer purveyor partnered with the Matt Damon helmed charity Water.orgto launch their #PourItForward program in 2015. Water.org gives access to clean water to 1.7 million people in the developing world and has a goal of doubling that number by 2020. Stella Artois: The Belgian beer purveyor partnered with the Matt Damon helmed charity Water.orgto launch their #PourItForward program in 2015 They were first wed in a massive three-day celebration in her home country of India. But Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas just couldn't get enough of the loved-up celebrations as they hosted another wedding at his family's restaurant in North Carolina on Sunday evening. The 36-year-old actress dazzled in a strapless white gown while Jonas, 26, opted for a more casual dark green button-up as the pair brought their families together once again to toast to their union at Nellie's Southern Kitchen. Happy couple: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas just couldn't get enough of the loved-up celebrations as they hosted another wedding at his family's restaurant in North Carolina on Sunday evening Her tea-length white dress was emblazoned with sparkling crystals and she donned a pair of silver strappy heels. Nick was all-smiles wearing a dark green shirt and black slacks as he held onto his wife's hand while the couple walked into the venue. Priyanka shared a sweet photo of her family from the festivities before thanking her in-laws for their hospitality. 'Thank you @nelliessoutherkitchen @mamadjonas @papakjonas for a wonderful reception! We love you,' she wrote. 'This was amazing.' Bride: Her tea-length white dress was emblazoned with sparkling crystals and she donned a pair of silver strappy heels The gang's all here! The 36-year-old actress dazzled in a strapless white gown while Jonas, 26, opted for a more casual dark green button-up as the pair brought their families together once again to toast to their union at Nellie's Southern Kitchen Celebration: In addition to classic hair and makeup, Priyanka's best accessory was a bright white smile The couple's signature NP logo was splashed throughout the venue with a sign posted 'Congratulations Nick and Priyanka.' Nick's older brother reportedly sang at the soiree, performing Cake by the Ocean with his band DNCE. Nearly two months ago, Nick and Priyanka tied the knot in a lavish wedding celebration beginning at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur on Dec. 1. Following her cultural traditions, they were married yet again in an Indian ceremony at the palace. It's in the family: Nick's older brother reportedly sang at the soiree, performing Cake by the Ocean with his band DNCE Details: The couple's signature NP logo was splashed throughout the venue with a sign posted 'Congratulations Nick and Priyanka.' Sweet: Nick later shared a photo cuddled up to his 'precious niece Valentina' on Instagram Stunning! Nearly two months ago, Nick and Priyanka tied the knot in a lavish wedding celebration beginning at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur on Dec. 1 Bride and groom: Chopra wore a gorgeous embroidered skirt and long-sleeved blouse for the first reception in Delhi; seen in December Chopra wore a gorgeous embroidered skirt and long-sleeved blouse for the first reception in Delhi. Her mother threw another reception for the couple in Mumbai where Priyanka donned a massive diamond necklace by Sabyasachi Mukherji, who also designed her jewelry for her Indian wedding ceremony. 'I love that our wedding was a religious mash-up,' Chopra told PEOPLE magazine. 'We took beautiful traditions that we both grew up with and personalized them in a way that made sense for us. It's been incredible to find the commonalities between our beliefs and figuring out how to blend them in a respectful and meaningful way.' Jonas reportedly proposed to his lady love on her 36th birthday in July, nearly two months after the pair became an item. Show-stopper: Her mother threw another reception for the couple in Mumbai where Priyanka donned a massive diamond necklace by Sabyasachi Mukherji, who also designed her jewelry for her Indian wedding ceremony A source supposedly close to Megan Barton Hanson has claimed she and Wes Nelson split because 'their sex life was suffering' thanks to his grueling Dancing On Ice rehearsal regime. The Sun has reported that Megan's pal said: 'Their relationship moved too quickly they couldnt keep up with it. One minute they were on [Love Island] together and the next Wes is moving out of his family home to live in a London flat with her. 'It all became very intense and whats worse is that their sex life started to suffer. As soon as Wes started to train for Dancing on Ice he became too tired for anything in the evening. No sex in the city? A source supposedly close to Megan Barton Hanson has claimed she and Wes Nelson split because 'their sex life was suffering' thanks to his grueling Dancing On Ice rehearsal regime 'Theres a four-year age difference between them too that coupled with the threat of Vanessa [Bauer] and all the time her and Wes were spending together there was no hope.' Vanessa - Wes' pro skating partner - has been a bone of contention for Megan since Wes was paired up with her. Yet, despite posting a bitter Instagram story last week accusing Vanessa of being cold towards her, Megan had denied that this was the reason she and Wes split up last week. She was seen on Monday out and about, having reportedly cancelled an appearance on Heart FM one hour prior, after admitting she has 'one molecule of serotonin.' Bouncing back: The Love Island star, 24, made a bold statement in red dungarees and matching lipstick, as she chatted on her phone while stepping out of her home But she looked to be in good health as she stepped out of her London home, making a bold statement in red dungarees. The Love Island star, 24, stepped out having cancelled the interview, seen hours before cheering on ex Wes in the Dancing On Ice audience the previous night. Oozing 90s chic, Megan was difficult to miss as she stepped out in the red one-piece, teaming it with a black turtleneck and grey padded jacket. The Essex beauty was preoccupied by a chat on her phone as she matched her bright red lipstick to the look, pulling her blonde tresses into a high ponytail. Low-key: Megan finished her look with a grey padded jacket and white trainers, with her blonde tresses pulled up in to a high ponytail Bouncing back: Megan's outing came after it was reported she had pulled out of the radio interview, with sources claiming she was 'really unwell' Romantic woes: Despite her sickness, Megan was seen supporting ex Wes Nelson in the Dancing On Ice audience on Sunday Over: The Essex beauty appeared to be struggling with her split from Wes (pictured above last week) after announcing they had split on Saturday Heart FM radio host Jamie Theakston spoke about her cancellation, hinting he though she might have got cold feet: 'I feel for her, I hope she gets better...she looked fine on the show last night.' Co-host Lucy Hoborin replied: 'Do you know what, sometimes you can put your face on and look fabulous but inside you don't feel great. 'If she's had the week she's had, she could just be doing that brave face but then wake up in the morning and just go, "You know what, I just can't face today". 'And if that's the case, Megan we wish you all the best and hope to get you on the show soon.' Cancelled: The interview at Heart FM would have been the first since Megan announced the break-up but the Essex beauty pulled out at the last minute claiming she's 'really unwell' Not up to it: Heart FM radio host Lucy said said: 'If she's had the week she's had, she could just be doing that brave face but then wake up in the morning and just go, "You know what, I just can't face today" MailOnline contacted Megan's representatives for comment at the time. Megan uploaded a meme on Instagram alluding to her low mood. It read: 'That one molecule of serotonin trying to keep me going throughout the day'. Despite feeling low, the reality starlet supported her ex beau during his romantic performance with his partner Vanessa Bauer at Sunday's Dancing On Ice. During her split statement, Megan announced that she still intended to support Wes at he took to the rink with her rival Vanessa. Supportive: Despite feeling low, the reality starlet supported her ex beau during his romantic performance with his partner Vanessa Bauer at Sunday's Dancing On Ice Mature: During her split statement, Megan announced that she still intended to support Wes at he took to the rink with her rival Vanessa Sweet treat: Megan and her posse ensured that they showed what a good time they were having at the show, sharing clips of themselves gorging on doughnuts after the show Broken-hearted: Megan uploaded a meme on Instagram alluding to her low mood. It read: 'That one molecule of serotonin trying to keep me going throughout the day' Megan and her posse ensured that they showed what a good time they were having at the show, sharing clips of themselves dancing in the crowd before gorging on doughnuts after the show. Wes was reportedly left feeling on edge after Megan revealed she would still be attending Dancing On Ice, fearing she would confront Vanessa, who is believed to be at the centre of their split. Megan publicly lashed out at the German skater and described her jealousy towards her on Instagram, claiming that Vanessa hadn't so much as introduced herself to her since the beginning of rehearsals. A source told The Sun: 'Megan's jealousy spiralled out of control and she became fairly obsessive about Vanessa. 'The split isn't particularly friendly and he doesn't understand why she would come down to the show. 'He is really worried Megan will confront Vanessa backstage, and really have it out with her. He is dreading a scene.' The star has had a tough past week, with burglars raiding her home stealing thousands of pounds worth of goods before her relationship with Wes broke down. Megan copied Gywneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's famous 2014 'conscious-uncoupling' announcement to reveal she had parted ways from her Dancing On Ice beau. It was an emotional trip for the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Eva Marcille finally flipped out at Marlo Hampton after weeks of feeling judged by her fellow reality star on Sunday night's episode of RHOA. Then the former Top Model almost had to leave her own bachelorette trip to Tokyo because of the death of her grandfather. Blow up: After weeks of barbed comments from Marlo Hampton, Eva Marcille finally had enough during her bachelorette trip to Tokyo on Sunday night's episode of RHOA The latest episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta saw the women taking on an unusual cultural tour of the Japanese capital eating McDonald's and hitting the red-light district. But bride-to-be Eva, 34, was overwhelmed with tears as she texted home saying she thought she would have to leave early because of tragic news. 'Mom and aunt going to take my grandfather off of his breathing tube in the next few hours,' she dictated into her phone. 'And I just want to go to LA so I can be there with him.' Devastated: Eva didn't focus on her fight with Marlo for long as she learned of the death of her grandfather Heart broken: Eva, 34, was overwhelmed with tears as she texted home saying she thought she would have to leave early because of tragic news News quickly reached her friends who raced from their rooms to hug and support her. 'I told you I told you,' she sobbed as Tanya Sam and then Marlo Hampton arrived first. Marlo who had earlier had a screaming fight with Eva quickly had her laughing, with Eva teasing her: 'How can you be so evil and so beautiful all at the same time?' 'Mom and aunt going to take my grandfather off of his breathing tube in the next few hours,' she dictated into her phone. 'And I just want to go to LA so I can be there with him.' Comfort: After a massive fight, Marlo Hampton was quick to put their issues aside to comfort her castmate Eva asked: 'How can you be so evil and so beautiful all at the same time?' 'Forget the beef, the shade Eva, I'm here for you,' Marlo insisted later. The previous day they had an all-out screaming row after the bride-to-be snapped at her friend's sniping about her image. Marlo, who previously called Eva 'basic' and said she needed '10 pounds off,' this time referred to her 'Birkenstock-wearing ass' when she asked the women to dress 'sexy-casual' for their night out. Had enough: The previous day they had an all-out screaming row after the bride-to-be snapped at her friend's sniping about her image Fighting words: Marlo, who previously called Eva 'basic' and said she needed '10 pounds off,' this time referred to her 'Birkenstock-wearing ass' 'Don't come for my flats, my flats is still Chloe and Fendi and all of those type things,' Eva insisted, calling them '$1,200 flip-flops.' 'Everything you've worn on the runway is in my closet,' Marlo shot back. 'I didn't have to pull it, and I didn't have to borrow it. 'And you can't fit one on the runway now.' 'And you fit it when? Never,' Eva replied. 'The way your ass is set up you could never model.' 'Don't come for my flats, my flats is still Chloe and Fendi and all of those type things,' Eva insisted, calling them '$1,200 flip-flops.' 'Everything you've worn on the runway is in my closet,' Marlo shot back. The other women all seemed to think Eva won the words, with Kandi saying she was 'killing it' and Cynthia saying: 'She chopped Marlo up like a spiced tuna roll.' Dissecting the fight later, Eva said: 'My security does not lie in labels, and Ive been in fashion for years. It feels like she's upset that it takes her so much effort and me so little effort to look fly,' But Marlo insisted of her: 'You wear Target, sweetheart, OK. I wear designer every day. My toothbrush is designer.' Marlo insisted of her: 'You wear Target, sweetheart, OK. I wear designer every day. My toothbrush is designer.' The other women all seemed to think Eva won the words, with Kandi saying she was 'killing it' and Cynthia saying: 'She chopped Marlo up like a spiced tuna roll.' Eva later joined fellow former-model Cynthia in showing off their best runway looks as they walked hand-in-hand through the red light district. 'You might call it a street. But we're models we call anything a runway,' she said. The women, who previously complained about the food in Japan, could not hide their excitement when they were brought McDonald's Big Macs, french fries, and apple pies in their bus. 'Praise Him! Finally, some real food,' Kandi Burruss, 42, said, with Porsha Williams, 37, agreeing: 'Woohoo bring on the Big Mac.' Time away: The RHOA cast was across the world to celebrate Eva's bachelorette trip Mac attack: The posh women of the ATL turned their noses up at the Japanese cuisine and headed to McDonalds Kandi complained again the next night where they were served sushi after watching Geishas perform. 'I better be fine as wine when I get back to the U.S. because clearly, I did not eat.' The headed to the red light district, with Kandi, for one, disappointed in the lack of x-rated action. 'I was hoping to get some inspiration for my variety show, and I thought that I was gonna see a lot of girls looking good, rubbing on each other,' she said. Over it: Kandi complained again the next night where they were served sushi after watching Geishas perform High notes: Kandi Buress found a familar tune from her group Xscape at a karaoke bar and delighted the crowd by belting it out 'This is definitely not Amsterdam.' But she created some culture of her own finding a song by her band Xscape in a karaoke bar. 'Oh my God! They have Understanding in here,' she said, filming her friends singing her hit song before hitting some serious high notes for her own slot. NeNe threw shade in a confessional, saying: 'I love that song. Every time I hear that I can't believe that Kandi's on the track. As in I don't hear her voice.' NeNe threw shade in a confessional, saying: 'I love that song. Every time I hear that I can't believe that Kandi's on the track. As in I don't hear her voice.' Stress: Nene struggled during the trip as she had a hard time getting a hold of her husband who is battling cancer Kandi, however, insisted; 'Isn't this the perfect song for us to sing right now, with all the arguing... You're welcome, ladies. Xscape has brought you back together in perfect harmony.' NeNe had had to walk away from the ladies at one point because she was so overwhelmed with being able to reach husband Gregg, still battling ongoing battle with cancer. 'I just feel like they don't get it. They just don't understand everything I'm dealing with right now,' she complained to camera. 'I just feel like they don't get it. They just don't understand everything I'm dealing with right now,' she complained to camera. 'They all think, "She's super strong. she'll be OK." 'I'm crashing. That's all I'm crashing.' She was shown failing to get through to her husband, admitting: 'I'm really annoyed with Gregg because I'm a communicator. And I still can't reach Gregg. I'm about to block his ass.' She also had no time for Tanya who was upset at NeNe's reaction to her during an earlier misunderstanding. Newcomer: Tanya Sam had no time for Nene and her problems as she was upset with her over an earlier incident 'I don't give an eff about your situation,' she told her bluntly. She warned in a confessional: 'NeNe is on life-support at the moment. You don't wanna mess with NeNe. 'NeNe is a PowerBall winner. She ain't what you want.' The Real Housewives of Atlanta will be back on Bravo next Sunday. Filming on series five wrapped just ten days ago. But the Peaky Blinders team are already preparing for series six, with the hit show's creator Steven Knight revealing in a new interview with Slate that he's about to start writing the new scripts. Knight explained that he's feeling full of momentum to continue the story of Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and co. Here we go again! The Peaky Blinders team are already preparing for series six, with the hit show's creator Steven Knight revealing that he's about to start writing the new scripts Explaining why the BBC show is so important to him, Knight explained: 'Peaky is a very personal thing for me because its based on stories that I was told as a kid by my parents. At the very beginning, I tried to have other writers involved but it just didnt work. 'Theres no writers room, or any other writer involved. I write everything from beginning to end. Maybe its just me not being able to let go of something, especially with Peaky. I cant let it go.' Knight, who also co-created quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire, continued: 'Im about to start writing season 6 now and if all the wheels fall off, or it goes horribly wrong, theres probably people that will say something. But at this moment, it has its own logic and momentum. Right now, it feels as if the characters are just writing themselves.' Writing: Knight explained: 'I'm about to start writing season 6 now... at this moment, it has its own logic and momentum. Right now, it feels as if the characters are just writing themselves' It had been rumoured Peaky Blinders' fifth series could be its last, with Deadline reporting the upcoming series will see the story of the Shelby clan 'come to a conclusion'. However, Knight confirmed in May last year, that the gangster drama will come to a close after the seventh season. He told Digital Spy: 'My ambition is to make it a story of a family between two wars, so always I've wanted to end it with the first air raid siren in Birmingham in 1939. It'll take three more series [to reach that point].' It's a wrap: A post on the BBC drama's official Twitter account on January 17 confirmed that filming fro series would conclude the next day, with the post accompanied by a moody photo of show star Cillian Murphy and director Anthony Byrne There's also been rumours of a big screen outing for the series, as one of the show's director's claimed it is being made into a movie. Otto Bathurst, who directed three episodes in season one of the gritty gangster drama, said Knight is currently writing a script. A post on the BBC drama's official Twitter account on January 17 confirmed that filming would conclude the next day, with the post accompanied by a moody photo of show star Cillian Murphy and director Anthony Byrne on day one of production. Sneak peek: An explosive look at the show's new season was given in a gritty trailer released earlier this month The caption read: 'Tomorrow we wrap filming series 5 of #PeakyBlinders. Heres a throwback to Cillian and director Anthony Byrne on the first day of filming, all those months ago. #ThrowbackThursday.' The drama is set to be released at some point in 2019 - with show bosses keeping coy over the exact air date. Fans quickly went wild over the news, and flocked to social media to share their delight. One wrote: 'IM SO EXCITED OMG' while another added: 'best series ever made!' Comeback: Fans quickly went wild over the news, and flocked to social media to share their delight Another added: 'Just hurry up already' with one fan writing: 'been waiting too long!' With a flurry of excited memes, another follower wrote: 'I'm ready for it, can't come soon enough!' While the drama is set in Birmingham, filming has taken place across Manchester in recent months. Series five is set in the aftermath of the 1929 Wall Street Crash, with creator Steven Knight revealing: 'The story of the Peaky Blinders and of the Shelby family gets woven into the political fabric of Britain and Europe as the 1920s end and the thirties begin. 'Tommy Shelby faces the darkest force he has ever faced and his struggle is as relevant today as it was then.' Peaky Blinders fans were given their first look at season five in a BBC drama trailer which aired on New Year's Day ahead of an expected Spring 2019 air date. While the one minute clip featured snippets of Killing Eve, Line of Duty and Luther, it was the brief but explosive tease of Peaky Blinders which has really got fans talking. Line up: Series five is set in the aftermath of the 1929 Wall Street Crash (pictured Joe Cole, Cillian and Paul Anderson) Cillian Murphy, who plays Thomas Shelby in the BBC One series, is seen in a number of blink and you'll miss it scenes in the trailer, including the aftermath of what looks like a deadly car explosion. Seconds after a shot of a burning car is shown, Tommy is seen looking distraught as he appears to cradle a body in his arms. Annie Harrison-Baxter will produce the new series, which sees the welcome return of a host of familiar characters following a vicious gang war. There will also be some new faces joining the cast, including Sam Claflin and Split actress Anya Taylor-Joy. The drama will also make the big move from BBC Two to BBC One following the huge success of the first four series. She gave birth to a baby boy in June. And Candice Swanepoel showed off her stunning figure for a photoshoot to promote her swimwear line Tropic of C on Instagram Sunday evening. The 30-year-old model displayed her long legs in a high-cut swimsuit as she posed in the stunning rock formations at famed Antelope Canyons in Arizona. Gorgeous: Candice Swanepoel showed off her stunning figure for a photoshoot to promote her swimwear line Tropic of C on Instagram Sunday evening Wearing nothing but a skin-toned bathing suit, Candice went barefoot and blended right into the unique canyons. Her long blonde hair was worn in natural waves and cascaded down her back for a series of poses in the great outdoors. 'Ive always taken inspiration from nature,' she captioned one of the photos. 'Its where I can recharge and find peace within all the noise....This place was special. 'You can feel the history in its formations,' she added. 'Nature is perfect and deep. Well at least for me it is.' Beautiful: The 30-year-old model displayed her long legs in a high-cut swimsuit as she posed in the stunning rock formations at famed Antelope Canyons in Arizona Natural: Wearing nothing but a skin-toned bathing suit, Candice went barefoot and blended right into the unique canyons She shared a few behind-the scenes clips roaming through the National Park location scouting in her Instagram stories. Swanepoel walked through the desert wearing crisp white pants paired with a loose blouse and a patchwork satchel across her shoulder. The mother-of-two completed her boho-chic ensemble with a wide-brim leather hat and appeared to be makeup-free as she 'found the perfect location.' Earlier in the week, she modeled a navy blue one-piece from her sustainable swimwear brand. Scouting: Swanepoel walked through the desert wearing crisp white pants paired with a loose blouse and a patchwork satchel across her shoulder Sun-seeker: Earlier in the week, she modeled a navy blue one-piece from her sustainable swimwear brand Mom: Meanwhile, Candice previously admitted that raising two young children is 'pretty intense' - but it's also an experience she's relishing Meanwhile, Candice previously admitted that raising two young children is 'pretty intense' - but it's also an experience she's relishing. She walked the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - which aired this months - after welcoming her son in June. The model - who also has son Anaca, two - has revealed the secrets to her pre-show preparations, saying she combines a strict fitness regime with the everyday stresses of parenting. She quipped: 'Taking care of two kids will get you in shape real quick.' On top of looking after her children, the South African star also did about three to four workouts per week - which included training with ankle weights and doing squats - in preparation for this year's show. She's been showcasing her fancy footwork during Strictly Come Dancing's live tour, which sees the stars perform across the nation. And Karen Clifton treated herself to a pampering session as she joined fellow pros Janette Manrara and Luba Mushtuk at Liverpool's Titanic Hotel on Monday, ahead of their performance in the city on Tuesday. The Venezuelan dancer, 36, set pulses racing as she displayed her gym-honed physique in a scanty grey two-piece while tapping into relaxation mode in a sauna. Pamper session: Karen Clifton took a break from Strictly's live tour as she joined fellow pros Janette Manrara and Luba Mushtuk at a spa in Liverpool's Titanic Hotel on Monday Exhibiting her toned frame, the TV personality caught the eye in her barely-there ensemble, embellished with faint stripes. Kevin Clifton's ex wife displayed her radiant complexion as she went make-up free while posing up a storm in the steam-filled room. Luba, 29, and Janette, 35, followed suit as they also showed off their enviable frames in skimpy black bikinis. Cooling off: The Venezuelan dancer, 36, set pulses racing as she displayed her gym-honed physique in a scanty grey two-piece while tapping into relaxation mode in a sauna Taking a break: The TV personality, Russian dancer Luba, 29, and Janette, 29, appeared to be in the lap of luxury as they enjoyed a swim in the hotel The Strictly tour kicked off on Friday 18 January in Birmingham and finishes on Sunday 10 February in London, the tour also takes place in Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow and Nottingham. Meanwhile, Karen has been in a relationship with David Webb, 34, since February, shortly before she announced her split from husband Kevin Clifton after three years of marriage. The couple's relationship is going from strength-to-strength after she took him home to New York to spend Christmas with her mother. Kevin was crowned winner of this year's Strictly Come Dancing with documentary maker Stacey Dooley, 31, in December - marking the first time he had ever taken home the Glitterball trophy. Wow: The skilled star has been showcasing her fancy footwork during Strictly's live tour, which sees the cast perform across the nation Love life: Meanwhile, Karen has been in a relationship with David Webb, 34, since February, shortly before she announced her split from husband Kevin Clifton after three years of marriage Despite the couple's split, Kevin told BBC Radio 2s Chris Evans in July: 'We wanted to let everyone know that privately were not together anymore, but professionally we are stronger than ever. 'Dance has always been the thing dance is how we came together and has been the glue that held us together for years now'. He added: 'Were still the best of friends, weve got a lot of love and respect for each other, I still pretty much see Karen every day.' Prior to her union with Kevin, Karen was married to her former dance partner Matthew Hauer until 2009. Freida Pinto has vowed to never work with Woody Allen again. The 83-year-old director has long been accused of sexually abusing his ex-partner Mia Farrow's adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in 1992 when she was just seven years old, and the allegations have resurfaced in the wake of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements. Woody has always strongly refuted the allegations and has accused his ex Mia of inventing the story to hurt his reputation. In June he said, 'I think in any situation where anyone is accused of something unjustly, this is a sad thing,' he said. No go: Freida Pinto has vowed to never work with Woody Allen again. Seen in 2010 in Canada On set: Frieda, 34, played the character Dia in Allen's 2010 drama comedy You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger At the end of 2018, model Babi Christina Engelhardt claimed she'd had an eight-year affair with Woody which began back in October 1976 when he was 41 and she was just 16. Frieda, 34, played the character Dia in Allen's 2010 drama comedy You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, however, she would not work with him again as she wants to show solidarity with those who have spoken out against the filmmaker and stated she's sticking to what her 'gut instinct' tells her. In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, she said: 'No absolutely not. I wouldn't work with him because I'm in solidarity with women who have come out with their stories, whether they are proven or not. I'm just going to stick to what my gut instinct tells me.' Her big role: In the film she worked with Josh Brolin; here they are seen at a cafe Celebrities such as Penelope Cruz, who starred in two of Allen's films, have also said they would not work with him again. She told Vanity Fair that the decades-old allegations should be revisited. 'The only answer that I can give you with common sense that is not about a headline is, the case has to be looked at again,' said Cruz, who worked alongside Allen on the set of Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The drama from the 25-year-old accusation has only continued thanks to a recent letter Allen's son wrote in defense of his father. Moses Farrow wrote a detailed blog post insisting that Allen did not molest Dylan and accusing their mother of being abusive and manipulative. Moses, 39, was adopted by Mia Farrow from South Korea in 1980, and Allen adopted him as well in 1992, along with Dylan. Mother and daughter: Dylan Farrow (L) and Mia Farrow attend 2016 Time 100 Gala, Time's Most Influential People In The World red carpet in NYC Just a few months later, Mia and Woody ended their 12-year relationship after it emerged that the filmmaker was having an affair with Mia's adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, who is 35 years his junior. During a bitter custody battle that ensued between Mia and Allen, allegations arose that the Manhattan director sexually assaulted Dylan when she was seven years old. Allen, who went on to marry Previn in 1997, was investigated over the rape claims but was never charged. He has repeatedly denied the allegations. Farrow won custody of the couple's three children, and Allen was stripped of visitation rights with Dylan. Moses, who now works as a therapist, writes that on August 4, 1992 - the day of the alleged assault - he was present in the family's country house in Bridgewater, Connecticut, and that Allen was never allowed to be alone with Dylan. The way they were: Farrow and Allen, their son Satchel and adopted daughter Dylan 'Along with five kids, there were three adults in the house, all of whom had been told for months what a monster Woody was,' he writes. 'None of us would have allowed Dylan to step away with Woody, even if he tried.' In her 2014 open letter published in the New York Times, which opened Allen to a new round of scrutiny, Dylan, now aged, 32, described in detail the alleged rape in the attic. 'He told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brother's electric train set,' she recalled. 'I remember staring at that toy train, focusing on it as it traveled in its circle around the attic. To this day, I find it difficult to look at toy trains.' But according to Moses, Dylan's vivid narrative is riddled with falsities. He claimed there was no electric train in the attic because it was a cramped, unfinished crawl space where the children were not allowed to play. 'The idea that the space could possibly have accommodated a functioning electric train set, circling around the attic, is ridiculous,' Moses writes. 'Then he sexually assaulted me. He talked to me while he did it, whispering that I was a good girl, that this was our secret, promising that we'd go to Paris and I'd be a star in his movies.' They first met in the '90s while playing onscreen lovers Hayley Vaughan and Mateo Santos on the long-running soap All My Children before eloping in 1996. And Kelly Ripa, 48, and Mark Consuelos, 47, showed their romance remains as strong as ever recently, when they were spotted enjoying a beach getaway in Mexico. Live! With Kelly and Ryan host Kelly displayed her lean physique in a skimpy white bikini as she strolled the golden shores of Cabo San Lucas with her hunky husband. South of the border: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos were recently spotted enjoying a romantic getaway in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Mother-of-three Kelly teamed her halterneck two-piece with a wide-brimmed white hat and a pair of oversized sunglasses, opting to forgo any other accessories. Also sporting a hat and shades, Spanish-born Mark displayed his muscular frame by stepping out in just a pair of white shorts. The lovebirds, who are based in New York City, looked relaxed and happy as they left her their luxury accommodations for a leisurely walk along the coastline. Lean: Live! With Kelly and Ryan host Kelly displayed her lean physique in a skimpy white bikini Wide-brimmed hat: Kelly, 48, teamed her halterneck two-piece with a wide-brimmed white hat Shades: The mother-of-three donned oversized sunglasses, opting to forgo other accessories Hunky husband: Also sporting a hat and shades, Spanish-born Mark displayed his muscular frame by stepping out in just a pair of white shorts I will follow: Spanish-born Mark led the way as they wandered along the sun-kissed coastline New Jersey native Kelly has three children with Mark: Michael Joseph, 21, Lola Grace, 17, and Joaquin Antonio, who is set to celebrate his 16th birthday next month. Last summer, beloved TV personality Kelly opened up about her marriage to actor Mark, revealing that it took 'a long time' for their union to be where it is today. She said on the Anna Faris is Unqualified podcast in July: 'This is the thing. It's taken a long time, I say it all the time. I'm certainly not giving him up now that he's perfect. fateful meeting: They first met in the '90s while playing onscreen lovers Hayley Vaughan and Mateo Santos on the long-running soap All My Children before eloping in 1996 Chilling out: Kelly looked relaxed and happy as she soaked up the sunshine with her husband Body of work: The TV personality has long been known for her love of maintaining her fitness Muscular: Mark is also known to embrace working out, and has long boasted a muscular frame Phone home: Kelly kept a grip on her smartphone as the couple wandered into the sunshine 'Because some other woman will come in and be like, "Oh my God, he came this way assembled fully in the box with his batteries in," and I'm like, "No honey, I put that set together, piece by piece."' 'This is what I've found works for me in my marriage with Mark: You're gonna fight. You're gonna have at each other. We're gonna annoy each other and do stuff that irritates each other because we're human beings. 'But at the end of the day, we're loyal to each other, we care about each other deeply. We're good friends and, you know, relationships evolve and we just happen to be lucky enough that we evolved together. We grew together. Our roots became entangled.' Proud parents: New Jersey native Kelly has three children with Mark: Michael Joseph, 21, Lola Grace, 17, and Joaquin Antonio, who is set to celebrate his 16th birthday next month It takes work: Last summer, beloved TV personality Kelly opened up about her marriage to actor Mark, revealing that it took 'a long time' for their union to be where it is today Perfection: She said on the Anna Faris is Unqualified podcast of her marriage, 'This is the thing. It's taken a long time, I say it all the time. I'm certainly not giving him up now that he's perfect' Loyalty: She also said of her union, 'We're loyal to each other, we care about each other deeply' Friends: Kelly added, 'We're good friends and... relationships evolve and we just happen to be lucky enough that we evolved together. We grew together. Our roots became entangled' She's been keeping herself busy as she was recently announced as the face of tanning brand Australian Gold UK. But Jess Wright enjoyed some time off her busy schedule as she braved the cold during her trip to the ski resort Courchevel, Rhone-Alpes, France, over the weekend. Putting on an incredibly daring display in an Instagram snap, the former TOWIE star, 33, striped down to a floral bandeau bikini set while striking a sizzling pose in the snow. 'Snow Wright': Jess Wright put on an incredibly daring display in an Instagram snap on Sunday as she striped down to a floral bandeau bikini set in the snow during her French break The TV personality ensured her toned midsection and lean legs were on full display in her tiny ensemble, which also flashed a hint of her cleavage. Wrapping up against the chill ever so slightly, Jess sported a 2,090 padded coat by Fendi, teamed with fluffy knee-high boots. The brunette beauty wore her tresses in a straight style and opted for neutral-toned make-up as she captioned the image: 'Snow Wright'. Meanwhile, it was recently claimed that Jess enjoyed a flirtation with Irish actor Jack McEvoy at the Nordoff Robbins Legends of Rugby event earlier this month. Down time: The former TOWIE star, 33, has been enjoying some time off her busy schedule during her trip to the ski resort Rhone-Alpes Having fun: The TV personality treated her social media followers to a glimpse at her enviable break The reality star and the Vikings actor, 24, were said to have flirted up a storm, danced the salsa together and even shared a kiss at the star-studded dinner. Jess has been single since splitting from Strictly Come Dancing pro Giovanni Pernice back in April. A source told MailOnline: 'Jess was fawning over Jack all night, they were both very flirtatious with each other. 'They were dancing the salsa and even had a cheeky kiss after exchanging numbers outside the after-party before leaving in separate cabs.' Ooh-la-la: Meanwhile, it was recently claimed that Jess enjoyed a flirtation with Irish actor Jack McEvoy at the Nordoff Robbins Legends of Rugby event earlier this month Look at you: Jack, 24, (L) plays Helgi in History's Vikings and has previously appeared in BBC drama Ripper Street (pictured with pal Elijah Rowen) MailOnline has contacted Jess' representative for comment. Jess previously dated Strictly's Giovanni, 28, last year, with the pair having a five month relationship before splitting with rumours the dancer couldn't handle her popularity. In October, Jess was spotted locked in an explosive feud with her ex-boyfriend Giovanni after the Pride Of Britain Awards. The star was seen screaming at her Strictly star former flame, in a shocking row which saw her brand him 'full of s**t', before she was heard saying: 'You broke my heart, you lied to me'. Ex: She dated Strictly's Giovanni Pernice, 28, last year, with the pair having a five month relationship before splitting with rumours the dancer couldn't 'handle her' popularity He is now dating former Pussycat doll and Strictly finalist Ashley Roberts, 37. That month, the brunette beauty revealed she had started dating again, hinting a relationship with a mystery man in on the horizon. The star teased to MailOnline she had found someone 'really special': 'I am dating, but it is really hard to let someone in, especially because Im such a busy and independent person,' she said. 'Im working, Ive got a big family, so if I bring someone into my life, it has to be someone really special, someone I literally see the rest of my life with, otherwise theres no point. However, I think there could be someone on the horizon, I am dating.' Game of Thrones actress Laura Pradelska has revealed she was forced to disable the comments on her Instagram account after receiving a barrage of anti-Semitic abuse. The star, who returns to the stage for the second run of A Small House at the Edge of the World from February 5th, admits she has been subjected to a series of racist messages on social media due to her Jewish heritage. The abuse has since prompted her to disable comments while paying tribute to her great-grandmother, who was liberated from Auschwitz following the end of World War II across Europe in 1945. Targeted: Laura Pradelska has revealed she was forced to disable the comments on her Instagram account after receiving a barrage of anti-Semitic abuse 'You would be amazed at some of the comments I get,' she told Radio 5 Live's Emma Barnett. 'I must say that I have disabled my comments on my Instagram, simply because my skin wasnt thick enough to take it.' Admitting much of the abuse relates to the Nazi Holocaust and her Jewish roots, she said: 'It does and its mostly to do with Israel and its completely uncalled for because I tend to post pretty pictures, or pictures of rehearsal or of work that I do. 'I am outspoken, and I do work with organisations. That doesnt mean I necessarily have to have a political opinion, and Im not really equipped to go into major discussions.' Popular: The star, best known for her role as Quaithe in Game Of Thrones (pictured), admits she received a series of racist messages on social media In remembrance: On Monday Laura paid tribute to her great-grandmother Klara Stern, who was liberated from the Auschwitz- Birkenau death camp in German occupied Poland in 1945 She added: 'With regard to Twitter, Twitter has a great way of letting me know when comments get very abusive so I have a choice whether to see them or not and whether to comment or not. 'Yes, I do get abuse. Absolutely. Its strange. Its usually also from people that hide behind some sort of strange name.' On Monday morning the actress paid tribute to paternal great-grandmother Klara Stern on Instagram by sharing a photo of a burning candle, but ensured all comments were disabled before publishing. Captioning the post, she wrote: 'In loving memory of my Omi, Klara Pradelski (geb Stern) liberated from Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945. #holocaustmemorial #NeverAgain.' Family: Klara was Laura's great-grandmother on her father's side of the family (pictured with her father in a previous Instagram post) Klara spent time in a forced-labour factory prior to the outbreak of War before discovering her son, who was just seven-months old, and her parents had been murdered by the Nazis. She was later sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau in German occupied Poland, where an estimated 1.1 million people of predominantly Jewish descent were executed between 1940 and 1945. Surviving the death camp following the liberation of Europe, Klara discovered only eight of 120 family members had lived to see the fall of Hitler. Laura's maternal grandmother also survived the holocaust by managing to obtain Aryan papers due to having blonde hair and blue-eyes. More than six million European Jews were murdered during World War II - roughly two-thirds of the Jewish population in Europe at that time. Camilla Thurlow has spoken of her parents' relief at seeing her appear on Love Island in the summer of 2017, rather than returning to her job as a bomb disposal expert in some of the world's most dangerous locations. The humanitarian, 29, worked in landmine clearance in Afghanistan, Cambodia and Azerbaijan prior to her stint on the ITV2 reality show, and credited Love Island with helping her 'reconnect with the world'. Camilla - who found love with male model Jamie Jewitt, 28, on the dating series - revealed she had been 'quite isolated for quite a time' while working in bomb disposal, and wanted to 'reestablish a social life' with people her own age. Tough: Camilla Thurlow has spoken of her parents' relief at seeing her appear on Love Island in summer 2017, rather than returning to work in bomb disposal (pictured in November 2018) The charity worker spoke candidly to The Times about her decision to go on the matchmaking show, which she said came as a 'relief' for her parents after her dangerous career. Camilla said: 'I think it was a relief because I'd just come back from Afghanistan. It was probably nicer for them to hear that I was going on Love Island rather than heading off somewhere else again.' The brunette beauty admitted that despite working in some of the world's most dangerous locations, appearing on Love Island was the was the scariest thing she's ever done. Camilla added: 'It's everything I'm not good at: socialising, relationships, wearing a bikini. At that point in my life I'd been quite isolated for quite a time, so the whole reason I went on the show was to re-establish some kind of social life'. Honest: Camilla - who found love with model Jamie Jewitt, 28 - revealed she had been 'quite isolated for quite a time' while working in bomb disposal (pictured in July 2017) Happy family: She said her parents found it 'nicer to hear' she was going on Love Island after her return from Afghanistan (pictured during Love Island in July 2017) Camilla admitted her decision to go on a reality show was born out of the idea that she would be forced to break down some of the social barriers she'd put up - but added she never expected to find love in the villa. The television personality is now continuing her reality TV run with ITV2 show What Camilla Did Next, which will follow the daily lives of the beauty and boyfriend Jamie while also documenting her return to the minefields of Cambodia. By openly sharing her journey through the country's terrain Camilla hopes it will inspire young women to follow in her footsteps. She said: 'I also hope the show will ask some questions about the role of modern feminism and how that fits into life as we know it now.' Camilla has previously discussed her battle with feeling 'socially dislocated' thanks to her job, which took her out of the country for long periods at a time. Back to her roots: The humanitarian, 29, worked in landmine clearance in Afghanistan, Cambodia and Azerbaijan prior to her stint on the reality show (pictured in December 2018) Love story: Camilla and Jamie are the only couple from the 2017 series of Love Island who remain together (pictured in November 2018) She told Grazia: 'I'd become quite socially dislocated. If you're out of the country for most of the year, it's very difficult to maintain anything... I wanted to confront the fact I didn't have a personal life.' Camilla was initially unlucky-in-love during her stint in the villa, but won over a legion of fans when she stood up for her feminist principles during a debate with her villa partner, Jonny Mitchell - who later dumped her for Tyla Carr. She later said of the row: 'My main concern after that was whether I'd done the cause justice.' The couple eventually split over their row, with Camilla going on to find love with former Calvin Klein model Jamie, who she has now been with for 18 months. Camilla and Jamie are the only couple from the 2017 series of Love Island who remain together. The pair finished in second place behind winners Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies, who parted ways just weeks after the reality show wrapped. Married At First Sight has delivered some memorable reality TV villains over the years. And on Monday night fans of the show slammed this season's controversial contestant, Ines Basic. Taking to Twitter, fans lashed out at the 28-year-old, who threw shade and bragged about her beauty during an awkward bachelorette party. 'She makes Davina look angelic': Married At First Sight fans slam the shows outrageous new villain Ines Basic 'Ines is making Davina look positively angelic...' tweeted one person. The fan was referencing Davina Rankin, who became one of the most hated contestants in the shows history after she arranged a secret date with Dean Wells behind her 'husband' Ryan Gallagher's back. 'Ines and Davina would have been best friends for sure,' wrote another person watching at home. Others were more forthright and even less kind, with one fan writing, 'Ines is a basic bogan.' 'Ines is clearly awful,' said one, while another person jumped in, saying 'I can totally understand why Ines is single.' 'Ines is clearly awful': Fans of the show took to Twitter to slam Ines for her behavior Ines made a huge splash on the premiere by announcing that one of her key hobbies was 'being in bikinis', before she rubbed the other brides the wrong way. 'Being attractive does have its downsides,' she mused. 'Like, some girls won't like you.' The brunette insisted that being disliked didn't bother her, and that her main focus in life was to find a 'baby daddy' on Married At First Sight. Tell us how you really feel! Fans online were quick to share their opinions on the beauty Once she sauntered into the bachelorette party, Ines was quick to judge her fellow brides - especially the energetic and extroverted Melissa Lucarelli. 'I don't think I could handle her for too long,' Ines admitted. 'I'd probably lock her in a cupboard, leave, and move countries.' She was just as unimpressed when the quirky Elizabeth Sobinoff entered, who has been billed as Australia's 'most confident bride' in ads for the show. Oh dear! Ines made a huge splash on the premiere by announcing that one of her key hobbies was 'being in bikinis' 'There was a little winged liner,' Ines said snarkily, referring to Elizabeth's makeup. 'Her fingernails were like swords, like a wizard sword,' she continued with a shady smirk while doing an impression of Elizabeth. 'I was like, 'I can totally understand why you're single.'' Married At First Sight will continue on Channel Nine at 7:30pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Justin Lacko sparked controversy after going on a rant in the I'm A Celebrity jungle about overweight people who 'complain' about being big. And newly-evicted Sam Dastyari shared his own opinions on the male model on Monday night, declaring that he can't work out if Australia wants to 'bone' or 'strangle' him. 'The camp is obsessed with him. And the whole world is obsessed with him,' the disgraced former Senator said on The Project. Confused: I'm A Celebrity's Sam Dastyari has admitted he can't work out if Australia wants to 'bone or strangle' Justin Lacko 'We cant work out if Australia want to marry him, kiss him, bone him or strangle him because thats exactly how we feel in the camp as well,' he continued. The disgraced senator went on: 'We all love Justin. Unfortunately none of us loves Justin as much as Justin loves Justin.' The outspoken reality star, who resigned from politics in December 2017 after controversy over his links to wealthy Chinese donors, also discussed his future. 'I ruined my career, Ive taken responsibility for that. My marriage fell apart,' he said. Talking point: 'The camp is obsessed with him. And the whole world is obsessed with him,' the disgraced former Senator said on The Project Cheeky: Sam went on: 'We all love Justin. Unfortunately none of us loves Justin as much as Justin loves Justin' 'I have one good thing left in my life and that is my daughters and thats what I want to focus on.' It comes after Justin revealed what he found problematic about overweight people on Sunday's episode of I'm A Celebrity. During a chat with camp-mates Yvie Jones and Angie Kent, the unfiltered 28-year-old stated: 'The only thing I don't like about people who are big, is if you complain about it'. 'I can't be around you!' It comes after Justin sparked controversy after going on a rant in the I'm A Celebrity jungle about overweight people who 'complain' about being big. Gogglebox stars Angie, 30, and Yvie, 46, appeared very unimpressed by Justin's comments, however it didn't stop him from continuing to assert his point of view. Mimicking overweight people he stated: ''I can't fit into that dress, I'm too big. I can't do this, I'm too big.' I'm like, I can't be around you. But if you embrace who you are, you're awesome!' He then looked at Yvie and declared: 'Yvie, you don't complain about yourself. You're not like 'I'm unhappy with myself'. You're awesome. You're a superstar!'' He said what?! Yvie (left) and Angie (right) appeared very unimpressed by Justin's comments 'White privilege skinny handsome male': Angie and Yvie blasted the male model in private following his controversial comments While Yvie and Angie restrained themselves from retaliating in front of Justin, the pair blasted the male model in private. Angie hit out at Justin's privilege, saying to Yvie: 'I didn't know what to say so I didn't say anything. Sorry white privilege skinny handsome male, please don't sit there and tell me what you hate about people who are the complete opposite of you'. Pretending to address Justin directly, Yvie stated: 'How about you don't ever, ever talk about bigger people when you're not one and you never have been. Why don't you just go and take a photo, and get your clothes off.' Coronation Street's Shona Ramsey's life hangs in the balance in coming scenes, as she is held at knifepoint by her killer son Clayton. In dramatic scenes set to air in the coming weeks, Shona's life is threatened as Clayton manages to escape from a prison guard while attending his father's funeral. It remains to be seen whether Shona makes it out alive as her boyfriend David Platt comes to the rescue, despite his own dislike for the criminal as he was responsible for the death of his wife Kylie. Scary: Coronation Street's Shona Ramsey could see her life at risk in coming scenes, as she held at knifepoint by her killer son Clayton As the cast filmed the tense scenes, Clayton (played by Callum Harrison) can be seen threatening the Platts while brandishing a knife at his mother, demanding money and a getaway car so he can escape from prison for good. The criminal is temporarily released to attend his fathers funeral, but manages to apprehend the prison guard with the help of some of his gangmates, sparking the explosive confrontation. As Shona's (Julia Goulding) boyfriend David (Jack P Shepherd) watches on in horror, Clayton makes his demands while brandishing the blade. Dramatic: Snaps from filming for the explosive confrontation show actress Julia Goulding covered in blood after Clayton apprehends a prison guard to try and escape Tense: As Shona is held at knifepoint, Clayton demands money and a getaway car, after spending over a year in prison for Kylie Platt's murder Good mood: Despite the dramatic scenes, actors Julia and Jack P Shepherd - who plays her boyfriend David Platt - looked to be in good spirits It seems Platt matriarch Gail is helpless in the confrontation, as actress Helen Worth was also spotted on set during filming, along with Ben Price who plays her son Nick. While fans will have to wait and see whether Shona makes it out alive, there does seem to be some form of clash, as later snaps from the set show her lying on the ground and covered in blood. Shona reconnects with her son in the coming weeks to break the news that his dad has passed away, and he desperately convinces her to help his appeal to move to an open prison. Tense: After the run-in Shona is covered in blood, hinting she might suffer a nasty injury during the filming Happy: Luckily once the cameras stopped rolling, Julia and Clayton actor Callum Harrison were in much better spirits Brooding: It will be a haunting return to past events for David, having held his wife Kylie as she died after being stabbed by Clayton Cosy: Battling the chilly January climes, Julia was all wrapped up with a hot drink as she took a break from filming the scenes Any decision to help her son is bound to cause a rife with boyfriend David, who will still hates Clayton for stabbing his wife Kylie to death. Clayton's return to the soap after 18 months had been teased by showrunner Iain MacLeod late last year, as he hinted it would cause tension in Shona's relationship with David. He told Digital Spy: 'We've got a story where Clayton will rear his ugly, criminal head. He throws a massive spanner in the works for David and he tries to embroil Shona in a plot to smuggle drugs into prison. 'It becomes a story about Shona and her son and throws into question David and Shona's relationship. Clayton has been locked up and it provides the biggest challenge to David and Shona's relationship since the Josh story.' Coronation Street continues on Monday 28th January at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on ITV. Scared: Actress Helen Worth - who plays David's mum Gail Platt - was also on set as she took a break from the filming Gemma Collins admitted she is 'devastated, embarrassed and in absolute agony' after her Dancing On Ice fall on Sunday night. The TOWIE star, 37, compared herself to Tyson Fury after she managed to get up after face-planting the ice during the final moments of her routine to Celine Dion's All Coming Back To Me. Her concerned boyfriend James Argent she showed off her bruised and swollen legs on Instagram on Monday, while Gemma told fans she is 'heartbroken'. In pain: Gemma Collins admitted she is 'devastated, embarrassed and in absolute agony' after her Dancing On Ice fall on Sunday night Sharing the moment she took a tumble, she wrote: 'Absolutely devastated and embarrassed, My heart is broken but when I went down I thought of Tyson Fury and knew I had to get back up & carry on. Gemma continued: 'Cant thank you enough for your support on social media and picking up the phone to vote! I'm in a lot of pain but bring on fantasy week!!!' Meanwhile Arg voiced his concern about her injuries as he showed off her bruising on Instagram. He said: 'Gemma's legs are terrible, look. All round her knees, they're in a bad, bad way. This one isn't so bad, but that one I'm worried about.' Ouch: Gemma's boyfriend Arg voiced his concern about her injuries as he showed off her bruising on Instagram Bad way: Arg said: 'Gemma's legs are terrible, look. All round her knees, they're in a bad, bad way. This one isn't so bad, but that one I'm worried about' Scary: The reality star was rushed to physio after it happened but then returned to the rink for the vote results, with her and Matt getting through to next week despite the tumble Determined: The TOWIE star, 37, compared herself to Tyson Fury (pictured last month) after she managed to get up after face-planting the ice Ice, ice, baby: After the show ended, Gemma was seen brandishing a glass, tucking into a curry, with one leg raised and a bag of ice on it He also shared a snap of them with her skating partner Matt Evers, and wrote: 'I LOVE YOU @missgemcollins. When I saw her fall like that face first I honestly thought she might be unconscious or lost some teeth! The way she got up & carried on was AMAZING!!! You worked so hard this week & improved so much!' The GC fell in the final moments of her performance with partner Matt, in what appeared to be a nasty knock to her face and her confidence. Viewers watched the reality star hold on to Matt and nestle into his shoulder after her fall but managed to compose herself for her chat with the judges afterwards - gaining the highest score she has received yet this season- 16.5. Head judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean both commented Gemma had 'worked hard and improved' since last week. She was rushed to physio after it happened but then returned to the rink for the vote results, with her and Matt getting through to next week despite the tumble. Following her performance, Gemma brushed aside her Dancing On Ice woes by heading straight out for a curry - and not one, but six large brandies. Proud: Arg also posted a snap with Gemma and Matt, rink-side, after the show and said he was worried she was unconscious and had lost teeth after her fall The star had an ice pack on her knees in a bid to reduce to swelling. While the TOWIE star, was left in floods of tears following her painful tumble, Piers Morgan commended her for having the 'balls to get back up' and continue her performance on Good Morning Britain on Monday. He said: 'That took balls, I'm serious. You fall on national TV, you fall flat on your face on the ice. 'This is why I don't ice skate, I couldn't do what she does. She's been fat shamed so badly on social media, the amount of people just mocking her. Praised: While the TOWIE star, 37, was left in floods of tears following her painful tumble, Piers Morgan commended her for having the 'balls to get back up' on Good Morning Britain Fighting back the tears: Piers Morgan praised the Essex diva for getting back up on her feet to finish the routine Guts: Gemma was instantly tearful after suffering the shock trip but Piers said 'She's my idea of what a contestant should be, people saw that she's getting better, then they saw the guts of her getting back up' Backing her: He added: 'This is why I don't ice skate, I couldn't do what she does. She's been fat shamed so badly on social media, the amount of people just mocking her' 'But compare her to Tess Holliday, who puts pictures on Instagram eating cakes or whatever and has no desire to lose weight. 'Gemma Collins is actually trying, she'll lose weight doing this, this is a hard, gruelling show to do.' He added he thought her improvement on the show this week, exemplified how she was the perfect contestant. He said: 'She's my idea of what a contestant should be... people saw that she's getting better, then they saw the guts of her getting back up. Giving it her all: Gemma managed to gain her highest score of the series despite the tumble 'They can mock her all they like but I couldn't do what she did. 'If you're a professional trained dancer doing these shows, it's fine ,it's entertaining but this is far more interesting 'Watching Gemma Collins progress in this show is far more interesting to me.' Hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield also touched upon the moment on This Morning. 'It's such a disappointment, I felt disappointed for her, the routine to that point was great, she had worked so hard. She left the GC behind and that was Gemma on the rink.' Holly added: 'It's funny though we see lots of tumbles in rehearsals, but when it comes to the live show it doesn't actually happen. 'Matt skated in front of her because she fell so close to the barrier. ' The pair then showed a clip of her skating partner speaking backstage shortly after the fall. Matt said: 'I'm just so gutted for her, because she has worked so hard this week, and technically she has raised the bar, she's devastated because she really wanted to give everything to this performance.' They both starred in Black Panther which picked up two awards at the SAGs at the Shine Auditorium in LA on Sunday night. So it comes as little surprise that Kenyan-Mexican Lupita Nyong'o, 35, and American-Zimbabwean star Danai Gurira, 40, were celebrating their win in styles at the afterparty held at the Sunset Tower Hotel. The lovely ladies, star as Nakia and Okoye, respectively in the film which picked up Outstanding Performance by a Cast and Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble. A moment to reflect: Lupita Nyong'o (right) and Danai Gurira (left) celebrate their Black Panther win at the SAG Awards afterparty held at Sunset Tower Hotel in LA on Sunday Hands off! The lovely ladies were in high spirits, with actor Mike Myers trying to get his hands on Lupita's gong Lupita looked incredible wearing a black gown which had a glittering skirt section as she clung onto her gong. She wore statement chandelier earrings by Messika to add a glamorous flourish. The girls posed for a series of snaps together, as they put on an animated display, with Danai wearing a cream off-shoulder gown by Ralph & Russo with an ostrich feather neckline. The movie tells the story of T'Challa, (Chadwisk Boseman), heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda. Love: Best Actor Rami Malek turned up at the party with his girlfriend Lucy Boynton in tow, he posed with his arms around her Party time: Rami had earlier said he was 'taken aback' to win the gong for his role as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (pictured with Lakeith Stanfield) Lads: Rami Malek (L) and Call Me By Your Name Timothee Chalamet Iconic: Rami plays the late Freddie Mercury for the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody He must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past. Also letting his hair down at the bash was Best Actor, American star Rami Malek, who won big for his role as Freddie Mercury in the Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. He posed for pics alongside his girlfriend Lucy Boynton, who played his lover, Mary Austin in the critically acclaimed movie. All-stars: Sterling K. Brown, Darren Criss, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyong'o So glam: (L-R)Susan Kelechi Watson, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong'o, Chrishell Stause and Ted Sarandos Ready for their close-up: (L-R ) Fiona Xie, Isaach de Bankole, Lupita, Danai, Sterling K. Brown, and Gemma Chan Group shot: Mike Myers grabbed as many people as he could in the room for one big photo Acclaimed: A film still from Black Panther, which picked up two awards on the night Rami had said he was 'taken aback' to win the gong for his role as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury and said the prize was simply 'beyond my wildest dreams'. He admitted it felt 'extraordinary' to have scooped the honour ahead of his fellow nominees, Christian Bale (Vice), Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born), Viggo Mortensen (Green Book) and John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman). Accepting the accolade on stage at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, he said: 'Wow - this just seems extraordinary to me when I look at the actors I'm nominated with, truly. Friends in high places: (L-R) Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Viggo Mortensen Wow thing: Catherine wore an extreme plunging blue embellished dress as she posed with Netflixs head of original programming, Cindy Holland All eyes on the prize: Julia Garner and Jason Bateman were also at the party Unexpected arrival: (L-R) Singer Kate Nash, Rebekka Johnson and Sunita Mani 'I never in my wildest dreams thought I could be in a category with these men and I'm so proud to be one of your peers and to celebrate my peers tonight and be celebrated by them. It's an honour and I'm taken aback by it.' Rami went on to thank the producers and the rest of the cast on the movie, before once again dedicating his win to late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, who he portrays in the biopic. He said: 'I have to thank SAG-AFTRA and wouldn't be here without having that, my producers Graham King and Dennis O'Sullivan, Fox, New Regency and this ensemble that is so extraordinary to me, that carried me through every moment on this film, thank you. Suits you! Viggo (left) and Peter Farrelly posed with their arms around one another Hide and seek: They couldn't seem to decide who should be in the front of the photo as they tucked into canapes Blooming lovely: Atlanta star Lakeith Stanfield and Fiona Xie made use of some flower props 'I have anecdotes about what it is to be an actor and delivering pizzas and stuff like that, but I'll spare you it. 'I think Queen and Freddie Mercury. I get some power from him that is about stepping up and living your best life; being exactly who you want to be and accomplishing everything you so desire. 'And I feel that, and he allows us all to feel that. So this is for him.' Michael Douglas, 74, was pictured cosying up to Catherine Zeta-Jones, 49, as they hung out with fellow actor Viggo Mortensen, 60. Catherine wore an extreme plunging blue embellished dress as she also posed with Netflixs head of original programming, Cindy Holland. Monochrome magic: Crazy Rich Asians star Gemma Chan looked incredible in a black dress which had a white lace trim Red-dy for anything: Madeline Brewer and Emily Osment danced up a storm She jetted off to Dubai for a well-earned girls' trip after her backstage hosting duties at the National Television Awards last week. And Dani Dyer looked as though she was having a blast on her Middle Eastern adventure as she shared a series of swimwear snaps to her Instagram page over the weekend while staying at Caesars Resort Bluewaters. The Love Island winner, 23, showed off her incredible figure in a white bikini while posing with her gal pals on the balcony of their envy-inducing suite. Bronzed beauty: Dani Dyer slipped into a white bikini as she showed off her stunning figure on Instagram while enjoying the sunshine on her Middle Eastern adventure on Monday The reality TV personality slipped into a bandeau top which she paired with matching bottoms with a bold cutaway design. Dani protected her eyes from the sun in a pair of aviator style sunglasses as she told fans she couldn't believe she was surrounded by such splendour. She wrote: 'We checked into our suite, someone pinch me Thankyou @caesarsbluewatersdubai @inside.lifestyle youve spoilt me.' [sic] The brunette also posed in a glamorous pink two-piece as she posed for a selfie uploaded to her Instagram Story. Fun in the sun! The Love Island winner, 23, showed off her incredible figure while posing with her gal pals on the balcony of their envy-inducing suite at Caesars Resort Bluewaters in Dubai The good life: The brunette beauty posed in a glamorous pink two-piece as she flashed a smile for a selfie uploaded to her Instagram Story Glamorous: Dani jetted off to Dubai with her gal pals after completing her backstage hosting duties at the National Television Awards last week Dani showed off her incredible abs and bronzed figure as she smiled for the camera in the make-up free snap. The Love Island favourite shielded her eyes in quirky bee inspired sunglasses and added a hint of sparkle with her diamond studs and necklace. Although Dani seems to be having a blast with her girls, she has been pining for boyfriend Jack Fincham, 27, during her time away. Over the weekend, Dani posted a picture of the pair and admitted she missed her other half while on holiday. Best life: The reality TV personality showed off her golden tan as she smiled for the camera with her hair swept up into a stylish up-do Flaunt it: Dani continued sharing her envy-inducing trip with a bikini-clad snap where showcased her toned figure in the head-turning ensemble The pair, who won Love Island last summer, looked to be as loved up as ever in the backstage NTA snap despite a brief split in December 2018. The couple have the seal of approval from Dani's dad, EastEnders' Danny Dyer, 47, who told Heat magazine he would love them to get married. He said: 'They're a lovely little couple and I really hope that they'll stay together for years and years and years and eventually get married. 'Everyone has arguments, I think they've learnt from that mistake.' Missing you: Although Dani seems to be having a blast with her girls, she has been pining for boyfriend Jack Fincham, 27, during her time away He's well versed in how awards season works, having picked up multiple nominations for Cal Me By Your Name last year. But during this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards Timothee Chalamet, who was nominated for his role in Beautiful Boy, seemed to get a little bored during the star-studded ceremony. The actor, 23, sent the internet wild when he was spotted reading during host Megan Mullally's opening on Sunday night at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. Reading material: Timothee Chalamet seemed to get a little bored during the SAG Awards on Sunday night, as he was spotted reading during the ceremony's opening While his table-mates Emily Blunt and John Kransinski focused intently on the stage, Timothee was caught on camera behind them with his nose buried in some reading material. Fans watching at home were desperate to know what had captured the young star's attention during the glitzy gala. 'In a perfect world, Timothee Chalamet would be reading the script for the Call Me By Your Name sequel,' decided one excited fan. Nominee: The actor, 23, sent the internet wild when he was spotted reading during host Megan Mullally's opening on Sunday night at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium What's caught your attention?Fans watching at home were desperate to know what had captured the young star's attention during the glitzy gala Others pointed out it was most likely the program for the awards, which fans found equally endearing. 'Purest moment of 'SAGAwards thus far is definitely timothee chalamet reading the program' declared one tweeter. 'Timothee Chalamet is honestly me when I'm at performances, reading the program bc I can't tell where we are in the performance,' agreed another. Some viewers felt a connection to the actor at the A-list event, with one tweeting: '@RealChalamet reading a book during the #SAGAwards is my mood for any social event.' Keen to see what's going on: Others pointed out it was most likely the program for the awards, which fans found equally endearing As well winning rave reviews and nominations for his latest movie Beautiful Boy, Timothee is also hitting the headlines for his romance with model Lily Rose Depp, the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis. The pair first sparked romance rumours back in early October, when they were spotted putting on a cuddly display around New York. Later in the month, Lily, 19, and Timothee, who act as a couple in Nexflix film The King, confirmed their relationship over a series of PDA-packed outings. Not in the mood for small talk: Some viewers felt a connection to the actor, with one tweeting: '@RealChalamet reading a book during the #SAGAwards is my mood for any social event' Her critically-acclaimed film A Star Is Born was snubbed for the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture gong at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, losing out to Marvel's Black Panther. And Lady Gaga, 32, put on a brave face as she joined her fiance Christian Carino at the 25th annual ceremony's cocktails party, held at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on Sunday evening. The Born This Way hitmaker and her talent agent partner looked as loved-up as ever they shared sweet kisses throughout the glitzy event. Brave face: Lady Gaga, 32, joined her fiance Christian Carino, 50, following A Star Is Born's snub at the 25th annual SAG Awards, held at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on Sunday Telephone hitmaker Gaga appeared to brush aside her defeat as she mingled with her A-list pals, including co-stars Bradley Cooper, 44, and Sam Elliott, 74. Cutting a typically glamorous figure, the actress stunned in a plunging neutral gown, embellished with textured accents along the edges. She maintained her daring appearance as the ensemble featured a sizzling thigh-high slit, flashing a hint at her leg tattoo. Smitten: The Born This Way hitmaker and her talent agent partner looked as loved-up as ever they shared sweet kisses throughout the glitzy event Support: Telephone hitmaker Gaga appeared to brush aside her defeat as she mingled with her A-list pals, including co-stars Bradley Cooper (L), 44, and Sam Elliott, 74 (R) Top honors: Black Panther won Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion, (L-R) Sterling K. Brown, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong'o, Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, and Andy Serkis The gown is fresh off the runway as it debuted at the Christian Dior show during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week earlier this month. Upping the style ante, the blonde bombshell boosted her frame in a pair of pointed white stilettos and accessorised with an array of gold jewellery, debuting a necklace and earrings from the 2019 Tiffany Blue Book collection. The Poker Face star exuded Old Hollywood glamour as she swept her tresses into a sleek updo, and enhanced her striking beauty with shimmery silver eyeshadow and matte blood red lipstick. Wow-factor! Cutting a typically glamorous figure, the actress stunned in a plunging neutral gown, embellished with textured accents along the edges Having fun: The Telephone hitmaker's co-star Rafi Gavron pulled a funny face as they posed for snaps at the event Dare to be bold: She maintained her daring appearance as the ensemble featured a sizzling thigh-high slit, flashing a hint at her leg tattoo Ensuring he didn't let his partner down in the style stakes, Christian looked dapper in a sharp black tuxedo with a matching shirt. In addition to the Best Ensemble nod, Gaga, Bradley and Sam were nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role respectively. Fantasy film Black Panther took home the top honor, which stars Chadwick Boseman, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, and Andy Serkis. Fooling around: Gaga enjoyed a cheeky dance with Shangela and Willam Belli at the starry event Chatting up a storm: The blonde bombshell also engaged in a conversation with comedian Luenell Hugs all around: Gaga appeared in great spirits as she shared a cosy hug with Lifeguard star Sam Despite the snub, A Star Is Born has scooped two Critics' Choice awards for Best Actress and Best Song, as well as a Golden Globe for Best Original Song. The drama has also been nominated for eight Oscars awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Sound Mixing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Song and Cinematography. The film follows Gaga's character Ally - a girl-next-door who has given up on a music career until she is discovered by grizzled rock star Jackson, played by first-time director Bradley. Following the release of the film, the songstress has thanked her co-star Bradley for changing her life. Strike a pose! The screen star joined Sam and Shangela for an epic pose-off during the event Close: Following the release of the film, the songstress has thanked her co-star Bradley for changing her life Honored: 'I would not be standing up here if it weren't for you, Bradley. Thank you for entrusting me to be the first leading actress in your directorial debut', she previously said While collecting her Best Actress prize at the National Board of Review Awards earlier this month, Gaga couldn't have been more humbled and overjoyed as she took to the stage to deliver a thirteen minute speech. While the star, real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, touched upon the character of Ally 'healing her past experience', the majority of her speech was dedicated to her friend Bradley. Gaga began: 'I would not be standing up here if it weren't for you, Bradley. Thank you for entrusting me to be the first leading actress in your directorial debut. This is a tremendous honour. 'Bradley, you truly are a musician. I heard it. I watched it... from the moment you sat at the piano with me and sang, to watching you write songs and watching you create.' In awe: 'Bradley, you truly are a musician. I heard it. I watched it... from the moment you sat at the piano with me and sang, to watching you write songs and watching you create', Gaga added Supportive: The star shared a hug with The Wife actress Glenn Close as she accepted the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role award The New York native continued to gush over the American Hustle star: 'Thank you for believing me. Being the director, visionary, co-star and friend that you have been. 'You have taught me so much. You made me a way better actress. I don't even look back at filming a movie, but rather that we became two people who are not us. 'Bradley, thank you for making a film about the importance of compassion, empathy and kindness. This is what we stand for. I couldn't be more happy to be here, which in the name of Jack and Ally, is about true, unconditional love. Winner: Glenn, 71, beat Gaga, Emily Blunt, Olivia Colman and Melissa McCarthy for the coveted award Stunning: The Poker Face star exuded Old Hollywood glamour as she swept her tresses into a sleek updo, and enhanced her striking beauty with shimmery silver eyeshadow and matte blood red lipstick Style savvy: The gown is fresh off the runway as it debuted at the Christian Dior show during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week earlier this month 'Bradley, our scenes together were challenging and life-changing as an actress and a human. I would never forgot the deep dives we took together. 'What many of you did not get to witness, for Bradley to direct a scene where he was gone, and for me and Sam Elliott, to mourn his death while he was not three feet from us... this is a magician. 'You are something of a modern day directorial Houdini. To live and exist in that pain with you, it changed my life.' A-class performance: The critically-acclaimed film follows Gaga's character Ally - a girl-next-door who has given up on a music career until she is discovered by grizzled rock star Jackson, played by first-time director Bradley RuPaul's Drag Race alum Shangela brought a little of the reality show's flair for camp to the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. Shangela, ne DJ Pierce, had a small part in Bradley Cooper's new remake of A Star Is Born, which was up for several gongs that evening. The 37-year-old drag queen hit the red carpet in full stage persona as Shangela, accentuating her features with expertly applied makeup. Scroll down for video Hello, gorgeous: RuPaul's Drag Race alum Shangela brought a little of the reality show's flair for camp to the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday Shangela's floor-length strapless gown was white up top and sprayed out into a massive frilly skirt that became progressively darker pink. The Texas-born queen got her gown from The Curated, the Midtown Manhattan boutique set up by Christian Siriano to hawk clothes from several brands. Bradley's A Star Is Born character Jackson meets Ally, the title ingenue played by Lady Gaga, when she sings at a drag bar show compered by Shangela. Fellow drag queen Willam Belli, who was once notoriously disqualified from RuPaul's show, was featured in that bar scene as well, and also turned up to Sunday's awards. Quartet: Shangela posed for a selfie inside the awards show with her A Star Is Born co-stars (from left) Willem Belli, Sam Elliott and Lady Gaga While seated inside the awards show, Shangela snapped a selfie with Willem, Gaga and their co-star Sam Elliott, who was up for a gong that evening. Willam and Shangela also hobnobbed with Nico Santos, who was nominated for an award Sunday as part of the ensemble cast of Crazy Rich Asians. Sam was up for supporting actor in a film, losing out to Mahershala Ali for Green Book, while Gaga lost the lead actress in a film gong to Glenn Close for The Wife. Posing up a storm: Willam and Shangela also hobnobbed with Nico Santos, who was nominated for an award Sunday as part of the ensemble cast of Crazy Rich Asians Shangela and Willam were nominated as part of the ensemble of the film, which was defeated in the end by the cast of Black Panther. Whilst in the Shrine Auditorium for the award ceremony, Shangela was spotted chatting with Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan. In addition to playing opposite Gaga, Bradley also made his directorial debut with A Star Is Born, and will next helm a biopic of Broadway composer Leonard Bernstein. Gaga's role, of a celebrity whose status rises as her husband's declines, was played in previous versions by Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand. After jointly announcing the SAG Awards nominations in December, Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox was sure to make a red carpet statement at Sunday's ceremony. The 46-year-old actress looked stunning while hitting the red carpet wearing a chic red dress with flowing train and gemstone embellishments at the back. Inside Laverne presented an award with Awkwafina, who she announced the nominations with last month. Red dress for the red carpet: Laverne Cox stunned in a red Zac Posen gown on the red carpet of the SAG Awards on Sunday night Twirling: The 46-year-old actress looked stunning while hitting the red carpet Cox has two SAG Awards to her credit, as part of the ensemble cast of Orange is the New Black, but this year, she only presented. The actress hit the red carpet in a stunning red Zac Posen gown and silver Kenneth Cole stilettos. The full-length gown had an open back with bejeweled threads connecting it, and a flowing cape, which she was seen twirling around on the red carpet. She revealed in an interview that it's lovely to be back at the SAG Awards and that she loves 'celebrating actors.' Stylish look: The actress hit the red carpet in a stunning red Zac Posen gown and silver Kenneth Cole stilettos Having fun: The full-length gown had an open back with bejeweled threads connecting it, and a flowing cape, which she was seen twirling around on the red carpet 'I love celebrating my fellow artists,' Cox added. 'The performances this year are so inspiring. I'm so inspired to get better and working on producing and I just want to be a better artist and tell better stories.' When asked what performances stood out for her, she mentioned Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born. 'We watched it on New Year's Eve, which was a mistake, because I was a wreck,' Cox said. 'I rung in the new year crying uncontrollably. It was just such a beautiful portrait of co-dependence and what it can do to families and relationships.' Inspired: 'I love celebrating my fellow artists,' Cox added. 'The performances this year are so inspiring. I'm so inspired to get better and working on producing and I just want to be a better artist and tell better stories' A Star is Born fan: When asked what performances stood out for her, she mentioned Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born She also spoke about the final season of Netflix's Orange is the New Black, which is debuting later this year. 'I loved telling the stories that we've gotten to tell over the years,' she said. 'I've met people who I'll be friends with the rest of my life.' During the awards show, Cox had one of the night's most memorable quotes, when presenting Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. Presenting: During the awards show, Cox had one of the night's most memorable quotes, when presenting Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Awkward: Her co-presenter Awkwafina, also wearing a red gown, began by stating that, at 5 AM, when they announced the nominations, Laverne, 'looked stunning,' while she looked like, 'a troll that lived under a bridge and stole from children' Her co-presenter Awkwafina, also wearing a red gown, began by stating that, at 5 AM, when they announced the nominations, Laverne, 'looked stunning,' while she looked like, 'a troll that lived under a bridge and stole from children.' Laverne responded by affirming her co-presenter's statement, adding, 'Yes. Its true. Hi, Im Laverne, and I looked stunning that morning,' which brought laughs from the crowd. Cox has two upcoming movies in post-production, Can You Keep a Secret, based on Sophie Kinsella's novel of the same name, and Bad Hair, from Dear White People creator Justin Simien. Stunning: Laverne responded by affirming her co-presenter's statement, adding, 'Yes. Its true. Hi, Im Laverne, and I looked stunning that morning,' which brought laughs from the crowd Coming soon: Cox has two upcoming movies in post-production, Can You Keep a Secret, based on Sophie Kinsella's novel of the same name, and Bad Hair, from Dear White People creator Justin Simien Justin Lacko hasn't been shy in sharing his opinions during his time on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! And on Sunday night's edition of the program, the international male model didn't hold back when discussing what he found problematic about overweight people. During a chat with camp-mates Yvie Jones and Angie Kent, the unfiltered 28-year-old stated: 'The only thing I don't like about people who are big, is if you complain about it'. 'I can't be around you!' On Sunday night's episode of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, Justin Lacko spoke with camp-mates Yvie Jones and Angie Kent, revealing what he dislikes about overweight people Gogglebox stars Angie, 30, and Yvie, 46, appeared very unimpressed by Justin's comments, however it didn't stop him from continuing to assert his point of view. Mimicking overweight people he stated: ''I can't fit into that dress, I'm too big. I can't do this, I'm too big.' I'm like, I can't be around you. But if you embrace who you are, you're awesome!' He then looked at Yvie and declared: 'Yvie, you don't complain about yourself. You're not like 'I'm unhappy with myself'. You're awesome. You're a superstar!'' He said what?! Yvie (left) and Angie (right) appeared very unimpressed by Justin's comments While Yvie and Angie restrained themselves from retaliating in front of Justin, the pair blasted the male model in private. Angie hit out at Justin's privilege, saying to Yvie: 'I didn't know what to say so I didn't say anything. Sorry white privilege skinny handsome male, please don't sit there and tell me what you hate about people who are the complete opposite of you'. Pretending to address Justin directly, Yvie stated: 'How about you don't ever, ever talk about bigger people when you're not one and you never have been. Why don't you just go and take a photo, and get your clothes off.' 'White privilege skinny handsome male': Angie and Yvie blasted the male model in private following his controversial comments The exchange between Justin, Angie and Yvie comes after widespread rumours that the trio will all be starring on Channel Ten's The Bachelor and Bachelorette franchises later in the year. Late last week, the network stated that it hadn't ruled out naming handsome Justin as 2019's Bachelor. Meanwhile, Woman's Day reported on Monday that best friends Angie and Yvie could become Australia's first dual Bachelorettes. 'Angie and Yvie are firm favourites at Ten. They love them over there,' an insider reportedly told the publication. The next Bachelor? Channel Ten says it hasn't ruled out naming handsome Justin as 2019's Bachelor They fell in love on the set of Stranger Things. And Charlie Heaton was there to support his co-star turned girlfriend Natalia Dyer on the red carpet at Sundance on Sunday night. The couple were all smiles while posing on the red carpet at the Eccles Center Theatre in Park City, Utah. Happy couple: Natalie Dyer and Charlie Heaton hit the red carpet for Natalia's new film Velvet Buzzsaw at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday Natalia, 22, and Charlie, 24, hit the red carpet in support of Natalia's new film Velvet Buzzsaw, which had its world premiere at Sundance ahead of its February 1 debut on Netflix. Dyer was wearing a unique flowing black dress with white floral prints, with white sleeves and a white collar. A pair of black boots could be seen peeking out from under the dress, when she did a curtsy of sorts and spread the dress out for photographers. She had her short hair tied back in a ponytail, with strands of her bangs falling down over her face. Getting close: Dyer, 22, was wearing a unique flowing black dress with white floral prints, with white sleeves and a white collar Smile for the camera: Heaton, 24, was wearing a crisp white blouse tucked into a pair of slim grey pants with grey socks and black shoes Heaton was wearing a crisp white blouse tucked into a pair of slim grey pants with grey socks and black shoes. He was also wearing a brown overcoat, which almost matched his hair, along with a thin gold chain and a wristwatch. He was seen with his arm around Dyer's waist during their time on the red carpet. Dyer and Heaton both star on the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, with Dyer playing Nancy Wheeler and Heaton playing Jonathan Byers. Red carpet look: Dyer and Heaton both star on the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, with Dyer playing Nancy Wheeler and Heaton playing Jonathan Byers New season: Netflix announced on New Year's Eve that Season 3 of Stranger Things will debut on July 4, with the new season taking place in the summer of 1985 Coming soon: Along with Velvet Buzzsaw, Dyer has two more films coming soon, Yes, God, Yes, debuting in March, and Tuscaloosa, which doesn't have a date set There were rumors that the co-stars were dating back in October 2017, when the pair were spotted holding hands. They made their official red carpet debut at the Fashion Awards in December 2017, and while there were rumors they had split this past fall, they're still together. Netflix announced on New Year's Eve that Season 3 of Stranger Things will debut on July 4, with the new season taking place in the summer of 1985. The show is set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, with the first season taking place in 1983 and the second season, which debuted last year on Halloween, taking place in the fall of 1984. Cosy: The pair cosied up as they soaked up the atmosphere at the premiere Pink to make 'em wink; Natalia sported a bold pink eyeshadow for the occasion Along with Velvet Buzzsaw, Dyer has two more films coming soon, Yes, God, Yes, debuting in March, and Tuscaloosa, which doesn't have a date set. Velvet Buzzsaw stars Jake Gyellenhaal and Rene Russo were also spotted at the premiere, who both reunite with writer-director Dan Gilroy after starring in his 2014 film Nightcrawler. They were also joined by co-stars Billy Magnussen, Tom Sturridge and Zawe Ashton on the red carpet. The film centers on a series of paintings that are discovered by an unknown artist, which are connected to a supernatural force that gets revenge on anyone who puts greed before art. Reunited: Velvet Buzzsaw stars Jake Gyellenhaal and Rene Russo were also spotted at the premiere, who both reunite with writer-director Dan Gilroy after starring in his 2014 film Nightcrawler. Red carpet pose: Billy Magnussen poses on the red carpet for the Velvet Buzzsaw premiere alongside Tom Sturridge (R) Hilary Swank took some time out from promoting her new film I Am Mother at the Sundance Film Festival to enjoy the snow with her husband Philip Schneider. The 44-year-old actress and her 45-year-old husband got romantic as they posed outside the St. Regis Hotel in Park City, Utah on Sunday. The couple, who have been married since August 2018, were all smiles as they got close in the snow. Hilary and Philip: Hilary Swank and her husband Philip Schneider get close during a snowy photo session at the Sundance Film Festival The husband and wife were both wearing clothing from Descente Ski Apparel for the photoshoot. Hilary was wearing a black turtleneck under a blue and white hooded ski jacket with dark grey ski pants and black boots. Philip was wearing a grey hooded jacket with light blue ski pants and black boots, with some shots he was also seen wearing black sunglasses. Model couple: The husband and wife were both wearing clothing from Descente Ski Apparel for the photoshoot Hilary and her man were in Park City for the world premiere of Hilary's new film, I Am Mother, which she stars in alongside Rose Byrne. The story follows a teenage girl who is raised underground by a robot dubbed Mother, who has been designed to help the young girl (Clara Rugaard) repopulate the earth after humanity has gone extinct. Her life is turned upside down when, inexplicably, a stranger (Swank) arrives with disturbing news. Snowy shoot: The couple was in Park City for the world premiere of Hilary's new film, I Am Mother, which she stars in alongside Rose Byrne Swank and Schneider, an entrepreneur, started dating in 2016, after the actress called off her engagement with financial adviser Ruben Torres. She had previously dated her agent, John Campisi, from 2007 to 2012, and she was previously married to actor Chad Lowe from 1997 to 2006. She met Lowe on the set of Quiet Days of Hollywood, just before her breakout performance in Boys Don't Cry in 1999, which earned her the first of her two Oscars. Smiling in the snow: Swank and Schneider, an entrepreneur, started dating in 2016, after the actress called off her engagement with financial adviser Ruben Torres Swank is coming off the FX mini-series Trust, where she played Gail Getty and the film What They Had, which had its world premiere at last year's Sundance Film Festival. She currently has the thriller Fatale in post-production, which also stars Michael Ealy, Mike Colter and Geoffrey Owens, who made headlines last year when the former Cosby Show star was photographed working at Trader Joe's. The film, directed by Deon Taylor, still doesn't have a release date in place at this time. She's set to walk down the aisle and exchange vows with a complete stranger on Monday night's 2019 premiere of Married At First Sight. And on Monday, upcoming reality TV star Jules Robinson revealed her very unexpected link to the Royal Family from her time working in London. During an interview with Woman's Day, the 36-year-old divulged she worked at London's prestigious barbershop Truefitt & Hill, saying: 'I've worked on members of the Royal Family.' Linked to royalty? Upcoming reality TV star Jules Robinson (pictured) has revealed her very unexpected link to the Royal family from her time working in a London barbershop Before she signed up for the controversial Channel Nine show, the fiery redhead worked at the world's oldest and most respected barbershop, which has served the British monarchy throughout nine consecutive reigns. 'Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh still has his hair done there,' she told the publication. In fact, some of Britain's biggest socialites, politicians and celebrities have sat in Jules' salon chair but she's not able to reveal any names. Serving royalty: The 36-year-old divulged she worked at London's elite barbershop (shopfront pictured above) Truefitt & Hill 'It's what you have to do when you're dealing with people of that calibre,' she said. 'I can tell you that [Truefitt & Hill] have done the greats though everyone from Winston Churchill to Frank Sinatra!' Jules said she started her career cutting and styling hair at just 15, having worked at elite barbershops such as Harrods and Selfridges after moving to London in 2002. The career-driven business manager now runs her own salon in Sydney and has previously said has has put work first but is now ready to start a family with Mr. Right. Ready for love: The fiery redhead confessed she has been unsuccessful in finding a partner for seven years During an interview with The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, the 36-year-old confessed she has been unsuccessful in finding a partner for seven years. 'I decided to put myself forward because I've been actively looking for a guy for about seven years,' she told the publication. 'I thought I might as well leave it up to the experts because I couldn't seem to do it myself,' Jules added. Married At First Sight returns for its sixth season on January 28 on Channel Nine. While Karl Stefanovic's TV career has hit a wall, his ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn's is just getting started. And ahead of the 47-year-old's appearance on Dancing With the Stars this year, insiders say Karl, 44, is fuming. According to a report in Woman's Day magazine on Monday, Karl is frustrated his television career has stalled following his firing from the Today show in December. Not impressed: Karl Stefanovic is apparently annoyed by his ex-wife's upcoming appearance on Dancing With the Stars Meanwhile, Cassandra's TV career is only picking up momentum after she was cast in the Network Ten series. 'It will be the ultimate slap in the face for Karl to see Cass on TV looking fitter than she's ever been. And trust me, he'll be raging behind closed doors. How the tables have turned!' a source told Woman's Day. 'I know he's not coping very well with the fact his ex-wife has a great new gig, while he's not even sure what he'll be doing next week. Dancing queen: Cassandra Thorburn is set to star on Dancing With the Stars alongside Samuel Johnson (left) and Curtly Ambrose (right) Bitter pill to swallow: 'It will be the ultimate slap in the face for Karl to see Cass on TV looking fitter than she's ever been,' a source told Woman's Day 'He's made no secret of the fact that he finds it absolutely galling that Cass will be on prime-time TV. It's cut him to the core.' According to the report, Karl is worried his career is all but over, making it especially painful for him to see Cassandra on TV. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph last week, Cassandra said she had a very personal reason for signing on for the show. She said her late father encouraged her to do it during one of their final conversations together before his death in October. Better times: According to the report, Karl is worried his career is all but over, making it especially painful for him to see Cassandra on TV. Seen here together at the Logies in May 2011 'It had been offered to me and at first I thought, no thats crazy. I couldnt possibly do that. If you dont do something, an opportunity that you never thought would come up and if you said no, you will regret it one day,' she told the publication. 'And I thought "OK so lets go for it"'. Plus learning to dance, you know every girl would love to learn to dance. It is so lovely, what a skill.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Karl Stefanovic's representatives for comment. She's the stunning actress who sparked rumours she was engaged to boyfriend Jake Holly after she was seen wearing a ring on her wedding finger. And according to a report, Jessica Marais, 33, may have secretly tied the knot with her handsome beau. On Monday, New Idea claimed that the couple celebrated a 'secret commitment ceremony' at the stunning Brooms Head in NSW, last week. Are congratulations in order? Claims Jessica Marais (pictured) celebrated 'secret commitment ceremony' with boyfriend Jake Holly at picturesque Brooms Head According to the magazine, the loved-up couple, who have been dating for one year, celebrated their union at the gorgeous Red Cliff beach. The Wrong Girl star shared a photo to Instagram taken on the day, which involved a bouquet and white dresses. Jessica looked elated while hugging her six-year-old daughter Scout, who appeared to be dressed as a flower girl. Jessica wore a white gown with professional makeup and had her luscious locks professionally styled. Hitched! According to the magazine, the loved-up couple, who have been dating for one year, celebrated their union at the gorgeous Red Cliff beach. Pictured with Jake Holly (right) Scout looked adorable in a stunning white dress and a flower crown while she held onto a huge bouquet of white roses and baby's breath. 'Nature, art, family, beauty, strength, healing, self love... God is everywhere! Bring on 2019,' she captioned the post. Taking to the comments section, her photographer beau, Jake, gushed over her. 'Love youuuu,' he said. Jess's former Packed to the Rafters co-star, Rebecca Gibney appeared to be sending well-wishes to the couple. 'Love you': Taking to the comments section, Jessica's photographer beau gushed over her 'This makes me happy,' she shared. Jessica and Sydney-based photographer Jake first went public in January last year at a Sam Smith concert at Nova's Red Room in Sydney. Jessica shares daughter Scout with ex-fiance, James Stewart, 43. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Jessica Marais for comment. As one of the breakout brides from the new season of Married At First Sight, Cyrell Paule will become one of the most recognised faces on TV for the next few months. But even the most loyal MAFS viewers may have trouble identifying the bride without her makeup on. The 29-year-old went makeup-free as she prepared to wed Nic Jovanovic on Monday's premiere of Married At First Sight - and she looked almost unrecognisable. Quite the difference! Married At First Sight bride Cyrell Paule looked almost unrecognisable as she went makeup-free (left) on Monday's premiere (pictured right in full makeup) Without her heavy contouring, lip liner, and signature contact lenses, Cyrell almost resembled a completely different person. The outspoken Filipino-Australian hasn't made it a secret that she's image conscious, describing herself as 'extremely confident' with a passion for fitness. She's already shaping up to be one of the most explosive cast members from this year's Married At First Sight. Diva! The 29-year-old, who still lives at home with her parents, wore a full makeup look while getting ready for a family dinner Meow: Cyrell sported heavy lip liner and thick foundation at a bachelorette party with the other Married At First Sight brides A season preview showing her exploding into a rage on more than one occasion. In one clip, the brunette screams at another bride: 'You ruined a marriage and now you're sitting there smiling you lying b***h!' In another clip, she lunges at a groom in a violent attack while her TV 'husband' Nic tries to intervene. Is that you? Without her heavy contouring, lip liner, and signature contact lenses, Cyrell almost resembled a completely different person (pictured) Getting ready: The Filipino beauty showcased her natural beauty and bare face while getting ready for her wedding (pictured) Glamorous: Normally done up to the nines, the beauty looks a little different in her makeup Cyrell is the youngest of seven children, and is more than used to drama having clashed with her Filipino siblings over dinner growing up. The brunette describes herself as a 'fire cracker' and says that her new groom will need to get approval from her strict Catholic family to be accepted. Married At First Sight will continue on Channel Nine at 7:30pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Carrie Bickmore, 38, welcomed a beautiful baby girl named Adelaide with her partner Chris Walker last month. And it seems Carrie's other children, Oliver, 11, and Evie, three, are bonding well with their new sister, having stepped out in Byron Bay earlier this month looking every inch the doting siblings. During a visit to trendy restaurant complex The Farm, young Oliver- who Carrie shares with late husband Greg Lange- was spotted kissing the adorable tot as she sat in a carrier on her mother's chest. Brotherly Love! Carrie Bickmore's son Oliver, 11, doted upon his adorable two-month-old sister Adelaide as he stepped out with his famous mother and sister Evie, three, at a family outing in Byron Bay The youngster appeared to be over the moon at the opportunity to shower his two-month-old sibling with love and affection. Carrie was also spotted enjoying a tender moment with her son, warmly wrapping one arm across his back and pulling him close. At one stage, Carrie was spotted speaking to her son gently as she cuddled him tightly. Family affair! The youngster (right) appeared to be over the moon at the opportunity to shower his two-month-old sibling with love and affection. Carrie (centre) pictured alongside her daughter Evie (left) So sweet! Carrie was also spotted enjoying a tender moment with her son, warmly wrapping one arm across his back and pulling him close Family outing: Meanwhile, Carrie's look-a-like daughter, Evie,was seen closely following the brood as they made their way through the restaurant complex Meanwhile, Carrie's look-a-like daughter, Evie,was seen closely following the brood as they made their way through the restaurant complex. Clad in ripped denim shorts, a grey T-shirt, a pink cap and a pair of slides, Carrie looked every inch the yummy mummy. The television personality added a number of stylish accessories to her low-key ensemble, including a pair of black cat-eye sunglasses and a woven basket bag. Mummy on the go! Clad in ripped denim shorts, a grey T-shirt, a pink cap and a pair of slides, Carrie looked every inch the yummy mummy Carrie and her long-term partner Chris welcomed their daughter Adelaide into the world in December last year. She introduced the couple's bundle of joy in a post shared to Instagram on December 9, 2018. Carrie, who was born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1980 also revealed the Melbourne-based pair had named their precious newborn Adelaide. Trendy! The television personality added a number of stylish accessories to her low-key ensemble, including a pair of black cat-eye sunglasses and a woven basket bag 'Welcome to the world little ADELAIDE (or Addie as your siblings have already started calling you). We are absolutely besotted with you,' Carrie captioned. The couple also share daughter Evie and help raise Carrie's son Oliver, who she shares with her late husband Greg Lange, who passed away from brain cancer in 2010. Carrie and Chris are said to have met while working on the Channel 10 panel program. Baby joy! Carrie and her long-term partner Chris welcomed their daughter Adelaide into the world in December last year The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was a big winner at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on Sunday, taking home three prizes. The Amazon series swept the TV comedy honors, taking home the statuette for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, as well as honors in the Male and Female Actor categories for its stars Rachel Brosnahan and Tony Shalhoub, the first time since 30 Rock in 2008 that show won all 3 comedy awards. During Shalhoub's speech, he joked that he was, 'in the middle of a renegotiation,' with a new report claiming that it's actually the entire cast that's seeking big raises. How marvelous: Rachel Brosnahan won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Favourite: The show was a big winner at the ceremony, taking home three prizes While thanking people during his speech, Shalhoub wanted to point out James Sterling in Legal Affairs, 'and not just because I'm in the middle of a renegotiation.' Deadline reported Sunday night that renegotiations are, 'currently ongoing, with no major issues' to speak of. The new deal will include 'sizable salary increases for the main actors,' including Alex Borstein, Marin Hinkle, Kevin Pollack and Michael Zegan. Time for a pay rise? While thanking people during his speech, Shalhoub wanted to point out James Sterling in Legal Affairs, 'and not just because I'm in the middle of a renegotiation' Rachel Brosnahan paid tribute to the extras who work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as she picked up her award. The 28-year-old actress beat off competition from her co-star Alex Borstein, as well as Alison Brie (GLOW), and Grace and Frankie stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin to take the statue for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. 'I have wanted to be an actor for as long as I can remember and to be able to count you all in this room as my peers let alone to stand up on this stage is beyond my wildest dreams,' she began in her acceptance speech. Competition: The 28-year-old actress beat off competition from her co-star Alex Borstein, as well as Alison Brie (GLOW), and 'Grace and Frankie stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin to take the statue for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series 'Thank you so much. I have a habit of getting very flustered up here and forgetting to thank a lot of vitally important people to my team,' she added, thanking her publicists, lawyers and co-stars, before thanking her extras. 'There are so many incredible actors involved with The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, in addition to our production team, to our family at Amazon, to our crew, but this ensemble lead by Tony Shalhoub, Alex Borstein, Marin Hinkle and Michael Zegan,' she continued, before thanking the extras. 'As well as our guest actors and our too often unsung background actors who work the same hours as us and share the same union as us,' she said, which drew applause from the crowd. Thanking extras: 'As well as our guest actors and our too often unsung background actors who work the same hours as us and share the same union as us,' she said, which drew applause from the crowd 'I couldn't be luckier to be a part of this amazing group of artists, and we wouldn't be here without our casting directors,' she continued. 'Donna Rosenstein, Cindy Tolan, Meredith Tucker, Jeanie Bacharach, thank you for bringing us all together and thank you for taking a chance on us. Thank you so much,' she concluded. Rachel later returned to the stage at the Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, as the show was also named Best Comedy Series Ensemble. Dream role: 'I couldn't be luckier to be a part of this amazing group of artists, and we wouldn't be here without our casting directors,' she continued Her co-star Tony Shalhoub also picked up Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series. The actor seemed rather surprised, as he admitted he never expected to triumph over fellow nominees, The Kominsky Method's Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas and Barry's Bill Hader and Henry Winkler. 'OK, I have nothing prepared. For obvious reasons. Look at this category,' Shalhoub began. Blue belle: Rachel dazzled in a stylish strapless frock Congratulations: Rachel hugged her co-star Shalhoub when he won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series 'I just want to start by saying the greatest honor of my life is to be nominated in the same category with Alan Arkin who has long been an idol of mine and I'm happy to say a friend. 'But I think he was the reason I wanted to become an actor in the first place,' he continued. 'That said, I want to thank everyone at Amazon. Jen Salke, everybody.' After beating out Atlanta, Barry, GLOW and The Kominsky Method for the ensemble prize, Tony said, 'You cannot imagine the incredibly wonderful feeling it is to work alongside these people. This is a lovefest. Kissing couple: Brosnahan gives her husband Jason Ralph a kiss before accepting her SAG Award on Sunday night She has a long and successful comedy and acting career and is best known these days for her role on the sitcom Will & Grace. But on Sunday, Megan Mullally took on another role - that of host of the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles. She didn't beat about the bush when it came to an opening salvo about this year's nominees. 'Obviously we still have a ways to go, but in 2018, Hollywood did manage to get a few things right,' she joked. 'They cast Black people in Black Panther, so that was good. Asian people in Crazy Rich Asians. And a green book in Green Book. You know there were some executives saying 'umm could the book be white.'' Joked abut Hollywood: Megan Mullally brought her comedy chops to her hosting gig at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night Having started with racial diversity, Mullally then tackled age discrimination. From the stage, she singled out actress Emma Stone, who was nominated for her role in the Netflix series Maniac and also for her supporting role in the movie The Favourite. Mullally began: 'And the beautiful Emma Stone, who just turned 30 .... Our condolences.' As the audience laughed, she went on: 'You had a great run, like a really great run. We're looking forward to your reverse mortgage loans commercials they're going to be great. Chin up, yeah.' Tackled age discrimination: From the stage, she singled out actress Emma Stone, remarking: 'And the beautiful Emma Stone, who just turned 30 .... Our condolences' Punchline: Mullally went on: 'You had a great run, like a really great run. We're looking forward to your reverse mortgage loans commercials they're going to be great. Chin up, yeah' Praise: The majority of people on social media thought Mullally did a good job calling her 'very funny' and a 'comedic god' But Mullally still wasn't done. Next on her list was typecasting of actresses. 'Roles for women continued to break new ground,' she said, with her tongue firmly in her cheek. 'Glenn Close played a wife. So that's new,' she said. 'Melissa McCarthy played a woman who repeatedly apologizes and asks our forgiveness.' 'Emily Blunt played a nanny, and in another film, written and directed by her real-life husband, John Krasinski, Emily played a mom who wasn't allowed to speak. Took on typecasting: 'Roles for women continued to break new ground,' Mullally said, with her tongue firmly in her cheek. 'Glenn Close played a wife. So that's new' Funny: 'Emily Blunt played a nanny, and in another film, written and directed by her real-life husband, John Krasinski, Emily played a mom who wasn't allowed to speak,' she quipped Paid off: Blunt went on to win best supporting actress for her silent role in A Quiet Place in which she starred with Krasinski who also directed the movie Most commentators on social media agreed that Mullally did a good job and was funny. But some were less than impressed by what went on when she was joined on stage early on by Alec Baldwin to present the first award of the night. The two indulged in some sexual innuendo before announcing the winner, and it was branded as 'awkward' and 'painful' by some Twitter users. 'Awkward': Some Twitter users, however, were not impressed when Mullally indulged in some sexual innuendo word play with Alec Baldwin when presenting the first award of the night Not impressed: The pair's interaction was branded as 'awkward' and 'painful' by some Twitter users Critical: The Twitter-verse 'cringed' during Mullally's Baldwin moment Later on in the night, Mullally paid homage to her Will & Grace character, with Charles C. Stevenson Jr. making an appearance to portray his role as bartender Smitty. Stevenson served the actress a drink and asked whether she was still on to meet after the show. 'I mean sure I'm hosting an award show tonight and I'm beyond wonderful. But tomorrow it will be a fleeting memory,' Mullally responded. Sitcom co-star: Later on in the night, Mullally paid homage to her Will & Grace character, with Charles C. Stevenson Jr. making an appearance to portray his role as bartender Smitty Inside joke: Stevenson served the actress a drink and asked whether she was still on to meet after the show Pro: Mullally appeared to enjoy herself on the telecast The Americans' Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys attended their final awards season event for their FX spy series - which concluded last year after six seasons - at Sunday's 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles. The on and off-screen couple had been nominated for the outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series for their roles as Soviet spies Philip & Elizabeth Jennings (aka Mischa & Nadezhda). However, the talented twosome's trophy wound up going to the cast of NBC's This Is Us. Arm-in-arm: The Americans' Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys attended their final awards season event for their FX spy series - which concluded last year after six seasons - at Sunday's 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles It's over: The on and off-screen couple had been nominated for the outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series for their roles as Soviet spies Philip & Elizabeth Jennings Oh well! The talented twosome's trophy wound up going to the cast of NBC's This Is Us The California-born 42-year-old certainly had the look of love as she posed outside the Shrine Auditorium with the 44-year-old Welshman, and the pair share a two-year-old son Sam Evans. Keri is also mother to two children - son River Russell, 11; and daughter Willa Lou, 7 - with her ex-husband of seven years, Shane Deary. The Death and Nightingales actor sported a classic tuxedo while the former Mouseketeer donned a black strapless sequinned Alexandre Vauthier gown, Tyler Ellis clutch, Yves St Laurent shoes and Alexandra Mor jewelry selected by stylist Frank Fleming. Date night! The California-born 42-year-old had the look of love as she posed outside the Shrine Auditorium with the 44-year-old Welshman, and the pair share a two-year-old son Sam Mother-of-three: Keri is also mother to two children - son River Russell, 11; and daughter Willa Lou, 7 - with her ex-husband of seven years, Shane Deary Hairstylist Adir Abergel straightened the Golden Globe winner's natural curls into a blondette wave. And make-up artist Tamah Krinsky made sure Keri was ready for her close-up on the red carpet. Russell was far more animated as she presented the trophy for outstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or limited series alongside Bodyguard heartthrob Richard Madden. 'Do you ever let Game of Thrones superfans call you Robb Stark?' the mother-of-three asked him onstage. She doesn't age! Hairstylist Adir Abergel straightened the Golden Globe winner's natural curls into a blondette wave using Virtue products Behind the scenes: And make-up artist Tamah Krinsky made sure Keri was ready for her close-up on the red carpet The handsome 32-year-old Scotsman replied: 'Well, I was killed off about six years ago, so it's probably best if people move on from that, Keri.' At that, Keri corrected, 'It's Felicity' referencing her hair-raising WB drama series from 1998-2002. Russell and Madden then presented the award to The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story's Darren Criss. All for the cameras: Russell was far more animated as she presented the trophy for outstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or limited series alongside Bodyguard heartthrob Richard Madden (R) The mother-of-three asked him onstage: 'Do you ever let Game of Thrones superfans call you Robb Stark?' The handsome 32-year-old Scotsman replied: 'Well, I was killed off about six years ago, so it's probably best if people move on from that, Keri' At that, Keri corrected, 'It's Felicity' referencing her hair-raising WB drama series from 1998-2002 Congrats! Russell and Madden then presented the award to The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story's Darren Criss Speaking of Felicity, the three-time Emmy nominee recently reunited with J.J. Abrams to portray a new mysterious character in the finale of Skywalker saga Star Wars: Episode IX, which hits US theaters December 20. Matthew recently wrapped his role as journalist Lloyd Vogel (based on Tom Junod) with Tom Hanks in Marielle Heller's Mister Rogers biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which hits US theaters on October 18 and UK theaters on November 1. And on Saturday, the Emmy winner's film The Report co-starring Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, and Adam Driver premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Production wraps next month! Speaking of Felicity, the three-time Emmy nominee recently reunited with J.J. Abrams (R) to portray a new mysterious character in the finale of Skywalker saga Star Wars: Episode IX, which hits US theaters December 20 (pictured in 2006) Mister Rogers biopic: Matthew recently wrapped his role as journalist Lloyd Vogel - based on Tom Junod - with Tom Hanks (R) in Marielle Heller's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood due out in the fall (pictured October 25) He''s dating one of the world's top models. But Bradley Cooper's date to the Screen Actors Guild Awards this Sunday in Los Angeles was his mother Gloria Campano. The 44-year-old film star and director, whose new movie A Star Is Born is up for multiple awards that evening, opted for a classic black suit. His Russian supermodel girlfriend Irina Shayk, the mother of his one-year-old daughter Lea De Seine, was absent because of work commitments overseas. Family time: Bradley Cooper's date to the Screen Actors Guild Awards this Sunday in Los Angeles was his mother Gloria Campano Irina spent Saturday at a Marc Jacobs event in Moscow after attending Paris Fashion Week, where she sat front row at the Jean Paul Gaultier show on Wednesday. After posing with his mom on the silver carpet, Bradley was seen sitting and smiling next to her at his table during the awards ceremony itself. This is not the first time she has gone with him to an awards show - Bradley brought Gloria and his sister Holly Cooper to the 2015 Tony Awards. He was nominated then for lead actor in a play for The Elephant Man - drawing attention for playing the title character without prosthetic help. That year, Bradley brought Gloria to the New York premiere of Joy, which teamed him for the third time with director David O. Russell and co-star Jennifer Lawrence. Hunk: The 44-year-old film star and director, whose new movie A Star Is Born is up for multiple awards that evening, opted for a classic black suit Side by side: After posing with Gloria on the silver carpet, Bradley was seen sitting and smiling next to her at his table during the awards ceremony itself Story retold: This Sunday, he was nominated for his leading role in his directorial debut, the third remake of the 1937 show business drama A Star Is Born Movie debut: Lady Gaga plays the title character, whose fame grows as her husband, played by Bradley, declines into alcoholism and career ruin Earlier this month, Irina was on Bradley's arm when he walked the red carpet at the Golden Globes, where he was nominated for acting and directing but lost both. This Sunday, he was nominated for his leading role in his directorial debut, the third remake of the 1937 show business drama A Star Is Born. Lady Gaga plays the title character, whose fame grows as her husband, played by Bradley, declines into alcoholism and career ruin. Gaga, Bradley and their co-star Sam Elliott were all nominated individually at the Screen Actors Build Awards, and the whole cast is up for best ensemble in a film. Heartthrobs: Inside the awards ceremony, Bradley was seen hobnobbing with Alec Baldwin - who briefly plays himself in A Star Is Born - and Alec's wife Hilaria Work the room: Bradley got quite a bit of mingling done that evening, including with Chuck Lorre, the creator of such sitcoms as Two And A Half Men and The Big Bang Theory Talent: On the silver carpet, he shared a hug with his Guardians Of The Galaxy co-star Glenn Close, whose role in The Wife saw her nominated against Gaga for best actress Reunited: He stood for the cameras alongside Emma Stone - who starred as a part-Asian American character in Bradley's 2015 film Aloha Inside the awards ceremony, Bradley was seen hobnobbing with Alec Baldwin - who briefly plays himself in A Star Is Born - and Alec's wife Hilaria. Bradley got quite a bit of mingling done that evening, including with Chuck Lorre, the creator of such sitcoms as Two And A Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. He stood for the cameras alongside Emma Stone - who starred as a part-Asian American character in Bradley's 2015 film Aloha, and yelled out: 'I'm sorry!' from the audience when Sandra Oh joked about that casting decision while hostessing the Golden Globes earlier this month. On the silver carpet, he shared a hug with his Guardians Of The Galaxy co-star Glenn Close, who beat Gaga for best actress via her role in The Wife. Trio: This is not the first time she has gone with him to an awards show - Bradley brought Gloria and his sister Holly Cooper to the 2015 Tony Awards Family man: That year, Bradley brought Gloria to the New York premiere of Joy, which teamed him for the third time with director David O. Russell and co-star Jennifer Lawrence Working girl: Irina Shayk spent Saturday at a Marc Jacobs event in Moscow after attending Paris Fashion Week, where she sat front row at the Jean Paul Gaultier show on Wednesday She might be in her sixth decade, but Robin Wright fit right in among the showstoppers at the SAG Awards on Sunday. The 52-year old, who was nominated for best actress in a drama series for House of Cards, absolutely stunned when she made her way to the red carpet at the glitzy bash in Los Angeles. Then, under the bright spotlight of the festive night, she put of a breathtaking display of poses in front of the sea of photographers dressed in a gunmetal gown. Stunner: Robin Wright attended the 25th annual SAG Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday The metallic gown commanded attention with its plunging neckline that flaunted her toned but curvy figure. A thigh-high slit added to the flare, while allowing her to show off some leg at a moments notice. She accessorized with black box-clutch and a long silver necklace that helped draw attention her chest and midriff. To round out her fabulous fashion statements, she styled her shoulder length blonde tresses loose with some soft waves and a part in the middle. Showstopper: The House of Cards star hit the red carpet and put of a breathtaking display of poses in front of photographers dressed in her gunmetal gown Fashion statement: The metallic gown commanded attention with its plunging neckline that flaunted her toned but curvy figure Added flare: A thigh-high slit allowed her to show off some leg at a moments notice Glowing: The 52-year old accessorized with black box-clutch and a long silver necklace that helped draw attention her chest and midriff Keeping it light: Wright took a moment on the red carpet to share a laugh with Glenn Close Wright got to put her stunning ensemble, and glowing aura, on display for the whole world to see when she hit the stage as a presenter. Moments later she handed the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role to Mahershala Ali for his role in Green Book, which also stars Viggo Mortensen. In the end, Wright came up short on her bid for her first SAG Award after 10 nominations; it went to Sandra Oh for her role in Killing Eve. Under the spotlight: The actress also got to put her stunning ensemble on display for the whole world to see when she hit the stage as a presenter Shining star: Wright looked glowing before handing out the award Honor: Wright presented the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role to Mahershala Ali for his role in Green Book Still a winner: In the end, Wright came up short on her bid for her first SAG Award after 10 nominations; it went to Sandra Oh for her role in Killing Eve Accomplished: Robin Wright chatted with actress Patricia Clarkson, who was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or television Movie They have starred side-side side on the hit comedy series Grace and Frankie for five seasons. And Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin were both nominated for SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. So it comes to no surprise that the off-screen friends hit the red carpet for the SAG Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday locked arm-in-arm and looking very elegant. Lovely: Lily Tomlin (left) and Jane Fonda (right) hit the red carpet for the SAG Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday The age-defying Fonda, 81, opted for a striking and bold red patterned sequin gown. Bling: Fonda wore a teardrop-shaped diamond ring worth $3 million The eye-catching number glistened under the lights of the red carpet as it hugged her toned upper body and fell off her fabulous physique from the waist down. She rounded out the outfit with a pair of silver heels and had her dyed blonde tresses styled in a curly bob-cut with a part to the slight left. Her piece de resistance, however, was a stunning diamond ring on her left hand middle finger which, according to PageSix.com, is worth $3 million. The teardrop-shaped jewel by Italian brand Gismondi weighs 20 carats and Fonda also wore chandelier earrings that retail for $396,000. Honored: Both ladies were nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for their Netflix show Grace and Frankie Sisters in arms: The co-stars looked like siblings as they strutted their stuff on the red carpet Like-minded: Both accomplished actresses had their tresses styled in a curly bob-cut Keeping up with Fonda's glamorous gown, Tomlin went a slight different route, but looked equally amazing in a long black skirt, paired with a black sequin blazer. Like her co-star's gown, Tomlin's jacket popped under the harsh camera lights as the photographers snapped away. The 79-year old matched her outfit with black pointed shoes and had her dark tresses similarly styled in a curly bob-cut, but with a more center part. Lovely: The 81-year old star wore a striking and bold red patterned sequin gown Lady in black: Tomlin, 79, looked equally amazing in a black skirt with a black sequin blazer It factor: The chemistry between the ladies was undeniable as they posed for photographers The chemistry between the ladies was undeniable as they posed and turned for photographers. At one point they held hands and at other times they wrapped their arms around each other. In the end, neither Fonda or Tomlin took home the SAG Award on this night; it went to Rachel Brosnahan for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Still winners: In the end, neither Fonda or Tomlin took home the SAG Award on this not; it went to Rachel Brosnahan for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. They will be back: Netflix renewed Grace and Frankie for a sixth season earlier in January Netflix renewed Grace and Frankie for a sixth season earlier in January. The series follows septuagenarians Grace, a retired cosmetics mogul, and Frankie, a hippie art teacher, whose husbands, Robert and Sol, are successful divorce lawyers in San Diego. But suddenly, Grace and Frankie's lives are turned upside down when their husbands announce that they are in love with each other and are leaving their wives. The trauma of that shocking revelation leads the ladies, who have never particularly liked each other, to forge a new bond in order to cope with their newfound difficulties and rebuild their lives together. Advertisement She no doubt has her hopes on one of the main awards of the evening after being nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role category for her take on Mary Poppins. And Emily Blunt certainly left an impression in the style stakes, as she attended the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in LA on Sunday evening. The 35-year-old Mary Poppins Returns actress lead a whole host of British stars on the red carpet, including Rachel Weisz and Catherine Zeta Jones, who both looked equally stunning as they made their arrivals. Sensational: Emily Blunt lead a whole host of British stars on the red carpet at the the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in LA on Sunday evening Emily, accompanied by her husband John Krasinski who wore an ISAIA suit, opted for a statement look and showcased her slender physique in a glitzy pink gown, which featured dramatic structured satin detailing up the sides. Her showstopping sleeveless number was adorned in sequins all over, however she added further glitz with a pair of Sam Edelman silver sandals, drop earrings and a selection of chunky rings, which she wore on her manicured hands. The star's make-up look perfectly complemented her Barbie pink gown, while opting for a soft glam look, Emily tied it all together with a pink lip. Pals: Emily opted for a statement look and showcased her slender physique in a glitzy pink gown, which featured dramatic structured satin detailing up the sides as she posed with pal Rachel Sweet: Emily, accompanied by her husband John Krasinski, opted for a statement look and showcased her slender physique in a glitzy pink gown, which featured dramatic structured satin detailing up the sides Emily's locks were sleeked back into a low bun by hairstylist Laini Reeves, who used tools from Dyson and products from Joico to create the chic look. 'Emily wore this beautiful Michael Kors custom gown for the SAG awards. The dress is so graphic in design, so I wanted the hair to compliment the dress by keeping the hair looking really sleek and shiny,' Laini said of the hairstyle. Laini used the Dyson Supersonic Professional Edition to dry the hair and leave it looking sleek and shiny. Texture and waves were added with the Joico Beach Shake, while the whole style was given a glossy finish with the Joishape Shaping and Finishing Spray. Emily's nails, meanwhile, were treated to a sleek manicure that perfectly matched her dress. 'When our team saw the amazing, bright pink gown by Michael Kors, we knew there was an opportunity to go monochromatic and modern with the makeup and nails,' celebrity manicurist Michelle Saunders explained. 'Luckily, essie has the exact nail polish to match the dress perfectly Cascade Cool a bright, cheerful and elegant pink!' She posed for pictures alongside pal Rachel, proving that their is no animosity as they go head-to-head in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role category. Emily has been nominated for her role in A Quiet Place, while Rachel hopes to win the gong for The Favourite. And while their dresses couldn't have been more different, the women both chose to model updos for the evening, with Emily wearing her blonde hair slicked back in a low bun, while Rachel had her brunette locks coiffed into a braided chignon by Dove Celebrity Stylist Mark Townsend. Gorgeous: Emily sleeked her golden locks back into a slick bun, which made the most of her pretty features and kept the attention on her eye-catching gown 'Tonights look was inspired by the asymmetrical neckline of her velvet and feathered Givenchy gown,' Mark revealed. 'I gave her a slightly off-center part with a lot of texture to draw attention to the hair.' To create that texture, without any unwanted frizz, Mark prepped Rachel's hair with the Dove Care Between Washes Re-Styling Milk, before spritzing the actress's locks with the Dove Style + Care Shine Heat Protection Spray for good measure. The style was then locked into place, and given a final dose of shine, courtesy of the brand's Style + Care Compressed Micro Mist Extra Hold Hairspray. Catherine revealed the secret to maintaining the heat in her marriage to Michael Douglas, when the couple took to the red carpet at the SAG Awards. 'He likes to watch me tap dance now and again,' said the 49-year-old of her 74-year-old husband. The Chicago actress flashed her long, lean legs in a royal blue dress with a thigh high split. The garment also boasted a plunging neckline which showcased the Oscar winner's cleavage. Her brunette tresses were won loose and with a center part for the red carpet turn. Michael meanwhile looked dapper in a tuxedo, which he paired with blue tinted glasses. Sizzling: Catherine Zeta Jones put on a very leggy display in a plunging navy sequined gown with opulent lace sleeves Rocking it: Catherine was joined by her husband Michael Douglas as she worked her angles on the red carpet in the daring gown Happy couple: Catherine and Michael beamed as they posed for photos shortly after arriving at the event Hugh Grant's depiction of Jeremy Thorpe in A Very English Scandal learned him a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie. And hoping he did enough to secure the win, Hugh Grant attended the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in LA on Sunday evening. The 58-year-old actor was joined by his wife Anna Eberstein, who looked sensational in a thigh-grazing black mini dress as she showed her support on the red carpet. Date night: Hugh Grant attended the event on Sunday evening alongside his wife Anna Eberstein Big role: Hugh Grant's depiction of Jeremy Thorpe in A Very English Scandal learned him a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie Anna displayed her toned pins in the stylish sleeveless number, which featured silver buttoned detailing along the shoulders. She accessorised with look with a pair of statement sparkling drop earrings, and a branded chunky silver bangle, while clutching a sequined evening bag in her hand. The television producer added extra inches to her already statuesque frame, with a pair of strappy stilettos, which featured a pointed toe.Joining Hugh and Anna at the awards was Joseph Fiennes and his stunning wife Maria Dolores Dieguez Golden couples: Joining Hugh and Anna at the awards was Joseph Fiennes and his stunning wife Maria Dolores Dieguez Opting for light touches of neutrally-toned make-up, Anna also sported an understated hair style, sweeping her chestnut locks back off her face. Meanwhile, Hugh looked equally dashing in a simple black tuxedo, which he paired with a crisp white shirt and black bow tie. Joining Hugh and Anna at the awards was Joseph Fiennes and his stunning wife Maria Dolores Dieguez. The 48-year-old actor showed a touch of class as he opted to don a single-breasted black suit and bow tie, which boasted a velvet lapel, as he attended the event on Sunday evening. Adoring: Joseph Fiennes attended the 5th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in LA with his stunning wife Maria Dolores Dieguez Joseph tucked a black pocket square into his breast pocket and kept to the archetypal look with a white shirt underneath. His perfectly manicured beard was filled with wisps of salt and pepper adding adding an extra touch of elegance to his look. Maria looked stunning as well, pulling photographers' lenses toward her as she wowed in a plunging black stress with studded detailing. Smart: Joseph tucked a black pocket square into his breast pocket and kept to the archetypal look with a white shirt underneath She couldn't stop smiling a she stared proudly at her husband and held her arm around his waist, as the pair posed for photographs. Joseph and Maria were married in 2009 in Tuscany, and share two children together, Sam, nine, and Isabel, eight. In television categories, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and Ozark led with four nominations each. Barry, GLOW, The Handmaid's Tale and The Kominsky Method trailed close behind with three nominations each. Proud parents: Joseph and Maria were married in 2009 in Tuscany, and share two children together, Sam, nine, and Isabel, eight Making their first public appearance as newlyweds, Allen Leech and wife Jessica Blair Herman put on a loved-up display at they joined the rest of the British stars at the event. Actress and producer Jessica, 32, perfected a simple yet elegant look, as she took to the red carpet at the Shrine Auditorium wearing a chic floor-length red gown. They looked every inch the picture perfect couple as they joked around for the cameras while making their way into the prestigious event. Jessica, who produced and starred in American Crime Story, teamed her figure-hugging red gown with a selection of glitzy jewels. She wore her chestnut locks in an elegant updo, leaving curled strands to frame her pretty features, while opting for a soft pallet of make-up. Meanwhile, Allen, 37, cut a dapper figure in a sharp black tuxedo, complete with bow tie and sparkling dress shoes. Glam: Jessica, who produced and starred in American Crime Story, teamed her figure-hugging red gown with a selection of glitzy jewels Crazy Rich Asians star Gemma Chan, 36, wowed in a pretty pink frock that had a one-shoulder design, and a waterfall-style hemline that flowed into a train behind her. The actress's 'playful, undone' hairstyle was created by Clariss Rubenstein for Dove Hair and Olivia Garden, who explained that she used Gemma's voluminous dress as inspiration for the look. 'Gemma is wearing this incredible dress with lots of volume and a long train,' Clariss explained. 'I wanted her hair to be modern and youthful. She is way too cool to have coiffed polished hair with this look.' Wow: She wore her chestnut locks in an elegant updo, leaving curled strands to frame her pretty features, while opting for a soft pallet of make-up Elegant: Gemma Chan made another stunning awards ceremony appearance as she arrived at the event wearing a fabulous pale pink gown before posing alongside pal Richard Madden, who donned a Salvatore Ferragamo tuxedo Co-stars: Gemma posed alongside her Crazy Rich Asians co-star Awkwafina in her feathered inspired blush gown Bond, James Bond: Richard, who is hotly-tipped to be the next James Bond, was suited and booted for the event in a slick two piece tuxedo To get the actress's hair ready to go, Clariss brushed it through with the Olivia Garden iDetangle Brush, while using the Dove Care Between Washes Re-Hydrating Mist to get the locks slightly damp. 'Then I used the Olivia Garden Ceramic + Ion Hair Dryer and the Olivia Garden EcoHair Thermal Round Brush to dry and reshape the hair,' Clariss continued. 'Once the hair was dry, I alternated between a curling iron and flat iron to create the perfect undone waves. While curling, I spritzed Dove Care Between Washes Invisible Dry Shampoo (which is a game changer for dark hair because there is zero product residue left behind) from the crown to the root of the head, creating additional body and lift throughout.' After pulling the hair into a low 'playful knot', Clariss then secured it with the Dove Style + Care Compressed Micro Mist Flexible Hold Hairspray. All black: He played the greatest version of The Dark Knight to date and it seems Christian Bale and wife Sibi Blazic took their fashion cues from him on Sunday night The Dark Knight: The couple of 19 years arrived for the ceremony in Hollywood in each in an all-black ensemble Dapper: Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek looked dashing in a double-breasted black tuxedo and a jet black shirt Pals: Handsome Rami was joined on the paparazzi circuit by actress Rachel Brosnahan, who wore a stunning ice blue gown Fancy meeting you here: Rami chatted with British star Lucy Boynton as they settled down at their table inside the Shine Auditorium on Sunday night Main man: Gary Oldman was on hand to present the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role to Glenn Close Over the moon: Glenn looked ecstatic as she accepted her award from the British actor on Sunday evening He played the greatest version of The Dark Knight to date and it seems Christian Bale and wife Sibi Blazic took their fashion cues from him on Sunday night. The couple of 19 years arrived for the ceremony in Hollywood in each in an all-black ensemble. Bale was nominated for one of the big ones on the night: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, for his turn as Dick Cheney in Vice. He was up against Bradley Cooper for A Star Is Born, Rami Malek for Bohemian Rhapsody, Viggo Mortensen for Green Book, and John David Washington for BlacKkKlansman. Delight: Emily Blunt beamed after winning the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in A Quiet Place Special moment: Husband John Krasinski hugged the British actress as she prepared to take to the stage Credit: Emily praised her husband, who co-wrote A Quiet Place, after her accepting her award at the star studded event SAG AWARD WINNERS 2019 Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Christian Bale, 'Vice' Bradley Cooper, 'A Star Is Born' Rami Malek, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' - WINNER Viggo Mortensen, 'Green Book' John David Washington, 'BlacKkKlansman' Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Emily Blunt, 'Mary Poppins Returns' Glenn Close, 'The Wife' - WINNER Olivia Colman, 'The Favourite' Lady Gaga, 'A Star Is Born' Melissa McCarthy, 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Mahershala Ali, 'Green Book' - WINNER Timothee Chalamet, 'Beautiful Boy' Adam Driver, 'BlacKkKlansman' Sam Elliott, 'A Star Is Born' Richard E. Grant, 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Amy Adams, 'Vice' Emily Blunt, 'A Quiet Place' - WINNER Margot Robbie, 'Mary Queen of Scots' Emma Stone, 'The Favourite' Rachel Weisz, 'The Favourite' Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: 'A Star Is Born' 'Black Panther' - WINNER 'BlacKkKlansman' 'Bohemian Rhapsody' 'Crazy Rich Asians' Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Antonio Banderas, 'Genius: Picasso' Darren Criss, 'Assassination of Gianni Versace' - WINNER Hugh Grant, 'A Very English Scandal' Anthony Hopkins, 'King Lear' Bill Pullman, 'The Sinner' Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Amy Adams, 'Sharp Objects' Patricia Arquette, 'Escape at Dannemora' - WINNER Patricia Clarkson, 'Sharp Objects' Penelope Cruz, 'Assassination of Gianni Versace' Emma Stone, 'Maniac' Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series: Jason Bateman, 'Ozark' - WINNER Sterling K. Brown, 'This is Us' Joseph Fiennes, 'The Handmaid's Tale' John Krasinski, 'Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan' Bob Odenkirk, 'Better Call Saul' Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series: Julia Garner, 'Ozark' Laura Linney, 'Ozark' Elisabeth Moss, 'The Handmaid's Tale' Sandra Oh, 'Killing Eve' - WINNER Robin Wright, 'House of Cards' Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Alan Arkin, 'The Kominsky Method' Michael Douglas, 'The Kominsky Method' Bill Hader, 'Barry' Tony Shalhoub, 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' - WINNER Henry Winkler, 'Barry' Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Alex Borstein, 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Alison Brie, 'Glow' Rachel Brosnahan, 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' - WINNER Jane Fonda, 'Grace and Frankie' Lily Tomlin, 'Grace and Frankie' Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: 'The Americans' 'Better Call Saul' 'The Handmaid's Tale' 'Ozark' 'This Is Us' - WINNER Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series: 'Atlanta' 'Barry' 'GLOW' 'The Kominsky Method' 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' - WINNER Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series: 'Glow' - WINNER 'Marvel's: Daredevil' 'Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan' 'The Walking Dead' 'Westworld' Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' 'Avengers: Infinity War' 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs' 'Black Panther' - WINNER 'Mission: Impossible Fallout' Advertisement Honour: The award is the latest in a strong of accolades for Emily, who is a hot favourite for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards Say cheese: The actress posed with Rachel Brosnahan backstage after receiving her award on Sunday evening My Kitchen Rules season ten premiere certainly kicked off with a bang on Monday night. While a new crop of cooking contestants were on hand, no team more quickly made a mark on the competition than outspoken brothers Josh and Austin Bonwick. The pair were dubbed 'dinner party terrorists' and in an interview with Daily Mail Australia, Josh and Austin revealed what they really think about that label. EXCLUSIVE: 'What he said to our face wasn't what he said in those post-interviews': MKR's Josh and Austin Bonwick hit back after Blake Proud labels them 'dinner party terrorists' Austin, 22, said Blake calling them 'dinner party terrorists' surprised him because it was a stark contrast to how he had spoken to him during filming. 'Blake was interesting because on that night, I remember he came up to us and said "You guys are so funny, I cant believe it, you guys are so awesome bro!"' Austin said. 'I think he was very serious about [the remark] and I think Amanda [Blake's sister] looked like she was laughing when he was saying it so I cant really tell what the motive was there.' Ouch! After Josh and Austin were brutally honest with what they thought about their MKR rivals on Monday night's episode, Blake (pictured with sister Amanda) labelled the brothers 'dinner party terrorist' Echoing the sentiments of his brother, Josh, 25, claimed they saw a different side to Blake in person. 'All we know is that what he said to our face at the table wasnt what he said in those like post-interviews that you see little snippets of,' Josh said. Josh also hinted that there's more to My Kitchen Rules and its contestants than meets the eye. 'Being pegged as the villains? This is what I would say: the show is not a documentary,' he teased. Not all as it seems? Both Josh and Austin recalled Blake saying very different things to them on the night than the comments heard in the episode Bad boys: Responding to being pegged as the villains, Josh teased: 'This is what I would say: the show is not a documentary' In the explosive first episode, Josh and Austin caused controversy for expressing their brutally honest first impressions of their rivals. Among their cutting remarks were telling Sydney socialites Ibby and Romel that they 'look like mail order brides'. But the brothers were adamant they have no regrets about making the comments. Wouldn't take it back: Both the brothers were adamant they have no regrets about telling Ibby and Romel they 'look like mail order brides' 'When I said you look like a mail order bride. I didn't say you are a mail order bride and you're a piece of sh*t kind of thing,' Josh said. 'My first impression is, that to me, without knowing you, you look like mail order bride. You know, a guy who doesn't look very lucky in love, drives a Ferrari and dates this barely English-speaking girl with fake t*ts, fake butt, going 'I love you Papi'... you look like a mail order bride.' Austin added: 'They weren't insults. We were asked our opinions and we gave them.' My Kitchen Rules continues Tuesday, 7pm on Channel Seven Lady Gaga attended the Screen Actors Guild Awards this Sunday in a cleavage-baring Dior gown fresh off the catwalk. Her sleeveless haute couture dress, which features a dangerously high thigh-slit, debuted at the Christian Dior show in Paris this Monday. The 32-year-old actress clashed the dress against burgundy lipstick and nail polish, adding a splash of dazzle with an elaborate necklace and earrings. Scroll down for video Only the finest: Lady Gaga attended the Screen Actors Guild Awards this Sunday in a cleavage-baring Dior gown fresh off the catwalk Premiere: Her sleeveless haute couture gown, which features a dangerously high thigh-slit, debuted at the Christian Dior show in Paris this Monday Her hair was swept into a low ballerina-style bun by Celebrity Hairstylist Frederic Aspiras, who worked with GHD tools and Joico products to create the chic look. To add some volume and bounce to the hair, while protecting her vibrant blonde shade, Frederic used the Joico Blonde Life Brilliant Tone Violet Foam Styler, which he distributed through the hair with the GHD Detangling Comb. 'To get frizz-free and super smooth hair I use my GHD Air Hairdryer,' Frederic then explained. 'Next, spray Joico Ironclad Thermal Protectant Spray lightly before using ghd platinum+ styler throughout the hair to give the hair a satin shine finish.' Frederic also revealed a top tip for creating a smooth and frizz-free finish, advising: 'Spray Joico Flip Turn Voluminzing Hairspray onto the GHD Oval Dressing Brush as youre brushing hair up into a low ponytail to get a smooth controlled finish to the side and back of hair.' The look was finished off with the GHD Curve Creative Curl Wand, before the hair was fixed in place in its bun with the Joico JoiFix Firm Finishing Spray. Her makeup look was created by Marc Jacobs Beauty Global Artistry Ambassador Sarah Tanno, who wanted the star to have a 'revamped old Hollywood look that featured a dark shimmering eye and deep burgundy lips'. The finished look focused on the eyes and lips, with Sarah using multiple shades from the Eye-Conic Frost Multi-Finish Eyeshadow Palette in Flamboyant to create a 'texture that looked like a glaze', before defining the eyes with the Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in Blacquer. Her final touch for the eyes was the Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara, while the 'vampy' lip look was created using the Poutliner Longwear Lip Liner Pencil in Currant Mood, as well as a mix of the Le Marc Lip Creme Lipstick in Blow and Dashing. Out on the red carpet, Gaga mugged for the cameras alongside her fellow pop icon Ricky Martin, who color-blocked a white blazer and dress shirt with black slacks. What a look: The 32-year-old actress clashed the dress against burgundy lipstick and nail polish, adding a splash of dazzle with an elaborate necklace and earrings Fine company: Out on the red carpet, Gaga mugged for the cameras alongside her fellow pop icon Ricky Martin, who color-blocked a white blazer and dress shirt with black slacks Multitalented: Ricky drew acclaim for his turn as the title character's boyfriend Antonio D'Amico in The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Ricky drew acclaim for his turn as the title character's boyfriend Antonio D'Amico in The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. He is not nominated Sunday for best actor in a TV movie or mini-series - however, Darren Criss, who played Gianni's murderer Andrew Cunanan, is. While inside the ceremony, Gaga shot a smoldering stare at the shutterbugs by posing alongside her agent and fiance Christian Carino. She is nominated at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for best actress in a movie, courtesy of her performance in the third remake of the 1937 film A Star Is Born. Her role, of an ingenue whose fame grows as her husband's declines, has previously been played by Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand. During the Golden Globes awards ceremony, Gaga joined her A Star Is Born co-stars Bradley Cooper, Anthony Ramos and Sam Elliott to introduce their film. Colleagues: He is not nominated Sunday for best actor in a TV movie or mini-series - however, Darren Criss, who played Gianni's murderer Andrew Cunanan, is Date night: While inside the ceremony, Gaga shot a smoldering stare at the shutterbugs by posing alongside her agent and fiance Christian Carino A fine romance: Christian, who teamed a black suit with a matching dress shirt and went without a tie, shared a kiss with his bride-to-be in front of the cameras Plugging away: During the Golden Globes awards ceremony, Gaga joined her A Star Is Born co-stars Bradley Cooper (right), Anthony Ramos (left) and Sam Elliott (left) to introduce their film In addition to playing opposite Gaga, Bradley also made his directorial debut with the movie, and will go on to helm a biopic of Broadway composer Leonard Bernstein. Gaga is up against The Favourite's Olivia Colman, The Wife's Glenn Close, Mary Poppins Returns' Emily Blunt and Can You Ever Forgive Me?'s Melissa McCarthy. A Star Is Born is also nominated Sunday in the best ensemble category against the casts of Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody and Crazy Rich Asians. New frontier: In addition to playing opposite Gaga, Bradley also made his directorial debut with the movie, and will go on to helm a biopic of Broadway composer Leonard Bernstein In the running: She is nominated at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for best actress in a movie, courtesy her performance in the third remake of the 1937 film A Star Is Born Tough field: Gaga is up against The Favourite's Olivia Colman, The Wife's Glenn Close, Mary Poppins Returns' Emily Blunt and Can You Ever Forgive Me?'s Melissa McCarthy Contender: A Star Is Born is also nominated Sunday in the best ensemble category against the casts of Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody and Crazy Rich Asians Shoes to fill: Her role, of an ingenue whose fame grows as her husband's declines, has previously been played by Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand She's currently one of Britain's most celebrated actresses, who this year has been nominated for a SAG Award, BAFTA and Oscar for her performance in The Favourite. But Olivia Colman, 44, has revealed that her career almost stalled in its early stages, thanks to her starring role in AA's Kev and Bev adverts. However, the success of the 2004 ads proved problematic for the star, who told The Mirror: 'AA! That has become the bane of my life. I thought they were going to run that for about a week but they ran it for what felt like four times a day for a year.' Stalled: Olivia Colman, 44, has revealed that her career almost stalled in its early stages, thanks to her starring role in AA's Kev and Bev adverts. Pictured in October 2018 The ad campaign saw her playing two versions of Bev, one in a luxury vehicle after taking out a car loan with AA and the other faring less well after choosing to forgo the option. As she became tied to the character, Olivia found that casting directors were reluctant to give her roles in their projects for fear she has been typecast as Bev. She added: 'They ran it for a year having just given me a buy-out, It was really annoying. I lost some jobs.' Luxury: The 2004 ad campaign saw her playing two versions of Bev, one in a luxury vehicle after taking out a car loan and another faring less well In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, the star revealed she was once so broke she lived in a friends attic and had to rummage under the sofa cushions in search of coins to buy a single potato for dinner. She said: There were years of no work. It was a hard time. I actually really loved my cleaning jobs. I loved the job satisfaction. Id really go to town. Id wipe skirting boards, the top of lights. I never looked in drawers. Speaking of her early days with now husband Ed Sinclair, she said: We had what we call our Angelas Ashes day when we first moved to London from Bristol (in 1998). I had 1 left in my overdraft and cash machines dont dispense pounds. Ed didnt have any money either, so we managed to find enough pennies from the sofa to buy one potato to share. Conversation: The two Bevs and Kevs would speak to each other through their car windows They lived in the attic of friends who had a place in Epping, Essex, for two months. In 1999 they bought a two-bedroom flat in Londons East Dulwich, using a 30,000 inheritance from Ed to help them meet the 90,000 asking price. They sold it two years later for 150,000. The couple took out a credit card in 2001 and ended up 3,000 in debt a relatively small amount but Olivia found it traumatic as neither was earning regularly. However, she was determined to pursue an acting career. My mum said, Youll probably give it a year. And I said, No, Ill give it ten. Her career began to take off in 2003 when she was cast in Channel 4s Peep Show, with old friends David Mitchell and Robert Webb. Favourite: She's currently one of Britain's most celebrated actresses, who this year has been nominated for a SAG Award, BAFTA and Oscar for her performance in The Favourite There followed the Kev and Bev AA adverts and another sitcom, Green Wing. On the potential of landing among Hollywood's elite should she scoop an Oscar this awards season, she said: If Im really honest, Ive always dreamed of holding an Oscar...but Im really trying to sort of keep everything in check, keep calm. This is silly. What are the chances? I dont want to get excited. I dont want to face that disappointment. I just want to be on an even keel. Im a mum, a wife, Im a mate. Im other things. You can see how people get sort of swept into it and I want to stay sane. She received a Screen Actors Guild nomination for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the historical film, Mary Queen Of Scots. And, Margot Robbie looked every inch the red carpet queen when she arrived at the 25th SAG Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Australian actress, 28, who received a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in the drama film, looked simply stunning as she posed in a plunging white-and-gold gown. A royal delight! Margot Robbie looked every inch the red carpet queen when she arrived at the 25th SAG Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday The Hollywood star revealed a generous glimpse of her cleavage in the daring frock, which featured semi-sheer golden weaving around the bodice and skirt. Looking trim and terrific, the statuesque stunner let her floor-length frock do the talking by opting for minimal accessories- wearing a simple pair of drop earrings and a several gold rings. Margot also wore an understated makeup palette, consisting of a luminous foundation, defined brows and a pop of muted tangerine lipstick. Goddess! Looking trim and terrific, the statuesque stunner let her floor-length frock do the talking by opting for minimal accessories- wearing a simple pair of drop earrings and a several gold rings Golden girl: The Hollywood star revealed a generous glimpse of her cleavage in the daring frock, which featured semi-sheer golden weaving around the bodice and and skirt She also applied a thin dusting of gold powder across her eyelids, enhancing her ice-blue gaze. Last year, Margot was recognised by SAG for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the historical film, Mary Queen Of Scots. Her nomination, which was announced in December 2018, came as a surprise as many critics had panned her performance. Soft and dreamy! Margot also wore an understated makeup palette, consisting of a luminous foundation, defined brows and a pop of muted tangerine lipstick A New York Post film critic wrote: 'Margot Robbie chooses lame self-righteousness over drama, and shoves it in our faces for two hours. It's a royal chore.' A movie reviewer for The Guardian also wrote: 'Robbie... never really convinces with the accent or the appearance and one can almost feel her focusing on both so much that she forgets to add much else to the role.' They added that Margot's role in the film was 'a glaring miscast' that brought down the overall quality of the production. Dazzling: She also applied a thin dusting of gold powder across her eyelids, enhancing her ice-blue gaze Margot herself previously told the BBC she believed she was not the right actress for the role. The Oscar nominee said she told the film's director Josie Rourke: 'I'm not the right actress for this. I didn't go to university, I don't have a degree, I didn't do theatre, I'm not classically trained, I learned on the job.' Apparently, Josie was unconcerned and replied: 'I don't want you to play a queen, I want you to play a young woman.' SAG awards: Margot (pictured) has been nominated in her category alongside Amy Adams (Vice), Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), and Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz (The Favourite) She added: 'That unblocked the character for me in a big way, and from then it was really [about] finding her humanity and finding her vulnerable place beneath the facade.' Margot has been nominated in her category alongside Amy Adams (Vice), Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), and Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz (The Favourite). The 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will take place on January 27 at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles. Most guests could only bring a plus one. But lucky Harry Shum Jr got to bring his gorgeous wife Shelby and his unborn daughter to the SAG Awards on Sunday. The Crazy Rich Asians star and his pregnant partner put on a loved-up display as they arrived in Hollywood for the ceremony. Plus two: Lucky Harry Shum Jr got to bring his gorgeous wife Shelby and his unborn daughter to the SAG Awards on Sunday Harry, 36, looked razor-sharp in a classic black tux, with lighter grey satin lapels and trouser stripe. His 35-year-old squeeze meanwhile looked magnificent full-length, layered red gown, neatly showcasing her growing baby bump. Despite her carpet-trailing hemline, she still managed to flash a peek of her fab leopard-print heels. The couple paused on the silver-hued red carpet to share a kiss, and cradle their first and en-route baby. Loved-up: The couple paused on the red/grey carpet to share a kiss, and cradle their first and en-route baby Ensemble: Along with the rest of his Crazy Rich Asians co-stars, Shum is nominated on the night for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Along with the rest of his Crazy Rich Asians co-stars, Shum is nominated on the night for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. They go up against the casts of A Star Is Born, Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman and Bohemian Rhapsody. Shum was the first person to get his hands on a SAG this year; as an ambassador he took part in the ceremony to break the molds for the statuettes earlier this month. Harry and Shelby, who both starred in Glee, began dating in 2007, and got engaged during a Hawaiian vacation in 2013. The happy couple wed two years later in Harry's home country of Costa Rica. Breaking the mold: Shum was the first person to get his hands on a SAG this year; as an ambassador he took part in the ceremony to break the molds for the statuettes earlier this month Sandra Oh broke down in tears after winning the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series gong at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. Taking to the podium to accept her award for her leading role in Killing Eve, the actress, 47, was overcome with emotion as she told the audience how Jamie Foxx had told her to 'keep going' through the hard times. Dressed in a stunning red Jenny Packham gown, Sandra, who plays Eve Polastri in the BBC drama, spoke about how her fellow actors encouraged her to stay strong when she questioned her career. Emotional: Sandra Oh broke down in tears after winning the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series gong at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday 'I want to thank Alfre Woodard,' she said. 'In 1997 - she's never going to remember this - she whispers in my ear, 'I'm so proud of you up there. We fight the same fight.'' She went on: 'Jamie Foxx in 2006 pulled me aside and said, 'Keep going.' And in 2017, Lena Waithe, she just embraced me and said, 'You already won. It's in the work' So thank you to my fellow actors. Thank you so much.' The former Grey's Anatomy star also gave a mention to 'my mentor, Kim Gillingham, and all of the fellow creative dreamers.' Delighted: Taking to the podium to accept her award for her leading role in Killing Eve, the actress, 47, was overcome with emotion Teary-eyed: During her speech, she told the audience how Jamie Foxx had told her to 'keep going' through the hard times Winner: Dressed in a stunning red Jenny Packham gown, Sandra, who plays Eve Polastri in the BBC drama, spoke about how her fellow actors encouraged her to stay strong Keep going: 'I want to thank Alfre Woodard,' she said. 'In 1997 - she's never going to remember this - she whispers in my ear, 'I'm so proud of you up there. We fight the same fight.'' Gratitude: Oh revealed that three actors, in particular, had encouraged her in her career - Alfre Woodard, Jamie Foxx and Lena Waithe Special mention She went on: 'Jamie Foxx (pictured) in 2006 pulled me aside and said, 'Keep going.' And in 2017, Lena Waithe, she just embraced me and said, 'You already won' 'I am not the actor I am without the work that we share and I just so want to thank my fellow actors. I have felt your support so tremendously the past years,' she said. The Grey's Anatomy star beat Julia Garner (Ozark), Laura Linney (Ozark), Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaids Tale) and Robin Wright (House of Cards) in the category. The gong is the star's fourth SAG win and sixth nomination. Sandra has already been rewarded for her outstanding portrayal as Eve, scooping best actress at the Golden Globes and Emmys. Thank yous: The former Grey's Anatomy star also gave a mention to 'my mentor, Kim Gillingham, and all of the fellow creative dreamers' For her big moment, Sandra stunned in a one-shoulder dress, which was an embellished crepe number from designer Jenny Packham's FW18 collection. The gown comprised a dark red glittery strapless dress with contrasting red crepe around the bosom, knotted at one shoulder and cascading down to form a train. The actress wore her dark hair in high bun and accessorized with diamond pendant earrings. In Killing Eve, Oh stars as MI6 agent Eve locked into a pursuit of psychopathic assassin Villanelle, played by Jodie Comer. Lovely look: Oh arrived at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in LA on Sunday wearing a red Jenny Packham gown from the designer's FW18 collection Designer dress: The gown comprised a dark red glittery strapless dress with contrasting red crepe around the bosom, knotted at one shoulder and cascading down to form a train Blinged: The actress, 47, wore her dark hair in high bun and accessorized with diamond pendant earrings Big night: Oh is nominated at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for BBC America's Killing Eve Season 2 of Killing Eve will premiere on BBC America in April. 'Eve's state of mind is pushed to the absolute limit as she tries to contain the feral energy that is Villanelle,' Oh recently told EW.com. Executive producer and head writer Emerald Fennell explained to the outlet that the next season will be 'more intimate and darker.' 'What happened at the end of season 1 has really, really made an impact on both of our protagonists. It's a ripple effect that both of them have experienced,' Fennell said. Thrill ride: Season 2 of Killing Eve will premiere in April. 'Eve's state of mind is pushed to the absolute limit as she tries to contain the feral energy that is Villanelle,' Oh said Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have been enjoying time in their home country of Australia this month. And while they've been spotted at events like the Australian Open in Melbourne, it seems the couple have still managed to squeeze in quality family time. On Sunday, Keith and Nicole were spotted with daughters Sunday, 10, and Faith, eight as they headed to church in Sydney's Lavender Bay. Hallelujah! Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban stepped out with their rarely seen daughters Sunday and Faith as the family headed to church in Sydney on Sunday Pictured: Nicole with daughter Faith Big Little Lies actress Nicole looked effortlessly for the outing, donning a loose-fitting black frock with a high-neckline. Accesorising the conservative ensemble, she added a small black purse and sunglasses Nicole wore her blonde tresses slicked back in a tight bun and wore gold earrings to complete the look. Day off! Keith looked every bit the off-duty music star in a button-up collared shirt By her side! The Big Little Lies star was joined by her adorable daughters Mum's the word! Nicole looked effortlessly glam in a black frock as she was joined by her daughter Faith Also dressed in black, Keith looked every bit the off-duty music star in a button-up collared shirt. The country music star shielded his eyes from the sun with a pair of Ray Ban shades and sported a hint of facial hair. Doting parents Keith and Nicole were joined by their young daughters Sunday and Faith for the family outing. No stress: Nicole gave onlookers a laid-back smile as she made her way inside Sunday was dressed in a yellow floral dress which was teamed with a denim vest. Meanwhile, Faith opted for a floral patterned number in pink. Both girls could be seen munching on what looked to be a chocolate chip cookie, which they held in napkins. Family matters: Nicole played the part of the doting mother for the outing Golden couple: Keith and Nicole have been married for 12 years On their way: Nicole and Keith were spotted entering a car outside the church after the service Keith and Nicole are famously private about their family lives but have taken to social media in the past to gush over their daughters. To mark Sunday's 10th birthday in July last year, Nicole wrote on Instagram: 'Ten years ago today our little girl came into the world. You are our joy Sunday Rose. We love you, Happy Birthday.' Just months later, in December, Nicole wrote a similar post for Faith, penning: 'Our baby girl turns 8 today. We love you so much. You bring us more happiness than we could have ever dreamed of. We love you Faith Margaret.' Nicole and Keith are one of Hollywood's longest lasting couple, having tied the knot 12 years ago. Flower power: The girls looked cute as they strolled with their parents in floral ensembles Shining bright: Sunday wore a yellow and orange dress teamed with a denim vest Adorable: Faith meanwhile wore a pink floral dress Family outing: The clan are rarely seen together, with Keith and Nicole relatively private Hugh Grant's depiction of Jeremy Thorpe in A Very English Scandal learned him a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie. And hoping he did enough to secure the win, Hugh Grant attended the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in LA on Sunday evening. The 58-year-old actor was joined by his wife Anna Eberstein, who looked sensational in a thigh-grazing black mini dress as she showed her support on the red carpet. Date night: Hugh Grant attended the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in LA on Sunday evening alongside his wife Anna Eberstein Anna displayed her toned pins in the stylish sleeveless number, which featured silver buttoned detailing along the shoulders. She accessorised with look with a pair of statement sparkling drop earrings, and a branded chunky silver bangle, while clutching a sequined evening bag in her hand. The television producer added extra inches to her already statuesque frame, with a pair of strappy stilettos, which featured a pointed toe. Opting for light touches of neutrally-toned make-up, Anna also sported an understated hair style, sweeping her chestnut locks back off her face. Meanwhile, Hugh looked equally dashing in a simple black tuxedo, which he paired with a crisp white shirt and black bow tie. Big role: Hugh Grant's depiction of Jeremy Thorpe in A Very English Scandal learned him a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie Sweet display: Hugh and his glamorous partner put on a loved-up display together Hugh is up against Anthony Hopkins in King Lear and Bill Pullman in The Sinner in his category at the awards ceremony. The three-part drama tells the story of Liberal Party member Jeremy Thorpe, who fell from grace after he was put on trial for conspiracy and incitement to murder in connection to an attempted hit on his ex-lover, Norman Scott - played by Ben. And Hugh noted the love-making scene in particular, where his character suggests applying Vaseline as lubrication, as he celebrated the exciting recognition from the Hollywood Foreign Press. Wow: The 58-year-old actor was joined by his wife Anna Eberstein, who looked sensational in a thigh-grazing black mini dress as she showed her support on the red carpet All smiles: The duo were in high spirits as they walked the red carpet at the awards Speaking of the racy scene a few months earlier, Hugh admitted that while his father Captain James Murrary Grant, 89, supported him with the venture - he wasn't too keen on seeing the scene. Hugh told the Edinburgh Television Festival: 'My father had been very supportive and I go to see him every Sunday night and that first Sunday night it was broadcast he said "isnt your poof film on tonight?" hes ex military, you see. 'And hes 89. And I said "yes, Dad" and he said we should watch it, I have got a television set upstairs and we should go up and dust it off and watch it. And we did. 'Hes very loyal, he said Im determined to support you always. And we got as far as the Vaseline and he said: "I really am quite tired, I might go to bed",' he revealed. Meanwhile, Jeremy, who was MP for North Devon from 1959 to 1979 and leader of the Liberal Party between 1967 and 1976, was later acquitted on all charges. Despite his acquittal, the high-profile trial marked the end of his political career. He passed away in 2014, aged 85. Gemma Collins brushed aside her Dancing On Ice woes on Sunday night by heading straight out for a curry - and not one, but six large brandies. The GC, 37, fell in the final moments of her performance with partner Matt Evers, in what appeared to be a nasty knock to her face and her confidence. She was rushed to physio after it happened but then returned to the rink for the vote results, with her and Matt getting through to next week despite the tumble. Numbing the pain? Gemma Collins brushed aside her Dancing On Ice woes on Sunday night by heading straight out for a curry - and not one, but six large brandies Boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent took to Instagram to gush over the reality star, as well as to document their meal after the show at a local curry house. Gemma was seen brandishing a glass, tucking into a curry, with one leg raised and a bag of ice on it. Arg said: 'Celebratory curry for The GC!' Gemma then replied: 'I'm on the brandy! I've had six large brandies!' Arg also posted a snap with Gemma and Matt, rink-side, after the show. He captioned it: 'LOVE YOU @gemmacollins1. When I saw her fall like that face first I honestly thought she might be unconscious or lost some teeth! Ice, ice, baby: Gemma was seen brandishing a glass, tucking into a curry, with one leg raised and a bag of ice on it Proud: Arg also posted a snap with Gemma and Matt, rink-side, after the show 'The way she got up & carried on was AMAZING!!! You worked so hard this week GC & have done us so proud! Youve improved so much!' Arg appeared in the audience during the live broadcast and was interviewed by DOI presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. He said: 'My heart completely sunk when she fell, I've just been backstage with her, she is crying her eyes out. 'She is in pain with ice packs on her knees but she showed everyone how hard shes been working. 'If she is to go home tonight Im so proud of her and I love her so much.' As Gemma and Matt embarked on their final flourish of the routine, the TOWIE star, tripped and fell forward onto the ice. Emotional: Gemma had to fight back tears after falling in the final moments of her Dancing On Ice routine She lay there for a moment, but within seconds she was helped up by Matt, sure to plaster a smile on her face. The reality star held on to Matt and nestled into his shoulder - looking to be upset - but the Essex diva remained composed and poised for her chat with the judges afterwards - gaining the highest score she has received yet this season. Head judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean both commentd that Gemma had 'worked hard and improved' since last week. But the comments viewers were waiting for were Jason Gardiner's, following last week's scathing remarks that saw him and Gemma come to blows. Falling flat: As she and Matt embarked on their final flourish of the routine, the TOWIE star, 37, tripped and fell forward onto the ice Up you get: Gemma returned to the rink on Sunday night with her pro partner Matt Evers, a week on from her on-air clash with judge Jason Gardiner - but it didn't end well Fighting back the tears: She was instantly tearful after suffering the shock trip Slip: Despite claiming beforehand that she 'needs to let her feet do the talking rather than her mouth' she put on an impressive show to Celine Dion's All Coming Back To Me... but fell at the last hurdle Last hurdle: Gemma's fall came in the last few minutes of the routine 'I like your mum - she gives sound advice,' he told Gemma, referring to the pep talk Gemma's mother had given her before the show. 'When you come in and apply yourself, and when you drop The GC you improve and you did.' Ahead of her skate, Gemma explained in her VT that her mum and dad 'had a go at her' and 'threatened to write her out the will'. Gemma explained that she had gotten upset last week because 'Jason got personal' but said: 'I have always been a joke, but I am not going to let myself down.' Soldiering on: She lay there for a moment, and it appeared she had fallen on her face, but within seconds she was helped up by Matt, sure to plaster a smile on her face Support: The reality star held on to Matt and nestled into his shoulder - looking to be upset - but the Essex diva remained composed and poised for her chat with the judges afterwards - gaining the highest score she has received yet this season He has been nominated for the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series gong for his part as Fred Waterford in The Handmaid's Tale. And hoping to take home the award, Joseph Fiennes attended the 5th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in LA with his stunning wife Maria Dolores Dieguez. The 48-year-old actor showed a touch of class as he opted to don a single-breasted black suit and bow tie, which boasted a velvet lapel, as he attended the event on Sunday evening. Adoring: Joseph Fiennes attended the 5th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in LA with his stunning wife Maria Dolores Dieguez Joseph tucked a black pocket square into his breast pocket and kept to the archetypal look with a white shirt underneath. His perfectly manicured beard was filled with wisps of salt and pepper adding adding an extra touch of elegance to his look. Maria looked stunning as well, pulling photographers' lenses toward her as she wowed in a plunging black stress with studded detailing. Hot couple: The 48-year-old actor showed a touch of class as he opted to don a single-breasted black suit and bow tie, which boasted a velvet lapel Smart: Joseph tucked a black pocket square into his breast pocket and kept to the archetypal look with a white shirt underneath She couldn't stop smiling a she stared proudly at her husband and held her arm around his waist, as the pair posed for photographs. Joseph and Maria were married in 2009 in Tuscany, and share two children together, Sam, nine, and Isabel, eight. In television categories, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and Ozark led with four nominations each. Barry, GLOW, The Handmaid's Tale and The Kominsky Method trailed close behind with three nominations each. All black everything! Maria looked stunning as well, pulling photographers' lenses toward her as she wowed in a plunging black stress with studded detailing Proud parents: Joseph and Maria were married in 2009 in Tuscany, and share two children together, Sam, nine, and Isabel, eight Up for best ensemble in comedy are Atlanta, Barry, GLOW, The Kominsky Method and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The drama series ensemble nominees are: The Americans, Better Call Saul, The Handmaid's Tale, Ozark and This Is Us. Ahead of this year's show, the Screen Actors Guild also took the unusual step of publicly criticizing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for pressuring stars to appear only on the Oscars. With A Star Is Born leading nominations, all eyes will be on Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper as the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards begins on Sunday night. The film has nominations for best ensemble, Bradley Cooper (best male actor), Lady Gaga (best female actor) and Sam Elliott (best supporting male actor). The other nominees for the group's top award, best ensemble, are Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody, BlacKkKlansman and Crazy Rich Asians. Dapper: His perfectly manicured beard was filled with wisps of salt and pepper adding adding an extra touch of elegance to his look Best actress winner Glenn Close gave her social media following a rare behind- the-scenes look at herself getting ready for the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards with her glam squad on Sunday. 'Glam team united for the SAG-AFTRA AWARDS tonight. Very excited,' the 71-year-old acting legend captioned her Instagram snap surrounded by her team. For her role as Joan Castleman in The Wife, the William & Mary grad beat Olivia Colman, Lady Gaga, Emily Blunt, and Melissa McCarthy at the star-studded ceremony airing on TBS/TNT. Best actress frontrunner! Glenn Close gave her social media following a rare behind- the-scenes look at herself getting ready for the SAG Awards with her glam squad on Sunday. Airing on TBS/TNT! For her role as Joan Castleman in The Wife, the 71-year-old acting legend faces off against Olivia Colman, Lady Gaga, Emily Blunt, and Melissa McCarthy Champ! Glenn opted for a winter white double-breasted pantsuit selected by stylist Chloe Hartstein as she accepted her trophy for best actress Glenn opted for a winter white double-breasted pantsuit and sparkly diamond choker and earrings selected by stylist Chloe Hartstein. Her hair, meanwhile, was coiffed to perfection by hairstylist Brant Mayfield, who used products by Leonor Greyl to create the perfect look for the evening. 'She is wearing a pantsuit with hundreds of thousands of tiny Swarovski crystals on it, and her jewelry is all Cartier diamonds. Its chic and surprisingly subtle, and we wanted her hair to have the same kind of subtle shine,' Brant said of the inspiration for her hair look. In order to create that shine, the hairstylist conditioned Glenn's locks with the Leonor Greyl Masque Fleurs de Jasmin, a nourishing product that doesn't weigh down the hair. 'Glenn's hair is naturally gray, which tends to be a bit drier, and it likes to lay flat,' he noted, revealing that he used the Leonor Greyl Bain Volumateur aux Algues to add some volume to the actress's locks. Brant finished the look off with the Leonor Greyl Eclat Naturel, which he described as his 'absolute favorite product', before setting the entire thing in place with the Leonor Greyl Lacque Souple hairspray. Giving fans a sneak-peak inside the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles before all the action began was the evening's host Megan Mullally. 'Just for the record, i am honored to be hosting the SAG Awards tonight, having won a few (okay, 4) back in the day,' the 60-year-old Will & Grace funnywoman wrote of the honor. 'It means the world to me to have been recognized, I think you can see it in my face here. I love actors, talent, and creativity and I'm looking forward to tonight. The awards tend to bring out the best in people - speeches can be very poignant and always from the heart. Thanks for having me @sagawards.' Place cards in seats: Giving fans a sneak-peak inside the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles before all the action began was the evening's host Megan Mullally The 60-year-old Will & Grace funnywoman wrote of the honor: 'Just for the record, I am honored to be hosting the SAG Awards tonight, having won a few (okay, 4) back in the day. It means the world to me to have been recognized, I think you can see it in my face here. I love actors, talent, and creativity and I'm looking forward to tonight. The awards tend to bring out the best in people - speeches can be very poignant and always from the heart' '#handsoff': The Northwestern University grad Insta-storied her glam session with her hairstylist John Ruggiero and make-up artist Matthew Vanleeuwen Black and golden goddess: Megan gleamed in a short-sleeved black gown featuring gold embellishment and a matching clutch Overseas: Meanwhile, Mullally's second husband Nick Offerman (R) was in England touring the John Rylands Library in Manchester Sitcom star: The two-time Emmy winner continues her role as Karen Walker in the 16-episode ninth season of Will & Grace, which resumes next Thursday on NBC The Northwestern University grad meticulously Insta-storied everything she did leading up to the SAG Awards, including a glam session with her hairstylist John Ruggiero and make-up artist Matthew Vanleeuwen. Megan gleamed in a short-sleeved black gown featuring gold embellishment and a matching clutch. Meanwhile, Mullally's second husband Nick Offerman was in England touring the John Rylands Library in Manchester. The two-time Emmy winner continues her role as Grace's socialite assistant Karen Walker in the 16-episode ninth season of Will & Grace, which resumes next Thursday on NBC. Censored: Hilaria Thomas Baldwin shared several BTS snaps of herself breastfeeding eight-month- old son Romeo while getting prepped by hairstylist Whitney Colleen and make-up artist Liz Zaldana Sender Ample: The 34-year-old mother-of-four flaunted significant cleavage in a red floral Carmen Marc Valvo dress as well as Wempe Weinstrasse jewelry 'SAGs': Saturday Night Live star Alec Baldwin also posted a tuxedo-clad selfie inside the car on the way to the Shrine Eye on the prize: The 60-year-old Oscar nominee happened to act in two awards season films - Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born and Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman Hilaria Thomas Baldwin shared several BTS snaps of herself breastfeeding eight-month-old son Romeo while getting prepped by hairstylist Whitney Colleen and make-up artist Liz Zaldana Sender. The 34-year-old mother-of-four flaunted significant cleavage in a red floral Carmen Marc Valvo dress as well as Wempe Weinstrasse jewelry. Saturday Night Live star Alec Baldwin also posted a tuxedo-clad selfie inside the car on the way to the Shrine. The 60-year-old Oscar nominee happened to act in two awards season films - Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born and Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman. Doting: John Krasinski (who wore an ISAIA suit) gushed that he was 'honored to be on the arm' of his double-nominated wife, Emily Blunt, who's up for best supporting actress for A Quiet Place - which he directed - and best actress for Mary Poppins Returns Winner! The 35-year-old mother-of-two looked lovely in a pink ruffle-sleeved Michael Kors gown selected by stylist Jessica Paster as she accepted her best supporting actress trophy Ready, set, go! Alison Brie's makeup look was created by Quinn Murphy, who used skincare by L'Occitane to ensure the actress's skin glowed throughout the evening The 36-year-old Cal Arts grad looked ready to take flight in her bow-winged black Miu Miu gown and Fred Leighton diamond and platinum 'Art Deco' earrings selected by stylist Erin Walsh Still going strong! The Lego Movie 2 funnywoman was joined at the ceremony by her supportive husband, If Beale Street Could Talk actor Dave Franco (R) Meanwhile, John Krasinski gushed that he was 'honored to be on the arm' of his double-nominated wife, Emily Blunt, who's up for best supporting actress for A Quiet Place - which he directed - and best actress for Mary Poppins Returns. The 35-year-old mother-of-two looked lovely in a pink ruffle-sleeved Michael Kors gown and a bedazzled Jimmy Choo clutch selected by stylist Jessica Paster. GLOW star Alison Brie is up for two SAG Award trophies - best actress in a comedy series for her role as Ruth Wilder and best ensemble in a comedy series. The 36-year-old Cal Arts grad looked ready to take flight in her bow-winged black Miu Miu gown and Fred Leighton diamond and platinum 'Art Deco' earrings selected by stylist Erin Walsh. 'See you soon!' Killing Eve's Sandra Oh also posted a behind-the-scenes shot of herself en route in the car Yes! The Canadian 47-year-old wound up winning the female in a drama series trophy while clad in a single-strapped crimson gown Her makeup look for the evening came courtesy of Quinn Murphy, who used skincare by L'Occitane to prep the starlet's complexion ahead of the red carpet to ensure her natural glow remained throughout the evening. First, Alison used the L'Occitane Immortelle Overnight Reset Oil the night before the awards to 'hydrate the skin' and to leave it 'flawless and plump'. On the day of the awards, Quinn kicked off Alison's skincare routine with the brand's Immortelle Divine Cream, as well as the Immortelle Divine Youth Oil, which she applied to the high points of the face 'to create a base highlight'. In order to ensure that glow didn't develop into unsightly shine, Quinn then prepped Alison's skin with the L'Occitane Perfecting Mattifying Fluid in the T-zone area. 'Here we go!' For her role in Crazy Rich Asians, Gemma Chan was nominated for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture Ruffled: The British 36-year-old looked pretty in pink in a single-strapped Oscar de la Renta high-low gown and Harry Winston jewelry selected by stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray 'Picking up my SAG card!' Crazy Rich Asians' Ken Jeong was up for the same exact honor as Gemma, and he shared a cute car selfie on the way to the venue alongside his wife Tran The Lego Movie 2 funnywoman was joined at the ceremony by her supportive husband, If Beale Street Could Talk actor Dave Franco. For her role in Crazy Rich Asians, Gemma Chan was nominated for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture. The British 36-year-old looked pretty in pink in a single-strapped Oscar de la Renta high-low gown and Harry Winston jewelry selected by stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray. Crazy Rich Asians funnyman Ken Jeong was up for the same exact honor as Gemma, and he shared a cute car selfie on the way to the venue alongside his wife Tran. 'Chop chop!' This Is Us actress Mandy Moore had her ponytail extension - not her actual hair - chopped by hairstylist Ashley Streicher Up for best ensemble in a drama series! The 34-year-old former pop princess wore a strapless black Jason Wu gown selected by stylist Cristina Ehrlich 'To the SAG Awards, please!' Speaking of which, This Is Us' Chrissy Metz Insta-storied a car selfie before competing for best ensemble in a drama series Cobalt: The Florida-born 38-year-old dazzled in a black John Paul Ataker gown featuring a blue halter chiffon overlay selected by stylist Penny Lovell This Is Us actress Mandy Moore had her ponytail extension - not her actual hair - chopped by hairstylist Ashley Streicher. The 34-year-old former pop princess - who's up for best ensemble in a drama series - wore a strapless black Jason Wu gown selected by stylist Cristina Ehrlich. Speaking of which, This Is Us' Chrissy Metz Insta-storied a car selfie before competing for best ensemble in a drama series. The Florida-born 38-year-old dazzled in a black John Paul Ataker gown featuring a cobalt-blue halter chiffon overlay selected by stylist Penny Lovell. Mother-daughter day! SAG Awards ambassador Yara Shahidi brought her mother Keri as her date to the show Shake it! Before hitting the red carpet in her breathtaking Fendi gown selected by stylist Jason Bolden, the Minneapolis-born 18-year-old posted a BTS dance party at the hotel 'Let's gooooo!' Hairstylist Nai'vasha Johnson coiffed the Grown-ish starlet's 'romantic curls' and make-up artist Emily Cheng made sure she was ready for her close-up SAG Awards ambassador Yara Shahidi brought her mother Keri as her date to the show. Before hitting the red carpet in her breathtaking Fendi gown selected by stylist Jason Bolden, the Minneapolis-born 18-year-old posted a BTS dance party at the hotel. Hairstylist Nai'vasha Johnson coiffed the Grown-ish starlet's 'romantic curls' and make-up artist Emily Cheng made sure she was ready for her close-up. Oscar nominee Angela Bassett posted about her demanding awards season event schedule with the EW party last night and the SAG Awards tonight alongside her husband, Ben Is Back actor Courtney B. Vance. 'No rest for the weary!' Angela Bassett posted about her demanding awards season event schedule with the EW party last night and the SAG Awards tonight alongside her husband, Ben Is Back actor Courtney B. Vance (R) Up for best ensemble in a film! The Black Panther beauty easily defied her 60 years in a cleavage-boosting grey ruffled Georges Chakra creation selected by stylist Jennifer Austin On her way! Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's Rumer Willis blew a kiss in her car selfie on the way to the SAG Awards Lady in red: The 30-year-old eldest daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis took the plunge in a red blazer wrap dress selected by stylist duo Brit + Kara Elkin The Black Panther beauty - who's up for best ensemble in a film - easily defied her 60 years in a cleavage-boosting grey ruffled Georges Chakra creation selected by stylist Jennifer Austin. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's Rumer Willis blew a kiss in her car selfie on the way to the SAG Awards. The 30-year-old eldest daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis took the plunge in a red blazer wrap dress selected by stylist duo Brit + Kara Elkin. There couldn't be a more happier reason for a meet-up than a baby shower. But with all the limelight-loving Real Housewives crowded into the same room, sparks were always going to fly. And following Andy Cohen's baby shower on Saturday, Real Housewives of Orange County star Kelly Dodd couldn't resist the opportunity to make a savage dig at her former friend and RHOC co-star Vicki Gunvalson. The 43-year-old reality television personality publicly dissed Vicki's recent plastic surgery on social media on Sunday. 'That facelift Vicki got really did malfunction,' Dodd wrote in a now-deleted comment. Kelly Dodd said RHOC co-star Vicki Gunvalson's facelift 'really did malfunction' after Tamra Judge posted this shot of herself, Shannon Beador and Gunvalson from Cohen's baby shower in Los Angeles Savage: Kelly blasted Vicki's post-surgery face; she is seen in 2007, left, and now, right Dodd - who has had a long-running feud with Gunvalson - had commented on a photo that Tamra Judge posted of herself, Shannon Beador and Gunvalson from Cohen's baby shower in Los Angeles on Saturday. Other fans then bashed her for her unkind words, with one writing: 'Kelly Dodd not nice you're better than that.' While jess_4_you wrote: 'I am done with @rhoc_kellyddodd and no longer a fan. I'm sick of her constantly bashing Vicki and saying rude comments for no reason. You don't like her? Okay that's fine but there's no reason for your hateful comments. Goodbye you lost a fan.' Ouch! Kelly Dodd made a savage dig on Instagram (pictured Sept 2018) Party people: The housewives flooded in from across the U.S. for Cohen's baby shower Celebrating: Housewives with Cohen on Saturday Celebrations: Judge shared a number of pictures with Vicki, who admits to plastic surgery Dodd didn't even attend the baby shower and posted images from her weekend in Aspen - making sure followers saw that she was flying home by private jet. Gunvalson told Us Weekly in July that she'd had a face-lift and removed her fillers. 'I had a lot of fillers in my face and I didn't feel like it was me anymore,' she told the publication at the time. She told Us: 'I had too many doctors, too many different times say, 'Let's do this, let's do that, let's fill here, let's do Voluma, let's do Sculptra,' and by the time I was done I looked in the mirror and was like, 'I don't even look like myself.'' The Bravo star said that Judge had encouraged her to go under the knife again after previously having her nose thinned, getting a chin implant and having upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty. Snow day: Meanwhile, Kelly Dodd didn't attend the baby shower as she was in Aspen 'Tamra kept telling me: 'You need to do another face-lift, your neck is getting old!'', she told the publication. She continued: 'And I'm like: 'Wonderful.' Tamra looks so good. She got hers done about a year ago. I kept asking Tamra and she goes, 'Yes! You need it, you need it!'' 'Now my skin looks baby smooth. I don't have a wrinkle, I don't have a divot and I have no fillers. I look like was 40 or 35,' ' she told Us. Earlier this month, Dodd commented on another of Judge's Instagram photos, writing that she wished she could hit Gunvalson 'directly in the face.' In December, Dodd threatened to leave The Real Housewives if Gunvalson, who accused her of doing cocaine during the RHOC season 13 reunion, signed on for season 14. It's recently been rumored that she's dating Brad Pitt. But on Sunday Charlize Theron was all about being a mom as she and her oldest child Jackson, seven, went shopping together. The pair were spotted picking up supplies at the Farmers Market in LA's Studio City neighborhood. Fun outing: Charlize Theron and her oldest child Jackson, seven, went shopping together on Sunday, picking up supplies at the Farmers Market in LA's Studio City neighborhood Charlize, 43, looked casually stylish in a yellow sweater and blue jeans rolled up at the bottoms. She stepped out in brown ankle boots and sported a Fedora and sunglasses. The actress adopted Jackson from her native South Africa in 2012. She's also mom to August whom she adopted in 2015. Looking good: Charlize, 43, looked casually stylish in a yellow sweater and blue jeans rolled up at the bottoms and she stepped out in brown ankle boots Natty: The actress sported a Fedora and sunglasses Mom: The actress adopted Jackson from her native South Africa in 2012. She's also mom to August, three, whom she adopted in 2015 Charlize, who won a best actress Oscar for Monster in 2004, she's not nominated for anything this awards season. However, she is putting her star power behind the highly nominated film Roma and Netflix which produced and distributed it. The movie shot in black and white and in Spanish by Alfonso Cuaron received 10 Academy Award nods, including for best picture, best director, best actress and best supporting actress. On Saturday, she co-hosted an event at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont to promote the movie, posing for photos with Cuaron and Mexican actor Diego Luna. Netflix is reportedly spending up to $20 million on its Oscar campaign for Roma, according to IndieWire, and in addition to Charlize, it's also had Angelina Jolie involved in hosting Roma events in Hollywood. In The Wife she plays Joan, who behind the scenes quietly ghostwrites the acclaimed novels of her award-winning husband Joseph. And Glenn Close clearly sees parallels between Joan and women everywhere, who suppress their own ambition to fulfill their role as a mother and wife. On Sunday she honored her own grandmother as she walked the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, wearing her late family member's wedding ring. She told reporters on the red carpet: 'She wanted to be an actress. I only knew that after she died. She never would have been allowed to do that.' Aglow: Glenn Close arrived at the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on Sunday in high style, modeling an elegant white trouser suit Glenn, once again nominated for Best Actress on Sunday, has already won a Golden Globe, a Satellite Award and a Hollywood Film Award for the role, which has also earned her an Oscar nomination. Accepting her Golden Globe, she hit the headlines for an emotional speech about women whose ambitions have been suppressed. 'I'm thinking of my mom, who really sublimated herself to my father her whole life, and in her 80s, she said to me: "I feel I haven't accomplished anything," and it was so not right,' said the Dangerous Liaisons star. 'And I feel what I've learned form this whole experience is that women, we're nurturers and that's what's expected of us. We have our children, we have our husbands if we're lucky enough - and our partners, whoever.' Top brass: The 71-year-old, pictured with SAG-AFTRA executive vice president Gabrielle Carteris was wearing a wedding ring that had belonged to her grandmother and a double breasted tuxedo by Ralph Lauren Said Glenn: 'But we have to find personal fulfilment. We have to follow our dreams we have to say: "I can do that," and: "I should be allowed to do that."' Glenn, whose father raised her in a cult called the Moral Re-Armament started by a fundamentalist Christian, was asked about that speech on this Sunday's red carpet. She confessed that if she won a SAG Awards she would probably not manage 'to top' that Golden Globes speech owing to the latter's spontaneity. This year marks' Glenn's ninth SAG nomination - she won once in 2004 for playing Eleanor Of Aquitaine in a TV film of James Goldman's play The Lion In Winter, a part that earned Katharine Hepburn an Oscar for the 1968 movie adaptation. She is now up against The Favourite's Olivia Colman, A Star Is Born's Lady Gaga, Mary Poppins Returns' Emily Blunt and Can You Ever Forgive Me?'s Melissa McCarthy. Star turn: In The Wife, Glenn's character Joan ghostwrites the successful, acclaimed novels of her husband Joseph, played by Jonathan Pryce She's busy working hard on a new television project with Jennifer Aniston. But Reese Witherspoon took time to get in touch with her spiritual side as she stepped out on Sunday. The 42-year-old actress was spotted leaving church with husband Jim Toth and their son Tennessee, six, in Pacific Palisades, California. Spring is coming: Reese Witherspoon still left time to get in touch with her spiritual side as she stepped out on Sunday with husband Jim Toth and their son Tennessee, six The Legally Blonde star appeared contemplative as she held onto Tennessee's hand. She left her legs bare as she wore a navy print flared dress and tan suede boots. The Draper James entrepreneur slung a tan bag diagonally across her body, as the family made their way down the stairs. Thoughtful: The Legally Blonde star appeared contemplative as she held onto Tennessee's hand as they were spotted in Pacific Palisades, California The blonde beauty left her hair loose and straight, and covered her eyes with dark glasses against the bright sunshine. She appeared to be wearing little or no make-up as she showcased her flawless and youthful complexion. Jim, who married Reese in 2011, chose a fresh Spring outfit of white shirt and beige slacks. Beauty: She left her legs bare as she wore a navy print flared dress and tan suede boots Tennessee looked his perfect mini-me, in similar trousers and a blue button-down shirt. As well as Tennessee, from her current marriage, Reese shares Ava, 19 and Deacon, 15, with first husband Ryan Phillippe. Reese has teamed up with Friends star Aniston on her latest project for Apple TV. Tentatively titled Top Of The Morning, it marks Aniston's first return to the small screen following NBC's Friends, on which Reese did a two-episode stint as Rachel Green's younger sister Jill back in 2000 Youngest son: Tennessee looked sweet in a blue button-down shirt in pictures Reese posted to her social media Thirsty work: The six-year-old was having a glass of fresh orange juice Treats: The beauty revealed that they were having pancakes on Sunday morning Reese's Hello Sunshine production company is producing a big screen adaptation of Where The Crawdads Sing. The Walk The Line star is to turn Delia Owens' best-selling novel into a feature film after she lauded the literature in her Reese's Book Club. Fox 2000 have acquired the rights to the book under the guise of Elizabeth Gabler, who has turned titles including The Fault In Our Stars and The Devil Wears Prada into successful movies. Hello Sunshine also has an adaptation of Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere in the works with Reese and Kerry Washington in leading roles. Plus Are You Sleeping, executive produced by and starring Octavia Spencer. She's a busy and devoted mother of six. Yet Angelina Jolie was the picture of calm and cool as she treated three of her children - and herself - to a bit of delicious sushi. The actress, 43, was pictured heading to Kabuki in Los Angeles with her children Vivienne, 10, Knox, 10, and Zahara, 14. Family first! Angelina Jolie set business aside on Sunday to spend some quality time with Vivienne, 10, Knox, 10, and Zahara, 14 in Los Angeles on Sunday Angelina guided her children towards the restaurant, gently placing her hands upon Vivienne's shoulders as they drew closer to the business. The actress was dressed in her trademark all-black outfit, looking absolutely stylish with a pair of high heels and cool sunglasses. Scarf slung over her shoulders, Angelina wore her hair scraped back into a chic bun, giving her a calm and collected air. Angelina is also the mother to sons Maddox, 17, and Pax, 15, whom she shares with Pitt. Cool and collected: Jolie wore her signature all-black attire for the occasion The former couple split in 2016 and finally reached and agreement over their divorce and custody terms in December. The filing and details of the agreement were left confidential to protect the best interests of the children. Most recently, the California native has been filming Maleficent II, which is slated to premiere in May 2019, and the fantasy drama Come Away. She has also been busy working on her latest project, an English-language current affairs program targeted to young people with BBC Learning. Bosses of Cheryl's new series The Greatest Dancer have drafted in Strictly Come Dancing professionals to jazz up the show as part of a host of surprise appearances. It has yet to be revealed which stars from Strictly will appear on The Greatest Dancer, but a source has told MailOnline that the ballroom experts will perform a routine with TGD captains Cheryl, 35; Matthew Morrison, 40; and Oti Mabuse, 28. A show insider said: 'Lots of special guests will be taking part in the live shows including the Strictly Pros who will dance in an unmissable collaboration with Oti, Cheryl and Matthew.' Recruits: Bosses of Cheryl's new series The Greatest Dancer have drafted in Strictly Come Dancing professionals to jazz up the show as part of a host of surprise appearances Meanwhile, a spokesperson for The Greatest Dancer has shot down speculation that the professionals have been brought in to boost ratings for the show, which on Saturday averaged 3.3million viewers and peaked at 4million. The spokesperson told MailOnline: 'It has always been the case that Strictly dancers would perform on one of our live shows, along with lots of other special guests which we cant wait for viewers to see.' Last week, former X Factor judge Cheryl appeared to be in jovial spirits when she shared a sultry snap of herself in the dance studio alongside her final three acts. Routine: A source told MailOnline that the ballroom stars will perform a routine with the TGD captains. Pasha Kovalev and Karen Clifton pictured in January 2019 Stars: Cheryl serves as a captain on the show alongside Oti Mabuse and Matthew Morrison The erstwhile Girls Aloud star looked nothing short of sensational as she struck a pose in a green, off the shoulder jumper, captioning the snap: 'Hi'. Cheryl also shared photos where she posed proudly alongside her acts Harry and Eleiyah, dance collective Dane Bates and male group Frobacks. She wrote: 'My final three acts. So excited to get to showcase what weve been working on for the live shows next week. Thank you so much for showing them your support.' Cheryl and her fellow The Greatest Dancer captains Oti and Matthew were relieved as they finally picked their final nine contestants. Pose: Cheryl recently appeared to be in jovial spirits as she shared a sultry snap of herself in the dance studio alongside her final three acts In the final three: In Cheryl's final three are male group Frobacks, who posed with the star Show of support: The 35-year-old star also posed with another of her acts, Harry and Eleiyah But viewers were left disappointed as favourites Andrew and Chris failed to get through to the next stage of the BBC competition on Saturday's edition of the series. Taking to Twitter in droves, fans claimed they were 'totally gutted' as Andrew, who has Downs Syndrome, or Chris, who is deaf, were booted off the show, after wowing the judges with their initial auditions. Cheryl was brought to tears when Andrew first took to the stage with a passionate performance earlier on in the series. Overwhelmed with emotion, the Fight For This Love hitmaker told the contestant: 'I just feel really moved by the whole thing, that was amazing.' Proud: Dance collective Dane Bates also made it into Cheryl's top three on the new BBC show Booted off: TGD viewers were left disappointed as favourites Andrew (L) and Chris (R) failed to get through to the next stage of the BBC competition on Saturday's edition of the series Meanwhile, Chris lit up the show with his dance routine and received a standing ovation from Cheryl, Strictly's Oti and Glee star Matthew. In Cheryl's final three are double act Harry and Eleiyah, dance collective Dane Bates and male group Frobacks. Making it through to the live shows under Oti's wing are KLA, Ellie Fergusson and The Globe Girls. Meanwhile, Company Jinks, James & Oliver and Prospects Fraternity are in Michael's final three. The Greatest Dancer continues next Saturday at 7.30pm on BBC1 Energetic: Making it through to the live shows under Strictly pro Oti's wing are KLA, Ellie Fergusson and The Globe Girls (pictured) She and Playboi Carti made their romance Instagram official in September last year. And on Sunday, Australian rapper, Iggy Azalea looked every inch the doting girlfriend as she arrived at Rolling Loud festival in Sydney to watch her beau's headline act. The 28-year-old star paraded her voluptuous posterior in skintight jeans as she strut into the festival's backstage area at Sydney Olympic Park. Good jeans! Iggy Azalea (pictured) showed off her voluptuous posterior in skintight denim as she arrived at Rolling Loud festival in Sydney to watch her rapper boyfriend Playboi Carti's headline act on Sunday The blonde bombshell highlighted her hourglass figure with a form-fitting white crop-top which revealed a generous glimpse at her ample assets. She completed her look with a pair of oversized hoop earrings, white sneakers and a neon green tote bag. Making her way into the venue, Iggy showed off her cheeky side as she looked over her shoulder and shot onlookers a playful grin. Busting out! Moments earlier, the Fancy rapper (pictured) flashed onlookers a glimpse of her ample assets and extensive body ink as she stepped out of the parked vehicle in the cleavage-baring garb Iggy and Playboi Carti went Instagram official in September last year by sharing a photo of themselves cuddling on a sofa. After confirming their relationship, the couple faced criticism from fans for their five-year age gap, but Iggy was quick to defend the romance. In response to one negative comment, the Mo Bounce rapper wrote: 'He just turned 23, he's five years younger than I am.' Going strong: The Australian rapper was joined by her boyfriend of a few months, Playboi Carti at Paris Fashion Week this month 'Is that unusual to you? Because almost everyone I know isn't the exact age as the person they date.' 'You all act like he's some little kid that just left school or I'm some old ass woman. We are both in our twenties, get off my nuts.' Meanwhile, Iggy is enjoying her newfound independence after parting ways with major music label, Island Records. Last month, she claimed on Twitter to have signed a new '$2.7million deal' that included her owning the rights to her back catalogue. She's the Home And Away actress who has charmed fans with her portrayal of Raffy Morrison. But on Saturday, Olivia Deeble, enjoyed some time out of character as she hit the beach with friends. The 16-year-old soaked up the sun on Bondi Beach as she celebrated Australia day. Rock on! Home and Away star Olivia Deeble, 16, cut a casual figure in an over-sized band T-shirt as she relaxed on Bondi Beach Looking relaxed, Olivia donned an over-sized T-shirt dress which featured the logo of the Spanish death metal band, Endless. The actress paired the garment with a pair of red Lacoste slides and a pair of round RayBan sunglasses. Olivia had her hands full as she clutched a white water bottle, orange visor and red wallet. Time off: Olivia enjoyed some time out of character as she hit the beach with friends Punk rocker! Olivia talked and laugh with friends as they sat on the grass To complete her beach look, she wore a multi-coloured scrunchy on her arm and a small silver chain necklace. Keeping hydrated: The actress carried a white water bottle which she sipped from regularly to stay hydrated in the heat Cool: To complete her beach look, she wore a multi-coloured scrunchy on her arm and a small silver chain necklace Her blonde locks fell loosely down her shoulders as she chattered and joked with friends on the grass. The outing came after Olivia revealed how she completely transforms her face with one clever beauty trick. Earlier this month, she revealed she had dyed her blonde eyebrows a darker shade to achieve more defined arches. Trandy: The actress paired the dress with a pair of red Lacoste slides and a pair of round RayBan sunglasses Hands full! The actress carried a water bottle, visor, wallet, phone and case for her sunglasses as she walked along the beach In a photo shared to Instagram, the actress demonstrated how this seemingly minor tweak almost completely changed the look of her face. Olivia's darker eyebrows elegantly framed her face and drew attention to her bold, blue eyes. It's a beauty trend made popular lately by A-list celebrities, such as Kim Kardashian and Cara Delevingne. Darker eyebrows! Olivia completely transformed her face with one clever beauty trick 'Ladies and gentlemen, I thought I would tell you all that the time came, I made the choice to dye my blonde and impossible-to-see eyebrows,' Olivia explained. 'I know that as a community you have been as involved with this as I have and I want to thank you for the sympathy and the constant reminder that I had no eyebrows, however your services shall no longer be needed.' Olivia's fans complimented her on her new look, observing that the subtle change has significantly improved her appearance. 'I didn't mind them before but now I'm like, 'Wow!'' one follower commented. She is the granddaughter of The Sullivans' actor Reg Gorman and the daughter of Kate Gorman, who starred in Neighbours in '80s. ISTANBUL - Agnes Callamard, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), arrived in Turkey on Monday to begin an "international independent investigation" into the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 of last year. Callamard, who will be in Turkey through Sunday, met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday morning. Cavusoglu had called for an international probe to avoid any potential cover-ups by the Saudi government. The results of Callamard's investigation, which regards the circumstances of the killing and the "nature and extension of the responsibilities of states and individuals", will be submitted at the June session of the UN Human Rights Council. The claws have come out in the ratings war between Channel Seven's My Kitchen Rules and Nine's Married At First Sight. On Saturday, MAFS producer Victoria Owens took a swipe at reality TV rival MKR for moving its time slot up by half an hour in what has been seen as a strategic attempt to get a head start in the ratings war. 'Nice try, MKR,' she wrote on Instagram. 'But starting early won't stop people watching MAFS.' MAFS vs MKR: A Married At First Sight producer has slammed My Kitchen Rules as the shows prepare to go head-to-head in a ratings war Both Married At First Sight and My Kitchen Rules have traditionally premiered in the 7:30pm time slot, but this year MKR moved their season ten premiere to 7pm. The change is most certainly due to last year's ratings battle, which saw My Kitchen Rules lose in its time slot for the first time in its eight-year history. Despite MAFS surpassing MKR, Nine are far from complacent when it comes to staying on top. 'Nice try, MKR,' MAFS producer Victoria Owens wrote on Instagram. 'But starting early won't stop people watching MAFS.' 'Any given year, MKR is a difficult opponent,' Married At First Sight's executive producer John Walsh told the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday. 'And no doubt they're going to put out the noisiest show they can to challenge us this year,' he continued. 'We're not sure what sort of impact that will make... It'll be game on from Monday.' Time: Both Married At First Sight and My Kitchen Rules have traditionally premiered in the 7:30pm timeslot, but this year MKR moved their season ten premiere to 7pm for a head start MAFS is currently touting its upcoming sixth season as the best and most dramatic installment ever, promising more affairs and dinner party bust-ups. MKR has done the opposite, dialing down some of the show's more dramatic elements after last season's villains Sonya Mefaddi and Hadil Faiza were accused of crossing the line after an on-set clash saw them kicked off the show. My Kitchen Rules returns to Channel Seven on Monday, January 28 at 7pm, followed by Married At First Sight at 7:30pm on Channel Nine. The Australian actress is 27 weeks pregnant with her third child. But that hasn't stopped Teresa Palmer, 32, from adding two new additions to her growing brood ahead of her daughter's arrival. On Saturday, Teresa revealed that she and husband Mark, and their two sons choose two kittens from the South Australian RSPCA to join their family. Scroll down for video Feline happy! Pregnant Teresa Palmer and her family beam with delight as they adopt two adorable kittens just weeks before she is due to give birth Appearing in a promotion video for the charity, Teresa was seen holding a grey kitten in her arms with a large grin. Teresa's sons four-year-old Bodhi and two-year-old Forest par the small cats with glee in the video. 'Any of the kittens would have been perfect, They're all so beautiful. I mean I think if you just look at this little girl, she's so beautiful,' she said. 'I think they're going to fit in really well with our family.' The dedicated vegan became an ambassador for the RSPCA earlier this month and wants to raise awareness about adopting animals. Family affair! On Saturday the 32-year-old revealed that she and her husband Mark, their two sons, four-year-old Bodhi and two-year-old Forest, choose two kittens from the South Australian RSPCA to join their family Bigger brood: Teresa was seen holding a grey kitten in her arms after her children picked them out 'I think it's important to adopt, not shop. So that's why we decided,' she said. The Hacksaw Ridge star also revealed that before she made it big in Hollywood, she had wanted to work in animal rescue. 'At one stage I even toyed with the idea of opening my own animal sanctuary so animals and their welfare have been on my radar for most of my life.' 'Any of the kittens would be perfect': The dedicated vegan become an ambassador for the RSPCA earlier this month Teresa and her family are enjoying time with family and friends in Adelaide before returning to their second home in Los Angeles. The celebrity couple will be back in Adelaide for their daughter's birth in April and plan to stay for about four months. 'It will be wonderful to have those months off to spend time not only with our new baby and our boys, but also with our new kittens. 'I know we'll miss them while we're away, but fortunately my Mum, who adores animals, will be here to care for them until we get back.' Model Ellie Gonsalves has become the latest Australian face to join Khloe Kardashian's #GoodSquad. The 27-year-old red head - who hails from Brisbane - stars in a new campaign for Khloe's brand, Good American. In the stunning shoot, Ellie flaunts her incredible figure in a high-cut bodysuit. Scroll down for video Move over Tammy! Model Ellie Gonsalves (pictured) flaunts her incredible figure in a high-cut bodysuit as she stars in a new campaign for Khloe Kardashian's Good American brand In one image shared with Daily Mail Australia, Ellie smoulders as she gazes at the camera in the skimpy black outfit. She runs one hand through her short locks and wears makeup including dewy foundation, layers of bronzer and a nude matte lip. The beauty then praised women in a statement for the campaign, saying they are 'inspiring' and 'powerful' because they 'own themselves.' Getting in with the A-list! Pictured is Khloe Kardashian, who has hired Ellie as a new model for her clothing brand Good American Proud to be a woman! Ellie then praised women in a statement for the campaign, saying they are 'inspiring' and 'powerful' because they 'own themselves' 'The most inspiring and powerful thing about women is the fact that they own themselves,' Ellie said. She added: 'They are confident in who they are, they go after what they want.' On Instagram on Wednesday, Ellie publicly thanked Khloe for the opportunity and said she loves that the brand embraces women of all sizes. Familiar face: Ellie joins Australian fitness and Instagram sensation, Tammy Hembrow (pictured), in modelling for Good American 'I love that there ARE brands and people out there who are supporting women of all shapes and sizes and the fact that you embrace us all is truly incredible and something I am so excited to be a part of,' Ellie said. Ellie joins Australian fitness and Instagram sensation, Tammy Hembrow, in modelling for Good American. This week, the pair sat on a panel in Sydney for Good American, at a casting for Australian models to pose for the brand. Pilots in China have finally been banned from smoking in the cockpit during domestic flights. Crew who light up in the flight deck can face a suspension of up to 36 months if they flout the law. The new rule was brought in today by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which issued a notice banning all in-flight smoking with immediate effect. Pilots in China have finally been banned from smoking in the cockpit during domestic flights In October 2017, smoking was banned in the cabin on all Chinese domestic flights and airlines were then warned they would be given two years to stop the practice in the cockpit too, reported China Daily. A ban on smoking on international flights has been in force for more than 20 years. The ban comes just months after an Air China jet plunged 25,000ft in an emergency descent after a co-pilot mistakenly turned off air-conditioning systems in a bid to conceal his e-cigarette smoke. The incident, which resulted in the deployment of passenger oxygen masks, occurred in July on a flight by the Chinese flag carrier from Hong Kong to the city of Dalian in northeastern China. The CAAC said in a press conference in Beijing that the drama was triggered when the co-pilot sought to turn off a ventilation system to prevent his smoke spreading into the main cabin, the respected news site Caixin said. But he accidentally switched off air-conditioning instead, leading to a decrease in cabin oxygen levels. That set off an emergency warning system indicating that the 737 jet may have flown too high and instructing the pilots to quickly descend. Chinese media reports quoted passengers and flight-tracker sites as saying the plane may have descended as much as several thousand metres. The ban comes just months after an Air China jet plunged 25,000ft in an emergency descent after a co-pilot mistakenly turned off air-conditioning systems in a bid to conceal his e-cigarette smoke The CAAC said the aircraft dropped down to as low as 3,000 metres (10,000 feet), without specifying its original altitude. According to FlightRadar24 it descended from 35,000 feet to 10,000 feet in 10 minutes as is standard practice in a decompression event. It then ascended and continued the flight at a peak altitude of 26,600 feet rather than heading to a nearby airport to land. Industry experts said the decision to climb and continue the flight was unusual given the oxygen masks had already been deployed. Video from aboard the flight that was later posted on social media showed oxygen masks hanging down from the ceiling throughout the cabin, but no signs of panic. Holiday firm TUI has apologised after it was caught out passing off as 'brand new' a trouble-hit holiday resort that recently renamed itself. Sunscape Bavaro Beach in the Dominican Republic was at the centre of salmonella outbreak claims in October last year, with the children of TUI customers needing hospital treatment. The resort has since been renamed Impressive Resort and Spa, but TUI instead says on its website: 'This is a brand new property so no TripAdvisor rating exists for it yet.' TUI has apologised after it was caught describing the Impressive Resort and Spa in Punta Cana as 'brand new' - even though it was previously called Sunscape Bavaro Beach Carl Lawton, a guest who is currently staying at the renamed resort, revealed TUI's mistake on Facebook Billie Baker commented on Carl's status. She had to take two of her children to hospital with high temperatures and diarrhoea while staying at the resort in October when it was called Sunscape Bavaro Beach The renamed resort is currently being offered by TUI for 1,139 per person for a seven-night all-inclusive stay leaving the UK on Thursday. The website listing says: 'The Impressive Resort and Spa is pulled right up to El Cortecito beach. Plus, it's popular with foodies, thanks to its themed restaurants and adults-only wine bar. 'It's all eyes on the beach at this place. You can expect a trio of lagoon-shaped pools surrounded by palm trees, and a chiffon-white stretch of sand on your doorstep.' But promotional pictures on the listing are identical to those used for the Sunscape resort, as are the addresses. Canadian airline Air Transat is more transparent. It informs its customers: 'The Impressive Resort & Spa hotel was formerly known as the Sunscape Bavaro Beach Punta Cana.' Now enraged holidaymakers have taken to social media to accuse TUI of 'conning people'. Carl Lawton, who is currently staying at the renamed resort, revealed TUI's mistake on Facebook. He wrote: 'Please everyone be warned that TUI are advertising The Impressive Beach and Spa resort as a brand new property in the Dominican Republic. The renamed resort is currently being offered by TUI for 1,139 per person for a seven-night all-inclusive stay leaving the UK on a Thursday 'We are currently staying at the resort and it's not a new resort or a new property, it's in fact the Sunscape beach resort. 'I feel totally let down by TUI and believe this to be the highest degree of mis-selling I have ever come across. 'Just to add, the same problems are being encountered at the Impressive beach = stinking of poo, cold food etc. 'TUI should never ever be able to get away with this blatant act of conning people.' The Sunscape suffered a bad press last year after Billie Baker and Reiss Monkfield from Wickford, Essex, had to take two of their children to hospital with high temperatures and diarrhoea while staying at the resort. They claim contaminated chicken eaten at the hotel was the cause of the illness, which ruined their 6,000 holiday. TUI said at the time they were investigating the claims and assured customers they regularly audited hotels for health and safety, including hygiene. Billie commented on Carl's post: 'Please be careful at this resort! My family went through hell and are still battling with TUI over the disgusting treatment we received staying at this resort!' Many of the TripAdvisor reviews about the Impressive Resort and Spa were upbeat. However this one criticised the hotel However, many on TripAdvisor have been upbeat about the resort as it has an average review of four stars based on 42 reviews. 'Wareskelly' wrote: 'Resort is very clean, they are working on some projects but it does not interfere with guests.' Another reviewer, 'Hannah', said: 'This is one of those resorts that you get more than you pay for. I will definitely visit again.' While 'PuntaCanaMike' said there had been several name changes adding: 'In my time here since 2005: Ocean Blue and Sand, Barcelo Dominican Beach, Sunscape Dominican Beach and soon to be Impressive.' However, one former guest, 'DeeaP' was not impressed by the resort and wrote: 'First of all, this is not a new resort. Nothing in this resort is new. The rooms are outdated, the shower was broken when we came in, the AC was broken too. We called twice to have it fixed.' A TUI spokesperson said: 'We're sorry for any confusion about the Impressive Resort and Spa in Punta Cana. 'We would like to thank customers for bringing this to our attention and the wording is being updated and corrected following the simple mix up.' MailOnline Travel has contacted the Impressive Resort and Spa for comment. Advertisement These photos taken by a pair of snap-happy lovebirds who sold everything to travel the globe will induce some serious travel envy. Nicolas Lerino and his model-looking girlfriend Laura Cristiano, both from Argentina, packed up their bags and embarked on the trip of a lifetime, which saw them adventure to 33 countries in 10 months. And this care-free couple certainly know what a makes a good shot - they captured a series of stunning images in some of the world's most gorgeous landmarks. Making memories: Laura (above) poses for a picture in Maafushi in the Maldives Envy-inducing: One of the couple's highlights was watching the sunrise in Cappadocia, Turkey Instagrammable: The couple recreated Instagram's famous hand-holding pose outside the Taj Mahal in India One particularly beautiful image shows Laura, 28, a human resources professional and dancer, outside the Taj Mahal as they recreate Instagram's famous hand-holding pose. While another taken on a GoPro shows them swimming with a turtle in the Galapagos Islands. If their photos don't make you want to instantly book a holiday, nothing will. Pucker up: Nicholas pictured with the Sphinx of Giza in Egypt Monkey business: The couple use a selfie stick to capture this image at Monkey Beach in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand The duo are certainly handy with a camera - Nicholas pictured above outside the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, Israel Escape the rat race: This photo was taken in the Galapagos Islands. In total the couple visited 33 countries Snap happy: Nicholas captures a candid shot of Laura during their time in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay In a bid to escape the nine to five routine and see the world, they scrimped and saved $15,000 (11,400) each to fund their escapades. Nicholas, who worked as a lawyer, said: 'We loved every country, but Egypt for its history, Myanmar for its people and temples, and the Maldives for the amazing beaches top our ranking.' On their travel highlight, the 28-year-old added: 'The best thing we saw was the sunrise in Cappadocia, absolutely stunning with the hot air balloons and beautiful landscape.' Jump for joy: Another iconic photo of the pair at the Pura Lempuyang temple in Bali, Indonesia All aboard: Nicholas on a train to Ella, Sri Lanka. They each saved $15,000 to fund the trip of a lifetime Dreamy: Laura takes a moment to admire the view in Bagan, Myanmar While the lovebirds were in Chiang Mai, Thailand, they joined elephants in a mud bath - it looks like a lot of fun Another photo sees the travel aficionados use a selfie stick to document their time in Monkey Beach in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand. Others chart them having fun in front of tourist attractions and cosying up together as they take in breathtaking scenery. And the duo's quest to see the world is far from over. They have well and truly caught the travel bug and next plan to visit Kenya and South Africa passing through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. You can follow their journey via their website and on Instagram @ vida.de.viajes . Nicholas and Laura find a moment of peace at the Blue Temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand Nicholas gives Laura a piggyback as they pose for a photo outside Egypt's pyramids The couple embarked on the trip to escape the nine to five routine. Here Laura is pictured in Mostar in Bosnia While the couple enjoyed lots of beach time, they also visited some colder climes. Pictured above is Lake Bled in Slovenia Travel bug: Nicholas enjoys the view of Tam Coc in Vietnam. They next plan to visit Kenya and South Africa Playful: Nicholas and Laura frolic around at the Upside Down Museum in Penang, Malaysia If their photos don't make you want to instantly book a holiday, nothing will. Above is Karnak Temple in Egypt Santorini in Greece looks stunning with its white-washed houses and blue skies Soon, facial recognition technology could be more commonplace in Android phones. Android Q, the next version of Google's mobile operating system, is expected to come with software akin to Apple's Face ID that lets users unlock the phone with their face. Code hidden in an early version of Android Q hints at the feature, according to XDA-Developers. Scroll down for video Android Q, the next version of Google's mobile operating system, is expected to come with software akin to Apple's Face ID (pictured) that lets users unlock the phone with their face In addition to unlocking a device, the software would allow users to authorize a purchase or sign into an app with their face. Apple is widely regarded as the first to ship a device with secure facial recognition technology. It did this with the iPhone X, released in 2017, which uses Face ID to let users unlock their phone with their face. It's not the first time Android has taken a stab at facial recognition technology, however. Smartphone companies like OnePlus, Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi have developed software like 'face unlock' and 'Trusted Face' that uses facial recognition to unlock devices. But as XDA pointed out, those systems aren't as secure because they're not native to the device. It's not the first time Android has taken a stab at facial recognition technology. OnePlus, Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi have developed software like 'face unlock' and 'Trusted Face' Since software like face unlock was rolled out, reports have shown that it can be easily duped by black-and-white photographs and mannequins. Shipping Android Q with facial recognition software built in will likely result in it being more secure. Additionally, more and more Android phones will be able to accommodate facial recognition technology if they have the necessary sensors and cameras. There's no guarantee facial recognition software will make it into the official Android Q release, as Google has yet to confirm that it's developing the technology. It comes as Google may be bringing facial biometrics to one of its apps. HOW APPLE'S FACE ID WORKS Face ID uses a TrueDepth front-facing camera on the iPhone X, which has multiple components. A Dot Projector projects more than 30,000 invisible dots onto your face to map its structure. The dot map is then read by an infrared camera and the structure of your face is relayed to the A11 Bionic chip in the iPhone X, where it is turned into a mathematical model. When FaceID is used, a dot projector projects more than 30,000 invisible dots onto your face to map its structure The A11 chip then compares your facial structure to the facial scan stored in the iPhone X during the setup process. Face ID uses infrared to scan your face, so it works in low lighting conditions and in the dark. It will only unlock your device when you look in the direction of the iPhone X with your eyes open. Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple, speaks about the Face ID feature to unlock the iPhone X during the company's event at the new Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino Face ID captures both a 3-D and 2-D image of your face using infrared light while you're looking straight at the camera. Five unsuccessful attempts at Face ID will force you to enter a passcode - which you'll need anyway just to set up facial recognition. That requires you to come up with a secure string of digits - or, for extra security, a string of letters and numbers - to protect your privacy. Face ID also adapts to changes in your appearance over time, so it will continue to recognize you as you grow a beard or grow your hair longer Advertisement Code in the latest version of the Google app for Android describes a new 'Face Match' feature, according to Android Police. 'Face Match' would scan a users face to serve them up personalized Google Assistant results. There are few details about how it would work, but the code suggests that your face profile could be used on several devices. It builds on Google's existing 'voice match' feature, which gives users customized Assistant content and preferences based on their voice. A University student has cracked the code of a religious document dating back more than two centuries. The book includes incomprehensible shorthand notes made by Baptist leader Andrew Fuller and no academic has been able to decipher the work. University of St Andrews divinity undergraduate Jonny Woods has now become the first person in the world to read some of the pages using a longhand version as a kind of Rosetta stone. The contents of the texts have not been released as the scholars prepare to release a major new critical edition of Fuller's works. The book includes incomprehensible shorthand notes and no academic has been able to decipher the work (pictured) Fuller, the son of a poor tenant farmer in Cambridgeshire, became a leader of the British Baptist denomination and, despite minimal schooling, published a hugely influential text, The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, which is said to have changed the history of the Baptists. Mr Woods, from Coleraine, Co Londonderry, said it was exciting to crack the code enabling people to finally read documents Fuller left in shorthand. The 21-year-old third-year student said: 'To be able to read something that no-one else has read in more than 200 years, it's not something I thought I would ever be able to do and it was an incredible moment. 'It was quite a few weeks of tough and not very successful work, but eventually it paid off.' He added: 'It is such an honour to be the first person to read Andrew Fuller's sermons and to allow people to get an insight into this incredible man and the amazing stories he has to share. 'I'm excited to continue working on the vast collection of work that he has left to us, in the hope that we can understand more about his thinking and how this developed throughout his ministry.' The breakthrough came after Dr Steve Holmes, head of the School of Divinity at the university, found a shorthand document with the heading in longhand in the archive of Bristol Baptist College, which holds hundreds of pages of Fuller's sermons. Dr Holmes found one headed in longhand 'Confessions of Faith, Oct. 7 1783' with the rest of the document in shorthand. University of St Andrews divinity undergraduate Jonny Woods (pictured) has now become the first person in the world to read some of the pages using a longhand version as a kind of Rosetta stone Knowing this was the date of Fuller's induction into the pastorate of a church in Kettering and that he would have been required to give a confession of faith as part of that service, Dr Holmes wondered if a copy of the confession printed in a biography might help him crack the code. After discovering the two texts were the same, Dr Holmes recruited Mr Woods through the university's undergraduate research assistant scheme to help. After a few weeks, the student was able to translate the shorthand using the longhand version as a kind of Rosetta stone, allowing him to read two of the most historically significant sermons from the collection. It is hoped that being able to finally read the documents will offer insight into Fuller's meteoric rise within the Baptist denomination, by revealing the early development of his thought. Dr Holmes said: 'When Jonny told me he could read these documents, it was an astonishing moment. 'Andrew Fuller stands as the figurehead, the 'patron saint' almost, of the church tradition of which I am a part. 'To be reading words of his that no-one had read since he preached them in 1782 - it's one of those moments you live for as an academic.' The translations of two sermons are now with the Baptist Quarterly under consideration for publication while Dr Holmes is continuing to edit Fuller's wider collection of sermons for a major new critical edition of his works. US Military bosses are developing truck-sized nuclear reactors that could power basecamps in remote areas. It is hoped the reactors, which will fit on a truck, could be deployed to the hard to reach bases - such as the hillside forward bases U.S. troops set up in places like Afghanistan. According to a government request discovered by Defence One, the 'Project Dilithium,' reactor should fit on a truck and a C-17 aircraft and generate from one to 10 megawatts of electric power for three years without refueling. Scroll down for video It is hoped the reactors, which will fit on a truck, could be deployed to the hard to reach bases - such as the hillside forward bases U.S. troops set up in places like Afghanistan. Pictured, A Pakistani army soldier stands guard on a border terminal in Ghulam Khan, a town in North Waziristan, on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, on January 27, 2019. The Strategic Capabilities Office has already issues a request for information on a 'Small Mobile Nuclear Reactor' It hopes to fund prototypes of the system. 'Energy is a critical enabling component of military operations and demand for it will continue to increase over time,' the document says. 'The modern operational space has amplified the need for alternative energy sources to enable mobility in forward land based and maritime military operations. 'The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, OUSD(R&E), acting through the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO), is requesting information on innovative technologies and approaches to enable a future demonstration of a small mobile nuclear reactor prototype design.' Soldiers will have to be able to built the reactor on site in 72 hours and take it down in a week - and the document specifies it must be 'meltdown-proof'. Pictured, A sign warns of radiation contamination near former apartment buildings on April 9, 2016 in Pripyat, Ukraine. Pripyat, built in the 1970s as a model Soviet city to house the workers and families of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, now stands abandoned inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a restricted zone contaminated by radiation from the 1986 meltdown of reactor number four at the nearby Chernobyl plant in the world's worst civilian nuclear accident that spewed radiaoactive fallout across the globe. Soldiers will have to be able to built the reactor on site in 72 hours and take it down in a week - and the document specifies it must be 'meltdown-proof'. According to the document, the 'Core design must use high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) advance gas reactor (AGR) tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel.' The office is looking to fund three different prototype designs and will then select a winner from among them. The Army has long considered realtors, and in 1954, launched the Nuclear Power Program, under its Corps of Engineers developed a variety of nuclear reactor cores of different sizes. They were deployed to places like Fort Greely, Alaska; Sundance, Wyoming; Camp Century, Greenland; even a barge in Lake Gatun in the Panama Canal, according to Defence One. Currently, Idaho National Lab and Los Alamos National Lab are working toward new designs for modular nuclear power. Astronomers have detected a 1.5 mile (2.4km) wide rock hovering at the very edge of the solar system. Scientists claim that the mysterious object is the first ever sighting of its kind and could be a missing piece in the evolution of the early solar system. The large rock may hold key clues to discovering the secrets of how our star system was born. Scroll down for video Astronomers have detected a large body which measures 1.3 km (0.8 miles) in length at the very edge of the Solar System. Scientists claim that the mysterious object is a first ever sighting and could be a remaining piece of the early solar system It is being heralded as a crucial intermediate step towards knowing how small clouds of dust and ice turned into the planets we have today. It was found way beyond the outermost planet, Neptune in the Kuiper Belt, a circumstellar disc in the outer Solar System that holds a collection of small celestial icy objects; the most famous of these is the dwarf planet, Pluto. The icy bodies found here are believed to be remnants left over from the formation of the Solar System. Small bodies like asteroids in the inner Solar System have been altered by solar radiation, collisions, and the gravity of the planets over time. But objects in the cold, dark Kuiper Belt preserve the pristine conditions of the early Solar System, which is why astronomers study them. Kuiper Belt Objects with a radii of one kilometer or more have been thought to exist, but they are too distant, small, and dim for telescopes to observe directly. But, the research team at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan experimented by using a technique known as occultation. The large mass could hold clues to how the early formation of our solar system and the process that turned small clouds of dust and ice into the planets we have today. Artist's impression This approach involves monitoring a large number of stars and watching for the shadow of an object to pass in front of one of the stars. Led by astronomer Ko Arimatsu, the team placed two 28 cm telescopes on Miyako Island in Okinawa and surveilled approximately 2000 stars for a total of 60 hours. They found that one star appeared to dim as a 1.6 mile (2.4km) wide object's shadow was thought to have obscured it. WHAT IS THE KUIPER BELT? The Kuiper Belt is one of the largest structures in our solar system - others being the Oort Cloud, the heliosphere and the magnetosphere of Jupiter. Scientists are still just beginning to explore and our understanding is still evolving. Its overall shape is like a puffed-up disk, or donut. Its inner edge begins at the orbit of Neptune, at about 30 AU from the Sun. The inner, main region of the Kuiper belt ends to around 50 AU from the Sun. Overlapping the outer edge of the main part of the Kuiper Belt is a second region called the scattered disk, which continues outward to nearly 1,000 AU, with some bodies on orbits that go even farther beyond. How was the Kuiper Belt created? Astronomers think the icy objects of the Kuiper Belt are remnants left over from the formation of the solar system. Similar to the relationship between the main asteroid belt and Jupiter, it's a region of objects that might have come together to form a planet had Neptune not been there. nstead, Neptune's gravity stirred up this region of space so much that the small, icy objects there weren't able to coalesce into a large planet. Credit: NASA Advertisement The researchers claim that the find indicates that there are more kilometer-sized objects in the Kuiper belt than previously thought. This supports models where planetesimals first grow slowly into kilometer sized objects before runaway growth causes them to turn into planets. Runaway growth is an important stage in planet formation during which large protoplanets form, while most of the initial mass remains in small planetesimals. Ko Arimatsu explains, 'This is a real victory for little projects. Our team had less than 0.3 per cent of the budget of large international projects. 'We didn't even have enough money to build a second dome to protect our second telescope!' 'Yet we still managed to make a discovery that is impossible for the big projects. Now that we know our system works, we will investigate the Kuiper Belt in more detail.' JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Monday with Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi, where the leaders discussed topics including Iran, bilateral cooperation, and the EastMed gas pipeline. Netanyahu spoke about "Iran's efforts to militarily entrench itself in Syria and its attempts to destabilise the Middle East". He highlighted bilateral cooperation between Israel and Italy and said the two leaders spoke about the EastMed gas pipeline, with which he said "Israel intends to export its own natural gas to Europe, passing through Cyprus and Greece". On Sunday, Moavero paid tribute to Holocaust victims at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. He expressed "shame" on behalf of Italy for the 1938 racial laws and also touched on the topic of migrants. "The Shoah was infinitely more horrible. It's also true, however, that the root is a lack of ability to understand and demonstrate humanity," Moavero said. Apple is planning its own version of wireless, over-ear headphones. The California-based company is already developing the new 'high-end' audio accessory, which could be available by the second half of this year, insiders claim. The decision follows the unprecedented success of their AirPods, which has become one of the firm's most successful products. It also comes just five years after they acquired Dr.Dre's Beats Electronics for $3billion (2.27billion) in 2014. Scroll down for video The end of Beats? Apple's new wireless headphones could see a phasing-out of the hugely popular brand, which was purchased by the California company in 2014 The latest claim was made in a recent report about Sonos speakers by Bloomberg. Previously, they'd alleged that Apple was already in negotiations with manufacturer Tymphany to produce the headphones, although this is as-yet unconfirmed. They also suggested that the original release date was 2018, but this was delayed due to 'development setbacks'. MailOnline have contacted Apple for comment, but are yet to receive a response. If confirmed, it will mean Apple have two huge audio releases, this year, including a new version of the AirPods which will also monitor your health. According to Digitimes, 'Apple is set to release AirPods 2 sometime in the first half of 2019'. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple will release an 'upgraded model with wireless charging support' in the first quarter of 2019. Apple had been expected to launch an upgraded case giving the headphones wireless charging capabilities alongside its AirPower charging mat last year. However, both products failed to materialise. THE WIRELESS HEADPHONE WAR Apple's AirPod wireless headphones have been one of the firm's most successful products - and others have taken notice. Both Google and Amazon are set to launch similar headphones next year, it has been claimed. Many were taken by surprise by the huge success of the $159 Airpods - and they are about to spark a headphone war, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Advertisement 'The new wireless earbuds with discrete designs to carry health monitoring functions are expected to receive enthusiastic market responses,' Digitimes said. 'Other brand vendors have all planned to launch wireless headsets in the year, with market competition seen to heat up soon.' Late last year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple will release an 'upgraded model with wireless charging support' in the first quarter of 2019, according to 9to5mac. Kuo also said an all-new design AirPods is currently on track to launch in early 2020. He forecasts dramatic unit growth for AirPods with units rising from 16 million units in 2017 to over 100 million by 2021. The well respected analyst calls them Apple's most popular accessory ever, and said existing iPhone users are more likely to buy AirPods than upgrade their phone itself. The new AirPods are also expected to have upgrades to their Bluetooth capabilities. Apple originally said it will sell the AirPods wireless charging case as a separate add-on accessory for existing AirPods owners, and release a minor revision to the whole product at the same time which includes the wireless charging case. Kuo does not go into detail about what the 'all-new design' 2020 AirPods will feature. Previous rumours have suggested features like sweat resistance, Hey Siri integration and noise cancelling. HOW WOULD AIRPOWER WORK? AirPower is based on the Qi charging standard, which powers wireless chargers for Android and iOS smartphones alike. However, Apple claimed to have added a number of software features to improve the wireless charging experience when used with its iPhone and Watch products. Rumours of the death of the AirPower charger may have been greatly exaggerated according to owners of the new iPhone XS. It had been suggested Apple had abandoned plans for its wireless mat but packaging material suggests this is not the case (pictured) AirPower is expected to include a custom Apple chip that runs a stripped-down version of the iOS operating system to conduct on-device power management and pairing with devices that are placed on the charging mat. Advertisement It also raises hopes Apple's much delayed AirPower wireless charging mat may be released next year. It had been suggested Apple had abandoned the gadget, after the firm failed to mention it at all during the unveiling of its latest range of handsets last month. Apple also scrubbed a number of prominent references to the device from its online retail store during the iPhone XS launch event. Twitter user Gavin Stevens shared an image from the 'Getting Started Guide' that comes with the iPhone XS. It reads: 'Place iPhone with screen facing up on AirPower or a Qi-certified wireless charger. 'You can also use the Lightning connector to charge iPhone and connect accessories.' This suggests that Apple is still actively working on the device. However, not everyone is convinced. Eagle-eyed recipients have spotted references to the wireless charging mat inside the packaging for the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max 'What I've heard, third-hand but from multiple little birdies, is that AirPower well and truly f*****,' wrote John Gruber on his Daring Fireball blog last week. 'Something about the multi-coil design getting too hot way too hot. 'There are engineers who looked at AirPower's design and said it could never work, thermally, and now those same engineers have that 'told you so' smug look on their faces.' AirPower was originally announced during the September 2017 launch event for the iPhone X in Cupertino. It promised to provide wireless charging for future handsets, Apple Watch and AirPods. Unlike conventional QI wireless chargers, which can power one device at a time, the AirPower is designed to power all three at once. Apple hasn't discussed AirPower publicly since it was first announced last September. At the time, Apple said it expected the device to be available for purchase in 2018 At the time of the iPhone X launch last year, the company said it expected the device to be available for purchase in 2018, but it didn't specify a date. Despite the latest range of iPhone Xs unveiled being equipped with wireless charging capabilities, the Californian firm remained tight-lipped about its own charging solution. Apple also removed all prominent references from its online retail store, bar a trademark for the name buried in the legal section of its site. It appeared that anyone who buys the latest Apple hardware would have to purchase a third-party solution that is compatible with the Qi standard of wireless charging. Since then, AirPower hasn't been publicly discussed by Apple and the release date has been quietly dropped from the official website amid a flurry of rumours the company is struggling with the wireless technology. In a rare move for Apple, it has suggested iPhone customers buy charging hubs from Mophie, Belkin and Logitech which are also listed on its online retail store. Speaking on-stage during the 2017 iPhone event, Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller said: 'We hope people love it, and that it encourages others to create more advanced solutions based on technology like this. 'We're going to be working with the Qi standards team to incorporate these benefits into the future of the standards to make wireless charging better for everyone. So look for the AirPower charger next year.' One of the biggest issues believed to be causing the delays with Apple AirPower is the mechanism to charge three separate devices, including an iPhone, Apple Watch and wireless AirPods headphones, simultaneously on the same surface. The amount of power required to charge all of the devices is causing some issues with overheating, according to rumours from inside Apple. A multi-device charging mechanism likely requires differently sized charging components for the three types of devices, which would all overlap across the mat something that could generate dangerous levels of heat. Apple also hoped to allow people to place their device anywhere on the AirPower pad to charge, however, this purportedly requires incredibly complex circuitry. Most wireless chargers highlight a designated area where the phone needs to be placed in order to draw power. With no sight of the device yet, many are noting that it highlights Apple's growing supply chain woes. Apple faced similar issues with the HomePod smart speaker, which was released this year, about six months after the device was first announced. But many are calling Apple's slow release of AirPower out of character for the company. 'Hopefully, Apple learns a lesson to only announce products that are for sure shipping soon or immediately after announcing,' Ben Bajarin, analyst at Creative Strategies, told Bloomberg in June. A private space company has launched the largest fleet of satellites into space in 'human history'. Planet Lab, founded by ex-NASA scientists, claim they have launched 146 small satellites by rocket into space and have manufactured a total of roughly 300 so far. The satellites combine to photograph the entirety of Earth's landmass for use by intelligence agencies, agricultural companies and humanitarian purposes. Each satellite is only about the size of a loaf of bread, weighs 12 pounds (5 kg) and uses the same technology used in smartphones to gather data. The spy satellites take high-resolution photographs all over the world including places like Russia and North Korea. Scroll down for video A private space company has launched the largest fleet of satellites into space in 'human history'. Planet Lab, founded by ex-NASA scientists, claim they have launched 146 small satellites by rocket into space. Here, Dove satellites are deployed They orbit the globe every 90 minutes while the Earth rotates beneath them, documenting the planet as it changes. Planet Lab also sells images to over 200 customers, many of them agricultural companies monitoring the health of crops. Speaking on CBS's Sixty Minutes, Dr Will Marshall, co-founder of Planet, tells David Martin that he is always astonished by the quality of the images. Dr Marshall and his team compare the pictures to those that were taken yesterday and see that 'something has changed'. 'We see rivers move, we see trees go down, we see vehicles move, we see road surfaces change and it gives you a perspective of the planet as a dynamic and evolving thing that we need to take care of,' he says. Dr Marshall and his team started out with sending twenty-eight small satellites out into orbit from the International Space Station. Dr Robbie Schingler, who began building satellites 20 years ago, said: 'We took a satellite that would be the size of a pick-up truck and we shrunk it. We wanted to make it about the size of a loaf of bread.' The satellites combine to photograph the entirety of Earth's landmass for use by intelligence agencies and humanitarian purposes. Each satellite is only about the size of a loaf of bread and weighs 12 pounds (5 kg) Here, David Martin with Robbie Schingle, left An image taken from Planet Lab satellites in 2014. The spy satellites take high-resolution photographs all over the world including places like Russia and North Korea. They orbit the globe every 90 minutes while the Earth rotates beneath them Twenty-eight Planet Labs Dove satellites which are ready for launch at the headquarters. Planet Lab also sells images to over 200 customers, many of them agricultural companies monitoring the health of crops 'The way that I grew up-- at NASA is we would spend about five to ten years, even-- to build one satellite,' he said. The engineers at Planet build by hand and operate the 'largest fleet of satellites in human history' in a matter of months. Dr Schingler, also a co-founder, said: 'Over the years, we've built about 300 satellites. Over the years. And last year we launched about 146 satellites into space. 'The satellites are called doves. Here on the production floor they are kept in "nests," waiting to be launched in "flocks." Speaking on CBS's Sixty Minutes , Dr Will Marshall, here on the programme, tells David Martin that he is always astonished by the quality of the images. Dr Marshall and his team compare the pictures to those that were taken yesterday and see that 'something has changed' Robert Cardillo , director of the NGA, shows correspondent David Martin around the NGA operations center. says that the top-secret pictures 'ground zero for all the intelligence coming in from space'. Mr Cardillo would not comment on the number of spy satellites the NGA currently operates 'A normal mission control you will have dozens and dozens of engineers for one satellite. We flip that around, so we have dozens of satellites for a single engineer.' The news station visited the Planet Lab headquarters, which has about 400 employees, in a nondescript building in San Francisco. 'On the day we visited Planet its satellites were beaming down 1.2 million pictures every 24 hours.' Although the team did not see any of the top secret pictures which are analysed by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency as their phots 'rarely see the light of day'. Robert Cardillo, director of the NGA, says that the top-secret pictures 'ground zero for all the intelligence coming in from space'. Mr Cardillo would not comment on the number of spy satellites the NGA currently operates. WHAT IS THE NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) delivers world-class geospatial intelligence that provides a decisive advantage to policymakers, warfighters, intelligence professionals and first responders. Anyone who sails a U.S. ship, flies a U.S. aircraft, makes national policy decisions, fights wars, locates targets, responds to natural disasters, or even navigates with a cellphone relies on NGA. NGA enables all of these critical actions and shapes decisions that impact our world through the indispensable discipline of geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). NGA is a unique combination of intelligence agency and combat support agency. It is the world leader in timely, relevant, accurate and actionable GEOINT. NGA enables the U.S. intelligence community and the Department of Defense (DOD) to fulfill the presidents national security priorities to protect the nation. Credit: The NGA Advertisement The NGA is a government bureaucracy with a workforce of 14,500 and a 2.7 million square-foot headquarters south of Washington, D.C Those small satellites have created a big data problem for the government which can't possibly hire enough analysts to look at all those pictures. This is how the revolution began. Twenty-eight small satellites sent out into orbit by astronauts from the biggest of all satellites, the International Space Station. Scientists have found a gene linked to antibiotic-resistant superbugs in an area said to be one of the last pristine locations on Earth. These antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) were first detected outside of the lab in 2010 in surface waters in Delhi, India. But now, experts say the genes have traveled roughly 8,000 miles through human activity and the fecal matter of birds and other wildlife to reach a remote area in the Norweigian archipelago, Svalbard. The discovery doesnt bode well for the fight against antibiotic resistance, which has grown to be a global health crisis in recent years. Scroll down for video In a new study published to the journal Environmental International, researchers form Newcastle University report the discovery of the gene blaNDM-1 and other antibiotic-resistant genes in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. In a new study published to the journal Environmental International, researchers form Newcastle University report the discovery of the gene blaNDM-1 and other antibiotic-resistant genes in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. This gene is carried in the gut of animals and people. Polar regions are among the last presumed pristine ecosystems on Earth, providing a platform for characterizing pre-antibiotic era background resistance against which we could understand rates of progression of AR pollution, said David Graham, an environmental engineer at Newcastle University. But less than three years after the first detection of the blaNDM-1 gene in the surface waters of urban India we are finding them thousands of miles away in an area where there has been minimal human impact. Experts say the genes have traveled roughly 8,000 miles through human activity and the faecal matter of birds and other wildlife to reach a remote area in the Norwegian archipelago, Svalbard Encroachment into areas like the Arctic reinforces how rapid and far-reaching the spread of antibiotic resistance has become, confirming solutions to AR must be viewed in global rather than just local terms. Strains carrying blaNDM-1 were first identified in the lab in 2008 before they were found in Indian waters just two years later. In the few years since, its been detected in over 100 more countries. What humans have done through excess use of antibiotics on global scales is accelerate the rate of evolution, creating a new world of resistant strains that never existed before, Graham said. Through the overuse of antibiotics, fecal releases, and contamination of drinking water, we have consequentially speeded-up the rate at which superbugs might evolve. For example, when a new drug is developed, natural bacteria can rapidly adapt and can become resistant; therefore very few new drugs are in the pipeline because it simply isnt cost-effective to make them. For the new study, the researchers analyzed DNA from forty soil cores taken from eight locations across Kongsfjorden. And, they found a total of 131 ARGs in the samples. WHAT IS ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE? Antibiotics have been doled out unnecessarily by GPs and hospital staff for decades, fueling once harmless bacteria to become superbugs. The World Health Organization has previously warned if nothing is done the world was headed for a 'post-antibiotic' era. It claimed common infections, such as chlamydia, will become killers without immediate answers to the growing crisis. Bacteria can become drug resistant when people take incorrect doses of antibiotics, or they are given out unnecessarily. Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies claimed in 2016 that the threat of antibiotic resistance is as severe as terrorism. Figures estimate that superbugs will kill ten million people each year by 2050, with patients succumbing to once harmless bugs. Around 700,000 people already die yearly due to drug-resistant infections including tuberculosis (TB), HIV and malaria across the world. Concerns have repeatedly been raised that medicine will be taken back to the 'dark ages' if antibiotics are rendered ineffective in the coming years. In addition to existing drugs becoming less effective, there have only been one or two new antibiotics developed in the last 30 years. In September, the World Health Organisation warned antibiotics are 'running out' as a report found a 'serious lack' of new drugs in the development pipeline. Without antibiotics, caesarean sections, cancer treatments and hip replacements would also become incredibly 'risky', it was said at the time. Advertisement The resistance genes detected were associated with nine major antibiotic classes, including aminoglycosides, macrolides and -lactams, which are used to treat many infections, Graham said. As an example, a gene that confers MDR in Tuberculosis was found in all cores, whereas blaNDM-1 was detected in more than 60% of the soil cores in the study. Identifying an ARG 'gradient' across the study landscape, which varies as a function of human and wildlife impact, shows there are still isolated Polar locations where ARG levels are so low they might provide nature's baseline of antimicrobial resistance. According to the team, improvements in waste management and water quality around the world will be keep in staying on top of the spread of ARGs. The gradient of resistance genes closely reflects corresponding indicators of wastes in the geochemistry, which suggests a novel basis for identifying sites for further AMR research, said lead author Dr Clare McCann. The only way we are going to win this fight is to understand all pathways that lead to antibiotic resistance. 1. What do we remember on Anzac Day? a. The landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli, Turkey b. The arrival of the first free settlers from Great Britain c. The landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove 2. What are the colours of the Australian Aboriginal Flag? a. Black, red and yellow b. Green, white and black c. Blue, white and green 3. Which official symbol of Australia identifies Commonwealth property? a. The national anthem b.Australia's national flower c. Commonwealth Coat of Arms 4. Which of these statements about Australia's system of government is correct? a. The Queen of Australia chooses people to form the Australian Parliament b. The government is elected by the people c. The Prime Minister chooses our Members of Parliament 5. Which of these is an example of freedom of speech? a. People can peacefully protest against government decisions b. Men and women are treated equally in a court of law c. Australians are free to not follow a religion Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd has written a letter to his victim's family in which he claims to reveal what really happened on the night of Charlotte Brown's death. Shepherd left the note with a close friend shortly before handing himself in to police in Georgia last week. His lawyer Mariam Kublashvili claims that the letter 'answers all the questions everyone has'. Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd, pictured in Tbilisi, Georgia, has written a letter to his victim's family Miss Brown's father Graham said last night: 'I've heard nothing about any letter, but in any case the time to have answered what happened to Charlotte that night was at his trial which he was absent from. I do not welcome or seek any contact from Shepherd.' Shepherd, 31, claimed Miss Brown, 24, was driving the speedboat when it flipped on the River Thames in December 2015. He fled to Georgia after being charged with manslaughter and was jailed for six years in his absence. Miss Brown's mother Roz Wickens, 53, has urged Shepherd to 'stop lying' and 'tell the truth about what happened'. Shepherd claimed Miss Brown (pictured) was driving the boat when it flipped on the Thames Shepherd fled Britain last March but, after a campaign by the Mail, he handed himself in. The web designer is being held for three months at Gldani Number Eight maximum security prison in Tbilisi. In 2012 guards were filmed beating inmates and carrying out sexual humiliation punishments with broom handles. Shepherd is sharing a room with two other inmates and must use communal toilet and shower facilities. He has started reading The Count of Monte Cristo an Alexandre Dumas novel in which the main character breaks out of a prison. Despite claiming in court he handed himself in 'to draw to a close this horrible accident and the terrible consequences', Shepherd is still not cooperating with the authorities. He supplied a fake address in Tbilisi and police sources say they are still trying to find out where he was living. Artie Lange has claimed that a run-in with a bookie last year is partially to blame for his collapsed nose. Last month, the comedian shared an alarming photo of his cocaine-ravaged nose, prompting several celebrities to take to social media and plead for him to finally kick his drug habit. But recently Lange said his nose's condition also resulted from his kidnapping about 11 months ago. 'I still gamble a lot. That was my worst vice for a long time was gambling because it led to everything else,' Lange said during an interview on the podcast, Are We Still Talking About This? 'I owed a bookie 62 grand, and a kid who worked for a bookie, well call him an African-American, he was collecting, and he thought I was a billionaire because he saw me on TV and he kidnapped me,' the comedian added. Scroll down for video Last month, Artie Lange (left in December 2018) shared an alarming photo of his cocaine-ravaged nose, prompting several celebrities to take to social media and plead for him to finally kick his drug habit. The comedian is seen (right) in a photo that was taken in February 2017 He claimed the man came up behind him while he was walking to truck and smashed him in the nose. Lange, 51, who later woke up in a van, said the punch 'destroyed my nose'. 'The septum from the abuse from the years of drugs and this hit broke it and Ive had two operations and you know, its just in bad shape Its a scar from years of sh*t.' Lange said he told the kid that he was making a 'dumb' decision by kidnapping him and eventually the 19-year-old left Lange in the van and fled. Earlier this month several celebrities took to social media pleading for Lange to give up his drug habit. The former Howard Stern show co-host showcased his 'hideously deformed' nose in a tweet in late December, prompting an outcry from the comedian community. Richard Lewis, Star of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, was the first to urge Lange to seek help to finally end his 30-year struggle with substance abuse. 'This is my 1000th request over decades to beg you to surrender to your addictions' he tweeted. 'We had the most laughs sober. I love you. You're beloved and a magnificent comedian cursed with self loathing and fear. Give it up and live.' The disfigurement to Lange's nose comes after he accidentally snorted broken glass along with opioid oxycontin - in addition to the nearly three decades of excessive cocaine use. But recently Lange (pictured in November 2018) said his nose's condition also resulted from his kidnapping about 11 months ago. He claimed a man smashed him in the nose, knocking him out. Lange, 51, who later woke up in a van, said the punch 'destroyed my nose' Earlier this month several celebrities took to social media pleading for Lange to give up his drug habit The Big Bang Theories' Brian Posehn echoed Lewis' sentiments in a slightly more blunt way (left). Fellow comedian Jackie Martling shared his own story of sobriety (right) Actor Patton Oswalt concurred with Lewis' message, adding 'What Rich said. Come ON, Artie.' A out-pour of similar sentiments then followed Oswalt's reiteration. 'Please, please listen to Richard,' said Brian Posehn of the Big Bang Theory. 'I really don't want to tweet about how f*cking funny you were and how said it is you're gone any time super soon.' Mo Collins, who starred alongside Lange on MADtv, sent her love and support to Lange. 70-year-old Stand-up comic reminded Lange of his own battle with addiction to prove there's more to life than drink and drugs. 'Coming up to 18 years in May. in early 2001 Id have laughed at the idea of not drinking for 18 *days.*' He replied. Last month, Lange narrowly missed jail time last month after testing positive for cocaine during a parole hearing for heroin possession Richard Lewis (left) asked Lange for the '1000th time' to finally kick his 30 year habit. Hoping to help the cause, Patton Oswalt (right) told the 51-year-old he 'can do it' Former Co-star of MADtv, Mo Collins also joined the intervention to encourage the comedian to get clean 'Art, I know you know the laughs are just as hearty on this side. I love you and am of course 100% in your very crowded corner.' Lange's public battle with addiction lead to a cancelled stand-up tour in 2010, followed by a gruesome suicide attempt after he was fired from the Howard Stern Show. In his book, Crash and Burn, the comedian candidly recalled how he downed a bottle of bleach, stabbed himself in the stomach nine times and then slit his wrists. He spent the next 18 months bouncing between psychiatric facilities and failed sobriety efforts. Last month, Lange narrowly avoided jail after he tested positive for cocaine at probation hearing for possession of heroin. The elder son of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has won an early release from custody after his conviction for assaulting his father. Palin reported to an Anchorage halfway house in December to serve a year for the 2017 attack on his father, Todd. But the 29-year-old was released after a judge granted a motion Thursday for credit for time spent on electronic monitoring. Palin was released Thursday evening, according to Trey Watson of the correctional management firm the Geo Group, which operates the halfway house. Track Palin (above during an October hearing) checked in to an Anchorage halfway house in December to begin a year in custody after being convicted of assaulting his father Todd (also pictured) TMZ.com first reported Palin's release over the weekend. Palin's attorney, Patrick Bergt, and prosecutors did not immediately comment Monday. Palin, who served a year in Iraq, was previously enrolled in a veterans' therapeutic court program for the assault on his father. But he was dismissed from the program following new assault charges in September. Palin in December 2017 was accused of breaking into his parents' home and leaving his father, Todd, bleeding from cuts on his head, authorities said Palin in December 2017 was accused of breaking into his parents' home and leaving his father, Todd, bleeding from cuts on his head, authorities said. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal trespass in that case, after he was initially charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor counts of assault and criminal mischief. Palin, who served a year in Iraq, has been accused of two other attacks on people close to him in recent years. Track Palin was pictured with his sisters, brother and parents for the first time since attack dad Todd in December of last year (L-R: Piper, Track, Trig, Todd, Willow, Sarah and Bristol) Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and husband Todd have been married since 1988 and have five children together In September, Palin was arrested after a female acquaintance said he told her that she could not leave his house in Wasilla, took her phone and then hit her in the head, according to court documents. The woman said they wrestled over the phone and that Palin let her leave after she screamed for help, according to an Alaska State Troopers affidavit. Troopers said Palin told them the two were arguing over how they said goodbye and that any injuries the woman had were self-inflicted. Sarah Palin, center, has said that Track, top left, suffered post-traumatic stress disorder which might have been a factor in his alleged offences Palin faces misdemeanor charges including assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct in that case. Track Palin's plea arrangement called for him to serve 10 days in jail if he completed the therapeutic program and a year behind bars if he did not. Palin also was accused of punching his then-girlfriend in 2016. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of a firearm while intoxicated, and other charges were dismissed. Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, has suggested that her son's post-traumatic stress disorder might have been a factor in that case. A man has killed his girlfriend and then himself in what police are describing as a domestically-driven murder-suicide in Salt Lake City. Travis Geddes, 30, shot dead his doctor girlfriend Sarah Hawley, 27, then took his own life in their home on Sunday night. The pair were heard arguing by their downstairs neighbors at around 8.30pm on Sunday. The neighbor called police and by the time officers arrived, the pair were both dead. Travis Geddes, 30, shot dead his doctor girlfriend Sarah Hawley, 27, then took his own life in their home on Sunday night Authorities have not yet give any indication what may have started the fight. Travis and Sarah had been dating for at least three years. She worked as a doctor in the University of Utah's family medicine residency program. It was not immediately clear on Monday afternoon what Geddes did for work. 'It appears as though at this point it is a murder-suicide, domestic related,' Sgt. Brandon Shearer with the Salt Lake City Police Department said on Monday at a press conference. Sarah was originally from San Francisco. The pair were heard arguing by neighbors in their apartment. By the time police arrived, both were dead President Donald Trump on Monday accepted Speaker Nancy Pelosi's invitation to give the State of Union address on February 5th - one week after the January 29 date he was originally supposed to give his update to the nation. 'Thank you for your letter inviting me to deliver the State of the Union Address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, February 5, 2019. It is my great honor to accept. We have a great story to tell and yet, great goals to achieve! I look forward to seeing you on the 5th,' he wrote to her in response to her official invitation. Pelosi formally invited the president to give the annual address earlier Monday, noting the two leaders had spoken that day and agreed upon the Feb. 5 date. Her invite came on the first day the government was back in business after a 35-day shutdown, the longest in American history, and caps off an unprecedented week of bickering between the executive and legislative branches of government. Speaker Pelosi wrote to President Trump and invited him to give the State of Union address on February 5th She had originally invited President Trump to speak on Jan. 29 but rescinded her invitation, citing security concerns amid a government shutdown 'When I wrote to you on January 23rd, I stated that we should work together to find a mutually agreeable date when government has reopened to schedule this year's State of the Union address,' Pelosi wrote in her letter to Trump. 'In our conversation today, we agreed on February 5th. Therefore, I invite you to deliver your State of the Union address before a Joint Session of Congress on February 5, 2019 in the House Chamber,' she noted. 'Thank you for your attention to this matter,' Pelosi concluded. Her official invite came shortly after White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was asked about the date of the speech in her first briefing of 2019. Sanders said the White House was waiting to hear from the speaker. 'I certainly don't think she acted in good faith on the front end considering she cited security concerns that didn't exist. We're hopeful she will in the future. The president looks forward to address the American people and will do that as soon as that invitation is extended,' she said. Pelosi had originally invited Trump to speak on Jan. 29 but rescinded her invitation, citing security concerns amid a government shutdown. That kicked off a week of squabbling on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue that saw the president retaliate by denying Pelosi an Air Force plane to make an official trip to Afghanistan and the speaker hold firm on her denial of the House chamber for the speech. The address will now take place on the second week the government is open again but will happen under a ticking clock. Negotiators have until Feb. 15 to come up with a border security plan that is acceptable to both parties. A bipartisan House-Senate conference committee will get things started when they meet on Wednesday. Trump is demanding $5.7 billion to build his border wall while Democrats were holding firm at $1.3 billion for border security measures. Each plan came up for a vote in the Senate last Thursday and both failed to get the necessary 60 votes needed to advance. The Democratic proposal got slightly more support and, on Friday, Trump announced he was reopening the government. That lead to Monday's invitation from the speaker to give the State of the Union address. Pelosi, as speaker of the House, controls the chamber where the president addresses the nation. She decides when the doors are open, when the lights are on and when the cameras are rolling. President Donald Trump accused Nancy Pelosi of 'canceling' his State of the Union address after a fiery exchange of letters in which she told the president he would only be welcome in Congress when the government shutdown is over The president had told Pelosi that it would be 'so very sad' if his speech weren't 'delivered on time, on schedule, and very importantly, on location!' Speaker Pelosi told Trump that he is welcome to address Congress after the government shutdown has ended Pelosi initially invited Trump to deliver the State of the Union address in a letter on January 3, the day she became speaker and well after the start of the shutdown. But on January 16, she wrote the president again, asking him to delay his speech until the government was open but not formally disinviting him. Pelosi argued that the January 29th date she originally invited Trump to address the nation wasn't sacred, constitutionally demanded or even the president's birthday. 'The date of the State of Union is not a sacred date, it's not constitutionally required, it's not the president's birthday. It's not anything. It's the date we agreed to. And it could be a week later if government is open,' she said at a press conference in the U.S. Capitol building the next day. She wrote that no president has ever delivered a State of the Union speech while the federal government wasn't fully functioning. 'This requires hundreds of people working on the logistics and on the security of it,' she told reporters at the Capitol. 'Most of those people are either furloughed or are victims of the president's shutdown.' Secret Service agents and Department of Homeland Security officials were not being paid during the shutdown. However, the legislative branch had been fully funded for fiscal year 2019, which meant U.S. Capitol Police and congressional staff were receiving their paychecks. Trump delivered his State of the Union address on January 30, 2018, speaking to a packed House chamber where every seat was filled and the galleries were at capacity President Trump giving the 2018 State of the Union address before Vice President Pence and then-Speaker Paul Ryan Pelosi seemed to favor an alternative: 'He can make it from the Oval Office.' She also suggested he give the address when the government was reopen. Administration officials insisted security teams were up to the task of protecting the U.S. government members who would be present: the president, Vice President Mike Pence, the speaker and her House members, the Senate leadership and senators, the Supreme Court, cabinet members and the diplomatic corp. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen insisted her agency is up to the task. Trump retaliated by canceling a trip by Pelosi and other House Democrats to Afghanistan. The president said in his note to Pelosi that he was remanding her plane 'due to the shutdown' - a throwback to her request a day before that he delay his State of the Union speech until after the government reopens. 'In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate. I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the Shutdown,' he wrote on Jan. 17. He added: 'Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative. But that still left the problem of where he would give his speech. The White House tossed around a few alternative ideas aides were mulling - holding the address in the Senate chamber or giving a rally on the border - before finally deciding to stick to the Jan. 29 date. None of the alternatives matched the glamour and grander of the House chamber, with the Sergeant of Arms giving his famous welcome at the start of the evening: 'Mrs. Speaker, the President of the United States.' And the president stands before a dramatic backdrop of the American flag with the speaker and vice president seated behind him. Trump wrote Pelosi he was coming anyway. 'Thank you for your letter of January 3, 2019, sent to me long after the Shutdown began, inviting me to address the Nation on January 29th as to the State of the Union. As you know, I had already accepted your kind invitation, however, I then received another letter from you dated January 16, 2019, wherein you expressed concerns regarding security during the State of the Union Address due to the Shutdown,' Trump wrote the speaker on Jan. 23. The House chamber is the traditional venue for the State of the Union address And Wednesday President Donald Trump confirmed he is postponing his State of the Union address until the partial government shutdown ends Trump conceded that 'no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber' and that he was not looking for an alternate option Pelosi replied to his tweet and called for Trump to accept House-passed package 'I will be honoring your invitation, and fulfilling my Constitutional duty, to deliver important information to the people and Congress of the United States of America regarding the State of our Union,' he noted. 'I look forward to seeing you on the evening on January 29th in the Chamber of the House of Representatives. It would be so very sad for our Country if the State of the Union were not delivered on time, on schedule, and very importantly, on location!,' he concluded. But Pelosi held firm - no State of the Union given in the House chamber until the government was reopen. And she used her authority as head of the lower chamber of Congress to ensure he would not be able to speak. Congress must first pass a concurrent resolution granting Trump the authority to address a Joint Session, and Pelosi told the presdient she would not be bringing one to the floor. 'I am writing to inform you that the House of Representatives will not consider a concurrent resolution authorizing the President's State of the Union address in the House Chamber until government has opened,' she said. 'Again, I look forward to welcoming you to the House on a mutually agreeable date for this address when government has been opened.' The president complained the speaker didn't 'want to hear the truth.' 'The State of the Union speech has been canceled by Nancy Pelosi, because she doesn't want to hear the truth. She doesn't want the American public to hear what's going on. And she's afraid of the truth,' he stated. 'The American people want to hear the truth. They have to hear the truth,' he told reporters at the White House. He vowed to find an alternative location. Instead, Trump caved. 'As the Shutdown was going on, Nancy Pelosi asked me to give the State of the Union Address. I agreed. She then changed her mind because of the Shutdown, suggesting a later date. This is her prerogative - I will do the Address when the Shutdown is over,' he tweeted. 'I am not looking for an alternative venue for the SOTU Address because there is no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber. I look forward to giving a 'great' State of the Union Address in the near future!' Pelosi later responded on Twitter, writing: 'Mr. President, I hope by saying 'near future' you mean you will support the House-passed package to #EndTheShutdown that the Senate will vote on tomorrow. Please accept this proposal so we can re-open government, repay our federal workers and then negotiate our differences.' Advertisement The Welsh Valleys are renowned for their diverse wildlife, scenic views and glorious greenery. But part of the beautiful environment now almost resembles a post-apocalyptic wasteland following a spate of fly-tipping. Tons of rubbish including household appliances, furniture and even childrens toys have been dumped by the roadside near Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. The mounds of waste outside the town spoil the picturesque views, with horses and other wildlife having to forage for food among the debris. One eerie photograph shows several dolls scattered across the hills along with a childs push-along horse, stuffed animals and books for toddlers. Mounds of waste spoil the picturesque views near Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, with horses and other wildlife having to forage for food among the debris One eerie photograph shows several dolls scattered across the hills along with a childs push-along horse, stuffed animals and books for toddlers Whhat appears to be a whole furniture set has been abandoned by the road, accompanied by rubber tyres and plastic bottles In another, what appears to be a whole furniture set has been abandoned by the road, accompanied by rubber tyres. The biggest blight on this particular section of the countryside is plastic, with most of the abandoned litter containing some form of the material. Drink containers and plastic bags which take hundreds of years to degrade can be seen in every direction. The area, popular with hikers and mountain bikers, has been blemished by fly-tippers for several years. Last spring councillors described the mess as jaw dropping and blamed the mindless minority who think its OK to dump rubbish here. They brought in powers to allow officers to serve 400 fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping after receiving more than 2,000 complaints. Tons of rubbish including household appliances, furniture and even childrens toys have been dumped by the roadside The biggest blight on this particular section of the countryside is plastic, with most of the abandoned litter containing some form of the material. The council brought in powers to allow officers to serve 400 fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping after receiving more than 2,000 complaints Drink containers and plastic bags which take hundreds of years to degrade can be seen in every direction The area, popular with hikers and mountain bikers, has been blemished by fly-tippers for several years Local resident Kerry Hogan has spent hours out in the Valleys trying to clean up some of the rubbish. He is part of a litter picking group which is set to join thousands of others taking part in the Daily Mail Spring Clean campaign to tackle the plastic menace. To sign up to the campaign, visit gbspringclean.org Advertisement He said: The problem has been ongoing for a while now. Up in Merthyr its particularly bad for a three-mile stretch where mounds of waste has just been dumped. There is more rubbish than grass in some places. Ive picked up everything from nappies to foot-long knives. Its amazing what a small group of litter pickers can do, but this area needs all the help it can get. We could clean it up but within a week more will be dumped. Local resident Kerry Hogan (pictured) has spent hours out in the Valleys trying to clean up some of the rubbish The biggest blight on this particular section of the countryside is plastic, with most of the abandoned litter containing some form of the material Last spring councillors described the mess as jaw dropping and blamed the mindless minority who think its OK to dump rubbish here Mr Hogan, 59, believes that people drive up to the stretch of road at night and dump their rubbish to avoid paying fees to dispose of their waste legally There are about 200 wild ponies up there its no way for them to live. Mr Hogan, 59, believes that people drive up to the stretch of road at night and dump their rubbish to avoid paying fees to dispose of their waste legally. Its heartbreaking to see it this bad, he said. We feel like we are hitting a brick wall when the rubbish keeps returning but we keep going back because we love the countryside so much. Independent councillor Andrew Barry said last year: Its a beautiful area and there is a mindless minority who just think its a bit out the way and its OK to dump their old sofas and baths. If you took the fly-tipping out of the photos then these are nice landscapes. I would like to see this area used for bridle paths. The views across the valley to the Beacons are phenomenal and I would like to be able to tell people to come to this area but we cant put that message across at the moment. Have you seen worse examples of fly-tipping? Email your pictures to litter@dailymail.co.uk Its not just an eyesore, its a threat to our environment: PRINCE WILLIAM on why he is backing The Mails big spring clean By Rebecca English for the Daily Mail The Duke of Cambridge has backed the Daily Mails campaign to clean up Britain, saying litter is not just an eyesore but a threat to the health of our environment. He urged volunteers to sign up to our Great British Spring Clean, in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy. More than 17,000 community-minded readers have already registered to take part in the month-long programme of organised litter collections, starting on March 22. Volunteers can pledge to pick up litter individually, or join or host their own group. The Duke of Cambridge has backed the Daily Mails campaign to clean up Britain, saying litter is not just an eyesore but a threat to the health of our environment William, a father of three, also advised that getting out in the fresh air to take part in a clean-up can be great for family bonding and a wonderful way to teach children how important the environment is to everyone. A Kensington Palace spokesman said: The duke encourages everyone who can to take part in the Great British Spring Clean. Litter is more than just an eyesore it is a threat to the health of our environment. Litter pick-ups are great things to do as a family and can help teach children about how they can care for the natural world. An aide said the duke was supportive of any attempt to clear up the litter that blights our towns and countryside. To sign up to the campaign, visit gbspringclean Advertisement Not only is it an issue of cleaning up the place in which we live but one that has wider environmental impact, they said. Anything that families can do to educate children about picking up litter and the issue this plays in the wider environment is a good thing. As father to Prince George, five, Princess Charlotte, three, and one-year-old Prince Louis, William, 36, has as much invested in the success of the scheme as anyone. He recently wrote in Country Life magazine of how he wants to follow in his fathers footsteps by sharing Prince Charless love for green issues with his own offspring. His passion for the environment and the natural world is something I want to repeat in the way I raise George, Charlotte and Louis, William said. He and his brother, the Duke of Sussex, have credited their father with stoking their own passion for picking up litter at an early age. In a television interview in honour of Charless 70th birthday in November, the two princes spoke affectionately about their father, highlighting how he was ahead of his time in making speeches about the perils of plastic on the environment. As father to Prince George, five, Princess Charlotte, three, and one-year-old Prince Louis, William, 36, has as much invested in the success of the scheme as anyone William said: He took us litter picking when we were younger, on holiday. We were in Norfolk on school holidays and we went out litter picking with him. We thought this is perfectly normal, everyone must do it. We were there with our spikes stabbing the rubbish into black plastic bags. The passion for litter picking clearly runs in the family. Only last week the Duchess of Cornwall called for action to combat the shaming levels of litter in the nations streets and countryside. Camilla, who has been on several litter picking drives herself, said on a visit to Tower Hamlets in East London that pressure needed to be put on companies such as McDonalds to encourage their customers to dispose of their rubbish properly, possibly even through fines. Yesterday Prime Minister Theresa May lent her support to the Daily Mail and Keep Britain Tidy campaign and said she would get involved in the Great British Spring Clean. The campaign has been endorsed by a host of celebrities and campaigners including TV naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who Prince William interviewed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week. France 'working with Sisi against terrorism' in Libya Macron praises 'dialogue that enabled us to act' (ANSAmed) - CAIRO, JANUARY 28 - France is acting "in concert on the ground" with Egypt in Libya both to support the fight against terrorism and to facilitate "national reconciliation", French president Emmanuel Macron said Monday during a joint press conference in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Macron added that "we have been working together for several months on the situation in Libya" and "close dialogue enabled us to act in concert on the ground". "We have two objectives. The first is to fight against terrorism and to support all Libyan parties fighting effectively against terrorism," he said, implicitly referring to forces under General Khalifa Haftar. Macron went on to say that "the second is national reconciliation, the only kind that will ensure the necessary stability". On this issue, the French president noted the meetings held between Libya prime minister Fayez Al-Serraj and Haftar in July 2017 in Celle-Saint-Cloud, near Paris, and those in the spring of last year in the French capital. "We managed to consolidate the beginning of reconciliation on the ground and we will watch over it so that the coming weeks and months will make it possible to move forward in this direction," Macron added. He noted that "clearly we are working closely with the UN special envoy", Ghassan Salame. (ANSAmed). A man whose mother died in a light plane crash is suing his stepfather and two of his friends, who also perished in the incident. Daniel Temby filed a claim against the estates of all three men, including his stepfather Ian Chamberlain, 65, over the crash on January 29, 2016. The landscaper claims he suffered 'nervous shock' from losing his beloved mother Dianne Bradley, 63, and is seeking damages for having to live without her. Daniel Temby (top left) is suing his stepfather Ian Chamberlain, 65, and two others over a plane crash that killed them and his mother Dianne Bradley, 63, (bottom right) The couple (pictured with their children Matt and Olivia) died when the light plane plunged into the water on January 29, 2016 He is suing all three men because the crash investigation could not determine who was flying the plane, which was owned by Mr Chamberlain. Mr Temby claims his mother's death was 'a result of the negligence and/or other breach of duty of care' by the three experienced pilots, the Herald Sun reported. The couple were flying with their friends Daniel Flinn, 55, and Donald Hateley, 68, from Moorabbin Airport in Melbourne to a horse race on King Island in Bass Strait. However, during the 50-minute flight the plane got lost in low cloud and rain before plunging into the water near Point Lonsdale at about 12.27pm. Mr Chamberlain's four-seater Piper PA-28 Cherokee that was involved in the crash. All three men were experienced pilots and the investigation couldn't determine who was flying The couple were flying with their friends from Moorabbin Airport in Melbourne to a horse race on King Island in Bass Strait when the plane crashed The Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation report from June 2017 found the pilot likely got disoriented in the weather and lost control of the plane. 'On entry into the low visibility conditions, the pilot of PXD would have lost visual cues, in particular the horizon,' it read. 'It is well established that loss of visual cues significantly increases the risk of spatial disorientation.' The four-seater Piper PA-28 Cherokee plane took just three minutes to hit the water after it flew into the clouds and rain. Also killed in the crash was Donald Hateley, 68, (pictured with his daughters) The flight path of the plane after it set off from Melbourne and turned back soon before the crash The investigation also found none of the pilots had clearance to fly through clouds that day, or had experience flying in such conditions, but the weather report didn't warn of any difficult conditions. 'It is always possible that the actual weather conditions will be different to those forecast,' the report read. 'The ATSB cautions that, on entering an area of reduced visual cues, the risk of experiencing spatial disorientation and a loss of control is high.' The plane had no defects that could have contributed to the crash, and it was just serviced the previous day. A fisherman said he watched the plane fall rapidly from the sky while he was just one kilometre away from site of the crash, and found three bodies in the water Pieces of debris floating in the water after the crash in Bass Strait Flight data showed the plane made several turns before turning back to towards Point Lonsdale about 12.22pm. About two minutes later it made a right turn and entered a rapid descent, hitting the water about 12.27pm. Killer fiance Patrick Frazee has submitted a Motion to Dismiss in response to the wrongful death lawsuit filed against him earlier this month by the parents of Kelsey Berreth. 'In Colorado, a claim for wrongful death is a statutory claim,' reads the motion. 'When a decedent has either a surviving spouse or child, the decedent's parents do not have standing to bring a claim of wrongful death.' The motion then goes on to state: 'Here, Berreth is survived by her one-year-old daughter [Kaylee].' Frazee's attorney argues that the court must therefore dismiss the lawsuit. Scroll down for video Taking aim: Patrick Frazee (above leaving court on December 31) filed a Motion to Dismiss in court on Monday, arguing that the parents of Kelsey Berreth have no standing to file a wrongful death suit Recourse: Even if the lawsuit is dismissed, there is still a chance that Cheryl and Darrell Berreth could file again on behalf of Kaylee (Kelsey above with her parents in 2012) Filing: 'When a decedent has either a surviving spouse or child, the decedent's parents do not have standing to bring a claim of wrongful death,' states the motion Even if the lawsuit is dismissed, there is still a chance that Cheryl and Darrell Berreth could file again on behalf of Kaylee. The two currently have temporary custody of the child, with the State of Colorado declared the child's legal guardian. The motion filed on Monday also argues that the Berreths did not suffer any emotional distress, and asks that damages related to that claim be dismissed from the case. Frazee's lawyer argues that the Berreths are not entitled to these damages 'because they were not the targets of the alleged actions causing the alleged wrongful death of Kelsey Berreth nor were they physically present or physically injured on the occasion of the alleged wrongful death.' Frazee was served notice earlier this month that a complaint had been filed by Cheryl and Darrell Berreth claiming he 'enacted physical, mental, and emotional acts of violence upon Kelsey Berreth prior to her death.' The motion also disputes that the parents were ever in emotional distress over the death of their daughter, whose body has not been found The complaint goes on to state that 'when Frazee acted as either the perpetrator or accessory to the murder of Kelsey Berreth, Frazee breached the duty of care with which a reasonable person should conduct himself toward another human being.' The Berreths are demanding a jury trial to determine and 'compensatory and general damages, interest from the date of Kelsey Berreths death as provided by law.' And they have retained Perry Sanders to represent them in the case, the same man who represented Katherine Jackson after the death of her son Michael. The body of their daughter Kelsey has not yet been found, and it is still unclear how she may have been killed. Frazee will not be in court again until February, and there have been few developments in the case. Authorities have charged Frazee with first-degree murder despite the fact that Berreth's body and remains have yet to be found. Frazee was last in court for a custody hearing regarding his daughter Kaylee in early Janauary, and both his mother Sheila and sister Erin stood by his side in a show of support. The two women were seen exiting the courthouse, and did not stop to speak with any of the media assembled outside. Frazee also has an older brother Sean who is a law enforcement officer with the El Paso Sheriff's Office. Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Yumi Stynes have renewed their 'Invasion Day' feud on radio after a heated TV debate turned into an ugly spat. Stynes skipped her appearance on Studio 10 on Tuesday, a day after she called Kennerley a racist live on air for her view on Saturday's protests. The veteran TV host told the protesters they would be better off in the Outback stopping Aboriginal women and children from being raped. 'You're sounding quite racist right now... every time you open your mouth you're sounding racist,' Stynes responded. Yumi Stynes skipped her appearance on Studio 10 on Tuesday, a day after she called Kerri-Anne Kennerley a racist live on air for her view on Saturday's protests Both warring parties said they discussed the issue afterwards off air on the Studio 10 set and there was 'no bad blood'. However, they were right back at it on the Kyle and Jackie O show after the KIIS FM hosts called them both on Tuesday morning. Stynes called Kennerley a 'cockroach [who] can't be extinguished' and said it appeared she hadn't changed her mind on the issue. Kyle Sandilands responded by calling Kennerley during an ad break as she sat in her chair on the Studio 10 set. 'I am still deeply offended with being called a racist, which is completely untrue,' she said, before putting everyone on hold while she went back on air. Protesters gathered outside the network's Sydney headquarters on Tuesday morning (pictured is a post the group made on Facebook) The protesters were soon joined by police officers trying to keep them under control Kennerley was seen with her phone in her hand in front of her while live on air, and in the next break she was back to continue insisting she was 'not racist for having a point of view'. 'Debates do get a little heated and I think it crosses the line when somebody calls you a racist because obviously to be the words I stated are fact,' she said. 'A racist is somebody who thinks another bunch of people are inferior, which is not what I said. 'I said there is a lot of abuse with women and children in certain indigenous communities - that is a fact. That is not fiction, its a fact.' Stynes brought the conversation back to Kennerley's criticism of the protesters, who she on Monday said were 'better off doing something positive'. 'You're saying those people shouldn't be protesting, that they're wasting their time when they should be out fighting rape and abuse - you can actually do both things,' she said. Kyle Sandilands called Kennerley during an ad break as she sat in her chair on the Studio 10 set, having already got Stynes on the line Kennerley was seen with her phone in her hand in front of her while live on air between the two the two sections of her call-in with KIIS FM 'Another thing that you said that was racist, was that Aboriginal people should just "get over it". 'It's a really really an insensitive thing to say, and drawing on your own past being the daughter of migrants is a really, really whack comparison, it's a totally different experience to being disenfranchised the way indigenous people have.' Stynes then clarified that she didn't go on Studio 10 because it was 'not for me to argue for indigenous rights', which was better done by Aboriginals themselves. Kennerley retorted that prominent Aboriginal figures Jacinta Price, mayor of Alice Springs, and former Victorian MP Lydia Thorpe would be on the show that day. 'It's 2019, how come this issue has not been solved before - enough money has been thrown at it,' she said, summing up the topics of discussion. 'I'm very sorry, Yumi, that you didn't come in to be part of this, because it is an important debate,' she said. 'We are all grown ups, but I was highly offended and hurt by it, so that's the way it is... I'm probably way too sensitive, but everybody has a point of view and I think we all have to recognise it. As the show began on Tuesday without Stynes, Kennerley slammed her for not showing up regardless of what happened the previous day 'The only thing I seriously want is to have the issue solved - no child, no woman, should be raped and abused no matter who they are.' Kennerley then said she was about to be back on air and needed to go, but Stynes was able to get the last word after she hung up. 'Hey Kyle, you know what I love? White people telling me about racism,' she said. Earlier that morning, Stynes took to Instagram on Tuesday to explain that she would not be on the panel on Tuesday, but insisted it wasn't because of the row with Kennerley. 'I was booked come in to showcase a recipe from one of my cookbooks INSTEAD, I decided to give myself the day off,' she wrote. 'This is not because of what happened today between Kerri-Anne and I. I am feeling stable and calm and like Im on the right side of history. 'Everything is OK. Im not coming in because I really urgently want to lie around and do nothing. Its very important. Stynes called Kennerley a 'cockroach [who] can't be extinguished' and said it appeared she hadn't changed her mind on the issue 'I told the new producer Tamara that I wont be coming in tomorrow. I also gave her the number of my good friend James Mathison who kindly offered to fill in for me as he is available and has done the show a bunch of times and therefore I would not be leaving the hardworking team in the lurch. 'I have no idea if she will take me up on the suggestion and its not my problem.' As the show began without Stynes, Kennerley slammed her for not showing up regardless of what happened the previous day. 'I think not turning up for work when you've been booked is seriously unprofessional,' she told the rest of the panel. She said in her more than 40 years of TV she only cancelled twice because she was 'flat out and sick' and otherwise showed up under all circumstances. 'I don't get people who don't turn up,' she added. Kennerley then insisted she was not a racist and the statement she made was about 'the tragic abuse of women and children in some indigenous communities. 'That is a fact, it's backed up by a lot of people, it's not a judgement... throwing words around can be dangerous and very hurtful,' she said. 'More importantly it is detrimental to solving this horrible issue. Forget what side you're on, just help find a solution to rape, which can lead to suicide in some of the most vulnerable people. 'I am, always have been, and always will be, Australian.' Kerri-Anne Kennerley (pictured) has doubled down on her belief that Australia Day activists should do more to help indigenous communities after she was labeled a 'racist' Kennerley said in her more than 40 years of TV she only cancelled twice because she was 'flat out and sick' and otherwise showed up under all circumstances Meanwhile, a gaggle of a dozen or so activists were outside Studio 10's offices. They were soon joined by police officers. 'Calling out Kerri-Anne and the mainstream media who have no representation of our people,' they wrote on Facebook. 'Kerri-Anne your racist remarks to Yumi over the Invasion/Australia Day protesters are ill informed & no factual back up. 'Bring your flags bring your posters and your signs.' Kennerley insisted she was 'just stating a fact' when Stynes accused her of racism after she spoke out against child abuse statistics in rural Australian communities. The veteran presenter told Ben Fordham on Monday that she made no mistake when she discussed increased sexual assaults in the Outback - and called for more to be done. 'She [Stynes] mentioned it happens in our community... but it is rampant out there. Alcohol is at the base of it and we have to find a way to protect these children,' she said. 'If we do not protect these children that leads onto youth suicide, paedophilia, abuse of children creates so many horrible divisions in life and their life is never the same.' 'I can only assume that Yumi doesn't know that it is a fact of life because I never made a racist comment.' Earlier on Monday, Kennerley and Stynes both joined the Studio 10 panel during discussions over Saturday's 'Invasion Day' protests. Kennerley called out protesters at the event and questioned whether they could be doing more to help the people they were defending. Kerri-Anne Kennerley said Australia Day protesters should be doing something about the high rate of sexual assault among Aboriginal women instead of focusing on the date 'Has any single one of those people been out to the Outback, where children, babies, five-year-olds, are being raped? 'Their mothers are being raped, their sisters are being raped. They get no education. What have you done?' Stynes fired back and accused her of racism. 'That is not even faintly true, Kerri-Anne. You're sounding quite racist right now,' she said. Kennerley responded by stating she was offended, but Stynes doubled down on her insult. 'Well keep going then, because every time you open your mouth you're sounding racist.' Kennerley wasn't prepared to cede any ground, either, and again went after the protesters who she accused of only caring one day of the year. 'These people are desperate for help. Aboriginal elder women are desperate for help, and they're not getting it. 'Where are these people doing [other than] one day of the year? You'd be better off doing something positive.' With the argument threatening to boil over, host Sarah Harris tried to defuse the situation. 'Take it back a notch everything's going to be cool,' she interjected. Harris said it is an issue that really 'fires people up', but maintained 'everyone has their hearts in the right places and everyone wants to do the right thing'. Stynes told Kennerley many of the protesters would have previously gone out into the Indigenous communities, but Kennerley demanded exact numbers. She also claimed Kennerley was glossing over women and children also being raped in cities, stating it wasn't just a rural problem. Thousands took to the streets on Saturday to protest against Australia Day and demanding the date be changed because January 26 represents 'Invasion Day' Kennerley insisted she wasn't racist just because she 'had a point of view', but Stynes objected to her making assumptions about 5,000 people. 'Yeah, you're actually connecting rape, child abuse, you're drawing a straight line and you're implying those 5000 protesters, none of whom you know personally, are all lazy and idle,' she said. 'You're asking if any of them have ever done anything as though it's clear they haven't.' Kennerley in turn accused her of 'drawing a line that isn't there', but Stynes said she 'saw it quite clearly'. 'Well get new glasses,' Kennerley snapped back as Stynes sat stony-faced and stared out at the audience. Australia's 700,000 or so indigenous people track near the bottom of its 25million citizens in almost every economic and social indicator (demonstrators in Melbourne over the Australia Day long weekend, pictured) While opinion polls suggest up to half the country supports changing the date of Australia Day, the federal government is under pressure to legally entrench January 26 as a national holiday (protesters in Brisbane on Saturday, pictured) Harris finally managed to get control of the segment and beg the panelists to stop calling each other names. 'This is just an issue that Yumi and I have. There are probably 20 other things that we do agree on this is just one that we don't,' Kennerley replied. A 2004 survey of 6,677 women found sexual assault was three times higher among Aboriginal women than other groups. Last year a wide-ranging investigation charged 36 men with more than 300 crimes against 184 children in remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia, and identified three times that many suspects. Western Australian Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said the scale of arrests was 'staggering' and the problem was 'a cancer'. 'It's a war zone out there and the victims are little kids,' he told the ABC last year. Spots of blood have been found inside the home of a man charged with the murder of an Australian university professor in Argentina, local police say. The mutilated bodies of Lily Pereg, 53, and her sister Pyrhia Sarusi, 63, were found in a shallow grave in the city of Mendoza, in central Argentina, on January 26. Dr Pereg, who was in the country with her sister visiting Ms Sarusi's son Gilard Pereg, 36, had not been heard from for more than two weeks when she was discovered. Both Dr Pereg and Ms Sarusi's bodies were found in an abandoned lot neighbouring Mr Pereg's unit. Police have since charged Mr Pereg with the murder of his mother and aunt, and allegedly found a bag covered in spots of blood during a search of his home. Scroll down for video Blood has been found inside the house where Australian university professor Lily Pereg (left) and her sister Pyrhia Sarusi (right) are believed to have been murdered in Argentina. Ms Sarusi's son Gilard Pereg has been charged with their murders Several registered guns, a cut security camera cable and dissected cats were also found inside the home, the ABC reports. Prosecutor Claudia Rios told local media there was security vision showing the two missing women entering the property with him. 'We don't have vision of them leaving the property,' Ms Rios said. Dr Pereg's shattered partner told Seven News of his heartache at losing the love of his life. 'It's a nightmare that won't go away,' John Finlay said on Monday night. 'Lily was a beautiful soul and I probably will never find someone as loving as Lily again actually... I miss her, I just miss her,' Mr Finlay said through tears. 'She had the soul of an angel'. Mr Finlay had spent two weeks scouring Argentina in the hope of finding his missing partner and her sister, only for the search to come to an abrupt end on Saturday. The partner of a university professor found dead in a shallow grave in Argentina has shared the depths of his grief John Finlay (left), who spent two weeks searching for his partner Dr Pereg (right), said she had recently been promoted at work and had gone to the country to help her sister, who was also found dead Mr Finlay said Dr Pereg was always helping people and had 'the soul of an angel' Local authorities told media the killings were committed with 'extreme cruelty'. Sources close to the investigation say the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition and could only be identified by DNA. One body had sustained three gunshot wounds, while the other had been dragged. Both women allegedly had iron spikes 'staked' through them in various places. Friends say Ms Pereg 'weirdly' stopped replying to daily messages about two weeks before she was found dead. The two sisters had been renting an apartment in Mendoza, Ms Sarusi's daughter Vered said in a Facebook post. Dr Pereg was brought up in Israel where she obtained her undergraduate degree, later moving to Australia in the mid 90s. The bodies of microbiology professor Lily Pereg and sister and Israeli citizen Pyrhia Sarusi were found on a lot next to the home of Mr Pereg near the city of Mendoza on Saturday (local time) Lily Pereg (left) and Pyrhia Sarusi (right) had been renting an apartment in Mendoza, Ms Sarusi's daughter Vered said in a Facebook post She completed a PhD in the Department of Agricultural Science at Sydney University and later moved to the University of New England where she was recently made a professor. She also chaired the soil, microbiology and biodiversity subdivision of the European Geosciences Union. Shocked friends and colleagues have taken to a Facebook page for Dr Pereg to pay tribute to their lost loved one. 'She had been a wonderful presence and highly regarded in her field of research,' one person said. 'I am devastated like all of their family and friends. Nothing will bring them back now,' another said. in NSW and Queensland received around 10,000 bales of donated hay A farmer broke down in tears after a convoy of trucks carrying much-needed drought relief supplies made its way to a remote area of New South Wales on Australia Day. Tricia James, whose family runs the Musheroo station near Cobar and Wilcannia in the state's central west, was 'so grateful' when she was given a number of water donations and hay bales on Saturday. Ms James' heartwarming reaction was captured in a video by her daughter India Kessell. Farmer Tricia James (pictured right) was very appreciative after recently receiving much-needed water and hay donations from kindhearted strangers India Kessell (pictured) waves to the convoy of trucks supplying hale and water to the NSW central west An emotional Ms James is heard repeatedly saying 'thank you' in the moving video as the convoy of trucks drive by. Good Samaritan Evie Lyn is believed to have organised the water donation. She is a member of the Peterborough community, approximately 250km north of Adelaide, according to Ms Kessell. 'We stayed and watched the rest of the convoy go past. My little boy had been waiting all day to see the hay trucks,' Ms Kessell told Yahoo7. Recent drought relief efforts kick-started by a number of generous organisations saw farmers in NSW and Queensland receive close to 10,000 bales of hay donated from around the nation. Last week Farmers Across Borders went above and beyond, sending a fleet of 47 trucks on a 2500km drive from Western Australia to New South Wales. Tricia James (pictured left) was all smiles after a generous convoy of trucks delivered some much-needed water and hay to her farm Private security guards are handcuffing violent suspects in Lake District towns after part of the region was left with just six frontline police officers on duty at a time. Over-stretched police can be up to an hours drive away in the area, which is home to 100,000 people and visited by 15million tourists a year. Security firms in South Lakeland have now trained staff to use handcuffs so they can detain suspects while waiting for the police to arrive. The district in south Cumbria, which is the same size as Greater London, is covered by officers based at Kendal police station. Cuts mean a maximum of six frontline officers are on duty in the day and even fewer at night. Private security guards are handcuffing violent suspects in Lake District towns after part of the region was left with just six frontline police officers on duty at a time (Pictured: View of Windermere in the English Lake District) Karl Newton, manager of a security firm used by 30 venues in towns including Kendal and Windermere, said police agreed his staff could use handcuffs in a six-month trial. His firm employs around 30 staff at bars, hotels and restaurants across the Lake District. He told the Daily Mail: The police never make any arrests because they are never around. If someone is being extremely violent we call police but often end up waiting for 40 minutes. It is much safer for us to use handcuffs, then we can hand the suspect over when police arrive. Eight of the security staff have been trained in handcuff use. We will be sitting down with police in April to review it. Pictured: Forensic staff inspect a taxi in Whitehaven after Derrick Bird killed 12 people in a 2010 shooting spree Mr Newton said he lost all his bottom teeth after being assaulted at work, but police did not collect CCTV of the alleged incident. Instead they sent him a letter saying the case will be closed, which added: Good luck with the rest of the reconstructive surgery. Cumbria Police say they are now reviewing the incident. The Cumbria force has lost 10 per cent of frontline officers in the past decade, and is having to sacrifice neighbourhood policing resources to battle an epidemic of county lines drug dealing. Martin Plummer, chairman of Cumbria Police Federation, warned the forces capacity had fallen since gunman Derrick Bird killed 12 people in a 2010 shooting spree. He said the nearest available firearms cover could be up to a 90-minute drive away. Mr Plummer said: We are Englands third largest county, but have one of the smallest police forces. In rural areas like Cumbria, our village police stations have been sold off. Unfortunately we can no longer deal with crimes that were routine for us to attend five years ago. British policing is broken. Private security firms are having to plug gaps. Martin Plummer (pictured), chairman of Cumbria Police Federation, warned the forces capacity had fallen since gunman Derrick Bird killed 12 people in a 2010 shooting spree Lib Dem MP Tim Farron, whose constituency includes Kendal and Windermere, said cuts meant criminals knew they could get away with it. Last week, Cumbrias council tax policing charge, or precept, was raised to fund an extra 20 police officers this year. Tory Police and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, said he believed Cumbria is a policing success story but added: At certain times resources do get stretched perilously thin and I understand people want to see more officers. But we are dealing with a growth in county lines drug dealing, child sexual exploitation and mental health issues. I was surprised to learn security guards are using handcuffs in Cumbria. Obviously it is not a route we want to go down. Demand for security companies all over the country has soared as crime has risen while the number of officers has fallen by 22,000. Security guards are allowed to use handcuffs as long as they are trained and licensed. They have no powers of arrest beyond an ordinary citizens arrest. Superintendent Matt Pearman from Cumbria Police said: 'The decision to carry and use handcuffs by these security staff has been made independently by that security company. 'Cumbria Constabulary have not trained or delegated any powers or equipment in relation to this. The fact that this security firm has chosen to use handcuffs does not impact on the number of police officers available or where they are located.' ' He added: 'In 2018, Cumbria Police attended 84% of all emergency deployments within the historically agreed timescale of 15 minutes to urban and 20 minutes to a rural location, anywhere in the county. 'Our priority is to protect the public and we will always attend an emergency incident in as quickly and as safely as possible. 'The suggestion that such a small number of officers are routinely deployed at our peak times, such as when licenced premises are at their busiest is simply untrue. 'When officers are not attending emergency calls they will be deployed at locations across the South Lakes, making them available to serve the public effectively.' Actress Tina Malone, who has been summoned to the High Court over alleged pictures of Jon Venables, is seen in Liverpool city centre on Monday night Actress Tina Malone has been seen for the first time since she revealed she was facing contempt of court proceedings. The 55-year-old Shameless star is accused of retweeting pictures purporting to show Jon Venables, one of the killers of James Bulger. Tonight she was spotted on her way to a pub in Liverpool where she hosts a Monday night quiz. The actress wore a leopard-print coat, woolly hat, jeans and black boots as she was pictured on her way to Ma Egerton's Stage Door in the city centre. Last week she posted a series of messages on Facebook saying she had been served papers by the High Court. One read: 'I need a lawyer ASAP! I've been committed to the High Court!' Another said: 'I've had a wonderful day until I opened my front door five minutes ago! The High Court have served me!' The Attorney General's Office confirmed it had sent a summons to Malone, and she is due to to appear on March 13. Malone allegedly posted the images just under a year ago, but has not received a summons until now due to the length of the investigation. There are two other people due at the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court in London next Thursday for also allegedly posting pictures of a man claimed to be Venables online. Richard McKeag and Natalie Barker, whose ages and addresses are not known, will be at court after allegedly posting the images on a website and Twitter respectively. Venables and fellow killer Robert Thompson were given new identities following the murder in 1993, which are strictly protected under the terms of a lifelong injunction. The worldwide injunction bans any images or information relating to their identities being published or shared online. Although the offence has a maximum punishment of two years in jail, earlier cases would suggest Malone would likely receive a suspended sentence if found guilty. Tina Malone wraps up against the cold as she heads to Ma Egerton's Stage Door, a pub in Liverpool city centre where she hosts a Monday night quiz Jon Venables (left) and fellow killer Robert Thompson (right) were given new identities following the murder, which are strictly protected under the terms of a lifelong injunction The actress wore a leopard-print coat, woolly hat, jeans and black boots on Monday evening Malone posted messages on Facebook saying she had been served papers by the High Court In April 2013, two men who published photos said to show James's killers received nine-month sentences, suspended for 15 months, for being in contempt of court. Neil Harkins, 35, and Dean Liddle, 28, admitted to posting pictures on Facebook and Twitter respectively in February 2013 - two days after the killing's 20th anniversary. Law on publishing the new identities of killers Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were given new identities following the murder of James Bulger in 1993. These are strictly protected under the terms of a lifelong global injunction. It means anyone publishing images or details relating to their identities online could face up to two years in jail. The law had traditionally been followed by traditional publishers such as newspapers and broadcasters but since the invention of social media it also applies to Twitter and Facebook. Proceedings for contempt are brought by the Attorney General, the Government's law officer with the responsibility of policing contempt. Advertisement Malone, who is an ambassador of The James Bulger Memorial Trust and is friends with James's mother Denise Fergus and her husband Stuart, also claimed she 'didn't have a clue' that sharing the image was illegal, adding: 'I'm not au fait with the law.' Venables and Thompson, then aged just ten, abducted, tortured and murdered two-year-old James in 1993. Venables was released on licence from prison in 2001 but has been sent back to jail twice, in 2010 and 2018, for possessing indecent images of children. An Attorney General's Office spokesman confirmed it had summoned the actress to appear at the High Court and the summons related to a social media post last year. He added: 'The law officers will review contempt of court allegations made to them, but they cannot comment on the nature of any investigations. 'The law officers remind everyone that an injunction is in place which prevents publication of any images or information claiming to identify anyone as Jon Venables or Robert Thompson.' Her summons comes just days after Ms Fergus was left furious by a film about her son's murder being nominated for an Oscar. Liverpool-born actress Malone played Mimi Maguire in Channel 4 TV series Shameless (above) The father of the murdered toddler, Ralph Bulger, has spoken of his devastation that producers have released a film about his son's killing without the family's consent 'Detainment' is made up of almost entirely of verbatim quotes from interview transcripts and depicts Venables and Thompson crying and asking for their parents as detectives quiz them 'Detainment', written and directed by Irish filmmaker Vincent Lambe, has been nominated for the 91st Academy Awards in the 'best live action short' category. Malone, at ITV's London studios, March 2017 The film is based on transcripts of police interviews with Venables and Thompson. Ms Fergus said: 'It's one thing making a film like this without contacting or getting permission from James family but another to have a child re-enact the final hours of James's life before he was brutally murdered and making myself and my family have to relive this all over again.' The 30-minute film is made up of almost entirely of verbatim quotes from interview transcripts and depicts Venables and Thompson crying and asking for their parents as detectives quiz them over James's death. James's father, Ralph Bulger, claimed he found the film 'offensive', and said nobody behind the making of the drama contacted him or anyone else in James's family prior to its release. A fearless pokie player has taken down an armed robber with a single punch. Two men wielding a machete and a metal pole smashed the window of a gaming venue on Clubhouse Place in St Albans, north-west of Melbourne, at about 11.15pm on November 12. CCTV footage shows one of the men swing the machete at a heroic male patron, striking him in the cheek. The pokie player, aged in his 70s, then turns and suddenly punches the attempted thief in the head, knocking him to the ground instantly. After a machete is swung at his face, the pokie player turns and suddenly punches the attempted thief in the head, knocking him to the ground instantly (pictured) The patron suffered minor cuts to his head. No cash was taken from the venue and the armed men fled the scene empty-handed. Police described one of the attackers as having a solid build, medium height, of Maori or Pacific Islander appearance with a New Zealand accent. The second man is described as having a slim build, medium height with an Australian accent. A digital composite image of a man police believe could help with inquiries has been released. An image of a silver Holden Commodore VE sedan with part of the registration number 'PN' has also been released. A digital composite image of a man police believe could help with inquiries has been released (pictured) An image of a silver Holden Commodore VE sedan with part of the registration number 'PN' has been also released (pictured) Detectives claim the attempted robbery may be linked to at least three other crimes in the area. In the first incident, two men armed with guns entered a gaming venue and grabbed a quantity of cash at Gillespie Road, Kings Park, at about 8.50am on November 11. A man with a gun demanded cash at a Neale Road premises in Deer Park on June 7 at about 1.20pm. He handed money and left the store. The Clubhouse Place was targeted during the third incident on June 13 at 11.30pm. A man armed with a gun threatened staff before being given cash. No one was injured during the robberies. Detectives claim the attempted robbery may be linked to at least three others in the area 'It's probably only luck up to this point that someone hasn't been seriously injured,' said Detective Inspector Dean Thomas. 'Someone in the community is likely to know who these people are and we are urging them to come forward.' Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers. An Australian woman who was locked up in Thailand has broken her silence days after her release. Claire Johnson, 46, took to Facebook on Monday to warn people against spreading misconceptions about her ordeal. 'Truth is much stranger than fiction,' she posted alongside a meme that read: 'If you don't know the whole story, shut up.' Claire Johnson, 46 (pictured), took to Facebook on Monday to make the social media post as a free woman Ms Johnson (pictured) arrived back in Australia a little over a week ago after she spent nine days detained in Thailand Ms Johnson arrived back in Australia a little over a week ago after she spent nine days detained in Thailand. Thai immigration authorities nabbed the Gold Coast woman after she overstayed her visa by more than 100 days. She had just wrapped up an 18-month working holiday that took her around the world when catastrophe struck. News first broke of Ms Johnson's detention after she sent a flurry of concerning messages to her close friend Juliet Potter from a Bangkok detention centre. 'They are taking my phone... Have to go,' Ms Johnson wrote to Ms Potter in one message. 'Help me ... call yhe (sic) media,' another message read. At the time of the messages, Ms Potter told Daily Mail Australia her friend was terrified and asking for money to buy supplies from detention centre officials. 'She needs help... She apparently had to pay somebody,' Ms Potter said. 'She called me and asked me to wire her some money. She said something about wanting to buy a blanket in the jail - you must have to buy a pillow and a blanket.' In a message to another friend, Ms Johnson said she was 'panicking' as she was taken into custody. Ms Johnson (pictured) had just wrapped up an 18-month working holiday around the world when catastrophe struck News first broke of Ms Johnson's detention after she sent a flurry of concerning messages (pictured) to her close friend Juliet Potter from a Bangkok detention centre 'They said the detention centre is not like a jail. I am praying he is right,' she wrote. 'Now I know what it feels like to be a prisoner. They won't even let me go to the toilet by myself.' The reason behind Ms Johnson's detainment later emerged as she had overstayed her visa by 111 days. Ms Johnson also goes professionally by the name of Claire Licciardo. She previously operated a business called Cosmetic Holidays which organised medi-travel trips for Australians going overseas for cosmetic surgery. The business was voluntarily deregistered after five years of operation in 2017. During that year Ms Johnson moved overseas after living on the Gold Coast for 20 years. Texas police are searching for a man who was caught on camera speeding off while a cop was still hanging from the window of his truck. The dramatic footage was captured on a dash cam after three Welasco Police Department officers confronted Adan Loa Jr on Sunday, authorities said. Officers arrived at the scene after receiving reports of a man sleeping behind the wheel of his truck on the side of the road. The three officers found Loa, 28, asleep in the car. The vehicle was in park but still had the engine running. Texas police are searching for a man who was caught on camera speeding off while a cop was still hanging from the window of his truck The dramatic footage was captured on a dash cam after three Welasco Police Department officers confronted Adan Loa Jr (pictured in a previous mugshot) on Sunday Footage of the incident shows two cruisers parked on either end of the truck and two officers on either side of Loa's Ford F-150 King Ranch. One of the officers can be heard repeatedly telling Loa to open his door while the third officer walks to the truck to assist them. He comes to the driver side window of the car and, as Loa continues to argue, the officer at the passenger side walks over to the suspect as well. Suddenly one of them screams 'Put the vehicle in park!' All three officers then try to jump on the running board of the truck as Loa inches forward, with one officer managing to stick his head through the window as they continue to yell at him to put the car in park. Officers arrived at the scene after receiving reports of a man sleeping behind the wheel of his truck on the side of the road One of the officers can be heard repeatedly telling Loa to open his door while another officer walks to the truck to assist him But Loa is unfazed, bumping right into the police car in front of him before speeding off. While two officers manage to step off the board before he gets very far, the other officer is left dangling from the window and screaming for help. The man is then thrown from the car and sent tumbling into the road. But he quickly gets back up, running to his patrol car as all three officers call for backup. Authorities said Loa still remains at large. He has been charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer and evading arrest, according to ABC News. Suddenly one of them screams 'Put the vehicle in park!' All three officers then try to jump on the running board of the truck as Loa inches forward, with one officer managing to stick his head through the window But Loa is unfazed, bumping right into the police car in front of him before speeding off The Welasco Police Department shared footage of the incident on Facebook as they initially requested help with identifying the driver. It has been viewed more than 195,000 times in less than 24 hours. Authorities said Loa has separate active warrants for assault family violence and burglary of habitation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Weslaco Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 956-968-8591. While two officers manage to step off the board before he gets very far, the other officer is left dangling from the window and screaming for help. The man is then thrown from the car and sent tumbling into the road ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is aiming to create "safe zones" in northern Syria that would allow "four million of Syrians who now live in our country to return". Erdogan spoke during a coordination meeting between the Red Crescent and Red Cross in Istanbul. He said Ankara has spent "35 million dollars for all refugees" since the start of the regional crises in 2011. "We will soon bring peace and security back to the east Euphrates," Erdogan said, referring to the areas currently under the control of Kurdish YPG militants. His comments thus reaffirmed Turkey's intention to take control of the region after US troops withdraw. "Very soon we will eliminate the residues of Daesh (ISIS), deliberately left, and members of Daesh specifically trained against our country," Erdogan said. "Turkey doesn't aim only to eradicate terrorist organisations, but is also working to mitigate the humanitarian effects of the crisis provoked by the conflict in Syria," he said. Meanwhile, the US has allegedly sent about 600 additional troops to Syria from nearby Iraq to facilitate the armed forces' withdrawal from Syria, according to pan-Arab and Iraqi media, citing Iraqi military sources in the western region of Anbar, which borders Syria. The news has not yet been confirmed by the US-led anti-ISIS coalition or by other official US sources. The Trump administration announced Monday it was imposing sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil company in an effort to ratchet up the pressure on Nicolas Maduro. The sanctions, announced at the White House, would target the firm, called Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), in order to 'preserve these assets for the people of Venezuela' rather than the Maduro government. In the U.S. it operates the Citgo chain of gas stations. The move comes days after Trump recognized Juan Guiaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, a top oil exporter. 'We have continued to expose the corruption of Maduro and his cronies,' said National Security Advisor John Bolton at the White House Monday. Trump's national security advisor John Bolton said Monday's announcement would block Maduro from accessing PDVSA assets worth $7 billion and cost him $11 billion in lost export proceeds over the next year. The United States stopped short, however, of imposing a ban on imports of Venezuelan oil, a move that U.S. oil refiners had opposed. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Citgo in the United States would be able to continue to operate, provided funds go to a blocked account. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (R) and National Security Advisor John Bolton announce the Trump administration's economic sanctions against Venezuela and the Venezuelan state owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PdVSA) during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 28, 2019 Although oil purchases continue, any funds would be placed into blocked accounts. The administration is still working on how and when those funds could be accessed by Guiaido, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. 'The United States is holding accountable those responsible for Venezuela's tragic decline, and will continue to use the full suite of its diplomatic and economic tools to support Interim President Juan Guaido, the National Assembly, and the Venezuelan people's efforts to restore their democracy,' Mnuchin said. In announcing the sanctions, Bolton also repeated his warning for military forces under Maduro's control not to use force on civilian protesters. 'We have continued to expose the corruption of Maduro and his cronies,' said National Security Advisor John Bolton at the White House Monday. The sanctions follow President Trump's decision to recognize the government of opposition leader Juan Guaido 'This is an unequivocal statement on our part,' he said. Asked about any potential military response by the U.S., Bolton repeated Trump's words that 'all options are on the table.' The oil company's assets in the U.S. would be frozen under the sanctions. Mnuchin noted that Venezuela is rich in oil deposits, even amid widespread food shortages under the Maduro regime. 'There's no reason for the poverty and the starvation and the humanitarian crisis,' he said. According to a Treasury statement announcing the statements, 'As Venezuela's state owned oil company, PdVSA has long been a vehicle for corruption. A variety of schemes have been designed to embezzle billions of dollars from PdVSA for the personal gain of corrupt Venezuelan officials and businessmen.' Bolton appealed directly to the military which has been essential to keeping Maduro in power since 2013. 'We also today call on the Venezuelan military and security forces to accept the peaceful, democratic and constitutional transfer of power,' Bolton said. 'To a certain extent, this has begun,' he said. 'We've seen Venezuelan official and military personnel heeding this call,' he added, citing the example of the country's military attache to Washington who broke ranks with Maduro at the weekend. Asked whether Trump would consider getting the US military involved in Venezuela, Bolton replied: 'The president has made it clear on this matter that all options are on the table.' 'For example, a 2014 currency exchange scheme was designed to embezzle and launder around $600 million from PdVSA, money obtained through bribery and fraud. By May 2015, the conspiracy had allegedly doubled in amount, to $1.2 billion embezzled from PdVSA,' according to Treasury. Trump spoke to key Senate confidant Lindsey Graham about a U.S. 'military option' in Venezuela, the South Carolina Senator revealed. Trump asked Graham who has taken out a hard line on the use of force in Iraq and Syria and confronting Russia for his views weeks ago, before announcing he was recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido amid a series of massive street protests against President Nicolas Maduro. Graham, who has counseled Trump on the government shutdown and other matters, said Trump asked him: 'What do you think about using military force?,' Axios reported. Sen. Lindsey Graham says President Trump asked him about a U.S. 'military option' in Venezuela The senator urged caution as he counseled about a country and a region where U.S. military interventions have not always turned out as planned. 'Well, you need to go slow on that, that could be problematic,' Graham said he responded. He says Trump responded with a joke, saying: 'Well, I'm surprised, you want to invade everybody.' 'And I said, 'I don't want to invade everybody, I only want to use the military when our national security interests are threatened,' Graham countered. 'We're not considering anything, but all options are on the table,' President Trump said when asked about the use of military force in Venezeula Members of civil society arrive at the control post of the presidential residence, known as La Casona, to deliver the Amnesty Law, in Caracas, Venezuela, 27 January 2019. The Venezuelan opposition began a campaign to get the military and police of the country the text of a law recently approved by Parliament, where it exercises a strong majority, and seeks officials to ignore the Government of Nicolas Maduro A handout photo made available by the Miraflores Press, shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (C) as he leads a military exercise, in Caracas, Venezuela, 27 January 2019. Maduro led on Sunday military maneuvers with soldiers, as the opposition went to barracks to deliver to the uniformed of the country the text of a law with which they seek to get them to disown the president. Handout picture released by the Venezuelan presidency showing Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (R) speaking to troops during military exercises at Fort Paramacay in Naguanagua, Carabobo State, Venezuela, on January 27, 2019 Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks with Venezuela's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez and Remigio Ceballos Strategic Operational Commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, during a military exercise in Valencia, Venezuela January 27, 2019 Trump last week announced that the U.S. would recognize Guaido as the legitimate president of the country. He said he 'will continue to use the full weight of United States economic and diplomatic power to press for the restoration of Venezuelan democracy.' He said the U.S. would 'continue to hold the illegitimate Maduro regime directly responsible for any threats it may pose to the safety of the Venezuelan people.' Trump refused to rule out military action when asked about it following his announcement. 'We're not considering anything, but all options are on the table,' Trump said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo kept up the tough rhetoric at the United Nations, telling other nations: 'Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you're in league with Maduro and his mayhem.' Regime ally Russia has accused the U.S. of trying to stage a coup, and according to a report last week has dispatched about 400 military contractors to help Maduro with security amid street protests that have resulted in multiple deaths amid a military crackdown. He left his mark on the world with timeless masterpieces including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. But even Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci could not help getting his fingers dirty and leaving a mark on his work too. Not that art experts are complaining. They are hailing an inky thumbprint on one of his anatomical drawings as the clearest ever example of a da Vinci fingerprint, and say it helps us to understand his creative process as a jobbing artist. The well-defined print is on the left edge of his drawing The cardiovascular system and principal organs of a woman, which he created in about 1509. Makers mark: The da Vinci drawing containing his left thumbprint, circled Close-up: The print left by the artist on the drawing from 1509 It is among 144 of his rarely seen drawings, held in trust by the Queen for her successors and the nation, which are to go on display in 12 simultaneous exhibitions across Britain to mark the 500th anniversary of da Vincis death. Because of the potential for damage from exposure to light, all the delicate works on paper can never be on permanent display. Part of the Royal Collection, they are usually kept in wooden boxes on shelves in the Print Room at Windsor Castle, in carefully controlled temperature and humidity. The left-hand thumbprint, in the same reddish-brown ink as the ink lines of the drawing, is at the centre of the sheets left edge. Da Vinci was left-handed. Martin Clayton, head of prints and drawings at the Royal Collection Trust, said: Leonardo presumably had ink on his fingers after creating the work and picked it up with inky fingers. The thumbprint is exactly where you would expect a left-handed person to pick the picture up and there is a smudgy index finger print on the back in the corresponding position. A man tricked by Gipsies from 1493 (left) and Head of an old bearded man (right) Pictured is da Vinci drawing Studies for the head of Leda', which is one of 14 that are going on display around the country There are around half a dozen da Vinci fingerprints on other works but not nearly as clear as this thumbprint, which is visible to the naked eye. He added: People tend to think of da Vinci as this incredible genius in an ivory tower, but this reminds us that he was a jobbing artist and you get a sense of how down to earth the creative process was. He was not some god-like figure, but a human just like us, and he worked in the same conditions as every other artist. The drawing bearing the thumbprint will be among works on display at the National Museum Cardiff from February 1 to May 6. Other works will be at other venues, including in Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Glasgow and Belfast, during the same period. All 144 will then be brought together to form part of an exhibition until October of more than 200 da Vinci works from the Royal Collection at The Queens Gallery, Buckingham Palace, the largest exhibition of his work for over 65 years. Also on display will be two blank sheets of paper which, when seen in ultraviolet light, contain Studies of hands for the Adoration of the Magi (circa 1481), according to research by Alan Donnithorne, former head of paper conservation at the Royal Collection Trust. This is the shocking moment a mother forces her screaming 13-year-old son to try and reach a balcony from a third floor window because he forgot their keys. Footage shows the young boy, named locally as Osama, standing on a ledge in Giza, Egypt, as his mother pushes his legs and tries to get him to reach the higher floor. The boy's mother, whose name is not known, stands inside the window and points at where she wants him to get too. However the youngster is scared and tries to bring his foot back onto the window ledge. His mother then hits his legs, forcing him to try again despite the drop. The young boy reaches across to the balcony in Giza, Egypt, left, as his mother stands in the window, right, making him try and pull himself up Local media report the boy had left their keys inside the third-floor flat and locked the door, meaning the balcony was the only way back in. The mother then dislodges her son's foot from the ledge, causing him to scream in fear as he clings on for life. The person recording can be heard saying 'he will fall' but it does not stop the mother from forcing her son to try and reach the balcony. The scared teenager then manages to reach across to the balcony but is left hanging from a railing as he cannot pull himself up. His mother then yanks him back into the window by his feet, leaving him stretched across the wall and appears to slap him before dragging him to safety. Local media report the lock to the front door was eventual broken and the boy went into the flat with his mother and three brothers. The teenager, named locally as Osama, tries to get back to the window, left, but is left sprawled across the wall before his mother pulls him, right, by the legs back inside The Egyptian National Council for Childhood and Motherhood reportedly filed a complain against the woman and an investigation into child abuse was launched. The woman was reportedly arrested and she has given a statement to police. Local media state that she told investigators she did not 'mean to cause my child any harm'. The teenager is said to have confirmed the incident to investigators and said his mother had beaten him after he failed to reach the balcony. Osama has been provided with psychological rehabilitation by the state and his mother remain in custody as the investigation continues. Local media report that mother would face a minimum of six months in prison and a fine of between 1,000 and 5,000 EGP (43 and 215 GBP) if she is charged and found guilty. The investigation is ongoing. Perhaps it was a sneak peek into what the future holds for the leader of what was once known as one of the most prosperous nations in all of Latin America. Facing mounting pressure from the international community to step down as the president of crisis-stricken Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro showed off his abilities as a member of salsa band and later on the dance floor. President Maduro was caught by video cameras behind a set of conga drums as a salsa orchestra entertained a bevy of pro-government backers during a youth rally held Saturday afternoon. The embattled president of the oil-rich nation shared the images on his personal Twitter account along with a defying, English-written caption that read: 'WE ARE INDESTRUCTIBLE! They cannot take away the joy of living, enjoying, struggling [fighting] and working.' Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (center) takes over a set of conga drums during a youth rally on Saturday After showing off his conga drum skills, the embattled leader (right) of the South American nation dusted off his dance shoes while dancing with his wife Cilia Flores (left) Maduro shared an impromptu performance with a live salsa band on his Twitter account with an English written tweet boasting to his supporters and challenging the opposition government and international countries seeking to remove him from office: 'WE ARE INDESTRUCTIBLE! They cannot take away the joy of living, enjoying, struggling [fighting] and working' Maduro, whose mandate has been called illegitimate by a host of countries led by the United States, and the European Union, too, would later take his skills to the dance floor. He broke in his shoes as he danced away with his wife, Cilia Flores. 'The joy of our youth was present in today's event, I expressed to them my support,' Maduro' Spanish caption read in a tweet which was accompanied by the video. 'Each youngster in our country must incorporate themselves into school, work and social protection. Nothing stops us!' The 52-year-old leader, who assumed the Venezuelan presidency in 2013 following Hugo Chavez's death, was sworn in January 10 for a second term that was widely denounced by neighboring countries in Latin America and the United States. The White House, and a fledgling host of nations opposing the communist ruler, have deemed the opposition leader and head of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Juan Guaido, as the country's interim president. Maduro shared a number of videos of weekend visit to a youth rally where he was caught on video dancing with his wife. His Spanish-written caption implored youngsters to stay in school and work Maduro delivers a playful right elbow to a conga drum during a youth rally event The United States levied a set of new sanctions against Maduro (pictured with his wife to the left) on Monday. The new measures looks to block $7 billion in the state-owned oil company's assets on top of more than '$11 billion in lost export proceeds over the next year' On Monday afternoon, the United States imposed a set of new sanctions aimed at state-owned oil firm PDVSA. The ruling was announced to ratchet up pressure against Maduro and demonstrate U.S. support for Guaido. The Venezuelan opposition leader proclaimed himself interim president last week and was immediately recognized by the United States and a host of other countries soon after. 'We have continued to expose the corruption of Maduro and his cronies and today's action ensures they can no longer loot the assets of the Venezuelan people,' U.S. national security adviser John Bolton told reporters at a White House briefing. PDVSA is OPEC nation Venezuela's largest source of revenue and owns U.S. refining arm Citgo Petroleum, Venezuela's most important foreign asset. The new measure would serve to block $7 billion in PDVSA's assets 'plus over $11 billion in lost export proceeds over the next year', according to Bolton. Last week, Maduro broke relations with Washington. The Venezuelan president recalled his nation's diplomats from the U.S. and ordered all U.S. Embassy staff out of the country, but later backtracked to try to open a dialogue over the issue. Two sisters from rural Idaho have been charged in a murder-for-hire plot after investigators say say they tried to recruit a fuel deliveryman and an undercover deputy to kill their neighbor. Debra Wensman, 50, and Doris Wensman, 46, each has been charged with a felony for allegedly trying to solicit someone to commit murder. They made their first appearance in court on Friday. According to a probable cause affidavit by Detective Brian Hewson obtained by The Lewiston Tribune, the sisters confronted a man who was delivering fuel oil to their property last Tuesday. Idaho sisters Debra Wensman, 50 (left), and Doris Wensman, 46 (right), have been charged with trying to solicit someone to kill their neighbor Hewson said the Wensmans accused Ryan Mader of stalking them and then offered him guns, ammunition and $5,000 to kill their neighbor, 57-year-old Ed Stubbers. Mader left the sisters' farm in the Village of Greencreek and immediately called the sheriffs office to report the incident. On Thursday, a group of deputies met at the Greencreek Community Hall, and Deputy Sam AuGello, dressed in plain clothes and driving an unmarked vehicle, was equipped with a digital transmitter. According to court documents, AuGello drove to the Wensmans home and made contact with the sisters, who allegedly began discussing their desire to hire someone to kill Stubbers and said they feared their home was bugged. Hewson says the women offered AuGello $1,500, guns and ammunition to kill the neighbor, gave him a loaded handgun and told him theyd have to go to the bank to withdraw the cash. Law enforcement officers who were listening remotely then arrived at the farm at 10.30pm to arrest the Wensmans and take them to the county jail. A search of their property yielded several loaded guns and ammunition. Investigators have not disclosed a motive, but Sheriff Doug Giddings told The Daily Beast Doris and Debra Wensman were paranoid that people in their village wanted to take away their land. Rumors have been going around that the sisters were being harassed in the area, possibly because of their unconventional appearance. A former neighbor, Sheila Bowels-Arnzen, wrote in the comment on Facebook that Doris 'was born a hermaphrodite' with both male and female sexual characteristics, and that she has always kept a 'low profile.' Speaking to The Daily Beast, Bowles-Arnzen described the two sisters as 'super-nice ladies.' Another neighbor, Bo Rose, who is friends with Ed Stubbers, claimed that the Wensmans were not being harassed by anyone in the community. Rose told The Daily Beast the sisters shared an unsubstantiated belief that his friend was trying to bankrupt them so that he could take over their farm in cottonwood. The Wensmans are being held on $100,000 bonds. They are due back in court on February 8 for a preliminary hearing. Corey Feldman, pictured in March last year, penned an emotional and scathing article on Monday slamming Hollywood for 'ignoring' child sexual abuse Corey Feldman has accused Hollywood of ignoring a systemic pedophilia problem but making amends for its treatment of women in an emotional article where he describes being abused as a child actor and calls for justice for other victims. The former actor, 47, wrote an article of NBC which was published on Monday to announce his role as the ambassador for the charity Child USA. In it, he calls for an end to the statute of limitations which render many cases of historic sexual abuse impossible to prosecute because too much time has passed. Repeating claims he has been making for years that he and his friend, the late Corey Haim were raped as child actors, Feldman said he was 'raped of his innocence' and was now demanding justice for other children. 'What has happened to children in my industry was by and large ignored and, at this point, its been all but brushed under the rug. 'Hollywood seems much more ready to accept responsibility for what it's done to women than they are willing to face that there is still a deep-seated virus within this industry and, most unfortunately, its not an industry-exclusive disease, but also effects other parts of our culture.... What has happened to children in my industry was by and large ignored and, at this point, its been all but brushed under the rug 'I was raped of my innocence as was Corey Haim. That's not okay; that's not acceptable. 'For me, the only real justice is to hopefully one day see those guys that did this stuff to us face the consequences that they deserve,' he wrote. He decried the statute of limitations which applies in many states, explaining that it takes years for child sex abuse victims to understand what has happened to them let alone consider pressing charges. 'The problem right now is that, by the time that children have the wherewithal to know that something was wrong to know that something wrong was done to them and have the strength to admit it to their peers or to their family, it's far too late in many states to take the perpetrators to court, either criminally or in civil suits. Feldman (right) has long claimed that both he and Corey Haim (center) were raped as child actors. Haim died in 2010. They are pictured on the 1987 set of the Lost Boys 'They're in situations like I am, or in situations like my best friend Corey Haim was in, where we never got the chance to face our abusers. Justice can never be served to survivors because of these statute of limitation laws,' he wrote. New York is due to pass a bill on Monday which will make significant changes to its historic sexual assault laws. Under the Child Victims Act, victims will be allowed to press charges against their abusers until they are 28 years old instead of 23, the limit until recently. They will also be able to pursue civil action against abusers until they are 55. Feldman has spoken out in the past against Michael Jackson, his former friend who has been widely accused of preying on young boys. The claims against Jackson have gained fresh attention in recent weeks thanks to the documentary Leaving Neverland Most significantly is that the state is opening a one-year, one-off window for anyone whose cases have previously fallen outside the statute of limitations to seek justice. Feldman praised the move in his piece but said more still had to be done across the country. He complained about the reaction he received when he launched an online fundraising campaign asking for $10million to fund an expose on Hollywood pedophiles, and said he was expecting friends and colleagues to pick up the phone and throw money at him when he launched it. 'However a year ago, the reaction from Hollywood when I launched a campaign to make a movie based on my book, the New York Times bestseller Coreyography, was not what I expected. Feldman unsuccessfully launched an online fundraising campaign to raise $10million to make a film to expose a ring of Hollywood pedophiles but was disappointed when he did not reach his amount The actor has claimed in the past year that people have been trying to kill him to silence his allegations. He is shown in the hospital in March after claiming to have been stabbed. His lawyer later said it was the result of a road rage attack Feldman tweeted excitedly after the article was published. It coincides with the New York state government's vote on the Child Victims Act 'I really thought, at that time, that I would get hundreds of calls from all of my colleagues, from all of my associates going, "Oh my God, we didn't even know, or, We heard about this. What can we do to help? How do we get involved? Let me help you get this film made. This needs to happen." 'I didn't get much of that...nobody handed over a million dollars, or two million dollars, or five million dollars and said, "Let's get this movie made." 'That was something that I was really expecting to happen; that's how Hollywood normally works, even when you're trying to go against the grain and get a dangerous truth out through a movie,' he said. He added that he had since set to work on his own documentary - 'Truth: The Rape of Two Coreys'. 'We've spent the last year working diligently to get it done the right way, and I'm very proud of what we've got,' he said. He did not make mention of the attempts on his life he believes have taken place to try to silence him since he started speaking out on the issue. Savannah Spurlock's family released the latest photo of the missing-mother-of-four which shows her with darker hair The mother of a missing 22-year-old who just recently gave birth to twins has issued a heartbreaking plea to her daughter to 'please come home'. Savannah Spurlock has been missing since she left a bar in Lexington, Kentucky with three men in the early hours of January 4. Ellen Spurlock, who lives with her daughter in Richmond, believes the young mother-of-four was taken against her will. 'It's the worst nightmare, we're leaning on our faith in God and on each other, our family, our friends,' Ellen told ABC News. 'I would say to her please come home to your family and friends. We miss you and we love you more than you will ever know.' 'Please, please come home to us. Your babies need you.' Ellen also revealed that the last time she spoke to her daughter was on FaceTime around 3am on the morning she vanished. Scroll down for video Ellen Spurlock, who lives with her daughter in Richmond, Kentucky, issued a heartbreaking plea to her daughter to 'please come home' 'She seemed okay,' Ellen recalled. 'She told me she was fine. When I asked her where she was, she said she was in Lexington. She promised she'd be home later that morning. She did not seem out of the ordinary.' Ellen said her daughter was in a car with at least three other people when they last spoke. 'I don't know anything about her relationship with the men that she was with,' she added. 'When she FaceTimed me, I did not recognize the gentleman driving the car. I had never seen him before. I could not see who was in the back of the car because it was so dark out.' Savannah went missing on January 4, just days after giving birth to twin boys (pictured) 'But I heard voices talking over each other - that's how I knew there were at least two individuals in the backseat of the vehicle.' Savannah vanished after leaving The Other Bar in Lexington just days after she gave birth to twins. Surveillance footage captured Savannah leaving the bar with two of the men. All three men that Savannah left the bar with have been identified and questioned, according to Richmond Assistant Chief of Police Rodney Richardson. Richardson said it remains unclear if the men Savannah left the bar with were the same people she was inside the car with while talking to Ellen. Last week, police searched the home of one of the two men she was spotted with and seized a car. She was last seen on surveillance video leaving The Other Bar in Lexington, Kentucky with two men. They were questioned by police at the time but they have not been charged The two men, along with a third, were located and questioned but not charged. One of the men drove away in a pickup truck (pictured) Shaquille Smith, Savannah's ex-boyfriend and the father of two of her children, said he believes the men know where she is. 'I do think the guys she was with that night know exactly where she is,' Smith told Fox News. 'I do think she is out there somewhere worried and thinking about her kids, family, and friends.' Ellen said her daughter's disappearance has been especially hard on her toddler children, aged 2 and 4. Pictured is one of her children Ellen said that the police have not been able to share details of the case with her 'because it is so active', but she added that she understands. No one has been charged in the case. Richardson said his focus is currently on the search for Savannah and that he believes she is in danger. There is no indication that the mother-of-four ran away and police have not ruled out the possibility of foul play, he added. 'Her kids were her priority,' Ellen said. 'So this is all just a big shock to her family and friends that she would not be here for over three weeks.' 'I miss her. It's very, very hard on us. We just want her back where she belongs with us and her four babies.' Ellen also revealed that social media scammers have been claiming they have her daughter, asking for $1,000, gift cards, or Bitcoin for her return. 'She's only worth a thousand dollars? At least make your story believable,' Ellen told WKYT. 'It's very cruel. If these people that are doing this would think about what they would be doing in my situation, they may stop.' One of the scammers threatened to cut Savannah's finger off if they didn't receive the ransom in 12 hours. Ellen revealed that social media scammers have been claiming they have Savannah (pictured in an older photo), asking for $1,000, gift cards, or Bitcoin for her return Another threatened that 'We will vanish and so will Spurlock' if they weren't paid. Ellen said the messages have been a distraction to investigators, who must check out every tip or lead 'no matter how silly it seems'. On Sunday, Savannah's family released a new image of the 22-year-old. Shaquille Smith, Spurlock's ex-boyfriend and the father of two of her children, said he believes the men know where she is The photo, which shows her with brown hair instead of blonde, is the most recent picture they have of the young mom. 'Because Savannah has so many different ''looks'' we ask if anyone has photos taken the six weeks prior to missing to please message to us,' a post on the page Missing Savannah read. 'As we receive them, we will share. This photo was newly found in her grandmother's digital camera.' The family also released images of the month-old twin boys who have now been without their mother for three weeks. Ellen told WKYT that her daughter's disappearance has been especially hard on her toddler children, aged two and four. '(Her son) doesn't know what's going on, but my fear is how long can that take place, you know? Mommy is not here for 11 days, each day is another day,' she said when the search was reaching the two-week mark. 'The twins are too young, but the two-year-old, he misses his mommy. He saw her on TV one night and said 'Mommy'. He misses her. Ellen also revealed that the last time she spoke to her daughter was on FaceTime around 3am on the morning she vanished. She was in the car with three other people Savannah is 5ft tall and weighs about 140lbs. She has shoulder-length brown and blond hair and several tattoos 'I cope with it by praying and believing that she is still out there.' The family has since created a GoFundMe to raise money for a reward for any information that could lead to Savannah. 'I would like for anyone that has anything that might help us in locating Savannah to please come forward and give that information,' Ellen said. 'No matter how insignificant you think it is, how minor, it could be the piece of the puzzle that brings Savannah back to us.' Savannah is 5ft tall and weighs about 140lbs. She was last seen wearing a black top and a red skirt with heels. She has shoulder-length brown and blond hair and several tattoos, including one on the right side of her torso that reads, 'I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me,' and another on her back that reads, 'I'm her daughter'. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is urged to contact Lt. Col. Rodney Richardson with Richmond police at 859-624-4776. Workers at the Internal Revenue Service have returned to their jobs, and five million pieces of unopened mail, after the 35 day government shutdown, according to a federal watchdog. The unanswered taxpayer letters mean the agency is behind schedule at the start of tax season and there's warnings it will take some time for it to recover from the backlog. With the doors closed at taxpayer assistance centers during the shutdown, the IRS received many more letters than usual. Doors closed at taxpayer assistance centers during the government shutdown - the IRS have millions of unopened taxpayer letters The federal watchdog, National Taxpayer Advocate Service, said it could take the IRS at least a 'year to get back to normal,' as reported by CBS News. The time frame doesn't take into account another possible government shutdown again in three weeks time. The agency is also weeks behind on training for the estimated 2,000 new hires brought on board for tax season. President Donald Trump announced Friday that a deal had been agreed to fund the government for three weeks. Over the weekend Trump said he wouldn't rule out another shutdown if Congress doesn't give him the $5.7 billion he wants for a border wall and added the chances of reaching a budget deal are below 50 percent. The financial rating agency Standard & Poor's reported the shutdown has cost the U.S. economy $6 billion, more than the $5.7 billion, Trump wants for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. President Trump ending the partial shutdown of the federal government on January 25. The National Taxpayer Advocate said it could take the IRS at least a 'year to get back to normal' Federal workers who were furloughed for the 35 day shutdown will start to get their back pay this week The White House said federal workers who were furloughed for 35 days will start to get their back pay this week and that all overdue checks should go out by Friday. 'It's going to be a massive catch up at this point,' Michelle Harris of the IRS told CBS. She said that she had put off an emergency dental appointment during the shutdown and is waiting for her back pay. She added that some of her colleagues quit. A mother has shared horrific photos of her daughter's finger after it was nearly sliced off by an IKEA folding chair. Sophie Marie Bennett had been at home baking with her children on Friday evening when 14-month-old Kaylah's finger became trapped in the 6 plastic chair. Kaylah was blue-lighted to hospital and had to have an operation to reattach her finger as 'less than 20 per cent was intact'. Now, the family are waiting to see if the operation was successful or whether the finger will have to be amputated. Sophie Marie Bennett's daughter Kaylah, left, was rushed to the hospital as 'less than 20 per cent' of her finger was intact after it was caught in an Ikea chair Ms Bennett shared graphic photos of her daughter's injuries on Facebook after Kaylah's finger was caught in the 6 'Gunde' folding chair 'She was getting off the chair when it folded and her fingers got crushed between the metal,' said mother-of-three Ms Bennett, of Walsall. 'I went to grab her and I could see the tip of her finger was literally hanging off, bone on show. 'I've never seen so much blood, it wouldn't stop bleeding.' Ms Bennett's eldest daughter Khyanna, nine, ran for towels whilst her distressed mother rang 999. 'When we got to hospital, they didn't know whether to send her to trauma or plastic surgery because her hands are so small,' said Ms Bennett, who is a widow. Sophie Marie Bennett's daughter Kaylah was rushed to the hospital as 'less than 20 per cent' of her finger was intact after it was caught in an Ikea chair 'So, she was sent to Birmingham Children's Hospital where they managed to reattach her fingertip but they don't know yet whether it will be successful.' She added: 'Her body has to naturally connect the two sides and we won't know whether that has worked until her bandages come off in seven days time. 'It needs to heal itself but it may just start to die, in which case it might need to be amputated. 'They have already said her finger will be permanently deformed.' Sophie Marie Bennett (pictured) had been at home baking with her children on Friday evening when 14-month-old Kaylah's finger became trapped in the 6 plastic chair The 'Gunde' chair is a folding seat from IKEA which costs just 6. Ms Bennett shared graphic photos of her daughter's injuries on Facebook with the message: 'How a 2kg chair that 'has been tested for home use and meets the requirements for durability and safety, set forth in the following standards: EN 12520 and EN 1022' can almost completely sever her finger is beyond me. 'The amount of blood that poured from her tiny little body, the pain in her face, will haunt me forever.' She told BirminghamLive: 'We've had several of these chairs because they only cost 6 and they fold so you can tuck them away nicely and just bring them out when you need them. 'All my daughters have sat on those chairs. We're getting rid of them now. 'I've spoken to IKEA and they have offered to reimburse any medical costs and have said they'll be in touch in 48 hours after they have spoken to someone in Sweden about quality assurance. 'My poor baby. She just keeps pointing to her finger and saying 'hurt me'.' Ms Bennett added: 'When we got back home from the hospital, there was blood everywhere and all the baking stuff was still out. 'It made me feel so sad. We'd been baking to celebrate Khyanna getting 100 per cent at school. It was supposed to be a happy time. Doctors have warned Ms Bennett that her daughter's finger is likely to be permanently deformed and they don't know yet where her nail will grow back 'Paracetamol calms Kaylah for around an hour but then she just keeps crying in pain. There's only so much medicine I can give her. 'We had around an hour and half's sleep last night.' Doctors have warned Ms Bennett that her daughter's finger is likely to be permanently deformed and they don't know yet where her nail will grow back. 'It's her engagement finger and she might not have a nail on that finger, which will be so sad if someone proposes to her,' Ms Bennett said. 'But right now, that's not my worry. I just want her to be able to use her finger.' Pictured: Kaylah's finger after the incident She contuned: 'I wanted to share the photos because I'm scared it will happen to other children. 'I want to be sure that this will not happen to another innocent child as it has my child, who will have to live with the consequences for the rest of her life. 'I want to know how IKEA will ensure that another parent will not go through this traumatic experience.' A spokesman for IKEA said: 'We have recently been made aware of an incident involving our GUNDE folding chair. 'The safety of our products is always our highest priority and as soon as we were made aware of this incident we began a thorough investigation. 'We are, of course, deeply concerned to hear about this incident and have been in direct contact with Ms Bennett. 'We continue to investigate this matter further.' A fugitive who was featured on 'America's Most Wanted' 20 years ago has finally been arrested in Florida following a three-hour standoff with police. Michael Eugene Moore, 46, was arrested in Palm Coast, south of Jacksonville, on Saturday. Moore has had a fugitive warrant for his arrest in Virginia for two decades after he stabbed his wife and abducted their five-year-old daughter back in 1996. He was caught when Flagler County Sheriff's Office deputies signaled for him to stop on Saturday after a license plate reader detected him in a stolen vehicle. Michael Eugene Moore, 46, was arrested in Palm Coast, Florida on Saturday (above) following a three-hour standoff with police The vehicle had been reported stolen during an earlier armed robbery in Virginia during which Moore allegedly tied up the female victim before fleeing with her car. Moore was charged with grand theft and resisting arrest without violence in Florida. He is also being held as a fugitive from justice for Virginia authorities Authorities said Moore refused to get out of the vehicle or comply with demands. Deputies started evacuating homes as SWAT teams secured the immediate area. Three hours later, Moore surrendered without incident and was taken into custody. Moore has been on the run since March 1996 when he was featured on 'America's Most Wanted' for stabbing his wife 33 times and abducting his five-year-old daughter. His wife miraculously survived the attack. Weeks later, the little girl was found safe in Miami after the child's photo appeared on the show. She was returned to her mother in Virginia. Moore remained a fugitive and had an active warrant for the assault and battery in Virginia. 'This incident could have had a very different outcome,' Sheriff Rick Staly said. 'This is a guy with an extremely violent history. We will never know what crimes we may have prevented by apprehending him. 'I want to thank our citizens for their patience as we worked through this incident. I am very proud of our team and thankful that no one was injured and this violent offender is now in jail where he belongs.' Following his arrest on Saturday, Moore was charged with grand theft and resisting arrest without violence in Florida. He is also being held as a fugitive from justice for Virginia authorities. Authorities tried to stop Moore on Saturday afternoon (above) but he refused to get out of the vehicle or comply with demands. It resulted in a three hour standoff with deputies (ANSA) - Aboard papal plane, January 28 - Pope Francis said on his way back from World Youth Day in Panam Monday that he would not make the celibacy of priests optional and that sex was not a monster but needed proper, "non-ideological" classes in school. Francis made it clear, when asked about other Churches were priests are not celibate, that he would not make priestly celibacy optional. "I think that celibacy is a gift to the Church", and there will be no change to make it "optional," he said aboard the plane talking him back form World Youth Day in Panama. "I will not do this, and that remains clear," he said. "I don't feel I can put myself in front of God with this decision". But he added that the pastoral question in lands without priests was to be "studied" by theologians. Sex is not a monster but sex-ed classes are needed in school, Francis said. The pope said "you need to give sex education in schools, sex is a gift from God, it is not a monster, it is a gift from God, to love". But he stressed "you have to give an objective sex education, without ideological colonisation. If you start by giving sex education full of ideological colonisation you destroy the person". Francis also said that women who have abortions should be forgiven and shown "mercy", but there should also be "mercy for the human person that is in gestation". He added: "I say to desperate women 'sing a lullaby for the child that is in heaven'". Armed police swooped on Westminster Bridge today to arrest a driver who was allegedly spotted using his phone at the wheel. The Mercedes driver was arrested in the shadow of Parliament after allegedly trying to flee the scene on Monday afternoon. A Scotland Yard spokesman said the man had been detained on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, drugs possession and theft. There was no link to terror but the bridge has been under heightened security since an attack which killed five people in March 2017. Police vehicles on Westminster Bridge today as armed officers swooped to arrest a man they said had been spotted using his phone at the wheel Pictures showed several police vehicles at the scene with armed police surrounding the suspect. The unidentified man was led away in handcuffs as concerned passers-by watched on. A police spokesman said: 'The driver of a Mercedes was detained by police on Westminster Bridge at around 2.20pm on January 28. 'Officers stopped the car after a male [no further details] was seen to be using a mobile phone while driving. 'The man attempted to flee the scene and was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, drugs possession and theft offences. 'Traffic was affected for a brief period of time and the roads are now clear.' A man is arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, drugs possession and theft offences as police swoop on Westminster Bridge on Monday afternoon Police at the scene on Westminster Bridge where armed officers, stationed in the area to protect Parliament amid heightened security, arrested a man today At least 10 police cars were at the scene near the entrance to the Houses of Parliament amid high security since a terror attack in March 2017 Westminster has been on high alert since Khalid Masood drove a hired car into pedestrians on the bridge on March 22, 2017. Masood mounted the pavement, crashed into nearby railings and stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death at the gates of Parliament before he was shot dead. Also killed in the atrocity were US tourist Kurt Cochran, Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, and Britons Aysha Frade, 44, and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes. It was the first in a series of UK terror attacks in 2017, including a bomb attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester which killed 22 people, including children. Suicide attacker Salman Abedi detonated an explosive device as crowds of music fans, many of them youngsters, left Manchester Arena on May 22 that year. New York financial whiz Shele Denishofsky, allegedly murdered by her backgammon-loving husband Rod Covlin to get hold of her $5million fortune, was accused by Covlin of sexually assaulting their son Myles, then two. A Manhattan Supreme Court jury heard on Monday how Shele sobbed to a police officer when Covlin failed to bring their two children home from visitation on time. But UBS money manager Shele was unaware estranged husband Covlin was at a hospital reporting suspected child abuse. Alleged killer Covlin, now 45, was hours late bringing the children back to his wife Shele when she called the police to report the apparent court-ordered visitation violation. NYPD Sgt. Crystalee Vargas told jurors how tearful Shele flung herself into her arms when Covlin failed to appear with the childen on time. NYPD Sergeant Crystalee Vargas testified at the Rod Covlin murder trial on Monday, saying Shele Danishefsky was in tears when Covlin did not return home with their children Pictured in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday, backgammon buff Rod Covlin, 45, is accused of strangling his then 47-year-old wife Shele Danishefsky in her Upper West Side apartment back in 2009 Vargas said she was called to Sheles Upper West Side apartment in the early hours of July 9, 2009, after Shele had made several phone calls to the 20th Precinct regarding the childrens absence. She [Shele] was very worried, Vargas said. As she spoke her voice trembled. She was very nervous. After Shele completed the required paperwork, Vargas and the other members of the NYPD left the apartment to file paperwork at the station house. But in the hallway, Vargas said, she felt uneasy about leaving. I went back to the apartment and I knocked on the door, Vargas said. She threw herself into my arms, she hugged me, she was crying She began to sob profusely, she was uncontrollable. UBS executive Shele Danishefsky (pictured) was in the midst of divorcing her much younger husband Covlin when she was killed on New Year's Eve in 2009 Vargas testified that during the hug, Shele blurted out, Oh my God, Im so scared, Im so scared. But Judge Ruth Pickholz said the sergeant was not allowed to tell the jury that Shele told her Covlin was going to kill her, ruling it inadmissible hearsay. Shele was found dead in her bathtub on Dec. 31. 2009, the apparent victim of a fall in the tub where she drowned. She was 47. At the time of her death, Rod was 36 and Shele, a UBS executive from a wealthy background, was 47. She was the sole breadwinner and he was pursuing his backgammon passion Shele was buried without an autopsy after her Orthodox Jewish family waived the post mortem examination at the advice of a rabbi. When Sheles body was exhumed months later, an autopsy revealed the hyoid bone in her neck was fractured, a hallmark of strangulation. While Shele waited frantically at home for word of her childrens location, Covlin brought the two Anna, then 9, and Myles, then 2 to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital complaining that Shele had been sexually abusing Myles. The pediatrician on duty that night, Dr. Robert Best, had difficulty remembering the events of the hospital evaluation, but was emphatic that they were in no danger at their mothers home. Out first duty is to protect the children, Best said. And in this case, they were sent home to their mother. But Angelberth Ezeogu, a child protection specialist with the Administration for Childrens Services, said Covlin balked at allowing the children to return to Shele. Shele Danishefsky, 47,was found dead in the bathtub of her Upper West Side apartment on New Year's Eve in 2009. Prosecutors allege estarnged husband Rod Covlin murdered her After more than an hour of persuasion, Covlin relented and the kids were reunited with their mother around 5:30 a.m. Ezeogu said he interviewed Shele and inspected the apartment to make sure the kids would be looked after. It was OK, he said. I felt comfortable dropping the children off. Daniel Kelley, pictured outside the Old Bailey A computer hacker who stole customer details from mobile network TalkTalk in a massive data breach which cost the company 77m in lost business is facing jail. Daniel Kelley, 21, was one of a group of cyber criminals behind the massive data breach in October 2015. The gang also demanded 465 bitcoin - now worth more than 285,000 - from 51-year-old former TalkTalk chief executive Dido Harding in exchange for not releasing the data. Kelley and his fellow hackers obtained email addresses, names and phone numbers, as well as 21,000 unique bank account numbers and sort codes. TalkTalk was fined a record 400,000 for security failings which allowed customers' data to be accessed 'with ease' in one of the biggest data breaches in history. Kelley also carried out a DDoS attack on Coleg Sir Gar, a college in Carmarthenshire, Wales which caused 'complications' to the computer system at local hospitals. Fellow hackers Connor Allsopp, 21, and Matthew Hanley, 23, both from Tamworth, Staffordshire, were jailed for a total of 20 months over their roles in the breaches last November. Kelley's sentence was delayed as he had been facing trial for a separate hack said to have been committed whilst he was on bail for the Talk Talk offences. Pictured: Inside the bedroom of Daniel Kelley - who has been warned he faces jail for his involvement in the multi-million pound TalkTalk data hack Fellow hacker Connor Allsopp (pictured), 21, was jailed for his role in the breaches last November He had been accused of stealing the details of thousands of clients from an internet startup then blackmailing the chief executive for bitcoin. The hacker allegedly infiltrated screen sharing website ScreenLeap - a company which provides users with remote access to another device's screen - before demanding thousands of pounds worth of cryptocurrency from the firm's founder, tech entrepreneur Tuyen Truong. Matthew Hanley, 23, was also jailed At the time of the alleged offence - said to have been committed between November 2015 and January 2016 - Kelley had already been arrested and released on police bail for the massive cyber-attack on the mobile network. Kelley appeared at the Old Bailey today as the Crown indicated it was no longer in the public interest to proceed after doctors deemed him unfit to stand trial through depression. They asked that the single count of blackmail lie on his file. Kelley, of Dyfed, south Wales, previously admitted five separate charges of blackmail, one of doing unauthorised acts in relation to a computer, one of encouraging or assisting an offence of causing unauthorised access to a computer, one of causing a computer to perform an unauthorised function, one of converting criminal property, one of offering to supply an article for use in fraud and one of possessing an article for use in fraud. He denied two counts of causing a computer to perform an unauthorised function, four of blackmail and one of obtaining articles to commit or assist in the commission of an offence. Those counts were also left to lie on file. The gang demanded 465 bitcoin - now worth more than 285,000 - from former TalkTalk chief executive Dido Harding (pictured) in exchange for not releasing the data Kelley was bailed ahead of sentence at the Old Bailey, provisionally listed for February 25. Jailing Hanley for 12 months and Allsopp for eight months last November, Judge Anuja Dhir said they were involved in a 'significant, systematic, planned attack on the computer systems used by TalkTalk. 'Others started it but you both at different times joined in. 'The total loss is estimated to be 77 million. 'I am sure that your actions caused misery and distress to many thousands of the customers at TalkTalk. 'Your actions resulted in the then CEO being subjected to repeat attempts to blackmail her. 'You were not personally involved but your actions facilitated it. 'It is of the first importance that the court sends a clear message. 'Illegal activities on this scale are not a game.' The Florida bank where five women were killed 'execution-style' in a horrific mass shooting has created a fund to help their families. SunTrust Chairman and CEO Bill Rogers announced the Sebring Strong Survivors Fund in honor of the victims on Monday. Cynthia Watson, 65, Marisol Lopez, 55, Debra Cook, 54, Ana Pinon-Williams, 38, and Jessica Montague, 31, were murdered at SunTrust bank in Sebring last week. Four of the women were employees at the bank and Watson was a customer. Zephen Xaver, 21, has been charged with five counts of premeditated murder. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty. A GoFundMe page created for the fund has already raised more than $24,000. SunTrust Chairman and CEO Bill Rogers announced the Sebring Strong Survivors Fund in honor of the five women who were killed at the SunTrust Bank last week. Pictured is victim Jessica Montague with her husband. She was killed on his birthday The fund has been set up to support the victims' families. Pictured is victim Cynthia Watson, 65, with her husband Tony Watson. They had just gotten married The Sebring Strong Survivors Fund has been created in partnership with the SunTrust Foundation and the National Compassion Fund, which is part of the National Center for Victims of Crime. Rogers spoke of the ongoing support for the victims' families on Monday, saying it demonstrated 'the best of humanity in a time of tragedy'. SunTrust also revealed that it will not reopen the branch after speaking to the victims' families. It is currently considering a different use for the space. News of the fund came a day after the community gathered for a vigil to honor the women. Mourners were forced indoors due to heavy rains and had to light flashlights or cell phones instead of candles. Ana Pinon-Williams, 38, (left) was a mother-of-seven who had just started working at the bank. Marisol Lopez (right) was a mother-of-two who had been working at SunTrust since 1998 Debra Cook, who worked as a teller at SunTrust, was a grandmother. She had been married to her husband Michael Cook since 1984 and had two sons A GoFundMe page created for the fund has already raised more than $19,000 as of Monday Photos of four of the victims were framed together on an easel. A nearby banner read 'Sebring Strong'. Tim Williams, the brother-in-law of victim Ana Pinon-Williams, spoke during the vigil. 'Let's use this opportunity, as our hearts are truly broken, and allow the light to shine in our lives,' he said. Pinon-Williams was a mother-of-seven who had only recently begun working at the bank. Watson, the sole customer in the bank at the time of the shooting, has just gotten married earlier this month to the 'love of her life'. She tied the knot with Tony Watson, her partner of five years, and excitedly announced the news on her Facebook on January 3. Montague was the mother of three young children and seven stepchildren. She was killed on her husband's birthday, a week before their one-year wedding anniversary. News of the fund came a day after the community gathered for a vigil to honor the women Mourners were forced indoors due to heavy rains and had to light flashlights or cell phones instead of candles Lopez was a mother-of-two who taught Sunday school and sang choir at her church Nuevo Pacto. Debra Cook, who worked as a teller at SunTrust, was a grandmother-of-two. She had been married to her husband Michael Cook since 1984 and also had two sons. 'Zephen Xaver knowingly and intentionally took the lives of our sisters, our mothers, our daughters, and our co-workers,' Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said during a press conference on Thursday morning. Zephen Xaver, 21, has been charged with five counts of premeditated murder after he allegedly stormed into the bank and killed the five women 'Perhaps most unfortunate is that now we refer to them as victims of a senseless crime.' Hoglund said investigators have found no connection between the suspect and any of the five victims. Authorities believe it was a random act and that no one was specifically targeted. It remains unclear if Xaver chose the SunTrust Bank 'for any particular reason' but police said there is no evidence he was trying to rob it. The lone survivor of the shooting was an employee who had been in the bank's break room just before Xaver walked in. They escaped out the back door when gunshots first rang out and called 911. Florida Gov Ron DeSantis ordered flags to be flown at half-staff throughout the state in tribute to the victims last week. And SunTrust banks observed a moment of silence on Friday to honor the five women. The moment of silence began at 12.36pm, the time that Xaver called 911 on Wednesday and said 'I have shot five people'. Xaver, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, allegedly opened fire on SunTrust Bank around 12.30pm on Wednesday. Xaver allegedly opened fire on SunTrust Bank around 12.30pm on Wednesday before he called 911 and said 'I have shot five people' 'A witness said authorities drove a SWAT machine right through the door of the bank after the shooting. The extent of the damage to the bank can be seen here on Thursday morning He made his victims all lie down on the lobby floor before shooting them in the backs of their heads, according to an affidavit. Xaver refused to surrender when police descended on the scene. The doors of the bank were locked. After more than an hour, Hoglund ordered a SWAT team into the building. They had to use an armored vehicle to break through the front doors. By then, all the victims were already dead. Xaver surrendered and was placed under arrest. Following the shooting, Xaver's ex-girlfriend revealed he had always been fascinated with death. Alex Gerlach, who dated Xaver on and off for three years after they met at a psychiatric hospital, said she has long tried to warn people about the ex-boyfriend who she said 'wanted everyone to die'. SunTrust revealed that it will not reopen the branch after speaking to the victims' families. It is currently considering a different use for the space Xaver, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, made all his victims lie down on the lobby floor before shooting them in the backs of their heads. He is pictured here after his arrest Gerlach also revealed that Xaver had bought a gun just a week before the shooting and showed her a picture of the firearm. She said 'no one thought anything of it' because Xaver had always liked guns. Police documents also revealed that Xaver had dreams of killing his high school classmates and once talked of wanting to take hostages and commit suicide by cop. In 2014, Xaver, who was 16 at the time, told a school counselor he had 'a dream last night of killing students in a classroom'. He told the counselor he then had the same dream again during an afternoon nap at the school. Xaver was briefly sent to a behavior health center and the investigation was closed. He never graduated high school. Alex Gerlach, who dated Xaver on and off for three years, said she has long tried to warn people about the ex-boyfriend who she said 'wanted everyone to die' In March 2017, the Bremen Police Department was contacted by the Michigan State Police regarding Xaver. A female student at the university reported getting messages from Xaver, who still lived in Indiana. He told the woman he was 'possibly thinking of suicide by cop' and 'taking hostages', according to the police report. Bremen officers contacted Xaver's mother, who said she would speak with him and declined assistance from police. Northern California firefighters saved the lives of three puppies after being called to a fire at a pet shop. The Oakland Fire Department was called to the scene of the burning store on Friday and used quick thinking to revive the tiny creatures. The department said all of the pups were fine after being given oxygen and water. Northern California firefighters saved the lives of three puppies by reviving them with oxygen and giving them water after pulling them out of a fire at a pet shop in Oakland on Friday The Oakland Fire Department was called to the scene of the burning store on Friday and used quick thinking to revive the tiny creatures When emergency personnel arrived, they were confronted with a pet shop on fire, and black smoke billowing out from behind its front door Calls came in on Friday reporting smoking coming from a building in Oakland. When emergency personnel arrived, they were confronted with a pet shop on fire, and black smoke billowing out from behind its front door. The establishment appeared to be closed from the looks of the video. When firefighters went inside, the interior was dark due to the smoke but it also looked as though all of the lights were off. The fire was put out quickly, and then the fire crew was able to enter the shop. Once inside the firefighters saw three puppies in need of medical attention. One of the responders could be heard saying, 'We got puppies here.' Once the dogs were taken outside, one firefighter gave each one oxygen After just a few moments, the tiny creatures slowly got their spark back and started to move One of the responders could be heard saying, 'We got puppies here.' Once the dogs were taken outside, one firefighter gave each one oxygen. After just a few moments, the tiny creatures slowly got their spark back and could be seen moving around. The Oakland firefighters are seen gathered around the puppies after pulling them from the fire The fire occurred at 10814 Bancroft Avenue in Oakland Another firefighter could be seen toweling the little ones off. The fire occurred at 10814 Bancroft Avenue in Oakland. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. A lawyer for Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman has tried to poke holes in testimony that the notorious Mexican drug kingpin carried out vicious, hours-long beatings by suggesting that he was too short and too old to do so. El Chapo's 5ft 6in frame was considered as Eduardo Balarezo questioned his ex-bodyguard, Isaias Valdez Rios. Valdez told how his former boss tortured and murdered at least three members of rival cartels. He described how one man connected with Arellano Felix brothers was shot and then buried alive, while two others from the Los Zetas Cartel were beaten 'like rag dolls' in 2005. But Balarezo tried to cast doubt on the story. 'For three hours, Chapo Guzman was beating the hell out of these guys?' an incredulous Balarezo asked Valdez. He then got Chapo to stand up, according to the New York Post, who were in court. 'This 5-foot-6 guy, 60-something years old was just whacking at these guys with a tree branch?' the lawyer continued. 'That's right,' Valdez replied. El Chapo's defense lawyer made the case that the Mexican drug kingpin could not have attacked or tortured various people because of his short 5ft 6in frame (file photo) On Monday, The actor who played notorious drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman on the Netflix hit series Narcos: Mexico made an unexpected cameo as a spectator at the kingpin's trial this morning. Alejandro Edda jetted in from Mexico and showed up at 6am Monday to get a seat in a packed courtroom where Guzman, 61, is fighting drug-trafficking charges. Guzman was seen beaming when the Narcos star was pointed out to him in the spectators' gallery. Also on Monday, Guzman told a judge he decided not to testify in his own defense after consulting with his attorneys. The announcement came on the same day the government rested a case that began in mid-November. Center of attention: Actor Alejandro Edda on Monday attended the trial of Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, whom he portrays in the Netflix series Narcos: Mexico Edda played El Chapo as a young man on Season 4 of the hit show (left). Guzman, 61 (right), is currently on trail on drug trafficking charges in Brooklyn In Season 4 of Narcos, which premiered last year, Edda portrayed Guzman as a young man working as a driver for another real-life Mexican drug lord, Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, played by Diego Luna. The show, based on true events, revolved around the US Drug Enforcement Administration's efforts to capture Gallardo, and the eventual kidnapping and brutal killing of DEA agent Kiki Camarena, as portrayed by Michael Pena. Witnessing the silent greeting exchanged between Edda and Guzman, the New York Post reported that a US Marshal warned those in the audience to avoid making any hand gestures or laughing, reminding everyone present, 'this isn't Comedy Central.' Lady in black: Guzman's wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, appears arriving in Brooklyn Federal Court dressed in all black on Monday morning Jurors have heard testimony that would make Guzman's reaction to Edda's presence understandable. Cooperators who spent time with him during his heyday said he often spoke about wanting to see either a movie or book made about his life story. The Post described Edda as diligently taking notes during the testimony of Guzman's former bodyguard Isaias Valdez Rios. Seeking to get a better look at 'El Chapo,' Edda at one point even borrowed a pair of binoculars from a reporter. He also kept an eye on the kingpin's wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, 29, who showed up in court dressed in an all-black ensemble. During a break in the proceedings, Edda got to meet the former beauty queen. The two were seen exchanging a kiss on the cheek and greeting one another in Spanish in the hallway. Edda is seen throwing a Molotov cocktail while playing a young El Chapo in Narcos: Mexico Guzman's defense team joined Coronel and Edda and discussed the prospect of making a movie about the defendant's life in the future. One of the drug lord's attorneys, Eduardo Balarezo, quipped that he would like Academy Award winner George Clooney to portray him on the big screen. In recent years, Guzman has courted publicity, seeking to make a movie about his life and giving an interview to actor Sean Penn for Rolling Stone magazine in 2015. Speaking later to a gaggle of reporters outside Brooklyn Federal Court, Edda appeared starstruck by his encounter with El Chapo, saying his hands were sweaty and his heart was 'pumping fast,' according to the New York Daily News. He said it was strange for him to come face to face with the real El Chapo and that he never experienced anything like this trial. Last week, a former Guzman assistant testified that he witnessed the defendant viciously torture his enemies before they were killed. He was one of the government's final witnesses. Federal prosecutors rested their case today, after three months of testimony by more than 50 witnesses. Jeffrey Lichtman, one of Guzman's lawyers, said in his opening argument in November that his client was framed by the cartel's true leader, Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, with the help of corrupt government officials. Lichtman said on Monday he planned to call two U.S. law enforcement agents, whom he did not name, as defense witnesses on Tuesday morning. Lichtman had said in a court filing on Saturday that he wanted to call the agents to rebut testimony by two of the prosecution's witnesses about their earlier statements to law enforcement. Judge Cogan said prosecutors should expect to begin their closing argument on Wednesday morning. Edda got a chance to meet Coronel outside the courtroom and exchanged a kiss on the cheek with her Edda told reporters his hands were sweaty and his heart was beating fast during his encounter with El Chapo Guzman announced his decision after prosecutors rested their case against him in federal court in Brooklyn. After excusing the jury, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan asked Guzman directly whether he understood it was his decision, not that of his lawyers, to testify or not. 'Yes, but they counseled me about it and I agree with them,' Guzman answered. Had Guzman, 61, testified, it would have provided a fitting climax to an already dramatic trial. However, Guzman's decision was widely expected, as testifying would have exposed him to cross-examination by prosecutors. Guzman, the alleged leader of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, was extradited to the United States in 2017. He has been on trial since November on charges of trafficking vast quantities of cocaine, heroin and other illegal drugs into the country. The main defense argument, as put forth by Guzman lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman in his opening statement, has been that the real leader of the Sinaloa Cartel is Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, and that Zambada bribed the Mexican and US governments to frame Guzman. Guzman's lawyers have discussed multiple potential witnesses with prosecutors in open court, and have filed a motion suggesting they might call an inmate in the US prison system, but they have not publicly revealed any names. The defense was expected to call two witnesses Tuesday. Closing arguments were set to begin Wednesday. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg fired a warning shot in the direction of former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on Monday, saying he shouldn't mount an independent campaign for president because he could prevent the Democratic Party from defeating President Donald Trump in 2020. Third-party White House runs tend to peel votes away from major-party candidates, splitting the support from one side in a way that benefits the other. Trump himself suggested he would welcome Schultz in the race as a foil, tweeting that he did not have the 'guts' to run and was not 'the smartest.' Democratic activists have begun to openly suggest boycotting Starbucks, a company in which Schultz maintains significant ownership, until he commits that he won't disrupt the Democrats' chances to unify behind a single anti-Trump challenger. Bloomberg himself toyed with an independent presidenntial campaign in 2008 and 2016. He is now 76 years old and says he will run in the Democratic primary if he decides to ente rthe 2020 field. 'I faced exactly the same decision now facing others who are considering it,' he said in a statement Monday. 'The data was very clear and very consistent. Given the strong pull of partisanship and the realities of the electoral college system, there is no way an independent can win.' Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg insisted on Monday that there is no way anyother other than a Democrat of a Republican can win the White House, discouraging former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz from running Schults said on '60 Minutes' that he believes there are enough moderate voters from both parties to coalesce around a single middle-of-the-road candidate and defeat both the left and the right 'In 2020, the great likelihood is that an independent would just split the anti-Trump vote and end up re-electing the President. That's a risk I refused to run in 2016 and we can't afford to run it now,' he added. 'We must remain united, and we must not allow any candidate to divide or fracture us. The stakes couldnt be higher.' Schultz believes that enough moderate voters from both parties are disenchanted with the status quo to coalesce around a middle-of-the-road candidate like him. 'I believe that lifelong Democrats and lifelong Republicans are looking for a home,' he told Axios on Sunday night, while acknowledging that talk of a vote-splitting campaign 'is going to create hate, anger, disenfranchisement from friends, from Democrats.' The prospect of Schultz, 56, unintentionally playing a spoiler role and helping Trump stay in office isn't sitting well with would-be Starbucks boycotters. Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden tweeted: 'Vanity projects that help destroy democracy are disgusting. If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because Im not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win.' President Trump could benefit in 2020 from a third-party or independent challenger who peels votes away from the Democratic Party's nominee Trump dared Schultz on Monday to challenge him, tweeting that he 'doesn't have the "guts" to run for President!' Her organization mobilized an editor at its newsy blog, Think Progress, to second the motion. 'If Howard Schultz gets into the presidential race, @MoveOn , @IndivisibleTeam , the @DNC , the major unions, and the major presidential campaigns should all use their email lists to promote a Starbucks boycott until he drops out,' Ian Millhiser wrote on Twitter. Not everyone is behind the idea. Author and radio host Carol Roth, who writes about business entrepreneurship, criticized would-be boycotters for being willing to 'impair the livelihood of myriad workers to bully someone out of running for office.' Bloomberg has been making the rounds, speaking to Democratic groups about what he sees as an unacceptable danger associated with four more years of Trump. 'The presidency is not an entry-level job, Bloomberg told the Democratic Business Council of Northern Virginia on Friday. 'There is just too much at stake.' 'The longer we have a pretend CEO who is recklessly running this country, the worse its going to be for our economy and for our security. This is really dangerous,' he said. Sunday on '60 Minutes,' Schultz suggested that his frustration with America's two-party political system has him 'seriously thinking of running for president' as an independent. 'I will run as a centrist independent outside of the two-party system,' he said, speaking in what-if terms. 'We're living at a most fragile time,' Schultz said. 'Not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but also the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged every single day in revenge politics.' President Trump fired off a tweet on Monday seemingly designed to bait Schultz into committing to a presidential campaign. He seized on Schultz's acknowledgement on '60 Minutes' that he's 'not the smartest person in the room' and has succeeded by surrounding himself with talented advisers. 'Howard Schultz doesnt have the guts to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the smartest person.' 'Besides, America already has that!' Trump bragged. 'I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!' Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden and Justice editor of the organization's blog Think Progress both suggested a Starbucks boycott could be an effective way to keep Schultz out of the 2020 race Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, a Democrat who has also announced he is running for president in 2020, said on CNN: 'I have a concern that, if he did run, that, essentially, it would provide Donald Trump with his best hope of getting reelected' Count former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro among the Democratic naysayers. He said Sunday on CNN that a Schultz run 'would provide Donald Trump with his best hope of getting reelected.' Trump's poll numbers in recent months have mostly stayed at or below 42 per cent, he said, regardless of who is cited as his hypothetical Demorcatic opponent. 'So his only hope, if things stayed the same and that's a big if is essentially to get somebody else, a third party, to siphon off those votes,' Castro explained. 'And I don't think that that would be in the best interest of our country. We need new leadership. And so, you know, I would suggest to Mr. Schultz to truly think about the negative impact that that might make.' Patrick McHugh, executive director of the liberal Priorities USA super PAC, told the Associated Press that 'if Schultz entered the race as an independent, we would consider him a target... We would do everything we can to ensure that his candidacy is unsuccessful.' 'The bottom line,' said McHugh, 'is that I dont think Americans are looking for another selfish billionaire to enter the race.' Jessica Killian, 32, was arrested at an Econo Lodge in Gaston, North Carolina last Tuesday over the alleged meth business A North Carolina woman has been charged with running a meth trafficking operation from the same car where she delivered her son, named 'Atom Bomb', just three weeks ago. Jessica Killian, 32, was arrested at an Econo Lodge in Gaston last Tuesday over the alleged meth business. Police said she was caught with 36 grams of meth that she allegedly planned to sell and deliver. She was also allegedly found with baggies and scales. The trafficking operation was allegedly run out of Killian's 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. It is the same car where she gave birth to her son on New Year's Day en route to the hospital. Killian and her boyfriend Randy 'Early' Sain named the baby Atom Bomb. 'He really did come out like a bomb,' Killian told the Gaston Gazette. The couple had been rushing up Interstate 85 on their way to the hospital just minutes after Killian's water broke on January 1. Sain pulled over into an emergency lane and reached over to catch the baby. The trafficking operation was allegedly run out of Killian's 2011 Chevrolet Cruze - the same car where she gave birth to her son Atom Bomb on New Year's Day en route to the hospital The trafficking operation was allegedly run out of Killian's 2011 Chevrolet Cruze (pictured above). Police said she was caught with 36 grams of meth that she allegedly planned to sell and deliver 'If he wouldn't have been there, there's no telling what would've happened to Atom,' Killian said. 'He could've went to the floorboard or anything could've happened to him. He pulls over, jumps over to my side and basically caught him as he was coming down.' Emergency dispatchers gave Sain instructions over the phone on how to use a shoelace to tie the umbilical cord. It is not clear who now has custody of the baby in the wake of Killian's arrest. She was charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine and maintaining a vehicle for a controlled substance. Killian is also charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. She has possession and manufacturing drug charges from December as well. She is being held at Gaston County Jail on a $75,000 bond. Cliff Sims, the former White House aide who's promoting his memoir of time in the Trump administration, floated the idea of making a Senate bid in his native Alabama next year. Sims indicated he was considering a challenge to Doug Jones, the Alabama Democrat who defeated Republican Roy Moore in a special election in December 2017. 'I do think what Washington is lacking are people whose identity is not wrapped up in Washington. And so that makes me want to do it sometimes,' he told The Atlantic. Cliff Sims floated the idea of making a Senate bid in his native Alabama next year Democratic Sen. Doug Jones is up for reelection next year and a top GOP target given Alabama's deep Republican roots Jones is up for reelection next year and a top GOP target given Alabama's deep Republican roots. Sims, 34, noted he is 'deeply conflicted' about running for public office yet is toying with the idea of taking on the incumbent Democrat, who won in the state after Moore was revealed to have had inappropriate relationships with under-aged girls. Jones' win in the GOP stronghold promptly started talk of who may challenge him, including Republican Rep. Bradley Byrne and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who left that Senate seat to join the Trump administration. Sims, a former aide in the communications office at the White House, has kicked off the book tour for his tome 'Team of Vipers,' which is out Tuesday. The tell-all has already seen advice copies and leaked excerpts floating around that portray a chaotic White House and unflattering portraits of several senior staff. Sims left the Trump administration last May - the White House claims he was fired while Sims said he resigned - and received a seven-figure advance for his memoir. He told The Atlantic he's also considering graduate school and becoming a missionary overseas. But he said if he did run for office, President Donald Trump's approach to campaigning would be the model he'd follow. 'I mean, it would be like a very Trumpian approach. Like, 'I'm going to go blow things up for four or eight years or whatever,' he said. 'I feel like that sometimes.' Smith ran a news outlet in Alabama called Yellowhammer Media before joining Trump's campaign. He joined the White House staff as a messaging director. He pushed back against critics who charged he wasn't close to the president. He said the two got to know each other when he taped videos for Trump to post online and in meetings that Sims staffed. 'That was where we got the know each other. Doing his weekly address to the nation. And being in a lot of meetings. Tons of foreign leader meetings. Meetings with congressional members,' Sims recalled Monday morning on ABC News. Cliff Sims is pushing back against critics who say he wasn't close to President Trump Sims was a campaign aide who became a messaging strategist in the White House Sen. Doug Jones (left) replaced Jeff Sessions (right), who left the Senate to join the Trump Administration; Sessions resigned as attorney general leading to speculation he could run for his seat again He also denied he was fired from the White House. The Trump administration claims Sims was caught recording the president on his government cell phone and then sending it to his personal cell phone, which the Secret Service picked up on. Then-Chief of Staff John Kelly fired Sims, the administration says. Sims claims he quit. He said when he decided to resign he forwarded videos and photos from his government phone to his personal phone as momentos. 'It's the equivalent of a video selfie in a briefing we were doing before he speaks to a conference of mayors. When I was leaving the White House, I looked at my government phone. It's on my government phone. If you want to hide something, you don't put it on your government phone. Looking through pictures and videos -just things I wanted save when I left. I e-mailed it to myself when I resigned,' he told 'Good Morning America.' An unlicensed Missouri day care operator is facing criminal charges after an infant died and toddlers were allegedly found restrained at her facility last year. Laura Minnick, 39, of Maplewood, Missouri, was charged Friday with seven counts of endangering the welfare of a child, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Police officers went to the home day care center on November 16, 2018, and found a three-month-old girl in cardiac arrest with 'compression marks' on her face. Laura Minnick, 39, was charged Friday with seven counts of endangering the welfare of a child after a three-month-old died while at her day care operation The baby was pronounced dead at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Minnick's charging documents state that at the time of the incident, she was looking after seven children, all four years old or younger. Minnick was said to have been in the living room and 'acting hysterical' when police arrived at her home, KMOV reported. Authorities said that Minnick was also intoxicated at the time, that officers could smell alcohol on her breath and that they later found an empty wine box in her garbage. Her intoxication, the court documents stated, 'resulted in the death of the child.' Upon entering Minnick's home, police found a child on the second floor in a playpen with a blanket on top of it, with heavy plastic shelving over the blanket to 'keep the child from escaping,' court documents allege. Authorities found a total of seven children four years old and younger under Minnick's care Police then found a male toddler in a playpen in a closet, a female toddler in a playpen with a blanket and shelving on top in the basement, and a male toddler in a closed, dark room with shelving and crates on top, according to court documents. In a previous interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in December, Minnick said she put shelving on the playpens to keep the children from climbing out when they awoke from naps, and to keep them from waking the other children. Minnick also told the newspaper that the baby who died had just started flipping over onto her stomach the day of her death. She also said that she thought the baby was breathing when she last checked on the girl, that she called 911 as soon as she realized that wasn't the case and also performed CPR. Minnick does not have a listed phone number and does not yet have an attorney. Her bail is set at $50,000 and she is expected to turn herself into authorities Monday. (ANSA) - Rome, January 28 - Pope Francis landed at Rome's Ciampino airport on Monday after flying back from Panama. The Argentine pontiff visited the central American country to take part in World Youth Day and around 700,000 people participated in the final Mass of the trip on Sunday. A cleaning lady has been rescued by firefighters after spending all weekend trapped in the elevator of a $20million Manhattan townhouse. The FDNY responded to 48 East 65th Street on the Upper East Side just after 10am on Monday and rescued Marites Fortaliza, 53, who was stuck between the second and third floors of the townhouse. It is believed Fortaliza had been trapped in the broken down elevator since Friday, authorities said. DailyMail.com has obtained records showing that the elevator was found to have defects in October of 2017 when it was inspected by the city. Despite the defects, the elevator still complied with the Department of Buildings requirements, according to the report that was later submitted. The home is owned by Arkansas billionaire Warren Stephens, 61 and his wife Harriet. The couple has not had the elevator inspected since October 2017. Another inspection was due on or before October 10, 2018. The cleaning lady was rescued after she was trapped in the elevator of the $20million Manhattan townhouse for the whole weekend The house is owned by billionaire Warren Stephens (pictured right) and his wife Harriet (pictured left) they bought the home in 1999 Authorities say no one else was home while she was working in the private townhouse. The couple returned home from a weekend away at 10 a.m. on Monday morning and realized she was trapped. A spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the cleaner was like family to the Stephens. 'The employee involved has been a valued member of the Stephens extended family for 18 years. The Stephens family is relieved and thankful that she is doing well in the hospital. A Stephens family member accompanied her to the hospital this morning and remains at her side. The cause of this unfortunate incident is being investigated and appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that something like this never happens again,' the statement read. A elevator worker was seen entering the property, 48 East 65th Street on the Upper East Side, with a yellow warning sign The townhouse is currently surrounded by scaffolding, the woman was stuck between the second and third floors Following the rescue the woman was taken to the hospital. She is in a good condition. Stephens is the chairman, president and CEO of Stephens Inc., a privately held investment bank based in Little Rock, with an office in New York. In 2018, Forbes, ranked him 302nd on its list of the 400 wealthiest Americans estimated his net worth at $2.7 billion. They bought the Upper East Side townhouse in 1999. The house is one block from Central Park and near to Madison Avenue. The couple have three children. Authorities are looking to identify the man suspected of purposely starting a fire at the Washington, DC, restaurant at the center of the 'Pizzagate' online conspiracy theory. Authorities said a small fire was started at Comet Ping Pong in Washington, DC, on January 23 at about 9.20pm. By the time DC Fire and EMS arrived at the scene, the pizza joint's employees had extinguished the fire that had spread to some of the curtains and window coverings inside, according to NBC Washington. The ATF released this picture of a white male suspected of starting a fire at Comet Ping Pong, the restaurant at the center of the 'pizzagate' conspiracy theory Investigators later determined that the fire was the result of arson. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) then released two surveillance camera pictures of a man suspected in connection with the fire at Comet Ping Pong. The man is being described as a white male with blond hair, a mustache and beard, who is between the ages of 25 and 30 years old. In the surveillance pictures, he is wearing a blue and white varsity-style jacket and jeans. Authorities have not yet stated whether there is any connection between the arson and the 'pizzagate' conspiracy theory, which claims that the restaurant shelters a child sex abuse ring run by Hillary Clinton and her former campaign chief of staff, John Podesta. Conspiracy theorists claim that Comet Ping Pong in the headquarters of a child sex abuse ring In December 2016, Edgar Maddison Welch went to the restaurant and, once inside, fired multiple shots from his AR-15 assault rifle and demanded the truth about the conspiracy Welch (pictured day of the 2016 incident) was arrested and pleaded guilty to transportation of a firearm and assault with a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced to four years in prison There has been no evidence of the so-called abuse, no investigation and no victims who have come forward claiming to have suffered abuse. The unfounded 'pizzagate' conspiracy made headline news in December 2016 when Edgar Maddison Welch, then 28, of Salisbury, North Carolina, was arrested after he traveled to DC, went to the restaurant and fired multiple shots from his AR-15 assault rifle inside while demanding the the truth about the conspiracy. Welch pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of a firearm and assault with a dangerous weapon and was sentenced to four years in prison on June 22, 2017. There were no injuries during the Comet Ping Pong arson. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the ATF at 888-ATF-FIRE. A California Best Buy security guard who was seen on surveillance video chasing a burglary suspect and tackling him to the ground has been let go for violating the company's safety policy. According to a statement from the Place County Sheriffs Department, 35-year-old Timothy Trujillo, of Reno, Nevada, was arrested outside the Best Buy in Roseville, California, on January 11 on a felony warrant for multiple burglaries. The Placer County Sheriffs Special Operations team tracked Trujillo down to the Best Buy parking lot and tried to apprehend him. This screenshot from a surveillance recording dated January 11 shows a security guard at the Roseville, California, Best Buy pursuing suspected burglar Timothy Trujillo The guard, an Army veteran named Tyler (pictured in yellow jacket), tackles the fugitive and slams him to the ground in the parking lot Both men end up on the ground (pictured in red circle), with sheriff's deputies closing in Tyler is seen walking away from the suspect as a deputy approaches with a gun drawn According to the statement, the wanted man punched one of the detectives and tried to flee, but was caught after a 'short foot pursuit' and handcuffed. What the press release failed to mention was that a security guard working at the electronics store ran after Trujillo and took him down, as seen in a dramatic surveillance video. Trujillo, 35, form Nevada, has been charged with assaulting and resisting a peace office, possession of burglary tools, possession of meth and burglary When detectives searched Trujillos car, they found methamphetamine, stolen property and burglary tools, according to the sheriffs department. The brave security guard, who gave him name to media outlets only as Tyler, told Fox 40 he is a US Army veteran and that he thought he was doing the right thing by stopping the fugitive. Tyler noted that he was aware of Best Buy's policy barring employees from pursuing people suspected of crimes and sensed he would get in trouble. Two weeks later, he got a call from his manager telling him he was being let go. Our policy is clear, employees are not to chase potential criminals outside of the store, Best Buy said in a statement addressing the guards firing. Chasing an individual in the parking lot creates a safety risk that isnt worth taking, regardless of how noble an employees intention is. Tyler, who plans to enroll in college in April, said he does not regret stepping in. Like I said, it was someone running from the cops, seemed like the logical thing to do, he said. Two weeks later, Best Buy fired Tyler for violating company police that bars employees from pursuing suspected criminals Tyler, who did not wish to show his face, said he believe he did the right thing Lt Andrew Scott, with the Placer County Sheriffs Department, told ABC10 law enforcement officials were very grateful that the security guard helped them apprehend the suspect, but pointed out that deputies are trained to handle criminals and do not want civilians to get hurt. Trujillo has been booked into the South Placer Jail on charges of assaulting and resisting a peace office, possession of burglary tools, possession of meth and burglary. Meanwhile, Tyler's mother has defended her son's actions on Facebook, shaming Best Buy for penalizing her son for his courageous help to the deputies. In a follow-up post, the woman wrote: 'We are very proud of his choice and action. We stand behind Tyler 100%. Heavily armed men shot at a prison van then hit a female guard with a rifle butt as they freed a man suspected of armed robbery in France on Monday. The van was transporting 27-year-old Lotfi Boussouak to court around 8.30am when two men opened fire, at least one of whom was using an automatic rifle. Police believe the gunmen had been lying in wait for the van and its three guards, who escaped without serious injuries. Lotfi Boussouak, 27, was due in court in France on Monday when the prison van carrying him was attacked by two 'heavily armed' men Three prison officers were shot at, including by an automatic rifle, while one was hit with a rifle butt. Fortunately, all escaped serious injury Boussouak, a well-known criminal who had already tried to escape from prison, then fled the scene on foot and remains at large The spectacular escape comes in the wake of last year's Hollywood-style helicopter jailbreak by Redoine Faid, a notorious gangster, which led to calls for prison services to beef up security and intelligence gathering. Monday's raid took place as dawn was breaking just outside the courthouse where Boussouak was due to be brought before a judge. He had just been transferred from jail. The prisoner, who had been detained since September 2017, faced charges of armed robbery, said prison officials. Two 'heavily armed' gunmen, who had been laying in wait, 'fired on the vehicle when it tried to get away with the prisoner', local prosecutor Patrick Desjardins said. Several bullet holes were found on the van, including in the front windscreen, and at least 11 cartridge cases were recovered from the scene, including some from an automatic rifle, he added. The three guards escorting him from a jail in Beziers 150 kilometres (90 miles) away, two men and a woman, were 'very shaken' by the incident, but none of them was wounded by the shots, the prosecutor said. Prosecutor Patrick Desjardins said Boussouak had not been identified as needing a higher level of protection, despite being linked 'to the higher spectrum of crime' This is the courthouse where Boussouak was due to appear charged with armed robbery before the attack around 8.30am 'The first officer to exit the vehicle (...) to ring the (courthouse) intercom was struck with a rifle butt,' Desjardins said. Another guard was hit by flying glass. The gang and the prisoner got away on foot, the prosecutor added. Desjardins said Boussouak had 14 previous convictions, but he had not been identified as needing special supervision, even though he was linked 'to the higher spectrum of crime'. But Karim Terki, a prison guard union representative, said he had already attempted to break out of jail. The authorities 'are really naive; he played nice for several months in order to try to escape again,' Terki added. The last dramatic jailbreak in France took place in late December when a prisoner at the Fresnes prison south of Paris managed to escape from an exercise yard by climbing over a wall with a rope made of bedsheets. Guards in the watchtowers fired three shots but the prisoner got away. In July 2018, Redoine Faid, serving a 25-year jail sentence, busted out of jail by helicopter. Two heavily armed accomplices hijacked the aircraft and used smoke bombs to whisk him away from the prison in Reau, 50 kilometres southeast of Paris. Faid, a career criminal with multiple convictions for armed robbery, was caught after three months on the run. In 2014, a 40-year-old drug dealer held in a prison in Villepinte, northeast of Paris, was freed after an armed group held up his guards as the prisoner arrived at a local hospital for a check-up. He was recaptured two weeks later. Alistair Brown, 36, of West Rainton, Durham, was snared by paedophile hunters after arranging to meet a 14-year-old girl This is the moment a pervert who called himself 'Mr World' online was snared by paedophile hunters after arranging to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex. Alistair Brown, of West Rainton, Durham, sent shocking messages to the schoolgirl over social media site Whisper and said he wanted to record the sex sessions they would have together. The 36-year-old had actually been duped by an organisation, called Guardians of the North, who set up fake internet accounts to snare adults looking for contact with children. Brown, who had arranged to meet the child he believed was called 'Laura' in Pennywell, Sunderland, was confronted by the group and arrested by the police, Newcastle Crown Court heard. The court heard the conversations quickly became extremely sexually graphic and Brown suggested he wished to take photographs and videos of them 'doing stuff together'. The court heard Brown had sought reassurances that the girl 'wouldn't go telling everyone' if the meeting 'went wrong' or 'she didn't like it'. In messages online, he also asked her how she would feel about 'stripping naked'. Prosecutor Angus Taylor told the court the conversations took place over a six day period in July 2017. Brown was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for five years Mr Taylor said: 'A profile in the name of Mr World made contact with Laura on the Whisper application. 'It is accepted Mr World is, in fact, a pseudonym of the defendant.' Mr Taylor said Brown was told the girl was 14 and asked if she liked 'older guys'. He pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. Judge Stephen Earl sentenced Brown, to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, with rehabilitation and supervision requirements and 140 hours unpaid work. Brown was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for five years. In messages online, he also asked the girl how she would feel about 'stripping naked' Judge Earl said the messages sent by Brown were 'extremely distressing to any right-thinking person'. But, because Brown was confronted before the meeting with the child was due to take place, the judge added: 'We shall never know just how much of an attempt there would be at meeting, whether it was a realistic intention of the defendant to meet, which is contrary to what he says himself.' Alec Burns, defending, handed in references to Brown's ordinarily positive character and said the offending was a 'one-off'. Mr Burns said Brown, who has no previous convictions or cautions, has a supportive family, good employment and has attended counselling. In relation to the offences, Mr Burns said: 'Much of the communication seems to be fantasising, which is not unusual in these cases.' Britain will be 'less safe' in the event of a no-deal Brexit and Northern Ireland's security could get 'much worse', a former head of MI5 warned today. Baroness Manningham-Buller said there was a wide range of security issues - from terrorism to the threat from Russia - which were best dealt with in a 'European context'. She said that she believed a no-deal Brexit should be 'avoided at all costs'. Security has been a hotly contested battleground as the Brexit negotiations have ground into stalemate ahead of exit day. Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove has claimed Theresa May's Brexit deal would be bad for security. Britain will be 'less safe' in the event of a no-deal Brexit and Northern Ireland's security could get 'much worse', former head of MI5 Baroness Manningham-Buller (file) warned today Baroness Manningham-Buller told BBC Radio 4's The World At One. 'If we leave without a deal we are going to be less safe. 'We have a very serious terrorist problem in this country, very serious other security issues - the rise of Russia, its interference in our elections. 'I am pretty queasy that Putin is so in favour of Brexit - I think that should give us all pause. 'There is a range of other security issues - we all face the same ones - which are dealt with better in a European context than not.' Baroness Manningham-Buller said she was 'desperately worried' about the impact of Brexit on the situation in Northern Ireland. 'I am desperately worried. Much of my career was spent working on Provisional IRA, the loyalist terrorist groups in Northern Ireland,' she said. 'I can remember when it was thoroughly unpleasant to go through the border and now, if we go back to that, it cuts off the increasing links between Northern Ireland and the Republic which are an important part of the message of the peace process. 'It will alter dramatically the whole sentiment and politics of Northern Ireland.' Baroness Manningham-Buller said she was 'queasy' about Russian president Vladmir Putin (pictured today in Moscow) being in favour of Brexit She added: 'Throughout the time there has been those who don't agree with the peace process, who are continuing to mount attacks - generally small scale. 'But I don't think it is over in Northern Ireland. The danger is that it gets much worse again.' The security warning came as leading retailers said a no-deal Brexit would cause 'significant disruption' to food supplies because Britain is dependent on the EU for fresh produce. A letter to MPs, signed by bosses from firms including Sainsbury's, Asda, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, The Co-op, Lidl, McDonald's and KFC, warned about shortages caused by delays at the border and price rises as a result of tariffs. The firms - used by millions of Britons every day - said the timing of Brexit at the end of March made the situation worse because of when UK crops are harvested. The findings are based on the Government's own analysis, which says that up to 87 per cent of cross-Channel freight trade could be stopped, in disruption lasting up to six months. The grim warnings came as MPs prepared to vote again on Brexit tomorrow night, with different factions pursuing their own plans in Parliament. Barclays executives were in line to receive nearly 100million in pay and bonuses as they conspired to carry out an alleged fraud, a court heard yesterday. Four senior bankers including one nicknamed Big Dog, who later picked up 65million colluded to pay hidden commission fees to Qatari investors to avoid a Government bailout and preserve their 'very large bonuses', prosecutors claimed. If they had failed to secure the deal, it was understood that senior bosses would lose their jobs and the bank would be 'f*****', the jury heard. The path to the deal was smoothed by a bogus agreement that allowed an extra 322million to be paid to the Middle Eastern investors, the prosecution claimed. John Varley, left, and Roger Jenkins, right, known as 'Big Dog', are among four Barclays bankers accused of colluding to pay hidden commission fees to Qatari investors This was more than double the rate normally paid out, but the Qataris were able to drive a 'hard bargain' because they knew how desperate the institution was for their cash, it was said. To hide the generous terms of the deal from other investors who would have demanded the same rate the men allegedly concocted bogus 'Advisory Service Agreements' to channel the money to the Middle East. But the jury was told that, as the four bankers 'conspired' to pay the extra money, they were still being paid large amounts. Executive chairman Roger Jenkins, known as Big Dog by senior colleagues, was in line for a take-home pay packet of 65million over two years, including long-term bonus schemes, London's Southwark Crown Court heard. This included 25million in proposed bonuses for his role in raising the capital in 2008 alone. He was showered with praise by Barclays chief executive John Varley, who is also on trial, for his role in securing the substantial investment from the Qataris, the jury heard. In the same period Tom Kalaris, the bank's former chief executive of wealth management, was paid 20.7million, former finance chief Richard Boath was paid 4.7million and Varley was paid 5.3million. Another executive Chris Lucas, who is too unwell to stand trial, was paid 3.45million in the same period, meaning the five men were, between 2007 and 2008, in line for payments of 98.7million. The Crown claim the large pay packets were a motive for the four bankers facing charges to do what was needed to keep their jobs and avoid government control of Barclays. In a phone conversation played to the jury, Jenkins told colleagues: 'At 2 o'clock in the morning I was panicking that we were about to get nationalised the Government would not look kindly on compensation over a million dollars. They're going to say we want the top ten or 20 earners and we want to review them.' Thomas Kalaris, left, and Richard Boath, right, deny the charges against them at Southwark Crown Court He added: 'If we don't have to go to the government we don't have to disclose.' Prosecutor Ed Brown QC told the court: 'You may think that some of these men were highly motivated to keep their jobs.' The jury heard last week that some of the defendants had joked about going to jail, saying that 'the food stinks, and the sex is worse'. Boath had also said he would never be interviewed by fraud investigators because 'I've got a house in Brazil, there's no extradition treaty, I'm off'. The trial has been widely anticipated in City circles, since it is the first time in this country that senior bankers have been prosecuted over their behaviour during the 2008 crisis. The court has been told the company's 'future as an independent bank was in jeopardy' as market mayhem saw scores of companies go under, prosecutors said. If Barclays was bailed out by the taxpayer, then salaries and bonuses paid to the highest earners would likely have been capped, it was said. Investment bankers working under the four executives said they 'could not find a structure' that would enable extra money to be paid to the Qataris, so it was hidden as advisory services, the prosecution claimed. In an email sent on June 26, 2008, Varley said Jenkins should be known as 'Anchorman' because of his role in the first 1.8billion capital raising deal with the Qataris. The email said: 'Anchorman is how I shall know you hereafter. We could not have done what we have done without the pivotal role you played.' The defendants all deny fraud by false representation. The trial continues. Ava Vidal said her daughter Shaquelle had been a sex worker before her suicide - but other family members deny this A star of TV's Mock the Week told an inquest her daughter had been 'damaged' by sex work before she killed herself at a controversial clinic. Shaquelle Vidal, 23, daughter of comedian Ava, had a history of self-harm and substance abuse and had taken several overdoses when she killed herself, an inquest heard. Shaquelle admitted herself to Nightingale Hospital in Marylebone, west London on March 11 last year citing relationship problems with her 57-year-old boyfriend James Lyle and work difficulties. Her mother told an inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court that Shaquelle had been a sex worker before she died - which is disputed by other family members along with Shaquelle's 'unofficial step father' John Gordillo, who is a stand-up comedian and Ava Vidal's ex-boyfriend. Ava Vidal told the hearing: 'I just wanted to go back to the point that she was engaged in sex work and I don't know why the other side is not admitting it. 'That sort of work can be very damaging to a young girl. 'I can produce the evidence for that, I did produce the evidence.' Mr Gordillo, who attended the inquest with Ava Vidal's mother, appeared agitated and shook his head as she made the statement Last year Ava Vidal lost a High Court battle with her daughter's father over the final resting place for her remains. The qualified chef was found dead at The Nightingale Hospital on April 7 after writing in an email that she thought of suicide virtually every night. Her death is the third in less than a year at the clinic - which has since made changes to its rules. Coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe ruled that Shaquelle's death was suicide. She said: 'Shaquelle Vidal was 23 years old, a young woman who struggled with anxiety, depression, ADHD and possibly a personality disorder. 'She had a history of deliberate self-harm, two or three overdoses and one hospital admission, but nothing in recent times.' Shaquelle Vidal (above) took her own life at the age of 23 at an exclusive mental health clinic The Nightingale Hospital in Marylebone, West London, where Shaquelle was found dead 'There was clearly concern by nursing staff about the lack of engagement by Miss Vidal,' she added. 'When she was found she was already in rigor mortis, which means that she had been dead for several hours. 'This was not a cry for help as she didn't expect anyone to come and see her for several hours. 'My conclusion to the question of whether she deliberately took her own life is that she has died as a result of suicide.' Dr Jeremy Beider, a psychiatrist who had been working with Ms Vidal since April 2017, told the court: 'In February there was very significant difficulty at work. 'She was not getting along with work colleagues. 'The atmosphere had changed and she collapsed at work, an ambulance had to be called. Socialite Daisy Boyd (pictured), 28, was also found dead at The Nightingale Hospital 'She experienced anxiety about going to work at home and she began to take Ubers rather than public transport. 'Her anxiety began to manifest itself at home and in February her relationship had begun to deteriorate.' Shaquelle was brought up by her mother from the age of 7 to 15 but went to live with her grandmother until she was 18 in Barbados. By the time she returned to the UK aged 18 she severed ties with her mother and had minimal contact with her for the rest of her short life. Dr Beider said: 'She had not seen her mother by choice since she was 15 or 16.' Ms Vidal had started drinking heavily and Dr Beider diagnosed Ms Vidal with a generalised anxiety disorder and depression. John Gordillo, comedian and Ava Vidal's ex-boyfriend, denies that Shaquelle worked as a prostitute He told the court that because her admission to Nightingale Hospital was voluntary, she was allowed unescorted outings. She made use of the outings regularly, saying she was visiting friends. The doctor said Ms Vidal would drink on the unsescorted outings in violation of hospital rules. Representing family members, Claire Vanoverdijk read an email Ms Vidal had written in March 2017. She said: 'I cannot relate to people, cannot cope with a job, I have social anxiety, 70 per cent of evenings I consider killing myself.' Ava Vidal did not attend the first day of her daughter's inquest, but was present today. Ms Vidal's father and grandmother were also at the hearing. Shaquelle's death is the third at the mental health hospital in less than a year. Six months earlier socialite and artist Daisy Boyd, 28, the granddaughter of River Cafe co-founder Rose Gray, sent pictures of herself snorting cocaine to another patient hours before she killed herself. Two months earlier, 62-year-old designer Alan MacDonald took his own life four days after he was discharged from the hospital. The court heard that shortly before her death Ms Vidal had been on a five-day-unauthorised absence where she had largely dodged staff's attempts to contact her. Mental health nurse Judy Thomas said she found the body during a routine handover check. Longtime Trump advisor Roger Stone arrived in Washington on Monday afternoon, ahead of a criminal arraignment in a D.C. federal court scheduled for 11:00 Tuesday morning. Stone's commercial flight, according to ABC News, also carried President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale and former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Stone has said he hasn't ruled out cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Hours later he flashed a peace sign as he left the Ft. Lauderdale home that a team of FBI agents raided early Friday morning. Stone stands charged with seven federal crimes including lying to Congress, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. He will face a federal magistrate after engaging in a post-arrest media tour through the weekend. On Monday Stone accused the FBI of an unnecessary display of force during his arrest, saying he was treated like the drug kingpin El Chapo. Exclusive: Roger Stone leaves his home on Monday morning to catch a flight to Washington DC from his Fort Lauderdale, Florida home White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters in a rare briefing that Stone's indictment has 'absolutely nothing to do with the president' 'They want to intimidate me. And they want to poison the jury pool. They treated me like El Chapo,' Stone said. 'They used fewer men to take down Pablo Escobar or bin Laden, he told Fox Nation host Andrew Napolitano. On Sunday Stone told ABC that he hasn't ruled out cooperating with the Mueller probe, despite his previous attacks on the process. Stone said he would 'testify honestly' if he knew about any Trump campaign wrongdoing and didn't rule out speaking about his talks with the president. 'If there's wrongdoing by other people in the campaign that I know about which I know of none but if there is, I would certainly testify honestly,' Stone said on ABC's 'This Week' program. Stone complained that the FBI used force he deemed excessive during his arrest Stone is a longtime advisor to Donald Trump, with a relationship going back decades 'I would also testify honestly about any other matter, including any communications with the President. It's true that we spoke on the phone, but those communications are political in nature,' he said. Stone's legal defense hit a snag as soon as the court paperwork was transferred from Florida to Washington, D.C.: neither of his criminal attorneys is cleared to practice law in the nation's capital. Robert Buschel and Grant Smith filed notices that they would be appearing on Stone's behalf, only to be swatted back by Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson, who wrote in a court docket note that 'neither of [them] is a member of the Bar of United States District Court for the District of Columbia.' They have until 9:00 Tuesday morning to find a lawyer who has been admitted to the D.C. bar to sponsor them. Otherwise they won't be permitted to be 'heard in open court.' The White House tried to put distance between Stone and President Trump on Monday. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said during a rare briefing that Stone's charges 'have literally nothing to do with the president, and have to do with his communications with Congress.' 'The president did nothing wrong throughout this prrocess, and the charges of the indictment of Mr. Stone have absolutely nothing to do with the president,' she said. Mueller has accused Stone of lying about his communications with people about WikiLeaks, which obtained Clinton-related emails and published them during the campaign. U.S. intelligence says the Russian government was behind the hacking campaign. One key passage in the indictment states that a 'senior Trump Campaign official' at one point 'was directed' to contact Stone about WikiLeaks to get damaging information on Hillary Clinton. The text of the indictment suggests that official was Steve Bannon, the campaign's CEO. According to the indictment: 'After the July 22, 2016 release of stolen DNC emails by Organization 1, a senior Trump Campaign official was directed to contact STONE about any additional releases and what other damaging information Organization 1 had regarding the Clinton Campaign. STONE thereafter told the Trump Campaign about potential future releases of damaging material by Organization 1.' Stone compared his own treatment to that of Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, known as El Chapo It is not yet clear whether Mueller would want to use Stone as a witness or would want to reach a cooperation deal with him. Stone maintains he did nothing wrong and any misstatements in his testimony to Congress were incidental to the House committee's Russia probe. In his comments to Fox with Judge Andrew Napolitano, Stone kept the focus on his arrest. 'There were 17 vehicles with their lights going, including two armored vehicles in the front yard," Stone said. "I live on a canal. They had pulled two amphibious units with frog men up to the back gate. ... The entire back of the house was surrounded by agents, all of them brandishing sidearms and assault rifles." Stone accused prosecutors of trying to taint the jury pool, and said he would have voluntarily surrendered. 'I would have been a lot better dressed for my mugshot photos,' he said. He called it an 'over the top display of raw power' he maintains was meant to intimidate him as well as 'certain witnesses in my case.' He also said his testimony to the House Intelligence Committee was truthful and even threatened to call congressional panel members to prove it. 'Congressman Schiff and Congressman Eric Swalwell as well have been beating this drum for a year,' Stone said. 'They will be both called to the stand. They will be vigorously questioned. As will other members of the House Intelligence Committee, such as Trey Gowdy, someone I have huge respect for, to see if they believe I was less than truthful.' (ANSA) - Siracusa, January 28 - Democratic Party (PD) MP Davide Faraone said Monday that a delegation from the opposition centre-left group had got the all-clear to board a ship run by the Sea-Watch NGO with 47 rescued asylum seekers aboard. "Meeting at the prefect's office over," Sicilian lawmaker Faraone said via Twitter. "A delegation of @pdnetwork will climb aboard the #SeaWatch around 15:30. Finally!!. The government has refused to let the migrants rescued in the Mediterranean over a week ago to land on Italian soil, as part of a policy of refusing access to Italy's ports to NGO-run search-and-rescue ships. Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has said the Netherlands should deal with the case as the Sea-Watch ship is flying a Dutch flag. On Sunday a mixed group of lawmakers from other opposition parties visited the ship, which is anchored in waters close to the Sicilian city of Siracusa. Earlier on Monday the Siracusa Port Authority issued a ban on any unauthorized vessel from "navigating, anchoring, or stopping" in the Bay of Santa Panagia, a half-mile from where the ship is. The ordinance specified that the "presence of and/or navigation by other vessels around the (Sea-Watch vessel) could create problems regarding public order and public health". Carla Trombino, the ombudsman for children in the Sicilian city of Siracusa, has filed an urgent petition to a Catania court for 13 minors on board the Sea-Watch migrant-rescue ship to be assigned to a specialist centre, sources said Monday. The petition was presented by a lawyer, Rosa Emanuela Lo Faro, on the grounds that the minors suffered "mistreatment and torture" in Libya. The lawyer also called for the maritime authorities to declare a medical emergency for the situation of the minors. Assistant Professor Dr Megan Neely has apologized to students after stepping down as director of graduate studies at Duke University Saturday The Duke University professor and administrator who sparked an outcry by admonishing students for speaking Chinese has issued a personal apology amid an internal review by the school. Megan Neely, who stepped down as graduate studies director in the medical school's biostatistics master's degree program, issued the apology in an email on Sunday to students in the program. It came two days after she sent a message to a student email list urging students to commit to speaking English in an academic building and suggesting possible consequences for those who don't. 'I deeply regret the hurt my email has caused. It was not my intention,' said Neely, who remains an assistant professor. 'Moving forward, it is my sincerest wish that every student in the Master of Biostatistics program is successful in all of their endeavors.' The warning she emailed to students on Friday angered Duke's international students, as well as social media users outside the campus community. Chinese scholars represent one-fifth of the program's approximately 50 faculty members, pictured is the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics (Neely, pictured right with the faculty) Neely had sent an email to first and second year master's students Friday suggesting the Chinese exchange students speak English '100 per cent of the time' Chinese students represent 36 of the 55 students in the biostatistics master's degree program, and Chinese scholars represent one-fifth of the program's approximately 50 faculty members. Across all of Duke's graduate and professional programs, 1,300 of about 8,500 total students come from China. Duke also partners with Wuhan University on Duke Kunshan University in China, which began enrolling students in 2014. Neely's email on Friday urged students to 'commit to using English' in the building housing the program. She said in the message to an email list for the program's students that two faculty members came to her to complain about students loudly speaking Chinese in a common area. She wrote that both were disappointed the students weren't working to improve their English and 'wanted to write down the names so they could remember them if the students ever interviewed for an internship or asked to work with them for a master's project.' The email urged international students to 'keep these unintended consequences in mind when you choose to speak in Chinese in the building.' The email was posted to Twitter and quickly circulated online, leading to major backlash toward the professor Amid an angry response, Neely stepped down as the program's director of graduate studies, according to a letter from Dr. Mary Klotman, the medical school dean. Klotman also apologized to students in the program in her letter, saying there was no restriction on using foreign languages in conversations with one another. She said the university's Office of Institutional Equity would conduct a review of the biostatistics master's program. A petition demanding a thorough investigation, including scrutiny of the two faculty members who complained, was signed by more than 2,000 students, alumni and others as of Monday, its organizers said. The Duke Asian Students Association also issued a statement over the weekend slamming the Friday email as discriminatory and hypocritical, especially 'given Duke's dependence on international students and faculty for their undergraduate and graduate programs.' 'For international students, speaking in their mother tongue is a means of comfort and familiarity with a home and culture that is already oftentimes suppressed within the United States,' the association said. The EU's deputy Brexit negotiator insisted today the Brexit negotiations were over and a no deal was now a 'high risk'. Sabine Weyand said the British government needed to change position if there was to be a deal in time for exit day on March 29. The German diplomat, who has been the deputy to Michel Barnier during the Brexit negotiations, said Brussels had a 'margin' for movement on the political declaration about the future trade deal. But speaking at a conference in Brussels today she said the divorce deal was locked and there would be 'no more negotiations' - ruling out a time limit on the backstop demanded by Tory Brexiteer MPs. She said the negotiation was finished and dismissed calls for changes to the Irish backstop as like Groundhog Day. The intervention is a fresh blow to Theresa May's hopes of salvaging her deal following the 230-vote drubbing two weeks ago. Downing Street said today the deal had to 'change' if it were ever to be agreed by MPs. Sabine Weyand (left with Michel Barnier) said the British government needed to change position if there was to be a deal in time for exit day on March 29 But speaking at a conference in Brussels today she said the divorce deal was locked and there would be 'no more negotiations' - ruling out a time limit on the backstop demanded by Tory Brexiteer MPs like Jacob Rees Mogg (pictured on Whitehall today) She told the European Policy Centre think-tank: 'It is quite a challenge to see how you can construct from a diversity of the opposition a positive majority for the deal.' She said there appeared to be a lack of 'ownership' in Britain of the agreement struck between the two sides in November, and that there was insufficient transparency in the prime minister's moves. And Ms Weyand warned: 'There will be no more negotiations on the Withdrawal Agreement.' The diplomat said some of the problems caused by opposition to the so-called 'Irish backstop' - designed to keep open the EU-UK land border on the island of Ireland - by changing some of its demands on post-Brexit trade. 'Where we do have margin is on the political declaration,' she said. Britain remaining in a customs union, or even the EU single market, could help reach a final agreement, Ms Weyand said, adding: 'We need decisions on the UK side on the direction of travel.' Ms Weyand said the ratification of the EU-UK deal would build the trust necessary to build a new relationship. She ruled out bowing to British calls to set a time limit to the backstop beyond which this insurance policy would lapse. She said: 'A time-limit on the backstop defeats the purpose of the backstop because it means that once the backstop expires you stand there with no solution for this border.' In a blow to Theresa May's hopes of salvaging the Brexit deal, Ms Weyand said there could be 'no more negotiations' on the Brexit deal Ms Weyand continued: 'We are open to alternative arrangements' on the Irish border, she told a conference. 'The problem with the Brady amendment is that it does not spell out what they are. 'It's not a criticism of them because they don't exist.' However, she urged British lawmakers not to view the backstop, which would keep the UK in a customs arrangement with the EU until a better way is found to avoid checks on the Irish border, as pre-judging how a better trade deal may be struck: 'The backstop is not a prerequisite for the future relationship,' she said. 'We are open to alternative proposals.' She also said if and when EU leaders discuss delaying Brexit by agreeing to extend negotiations, they 'will require certain elements of information... and one of them is the purpose of extension'. 'They would want to be reassured about that at the end of the extension there will be clarity,' she said. 'The idea of going into serial extensions is not very popular on the EU side.' A top law firm in New York has come under fire for releasing an all-white list of new partners. Paul, Weiss published details of the election a new class of 12 partners, but the list did not include any ethnic minorities and only one woman. The announcement was posted online and on social media sites but was criticized over the lack of diversity. A little over a week later the image was taken down with Paul, Weiss saying it regretted the 'gender and racial imbalance'. The company added that the 2019 cohort was an anomaly and that Paul, Weiss is one of the most diverse law firms in the US. Paul, Weiss posted this image on social media to announce the election of their latest class of 12 new partners Paul, Weiss recruits law students from ethnic minority backgrounds who are eager to work with black partners like Jeh Johnson and Theodore Wells. Michelle Fang, chief legal officer of the peer-to-peer car-sharing company Turo, told the New York Times: 'I was literally looking on LinkedIn when I saw the picture and my mouth dropped open.' Paul, Weiss represents some of the biggest financial institutions in the world, such as Citigroup and JPMorgan. It has around 144 partners and about 1,000 lawyers and was the fourth richest firm in the country in 2017. The firm has far more African-American partners than many of its competitors, such as Debevoise & Plimpton, Cravath and Davis Polk. At a partner level the firm has six African-American workers with an ownership stake, which is more than a majority of the country's 200 biggest firms. The Paul, Weiss website has a whole section of diversity and inclusion a post about a Diversity Networking Reception in June 2017. Paul, Weiss recruits law students from ethnic minority backgrounds who are eager to work with black partners like Jeh Johnson (left) and Theodore Wells (right) The Paul, Weiss headquarters are located in Midtown Manhattan, New York (pictured) Wells, who became the firm's first black partner in 1994, told the New York Times: 'I fear that African-American partners in big law are becoming an endangered species. 'The question is, what happens to the young black lawyer who's not a unicorn [a formidable minority candidate] but a superb lawyer? 'Does he get through the same way the superb white lawyer does?' Women make up 23 per cent of partners at Paul, Weiss, compared with 18 per cent across the other top 200 US firms, according to data collected by ALM Intelligence. Some female workers have described the difficulties woman faced at the firm, and that they also saw male colleagues being 'groomed' for higher positions. An associate in the London officer, Anna Christie, alleged discrimination and an environment that was hostile toward women. She also alleged as part of an employment tribunal grievance that a partner verbally abused women. One of SeaWorld's last remaining orcas has died. Officials said 30-year-old Kayla died on Monday at SeaWorld's Orlando park in Florida, two days after she was taken ill. Her death remains a mystery as SeaWorld officials say the cause won't be known until a post-mortem examination is conducted. Kayla began showing signs of discomfort on Saturday, and veterinarians began treating her based on what they found from a physical exam. Mystery death: Orca Kayla, seen above, was taken ill on Saturday and died on Monday after being receiving round-the-clock treatment Park officials say her condition worsened on Sunday and she was given around-the-clock care until her death. Kayla died with an animal care specialist who monitors the animals overnight at her side around 12:15 a.m. 'The entire SeaWorld family is deeply saddened by the loss,' the theme park said. 'While today is a difficult day for all of us at SeaWorld, Kayla inspired generations of guests and employees to care and learn more about this amazing species.' SeaWorld is monitoring the five other orcas that live in the Orlando park. 'It is possible the other orcas could be affected socially by her passing, and the orca behaviorists will be monitoring the other whales closely,' SeaWorld said in a release. 'We don't, however, anticipate any physical health issues amongst the other orcas.' Sad loss: Kayla, pictured, died with an animal care specialist who monitors the animals overnight at her side around 12:15 a.m. Kayla was the second oldest captive-born orca ever, Dr. Naomi Rose, a marine-mammal scientist at the Animal Welfare Institute, told the Orlando Sentinel. For an orca, '30 is prime of life,' said Rose. 'That's like literally being a 30-year-old woman. Dying at 30 is not normal. ' Captivity: Experts said dying at 30 is 'not normal' as killer whales in the wild live to an average age of 50 while some have been known to reach 80 or 90 years old The average age for killer whales in the wild is 50 years after they survive the first six months of their lives when they are most vulnerable. However, orcas have been know to live up to 80 or 90 years old. Kayla was among the last orcas at SeaWorld's Orlando park, as well as parks in California and Texas. The company announced in 2016 that it had stopped its orca breeding program. SeaWorld has 20 orcas left at its parks. There are five in Orlando, five in San Antonio, and 10 in San Diego. Zemarcuis Scott, 18, has pleaded guilty to attempting to steal a commercial jet that he wanted to fly to a rap concert in Chicago An 18-year-old Arkansas man has pleaded guilty to attempting to steal a commercial jet that he wanted to fly to a rap concert in Chicago on the Fourth of July. Zemarcuis Scott was sentenced to five years of felony probation after he tried to steal an American Eagle twin-engine jet to see the rapper Famous Dex on July 4, 2018. Scott told police at the time that while he had no pilot training, the teen believed he would only need to pull some levers and push some buttons to operate the 44-seat plane. The teen pleaded guilty on Thursday to attempted theft of property and commercial burglary. He must pay a $1,000 fine in addition to court costs and is required to participate in any mental health treatment deemed necessary by the probation department. Scott is also prohibited from Texarkana Regional Airport property while on probation, according to the Texarkana Gazette. Scott received a five-year term of felony probation after he tried to steal the 44-seat jet to see the rapper Famous Dex (pictured) on July 4, 2018 Scott had told police at the time that while he had no pilot training, the teen believed he would just need to push some buttons to operate the American Eagle plane (pictured in file photo) Following his arrest, the teen told police he had been thinking about stealing a plane for a month so that he could see the rapper's show. Scott began watching the plane at Texarkana Regional Airport around 10pm on July 3. Scott (pictured) pleaded guilty on Thursday He then threw his bicycle into a ditch and jumped a fence to reach the jet around 2.30am on July 4. Airport security spotted Scott jumping the fence and immediately called local police. Scott was already sitting in the pilot's seat in the cockpit of the plane when officers arrived on the scene. The jet was not damaged. Two of three responding officers noted that they recognized Scott from previous encounters. Scott initially pleaded not guilty to attempted commercial burglary and attempted theft of property in August. His attorney asked for a mental health evaluation to determine if Scott was competent to stand trial. In December a psychologist ruled that Scott was competent, noting that he understood the charges and had the ability to assist his lawyer in his defense. A New York City hospital is being sued for switching off the life support of the wrong patient, after they misidentified him and asked permission from the sister of a man with the same name. Freddy Clarence Williams, 40, died on July 29 at St. Barnabas Hospital in Brooklyn after Shirell Williams gave doctors permission to withdraw his life support because he was brain dead. Shirell had been called to the hospital two weeks earlier after Williams overdosed from drugs, leaving him severely brain damaged. Doctors found the man's wallet in his pocket and researched his social security number, according to Shirell's lawsuit. They thought it was Shirell's brother, Frederick Williams, who was lying in the bed, she claims. Doctors told Shirell Powell (left) that her brother, Frederick Williams (right) was brain dead. It was in fact another man and she gave them permission to withdraw his life support without realizing it, she claims in a lawsuit against the hospital She said that at first, she thought his appearance was altered but that she put it down to the fact his face was swollen and she had not heard from her brother at the time for several weeks. Two days later, the doctors told her he was brain dead. She contacted their relatives from out of state and asked them to join her at the hospital to say goodbye. It was not until the Medical Examiner's Office called her after they had performed an autopsy that, she claims, she realized it was the wrong man. Her brother, it emerged, had been in jail for weeks at the time on an assault charge but was very much still alive. He is now an inmate on Rikers Island. Now, Shirell is suing the hospital for unspecified damages claiming they put her and her family through emotional turmoil. She is unaware if Frederick Clarence Williams' family has been told that he is no longer alive. Shirell and her family mourned her brother after she gave doctors permission to withdraw his life support. They were preparing for his funeral when she says she got the call telling her it was a different man. Her brother was in fact in jail and had been all along 'I killed somebody that I didn't even know. I gave consent,' Powell told The New York Post. She explained that while the man's face was swollen the first time she saw him, he did bear a striking resemblance to her younger brother. 'He had tubes in his mouth, a neck brace. He was a little swollen . . . [But] he resembled my brother so much...the eyebrows, the nose, the structure it looked like [our] brother,' she said. Her sister was not as immediately convinced when she arrived at the hospital to say goodbye. 'She walked up into the room and said, 'That is not my brother.' I said, 'What do you mean?' A spokesman for St. Barnabas hospital in Brooklyn, where the incident occurred, told DailyMail.com they did not think the woman's claims 'have merit' 'The guy was much bigger,' she said of Freddy Clarence. But even the man's own daughters could not tell the difference. They had traveled from Virginia to say goodbye to him and wept by his bedside before his life support was turned off, according to Powell. 'She was hysterical. She was holding his hand, kissing him, crying,' Powell said of her 17-year-old niece Brooklyn. When she realized it was not her brother who had died, she called him in prison. 'He was saying, 'You were going to kill me?' I explained to him, once you're brain-dead, there is nothing to do,' she said. The lawsuit seeks unspecific damages. Powell's lawyer Alex Dudelson claimed that when he complained to the hospital, he was ignored. 'The representatives [at St. Barnabas] basically spit in my face. This is beyond reckless conduct. I requested an investigation. Nothing more. An apology would have been nice,' he said. A spokesman for the hospital told DailyMail.com on Monday that while they could not comment on ongoing litigation, 'we don't believe the suit has any merit.' A drill rapper was stabbed to death after being chased by a man he may have been trying to rob, a court has heard. Sidique Kamara, 23, known as Incognito and said to be a member of the group Moscow17, ran for his life through the streets of Camberwell, south London before knifed twice in August last year. Kenneth Umezie, 32, is now on trial for murder at the Old Bailey. A jury heard trouble flared after Umezie ran into Kamara, and a youth who cannot be identified, on a housing estate. Sidique Kamara, known as drill rapper Incognito, may have been trying to rob his alleged killer when he was stabbed to death, a court has heard Prosecutors said Kamara and the youth 'were out together selling drugs' and regarded that part of the estate 'as their particular turf'. CCTV appears to show Kamara and the juvenile trying to rob Umezie of his watch, prompting him to pull out a lock-knife and go on the attack. Prosecutor Timothy Cray said Kamara ran off, 'running for his life', across a nearby park and into a neighbouring road where he was chased down. The pair briefly faced off before the powerfully-built knifeman 'lunged towards Kamara' and stabbed him twice as he lay curled up on the ground, the jury were told. Kamara was able to get up and stagger a short distance along the street but soon collapsed as a result of the two major wounds - one of which pierced his heart. Police at the scene of the stabbing in Camberwell, south London last August Despite the arrival of emergency services who treated him at the scene, Kamara died from blood loss and shock less than an hour after being knifed. Jurors heard he also sustained injuries to his hands typical of having put up a 'last ditch defence' to the onslaught. The prosecutor said of Kamara: 'All of the evidence points to the fact that he was high up in a local gang which goes by the name of Moscow17d.' Of defendent Umezie Mr Cray said: 'It may be ultimately that he is one of those individuals who do not want to back down; he was someone who viewed the offence he had been given by the others as reason enough to kill, because he saw himself as a man not to be crossed.' Relatives of the victim tie flowers to a lamp post near to the where the rapper was killed The prosecutor said: 'Whether this was a drug deal that turned into a robbery or whether, just by chance, the defendant ran into two drug dealers who thought they could rob him, we'll probably never know. 'Well, the other two may have started it, but this defendant most definitely finished it because it ends in the death after a chase of Kamara in a deliberate, we say, knifing.' Umezie, of Camberwell, southeast London, denies murder. The trial continues. China has revealed footage of its supersonic nuclear missile Dongfeng-26 that could reach US territory and accurately attack a moving aircraft carrier, state media reported. Video of the DF-26 missile launch was released for the first time by state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday, showing The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force participating in an exercise in north-west China. Earlier this month, Chinese media reported that the military had mobilised the missiles in the country's remote northwest plateau and desert areas, presumably in response to a mission from the US guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell, which sailed close to the contested Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. Video of the DF-26 missile launch was released for the first time by state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday, showing The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force participating in an exercise The nose of the DF-26 missile has a double-cone structure with four fin-like flight control surfaces symmetrically built around the base of the warhead, the detailed footage shows The nose of the DF-26 missile has a double-cone structure with four fin-like flight control surfaces symmetrically built around the base of the warhead, the report shows. Military expert and TV commentator Song Zhongping told the Global Times that the fin-like flight control surfaces would provide better stability for the missile as it neared a slow-moving target, such as an aircraft carrier. On the other hand, the double-cone structure provides the missile with increased targeting capability, speed and stealth, making it more difficult to intercept, Song added. Military expert and TV commentator Song Zhongping told the Global Times that the fin-like flight control surfaces would provide better stability for the missile as it neared a slow-moving target, such as an aircraft carrier DF-26 is reportedly capable of reaching the U.S. territory and sink aircraft carriers. The missiles are seen participating in a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 2015 'An information network connected to the warhead, which possibly includes satellites, ground and naval radar in addition to radar on the missile itself, will constantly update the location of a moving target, informing flight control where to guide the missile,' a Beijing-based military expert said. The DF-26, one of the most sophisticated and advanced Chinese intermediate-range ballistic missile deployed by the Peoples Liberation Army, is also dubbed the 'Guam killer' for its range - 3,000km to 5,741km (1,864 to 3,567 miles) - putting the US island in the western Pacific within striking distance. The DF-26 was unveiled for the first time to the public during the military parade of September 3, 2015 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Last April, China's defence ministry confirmed the missiles had been put into service with the PLA Rocket Force. Beijing's official media previously reported that the powerful missile could reach Guam, a U.S. territory about 2,000 miles away from the Chinese coast, and was China's top weapon Footage released by China Central Television Station shows soldiers at the Rocket Force of People's Liberation Army getting ready to drive a truck which is believed to carry DF-26s The far-reaching ballistic missile is capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads and can also adjust its position mid-flight according to the target, the report added. CCTV previously hailed the nuclear missile as China's top weapon against the United States. The far-reaching, anti-ship ballistic missiles have been mobilised to north-west China's plateau and desert areas, according to CCTV in a report on January 8. The mobilisation follows a mission from a US ship that 'trespassed' the Chinese territory in South China Sea on January 7. China issued 'stern' warning to the United States over the matter. The USS McCampbell, a guided missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on January 7, prompting an angry reaction from Beijing Paracel Islands, known in China as the Xisha Archipelago, are controlled by Beijing but also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. China also claims Taiwan as a part of its territory USS McCampbell, an American guided missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Paracel Islands, known in China as the Xisha Archipelago. A group of more than 30 islands in the disputed waters, the Paracel Islands are controlled by China, but are also claimed by Vietnam and self-ruled Taiwan. Military tension between the two countries has also escalated after the US sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait last Thursday. US guided missile destroyer USS McCampbell and the USNS Walter S Diehl conducted 'a routine' Taiwan Strait transit 'in accordance with international law', US Pacific Fleet spokesman Lt. Commander Tim Gorman previously told CNN. Laytee Knox-Hundley, 31, was arrested on Sunday after the Facebook Live video emerged of him savagely beating the elderly man in Brooklyn Witnesses to a brutal attack on a 62-year-old man in a New York apartment block livestreamed the horror ordeal on Facebook instead of calling police. Laytee Knox-Hundley, 31, was arrested on Sunday after the Facebook Live video emerged of him savagely beating the elderly man. The footage showed him in a heated exchange with Wilfredo Ace in the lobby of their Brooklyn apartment block on Saturday night. Hundley was filmed charging toward the pensioner, delivering a sickening punch to his face and knocking him to the ground. He punched the man about seven times and stomped on him eight times. While a bystander tried to intervene once, other witnesses gathered in the building to watch as the incident unfolded. One unidentified person filmed the entire ordeal and some can be heard callously laughing in the background throughout the clip. Hundley was filmed returning to administer yet another punch to the victim's head before spitting on his body. Outraged neighbors described the elderly victim as a 'sweet guy' and condemned those who stood by and filmed instead of calling police. Hundley was filmed charging toward the 62-year-old, delivering a sickening punch to his face and knocking him to the ground in the lobby of their Brooklyn apartment on Saturday night He punched the man about seven times and stomped on him eight times. Outraged neighbors described the elderly victim as a 'sweet guy' and condemned those who stood by and filmed instead of calling police 'Instead of taking out your camera and recording it, you could've called police, tried to stop the situation,' neighbor Vianca Phillips told CBS. 'I couldn't believe that. I was watching it on my phone this morning. I said that couldn't be him. That's my friend. He don't bother nobody,' another neighbor Gilberto Graham said. The vile assault prompted an outcry of disgust on social media, with the NYPD's chief of detectives voicing his disdain and tweeting screengrabs of the Facebook footage to try and track down the attacker. 'Brutal attack on an elderly male,' Chief Dermot F. Shea tweeted on Saturday. 'Our communities will not stand for this and neither will the #NYPD'. The victim was rushed to hospital where he was treated for a broken nose and a fractured orbital bone. Hundley handed himself into police late on Sunday morning after the footage emerged. Police said he has two previous convictions, including robbery. While a bystander tried to intervene once, other witnesses gathered in the building to watch as the incident unfolded. One unidentified person filmed the entire ordeal and some can be heard callously laughing in the background throughout the clip Footwear fans have been given the chance to land their dream job but they'll need to pass an IQ test to win the position. A global fashion firm is on the hunt for the biggest sneakerheads in the world, and has devised a test which only the most dedicated followers of sneaker subculture will be able to pass. Fashion site Lyst has devised this sneaker test in its hunt to assemble a team of ultimate sneaker geeks, who will need to utilize their knowledge from all corners of sneaker culture to make it through with a top score. Participants who ace the test will have the chance to submit their application to become a paid member of Lyst's Sneaker Intelligence Unit, who will advise the company on future sneaker content and reports. Footwear fanatics: Global fashion firm Lyst is on the hunt for the biggest sneakerheads in the world to join their team of ultimate sneaker geeks Dream job: Participants who ace the test will have the chance to submit their application to become a paid member of Lyst's Sneaker Intelligence Unit Members of the Sneaker Intelligence Unit will receive a bottomless sneaker allowance, a salary, and entry into exclusive global industry meetups and launches. Participants who perform best in the test and join the team will also receive an expert profile on the Lyst network, and will receive recognition as some of the most in-the-know sneaker experts in the industry. 'We are on the hunt for the country's premier sneaker experts to form a Sneaker Intelligence Unit, which will help focus our attention on the kicks which are poised to cause an impact on the scene. 'The participant with the top score will have the chance to join our team, with an aim to entertain followers of sneaker culture with insightful content from the frontline of footgear.' The challenging test leads participants through a series of questions, with responses timed and an anti-cheat history tracking functionality in place so sneaker-sneaks won't be able to duck out for a Google search if they get stuck. In order to progress to the next stage of the process, candidates need to achieve a score of 80 percent or above. No cheating: The challenging test leads participants through a series of questions, with responses timed and an anti-cheat history tracking functionality in place Successful candidates will then be invited to take part in a follow up 'mastery' stage challenge. The test also gives participants who have bitten off more than they can chew the option to 'give up' at any stage. A spokesperson for Lyst added: 'This isn't a task for the faint-hearted, and sneaker-casuals may find themselves in deep water quickly. 'We really are looking for the best of the best someone who could rattle off the most up-to-date collaborations and footwear breakthroughs, as well as calling upon their in-depth knowledge of the designs, designers and events which helped to shape a global fashion phenomenon. (ANSA) - Siracusa, January 28 - A delegation from the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) on Monday boarded the NGO migrant rescue ship Sea-Watch 3, which is at the centre of a tussle between the government, opposition parties, and human rights groups. The president of the PD, Matteo Orfini, said that he and fellow party bigwig Maurizio Martina had been placed under investigation after visiting the migrant rescue ship in the Mediterranean. "The camps in Libya are an inferno that never ends, migrants told us on the #SeaWatch," Orfini wrote on Twitter. "I and @maumartina have just returned. "Now we are registering our official addresses because it seems we have been placed under investigation for boarding the ship." PD MP Davide Faraone accompanied the two party heavyweights. He said earlier that a PD delegation had got the all-clear to board the ship and see for themselves the condition of the 47 rescued asylum seekers on board. "Meeting at the prefect's office over," Sicilian lawmaker Faraone said via Twitter. "A delegation of @pdnetwork will climb aboard the #SeaWatch around 15:30. Finally!!. The government has refused to let the migrants rescued in the Mediterranean over a week ago to land on Italian soil, as part of a policy of refusing access to Italy's ports to NGO-run search-and-rescue ships. Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has said the Netherlands should deal with the case as the Sea-Watch ship is flying a Dutch flag. On Sunday a mixed group of lawmakers from other opposition parties visited the ship, which is anchored in waters close to the Sicilian city of Siracusa. Earlier on Monday the Siracusa Port Authority issued a ban on any unauthorized vessel from "navigating, anchoring, or stopping" in the Bay of Santa Panagia, a half-mile from where the ship is. The ordinance specified that the "presence of and/or navigation by other vessels around the (Sea-Watch vessel) could create problems regarding public order and public health". Carla Trombino, the ombudsman for children in the Sicilian city of Siracusa, has filed an urgent petition to a Catania court for 13 minors on board the Sea-Watch migrant-rescue ship to be assigned to a specialist centre, sources said Monday. The petition was presented by a lawyer, Rosa Emanuela Lo Faro, on the grounds that the minors suffered "mistreatment and torture" in Libya. The lawyer also called for the maritime authorities to declare a medical emergency for the situation of the minors. A California hiker who went missing after getting separated from his hiking group has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Thomas Mark Castiglia, 50, was reported missing on January 26 at about 2.46pm when he failed to turn up after getting separated from his group while at San Diego's El Cajon Mountain that morning. Authorities said that Castiglia was with the hiking group at about 8.30am while they were making their way up the mountain to Lunch Rock, but that at about 10.40am, he told several of the other hikers to go ahead and not to wait for him since he'd be hiking at a slower pace, according to his missing persons report. Thomas Mark Castiglia, 50, was reported missing on January 26 after getting separated from his hiking group on San Diego's El Cajon Mountain that morning When he didn't turn up again later in the afternoon, the hiking group reported him missing, resulting in the Sheriff's Lakeside Substation, Search and Rescue Unit and ASTREA conducting an overnight search for him. Nearly 60 search-and-rescue volunteers were involved in the search, which also included a helicopter, according to CBS 8. Authorities said that they eventually found a male body matching Castiglia's description near the base of a sheer cliff. The Medical Examiner's Office then positively identified the body as being that of Castilgia's at about 7am on Sunday. Castiglia was said to be an experience hiker, but had told others in the group not to wait up for him while he went at a slower pace the morning he went missing When Castiglia didn't reappear that afternoon, he was reported missing. Authorities carried out an overnight search-and-rescue mission for him, finding a body at the base of a cliff Castiglia's hiking group had been aiming to reach Lunch Rock (left) that morning. Sixty people and a helicopter (right) were used during the search, which led to finding his body on Sunday Castiglia's wife said that he loved hiking and had been excited about going up the El Cajon Castiglia's wife's posted this statement about her husband's death on Facebook Sunday Martha Castiglia (pictured at center with Castiglia) asked that donations be made to the American Heart Association in lieu of sending flowers His wife, Martha, wrote on social media that he loved hiking and was excited to go up the El Cajon that day. Martha Castiglia wrote on Facebook that 'Tom loved hiking and was excited about going on the hike yesterday. After three miles, he started to struggle and decided to stay behind and rest. After resting, he resumed the hike. The rest of the group returned to pick Tom up at the agreed upon point. Tom was not there.' She has asked that donations be made to the American Heart Association instead of people sending flowers in Castiglia's memory. Friends of Castiglia's were quick to respond with their remembrances of Castiglia. 'This is heartbreaking news,' one friend wrote on Twitter. 'Prayers to all family and friends of Tom. His impact on our community was great and there will forever be a Tom shaped hole in all of us.' 'Tom was an instant friend to anyone he met. He had a big impact to our community and I will have great memories and thankfulness to have worked with him and considered him a close friend,' wrote another friend. The other hikers told authorities that Castiglia had told them that he was going to hike an offshoot trail. The search-and-rescue team was sent to 'really rugged terrain,' authorities told the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Medical Examiner's Office believes Castiglia died at about 11.30pm on Saturday. His cause and manner of death are still being determined, police said, although it appeared that Castiglia had fallen about 200 feet down. Castiglia, however, was said to have been an experienced hiker who was not suffering from any known medical conditions at the time he embarked on his hike. Two burglars in Texas were forced to leave a home almost empty-handed after discovering a flat screen television wouldn't fit in the vehicle they had stolen to do the job. Two suspects pulled up to a Dallas home in a stolen vehicle on January 17 and forced entry into the residence, the Dallas Police Department said on Friday. But they didn't get the goods, because the SUV they had stolen for the mission just wasn't big enough to fit the television they had their sights set on, so they took it back inside the property before speeding off. Their faces were caught in full view of the security camera at the home, but the suspects have not yet been identified. Two burglars in Dallas, Texas left nearly empty-handed after finding out the hard way that a flat screen TV wouldn't fit in their 2015 Jeep Cherokee they had stolen to do the job. Their faces were caught in full view of the security camera at the home, but the suspects have not yet been identified The two suspects pulled up to a home in North Central Dallas at about 7.45am on the Thursday morning. Both of the men enter the home on the 6500 block of Orchid Lane, and one comes out with a small rectangular-shaped item, and places it into the stolen 2015 Jeep Cherokee. That man goes back inside, before both emerge carrying a flat screen TV out to the SUV. Both of the men enter the home on the 6500 block of Orchid Lane, and eventually both emerge carrying a flat screen TV out to their stolen SUV They first try to fit in the backseat, but quickly realize that won't work. Then, they move around to the back of the vehicle and try to get it in through the hatchback. That doesn't work either, so the two men are kind enough to take it back inside the property before speeding off with whatever the first item was. They first try to it in the backseat, but quickly realize that won't work, so they switch gears They move around to the back of the vehicle and try to get it in through the hatchback. That doesn't work either, so the two men are kind enough to take it back inside before speeding off The two men are kind enough to take it back inside before speeding off in the stolen vehicle The whole thing was caught on camera by the family's video surveillance system. The black SUV was later found, abandoned on the 5900 block of Melody Lane in Dallas. The suspects remain at-large. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Barry Maxwell at (214) 670-7236, extension 2028. Eight stray puppies have been rescued by hero volunteers in south-west India after they ended up covered in toxic tar. The puppies were found on the streets of Tirur in India's Kerala state, covered from nose to paws in thick, black tar. It is thought a barrel of the black stuff collapsed on top of them while they were sleeping and that the puppies had been struggling in the sticky mess for some eight hours before they were found. Heartbreaking: This puppy and its seven siblings were found covered in tar on the streets of Tirur, in India's Kerala state Team effort: Volunteers from Humane Society International came together to help the dogs All together: HSI India volunteers hold the puppies and their mother at their centre after the successful cleanup A local animal lover named only as Mr Jaleel contacted animal rescuers from Humane Society International in India, after which a team spend hours cleaning the little dogs with vegetable oil. Thanks to their determination and effort, the puppies were eventually cleaned up and could be reunited with their mother. Sally Varma of HSI India said: 'This was such an awesome community effort because there is absolutely no doubt that these puppies would have died had the local people not come to their rescue. 'These tiny puppies had been trapped in the tar for many hours, and were exhausted as well as overwhelmed by the noxious fumes. Stuck: It is thought the puppies may have been stuck in the tar for eight hours Sticky work: The team from Humane Society International India carefully removed the tar from the puppies' fur using oil Nearly there: The puppies can be seen during the cleaning process as the volunteers got rid of the tar from their fur Some of the puppies suffered injuries as a result of their ordeal, and were cared for by the team at Humane Society International Careful: A volunteer cuts off bits of tar stuck in one of the puppies' fur 'They had tar covering their eyes, and in their noses and mouths, so they would surely have perished were it not for these compassionate people. 'HSI's animal welfare officers refused to give up, and worked tirelessly to remove the tar. It was thrilling to see these sweet pups come back to life and suckle from their mother after their ordeal.' In two weeks the puppies will be old enough for HSI to vaccinate and sterilise them, before returning them to Tirur where the locals are anxiously waiting to look after them. Robert Tigga, one of HSI in India's animal welfare officers who helped the puppies, said: 'To see this community tend to these street puppies with such kindness really makes us happy because Kerala has had a very troubled history with brutal dog culling. 'We've been working in this area for some years now on spay and neuter of street dogs, and promoting animal welfare, so this joint effort to save the puppies really feels like we're seeing a more humane attitude towards these dogs.' All cleaned up!: A volunteer enjoys a cuddle with two of the puppies Scammers stole 10,000 from an accountant after spying on him at the gym and guessing his locker code was the same as his pin number. Matthew Spencer was hit by fraudsters who also managed to transfer 50,000 between his accounts, which he managed to spot before it was spent, and went on a shopping spree using his bank card. Mr Spencer had been using the locker at his gym in Canary Wharf, London when the thieves saw his pin and while he was working out for two hours, stole his card and splashed out on 5,000 worth of MacBooks in John Lewis, as well as paying for a 500 slap-up meal at posh Mayfair restaurant Roka. The thieves also withdrew 1,000 in two transactions and blew thousands in stores. Matthew Spencer (pictured above) had 10,000 stolen from him after fraudsters worked out his pin number from his gym locker Despite police having obtained CCTV footage which shows someone unknown to Mr Spencer taking and using his card, his bank provider, HSBC has refused to refund him, consumer advice site Which? reported. They claimed they could not conclude that the 36-year-old had been a victim of fraud, or how the fraudster had managed to get his pin number. HSBC had refused to refund Mr Spencer, as the group said he 'is responsible for his own pin' Mr Spencer first realised something was wrong when he took his wallet out to pay for his London Tube journey, only to notice that his debit card was missing. How to protect yourself from card fraud Consumer group which? has offered some handy tips to protect you from fraudsters. Take your time : Many card fraudsters will use pressure or distraction techniques to persuade you to reveal personal or financial details, or to take less care than usual. Treat all unsolicited phone calls, letters, emails and text messages, and unexpected interactions at cashpoints with extreme caution. Use cash points inside banks: These are less likely to have been tampered with, though you still need to be mindful of who is behind you. Keep your Pin safe : Shield it whenever you use it in public, never share it (your bank will never ask for it). Create secure Pins: Avoid using obvious combinations such as 1234. Try to set rules that make numbers easier for you to remember. If possible, use different Pins for your payment cards and other purposes. Monitor card statements for unexpected transactions: Banks or card providers wont always spot fraudulent activity on your account. Act quickly: If you discover youre a victim of fraud, notify your bank or credit card provider immediately. Change your Pin and account passwords and, if you think your mail relating to your card been intercepted or redirected, contact Royal Mail. Advertisement He logged into his online banking where he could see that 50,000 had been transferred from his savings account and that thousands has already been spent in his current account. He called the bank to cancel his cards and to tell them not to authorise the transactions as his card had been stolen, however Mr Spencer said the bank claimed it was too late. Speaking to The Sun Mr Spencer said: 'I've been with HSBC for 10 years; they know my spending patterns, and I'm very disappointed with how they've treated me. 'The whole situation has caused me considerable frustration, setbacks, and has left me unable to trust people.' HSBC stated that Mr Spencer is 'solely responsible' for safeguarding his card and Pin. Matthew has still been unable to get his money back and has complained to the Financial Ombudsman Services (FOS). A HSBC spokesperson said: 'We provided Mr Spencer with our final response on January 5. 'We understand that Mr Spencer's case is being considered by the Financial Ombudsman Service and as such it is not appropriate for us to comment at this stage.' If a bank or credit card provider refuses to refund a victim of fraud, as HSBC did with Mr Spencer, then the customer can complain to the FOS. If the ombudsman upholds your complaint then the bank has to refund you. But it cannot be determined whether or not this will cover the full cost of just part of it. However, new research by Which? shows that Mr Spencer is not alone. Research from UK Finance, stated that there were a whopping 1.8m cases of card fraud in 2017, costing victims a massive 566m. In total, it accounted for roughly 80% of all fraud cases. The group also found that the number of cases is on the rise as in just the first half of 2018, there were more than 1million cases that resulted in a rise of some 11% year-on-year. A man who brought 5,000 live leeches into Canada will appear before a court in Toronto next month to face charges in connection with the bizarre discovery. No details have been released about the man who was found with the live contraband at Toronto Pearson International Airport on October 17 last year. A beagle helped alert authorities that something was amiss when the Canadian man came through the airport following a trip to Russia, as first reported by National Geographic. The Canadian man found with the leeches said he was transporting them for personal use (stock image) The leeches, consisted of two species, the southern medicinal leech and the European medicinal leech. They were discovered in hundreds of containers stored in the man's luggage. Authorities are calling the man 'an alleged illegal leech importer.' He is due to appear in court in Toronto on February 15 charged with illegally importing an internationally regulated species without required permits, Manager of Intelligence for the Wildlife Enforcement Directorate at Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ontario Region, Andre Lupert, told National Geographic. The 5,000 leeches were found in the man's luggage by a sniffer dog when he returned to Toronto airport following a trip to Russia Leeches as medicine Leeches as medical helpers go back to ancient Egypt Blood-sucking leeches only suck about a teaspoon of blood and when they're full they naturally fall off. Out of all the species of leeches, only a small number have a taste for human blood - the southern medicinal leech and the European medicinal leech fall into that category. Leeches consume pooled blood and are said to remove toxins and improve circulation. The FDA approved leeches as a medical device in 2004. Leech therapy or hirudotherapy has gained renewed favor in the medical community in recent years. They can live more than a year without food. Advertisement The man is not charged with smuggling as there is no evidence he was deliberately hiding the leeches. When questioned, the man said he was transporting them for personal use and 'that their waste water would enrich his orchids,' Lupert said. However, Lupert isn't convinced. 'This sort of leech quantity would suggest it was for commercialization,' he added. They can sell for around $10 each. Leeches are parasitic worms, that have been used for centuries to treat ailments that were believed to be caused by an excess of blood. They are used in hospitals, burn units and plastic surgery centers around the world. Leeches consume pooled blood and are said to remove toxins, improve blood flow and help the body heal itself. In the last couple of decades hirudotherapy or leech therapy has gained renewed favor with doctors and healers. The FDA approved leeches for medical use in 2004 after they were found to help reattach amputated body parts. Leeches are parasitic worms that have been used for centuries to treat ailments that were believed to be caused by an excess of blood Leech bites may cause infection in some circumstances but this is mitigated by the use of prescribed antibiotics. As to the fate of the leeches discovered in Toronto airport, authorities are still trying to re-home them. There is a chance that the judge in the February 15 case could want to view the leeches in person because they are evidence, Lupert said. To date 50 of the leeches have been re-housed by the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. The American Museum of Natural History in New York has taken 1,000, once formal export and import paperwork were drawn up. That means officials still need to find homes for the remaining 3,950 leeches. Evil Shilpa Uga, 26, pretended to be a 21-year-old man before blackmailing the teenage girl A 'callous' woman who posed as a young man to get a teenager to send her naked images of herself has been jailed. Evil Shilpa Uga, 26, pretended to be a 21-year-old man on the internet before convincing the 16-year-old victim to send her explicit images between January and April 2014. She then demanded large sums of money and threatened to share the pictures and videos with others on social media if she did not pay up. The girl was so upset she attempted suicide but was caught just in time by a family member. When she revealed what had happened Leicestershire Police launched an investigation and found that Uga was behind the bogus social media account. She previously pleaded guilty to blackmail and five counts of possessing, making and distributing indecent images of a child at an earlier hearing. On Friday, she was jailed for three years and placed on the sex offenders register for life at Leicester Crown Court. Uga, of Humberstone, Leicester, had also shared the images and videos with 28-year-old Jatin Gohil. Gohil, also from Humberstone, pleaded guilty to harassment and seven counts of possessing, making and distributing of indecent images of a child. He was sentenced to three years in prison and also placed on the sex offenders register for life. Jatin Gohil, 28, was also jailed and placed on the sex offenders register After the case, Detective Constable Skarv Hussain, of Leicestershire Police, branded Uga's actions as 'callous'. He said: 'This was an extremely traumatic period for the victim who felt she had no alternative then to take her life. 'Uga's actions were callous and she had no regard for the affect it would have on the young victim. 'This was a lengthy and complex case to investigate where we examined a number of mobile 'phones and electronic devices. 'We're pleased both defendants have pleaded guilty to their parts in the offences and hope this helps the victim move on with her life and put the events of those months behind her.' Iran has publicly hanged a 31-year-old man after finding him guilty of violating its anti-gay laws and kidnapping two children. The unnamed man was hanged on January 10 in the southern Iranian city of Kazeroon after being charged with having gay sex - a crime punishable by death under the country's strict Sharia law. The Iranian Student's News Agency reported that the man had kidnapped two 15-year-old boys - although it is not immediately clear whether the gay sex charges relate to their kidnapping. Iranians watch the hanging of convicted man in public back in May 2011. The country has reportedly executed 'between 4,000 and 6,000 gays and lesbians' since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 [file photo] The ISNA report said 'the citizens of Kazeroon expressed satisfaction and thanked the judiciary.' The statement about citizens of Kazeroon could not be independently verified. Alireza Nader, CEO of Washington, DC-based organization New Iran told the Jerusalem Post that homosexuals are living in 'terror' in Iran. 'The LGBT community in Iran has lived in terror for the last 40 years,' Nader said. 'Next time Foreign Minister Zarif speaks in Washington, the host and audience should ask him why his regime is one of the top executioner of gays in the world.' According to a 2008 British WikiLeaks dispatch, Iran's mullah regime executed 'between 4,000 and 6,000 gays and lesbians' since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Most recently, 19-year-old Hassan Afshar was hanged in Arak Prison in Iran's Markazi Province on July 18, 2016, after he was convicted of 'forced male-to-male anal intercourse' in early 2015. While In 2011, Iran's regime executed three Iranian men after being found guilty of charges related to homosexuality. Hundreds of taxis have blocked Castellana Avenue, a major road in the Spanish capital of Madrid as part of an anti-Uber protest. The week-long demonstration finished today as police cleared the protesters away. Cab drivers have protested against the growth of app-based ride-hailing services that they say threaten their livelihood. This morning, police have cleared the taxis away, saying that there were no significant clashes and that nobody was arrested. Spanish cab drivers want the regional government to impose tighter regulations for rides hailed through apps such as Uber and Cabify. In Barcelona, local authorities can now modify regulations to require app-based rides to be hired up to one hour in advance. Spanish taxi drives block the Castellana Avenue, one of the longest avenues in Madrid, Spain They disrupted traffic also in the early hours of Monday, when many people commute to work This morning, police officers and municipal tow trucks cleared the area and some drivers went on foot to protest at the headquarters of the conservative party ruling the Madrid region Police officers clash with taxi drivers while trying to remove the blockage of Castellana Avenue A taxi driver is pictured lighting flares as his colleagues continue to protest for the eight consecutive day against as part of a demonstration against app-based rides platforms Uber and Cabify have threatened to drop their operations in Spain's second-largest city, where they say 3,500 jobs would be at risk. Self-employed drivers working for the two platforms are also protesting in Barcelona, urging the Catalan government to halt the new regulations. In Madrid, authorities have rejected any compromises that would wipe out competition for the taxis. Taxi drivers around the world think Uber unfairly bypasses local licensing and safety regulations as it uses the internet to put drivers in touch with passengers A photo from yesterday's protest in Madrid. The taxi sector continued striking after regional authorities turned down their proposals to regulate app-based rides such as Uber and Cabify Over the weekend, taxi drivers moved their protest from the outskirts of the city to Castellana Avenue, one of the longest avenues in Madrid. Traffic was blocked this morning, when many residents commute to work, until police unblocked the street. The drivers then moved on foot to protest at the headquarters of the Conservative Party ruling the Madrid region. Alket Dauti, 31, was arrested in his home in Penge, South East London, last June A 31-year-old gang ringleader who smuggled hundreds of women and children into Britain in refrigerated lorries has been jailed for ten years. Alket Dauti was extradited to Belgium to serve his sentence after he worked with corrupt truck drivers and 'treated desperate migrants as a commodity' from which he could make money. The Albanian, who lived in Penge, South East London, smuggled women, children and men in refrigerated trucks from Europe to the UK via the Channel ports. He was arrested in his home by National Crime Agency officers last summer as part of a UK-Belgian investigation into organised crime. NCA regional head of investigations Andrea Wilson said: 'Through our close working with the Belgian Federal Police and prosecutors we have taken out a significant organised crime group involved in bringing migrants to the UK illegally. Dauti was the head of that group. 'He treated desperate migrants as a commodity he could make money from, and was perfectly happy to risk their lives on incredibly dangerous journeys in the back of lorries. 'He has been convicted in a Belgian court and we have returned him there to serve his sentence.' Dauti was convicted in his absence in a Belgian court on December 14 last year, before being handed a ten-year prison sentence and 720,000 (625,000) fine. He was extradited from the UK to Belgium last Friday. Two other men, referred to as the gang's 'lieutenants' were sentenced to eight years each and await extradition. Belgian prosecutors believe the criminals were involved in hundreds of attempts to smuggle the migrants to the UK, only some of which were successfully stopped by the Border Force. A New Jersey couple left behind a racist note saying they 'Don't tip immigrants!' after hearing an American waitress speak Spanish. Lorena Bossi said the couple had been 'so friendly and kind' as she served their table at Under the Moon Cafe in Bordentown on Thursday night. 'You could tell they loved the experience, the man even called me "sweet" and said "my suggestion was great,"' she wrote on Facebook about the incident. So Bossi was shocked to find, at the end of the night, that the couple had left a note on the back of her receipt. A New Jersey couple left behind a racist note saying they 'Don't tip immigrants!' after hearing American waitress Lorena Bossi speak Spanish Bossi (pictured) said the couple had been 'so friendly and kind' as she served their table at Under the Moon in on Thursday night, so she was shocked when she saw the note 'DON'T TIP IMMIGRANTS!!!' it shouted in big black letters. The word immigrants was underlined five times, and they had added three exclamation points for emphasis. 'I spoke to a coworker in Spanish at one point and the end result is me getting to read the back of the receipt,' Bossi, who was born in the US, wrote. 'I could't help but be sad, especially because this is my line of work and I rely on tips.' 'I'm sure they will be back and I will be just as kind to them as I was tonight because I don't have hate in my heart,' she added. 'Spread love people! And don't be ignorant.' Bossi signed the Facebook post with 'Sincerely, a proud Latina American.' Santiago Orosco, the owner of the restaurant, also wrote about the incident on Facebook and said the couple were in their 'mid-to-late forties', shared a slice of cake, and had 'raved about the food, the decor, and the service'. Bossi said she believes the couple left the note behind because they heard her speak Spanish to a co-worker Bossi was born in the US and is multilingual. Her family emigrated from Uruguay decades ago 'Upon arrival, they seemed very excited about dining at Under the Moon, complimenting the ambiance, as well as all the recommendations that our server had made,' he wrote. 'At the end of service, our server grabbed the check from the table, told the customers good night, and thanked them as they were leaving.' It was only when Bossi was closing out for the evening and going through the sales receipts that she realized the customers had left a note on the back of their bill. The couple were true to their word - they did not leave a tip behind. Orosco said he cannot find the couple because they paid in cash, which he called a 'cowardly move'. 'I can only assume that they heard our American multilingual server speak Spanish to another employee,' Orosco wrote. 'Your server, who helped create an excellent experience for you, who you discriminated against with written ignorance and no tip, is not an immigrant.' Santiago Orosco, the owner of the restaurant Under the Moon (pictured), said the couple were in their 'mid-to-late forties' and had 'raved about the food, the decor, and the service' Orosco (pictured center) said there is no place in his restaurant for 'hatred, bigotry, racism, homophobia, discrimination' and that he doesn't want the couple to come back 'She is of Spanish descent, born in America, and is multilingual. I am utterly shocked at this blatant ignorance.' Orosco said Bossi's family had emigrated to the US from Uruguay more than three decades ago. 'There's no home in my restaurant for hatred, bigotry, racism, homophobia, discrimination,' he told NJ.com. 'It's ignorance, plain and simple. And a sense of entitlement too. If anyone feels the same way, don't come back.' Orosco, who believes racism has gotten worse for Latinos recently, questioned if the couple would have left a similar note at a different restaurant. 'My thing is, if she went to a Chinese restaurant and people were speaking Chinese, would she have reacted the same way? If people were speaking French or German, would she have left the note?' he asked. 'My place is supposed to be a loving, cozy restaurant, and my family and I worked our a***s off to get what we have today. We don't need that hatred here.' Orosco, who came to the US from Argentina and worked his way up from a dishwasher, describes himself as a 'very proud immigrant' Orosco, who came to the US from Argentina and worked his way up from a dishwashing position, describes himself as a 'very proud immigrant'. He has owned Under the Moon Cafe for the last 13 years and recently opened a second location. 'We are extremely proud to be part of the community. I came to this wonderful country for a better future, which, with a lot of sacrifice, heartache, pain, and sweat, I have accomplished,' he wrote in the Facebook post. 'My family has tirelessly worked to create a great life and I owe it to this country and all its opportunity (America has always been great!!!).' 'Immigration and cultural blending are what created this special country. I truly believe that immigrants are key contributors to our society. Also, I am gay, at Under the Moon we accept all people but not ignorance and discrimination.' Orosco said that since posting about the incident, he has received an outpouring of support from the local community. 'It's to the point of tears to see such a support for me, my family, and the restaurant,' he said. 'It's overwhelming but reassuring that there's these people out there. There's much nicer people.' (ANSA) - Siracusa, January 28 - A delegation from the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) on Monday boarded the NGO migrant rescue ship Sea-Watch 3, which is at the centre of a tussle between the government, opposition parties, and human rights groups. The president of the PD, Matteo Orfini, said that he and fellow party bigwig Maurizio Martina had been placed under investigation after visiting the migrant rescue ship in the Mediterranean. "The camps in Libya are an inferno that never ends, migrants told us on the #SeaWatch," Orfini wrote on Twitter. "I and @maumartina have just returned. "Now we are registering our official addresses because it seems we have been placed under investigation for boarding the ship." PD MP Davide Faraone, who accompanied the two party heavyweights, said earlier that the PD delegation had got the all-clear to board the ship and see for themselves the condition of the 47 rescued asylum seekers on board. "Meeting at the prefect's office over," Sicilian lawmaker Faraone said via Twitter. "A delegation of @pdnetwork will climb aboard the #SeaWatch around 15:30. Finally!!. The government has refused to let the migrants rescued in the Mediterranean over a week ago to land on Italian soil, as part of a policy of refusing access to Italy's ports to NGO-run search-and-rescue ships. Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has said the Netherlands should deal with the case as the Sea-Watch ship is flying a Dutch flag. Toilets aboard the ship are backed up and will soon be out of use, sources said Monday. The toilets used by the 22 NGO staffers and 47 migrants aboard are "close to saturation point", the sources said. The ship cannot discharge human waste in the sea because it is too close to land. On Sunday a mixed group of lawmakers from other opposition parties visited the ship, which is anchored in waters close to the Sicilian city of Siracusa. Earlier on Monday the Siracusa Port Authority issued a ban on any unauthorized vessel from "navigating, anchoring, or stopping" in the Bay of Santa Panagia, a half-mile from where the ship is. The ordinance specified that the "presence of and/or navigation by other vessels around the (Sea-Watch vessel) could create problems regarding public order and public health". Carla Trombino, the ombudsman for children in the Sicilian city of Siracusa, has filed an urgent petition to a Catania court for 13 minors on board the Sea-Watch migrant-rescue ship to be assigned to a specialist centre, sources said Monday. The petition was presented by a lawyer, Rosa Emanuela Lo Faro, on the grounds that the minors suffered "mistreatment and torture" in Libya. The lawyer also called for the maritime authorities to declare a medical emergency for the situation of the minors. A Sainsbury's manager has received 'hundreds' of angry phone calls after pictures emerged alleging there had been a pigeon cull at his store. The bloody images show birds that were allegedly shot with air rifles and were posted by an animal rights group upset by the 'cull' at Sainsbury's in Dartford, Kent. London Wildlife Protection later gave the name and telephone number of the store manager, Terry Mcginty. However they did not make it clear if the pictures were of the alleged shoot or illustrative. A Sainsbury's manager has received 'hundreds' of angry phone calls after pictures emerged of pigeons that were allegedly shot in a cull at Sainsbury's According to the London Wildlife Protection, the cull is alleged to have occurred at Sainsbury's store in Dartford, Kent London Wildlife Protection wrote in a caption above the pictures of dead pigeons: 'Crayford Sainsbury's - pigeons shoot. 'Early this morning several pigeons were killed at Sainsbury's in Crayford, Stadium Way, Dartford, DA1 4HW.' The wildlife group added: 'Terry Mcginty store manager on...' followed by his phone number. The post continued: 'We have reached out to Sainsbury's to remind them of their obligation to put deterrents in place and try all non lethal methods first. 'We have also asked them to fix the access point in the roof ASAP. 'Culling pigeons is cruel, ineffective and unnecessary. 'It is also illegal if the pigeons do not represent a real and demonstrable risk to public health and safety and if non-lethal methods of resolving the problem have not been tried and found to fail - which is clearly not the case here.' A message on the London Wildlife Protection page read: 'Culling pigeons is cruel, ineffective and unnecessary' Janet Dighton was among outraged customers to condemn the store, writing: 'I shop at Sainsbury's but I will be rethinking where to shop now. Those poor birds, so cruel. Sainsbury's leave them alone.' Sandra Wells commented: 'What a disgrace. I've seen people kicking them out of the way as they walk along the pavement. Shame on Sainsbury's for supporting this cruelty. Pigeons are intelligent, they helped us during the war. Respect for all animals.' Others supported the cull and criticised the campaigners for publishing the manager's number. Kyran Noah Caleb said: 'I shop there. I'd rather have clean, uninfected food to be honest.' Taelor Branco wrote: 'More important problems in the world for me to care about. Pigeons are not endangered and in this scenario can pose health risks as there is food contamination concerned.' Last month a ten year old boy died at a Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after he contracted an infection linked to pigeon droppings. Last week it was reported that prosecutors were investigating the death and a review had been ordered into the 842 million hospital which opened in 2015. The fungal infection which contributed to the child's death is thought to have come from droppings found in a plant room on the hospital's roof. Investigations are ongoing to establish how it entered a closed ventilation system. A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: 'Our pest control experts have used a range of methods to try to encourage the birds to leave the warehouse. 'Unfortunately these were unsuccessful and an extermination was completed outside of store open hours as a last resort, in line with industry guidelines.' President Donald Trump spoke to key Senate confidant Lindsey Graham about a U.S. 'military option' in Venezuela, the South Carolina Senator revealed. Trump asked Graham who has taken out a hard line on the use of force in Iraq and Syria and confronting Russia for his views weeks ago, before announcing he was recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido amid a series of massive street protests against President Nicolas Maduro. Graham, who has counseled Trump on the government shutdown and other matters, said Trump asked him: 'What do you think about using military force?,' Axios reported. Sen. Lindsey Graham says President Trump asked him about a U.S. 'military option' in Venezuela The senator urged caution as he counseled about a country and a region where U.S. military interventions have not always turned out as planned. 'Well, you need to go slow on that, that could be problematic,' Graham said he responded. He says Trump responded with a joke, saying: 'Well, I'm surprised, you want to invade everybody.' 'And I said, 'I don't want to invade everybody, I only want to use the military when our national security interests are threatened,' Graham countered. 'Were not considering anything, but all options are on the table,' President Trump said when asked about the use of military force in Venezeula Members of civil society arrive at the control post of the presidential residence, known as La Casona, to deliver the Amnesty Law, in Caracas, Venezuela, 27 January 2019. The Venezuelan opposition began a campaign to get the military and police of the country the text of a law recently approved by Parliament, where it exercises a strong majority, and seeks officials to ignore the Government of Nicolas Maduro A handout photo made available by the Miraflores Press, shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (C) as he leads a military exercise, in Caracas, Venezuela, 27 January 2019. Maduro led on Sunday military maneuvers with soldiers, as the opposition went to barracks to deliver to the uniformed of the country the text of a law with which they seek to get them to disown the president. Handout picture released by the Venezuelan presidency showing Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (R) speaking to troops during military exercises at Fort Paramacay in Naguanagua, Carabobo State, Venezuela, on January 27, 2019 Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks with Venezuela's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez and Remigio Ceballos Strategic Operational Commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, during a military exercise in Valencia, Venezuela January 27, 2019 Trump last week announced that the U.S. would recognize Guaido as the legitimate president of the country. He said he "will continue to use the full weight of United States economic and diplomatic power to press for the restoration of Venezuelan democracy." He said the U.S. would 'continue to hold the illegitimate Maduro regime directly responsible for any threats it may pose to the safety of the Venezuelan people.' Trump refused to rule out military action when asked about it following his announcement. 'Were not considering anything, but all options are on the table,' Trump said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo kept up the tough rhetoric at the United Nations, telling other nations: Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or youre in league with Maduro and his mayhem.' Regime ally Russia has accused the U.S. of trying to stage a coup, and according to a report last week has dispatched about 400 military contractors to help Maduro with security amid street protests that have resulted in multiple deaths amid a military crackdown. An average baby starts to learn to talk at around one year old, but this newborn boy in China seems to be way ahead of his peers. The child shocked his mother and nurses after apparently enunciating the word 'mama' at just 23 days old. The boy's mother said though her son was likely to have made the sound unintentionally, she and her family were still amazed by what they had heard. The baby in China was having a back massage when he made the unusual sound of 'mama'. His mother said she and her family were amazed even the boy had likely said it unintentionally The baby 'talked' for the first time as he was receiving a back rub at a postnatal care centre in Changchun, northern China's Jilin Province, on January 20. The unusual scene was captured in a video shot by the boy's mother before being shared online. In the 10-second clip, the boy is seen being placed on his stomach on a table as a nurse massaged his back gently. All of sudden, the newborn is heard saying 'aiya', and his excited mother gushed: 'This child is so funny.' But seconds later, the boy suddenly called out 'mama', leaving his mother and medical staff completely stunned. The boy's mother (pictured) told Jilin TV Station that her son could have made the unusual sound due to hunger. She said she had not fed him a lot of milk to prevent him from puking The boy's mother, who remains unidentified, told Jilin TV Station that her son had finished a swimming lesson that day. She said she had only fed him a little milk before the swimming class to prevent him from throwing up, and hunger could have been the reason for him to make unusual sound. The new parent told reporters: 'He had been crying before and during the massage. 'Maybe he was angry (that I didn't give him enough milk), and later suddenly made the sound (of "mama"). 'Although it was not intentional, my husband's family were very happy.' Compared to other babies, the sound the boy makes is more tonal, according to nurses Staff at the postnatal centre said compared to the other babies, the boy's was able to make particularly tonal sound. An average baby says his or her first word at around 12 months old and by 18 months old, a vocabulary of 10 to 20 words can be built. Commenting on the video clip, a doctor from Changchun Children's Hospital agreed that the boy was making sound unintentionally. Dr. Zhang Xiaoming, the director of Department of Child Psychology at the hospital, told reporters: 'Babies between one and two months old practise making sound with their vocal organs, such as their throat and lips. 'Although this baby said "mama" very clearly, it was still an unconscious sound.' The United Arab Emirates is being ridiculed online after holding their annual 'gender equality' awards - and all the winners were revealed to be men. Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and the ruler of Dubai, handed out prizes at the Gender Balance Index 2018 ceremony in Dubai on Sunday. When the Dubai government posted photographs of the winners being handed their prizes on its official Twitter, they were met by mockery, with some even asking if the account had been hacked. Best men: Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, pictured left, Vice President of the UAE and the ruler of Dubai, handed out prizes at the Gender Balance Index 2018 ceremony The UAE government and the Dubai ruler were mocked by social media users after the photos of the Gender Balance Index winners were posted on Twitter 'Wow really nailed the diversity there. One of those dudes was wearing gray,' one person tweeted in response. One person added: 'And they say that satire is dead,' while another tweeted that Dubai had made themselves 'a laughing stock in the eyes of the world'. The UAE's Gender Balance Index awards 'initiatives and programmes undertaken by various government entities to promote equal opportunities for both men and women', according to the Dubai government. There are four categories: Best Personality Supporting Gender Balance, Best Federal Authority Supporting Gender Balance, Best Government Entity Supporting Gender Balance and the Best Gender Balance Initiative. 'I won': Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Nasser bin Thani Juma al-Hamli, right, accepts his award The one in grey: Abdulla Nasser Lootah, right, director of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority Abdulla Nasser Lootah, was also awarded Twitter users joked that the Dubai government had 'nailed diversity' while others asked if their account had been hacked While all four awards were accepted by men, Sheik Mohammed acknowledged the work of one woman: his own daughter Sheika Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoumm whose husband is the Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE.. His Highness 'recognised the efforts of the Gender Balance Council, headed by Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs,' a statement published by the Dubai government said. 'We are proud of the success of Emirati women and their role is central to shaping the future of the country,' Sheik Mohammed was quoted as saying by the Dubai Media Office as he handed over the awards. 'Gender balance has become a pillar in our governmental institutions,' he added. Leading retailers warned today a no-deal Brexit would cause 'significant disruption' to food supplies because Britain is dependent on the EU for fresh produce. A letter to MPs, signed by bosses from firms including Sainsbury's, Asda, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, The Co-op, Lidl, McDonald's and KFC, warned about shortages caused by delays at the border and price rises as a result of tariffs. The firms - used by millions of Britons every day - said the timing of Brexit at the end of March made the situation worse because of when UK crops are harvested. Retailers including Sainsbury's warned today a no-deal Brexit would cause 'significant disruption' to food supplies because Britain is dependent on the EU for fresh produce The firms - used by millions of Britons every day - said the timing of Brexit at the end of March made the situation worse because of when UK crops are harvested (pictured is fresh fruit and vegetables at Asda in Harrow) The findings are based on the Government's own analysis, which says that up to 87 per cent of cross-Channel freight trade could be stopped, in disruption lasting up to six months. The grim warning from the British Retail Consortium came as MPs prepared to vote again on Brexit tomorrow night, with different factions pursuing their own plans in Parliament. The letter said: 'In March, the situation is more acute as UK produce is out of season: 90 per cent of our lettuces, 80 per cent of our tomatoes and 70 per cent of our soft fruit is sourced from the EU at that time of year. The supermarket and restaurant chain bosses said: 'We are extremely concerned that our customers will be among the first to experience the realities of a no-deal Brexit. Theresa May (pictured returning to Downing Street today) is desperately struggling to hold her Cabinet together and fend off a Remainer bid to force a Brexit delay in crunch Commons votes 'We anticipate significant risks to maintaining the choice, quality and durability of food that our customers have come to expect in our stores, and there will be inevitable pressure on food prices from higher transport costs, currency devaluation and tariffs. 'We are therefore asking you to work with your colleagues in Parliament urgently to find a solution that avoids the shock of a no-deal Brexit on 29 March and removes these risks for UK consumers.' 'Thousands may die' from food price hike No Deal Brexit will lead to thousands of deaths by driving up the price of fruit and vegetables, experts said. Higher prices will mean intake of fruit and vegetables could drop by 11 per cent, according to researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Liverpool. This would lead to more than 12,000 extra deaths from heart attacks and strokes from 2021 to 2030, they estimate. The impact of Brexit will reach far beyond the economy and may affect peoples risk of disease, wrote co-author Prof Christopher Millett in the BMJ Open medical journal. But economist Edgar Miller described the study as Project Fear at its very worst. Advertisement The retailers added: 'As prudent businesses we are stockpiling where possible, but all frozen and chilled storage is already being used and there is very little general warehousing space available in the UK. 'Even if there were more space it is impossible to stockpile fresh produce, such as salad leaves and fresh fruit.' Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, a supporter of the anti Brexit Best for Britain campaign, said: 'This shows up the lies of Brexiteers who promised lower food prices and greater prosperity after Brexit. 'Now we're seeing study after study saying food prices will rise and our top supermarkets worried about empty shelves. 'Enough is enough. This letter makes a stark observation that food security is at risk. 'At a time when food bank usage stands at an all-time high, it's not on that the Prime Minister has so far refused to take away the no deal threat in an attempt to boost support for her awful deal. Parliament must act now to block the government's reckless blackmail.' Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said medicines will be prioritised over food. He said medicines should get a priority because the proportion [of food] that is imported is much smaller than for medicines. Speaking at a hearing on the future of the Health Service, he said half of medicines have some touch point with the EU and therefore need a plan ... in the event of significant disruptions at the border. Mr Hancock said the pharmaceutical industry was rising to the challenge of ensuring supplies of 12,000 different medicines are not disrupted. But Jonathan Ashworth, Labours health spokesman, accused the Government of playing Russian roulette with the national interest. Senior Tory MPs threw Theresa May an 11th hour lifeline today by backing an amendment endorsing her Brexit plan - as long as she can overhaul the Irish border backstop. Former ministers Grant Shapps and Nick Boles are among those who have signed up to the proposal, while Boris Johnson also hinted he might get on board. Mrs May seems to be pinning her hopes on the amendment tabled by 1922 committee chairman Sir Graham Brady, which would demand a rewriting of the controversial backstop. But her hopes were already fading this afternoon as Brexiteer Bernard Jenkin said he would not vote for the plan because 'it's deliberately vague because it's meant to mean different things to different people'. Downing Street has so far refused to reveal its plans in the vote, insisting it will not show its hand until Speaker John Bercow chooses which amendments will be voted on tomorrow night. The amendments and outcomes Commons is expected to vote tomorrow on amendments including Yvette Cooper's. The Labour MP is pictured on The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday YVETTE COOPER'S PLAN TO DELAY BREXIT IF THERE IS NOT A DEAL WHAT IT DOES: Forces ministers to extend Article 50 beyond March 29 to stop No Deal. WHOSE PLAN? Labour's Yvette Cooper, former Tory ministers Nick Boles and Sir Oliver Letwin. HOW IT WORKS: Ministers lose the power to decide what is debated on February 5, which passes to backbench MPs. Miss Cooper proposes a law forcing Mrs May to ask for a delay on Brexit if No Deal is agreed by February 26. COULD IT SUCCEED? With enough votes from Tory rebels, yes. DOMINIC GRIEVE'S PLAN TO HAND POWER TO MPS WHAT IT DOES: Give control over Parliamentary business to MPs. WHOSE PLAN? Dominic Grieve QC, former attorney general and ardent Remainer, and MPs who want a second referendum. HOW IT WORKS: Government loses power over the Commons every Tuesday from February 12 to March 26 so backbench MPs could vote on Brexit. Could delay Article 50 or change the deal to include a customs union or second referendum. COULD IT SUCCEED? Could pass with the support of pro-Remain Tories, Labour backing. SIR GRAHAM BRADY'S PLAN TO FIX THE BACKSTOP BY DEMANDING CHANGES FROM BRUSSELS WHAT IT DOES: Proposes replacing the Northern Ireland backstop with 'alternative arrangements' to avoid a hard border. Also supports leaving with a deal. WHOSE PLAN? Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee. HOW IT WORKS: Allows Mrs May to go to Brussels and say the EU must make concessions on the backstop or get rid of it. COULD IT SUCCEED? Only if selected by Speaker Bercow who could ignore it. DAME CAROLINE SPELMAN'S PLAN TO RULE OUT NO DEAL WHAT IT DOES: Stops the UK leaving without a deal. WHOSE PLAN: Former Tory Cabinet minister Caroline Spelman and Labour MP Jack Dromey. HOW IT WORKS? Rejects No Deal. COULD IT SUCCEED? Yes, if enough Tory rebels vote in favour. JEREMY CORBYN'S PLAN TO FUDGE THE VOTE BY DEMANDING CHANGE BUT HINTING AT A REFERENDUM WHAT IT DOES: Demands changes to the deal and hints at a second referendum. WHOSE PLAN? Corbyn, Labour frontbench. HOW IT WORKS: Ministers must let Parliament discuss No Deal, and proposes staying in a permanent customs union. If that fails, it suggests a second referendum. COULD IT SUCCEED?Highly unlikely, because it won't win support from Tory rebels. Advertisement Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested for hurling a 10lb rock at the windshield of a passing sheriff's deputy after it smashed through, knocking him out when it hit his face, and causing him to crash his car. Boyle County Deputy Philip Dean was responding to a 911 call about the boys throwing rocks at another vehicle when he was struck on Sunday night. The rock went hurling through his windshield and smacked him 'straight in the face', breaking his nose and rendering him unconscious. The sheriff said the rock would likely have been traveling at a speed of 100mph given the speeds of the opposing cars. Boyle County Sheriff Deputy Philip Dean rolled his cruiser three times after the rock smashed through his windshield, knocking him out, and causing him to lose control of his car His cruiser rolled three times after he lost control and came to a stop upside down with him still inside. Dean regained consciousness shortly after the crash and was able to call 911. He is now recovering at home with a broken nose and 'cuts and bruises'. On Sunday, the sheriff's office launched a hunt for the assailants who were driving a 'dark car' at the time. After receiving tips from the public and reviewing surveillance camera footage, they arrested the two 17-year-old boys whose names have not been released. Dean (pictured) escaped the wreckage with a broken nose and is 'lucky to be alive' Prosecutors will now decide whether to charge the pair as adults or juveniles. They were arrested for first-degree assault of a police officer, felony leaving the scene of a wreck and failing to render aid, and criminal mischief. 'He is lucky to be alive,' a Boyle County Sheriff's Office spokesman told DailyMail.com on Monday of the injured deputy. 'The rock hit him square in the face, broke his nose and knocked him unconscious. 'He ran through a few trees in his car and the vehicle rolled three times before he came to a stop,' they added. Sheriff Derek Robbins The Advocate Messenger in Kentucky that the boys did not mean to hurt anyone so seriously. 'I dont have any doubt that they didnt have any intent of causing a potentially deadly situation like that. 'But their actions created a situation where he very easily could have lost his life,' he said. 'The rock itself was big enough that if it had hit him in the right spot, it could have killed him. Not to mention the wreck after he flipped from getting hit. So hes lucky from a lot of different perspectives,' he added. The driver of the other vehicle that the teenagers damaged was not injured. A puppy that had acid thrown in her face in Iran has been given a new life in Canada and a change to have life-changing surgery. Mugsy was doused in a corrosive cleaner when she was around six weeks old, burning much of her face and causing her to lose an eye, most of an ear and her nose. Although her Iranian family loved her, they could not afford all the treatment that she would need, so they decided to put her down. But at a vet's office in Iran, a volunteer from Persian Paws Rescue and Loved At Last Dog Rescue intervened. Mugsy, a Maltese-Japanese spitz dog with her new owner Sam Taylor at their home in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada Full of life: At around six weeks old, Mugsy was doused in a corrosive acidic cleaner burning most of her face The attack left the puppy with much of her face burnt and it caused her to lose an eye, most of an ear and her nose She also offered to pay for the Maltese-Japanese spitz mix's eye removal, which was causing the dog the most pain and put her up for adoption. Then Sam Taylor from Burnaby, British Columbia, saw an advert on Loved At Last Dog Rescue for a dog with 'graphic injury'. Once she saw Mugsy on the website, she said she couldn't stop thinking about her. Mugsy, originally called Hapoochi in Iran, which means 'tiny puppy', was flown from Iran to Canada and now lives with her new adoptive owner, Sam. Sam said: 'She looks like Voldemort but has the heart of Harry Potter and his friends. Sam Taylor from Burnaby, British Columbia, saw an add on Loved At Last Dog Rescue website for a dog with 'graphic injury' Mugsy has a new lease off life after being taken to Canada for life-changing facial surgery Rescued: Sam Taylor decided to rehome dog Mugsy after reading about her tragic story online 'It [the online picture] was very, very graphic. I read her story and just and felt, "Oh I really want to help this dog". 'But now she's very spoiled. She gets squash and brown rice and sweet potato in her food. She's pretty well-loved.' Next month Mugsy will undergo the third surgery of her tiny life to repair the acid damage, to create nostril openings and use the tip of her ear to replace the melted bone and skin on the top of her nose. The dog will be temporarily blind as the ear is folded over her face and attached over her nose so a blood supply forms from the ear onto the nose. The next surgery will attach stents in place of nostrils and unfold the ear, with both operations expected to cost up to $7,000 CAD (4,005). United States federal agents dismantled a trafficking ring that was supplying weapons to criminal networks in Colombia. An indictment filed in a Miami court last Thursday named three men who are accused of conspiring to purchase firearms in South Florida. The weapons were then hidden inside air compressors before they were shipped to the South American nation, it is claimed. Federal authorities charged Francisco Joseph Arcila Ramirez, a Colombian national, and Gregory Fernando Ortega, both whom reside in Broward County, with linking up with a buyer who aided the pair. The weapons runners were able to get their hands on a cache that included pistols, semiautomatic rifles and other arms from official dealers in the South Florida-area. A United State-led investigation brought down a weapons trafficking ring accused of supplying criminal gangs in Colombia. An indictment charged three men with conspiring to purchase the weapons and hide them inside air compressors before they were shipped. The arms were purchased from a variety of legal gun dealers in South Florida, including Lou's Police Supply (pictured) Federal agents in Miami are working closely with their counterparts in Colombia to determine if the National Liberation Army [ELN] received any of the weapons that were shipped from South Florida. The ELN claimed responsibility for a suicide attack January 17 that killed 20 police cadets at an academy in Bogota. An ELN soldier is surrounded by other members of the guerrilla group in this file photograph The purchaser is not named in the court documents but James Smith is identified as the third defendant in the indictment. The three men were charged with unlawful firearms dealing. The story was first reported on by the Miami Herald. Federal authorities in Miami along with their counterparts in Colombia are investigating whether any of the weapons made it to the hands of the National Liberation Army [ELN]. The leftist guerrilla group claimed responsibility for the January 18 suicide bombing at the General Francisco de Paula Santander Cadets School in Bogota which left 21 dead, including 20 cadets. However, court documents don't name the ELN, which has been at odds with the Colombian government since 1964. It is recognized by the U.S. and the European Union as a terrorist organization. Investigators have yet been able to determine if the weapons purchased by the men played any role in the attack that also left 68 injured. The federal agents claim Arcila Ramirez and Ortega were able to purchase Glock, Draco and Zastava pistols at several Miami gun shops, including Lou's Police Supply, with Smith's assistance. Investigators in Bogota, Colombia comb the area following an attack at a police academy by the ELN, which killed 20 police cadets and also left 68 others injured Residents in Colombia speed by a building with graffiti referencing the ELN, a guerrilla group in the South American nation that has been fighting the government since 1964 (file image) Fully aware that they were being investigated in October, federal court documents indicate Ortega demanded silence from Smith before the latter started cooperating with federal government authorities. That same month, Colombian authorities arrested Arcila Ramirez's brother Alvaro Jay Arcila, and his wife, Ingrid Maldonado Perez, in Barranquilla, and discovered weapon parts and accessories. Ortega had a hunch that Arcila Ramirez would be captured by law enforcement officers in Florida, it is claimed. At one point, Ortega allegedly told Smith to remain quiet because there was no way the federal agents could trace the weapons since the serial numbers had been wiped out. Arcila Ramirez, who has legal residency in the United Sates, allegedly returned to his native country to spearhead the arrival of a firearms shipment he directed sometime in the fall. Ortega was set to be processed in court last Friday while Arcila Ramirez was due to be seen by a judge on Monday. Naheed Khan (pictured above) was last seen on May3, 2018 Police investigating the disappearance of a missing grandmother have launched a murder inquiry after she vanished just weeks before her daughter was due to give birth. Naheed Khan was last seen on May 3 2018 in Stockton-on-Tees and was reported missing by her family nine days later, on May 12. Police have now revealed that they believe the grandmother may have come to 'serious harm', as she has not been in touch with neither friends nor family, despite the birth of her first grandchild. At a press conference today which was also attended by Naheed's family, detective chief superintendent Jon Green of Cleveland Police said: 'She has not accessed her bank accounts, not used her mobile phone, and does not have a passport. 'Whilst there is no tangible evidence that a crime has been committed, there is nevertheless no proof of her being alive. In my professional judgement I believe she has come to serious harm. I have therefore formally classified the case as one of suspected murder.' Forensic officers are set to return to Naheed's property in Thornaby to conduct additional scientific investigations and plan to carry out over 300 house to house inquiries across Stockton and Middlesbrough. Earlier today two areas of land were also being searched, in relation to the investigation. Heartbroken Amber, Naheed's daughter, said: 'My mother is my best friend. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of her and imagine talking to her and telling her how much I love her. 'I gave birth to my daughter eight months ago and it still does not feel real that my own mother is not here and has not met her. 'My mother is funny, kind and beautiful. Amber also said that on the weekends leading up to her mother's disappearance, that the pair would binge watch Netflix together. Cleveland Police officers search a culvert next to the A174 (pictured above) in Teesside as part of their investigation into the murder of Naheed Khan 'We did everything together. She was there throughout all of my pregnancy until she went missing. She loved me very much and she would be besotted by her baby granddaughter. 'The most important person in my life has gone. I love and miss my mother more than words could ever describe and I hope people with information find it in their hearts to come forward and give assistance to the police.' Gazala Khan, Naheed's mother, said through tears: 'Naheed is loved beyond measure by us all. She is generous and kind. She would give you her last penny even if that left her with nothing. Police have launched a murder investigation after Naheed (pictured above) went missing in May 2018 'She has big brown eyes, amazingly shiny hair and a dazzling smile. 'She is quietly spoken with a shy demeanour. People often think she is much younger than she is as she possesses a girl like vulnerability.' Mrs Khan added that this behaviour was 'totally out of character' for her daughter and said she comes from a 'very supportive family, where the door is always open.' 'We are appealing for any information that can allow our family to gain closure on this matter. 'Somebody, somewhere must have some information that can pin point Naheed's last movements so we as a family can stop speculating over what we can only imagine is a tragic outcome. 'Naheed was a very important person to us. We feel she must be suffering terribly not to come home and our family has been left a wound that won't heal. 'As a family we are not seeking justice, just answers to find our lovely Naheed.' Detective Chief Superintendent Jon Green of Cleveland Police added: 'Naheed had links in Stockton, Middlesbrough and Thornaby. 'Naheed is Asian, of slim build and around 5ft 6' tall, with long, dark hair. 'I would specifically like to hear from anyone who knows Naheed who we have not yet spoken to, or people who we have spoken to who may have further information. 'I would urge them to end the suffering of Naheed's family and come forward or report to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 in complete confidence. 'Anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, should contact us on the non-emergency number 101 and tell us it is about Naheed.' A puppy that miraculously survived being euthanized has now found a forever home after the animal shelter was inundated with applications to adopt him. The seven to eight-month-old puppy named Rudolph was given a lethal injection at an overcrowded Oklahoma animal shelter earlier this month. Despite the injection, the Lab American Pitbull mix defied the odds and miraculously woke up soon after. The 7 to 8-month-old puppy named Rudolph was given a lethal injection at an overcrowded Oklahoma animal shelter earlier this month but miraculously survived The vet opted not to euthanize Rudolph again and his survival story quickly made headlines. Kings Harvest Pet Rescue, a no-kill shelter in Davenport, Iowa, asked if they could take Rudolph in until he could find a forever home. 'He's a miracle dog, absolutely,' shelter employee Kylie Jo Mitchell told WQAD. 'I've never heard of anything like this ever, this is a first. 'He was euthanized and when they returned to that room they came back and Rudolph was alive.' Mitchell said the adoption interest in Rudolph was overwhelming. Rudolph has since been taken in by this unidentified man who was among those to see his miraculous survival story Kings Harvest Pet Rescue, a no-kill shelter in Davenport, Iowa, shared details of Rudolph's survival with the hope of him being adopted Rudolph has since been taken in by an unidentified man. 'Rudolph is heading to his forever home. It was a tough decision with so many wonderful applications but Rudolph fell in love with this young man and the feeling was mutual,' the shelter said in a post. One man who was among those trying to adopt Rudolph was Jacob Hommer. Hommer and his family have been raising dogs to live with combat wounded veterans and Purple Heart recipients. He said he hoped Rudolph, with the right training, would be able to live with a veteran in Colorado. 'I said, 'Check this dog out and the incredible story,' and he was so moved by it and emotional that he was like 'I have to have this dog,' Hommer told WQAD. 'Having a dog, it's something to wake up and fight for and especially a lot of these vets they are struggling to find a reason to get up in the day.' (ANSA) - Rome, January 28 - Italy could pull its contingent from Afghanistan within a year, defence ministry sources said Monday. "(Defence) Minister (Elisabetta) Trenta has instructed the Interforce Operating Command (COI) to assess the start of planning to withdraw the Italian contingent in Afghanistan," they said. "The time frame could be 12 months," they said. The master at work: J.R.R. Tolkien is pictured in his study, around 1937, the year The Hobbit was published. In a letter from that same year, he confessed to a colleague he didn't 'much approve' of the work In a 1937 letter to an Oxford colleague, Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien confessed that he didn't much care for The Hobbit, one of his already popular works that was about to go into its second printing. He wrote: 'I don't much approve of The Hobbit myself, prefering my own mythology (which is just touched on) with its consistent nomenclature ... and organized history, to this rabble of Eddaic-named dwarves out of Voluspa, newfangled hobbits and gollums (invented in an idle hour) and Anglo-Saxon runes.' That manuscript letter is on display now at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City, where an exhibit on J.R.R. Tolkien, the author, artist and scholar opened on January 25. Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, which will run until May 12 is split into six sections, covering Tolkien's background, family, art and of course the writings he is most famous for: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. Dust jacket design for The Hobbit, from April 1937, illustrated with pencil, black ink, watercolor, complete with notes about improvements and developments. Associate curator John McQuillen said: 'The Hobbit was a side project, a story he told to his kids that was for them. It was only later that it finally was published. And The Lord of the Rings also is a publication demand. Its not anything he actually wanted to do. But The Silmarillion was always his heart.' Just as readers enter Middle-earth through a 'perfectly round door like a porthole' in The Hobbit, so visitors enter the Morgan's Tolkien exhibit through a circular entryway with an enlarged watercolor by Tolkien himself of 'Hobbiton-across-the-water' to greet them. The walls of the 117-item exhibit are brightly colored by section, with other magnified watercolors filling the walls, alongside their smaller, original versions, detailed maps, intricate doodles and drawings, manuscripts and family photographs. Around a corner from the main portion of the exhibit, in the section dedicated to The Hobbit, is Tolkien's letter to Geoffrey Selby where the author admits he doesn't care much for his children's book. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were complete side projects... It's not what he considered his most important thing - John McQuillen, Associate Curator of The Morgan Library's Printed Books and Bindings Department The Morgan Library purchased the letter in the mid-80s along with their first edition of The Hobbit, according to Associate Curator of the Printed Books and Bindings Department John McQuillen. 'For him, The Silmarillion, the history of the elves, was always the most important work,' McQuillen tells DailyMail.com. 'The Hobbit was a side project, a story he told to his kids that was for them. It was only later that it finally was published. And The Lord of the Rings also is a publication demand. It's not anything he actually wanted to do. 'But The Silmarillion was always his heart. The creation of the elvish languages, the history of the elves, it was always a major disappointment in his life that that was never published in his lifetime, because The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were complete side projects. So he's referring to that in this letter. He doesn't really care much for this work. It's not what he considered his most important thing.' Just as readers enter Middle-earth through a 'perfectly round door like a porthole' in The Hobbit, so visitors enter the Morgan's Tolkien exhibit through a circular entryway with an enlarged watercolor by Tolkien himself of 'Hobbiton-across-the-water' (above) to greet them. Tolkien's illustration of August 1937 is watercolor and ink Bilbo comes to the Huts of the Raft-elves: This July 1937, watercolor, pencil illustration is also on display at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City in what is the largest Tolkien collection assembled in the United States Conversation with Smaug: Tolkien was a prolific illustrator and this detailed ink and watercolor from July 1937 was the more detailed of images and sketches he created of the dragon Smaug. It did not appear in the first printing of The Hobbit because of cost constraints but it has been published extensively in later editions Tolkien's life and times John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa. His parents, Arthur Reuel Tolkien and Mabel Suffield, moved to South Africa in the 1890s in hopes of better job opportunities for his father, who was a banker. In February 1896, Arthur died, so Tolkiens mother took Tolkien and his younger brother Hilary back to England, just outside Birmingham. Mabel died from diabetes in 1904, leaving 12-year-old Tolkien and 10-year-old Hilary orphaned and in the care of first the parish Catholic priest, then their aunt and finally the boarding house of a Mrs. Faulkner. It was there that Tolkien met a young woman named Edith Bratt, also an orphan. When they met he was 16 and she 19 and their friendship quickly grew into something more, but he was forbidden by his priest to marry her until he had at least turned 21. He studied at Exeter College, Oxford starting in the fall of 1911 and at first studied Classics, though switched to English Language and Literature for his knack of linguistics and philology, the study of literary texts and written records. When the First World War broke out in 1914, Tolkien continued his undergraduate degree until he completed it in 1915, after which he enlisted as a second lieutenant. He was on active duty at the Somme until he developed a typus-like infection and was sent back to England. After the war ended, Tolkien got a job working on the Oxford English Dictionary, where he worked until he was appointed as an associate professor of English Language at the University of Leeds in 1920, where he worked on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In 1925 he applied to be a professor at Oxford and got the position. Though he didnt have many scholarly publications, the ones he did have were influential, particularly his work on Beowulf. Tolkien retired from Oxford in 1959. Tolkien and his wife Edith had four children: John Francis Reuel (1917), Michael Hilary Reuel (1920), Christopher Reuel (1924) and Priscilla (1929). Tolkien was also part of a group of friends known as The Inklings, alongside C.S. Lewis. Throughout his lifetime, starting with developing his own languages as a boy and writing poems as an undergraduate, Tolkien created and built Middle-earth, where his famous works The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954 and 1955) take place, though his preferred work was his Legendarium, the history of Middle-earth. Tolkien passed away in 1973, two years after his wife Edith died. The couple are buried in an Oxford suburb in the Catholic section of the Wolvercote cemetery, according to the Tolkien Society. Advertisement McQuillen curated the Tolkien exhibit at the Morgan Library, the largest Tolkien collection assembled in the United States, organized in partnership with the Bodleian Libraries of Oxford University, which displayed the exhibit in a larger format, with 200 objects, in Oxford last year. 'A lot of the material kind of focuses on his process of creation, how the stories sort of shifted while he was writing them,' McQuillen says. '[Tolkien's work] wasn't ever planned out from the beginning. His process of creation and writing was not having the end-goal in mind, but as he called it, more sort of discovery. Characters would come around a corner whom he hadn't met yet. 'It's a very different sort of authorial process than I think most How the stories developed, how characters changed as he wrote, I think will be interesting for a lot of people to understand and learn about.' Tolkien's letter to Selby is one of two pieces specific to the Morgan's exhibit that were not on show at the Bodleian. The other piece, from a private collection, is a seven-page letter from Tolkien to Naomi Mitchison, a children's author who was reviewing The Lord of the Rings before writing a blurb for the dust jacket. She had written to Tolkien asking him questions about the languages, history and people in The Fellowship of the Ring, so he wrote back with some of the information that would later go into the appendices of The Return of the King and the complete work. 'It's nice to sort of include that with all The Lord of the Rings material so you can see how he's thinking about the entire three volumes as one entire story and how the whole relates to the different parts,' McQuillen says. This is also the first time his letter to Mitchison has been put on display for the public, though the words of the letter have been included in collections of Tolkien's correspondences before. Though the Morgan's exhibit had to be made slightly smaller than the Bodleian's because of limited space, McQuillen says he didn't cut anything from the sections dedicated to The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings or The Silmarillion, because he 'knew those would be the most popular, where most of the interest was going to be'. What was more difficult was deciding how best to show the rest of who Tolkien was. McQuillen, whose background is in medieval studies, is a fan of Tolkien's academic work in Old English literature and Medieval English literature. However, he decided it was more important to paint a picture of Tolkien's background and familial influences instead of focusing on his academic successes. 'I think it's very important to know who he was, particularly [because] there's always so much speculation and talk that like, oh, you know, Mordor and Sauron are kind of like pulled out of his experiences during World War I and there's so much argued about biography in the story, even though Tolkien never really stated that it was, except that the Shire is sort of the English countryside where he grew up, that very idyllic, rural landscape. Mapping Middle-earth: The exhibit displays Tolkien's map he created and used for The Lord of the Rings. It is well-worn and folded, taped together in multiple places with a few spots where paper was taped over to correct something beneath. The map, the first of Lord of the Rings, was created in black, red, blue ink and pencil and colored pencil between around 1937 and 1949 'It's pieces of paper that are taped together into this sort of strange geometric puzzle, but you can see how sort of Middle-earth grew as Tolkien's story grew, as he sketches out the landscape,' says Associate Curator of the Printed Books and Bindings Department John McQuillen. 'He always said that he began the stories with a map because he needed to know the geography, the place of where the action was taking place. You don't just start writing with nothing.' 'Wanting to show the roots of where he came from still gives you a little sense of who the man was, what developed his love of nature when he was young. His love for Edith Bratt whom he married inspired the tale of Beren and Luthien in The Silmarillion and their great love. So there's so much of his personal life that's related to the stories and not a direct antecedent.' Some of the most touching items in the exhibit are in the Home and Family section, where letters and watercolors he made for his four children as Father Christmas are on display. 'It shows how completely involved he was in his children's lives,' McQuillen says. There is also a small ink drawing of an owl Tolkien made for his son Michael, who had been having nightmares about a large owl in his bedroom. According to the exhibit, Michael later said his father was 'both father and friend, 'a unique adult, the only 'grown-up' who appeared to take my childish comments and questions with complete seriousness.' Tolkien, pictured right in a studio photograph dated 1911, married Edith Bratt, pictured left in a studio portrait in 1906 aged 17, before she met her future husband. When they met he was 16 and she 19 and their friendship quickly grew into something more, but he was forbidden by his priest to marry her until he had at least turned 21 Some of the most touching items in the exhibit are in the Home and Family section, where letters and watercolors he made for his four children as Father Christmas are on display. The above painting is one such Father Christmas drawing of 'Me' and 'My House', dated 1920 Tolkien's drawing 'by Father Christmas' of the Aurora Borealis, dated December 1926 The exhibit also displays Tolkien's map he created and used for The Lord of the Rings. It is well-worn and folded, taped together in multiple places with a few spots where paper was taped over to correct something beneath. 'It's pieces of paper that are taped together into this sort of strange geometric puzzle, but you can see how sort of Middle-earth grew as Tolkien's story grew, as he sketches out the landscape,' McQuillen says. 'He always said that he began the stories with a map because he needed to know the geography, the place of where the action was taking place. You don't just start writing with nothing.' Another fascinating piece is a poem beside a watercolor from 1915, when Tolkien was an undergraduate, on display in the last section about The Silmarillion. 'It's sort of the first text about Middle-earth and drawing he really intentionally ever made. So it really is sort of the starting point for all of this early conception of the building of The Silmarillion,' McQuillen says. 'I just think it's so rare for an author and an artist you so rarely have [their] first thing. This is the moment of birth for all of this. And the fact that it's in a little notebook, the poem is on the left, the drawing is on the right. It's clear from the beginning for Tolkien that textual and visual production go hand in hand and are completely equal in the creation of Middle-earth. It's a nice little moment to see.' As the organizing curator of Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, McQuillen says he hopes people will come into the exhibit and learn more about who Tolkien was as a person and his artistic process. [It's] important to show everything, all of the work that went into his literary production and his life, being able to really showcase both sides of who he was a father, husband, author, artist, professor.' 'The show is a little bit more about the man and his process. It's not about the minutiae of plot points and what are the stories. It's the background and the creation of the stories.' A Tolkien Fantasy landscape watercolor from around 1915 Donald Trump dared former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to challenge him for the presidency on Monday morning after the businessman plainly stated his interest in becoming the nation's chief executive in an interview that aired the night prior. Trump seized on Schultz's acknowledgement on '60 Minutes' on Sunday that he's 'not the smartest person in the room' and has succeeded by surrounding himself with talented advisers. 'Howard Schultz doesnt have the guts to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the smartest person. Besides, America already has that!' Trump bragged. 'I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!' Donald Trump dared former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to challenge him for the presidency on Monday morning after the businessman plainly stated his interest in becoming the nation's chief executive Trump mentioned Starbucks' coffee shop in Trump Tower in New York City in the attack Schultz said Trump is not fit to be president and he's considering running as an independent in the 2020 presidential race in a sit down interview with 60 Minutes interview that aired on Sunday Schultz said in the latest episode of '60 Minutes' that he has a 'long history of recognizing, I'm not the smartest person in the room, that in order to make great decisions about complex problems, I have to recruit and attract people who are smarter than me and more experienced, more skilled, and we've got to create an understanding that we need a creative debate in the room to make these kind of decisions.' He also said that Trump, a billionaire and a former real estate mogul, is 'not qualified' to lead the country. Schultz said that if he runs, he would do it as an independent, even though one has never won the Oval Office. Schultz also said that if her ran that a 'complete separation' between himself and Starbucks would take place. 'I am seriously thinking of running for president. I will run as a centrist independent, outside of the two-party system we're living at a most-fragile time not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president,' he said, 'but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics.' President Trump has picked his moments this year as Democrat after Democrat has formalized exploratory committees and presidential campaigns. He ignored an announcement from Sen. Kamala Harris that she's seeking the Democratic nomination but hammered Schultz, a fellow businessman, on Monday morning on Twitter. Schultz stepped down as Starbucks' CEO in 2017. He is rated by Forbes as one of the richest Americans and had a net worth of $3.4 billion as of Monday. That means he is actually wealthier than President Trump, who has a real net worth of $3.1 billion. Trump's assets are in a revocable trust that he established before taking office to satisfy concerns about conflicts of interest pertaining to his businesses. He can take money out of the fund and knows what's in it, so that it is not functionally blind. He retains ownership of the company that operates the Trump Tower building in New York City from which Starbucks leases space. His tweet on Monday morning took aim at the company of which Schultz is still currently the chairman emeritus. Schultz revealed Sunday on '60 Minutes' that he's strongly considering a presidential run as an Independent and blames Democrats and Republicans alike for failing to address the nation's crippling debt. The 65-year-old billionaire who led Starbucks for 24 years says that the nation's 'greatest threat domestically' is its mounting debt in a summer interview. Schultz has been an outspoken critic on Trump's landmark tax legislation that slashed corporate tax rates. 'I would not have given a free ride to business, from 35 percent or 37 percent to 21 percent. It would've been more modest,' he said on '60 Minutes' on Sunday. Although he's yet to announce that he'll run for president, he's been dropping plenty of hints that he'll mount a presidential bid. Speaking to CNBC last June he said, 'President Trump has given license to the fact that someone who is not a politician could potentially run for the presidency.' Schultz is a life-long Democrat but is leaning toward running as an independent. He has criticized Democrats for proposals such as the single-payer health care and guaranteed income schemes, which he says are too left-wing. 'Every American deserves the right to have access to quality health care. But what the Democrats are proposing is something that is as false as the wall. And that is free health care for all, which the country cannot afford,' he told Scott Pelley in the interview on Sunday. Late last year, Schultz, began assembling a crack PR-team, including the campaign manager for John McCain's 2008 presidential run. The 65-year-old billionaire says if he does go for the presidency, it'll be as an Independent and has slammed Republicans and Democrats alike for failing to tackle the nation's $21trillion debt 'Not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary for the American people...' Schultz said in a preview of his 60 Minutes interview The businessman worth $3.3billion pictured above with wife Sheri Kersch Schultz He brought on board Steve Schmidt, a former vice chairman at public relations powerhouse Edelman, who previously managed the McCain's presidential campaign. The public relations and advisory team Schultz has brought on is a signal that he is seriously considering a run, despite the fact that he had not visited Iowa or New Hampshire, where other candidates are already campaigning. Democratic operatives, however, worry that if Schultz runs as an Independent it will only split anti-Trump votes and help Trump get re-elected, a The Atlantic reported. The idea's already proved unsettling to Democrats in his home state. 'I have two words for Howard Schultz on a potential run for president as an independent: Just. Don't,' Tina Podlodowski, chairwoman of the Washington Democratic Party said in a statement to the Seattle Times. Washington State Democrats urged Schultz not to get in the race over the weekend. It posed a picture of a Starbucks cup that said: 'Don't do it Howard!' The state is home to the Starbucks empire. It is headquartered in Seattle. Donald Trump made a bid to re-energize evangelical supporters on Monday by stating his support for 'Bible literacy' classes in U.S. public schools. The move comes at a fraught political moment for the president, as the White House is stinging from a lost battle over his long-promised border wall and some conservatives are doubting whether he can win the longer border war with Democrats. 'Numerous states introducing Bible Literacy classes, giving students the option of studying the Bible. Starting to make a turn back? Great!' the president tweeted. 'Fox & Friends' had aired a brief segment about the phenomenon a half-hour earlier, with Christian Broadcasting Network Chief Political Analyst David Brody delivering the Good News. President Donald Trump tweeted support for state legislators who want public schools to offer elective classes on 'Bible literacy' The president's message appeared to be a sop to evangelical votersas the 2020 campaign season is beginning to sputter to life President Trump famously held up his childhood Bible during a September 2016 speech at the Values Voter Summit in Washington The occasional church-going Trump had an unlikely relationship with Bible-belt Republicans during the 2016 campaign, outperforming Southern Baptists like Sens. Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham and nondenominational evangelicals Rick Perry and Scott Walker. His nominal relationship with pews and pulpits showed, despite holding his thumbworn childhood Bible aloft during a September 2015 Values Voter Summit speech. 'It brings back so many memories,' he said then of his Presbyterian upbringing. Four months later during an appearance at Liberty University, he botched the name of a New Testament book, drawing chuckles by calling it 'Two Corinthians.' 'Two Corinthians, 3:17, that's the whole ballgame, he said. "Where the spirit of the Lord, right? Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And here there is Liberty College, Liberty University. It's so true.' 'We are going to protect Christianity,' Trump declared that day, two weeks before the Iowa Caucuses. Christian Broadcasting Network political analyst David Brody spoke on Fox News about putting Bible literacy classes in schools, and Trump tweeted about it a half-hour later Evangelical leaders have long complained about the disapearance of God from public schools, a phenomenon that has fueled the growth of home-schooling. USA Today reported on Sunday that lawmakers in at least six states are pushing back, with bills that would nudge the study of both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament back into high schools. 'The Bible is an integral part of our society and deserves a place in the classroom,' Republican state Rep. Aaron McWilliams of North Dakota told the paper. The American Civil Liberties Union, which opposes official mentions of religion in public institutions, has identified Bible literacy bills this year in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia. Legislatures defeated similar measures last year in Alabama, Iowa and West Virginia. Tennessee passed a weaker version, and Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin signed a 'Bible studies' bill in 2018. That law gives schools guidelines for teaching the Bible as literature, but doesn't require it. Lets be blunt, Mr President: you lost. All your indignant huffing and puffing on Twitter cant change the cold, hard, undeniable fact that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi played you like a chump last week and forced you into a humiliating climb-down over the government shutdown. She kept saying she wasnt going to give you any money for your Wall, you kept saying you werent going to re-open the government unless she did and she won: you re-opened it with no Wall money. So stop with the phony protestations. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi played Trump like a chump last week and forced him into a humiliating climb-down over the government shutdown Trump said he wouldn't re-open the government unless she funded the wall but she won. Now even Fox News and Drudge say he lost When even ferocious media allies like Fox News hosts, the Drudge Report and Breitbart all say you took a drubbing, just admit you took a drubbing. Theres an important reason for doing this: youve only lost a battle, not the war. And if you play your next cards right, or should I say better, you can still end up with a big win for you, and America. But play them wrong again, and you risk betraying your base, making yourself an impotent slave to the Democrats, and getting an irreparable beating in the forthcoming 2020 election. Make no mistake - this is your defining moment in office since you won the White House. The Wall is your signature policy; it was the central plank of your entire 2016 election campaign, the thing you mentioned most, the thing that resonated strongest with your voters, and the thing, more than any other, that got you elected. You have to deliver on The Wall, or all your bold boasts about being a President who does what he promised will crash and burn. Already, conservative media pundit Ann Coulter, formally one of your biggest supporters, has lacerated you for what she says is a gutless surrender. Good news for George Herbert Walker Bush, she scathingly tweeted, when news of your climb-down broke. As of today, he is no longer the biggest wimp ever to serve as President of the United States. Ouch! The wall is Trump's signature policy. He must deliver or else all his boasts crash and burn. Even Ann Coulter has lacerated him over the gutless surrender Mike Cernovich, another hitherto hugely supportive right-wing personality, went even harder, saying: Trump is a broken man, its over for him. Wow. Youve proven yourself extraordinarily capable of surviving almost anything thrown at you, Donald, but to be perceived as a weak, broken wimp by your own fans is surely the worst possible slur for a President whose whole image is based around being a strong, tough, unbending leader? However, I dont think youre broken. Battered, yes. Bruised, definitely. But not broken. As Republican talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh rightly observed: Well just have to see what happens in the next three weeks. It may well turn out to be the 21 days that define your presidency. Right now, youre dangling over a cliff, clinging on for dear life, and Ms Pelosi is champing at the bit to trample on your fingers and make you fall into the political abyss. Your poll numbers have taken a massive hit in the past five weeks - as low as 37% - as many more Americans blamed you more than the Democrats for a 35-day shutdown that led to you winning absolutely nothing. Be under no illusion what the real narrative is here: you caved. Indeed, New York magazine revealed reporters have used the word cave so often about your actions that Merriam-Webster dictionary reported a 1500% increase in searches for the word! A second lengthy shutdown starting in three weeks would be even more disastrous for you especially if it ended in more failure. So the big question now is how do you avoid Nancy Pelosis high heels slicing into your cliff-dangling hands? You may not want to hear my answer, but its the right one. The best leaders understand the power of a carrot and stick strategy when it comes to getting what they want. You, as the whole world knows, want your Wall about which there is so much hypocrisy. There is already 700 miles of border fencing and security along the southern border, erected in the past 15 years with full support of most of your most vociferous Wall opponents. For all intents and purposes, its a wall. You just want to extend it, and make it even more secure. And the money youve asked for - $5.7 billion - is a relative pittance. But the political significance of getting the Wall funded is now enormous, and from the moment you lost control of the House in the mid-terms last November, you lost your real power to drive through that funding. Therefore, you have to give the Democrats something they badly want too, or you can kiss goodbye to the most famous and divisive election pledge in history and quite possibly your chances of re-election too. What the Democrats want in return is permanent legal status for those undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children known as Dreamers - and an eventual path to citizenship. You know how passionately Pelosi feels about this because she recently spent a staggering eight hours on the floor of the House talking about it. You also know that Pelosi is not as ideologically opposed to the Wall as she now claims to be. Indeed, shes on the record as saying: All of us agree that we need to have comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform. That can only begin with strong border control. We must have that. We must control our borders. So theres actually a relatively easy deal to be done if you can both park your bitter partisan enmity to one side and put Americas national interest first. Its not that contentious, even within your own party. Most Americans 87% in a CBS poll - support the idea of permanent legal status for Dreamers. And most Americans 76% of voters in a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll, including 63% of Republicans - support the idea of giving the Dreamers a path to full citizenship. In short most Americans have a heart about this issue. They dont like the idea of illegal immigrants pouring over the border into America, but nor do they like the idea of deporting or stigmatising people who were brought illegally into America as kids through no fault or choice of their own, and have made their homes and lives in the U.S. The vast majority of Americans (82%) also believe immigration has generally been a good and not bad thing for America. I believe that in YOUR heart, Mr President, you agree with most Americans. I dont believe you have any beef with legal immigrants youre married to one! - or with those who were brought illegally to the U.S. as children. I believe your beef is with those who still seek to enter America illegally, some of whom want to cause terrible harm to the country with drugs, terrorism or gang violence. Theres actually a relatively easy deal to be done if he can both bitter partisan enmity to one side and put Americas national interest first. I don't believe he has any beef with legal immigrants he's married to one! When you enforced a brutal child separation policy on the border last year, it was the lowest moment of your tenure. Now you have a chance to repair some of the damage of that heartless fiasco and do the right thing with a move that could be the highest moment of your tenure. You can do a deal that protects those undocumented immigrants already in the US who deserve protection, and that helps those Dreamers become fully-fledged Americans. And at the same time, a deal that protects all Americans, with enhanced security across a border that is still being illegally crossed way too often for nefarious reasons. Mr President, you once told me your life philosophy was this: Youve gotta win. Thats what its all about. Muhammad Ali used to talk and talk, but he won. If you talk and talk, but you lose, the act doesnt play. Ali didnt just win in the ring, but in peoples hearts and minds too. This is your chance to go from chump to champion. Save the Dreamers in exchange for The Wall. Florida nurse Grant Amato, 29, is behind bars three days after he allegedly killed his parents and older brother A Florida nurse is behind bars three days after he allegedly killed his parents and brother. Grant Amato, 29, has been charged with three counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the deaths of Chad Amato, 59, Margaret Amato, 61, and 31-year-old Cody Amato. The three victims were discovered in the home that Grant Amato shared with his parents in Chuluota. Cody Amato had lived in Orlando. Police discovered bodies in the garage, kitchen, and an office in the home on Friday morning. They had all suffered gunshot wounds. Several weapons were found at the property, but police say a number of them seemed to be missing. A motive for the gruesome triple homicide has not yet been released. Amato was arrested without incident around 1am on Monday. Grant has been charged with three counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the deaths of Chad Amato, 59, Margaret Amato, 61, (left) and Cody Amato, 31, (right) A motive for the gruesome triple homicide has not yet been released. Grant's brother Cody is circled in the middle, Grant is circled on the far-right He has been booked into the John E Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford and is being held without bond. Grant was initially named a person of interest in the case after his parents and brother's bodies were found on Friday morning. Police had been called to the home for a welfare check after one of the male victims failed to show up for work, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Authorities believe the family members were killed sometime between 10pm on Thursday and 7am on Friday. Several weapons were found at the property, but police say a number of them seemed to be missing. Grant is pictured GRant (pictured) was arrested without incident around 1am on Monday. He is being held without bond Authorities named Grant a person of interest in the case on Friday and released a photo of his white 1996 Honda Accord in the hope of tracking down the suspect There were no signs of forced entry, so investigators immediately believed the murderer was likely known to the victims. Grant had previously been arrested in June on a graft theft charge at AdventHealth Orlando, where he had worked as a nurse Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma publicly named Grant a person of interest in the case on Friday. He said Grant was armed and dangerous and released an image of his white 1996 Honda Accord leaving the area. Police located Grant at a hotel in Orange County on Saturday and he was taken into investigative detention. He was released on Sunday after cooperating with investigators, but was taken into custody on Monday after deputies obtained a warrant for his arrest. Grant had previously been arrested in June on a grand theft charge at AdventHealth Orlando, where he had worked as a nurse. Colleagues had accused Grant of stealing vials of Propfol, a powerful sedative. Authorities were summoned to the hospital on reports of a suicidal person, but after an examination Grant was deemed not to be a threat to himself. Grant admitted to stealing the drugs, claiming he administered them to patients who weren't 'adequately relaxed' by their prescribed medication. He was not prosecuted for the theft. Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has said Jeremy Corbyn appears to dislike Jewish people due to the weakness of his statements on the issue of anti-Semitism The former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey of Clifton has said Jeremy Corbyn gives the impression that 'he is, deep-down, somebody who doesn't like Jewish people'. The Labour leader has come in for repeated criticism for failing to deal with anti-Semitism in his party. Now, Lord Carey, who was the head of the Anglican church from 1991 to 2002, has added his voice to the many calling for Labour to get a grip on the issue. Lord Carey told i24News: 'The weakness of his statements can give the impression that he is, deep-down, somebody who doesn't like Jewish people. 'I hope he might say that's not the case, but I feel he's not giving clear leadership to his own party in condemning from within his own ranks people who speak out against Jewish people. 'I would encourage socialists and those in the Labour party to pay attention to what they say about racism and about the influence of Jews within their own party. I think socialism owes such a lot to Jewish thinkers anyway in the past.' The criticism comes at a difficult time for Mr Corbyn, with a poll of under-34-year-olds, a key group for Labour, showing only 23% approve of his Brexit strategy, with 37% disapproving. Yesterday's Holocaust Memorial Day was marked with growing fears about rising anti-Semitism in the UK. There were 1,414 anti-Semitic incidents in 2017, compared with 541 in 2008, according to Community Security Trust. Mr Corbyn has been criticised for failing to deal with elements within his party whose sympathy with Palestine have turned into virulent anti-Israeli feelings. Last year, Britain's three leading Jewish newspapers, which warned of the 'existential threat to Jewish life in this country that would be posed by a Corbyn government'. Mr Corbyn has previously apologised for hurt caused to Jewish people Mr Corbyn's attended at a Passover event hosted by the far-Left group Jewdas, which mocks Israel, in April last year. He was also criticised over his presence at a ceremony in Tunisia in 2014 that is said to have honoured the perpetrators of the 1972 Munich terror attack, when 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team were killed. The party leadership then caused controversy by initially refusing to adopt in full the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism. One of Mr Corbyn's closest allies, Emily Thornberry has insisted he does not have anti-Jewish feelings. She said: 'When people accused Jeremy of being an anti-Semite he was so upset, and as a result he has found it difficult to deal with the problem. 'He hasn't dealt with it properly but to call him anti-Semitic is wrong.' The 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings will be marked with a mass display culminating in a cross-channel flight and parachute landings. Commemorations of the greatest seaborne invasion in history to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation will also see events and activities at the IWM's three historic sites, HMS Belfast, Duxford and the Churchill War Rooms. A Second World War mass flight display will be staged from IWM Duxford, Cambridgeshire, with a cross-channel flight and parachute landing in Normandy on June 6, organised in partnership with Daks over Normandy. HMS Belfast leaving Scapa Flow for the Normandy beaches on June 1944 Ahead of the flight, Duxford will host the largest number of Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft, or Dakotas, in one location since the Second World War. On June 4 and 5, visitors will be able to see more than 30 Dakotas, aircraft synonymous with the D-Day landings, as well as mass parachute jumps and flight displays taking place at the museum in the 'Daks over Duxford' event. It is part of the activities planned to mark the events of D-Day, a highly secretive land, air and sea operation which was also known as Operation Overlord. By midnight on June 6 1944, 156,000 Allied troops had arrived in Normandy despite challenging weather conditions and a fierce German defence, beginning the fight through France towards Germany. It was one of the most significant victories by the Allies in the Second World War and began the process by which victory was achieved in 1945. Skytrains of the 437th Troop Carrier Group, lined up before a mission, bearing white invasion stripes As part of the commemorations, IWM will be marking the role that its historic sites played in D-Day, with HMS Belfast, now moored in the Thames, leading the allied fleet on June 6, and American fighter aircraft flying from Duxford. And the Churchill War Rooms under Whitehall, central London, were the nerve centre of strategic decision-making during the Second World War. John Brown, executive director commercial services and operations, Imperial War Museums said: 'Imperial War Museums marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings on an unprecedented scale this year, retelling this extraordinary story through our rich Second World War collection. A Bofors gun crew stand watch for enemy aircraft while Landing Ship Tanks are loaded at a south coast port in preparation for the invasion of Europe, June 1, 1944 'Visitors can discover the real land, air and sea story at our three historic branches, HMS Belfast, IWM Duxford and Churchill War Rooms, which experienced D-Day at first hand. 'Daks over Duxford will be a momentous occasion with over 30 Dakota aircraft based at our historic airfield for two days of immersive activities before they fly en masse to Normandy; a poignant moment for all who witness it.' Ian Kikuchi, senior curator historian from Imperial War Museums said: 'The largest amphibious landings in history, D-Day witnessed the culmination of years of planning and preparation. 'The job of carrying out those complex plans fell to the courageous men and women of the Allied armed forces, whose effort and sacrifice paved the way for the liberation of western Europe from Nazi occupation, and for the peace enjoyed there to this day.' A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander has threatened to destroy Israel if it attempts to wage a war on Iran. Brigadier General Hossein Salami, deputy head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said any attack by Israel on Iran 'will definitely lead to its own elimination'. Salami spoke out after Israel killed 11 people in bombing raids on what it believes were Iranian military bases inside Syria. Brigadier General Hossein Salami warned Israel that any attempt to start a war with Iran would 'definitely lead to its own elimination' (file image) Salami spoke out after Israeli airstrikes against Iranian bases in Syria killed 11 people. This image, released by Israel's Defense Forces, shows the location of the airstrikes The bombing raids were carried out on Monday after Israel said it was forced to intercept a missile fired at a ski resort its territory from Syria. Tehran has stationed forces in the war-torn country to support dictator Bashar al-Assad, but Israel fears its arch-enemy is using the war to establish a permanent military presence on its border. Salami, speaking on state-owned television, said: We announce that if Israel takes any action to wage a war against us, it will definitely lead to its own elimination and the freeing of occupied (Palestinian) territories.' His remarks came as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah also warned Israel over its attacks in Syria, saying it could drag the region into a war. Nasrallah told Al-Mayadeen TV that Iran, Syria and Hezbollah could 'at any moment' decide to deal differently with Israel's actions. Speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said: 'Be cautious. Don't continue what you are doing in Syria. Israel said the strikes came in response to a missile fired at its territory from Syria, which was intercepted over the Golan Heights (pictured) Israel's armed forces posted footage of the airstrikes (pictured). The raids were the deadliest Israeli strikes since last May, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 'Don't miscalculate and don't drag the region into a war or a major confrontation.' Iranian officials have previously said Tehran, which does not recognise Israel, would respond swiftly to any Israeli attack. Israel backed U.S. President Donald Trump's move to back out of the 2015 international deal on Iran's nuclear programme and welcomed Washington's reimposition of sanctions on the country. Israel sees Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes as a threat to its existence. Iran says its nuclear work is for peaceful purposes only. However, Trump's shock announcement that all 2,000 US troops in Syria would be coming home is thought to have caused fury in the Jewish state. Trump said he spoke with Netanyahu before making the announcement and assured him Israel would be taken care of. 'We are going to take great care of Israel. Israel is going to be good,' he said. 'We give Israel 4.5 billion a year. And we give frankly a lot more than that if you look at the books. Theyve been doing a good job.' Sick gangsters tried to hang a puppy with an electric cord after torturing it as part of an initiation ceremony. The pit bull cross, that was given the name Avery whilst in care, also had her eyes badly burned with an unknown chemical and was beaten to within an inch of her life as well as being spray painted. Avery was beaten so badly that her brain swelled, triggering seizures. She was found in this state by authorities in Los Angeles, California and rushed to an animal shelter. Sadly, the officials found another dog beside Avery that had died. Ellie Roberto, director of the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation who was called to recover the dog, told Local 10 News: 'She had clearly been beaten and spray painted and had a lot of injuries. Avery was found in this state by authorities in Los Angeles and rushed to an animal shelter 'The other dog, unfortunately, was not found alive.' Avery was taken to McGrath Veterinary Center but continued to have seizures before Brian McGrath, the veterinarian who treated her, was able to stop the swelling on her brain to alleviate the seizures. He said: 'When she came, she had an electrical cord around her neck that they were using to basically try and hang her. Sick gangsters tried to hang the puppy with an electric cord which is pictured around her neck 'So she has lacerations on her neck and some damage to her esophagus and throat.' The vet said that that Avery's main issue was a lack of oxygen to the brain as a result of attempts to strangle her. 'To know a person could do that to an animal is obviously disheartening to the entire human race,' the vet added. Avery was taken to McGrath Veterinary Center, where she now trusts her carers Avery was suffering from a series of other conditions and injuries as a result of her ill-treatment. She had holes in her paws and open sores on her body and was also suffering from weight loss and mange, hair loss caused by mites. Marc Ching, founder of the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation said he believes the puppy was attacked as part of a gang initiation. Avery is being cared for by the organisation now and she is beginning to trust her carers. When her hair grows back she will be put up for adoption. The foundation is taking donations here. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dialed in to a Sundance screening of a documentary about her fight to get into office on Sunday after having her plans to attend the exclusive film festival scuppered by 'complications' from the government shutdown and it reopening. The New York congresswoman tuned in at the end of the screening of Knock the House Down to participate in a Q&A with the audience in Utah after watching it at the same time via satellite from her district. The film follows Ocasio-Cortez, 29, and three other female candidates throughout their 2018 midterm campaigns. None of the other three subjects - Paula Jean Swearingen of West Virginia, Cori Bush of Missouri and Amy Vilela of Nevada - were elected. They all attended the screening and stood on stage as Ocasio-Cortez beamed at the audience from the projector behind them. Alexandria Ocasio-Ortez Skyped in to a Sundance screening of a documentary about her run for office on Sunday after tweeting that the government shutdown had made it impossible for her to attend in person The congresswoman tweeted on Saturday, after the plan to reopen the government for three weeks had been announced, that she could not go in person to the screening because of 'complications from the shutdown' She had planned to attend the screening in person but announced on Saturday, after the president announced the government would reopen for three weeks, that she could not be there. It is not clear if Ocasio-Cortez, who prepared for office with 'self-care', would have gone if the government remained closed. She was the only House Democrat to vote against a bill to reopen the government last week because it allocated money to ICE. Speaking at the screening on Sunday, she said: 'I'm just so glad that this moment for the four of us was captured and documented. 'Yes this is incredibly challenging, yes the odds are long but yes it is worth it.' She added that the film demonstrated how 'each and every person who submits themselves to run for office is doing a great service for this country' and encouraged the sold-out audience to stand behind anyone who puts themselves forward in the future. 'This is not just about the President of the United States. He could be gone tomorrow and that will not change the systemic injustices that led to his election. 'It's important that we continue to be all hands on deck in this fight. We are so early on. We can do 2018 again, better, in 2020. The audience cheered as Ocasio-Cortez spoke about the 'emotional' film and her public service Screenings for the film, Knock Down the House, were sold out over the weekend The three other female candidates, Paula Jean Swearingen of West Virginia (left) Cori Bush of Missouri (right) and Amy Vilela of Nevada (second right) attended. None of them won their elections. They are pictured with the film's director Rachel Lears The documentary followed the women as they campaigned for the House in their districts 'So when someone tells you they're going to run for office,believe in them early, don't dismiss them and know that when we all participate and when we all know what we have to give and we choose to give it, our nation will be better. 'We have no other choice,' she said. The audience responded to her surprise appearance with elation. Many cheered when she spoke and others excitedly took to Twitter to gush over her remarks. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted again on Sunday night after making her appearance to encourage followers to run for office 'I sat in the theater with tears streaming down my face hearing AOC talk about visiting the Capitol Bldg with her dad when she was 5. 'Then she skyped into the Q&A & the audience cheered,' one person said. 'AOL you made all of us cry! Thanks for the love and inspiration you dropped on us at all the way from DC. We love and miss you!' 'Tears of joy, pride and hope seeing the world premiere of KnockTheHouseDown at joined in, and reminded us all that this notion of "viability limits the field. Support the people you want to see representing our country early. They *can* win, and do,' another tweeted. Ocasio-Cortez has been slammed in recent weeks for her extreme remarks on climate change which she says will end the world 'in 12 years' and for suggesting that the richest people in America should be slapped with a 70 percent tax rate. She was also lambasted by conservatives for wearing a $3,000 outfit for a photo-shoot set on a construction site where she posed with workers afterwards. (ANSA) - Reggio Emilia, January 28 - Carabinieri police from the northern city of Reggio Emilia on Monday arrested four people accused of exploiting asylum seekers for security at concerts, sources said. The suspects allegedly used underpaid, unprepared asylum seekers who had only just landed in Italy after crossing the Mediterranean from Libya to work as bouncers as big gigs, include shows by the Rolling Stones, Depeche Mode and Vasco Rossi, with the help of falsified documentation. A man has been rescued after jumping onto the path of an oncoming train during a drunken stupor at a station in south-west China. Shocking surveillance footage shows the 46-year-old man, surnamed Zheng, storming past the barriers and leaping onto the train tracks after dropping his suitcase and backpack on the platform. Three staff members at the Jining Railway Station in Sandong province immediately jumped onto the tracks and successfully pulled the man to safety, with a train pulling in seconds later. Shocking footage shows the 46-year-old man, surnamed Zheng, storming past the barriers and leaping onto the train tracks after dropping his suitcase and backpack on the platform Three staff members at the Jining Railway Station in Sandong province immediately jumped onto the tracks and successfully pulled the man to safety, with a train pulling in seconds later The rescue process during the incident on Friday took only 16 seconds, according to the Jining Municipal People's Government Press Office in a statement on Sunday, praising the swift actions of the employees. The man, who was about to take the Shanghai-bound K1014 train at the station, had too much to drink and 'couldn't control his actions,' according to Peninsula Metropolis Network. The man, who is from Henan province, has been arrested for disrupting public order amid police investigations, the report added. Chen Yue, Party Branch Secretary of Jining Railway Station, told reporters that the man's actions had endangered the lives of more than 1,000 passengers on the train. The rescue process during the incident on Friday took only 16 seconds, according to the Jining Municipal People's Government Press Office in a statement The man (in red jacket) has been arrested for disrupting public order amid investigations 'It's normal to have some alcohol intake during the festive period, but members of the public should drink responsibly so that they don't create trouble for themselves and those around them.' The Spring Festival travel rush, also known in Chinese as 'chunyin', kicked off last Monday, 15 days ahead of the Lunar New Year, which falls on February 5 this year. The epic holiday rush, where hundreds of millions of Chinese cram into trains, buses, planes and boats, is the world's largest annual human migration. Nearly three billion trips are expected to be completed between Jan 21 and March 1 this year, an increase of 0.6 per cent from last year, according to China Daily. China's railway network will handle an anticipated 413 million passengers, an eight per cent jump from last year. A police officer was given permission to move 260 miles away and start his own dog training business while off sick and on full pay for two and a half years. PC Gary Parkinson was encouraged by Greater Manchester Police to find a new occupation while their occupational health department considered his medical retirement. He was suffering from a spinal injury and depression but was able to start a business on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon in which he trained personal protection dogs. PC Gary Parkinson was encouraged by Greater Manchester Police (pictured) to find a new occupation while their occupational health department considered his medical retirement His work involved him handling very large dogs, including a ten and a half stone Italian mastiff called Boss, and led to him being hospitalised on two occasions with bites. The 37-year-old constable went off sick in mid 2016 and remains on full pay as part of the Greater Manchesters workforce, even though he has not performed any duties for around two and a half years. PC Parkinson, who has a degree in sport and exercise science, has been in the force for 15 years and would have been on at least 30,000 a year. He suffered a broken neck in 2009 and was then consigned to desk duties. He became depressed as a result of not being able to carry on in front line policing and was off sick since a suicide attempt in 2016 until at least last month. New figures have been released which show that police paid 13 million to officers who were off sick between 2013 and 2018. His unusual employment situation came to light when he was prosecuted in Devon force area over allegation of domestic abuse against his 21-year-old girlfriend. PC Parkinson was cleared of four counts of assault and one of controlling behaviour by a jury at Exeter Crown Court after he denied ever being violent during his 14-month relationship. He met Charlotte Bell in late 2015 when he was on desk duties in the intelligence office of West Finsbury police station in Manchester, where she was a civilian worker. Their relationship started in April 2016 at around the same time as he went off sick. He was recently divorced and they lived together in the former marital home in Cheshire until December, when they moved to Devon. She transferred to a similar civilian job at Devon and Cornwall police headquarters and after living with his parents in Crediton for a few weeks, they moved to a farmhouse at Higher Cullaford near Okehampton. In the meantime, he had attended, with the approval of the GMP, a course in Leeds on how to train personal protection dogs. They set up kennels on land near their home where he trained personal protection dogs and she helped him when she was not at work. His unusual employment situation came to light when he was prosecuted in Devon force area over allegation of domestic abuse against his 21-year-old girlfriend. He was cleared at Exeter Crown Court They split up in July 2017 after she alleged the assaults but he started a relationship with another woman, with whom he now runs kennels and breeds dogs. Parkinson told the jury in his trial: I broke a vertebra in an incident in 2009 and was able to return to work on restricted duties. In reality I was no longer a policeman, it was office-based administrative work. I was getting worse, physically, I had a broken neck and had sheared a bone through my spinal cord. I was not able to continue light duties and became unable to attend work. I hated it. I have been interested in dogs all my life and if I had not been injured, I would have liked to become a police dog handler. When I was unlikely to be able to return to work, my plan for an alternative career was to train and breed dogs. I train Cane Corso Italian mastiffs and Dutch herders and we breed pugs and French bulldogs. The biggest dog is 67 kilograms and is stronger than four men. I remain on full pay until I am medically discharged when my pay will end and I will receive a lump sum and a pension for the rest of my life. He said that after starting the kennels he continued to attend occupational therapy appointments in Manchester, who knew about his venture and approved it. He has since moved away from Devon to be with a new partner, but continues to breed and train dogs. Greater Manchester Police have not replied to requests for a comment. Two supermarket owners have avoided jail after a four-year-old boy was electrocuted by a faulty till. The young victim, identified by his first name Jonathan, was helping his father while shopping at the Adese Supermarket in Hamburg, Germany, when the incident happened. As they were standing in the checkout queue, the boy collapsed. The 44-year-old supermarket co-owner pictured in court during the case relating to the death of a four-year-old boy The other shop owner, a 48-year-old woman, attends the courtroom in Hamburg, Germany The distraught father told police that the boy helped him put the shopping on the belt and the minute after he was being told that he was dead. A police investigation confirmed that Jonathan died from an electric shock at the check out. The boy's father said: 'Suddenly, he was clinging to the opened cash register. The entrance of the Adese Supermarket in Hamburg, Germany, where the accident took place in May 2016 As Jonathan was helping his father while shopping at the supermarket, he got an electrical shock due to a faulty till and died According to reports, work carried on the till had left electrical wiring in contact with some metal parts, which gave Jonathan an electrical shock when he accidentally touched it 'His eyes were wide open, he did not utter a sound. 'I tried to grab my son, but I also got a strong shock.' Reports said work carried on the till had left electrical wiring in contact with some metal parts which electrocuted the boy when he touched it. The supermarket owners, a 48-year-old woman and her 44-year-old brother, were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter through negligence by a court in Hamburg. Relatives put flowers, candles and a crucifix at the entrance of the court building to commemorate the old victim who was electrocuted by a faulty till in a German supermarket They received a suspended sentence of 10 months and walked out of the court free. The prosecutor requested a probation period of one year, while the defendant's lawyer called for a full acquittal. According to the judge, the Turkish-German siblings violated monitoring and inspection duties which led to the death of the boy on May 31, 2016. After Jonathan's death, a woman came forward to say she had got an electric shock from the till as well. The judge said that 'no judgment or punishment could ease the parent's pain'. Jonathan's aunt Makbule B, pictured, said that for her it is important that such a thing will never happen again Jonathan's father attended the courtroom during the case, while their lawyer said the boy's mother did not attend as it was too stressful for her. The young victim's aunt Makbule B. said: 'For me it is important that such a thing would never happen again.' It is unclear if the family plan to appeal the ruling. A tiny boat carrying 11 migrants across the Mediterranean narrowly avoided being crushed by a cargo ship after the larger vessel changed course at the last moment. The migrants were saved after their stricken boat, which was sinking into the ocean, was spotted by a Spanish Civil Guard helicopter in the Strait of Gibraltar last week. The helicopter pilot noticed a nearby container ship was on a collision course with the tiny boat, and used its lights to send a signal to the captain to steer clear. A boat carrying 11 migrants (top left) was found sinking into the ocean in the Strait of Gibraltar last week, while a cargo ship was on a collision course with it Helicopter crew had initially tried to reach the 1,000ft vessel over the radio, but received no response. Fearing the worst, they flew close to the bridge of the vessel and used their lights to warn the captain of the danger. The helicopter then returned to circle the migrant boat until help arrived. Video taken from the air shows how the container ship passed perilously close to the migrants, causing waves to batter their boat in the process. Fortunately the vessel stayed afloat and Civil Guard boats were able to pluck the migrants to safety, before taking them to the Port of Algeciras. A Spanish Civil Guard helicopter noticed the migrants (bottom right) and used its lights to signal to the captain of the cargo vessel to change course After the cargo vessel passed by the migrant boat (top right) rescue vessels were able to pluck the stranded people from the water before taking them to the Port of Algeciras So far this year, 204 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean according to website Missing Migrants. Fifty nine of those deaths came in the Strait of Gibraltar as migrants tried to cross into Spain, two more came off the coast of Greece, while 143 died trying to sail from Libya to Italy. Of the 59 who have died trying to reach Spain, 53 of them perished in the last week. The majority of the migrants originate in sub-Saharan Africa and are fleeing poverty, war, violence and oppression in their home countries. Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards, pictured playing in October 1994 Rock star Richey Edwards could still be alive despite conclusions that he killed himself, it has been claimed. The Manic Street Preachers guitarist is thought to have died by jumping off the Severn Bridge in Bristol in February 1995 aged 27 after he disappeared and his car was found nearby two weeks later. But there have been dozens of 'sightings' over the past 24 years across the world, and a new book claims he was obsessed with the 'perfect disappearance'. Withdrawn Traces co-authors Sara Hawys Roberts and Leon Noakes have spoken to the guitarist's close friends - including his younger sister Rachel, who believes he is still alive, and examined his old diaries and school books. Friends revealed his favourite film was Eddie And The Cruisers, a 1983 release starring Tom Berenger and Michael Pare about claims that a rock band's long-lost leader could still be alive. Edwards is also said to have enjoyed The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin, the 1970s BBC TV sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter as Reggie, who faked his own death. (From left) Sean Moore, Richey Edwards, Nicky Wire, James Dean Bradfield at Reading in 1992 Rachel Elias (left, pictured outside Parliament in 2011) is the sister of Edwards (right, in 1994) (From left) Band members Bradfield, Edwards, Wire and Moore, pictured in London in 1993 Ms Roberts told The Sun : 'Knowing how intelligent he was, if anybody was going to stage a disappearance he would certainly be the person who would have been more than capable. 'As the band themselves have said, Richard was very adept at dramatic symbolism. He used to think a lot about the books he would read, the things he would say, what he'd give out in interviews. 'With all the books and all the different things he'd left and all the things he had spoken about before going missing, there were symbolic things in there that would lead you to think, 'Oh, yeah, he did plan his disappearance'.' In February last year, his family told how new evidence had revealed they had spent 23 years appealing for information about the wrong times over his disappearance. (From left) Bradfield, Edwards, Wire and Moore outside Buckingham Palace in London in 1991 Edwards is said to have enjoyed The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin, the 1970s BBC TV sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter as Reggie (pictured), who faked his own death (From left) Bradfield, Wire and Moore of the Manic Street Preachers, Dublin in September 2013 In their search for answers, Edwards's family spent more than two decades believing the rocker crossed the Severn Bridge at 2.55pm on February 1, 1995. The theories over what happened to Richey Edwards of The Manics Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards disappeared on February 1, 1995, the day he was due to jet off to the US on a promotional tour. To this day his disappearance remains a mystery, although it is widely believed that Edwards jumped from the Severn Bridge to his death. But, in the years since he vanished, there have been reported sightings of the musician around the world. Fans claim to have seen him in India, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, though no sighting has ever been verified. One of the alleged sightings was from college lecturer Vyvyan Morris, who was holidaying in Goa when he claimed to have spotted Edwards in a hippie market. Mr Morris said the guitarist was going by the name of 'Rick' when he spoke to him at the end of 1996 - nearly two years after he disappeared. And fans claimed to have seen him in a bar on the Canary Islands in 1998. Several customers at the Underground pub said they recognised Edwards but he sprinted out when confronted. Speaking at the time, barmaid Tracey Jones said: 'One of the customers suddenly shouted, 'You're Richey from the Manic Street Preachers'. He just started to run towards the door and within seconds he had gone. We were sure it was just like Richey.' Advertisement The Metropolitan Police told the family that he had checked out of a London hotel at 7am and driven across the Severn Bridge later that afternoon. But new evidence suggested he crossed the bridge at 2.55am - leaving a 12-hour gap in information - but it is unclear if this was 12 hours earlier or later than thought. In 2008, his parents Graham and Sherry Edwards - who have both since died - were granted a court order for their son to be presumed dead. The move was said to have been 'hugely emotional' for the other three band members - James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore - who still dedicate songs to Edwards hoping he might one day return. In 1997, a college lecturer claimed to have seen Edwards getting on a bus in the hippy resort of Goa, India. The following year, a barmaid in the Canary Islands told how one customer had run for the door after being told: 'You're Richey from the Manic Street Preachers.' Because Edwards died without leaving a will, and had no spouse or children, his estate of 455,990, reduced after death duties to 377,548, was inherited by his parents. Edwards spent much of his adult life suffering from depression, anorexia and bouts of self-mutilation. In 1991, he used a razor to carve '4Real' on to his arm in front of a journalist - an attempt to prove his artistic convictions. But friends insisted he was not the type to contemplate suicide. And in 1994, he was quoted as saying: 'In terms of the S word, that does not enter my mind.' For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details In sickness and in health, that was Chinese man Zhang Jiafeng's promise to his girlfriend, and he kept it. Jiafeng's girlfriend, Zhang Xiaoyu, went into a vegetative state after failed brain surgery. Devoted Jiafeng, who had dated Xiaoyu for a year, refused to leave his girlfriend behind. He took care of her in hospital day and night - even after doctors said she had little chance of regaining consciousness. Zhang Jiafeng looked after his girlfriend Zhang Xiaoyu for two years when she was in a vegetative state. He massaged her every day and fed her food using a syringe (pictured) The couple got married three years after Xiaoyu gained conscious and was able to walk They now lead a happy life in their hometown Bengbu and own a hot pot restaurant One day two years later, Xiaoyu showed signs of consciousness, and the first thing she said was her boyfriend's name. The couple got engaged two years later and are now living a happy, married life in their hometown in eastern China. The incredible story took place between 2008 and 2010 in the city of Bengbu in Anhui Province. But it only became known to the public last year when Jiafeng was awarded by the Chinese authority for his dedication towards his partner. According to Chinese media, Jiafeng and Xiaoyu were classmates in middle school and the two fell in love in 2007 when they were both 19 years old. Jiafeng took Xiaoyu to have a set of glamour photos (one featured in the picture) taken in 2010 after she gained conscious and largely recovered. They got married two years later A decade later, Jiafeng still does whatever he could to look after Xiaoyu. He opened a restaurant so they could have steady income. He is pictured washing Xiaoyu's feet On one fateful day in 2008, 20-year-old Xiaoyu suddenly collapsed and was rushed to hospital. She was diagnosed with hydrocephalus - a build-up of fluid in the brain - and needed emergency surgery. Unfortunately, the operation failed, leaving 20-year-old Xiaoyu in a vegetative state, according to reports. Xiaoyu's family and her boyfriend were devastated. But instead of breaking up with her, Jiafeng insisted he stay to take care of Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu's mother, Zhu Jianmei, was reluctant to let Jiafeng shoulder the task at first and suggested Jiafeng should find a new girlfriend. Speaking to reporters, Ms Zhu explained: 'His family are from rural China and his parents had sacrificed a lot to nurture him to be a university graduate. 'In addition, on what grounds could we allow him to stay (and look after Zhang Xiaoyu)?' Xiaoyu went into a vegetative state after failed brain surgery to treat her hydrocephalus Xiaoyu's mother Zhu Jianmei (pictured) said she was reluctant to allow Jiafeng to stay and nurse Xiaoyu at the beginning. She told Jiafeng it was not possible for them to keep 'dating' Jiafeng brought Xiaoyu to seek medical advice in larger cities so she could learn to walk again. Xiaoyu is seen in a childhood picture on the left (in purple) and practising walking on the right But Jiafeng refused resolutely. He said he had chosen to be with Xiaoyu, therefore he would not give up so easily. He gained the permission to accompany Xiaoyu after kneeling in front of Xiaoyu's mother to show his sincerity and determination. Jiafeng told Chinese media: 'When I was accompanying her, I had faith that she would come to one day in the future.' Jiafeng quit his job to be a full-time carer for Xiaoyu. He gave her a full-body massage every day and fed her liquid food using a large syringe. Xiaoyu's mother said she was grateful to Jiafeng after her daughter largely recovered. Jiafeng hopes to run his business better in 2019 in order to take good care of his wife. Jiafeng opened a restaurant in their hometown after they got married, so he could have steady income Xiaoyu, who is still recovering, also helps out in the restaurant as much as she can Day in day out, Jiafeng stayed by Xiaoyu's side without a single complaint. The man said one day two years later, Xiaoyu suddenly looked like she wanted to talk. 'Afterwards, she called my name. I felt so relieved - like the sun had come out after a storm and a heavy stone had dropped from my chest,' Jiafeng explained. After Xiaoyu gained consciousness, Jiafeng and her family members brought her to seek medical advice in larger cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, so she could recover and walk again. The couple got engaged in 2011 and married in 2012. Jiafeng opened a restaurant in their hometown, so he could have steady income while caring for his wife as much as possible. In a latest interview this month, the couple wished readers a happy Chinese New Year A decade later, Xiaoyu, now 30, is still recovering. She cannot walk farther than 10 metres and needs medication daily. Jiafeng is still by her side whenever she needs. In a latest interview this month, the loving husband told Pear Video: 'In 2019, I wish to work better and harder. 'I wish to look after my business in order to take better care of her. ' Jiafeng said Xiaoyu would still need an operation on her arm, and he would try his best to earn money to afford that. The couple's biggest wish is to be able to have a baby one day. Around 300 people still missing after a dam collapse in Brazil last week are now feared dead as rescuers warned Sunday they are 'unlikely to be alive'. So far 58 people have been officially confirmed to have died in the disaster which took place when a dam collapsed on Friday last week near the Brazilian city of Brumadinho. Rescuers said on Sunday evening there was 'very low hope' that those still missing will now be found alive. 'After 48 hours of work, the chance of finding [someone] alive is very low,' Col Eduardo Angelo, who is leading the search operation, told relatives of the missing. Aerial view of rail bridge taken down by a mudslide after the dam collapse near the Brazilian city of Brumadinho on Friday Nearly 300 people are still missing, with the list of those unaccounted for being constantly updated. Most of those lost are presumed dead, officials said A group of firefighters pulls out a body during the search and rescue efforts on Sunday morning '[But] we're working with the possibility that we'll find people alive.' Rescue operations were suspended for 10 hours on Sunday amid fears a second damn could collapse in the area causing mud slides similar to the initial incident. An estimated 24,000 people were told to get to higher ground because of the danger, but by afternoon civil engineers said the second dam was no longer at risk. Friday's collapse buried mine buildings and surrounding neighborhoods with iron ore waste and has left around 300 workers unaccounted for. In an ominous sign, nobody was recovered alive Sunday, a stark difference from the first two days of the disaster, when helicopters were whisking people from the mud. Firefighters could be seen carefully moving over treacherous mud, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling, in search of survivors yesterday. Members of rescue team carry a body recovered from beneath the mud after a landslide following the dam collapse The slow speed of search efforts was due to the treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out when the mine dam breached Friday afternoon. It is up 24 feet (8 meters) deep in some places, and to avoid the danger of sinking and drowning searchers had to carefully walk around the edges or slowly crawl out onto the muck. Areas of water-soaked mud appeared to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable. Brazilian searchers got reinforcements late Sunday, when more than 100 Israeli soldiers and other personnel arrived with plans to join recovery efforts. Throughout the weekend, there was mounting anger at the giant Vale mining company, which operated the mine, and questions rose about an apparent lack of an alarm system Friday. In an email, Vale told The Associated Press that the area has eight sirens, but 'the speed in which the event happened made sounding an alarm impossible' when the dam burst. People in Brumadinho desperately awaited word on their loved ones. Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais state, said that by now most recovery efforts would entail pulling out bodies. The Folia de S.Paulo newspaper reported Saturday that the dam's mining complex was issued an expedited license to expand in December due to 'decreased risk' State fire department spokesman Pedro Aihara initially said 24,000 people would need to be evacuated, but later revised the number down to 3,000 The flow of waste reached the nearby community of Vila Ferteco and an occupied Vale administrative office. It buried buildings to their rooftops and an extensive field of the mud cut off roads. Some residents barely escaped with their lives. 'I saw all the mud coming down the hill, snapping the trees as it descended. It was a tremendous noise,' said a tearful Simone Pedrosa, from the neighborhood of Parque Cachoeira, 5 miles (8 kilometers) from where the dam collapsed. 'I don't think he is alive,' Joao Bosco said of his cousin Jorge Luis Ferreira, who worked for Vale. 'Right now, I can only hope for a miracle.' The carpet of mining waste also raised fears of widespread environmental contamination and degradation. According to Vale's website, the waste is composed mostly of sand and is non-toxic. However, a U.N. report found that the waste from a similar disaster in 2015 'contained high levels of toxic heavy metals.' Over the weekend, courts froze about $3 billion from Vale assets for state emergency services and told the company to report on how they would help the victims. Fears about another dam burst in Brumadinho triggered evacuation sirens in the town before dawn, but by afternoon officials said there was no risk and the evacuation was called off Aerial view of a rail bridge taken down by a mudslide after the collapseof a dam at an iron-ore mine belonging to Brazil's giant mining company Vale Neither the company nor authorities had reported why the dam failed, but Attorney General Raquel Dodge promised to investigate. 'Someone is definitely at fault, she said.' Dodge noted there are 600 mines in Minas Gerais alone that are classified as being at risk of rupture. Another dam administered by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton collapsed in 2015 in the city of Mariana in Minas Gerais, resulting in 19 deaths and forcing hundreds from their homes. Considered the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history, that disaster left 250,000 people without drinking water and killed thousands of fish. An estimated 60 million cubic meters of waste flooded nearby rivers and eventually flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Environmental groups and activists said the latest spill underscored the lack of environmental regulation in Brazil, and many promised to fight any further deregulation. Marina Silva, a former environmental minister and presidential candidate, toured the area Sunday. She said Congress should bear part of the blame for not toughening regulations and enforcement. 'All the warnings have been given. We are repeating history with this tragedy,' she told the AP. 'Brazil can't become a specialist in rescuing victims and consoling widows. Measures need to be taken to avoid prevent this from happening again.' Firefighters help a cow get out of the mud during the search and rescue work of the victims of the horrific dam burst Hundreds of farms have been pinponted on the map Militant vegans have pledged to expose the dirty business of dairy farmers as they publish the names and addresses of farmers in England and Wales. The map has been published listing the details of dairy farmers just days after a similar stunt by Animal rights group Aussie Farms in Australia. The interactive satellite map of 6,000 farms down under has caused nationwide fury. In the UK, Project Calf has now done the same, urging vegans to document, protest and expose the actions of dairy farmers as they call for the end of meat eating in the UK. The activists who said 24 male calves are killed every hour are asking people to obtain footage and confront farmers using public footpaths through farms. The map shows the locations of hundreds of farms and names their owners. However, farmers fear protests will be disruptive while their supporters said the action will destroy people's livelihood. Commenting on the map, one woman said the vegan plot was absolutely scandalous. Sally Reedman whose farm is listed said she plans to give any visitors a tour so they can get industry facts. She said: Its absolutely disgusting- the website is full of incorrect facts too. Our oldest cow is 18! We are on the map and b***y locals in the village sharing the FB page and the website into local spotted and selling sites. Cheers for that, make us a target. Weve decided if any come round they can have a welcomed guided tour - nothing to hide - we dont kill bull calves or sell them to market (they go to a local farmer who keeps them as fat beast), our cows are all of a good age, they dont go into calf until they are 2 and have 18mths out to grass before joining the milking herd, our girls come to us for cuddles and are all happy and well. Everyone is welcome to their opinion wed just like them to have true accurate facts before they make them. Project Calf calls for vegans to take part in direct action via citizen journalism, peaceful protesting and outreach. In advice included on the site, people are told no to co-operate with police and to give no comment if stopped and questioned by officers. The website calls dairy farming 'dirty business' and urges vegans to descend on the farms to protest The move to target dairy farmers follows on from a similar campaign in Australia which named and shamed 6,000 farmers The website states: Locate a dairy farm using our maps. Using public footpaths, obtain the footage of the cows and separation pens. Talk to the farmers about dairy practices. Let the farmers know their dirty business is everyones business! The activists want to keep 'pressure' on the industry as they call for a ban on dairy products Jonathan, 37, and Dulcie Crickmore were targeted when they shared their joy at the borth of triplet cows on their farm Recently, farmers have received death threats from militant vegans. One farmer revealed last year how his family were targeted by activists. Jonathan, 37, and Dulcie Crickmore, 35, who run Fen Farm Dairy in Bungay, Suffolk had 'five solid days of death threats' after he posted a picture of his new triplet calves on Facebook. The vegans became enragedin February 2018 after seeing a post about the eco-friendly couple's new calves and even targeted their two young children. It comes in the context of increased threats by vegans, with one trainee farmer Alison Waugh telling how protesters had called farmers 'murderers and rapists. Denmark has begun erecting a 43.4 mile (70-kilometer) wall along its border with Germany in a bid to keep out wild boars. The move aims to prevent the spread of African swine fiver, which could put the country's pork industry at risk. Work on the fence, which is expected to be up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall, began today in Padborg, a city 136 miles (220 kilometres) southwest of Copenhagen. Workers pictured while erecting a fence along the Danish-German border in the city of Padborg, Denmark, southwest of Copenhagen The setup of the fence along the border, which is being designed to prevent wild boars from entering Denmark The wall was authorised by Danish lawmakers after the government announced that Denmark's pork exports to non-European Union countries could be affected by African swine fever. The industry is worth 1.2 billion (11 billion kroner) annually. In 2016, total Danish pork exports were worth about 3.46 billion (30 billion kroner). Unlike swine flu, African swine fever doesn't affect humans but it can be deadly for domestic and wild boars. This can in turn cause massive losses for farmers. Critics say the 3.50 million (30 million kroner) fence will harm wildlife and is a symbolic gesture tackling a largely non-existent problem. Danish officials have admitted that wild animals could, in theory, still pass through the gaps in the fence where it crosses highways, roads and streams. No cases of African swine fever have yet been reported in Germany, although some have been reported in the neighbouring countries. A map showing the border between Denmark and Germany, where the wall is being built German news agency dpa reported that Jan Philipp Albrecht, the Agriculture Minister of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, said the disease is 'a serious threat for animals and the pig market.' According to reports, however, he added: 'We have significant doubts about the usefulness and necessity of a fence between Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein.' The European statistical agency Eurostat said there are some 150 million pigs in the EU and 40 percent of them are in Spain and Germany, with significant numbers also in France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland. Denmark is the only EU country where pigs outnumber people, with 215 pigs to every 100 residents. The 43.4-mile fence, pictured, is being built in an attempt to prevent the spread of African swine fever US President Donald Trump made the idea of a solid wall between the American border with Mexico one of the key points during his presidential campaign in 2015. 'I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I'll build them very inexpensively, I will build a great, great wall on our southern border,' he said. 'And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.' Yesterday, Mr Trump tweeted: 'Build a wall and crime will fall!' A Scottish politician was savaged by Piers Morgan last night and branded a 'thick ginger turd' after describing Sir Winston Churchill as a white supremacist mass murderer. Ross Greer, Europe spokesman for the Scottish Greens, sparked outrage with his Twitter rant about arguably Britain's greatest ever prime minister. Now the young Scottish Parliamentarian is to appear on the former Mirror editor's television show, after a testy Twitter exchange. Mr Greer was responding to a Tory party tweet from January 24 marking the anniversary of Churchill's death in 1965 calling him 'the greatest Briton to have ever lived'. Greer, who at 24 is Scotland's youngest MSP, was accused of attention seeking after saying: 'Once again for the old people at the back: Churchill was a white supremacist mass murderer'. Piers Morgan was among the huge numbers of people to respond furiously to his claims. He said: 'And you're a thick ginger turd who'd be spewing this filth in German if it wasn't for Churchill'. Piers Morgan (pictured today) has branded Green MSP Ross Greer 'a thick ginger turd' after he called Churchill a 'white supremacist mass murderer' Piers was among many to blast him - his message (above) generated more than 5,000 retweets and caused a row that raged online throughout the weekend The 24-year-old caused further controversy by describing anyone who admires the Second World War leader credited with helping save Britain from Nazi Germany as crass and simple minded. This afternoon the pair confirmed a Tuesday-morning breakfast-television clash for which some of Mr Morgan's followers promised to set their televisions to 'record'. Mr Morgan tweeted: 'UPDATE: The thick ginger turd MSP @Ross_Greer who said Churchill is a "white supremacist mass murderer" will be appearing live on @GMB tomorrow'. Mr Morgan doubled-down on his description of Ross Greer MSP on Twitter and announced his forthcoming appearance on the show Mr Greer, elected in 2016 aged 21, was defiant over the row. He said: This is the real, verified history of Churchill and the one known throughout much of the world'. Greer said that his critics were uneducated about Churchill's 'shameful history He added: If thats uncomfortable to some here, its just a sign of how uneducated Britain is of our own shameful history. His Twitter attack came the day after the rest of the UK, including Theresa May, marked the anniversary of Sir Winstons death on January 24, 1965, aged 90. The comments generated more than 5,000 retweets and caused a row that raged online throughout the weekend. Lee Pollock, of the International Churchill Society, said: It seems to me this young mans not as important as he would like, so he has found the biggest target he can in order to get the most attention with a radical point of view. Its a cheap trick. Mr Greers comments highlighted Sir Winstons pre-war activity and his involvement in colonial rule of India. However, he faced a backlash, with critics telling him to do his research. Afghanistan veteran Colonel Richard Kemp tweeted: If Churchill hadnt saved our country from the Germans, you wouldnt be a so-called Green MSP, whatever that is. Youd probably just about have made it to Oberrottenfuhrer in the West Schottland Hitler Youth. Other Scottish politicians jumped to Sir Winstons defence yesterday. Scottish Tory whip Maurice Golden said: Sir Winston Churchill is one of the defining figures of western democracy seeking to diminish him is a disservice to the millions of men and women who fought to preserve our freedom. (ANSA) - Siracusa, January 28 - Carla Trombino, the ombudsman for children in the Sicilian city of Siracusa, has filed an urgent petition to a Catania court for 13 minors on board the Sea-Watch migrant-rescue ship to be assigned to a specialist centre, sources said Monday. The petition was presented by a lawyer, Rosa Emanuela Lo Faro, on the grounds that the minors suffered "mistreatment and torture" in Libya. The lawyer also called for the maritime authorities to declare a medical emergency for the situation of the minors. The Italian government has refused to let the migrants rescued in the Mediterranean over a week ago to land on Italian soil, as part of a policy of refusing access to Italian ports to NGO-run search-and-rescue ships. A British mother, 41, has become the first woman to descend Switzerland's iconic Cresta Run since a 90-year ban on women tobogganists was lifted last year. Carina Evans, an Army reservist and mother-of-two from Oxfordshire, described the experience as 'exhilarating, amazing, incredible, but very scary'. For 90 years, a ban on women has forbidden them to go down the run, but the restriction was lifted by St Moritz Togogganning Club (SMTC) last year. Carina Evans, from Oxfordshire, pictured while completing the famous Cresta Run in St Moritz Built during the 1880s from natural ice, the Cresta Run in St Moritz is the most famous toboggan track in the world. Riders use only rakes on the end of their boots to steer and brake, reaching speeds of more than 80mph. The most recent of five fatalities on the run happened in 2017. Mrs Evans' has been preparing for this moment for the past two decades. Her father, Lt Col Digby Willoughby, was part of a two-man bobsleigh team that broke the world record in 1961 and he then became SMTC chief executive for 24 years. She said she received support from the Army and the club and she described the experience as 'exhilarating, amazing, incredible, but very scary' Mrs Evans joined the 7 Rifle reservists last year and began preparing for the run. To qualify to race the full length, she had to complete three lower runs in under 46 seconds. 'It absolutely depended on qualifying,' Mrs Evans, who holds the British women's record over the lower part of the course, said. 'I had to do consistently low times to show I was a responsible rider, and with good times. Mrs Evans had been preparing for a long time and she had to complete three lower runs in under 46 seconds in order to qualify to race the full length 'It has taken a long time and a lot of determination and planning to get here. 'This has been a focus for many years.' Mrs Evans said the Army and the club 'could not have been more supportive'. She completed the Cresta Run in 75 seconds. After 90 years, the reason for the ban on women still remains unclear. Gary Lowe, the current chief executive and secretary, said there was a theory that men did not want to be embarassed by women going faster. The only known time the rule was avoided was when a Swiss female rider was said to have gone down the run after pretending to be her husband. Built during the 1880s from natural ice, the Cresta Run in St Moritz, Switzerland, is the most famous toboggan track in the world Mrs Evans travelled home from St Moritz yesterday to the small farm near Henley-on-Thames, where she lives with her husband Nick, a professional polo player, and their daughters Isabella, 13, and Marina, 12. 'I'm black and blue all over, but it was worth every bruise,' she said. 'It was a unique opportunity. You only have got one crack at this life.' A man has been arrested by police in south China for tossing a young girl over a third-floor balcony at a shopping mall before jumping after her. The 36-year-old man, surnamed Li, told authorities that he was having financial problems and wanted to take his own life, according to police in Foshan, Guangdong province. The little girl, who did not know her attacker, suffered injuries to her head and buttocks while the man sustained multiple bone fractures. Both were in stable condition in hospital, police said on Saturday. A man has been arrested by police in south China's Guangdong province for tossing a young girl over a third-floor balcony at a shopping mall before jumping after her on Saturday The 36-year-old man, surnamed Li, told authorities that he was having financial problems and wanted to take his own life, according to police in Foshan, Guangdong province Shocking footage captured the moment the man hurrying towards the barrier while carrying the girl before throwing her over. Several seconds later, he leapt after her. 'After an initial investigation, the suspect said that financial pressures had led him to consider committing suicide,' Nanhai district police said in a statement. Shocking footage captured the moment the man hurrying towards the barrier while carrying the girl before throwing her over. Several seconds later, he leapt after her 'He had been pacing up and down on the third floor of the shopping centre. About 12 noon, he saw a girl coming out from the toilets, grabbed her and threw her from the third floor to the ground floor before jumping himself,' police said. Officials added that the girl was not related to the man. Li was detained on suspicion of intentional homicide amid ongoing investigations, the police statement said. For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details. Theresa May tonight clashed with Boris Johnson as she ordered him and other Tory MPs to back an amendment that could save her Brexit deal. The Prime Minister called her MPs together to tell them to vote for the Brady amendment tomorrow, which she hopes would force concessions from Brussels over the backstop. In fiery scenes, Boris suggested it was unclear what she was trying to achieve and said 'But what do you want Prime Minister?' To cheers from loyalist MPs, May reportedly responded We won't know unless you support us Boris and 'I am happy to battle away Boris - get behind me and we'll do it together.' MPs are set to vote on a range of different plans for the way forward on Brexit - with proposals to frustrate a no deal or delay Brexit altogether most likely to pass Theresa May (pictured arriving at Parliament tonight) used a private meeting of her MPs tonight to plead with them to back Sir Graham's plan - just minutes after Mr Rees-Mogg moved to kill it off Boris Johnson (pictured in Westminster today) has hinted he could back Mrs May's Brexit deal if she gets a re-write of the Irish border backstop - but insisted any change must be in the main treaty It came just minutes after Jacob Rees-Mogg had ordered his European Research Group to kill off the amendment unless the PM gives an explicit promise to renegotiate the deal. It is unclear if the entire ERG will fall into line behind Mogg and the group will meet again tomorrow to confirm its tactics. The DUP will also meet tomorrow morning to decide if its ten MPs will back the amendment. After the clash, Tory chairman Brandon Lewis told reporters: 'Boris asked a question and got a very clear answer from the PM.' The May-backed plan has been produced by MP Sir Graham Brady and its aim is to force the EU to renegotiate the Irish border backstop. It looks unlikely to gain a majority, however strong support would boost the PM's hand in future EU negotiations. The main group of hard Brexiteers led by Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured today at the Cabinet Office) has vowed to oppose the compromise plan tomorrow night Environment Secretary Michael Gove was among ministers who arrived at Parliament tonight to hear the PM speak to her MPs Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt was pictured leaving Downing Street this evening MPs' bid to block No Deal 'on a knife-edge' An attempt by MPs to block a No Deal Brexit is on a knife-edge, supporters say. MPs will vote tonight on an amendment to Theresa Mays deal that would allow Parliament to order the delay Article 50 until the end of the year. The move, led by Labours Yvette Cooper, has the public backing of ten Tories. Reports last week said up to 40 ministers could also quit to support it. Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd has hinted that she could quit unless she is given a free vote. But last night friends said she would vote against the plan if ordered to do so. Labour will announce today whether Jeremy Corbyn will order his MPs to back the plan. However, a number of Labour MPs have indicated they will vote against it regardless. A supporter of the Cooper bid said last night: Its on a knife-edge. Were two or three votes ahead right now, but it could just as easily swing back. Miss Cooper risked accusations of hypocrisy yesterday when her 2017 election campaign leaflet emerged in which she boasted that she had backed triggering Article 50. Advertisement Downing Street said earlier that Mrs May was prepared to ask for the treaty to be re-opened - but Brussels has insisted re-writing the deal is impossible. A new vote to approve the deal is expected to be held by February 13, Mrs May told Tory MPs tonight. Three other amendments will be voted on tomorrow evening including a controversial one by Yvette Cooper to delay Brexit. Former minister Nick Boles, who is campaigning to stop a no deal Brexit, said Sir Graham had already been shot down by 'hardliners' who are 'hellbent on a no-deal Brexit. Nothing else will do'. Sir Graham Brady's plan is already struggling for support even if the Government backs it (pictured) and if Tory Brexiteers decide to vote no it will be doomed to fail Earlier, Sir Graham said his plan would give 'enormous firepower' to Mrs May in talks with the EU, but insisted any concessions must be 'legally binding'. Barnier's deputy warns of 'high risk' of no deal Brexit as she insists the negotiations are over The EU's deputy Brexit negotiator insisted today the Brexit negotiations were over and a no deal was now a 'high risk'. Sabine Weyand said the British government needed to change position if there was to be a deal in time for exit day on March 29. The German diplomat, who has been the deputy to Michel Barnier during the Brexit negotiations, said Brussels had a 'margin' for movement on the political declaration about the future trade deal. But speaking at a conference in Brussels today she said the divorce deal was locked and there would be 'no more negotiations' - ruling out a time limit on the backstop demanded by Tory Brexiteer MPs. She told the European Policy Centre think-tank: 'It is quite a challenge to see how you can construct from a diversity of the opposition a positive majority for the deal.' She said there appeared to be a lack of 'ownership' in Britain of the agreement struck between the two sides in November, and that there was insufficient transparency in the prime minister's moves. And Ms Weyand warned: 'There will be no more negotiations on the Withdrawal Agreement.' Advertisement 'I don't think anybody is going to accept something which is just warm words,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Mr Jenkin was among the first to go public against the plan. He told ITV News: 'It's deliberately vague because it is meant to mean different things to different people. 'If people vote for that in expectation that some things are going to happen that do not happen, it will lead to more misunderstanding and disappointment. 'It won't help at all.' George Freeman, Mrs May's ex-policy chief, blasted back: 'Public patience with all this is wearing dangerously thin. We need to find a way to deliver an orderly EU WithdrawalBill. 'I'll vote for sensible Amendments to that end. Everyone will have to compromise a bit. But hardline Brexit 'ultras' need to compromise, too, to secure Brexit.' Mr Boles said: 'Graham Brady sticks his head above the parapet in an attempt to unite the Conservative Parliamentary Party - and it's immediately shot off by the hardliners in the ERG. 'When will the penny drop? They are hellbent on a no-deal Brexit. Nothing else will do.' However, there are fears that Mr Bercow - who has so far shown little inclination to help the government - will kill off the plan by refusing to call it for a vote unless significant numbers of MPs signal support. So far just eight politicians have formally added their names - and although more have indicated they will sign, other Brexiteers voiced suspicion that the amendment will just kick the can further down the road. Sir Graham Brady has put forward a proposal to accept Theresa May's deal if the Irish backstop is changed 'It is well intentioned, but some people are not thinking it through,' one former minister told MailOnline. 'Many Tory Eurosceptics are in the same place as me, and are convinced it is meaningless. 'Others are wavering. They need to reflect on the stubbornness of the Irish.' Three other amendments look highly likely to be selected by Mr Bercow after garnering scores of names - and all look on track to be approved by MPs. No10 has been pleading with MPs not to back a proposal tabled by Labour's Yvette Cooper that would pave the way for a law to extend the Article 50 process. Another change put forward by ex-minister Caroline Spelman would try to rule out a no-deal Brexit - although the outcome would not be binding on the government. A separate move from Tory MP Dominic Grieve would stage a series of 'indicative' votes to work out what approach would gain a majority in the Commons. Sir Graham said his amendment was drawn up after meetings with ministers including Mrs May, and he believed the DUP would support it. Asked if it had Government backing he said: 'I hope so... I don't know so. The amendment was born out of a number of conversations I had with colleagues including members of the Government, including the Prime Minister. There are fears that Speaker John Bercow (pictured in Westminster station today) will kill off the plan by refusing to call it for a vote unless significant numbers of MPs signal support 'I had also spoken to people in the DUP too and I'm hoping that the way in which the amendment is crafted can attract that very broad support and if we can win the vote on my amendment then I think it gives the Prime Minister enormous firepower.' Mr Johnson said a time limit or unilateral exit could 'defuse the booby trap'. But he also warned that meant rewriting the text of the Withdrawal Agreement - something the EU has so far been adamant cannot happen. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson called on the PM publicly to confirm a 'change of heart' on the withdrawal deal. He said: 'That backstop is dead, rejected by the biggest ever parliamentary majority; and that is why I hope and pray that I am right about the intentions of Number 10. The plan being pushed by Labour's Yvette Cooper and former Tory minister Nick Boles is designed to stop a damaging no deal Brexit, as it would postpone the March 29 leaving date by nine months if a deal is not secured by February 26. Labour has indicated it is ready to back the proposal - giving it a realistic chance of success - although Jeremy Corbyn has said no final decision will be taken until tomorrow when the amendment selection happens. The amendments and outcomes Commons is expected to vote tomorrow on amendments including Yvette Cooper's. The Labour MP is pictured on The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday YVETTE COOPER'S PLAN TO DELAY BREXIT IF THERE IS NOT A DEAL WHAT IT DOES: Forces ministers to extend Article 50 beyond March 29 to stop No Deal. WHOSE PLAN? Labour's Yvette Cooper, former Tory ministers Nick Boles and Sir Oliver Letwin. HOW IT WORKS: Ministers lose the power to decide what is debated on February 5, which passes to backbench MPs. Miss Cooper proposes a law forcing Mrs May to ask for a delay on Brexit if No Deal is agreed by February 26. COULD IT SUCCEED? With enough votes from Tory rebels, yes. DOMINIC GRIEVE'S PLAN TO HAND POWER TO MPS WHAT IT DOES: Give control over Parliamentary business to MPs. WHOSE PLAN? Dominic Grieve QC, former attorney general and ardent Remainer, and MPs who want a second referendum. HOW IT WORKS: Government loses power over the Commons every Tuesday from February 12 to March 26 so backbench MPs could vote on Brexit. Could delay Article 50 or change the deal to include a customs union or second referendum. COULD IT SUCCEED? Could pass with the support of pro-Remain Tories, Labour backing. SIR GRAHAM BRADY'S PLAN TO FIX THE BACKSTOP BY DEMANDING CHANGES FROM BRUSSELS WHAT IT DOES: Proposes replacing the Northern Ireland backstop with 'alternative arrangements' to avoid a hard border. Also supports leaving with a deal. WHOSE PLAN? Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee. HOW IT WORKS: Allows Mrs May to go to Brussels and say the EU must make concessions on the backstop or get rid of it. COULD IT SUCCEED? Only if selected by Speaker Bercow who could ignore it. DAME CAROLINE SPELMAN'S PLAN TO RULE OUT NO DEAL WHAT IT DOES: Stops the UK leaving without a deal. WHOSE PLAN: Former Tory Cabinet minister Caroline Spelman and Labour MP Jack Dromey. HOW IT WORKS? Rejects No Deal. COULD IT SUCCEED? Yes, if enough Tory rebels vote in favour. JEREMY CORBYN'S PLAN TO FUDGE THE VOTE BY DEMANDING CHANGE BUT HINTING AT A REFERENDUM WHAT IT DOES: Demands changes to the deal and hints at a second referendum. WHOSE PLAN? Corbyn, Labour frontbench. HOW IT WORKS: Ministers must let Parliament discuss No Deal, and proposes staying in a permanent customs union. If that fails, it suggests a second referendum. COULD IT SUCCEED? Highly unlikely, because it won't win support from Tory rebels. Advertisement But appealing for MPs to shun the Cooper plan, a senior No10 source said: 'Leaving aside the constitutional concerns around the Cooper Bill, it is clear from Yvette Cooper's comments that backing her Bill means signing a blank cheque when it comes to delaying Brexit. 'It could mean Brexit is delayed for nine months, a year, or more. It also opens the door to Brexit not happening at all.' The warning came amid signs that Tory ministers who threatened to quit over a No Deal were stepping back from the brink. Tory former minister Nick Boles, a leading supporter of Ms Cooper's plan, told Today there was a 'great deal of support among ministers and, indeed, Cabinet ministers' and they had been pressing for a free vote on the amendment. 'This is the last chance for Parliament, this is probably the only opportunity that Parliament is going to have to intervene in this process, to take control,' he said. 'If we don't seize the moment tomorrow afternoon then we are at grave risk of just driving off the edge on March 29 without really wanting to, and when there might be a compromise we could achieve if we just had a few more months.' The PM is seeking to see off the threat of a Tory rebellion, and the possibility of ministerial resignations, by considering whether to hold a 'meaningful vote' on Brexit within the next fortnight. A dozen pro-European ministers including Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd and Justice Secretary David Gauke reportedly held a conference call in which they agreed such a move would help defer a potential rebellion. What is the Plan B vote the PM is 'betting her house on' today and what will it mean if it passes? What is happening? Because Theresa May's Brexit deal was defeated, the law says she must tell Parliament what her Plan B is. This has to be done in a motion to the Commons, which will be voted on by MPs on Tuesday night. That motion can be re-written by MPs if they table amendments and win a vote in favour of them. Some amendments have already been tabled and MPs can keep producing them until Monday night. What does May's plan say? It promises more cross-party working, renews commitments to protecting workers' rights after Brexit and says the PM will ask Brussels for more concessions on the backstop. It it based on the current deal that was crushed by 230 votes last week. What do the main amendments say? Jeremy Corbyn's amendment says Parliament should vote on 'options' including a renegotiation of the deal to get a permanent customs union and for a second referendum. A cross party amendment from Yvette Cooper and Nicky Morgan seeks to block no deal by giving time to a draft law that would require the Government to delay Brexit if a deal has not been agreed by February 26. It upturns normal convention by putting a backbench MP's Bill ahead of Government plans. An amendment from Tory rebel Dominic Grieve seeks to set up weekly debates that would mean regular votes on what to do in the absence a deal. His amendments sets aside six named days for the debates - including as late as March 26. The Government also appears to be encouraging MPs to back amendment from two senior Tory MPs. One from Andrew Murrison would effectively set a time limit on the backstop of December 31, 2021. Another amendments tabled by Sir Graham Brady, chair of the powerful 1922 committee, would effectively eradicate the backstop and demand the EU and UK find other solutions. Some ministers hope that if these amendment receive strong support it will pile pressure on the EU to make concessions on the backstop - which Brexiteers fear the UK will be stuck in forever, and the DUP believes risks splitting the union. What would the vote do? Legally nothing - but if the Commons votes in favour of a clear way forward by a majority it will be a major political signal of what might happen. Is it a new 'meaningful vote' that can approve May's deal? No. At some point, the PM will have to stage a repeat of last week's vote to get explicit approval from MPs to go ahead with her deal if she wants it to survive. Advertisement 'If we mean it, if we really try, I have no doubt that the EU will give us the Freedom Clause we need. 'And if the PM secures that change - a proper UK-sized perforation in the fabric of the backstop itself - I have no doubt that she will have the whole country full-throatedly behind her.' Chancellor Philip Hammond and Mrs May's effective deputy David Lidington have urged Remainer ministers to keep their powder dry rather than joining the rebellion this week. Yesterday Mr Lidington argued this week's vote was not the 'final decision point' and insisted MPs will have another 'meaningful vote' on Mrs May's deal next month once she has been back to Brussels. He wrote in the Observer: 'If Parliament wishes to avoid No Deal, I have no doubt it will find ways to express a view in the coming weeks.' The source said: 'We don't think there will be fireworks this week. I don't think there will be mass resignations. 'People are working hard to make sure amendments go down that keep the party together.' The Cooper amendment has won the backing of nearly ten Tory MPs all voted Remain in 2016 and several back a second referendum. Labour is also expected to whip its MPs to support it. Yesterday Ms Cooper told the Andrew Marr show that her Bill 'gives Parliament the option to decide how long [the delay] should be' and that it was 'not about blocking Brexit'. Under her proposal, Mrs May would be forced to ask the EU for an extension to Article 50 if she fails to secure a deal. Sophie Elms, now 18, committed the 'devastating' sexual offences against two young children aged just two and three years A teenage nursery worker who is Britain's youngest named female paedophile has been jailed for seven years and ten months for sex attacks on two young girls. Sophie Elms was just 17 when she sexually assaulted a two-year-old and a three-year-old. She was also prosecuted for four offences of taking indecent photographs of children. In a victim impact statement read to the court, the father of the two young girls told how Elms has 'completely destroyed our lives' and 'damaged us beyond words'. The father said: 'We honestly do not know the full extent of damage you have left on our two beautiful babies. What you did could have serious long-term effects on them in their later lives. 'We have such a complete lack of trust to anyone with our children now. Even leaving them at pre-school is a challenge to us, as this was the profession in which you were training.' Elms committed the offences after being contacted by a sex offender online, the court heard 'Our youngest daughter is so distraught at bedtime that we have to stay with her for several hours. 'We have made the decision that we cannot stay in Swindon for fear of bumping into you - and that it will be better for us to move [abroad]. This whole horrific event has damaged us beyond words.' Elms worked at a local nursery in Swindon, but police have confirmed that none of the alleged offences are said to have happened at the childcare facility. She committed the sickening attacks after a sex offender called David Gearing contacted the teen online and incited her to abuse them and send him pictures. She wept as the father of the victims told of the long-term impact on the two girls Prosecutor Hannah Squire said Elms was left in charge of the children in 2016 and 2017. But in early 2017, Elms began having online contact with sex offender Gearing - who was later sentenced in November 2018 to 15 years in jail for child sex offences. Prosecutor Hannah Squire said: 'The contact started off non-sexual. But what is relevant is that Miss Elms was out there online, and receptive, one might suggest susceptible, to contact from men like David Gearing. 'Miss Elms did not seek to hide her identity. The contact moved quickly into sexualised communication, and commission from David Gearing to commit sexual offences.' Miss Squire added: 'Miss Elms started out with innocuous photos of the two children - that is, fully clothed - sent to David Gearing. 'But this soon moved on to pictures of the children naked, and images of Miss Elms touching the children - which, to an extent, were requested by David Gearing.' In a police interview in April 2018, following her arrest on March 10, Elms told police that Gearing must have obtained her details from somewhere online. She said that she liked talking to him, as she had 'low confidence' and he 'made her feel good'. Elms was jailed at Swindon Crown Court today. Police say they are pleased she will never be able to work with children in the future Elms' lawyer Chris Smyth said that his client had been groomed from the age of 13 by four separate males - at least two of whom have been prosecuted. He added: 'From the age of 13, her details were put online as a joke by one of her friends, and she was made to perform sexual acts for men in front of a webcam.' Following today's sentencing, Det Insp Simon Childe said: 'Understandably, this case has shocked the local community as well as those further afield. 'Elms is just 18-years-old making her one of the youngest women in the country to be convicted of these types of offences, and at the time of committing these atrocious crimes, she was studying child care with a long term aim of working with very young children in the future. 'I am extremely grateful to my team of dedicated officers who have been able to intercept and prevent her from working with children ever again.' A deluded driver who attempted to disguise his Renault as a Mercedes has stunned social media users with his disastrous DIY - and his parking. The burgundy Megane Cabriolet was spotted in a Tesco car park in Manchester, on Friday, complete with Mercedes badges and diamante trimmings. The 2008 plate motor - dubbed 'Frankenstein's Monster' - has a grill stuck to the front and a prominent symbol recognised globally as the luxury German car brand. The driver has even gone to the effort of sticking a Mercedes sign to the boot, too, before parking diagonally across a disabled bay. Rob Farrell posted the image on Facebook after spotting it in a car park in the Cheetham Hill area. So far, more than 7,000 people have liked the post and more than 14,000 comments have racked up on the hilarious images. The car was spotted badly parked in a disabled bay in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, on Friday The owner of the car appears to have taken a Mercedes grill and stuck it to the front of the Renault Megane He wrote: 'Im sorry but this just has to be seen to be believed... 'Not only is he parked in a (semi) c****** manor but the Dude has camouflaged his Renault Megane Cabriolet into a f****** Merc. 'Ive actually been crying with laughter for hours.' He added: 'The worst thing (for the owner of the thing creation) about this whole post.. is that dude genuinely would have been well chuffed to bits & proud of himself creating that Frankensteins Monster& In a few days his world has crumbled. 'When he reads and finds out that the whole world...thinks its sh***!' Social media users found the images hilarious with one branding it 'the Renault mercgane'. Steve Allison wrote: 'The Guys obviously registered blind...Give him a break..The merc. salesman obviously didn't.' The car was parked badly in the Cheetham Hill area but other spotters say the car has been like this for years Sam Glazzard joked: 'Did you just assume the Make of this car? It's a Renault that identifies as a Mercedes.' Mr Farrell replied: 'I dont know whats worse.. the fabricated Merc grill and badges or those hideous Diamante looking LED lights stuck around the headlights!' Georgina Giles also spotted the car. She said: 'Aww I seen it!! Tesco car park Cheetham hill I drove round the car park twice because I couldnt believe my eyes.' Dean Bailey said on Facebook he has previously seen the car in Prestwich in Manchester, adding it has been like it 'for years'. Tali Boulton added: 'I literally have no words.... best laugh Ive had in a long time .. that is genius!!' A beggar who was found with more than 500 in cash when he was arrested by police in Manchester city centre has been fined 250. Ludovic Gabor, 57, was arrested in Deansgate over the Christmas period and found with 515.87 in coins and notes, a paper cup and an empty crisp packet. Gabor, of Gorton, east Manchester, was fined 250 with 85 costs after pleading guilty to begging and a breach of a conditional discharge. Ludovic Gabor, 57, was arrested over the Christmas period and found with 515.87 in coins and notes, a paper cup and an empty crisp packet (pictured in an undated police photo) The offence of begging dates back almost 200 years to the Vagrancy Act of 1824. That piece of legislation, which also makes rough sleeping an offence, was described as An Act for the Punishment of idle and disorderly Persons, and Rogues and Vagabonds, in England. It has been repealed by Northern Ireland and Scotland but remains in force in England and Wales. The wording of the charge makes reference to a defendant having positioned themselves 'in a public place, street, highway, court or passage, to beg'. The laws contained in the Vagrancy Act remain controversial, with many calling for it to be scrapped entirely. Greater Manchester Police said: 'A total of 515.87 was found in possession of a man who was arrested for begging on Deansgate over the Christmas period. 'Ludovic Gabor, 57, of Gorton, pleaded guilty to begging on a subsequent occasion and breach of condition discharge and was fined 250 with 85 costs.' A mother-of-three has told of her decade-long stalker hell at the hands of a stranger who bombarded her with 40 phone calls a day, sent inappropriate messages and forced her to stop wearing high heels so she could run away from him. Lorraine Mitchell, 54, says she now fears for her life and her children after hearing Sherzad Salih - who was jailed for four years - is set for release from prison. Salih, 38, first approached Ms Mitchell in a car park as she left her office in St Leonards, Sussex. He asked her for a date, told her he knew everything about her and said he had been 'watching her for two years' in a chilling case with echoes to Netflix's hit stalker drama YOU. Terrified: Lorraine Mitchell (pictured), 54, was first approached by Sherzad Salih in a car park as she left her office in St Leonards, Sussex In the show, lead character Joe Goldberg uses social media to manipulate student Guinevere Beck into falling in love him. Salih spent a decade following Ms Mitchell everywhere, before stalking her through Facebook when she signed up to the social media site in 2009. She also believes he was behind the killing of her cat, which was decapitated and left under a neighbour's car, although this has never been proved. Ms Mitchell claims she was forced to stop wearing her beloved high heels so she could run away from him if she needed to. She even stopped leaving her house to go shopping or walk her dog as her stalker was always sitting in his car outside her home. Salih was jailed for four years at Hove Crown Court in October 2017 after he pleaded guilty to stalking Ms Mitchell but is now set to be released this year. Ms Mitchell, from East Sussex, is frightened he will begin his reign of terror again. When Salih (pictured), originally from Iran, was convicted in October 2017 Ms Mitchell found out he had 23 previous convictions She said: 'I had finished work and I was in the car park, I had just got into my car when somebody knocked on my window. 'I thought he might need directions, but he asked me on a date. I thought it was a joke, I was 42 at the time and he looked in his mid-twenties. 'He gave me a rose, and told me 'please give me a chance, I think you are gorgeous. He then said he had been watching me for two years - he knew my name, where I lived, and my kids' names. At that moment it became from irritating to something serious.' Terrified Ms Mitchell ran home to call the police but despite them turning up quickly they were not able to do much as she only had a brief description of Salih. They advised her to keep a diary but she claims over the next several years stalking escalated - leaving her terrified. Ms Mitchell, who even discovered her cat decapitated outside her house, gave her kids her passwords to all her online accounts, in case something happened to show the evidence to the police. Despite reporting incidents to the police, eventually Ms Mitchell took a picture of her stalker's number plate and took it to the police but claims she was still told nothing could be done. It was only when Salih, originally from Iran, was convicted in October 2017 Ms Mitchell found out he had 23 previous convictions. Conversations between Lorraine Mitchell, 54, and her stalker Sherzad Salih She also received an apology from Sussex Police after complaining about the way her case was dealt with. She said: 'He was calling me saying he was watching me getting ready and asking about my underwear. 'When I hung up he would keep calling, calling me 30 to 40 times an hour. 'At one point, my cat was killed and placed underneath my neighbour's car tires. 'He was sending me inappropriate messages all the time, he was following me at the supermarket, he would sit in his car outside my house. 'I was terrified. I was carrying a red alarm with me at all times and I became afraid to go out - I stopped wearing high heels and I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Ms Mitchell (pictured) re-lived her terrifying ordeal at the hands of stalker Sherzad Salih 'I couldn't sleep, I would get up in the middle of the night and check if the doors were locked. 'One of the main things I stopped doing was taking my dog for walks on my own. 'I avoided walking on the seafront, as that is where he chased me in his car - I love walking my dog on the seafront now. 'I also avoided shopping in the supermarkets, where he would be waiting for me. 'Every time I rejected him I worried something bad was going to happen, that he would harm me.' Since Salih's conviction, Ms Mitchell has found peace through support group Veritas and has been helping with police training about stalking - with changes to the law made last year. But she is worried when the Iranian, who has a lifetime restraining order against her but a history of breaching them, is released from prison later this year the stalking may start again. She said: 'The thing with stalking is that it's not one big thing - the police were looking at each incident as isolated events. 'But with stalking its about the bigger picture - on their own each event may seem unremarkable, but when you put them all together it's a totally different picture. 'I am not a drama queen, I wasn't overreacting as many people told me, this man turned my life upside down. 'Even though he is in prison, the memory of being stalked never leaves you and I stay vigilant. 'Right now I have a restraining order but I am worried he might go after my daughter. 'I don't want to move because I know he will go after my kids.' A spokesman for Sussex Police said: 'After the case we asked Lorraine to help this force and others to better understand stalking behaviours from a victim's perspective. 'She had a valuable input, with many people and groups, in delivering some multi agency training to police and the CPS in 2018. Our training in this area of work is continuing.' PC Jenna Boyd, from the force, added: 'This woman has endured a gradually escalating campaign of systematic stalking by Salih. 'The experience left her terrified for the safety of both herself and her family. 'Although Salih did not overtly threaten her or attempt any physical attack, his actions have had a significant emotional impact on her, and we are glad that the court has reflected this in the sentence. 'We hope that the sentence and the Restraining Order will give Salih a dose of reality, and that the victim will now be able to move on with her life without fear of his presence in it.' Actress Patricia Arquette thanked Robert Mueller during her acceptance speech at the SAG Awards last night. The star of Medium and True Romance got up on stage to praise the work of Special Counselor Robert Mueller. She also thanked 'everyone working to make sure that we have sovereignty for the United States of America'. Arquette won the 25th Screen Actor's Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series for Escape at Dannemora. Patricia Arquette used her acceptance speech at the Annual Screen Actors' Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium to thank Special Counselor Robert Mueller After thanking colleagues and the crew, Arquette praised those 'working to make sure that we have sovereignty for the United States of America' After thanking her fellow nominees, actors, the crew and her family, Arquette expressed her gratitude to the former FBI director and his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. While on stage she said: 'Oh and thank you Robert Mueller and everyone working to make sure that we have sovereignty for the United States of America.' The 50-year-old began her acceptance speech by criticizing some production companies for not paying actors for overtime. She added: 'Thank you to Ben Stiller for your incredible support, thank you for letting me explore the character of Tilly. Thank you to Benicio Del Toro and Paul Dano - you are an inspiration.' Arquette won the Screen Actor's Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series for Escape at Dannemora Mueller is currently leading an investigation looking into Russian collusion in the 2016 election and Moscow's possible ties to President Trump. Arquette recently dropped an f-bomb while accepting best actress at the Golden Globes for Escape at Dannemora. After she said: 'I didn't plan that. It was an unplanned f-bomb.' Arquette gained more than 40 pounds to play Tilly Mitchell, who helped an elaborate prison break in New York in 2015 by smuggling two hacksaw blades into jail frozen inside packages of hamburger meat. The former Medium star has been a vocal critic of President Trump in the past, calling him 'dangerous' and attacking his administration's environmental policies. The Mueller investigation led to the high-profile arrest of former Donald Trump adviser, Roger Stone Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and if the president obstructed the investigation In 2017 she said that 'rolling back all these climate regulations we're going to pay a huge price for that'. Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and if the president obstructed the investigation. The investigation led to the high-profile arrest of former Donald Trump adviser, Roger Stone, at his home in Florida on Friday. Former New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, said on Sunday that Mueller's indictment against Stone is 'pretty damning' and that the close confident of President Donald Trump is in 'very grave danger.' The 66-year-old was charged with lying about his pursuit of Russian-hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton's 2016 election bid. Mueller's team charged Stone with five counts of lying to Congress, one count of obstruction of an official proceeding, and one count of witness tampering. A man has been arrested over footage of a person allegedly spewing racist abuse at a group of Muslim schoolgirls wearing headscarves. The clip filmed on Friday afternoon shows a group of female pupils outside the Central Foundation Girls' School in Bow, east London. In it a man can be heard apparently making horrendous comments about the young girls, referring to them as 'black c***s with f***** sarees on'. Tonight a man in his 60s was held by police on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence. The shocking clip filmed on Friday afternoon shows a group of female pupils outside the Central Foundation girls' school in Bow, east London Police said the man had been taken to an East London police station over the 'offensive commentary' on the clip. The footage shows youngsters walking along the road in their uniforms, as a male voice says: 'As you can see, this lot coming out the f***** school, all these black c***s here. 'They're all going to have four or five kids each. Look at them, these c***s are going to breed like f****** rats.' The man even cites Nazism and says the girls should be sterilised in an experiment similar to those carried out by Dr Josef Mengele, known as the 'Angel of Death'. He makes further racist remarks like 'This was England' before the clip cuts out. The shocking incident took place on Friday afternoon as many children at the school made their way home. In it a man can be heard making horrendous comments about the young girls, referring to them as 'black c***s with f***** sarees on' in Bow, east London The Central Foundation Girls School is a secondary school and sixth form for female pupils aged 11 to 18. It was rated good with some outstanding aspects in its last Ofsted inspection in 2011. Located in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets, the school sits in area where 69 per cent of the population are from minority ethnic backgrounds. Census data shows 32 per cent of Tower Hamlets residents are from the Bangladeshi community, while 31 per cent are white. Seven per cent identify as black. Tower Hamlets Mayor John Biggs said: 'We are aware of the video that has been circulated showing a man making extremely offensive comments outside Central Foundation Girls School. 'We condemn the use of this inflammatory rhetoric. Tower Hamlets is home to people from all over the world and we are proud of our history which has been enriched by migration. 'We will always challenge negativity like this and stand up for all our community. 'The police has been made aware of this. The Central Foundation Girls School is a secondary school and sixth form for female pupils aged 11 to 18 (pictured) 'We have also been in touch with the school and will be offering them support and continuing to monitor this situation. 'We are one community in Tower Hamlets and stand shoulder to shoulder against those who that try and divide us.' The video was uploaded to social media on Saturday by a concerned local, who wrote: 'Who was it who said Islamophobia doesnt exist?'. A Tower Hamlets Council spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are aware of a video being shared online that was filmed in the vicinity of Central Foundation Girls' School on Friday afternoon. 'The content is abhorrent and does not reflect the values of the vast majority of Tower Hamlets residents. 'We are in contact with the school's leadership team and the police have been informed. Our first priority is the safety and wellbeing of the young people involved. 'The school has plans in place to provide support to any pupils affected by the incident and to provide additional security at the end of the school day in the event that it is needed. 'We would urge residents not to share the video online.' The partner of an Australian professor whose mutilated body was found buried in a shallow grave in Argentina has revealed his heartache after losing the love of his life. 'It's a nightmare that won't go away,' John Finlay told 7 News on Monday, as he grieved for his partner Lily Pereg. He said she had only recently been promoted to professor at the University of New England, and had gone to Argentina to help her sister visit her 36-year-old son, Gilad Pereg, who has since been charged with murdering both women. Mr Finlay had spent two weeks scouring Argentina in a hope to find the missing women, only for that search to come to an abrupt and tragic end on Saturday local time. 'Lily was a beautiful soul and I probably will never find someone as loving as Lily again actually... I miss her, I just miss her,' Mr Finlay said through tears. 'She had the soul of an angel'. Scroll down for video The partner of a university professor found dead in a shallow grave in Argentina has shared the depths of his grief John Finlay (left), said his partner Lily Pereg (right) had recently been promoted at work and had gone to the country to help her sister, who was also found dead Local authorities told media the killings were committed with 'extreme cruelty', with sources close to the investigation alleging the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition and could only be identified by DNA. One body had sustained three gunshot wounds, while the other had been dragged. Both women allegedly had iron spikes 'staked' through them in various places. The bodies of microbiology professor Lily Pereg and sister and Israeli citizen Pyrhia Sarusi were found on a lot next to the home of Mr Pereg near the city of Mendoza on Saturday (local time). Mr Finlay said Dr Pereg was always helping people and had 'the soul of an angel' Her nephew, Shay Pereg, said after Ms Pereg's body was found that: 'love led you, and evil met you'. On a GoFundMe dedicated to finding the women, family members called the news of Mr Pereg's arrest 'unfathomable'. 'We found today that Gilad has been arrested, and the investigators are treating it as a murder,' they wrote. 'We hope they are wrong, we know they not. 'No family should be subject to such pain. If Gilad killed his mother and aunt, there will be no condolences.' In a separate post, the family thanked Argentinian, Australian and Israeli police for their coordinated response. 'We will bring the sisters home for the last time, and will let you know when and where,' the post read. Local authorities claim the alleged murders of Lily Pereg (left) and Pyrhia Sarusi (right) in Argentina were committed with 'extreme cruelty' The bodies of microbiology professor Lily Pereg and sister and Israeli citizen Pyrhia Sarusi were found on a lot next to the home of Mr Pereg near the city of Mendoza on Saturday (local time) Friends say Ms Pereg 'weirdly' stopped replying to daily messages about two weeks before she was found dead. The two sisters had been renting an apartment in Mendoza, Ms Sarusi's daughter Vered said in a Facebook post. Dr Pereg was brought up in Israel where she obtained her undergraduate degree, later moving to Australia in the mid 90s. She completed a PhD in the Department of Agricultural Science at Sydney University and later moved to the University of New England where she was recently made a professor. She also chaired the soil, microbiology and biodiversity subdivision of the European Geosciences Union. Shocked friends and colleagues have taken to a Facebook page for Dr Pereg to pay tribute to their lost loved one. 'She had been a wonderful presence and highly regarded in her field of research,' one person said. 'I am devastated like all of their family and friends. Nothing will bring them back now,' another said. Commissioner of The Royal Anguilla Police Force announces that Romaldo Richardson of The Cove West End who was shot by Police on Sunday 20 th January 2019 has died in the early hours today Friday 25th January 2019. His family has been informed and is presently being supported by a Family Liaison Officer. The circumstances leading up to his death are under an external and independent investigation, under the direction of Commissioner Matthews of The Royal Virgin Island Police Force. The investigative findings, when reached, will be given to HE the Governor Tim Foy OBE. Cancellation of RAPF Police Week 2019 activities The Commissioner of Police Mr. Paul Morrison announces that following the death of Romaldo Richardson today Friday 25th January 2019, it is as a mark of respect to the family that a number of events schedule for the RAPF Police Week celebrations have now been postponed. The Commissioner recognizes the commitment and effort of all the sponsors and those involved in the Week of activities and apologizes for the inconvenience. The following activities are now either postponed or cancelled: Saturday 26th Flash Back at Red Dragon Disco Postponed to a date to be announced. Tuesday 29th Police Drill Competition Postponed to a date to be announced. Wednesday 30th Police Karaoke -Cancelled Thursday 31st Police Pool Competition -Postponed to a date to be announced. Boris Johnson ramped up pressure on Theresa May today by insisting she must get a 'freedom clause' in the Irish border backstop. The former foreign secretary jubilantly seized on news that the PM wants to overhaul her Brexit deal, saying a time limit or unilateral exit clause could 'defuse the booby trap'. But he warned that mean rewriting the text of the Withdrawal Agreement - something the EU has so far been adamant cannot happen. The intervention comes as Mrs May desperately struggles to hold her Cabinet together and fend off a Remainer bid to force a Brexit delay in crunch Commons votes tomorrow. No10 is pleading with MPs not to back an amendment tabled by Labour's Yvette Cooper that would pave the way for a law to extend the Article 50 process. Other changes are trying to rule out a no-deal Brexit, and stage a series of 'indicative' votes to work out what approach would gain a majority in the Commons. Mrs May seems to be pinning her hopes on amendments tabled by senior Tories including 1922 committee chairman Sir Graham Brady and ex-minister Andrew Murrison that would demand a rewriting of the controversial Irish border backstop - something Mrs May could take to Brussels as concrete evidence of the will of MPs. Sir Graham said his proposal would give 'enormous firepower' to Mrs May in talks with the EU, but insisted any concessions must be 'legally binding'. 'I don't think anybody is going to accept something which is just warm words,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson (pictured in Downing Street last week) has jubilantly seized on news the PM wants to overhaul her Brexit deal, saying a time limit or unilateral exit clause could 'defuse the booby trap' Labour's Yvette Cooper (left) has tabled an amendment paving the way for Brexit to be delayed. Sir Graham Brady (right) has put forward a proposal to accept Theresa May's deal if the Irish backstop is changed Mrs May (pictured returning to Downing Street this morning) is fighting to head off a revolt by Remainer MPs Sir Graham said his amendment was drawn up after meetings with ministers including Mrs May, and he believed the DUP would support it. Asked if it had Government backing he said: 'I hope so... I don't know so. The amendment was born out of a number of conversations I had with colleagues including members of the Government, including the Prime Minister. 'I had also spoken to people in the DUP too and I'm hoping that the way in which the amendment is crafted can attract that very broad support and if we can win the vote on my amendment then I think it gives the Prime Minister enormous firepower.' The plan being pushed by Labour's Yvette Cooper and former Tory minister Nick Boles is designed to stop a damaging no deal Brexit, as it would postpone the March 29 leaving date by nine months if a deal is not secured by February 26. But appealing for MPs to shun the Cooper amendment, a senior No10 source said: 'Leaving aside the constitutional concerns around the Cooper Bill, it is clear from Yvette Cooper's comments that backing her Bill means signing a blank cheque when it comes to delaying Brexit. 'It could mean Brexit is delayed for nine months, a year, or more. It also opens the door to Brexit not happening at all.' The warning came amid signs that Tory ministers who threatened to quit over a No Deal were stepping back from the brink. Tory former minister Nick Boles, a leading supporter of Ms Cooper's plan, told Today there was a 'great deal of support among ministers and, indeed, Cabinet ministers' and they had been pressing for a free vote on the amendment. 'This is the last chance for Parliament, this is probably the only opportunity that Parliament is going to have to intervene in this process, to take control,' he said. 'If we don't seize the moment tomorrow afternoon then we are at grave risk of just driving off the edge on March 29 without really wanting to, and when there might be a compromise we could achieve if we just had a few more months.' What is the Plan B vote the PM is 'betting her house on' today and what will it mean if it passes? What is happening? Because Theresa May's Brexit deal was defeated, the law says she must tell Parliament what her Plan B is. This has to be done in a motion to the Commons, which will be voted on by MPs on Tuesday night. That motion can be re-written by MPs if they table amendments and win a vote in favour of them. Some amendments have already been tabled and MPs can keep producing them until Monday night. What does May's plan say? It promises more cross-party working, renews commitments to protecting workers' rights after Brexit and says the PM will ask Brussels for more concessions on the backstop. It it based on the current deal that was crushed by 230 votes last week. What do the main amendments say? Jeremy Corbyn's amendment says Parliament should vote on 'options' including a renegotiation of the deal to get a permanent customs union and for a second referendum. A cross party amendment from Yvette Cooper and Nicky Morgan seeks to block no deal by giving time to a draft law that would require the Government to delay Brexit if a deal has not been agreed by February 26. It upturns normal convention by putting a backbench MP's Bill ahead of Government plans. An amendment from Tory rebel Dominic Grieve seeks to set up weekly debates that would mean regular votes on what to do in the absence a deal. His amendments sets aside six named days for the debates - including as late as March 26. The Government also appears to be encouraging MPs to back amendment from two senior Tory MPs. One from Andrew Murrison would effectively set a time limit on the backstop of December 31, 2021. Another amendments tabled by Sir Graham Brady, chair of the powerful 1922 committee, would effectively eradicate the backstop and demand the EU and UK find other solutions. Some ministers hope that if these amendment receive strong support it will pile pressure on the EU to make concessions on the backstop - which Brexiteers fear the UK will be stuck in forever, and the DUP believes risks splitting the union. What would the vote do? Legally nothing - but if the Commons votes in favour of a clear way forward by a majority it will be a major political signal of what might happen. Is it a new 'meaningful vote' that can approve May's deal? No. At some point, the PM will have to stage a repeat of last week's vote to get explicit approval from MPs to go ahead with her deal if she wants it to survive. Advertisement The PM is seeking to see off the threat of a Tory rebellion, and the possibility of ministerial resignations, by considering whether to hold a 'meaningful vote' on Brexit within the next fortnight. A dozen pro-European ministers including Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd and Justice Secretary David Gauke reportedly held a conference call in which they agreed such a move would help defer a potential rebellion. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson called on the PM publicly to confirm a 'change of heart' on the withdrawal deal. He said: 'That backstop is dead, rejected by the biggest ever parliamentary majority; and that is why I hope and pray that I am right about the intentions of Number 10. 'If we mean it, if we really try, I have no doubt that the EU will give us the Freedom Clause we need. 'And if the PM secures that change - a proper UK-sized perforation in the fabric of the backstop itself - I have no doubt that she will have the whole country full-throatedly behind her.' Chancellor Philip Hammond and Mrs May's effective deputy David Lidington have urged Remainer ministers to keep their powder dry rather than joining the rebellion this week. Yesterday Mr Lidington argued this week's vote was not the 'final decision point' and insisted MPs will have another 'meaningful vote' on Mrs May's deal next month once she has been back to Brussels. He wrote in the Observer: 'If Parliament wishes to avoid No Deal, I have no doubt it will find ways to express a view in the coming weeks.' The source said: 'We don't think there will be fireworks this week. I don't think there will be mass resignations. 'People are working hard to make sure amendments go down that keep the party together.' The Cooper amendment has won the backing of nearly ten Tory MPs all voted Remain in 2016 and several back a second referendum. Labour is also expected to whip its MPs to support it. Yesterday Ms Cooper told the Andrew Marr show that her Bill 'gives Parliament the option to decide how long [the delay] should be' and that it was 'not about blocking Brexit'. Under her proposal, Mrs May would be forced to ask the EU for an extension to Article 50 if she fails to secure a deal. A newborn baby boy has survived after his parents reportedly ripped nearly 20 inches of his small intestine out through his belly button while attempting DIY surgery on him with a box cutter. His father and mother, both said to be 26 years old and have four other children, had noticed a bulge on their youngest child and wanted to 'let the air out'. The infant was put under intensive care after surgeons had placed the intestine back to his belly in emergency surgery, according to Chinese media reports. The boy from Ningbo had his small intestine ripped out through his belly button by his parents during a home operation after they had noticed a bulge on his tummy and wanted to 'let the air out'. The child is in stable condition after surgeons put the intestine back to his body Doctors said the boy had suffered from an umbilical hernia. The condition occurs when part of the bowel or fatty tissues pokes through a weak spot in the abdominal wall near the belly button. It is common among babies, especially those who are born prematurely. The boy, who was just 41 days old, was rushed to the A&E Department at Ningbo Women and Children Hospital at around 1pm last Wednesday, reported China News. It is reported that '40 to 50 centimetres (15.7 to 19.7 inches)' of the infant's small intestine had come out from his navel, with about 25 centimetres (9.8 inches) having 'turned black' because of exposure. The boy was rushed to the A&E Department at Ningbo Women and Children Hospital (pictured) His intestine had been out for about three hours and he was said to be in a state of shock at the time. His parents have one elder son and three elder daughters and live in the city of Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang Province. His father is a factory worker and his mother is a stay-at-home parent, according to Zhejiang News. 'I had thought that I could help the child [with the DIY surgery], and didn't expect the small intestine to burst out all of sudden along the opening,' the boy's father said. WHAT ARE UMBILICAL HERNIAS? An umbilical hernia occurs when part of the bowel or fatty tissues pokes through a weak spot in the abdominal wall near the belly button. Up to 75 per cent of babies born under 3.3lbs (1.5kg) develop umbilical hernias. Such infants are usually premature. This is due to the umbilical cord passing through an opening in the abdominal wall while the foetus is developing. Although this should close, if muscles fail to completely seal they leave weak spots for hernias to develop through. Umbilical hernias look like 1-5cm lumps, which may be more obvious when the baby is crying or laughing. Most umbilical hernias close by themselves by the time the baby reaches one year old. Surgery may be necessary if it has not resolved by four years old. In adults, obesity, coughing and multiple pregnancies raise the risk. Source: Medical News Today Advertisement Paediatric surgeon Zhu Jianming, who treated the baby, said: 'We immediately alerted the operating theatre to prepare for surgery,' adding that it had already been three hours since the accident happened. The medic ultimately opted against the removing the black-and-purple section of the boy's intestines and instead treated it by wrapping it in a warm towel before placing it back into his body. He explained: 'The infant was far too small. It would've been a shame for him to lose the entire section.' Dr. Zhu said they also found a malformed section of small intestine, which they removed. The infant, who has a brother and three sisters at home, was put under intensive care after the operation. Dr. Zhu said once the child survives the cautious three-to-five-day postoperative observation period, he should return to stable condition. Dr. Zhu said: 'I've never seen parents as ignorant as this.' He explained that umbilical hernias were observed in 90 per cent of children under the age of two. Some of the bulges disappear by themselves over time, while other more pronounced cases can be resolved with a simple surgery. A gym owner who attended a change of date Australia Day protest stumped multiple activists by asking them to explain why they want the date changed. Avi Yemini took to the streets of Melbourne and filmed his conversations with a number of attendees on Saturday - most of which couldn't provide a reason as to why they're so desperate to see festivities cancelled on January 26. 'These people don't even know what they're protesting,' he wrote alongside the video. Scroll down for video Melbourne: Thousands marched with a banner reading 'change the date or we still won't celebrate' One banner at the protest read 'Australia is a crime scene' and another said: 'Respect existence or expect resistance' One activist compared the 'butchers apron', also known as the Union Jack on the flag to the Nazi swastika One activist compared the 'butchers apron', also known as the Union Jack on the flag to the Nazi swastika. 'The butcher's apron is very similar to the Swastika,' the man, who was wearing a shirt with the Indigenous flag, told Yemini. Another woman stumbled over her words when asked why she wanted to change the date. 'The outcome we want is for them to change the date,' she said, before clarifying that she still wouldn't be happy even if they did so. Avi Yemini (pictured) took to the streets of Melbourne and filmed his conversations with a number of attendees on Saturday 'On this day James Cook arrived in Australia,' she said, before Yemini corrected her. 'If you're going to be going into the semantics about dates and get me out on that bit... we want to abolish the date.' Another woman said she was 'protesting against Australia' entirely. Most people appeared agitated with Yemini's line of questioning, saying that he was trying to catch them off guard. An 'Invasion Day' rally demanding the date of Australia Day be changed brought Melbourne's inner-city to a screeching halt on Saturday afternoon. Australian Aborigines and their supporters stage a protest against Australia Day on Saturday afternoon Protesters and counter-protesters have clashed during an 'Invasion Day' rally in Melbourne on Australia Day Thousands of Indigenous Australian sympathisers were greeted by far-right counter-protesters holding a demonstration at the city's iconic Federation Square. Up to 5,000 protesters draped in Aboriginal flags began what was billed as a 'peaceful protest' by pushing their way through a police line at the head of Bourke Street. From there, they marched towards the Yarra River, chanting: 'Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.' They say it is wrong to celebrate Australia Day on the day the British settlers arrived at land inhabited by indigenous people and want the date changed. A counter-protest mustered fewer than 100 participants who were shrouded in Australian flags at the steps of Federation Square. One man was holding a placard reading: 'To defend my country was once called patriotism now it's called racism.' The event started with a minute's silence and speeches rallying against Aboriginal deaths in custody, the abolition of public drunkenness laws, calling for an end to children being taken from family care and a spate of aboriginal child suicides. Russell Howard has claimed BBC executives once made him re-record a joke about ISIS in case it offended the genocidal terrorist group. The comedian, speaking about freedom of speech on Sky One's The Russell Howard Hour, said a routine in which he attacked the terror cult for 'not being Muslims' after the 2015 Paris attacks sparked concerns among the corporation's management. Howard, 38, claimed he was told to change the skit to instead say Isis 'weren't 'devout' Muslims', prompting the Bristol-born comic to question, 'are we worried about offending ISIS?' Easy offended? Russell Howard has claimed the BBC told him to re-record a joke in which he said ISIS were 'not Muslims' to 'not devout Muslims'. Pictured: File photo of an ISIS fighter The 38-year-old said: 'A while back I worked for the BBC and I did a piece about the Paris attacks when I said Isis weren't Muslims, they were terrorists and the crowd cheered. 'And then, at the end of the show, the BBC lost their mind, [saying] 'You need to re-record it! You need to say Isis aren't devout Muslims.' 'I was like, "Are you worried we are going to offend Isis?'" Are they going to write in?' Howard then imagined an ISIS terrorist writing a letter of complaint to the BBC's feedback programme about his former show, Russell Howard's Good News. 'Dear Points Of View, imagine my horror when I was misrepresented on a late-night satire show. Farouk and I will be cancelling our TV licence. Please excuse my handwriting, I have a hook for a hand.' He added: 'F*** those traitors to their faith! If they are killing people, the least I can do as a comedian is call them names. And if Isis gets upset, then f*** them.' Howard - seen while discussing the alleged exchange on The Russell Howard Hour last Friday - imagined an ISIS terrorist writing a letter of complaint to the BBC's feedback programme In the broadcast version of Russell Howard's Good News, the wording 'devout Muslims' was used. A BBC spokesman told MailOnline they were still investigating Howard's claim as the incident happened 'a few years ago'. But he added: 'We dont have rules about not offending ISIS and they have been the subject of our comedy in the past - such as the Real Housewives of ISIS sketch - but without further information about this particular claim were unable to comment further at present.' Surfers waiting on the ocean swell couldn't believe their eyes when a whale suddenly emerged from the water and waved at them with its huge flipper. The humpback was pictured making its surprise appearance at Cerritos Beach, Pescadero, on the north east coast of Mexico. Photographer Sofia Buitron, 37, was taking photos of the surfers waiting for their next wave when the whale started jumping in the distance and gesturing at them. A humpback whale suddenly emerges from in the water at Cerritos Beach, in Mexico, and appears to wave at surfers The mammal seemed to gesture towards the beach as surfers waited on the ocean swell The humpback - which can reach 50-foot-long and weigh 30 tonnes - created a huge splash as it crashed back into the water Humpbacks - which can reach 50-foot-long and weigh 30 tonnes - are often sighted off the Baja peninsula - where Cerritos Beach is located - because the area is rich in marine life. The region is also a mecca for surfers and in this amazing shot it looks as though both are enjoying life on the ocean wave. Ms Buitron, from Mexico City, took the perfectly timed picture on January 18, around 4.30pm. She revealed getting the picture of the whale 'waving' was all about timing. She said: 'I felt so lucky and I knew right away that this picture would be a favourite one for my family and friends. Surfing photographer Sofia Buitron, 37, said she 'felt so lucky' to have captured the whale by accident while taking photos of the surfers in the ocean Whales are often sighted off the Baja peninsula - where Cerritos Beach is located - because the area is rich in marine life 'Every time the surfers see a whale they just stop and admire them, it makes us feel grateful and closer to the ocean. 'Personally, for me, they are some kind of deity and watching them makes me feel the luckiest person. 'I'm not a surfer yet but I already have free lessons from my new friends and I'm planning to learn after the high season ends.' Advertisement The streets of central London were filled with a troupe of 17th Century Civil War re-enactors yesterday as they marched down The Mall in honour of Charles I. Hundreds of history enthusiasts, dressed in armour and uniforms from the period, led a procession from St James Palace on the Mall to the Banqueting House in Whitehall to commemorate the historic event 370 years ago. The King's Army Annual March follows the route the English king took before he was executed in 1649 and has become a key event etched in the diary of the society since 1951. Charles I, who became the nation's king at the tender age of 24 following the death of his brother Henry, was put on trial for treason by MPs, including the Parliamentarian general Oliver Cromwell, after they claimed he had committed 'wicked' abuses of power'. The society aim to re-create the atmospheric moment before his untimely death and retain the historical authenticity of the turbulent 17th century. History enthusiasts marched down The Mall in London in honour of the final steps taken by King Charles I on January 30 in 1969 The 17th century Civil War re-enactors walked down the streets of London dressed in armour and uniforms from the period to commemorate the historic event more than 300 years ago Members from the English Civil War society led a procession from St James Palace on the Mall to the Banqueting House in Whitehall The event, which has become an annual event for the society since 1951, sees history buffs dressed in authentic costumes and carrying replica artifacts from the 17th century Some members from the society took to the streets on horseback as they re-traced the route taken by King Charles I in 1649 Re-enactors from the English Civil War Society held replica weapons in their hands as they took part in the King's Annual Parade in London After taking part in the annual march, some marchers took to the pub for a well-deserved break and some warmth Women dressed and children were also spotted wearing traditional 17th century attire as they took part in the annual march The English Civil War Society aim to re-create seventeenth century military and civil life and keep alive the history from more than 300 years ago The Kings Army Annual March sees history buffs match from St James Palace on the Mall to the place of his death at the Banqueting House in Whitehall, London A few members of the society, dressed in traditional clothing from the period, were seen taking a seat against a wall during the march on January 27 One member of the group stood with a reef in honour of the historic event. The words on the reef read: 'We remember The King's Army of the English Civil War Society' A group of men dressed in traditional 17th century attire gather around to celebrate the former monarch's life, which ended when he was executed in 1649 A young girl tries to stay warm as a group of women stand around her during the annual march held by the English Civil War Society A member of the English War Society stands guard with a helmet and a replica weapon during the event honouring the late king Police Scotland spent more than 3million on Donald Trump's private visit last summer, it has been revealed. The force had to arrange for hundreds of officers to attend protests and other events during the US President's trip in July. He spent two nights at Trump Turnberry resort in Ayrshire after meeting the Queen and holding talks with Theresa May. Despite the short stay, it was costly. The force has disclosed it spent 3.2million over its usual budget to provide policing for the visit. In response to a freedom of information request from the Guardian, Police Scotland said 5,537 personnel had claimed overtime or time off in lieu, with the overtime bill reaching nearly 1.6million. Acting Chief Constable Iain Livingstone had to cancel leave and rest days to ensure sufficient manpower for the visit. Donald Trump and his wife Melania visited Scotland and spent two nights at the President's luxury hotel Police officers used hundreds of hours of overtime during the visit which cost Police Scotland more than 3million Protests included a paraglider who said the president was 'well below par' Scottish Green co-convener Patrick Harvie told the paper: 'The public will be appalled at the cost we are all paying as a result of the UK Government fawning over this bigoted bully. 'He should never have been invited and Police Scotland should send the bill not to the UK Government but to Trump himself, as his visit was part business expense, part ego trip.' During his stay a number of protests took place. One man was arrested after he floated down to the hotel on a paraglider. Calum Steele, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, told the Guardian: 'The President of the United States did not visit the UK to meet the Prime Minister of England. 'The policing costs were considerable and unless met will leave the service with diminished capacity and capability to deliver policing in Scotland, especially at a time of shrinking budgets.' Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf asked the UK Government to cover the costs. Treasury minister Liz Truss has confirmed the UK Government will be footing the bill. Neil Cumming (pictured above) has been seen out shopping in Glasgow An 'insane' killer who stabled his wife 36 times in a brutal attack has been allowed out of a high-security psychiatric hospital for a shopping trip. Neil Cumming was free to mingle with members of the public, to browse the shops and take a leisurely lunch. Cumming, who stabbed his wife Jane to death, was driven out of Carstairs hospital in Scotland and escorted by two escorts who spent around three hours at the Fort shopping complex in Glasgow with him. The 50-year-old was sent to the high security facility after he was acquitted of killing Jane, at their home in Longforgan, near Dundee, in 2011 on the grounds he was insane at the time. Cumming, who had tried to commit suicide after his wife died, had injured several innocent people by driving at 100mph on the A90 Perth to Dundee road before crashing into the back of a lorry, took a leisurely stroll around the centre on Wednesday 23 January. He was seen browsing the aisles of the food all in Marks and Spencer's, where he purchased groceries to take back to the psychiatric hospital. Cummings and his escorts then took the shopping back to the car before settling down for an hour-long lunch in a sushi restaurant. After the meal they were seen stopping off for takeaway drinks and cakes which he was allowed to enjoy in the car, which had been provided by the hospital. Cumming killed his wife Jane (pictured above). Jane had previously tried to get Cummings admitted to the psychiatric hospital Neil Cumming was spotted browsing the shops at the Glasgow Fort shopping centre (pictured above) The trio seemed in good spirits and were smiling and joking with one another. The outing comes as the Daily Record learnt that Cummings is set to move to a medium security unit at some stage this year, with regular outings being planned to ensure he can cope with the transition. A source said: 'An outing was planned for late last year but was cancelled at the last minute. Cummings was let out of the psychiatric hospital for the day, which is situated in the village of Carstairs (above) Neil and Jane were married in 1995 at the Cargill-Burrelton Church in Blairgowrie, Scotland 'He's moving to medium security in a secure unit later this year so he needs to be prepared for that as in secure units they have a bit more freedom and they need to be sure he can cope with it. 'Everything he does is monitored closely and he has 24/7 support whereas he will be a bit more independent once he moves.' Another source said: 'Shopping trips, fancy lunches and coffee shops is hardly punishment only eight years after you've brutally killed someone.' It's not the first time that Cummings has caused controversy. Last year it was reported that he demanded that he be prescribed Viagra for solo sex sessions in his room. Staff at the hospital were said to be in 'complete shock' at the time and had shared their concerns of safety. At the time a source said: 'Nobody could actually believe it. It's not as if he's getting conjugal visits. It's prescribed at the weekends for him in his room alone.' In 2014 Cumming had tried to sue Tayside health board for 250,000 after claiming they failed to properly treat his mental illness. He had been admitted to Carseview mental health unit at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee five months before stabbing Jane after it emerged he thought he was being spied on at his place of work at a tyre factory. Jane had spoken to Cumming's community psychiatric nurse over her concerns for his mental state. Days before her death, his wife Jane had tried to have him admitted to Caresview. Violence could erupt on the streets of Britain in the wake of Brexit according to a secret report by European officials. Senior intelligence officials warned that civil unrest and rioting is almost inevitable and the UK will be left 'unstable' for decades. The EU report also claims there will be independence referendums in both Scotland and Northern Ireland with 18 months of the UK leaving the EU. Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg dismissed the reports and told MailOnline 'it sounds as if EU intelligence is an oxymoron'. The claims emerged today amid mounting concern at furious pro-Brexit protests in cities including London and Leeds that have seen MPs abused and arrests following scuffles with police. Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday refused to rule out martial law being imposed after a no deal Brexit - admitting the powers were available amid claims officials have been 'war gaming' the possibility. The claims emerged today amid mounting concern at furious pro-Brexit protests in cities including London and Leeds (pictured earlier this month) that have seen MPs abused and arrests following scuffles with police Violence could erupt on the streets of Britain in the wake of Brexit according to a secret report by European officials for national leaders including Theresa May (pictured at Downing Street today) The news comes just a day after Health Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured yesterday on Marr) failed to rule out martial law being imposed after a no deal Brexit An EU source told the the Daily Mirror: 'Analysis of the threat levels in Britain is being shared at the top of the EU as we formulate policy for the years ahead. The assessment is that violence is almost inevitable no matter what. 'They are worried that if the current deal goes through the right-wing will kick off. If there's no deal everybody will object and kick off. If there's a second referendum, the right will kick off. The right kicking off is causing most concern.' 'This analysis is being kept very quiet for obvious reasons.' Tory MP Michael Fabricant told MailOnline: 'The EU should not judge the UK by the standards which sadly exist on the continent of Europe. 'We'll just settle down with a cup of tea - from non-EU India.' The Brexit protest on January 19 saw over 5 arrests by the police as roads were blocked off and traffic brought to a standstill The report was completed for the benefit of EU heads of state, including British Prime Minister Theresa May. Intelligence services around the bloc were used to make the assessment, however, MI5 was not involved, reports say. One senior Government source said: 'We are seeing civil disobedience across Europe and a growth of the far-right. 'Anything which changes the status quo, like Brexit, gives those people the opportunity to foment division. We could see protests and public disorder offences.' The extreme measures of martial law are being considered as part of a major response if the UK crashes out of the EU at the end of March. Anti-Brexit supporters hold placards and flags as they demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London People take part in an anti-Brexit rally at the Irish border near Carrickcarnan, Co Louth over the weekend as protests are held around the UK Offices in central Government have been discussing whether to use wide-ranging powers in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 - which include curfews, travel bans and deploying the army. The possibility of using the act for Operation Yellowhammer - the no-deal Brexit plan - was apparently raised for the first time last week. 'As no-deal preparations are accelerated and training is rolled out to civil servants, questions have been raised about the legislation and how it could be used in the event of a no-deal Brexit,' a source said. Mr Hancock said there was no 'specific' plan for martial law, but did not completely rule it out. 'Of course Government all the time looks at all the options in all circumstances,' he told the BBC's Andrew Marr show. 'It remains on the statute book but it isn't the focus of our attention.' A Downing Street spokesman said: 'Respecting the referendum decision means leaving the EU. 'The PM has said that there will be disruption in the event of no deal, but as a responsible Government we are taking the appropriate steps to minimise this disruption and ensure the country is prepared.' Meanwhile, MPs face sitting longer and having their holidays cancelled as efforts are ramped up to get crucial legislation through Parliament in time for the schedule March 29 departure date. Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone 'weaponized information stolen by Russia' to get the President elected in 2016 and should be prosecuted for treason, the former head of the Democratic National Committee has claimed. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz accused Stone of breaking the law in his alleged attempts to use the illegally obtained DNC emails in Trump's favour during the 2016 election campaign. Ms Wasserman Schultz, who resigned as DNC chair in response to the leak, said Stone 'needed to be prosecuted' and claimed he had worked with high-level Trump campaign officials to attempt to exploit the hacked emails. Allegations: Roger Stone 'weaponized information stolen by Russia' to get President Donald Trump elected in 2016, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, pictured, claimed this weekend 'In this case with Roger Stone, he literally weaponized information stolen by (Russian President) Vladimir Putin to help elect Donald Trump president,' she told CNN. 'He worked with high-level campaign officials from the Trump campaign who were directed by someone even higher essentially to make sure that they could traffic in information stolen by a foreign enemy state to elect the candidate that he supported president of the United States, and it was a disgusting and traitorous act, and it needs to be prosecuted.' The leaked DNC emails sowed division among Democratic voters by appearing to show party officials favored Clinton over the insurgent candidacy of Senator Bernie Sanders. While Stone's indictment charges him with seven felonies, including witness tampering, obstruction and false statements, it does not state whether his or the Trump's campaign's interest in exploiting Russia-hacked emails about Democrat Hillary Clinton crossed a legal line. It alleges that Stone informed unidentified senior Trump campaign officials of what Stone was hearing about plans by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks regarding the hacked emails. Roger Stone, a former advisor to President Donald Trump, has been charged by the government of obstruction, giving false statements and witness tampering. He is seen here outside his Fort Lauderdale, Florida home on Monday It says a senior Trump campaign official 'was directed' to contact Stone about additional releases and 'what other damaging information' WikiLeaks had 'regarding the Clinton campaign.' Though those allegations don't form the basis of any of the charges against Stone, their inclusion in the 24-page indictment could signal that special counsel Robert Mueller isn't done with that prong of the investigation. All told, Mueller has charged six Trump associates and 34 people overall, along with three companies. It is unclear when the investigation might end. A defiant Stone, flashing a Nixonian-style victory sign, emerged from the courthouse on Friday to proclaim his innocence and predict his vindication. He was released on $250,000 bond and will make his first court appearance Tuesday in Washington, where the case was brought. 'As I have said previously, there is no circumstance whatsoever under which I will bear false witness against the president, nor will I make up lies to ease the pressure on myself,' Stone said. A defiant Stone makes a victory sign while posing for cameras outside his home in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday He denied prosecutors' accusation that he repeatedly lied to the House Intelligence Committee, including when he said he had not discussed his pursuit of the stolen emails with any Trump campaign officials. Stone has previously denied that he ever bullied other witnesses to change their testimony, which is another allegation he faces. Stone's ties to Trump go back four decades. Stone has urged Trump to run for president since 1988, was chairman of his 2000 presidential exploratory committee and was a consultant when Trump considered running in 2012. Stone briefly worked for the 2016 Trump campaign but left in August 2015. The campaign said it fired him after he tried to grab too much of the spotlight. Stone insisted that he quit. Thereafter, he still played a key promotional role for Trump and communicated with people in his camp. The Kremlin has denied interfering in the 2016 US Presidential Election. Jeremy Corbyn is losing the faith of younger voters as he ponders Labour's final Brexit policy, a new poll revealed today. The opposition leader's response to Theresa May's unpopular deal to leave the EU on March 29 has sent his approval ratings among 18 to 34-year-olds from a positive to a negative rating. New polling of 2,000 young people from Opinium commissioned by For our Future's Sake [FFS], a youth wing of the People's Vote campaign, will make worrying reading for Labour. The research shows that in just six months, 18-34-year-old's approval of how Jeremy Corbyn is responding to Brexit has plummeted 27 percentage points - from +13 per cent in July to -14 per cent today. It came as senior Tories came out in force to suggest 'young people are going off Jeremy Corbyn' as their party also faces a major split over Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn, pictured at a youth event last June, needs young people to vote for him to win power - but his handling of Brexit is hitting his approval ratings, new research has revealed Kira Lewis, a For our Future's Sake activist and Jeremy Corbyn supporter, said said: 'Unfortunately, over the last six months, there's been a massive drop in young people's approval of how Jeremy Corbyn in handling Brexit. Mr Corbyn is yet to say if the party will back a second referendum, being billed as the People's Vote 'The reason for this is painfully clear - the overwhelming majority of Corbyn supporters, like myself, want Labour to back a People's Vote on the Brexit deal, but if Labour and him enable Brexit, they are at risk of losing young supporters'. The poll suggests that young people have growing concerns over Brexit, and are losing patience with Labour's approach. Jeremy Corbyn's perceived enabling of Brexit is one of the top reasons that young Labour voters say they might switch to another party, the research has found. And only 12 per cent of people in Scotland approve of the way the Corbyn is handling Brexit, with 57 per cent disapproving - the highest of anywhere in UK. Georgie Harris, Vice-President Community at Edinburgh University Students' Association and For our Future's Sake activist said: 'Labour's Brexit position has left us in a precarious position in Scotland, with only 12 per cent approving of Jeremy Corbyn's approach to Brexit. With Scotland having voted so strongly to stay in the European Union, any perception that Labour is enabling Brexit will harm us significantly.' Jeremy Corbyn's appeal to the young is waning because they don't want to pay higher taxes, Liz Truss said yesterday. The chief secretary to the Treasury said the perception of 18 to 24-year-olds as 'sandal-wearing Corbynistas' was wrong as she made a pitch to younger voters to back the Conservatives. Speaking in Leeds, she said: 'Young people are going off Jeremy Corbyn even faster than his own MPs are. Chief secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss has said 'young people are going off Jeremy Corbyn' as all the Labour leader, pictured, is 'offers is high taxes and more state control' 'This is the most self-starting, business-minded generation ever and all Corbyn offers is high taxes and more state control. 'It's Conservatives, not Labour, that will help young people fulfil their ambition and turbocharge the economy as we leave the EU.' Polls suggest 60 per cent of the 18-24 age group backed Labour at the 2017 election compared with around 20 per cent who voted Conservative. Calling for greater investment in superfast broadband and new houses, Mrs Truss also cited an 85 per cent jump in the number of entrepreneurs aged 18 to 24 compared to 2015. 'We now have an army of high achievers brimming with ambition and with the drive to shape their own futures,' she said. Kerri-Anne Kennerley has doubled down on her belief that Australia Day activists should do more to help indigenous communities after she was labeled a 'racist'. She told fellow reporter Ben Fordham she was 'just stating a fact' when ABC radio host Yumi Stynes accused her of racism after she spoke out against child abuse statistics in rural Australian communities. The veteran presenter told Fordham she made no mistake when discussing increased sexual assaults in the Outback - and called for more to be done. Kerri-Anne Kennerley has doubled down on her belief that Australia Day activists should do more to help indigenous communities after she was labeled a 'racist' 'She [Stynes] mentioned it happens in our community... but it is rampant out there. Alcohol is at the base of it and we have to find a way to protect these children,' she said. 'If we do not protect these children that leads onto youth suicide, paedophilia, abuse of children creates so many horrible division in life and their life is never the same.' 'I can only assume that Yumi doesn't know that it is a fact of life because I never made a racist comment.' Earlier on Monday, Kennerley and Stynes both joined the Studio 10 panel during discussions over Saturday's 'Invasion Day' protests. Kennerley called out protesters at the event, and questioned whether they could be doing more to help the people they were defending. 'OK, the 5,000 people who went through the streets making their points known, saying how inappropriate the day is,' she began. 'Has any single one of those people been out to the Outback, where children, babies, five-year-olds, are being raped? 'Their mothers are being raped, their sisters are being raped. They get no education. What have you done?' The panel sat in shocked silence for several seconds Stynes went straight for the jugular. 'That is not even faintly true, Kerri-Anne. You're sounding quite racist right now,' she said. KIIS FM and ABC radio host Yumi Stynes responded: 'That is not even faintly true, Kerri-Anne. You're sounding quite racist right now' Kennerley responded by stating she was offended, but Stynes doubled down on her insult. 'Well keep going then, because every time you open your mouth you're sounding racist.' Kennerley wasn't prepared to cede any ground, either, and again went after the protesters who she accused of only caring one day of the year. 'These people are desperate for help. Aboriginal elder women are desperate for help, and they're not getting it. Kerri-Anne Kennerley said Australia Day protesters should be doing something about the high rate of sexual assault among Aboriginal women instead of focusing on the date 'Where are these people doing [other than] one day of the year? You'd be better off doing something positive.' With the argument threatening to boil over, host Sarah Harris tried to defuse the situation. 'Take it back a notch everything's going to be cool,' she interjected. She tried to say that it is an issue that really 'fires people up', but maintained 'everyone has their hearts in the right places and everyone wants to do the right thing'. Stynes told Kennerley many of the protesters would have previously gone out into the Indigenous communities, but Kennerley demanded exact numbers. She also claimed Kennerley was glossing over women and children also being raped in cities, stating it wasn't just a rural problem. Thousands took to the streets on Saturday to protest against Australia Day and demanding the date be changed as January 26 represents 'Invasion Day' Kennerley insisted she wasn't racist just because she 'had a point of view', but Stynes objected to her making assumptions about 5,000 people. 'Yeah, you're actually connecting rape, child abuse, you're drawing a straight line and you're implying those 5000 protesters, none of whom you know personally, are all lazy and idle,' she said. 'You're asking if any of them have ever done anything as though it's clear they haven't.' Kennerley in turn accused her of 'drawing a line that isn't there', but Stynes said she 'saw it quite clearly'. 'Well get new glasses,' Kennerley snapped back as Yumi sat stony-faced and stared out at the audience. Above, demonstrators in Melbourne this weekend. Australia's 700,000 or so indigenous people track near the bottom of its 25million citizens in almost every economic and social indicator While opinion polls suggest up to half the country supports changing Australia Day, the conservative government is under pressure to legally entrench January 26 as a national holiday. Pictured, protesters in Brisbane on Saturday Harris finally managed to get control of the segment and beg the panelists to stop calling each other names. 'This is just an issue that Yumi and I have. There are probably 20 other things that we do agree on this is just one that we don't,' Kennerley replied. A 2004 survey of 6,677 women found sexual assault was three times higher among Aboriginal women than other groups. Then last year a wide-ranging investigation charged 36 men with more than 300 crimes against 184 children in remote Aboriginal communities in WA, and identified three times that many suspects. West Australian Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said the scale of arrests was 'staggering' and the problem was 'a cancer'. 'It's a war zone out there and the victims are little kids,' he told the ABC last year. A man has been charged over the alleged indecent assault of a young girl at a gaming arcade in Sydney's CBD. The 51-year-old is alleged to have indecently assaulted the 11-year-old girl by sexually touching her with a pair of sunglasses, according to 9 News. Police allege the man approached her around 2pm on Sunday at a Playtime arcade in the Market City Shopping Centre in Haymarket. The girl told family members who alerted police but her alleged attacker had already left the scene. A 51-year-old man (pictured) has been charged with two counts of intentionally sexually touching a child New South Wales police arrested the man at a shopping centre in Darling Harbour on Monday morning, after police released images to the public on Sunday night. He has since been charged with two counts of intentionally sexually touching a child. The man was refused bail by police and is due before Central Local Court on Tuesday. Pope Francis fears a 'bloodbath' in Venezuela as opposition leader Juan Guaido tries to wrestle control of the country from Nicolas Maduro. The pontiff refused to pick sides between the men even as the United States and its allies lined up to demand Maduro leave office, but said he is 'afraid' for Venezuelans. 'What is it that scares me? Bloodshed,' he told reporters aboard his private plane as he flew back from a visit to Panama. 'The problem of violence frightens me.' He added: 'In this moment, I support all the Venezuelan people because they are a people who are suffering. I suffer for what is happening in Venezuela.' Pope Francis refused to pick a side between Nicolas Maduro and opponent Juan Guaido as the pair wrestle for control of Venezuela, but said he fears a 'bloodbath' for ordinary Venezuelans It comes after Maduro, who is facing staunch opposition to his second term in office from Guaido, spent the weekend drumming up support among the military Maduro is being kept in power by the armed forces, who have led often-bloody crackdowns on protesters, killing more than two dozen last week alone Juan Guaido has declared himself the interim President of Venezuela and found backing from both President Trump and Jair Bolosnaro, the strong-man Brazilian leader, after Maduro 'won' a second term in elections widely considered illegitimate. But Maduro has refused to leave office, accusing 'imperialist' America of staging a coup against him and spent the weekend drumming up support among the military, which is now key to propping up his regime. At the weekend, President Maduro watched an artillery barrage at an army base before giving a speech to soldiers in which he asked whether they were plotting a 'coup' with the United States. They shouted back: 'No, my chief commander'. Meanwhile opponent Juan Guaido urged soldiers to lay down their weapons and side with him, as supporters handed out leaflets promising amnesty for any troops willing to switch sides. Addressing soldiers in an appearance on state TV on Sunday, Mr Maduro asked whether they were plotting with the 'imperialist' United States, which he accused of openly leading a coup against him. 'No, my commander-in-chief,' they shouted in unison, and Mr Maduro responded: 'We're ready to defend our homeland - under any circumstance.' Maduro toured military bases at the weekend as troops prepared for massive military drills due next month, which he called 'the most important in our history' The President, whose rule has been widely disputed, rode on amphibious vehicles then watched as they bombarded a nearby hill with artillery shells Addressing troops, Maduro asked whether they were part of a coup against him, to which they replied: 'No, chief commander' Maduro visited several bases over the weekend as the armed forces prepared for massive military drills to take place between February 10 and 15. He called the drills 'the most important in our history' while saying the military must be ready to defend the country 'in any scenario'. The duelling appeals from the two rivals again put the military centre stage in the global debate over who holds a legitimate claim to power in the South American nation. The standoff has plunged troubled Venezuela into a new chapter of political turmoil that has already left more than two dozen dead as thousands took to the streets demanding Mr Maduro step down. His rival Mr Guaido is calling for two new mass protests over the next week. Speaking ahead of the protests, Mr Guaido repeated his calls for the military to step aside and allow him to seize power. 'This is no time for more deaths or more sacrifices,' he told The Guardian. Maduro told the troops they must be ready to defend Venezuela 'in any circumstance' after the US declared his rule illegitimate Maduro is clinging to power in Venezuela, with the loyalty of the military seen as key to maintaining his grip on the country During his visit to an army base near Caracas, Maduro announced massive military drills to take place between February 10 and 15 Maduro has just begun a second term as President of Venezuela amid international condemnation over elections which were panned as illegitimate He also sought to calm fears that the country will break up or plunge into civil war, saying: 'I don't think we will reach that point. The idea is to increase pressure.' Guaido has touted 'emerging' support within the military after Venezuela's top military representative to the US declared that he now recognises Guaido as the president, abandoning Maduro. Colonel Jose Luis Silva was promptly denounced as a 'traitor' to the country while the defence ministry said he was guilty of treason. The tumult erupted when Mr Guaido, the 35-year-old leader of Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress, declared before masses of supporters last week that he has temporarily assumed presidential powers, vowing to hold free elections and end Mr Maduro's dictatorship. US president Donald Trump and several foreign leaders quickly recognised Mr Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate leader, prompting Mr Maduro to cut ties with the US and order its diplomats from Caracas within 72 hours. Juan Guaido declared himself interim President of Venezuela last week and was recognised by the US as he called for Maduro to step aside and hold fresh election Guaido has been calling on the military to step aside and allow Maduro to go, with supporters handing leaflets to soldiers which promised amnesty in return for swapping sides A member of the national guard burns a leaflet encouraging the military to step aside and allow Maduro to fall from power A pile of torn-up leaflets handed to soldiers are seen on the streets of Caracas, where mass demonstrations are planned for next week The US defied him, saying Mr Maduro is not the legitimate president, and Mr Maduro relented, suspending the deadline for 30 days for the sake of opening a dialogue. Venezuela's crisis came before the UN Security Council on Saturday, which took no formal action because of divisions among members. Russia and China back Mr Maduro, but France and Britain joined Spain and Germany in turning up the pressure on him, saying they would recognise Mr Guaido as president unless Venezuela calls a new presidential election within eight days. 'Where do you get that you have the power to establish a deadline or an ultimatum to a sovereign people?' said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza. 'It's almost childlike.' Venezuela's armed forces remain the key to Mr Maduro's hold on power, firing tear gas and bullets on protesters, killing more than two dozen since Wednesday. While rank-and-file troops remain loyal to Maduro, at the weekend Colonel Jose Luis Silva, Venezuela's military attache in the United States, announced he was defecting In response to news of his defection, Venezuela's defence ministry said Col Silva was guilty of treason, and tweeted photos of him with the word 'traitor' on them Mr Guaido is urging Venezuelans to leave their homes, offices or wherever they may be on Wednesday for a peaceful, two-hour midday protest. He is also asking followers to take to the streets again Saturday for demonstrations 'in every corner' of the nation and around the globe, to coincide with the European Union deadline for announcing a new election. 'We're advancing well, Venezuela,' Mr Guaido said in his broadcast, streamed live on the internet. 'We've restored hope.' The Trump administration has maintained that all options remain open if Mr Maduro refuses to cede leadership, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said on Fox News Sunday. 'I don't think any president of any party who is doing his or her job would be doing the job properly if they took anything off the table,' he said. 'So, I think the president of the United States is looking at this extraordinarily closely.' If you think you hate working out, check out this cheeky puppy. Little Yellow, a two-month-old pet Akita in China, learned how to cut corners almost immediately after its owner put it on a treadmill to do some exercise. The dog started its exercise regime by slowly running along the machine's moving belt; but within a minute, it had found out how to cheat. Two-month-old puppy Little Yellow in Shijiazhuang, China, was put to do running exercise by its owner on a treadmill (left), but it quickly realised how to cheat by using just one leg (right) Hilarious footage uploaded by Little Yellow's owner shows the pet standing on the side of the running belt with one hind leg while using the other to slowly push along the belt to 'work out'. To balance, the dog leant against a metal cage erected around the treadmill. The amusing scene took place last Monday in Shijiazhuang in northern China's Hebei Province, according to BJnews. Little Yellow is an Akita, a breed of dog native to Japan (file photo) and popular in China The dog's owner, Zhang Yaxiong, told reporters it was the first time Little Yellow had used a treadmill. 'Within one minute, he stood up against the fence and used one leg to step on the belt as if he was rowing a boat,' Mr Zhang said, adding that he let Little Yellow 'run' for around five minutes before guiding him off the machine. The funny video became trending on Chinese social media platform after it was uploaded late last week. On China's Twitter-like Weibo, one user joked 'this dog is cleverer than me' while another wonder if the pet's owner was also good at slacking off. A third user commented: 'It didn't want to run. It wanted to go out and play.' This is the moment a brazen thief steals a famous painting in front of staff and tourists at Russia's top art gallery in broad daylight yesterday. Police have arrested a man they believe stole the artwork, 'Ai-Petri. Crimea', painted by 19th century artist Arkhip Kuindzhi. State television aired footage of a man calmly taking the painting off the wall at Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery and walking away with it. The gallery said the painting was snatched at around 6pm (3pm GMT) on Sunday during normal opening hours. The painting, depicting the Ai-Petri mountain in Crimea, was completed between 1898 and 1908. The Russian Interior Ministry said a 31-year-old man was detained in a village outside Moscow for questioning. The suspect was seen walking calmly towards the famous painting before taking it off the wall The man took the artwork in front of staff members and tourists at Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery After taking the painting of the wall, the man is seen walking away with it as tourists look at him He slowly walks away and seems to go unnoticed, despite carrying the painting with him A statement reported that the man told police he hid the painting in a building under construction in the village of Zarechye, from where it was then recovered. Police are working to establish if the suspect had any accomplices. 'At the time of the theft, the museum's security - carried out by forces of the National Guard and the museum's security service - was working normally,' the gallery said in a statement late on Sunday. The stolen painting is part of an exhibition by Russian landscape painter Arkhip Kuindzhi Police detained a 31-year-old suspect for questioning while they try to establish if he had an accomplices The famous painting 'Ai-Petri. Crimea' was found in a building in the village of Zarechye After police found the stolen artwork, the gallery said the painting did not have any damage 'Security measures at the Arkhip Kuindzhi exhibition and all sites of the Tretyakov Gallery have been strengthened,' it added. The suspect is believed to have used a Mercedes as his get-away car after the heist. He had been detained last month in a drugs case in which he remains a suspect, said law enforcement officials. The gallery said the painting was undamaged. Art expert Mikhail Kamensky, a distant relative of British actress Helen Mirren, said: 'Arkhip Kuindzhi is a distinguished artist but collectors are mainly in Russia. 'If the criminal had stolen the painting aiming to sell it, it will be impossible to do so in Russia. 'All professionals, collectors, potential buyers will know the situation. It is impossible to sell the painting abroad too. 'All galleries and auctions linked to Russian art will be informed. Nobody will deal with the stolen painting.' The museum experienced another incident in May last year, when a visitor caused serious damage by attacking a famous 19th-century painting of Ivan The Terrible. Russian police officers managed to recover the painting and detained the suspected thief Law enforcement officials said the man had been detained last month in a drugs case in which he remains a suspect Police arrested a man, 37, who used a metal pole to break the glass covering the painting by Ilya Repin, damaging the work in three places. The museum is currently hosting an exhibition with more than 180 paintings by Russian landscape painter Arkhip Kuindzhi that will run until February 17. Kuindzhi (1842-1910) created a special type of romantic landscape based on a realistic perception of the world transformed by the artists personal touch. A German rescue agency has come under fire for appearing to suggest that people marry migrants to give them the right to live in Europe. Dresden-based migrant relief organisation 'Mission Lifeline' posted a controversial tweet on Wednesday last week asking single people to partner up with those 'who do not have the right to stay here'. 'You're not married yet? Maybe you could fall in love with someone who doesn't have the right to stay here? Could happen, right? Stay open,' the agency tweeted to its 19,000-strong following. Scroll down for video Migrants wave from aboard a ship operated by the German NGO Mission Lifeline in June last year having been rescued Mission Lifeline posted a tweet on Wednesday last week in which it called on those who 'weren't married yet' to 'fall in love with someone who doesn't have the right to stay here' In a later tweet they added: 'If you're happy, think of people fleeing! It will make you even happier to do something good.' Mission Lifeline's tweet instantly drew fire from political figures throughout Germany. Christian Democrat politician Philipp Amthor, 26, told newspaper Bild.de that the agency was clearly trying to 'thwart immigration law'. 'This absurd call for entering marriages shows clearly that these "sea rescue" in fact pursue a much larger agenda,' Amthor said. 'They want to thwart our immigration law with their left-wing ideology and lead our constitutional state by the nose.' CDU politician Phillip Amthor railed against the NGO and said the tweet was an attempt to 'thwart immigration law' But the NGO's co-founder rejected the idea that the tweet was about marriage, saying instead it encouraged people to 'show love towards migrants'. 'It was merely a call for donations for sea rescues.' he said. The charity, founded in 2016, has previously seen its ship 'Lifeline' rejected when it tried to enter an Italian port in 2018 carrying over 200 migrants. Lifeline eventually had to wait six days before it was allowed to dock in Malta after international outcry over its treatment in Italy.= Hundreds of thousands of fish have been found dead in NSW's far west, three weeks after an unprecedented fish kill struck the area. Bony herring, golden perch and carp have all been wiped out in mass numbers, with the state government again blaming the 'environmental catastrophe' on weather. Regional Water Minister Niall Blair on Monday afternoon confirmed the deaths at Menindee weir and along parts of the Darling River. 'The conditions out there are showing a lot of fish that are near the surface of the water, gasping for air,' he told reporters in Sydney. Scroll down for video The state government have blamed the 'environmental catastrophe' of the dying fish (pictured) on the weather He said it is an 'environmental catastrophe' and conditions could potentially deteriorate further. 'No scientist, no locals, no one has been able to point to anything else that could prevent something like this other than fresh water coming into the system and we just don't have that,' Mr Blair said. Fisheries officers from the NSW Department of Primary Industries were on high alert across the weekend, relocating some struggling Murray cod. Reports were also received of fish deaths in Lake Keepit and Thredbo. Fisheries officers from the NSW Department of Primary Industries worked over the weekend to relocate some struggling Murray cod In a statement, the department said the latest fish kill is the result of 'critically low levels of dissolved oxygen' likely linked to the mixing of weir pool water following the significant drop in temperature over the last few days. A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman told AAP temperatures at Menindee peaked at 48.8C on Friday, falling to 23.3C on Sunday, but said 'that's not unusual for this time of year'. Menindee resident Rob Gregory said there were up to 300 dead bony bream, and some native species. Regional Water Minister Niall Blair on Monday afternoon confirmed the deaths at Menindee weir and along parts of the Darling River (pictured) 'There are lots of yabbies crawling up the bank ... they must be suffocating,' he told AAP. Up to a million fish died at Menindee earlier in January, some of them decades old, while thousands were found dead days later almost 900km away along the Macintyre River. In an interim report released on January 24, the NSW government said the first Menindee 'ecological disaster' was caused by low rainfall and large temperature variants leading to an algal bloom that sucked oxygen from the water. Mr Blair said water aerators have been installed and dismissed suggestions that cotton farmers and big industry were taking more than their share, while also welcoming information about any such behaviour. Hundreds of thousands of fish (pictured) were killed earlier this month in the Menindee weir The government has also pointed the finger at Canberra and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority for authorising water releases from the Menindee basin when water levels were higher. 'There will be plenty of people that will dissect the events that led up to this,' Mr Blair said, citing two federal investigations currently under way. 'I'm sure that the control and water releases will all be part of those debates.' NSW Labor leader Michael Daley wants the government to 'abandon' its current approach and announce a comprehensive water plan including the reintroduction of the cease-to-pump rule for the affected system. Mr Blair will travel to Menindee on Monday night to see the latest damage first-hand. The council has hired a clean-up operator which will also record information about the event. Gogglebox star Dom Parker has opened up about the devastating reality of having a child with a serious illness. Mr Parker and his wife Steph, who live in Sandwich, Kent, are known up and down the country for their hilarious take on the week's TV. But recently they revealed the struggle of looking after their 18-year-old son Max, whose complex form of epilepsy means he has 100 seizures a day. He is also autistic, which means he has the mental age of about six. The Parkers are looking into the benefits of medicinal cannabis after it was legalised in the UK in November. Mr Parker told Good Morning Britain today: 'We thought it was the right time... and for us personally to understand what's really going on with medicinal cannabis. 'The law did change on November 1 - but it's still not readily available. Dom and Steph Parker (pictured left and right) are known for their appearances on Gogglebox. Their son Max (second left) has been chronically ill with severe epilepsy since he was four years old and still suffers over 100 seizures every day 'Yes it's legal now, but they've got to make decision about who's going to supply it, who's going to pay for it, who's going to prescribe it, where you can get it from. 'Setting up those protocols takes time.' Describing their son as a 'charming, beautiful, polite young man', he revealed that his condition is so severe he is not aware of how much he is suffering. He told the programme: 'The truth of the matter is, I'm not sure max is even aware he's suffering. 'It started at four months as infantile spasms, which we managed to keep under control with medication. 'But then at aged four it came back with a vengeance. He's 18 now, but he's probably trapped in mental aged 6, just stuck there. 'He doesn't complain about anything, he doesn't talk very much, communication is very limited. 'Every time he sees us, which is what, 128 times a day, he's not feeling it and remembering it like we are.' The Parkers (Dom Pictured on GMB today) are looking into the benefits of medicinal cannabis after it was legalised in the UK in November In a Channel 4 documentary tonight called Can Cannabis Save Our Son? the couple will look into whether a medicinal dose of the drug could alleviate some of their suffering. The best they can expect would be a cessation of his seizures altogether because the damage that has been done to his brain over the years is liable to be irreparable. His condition closely mimics that of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a complex and life-threatening type of epilepsy. In the film viewers first see Max during last year's long, hot summer at the idyllic cottage in the New Forest where the larger Parker family gather for holidays. Like many teenage boys, he is mad about sports and football, while showing amazing eye-hand co-ordination when playing cricket and tennis. He is home from the special boarding school in Hertfordshire one of only two in the UK, which cares for children with his type of rare illness and supplies 24-hour care. His schooling and education is paid for by Kent County Council's Social Department, as the family's main residence is still in Sandwich, Kent near the Salutation Inn, the celebrated hotel they ran. Max also has a trained, full time carer during school holidays, who is clearly devoted to him. Kent County Council fund around five hours of this care per week for Max, while the Parkers themselves pay for the rest. A new Channel 4 documentary will explore if medicinal cannabis will be able to help Max Mr Parker says that after high profile cases like Billy Caldwell and Alfie Dingley they decided to step up their investigation into the drug. Thirteen-year-old Billy Caldwell had his medicinal cannabis oil confiscated on his mother's return from Canada, while the family of Alfie Dingley, eight, petitioned the government after they found his condition improved when given a cannabis-based medication in the Netherlands, where it is legal. Both boys have now been granted licences to allow them access to cannabis, but elsewhere the controversial treatment can only be prescribed by specialist doctors in a limited number of circumstances. With tonight's documentary Steph and Dom want to give clarity to a subject which is confusing for everyone even for the Parkers themselves, who have been scrutinising the cannabis and cannabidiol issue for years. 'That is what you do if you are the parent of a chronically ill child,' said Mrs Parker. 'You are not online at midnight shopping on Zara, you are online at midnight doing this kind of thing.' Steph and Dom hope to give clarity to the controversial subject of medicinal cannabis - as they hope it can help their son who has been chronically ill since he was four (pictured) First goal? To help clear up some of the misconceptions about medicinal cannabis. 'People say to us: 'Are you going to give your child cannabis?' No, we are not!' she cries. 'Medicinal cannabis is produced in laboratories and all the psychotics and hallucinogens, anything that some might regard as the fun stuff that gets you high, all that has been taken out.' 'A bit like alcohol free lager,' adds Mr Parker. And after seeing Max suffer for so long, his parents are desperate to find out if cannabis could make a positive difference to his quality of life, even if they hardly dare voice their modest aspirations for his improvement out loud. 'I would love to see him able to develop relationships and make friends with people his own age,' says Mrs Parker. 'I would just love to have a conversation with him,' her husband adds. Steph & Dom: Can Cannabis Save Our Son? is on Channel 4, 9pm on Monday, January 28 Staff at Kensington Palace are being forced to spend hours moderating 'hundreds of thousands' of vile sexist and racist online comments aimed at the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton and the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. Violent threats have been made towards the two women across kensington Palace's social media channels such as Instagram, while other trolls have been targeting 'rival' fans in a spate of vicious personal abuse. Neither Kate nor Meghan have social media accounts, with Meghan having famously closed her Instagram account a year before her marriage to Prince Harry. While royal aides have stressed that the majority of comments being left on the official Kensington Palace social media accounts are positive, a Palace source told Hello! that they have also highlighted that teams are spending hours reviewing old material and moderating comments under posts. The Kensington Palace official Instagram account (pictured left) has been tackling abusive comments against Kate and Meghan (right) Many of the comments turn into arguments between fans of Meghan and Kate Kensington Palace's social media accounts are a vital source of information for fans of the royals and its Instagram page has over seven million followers, while its Twitter account has nearly 1.6 million. The Palace is now said to be moderating comments from both Instagram and other social channels. Some of the worst personal abuse, according to insiders, is seen in exchanges between rival fans of the two duchesses. Some claim Meghan is targeted because she is of mixed race and American. Others try to say Kate is threatened by the arrival of her sister-in-law into the senior ranks of the Royal Family. Both narratives are given short shrift by royal insiders, but there is concern that supposed difficulties between the two young royal couples is being used as a springboard for abuse online. A source said: It was pretty vile for a while. There are automated tools which help police the very inappropriate comments getting through, but there is also manual moderation. The trouble is there are often thousands of comments. It only takes a couple of people to stir up a really nasty conversation with people being very aggressive towards each other. This is something female public figures and female celebrities have to deal with in a way that others do not. The pair decided to put their differences aside at Christmas as it was said they enjoyed a game of Scrabble together. The Palace has stressed that a lot of the comments are positive but that they are having to wade through nasty comments Some of the comments on Instagram have become aggressive between 'rival' fan groups Rumours were rife that the pair had clashed over palace staff, with one source even claiming that Kate had 'cried' after Charlotte's dress fitting ahead of Meghan's wedding in May Now sources say that the continuous trolling from social media users has become such an issue in recent months that the Palace has now turned to Instagram in a bid to learn all they can in order to help them tackle the abusive comments. The social networking company has a team dedicated to helping high profile Instagram users cope with issues such as these, and particularly around the monitoring of unpleasant and abusive comments. In some posts Kate has been called 'boring', while Meghan has been targeted for being 'too slim' and for 'touching her baby bump too much'. Much of the aggression on social media from fans has been from those who have taken sides between the Kate and Meghan following reported tensions in the royal household last year. There were claims that Kate broke down in tears following Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid's dress fitting, ahead of Meghan and Harry's wedding in May, as well as suggestions the pair had clashed over staff. Sources had also claimed that Meghan was 'fed-up' of not being able to 'stand up for herself' as the demands of royal protocol dictate she keeps a dignified silence amid rumours of tension between the sisters-in-law. A source previously told the Daily Mail's Rebecca English: 'While there are some tensions behind the scenes, Kate is pretty unflappable and nothing has become bad enough to make Harry and Meghan want to move out. 'People are genuinely pleased to see them so happy. The truth is that there simply isn't enough room at Kensington Palace for them and I know they have been looking at Windsor as a possibility since before the wedding.' Hello Magazine have now launched a campaign to take a stand against this behaviour, more information can be found here. Three people have been killed and more than 170 were injured as a tornado devastated the Cuban capital of Havana on Sunday evening. Gusts of winds of more than 62mph tore through parts of Havana around 9pm on Sunday, bringing heavy rain and hail. The storm caused city-wide power-cuts, destroyed buildings and sent cars flying, local media reports. Damage: A rare and powerful tornado that struck Havana on Sunday evening killed three people and left 174 injured Destruction: A damaged car flattened by debris from a building is seen in the tornado-hit Luyano neighbourhood in Havana Cuban firefighters assist the evacuation of a mother and her baby in the tornado-hit Luyano neighborhood in Havana Cuban firefighters hold babies wrapped in blankets during evacuations early Monday morning Tornado's are rare on Cuba, and this was the first twister to hit the capital in decades. The full magnitude of the damage is not yet known, however photos and video footage posted on social media by Havana residents show the destruction the tornado has left in its wake. President Miguel Diaz-Canel said early Monday that three people had been killed and 174 injured in the storm, however the number of casualties may rise. He added that several emergency teams were working hard to restore power to blacked-out areas. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said early Monday that three people had been killed and 172 injured in the storm Photos shared on social media show overturned and destroyed cars and buildings in Havana A man inspects a damaged car lying on its side in the tornado-hit Luyano neighborhood in Havana Photos from the city shows a number of damaged cars and buildings in the wake of the storm In the city's Luyano neighborhood storm debris - including parts of a balcony ripped off an old building - blocked the streets, AFP photographers reported. As emergency sirens blared across the city, firefighters and ambulances rushed about on rescue missions, their flashing lights giving light to blacked out areas. At the Hijas de Galicia maternity hospital staff were forced to evacuate the building due to storm damage. The tornado, spawned by a powerful storm that originated in the Gulf of Mexico, hit western Cuba with winds of up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour. Cubans walk past debris in the tornado-hit Luyano neighbourhood in Havana early on Monday Cuban police cordon off a street in Havana early on Monday morning as residents survey the damage done by the violent storm A resident removes debris from his damaged car after a tornado hit several neighborhoods in Havana overnight, disrupting electrical power and damaging buildings and cars People described the tornado as having 'the sound of a jet engine,' and reported feeling changes in the environmental pressure when it arrived, Armando Caymares with the Institute of Meteorology said. The tornado 'caught me in the street, in the car with my wife and children,' actor Luis 'Panfilo' Silva wrote on his social media account. 'I had to dodge fallen trees, flooded areas and strong winds until I managed to get home. We experienced great fear,' he wrote. Theresa May has been told by Remainers in her own cabinet that she has two weeks to do a deal with Brussels or face a dozen or more resignations, it was revealed today. Amber Rudd is leading a vanguard of Tories who warned the Prime Minister they will quit en masse if there is any chance of a no deal Brexit. The rebel ministers include Ms Rudd, the current Work and Pensions Secretary, as well as Business Secretary Greg Clark, Justice Secretary David Gauke and Immigration Minister Caroline Noakes. A group of around a dozen senior Tories held a conference call over the weekend and have agreed to delay their rebellion for two weeks to allow for Mrs May to negotiate a new backstop deal with the EU and hold a vote. It means that they are now unlikely to back Labour MP Yvette Cooper's amendment tomorrow, designed to prevent a no deal Brexit. One of those on the conference call told the Telegraph: 'We are not accepting jam tomorrow, we need a firm commitment to a date for the second meaningful vote. It would mean that Tuesday isn't D-Day.' Amber Rudd is leading a vanguard of Tories who warned the Prime Minister they will quit en masse if there is any chance of a no deal Brexit - but will delay supporting Yvette Cooper's amendment to prevent no deal Theresa May fears rebel Tory MPs will this week write a 'blank cheque' to Parliament which could allow Brexit to be delayed for a year or longer or even stopped entirely. The Commons is expected to vote tomorrow on various amendments including one to seize power from ministers and hand it to backbench MPs so they can influence the timing of Britain's departure. Theresa May, pictured, fears rebel Tory MPs will this week write a 'blank cheque' to Parliament which could delay Brexit Supporters of the plan led by Labour's Yvette Cooper and former Tory minister Nick Boles say the amendment is designed to stop a damaging No Deal exit, as it would postpone the March 29 leaving date by nine months if a deal is not secured by February 26. But Downing Street insiders last night warned the Bill could be changed later to delay Brexit indefinitely. A senior source said: 'Leaving aside the constitutional concerns around the Cooper Bill, it is clear from Yvette Cooper's comments that backing her Bill means signing a blank cheque when it comes to delaying Brexit. 'It could mean Brexit is delayed for nine months, a year, or more. It also opens the door to Brexit not happening at all.' The warning came amid signs that Tory ministers who threatened to quit over a No Deal were stepping back from the brink. Last week Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd suggested she could resign from Cabinet unless ministers were given a free vote on the anti-No Deal bill, adding privately that dozens of ministers could do the same. But the Mail understands many have been reassured they will have an opportunity to stop No Deal at a later point. Chancellor Philip Hammond and Mrs May's effective deputy David Lidington have told them to keep their powder dry. The source said: 'We don't think there will be fireworks this week. I don't think there will be mass resignations. 'People are working hard to make sure amendments go down that keep the party together.' Yesterday Mr Lidington argued this week's vote was not the 'final decision point' and insisted MPs will have another 'meaningful vote' on Mrs May's deal next month once she has been back to Brussels. He wrote in the Observer: 'If Parliament wishes to avoid No Deal, I have no doubt it will find ways to express a view in the coming weeks.' What is the Plan B vote the PM is 'betting her house on' today and what will it mean if it passes? What is happening? Because Theresa May's Brexit deal was defeated, the law says she must tell Parliament what her Plan B is. This has to be done in a motion to the Commons, which will be voted on by MPs on Tuesday night. That motion can be re-written by MPs if they table amendments and win a vote in favour of them. Some amendments have already been tabled and MPs can keep producing them until Monday night. What does May's plan say? It promises more cross-party working, renews commitments to protecting workers' rights after Brexit and says the PM will ask Brussels for more concessions on the backstop. It it based on the current deal that was crushed by 230 votes last week. What do the main amendments say? Jeremy Corbyn's amendment says Parliament should vote on 'options' including a renegotiation of the deal to get a permanent customs union and for a second referendum. A cross party amendment from Yvette Cooper and Nicky Morgan seeks to block no deal by giving time to a draft law that would require the Government to delay Brexit if a deal has not been agreed by February 26. It upturns normal convention by putting a backbench MP's Bill ahead of Government plans. An amendment from Tory rebel Dominic Grieve seeks to set up weekly debates that would mean regular votes on what to do in the absence a deal. His amendments sets aside six named days for the debates - including as late as March 26. The Government also appears to be encouraging MPs to back amendment from two senior Tory MPs. One from Andrew Murrison would effectively set a time limit on the backstop of December 31, 2021. Another amendments tabled by Sir Graham Brady, chair of the powerful 1922 committee, would effectively eradicate the backstop and demand the EU and UK find other solutions. Some ministers hope that if these amendment receive strong support it will pile pressure on the EU to make concessions on the backstop - which Brexiteers fear the UK will be stuck in forever, and the DUP believes risks splitting the union. What would the vote do? Legally nothing - but if the Commons votes in favour of a clear way forward by a majority it will be a major political signal of what might happen. Is it a new 'meaningful vote' that can approve May's deal? No. At some point, the PM will have to stage a repeat of last week's vote to get explicit approval from MPs to go ahead with her deal if she wants it to survive. Advertisement The Cooper amendment has won the backing of nearly ten Tory MPs all voted Remain in 2016 and several back a second referendum. Labour is also expected to whip its MPs to support it. Yesterday Miss Cooper told the Andrew Marr show that her Bill 'gives Parliament the option to decide how long [the delay] should be' and that it was 'not about blocking Brexit'. Under her proposal, Mrs May would be forced to ask the EU for an extension to Article 50 if she fails to secure a deal. The pilot of a Bangladeshi plane that came down in Nepal last year killing 51 people 'seemed to have an emotional breakdown' before the crash, investigators say. A final report on the crash blamed the crew's loss of situational awareness for the crash, which was the worst aviation disaster in Nepal for 26 years. The US-Bangla Airlines flight to Kathmandu from Dhaka caught fire on landing in March last year, killing 51 of the 71 people aboard. The pilot of a US-Bangla Airlines flight from Dhaka to Kathmandu, in Nepal, which crashed and killed 51 people 'had an emotional breakdown' before the disaster, investigators say Captain Abid Sultan was smoking in the cockpit and ranting about a female staff member who criticised his abilities even during critical phases of the flight, a final report into the crash said 'The pilot thought he could maneuver the aircraft and land. But he could not,' panel official Buddhisagar Lamichhane, told Reuters on Monday. The captain was under stress and 'emotionally disturbed' because he felt that a female colleague who was not on board the fatal flight had questioned his reputation as a good instructor, Nepal's Accident Investigation Commission said. 'This, together with the failure on the part of both the crew to follow the standard operating procedure at the critical stage of the flight, contributed to the loss of situational awareness,' said the report, submitted late on Sunday. This lack of awareness meant the crew did not realise the deviation of the aircraft, a Bombardier Inc Q400 turboprop, from its intended path, which in turn meant they could not sight the runway, it added. Having missed the runway, the crew was flying very low north of it in an incorrect position near hilly and mountainous terrain around the airport, it said. 'Finally, when the crew sighted the runway, they were very low and too close to (it) and not properly aligned,' added the report. The crash happened when the plane deviated off course and both the pilot and crew failed to notice or follow proper procedures When the crew finally noticed the mistake Captain Sultan did not abandon the landing but instead tried to manoeuvre back on to the runway, causing the smash The captain should have halted the landing and initiated a go-around, authors said. Instead he tried to touch down, causing the plane to skid off the runway on to surrounding grass, where it caught fire. Both pilots were among those killed. US-Bangla Airlines expects to make an official statement later on Monday, Chief Executive Imran Asif said. The flight's captain, aged 52, was released in 1993 from the Bangladeshi Air Force because he suffered from depression but was later declared fit to fly civilian aircraft, the report said, with recent medical reports mentioning no symptoms. Citing the voice recorder and the eyewitness accounts of passengers, the report said the captain was smoking in the cockpit during the flight and 'engaged in unnecessary, unprofessional and lengthy conversation even in the critical phase,' violating the norm of maintaining a sterile cockpit. In total 51 of the 71 people on board were killed in the crash and resulting fire, marking Nepal's worst air disaster in 26 years He shared the cockpit with a female first officer, 25, who had a total of just 390 hours of flying experience and had never previously landed at Kathmandu as crew, the report said, contradicting a US-Bangla spokesman who last year said she had made landings there before. Landing at Kathmandu airport, which is surrounded by hills, is considered difficult. In 1992, all 167 on board a Pakistan International Airlines aeroplane were killed when it plowed into a hill as it tried to land. On the US-Bangla flight, the disparity in experience and added authority of the captain probably deterred the first officer from being more assertive during significant phases such as the final approach and landing, the report said. The report recommended that the airline emphasise proper crew resource management and set up a mechanism to monitor and assess the mental status of the crew regarding professional development, financial, personal and psychological issues. Pilot mental health was spotlighted by a 2015 crash in Europe after a Germanwings first officer deliberately flew a jet into a mountainside. Last year, the European Commission adopted new rules on the mental health of pilots, for the first time requiring airlines to do a psychological assessment before hiring them. Advertisement The man at the centre of a violent clash during an anti-Australia Day protest on Saturday claims he was attacked for no reason. Rick Turner was standing on the steps at Flinders Street Station wearing an Australian singlet, a patriotic hat and holding the national flag when a 5,000-strong group of protesters arrived on Saturday. He claims the group, who were protesting holding Australia Day on January 26 as Indigenous people found it offensive, were 'abusing and threatening' him, and trying to 'make his life a misery' because he was watching on. Clash: Protesters and counter-protesters clashed during an 'Invasion Day' rally in Melbourne on Australia Day. Counter-protester Rick Turner (right) says he was standing peacefully when he was surrounded by protesters 'Me and two other blokes were standing on the Flinders Street steps, and basically whats happened is these halfcasts have come through, mobbed in the centre and had their corroboree as they do,' he said. 'We were just standing on the steps observing, and thats all we were gonna do. We just stood there the whole time. 'They couldn't help themselves, they came over to us chanting the same dribble they always do... the intimidation was the main objective.' Turner claims the group were 'shouting in his ear', and threatening to 'bash' him and the two men he was with. 'They were threatening us: "We're going to bash them, we're going to make them never ever come to our land",' he said. 'There were six of them trying to grab my flag, and I just thought: "Bugger it, I'm all in", and I just bear hugged it. 'I got dragged along the ground, that's how bad they wanted this flag.' Crowd of 5,000 demonstrators: Invasion Day protesters gather at Flinders Street Station in Melbourne on Australia Day 2019 Police were quick to pounce when a small group of opposing protesters clashed in Melbourne on Saturday Rick Turner (pictured) claims he was mobbed by a group of protesters, who 'dragged him to the ground' while trying to take his Australian flag The group in question were protesting holding Australia Day on January 26, as the nation's Indigenous population feel the date is one for mourning, not celebrating. Earlier in the day, protesters draped in Aboriginal flags began what was billed as a 'peaceful protest' by pushing their way through a police line at the head of Bourke Street. From there, they marched towards the Yarra River, chanting: 'Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.' A counter-protest mustered fewer than 100 participants who were shrouded in Australian flags at the steps of Federation Square. One man was holding a placard reading: 'To defend my country was once called patriotism now it's called racism.' That same slogan was read at a rally designed to protest African gang crime at St Kilda beach only weeks earlier. Melbourne: Thousands marched with a banner reading 'change the date or we still won't celebrate' Melbourne: One banner at the protest read 'Australia is a crime scene' and another said: 'Respect existence or expect resistance' At the foot of Federation Square, a pair of protesters clad in the Australian flag clashed with those marching from the northern end of the city, before they were pounced on by the throngs of police. There, Turner was dragged to the ground by protesters and then frog-marched off by police, and another couple were also told to move on by officers shortly after. The event started with a minute's silence and speeches rallying against Aboriginal deaths in custody and the abolition of public drunkenness laws, with other speeches calling for an end to children being taken from their families and another mourning the recent spate of aboriginal child suicides. Australia Day has become a contentious issue as some believe the day enforces a false narrative. The day is held in honour of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships. Melbourne: Australian Aborigines and their supporters stage a protest against Australia Day on Saturday afternoon Melbourne: A group of about 5,000 people were actively marching through the street in favour of changing the date of Australia Day However, there is a growing number of Australians who believe the day has become a symbol of inequality and institutionalised harm. Protests advocating for changing the date of Australia Day from January 26 have become established in all Australian cities, with growing support for them each year. Turner is associated with far-right activist Neil Erickson, with the pair both facing court after a violent altercation with protesters outside an event held by Milo Yiannopoulos in Melbourne in 2017. The pair applied to have their bail restrictions varied in 2018 as they claimed to be starting a political party called 'Cooks Convicts'. No formal policies have yet been announced. Earlier last year, the group claimed they would 'declare war' on any council that tried to move Australia Day festivities out of respect for the nation's Indigenous population. Neil Erikson, speaking in a since-deleted video on the political party's Facebook page, said: 'We will declare war on your council if you declare war on Australia'. 'I have to send a warning,' he said. 'You know who we are, you know what we do - we tear these councils up.' Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is grieving the loss of a close family member following the death of his beloved dog. Theodore, the Shorten family's British bulldog, succumbed to lymphoma on Saturday after a 15-month battle with the disease. Speaking of the loss, Mr Shorten told The Herald Sun of his pooch's brave fight before he was put down. Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is grieving the loss of a close family member following the death of his beloved dog Theodore, the Shorten family's British bulldog, succumb to lymphoma on Saturday after a 15-month battle with the disease 'His heart never gave up,' he said. 'He was a such a good dog and he had responded well initially to chemotherapy but things went down his in the past few months. We're all very sad.' The Labor leader's wife Chloe as took to social media to pay tribute to the family's six-year-old pet. 'Nothing could have prepared me for the sadness at the loss of my first dog,' she wrote. 'He was a such a good dog and he had responded well initially to chemotherapy but things went down his in the past few months. We're all very sad,' Mr Shorten said following Theodore's death 'We were lucky to have the love of mighty little Theodore for six years.' The Labor leader is grieving following the loss of his family pet The family's loss comes just weeks after former Prime Minister Tony Abbott experience similar heartbreak. Last month Mr Abbott was forced to choke back tears when he discussed how his family dog, a Spoodle by the name of Maisie, had passed away the night before. 'The fact is, the great thing about a dog is that they are always there, and they're uncomplicated,' he told 2GB. 'We human beings are complicated, but the dog is uncomplicated and the dog gives you unconditional affection,' the former prime minister confessed. A raging grass fire next to a popular theme park left hundreds of people stranded for nearly two hours and forced a hotel to evacuate 54 villas. Police issued an emergency situation at 2.45pm on Monday after the bush fire broke out on Southport Spit on the Gold Coast at about 1pm. Traffic was able to leave the northern end of the spit at about 4.30pm with police manually directing traffic off the thin stretch of land north of central Gold Coast. Scroll down for video A raging grass fire next to a popular theme park (pictured) left hundreds of people stranded for nearly two hours and forced a hotel to evacuate 54 villas Motorists and tourists were told to avoid an exclusion area set up by authorities - located directly east of Sea World and north of the Sheration Grand Mirage Resort. The resort was evacuated, while police blocked access to Seaworld Drive which runs north to south through the spit. Seaworld was left open throughout though, a spokesman for the park confirmed. But the crowds looking to take advantage of the public holiday and the good weather have been left stranded on Main Beach on the ocean side of the spit. Police warned as the fire grew it could be an hour before the area was opened again at 4pm. 10 fire crews were called to the scene, but emergency services said the blaze has no threat to property, Gold Coast News reported. Motorists and tourists were told to avoid an exclusion area set up by authorities - located directly east of Sea World and north of the Sheration Grand Mirage Resort (pictured Seaworld Drive during fire, which was blocked off for almost two hours) 10 fire crews were called to the scene, but emergency services said the blaze has no threat to property Aerial footage of the fire showed a barren section of the park area scorched by the fire with plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. Other shots taken from the Channel 7 helicopter showed smoke reaching out toward the Nerang River and the Gold Coast CBD about 13 kilometers away. The Main Beach fire is one of four announced by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services on Monday, although none were said to pose any threat to property. Chris Christie says President Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, naively thought that the Russia investigation would disappear by firing National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, according to an excerpt from the ex-Governors upcoming book. Christie recounts details of his contacts with Trump in his new book, Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In Your Face Politics. The book paints an image of Trump and Kushner as being ill-prepared for the burdens of a presidential campaign and of running the country, according to an excerpt obtained by The New York Times. Chris Christie says President Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, naively thought that the Russia investigation would disappear by firing National Security Adviser Michael Flynn Christie writes in his book that despite Trumps political skills which enabled him to win the Presidency, he made mistakes in taking advice from novices like Kushner. In the book, Christie takes Kushner to task for giving his father-in-law questionable advice, including the miscalculation of Democrats reaction to the firing of FBI Director James Comey. Kushner believed that firing Comey would please Democrats, who were angry with the ex-FBI Director for his conduct during the Hillary Clinton email investigation. The Comey firing unleashed a hailstorm of criticism and moved the Justice Department to name a Special Counsel to investigate alleged Russian meddling. Early in the administration, Christie recalls chatting with Trump and Kushner shortly after Flynn was dismissed for lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the transition. This Russia thing is all over now, because I fired Flynn, Trump told Christie at the White House on February 14, 2017. Christie writes in his book that he started laughing. Christie's new book paints an image of Trump (seen above at the White House on Friday) and Kushner as being ill-prepared for the burdens of a presidential campaign and of running the country Trump then asked Christie why he was laughing. Sir, this Russia thing is far from over, Christie told Trump. Trump responded: What do you mean? Flynn met with the Russians. That was the problem. I fired Flynn. Its over. Kushner, who was sitting nearby eating a salad, said: Thats right, firing Flynn ends the whole Russia thing. Christie wrote that Trump and Kushner were naive. When Christie told Kushner that the Russia investigation was still going to be a topic of discussion in a year from that day, Kushner told the former Governor he was crazy. Christie turned out to be right. The Russia investigation has been ongoing for more than two years. After Comeys firing, Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to investigate whether Russia meddled in the 2016 elections. This Russia thing is all over now, because I fired Flynn, Trump told Christie at the White House on February 14, 2017. Christie writes in his book that he started laughing, then added: Sir, this Russia thing is far from over'. Flynn is seen above in Washington, DC in July 2018 Trump, his associates, and the Russian government have all denied colluding to help the Republican defeat Hillary Clinton, the Democrat. Since the investigation began, a number of Trump associates have been indicted, among them former campaign chairman Paul Manafort; Flynn; longtime Trump associate Roger Stone; and others. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his December 2016 conversations with Sergei Kislyak, then Russias ambassador in Washington, about U.S. sanctions imposed on Moscow by the administration of Trumps Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. The conversations took place between Trumps November election victory and his inauguration in January 2017. Mueller, leading the investigation into possible collusion between Trumps campaign and Russia ahead of the election, had asked the judge not to sentence Flynn to prison because he had already provided substantial cooperation over the course of many interviews. Lying to the FBI carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. Flynns plea agreement stated that he was eligible for a sentence of between zero and six months. Christie writes in his book that he believed Trump did not surround himself with able people, including Flynn. Flynn was a train wreck from beginning to end, the former Governor writes. Christie also thought Trump erred when he named Jeff Sessions his Attorney General and Steve Bannon as a senior adviser. Christie accused Bannon of manufacturing conversations that he claimed took place between them in order to sell books and make media appearances. There is also fierce criticism of Kushner, whom Christie accuses of working to deny him a position in the administration. Christie says he was in the running to be Trump's Vice President or White House Chief of Staff. In both instances, according to Christie, Kushner leaned on Trump to pick someone else. Christie contends the president's son-in-law was acting out of revenge for Christie's prosecution of Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, in 2004 when he was U.S. attorney for New Jersey. Christie claims his knowledge comes straight from Steve Bannon, Trump's former campaign chief and White House counselor. When Bannon fired Christie from Trump's transition team at a meeting at Trump Tower in New York, Christie forced him to tell him who was really behind the move by threatening to go the media and blame Bannon instead, Christie reveals in his upcoming book, a copy of which was obtained by the Guardian. President Trump repeatedly offered Chris Christie the Vice Presidency during the campaign, but it was his daughter and son-in-law who effectively vetoed the move, according to the ex-Governor. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are seen at the White House last May 'Steve Bannon made clear to me that one person and one person only was responsible for the faceless execution that Steve was now attempting to carry out. Jared Kushner, still apparently seething over events that had occurred a decade ago,' Christie writes. 'The kid's been taking an ax to your head with the boss ever since I got here,' Christie quotes Bannon as telling him about Kushner. Christie's prosecution of billionaire real estate developer Charles Kushner helped put him on the map. The elder Kushner plead guilty to 16 counts of tax evasion, one count of retaliating against a federal witness, and another count of lying to the Federal Election Commission. Charles Kushner's retaliation conviction had to do with a revenge plot against his brother-in-law William Schulder, a former employee turned witness for federal prosecutors. Charles Kushner hired a prostitute to lure Schulder into having sex in a Bridgewater, New Jersey, motel room as a hidden camera taped the encounter. That tape was then sent to Schulder's wife, who was Charles' sister Esther. The Schulders, in turn, brought the tape to prosecutors, who tracked down the prostitute and threatened her with arrest. She turned on Kushner and revealed the plot. Christie subsequently negotiated a plea deal with Charles Kushner. The tawdry case not only put the elder Kushner in jail for two years, it caused great embarrassment to the Kushner family. A Florida man is facing a felony charge for stealing laxatives from a safety box inside his own home, after admitting to law enforcement he thought they were powerful opioids. Peter Hans Emery's punishment for swiping Equate Gentle Laxatives from a safety box that belonged to a 49-year-old woman at his property comes because he was already on two-year probation for illegal possession of Dilaudid. After the victim filed the complaint against the 56-year-old man, it emerged he only took them on Thursday morning because they were in a container labeled Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen. Peter Hans Emery is facing a felony charge after stealing pills he thought were powerful opioids on Thursday The drug is usually used to treat moderate to severe pain. Common brands include Vicodin, Norco and Lortab. By contrast, Equate relieves constipation. It's not clear why the bowel-opening pills were placed in that particular box by the person who had access to the Pinellas Park home but there was no getting out of it for Emery. He was caught taking what wasn't his on a video camera recording the female provided to police. The pills were Equate Gentle Laxatives that were placed in a container labeled Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen In the clip he could be seen 'entering the victim's lock box, selecting a pill bottle, pouring pills into his hand, and then leaving', according to a document obtained by The Smoking Gun. It's not explained how he found out there were for constipation relief but authorities said Emery claimed 'he threw them away when he learned they were something else'. The man was subsequently booked into jail. It was only last year when he was placed under community supervision for stealing an illegally possession another strong prescription medication. He has previously served a combined total of two years and four months in prison stemming from charges that include cocaine possession, grand theft, auto theft, burglary, forgery, resisting arrest and failure to appear in court. The trial of a former Gold Coast horse trainer and his wife, who were allegedly caught with guns and drugs on board their luxury yacht when it docked in Fiji, has begun on Monday. John Nikolic and his wife Yvette were arrested on June 22 last year after customs officials searched their yacht, which they had sailed from the United States via Columbia, and allegedly found a large quantity of cocaine, 65 ecstasy tablets, two handguns, and 112 rounds of ammunition. Lead prosecutor Lee Burney told the court that the couple had perhaps named their yacht 'Shenanigans' as in inside joke. The trial of a former Gold Coast horse trainer and his wife, who were allegedly caught with guns and drugs on board their luxury yacht when it docked in Fiji, has begun on Monday 'Because to the outside world they were living the dream, embarking on an adventure of a lifetime. Whereas in reality they were secretly involved in the wicked, international drugs trade,' he told the court, according to the ABC. The Nikolics began their trip in Florida in the United States and sailed the yacht to Columbia, through the Panama Canal and stopping at several islands before landing in Fiji, after which they had intended to keep sailing and return to their home on the Gold Coast. Fijian authorities have charged the pair with five offences, including four in connection with importing and possessing illicit substances, after they discovered the haul aboard their yacht that allegedly included over 10 blocks of cocaine. John Nikolic and his wife Yvette were arrested on June 22 last year after customs officials searched their yacht and allegedly found cocaine, ecstasy, handguns, and ammunition 'You may think there was a flawed genius of Mr Nikolic to hide in plain sight, but the reality of the modern world is that it is extremely difficult to conceal the movements of a super yacht,' Mr Burney said. It has been revealed that after customs discovered a haul of 10 bricks of cocaine in a compartment under the boat's front deck, Mr Nikolic attempted to harm himself. After speaking briefly with his wife he collapsed and paramedics were called who treated him for a suspected drug overdose. He was taken to hospital in Fiji as the search of the yacht continued and has since recovered. 'It is the prosecution case it was Mr Nikolic's parting gift to his wife to attempt to provide her with the life raft of a false defence,' Mr Burney said. The trial is scheduled to continue in Fiji for the next week. Federal authorities have arrested a man wanted in the slayings of four people in two shootings in Georgia. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Daylon Delon Gamble, 27, was arrested Sunday in Indiana by the U.S. Marshal's Service. He was wanted on four charges of murder in a series of shootings at two homes on January 24 at about 8pm in Rockmart, Georgia. Gamble is accused of fatally shooting Helen Rose Mitchell, 48, and Jaequnn Davis, 19, and injuring Peerless Brown, 24, at one home. Daylon Delon Gamble, 27, was arrested in Indiana on Sunday on a warrant for murdering four people in Georgia on January 24. A fifth person was also injured during the shootings Gamble was said to have been taken into custody without incident in Indianapolis, Indiana He is also said to have shot dead Arkeyla Perry, 24, and Dadrian Cummings, 26, at a second home, located about a four minute walk away. After the shootings, Gamble was said to have fled from the home and then stolen a Ford Truck, which was later recovered by authorities in Bartow County, Georgia. Brown was airlifted to a hospital for treatment of his gunshot wound to the face after authorities arrived at the scene. When it was revealed that Gamble had left Georgia, local authorities called in the US Marshal's Service for help in tracking him down. Gamble is accused of fatally shooting Helen Rose Mitchell, 48 (left), and Jaequnn Davis, 19 (right) Mitchell, Davis and Peerless Brown, 24, were all shot at this home in Rockmart, Georgia Peerless Brown, 24, suffered a gunshot wound and taken to the hospital. He was the only survivor and is said to be 'healing so great' Gamble is also accused of killing two people in this home in Rockmart, Georgia Police said Gamble fatally shot Arkeyla Perry, 24 (left), and Dadrian Cummings, 26, (right) as well Gamble, said to be armed and very dangerous, was apprehended in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Sunday, without incident, according to a GBI press release. Authorities said the shootings were not random, but did not reveal what Gamble's relationship was to the victims. WSBTV reported that Gamble is related to two of the victims. Georgia Department of Corrections records indicated that Gamble was on parole after having been released from state prison in June 2016, where he was incarcerated after being convicted of attempted armed robbery and burglary in 2011, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to social media posts by friends, Brown is 'willingly talking,' laughing and 'has a great spirit & he healing so great.' A 21-year-old man suspected of killing his parents and three other people - including a girl he was dating - was arrested Sunday when he drove up with a gun to his grandmother's house in Virginia, a sheriff said. On Saturday, Dakota Theriot shot and killed three people - the woman believed to be his girlfriend, her brother and father - in Louisiana's Livingston Parish before taking her father's pickup truck, driving to neighboring Ascension Parish, and shooting his parents in their trailer, according to authorities. Kim Mincks and Jacob Chastant also lived in the trailer and were friends with the Theriots and say Dakota had struggled with drugs over the years, had violent outbursts, and had recently been kicked out of the trailer. Kim Mincks and Jacob Scott Chastant look into the room inside their home in Gonzalez, Louisiana where two of their housemates, Keith Theriot and his wife Elizabeth Theriot, were murdered while she slept Theriot was arrested at his grandmother's house in Warsaw, Virginia just after 7am on Sunday morning after a 16-hour manhunt Kim Mincks walks down a blood stained hallway inside her home in Gonzalez. Keith and Elizabeth Theriot were her housemates Rosalina Chastant, 5, walks across a blood stained floor, next to her father Jacob Scott Chastant, who was also a housemate of Keith and Elizabeth Theriot Theriot was arrested at his grandmother's house at gunpoint on Sunday morning 'We know he had a drug problem. He got kicked out last Monday because of the drug problem. His dad kicked him out of here. He did have a violent streak,' Mincks said. Mincks said she was in the house at the opposite end of the trailer when the shooting happened but added she didn't hear anything. Law enforcement officers came into her room Saturday morning and woke her. 'They said something terrible happened here. 'Get up, get dressed and walk outside,' ' she recalled them saying. Mincks said she'd known Keith and Elizabeth Theriot for about two years and described them as wonderful people. Keith Theriot was a disabled veteran who played a wicked guitar, and Elizabeth Theriot worked at a nearby Dollar General Store, they said. Keith Theriot had four children, all boys, they said. Theriot has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder, illegal use of weapons, home invasion, and theft of a motor vehicle Kim Mincks cried after learning two of her housemates, Keith Theriot and his wife Elizabeth Theriot, were killed in another room yesterday while she slept Tina Chastant holds her daughter Rosalina Chastant, 5, after they arrived to comfort Kim Minck The Theriot's were two of five people murdered yesterday, and their son Dakota Theriot has been apprehended in Virginia this morning at his grandmother's home, as a suspect in all five murders, which spanned two Louisiana Parishes. His roommate Kim Mincks is pictured here Tina Chastant hugs her daughter Rosalina Chastant after arriving at the scene of the murders 'Give you the shirt off their back. They loved everybody. Never met a stranger. Loved each other. Just a happy couple,' she said. But the relationship between Dakota Theriot and his parents, especially his father, was troubled. She and Chastant described an incident in which Chastant had to pull Dakota Theriot off his parents during a physical altercation. Minks said Dakota Theriot and his mother seemed much closer. They'd laugh and joke and tell each other 'I love you.' But even that relationship had problems. Mincks and Chastant said at one point Dakota Theriot pulled a gun on his mother who called Chastant for help. 'I think just the drugs took over,' Mincks said. Theriot's grandmother in Warsaw, Virginia, had checked into a hotel Saturday night, fearing he might show up there after the killings. Photos show the bloodied bedroom where 21-year-old Dakota Theriot allegedly murdered his parents after killing his girlfriend, as well as her father and brother, in Louisiana on Saturday The pictures show a blood-stained mattress and bullet holes in the bedroom where Elizabeth and Keith Therior, both 50, were killed at their home in Gonzales The woman asked authorities to check her house Sunday morning to ensure it was safe before she returned. While deputies were there, Smith said, Theriot drove up with a firearm pointed out the window of a pickup. A sheriff's statement said deputies sought cover and challenged Theriot, who then dropped the gun and was arrested without incident. Smith said the pickup Theriot drove apparently was the one taken in Louisiana. In Louisiana, at a trailer where the suspect's parents lived, drops of blood trailed out to the front steps from the bedroom where Keith and Elizabeth Theriot were shot. In the bedroom, blood-soaked pillows were strewn on a bed, and patches of what appeared to be dried blood were on the floor. Dozens of stuffed animals decorated the room. Theriot will be brought back to Ascension Parish to be booked on two counts of first-degree murder, home invasion, and illegal use of weapons, said a statement by Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre and Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard. Authorities say Theriot shot his parents Keith and Elizabeth Theriot, both 50, (pictured) after killing his girlfriend and her father and brother Authorities have identified the victims in Livingston Parish as Billy Ernest, 43; Tanner Ernest, 17; and Summer Ernest, 20. Ard said Summer Ernest and Dakota Theriot were in a relationship and that Theriot had been living with her family for a few weeks. Authorities said earlier that Keith Theriot survived the shooting long enough to let them know who shot him. According to Webre, officials got a 'dying declaration from him, and only enough information to let us know that it was his son that committed this act.' Mincks and Chastant only returned to the trailer Sunday morning, worried Dakota Theriot might come back. Chastant and Mincks said Dakota Theriot had just met Summer Ernest about three weeks ago at Chastant's sister's funeral. Summer Ernest was there as a friend to Jacob Chastant's 20-year-old daughter, Sierra. Before shooting his parents, Theriot allegedly shot dead Summer Ernest, 20, (above) and her father and brother Sierra said she warned her friend to stay away from Dakota, calling him 'trouble.' But she never expected anything like what unfolded Saturday. Summer Ernest had an outgoing personality and was planning to return soon to college, Sierra said. 'She was bubbly, always friendly ... She's just a great person,' she said. 'If you asked me what his motive was.... I don't know what it would be,' she said. 'It's just unbelievable.' On Sunday new photos that showed the bloodied bedroom were released. The pictures show a blood-stained mattress and bullet holes in the bedroom where Elizabeth and Keith Theriot were killed on Saturday morning. Authorities said Theriot had been living with Summer's family for a few weeks. Her brotehr Tanner, 17, and father Billy, 43, are pictured here Theriot was arrested at gunpoint at his grandmother's house in Warsaw, Virginia just after 7am on Sunday morning. Authorities said he had driven 16 hours and more than 1,000 miles in Billy Ernest's truck to reach the home. Although Theriot did not contact his grandmother, she stayed in a hotel on Saturday night because she feared he might come to her house, according to The Advocate. Theriot's grandmother had returned with officers on Sunday morning to check on her house when Theriot pulled into the driveway with a 'firearm pointed out the window', Richmond County Sheriff Stephan Smith said. 'The deputies sought cover and challenged Theriot, who then dropped the firearm upon their commands and was taken into custody without incident.' Theriot has since made statements to investigators about the murders. 'He seemed tired, had a little bit of sleep deprivation, and there were some statements made,' Smith added. 'But at this time that's part of the investigation.' Theriot will soon be extradited back to Louisiana to face charges. A motive in the killings has not been revealed, but authorities believe it was a 'boyfriend [and] girlfriend type of dispute', according to WAFB. The mobile home where Theriot allegedly killed his parents is pictured above. Authorities said Theriot's parents had recently kicked him out Investigators are pictured at the scene of Keith and Elizabeth Theriot's murders on Saturday Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said Theriot had been living with Summer Ernest's family for a few weeks before the shooting. The couple had only just started dating. Authorities said Theriot first shot Summer and her father and brother at their trailer home in Livingston Parish. A seven-year-old and one-year-old child were also at the scene. The seven-year-old took the baby to the house of neighbor Charlene Bordelon and asked for help. Bordelon called 911 after the seven-year-old told her that their father, brother, and sister were dead. 'It's so heartbreaking,' Bordelon told The Advocate. 'She was terrified.' Bordelon said she heard a truck speed away from the home just moments before the seven-year-old girl knocked on the door. Theriot had stolen Billy Ernest's truck and drove to his parents' home 30 miles away in Gonzales, shooting them both in their bedroom before fleeing the scene, authorities said. Elizabeth Theriot, who was shot dead this weekend, is pictured working behind a bar Elizabeth Theriot is pictured last August celebrating her birthday At one point she showed Elizabeth Theriot's community college identification card (pictured) Both Elizabeth and Keith Theriot were still alive when police were called to the home. Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre said police were able to get a 'dying declaration' from Keith Theriot 'to let us know that it was his son that committed this act'. The couple were rushed to the hospital, but both passed away from their injuries. Webre said that Theriot had been living with his mom and dad 'for a little while' but was 'recently asked to leave with some disagreements'. 'But no idea why he would do anything like this,' Webre said during a press conference on Saturday. 'This is probably one of the worst domestic violence [incidents] I've seen in quite a while.' While Theriot was at large, authorities pledged that they would 'work every lead' and 'follow every tip' to find him. Police released a picture of Ernest's stolen 2004 Doge Ram pickup truck, as well as pictures of Theriot's tattoos, and said he was 'armed and dangerous'. Now two families are trying to make sense of the horrific tragedy. Crystal DeYoung, Billy Ernest's sister, said her family had only just met Theriot last week at a birthday party. 'They didn't get good vibes from him,' DeYoung told the Associated Press. 'My mom is a good judge of character and she just thought he was not good.' DeYoung said her brother, niece, and nephew all had 'very good hearts'. 'They trusted people too much,' she added. 'They all loved unconditionally.' Michael Logan, who lives next door to the mobile home where the Theriots were killed, said he had overheard several arguments at night in the home recently. 'There's been a lot of yelling matches,' he said, also revealing that police had checked his barn on Saturday morning to see if Theriot was hiding there. 'Any time you hear of a shooting this close to home, it's never good,' he added. 'It never gives you a good feeling.' Authorities said Theriot had driven through the night to Virginia in the 2004 Dodge pickup truck he allegedly stole from Billy Ernest . Authorities released a photo of the truck (pictured) while Theriot was still at large Both authorities and Billy Ernest's wife, who had been at work at the time of the shooting, said there were no red flags regarding Theriot before Saturday's massacre. Theriot had been arrested in April 2017 for marijuana possession and fleeing authorities during a traffic stop. And past posts uncovered from his Facebook page revealed turbulence in Theriot's life. 'If you have a problem with me, tell me. Not everyone else,' he wrote in May. 'I don't care what people say about me I know who I am and I don't have to prove anything to anyone,' another post read. In June, Theriot posted that he wished he could 'clear my mind just for one day', adding a sad face emoji. The brutal deaths of an Australian woman and her sister in Argentina has taken another horrific turn with local authorities reporting the crimes were committed with 'extreme cruelty'. Argentinian newspaper La Nacion is reporting that sources close to the investigation are alleging the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition and could only be identified by DNA. The bodies of microbiology professor Lily Pereg and sister and Israeli citizen Pyrhia Sarusi were found on a lot next to the home of Mr Pereg near the city of Mendoza on Saturday (local time). The brutal death's of Lily Pereg (left) and Pyrhia Sarusi (right) in Argentina has taken another turn with local authorities reporting the crimes were committed with 'extreme cruelty' Both women had traveled to the country to visit Ms Sarusi's son Mr Pereg, before they were last heard from on January 11. The nephew of Miss Pereg, an Australian professor of microbiology, has been arrested after the bodies were found. Prosecutor Claudia Ross said Gilad Pereg, 36, had been arrested on homicide charges, ABC reported. Local media are reporting the victim had suffered three gunshot wounds while the other showed signs of having been dragged. Prosecutor Claudia Ross said Gilad Pereg, 36 (centre), had been arrested on homicide charges Horrifically the publication also reported that both women allegedly had iron spikes 'staked' through them in various places. The Australian Associated Press also reported that Miss Pereg 'weirdly' stopped replying to daily messages from her friends about two weeks before she was found dead. The two sisters had been renting an apartment in Mendoza, Ms Sarusi's daughter Vered said in a Facebook post. Prosecutor Ms Ross said an autopsy would reveal the cause of the two women's death The bodies were buried on a lot beside the house of Ms Sarussi's son Gilad Pereg, 36, according to Argentina prosecutor Claudia Rios. Pereg was arrested on Friday and formally charged a day later with the aggravated homicide of his mother and the simple homicide of his aunt following the discovery. The bodies of microbiology professor Lily Pereg and sister and Israeli citizen Pyrhia Sarusi were found on a lot next to the home of Mr Pereg near the city of Mendoza on Saturday (local time) A GoFundMe page was initially created on January 17 to help find the missing sisters. '(We are) humbled by the outpouring of support and love, worldwide. Your love carried us and will help us recover from a huge tragedy. There will never be an explanation,' the page read. Already the crowdfunding campaign has raised more than $7,500, of which the unused funds will be donated to charity. Dr Pereg was brought up in Israel where she obtained her undergraduate degree, later moving to Australia in the mid 90s. She completed a PhD in the Department of Agricultural Science at Sydney University and later moved to the University of New England where she was recently made a professor. She also chaired the soil, microbiology and biodiversity subdivision of the European Geosciences Union. Lily Pereg (left) and Pyrhia Sarusi (right) had been renting an apartment in Mendoza, Ms Sarusi's daughter Vered said in a Facebook post Shocked friends and colleagues have taken to a Facebook page for Dr Pereg to pay tribute to their lost loved one. 'She had been a wonderful presence and highly regarded in her field of research,' one person said. 'I am devastated like all of their family and friends. Nothing will bring them back now,' another person said. A family message thanked Argentinian, Australian and Israeli police for their coordinated response. 'We will bring the sisters home for the last time, and will let you know when and where,' the post read. Guests at the Screen Actors Guild Awards were as confused as audiences watching at home when Christian Bale had a surprise outburst Sunday night in the Shrine Auditorium. The actor shouted 'Gary Oldman!' while the Oscar-winning star took to the stage to announce the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role at the SAG Awards 2019. Right before it was revealed Glenn Close beat the likes of Lady Gaga and Emily Blunt to the big gong for her performance in The Wife, Oldman had to fight the distraction of his The Dark Knight co-star's shock screams in front of the Hollywood Elite. Scroll down for videos Emily Blunt (left) couldn't help but react with a look of slight disapproval as she turned to her right, Close (second left) cringed, Lady Gaga (second right) forced a stern expression of concentration, and Melissa McCarthy (right) didn't look impressed at the SAGS Sunday They reacted to Christian Bale shouting 'Gary Oldman!' before the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role winner was announced at The Shrine Auditorium Audiences at home didn't fail to notice Bale's yelling at the SAG Awards 2019 on Sunday Melissa McCarthy also up for the prize as was Olivia Coleman, who was not in attendance and some of the other nominees managed to maintain their composure to wait for the big announcement. But Blunt couldn't help but react with a look of slight disapproval as she looked to her right, Close cringed, Gaga - real name Stefani Germanotta - forced a stern expression of concentration, and McCarthy didn't look impressed. Oldman himself let out a brief giggle before finally revealing the winner was not Blunt in Mary Poppins Returns, Gaga in A Star Is Born, McCarthy in Can You Forgive Me? or absent Coleman in the Favourite. Glenn Close won best actress for her role in The Wife, much to her absolute delight Gary Oldman was cheered on by his friend Christian Bale who bizarrely yelled his name Glenn Close wins Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for 'The Wife' with Lady Gaga during the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium Bale previously expressed his admiration for his 2008 Batman movie co-star Oldman, who portrayed Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. In 2017 Oldman told The Hollywood Reporter how Bale asked him for advice on transforming into the character as he prepared to do the similar for his role as Dick Cheney in Vice. 'He called me about the jowls because he said, 'Man, that make-up is good',' Oldman told The Hollywood Reporter about the former British Prime Minister's famous looks which he achieved with prosthetics and a fat suit. Oldman presented Close with the award for outstanding performance by a female actor Close giggled as she accepted the award for outstanding performance by a female actor In 2018 during an interview with Sam Rockwell for Variety, Bale recalled the moment he found out about Oldman's tricks. 'I talked to Gary about all of that,' Bale explained. 'We had very different approaches to it. I had said, 'I don't know how to do this except I've got to gain the weight myself.' I was in the middle of doing that. I was a large toddler. 'I called up Gary and I said, 'How much weight did you gain for the role?' And he said, 'I didn't gain anything.' I went, 'What?' I was already well down the track. I felt like such an idiot. I didn't understand that [prosthetics and makeup] had come such a long way.' An Australian artist jailed in Iceland has appealed her sentence, saying she was acting in self defence when she bit off half of her husband's tongue. Nara Walker, originally from Queensland's Sunshine Coast, was sentenced to 12 months behind bars, suspended for nine months, for biting off a chunk of tongue in November 2017. But, according to Ms Walker, her relationship with her French husband was punctuated by abuse and controlling behaviour - culminating in a night of violence. An Australian artist jailed in Iceland has appealed her sentence, saying she was acting in self defence when she bit off half of her husband's tongue. Nara Walker (pictured) says her estranged husband constantly abused and controlled her Ms Walker had married the Frenchman in London and moved to Reykjavic, Iceland, in October 2016. They had gone out and partied with an Icelandic woman and an American tourist they had met only days before the incident. Going back to an apartment, an alcohol-fuelled argument broke out between the American man and Ms Walker's husband. When she went to leave the apartment with the American man, her husband shoved him down the stairs before sending his wife sprawling after him. Nara Walker (pictured), 28, from Queensland's Sunshine Coast, was sentenced to 12 months behind bars, suspended for nine months, for biting off the 2.5cm chunk of tongue She said it wasn't the first time he had lashed out against her, but she would never forget the way he looked at her when he was hitting her. 'It was a penetrating gaze which made me feel doom in the pit of my belly, his eyes were intense and black, he looked possessed and I felt I had no hope,' she told 9News. She says she was punched and carried upstairs by the much larger man. He then tried to force his tongue in her mouth, where she reactively bit down. A brawl ensued with the Icelandic woman and the couple, leaving all three injured. Police arrived and a traumatised Ms Walker was arrested, while her husband and the other woman were taken to hospital for treatment for their own injuries. Ms Walker (pictured) married a Frenchman in London and the couple moved to Reykjavik, Iceland, in October 2016 Ms Walker believes she was the victim of a systematic domestic abuse, including multiple instances of rape and drugging. In one instance, she says, he admitted to drugging her cup of tea and raping her while she slept, claiming it was consensual. 'With my abuser it was as if he was playing Jenga with me. 'Strategically pulling pieces of me away with the use of psychological abuse.' Mrs Walker told the Reykjavik District Court (pictured, stock image) her husband prevented her from leaving and pushed an American man down the stairs before forcing himself on her Ms Walker was convicted in the District Courts of Iceland in March 2018 of serious assault on her now-estranged husband and the Icelandic woman. She was given a 12-month jail term, with all but three months suspended. An appeal failed and saw an additional three months added to the suspended sentence. With the conviction came a travel ban and confiscation of her passport, meaning Ms Walker is unable to leave Iceland for work or to return home and start afresh. 'I want to come home, I'm stuck here, I can't work here. It's as if I'm still stuck in the abuse of my ex,' she said. Ms Walker's attorney has lodged an application to appeal the conviction in the Supreme Court of Iceland, the country's highest court. What may be one Australia's worst massacres of Aboriginal people is also one of the least well known. Even more chilling - and poignant - is the massacre happened on what we now call Australia Day - January 26th, 1838. The deaths of up to 300 Indigenous people in Waterloo Creek, southwest of Mooree, was so terrible it came to be known as the Australia Day massacre. A group of mounted police set upon a camp of Indigenous people at Waterloo Creek in northern New South Wales on January 26, 1838 (pictured, Waterloo Creek massacre in 1838) While thousands of people celebrated Australia Day over the long weekend, many had no idea of the terrible Waterloo Massacre that happened on the exact same date (pictured, Australia Day celebrations at Melbourne) The majority of violent massacres (represented by yellow dots) were between 1800 and 1850 where white Australians used poison, fire and guns to inflict torture A group of mounted police set upon a camp of Indigenous people from the land known as the Gamilaroi nation. A direct Aboriginal descendant of those killed at Waterloo Creek, Paul Spearim Snr, claimed it was part of a wider campaign from the then Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales colonel Kenneth Snodgrass to completely wipe out Indigenous people in the state. 'At that time, it was about taking land [from Aborignal people] for the resources,' Mr Spearim said. 'For cattle, sheep, opals, diamonds, it was about land acquisition.' The Gamilaroi nation is the second largest in NSW and stretches as far north as St George in Queensland and as far south as Musswellbrook in western NSW. While estimates of the death toll varies from the low tens to high hundreds, historian Roger Milliss said the count at Waterloo Creek could have even reached 300. And an inquiry into the slaughter cleared all the troops involved, including the commander Major James Nunn. To this day, the mass grave of the slaughtered Indigenous people is undiscovered. While the massacre may have happened more than 180 years ago, the wounds are still raw for many people in the community. 'Even though the massacre happened under the orders of Snodgrass and major Dunn, descendants of settlers are still living in the areas where Indigenous people were killed and removed,' Mr Spearim said. While the massacre may have happened more than 180 years ago, the wounds are still raw for many people in the community (pictured, Invasion Day rally during the weekend) The massacre at Waterloo Creek is just one of the hundreds of mass killings against Indigenous Australians that have happened throughout the history of the country (pictured, Invasion Day rally during the weekend) Over the past years, Mr Spearim has led memorial days to remember the devastating attack in Moree, a town in north west NSW. 'One of the reasons why we organise a memorial is so the community can understand the country's history. 'It might not be a good history, but we all have to embrace it.' The massacre at Waterloo Creek is just one of the hundreds of mass killings against Indigenous Australians that have happened throughout the history of the country. 'People need to realise there were over 100 massacres in the Gamilaroi nation alone,' Mr Spearim said. A graphic map highlights the locations where the mass-murders took place and how many were orchestrated - a figure researchers believe is closer to 500. The grim illustration has revealed the slaughters, which killed as many as 300 Aboriginals in one area, occurred as recently as 1930. 'People need to realise there were over 100 massacres in the Gamilaroi nation alone,' Mr Spearim said (Invasion Day rally in Melbourne during the weekend) In 1865, at least 300 Aboriginals were killed by 'native police' in Queensland's far west near the New South Wales and South Australian border (pictured, Australia Day protest in Melbourne on Saturday) At least 6,000 Aboriginals were killed during the violent attacks inflicted by British colonisers, including many women and children. The majority of attacks occurred in the early to mid-1800s throughout New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the southern parts of Queensland, according to the University of Newcastle. In 1865, at least 300 Aboriginals were killed by 'native police' in Queensland's far west near the New South Wales and South Australian border. Researchers claim the mass-attack happened after station owner, John Dowling, was killed, prompting his brother, Vincent, to seek revenge with a 'posse of settlers'. '(They) found the Kullila camped on the eastern side of the river and chased them towards the Grey Range, shooting them down as they ran ... led by the native police,' the report said. The most recent recorded attack happened between 1920 and 1929 in the Northern Territory, during which 70 Aboriginals were killed at Callata Springs, central Australia near the South Australian border. Missing Iowa teenager Corey Brown was found dead Sunday, five days after his parents reported he ran away from their home during a snowstorm because he was angry they took his phone away as punishment. The 13-year-old's body was found around 10.45am in a secluded area west of Marshalltown, local law enforcement said. They did not reveal more information on the exact location as the investigation was ongoing. 'At this time, there is no evidence or information that indicates criminal activity is connected to this missing person/death investigation. However, this is still an active investigation and all possible scenarios will be thoroughly investigated,' the Marshalltown Police Department said in a statement. Corey Brown, 13, was found dead on Sunday after he ran away from home following an altercation with his parents who confiscated his phone Corey's parents Craig (left) and Michelle (right) thanked all the agencies who help find their son in the secluded area west of Marshalltown, Iowa on Sunday morning Police said search efforts were hampered by a snowstorm which moved in early this week Several inches of snow fell and temperatures plunged below zero degrees last week while Corey was missing. At least 14 agencies and 'countless fire and EMS departments' were involved in the search. Brown's family and police thanked them for all providing 'exceptionally professional service under very difficult conditions' in a statement. The eighth-grader's school district which covered Brown's Miller Middle School and the Marshalltown High School, was 'saddened' by the news. The Marshalltown Community School District said in a statement Sunday afternoon: 'Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the Brown family and those close to Corey. He was loved by many and will be deeply missed.' Brown went missing since Tuesday night after he left home following a fight with his parents during the cold weather. Brown was last seen wearing a Seattle Seahawks cap, a red shirt and black pants around 11.15pm in an area near Marshalltown where he lived. Brown (pictured) had been missing from home since Tuesday night and was outside in subfreezing temperatures Police Chief Mike Tupper said he was growing increasingly concerned due to the length of time Corey has been missing and because of adverse weather conditions. He asked property owners to check garages, sheds and vehicles in case the teen sought refuge from the snowstorm, which moved into the area earlier this week. Footage from the family's security system showed Corey walking away from their home Tuesday night after he was scolded. His parents Michelle and Craig Brown, along with investigators, held a news conference locally to raise awareness about their missing son earlier in the week. His mother told KCCI: 'Corey, you know how much we love you. And Im not going to stop until we find you. If youre out there, please come home. 'We love you more than youll ever know. Please, please just come home.' Tupper said runaways are investigated often in his town, but they are usually back home before too long. Adding about the confiscation of the cellphone, he said: 'It's a typical interaction with a 13-year-old child, nothing extraordinary. But he reacted emotionally to that.' Search efforts for Corey were hampered late Thursday by subfreezing temperatures and blustery winds. The teenager's mother fought back tears as she told the public she just wants her son home Counselors had been made available for students at Marshalltown High School, where Corey is in the eighth grade, KCCI reported. 'The school district has contacted all of our parents through email, saying if you see him, contact the police department,' school district spokesman Andrew Potter told the station. 'Were trying to do our part to help out in any way we can. He has a big smile, and we want to see that again.' Mark Latham will push to ban the burqa in banks, airports and all government buildings if hes elected into the NSW upper house in March. The former Federal Labor leader, who is now running for One Nation in NSW, said the issue is a matter of social integration and security concern to the public. Mr Latham said the policy would require the religious headwear be removed as part of the security screening processes in airports and before you walked into a bank - just like you're required to do with a motorcycle helmet. Scroll down for video Wearing face covering religious headwear could become a criminal offence under Mr Latham's proposal Mr Latham has previously raised issues of what he calls areas of segregation such as women only swimming pools and university safe spaces He said: 'If caps, hats and helmets have to be removed, then Islamic head and face coverings should also be removed.' 'At its core, this is a sexist practice, decreed by male relatives to stop other men from viewing the bare flesh of their women. Mr Latham has previously proposed an overhaul of anti-discrimination laws that allow for the segregating of people on the basis of race, gender, sexuality or religion in public places. These include university safe spaces and women-only swimming sessions at the Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre in Auburn, where a privacy curtain was installed. Pauline Hanson, the leader of the One Nation, wore a burqa into the federal Senate in 2017, as a statement against the wearing of the burqa. Pauline Hanson controversially wore a burqa in 2017 to highlight issues of hidden identities when wearing the religious garment The One Nation member is not the only political figure raising this issue. Conservative activist Avi Yemini wore a burqa and party president of the Australian Liberty Alliance Debbie Robinson wore a motorcycle helmet in to a Melbourne ANZ to demonstrate 'unfair political correctness'. 'I think it's really unfair I have to take this off and people can walk around with those on,' Mrs Robinson said. Debbie Robinson arguing with an ANZ security guard over the differences between her motorcycle helmet and her associate Avi Yemini's headwear Although Mr Latham believes the burqa should be removed inside government buildings and areas of security, that does not extend to personal time. He said: 'As a matter of personal freedom, adults should be able to wear what they want in the privacy of their own home and community.' He also quotes the Conservative UK politician Boris Johnson who said: 'If Islamic women want to walk around looking like black post-boxes thats their business, as long as it does not harm the rest of society'. Mr Latham believes religious headwear such as the burqa and the niqab are a security risk and stop hinder people ability to communicate effectively with each other Mr Latham believe the issue of face covering headwear is an issue of security as well as communicating with each other effectively. 'One of the principles of Western civilisation is the ability to speak to each other, face-to-face, building social trust and cooperation.' 'We cannot build a stronger society, with people crossing racial and religious boundaries in getting to know each other, if we cannot talk to our fellow citizens face-to-face.' 'It also helps in the work of government if staff in hospitals, schools, motor registries, courts, police stations etc can see the faces of the people they are dealing with.' The world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday amid a revival of hate-inspired violence and signs that younger generations know less and less about the genocide of Jews, Roma and others by Nazi Germany during World War II. As survivors of Auschwitz marked the 74th anniversary of the notorious death camp's liberation, a far-right activist who served time in prison for burning an effigy of a Jew placed a wreath there with about 50 other Polish nationalists to protest the official observances. Piotr Rybak said the group opposes the annual ceremony at Auschwitz to mark the camp's liberation by the Soviet army, the event that gave rise to the international January 27 Remembrance. Rybak claimed it glorifies the million Jewish victims killed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death complex and discounts the 70,000 Poles killed there. Survivors of Auschwitz gather on the 74th anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi German death camp in Poland Former prisoners and their guests arrive for the ceremony marking the 74th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau 'It's time to fight against Jewry and free Poland from them!' Rybak said as he marched to the site, according to a report by Polish daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza on its website. Rybak's claim is incorrect. The ceremony at the state-run memorial site paid homage Sunday, as it does every year, to all of the camp's victims, both Jews and gentiles, while Christian and Jewish religious leaders recited a prayer in unison together. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also stressed that the Third Reich targeted Poles as well as Jews. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, left, and deputy Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, right, place candles at the 'Monument to the Victims' at the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz II-Birkenau Polish far-right activists enter the former German Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day An unnamed monument at the former Nazi concentration camp in Terezin, Czech Republic Since last year's observances, an 85-year-old French Holocaust survivor, Mireille Knoll, was fatally stabbed in Paris and 11 Jews were gunned down in a Pittsburgh synagogue during Shabbat services, the deadliest attack on Jews in US history. Human Rights First, a U.S. organization, recalled those killings and warned that 'today's threats do not come solely from the fringe.' 'In places such as Hungary and Poland, once proudly democratic nations, government leaders are traveling the road to authoritarianism,' said Ira Forman, the group's senior adviser for combating anti-Semitism. 'As they do so, they are distorting history to spin a fable about their nations and the Holocaust.' Survivors of Auschwitz arrive at the International Monument to the Victims of Fascism at the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Former prisoners place candles and flowers at the Death Wall to mark the 74th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau Visitor walks at through the former Nazi concentration camp in Terezin, Czech Republic,last week ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day Survivors attend a commemoration event in the so-called 'Sauna' building at the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz II-Birkenau, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day Former Auschwitz prisoners placed flowers early Sunday at an execution wall at Auschwitz, paying homage before the arrival of the nationalists at the same spot. They wore striped scarves that recalled their uniforms, some with the red letter 'P,' the symbol the Germans used to mark them as Poles. Early in World War II, most prisoners were Poles, rounded up by the occupying German forces. Later, Auschwitz was transformed into a mass killing site for Jews, Roma and others, operating until the liberation by Soviet forces on Jan. 27, 1945. In Germany, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned in an op-ed in the weekly Welt am Sonntag that across Europe populists are propagating nationalism and 'far-right provocateurs are trying to downplay the Holocaust.' 'We shall never forget. We shall never be indifferent. We must stand up for our liberal democracy,' Maas wrote. Over the past year, Germany has seen a rising number of often violent attacks against Jews carried out by neo-Nazis and Muslims, prompting the government to appoint a commissioner against anti-Semitism and to start funding a national registration office for anti-Semitic hate crimes. The appearance by nationalists at Auschwitz comes amid a surge of right-wing extremism in Poland and elsewhere in the West. It is fed by a broader grievance many Poles have that their suffering during the war at German hands is little known abroad while there is greater knowledge of the Jewish tragedy. However recent surveys show that knowledge of the atrocities during World War II is declining generally. A new study released in recent days by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and the Azrieli Foundation found that 52 percent of millennials in Canada cannot name even one concentration camp or ghetto and 62 percent of millennials did not know that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Its findings were similar to a similar study carried out a year before in the United States. The cemetery of the former Nazi concentration camp in Terezin, Czech Republic Silhouetted against an image of a death camp prisoner, an actress of the Romania's Jewish State Theatre rehearses the musical drama 'The Lights of the Ghetto' a mix of music and stories by Holocaust survivors in Bucharest, Romania A young man stands in front of the Holocaust Memorial after he laid down a red rose on a slab of the memorial to commemorate the victims of the Nazis in Berlin A red rose lies on a slab of the Holocaust Memorial to commemorate the victims of the Nazis in Berlin In Britain, a new poll by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust found that one in 20 adults in Britain do not believe the Holocaust took place. The poll of more than 2,000 people released Sunday also found that nearly two-thirds of those polled either did not know how many Jews had been murdered or greatly underestimated the number killed during the Holocaust. 'Such widespread ignorance and even denial is shocking,' chief executive Olivia Marks-Woldman said. Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said in its Global Antisemitism Report released Sunday that 13 Jews were murdered in fatal attacks in 2018, marking the highest number of Jews murdered since a wave of attacks on Argentinian Jews in the 1990s. The report found that around 70 percent of anti-Jewish attacks were anti-Israel in nature and that most of the attacks were led by neo-Nazis and white supremacists. The United Nations recognised January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005. A fierce gun battle between civilian police watching over two towns and a gang left 10 people dead on Mexico's Pacific coast. A spokesman for the State Coordination for Peace Development said that two more were wounded during the shooting that took place Sunday afternoon at about 2.40pm local time. In a press release, Roberto Alvarez said that indigenous residents with the Regional Coordinator of Community Authorities [CRAC] filling in as community police officers in the municipalities of Chilapa and Jose Joaquin de Herrera encountered armed men. However, CRAC said that there were 20 members affiliated with The Ardillos gang who died during the shootout, according to Mexican newspaper El Universal. Official reports indicate 10 people died during an intense shootout between indigenous residents volunteering with a community police force and a group of armed thugs in southwestern Mexico on Sunday The armed thugs were pretending to be community police agents in the southwestern state of Guerrero. The gunmen attempted to enter the small towns of Zacapexco and Rincon de Chautla in Chilapa, and kidnap an unspecified number of people they were looking for. But they were eventually met with force and turned away by the actual civilian cops, said Jesus Placido, a volunteer with the CRAC. 'We directly hold The Ardillos responsible for the provocation because that is their goal, they want to take control,' Placido said according to Radio Formula. 'Today there was confrontation between the two groups, the community system and the Ardillos.' The daylight shooting took place on a highway along Paraiso de Tepila and lasted nearly three hours. It extended all the way to the port town of Titila, which lacked any official law enforcement presence. State police responded with military backup and found two trucks riddled with bullets and 10 bodies. Shotguns and .22 semi-auto rifles were recovered from the scene. A local gang in Mexico known as The Ardillos were met by full force and turned away by armed volunteer residents after they attempted to kidnap villagers from two towns in Chilapa, a municipality in the southwestern state of Guerrero State police officers in Guerrero, Mexico, and the military inspect the scene of a shootout Sunday between local residents volunteering in the neighborhood police force and a gang of thugs Local residents reported that two wounded people had taken themselves to get medical attention. Their condition was not known. There was no immediate speculation as to what may have precipitated the shootout. 'We're up against anything The Ardillos throw our way, but we will not allow them to enter our territory,' said CRAC, which is made up of close to 200 civilian combatants. The CRAC were also involved in a shootout with a separate community police group which calls itself the Community Police for Peace and Justice on December 19, 2018. The ingenuous security force accuses the Community Police for Peace and Justice of being aligned with The Ardillos, who have been blamed for the disappearance of 12 people since then, including seven minors. Two young children were allegedly left in the back seat of a car on a sweltering day as their mother was shopping for more than half an hour. Chrystal Alatasi discovered the children in the carpark of a supermarket in Napier on New Zealand's North Island on Sunday when temperatures in the region hit 33C. 'I had been shopping and got back to my car when I heard a baby cry. It wasn't a child having a tantrum but a distressed cry,' the mother of four told Daily Mail Australia. Two young children were allegedly left in the back seat of a car on a sweltering day as their mother was shopping for more than half an hour Chrystal Alatasi discovered the children in the carpark of a supermarket in Napier on New Zealand's North Island on Sunday when temperatures in the region hit 33C 'There was a black Subaru with tinted windows parked nearby and I could see movement in the car. I had to go right up to the vehicle to see through the tint but there were two young children in the back seat.' 'There were other people walking past that would have heard the children. I don't know why nobody else stopped.' Ms Alatasi called emergency services as the windows were closed and doors locked and was about to smash a window when the dispatcher told her to ask the girl, who appeared slightly older, to open the door. She said the heat from the car was intense and the children were both visibly distressed. The children's mother eventually returned to the car half an hour after Ms Alatasi had been there. 'She was definitely in no hurry and she only had one bag of groceries, which enraged me even more, I don't know why she took so long,' she said. Police arrived and took Ms Alatasi back to her car and told her they would update her on the situation later. 'I was crying and shaking by this stage,' she said. She later received a phone call from police saying the woman had been given a formal warning for leaving children unattended and that children's services would check on the family. Police arrived and took Ms Alatasi back to her car (from where she took this picture) and told her they would update her on the situation later The Victorian Department of Health has warned parents not to leave children in hot cars as the temperature can quickly climb to dangerous levels. The temperature 'can double in just five minutes, so on a 30-degree day the temperature inside a car can reach a scorching 60 degrees very quickly,' the department advises. Children can dehydrate quickly and suffer from heatstroke or worse in a short amount of time. The department also warns it is against the law for someone who is responsible for a child or baby to leave them unattended, whether that be at home, in a car, or elsewhere. Chef Adam Perry Lang has been arrested at Jimmy Kimmel's beach house after cops received a report of explosives. Lang has been charged felony charges of making criminal threats after cops swarmed the late night host's Hermosa Beach, California, just before midnight on Saturday. Kimmel's friend Lang was believed to be staying in the property at the time. It has not known what led to the bizarre situation, but it was initially thought to have been 'swatting', according to TMZ. However, an officer with the Hermosa Beach Police says that it is not considered to be a case of the dangerous prank. The Hermosa Beach Police swarmed Jimmy Kimmel's home early Sunday morning Chef Adam Perry Lang (left) with Jimmy Kimmel (right) at Kimmel's post-Oscars after-party on March 4, 2018 Jimmy Kimmel (left) and wife Molly McNearney (right) were not present at the Hermosa Beach home during the police raid 'There is a reason we arrested him [Lang]. There is evidence detectives are now processing,' an unnamed officer told TMZ. 'The "male" that called 911 was absolutely not Adam Perry Lang,' Lang's lawyer Glen T. Jonas said. 'Mr. Lang will be cleared of any wrongdoing. He was fast asleep with his ringer off. He immediately cooperated once he was notified of the commotion.' Police allegedly were dispatched due to a 911 call from a male in the residence claiming to have assaulted a girlfriend with a rifle and to be in possession of two explosives. Kimmel and his wife Molly McNearney were not at the home, as it is not the Kimmel family's primary residence. Police instead spent 'several hours' trying to make contact with Lang, who was allegedly asleep. The lawyer for celebrity chef and best-selling author Adam Perry Lang is adamant that Lang was not the 911 caller During this time nearby homes were evacuated and helicopters and a drone appeared on the scene. The police were eventually able to make 'telephone contact with the male who ultimately agreed to exit the residence,' and Lang exited the residence to be taken into police custody. Jimmy Kimmel was able to bail Lang out at the Hermosa Beach Police Department on Sunday around noon for $50,000, but police reportedly haven't cleared Lang formally. Lang is one of the nine celebrity chef friends who catered Kimmel's Oscar after party in 2018. No explosives or weapons were found inside the house, and police say no one was injured. Geoffrey Owens got a roaring reaction from guests at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday as he addressed being job-shamed for working at Trader Joe's. The former Cosby Show star, 57, appeared in the 'I'm an Actor' opener for the 2019 SAG Awards and followed Mike Myers as the second star to tell their story of why they were there. The star received a huge ovation befor when the camera panned to him, before he started speaking. He then explained how well he's doing after a supermarket customer shared a snap of him working at the cash register, that then went viral. 'So, somewhere in the middle of the road of my life, I found myself in the dark wood of unemployment and debt,' he said. Scroll down for videos Geoffrey Owens got a roaring reaction from guests at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday, while addressing the moment he was revealed to be working at Trader Joe's last September He said he's doing after the supermarket customer shared a snap of him at the cash register He continued: 'But instead of switching careers like a sane person, I took a job at a local Trader Joe's to see if I could hang in there with my career. And, um, it's actually worked out pretty well.' The crowd reacted in laughter as Owens lapped up the spotlight dressed in a tuxedo at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California. 'I'm Geoffrey Owens and I am an actor,' he ended his appearance before the camera faded to Grownish star Yara Shahidi. The former Cosby Show star (second right) revealed last year he was sleeping in his car as he looked for worked in the acting field Owens appeared in Hibiscus and TV series Elementary and NCIS: New Orleans after the scandal. And his 2019 looks more promising. Owens will return to TV with Tyler Perry's hit drama The Haves and Have Nots on the OWN Network. He'll play a senator after Perry took notice and wrote in a role for 11 episodes just for Owens. Owens told GMA last year when the picture was released that he was 'sleeping in my car, struggling, wondering how I was going to pay the bills'. 'To get this place, just to have seen both sides of this, has been really incredible and that's why I feel like ... I'm the guy for the underdog,' he said. 'Sometimes things just don't work out. And that's OK. That's OK. You do what you have to do in between to get to the point until it gets there.' Nicki Minaj also gave him $25,000 after hearing about his situation but Owens donated the money to charity. This year he already has parts in Billions and On Becoming A God in Central Florida lined up. Plus B and Impossible Monsters, Fatale and Fizzle are listed on his IMDb page. A Melbourne council has copped backlash from residents and divided councillors over a spending stoush between foreign aid and local parks and roads. Stonnington councillors in the city's inner south-east are at loggerheads over the council's disaster relief donation policy after a report recently revealed that $90,000 has been spent on natural disasters overseas since 2004. The contribution has split the chamber after councillors voted for international disaster and international aid donations to be made 'explicitly ineligible' from the amended policy last month. The controversial decision was overturned a fortnight later. Ratepayers and councillors of Stonnington Council (pictured) are divided over its disaster relief donation policy, which has donated $90,000 towards natural disasters overseas 'Council has made donations to assist the victims of local and international natural disasters since 2004. Councillors should retain the option of providing much needed financial aid to alleviate the human suffering experienced by those people affected by major natural disasters particularly in countries within our region,' the rescission motion states. Councillor John Chandler called on colleagues to 'not be mean-spirited' while Councillor Marcia Griffin said foreign aid was the responsibility of the federal government, The Herald Sun reported. 'If we have funds to spare, why not reduce rates? We are not here to virtue-signal at our ratepayers' expense,' Ms Griffin told the chamber last month. Ratepayers took social media to express their anger on Monday after the councillors' spat over the matter caught the media's attention. Stonnington mayor Steven Stefanopoulos (pictured) was among the councillors who voted for an amended policy to end international disaster and international aid donations before it was later overturned 'I am outraged, we pay rates too! Not paying my rates next time, cop that Stonnington Council, oh and fix the hole in the road outside my house and remove dead and dying trees thanks,' a furious ratepayer tweeted. Another added: 'I've read Stonnington's annual report for 2017/18, yet find no mention of payments of foreign aid, so another question: how were those aid payments made and out of what funds precisely. The matter also sparked outrage on Channel Seven's Sunrise program on Monday where Brisbane-based presenter Ben Davis called on the council to 'stay in its lane.' 'The federal and state governments must look after that. If I'm a ratepayer in this council, I want any spare cash going into reducing my rates,' he said. The Melbourne council has copped backlash from ratepayers over the policy Fellow panellist Kathy Lipari called on the council to stick to its own backyard. 'I wonder what their rubbish collection is like Its not something that councils should be dabbling in. Leave the bigger picture stuff to the federal government even if it is a small amount of money,' she added. But some residents were happy for their rates to be spent offshore. 'I'm happy for them to help people out. It's been money given to specific disaster relief funds. Most here don't understand that Stonnington is a VERY well funded council,' a Melbourne resident tweeted. Many residents argued that money should be spent on upgrading parks (pictured) and roads instead of natural disasters overseas Another added: 'As a Stonnington resident I find the rates charged and services provided by our council to be very good. If $90,000 over 14 years is the biggest issue they can find then I would say things are ok. Council could even increase it a little.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Stonnington Council and Cr Stefanopoulos for comment. The council's most recent contribution to foreign aid was a $5000 donation to the Red Cross in response to the Sulawesi tsunami and earthquake in Indonesia in October. The alarming moment an oblivious tourist comes mere seconds from death by blue-ringed octopus bite has been captured on camera. The terrifying footage sees an unidentified holidaymaker holding a deadly blque-ringed octopus in the palm of their hand, unaware of the imminent danger. The video is thought to have been filmed on a Darwin beach, and sees the octopus squirming around until the unwitting tourist releases it back into the water. Thankfully, the tourist sets the octopus free before it has the chance to unleash its fatal venom. Unbeknownst to the traveller, a blue-ringed octopus holds enough venom to kill twenty-six adult humans, meaning the situation could've taken a deadly turn in a matter of minutes. The video is thought to have been initially uploaded onto TikTok, a media app for creating and sharing short videos, alongside the caption: 'Such a beautiful octopus'. Blue-ringed octopus' (pictured) have enough venom to kill 26 humans in a matter of minutes The horrifying clip (pictured) has since been shared on Reddit and has been met with a mixture of shock and horror Blue-ringed octopus bites The blue-ringed octopus bite is highly poisonous to humans Most cases of bites are from a person picking up and handling the creature, or stepping on it Most bites cause minimal pain for the first 5-10 minutes The bite could cause excessive bleeding, nausea, vomiting, changes in vision and difficulty swallowing After 10 minutes, the victim may have difficulty breathing, become paralysed, and require artificial ventilation There is no anti-venom available for blue-ringed octopus bites In extreme cases, blue-ringed octopus bites can cause death from respiratory failure or cardiac arrest Source: emedicinehealth Advertisement It has since been reposted on Reddit by an Australian user, and the clip has been met with a mixture of shock and horror. One user joked: 'That fool was very lucky they were able to post this. 'Did they go on to swim in Crocodile infested waters? 'If we had potential Darwin Awards then this would be a good entry,' they added. 'Do they even know how lucky they are to be alive after doing something that monumentally stupid,' another questioned. 'I am usually pretty calm, but this actually made my heart race. WHAT THE HELL. It's like holding death in your hand,' a third exclaimed. Another commented: 'Lucky for all involved that they'd generally prefer to just escape. Little bit like snakes; they aren't setting out to bite you, but they'll do it defensively if you make them.' Despite the high toxicity of a blue-ringed octopus bite, there have been just three recorded deaths in the last century - two in Australia and one in Singapore. President Trump has slammed two reporters from his favorite outlet, Fox News, for having 'even less understanding of the fight over his border wall than Fake News CNN and NBC! The President ripped into White House Correspondent John Roberts and Washington-based correspondernt Gillian Turner in a tweet on Sunday after their segment on the fight for funds during the government shutdown. Never thought Id say this but I think @johnrobertsFox and @GillianHTurner @FoxNews have even less understanding of the Wall negotiations than the folks at FAKE NEWS CNN & NBC! the President tweeted on Sunday. He added: Look to final results! Dont know how my poll numbers are so good, especially up 19% with Hispanics? Trump did not specify which aspects of the commentary by the Fox News correspondents he found problematic. Roberts filled in for Chris Wallace as host on the Fox News Sunday show, which airs live every Sunday afternoon on the over-the-air Fox network. President Donald Trump (seen at the White House on Friday) did the unthinkable on Sunday and criticized his favorite cable news channel, Fox News The President criticized two of Fox News reporters - White House Correspondent John Roberts and Washington Correspondent Gillian Turner - in a tweet on Sunday The President criticized White House Correspondent John Roberts (left) and Washington-based correspondent Gillian Turner (right) in a tweet on Sunday after their segment on the fight for funds during the government shutdown Turner was a panelist on the program, which often invites news makers and talking heads to comment on the latest political developments. Trump's tweet critical of Roberts and Gillian was posted after 8pm Eastern time, which likely means the President watched a taping of the show which is replayed on the Fox News Channel on cable. Trump has been known to call in to his favorite Fox News personalities who are solely on the opinion side of the network, including Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro, and the hosts of Fox & Friends. In a follow-up tweet, Trump wrote: After all that I have done for the Military, our great Veterans, Judges (99), Justices (2), Tax & Regulation Cuts, the Economy, Energy, Trade & MUCH MORE, does anybody really think I wont build the WALL? Done more in first two years than any President! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Roberts is a veteran White House correspondent who covered the beat earlier in his career for CBS News. In a follow-up tweet, Trump wrote: After all that I have done for the Military, our great Veterans, Judges (99), Justices (2), Tax & Regulation Cuts, the Economy, Energy, Trade & MUCH MORE, does anybody really think I wont build the WALL?' He also worked at CNN before joining the Rupert Murdoch-owned cable channel Fox News in 2011. Roberts has been Fox News' Chief White House correspondent since early 2017. Turner joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014. Before that, she worked in the National Security Council under Presidents Bush and Obama, according to her Twitter bio. Since running for office, Trump has waged a public relations war against news outlets whose reporting he doesn't like - among them CNN, NBC News, and others. Trump and his allies have branded those news organizations as 'fake news' in an attempt to discredit their reporting. It should be noted that Roberts and Turner work on the news-gathering side of the Fox News operation, which is separate from the opinion-commentary department. Trump's tweet critical of Roberts and Turner was posted after 8pm Eastern time, which likely means the President watched a taping of the show which is replayed on the Fox News Channel on cable Even Trump's most ardent supporters say that the President 'caved' in agreeing to reopen the government even though he did not receive any funding for his planned border wall. Conservative columnist Ann Coulter called Trump the 'biggest wimp' in the history of the office following his concession on Friday. Coulter, an immigration hawk and early Trump supporter, reacted with swift fury to Trump's announcement on Friday that he would reopen the government for three weeks without any commitment from Congress to fund a southern border wall. 'Good news for George Herbert Walker Bush: As of today, he is no longer the biggest wimp ever to serve as President of the United States,' Coulter wrote on Twitter. Bush, who died in November aged 94, was widely ridiculed in office for going back on his 'read my lips' vow not to raise taxes. Among the hardest core of Trump's base, many had expected the President to push forward with declaring a national emergency in order to build the wall, a proposal he had floated for weeks. Thursday's deal to reopen government came as a shock to this group and a potential blow to Trump's reelection chances. Taking to Twitter, Trump defended his move and insisted that an emergency declaration was still on the table if Democrats in Congress do not cut a deal to fund the border wall before the three-week deadline. Ann Coulter, seen on Real Time on Friday night, lashed out at Trump for making a deal to reopen the government without securing any funding for a border wall Couler declared that Trump backing down from his wall demand to end the shutdown made him an even bigger 'wimp' than George HW Bush, who famously reneged on a tax promise 'I wish people would read or listen to my words on the Border Wall. This was in no way a concession. It was taking care of millions of people who were getting badly hurt by the Shutdown with the understanding that in 21 days, if no deal is done, its off to the races!' Trump wrote on Friday night. He continued to battle base backlash on Saturday morning, writing: '21 days goes very quickly. Negotiations with Democrats will start immediately. Will not be easy to make a deal, both parties very dug in. The case for National Security has been greatly enhanced by what has been happening at the Border & through dialogue. We will build the Wall!' In her interview with HBO's Bill Maher on Friday, Coulter said that all of her concerns about Trump would be forgiven if the wall gets built. 'Just keep your promises and I'm right back in your camp,' she said. Otherwise, speculation has circulated that Coulter might mount a primary campaign against Trump. Asked about the possibility by Maher, Coulter joked: 'I'm against women working, so I can't.' Australia Day has been and gone but the heated debate over whether the date should be changed devolved into an ugly spat on live TV. Studio 10 panelists clashed so badly while discussing Saturday's 'Invasion Day' protests on Monday that Kerri-Anne Kennerley was branded a racist. The veteran presenter turned to the camera as if to speak directly to the thousands who flooded the streets around the country over the weekend. 'OK, the 5,000 people who went through the streets making their points known, saying how inappropriate the day is,' she began. 'Has any single one of those people been out to the Outback, where children, babies, five-year-olds, are being raped? 'Their mothers are being raped, their sisters are being raped. They get no education. What have you done?' The panel sat in shocked silence for several seconds until KIIS FM and ABC radio host Yumi Stynes went straight for the jugular. 'That is not even faintly true, Kerri-Anne. You're sounding quite racist right now,' she said. Kerri-Anne Kennerley said Australia Day protesters should be doing something about the high rate of sexual assault among Aboriginal women instead of focusing on the date The studio audience gave a loud gasp at the accusation and Kennerley responded that she was offended. But Stynes doubled down on her insult: 'Well keep going then, because every time you open your mouth you're sounding racist.' Kennerley wasn't prepared to cede any ground, either, and again went after the protesters who she accused of only caring one day of the year. 'I am seriously offended by that, Yumi. Seriously offended,' she said. 'These people are desperate for help. Aboriginal elder women are desperate for help, and they're not getting it. KIIS FM and ABC radio host Yumi Stynes responded: 'That is not even faintly true, Kerri-Anne. You're sounding quite racist right now' 'Where are these people [other than] one day of the year? You'd be better off doing something positive.' With the argument threatening to boil over, host Sarah Harris tried to defuse the situation, to no avail. 'Take it back a notch everything's going to be cool,' she interjected. She tried to say that it an issue that really 'fires people up', but maintained 'everyone has their hearts in the right places and everyone wants to do the right thing'. Stynes told Kennerley many of the protesters would have previously gone out into the Indigenous communities, but Kennerley demanded exact numbers. Clearly not backing down, Stynes told Kennerley she was glossing over women and children also being raped in cities, claiming it wasn't just a rural problem. Thousands took to the streets on Saturday to protest against Australia Day and demanding the date be changed as January 26 represents 'Invasion Day' Kennerley insisted she wasn't racist just because she 'had a point of view', but Stynes objected to her making assumptions about 5,000 people. 'Yeah, you're actually connecting rape, child abuse, you're drawing a straight line and you're implying those 5000 protesters, none of whom you know personally, are all lazy and idle,' she said. 'You're asking if any of them have ever done anything as though it's clear they haven't.' Kennerley in turn accused her of 'drawing a line that isn't there', but Stynes said she 'saw it quite clearly'. 'Well get new glasses,' Kennerley snapped back as Yumi sat stony-faced and stared out at the audience. Above, demonstrators in Melbourne this weekend. Australia's 700,000 or so indigenous people track near the bottom of its 25million citizens in almost every economic and social indicator While opinion polls suggest up to half the country supports changing Australia Day, the conservative government is under pressure to legally entrench January 26 as a national holiday. Pictured, protesters in Brisbane on Saturday Harris finally managed to get control of the segment and beg the panelists to stop calling each other names. 'This is just an issue that Yumi and I have. There are probably 20 other things that we do agree on this is just one that we don't,' Kennerley replied. A 2004 survey of 6,677 women found sexual assault was three times higher among Aboriginal women than other groups. Then last year a wide-ranging investigation charged 36 men with more than 300 crimes against 184 children in remote Aboriginal communities in WA, and identified three times that many suspects. West Australian Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said the scale of arrests was 'staggering' and the problem was 'a cancer'. 'It's a war zone out there and the victims are little kids,' he told the ABC last year. Advertisement Heavy snow and gale-force winds could spell travel chaos and cut off villages as bone-chilling air from the Arctic hits the UK this week, forecasters warned yesterday. A severe yellow weather warning for snow has been issued for tomorrow night and Wednesday morning. Met Office experts predict delays on roads while rail and air travel may also be hit. It is feared that power lines and mobile phone networks could be put at risk by the deteriorating weather. The Met Offices weather warning has been set from 9pm tomorrow to 12 noon on Wednesday. Rain moving eastwards across the country is expected to turn to snow as temperatures fall gradually from tonight down to as low as minus 4C (25F) on Wednesday. Up to 1.2in (3cm) of snow is expected for much of the South East, including Greater London, while places on higher ground could see up to 3.9in (10cm). Winds of up to 60mph are forecast inland and 70mph along the coast. Devon: A woman is soaked as huge waves crash over the seafront at Ilfracombe as stormy conditions caused disruption across the region on Sunday Scotland: The cold snap comes after 70mph winds battered parts of the country yesterday, uprooting trees and causing huge waves at seaside resorts Branching out: A tree uprooted by gales blocks Belle Vale Road in Liverpool on Sunday Coastguard teams were patrolling known vulnerable areas to warn people of the dangers of overtopping waves as well as the potential for injury or damage caused by debris carried in the water as it overtopped the seawalls in Whitby last night Pictured: A daring young couple pictured walking down the Holyhead breakwater in the extreme weather The cold snap comes after 70mph winds battered parts of the country yesterday, uprooting trees and causing huge waves at seaside resorts. Sarah Kent, of the Met Office, said: Weve got cold weather throughout the UK for most of the week. On Tuesday, there will be sub-zero temperatures, with a cold start to the day for southern and central England. Many places further north will see temperatures a little below freezing. By the afternoon, there will be a low-pressure system moving along the English Channel and, wrapped around that, an area of rain. When the rain runs into the cold air, it will fall across most of England as sleet and snow. Snow accumulations could vary but were expecting 0.4-1.2in (1-3cm) more widely. She added: The gritting vans should be out, but people should be winter-ready to make sure they have all they need in their cars. The Met Office yesterday issued a yellow weather warning for snow from Tuesday to Wednesday in Southern, Eastern and some parts of central Britain A severe yellow weather warning for snow has been issued for tomorrow night and Wednesday morning (pictured, Ilfracombe in Devon) Forecasters said that air blown 2,500 miles from around the North Pole will bring the most low-level snow of Britain's winter so far Snow will gradually clear from the eastern part of England during Wednesday afternoon. There will be largely clear skies, but it will be bitterly cold first thing on Thursday morning for parts of central and southern England. It was previously predicted that up to four inches of snow may fall across parts of South, East and central England from 9pm on Tuesday until midday Wednesday. Forecasters warned that air blown 2,500 miles from around the North Pole will bring the most low-level snow of Britain's winter so far, and there is a chance some rural areas 'could become cut off' due to extreme weather in the coming days. The Met Office issued a number of weather warnings across the country yesterday, including a yellow warning for the eastern coasts, and a snow and ice warning for northern Scotland (left and right) A woman was blown flat on her face after venturing down to see the extreme heavy seas at Holyhead on Anglesey Snow ploughs attempt to clear heavy snow above Aviemore as it continued to fall in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland England can expect temperatures as low as -6C this week and Scotland is forecast to suffer lows colder than -14C. Forecaster Simon Partridge said: 'A cold week ahead started on Sunday with a straight northerly, with air coming all the way from north of Greenland, near the North Pole. 'Snow is likely to lower levels at times, perhaps moreso than during cold weather so far.' Ex-BBC and Met Office forecaster John Hammond of weathertrending said we are 'reaching the coldest part of this winter', and the Met Office said cold conditions could 'certainly' continue for another three weeks at least. A man has been arrested after police launched an investigation into the alleged indecent assault of a girl at a gaming arcade. At about 2.10pm on Sunday an 11-year-old girl was in a gaming arcade in a shopping centre in Haymarket, Sydney, when she was allegedly approached by an unknown man. It is being alleged the man indecently assaulted the girl before she told family members who alerted police but the man had left the scene before they arrived. The girl, from Padstow in Sydney's south-west, is believed to have been approached by an unknown man and indecently assaulted before the man left the arcade (stock image) Detectives from Sydney City Police Area Command released CCTV images of a man they believe could assist with inquiries. At about 10.10am on Monday a 51-year-old man was arrested at a shopping centre on Darling Drive, Darling Harbour, and has been taken to Day Street Police Station. Inquires are continuing. A McDonald's in Birmingham was left covered in blood after a stabbing victim ran inside the restaurant begging for help. Photos from inside the fast food chain in Yardley Wood show blood dripping from tables and large patches over the floor. An open first aid kit can also be seen on the table, which was located near the children's zone of the store. Staff working inside the restaurant described the 22-year-old man as 'pouring with blood' when he came into the store at around 3.20pm this afternoon. Police have confirmed that the man was stabbed once in the arm, and the injury is not believed to be life threatening. A McDonald's in Yardley Wood, Birmingham, was left covered in blood after a stabbing victim ran inside to ask for help In gruesome snaps from inside the store, blood can be seen pouring from a table and pooling on the floor The McDonald's was closed while forensic officers investigate, but the drive-thru remained open as usual. A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: 'The 22-year-old was attacked just before 3.20pm outside McDonalds in School Road. 'He sustained a single stab wound to the arm and was taken to hospital, his injury is not believed to be life-threatening. 'The store was closed for several hours while forensic investigations took place. Officers have also collected CCTV and spoken to a number of witnesses. 'Patrols have been increased in the surrounding area to provide reassurance to residents this evening. 'At present no arrests have been made, but officers are confident those in the local community know who is responsible, and are urging anyone with information to get in touch.' Anyone with information should contact West Midlands Police on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. McDonald's have been contacted for comment. Police have confirmed that the 22-year-old man was stabbed once in the arm, and the injury is not believed to be life threatening The McDonald's was closed while forensic officers investigate, but the drive-thru remained open as usual The Branson Board of Aldermen on Thursday (now postponed to July 28) will consider an ordinance that would require face coverings in public spaces. The aldermen might approve it, disapprove it, or approve an amended version. Would you be in favor of some form of mandatory face covering ordinance in the city of Branson? You voted: ISIS have claimed responsibility for a double bomb attack that killed at least 21 people and wounded another 50 during a Sunday Mass at a cathedral in the Philippines. The Philippine government has said it will 'pursue to the ends of the earth the ruthless perpetrators' behind the bombing on the island of Mindanao. Earlier today the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, issuing a formal communique saying two suicide bombers had detonated explosive belts, according to the SITE Intelligence Group which monitors jihadist activities. But security officials say the first bomb went off in or near the Jolo cathedral during Mass, followed by a second blast outside the compound as government forces were arriving in the area. Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde said that at least 21 people died and 70 were wounded. Police and military reports said the casualties included both troops and civilians. Covered bodies lie on the ground in front of a church following two explosions in Jolo city, Sulu, Philippine ISIS have claimed responsibility for a bomb attack that killed at least 21 people. Pictured: Filipino soldiers gather evidences next to the covered bodies of victims in front of a church following explosions According to reports, at least 21 people were killed and 71 others were injured after two bombs exploded outside a cathedral in the city Jolo Photos on social media showed debris and bodies lying on a busy street outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which has been hit by bombs in the past. Troops in armored carriers sealed off the main road leading to the church while vehicles were transporting the dead and wounded to the hospital. Some casualties were evacuated by air to nearby Zamboanga city. 'I have directed our troops to heighten their alert level, secure all places of worships and public places at once, and initiate pro-active security measures to thwart hostile plans,' said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in a statement. The government says in a statement it will pursue the attackers 'until every killer is brought to justice and put behind bars. The law will give them no mercy'. It is one of the deadliest bomb attacks to strike the insurgency-plagued southern Philippines in years, and shows militants in the region are still a threat despite recent steps toward peace, experts said. The bloodshed came less than a week after voters' decisive approval of giving Muslims in the south more control over their own affairs, which sparked hopes of quelling long-time separatist violence. Armed Forces of the Philippines, soldiers and police cordon off the area after two bombs exploded outside a Roman Catholic cathedral (background right) in Jolo, the capital of Sulu province in the southern Philippines where militants are active The scene inside a Roman Catholic cathedral in Jolo, after two bombs exploded Sunday The first blast occurred inside the Catholic church on war-torn Jolo on Sunday morning as mass was being celebrated, and was followed by a second explosion in the parking lot as troops responded Pope Francis, speaking in Panama, expressed his 'strongest reprobation' for the violence. Once again, he said, 'the Christian community has been plunged into mourning.' Bishop Angelito Lampon, who previously served in Jolo, said Sunday's attack may be the worst, but was certainly not the first on the church. 'In my 20 years there from 1998 to last week, there were seven hand grenades lobbed into our cathedral,' he told AFP. 'Fortunately there was just a little damage and no casualties.' 'This bomb attack was done in a place of peace and worship, and it comes at a time when we are preparing for another stage of the peace process in Mindanao,' said Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. 'Human lives are irreplaceable,' he added, calling on Jolo residents to cooperate with authorities to find the perpetrators of this 'atrocity.' Security officials were looking 'at different threat groups and they still can't say if this has something to do with the just concluded plebiscite,' Albayalde, the national police chief, told ABS-CBN TV network. Jolo Island has long been troubled by the presence of Abu Sayyaf militants, who are blacklisted by the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organization because of bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. The Philippine government says it will 'pursue to the ends of the earth the ruthless perpetrators' behind bomb attacks that killed more than 20 people and wounded many more Government forces have pressed on sporadic offensives to crush the militants, including those in Jolo, a poverty-wracked island of more than 700,000 people. A few thousand Catholics live mostly in the capital of Jolo. The cathedral is located in Jolo town center in front of a square and near a budget hotel, a bank and commercial stores as well as a public market. The blasts came nearly a week after the government's plan to create a self-administered area for the Muslim-dominated parts of Mindanao was backed by 85 percent of voters in a referendum last Monday, paving the way for a three-year transition towards elections for a legislature that will choose an executive. Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation endorsed a new autonomous region in the southern Philippines in hopes of ending nearly five decades of a separatist rebellion that has left 150,000 people dead. Bomb victims receive treatment in a hospital after two blasts occurred outside a Roman Catholic cathedral in Jolo, during a Sunday Mass at a cathedral on the restive southern island The attack came days after a predominantly Muslim area in the region voted 'yes' in a referendum for greater autonomy Although most of the Muslim areas approved the autonomy deal, voters in Sulu province, where Jolo is located, rejected it. The province is home to a rival rebel faction that's opposed to the deal as well as smaller militant cells that not part of any peace process. Western governments have welcomed the autonomy pact. They worry that small numbers of Islamic State-linked militants from the Middle East and Southeast Asia could forge an alliance with Filipino insurgents and turn the south into a breeding ground for extremists. Government forces have pressed on sporadic offensives to crush the militants, including those in Jolo, a poverty-wracked island of more than 700,000 people. A few thousand Catholics live mostly in the capital of Jolo. The cathedral is located in Jolo town center in front of a square and near a budget hotel, a bank and commercial stores as well as a public market. Advertisement Mountains in South Africa have been engulfed by a grass fire, leaving bright orange flames towering over the Cape Town skyline. Residents at the foot of the 1,150-ft Signal Hill mountain have evacuated their homes while strong winds fanned the flames towards nearby 2,195-ft Lion's Head. Volunteer Wildlife Service said the city's Table Mountain was not initially affected as the wind blew the flames away from the landmark peak, but later said the fire had spread towards the national park of the same name. Silhouettes: Volunteers and local residents use wet towels to fight one front of a large brush fire that started around the mountains in the city centre of Cape Town, leading residents at the foot of the peaks to evacuate their homes Engulfed: The skyline over Cape Town is filled with bright orange flames as strong winds blew the fire from Signal Hill to nearby Lion's Head, with reports the blaze was heading towards Table Mountain Protection: A man wears a mask and hat as he examines the fire in Cape Town which has been fanned by strong winds Containment: A local resident uses a wet towel in an attempt to douse the flames which spread across Cape Town's mountains amid strong winds at the south-western tip of South Africa Lonely: A local resident climbs one of the hills in Cape Town as the skyline is lit up by the bright orange of the flames Battle against the blaze: Volunteers and local residents use wet towels to fight one front of a large brush fire that started around the mountains in the city centre The wildfire volunteers also called on the public to donate water, food and sun cream to the firefighters tackling the blaze. 'It's best for everyone, except for firefighters and emergency services, not to be up on the mountains tonight,' the organisation said on Twitter. 'The fire is still not under control and the strong, gusting winds are making it difficult for the various crews on the ground,' they said on Sunday evening. By late on Sunday there were at least 20 fire engines on the scene with more than 100 firefighters battling the blaze, according to The South African. Lit up: A man looks on as he helps to fight the mountain fires in South Africa which have started to spread towards Table Mountain national park, according to the Volunteer Wildfire Services Light and dark: People watch the flames spread on the mountainside as strong winds fanned the fires in Cape Town yesterday Blinding light: A man wears a hat and protects his face with a mask as the fire burns on the mountains in Cape Town on Sunday Fighting the flames: Cape Town volunteers hold wet towels near the large brush fire that started around the mountains in the city centre Hemming successfully sued two men over comments made on social media John Hemming won more than 10,000 compensation for defamation case A former MP has won more than 10,000 compensation for defamation after being falsely accused of being part of a VIP sex abuse ring, John Hemming, who was Lib Dem MP for Birmingham Yardley from 2005 until 2015, was accused of being a member of a group that abused children in a Staffordshire forest. In a rare libel action over comments made on social media, he successfully sued Graham Wilmer, founder of the Lantern Project abuse charity, and journalist David Hencke, who worked for the now defunct website Exaro. John Hemming, who was Lib Dem MP for Birmingham Yardley from 2005 until 2015, was accused of being a member of a group that abused children in a Staffordshire forest Wilmer, who supported the woman making the claims, made four comments on social media between September and October 2017 implying Hemming was guilty. Police investigated the allegations - made by Esther Baker - but decided to take no further action. Mr Hemming said: Only a few weeks before making the false allegations [against me] Baker stated on Twitter that she had never met a politician or MP. However, Wilmer and Hencke then [promoted] her false allegations. Wilmer and Hencke never thought of the effect of their activity on my children. I have been on the receiving end of a number of threats of violence and hundreds if not thousands of aggressive messages. One individual has even been convicted for making death threats to me based upon completely false allegations. Newspapers have checks and balances to verify facts and report in a balanced way. There are no such controls on social media or websites many websites. Wilmer has agreed to make a payment of 1,000 to Birmingham Childrens Hospital Charity and to pay more than 9,000 to Mr Hemming for legal costs. Henke agreed to make a payment of 500 to Victim Support. He also agreed to carry a statement on his website and not to refer to Baker as a victim or survivor. Wilmer said in a statement to the court: I can confirm that I have settled the claim for defamation made against me by Mr John Hemming. I understand that those publications [the social media messages] have caused Mr Hemming and his family upset and distress for which I apologise. He told the court he would make no suggestion in the future that the defendant was guilty of any crime including rape and blackmail. Last June Mr Hemming attacked police after they ruled Miss Baker should not be prosecuted for perverting the course of justice. He said the move undermined the criminal justice system and would encourage other fantasists to make bogus claims. Miss Baker, who waived her right to anonymity in 2015 to give a television interview about her alleged ordeal. denies being a fantasist. Veteran newsman Tom Brokaw has been forced to apologize for saying that 'Hispanics should work harder at assimilation' and claiming Republicans 'fear having brown grandbabies'. The broadcasting icon took to Twitter to say he felt terrible that his comments had offended members of the 'proud' Hispanic culture Brokaw made the controversial comments during a roundtable on the NBC show discussion on the government shutdown and President Donald Trump's demand for funding a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. 'The fact is, on the Republican side, a lot of people see the rise of an extraordinary, important, new constituent in American politics, Hispanics, who will come here and all be Democrats. 'Also, I hear, when I push people a little harder, 'Well, I don't know whether I want brown grandbabies.' I mean, that's also a part of it.' NBC newsman Tom Brokaw is offering an apology after going on NBC's Meet The Press and making comments about the Hispanic community Brokaw said one of the issues affecting the GOP is that they're worried the U.S. is becoming flooded with Hispanic voters, who by and large register as Democrats 'It's the intermarriage that is going on and the cultures that are conflicting with each other,' Brokaw continued. 'I also happen to believe that the Hispanics should work harder at assimilation. That's one of the things I've been saying for a long time. 'You know, they ought not to be just codified in their communities but make sure that all their kids are learning to speak English, and that they feel comfortable in the communities. And that's going to take outreach on both sides, frankly.' Nobody on the panel asked Brokaw to clarify who had told him that they didn't want 'brown grandbabies.' But later in the broadcast White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor for PBS NewsHour addressed Brokaw's remarks directly. 'I would just say that we also need to adjust what we think of as America,' Alcindor said. 'You're talking about assimilation. I grew up in Miami, where people speak Spanish, but their kids speak English. And the idea that we think Americans can only speak English, as if Spanish and other languages wasn't always part of America, is, in some ways, troubling.' Brokaw's apology came in a series of rambling and misspelled Twitter-posts on Sunday evening. 'I feel terrible a part of my comments on Hispanics offended some members of that proud culture,' he wrote. 'From my days reporting on cesar chavez to documenting the many contributions of hispanics in all parts of our culture, i've worked hard to knock down false stereo types. in my final comment in Meet i said ALL sides hv to work harder at finding common ground - which i strongly believe. dialogue not division [sic].' Several hours later, Brokaw went back on Twitter where he continued to apologize for his words: 'finally, i am sorry - i never intended to disparage any segment of our rich, diverse society which defines who we are [sic].' 'Finally, i am sorry I failed to convey my strong belief that diversity - dynamic and inclusive is what makes America [sic],' he continued. 'Yamiche is a wonderful colleague and an important voice. i hv been trying to say i am sorry i offended and i so appreciate my colleague [sic].' NBC have stated they have 'no comment' to make on Brokaw's remarks. Brokaw followed up later on Sunday by saying he felt terrible if part of his comments offended anyone in 'that proud culture,' adding that he's worked hard to knock down false stereotypes over the course of his career A victim of a violent attack waited almost nine days for police to respond to a 999 call, it has been revealed. While a burglary victim had to wait nearly five days for a police officer to respond to their emergency calls. These were the worst examples of poor police response from new statistics disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act. A burglary victim had to wait nearly five days for a police officer to respond to their emergency calls They show police are failing to respond to more than 3,000 calls a day within their target times, which are typically 15 minutes for an 'emergency' call and one hour for a 'priority' call. A total of 21 out of 43 police forces in England and Wales released figures about response times to the Sunday Times and they paint a worrying picture across the UK. In 2017 officers took more than an hour to respond to more than 1 million crimes that required a priority response - a breach of the target. It was the equivalent of one in four of all offences in this category. South Wales Police took eight days and 21 hours to to respond to a 'priority' call for a crime of 'violence with injury.' The longest burglary response time was 117 hours - nearly five full days. Police forces claim they are underfunded and understaffed due to budget cuts The report states that over the past five years the average emergency response time has increased from 10 to 15 minutes. Even more concerning is the average priority response has increased dramatically from just over one hour to almost three hours. The longest response time in the most serious group of incidents - listed as 'immediate' - was said to be 11 days for a crime in 2017. That year there were 77 'immediate' incidents where the police took more than 24 hours to respond - an increase from 27 in 2015. Police forces claim they are underfunded and understaffed due to budget cuts. But the statistics have been revealed as murder and manslaughter cases have reached their highest level for more than a decade. The Office of National Statistics recently reported violent crime had soared 19 per cent to 1.5m offences in the year to September. There was a 14 per cent rise in homicides and 8 per cent increase in knife crime. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd, of the National Police Chiefs Council, said forces 'don't always answer emergency calls as quickly as the public would want.' He said: 'We have witnessed an unprecedented demand in 999 calls in recent years, with more complex crime and incidents being reported, and fewer officers and staff available. 'We would like to reassure the public to call 999 should they need us in an emergency and our fully trained operators will be there to help.' A priority response is needed if there is a threat or risk of harm to a person's after or property or a quick response is needed to avoid losing vital evidence. A murderer suspected of raking in 8,000 from drug dealing while in prison has had his assets seized. Robert Field, 31, is the first inmate to be targeted by investigators cracking down on drug dealers and gang members operating behind bars. He had 7,938.99 in a bank account despite being sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2009 for the murder of pawnbroker George Black, 41, who was doused in petrol and set alight. While Robert Field served his sentence at HMP Gartree near Leicester (pictured), money was repeatedly paid into his bank account While Field served his sentence at HMP Gartree near Leicester, money was repeatedly paid into his bank account. It is suspected he operated a drug-dealing business from his cell. It is the first bust by the Financial Investigations Unit, a team tasked with freezing and seizing the assets of criminals operating in prisons. The team, made up of specially-trained Prison Service analysts and police financial investigators, is part of a 70 million investment in safety and security in Britains jails. Justice Secretary David Gauke said: This unit forms an important part of our wider strategy to tackle organised crime and restore stability to prisons so offenders have the chance to turn their lives around. The first trailer for the new film on Ted Bundy, starring Zac Efron, has been criticized for being 'sexualized' and a 'punch in the face' to the serial killer's victims. The promotional clip for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile clip was released on Friday after it aired at the Sundance Film Festival. Critics took to Twitter to slam the footage, which shows Efron portraying the mass murderer with his shirt off and in a romantic clutch with his wife Liz Koefle, who is played by Lily Collins. Bundy confessed to killing 30 women in seven states and escaped custody twice. He was executed for his horrific crimes in 1989. One person tweeted: 'That's exactly what Ted Bundy wanted. posthumous fame for his cruelties. 'You can count on Hollywood to make the worst human beings immortal.What's next?The Harvey Weinstein biopic? 'What a punch to the face for the victim's families after all these years.' Scroll down for video Movie fans kicked off this weekend after the trailer for new Ted Bundy (left) movie starring Zac Efron (right) Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile was released Some on Twitter complained the Zac Efron casting looked like a 'hyper-sexualized' film Others said the 90-second clip was disrespectful to the families of the women Ted Bundy killed Another user referenced the way the star came off as attractive as he might have in other flick's he's famed for such as Baywatch in 2017. 'Can we not sexualize Ted Bundy? He raped, murdered, and decapitated women and had sex with their dead bodies. 'Not here for this hyper-sexualized Zac Efron film. I know the youth of twitter will obsess over him, and I'd prefer not to read thirst tweets about a serial murderer,' another account shared. But some people disagreed and pointed out that former Disney star heartthrob was the correct casting for a motion picture about how Bundy was romanticized by the media as his slayings of the 70s were reported. Social media users were appalled at how charming Efron looked in the 90-second clip Some tweeters showed outraged over how the trailer appeared to glorify killer Ted Bundy One person compared it to seeing real footage of the murderer in episodes of Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, which came out on Netflix this week. 'And in this moment, watching the ted bundy tapes, I realized just how spot on casting zac efron as ted bundy was this is unsettling,' Joanna wrote. What some may not know is the documentary on the video-streaming website shares the same director, Joe Berlinger, as the new film. Others jumped to the defense of the Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile movie-makers and explained that portraying Bundy as attractive was intentional. But they didn't appear to understand the Efron's performance was to reflect the way Bundy was viewed at the time But some saw how the choices made reflected the way Bundy was seen in the media and by his wife Liz Koefler (played by Lily Collins) in the 70s The movie is currently being shown at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival with actress Lily Collins (who portrays Bundy's wife Liz Kloepfer, doing the promotional rounds with Efron. One person wrote: 'Psst, hey woke twitter, in real life Ted Bundy was romanticized by the media and everyone he knew. That's what the Extremely Wicked trailer is reflecting and what the movie will attach head on.' Another added: 'I hope people know this movie isn't glamorizing/romanticizing ted bundy. This film is through the eyes of his girlfriend liz kloepfer who refused to believe he was anything but a good guy and that he never did anything wrong. That's why the trailer seems the way it does.' Many more defended the portrayal in the Sundance film as being spot-on At Sundance, the flick's director Joe Berlinger said it's likely to be received well at general release, judging by the reactions at screenings on Saturday and Sunday morning. 'Audiences are loving it, which is great. You could just feel it. People really seem to be connecting and getting something out of it,' Salt Lake City Tribune reports he said. The helmer explained that by telling the story through the eyes of his devoted partner, it was important not highlight the horrifying details of his murders at the beginning stages of the motion picture. 'Were giving the audience the same experience Liz had in their encounter with Ted,' Berlinger explained. That experience being 'able to be deceived by somebody whos so believable and charismatic'. 'I certainly dont think were glorifying him because he gets his due,' he said. The flick's director Joe Berlinger said it's important to not show too many horrifying details early on in the film because it's through the eyes of his wife Liz. He added he doesn't 'think were glorifying him because he gets his due' Bundy confessed to killing 30 women before he was executed but the number could near 100 A hipster haven has been inundated with negative reviews after controversially banning any attire displaying the Australian flag on Australia Day. The Newtown Hotel, a pub in Sydney's inner-west, left many punters fuming over a single-day 'dress code', informing patrons they'd be turned away at the door if they wore anything with the Australian flag on it. But the political stance may have backfired, with the hotel's social media accounts swamped with 'one-star' ratings. A pub has controversially barred its patrons from displaying Australian flag on Australia Day A myriad of negative reviews were left for the pub on Google, with punters calling for its sale to indigenous Australians Along with the reviews come messages of disdain for the pub, calling for management to give the deed to the property to the original custodians of the land. 'You should leave this country and hand the pub over to the true owners of this land, you are invading Australia after all,' one review read. 'You are showing your intolerance for Australia and that is not acceptable.' Similar comments left on social media followed the same trend, with one woman calling the pub owners 'hypocrites'. 'The whole country knows how UnAustralian you are,' one comment read, while another wrote they hoped the hotel went broke. Despite the dozens of negative reviews, the hotel maintains a 4.0 star rating out of a possible 5.0 on Google. The most 'liked' comments left on Facebook under the page's most recent photo followed the same trend of disdain The Newtown Hotel (pictured) displayed the sign, saying the Australian flag went against a 'dress code' The controversy was centred on a sign posted to the pub's front door on Australia Day, saying the Australian flag was outlawed inside. 'Newtown Hotel respectfully declines to be part of the 26th of January as the land was not ceded,' the sign read. 'Today there is a dress code and that involves no Australian flag attire and accessories.' While many found the decision 'unAustralian', many others were in favour for the move sharing messages of support with red, yellow and black heart emojis to represent the colours of the Aboriginal flag. 'Big UPS (sic) to these guys!!' one person wrote with the hashtag 'always was, always will be'. 'That's awesome,' wrote another. Some critics said banning the flag on Australia Day was 'unAustralian'. Pictured is an attendee of the Australia Day Parade in Melbourne on Saturday The stance is the latest in a series of political statements the Newtown Hotel has made in the past couple of years. Most recently, they decided against broadcasting last year's Melbourne Cup as a sign of solidarity against the horse racing industry. Management at the Newtown Hotel declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia. Theresa May is poised to throw her weight behind a Tory unity proposal designed to secure concessions from Brussels, it emerged last night. In a high-stakes gamble, she could back an amendment calling for the controversial Northern Irish backstop to be ditched in tomorrows crunch Brexit vote. The plan, which was put forward by influential Conservative grandee Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee, would instead call for alternative arrangements to be put in place to avoid a hard border. Last night Boris Johnson claimed Downing Street will fight for a freedom clause that would win the full-throated support of the entire nation. Supporters believe the plan could help salvage Mrs May's, pictured with her husband at church in Maidenhead on Sunday, deal by winning back the support of her Democratic Unionist Party allies The former foreign secretary, who plans to back the Brady amendment tomorrow, said he had heard from very senior sources that the PM was planning to go to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, he said: Now is the time to stiffen the sinews and summon up the blood ... if the PM secures that change a proper UK-sized perforation in the fabric of the backstop itself I have no doubt that she will have the whole country full-throatedly behind her. Earlier Health Secretary Matt Hancock told ITV: The impulse behind those whove supported the Brady amendment I entirely understand and we need to look for a pragmatic solution. Boris Johnson, pictured on Wednesday, has claimed Mrs May was planning to fight for a 'freedom clause' that would win the 'full-throated' support of the entire nation I think the efforts that those who are backing that amendment have gone to to bring people together have been extremely valuable. Supporters believe the plan could help salvage Mrs Mays deal by orchestrating a show of strength in the Commons and, crucially, win back the support of her Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) allies. With the Conservatives unified, Mrs May could in theory go to Brussels as early as this week and demand concessions to get a deal through. Writing in todays Mail (see right), Sir Graham says tomorrows Commons vote is an opportunity to pull together and unite in the national interest, to resolve the impasse over Brexit. He argues that the crushing defeat of Mrs Mays deal earlier this month was deceptive in scale, but with the right concessions an agreement is winnable. Critically, he says the EU are ready to make concessions and MPs must be prepared to compromise to get the deal over the line. In an appeal to MPs on both sides of the Brexit divide, he writes: If MPs from right across the Tory party put aside their differences, in the national interest, we can get the plan over the line. What MPs must show now is that we have the will to compromise. The British public is crying tears of frustration at Parliaments inability to move forward. A plan, which was put forward by influential Conservative grandee Sir Graham Brady, pictured, would instead call for 'alternative arrangements' to be put in place to avoid a hard border The sense of national relief, when we agree terms to leave the EU, will be immense. Tomorrow, Parliament and the Conservative Party have the opportunity to pull together and unite in the national interest, to resolve the impasse over Brexit. If we do that, we can start negotiating for the future, with a full and wide-ranging free trade agreement with Europe. Our country demands we must not waste this chance. The amendment does not spell out precisely what should replace the backstop, but the language of alternative arrangements echoes that used by EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier when asked last week about what happens if there is a No Deal Brexit. Cabinet ministers have lobbied Mrs May to get behind the Brady amendment, which is also backed by Andrew Murrison, the chairman of the Northern Ireland select committee in the Commons. Theresa May, pictured with husband Philip on Sunday, could back an amendment calling for the controversial Northern Irish backstop to be ditched in tomorrow's Brexit vote One Cabinet source told the Mail: If you put the Parliamentary party back together you have half a chance of being able to negotiate something, because you can show you can deliver the House of Commons. The plan is not without serious risks, however. In the first instance, Speaker John Bercow chooses which amendments will be voted on, and he could refuse to select Sir Grahams to frustrate the Governments plans. Ministers complain that he has a record of being actively unhelpful to the Government in selecting which amendments are voted on. If he refused to allow a vote, the Speaker would provoke uproar on the Tory benches but there is little ministers can do to stop him. Another serious risk is if the amendment is selected but fails to win support from a majority of MPs. Some hardline Eurosceptics oppose elements of the deal other than the backstop and want a No Deal departure. That would leave Mrs May with nothing to take back to Brussels, where Eurocrats would argue she has no prospect of getting the deal through, even if it is changed. Nor is it clear yet that the EU is prepared to offer sufficient concessions to help Mrs May, even though fear of No Deal is growing. Yesterday Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney insisted the backstop isnt going to change. But ministers say Dublin is panicking over the prospect of No Deal, and the EU are starting to feel pressure to compromise. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar last week said No Deal could mean soldiers at the border with Northern Ireland. Here's how we CAN get the deal through: SIR GRAHAM BRADY calls for 'alternative arrangement' to the Brexit backstop to find a 'better solution' to the Irish border problem By Sir Graham Brady The massive vote against Mrs May's EU withdrawal plan two weeks ago seemed crushing but that is deceptive. The Commons is to vote on an amended version of the agreement tomorrow, the so-called Plan B, and this time the deal could be carried. If MPs from right across the Tory party put aside their differences, in the national interest, we can get the plan over the line. I was one of the 118 Conservatives who vetoed the original proposal earlier this month. While we all have different concerns, there is one issue that we are agreed on: the potential trap of an indefinite Northern Irish 'backstop', tying us into the EU customs union permanently and irrevocably, has to be averted. If MPs from right across the Tory party put aside their differences, in the national interest, we can get Mrs May's Plan B over the line, writes Sir Graham Brady Once we accept that backstop, we cannot later reject it without the agreement of the EU. It could become a permanent state of affairs, treating Northern Ireland differently from the rest of the UK and locking the whole UK into a permanent customs union and banned from signing new free trade agreements. But how to bypass the backstop, and come up with a solution? Crucially, we don't need to hammer out those details before tomorrow. All we have to do is agree that we will find better, alternative arrangements to ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the South. This could be done with digital technology and the so-called 'maximum facilitation' or max-fac arrangements. We could devise ways of dealing with border controls away from the border, potentially through a bilateral agreement between the British and Irish governments. The Prime Minister's Europe adviser, Olly Robbins, has produced a list of nine different ways this might be achieved; as long as they avoid the danger of a permanent trap, they should be considered. Sir Brady, pictured right leaving Downing Street earlier this month, said: 'The British public is crying tears of frustration at Parliament's inability to move forward' What MPs must show now is that we have the will to compromise. The British public is crying tears of frustration at Parliament's inability to move forward. The sense of national relief, when we agree terms to leave the EU, will be immense. And an agreement will change the way Europe approaches negotiations too. We can start to discuss terms for future trade, which everyone on both sides is eager to begin. The feeling in Europe is that this has dragged on too long. I believe the EU is ready to make concessions, to ensure Britain does not leave without a deal. Many MPs, including me, believed it was always going to happen like this: only now when we are coming up to the deadline is the EU really prepared to sit down and talk. To demonstrate there is a potential Commons majority for a compromise that unlocks our departure, we need the backing of the whole party. 'If MPs from right across the Tory party put aside their differences, in the national interest, we can get [Mrs May's] the plan over the line,' writes Sir Brady That's why the team supporting the amendment is drawn from the whole spectrum of the party. The intention is to get the overwhelming majority of Conservative MPs behind it and get the DUP on board too. The support of the DUP is critical for two reasons. An Irish backstop could see their province treated differently from the rest of the UK, so it threatens the Union directly. But there is a massive political significance as well: without DUP backing, as our partners in a 'confidence and supply' deal, the minority Conservative administration will find it very hard to govern. A lot of my colleagues feel on principle that no agreement is feasible unless the DUP is prepared to back it. I think they will. As chairman of the 1922 Committee, part of my job is to take soundings as widely as possible, and I did talk to the Unionist leaders Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds a couple of weeks ago. They left me with a very strong sense of what they would be prepared to accept and their overwhelming concern was the backstop. The vote tomorrow is winnable. Last time, 118 Tory MPs voted against Mrs May: if they all flipped their vote, the withdrawal plan would have a small majority. Sir Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, spoke with Unionist leaders Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds, pictured at Dowing Street, a couple of weeks ago But if that doesn't happen, the dangers to parliamentary democracy are real and grave. There are some who are proposing unconstitutional changes to the procedures of the Commons that could make it impossible in future for parties with slim majorities to govern at all. Others want to delay Brexit and condemn Britain to months more of uncertainty. Some are talking about a Norway-style agreement that binds us into the customs union and guarantees freedom of movement, a situation that all sides condemned as the worst of all possible worlds before the referendum. And then there are people who want to risk inflaming public division still further, by staging another referendum. Tomorrow, Parliament and the Conservative Party have the opportunity to pull together and unite in the national interest to resolve the impasse over Brexit. If we do that, we can start negotiating for the future, with a full and wide-ranging free trade agreement with Europe. Our country demands we must not waste this chance. The owner of a Washington State bakery has apologized for creating a controversial Valentine's Day cookie featuring the words 'Build that Wall,' following backlash on social media. Ken Bellingham, the owner of Edmonds Bakery, says he works hard every year to make sure his cookies are memorable. Similar to SweetHearts candies, each cookie has it's own message, some of which are more 'risque' than others. 'I'm back there trying to think of what to write on a cookie. I try to be funny,' Bellingham told KING-TV. Ken Bellingham, the owner of Edmonds Bakery, in Washington State (pictured above) has apologized for the cookie decorated with the the words 'Build that Wall' Ana Carrera, who visited the store on Thursday, says as a person with Mexican heritage the cookie felt personal This year, one of the sweet treats has generated more attention than all the rest. A heart-shaped cookie with 'Build that Wall' in frosting letters, referencing Donald Trump's promise to build a southern-border wall. Bellingham says he only made one of that particular design, created as a joke and not as a political statement. The single cookie grabbed the attention of Ana Carrera, who visited the store on Thursday, and subsequently posted a photo of the cookie on Facebook, saying that as a person with Mexican heritage it felt personal. Ana Carrera posted the image of the cookie on Facebook which led to uproar Bellingham says he only made one cookie of that particular design to go on sale in his bakery (pictured above) Carrera's parents crossed the border from Mexico in the 80s, fearing drug cartels. Bellingham has apologized for the design and says building a wall isn't anything he endorses and he doesn't intend on making more cookies with that slogan. On Friday, Bellingham says someone taped a sign to his bakery calling for a boycott with the words 'stop the hate.' He's also received phone calls from frustrated customers. Carrera said she doesnt want Bellingham harassed, but she will not be returning to the bakery as a customer. The cookie has reportedly sold. Bellingham says he was just trying to be funny when he created the cookie and that he doesn't endorse a wall A documentary team investigating a South African militia's possible role in assassinating the second UN Secretary General, Dag Hammarskjold, makes incredible claims that AIDS was used as a weapon of genocide. The film 'Cold Case Hammarskjold,' directed by and starring Mads Brugger, debuted Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival, alleging a shady militia organization called the South African Institute for Maritime Research (SAIMR) spread HIV in an effort to 'to eradicate black people,' according to the New York Times. A former militia member named Alexander Jones, claims that his organization used phony vaccinations in the early 1990s to spread the virus that causes AIDS. 'We were at war,' said Jones. 'Black people in South Africa were the enemy.' Director Mads Brugger attends the 'Cold Case Hammarskjold' premiere during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival at Prospector Square Theatre in Park City, Utah The documentary was made to look into the 1961 plane crash in Africa that killed the UN Secretary General Dags Hammarskjold, but made some additional incredible claims Jones tells the filmmakers he personally visited a facility run by SAIMR that he was certain manufactured HIV to spread to the black population. Elaborating on his claims, Jones also talks about the leader of SAIMR, Keith Maxwell, a man who appeared to have an obsession with HIV/AIDS, as well as someone who posed as a doctor in clinics all throughout black neighborhoods in South Africa. '[South Africa] may well have one man, one vote with a white majority by the year 2000. Religion in its conservative, traditional form will return,' Maxwell wrote in private papers according to The Guardian. 'Abortion on demand, abuse of drugs, and the other excesses of the 1960s, 70s and 80s will have no place in the post-Aids world.' Maxwell, a man who self-titled himself 'commodore,' died in 2006. Demonstrators hold banners on July 9, 2000 in the streets of Durban, South Africa, to claim lower priced drugs for AIDS Officials search the crash site after the plane carrying Dag Hammarskjold came down near Ndola in Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), in September 1961 The documentary was made in an effort to look into the suspicious circumstances around the plane crash that killed Dag Hammarskjold in 1961, and the claim by the shadowy SAIMR militia group that they were behind the assassination with the aid of the CIA and British Intelligence. For years, the official story on the crash concluded possible pilot error or some other kind of accident caused the DC-6 to crash near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, in what is currently Zambia, but a UN report noted that it was 'plausible' an external attack may have been behind the downing. However, that particular conspiracy took a backseat to the claims of attempted genocide that raised eyebrows among the AIDS research community. 'The probability that they were able to do this is close to zero,' Dr. Salim S. Abdool Karim, the director of Caprisa, a South African AIDS research facility, said about the medically dubious allegation. The difficult to handle virus would be challenging to replicate and keep viable for injections even in modern laboratories, with even fewer labs in the 1990s having the capabilities to do so, according to Dr. Karim. The film by Mads Brugger, who is known as a 'fabulist' and 'provocateur,' according to the Hollywood Reporter, does admit to being unable to corroborate Jones' story. However, experts fear this latest conspiracy theory will erode an already weakened trust in South African medical professionals, especially with disproportionately high infection rates among black populations in sub-Saharan Africa. 'One dangerous consequence of these allegations is that they have the potential to sow mistrust and suspicion of doctors and the medical establishment, and that they may confuse people about how HIV is transmitted,' said Rebecca Hodes, the University of Cape Town's director of AIDS and Society Research, to the Times. Sir Philip Green will today abandon his legal fight to keep in place gagging orders over sexual harassment, race discrimination and bullying claims made against him by former employees. In a sensational climbdown, the Topshop tycoon has instructed his lawyers to drop his battle to maintain an injunction against The Telegraph Media Group. Billionaire Green, 66, who has been accused of using his wealth and power to try to silence his critics, has been locked in a bitter legal war with the group since last summer. Sir Philip Green, who has run up legal bills of at least 500,000, pictured next to his wife Tina Green, will today drop his fight to keep gagging orders in place against allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination Despite running up legal bills of at least 500,000, the fashion mogul has now backed off. In a statement due to be released this morning, Green and the board of his Arcadia retail group say they have 'decided to discontinue their claim against The Telegraph'. They add that Arcadia and Sir Philip will seek the court's permission to end the proceedings today. The statement contains a stinging attack on Lord Hain, who unmasked Green as the top businessman at the centre of sexism and racism claims. It says the Labour peer is guilty of 'disgraceful' behaviour which led to Sir Philip being unfairly vilified in the media. Green's statement contains a stinging attack on Lord Hain, pictured, who unmasked Green as the top businessman at the centre of sexism and racism claims Green's capitulation could open the floodgates to publish embarrassing detail of claims by former staff, which are covered by confidentiality agreements. However, the statement warns that these agreements are still in place. It stresses that individuals who signed the documents are exposed to 'significant risk and future legal action' if fresh allegations are published. The ex-employees could also be forced to repay sums they received as settlements. Green is understood to want to draw a line under the row rather than endure a courtroom confrontation. The statement says: 'After careful reflection, Arcadia and Sir Philip have reluctantly concluded that it is pointless to continue with the litigation which has already been undermined by the deliberate and irresponsible actions of Lord Peter Hain the paid consultant of the Telegraph's lawyers Gordon Dadds and risks causing further distress to Arcadia's employees. Businessman Philip Green is often seen on his boat, pictured in the Port of France last year, which was renamed from 'Lionhart' to 'Lioness V' 'Consequently, Arcadia and Sir Philip will be seeking the court's permission to discontinue these proceedings.' Supporters of Green had insisted the allegations were about 'things that would have happened in a workplace of a bygone era bum-patting and so forth, and 1970s-style silly remarks'. The statement says: 'Arcadia and Sir Philip cannot comment on the detail of the allegations but confirm that any grievances are treated with the utmost seriousness and are investigated thoroughly in accordance with best practice.' Supporters of Green had insisted the allegations were about 'things that would have happened in a workplace of a bygone era' The scandal labelled 'Britain's MeToo' surfaced last year when allegations were published against an initially unnamed businessman who had taken out an injunction to prevent him from being identified over alleged bullying, harassment and intimidation. However, Lord Hain soon revealed Green as the man, using parliamentary privilege which meant he could not be sued. Sir Philip strenuously denied the allegations. Former pensions minister Baroness Ros Altmann later wrote in the Daily Mail she had also been the subject of aggressive behaviour by Sir Philip. In the statement, Green and his fellow directors describe Hain's move as 'disgraceful' and say that as a result Sir Philip 'was subjected to a barrage of vicious personal attacks by the media which published allegations that were simply untrue'. Green said he 'categorically denies any unlawful racist or sexist behaviour'. The statement stresses: 'Sir Philip has been in business for over 45 years and has worked with tens of thousands of people all over the world. He has never before been involved in any complaints or claims like this in his entire career.' The allegations against Green come from several former employees who signed 'non-disclosure agreements'. These are frequently used by companies to defuse disputes with staff and are a way of keeping potentially embarrassing revelations under wraps. Sir Philip Green with his daughter, Chloe Green, and his wife, Lady Tina Green in New York In this case, the employees were handed a sum of money in return for promising to keep quiet. The tycoon originally lost his fight for an injunction in the High Court. He then applied to the Court of Appeal which overturned that decision and granted him a temporary injunction. It ordered a trial, which was due to take place on February 4. At the time of the Court of Appeal judgment in October Green had already spent around 500,000 on legal fees. He employed top law firm Schillings to fight the case. A British woman who has spent 14 months languishing in an Egyptian jail for carrying Tramadol tablets in her suitcase has finally been freed. Shop worker Laura Plummer, 34, from Humberside, was jailed for three years in December 2017 and sent to Cairo's notorious al-Qanater prison after she was found carrying 290 Tramadol tablets when she entered the country. She has always maintained the medicine was for her Egyptian partner, Omar Caboo, who has severe back pain, and insists she was unaware it was illegal to carry the drugs into Egypt. After serving 14 months in terrible conditions inside the Cairo jail, authorities in the country have now pardoned her and released her ahead a planned return to the UK. Laura Plummer (pictured before her ordeal) was jailed for three years in December 2017 after she was found carrying 290 Tramadol tablets. She was finally released yesterday Ms Plummer was last seen sitting in the front row of a church during Easter mass inside Cairo's Al Qanater prison in April last year Following a sudden presidential pardon over the weekend, Miss Plummer was released from prison yesterday and moved to a police station before her flight home today. Celebrating her release, she told the The Sun: 'I'm so happy to be going home. I mean, who goes on holiday for two weeks and then stays 14 months. 'I just wish I wasn't being deported. But I promise you I'll never set foot in an airport again.' She was arrested at the airport on October 9, 2017, when she flew into the Red Sea resort of Hurghada from Manchester Airport. Miss Plummer was initially charged with smuggling drugs, which carries the death penalty. But the charge was dropped and she was jailed on Boxing Day in 2017 for possessing the painkillers. Miss Plummer's mother Roberta Synclair said: 'We just want this to end. We're excited to get Laura home. It'll just be nice to bring her home.' Her sister Jayne Synclair added: 'We've been told she's got to be deported but she won't be banned from returning to Egypt.' Ms Plummer's family said she was taking the tablets for her Egyptian partner Omar Caboo (right), who suffers from severe back pain Her mother Roberta and sisters Rachel and Jayne (pictured during a TV appearance last year) have been anxiously waiting news Last January she was moved to a crowded Cairo prison, where conditions were said to be 'horrendous'. Her family have previously insisted that she was 'naive' and 'daft' rather than a drugs trafficker. While tramadol is legal in the UK on prescription, it cannot be taken into Egypt without permission. After a visit after her first months in custody, Miss Plummer's mother, Roberta Synclair, claimed that her daughter was expected to live on bread and water and had been clutching a 'bunny rabbit teddy bear' to help her through her ordeal. 'It's been terrible for her,' said Miss Synclair, speaking a year ago. 'She hasn't seen daylight for three months, causing her to break out into a rash.' Ms Plummer was sentenced to three years inside the notorious Al Qanater prison in Cairo Photos from inside the prison show the grizzly conditions Ms Plummer has had to endure The Foreign Office and Ms Plummer's tour operator have provided evidence in court showing she was unaware the drugs were illegal in Egypt. Among the arguments submitted were that Egypt's website listing banned items had not been updated. Ms Plummer and her boyfriend Omar But the appeal court ruled ignorance of the law was not a defence and said the original court's decision was correct. A Foreign Office spokesman said last night: 'Our staff continue to do all they can to support Laura and her family and our embassy remains in regular contact with the Egyptian authorities.' Tramadol is described as 'a narcotic-like pain reliever' and shares similar side effects to more harmful drugs including Class A heroin. When used over a long period of time it can be highly addictive causing mental and physical dependence. He said they could be introduced as last-resort measures if internet giants do not introduce additional voluntary measures Health Secretary wants social media giants to crack down on 'suicide porn' Social media companies could be banned unless they remove dangerous posts that promote self-harm and suicide, the Health Secretary said yesterday. In a strong intervention, Matt Hancock warned them that a range of regulations and even higher taxes will be imposed unless they crack down on the blight of 'suicide porn'. His threats came after 30 families accused the social media companies of contributing to their children's deaths by failing to remove distressing posts that are easily accessible online. Matt Hancock told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show that further taxes and bans could be introduced as last-resort measures if the internet giants do not introduce additional voluntary measures The growing problem was highlighted last week when father Ian Russell accused Instagram, the social network owned by Facebook, of playing a part in the suicide of his daughter Molly, 14. Mr Hancock, a father of three young children, said: 'I was horrified to learn of Molly's tragic story. Lots of parents feel powerless in the face of social media. But we are not powerless both Government and social media firms have a duty to act to protect children online.' He wrote to companies including Twitter, Google, Facebook and Apple this weekend saying: 'I know you will agree that more action is urgently needed.' Molly Russell, 14, took her own life in November 2017. Molly had shown no signs of depression, and it was only after her death that her family discovered she had been viewing dangerous content online How Instagram tormented me as I battled against anorexia Katie Holloway, 25, said her account was flooded with posts promoting anorexia after she made some simple searches about fitness and healthy living while at university A woman who believes her eating disorder was fuelled by social media has called on Instagram to crack down on images of self-harm. Katie Holloway, 25, said her account was flooded with posts promoting anorexia after she made some simple searches about fitness and healthy living while at university. She said she had wanted 'to lose weight, to be a bit healthier' but was quickly sucked into a dark underworld in which users would revel in highlighting dangerous weight loss. 'I turned to things on the internet that would spur me on to lose even more weight,' she said, adding: 'One example would be a picture of a girl's torso and she was very skinny, you could see her bones. 'But then the caption would be 'I'm so fat' so then you would think 'oh my God I'm still overweight'.' Over 12 months Miss Holloway, who now works at a law firm in London, lost three-and-a-half stone but she stresses that she did not see herself as the most severe case. Despite pro-anorexia material being banned under Instagram rules, Miss Holloway said it was easy to find images. 'You come to find ways to find stuff,' she said. 'It wasn't difficult when I was poorly to get access I know that I have searched things even when I've been well into recovery and been able to find stuff.' She said there is no doubt that social media amplified her illness, adding: 'Honestly it [the anorexia] would not have been as bad in the sense that I would not have felt as self-critical. Anything like that should be banned.' An Instagram spokesman said: 'We do not allow content that promotes or glorifies eating disorders and use technology to remove it.' Advertisement He added: 'It is appalling how easy it still is to access this content online and I am in no doubt about the harm this material can cause, especially for young people. It is time for internet and social media providers to step up and purge this content once and for all.' He told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show that further taxes and bans could be introduced as last-resort measures if the internet giants do not introduce additional voluntary measures. Charities urged the Government to 'turn words into action', after dozens of previous threats against web giants failed to become concrete measures. Ged Flynn, chief executive of suicide prevention charity Papyrus, said: 'If it takes regulation, then do it. It doesn't matter if it doesn't win votes, this is about saving lives. We need to make this a priority by getting them [social media companies] into a room and saying, 'Convince us not to regulate'.' Papyrus said 30 families have come forward after reading of Molly's death, concerned that social media had been involved in their children's suicides. Six social media firms will be asked by a coroner to hand over information about what images Molly was looking at as part of the inquest into her death in November 2017. Father accuses internet scrapbook Pinterest of playing part in his 14-year-old daughter's suicide Molly Russell's father yesterday accused social media company Pinterest of playing a part in the 14-year-old's suicide. Ian Russell said the internet scrapbook website used emails to promote troubling images to his daughter. One which was sent after her death included a picture of a thigh that had apparently been cut, alongside quotations such as: 'I can't tell you how many times I wish I was dead.' Her father Ian Russell, pictured, believes his daughter, who went to bed in a good mood, decided to kill herself after looking at troubling images that night Another post within the same email read: 'What's wrong with me? All I think about is hurting myself and how terrible my self-image is.' Pinterest allows users to post images online and sends them automated emails with suggestions for posts they may find interesting based on what they previously viewed. Mr Russell, 55, told the Sunday Times: 'They are actually emailing pictures of self-harm, so Pinterest have a lot to answer for.' Pinterest told the newspaper: 'We're committed to doing everything possible to prevent the spread of potentially harmful content.' Advertisement Molly had shown no signs of depression, and it was only after her death that her family discovered she had been viewing dangerous content online. TV director Mr Russell, 55, of Harrow, north-west London, believes his daughter, who went to bed in a good mood, decided to kill herself after looking at troubling images that night. She used her phone to access the picture-sharing app Instagram in her room. 'Something after she went to bed was the final straw,' he told the Sunday Times. 'The only thing she had access to were [her iPhone and iPod Touch]. What had triggered her?' Instagram said it was conducting a 'full review' into how it polices images depicting self-harm, suicide and eating disorders. A spokesman said: 'We do not allow content that promotes or encourages eating disorders, self-harm or suicide and use technology to find and remove it.' For confidential support, log on to samaritans.org or call the Samaritans on 116123. Birmingham ground to a halt yesterday as thousands of screaming fans flocked to catch a glimpse of an American YouTube star. Vlogger James Charles made a 30-second appearance inside Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre causing chaos as screaming fans blocked the floors. Motorists were forced to ditch their cars and the city was gridlocked for hours as frenzied teenagers rushed to see the Instagram personality. Worried bosses were even forced to call in extra police and turn off the escalators over fears fans would be crushed as the centre reached full capacity. Thousands of teenagers flocked to the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham to catch a glimpse of American blogger James Charles And shoppers were forced to abandon their trips while the city's bus system was brought to a standstill up as thousands queued to meet the makeup guru. The 19-year-old was in the city to cut the ribbon for the grand opening of Morphe Cosmetics, previously only available in London. Mr Charles rose to fame online doing makeup tutorials in 2015 and has since gathered a following of 12 million YouTube subscribers and 13 million Instagram followers. This is his first time in the UK, and he only plans to make the one public appearance to open Morphe at the Bullring. Mr Charles said: 'I'm so beyond excited to be travelling to the UK for my first time ever. 'It's going to be such an amazing time and let's make this meet and greet the biggest we've ever done.' The Instagram personality made a 30-second appearance inside Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre - which sent a packed crowd into screaming overdrive The 19-year-old was in the city to cut the ribbon for the grand opening of Morphe Cosmetics, previously only available in London Doors to the shopping centre opened at 7am, and by mid-morning the first floor was blocked by the crowd Mr Charles rose to fame online doing makeup tutorials in 2015 and has since gathered a following of 12 million YouTube subscribers and 13 million Instagram followers The make-up artist also met 250 fans who were randomly selected through a ballot. Who is James Charles? James Charles is a 19-year-old male beauty blogger from New York, USA. He started doing make-up tutorials in 2015 but rose to prominence in October 2016 when he became the first ever male face of beauty brand Cover Girl. His social media following grew further after doing a Halloween make-up video with Kylie Jenner. He has 25million views on YouTube and millions of followers on Twitter and Instagram, where he describes himself as 'a 19 year old kid with a few blending brushes'. Advertisement 'But there are so many kids here you can barely see a thing, he's very clever only doing one event and attracting this kind of crowd. 'I think this is what they call hysteria.' James Pattison, 18, went to the Bullring with girlfriend Amy in the hope of getting a glimpse of Charles. James said: 'Loads of the girls from our school are obsessed with him, she watches all his YouTube videos. 'We didn't think it would be this busy but it's absolutely crazy. 'We were here early and there was only like four security guards I don't how they thought they could cope.' Mr Charles announced his arrival in the UK with a social media post in front of a red London telephone box. Bullring and West Midlands Police have not not responded to requests for a comment regarding the number of police officers who were present at the event. Some Australian schoolchildren are so obese they will need to wear 9XL size uniforms and undergo physiotherapy classes when they return to the classroom, it has been claimed. With summer holidays coming to an end and uniform shops in high demand, one Queensland tailor says he's astonished at the size of the uniforms he needs to make. Some, he says, are so large they're usually not stocked at big men's stores. On top of the massive uniforms, the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) says children are undergoing physiotherapy to help them cope with the physical strain of a six-hour school day. Tailors are making school uniforms as large as 9XL,a size so large it isn't commonly stocked in big men's clothes stores, to accommodate for obese schoolchildren (stock image used) Uniform supplier Williamson International's Greg McLeod told The Courier-Mail he had taken orders this year for school shorts with a 150cm waist. 'We are very conscious of how a child carrying a lot of weight must feel when we are making a special-sized uniform. We want them to feel comfortable and wear exactly the same as all the other children,' he said. Additionally, physiotherapy classes are being booked out by parents hoping to help their overweight children's mobility. Paediatric chair of the APA Nicole Haynes said it was becoming more and more common to see large children walk through their doors. She said exercise classes were essential to helping schoolchildren meet the physical requirements of their day-to-day lives. The uniforms and classes come after data revealed one in every four schoolchildren are overweight or obese (stock image) One in every four children are overweight or obese, according to the most recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Research also shows that school aged students who struggle with weight are the most common targets of bullies and subsequent mental distress. The Australian Medical Association Queensland president Dr Dilip Dhupelia said they were concerned for the mental health of students. 'The social stigma and bullying that often comes with being heavily overweight as a child is linked to low self-esteem and depression,' she said. As the U.S. government moved to reopen after a 35-day partial shutdown, some lawmakers on Sunday criticized using the closure of federal agencies as a tool in policy disputes, which President Donald Trump has threatened to do again. Senior legislators from both parties said the latest shutdown, the 19th since the mid-1970s, was as ineffective as previous ones but much more disruptive as it was the longest in U.S. history. 'Shutdowns are not good leverage in any negotiation,' Republican Senator Marco Rubio said on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' urging congressional conferees to tackle border security in the three-week talks launched by last week's shutdown-ending deal. Trump retreated on Friday from his demand for funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall that had caused the closure of about a quarter of the government Hakeem Jeffries, chairman of the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives, said on the same television show that shutdowns were 'not legitimate negotiating tactics' in public policy disagreements between two branches of government. About 800,000 federal workers were furloughed or worked without pay during the shutdown, missing at least two paychecks that officials are now working to make up for. 'We hope that by the end of this week, all the back pay will be made up,' acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said on CBS's 'Face the Nation.' Payroll providers vary by agency, he said, so some employees may get paid earlier than others. Payments to contractors, he said, will depend on their contracts. 'Shutdowns are not good leverage in any negotiation,' Republican Senator Marco Rubio said on NBC 's 'Meet the Press,' urging congressional conferees to tackle border security in the three-week talks launched by last week's shutdown-ending deal Democratic Senator Mark Warner and Republican Senator Rob Portman have introduced separate bills to prevent future shutdowns. Prospects for the legislation were unclear, but House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke favorably of them on 'Meet the Press.' Trump retreated on Friday from his demand for funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall that had caused the closure of about a quarter of the government. He also threatened to resume the shutdown on Februay 15 if he does not get what he wants. The president demanded that $5.7 billion in wall funding be part of any measure to end the shutdown, which started when several agencies ran out of money on December 22 for reasons unrelated to immigration or border security. Mulvaney said on Sunday he believed Trump is willing to shut down the government again if he does not reach a deal with Congress on border security. 'Yeah, actually I think he is,' Mulvaney said on 'Face the Nation.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi together with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Members of both parties said it was past time to enact legislation that would mean the government would remain open despite a political stalemate and not shut down the government 'He is willing to do whatever it takes to secure the border. He does take this very seriously,' Mulvaney said. Democrats opposed his demand, triggering a five-week standoff that damaged the economy, hurt many federal workers and tested Americans' patience with delays to air travel, closures of national parks and other disruptions. After polls showed Americans increasingly blamed Trump for the situation, the president on Friday signed a measure to fund the government for three weeks as congressional negotiators try to work out a bill to fully fund agencies through Sept. 30. As a candidate, Trump pledged to build the wall, with Mexico paying for it. Mexico refused and now Trump wants U.S. taxpayers to pay for the barrier, which he sees as key to curbing illegal immigration and illegal drug flows into the country. Democrats say a wall would be too costly and ineffective. In addition to threatening another shutdown, Trump said he might declare a national emergency at the border and try to circumvent Congress's purse-string power by tapping Defense Department funds to pay for wall construction. Such a step would likely draw a prompt, time-consuming court challenge from congressional Democrats on constitutional ground. Rubio said on NBC the emergency option was 'a terrible idea.' A legal battle would put the administration 'at the mercy of a district court somewhere and ultimately an appellate court.' The senator said it would set a bad precedent. 'It doesn't provide certainty. You could very well wind up in sort of a theatric victory at the front end, and then not getting it done ... The best way to do it is to have a law passed.' The White House held a conference call with Cabinet department financial officers late Friday to discuss the resumption of government operations. Russell Vought, acting chief of the Office of Management and Budget, told agencies in a memo to reopen 'in a prompt and orderly manner.' Federal workers are owed about $6 billion in back pay, according to a study released last week. Meanwhile, it remained unclear when Trump would deliver his State of the Union address, which was postponed during the shutdown. One administration official, who asked not to be named, said on Saturday the speech would likely not occur until February. Meghan McCain of The View says she finds it difficult to identify herself as a Republican in the age of Donald Trump. The daughter of the late Senator John McCain said on Sunday that while she still holds conservative views, she finds herself in a no-mans land for Republicans who value character. I'm still a member of the Republican party and I vote a Republican ticket, McCain told Van Jones of CNN. But Republicanism is so tied up with being for Trump. The 34-year-old former Fox News personality is a conservative voice on The View, the ABC daytime talk show in which she, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, and Abby Huntsman discuss the news of the day. Meghan McCain of The View says she finds it difficult to identify herself as a Republican in the age of Donald Trump. She made the comment during an appearance on the Van Jones Show, which aired on CNN on Sunday Huntsman and McCain are often at odds politically with everyone else on the panel. Despite feelings of alienation from the GOP, McCain says not to mistake her for a liberal. I'm not a liberal and I think it would be intellectually dishonest for me to go on TV and start espousing beliefs I don't believe in, she said. Nonetheless, McCain says her moderate brand of Republicanism is having trouble finding a home in the current political climate. We're so outnumbered, she said. I think something like 80 percent of Republicans support President Trump. Maybe they're doing it because they don't have another option but I think the populist Trump brand really has taken over, which is why there's this sort of no-mans-land that I'm in because I didn't become a Never Trump-er, either. Never Trumper is a term used to describe the wing of the Republican Party that is opposed to Trump and vows never to support him. McCain said that the GOP under Trump is not what I recognize anymore. Its character seems to be gone, she said. Her father, Senator John McCain, died last August from brain cancer. He was 81 years old. The McCain family refused to extend an invite to the state funeral to Trump. Meghan McCain is seen above near her father's casket at Washington National Cathedral on September 1 Growing up, my father was, like, militant about character. Now it seems like lying is OK. Stealing, it's a little nebulous. I don't think those are American characteristics. And it scares me a lot. McCain says that the recent argument over Trumps proposed border wall has her feeling like she doesnt fully belong in either camp. Sometimes I feel like when I hear, Anyone who supports the wall is racist, it's a trigger for me because I know people who are not racist who support the wall, she says. McCain wants her liberal friends to understand the viewpoint of Americans living near the border who are impacted by illegal immigration. She also takes offense at the notion that Republicans are inherently racist because of the policy positions they support. McCain said her father was the victim of a racist smear campaign during his unsuccessful run for the Republican nomination in 2000 against the eventual nominee, George W. Bush. Of all the things I've ever been accused of, (being called a racist) is the most deeply hurtful,' she said. The daughter of the late Senator John McCain said on Sunday that while she still holds conservative views, she finds herself in a no-mans land for Republicans who value character.' She is seen above with her father before his death last year There was a very famous political moment in 2000 when my father was running (for the Republican presidential nomination) when (Bush campaign manager) Karl Rove had a whisper campaign done saying my father had an illegitimate black child, who is my sister Bridget, she recalled. So at a very young age, I had to reconcile (Republicanism and race). Her father, Senator John McCain, died last August from brain cancer. He was 81 years old. The McCain family refused to extend an invite to the state funeral to Trump, who mocked the late Senator for being captured during the Vietnam War. Trump has also repeatedly criticized McCain for sinking the GOP-led effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. At the state funeral in Washington, Meghan McCain used her eulogy to forcefully denounce Trump, though never by name. More rain is on the way for Far North Queensland, already drenched from its worst flood in more than a century. Villages along the Daintree River north of Cairns were cut off by road, power and telecommunications after the area copped more than a month's worth of rain within 24 hours over the weekend. The Daintree River peaked at almost 12.6 metres on Saturday night to break a 118 year record after a 500mm soaking. Australia's far north will have to wait until next weekend for the deluge to end a 90 per cent chance of rain forecast for Cairns every day until Saturday. 'Just need a little renovation and be back as new,' Solar Whisper Daintree River Crocodile & Wildlife posted on Facebook after its offices (left) was flooded Towns further south are now preparing for the deluge as the monsoon trough heads their way. The Daintree River village of Whyanbeel Valley measured a record 472mm on Saturday while 317mm was recorded at Cairns Airport, not far off the city's average January rainfall of 393. 'The monsoon trough will linger in the area for another few days with more rain expected to continue,' Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Annabelle Ford told Daily Mail Australia. The Daintree Ferry crossing is expected to be closed for several more days after extensive damage to equipment and surrounding infrastructure. 'We ask everyone to be patient as Douglas Shire recovers from widespread monsoonal rain and the biggest Daintree River flood in 118 years,' Douglas Shire mayor Julia Leu said in a statement. 'Council understands this is a difficult situation for everyone in the area and is doing its best to return the service to normal.' While flood waters will reside, Cairns residents should expect more rain in the coming days Phones and mobile phones were out of action on Monday morning after a failure at the telecommunication exchange in Daintree on Sunday night. Phone services have since been restored. The Daintree River is currently at 4.80m and is expected to fall below minor flood levels by Monday night. Solar Whisper Daintree River Crocodile & Wildlife took to social media to post a photo of its premises inundated with water. Many roads in the Daintree River region remain cut off after 500mm of rain in one day Barron Falls was a spectacular sight following the deluge of rain in far north Queensland 'Just need a little renovation and be back as new,' the business posted on Facebook on Sunday. 'The water has gone down but still inaccessible by car or foot. The boat ramp is unusable at the moment as the finger wharf has broken and blocking the ramp. Toilet block had debris on roof as did the office.' Many roads also remained closed due to landslips, including the road leading to the Crystal Cascades waterfall. 'Our crews have been working hard on site to clear a lane so that vehicles can exit safely. The area remains unstable so please do not drive up there,' Cairns Regional Council posted. The Daintree ferry crossing (pictured) is expected to remain closed for another few days The Cairns region has been removed from severe weather warning alerts but minor flood warnings remain in place for the Mulgrave, Russell and Barron rivers. The monsoon trough that swamped the Daintree area is heading south, with communities along a 500 kilomertre stretch between Ingham to just north of Mackay now preparing for possible flooding. Catchments from Innisfail to Proserpine are now on flood watch. 'The heavy rain has moved south with a severe weather warning now in place from Cardwell to the Whitsundays,' Ms Ford told Daily Mail Australia. 'The area could see up to 150mm of rain within six hours.' Livestock have been left stranded by the flooding along the Daintree River on Saturday A monsoon trough caused the worst flooding in far north Queensland in 118 years Queensland Police have reminded drivers to not drive through flooded roadways or crossings. Multiple drivers have been charged in recent days with driving without due care and attention for travelling through flooded roads. 'Despite the huge rainfall and repeated warnings to stay off flooded roads, we are seeing drivers take too many risks and that is not acceptable,' Superintendent Geoff Sheldon said. 'Not only are you risking the lives of everyone in your vehicle but you are also putting responding emergency services in danger when they are called to rescue you. We are pleading with motorists to stay off the roads if you don't need to travel but to drive sensibly if you do. If it is flooded, forget it!' The nephew of an Australian professor has been arrested after his aunt and mother were found dead in Argentina. Prosecutor Claudia Ross said Gilad Pereg, 36, had been arrested on homicide charges, ABC reported. The bodies of microbiology professor Lily Pereg and sister and Israeli citizen Pyrhia Sarusi were found on a lot next to the home of Mr Pereg near the city of Mendoza on Saturday (local time). Both women had traveled to the country to visit Ms Sarusi's son Mr Pereg, before they were last heard from on January 11. Prosecutor Claudia Ross said Gilad Pereg, 36 (centre), had been arrested on homicide charges The bodies of microbiology professor Lily Pereg and sister and Israeli citizen Pyrhia Sarusi were found on a lot next to the home of Mr Pereg near the city of Mendoza on Saturday (local time) Lily Pereg (left) and Pyrhia Sarusi (right) had traveled to the country to visit Ms Sarusi's son Mr Pereg, before they were last heard from on January 11 The two sisters had been renting an apartment in Mendoza, Ms Sarusi's daughter Vered said in a Facebook post. Prosecutor Ms Ross said an autopsy would reveal the cause of the two women's death A GoFundMe page was initially created on January 17 to help find the missing sisters. '(We are) humbled by the outpouring of support and love, worldwide. Your love carried us and will help us recover from a huge tragedy. There will never be an explanation,' the page read. Already the crowdfunding campaign has raised more than $7,500, of which the unused funds will be donated to charity. Dr Pereg was brought up in Israel where she obtained her undergraduate degree, later moving to Australia in the mid 90s. She completed a PhD in the Department of Agricultural Science at Sydney University and later moved to the University of New England where she was recently made a professor. She also chaired the soil, microbiology and biodiversity subdivision of the European Geosciences Union. Shocked friends and colleagues have taken to a Facebook page for Dr Pereg to pay tribute to their lost loved one. 'She had been a wonderful presence and highly regarded in her field of research,' one person said. 'I am devastated like all of their family and friends. Nothing will bring them back now,' another person said. A family message thanked Argentinian, Australian and Israeli police for their coordinated response. 'We will bring the sisters home for the last time, and will let you know when and where,' the post read. Lily Pereg (left) and Pyrhia Sarusi (right) had been renting an apartment in Mendoza, Ms Sarusi's daughter Vered said in a Facebook post Advertisement Villagers in a remote indigenous community of western Guatemala have laid to rest the eight-year-old migrant boy who died in US custody on Christmas Eve. A candlelight vigil was held Sunday for Felipe Gomez Alonzo as Yalambojoch villagers draped his small white coffin with flowers and then carried him to his final resting place. His sister Catarina, who shares the same name with their mother, scratched Felipe's name with a stick into a simple concrete headstone, while Guatemalan women dressed in traditional embroidered shirts called huipils, oversaw the last rites since many of the men in the village left for the US long ago. Felipe was the second Guatemalan migrant child to die while in US custody in December, sparking concerns of inadequate conditions at detention facilities. Family members pay their final respects to Felipe Gomez Alonzo, an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died in US custody on Christmas Eve His sister Catarina, who shares the same name with their mother, scratched Felipe's name with a stick into a simple concrete headstone (pictured) Villagers are seen lowering the coffin of Felipe into his tomb at the cemetery in Yalambojoch, Guatemala, Sunday Felipe died on Christmas Eve while in US Custody after suffering a cough, vomiting and fever, authorities said. The cause is believed to be the flu The small village, set on a plain and surrounded by misty, pine-covered mountains, is a place of crushing poverty and lack of opportunity. It's home to a single small school, dirt roads that become impassible during the rainy season and rudimentary homes without insulation, proper flooring, water or electricity. The community is populated by families who fled to Mexico during the bloodiest years of Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war but returned after the signing of peace accords. There are no jobs, and people live off meager subsistence farming and local commerce. Residents say the Guatemalan government has turned a blind eye to their plight, a complaint that can be heard in other impoverished villages in the country. It was extreme poverty and lack of opportunity that drove Felipe's father, Agustin Gomez, to set off for the U.S. with the boy, the family has said. Others from the community had been able to cross the U.S. border with children, so he figured they would have the same luck. Felipe was chosen because he was the oldest son. On Christmas Eve, the eight-year-old boy became the second Guatemalan child to die while in custody near the Mexican border Maria, Felipe's aunt, is pictured mourning the death of her nephew at his coffin Catarina Alonzo Perez, left, is the mother of Felipe. The 32-year-old attended the funeral of her son Felipe Sunday Relatives, neighbors and friends take part in the funeral of the eight-year-old boy The name of Felipe is handwritten on his tombstone with his date and place of death Felipe and Agustin were apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol 3.29 miles from the port of entry in El Paso, Texas, on December 18. After nearly a week in custody, the boy developed a cough, fever and began to vomit. On the morning of the 24th, Felipe was transported to a local hospital after showing possible signs of influenza. He was given Tylenol and developed a 103 degree fever. The boy was released at 2.50pm and removed from the detention facility at 10pm to be taken back to the hospital after he appeared weak and nauseous. He got to the medical center at 11pm and was declared dead 48 minutes later. New Mexico authorities said an autopsy showed Felipe had the flu. His mother, 32, said the last time she spoke with Felipe, he was in Mexico at the U.S. border and said he was healthy and eating chicken. Elderly women and children hold flowers before the memorial service for Felipe Women travel in a pick-up truck during the funeral procession to the cemetery in Yalambojoch, Guatemala, Sunday The name of Felipe Gomez Alonzo is hand written in the cement on his tombstone, after his burial at a cemetery in Yalambojoch, Sunday A man holds a book that reads, 'Wake 2019' during the wake of Felipe Catarina Alonzo, mother of Felipe looks into the coffin with the remains of her son during his funeral at home village A Guatemalan Foreign Ministry official inspects the coffin containing the remains of Felipe after arriving to La Aurora International airport in Guatemala City, Friday, January 25, 2019 Felipe came from a rural community with extreme poverty. He was taken to the border by his father and detained by the U.S. Border Patrol before he fell ill on December 2018 and died (pictured is his open casket) Jakelin Caal was the first Guatemalan child to die in US cutody. She was pronounced dead on December 8 in a hospital in El Paso, Texas, in the early hours of the morning. Jakelin was detained along with her father Nery at 9.15pm on December 6th as they crossed into the US in New Mexico illegally. The child died of dehydration two days after being arrested at the border. She stopped breathing on a US government bus and was not taken to hospital for more than an hour later. The Border Patrol agency previously said she 'had not eaten or drank any water' for days but they did not indicate how they knew that. Jakelin was laid to rest in an open casket ceremony in her native Guatemala on Christmas Eve, the same day it was announced that eight-year-old Felipe died. Catarina Gomez Alonzo writes into the cement of her son's tombstone after his burial at the cemetery in Yalambojoch Friends of Felipe eat during his funeral Sunday Maria Domingo Lopez, center, accompanied by neighbors, prays as she accompanies the remains of Felipe after arriving to their village on Saturday Neighbors hold flowers near a Catholic church as they wait for the remains of Felipe on Saturday Anti-Semitic murders around the world reached their highest level in decades last year, following a mass shooting at a US synagogue, an Israeli government report said. A total of 13 Jews were killed in three separate attacks during the year, according to the 2018 Global Anti-Semitism Report, relased on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. A gunman killed 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, US, in October. Holocaust survivor Mordechai Wiesel (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) arrive for the weekly cabinet meeting during the International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Jerusalem yesterday The incident was America's deadliest ever anti-Semitic attack. In January, a student was murdered in California. In March, Holocaust survivor Mirielle Knoll, 85, was killed in a brutal attack at her Paris home. 'This marks the highest number of Jews murdered in anti-Semitic attacks since the attacks on the Argentinian Jewish community in the 1990s,' the report said. The report said that the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Britain reached a record high for the second consecutive year. Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center pictured during the annual ranking of the 10 worst anti-Semitic incidents of 2018 at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, California British charity Community Security Trust counted over 100 anti-Semitic episodes a month in 2018, a quarter of which took place on social media. The report noted a 69 percent rise in anti-Semitic attacks and threats in France after a two-year decline. Contrary to previous years, anti-Semitic violence in 2018 was 'led by neo-Nazis and white supremacists', the report said. It is believed that 70 percent of attacks are 'anti-Israel in nature'. US President Donald Trump speaking after the Pittsburgh Synagogue attack in October 2018 The report noted a spike when the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem in May. Diaspora Minister Naftali Bennett said it was Israel's 'responsibility to help the millions of our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora who are facing more and more anti-Semitic crimes'. Mr Bennett called on governments around the world to 'take a harsh stance against the hatred of Jews'. The 113-page report, however, said that despite the grim numbers there is also 'room for hope'. The first responders surround the synagogue where a shooter opened fire on October 27, 2018 A woman and her children are pictured outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighbourhood of Pittsburgh 'More and more governments are declaring their committment to fighting anti-Semitism, and appointing emissaries to that end,' the report said. The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem on Sunday also released its annual report on the 'Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals'. It said that between April 2017 and March 2018 one person was convicted for Nazi-era crimes, while three others were charged. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has fired Canada's ambassador to China over comments about the extradition of a Huawei heiress. John McCallum was asked to resign after he said it would be 'great for Canada' if the U.S. dropped its extradition request for Meng Wanzhou - whose father is the founder of the Chinese tech giant. McCallum suggested Meng's arrest in Vancouver last year could be construed as politically motivated when he made the remark to the Toronto Star on Friday. John McCallum was asked to resign after saying it would be 'great for Canada' if the US dropped its extradition request for the daughter of Huawei's founder The Canadian ambassador to China implied there was political motivation behind the arrest of Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver last yea Trudeau said Saturday that he had asked for John McCallum to stand down Friday night, but didn't give any reason. 'Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's Ambassador to China,' Trudeau said in a statement. China's foreign ministry said the sacking of McCallum was an 'internal Canadian affair' and refused to comment. But Chinese state-run media decried the resignation, saying it 'reveals political interference'. Nationalist tabloid Global Times said in an editorial that Ottawa is now as 'sensitive as a frightened bird'. It said: 'The truth is that they knew the geopolitics in the case from the very beginning, but were afraid to point them out. 'As a Chinese folk saying goes, "You cannot live the life of a whore and expect a monument to your chastity",' it wrote, accusing Ottawa of double standards. Trudeau thanked McCallum, a former minister in Trudeau's Cabinet, for his 20 years of public service. The arrest of Meng at Vancouver's airport on December 1 severely damaged relations between China and Canada. The U.S. wants her extradited to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about Huawei's business dealings in Iran. US authorities plan to formally file for her extradition by a January 30 deadline. The US want to extradite Meng (pictured) to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about Huawei's business dealings in Iran China detained two Canadians shortly after Meng's arrest in an apparent attempt to pressure Canada to release her. A Chinese court also sentenced a Canadian to death in a sudden retrial of a drug case, overturning a 15-year prison term handed down earlier. McCallum told Chinese media in the Toronto area earlier in the week that the extradition of Meng to the United States 'would not be a happy outcome.' He suggested the case was politically motivated and said the U.S. could make a trade deal with China in which it would no longer seek her extradition, and two Canadian detained in China could then be released. The arrest of the tech heiress - whose father is the founder of Huawei - severely damaged relations between China and Canada But on Thursday McCallum walked back the remarks and said he 'misspoke.' Trudeau had earlier dismissed calls to fire McCallum, but he clearly had enough after the envoy spoke off script again. Trudeau and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland have stressed that Canada's government can't interfere politically in the case. Trudeau said Jim Nickel, the deputy head of mission at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, would represent his government in China. The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, said McCallum should have been fired days ago because his remarks raised concerns about the politicization of the Meng case. Scheer said McCallum caused damage to Canada's reputation by delivering different messages through different media on different days. McCallum's remarks surprised many and fueled speculation that Canada might be trying to send a signal to China to reduce tensions. A year ago, McCallum also made controversial comments about how Canada had more in common with China than the United States under Trump. Trudeau said Saturday that he had asked for John McCallum to stand down Friday night, but didn't give any reason McCallum has strong personal ties to China, and he pointed out to Chinese-language media this week that his wife is of Chinese ethnicity and his three sons have Chinese spouses. Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said he felt bad for McCallum but said it was the right thing to do. 'What is worse is this is happening in the middle of the crisis when we need all-hands on deck,' Saint-Jacques said. He said the Chinese will now know that McCallum was not speaking for the Canadian government. Roland Paris, a former foreign policy adviser to Trudeau, said 'Mr. McCallum's remarks were continuing to cause confusion about Canada's position. On a matter of this importance, the Canadian government has to speak with a single, clear voice.' Trudeau and Freeland have stressed that Canada has an extradition treaty with the U.S. that it must respect. The White House National Security Council declined comment on McCallum. Meng is out on bail in Vancouver awaiting her extradition proceedings. The U.S. has until Wednesday to submit paperwork for the extradition request. Huawei has close ties to China's military and is considered one of the country's most successful international enterprises. The lawyer of billionaire Mohamed Hadid has accused neighbors of setting up a 'ruse' to get the developer thrown in jail by trying to delay the court-ordered demolition of his Bel Air mansion. Hadid, 70, is scheduled to begin demolition on the illegal third floor of his massive property on February 1, as a condition of his probation after he failed to comply with building regulations. But just days before the start date, neighbors filed for a temporary restraining order at LA Superior Court citing safety concerns and requested 'continuous supervision' on site. Bibi Horacek, who is suing along with her husband Joe and other neighbors, told DailyMail.com the move is to ensure the work won't pose a threat to their homes. 'Hadid is a con artist. What he has done to our community is horrible. We don't trust him. We just want our neighborhood to be safe - we want the demolition done safely,' she told DailyMail.com. Monster house: Billionaire developer Mohamed Hadid has been ordered to demolish the illegal third floor of his unfinished Bel-Air mega-mansion on February 1 Hadid, the father of models Gigi (left) and Bella (right) agreed to demolish the illegal construction as part of his probation Neighbor Joe Horacek, whose home is located below the giant home, launched a civil suit along with his wife and other neighbors. The neighbors filed for a temporary restraining order on Wednesday citing safety concerns and requested 'continuous supervision' on site However, Hadid's attorney Jeff Costell argued the neighbors' civil suit could interfere with the orders from his client's criminal case which could put him in breach of his probation terms. 'They are trying to put us between a rock and a hard place where Mr Hadid ends up in a jail cell,' Costell told the court on Wednesday. The presiding judge admitted to being confused by the complexities of the civil case and its relationship to the criminal case and adjourned for several hours to consult with the criminal case judge. Outside the court, Costell called the demands for safety measures to be in place before demolition starts 'all a ruse.' 'They want to put him in jail, plain and simple,' the attorney told DailyMail.com. 'On the one hand they want the house to be completely torn down, and on the other, they want to delay the demolition so Mr Hadid will break the terms of his probation and go to jail.' Bibi Horacek, refused to say whether she, her husband Joe and other neighbors in the lawsuit want Hadid put behind bars. A hearing was scheduled for January 31 - the day before the demolition is due to start. Judge Craig Karlan said he wants the prosecutors and defense lawyers from the criminal case present, along with the officials from LA's Department of Building and Safety who are supervising the demolition of the house that disgruntled neighbors have dubbed 'a gigantic monstrosity' and 'Starship Enterprise.' 'My head is swimming - I'm trying to wrap my head around this. Something is not adding up...By next week, I want to know what's going on here,' the judge said. 'I don't want there to be conflicting rulings between me and my colleague (the judge in the criminal case). There has to be a game plan.' Slide me Original plans: A rendering shows the mansion was intended to be 14,000 sq ft and two stories high (pictured left) but Hadid expanded the home to nearly double its size without the city's approval Neighbors have been fighting for years for the demolition of the property because of all the alleged unapproved construction. The development of the home has also been an eyesore to nearby residents After demolishing the original house, Hadid began work on his monster project which, as the pictures show, soon came to dominate the site and surrounding area Karlan ordered that between now and next week's hearing, only interior demolition - like dry wall - could be done on the third floor. But 'no structural demolition' of the outside walls and roof. And he ruled that city inspectors should make random stops at the Bel Air mansion twice a day and that waste from the interior demolition should be removed as far away from neighbors' homes as possible. Hadid's monster project has been in legal turmoil for years after neighbors launched a civil suit complaining that the property was not only an eyesore, but a threat to their homes. To support their suit, the neighbors commissioned stunning photographs - taken by drone and featured exclusively in DailyMail.com - which illustrate just how colossal Hadid's house is. 'It's a gigantic monstrosity,' Horacek said of the home on Strada Vecchia Road in Bel Air which he said was supposed to be 14,000 square feet, 36 ft high with two stories and a basement when plans for its construction were approved by the city some seven years ago. 'But now it's at least 30,000 square feet - Hadid himself has bragged that it's 40,000. It's 70-80 feet high and it's five or six stories, we don't know which since we've never been allowed in.' In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com earlier this month, Hadid vowed to 'finish, not demolish' the half-built mega-mansion despite being ordered to tear down the third story of the property. 'We will demolish what we need to and make it safe for the neighbors - but I will finish the house,' he said. Hadid also denied claims in court that he hasn't been making payments on the $18 million bank loan he took out to finance construction of his controversial house and he's now facing foreclosure. 'That is totally false - I am not in foreclosure,' he protested. A man who fled to Turkey after being convicted of killing two people in a high-speed car crash in Sydney has been arrested 28 years later - with police only catching him after he applied for Australian citizenship. Ugur Hallacoglu, 47, was arrested at his family home in Merrylands, western Sydney, about 8pm on Thursday over the outstanding warrant dating back to 1992. Hallacoglu was convicted of two counts of culpable driving causing death over a car crash that took the lives of two teenage girls in 1990, when he was just 18. After prosecutors appealed his original sentence of two-years periodic detention the then teenager fled to his homeland of Turkey, resulting in a warrant being issued for his arrest. But the warrant was issued incorrectly and never enforced - allowing Hallacoglu to return to Australia in 2005 without question. The bungle meant that for the past 14 years Hallacoglu has lived freely with his wife and three kids in Sydney and gone to work each day as manager of a busy Carpet Call store. Ugur Hallacoglu (pictured with his wife) was arrested on Thursday in relation to a warrant dating back almost three decades. The now 47-year-old was convicted of killing two people in a car crash in 1990, but fled to Turkey after he was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment Hallacoglu's shocked wife told Daily Mail Australia her husband had no idea police were set to arrest him when they knocked on his door on Thursday. She claimed that on his return to Australia, he had checked with a lawyer about outstanding warrants and was told he was in the clear. 'We knew that they could charge him and he could go to jail, but he went to a lawyer and was told no-one was looking for him about the car crash,' Mrs Hallacoglu said on Friday through her English speaking daughter. 'We thought everything was fine. He worked at Carpet Call and had a normal life, we had no idea the police would come. 'When police came he just said: "They're going to take me to court". But now we don't know what's going on, we haven't heard from him and don't know where he is.' Court documents seen by Daily Mail Australia show the warrant for his arrest was not entered properly by police. The mistake was only fixed as checks were being done on Hallacoglu after he applied for Australian citizenship two years ago. '(The) warrant wasn't originally entered in the court system until recently, after the accused had applied for citizenship,' the documents state. On May 14, 1990, Hallacoglu - a P-Plate driver - hired a red car with the intention of taking his brother out for a night of celebrations for his 21st birthday. Biding time before his brother arrived home from work, Hallacoglu organised with three friends - a boy, 15, and two girls aqed 14 and 16 - to go for a joyride at 3pm. But close to 40 minutes into their trip the car was detected travelling at an estimated speed of 130km/h through a 60km/h zone. Witnesses reported seeing the car cross onto the wrong side of the road in an effort to overtake two cars, at which point Hallacoglu lost control. After fishtailing down the suburban street the car slammed into a power pole, killing one of the girls instantly, while the other died in hospital two days later. On June 8 1990, more than three weeks after the fatal crash, Hallacoglu was charged with two counts of manslaughter. Mr Hallacoglu's wife (left) told Daily Mail Australia her family was shocked when police came to their house and claims her husband (right) was previously told he was in the clear over the crash A bungle with the arrest warrant meant Mr Hallacoglu had lived freely in Australia since 2005 until police knocked on the door of his family home (pictured) at Merrylands on Thursday night Hallacoglu (left, pictured with his son) was seen driving at an estimated 130km/h in a 60km/h zone in May 1990, before losing control of the car and crashing - killing two teenage girls who were in the backseat The charges were later downgraded to culpable driving causing death, and the case was heard before the NSW District Court in 1991 - where Hallacoglu pleaded guilty. MR HALLACOGLU'S GREAT ESCAPE: May 14, 1990: Ugur Hallacoglu hires a red car for a night of celebrations with his older brother, who is turning 21 - He picks up friend Adam Humphries and two teenage girls, aged 14 and 15 - About 3.40pm he speeds through a roundabout, loses control of the car and crashes into a power pole - killing the two girls in the back seat June 8, 1990: Hallacoglu is charged with manslaughter over car crash 1991: The 19-year-old's charges are downgraded to culpable driving causing death December 20, 1991: Mr Hallacoglu is sentenced to two years periodic detention September 1, 1992: After an appeal by prosecutors, Hallacoglu has conviction increased to 10 months jail September 1, 1992: Having fled the country, a warrant is issued for Hallacoglu's arrest 2005: Mr Hallcoglou returns to Sydney from Turkey without question January 24, 2019: After living freely for 28 years, Mr Hallacoglu is arrested at his Western Sydney home in front of his shocked wife and children Advertisement On December 20, 1991, Hallacoglu was sentenced to two years periodic detention. In sentencing, the magistrate took into account the fact Hallacoglu did not have a criminal record, had not been drinking alcohol prior to the crash and that the car's brakes were slightly faulty. But the prosecution appealed the leniency of the sentence, and in September 1992 the Court of Criminal Appeal increased his sentence to a minimum 10 months full-time imprisonment. However Hallacoglu was not in court to hear of his increased sentence, having fled to his homeland Turkey eight days earlier. A warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest. For the next 13 years the convicted double killer lived in his homeland, before returning to Australia in 2005. He has remained in Australia since then, working at a busy Carpet Call store. His wife said that when police arrived at their door this week he was in their backyard watching his children swim in the pool. She claimed that on the rare occasion her husband talked about the crash, he was always very remorseful for his actions. Mr Hallacoglu's wife claimed that on the rare occasion he talked about the car crash, he was always very remorseful Since arriving back in Australia, Mr Hallacoglu had been living a normal life and even worked as the manager of a Carpet Call franchise (pictured) at a busy Sydney shopping centre 'He was very young, only 18. When he did talk about it he was sorry,' Mrs Hallacoglu said. 'He is now in his 40s, he shouldn't have to be punished and judged on what he did as a young boy.' NSW Police declined to comment on the bungle, but confirmed they had arrested a 47-year-old man at Merrylands on Thursday. Hallacoglu's matter returned to the Court of Criminal Appeal on Friday - after 27 years. He was refused bail and the matter will be heard on Wednesday, January 30. Actress Daveigh Chase was arrested on a misdemeanor charge earlier this month - just five months after she was busted for drug possession, DailyMail.com has learned. The child star, known for her role as the demon girl in 2002 horror film, The Ring, and Lilo in Lilo & Stitch, was arrested around 6.35pm in Hollywood on January 8, according to records. The 28-year-old spent the night in jail and was released the following morning after posting $6,000 bail. The incident marks the second time in six months that Chase has been arrested. The cause of the arrest is unclear. Former child actress Daveigh Chase, 28, was arrested in Hollywood on a misdemeanor charge on January 8. She is best known for playing Samara in the 2002 horror flick The Ring (right) Chase spent the night in jail and was released the following morning after posting $6,000 bail She was taken into custody in August for possession of a controlled substance for which she spent two hours in a jail cell before being released on a $1,000 bond. A judge issued a warrant for her arrest in November when she was officially charged with two misdemeanor charges - possession of a controlled substance without a valid prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia. She is scheduled to appear in court on January 29. The troubled actress has had multiple brushes with the law in the last few years including a felony charge after she allegedly took a stolen car for a joyride in November 2017. She was charged with a felony driving without the owner's consent in that incident. Ten months prior, Chase was detained by LAPD detectives after she allegedly left a dying man in a car outside a hospital. Police ran her name and discovered an outstanding misdemeanor traffic warrant out for her, leading to her arrest. The man in the car was pronounced dead of a suspected overdose. Chase was not named a suspect in his death. The actress said she was only only trying to get the victim to the hospital after spending time with him in the hours leading up to his death. Chase had a recurring role in HBO's Mormon drama Big Love as child bride Rhonda Volmer. Her breakout role was as Samantha Darko, younger sister of Donnie Darko in 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko starring Jake Gyllenhaal. She reprised the role in 2009 sequel S. Darko. Her IMDB page indicates that Chase's latest credit was a small part in the new TV series the King of the Golden Sun in 2018. Ivan Milat is serving life for the murders of seven backpackers between 1989 and 1992 Ivan Milat is a master manipulator who uses his 'high IQ and charisma' on a captive audience to convince other inmates he is an innocent man. Bank robber John Killick prefers not to discuss Australia's most notorious serial killer but can't forget the months he was forced to listen to him deny his horrific crimes. 'I don't like talking about him,' Killick said of Milat. 'I haven't met many evil people but I think he's probably one.' Killick was locked up in the Multi Purpose Unit (MPU) at Goulburn prison south of Sydney at the same time as Milat and had to spend an hour a day with him a few times a week for several months. Milat was serving life for the murder of seven backpackers between 1989 and 1992 and was held at the MPU until the SuperMax jail in the same prison complex was built. Killick was there in segregation after his recapture following a 1999 escape by helicopter from the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater. Also in the MPU was five-time killer Lindsey Rose and double murderer Mark Valera, who cut the head off one of his victims. Many of their fellow inmates were on protection, such as paedophile Robert 'Dolly' Dunn. 'There were only a few of us that weren't on protection,' Killick said. 'Blokes like Dolly Dunn were there and these sort of people and you weren't allowed to associate with them.' Scroll down for video 'I haven't met many evil people but I think he's probably one,' says John Killick of Ivan Milat. 'You meet a lot of bad people in jail but you don't meet a lot of evil people. I think he fits the bill' Serial killer Ivan Milat (pictured) was prepared for John Killick confronting him over his horrific crimes. 'He looked me in the eye and he said, "John, if I did those crimes I would be a monster" John Killick had been recaptured after escaping jail by helicopter when he was placed in the MPU within Goulburn prison. Milat spent months trying to convince Killick he was innocent For a time, authorities deemed Milat and Killick the two greatest security threats in the New South Wales prison system. 'Eventually they came and said, "Look, you can't associate with anybody here. But you can go two or three times a week with Milat for an hour and a bit". 'So I said, "Yeah, all right". 'The thing is, I spent four years in seggro, 23 hours a day. It's quite a long time so you naturally want to get out and talk to people. But getting out and talking to people like Ivan Milat... 'I mean, I wasn't going to get in a fight with him. We were on camera. But I was going to sound him out.' Milat had been convicted of murdering seven backpackers aged 19 to 22 in the Belanglo State Forest, south of Sydney, and jailed for life in 1996. He stabbed most of his victims - decapitating one whose head has never been found - and shot another 10 times in the head as if using her for target practice. Deborah Everist (left) and Anja Habschied (right) were among Ivan Milat's seven victims. Everist, 19, died after being stabbed multiple times. Habschied, 20, was decapitated 'I think he can be charismatic,' John Killick says of Ivan Milat. 'I think he's pretty intelligent - very intelligent, I think. And I think he's probably evil.' Milat will never be released from prison Police found this large knife and leather sheath in Ivan Milat's car after he was arrested on May 22, 1994. Milat carried the knife on trips down the highway where he trawled for hitchhikers Killick does not like to be associated with Milat and has barely mentioned him in his latest book about the cast of notorious criminals he met during three decades in jail. But he agreed to speak to Daily Mail Australia about the time he spent with Milat during an interview about that new book, On The Inside. Police believe the sadistic predator may be responsible for other murders on the Australian east coast since the 1970s. He has always maintained his innocence. Since being sentenced to life in prison Milat has cut off the little finger of his left hand - intending to mail it to the High Court - and has swallowed razor blades, staples and other metal objects. Killick said the first time he met Milat in the yard at Goulburn he was ready to confront him about all the young backpackers he had killed. Ivan Milat's seven victims, left to right and top to bottom: Simone Schmidl, Gabor Neugebauer, Anja Habschied, Caroline Clarke, Joanne Walters, Deborah Everist and James Gibson 'He said, "John, I know what you're thinking",' Killick recalled. 'I got in first, I said, "Look, what you did was bloody evil". 'He said, "Wait, I knew you were going to say that. I agree with you if I did it but I didn't do it". 'He looked me in the eye and he said, "John, if I did those crimes I would be a monster". 'He said, "I know you probably don't believe me but I didn't do it". He said, "Will you at least just listen to me?" So I said, "All right, what have you got to say?" 'So he spent the next few months trying to convince me that he didn't do it.' Milat's biggest complaint was over the evidence of British backpacker Paul Onions, who a jury had found escaped his clutches on the Hume Highway outside Berrima in January 1990. Onions had accepted a lift from Milat in his four-wheel drive then ran from the vehicle when Milat pulled a gun on him. Ivan Milat is obsessed with what he says were inconsistencies in the statements and evidence of Paul Onions (pictured), the young British backpacker he kidnapped and tried to kill in January 1989 This Next brand blue denim shirt which belonged to British backpacker Paul Onions was found in the garage of Ivan Milat's mother's home. Milat kept the shirt after abducting Onions in 1990 He reported his lucky escape to Bowral police but his story was not followed up. Five of the seven backpackers Milat murdered were killed after Onions broke free. Milat was obsessed about Onions' evidence, in particular that his vehicle had a spare wheel mounted on the back when it did not. MILAT'S MURDERS Between 1989 and 1992 seven young backpackers went missing while hitch-hiking on the outskirts of Sydney, New South Wales. Their bodies were all discovered in the Belanglo State Forest, near Bowral, south of Sydney, and found to be victims of serial killer Ivan Milat. The victims were: Victorians Deborah Everist and James Gibson, both 19, who were last seen in December 1989, and who were each stabbed multiple times. German Simone Schmidl, 20, who disappeared in January 1991 and died from multiple stab wounds, including a knife through her spinal cord. German Gabor Neugebauer, 21, who was gagged and shot six times and his 20-year-old girlfriend Anja Habschied, who was decapitated after they disappeared in January 1992. Britons Caroline Clarke, 21, who was shot 10 times as if she was target practice and Joanne Walters, 22, who was stabbed. Last seen in April 1992. Ivan Milat received seven life sentences for the murders and will die in Goulburn's Supermax prison. Advertisement 'I didn't know the case that well, I'd only known what I'd read in the papers,' Killick said. 'He said, "Look, I'm gonna show you something that'll blow your mind". Milat then produced transcripts of evidence from his 1996 trial. 'What happened is that when Milat was arrested they brought Onions over from overseas.' 'Now, when they brought him to the trial, it had happened a long time ago. You stop and think if something happened six or seven years ago, it's not easy. 'And they said, "Do you recognise the person [who tried to kill you]?" and he pointed Milat out straight away. "Well, that's pretty easy, they said, because you would have seen photos and he said, "Yeah, I have". 'The thing is then - this is what Milat was going on about - they showed him a photo of this four-wheel drive vehicle and said, "Do you recognise this?" 'He looked at it and he said, "I definitely do because of the wheel on the back". It was quite specific. He said, "I'd never forget it". 'And they said, "OK, thank you". Then they produced a document showing that that wheel was put on 18 months after it happened.' 'And that's what Milat's been going on and on about, writing letters and sending things to the High Court. This is what he's saying proves he was innocent.' Killick said he initially listened to what Milat had to say for himself and some of it was almost convincing. 'He's so persuasive,' he said. 'I think he's got a pretty high IQ.' John Killick learnt road worker Ivan Milat (pictured) was off work when each of the seven backpackers were killed. 'Now, what are the odds of that? I mean, they're astronomical' Joanne Walters, 22, (left) was stabbed to death by Ivan Milat. Her friend Caroline Clarke, 21, (right) was shot 10 times as if she was target practice. The pair disappeared in April, 1992 'He almost had me convinced at least that there was doubt about it, that this Onions was lying. 'But what's happened is that Onions didn't remember in detail what's happened and he's latched onto something to help the prosecution. 'That's what he's done and he's f***ed up.' Perhaps the strongest evidence against Milat had been the personal items including shirts, sleeping bags, backpacks, a water bottle and portable stove belonging to some of his victims found hidden in his home. 'I said, "What about all this stuff the police found?" And he said, "They planted all that - you know they do that".' Killick asked Milat where the police got all the backpackers' belongings and he replied 'they would have found it out in the forest.' When Killick got out of the MPU and gained access to Goulburn prison's library he read the full transcripts of Milat's case before the Court of Criminal Appeal. In this photograph police seized from the house of Ivan Milat's brother William, the serial killer is seen carrying a sleeping bag which belonged to one of his first victims, Deborah Everist 'I went through it and there was a little thing in there that Milat hadn't mentioned to me and he doesn't tell anyone and it convinced me totally that he was guilty,' he said. 'And that was that every time one of those kids went missing Milat had a day off work. 'Now, what are the odds of that? I mean, they're astronomical. It's like winning the lottery.' 'Once I got hold of those transcripts I knew he was guilty. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind whatsoever.' Milat had written Killick a few letters after he left the MPU but after reading the appeal judgment Killick wanted nothing more to do with him. Indonesian rupiah banknotes found among Australian cash on Ivan Milat's bedside table. Police believed German victim Gabor Neugebauer brought the money back from Indonesia Backpacker Simone Schmidl's bottle (left) was found in a bedroom of Ivan Milat's house. Police used infrared cameras to identify Schmidl's pet name Simi scratched into the surface (right) 'I just said, "Look, you're guilty and I don't want anything more to do with you, just drop off",' he said. 'I explained to him what I'd seen and said, "Don't bother writing back - I don't want anything more to do with you." 'And that was it. Never heard from him again.' Killick said there were still people who wrongly believe Milat is innocent. 'I think he can be charismatic,' he said. 'I think he's pretty intelligent - very intelligent, I think. And I think he's probably evil. 'I haven't met many evil people but I think he's probably one. You meet a lot of bad people in jail but you don't meet a lot of evil people. I think he fits the bill.' 'He's the innocent guy, in his own eyes, he's always been badly done by.' Ivan Milat has been named as a suspect in the disappearances and presumed murders of three young women in Newcastle between 1979 and 1980 as well as two Sydney nursese in 1980 Milat angrily denied at a 2001 inquest that he was responsible for the disappearance of three young women in Newcastle between 1978 and 1979. At the time of the women's disappearances Milat was working on a road repair gang in the area. He was also questioned in 2004 about the disappearance of two nurses at Parramatta in 1980 when he was working at the nearby Granville depot of the then Department of Main Roads. In 2006 Milat was named by police at an inquest as the person most likely to have killed a schoolgirl and her boyfriend who disappeared from northern Sydney in 1978. Ivan Milat, 74, is currently in the SuperMax at Goulburn and will never be released. John Killick, 76, was paroled in 2015 and is writing a novel. On The Inside by John Killick is published by New Holland Publishers. RRP: $29.99. The wife of a millionaire horse-racer behind bars in Fiji after police found a $30million cocaine haul on his luxury yacht has claimed she is innocent. Officers allegedly found 13 bars of cocaine weighing 15 kilograms, $15,000 worth of ecstasy tablets, two handguns, ammunition and $20,000 undeclared cash in a raid on John Nikolic's yacht in June. Lawyers for Yvette Nikolic, who is locked up with her husband awaiting a court appearance, claim she didn't know the illegal goods were on board. John Nikolic (pictured with wife Yvette) is being questioned over the $30 million worth of cocaine allegedly found on his luxury yacht Lawyers for Yvette Nikolic (pictured outside court in Fiji), who is locked up with her husband awaiting a court appearance, claim she didn't know the illegal goods were on board Mrs Nikolic said in a statement through her lawyers On Sunday: 'I am innocent and I'm confident justice will prevail.' 'I understand there is a process and my lawyers are working through that now. The Fijian authorities and particularly the jail staff have been respectful, kind and understanding towards me and I really thank them for that.' He lawyers told the Herald Sun: 'There does not exist any evidence that Mrs Nikolic had any knowledge of the existence of the contraband on the sailing vessel. We are confident that a just outcome will be secured for Mrs Nikolic at the end of this.' Mr Nikolic appeared in Fiji's Nadi Magistrates Court on Friday and was charged with one count of importation of illicit drugs, one count of unlawful possession of illicit drugs, and one count of failure to declare arms and ammunitions to a customs officer, the Herald Sun reported. His wife was also charged with the same offences on Wednesday, and are both due to appear in Lautoka's High Court on July 17. The huge haul of drugs and cash allegedly found on the Nikolics' yacht included $30 million worth of cocaine, $15,000 of ecstasy tablets and 97 rounds of ammunition (pictured) Mr Nikolic woke from a coma in a Fijian hospital (pictured) on Thursday Ms Nikolic's legal team indicated that she would be applying for bail - a decision that will be made on July 18. Nikolic was discharged from hospital after waking up from an alleged self-induced coma after allegedly drinking a toxic cocktail of ice and liquid cocaine after a drug raid on his boat Shenanigans. It is reported he suffered an overdose that could easily have resulted in health problems and brain damage. The couple were intercepted after reportedly switching off the yacht's radio while sailing on a round-the-world-trip from Colombia to Panama. The yacht, dubbed Shenanigans, had reportedly switched off its radio signal on approach to Fiji and turned it back on once it had moored at Port Denarau marina. It was this peculiar activity that piqued the suspicions of Australian officials, who in turn tipped off Fijian authorities, Nine News reports. 'I applaud the collaboration and efforts of our officers in successfully intercepting illicit drugs, undeclared currency and weapons,' Fiji Revenue and Customs Chief Executive Officer Visvanath Das said. 'Let this be a reminder to those planning to use Fiji to carry out such illicit trade.' John Nikolic (pictured with wife Yvette) allegedly drank a cocktail of methamphetamine and liquid cocaine moments before he was arrested by Fijian police Authorities allegedly found $20,000 of undeclared cash stashed on the Nikovics' yacht (pictured) at Denarau Port on Friday John Nikolic's brother Danny, a disgraced jockey, was confronted by A Current Affair on the streets of Fiji earlier this week. 'Surely you have something to say to us,' probed reporter Reid Butler as cameras circled in around him. Without responding, Danny grabbed one of the video cameras and swatted it out of his face. 'Can you give me a bit of space?' he implored, while Mr Butler insisted he not touch the camera. Further footage shows Nikolic declining to comment as he walked with a plastic bag of alcohol in his hand. Danny Nikolic flew to Fiji to visit his brother in hospital and was previously spotted beside parents Karen and John Snr, who have refused to comment on their family member's health. The couple's yacht, Shenanigans, is currently moored off Denarau Marina, alongside several other superyachts. Disgraced jockey Danny Nikolic (left with Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Smerdon after winning the Oaks race) flew to Fiji to visit his brother who is now making a recovery A man was assaulted and robbed after he got off a bus in the Brisbane suburb of Durack. The 35-year-old man was violently attacked on Monday evening by three men shortly before 8pm. 'He was assaulted several times to the head and body,' Queensland Police said in a statement. A man was assaulted and robbed after he got off a bus in the Brisbane suburb of Durack and was rushed to Princess Alexandra Hospital (pictured) The thugs took off with the victim's mobile phone, wallet, phone chargers, sunglasses, house keys and a sum of cash. Queensland Police said the three thieves were seen running towards parkland at Akama Road, south-west of Brisbane. The man was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital for treatment. Investigations into the robbery continue. Migrants wanting to become Australians are facing tougher citizenship test requirements under changes unveiled by the federal government. To see if residents who are already citizens are up to scratch with Australian values and have a good grasp of the English language, about a dozen were recently put to the test by A Current Affair. The participants were all Australians - either born in the country or overseas - and had to achieve a 75 per cent pass mark, the same as migrants have to receive. Scroll down for video A participant (pictured) who took part in an Australian citizenship test for Channel Nine's A Current Affair program said 'I was born here and I struggle answering these questions' Thirteen people (pictured) answered multiple choice and comprehension questions for an Australian citizenship test on A Current Affair on Monday night's program They were given 10 multiple choice questions each from the citizenship test already faced by migrants and three comprehension challenges. The latter was based on a newly mooted stand-alone component of the citizenship test to ensure reading, writing, listening and speaking skills are up to scratch, announced earlier this year. The multiple choice questions posed to them covered Anzac Day, freedom of speech, religion and the constitution, among others, such as 'What do we remember on Anzac Day?'. The comprehension challenges included deciphering a product recall notice, where they then had to answer four questions about the piece, and reading through information about a bike ride. One of those tested by the television program gained the perfect score but four failed to make the grade. But not everyone agreed with the premise of the questions. 'What does that test have to do with Australian values. It's tests our ability to read and comprehend, that's it. What if you're dyslexic,' one woman said. 'I was born here and I struggle answering these questions. I can't imagine people coming here and not knowing anything about Australia trying to answer these questions, they're so hard.' A young woman described the comprehension component as 'difficult'. 'The comprehension test was basically the equivalent of the Advanced English [HSC] exam we were sitting,' she said. 'It's much the same difficulty and the clauses in the paragraphs are really convoluted as well so unless you really know how to extrapolate information from that, it's going to be really, really difficult for you.' A man who also sat the test said the multiple choice questions were fair, although the comprehension component could be made easier. Of the 13 people who took the citizenship test on A Current Affair, nine passed while four failed 'I found the whole thing OK. I think as far as comprehension's concerned, for the citizen's test, it should be a little easier,' he said. 'I think the multiple choice question is paramount to becoming an Australian citizen. It shows how the country works. 'I personally have a wife whose family were migrants and they worked very hard too but they were able to manage to know this sort of stuff to become Australian citizens so if the desire's really there, it will just get done.' Below are questions currently posed to those seeking Australian citizenship. Victoria Wood has left none of her 9million will to her ex-husband and father of her two children, Geoffrey Durham. The comedienne, who died of cancer aged 62 last April, left her 4million Highgate mansion and Lake District cottage to their kids Grace, 28, and Henry, 24. But the Dinnerladies star made no mention of her comedy magician ex partner, known as the 'Great Soprendo', who she was married to for 22 years. Victoria Wood has left none of her 9million will to her ex husband and the father of her two children, Geoffrey Durham Details of the BAFTA award winner's will were made public on Thursday. The comic left half of her fortune to set up the charity Victoria Wood Charitable Trust, to support causes like helping young and disabled people, The Sun reported. Handing over her Lake District property to her children, she gave the instructions that it should not be sold so long as its enjoyed by family. Grace and Henry were also given her letters, diaries and photos which it's believed she wanted to be kept private. She also gave 50,000 each to her three siblings - Rosalind, Penelope and brother Chris Foote Wood, 76. The screenwriter gave between 2,000 to 25,000 to ten of her closest friends, including her two godchildren. The Dinnerladies star made no mention of her comedy magician ex partner, known as the 'Great Soprendo', who she was married to for 22 years The comedienne, who died of cancer aged 62 last April, left her 4million Highgate mansion and lake District cottage to their kids Grace, 28, and Henry, 24 (pictured in 1997) Wood met her husband Geoffrey Durham in 1976 shortly after she won New Faces, when they were both appearing at the Phoenix Theatre, Leicester. She later said of him: 'It was just one of those things when you click. He was encouraging because comedy's a very lonely thing to do without someone in your corner. I don't think it would have worked as well with him. We just did everything together.' Durham quit acting and became a magician called the Great Soprendo while Wood starting writing. Wood fiercely maintained her privacy and that of her children, even originally refusing to release the name of her son when he was born. She suffered from depression after they separated, saying in an interview: 'I take a lot of responsibility. I bear the consequences. I don't feel hard done by. Wood met her husband Geoffrey Durham in 1976 shortly after she won New Faces, when they were both appearing at the Phoenix Theatre, Leicester (pictured together in 1995) Christopher Foote Wood (left) set up a crowdfunding page to help raise money for the tribute to his sister (right) 'I've felt very guilty about my part in it. I felt a failure, completely. That's quite hard to live with.' It comes as Victoria's family reportedly fell out over the plans for a 30,000 life-sized statue of the comedian to be built in her home town. Christopher Foote Wood, set up a crowdfunding page to help raise money for the statue. He said the statue would be unveiled in Bury, Greater Manchester, by May or June and a public vote decided it would be based on her character Bren from Dinnerladies. But he has now revealed that the project is not 'exactly straightforward' and added that he will own it once it is finished, reports Robert Mendick at the Daily Telegraph. Mr Foote Wood, a journalist and author, was accused of 'firing off under his own steam' after her children were not fully involved in the choice of the artist or design. The newspaper reported the two sides - Mr Foote Wood and her two children - had reached a deal following talks in Bury and it is believed Wood's children will be given more control over the statue. The Belgian defenders had entrenched themselves in bunkers on a hillside a few miles from the French border as battle commenced. It was May 1940, and the Germans were bent on driving through the supposedly impenetrable Ardennes Forest. The Fall of France had begun. Battle charge: German infantry swarm through the streets of Warsaw in 1944 In front of the Belgians lay a slope, several hundred yards of open terrain: impossible to take except by a frontal attack, which was apparent suicide. But thats exactly what the infantrymen of the Wehrmacht did. The Belgians, shocked by this fearless behaviour, retreated. Yet rather than securing their position, the completely uninhibited Germans chased after them and set their enemies to flight. During the hours that followed, 60,000 Germans, 22,000 vehicles and 850 tanks crossed the River Meuse into France. We felt a kind of high, an exceptional state, one participant reported. We were sitting in our vehicles, covered in dust, exhausted and wired. It was a mere three days later that the German division commander reported his troops had reached the French border. Many of them had not shut their eyes since the start of the campaign. And thanks to the crystal meth that had fuelled their rage through the Ardennes, they still couldnt. GERMANY, awake! the Nazis had ordered. And with the help of methamphetamine, or crystal meth, a nation did. Starting life as Volksdroge, the peoples drug was on sale in every chemist shop in Germany. But from 1937 tens of millions of little pills under the trademark Pervitin were produced to a quality that even Walter White, the drugs cook in the hit TV drama Breaking Bad, could only have dreamed about. A particularly potent and perfidious substance became a popular product under Hitler Furniture-packers shifted more furniture, firemen put out fires faster, barbers cut hair more quickly, nightwatchmen stopped sleeping on the job, train drivers drove their trains without a word of complaint, and long-distance lorry-drivers bombed down newly constructed autobahns, completing their trips in record time. Party members did the same, and so did the SS. Stress declined, sexual appetite increased, and motivation was artificially enhanced. Bosses at the Temmler factory in Berlin, where the pill was produced, were bursting with pride. Boxed chocolates spiked with methamphetamine were even put on the market. Hitler: Addicted to cocaine, the heroin-like eukodal, and a toxic cocktail of narcotics - and they were supplied by Theodor Morell (left), a doctor described as the Reich injection master It was not only the hard-working servants of the Reich who became dependent on chemical stimulation. Their commander-in-chief, too, was hopelessly addicted. While Adolf Hitler allowed the world to believe he was a teetotaller who didnt even touch coffee, a man who had thrown his last cigarettes into the Danube, the reality was that he was a super-junkie, addicted to cocaine, the heroin-like eukodal, and a toxic cocktail of narcotics supplied by Theodor Morell, a doctor described as the Reich injection master. Drugs fuelled Hitlers military decisions, helped him outlast his opponents, aided his recovery after assassination attempts, and also assisted him in the bedroom with Eva Braun. By 1936 Hitlers health was so poor that he could barely function. He suffered from unspeakable bloating, and eczema on both legs, so that he had to walk with bandages around his feet and couldnt wear boots. Morell recommended to the Fuhrer the bacterial preparation Mutaflor. Hitler was cured and he appointed the doctor as his personal physician. Before every big speech the Reich Chancellor now allowed himself a power injection in order to work at the peak of his capabilities. Colds, which could have kept him from appearing in public, were banished by intravenous vitamin supplements. To be able to hold his arm up for as long as possible when doing the Nazi salute, Hitler trained with chest-expanders and also took glucose and vitamins. The glucose, administered intravenously, gave the brain a blast of energy after 20 seconds, while the combined vitamins allowed Hitler to address crowds wearing a thin Brownshirt uniform even on cold days without showing a sign of physical weakness. In the summer of 1942, Hitlers absorption of injections rose to such a level that Morell had to put in a special order at Engel chemists shop in Berlin for syringes for the Fuhrers headquarters. July 18, 1943 was a special date. The Red Army had won the greatest tank battle in history at Kursk, and thus destroyed all German hopes of a turnaround in Russia. In the middle of the night, Morell was dragged from his bed by Heinz Linge, Hitlers valet: the Fuhrer was bent double with pain, and an immediate cure was required. Heinz Linge, Hitlers valet Morell needed to pull an ace from his sleeve, and in fact he did have something: eukodal. But its use was risky. Its extremely potent active ingredient is an opioid called oxycodon, synthesised from the raw material of opium. In specialist circles, eukodal was a wonder drug. Almost twice as effective for pain relief as morphine, this archetypal designer opioid was characterised by its potential to create very swiftly a euphoric state significantly higher than that of heroin, its pharmacological cousin. Erwin Giesing was another of Hitlers doctors. Giesings favourite remedy for treating pains in the ear, nose and throat area was cocaine, the substance the Nazis abhorred as a Jewish degeneration drug. According to Giesings notes, Hitler said: Its a good thing youre here, doctor. This cocaine is wonderful, and Im glad that youve found the right remedy. Free me from these headaches again for a while. But he added: Please dont turn me into a cocaine addict. Between the autumn of 1941, when he started being given hormone and steroid injections, and the second half of 1944, when first the cocaine and then, above all, the eukodal kicked in, Hitler hardly enjoyed a sober day. He moved in a permanent fog: a doped-up performance athlete unable to stop until the inevitable collapse. The Nazi party on a march in 1938. It was not only the hard-working servants of the Reich who became dependent on chemical stimulation. Their commander-in-chief, too, was addicted Reoprts by the medical service on methamphetamine use in the attack on Poland in September 1939 fill whole dossiers in the Freiburg Military Archive. The molecular structure of methamphetamine is similar to adrenaline. Those who take it feel livelier, energised to the tips of their fingers. Self-confidence rises, there is a sense of euphoria, and a feeling of lightness and freshness. A sense of emergency is experienced, as when one faces a sudden danger: an artificial kick. The consequences for the German army were astounding and terrifying for those unfortunate enough to stand in its way. While Hitler allowed the world to believe he was a teetotaller, the reality was that he was a super-junkie, addicted to cocaine, the heroin-like eukodal, and a toxic cocktail of narcotics In every aspect of the attack that led to the deaths of 100,000 Polish soldiers and, by the end of the year, 60,000 Polish civilians, the drug helped the aggressors to work without any sign of tiredness until the end of the mission. The 3rd Panzer Division reported the following: Often there is euphoria, an increase in attention span, clear intensification of performance, work is achieved without difficulty, a pronounced alertness effect and a feeling of freshness. Worked through the day, lifting of depression, returned to normal mood. For many soldiers, the drug seemed to be an ideal companion on the battlefield. It switched off inhibitions, which made fighting easier. A medical officer from the IX Army Corps raved: Im convinced that in big pushes, where the last drop has to be squeezed from the team, a unit supplied with Pervitin is superior. Contrary to what Nazi propaganda told the outside world, the Germans did not have superior armies. The Allies had better equipment and numerically greater forces. Hitler refused to acknowledge these realities and was convinced the Aryan warriors soul would achieve dominance against the odds. Drugs fuelled Hitlers military decisions, helped him outlast his opponents, aided his recovery after assassination attempts, and also assisted him in the bedroom with Eva Braun Time and again, mistakenly inspired by the militarys doped performance on the Polish campaign, he spoke of miracles of courage of the German soldier. Another such Pervitin-fuelled miracle came with the Wehrmachts invasion of France in May 1940. The plan was to push a lightning armada of tanks through the supposedly impassable Belgian Ardennes mountains to reach the French border city of Sedan within a few days, and then to charge all the way to the Atlantic coast. In their trouser pockets the Germans always had their pep pills at the ready. They knew that the fighting could begin at any moment. When that happened, they had to be on top form and wide awake. The Wehrmacht was thus the first army in the world to rely on a chemical drug. At the Temmler factory dozens of women sat at circular machines that looked like mechanical cakes. As many as 833,000 tablets could be pressed in a single day. The Wehrmacht had ordered an enormous quantity for the army and the Luftwaffe 35 million in all. Like the German army, the Luftwaffe also became hooked on Pervitin Side effects of the pharmacological mass abuse were also observed. Older officers from the age of 40 felt the effects of the use of meth on their hearts. One colonel with the 12th Panzer Division, who was known to take a lot of Pervitin, died of a heart attack while swimming in the Atlantic. One captain also had a cardiac arrest after using Pervitin at a stag party. A lieutenant general complained of fatigue during long periods of fighting and took Pervitin before driving to the front to join the infantry, against medical advice. There he suffered a collapse. Like the German army, the Luftwaffe also became hooked on Pervitin. It soon became too dangerous to operate over Britain in daylight, and one bomber pilot described the situation: The launch was very often late, 10 oclock, 11 oclock, and then you were over London or some other English city at about one or two in the morning, and of course then youre tired. So you took one or two Pervitin tablets and then you were all right again. While Messerschmitts were technically inferior to British Spitfires, the Luftwaffes use of drugs was far ahead of that in the RAF. Pervitin had several nicknames that indicated its use pilot salt, Stuka pills or Goring pills. German infantry marching towards the Czech frontier near Rudelstadt, in the Silesia mountains Spurred on by a disastrous cocktail of propaganda and pharmaceutical substances, people would become more and more dependent. In Germany the use of the substance ran to more than a million doses per month. National Socialism was toxic in the truest sense of the word. It gave the world a chemical legacy that still affects us today: a poison that refuses to disappear. On one hand, the Nazis presented themselves as clean-cut and enforced a strict anti-drug policy, underpinned with propagandistic pomp and draconian punishments. In spite of this, a particularly potent and perfidious substance became a popular product under Hitler. Studies show that two-thirds of those who take crystal meth excessively suffer from psychosis after three years. Since Pervitin and crystal meth have the same active ingredient, and countless soldiers had been taking it more or less regularly since the invasion of Poland, the Blitzkrieg on France or the attack on the Soviet Union, we must assume psychotic side effects, as well as the need to keep increasing the dosage to achieve a noticeable effect. Ideology had long lost its hold, and the leadership could think of nothing to motivate their soldiers. Pervitin carved out a great career for itself all over the German Reich, and later in the occupied countries of Europe. Its active ingredient, methamphetamine, is now either illegal or strictly regulated, but, with the number of consumers currently at more than 100 million and rising, it counts today as our most popular poison. Kiepenheuer & Witsch 2015. Translation Shaun Whiteside 2016. Mental health problems: Neil Cumming stabbed wife of 16 years Jane to death at their family home in Longforgan, Perthshire A man who stabbed his wife to death is suing the NHS for failing to properly treat his mental illness before he attack her. Neil Cumming stabbed wife of 16 years Jane to death at their family home in Longforgan, Perthshire, in July 2011. Shortly after he deliberately crashed his car into a lorry at 100mph on the outskirts of Dundee in an attempt to take his own life. But, following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, he was found not guilty of murder when a judge ordered a jury to acquit him by reason of insanity. Cumming, 48, was ordered to be detained at the State Hospital at Carstairs without limit of time and remains there today. Now he has lodged an action against Tayside Health Board at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. It is understood Cumming believes the NHS failed to exercise proper care towards him before the incident. A court earlier heard how doctors wanted to admit Cumming to a mental health facility the day before the killing - but couldn't as no beds were available. The case was due to call for the first time today. A spokeswoman for law firm Thorntons, who are representing Cumming in the action, said the sum of money being sought had not yet been established. She said: 'It is very much in the early stages. We are still making investigations into this.' The High Court in Glasgow previously heard that Cumming had a long history of mental health problems, having been diagnosed with persistent delusional disorder in 1999 when he believed his wife was poisoning him. He also thought he was being spied on when he worked at the Michelin tyre factory in Dundee. He had been admitted to the Carseview Centre at Dundee's Ninewells Hospital - a mental health unit - in the February before the killing. Advocate depute Alex Prentice QC told the court in a joint minute of agreed evidence read to a jury that Jane, 40, had tried to have him re-admitted to Carseview again days before her death. On Monday July 11 Jane had spoken to Cumming's community psychiatric nurse over her concerns for his mental state. Neil and Jane Cumming got married in 1996. Sixteen years later he killed her The following day the CPN, a Mr Menzies, came to see Cumming and arranged for him to be seen later in the week by a Dr McLaren, who met the couple on Thursday July 14. Cumming's 'paranoia was obvious' during this meeting and he was asked if he had ever considered harming himself. He replied that he had not and that he loved his wife and children. Dr McLaren thought his medication needed to be reviewed and thought it best that was done with the accused being admitted to Carseview, but there were no beds available. It was decided that the accused would be referred to the Acute Mental Health Response Team who would monitor his condition in the community until a bed became available. The following morning he launched the violent attack - stabbing her 36 times with a knife on the body, arms and hands. He wants to say sorry to his daughters and hopes they will understand he was ill when he did what he did John Hamilton QC, for Cumming He then drove at upwards of 100mph towards the outskirts of Dundee where he deliberately slammed into a lorry in an attempt to kill himself. Tests later showed he had a cocktail of drugs in his system at the time. Cumming told a nurse who had phoned Jane's mobile phone after she died that: 'I have committed a terrible crime.' Asked what he meant, he would only speak about his medication, telling her it had been tampered with and it was 'fake'. An appointment was made for him to attend at Carseview at 3pm that afternoon, an appointment he never kept. Cumming was trapped in his car with multiple fractures and abrasions. Firefighters and a trauma team freed him before taking him to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. He was unconscious for several days in intensive care. Once he was deemed well enough, he was arrested and charged and Perth Sheriff Court convened at his hospital bed where he was fully committed for trial. John Hamilton QC, for Cumming, told the High Court in Glasgow: 'He is at pains to express publicly that he loved his wife dearly and still can't understand the events that led to him hurting her 'He is truly sorry for what he has done and he appreciates that it will sound hollow given these tragic events. However, he wants to say sorry to his daughters and hopes they will understand he was ill when he did what he did. 'He also wants to say sorry to both families and thanks them both for their support.' Two thirds of people can detect a pension scam touting investments that seem too good to be true, but fewer can spot more subtle approaches, new research reveals. Research probing 2,000 adults on their vulnerability to fraudsters found that 29 per cent - the equivalent of 14.8million Britons - would miss the most common methods of looting retirement savings. The fraud test results can be found below, and were published by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association as it emerged watchdogs are battling a worsening 'cloning' scourge. This is where financial sharks create copycat websites and pose as legitimate investment businesses to cheat people out of their savings. Read more below about cloning and how to guard against it. Pension fraud: Industry group is calling on the Government to introduce an official 'authorisation regime' for all schemes which receive fund transfers The Government has promised to ban cold calls, emails and texts about pensions to combat fraud, and to make people more suspicious about any approaches they continue to receive afterwards. The PLSA says this is 'a step in the right direction', but claims its research into people's susceptibility to fraud shows it should goes further. The industry group is calling on the Government to introduce an official 'authorisation regime' for all pension schemes which receive fund transfers from savers. In addition to asking people whether they could spot pension swindles, the PLSA gauged their attitudes towards industry checks to stop potentially fraudulent pension transfers. How tough should pension industry get about checking against scams? Popular pension freedoms have given over-55s access to pension pots, so any attempts firms to stop people getting control of their own money are controversial. But the reforms have also created fertile ground for conmen trying to trick people out of their funds. Some 'groom' pension savers by giving them a script of what to say to get around company safeguards, according to pensions giant Aegon. They might also claim firms will try to block transfers because they just want to keep the money - hampering sincere attempts to tip off people at risk of losing their life savings. The Pensions Advisory Service is currently piloting a 'pre-scam' prevention initiative, so that firms can refer customers to its independent and free helpline, effectively using it as a last line of defence for those at risk of losing their retirement savings. If you want an impartial view on whether your pension firm is being unfairly slow about a transfer or trying to stop you being ripped off, you can call TPAS on 0800 123 1047. Most were in favour of pension schemes carrying out checks before releasing people's savings to ensure they are not being scammed, but the results show some people are either conflicted or unsure about how tough providers should get on that front. Some 28 per cent agreed such checks were unnecessary as people 'should be able to access their money easily as and when they want'. But 88 per cent agreed checks were good if they made it harder to scam people, and 79 per cent agreed 'rules and checks should be stricter to ensure that pension pots are secured'. The PLSA said: 'Pension freedoms have encouraged people to engage with their pension pots and use them as and when they see fit. Many people value that freedom but want to be well protected. The numbers in our survey reflect that.' The PLSA said most scams seem like they could be legitimate, so some people surveyed were wary about situations that might be completely authentic, which it also included in the test. For example, some 36 per cent felt that if 'they received advice on how to invest their pension and subsequently lost money' it could be a scam, while 27 per cent thought that if 'they were contacted by someone to discuss their pension and provided with advice' that could describe a scam. Taking the cautious approach might mean you do extra checks on firms that eventually turn out to be legitimate, but this is a worthwhile exercise. Some 17 per cent of those the PLSA surveyed who had a pension said they had been contacted by a company, other than the one that provided their pension, to discuss making changes or transferring their money. And 11 per cent said they had been contacted multiple times. The findings of the PLSA's fraud test and its survey of people's attitudes to industry checks to curb pension fraud are below. PLSA spokesman James Walsh said: 'Research shows that consumers struggle to identify pension scams and are keen to see stronger checks. 'As an industry, we need to step up to this challenge and the Governments recent commitment to tabling an amendment to the Financial Guidance and Claims Bill to introduce a ban on pension cold-calling is a step in the right direction. 'However, pension scams come in all shapes and sizes as scammers become increasingly sophisticated. Whilst the Governments ban on cold calling is welcome it is only part of the solution. 'There are other steps the Government can also take to help protect peoples hard-earned savings. The PLSA is calling on the Government to make urgent progress towards introducing an authorisation regime for pension schemes. 'That will reassure people that they are only dealing with legitimate providers.' What is 'cloning' fraud and how do you guard against it? Fraudsters who 'clone' the websites of legitimate firms are using this trick more often, according to figures released by the Financial Conduct Authority. 'Cloned' firm fraud The FCA says people should take the following steps to protect themselves. * Only use financial firms that are authorised by the FCA - you can check its register here. The watchdog advises people to access the register direct from its website, rather through links in emails or on a firms website, as this might be part of the scam. * Always double check the 'url' - the website address you input to reach a homepage - and contact details of a firm to ensure they match those of the genuine one. * Check the FCA's warning list of cloned firms it has issued alerts against here. Read more here about cloned firm fraud. The watchdog dealt with 90 cases of cloned firms in 2015, some 126 in 2016, and 157 in 2017, although hard figures on how much money people have lost are not easy to nail down. Such imposters seek to fool people into thinking they are mainstream financial operators, and lull them into a false sense of security before looting their cash. The FCA says they seem to operate across most sectors, but are currently most prevalent in share fraud, foreign exchange and 'contracts for difference' trading - including binary options - and advance fee loan fraud, which involves asking borrowers for money upfront. The majority of clone firms appear to be based abroad and have websites and bank accounts hosted overseas, although they might use bogus UK addresses. The FCA says this makes it difficult to crack down beyond publishing consumer warnings, but most clone firms involved in fraudulent investment activity stop once it has issued an alert against them. An FCA spokesperson said: 'We support legislation being brought forward to ban cold calling. Combating investment fraud is a priority for the FCA, which is why we have launched our Scamsmart campaign and work in partnership with other agencies to raise awareness of potential frauds and how people can protect themselves.' Dixons Carphone is still in bargain-basement territory, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley, notwithstanding the fact the shares have advanced by around a quarter since January 8. The London arm of the US investment bank turned positive on the stock yesterday. Its analysts reckon the owner of the Dixons electrical chain and Carphone Warehouse is worth 240p, which would represent a further advance of more than 60 per cent from the current price of 146.7p, which is up 1.5 per cent, or 2.15p. Given that the Dixons side of the business has performed better than we were forecasting, and the Carphone Warehouse side is now likely to generate strong cash flows, we think this has left the shares looking very oversold, the broker said in a note to clients. Morgan Stanley analysts reckon Dixons Carphone is worth 240p, which would represent a further advance of more than 60 per cent from the current price of 146.7p Morgan Stanley upgraded both Next (up 0.1 per cent, or 4p, to 4781p) and Halfords (down 1.6 per cent, or 3.8p, at 235.8p), while it has a neutral stance on the wider retail sector. A bout of the jitters hit the Square Mile as the US and China geared up for a further round of trade talks, with Brexit adding to the uncertainty. The FTSE 100 fell 0.9 per cent, or 62.12 points, to 6747.1. A drop in the crude oil price hit BP, down 2.4 per cent, or 12p, to 494.9p. While not the most significant percentage fallers on the Footsie, BP and rival Royal Dutch Shell (down 1.8 per cent, or 41.5p, at 2227p) are so large they exert the gravitational pull of a black hole on the index. Stock Watch - Petra Diamonds Shares in Petra Diamonds plunged as prices dropped at its South African mine which produced diamonds for the crown jewels. It made revenue of 157million in the six months ending December 31, up 8 per cent on the previous year but below analysts expectations of 175million. Production grew by 10 per cent year-on-year to 2m carats. But Petra said the prices for stones from its Cullinan mine fell to 73-per-carat from 106 the year before. Shares fell 20.8 per cent, or 9.34p, to 35.6p. The oil field services specialist Wood Group was also dragged lower (falling 2.2 per cent, or 11.8p, to 522.4p) even after banking 21million-worth of unwanted assets. Imperial Brands was on the blue-chip losers list, with British American Tobacco also falling. The whisper presumably interspersed with a smokers cough is that US regulators are getting more agitated about ecigarettes. Imperial ended 2.4pc lower, or 58.5p, at 2361.5p, while BATS fell 0.7 per cent, or 17p, to 2375p. The miners continued their resurgence, led by Rio Tinto (up 1.7 per cent, or 66.5p, at 3944.5p), while Ocado (up 2.1 per cent, or 19.6p, at 966p) topped the risers amid reports it and Marks & Spencer (up 0.1 per cent, or 0.3p, to 290.3p) are attempting to batten down some sort of commercial collaboration. German investment bank Berenberg turned positive on the builders with buys on Barratt Developments, Bellway and Taylor Wimpey. Unfortunately for Berenberg, the market refused to play ball, with the shares off at Barratt by 0.2 per cent, or 1p, at 535.4p; at Bellway by 1.5 per cent, or 44p, at 2844p; and at Taylor Wimpey by 1.3 per cent, or 2.15p, at 163.65p. The Hamburg-based houses analysis echoed that of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, which pinned its colours to the mast earlier this month. Funding some of the deal flow in the building sector was Paragon Banking Group, which posted a 41 per cent rise in net lending, driven by demand from professional landlords. We remain confident in the outlook, but will maintain our capital, liquidity and broader risk disciplines in case the external operating environment should deteriorate, chief executive Nigel Terrington said. The shares ended the session up 0.3 per cent, or 1.4p, at 411.8p. Liberum was on the hunt for a bargain, and the City broker reckons that the listed transport companies are arguably at an all-time low. It upgraded National Express (up 0.5 per cent, or 2p, at 381.8p), First Group (flat at 90.1p) and Go-Ahead Group (up 0.5 per cent, or 9p, to 1794p) to buy. US probe: Nissan is facing intense scrutiny in a scandal it has blamed on its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn Nissan has said it is co-operating with an investigation by the US financial regulator. The car maker is facing intense scrutiny in a scandal it has blamed on its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, who is being held in a Japanese jail. Japanese authorities charged Nissan in December with falsifying financial documents over executive pay. A month before, Ghosn, 64, was arrested on allegations that he had under-reported his income while at Nissan by some 34million between 2010 and 2015, although further charges have since been added. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating whether Nissan accurately disclosed its executive pay in the US and if the company's controls were robust enough to prevent improper payments. The car maker said it is 'co-operating fully' with the SEC's probe, though the watchdog refused to comment. Ghosn's wife Carole has claimed he has received 'harsh treatment' at the hands of the authorities since his arrest. EN+ has cut the Russian tycoon' Oleg Deripaska's stake from 70 per cent to 44.95 per cent The US has lifted sanctions on EN+ after it agreed to reduce Oleg Deripaska's domination. The UK-listed aluminium group has cut the Russian tycoon's stake from 70 per cent to 44.95 per cent. EN+ has also changed its board so it mostly includes independent directors to curb the influence of 51-year-old Deripaska, who has close ties to the Kremlin. Sanctions were imposed on a number of Russian firms after the country was blamed for the attempted assassination of dissident Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury last March. Lord Barker, a former Tory energy minister who joined before EN+ floated a year ago, will still lead the board as chairman. However, Democrats in the US are unhappy about the decision to lift sanctions. Texas congressman Lloyd Doggett called it sordid. But Barker said: 'The lifting of sanctions on the whole group is a turning point.' Oddbins owner European Food Brokers blamed a downturn on the High Street and Brexit for the retailer's struggles Oddbins is set to fall into administration for the second time in less than ten years. More than 500 jobs are at risk as owner European Food Brokers lines up administrators to explore a sale of the off licence chain, according to Sky News. The group blamed a downturn on the High Street and Brexit-related uncertainty for its struggles. Oddbins operates more than 100 off licences, which include its subsidiaries Wine Cellar Trading and Whittalls Wine Merchants. It comes as Tesco confirmed that up to 9,000 jobs were at risk as it prepares to axe deli counters at 90 of its stores. Oddbins is reported to have made a 4million loss in the 18 months to July 31. European Food Brokers is owned by Walsall-based entrepreneur Raj Chatha. The group confirmed that it was preparing to appoint Duff & Phelps as administrators, which handled the collapse of BHS in 2016. A Duff & Phelps spokesman said: 'The deterioration of the High Street, combined with the continuing economic uncertainty surrounding the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, has resulted in an unsustainable, tough physical retail market. 'We will endeavour to continue to operate all stores as a going concern while options are assessed for the business, including a possible sale. 'All businesses continue to trade until further notice. 'European Food Brokers Limited and its additional businesses continue to trade and are not part of this announcement.' A spokesperson for European Food Brokers Limited, said, 'We have filed a notice of intention to appoint Duff & Phelps as administrators for Wine Cellar Trading Limited, Whittalls Wines Merchants 1 Limited, Whittalls Wines Merchants 2 Limited and EFB Retail Limited. The deterioration of the high street, combined with the continuing economic uncertainty surrounding the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, has resulted in an unsustainable, tough physical retail market. We will endeavour to continue to operate all stores as a going concern while options are assessed for the business, including a possible sale. All businesses continue to trade until further notice. European Food Brokers Limited and its additional businesses continue to trade and are not part of this announcement.' Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket, has confirmed reports that it will swing the axe on thousands of jobs across its stores and head office. It said today that up to 9,000 jobs are at risk as it attempts to 'simplify' the business and battle what it described as a 'competitive and challenging market'. Tesco's UK and Ireland boss Jason Tarry said: 'In our four years of turnaround we've made good progress, but the market is challenging and we need to continually adapt to remain competitive and respond to how customers want to shop. Tesco group chief executive Dave Lewis (above) earned the moniker 'Drastic Dave' during his time at consumer goods giant Unilever 'We're making changes to our UK stores and head office to simplify what we do and how we do it, so we're better able to meet the needs of our customers. This will impact some of our colleagues and our commitment is to minimise this as much as possible and support our colleagues throughout.' Sources said it is likely many counters will only be available from Thursday through the weekend, leaving them closed Monday to Wednesday. Tesco said it hopes to redeploy around half of the impacted staff to new roles. A radical shake-up at the supermarket will include a reduction in deli counters, with 90 stores set to lose the service altogether. Tesco will also slash the hours staff spend on stock control and merchandising. Head office workers are facing cuts too as the company moves, it said, to a 'simpler and leaner structure'. Tesco confirmed that 9,000 jobs are at risk as it shuts down some deli counters and makes cuts at head office The changes will not just impact Tesco employees. Some third-party caterers are at risk as the grocer swaps hot food services in its staff rooms for self-service kitchens. Tesco denied reports, however, that it plans to scale back its in-store bakeries this year. Trade union Usdaw's national officer Pauline Foulkes said it was 'devastating news' for staff, who have played a 'crucial role in Tesco's turnaround project'. The grocer has chalked up 12 successive quarters of growth and, earlier this month, hailed solid Christmas trading, boosted by sales from its newly acquired wholesale business Booker. Foulkes said: 'We will enter into consultation talks with Tesco, where we will examine the business case for their proposed changes.' The seismic overhaul - one of the most dramatic since group boss Dave Lewis took the reins - comes as Tesco and its 'Big Four' rivals struggle to stave off the rising influence of Aldi and Lidl. The German discounters both hailed record-breaking Christmases, with two thirds of all shoppers heading there in December. Jo and Sarah answer real questions from readers: to put your query, go to beautybible.com Q I occasionally suffer with eczema-type patches on my hands but now it has flared up mildly on my face, particularly around my eyes. Could you suggest a way to soothe it and what to do about make up? A The National Eczema Society (NES) has a helpful Factsheet titled Eczema Around the Eyes, which you can find on their website (eczema.org). It explains that eczema (also called dermatitis) may well flare up around the eyes, particularly on the eyelids, and is common in adults with eczema elsewhere on the face. Because the skin barrier is thin and fragile in this area, it is tends to be very sensitive. Your doctor may prescribe mild topical steroids for the face, including the eye area. For more information follow Beauty Bible online here or on Facebook and Twitter As you sometimes suffer eczema elsewhere, this may be an allergic reaction to a substance. Or it may be irritant contact dermatitis caused by an irritating substance in your make up, skincare, or in detergents. If you think facial skin care products or make up are having a negative effect on your skin, the NES recommends not wearing make up for a few days to see if that helps. If there is an improvement, reintroduce products one by one to identify if there is a culprit. It could also be something that you touch or apply to your hands, then transfer to your face and particularly the eye area. A common cause of contact dermatitis is allergy to nail varnish or varnish remover. Hair dye may also cause eyelid problems, particularly if you use it (or another dye) to tint your lashes, or brows. Some products that are marketed to help lashes grow contain compounds also used in glaucoma drugs. Both may have side effects including skin sensitivity. Its vital to apply plenty of emollient, which you can also use to remove eye make up when/if you wear it. Keep facial skincare simple and avoid washing your face with soap or using scented face creams. Your doctor may suggest a medical skincare brand. Otherwise, pharmacist Shabir Daya at Victoria Health (victoriahealth.com) recommends Botanical Therapeutic Skin Cream Plus, 22 for 250ml, which contains plant extracts and oils to help soothe inflamed dry skin. People vary widely in their individual responses to products for eczema but others tell us that Thyme Out, a natural tincture with thyme and aloe vera, also helps with mild eczema, 18 for 200ml. A colleague with very touchy skin swears by Avene skincare, a French pharmacy brand especially formulated to hydrate dry and extremely dry skin. Now to make up: a new Danish natural mineral range called Miild has been launched in the UK by two young make up artists, Tine and Tanje, both of whom suffer from severe contact allergy. Miild claims to be the first cosmetics brand certified as eco friendly, organic and allergy friendly (its parent company has been involved in allergy research since 1923). Tine and Tanje say the top three things to avoid are perfume, nickel (often found in mascara in iron oxide) and animal hair (often in make up brushes). They also caution against camouflaging eczema with layers of conventional make up, rather than getting it assessed by a doctor/dermatologist and using specially formulated make up. The Miild make up range includes mineral powder foundation in six shades, blush, bronzer, concealer duo as well as eye make up with a Mineral Mascara, 22, wonderfully called Volume Bulbous because it adds volume and oomph to your lashes. We havent tried the eye make up but the foundation, blush and bronzer are fab. They also do a good range of synthetic brushes. Find Miild online at uk.klarify.me. Bramley Sleep Spray BEAUTY BIBLE LOVES Bramley Sleep Spray Ah, Bramley. How do we love thee? Let us count the ways Now this Cotswolds-based natural bath and bodycare brand has given us another reason to swoon over its products, with this perfectly lovely Sleep Spray pillow mist. Essential oils of lavender, chamomile and yarrow make it a wonderful part of an evening wind-down regime. Bramley Sleep Spray contains 100 per cent natural, Fair Trade botanicals, with no synthetic chemicals or artificial colours and no ingredient has ever been tested on animals. And the packaging is recyclable, natch Our tip? We like to spritz our nighties as well as the bed linen. That way, with every move which you can rest assured wont be either a toss or a turn theres a fresh waft of fragrance. 16 for 100ml Ms Hurleys eye-popping Versace gown turned heads and left Hugh Grant in a supporting role Elizabeth Hurley accompanies Hugh Grant to the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral on 11 May 1994 The evening was supposed to be all about the floppy-haired guy Hugh Grant who was poised to become a global movie star and sex symbol, yet barely anyone remembers the moment this way. When his girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley accompanied him to the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral in a figure-hugging gown slashed at the thigh, plunging at the front and split at the side, barely held together with gold safety pins, it was all about her and that dress. The phrase entered our lexicon and the dress became so iconic that it even has its own Wikipedia page. Inspired by punk and created by Gianni Versace (whose murder was still three years into the future), the dress had already been worn on the catwalk by supermodel Helena Christensen, but no one remembers that either. It was an outfit that would catapult Elizabeth into the limelight and set her up as a star. While it wasnt the first dare to bare outfit worn on a red carpet Cher went see-through at the Oscars with husband Sonny Bono in 1973 there hadnt been anything quite like this before. Elizabeth and Hugh had been together for seven years after meeting on the set of the obscure 1988 film Rowing with the Wind. He was 27 back then, she was 22, and by 1994 they were inseparable, said Hugh, because of their years spent living together in a little flat as struggling actors. Their relationship would survive Hughs arrest in LA in 1995, when he was caught with prostitute Divine Brown in his car, but they would part in 2000. Elizabeth said the break-up happened because the Bafta winner called Grumpelstiltskin by her pals was very annoying. They remain good friends. That dress, meanwhile, would be revived by Lady Gaga in 2012 during a visit to the Versace headquarters in Milan. Also that month... Nelson Mandela, Ayrton Senna and Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa, four years after he was released from 27 years in prison. Brazilian Formula One champion Ayrton Senna was killed in a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix. He was just 34. Labour Party leader John Smith died of a heart attack aged 55. The Channel Tunnel opened. Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley were married. If you have a problem, email z.west-meads@you.co.uk. Zelda reads all your letters but regrets that she cannot answer them all personally My relationship with my children is falling apart I live with my two sons, aged 19 and 14, and my partner of three years. They have all enjoyed a great relationship until recently, when I had a heated argument with my sons resulting in the youngest one swearing at me. My partner told him not to speak to me like that. My eldest son stepped in and told him that he had no right to discipline his brother. Since then, they have gone to live with their father despite my best efforts to get them to come home. My eldest says that he doesnt want to return, as he no longer likes my partner. To make matters worse, their father is using this as an excuse to try to get full custody of our younger son. Discipline is an extremely tricky subject for step-parents. Your partner was probably right to defend you (as long as it was done without anger) and it is sad that your sons have reacted like this. However, your ex-husband is making matters very difficult for you. Talk to him or, if he wont listen, ask a friend or family member to explain that broken relationships with parents can be damaging to children. Your ex-husband can help your sons by encouraging them to reconcile with you and dropping the custody battle. Then you and your partner should talk to your children and explain that you love and miss them very much. Remind them of how well they got on with each other before this argument. Its best that you ask them to talk about what happened so that you can learn how to overcome these differences in the future. Remember to stay calm and loving. Contact Family Lives (0808 800 2222, familylives.org.uk) for further help and advice. His OCD is wrecking our marriage My husband and I have been married for 55 years and are comfortably well-off and retired. The past five years have been hell as he suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Because of his fear of water and electricity, he has become controlling. I have now turned to drinking a bottle of wine every evening because of the loneliness. He goes into the garage every night for two to three hours and talks to himself. He is in darkness apart from a torch, but he thinks that the garage lights are still on. He turns the water off every night in case of a flood. He only allows me to have a shower and take the car out once a week. I have left him twice, but he comes after me, crying and saying that he cant live without me. He lies to his doctor, telling her that he is improving. She knows that he is lying and tells me to defy him regarding the car and the showers. We have two married daughters, but I hide a lot from them. Unfortunately it is challenging to help someone who doesnt want to help themselves, but you shouldnt have to live like this. First, I advise you to enlist the support of your daughters. Stop hiding things from them and spell out the severity of the situation. See if they can persuade your husband to seek more professional treatment for his OCD. Explain to him how much you all love him, but that you are finding it impossible to live with his volatile behaviour, which is harming the family environment. OCD can often be successfully treated, usually with a combination of antidepressants and a type of cognitive behavioural therapy called ERP (exposure and response prevention), which helps patients confront their obsessions and resist the urge to carry out compulsions. The doctor is right that you should defy your husband dont let him control you. You must live the way you choose and maintain your social life. If you overcome your loneliness, you may be able to cut back on drinking, which is essential for your own wellbeing. If your husband is willing to make these changes, you may find that your marriage is more tolerable and sustainable. Contact Mind (0300 123 3393, mind.org.uk) for more information about OCD. Motherhood has killed my wifes sex drive I love my wife of five years, but since our son was born three years ago things have been difficult. I have a good but demanding job and I work hard to provide well for the family. My wife has returned to work part time. Before our son was born, she was in contact with another man. It didnt go as far as having sex, but they were in touch every day. When I discovered this, she ended the relationship. I still check up on her as its difficult to rebuild trust, but I genuinely dont think that they are in touch. I still really fancy her, but since giving birth she has had no sex drive. Before that, it was a good part of our marriage. What should I do? You need to talk to your wife and try to understand why she is avoiding sexual intimacy. She may be simply exhausted trying to juggle a young child and a career. However, the fact that she was in touch with another man before your son was born suggests that there may have been something missing in the marriage for her. I know that its a painful question, but has she lost all sexual desire or only in relation to you? For most women to feel sexually close to their partners, they need to feel emotionally connected, and I wonder if she feels neglected or resentful because you have such a demanding job. Or have you somehow both stopped really talking to each other about how you think and feel, your hopes, fears, needs and dreams? I recommend relationship and psychosexual counselling with Relate (relate.org.uk) to help you both resolve this situation. Danny Dyers Right Royal Family Wednesday, BBC1 Rating: Flirty Dancing Thursday, Channel 4 Rating: As soon as it was announced that Danny Dyer would be making a history programme for the BBC, accusations of dumbing down came thick and fast. Orlando Figes, professor of history at Birkbeck College, even referred to it as a new low in dumbing down, although personally, Orlando, I wont be satisfied until David Starkey fronts a programme called, say, Just Really Old Things, while Mary Beard hosts Extreme Makeovers: The Roman Way, and Simon Schama demonstrates how people during the Great Plague thought they might be cured by plucking a live chicken and rubbing its bottom over any sores. (They did do this. Its true. I learned it from Horrible Histories.) Ruff and ready: Danny Dyer as an Elizabethan nobleman. Id rather watch back-to-back episodes of Youve Been Framed than read Shakespeare, he once said The fact is and its actually very simple, Orlando you can have both. This isnt to say I wouldnt watch Simon Schama rubbing himself all over with a plucked chickens bottom, because obviously I would, but there is nothing mutually exclusive going on here. A broadcaster can, after all, put out EastEnders and King Lear, even if King Lear is very, very boring. Sometimes I am minded to complain to the BBC about all the clevering up they do. Why should we have to put up with it? What is it with you and these iambic pentameters? Dyer, who stars as Mick Carter in the aforementioned EastEnders, but who is just as famous for being an all-round geezer, basically, has made his own position clear. Id rather watch back-to-back episodes of Youve Been Framed than read Shakespeare, he once said. (This is not his best quote by far. There are lists of them online. Look out for the one on his wife buying scented toilet paper.) As for Danny Dyers Right Royal History, it hasnt come out of the blue. Instead, it comes on the back of his wonderfully enjoyable Who Do You Think You Are?, first shown in 2016, when he thought his family history would be full of ducking stools and neer-do-wells, but instead he discovered he was a direct descendant of Edward III, his 22-times great-grandfather. Bit of a con, maybe, as it is estimated that descendants of King Edward, legitimate or otherwise, are believed to be in excess of four million, but the show was a joy and it did Dannys old nut in, right enough. He wept and said he was going to buy a ruff, just to bowl about in it, you know? Here, in the first of two episodes, he promised a right nutty royal caper as he set out to live and breathe his ancestry. I wanna taste it. I wanna smell it. I wanna feel like a royal. He is driven past Buckingham Palace. Why aint I plotted up there? he asked. Four million of us could be asking ourselves that, I suppose, yet its more fun to play along. He was given a family tree that went even further back, showing he was related to even more kings, as it would, and set off to Sweden to investigate his 33-times great-grandfather, Rollo, the Viking. I need to get Vikinged out of my brain, he said. He plotted in a model Viking village, where he ate fermented shark lard and re-enacted a (rather underwhelming) battle, before heading to Kent to investigate William the Conqueror (30 times great-grandfather), and then it was Paris for Louis IX (26 times). OK, you didnt learn anything you might not take from a childs history book, but it was hugely entertaining. Danny, it turns out, is keen to learn, self-aware and a most committed crier. He cried when he learned Louis had been canonised as a saint. My love for my 26 times granddad is flowing, he wept. Ive since read that many Britons of European ancestry are descended from Louis IX but no need to dwell on that. Party pooper. Flirty Dancing is a dating show mashed up with a dancing show, which is cynical, admittedly, and the title doesnt inspire much confidence, lets be honest. But I caught it by chance and its charming and lovely and Im totally hooked. The deal in a nutshell: couples dont see each other until they wordlessly perform a dance together, having learned their parts separately. Theyre not even told each others names. Afterwards, they decide if they want to meet up again or not. Hosted and choreographed by Ashley Banjo, who believes dance can connect people in ways words cant, this is swooningly romantic. The couple that danced atop that observatory! Those gay guys dancing through Tate Britain! I had a soppy smile on my face throughout. This week, Wing, who can never summon up the courage to chat up women, danced gloriously with Alice, while Zoe and Andy, oh dear. Their routine went heartbreakingly wrong but they still agreed to meet, which was cheering. Back in the day, people often first met each other at dances. Whose grandparents didnt? So you could say this format is, in fact, sweetly old-fashioned. Perhaps even Orlando Figes will like it. Cant say for sure, but maybe? Jim Carter knows his way around Highclere Castle. It was here, in the house that doubled for the fictional Downton Abbey, that Carter found fame as everybodys favourite stuffy old bloke with a heart of gold and a small outcrop of shrubbery where his eyebrows should be: Mr Carson, the Grantham family butler. He was back there last summer shooting the big-screen version of the series, giving him another opportunity to wallow in its glories, and today he has taken temporary control of the house once more, providing Event with the most privileged of personal tours as he prepares for a Downton musical spectacular, coming this June, where a symphony orchestra will perform music from the series. Jim Carter knows his way around Highclere Castle. It was here that Carter found fame as everybodys favourite stuffy old bloke: Mr Carson For six years I spent six months of the year in this place, he says of the acclaimed television series that came to a conclusion in 2016. When we were shooting the movie, and I was sitting on a deck chair outside in the grounds, watching red kites circle overhead, it reminded me that... lets just say, it was no hardship. This will do as an office. He is speaking in one of the castles magnificent reception rooms, beneath the chandelier that, when it was first lit by electricity in an early episode, so startled the Dowager Countess, played by Maggie Smith. Yes, it was in here it happened, he says, before essaying a wry impression of Smith acting shocked. Mind you, it is not the only room in which extraordinary Downton things have happened. To walk around the house in Carters company, into the bedroom where Lady Sybil died of undiagnosed pre-eclampsia, and the imposing dining room where the carpet needed a thorough dry cleaning after Lord Granthams vomiting episode, is to be transported into the world so brilliantly realised in the series. Everywhere in the building the spirit of Carson seems to hang, a sense enhanced by the fact photos of scenes in which he was involved can be found in all the rooms, placed there for visitors to connect the Castle to the series that changed its very identity. Because the truth is, thanks to its pitch-perfect portrayal in the title role, Downton Abbey has made Highclere a star. For six series of the roaringly successful drama, the building did not simply bear witness to high tragedy and high comedy, to birth, marriage and death, it became an integral part of the action. Naturally enough, when the movie version was proposed, Highclere was cast once again in the starring role. Of course it had to be shot here, says Carter. This place is iconic. Not that he can reveal much more about the movie than where it was filmed. He has been sworn to secrecy, signing a strict non-disclosure agreement. I cant tell you any plotlines, for fear of my very life, he smiles, his eyebrows raised meaningfully. To be honest and this is not me being evasive I wont really know what it is until I see it. What I can tell you is that it takes up the story from the point the TV series finished [see panel below]. In 2010 Carter had no inkling what Downton Abbey was to become. Maggie Smith's involvement persuaded him to join the cast: You dont turn down Maggie, he says There is one detail, however, that Carter is happy to reveal. Imelda Staunton, his wife of 35 years, has a role. I wish I could say its because I slipped a fiver to the casting director, he says. But one day at home she said, Oh, this scripts just landed. And I said, Thats lovely, what is it? And she said, Guess. Downton Abbey! I nearly spat out my tea. In the film, Staunton plays a relative of the Crawley family. We only had two days working together. We were in one scene together when Im serving her at the dining table. We shared a smouldering look but I dont think the camera caught it. When the genial, dry, twinkling Carter first came to Highclere in 2010 he had no inkling what Downton Abbey was to become. He had been lured into the series by writer Julian Fellowes promise that it was to be a Gosford Park for the small screen. That and the fact that Smith was involved. You dont turn down Maggie, he says. Like all these things you do it in hope rather than expectation. Nobody can define why it was so successful, the alchemy just worked. The script was brilliant, the cast were terrific, but the house was vital. Its a wonderful place but on a human scale. You could relate to it as a character. One key absentee is Lily James, who will not be reprising her role as Lady Rose MacClare. The Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again star said, My character Rose moved off to New York, so it would be a bit far-fetched to bring her back. Not that every moment was shot at Highclere. The downstairs, the kitchens and so on were all sets in Ealing studios. Often there were sequences when Id move from one to the other. I seem to have spent half my life going through one door here, then coming out another six weeks later in Ealing, desperately trying to remember in which hand I was holding the cup of tea. For Carter, life was never the same from the first moment he walked through one of those doors. When he was cast, a then 62-year-old career actor with a full rather than stellar CV, he could stroll down any high street unnoticed. Mr Carson changed all that. Now he is recognised anywhere the series has been screened, which is everywhere. The most unexpected encounter, he recalls, was at Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It happened when Carter was on a charity cycle ride. I was dressed entirely in Lycra, sweating buckets, with a crash helmet on. Somebody said, Oh, Mr Carson. I thought, no, really? WHO'S BACK FOR THE BIG SCREEN DOWNTON The Downton Abbey film will see a reunion of nearly all the original cast as the action picks up in autumn 1927, just after the series ended four years ago. Michelle Dockery returns as the frosty Lady Mary, Laura Carmichael is back as Lady Edith, while Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates, Brendan Coyle as her sly husband John, Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Matthew Goode as Henry Talbot and Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Crawley all return. Dame Maggie Smith reprises her role as the acidic Dowager Countess of Grantham. One key absentee is Lily James, who will not be reprising her role as Lady Rose MacClare not because of her hectic Hollywood filming schedule. Arguably the greatest success of all the Downton cast, the Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again star said, My character Rose moved off to New York, so it would be a bit far-fetched to bring her back. Little is known about the storyline but well apparently see a more mature Lady Mary, who is settled in her romance. Dockery says, Its nice to see Mary in that way, as opposed to being in constant turmoil about her love life. Downton Abbey is out in September Advertisement Wherever he goes, those who approach him always say the same thing. The young ones claim they are only asking me for a selfie because Im their grannys favourite. And the middle-aged ones say Im their mums favourite. Keeps the ego in check. He will be back at Highclere in June to host that Downton musical spectacular, in which a symphony orchestra will perform music from the series on an outdoor stage. He will narrate the evening, but he wont be wearing Lycra. No, no, no. Ill be in character as Mr Carson, in white tie and tails. When you come here, you need to dress accordingly. After all, you are in the presence of a star. Music From Downton Abbey is on June 22 at Highclere Castle. Tickets at livenation.co.uk Survivor: David Livingstone, from Northern Ireland, who had dynamic cancer treatment THE PATIENT For nearly 20 years, I was a motorcycle traffic officer with the police, but I retired in my mid-40s on medical grounds. I had injured my back quite badly in two major motorcycle accidents in the line of duty and so have spent much of the past couple of decades in pain. But it was nothing compared with the agony I woke up to one morning in May 2016. The pain in my back was so bad that I could not get out of bed. Eventually, with the help of my wife, Phyllis, I managed to get upright and, after taking a couple of painkillers, the worst of it subsided. However, the next morning, the same thing happened. At first, I blamed my old injuries but, when the pain persisted, I went to my GP. He suspected that it might be a kidney stone and told me to go to A&E, where I was put on intravenous morphine. The following morning, I had a CT scan and blood samples were taken. Later that day, a doctor explained that these showed I had a very aggressive prostate tumour that had spread to my spine and lymph nodes. I didnt have kidney stones after all. My levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) a protein that increases when cancer cells are present were off the scale. A healthy reading is up to around 4ng/ml. Mine was 3,495 one of the highest that my doctors had ever seen. I was told that there was no point removing the prostate because the tumour cells had already spread. I was one of the unlucky ones whod had no symptoms at all until it was at an advanced stage. And my cancer was terminal. I was dumbstruck I hadnt even considered cancer. After I got home, I broke the news to Phyllis, who was deeply shocked. We had a brief cry and then told our elder daughter, Victoria, 30. Our younger daughter, Andrea, 27, a doctor, was with me when I got my diagnosis. I was given roughly a year to live, even with treatment to slow the spread of the cancer. Within a few days, I had my first of four weekly doses of hormone therapy to suppress my levels of testosterone, which the cancer uses to grow. I also started a six-month course of chemotherapy. 'I was told that there was no point removing the prostate because the tumour cells had already spread. And my cancer was terminal,' he says of his initial diagnosis The hormone therapy did have some nasty side-effects, including extreme fatigue, hot flushes and weight gain, and I lost my hair due to the chemotherapy. I was just well enough to walk Victoria down the aisle in October 2016. It was one of the proudest days of my life. Yet I knew it was probably only a matter of months before I would finally succumb to the cancer. Then, one night, on the local news, I saw a television report about researchers looking for volunteers for a new treatment being trialled for men with advanced prostate cancer at the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre in Belfast just 35 miles from where I live. I contacted them the next day with an estimated six months to live, I had nothing to lose. Researchers explained that it involved a double whammy of radiotherapy, where they would blast my prostate with radiation from outside my body, but also inject tumour-seeking radioactive drugs, to hunt down malignant cells internally. They said that, while this would not cure my cancer, it could bring it under control enough for me to live a fairly normal and extended life. In December 2016, I had the first of 37 daily radiotherapy sessions. I also had six injections, each a month apart, of a tumour-seeking drug called Xofigo. Apparently, both techniques are already used on the NHS, but no one had tried them together in advanced prostate cancer. I experienced some vomiting and diarrhoea and was very low in energy. Gender imbalance: Prostate cancer affects around 47,000 men a year in the UK and it is now a bigger killer than breast cancer 11,800 men a year, versus 11,400 women My bones have also been weakened by the cancer, so I need to take a calcium supplement daily, and I still have regular hormone therapy injections. But, more than two-and-a-half years after my diagnosis, scans show Im clear of cancer, apart from one small patch in my spine. And my PSA is virtually zero. I should have been dead 18 months ago, so the fact that Im still here is nothing short of a miracle all thanks to the doctors doing this vital research. THE SPECIALIST Professor Joe OSullivan is a consultant in clinical oncology at the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre at Belfast City Hospital. Prostate cancer affects around 47,000 men a year in the UK and it is now a bigger killer than breast cancer 11,800 men a year, versus 11,400 women. If its caught before it spreads beyond the prostate, there is a good chance of survival. But, in around 10 per cent of cases, it has already spread to other organs what we call advanced prostate cancer and the chances of living more than two years are very slim. WHAT ARE THE RISKS? External radiotherapy for prostate cancer can cause inflammation of the bladder, soreness around the back passage, erectile dysfunction and tiredness. Radium 223 injections may trigger a drop in blood cells, which can increase the risk of infection, shortness of breath, nausea and diarrhoea. Dr Jeanette Dickson, vice-president for clinical oncology at The Royal College of Radiologists, says: We know that using radium 223 helps patients with very advanced prostate cancer live longer and feel better. This trial is looking at using it alongside external radiotherapy and hormone therapy and, hopefully, more patients will benefit. Advertisement There is no cure for advanced prostate cancer treatment involves controlling the tumour growth with chemotherapy and hormone therapy, in which drugs are injected to reduce the amount of testosterone, the hormone prostate cancer needs to grow. This can control the cancer for a while but, eventually, it nearly always stops working. The next step is often radium 223, or Xofigo a radioactive liquid that is injected into a vein and circulates throughout the body. It targets cancer cells that have spread to the bones. But we wanted to see if giving radium 223 at the same time as external radiotherapy and hormone therapy could have a more powerful effect. External radiotherapy is not normally used to treat prostate cancer that has spread. In fact, its thought to be largely pointless, given that harmful cells have already migrated. But we know from other cancer types, including breast cancer, that treating the area where the disease started can be helpful. We have tested the treatment on 28 men as part of a pilot study. So far, the results have been very promising and we now hope to do a bigger trial involving hundreds more. The hope is that combining the two forms of radiotherapy will be more effective than existing hormone treatment on its own and will extend the life expectancy of men whose treatment options are otherwise limited. Im very hopeful this research, partly funded by the mens health charity Movember Foundation and Prostate Cancer UK, will lead to improved survival rates and turn some cases of advanced prostate cancer into a chronic illness that can be controlled with treatment, rather than a death sentence. A course of radiotherapy costs around 3,000, while six-monthly injections of radium 223 are about 12,000, so the combined cost per patient would be around 15,000. For anyone who wants to avoid reading glasses, pinhole glasses are seen as a simple and inexpensive alternative. The glasses, which look like dark sunglasses with each plastic lens studded with a grid of tiny holes, bring objects near and far into focus and, it is claimed, can even permanently improve vision. Opticians and patients alike have long been intrigued by their potential and an editorial in the worlds top optometry journal this month debates whether they are a solution or a sideshow. The glasses are widely available online from websites such as Amazon, which has some selling for under 5. One advert for them claims a 10 to 20 per cent eyesight improvement in just two to four weeks with daily use. Another web seller, Trayner, states: Many users have found they can give up their conventional glasses. Exercise for the eyes: The narrow holes in the lenses filter out the rays of light that would over- or under-shoot the retina, helping to correct a person's vision It is said that looking through the pinholes exercises the ciliary muscles small, circular muscles on the eyes lens that control its shape so the eyes regain their ability to focus properly, leading to permanent sight improvements. The idea that exercising the eyes muscles can have a lasting effect was first proposed more than a century ago by William Bates, an American ophthalmologist, and retains some popularity today. But can pinhole glasses really help correct poor vision permanently? And if so, how do they do it? Vision problems such as long- and short-sightedness and presbyopia, the age-related loss of reading vision, occur because of problems in focusing light. When we look at something, light bounces off it into the eye through the cornea, the clear window at the front of the eye, and through the lens. In a healthy eye, the cornea and lens bend the rays of light so they focus on the retina. This light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye captures the light and turns it into electrical signals, which are then sent down the optic nerve to the brain, where they are converted into images. In short-sightedness, or myopia, the eye struggles to guide the light to the retina. The occasional ray is still on target but most light is focused to a point just in front of the retina. This leaves distant objects looking blurred. In those with long-sightedness, or hyperopia, focusing mainly occurs behind the retina, leading to nearby objects appearing fuzzy. Did you know? Vision problems such as long- and short-sightedness and presbyopia, the age-related loss of reading vision, occur because of problems in focusing light In presbyopia, light from near objects also focuses behind the retina, due to the lens stiffening with age, causing poor close-up vision and difficulty in reading. Glasses and contact lenses correct vision by collecting the rays of light as they enter the eye and altering their path so they converge on the retina rather than just behind or in front of it. Pinhole glasses work differently. The narrow holes in the lenses filter out the rays of light that would over- or under-shoot the retina, allowing the few that are on target through. This produces an image that is in focus. Screwing up the eyes has a similar effect. How often you wear pinhole glasses depends on your needs. If you just want to see better while you are wearing them, you can wear them for as long as you like. The improvement in vision is almost instant. You can also use them to exercise your ciliary muscles and so, the theory goes, permanently improve your vision; it is said that wearing them for just a few minutes a day will produce benefits. The same pinhole glasses will bring into focus objects that are nearby and far away, so they can be used by those who are short-sighted, long-sighted or have presbyopia and there is no need to switch between different glasses for reading and watching television, for instance. However, this comes at a cost. Cutting the amount of light that enters the eye reduces the quality of the image, so while it may be sharp, it is also dim. Depth perception is lost, too, and colours can be murky and peripheral vision is limited, which means pinhole glasses shouldnt be worn when driving. Some users complain of headaches, which are probably caused by the strain of focusing in dim light. And, of course, pinhole glasses look rather peculiar. Despite all these drawbacks, they do work for as long as they are being worn, says Daniel Hardiman-McCartney, clinical adviser for the Royal College of Optometrists. A lot of people dismiss pinhole glasses outright, he says, but thats not correct because they do focus light however, that comes with a number of disadvantages. Off-set: Cutting the amount of light that enters the eye reduces the quality of the image, so while it may be sharp, it is also dim He adds: There is also no evidence that they have any effect on permanently improving your eyesight. If you use them for weeks or months, does your prescription decrease? Do you become less short-sighted? No. You can spend a lot of money on spectacles in the UK but you can also buy straightforward glasses for between 15 and 20, so why would you choose pinhole glasses that are inferior? Mr Hardiman-McCartney adds that every few years there is a spike in interest in pinhole glasses among patients. Some tell him they have made a lasting improvement to their vision but when they undergo testing, there has been no change. John Snelgrove, an optician in St Albans, Hertfordshire, agrees that pinhole glasses do nothing to improve vision in the long term. He says they are, however, a useful temporary solution if someone has broken or forgotten their usual spectacles. Similarly, this months article in the journal Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics concludes that pinhole glasses are neither a complete solution nor an over-hyped irrelevance. Mr Snelgrove, who is campaigning for all motorists to undergo regular eye tests, adds that pinhole glasses can also show someone how good their eyesight could be. If a persons vision is better with pinhole spectacles, they may need conventional glasses, he says. And those who already wear spectacles may need a new prescription if their vision is better when they wear pinhole glasses over their normal glasses. Eye doctors interest in the pinhole effect is not limited to glasses. Over the years, they have created and tested pinhole contact lenses, pinhole lenses for cataract operations and eye drops that shrink the pupil, creating a natural pinhole. But while these did improve focus, they had the same drawbacks as pinhole glasses and so have been abandoned. The difference between looking through pinhole and normal glasses has been compared to the contrast between listening to music from a small stereo at high volume and an orchestra playing live. Pinhole glasses do work, in the same way that an old Walkman at high enough volume allows people in the room to hear clear music, says Dr Robert Burke, an optometrist at Calgary Vision Centre in Canada. But there is more to music than clarity, and wearing normal glasses is like walking into a theatre while the orchestra is playing live. A judge has ordered the full release of the lawsuit accusing Purdue Pharma of fueling the opioid crisis with highly addictive drugs and marketing tactics. The previously heavily redacted document, filed by the state of Massachusetts, is expected to reveal how the company made its marketing decisions - and how much its bosses were earning. Last week, the redacted version of the lawsuit revealed allegations that former Purdue CEO Richard Sackler wanted to sell OxyContin, a now-banned painkiller blamed for thousands of overdose deaths, as an uncontrolled substance overseas - only to be persuaded by the drug's creator that such a move could have dangerous consequences. It also featured claims that Sackler told promised people at the prescription opioid painkiller's launch party in the 1990s that it would be 'followed by a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition.' But today, after media organizations appealed to see the entire complaint, Massachusetts state judge Janet Sanders declared there was no good reason for any elements to be held from the public in the midst of a drug overdose epidemic. The previously heavily redacted document, filed by the state of Massachusetts, is set to reveal how the company made its marketing decisions - and how much its bosses were earning The full document will be released by midday on Friday - though Purdue can fight with an appeal. 'Any interest in keeping this information secret is hardly compelling and certainly not enough to overcome the presumption of public access,' Judge Sanders said, according to STAT News, one of the outlets that filed a motion to release the document. The only element that remained redacted was a paragraph about a Purdue Pharma employee's personal medical information, STAT reported. The rest, Sanders said, 'may prove embarrassing for some of the defendants' but 'is not intensely personal or private'. OxyContin hit the market in 1996. It is a brand-name version of oxycodone, an opioid anagelsic which relieves pain. But unlike other oxycodone products, OxyContin was marketed as having a longer, 12-hour release. As such, it contained a higher dose of oxycodone, which would (in theory) release the painkiller over time. However, it became clear that such a potent dose was highly addictive. Nan Goldin, the revered photographer, claims she was hooked within two days after being prescribed OxyContin for a routine surgery. It drove her to request refills or turn to street drugs. Another addictive factor: the pills, it emerged, were very easy to crush and snort, or boil down to inject. The opioid addiction and overdose epidemic was not driven by one drug, but many see OxyContin as the poster child. It swiftly grew a cult status on the black market and club scenes. What's more, lawyers claim Purdue Pharma - owned by the Sacklers, one of the wealthiest families in the US with their name branded across universities and art museums - was targeting doctors with lucrative offers to push their product. Now, as states try to curb over-prescription, Purdue Pharma is the top target. The Massachusetts lawsuit is believed to offer fresh details on how Purdue came to be the nation's superstar opioid. Purdue Pharma's lawyers urged Judge Sanders not to release the full document, saying the decision should be left to federal judges in Ohio, who are facing the same question over a federal case against Purdue. It's not clear whether Ohio is more or less likely to release the document, but the decision will likely take longer. Judge Sanders dismissed the suggestion. Some California doctors are selling 'medical' exemptions from vaccinations to anti-vaxxer parents. After a 2015 outbreak of measles in the state, California banned non-medical exemptions from shots for religious or philosophical reasons. Despite the risks, some parents have remained adamant that their children not be vaccinated, so they've found a work-around - and some physicians are profiting. These doctors are charging as much as $100 to give parents a medical exemption from getting their children vaccinated - even though these children may not really need these exemptions for their safety. What's more, their suspect exemptions may help to fuel outbreaks of completely preventable diseases like measles, which are already on the rise in many US states. Some California doctors are helping anti-vaxxer parents keep shots away from their kids by writing what they claim are 'medical' exemptions from vaccination - and profiting from it For a very small percentage of children, vaccines are not safe. But these people make up a minority and the reasons they shouldn't get shots - particularly the combination vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) - are fairly obvious. Vaccines may not be safe for people that allergic to some component of them, have inherited blood clotting disorders or weakened immune systems that may be vulnerable to the weakened versions of the viruses that are in the vaccines. Only about one in every 2,000 US children has a primary immune deficiency. By contrast, before the MMR vaccine was introduced, nearly every child would get the measles before age 15, and between 400 and 500 would die each year of the highly-contagious virus. By the 1980s, the disease was all but eliminated. But then Dr Andrew Wakefield published a now-debunked study that purported to link the MMR vaccine to autism. Despite a much larger body of research - before and after the Wakefield study - disproving that theory, many Americans latched fearfully onto the notion and refused to vaccinate their children. Anti-vaccination lobbies have helped to push non-medical vaccination exemption laws through 18 state legislatures - including in California. But following a 2015 measles outbreak notoriously spread linked to Disney theme parks in California, the state did away with its non-medical exemption laws. Parents, however, have held onto their beliefs. As have some doctors, who charge a pretty penny to help parents keep their children shot free (and at-risk). The website California Coalition for Vaccine Choice advertises resources for 'assistance obtaining a medical exemption,' including evaluations by Dr Ken Stoller and Dr Kelly Sutton. Dr Sutton advertises a whole program to guide parents on dodging vaccinations for $97. In June, Orange County pediatrician Dr Bob Sears was put on 35 months probation by the Medical Board of California for issuing unwarranted medical exceptions. So far, Dr Sears is the only physician that the Board has disciplined for the practice. But spokesperson Carlos Villatoro told Daily Mail Online that 36 other complaints for 'inappropriate vaccine exemptions' were been logged with the Board in 2018 - up from 44 in 2017 and 12 in 2016, the year after non-medical exemptions were discarded in California. Dr Sears remains an outspoken anti-vaxxer in his Facebook posts. California is a hotbed for anti-vaxxers and measles cases alike, though nothing has come close to the 2015 Disney outbreak that sickened 147 people. Keeping an outbreak at bay means having a minimum saturation of vaccinated people, amounting to so-called herd immunity that protects those who truly can't be vaccinated - those with immune deficiencies and infants - relatively safe. The Medical Board of California is willing to take action against doctors selling undeserved exceptions, but it has to know about them to begin with, and that creates a problem. 'One of the challenges that the Board is facing with these type of complaints is that oftentimes the patients' parents do not approach the Board with the complaint because they are seeking the medical exemption,' explained Villatoro in an email. 'In these instances, the Board must be able to prove good cause to issue a subpoena for the medical records.' So far, it has only gotten that far in Dr Sears's case, but is prepared to take action against anyone it can prove is acting in bad faith. Just a single night's lack of sleep can make people more sensitive to pain, warns new research. It activates neurons in an area of grey matter that senses afflictions - and switches off those that dampen them down, according to the study. Researchers say their findings provide the first brain-based explanation for the well-established between shut-eye and physical discomfort. And they suggest more attention should be paid to the importance of decent rest in the recovery of patients in hospital. Disturbed nights on the noisy ward could prolong the agony of sickness and injury, say neuroscientists. Dr Matthew Walker of UC Berkeley applied uncomfortable levels of heat to the legs of 24 healthy young adults while scanning their brains. Those who'd slept well were less sensitive to pain Dr Matthew Walker, a self-professed 'sleep diplomat' of California University, Berkeley, said: 'If poor sleep intensifies our sensitivity to pain, as this study demonstrates, then sleep must be placed much closer to the center of patient care, especially in hospital wards.' He and his PhD student Adam Krause applied uncomfortable levels of heat to the legs of two dozen healthy young adults - while scanning their brains. That showed the neural mechanisms that pick up, evaluate and activate relief to natural pain signals are disrupted when operating on insufficient sleep. The fact pain sensitivity increased in the brain's somatosensory cortex came as no surprise. But what shocked the team was the ramped down reaction in the nucleus accumbens - reward circuitry that releases the 'feel good' chemical dopamine to reduce pain. Dr Walker said: 'Sleep loss not only amplifies the pain-sensing regions in the brain - but blocks the natural analgesia centers, too.' The study, published in JNeurosci, sheds light on the self-perpetuating cycles contributing to the overlapping global epidemics of sleep loss, chronic pain and even opioid addiction. A 2015 National Sleep Foundation poll in the US found that two in three chronic pain patients suffer from reoccurring sleep disruptions. Almost four in 10 admitting they do not get the recommended minimum of seven hours a night. Another key brain region found to slow down in the sleep-deprived brain was the insula. This evaluates pain signals and places them in context to prepare the body to respond. Lead author Mr Krause, a member of Dr Walker's Center for Human Sleep Science lab, said: 'This is a critical neural system that assesses and categorizes the pain signals and allows the body's own natural painkillers to come to the rescue.' To further test the sleep-pain connection in more common daily-life scenarios the researchers surveyed more than 230 adults of all ages nationwide via Amazon's Mechanical Turk online marketplace. Respondents were asked to report their nightly hours of sleep as well as their day-to-day pain levels over the course of a few days. Results showed that even minor shifts in their sleep and wake patterns were correlated with pain sensitivity changes. Mr Krause said: 'The results clearly show even very subtle changes in nightly sleep - reductions that many of us think little of in terms of consequences - have a clear impact on your next-day pain burden.' For the experiment each participant's baseline pain threshold after a full night's sleep was recorded. The researchers did this by gradually increasing heat levels to the skin of their lower left leg while measuring brain activity in an fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanner. The volunteers rated their thermal pain on a scale of one to 10 and reported, on average, discomfort at around 111 degrees Fahrenheit - roughly 44 degrees Celsius. This enabled the researchers to compare how their individual pain threshold changed by repeating the procedure after a sleepless night. The vast majority reported feeling pain sooner - at around 107 degrees Fahrenheit - after lack of sleep. Mr Krause said: 'Across the group, they were feeling discomfort at lower temperatures, which shows their own sensitivity to pain had increased after inadequate sleep. 'The injury is the same, but the difference is how the brain assesses the pain without sufficient sleep.' Meanwhile, brain imaging after a sleepless night showed marked increases in activity in the somatosensory cortex and deactivation in the nucleus accumbens and insular cortex. This indicated malfunctions in the neural mechanisms that manage physiological responses to painful stimuli. Dr Walker, author of the bestseller Why We Sleep, said: 'The optimistic takeaway here is sleep is a natural analgesic that can help manage and lower pain. 'Yet ironically, one environment where people are in the most pain is the worst place for sleep - the noisy hospital ward.' His goal is to work with hospitals to create more sleep-friendly inpatient facilities. He added: 'Our findings suggest patient care would be markedly improved, and hospital beds cleared sooner, if uninterrupted sleep were embraced as an integral component of healthcare management.' Allowing pre-school children to play on iPads and watch lots of television affects their development by the age of five, researchers have found. Scientists assessed the communication, dexterity, problem solving and personal skills of 2,400 children at the age of two, three and five. They found those who were exposed to the most screentime at the age of two showed poorer development by the age of three. And those who spent most time in front of a screen at the age of three had poorer development at age five. The researchers, from the University of Calgary in Canada, said: Digital media and screens are now ubiquitous in the lives of children. Scientists assessed the communication, dexterity, problem solving and personal skills of 2,400 children at the age of two, three and five. They found those who were exposed to the most screentime at the age of two showed poorer development by the age of three Although some benefits of high-quality and interactive screen time have been identified, excessive screen time has been associated with a number of deleterious physical, behavioural, and cognitive outcomes. The researchers, whose findings are published in the JAMA Pediatrics medical journal, tracked 2,400 children for their study. They found that on average, the Canadian children viewed screens for 2.4 hours a day at the age of two and 3.6 a day at the age of three. At the age of five, when they had started school, they still were spending 1.6 hours using gadgets or watching TV every day. The figures, which are similar to statistics seen in British studies, suggest that children are spending so much time in front of screens that they are missing out on crucial developmental activities elsewhere. The scientists wrote: Child development unfolds rapidly in the first five years of life. DOES WATCHING TELEVISION INCREASE CHILDREN'S RISK OF DEVELOPING DIABETES? Watching television for three or more hours a day may increase a child's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, research suggested in July 2017. Children who spend at least three hours in front of a screen are heavier and have greater insulin resistance, a study found. Both of these are risk factors for the condition. Such youngsters also produce impaired amounts of the hormone leptin, the research adds. Leptin is involved in regulating appetite. These results remained even after the study's participant's activity levels were taken into account, the study found. Study author Dr Claire Nightingale from St George's, University of London, said: 'Our findings suggest that reducing screen time may be beneficial in reducing type 2 diabetes risk factors, in both boys and girls, from an early age. 'This is particularly relevant, given rising levels of type 2 diabetes, the early emergence of type 2 diabetes risk, and recent trends suggesting screen-related activities are increasing in childhood.' The researchers analysed 4,495 children aged between nine and 10 years old. The children were assessed for factors that influence their risk of developing diabetes. Their body proportions, activity levels and the amount of time they spend in front of a screen - either watching television or using a computer - every day were also recorded. Advertisement The present study examined developmental outcomes during a critical period of growth and maturation, revealing that screen time can impinge on childrens ability to develop optimally. When young children are observing screens, they may be missing important opportunities to practice and master interpersonal, motor, and communication skills. For example, when children are observing screens without an interactive or physical component, they are more sedentary and, therefore, not practicing gross motor skills, such as walking and running, which in turn may delay development in this area. Screens can also disrupt interactions with caregivers by limiting opportunities for verbal and non-verbal social exchanges, which are essential for fostering optimal growth and development. They added: Greater screen time at 24 months was associated with poorer performance on developmental screening tests at 36 months, and similarly, greater screen time at 36 months was associated with lower scores on developmental screening tests at 60 months. Some experts say toddlers should not be given smartphones and tablets to play with until the age of two - and then they should have their daily screentime limited to no more than an hour a day until they are at least five. Dr Aric Sigman, a psychologist and lecturer in child health education in Brighton, warned in a 2017 study that staring at gadgets early in childhood can lead to screen dependency disorder - an addiction to electronic devices that may last a lifetime. He says parents should follow the guidance set down by the Australian Government, which says babies and toddlers until the age of two should be exposed to no television or gadget screentime at all, and children aged two to five should only have access for one hour a day. Over fives should spend no more than two hours a day in front of a screen, it says. The US Government has similar guidance. Britain does not have guidelines on the issue, although Dame Sally Davies, the UK chief medical officer, has urged parents to set their own age-specific maximum times on screen use to reduce potential damage. Dr Ben Carter, a scientist at Kings College London, advises that all people - adults included - should put their phones down an hour and a half before bed time. He has found in his own research that children and teenagers who use an electronic device within 90 minutes of going to bed are twice as likely to get insufficient sleep - and are nearly three times as likely to feel sleepy during the day. Lowering blood pressure could prevent Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. A study of more than 9,000 over 50s found those who got it below the newly recommended level - with a top reading under 120 - slashed their risk of memory problems by about a fifth. They were also a sixth (15 percent) less likely to develop dementia, a figure that may be conservative to the short duration of the trial. Dr Maria Carrillo, chief science officer at the Alzheimer's Association, said: 'Proof that lowering blood pressure can lower risk for dementia may be key to improving the lives of millions of people around the world.' High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. A growing body of research suggests it may increase risk for dementia Participants who reduced their blood pressure to a top reading of 120 - instead of 140 - were 19 percent less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that often leads to dementia. They also had fewer signs of damage on brain scans, and there were fewer cases of dementia. Last year US authorities changed the definition of hypertension from 140mmGH to 120mmGH - allowing millions more people to access drugs to combat the problem. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the UK's health body, is will announce whether it will follow suit later this year. It would make 14 million more patients eligible for medication. High blood pressure affects over half of people aged over 50 and more than three quarters of over 65s. Principal investigator Professor Jeff Williamson, a gerontologist at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, believes lowering blood pressure more than usually advised may hold the key to combating soaring rates of dementia. He said: 'As doctors treating older patients, we are encouraged to finally have a proven intervention to lower someone's risk for MCI.' This is defined as a decline in memory and thinking skills that is greater than expected with normal ageing. It's a known risk factor for dementia. Dr Williamson said: 'In the study, we found just three years of lowering blood pressure not only dramatically helped the heart but also helped the brain.' The SPRINT MIND study published in JAMA said hypertension has been identified as a potentially modifiable risk factor for MCI and dementia in previous observational research. It included 9,361 volunteers recruited from across the US and Puerto Rico who had been diagnosed with hypertension but not diabetes or stroke. They were chosen at random to achieve a systolic blood pressure goal of either less than 120 mmHG through intensive treatment - including drugs and lifestyle changes - or less than 140 mmHG which was the standard therapy. They were then classified after five years as having no cognitive impairment, MCI or probable dementia. The study was stopped early due to the success of the trial in reducing cardiovascular disease. As a result, participants were on intensive blood pressure lowering treatment for a shorter period than originally planned. This may have made it difficult to accurately determine the role of intensive blood pressure control on dementia cases. Dr Williamson explained: 'Although the study showed a 15 percent reduction in dementia in the intensively controlled group, we were disappointed that the results did not achieve statistical significance for this outcome. 'Last week the Alzheimer's Association agreed to fund additional follow-up of SPRINT MIND participants in the hope that sufficient dementia cases will accrue, allowing for a more definitive statement on these outcomes.' The Alzheimer's Association has now awarded more than $800,000 to support a follow up study which will involved the same people over another two years. This will further investigate the impact of intensive blood pressure treatment on reducing risk of dementia. Dr Carillo said: 'SPRINT MIND 2.0 and the work leading up to it offers genuine, concrete hope. 'MCI is a known risk factor for dementia, and everyone who experiences dementia passes through MCI. 'When you prevent new cases of MCI, you are preventing new cases of dementia. 'The Alzheimer's Association finds these data to be compelling, and is committed to getting clarity and certainty on the dementia outcome by following participants for a longer period of time.' She added: 'The Alzheimer's Association is committed to getting the answers about treating and preventing Alzheimer's and other dementias. 'We are filling the gaps in Alzheimer's research, and - with the support of our donors and partners - we act rapidly to maximise opportunities.' This was welcomed by Dr Williamson, who said: 'Dementia takes longer to develop than MCI. 'Consequently, the early termination of the study likely affected the number of dementia cases detected. 'Further cognitive assessment of the SPRINT MIND study participants might discover enough additional cases of probable dementia to support a more definitive conclusion.' High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. A growing body of research suggests it may increase risk for dementia. Dr Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), which funded the study, said: 'Dementia continues to be a large public health challenge, and based on the primary results of this study, we still have yet to find an intervention strategy proven to reduce the risk of dementia. 'Nevertheless, the secondary results showing that intensive lowering of blood pressure may reduce risk for MCI, a known risk factor for dementia, gives us additional avenues to explore on the path to prevention.' The researchers said an important conclusion is the intensive lowering of systolic blood pressure - when your heart beats and pushes the blood round your body - reduces the risk of heart attacks and stroke, and is safe for the brain. A woman who was told she would not be able to have children because of a medical condition managed to give birth twice. Hannah Carpenter, 35, from Ipswich, Suffolk, spent a year trying to have a baby with her 38-year-old husband Michael. After their attempts to start a family failed, doctors said she had polycystic ovarian syndrome, which meant her odds of conceiving naturally were slim. The couple persevered for eight years, attempting an array of expensive procedures, including artificial insemination and four rounds of IVF. After the long-running battle - which included one devastating miscarriage - the pair had accepted they would never have their own child. But Mrs Carpenter was gobsmacked after she joined the gym to lose weight, and a few months later, discovered she was expecting a baby. And just when the couple thought they couldn't be any happier, they found out they would be having a second daughter. Mrs Carpenter said she and her husband feel 'so lucky' to have Nancy and Dorothy, now aged three and one, respectively. Hannah Carpenter, 35, spent a year trying to have a baby with her 38-year-old husband Michael before she was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (pictured with their daughters Nancy, three, and Dorothy, one) She said: 'A lot of people take for granted that they can have children when they want to. I never imagined that I might not be able to. 'I always appreciate things and know how lucky I am to have them both. Sometimes, I sit and look at them and still can't believe it.' Speaking about her pregnancies, Mrs Carpenter, who works for an insurance broker, said: 'The first time I just couldn't believe it. 'I had been talking with a friend because I had one month of normal cycles and the next month it had stopped. 'She asked if I was pregnant and I said "God no". She said I should do a test just to be on the safe side. 'The next day I did the test. It changed straight away. I just sat there thinking, "Oh my God, oh my god". She added: 'I went and told my husband and he was in shock as well. He said, "It can't be right".' Mrs Carpenter, who married dock crane operator Michael in 2006, then rushed to see her GP, who confirmed the good news. Mrs Carpenter said she and her husband feel 'so lucky' to have Nancy and Dorothy, now aged three and one, respectively Mrs Carpenter was gobsmacked after she joined the gym to lose weight, and a few months later, discovered she was expecting a baby - after years of failed attempts (with Dorothy) RISK FACTORS FOR POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) affects between eight and 12 percent of American women. The condition is marked by chronic ovarian cysts, which are fluid-filled sacs that can form if a follicle fails to deposit an egg. While any woman can get ovarian cysts, those with PCOS also have elevated levels of the male hormone, androgen. Scientists do not know what causes this endocrine abnormality, but it often coincides with obesity and insulin resistance. Yet, like many aspects of PCOS, obesity contribute to the development of PCOS, or the relationship may go in the opposite direction, such that PCOS causes weight gain. Advertisement She added: 'I spent a fortune on pregnancy tests every week, just to make sure something was there. 'I just kept having to pinch my self. At the time, I was scared that something was going to go wrong. It seemed too good to be true.' The couple returned from their honeymoon in Egypt more than a decade ago and decided to try for a baby. After a year of no luck, Mrs Carpenter was then diagnosed with PCOS, a condition which strikes up to 10 per cent of women. Many women with the condition have difficulty conceiving a child because it can interfere with ovulation, causing irregular or nonexistent periods. The couple were told they would have to 'go down the fertility treatment route'. First off, they tried artificial insemination before using medication to stimulate her ovaries. Neither helped. When that proved futile, they went through four rounds of IVF treatment. Although one of these proved successful, Mrs Carpenter suffered a miscarriage. Mrs Carpenter said an endocrinologist told her that her weight loss was probably the reason she had conceived (pictured at Christmas with husband Michael, Nancy and Dorothy) The couple's story came to light after her gym nominated her for its 'Inspirational Member of the Year' award, which she won (pictured Nancy and Dorothy) She said: 'We were devastated to be honest. We got a little glimmer of hope. For that to be taken away a few weeks later, it just seemed so cruel. 'I remember crying to my mum and dad saying I just didn't understand how it was fair.' By this point, the pair had all but given up on the idea they would ever be able to start a family. Mrs Carpenter said: 'We thought it was just not going to happen. We'll just have to be happy how we are. 'I joined the gym to lose weight, and at the time I didn't think anything of it. I'd lost weight in the past and it hadn't made any difference.' After a few months at the gym, Mrs Carpenter had dropped from around 14st 7lb to 10st 7lb. In May 2015, she found out she was almost two months pregnant, and the following January, gave birth to her first daughter Nancy. Mrs Carpenter said an endocrinologist at Ipswich Hospital told her that her weight loss was probably the reason she had conceived. 'With PCOS, your hormones are out of balance and losing weight can help them balance it up,' Mrs Carpenter said. After the long-running battle to have a child, the pair had accepted they would never have their own child (Mrs Carpenter is pictured with Dorothy) Mrs Carpenter, who works as a relationship manager for an insurance broker, is pictured with her husband and their two children Mrs Carpenter said: 'It's difficult to lose weight when you've got PCOS but it's worth trying. I would say to not give up and give it a go' (pictured with Nancy and her baby bump) And almost exactly two years later, she gave birth to her second daughter Dorothy. She said: 'It was still a bit of a shock. After having Nancy, things turned to normal and my cycles stopped again. 'The doctor said she doubted I would be having more children.' The couple's story came to light after her gym nominated her for its 'Inspirational Member of the Year' award, which she won. Mrs Carpenter said she wanted to send a message to other women with PCOS not to give up all hope. She added: 'It's difficult to lose weight when you've got PCOS but it's worth trying. I would say to not give up and give it a go.' Charities warn patients are being 'forgotten to death' and call for 'urgent action' The figure is up a third from 2013, when 55 people died of malnourishment lack of food was listed as their main cause of death A total of 936 people died with either malnourishment, dehydration or choking Hundreds of NHS hospital patients have died of malnutrition, thirst and choking on wards, figures have revealed. Almost three patients a day died in hospitals because of the neglect in 2017. Some 936 patients had one of the symptoms listed on their death certificates. Patients are being 'forgotten to death', one charity said, with another warning there needs to be 'urgent action' to keep old people out of hospital. There are concerns staff shortages make it more difficult to ensure inpatients get enough to eat and drink. Dozens of people are dying on NHS wards because they aren't getting enough food and water, figures show, with an age charity warning elderly people are at higher risk (stock image) In 2017 an average of 75 people per month died with malnourishment, dehydration or choking named as a contributing factor on their death certificate. Throughout the year a lack of food was the main cause of death for 74 people believed to be the most ever. The figure is 34 per cent higher than in 2013, when 55 people died of starvation, according to The Sun. An age charity has warned older people are at particular risk of starving, and debilitating conditions like dementia can make it difficult for them to eat or be fed. NHS Resolution, which deals with compensation, has paid out 312,000 in the last five years for claims regarding hospital-caused malnutrition The Sun reports. 'It is tragic,' said Joyce Robins, spokesperson for Patient Concern. 'It would seem from the figures that too many people are not getting adequate care. 'However, I can imagine that in a busy ward, with staff stretched to the limit, the quiet patients in the corner can be forgotten to death. 'It all comes down to too few staff for too many patients. It all seems a very sorry state of affairs.' Statistics showed 291 of the 936 patients choked to death, while dehydration was the main cause of death for 37 and a contributing factor for 265. There is believed to be overlap in the figures among patients who had more than one of the conditions listed on their death certificate. If people don't get enough to eat and drink their immune system becomes weakened, making them more likely to get infections and struggle to fend them off. Malnutrition also causes rapid weight loss, tiredness and muscle weakness, all of which can quickly make someone more frail and vulnerable. Elderly people are particularly at risk because they are often already weaker and have longer recovery times. Director of Age UK, Caroline Abrahams told The Sun: 'The shocking reality is that in our country today more than one million older people suffer from or are at risk of malnutrition. 'We know there is a real lack of support for people in the community, meaning around a third of older people admitted to hospital are already malnourished or at risk. 'We urgently need to see more action long before they ever get to hospitals.' Hypochondriacs who misinterpret information from their digital fitness trackers are putting extra pressure on the NHS. Data from health trackers such as Fitbits, Garmins and Apple Watches can wrongly suggest illness, experts have warned. Worried patients are then visiting their GP to discuss their concerns, which a report has warned could overwhelm the NHS. Data from health trackers such as Fitbits, Garmins and Apple Watches can wrongly suggest illness (pictured: a Fitbit Health apps are blamed for the potential 'dystopian' scenario facing the NHS in a new report from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. It said an inordinate number of patients are visiting their doctor purely on the basis that 'they have erroneously been told to attend by their AI-enabled Fitbit or smartphone', The Times reported. One of the paper's authors, Jack Ross, said heart rate monitors had caused anxiety in his own patients. He added that they had come him 'thinking they have a fast rate or low heart rate when it has been normal'. Mr Ross cast doubt over the reliability of such devices and said: 'There is a saying, "garbage in, garbage out".' More than 15million Fitbit devices were sold worldwide in 2017 alone and the latest Charge 3 model retails at 129.99. The company's website says its technology 'has never just been about building trackers. It's about you and finding better ways to help you live a healthier, more active life'. Chairman of the academy Carrie MacEwan said: 'Doctors have always welcomed technological advance. 'But what this report shows clearly is that we must manage the way it is introduced with as much care as we would with any other medical breakthrough'. As well as tracking vital core statistics such as heart rate, health apps are expanding into areas including women's fertility. The 249 Ava tracker bracelet, for example, claims to monitor the menstrual cycle with 89 per cent accuracy, aiming to help women get pregnant. Warnings over the addictive nature of health trackers especially the step count feature provoked a spokesman for Fitbit to encourage those with concerns over any 'unhealthy behaviours' to contact their doctor earlier this month. The report comes amid Britain's GP crisis, which has seen practices reach 'breaking point' because of chronic staff shortages. Shock figures released in December showed practice list sizes have risen by almost 50 per cent since 2004. NHS data shows 59.6million patients were registered with a GP surgery in December 2018 - across 7,017 practices. This made the average practice list size 8,490 in December 2018. By contrast, the average number was 5,891 in 2004, the figures showed. And experts in November calculated more than 2.5million patients across England could see their GP surgeries close in the next five years. A chicken's eggs could be genetically modified to contain proteins used in arthritis and cancer drugs, research suggests. A study found modifying the farm animal's DNA causes their eggs to be rich in proteins that are often lacking in people suffering from common diseases. These proteins are already produced synthetically and used in drugs to 'reset' the body's chemical balances. But manufacturing proteins in eggs would be 100 times cheaper than making them in a factory. And just three eggs is enough to produce an adequate protein dose - with a typical hen laying 300 eggs a year. Chicken's eggs could be genetically modified to contain proteins for cancer drugs (stock) The research was carried out by the University of Edinburgh and led by Professor Helen Sang, from the department of vertebrate development. 'We are not yet producing medicines for people, but this study shows chickens are commercially viable for producing proteins suitable for drug discovery studies and other applications in biotechnology,' Professor Sang said. The team genetically modified hens to produce the human protein IFNalpha2a, which has powerful anti-viral and anti-cancer effects. The animals were also made to contain human and pig versions of the protein macrophage-CSF. Macrophage-CSF makes up part of the immune system and is being investigated as a therapy that stimulates damaged tissue to repair itself. When the researchers cracked the eggs and separated the yolk from the whites, they found the latter had large quantities of both of these proteins. Results - published in the journal BMC Biotechnology - also found the proteins produced were just as effective as those created in the lab. The biggest saving will come from chicken sheds being far cheaper to build and maintain that highly-sterile labs in a factory. RED WINE MAY PREVENT CANCER Scientists have revealed how red wine may prevent cancer. An antioxidant - called resveratrol - in the tipple stops the formation of protein clumps that are found in 50 per cent of tumours, a Brazilian study found. It is unclear how much red wine people need to drink to reap the benefits of resveratrol, which is also found in cranberries, blueberries and peanuts. Researchers hope the findings will lead to the development of a drug that prevents such protein clusters. One in two people born after 1960 in the UK will develop cancer at some point in their lives. Some forms of the disease are rarer than others, with bladder cancer affecting one in 27 men and breast cancer one in 10 women in the US. Advertisement And eggs are already used to grow viruses for vaccines, like the flu jab. Dr Ceri Lyn-Adams - head of science strategy at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, who was not involved in the study - added: 'These recent findings provide a promising proof of concept for future drug discovery and potential for developing more economical protein-based drugs.' Although it may be between 10 and 20 years before sufficient research is collected to support drug production in eggs, the scientists are confident their study is a step in the right direction. Dr Lissa Herron - head of the avian biopharming business unit at Roslin Technologies, which is part of Edinburgh University - said: 'We are excited to develop this technology to its full potential. 'Not just for human therapeutics in the future but also in the fields of research and animal health.' Drugs that cure animal illnesses by boosting their immune systems may be a welcome alternative to antibiotics given the ongoing resistance crisis. This sort of medication has already been used to help regenerate the liver or kidneys of pets, Dr Herron said. And the researchers stress animal welfare is not a concern, with the chickens being 'pampered' compared to their counterparts on the farm. 'They are fed and watered and looked after on a daily basis by highly trained technicians, and live quite a comfortable life,' Dr Herron told the BBC. 'As far as the chicken knows, it's just laying a normal egg. It doesn't affect its health in any way, it's just chugging away, laying eggs as normal.' A student has asked that popular clothing brand PrettyLittleThing stop sending shoppers low quality clothing after receiving a dress that was 'ridiculously unflattering.' Olivia Browne, 18, from Cardiff, posted a picture of the creased yellow dress she received alongside a picture from PLT's website with the dress worn by a model on Twitter over the weekend. Captioning the pictures she wrote: 'Is this a joke? Thank you for this low quality, unflattering dress that looks nothing like the picture on the website. Really worth the money.' The student said that she had bought the 20 dress for her boyfriend's birthday and was hugely disappointed when she opened the package. Olivia Browne was left hugely disappointed when she received a 'ridiculously unflattering' dress (seen right on Olivia) from PrettyLittleThing that looked nothing like she ordered (seen on model left) She shared snaps of the 'low quality' item on Twitter and is now calling for the brand to up its quality She said: 'My first thought when I tried it on was disappointment because it was an extremely thin and crumpled material of low quality and also ridiculously unflattering. 'I couldn't believe how different it looked in person to the website - it looked like a completely different dress.' The dress she had been sent was covered in deep creases with no shape to it compared to the fitted ensemble she had admired on the website. Olivia had been planning to wear the dress to her boyfriend's birthday and said she couldn't believe how different it looked She has previously shopped at the brand (seen here in one of their dresses) and says that they can 'get it right' Olivia says she will now be cautious when buying from the UK-based fashion retailer in the future. She said: 'It's definitely a deterrent. If I've seen a certain item of clothing go viral online from them - it's usually they're trousers because the sizing is so bad - then I won't buy them.' Olivia believes that the fast-fashion label isn't being honest to its young shoppers. She said: 'It's disgusting that a company many young girls see as trendy and affordable clothing site get away with sending people such low quality clothes with bad sizing.' She added: 'The dress that I'm wearing in my profile picture is actually a PLT so you can see that I've used them before and that they've sometimes got it right so that's why it's so disappointing that they're so hit and miss.' The dress she had been sent was covered in deep creases with no shape to it compared to the fitted ensemble she had admired on the website Olivia has been left unsatisfied by the response she received from the retailer which told her to return the dress The Criminology and Social Policy student said that she had contact PLT but the response wasn't good enough. She said: 'I messaged them because they Tweeted me to message them, but their response was just to return the item and that's apparently the only response they have to all their complaints, which as you can see from Twitter, they have a lot.' MailOnline has contacted PrettyLittleThing for a comment. This is just the latest complaint that the clothing company has faced with a whole host of shoppers coming forward with their disappointing purchases... The coat that looked three sizes too big Twitter user @SophiaCK ordered an oversized 60 red coat expecting expecting a statement piece for winter. But when she received the garment it appeared to be at least three times too big, drowning her in fabric. She shared a hilarious side-by-side comparison of herself in the coat alongside the model in the coat with the tweet: 'The very rare occasion when the plus size item you ordered online is way bigger than expected,' later adding: 'Who wore it better?' And the responses were just as witty, with one person writing, 'Great way to sneak snacks into the cinema,' while another jokingly added: 'Don't you dare send this rare piece of haute couture back.' Sophie later followed up with two more photos, adding a funny tweet: 'Who was the designer who thinks fat people's bodies are just expanded out from thin peoples in a way that would make this collar and these sleeves make sense. I just want to talk.' Twitter user @SophiaCK from the US took the retailer to task over a plus-size jacket which was ridiculously over-sized in a series of hilarious tweets. She is the latest in a string of shoppers to have been left disappointed with the clothes they received from PrettyLittleThing She shopper ordered an oversized 60 red coat expecting expecting a statement piece for winter. But the garment she received was so large it left her drowning in fabric, pictured Twitter users were quick to offer their playful takes on the jacket, with one saying it could be a re-purposed Elmo costume Twitter users were quick to suggest playful takes on the jacket. 'I feel like they just repurposed those Elmo costumes from amusement parks,' wrote one, while someone else penned, 'It also looks like it could be used as a robe/towel .' Another added: 'Girl that looks cozy as hell though! I want to zip it up and snuggle in there with you!' while one more commented: 'Those sleeves! You could get an entire chicken in one of those pockets, should you need to.' The mini dress that fell below the knees Megan Leese, from Glasgow, asked the retailer to 'reevaluate' what a size four was after an oversized asymmetric blazer dress arrived and was so big it past her knees The 30 dress that was advertised online is very different to how it appeared on Megan Megan is one of many shoppers to hit out at the fashion giant for poorly sized clothing Shopper Megan Leese, from Glasgow, asked the retailer to 'reevaluate' its sizes after a mini blazer dress bought in her regular size 4 fell well below her knees and barely covered her breasts. The advert of the 50 dress online is shown as just skimming the model's thighs, with a V-neck that shows just a glimpse of cleavage. Air hostess Megan also ordered a second item - a pair of 20 houndstooth trousers - which were similarly oversized. Indeed the trousers were so long they came up far past the models chest, despite being advertised as being snug around the model's waist online. Megan also ordered a monochrome dog tooth wide leg trouser, that were so big they reached her chest The trousers, advertised for 20, are shown online as snug around the model's waist and draping down to her feet - nothing like they appeared on arrival The jumpers with sleeves down to the knees Two shoppers have been recently caught out when they ordered jumpers with sleeves so long they stretched down to their knees. Lauren Tomlinson, 20, shared an image online of herself in the 20 stone loose knit oversized jumper from the online retail giant in a size small. A picture advertising the garment online shows the loose-fit number still clinging to the model's body, with the sleeves stopping at her wrists. However, Lauren from Cambridge found the jumper fit very differently, as she was completely engulfed by the beige number. Lauren Tomlinson, 20, asked PrettyLittleThing 'who's arms are that long' as she shared an image online of herself in the 20 oversized jumper from the online retail giant in a size small An image advertising the jumper online shows it as a snug fit on the model with sleeves stopping at the wrists Lauren took to social media to describe her experience with the retailer and insisted she ordered the same size as the model, but it completely engulfed her Posting a side-by-side picture with the image online, she wrote: '@OfficialPLT are you having a laugh? Small Oversized same size as the model. Who has that long arms?' A second shopper had a similar experience. Carla Ryan, 21, from Dublin ,accused the brand of 'scamming' after she bought a 28 (24.80) pink oversized colourblock jumper. PrettyLittleThing's website shows a model looking cosy in the pastel-coloured garment paired with purple trousers. But on arrival Carla discovered the sleeves of the knit completely enveloped her, and while the body of the jumper stopped at her waist, the sleeves went past her knees. Carla Ryan, 21, from Dublin accused the brand of 'scamming' after she bought a 28 jumper from the retailer PrettyLittleThing's website shows a model looking cosy in the pastel-coloured garment paired with purple trousers Referencing the many times PrettyLittleThing has experienced sizing fails, she wrote 'OfficialPLT scamming us all again' '@OfficialPLT scamming us all again' she wrote as she shared side-by-side images of the model and herself. The item's description reads: 'Can't decide on a colour? No problem, rock this colourblock jumper and wear them all. Featuring a pink, blue and lilac knitted fabric in an oversized style. Team this with more pastels for a totally on-trend look that will get you noticed. PrettyLittleThing has reached out to both Lauren and Carla, and Femail have contacted all three parties for further comment. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden put on a regal display this evening as she attended a banquet dinner in Stockholm. The heir to the Swedish throne joined other dignitaries at the Forest and Agriculture Academy's Feast Meeting at the City Hall in the capital on Monday. The mother-of-two stunned in a sweeping scarlet gown made up of a full tulle skirt and a red velvet bodice. The 41-year-old wore her brunette locks in her signature style of a low chignon and showcasing a pair of pearl drop earrings. Crown Princess Victoria stunned in a floor sweeping red gown as she attended the Forest and Agriculture Academy's Feast Meeting on Monday She could be seen carrying a beaded clutch as well as a small posy of flowers that she had been gifted on her way into the event this evening. Victoria completed her ensemble with the sash and star of the Order of the Seraphim and the family order of King Carl Gustaf worn on ceremonial occasions. The Swedish royal attended the event for a second year in order to deliver awards to the recipients of this year's Royal Academy of Forest and Agriculture Annual prizes. The annual meeting is now in its 207th year, taking place on January 28 on Karl day, where the Academy held its first meeting in 1813. The dress was made up of a full tulle skirt and a red velvet bodice, cutting a dramatic figure as she stepped out into the snow Victoria wore the sash and star of the Order of the Seraphim and the family order of King Carl Gustaf worn on ceremonial occasions She could also be seen carrying a small posy of flowers which she is believed to have been presented upon her arrival The meeting has a different theme every year with 2019's being Food, Taste and Health. The Academy aims to, with the support of science and practical experience and in the interest of society, promote agriculture and forestry and associated activities. Following the prize giving this evening guests will then enjoy a dinner in the Golden Hall. According to local reports this year's menu has been devised by academy members Christina Moller and Ella Nilsson. The Swedish royal attended the event for a second year in order to deliver awards to the recipients of this year's Royal Academy of Forest and Agriculture Annual prizes Chiara Ferragni has revealed her close friend and company's former general manager Alessio Sanzogni died in a tragic car accident in the early hours of Monday morning. In a heartbreaking Instagram post, the 31-year-old Italian fashion blogger shared a photo of herself with Sanzogni, 34, while opening up about the moment she learned of his death. 'I was feeding my baby this morning, having a coffee with a friend in what it seemed like such a normal morning at home,' she wrote. 'Then the worst news arrived: my friend Alessio passed away in a tragic accident.' Devastated: Chiara Ferragni, 31, took to Instagram on Monday to reveal her close friend and company's former general manager Alessio Sanzogni had died in a tragic accident Emotional: In her heartbreaking Instagram post, the Italian fashion blogger opened up about their relationship over the past few years Just three hours before, Ferragni had posted an Instagram Stories video of her 10-month-old son, Leone, happily sitting in his highchair while having breakfast. Sanzogni served as the general manager at Ferragni's company until they parted ways in August 2016. The Italian fashion star, who splits her time between Milan and Los Angeles, admitted that she wished she had spent more time with him after he had left her company. 'I cant find words to express how shocking this is. We used to be super close and used to work together full time, then, a few years ago, took separate ways,' she explained. Work buddies: Sanzogni, pictured with Ferragni in 2015, served as the general manager at her company TBS Crew until they parted ways in August 2016 Regrets: Ferragni, pictured with Sanzogni and Martina Maccherone in 2015, admitted she wished she had spent more time with him in recent years Tragedy: Sanzogni reportedly died in a car accident early Monday morning at about 2 a.m. 'What I regret now is the time we didnt spend together in the past two years, the words we didnt say each other. We still talked and texted, but it was not the talks we used to have.' Ferragni ended her emotional post by reminding her 15.9 million followers to always tell their loved ones how they feel. 'No matter what happens in your life, be always aware to make people you care about feel special. Hope you find your peace Alessio,' she wrote. After leaving TBS Crew, Sanzogni worked as a digital manager at Louis Vuitton. Last September, he launched his own company, Ispiry, a Milan-based consultancy firm focused on digital and influencer marketing and talent management, Women's Wear Daily reported. Start of the day: Just three hours before she learned of Sanzogni's death , Ferragni posted an Instagram Stories video of her 10-month-old son, Leone, happily sitting in his highchair Family: Ferragni and her husband, Italian rapper Fedez, celebrated their son turning 10 months old a few weeks ago According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Sanzogni was driving his car near Bergamo, in the direction of Milan, when the fatal accident occurred at about 2 a.m. local time on Monday. The fashion influencer reportedly crashed his car into a truck, which was stopped due to an accident that had occurred a few minutes before. Thousands of people took to the comment's section of Ferragni's post to offer their condolences, including many fashion insiders. 'This is devastating and my heart breaks to read this. You will be so missed Alessio,' Australian influencer Nicole Warne wrote. 'OMG... I'm so shocked,' Lovely Pepa founder Alex Pereira added. 'RIP he has the best energy.' Greek designer Celia Kritharioti seemed to take a cue from the Pixar movie Up for her latest runway show at Paris Fashion Week. The designer closed out her Spring Summer 2019 presentation with a true show-stopper, sending model Lena Perminova down the runway in a white and pink bridal look. But while the wide dress and enormous bustle were certainly head-turners, the model's simple, sheer veil was positively jaw dropping because it was being held aloft behind her by about three dozen balloons. Fashion so fly! Greek designer Celia Kritharioti had a showstopper of a final look at her runway show at Paris Fashion Week on January 22 Pixar posh! Model Lena Perminova wore a pink and white gown and a veil that floated behind her Magical moment: The veil was held aloft by about three dozen helium-fueled balloons Fash floats: The ingenious trick, famously used to an exaggerated degree in the movie Up, was definitely unique The show, held at Beaux-Arts de Paris, was filled with beautiful satin ball gowns and ethereal feather numbers but none was so ethereal as the veiled look. Rather than let the veil simply trail behind her on the floor as nearly every designer has done before her, Celia had about three dozen clear balloons decorated with pink polka dots to match the dress, of course filled with helium so they'd rise up. She then had them tied around the hem of the veil, allowing it to float along behind the model as she walked. The ingenious trick famously used to an exaggerated degree in the movie Up definitely provided a little extra magic. Gorgeous: The show, held at Beaux-Arts de Paris, was filled with beautiful satin ball gowns and ethereal feather numbers The balloons weren't the only aerial attraction at the show, either. Titled Cirque des Couleurs, it had a circus theme, and trapeze artists performed near the ceiling Pretty: Three models are seen walking the runway during the show The circus: According to British Vogue, the designer quoted Ernest Hemingway in show materials 'Life should be light and amazing, like a balloon!' the designer wrote on Instagram, sharing a video taken of the big moment. Russian model Lena, meanwhile, thanked the designer for letting her both open and close the show and described the veiled dress as a 'fairy tale'. The balloons weren't the only aerial attraction at the show, either. Titled Cirque des Couleurs, it had a circus theme, and trapeze artists performed near the ceiling. According to British Vogue, the designer quoted Ernest Hemingway in show materials: 'The circus is good for you, it is the only spectacle that while you watch it, it gives the quality of a truly happy dream.' The cosmetics company that made headlines for its political 'F*ck Trump' lipstick is striking again with a new shade named in honor of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. This month, the brand Lipsl*t has debuted a brand new shade of matte liquid lipstick that pays homage to the current longest-serving female Supreme Court Justice. The hot pink lipstick, called Notorious R.B.G., is the brand's latest product that allows shoppers to put their money where their mouth is in more ways than one by donating half of sales to charity. The dissenting shade! Cosmetics brand Lipsl*t has debuted a brand new shade of matte liquid lipstick that pays homage to Ruth Bader Ginsburg Good deeds: The shade is called 'Notorious R.B.G.' and the company will donate half of sales to 'organizations that embody her ethos' The choice for the tribute seems to come from customer feedback. 'Nominated by you, Notorious R.B.G. matte liquid lipstick is an iconic, brilliant, bad b*** berry!' says the brand on the product information page.' What's more, the company promises to give half of sales of the $19.95 lipstick to charities like the She Should Run and Equal Rights Advocates 'In honor of Justice Ginsburgs commitment to equality, 50% of all earnings from Notorious R.B.G. go towards supporting organizations that embody her ethos,' the site says. 'These organizations are to be chosen by the people, as with every lipstick purchased comes an opportunity to vote.' The lipsticks, which are cruelty-free and vegan, start shipping in March. Putting money where your mouth is! The company created the currently sold-out 'F*ck Kavanaugh' lipstick shade last year Donations: 'In the wake of recent allegations, 50% of all earnings from F*ck Kavanaugh go towards helping anti-sexual assault organizations,' Lipsl*t announced RBG isn't the only Supreme Court Justice to get a shade from the company though while hers is a tribute, Brett Kavanaugh's is decidedly less flattering. Last fall, Lipsl*t began selling a shade called 'F*ck Kavanaugh,' a berry red the brand mockingly described as 'cool, calm, and collected.' 'In the wake of recent allegations, 50% of all earnings from F*ck Kavanaugh go towards helping anti-sexual assault organizations,' Lipsl*t announced. The idea certainly seemed popular, as the shade is currently sold out. Raising funds: Lipsl*t debuted a F*ck Trump shade after the election, and donates half of sales from this lipstick to civil rights organizations The brand, which was created by college students in San Luis Obispo, first earned widespread internet attention for its inaugural political lipstick, a light pink shade called 'F*ck Trump'. The shade was created in the aftermath of the November 2016 presidential election, and debuted with the promise that half of sales would be donated to causes 'targeted by the Trump administration. However, in the summer of 2018, Lipsl*t announced that for a limited time, it would donated a full 100 per cent of sales to help families who are separated at the US-Mexico border. Spurring them: For a limited time last year, the brand donated 100% of sales to help families separated at the border, raising over $100,000 in two weeks In just two weeks, the company raised more than $100,000 for organizations including Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights, and Al Otro Lado. Lipsl*t told Bustle that its fundraising efforts against the Trump administration's immigration policy had been so successful that the lipstick shade was put on back-order. The brand had previously raised $40,000 towards a number of organizations, with customers casting a vote for their preferred one with each purchase. 'With every lipstick purchased comes an opportunity to submit a vote for your favorite charity,' the brand explains on its website. 'At the end of our campaigns we'll tally the results, and winners will be announced by popular vote. We'll send out donations thereafter. Please understand that your choices may not be selected, and that all votes are treated equally.' The Prince of Wales couldn't hide his delight when he got behind the wheel of a new eco-friendly black cab in Coventry today. Charles, 70, was visiting the London EV Company (formerly the London Taxi Company) as part of a whistlestop tour of the city on Monday. He began his visit to R&D Centre and Manufacturing Plant in Ansty Park by viewing a display of five London taxis, representing 70 years of taxi production in Coventry. The eco-warrior royal was shown models spanning from the FX3, released in 1948, to Londons new electric taxi: the TX eCity which was released in 2018. The Prince of Wales gets behind the wheel during a visit to the London EV Company (formerly the London Taxi Company) as part of a whistlestop tour of the city on Monday Charles began his visit by viewing a display of five London taxis, representing 70 years of taxi production in Coventry (pictured second right, with the factory staff and council officials) He also toured the assembly line and body shop to see the production processes of the TX eCity, and met with some of the companys workers and apprentices before unveiling a plaque commemorating the visit. London EV Company Ltd. (LEVC) has built the iconic London taxi in Coventry for almost 70 years. The companys manufacturing plant, which opened in 2017, is the UKs first car factory dedicated to the production of electric vehicles. Earlier on Monday, the prince was left impressed when he visited a project marking his 70th birthday - an unloved, historic building with peeling wallpaper and damp. Charles visited Coventry's Drapers' Hall to learn more about a 5 million project to transform the 19th century building into a music venue and education centre for young musicians. During his visit today, Charles toured the assembly line and body shop to see the production processes of the TX eCity, and met with some of the companys workers and apprentices before unveiling a plaque commemorating the visit One's behind the steering wheel! The Prince of Wales couldn't hide his delight when he got behind the wheel of a new eco-friendly black cab in Coventry today The Prince of Wales (centre) walks along a line of all the taxi's made by London EV as he tours the facility and meet employees during his visit to the London EV Company in Coventry. London EV Company has built the iconic London taxi in Coventry for almost 70 years Charles walks along a line of all the taxi's made by London EV. The manufacturing plant, which opened in 2017, is the UKs first car factory dedicated to the production of electric vehicles VIP visitor: The Prince of Wales began his visit to London EV on Monday by viewing a display of five London taxis, representing 70 years of taxi production in Coventry The new London EV taxi manufactured by the London EV Company. LEVC has built the iconic London taxi in Coventry for almost 70 years The Prince of Wales began his visit to the R&D Centre and Manufacturing Plant in Ansty Park by viewing a display of five London taxis, representing 70 years of taxi production in Coventry The project is one of the '7 for 70' initiatives - a collection of ambitious schemes to create community regeneration projects across the UK to mark the prince's milestone birthday. Geoff Willcocks, vice chairman of Historic Coventry Trust which is working with Charles's The Prince's Foundation to revive the hall, said: 'I think the prince thought it was a fantastic project. 'Now seeing it in the flesh, he can actually appreciate how beautiful this building is and how incredibly well preserved some areas are.' The Prince of Wales later visited Tricker's Ltd to help mark the factor's 190th year. Tricker's is one of the region's oldest shoemakers Charles at Tricker's today. The company, which uses traditional methods and processes to create its products, has held a Royal Warrant from The Prince of Wales since 1989 The prince toured the factory and met apprentices and factory workers as they undertook the 260 manufacturing processes that make up each pair of shoes or boots The Prince also visited the Tricker's Factory Shop, before unveiling a plaque to commemorate his visit in the company's 190th year during his visit to Coventry today The prince was taken on a tour of the Grade II* building begun in the 1830s but empty for the past 30 years, and ventured into a dark and dank basement to see a rusting Victorian range and a Second World War air raid shelter. It survived the Second World War bombing despite being a few metres from Coventry's cathedral, which was destroyed. Mr Willcocks added: 'I was down in the cellars with the prince and one of the things he was saying was it was incredible that the building was still standing despite what had happened to Coventry in the Blitz. 'The cellars were quite a spectacular moment because, obviously the paint's peeling and it's a bit rough, but it's like stepping back in time.' Earlier today, Charles paid a visit to Drapers' Hall in Coventry to learn more about a 5 million project to transform the 19th century building into a music venue and education centre It survived the Second World War bombing despite being a few metres from Coventry's cathedral, which was destroyed The prince was taken on a tour of the Grade II* building begun in the 1830s but empty for the past 30 years There are few things in life that smell better than the warm aroma of freshly-baked bread. And now, thanks to Bath & Body Works, carb-lovers can wake up to that delicious smell in the comfort of their own homes every day. The brand currently sells a candle called French Baguette, and customers have been positively raving about it on social media and in the site's product review section, with many saying it's the nicest candle they have ever smelled. Bon appetit! Bath & Body Works is selling a candle that smells like a freshly-baked French baguette, and is available in a large (left) and small (right) size High praise! The candle has received a 4.7 star rating on the retailer's website as happy customers leave reviews, with one dubbing the candle as the best she has ever smelled The French Baguette candle, which has been a best-seller since it was originally released in 2012, is available on the store's website and is available in two sizes. The smaller sized candle costs $14.50, while the larger, three-wick version retails for $24.50. The product description for the candle compares its scent to that of a bakery. Delish! Another three-wick version of the French baguette candle, which is also available at Bath & Body Works Its fragrance is described as smelling like 'slow rising dough, crispy crust & a fresh out of the oven' aroma. With many candles carrying scents ranging from floral to fruity, fresh bread might seem like an odd, super-niche fragrance but fans beg to differ. The candle has received a 4.7 star rating on the website, as well as a number of comments from people praising the scent. One customer, who gave the product a five-star rating, wrote: 'Wow this candle surprised me - smells so much better burning than on cold sniff. ' Another commented on the candle, saying: 'For being a top requested fragrance, it literally sold out in 11 minutes. I have been waiting for this fragrance since we sold it in stores back in 2012. 'I have one three-wick left and will not light it so I can still at least smell this heavenly scent.' \Twitter user @rachelann1212 raved: 'I got a candle from Bath and Body called 'fresh baguette' & my house smells like a French bakery and I'm in love.' But thought it's received mostly positive reviews, some customers aren't entirely happy since smelling it immediately makes them want to eat. Popular choice! People on Twitter have been tweeting about the candle, with many saying that the aroma has left them wanting to eat bread Several users revealed that after smelling the candle, they wanted to eat bread. 'Dont buy the French Baguette candle from @bathbodyworks if youre not eating carbs. I learned the hard way,' wrote Twitter user @HayleyCardu. 'Warning: Do not burn the Bath & Body Works "French Baguette" scented candle unless you have IMMEDIATE access to a hot crusty loaf of bread with butter and garlic,' wrote another. 'Bought a candle that smells like French Baguettes. Anyone not eating carbs is invited over for moral support and free smells. Love you', added Twitter user @ashleylavo. 'Got a French baguette scented candle and now all I want to do is eat copious amounts of bread,' another chimed in. It's his first Valentine's Day as a married man, but the Duke of Sussex is set to spend February 14 in the freezing Arctic Circle for a Royal Marines training session. Harry, 34, will spend the day meeting troops who are taking part in Exercise Clockwork in north Norway but is expected to be reunited with his pregnant wife, the Duchess of Sussex, in the evening. Exercise Clockwork is the traditional name for the gruelling annual winter training, based in one of the worlds most demanding environments and focusing on survival in the extreme cold. Harry took part in treks to the North Pole in 2011 (pictured) and South Pole in 2013 with Walking With The Wounded. He will spend Valentine's Day in the Arctic Circle Harry expected to be reunited with his pregnant wife, the Duchess of Sussex, in the evening following the Royal Marines training session (the couple are pictured in Sussex in October) Set 200 miles (322km) inside the Arctic Circle, more than 16,000 Royal Marines and Royal Navy sailors and airmen have taken part in the exercise since 1969. Harrys visit marks the 50th anniversary of Commando Helicopter Force and Joint Helicopter Command deploying to Bardufoss in Norway. Military personnel are taught how to survive, operate and fight in the sub-zero conditions and gain experience of operating aircraft in severe cold weather and mountainous environments. The multinational exercise, hosted by the Norwegian Armed Forces, comprises Environmental Flying Qualifications, Cold Weather Survival, Tent Group Commander and Snow and Ice Driving Courses. Prince Harry joins the Walking with the Wounded team on the island of Spitsbergen, Norway for training before they start their charity trek to the North Pole in March 2011 The duke, in his role as Captain General Royal Marines, will fly to the Air Station in Bardufoss on February 14 to meet military personnel living and training across six months of the year on the base. Harry will also see field tents, snow vehicles and a Quincey Shelter - a makeshift shelter built of snow in which the elite forces are able to camp. February will mark the duke and duchesss first Valentines Day as a married couple, after they tied the knot at Windsor Castle on May 19 last year. February will mark the duke and duchesss first Valentines Day as a married couple, after they tied the knot at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19 last year (pictured) Harry (pictured in Birkenhead earlier this month) will fly to the Air Station in Bardufoss on February 14 to meet military personnel living and training across six months of the year Harry was appointed Captain General Royal Marines in December 2017, taking over the role from his grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh, who held the appointment for 64 years. He will visit the aviation hangar to see some of the specialist aircraft including Apache, Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, and also join Clockwork personnel as they celebrate the 50th anniversary. The duke already has experience of colder climates, facing temperatures as low as -35C on charity expeditions. Harry took part in treks to the North Pole in 2011 and South Pole in 2013 with Walking With The Wounded. The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex have distinct personal styles, so it is of little surprise they hired interior designers with dramatically different tastes to transform their respective royal residences into family homes. Kate, 37, reportedly turned to society architect and designer Ben Pentreath for help decorating her and William's country pile of Anmer Hall, Norfolk, and their main residence at 1A Kensington Palace. Meanwhile Meghan, 37, is understood to have enlisted Vicky Charles, former Global Head of Design at Soho House and a favourite of A-list celebrities, to work her magic on Frogmore House, her and Prince Harry's soon-to-be home on the Windsor estate. But while both Pentreath and Charles each boast a glittering client list, decades of experience and serious star power, they also have signature aesthetics that are as different as the Duchesses themselves. Here, we take a closer look at the two designers... WHO ARE THEY? BEN PENTREATH Royal favourite: Ben Pentreath, second from left, has reportedly worked with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Pictured, Ben Pentreath and husband Charlie McCormick with interior designers Lyn Muse, left, and Bunny Williams in New York in 2016 Famous fans: Kate and William, pictured last month, are said to have trusted Pentreath to help revamp Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, and their main residence at Kensington Palace Pops of colour: Pentreath favours an eclectic mix of fabrics and colours. Pictured, William, Kate and Harry with President and Mrs Obama at William and Kate's Kensington Palace home in 2016 Ben Pentreath studied Art History at the University of Edinburgh before attending the Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture. He worked for five years in New York and then with the Princes Foundation, before starting his own practice in 2004. Since then his studio has established itself as an industry leader, working on everything from urban development to private houses. He also co-owns a shop, Pentreath & Hall, with decorative artist and maker Bridie Hall. Ben lives between London and Dorset with his husband, Charlie. VICKY CHARLES Ultimate in cool girl style: Vicky Charles, pictured, former Global Head of Design at Soho House, now runs her own interior design company with Julia Corden, wife of TV star James Family home: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, pictured together this month, are said to have asked Vicky to bring a personal touch to their new home of Frogmore House, Windsor Tried and tested: A room at Soho Farmhouse, designed by Vicky Charles and her team. The Duchess of Sussex is a fan of the country retreat and is thought to have stayed several times After graduating from Exeter University with a BA in English Literature and Fine Art, Vicky Charles started work at Soho House in London, where she remained for 20 years. Vicky worked her way up the organisation to become the Global Head of Design, responsible for imbuing outposts in Malibu, Barcelona and Isanbul with the club's distinctive laid-back style. The designer also worked on Soho Farmhouse - the British country retreat beloved of Harry and Meghan. In 2016 Vicky left Soho House to found her own studio, Charles & Co with Julia Corden, the wife of James Corden. She now works on everything from small-scale residential renovations to commercial projects. Vicky lives with her two children and husband in New York City and the Hudson Valley countryside. ROYAL CONNECTIONS BEN PENTREATH Large-scale projects: Ben Pentreath has worked with Prince Charles' Duchy of Cornwall on a number of projects, including designing the Royal Pavilion in Poundbury, Dorset, pictured Ben Pentreath has worked with Prince Charles' Duchy of Cornwall on a number of projects, including designing the Royal Pavilion in the town of Poundbury in Dorset. He is understood to have 'helped' the Duchess of Cambridge in revamping the interiors of Anmer Hall and Kensington Palace, according to The Times. Pentreath's team also includes Harry Pelly, who is the cousin of Prince Harry's best friend and former wild child Guy Pelly. VICKY CHARLES The Duchess of Sussex has long been a fan of the Soho House group. Indeed it is rumoured she and Harry chose Dean Street Townhouse for their first date in 2016. Ms Charles and Meghan also have several mutual friends including Canadian Markus Anderson, a consultant of Soho House who met the royal while she was living in Toronto. Ms Charles' business partner Julia Corden is the wife of TV star James Corden, who acted as compere at Harry and Meghans wedding party in May. Vicky has also designed the homes of George and Amal Clooney, who are famously close friends of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. CELEBRITY CLIENTS BEN PENTREATH A-list clients: Mr Pentreath has worked with actresses Liv Tyler, left, and Sarah Jessica Parker Mr Pentreath's vibrant Instagram page is filled with photos from his latest projects but - as might be expected - he keeps the name of their owners discreetly under wraps. However he is known to have worked with several high-profile homeowners, including actresses Liv Tyler and Sarah Jessica Parker. VICKY CHARLES Little treasures: Pentreath designed three nurseries for Amal and George Clooney Ms Charles' celebrity clients have been slightly more in the spotlight. In addition to David and Victoria Beckham, their company Charles & Co has worked for other celebrity friends of Harry and Meghan, including George and Amal Clooney and Gordon and Tana Ramsay. As well as kitting out nurseries at three of the Clooneys properties, Ms Charles who is close to Canadian Markus Anderson, one of Meghan closest pals revamped the main home of the film star and barrister in Sonning, Berkshire. A source previously told the Mail On Sunday: 'Vicky is so ridiculously in demand. She has many, many high-profile clients.' INTERIORS STYLE BEN PENTREATH Ben Pentreath interior's team draws 'inspiration in equal measure from the great English practitioners of the 1960s and 70s, and from historical interiors of every period, but all infused with a fresh modern sensibility', according to the website. Ben combines a strong use of colour, pattern and classical detail with bold contemporary fabric and furniture. VICKY CHARLES Grit and glamour: A room at Soho Farmhouse, Oxfordshire, designed by Vicky Charles Charles & Co. work across a 'wide range of styles' but there is always a mixture of the luxurious and the laid-back. Speaking previously, Ms Charles has noted her Soho House interiors brought together the 'grit and the glamour'. The overall feeling is one that is eclectic yet pulled-together, rooms that feel cohesive but are not overly rigid or matchy. British actress Olivia Colman has revealed that she pretended to be an ex-school friend in order to get her age changed on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Olivia, who is actually 44, told ex-co star David Tennant, on his new podcast, that the online site actually had previously listed her age as 52. The Golden Globe winner said that not only did the site have her age wrong, but the day and month of her birth too. She said that she emailed the site pretending to be someone who went to school with the actress, so she didn't 'look vain' - but was ignored. After a few failed attempts she finally revealed who she was - but in order to change it the site asked for her birth certificate as proof. Olivia Colman has revealed that she pretended to be an ex-school friend in order to get her age changed on Wikipedia Olivia Colman speaking to David Tennant as they recorded his new podcast 'David Tennant Does a Podcast with ' Olivia was talking to ex-Broadchurch co-star on the first episode of his new podcast called 'David Tennant Does a Podcast with ' 'Once, on Wikipedia, they had my birthday as the wrong day, the wrong month, and eight years before I was born,' she explained. Olivia told David her response was: 'Whose f****** birth certificate have you looked at in the first place to make me eight years older?' After some back and forth with the site she revealed that her date of birth was finally changed, but joked that she should have lied and said she was younger. Olivia, who is actually 44, told ex-co star David Tennant, while they recorded his new podcast, that the online site Wikipedia had actually had her age as 52 The actress admitted that losing her anonymity was hard to deal with, but knew that it came with the 'job' The star, who worked with David Tennant on three series of Broadchurch also spoke about how she doesn't enjoy being 'famous'. Admitting that she just wanted to act, she said that losing her anonymity was hard to deal with, but knows that it comes with the 'job'. One of Olivia's first roles was in Channel 4's Peep Show, but she has gone on to star in Hollywood movies such as the Favourite and is due to star in The Crown as Queen Elizabeth II this year. Olivia Colman,who worked with David Tennant on three series of Broadchurch, also spoke about how she didn't like being 'famous' She had been hotly tipped to win the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of a frail, eccentric and introverted Queen Anne of Great Britain in The Favourite at last night's Screen Actors Guild Awards. But she was notably absent as The Wife star Glenn Close beat her to the award, little more than a week after failing to make an appearance at the London Critics Circle Award, where she was named Actress of the Year. Olivia was the first of David's former co-stars to feature on his podcast, and interviews with Jodie Whittaker, Krysten Ritter, Ian McKellen, Jon Hamm and Michael Sheen are also in the pipeline. A couple who began taking their sons mountaineering when they were just nine days old are embarking on their biggest adventure yet. Jamie, 37, and Chet Blotske, 31, from Billings in Montana, left their home on January 25 to take Rowen, two, and 10-month-old Berric, on the 'trip of a lifetime'. The nature-loving duo will trek across all 50 states of the USA with the tots strapped to their bodies in special child-carriers. Planning to complete the trip within two years, the couple will travel from state to state in their motorhome, returning to Montana every few weeks for Chet to continue working part-time as a self-employed estate agent. Jamie, 37, left, and Chet Blotske, 31, from Billings in Montana, left their home on January 25 to take Rowen, two, and 10-month-old Berric, on the 'trip of a lifetime', seen at Bighorn Canyon in Montana Describing herself as having a love of hiking 'in her blood', mother Jamie said: 'We both love being in the outdoors and try to get out as much as possible with the kids.' Explaining that they decided to take advantage of this 'golden window of time', she continued: 'This is something that would go beyond anything we have done before, and we feel that if we don't do it now - when the boys are still small and don't have to go to school yet - then we never will.' Admitting that their finances will be limited, Chet added: 'Our income might be a little bit more restricted because I won't be working as much. But that's something we've considered and weighed up. 'And in the end, we just want to go for it because what we might lose in financial stability we will more than make up in memories to last a lifetime.' The nature-loving duo will trek across all 50 states of the USA with their tots strapped to their bodies in special child-carriers, seen on a hike Montana-born Jamie and Chet from neighbouring North Dakota first met at a New Year's Eve party in the mountains of Montana, while on a snowboarding holiday arranged by a mutual friend at the end of 2010. Immediately bonding over their shared love of the mountains - with Jamie a keen mountaineer since the age of five and Chet an avid winter sportsman - the two fell in love, settled in Billings and were married a year later in July 2011. 'A big part of our relationship from the off revolved around being outdoors together - going on hikes and camping trips in the National Forests around our home,' recalled Jamie. Planning to complete the trip within two years, the couple will travel from state to state in their motorhome (seen), returning to Montana every few weeks for Chet to continue working part-time as a self-employed estate agent Chet and Berric are seen on a snowy hike. Chet will travel through the 50 states with the youngster strapped to his back 'We would try to get out as much as possible up into the mountains, going most weekends for 10-mile hikes, and then on longer camping trips sometimes where it would be just us in a tent beneath the stars for two or three nights.' The arrival of Rowen in April 2016 did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm for hiking and when the baby boy was just over a week old, the fresh air-loving couple took him on his first walking trip, covering a mile with the tot placed in a special baby-carrier strapped to Chet's chest. He recalled: 'We always knew that we would want to introduce our kids to this way of life as soon as possible and Jamie even asked the midwife, when she was pregnant, how soon you could go for a hike with a baby. 'She was a bit surprised and replied, 'I don't think anyone's ever asked me that before!'' Jamie and Berric in Billings are seen hiking in September in Montana and can't wait for their next adventure Chet, who works is a self-employed estate agent, and Rowen. They will return to their home every few weeks for this job Eighteen months later, baby Berric was born and was soon joining his family on five-mile walks across the rocky countryside - with the newborn now in the baby carrier, while Rowen moved on to a special backpack. The infants sleep for much of the journeys but their parents insist it is an important part of their upbringing and would never consider leaving them behind, even when they grow bigger - and heavier. 'I think it's such a vital part of growing up, to have an awareness of the land that exists all around us, and to open their eyes up to what lies beyond the city limits,' said Jamie. Montana-born Jamie and Chet from neighbouring North Dakota first met at a New Year's Eve party in the mountains of Montana, while on a snowboarding holiday arranged by a mutual friend at the end of 2010 (seen on a hike with their children) Two-year-old Rowen loves hiking with his parents and can't wait for their two year trip across the states 'And Rowen especially has really taken to that and complains whenever we start heading home at the end of a long hike and instantly wants to get inside his backpack.' But now they are heading off on their biggest undertaking to date. Starting in California, they will then head to Nevada, followed by Arizona and New Mexico, driving to National Parks in their motorhome before heading out on day-long hikes. They plan to return home between every stage - which will comprise around four states - for two or three months each time, before embarking again on their next journey. The four Blotskes on a winter hike in the Bear Tooth Mountains, Montana. The couple will carry the babies on their backs throughout the trip The four Blotskes above their hometown of Billings, Montana, January, 2019 The couple accept money will be tight as they will be earning less through the year. Jamie said: 'We aren't trust-fund kids and we have a mortgage to pay like everybody else, so we know that we'll have to be careful with money. 'But we're really lucky that Chet is able to be flexible with his work and that we have this golden window of time when we can finally do this.' Watching their purse is not the only precaution that the Blotskes are taking though. Rowen is learning to walk and the couple say that the children spend much of their time sleeping on the hikes Berric is 10 months old and is already a seasoned adventurer, traveling on his parents' backs After a close friend was recently charged by a grizzly bear while hiking in Montana, Chet has bought a 10mm Springfield handgun in case they run into any similar difficulties, and the couple also carry bear Spray. 'Obviously the risks are there,' said Jamie, 'but it isn't something that you can fixate on too much. 'We have grizzly bears in Montana, but in all the years I've hiked there, I've never had a problem. You just have to be sensible and not stray off the paths too much.' As for Rowen and Berric, the pair have been itching to start their family adventure - and Rowen has often being found by his parents inspecting the motorhome in anticipation of take-off. Jamie said: 'They're really excited, and that makes us all the more excited too. 'We're just looking forward to doing what our family does best.' Jamie with baby Berric in Paradise Valley, Montana, November 2018. The family travel to see the stunning surroundings Fans of Cadbury's iconic Marshmallow Eggs are outraged after the much-loved chocolate was changed - and now only includes 'half' an egg. Taking to the New Zealand page where the update was announced, chocoholics are threatening to boycott the brand because the gooey layer that used to exist between the two halves of the egg has been removed. Instead there is just one half of the 'egg' in each packet of six for shoppers to eat - customers vow to boycott the chocolate. BEFORE: Taking to the New Zealand page where the update was announced, chocoholics are threatening to boycott the brand because the gooey layer that used to exist between the two halves of the egg has been removed AFTER: Instead there is just one half of the 'egg' in each packet of six for shoppers to eat 'Cadbury needs to leave things as they are. They are eggs not just a hump,' wrote one concerned commenter. Another added: 'You have ruined Easter'. 'I loved pulling apart the Marshmallow Eggs! What is wrong with you Cadbury?! Talk about giving the middle finger to all of the NZ market. That's the last straw for me,' a third commented. And another said: 'What the actual... half the enjoyment in eating these was eating a half at a time...lost another consumer.' The old 'egg' actually took the formation of a traditional egg (pictured above) There are more than 600 negative comments on Cadbury's announcement There are more than 600 negative comments on Cadbury's announcement, with the label forced to defend their decision by saying the new equipment they use in Australia couldn't replicate the old shape. The previous egg-shaped eggs were made in the Dunedin factory in New Zealand that Mondelez, Cadbury's owner, closed last year. Despite the harsh retaliation, the brand of chocolate-makers did have one upside: 'Our marshmallow eggs will now use sealed flow-wrap packaging, meaning marshmallow eggs will stay fresh for longer.' The previous egg-shaped eggs were made in the Dunedin factory in New Zealand that Mondelez, Cadbury's owner, closed last year And it also told followers that they would still be 'getting just as much marshmallow egg for their buck'. 'In fact, one of the share packs - the 175g pack - is now cheaper per gram than it was last year,' Cadbury said. And it isn't the first time the chocolate company caused controversy - after it made changes to its beloved Roses boxes. Fans of the mini-sweets took to social media to vent their fury, with one even launching an online petition to 'Fix Cadbury Roses'. Cadbury unveiled the changes to its Roses chocolate last year, removing some flavours, adding new ones to the mix and changing the wrapping. FEMAIL has contacted a representative from Cadbury for comment. Footy WAG Zoe Marshall has revealed the $10 product she uses on her underarms. Speaking to Mamamia's You Beauty podcast, the Australian mother-of-one shared her unusual budget trick for her personal hygiene. The radio host said she uses Phisohex antibacterial face wash to clean her armpits - and it can be bought at any pharmacy store around the country. Zoe Marshall (pictured) revealed in Mamamia's You Beauty podcast her unusual budget hack The KIIS radio host said that she uses Phisohex antibacterial face wash to clean her armpits The radio host said she uses Phisohex antibacterial face wash to clean her armpits 'People that have acne-prone skin use this,' Zoe told the publication. 'But I use this on my underarms. 'When you sweat and get stinky and odour-y, I use this in the shower on my armpits because it kills bacteria.' The $10.99 product is available for sale at pharmacies such as Chemist Warehouse and Priceline. The item is definitely the cheapest in the 34-year-old's extensive beauty repertoire. Her mascara - Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Volumizing - is her other discount item at just $16.50. 'People that have acne-prone skin use this,' Mrs Marshall told the publication The $9.49 product can be purchased at pharmacies such as Chemist Warehouse and Priceline She previously revealed her skincare regime, including her regular beauty routine that includes the use of an anti age-defying eye cream. Zoe said she also uses rose quartz crystals to massage the cream onto her face. 'The rose quartz crystal is so nice to treat yourself daily to such a decadent practice,' she explained. She has been using SPF on her face since her early 20s. 'I started using SPF on my face everyday and avoiding the sun on my face - I can say I will be very thankful for this in my forties and fifties,' Zoe added. Jyoti Patel, 38, founded the online Asian grocery store, Red Rickshaw. She then launched sister brand Feast Box, which delivers authentic Asian and Middle Eastern kits to cook from scratch direct to your door. She lives in London with her husband and two children. Growing up in a large Indian family, life revolved around the kitchen. I spent hours with my grandmother as she prepared to serve a table of 15 or more, magically conjuring up an array of dishes. I was sous chef and chief tester. Years later, when I set off for university, my mum gave me my own spice tin. I used that to spice up pasta, jazz up baked beans and stir-fry like an Indian. Jyoti Patel, 38, (pictured) who is the founder of Red Rickshaw and Feast Box told how cooking everyday as a mother inspired her business ideas I was astounded at how many of my friends had never heard of the ingredients I used, and how plain their meals were. After university, I worked at the London Stock Exchange, but food was always my hobby and I became fascinated by wider Asian cuisine. It was only when I became a mother that cooking became an everyday chore. It was hard to track down the ingredients Id grown up eating. So eventually I decided to start an online grocery business. It was 2009, when e-commerce businesses were booming, and I thought: This business model lends itself well to Asian food because of the rarity of ingredients and people wanting to buy in bulk. So I began my company Red Rickshaw. The business grew organically every year, but I knew I needed more financing to expand. I told my customers I might be closing the company and they said: Well give you a loan, but dont stop! It was then I realised how much they were depending on the products. Red Rickshaw is now the largest online Asian grocery store in the UK, and a top wholesaler to Michelin-starred restaurants. However, I couldnt shake the feeling I was only half way there. As a busy mum, I know others might not have time to experiment. I wanted to give less experienced cooks, who love Asian and Middle Eastern food, the chance to taste the world on their plates, too. That was when the idea of Feast Box meal kits was born. You choose your dishes and a box is delivered to your front door with all the fresh ingredients and spices you need to make them, along with a step-by-step recipe card. I love that its a chance for everybody to eat the unique ingredients they didnt know they could cook with. Middle Eastern flatbreads, feastbox.co.uk feastbox.co.uk In the past week, snow has fallen in many parts of Britain but, sadly, nowhere near me. I have been feeling a bit cheated by this, having spent four of the past seven days in Aberdeen, where harsher weather should come with the territory. I travelled hopefully, packing fleece-lined, rubber-soled winter boots and thermals. The weather was cold, but clear and bright. Still, maybe I should be careful what I wish for. The temperature in the opening burial scene of Miss Smillas Feeling For Snow, by Peter Heg, is an extraordinary minus 18c, and its snowing, and in the language that is no longer mine, the snow is qanik big, almost weightless crystals falling in stacks and covering the ground with a layer of pulverised white frost. Literary expert Patricia Nicol shared a selection of books featuring snow including Miss Smillas Feeling For Snow, by Peter Heg (pictured left) and Lucy Foleys The Hunting Party (pictured right) This 1992 global hit is narrated by Smilla Qaavigaaq Jaspersen. The daughter of an Inuit huntress and a Danish doctor, she thinks more highly of snow and ice than of love. She learned to navigate a whiteout from her mother, then became a scientist of ice and snow. When Isaiah, a Greenlander boy who has befriended her, falls to his death from their Copenhagen block, Smilla sees his footprints in the fresh snow and immediately suspects foul play. I have a feeling for snow, she tells an incredulous copper. It is a framing device, but some of the most impressively imagined scenes in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein are polar explorer Robert Waltons descriptions of how, wedged amid ice floes, his crew spot a dog-drawn sledge heading northwards, driven by a being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature. Soon afterwards, the crew haul aboard the frail, troubled figure of scientist Victor Frankenstein, who recounts his harrowing creation story. Lucy Foleys recent thriller The Hunting Party takes place on a remote Highlands estate, where a party of entitled thirtysomething Londoners celebrate the New Year. One goes missing and heavy snow impedes the search effort, cutting off the lodge to the outside world. Best stay safe indoors with one of these . . . A celebrity bronzing artist battling an excruciating disease has revealed the very unusual advice she was given to help her fall pregnant. Amy Maree, 37, from Sydney, and her husband Scott, 38, have been struggling to conceive a baby for eight excruciating years. But their desperate attempts to start a family have led to heartache after she tragically suffered a devastating miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy. The couple decided to take a break from fertility treatment for five months between May and October 2018 after suffering another miscarriage. Despite the heartbreak, Mrs Maree - who suffers from endometriosis - said she has even adopted some IVF superstitions in a desperate attempt to fall pregnant. Amy Maree (pictured), from Sydney, and her husband Scott, 38, have been trying for a baby for eight years and stopped between May and October 2018 Despite the heartbreak, Mrs Maree - who suffers from endometriosis - said she has even adopted some IVF superstitions in a desperate attempt to fall pregnant, including eating McDonald's fries 'because salt makes the egg stick' during IVF treatment 'People eat McDonald's fries or salty fries because people say the salt makes the egg stick,' she told 9Honey. 'My fertility specialist laughed at these and told me to do whatever I wanted to do because science decides what happens, not fries.' On Instagram she said it was her favourite superstition as she would take 'any excuse for Maccas (sic) chips at 9am I say hell yeah'. Eating fries aren't the only advice that she was given over the years. On the social media platform she shared other habits including eating pineapple cores for five days after transfer, eating Brazilian nuts and wearing orange underwear. Despite the wacky advice Mrs Maree is doing everything in her power to heighten her chances of a successfully implanted egg. She took to Instagram to talk about giving up alcohol, but also told the publication she had given up caffeine, started taking Chinese herbs and began undergoing acupuncture. 'Real and bloody horrible': She even took to Instagram to share a picture of herself in a hospital bed to talk about the real side of the illness Ms Maree restarted her fertility treatments after she had a miscarriage in April 2018. However at the egg retrieval stage things have not been going well for the couple with the fertilised eggs not surviving long enough to be implanted or frozen. This had not happened to her before and a longer IVF cycle didn't work in her favour. She met with her fertility specialist and it was revealed her endometriosis was back. Ms Maree said that it took an hour to get it all out in a procedure that took place four weeks ago. 'I wish I'd had this done a year ago. My doctor said sometimes you don't know it's back until you go in and look for it,' she told the publication. She took to Instagram to talk about giving up alcohol, but also told the publication she had given up caffeine, started taking Chinese herbs and began undergoing acupuncture She even took to Instagram to share a picture of herself in a hospital bed to talk about the real side of the illness. 'If you know someone going through this silent reproductive killer - know that the pain they are going through is real and bloody horrible,' she said on the social media platform. 'If someone you know has any kind of surgery, just send a nice text saying "hope youre doing OK", and tell them they look skinny when you see them.' She said that's always nice because she knew how bloated she felt after surgery. However she told the publication that she felt better within days after her surgery. Endometriosis destroyed both of Ms Maree's tubes in March 2017 after an ectopic pregnancy. Endometriosis destroyed both of Ms Maree's tubes in March 2017 after an ectopic pregnancy The couple are doing their fifth IVF cycle and have been through seven transfers. Most of Ms Maree's miscarriages have taken place between six and eight weeks. with most of her miscarriages occurring at six to eight weeks, the ectopic pregnancy In July 2018 Ms Maree penned a letter to her younger self about her fertility. Taking to Instagram, the spray tanner to the stars opened up about not giving up hope of becoming a mother after undergoing gruelling rounds of IVF treatment. Last year Ms Maree penned an emotional letter to her younger self before she embarked on an agonising IVF journey 'To me eight years ago... My younger self who had no idea of the rocky road we had ahead,' she wrote. 'My perfectly intact body that had barely been through anything.... Little did I know what the next chapter had in store for me.' Over the years, she endured three IVF cycles, five embryo transfers and a double Fallopian tube removal. But the odds stacked against her after she suffered two unsuccessful pregnancies, including a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy in which the fertilised egg implants outside the uterus. 'Not to mention the 1,000's of needles, hormones, mood swings, doctors visits, ultrasounds, internal examinations, tears and tantrums,' Ms Maree added. The celebrity bronzing artist and her husband Scott have been trying for a baby for eight years Writing a touching motivational letter to her younger self, she wanted to tell herself the crippling IVF journey will be worth it in the end. 'What would I say to her? I'd tell her she is a fighter and her strength is incredible and that this long, excruciating journey will be worth it,' she said. 'Hang in there, this crazy journey will test your mind and mental ability, your marriage and how strong you are as a couple and it will take its toll on your body. Writing a touching motivational letter to her younger self, she wanted to tell herself the crippling IVF journey will be worth it in the end 'But you'll survive, you'll get on with it and continue to do the things you love and see the positives in all that you're doing. 'The good days will outweigh the bad and you'll ride the storm and hopefully one day see the light at the end of this tunnel.' By sharing her powerful post, she wanted other women who are struggling to fall pregnant to draw strength from her experience. 'So to all those out there embarking on this journey, be kind to yourself and your body,' she said. 'It's crazy what we put ourselves through - we must nurture ourselves and remember 'self love' and always stay positive that this will all be worth it.' Does wet and windy January leave you dreaming of your next holiday? Youre not alone and the beauty industry has also been considering our travel plans and how to beat the strict 100ml container limit on cosmetics, toiletries, creams, lotions and oils for cabin baggage at airport security. The answer, according to skincare experts, is to solidify everything, from moisturiser to make-up remover. Its the era of beauty on a stick! Travelling with liquids has always been a pain, says skin therapist and leading make-up artist Frances Prescott. Every time I went through security, I had a product taken off me. I thought: Why am I still falling into this trap? Creating Tri-Balm, a solid, multi-functional moisturiser in a chunky tube, streamlined Francess beauty arsenal and removed the risk of her items being confiscated and the fuss of decanting her potions into small, security-friendly containers. Anna Maxted tested a selection of the latest liquid-free beauty essentials that won't break, leak or spill while your on the move, she says Embryolisse Artist Secret Radiant Eye Beauty Cooling Stick (pictured) was pleasantly soothing But this trend isnt just for high-flyers. Neat, portable and guaranteed not to leak, spill or explode all over your bag, these products are perfect for the gym or freshening up at work before an evening out. If Im travelling up and down the country, or going to stay at a friends, I want portability, convenience and something that wont break or spill, which you can throw in your bag, adds Frances. Its great for sporty people, working women, mums and people who are out and about. In other words, pretty much all of us. Here, we put the best to the test . . . COOL WAY TO SOOTHE TIRED EYES Embryolisse Artist Secret Radiant Eye Beauty Cooling Stick, 20.50, boots.com This cooling stick is non-perfumed and free of preservative parabens, so its ideal for using around my eye area, which is prone to puffiness. Its also rich in aloe vera, glycerin, vitamin E and vitamin B3, with moisturising properties. Dashing out to a too-early appointment, I pop it in my bag and, on the train, dot it around my tired, bleary eyes. Theres an instant tightening sensation and I feel rustled awake. I cant say it visibly shrinks my eye bags or reduces the dark circles, but its pleasantly refreshing and soothing. 3/5 CLEANSE AND GLOW ON THE GO Origins Modern Friction Cleansing Stick with Exfoliating White & Purple Rice, 25, origins.co.uk Anna says Origins Modern Friction Cleansing Stick with Exfoliating White & Purple Rice (pictured) gave her face a glow without causing it to feel stripped I boarded a plane recently with the dregs of a small, but pricey, cleanser in my hand luggage. As a result of the cabin pressure, about 30 of it seeped out so Im an easy convert to this sleek and solid option. Having worked up a sweat at the gym, I dot it on. It has a non-fancy scent and contains phytic acid, naturally occurring in plants such as rice, to gently smooth and polish skin. Its also packed with essential oils such as grapefruit peel oil, spearmint leaf oil and bergamot fruit oil. My face acquires a glow without feeling stripped. 4/5 3-IN-1 TAKES THE SOFT APPROACH Frances Prescott Tri-Balm, 46, francesprescott.com Anna was impressed with Frances Prescott Tri-Balm's (pictured) ability to brighten and soften her skin With its scent of mandarin and geranium essential oils, evocative of exotic places, this balm is heavenly. Whether youre off to Bali or Brighton, its the perfect travel companion. It cleanses, if rinsed with water, exfoliates, courtesy of pumpkin seed enzymes that gently slough off dead cells, and rehydrates. Tri-Balm also contains a form of hyaluronic acid, which helps retain moisture, and features skin-nurturing goodies carrot oil, rich in vitamins A, B, C, D, E and F, wheatgerm oil, with protective antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids and rice bran oil, for elasticity and plumpness. Its also free of parabens, silicone and sulphates and the tube is recycled plastic. After use, my skin is brighter and so soft that I keep touching my cheeks in disbelief.5/5 MELT AWAY MAKE-UP IN MINUTES Urban Decay Meltdown Make-up Remover Stick, 14, urbandecay.co.uk Anna says Urban Decay Meltdown Make-up Remover Stick (pictured) was able to clean and nourish her skin quickly without the need for cotton wool pads This is a fabulous oil-based formula in stick form, laced with skin-pampering turmeric root extract and vitamin E. Heading away for a weekend, I shove it in my washbag. Were up till 3am, at which point I ache for sleep, and the chore of removing my make-up seems unbearable. I clumsily massage this in. It melts, then I lather and rinse, with no cotton wool pads required. It takes a second application to deal with my stubborn pencil lipliner, but it speedily removes a generous slick of BB cream, greasy lipstick and press of powder. My skin feels clean and nourished and I gratefully fall into bed having avoided a meltdown of my own! 5/5 TWIST TO TONE UP WINTER SKIN Ilia Beauty Cucumber Water Stick, 38, spacenk.com Anna says Ilia Beauty Cucumber Water Stick (pictured) has a luxurious feel and is packed with rehydrating ingredients to stimulate cell renewal A gorgeous water-based toner, as light and delicate as the brush of a fairys wing. I twist it up and rub it on to balance and revive my skin before applying foundation. My chapped winter complexion is rendered smooth and calm. Unlike other liquid toners, Ilias Cucumber Water stick feels as if its replenishing your skin with moisture, rather than stripping it away. Rehydrating ingredients cucumber pulp to de-puff, aloe to soothe and chicory root to stimulate cell renewal make this feel like a luxury (at that price, it should be). I stroke my face in delight. 4/5 SILKY BALM BANISHES STUBBORN EYELINER Clinique Take The Day Off Eye Make-up Remover Stick, 16, clinique.co.uk Anna who usually avoids liquid eye make-up removers, says Clinique Take The Day Off Eye Make-up Remover Stick (pictured) was able to erase every trace of her make-up Im not a fan of liquid or lotion eye make-up removers, as I lack the dexterity to stop them getting into my eyes. But this silky, oil-based balm slides on, slick and precise, melting instantly on contact. Im wearing powdery, dark eyeshadow and liquid eyeliner, which the balm smudges until I look like a raccoon, but, after a warm water rinse, every trace vanishes. 4/5 DEEP CLEAN WITH A DELICATE SHEEN Julep Love Your Bare Face Cleansing Stick, 20, qvcuk.com Anna says Julep Love Your Bare Face Cleansing Stick (pictured) gave her a fresh, delicate sheen This has a sweet, mild citrusy tang, which turns out to be grapefruit peel oil. Paraben-free, it has ingredients designed to gently exfoliate and rid skin of excess oil, including rice bran, camellia Japonica seed oils and pomegranate fruit enzyme. I smooth it on with my hands, mixing with warm water to form a lather. My skin feels fresh, with a delicate sheen. 3/5 Still smarting over that nasty thing your mother-in-law said to you all those years ago? Do people always tell you to stop taking things to heart? And do you marvel at those bombproof types who face down public disgrace or scandal and barge to the front of a queue without flinching? Theres nothing wrong with you it may be that you are just a HSP, or a Highly Sensitive Person. That is, someone who processes emotions more deeply than others and often for longer. You may also be more reactive to environmental stimuli feeling frazzled by crowds, bothered by loud noises or even flustered by fluorescent lighting or changes in the weather. Too much stimulation and you begin to feel overwhelmed. Mel Collins (pictured) who is a psychotherapeutic counsellor and spiritual healer has written a new book for harnessing the power of being a highly sensitive person One in five of us falls into this category, according to a new book by psychotherapeutic counsellor and spiritual healer, Mel Collins. Before training as a therapist, Mel worked as a prison governor and struggled with the intensity of her own feelings on a daily basis. When she spoke about the personality trait on Radio 2 last year, the response, according to host Jeremy Vine, was off the scale. He, too, identifies as an HSP, explaining in his foreword to Mels book that he is the one DJ at Radio 2 who constantly complains the headphones are too loud, so much so that the technicians had to work out a different way of plugging the circuits and the one who cries when a pensioner calls the show and says she has never in her life had one real friend. And there are many more like him: the type of people who, as children, were called fussy, shy, shrinking violets too sensitive. The concept of innate sensitivity was first discussed by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. More recently, U.S. psychologist Dr Elaine Aron has shown that high sensitivity is an innate temperament trait, not a disorder: HSP brains show a stronger activation of the regions involved in awareness and empathy. Yet HSPs can end up feeling lonely and isolated, says Mel. The key to thriving as an HSP is to understand why you react in the way you do and even to see your high sensitivity as a gift, not a flaw. Do you recognise this in yourself? Here, MEL COLLINS explains how to harness the power of being an HSP, allowing yourself to feel valued, fulfilled and whole . . . Mel advises starting each day with a positive affirmation to overcome a habit of comparing yourself to others (file image) WHY CANT I JUST TOUGHEN UP? Many people become more sensitive as they get older. But this is not the same as being an HSP, which means having the psychologically defined personality trait of sensory processing sensitivity. Interestingly, an HSP is not necessarily an introvert a third of HSPs tend to be extroverts. ACTION: If HSPs have grown up in families where the high sensitivity trait is not valued, a not-good-enough mentality can become ingrained. Stop comparing yourself with non-HSPs. Celebrate your unique and sensitive self. One practical way is to start each day with a positive affirmation. Try: I am unique. I embrace my sensitivity and I appreciate the gifts it brings to myself and others. FIX YOUR ONE-SIDED RELATIONSHIPS . . . A number of HSPs have a history of difficult romantic relationships, due to a partner not understanding their trait or their need for space when they are feeling overwhelmed. Many HSPs also tend to cover up who they really are, for fear of being judged as too emotional. Mel suggests taking a step back from relationships that have an unhealthy balance (file image) As a result, HSPs can end up with partners with whom they dont feel a true connection, or in relationships with addicts or narcissists. HSPs are natural givers and can have friendships that are one-sided, too. ACTION: Become aware of the sort of relationships you have in your life. For example, are you the one who runs around organising everything while the other person just gets waited on? Is there a balance between giving and receiving, and talking and listening, in your relationship? If not, take steps to bring these back into better balance (starting with those I list below.) . . . AND CUT THE CORD ON NEEDY FRIENDS Being highly empathic, HSPs often attract people in need, who feel so much better having spent time with their HSP friend. Unfortunately, the HSP can be left feeling exhausted. Notice if you start to worry obsessively about the people you have just spent time with, or suddenly feel low afterwards. This can mean they have emotionally hooked into you. ACTION: Visualise anyone in your life whom you feel may be hooking into you this way. Next, focus on what their hooks or negative attachments look like and then, one by one, see yourself cutting these away. Remember, it is only the negative or needy energies you are unhooking. Mel recommends expressing anger by either punching a pillow or screaming into it, she says ranting out loud can also be beneficial (file image) EMBRACE YOUR DARK SIDE HSPs often have difficulty accepting what is viewed as the darker side of themselves. This can lead to them suppressing what they see as their more negative emotions, such as anger. Emotions can then come out in inappropriate ways. ACTION: One healthy way of expressing anger is to punch a pillow or scream into it. My clients often feel silly doing this at first, but soon get to reap the benefits. Others like to go somewhere quiet and have a good rant out loud to themselves. TAKE CONTROL AND MAKE AN ESCAPE PLAN HSPs need to listen to their bodies or they risk burnout. This is usually because of the high level of the stress hormone cortisol being released by the adrenal glands, which can result in insomnia, weight fluctuations, anxiety, depression and lethargy. ACTION: Try the ACE method Avoid, Control or Escape a simple, but effective, strategy adapted from the drug services department in the prison I worked in. It is useful for when you know a situation is likely to over-stimulate your nervous system. If you can, Avoid it. Of course, there are situations, such as parties, concerts or family gatherings, that we cant, or dont want to, avoid. Mel advises spending time reflecting on your skills and qualities using a list of all the jobs that you've had to date (file image) So put in place strategies to Control the over-stimulation such as taking regular breaks, perhaps by going outside for fresh air. Work environments can be tricky to control, so I recommend that HSPs frequently disappear to the loo. Finally, allow yourself to Escape when needed. Leave the party, find another job, change your environment. Its OK not to constantly push yourself. YOURE ALREADY IN YOUR PERFECT JOB Many HSPs have a strong drive to make a difference. They believe if they dont feel fulfilled in this way, they are in the wrong career and often spend a lot of time searching for what they are supposed to be doing. In reality, however, any job has the capacity to meet an inner need. ACTION: Make a list of all the jobs youve had to date. Spend time reflecting on the skills and qualities you developed and what you gained from each. Then ask yourself how you can build on this to make a difference. Choose to view every job as a stepping stone towards a more fulfilling purpose. BEFRIEND YOUR INNER CRITIC Are you aware of an inner voice that often berates you? The ego has many sub-personalities and the inner critic is one of the most vocal in HSPs. Many try to ignore it, while others repress it with positive thinking, but the voice is only silenced temporarily. Mel suggests taking regular breaks both at work and at social events rather than pushing yourself in situations that can't be avoided (file image) ACTION: A more effective way of dealing with your inner critic is to befriend it. Visualise it and give it a name, such as Moaning Minnie or Nagging Nora. Whose voice are you actually hearing? For instance, was there a teacher at school who called you stupid? This can help you work out where these critiques began. Next, question their validity. If your critic says youre stupid, how did you end up achieving that qualification? Channel some self-love. Now change your critics name to reflect this, such as Messenger Minnie or Nudging Nora. GIVE UP YOUR GRUDGES Forgiving other people can be a challenge for HSPs. Due to the depth of their emotional processing, hurts, lies and betrayals can lie deep within. ACTION: To forgive fully, we must allow ourselves to feel any emotions that arise. Identify when you have felt these feelings before. For example, if you have been let down at the last minute by a friend, there may be an older, deeper hurt that resurfaces in a memory, helping you understand why you may feel disproportionately angry. Now try looking at the situation with a wider view: if someone treats you with a lack of respect, do you need to put in place stronger boundaries? NO, YOURE NOT A HYPOCHONDRIAC HSPs are extremely sensitive to pain and can be susceptible to disorders such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, or insomnia. Many often struggle with allergies, intolerances and digestive issues. Mel recommends a self-care routine including regular exercise to enhance your life (file image) I have found that some HSPs also have a history of substance abuse as a coping strategy, from caffeine (for feeling drained) or food (comfort eating or as a layer of protection), to alcohol or drugs (relaxation or escapism). ACTION: Create a positive self-care routine, including getting any significant health problems checked out. Relaxing measures such as regular exercise, or taking a pre-bed bath, can have huge benefits. A good vitamin B complex and magnesium supplement can help you relax, too. Whatever you do, please remember that being highly sensitive is not a weakness or a flaw. It is a gift that can enhance your life. Are you an HSP? Take the quiz... Tick the boxes that are at least somewhat true for you. [] 1. You have often been told by those around you that you are too sensitive for your own good or that you need to toughen up. [] 2. You experience emotions to a much stronger or deeper extent than other people. [] 3. You often feel like youre overwhelmed when around large groups of people. [] 4. Youre acutely sensitive to loud noises, crowds and/ or negativity and often feel the need to escape from these situations. [] 5. You are highly intuitive and pick up on subtleties with people or environments. You can sense if something is wrong when others are unaware of it. [] 6. You give great attention to detail or could be considered a perfectionist. [] 7. You can always see the bigger picture. [] 8. You ignore your bodys messages of being overstimulated and end up feeling frazzled, exhausted and burnt out, or the opposite: restless, anxious or unable to sleep. [] 9. You tend to be affected by other peoples moods and can end up feeling drained, while others comment that they feel better after they have been with you. [] 10. You can feel deeply hurt and find yourself closing down when criticised, judged, betrayed, cheated on or lied to. You may even feel you will never fully get over it. [] 11. You have experienced going out of your body (dissociating) in difficult emotional times or you space out or daydream on a regular basis. Scoring (out of 11) If you ticked between seven and 11 boxes, it is extremely likely you are an HSP. If you ticked fewer than seven, but those are extremely true of you, you would be justified in thinking of yourself as an HSP, especially if you ticked boxes 15, 8 and 9. Advertisement Adapted by Emma Rowley from The Handbook For Highly Sensitive People by Mel Collins (9.99, Watkins) Mel Collins 2019. To order a copy for 7.99 (offer valid to February 4, 2019; P&P is free on orders over 15), visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640. WHAT TO DO For a smooth back youll want to show off, try lying back extensions with wide arms, says celebrity personal trainer Nadya Fairweather (u-shape.co.uk). This exercise helps to strengthen the lower and upper back, while engaging the muscles that give you great posture. Lie on your front, toes touching the floor, arms out wide and bent at 90 degrees, face looking down to keep the spine straight. Keeping toes down, lift your head, chest and arms off the floor. As you lift, squeeze the shoulder blades together by lifting your elbows as high as you can. Make sure to keep looking down. Do eight slow lifts and lower, then one lift and hold for ten seconds. Follow with a stretch, sitting your bottom back on your heels. Repeat the exercise a few times in the day. Celebrity personal trainer Nadya Fairweather revealed how lying back extensions with wide arms could help to sculpt a smooth back WHAT TO EAT Nutritionist Shona Wilkinson (shonawilkinson.com) recommends the following foods for a healthy and beautiful back. Yoghurt contains plenty of calcium, which we need for our bones to give us a strong, straight back. But watch out for added sugar and instead opt for live yoghurt. Carrots are a great food to help give skin a clear complexion. They contain vitamin C, which helps with skin conditions, as well as beta-carotene, which gives them their colour. This gets converted into vitamin A essential for supporting skin health. Meanwhile, pumpkin seeds are a great source of zinc, one of the most important nutrients for skin and its healing. WHAT TO WEAR A South Carolina cop thinks people could learn a lot from one little boy who approached him at a Chick-fil-A last week. Terence Brister, 52, was at the fast food restaurant on January 18 when the boy came up to him to say thank you. The pair quickly bonded and smiled for a photo together, which Terence then shared on Facebook as a reminder for other people in these tumultuous times. So sweet! Terence Brister was at Chick-fil-A restaurant on January 18 when this boy came up to him to say thank you Terence, a Marine Corps vet, currently serves as a police officer in Greenville, South Carolina. And on Friday, he had a pretty good day at work. 'Today this beautiful young child approached me at Chick-fil-A and thanked me,' he wrote, captioning a photo of himself crouching beside the smiling boy, who is resting an elbow on his knee. 'I took him to the counter and bought him a cookie. He then had me wait and he gave me a gift card to eat at Chick-fil-A again. 'He is the very reason I have served in USMC, State Police And now City Police. The faith, innocence and love of a child is immeasurable. In a world thats divided by racial tension, prejudice and discrimination, why cant adults be more like kids. 'He didnt see black or white, he saw only a law enforcement officer and who he called a hero. 'The faith, innocence and love of a child is immeasurable. In a world thats divided by racial tension, prejudice and discrimination, why cant adults be more like kids,' he wrote 'I applaud his parents for raising a child who loves everyone. I know that some people hate police, but its days like today that God often reminds me of those who love, honor and respect the badge and uniform. 'This is another @best day ever@. God is always reminding us of his presence,' he concluded. The picture has quickly spread, with over 170,000 reactions and 65,000 shares so far. According to WYFF, the little boy's mother, a North Augusta woman named Cara Bryan, shared the post and added comments of her own. 'Kind words. It was a fun morning getting to meet you. Thanks again Officer Terence Brister for taking time to make my boy smile and proud!' Another sweet story: Earlier this month, a police officer in Dexter, Missouri was approached by a little boy Aw! Wrapping his arms around the officer's legs, the little boy gave him a loving hug and then a fist bump It's not the only time this month that a heartwarming reaction between a child and an officer of the law went viral. Earlier in January, a video filmed in Dexter, Missouri, showed a cop and a little boy sharing a hug and a fist bump. In the clip, the cop is seen standing at a counter waiting for his order when a little boy wanders up to him. The cop smiles and says: 'Hey! What are you doing?'. The little boy then wraps his arms around the officer's legs and gives him a hug, to which the surprised officer smiles, pats his back, and says, 'Thank you, buddy.' The child continues to show his appreciation by holding out in his hand for a fist pump, to which the officer laughs and happily returns the gesture. An entrepreneurial cancer survivor has created the first false lashes for chemotherapy patients - after receiving her own diagnosis just hours before attending an interview for a place at university. Mother-of-two Codilia Gapare, now 41, from Cheshire had always dreamed of becoming a lawyer and started studying as soon as she came to the UK from Zimbabwe at the age of 26. In July 2014, at the age of 36, she finally had the qualifications she needed to apply for university, but just hours before her interview she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Although she was offered a place, she was forced to drop out due to her illness, but she's now completing the final year of her Masters in Business Admin after winning a scholarship. She's also about to launch her first false eyelash collection in Boots, inspired by her experience of losing her hair, eyebrows and lashes during chemo. 'I hope my story inspires someone out there,' Codilia told Femail. 'I realise that life comes without guarantees. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. But whatever the situation, we always, always have a choice.' Codilia Gapara, 41, from Cheshire was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 36 - just hours later she attended an interview for a place on a law degree at Manchester Metropolitan University. Pictured: Codilia after shaving her head during cancer treatment 'I found a lump in my right breast in July 2014 and immediately made an appointment to have tests,' Codilia told Femail. 'The day of my results was the 11th August 2014 - the same day I was due to have my final interview for a place studying law at Manchester Metropolitan University. 'Just three hours before I was due to have my interview at the uni, I returned to Leighton Hospital to find out I had breast cancer. My world went into slow motion. I had somehow persuaded myself, over the past ten days, that I could not possibly have cancer. 'I thought I was too young, too black, too skinny and too active to have cancer, but I was wrong. I was now part of a statistic that no one wanted to be part of. Mother-of-two Codilia was subsequently offered a place on the law course - after dreaming of becoming a lawyer all her life - but had to stop her studies once her cancer treatment started 'It is hard to imagine how one would deal with such news. I suppose I would have been forgiven for crying or going home and bury my head under the covers or even go to the pub and drown my pain. I did none of these things. Straight after her heartbreaking diagnosis, she drove from Crewe to Manchester for her interview. 'I dont think at this point I knew why I had decided to make this choice. The interview went really well until the interviewer asked me if I knew of anything that might interfere with my study,' she recalled. Codilia approached Boots with her idea but didn't have the resources to meet their order requirements. Instead, they put her in touch with Eylure who loved the concept. Now her lashes are set to go on sale in Boots stores this March and online on 26th February 'Had I anticipated the question I am sure I would have lied. I was caught off guard and I decided to come clean and tell the truth. 'I told the interviewer that I had been informed I had breast cancer only three hours before. 'It was only when she asked me why I still made the decision to come that I understood my actions. I said: "For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a lawyer. Today I received news that could potentially derail my dream, but I have worked too hard to get to this point". Codilia drove from the hospital in Crewe to the university in Manchester straight after her diagnosis. "For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a lawyer. Today I received news that could potentially derail my dream, but I have worked too hard to get to this point,' she told her interviewer. Pictured: on a night out after cancer treatment She added: 'Cancer is just a chapter in my book and is never going to define me, but this moment will. So if its all the same with you, I would be grateful if you could give me a chance to follow my dream.' Codilia was subsequently offered a place on her dream course but was forced to stop once her cancer treatment started. 'I was so upset as I had put so much effort into getting to that point. But all was not lost - in 2016, I won a scholarship through Women in Business to study a Masters in Business Admin at the same university. 'I am currently in my final year of study which goes to show that everything happens for a reason!' explains Codilia who had her most recent check-up in December 2018 and everything came back clear. Now she's also preparing for her lashes to hit the shelves, after she approached Boots with her idea last year. After creating a prototype, she entered 'C-Lash' - that Codilia says stands for 'compassion' and 'confidence' - into several competitions, including Richard Branson's Pitch to Rich. But it wasn't until she approached the high street giant in 2018, that her product started to take shape. 'Boots loved my pitch but as a start-up business, I didn't have the necessary resources to supply such a big order. They put me in touch with Eylure - one of their trusted partners that they'd worked with for years,' she explained. The introduction was a success and she collaborated with Eylure to create C-Lash by Codilia Gapare that's set to land in Boots stores in March and online from 26th February. With a choice of 'natural,' 'lengthening' or 'volumising' styles, the lashes, at 5.25 a pair, come with a clear adhesive band that's larger than average. While remaining invisible, it creates a more solid foundation for the lashes to stick to the eyelid. There's also a temporary glue - that uses a gentler formula than usual - included for those wanting extra lasting power. Cancer survivor Codilia hopes her story will inspire others and says 11th August 2014 - the day she had both her diagnosis and university interview - was a turning point in her life. Pictured: with her sons Panashe, now 19, and Takunda, now 11 'Life never works out quite the way you expect it to. In fact someone once told me that "life" is what happens to you while you are busy making plans,' she said. 'This does not always have to be a bad thing, because if you open yourself to possibilities, life can take you to places beyond your wildest dreams. 'I'll always remember 11th August 2014 as a turning point in my life because of the choices I made. It was the day I chose to dance in the rain instead of waiting for the storm to pass,' says Codilia. 'Life never works out quite the way you expect it to. This does not always have to be a bad thing, because if you open yourself to possibilities, life can take you to places beyond your wildest dreams,' says Codilia The humble pie has come a long way. Data obtained from the Monthly Food Price Index revealed the average price of a meat pie in New Zealand has risen 60 per cent since 2006. Wellington cafe Pickle & Pie charge diners $16 for the pie of the day, which includes mash, gravy and pickles. Would YOU pay $16 for a gourmet pie? Recent data revealed the average price of a pie in New Zealand has risen 60 per cent since 2006 Gourmet: Wellington cafe Pickle & Pie charge diners $16 for the pie of the day, which includes mash, gravy and pickles. Pictured is a meal at the cafe Poll Would YOU pay $16 for a gourmet pie? Yes No Would YOU pay $16 for a gourmet pie? Yes 44 votes No 42 votes Now share your opinion Co-owner Tim Tracey told Stuff that the hefty fee is down to the rising cost of ingredients as well as wage increases. When dining at the trendy cafe, you can also get the Matzo ball soup for the same price and a Reuben sandwich for $15. If you decide to go all-out with you pie and order a side salad as well, it will cost you an extra $4. And if you're planning on picking up a family pie for dinner, it will set you back $18. Hefty: If you're planning on picking up a family pie for dinner, it will set you back $32 'We only use prime cuts (of meat),' Tim said. 'It's all free-range and locally-sourced.' 'If you're paying more for things, you're going to have to charge more for things,' Mr Tracey added. Baker Chenae Loveridge of Humdingers Cakes, told New Zealand's Taranaki Daily News on Sunday, that she's struggling to adapt to the rising cost of butter. 'If price rises carry on I'll have to add a surcharge on cakes to cover costs,' Ms Loveridge said. A couple who dreamed of escaping their hectic and high flying careers in the corporate world moved to Africa while expecting their first child, and now they are raising their family in idyllic settings while running a luxury hotel chain. Stella, 51, and Christopher Bettany, 43, who currently divide their time between France, South Africa and Jersey founded Azura Retreats in 2007 with a vision of providing luxury accommodation in undiscovered locations, while supporting the local community and environment. They decided on Mozambique as the location for their first hotel 'over lunch', and based the design for Azura Benguerra Island on all the best elements of their favourite places to stay around the world. 'I am not a risk taker by nature, having spent much of my life with a career in asset management, and I dont think I would ever have left the comfort of a senior banking role without my entrepreneurial husband insisting it was a great idea,' Stella told Femail. 'That said, I am completely glad that we did. I love our business, what we have achieved, and that as a family we get to spend time in some of the most beautiful environments on the planet, with my children growing up with a passion for Africa and believing anything is possible. 'I wouldnt trade that for anything now that we have done it. I love every single day of my life, and feel lucky to have taken the plunge and made a success of it. Stella, 51, and Christopher Bettany, 43, who currently divide their time between France, South Africa and Jersey quit their high flying jobs in finance to pursue a dream of building their own hotels in Africa Stella and Christopher on the beach in Mozambique with their three children. The couple dreamed of escaping the corporate world and are now raising their family in Africa while they run their chain of luxury hotels The couple first came up with their vision when they grew tired of their hectic careers in finance in London, where Stella headed up global distribution for a South African merchant bank and Christophe was in mergers and acquisitions for a US bank. 'I was averaging one long haul flight a week, which wasnt ideal for getting married and starting a family,' Stella recalled. 'There was also nowhere further up in the organisation I could really go. Christophe was always an entrepreneur at heart, just waiting to break the corporate shackles. 'The idea was to can the pin stripe suit and high heels and instead be at the beach in flip flops.' They couple decided on Mozambique as the location for their first hotel 'over lunch', and based the design for Azura Benguerra Island (pictured) on all the best elements of their favourite places to stay around the world Christophe was already a director of Banyan Tree Seychelles, as part of a project with some colleagues, but he's always dreamed of owning his own hotel group -somewhere he could make a difference. Stella had fallen in love with southern Mozambique during a diving trip in 1992, while Christophe had visited on a family holiday in 1988. 'When he suggested we give it a go, and use all our travelling experience to make a difference somewhere, I jumped at the chance,' she recalled. 'We chose Mozambique over lunch one day, a country with outstanding natural beauty and very little luxury tourism, where I could pursue my passion for scuba diving and Christophe his love of fishing. So it was an easy choice.' Stella in Moambique with her children: She says they are already eager to join the family business as safari guides or marine biologists But while it wasn't a difficult decision, it was certainly a challenging time of their lives to uproot, as Stella was pregnant with their first child. 'I did 37 long haul flights and three round the world trips during that pregnancy, so travel was in my bones. I flew to Cape Town just 10 days before our son was born, but had lived there for a year back in 1992, so the transition was quite easy,' she said. Before the couple even started building work on their 10-bedroom hotel, they were determined to involve the local community. 'We wanted to do it this way so that they would be committed to the project and help us to develop and grow the business. We had a meaningful local partner, and a community specialist on the ground for six months before we started building the hotel,' Stella explained. Stella and Cristophe, pictured in Tanzania, divide their time between Africa, Jersey and France while building their hotel empire and wouldn't swap their new life for the world They even built a school and accommodation for teachers first to show they were seriously committed to the area. 'Today I am proud to say we have some 450 children at the school, the first scholars have gone on to higher education, and we employ 76 per cent of our property from the island itself. That is unprecedented in Mozambique,' Stella explained. 'We make a very real difference to a community where they was previously only really subsistence fishing.' It took two years to build the first hotel while they got their licences and paperwork and worked on getting Azura's name out there so that they opened with full occupancy, but there were a few teething problems along the way. Stella pictured with her family: She says that although their project has been hard work, it's enable them to spend much more time together as a family 'Our entire kitchen was impounded by customs when we were due to open, so we opened with some charcoal BBQs and guests loved it anyway,' Stella recalled. Now the couple's original hotel has grown from 10 to 20 rooms, and they have opened Azura Quilalea Private Island in northern Mozambique and Azura Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania. Each hotel features their own unique decor concept, known as designed to give back, where local community projects work hand-in-hand with designers to create special little pieces guests will find dotted throughout. The couple have also opened a hotel Azura Quilalea on a stunning private island in northern Mozambique 'For the past few years we have been working on about another five different beach sites in Mozambique and Tanzania, as well as looking at Madagascar and Seychelles. We have grand plans and would love to grow to eight or 10 hotels in the portfolio,' Stella said. 'I love that we have been able to pursue a dream and share it with our children as they have been growing up. 'They have a respect for Africa and its wonderful wildlife and people as a result. They all want to work in the business when they are older, maybe as a marine biologist or a safari guide. 'It has been incredibly hard work, we have faced and continue to face regular challenges, but it has enabled us to live a lifestyle where we can spend a lot more time together as a family than would have been the case if we hadnt taken this plunge, and that is worth the world to me.' Opponents of Brexit seized on the threat last week by Airbus boss Dr Tom Enders to move the company's British operation overseas. The flagship national Airbus engineering giant employs 15,000 workers in Britain. In an outspoken attack on the Government's Brexit negotiations, chief executive Enders said there were 'plenty of countries out there who would love to build the wings for Airbus aircraft'. Airbus chief executive Tom Enders (above) last week threatened to move the company's British operation overseas and said there were 'plenty of countries out there who would love to build the wings for Airbus aircraft' [File photo] It represented quite a change of heart for the German industrialist. Last February, in a letter marked private and confidential to Business Secretary Greg Clark, he said the aerospace giant would continue to see the UK as a 'home country and a competitive place to invest . . . long into the future'. After Enders's outburst last week, Brexiteers accused Airbus of doing the Government's bidding as it tries to rescue Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement. And Katherine Bennett, Airbus vice-president admitted the Government had asked the company to make clear its view of a no deal. In other words, sign up to Project Fear . . . Katherine Bennett, Airbus vice-president admitted the Government had asked the company to make clear its view of a no deal. In other words, sign up to Project Fear . . . [File photo] Meanwhile, what is the Government's strategy for tomorrow's series of amendments to the PM's Brexit deal? Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, says: 'We tabled a further statement under section 13(11)(a) of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, and have consequently tabled a joint motion in accordance with the procedure allowed under section 13(1)(b). 'That means that Tuesday's debate will be on a motion relating to both the statement tabled on Monday under section 13(4) and the statement tabled today under section 13(11)(a). We will seek the House's agreement to a full day's debate, and the House will then give its preferred options.' No wonder people are confused about Brexit. Lords move in mysterious ways Many MPs oppose the move at Westminster to end the practice of prayers being said before the start of Commons proceedings. It's a tradition dating back to 1558 when Mary Tudor was on the throne. Tory MP Tracey Crouch said: 'I'm really only a big occasion churchgoer, but I love, value and draw strength from the parliamentary prayers said before we sit each day.' And what, pray tell, are the 26 bishops who sit in the House of Lords saying about it? Not a word so far. No wonder church attendance is plummeting. McDonnell's red face over Davos Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell went to Davos this time last year At Prime Minister's Questions last week, Comrade Corbyn said that people were worried about public services, living standards, debt and Brexit 'while a third of her government are at the billionaires' jamboree in Davos'. As Labour MPs roared their approval, the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, was unusually quiet. Where was he this time last year? Davos, of course. Advertisement Former European Council president and Belgian prime minister Herman Van Rompuy employed Poirot-style intuition when the then PM David Cameron summoned him to Downing Street to register the government's objection to Jean-Claude Juncker heading the European Commission. Herman Van Rompuy (left) is pictured with former Prime Minister David Cameron in Downing Street. Cameron's government had objected to Jean-Claude Juncker heading the European Commission [File photo] 'I was suspicious. Most of the time, I invited myself to Downing Street, but now the Prime Minister was inviting me,' the preening Van Rompuy tells a BBC Brexit documentary. The meeting was not a success. Rompuy told Cameron 'I didn't come to London to receive orders', prompting the PM to walk out saying: 'This meeting is over.' And Juncker got the job. Good news for Government whips the Labour benches will be deserted when the Red Army Choir arrives from Moscow in April to perform a special concert at the London Palladium. 'It's a three-line whip for Corbynistas,' said a red-flag waving MP. Yet another sign that Beaconsfield Tories want to replace their MP Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General, who is trying to scupper Brexit. The guest speaker at a fundraising dinner for the local party in March is none other than Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who supports a no-deal exit from the EU. Grieve has an alternative engagement the night Bridgen is due to speak. TV's Nick Ross is a persuasive campaigner for doctors to be required to perform medically assisted suicide if their patients request it Forget Brexit, just for a moment. Instead, consider the debate on something which is truly a matter of life and death. That debate is about assisted suicide: and it has just been re-entered by the professional body representing the nation's doctors. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is to poll its 35,000 members, on whether, in its words, 'they would help a terminally ill patient to die and whether the law should be changed to allow assisted dying'. The current official position of the RCP is one of opposition to a change in the law: in 2014 it polled its members, asking them 'do you support a change in the law to permit assisted suicide by the terminally ill with the assistance of doctors?' The response was that 57.5 per cent said 'no', 32.3 per cent said 'yes' and 10.2 per cent said 'yes, but not by doctors'. That seemed clear enough. Yet not only is the RCP now re-opening the issue: it has declared that unless 60 per cent of its members say they are opposed, it will switch its official position from 'against' to 'neutral'. It is not unusual for a supermajority to be required for a fundamental change in a constitution: it is unprecedented for one to be required to keep things as they are. Deceptive I became aware of this having received a letter from Dr David Randall, a registrar in renal medicine at the Royal London Hospital. He expressed his concern forcibly: 'The membership seems to be being offered a fait accompli by members of Dignity in Dying, who have achieved positions of influence on the RCP council, and it has been designed (using a totally unjustified supermajority requirement) to ensure that the College drops its long-standing opposition to assisted suicide ahead of future parliamentary attempts at legislation.' A registrar in renal medicine at the Royal London Hospital (pictured) urged me to 'shed daylight on an apparent manipulation of procedure by pro-euthanasia activists' Dr Randall urged me as a newspaper columnist to 'shed daylight on an apparent manipulation of procedure by pro-euthanasia activists'. Happy to oblige. The first point to note is the deceptive change of language. The 2014 survey referred to 'assisted suicide'. The new one refers to 'assisted dying'. That is in itself a concession to the PR efforts of the people Dr Randall refers to as 'pro-euthanasia activists'. Assisted dying already exists in this country: it is called palliative care and takes place in hospices across the land. Medically assisted suicide is the more accurate name for what is being proposed, but it is less appealing, as it translates as 'self-killing'. The issue here is whether doctors should be required to perform this if any of their patients request it. That is what the campaigners want, and one of the most longstanding and persuasive is the former presenter of Crimewatch, Nick Ross. He is on the Council of the RCP which is presumably what Dr Randall meant in his letter to me. But doctors, for good reasons, are deeply uneasy at being co-opted, and not just because it would be in clear breach of their Hippocratic Oath. Such a doctor wrote to me some years ago: 'As one who spends every working day caring for the terminally ill, I am acutely aware of the damage such a change would cause to vulnerable patients.' Activists protest against proposals to legalise the euthanasia of young children in the Belgian capital of Brussels in February 2014 The point is that these patients can come under subtle (or not so subtle) pressures from relatives who stand to benefit from such 'assisted suicide'. That might seem a bleak view, but I adhere to Immanuel Kant's immortal observation that 'out of the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing was ever made'. So when considering a fundamental change in the law, it is essential to be realistic about how it might be exploited by those whose character is not blameless that is, all of us. Doctors have also had time to see what has happened in the Netherlands and Belgium, where so-called assisted dying was legalised. A Dutch GP called Dr Van der Muijsenberg warned a House of Lords committee examining proposals to change the law in this country: 'I see a growing anxiety among patients, not just the terminally ill, that they think it is not decent not to ask for voluntary euthanasia sometimes, because they feel such a burden.' Vulnerable And Theo Boer, who was between 2005 and 2014 a member of one of the five Dutch regional boards set up to review every act of euthanasia (and to report any suspicious cases to prosecutors) told the writer Christopher de Bellaigue: 'We have put in motion something that we now have discovered has more consequences than we ever imagined.' De Bellaigue also visited Belgium, and spoke to a GP he calls 'Marie-Louise' who had an experience which speaks exactly to that warning I received from a British doctor about the possible consequences for 'vulnerable patients'. 'Vonkel' is a walk-in clinic for patients wanting to discuss dying in the Flemish city of Ghent One of Marie-Louise's patients was a man in late middle-age who had been diagnosed with dementia and had signed a directive asking for euthanasia when his conditioned worsened. But, De Bellaigue went on to record the doctor's account: 'As his mind faltered, so did his resolve which did not please his wife, who became an evangelist for her husband's death. 'He must have changed his mind 20 times,' Marie-Louise said. 'I saw the pressure she was applying.' In order to illustrate one of the woman's outbursts, Marie-Louise rose from her desk, walked over to the filing cabinet and, adopting the persona of the infuriated wife, slammed down her fist, exclaiming: 'If only he had the courage! Coward!' ' Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, pictured, explained in July 2014 why he was now in favour of a change in the law The GP refused to agree to the euthanasia. Then she went on her summer holiday and returned to find that a colleague, perhaps with fewer scruples, or simply less observant, had 'euthanised her patient'. She is now planning to leave the practice: 'How can I stay here? I am a doctor and yet I can't guarantee the safety of my most vulnerable patients.' The most vulnerable patients include those with disabilities. I think of my younger daughter, who has Down's syndrome. After we are gone, would she, so naive and eternally anxious to please, be able to resist suggestions that there is a wonderful permanent solution to pain or allegedly terminal illness? Consent Some years ago I attended a focus group held by the charity Scope, to examine the views of those with cerebral palsy on the legalisation of euthanasia. One of them, whom I will call 'Bill' and who worked for the NHS said: 'Five years ago I was very pro the legalisation of assisted suicide, but I've changed my mind, even though I know what it's like to be in pain every day . . . I struggle to see in practice a system of assisted suicide that will guarantee vulnerable people don't end up being assisted quite aggressively. 'In other words, I'm not sure that so-called informed consent will work the way advocates of assisted suicide claim.' I don't question the good intentions of those advocates such as the former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, with whom I have discussed this at length. Carey wrote a remarkable piece for the Mail a few years ago, explaining why he was now in favour of a change in the law. The main reason he gave was that 'sophisticated medical science offers people the chance to be kept alive far beyond anything that would have been possible only a few years ago. Yet our laws have not kept up with science.' But this is a complete misunderstanding of medical practice. It has always been and remains the case that patients can refuse any and all procedures. For example, when in the Eighties my mother was diagnosed with liver cancer, she decided she wanted no treatment, beyond pain relief. She came under no pressure from doctors to allow surgery or chemotherapy, even though she was only in her 40s. They recognised that her condition was terminal as it would be today. Our time-honoured system of medical care should not be radically changed at the behest of activists for euthanasia, no matter if they are ex-Archbishops or TV stars motivated by compassion. As Christopher de Bellaigue warned, after his investigations in the Netherlands and Belgium: 'Euthanasia won't be an occasion for empathy, ethics or compassion, but a bludgeon swinging through people's lives, whose handiwork can't be undone.' The massive vote against Mrs May's EU withdrawal plan two weeks ago seemed crushing but that is deceptive. The Commons is to vote on an amended version of the agreement tomorrow, the so-called Plan B, and this time the deal could be carried. If MPs from right across the Tory party put aside their differences, in the national interest, we can get the plan over the line. I was one of the 118 Conservatives who vetoed the original proposal earlier this month. While we all have different concerns, there is one issue that we are agreed on: the potential trap of an indefinite Northern Irish 'backstop', tying us into the EU customs union permanently and irrevocably, has to be averted. If MPs from right across the Tory party put aside their differences, in the national interest, we can get Mrs May's Plan B over the line, writes Sir Graham Brady Once we accept that backstop, we cannot later reject it without the agreement of the EU. It could become a permanent state of affairs, treating Northern Ireland differently from the rest of the UK and locking the whole UK into a permanent customs union and banned from signing new free trade agreements. But how to bypass the backstop, and come up with a solution? Crucially, we don't need to hammer out those details before tomorrow. All we have to do is agree that we will find better, alternative arrangements to ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the South. This could be done with digital technology and the so-called 'maximum facilitation' or max-fac arrangements. We could devise ways of dealing with border controls away from the border, potentially through a bilateral agreement between the British and Irish governments. The Prime Minister's Europe adviser, Olly Robbins, has produced a list of nine different ways this might be achieved; as long as they avoid the danger of a permanent trap, they should be considered. Sir Brady, pictured right leaving Downing Street earlier this month, said: 'The British public is crying tears of frustration at Parliament's inability to move forward' What MPs must show now is that we have the will to compromise. The British public is crying tears of frustration at Parliament's inability to move forward. The sense of national relief, when we agree terms to leave the EU, will be immense. And an agreement will change the way Europe approaches negotiations too. We can start to discuss terms for future trade, which everyone on both sides is eager to begin. The feeling in Europe is that this has dragged on too long. I believe the EU is ready to make concessions, to ensure Britain does not leave without a deal. Many MPs, including me, believed it was always going to happen like this: only now when we are coming up to the deadline is the EU really prepared to sit down and talk. To demonstrate there is a potential Commons majority for a compromise that unlocks our departure, we need the backing of the whole party. 'If MPs from right across the Tory party put aside their differences, in the national interest, we can get [Mrs May's] the plan over the line,' writes Sir Brady That's why the team supporting the amendment is drawn from the whole spectrum of the party. The intention is to get the overwhelming majority of Conservative MPs behind it and get the DUP on board too. The support of the DUP is critical for two reasons. An Irish backstop could see their province treated differently from the rest of the UK, so it threatens the Union directly. But there is a massive political significance as well: without DUP backing, as our partners in a 'confidence and supply' deal, the minority Conservative administration will find it very hard to govern. A lot of my colleagues feel on principle that no agreement is feasible unless the DUP is prepared to back it. I think they will. As chairman of the 1922 Committee, part of my job is to take soundings as widely as possible, and I did talk to the Unionist leaders Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds a couple of weeks ago. They left me with a very strong sense of what they would be prepared to accept and their overwhelming concern was the backstop. The vote tomorrow is winnable. Last time, 118 Tory MPs voted against Mrs May: if they all flipped their vote, the withdrawal plan would have a small majority. Sir Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, spoke with Unionist leaders Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds, pictured at Dowing Street, a couple of weeks ago But if that doesn't happen, the dangers to parliamentary democracy are real and grave. There are some who are proposing unconstitutional changes to the procedures of the Commons that could make it impossible in future for parties with slim majorities to govern at all. Others want to delay Brexit and condemn Britain to months more of uncertainty. Some are talking about a Norway-style agreement that binds us into the customs union and guarantees freedom of movement, a situation that all sides condemned as the worst of all possible worlds before the referendum. And then there are people who want to risk inflaming public division still further, by staging another referendum. Tomorrow, Parliament and the Conservative Party have the opportunity to pull together and unite in the national interest to resolve the impasse over Brexit. If we do that, we can start negotiating for the future, with a full and wide-ranging free trade agreement with Europe. Our country demands we must not waste this chance. @ChescoCourtNews on Twitter Michael P. Rellahan has been a staff reporter and editor at the Daily Local News since 1982. He has covered all kinds of news over the years but is now assigned to report on court and legal news, as well as Chester County government news and politics. Police are looking for this person of interest in connection with a local murder investigation. Sunbury, PA (17801) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds from time to time. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. The following items are based on information provided by officials in law enforcement and th Diane Pineiro-Zucker has been a reporter at the Daily Freeman since April 2013. Pineiro-Zucker worked as a reporter in the Freemans Rhinebeck bureau in the early 1980s, left to become executive editor at Taconic Newspapers in Dutchess County. PORT EWEN, N.Y. Michael Cacchillo feels lucky that by time he went into the U.S. Navy as a Seaman 1st Class and was sailing toward Europe in KINGSTON, N.Y. The controversial plan for a boarding house on West Chestnut Street will be taken up by the city Planning Board next week. Finish this article for as low as $1 when you purchase a day pass. Just click the sign up button to purchase. If you are already a subscriber, just click log in to continue reading. ROSENDALE >> The main building at the former Williams Lake Hotel in Rosendale was demo NEW PALTZ Albany prof to speak on data's affect on poor Charles Elsberry, beloved father and grandfather, age 80, of Dalton, passed away Thursday, June 17, 2021 in the company of his family at his residence. He was preceded in death by his wife; Phyllis Elsberry, parents, William Henry Elsberry, Sr. and Stella Gladstone, brother and sister-in-law The indictment of Roger Stone alleges serious crimes to obstruct Congress investigation into Russian election interference. Beyond that, it also provides clues that more charges are likely. Some suggest that special counsel Robert Mueller indicted Stone to create leverage to obtain his cooperation. Maybe. He has successfully used that tactic before. But Mueller likely views this possibility as remote, as evidenced by the need to arrest Stone and execute search warrants at his residences. No doubt, Muellers team had already reached out to Stones lawyer to explore cooperation without success. Mueller persisted with the charges anyway, so flipping Stone does not seem to be Muellers primary goal. Even without cooperation, though, these crimes are worthy of prosecution. President Donald Trumps attorney Rudy Giuliani has diminished this indictment as another false statement case, but most prosecutors would agree that obstruction offenses are important crimes to pursue. Lying to Congress and threatening to kill a witness ("prepare to die") are an affront to our democracy. Among the purposes of criminal justice are to protect the public, punish wrongdoing, deter similar misconduct and promote respect for the law. To allow these crimes to go unchecked would provide a green light for witnesses to lie to Congress with impunity. While the indictment is a worthy pursuit on its own, it also hints at more charges to come. First, some of the language indicates that Mueller continues to explore coordination between the Trump campaign, WikiLeaks and Russia to interfere with the 2016 election. Paragraph 2 notes that in June 2016, the Democratic National Committee publicly announced that it had been hacked by Russian government actors. And paragraph 12 alleges that after WikiLeaks released some of the stolen emails in July, a senior Trump Campaign official was directed to contact Stone about any additional releases and what other damaging information (WikiLeaks) had regarding the Clinton campaign. Read more commentary: Trump pursued a deal in Russia and hid it from voters in extraordinary conflict of interest Roger Stone indictment isn't good news for those seeking Trump impeachment All signs point the same way: Putin has compromising information on Trump Together, these two paragraphs allege that when this directive was made, the Trump campaign knew that WikiLeaks was working with Russia. It further suggests that the directive was made by a high-level official in the campaign. Who would have the authority to direct a senior Trump campaign official but an even more senior Trump campaign official, or even Trump himself? This allegation could support a charge against these individuals for violating campaign finance laws, which prohibit soliciting a thing of value from a foreign national. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is an Australian native with Ecuadorian citizenship. If a campaign official asked Stone to obtain from WikiLeaks information that was harmful to Clinton, that information could be characterized as opposition research, certainly something campaigns regard as a thing of value. These allegations suggest that campaign officials could face criminal exposure for soliciting damaging emails about Clinton. More 2016 fraud conspirators could be indicted Second, the Stone indictment also suggests a basis for charging conspiracy to defraud the United States. The Stone indictment identifies two people only by description, Person 1 and Person 2, identified as writer Jerome Corsi and radio host Randy Credico, respectively. This naming convention is used when the Department of Justice refers to people in an indictment without charging them. The fact that Corsi and Credico were not charged suggests that they are cooperating. If so, then they can provide Mueller with context behind some of the messages cited in the indictment. For instance, the indictment alleges that Corsi and Stone discussed exploiting the released emails to harm Hillary Clinton's campaign by suggesting HRC old, memory bad, has stroke neither he nor she well. This kind of coordination could be evidence of their involvement in a conspiracy to defraud the United States by interfering with the fair administration of elections, the same theory that Mueller has used in the two indictments he has filed against Russians. It is not hard to imagine a superseding indictment in the hacking case to add other individuals who participated in the conspiracy, defined by the special counsel not only as hacking into computers and stealing emails, but also staging releases of stolen documents to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Any Trump campaign members or associates who knowingly helped to coordinate the timing or messaging around the release of the emails could be guilty as co-conspirators. Who else has lied to Congress? Third, this indictment shows how Mueller regards lies to Congress. Mueller is likely scouring the transcripts of all other Trump associates who have testified before Congress, such as Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr., for statements inconsistent with other evidence. One other clue that suggests Mueller is looking at lies to Congress appears in the sentencing memorandum that Mueller filed in December in the case against Michael Cohen, in which Cohen admitted to lying to Congress about negotiations with Russia for a Trump Tower in Moscow. The sentencing memo lists areas in which Cohens cooperation had been particularly valuable in the investigation, including information about preparing and circulating his response to the congressional inquiries. If Mueller finds that Cohen worked with other Trump associates to coordinate their lies, you can expect charges to follow. Standing alone, the Stone indictment charges serious crimes. In context, it portends more charges to come. Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, is a professor at the University of Michigan Law School. Follow her on Twitter: @barbmcquade This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stone indictment: Serious Russia investigation charges hint Mueller has more coming Staff reports The Daily American Schurz Communications, the parent company of the Daily American, has sold its newspaper properties to GateHouse Media. The new owners plan to keep all of the employees in Somerset and continue offering the same services and products. "The Daily American's focus will not change because of its new ownership. We will continue to be committed to providing strong, local news coverage and offer advertisers the best ways to connect with customers. If anything, we expect this change to make the Daily American even stronger and better equipped to succeed in the future. We have a great team here who does great work every day. That won't change," said Becky Flyte, general manager of the Daily American. Schurz Communications, a privately held communications company formed in 1872, announced Monday its intention to sell its publishing division to GateHouse Media, LLC (GateHouse Media) and will continue investing in the areas of cloud and managed IT services and broadband operations. GateHouse Media, one of the largest publishers of locally based print and online media in the United States, is expected to assume ownership during the first quarter of 20 regional papers and several special publications in Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania and South Dakota. Our leadership team, Board of Directors and ownership group are dedicated to helping the company stay true to its roots of fostering communication and connections while charting a successful course for the future, said Todd Schurz, president and chief executive officer at Schurz Communications. This a natural next step forward in our evolution as a company given our mission to help solve challenges by linking people, businesses and communities. We will continue to explore the types of investments that support our commitment to technology and anticipate adding new employees to our team and new companies to our portfolio in the near future. Schurz has owned the Daily American since October 1997. The newspaper was founded in Somerset in 1929. Schurz Communications technology focus began with the purchase of four broadband companies and the company is currently poised to complete the purchase of a fifth. In February 2018, Schurz Communications subsequently announced that it had acquired leading compliant hybrid cloud provider, Online Tech, LLC. An additional investment in the cloud infrastructure assets of Neverfail was announced in December 2018 and highlighted the companys interest in expanding Online Techs presence on a global scale. Moorgate Securities, LLC acted as exclusive financial adviser to Schurz Communications in connection with this transaction. About Schurz Communications Inc. Schurz Communications Inc. is a family owned corporation that has been helping businesses, communities and individuals make meaningful connections for five generations. The Schurz legacy began in newspaper publishing and today, the company remains committed to making information more accessible through the platforms and technology of the digital age. Schurz Communications recent investments include regional broadband companies, global data center solutions providers and digital media and marketing firms. The companys portfolio also includes a variety of minority investments. For more information, visit www.schurz.com. About GateHouse Media, LLC GateHouse Media, headquartered in Pittsford, New York, is a wholly owned subsidiary of New Media Investment Group Inc., which is focused primarily on investing in a high quality, diversified portfolio of local media assets and on growing existing advertising and digital marketing and business services. GateHouse Media is one of the largest publishers of locally based print and online media in the United States, as measured by its 145 daily publications. As of September 30, 2018, the company operates in over 555 markets across 37 states, reaching over 23 million people on a weekly basis and serves over 221,000 business customers. About Moorgate Securities, LLC Moorgate Securities, LLC is an independent merchant banking and advisory firm that looks to partner with industry leading executives and management teams to source and acquire middle market growth companies in the technology, media, and communications industries. Additionally, Moorgate provides independent, trusted advisory services and outsourced corporate development to a focused group of clients. Moorgate has offices in New York City and San Francisco. For more information, visit www.MoorgatePartners.com. Kankakee, IL (60901) Today A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Cyber Attacks On Critical Infrastructure A New Frontier In Global Conflict Uploaded on 2019-01-28 in Directors Reports Cyber-war is still an emerging concept, but many experts now believe that it will be a significant component of any future conflicts. As well as troops using conventional weapons like guns and missiles, future wars will also be fought by hackers using computer code to attack an enemy's infrastructure and to take down their government support systems and the countrys commercial businesses. At its core, cyber warfare, currently, is the use of digital attacks by one country or nation to disrupt the computer systems of another with the aim of create significant infrastructure damage, and potential assistance to more traditional military attack. This military strategy is similar to the beginning of aircraft use at the beginning of the 20th century when planes were initially seen as having the potential of minor visual intelligence, only for large bomber aircraft to become massively destructive. Commercial Threats Governments, intelligence agencies and business now worry that digital attacks against vital infrastructure, like banking systems or power grids, will give attackers a way of bypassing a country's traditional defences. This will allow them to take systems down at the beginning of an attack on a countrys infrastructure and/or to steal commercial and intellectual property and use it for their own commercial growth without having to go through the cost and time of system and product development. Unlike standard military attacks, a cyber-attack can be launched instantaneously from any distance, with little obvious evidence in the build-up, and it is often extremely hard to trace such an attack back to its originators. Also, modern businesses are underpinned by computer networks that run everything from sanitation, health services, food distribution and communications, which are particularly vulnerable to such attacks, especially as these systems are in the main poorly designed and protected. In 2017 Russian hackers obtained access to the US electrical grid by penetrating the networks of key vendors that service power companies. The attacks surfaced in the spring of 2016 and continued throughout 2017. Officials believe the campaign is likely still ongoing. Some vendors still may not be aware that their systems have been compromised, because the credentials of actual employees were used to infiltrate utility networks. Hackers used conventional tools, such as email phishing, to obtain employee passwords and access supplier networks. The US, Canada and the whole of Europe, Australia and New Zealands utility sectors routinely face millions of attempted cyber intrusions. Duke Energy, one of the largest power companies in the US serving 7.6 million customers reported more than 650 million attempted cyberattacks in 2017 and a similar amount of attacks in 2018. While a cyberattack hasnt successfully shut down the US or a European power grid, the threat is real. More and more, electrical utilities and energy companies are turning to cybersecurity vendors for protection against attempted attacks. In its most brutal stage, a cyberwar could result in the crippling of power plants, airports, transit and thousands of businesses as the Ukraine experienced in December 2015 and 2016 and again in June and July 2018. Cyber War A full cyberwar would likely lead to crippled power utilities, hospitals, transportation systems, retail outlets and more. Furthermore, in order to curb dissent and freedom of expression, some authoritarian governments take the drastic step of flicking the "off switch" on mobile and fixed line networks to disable the internet and messaging services used by protesters. All over the world, intentional internet shutdowns and deliberate slowdowns are becoming increasingly common. They generally occur when someone (usually a government) intentionally disrupts the internet or mobile apps to control what people do or say. Out of all countries worldwide, India shuts down its internet most frequently. In many countries, internet shutdowns are preemptive or reactive measures to mass or potential public unrest, with Turkey's 2016 failed military coup an obvious example. This is also true to some extent in India where Internet access is cut off due to political turmoil, protests or military operations. India is even known to carry out shutdowns in certain regions to prevent cheating during examinations. For example, Darjeeling in West Bengal suffered a 45-day Internet shutdown due to political demonstrations and protests from activists seeking a separate state while Nawada in Bihar had a 40-day shutdown as a result of communal clashes. Given the importance of the Internet, moves to block it or limit access can prove costly. In India, the sheer volume of shutdowns, coupled with their length, are getting expensive - very expensive. Ukraine A massive attack on the Ukraine power generation system took place on 23 December 2015 and is considered to be the first known successful cyberattack on a power grid. Hackers were able to successfully compromise information systems of three energy distribution companies in Ukraine and temporarily disrupt electricity supply to industrial and domestic consumers. Ukraines president, Petro Poroshenko, has reported that there had been 6,500 cyberattacks on 36 Ukrainian targets in just the previous two months. International cybersecurity analysts have stopped just short of conclusively attributing these attacks to the Kremlin, but Poroshenko didnt hesitate: Ukraines investigations, he said, point to the direct or indirect involvement of secret services of Russia, which have unleashed a cyberwar against our country. Moscow has long regarded Ukraine as both a rightful part of Russias empire and an important territorial asset, a strategic buffer between Russia and the powers of NATO, a lucrative pipeline route to Europe, and home to one of Russias few accessible warm-water ports. For all those reasons, Moscow has worked for generations to keep Ukraine in the position of a submissive smaller sibling. The group behind the attacks, known as Dragonfly or Energetic Bear, has been traced to Russia and had racked up "hundreds of victims", said the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The attacks are ongoing, it added. The hackers seem to have used tightly-targeted attacks to compromise the corporate networks of suppliers, The attacks used emails sent to senior staff or sought to make them visit spoofed or hacked social media sites. Once the groups won access, they carried out detailed reconnaissance to familiarise themselves with how plants and power systems worked. Germany A German nuclear power plant in 2016 was discovered to be infested by computer malware. The Gundremmingen plant, operated by the German utility RWE and nestled northwest of Munich, is said to have the highest-output nuclear power station in Germany. Experts identified the viruses to be W32.Ramnit and Conficker, found at the plants B unit in the system that involves the transport of reactor fuel. Cyber-attacks against nuclear power plants and industrial control systems are probably at the top of a long list of potential disasters that can be caused by hackers. Until now Stuxnet, which targeted nuclear power plants in Iran, was the most widely publicised threat against such systems. This incident shows however that threats against nuclear power plants are not limited to targeted attacks, but may also be caused by more common attacks. The malware was discovered in the part of the plant named Blok B which luckily was isolated from any radioactive functions. Different from more open conflict-style cyber-attacks such as the ones we have recently seen against Ukraines electricity infrastructure, these attacks seem to be the actions of smaller and possibly civilian threat actors. Yet, the threat is very real and based on the increasing number of incidents involving industrial control systems it looks like the current security approach of computerised but isolated from the internet is not enough. Currently companies spend almost $100bn on cyber security, with the bulk going on technology infrastructure to defend against external threats. Insider Threats However, insurance cyber risks analysts agree that 58% of cyber claims are attributable to employee behaviour, such as negligence, accidental disclosure and lost or stolen devices. When we include vulnerabilities that exist due to a talent or skills shortage in cyber security, the percentage attributable to internal human issues is closer to 90%. This should be a big of concern to the financial industry in the City of London. With attacks against online financial services and the major lending companies increasing at steep rates over the past few years, the financial sector is experiencing higher costs from cyber-crime than any other industry. The Financial Conduct Authority is stressing the importance for financial institutions to nourish a security culture. But building a culture of cyber security is not only about technology, it also requires a strategy that addresses people and processes. No longer should it solely be the job of the IT department to handle cyber risk on its own. Instead, it is imperative to look across an organisation and identify people-based vulnerabilities, including talent and learning gaps, to protect against threats. The biggest security vulnerabilities are hiding in plain sight. Even with todays technological advances and increased use of automation, the core of any organisation is composed of its people. About 75% of companies surveyed in our survey reported that they plan on addressing risk factors tied to human error by 2020. The majority of employers also said they had established effective policies to manage cyber security threats, and most employees indicated that they understood their companies policies. In practice, however, employees often lack the awareness and accountability required to thwart cyber threats. But there are ways that firms can turn their biggest potential weakness into a strength. Understand the Culture An important first step is understanding the workforce culture issues that create vulnerabilities. Employee feedback mechanisms can enable employers to gain deeper understandings of the cultural factors influencing employees cyber awareness across their organisation. The feedback can also enable an organisation to direct its cyber security budget appropriately and to deploy other solutions, such as an appropriate change and communication plan. Drive Employee Awareness Employees often lack awareness of cyber security risks at a basic level. For example, most employees believe that their organisations IT systems are sufficient protection. This thinking may explain why roughly 45% of employees say that its safe to open any email on their work computer, according to our survey. It is therefore important that employees are trained to understand that despite technology firewalls and other protections, they each play a key role in helping their organisation combat cyber-attacks, including reporting of phishing emails, social engineering tactics and other threats, to appropriate IT teams. With this level of awareness, IT teams will be better equipped to acquire and deploy more effective technology solutions. Deliver Cyber Training & Education Security awareness training is a critical part of driving a culture of security. But to ensure its effectiveness, organisations must consider deploying innovative ways to delivering and measuring the training. Most employees have a large and increasing training load covering topics from diversity to regulation. Consider training approaches that will help to embed awareness in the culture over a longer term. There are several ways to achieve this, such as gamification and appointing employees as cyber ambassadors. Lead by Example Evaluate whether your executive leadership team is supportive of cyber awareness and action-oriented behaviours. For example, make sure leaders model positive behaviours that encourage employees to do the same and employees are given the voice to speak up and take action. Hire Appropriately Employers need to cultivate robust pipelines of cyber-savvy talent. Onboarding for information security talent should cover cyber risk management processes and procedures. These topics should also be embedded into other areas, from performance management to succession planning, and include ongoing training to keep their skills up to date and forward looking. Image: Nick Youngson You Might Also Read: Cyber Know How For Management In The Digital Age (): STORY LINK GBP to NZD Exchange Rate Struggles to Hold Last Week?s Gains Ahead of Fresh Brexit Debate GBP Exchange Rates Steady Ahead of Parliaments Next Major Brexit Debate In the very short term, we would be cautious on the Pound as none of the amendments tomorrow are legally binding unless the government prepares to shift its red lines, and we havent seen anything yet, NZD Exchange Rates Benefit from Slight Boost in Risk-Sentiment I dont think anybody is going to get too involved in position-taking on a Monday with all of those things coming up. GBP/NZD Exchange Rate Forecast: Political Developments to Drive Pair This Week Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: Investors sold the Pound when markets opened for the week, amid fresh uncertainty over how the Brexit process would look by the end of the week. The British Pound to New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate slipped on Monday as a result, but could still climb later in the week if there are optimistic Brexit developments tomorrow.Despite some resilient demand for riskier trade-correlated currencies last week, GBP/NZD spent most of the week climbing. GBP/NZD opened the week at the level of 1.9092 and closed at the level of 1.9304. On Friday, GBP/NZD briefly touched on a two month high of 1.9412.Since then, GBP/NZD has been steadying lower as Brexit uncertainties persist and lingering risk-sentiment keeps investors from selling the New Zealand Dollar much further. On Monday afternoon, GBP/NZD trended in the region of 1.9222.Amid a lack of fresh developments on Monday, Pound and New Zealand Dollar investors simply adjusted their positions in anticipation of this weeks expected major political developments.After two weeks of strong performance for the Pound, investors steadied on the British currency today, adjusting their positions ahead of what could be major developments in the Brexit process from tomorrow onwards.There were no significant developments in UK economic or political news throughout the day, leaving investors to sell the Pound from its best levels in profit taking and speculate how the Brexit process could develop this week.On Tuesday, UK Parliament will hold another debate on Brexit. The governments negotiated Brexit withdrawal plan will see another vote, but it is not expected to pass.Instead, investors are anxiously anticipating the possibility that an amendment regarding a possible Brexit delay or even a second referendum could find some backing in Parliament.The possibility that MPs could vote in favour of an amendment that would pressure the government into formally delaying the Brexit process in order to prevent a No-deal outcome has been a major cause of recent Pound strength.However, analysts urged caution ahead of the Brexit debate, arguing that a No-deal Brexit would still be the outcome if no resolution is agreed. According to Timothy Graf, Head of Macro Strategy at SSGA in London:The New Zealand Dollar was able to slightly more easily benefit from Mondays Pound weakness, thanks to stronger market demand for risky trade-correlated currencies throughout the day.Market jitters about the long-lasting US government shutdown lightened slightly after the shutdown saw a temporary resolution at the end of last week.While the resolution will only last until mid-February, this was enough to calm markets enough to make taking risks a little more appealing.However, the higher demand for risk-taking was limited, with major events regarding Brexit, the Federal Reserve , and US-China trade negotiations ahead. This limited market demand for the risky New Zealand Dollar.Martin Rudings, a Dealer at OMF, said:Amid a lack of notable New Zealand data due for publication for most of the week, the Pound to New Zealand Dollar exchange rate will be reacting to shifts in Brexit sentiment and global risk sentiment in the coming sessions.Tuesdays Brexit debate could of course be hugely influential if any amendments or legislation from MPs finds strong enough support to influence the Brexit process in some way.The UK governments Brexit bill is still perceived as lacking the support needed to enter UK law, so tomorrows debate could lead to the first signs of how the Brexit process will unfold going forward.If there is strong support for a delay to the Brexit process, the Pound could be in for further strength as No-deal Brexit fears would lighten. The possibility of a second referendum would also make Sterling more appealing.New Zealand Dollar investors, on the other hand, will be hotly anticipating this weeks resuming US-China trade negotiations. Optimistic trade news would make investors more willing to take risks and the Pound to New Zealand Dollar exchange rate would weaken. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Pound New Zealand Dollar Forecasts STORY LINK Euro to Pound Sterling Exchange Rate Rises as Eurozone Lending Figures Boost Growth Confidence EUR/GBP Exchange Rate Increases after Positive Eurozone Lending Figures The persistence of uncertainties in particular relating to geopolitical factors and the threat of protectionism is weighing on economic sentiment. Pound Euro (GBP/EUR) Exchange Rate Drops as EU Unwilling to Renegotiate Brexit Deal We have a unanimous EU27 position on the withdrawal agreement which reflects the common EU position. This withdrawal agreement has been agreed with the UK government, it is endorsed by leaders and is not open for renegotiation. EUR/GBP Exchange Rate Rises despite Eleventh Week of French Yellow Vest Protests EUR/GBP Outlook: UK Brexit Vote in Spotlight Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: The Euro Pound Sterling (EUR/GBP) exchange rate is up today and is currently trading around 0.8683 on the inter-bank market.The Euro (EUR) increased against a weakening Pound (GBP) after the publication of the Eurozones lending figures, which increased above expectation in December, lending some support to the single currency amid increasing concerns over economic growth.EUR managed to keep hold of its gains on GBP, despite the President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, coming out with some dovish comments during his testimony today.Draghi commented:The GBP/EUR exchange rate, meanwhile, has been increasingly wracked by Brexit concerns as Prime Minister Theresa May rallies to gain the necessary support behind her Brexit Plan B.Many Sterling investors are remaining apprehensive over her deals success during tomorrows parliamentary vote, with worries that if she fails to reach concessions between Ireland and the EU on the Irish backstop, the deal will be voted down by MPs.GBP has been further weakened as the increasing unlikelihood of the EU renegotiating crucial aspects of the deal whatever the result of tomorrows vote.Margaritis Schinas, a European Commission spokesman, commented today:The Euro has had some of its gains curbed today after Fridays publication of German economic sentiment data for January, which showed an overall downturn of confidence in Eurozone growth into the New Year.EUR investors, however, have remained somewhat cautious as French Yellow Vests protests once again erupted over the weekend now in their eleventh week and this has continued to cause concern as the Eurozone is shaken by political upheavals.With mounting concerns over the Eurozone economy last week, investors have remained apprehensive ahead of the UK Brexit vote tomorrow, with any signs that Theresa Mays deal will be rejected heightening the possibility of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.Both EUR and GBP investors will be looking ahead to tomorrows UK Parliament vote on Theresa Mays Brexit Plan B, with any signs that MPs will reject the deal likely to see the EUR/GBP exchange rate rise.EUR traders will also be looking ahead to tomorrows publication of the Italian PPI figures for December, with any signs of an increase boosting confidence in the single currency.Looking ahead to Wednesday, EUR could be provided with some uplift if Germanys Gfk consumer confidence figures for February show any signs of increasing.Wednesday will also see the publication of the UK mortgage approval figures for December, which are expected to decrease, potentially weakening the GBP/EUR exchange rate. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Currency Predictions Daily Currency Updates Euro Forecasts Cullman, AL (35055) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 67F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Localized flooding is expected.. Tonight Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 67F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Localized flooding is expected. As CUNAs Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan tells it, advocacy is a process. In 2019, Americas credit unions will build on a process that brought them nearly unprecedented success in 2018. CUNA stood tall for Americas credit unions in 2018 with the passage of S. 2155, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, as the years advocacy highlight. Donovan says 2018s advocacy results validated CUNAs 360-degree advocacy approacha grassroots strategy that fosters engagement from system players at all levels from every direction. As evidence of the success of that grassroots strategy CUNA greets a 116th Congress that, while radically divided by almost every measure, represents what Ryan describes as credit union majority. This month, Progressive Credit Union successfully merged with PenFed Credit Union as part of an emergency merger that allows PenFed to support all of Progressives current members and loans in the months and years ahead. Critics in the banking industry complain that this merger gives PenFed an open charter, allowing anyone nationwide to join. Others contend that when large credit unions acquire smaller credit unions, it threatens banks market share and profits. But the conversation around this merger shouldnt be about the banking industry, size, profits or numbers at all. It should be about the people. Progressive, a credit union that made loans for drivers to finance New York City taxi medallions, was facing the same challenges that continue to pressure all taxi medallion lenders in overcrowded markets with Uber and other ride-sharing platforms. For decades, the taxi medallions required to operate cabs in New York City have been safe investments for taxi drivers. Borrowing to purchase taxi medallions allowed drivers with little capital to make a living and provide for their families buying homes, sending their kids to school, and covering medical expenses for family members. (Image source from: Facebook.com/janasenaparty) Pawan Kalyan Picks Up Three Constituencies To Contest In AP:- Janasena Chief Pawan Kalyan is all set for a fresh bunch of tour across Andhra Pradesh. The actor turned politician spoke at a massive political meet recently in Guntur. Pawan already announced that Janasena will contest in all the constituencies of AP and will join hands with CPI, CPM. There have been talks about Pawan Kalyan contesting and he several times announced that he will campaign across the state and will contest from two segments. The latest news is that Pawan Kalyan zeroed in Eluru (West Godavari district), Pithapuram (East Godavari district) and Gajuwaka (Visakhapatnam district). He would be contesting from one or two constituencies from the above informed a close source to Pawan Kalyan. However things are expected to be final in the coming days. AP will head for elections during April or May this year. Condominium Unit 408 at 9 River Road at the Palmer Point Marina offers year-round water views of Cos Cob Harbor. The 1,069-square-foot residence has a modern, open floor plan. The living room/dining area has a fireplace and sliding doors that open out to a deck that overlooks a courtyard. The kitchen is designed with white cabinets, surfaces and appliances, for a bright aesthetic. The full bath has been recently renovated. This home also has an in-unit stacked washer and dryer, and the closets have been outfitted with organization by California Closets. The property is located within walking distance to the train stop, shopping and the local elementary school. The owner enjoys covered garage parking. The assigned public schools for this address are Cos Cob Elementary, Central Middle and Greenwich High. Listing Agent: Jessica Lane Alsina and Danielle Scialpi-Malloy, Real Living Real Estate, Five Corners Properties; (203) 690-7909 cell; jessica@gclre.com WESTPORT The Rolnick Observatory on Bayberry Road opens its doors to the public every Wednesday night, if the skies are clear, to view celestial events and a sky full of stars. One of the stars in this Coleytown neighborhood can be viewed day or night and is just around the corner from the observatory, which is managed by the Westport Astronomical Society. The newly constructed, Energy Star-rated, contemporary house at 175a Cross Highway was built with many energy efficient features including the typical like extra insulation, Thermopane windows, and a programmable thermostat, and the innovative a combination of energy-saving Schuco windows imported from Germany, special insulation, and harnessing the suns energy. This 5,500-square-foot stucco and wood structure was positioned on its three-acre level property to deliberately take advantage of the suns natural light and heat. It was built with tall walls of glass and tall ceilings 10 and 11 feet tall on the main floor, depending on the room. The ceilings on the second floor are 9 feet tall. All the doors in the house are uncommonly tall. The created formula is made of the wandering sunlight during the day to the thermal mass of the building and the position of the windows. The end result is a quiet, energy efficient and low-maintenance structure, according to Lukas Macniak, a partner in Silver Rock Real Estate, the owner of the property, in marketing material provided by the listing agent. The house was designed by Macniaks business partner, architect Bolek Ryzinski, in collaboration with RAAD Studio, a Manhattan-based, award-winning architecture and building design firm. Ryzinzki is president of ABR Builders and Macniak is the companys vice president. We decided to adopt the most modern solutions used in Europe to build this unique modern and low-energy home, Macniak said, adding it is the very first one of this kind in Westport. While the emphasis is placed on energy efficiency, the architect and builders did not sacrifice modern living and entertaining amenities. Each room has been carefully designed with comfort and luxury in mind, and with a modern feel to it, Macniak said. ABOUT THIS HOUSE STYLE: Contemporary/New Construction ADDRESS: 175a Cross Highway PRICE: $2,999,999 ROOMS: 11 FEATURES: three-acre level property, heated Gunite in-ground salt water swimming pool and spa, bluestone patio, temperature-controlled wine room, generator, easy commuting distance to the Merritt Parkway, walking distance to Christie's Country Store and Rolnick Observatory, proximity to Post Road (Route 1), not far from downtown Westport, 10 and 11-foot ceilings on main living level, professionally landscaped property, exterior lighting, underground sprinkler, instant hot water tap, extra insulation, Thermopane windows, programmable thermostat, audio system, pre-wired for cable, true open floor plan, commercial grade Soprema roofing system, one fireplace, skylights, balcony/deck, central air conditioning, zoned heating system, stone wall, attached three-car garage, five bedrooms and five full and two half baths SCHOOLS: Coleytown Elementary, Bedford Middle, Staples High School ASSESSMENT: not yet set, new construction MILL RATE: 16.86 mills TAXES: not yet set, new construction See More Collapse The backyard features a heated Gunite in-ground salt water swimming pool and spa, a bluestone patio, and ample room for entertaining, from casual gatherings to large scale celebrations. The house is not visible from the road. It takes traveling down a long gravel driveway to the completely private, park-like setting to access this house. Ample parking space is available in front of the house. The walls of glass allow the occupants to feel as if they are interacting with nature. Inside, the main floor has 3,000 square feet of true open living space. The floating staircase to the second floor resembles an artistic steel and wood sculpture. There are other artistic, visually pleasing touches throughout starting with the spacious powder room, which has a textured wall of a raised, braided material. The family room has the homes only fireplace, and sliding doors to the grounds. The dining room features a temperature-controlled wine room. No need to travel to the basement to retrieve a bottle of wine during dinner. The spacious gourmet kitchen features a long center island/breakfast bar topped with Pietro Cardoza stone as is the perimeter counter. The island has one large stainless sink and the perimeter counter features double stainless sinks. High-end appliances include a Wolf induction range top and Miele coffee-maker. Off the kitchen is a large butlers pantry. On the second floor, there are five bedrooms and a large, open landing of usable living space. The spacious master suite has a walk-in closet, sliding doors to a large wood deck, and a cavernous, luxurious private marble bath featuring walls of glass, a soaking tub, shower, and long double vanity. For more information or to make an appointment to see the house contact Imke Lohs of William Pitt Sothebys International Realty at 917-459-8382 or ilohs@williampitt.com. The following was presented as a speech to the Board of Alderman last year. For the first 22 years of my professional life, I was in the field of marketing, so I can tell you with certainty that marketing and the markets themselves are almost entirely built on perception. Things are only worth what others are willing to pay for them, whether it is handmade knick-knacks on eBay or a BMW. The perception of this board and this administration is that public education is not a priority. It is viewed publicly that the public schools in this town are a drain on the public coffers and a mandated hurdle to a continued low mill rate. So what? you might ask. Well, being math-brained myself, I truly believe that numbers do not lie. I bought my house 15 years ago and as of this morning my home is worth essentially what I paid for it all those years ago within a few bucks. In fact, it is precisely worth 0.78 percent more. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, prices in 2018 are 36.96 percent higher than prices in 2003. In short, my home is worth in 2018 dollars 37 percent less than it was when I bought it. How is that possible? I understand that there was a global financial crisis 10 years ago, but surrounding communities have rebounded fully and have homes that have increased in value during the same 15-year period. My neighbors and Shelton friends are asking the same question. How is this possible? In the housing market, the largest valuing factor other than the home itself is the school district in which it resides. In our town, the constant public disagreement over the education budget makes it appear that this board and this administration do not care about education. I have read repeatedly that Shelton is in the bottom few Connecticut districts in per-pupil spending. How is that possible? We have resources. We are a beautiful small town that offers a wonderful quality of life. We have industry and expansion. We are a developing community. Yet for me personally, Im very worried about my financial future because my largest personal investment has a third less buying power than it did when I initially invested in it. That is not due to maintenance issues of the property. It is, in my opinion, due to the way we conduct our citys business and the public squabbling that is the norm in our politics. We have to now work hard to change that perception. It is OK to disagree, but the manner in which this is being done is hurting every property owner in this town. It will hurt our citizens futures and retirement years. Empty-nesters will not be able to get what they hope to when they sell their homes because there is no market for younger families to move to our town. Why is that do you ask? It is due to the perception. Markets are based on perception and the perception outside the city lines of our public schools is poor despite the fact that every teacher Ive come across during my time here is outstanding. I just made a career change fulfilling my dream of becoming a teacher and I can tell you that even new teachers were very leery about joining our district, and that is unfortunate. The perception is that there are budget problems and things in our schools are on the downswing. I know this not to be true, but this is hurting all of us. We have to change. We are on the precipice of a long-term financial disaster for this city because we are being penny wise and pound foolish. My tax bill was $13 less this year. Honestly, if we could have avoided all the nonsense with the bus contract and the pay for play and the holding back of propane to fuel the buses, you could have kept my $13. It looks to outsiders and citizens like we are charging the families of our student athletes to pay for fuel for our buses. I call for this board to properly fund this school district. I call for us as a community to work hard to get that per-pupil spending figure up to where it should be. This policy is hurting all of us whether we have students in the public schools or not. I implore you to change, work together with the various city boards, and change the perception that Shelton does not care about our kids and our collective futures. We all deserve better and I believe that together we can very easily accomplish this and make Shelton an extremely desirable city for people to live in. Scott A. Smith lives in Shelton. In business travels abroad from 1977 to 1989 I remember delightful dining experiences, those in Brussels and Singapore among the best. I remember illnesses, especially my Australian shingles in Sydney episode. But what I remember most are lessons learned about customs and how people lived their lives. My first true international excursion was to Israel. Back then plane hijackings seemed to occur regularly. But my company wanted me to familiarize myself with its hotels. Shortly after landing at Tel Avivs Ben Gurion Airport I was paged to come up front. I had no idea what might be in play. The flight attendant said, Theyre here to pick you up. As I walked down the ramp, two soldiers waited for me in military garb with Uzi submachine guns at their side. One of them said, Nothing to worry about. Youre going to Arab countries afterwards. They wont let you in if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport. So, I realized that governments knew about arriving and departing passengers and could circumvent passport screening procedures. For me, no James Bond encounter could have surpassed that afternoons drama. My three days in Israel brought new revelations. For example, I learned that the Jaffa orange was heralded there. And that to avoid restrictions on buying-and-selling fruit, Israeli oranges were flown to Greece from Tel Aviv, re-packaged with Greek markings on the shipping crates, and then sold in Arab countries. On another trip to that part of the world, I waited on a runway as locals carrying small appliances boarded a flight from Athens to Kuwait. Shortly after our take off, I saw smoke coming from a front row of seats. A passenger had turned on a battery-operated skillet. He was trying to fry food! Who knew that in some parts of the world, a hungry airline passenger could grill his own lunch on a flight? Two years later in Cairo the hotels manager surprised me. He held my hand as we strolled through his lobby. Embarrassed, I bit my lip hoping no one saw us. Eventually, I learned that hand-holding, as well other ways men expressed their collegial friendship, was acceptable then in some foreign countries. On trips across the Pacific, my education about folkways continued. In Manila, the Jeepney buses with their colorful painted sides reminded me of the New York City graffiti craze. I rode on them a few times. I was amazed to learn that when all seats were taken, passengers just hung on the outside backs of the Jeepneys, much like hitchhikers cling on the rear of freight trains. On that same trip, one afternoon a guide took me on a tour of its Chinese Catholic cemetery. Lined with rows of magnificent mausoleums it looked like a wealthy American suburb. The guide added, Most of these mausoleums have baths and overnight accommodations. People come here on All Saints Day to honor their deceased relatives. I later read that some sections of the cemetery were known as Millionaires Row and Little Beverly Hills. A fence-like structure surrounded the entire conclave. I walked up an inclined street so I could get a look at what was on the other side. Three or four children, completely naked, played seemingly joyfully in muddy water. Their homes stood behind them, a world far less opulent then the mausoleums on my side of the fence. I started tearing. Closer to home, my cultural consciousness continued to expand. In Montreal, Canada, several times a year my employers training center hosted management development seminars for 24 to 28 department heads from different countries. Two attendees were assigned one hotel room. In one seminar, Moshe, an Israeli, and Mounir, an Egyptian, bunked together. These two gentlemen became close friends. Because of their different backgrounds and the politics of that time, their bonding seemed inconceivable to me. I hesitated probing but finally asked how their friendship was possible. One of them said, Its our governments, not the people, who cant get along. I could write a book filled with vignettes about my going to virtually every continent during my 12 years of business traveling abroad. As I went from country to country, I gained a deeper understanding of its people and learned that every culture has a life uniquely its own. Juan Negroni, a Weston resident, is a consultant, bilingual speaker and writer. Email him at juannegroni12@gmail.com. His column appears monthly in Hearst Connecticut newspapers. As the mind starts drifting to thoughts of San Diego or even beaches along the East Coast BRIDGEPORT - One of the most violent city rivalries in recent years exploded in a melee in the lobby of the Golden Hill Street court Monday morning. More than two dozen people men and women battled each other, quickly overwhelming the meager force of judicial marshals as horrified onlookers ran for cover. Local and state police called to the scene blocked off Golden Hill Street and barred entrance to the courthouse as reinforcements rushed to help the marshals get order in the court. One marshal was injured and three people were arrested. Social media had been blowing up all day Sunday following the arrest of 39-year-old Jayvell Washington for the fatal shooting on Saturday of 50-year-old Eugene Rogers. More News News Disruption at Bridgeport courthouse brings heavy police... Where were the police? They should have known this was going to happen, said Tanisha Pierce, Rogers cousin. These people were fighting my family in the courthouse, this never should have happened. Jermained Felton, 38, of Fairview Avenue, was charged with third-degree assault, third-degree assault on an elderly person and breach of peace. He was released after posting $125,000 bond. Shamar Swinton, 37, of Somers Street, was charged with interfering with police, breach of peace and third-degree assault on an elderly person and was being held in lieu of $135,000 bond. Antiqua Washington, 29, of Burritt Avenue, Stratford, was charged with breach of peace and third-degree assault and was released after posting $25,000 bond. After the courthouse was cleared, Washington was arraigned on charges of murder, criminal possession of a weapon and possession of a pistol without a permit. Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton ordered him held in lieu of $3 million bond and continued the case to Feb. 13. Mr. Washington is presumed innocent under the law and is confident that he will be acquitted at trial, his lawyer, Michael Riley, said later. Washington and members of the Rogers family have been engaged in a violent series of confrontations since the summer of 2017, according to police. In one incident, Mayor Joe Ganim was standing outside the Rogers family home after a shooting when more shots rang out, although he was not hurt nor apparently the intended target, police said. On July 1, 2017, Chaz Rogers was shot to death on Stratford Avenue. His older brother, Hassan Boobie Rogers, was later arrested for allegedly shooting at a friend of Washingtons whom he blamed for killing his brother. Then on July 23, 2017, Eugene Rogers was walking on Trumbull Avenue when, police said, he was shot twice in the abdomen. He survived that shooting. Washington, who had served seven years in prison for a 1998 manslaughter conviction, was charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, illegal use of a firearm and criminal use of a firearm for shooting Eugene Rogers. He was released after posting $500,000 bond. Shortly after 9 a.m. on Saturday, police said officers were dispatched by the Bridgeport Police Departments Shot Spotter system to the Citgo gas station and Pitt Stop convenience store on Reservoir Avenue. When officers got there, they found Eugene Rogers lying on the ground, motionless, police said. He was bleeding from a bullet wound in his head, and police said he had a silver and black gun in his left hand. Police said the gas stations video surveillance showed Washington parked in a Mini Cooper at the gas station when he was approached by Rogers. Rogers began to pull a handgun from the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt, police said, when Washington drew first and fired, then drove off. Police said they determined that Washington was wearing a GPS monitoring bracelet as a result of the conditions of his bond. They said detectives traced him to Fairview Avenue, where they arrested him in front of his girlfriends home. Police said that when asked if he knew why detectives were there, Washington replied, Yeah, and placed his hands behind his back. Animal advocates are praising Desmonds Law, which has helped to stiffen penalties for those accused of abusing their pets. Its been a rude welcome for a new state senator who has been the target of toll protestors in her first month in office. Here are other stories you may have missed this weekend: Animal advocates help to bring justice for abused cats and dogs Contributed Cats and dogs in Connecticut have been scalded with hot liquid, kicked to death, left shivering outside in the cold, and even killed as revenge following romantic break-ups. These are a few examples of the claims police have made against people charged with animal cruelty. Now Desmonds Law, in honor of a dog whose owner, Alex Wullaert, beat and strangled him to death in 2012, has helped to increase penalties for animal abuse in the state. Without hype, McMahons SBA goes about business Albin Lohr-Jones / TNS Linda McMahon is back in business. The Small Business Administration chief had been radio silent during the 35-day federal government shutdown. The closure of SBA hit the small business and contractor community hard, especially in Connecticut. According to SBA data, 342,443 Connecticut small businesses employ 735,788 people about half of the states total employment. New state senator an early target of protest Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Alexandra Bergstein was sworn in this month as a state senator representing Greenwich, and parts of Stamford and New Canaan, and shes already a prime target of sign-carrying protestors. Bergstein held a series of public discussions in her communities last week about improving the local business climate, but most of those who attended wanted to instead rail on the senator for her controversial highway toll proposal. Dan Haar: The Whack-a-Mole problem in Looneys tax reform plan Jessica Hill / AP Photo /Jessica Hill Columnist Dan Haar analyzes Connecticuts tax reform, specifically Sen. Martin Looneys proposal to end municipalities ability to tax vehicles and allow homeowners and businesses to reduce their real estate assessments. Tong vows to keep taking fight to Purdue Pharma Cathy Zuraw / Hearst Connecticut Media Connecticut is pushing ahead with its lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, under new Attorney General William Tong. But the recent dismissal of Bridgeports lawsuit against the maker of OxyContin shows litigation against the Stamford company does not guarantee a favorable verdict. Connecticut private schools face shrinking enrollments Carol Kaliff / Carol Kaliff The Wooster School in Danbury, which is phasing out its lower school, is the latest private school in the state grappling with a shrinking student population. Private school enrollments and the number of independent schools in the state has dropped in recent years, in large part because of the decline in the birth rate and wealthy families leaving Connecticut. Violations, fines pile up due to backlog for public information File photo The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, a Connecticut agency that includes the State Police, is racking up violations and fines due to a nearly two-year backlog in responding to public information requests. 3 1 of 3 Michael P. Mayko /Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Michael P. Mayko /Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3 BRIDGEPORT - There is a heavy local and State Police presence at the Golden Hill courthouse in downtown Bridgeport after a disruption broke out Monday morning. State police said it was a large disturbance at the court involving multiple people. Opening circuit breakers is bad. Closing them again is worse. When Russia attacked Ukraine's energy grid in December 2016, it opened the circuit breakers at the utility, causing a power outage that lasted about an hour. The attack could have been much worse, experts say. The Russians chose not to then close the breakers, which would have caused a phase shift in the AC power and fried the energy grid, requiring physical replacement of infrastructure. [ Learn more about defending critical infrastructure . | Get the latest from CSO by signing up for our newsletters. ] The United States is vulnerable to just such an attack, experts warn. Although the distributed and segmented nature of the U.S. energy grid means that there is no single point of failure for the entire country, an attacker could still plunge the West Coast or the Northeast Corridor into darkness for months, a year or more. "The Russians didn't want that [in Ukraine]," ICS security expert Joe Weiss tells CSO. "All they had to do was reclose the breakers. They chose not to." This vulnerability has been known since at least the 2007 Aurora demonstration, but more than a decade later the energy grid continues to remain vulnerable. Aurora horribilis In 2007, Idaho National Laboratory ran the now infamous Aurora Generator Test, demonstrating how a few lines of code could destroy a generator simply by opening and closing circuit breakers. An attacker able to gain remote access to such equipment can easily exploit the laws of physics for destructive purposes. "This is what every first-year electrical engineering student learns," Weiss says. "You never start AC equipment out of phase with the electrical grid. The grid will break it. All Aurora does is simply using remote access to open a breaker and then reclose it out of phase with the grid." For 80 years the energy grid ran without the internet. Humans opened and closed relays. Squirrels plagued the system, as they do today. But short of a malicious insider, things worked the way they were supposed to. Enter the internet and remote management. It's cheaper and more efficient to use Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software to remotely manage equipment thousands of miles away than it is to employ boots on the ground. The only problem: If you can remotely manage your relays, then so can anyone else who gains access to your terminal. "You get a big utility, you have, say, 10,000 or 15,000 transformers. Well, you're not going to have 10,000 to 15,000 relay engineers," Weiss says. "You may have 50 to 100 relay engineers, and they have to support these 15,000 relays over a multi-state area over thousands of miles. So remote access is necessary." So, what happens if a hostile actor gets remote access? Stuxnet 2.0 Stuxnet, the U.S.-Israeli malware targeted to destroy centrifuges at an Iranian nuclear enrichment facility, used a variety of zero-days to gain remote access to the equipment in question, but the payload wasn't malware. It was alternate control system logic, Weiss points out. The centrifuges spun out of control and were destroyed. This is scarier than hell. An Aurora-like attack on the U.S. energy grid would be conceptually similar. Gain remote access and start flipping breakers until things explode. "That's effectively Stuxnet," Weiss says. "This is scarier than hell." Not everyone agrees with Weiss, however. "Doing that [an Aurora-like attack] at scale is extremely difficult," says Patrick Miller, managing partner at ICS security consultancy Archer International. "There are manual protective devices in place that operate in some cases electromechanically and not digitally." Any such attack would also not cascade across the United States because of the way the energy grid was built historically, Miller points out. "It's physically impossible to get through a phase shifter at the interconnection points between the Texas and eastern and western grids." Indeed, a Congressional report concluded in 2014 that to achieve a nation-wide blackout, an attacker would need to take out at least nine substations across the U.S., writing, "A FERC power flow analysis in 2013 identified 30 such critical HV transformer substations across the continental United States; disabling as few as nine of these substations during a time of peak electricity demand reportedly could cause a 'coast-to-coast blackout.'" A nationwide blackout as described in the 2014 Congressional report is a realistic threat, Joe Slowik, a senior threat analyst knowledgeable about energy grid security, told a group of journalists earlier this month at the offices of Dragos, a consultancy that specializes in ICS security. A worm that could knock out the energy grid is "entirely plausible," he said. More nation-states are researching energy grid security, Slowik also pointed out. This kind of weapon gives geopolitical leverage to nations both large and small. While a cascading Aurora-like attack might not be simple, easy or cheap, gaining the ability to carry out such an attack would add a potent weapon to even a small nation's military arsenal. The future of security at layer 1 Security folks tend to focus their efforts on layer 2 and above, often giving little thought to layer 1 security. The energy grid doesn't need the internet to operate, but there's no network to secure if the power goes out. If security at layer 1 isn't there, then you have no security. Worse, the schism between electrical engineering and computer science has grown wider over the last two decades, to the point that many even most IT and security professionals lack the training in physics and electrical engineering to be able to threat model potential attacks to layer 1 security and mitigate them appropriately. "If security at layer 1 isn't there, then you have no security," Weiss says. Some people only walk this earth for a short time. Their departure reminds us that angels are watching over us. Last week, Aggie Reed rejoined her heavenly family and gained her wings. Agnes Lee "Aggie" Wilson-Reed passed away unexpectedly in Cookeville on June 11, 2021, at the age of 83. Ag To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Please click here to learn how. In my last post, I noted that the joint committee-Board objection to the 2012 and 2014 Puerto Rico GOs was at least plausible, and thus is likely headed for more extensive litigation. As Mark and Mitu have also noted, it also matters a good deal that the objectors also have arguments for why the claim on the bonds is not replaced by a similar claim for unjust enrichment or the like (although we might wonder if such a claim would enjoy the special constitutional priority the GOs do, if we think that priority really matters in a sovereign/muni bankruptcy process). This past weekend, the FT's John Dizard quoted a hedge fund type as saying that the objectors' argument about the Building Authority's leases (see my prior post) was "nonsense." Not a lot of deep analysis there, but it does confirm there is a fight ahead. And we can assume that the Commonwealth's words will be used against it after all, at the time of issuance, Puerto Rico and its agents undoubtedly said lots about how assuredly valid these bonds were. The obvious conclusion is that the objectors have made this move as an opening shot in a broader play to negotiate a haircut with the GOs. After all, they look like they are almost done dealing with the COFINA debt, the other big chunk outstanding. Sure. But what I find really interesting is the more subtle point that with this move, the objectors have also opened up some space between the GOs as a class. That is, presumably the non-challenged GOs will not have to take as severe of a haircut if $6 billion has already been knocked off the GO total. If I'm a holder of 2011 GOs (which I'm not, btw), I might then start to think that I don't really mind if the objectors win. And thus intra-GO warfare might break out. Some asset managers are also going to face challenges if they have 2011 GOs in one fund, and 2014 GOs in another. And then there is Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp., which insured both the 2011 and 2012 (but not the 2014) ... David Langham Horace, 44, passed away June 9, 2021 in Lufkin. Viewing will be held on Friday, June 18, 2021 at Emanuel Funeral Home of Crockett from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Funeral will be held on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at Antioch Baptist Church in Pennington at 12 p.m. with burial to follow in A We are analyzing the site. Please wait a few seconds.. The U.S. Department of Justice laid out its case against Huawei in a press conference in Washington, D.C. There are two cases where the DoJ is pursuing legal actions: A grand jury in Seattle returned an indictment alledging 10 federal crimes by two affiliates of Huawei Technologies. The indictment alleges that in 2012 Huawei began a concerted effort to steal information about a robot that T-Mobile used to test mobile phones. Huawei engineers are alleged to have violated confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements with T-Mobile by secretly taking photos of the robot, measuring it, and stealing a piece of it. A grand jury in New York returned an indictment alleging 13 additional crimes committed by Huawei, its CFO, its affiliate in Iran, and one of its subsidiaries in the United States. This criminal activity is said to go back ten years and to involve top officials of the company. The indictment alleges that beginning in 2007, Huawei began to misrepresent its relationship with its Skycom affiliate. By claiming Skycom was a separate company, Huawei represented that it was in compliance with U.S. sanctions against Iran. Furthermore, Huawei is alleged to have misrepresented financial transactions with multiple banks. Defendants from both cases are variously charged with conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud, violations of the Emergency Economic Powers Act, money laundering, and obstruction of justice. The DoJ is seeking the extradition of Huawei CFO, Meng Wanzhou, from Vancouver, Canada, where she was arrested in December.The DoJ further alleges that Huawei lied to the U.S. government and attempted to obstruct justice by concealing and destroying evidence, as well as moving executives back to China. 01/28/2019 Photo (c) Geoff Eccles - Getty Images What makes a great retirement location can be a subjective thing, since different retirees value different things. But some items have a way of showing up on just about everyones list. Affordable housing is usually very important, as is access to quality health care. Amenities can sweeten the deal, as can good public transportation. Using those, and other criteria, 55places, an online resource with information about age-restricted communities, has compiled a list of the top 20 locations in 2019 for a successful retirement. In something of a surprise, Sioux Falls, S.D., tops the list. Yes, the winters tend to be a little chilly, but the South Dakota city offers a lot for retirees. It has plenty of nice neighborhoods with affordable homes, a low crime rate, and exceptional health care. A recent study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute ranked Sioux Falls health care as the best in the nation. As you might expect, Florida cities are well represented on the list, holding down the next five spots after Sioux Falls with a total of eight of the 20 cities. Here is 55places list of the top 20 retirement destinations: Sioux Falls, South Dakota Ocala, Florida Lakeland, Florida Jacksonville, Florida Daytona Beach, Florida Gainesville, Florida New Castle County, Delaware South Bend, Indiana Tampa, Florida Waco, Texas Birmingham, Alabama Memphis, Tennessee San Antonio, Texas Ft. Myers-Cape Coral, Florida Phoenix, Arizona Melbourne, Florida Grand Rapids, Michigan Orlando, Florida Wichita Falls, Texas Indianapolis, Indiana Noticeably absent from the list are any California cities. Despite the states excellent weather and quality healthcare, home prices are among the highest in the nation, as are taxes. Retiring outside the U.S. Increasingly, Americans are not confining their retirement choices to U.S. cities. Spending your golden years in a foreign country is increasingly popular, and a 2018 report by Forbes notes that Latin America has become a favorite, mainly because retirement savings go farther. Costa Rica, in Central America, is number one on Forbes list because it has been praised as a safe, low-stress place with a growing economy and enticing beaches. The real estate is pretty enticing as well, with a furnished two-bedroom home renting for as little as $500 a month. Mexico, Panama, Columbia, and Ecuador are also highly rated but much the same reason. May needs a new offer to make to the EU. Paul Bew has one for her. She should take it up. ConservativeHome wishes the Brady amendment the very best of luck tomorrow. Its core proposal is to replace the Northern Ireland backstop with alternative arrangements. The phrase is usually read as a code for the maximum facilitation plan first outlined by the Government during the summer of 2017 in a position paper. The idea was dismissed by Sabine Weyand as being like a hunt for the unicorn. Before last week, it would have been easy for the EU to stick to this script. That has become more difficult now that Michel Barnier, no less, has said that my team have worked hard to study how controls can be made paperless or decentralised, which will be useful in all circumstances. Maxfac suggests the use of new technology away from the border; Barnier wants paperless controls away from the centre in question (namely, the border). He has thus become the unicorn hunts latest recruit. It is easy to show up the self-contradiction embedded in the EUs position. (This first emerged a while ago: Barnier originally suggested that most checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as now envisaged under Mays deal, should take place away from the sea border itself.) It is harder to believe that it will now drop the entire backstop simply because Barnier has been proven to indulge in a bit of magical thinking himself. To abandon the backstop when it was first floated, towards the end of 2017, wouldnt have meant a loss of face. But too much political capital has been invested in it now, by both Brussels and Dublin, for it to be junked altogether. Furthermore, the Brady amendment may not win the support either of some pro-Remain Conservative MPs who will take precisely that view or of some ERG members and other Brexiteers, who have objections to Mays deal that stretch wider than the backstop. The potential coalition against a new plan to solve the backstop riddle might be less powerful. Its author is Paul Bew the crossbench peer, Chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission and former adviser to David Trimble when the latter helped to negotiate the Belfast Agreement. Bew is a heavyweight who knows his stuff. The heart of his plan takes us back to the Joint Report agreed between the UK and EU in December 2017 in which the backstop was first made public, Article 49, which set out the all-Ireland terms of the backstop, was balanced by Article 50, which established an all-United Kingdom counterweight. The former reminded the Government of its guarantee of avoiding a hard border. The latter committed it to ensure that no new regulatory barriers develop between Great Britain and Northern Ireland unless the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly agree them. You may well ask how it is possible for there to be no new regulatory barriers between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and for the whole United Kingdom to leave the EU. But let us not detain ourselves with the thought that these combined clauses make no sense. Theresa May later promptly connived in dropping Article 50 from the Withdrawal Agreement, thereby approving the new regulatory barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain which she was previously committed to oppose. The essence of Bews case, as set out in a Policy Exchange paper today, is that the dropping of Article 50 places the backstop itself in breach of the Belfast Agreement. The backstop, by placing key areas of North-South co-operation under the operation of a new regime, without the consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly, would turn the agreement on its head, he writes. He concludes that the Irish Government is solemnly committed to the whole Agreement in international law, and that the backstop must be strictly time-limited. Bew is thereby picking up the Irish Governments most powerful card the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement and playing it against that government itself, claiming that Downing Street has allowed the Irish Government to weaponise the 1998 agreement in a way that prevents compromise on the backstop. Dublin will resist Bews reading of events. Were he almost anyone else, this might be relatively straightforward. But it will not be easy to rubbish an adviser to the Nobel Peace Prize co-winner who helped to create the Agreement. The Government is reported this morning to be taking the Bew plan seriously. And proposals to amend the backstop must stand a better chance of success in the negotiation than proposals to remove it altogether. As Nicky Morgan writes on this site today (and as we did yesterday), the Prime Minister cannot simply hide behind the Brady or Murrison amendments, which the Speaker might not select tomorrow in any event. He would find it harder to refuse a Government amendment that gives at least a nod to the Bew plan. Stella Creasy is the Labour and Cooperative MP for Walthamstow. Debbie Abrahams is the Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth. Einsteins definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. As Parliament enters the No deal, Prime Ministers deal, Norway, Canada, Peoples Vote, extend Article 50 merry-go-round once more, we hope to convince readers of ConservativeHome there may be a better approach. Specifically, of the lessons that Irelands abortion debate offers and about the role that a Citizens Assembly played in informing their parliaments decision-making, and which could now save us all from delirium. Concerns that there is an inbuilt advantage to any one political party, social class or indeed region, have dogged our representative democracy for decades. They have led to many suggested solutions whether these be electoral reform, boundary reviews or even mandatory deselections. Direct democracy through referendums on hot topics such as Europe and voting reform was supposed to improve democratic engagement yet lofty ambitions of echoing Athenian state ideals, in which every one of its 30,000 citizens could speak and vote, lie in tatters following the reality of the reaction of many to the Brexit vote and its legitimacy. Less well-known is that alongside its big debating forums, Athens also had a panel of 500 citizens, chosen by drawing lots, to oversee the everyday affairs of the city. Sortition the practice of random selection to put people into such positions of power wasnt just used in ancient Greece. Italian republics such as Venice and Florence also used it instead of elections to choose those who ran these city states. It is the same process our court system still uses to select a jury. For the avoidance of doubt, we are not proposing solving Brexit by randomly selecting members of the public to replace the current crop of MPs though faced with prevarication in Westminster, some may feel that the suggesiton is tempting. Instead, we want to learn from what other Parliaments have done when faced with difficult choices and stubborn politicians. This is why we have tabled Amendment H, calling for a Citizens Assembly to be convened on Brexit which would report back within ten weeks with its recommendations on how to end the current impasse. Sortition is at the heart of the authority of a modern Citizens Assembly. As with Athens, a civic lottery would be held to identify a long list of thousands of people. Then, controlling for geography and demography as well as checking there is no innate bias to either remain or leave a panel would be drawn from this of 250 people who reflect the dynamics of British society. Unlike MPs elected to represent their communities, these people would not be there to be the decision makers, but to give their opinions and help to inform debate. They would be multiple fresh pair of eyes. With expert help, the panel would then be asked to identify what their priorities and perspectives are regarding the quagmire around the EU withdrawal act. Unlike public meetings or BBC Question Time audiences, where those who can be bothered to turn up or have the confidence to speak dominate, sortition is a scientifically robust process that means a citizens assembly is a truly randomly selected jury. Elected representatives and political employees would be excluded, thus even removing the spectre of a CCHQ or Labour regional plant trying to skew the outcome no doubt to everyones relief. All the evidence given from all sides of the debate, questions asked and deliberations undertaken would be made public. Participants would remain anonymous during the process itself, so that they can deliberate freely without being hunted down on Twitter. MPs, not the panel, would retain the final say on whether to accept their priorities. Through reasoned and open format, this is a process that could stop the many bad habits Westminster can encourage from hiding party political advantage behind virtue-signalling or kicking the can down the road for fear of opinion polls. Ireland, Canada, Australia, Iceland, Poland and the Netherlands have all used citizens assemblies recently to adjudicate on a wide range of issues: from climate change, nuclear waste disposal and presidential term limits and then inform the decisions that elected representatives made on all of these. Faced with the prospect of more of the same shambles for weeks on end in Westminster, we believe that Parliament should take a leaf out of their book. We are asking MPs to sign our amendment to the Prime Ministers motion not in order to force a vote on whether to run one, but to show the Speaker that we wish for parliamentary time to consider these techniques. Never has demokratia, the idea that the people hold power, been so tested in Britain. It was one form of direct democracy that of referendums that has led us to this point. Now is the time to ask if another sortition and a citizens assembly- can offer lessons that might lead us forward. Aeschines argued the value of open debate and deliberation was that truth is strong enough to overcome all human sophistries. The truth is if we want to restore democracy in the minds of the people, we have to look not just how we deal with Brexit but how we deal with the British public. Cllr Peter Golds is a councillor in Tower Hamlets. He has served as a London Councillor for almost 21 years and is a Board Member of the Conservative Councillors Association. I had intended to write my first piece of the year on the failing electoral process in the UK. The Electoral Commission, Crown Prosecution Service, and various police forces may claim to be caught in the trap of election laws that are decades, and indeed in some significant areas, over a century out of date. This, however, is not an excuse to ignore right from wrong. In 2017 there were incidents, across the country, of people posting on Twitter that they had voted from different addresses in the general election. Nothing happened. In 2018, a Labour candidate, now councillor in Rochdale, Faisal Rana, voted from two different addresses. He claimed that he did not know that it was illegal to vote from two addresses in the same authority. As he declares some thirty two properties in Rochdale on his council declaration of interest, one can be relieved that he did not try and vote from a further 30 addresses. His punishment was to attend a police station and accept a police caution. Had he appeared in Court and been found guilty, his penalty could have been a custodial sentence and disqualification. Instead, he remains a councillor. For the Police, CPS, and the Electoral Commission, no prosecution means nothing of note in any report and another excuse to say how well the electoral system works, when it does not. How can the UK criticise the system in other countries when a man continues in office after voting twice? The other multiple failures of the Electoral Commission, Police, and CPS over the past year will be considered in a later article. On Friday 21st December, a sudden flurry of tweets in Tower Hamlets indicated that Cllr Muhammed Harun, a solicitor, was standing down from Lansbury ward with immediate effect. Labour announced that his conduct had fallen below what was expected and there was to be an investigation into three properties, one in the borough, another in Barking, that according to land registry records he owns, and a social rented property in Poplar where he was the tenant. Former Cllr Harun had been appointed to chair the councils Pensions Committee which manages an enormous portfolio. For this he also received an additional responsibility allowance of 6,000. The next working day was Monday 24th December, during which the by-election had been called for Thursday 7th February. However it was not possible to obtain an election pack and the town hall was closed until Tuesday 2nd January. Then, at 10.35 pm on New Years Eve, Cllr Ruhul Amin of Shadwell ward resigned with a flurry of reasons on twitter, one of which involved leaving the UK. On Tuesday January 2nd, Andrew Wood and I were at the town hall and called a by-election for Shadwell on 7th February and obtained the nomination packs for both wards. Seven months after the May election two Labour councillors resigned and a third is under suspension after it was revealed that, in his words, he was responsible for re-posting material which included anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and in one case a link to something which included some extreme religious content. In the latter case he had circulated to children the suggestion that Smurfs were demonic. It should be added that he, along with former councillor Harun, are affiliated to Momentum. Both Lansbury and Shadwell are wards where Lutfur Rahman and his political support are strong. Momentum fought to secure the nomination of their favoured candidates for both by-elections, failing in each case. In Lansbury a mainstream former councillor was selected and in Shadwell the nomination fell to the local party chairman. In Lansbury, Aspire, the party supporting Lutfur Rahman, immediately fell behind Ohid Ahmed, a Rahman loyalist who had been his deputy Mayor for four years and then served as a portfolio holder in his Cabinet. They distributed their first leaflet before the new year. In Shadwell they announced another loyal Rahman supporter who had been councillor for the ward between 2007-18, first elected as Respect and fighting the 2018 election as Aspire. For the Conservatives, our Association quickly selected Mumshad Afruz for Lansbury and Daryl Stafford for Shadwell. Both had stood in 2018 and both are local residents. The Liberal Democrats had put an effort into Lansbury ward last year and have some activists with a profile including one who had fought two parliamentary elections and three borough wide mayoral elections. Very quickly into the new year came the first Liberal Democrat leaflet in Lansbury. Printed in red it was headed Labour councillor in housing fraud scandal. Details of this covered three quarters of the leaflet. The very last part, in yellow, introduced the Liberal Democrat candidate, Abdul Asad, a familiar name to those interested in Tower Hamlets politics. A Labour councillor between 1990-2010, he was an enthusiastic Rahman supporter and served in the Rahman Cabinet cabinets, without demonstrating any noticeable ability. His activities and service to the Rahman administration is best summed up by Commissioner Mawrey in Paragraph 500 of his landmark Judgement of 2015. It follows that the court is satisfied that the conduct of Mr Rahman and his agents Mr Asad and Mr Choudhury in making grants does amount to the corrupt practice of bribery under s 113 of the 1983 Act. An interesting choice to fight corruption and demand better for Lansbury. The Liberal Democrat nominee for Shadwell is equally of interest. He is Abjol Miah, a resident of Bow and an early supporter of George Galloway. He can be seen in numerous clips of the notorious 2005 election in Bethnal Green and Bow, and Galloway paid particular tribute to him after the count. In 2006 he was elected as Respect councillor for Shadwell, defeating the Labour leader, whereupon Galloway kissed his feet at the declaration. Becoming Respect leader, he watched his initial group of twelve melt into different factions. In 2009 he presented the petition for Tower Hamlets to move towards an elected mayoral system. In 2010 he was George Galloways chosen candidate for Bethnal Green and Bow. After his defeat he became close to Lutfur Rahman, fighting a by-election in Weavers Ward in 2012 on the Rahman ticket. In 2014 he was elected for St Peters ward on behalf of Tower Hamlets First (THF). After the disqualification of Lutfur Rahman, and the striking off of THF as a political party he sat as an Independent; independent of the Independents who were the rump of THF. Failing to join the Labour Party, he joined the Peoples Alliance of Tower Hamlets under whose banner he lost in St Peters in 2018. If you think this political journey is confusing, the philosophical one is even more obtuse. Over the years Abjol Miah has attracted much media attention regarding his views and connections. The founder of Peoples Alliance was Rabina Khan who was elected for Shadwell by just two votes for Labour in 2010. She quickly joined the Rahman administration becoming easily the most able of his Cabinet, standing as Mayor on his behalf in 2015 and then for the Peoples alliance in 2018 on the same day that she was elected for a third time for Shadwell. She joined the Liberal Democrats shortly afterwards. How either of these candidates could be selected by a mainstream party for a by-election must cause concern. The Liberal Democrats were happy to tweet pictures of Tom Brake and their London mayoral candidate on a platform with both of them. The Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate made, in the circumstances, a somewhat unfortunate statement about Tower Hamlets feeling like her second home. That I fear has been a problem with too many of those in Tower Hamlets politics. Both Shadwell and Lansbury wards featured extensively in the 2015 petition. Despite considerable evidence of malpractice and a willingness to make statements by potential witnesses, police investigation was limited. The electoral process in this borough remains fragile, with public concerns ignored. Last year a voluntary group, Democracy Volunteers observed the election and published a report. They attended 39 polling stations across the borough and observed 764 voters attending the polls. In answer to the question Are there political leaflets in sight within polling stations they noted this was the case inside 24 per cent of polling stations, saying In the vast majority of cases this was acted on quickly and efficiently by polling staff to remove them. What happened in the minority of cases? They blame this on excessive party activity at polling stations. Writing there was a great deal of party activity outside of polling stations, this would not be defined as telling, but campaigning. In some cases our observers stated that they believed this could be intimidating to voters. The description of a polling station in Poplar caused concern, a group of around 15 men, not wearing any party identification, had gathered on the pavement opposite the school entrance. When asked whether they were there for any party, they said they were but were clearly unhappy to have been asked the question, they made us feel uncomfortable. The situation inside the polling stations is worse. They identify so called family voting. Continuing, women, especially, are unable to choose for themselves who they wish to cast their votes and / or this is done by another individual entirely. It is a breach of the secret ballot. They noted this taking place on 74 separate occasions in 58 per cent of the polling stations visited; 19 per cent of all the voters we observed were either engaged in, or affected by this practice. This took place in public. What goes on where whole families have postal votes? Voting is a process that is virtually the same world wide, ballots are marked with candidates or parties identified by name and symbol. In 1872 the secret ballot was introduced to prevent open voting. 137 years later, and a century after women were granted the vote in parliamentary elections, the United Kingdom cannot guarantee a secret ballot in a public polling station in the capital city. The Electoral Commission and the police have long known about this situation. They have been inside polling stations and witnessed it. By ignoring this they are able to claim how well our elections work. I know that Tower Hamlets is not unique. I have seen this in polling stations elsewhere in London. Why has it taken Democracy Volunteers to produce a report that shames the Electoral Commission with its multi million pound budget? Why are they not looking at this? Why do the police push it aside? Brexit 1) Johnson claims May will seek a Freedom Clause from the EU as a renegotiation of the backstop If the PM is ready to fight back against Brussels then her deal could yet be fixed Boris Johnson, Daily Telegraph Rees-Mogg woos MPs to back Johnson The Times Bootle proposes a temporary deal between the EU and the UK not to impose tariffs on each other Daily Express Hancock praises Brady amendment The Times Theresa May is planning to fight for a freedom clause from Brussels in a move that will win the full-throated support of the entire nation if she succeeds, Boris Johnson says. Writing in The Telegraph, the former Foreign Secretary says he has heard from the lips of very senior sources that the Prime Minister is planning to go to Brussels and renegotiate the Northern Ireland customs backstop. Describing the plans as unadulterated good Brexit news, he says an exit mechanism or sunset clause will defuse the booby trap and give the UK a way out to negotiate a Canada-style trade deal with the EU. Daily Telegraph >Today: ToryDiary: May needs a new offer to make to the EU. Paul Bew has one for her. She should take it up. >Yesterday: Brexit 2) Its not a game of chicken, insists the Irish Deputy PM The Brexit deadlock is not a game of chicken between the UK and the EU, the Irish deputy prime minister has said. Simon Coveney said on Sunday that the UK and Irish governments needed to work together to reach a breakthrough. But he insisted that the backstop the insurance policy aimed at avoiding a hard Irish border had to remain a part of the withdrawal agreement. Theresa May is unlikely to get MPs to approve her Brexit deal unless changes to the backstop are made. BBC >Yesterday: WATCH: The backstopisnt going to change, says Coveney Brexit 3) Loyalists threaten to ditch PM and push for a softer deal if no deal is blocked Philip Mays pivotal role Daily Telegraph May has privately told Ministers we wont leave without a deal The Sun Conservatives who backed Theresa Mays Brexit plan when it was heavily defeated this month are preparing to abandon her and push for a softer agreement if parliament blocks a no-deal exit tomorrow. MPs who are loyal at present to the prime minister will get behind alternative plans for leaving the European Union if a proposal by the former Labour cabinet minister Yvette Cooper results in a delay to the withdrawal date. One MP who voted for the deal two weeks ago said that they could not afford to wait for Mrs May to try to secure more concessions on the Irish backstop before mobilising behind a softer Brexit. How long do we have to wait? People on the moderate and centre wing of the party are not going to wait until mid-March, they said. Were just not. The Times >Today: Columnist Nicky Morgan: This Brexit logjam is holding up positive politics. Now the Prime Minister must break it. >Yesterday: Brexit 4) Warning to Tory rebels not to agree a blank cheque for Parliament Theresa May fears rebel Tory MPs will this week write a blank cheque to Parliament which could allow Brexit to be delayed for a year or longer or even stopped entirely. The Commons is expected to vote tomorrow on various amendments including one to seize power from ministers and hand it to backbench MPs so they can influence the timing of Britains departure. Supporters of the plan led by Labours Yvette Cooper and former Tory minister Nick Boles say the amendment is designed to stop a damaging No Deal exit, as it would postpone the March 29 leaving date by nine months if a deal is not secured by February 26. Daily Mail The SNP will back the Cooper amendement The Scotsman Brexit 5) The EU would attach conditions before agreeing to any delay Brexit 6) A second vote would be a failure, declares Rayner European capitals are bracing for Theresa May, the UK prime minister, to request an extension to Britains March 29 exit date from the EU within a matter of weeks. The EUs precise response is far from certain. For Brussels, such a request to delay Brexit will be what Germans call Chefsache a political matter so important it will only be settled by the bosses at Europes top table. Moving the exit date, after all, needs unanimous support from the 27 remaining EU leaders. Diplomats see an outright refusal of a UK request as almost inconceivable. One senior Brussels official said it would entail the EU taking responsibility for no-deal and breaking an important unwritten rule of the unions Brexit strategy: avoiding blame. Everyones instinct in that situation is to find time. Kicking the can down the road is what we do, said one senior member state official handling Brexit. They will find any reason to avoid a crash out. But with any approval will come terms and conditions that are harder to predict. Granting an extension is not simply a yes or no answer. Financial Times A leading shadow cabinet member has toughened Labours stance against a second referendum, saying that another vote would mean that MPs had failed the public. Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, said she would be really worried about a fresh referendum and that a very narrow victory for Remain would be the worst possible outcome. I think if we end up with a second referendum then us as politicians have failed the public, we have failed to be able to do our job, she told Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday. I dont think that people want to see a delay in Article 50, I dont think that people want to see a second referendum. They want to see parliamentarians working together to carry out what happened as a result of the referendum. The Times Survey shows Britons becoming more intolerant, politically disillusioned and disunited The Guardian >Today: Stella Creasy & Debbie Abrahams on Comment: A referendum got us here. Now let a Citizens Assembly and more direct democracy take us forward. >Yesterday: Brexit 7) Fear of Corbyn the real reason for Dysons move Sir James is the UKs third biggest taxpayer, handing over 128 million a year The Times Dysons move is not hypocrisy its shrewd Christian May, City AM Brexiteer James Dyson moved his multi-billion pound empire out of Britain because of his fears about a Jeremy Corbyn government, insiders have claimed. The vacuum cleaner announced last week hes planning to move parts of his empire over to Asia for commercial reasons.But the vocal Leave supporter was said to have been worried about the Labour bosss views on business. The Sun Brexit 8) Davis: Respect centuries of Parliamentary tradition, or face a toxic legacy Muddying the waters is wrong and will leave a toxic legacy. Under the Westminster system Her Majestys Government controls the Parliamentary agenda. Backbenchers should not arbitrarily be able to take away that power. How does this affect the national interest at a time when the Government is negotiating with the EU? Where does power lie? Who controls the legislative agenda? Who is accountable and how? These are all fundamental questions for our democracy, not playthings for anti-Brexit MPs to tinker with. Some of the present machinations bring our unwritten constitution and Parliamentary system into disrepute. They threaten the viability and integrity of the House of Commons as whole. This must stop, and it must stop now. David Davis, Daily Telegraph Brexit 9) dAncona: The worst demons in the Conservative psyche have been summoned Brexit has summoned the very worst demons that lurk in the Conservative psyche, liberating Tories to bellow nonsense about the second world war, the blitz spirit and pseudo-Churchillian defiance. It has fatally compounded the partys demented fixation with immigration and distracted it from the true challenges of the 21st centuryTo be clear: I havent undergone a conversion. My values have not changed. But the Conservative party is morphing into something I find alien and repellent. Like a listing galleon, holed below the waterline, it sails away stubbornly; dragging the nation towards a storm of unknown adversity, peril and pain. Matthew dAncona, The Guardian Other comment The PM must seize her moment Trevor Kavanagh, The Sun MPs should take no-deal Brexit option off the table Leader, Financial Times Time to deliver for the people Owen Paterson, Daily Express Heres how we can get the deal through Sir Graham Brady, Daily Mail The Government must bear responsibility for it running so close to the wire Leader, Daily Telegraph 650,000 British businesses registered last year each one a vote of confidence in the future Michael Hayman, City AM North of England is worst hit by spending cuts Austerity cuts have fallen hardest on deprived communities in the north of England, which are enduring the highest poverty rates and weakest economies, according to a study. The Centre for Cities think tank study shows that the poorest areas have borne the brunt of council spending cuts. Local authority spending has fallen nationally by half since 2010, with areas such as Liverpool, Blackburn and Barnsley facing average cuts twice that of their counterparts in the more affluent south, according to the think tank. The report suggests there is a city and country divide, with urban council areas having shouldered cuts to services such as street cleaning, road repairs and libraries, which, are, on average, twice as deep as those borne by leafier authorities. The Guardian Hancock warns social media firms to remove harmful content, or face legislation Antisocial media Leader, The Times Web firms think they are untouchable Leader, The Sun Strategist being hired to break Stormont logjam Social media firms could be banned if they fail to remove harmful content, the health secretary has warned. Speaking on the BBCs Andrew Marr show, Matt Hancock said: If we think they need to do things they are refusing to do, then we can and we must legislate. But he added: Its not where Id like to end up. The minister earlier called on social media giants to purge material promoting self-harm and suicide in the wake of links to a teenagers suicide. BBC The Northern Ireland Office is seeking a senior strategist who will work to restore devolved government here. The incoming deputy political strategy director will lead efforts to resolve the two-year impasse. A job advert for the post, which carries a salary of up to 117,000, says applicants must be able to work in a politically charged environment. The successful candidate will be based in Stormont House or the NIOs London office. They will replace the current deputy director, who is moving to another position within the department. The Stormont administration has not functioned since January 2017. Belfast Telegraph Sturgeon insists Salmonds arrest wont stop push for a second Scottish independence referendum US warns Venezuela regime of a significant response, if diplomats and opposition leaders are threatened The criminal charges against Alex Salmond will not dent the chances of a second independence referendum, according to Nicola Sturgeon. The former first minister faces 14 charges, which include attempted rape and sexual assault. He vehemently denies the charges and said he would defend himself to the utmost. His successor told the BBC: The case for independence is bigger than one man, its bigger than one woman. Its not about individual personalities, Ms Sturgeon added. BBC The US has warned Venezuela that any threats against American diplomats or opposition leader Juan Guaido will be met with a significant response. National Security Adviser John Bolton said any such intimidation would be a grave assault on the rule of law. His warning comes days after the US and more than 20 other countries recognised Mr Guaido as interim president. Meanwhile, Mr Guaido has called for anti-government protests on Wednesday and Saturday. The political crisis in Venezuela now appears to be reaching boiling point amid growing efforts by the opposition to unseat Mr Maduro. BBC Maduro regime in disarray as Venezuelan military envoy to US defects The Times The way forward is the call for dialogue from the Mexican and Bolivian presidents John McDonnell MP, Diane Abbott MP and others, Letters, The Guardian Lawson: Fight this misguided push for assisted suicide News in brief 15,000-a-table Tory fundraiser in turmoil as donors and activists turn on toxic Theresa May Politics Home Most of my Brexit Select Committee colleagues hate the referendum result and simply want to frustrate it Craig Mackinlay MP, Brexit Central UK to warn of Brexit backstops threat to Irish peace treaty Tom McTague, Politico Corbynistas intervene on Venezuela Steerpike, The Spectator Ten point fall in Labours backing among students Independent It has always been and remains the case that patients can refuse any and all procedures. For example, when in the Eighties my mother was diagnosed with liver cancer, she decided she wanted no treatment, beyond pain relief. She came under no pressure from doctors to allow surgery or chemotherapy, even though she was only in her 40s. They recognised that her condition was terminal as it would be today. Our time-honoured system of medical care should not be radically changed at the behest of activists for euthanasia, no matter if they are ex-Archbishops or TV stars motivated by compassion. As Christopher de Bellaigue warned, after his investigations in the Netherlands and Belgium: Euthanasia wont be an occasion for empathy, ethics or compassion, but a bludgeon swinging through peoples lives, whose handiwork cant be undone. Dominic Lawson, Daily Mail Singapore hails special friendship, historical ties: India's 70th Republic Day 70 years ago, the Indian Constitution came into effect on January 26. Every year on this day, celebrations take place all over India and also out of India. On the Southeast Asian nation which was once itself a British colony, the Republic Day celebrations saw an enthusiastic turnout of not just Indian diaspora and NRIs, but also people of other cultures that make up this diverse society. Over 1,500 people attended the Republic Day reception at Marina Bay Sands on January 25. Hosted by the High Commissioner of India, Singapore, Mr Jawed Ashraf, the event saw Mr Gam Kim Yong, Minister For Health as the Guest of Honour. High Commissioner of India, Singapore, Mr Jawed Ashraf, sharing a toast with Mr Gam Kim Yong, Minister For Health, at the Republic Day reception on January 25. Photo: Connected to India Members of Indian diaspora and Singaporeans at the grand celebrations of India's 70th Republic Day at the Marina Bay Sands hotel Photo: Connected to India The following day, over 1,200 enthusiastic Indians in Singapore attended the unfurling of the Tricolor and sang the national anthem at High Commission premises. Children from seven Indian schools put up brilliant dance performances to complete the joyous festive atmosphere. Republic Day flag hoisting on the grounds of High Commission of India on Republic Day. Photo courtesy: High Commission of India Singapore Singapore's President Halimah Yacob extended her warm congratulations to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind in a letter on the meaningful occasion. "Singapore and India enjoy a special relationship rooted in deep historical ties, vibrant people-to-people linkages, regular high-level exchanges and strong economic cooperation," she wrote in the letter shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "In 2018, our two countries further expanded bilateral cooperation across several pillars of our Strategic Partnership, as well as launched cooperation in new areas including FinTech and innovation. I am confident that relations between our two nations will continue to strengthen in the years to come." An Indian school kid gets ready for her performance at the Republic Day Celebrations at the Indian High Commission in Singapore. Photo courtesy: Indian High Commission Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also expressed in a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi his heartfelt well wishes. "As India celebrates this auspicious day, we congratulate India on the great strides she has made in the countrys development as well as on the international stage." Culture performances at Republic Day celebrations at High Commission of India, Singapore. Photo courtesy: HCI He noted that the longstanding friendship between the two countries continues to expand with each passing year. Prime Minister Modi's two visits to Singapore in 2018 has also spurred a strong momentum to strategic partnerships, particularly in new areas of cooperation such as FinTech and innovation. "These initiatives and our many other cooperation platforms will bring Singapore-India relations to greater heights," Prime Minister Lee said. Indian diaspora, missions celebrate Republic Day with patriotic fervour The Republic Day was celebrated with much fanfare and patriotic fervour at various Indian missions spread across the world. Members of Indian diaspora enthusiastically participated in the various events to mark the R-Day and show their patriotic streak. Venkatesh Varma, Indian Ambassador to Russia, unfurled the national flag at the Indian Embassy in Moscow. Photo courtesy: Twitter@IndEmbMoscow About 500 Indian citizens, people of Indian-origin and Russians celebrated Republic Day at the Indian embassy in the Russian capital city of Moscow. #70thRepublicDay of India was celebrated in Moscow today. The celebration included a cultural performance by the children from Embassy of India School.#RepublicDay2019 pic.twitter.com/uIo6bYK5tW India in Russia (@IndEmbMoscow) January 26, 2019 Venkatesh Varma, Indian Ambassador to Russia, unfurled the national flag, followed by the singing of the national anthem. The ambassador read out President Ram Nath Kovind's address to the nation. The event also included a cultural performance by the children from the Embassy of India School in Moscow. Children from the Embassy of India School presenting a cultural programme in Moscow on the occasion of Indian Republic Day. Photo courtesy: Twitter@IndEmbMoscow 'Rossiskaya Gazeta, a widely circulated newspaper in Russia - brought out a special supplement on India in cooperation with the Indian Embasy to mark the occasion. The publication contained articles, providing insight into the special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia. In Singapore, 1200 Indians attended the Republic Day function and sang the national anthem at Indian High Commission. HE Jawed Ashraf, Indian High Commissioner to Singapore unfurled the tricolour. HE Jawed Ashraf, Indian High Commissioner to Singapore addressing people on the occasion of Indian Republic Day. Twitter@IndiaiSingapor An excellent cultural performance by children from seven Indian school and Indian refreshment completed the festive atmosphere, the mission posted on Twitter. Members of Indian diaspora and Singaporeans attending the grand celebrations of India's 70th Republic Day at the Marina Bay Sands hotel. Photo: Connected to India Earlier, over 1,500 people attended the Republic Day reception at Marina Bay Sands on January 25. HE Jawed Ashraf, Indian High Commissioner to Singapore hosted the event and Gam Kim Yong, Minister of Health was the Guest of Honour. Glimpses of flag hoisting and Republic Day celebrations #RepublicDayIndia pic.twitter.com/4PLMVORLEQ India in Singapore (@IndiainSingapor) January 26, 2019 Singapore's President Halimah Yacob extended her warm congratulations to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind on the Republic Day and reflected on the close relationship between Singapore and India. President Halimah and PM Lee have written to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to convey their congratulations on the occasion of India's 70th Republic Day. Read more here: https://t.co/xtmUQHQ3Af MFAsg (@MFAsg) January 26, 2019 Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong conveyed his warm wishes to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the celebration of Republic Day and congratulated India on the great strides she has taken in the countrys development. Republic Day was also celebrated with patriotic fervour in the US. A large number of eminent Indian Americans gathered at the Consulate General of India in the US city of Houston early on Saturday morning. Anupam Ray, Consul General hoisted the national flag. He paid tributes to the Indian soldiers who guard the borders in extreme conditions as the consul general and his wife welcomed Indian Americans and others for the flag-hoisting ceremony. Anupam Ray, Consul General of India hoisting national flag at the Consulate General of India in the city of Houston. Photo courtesy: Twitter@cgihou Members of the US House of Representatives, Pete Olson and Ford Benty County Judge, KP George were among those who attended the event. Republican Congressman, Olson clad in Indian attire, greeted everyone present on the Republic Day, saying, The US is proud of great friendship with India and today we celebrate India becoming a Republic and it signifies the special bond between the worlds oldest and largest democracies. This bond encompasses shared values, commercial trade and mutual security. Members of the US House of Representatives, Pete Olson and Ford Benty County Judge, KP George were among those who attended the Republic Day programme at the Consulate General of India in Houston. Photo courtesy: Twitter@cgihou The US and India, the worlds largest democracies, share much in common, and I look forward to working with members of both communities towards a prosperous future of all, Indian American George said. Members of Indian diaspora attending the Republic Day programme at Houston. Photo courtesy: Twitter@cgihou In Chinese capital Beijing, a large Indian diaspora attended Republic Day celebrations at the Indian Embassy. India's new Ambassador to China, Vikram Misri, hoisted the tricolour and read out the president's address. Republic Day celebrations were also held with patriotic fervour in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. Vipul, Consul General of India in Dubai, hoisted the tricolour in Dubai. Photo courtesy: Twitter@cgidubai Numerous Indian expats from across the UAE celebrated Republic Day at the Consulate General of India in Dubai. Vipul, Consul General of India in Dubai, hoisted the tricolour as residents and visitors sang patriotic songs and took pictures alongside the Indian flag. The consul general greeted people gathered at the event and read out the president's address to the nation. Children of the Indian High school presenting a colourful cultural programme in Dubai during 70th Republic Day of India. Photo courtesy: Twitter@cgidubai Children of the Indian High school presented a colourful cultural programme giving a glimpse of the diverse cultural heritage of the country. The consul general also honoured two war heroes and parents of martyrs at the ceremony. Children and adults decked in traditional wear were seen with miniature Indian flags on the occasion. Vipul, Consul General honouring two war heroes and parents of martyrs during Republic Day function in Dubai. Photo courtesy: Twitter@cgidubai Republic Day was also celebrated in Abu Dhabi. Indian Ambassador Navdeep Suri led the India expats in celebrating the 70th Republic day in UAE. He said that in an exceptional gesture of friendship by the UAE government, seven major public building in Abu Dhabi will be lit up with the Indian tricolour tonight on the occasion of Republic Day. The iconic ADNOC tower of Abu Dhabi was resplendent in the Indian tricolour. Photo courtesy: Twitter@IndAmbUAE Ambassador Ahmad Javed in Riyadh and Consul General Noor Rahman Sheikh in Jeddah who unfurled the tri colour amidst the presence of hundreds of expats from all walks of life in Saudi Arabia. Students of Indian Schools presenting patriotic songs on the occasion of Republic Day in Doha. Photo courtesy: Twitter@IndEmbDoha In Qatar, Ambassador P Kumaran hoisted the national flag amidst chanting of Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata ki Jai. In Iraq Ambassador Dr Pradeep Rajpurohit unfurled the national flag and in Kuwait Ambassador K Jeeva Sagar hoisted the tri colour. By Will Watling, Principal Consultant at Altus Consulting Only recently has the DWP announced that a new regime will be set up to regulate the intrepid explorers journeying to these new lands. DB Consolidation and the rise of a new breed of de-risking options for schemes is a topic I find fascinating. Occasionally, a truly innovative idea in the minds of entrepreneurs crystallises and becomes a real offering delivering benefits to a wide range of the public. Id put P2P platforms in the same category of disruptors, in their case, challengers to the traditional banks using tech to forge a new path. So, I started watching with interest as the likes of The Pension Superfund and Clara-Pensions got up and running. Would they get off the ground and get the necessary approvals and clearances to start to accept their first schemes? Would others throw their hat in the ring? If so, who? How would TPT, Citrus and Deloittes Master Plan and KPMGs Enplan, arguably the established options today, respond? Where would the new Hedgehog find its niche? So, to help understand these questions and more, I offered to help organise and put together a DB Consolidators Panel at the November The-Pension-Net-Work meeting. Im glad to say that it was well supported not only by four of the consolidators, who were represented by their execs, but was also a sell-out for the The-Pension-Net-Work. In addition, many execs from the de-risking community attended, outsourced administrators, the Bulk Purchase Annuity providers and Employee Benefit Consultants! My thanks go to Duncan Buchanan (Hogan Lovells) who did a great job as chair, Emma Watkins (Scottish Widows) who challenged and critiqued each of the consolidators presentations with her dual BPA provider and trustee hats on, Luke Webster CEO from The Pensions Superfund, Adam Saron CEO of Clara-Pensions, Adrian Cooper Head of Direct Distribution from TPT and Christina Bowyer from Pinsent Mason, representing Hedgehog. Each of the four speakers gave a short presentation of their proposition and were then asked some challenging questions or points of clarification by Emma. The delegates then had 40 minutes or so for discussion and debate with the speakers. As there was so much interest, we could easily have carried on for some time. What became clear was that the propositions fall into two main camps. Clara-Pensions and The Pension Superfund both aim to sever the relationship and ongoing responsibilities with the scheme corporate sponsor and inject capital in differing ways in order to help the schemes they take on realise members benefits. You could say this is a kind of regulatory arbitrage as the present funding requirements for a trust-based scheme under TPR are significantly different to those of an insurer for buy-outs under PRA. TPT and Hedgehog, on the other hand, dont sever the schemes corporate sponsors responsibilities for ongoing funding but instead consolidate just about everything else in order to streamline administration and hence deliver cost savings through economies of scale and access to single point services. I understand Citrus, MasterPlan and Enplan to be similar. On the face of it, I can see both types of proposition would appeal to different types of schemes and therell be a place for both as the market develops. In order to dig a bit deeper, Altus conducted a survey to input into a forthcoming infographic. Risk premium was identified as the top factor holding back the de-risking market, so not surprisingly, both types of consolidator appear appealing. However, the survey highlighted that most respondents felt that only some schemes will consider consolidation regardless of who the consolidator is. Secondly, those schemes considering consolidation will only consider one of the strategies. The sticking point here appears to be that whilst it seems financially attractive to corporate sponsors, many wont be prepared to sever their responsibilities and pass that on to a new and unproven entity. I expect schemes whose corporate sponsor is still very much in the UKs public eye would be highly cautious of brand reputation, should things not turn out as planned. What the survey also revealed was the potential importance of big-name brands entering the market. That raises an interesting point and I wonder how many of the large BPA providers today are perhaps watching with interest to see how the market develops and may then enter either through a launch or acquisition strategy. However the market unfolds, I think the ship has well and truly sailed. Navigating the route will definitely be challenging. Therell be rough seas ahead, a few sand banks to avoid getting marooned on and hopefully not too many distracting sirens! I wish all those who set sail all the very best and will continue to watch with interest As blockchains are being rolled out in an increasing number of pilot programs for everything from cross-border financial transactions to supply chain management, one persistent issue remains: a lack of scalability. As more computers join the peer-to-peer network, the efficiency of the whole system typically degrades. Scalability has already been identified as an issue with cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and Ethereum's Ether. If a distributed ledger is to achieve adoption by financial technology (FinTech) companies and compete with payment networks hundreds of times faster, it must find a way to boost scalability and throughput and address latency problems. Enter "sharding." Sharding is one of several popular methods being explored by developers to increase transactional throughput. Simply stated, sharding is a way of partitioning to spread out the computational and storage workload across a peer-to-peer (P2P) network so that each node isn't responsible for processing the entire network's transactional load. Instead, each node only maintains information related to its partition, or shard. The information contained in a shard can still be shared among other nodes, which keeps the ledger decentralized and secure because everyone can still see all the ledger entries; they simply don't process and store all the information. The consensus conundrum One of the most persistent problems with public blockchains revolves around consensus protocols how to get an agreement from users over whether proposed transactions are authentic and should be added to a distributed ledger; consensus protocols such as the most popular proof of work (PoW) mechanism can be highly compute intensive. In a PoW-based blockchain, each authenticating computer or node records all the data on the chain and is part of the consensus process. In large blockchains such as bitcoin, the majority of participating nodes must authenticate new transactions and record that information if they are to be added to the ledger; that makes completing each transaction slow and arduous. Because of that, bitcoin, which is based on a PoW, can only process 3.3 to 7 transactions per second and a single transaction can take 10 minutes to finalize. Ethereum, another popular blockchain ledger and cryptocurrency, is only able to process from 12 to 30 transactions per second. By comparison, Visa's VisaNet on average processes 1,700 transactions per second. The upside to having every node record new information being added to a blockchain is that the data is indisputable and unchangeable. PoW-based blockchains are write-once, append many applications; as such, they are immutable. Ethereum and Hyperledger are the world's leading blockchain platforms and the basis for a myriad number of applications, from cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum's Ether to "smart" or self-executing online contracts. Ethereum is exploring sharding while Hyperledger isn't. "Sharding is a concept that originated with horizontal database partitioning and is being adopted by Ethereum... and functions so that not every node has to process all transactions, thereby enhancing scalability," said Avivah Litan, a Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst. Last year, Ethereum began exploring ways to increase performance after the blockchain ledger and cryptocurrency reached more than one million transactions per day. Ethereum settled on two proposed fixes. One was a "layer 2" mechanism processing transactions off the chain in a standard database and only recording permanent entries on the ledger; the other solution was sharding, allowing many more transactions to be processed in parallel at the same time. Layer 2 protocols send most transactions off-chain and only interact with the underlying blockchain in order to enter and exit the layer-2 system. Layer 2 protocols transfer data between nodes within a LAN or an adjacent WAN, lifting the burden from the P2P blockchain network. After sharding is activated, the "state" of a blockchain is split into shards or partitions. Each unique user account equates to one shard, and accounts can only transact with other accounts in the same shard, Litan explained. "This allows lots of parallel transactions to happen at the same time," she said. "A separate protocol chosen by Ethereum then allows cross-shard communications." Is sharding secure? Along with addressing scalability, some argue sharding also maintains the native security of a blockchain because it retains "most of the desired decentralization and security properties of a blockchain," Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin wrote in a blog post at the time. "In theory, the increase in transaction throughput is linear in the number of shards. Four shards? Four times the throughput, roughly. There can be any number of shards," said David Huseby, security maven for The Linux Foundation's Hyperledger blockchain project. But, the devil is in the details, Huseby pointed out. In order to maintain blockchain's security, you have to guard against shard takeovers. Corrupting the nodes in a given shard will lead to the permanent loss of the corresponding portion of data, according to research paper published by Cornell University. In the Ethereum network's model, for example, nodes must be randomly assigned to a shard and at random times they get reassigned to another randomly chosen shard. "The idea is to make it difficult for an attacker to predict, or force, which shard their (malicious) node gets assigned to. This makes it more difficult to get a Byzantine takeover of any one shard," Huseby said. Sharding with Hyperledger blockchains isn't so cut and dry, Huseby explained. "Our blockchains typically don't deal with 'addresses' like cryptocurrencies do. Hyperledger blockchains focus on maintaining a global state (think database) and the consensus mechanism regulates the updates to that state while the blockchain stores state updates securely," Huseby said. Hyperledger networks can be sharded vertically like Ethereum, but since it does not split up an address space, it is free to try different sharding techniques. "If I had to shard a Hyperledger network, I would first take advantage of the division between transaction validation and block construction," Huseby said. "Transaction validation is much slower than block construction, so my first pass would be to drastically increase the number of transaction validator nodes." A second challenge is dealing with "thin" clients, also called SPV (Simplified Payment Verification) wallets, to ensure those nodes have the full picture of the blockchain state while it's divided among shards. To address the visibility problem associated with sharding, thin clients communicate via separate networks and maintain local state copies for each shard. Lastly, inter-shard communication poses a challenge because each shard appears as a separate blockchain network. Fixing the communication problem Earlier this month, start-up firm Devvio announced it had created a highly efficient distributed ledger protocol based on sharding, layer 2 protocols and efficient consensus mechanism, that can address all the major problems facing blockchain networks. Devvio said its protocol could scale up for global financial business by executing up to eight million transactions per second. Devvio Devvio claims it scales effeciently using independent blockchains based on sharding. As additional throughput is needed, thousands of shards can be added over time to ultimately process tens of millions of transactions per second, on-chain, on a global public blockchain. In Devvio's "Devv" protocol, each shard represents a separate blockchain ledger; the company claims thousands of shards can be added to a global public blockchain over time to ultimately process tens of millions of transactions per second. For example, each shard is an independent blockchain node on the Devv decentralized ledger that can handle up to 3,000 transactions. Adding another node would double the number of transactions capable of being processed, according to Devvio CEO Tom Anderson. Each shard (which is also a crypto wallet) becomes an input on a larger network, which Devvio calls the T1 network; individual shards can communicate to others via a separate transactional network, called T2. Martha Bennett, a principal analsyst with Forrester Research, pointed out that virtually all the current blockchain frameworks that use, or are proposing to use, sharding perform the function differently. The Distributed Technology Research Foundation PolyShard is a sharding solution that uses ideas from coding theory to simultaneously achieve optimal guarantees in security, storage efficiency, and computational efficiency. The key intuition is that nodes should not store replicated data; instead, they should store coded linear combinations of data. For example, seven universities under the auspices of a Swiss non-profit organization called the Distributed Technology Research Foundation (DTR) just announced they are developing a digital currency network that solves blockchain's scalability and performance problems through sharding. "A lack of scalability is holding back cryptocurrency adoption, and [our] groundbreaking research is addressing this," said Joey Krug, a member of the DTR Foundation Council. "The Unit-e developers are turning this research into real scalable performance which will benefit a huge swath of decentralized financial applications." Unit-e is using "entirely new ways of sharding" called "PolyShard" a storage and computation solution that grows more efficient with more users without sacrificing security. The key is that the PolyShard protocol mixes up data from different users and transactions in a way that still allows accurate data recovery, akin to virtualization on server and storage systems. To date, however, sharding mechanisms are still in the development-and-testing phase theoretical in a sense and creating standardized methods that address not only scalability but security. That challenge must be addressed before sharding can be considered a solution. "Sharding isn't such a cut-and-dry solution to scalability," Husebuy said. "There are lots of details that have to be considered and we're going to need some empirical experimentation to go along with the theory before we can call it secure. The implementations have to be careful about assumptions so that there are no holes an attacker can use to bypass any of the security and consensus mechanism." Microsoft remains on message with its Windows everywhere mantra, so how can iPad and Android users access Windows from their devices? Parallels Access, VMWare Horizon and Amazon Workspaces all let you access Windows from iPad Pro, compatible Android and other devices. OK, Computer Tools like these are excellent for Windows users as they can access their legacy applications on their choice of mobile device while they engage in the inevitable process of upgrading their IT infrastructure for the new digital workplace. Parallels Access Recently acquired by Corel, the latest edition of Parallels Access lets you run Windows on your iPad. It's not a complete solution -- you'll still need Windows running on a remote system (Mac or PC) that is tied to your iPad for remote access. The company also sells Parallels for Mac, which lets you run multiple operating systems in virtualization on your Apple PC. It is of particular benefit to any iPad Pro, iPad or Mac users who seeks to access Windows applications, as it makes full use of the larger screen and provides other useful improvements, including: A familiar user interface on mobile for you PC apps -- swipe to scroll, tap to click, pinch to zoom. Drag-&-drop support. 3D Touch support (also for compatible iPhones). Apple Pencil support. Support for cursor movement using the on-screen keyboard as a trackpad. Optimized screen resolution. Support for Windows 10 Tablet Mode. It even adds support for a mouse -- more features described here. If you become a Parallels Access subscriber you can remotely access Mac or Windows PCs through your choice of device. You can interact with apps hosted on remote computers in the same way as any apps on their iPad Pro, using familiar gestures such as touch, a pencil, or keyboards. You will need an active an Internet (or 4G) connection, and while performance is usually excellent, some applications may take a performance hit when used remotely. One more thing: This solution provides Apple Watch integration, which lets you see and connect with remote computers from your watch. VMWare Horizon While more challenging to figure out than Parallels, VMwares Horizon Client offers another twist on virtualization, allowing you to run virtual VMWare Horizon Windows desktops on your device. The solution also lets you use hosted applications, which means quite complex Windows and other software packages can be effectively used from an iPad or other supporting mobile device. What you get: H.264 video encoding makes the user interface slick and demands less power. Unity Touch means that you handle your Windows work using familiar iOS gestures. If you use this solution with AirPlay, then while beaming the contents of your iPhone/iPad screen you will be able to use your device as a mouse with which to control the Windows content you see on screen. Highly secure, leverages smart card and biometric ID. Amazon Workspaces For a fee, Amazon Workspaces provides virtual Windows or Linux desktops, storage and applications that can be accessed by a range of different platforms online. The service is useful because it provides a secure and virtual computing environment that can be accessed from anywhere on any device, so long as you can get online. The service supports Windows, Macs, iPads, Chrombooks, Fire and Android tablets. It's a good solution for enterprises needing to provision new employees, or for travellers who need desktop-like access but who dont necessarily want to carry all their data with them as they move -- no data is ever downloaded to your mobile device from this system, as all transactions take place remotely, in the cloud. When Amazon WorkSpaces are provisioned, users receive an email providing instructions on where to download the client applications they need, and instructions on how to connect to their virtual computing system. What you get A tablet-optimised desktop experience Support for multi-touch gestures such as pinch and zoom On-screen keyboard and touch-based mouse interface Data remains stored in the cloud never on the device. HIPAA and Active directory support. These are not the only solutions you can use to run Windows on an iPad Microsoft itself offers its Remote Desktop app that lets you access and use your existing PC remotely. There are other alternatives, such as Splashtop and Citrix Workspace, but the bottom line remains that it is possible and may in some cases be preferable to run Windows on an iPad or other mobile device. The perfect transition solution Solutions like these are seeing rapid adoption as Apple's place in the enterprise continues to expand, and as more and more professional users fully embrace the iPad Pro. It seems likely that more people will hook themselves up to virtualised PCs as the Windows 10 upgrade begins -- particularly as doing so reduces the risk you take when you carry confidential data or highly proprietary apps with you. Rather than having them locally, you run them securely in virtualisation and access them from a mobile device. That benefit is likely to be even more attractive to remote workers in the field, who can now get access to even legacy enterprise applications using their iPad, while enjoying all the other benefits of the platform. Tim Cook often calls iPad Pro, a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people. They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones. Solutions like these support his claim. WWDC and the future of Macs Apple is expected to announce new Macs, iPads and its long-awaited video service over the next few months. We'll also see the company introduce what it has been working with on Project Marzipan, an initiative that means it will become much, much simpler to retool iOS apps in order that they run on Macs, even as speculation that it may in future power Macs with it's own A-series chips continues. Apple's chips are already powerful enough to be capable of supporting desktop-class performance inside a mobile device, and this means future iterations of all Apples mobile products will become capable of handling increasingly sophisticated applications, further blurring the line between PC and mobile device. Where we are now in this transition, solutions like these provide a good bridge between legacy and mobile solutions, which may be all some users need to maintain the best of both worlds while they await the best time to invest in new hardware. Please follow me on Twitter, and join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe. Columbia, MO (65201) Today Thunderstorms - a few could contain very heavy rain, especially overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.. Tonight Thunderstorms - a few could contain very heavy rain, especially overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. FILE In this Sept. 29, 2015 file photo, Trevor Noah appears during a taping of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah in New York. Noah replaced host Jon Stewart, who left the show in July. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) Scott Finnie, Solutions Architect, Hymans Robertson says: We fully support the Dashboard initiative. We were encouraged to see the consultation paper reflect that the Government has listened to feedback and put the benefits that could undoubtedly be experienced by consumers at its heart. The endemic lack of understanding and engagement that pervades society around retirement provision is something we, as independent consultants, have witnessed first-hand; the Dashboard is a very welcome move to tackle this. The proposed approach acknowledges and effectively balances several important considerations, not only asserting good consumer outcomes as the main purpose, but providing enough direction, such as on data standards and security, to enable industry-led Dashboard delivery. Overcoming the difficulty consumers face in viewing their aggregate position, and taking an appropriate course of action based on that complete picture, is the obvious benefit of a Dashboard. To achieve this we are pleased by the proposed inclusion of state pension. It will be a significant portion of retirement income for many people, so its incorporation is critical to a meaningful view. The ability for consumers to see a clear target for retirement saving will also be key. We would expect that the Dashboards launch will be accompanied by an awareness campaign to encourage this as our experience shows that a target can motivate positive action. The Dashboard will also enable financial firms to develop commercial models that help consumers in cost effective ways, allowing them access to support and guidance that has, until now, been hard to find. We applaud the government for recognising that standardising data access and security is a pre-requisite to enabling innovation in user experience. The Dashboard initiative will not be successful without an unambiguously defined data standard that is uniformly adopted and implemented without exception. With the architectural design principles proposed, standardised data access and security can be achieved, so creating the platform for innovation. There are over 15 million members in Public Sector schemes so we are pleased to see their inclusion. No consumers should be left behind over the long term, so including Public Sector schemes is a must. Understanding the complexity that lies behind their participation will be vital for them to be incorporated successfully. The potential cost of implementation is a major concern and there must be understanding that a reasonable timeframe will be needed to take account of the specific pressures on those running and administering public sector arrangements. A working dashboard will be transformational in helping consumers across the retirement savings spectrum and we expect it to be a most positive pension development in a generation, second only to auto-enrolment. Alistair Wilson, Zurichs Head of Retail Platform Strategy, said: Giving consumers a complete picture of their retirement savings could encourage more people to speak to an adviser about consolidating their pots, especially in the lead up to retirement. A simple and easily accessible dashboard will help close the pension awareness gap and drive more consumers to engage with their savings, which could lead to an increase in demand for advice. Its also been estimated that a dashboard could significantly reduce the cost of advice by easing the administrative burden on advisers. This in turn could open up advice to more consumers. We shouldnt underestimate the ambitious scale of the dashboard development, and while a lot of detail still needs to be worked through, we are keen to see this progress quicker than the governments current timetable. In its response, Zurich called for the government to standby its promise of making it compulsory for pension providers to sign-up to the dashboard. The provider also urged the government to include state pension data from the start, as well as information on final salary pots. However, as a safeguard, Zurich said the government should be cautious about including defined benefit transfer values, which savers should be able to request via the workplace instead. Despite this, the dashboard needs to provide useful insights for savers in final salary schemes, it said. Zurich warned against excluding small self-administered schemes and executive pension plans from the dashboard, which would weaken the message around compulsion. It also called for the government to bring forward its plans for implementing the dashboard from the proposed three to four year timetable. Wilson said: We agree that three to four years from the introduction of the first public facing dashboard is a reasonable timeframe for the majority of eligible schemes to be supplying their data to dashboards. However, our view is that timelines should be shortened to ensure appropriate focus across the industry. In August 2018, State College was ranked the 14th-safest college town in America. However, for many on Thursday night, State College felt like anything but that. At 10:15 p.m. on Jan. 24, State College Police responded to a reported shooting at P.J. Harrigans Bar & Grill on South Atherton Street. A day later, four people were dead, including the 21-year-old shooter, Jordan Witmer. Those killed by Witmer include Dean Beachy, 62; Beachys son Steven, 19; and George McCormick, 83. Nicole Abrino, 21, was also shot during Thursdays incident. Police reported on Friday that Abrino, who suffered a chest wound, is currently in critical condition at a Pittsburgh-area hospital. Police have not released a more recent update on Abrinos condition This all began at approximately 10:14 p.m., when police received a 911 call that three individuals were shot at the bar inside the Ramada Hotel & Conference Center. Witmer shot Abrino and the Beachys with a handgun. Dean Beachy was declared dead at the scene, while Steven Beachy and Abrino were taken to the Mount Nittany Medical Center. Witmer and Abrino were at the bar together, but their relationship is not currently known. The Beachys, from Millersburg, Ohio, were in town for a horse auction. Witmer fled the scene shortly thereafter in his vehicle. About a half an hour later, police received reports of a crash at the intersection of Waupelani Drive and Tussey Lane. When police found Witmers car, they had still not located the shooter. After the crash, Witmer broke into a house at 748 Tussey Lane. Police believe Witmer chose the house at random. There, he killed McCormick, and then himself. McCormicks wife, Joann, locked herself in a room and was not injured. Police received reports of a burglary with gunshots fired at 11:09 p.m. When they entered the Tussey Lane residence at 11:14 p.m., they found both McCormick and Witmer dead. Witmers motives are still unclear. The Bellefonte Area High School graduate served as an infantry team leader in the U.S. army. While the series of events is now evident, initial reports of the Thursday shooting were unclear, unconfirmed and riddled with rumor. In those late hours, many students relied on the Centre County police scanner and messages from apps like GroupMe and Snapchat for information with local news also grasping for details. Penn State first acknowledged the shooting at 12:57 a.m. the following day on Twitter. The university did not send a PSUAlert about the incident as it determined the off-campus shooting did not pose an imminent threat to the university or its students. The decision received backlash from many students. Later that day, police confirmed during a 2:30 p.m. briefing that Steven Beachy died due to his injuries. During the briefing, Police Chief John Gardner also took full ownership for the lack of information immediately released to the public. If theres one thing I think we, myself in particular as the police chief here, could have done better, was to release information sooner that the threat had been eliminated, Gardner said. We knew there was no more threat to the public. I wish if I could go back, in hindsight, we released that information sooner so the public wouldnt have been in a heightened state. A vigil for those killed will be held at 4 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Allen Street Gates. UPDATE, Feb. 27 Nicole Abrino, who was shot during the P.J. Harrigans shooting on Jan. 24, has updated the GoFundMe page created to raise money for her medical expenses. In the update posted on Feb.19, Abrino said she is getting closer to spinal rehabilitation therapy. She said she is thankful for all the thoughts and continued prayers. Everyday is a new journey when it comes to pain, physical therapy and mental health, Abrino said in the update. I wouldnt be able to get through this without my wonderful support system and amazing doctors. This is the first Abrino has updated the page since the incident. The page has currently raised $14,806, and has a goal of $20,000. UPDATE, Feb. 12: The GoFundMe page set up to support Nicole Abrino has been updated with her status as of Monday. Abrino is still recovering after being shot in the chest in the shooting at P.J. Harrigans Bar and Grill on Jan. 24. The update said Abrino had another procedure on Monday, and the doctors say once she has had some time to heal, she will need to go back into surgery. The page says it will continue to provide updates with Abrinos discretion. The campaign to raise money for Abrinos medical expenses was created on Jan. 26 and has now raised $12,571 with a $20,000 goal. UPDATE, Jan. 30: The GoFundMe page created in support of Nicole Abrino reached its $10,000 goal on Wednesday. Abrino, 21, is still in the hospital after being shot in the chest Thursday night at P.J. Harrigans Bar and Grill. The money raised will cover Abrino's medical expenses and ease the financial burden on her family. The page hit the goal in three days, with 249 people donating. Original story: A GoFundMe page has been created for Nicole Abrino to help assist her family with medical expenses after she was left in critical condition in the State College shooting that left four dead on Thursday night. Abrino, 21, was shot in the chest at P.J. Harrigan's Bar and Grill and life-flighted to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. According to the GoFundMe page, Abrino was in stable, but sedated, condition after her first surgery and went through another surgery Saturday morning. Police last reported that Abrino was in critical condition. The page has raised over $3,000 so far, with the current goal being set at $10,000. She still has a long journey ahead of her, including the possibility of more surgeries, PT, continued doctors visits and hospital stays, the page reads. Nicole still has her whole life ahead of her and continues to fight everyday. The creator of the page, Rachel Nichols, is a friend of Abrino's family and hopes to help ease the burden of Abrinos medical bills. Its amazing to see the community come together to support her and her family, Nichols, 22, said via Facebook messenger. The page currently has 769 shares on Facebook and is a trending campaign on GoFundMe. RELATED Police briefing provides further details about State College shooting According to State College Police Chief John Gardner, a fourth person is dead following the Vigil for those killed in shooting to be held Monday at Allen Street Gates A public vigil for those killed during the Jan. 24 shooting will be held from 4 p.m. to 5:30 In 2018, Penn State professors Julia Spicher Kasdorf and Steven Rubin released their book and project titled, Shale Play: Poems and Photographs from the Fracking Fields. Kasdorf, a professor of English and womens studies at Penn State, and Rubin, a documentary photographer and associate professor of art, combined Rubins documentary photography and Kasdorfs poetry to release their investigative book. Rubins photographs have been published in The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Time, Newsweek, The Village Voice and more. He has traveled through many areas of the world working as a freelance journalist. Kasdorf has published four books of poetry: Sleeping Preacher, Eves Striptease, Poetry in America and now Shale Play. She also has a few poetry awards, such as Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize and a Pushcart Prize. The book covers the impact of fracking along the Marcela Shale, an area that has a high concentration of oil and gas in the rock and extends through mainly New York, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Rubin said this is where the term Shale Play, stems from the industrys term on the extraction in the Marcella Shale. The duo focused solely on the impact in Pennsylvania after seeing the effects of extraction with their own eyes. Rubins journey started in 2012, hearing about the rise of fracking and gas drilling in Pennsylvania. Rubin said he wanted to know more about the growing industry such as what it is doing to jobs, to the environment and to the people around it. Any photographer or documentary photographer would know, you dont just want to read about it, you want to see it and investigate it for yourself, Rubin said. Similar to Rubin, Kasdorf grew this same curiosity when she realized the industry was taking her local spring water to frack with around 2010. I was on the back of my husbands motorcycle driving to Ithaca, New York when I saw for the first time what the landscape looked like, Kasdorf said. I saw lots of pipeline, helicopters doing seismic testing and pickup trucks. Kasdorf asked the waitresses in the local diner what the fracking issue was and what they thought of it, which started her own investigation. We were both independently doing this and didnt even know of each others existence, Rubin said. I didnt even know who she was. It wasnt until 2014 where we met at a Penn State gathering of researchers. As a photographer working with journalists in the past, Rubin was familiar with collaborating alongside writers. He knew he wanted a writing aspect to the pictures, and given their similar interests, the idea was born to put the book together. The poetry pulls from the values of journalism in the terms of accuracy and investigation a search for truth, Rubin said. But because its poetry its tuned into the emotional quality that comes with investigation. Rubin suggested another meaning of Shale Play would be comparing the different levels of a theatrical play, or an interaction of different characters of the fracking industry. Rubin said these characters were anyone from workers in the industry, to people whose farms are benefitting or suffering from selling the rights to their land, to those who experienced health or environmental impacts. The multilayered title also can represent the relationship between Pennsylvania and the lobbyists in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania is the only major gas-producing state in the country that doesnt place a severance tax on oil and gas companies when they extract gas from the wells. There is a very strong lobby from oil and gas companies in Harrisburg, almost like they are taking advantage, or playing with their lobbying, Rubin said. The multilayers of the fracking epidemic spiked their curiosity and investigation. As a Pennsylvania native, Kasdorf grew up close to Pittsburgh and around its coal mining industry. But she wondered how different the damage of fracking was. I just got really curious, I didnt enter it with my mind made up whether it was worth it to get cheap energy, Kasdorf said. I just listened to people, I learned a lot back at Penn State from the Department of Geo Sciences. In her poetry, Kasdorf put a creative twist to her investigation. For me, it was a funny thing to do in the middle of my life, Kasdorf said. I wasnt writing poems about memories or my everyday life, I was writing poems on research. Rubin said he had to be innovative in his techniques to show the impact of fracking for something like natural gas, which is invisible and under the ground. You can try to photograph the impacts, how it is transported, for me it was photographing the workers, the impact on the landscape, and people who have benefitted from this or people who suffered from this, Rubin said. Regina Starace is the designer of the book and was the last stop of planning and laying out the pages. Starace works for the Penn State University Press, a publishing arm of the library that produces books, journals and graphic novels to interest scholars and general readers. Starace said she has never worked on a project like Shale Play. This is kind of a unique project for us because the narrative is poetry and its a collection of photographs, Starace said. We were also dealing with two artists on their own, telling their own stories. She wanted to step back in the design and let the narrative speak for itself. Starace said that it sometimes reads like a transcription or record, and she wanted to keep the design simple for the feel of a documentation. Due to the early dismissal on Jan. 24, the presentation in the Paterno Library's Foster Auditorium of Shale Play has been postponed. Julia Kasdorf said it is possible they are rescheduling to Thursday, Jan. 31. For all book lovers alike, winter is the perfect time to get caught up on some good reads, especially with the snowy weather here in State College. Some may say taking a good book to the beach and reading it with the sand between their toes is the best time for reading, but with such cold temperatures and wintery weather, curling up with a good book inside is always a go-to. Lets set the scene: Snow is falling outside, and the road conditions are not the greatest for gallivanting around town. There is a fire place nearby, and a cup of hot cocoa within reach. Fuzzy blankets surround the reading nook of choice. What is missing? A good book. Some Penn State students, like Gracie Pickens, can relate to the serenity of reading a book in the winter season. My favorite book to read is Wuthering Heights, although I am currently reading Save the Date by Morgan Matson, Pickens (freshman marketing) said. Wuthering Heights is always a good book to read in the winter because the story itself has a bleak setting. Although Pickens personally reads more in the summer just because she has more time, she believes more people actually do read more in the winter. I think more people read in the winter because it is just a cozier time in general, especially with all of the snow, people really cannot travel anywhere, Pickens said. Olivia Washesky is currently reading Sherlock Holmes because of her love of mysteries though she would coin the Harry Potter series to be her favorite. Winter is a good time because most people will not go outside, so a book can be an adventure that you can have inside, Washesky (freshman biobehavioral health) said. Los Angeles native Brannon DeWolf agrees with Washeskys statement, and he chooses the Pennsylvania winter to read more books than in the summer. I definitely like to read more in the winter because theres less to do outside and sometimes there is nothing nicer than reading in a cozy room while it is dumping snow outside, DeWolf (junior political science and broadcast journalism) said. DeWolfs pick this winter is a book titled, 1776, which is about the start of the American Revolution and goes perfectly with the wintery season. Its pretty crazy seeing winter in the Pennsylvania woods, and realizing our founding fathers had to fight the war in weather just like it, like in 1776, DeWolf said. Some students like to reread classic books that most of us have grown up with, such as Nate Gillespie who loves to read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. One of the biggest reasons I love to reread this book is the nostalgia it brings back from when I was a little boy and my mom would read me the book every winter, Gillespie (freshman secondary education and journalism) said. The book takes place in an eternal winter, which out here can sometimes feel like. At the end of the book, the White Witch is defeated, and spring starts, which always makes me look forward to spring coming here. Isabelle Stull is also rereading her favorite book, No Matter the Wreckage by Sarah Kay. Its just a collection of poetry, but I think she is a great poet and I really enjoy her work, Stull (junior health policy and administration) said. Siena Baker normally reads five leisure books at a time, but three books she is currently enjoying are An American Marriage, The Hate U Give, and she is just about to start Where the Crawdads Sing. I am currently loving An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, Baker (sophomore economics and community, environment and development) said. It is a beautiful commentary not only on marriage and love and relationships, but the role of race and our criminal justice system. With snow predicted to fall this week, grab a good book, and as Washesky said, have an adventure inside. SHOWS February 22, 2021 10.00 am Bazaar Corporate Radar Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar. [The stream is set to start at 3:30 p.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was slated to take reporters' questions Monday in her first official press briefing of 2019. The rare briefing arrives on the heels of an agreement between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats to temporarily reopen the government while continuing to negotiate border security funding. Even as both groups emerge bruised from the longest-ever partial government shutdown, neither has yet shown a willingness to compromise on the key disagreement: whether a funding deal should include billions of dollars toward a new barrier along the southern border. If no deal is reached by the time the three-week stopgap measures expires on Feb. 15, Trump has threatened to let the government shut down once more, or use his presidential powers to declare a national emergency to bypass Congress. The partial shutdown, which hobbled nine federal agencies, lasted a record 35 days. There were no White House press briefings held during that time. Formal press briefings in the James S. Brady Briefing Room, in which Sanders or another White House representative answers questions from a gaggle of journalists, have nearly disappeared in 2018. Sanders has said that Trump's willingness to regularly answer questions from the press himself and his prolific use of Twitter are a better alternative for reporters than relying on communications staff. Trump himself tweeted his own explanation: "I told her not to bother," he wrote, because "the press covers her so rudely & inaccurately." Trump tweet The reason Sarah Sanders does not go to the "podium" much anymore is that the press covers her so rudely & inaccurately, in particular certain members of the press. I told her not to bother, the word gets out anyway! Most will never cover us fairly & hence, the term, Fake News! That policy shift has been significant. Sanders led press briefings at the Brady room podium at least 11 times last January, for instance. But Monday's briefing marks the first such event this year, as well as the first since mid-December 41 days earlier. A lot has happened since then. In the previous briefing, Sanders fielded questions about Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn, as well as his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, after the president called Cohen a "liar" and a "rat." Both men have pleaded guilty to charges lodged by special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his ongoing investigation of Russia's election meddling and possible collusion with Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. On Friday, Mueller charged another of Trump's campaign associates: Roger Stone, a longtime GOP operative who was Trump's confidant and ally in 2016. Stone is charged with seven counts including witness tampering, obstruction of justice and making false statements to Congress. He vowed to plead not guilty. In the gap between briefings, Democrats took control of the House of Representatives. They made their new majority status known in shutdown negotiations, as well as by calling on Cohen to publicly testify before the House Oversight Committee. Earlier, retired Gen. James Mattis announced that he would step down as Trump's defense secretary in February. Mattis, who was among the most well-liked officials in Trump's Cabinet, revealed in a letter to Trump that he was stepping down over his disagreements with Trump. Mattis' resignation came shortly after Trump announced his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. That initial plan to begin withdrawal quickly was softened later, though Trump insisted at the time that the plan had not changed. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Top Democratic donors in New York aren't happy with former Starbucks chairman and CEO Howard Schultz for saying he was "seriously thinking about running for president" as a "centrist independent." As Schultz prepares to hold his book tour's first leg in New York just after he announced his presidential aspirations, Democratic financiers and strategists in the city are already criticizing his potential campaign. "This is a pathetic vanity project, and Howard Schultz better start laying off the espresso," Robert Zimmerman, a leading party bundler, told CNBC on Monday. "I would not take lightly the inevitable hashtags popping up saying 'no Starbucks, no Schultz.'" Some members of the New York donor class, including on Wall Street, are casting doubt on whether Schultz will even run. Some argue the move would cost the Democratic Party in its 2020 battle with President Donald Trump and hurt the Starbucks brand. The perceived potential for Schultz inadvertently helping Trump has already triggered some calls for action against the company, with social media hashtags such as "Boycott Starbucks" making the rounds on Twitter. Nathan Lerner, co-founder of Draft Beto, a group looking to persuade former Rep. Beto O'Rourke to run for president, said in a tweet that he would be boycotting Starbucks. Lerner threatened to protest at Starbucks stores if Schultz were to run as an independent. Tweet: Orin Kramer, a New York hedge fund manager who backed Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for president, believes that a Schultz independent candidacy will anger urban voters who dislike Trump and will lead to them walking away from buying their coffee at Starbucks. "Wouldn't want to own Starbucks if he did it," Kramer said in an interview. "Starbucks is disproportionately in urban areas, and 40 percent of urban areas hate this guy [Trump]. "This guy is giving Trump a gift, and there is no contrary interpretation." President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer and longtime fixer Michael Cohen has hired two new criminal defense lawyers, and dropped his old ones, as he prepares for testimony at a Senate committee next month. Cohen's legal advisor, Lanny Davis, said the new lawyers, Michael Monico and Barry Spevack, "will represent Mr. Cohen going forward as he continues to cooperate with" special counsel Robert Mueller's team, federal prosecutors in New York City, the New York state attorney general's office, and various congressional committees seeking Cohen's testimony No longer representing Cohen are Guy Petrillo and Amy Lester, who handled his case before and when he pleaded guilty to multiple crimes in November in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Davis said. The crimes include campaign finance violations for hush money payments Cohen admitted facilitating to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. The women claim to have had sexual encounters with Trump. The president denies having sex with either of them. Cohen also admitted to lying to Congress about details of an aborted plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Cohen is due to enter prison to begin his three-year sentence in early March. The 52-year-old New York resident had been planning to testify voluntarily Feb. 7 before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. But he postponed that appearance last Wednesday, citing alleged threats against his family by Trump and Trump's current lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. However, on Thursday, the Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenaed him to appear before that committee on Feb. 12. A person familiar with Cohen's decision said he changed lawyers specifically to prepare for his appearance before the Senate committee and possible appearances before other committees. On Monday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Cohen would appear before his panel in a closed-door hearing Feb. 8. "These attacks on Mr. Cohen's family must stop," Schiff said in a statement. "Federal law prohibits efforts to discourage, intimidate, or otherwise pressure a witness not to provide testimony to Congress." Monico is a former federal prosecutor in the Northern District of Illinois, and past president of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers. Spevack has nearly four decades of experience as criminal defense lawyer. In a joint statement, Monico and Spevack said: "We look forward to helping Mr. Cohen fulfill what he has told us is his only mission to tell the truth as he knows it and to turn the corner on his past life and taking ownership for his past mistakes by cooperating as best as he can with all governmental authorities in search of the truth." Abilene, KS (67410) Today Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 75F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 75F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Maduro, having recently started another term after highly disputed elections, is refusing to back down. He is supported by the country's minister of defense and Russia. Last week, the opposition leader of Venezuela's National Assembly, Juan Guaido, named himself interim president amid street protests. President Donald Trump soon recognized Guaido as the nation's leader and his administration has been marshaling international support for the opposition figure since then. The move comes after a turbulent week for Venezuela that has created a standoff over the country's leadership. The sanctions aim to transfer control of Venezuela's oil wealth to forces that oppose socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro and deprive the strongman of resources that could prolong his grip on power. The Trump administration will sanction Venezuela's state-owned oil firm, a move the White House has long put off for fear that it would raise oil prices and hurt American refiners. Nicolas Maduro, president of Venezuela, speaks during a swearing in ceremony for the new board of directors of Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), Venezuela's state oil company, in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday determined that people operating in Venezuela's oil sector are subject to U.S. sanctions.The nation's energy industry is dominated by state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela, better known as PDVSA. Mnuchin said PDVSA has long been a vehicle for embezzlement and corruption by officials and businessmen. The sanctions will prevent the nation's oil wealth from being diverted to Maduro and will only be lifted when his regime hands control of PDVSA to a successor government, he added. "The path to sanctions relief for PDVSA is through the expeditious transfer of control to the interim president or a subsequent democratically elected government who is committed to taking concrete and meaningful actions to combat corruption," Mnuchin said during a White House news briefing. Under the sanctions, U.S. companies can continue to purchase Venezuelan oil, but the payments must be held in an account that cannot be accessed by the Maduro regime. "If the people in Venezuela want to continue to sell us oil, as long as that money goes into blocked accounts, we'll continue to take it," Mnuchin said. "Otherwise we will not be buying it." Oil prices pared some losses after news of the sanctions broke, but major benchmarks were still down more than 2.5 percent following the official announcement. U.S. crude ended Monday's session 3.2 percent lower earlier in the day. In order to minimize disruptions and support for humanitarian aid, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued general licenses that authorize some transactions and activities with PDVSA to continue for a limited time, Mnuchin said. European and Caribbean companies will also be granted licenses so they can wind down business with PDVSA in an orderly fashion. PDVSA's Citgo refineries in the U.S. will be allowed to continue to operate, but revenue must be placed in an escrow account in the United States. Citgo operates three U.S. refineries with a combined ability to process about 750,000 barrels per day of crude oil into fuels. Earlier Monday, Reuters reported that Guaido's coalition is racing to take control of Citgo before an interest payment linked to PDVSA's bonds maturing in 2020 comes due in April. If PDVSA fails to make the payment, it would open a path for creditors to make a claim on Citgo's assets. Venezuela's oil production has cratered in recent years after a long stretch of mismanagement and economic crisis that has prevented PDVSA from maintaining output, creating a vicious cycle of falling supplies and revenue. Still, Venezuela remains one of the largest suppliers to U.S. refineries. Venezuela shipped an average of 580,000 bpd of crude oil and petroleum products to the country in the year through October 2018, the last month data were available. Venezuela is a major supplier of heavy oil, which is largely used to produce distillates like diesel and jet fuel. PDVSA relies on imports of super light oil to dilute its heavy crude before its shipped out. The U.S. sanctions will place limits on selling oil products, Mnuchin said, but the Treasury is not currently pursuing an embargo against sales to Venezuela. Confirmation of the administration's intent to sanction PDVSA came from Sen. Marco Rubio before to the news conference, after Axios earlier reported the impending actions. "The Maduro crime family has used PDVSA to buy and keep the support of many military leaders," Rubio said in a statement. "The oil belongs to the Venezuelan people, and therefore the money PDVSA earns from its export will now be returned to the people through their legitimate constitutional government." Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk stands on the podium as he attends a forum on startups in Hong Kong, China. In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has hedged nearly its entire 4.9 percent stake in Tesla, the Financial Times reports. That means the PIF still holds the shares, but it has taken out other positions that protect it from a drop in Tesla's stock price. Musk settled fraud charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission in September over the claim, agreeing to step down as Tesla's chairman, pay a $20 million fine and appoint new board members. Saudi Arabia has reportedly taken out an insurance policy on its investment in Tesla , which dramatically cuts its net exposure to the stock, just months after CEO Elon Musk claimed the kingdom was prepared to back a deal to take the electric car maker private. The Financial Times first revealed the PIF's stake in August. Almost immediately after that, Musk tweeted that he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 per share, later explaining that the Saudis would back the buyout. The SEC later charged the remarks were "false and misleading." According to the FT, the PIF put the hedges in place after the market closed Jan. 17 with the help of J.P. Morgan bankers. The following day, Tesla announced layoffs and warned of "very difficult" times ahead. Tesla's stock price has fallen about 15 percent since then. Musk told the FT that there hasn't been communication with the PIF in months and Tesla is not aware whether the kingdom still holds the shares. The PIF and J.P. Morgan declined the FT's offer to comment. Tesla's stock initially dipped by more than 2 percent on the FT report, but the shares ended the day down modestly. While Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter, its investment in electric car pioneer Tesla is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's drive to diversify the nation's economy. The PIF has become a major investor in tech companies under Crown Prince Mohammed. Read the full story here. Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is "close to being completed," acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said Monday. "I hope that we can get the report from Director Mueller as soon as possible," Whitaker said during a Department of Justice news conference announcing indictments against Huawei officials. The special counsel's office declined to comment to CNBC. While there were reports that the special counsel probe was wrapping up, Whitaker's remark is the first indication from a Justice Department official suggesting that Mueller could deliver his report soon. Mueller's team of investigators is examining Russian interference in the 2016 election. The special counsel is also probing for possible collusion by Donald Trump's campaign and whether or not the president obstructed justice. The acting attorney general's comment comes after Roger Stone, a longtime political advisor to President Donald Trump, was arrested in Florida on Friday. Stone faces seven counts, including allegations of witness tampering, obstruction of justice and making false statements to Congress. Whitaker's appointment as acting attorney general sparked concern that he might try to stifle Mueller's investigation. Before joining the Justice Department, Whitaker was critical of the special counsel probe. In a 2017 op-ed, Whitaker argued that if Mueller examined the Trump family finances "without a broadened scope in his appointment, then this would raise serious concerns that the special counsel's investigation was a mere witch hunt." Whitaker addressed his critics during the Monday news conference, saying he has now been "fully briefed" on the investigation and is looking forward to Mueller's report. "I really am not going to talk about an open and ongoing investigation otherwise, but you know, sort of the statements that I made were as a private citizen only with publicly available information," Whitaker said. Jan 28, 2019 | By Cameron Nascar was an early adopter of 3D printing because it enables their engineers to prototype faster, testing more design iterations to determine what makes the car go the faster. The drivers are often involved in the testing process and thus exposed to the wonders of 3D printing. Brad Keselowski got bit by the 3D printing bug at a young age and hes now invested over $10 million to start an advanced contract manufacturing company in Statesville, North Carolina. Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing expects to initially serve aerospace, military, and oil and gas companies, with plans to expand into the medical field next year. Keselowski is the sixth-highest paid Nascar driver, and he wont be quitting racing to run the additive manufacturing company. For that, hes hired Steve Fetch, who previously worked as vice president of global quality for 3D Systems. The 70,000-square-foot facility has already been equipped with 3D printers from GEs Concept Laser as well as some CNC machines, and 30 employees are buzzing around in preparation of production. In an interview with Forbes, Keselowski said, This is the type of manufacturing that is not going overseas. I believe in it. He first learned about 3D printing as a teenager when he watched prototypes tested for aerodynamics in the wind tunnel. I thought it should go in a real car, but it couldnt because it was plastic. Its hot, and it would melt. But its good for prototyping, he remarked. As a driver for billionaire racing magnate Roger Penske, Keselowski became familiar with the return on investment that comes from smart design and engineering spending, as he explains, The more engineering and manufacturing skill we put into our race cars, the faster they went and the more I would win. And I like winning." 3D printing provides the quick turnaround times that are often required when racing around different parts of the country that have varied climates. Keselowski recalled a particular day near the end of the 2012 season, We had designed the car around certain speeds and G-forces, and the weather changed and became unseasonably warm for where we were in Texas. When it gets warm, the cars slow down, and the parameters for one of the parts on the car was out of spec, he said. On a Sunday afternoon, the engineering team in Texas was on the phone with the North Carolina engineering team (where the parts are fabricated) discussing the redesign of a part that affects the aerodynamics of the rear of the car. By 9:30 the next morning, they had the new part bolted onto the car for the second race. He came in second, which is spectacular considering his car had a defunct part not even 24 hours earlier. Keselowski aims to emphasize that if 3D printing can handle the speed and precision of Nascar, it can handle pretty much anything. "Think of that in terms of the product-development lifecycle, he said. Thats what Im trying to build with KAM. When describing a 3D printed medical solution, Keselowski makes it apparent that he knows the ins and outs of the industry: A man was in a really bad crash and needed facial reconstruction surgery. A company built a 3-D implant and inserted it to help assist with the surgery. That sounds easy in theory but is incredibly difficult in practice: scanning the side of the face that's not damaged...engineering parts and pieces...building parts and pieces...quality checking to make sure it's perfect...and delivering in a timely manner, since the more time that goes by, the harder it is to repair. That kind of work absolutely fascinates me because it's the kind of work that helps improve the human experience. You can effectively change someone's life...but only if you do it right every step of the way. That's partly why we built our facility beside an airport, and it's also specific to advanced engineering and manufacturing capabilities. He clearly has the knowledge and the connections (having partnered with GE Additive, ALSCO, Pinnacle X-Ray Solutions, Big Kaiser Precision Tooling, and Mazak Corporation) to create a massively productive 3D printing facility, so check back in February for the official launch. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: The U.S. Midwest and Northeast were braced for dangerous subzero temperatures this week, as the polar vortex was set to blast arctic conditions unusually far south, the National Weather Service said on Monday. The system was set to extend from the Dakotas through New England, with Chicago expecting temperatures to plunge as low as -25 degrees Fahrenheit overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, the weather service said. The polar vortex - the frigid winds that circulate around the North Pole - is extending further south into the Upper Midwest, said weather service meteorologist Brian Hurley. "If you live up in the Arctic Circle, you'd say this is pretty normal. When it's actually brought down to this level, that's when you know it's something serious," Hurley said in a telephone interview. Blizzard conditions are predicted across parts of the western Ohio Valley and snow is expected Tuesday through Wednesday from the Great Lakes region into New England, the weather service said. Snowfall will occur in the Dakotas, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota; and in Central Michigan, where a foot or more of snow is expected, the weather service said. Upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire will see less than a foot of snow, and Boston will get less than an inch. Chicago will take the main brunt of the supercold weather, with widespread heavy snow already affecting the area on Monday, the weather service said on Twitter. Wind chills as low as -50 F were also expected by Tuesday evening through Thursday morning. The service's Des Moines, Iowa, branch said "dangerous, life-threatening cold air" will hit the Midwestern state from Tuesday morning through Friday morning, with wind chill values on Wednesday likely to range from minus 45 Fahrenheit to minus 55 Fahrenheit across the northern part of the state. More than 600 flights into or out of Chicago O'Hare International Airport were canceled Monday morning and nearly 300 flights were delayed, according to FlightAware.com. More than 200 flights at Chicago's Midway International Airport were canceled, but only about seven flights were delayed. Delta Air Lines said it would waive flight change fees for passengers affected by the winter weather in Chicago, Detroit and areas of the Upper Midwest. WATCH: These prescription smart glasses tell you the weather, read text messages and connect to Alexa Pfizer has gone from first to worst. The pharma giant soared nearly 20 percent in 2018, and was the Dow's second-best performer behind Merck. But so far 2019 has been a very different story for the stock. It's the biggest drag on the Dow this month, with the shares losing more than 9 percent. The New York-based company is scheduled to report fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday before the bell, and two Street watchers say to steer clear. Ari Wald, head of technical analysis at Oppenheimer, believes there are better stocks to own in the broader health-care sector, while Gina Sanchez, CEO of Chantico Global, believes Pfizer's push into oncology may jeopardize the company's top line. "For us large-cap pharma is a very defensive bet [Pfizer] did have a great second half of 2018, benefiting as that safe haven asset," Wald said Monday on CNBC's "Trading Nation." As the broader market sold off at the end of 2018, investors rotated into more defensive, secular plays like health-care stocks. In this flight to safety, Pfizer's shares rose, ultimately hitting a 52-week intraday high of $46.47 on Dec. 4. But Wald believes investors once again have an appetite for potentially trickier trades, meaning they could keep selling Pfizer shares in favor of higher-growth companies, for instance. "Our concern is that it [Pfizer] could then become a source of funds as risk-taking slowing comes back to the market. We're already starting to see signs of that," Wald contended. That said, while the shares are currently trading beneath their 200-day moving average a key technical indicator used to analyze a stock's price trend Wald isn't anticipating major downside. "There's a lot of support at $39, so we don't necessarily expect a lot of downside here, we just see more attractive opportunities elsewhere in the sector," he said. Like Wald, Sachez is avoiding Pfizer ahead of earnings. "The issues on Pfizer are very Pfizer-specific," she said. "They're really putting their bets on the oncology market, which is becoming more and more competitive they've really made a bet on the cancer market we'll have to see how that plays out this year," she contended. According to FactSet estimates, analysts are expecting Pfizer to report earnings of 63 cents per share on $13.9 billion in revenue. Democratic Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York talks to reporters as she arrives for a class photo with incoming newly elected members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 14, 2018. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is dinging Facebook, Microsoft and Google for "implicit" support of climate change denial in a letter addressed to the CEOs of the three tech companies. Facebook, Microsoft and Google were "high-level" sponsors of the recent LibertyCon conference in Washington, D.C., which hosted a session "denying established science on climate change," Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said in the joint letter. "The example you have set promoting sustainability and evidence-based science is compromised by your implicit support of the session organized at LibertyCon," the congresswomen wrote. "Given the magnitude and urgency of the climate crisis that we are now facing, we find it imperative to ensure that the climate-related views espoused at LibertyCon do not reflect the values of your companies going forward." Ocasio-Cortez and Pingree also note the tech companies have installed sustainable practices in their respective businesses, and concede that conference sponsorship is commonplace. The congresswomen are asking Facebook, Microsoft and Google to reaffirm their commitment to a "more sustainable future." Ocasio-Cortez and Pingree's letter appear to be in response to a Mother Jones article from last week that noted Google, Facebook and Microsoft were sponsors of the convention earlier this month along with a group called the CO2 Coalition, which denies climate change and attempts to promote the supposed benefits of CO2 emissions. The three tech companies told Mother Jones in statements last week that they often sponsor events involving technology policy from across the political spectrum. In a statement to CNBC on Monday, Facebook pointed to a 2017 blog post about the company's political engagement and to the company's sustainability policies. A spokesperson for Google told CNBC the company sponsors "organizations from across the political spectrum" and that "Google's sponsorship or collaboration with a third party organization doesn't mean that we endorse the organization's entire agenda or agree with other speakers or sponsors." Microsoft, in a statement, said the company's engagement with LibertyCon was "through a breakfast reception for student leaders to discuss topics including rural broadband and privacy." "Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time, and our commitment to addressing it is unequivocal. For the past decade, we've reduced emissions, invested in renewable energy, supported policies to address climate change and enabled people around the globe to use technology to accelerate progress on this issue," the company said. Read the full letter here. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. The recent earnings and performance of Netflix shares indicate that if the tech investor turns out to be right, a lot of Netflix shareholders may be left holding the bag. Netflix has outperformed the FAANGs (Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Google's parent, Alphabet) so far in 2019. It was trading at a price-to-earnings ratio near 130, as of Jan. 24. Apple was trading at a P/E of roughly 13; Facebook at 21; Alphabet at 40. Amazon is the closest to Netflix, with a P/E just over 100. The tech investor said the success Netflix has had in capturing a significant portion of the legacy broadcast television audience through its online streaming service does not equate to an outsized multiple over the next decade. "Think about how disruptive they can be. ... Think about Amazon , Apple , Google [ Alphabet ]. ... They will change the world dramatically, so it will be easier to build high-multiple models for them," said Gene Munster, managing partner of tech investment firm Loup Ventures. "In the case of Netflix, they won't change the world again ... and I struggle with that question," Munster said. The greatest innovation that Netflix is capable of producing is already in its past, according to some tech experts. When it comes to high-growth technology stocks, Wall Street often advises investors to look beyond the short-term numbers especially when they are bad. In the case of Netflix , the numbers look fine right now, but there is still a fundamental question about the streaming video service's long-term future that should give investors pause. Reed Hastings attends Reed Hastings panel during Netflix 'See What's Next' event at Villa Miani on April 18, 2018 in Rome, Italy. In the short-term, Netflix is delivering. Its subscriber growth of 17 percent in the just-reported quarter is consistent with a high-growth story, Munster said. "Anything better than 12 percent is high growth," he said. The streaming video company has 139 million paying subscribers at the end of 2018 and added 29 million subscribers last year versus 22 million in 2017, with the most impressive growth coming from its international markets, and that will continue to be a big 2019 story, Munster said. The company's guidance for subscriber growth in the March-end quarter is similar. "The number of original content shows outside the U.S., growth of subs outside of the U.S. and pricing increases outside of the U.S. will dominate the Netflix conversation and it is a big opportunity." Still, Munster is cautious if not bearish in his outlook for Netflix. There are multiple reasons cited to be hesitant buying Netflix at its current share price. It reported a slight revenue miss in the most recent quarter. The price increase Netflix announced ahead of earnings the biggest in its history could lead to subscriber losses and hit the bottom line. Finally, as it continues to spend heavily on original content, Netflix will need to take on more debt, which has already increased from $6.5 billion at the end of 2017 to $10.36 billion at end of 2018. "The company eventually has to show operating margin leverage in 2020 or 2021 to begin to pay down debt," Munster said. Those concerns may limit the stock's near-term upside. "It should be an average year for Netflix. ... The bar gets higher every time it does something great. I see only modest upside," Munster said. "They need to be blowing numbers ... and we're just not seeing that." New Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann said on the recent earnings call that spending on content has put pressure on the cash flows of the business over the past few years. The company had negative cash flow of roughly $3 billion in 2018 and is predicting "sort of similar levels in 2019." It will continue to use the debt markets to finance the business, Neumann said, but he added that Netflix is committed to 13 percent operating margins in 2019 and beyond. While Munster does not think its current outperformance versus the FAANG group of stocks can be maintained over the full year, his biggest concerns will play out over multiple years. Fast forward two to three years and Munster thinks the other streaming players may catch up up to Netflix in spending on original content. And the traditional media companies are finally ramping up streaming plans as well. Comcast's NBCUniversal just announced its plan for a streaming service. Disney is launching its streaming service later this year. Viacom announced the acquisition of a streaming company on Wednesday. The closing of the gap in streaming will come as the other big technology companies continue to expand into new, innovative businesses. "Netflix is not going to make a dramatic change to our lives in the next decade," Munster said. Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. Americans are drinking less alcohol, and much of that decline is due to lower beer consumption. Anheuser-Busch InBev has found its Pure Gold, an organic beer under its Michelob Ultra brand, has been successful in wooing customers from wine and spirits. In an effort to keep the brand's momentum going, the beer will make its Super Bowl debut on Feb. 3 with an ad that features a trendy YouTube sound sensation know for calming listeners. U.S. alcohol consumption fell for the third straight year in 2018, even though Americans are drinking more wine and spirits, according to IWSR data. The beverage market analysis company estimated the volume of beer sold fell 1.5 percent last year to 2.62 billion 9-liter cases. Since its launch, a few weeks after last year's Super Bowl, Pure Gold has surpassed $59 million in sales, said Azania Andrews, vice president of Michelob Ultra. She estimates that 8 percent of Pure Gold's volume is coming from consumers who are new to the category. "You can anticipate that kind of growth to continue," Andrews said. "We've just scratched the surface for Pure Gold." The beer is made with organic grains and contains only 85 calories per 12 ounces. The brand targets young professionals who focus on wellness and eat mostly organic food and who might otherwise choose wine or spirits because they believe those options are healthier, she said. Industrial progress is more vital to Saudi Arabia's future than oil, the kingdom's energy minister told CNBC Monday. "Industry is the number one priority for the kingdom," Khalid Al-Falih told CNBC's Hadley Gamble in Riyadh. "Oil is important, it's going to be important for as long as all of us live and beyond for generations to come. But the future of this nation, and the future of my children and grandchildren and the next few generations of Saudi Arabia is going to be shaped by how we plan and execute programs for implementing Vision 2030, like the program we're launching today. And I have to give it higher priority," he said. Saudi Arabia launched a National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP) on Monday as the kingdom hopes to attract 1.6 trillion riyals ($426 billion) of foreign investment by 2030, specifically into the industry, logistics, mining and energy sectors. "This is a program that integrates four major pillars of the Saudi economy, they're all active now. These are nothing new but they will be stronger, more competitive and more diverse," Al-Falih said. "The sophisticated integrative logistics sector will connect (the other pillars) and will connect the kingdom with the rest of the world and will create a platform for exports and competitiveness for the new economy for Saudi Arabia being built under the Vision 2030." "There's a lot of people who have reached out who want to become involved," a person close to the former Starbucks chairman told CNBC on the condition of anonymity. Schultz's team has been speaking with potential staffers as the former Starbucks chairman debates whether to run for president as an independent, the sources added. Howard Schultz has hired ex-Obama aide Bill Burton as a communications advisor as the former Starbucks CEO mulls running for president in 2020, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Burton is looking to bring on other public relations representatives in order to promote Schultz's story of being raised in Brooklyn, NY to becoming a prominent executive in the business community, one of the sources explained. Burton and a spokeswoman for Schultz did not return repeated requests for comment. The addition of Burton could potentially be a boost to Schultz's elite PR team, which already includes a number of high-profile public relations executives, including Steve Schmidt, who used to be a vice chairman at Edelman and managed Republican Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008. Burton also has experience in the fundraising circuit. After his tenure as an advisor in President Barack Obama's administration, Burton founded Priorities USA Action, a super PAC that originally was dedicated to helping Obama get re-elected in 2012. Since then, the PAC has become a powerhouse and recently helped Democrats make inroads into the U.S. House of Representatives during the 2018 congressional midterm elections. Burton's most recent work includes being part of SKDKnickerbocker, a leading public relations firm that has offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Albany and Los Angeles. Schultz may need some help in the donor circuit, with many Democratic Party financiers in New York going on the offensive against the billionaire executive and claiming he's only going to hurt their party's chance at defeating President Donald Trump in 2020. Schultz had been a self-proclaimed Democrat but made a surprise announcement on Sunday that he's seriously considering a run for president as an independent. WATCH: Fast Money traders give their take on CEOs running for president Low Cost Maximum Leverage on Copper at Quaterra Bob Moriarty Archives Jan 28, 2019 Those investors who believe the price of a commodity is going to go much higher should be looking for companies with marginal projects. If a company has a property that needs, say, $15 silver and silver is only $14, they cant make money going into production and will be valued appropriately. But if silver goes up 10% the project moves from being uneconomical to being marginal and should silver move up 20% the property goes into profit. So investors will revalue the company. Its called leverage and marginal properties will gain a lot more value from an increase in the price of a commodity than properties solidly in profit today. Quaterra Resources (QTA-V) has two such projects in copper. One at the site of the Anaconda Copper Mine formerly operated by Anaconda Copper in Nevada in the Yerington Copper District. Quaterra bought the 52 square mile property out of bankruptcy in 2011. In a 2012 PEA on MacArthur, an oxide deposit in the north of the property, Quaterra showed a NPV of $201 million USD using a base price for copper of $3.48. The NPV rises to $377 million with a 20% rise in the price of copper to $4.18 but drops to $9.8 million at a copper price of $2.78. As luck would have it, the current price for copper is only $2.74. That gives a market cap of only $8.76 USD million based on todays share price, in line with the PEA from 2012. But there are a few factors investors need to throw into the pot before stirring. They have a lot of copper in a mining friendly state on the site of a prior existing mine operated by Anaconda Copper. The entire Yerington District contains over 17 billion pounds of copper in the M&I categories. Just one of Quaterras three copper projects, the MacArthur deposit, contains over 1.6 billion pounds of inexpensive and easy to process oxide copper. The MacArthur project could be put into production for a tiny $233 million. The 2012 PEA suggested a cash cost of $1.89 a pound with a mine life of eighteen years. Quaterra is in progress with a Pre-Feasibility Study with the intention of lowering capital costs with the elimination of a $65 million acid plant, using a more timely base cost of $3 a pound for copper and using higher copper grades. They expect to complete the PFS within eighteen months with an updated resource model and an optimized mine plan. There is no shortage of marginal copper projects at below $3 copper; Quaterras MacArthur deposit is hardly unique in that aspect. But there is a valuable asset for which the market is giving Quaterra little credit. On September 17th, 2018 Quaterra announced the sale of surplus water rights to an agricultural company for $6.26 million USD. Quaterra needs only 5,690 acre-feet of water to operate both the MacArthur copper heap-leach mine and a 50,000 TPD sulfide mill. After the $6.26 million sale, the company still retains 6,700 acre-feet of water rights. At todays price, the market only values Quaterra at $8.76 million USD yet sometime between now and the end of March they will be closing on the water sale and will bring in $6 million USD. For all practical purposes, valuation of the water rights sets a floor under the price of the shares. Selling the surplus water rights gives an implied value of about $20 million USD for the remaining 6,700 acre-feet of water. When the $6 million hits the financial books projected to be before the end of Q1, the company could sell the remaining rights, walk away from the projects with billions of pounds of copper and distribute about $20 million USD to shareholders. Literally the company is worth more dead than alive right now. And who knows, maybe copper will go up someday and there could be some value in owning a giant copper asset. Generally the market accepts that copper is relatively cheap today. All commodities are at historic lows as valued by the CRB. Copper demand should be going up in the future as countries go green. A single wind farm might use as much as 15 million pounds of copper. Todays automobiles with a standard gasoline engine would use about 50 pounds of copper in total. An electric vehicle should use almost four times more at 180 pounds of copper. Within the Yerington Copper District Quaterra also has two more major copper projects to call on at higher copper prices. The Yerington Pit Deposit contains over 1.4 billion pounds of copper between a 1.2 billion pound sulfide resource and 236 million pounds in oxide material. The Bear Deposit has a historic resource of more than 500 million tons at a 0.40% copper grade from only 25% of the project being drilled. Quaterra plans on drilling both the Yerington Pit and the Bear Deposit in the future as funds allow. Every company needs a Plan B and Quaterra is no exception. Quaterra has signed an option with the Chuchuna Minerals Company for an option to purchase a 90% interest in a 40,000 acre project they call the Groundhog property in Alaska near the Pebble Deposit. Quaterra has funded exploration of $1.6 million at Groundhog with an additional minimum commitment of $500,000 required a year for three more years. Once they have spent a total of $5 million over five years, they can get title to 90% of the project for a lump sum of $3 million paid to the partner. Pebble is one of those projects whose value goes up and down like a brides nightie. Major companies and investors run hot and cold with the giant project valued in the billions one day; in pennies the next. Im not a big fan of Pebble. I think that it might never go into production because of where it is located. But Ive been wrong before and I have little doubt I will be wrong now and again in the future. Personally I wouldnt put a great value on Quaterra for the Groundhog property unless and until a major stepped in and did some kind of a deal with them. That of course is going to be after Quaterra has spent over $8 million to get their 90%. The Yerington Copper District is ripe for consolidation. Nearby Nevada Copper is going into production at their Pumpkin Hollow deposit at the end of 2019. Hudbay Minerals only recently announced completion of a purchase of Mason Resources and their Ann Mason copper property in Yerington for about $31 million CAD. Other companies than Quaterra put value in the Yerington Copper District. Quaterra is an advertiser. I have bought shares in the open market and participated in a private placement. I am naturally biased. Do your own due diligence. Quaterra Resources Inc QTA-V $.06 (Jan 25, 2019) QTRRF-OTCBB 200.1 million shares Quaterra Resources Website ### Bob Moriarty President: 321gold Archives 321gold Ltd Amidst the ebbs and flows of school reform, big shifts are underway. One involves education advocates, analysts, and assorted policy-centric do-gooders increasingly seeking to downshift from policy and instead focus on educational practice. Whats going on? Interest in policy and foundation funding for policy advocacy have shrunk in the past few years. Polarizing fights and the stubborn insistence that middle America sit down and shut up have engendered backlash and left public officials leery of reform. Meanwhile, the advocates and analysts want to stay relevant. Theyve rightly judged that promoting the same things they were pitching five years ago would be pointless. And they need to raise funds from foundations which have pivoted from policy to practice. Thus, theyre seeking to reinvent themselves as hubs of good practice. Theres a potentially healthy correction here. After all, Ive spent most of the last decade arguing that too much emphasis on enacting policy and too little concern for what happens in schools and school systems have hobbled well-meaning reforms. Indeed, Ive written a couple books (like this one or this one ) based on the premise that school improvement is well-served when its fueled by savvy educators. Yet, for all that, I find myself with some serious concerns about the sudden pivot to practice. First, I dont find those hoping to lead this pivot to practice all that clear about what they mean by practice. Is it anything that teachers do in classrooms? Is it school- or system-wide directives (e.g., policies) regarding pacing, assessment, or pedagogy? Does the shift away from policy mean that policies governing things like attendance, homework, or grading are being relabeled practice"or does the shift from policy include those as well? Meanwhile, much talk of practice seems geared to repackage familiar policy prioritieslike teacher preparation or big data systemsin more saleable garb. Im always wary of education enthusiasms when Im unsure what the it is. Second, I dont know that a lot of the folks newly eager to talk practice (however defined) have much credibility on that score. Heck, when Im out yammering to audiences of educators, I take pains to note that those of us who work in Washington office buildings and havent been in front of a K-12 classroom within memory just dont have much business talking about instructional practice. The striking thing is that some of the folks now working to position themselves as arbiters of practice seem relatively unfazed by their lack of credibility when it comes to pedagogy, curricula, or research. Third, Im struck how savvy policy experts can suddenly turn into naifs when it comes to discussing best instructional practices. I mean, when someone starts telling an experienced policy advocate that a proposal isnt sufficiently evidence-based, the policy wonks tend to roll their eyes. They know that, in reality, the research is typically mixed, findings are subject to interpretation, and reasonable people can usually disagree about what the evidence demands. Yet, these same policy hands are now offering up these same dubious talking points when it comes to practice. Theres a rule of thumb here: Were always most confident that theres definitive evidence when it comes to things that were least familiar with. Finally, Fordhams Mike Petrilli has encouraged reformers, analysts, and advocates to approach issues of practice with humility. That advice isnt bad. But it elides the question of what these folks have to be humble about. After all, one usually counsels a friend to show humility when that friend knows so much that she risks turning off listeners with her know-it-all demeanor. When that same friend fears that shes treading on unfamiliar terrain, we rarely need to counsel humility. Indeed, the idea that a bunch of people whose core competency involves analyzing accountability systems, crafting white papers, penning op-eds, and talking to public officials need to remember to be humble as they seek to steer classroom practice is, if you think about it, pretty goofy. The problem with casually advising humility is that it seemingly conflates practitioners or researchers who actually know something about instructional practiceand thus have something to be humble aboutwith advocates who dont. All that said, we advocates, analysts, and assorted talkers do have a constructive role to play when it comes to practice. We can serve as a check on some of the silliness that inevitably bubbles up out of ed schools or practitioner groups, examine and explain the ways in which rules and routines stymie good practice, and push for the kinds of system changes that can facilitate good practice. But the talkers should take care not to imagine that we should be captaining Team Practice, or be the stewards of its funds. This isnt due to some overdue splash of humility, but simple respect for the limits of our knowledge and competence. Investing and savings start-up Acorns is one step closer to a billion-dollar valuation. The six-year-old company announced a Series E funding round on Monday that brings its valuation to $860 million, the company said. The new $105 million cash injection came from Comcast Ventures, NBCUniversal, Bain Capital Ventures, BlackRock, TPG's Rise Fund, DST and Michael Dell's MSD Capital. NBCUniversal, which is now Acorns' biggest shareholder, will also receive a seat on the start-up's board. It will be filled by CNBC Chairman Mark Hoffman. Acorns which its CEO, Noah Kerner, describes as a "financial wellness system" also announced it is partnering with CNBC to produce original content. The new valuation is more than three times what it was after its 2016 fundraising round. It also tops two industry competitors. Robo-advisor Betterment, by comparison, has a $700 million valuation, while Wealthfront is valued at $500 million, according to Pitchbook. Irvine, California-based Acorns is best known for saving and investing services products, which have ushered in 4.5 million users. One of its five products allows customers to automatically invest the spare change from debit or credit card purchases. If an Acorns user buys a latte for $2.75, the mobile app would round up to the nearest dollar and put that remaining 25 cents into an Acorns investment account, which is then put into professionally managed index funds. It also has an automated retirement account service called "Acorns Later" that has brought on more than 350,000 investors who have invested $40 million to date, according to the company. The average Acorns customer is around 32 years old with an income between $50,000 and $60,000. But it has also attracted customers as old as 98, Kerner said. The CNBC partnership is designed to reach an "up-and-coming" financial audience, who are less financially savvy. Disclosure: Comcast owns CNBC's parent company, NBCUniversal. Stocks in Europe started the week on a negative note as investors monitored Brexit developments and looked ahead to new U.S.-China trade talks. The pan-European Euro Stoxx 600 index closed provisionally 0.94 percent lower with all major bourses and most sectors pushing lower. Initially, there was some positive momentum on the back of the reopening of the U.S. government after its longest shutdown in history. However any momentum was checked after US stocks were dragged down by a profit warning from industrial bellwether, Caterpillar. In political news. President Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal on Sunday that another government shutdown is "certainly an option," expressing doubts that Congress would reach a deal to fund the border wall. U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May will put her latest Brexit efforts to a vote on Tuesday. If she gets the backing from lawmakers she is set to go back to Brussels to get more concessions. However, the message from the European 27 countries remains that the current exit agreement will not be renegotiated. The impasse continues ahead of the scheduled date for departure March 29. Back in the corporate world, Tesco may cut thousands of jobs by replacing staff with vending machines, Reuters reported. Shares were down by around 1.5 percent by the closing bell. Ocado shares rose 1.78 percent on Monday after a report said Marks & Spencer was in talks about a takeover of the company's supermarket operations. M&S shares were up by 0.21 percent. Meanwhile, shares of MorphoSys slipped 7.62 percent after news that some if its patents were deemed invalid by a U.S. court. Howard Schultz, if he were to run for president in 2020 as an independent, would not be a spoiler for the Democrats the way businessman Ross Perot was to Republicans in 1992, longtime venture capitalist and major Hillary Clinton donor Alan Patricof said Monday. Patricof said Schultz, a self-described lifelong Democrat, is nothing like Perot. "Ross Perot was a funny-looking odd guy who had no exposure whatsoever to 'Mrs. and Mr. America,' whereas Howard Schultz for the last 30-40 years is known by every single human being" for Starbucks, Patricof said in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box." Schultz, who built Starbucks into a global powerhouse during two tenures as chairman and CEO, said in an interview that aired on CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday, that he was "seriously thinking" of running for president "as a centrist independent, outside of the two-party system." A strong third-party candidacy has long been a fear for both parties after Perot won nearly 19 percent of the popular vote in the 1992 race against GOP incumbent President George H.W. Bush and Democratic challenger Bill Clinton. The enthusiasm around Perot was blamed for siphoning off Republican votes from Bush and giving the presidency to Clinton. Patricof's bullish take on Schultz is also a contrarian one. Democrats, including some 2020 candidates, argued that a Schultz candidacy would indeed give President Donald Trump another term. Trump himself weighed in with a tweet Monday morning, saying Schultz "doesn't have the "guts" to run. Patricof, founder of the Greycroft venture capital firm that specializes in technology, also said he learned a hard lesson when he passed on backing Starbucks decades ago. He said that has affected his feelings on Schultz as a possible presidential candidate. "When someone brought the idea to us to invest and I said, 'What in the world does New York need with another coffee shop? We have one on every block.' He likes to smile about that, and so do I. Everyone has to have a few of those in their background," Patricof said. "I wouldn't underestimate Howard Schultz twice," he asserted. "I think he's a formidable guy." Patricof said he does not believe the entire Democratic Party is moving far to the left. "There are certainly several candidates that are moving in that direction," he said. But he added, "There are a lot of good candidates" and "they're only just starting to come around and visiting." Patricof said he has not decided on whom he'll back in 2020 against Trump. On Tuesday, Conde Nast International will launch Vogue Business, a fashion industry title that is aimed at professionals, after a turbulent couple of years for the publisher. Vogue Business will start as a newsletter, rather than a website, aiming for a niche audience over having broad reach. The new magazine will be run separately from the main Vogue title with its own editorial team and will cover the impact of technology on the industry, trends in manufacturing, marketing and hiring as well as broader issues such as climate change and geopolitics. "In a consolidating media landscape, the launch of a new global title is a rare thing", said Wolfgang Blau, President of Conde Nast International," in an emailed to CNBC Monday. The company has been beta testing the newsletter with people in 29 countries, Conde Nast said. The glossy magazine industry is no longer what it was, where sleek printed titles would be funded by advertisers keen to reach their aspirational audiences. Now, people read news and features and watch videos on the likes of Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook, which are more attractive to advertisers because of the data they have on users. Legacy publishers have had to catch up, and many are now putting their titles behind paywalls. Chinese President Xi Jinping and members of Chinese delegation attend a working dinner with U.S. President Donald Trump after the G20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 1, 2018. Chinese representatives met with the World Trade Organization on Monday to begin the process of legally challenging United States tariffs on China's exports, Reuters reported, citing a transcript of the meeting's discussion. "This is a blatant breach of the United States' obligations under the WTO agreements and is posing a systemic challenge to the multilateral trading system," a Chinese representative said in the meeting. "If the United States were free to continue infringing these principles without consequences, the future viability of this organization is in dire peril." Caterpillar stock skidded Monday after the company reported earnings that were sharply lower than expected and guidance that was much weaker than expected. The equipment manufacturer, which is considered a proxy for the global economy, pointed to tariffs and a slowdown in China as majors factor in its disappointing fourth-quarter results. Caterpillar's shares fell 9.13 percent on Monday, losing $12.49 per share according to FactSet data. The major U.S. indexes posted declines Monday on poor outlooks from Caterpillar and chipmaker Nvidia. Caterpillar said it now expects 2019 profit to increase to a range of $11.75 to $12.75 per share. Analysts had expected $12.73 per share. Its revenue only slightly exceeded expectations. Here's how the company did compared with what Wall Street expected: Adjusted earnings: $2.55 per share vs. $2.99 per share expected by analysts surveyed by Refinitiv Revenue: $14.34 billion vs. $14.33 billion as expected by analysts surveyed by Refinitiv The revenue results were 11 percent higher from a year earlier, when it reported revenue of $12.9 billion. Caterpillar's results were hurt by a slowdown in sales in China, where economic growth has slowed to levels not seen in almost two decades amid a trade war with the United States. Sales in the Asia/Pacific region declined due to lower demand in China and unfavorable currency rates. China represents 5 to 10 percent of Caterpillar's total sales and revenue, Chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby said on a call with investors "Sales in Asia/Pacific declined due to lower demand in China, partially offset by higher demand in a few other countries in the region," the company said in its earnings press release. "Unfavorable currency impacts also contributed to the sales decline." Caterpillar also said higher material and freight costs due to tariffs, steel prices and supply chain inefficiencies impacted its results. The U.S. has imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods ranging from consumer to industrial products. Beijing responded with tariffs on $110 billion in U.S. goods. In December, Washington and Beijing agreed to a cease-fire in the trade war and promised to stop adding trade tariffs for 90 days. The countries have until March 2 to reach a resolution. On a call with investors, Umpleby said Caterpillar will closely monitor costs and expects price to offset manufacturing cost increases in 2019. "At some point there will be a market downturn," Umpleby said. "We're not calling that in '19. But whenever that does occur we're certainly in a better position to generate cash than we were in the last downturn." Construction industry sales in the Asia/Pacific region declined 4 percent, or $64 million, from the same quarter a year earlier, according to Caterpillar. "In Asia-Pacific, we expect construction growth in countries outside of China," Umpleby said on a call with investors. "Within China, the industry is very dynamic and there are a variety of forecasts. We will continue to monitor the situation but as of now we are forecasting the overall China market to be roughly flat in 2019 following two years of significant growth." In North America, construction industry sales increased 17 percent in the quarter over a year earlier. The company said sales increased due to higher demand for new equipment, primarily to support oil and gas activities and non-residential building construction. When Caterpillar announced disappointing guidance in its third-quarter 2018 statement, its stock fell 7.5 percent on Oct. 23 to its lowest levels since 2011. The industrial giant said costs were rising due to tariffs and increases in steel prices. Caterpillar said the impact of tariffs on material costs for the third quarter was $40 million. The Illinois-based company told its dealers prices would rise by 1 percent to 4 percent worldwide on machines and engines with some exceptions to offset higher material costs. Correction: This story was revised to correct when Caterpillar's stock fell 7.5 percent. It was on Oct. 23. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple speaks while unveiling new products during a launch event on October 30, 2018 in New York City. The worst could be over for the iPhone, according to top Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The analyst with TF International Securities among the first to point to shrinking handset sales now sees "limited downside risks for Apple and iPhone suppliers' share prices." iPhone shipments for Apple's fiscal second quarter will beat market consensus, Kuo predicted in a note to clients. Kuo, who is keyed into chatter from the company's suppliers, has an excellent track record when it comes to predicting Apple products. Apple and its stock have been plagued by reports of reduced supplier orders and weak sales. Insiders and analysts have called out what some saw as the death of the iPhone, and speculated about Apple's next big product. Earlier this month, CEO Tim Cook issued a rare revenue warning for the company's fiscal first-quarter results, which it reports Tuesday. Shares of Apple made up enough ground last week to erase the losses that resulted from the guidance announcement. The stock was down 1.7 percent on Monday and is still down more than 30 percent from its all-time highs in October. Apple could still see a year-over-year decline in iPhone shipments over the next several quarters, Kuo predicted, but the severity of the declines will ease. Kuo is forecasting first-quarter iPhone shipments of 36 million and 38 million, factoring in weaker-than-expected demand from China and positive sales bumps in non-Chinese markets from trade-in programs and price cuts. However, Apple announced last fall that it will no longer report iPhone unit sales, so we will never get the exact number. "If Apple continues the trade-in programs and the US-China trade war does not worsen further, we expect 2H19 iPhone shipments will be generally flat YoY thanks to replacement demand, trade-in programs and market share gain in European markets," Kuo said. WATCH: Here's why Apple makes up only 1 percent of India's smartphone market share Apple on Monday said it spent $60 billion on 9,000 American component suppliers and companies in 2018, up 10 percent from 2017. Those suppliers supported "more than 450,000 jobs" in the United States in 2018 and have created or supported more than 2 million jobs since 2011, the company said. Apple outlined several of its American suppliers, which it doesn't normally do publicly. It named Kentucky's Corning, which supplies the glass for iPhones and iPads. Skyworks in Massachusetts, Qorvo in Oregon and Broadcom in Colorado all contribute components for wireless communications, Apple said. Cincinnati Test Systems provides technology that helps keep iPhones water-resistant. Finisar, in Sherman, Texas, works on some of the lasers that let iPhones and iPads recognize your face. Apple has pushed to create an image that its products are American and not manufactured only in Chinese factories. Last March, CEO Tim Cook said that Apple didn't need "political pressure to add American jobs" because it has already been supporting careers in the U.S. Last January, Apple announced plans to repatriate $350 billion in overseas cash that it said will contribute to the U.S. economy and will help create 20,000 U.S. jobs. Likewise, Foxconn, one of the companies that produces iPhones in China, is opening a plant in Wisconsin. However, experts have said it's unlikely Apple would ever move its iPhone production line to the U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images President Donald Trump shouldn't expect much support from Americans if he declares a national emergency to build his proposed border wall. The partial U.S. government shutdown, caused by an impasse over Trump's demand for $5.7 billion to construct the barrier, ended Friday on its 35th day. The president and GOP lawmakers agreed to a plan to fund the government for three weeks without putting money toward the project. Congress will use that time to try to strike an immigration deal. But Trump has threatened to let funding lapse again or declare a national emergency to circumvent lawmakers if they fail to strike a deal he likes. If the president declares a national emergency, he will likely face immediate court action and public opposition. Only 34 percent of Americans think Trump should declare a national emergency in order to use military funding for the wall, according to a Monmouth University poll released Monday. Almost twice as many people 64 percent believe Trump should not bypass Congress. Seventy-one percent of Republicans say Trump should use an emergency declaration. In contrast, 93 percent of Democrats and 66 percent of independents oppose the action. One poll earlier this month taken during the shutdown found a slight majority of voters did not want Trump to bypass Congress. Thirty-six percent of respondents to a Politico/Morning Consult poll supported an emergency declaration, while 51 percent opposed the move. Trump has appeared increasingly fixated on circumventing lawmakers to build the wall after Congress repeatedly blocked his demand for funds to build it. Democrats would quickly challenge the move in court. Republican senators, including Marco Rubio of Florida and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, have also warned Trump against declaring a national emergency. On Sunday, Rubio called it a "terrible idea." "It's just not a good precedent to set," the senator told "Meet the Press." MTP tweet Even so, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has encouraged the president to act. Tweet Democrats, who hold a House majority and need to join with Republicans in the GOP-held Senate to pass legislation, have flatly denied the president's requests to put money toward the barrier. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have said they would approve money for border security technology and repairs to existing fences but not a wall as Trump proposes. Announcing the agreement to end the shutdown on Friday, Trump contended that "we really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier." There are few places in Queens that I like birding in winter more than Baisley Pond Park. When I go to Baisley, which is located in the neighborhood of South Jamaica, I know that I am, at the least, going to see at least ten species of waterfowl, a variety of gulls, some sparrows and other songbirds, and perhaps a raptor or two. When the pond is mostly frozen I can count on the waterfowl being concentrated and if the sun is out I almost always have excellent opportunities for some digiscoping. Baisley Pond Park is the place to find Ring-necked Ducks and Redheads in New York City, it usually hosts the largest flock of wintering American Coots, and the Canada Goose and Ring-billed Gull flocks sometimes hide a rarity among them. As for dabbling ducks, it is easy to see American Wigeon, Mallards, American Black Ducks, and Gadwall on every visit and sometimes a teal, a pintail, or a Wood Duck will be there too. On Sunday morning I was at Baisley Pond shortly after the sun came up. I was early enough that the large flocks of Canada Geese that tend to roost there hadnt departed the pond yet so I spent a while searching through them hoping to find a Cackling Goose (or something better) with no luck. We dont have enough photos of Canada Geese on this blog. Lacking rare geese I turned to the ducks. I just watched for awhile as the sun wasnt high enough to be hitting the part of the pond where the ducks were. It was interesting watching the American Coots diving down to the bottom of the pond and bringing vegetation up to munch on. Even more fun was watching the dabbling ducks trying to take away the coots snacks. The entire time I was at the pond I watched similar interactions take place and never saw a dabbling duck get its own food while I was there. They only stole from the coots. Coots always seem like they are giving you the stink eye. Now you know why. Here a female American Wigeon chases down a coot and its bounty. There are at least seven dabbling ducks in this photo, all attendant on a single coot. I almost felt bad for the butterball. When there are so many species in front of you it can be difficult to decide what to digiscope. So I just kept firing away at whatever looked nicest at the moment. A whole bunch of Mallards preening after a long night sleeping on ice? Why not get a picture? A female Ruddy Duck swimming close-to-shore? Click-click-click. And I can never resist the allure of photographing a close Canvasback. I was particularly pleased that the water droplets showed, even on the white! Who can resist the allure of a ravishing Redhead? Damned gingers. Even hybrids got attention from me. Mallard X American Black Duck is probably the most boring hybrid in existence. Whenever birds flew past I did my best to capture the action. I think this wigeon worked out alright. Gadwall! More Gadwall! The Ring-necked Ducks were the least cooperative birds on the pond. This is the best I could get. American Wigeon! I cant wait for my next visit to Baisley. Heres hoping I get lots more digiscoping, lots more flight shots, and at least one rarity! Former Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz, who is launching a book tour this week, said he's "seriously thinking of running for president" as a centrist who is positioned outside the two-party system. With the field of contenders to challenge President Donald Trump growing daily, the 65-year-old coffee impresario who turned a local Seattle chain into a global coffee behemoth, is weighing the idea of an independent bid, he told CBS' "60 Minutes." "I am seriously thinking of running for president. I will run as a centrist independent, outside of the two-party system," the self-described lifelong Democrat told CBS, denouncing the "reckless failure of [the] constitutional responsibility" of both Democrats and the GOP. "We're living at a most-fragile time not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics," Schultz added. The "60 Minutes" interview is timed to the release of Schultz's book, "From the Ground Up," which weaves together parts of his personal biography and his vision for the country. The Brooklyn native who's worth at least $3 billion, according to Bloomberg data, is still a relative political unknown. It is not clear where Schultz stands on a number of issues that are likely to be contentious on the campaign trail. Speculation has swirled around Schultz's second act after Starbucks for at least two years, and the "60 Minutes" interview sets the stage for what is shaping up to be a fierce battle for the White House. In an article published over the weekend by The Atlantic, Democratic insiders are said to be deeply concerned about Schultz's potential run. They are reportedly concerned that a third-party bid would siphon off Democratic votes, and ensure a re-election for Trump, a subject that Schultz addressed in his CBS interview. Washington Dems tweet "I want to see the American people win. I want to see America win," Schultz told "60 Minutes." "I don't care if you're a Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, Republican. Bring me your ideas. And I will be an independent person, who will embrace those ideas. Because I am not, in any way, in bed with a party." Yet in the interview, the former executive struck a progressive tone on virtually every major topic broached by his interviewer. He declared his support for open immigration, taxes, climate change and universal health care--even as he chided the major parties over the polarized political climate and fiscally irresponsibility. Yet on the idea of free health care, he blasted Democrats for offering a "false" promise that was the equivalent of the border wall proffered by the president, calling it something "the country cannot afford." Costco is one of America's favorite places to shop: The chain recently earned second place among national grocery stores in the annual Retailer Preference Index from consumer data firm Dunnhumby. That's pretty impressive, considering you typically need to purchase a membership to shop at Costco, a basic version of which costs $60 a year. More than 94 million members pay so they can buy in bulk and access the chain's best products. Still, depending on your circumstances, not everything sold there is going to be a great deal for you. Because Costco often sells products in bulk, you need to be able to eat any perishable food before it goes bad, for example so, if you live by yourself, springing for Costco's 1-pound container of fresh spinach may not make sense, even though it is a steal at $4.99. To get the most out of your Costco experience, Charlene Haugsven, founder of MyFrugalAdventures.com, tells CNBC Make It that shoppers should do these three things: stick to a list, only buy what your family will actually consume and try to stick with pantry staples. So what products should be on your list? Shopping experts weigh in on the nine foods that are the best bargains at Costco. 1. Baked goods Costco cannot be beat for its in-house bakery treats such as pies, cakes and cheesecakes, Haugsven says, "People swear by the sheet cakes that they sell for birthdays and parties." Costco sells half a sheet cake that serves 48 people for $18.99, according to a local store CNBC Make It contacted. Haugsven says Costco's bakery deals go beyond just dessert. She also recommends its bagels. Costco sells Einstein Bros. bagels for $5.99 for a dozen. "You'd easily pay double that at a bagel shop," she says. 2. Cheese Blocks of basic cheeses like cheddar and mozzarella are well-priced at Costco. "It's an amazing value," Haugsven says, assuming you can go through the quantity that Costco sells. Haugsven says she pays at least $3 less than she would for the same cheeses, including the Tillamook brand, at a regular grocery store. Costco sells 32-ounce blocks of mild cheddar cheese under its store brand, Kirkland Signature, for $4.59, according to local New York City prices analyzed by CNBC using Basket, a grocery price comparison app. Local grocery store chain Key Food, meanwhile, sells an 8-ounce package of Kraft mild chunk cheddar cheese for $4.99. If you like convenient, pre-shredded bags of cheese, you're in luck. Prices on these items also undercut those at the grocery store. (Pro tip from my mom, a Costco fan: You can store bags of cheddar and mozzarella cheese in the freezer.) A two-pack of Kirkland shredded mozzarella (2.5-pound bags) is $10.49, according to Basket. That's about 26 cents per ounce. In contrast, Basket finds Walmart sells a bag of Kraft shredded mozzarella for $2.38, or about 30 cents per ounce. Gourmet cheeses like brie are also well-priced, but Haugsven recommends avoiding these because of the package sizes: "You really need to ask yourself if you're going to go through that quantity." 3. Chicken Whether it's cooked or fresh, Costco has great prices on chicken. Its $5 rotisserie chicken is so popular, the company is building a brand-new production center in Nebraska to keep up with demand. NPR reports it sells about 60 million birds a year. The value here comes in the chicken's size, not the price, Joanie Demer, co-founder of The Krazy Coupon Lady, tells CNBC Make It. A bird at Cosco is usually a pound larger than a typical grocery store. Fresh, organic chicken is also typically a good value at Costco since many retailers don't put this product on sale as frequently. Costco sells packages of organic boneless, skinless chicken tenders in pre-portioned packs (usually a total weight of about 6 pounds) for $4.99 per pound, according to Basket. Target sells organic chicken breast tenderloins for $1 more per pound, Basket reports, while Trader Joe's chicken is $7.49 per pound. 4. Frozen fruit Especially if you're buying organic, frozen fruit can get pricey. Not at Costco. "The prices really can't be beat at Costco for the organic frozen fruit," Haugsven says. Plus, the chain offers a wide selection of fruits, from bags of mixed berries to pineapple perfect if you're a morning smoothie person. A 4-pound bag of Kirkland organic frozen strawberries is $4.95, according to Basket. Aldi and Trader Joe's organic frozen strawberries retail for $2.69 for a 12-ounce bag. 5. Olive oil If you use olive oil on a regular basis, check out Costco's organic, extra virgin olive oil. "It's really good quality at a really good price," John Karolefski, grocery store analyst and editor of Grocery Stories, tells CNBC Make It. Independent consumer testing organization ConsumerLabs analyzed 10 popular olive oils to see which provides the best quality and value. It named Kirkland's $16.99 organic extra-virgin olive oil one of the top three, beating out more expensive brands like Colavita and Newman's Own. The Kirkland bottle delivers a full 2 liters, so make sure it's something you use frequently before purchasing. A similarly sized bottle (68-fluid ounces) of Colavita extra-virgin olive oil sells for $17.98 at Walmart, according to Basket. 6. Maple syrup A "big cult item" is Costco's Kirkland organic pure maple syrup, Haugsven says. Costco sells a 33.8-ounce bottle for $12.79. This is an especially good value because coupons for, or sales on, pure and/or organic maple syrup are rare, according to the Krazy Coupon Lady. Basket reports Trader Joe's sells a similar organic pure maple syrup in a 12-fluid-ounce bottle for $7.99. That ends up being 29 cents more per ounce. 7. Snack foods Snack foods are generally cheaper at Costco when the store offers coupons for them, Haugsven says: "They won't tell you the prices, they'll just say $3 off Cheez-Its, and then you go into the store and you'll usually get a great deal on those items." This is especially helpful if you need snacks for school lunches. Currently, Costco says, it's offering $2.70 off a 45-count box of Cheez-It 1.5-ounce bags and $2.50 off a 65-count box of Kirkland soft and chewy granola bars. That brings the price of the Cheez-Its down to $9.79 and the granola bars down to $7.29. In contrast, Target sells a 20-count box of snack-size Cheez-Its for $6.99 and a 10-pack box of Quaker Chewy chocolate chip granola bars for $2.49, according to Basket. 8. Vanilla One of the best deals at Costco is on vanilla extract, Demer says. Costco sells its Kirkland pure vanilla extract for $26.99 for a 16-fluid ounce bottle and "it's the good stuff," she says. Food and cooking site Kitchn also names it its pick for best budget vanilla. The Kirkland brand is about half the price offered by other stores, too. Acme, ShopRite and Stop & Shop all sell an 8-fluid-ounce bottle of McCormick pure vanilla extract for $22.49. Buying a large quantity can be fine, Demer says: "Keep it in a dark, closed pantry and it will last forever." 9. Wine Students Making an Impact in a Big Way, Far Away Engineers Without Borders at CMU is helping a community in Zimbabwe January 28, 2019 Four students took a meaningful and fulfilling winter-break trip theyll never forget. Christina Ou, Cathy Fang, Melina Driscoll and Ashley Burbano, members of Carnegie Mellon Universitys Engineers Without Borders (EWB), traveled to Nyadire, Zimbabwe, where they spent two weeks at the towns United Methodist Centre helping the small community of about 2,000 people. Their trip was two-fold: they followed up on their chapters four-year solar street light project and began a new effort to improve the cooking system for a local school. This trip has been the highlight of my CMU career, said Fang, a junior mechanical engineering major who also is studying human-computer interaction. Its great that CMU supports these projects to help students broaden their views and perspectives and understand people from different backgrounds. You dont get that from textbooks. Fang and her classmates monitored, evaluated and gathered feedback on the 24 solar street lights installed in September 2017 along the main road of Nyadire. Based on years of research and community feedback, the solar system was determined to be an efficient way to light the resource-strapped neighborhood, where the electric grid is very unreliable. Cathy Fang and Dennias Chivi of the Nyadire maintenance team check the battery in a solar street light. Ou, a senior electrical and computer engineering major, said CMUs EWB chapter led fundraising efforts to pay for 95 percent of the installation cost of more than $40,000. The community will be responsible for covering the maintenance costs moving forward. Were really proud that our chapter spent four years on this project and we were able to see it through to completion, Ou said. Its a sustainable, long-lasting and effective lighting source. Feedback from the community has been positive. We were told when the electricity is out, students will sit under the lights to do their homework, Fang said. Solar street lights illuminate one of the main pathways in Nyadire. Cooking with Gas Burning firewood in an oil-lined concrete pot is the current heat source for cooking at the Nyadire Primary School, which has an enrollment of about 150 boarding students and more than 450 day-school students. Firewood is expensive and scarce in Nyadire, which is trying to preserve its forests. The students discovered it takes a large amount of firewood to cook for the students each day and securing the wood is labor intensive. Propane gas and ethanol gel were identified as alternatives to firewood, but the students have found that a biogas system is the frontrunner at this point. The EWB team and school kitchen staff weigh the amount of firewood used daily to determine the appropriate size of a new cooking system. Driscoll, a sophomore information systems major, said the biogas system would use an underground digester, or mixer, that biodegrades human waste, animal waste and food waste. The biodegradable waste releases methane gas, which is fed through a pipe into the stoves. Part of our data collection was calculating how much waste was available to make sure there would be enough waste to produce enough gas to cook every day, Driscoll said. Driscoll said there are cows and chickens at a local farm that could supply much of the waste, but theyre still weighing options. Ou (far left), Burbano (center), Driscoll (third from right) and Fang (second from right) worked with the school's kitchen staff, teachers and school headmaster Tendai Mushapaidze (far right). Implementing a new cooking system is not just an engineering problem, its a social problem, too, the students said. Manually feeding waste into a digester is really messy. Its not a fun job. We have to make sure the people are willing to do that. Will they be able to sustain the system? We have to take all these factors into consideration, Ou said. Back in Pittsburgh, the four students are now working on drafting a proposal for the biogas system to submit to the national EWB chapter. If thats approved, specifications for implementation must be crafted, submitted and accepted before another trip to Nyadire is made. A Super Valuable Experience While a new team of students will carry the torch forward, this team is grateful to have had the opportunity to impact the lives of others. Actually contributing to a community that benefits from our work is very rewarding, Driscoll said. To see how our work can improve the lives of people in such a big way, so far away, made me very motivated to keep going with every step of the project. The head of the primary school, the children and the cooks really appreciated our work. Ou, a four-year member of EWB, said her experience has been rewarding. I really like Engineers Without Borders because its a practical way to apply my learning as an engineer and an opportunity to solve a real-world problem, impact real people and benefit an actual community, Ou said. Evan Schindewolf, a senior physics major who was part of the solar lights team but did not make this most recent trip, said he learned so much from his work in EWB. I joined EWB because I wanted to work with people from other cultures, learn the engineering process and make an impact. Its been super valuable to be a member of EWB, he said. World travelers John and Maratha Bonte of Clinton receive a warm welcome on their arrival in Rapa Nui. That destination, as well as Chile and Argentina, will be featured at the DeWitt Noon Lions travelogue, 30 Degrees South Latitude on Tuesday, Feb. 5. The day has also been designated Pie Day, with free refreshments for all attendees. Submitted photo CLINTON [mdash] George E. Kunau, Jr. age 78 of Clinton, passed away Thursday, June 10, 2021 at his home. In following George's wishes cremation rites have been accorded. Private services will be held at a later date. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers will be Mark Ho Modern Veterinary Care of Pets 101 at McLib Over the years much has changed when it comes to the care of our pets both at home and in the veterinary setting. Dr. Kerley will discuss modern veterinary medicine and the current standards of care. The presenter will also focus on the importance of dental care and oral health to your pets overall health. In addition, the presentation will cover the physiological benefits in controlling pain in animal patients. Dr. Amy Kerley graduated from Clemson University in 2005 with a B.S. in Animal and Veterinary Sciences and then continued her veterinary studies at University of Georgia where she graduated in 2009 with her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM). After graduation she worked as a small animal veterinarian in both Lexington, KY and Charleston, SC before moving to Paducah, which is her husband's hometown. She has worked locally at multiple practices for several years before opening her own practice, Progressive Animal Healthcare, in May 2017. The 101 series sparks interest in a wide range of unique topics. Programs are free and open to the public and are led by experts in their fields. For more information, contact Bobbie Wrinkle by calling 270-442-2510 ext. 119 or by email: bwrinkle@mclib.net PADUCAH - McCracken County Public Library will host Modern Veterinary Care of Pets 101 on Tuesday, Feb. 5 from 7-8 pm. The session will be led by Dr. Amy Kerley, Progressive Animal Healthcare. Beachwood, OH (44122) Today Isolated thunderstorms in the morning, then mainly cloudy late. High 83F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms, especially in the evening. Low 72F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Langston Hughes poem Harlem, penned in 1951, asks "What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Lorraine Hansberry attempted to address these questions in a play her first to be produced that debuted on Broadway in 1959. In doing so, the now-classic A Raisin in the Sun serves as a celebration of African-American strength garnered through generations of personal struggle and slow-coming social change. The production of her play was not only important, it was historic. Broadway had never seen a play written by a black woman, a play with a black director, or a commercially produced drama about the truth of black peoples lives. And, in a truly remarkable theatrical season that showcased Paul Newman and Geraldine Page in Tennessee Williams's Sweet Bird of Youth, Helen Hayes and Kim Stanley in Eugene O'Neills A Touch of the Poet, and Christopher Plummer and Raymond Massey in Archibald MacLeish's J.B., Hansberrys play earned four Tony nominations. A Raisin in the Sun takes place in a run-down but immaculate one-bedroom apartment in the south side of Chicago that is occupied by the Younger family. The story centers on a $10,000 life insurance check from the recent passing of the Younger patriarch, Big Walter. Awaiting its delivery, each family member envisions the money granting a personal dream. The matriarch, Lena, wants to obtain something her ancestors never had: ownership of a floor, four walls and a small patch of land. Her restless son, Walter Lee, wants to invest in a liquor store to get a small piece of the American dream dominated by whites. Her daughter, Beneatha, dreams of medical school and saving the world. Ruth, Walter Lees beleaguered wife, dreams of starting life anew to snap her family out of its growing and deepening malaise. Over the course of this three-hour play, each of their dreams get deferred and so this thought-provoking, riveting piece of theater is also about human dignity and endurance. In its current production at Ensemble Theatre, director Celeste Cosentino doesnt so much want to remind the audience that this play is important as much as demonstrate that this play is good. She has pulled together a talented cast and crew to do so but, as of its opening Saturday night performance, the show is still a week away from being all it can be. Actually, Nichole Sumlin, as Ruth, and Eugene Sumlin, as Walter Lee, are already there. As the key provider of pathos in this tale, she like the apartment that confines her (realistically rendered by scenic designer Walter Boswell and lighting designer Ian Hinz) is tired, distressed and desperate for renovation. Nichole Sumlin brings an inner strength and authenticity to the role, which makes her an engrossing presence onstage even no, especially when she is standing speechless in the background. He is a remarkable actor who effectively exposes the frustration of a man who sees himself as a player living in a world incapable of recognizing his potential. His high-strung characters dreams are merely schemes, but Eugene Sumlins passionate performance allows us to sense Walter Lees heartfelt desire to realize them and his blindness to the the brutal failure that lies waiting. Only some minor mishaps with line delivery momentarily undermine the actors efforts and the characters integrity. But what appears to be insufficient preparation mars the other performances. It keeps Angela Gillespie Winborn from digging deeper and finding the core of the matriarchs nobility of spirit and unflinching religious faith that has yet to be fully mined. She is more than capable of owning the stage with each entrance, but isnt there yet. Similarly, Zyrece Montgomerys portrait of the over-achieving daughter, Leilani Barrett and Nnamdi Okpalas portrayals of her erudite and elitist suitors, respectively, Bobby Williams as Walter's prospective business partner, and Chris Bizub as the sanctimonious white man attempting to keep the Youngers into moving into his neighborhood would all benefit from more rehearsal time. The same is true for Easton Sumlin as the youngest Younger. Their acting shows, so they often appear to be speaking Hansberrys lines rather than sharing their truths. Perhaps it is this plays legacy and not just the quality of the writing that sets such a high bar for its performance. Regardless, this production is good but there is no shortage of signs that it can be great. Bob Abelman covers professional theater and cultural arts for the Cleveland Jewish News. Follow Bob at Facebook.com/BobAbelman3 or visit cjn.org/Abelman. 2018 Ohio AP Media Editors best columnist. ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- What is the "go-to" thing to do with the kids on a cold and snowy day? Make something, of course. Maybe it's peanut butter cookies or a homemade birthday card for Grandma's upcoming birthday. Or maybe it's getting out the stack of construction paper pieces and scraps and a glue stick to just let the imaginations run wild. Or, you could have been at the first "Maker Day" for demonstrations in creativity and technology at the Rocky River Public Library on Saturday (Jan. 26). Why? Because it was awesome. Virtually every room in the library had some sort of experience happening that encouraged creative thinking as well as the use of technology, for both children and adults. The main attraction was a demonstration of 3-D printers. First, a 3-D program to design a 3-D object was shown on a software program by the library training manager, Angela Paterek. The software was similar to many everyday graphics programs, so it wasn't at all intimidating. Next, Eagle Scout candidate Sean Berquist and Scout Emerson Marty, both from Troop 605 at St. Christopher's Church, had a 3-D printer already in the works. Berquist showed how the simple-looking printer works with very thin, melted "ropes" of plastic that melt easily. The temperature inside the printer was about 205 degrees Celsius (401 degrees Fahrenheit). As it worked, the filament was pulled through and melted, then squeezed into layers as designed by the software. Cowan Pottery Curator Gregory Hatch with Cowan-inspired tiles. Staffer Joe Hobert is in the background with his homemade board game. Berquist showed a building he had built and printed, as well as a polygon box. Both ended up as very lightweight plastic items. However, plastic is not the only material that can be used in the printers. Berquist said both metal and even liquids like pancake batter can be used. In a more serious vein, Berquist said the printers are already being used to make plastic prosthetics, for example, for those who have lost limbs. Looks like it will be awhile before 3-D printers will be available to the general public, though. Berquist said the one he was demonstrating costs about $1,200. He has a smaller one at home that he bought for about $400. But when they do become readily available, just think -- we can make toys for the children and pancakes for breakfast. In February, Berquist will be teaching classes at the library on 3-D printers: 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, for grades 4-6 and at the same time on Wednesday, Feb. 13 for grades 7 and up. In other rooms at the library on Saturday, demonstrations and maker stations included LEGO building and arts and crafts. Visitors were able to use the hundreds, maybe even thousands, of LEGO blocks available. And there was a demonstraiton of Cowan Pottery-inspired art-deco tiles that were decorated with paper decoupage designs, as well as a "Marble Run" experience, creating different marble mazes. Joe Hobert, a staff member at the library, was demonstrating his homemade board game, which he plans on marketing at some time in the future. The Nature Channel-inspired game involves facts about many animals -- just the thing to hold a child's attention and inspire creativity. There were also crafts like the making of a children's wallet out of duct tape and making pin-on lapel buttons with any photo desired from available magazines. There were also ultra-simple demonstrations of computer coding to make a beautiful Barbie-type doll dance to the instructions coded by the user. In the same room, little robots were racing around the floor. It was a wonderfully fun day all around at the library. The library is planning to schedule another Maker Day, but hasn't decided on a date. When it is scheduled, it will be posted on the library's website: www.rrpl.org. CLEVELAND, Ohio Before his face was splashed across cable news and the FBI raided his house, Roger Stone made a mark in Ohio. Special Counsel Robert Mueller brought an indictment against Stone, the notorious Republican consultant who is often described as a dirty trickster, on Friday on charges of lying, witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Stone is a long-time adviser to Republican President Donald Trump. Outside the criminal charges, Stone most recently has faced scrutiny over his connection to hackers who stole emails from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton 2016 Presidential Campaign Chairman John Podesta at the direction of Russia. However, before Fridays blockbuster news and even before he was infamous Stone was a fairly respected national political consultant with expertise in Ohio. Stone ran Republican President Ronald Reagans 1984 re-election campaign in Ohio and 11 other states as the northeast campaign director. He worked closely with then-Cuyahoga County GOP Chairman Robert E. Hughes, former Gov. George Voinovich and then-state Rep. Dave Johnson of North Canton. After successfully delivering the state to Reagan in that years election, Stone could frequently be seen hobnobbing with Ohio Republicans in Washington. In 1986, Stone signed on as a campaign consultant for then-state Rep. Jeffrey Jacobs, son of wealthy former Cleveland Indians owner Richard Jacobs. Stone would go on to become a longtime adviser to Jacobs, who became a Cleveland-based gaming magnate and real estate developer. Jacobs did not respond to a request for an interview. During the 1986 race, Stone brought his hard-nosed style to the down-ballot treasurers race. He declared Jacobs would spend $800,000 on television alone a large sum for a treasurers race even by todays standards to beat Democratic Treasurer Mary Ellen Withrow. Jacobs was unsuccessful in his bid, with critics arguing it was because of Stones attack-dog tactics. Rather than projecting a positive image for himself, he focused on the incumbent state treasurer," said Greg Haas, Withrows campaign manager, to The Plain Dealer in 1987. A clipping of a story that features Roger Stone from the July 12, 1987, edition of The Plain Dealer. Stone wasnt done with Ohio statewide politics, though. Former Rep. Bob McEwen hired Stone in a run-up to the 1988 Senate election to unseat Democratic Sen. Howard Metzenbaum, a seat Voinovich was also eyeing. Stone appeared in a story saying Reagan had essentially endorsed McEwen since a Reagan-aligned PAC backed the congressman. That wasnt accurate, though. Reagan never personally endorsed in contested Republican primaries. A clipping of a Sept. 23, 1987, article in The Plain Dealer quoting Roger Stone. McEwen spent $200,000 on television advertisements before dropping out of the primary, which Voinovich eventually won. Metzenbaum was re-elected in the general election. Stone would frequently appear as an expert who knew the political lay of the land in Ohio in news stories, but didnt make an overt appearance in politics in the state until 2009. Still an adviser to Jacobs, Stone worked on the campaign opposing the legalization of casinos in Ohio. Jacobs bankrolled the campaign, and it was never made entirely clear if Stone was officially with the campaign or employed by Jacobs directly. Stones presence didnt go unnoticed, however. The pro-casino campaign lobbed criticism at him for his heavy-handed maneuvers. Dennis Willard, political reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal at the time, wrote in a column that Stone was up to his usual tactics. Stone and the vote-no squad are running a campaign that contains half-truths, innuendo, character assassination and debatable legal opinions, but this is no different from years past, Willard wrote. It's just their turn. This is mud-slinging musical chairs played to a skipping atonal record. Jacobs and Stone lost that campaign by around 200,000 votes. Stone also helped with Libertarian gubernatorial hopeful Charlie Earls quixotic 2014 campaign for governor. And, of course, he was a vocal and flamboyant figure during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, including trashing then-Gov. John Kasich as a petulant stoner who will never be president of the United States. A previous version of this story identified the Dave Johnson who worked with Roger Stone as the current Ohio Republican Party treasurer. It has been corrected to show that it is a different Dave Johnson. PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Neither snow nor ice nor freezing temperatures could keep the Parma Heights Police Department's Police and Citizens Together (PACT) unit from holding its monthly youth group affair last week, when roughly 20 kids joined police officers for a fun night of sled riding behind the Cassidy Theatre. "It was a super successful event," said Patrolman Eric Taylor, who situated his cruiser's headlights to shine on the hill. "Part of the reason it was successful is because we had such a great turnout at our Halloween fundraiser. "So we had a lot of kids, we had a lot of fun and everybody was laughing and sledding, including the adult volunteers and myself. I did all right. It's a little hard to do in full uniform. Sledding in full gear is a little different from what I remember, but it was still fun." PACT started in late 2017 using a one-time $25,000 Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Systems community policing grant. The unit made a difference in the community, which led to the decision to keep it going through fundraising and donations, including a $1,000 MyCom grant awarded in November. Police Chief Steve Scharschmidt said he was appreciative of his officers strengthening the relationship with the community, as well as for the constant support of Mayor Michael P. Byrne. "PACT has been successful in many ways including talks with the elderly, Coffee with a Cop, where we address community issues, and town hall events," Scharschmidt said. "PACT unit officers also mediate neighbor disputes. "The core of the program is our youth group. Working with children in our community has been the most rewarding aspect of this program. "Sled riding was chosen as an activity-based function because it involved no skill with little cost and was a lot of fun. Officer Taylor and Police Clerk Kelly Latevola purchased sleds for the event. It was a great turnout and an enjoyable evening." The PACT unit's youth group efforts bounce between experience and issue-based events. Sled riding fell into the former category, with the next latter affair featuring a teen suicide theme scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Cassidy Theatre. "We hold the issue-based events to build those relationships and talk about things people are not talking about with these kids," Taylor said. "A very effective one we just did not too long ago was talking about the impact social media has on their lives. We started off by asking them to write down on a piece of paper the worst thing anybody ever said to them on social media. "As an adult in my career field, some of the things they wrote down were hard for me to read out loud. You don't want to see a kid go through something like that, which is why we're hoping this can be a grassroots effort. If we can get to one or two of these kids, they can get to one or two of their friends and this can become something special." COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio House, which has been dogged by allegations of sexual harassment and racism, soon will hire a human resources professional. The new position is being welcomed by some lawmakers who hope the HR chief will remain independent in a highly partisan political environment, whose leaders have been accused of lacking the will to properly address the accusations and change the culture. The employee will not be an attorney or general staffer, as had been the norm for decades in the Ohio General Assembly, but someone with experience in human resources. Someone who knows how to develop and carry out policies, has expertise in training, hiring, firing and sanctioning employees. Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, shortly after he was elected to lead the chamber Jan. 7, announced a number of bipartisan changes -- including the hiring of the HR manager. Democrats, whose support propelled Householder into the speakers chair, had called for the hiring. While the details are still being ironed (out,) Speaker Householder recognizes the positive impact a strong human resources professional can have on the operation of an organization, as well as attracting and retaining well-qualified staff, said Lucas Thompson, a Householder aide, in a message. This is a common sense reform leaders in both the public and private sectors have embraced. Speaker Householder is creating a bipartisan work group to help develop the details of this new position, which would be part of the Ohio House administrative office. Householder appointed four people to a bipartisan group to discuss the position and vet candidates, his spokeswoman Gail Crawley said. Members of the group are Reps. Don Manning, a Republican from Middleton, Tracy Richardson, a Republican from Marysville, Kristin Boggs, a Democrat from Columbus and Tavia Galonski, a Democrat from Akron. The four members have a strong background in HR and personnel management, Crowley said. Recent history During the last two-year session of the General Assembly, sexual harassment allegations became public around the time the #MeToo movement gained momentum across the country. The allegations caused a stir because those elected to make laws seemed reluctant to enforce policies when it came to their internal affairs. And they raised questions about the power imbalance between lawmakers and staff -- many of whom are recent college graduates or still in school. We certainly have issues at the Statehouse," said Sen. Teresa Fedor, a Toledo Democrat who sponsored with other Democratic female lawmakers a bill last session mandating sexual harassment training, which didnt pass. "Thats the most powerful entity in the state of Ohio. We certainly have to set the right example. Other states Ohio will be one of the first states with a human resources professional in a legislative chamber. The Associated Press estimated at least 30 state lawmakers across the country had resigned or been kicked out of office between 2017 and late August 2018, due to sexual misconduct allegations. Johnny Taylor, president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, has been arguing its time for state legislatures to hire HR professionals, including at a National Conference of State Legislatures event last year, where Sykes saw him. She became convinced Ohio needed to follow his advice. What is more complicated or complex now is the consequences are more significant," Taylor said in an interview. "One can lose ones elected seat even at the accusation now. That requires a far more sophisticated HR function than times past. Independence Since the HR employee would be part of the Ohio House administrative office -- which ultimately answers to the House speaker -- there are questions about how independent the person would be. Having it under House administration raises a flag for Kelly Dittmar, a political science professor at Rutgers Universitys Center for American Women and Politics. The legislature (must) have some evaluation of whether it is working, she said. I think that is an important piece of any of these reforms. What is concerning at this moment is there is a lot of pressure on institutions to change their policy. That pressure cant go away just because you have the policy. The proof is in the pudding. Do the women and not just women, everyone feel less vulnerable and do they have an avenue of reporting whether they feel violated and harassed? Rosenbergers working group in the House came up with some recommendations for strengthening human resources, including professionalizing the role, said Antonio, the Lakewood Democrat who served on the group. Other ideas that the group discussed included putting the HR functions under the Legislative Service Commission or the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee -- entities that are separate from the House. We had some recommendations, but as we were ready to bring them forward... what happened was the FBI investigation, the speaker stepping down, a shuffle in their (Republican) leadership team, and gradually this got put on the back burner," Antonio said. "Then it was everyone going home to participate first in the primary, then the general election season. Or as Rep. Tavia Galonski, the Akron Democrat who also sat in group meetings, put it: "Task force: Really what that means is people going to a lot of meetings and really nothing concrete getting done. Rep. Sarah LaTourette, a Chesterland Republican who led the working group, did not reply to a message about the recommendations it was to present. High hopes for professionalism Although Galonski was cynical about the working group, she is hopeful about the HR professional. As part of the bipartisan group Householder named last week, she anticipates lawmakers will work at a fast pace, over about six weeks, to vet candidates. And I believe thats actually a celebration of good government, when you accept and encourage bipartisan help, she said. "When you acknowledge the people with the best background on these issues will be helping selecting the right candidate. Galonski and Sykes arent concerned that the employee will work in House administration. Sykes noted that in the private sector, HR managers are usually employed by the organization whose policies they are monitoring. It needs to be part of the House," she said. I mean, this is still the person who will help with personnel issues and administrative issues. Galonski said the HR professional will need to assess training and policy and decide what needs to be changed, and how. The employee may also need to decide whether to reopen past complaints. I dont think Im in the best position to say what they need to be doing because Im not a human resources professional," Sykes said. Perhaps they will look at it and say, This was not handled correctly. In the Senate Fedor and Antonio are now serving in the Ohio Senate, where for now there are no plans to hire an HR professional. A spokesman for Obhof, the Senate president, said the Senate clerks office handles the HR duties, along with the chief of staff. Rotunda Rumblings One for the money: Gov. Mike DeWines highest paid cabinet official is higher education czar Randy Gardner, cleveland.coms Andrew Tobias reports. Tobias also broke down the rest of DeWines cabinet and top staffer pay, which the governors office released Friday. En Guard: DeWine also deployed National Guard members to Akron to help deal with a cyber attack, cleveland.coms Jennifer Conn reports. Hackers installed malware to steal money from the city. When the city blocked that, the hackers installed ransomware to try and get the city to pay them to unlock the system. Conservatives rejoice: Conservative media brought out the plaudits for DeWine, who has said he would sign the heartbeat bill that would ban most abortions in the state of Ohio. DeWines recent reaffirmation of his position received a write-up in the National Review and the Daily Caller, who called the bill a landmark. Shutdown shuts down: Northeast Ohio members of Congress expressed relief and recriminations on Friday after President Donald Trump announced a deal to reopen the government for three weeks so border security funding could be negotiated, Sabrina Eaton of cleveland.com reports. Ohio Democrats blamed Trump for the month-long shutdown of several government branches, while many of the regions Republicans attributed it to Washington dysfunction. Drink to that: Talk radio host Geraldo Rivera, who recently moved to Shaker Heights, threw quite possibly the best-timed party for federal employees ever. Rivera bought drinks at Harbor Inn in Cleveland for government employees Friday afternoon when it seemed like there was no end in sight to the shutdown, but about midway through, he was able to tell the crowd that a deal had been reached. I take full credit for the government shutdown ending, Rivera jokingly told cleveland.com. Murphys law: The lead plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized gay marriage across the nation penned a Washington Post op-ed last week that objected to President Trumps nomination of Ohio Solicitor General Eric Murphy to be a judge on the 6th District court of Appeals. Jim Obergefell argued that Murphy, who argued the case against gay marriage, must show he is capable of being fair and unbiased toward the LGBTQ community. He also urged Ohio GOP Sen. Rob Portman, who supports gay marriage, to challenge Murphy and all of President Trumps nominees, to publicly denounce LGBTQ discrimination in any form before agreeing to support their confirmations. Ups and downs: The good news for Ohio is opioid overdose deaths appear to be on the decline statewide, but as the Columbus Dispatch reports, the bad news is Franklin County does not seem to share in that trend. Oops: Secretary of State Frank LaRose put Miami Countys Board of Elections on administrative oversight on Friday after the county failed to count more than 6,200 ballots in the November election, according to the Dayton Daily News Laura Bischoff. The board said the issue with the missing ballots involved touch screen votes not being tallied. Director Beverly Kendall has resigned. Presidential ambitions: One Ohio Democrat is making waves over the possibility that he might run for president. Thats right: Tim Ryan. The Youngstown-area congressman was featured in a Washington Post article about House members who think they can mount successful presidential bids due to the changing landscape. Hes already met with former Rep. Dick Gephardt, whos unlikely 1988 campaign rocketed him to the spotlight. High expectations: Ryan, along with other lawmakers in the area, will tour AT-CPC in Akron to see the companys first medical marijuana harvest. No word yet on if he plans to watch The Wizard of Oz synced with Dark Side of the Moon following the tour. Its not so bad: After getting pummeled in the November midterm elections, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said in an op-ed in The Hill that the Buckeye State is still in play in 2020. Pepper pointed to Sen. Sherrod Browns victory, the two Ohio Supreme Court seats and Democrats picking up five legislative seats as proof of a more complex, changing political atmosphere in the state. How dare you: The Wall Street Journal editorial board criticized U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer for courting the likes of Brown and Ryan on the renegotiation of NAFTA. The editorial board argued that trying to woo the likes of Brown and Ryan who have generally opposed trade deals like NAFTA was a moot exercise. Primary goals: Washington Post opinion writer Paul Waldman theorized what it would take for Trump to get a primary challenge from someone like former Gov. John Kasich. While it would make sense since Kasich would not see a run as career suicide, Waldman argues Kasich doesnt have the luxury of other primary challengers since he would be running from the center instead of arguing Trump isnt conservative enough. Right on: Cleveland.com columnist Tom Suddes in a piece this week argued the Ohio Supreme Court made the right call to allow Toledo residents to vote on a Lake Erie bill of rights. The charter amendment initiative could prevent end runs by the legislature to halt environmental protections for the lake, Suddes writes. Take a walk on the wildlife: The state purchased more than 1,800 acres in Brown County for its newest wildlife area, per the Associated Press. The preserve will be known as the Eagle Creek Wildlife Area. Its tax season: The state will also begin accepting tax returns today. Per the AP, there are several changes this year, including simpler tax booklet instructions. Full Disclosure Five things we learned from the April 9, 2018 financial disclosure of state Rep. Mark Romanchuk, a Mansfield Republican. 1. Romanchuk earned $60,584 from his legislative salary and $50,000 to $99,999 in management for PR Machine Works, Inc. 2. He owned three properties, including an apartment in Columbus and two properties in Ontario. 3. At some point in 2017, he owed more than $1,000 to Citibank, Huntington National Bank and Ford Motor Credit. 4. At some point in 2017, he owed more than $1,000 to his campaign and Gizmo Properties. 5. He was reimbursed $2,676.96 in travel from the state and $1,946.07 in travel from his campaign for a trip he took to Washington. On The Move U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson on Friday announced he has been re-assigned to both the House Committee on Small Business and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (both of which he served on last year after winning a special election in August). This comes after Balderson was named to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure last week. Straight From The Source I would say that I will beat Trump in Ohio, where they know me best. Ill beat him in my home state and Ill beat him in his home state of New York, where they know him best. -Sen. Sherrod Brown during an interview with CNNs Van Jones. Brown has been on a media tour as he considers running for president, including the interview with Jones and an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers. CLEVELAND, Ohio The comedian who had a less-than-positive interaction with former Gov. John Kasich on an airplane released her full version of the story Friday. Julie Klausner gave a detailed account on her podcast, How Was Your Week?, about Kasich stealing her seat on an Alaska Airlines flight -- a story that went semi-viral on Twitter. She portrayed -- in colorful language -- the Republican former governor as a pretty terrible flight companion. The full story is in the link below starting around 22 minutes in. Warning: there is coarse language. The ordeal actually started in the Alaska Airlines lounge at JFK airport in New York, where Klausner said she heard Kasich talking loudly on his cell phone, bragging about his recent deal to become a contributor with CNN. Her next encounter with him was on the plane. She said she boarded the flight to San Francisco later than normal and found Kasich sitting in the seat she was assigned in first class. Basically there was a pilot sitting in the seat that was originally assigned to John Kasich, Klausner said on her podcast. And ... when a pilot flies, and often its last-minute as it was in this case, they bump the person in the class that paid the least. And Im not shading Kasich for getting a deal that was somehow better than mine ... Im just saying he happened to have been bumped. Instead of moving to a downgraded seat where he was assigned, however, Kasich took Klausners seat and didnt move. As Klausner waited for her seat, she said airline employees told her Kasich was rude to them and, in a bit of irony, they mistook him as a politician who worked for Republican President Donald Trump. (Kasich is a vocal Trump critic.) Eventually, Klausner said she decided to take a later flight to avoid the confrontation. Klausner, a liberal, said when she found out exactly who Kasich was and his politics, she decided to post on Twitter. The funny thing about it is when I tweeted about it, I realized people on both sides hate him, Klausner said. Because I guess Republicans hate him because hes like, you know, not fascist enough, and then obviously people on our side hate him because hes just a bad person. Just having interacted with him or interacted near him, I never met anyone so douchey and obnoxious and just dripping with disdain for people who in his mind arent as important as he is. I hope he I dont know. I hope he goes away forever. He sucks. When the basics of the story first came to light, Chris Schrimpf, a spokesman for Kasich, attributed the whole ordeal to confusion, though didnt elaborate on specifics. There was confusion about seating, the airline had given a pilot the Governors seat and then chaos ensued, Schrimpf said. Hes sorry someone lost a seat. Schrimpf did not respond to a request for comment Monday. An Alaska Airlines spokesperson, contacted for comment at the time, thanked Klausner, but also didnt provide specifics. Were very appreciative to Ms. Klausner for helping diffuse an awkward situation by voluntarily giving up her seat. We made sure to take care of her on another flight. CLEVELAND, Ohio A Cuyahoga County Council committee on Monday approved changes to a proposed $30 million housing program that would allow cities to veto any rehabilitation or demolition of homes within their borders. Other changes, if approved by the full council, also would allow the Cuyahoga Land Bank to use county money for demolition as well as rehabilitation and would require casino tax revenues to finance a bigger share of the program. The full council is expected to vote on the legislation as early as next month. If approved, the six-year program would begin in 2020 with the aim of encouraging renovation of affordable housing, eliminating blight and stabilizing home values. The legislation is sponsored by Council President Dan Brady, Vice President Pernel Jones Jr., and council members Dale Miller, Sunny Simon and Cheryl Stephens. The proposed amendments would: Require that casino tax revenues pick up $7.5 million of the cost of the program. In the previous version of the legislation, $2.5 million of the projects funding would have come from the countys general fund, and $5 million from casino tax revenue. The majority of the programs costs $21.5 million would still come from fees collected on delinquent property taxes. Give cities the ability to oppose some decisions made by the county land bank, officially known as the Cuyahoga Land Reutilization Corp., if local officials do not want a certain property to be rehabilitated or demolished. Allow the county land bank to use county money to demolish structures. Under the previously proposed legislation, no county dollars were tagged for demolition. The amendment proposing that a greater share of the project be financed by casino tax revenues was introduced by Brady on behalf of Miller and Council member Nan Baker. Brady said the change was made because of the need for immediate funding to increase the number of corrections officers at the troubled county jails. (He and Jones pledged last week to commit about $3.5 million from the general fund to hire guards.) The other changes were proposed by Simon, who said cities need to have more of a say in which homes the county land bank taps for rehabilitation or demolition. The amendment would allow cities to essentially veto a decision by the county land bank, but does not allow cities to compel the land bank to do projects. The second change proposed by Simon allows the county land bank to use demolition to help spur investment in certain housing markets. The legislation previously did not allow money from the $30 million program to be used for demolition. (The county land bank will continue pursuing demolition outside of the program, either by using federal and county dollars already earmarked for that purpose and other sources of land bank revenue.) Brady has said the housing program is the next step in a long-term plan aimed at restoring a county housing market that was hit hard in the foreclosure crisis. The proposed housing program, if approved, would be a three-pronged plan, with two of those components administered by the county land bank and one component administered by the countys Department of Development: Renovation component: The county land bank would identify properties suitable for renovation. It would either renovate the property before selling to a buyer, or screen potential buyers to determine if they can handle the renovation, then hold the deed in escrow until the buyer pulls permits and completes required renovations. Homeowner assistance component: The Department of Development would provide financial and technical assistance to current or potential homeowners who want to find affordable housing or maintain the housing they already have. Financial assistance would be for home repairs or mortgages under $70,000, as banks often dont provide small-dollar mortgages even if the prospective buyer is creditworthy, council staff have said. Housing market component: The county land bank would attempt to improve housing markets by spurring investment in emerging and future markets by improving home values and jump-starting private development. Several housing advocates weighed in during public comment on Monday about recommendations they had to tweak the legislation. Commenters included representatives from the Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research, Enterprise Community Partners, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, Cuyahoga Affordable Housing Alliance and Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland. Many speakers supported the goals of the proposed program, but urged council members to incorporate renters assistance and address the needs of seniors, veterans, or those who are at risk of becoming homeless, among others. Brady said that council members agree with most of those suggestions, but said the legislation had to be limited in scope in order to be effective. This legislation doesnt attempt to try to do everything, and I dont think it will be successful if it does try to attempt to do everything, he said. [We cant] let perfect be the enemy of good, Brady said. CLEVELAND, Ohio A man was killed and three other males were wounded in three separate shootings early Monday morning, police say. A 39-year-old man was shot multiple times just before 1:26 a.m. near the intersection of East 24th Street and Rockwell, just east of downtown, police say. The unidentified victim was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center but died of his wounds. At about 12:31 a.m. a 30-year-old man was shot in the back on the 7500 block of Halle Avenue, which is just south of Clark Avenue near West 73rd Street. Police say the victim was taken to MetroHealth but did not release information on his condition. At 12:57 a.m., two males were shot on the 2400 block of East 84th Street, just south of Quincy Avenue in the Fairfax neighborhood. An 18 year old male was wounded in the leg, while another male whose age was unknown was shot multiple times in the leg, police say. Both were taken to the hospital in unknown condition. No other details were released on the shootings early Monday morning. If youd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio Turns out, Cher really can "turn back time.'' At least thats what its going to feel like when she and Hall of Famer Nile Rodgers and his funk band Chic take the stage at Quicken Loans Arena next week. You just hear hit after hit, said Rodgers, calling from the tour bus between stops in Florida. Chers production is mind-boggling, a giant spectacle. You get all the eye candy in the world. And its nothing but a bunch of great songs, he said. We dont play anything that wasnt a No. 1 or in the top 5. In the old days, what was great was you got a chance to try out music to see how the audience would react to music theyd never heard before, Rodgers said. As a composer, what could be more exciting than getting a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down? But with this tour, Chic and Cher are sticking to what works. We get to play We Are Family and Good Times and Le Freak and Lets Dance, he said. In todays world, peoples time is their most valuable thing, and if theyre going to give you their time, they dont want to be part of the experimental thing. Just three shows into the tour, Rodgers couldnt stop gushing about the whole pairing. Its all killer and no filler, said Rodgers, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 not with the disco-funk band he formed with the late Bernard Edwards, but as an award for musical excellence winner. About the only thing that could make it more interesting would be if Chic actually served as Chers backing band. Rodgers chuckled at the idea. Who wants to work that long? he said, laughing, and added that each act has its own set, with Chic opening for Cher. The thing is, when we do our show, we put every ounce of energy that we can possibly put into it, Rodgers said. By the time we finish our show, which is about an hour, were soaking wet. That whole work ethic is part of his DNA, and its why he plans to be in Brooklyn, New York, in March when the Class of 2019 is inducted at the Barclays Center. Unless, of course, he has a gig scheduled. Im in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, so its my duty to be there, he said. I grew up in a world where you do your job, man. Thats really where its at. I cant help it that my mentality hasnt changed, and I dont think it ever will. Plus, he really wants to watch Roxy Music get inducted. We got the concept of our band because of Roxy Music, Rodgers explained. As much as I am friendly with and respect all the other people going in this year, I have a personal kinship for Roxy Music. Thats where we got the idea for Chic. As an inductee himself, Rodgers got to cast an official ballot, and you can bet Bryan Ferrys group was front and center, and not because of the bands commercial success, which quite frankly was limited. Its always about artistic relevance, Rodgers said. Sure, its about statistics, but if it were purely about statistics, Chic wouldve been in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame the first time around. We had the best-selling records in Atlantics history. Rodgers is just a tad bitter maybe even more than a tad that Chic as a band isnt in the Hall. Like Roxy Music, he knows his group had a big influence on a lot of artists. But he also knows that hes not the only one whos been snubbed. Cher, for example, isnt in the Hall, either as a solo artist or as half of Sonny & Cher. I say to myself, who has had huge influences on people? he said. I think about how come there hasnt been more psychedelic bands in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I dont quite get that. These bands had a huge influence on the music of today, and theyre sort of underrepresented. Rodgers said he feels particularly bad that nominee Todd Rundgren, who received the third-most votes in the Rock Halls own fan balloting, was overlooked. I feel really weird about that one, he said. Not just because I know him, but people dont understand that Todd Rundgren is an absolute genius. Hes not only a music genius, hes a mathematical genius, said Rodgers, whose own intellectual prowess earned him a front-row seat in front of Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May, at Stephen Hawkings funeral. Rundgren, he noted, wrote the very first screensaver program. People dont understand that as an artist, sometimes our lives are a lot broader than Aw, freak out, he said. Including the ability to turn back time. Nile Rodgers and Chic When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6. Where: Quicken Loans Arena, 1 Center Court, Cleveland. Headliner: Cher. Tickets: $37.75 to $500, plus fees, at the box office, Discount Drug Marts, theqarena.com and by phone at 1-888-894-9424. CLEVELAND, Ohio A man was found dead in a suspected homicide Sunday afternoon on the citys East Side, Cleveland police said. Police responded about 4:20 p.m. to East 48th Street, near the intersection with Chard Avenue, just west of Interstate 77 in Clevelands Broadway-Slavic Village neighborhood, Cleveland police spokesman Sgt. Reginald Lanton said. Officers found a 33-year-old man on the footbridge over the highway with a gunshot wound to his head, Lanton said. The shooting victims identity has not been released. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office will release his identity once family is notified. Homicide detectives are investigating the shooting. No further details about the incident were made available Sunday evening. This post will be updated if further information is provided Sunday. If youd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio A Cleveland man slapped a woman in the face before he was shot in the back of the head early Saturday in a parking lot in the citys Mount Pleasant neighborhood, police reports say. A 48-year-old man was shot just after 1:45 a.m. in a parking lot outside a Dollar General on East 131st Street at Miles Avenue, according to a police report. He was taken to University Hospitals for treatment. His condition was not immediately available Monday morning. A witness saw the man arguing with a woman inside a bar, Winstons Place, shortly before the shooting. The 48-year-old man slapped the woman, the followed her out of the bar to the parking lot outside Dollar General, police reports say. The man hit the woman a second time while they argued in the parking lot. At that point two unidentified men intervened to confront the 48-year-old man, police reports say. One of the unidentified men punched the 48-year-old man, who fell to the ground. The woman helped the 48-year-old man up before the second unidentified man appeared to punch him again, the witness said. The witness told investigators that he did not see or hear any gunshots, police reports say. An ambulance took the 48-year-old man to University Hospitals, where doctors determined hed been shot. The bullet passed through the back of his head and through his jaw, police reports say. Fourth District detectives are investigating the shooting. To comment on this story, visit Mondays crime and courts comments page. WESTLAKE, Ohio - The state-of-the-art global corporate headquarters that American Greetings Corp. moved into two-and-a-half years ago is now on the market, but the greeting card company is not going anywhere. An American Greetings spokeswoman confirmed Monday that the Weiss family, the property owner and part-owner of American Greetings, is looking to sell the building. American Greetings Corporation does not own the Creative Studios at Crocker Park, but is simply a tenant, said Patrice Molnar, American Greetings director of corporate communications. The Weiss family has always owned the real estate and Creative Studios building occupied by American Greetings Corporation. American Greetings leased the Creative Studios building before the transaction with Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, and continued to lease this building under a long-term lease. Although we understand that the Weiss family is considering selling its ownership interest in the Creative Studios building, we dont expect this will have any impact on American Greetings as we will continue to be a tenant and remain located at the Creative Studios. American Greetings, previously headquartered in Brooklyn, unveiled its new headquarters, called Creative Studios, in the mixed-use Crocker Park development in September 2016. The Plain Dealer reported that the 660,000-square-foot glass and steel building features photo and audio studios, artist workshop spaces, a 10,000-volume reference library, coffee lounges on every floor and numerous other employee amenities. About 1,700 employees initially were located at the headquarters, but American Greetings laid off an undisclosed number of employees in June as part of a restructuring. The restructuring followed a partial buyout of the company; in early 2018, New York-based private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice bought a 60-percent ownership stake. The Weiss family maintains a 40-percent stake. American Greetings was founded by Jacob Sapirstein in 1906. Over the companys 112-year history, it has been operated by members of the founding family. The Weiss family took the company private in 2013. The Westlake property is being marketed by Dallas, Texas-based Holliday Fenoglio Fowler (HFF). An HFF report on the American Greetings headquarters notes that the greeting-card company has a lease through August 2031. The report also notes that American Greetings has leased the property on a triple-net basis, which means the tenant is responsible for paying taxes, fees and maintenance costs associated with the property, in addition to rent. The report does not disclose a listing price. HFF declined to comment. American Greetings sold its former headquarters, located north of Tiedeman Road, in 2014 for $15.5 million to companies tied to Stuart Lichter and Chris Semarjian, The Plain Dealer reported at the time. American Greetings rented from the new owners until it moved to Westlake in 2016. Reached for comment Monday, Lichter and Semarjian said they remain owners of the approximately 1.6 million square feet of buildings and are pleased with how their plans for a 150-acre industrial park are going. Its going great," said Semarjian, noting leases with seven tenants, including a major lease with Medical Mutual for more than 300,000 square feet. I think by next year, well have 2,000 or more people working at our site, a very diverse corporate group. He said there is about 500,000 square feet of office and industrial space available, as well as multiple land sites for new construction. Were about two-thirds rented, so weve come a long way in the last 12 to 18 months, he said. BROOKLYN, Ohio -- The Brooklyn Senior Center is getting a new van, thanks to a recently awarded $53,500 Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) grant. The city will cover the remaining balance for the $64,105 2018 Ford E350. "We want our senior citizens to have the necessary opportunities to not only meet their daily life needs, but also give them every opportunity in the world to socialize and take advantage of all the city's services, as well as regional opportunities available to them," said Mayor Katie Gallagher, who held a public session at the Senior Center to discuss the new van purchase. "The seniors are very excited about the new van. "Most of the weekly schedule is dedicated to helping meet the seniors' basic needs, like getting to the grocery store and doctor appointments. We do offer other times for other needs, like hair appointments, getting to and from the Senior Center or just shopping in general." One happy senior is Brooklyn resident Violet Beale, who frequently takes the affordable means of transportation, which costs riders $1 each way. "The Brooklyn Senior Center bus has been a godsend to me, since I'm no longer driving," said Beale, 92. "I take it to the doctor, shopping and to the Senior Center for activities. A new bus will really help the seniors of Brooklyn. It's great news." The new van, which will be delivered later in the year, will replace the city's 2006 E350. That vehicle has more than 100,000 miles and currently needs roughly $5,000 in repairs. The plan going forward is for the Senior Center to maintain its current 2015 E350 van, which was purchased using a one-time $50,000 University Hospitals donation linked to its merger with Parma Community General Hospital. Gallagher said the Senior Center has noticed an uptick in van ridership. "This past year, University Hospitals Parma Medical Center eliminated their bus to help our seniors going to and from the hospital for medical appointments," Gallagher said. "The NOACA grant will help us close the gap on these decreased transportation options, as well as offer some more expanded services with two newer vans in our fleet. We'd also like the opportunity to use the van for more social things, like taking them down to Playhouse Square and different cultural events." The mayor said the city hopes to find an additional driver for the new destinations at some point this year. In other grant news, Brooklyn was recently awarded a $37,000 Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) Energized Community Grant. Gallagher said the funds are earmarked for the already planned $50,000 lighting upgrade taking place this year at the Recreation Center. The city also plans to use last year's $37,000 NOPEC grant to complete its LED street lighting upgrade project, which the mayor said First Energy should complete before the end of the year. Said Gallagher: "Overall, I think it's great that we're able to add additional services and opportunities with the use of these grants and leverage us money to get things done in our community." BROOK PARK, Ohio -- A federal court ruled last year that point-of-sale interior home inspections conducted by Ohio municipalities are warrantless searches and thus unconstitutional. To bring Brook Park up to date, City Council at its Jan. 22 meeting amended two ordinances by removing references to interior home inspections. Regardless of the court ruling, Brook Park was never in violation of the law, according to Chief Building Official/Building Commissioner Ted Hurst. "We have never, ever gone into a house without being welcomed in," Hurst told cleveland.com. "We have never been turned away or asked to leave on one of these inspections. There is no constitutional violation with the inspections we've done." Brook Park discontinued interior inspections last November in order to focus the Building Department's resources elsewhere, he said. His staff still conducts reoccupancy exterior inspections at the point of sale for a $60 fee. Other Ohio cities -- including Bedford, Portsmouth and Oakwood (near Dayton) -- found themselves involved in litigation because they were "forcing their will on people" to get inside homes and conduct inspections, Hurst explained. "Going forward, we're going to do plain-view, exterior site maintenance inspections of all the properties, including point of sale and rentals," Hurst said, noting that local real estate agents have told him that a majority of home buyers hire a private home inspector anyway. The Brook Park ordinance addressing re-occupancy certificates for vacated, "as-is" structures prior to sale has been amended to indicate that inspections "shall be limited to such areas as are in plain view." Amendments also were made to the city's residential rental housing registration ordinance by mandating "a general exterior inspection of the rental unit." "We're taking the limited resources we have, removing them from the inside (inspections) and focusing all of our attention on exteriors and streetscapes, to clean up the neighborhoods and increase property values that way," Hurst said. "We feel it's going to be a big plus for the city of Brook Park." Why You Cant Have One Without the Other When multiple insurers provide coverage for a single loss or accident, things can get confusing. Coinsurance can arise as a result of conscious risk-sharing or accidentally when two policies have overlapping coverage. Litigation involving who pays what, when, and in what order has become a cottage industry involving both subrogation and contribution. Understanding all the concepts and then applying them to the facts of a claim or loss is enough to make your head explode. And, that is where the duct tape comes in. If ones head is at risk of exploding, it is best to be proactive by wrapping it with duct tape. Weve heard it all before. Subrogation 101 informs us that traditional subrogation is the substitution of one person for another with respect to a lawful right, claim, or security. The word subrogation is a late Middle English word which comes from the Latin: sub meaning in place of another, and rogare meaning to ask. Literally, it means one party asking in place of another. However, the term itself encompasses various types of loss transfer following a loss, and a working understanding of the confusing interplay between the words subrogation, equitable contribution, and equitable subrogation is a prerequisite to graduating to Subrogation 102. In the context of insurance, subrogation applies to all types of policies personal and business, automobile, health, workers compensation, property and casualty, fidelity and surety, etc. The insurer pays a claim and then subrogates, in the name of the insured, against the party responsible for causing the loss. The purposes for subrogation are (1) it prevents a double recovery by the insured; (2) it holds the negligent party responsible even though insurance has made the insured whole; and (3) it helps to hold down insurance premiums by reducing the insureds loss history and/or experience modifier. For every wrong there is a remedy. Our system of civil law is premised on this simple maxim wrongdoers must pay for the damages they cause. In the insurance world, this principle is usually applied through subrogation. Subrogation is purely derivative. An insurer entitled to subrogation is in the same position as an assignee of the insureds claim and succeeds only to the rights of the insured. Equitable contribution, on the other hand, is the right to recover not from the party primarily liable for the loss, but from a co-obligor who shares such liability (e.g., a co-insurer) with the party seeking contribution. A right to contribution generally arises when several insurers are obligated to indemnify or defend the same loss or claim, and one insurer has paid more than its share of the loss or defended the action without any participation by the others and it wants justice. Where multiple insurers cover the same insured and the same risk, each insurer has independent standing to assert a cause of action against its coinsurers for equitable contribution when it has defended or indemnified the common insured. To add another layer of potential confusion, subrogation also applies outside of the world of insurance, and is applicable in the realm of mortgage lending. A person, who pays a mortgage when the original debtor fails to pay, can obtain all the rights under the doctrine of subrogation. There are three types of subrogation: Conventional or Contractual Subrogation: Based on the contract between the parties, such as subrogation language contained in an insurance policy; Equitable or Legal Subrogation: A product of equity, and is not dependent on any contract, assignment, or privity. It arises by operation of law out of fairness, where one person has been compelled to pay a debt which should have been paid by another. It requires no policy language or subrogation contract its automatic. However, its also subject to certain equitable defenses, such as the Made Whole Doctrine, Common Fund Doctrine, etc. Statutory Subrogation: These are statutory subrogation and/or reimbursement rights established and granted by state or federal statutes. These include workers compensation, hospital liens, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Federal Employees Health Benefit Act, etc. Subrogation involves putting a third person who has paid a debt (insurance company or subrogee) in the place of the creditor to whom it has been paid (insured or subrogor), so that it can seek to recover the debt (traditionally an insurance claim payment) from the debtor (third-party tortfeasor) who was responsible for causing the loss. The subrogee steps into the shoes of the subrogor and enforces all rights and claims the subrogor may have against the debtor. The subrogation claim is also subject to any defenses the debtor may have had against the subrogor. Contribution, on the other hand, is an insurers right to be reimbursed partially or fully, after paying more than its share of a loss. Understanding the distinction between subrogation and contribution requires a healthy supply of duct tape. The difference is not merely a technical nuance. There is an important practical difference as well. For example, a waiver of subrogation can effectively prevent an insurer from seeking contribution. This seemingly confuses the notion that subrogation rights are a derivation of the insurers rights. The industrys conflation of contribution and subrogation also plays a significant role in the context of determining the order of coverage between primary and excess carriers. In fact, courts have said that, It is difficult to think of two legal concepts that have caused more confusion and headache for both courts and litigants than have contribution and subrogation. Firemans Fund Ins. Co. v. Maryland Cas. Co., 65 Cal. App.4th 1279, 1291 (Cal. App. 1998). However, more duct tape is needed. To make matters even more confusing, subrogation also plays a role when multiple insurance policies cover the same loss, and one co-insurer seeks to make the other pay some or all the loss. Contribution applies when two insurers share the same level of coverage (e.g., primary, umbrella, excess) for the same insured and they both apply to the same loss. Under such circumstances, principles of contribution will likely apply. If contribution applies, then: The trend is to prorate the loss between carriers this sometimes provides more recovery than a straight contractual claim; The courts are skeptical of other insurance clauses that try to convert the primary to an excess policy it is less likely to be enforced; and The damages recoverable are the amount that the paying carrier overpaid. Subrogation applies when there is any disparity in the level of risk or the insured. Under such circumstances, the paying carrier stands in the shoes of its insured for whom it paid the loss and pursues co-insurers by way of subrogation. If subrogation applies: The paying carrier stands in the shoes of its insured on whose behalf it paid the loss; and The defending carrier may assert all claims against the carrier that it could against the insured. If you are out of duct tape at this point, you may need to get another roll. In the context of multiple insurers covering the same loss, equitable subrogation may be available to shift the loss from one insurer who was secondarily liable to another primarily-liable insurer. The purpose of equitable subrogation is to prevent an economic windfall to a primarily-liable insurer who accepted premiums from an insured, but ultimately failed to pay a righteous claim under its policy. This distinction between equitable contribution and equitable subrogation can be confusing, and as many insurance professionals have undoubtedly experienced some state statutes do not afford a great deal of time to have a productive back-and-forth between insurers to determine who is primarily liable. For example, Wisconsin has a Timely Payment Statute that requires insurers to promptly pay every insurance claim within 30 days of receiving notice of the loss. Wis. Stat. 628.46. The time frame to work through these issues is often short, and in many cases, prudence dictates that a claim be paid to avoid statutory penalties or, even worse, a bad faith claim by the insured. As a practical example, imagine a business owns a restaurant that is consumed by an accidental fire. Prior to the fire, there were two insurance policies providing coverage for the loss. One policy provides that it is to be primary in the event of a loss; however, despite the terms of its policy, the primary insurer fails to pay the claim. The second policy provides coverage only after all other policy limits are exhausted. The excess insurer, therefore, pays on the claim since no payment was ever made by the primary insurer. Now, the excess insurer has paid the entire loss while the primary insurer sits on its hands. This simply is unfair, as it would reward the primary insurer for not paying a valid claim. Equitable subrogation fills this void by permitting the excess insurer to recoup some, if not all, of its payments. In the example above, equitable contribution may not be available. While the two insurers cover the same insured and insurable interest, they do not provide coverage for the same risk. The secondary insurers policy only provides coverage for damage in excess of the primary insurers limits. Contrast the example above with the following. A general contractor has his own general liability insurance. The general contractor utilizes a subcontractor for a project, and the subcontractor agreement requires that the general contractor be named as an additional insured under the subcontractors policy. Both policies contain mutually repugnant other insurance clauses providing coverage only after all other polices are exhausted. After a viable claim arises from a defect in the project, the general contractors policy pays the claim in its entirety. The general contractors insurer may have a claim for equitable contribution against the subcontractors insurer because the subcontractor policy covers the same insured, same risk, and same insurable interest. Simply stated, equitable subrogation focuses on the loss suffered by the insured. On the other hand, equitable contribution focuses on the risks insured against and permits an insurer to request contribution for a portion of the claim often on a pro-rata basis. Equitable contribution typically requires that two insurers have an identical insured, identical insurable interest, and identical risk. In Home Ins. Co. v. Cincinnati Ins. Co., 213 Ill. 2d 307, 323, 821 N.E.2d 269, 280 (2004), the Supreme Court of Illinois highlighted these differences and stated [t]he doctrine of equitable contribution is not applicable to primary/excess insurer issues. In so holding, the Court correctly stated that the terms contribution, indemnification, and subrogation are often used interchangeably; however, each of them is distinct. To have a viable claim of equitable contribution, the Court stated that concurrent policies must insure: (a) the same entities; (b) the same interests; and (c) the same risks. Conversely, the Court noted that the requirements for a viable equitable subrogation are separate and distinct, and require: The defendant carrier must be primarily liable to the insured for a loss under a policy of insurance; The plaintiff carrier must be secondarily liable to the insured for the same loss under its policy; and The plaintiff carrier must have discharged its liability to the insured and at the same time extinguished the liability of the defendant carrier. Understanding the role and application of equitable subrogation and equitable contribution is important, as failure to assert the proper rights early may be fatal. For example, in Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exch. v. The Hanover Ins. Group., 16-CV-61742, 2018 WL 477277, at *7 (S.D. Fla. Jan. 19, 2018), the court held that the plaintiff-insurer waived its claim for equitable subrogation before litigation ever began. The court noted that under Florida law, an insurer is deemed to be a volunteer when settling a claim on behalf of an insured, unless the insurer reserves its right to deny liability and to seek reimbursement from other insurers. Consequently, when an insurer acts as a volunteer, it waives any claims for equitable subrogation against other insurers. Gaining a comprehensive and working knowledge of the roles of equitable contribution and equitable subrogation is not a simple task. Adjusters, litigators and courts alike use these terms interchangeably on a regular basis. Understanding the nuances and practical application of these terms, however, will reveal a road to recovery that was previously hidden. Stephen A. Smith is an insurance litigation attorney with Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. His practice focuses on insurance litigation and subrogation, including automobile, property, workers compensation, and product liability. He is licensed to practice in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, as well as all federal courts in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana.If you have any questions on equitable subrogation or equitable contribution, contact Stephen Smith at ssmith@mwl-law.com. Over the past few years, cities across America have experienced sudden downpours of shared electric scooters, piling up almost overnight on curbs, sidewalks and front yards from Atlanta to Los Angeles. The phenomenon has quickly built billion-dollar startups, a new urban subculture and even a gray market for freelance scooter-chargers. But as with everything new, its also triggered litigation. And in the case of a transportation mode that leaves riders exceptionally vulnerable to sudden injury, its reasonable to expect a lot of it. Now, lawyers have their first trickle of data as they seek to make unlucky pedestrians and injured riders whole. A limited studythe first of its kindreviewed scooter-related injuries of 249 patients at two Southern California emergency rooms between September 2017 and August 2018. The report revealed the kinds of injuries one can expect in this brave new world. The vast majority of the injured were riders as opposed to pedestrians. They averaged around 34 years of age and were 58 percent male. The study revealed a general lack of operator adherence to traffic laws or warnings by the scooter companies themselves, according to an article published Friday in JAMA Network Open. Though scooters can reach 15 mph, less than 5 percent of riders were reported to have been wearing helmets. About 40 percent of patients had head injuries and almost 32 percent suffered broken bones. The study said a significant subset of the injuries occurred in patients younger than 18. The researchers dont try to compare your chances of getting killed on or by a scooter versus a car, but rather the physical damage being wrought. And how did these 249 California riders get hurt, exactly? More than 80 percent just fell off, according to the study. Eleven percent hit something. Paul Steely White, Birds director of safety policy and advocacy, criticized the JAMA study as very limited. The report fails to take into account the sheer number of e-scooter trips taken, he said. The scooter model is based on an app. Download it, enter your credit card, find a scooter, scan, ride, and leave it at your destination. For obvious reasons, college campuses have been especially fertile ground for scooter companies, led by Bird Rides and Lime. Some schools and municipalities have impounded swarms of scooters left strewn about, saying they create hazards and parking headaches. Scooters have already prompted a handful of lawsuits, most notably a proposed class-action in California state court against Bird, Lime and other scooter companies for alleged gross negligence. The complaint was filed in October on behalf of people injured by scooter users, but not on behalf of any the riders. The plaintiffs alleged the scooter makers knew and/or should have known that their scooters are, would become and would continue to be an unsafe, dangerous and damaging public nuisance. Bird pointed the finger at automobiles rather than directly addressing the allegations in the complaint. At Bird, safety is our very top priority, and it drives our mission to get cars off the road to make cities safer and more livable, the company said. Shared e-scooters are already replacing millions of short car trips and the pollution that comes with them. Lime spokeswoman Mary Caroline Pruitt said the safety of riders and the community is its number one priority. The company said it has distributed 250,000 free helmets across the globe and is improving the safety of the scooters themselves. A recent law passed in California, however, allows adults to operate scooters without helmets. To ride most scooters, users must waive liability, which presents a high bar for a subsequent lawsuit. But that doesnt mean there wont be lawyers who try. A lot of college kids dont have cars so they love these things, said Catherine Lerer, whose Los Angeles-based firm filed the class action suit. People think it looks so easy. But suing scooter companies after liability has been waived is a difficult fight, said Tamara Kurtzman, a litigator based in Beverly Hills. Its an extremely uphill battle, which is more disappointing because real people are getting hurt, she said. Thats the tragedy in this story. Lerer said shes never met a rider who told her they read an e-scooter user agreement. Ive been practicing law for 25 years representing personal injury victims, she said. I have never seen these kind of devastating injuries before scooters arrived. Thats just whats shocking to me. In addition to injured pedestrians hit by scooters, some of her clients were hurt simply tripping over scooters left on a sidewalk, she said. You may not know who the rider is if theres a scoot-and-run situation. The new study aimed to more fully describe the kind of damage being done. The researchers took great pains to note its limitations, and said they hoped others will build on their data and that policymakers would find it useful as the scooter world expands. Tyler Haley, a 22-year-old student at James Madison University, said he tried a scooter shortly after they arrived on the schools Harrisonburg, Virginia campus. He mounted one for a trip from the library to a parking lot, about a mile away. He said the handlebars came loose and he went flying. He said he wasnt wearing a helmetand that he hadnt read the user agreement. A whole bunch of people use them, said Haley, who is not part of the California lawsuit. I did a front flip over the handles and landed on my shoulder and ended up separating it. Kurtzman, the attorney, said that while making a case for injured pedestrians is easier than doing so for a rider, theres another complication. When people get hurt by scooter riders, you may not know who the rider is if theres a scoot-and-run situation, she said. People are being injured one way or another. Everyone is madly trying to figure out who pays for it. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. It could be warmer above the Arctic Circle than in Chicago by Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to fall in the Windy City to 20-to-25 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus-29 to minus-32 Celsius). New York and Washington will be warmer, with a bit of snow. Chicago is expected to approach an all-time record low of minus 27, set in 1985, according to Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the U.S. Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. Wind chill, meanwhile, could feel closer to minus-40 to minus-45. That is pretty amazing, Hurley said by telephone on Monday. But theres hope ahead for the weekend, when the cold is forecast to retreat across the U.S., with temperatures returning to seasonal levels or warmer, Hurley added. More than 600 flights have been canceled in Chicago as of 6:30 a.m. with 6 inches of snow expected for all on Monday, according to FlightAware, an airline tracking service. A total of 803 flights around the U.S. have been scrubbed. The frigid air will drive deep into the central U.S., pushing lows into the 20s as far south as Mississippi, where about 2 inches of snow could fall through Tuesday. The corridor through the central U.S. is watched closely by energy traders because cold there can spark an uptick in natural gas demand . While the bitter cold probably wont reach record levels on the East Coast, temperatures in New York will still be frigid, with lows falling to 5 degrees Wednesday. Meanwhile, New York, Washington and other cities along Interstate 95 could get an inch or two of snow late Tuesday into Wednesday. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Last week was brutal for American journalism. By one estimate, BuzzFeed and media properties owned by Verizon and Gannett made plans to lay off more than 1,000 people between them, then got to work carrying them out. On Saturday, the president of the United States rubbed salt in the wound, tweeting that Fake News and bad journalism have caused a big downturn. As well as being wrong, the tweet was, as Ben Smith, BuzzFeeds editor, replied, a disgusting thing to say about dozens of American workers who just lost their jobs. Trump may briefly have stolen the limelight, but he wasnt the foremost target of the anger that swelled over the mass layoffs. Recriminations ranged from the broad-based (Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for example, blamed tech monopolies and concentrated media ownership) to the specific. Writers Guild of America East pointed out that Verizon, the owner of HuffPost, Yahoo News, and AOL, reaped more than $4 billion in government-funded tax breaks last year. And, according to an internal message feed obtained by Splinter, staffers at BuzzFeed took management to task for axing colleagues in an unnecessarily cruel way, and for refusing to reimburse any paid time off they may have accrued (BuzzFeed initially guaranteed such payouts only in California, in line with state law). On Saturday, more than 300 surviving and laid-off employees put the latter complaint in a formal open letter. Managers responded that they were open to re-evaluating this decision. ICYMI: Reuters publishes ethically questionable story For anyone immersed in media Twitter late last week, it was impossible to avoid the barrage of Ive just been laid-off tweets emanating from the newsrooms of BuzzFeed and HuffPost, in particular (full disclosure: I interned at BuzzFeed in 2017). Among those affected were senior journalists with stellar track records and prominent followings, including deputy national editor Marisa Carroll and former DC bureau chief John Stanton on the BuzzFeed side, and culture and politics reporter Laura Bassett and Pulitzer finalist Jason Cherkis at HuffPost. Colleagues from across the industry rallied round online, sharing farewell messages and listing job openings and newly available talent. And the cycle isnt done yet. More layoffs will hit BuzzFeed this week: news emerged this morning, for example, that the site is cutting its UK editorial staff by half. Beyond sad individual stories, attention has focused on the coverage capacity that major newsrooms just sacrificed. BuzzFeed eliminated its national and national security desksboth of which burnished the sites reputation for hard-hitting newsand pared back other staffs that have helped make its offering distinctive. On Twitter, Molly Hensley-Clancy, a politics reporter for BuzzFeed who identifies as gay, called the decision to reduce the sites LGBT desk to a single journalist part of a really heartbreaking move over the past few years away from content that BuzzFeed used to be so, so good at: speaking to minority groups in a way that felt so personal, specific, and meaningful, and wasnt happening in any other mainstream outlets. HuffPost, meanwhile, cut its opinion section, while both BuzzFeed and HuffPost gutted their health desks. Across the country, other vital, community-facing beats are disappearing. While they attracted less social-media chatter than their digital-native counterparts, around 400 of last weeks job losses fell at publications owned by Gannett, including the Arizona Republic, the Knoxville News Sentinel, and the Record, in North Jersey. As local-news jobs continue to be cut, scrutiny around key areas of public policy will continue to diminish. As Emily Goldstein wrote for CJR late last week, the loss, earlier this month, of 43 jobs at the Dallas Morning News could weaken that papers work on immigration, transport, the environment, and more. Sign up for CJR 's daily email ICYMI: Massive layoffs hit news outlets: BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and more This latest round of layoffs goes beyond personal and institutional tragedyits further, frightening evidence of an industry whose old and new players are locked together in crisis. Writing for CJR on Friday, Alex Pareene assessed the scale of the damage done and still to come. The corrections are coming for the digital outlets that were supposed to have been the survivors, Pareene writes. Tens of millions of people read BuzzFeed, Gizmodo, Slate, and The New York Times monthlyand every one of them that is not browsing at a public library, or stealing WiFi, is paying for the privilege. Theyre just not paying the people who are making it. Below, more on the bleak state of journalism in the US: Other notable stories: ICYMI: Reuters article highlights ethical issues with native advertising Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. Republik, a Swiss news startup, raised $2.4 million in less than two weeks in 2017, when a crowdfunding campaign that promised a new kind of journalism took off and set records. A year after its launch, its de facto publisher, Christof Moser, looks slightly more gaunt and tired than he once did when the digital magazine first went online. He sits on the edge of his chair when talking about the project he has lived, slept, and dreamt about since he and nine other founders hacked the Swiss journalism world with their start-up. There were some fuck-ups of course, but on the whole, we are on a good course, he says, with what might be described as Swiss understatement. In the past year, the digital magazine ramped up from 10 to 50 employees. Spending, by its own admission, got a bit out of control. Even with an additional $3.5 million contribution from investors, the magazine was over-budget. It has spent more than $6.5 million since its inception. And this month marked a key moment for Republik, one of a number of sites around the world aiming to find new ways to fund and run journalism: its initial backers will have to renew their subscriptions, and pay again. Republik aims to attain something of a holy grail for subscription-based publicationsto retain two-thirds of original funders. We know from experience abroad that retention rates are around 50 percent, Moser says. We want more than that. Republik staff felt it was keeping its promise to deliver hard-hitting journalism. It had provided an insider-view of a mosque that allegedly groomed extremists; it broke a story of national importance about corruption in the construction industry. And it uncovered the potential scandal of a politician who lent his cartwiceto a driver with no license, but faced no consequences. Sign up for CJR 's daily email One of the hardest things to do as a journalist is to not rush in and write about the latest trend, Moser says. When we step back and research, thats our best work. It also attempted to reformulate the relationship between readers and publications. When editors asked readers for feedback they complained of a lack of cultural reporting, so Republik added a new section, as well as weekly updates from Bern, the capital, and world events presented in bullet-pointed snippets. (The editors also noted that its Swiss readers yearned for more local reporting and less Trump news.) Then reality hit. A week before its self-imposed January 15 deadline, Republik was about 400 renewals away from retaining even the industry average of 50 percent. So it added transparency to its fundraising efforts. It has an interactive site where subscribers can view the totals and play with a tool that shows how editors must adjust for lower budgets. The point of the exercise, Moser says, is to demonstrate how tenuous the business is. Its crazy to think how little is needed to fail. It seems to be working. By January 23, a week before its new January 30 deadline, renewal rates had jumped to 59 percent. Richard Hoechner, a co-founder who heads up marketing, hopes there will be another spike at the end of the month when Republik plans to remove all delinquent accounts from its strong paywall. Once they can no longer read the site, the thinking goes, more will pay up. Republik was designed to be ad-free but to keep it that way, Hoechner acknowledges it has to increase the number of revenue streams. The most important part of its business strategy is staying engaged with readers, which it calls shareholders. Following the lead of other crowdfunded sites like Zetland of Denmark and De Correspondent of The Netherlands, Republik keeps its subscribers informed of all major business decisions. It is working on improving the comments section, turning it into a dialog with reporters and editors; and on using reader expertise. We want readers to have a voice in the running of the site and that remains a very decisive part of our membership, Moser says. But despite the increased renewals, he says, were fighting still for the survival of this enterprise. The site has only one reliable revenue stream: subscribers. It averages 430 new members per month, he says, but it needs about 675. Republik will need around 26,000 paying members to break even. It currently has about 22,000. To stay afloat, Moser says, it will cut its spending by 10 percent this year. For the first time after a year we now understand what works and what doesnt, he says. Weve gotten unbelievably good at getting new subscribers every month. He says that subscriptions jump when the site publishes important investigationsmost notably a three-part series on possible illegal cartel and business dealings between politicians and the construction industry in the Canton of Graubunden, an area in the east of the country that borders Italy and Austria. For that story, Republik printed a extra edition on paper. The site is now searching for a one-time, $1 million cash injection. And it is determined to increase word-of-mouth recommendationswhich it hopes to do through shared stories and social media, paid events, and more interaction with readers. It plans, as an experiment, to invite a small group of paying subscribers to join Republiks court reporter to sit in on a trial. The group, and its views on its countrys justice system in action, will then form part of the reporting. Some of Republiks new ideas, launched with great fanfare, simply did not work. In the spirit of teamwork, the magazine had planned to rotate the editorship every three months. The idea was quickly dropped because there was no continuity, no planning and no one in charge. Editors now serve for a year. The startup also neglected to develop a mobile app. We thought it wasnt important, but the world said, yes, thats important. We really underestimated that, Clara Vuillemin, an engineer and product developer who was another co-founder, says. It made a huge difference to people that they get an icon on their phone and push notifications. Who would have thought a digital magazine that publishes no more than three stories a day needed push notifications? Republik also has had to explain its concept to people who keep pushing the unabashedly longform journalism site to publish more often. In essence, the team has come to feel they are trying to change the habits of people on the internet. Creating something new is hard, Moser says. The temptation is to follow whats already there, but if we do that theres no reason for us to exist. While text will always remain core, the site is also adding interactive stories, videos and podcasts like Klang, which explains classical music and opera. But the heart of Republiks aspirations remains investigative journalism. One journalist, Sylke Gruhnwald, had to delay her turn as co-editor until she finished a cross-border investigation with 18 other European media outlets last October that revealed how corporations and the super rich exploited tax laws to get refunds on taxes they never actually paid. Republik has also been working with ProPublica on tracking dark ads on social media. And, as a national election in Switzerland approaches in the fall, she says the magazine will be filing FOIA requests to look into political party financing. The investigations have given Republik a burgeoning reputation in Switzerlanda fact paradoxically confirmed in a congratulatory column in the newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, which has been publishing for more than 100 years. With a nod toward the Republiks slogan, Without journalism, no democracy, the Tages-Anzeiger column joked: So this congratulation comes with a commitment: If democracy goes down, its your fault. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Alison Langley 's stories have appeared in a variety of publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times, and Deutsche Welle. She currently lives in Zurich. A. There needs to be a traffic light there instead. B. A roundabout will work just fine in that location. C. Roundabouts are confusing and terrible. It shouldn't happen. D. That intersection is not a priority for change, so just leave it the way it is. Vote View Results An avalanche of emails, backlogged permits, lapsed contracts and stalled payments to low-income Americans will face the hundreds of thousands of federal employees who return to work Monday. For 35 days, they waited out the shutdown of nine Cabinet agencies and dozens of smaller ones. Now, theyll face a massive bureaucratic reboot. A return to normal operations could take weeks or even months. The National Park Service will need to restore basic amenities at hundreds of parks and monuments, removing accumulated trash and plowing multiple feet of snow. The Bureau of Indian Affairs must quickly issue grants to head off food shortages and a health care crisis for tribal members whose funding was cut off. Inspectors returning from furlough to the National Transportation Safety Board will have to decide which of the almost 100 rail, plane and highway crashes to investigate first. And the IRS will race to train employees to implement changes to the tax code and hire thousands of temporary workers for tax season. Im so ready to go back to work, said Laura Barnaby, an international trade specialist with the Commerce Department. She was so eager to dig into her backlog that she planned to log in to her computer from home Sunday. Barnabys immediate concern is a blown deadline for a prestigious presidential awards program for exporters, a big deal in my little world, she said. After that, she intends to tackle the fact that her advisory group of companies advising the U.S. government on an upcoming trade pact with the U.K. missed multiple meetings. The first order of business for her and more than 350,000 others who spent the shutdown at home will be simple office tasks, such as new passwords for computers. Timecards will need filling out so payroll staffs know who was furloughed, worked without pay, called in sick, earned overtime or did a combination of those. Then there will be the reorganizing. After the shutdown was announced in December, agencies had four hours to close. Employees had just enough time to drop off work cellphones and laptops and to record voicemail greetings. Many returning workers will find their offices in a holiday time warp. As of Friday, a Christmas tree and Hanukkah menorah still adorned the darkened fifth-floor reception area of the Merit Systems Protection Board, a personnel court for civil servants in downtown Washington. Vice Chairman Mark Robbins said hes had no staff to take them down. Programs will need to be restarted, a process that can involve many layers of bureaucracy and boxes to be checked. Private contractors may have reassigned employees who had been working on projects put on hold during the shutdown, said David Berteau, president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, which represents workers with roughly 400 private government contractors. It may take days to get started, he said. We have no experience at starting back up after five weeks. ... You have to make sure that the funds are still available before you can start the contract again. And everybodys going to be trying to do it at once. Even employees who are eager to get back to work say they feel paralyzed by what comes next. When she steps into her office at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center on Monday morning, astrophysicist Julie McEnery knows exactly what shell do first: water her plants. But then? Im scared to even think about it, she said. The amount of work isnt less, and weve got a lot less time now to do it. As project scientist for the Fermi Space Telescope, which surveys the cosmos using the highest-energy form of light, McEnery was called into Goddard a couple of times this month to take care of specific tasks related to the maintenance of the telescope. I hope people know this was not a vacation, she said. It was very discouraging. ... Were not all going to arrive back at work Monday bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. To boost morale, several agencies are planning heros welcomes for their staffs. The Peace Corps is holding an official event for returning employees starting at 7:30 a.m. Monday. But many workers say theyre anxious. They wont see the back pay theyre owed until later this week. And President Donald Trump has threatened another closure in three weeks if his demands for border wall funding arent met. Its a reprieve, said Gary Morton, president of American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, a union representing about 9,000 Environmental Protection Agency employees around the country, but how much will we be able to accomplish before we have to start worrying about shutdown procedures again if they dont reach a deal? For offices in which staffs were essentially entirely furloughed, the return to normal operations could be particularly slow. The Food and Drug Administration will start taking new drug and medical device applications, but agency officials acknowledge that they may not fully catch up for almost a year. The largest county in Texas is pushing back against the states effort to purge from the voter rolls nearly 100,000 people that state officials suspect are not U.S. citizens. Harris County elections officials say they will do their own research on the affected voters before sending out notices that would give them 30 days to present documents to prove their citizenship, as recommended by the Secretary of States Office. We are going to proceed very carefully, said Douglas Ray, a special assistant county attorney in Harris who specializes in election issues. Were going to make sure we dont improperly disenfranchise anyone. In addition, a coalition of voting rights advocacy groups including the ACLU Foundation of Texas are putting pressure on the state to reverse course, and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is warning counties they could face lawsuits if they comply with the states recommendation. State elections officials do not have the authority to remove people from the voter rolls. That power resides with county elections officials. The reactions come three days after the Texas Secretary of State David Whitley announced that an analysis of state records found about 95,000 people who are on the voter registration rolls who may not be U.S. citizens including 58,000 who have voted at least once in past elections as far back as 1996. Whitley said the state used Department of Public Safety records to identify drivers who submitted documents that proved they were not legal U.S. citizens at that time, but were eligible to drive. Then the state compared those names and Social Security numbers with the state voter rolls. Its those matches that the state is now sending to county voting officials statewide to start the process of purging any non-citizens. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The effort was met gleefully by President Donald Trump, who saw it as confirmation of the voter fraud hes long insisted is a national problem. These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg, Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday morning. All over the country, especially in California, voter fraud is rampant. State officials said they are not releasing the names of the voters who have been flagged, but confirmed Harris County has the most. Harris officials had not received the list Monday, but Ray said hes already skeptical of the use of DPS records that he described as notoriously not up-to-date on peoples citizenship status. They say many of the people who were not citizens when they got their drivers licenses may be citizens now given that Texas naturalizes nearly 50,000 people annually. Harris County Voter Registrar Ann Harris Bennett routinely sends members of her staff to naturalization ceremonies in the county to sign up new citizens to vote. Ray said the county is going to compare the list of names from the state with a list of people who have gone through those ceremonies. Once county elections officials send out a Notice of Examination to voters identified as potential non-citizens, as the state is recommending, the voters have 30 days to provide documentation such as a birth certificate, passport, or certificate of naturalization. Otherwise, they are removed from the rolls. Whitley, who has been Secretary of State for just over a month, indicated he has no problem with Harris Countys response. The Texas Secretary of States office takes no issue with county voter registrars lawfully using additional information at their disposal to conduct the list maintenance activity we initiated last week, said Sam Taylor, communications director for the Secretary of States Office. Democrats continued to criticize the states action on Monday. State Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, said he feels the state is unfairly putting pressure on Latino voters. Voting rights of Latino and naturalized citizens continue to be under attack in Texas, said Menendez, who is the chairman of the Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus. The claim of 95,000 non-U.S. Citizens registered to vote is based on a system of incomplete data and assumptions. A coalition of voter advocacy groups including the ACLU and Texas Civil Rights Project have sent a letter to Whitley and the 254 counties to demand the state withdraw its letters to counties asking them to take steps to potentially remove the voters from the rolls. In the letter, the groups argue the state is using data that looks deeply flawed. As a result, we demand that you immediately rescind the Advisory before counties take action on it, says the letter, signed by 13 different organizations. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund was more pointed, warning counties could face lawsuits if they challenge the eligibility of voters simply because they were not U.S. citizens in the past runs. Targeting naturalized citizens for voter purges is unconstitutional and will do lasting damage to the Texas electorate, said Nina Perales, vice president of litigation at MALDEF. But for Republicans, the Secretary of States efforts are being met with an I-told-you-so-fervor. For years, Texas Republicans have insisted that voter fraud is rampant, though a total of 130 people have been prosecuted on charges of voter or election fraud in Texas since 2005. The new list gives the state up to 58,000 potentially illegal voters that have already been forwarded to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican. It is a felony to vote in Texas when you know you are not eligible. State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, said part of the problem in Texas is that penalties for voter fraud werent tough enough, so there are few people taking the time to prosecute offenders and few tracking how many cases there are. He said with the Legislature increasing penalties for things like absentee ballot fraud, he thinks there will be more effort to go after people who vote illegally or commit other acts of voter fraud. jeremy.wallace@chron.com The Harris County Republican Party on Sunday stirred up controversy after the group blamed the Holocaust on "leftism" in a public Facebook post. "Leftism kills," the group wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post published on Sunday, Holocaust Remembrance Day. "In memory of the 6 million Jews lost to Nazi hatred in the name of National Socialism. We will never forget." Dena Marks, a spokeswoman the Anti-Defamation League, expressed her displeasure after the Chronicle sought her opinion about the post. "The Holocaust should never be used for political purposes," she wrote in a statement to Chronicle. "It's unfortunate that someone at the Harris County Republican Party thought that would be an appropriate message for Holocaust Remembrance Day. It wasn't leftism that killed in the Holocaust. Anti-Semitism and blind hatred led to the deaths of millions." "We are glad the Harris County GOP replaced the offensive post," she added. Vlad Davidiuk, communications director at the Harris County Republican Party, initially declined to comment on the post except to say: "The Nazis identified themselves as National Socialists. The name of the party was the National Socialist Workers party." The post was subsequently amended to remove "leftism kills" before being taken down altogether. In a follow-up comment, Davidiuk said he'd taken down the post because "we don't want a statement from us to be a distraction" from remembrances of the six million Jewish people killed in the Holocaust. "However, that withstanding, history recognizes that the Jews were killed by the Nazis and the Nazis were officially the National Socialist Workers Party," he added. Nazis, who killed left-wing activists among other victims, have traditionally been viewed by historians as a right-wing fascist movement. On Monday, Harris County GOP chairman Paul Simpson said in a statement that the party had filed a police report after someone phoned in a death threat to its headquarters in response to the post. He called the use of the phrase "leftism kills" in the social media post "inartful," but said the party stood by its message. "All Americans should be on guard against the dangers of ideologies that demean the value of individual human lives to the collective," Simpson wrote. "That includes socialism in all forms, whether 20th-century German National Socialism or today's glossed-over socialism that is condoned and even promoted by those who should know better. " Houston, are you ready for the ultimate throwback bar experience? Get ready to mix Lego bricks and alcohol at Brick Bar, a pop-up venue coming to Houston for a limited time in July. Brick Bar boasts a one-of-a-kind experience with more than 1 million Lego bricks some used in massive sculptures and others available for patrons to show their childhood creativity. The pop-up is coming to Houston, but for a limited time only. The site of the bar has yet to be determined, but organizers plan on being in the city July 4 through 7. Tickets for the bar are $25 a piece but aren't quite available yet. To pre-register, visit www.thebrickbars.com. Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message Violent crime decreased in Houston by about 10.4 percent last year despite a slight increase in homicides, police said. The reduction marks a continuing downward movement of murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults over the past five years. We might not get them all, but I promise in the long-term, were trending in the right direction, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said at a Monday afternoon press conference. Homicide was the only category that saw an increase 279 in 2018, up from 269 homicides in 2017. That number is still less than the 301 homicides in 2016, Mayor Sylvester Turner said. The numbers speak for themselves, Turner said at the press conference. But again, any one of these categories, as long as theres a number other than zero, were not where we should be. The numbers mirror trends in other large cities across the country over the last year, according to research from the Brennan Center, which found that overall, crime rates fell modestly in 2018, with larger reductions in violent crime. The increase in homicides in Houston was the outlier: across the nation, murder rates declined by an estimated 6 percent, according to the Brennan Centers analysis. About 37 percent of the homicides stemmed from gang violence or family violence incidents, Acevedo said. Gang violence - a hot topic because of several high-profile slayings of children in recent months - will be addressed through partnerships with federal groups, according to the chief. But gang violence doesnt overall seem to be increasing or decreasing, in Acevedos opinion. Instead, too many of the violent criminals that we arrest are not staying behind bars and bonding out of jail, Acevedo said. Acevedo also touted double digit decreases in robberies and aggravated assaults in 2018, as well as reductions in nonviolent crimes, although to less drastic extents. Burglaries, thefts and auto thefts declined by a combined 2.8 percent from 2017 to 2018. Traffic accidents decreased by nearly 2,000 incidents from the previous year, and traffic-related injuries climbed by almost 50 instances, according to the data. Traffic fatalities decreased by 16.60 percent, Acevedo said, counting 40 fewer deadly crashes. Compared with the 241 people who died in the crashes in 2017, police counted 201 fatal crashes in 2018. Traffic fatalities are just as final as murders, Acevedo said. Theyre just as tragic as murders; theyre just as painful as murders. Issued violations of traffic laws also spiked, as did DWI arrests. Police arrested 5,182 people on DWI charges, Acevedo said. DWI-related accidents increased by almost 28 percent, however, with 2,228 people hurt in the crashes compared with more than 1,700 injured in 2017. Response times declined as well, with crime-in-progress calls taking an average of 5.5 minutes for officers to get on scene, according to Houston police records. Other urgent crimes, which arent in progress, took 10.15 minutes in response. Were not doing as good as we want to be, but you can only squeeze so much out of a lemon, Acevedo said. Were still pretty darn good. This years crime statistics come from combined Uniform Crime Reports and the National Incident-Based Reporting System. samantha.ketterer@chron.com Twitter.com/sam_kett Almost 20 Houston men and women were charged with human trafficking-related felonies in 2018, records show. NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. Those 18 suspects were all accused of promoting prostitution or trafficking a person in some way, according to court documents. Houston police released the names Friday after declaring January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in the city. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services marks January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Earlier this month, Houston police announced a horrifying case of human trafficking where their officers were able to save a Fort Worth woman from being sold into the sex trade. MORE: Sex trafficking victim's desperate call to mother saves her life In that case, Kevin Winston, 25, Martina Chambers, 20, and Mikia Collins, 19, were all arrested and accused of forcing a 20-year-old woman to be a prostitute against her will for weeks. Winston and Chambers were charged with felony aggravated promotion of prostitution, compelling prostitution and trafficking of a person. Collins was charged with compelling prostitution and trafficking of a person. See the slideshow above to see the 20 suspects accused. Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Monday launched a community-wide online survey seeking residents input on a number of topics, which she said will shape her first term in office. The survey is part of Hidalgos Talking Transition initiative, which aims to educate the countys 4.7 million about local government functions and encourage them to be more engaged. The program will also include classroom-style public meetings where officials give tutorials on county government, large town halls on specific policy topics and small workshops for experts to to discuss ideas on a particular subject. This is also an opportunity for my administration to learn from community members as we shape our policy agenda moving forward, so we can make sure our government works for everyone, Hidalgo said in a statement. The online survey, available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Vietnamese, asks residents to weigh in on issues including public transportation, access to education, housing costs and neighborhood safety. The survey asks how the flood control districts $2.5 billion in bond funds should be spent. The final two questions ask whether residents know the names of their precinct commissioner and county judge. Hidalgo said she will dispatch teams of canvassers across the county starting on Tuesday to reach residents who may otherwise be unaware of the online survey. The Civic Saturdays meetings will begin in February, and the county executive pledged to announce topics soon. During her campaign, Hidalgo said she believed county government was too confusing and opaque for regular people. She has made transparency priority of her transition. Among her ideas is creating a website where the county can post information about finances and spending in easy-to-understand charts and graphs. Commissioners Court agendas and dense reports prepared by the county budget office can be difficult for residents to decipher. Hidalgo also hopes to make court meetings more accessible to members of the public, who she hopes will be more eager to attend. Her first meeting on Jan. 8 drew more than 200 people and lasted nearly seven hours, far longer than any in recent memory. The Talking Transition intiative is supported by the Houston Endowment, Ford Foundation and Episcopal Health Foundation. zach.despart@chron.com Cockfighting appears to be alive and well in the Houston area. One man was arrested after deputies busted a large cockfighting ring in north Harris County over the weekend. Armando Banderas Delgado has been charged with operating a cockfight at his home in the 4300 block of Mooney Road, according to the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office. More people are expected to be cited in connection with the operation, authorities say. Constable Alan Rosen said during a press conference Sunday that an anonymous tip led deputies to the home on Mooney Road, where they found about 306 birds and about 50 people actively participating in cockfights. "This is a pretty big operation," he said. Rosen said the people who were cockfighting at the home fled on foot when deputies arrived. Some of the participants left birds in their locked cars, he said. Also, some of the birds on the scene were dead. Houston SPCA assisted on the call and seized the birds. They will be evaluated by a veterinarian and possibly put up for adoption, Rosen said. He said he didn't know whether all of the birds can be adopted. "Many of these birds unfortunately are trained to fight, so they're not terribly friendly birds with each other," Rosen said. "So its really going to be up to SPCA to determine where [they] can go." Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. Harris County prosecutors have agreed not to use information that Houston gang taskforce officers gathered during a jailhouse interview with one of two men charged in the high-profile drive-by shooting that took the life of Jazmine Barnes last month, defense lawyer Alvin Nunnery said Monday. The limited agreement applies only to information that 20-year-old Eric Black Jr. may have told gang task force officers during a meeting in his cell, not the incriminating statements that Black allegedly made earlier at the time of his arrest. We put the two HPD gang officers on the stand who interviewed my client, Nunnery said after a Monday hearing on the issue. And whatever they gleaned from it, cannot be used against him. The unusual situation, and Mondays hearing, highlights a relatively obscure part of criminal law that allows law enforcement officers to ask suspects who have lawyers about investigations that are not connected to what that the suspects are charged with, without their attorney being present. If youre in jail for capital murder, and officers want to ask you about unrelated robberies, they can do that as long as they stay away from your capital murder case, said Tom Berg, First Assistant for the Harris County DAs office. The Supreme Court has upheld that as law. Earlier this month, Nunnery was outraged when he found out gang officers interviewed Black about possible gang affiliations. It happened just days after Nunnery had obtained an court order that expressly prohibited police from interviewing his client. Black apparently denied being in a gang. He is charged along with Larry Woodruffe, 24, with capital murder in the Dec. 30 killing of Barnes. The second-grader was with her mother and sisters on an early morning shopping trip when eight shots were fired into their car, fatally wounding her and injuring her mother. The young African-American girl's death became national news not only because of her age, but due to initial reports that the apparently random shooting may have been racially motivated. Barnes siblings told police they recalled seeing a slender white man in red pickup truck, and a police artist's rendering of the suspect was distributed as sheriff's investigators worked to identify a suspect. After receiving a tip, an investigative team assembled by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez was able to link the two local men to the fatal shooting. The tipster apparently told police that Black and Woodruffe committed the shooting, but that it was a case of mistaken identity. The men thought they were confronting people whom they had fought with hours earlier, prosecutors have said. The reason Blacks statements are so contentious is because after he was arrested Black allegedly gave an interview with police admitting his part and implicating Woodruffe. That statement is likely the cornerstone of the case against the men. That interview is not affected by Blacks later interview by three Houston police department officers who are members of Houston's Gang Violence Task Force apparently questioned Black on January 10. That was three days after the 20-year-old appeared in court and Nunnery was granted a motion to keep law enforcement from talking to his client. Mondays hearing, in state District Judge Nikita Harmons court, is expected to continue Tuesday with one witness, to determine whether the Houston Police officers signed in at the Harris County Jail. Lisa Andrews, who represents Woodruffe and was at Mondays hearing, declined to comment until after the hearing ends Tuesday. Brian Rogers covers Houston crime and courts. You can email him at brian.rogers@chron.com and follow him on Twitter at @brianjrogers. GALVESTON -- The capital murder trial of the accused Santa Fe school shooter could be delayed through the end of the year because federal agencies have not yet turned over key evidence in the case, officials said Monday. As the families of some of the shooting victims looked on from the courtroom, Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady told District Judge John Ellisor at a courtroom conference Monday that the state is still awaiting a "substantial amount of evidence" from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that has delayed the discovery process. The anticipated evidence includes information seized from the accused killer's computer and possibly from family members, Roady said. The evidence could be presented within the next 90 days, he said. Family members of the 10 victims -- and at least one woman injured in the shooting -- sat in the courtroom behind the prosecutors. Among them was Flo Rice, a substitute teacher who was shot through the legs; Steve Perkins, whose wife Ann Perkins was killed; and Rosie Y. Stone, who lost her son Chris on May 18. Minutes before the hearing began, Stone rushed out of the courtroom stifling sobs, followed by her daughter Mercedes. Both wore T-shirts with "CCC" emblazoned across the front. The letters stand for the new family motto: Chris, Courage, Change. She came back inside after a few minutes and sat silently through the hearing. Read more: Alleged Santa Fe shooter indicted by Galveston County grand jury Dimitrios Pagourtzis, an 18-year old student at Santa Fe High School, has been charged in the shooting rampage at the school that left 10 people dead and 13 wounded. The hearing offered the first public glimpse of the accused gunman since his arrest in May, though he appeared only through a video stream from the Galveston County Jail. Nick Poehl, Pagourtzis' defense attorney, said that the recent federal government shutdown and the prospect of another shutdown in three weeks could be a factor in the delay. "I can't say that [the delay] was specifically affected by the shutdown -- I don't know for sure -- but given that a lot of the FBI has been working without pay I can't imagine that it didn't impact it in some way," Poehl said. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment on any speculation regarding the federal shutdown and said the agency was simply going through due process in submitting evidence to the state in the discovery process. Nicole Strong, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, said all that agency's evidence was turned over to the U.S. attorney's office. The uncertainty on a timeline for the remaining evidence has left the defense pessimistic that a trial would be scheduled before the end of the year. "Early 2020, maybe very late 2019 would be realistic, but we're just guessing," Poehl said. Read more: A blast. Then chaos. 'There's a shooting at school' The problems surfaced during a hearing that focused on the defense's request that the trial be moved out of Galveston County because of extensive news coverage and publicity about the shooting. The hearing lasted less than 10 minutes. Roady told Ellisor that his office would submit their response by Friday to the request that the trial be moved. Poehl cited "pervasive" and "factually baseless" media coverage as contributing to a local prejudice that would hinder Pagourtzis' chances of receiving a fair trial in Galveston County. The defense argued in court filings that another jurisdiction outside of Galveston County would produce an unbiased jury to determine the facts of the case, "and not based upon the juror's own personal recollections, impact from the events in question, and relationship to family members and friends of any potential witness or victim." Poehl said after the hearing that he did not yet have a specific jurisdiction in mind for a venue change, but ruled out Harris County, saying the "law does not favor" contiguous counties. Roady declined to comment after the hearing, saying the prosecutors are restricted from commenting due to the ongoing investigation. Stone has said that she will travel wherever the trial is held to make sure the accused shooter is held accountable for the death of her 17-year-old son. "Every step that this killer takes, I will be right there with him," Stone said. "He stole something very important to me and my family, and I will not let this rest until justice is served." At the hearing Monday, Pagourtzis was shown on video seated next to one of his defense attorneys, Katy-Marie Lyles, wearing a jumpsuit. His hair had grown out after being previously shaved to the scalp while in jail over the summer. Poehl said the aftermath of the shooting has been "very tough" on Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos, the suspect's father and mother, who are also defendants in two separate civil lawsuits filed by victims of the shooting. Pagourtzis has continued to undergo psychiatric evaluation while in solitary confinement at the jail. Poehl said he was hopeful he would be able to assist in his own defense at some point. nick.powell@chron.com shelby.webb@chron.com Students, teachers, and parentsthey all need freedom in order to meet their potential. That was one of the main messages in prepared remarks by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to a National School Boards Association meeting in Washington on Monday. As she has before, DeVos stressed that students sitting in crumbling and dangerous schools, as well as those bored or struggling in their classes, are relying on adults to rethink education and let them achieve education freedom. She urged the crowd to ask themselves why students were still assigned to schools based on their addresses, why students are forced to learn at the same speed, why a college degree is considered the only path to success, along with other questions. Freedom is not a threat, DeVos said, according to the prepared speech, pointing to what she said were successful stories of school choice in places like the District of Columbia and Florida. The only folks who are threatened by education freedom are the same ones who have a vested financial interest in suppressing that freedom. That remark echoes DeVos argument in a speech at the Heritage Foundation last week, when she said that teachers unions are ultimately what stands in the way of students achieving school choice . Elsewhere in the speech, the secretary stressed that a recent school safety report issued by the Trump administration in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., killings last year was a guide and not a mandate. (DeVos did act on the Federal Commission on School Safetys recommendation that she repeal Obama-era school discipline guidance.) Stating that there is no universal school safety plan, she instead urged local communities to find local solutions. And she urged school board members to take advantage of the main federal education laws flexibilities; DeVos highlighted the ability for states to use portion of Title I money under the Every Student Succeeds Act for new and creative purposes. Thats a reference to the 3 percent set-aside in Title I funding that states can spend on things like course choice, dual enrollment, and more. Embrace the freedom ESSA allows and the freedom for which many of you fought. Additionally, look for ways to extend flexibilityto empower teachers and parents, those closest to students, DeVos said. Photo: Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos (Dougal Brownlie) Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Andrew Ujifusa half of Politics K-12 @AndrewUjifusa. Hong Kong: Welfare deduction plan suspended The Government suspended a plan to deduct $200 from payments to able-bodied Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients aged 60 to 64 who refuse to join an employment scheme. Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong made the announcement at todays Legislative Council Welfare Services Panel meeting. These CSSA recipients are required to participate in the Integrated Employment Assistance Programme for Self-reliance. They must make two attempts to find a job and meet social workers at least once every two months to receive job search assistance. Later, Dr Law told reporters the Government will look into the issue after it completes a review of CSSA special grants and supplements by the end of the year. When asked whether the Government would also shelve its policy to change the age eligibility for elderly CSSA, Dr Law reiterated that the decision was made after thorough discussions. The policy decision has been made for more than two years already. The discussion has been thoroughly discussed and options have been considered, and the Government considered the present decision is proper. The only thing that we need to improve is the way that we are going to deliver, and to help those who are needing help to assist them to find jobs. I think that is the reason why we have been making some of the refinements, so to speak, to accommodate the views of the community. This story has been published on: 2019-01-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The Woodlands Township released on Friday, Jan. 25, all documents related to the financial model study and analysis done by a consulting firm after staff with The Villager made a Texas Public Information Act public records request for the documents. The release of the documents, however, came after township officials had first informed staff at The Villager that they were not going to release the documents in question and would be contesting the release of the records sought which included all reports, photos, graphs, spreadsheets and other types if information related to a financial model report done by officials with the Matrix Consulting Group with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The Matrix report had been given in a public incorporation planning meeting, but the document had not been made public in a printed-out packet like other reports such as the pavement analysis, the study of area municipal utility districts and the law enforcement report had. The Villager submitted the TPIA request on Jan. 9, and received the townships letter to Paxton asking for an exemption to releasing the documents on Jan. 24. The Villager staff posted the notification information on the newspapers related Facebook page, where several local residents posted statements about the denial. Enrique Rosero, who has made numerous public comments at township Board of Directors meetings in the past year as well as been a local activist for several issues, questioned the original denial and asked about transparency with the incorporation process something that several board members had touted as one of the townships goal with the incorporation studies in their Jan. 23 meeting. Wow. There goes the transparency they promised, Rosero posted in the discussion thread on Facebook. This community needs in-depth analysis and objective facts on a massive decision like incorporation. Included among the comments was one from township director John McMullan, who wrote on The Villager Facebook page he had consulted with township President and General Manager Don Norrell about the issue on Friday after learning of the rejected request. In the last hour, I spoke twice with the townships President and GM about this matter, McMullan posted on Friday, Jan. 25. Ive been informed that (i) the document in question will be released and (ii) it was not originally released because it was a work-in-progress document at the time of the request. Within several hours of McMullans Facebook post, Norrell had contacted The Villager via email with news that the documents would be released. Norrell emailed The Villager a statement about the documents, stating that After a staff review this morning, the Matrix spreadsheet with be submitted to you today. Lisa Morris, the townships account and public records analyst, verified Norrells email on Jan. 25, and emailed the documents to The Villager. The Township is providing the Matrix-related Financial Model in the attachment above and will be withdrawing its request to the (Texas) Attorney General for their review, Morris wrote in an email. Later that day, township records officials emailed a portion of the documents and data requested. Morris had also provided The Villager with a thumb-drive Friday morning, Jan. 25, that had dozens of documents saved on it related to the Matrix report that had not been contested. In addition to those documents, the townships new incorporation information website https://www.thewoodlandsincorporationstudy.com/ went live on Thursday with links do all the incorporation study documents. The financial model from Matrix was presented in part at several meetings of the township board, with the final presentation being on Dec. 5. After their presentation, officials with Matrix were informed by the board that their contract for services had been terminated. Staff at The Villager is reviewing the copious amounts of data and documents release by the township for a future story on the proposed financial models from both the Matrix Consulting Group, as well as the sole consultant retained for 2019 - The Novak Consulting Group. When pro- and anti-Nicolas Maduro factions converged Sunday afternoon at Montrose and Westheimer, the fault lines between the groups had little connection to the nominally socialist leader of Venezuela. About 15 socialists, who oppose President Donald Trump, described a "U.S. coup" in Venezuela. A few feet away were counter-demonstrators who wore clothing in support of Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the fascist 1970s government of Augusto Pinochet in Chile. A small contingent of police officers, there to keep order, set up a metal riot fence between the two groups. Police Lt. C.J. Bender said he didn't expect any problems but stressed: "What we expect and what we get are two different things." PUMP PAINS: Oil climbs as Venezuelan unrest shoves aside U.S. supply surge David Michael Smith, an activist with the Houston Socialist Movement, helped organize the pro-Maduro rally with his wife, Ronna. Smith knew some of the counter-demonstrators. "They threatened an event yesterday," he said, referencing a protest Saturday at Freed-Montrose Neighborhood Library over public reading events organized by drag queens. The controversy Sunday centered on Juan Guaido, the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly who on Wednesday declared himself the legitimate leader of the country. Maduro dismissed the announcement as part of a history of "gringo interventions and coup d'etats," but the Trump administration and other U. S.-aligned governments accepted Guaido's claim. Smith said he was there to support "the revolution" meaning Maduro's government. Given the chaos in Venezuela, the term "revolution" had some ambiguity. FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Venezuelans in Houston fear chaos Smith seemed to recognize the irony and caught himself with a smile. "The Bolivar revolution," he clarified, using a name often applied to pan-American socialism. "Not the counter-revolution." Smith wasn't just there to support Maduro, though. He was also taking a stand, he said, against "fascists" and "armed Trumpsters." "Some of these folks are very close to neo-Nazis," he added. The pro-Maduro side was a mix of Latino immigrants and run-of-the-mill leftist protesters. Victor Ibarra, a Mexican-American immigration lawyer, saw his pro-Maduro stance as Mexican patriotism. After all, Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador still recognized the Maduro government. "The way to solve the crisis in Venezuela is with an election," Ibarra said. "Otherwise, anyone can stand up and go like this" he raised his hand to mimic himself taking an oath "and be president." Jose Chirinos apparently the only Venezuelan-American in attendance captured the tenuous connection between Venezuela and these protests. Wearing a Venezuelan flag over his shoulders, he got into a brief shouting match with pro-Maduro demonstrators. "Yo soy Venezuelano," Chirinos shouted at the Maduro supporters. They pushed Chirinos and shouted "Contras out" at him in reference to the infamous right-wing death squad in Nicaragua in the 1980s and 1990s. Police escorted Chirinos across the riot barrier. He stood by himself. He wasn't pro-Maduro, but as an immigrants' rights advocate, he didn't have much in common with the pro-Trump supporters, either. "I help a lot of immigrants," Chirinos said when asked how he felt about Trump. In fact, Chirinos said, he knew Ibarra from his immigration work. Chirinos was hurt and angry to see Ibarra standing in support of a government Chirinos saw as illegitimate. "With that act, he's destroying his pro-immigrant work," Chirinos said. He wondered aloud if he should buy Ibarra "a first-class plane ticket" to Venezuela so that he could see the chaos for himself. Chirinos pulled up an Instagram post on his phone. The photo showed Venezuelan police manhandling two people, whom Chirinos described as his nephew and niece. "How can you support a communist guy and a criminal?" he asked rhetorically about Ibarra. "It's ridiculous and sad." Special prosecutor John Raley has completed a report finding ex-death row prisoner Alfred Dewayne Brown "actually innocent," according to current and former Houston police union chiefs Joe Gamaldi and Ray Hunt. The Harris County District Attorney's Office was set to release the bombshell results of the monthslong investigation on Monday, but stepped back at the last minute, Hunt said. Two sources familiar with the case confirmed the union's claims to the Houston Chronicle. Hunt, who has long voiced his belief in Brown's guilt for the 2003 cop killing, roundly condemned the findings. BROWN CASE UPDATE: State Bar drops probe into ex-prosecutor accused of withholding evidence "In my opinion this was a scam from the beginning," he said. "Kim Ogg knew that John Raley would declare Brown actually innocent." The district attorney's office referred all comment to Raley, who declined to confirm the results of his report. "My sole role has been, and is, to investigate the truth of the Brown case," he said. "I approached the case with no preconceived notions, and have been completely independent in my work. Every step of the way I followed the facts where they led, and am continuing to do so." Brown, now 36, was sentenced to die in 2005 for the killing of Houston Police officer Charles Clark during a botched check cashing store robbery. He spent a decade awaiting execution before his conviction was tossed after a police investigator turned over evidence - phone records that might have confirmed Brown's alibi - found in his garage during spring cleaning. Afterward, Brown was released from prison, but denied state compensation for his time behind bars because he hadn't been declared "actually innocent." Instead, he sued the DA's Office, the county, the prosecutor and police. But then, in the course of discovery for the lawsuit, the district attorney's office found a 2003 email showing that former prosecutor Dan Rizzo may have known about the phone records and failed to turn them over to the defense. In the months that followed, Ogg appointed Raley to re-investigate Brown and determine whether he should be found innocent or re-prosecuted and sent back to death row. QUESTIONS: DA appoints outside attorney to review Alfred Brown's innocence claim The high-profile attorney has practiced law for 35 years and is best known for his work on the Michael Morton case and other wrongful convictions - a fact that Hunt hit on repeatedly in his heated criticisms to the Chronicle. "To my knowledge this person has never even prosecuted a traffic ticket," Hunt said. "She hired him for one reason and one reason only: to declare Alfred Brown actually innocent and give her cover." Hunt declined to name the source of his information, aside from averring that it was "credible." His claims come days after the State Bar ended its investigation into the former prosecutor. Rizzo's attorney did not return a phone call Sunday, and Brown's attorneys did not offer comment. When Brown was convicted in 2005, prosecutors said that he'd executed the police officer, while his co-defendant Elijah Joubert shot to death store clerk Alfredia Jones, who had just returned from maternity leave. Both men were sent to death row, while a third co-defendant - Dashan Glaspie - got a 30-year sentence in exchange for his testimony. But Brown always said he was innocent and that he'd been at his girlfriend's apartment just after the murders. The proof, he said, was in a phone call he'd made to his girlfriend at work that morning. For years, officials claimed they had no records of that call. But then in 2013, investigator Breck McDaniel uncovered the phone records in his garage. At first, prosecutors said the evidence had been inadvertently misplaced and not intentionally concealed. But earlier this year, Ogg's office recovered a 2003 email showing that McDaniel had told former prosecutor Dan Rizzo about the phone records well before the case went to trial. It's not clear whether Rizzo read that email, but two days after receiving it he signed a four-page subpoena order almost identical to one attached to the email. The only difference, records show, was a half-sentence deletion, removing a line McDaniel said he wasn't sure about in his message. Rizzo's attorney, Chris Tritico, has consistently maintained there's no indication his client read the email, and this month the State Bar dropped its probe into the matter. Last year, the Harris County Attorney's Office added another wrinkle to the case when they filed an explosive motion to dismiss the lawsuit, alleging that a new expert interpretation of old phone records dashed Brown's alibi and showed he really could have committed the crime and simply "bluffed his way out of prison." County attorneys alleged the phone call didn't prove Brown's innocence because it was actually a three-way call, showing he was not home at his girlfriend's, an assertion stemming from a new expert analysis Brown's lawyers immediately called into question. It's not clear if that's one of the issues Raley might explore in his report - and it's still not certain when the findings might be released. NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. DONALDSONVILLE, La. (AP) A man suspected of killing his parents and three other people - including a girl he was dating - has been captured after an intense manhunt spanning several states, authorities in Louisiana said Sunday. Dakota Theriot, 21, was located in Virginia early Sunday after fleeing the day before, according to a statement by Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre and Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard. Theriot was arrested by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office. The statement said he will be brought back to Ascension Parish to be booked on two counts of first-degree murder, home invasion, and illegal use of weapons. Authorities said Theriot first shot and killed three people - the woman believed to be his girlfriend, her brother and father - in Livingston Parish before taking her father's truck, driving to neighboring Ascension Parish, and shooting his parents. Authorities have identified the victims in Livingston Parish as Billy Ernest, 43; Tanner Ernest, 17; and Summer Ernest, 20. Ard said Summer Ernest and Dakota Theriot were in a relationship and that Theriot had been living with her family for a few weeks. Authorities earlier identified the other two victims as Theriot's parents Keith, 50, and Elizabeth Theriot, 50, of Gonzales. They were shot in their trailer on Saturday morning. "The father was gravely injured at the time we found him and has since passed away," Webre said late Saturday. But before he died, Webre said authorities were able to get a "dying declaration from him, and only enough information to let us know that it was his son that committed this act." Crystal DeYoung, Billy Ernest's sister, told The Associated Press that she believes Theriot had just started dating her niece, Summer Ernest. "My family met him last weekend at a birthday party and didn't get good vibes from him," DeYoung said. She said she wasn't sure how her niece and Theriot met, but that she believed the relationship was relatively new. The Richmond Police Department held its Annual Awards Banquet on Friday, Jan. 18, at Swinging Door BBQ. This event, sponsored by the Richmond Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, honors employees and citizens who show dedication and commitment to the mission of the Richmond Police Department throughout the year. Each Division Commander was asked to pick someone from their division who they believe is deserving of this honor. Top Honors went to Officer Elisa Martinez, who was named 2018 Officer of the Year, and Monica Hernandez who was named 2018 Employee of the Year. In addition, the department awarded the Business Sponsor of the Year to Wal-Mart Super Center Store No. 546 Richmond for outstanding support to the department during 2018. The department also honored Vicki Seely as the 2018 Citizen of the Year. Several other employees and citizens were honored during the ceremony. Community members who have questions about the Conroe Independent School Districts proposed $807 million bond may be able to get their answers through some face time with the districts top administrator. Curtis Null, the districts superintendent is encouraging organizations to contact the district to schedule a speaking engagement with him. His goal to talk with as many groups of people as possible. In both Conroe and The Woodlands, we want everybody to have an opportunity to hear the information and how it impacts the districts as whole, but also the community, Null said. His purpose is to help taxpayers feel like theyre educated and informed enough to make their best decision on election day, which is set for May 4. Related: Conroe ISDs $807 million bond package Null said he is looking to visit with groups like homeowners associations or Rotary and Lions clubs across the districts 348 square miles to do so. He said he has already booked 10 to 15 speaking engagements at places like The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce and welcomes more. I anticipate presenting this information many, many times over the next few months, Null said. Some key bond projects include a Conroe High School renovation that would convert the six-building campus into one building for $146 million, an Oak Ridge High School overhaul and addition for $58 million and three new elementary schools and one new junior high school for a total of $192 million. Other targeted areas include life cycle upgrades, safety and security projects and renovations for growth throughout the district. Last week, Null held a meeting at the Cochrans Crossing Village Associations meeting in The Woodlands to discuss both the projects and the financial side of the bond package. While CISD Trustee Ray Sanders was also at the meeting, Null said those in attendance were engaged in the issue. They asked excellent questions. We had great conversation, and thats what we want, Null said. Gary Conwell is the village associations secretary. Conwell said there were about 50 people there. I dont think theres any school district in the country thats looked at as not being an important part of bringing people to that area. If someone is going to move to the area, theyre going to look at the school district, Conwell said. Conwell said he thought that attendees understood the need to invest in the districts facilities and programs, but wanted to know more about how the construction of new schools would alter the attendance boundary zones that dictate which campus a child attends. In addition to these meetings initiated by specific groups, the districts officials also plan to facilitate informational nights in each feeder zone in the future. Its a complicated processour goal is to be as transparent as possible. We will provide every bit of information as possible, Null said. jane.stueckemann@chron.com Take heart and know your risk. Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital is inviting residents of Montgomery County to receive free heart-risk screenings and valuable heart-health information on Tuesday, Feb. 5, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Join heart experts at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital for free heart screenings, including cholesterol and blood pressure readings, informative lectures about your heart health and Physician Q&A. Physicians with Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Associates - Drs. Paul Cunningham, Ali Rizvi and Rajesh Venkataraman - will share valuable information on topics including: Understanding Your 10-year Heart Risk Assessment, Peripheral Arterial Disease and A-Fib and Blood Thinners. Dr. Nisha Sidhwani, a specialist in primary care and family medicine with Houston Methodist Primary Care Group in The Woodlands, will also educate guests on ways to maintain a heart-healthy lifestyle and the importance of developing a relationship with a primary care physician. We hosted this heart event for the first time last year and it was a resounding success, as we welcomed more than 120 residents from Montgomery, Conroe and The Woodlands, said Paul Cunningham, MD, chair of cardiology. We are excited to host this event again during American Heart Month, as we know many people are eager to learn about their risk for heart disease. And, it is an opportunity for the community to learn about the first-class, comprehensive cardiovascular care offered at Houston Methodist The Woodlands. Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital is located at 17201 Interstate 45 South in The Woodlands. The event will be held in the conference center on the third floor with refreshments and light bites provided. Visit houstonmethodist.org/heart-event to reserve your spot. To schedule an appointment with a cardiologist or primary care doctor call 936-270-3333. Physicians with Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Associates in The Woodlands are currently seeing patients on the campus of Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, in Medical Office Building 1, Suites 640 & 650, located at 17183 I-45 South; and at Houston Methodist Comprehensive Care Center, located at 4015 I-45 North, Suite 110, in Conroe. Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital opened in 2017 with 187 beds and occupies 470,000 square feet, including a 150,000-square-foot-medical building. Located at the intersection of Texas Hwy. 242 and Interstate 45, Houston Methodist The Woodlands is the eighth hospital in the Houston Methodist system, offering The Woodlands community a full-service, acute care hospital providing services similar to those of the flagship Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center For more information on Houston Methodist The Woodlands campus, please visit houstonmethodist.org/thewoodlands. For more information about Houston Methodist, visit houstonmethodist.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. To find a physician, call 936-270-3333. The Katy ISD board of trustees is expected to name the districts newest junior high school after a former board president who devoted almost three decades of service to education. The KISDs naming committee recommended the latest campus, now known only as Junior High School 16, be named for longtime board member Joe Adams who served from 1989 until 2016. Im just very honored and humbled that theyve chosen me, he said after the Jan. 14 board meeting. There are a lot of deserving people that this school could have been named after. The campus is located in the Cross Creek Ranch subdivision in Fulshear and is expected to relieve some of the overcrowding in KISDs fast-growing southwest section. District officials have said the school co-located with a high school campus will be ready for students by August 2019. Adams said he learned only last week the naming committee was going to put his name forward for a full board vote. It just makes you feel really good, he said. But a name is a name. What goes on inside the school is the most important thing. During his tenure on the board which included several terms as president Adams help guide KISDs explosive growth. The districts enrollment grew by more than 50,000 students from the time he started until May 2016 when current board member George Scott defeated him by a six vote margin. In a post-election interview with the Houston Chronicle, Adams said he was most proud of the bond referendums he helped pass which kept KISD financially stable. His fondest memories as a trustee, he said, we spent congratulating KISD seniors on stage at numerous graduation ceremonies over the years. Elizabeth Brodt, the inaugural principal of what will be Joe Adams Junior High School, was on hand as the naming committee put his name forward. Im extremely excited to incorporate his legacy thats been in Katy ISD for 27 years into our school culture, Brodt said. Adams said he was proud to be added to the list of other former Katy officials whose names now grace KISD school buildings. That really makes you feel like youre part of that group, he said. Adams said he plans to devote his free time to the students and staff at his namesake campus. Im there to support them with what theyre doing, he said. Theyre there to educate the kids. Ill participate as much as I can and be up there as often as I can. mike.glenn@chron.com George Scott, a policy analyst and education advocate who joined the Katy Independent School District Board of Trustees two years ago, will not seek re-election to the school board. In a Facebook post, Scott said he will not be a candidate for either of the open trustee seats in the May 4 election. Katy ISD board president Courtney Doyle said Scotts extensive knowledge of public education and school finance issues will be missed on the board. He was passionate, honest and willing to fight for the students and staff of Katy ISD, Doyle said. His commitments to serve in a volunteer role such as school board is both admirable and deserving of all my upmost respect. Scott said he made the decision three months ago to step down when his school board term expires. He doesnt say what caused him to reject another school board run and declined further comment. Scott said he may post a more detailed message in the future. I am going to give my assessment of what has happened over the course of the last calendar year, said Scott. However, I may change my mind and write nothing. His statement if he opts to publish it will also detail what is likely to occur in Katy ISD if local activist turned school board candidate Sean Dolan wins the election, Scott said. I am removing my analysis of existing reality from even the appearance of being vested personal political interests by announcing I will not seek re-election to the school board, he said. In mid December, Scott was part of a four-member majority who voted to name Ken Gregorski the sole candidate for the superintendents job. Scott accused Fox and current board member Dawn Champagne of being agents of anarchy and chaos after they made comments on social media about their concerns. They have proven themselves to be non credible, Scott said. Champagne and Fox both were mentioned on Scotts Facebook post as being too closely aligned with Dolan. Fox, the longest-serving school board member, declined to comment. Champagne disputed Scotts characterization of her. Ive heard that all through my campaign. Its not true, she said. Im hopeful that in time the truth will be revealed. In his Facebook post, Scott said the May 4 school board election will be crucial. There has never been a more important election in the history of the school district, he said. If the election is so critical, why is he deciding to step down, Dolan asked. I think hes afraid to run against me. That was my initial reaction to it, he said. He is the best person to fight his case and hes going to be on the sidelines. How does he think hell contribute better from the sidelines better than he would as a candidate? Katy ISD board member Bill Lacy said Scott was a very good trustee with a deep and extensive knowledge of the school boards history. It has made him an invaluable part of our board, Lacy said. I have a lot of respect for George and a lot of appreciation for being able to serve on the board with him. mike.glenn@chron.com 3 1 of 3 Jason Montes family photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office Show More Show Less 3 of 3 The body of a 17-year-old man found near a retention pond in Fort Bend County has been identified as Jason Montes of Houston, according to officials from the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office. The former Bush High School student was found face down with a gunshot wound to his back in an area near FM 1464 and Bellaire Boulevard on Thursday afternoon. After starting as West University Places new city manager on Tuesday, Jan. 22, David Beach sat down to talk about his new role, his priorities and the city he serves. Beach had served as the citys director of public works since 2015 and then also became the assistant city manager in January 2018. He came to West University in 2005 as the assistant to the city manager and said his years of working in local government beginning in Washington state in 1995 have equipped him well for the many hats a city manager must wear. Having a wide range of experience, I think, prepares you to be a (city manager) because youre really a jack of all trades and a master of none, Beach said. You have the ability to go focus on an issue, come up to speed on it really quickly, to become the resident expert, but you have to know what you dont know. A key, he said, is hiring competent people who know the details and have the proper expertise because a city manager can only do so much. No one can run the whole show by themselves, so I will be only successful as my employees are successful, Beach said. He named four priorities for his first six months: bettering communications and outreach to residents; addressing drainage issues and applying for grants; working toward the Buffalo Speedway replacement and drainage improvements; and promoting the citys alarm-monitoring service, DirectLink. Asked what West University does really well currently, Beach pointed to the citys services. I live in Houston, so you can compare it. We have one of the lowest tax rates in the county for the city portion of the tax, and we provide a very high level of service, I think, over that aspect, he said. We provide very good services. Can we improve them? Sure. Police and fire are good. Our solid waste, last time we did a survey, 93 percent of the residents it was a random survey, so calling around 93 percent of them were satisfied or very satisfied with trash service. The people who call West University Place home are what makes it a great place to live, Beach said, giving the example that some residents leave Gatorade and cold drinks out for garbage collectors during summer months and warm beverages and food around the holidays. Like anything, you have your naysayers and stuff like that, but the overwhelming majority of people are great. They care about the community. Theyre very involved, he said. They understand that we live in the fourth, possibly the third, largest metropolitan area in the nation, but retaining that small-town feel is very important to them. tracy.maness@hcnonline.com Deputies with Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosens office broke up an alleged cockfighting ring on Sunday. With the help of the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, deputies were able to seize almost 300 roosters, hens and chicks in addition to 176 eggs at the scene The raid took place in the 4300 block of Mooney Road. Also recovered were dozens of gaffs, which are affixed to a roosters leg during a fight to cause additional damage. The weapons are extremely sharp and tied to the legs of the roosters during the fights. Arrested at the scene was Armando Banderas Delgado, 76. He has been charged with cockfighting. Six others were detained and issued citations for being spectators at the cockfight on Sunday. He has bailed out of jail on a $1,000 bond. His next court date is set for Friday, Feb. 1, in Ronnisha Bowmans Criminal Court 2. His charge is a Class A misdemeanor. The Constables Office reports that this bust came from a single tip. Anyone needing to report animal cruelty is asked to call the HSPCA animal cruelty hotline, 24/7. Call 713-869-7722 or email animalcruelty@cn1.hctx.net. rkent@hcnonline.com A 17-year-old male has been charged with criminal negligent homicide in a shooting that left his 15-year-old girlfriend dead. The shooting occurred on 23119 Kimberly Glen Lane at 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Sheriff Ed Gonzales said that the shooter involved was the 15-year-old's boyfriend. According to authorities, there was a large group of people at the home at the time of the shooting. A 17-year-old boyfriend and 15-year-old girlfriend were reportedly upstairs in a bedroom when the shooting occurred. Gonzales said that the 17-year-old then shot the 15-year-old girl. It is unclear if the the shooting was accidental or intentional. Harris County Sheriff's deputies then took the 17-year-old into custody after the shooting. Karen Howard, owner/founder of Serene Beans, has moving and remodeling down pat. The coffee shop, which first opened in fall 2016, now is located at 5609 3rd St., and Howard is looking forward to becoming more involved in community events such as Katy Market Days and Katy Rice Festival. After opening at 1512 Ave. C in the fall of 2016, Serene Beans moved in spring 2017 to 1933 East Ave. That move required that Howard remodel the house formerly occupied by Rehab Services of Houston at 1933 East Ave. into a multi-roomed coffee shop with outdoor seating in the back yard. That location also allowed Howard to grow her customer base. By accident, she stumbled across a sign saying that the downtown building was available to lease. So about 18 months after opening the East Avenue location, she organized a Nov. 24 farewell party for the site. I want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all our loyal customers for you support during the MOVE, she wrote on Facebook. Seven weeks of remodeling then followed. Ive done this before, she said. I had the right contractors. Everything just clicked. The shop offers seating at windows, tables and in oversized upholstered furniture. Outdoor seating also is available. The downtown street construction that might have hampered business for local merchants has been completed, and Howard said the rent is lower than her former site and she has a five-year lease. She called the arrangement a win-win situation for both her and the landlord. Serene Beans is located across from a Well Fargo Branch, where Howard formerly worked. They have 400 customers a day, said Howard of the bank, where she worked for seven years. It was her transfer by the bank to Katy that introduced her to Old Town Katy, which she said she loves. Its kind of cool, she said to be located near her former office. I have a little fondness for Wells Fargo. I did 20 years with them. More Information Want to Go? What: Serene Beans Where: 5609 3rd St., Katy Details:serenebeans.com or 832-437-5567 See More Collapse Hours have changed. The coffee shop will open earlier than before, which was a customer request, she said. Hours are 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. Serene Beans also formerly hosted vendor fairs. Howard said she is encouraging those vendors to participate in Katy Market Days. While her daughter, Hailey and husband, Mark, are no longer putting in time at the shop, her son, Blake, is a barista and works evenings. Hes a senior at James Taylor High School. Neither the menu nor mission has changed. The rear of the shop contains a meeting room for groups to use. When she first opened, she talked about passing it on by hosting meetings of the Lifeway Teens and Alcoholics Anonymous. Both she and her husband have been part of the AA recovery program for more than 20 years. Recovery has been a huge part of my life, she said when she opened her first Serene Beans shop. I wanted to bring all parts of my life together. Owning a coffee shop also has been a part of her life and something she had in the back of her mind while working in the banking industry. Its just right. Its what Ive been dreaming of the whole time since opening on Avenue C. Its been a ton of hard work, but its worth it. karen.zurawski@chron.com Since Jan. 17, Humbles The Hop Stop at 802 1st St. E. has been tapping five kinds of beer from Parish Brewing Co. The brewery is based in Louisiana and is the second-largest of the state. We are excited to finally be a big part of the market and will focus on getting our full distributed portfolio to retailers across the area. Texans are our neighbors and we will work hard to grow our brands there the market is very important to our company, said Andrew Godley, founder and president of Parish Brewing Co., in a press release. John Mercer recalled the 24th annual Cy-Fair Barbecue and Chili Cook-Off six years ago when Houston roads were shutting down due to icy weather and below-freezing temperatures. Still, Mercer and other competitors managed to trek to Traders Village for one of their coldest, but successful, cook-offs to date. Youre not stopping me from cooking, Mercer said. Im going to get my pit. Mercer, who is head cook for the restaurant Gettin Sauced Cookers in Cypress, has been competing in the cook-off at Traders Village for nearly a decade and returned for yet another years competition over the weekend. The 30th annual Barbecue and Chili Cook-Off, held Jan. 26 and 27, invited teams of cooks to compete while raising scholarship funds for the Rodeos Educational Commitment, which goes directly to Cy-Fair ISD students. The event is a social experience for the participants, as well as a chance to give back, said Adriana Avila, chair for the annual cook-off. This year, nearly 40 teams competed in the event. Categories for competition include chili, brisket, pork ribs, chicken, margaritas, bloody marys and a junior chili cook-off for children. Food is also sold on-site. Avila explained that food is judged and assigned points based on taste, smell and texture, to determine who receives the highest score. The event is coordinated by Avila and the Cy-Fair Subcommittee. The scholarship funds raised through the event are distributed by Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. More Information Winners: See More Collapse All of the funds that our subcommittee raises goes to Cy-Fair scholarships, Avila said. They all are four-year scholarships. Our committee raised $640,000 last year and thats how much we gave out in scholarships. We dont keep any of it, it just goes right back into our community basically. Cy-Fair cook-off winners get the opportunity to compete against other area events cook-off winners for a chance to participate in a large cook-off held by Houston Rodeo in February 2020. Mercer said he enjoyed the family-friendly aspect of the Cy-Fair cook-off event, since other cook-offs require closed sessions for the chefs. Mercer said his children are competing in the junior cook off this year. Some of these other [cook-offs], you cant go for a family time. When I win, they win with me, Mercer said. We walk together. That means more to me than anything else. They can give me all of the money in the world, if Im standing up there by itself it means nothing to me. Gettin Sauced Cookers, a Cy-Fair based barbecue company, has previously given back to the community in other ways, including feeding 65,000 citizens during Hurricane Harvey and feeding Houston firefighters after the death of four firemen in a 2013 motel fire. Avila said Mercer has inspired and helped some regular competitors hone their cooking skills. Avila and Mercer agree that they have a friendship that was forged through years of being involved in the cook-off event. For them, its a chance to give back and hang out. We used to stand in the backyard and drink beer with our buddies, Mercer said. Weve raised a lot of money for a lot of different people just going out there drinking beer and cooking and then building it from there. chevall.pryce@chron.com After months of courting oil officials in Abu Dhabi, Claudio Descalzi got his prize: a stake in the worlds fourth-largest oil processing plant. The chief executive officer of Rome-based Eni SpA has sunk billions of dollars into three oil and gas production and exploration concessions in Abu Dhabi since March. But on frequent visits to the United Arab Emirates -- at least three since November -- he repeatedly expressed interest in a piece of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.s 922,000 barrel-a-day refining business. Houston is regaining an important accolade: Bush Intercontinental Airport will offer flights to every continent where people outnumber penguins. The airport lost its distinction of offering flights to every continent but Antarctica last year with the cancellation of SonAir's charter to Luanda, Angola. But starting this summer, Ethiopian Airlines will fly to Houston from West Africa three times a week. The news release did not specify from where in West Africa. Ethiopian Airlines will become the 21st foreign flag carrier offering passenger flights out of Bush Intercontinental. And it's the first new international airline in more than a year. The airport added a bunch of international airlines in 2014 and 2015, but it then slowed down, adding only Bahamasair in November 2017. "Finding the right partner and strengthening our connection with Africa was one of our primary goals in continuing the growth in international travel to the Houston market," Houston Airport System Director Mario Diaz said in a news release, "and we are excited to partner with Ethiopian Airlines to make that happen." More on SonAir: Houston Airport System to lose only nonstop flight to Africa Ethiopian Airlines said the new flights will facilitate travel for the greater Houston area's African community 6 percent of the region's 1.6 million foreign-born residents were born in Africa and its oil and gas business, according to its news release. Ethiopian Airlines will use the Boeing 787 on this route. Bob Harvey, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, said having nonstop flights "to every inhabited continent around the globe is important to Houston's identity as a great global city." "At the outset, this new service will help accommodate the existing commercial need for business travel between Houston and largely energy-related interests in Africa," Harvey said in a statement. "But we have also seen time and again that a new air connection can serve as a catalyst for creating new business opportunities." Already, Houston imports from Africa increased 33 percent to $2.6 billion as of October 2018. Exports to Africa increased 15 percent to $4.8 billion compared with the same period in 2017, according to data compiled by the Greater Houston Partnership. At HoustonChronicle.com: Airport System hopes to reignite international interest in Houston The SonAir flight, known as the "Houston Express," had been operated by Atlas Air and departed Bush Intercontinental Airport three to four times a week throughout the year. For many years, seats were only sold to oil and gas companies with operations in Luanda. It became a public charter in mid-2017, which opened a portion of the seats for purchase by people outside the membership companies. Ethiopian Airlines announced its impending Houston flights as part of a larger restructuring of its U.S. network, which will also increase flights to other cities. Dr. Philip A. Salem has spent 32 of his more than 50 years of fighting cancer for patients in Houston. Colleagues, family members and friends gathered at Brennans of Houston on Thursday, Jan. 24, for a special dinner honoring Salems long career of medical service, even as he continues practicing. A world-renowned physician, researcher and educator, Salem is the president of Salem Oncology Center in the Texas Medical Center and the director emeritus of cancer research at Baylor St. Lukes Medical Center. St. Lukes has been Salems professional home for more than 27 years, and he said it has long been a place that not only cares for its patients but offers them compassion. This is, I think, the challenge in the 21st century: how to make health care more humane; how to infuse it with more humanness, more kindness, more compassion, more love because this is what the world really needs, Salem said. If anybody needs these things, its the patient and specifically in particular, the cancer patient. To give his patients with the best quality of care, Salem stays in regular contact with a talented group of physicians and health care professionals. Dr. Thomas Wheeler, professor of pathology at Baylor College of Medicine, has worked closely with Salem for about three years and said functioning well as a team is critical for patient well-being, particularly because todays medicine is so personalized and no one doctor can know everything. Dr. Salem, in his role, hes like a great conductor of an orchestra that has all the different pieces, but if you let each of them play on their own, youd have a cacophony, Wheeler said. Having everybody play in sequence, the same tune, all for the same purpose, the patient gets the very best care. Last year, Salem authored the book Defeating Cancer: Knowledge Alone is Not Enough. It brings home the idea that doctors need more than just science and facts to truly help their cancer patients. For instance, he said without humility, doctors will lack inquisitiveness about the unknown and often be unwilling to listen when a treatment plan is questioned. Cancer doctors have to model hope and perseverance for their patients, Salem said, recounting a story of trying multiple treatments on one patient before finally succeeding. We failed the first time. We failed the second time. We failed the third time, he said. But the fourth time, we gave her back her life. Jeffrey Toal was hired last August as executive director of the Salem Oncology Center so that Salem could better focus on caring for his patients and writing as he moves into his sixth decade of practice. Toal said the doctors love for medicine and even more so his patients is infectious. That passion of love and support that he gives to his patient and the family and the staff is just no comparison, Toal said. That passion he has is just, its all genuine. Ive never seen such a depth of kindness. tracy.maness@hcnonline.com Jan. 7 At 9:05 a.m., Officer Connelly was waved down by the Walgreens manager who advised him a male just left the store at 5002 Bellaire Blvd. without purchasing items. Officer Connelly gave description of suspect and direction of travel over the radio. Officers Carson and Bailey observed the suspect in the 5100 block of Bissonnet St. It was determined the subject placed shampoo into his pocket and crossed the last point of purchase in Walgreens. Subject was arrested for theft. At 3:58 p.m., Officers Lysack and Liccketto were dispatched to the 4700 block of Bellview in reference to a burglary of a building. Officers met with the victim who stated an unknown suspect entered his house under renovation and stole a washing machine and dryer. After reviewing the scene, Officer Lysack believes the suspect entered the building through an unsecured window and exited through the garage door. The victim stated he was last in the house on Jan. 4 but believes the burglary happened on Jan. 7 between 12:30 and 3:55 p.m. Jan. 8 At 8:05 a.m., Corporal D. Clawson conducted a traffic stop on a white Ford Taurus in the area of 6500 South Rice. During the traffic investigation it was determined the defendant was in possession of marijuana. The defendant was subsequently arrested and charged with possession of marijuana. Officer Carson and Officer Bailey assisted in this case. At 4:15 p.m., a suspect entered an unoccupied, but running vehicle in a Houston restaurant parking lot and fled the scene in the 4800 block of Chestnut Street. The reportee gave chase to the suspect in another vehicle following it into Bellaire. While trying to cut off the suspect the two vehicles crashed head on into one another, disabling both. The suspect eventually fled on foot but was located by Bellaire Officers who also located methamphetamine in her possession. The suspect was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance - 1g methamphetamine. Officer Liccketto and CRO Edwards along with Houston Police Officers Kelley, Segura, and Le assisted with this case. Auto theft charges are also pending with Houston Police Department. At 6:31 p.m., Officer Lysack was dispatched the 4300 block of Oleander Street in reference to found property. Officer Lysack arrived on scene and met with the resident who provided Officer Lysack with the property. The resident stated the property was found on their front porch. The owner was located and property was returned. Jan. 9 At 12:30 a.m., Officer Barrientos conducted a traffic stop on black Hyundai Sonata for defective equipment (right tail light out) in the 6500 block of IH 610 northbound. The passenger of the vehicle was in possession of 5.05 ounces of marijuana. Ofc. Barrientos placed the passenger in custody and transported him to the Bellaire jail for possession of marijuana. At 11:32 a.m., Officer Andrade was dispatched to the Bellaire Police Department lobby to meet with a reportee in reference to indecent exposure in the 5200 block of Braeburn Drive. Upon arrival, Officer Andrade made contact with the reportee who stated about 1:45 p.m. Jan. 6, a Hispanic male driving a white sedan exposed himself to her. The suspect had been taken into custody on Jan. 7. At 6:12 p.m., Officer Lysack was dispatched the 7300 block of IH 610 southbound in reference to a possible intoxicated driver. Officer Lysack located the vehicle and observed the vehicle fail to maintain a single lane of traffic. Officer Lysack initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. Upon further investigation, the suspect was placed into custody for driving while intoxicated and transported to the Bellaire Jail for processing. Officer Liccketto assisted on this case. At 4:50 p.m., Corporal OSullivan conducted a traffic stop in the 8200 block of IH 610 West Service Road on a subject for a defective passenger side brake light. The driver was arrested for operating with a suspended Louisiana drivers license. During the investigation for the traffic violation, Cpl. OSullivan located numerous identification cards and drivers licenses that had fraudulent information on them. The suspect was later charged with fraud. Jan. 10 At 2:57 a.m., Officer Ortega observed suspect vehicle backing up into a parking spot at 5200 Bellaire Blvd. after hours. Due to the recent burglary of buildings in the area, Officer Ortega attempted to make contact with the vehicle and observed the suspect vehicle abruptly leave the area and run a red light. After a lengthy pursuit, the occupants exited the vehicle and evaded on foot. Officers held a perimeter of the area and with the assistance of HPD and HPD FOX were able to locate all occupants. The driver was placed into custody for evading using a motor vehicle (with previous conviction), the front right passenger for evading on foot (with previous conviction), the rear right passenger for outstanding warrants, and the rear left passenger was released. Officer Bellard assisted in this case. Jan. 11 At 2 p.m., Officer Vorhees was dispatched to 4610 Bellaire Blvd. in reference to an assault. Officer Vorhees made contact with the victim who stated she was assaulted by her boyfriend. The Bellaire Special Response Team were able to locate the suspect and place him in custody for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, assault family violence, and compelling prostitution. At 4:11 p.m., Officer Schwausch was patrolling the 6800 Interstate Highway 610 West Loop South East Service Road when he observed a tan Cadillac traveling on a public roadway with expired registration. Officer Schwausch initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and found the driver was driving with a suspended driver license and without proof of financial responsibility. The driver was arrested for driving while license invalid - enhanced and transported to the Bellaire Police Department without incident. At 4:36 p.m., Sgt. Hefferin, Cpl. Osullivan, and Officer Carson were in the process of investigating a possible subject with a firearm at 4544 Bissonnet. The suspect, who was not part of the investigation, interjected herself into the investigation. The suspect was asked and then given multiple orders to leave the scene but refused. While attempting to place the suspect into custody she resisted and nearly stomped on an officers hand. The suspect was later transported to the Bellaire jail without further incident. Jan. 12 At 3:15 p.m., Officer Marcotte initiated a traffic stop in the 4500 block of Fournace on a 2014 Charger for expired registration. The driver was found to have a suspended drivers license and was arrested for driving while license invalid (DWLI). At 5:40 p.m., Officer Marcotte initiated a traffic stop at 5130 Bellaire Blvd. on a 2008 Cadillac for not having a front plate. The driver was found to be in possession of 23 grams of marijuana and THC oil. The passenger was found to be in possession of a stolen firearm. The driver was offered the marijuana diversion program while the possession of a controlled substance charges are pending, and the 18 year old passenger was arrested and charged with unlawful carry of a weapon. Jan. 13 At 5:49 a.m., Cpl. Clawson was patrolling the area of 7000 Chetwood and observed a white 2009 Ford F-150 stuck in a ditch by the roadway near closed businesses. Upon investigation, the driver was found to be intoxicated while operating the F-150. Officer Barrientos arrived and took primary on this case. Jan. 15 At 2:15 a.m., Officer Barrientos was patrolling the 6000 block of IH 610 West Loop South southbound and observed a white Ford Focus traveling at a speed of 80 mph in a 60 mph zone. Ofc. Barrientos made contact with the driver and smelled an odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from the drivers breath/person, red blood shot eyes and slurred speech. Ofc. Barrientos determined the driver was intoxicated while operating a motor vehicle and placed the driver in custody. The passenger of the vehicle was placed in custody for public intoxication. At 12:23 p.m., Officer Vorhees was dispatched to 5909 West Loop South to meet with the victim in reference to a theft. The victim stated a person walked through their offices and removed checks and money orders from a bank deposit pouch that was on a desk. At 3:23 p.m., Officer Liccketto was dispatched to a burglary of a habitation in the 5000 block of Chestnut Street. Officer Liccketto arrived and met with the resident who stated he was last inside his property two weeks ago. The reportee found the inside ransacked and several items missing. Officer Lysack assisted with the case. Jan. 16 At 5:24 a.m., Cpl. A. Porter observed a vehicle parked in front of a residence in the 4600 block of Spruce Street with a driver side rear window broken out. Upon further investigation it was determined between 7 p.m. Jan. 15 and 5:24 a.m. Jan. 16 an unknown suspect(s) broke out the driver side rear window and stole a briefcase. Cpl. Clawson assisted in this case and took the information for a report. At 10:54 p.m., Officer Quimby was dispatched to the 4400 block of Acadia Street in reference to a welfare check. A female contacted the Houston Police Department and advised her husband was bipolar, and a possible suicide or killing had occurred. Officer Quimby arrived at approximately 2300 hours and observed the female subject was standing against the front of the residence. The female was found to be intoxicated and placed into custody. While at the jail the female bit Officer Quimbys left index finger causing him to feel pain. The female was then charged with assault on a public servant. Jan. 17 At 5:03 p.m., Officer Liccketto was dispatched to the lobby of the Bellaire Police Department in reference to a burglary of motor vehicle at 5305 Bissonnet St. The owner of the vehicle left her vehicle while at work. At the end of her shift she discovered her vehicle with a broken driver side rear window. At 6:54 p.m., Officer Schwausch was dispatched to the 7800 block of IH610 SB in reference to a rollover accident. The at-fault driver was found to be intoxicated. The driver was charged with driving while intoxicated / open container. Jan. 18 At 4:08 p.m., Officer Younger initiated a traffic stop in the 4700 block of Fournace Place on a vehicle for expired registration. The driver had a suspended license with no proof of financial responsibility and warrants out of several agencies. The driver was placed into custody and processed without incident. Jan. 19 At 12:50 p.m., Officer Schwausch was patrolling the 5400 block of IH 610 NB when he observed a red F150 travelling in front him with an expired Texas Temporary License Plate. Officer Schwausch initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and found the driver was driving with a suspended driver license and without proof of financial responsibility. The driver was arrested for driving while license invalid - enhanced. At 7:54 p.m., Officer Schwausch was patrolling the 6700 block of S. Rice Ave. when he observed a white Silverado accelerating at a high rate of speed. Officer Schwausch then observed the Silverado fail to maintain a single lane of travel. Officer Schwausch initiated a traffic stop on the Silverado and found the driver to be driving while intoxicated. The suspect was charged with driving while intoxicated and placed into custody without incident. Corporal OSullivan assisted with this investigation. Jan. 20 At 8:27 p.m., Officers Carson and Bailey were dispatched to 4417 Bellaire Blvd. regarding a theft. Victim advised his laptop was stolen and believes the laptop was stolen during church service. H-E-B will open its long-anticipated Heights supermarket on Wednesday, two years after neighborhood residents overturned a century-old ban on off-premise alcohol sales. The 92,000-square-foot supermarket at North Shepherd and 24th Street takes full advantage of the Heights' newly wet status. The double-decker store stocks 1,800 bottles of wine and 300 beers, including offerings from local craft breweries such as Eureka Heights. "We knew our beer and wine selection had better be good," Scott McClelland, H-E-B's Houston division president, said on a recent tour of the new supermarket. The new H-E-B, which sits on the second floor of the parking garage, brings an urban feel to the residential neighborhood. Shoppers can park on the well-lit ground level and take elevators or escalators up to the store. There is a separate escalator reserved for shopping carts. RELATED: H-E-B opens first double-decker store in Houston At the same time, H-E-B worked to maintain the Heights' quirky vibe, McClelland said. The store's vestibule features a hanging art installation of chickens wearing colorful sweaters and large coins created by Houston sculptor Elaine Bradford. The artwork represents an H-E-B promotion from the 1930s where patrons could win free chickens and handfuls of nickels with their groceries. Inside, the new H-E-B store features more than 50,000 food products, a butcher shop with 21-day dry-aged beef, a seafood department that serves sushi and poke bowls, a bakery and tortilleria, a full-service pharmacy, a flower shop, a demonstration kitchen and a section for grab-and-go meals. The Roastery Coffee Kitchen, a specialty coffee shop and eatery, is on the second floor. RELATED: H-E-B breaks ground in newly wet corner of the Heights The store aims to court millennials and young families, who have flocked to the Heights in recent years. Social-media savvy shoppers can snap photos in front of a HE_GHTS sign where they can stand in for the "I." Shoppers can order online and pick up in store, as well as have their groceries delivered home via app-based services such as Favor, Shipt and Instacart. There are also bike racks with space for 50 bicycles. RELATED: H-E-B's first-ever seafood venue, Texas Boil House, opens in Houston this weekend Click through the slideshow to see photos inside H-E-B's new Heights store. WASHINGTON - The Trump administration announced Monday it will expand sanctions on Venezuela to include the state-owned oil company PDVSA, a major exporter to the United States, in a bid to push President Nicolas Maduro out of office. In a press briefing at the White House, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the move was intended to protect Venezuelan assets and urged a peaceful transition of power. "He's not the proper leader of the country right now, and these are valuable assets we're protecting for the benefit of the Venezuelan people," he said. "We will carefully be looking at the effectiveness of these [sanctions] and whether we need additional sanctions." CRUDE ROUTE: Venezuelan oil sanctions would hit Gulf Coast refineries Sanctions on Venezuelan crude pose a considerable threat for oil refineries along the Gulf Coast. While the United States only imported 670,000 barrels a day from Venezuela last year - 7 percent of total crude imports - the vast majority of that oil heads to the Gulf where it is mixed with lighter crude coming out of West Texas. "Venezuela is very important for oil markets, not so much the sheer volumes but rather for the quality of their crude. Sanctions would make U.S. Gulf coast refiners the biggest loser," Rystad Energy analyst Paola Rodriguez-Masiu said last week. Likely the hardest hit refiner would be Citgo Petroleum Corp., the refining arm of PDVSA. Citgo, headquartered in Houston, imported about 56 million barrels of Venezuelan crude in the first 10 months of last year, according to Energy Department data. San Antonio-based Valero Energy wasn't far behind, importing about 55 million barrels of Venezuelan crude over the same time period. But Mnuchin said he was confident that the placement on sanctions on Venezuelan crude would not significantly impact U.S. energy prices, calling PDVSA a "relatively modest part of overall supply." "These refineries [buying oil from PDVSA] impact a certain part of the country and were comfortable they have enough supply," he said. "I think they read the tea leaves and reduced their dependence." On Monday refineries sought to reassure markets that the loss of oil from PDVSA would be managed comfortably. "We support the Administration's goal of bringing positive change in Venezuela," the trade group American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers said in a statement. "To that end, we will work with the Administration to minimize any unnecessary disruptions or negative impacts to the market and American consumers." The announcement followed a preemptive statement Monday from Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., indicating that the Trump administration was readying sanctions and praising Trump. "The Maduro crime family has used PDVSA to buy and keep the support of many military leaders," Rubio said. "The oil belongs to the Venezuelan people, and therefore the money PDVSA earns from its export will now be returned to the people through their legitimate constitutional government." Staff Writer Marissa Luck contributed to this report. Crude skidded to its worst loss in a month as disappointing corporate profit forecasts stoked concern about the economy, bruising a market already anxious about booming American oil supplies. Futures dropped 3.2 percent in New York on Monday, joining a slide in equities after microchip-maker Nvidia Corp. and heavy-equipment giant Caterpillar Inc. warned of slowing growth in China and elsewhere. Saudi Arabia's pledge to pump oil "well below" its self-imposed limit did little to mollify traders. Oil has advanced 15 percent this year as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies curbed output to ease glut concerns. Nevertheless, price gains have been capped by record American output, expanding stockpiles and the U.S.-China trade war. Talks between the world's two biggest economies later this week may provide the catalyst for crude to break through its recent narrow trading range. PREVIOUSLY: Oil rises as U.S. shutdown ends while Venezuela tensions mount "This is a broader risk-off move," said Ryan McKay, a commodities strategist at TD Securities in Toronto. The earnings reports are "a bad sign for demand in China and for global growth overall, and that's a big worry for crude markets these days." West Texas Intermediate crude for March delivery fell $1.70 to settle at $51.99 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange for its biggest one-day loss since Dec. 27. Brent for March settlement broke below $60 for the first time in two weeks, dropping $1.71 to $59.93 on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The global benchmark crude traded at an $7.94 premium to WTI. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter, expects to reduce output again in February and will pump below the production limit it agreed to in the OPEC deal for six months, Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said in a Bloomberg Television interview in Riyadh. The U.S. in particular is a target of the cuts since it's "way oversupplied" with domestic crude, he said. RELATED: U.S. oil production is 23 years ahead of schedule Crude was already down after oilfield services provider Baker Hughes released data on Friday showing U.S. drilling activity rose for the first time this year. The number of U.S. rigs targeting oil rose by 10 to 862 last week, Baker Hughes data showed. Adding to the downdraft, political tensions eased somewhat over the weekend in OPEC member Venezuela. President Nicolas Maduro abandoned his decision to sever diplomatic ties with the U.S. A small number of American diplomats in Venezuela will remain, Maduro said in an interview with CNN-Turk, even as he criticized U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, who urged other nations to "pick a side" between Maduro and his opponents. --With assistance from Tsuyoshi Inajima and Alex Longley. 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Houston marine terminal operator Moda Midstream has kicked off the next round of expansion at its crude oil export terminal near Corpus Christi. Crews recently installed loading arms and other equipment at the company's Moda Ingleside Energy Center allowing the facility to accommodate Very Large Crude Carriers, or VLCCs. Touted as some of the largest tankers in the world, Very Large Crude Carriers, or VLCCs, are capable of moving up to 2 million barrels of crude oil of crude oil in a single shipment, making them attractive to exporters because they create economies of scale and lower transportation costs for global shipping. In this next round of expansion, Moda Midstream CEO Bo McCall said the company is building 19 storage tanks that will hold 10 million barrels of crude oil. The facility already connects to Plains All American Pipeline LP's Cactus Pipeline, but over the next 12 months, it will connect to three more. McCall said the company is building connections to the Phillips 66 Partners LP-led Gray Oak Pipeline, Plains All American's Cactus II Pipeline and the EPIC Crude Oil Pipeline. All four projects to will move crude oil from the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale to the Port of Corpus Christi by 2021. "Over the next two years, there will be approximately 3.5 million barrels hitting the Coastal Bend," McCall said. "When you take out the refinery demand and cracker capacity at 1 million barrels per day, there will be approximately 2.5 million barrels leaving the Coastal Bend for foreign markets. Ingleside right here will be able accommodate and handle a large portion of those barrels coming out." Exports: Moda Midstream loads first supertanker at Port of Corpus Christi facility Founded in May 2015, Moda is financed by $750 million of private equity funding from EnCap Flatrock Midstream. Moda bought the facility from Houston oil company Occidental Petroleum in August 2018. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Moda Midstream Chief Operating Officer Javier del Olmo said the company is investing between $300 million to $500 million on improvements to the facility. Due to the 45-foot depth of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, VLCC tankers at Moda's Ingleside terminal will only be able to load between 1.2 million and 1.5 million barrels of crude oil. Once in deeper water in the Gulf of Mexico, a second tanker loaded with crude oil will meet the VLCC and load the remainder. Once fully loaded in the Gulf of Mexico, the Aral will deliver a shipment of light sweet crude oil from the Permian Basin of West Texas to Rotterdam in The Netherlands. Midstream Moves: Oxy selling Ingleside oil export terminal During a grand opening ceremony at Moda's facility, Port of Corpus Christi Authority Commission Chairman Charlie Zahn said the South Texas waterway has become the the number one crude oil exporter in the three years after the federal government lifted a ban on such shipments in December 2015. The port is expected to begin a $326 million dredging project in April that will allow two-way traffic along the Corpus Christi Ship Channel and accommodate more supertankers such as VLCCs. "The commission and our staff are doing everything within our power in order to secure the necessary infrastructure to continue to hold that mantle," Zahn said. "As global demand for U.S. crude oil continues to increase, the Port of Corpus Christi remains the frontrunner in supplying the export market." A company known in western states for its green gas stations and dinosaur logo is setting its sights on the Permian Basin. The exploration and production arm of Salt Lake City refining company Sinclair Oil Corp. is planning to drill its first new well in Texas in nearly 11 years. Sinclairs drilling arm is seeking permission from the Railroad Commission of Texas to drill five horizontal wells within the city limits of Big Spring, a Permian Basin town along Interstate 20 in Howard County. The wells target the Spraberry geological formation down to a total depth of 7,400 feet. Drilling pads for the projects are located in unpopulated areas along Interstate 20 but the laterals run under several parts of town. Company officials did not immediately reply for comment but environmentalists said they oppose the projects. OIL COMPANY EXPANSION: On HoustonChronicle.com James Osborne explains why the push into the Mediterranean is causing tensions to build Permian Basin Irving oil company Pioneer Natural Resources is seeking permission to drill 10 new horizontal wells in the Permian Basin of West Texas. The company is targeting the Spraberry field in six new oil plans planned in Upton County and four more in Martin County. The company is ranked as the second most active driller in Texas. Pioneer filed for 455 drilling permits in 2018 - most of them in the Permian Basin. Eagle Ford Shale Arkansas-based Murphy Oil is seeking permission to drill nine new horizontal wells on opposite ends of the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas. Three wells on its Barnett Unit lease in Karnes County target the oil-rich Eagleville field of the Eagle Ford geological formation down to a total depth of 12,000 feet. Six wells on its Stumberg Estate lease in Dimmit County target the Briscoe Ranch field of the Eagle Ford down to a total depth of 9,000 feet. The company filed for 60 drilling permits in 2018. Haynesville Shale No applications for horizontal drill permits were submitted for in the Haynesville Shale of East Texas, but six companies are seeking permission to restore productivity at seven oil vertical wells in the region. CRD Operating, New Century Exploration, Sabine Oil & Gas, Sheridan Production Company and Sonerra Resources as seeking to recomplete six old oil wells in Gregg, Harrison and Panola counties. Tanos Exploration is seeking to recomplete an old gas well in Harrison County. Barnett Shale Oklahoma City oil company Devon Energy is keeping its number one spot as the top horizontal driller in the Barnett Shale of North Texas. The company filed for five drilling permits for new wells targeting the Newark East field of the Barnett Shale down to total depths of 9,000 feet. All five drilling projects are listed as for developing natural gas wells. Conventionals Newport Operating LLC of Burkburnett exploration is seeking permission to drill three new vertical wells in its backyard. The company plans to drill new oil wells on its Roller Extension lease in Wichita County. Located about five miles southeast of Burkburnett, the three wells target the Wichita County Regular down to a vertical depth of 1,999 feet. GET YOUR FUELFIX: The day's top headlines delivered to your mailbox TOP 10 DRILLERS BY PERMITS (Wednesday, Jan. 16 through Tuesday, Jan. 22) ExxonMobil 15 Pioneer Natural Resources 10 Murphy Oil Diamondback Energy 9 Concho Resources 8 Kinder Morgan 8 Occidental Petroleum 8 Double Eagle Development 7 Apache Corporation 7 Sable Permian Resources 7 Source: Railroad Commission of Texas sergio.chapa@chron.com twitter.com/sergiochapa NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. 5 minutes with... Niccolo dellAbates drawing, The Conversion of Saul Old Master drawings specialist Furio Rinaldi admires this rediscovered work by the 16th-century Italian artist, long presumed lost, and now offered in New York on 31 January Until recently, the existence of this drawing by the Italian painter Niccolo dellAbate (1512-1571) was only presumed through a surviving copy housed in the Louvre, which is attributed to the artists workshop. DellAbates original, explains Christies Old Master Drawings specialist Furio Rinaldi, was long presumed lost. In 2018 a collector asked Christies to examine this unknown version of the scene, which had remained unpublished and hidden from the scholarly community. The bottom of the drawings mount revealed a historical attribution to the workshops master dell'Abate. The artist's attribution on the drawing's mount Christie's took the work to Paris where Old Master Drawings specialist Stijn Alsteens compared it to the studio copy in the Louvre. Although the compositions were identical, says Rinaldi, the quality of this vibrantly executed version next to the more inert copy made it clear it was the missing original. Both drawings also exhibited a watermark in the shape of a bunch of grapes, confirming the paper used for both as contemporary. An autograph preparatory sketch for the composition is also kept at the Louvre. Its a fantastic example of dellAbates dramatic style, and is so full of energy, says Rinaldi. The circa 1555 picture, which is a rare survival of the largest paper sheet size manufactured at the time (the so-called Royal size), depicts the conversion of Saul, later the apostle St. Paul, after being blinded by a heavenly light while travelling to Damascus, and was probably a design for a now lost or unrealised painting. Niccolo dellAbate (Modena 1509 or 1512-1571 Fontainebleau), The Conversion of Saul. 21 x 15 in (53.5 x 38.7 cm). Your eye doesnt know where to look as everything happens at once. Above you have the resurrected Christ supported by angels, while in the centre of the picture Saul is dragged from under his hysterical horse in a motif that pays homage to the 1542-45 fresco of the same scene in the Vatican by Michelangelo. The work was drawn around the same time that DellAbate moved from Italy to France, where he decorated Henry IIs residence at Fontainebleau. Because dellAbate was first and foremost a fresco painter, little evidence of his legacy survives, the specialist explains. As tastes changed and buildings were remodelled, the majority of his wall-painted works were destroyed. That makes this drawing particularly important. Sign up today Christie's Online Magazine delivers our best features, videos, and auction news to your inbox every week Subscribe Student cracks code of shorthand manuscripts left by Baptist 'patron saint' Coded documents left by one of the founders of the modern missionary movement have been deciphered by a student at the University of St Andrews. Baptist leader Andrew Fuller (1754-1815) was a supporter of William Carey, the first modern missionary to India, and hugely influential in the growth of the Baptist movement. Fuller, the son of a poor tenant farmer in Cambridgeshire wrote The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, which challenged the hyper-Calvinism of Particular Baptists and encouraged them to reach out in mission. While many of his works are well known to scholars, manuscripts in the library of Bristol Baptist College have remain unread for centuries because they were written in his own personal shorthand. But a hunch by Dr Steve Holmes, head of St Andrews' School of Divinity led to one of his third-year students, Jonny Woods, cracking the code. Holmes found that one of the shorthand manuscripts was headed in longhand, ''Confessions of Faith, Oct. 7 1783'. Knowing this was the date of Fuller's induction into the pastorate of a church in Kettering and that he would have been required to give a confession of faith as part of that service, he wondered if a copy of the confession printed in a biography might help him crack the code. After discovering that the two texts were the same, he recruited Jonny Woods through the University's Undergraduate Research Assistant scheme to help. After just a few weeks Woods was able to translate the shorthand, using the longhand version as a kind of Rosetta stone, allowing him to read two of the most historically significant sermons from the collection. These were the sermons he preached on his last Sunday at his church in Soham, which he had agonised about leaving. Woods said: 'It is such an honour to be the first person to read Andrew Fuller's sermons and to allow people to get an insight into this incredible man and the amazing stories he has to share. 'I'm excited to continue working on the vast collection of work that he has left to us, in the hope that we can understand more about his thinking and how this developed throughout his ministry.' Holmes said: 'Andrew Fuller stands as the figurehead, the "patron saint" almost, of the church tradition of which I am a part. To be reading words of his that no-one had read since he preached them in 1782 it's one of those moments you live for as an academic.' Fuller was a profoundly signficant figure in the Baptist story, he told Christian Today. 'First, he wrote the book that brought Particular Baptists into the evangelical movement, overcoming hard-line Calvinism,' he said. 'All contemporary British Baptists are his heirs. 'Second, he was instrumental with William Carey in founding the Baptist Missionary Society and was indefatigable in promoting it, travelling throughout England, Wales and Scotland.' He said it was quite common for preachers of the time to use personal shorthand. Fuller often preached without notes, but around a quarter of the shorthand manuscripts had been folded, indicating that they may have been taken into the pulpit with him including the two from Soham, perhaps showing that they contained carefully composed paragraphs he wanted to read out. While the task of deciphering the remaining manuscripts is not entirely straightforward as they were written over a period of several years and Fuller's shorthand developed over time, the sermons will be edited and prepared for publication in a new critical edition of his works. Pope winds up Panama global youth gathering with huge outdoor mass Pope Francis said an open-air Mass before a huge crowd on Sunday to wrap up a jamboree of Catholic youth, the last big event before he returns to Rome to prepare for a historic trip to the Arabian Peninsula in one week. Organisers said about 700,000 people attended the closing mass of World Youth Day, which takes place in a different city every three years. The next jamboree, which has been dubbed the 'Catholic Woodstock', will be in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2022. Many of the young people in the crowd spent the night on the fields of a park named after Pope John Paul, who was the last pontiff to visit Panama, in 1983. In his closing homily at the mass, which started unusually early at 8 am, because of the sweltering tropical heat, Francis urged the young people to work against 'fear and exclusion, speculation and manipulation'. After a week at the Vatican, Francis leaves on Sunday for a three-day trip to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where he will become the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula and say the first mass in a public venue there. There are about 1 million Roman Catholics in the UAE, all of them expatriate workers. The freedom to practise Christianity or any religion other than Islam is not a given in the Gulf and varies from country to country. In the UAE and Kuwait, Christians may worship in churches or church compounds and in other places with special licences. Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites, bans the practice of other religions. During the Panama trip, the themes of migration and the Church's sexual abuse crisis loomed large. Francis said at one event that it was 'senseless and irresponsible' to stigmatise migrants and see all of them as threats to society, weighing in again on one of the most divisive issues in the United States. He spoke several times of the need for 'bridges, not walls', again putting himself at odds with US President Donald Trump, who on Friday agreed under mounting pressure to end a 35-day partial US government shutdown but without getting the $5.7 billion he had demanded from Congress for a wall along the US-Mexico border. Trump has repeatedly warned about the dangers of illegal immigrants, and said the wall would help solve the problem. On Saturday, Francis said the Roman Catholic Church was weary and 'wounded by her own sin', in an apparent reference to the global sexual abuse crisis. Later, at a lunch with a delegation of young people, he told the American representative that clergy sexual abuse was a 'horrible crime' and that the Church should be united in fighting it. Francis has called a summit of the heads of national Catholic churches at the Vatican February 21-24 to discuss what is now a global sexual abuse crisis. The February meeting offers a chance for him to respond to criticism from victims of abuse that he has stumbled in his handling of the crisis and has not done enough to make bishops accountable. New campaign urges BAME Christians to become organ donors Two organisations working within the Christian community are joining the campaign to get black, Asian and minority ethnic people signing up as organ donors. They are launching projects to encourage people to become lifesaving organ donors after bidding for a share of a 140,000 Community Investment Scheme (CIS) funding pot. The scheme is part of a government campaign led by NHS Blood and Transplant, with support from the National BAME Transplant Alliance (NBTA), to break down myths and barriers and increase support for organ donation among black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. While there is an urgent shortage of organs for transplant for people from all backgrounds, the problem is particularly acute for black, Asian and minority ethnic patients as they are more susceptible to illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension, which could result in organ failure. Although many black, Asian and minority ethnic patients can receive a transplant from a white donor, for many the best match will come from a donor from the same ethnic background. The organisations delivering the projects are the Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN) in Greater Manchester, and RAFFA in Birmingham. The project led by RAFFA, 'God loves a donor', aims to reach black and Asian Christians in the Birmingham area. It will encourage places of worship to register as organ donation campaigners and equip voluntary nurses with information to lead awareness talks in spiritual settings. The 'Precious Life Savers' project by CAHN aims to engage with faith leaders and their congregations in black majority churches in Greater Manchester. Rev Charles Kwaku-Odoi of CAHN said: "It was through our work with NHS Blood and Transplant specialist nurses that we became aware of the disproportionately high number of black people waiting for a transplant, and the shortage of donors. 'Over 80 percent of our community are involved with a church, and we feel that recruiting faith leaders as ambassadors and engaging people in church settings can be really effective ways to reach people with a positive organ donation message.' Faye Bruce, chair of CAHN, said: 'This Community Investment Scheme funding will help us to carry out this work in churches across Greater Manchester, helping to overcome the cultural myths around organ donation and raise awareness of this urgent issue affecting our community.' The CIS was open to any faith or community-based organisation working within black, Asian and minority communities in England and Wales. NHS spokesman Anthony Clarkson said: 'Hearing a positive organ donation message from a trusted, community-led or local organisation will, we hope, encourage more people from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds to decide that they want to be a lifesaving organ donor and to share that decision with their families.' Down with this sort of thing: Brexit and the politics of opposition I love the 90s Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. The show is based around three hapless Catholic priests exiled to a barren place called Craggy Island. In one episode the feared Bishop Len Brennan orders them to go to the local cinema to protest against a film that is being shown. As a result Father Ted and Father Dougal turn up with placards saying 'Down with this sort of thing' and 'Careful now' and chain themselves to the railings. The joke is that the protest leads to a huge increase in curious people turning up to see the film. Whether it's in the church or politics, just opposing things isn't very helpful. It's often said that been said that the British parliament lends itself to adversarial politics with the parties facing each other across the chamber. It usually descends to the regular bear-pit of shouting and abuse we see at prime minister's question time. Once in a while a new party leader will be elected pledging to avoid this with 'a new kind of politics' but soon enough we're back to Punch and Judy. Most other governments sit in a horseshoe so that the emphasis is on debate, not eyeballing the other side. Personally I'm all for turning Westminster into a museum and building a new fit-for-purpose parliament somewhere central maybe on an industrial estate near Kettering but I imagine I'm in a minority there. The point is that more than ever, we are locked in the politics of opposition when we need to find something more grown-up more urgently than ever. Whatever your political persuasion, no one can doubt that Brexit is a car crash. The most astute comment I heard when the government's Brexit plan was resoundingly defeated was that Theresa May had united the country against her plan. The problem is that there is no majority for any credible alternative. Unsurprisingly, we cannot find a clear and advantageous approach to Brexit because what was put forward at the referendum was not a coherent proposal but a nationalistic slogan. Following the government's defeat, Theresa May offered to meet Jeremy Corbyn who refused to do so without his terms being met. We are in a national crisis and the leader of the opposition won't engage in a discussion about what to do. Why? Because he is the leader of the opposition and he is too busy opposing. It is a common tactic of the opposition to sit back, oppose and watch the government implode so you can take your turn at the reins. Ed Milband typified the 'down with this sort of thing' politics while doing very little to come up with any sort of meaningful alternative. Jeremy Corbyn is in danger of doing the same, of sitting back and waiting for the government to collapse when we need him to put forward some meaningful solutions. I've been reading in the past couple of days about government plans to address teacher shortages and the workload that is driving people, including my wife, out of the profession. I am encouraged that Damian Hinds, the education secretary is talking about this. I am even more encouraged that he is talking to the teaching unions and coming up with some practical suggestions, including reducing data collection and lesson planning resources. It suggests he has engaged with the reality of what is actually happening in schools. To be clear, I think this government's cuts to education are a disgrace and the money in the budget for 'little extras' was an insult when schools are cutting support staff and often functioning in ramshackle buildings. I am instinctively cynical when it comes to Tory politics but in this instance I think the initiative is worthy of a cautious welcome. Labour needs to do better than just use this as another platform to criticise. It's easy to criticise and oppose but it doesn't get us very far. And too often, the church has been known as a place of disapproval rather than one where everyone is welcomed and the offer of a new life is set out. As we were reminded at my church yesterday the Bible says that 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble' (1 Peter 5:5). Where we recognise that we don't know it all, we realise our need for help, our need to listen and learn from others. When we do genuinely believe we have answers to offer, we need to offer them in dialogue rather than hurling them at the other side. There is nothing more futile in these times than protesters trying to shout the loudest and social media echo chambers. If we truly love this country we need to recognise our shared ownership of it and find some common ground. Dave Luck is the author of 'What Happens Now? A journey through unimaginable loss' and blogs weekly on www.daveluckwrites.co.uk. Follow him on Twitter @dluckwrite or on Facebook at the 'Daveluckwrites' page. Christian and Muslim charities urge prayer for Yemen, the world's 'worst humanitarian crisis' Leaders of faith-based international development agencies have united to call on believers to pray for the desperate humanitarian situation in Yemen this week. After nearly four years of war, more than 14 million people are facing starvation and 85,000 children may have already died from extreme hunger since 2015. Now, the chief executives of Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, CAFOD, Tearfund and World Vision UK are rallying their faith communities to pray for an end to the crisis. According to the aid agencies there some hope in Yemen with a ceasefire brokered last month which promises to restore the port of Hodeida and allow food and medicine into Yemen. However, Yemen's warring parties have failed to pull troops from the port, putting the first major diplomatic breakthrough of the four-year war in jeopardy and reviving the threat of an all-out assault that could unleash famine. The resignation last week of the UN official monitoring the ceasefire, who quit days after his convoy was shot at, has hammered home the potential for the peace deal to collapse. If fighting restarts in earnest around the port of Hodeidah, the main supply route into the country could be cut off, leaving no way to feed millions of people on the verge of starvation. While the aid organisations welcomed the UK government's announcement last week that it will be increasing its funding to the UN peace process in Yemen by 2.5 million, they say the situation is so desperate that much more needs to be done. They hope mosques and churches up and down the UK will take time on Friday and Sunday to pray for Yemen. Faith groups have committed to taking part, including the St Anselm Community at Lambeth Palace who will be devoting their evening prayer tomorrow evening (Tuesday, 29 January) to pray for the people of Yemen. Amanda Mukwashi, chief executive of Christian Aid, said: 'This is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today, and we cannot let it be forgotten. The people of Yemen are crying out for hope and we urge people of all faiths to join with us in praying for the hearts of international governments to be moved to further action, and for positive change to come to Yemen.' Tim Pilkington, chief executive of World Vision UK, said: 'The conflict in Yemen is now approaching its fourth year. Every day, millions of children struggle to survive without food, clean water or medicine. Parents face the agony of seeing their children go hungry and die. They are desperate. They need hope. We urge people of faith to join with us and pray for these children to get the protection they need. We also pray that international leaders find the wisdom and courage to broker lasting peace and secure a brighter future for the people of Yemen.' Nigel Harris, chief executive of Tearfund, said: 'We need to hear the people of Yemen's cries, and to act. We each have a choice on whether we support our neighbours, or stay silent. Join us in lifting up the people of Yemen, pray for those suffering daily, for families torn apart, for our partners on the ground bringing hope and relief. We have to believe that everything is possible with God.' The aid agencies encouraged believers to pray for peace for the people of Yemen, wisdom for those involved in diplomacy and a resolve to bring about an end to the conflict and for the religious authorities in all of the nations involved to speak truth to power. Catholic Church says no to excommunicating Andrew Cuomo over New York state abortion law The Catholic Church has rejected calls to excommunicate New York Governor Andrew Cuomo after he pushed through a radical abortion bill legalising terminations up to birth. The controversial Reproductive Health Act removes abortion from the state criminal statute and instead moves it to the health code. It allows pregnancies to be terminated up to the point of birth if the baby is not deemed viable or if the mother's health is at risk. Under the terms of the bill, doctors are also no longer required to save the life of a baby that has survived a botched abortion. Cuomo further angered pro-lifers when he ordered that major landmarks in New York City, including One World Trade Center, be lit up pink in celebration of the Act's passing. 'The Reproductive Health Act is a historic victory for New Yorkers and for our progressive values,' said Cuomo. 'In the face of a federal government intent on rolling back Roe v. Wade and women's reproductive rights, I promised that we would enact this critical legislation within the first 30 days of the new session - and we got it done. 'I am directing that New York's landmarks be lit in pink to celebrate this achievement and shine a bright light forward for the rest of the nation to follow.' The change to the law has led to calls for Cuomo, a Catholic, to be excommunicated. The Bishop of Tennesee Bishop Rick Stika tweeted on Thursday that he would excommunicate Cuomo if he were in his jurisdiction. 'Someone asked me today if I would issue an excommunication of a Catholic Governor under my jurisdiction if the Governor did the same as in New York. I think I might do it for any Catholic legislator under my jurisdiction who voted for the bill as well as the Governor,' he said. He added in a separate tweet: 'Enough is enough. Excommunication is to be not a punishment but to bring the person back into the Church. It's like medicine for them. But this vote is so hideous and vile that it warrants the act. But thankfully I am not in that positon. Very sad.' The Bishop of Albany Edward Scharfenberger told 'Fox & Friends' on Saturday that the Reproductive Health Act was a 'very radical separation from the Catholic communion' and that he viewed excommunication as a 'last resort'. 'It goes way beyond Roe v. Wade in so many ways, so I don't see it as something to celebrate,' he said. 'The kind of procedures that are now available in New York state, we wouldn't even do to a dog or a cat...It's torture.' But a spokesman for Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan said in a statement to CNN that excommunication was 'not an appropriate response to a politician who supports or votes for legislation advancing abortion'. In the statement, the spokesman said 'excommunication should not be used as a weapon' and suggested that doing so could even give a 'political advantage' to pro-abortion politicians. Cardinal Dolan appeared on 'Fox & Friends' on Monday to reiterate his opposition to excommunicating Cuomo. He said he was against the move despite receiving 'wheelbarrows of letters every day' from angry Catholics telling him to excommunicate the governor. 'I think that would be counterproductive myself,' he said. 'We would be giving ammo to our enemies ... the Canon Laws would also say you have to use it for a medicinal purpose and you think that there's going to be a good effect that can come out of this. We have a governor that brags about it.' He added: 'He's not going to be moved by this.' Conservatives protest NY law allowing abortion up to birth for any reason Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A day after the New York state Legislature passed a bill Tuesday that made it legal for abortionists and other health care professionals to perform abortions up to birth for any reason, conservative anti-abortion advocates have ramped up criticism of the measure as liberals defend it. "They have no idea the damage this will cause," Jim Harden, president of CompassCare Pregnancy Services, told WHAM about the controversial "Reproductive Health Act." Hardens organization works with pregnant women considering abortion and encourages them to have their baby by providing them with baseline medical services. It was not immediately clear how the newly passed RHA will directly affect his work. For 12 years, the RHA had been blocked from passing the Legislature until this week when a Democrat majority in the New York Senate passed it with a 38-28 vote, much to the chagrin of those who oppose it. The RHA codifies federal abortion rights guaranteed under the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision and removes abortion from the state's criminal code. Some critics of the law argue that it's a much more sinister attack on the unborn and have started a White House petition calling for RHAs repeal. At this point, those who align themselves with the Democrat Party advocate for the murder of children, right up to the very moment before they take their first breath. It's an abomination, the petitions creator wrote at the launch of the campaign Wednesday. Section 2 of New Yorks controversial Reproductive Health Act, signed into law by Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo, states that an abortion May be performed by a licensed, certified, or authorized practitioner within 24 weeks from the commencement of pregnancy, or there is an absence of fetal viability, or at any time when necessary to protect a patient's life or health. While there have been many on the Left who have argued that the RHA does not allow for aborting pregnancies up to the point of birth for any reason, Lila Rose, president and founder of the national pro-life organization Live Action, argued in a statement Wednesday that the scope of language used in the law opens it up to abortion for any reason. Last night, New York passed a law allowing abortions during all nine months of pregnancy, right up until moments before birth. The Reproductive Health Act, signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, permits abortions at any point during pregnancy if the abortionist deems it necessary for the mothers life or health. As determined by the U.S. Supreme Court, health not only includes physical health, but encompasses emotional, psychological, familial, and the womans age considerations, effectively allowing abortion for virtually any reason, Rose said. Convicted criminals arent subjected to the death penalty in New York state, but now children up until the ninth month of pregnancy can be given lethal injections and poisoned to death. This is no different than infanticide, she added. Liberty Counsel, an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, agreed with Roses interpretation of the RHA. Governor Andrew Cuomo immediately signed the Reproductive Health Act and then celebrated by lighting the One World Trade Center's 408-foot spire, the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the Kosciuszko Bridge, and the Alfred E. Smith Building in Albany in pink. Ironically, the One World Trade Center was built as a monument to the 3,000 people who died on 9/11. Sitting with Cuomo as he signed the bill was Sarah Ragle Weddington, the lawyer who represented Jane Roe in Roe v. Wade, a statement from the nonprofit noted. I am sickened by the scene of adults celebrating the killing of helpless children, Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, added. A child can be tortured and killed seconds before it is born. Instead of lighting up New York with pink, it should have been red for the shedding of innocent blood. I pray that this death agenda will stop soon. Each human life is sacred. The right to life is the right of all rights, and that inalienable right includes the unborn. Medical experts, such as Dr. Omar L. Hamada, who is also a theologian, have publicly denounced the RHA, noting that there is no need to legalize abortion beyond 24 weeks. I want to clear something up so that there is absolutely no doubt. Im a Board Certified OB/GYN who has delivered over 2,500 babies. Theres not a single fetal or maternal condition that requires third trimester abortion. Not one. Delivery, yes. Abortion, no. There is absolutely no medical reason to kill a near term or term infant, for any reason, Hamada wrote in a post on Facebook Wednesday that has since gone viral. Since going public with his medical opinion, Hamada, who previously spent time living in New York, revealed that he began getting death threats. This whole NY abortion thing exploded yesterday, including my post that there is no medical reason for a third trimester abortion. Twitter also exploded as I posted a similar message there. Ive been getting all sorts of nice messages including death threats and threats of physical harm, he noted in part. Hamadas position appears to echo earlier sentiments shared by California obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Lawrence Koning, who argued in 2016 that there is "no medical" situation that requires aborting a child. "As an ob/gyn physician for 31 years there is no medical situation that requires aborting / killing the baby in the third trimester to 'save the mother's life,'" Koning reportedly wrote. "Just deliver the baby by c/section and the baby has 95+% survival with readily available NICU care even at 28 weeks. C/section is quicker and safer than partial birth abortion for the mother." Prior to Tuesdays passage of the law, local organizations, such as New York State Right to Life Committee, opposed it on several points, including that it would repeal New Yorks Penal Law to remove the criminal act of abortion, preventing prosecution of illegal abortions, including those performed by any self-proclaimed provider, or ones resulting from intentional violence committed against a pregnant mother and her child. This is the opposite of pro-woman. Abortion is a tragedy, even more so resulting from interpersonal violence. Illegal abortion should remain on the books to allow prosecution in these cases, the organization noted in a statement shared with CP. On Tuesday, in a bid to protect pregnant women from violence, state Senator Cathy Young and members of the Senate Republican Conference joined by Livia Abreu, an Army veteran from the Bronx who lost her baby in a vicious domestic violence attack last May, introduced the Liv Act. Abreu was 26 weeks pregnant when her ex-boyfriend stabbed her six times and caused the loss of her unborn daughter, a release from Young said. The Reproductive Health Act is, in my opinion, extreme and filled with gaps. It does not codify Roe v. Wade in the state of New York. In fact, what it does is decriminalize abortion in all aspects, including abortion as a product of an assault on a pregnant female, Abreu said in a statement ahead of the laws passage. Oscar Alvarez is currently facing abortion charges in the first and second degrees. The passing of RHA will likely exonerate him from those charges. Which will in turn lessen his sentence now that a judge has decided the case is going to trial and the new law will take effect prior to that date. Let that sink in. He will likely be convicted of the crimes he committed against me, but the loss of my daughter will be a non-factor to the law because she wasnt born and alive, Abreu continued. I cannot imagine living in a world where harming and/or killing an unborn child as a product of an attack on a pregnant woman is not a crime. ... A world where mothers have been stripped of and have to bury and mourn their unborn child but the person responsible is not held accountable for it. Read the bill if you havent already, Abreu warned. New York State Right to Life told CP that the RHA was sold to the public, saying it merely "updates" the law by codifying Roe v. Wade into state law, but that is not true. RHA has made abortion a fundamental right and prohibits all limits on abortion, which Roe v. Wade did not do, NYSRL wrote in a statement Wednesday after the RHA became law. Roe referred to a trimester view toward protecting life, whereas RHA has expanded abortion-on-demand in New York past 24 weeks well past when unborn children feel pain, are viable, and suffer during the course of an abortion and up to birth. This is inhumane. Rose agreed in her statement that the RHA is barbaric and inhumane because it rejects modern science. New Yorks law is barbaric and inhumane and rejects modern science and medical advancements that reveal the development and humanity of life in the womb. Millions of Americans are waking up to the barbaric reality of abortion and rejecting it, she said. A recent Marist poll showed 75 percent of Americans believe abortion should be limited to at most the first three months of pregnancy. This includes 61 percent of those who identify as pro-choice, 60 percent of Democrats, and 78 percent of independents. Despite protests from interest groups and conservative politicians across the state Thursday, unlike the Catholic Church which has been speaking boldly against the law, very few churches contacted by CP were willing to speak publicly on the matter. A director at one large umbrella church organization representing hundreds of churches in the state said that the organization would not be issuing any public statement on the matter because the denominations are not all in agreement on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. Trump insider says evangelical advisers 'don't stand up for morality;' Johnnie Moore responds Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Trump administration adviser Johnnie Moore denied the claims of a former White House staffer that the evangelical advisory board has not provided critical feedback to the president. Cliff Sims, former White House director of message strategy, will have a new book released on Tuesday titled Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House. In the book, Sims takes issue with President Donald Trumps evangelical advisory board, officially named the Faith Leaders Initiative, stating that he never recalled any of the faith leaders who actually had access to Trump push him on the issue of asylum for persecuted Christians. Sims says that Trump promised evangelicals he would help, but never kept that promise. Instead, Trump followed the advice of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, who said, "I would be happy if not a single refugee foot ever again touched America's soil," according to Sims. Sims "never heard" any of Trump's faith leaders press him on the refugee issue, he added. When the president occasionally struggled to unify the country on divisive cultural issues, the silence of his spiritual advisers was deafening, wrote Sims, as reported by The Atlantic. What is the point of having moral authority, as all these advisers claimed to, if you dont stand up for morality? In September, the Trump administration announced it would reduce the cap on refugees allowed under the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program from 45,000 to 30,000. Some evangelical leaders had asked the administration to increase the cap, given that there are 25 million refugees fleeing persecution worldwide. In comments given to The Christian Post on Monday, Moore, founder and CEO of The Kairos Company, a public relations and communications consulting firm, denied the claim that the spiritual advisers to President Trump did not give critical feedback. Honestly, I nearly laughed when I read it because moments before I did, I received a phone call from a very well-known evangelical who had just left the Oval Office where they had a very dynamic discussion, said Moore, who is also a senior editorial adviser for CP. That person had seen the president, vice president and various seniors advisers since yesterday. This isnt uncommon. Moore also told CP that he had personally witnessed on many occasions the exact opposite of what this author alleges, then added that he understood why the author would have this point of view. Because of where he worked and the level at which he worked in the White House when the engagement of evangelical leaders with the president, and those closest to him, has been direct to the president, vice president and through certain highly placed senior advisers, continued Moore. From a staffers vantage point, there would be limited information to begin with and probably none at all. Moores comments to CP echo those he made in May of last year when he was part of a panel discussion at Georgetown University about the role of faith in the Republican Party. Moore mentioned during the panel discussion last year that the evangelical leaders have not been afraid to voice their disagreements or concerns. "By the way, it is not that this community doesn't criticize him," Moore said at the time. I think that this is a community that has ... in a particular environment in a particular time in series of circumstances, created an unlikely alliance. Regarding Trumps view of Team of Vipers, Politico quoted unnamed sources within the White House saying that Trump is very p---ed off and hopping mad at Sims. The association of some evangelical leaders with Trump has been controversial throughout his presidency. For example, writing about the alliance recently for The Washington Post, Michael Gerson, an evangelical who worked in the George W. Bush administration, said, "The employment of an unethical, racist, anti-immigrant, misogynist Giant [Trump] is not likely to play well with women, minorities and young people, who are likely to equate conservative religion with prejudice for decades to come." Trump to Evangelicals: If Democrats Win, You'll Lose 'Everything That We've Done ... Violently' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment President Donald Trump warned evangelical supporters Monday night that the midterm elections this November will be a "referendum" on their religion and religious freedom. Speaking during a portion of Monday's White House dinner with about 100 evangelical pastors, evangelists and activists that was closed to the press, the president reportedly stressed about the implications of Democrats having success in the 2018 congressional elections. "This November 6 election is very much a referendum on not only me, it's a referendum on your religion, it's a referendum on free speech and the First Amendment," Trump said, according to a recording of the conversation obtained by CNN. "It's a referendum on so much." Trump continued to say that it is "not a question of like or dislike" but a question of whether "they will overturn everything that we've done and they will do it quickly and violently." "And violently. There is violence," Trump added. "When you look at Antifa these are violent people." Trump told the conservative evangelical leaders that they have "tremendous power." "You were saying, in this room, you have people who preach to almost 200 million people," Trump said. "Depending on which Sunday we're talking about." Attendees previously told The Christian Post that Trump opened up the microphone to any attendee who wanted to share their thoughts during the dinner. For over a half-an-hour, about a dozen or more leaders stood up to speak about the accomplishments of the Trump administration and why they were encouraged by the administration's promotion of pro-life policy, religious freedom initiatives and other items on the social conservative agenda. Some also reportedly voiced the need for conservative evangelicals to be vigilant in November. Although exit polls showed that 81 percent of self-identified white evangelicals voted for Trump in the 2016 presidential election, progress they've enjoyed in the first 18 months of the Trump presidency could be lost if they same enthusiasm isn't shown in congressional races this November to protect the slim conservative majority in the Senate. "We need to maintain our vigilance in the upcoming days. The concern is that this is a spiritual warfare, this is a battle and ultimately battle is won on our knees," former Southern Baptist Convention president and dinner attendee Jack Graham told CP Tuesday night. "It is very clear, we voiced to the president that we need to pray, pray for him, pray for our country." Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and Family Talk radio, told CP Tuesday night in a statement that many in attendance "pledged their intention to help get out the vote for the midterm elections." Trump's closed-door comments have also drawn the ire of some on the left because of his mention of Antifa a movement of anti-fascist militant groups known for disrupting public demonstrations of groups they deem to be fascist and his claim that left will turn to violence if they win the midterms. Many in the left-leaning mainstream media accused the president of things like trafficking conspiracy theories or appealing to racism. "This is about black versus white," CNN pundit Jeffrey Toobin claimed Tuesday night. "This is about Donald Trump's appeal to racism and it just happens all the time. And we never say it we don't say it enough for what it is, but that's what's going on here." Antifa groups are known for opposing white nationalist and white supremacists groups, but have also counter-protested pro-Trump and free speech rallies that have been held throughout the nation. In some cases, the tension at these events has led to violence clashes erupting between the Antifa groups and far-right groups and individuals. Antifa groups primarily consist of members who claim to be socialists, communists or anarchists, according to Mark Bray, a historian of human rights, terrorism and political radicalism. An Antifa rally outside the White House was held earlier this month in which a number of participants threatened to harm the president. Trump also drew critics and even lost an informal evangelical adviser last August when he said there was "blame on both sides" referring to Antifa groups after a white supremacist killed a counter protester and injured others during a Charlottesville, Virginia, Unite the Right rally. T. Vaughn Walker, first African-American professor at SBC seminary, dies Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment T. Vaughn Walker, the first African American elected as a full-time professor at a Southern Baptist Convention seminary, passed away at age 68. Walker, who served as a professor at the Louisville, Kentucky-based Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for 30 years, died late Saturday evening. Many Southern Baptist leaders paid their respects on social media, including current SBTS President Albert Mohler. So thankful for the life and legacy of Dr. T. Vaughn Walker, longtime professor at @SBTS and the first African-American to be elected as full professor in an SBC seminary. He died late last night, tweeted Mohler on Sunday. A gracious, kind, constant friend to me. He loved teaching preachers. Russell Moore, president of the SBCs Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, also tweeted his condolences over the passing of his former colleague. He was the first tenured African-American seminary professor in SBC history. He was a godly leader, and a gracious Christian man, posted Moore on Sunday morning. A native of Heathsville, Virginia, Walker was born in 1950 as the eldest son of Thomas and Mary Walker. In 1984, he earned a Ph.D. from Oregon State University and became an educator. In 1986, Walker was appointed the first African-American professor at any Southern Baptist seminary, eventually being elected to the faculty in 1997. Walker initially worked as an assistant professor at the Carver School of Church Social Work, then moved to the School of Theology, and eventually to the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Ministry in 2003. He retired from the faculty in May 2016, saying at a luncheon honoring him and two other retirees that he considered his signing the Abstract of Principles, which is the seminarys statement of faith, as the most compelling emotional moment for me here. I know I was the first African-American, at No. 200, to sign it. I even wondered whether an African-American had ever touched that book before, had ever had his hands on it, said Walker at the time. Last month, SBTS released a released a 71-page report, detailing their history of racism and support for slavery as part of an endeavor to recognize their past moral failings on race issues. We must repent of our own sins, we cannot repent for the dead. We must, however, offer full lament for a legacy we inherit, and a story that is now ours, wrote Mohler. In addition to being a professor, beginning in 1984 Walker also served as senior pastor of the First Gethsemane Baptist Church in Louisville. Our beloved Pastor Dr. T Vaughn Walker has transitioned home to be with the Lord. Please pray for his family, 1st G and all who knew him. Thank you Jesus for blessing our lives with this Mighty Man of God, posted the church on Facebook. Walker is survived by his wife Cheryl D. Walker, three children and six grandchildren. In debt, Resonate Church to shut down a week after founder Davey Blackburn resigns Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A week after Pastor Davey Blackburn of Resonate Church in Indiana announced his resignation to answer Gods newest call on his life, church officials revealed Sunday that the congregation was tens of thousands of dollars in debt and would be shutting down. Amy Smith, sexual abuse survivor advocate, highlighted a dissolution plan presented to the congregation by John Berry, interim pastor since Blackburns resignation. It was tweeted by Twitter user Pink Haired Devil who was present at the church during the unveiling on Sunday. The plan showed that the church had liabilities of $73,817.97 and cash totaling only $38,154.48. To offset the deficit of $35,663.97 the church will sell off its worship, production, and other valuable equipment owned by the ministry. Any funds remaining from the sale is expected to be donated to a church or nonprofit that is yet to be determined. Resonate Church officials did not immediately respond to a request for an interview Monday but other sources who did not wish to be identified in this report told CP that approximately 75 people showed up for the presentation and they were allegedly very angry at Davey. There were a lot of unneeded large purchases audio and video equipment, TVs, etc, according to John Berry. John Berry, at the end of service, took questions, people were angry, asking if there was a misuse of funds, the source said. Berry reportedly told the congregation that their review of the accounts did not show any misuse of funds and Blackburn would not be taking any responsibility for the debt since he has resigned from the church. Blackburn and his late wife Amanda Blackburn moved to Indianapolis in January 2012 to plant Resonate Church. Prior to that, he had spent four years on staff at NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina, under then Pastor Perry Noble. After Amanda was murdered in their home in November 2015 while Davey was away at the gym, Blackburn recast the vision of his church. She believed nothing was wasted and anything could be restored into a treasure. Now the vision of Resonate has taken on a deeper level and reach. We now spend every waking moment following Jesus in His plan to restore this tragedy into something beautiful. We've seen hundreds of people give their lives to Jesus as their personal savior since Amanda's death, the church says on its website. We're on a mission to turn Indianapolis upside-down for Jesus and we believe it is only just the beginning of our story. Our story is played out in the light of a greater Story Jesus Story. Scripture tells us in Jesus story that Nothing is Wasted, even the most tragic of situations." Earlier this month, Blackburn said God had called him and his new wife, Kristi, to move on. Its with a heavy heart, a nervous apprehension, a trusting spirit, and yet an excited anticipation for the future that I must announce that Kristi and I are stepping away as the leaders of Resonate Church. We are doing this in order to answer a call God has placed on our lives to help people from all over the world find purpose in their pain through Nothing is Wasted, Blackburn said. Blackburns first wife was fatally shot during a home invasion on Nov. 10, 2015. He found love again with Kristi less than a year later and wed at the end of 2017. As he grieved his wifes passing, Blackburn tried to make sense of the death, saying, God didn't cause this to happen but he allowed it to happen in such a way, he allowed the breath of Amanda to come out of her so that the breath could be breathed into you and into me so that we could advance the Gospel in a way that history books have never even told." "And I believe it is going to come out of this house. I believe it is gonna come out of our house in Indianapolis. I believe in this region, God's gonna do something from the crossroads of America that's gonna scatter across America, and we're going to see a revival like we have never seen before," he added. Hispanic pastors praise Trump for work on border security as president touts growing support Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A group of Hispanic pastors praised President Donald Trump for his work on border security and pushing to build his controversial wall at a meeting at the White House Friday, as the New York billionaire touted a recent poll showing his growing support among Latinos. They have tremendous congregations of pastors and ministers anywhere in this country. And theyve been talking to me for a long period of time. And you probably saw we went up 19 percent I saw that just a little while with the Hispanic population. Part of it is the jobs because theyre doing record-setting jobs right now. But part of it is what we talk about the wall and security, Trump said in his meeting with the group. Waco pastor Ramiro Pena delivered a letter he said was endorsed by 150 Hispanic evangelical leaders expressing thanks for the presidents good faith efforts to work with Democrats on border security. Youve done a very good job and been the leader we need you to be in extending a hand to them to come to the table. And we want to say thank you for doing that, and we want to say thank you for doing everything you can to get aid, in a humanitarian way, for this crisis where its needed most, securing our borders, and providing for law enforcement and the Border Patrol everything they need all the tools and resources that are needed, Pena said. One thing you have not done, Mr. President, is manufacture a humanitarian crisis. Its real. And although many people began to declare repeatedly this is a manufactured crisis being a pastor from Texas, I can tell you the human suffering thats been going on for many decades has hit a fever pitch. And Im grateful that you have shown leadership to recognize it, to call it out, and to actually do something about it, he added. The meeting came the same day Trump agreed to sign a continuing resolution to reopen the federal government through February 15, after 35 days of demanding $5 billion to fund the controversial border wall. Were here to support you, Mr. President. You know, theres misconception in the public, thinking that Spanish community is for illegal immigration. Theres a misconception also that we want open borders, Pastor Guillermo Maldonado of King Jesus Ministry in Miami said. Dealing with people every single day, I see that our community support what youre doing. We dont want open borders. Ive been in 70 countries, preaching the Gospel, and every country has laws and order. And every country we go, America has been so gracious, opening the doors and opening the doors for every person that comes, he continued. Were here to support you, and what youre doing is great. The lowest unemployment for Spanish people 4 percent thats incredible. President Trump in his remarks promised to work with Democrats to negotiate funding for the border wall but insisted that if they couldnt make a deal he will declare a national emergency. Were going to work with the Democrats. Were going to see. And if we cant do that, then well do obviously were going to do the emergency, because thats what it is. Its a national emergency, said Trump. These are Hispanic pastors and reverends and ministers, and they understand better than anybody, its an emergency. Its a humanitarian emergency. And we are going to take care of our border. Its going to be done. And crime is going to go down throughout our whole country, not just at the border. The border is the least of it. Its what comes in through the border and permeates throughout the whole country, the president said, pointing to the drug trade. Youre going to see drugs drop way down, because a big percentage come in through the border. You will see drugs way down. Youre going to see crime go way down. So were going to do it, and were doing well. And I really appreciate you being here, he added. Last Tuesday, President Trump touted a PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll result, highlighting that his approval rating among Latinos rose to 50 percent. Marist/NPR/PBS Poll shows President Trumps approval rating among Latinos going to 50%, an increase in one year of 19%. Thank you, working hard! he noted in a tweet. An analysis by PBS however explained that as part of the survey, 1,023 people were asked: Do you approve or disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president? It noted that while the president is correct in that saying that 50 percent of the Latinos who were questioned in the survey approved of his work as president, only 153 Latino Americans were interviewed for the poll. The small sample size of Latino respondents had a wide margin of error of 9.9 percentage points, meaning that the 50 percent approval rating among Latinos the president cited could range from 40 percent to 60 percent. A statistically significant poll of Latino Americans it further noted would have a much larger sample size, a lower margin of error and would be conducted in English or Spanish. The interviews in the PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll were conducted only in English. Ex-Jakarta governor jailed for blasphemy released, plans to wed ex-wife's 21-Y-O aide Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The former Christian governor of Jakarta, who was jailed on false charges of blasphemy has been released from prison, intends to marry his ex-wifes former aide, who is half his age. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known by the name Ahok, was released from prison last week after serving most of a two-year sentence on charges that he insulted the Indonesian majority religion of Islam. According to The Guardian, Purnama walked out of the Mako Brimob detention facility in West Java a free man on Thursday morning. He was released three months early as he was rewarded remissions for good behavior. Purnama was jailed in May 2017 after he was found by a judge to have legitimately and convincingly conducted a criminal act of blasphemy. In Muslim-majority Indonesia, blasphemy is a crime punishable by a maximum five years in prison. As Jakartas first Christian governor, Purnama was in the middle of a close re-election campaign in 2016 when he was wrongly accused of insulting Islam during a speech to residents of the Thousands Islands regency that September. However, the allegations of blasphemy stemmed from a video of his speech that was doctored to make it seem like he was insulting Islam. The video was shared online and enraged thousands of Muslims who took to the streets to call for Purnamas arrest. The man who doctored the video even admitted to doing so and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Despite this, Purnama was forced to serve the majority of his two-year sentence. If we could go back in time and someone asked which would you choose [Going to prison or winning the election] I would say I choose to be imprisoned at Mako to study for two years, so that I could maintain self-discipline for the rest of my life, Ahok wrote in a letter posted to his social media page before his release, according to The Guardian. If I were re-elected, I would have become more arrogant, rough, and I would have hurt people. While in prison, however, Purnama filed for divorce from his wife, Veronica Tan, who he accused of having an affair with another man. More details of her affair with a married businessman emerged in court filings last year. Following his release from prison, the 52-year-old Purnama confirmed rumors that he soon plans to marry again. According to The Jakarta Post, Ahok was asked in a meeting with the leader of Hanura Party on Friday if the wedding rumors are true. The video of the meeting has gone viral on YouTube. "Yes, because my mother said 'Hok, I can't take care or live with you any longer, Purnama reportedly responded. She also said 'Your wife should be my replacement to cook, make cakes, and take care of you. That last one didn't want to. Purnama added that his wife-to-be is a 21-year-old former policewoman named Puput Nastiti Devi. Puput was also featured in the viral video. "She knows there's somebody to take care of her son, Puput was quoted as saying. She trusts me." Purnama explained that his future wife has been helping his mother cook for a long time now and that his mothers mental health has improved because of it. Purnama stated that they first met when he was given police protection in 2016. A friend of mine came and said that I should marry somebody with 'the same palm lines, Purnama explained. My ex-wife, in Chinese beliefs, could not accept her luck and that is why we parted. It doesnt mean [my future wife] has to have the same lines on her palms as I do, but it means that our fate is the same. After the talk with his friend, Purnama arranged to meet with Paput, who was at the time his ex-wifes aide, according to The Jakarta Post. As it turned out, Paputs palm lines matched those of Purnamas. A wedding between the two may already be planned. Jakarta City Council Speaker Prasetio Marsudi allegedly told Tempo.co that Ahok and his bride-to-be planned to get married on Feb. 15. He [Ahok] will be married in Jakarta, and I will be a witness for them, the speaker reportedly said. Christian unity advancing despite pockets of mutual rejection, Vatican official says Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Unity among the many denominations within Christianity is making progress despite a few holdouts of mutual rejection and contention among some, according to a Vatican City official. Irish Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, had a column published last week by United Kingdom-based Catholic publication The Tablet regarding the state of Christian ecumenism. Bishop Farrell argued that there were undeniable signs of continuing progress in relations between the divided churches despite some signs of frustration and even retrenchment. Pockets of mutual rejection and contention remain, but most of the world's Christians have come to recognise one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, united in a common baptism, and giving a common witness in serving the needs of suffering humanity, wrote Farrell. Farrell noted as examples that in recent times there have been several interdenominational dialogues on theology as well as international meetings organised by the World Council of Churches and the Global Christian Forum and other ecumenical associations. Rightly, the churches continue to commit important human and financial resources to theological dialogue, because every serious ecumenical advance involves overcoming remaining substantial doctrinal differences, Farrell continued. This dialogue continues in the 14 bilateral theological dialogues with other Christian bodies in which the Pontifical Council for promoting Christian Unity is involved, and in numerous other regional or multilateral meetings, conferences and studies. One of the challenges to this ecumenical movement that appeared last year, according to Farrell, was the much-publicized decision by the Russian Orthodox Church to sever its ties to the global Orthodox Church community. At issue was the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinoples decision to recognize the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as independent from Russian control, amid the political tensions between the two Eastern European countries. Whether and how the Dialogue Commission can effectively and usefully continue its work in the present situation is now an impelling question, explained Farrell. The challenge will be on the agenda of the meeting of the Coordinating Committee due to be held towards the end of the current year. Farrells column was published during the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, held Jan. 18-25, between the feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul on the liturgical calendar. The Week of Prayer featured worship materials, such as liturgy, developed in cooperation between the International Committee of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Fr. Tom Orians, SA, associate director of the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute, which helps to distribute Week of Prayer materials, told The Christian Post in an earlier interview that the theme for 2019 was "Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, taken from Deuteronomy 16:20. This years theme, which finds its origins in Deuteronomy, was chosen for its powerful message of promoting truth, equality and unity, said Orians. It was prepared by a group of representatives from different parts of Indonesia, including the Communion of Churches in Indonesia and the Indonesian Catholic Bishops Conference who felt it spoke powerfully to their situation and needs, and recognized this common need throughout the world. After struggle with mental illness, megachurch pastor Jim Howard fatally shoots himself Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Jim Howard, lead pastor of the Valencia campus of the more than 6,000 member Real Life Church in California fatally shot himself in the head at home Wednesday after a protracted battle with mental illness. It is with a heavy heart that I can confirm we suffered a tragic loss on our church staff this week. On Wednesday, January 23, 2019, Jim Howard a beloved pastor here at RLC took his own life, Rusty George, lead pastor of Real Life Church began in a statement released on Facebook last Thursday. As all of us who knew Jim can attest, he was a wonderful man with a deep love for Jesus and a passion for sharing the grace of God with anyone he met. He was also a tornado of energy, always looking for new challenges and opportunities to minister to others, George said. Detectives told The Signal that they began investigating the death of a person they suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the backyard of a Valencia home on Wednesday. Shortly before 3:40 p.m., paramedics with the Los Angeles County Fire Department were dispatched to the home on North Sunny Creek Drive and police were called in to investigate a gunshot wound to the head. In his statement on Thursday, George noted that Howard had been battling with mental illness for a while and had even spoken publicly about his struggle with the disease. Howard had reportedly also served at Real Life Church for more than three years. Sadly, Jim suffered in private with mental health challenges some of which he bravely discussed in public and was wrestling with some personal issues in recent months. This week he made the tragic decision to end his pain. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, the RLC family and all those who were blessed to know him, George said. He further urged church members who are struggling and need help to call the church. The Jared Monroe Foundation a California nonprofit dedicated to fostering awareness, understanding and support for Bipolar Disorder also urged those suffering with mental illness to reach out for help in the wake of the pastors suicide. Our deepest condolences to Pastor Jim Howard's family, friends and RLC family. Mental health challenges affect EVERYONE. Dont suffer alone. Reach out if you need to talk. You don't have to suffer alone, the foundation said in a statement on Friday. Other members of the Valencia community who knew Howard also shared their grief at his passing with Hometown Station. Jim Howard was a class act, KHTS owner Carl Goldman told the outlet. He was passionate about our valley. We worked closely on the candlelight vigil for the Santa Clarita victims of the Las Vegas shootings, as well as many Halloween events at Real Life Church. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and everyone he touched. He will be missed. There are no words anyone can say that will make the griever feel better, Sharon Brubaker, a local advanced certified grief recovery specialist said. The biggest thing we can do is be there and support. Dont try to fix it, we cant fix it. Some people are going to want to talk right now, and the most amazing thing is that we are actually talking about suicide and death by suicide, said Brubaker. Its not a stigma anymore and we have to talk about it day in and day out. Conservative Protestant fertility has declined dramatically, study finds Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Conservative Protestants aren't making many babies these days. While conservative Protestants have historically been associated with high rates of fertility, dramatic declines in recent generations now make them indistinguishable from mainline Protestants and Catholics, according to a new study. The study used General Social Survey data from 1972 to 2016 to compare fertility patterns for Protestants and Catholics of childbearing age. Conservative Protestants (which includes both black Protestants and white evangelicals) used to have the highest birth rates overall, but the study found they had the largest decline in birth rates during the period studied. The research also found that high church attendance stabilizes, or boosts, fertility for Catholics and mainline Protestants, but makes no difference for conservative Protestants. "Are the faithful becoming less fruitful? The decline of conservative protestant fertility and the growing importance of religious practice and belief in childbearing in the US," by University of Oklahoma sociologists Samuel Perry and Cyrus Schleifer, was published in the Feb. 2019 edition of Social Science Research. In 1972, conservative Protestants who went to church monthly or more had on average 2.89 children. The conservative Protestants who went to church less often had 2.83 kids, a statistically insignificant difference. By 2016, both of those numbers dropped the same amount, about 16 percent, putting churchgoing conservative Protestants at around 2.5 births on average. Mainline Protestants began with lower fertility than conservative Protestants, at 2.48. And, their birth rate also decreased 16 percent by 2016. But, the birth rate for mainline Protestants who went to church monthly or more remained mostly stable, and may even increase. For Catholics, the church attendance difference was even more stark. The birth rate dropped 9 percent for Catholics who don't attend nass often, from 2.54 to 2.31. But for Catholics who go to Mass monthly or more, the birth rate increased 4 percent, from 2.62 to 2.72. So now, high attending Catholics have the highest birth rate, and conservative Protestants, regardless of how often they go to church, have about the same birth rate as high attending mainline Protestants. While conservative Protestants tend to evangelize more and their children tend to remain in their faith tradition at a higher rate than Catholics and mainliners, the decrease in fertility "may portend significant future losses for conservative Protestants in the future," Perry and Schleifer concluded. Another possible explanation for the differences, the authors suggested, is that the high attending mainline Protestants and Catholics are a more exceptional group to begin with, since both of those groups saw declines in attendance during the period studied. Among conservative Protestants, on the other hand, high attendance has been the norm, not the exception. Birth rates have continued to drop in recent years, raising many concerns. An August 2018 report by the Centers for Disease Control found that the total fertility rate in 2017 hit a new low (60.3 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44) and has been below replacement level since 1971. A similar December report by the American Enterprise Institute found that the decline was not due to couples not wanting to have kids, but to barriers to childbearing, such as high student debt and housing costs, staying in school longer, and changing cultural expectations. As author Jonathan Last detailed in 2013's What to Expect When No One's Expecting: America's Coming Demographic Disaster, nations suffer when their birth rate drops below replacement level (2.1 babies per female). As resources shift from raising the young to caring for the elderly, economies suffer. The U.S. will be challenged in particular because the two biggest parts of the federal budget, Medicare and Social Security, are funded by current workers for the benefit of current retirees. As the workforce shrinks, proportionally to the number of retirees, those programs will be harder to fund. 'Patterns of Evidence' film offers proof of Moses' authorship of Old Testament Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The documentary series "Patterns of Evidence" will be releasing its next installment, "The Moses Controversy, which will examine the authorship of the Old Testament. Did Moses write the first books of the Bible, including his firsthand account of the Exodus story, or were the books written a thousand years later? The documentary was created by award-winning filmmaker Timothy Mahoney (Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus) who hopes to provide solid evidence to settle the debate about the true authorship of the first five books of the Bible, the most read book in the world. The movie features interviews with some of the worlds leading experts in Egyptology, ancient Hebrew, and archaeology as Mahoney searches for answers. If Moses did not author the Torah, as Scripture says, then some of the Bible is true, and some is not. How can we know what to trust? Is the Bible based on history, or merely folklore?" Mahoney said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. In my own search for the evidence, I had to ask myself if I believe the Bible because its true, or because its just what I believed because of my upbringing, said Mahoney. Since the rest of the Bible is based on the writings of Moses, the credibility of the exodus and the rest of the Bible is directly connected to the question of Moses authorship. A popular argument against Moses authorship is that the eyewitness account recorded in Exodus predates alphabetic writing. Mainstream scholars have also argued that Moses writing does not line up with commonly-cited historical dating systems. Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy explores early methods of writings including hieroglyphics, and newly-discovered cave inscriptions found in the Sinai region which shows that Hebrew was the earliest alphabetic system. Presented by Fathom Events and Thinking Man Films, Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy will hit theaters nationwide for three days only, March 14, 16, and 19. For more information visit, Patterns of Evidence.com/Moses. Filipino Christians are mourning at least 20 churchgoers and soldiers as martyrs after terrorists attacked a Catholic cathedral during Sunday mass in a heavily Muslim island in the southern Philippines. Two bombs went off at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo within minutes, the first blasting through rows of pews and the second shooting from the entrance to kill scrambling parishioners as well as the guards positioned outside to protect the church week after week. Mount Carmels iconic blue-windowed facade, facing the provincial capitals town square, was shattered and the streets quiet as officials warned residents against large gatherings in the wake of the bombing. In a region plagued by Islamist violence, its not the first attack on the cathedralbut it is the deadliest. Sundays tragedy comes less than week after surrounding islands voted to form an autonomous region among the Muslim strongholds in an effort to end ongoing clashes between Philippine ... 1 U.S. Missionary Could Face Genocide Charge for Entering Tribal Land Share Tweet A U.S. missionary to indigenous people in Brazil could be charged with genocide after entering the land of an isolated tribe and potentially breaking the law. Missionary Steve Campbell and his family have worked among the Jamamadi people in Brazil for more than 50 years, but Campbell could be in trouble for entering into the territory of another tribe, the Himarima, Christianity Today reported. The Himarima are among the last uncontacted tribes and are protected by laws that prevent contact from outside groups. Those laws are intended, in part, to guard the tribe from diseases. Campbell is affiliated with Baptist Bible Fellowship International. A church in Maine, Greene Baptist Church, helps support him. If it is configured, in the investigation, that there was interest to make contact [with Himarima], to use his relationship with other Indians to approach the isolated ones, he can be accused of a crime of genocide by deliberately exposing the safety and life of the Himarima, said Bruno Pereira, coordinator of a government body, FUNAI, that protects indigenous tribes. Campbell has lived in the area since he was a toddler when his parents moved to Brazil as translators, Christianity Today reports. He reportedly entered into Himarima land while teaching the Jamamadi how to use GPS. He is committed to the wellbeing of the Jamamadi, and the work his father and mother did there for years, being the one source of health care, providing the initial literacy school in the Jamamadi language, Braulia Ribeiro, a former Brazilian missionary, said, according to Christianity Today. They might be the only reason this group survived. But Stephen Corry, director of Survival International, believes Christians should stop contacting tribes. Survival International champions tribal rights. Fundamentalist Christian American missionaries must be stopped from this primitive urge to contact previously uncontacted tribes, Corry said. It may lead to the martyrdom they seek, but it always ends up killing tribespeople. Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com. Photo courtesy: Unsplash/Caico Gontijo Pastor Rebukes the Silent Pulpit, Unloads after New York Vote Share Tweet A paraphrase that is often attributed to Alexis De Tocquevillea Frenchman who authored Democracy in America in the early 1800s, helps to introduce this video: I looked throughout America to find where her greatness originated. I looked for it in her harbors and on her shorelines, in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and in her gold mines and vast world commerce, but it was not there. It was not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her success. America is great because she is good, and if America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great. Over the last few decades, Americans have seen the destruction of the institution of marriage between a man and a woman, the removal of Gods Word in several areas, and the blatant murdering of millions of babies. This is an indictment against America and the pulpit is partially responsible our silence speaks volumes. The pulpit regulates the spiritual condition of Gods people which affects the nation. A lukewarm, sex-saturated culture (and church) simply reflects the lack of conviction in the pulpit as well as the pew. Sadly, many pastors are exchanging truth for passivity, boldness for cowardliness, and conviction for comfortthey are not aflame with righteousness. We aim to be motivational speakers rather than preachers of righteousness. Pastors (and Christian leaders alike) must take responsibility for the spiritual health of todays church, and the nation. We dont need more marketing plans, demographic studies, or giving campaigns; we need men filled with the Spirit of God. Pastors, we are not just cheerleaders, we are game changers. We are called to stir and to convict so that change takes place. Granted, there are many wonderful pastors and churchesI appreciate their ministry, but, as a whole, the church has drifted off course. They have lost the compass of truth. Listen to more here... Photo courtesy: Pixabay Video courtesy: Westside Christian Fellowship 20 Killed, 111 Wounded in ISIS Bombing at Catholic Cathedral Share Tweet A Roman Catholic Cathedral was struck by horror and tragedy during Sunday Mass this weekend when two bombs exploded killing at least 20 people and wounding over 100. According to the Associated Press, congregants stampeded out of the Philippines based Jolo Cathedral following the first explosion. About one minute after the first explosion, military personnel and police officers began to rush into the building when a second bomb, located near the churchs entrance, went off. According to police reports, at least 20 people were killed in the blasts and 111 people were wounded. Of the 20 fatalities, 15 were civilians and five were military troops. Of those wounded, the AP reports that 17 troops, two police officers, 2 coast guard members and 90 civilians were injured. The office of President Rodrigo Duterte released a statement following the attack ensuring citizens that no measure would be spared to catch the bomber(s). The statement said, We will pursue to the ends of the earth the ruthless perpetrators behind this dastardly crime until every killer is brought to justice and put behind bars. The statement added, The law will give them no mercy. Since the president released this statement, the ISIS terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack through their Amaq propaganda agency, Fox News reports. The Philippines Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement that the military has been directed to heighten their alert level. Lorenzana said, I have directed our troops to heighten their alert level, secure all places of worships and public places at once, and initiate pro-active security measures to thwart hostile plans. Photo courtesy: Pixabay I said 'Lay Down Your Life for Another,' not 'Slay Your Unborn Child,' Mother! Christian Examiner Contributor | 28 January, 2019 by Mark Klages Forgive me for saying this, but spoiled, privileged brats are some of the most annoying people in my opinion. I mean, to just stand there with that smirk on his face spouting lies in the face of cameras that he knows will broadcast his actions around the world, and then expect us to believe he represents what is the best of America? I'm talking about Bill Maher, the Howard Stern of cable television, and his liberally charged shock jock HBO show. Who did you think I meant? Now contrast Maher's style with that of actor and producer Dean Cain, who recently spoke with Fox News regarding the crimes of Kermit Gosnell, which are too gruesome to detail here. In that interview, Cain was respectful passionate, but respectful. The crimes of Gosnell and the pain he inflicted on thousands of mothers and babies are well documented, yet the State of New York just passed legislation to legalize such brutality (and the State of Vermont is considering similar legislation). "In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael overpowered the Israelites throughout their territory." (2 Kings 10:32, NIV) What does that have to do with Bill Maher, Dean Cain or me, you ask? A lot. The passage in 2 Kings describes two kingdoms Israel and Judah. Israel had forsaken her God and God's patience ended. He promised He would enlarge Israel's territory; all they had to do was follow His commandments. Their penchant for sin and excess, their preference for selfishness over selflessness, and their replacing of God with "easier idols" led to their downfall. Here in these United States, we are of two kingdoms the Kingdom of Live, which is found in Jesus Christ, and the kingdom of death which is found in worshiping ourselves over anyone else. Let me be clear, anyone who agrees with the recent legislation in New York and calls himself or herself a Christian is either a liar or has been lied to. This is not a Republican vs. Democrat thing. This is not a male vs. female thing. This is not even a conservative vs. liberal thing. This is a God vs. Satan thing. And as my pastor stated Sunday morning, either we Christians start living Jesus' commandments or we can expect God to continue reducing the size of the American church until only a remnant remains. So how do we do that? First, it starts by loving God with everything we are. It's not enough to just go to church on Sunday, especially if we're going to drink like a fish on Saturday. It's not enough to lambaste the Bill Maher's of the world and then call for love and harmony from the confines of our homes. We must do more. As Jesus said, we must be the light on the hill, we must love the unlovable, we must be the only Jesus some people will ever see. So, while I abhor everything Bill Maher and Andrew Cuomo stand for, I pray for the souls of the men. Whether lying or being lied to, both men and everyone worshiping at the altar of death needs our prayers, our compassion, our love, and our condemnation. Just remember, when we judge, we must do so as Christ would with unwavering love for their souls. For God to bless these United States of America, God must first forgive us our sins. For God to forgive us our sins, we need to humble ourselves and stop placing ourselves ahead of others. Murdering others for our own gain is the exact opposite of what will save this nation. "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13, NIV) Mark Klages is an influential contributor, a former US Marine and a lifelong teacher who focuses on applying a Christian worldview to everyday events. Mark blogs at https://maklagesl3.wixsite.com/website under the title "God Provides where Hate Divides," with a heart to heal social, political, relational, and intellectual wounds through God's divine love and grace. Mark can also be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-klages-04b42511/. Christian missionary could be tried for genocide after mistakenly entering land of remote tribe Christian Post Contributor | 28 January, 2019 by Leah MarieAnn Klett A Christian missionary may be charged with "genocide" by Brazillian authorities after he illegally came in contact with a remote tribe. Steve Campbell of Greene Baptist Church in Maine is being investigated by officials from FUNAI, the Brazilian government's Indigenous Affairs Department, after traveling deep into the southern Amazon jungle with the intention of sharing the Gospel with the ancient tribespeople. The missionary allegedly entered an area occupied by the remote and protected Hi-Merima tribe sometime last month while attempting to evangelize a neighboring tribe. The Hi-Merima is one of a few dozen isolated communities in Brazil that have had almost no contact with the outside world and have limited immunity to outside diseases. As a result, Campbell is accused of putting the ancient tribe in grave danger by making contact with them after being led to their area by his GPS. He reportedly entered the area by mistake while teaching Indians from the neighboring Jamamadi tribe to use the device. "It's a case of rights violation and exposure to risk of death to isolated indigenous population," a Funai spokesman said in a written statement to Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Even if direct contact has not occurred, the probability of transmission of diseases to the isolated is high." Campbell could be charged with "genocide" as a result of his actions, UNAI's general coordinator, Bruno Pereira, said, as reported by the Fraser Coast Chronicle. "If it is established in the investigation that there was an interest in making contact, using his relationship with other [tribespeople] to approach the isolated [Hi-Merima tribe], he could be charged with the crime of genocide by deliberately exposing the safety and life of the Merimas," said Pereira. According to the Greene Baptist Church website, Campbell works as a missionary alongside his wife, Robin, and their two children. Read more from "Christian missionary could be tried for genocide after mistakenly entering land of remote tribe" on The Christian Post. A Roman Catholic cathedral in the Philippines was bombed on Sunday, resulting in approximately 100 injuries and about 20 dead. The government has vowed to bring the guilty party to justice. Two explosive devices went off at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral, also known as the Jolo Cathedral, in the Mindanao region. The international Islamic terrorist group ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo explained in a statement that the first bomb went off in the cathedral, with a second going off nearby as soldiers came to help, as reported by CNN. Philippines Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana said in a statement released Sunday that people should "remain calm and avoid spreading panic in our respective communities to deny terrorism any victory." "As we convey our sincerest condolences to the families and friends of the victims and offer our sympathy to the peace-loving people of Sulu who are severely affected by this dastardly act, we assure our people that we will use the full force of the law to bring to justice the perpetrators behind this incident," continued Lorenzana, according to CNN. The attack came days after the predominantly Muslim region overwhelmingly approved a referendum for greater autonomy with the hopes of expanded economic opportunity resulting. President Rodrigo Duterte, known for making his share of anti-Catholic statements to the press, visited the cathedral, with his spokesperson Salvador Panelo saying that they will "crush" the perpetrators. "The enemies of the state have boldly challenged the capability of the government to secure the safety of the citizenry in that region," stated Panelo, as reported by Al Jazeera. "The armed forces of the Philippines will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals." Philippine authorities suspect that the cathedral bombing was done by Abu Sayyaf, a domestic terrorist group connected to ISIS and has a history of violent activities in Mindanao. For his part, Pope Francis took to his official Twitter account on Sunday to express his condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack at the cathedral. "Let us pray for the victims of the terrorist attack on the Cathedral of Jolo, in the Philippines. May the Lord, Prince of Peace, convert the hearts of the violent, and grant the inhabitants of that region a peaceful coexistence,"tweeted Francis. Earlier this month, the persecution watchdog group Release International issued a statement in which they predicted an increase in Christian persecution in 2019. "[British Foreign Secretary] Jeremy Hunt has ordered a review into an estimated 215 million Christians who face violence and discrimination. According to official figures, violence against Christians is rising, with 250 killed each month," reported Release International. Courtesy of The Christian Post The wedding festivities keep on coming for Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra. The couple, who got married at the beginning of December, just recently had another wedding reception. This time, instead of going to another country, Mr. and Mrs. Jonas headed to Charlotte, North Carolina for some comfort food and family bonding. Nick Joans and Priyanka Chopra got some southern hospitality Almost two months after Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra first exchanged vows in India, the couple has traveled to North Carolina for yet another wedding reception. The happy couple enjoyed some southern cooking as they gathered at Nellies Southern Kitchen in Belmont, North Carolina along with family and friends. Priyanka Chopra showed up to the event in a white floral print dress while Nick Jonas went for a forest green button-down shirt and dark pants. A sign inside the restaurant read, Nick and Priyanka just got hitched but that knot that they tied has not been dipped in gravy or honey or hot chicken grease. So its time we throw them a Nellies Southern feast. Mama and Papa J invite you with pride to come celebrate their boy and his bride. Posts from the night showed a dessert bar with mini pies as well as a three-tiered wedding cake topped with flowers. Friends and family danced the night away and older brother, Joe Jonas, even performed his hit song Cake By The Ocean. Since many of the wedding festivities happened overseas, this reception was most likely dedicated to Jonas friends and family who could not make a trip to India for the nuptials. The restaurant is owned by Jonas father, Kevin Jonas Sr., who opened the space as a tribute to his grandmother, Nellie Jonas. It has been reported that the restaurant was closed just for this special occasion and Mr. & Mrs. Jonas were extremely grateful. Priyanka Chopra shared a photo of her blended family enjoying the night to Instagram with the caption, Fam jam. Thank you @nelliessouthernkitchen @mamadjonas@papakjonas for a wonderful reception! We love you! This was amazing. Family is very important to Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra, which is why this reception was particularly special to the both of them. Back in September, Jonas revealed to Jason Kennedy on the Today Show, I can go into all of it and get all mushy, but I think the thing that really connected both of us was our love for family and faith and the importance of being connected to those. They are always going to be there for you. We found that in each other as well, which is a beautiful thing and Im excited to start our lives together. Love on different continents Since getting married, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra have taken their love all around the world. After having a five-day celebration in India, the couple jetted off to an undisclosed location for a mini honeymoon then returned back to the states a few days later. For New Years Eve weekend, Mr. and Mrs. Jonas set off to the Swiss Alps to ring in the new year alongside a few friends and family. Earlier this month, Jonas and Chopra touched down in the Caribbean to kick off their official honeymoon in the Caribbean. Were not sure when the couple returned from their honeymoon but it is nice to see that they are back in the states enjoying time with their families. Though this event wasnt as lavish as the ones held in India, the couple was able to spend the night laugh and mingling all while enjoying some great southern cooking. Meghan Markle has always had a close relationship with her mother, Doria Ragland. And, although she is now a member of the royal family and lives in an entirely different country their closeness hasnt changed. So much so that Doria Ragland is allegedly considering a move to the United Kingdom to live closer to her daughter, son-in-law, and their royal baby. But, where does Doria Ragland live right now? Does Meghan Markles mother live in Canada like her daughter once did? Find out, ahead. Does Meghan Markles mother live in Canada? This isnt the first time Doria Ragland and Meghan Markle have lived in different countries. Before Meghan met her prince charming, she lived on the East Coast of Canada in Toronto, Ontario. And, although Doria Ragland visited her daughter and even spent time with her son-in-law in the Canadian city she did and does not live in Canada. Meghan Markle lived in Canada while filming the hit television series Suits before joining the royal family. Where does Doria Ragland live? Doria Ragland might not live in Canada, but she does live in Meghan Markles hometown, Los Angeles, California. According to the Telegraph, the royal-in-law resides in a house she inherited from her father in 2011. Her neighborhood, View Park-Windsor Hills is a pocket of properties between Culver City and Inglewood, east of the Los Angeles International Airport. Despite her daughters big move, Doria Ragland allegedly still lives in her Los Angeles abode but could move to the United Kingdom at least temporarily to be closer to her daughter, son-in-law, and their baby on the way. Is Doria Ragland moving to the United Kingdom? Rumor has it, Meghan Markles mom could move to the United Kingdom. Ahead of the royal babys arrival, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are renovating a fixer-upper in Windsor. The building, known as Frogmore Cottage, once served as staff housing for Windsor Castle but, once completed, will be a 10-bedroom estate home for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children. As part of the renovation plans, Meghan Markle has asked for two very special spaces: A room for her mother and a yoga studio so that she can continue her regular practice at home. While the royal family has yet to confirm Doria Raglands permanent plans, it is understood that Meghan Markles mother will join her daughter to help care for Baby Sussex and support her through the early months of motherhood. According to The Daily Mail, the idea of moving closer to her daughter and her first grandchild has left Doria Ragland beside herself with excitement. Inside Meghan Markle and Doria Raglands relationship Not everyone would be thrilled to have their mother move in with them. But, given Meghan Markle and Doria Raglands relationship, the two are likely so excited to spend some more time together in this new season of their lives. Heres a closer look at their relationship and what their lives might look like if Doria Ragland moves to the United Kingdom. They practice yoga together Meghan Markle is a dedicated yogi and she got it from her mama. As a yoga instructor in Los Angeles, Doria Ragland introduced her daughter to yoga at a young age. If Doria Ragland moves in with her daughter, the two could practice yoga together in the duchesss new in-home studio. Doria calls Meghan Flower The royal family doesnt allow nicknames publicly but, behind closed doors, Meghan Markles mother has the sweetest nickname for her only daughter. Doria Ragland calls Meghan Markle Flower. The duchess brought her mother to a royal engagement Royal-in-laws dont typically attend royal engagements, but Meghan Markle doesnt always follow tradition. When the Duchess of Sussex launched a cookbook with the women of the Hubb Community Kitchen, she invited her mother along to celebrate the publication. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! There isnt any celebrity more ubiquitous lately than Matthew McConaughey on the big screen, in marketing ads, or TV. Everywhere you turn, hes either pitching a product or putting out another stellar performance in a movie. His lifestyle once seemed bohemian, though, and he still gives the impression hes maybe a freewheeling bachelor. Is he really, or is he already in one of Hollywoods most durable marriages? Take a look at the surprising answer. McConaugheys past relationships As with most male Hollywood superstars, McConaughey dated around with many A-list actresses in his earlier days. Some of these relationships included dating Penelope Cruz and even Sandra Bullock. Amid it all, you probably remember McConaugheys oddball arrest for possessing marijuana and playing bongos naked during his birthday party. This was 20 years ago, yet it gave a false impression of who he really was and is. In truth, McConaughey has a strong sense of self and spiritual foundation. These traits were reinforced when he met a woman who would ultimately become his wife. Dating Camila Alves By 2006, McConaughey was dating a beautiful Brazilian model named Camila Alves. They hit it off immediately, though it took more than five years before realizing it was more than just a dalliance. McConaughey proposed to Alves in front of her entire family on Christmas Day of 2011. It seems many Hollywood marriage proposals never go as planned, and this was no different. Alves initially said no to McConaugheys proposal, stating she didnt want to rush into things. However, he persisted until she finally agreed. The official wedding ceremony took place the following June in Austin, Texas. Considering McConaughey is a true-blood Texan, they decided to make Austin their official home rather than live in the crazy bubble of Hollywood. The two already had children together Despite dating for years, McConaughey and Alves had two children together in prior years. One is a son named Levi, and a daughter named Vida. Later, they had another son, Livingston. McConaughey has talked to the media in recent years about their disciplined approach to raising their kids. They both believe in letting their kids find their own individuality. Living away from Hollywood is probably the smartest thing they could do for their kids to maintain a stable family life. So what does Camila Alves do in her own career and with her husband? They continue to show support for one another, including showing up on the red carpet for McConaugheys movie premieres. Alves own career and events with her husband @SerenityFilm premiere, what movie are you seeing this weekend? You know which one I vote for! @SerenityFilm que filme voce vai ver esse final de semana? Voce sabe para qual estou votando #nyc pic.twitter.com/Q3AZmTTNs6 Camila Alves (@iamcamilaalves) January 25, 2019 Dont miss me on @LiveKellyRyan today at 9:30am! It was an absolute pleasure this morning to be with these two gems!! Ryan has this face because his hands were covered with the avocado/tahini spreed we made for the egg bites that we couldnt stop eating!! pic.twitter.com/KFZbyPdVGR Camila Alves (@iamcamilaalves) January 23, 2019 Recently, Alves tweeted a pic of her attending the premiere of McConaugheys new film Serenity. Lets remember, though: Alves is a star in her own right. She continues to make media appearances by herself. Not long ago, she also tweeted an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan for a cooking segment. Part of her career is devoted to running a lifestyle website called Women of Today. It contains ideas on healthy eating, fashion choices, arts & crafts, plus tips on raising kids. On the site, you can also find her live stream weekly video program called Camilas Code. McConaugheys time with his wife In honor of #GivingTuesday, if youre so inclined pls support @jklivinFNDN which provides afterschool fitness & wellness programs for high school students. For a $10 donation, youll be entered to win a #DallasBuyersClub script signed by me. Donate here: https://t.co/fbGz9rYPJK pic.twitter.com/Ski2h3pzHM Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) November 27, 2018 If youre on Twitter, youll also notice McConaughey is fairly active there. He posts numerous things related to his movies, premieres, and political beliefs. He also posts promotional tweets about his ongoing ad campaign for Lincoln cars. Something both he and Alves work together on is his Just Keep Livin Foundation, abbreviated as j.k.livin. The foundation helps teenagers make positive choices in their lives so they can grow up to become worthy adults. As one of the most grounded celebrity couples, we can probably expect McConaughey and Alves to stay married far beyond their current six years. Perhaps theyve set a high bar for all movie actors living far away from Los Angeles when deciding to marry and start a family. Ree Drummond, also known as the star of Food Networks The Pioneer Woman, lives on a ranch in the middle of Oklahoma. During each episode, she details her life a bit, discussing how she cooks in the lodge, which is separate from her home but still on the same piece of property. She also tends to hop in her pick up truck and drive quite a ways into town driving through the familys own land most of the time. But how much land does her husband, Ladd Drummond, and his family actually own? Ree Drummond met her husband during a visit back home after college The story of how Drummond met her husband sounds similar to the way most people in their 20s meet a new love: Over some drinks at a bar. Drummond had gone to the bar with her friends when she spotted her future husband on the other side of the room wearing jeans and cowboy boots. She noted in the first issue of her magazine that she was instantly smitten with him and said that he was tall, strong, and mysterious. The two talked for a while, but they didnt end up meeting again for another four months, when he finally asked her on a date. She said yes, and they hit it off. At the time, she had been planning to move to Chicago. But Ladd Drummond had essentially turned her world upside down, and she ended up building an entirely new life in Oklahoma. The Drummonds live on a massive Oklahoma estate Once Drummond settled in with her new husband, the couple had some kids, and she decided to start a blog about raising children and living on a ranch. She called herself The Pioneer Woman. One thing led to another, and she eventually became a massive Food Network star. Today, the couple lives on a huge ranch in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. According to Two Peas and Their Pod blog, who visited Drummond to cook with her on the ranch, Drummond lives in the middle of nowhere with absolutely nothing in sight. This is because Drummonds husbands family actually owns more land than you can imagine. As of 2013, Ladd Drummonds family owns at least 433,000 acres of land In 2013, Modern Farmer reported on the countrys biggest landowners. While the Drummond family landed at No. 17 on the list, they still own more land than anyone probably thought. The family owns a total of 433,000 acres. To put that in perspective, thats about 30 times the size of Manhattan. Its unclear how many cattle and horses the family owns, but the family business, Drummond Land & Cattle Company, was founded more than 100 years ago by Ladds ancestors. Ree Drummond frequently shows the cattle and horses on her show. The Drummond family also owns a restaurant and hotel in their Oklahoma town The Drummonds might own plenty of land, but Ree has taken on other business ventures since getting her big break on Food Network. She currently owns the Mercantile restaurant in her home town of Pawhuska. She also owns a luxury boutique hotel in her downtown called The Boarding House. It is made up of only eight suites but offers immaculate amenities. Each suite has a different style (and is named as such), and it took Ree and Ladd Drummond nine months to complete. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! When DJ Pauly D and Vinny Guadagnino tied the bromance knot in a Las Vegas wedding chapel last October, some speculated that the Jersey Shore guys might be off the dating market for good. Nothing could be further from the truth. The pair is slated to star in a re-released version of the popular 2008-2009 game show, Double Shot at Love. Double Shot redux In case you werent paying attention when it aired on MTV a decade ago, the original Double Shot at Love was a spinoff inspired by A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. The spinoff show featured bisexual bachelorette twin sisters Victoria and Erica Mongeon, aka the Ikki Sisters, who were looking for love amid a sea of 24 male and female contestants of all sexual persuasions. Who is DJ Pauly? Paul DJ Pauly D DelVecchio hails from Providence, Rhode Island, where he was born within 24 hours of Independence Day in 1980. Notable for his accentuated east coast accent, DelVecchio is pure blood Italian on both his parents sides. Claiming that he doesnt represent all Italians, only himself, the 59 reality show star appeared on more than 80 episodes of Jersey Shore. In 2012, DelVecchio starred in the 12-episode series, The Pauly D Project. As evidenced by its short run, the show about a rave DJ heading toward the big time was not a big hit with viewers, but it certainly got the attention of the producers of the new Double Shot at Love. Who is Vinny? Vinny Guadagnino hails from Staten Island, New York, where he made his earthly debut on November 11, 1987. The Susan E. Wagner High School graduate served as an aide in the New York State Assembly. Prior to graduation from the College of Staten Island with a 3.9 grade point average, Guadagnino attended SUNY New Paltz. In addition to his interest in comedic acting, Vinny is known for authoring the 2012 Hot 97 music video, Stay Sleepin as well as for his portrayal of Cousin Vinny on the 2011 TV series, The Gate of Fallen Angels. How much are Vinny and Pauly D worth? Jersey Shores youngest cast member, Vinny, is also one of the wealthiest. According to reliable sources, the 21-year-old reality show star is worth a cool $3 million. Pauly, who guested on Britney Spears Femme Fatale tour and currently performs DJ duties in Las Vegas, has at least $20 million in the bank, according to GOBankingRates. Reality programming is still a wealthy business Arising in the early 2000s, reality programs that spawned shows such as Double Shot typically feature non-professional actors in believable situations. Unscripted encounters and surprise outcomes are some of the things that make the genre so popular with viewers. Before Double Shot came out, reality programming such as X Factor and American Idol helped otherwise unheard contestants become instant stars. Big Brother and other non-music shows launched the careers of numerous household names, including Jamie Chung, Stephen Colletti, Jacinda Barrett, Kristin Cavallari, and Jade Goody. Jersey Shore was set in a communal house in Seaside, New Jersey where it spawned the careers of media sensations Nicole Snooki Polizzi, Michael The Situation Sorrentino, and Samantha Sammi Sweetheart Giancola. In case youre wondering, MTVs Jersey Shore offered plenty of lucrative endorsements to stars Pauly D and Vinny. When the 2019 version of Double Shot of Love premieres on MTV later this year, the show will feature 20 single women, each of whom will compete for the affection of one or both hosts. If they fail, an ignominious elimination ceremony will ensue, say the producers of the upcoming show. District Attorney Neal Pinkston said his office first wants to try three members of the Athens Park Bloods gang in a death penalty case before the other 51 defendants in the complex RICO conspiracy case. However, the trial of Andre Grier, Courtney High and Charles Shelton will not be soon. Defense attorneys said they need up to nine months to go through a mountain of evidence turned over by the state. They are charged with killing Bianca Horton before she could testify against another gang member, Cortez Sims. The state wants the trio put to death. Sims, who was convicted and given a life sentence even without Ms. Horton, was among those in court. He said he wanted a speedy trial, saying it had already been a year. DA Pinkston indicated he wants to keep not all but many of the remaining defendants together. However, Criminal Court Judge Tom Greenholz asked, "Where are we going to try 45 people?" The DA replied with humor, "I figured the court in its infinite wisdom had already figured that out." Many of the defendants were in the Greenholz courtroom on Monday for a long day of hearing some 40 motions that have been filed. Some are out on bond, while others with more serious charges were brought into the courtroom shackled. The motions attack various aspects of the relatively new state RICO statute. The rulings of Judge Greenholtz are expected to be appealed and set the groundwork for future RICO prosecutions in Tennessee. One attorney is asking to get off the case. Brandy Spurgin-Floyd, who represents Martrel Arnold, said the case is "a monster." She asked how since Arnold is in jail how she can go over 360 hours of recorded evidence with him. Attorney Steve Moore, who represents one of the defendants in the capital case, said he has already had a firm print out 70,000 pages of documents provided by the state. Another 15,000 to 20,000 pages is coming, it was stated. DA Pinkston on Monday was handing out another "terabyte" of evidence to defense attorneys. Since an incident last October when one of the defendants put on social media sensitive information that put certain people at risk special precautions have been taken. Attorneys are now asked to sign an agreement that they will not release such electronic documents to their clients. There were so many defendants and because almost all of them cannot afford to hire an attorney that a host of local lawyers had to be called in. Some are civil attorneys who rarely appear in Criminal Court. One said on Monday, "This is my very first criminal case." Brainerd High School has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportations Aeronautics Division. Brainerd High is home to the Institute of Aviation, a Future Ready Institute in Hamilton County Schools. The Aviation Education and Outreach Program Selection Committee reviewed 21 applications and selected the Institute of Aviation at Brainerd to receive the grant. The grant funds can use the funding for an Aviation Mechanics Tool Kit, UAS Drone Club membership, drone competitions, travel to competitions, and field trips to Middle Tennessee State University and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology. The Institute of Aviation at Brainerd incorporates the career-technical education programs of study for aviation flight as well as aviation maintenance and light repair. The aviation curriculum includes learning the principles of flight, using a flight simulator and drones, aviation engine operation and repair, general maintenance, and aviation engine problem-solving. Students in the program may have an interest in becoming a pilot, aviation mechanic, or one of the many other careers available in aviation. The TDOT grant began Jan. 15 and will end Jan. 14, 2020. The Tennessee Department of Transportation Aeronautics Divisions Aviation Outreach and Education program aims to promote, prioritize, and fund aviation outreach and education programs in Tennessee. For more information on the program or the grant, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/aeronautics/aviation-outreach-education-program.html or contact the Aviation Outreach and Education Program Coordinator Evan Lester at Evan.Lester@tn.gov. Applications for attending a Future Ready Institute in Hamilton County Schools next school year will open on Friday. There will be an information night featuring all Future Ready Institutes at the downtown Unum location at 500 Walnut St. on Tuesday, Feb. 19, from 5-7 p.m. Brainerd aviation students watch a drone demonstration in the schools gym The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga along with the IRS, and the city of Chattanooga will offer free tax preparation services through its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program to qualified taxpayers. VITA will kick-off the program with a press conference featuring Mayor Andy Berke held on Thursday at the Urban League Office, 730 Martin Luther King Blvd. The Urban Leagues VITA program served 10,504 in seven counties throughout the region last year. For fifteen years, the VITA program continues to benefit our community and local businesses," said James McKissic, vice president and chief operating officer of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga. "VITA is a free community program that serves as a financial boost for low to moderate income individuals and familiesone more way to empower our community." Individuals and households with incomes up to $54,000 last year may qualify for free tax preparation. Taxpayers will need to bring all of their tax documents, including W2s, 1099s, Social Security Cards for all children, valid photo identification, Affordable Care Act Statements: 1095-A, and home mortgage statements. To assist tax payer, each VITA site will have free information on tax documents, Earned Income Tax Credit and IRS updates. Taxpayers who claim EIC or the Additional Child Tax Credit may experience a refund hold. According to the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act, the IRS cannot issue these refunds before mid-February. The IRS expects the earliest EITC/ACTC related refunds to be available in taxpayers bank accounts or debit cards starting Feb. 27, if these taxpayers chose direct deposit and there are no other issues with their tax return. With a government shutdown, tax payers may experience a delay in the processing and distribution of tax returns. VITA is run by the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga and sponsored by the IRS, city of Chattanooga, SunTrust Foundation, United Way of Greater Chattanooga, UTExtension and Tennessee Saves. For VITA locations and hours of operation, call the Urban League at 756-1762, 311 or 211 or visit www.ulchatt.net. Starting in February 2019, the Boy Scouts of America will officially begin accepting girls into the Scouting program for older Scouts. Victoria Johnson, chief development officer of the Cherokee Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, said, This historic move comes after years of girls attending and participating in activities with their brothers and parents, but earning no merit badges. We are excited that these girls can now earn merit badges and the rank of Eagle. As a result of the move, the program known traditionally as Boy Scouts, serving youth 11-18 years of age will be renamed Scouts BSA. Ms. Johnson said, "This step is to create a more inclusive program as the program begins to allow older girls to participate." Jay Elliott, president of the Cherokee Area Council executive board, said,I am excited to have girls join the Scouts BSA troops in the Cherokee Area Council. It is certainly a win-win for everyone involved the girls who will be joining, their families, and Scouting. Officials said, "Using the same curriculum as the Boy Scout program, all Scouts BSA troops will run the same Scouting program, earn the same merit badges, and be able to achieve the same ranks. Scouts BSA troops will be single gender - all-girl or all-boy - because the BSA recognizes and celebrates that boys and girls develop differently, and there are times that single-gender learning is the most appropriate." In 2018, girls began joining the Cub Scouts. Existing packs established a new girl pack, keeping dens single gendered all boys or all girls. More than 77,000 girls joined the Cub Scout program nationally last year. For 50 years, girls across the U.S. have been members of Venturing Crews and Explorer Posts, programs designed for youth aged 14-20 to teach leadership skills and hands-on business training. As cold weather begins to settle in the Tennessee Valley, Tennessee American Water reminds its customers to take steps to prevent water damage from frozen and burst pipes as well as frozen meters. Extreme weather events like sub-freezing temperatures for an extended period can cause pipes in vulnerable areas to freeze and burst and result in costly damage, said Tennessee American Water Director of Operations Kevin Kruchinski. By taking the proper preventive steps, customers can avoid worrying about frozen pipes and making expensive repairs to damaged plumbing inside and outside of the home. Property owners are responsible for maintenance of the water service line from the meter to the house, as well as any in-home pipes. Tennessee American Water encourages residents to take the following precautions to reduce the risk of freezing and bursting pipes. Follow these steps before cold weather sets in: - Know how to shut off your water. Locate your main water shut-off valve. You may want to tag or label it so you do not have to search for it in an emergency. This is important to know in a non-emergency situation as well, like making a repair on a small leak on a toilet or sink. - Check sprinkler or irrigation systems. Make sure you have turned everything off and fully drained the system. - Identify your homes freezing points. Check your home for pipes in areas that might be prone to freezing, such as crawl spaces, unheated rooms, basements, garages, and exterior walls. - Strengthen your defenses. Eliminate sources of cold air near water lines by closing off crawl spaces, fixing drafty windows, insulating walls and attics, and plugging drafts around doors. -Protect your pipes. Where pipes are exposed to cold, wrap them with insulation or electrical pipe heater (even fabric or newspaper can help). When temperatures stay below freezing: - Prevent pipes from freezing. Keep water moving through the pipes by allowing a small trickle of water to run. Consider collecting the water for later use like watering plants. Also, the cost of a short-term trickle is much less costly than a repair of a burst pipe. - Keep your pipes warm. Open cabinet doors to expose pipes to warmer room temperatures to help keep them from freezing. If your pipes do freeze: - Shut off the water immediately. Dont attempt to thaw pipes without first turning off the main shut-off valve. - Thaw pipes with warm air. You can melt the frozen water in the pipe by warming air around it with a hair dryer or space heater. Be sure not to leave the space heater unattended and avoid the use of kerosene or open flames. - Be careful turning water back on. Once pipes are thawed, slowly turn the water back on and double check for any additional cracks and leaks. Shelves are stocked in preparation for the Wednesday opening of the Ringgold/Fort Oglethorpe Food City. The 49,700+ square foot supermarket is located on Highway US-41 and will serve as the areas second location. The area residents in both Tennessee and Georgia have certainly been supportive of our company and were extremely excited to provide our loyal customers with a new, state-of-the-art Food City, says Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer. Officials said, "The location includes an in-store bakery/deli, complete with a hot food bar, large cafe seating area, pizzeria and deluxe fresh food bar, featuring a wide variety of soup, wings, salad and fruit selections. Full service meat and seafood departments offer pre-marinated and seasoned oven ready products, plus a complete selection of top quality meats that are all-natural with no solutions added, including Certified Angus Beef and fresh sushi. In-house meat cutters hand cut steaks and fresh meat to order. Expanded grocery, frozen food and produce departments go well beyond the normal fare with a huge selection of gourmet, international and specialty items. The Food City Floral Boutique is staffed with a designer seven days per week, offering a full assortment of fresh-cut floral arrangements, bouquets, gift items and more. Rapid checkout service is provided by six traditional check-out lanes and four self-check-outs. "For added convenience, Food City is proud to continue its relationship with Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union, offering an in-store branch banking option, a Food City Pharmacy providing a full range of services and a Food City Gas N Go featuring a large five pump station, including diesel fuel. "The new location also features several award winning energy saving concepts, ranging from energy efficient glass cooler doors, parking lot lights and refrigeration systems to motion sensors and 100 percent LED lighting, as well as an open rafter ceiling design." Our customers will find the same exceptional customer service, top quality products and competitive pricing they have come to expect from Food City, housed in a more energy efficient model, along with some exciting new features and conveniences, says Mr. Smith. The new store will also offer the added convenience of GoCart curbside pick-up. Customers can select their purchases on-line at foodcity.com and their order will be filled by a professional shopper and loaded into their vehicle when they arrive at the store. Payment can be made on-line or by credit or debit card at the time of pick-up. Spring break is around the corner, and once again, several Bryan College students will spend their break serving around the world through Bryans Break For Change ministry. The Break For Change ministry allows students to travel to locations across the country including Opelousas, La. and Houston, Tx., and internationally to Belize, Costa Rica, Haiti, and Germany to make a difference in each community. Our goal with Break For Change is more than just a week of service, said Eric McEachron, director of Outreach Ministries. We want these trips to be a catalyst toward new relationships and perspective, and deeper lives of worship, work, and witness for the glory of God. What makes the difference is the mindset and attitude of our students, the example and mentorship of our faculty and staffwho can tie the lessons and work on these trips to what students have already been learning on campusand our wonderful host partners who immerse students in truly model-worthy ministries. The focus and work of the trips is very different, but each clearly fits our mission as a college and as believers. Led by a faculty or staff mentor, each team of students will partner with a local or international ministry that directly impacts its home city. Bryan College has formed long-term relationships through multi-year involvement with each of these ministries, across the country and around the world. Those ministries include: Opelousas, La. In partnership with Hope for Opelousas, the Bryan team will join a movement of hope among youth through educational support and tutoring, neighborhood outreach through painting and construction, and intentional relationships. The students will gain firsthand understanding of the Hope For Opelousas motto: love changes everything. Houston, Tx, The YMCA International Services is a front lines care provider and advocate for refugees, recent immigrants, and victims of human trafficking. The Bryan team will spend time with key leaders in this organization and join them in serving the voiceless and vulnerable. Through in-depth conversations with people of various worldviews, the team will learn to recognize the difference between preconceived ideas and the truth about these marginalized groups. Belize The ministry in Belize will work among indigenous people in the remote hill country of southern Belize to provide health education and practical solutions to improve lives and communities. The Bryan team will identify local needs, and apply their training in engineering, business, biology, and teaching, toward long-term and holistic community development. Costa Rica The Bryan team will be engaged with churches affected by the training ministry of Seminario Esepa. The Bryan team will work shoulder-to-shoulder with ministers, participating with them in evangelism, construction, childrens outreach, and prayer services. They will experience and join the amazing movement of God in Latin America, build lasting relationships, and provide encouragement and support to ongoing ministries that strengthen the Costa Rican church and impact the the city of San Jose. Haiti In partnership with The Hands and Feet Project, the Bryan team will have the chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus with believers committed to being the best last resort for Haitis 800,000 orphans. H&F invites teams to serve Haitis orphaned or abandoned children while also experiencing the beauty and rich culture of Haiti. Sponsored by Bryans Business Department and Enactus, the Bryan team will apply business and marketing skills to grow job possibilities for H&F graduates, with the larger goal of contributing to sustainable solutions for the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere. Rev. Tim Tinsley told the congregation at First Presbyterian Church on Sunday that he has resigned as pastor. He said he and his wife, Laura, are seeking to join an organization in which they will work in evangelism and mentoring in cities in the U.S. and abroad. Rev. Tinsley said, "We are not leaving First Presbyterian, and we are not leaving Chattanooga." He said he will be staying on as pastor through May. The church's Session will meet Monday evening to begin planning the transition. Rev. Tinsley was just the 13th pastor of First Presbyterian Church in its long history. He was elected pastor by the congregation just before Christmas 2009. At the time, Judge Mickey Barker, chairman of the nine-member search committee, said. "We're excited about Rev. Tinsley. He was the senior associate at a church of about 5,000 members." He said Park Cities is "a flagship church of the PCA." Judge Barker said, "Rev. Tinsley is coming from one of the largest churches in America to the oldest church in Chattanooga." He noted that First Presbyterian was founded in 1840 - just after the Indian Removal. Rev. Tinsley took the place of Dr. Mike Milton, who left in December of 2007 to become president and professor of practical theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte. The search committee interviewed a number of candidates during a year-long search in 2009. Safeguard measures placed against imports into Philippines 28 January 2019 The Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has begun preliminary safeguard measures against cement imports from Vietnam amongst other countries. As such, the DTI applied duties of PHP8.40 (US$0.16)/40kg bag or PHP210/t (US$4/t). The safeguard measures will be in place for 200 days from 18 January 2019. Vietnam was the biggest importer of cement into the Philippines between 2014-17. In the first four months of 2018, cement imports from Vietnam accounted for 75.2 per cent of the Philippines total, according to the DTI. Published under Cement in the heart of Africa ICR Research By Published 28 January 2019 Following two particularly challenging years and considerable overcapacity, the cement industry in the Republic of Congo can look forward to better times. The government is set to increase investment in housing and public spending to advance the countrys infrastructure, and provide for its growing and young population. The economic crisis in the Republic of Congo deepened in 2017 as GDP continued to contract by 4.6 per cent from -2.8 per cent the previous year. Low oil prices combined with a prolonged recession in the non-oil sector significantly impacted the countrys economy. The increase in oil GDP, brought about by the new Moho Nord oilfield coming on-stream and increasing oil production, could not offset a 9.2 per cent contraction of non-oil GDP, as activity in the telecommunications, transport and construction sectors declined. To continue reading this story and get access to all News, Articles and Video sections of the CemNet.com website, please Register for a subscription to International Cement Review or Login Allianz Malaysia Bhd. has been chosen to progress in talks to acquire Malaysias second-biggest car insurer after edging out Japanese rival Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., people with knowledge of the matter said. AmGeneral Insurance Bhd.s owners have decided to enter detailed discussions with Allianz on a potential deal, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. They have applied for Malaysian central bank approval to allow Allianz to conduct due diligence on the business and formally proceed with negotiations on terms of a transaction, one of the people said. The insurer could be valued at about $800 million in a sale, the people said. AMMB Holdings Bhd. and Insurance Australia Group Ltd., which jointly own AmGeneral, havent ruled out pursuing a deal with other suitors should talks with Allianz falter, according to one of the people. Representatives for Allianz and AMMB said they couldnt immediately comment, while representatives for IAG and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance declined to comment. Any deal could encourage Prudential Plc and Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., which have also been considering selling stakes in their Malaysian insurance units. Bloomberg News reported last month that Allianz Malaysia and Mitsui, a unit of Japan-listed MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc., were shortlisted to bid for AmGeneral. Kuala Lumpur-listed AMMB owns 51 percent of AmGeneral, while IAG holds the remainder. An acquisition could also include a bancassurance agreement, which would give the buyer the right to distribute insurance products through AMMBs branch network, people familiar with the matter said last month. AmGeneral is the countrys second-biggest auto insurer with a market share of 15 percent, its website shows. It ranked fifth in the overall Malaysian general insurance market as of the first half of 2018. The company has more than 4 million policies and a network of 7,000 agents and dealers. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. 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By initiating this transaction, the submitter assumes any and all liability associated with publication of the submitted content (e.g., infringement, licensing) and agrees to defend and hold the Publisher harmless. news, latest-news ACT Fire and Rescue is proposing to halve the level of additional crews it is required to stand up on days with a very high fire danger rating, in a move that has been slammed by the United Firefighters Union. But Emergency Services Agency commissioner Dominic Lane stressed that ACT Fire and Rescue was only a small part of fire authorities' overall response to bushfires, with the Rural Fire Service taking primary responsibility. He also said the planned changes would have no impact on public safety. A draft copy of ACT Fire and Rescue's new bushfire and storm enhanced crewing policy, obtained by the Sunday Canberra Times, shows that on days when the fire danger rating reaches level three very high the service would be required to stand up four tanker crews or four compressed air foam system crews. The extra vehicles would be crewed by dedicated staff from 12pm until 6pm. While the draft of the new policy would require either an additional four tanker crews or four compressed air foam system crews, the current policy states that four of each are needed on days of very high fire danger. In a scathing email to ACT Fire and Rescue chief officer Mark Brown on Thursday afternoon, United Firefighters Union ACT branch secretary Greg McConville blasted the proposed changes. "Let's call this what it is: a reduction in the level of fire protection driven by the failure of ACT Fire and Rescue to recruit sufficient staff," Mr McConville wrote in the email, which he forwarded to the Sunday Canberra Times. Mr McConville last year said ACT Fire and Rescue was about 40 firefighters short of its funded establishment, but Emergency Services Agency commissioner Dominic Lane called that claim a falsification. In his email to Mr Brown, Mr McConville said the deployment of the compressed air foam system appliances arose from the inquiry into the devastating 2003 Canberra bushfires, headed by former Commonwealth ombudsman Ron McLeod. "The Canberra community would rightly be aghast that the [Emergency Services Agency] continues to wind back the gains in fire protection made after the review into the fires that caused the deaths of 4 people, injured 490 people, and destroyed 470 homes," Mr McConville wrote. Mr McConville also savaged the Emergency Services Agency's approach to consultation with the union, calling it "hollow, cynical and tokenistic". Mr Brown was not available for interview on Friday, but his boss, Mr Lane, told the Sunday Canberra Times he fully supported the proposed changes. Mr Lane said ACT Fire and Rescue was primarily an urban fire service and the ACT Rural Fire Service held the main responsibility for fighting bushfires in the territory. He pointed out that on the fire danger rating scale, which has six levels, "very high" was in the bottom half of risk at level three. No changes to crewing levels were proposed at the more elevated levels of risk. "Its very much about, well, whats the risk, and do we need all those [firefighters] stood up?" Mr Lane said of the proposed changes. "I have a personal view that we should make sure that the taxpayer gets best value for money, but also that our own people dont find themselves fatigued because theyre stood up more than they need to be, so its about getting that right balance. "We think we can very confidently make a change to ACT Fire and Rescues stand-up arrangements without compromising public safety, but that's part of ongoing correspondence between the firefighters' union and the chief officer." Mr Lane said decisions about crewing were not only dictated by the minimum requirements at each fire danger rating level. He said decisions were informed by the agency's dynamic coverage tool, which took into account the active resources available, the fire danger rating and known data about the history of fires in the ACT. "Rest assured, were not going to have an issue in terms of not having enough resources," Mr Lane said. "The ACT remains the best-resourced jurisdiction in the nation in relation to bushfire risks." /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/92736fc4-b773-44b1-a820-21d08a1ffa31/r0_230_4256_2635_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news The number of bikie gangs with chapters operating inside Canberra has grown to five with the arrival of the notorious European outlaw motorcycle gang, Satudarah. The presence of the new gang had been flying under the public radar until members of ACT Policing's Taskforce Nemesis raided a house in Belconnen on Friday afternoon and arrested a 30-year-old man, identified as the president of Satudarah's new ACT chapter, and charged him with a series of violent offences. The ACT Magistrates Court was told the club's president, together with others, entered a house in Oaks Estate on Thursday evening, where they confronted a man before threatening and bashing him. The charges included aggravated robbery, inflicting grievous bodily harm, making a demand with a threat to kill, and attempting to pervert the course of justice. The man has been remanded in custody, joining a raft of other gang members inside Canberra's prison walls, including senior Comanchero member Alex Bourne, who is now serving eight years for various drug and violent offences. The arrival of Satudarah adds yet another troubling chapter to the swelling ranks of outlaw motorcycle gang members operating out of the ACT. In 2018, police arrested nine people for gang-related assaults and charged 16 gang members with 39 offences. In September last year, video footage was released of a dramatic incident in which three hooded men, two with firearms, targeted the Calwell home of former Comanchero Peter Zdravkovic. A shootout ensued after petrol was poured over three cars and ignited. Once purported to be a "one-gang town", with the Rebels as the sole bikie gang chaptered here, Canberra is now home to the Finks, the Comancheros, the Nomads and Satudarah. In NSW, anti-consorting laws, together with the significant resources allocated to police anti-gang taskforce Strike Force Raptor, make it illegal for gang members to gather in number. The same laws do not apply in the ACT, providing a much freer rein to patched-gang group activity here. The arrival of Satudarah into Canberra and the violent Oaks Estate incident is certain to re-energise the turf war between the rival gangs, which in 2017-18 led to a spate of major offences including drive-by shootings, homes being set on fire, home invasions, bashings and brothel brawls at Fyshwick. Late last year the president of the Australian Federal Police Association, Angela Smith, warned that the ACT community would "pay the price" for not introducing anti-consorting laws similar to those in NSW. Her statement followed a series of incidents including the June targeting of a Ngunnawal family home which was shot at and had its front door set alight. Police later described the incident as a case of mistaken identity, with the house wrongly targeted by bikie gang members. "NSW is getting tougher on outlaw bikie gangs by giving police additional powers to target and disrupt their violent activities," Ms Smith said. "It's a stark contrast to the weak bikie laws we have here in the ACT, where gangs are free to roam and incite violence in our community." The ACT government responded with legislation which granted police new powers to secure a crime scene. The new gang into Canberra arrives with an international reputation for extreme violence. Satudarah means one blood in the Malay language. It is one of Europes most notorious motorcycle gangs, with 44 chapters and around 4000 members worldwide. There are chapters in Norway, Spain, Belgium, Denmark , Germany, France, Indonesia and Thailand. The group is active on social media, with a club page for its Australian activities and its own trademark-protected merchandise. It was formed in the Netherlands in 1990 by a group of Moluccan and Dutch friends, mostly ex-soldiers, but now boasts gang members from a range of ethnic backgrounds. The notoriety of the gang grew when it publicly took on the Hells Angels and the Bandidos. Satudarah was the subject of a 2015 documentary called Satudarah: One Blood, produced by award-winning writer-cinematographers Joost van der Valk and Mag Gaven, who have filmed documentaries and interviews on a range of controversial subjects. NSW Police claimed in 2016 that they had struck a telling blow against Satudarahs attempt to build its membership base in Australia after arresting four members of the Sydney chapter, including the chapters president. The members were charged with a range of offences including supplying prohibited drugs, carrying weapons and consorting. However, that effect was shortlived. The club rebuilt and again came to police attention, culminating in Strike Force Raptors arrest in June last year of the sergeant-at-arms of the Sydney chapter. He was charged with a range of weapons, drug and firearm-related offences. In June last year, a Dutch court announced a complete ban of the club in its home country. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/af865440-64f9-41fb-8b82-1da86cc962f3/r0_301_720_708_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg Become A Subscriber A subscription opens up access to all our online content, including: our interactive E-Edition, a full archive of modern stories, exclusive and expanded online offerings, photo galleries from Caledonian-Record journalists, video reports from our media partners, extensive international, national and regional reporting by the Associated Press, and a wide variety of feature content. The Guardian has today reported that Ireland has launched a last-minute effort to warn Theresa May off any attempt to unravel the backstop, two days before a crucial Commons debate that may decide the next move for the UKs rudderless Brexit policy. According to the report, Irish foreign minister and deputy leader, Simon Coveney, insisted the backstop the mechanism to ensure there will be no hard border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland if Britain and the EU fail to strike a free trade deal was part of a balanced package that isnt going to change. In a forceful interview, he insisted it was only part of the withdrawal agreement because of the UKs red lines. Ministers have not formally backed any of the anti-backstop amendments, which are incompatible with the deal that May agreed with UK leaders, but if one were to pass by a majority, she would be able to present the EU with a firm idea of what changes might get her deal through parliament something that as yet remains unclear to Brussels. MPs pushing the anti-backstop amendments will be competing against a rival bloc of parliamentarians hoping to get a majority for an amendment intended to prevent the government taking the UK out of the EU without a deal. Various versions of this are on the order paper, including some viewed with alarm by ministers because they cede control of the parliamentary timetable to backbenchers. In an interview with BBC Ones The Andrew Marr Show, Coveney said he did not see the need for further compromise because the backstop is already a compromise. Although originally Northern Ireland-specific, it was made UK-wide at the request of May, he said. And the very need for the backstop in the first place was because of British red lines that they wanted to leave the customs union and single market, he said. "Everything changed in 2016': Poles in UK struggle with Brexit. So the Irish position is, look, we have already agreed to a series of compromises here, and that has resulted in what is proposed in the withdrawal agreement. Ireland has the same position as the European Union now, when we say that the backstop, as part of the withdrawal agreement, is part of a balanced package that isnt going to change. Source: www.businessworld.ie Samsung India will launch new phones today under a new Galaxy 'M' brand name. The phones are expected to have some new 'industry first' features. Earlier, it was reported that the Galaxy M family will initially see three phones - the Galaxy M10, M20 and M30. M30 was later spotted on Geekbench, revealing some key specifications about the upcoming affordable smartphone. Samsung will look to take on Xiaomi Redmi phones in India with its 'M' series phones. The Galaxy M30, according to a Geekbench listing, will be powered by a Exynos 7885 chipset coupled with 4GB of RAM. The Exynos 7 series chip also supports Bluetooth 5.0 and delivers great single-core performance over the Exynos 7880. Galaxy M30 may come with 64GB and 128GB of internal storage options with 4GB RAM. It will be the most premium device of the series and will feature a larger 6.38-inch display with Infinity-U notch. It will also sport three rear cameras including 13-megapixel and two 5-megapixel sensors. On the front, the phone will sport a 16-megapixel selfie camera. Samsung Galaxy M20 will be available in India at a starting price of Rs 12,990. It will be available in multiple RAM and storage combinations and will sport two rear cameras including 13-megapixel (f/1.9 aperture) and 5-megapixel (f/2.2 aperture) sensors. It will be powered by Exynos 7885 processor paired with 3GB of RAM. It will run on Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, and feature a 3,5mm headphone jack along with a USB Type-C port. Samsung Galaxy M20 will come with a huge 5,000mAh battery. Lastly, Samsung Galaxy M10, as per the IANS report, will be available in 2GB RAM and 16GB storage and 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variants. Both the variants will be priced at Rs 7,990 and Rs 8,990 respectively. According to the agency, Samsung's Galaxy M10 will also be available in 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, priced at Rs 12,990. Expectations will be high as the Galaxy 'M' series comes on the back of 2018's Galaxy A7 and Galaxy A9. Both these phones are Samsung's first triple and quad-rear camera devices respectively. Edited By: Udit Verma Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 image leaks; shows near-bezel-less screen, dual selfie camera The YES Bank stock fell in afternoon trade today after investors, traders booked profit in the scrip which surged 11.09% in two sessions last week. The large cap stock gained 11.09% in two sessions after the lender named Ravneet Singh Gill as its CEO and MD on Thursday last week. The stock which was trading near 193 level before the big announcement surged 26.65 points to close at 219.65 on Friday. The stock lost 5.58% to 207.40 on the BSE compared to its previous close of 219.65 level on the BSE. It rose to intra day high of 223.20 in trade today. However, the stock is trading 48.16% lower from its 52-week high of 404 level. The stock has fallen 42.39% during the last one year but gained 15.21% since the beginning of this year. 30 of 48 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or 'outperform', 13 "hold", three "underperform" and two "sell", according to analysts' recommendations tracked by Reuters. Also read: Yes Bank appoints Ravneet Gill as new CEO to replace Rana Kapoor The stock was trading above its 50 day moving average of 187.98 but below its 200 day moving average of 257.39. On Thursday, the lender named Ravneet Singh Gill, currently heading Deutsche Bank India, as the managing director and chief executive to succeed Rana Kapoor, whose term ends on January 31. The Reserve Bank had last September asked Kapoor, who is one of the promoters of the city-based lender along with his wife Bindu Kapoor, to leave the office by the end of this month. Also read:YES Bank CEO Ravneet Singh Gill: 5 challenges he will face in the new job The board of the lender will meet on January 29 to finalise the interim transition. It can be noted that after the RBI move, the bank shares had lost more than two-thirds of its value. Even after today's rally, the stock is almost 40 percent below its 52-week high of 404 level. Though the RBI had not cited any specific reasons while not accepting a new three-year term for Kapoor and asked him to leave latest by January 31, it is attributed to under- reporting of bad loans for two years by the bank under Kapoor's watch. The lender reported a 6.96 per cent fall in net profit to Rs 1,001.85 crore in the quarter ended December 2018. Its net profit stood at Rs 1,076.87 crore in the corresponding quarter of 2017-18. The private sector lender said net provisions stood at Rs 550.2 crore on account of Rs 570.8 crore of accelerated provisioning on exposure to a "stressed infrastructure conglomerate", according to a stock exchange filing. The bank, however, did not name the conglomerate. The bank's net interest income grew 41.2 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to Rs 2,666.4 crore. Its advances grew 42.2 per cent y-o-y to Rs 2,43,885 crore. YES Bank's gross non-performing assets (NPA) increased to 2.1 per cent of the total advances in the quarter, compared with 1.72 per cent in the year-ago period. Net NPAs also increased to 1.18 per cent from 0.93 per cent. Meanwhile, the Sensex was trading 348 points lower at 35,690. The Nifty too lost 106 points to 10,674. Edited by Aseem Thapliyal Of late, Samsung has been launching some interesting products across price points. The latest from its stable is Galaxy A9 with a quad camera system at the rear. My review unit in lemonade blue looked stunning while the rear sported dual shades - the colour smoothly shifting from green to blue at the top merging with the blue at the bottom. And the slightly longish design makes it easy to hold. The front boasts a 6.3-inch full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity display. Samsung has cleverly utilised all the panels. The SIM slot is on the top; the left houses a dedicated Bixby button (Samsung's voice assistant); the right one features volume control and power buttons, and the bottom has a Type C charging port along with a 3.5 mm jack and a speaker grill. Finally, the rear looks impressive with the vertical quad camera system and a 3D glass cover curving at the edges, but here is more on the four-camera set-up. Going from top to bottom, the first one is an ultra-wide 8 MP camera with a 120? view, similar to what our eyes can see. It did an excellent job when I clicked a few panorama shots of monuments and a large group of people. Plus, it flawlessly captures natural colours and details when used in bright light. Next comes the 10 MP telephoto lens that can be used for 2x optical zoom. The third one is a 24 MP primary camera, which does a decent job in bright daylight, but low-light photography is the weak point as it captures a lot of noise. The fourth lens at the bottom is a 5 MP depth sensor for capturing bokeh images. I was able to adjust the background blur while capturing an image and could also do it later while editing. The camera app's user interface is neat and simple. Within the auto mode (and Scene Optimizer), you will find the mode switch options. The three-tree icon is for the ultra-wide lens, two trees for switching to the main camera and one tree is for the telephoto lens. The Scene Optimizer automatically detects the subject and chooses from 19 different scenes. Galaxy A9 is still running on Android 8.0 Oreo although Android 9 Pie has been available for months. Plus, it is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor while competitors (in this price range) like OnePlus 6T are powered by the flagship Snapdragon 845 processor. As for performance, it can handle basic tasks with ease, is quick to access the gallery and swiftly switches between camera modes or apps. But it might struggle when you play graphics-heavy games. The 3,800 mAh battery supports fast charging that easily lasts a day even with excessive usage. @nidhisingal Four days after the Women & Child Development Ministry celebrated National Girl Child Day, comes the damning news that the country still has a long way to go in correcting its regressive mindset towards the girl child. In fact, while many of the northern states - traditionally associated with abysmally skewed sex ratio - have managed to improve the sex ratio at birth (SRB), the southern states, barring Kerala, have reportedly witnessed some of the most dramatic drops on this vital indicator between 2006 and 2016. SRB is the number of girls born every 1,000 boys and this data is collected annually. Data collated by the office of the Registrar General of India from the civil registration system (CRS) showed that in 2016, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan had the worst sex ratio at birth (SRB) of 806 while the all-India figure stood at 877 girls per 1,000 boys, The Times of India reported. According to The World Health Organisation, in the human species the ratio between males and females at birth is slightly biased towards the former. Nature provides that the number of newborn males slightly outnumber newborn females because, as they grow up, men are at a higher risk of dying due to sex differentials in natural death rates as well as higher risk from external causes such as violence, war casualties, accidents, and injuries. Hence, the natural SRB is pegged at 952, or 105 males for every 100 females. In India, Chhattisgarh was the only large state to record a higher SRB of 980, while Kerala - which has always fared well on this chart - followed with 954 in 2016. In contrast, Karnataka has dropped steadily from an SRB of 1,004 in 2006 to 896 in 2016. Tamil Nadu stood sixth from the bottom on the list with its ratio falling from 939 to 840 in the same time frame, after hitting an all-time low of 818 in 2015. In fact, the daily added that the state's SRB has been lower than the all-India one since 2011. Even Haryana, which had boasted the worst SRB (830) during the last census in 2011, has managed to fare better - climbing to 865 in 2016. The two remaining southern states have also seen declining SRBs. In Telangana, it fell from 954 in 2013, when the state was formed, to 881 while Andhra Pradesh reportedly saw a steep drop from 971 in 2015 to 806 in 2016. Some experts point to the confusion created by the bifurcation of population between Andhra and Telangana as a probable cause for the decline in SRBs in the recent past. However, according to the daily, while both states witnessed a fall in the ratio in 2016, the data between 2013, when the bifurcation took place, and 2015 do now show any sharp variations. According to Sabu George, an activist focussing on the issue of falling sex ratios, there is a problem in the birth registration system in some districts in these states, which is pulling the overall ratio down, the daily reported. But, ironically, most of the southern states have achieved 98-100% registration of births which, on paper at least, rules out the possibility of a large numbers of female births not getting registered. Apart from South India, several other states show sliding SRBs in the period under review. In Gujarat, the ratio fell steadily from 905 in 2009 to 886 in 2014 (data for 2015 and 2016 not available), again despite nearly 100% birth registration. In Bihar, the SRB fell from 924 to 837, while the same for Uttar Pradesh went from 930 to 885. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh has dropped to 904-909 after touching 938 in 2009. However, given that these states boast a lower registration of births of 60-75%, these numbers may not depict a true picture. States like West Bengal, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir and Goa also depicted declining SRBs. Significantly, the daily excluded smaller states and Union Territories from the analysis so there may well be more cause for concern on the SRB front. The good news is that several states have also managed to improve their SRB figures between 2007 and 2016, such as Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana. The over Rs 250 crore spent on the Modi government's 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme in the last three fiscals till FY18 has clearly helped out. Delhi and Assam reportedly posted the biggest jumps from 848 to 902 and 834 to 888, respectively. Of course, SRB is just one benchmark that India needs to actively work on. While female foeticide leads to fewer girls being born in India, excess female under-5 mortality is also among the highest globally. A study published in Lancet Global Health last year found that an estimated 2.4 million girls under 5 years die per decade due to gender bias in the country. Also read: Modi govt likely to make big announcement for farmers! Here's what you can expect YES Bank stock runs out of steam, tumbles 5.58% on profit booking Lancet report warns against the syndemic of obesity, malnutrition and climate change By Marwa Rashad and Stephen KalinRIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Monday it had signed agreements worth 204 billion riyals ($54.4 billion) and offered fresh incentives to attract capital as part of a 10-year programme that would help diversify the economy of the world's top oil exporter.The kingdom is offering investment opportunities in mining, industry, logistics and energy through its National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP). That is part of an economic plan launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2016 to end dependence on hydrocarbons and create jobs ... CAIRO (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he has expressed concern to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the prison conditions faced by former Renault boss Carlos Ghosn."I have considered that the detention was very long and the conditions of the detention harsh, I have said so to Prime Minister Abe on several occasions," Macron told reporters during a visit to Egypt.The crisis surrounding Ghosn, however, did not threaten the balance of the carmaking alliance between Renault and Nissan, he said.Ghosn resigned as Renault head last week. He remains in detention ... By Sudarshan VaradhanNEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's 2018 thermal coal imports rose at the fastest pace in four years, according to two industry sources, despite moves by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to cut imports in a bid to reduce its trade deficit.Coal is among the top five commodities imported by India, one of the world's largest consumers of coal, and the rise in imports of the fuel after two consecutive years of decline adds to its trade deficit. That trade gap has been hurting the valuation of the rupee, the worst performing major Asian currency in 2018.Thermal coal imports ... By Mitra Taj and Michael NienaberUYUNI, Bolivia/BERLIN (Reuters) - When Germany signed a deal last month to help Bolivia exploit its huge lithium reserves, it hailed the venture as a deepening of economic ties with the South American country. But it also gives Germany entry into the new "Great Game", in which big powers like China are jostling across the globe for access to the prized electric battery metal. The signing of the deal in Berlin on Dec. 12 capped two years of intense lobbying by Germany as it sought to persuade President Evo Morales' government that a small German family-run ... (Reuters) - With Britain at risk of leaving the European Union without a divorce deal, many of its biggest companies have lost patience and started to restructure their operations to prepare for the chaotic fallout that could ensue.Prime Minister Theresa May is battling to break the deadlock after lawmakers rejected the divorce deal she negotiated with Brussels, but Britain is currently on course to leave the world's biggest trading bloc without a deal on March 29.Companies are now rethinking the way they work, from stockpiling parts to halting production, moving distribution centres and ... (Corrects to say thermal coal imports grew at fastest pace since 2014, not to highest levels; clarifies sourcing)By Sudarshan VaradhanNEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's 2018 thermal coal imports rose at the fastest pace in four years, according to two industry sources, despite moves by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to cut imports in a bid to reduce its trade deficit.Coal is among the top five commodities imported by India, one of the world's largest consumers of coal, and the rise in imports of the fuel after two consecutive years of decline adds to its trade deficit. That trade gap ... By Yilei Sun and Norihiko ShirouzuBEIJING (Reuters) - China's Didi Chuxing has set up joint ventures with a unit of Chinese carmaker BAIC and Germany's Volkswagen as part of the ride hailing giant's goal to ultimately develop purpose-built cars for its services. China's biggest ride-hailing operator said on Monday the joint venture (JV) with state-owned BAIC, called BAIC-Xiaoju New Energy Auto Technology Co. Ltd, aimed to develop "next-generation connected-car systems."It is the first JV between the two companies and follows another partnership announced by Didi last year with ... SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's renewable power capacity rose 12 percent in 2018 compared to a year earlier, official data showed on Monday, with the country still rolling out new projects despite transmission capacity concerns and a growing subsidy payment backlog. China has been aggressively promoting renewable power as part of an "energy revolution" aimed at easing its dependence on coal, a major source of pollution and climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Total capacity - including hydro and biomass as well as solar and wind - rose to 728 gigawatts (GW) by end-2018, the National Energy ... The Western Railway has provided segways, the two-wheeled, self-balancing and battery-powered electric vehicles, to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel deployed at major railway stations in Mumbai. The vehicle, introduced on the Republic Day, will help the RPF in keeping an eye on every nook and corner of the railway stations, specially on long platforms, Western Railway's Chief PRO Ravinder Bhakar said on Monday. "This is the first-of-its-kind initiative by the Indian Railways. We have got six segways and five more are expected in the next few weeks," he said. These segways will be used by RPF personnel at Churchgate, Mumbai Central, Bandra Terminus, Andheri and Borivali stations, he added. Currently, segways are used by Marine Drive police in South Mumbai to patrol on the promenade and the officials need sufficient training to operate these self-balancing vehicles. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CBI has alleged that the probe into the multi-crore Saradha ponzi scam has been badly hit by a "hostile" government machinery in West Bengal, which is delaying filing of the final charge sheet. Explaining the reasons for the delay, a senior official of the premier investigative agency told PTI, "The state government is hostile to the CBI and in the case of Saradha scam, the government machinery has damaged all the evidences." "So, we are getting late in filing the final charge sheet," added the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official. He further said that the banking security fraud branch, special crime branch and the economic offences wings of the agency had all become non-functional after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee decided to withdraw the "general consent" to the CBI to conduct raids and investigations. "Only the Economic Offences IV (chit fund probe wing) is functioning in the state," he said. Regarding the deadline in filing the final charge sheets in the Rose Valley and Saradha scams, he said "there is no time frame". Citing the arrest of renowned film producer Shrikant Mohta by the agency in the Rose Valley chit fund scam case on January 25, he alleged that officers from a police station had gone to Mohta's office on that day to intimidate the agency sleuths, asking them why they had come. "They had no business to go there and prevent the CBI from carrying out its duty," the official said. CBI sleuths had questioned Mohta in his office at a shopping mall in south Kolkata on January 25 and later in the day they took him to the CBI office at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake for further interrogation, where he was placed under arrest. Mohta, considered close to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal, allegedly duped Rose Valley of Rs 25 crore. The CBI is probing both the Saradha and Rose Valley multi-crore-rupee scams. The Enforcement Directorate is also probing the Rose Valley scam. The West Bengal government had formed the SIT in 2013 with officers drawn from the state's CID and Kolkata Police. The Supreme Court ordered a probe into the Saradha scam and transferred the case to the CBI in 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A mob went on a rampage alleging cow slaughter in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district on Saturday after cattle carcasses were found in a village, following which two persons have been arrested on charge of rioting. Protesters tried to block the Mumbai-Goa highway on January 26 after body parts of cattle were allegedly found near Lavel Phata in Lote industrial township in the district, with villagers claiming that a cow had been slaughtered. When the police tried to disperse the mob, they were pelted with stones, a police official said. The mob also attacked police officials with sticks and torched a police vehicle, he added. A case was registered against over 300 persons -- some of whom have been identified -- for attempt to murder, rioting and under other relevant IPC sections for the violence. The carcasses found in the area were sent to a Forensic Science Laboratory, he said, adding they were awaiting the report. Cow slaughter and consumption or sale of beef is banned in the state. The protest on Saturday came just hours after some villagers intercepted a vehicle allegedly carrying cattle for slaughter at nearby Dhamandevi village, the police official said. The villagers alleged that the men accompanying the cattle brandished pistols to threaten them before driving off. The vehicle was found abandoned nearby later with a cow and a bull inside but the persons travelling in it had fled, the official said. Two persons were arrested in connection with the protest on the Mumbai-Goa highway, said Pravin Mundhe, Superintendent of Police, Ratnagiri. The police were ascertaining the identity of other members of the mob with the help CCTV footage, he said. "We are also investigating the other offence where unidentified persons were allegedly smuggling cattle for slaughter and threatened villagers," Mundhe added. Inspector General of Police Naval Bajaj and Mundhe visited the area Monday and the situation was now under control, another police official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vedanta Resources Ltd Monday announced a fresh investment of Rs 8,500 crore to expand its mining and allied operations in South Africa and has committed to invest another Rs 60,000 crore in India in the next three years. "Vedanta Resources Ltd...whose chairman Anil Agarwal, was part of the...South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa's high-powered delegation for India's 70th Republic Day celebrations, has announced a fresh investment of Rs 8,500 crore ($1.2 billion)...in the land of Nelson Mandela," the company said in a statement. "On the home front, Vedanta has so far invested Rs 2.34 lakh crore (US$33 billion) and has committed to invest another Rs 60,000 crore (US$8 billion) in the next three years," the company said. The South African President acknowledged Vedanta's contribution in South Africa's growth journey. Noting Vedanta Resources' investment of USD 1.6 billion in the Gamsberg Zinc mine in the Northern Cape province, Ramaphosa said this investment by the mining major has triggered a new wave of industrial and economic development in that part of South Africa. Out of the total USD 1.6 billion, about USD 400 million has already been spent. "It was an honour to be part of President Ramaphosa's delegation and to welcome him and his colleagues on the Indian soil as we look to strengthen this relationship further," Vedanta Resources Executive Chairman Anil Agarwal said. The global natural resources player has already invested Rs 3,000 crore (USD 400 million) in South Africa, the company said, adding that its cumulative investment in the African continent currently stands at nearly Rs 30,000 crore (USD 4 billion). "Just as we are committed to being India's premier natural resources company, Vedanta is committed to South Africa in equal measure. Looking forward, we must accelerate South Africa as a mining investment destination," Agarwal said. After acquiring the undeveloped asset from Anglo in 2011, work at Gamsberg began in mid-2016 and the mine started producing finished zinc concentrate in late-2018. The first phase of Gamsberg represents an investment of Rs 3,000 crore by Vedanta in South Africa. The second and third phase of Gamsberg could see more than double that amount, the company said. The company is currently undertaking feasibility study to build a greenfield, state-of-the-art smelter and refinery as part of the Gamsberg project. "If feasible, the construction of a smelter-cum-refinery is likely to entail fresh investment of Rs 6,000 crore (USD 800 million), thus making the Khai-Ma region of Northern Cape an industrial powerhouse," it said. Vedanta, it said, is confident that there is enormous potential for Indian and South African businesses to help meet demand, creating jobs and infrastructure in both countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The White House urged Venezuela's military on Monday to accept a "peaceful" transfer of power from Nicolas Maduro to opposition leader Juan Guaido, recognized by the United States as the country's interim president. "We also today call on the Venezuelan military and security forces to accept the peaceful, democratic and constitutional transfer of power," National Security Advisor John Bolton told reporters at the White House. Asked whether Donald Trump would consider getting the US military involved in Venezuela, Bolton replied: "The president has made it clear on this matter that all options are on the table. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris launched her 2020 presidential bid on Sunday with a scathing rebuke of President Donald Trump's policies, alleging that the US democracy was under attack like never before. Recollecting the fighting spirit of her Indian mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who migrated to the US from Tamil Nadu for studies, Harris told a cheering crowd in her hometown of Oakland, California, that this was not going to be an easy election pitted against an incumbent like Trump. "My mother used to say don't sit around and complain about things. Do something," the 54-year-old, said rebuke in her impressive speech that lasted for more than 30 minutes. "With the fighting spirit I got from my mother, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States. And I will tell you, I'm running for president, because I love my country. I am running to be the president, of the people, by the people and for all people," Harris told the crowd estimated to be around 20,000, a few blocks away from where she was born. Harris, announced her presidential candidacy last Monday on Martin Luther King Jr Day and, within days, has been voted on top of the list of Democratic leaders aspiring to defeat Trump in the November 2020 election. So far four women have entered the race. Apart from Harris, the three others are Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii. All of them have to pass through a grilling presidential primary beginning next January, the winner of which would be announced in the Democratic National Convention in July 2020. The nominee would challenge incumbent Trump in the presidential election in November that year. Quoting the former presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Harris said challenging an incumbent is not easy. "Of course, we know this is not going to be easy guys. We know what the doubters will say is that they always say, they'll say it's not your time. They'll say, wait your turn. They'll say, the odds are long. They'll say, it can't be done.... But, America's story has always been written by people who can see what can be unburdened by what has been... that's our story." "I say to you my friends, these are not ordinary times, and this will not be an ordinary election. But this is our America.... We can reclaim the American dream for every single person in our country. We can restore America's moral leadership on this planet," she added. Asserting that she running to fight for an America where the economy works for working, Harris promised education and healthcare for all if elected as the 46th US president. She was the first African-American and Indian-American attorney of California, before being elected as the US Senator. Already having many firsts in her name, Harris will be the first woman president of the country if she wins. Ripping apart Trump over his plan to build a wall along the Mexico border to prevent illegal immigrants, Harris described it as a "medieval vanity" project. "We are here knowing, we are at an inflection point in the history of our world. We are at an inflection point in the history of our nation. We are here because of the American dream and our American democracy are under attack and on the line like never before. "We are here at this moment in time because we must answer a fundamental question Who are we? Who are we as American? So let's answer that question to the world and each other right here and right now. America we are better than this," she said amidst applause and cheers from her supporters. "When we have leaders, who bully and attack a free press and undermine our democratic institutions, that's not our America. When white supremacists march and murder in Charlottesville after the massacre innocent worshippers in our Pittsburgh synagogue, that's not our America. "When we have children in cages crying for their mothers and fathers, don't you dare call that border security. That's a human rights issue. That's not our America. When we have leaders, who attack public schools and vilify public school teachers, that's not America," Harris said. She alleged that racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia and transphobia were real in this country. "They are age-old forms of hate with new fear. We need to speak their truth so that we can deal with it." Alleging that too many black and brown Americans are being locked up for mass incarceration, she called for drastic repair of criminal justice system. "Let's also speak the truth that too many unarmed black men and women are killed in America."Critical of Trump's foreign policy, Harris said under this administration, America's position in the world had never been weaker. "When democratic values are under attack around the globe, when authoritarianism is on the march, when nuclear proliferation is on the rise, when we have foreign powers infecting the White House like Malware, let's speak about truth our present danger," she said. "And let's face the biggest truth, the biggest truth of all: In the face of powerful forces trying to sow hate and division among us, the truth is that as Americans we have so much more in common than what separates us," she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A U.N. human rights expert has arrived in Turkey for a weeklong visit over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard and her team of experts on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara on Monday. Turkey's official Anadolu agency said they are also expected to meet Turkey's justice minister and the Istanbul prosecutor heading the investigation. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who wrote critically about the Saudi crown prince, was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2. His remains have still not been found. Turkish officials have called for an international investigation and complained of a lack of cooperation by Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has indicted 11 people in the killing and is seeking the death penalty against five of them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday met with a UN judicial expert who is looking into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as Ankara calls for an international inquiry. The UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, will be in Turkey until Saturday for a series of meetings with authorities including the Istanbul chief prosecutor. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and Saudi regime critic, was murdered on October 2 in Turkey in what Riyadh called a "rogue" operation, tipping the kingdom into one of its worst diplomatic crises. Turkish authorities have called for an international probe into the killing which took place at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, complaining of Saudi Arabia's failure to cooperate. "Met with @AgnesCallamard, #UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions, who is in #Turkey to investigate the murder of Jamal Khashoggi," Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter, sharing a picture from his meeting in Ankara. In an interview with Turkish media last week, Cavusoglu said the Khashoggi case was "not a part of bilateral ties" with Riyadh. "We believe this case should be brought to the international arena," he said. "It is time for an international probe." Nearly four months later, the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body remains unknown and Turkish officials accuse Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of orchestrating the killing -- an allegation Saudi authorities categorically refute. Earlier this month a trial of 11 accused in the murder opened in Saudi Arabia with the attorney general seeking the death penalty for five defendants. During her mission, Callemard is due to meet with Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Istanbul chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan, state-run Anadolu agency reported. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A divinity student in the UK has found a way to decipher hundreds of pages of shorthand notes left by leading Baptist theologian Andrew Fuller that has baffled academics for generations. Jonny Woods from the University of St Andrews has worked out how to read shorthand notes left by Fuller, who is best known for founding the Baptist Missionary Society. Hundreds of pages of his sermon notes are held in archives, but until now they have been a mystery to academics, the BBC reported. The third-year undergraduate was able to decipher the shorthand after an academic traced a longhand equivalent. Fuller, who was born in Cambridgeshire in 1754, became a Baptist minister. Such was his international standing, he was offered honorary doctorates by both Yale and the College of New Jersey - now Princeton. While he wrote a number of influential works before his death in 1815, his early sermons and other documents have survived only as shorthand notes. They remained inaccessible until Dr Steve Holmes, head of the School of Divinity at St Andrews University found one headed in longhand "Confessions of Faith, Oct. 7 1783". He recognised this as the date of Fuller's induction into the pastorate of a church in Kettering and knew that he would have been required to give a confession of faith as part of that service. Holmes then wondered if a copy of the confession printed in a biography might help him crack the code. After discovering that the two texts were the same, he recruited Woods through the university's undergraduate research assistant scheme to help. After just a few weeks the student was able to translate the shorthand, using the longhand version in the same way that the Rosetta Stone was used as a crib to unlock the secret of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Holmes said: "When Jonny told me he could read these documents it was an astonishing moment. "Andrew Fuller stands as the figurehead, the 'patron saint' almost, of the church tradition of which I am a part. "To be reading words of his that no-one had read since he preached them in 1782 - it's one of those moments you live for as an academic." Two sermons have already been translated, and Woods is working on more of Fuller's early work. He said: "It is such an honour to be the first person to read Andrew Fuller's sermons and to allow people to get an insight into this incredible man and the amazing stories he has to share. "I'm excited to continue working on the vast collection of work that he has left to us, in the hope that we can understand more about his thinking and how this developed throughout his ministry," Woods said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Up to 9,000 jobs are at risk as part of a restructuring programme announced by British supermarket giant Tesco on Monday. "Overall, we estimate that up to 9,000 Tesco colleague roles could be impacted, however, our expectation is that up to half of these colleagues could be redeployed to other customer-facing roles," the supermarket said in a statement. The retailer, which employs around 300,000 workers in Britain, told staff on Monday of the changes being made as part of the longer term "turnaround" launched four years ago. "In our four years of turnaround we've made good progress, but the market is challenging and we need to continually adapt to remain competitive," said Britain and Ireland CEO Jason Tarry. "This will impact some of our colleagues and our commitment is to minimise this as much as possible and support our colleagues throughout." The latest job plans concern the supermarket's fish, meat and deli counters in its British stores. "We expect that around 90 stores will close their counters, with the remaining 700 trading with either a full or flexible counter offer for our customers," it said. More than 10,000 jobs have been cut at Tesco since chief executive Dave Lewis took charge in 2014 with the brief to save 1.5 billion pounds (USD 1.9 billion, 1.7 billion euros). It rebounded into annual net profit last year on strong sales and restructuring following a net loss of 40 million pounds in 2016/2017, when it was hurt by costs arising from an accounting fiasco. Tesco -- the world's third-biggest supermarket chain after France's Carrefour and global leader Wal-Mart of the United States -- also has global operations dotted elsewhere including China, India, Ireland, Malaysia, Slovakia and Thailand. It has been dogged in recent years by an accounting scandal and fierce domestic competition from German discount chains Aldi and Lidl. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UK government on Monday announced funding for several organisations working with the country's Hindu and Jain communities to address an urgent need for ethnic minority organ donors. The organisations are launching projects to break down myths and encourage British Hindus to become organ donors after bidding for a share in an over 140,000 pounds Community Investment Scheme. "The projects receiving funding will spread the message about the priceless gift of organ donation up and down the country at a community level, where it has the strongest impact," said UK Health Minister Jackie Doyle-Price. "If you are black or Asian, you will wait on average half a year longer for a matching donor than if you are white. Those six months could be a matter of life or death. We must address this by empowering communities to own the conversation around organ donation," she said. "Giving the gift of an organ is a deeply personal decision and I hope that the projects funded through this scheme will help people to make an informed choice," the minister added. The scheme is part of a UK government campaign led by the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) Blood and Transplant, with support from the National BAME Transplant Alliance (NBTA), to break down what it believes are "myths and barriers" and increase support for organ donation among black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. The organisations leading the projects include Vanik Council UK, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Global Kidney Foundation and Lightseekers Ltd. Other projects will be delivered by Sewa Day, Lancashire BME Network and Leicester-based Santosh Community Centre CIC. The Community Investment Scheme was open to any faith or community-based organisation working within black, Asian and minority communities in England and Wales. A total of 140,978 pounds was awarded to 25 projects, which was funded by the UK's Department of Health and Social Care with a contribution of GBP 2,933 from the Welsh government to support two projects that will be delivered in Wales and England. BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha will deliver outreach activity in the Hindu community in Leeds, as well as in London and the Midlands, and raise awareness through social media, emails and leaflets. The project by Santosh Community Centre CIC is focused on the Hindu community in the Belgrave area of Leicester and includes hosting awareness events and empowering community elders to be ambassadors for organ donation. The project delivered by Sewa Day charity will engage Hindu and Sikh communities in Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham and Leicester through awareness sessions and partnership work with other faith organisations. All organisations, invited to bid for funding by outlining how they could build support for organ donation, will use a range of methods to tackle the shortage of life-saving organ donation within British Indian communities. Anthony Clarkson, Interim Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "The number of applications for funding reflects the passion for promoting organ donation and saving lives that exists in organisations across the spectrum of faiths and communities in the UK. "Hearing a positive organ donation message from a trusted, community-led or local organisation will, we hope, encourage more people from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds to decide that they want to be a lifesaving organ donor and to share that decision with their families." The organisations leading the initiative will evaluate their work after the projects have finished by mid-2019. The government said this insight will help understanding around the different approaches that can be taken to break down barriers towards organ donation across the UK. The move comes ahead of the UK's plans for a presumed consent system of organ donation to take effect from 2020. Under the system, a person will be an automatic donor unless there is a registered decision not to donate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in the UK have arrested a man on suspicion of drink driving after he drove a car erratically on a major road with a missing front tyre. The driver was stopped on the A11 near Wymondham, Norfolk, by officers in the Norfolk and Suffolk Roads and Armed Policing Team on Saturday, the BBC reported. Police said they were "shocked" to find a car being driven erratically on a major road without the right-hand front tyre. After giving a breathalyser reading of more than three times the drink-drive limit, the driver was arrested on suspicion of drink driving. Social media users have expressed their shock at the state of the car. One said on Twitter "think it is below 1.6mm" in reference to the minimum tyre tread legally required, while another said "I just want to say 'are you joking' but I know you're not". Sergeant Chris Harris responded: "Yes, it is the shocking reality of what we have to deal with.. The wheel is bad enough but coupled with the drink." Driving while above the legal limit can result in six months' imprisonment, an unlimited fine or a driving ban for at least 1 year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pro-Brexit British lawmakers were mounting a campaign Monday to rescue Prime Minister Theresa May's rejected European Union divorce deal in a parliamentary showdown this week. Lawmakers threw out May's Brexit deal two weeks ago and will debate and vote Tuesday on competing plans for what to do next about Britain's impending departure from the bloc. May insists her agreement can still win parliament's backing, if it is tweaked to alleviate concerns about a provision for the Irish border. The measure, known as the backstop, would keep the U.K. in a customs union with the EU in order to remove the need for checks along the frontier between the U.K.'s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland after Britain leaves the EU. That border is crucial to the divorce deal because it will be the only land frontier between the U.K. and the EU after Brexit. Border checkpoints have disappeared since Ireland and Britain both became members of the EU single market in the 1990s and the 1998 Good Friday peace accord largely ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland. Opposition to the backstop by pro-Brexit lawmakers who fear it will trap Britain in regulatory lockstep with the EU helped sink May's deal earlier this month. A new proposal submitted by Conservative legislator Graham Brady commits to backing May's deal if the backstop is replaced by "alternative arrangements." Brady said if the motion was approved by Parliament, it would give May "enormous firepower" to go back to Brussels and renegotiate the Brexit divorce deal. The government hopes to bring the deal back for a new vote in Parliament in February, with enough changes to reverse its thumping defeat on Jan. 15, when lawmakers rejected it by 432 votes to 202. Some members of Parliament who voted against May's deal the first time say they would support it if the Irish backstop was removed. Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, a leading Brexiteer, said the prime minister was trying to secure a "freedom clause" that would ensure Britain could get out of the backstop. In his weekly Daily Telegraph column, Johnson said May would have "the whole country full-throatedly behind her" if she secured such a change. But EU leaders insist they will not change the legally binding Brexit withdrawal agreement. "This withdrawal agreement has been agreed with the U.K. government, it is endorsed by leaders and is not open for renegotiation," EU spokesman Margaritis Schinas said. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Sunday that Northern Ireland's peace process depended on avoiding the return of a hard border. "That won't be easy, and those who misrepresent the backstop don't have an alternative to it," he said. "The EU has been clear that the backstop is an integral part of the withdrawal agreement." Brady's backstop proposal is one of more than a dozen amendments proposed by U.K. lawmakers that aim to alter the course of Britain's departure. Some others seek to rule out a no-deal Brexit so Britain cannot tumble out of the bloc on March 29 without an agreement in place to cushion the shock. Businesses say a no-deal Brexit would cause economic chaos by eliminating trade agreements and imposing tariffs, customs checks and other barriers between the U.K. and the EU, its biggest trading partner. Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow will announce Tuesday which amendments have been selected for debate and vote. Conservative lawmaker Nick Boles, who is backing an amendment designed to rule out a no-deal Brexit and seek a delay to Britain's EU departure, said that Tuesday "is probably the only opportunity that Parliament is going to have to intervene in this process, to take control." "If we don't seize the moment tomorrow afternoon, then we are at grave risk of just driving off the edge on March 29 without really wanting to and when there might be a compromise we could achieve, if we just had a few more months," he told the BBC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UK government Monday expressed regret over reports that the Indian flag was burnt during a demonstration by separatist groups outside the Indian High Commission in London on Republic Day. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it was disappointed that separatist groups had chosen to take such an action, as Scotland Yard confirmed that it was working to establish the exact circumstances around the incident on Saturday. "We are disappointed that anyone would chose to burn the Indian flag on any day, let alone the celebration of Republic Day, and we regret the upset that this will have caused," an FCO spokesperson said. "We congratulate India on...Republic Day celebration, and look forward to deepening our relationship further as we prepare to leave the European Union and forge new partnerships with key global allies," the spokesperson added. A small group of activists from some British Sikh and Kashmiri outfits had gathered outside India House in central London on Saturday to wave placards against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chant anti-India slogans. Indian officials had confirmed that the Metropolitan Police had been made aware of the planned demonstration, during which some protesters were caught on camera burning the Indian flag. "On Saturday, 26 January a demonstration took place outside India House in Aldwych, WC2. An appropriate policing plan was in place," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. "There were no incidents of note and no arrests. No allegations of crime have been reported. We are aware of a social media video that appears to be from the demonstration outside India House in Aldwych on Saturday, 26 January. We are working to establish the exact circumstances of it," the statement said. The FCO had earlier called on demonstrators to stay within the law in reference to reports of a planned protest to mark Republic Day. "We are proud to be a country that fiercely protects the rights of individuals to peaceful protest and free speech as essential parts of a vibrant democracy, provided that demonstrators act within the law. We do not condone the burning of national flags, which is deeply offensive to most people," an FCO spokesperson had said. In April last year, the Indian government had demanded legal action against those behind a similar desecration of the Indian flag at Parliament Square on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London attended by the Indian prime minister. The perpetrators, caught on camera with the Indian tricolour, were pro-Khalistani demonstrators brought together with Kashmiri separatist groups under the banner of a so-called "Minorities Against Modi" group. Similar groups are believed to be behind the latest incident outside India House in London on Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two members of the notorious Bawaria gang in Rajasthan were arrested in Agra for their involvement in a case of dacoity, the police said Monday. Vijay alias Sonu Singh (35) and Ravi alias Chatrapal Singh (32) were brothers and hailed from Bharatpur district in Rajasthan, they said. Carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 each, the duo was nabbed late Sunday night after a gunfight with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), an officer of the Noida unit of the STF said. "They were involved in a sensational dacoity at Pali Dogra village in Mathura district in 2015," Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), STF, Rajkumar Mishra said. "They had looted jewellery, cash and other valuables from a house and escaped after opening fire at people, injuring around half a dozen villagers including women," he added. "We had received a tip-off that they would be coming to Agra and were planning a dacoity. Based on the inputs, a team reached Malpura in Agra and nabbed them," he said further. However, an accomplice of the duo managed to escape, Mishra said, adding that two firearms and ammunition were seized from the criminals. A case has been registered against the duo, the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has hit back at critics who accuse the Democratic presidential hopeful of being a "Hindu nationalist", saying questioning her commitment to America while not probing non-Hindu leaders creates a "double standard" that can only be rooted in "religious bigotry". Gabbard, the four-term lawmaker said from Hawaii, wrote an op-ed for the Religious Services on Sunday, describing the campaign against her, supporters and donors as "profiling and targeting of Hindu Americans and ascribing to them motives without any basis". The 37-year-old on January 11 announced that she would be running for the White House in 2020. In the hard-hitting piece, Gabbard, the first Hindu elected to the US Congress, noted that she has been accused of being a Hindu nationalist. "Tomorrow will it be Muslim or Jewish Americans? Japanese, Hispanic or African Americans?" she asked. "To question my commitment to my country, while not questioning non-Hindu leaders, creates a double standard that can only be rooted in one thing: 'religious bigotry'. I am Hindu and they are not," Gabbard said. "My meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's democratically elected leader, have been highlighted as 'proof' of this and portrayed as somehow being out of the ordinary or somehow suspect, even though President (Barack) Obama, Secretary (Hillary) Clinton, President (Donald) Trump and many of my colleagues in Congress have met with and worked with him," Gabbard said. "I am proud to be the first Hindu-American to have been elected to Congress, and now, the first Hindu-American to run for president," she said. Gabbard said while the headlines covering her presidential bid could be celebrated as historic first, maybe even informed Americans at large about the world's third-largest religion, but "some have instead fomented suspicion, fear and religious bigotry about not only me but also my supporters". She referred to the attack against her in the past by political opponents. "Religious bigotry and attempt to foment fear of Hindus and other minority religions persist. During my 2012 and 2014 elections, my Republican opponent stated publicly that a Hindu should not be allowed to serve in the US Congress and that Hinduism is incompatible with the US Constitution," she said. In the 2016 race for Congress, her Republican opponent said repeatedly that a vote for her was a vote for the devil because of her religion, Gabbard wrote. "Republicans like Ben Carson said in 2016 that a Muslim-American would be unqualified to serve as president. Democratic Senators have recently grilled and opposed Republican judicial nominees because of their connection to Catholicism," she alleged. These actions and attitudes not only undermine the Constitution, but also incite fear and force people into the shadows because of their religion, Gabbard said. Gabbard said after her 2012 election, she made a personal decision to take "my congressional oath of office on the supreme yoga/Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna's teachings have provided wisdom and spiritual solace to me throughout my life, including when I was serving our country in the Middle East during the Iraq war." "Those who are trying to foment anti-Hindu sentiment expose the dark underbelly of religious bigotry in and must be called out. To advocate voting for or against someone based on religion, race, or gender is simply un-American," she said. Gabbard had last September refused to be the chairperson of the World Hindu Congress in Chicago, citing her differences with its organisers who were seen close to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Gabbard said India was one of America's closest allies in Asia and is a country of growing importance in a critical region of the world. "The strategic partnership between our two countries has been a priority for several decades now. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Trump administration is closely eyeing efforts in Europe to set up an alternative money payment channel to ease doing business with Iran without running afoul of US sanctions. The White House is putting the Europeans on notice, saying that if they try to do an end-run around U.S. sanctions on Iran, they will be subject to stiff fines and penalties. A spokeswoman for the European Union says preparations for the alternative system are "at an advanced stage" and could be announced "very soon." In an effort to get ahead of any announcement, a senior administration official told The Associated Press on Friday that the U.S. will fully enforce its sanctions and hold anyone accountable for undermining them. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tableaux of Tripura, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) won the first prize for the at the Rajpath, an official statement said Monday. Defence Minister presented the awards at a ceremony on Monday. Under the states and union territories category, the first prize went to Tripura for its float based on the theme of 'Empowering Rural Economy in Gandhian Way'. The second prize went to Jammu and Kashmir for its theme on 'Gandhiji's Ray of Hope - Our Composite Culture' and the third prize to Punjab for its float on the theme of 'Jallianwala Bagh'. DG #CISF Shri Rajesh Ranjan felicitated #CISF Tableau team who participated & won best tableau trophy in #RepublicDay2019 Parade. He appreciated the efforts of entire team in bringing laurels to the Force. #GoldenJubileeYear pic.twitter.com/wXpQ2OdmLR CISF@India (@CISFHQrs) January 28, 2019 The CISF's float was based on the theme 'Securing Assets - 50 Glorious Years' while the tableau was on 'Kisan Gandhi'. The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) received a special prize for a tableau on 'Vande Mataram'. Sitharaman also presented the award for the 'Best School Children Item' to Navy Children School, Chanakyapuri and a consolation prize to Rajkiya Pratibha VikasH Vidyalya (RPVV), Kishan Ganj in New Delhi. Shocked over party MP Mausam Noor joining the Trinamool Congress, the Congress Monday accused Mamata Banerjee's party of trying to finish it off and paving the way for the "communal" BJP in the state. Noor, niece of the late Congress stalwart A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury, is a two-time Congress MP from Malda (North). "TMC's claim that it wants to fight the BJP and strengthen secular forces in Bengal and India is absolutely bogus and this poaching of our MP is the biggest example of it. TMC is trying to finish the Congress," state Congress president Somen Mitra said. "If someone wants to leave the Congress and join some other party how can we stop him or her... When I met Congress president Rahul Gandhi last year I told him to talk to Mausam as she might switch over to TMC," he said. He said the Congress will put up its candidate from the constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. According to state Congress sources, 39-year-old Noor has been a strong advocate of alliance with the TMC in West Bengal which was rejected by the party's state leadership. Noor's uncle Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury, the MP from Malda (South), is also in favour of forging an alliance with the TMC. He and Congress MLA Maniul Haque had met TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee at his residence last year. "We knew Mausam was in touch with the TMC leadership but after Congress' victory in the three Hindi-heartland states, she had said that she would be with the Congress and there is no question of joining the TMC," said another senior state Congress leader. Congress' in-charge of Bengal Gaurav Gogoi said the party's central leadership is aware of the development but would not like to comment on it as of now. This is the first time that a Congress MP defected to the Trinamool after it formed government in the state in 2011. After 2016 assembly polls, 14 Congress MLAs have switched over to the TMC. Senior state Congress leaders, who did not wish to be named, said the defection should be a message for the high-command who are in favour of keeping TMC in its "good books". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Mahindra group promoted Classic Legends Pvt Ltd, which is marketing the Jawa motorcycles, Monday opened three dealerships across the city ahead of deliveries in March. Jawa has received good response through online bookings, Anupam Thareja, co-founder of Classic Legends said in a press release and added that deliveries would begin from March. "The brand is aggressively moving ahead with its target of opening over 100 dealerships and the launch of the three new outlets in Hyderabad takes the total count to 26 new dealerships across India," he said. Other Jawa dealerships are spread across Delhi-NCR, Pune, Bengaluru, Nashik and Dehradun and Chennai and the company has plans to launch 100 dealerships by next month. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) American author Andre Aciman did not attend the first screening of the film based on his bestselling book "Call Me By Your Name" as he thought it was going to "flop". But, when the rave reviews started coming in, he watched and "adored it". "I thought that the movie basically is going to flop and very soon will come out in DVDs and then I will see it. But then I heard it had done very well so when next time it was shown in Berlin, I went to Berlin and adored it. I think it captures everything," he said at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival. The 2007 novel, which was centred around a romantic relationship between a 17-year old boy and a 24-year old scholar, was adapted into a movie by the same name in 2017. While the book won the 20th Lambda Literary Awards for Gay Fiction, the movie went on to win an Oscar and several other prestigious awards. When a producer contacted the American author to adapt his book into a film, he gave his nod with "no hesitation whatsoever". "The book got published in 2007. In 2008, I got a call from a producer saying that he loved the book and wanted to produce the film and I said, 'yes go ahead'," he said. The 68-year-old author, who said he never "interfered" once the movie making process started, cited the example of Shakespeare and his classic "Rome and Juliet" when asked if he had any inhibitions on what the movie would do to his book. "Can you imagine Shakespeare complaining that people are putting Romeo and Juliet on film. He wouldn't complain. He would say 'fine, do it your way'... One should be never afraid of what a film does to a book, the book has a reality, the film has another one. They are not competing, they are complementary to each other and that is fine," he added. That said, Aciman personally never thought if the book could ever be turned into a movie. "The book is entirely in Elio's head, his imagination, his mistaken assumption, his insecurities, his diffidence everything else it is in his head. "I thought this is going to be impossible to be made into a picture and over the years there were many directors, many actors interested who all had different functions to attend to and they couldn't do the film and it took about another five to six years for someone to finally materialise, to finally find a right script," he said. The screenplay of the movie was written by James Ivory and directed by Italian director Luca Guadagnino who finished it in a short span of "six weeks". And what he has to say about his cameo in the movie? "Well, the suit was terrible, it was too tight, it made me look paunchy. But then I guess that is what I wanted... anyway, I had a great time, we were laughing at everything we were saying and it was a wonderful thing. "But I have no intention of acting I will never act again this is not what I do... also I have no memory for lines," he said. Sequels for both the book and the film are in the pipeline. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand had to be content with a joint third place finish following a draw with compatriot Vidit Gujrathi in the 13th and final round of the Tata Steel Masters here. With three victories, a lone loss against winner Magnus Carlsen of Norway and nine draws, Anand ended the event on 7.5 points and will add six points to his existing rating. He is now sixth in world rankings. Carlsen expectedly won the event after drawing rather easily with Anish Giri of Holland in the final round. Leading by a half point over Giri, Carlsen started the day with black pieces and went for his recent pet Sveshnikov Sicilian. Giri admitted he had not looked so deep and at one point sacrificed an exchange to spice things up. Carlsen, who scored 9 points, thought if anyone was better it was black but simply chose a safer option to close the event. This was Carlsen's seventh victory in the super tournament. Anand has won this event five times earlier. The second place went to Giri who ended on 8.5 and it was a three-way tie for the third place shared by Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, Ding Liren of China and Anand respectively. Gujrathi also proved that his elevation to the top group was not a flash in the pan as he ended a creditable sixth on 7 points. Gujrathi lost two, won three and drew the remaining eight games. This result will also help the Nasik-based player to climb back in the 2700 rating club that he had temporarily left. The final day did not provide much excitement. Anand opened with the king pawn and faced the Petroff defense which was also used by Jan Krzysztof Duda of Poland just a couple of days' back. Anand went for an old variation, resulting in a symmetrical pawn structure and Gujrathi equalized without much ado. The players decided to sign peace in 30 moves vide repetition. Vladimir Kramnik of Russia became the biggest casualty losing a whopping 24 rating points and for the first time in 27 years the Russian will be out of top 15 in world ranking. In the final round, Kramnik lost to Samuel Shankalnd of United States after stretching a drawn endgame. In the only other decisive game of the final round, Richard Rapport of Hungary came good against Jorden Van Foreest of Holland. In the Challengers section, Vladislav Kovalev of Latvia won yet another game to assure himself a place in the masters next year. Young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa ended 11th after drawing his final round game with Dinara Saduakassova of Kazakhstan. Results masters round 13: V Anand (Ind, 7.5) drew with Vidit Gujrathi (Ind, 7); Richard Rapport (Hun, 6.5) beat Jorden Van Foreest (Ned, 4.5); Anish Giri (Ned, 8.5) drew with Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 9); Jan Krzysztof Duda (Pol, 5.5) drew with Ding Liren (Chn, 7); Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Aze, 5) drew with Vladimir Fedoseev (Rus, 5);Vladimir Kramnik (Rus, 4.5) lost to Sameul Shankland (Usa, 6.5); Ian Nepomniachtchi (Rus, 7.5) drew with Teimour Radjabov (Aze, 6.5). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Monday said its wholly owned subsidiary T S Global Holdings has signed definitive agreements with HBIS Group to divest majority stake in its South-East Asia business. The agreements were signed in Beijing, China, said in a statement. "T S Global Holdings Pte Ltd (TSGH) (an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Ltd) has executed definitive agreements with HBIS Group Co Ltd (HBIS) controlled entity to divest its entire equity stake in NatSteel Holdings Pte Ltd (NSH) and Tata Steel (Thailand) Public Company Ltd (TSTH)," the company said. According to the agreement, the will be made to a company, in which 70 per cent equity shares will be held by an entity controlled by HBIS and 30 per cent will be acquired by TSGH. T V Narendran, CEO and Managing Director, Tata Steel said, it has been in discussions with HBIS Group over the future of South-East Asia (SEA) business. "The definitive agreement is a significant milestone in our strategic relationship, offering the SEA business robust growth opportunities, given the access to resources, technical expertise and regional understanding of HBIS. Tata Steel remains committed through its shareholding to help create a sustainable future for all stakeholders," he said. Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel with an annual crude steel capacity of 27.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). It is one of the world's most geographically diversified steel producers, with operations and commercial presence across the world. HBIS Group was established on June 30, 2008, by the merger of Tangshan Iron and Steel Group and Handan Iron and Steel Group of Hebei Province in It is amongst the largest steelmakers in the world. The Chinese firm is into the home appliance, automotive steel, and supplies steel for nuclear power, marine engineering, bridges and construction. Senior diplomat Sunjay Sudhir has been appointed as India's Ambassador to the Maldives, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Monday. Sudhir, a 1993 batch Indian Foreign Service officer who is presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, is expected to take up the assignment shortly, the MEA said in a statement. His appointment comes at a time when the two countries are strengthening ties after a new government came to power in the island nation last year. Meanwhile, the MEA also announced that Vijay Singh Chauhan, presently Consul General, Consulate General of India, Sao Paulo, has been appointed as the Ambassador of India to Burkina Faso. He is also expected to take up the assignment shortly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following a protest march by thousands of sugarcane farmers here Monday, the Maharashtra Sugar Commissioner promised action against the sugar mills which have not cleared farmers' dues. Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader and Lok Sabha MP Raju Shetti, who led the march, said late Monday night that he was calling off the agitation, but if farmers did not get their dues, he would launch an indefinite hunger strike. Sugarcane farmers are demanding fair and remunerative price (FRP) and clearance of their dues by sugar mills. In a written assurance given to Shetti, Sugar Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad stated that there are 174 sugar mills which have not paid cane cultivators dues of Rs 5,319 crore. "To expedite the clearing of the dues, we recently completed the hearing process of 39 sugar factories and by Tuesday, district-wise orders will be issued to initiate action against these millers by issuance of Revenue Recovery Certificates (RCC) under the provisions of the Sugar Act (price regulation)," he stated. Similar RCCs will be issued to remaining sugar mills which have defaulted on payments, and orders will be issued to the respective district collectors to initiate recovery measures and carry out seizure of sugar immediately, he said. In another letter addressed to Shetti, commissioner Gaikwad assured that if the mills against whom RCCs have been issued fail to clear pending FRP of cane cultivators, penal action will be initiated after seven days. Earlier, the protest march started at Alka Chowk and ended at the Sugar Commissioner's office. Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav also took part in the protest. "The Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) had said cane farmers should get FRP plus Rs 200, and the government will do everything to clear the dues. However, to date, no dues have been cleared by sugar mills," Shetti told reporters. Farmers have not been paid even 90 days after cane-cutting, though the Sugarcane Act provides that they should be paid within 14 days, Shetti said. "We demand the government seize sugar from these mills and auction it to clear the dues of cultivators," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sudanese police fired tear gas at protesters in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman on Sunday, witnesses said, after organisers called for further demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashir's three decades of rule. Bashir, on a visit to Cairo to meet his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, said the media were exaggerating the size of the problems he faced at home. Deadly protests sparked by a government decision to raise the price of bread have rocked the east African country for weeks. The demonstrations have mushroomed into nationwide rallies against the government of Bashir, who swept to power in 1989 in an Islamist-backed coup. Officials say 30 people have died in the violence since the protests first erupted on December 19 in the farming town of Atbara, before spreading to Khartoum and other regions. Rights groups say more than 40 people have been killed. On Sunday, protesters came onto the streets in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman to hold sit-ins in several squares, responding to a call by the Sudanese Professionals Association which is leading the protests. But a massive deployment of riot police and security agents prevented them from gathering at several locations, witnesses said, and the protesters later began rallies in several residential areas of Khartoum and Omdurman. "You're police, you have to protect us," demonstrators shouted as riot police cordoned off several squares in Khartoum and Omdurman, where they had planned to hold sit-ins. Police surrounded many squares and filled some with muddy water to prevent demonstrators from gathering, witnesses said. The SPA backed by several opposition political parties said in a joint statement that despite the deployment of security forces, protesters managed to gather in 11 squares and also stage six rallies in residential areas of Khartoum and Omdurman during the day. "When we came to the square for a sit-in, we saw security forces had surrounded it," said a female demonstrator, who did not identify herself for security reasons. "We then decided to hold a rally in a nearby neighbourhood, but there too the police hit us with tear gas." Late on Sunday, eight more demonstrations were held in Khartoum and Omdurman but police confronted them with tear gas, witnesses said. The SPA had called for sit-ins on Sunday in more than 20 squares in Khartoum and Omdurman. In a statement issued late on Sunday, the SPA said rallies were also planned on Monday in Darfur, Nuba mountains, Blue Nile, in camps of internally displaced people and some other provinces "to show our people's rejection of the dictator". Authorities led by the country's National Intelligence and Security Service have cracked down on protesters, opposition leaders, activists and journalists in a bid to prevent the spread of demonstrations. On Sunday, security forces arrested four journalists, including one from the country's war-torn region of Darfur, the non-government Sudanese Journalists' Network said. Sudan has ranked 174 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom index every year from 2015 to 2018. While bread price hikes sparked the first protests, anger has been mounting for years over growing economic hardship and deteriorating living conditions. That ire has now spilt onto the streets, with protesters chanting their main slogan: "freedom, peace, justice!" Bashir has remained steadfast in rejecting calls to resign. On Sunday, he said the media were exaggerating the size of his problems. "There is a problem (in Sudan), we are not claiming that there is not. But it's not of the size or extent raised in some media," Bashir said standing next to Sisi at a conference after their meeting in Cairo. The protests were "an attempt to clone the so-called Arab Spring in Sudan", he said, referring to similarities between the slogans and use of social media in uprisings that hit the region in 2010-2011. Angry crowds of Sudanese protesters have been seen in videos posted online chanting "The people want the downfall of the regime," a signature slogan of the Arab Spring. Bashir and other Sudanese officials have blamed the country's overall economic woes on the United States. Washington lifted its trade embargo on Sudan in October 2017 after two decades of bruising economic punishment, but that has failed to fix the country's financial situation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CBI arrested a former land acquisition officer of Bihar on Monday in connection with the Srijan scam, officials said here. The agency arrested Jayshree Thakur, a former additional district magistrate-rank officer who was absconding, from Patna, they said. She was produced before a special court which sent her to judicial custody, they said. Thakur, who was posted as a land acquisition officer at Banka in Bhagalpur division, was sacked by the Bihar government in 2017. In August 2017, the CBI had taken over the probe into the Srijan scam, in which government funds worth about Rs 1,000 crore were allegedly diverted to the accounts of a non-government organisation. It is suspected that Thakur had deposited government funds into Srijan NGO's account and had also taken a loan from it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi Sunday visited a beach restaurant in Goa. The two leaders are in the coastal state since Saturday on what Congress leaders have said is a "private visit" and does not include meeting party functionaries. Writing about the visit by the two leaders to a beach shack restaurant, Rachna Fernandes, a local resident, said on a social media platform, "awed by his charm and modesty". Fernandes, in her Facebook post, said she was at a seafood restaurant in Betul in south Goa Sunday when she saw the two leaders Sunday afternoon. The dentist has also posted a picture of the Congress president, donning a blue T-shirt, there on her Facebook account. The Congress president is scheduled to address a farmers rally in Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh Monday afternoon. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Writers should have the right to speak and write about what they feel, but it is "regrettable" that the society now does not have an atmosphere where there can be a healthy debate on diverse views, according to noted Tamil author Perumal Murugan. The college lecturer, who once announced his "death" as a writer in 2015, is now trying to write in a different way than before, even as he admits that there needs to be a mindset and a calm atmosphere for him to write. "As a writer, I should have the right to speak and write about what I feel. When there is criticism or opposition, then there should be opportunities to express them in a cultured way. That is what I feel. But that is not the case now with our society. "The other person should have the view that I like. There should be space to express views that I do not like also. There should also be an atmosphere where there can be healthy debate about such views. Such an atmosphere not being there is regrettable," Murugan told PTI in an interview. He was speaking on the sidelines of the Jaipur Literature Festival here. Murugan, who teaches Tamil literature at a government college in Tamil Nadu, has authored many novels, collection of short stories, poems as well as non-fiction works. His recent novel 'Poonachi', where the protagonist is a black goat, is turning into a best seller and is set to be translated into eight Indian languages. As his publisher Kannan Sundaram mentioned, 'Poonachi' is travelling. On whether tolerance level in the society has come down as seen in instances of writers and other personalities facing criticism for expressing their views, Murugan sought to see the evolving situation with a different lens. "Rather than saying that tolerance level has come down, I would say the awareness has increased. Writers now have more awareness about freedom of expression and that what has happened to one person could happen to another person. People are writing about it, discussing about it, so there is an increased awareness," he opined. For writers, Murugan has the message: "We should not stop writing but how it should be expressed, we (writers) should select it," he noted. Following protests by right-wing and caste-based groups against his Tamil novel 'Madhurobagan', which was translated into English titled 'One Part Woman', Murugan through a Facebook post had announced his own "death" as a writer in 2015. After a Madras High Court order related to freedom of expression, a ruling which Murugan says was a wonderful one, he resumed his writing. After taking a hiatus for more than a year, Murugan is of the view that he is now trying to write in a different way than he used to do earlier. There are a lot of techniques in literature and a lot can be done with language, Murugan said as he stressed that if one way of writing creates a problem then the writing can be done in a different way which is what he is trying. On whether that means toning down or being less sharp in his writing, he said, "I don't have much idea about that but I am trying in a different way". In his preface to the original Tamil edition of 'Poonachi' that was published in 2016, Murugan's words echo, at least partly his harrowing experiences. "How long can an untold story rest in deep slumber within the dormant seed? I am fearful of writing about humans; even more fearful of writing about gods. "I can write about demons, perhaps. I am even used to a bit of the demonic life. I could make it an accompaniment here. Yes, let me write about animals," he wrote. On whether we can see him in politics at some point of time in the future, he ruled out any such possibility. "There is no such possibility. I am a writer. I like writing and reading and don't have interest in other things," he emphasised. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Monday said it is "unfortunate" that the icon of the country's freedom struggle Veer Savarkar has been neglected even in the "Modi era" and not honoured with the It also said that the highest civilian award has been conferred on veteran artiste late Bhupen Hazarika only with an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, which is a "wrong" thing. The Sena, an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra, has since long been demanding the highest civilian award for Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who spent the prime of his life at the Cellular Jail in after being sentenced to life. Sena's member had a few years back written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it was high time that the NDA government honoured Savarkar with the so as to rectify the "mistakes" of earlier governments which had "deliberately neglected" him due to his staunch views. "The insulted Savarkar during its regime. But what did the do after coming to power? The BJP was pitching hard for the for Savarkar when it was in opposition. But neither the got constructed nor Savarkar got the Bharat Ratna," the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'. "It is unfortunate that even in the 'Modi era', Savarkar has not been given the Bharat Ratna," it rued. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party noted that Prime Minister had gone to last month and visited the cell where Savarkar was once jailed. "He (Modi) did some mediation but it got washed away in the waves of ocean," it said in sarcastic remarks. Patting itself over Pranab Mukherjee being conferred the Bharat Ratna, the Sena said it had backed his candidature for the president's post despite opposition from the BJP. "If Mukherjee was 'Bharat Ratna', then why was he not given second term as His election would have been unopposed," it opined. Markets Regulator Sebi Monday slapped a total fine of over Rs 13 crore on five entities belonging to promoters and persons acting in concert (PAC) of Gujarat Arth Ltd for manipulative trading and violating insider trading provisions. In an order, the regulator imposed a fine of Rs 2.53 crore each on the five entities -- Shiv Kumar Agarwal, Rosydevi Agarwal Madhudevi Agarwal, Roselabs Ltd and Pawankumar Agarwal. Besides, an additional penalty of Rs 7.73 lakh, 12.38 lakh and 15 lakh was imposed on Shiv Kumar, Roselabs and Pawankumar, respectively. In 2014, the regulator had levied penalty on the entities which they had challenged in the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT). The tribunal setting aside the Sebi order had directed the regulator to pass a fresh order on merits. In a fresh order, the regulator said entities had issued misleading corporate announcements in 2003 and 2004, like the acquisition of business of Poonam Industries, preferential issues, among others, which however did not materialise. The misleading announcements influenced the share price which lured the investors, leading to creation of artificial volume, thereby violating the PFUTP (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trading Practices) Regulations. Further, the entities by transferring and receiving shares in off-market transactions, triggered more than 15 per cent capital of the company. However, no announcement was made by the entities regarding the transfer of shares under the SAST (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) norms and few among them failed to disclose their change in shareholding to the exchange under PIT (Prohibition of Insider Trading) norms, the regulator noted. "There is no case for change in the penalty imposed on the Noticees" (five entities) imposed earlier, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fears of a second dam breach at a Brazilian mining complex receded Sunday, enabling a search to resume for the more than 300 people still missing two days after a dam collapse that has killed at least 58 people. Loudspeakers rang out at 5:30 am (0730 GMT) among homes surrounding the Corrego do Feijao mining complex in southeastern Brazil, warning of dangerously high water levels, according to mine owner Vale. Workers at the complex are still reeling after a barrier at the site burst on Friday, spewing millions of tons of treacherous sludge and engulfing buildings, vehicles and roads. Firefighters halted the search for survivors and immediately began evacuating communities near the dike, which contains at least 800 million gallons of water. But several hours later, civil defense officials gave the all clear. "There is no more risk of a break," said Lieutenant Colonel Flavio Godinho, a spokesman for the state civil defense agency, explaining that the high water levels had been drained off. "The search has resumed -- by land, by aircraft and with dogs." Dozens of helicopters were set to be deployed because the thick mud was too treacherous for ground rescuers. The latest official toll from the dam breach was 58 dead and 305 missing, according to Godinho. He said rescuers found a bus full of bodies. Vale, the Brazilian mining giant, said people were being allowed to return to their homes. "I had to leave with my family, my children," Jose Maria Silva, 59, told AFP. "We are upset, tense, because leaving our house is not easy. We've been here 15 years, and now we have to leave everything and run away.' Fagner Miranda, 29, added: "several people ran out, desperate... Those with no car fled on foot, with a backpack on their backs and what they could carry." So far, 192 people have been rescued alive, 23 of whom were hospitalised with injuries, officials said. President Jair Bolsonaro flew over the devastated zone on Saturday, later tweeting that it was "difficult to not be emotional before this scene". All was being done to care for survivors and "determine the facts, to demand justice and prevent new tragedies," he added. The military said it deployed 1,000 soldiers, including sniffer dogs, to the disaster zone. The disaster was the first big emergency faced by Bolsonaro and his government since he took office in early January, and it may be one of the deadliest disasters in Brazil's history. Vale has been shaken by the disaster, the second in three years it has suffered in the same state. Workers at its mine had been at lunch in an administrative area Friday when they were suddenly swamped by millions of tons of muddy trailings -- a waste byproduct of the iron-ore mining operations. The ruptured dam, 42 years old and 86 metres high, had been in the process of being decommissioned. Vale said it had recently passed structural safety tests. After overflowing a second dam, the muddy mass barrelled down toward Brumadinho but only glanced along the town's edge before roaring through vegetation and farmland, smashing houses and swallowing tractors and roads in its path. Brazilian judicial authorities announced they had frozen USD 3 billion of Vale's assets, saying real estate and vehicles would be seized if the company could not come up with the full amount. The company also has been hit with fines by the federal and state government totalling some USD 92.5 million. Vale share prices fell Friday more than eight percent on the New York Stock Exchange. The mining company, one of the world's biggest, was involved in a 2015 mine collapse elsewhere in Minas Gerais that claimed 19 lives in what is regarded as the country's worst-ever environmental disaster. "There used to be people here, houses. I'm just floored by this tragedy," Rosilene Aganetti, a 57-year-old resident in one of the affected villages, told AFP, pointing to an expanse of mud. "Several of my friends who were in the Vale cafeteria are missing," she said, holding back sobs. Another woman, Suely de Olivera Costa, was desperately trying to find her husband, who worked at the mine. She angrily accused Vale of "destroying Brumadinho, and nobody is doing anything -- which will be the next town?" The Brazilian branch of environmental group Greenpeace said the dam break was "a sad consequence of the lessons not learned by the Brazilian government and the mining companies". Such incidents "are not accidents but environmental crimes that must be investigated, punished and repaired", it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A hoax call about a bomb in a school here created panic among students and staff on Monday, police said. According to the school administration, they received a call about a bomb being planted at the campus, police said. Soon, the school was evacuated and the bomb disposal squad reached the spot and thoroughly checked the area but no explosive was found, Station House Officer (SHO) of the Sanganer police station Lakhan Singh said. "After much chaos, the school went on to commence the scheduled programme of the day," he added. A case has been registered and the matter is being investigated, the SHO said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court Monday directed the Centre to give the number of functional detention centres in Assam and the foreigners detained there during the last 10 years as also various other details. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna was hearing a petition filed by activist Harsh Mander on the condition of detention centres in Assam and the prolonged detention of foreigners there. The apex court asked the Centre to provide various details about the detention centres, the period of detention of detainees and the status of their cases before the Foreigners Tribunal. "We would like to know as to how many detention centres are there. We also want to know how many persons are lodged there and since when," the bench said. It also asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to provide details as to how many persons have been declared foreigners so far and how many of them have been deported till date. It sought the year-wise details of foreigners who have illegally entered into India during the last 10 years. The bench, which has sought details within three weeks from the authority, has now posted the matter for further hearing on February 19. The top court had earlier issued notice to the Centre and the Assam government on Mander's plea and had asked them to respond to it within four weeks. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Mander has said that the condition of foreign nationals kept at the detention centres in Assam was not good. "The larger issue is can these people be permitted to be detained indefinitely just because they are not Indian citizens," he said, adding that they were being treated as "illegal aliens". Bhushan had referred to a US Supreme Court judgement and said it had held that the government cannot keep the foreign nationals in detention indefinitely. The Centre had in November last year informed the Supreme Court that the process of framing guidelines for keeping foreign nationals in detention centres across the country was "under preparation" and that the work of framing detention manual or guidelines was being taken up "very seriously". The top court had told the Centre to ensure that requirements of the circulars or guidelines issued by the central government would be adhered to by Assam. The state government had said there were 47 declared foreign nationals or their family members that were proposed to be transferred for being re-united and the transfer process would take about 15 days. The apex court had on September 12 last year expressed displeasure that foreign nationals kept in detention centres in Assam were "separated" from their families and had asked the state to look into the issue with urgency so that the families are "not broken up". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court Monday referred to a Constitution Bench the question whether compulsory recitation of morning prayers in Sanskrit by students of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs), irrespective of faith and beliefs, violates their fundamental right. A bench of Justices R F Nariman and Vineet Saran said the question would be examined by a Constitution Bench and referred the matter to Chief Justice of India for listing it before a larger bench. "We think this is an issue of importance and a Constitution Bench should examine it," the bench said. The apex court was hearing a petition filed by Jabalpur-based advocate Veenayak Shah who has challenged the compulsory recitation of morning prayers in Sanskrit by students of KVs across the country. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said that meaning of Sanskrit 'shlokas' is a universal truth and merely because it is written in Sanskrit, it does not make it communal. To this, Justice Nariman said that the Sanskrit 'shlokas' referred to were taken from the Upanishads. Mehta said that emblem in every courtroom of the Supreme Court has written "Yato Dharma Stato Jaya" which has been taken from the Mahabharata. "This does not mean that the Supreme Court is religious", he said. The bench then said that let the issue be examined by a larger bench. Besides Shah, a Muslim body, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, has also challenged in the apex court the Revised Education Code for KV Sangathan with regard to compulsory recitation of common prayer. "The prayer is being enforced throughout the country in all Kendra Vidyalayas. As a result, parents and children of the minority communities as well as atheist and others who do not agree with this system of prayer such as agnostics, sceptics, rationalists and others would find the imposition of this prayer constitutionally impermissible," Shah said in his petition. His counsel sought direction from the court to forthwith discontinue any form of prayers from morning assembly or otherwise in KV Sangathans and to promote scientific learning among the students. Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has said in its plea that the matter involves a question whether the prescribed common prayer stipulated the Revised Education Code for KV Sangathans is in consonance with the personal laws of the minority communities including the Muslim community. The petition, filed through advocate Ejaz Maqbool, said that the common prayer prescribed in the Revised Education Code for KVs is inspired from Hinduism and added that even though such a prayer is not in consonance with many other faiths, all the students irrespective of their faiths and beliefs have to compulsorily recite. "...The said code by mandating recitation of a common prayer which was based on a particular religion is clearly violative of the Article 25 of the Constitution," said the plea of the Muslim body while seeking to be implead it as a party in the case. The Kendriya Vidyalayas are a system of Central Government schools in India which were instituted under the aegis of the Ministry Of Human Resource Development. The network expands to about 1,125 schools, ensuring a uniform curriculum and syllabus all over India, thus making it one of world's largest chain of schools. These schools have been operational for over 50 years now. On January 10 last year, the apex court had sought response from the Centre on the plea filed by Shah. The plea has contended that the morning assembly prayer was being enforced throughout the country in all the KVs, which are also known as Central Schools. It said that the practise of prayer created obstacles in developing scientific temperament among students as the whole idea of God and religious faith is given immense priority and instilled as a thought-process among the students. "Students as a result learn to develop an inclination towards seeking refuge from the almighty instead of developing a practical outcome towards the obstacles and hurdles faced in everyday life, and the spirit of enquiry and reform seems to be lost somewhere," the plea said. The petition also said that since the prayer is being enforced, the parents and children of the minority communities as well as atheists and others find the imposition constitutionally impermissible. Shah in his plea also submitted before the court that the common prayer is a "religious instruction" within the meaning of Article 28 of the Constitution and should therefore be prohibited. Article 28(1) of the Constitution says that no religious instruction should be provided in any educational institution wholly maintained out of state funds. "A perusal of the prayer shows that it is based on Hindu religion and it is very different both in substance and form from the prayers of the other religious/non-religious orientations mentioned above. "The issue that arises therefore is whether the state may impose the above mentioned "common prayer" on students and teachers throughout the country," the plea said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Saudi Arabia on Monday launched an ambitious programme which it hopes will attract USD 427 billion in investments in the industrial and logistics sectors, as the OPEC kingpin bids to reduce dependence on oil. To kickstart the 12-year programme, the Gulf state announced the signing of 37 agreements worth USD 55 billion with foreign and local investors at a ceremony attended by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The programme is part of the kingdom's 2030 Vision, the brainchild of Prince Mohammed, that aims to diversify its economy which has been heavily dependent on oil prices. Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih, speaking at a hotel in Riyadh, said the investments would be made in the fields of industry, mining, energy and logistics. The aim is to create 1.6 million new jobs, boost non-oil exports by USD 267 billion a year and add as much as USD 320 billion to gross domestic product, almost 40 per cent of last year's GDP, he said. Among the agreements announced, two memoranda of understanding between the Saudi military industry programme SAMI and French firm Thales and CMI Defence of Belgium. They also included energy deals between national oil giant Aramco and Saudi petrochemicals firm SABIC for a huge project to produce petrochemicals directly from oil. Falih said that implementation had already started on a number of projects. Other projects include building a 1,200-kilometre (745-mile) railway and five airports in addition to hundreds of kilometres of roads, said Transport Minister Nabeel al-Amudi. At a conference it hosted in October, which was hit by an international boycott over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Riyadh announced the signing of investment deals worth USD 44 billion. Since the launch of Saudi Vision 2030, mega projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars have been announced in the Middle East's largest economy but implementation has been slow. In late 2017, the kingdom announced plans to build the USD 500 billion NEOM mega city in the northern Red Sea. Since the crash in oil prices in mid-2014, Saudi Arabia accumulated USD 313 billion in budget deficits which was financed through withdrawing from the country's fiscal reserves and borrowing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korean tech giant Samsung Monday launched its Galaxy M smartphones in the country, a series that has been designed to ground up in India, as it looks to re-capture its pole position from rival Xiaomi. Samsung has launched two models - M20 and M10 - priced at Rs 7,990 onwards that will be available online from February 5. "Today's millennials want a smartphone that is lighting fast, runs longer and comes loaded with latest innovations. Meaningful innovation and customer-centric approach form a part of our very DNA and the new Galaxy M series is an embodiment of that commitment," Asim Warsi, senior vice-president of Samsung India, said. Earlier, Warsi had said the company aims to clock double-digit growth in the Indian market this year, and the new Galaxy M series would play an important part. Citing GfK data, Warsi had said the company exited the December 2018 quarter with a 40 per cent value share of the market. However, reports from other research organisations such as IDC and Counterpoint have positioned Xiaomi to be ahead of Samsung (in terms of units shipped) for many quarters now. According to Counterpoint, Xiaomi led the smartphone market in India in 2018 with 28 per cent share, followed by Samsung (24 per cent). The hyper-competitive Indian smartphone market witnessed the fastest growth among major markets, expanding by 10 per cent in 2018 over the previous year to over 145 million units, it added. The Chinese player had entered the Indian market through online channel, and has been focussed on aggressively expanding its offline presence over the last many months. The M10 features a 6.2-inch display, 3400 mAh battery and 13-megapixel+5MP rear and 5MP front camera. It will be available in 2GB RAM/16GB internal memory and 3GB RAM/32GB memory versions. The M20, on the other hand, includes a 6.3-inch display, 8MP front camera and 5,000 mAh battery. It will start taking steps this year to replace plastic packaging materials with paper and other environmentally sustainable elements, Samsung said. The packaging used currently for Samsung's products and accessories like mobile phones, tablets and home appliances "will be substituted with environmentally sustainable materials like recycled or bio-based plastics and paper". "To revamp product packaging, Samsung Electronics has formed a task force involving design and development, purchasing, marketing and quality control for innovative packaging ideas," it added. By 2030, Samsung aims to use 500,000 tons of recycled plastics and collect 7.5 million tonnes of discarded products (both cumulative from 2009), the statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The State Administrative Council (SAC) headed by Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik Monday approved a health insurance scheme for the government employees and pensioners based on 'Trust Model'. The SAC, which met here under the chairmanship of the governor, decided that 'Trust Model' may be implemented for the employees health insurance across the state for its added advantages, an official spokesman said. Under this model, he said, a trust will be set up by the state government which may design appropriate insurance product and offer it to designated beneficiaries -- state government employees and pensioners. On October 27 last year, the governor had ordered foreclosure of the contract with Reliance General Insurance for implementing the group mediclaim health insurance for state employees and asked the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to probe the matter after it sparked a row. After the scrapping of the previous Medical Claim Policy, the state government constituted a committee of officers headed by principal secretary, Health and Medical Education, to examine the possibility of operating the health insurance scheme through third party administrator (TPA) by dispensing with the insurer and intermediary. The committee, which was mandated to determine the contours of such scheme and a selection procedure after discussing and analysing health insurance models of various states, submitted its report along with three models, the spokesman said. "The SAC considered the options or models suggested by the 'committee of officers' vis-a-vis advantages-disadvantages of each model. After considering feasibility of various models and their merits, the SAC approved the trust model," he said. The spokesman said the administration of the scheme, including collection of premia, enrollment of the insured, settlement of claims, will be with the said trust. "This measure would address the issue on long-term basis and do away with issues of renewal and other issues which crop up every now and then," he said, adding that this would also ensure close monitoring. The spokesman said the SAC directed the Health and Medical Education Department to take necessary measures in this regard. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian authorities Monday arrested a man they believe stole a painting by a famous 19th century artist from a busy Moscow museum in broad daylight a day earlier. State television aired footage of a man calmly taking a work by Russian landscape painter Arkhip Kuindzhi off the wall at Moscow's Tretyakovka gallery before carrying it through a room filled with visitors. In the second serious security incident at the gallery in the past eight months, the gallery said the painting was snatched at around 6pm (1500 GMT) on Sunday during opening hours. The painting, depicting the Ai-Petri mountain in Crimea, was completed between 1898 and 1908. The Russian interior ministry said a 31-year-old man was detained in a village outside Moscow. The man told police he hid the painting on a construction site, from where it was recovered, it said in a statement. Police are working to establish if he had any accomplices. "At the time of the theft, the museum's security -- carried out by forces of the National Guard and the museum's security service -- was working normally," the gallery said in a statement late on Sunday. "Security measures at the Arkhip Kuindzhi exhibition and all sites of the Tretyakov Gallery have been strengthened," it added. The theft comes after an incident in May last year in which a visitor at the gallery caused serious damage by attacking a famous 19th-century painting of Ivan the Terrible. Police arrested a 37-year-old man who used a metal pole to break the glass covering Ilya Repin's painting of the 16th-century tsar killing his son, damaging the work in three places. The gallery is currently hosting an exhibition with more than 120 Kuindzhi paintings that will run until February 17. In a description of the exhibition on its website, the gallery calls Arkhip Kuindzhi, who died in 1910, "one of the most memorable figures in Russian painting of the second half of the 19th century. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani has kicked up a controversy with his remarks targeting the Congress as the opposition party accused him of using "distasteful" language against party chief Rahul Gandhi and his family and said it reflected the "low level mentality" of BJP leaders. As Congress took strong objection to his comments, Vaghani on Monday said his remarks were misconstrued as he was just highlighting the "VIP culture" in the opposition party and offered to apologise if he had hurt sentiments. "....He was born with commandos around his cradle...I am not sure if commandos were there when he was being fed milk," Vaghani had said without taking any name while addressing a gathering in Radhanpur town of North Gujarat Sunday. As Congress leaders condemned his remarks, Vaghani clarified that his words were taken out of the context. "I was only trying to point out the VIP culture in the Congress and trying to compare it with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ground connect. It is natural that people who come from such culture do not understand the Indian culture," he told reporters in Gandhinagar. Vaghani said he was appealing to people not to take his remarks otherwise. "If anyone is hurt, I will not hesitate to apologise as this is the culture of my party. But I am saying again that I was only comparing those who came from the VIP culture and leaders like Modiji, who came from a humble background," said Vaghani. Opposition leaders kept mum when PM Modi was targeted with "abusive language" by Congress leaders in the past, he said. Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said the women of this country will never forgive Vaghani for his remarks "against the Congress chief and the Gandhi family". "Vaghani's remarks reflect the low level mentality of BJP leaders. It shows their character and upbringing. Though he is trying to play down his comments now, the women of this country will never forgive him for uttering such distasteful words," said Chavda. "The remarks were made intentionally. It was not a slip of tongue. It was a deliberate attack and it cannot be forgiven," said Chavda. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Rajasathan High Court has been told by the state government that it has decided to set up two captive breeding centres for conservation of the Great Indian Bustard. The two places identified for setting up the breeding centres for the Rajasthan's state bird are Sursan in Kota and Ramdeora in Jaisalmer, Additional Advocate General Sandeep Shah informed a bench of justices Sangeet Lodha and Dinesh Mehta in an affidavit to the court. The court earlier had taken suo motu cognisance of the dwindling numbers of the bird in the state and had issued notice to the government seeking to know what it was doing to conserve the state birds, declared an endangered species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Land parcels of 700 hectares and 193 hectares have been identified in Sursan in Kota and Ramdeora in Jaisalmer respectively for setting up these breeding centres, said Shah. He added the relevant gram panchayats have given in-principle consent for transfer of the land for the purpose and it would soon be transferred to set up the breeding centres. These centers will be developed on the line of those in Abudhabi and the experts' assistance would be sought from there to set up the breeding centres," he said. "A tripartite agreement has been signed among Wild Life Institute of India, State Forest Department and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the law officer told the court. According to wildlife experts, the Great Indian Bustard are found in Rajasthan, Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh but their number has declined to just four to five in other state, except Rajasthan. In Rajasthana too, their number has come down to 50 or 60 from 250 in the past 20 years in absence of concerted efforts to preserve the endangered species. A project for its conservation was sanctioned eight years ago and a sum of Rs 22 crore was sanctioned two years ago, but nothing much has been done till date, say experts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) arrested on Monday a contract killer in Madhya Pradesh who was allegedly hired to kill a panchayat member. The SOG team nabbed the accused Gurucharan Singh, a resident of Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, with the help of the MP STF. It recovered from him five pistols, as many live cartridges and one magazine. The arrest was made on specific information provided by two miscreants -- Rambhola and Shreeram -- who were arrested on January 25 from a railway station in Rajasthan's Sawaimadhopur district, with five firearms and 14 live cartridges. The arms and ammunition were delivered to them by Gurucharan. During interrogation, both the accused told that Gurucharan had taken a contract from a ration dealer of Madhya Pradesh to kill the panchayat member, SOG DIG Nitindeep Bluggan said. A team was rushed to Madhya Pradesh and Gurucharan was arrested Friday with illegal weapons, Bluggan said. He informed that the SOG has been taking action against illegal weapon smuggling and seven illegal firearms were recovered this month from Alwar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president Rahul Gandhi announced Monday that his party would ensure "minimum income guarantee" for every poor person in the country if it is voted to power in the coming Lok Sabha polls. The announcement comes ahead of the Union Budget, the last to be presented by the Narendra Modi government before the polls due in later this year. It also follows the NDA government's decision to give 10 per cent quota to the economically backward section in the general category. "The Congress has decided to take a historic decision...The Congress-led government is going to give minimum income guarantee. This means, every poor person in India will have a minimum income. This means there will be no hungry, poor people in India (any longer)," Gandhi said. He was addressing a 'Kisaan Abhaar Sammelan' here to express gratitude to Chhattisgarh's people, particularly farmers, for voting the Congress to power in the state after 15 years. Asserting that he gets done what he says, Gandhi added the minimum income guarantee would be implemented across the country. Later, he tweeted, "We cannot build a new India while millions of our brothers & sisters suffer the scourge of poverty." "If voted to power in 2019, the Congress is committed to a Minimum Income Guarantee for every poor person, to help eradicate poverty & hunger. This is our vision & our promise," he said in his tweet. "We don't want two Indias. There will be one India, and in that India, the Congress will give minimum income to every poor person. No government in the world has done this till now. The Congress is going to do that, it will be a historic feat," Gandhi said at the rally. The BJP-led Union government wrote off Rs 3.5 lakh crore worth of loans of 15 big industrialist but "did not waive the loans of the country's farmers", he alleged. Continuing his attack on the Centre over the Rafale figher jet purchase issue, he reiterated the allegation that the government ensured a "benefit" of Rs 30,000 crore to industrialist Anil Ambani in this "world's biggest defence contract". On the contrary, the BJP-led governments cited lack of funds whenever the Congress demanded farm loan waiver, he alleged. "Narendra Modi and the BJP want to create two Indias -- one of loan waiver (for industrialists), Rafale scam, Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Narendra Modi. In that you will get whatever you want...if you want Rafale contract, you will get it. If you want land, water, electricity, you will get it," Gandhi said. "The other India is of the poor, the weak, farmers, the youth. You are not going to get anything in that India. There you will only get 'Mann Ki Baat', 24 hours only 'Mann Ki Baat'," Gandhi said, referring to the prime minister's monthly radio address. On the Rafale issue, Gandhi said had the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) got the contract under offset obligation instead of Ambani's company, "lakhs of youths" from Odisha or Chhattisgarh would have got employment. But the Modi government told Francois Hollande, then French President, "to give the contract to Ambani and employment to the "youth of France", Gandhi alleged. Anil Ambani has denied the allegations that his company got any undue benefit when it bagged offset contracts in the Rafale deal. Gandhi also said the Congress had promised to waive farm loans in Chhattisgarh within 10 days of coming to power, but implemented the decision within a day after forming the government. He also distributed loan waiver certificates to some of the beneficiary farmers during the event, which was attended by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and senior Congress leader P L Punia. The Congress posted a massive victory in last year's Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, winning 68 of the total 90 seats and ending the BJP's 15-year rule. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) World powers are vying to develop so-called "hypersonic" weapons that travel several times the speed of sound, with France the latest to join a field led so far by Russia and China. Hypersonics are like missiles that travel at over five times the speed of sound (Mach 5) but are able to manoeuvre in mid-flight, making them much harder to track and intercept than traditional projectiles. France is the fourth of the five permanent UN Security Council members to join the so-called "stealth by speed" contest, after China, Russia and the United States. "We have decided to issue a contract for a hypersonic glider" that can travel at over 6,000 kilometres/hour, Defence Minister Florence Parly said last week, promising a test flight by the end of 2021. "Many countries are acquiring them (hypersonic weapons) and we have the know-how to develop them. We could no longer afford to wait," Parly said, unveiling project V-MaX (Experimental Manoeuvering Vehicle). In March last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin stunned Western military analysts -- and many in Russia -- by unveiling plans for a new arsenal of hypersonic weapons which he said would render missile defence systems obsolete. Putin insisted the weapons would only ever be used in self-defence, but his presentation featured video montages of missiles crossing the Atlantic, sparking jitters among NATO members. A few months later US President Donald Trump threatened to walk away from a key arms control treaty with Moscow. France has already carried out studies on propulsion systems for hypersonic flights as part of a 37 billion euro ($42 billion) revamp of its nuclear arsenal. Under the V-MaX project, being led by ArianeGroup -- a joint venture between Airbus and France's Safran -- the air-to-surface ASN4G missile, which will replace the medium-range ASMP, could possibly be configured to travel at hypersonic speeds. "These (hypersonic) weapons could constitute an instantaneous threat of a conventional or even nuclear strike," France's inter-ministerial Secretariat for National Defence and Security (SGDSN) wrote in a 2017 report on next-generation technologies. Hypersonic gliders would be carried to the end of the earth's atmosphere by a launch vehicle and would then "glide" back to a target on the ground. "The goal is high-speed manoeuvrability. That's how it differs from a ballistic trajectory," the French government's defence procurement and technology agency (DGA) said. "Once the initial speed is reached, we can play with speed and altitude to move up and down, to the left and to the right, creating a trajectory that is more difficult to intercept. And, the agency added: "If we are targeted by a defence system, we can operate evasive manoeuvres." In December, the Kremlin touted the capabilities of its new hypersonic glider, aptly named "Avanguard". The Kremlin said that in tests the intercontinental projectile reached 27 times the speed of sound -- 33,000 kilometres (20,500 miles) per hour or Mach 27. "At this speed not a single intercepter missile can shoot it down," Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov boasted. China has also reportedly carried out several successful tests since 2014 of a glider that can reach speeds of between Mach 5 and Mach 10. Harry Harris, former US military commander for the Pacific region, admitted last year: "China's hypersonic weapons development outpaces ours... we're falling behind." The United States, which is developing several hypersonic programmes, is also studying the feasibility of creating a space-based interceptor system, in which an orbiting craft of some sort would be equipped with missiles that could destroy an incoming warhead while it is in space. "The US will now adjust its posture to defend against any missile strikes including cruise and hypersonic missiles," President Donald Trump said in January, releasing a review of the US missile defence network. For France, developing and deploying a device that can withstand hypersonic speeds poses an enormous challenge. The DGA, the French defence agency, admitted that it had "relatively little experience" in the area. "The first use will probably not be for several years, and will be limited in terms of payload, flight time and precision," the SGDSN cautioned. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Punjab unit of the BJP Monday took a potshot at former MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu for seeking Congress ticket to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Chandigarh, and called her "migratory bird". "She had been an MLA from Amritsar and her husband is currently an MLA from there. Her husband (Navjot Singh Sidhu) had contested Lok Sabha polls from Amritsar. Why she now ran away from Amritsar and came to Chandigarh?" Punjab BJP Chief Shwait Malik said. "These people have been complete failure. Navjot Singh Sidhu was a failed MP and now failed minister (in the Congress government). Now the dark clouds loom large over their political career. I call her migratory bird who is now search of new destination," Malik told reporters here. Navjot Kaur Sidhu has staked claim to the Congress ticket for contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from UT Chandigarh. The former MLA from Amritsar (East) and former chief parliamentary secretary submitted her application to the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee last week. Former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and ex-Union minister Manish Tewari have also been vying for the ticket from Chandigarh. "She is now looking for her future outside Punjab," Union minister and BJP leader Vijay Sampla said at a separate press conference, without naming anyone. Meanwhile, both BJP leaders accused the Congress government of having "failed" on all the fronts. "Debt waiver announced by the Punjab government was a cruel joke with debt-ridden farmers. Against current debt of Rs 90,000 crore, the government has waived minuscule amount of loan of farmers," Sampla claimed. He also lashed out at the Punjab government for "playing" with the future of SC students while accusing the current regime of not submitting audit report on post-matric scholarship scheme for the students belonging to Scheduled Castes. "Unless, the state government submits audit report, the next installment of disbursement of funds for the scholarship scheme cannot be disbursed," Sampla said, claiming that the Centre was committed to clear any dues pending towards the scholarship scheme by March 31, 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Tamil Nadu reflected the "mood of the nation", Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said Monday. The Tamilians protested with black flags and balloons, against the neglect of the state that suffered damages in cyclone 'Gaja', Naidu told his party leaders during a tele-conference here, warning Modi would face much severe protests in Andhra Pradesh. "The protests in Madurai reflected the mood of the nation against the BJP. Compared to Tamil Nadu, the Centre did grave injustice to AP," Naidu said. "Modi and (Amit) Shah will face much severe protests and opposition if they visit AP," he asserted. He said there was every need to save the country and also fight for the rights of the states. "We should work with the sole objective of defeating the BJP," he told the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) rank and file. Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) cadres, led by party founder Vaiko had on Sunday staged a protest against Modi in Madurai, accusing him of betraying the interests of Tamil Nadu. Lashing out at his brother and former minister Daggubati Venkateswara Rao, whose son Hitesh was about to join the opposition YSR Congress, Naidu alleged that the Daggubati family was joining the YSRC only for power. "There is no party that Daggubati did not join. Starting with the RSS, Daggubati (Venkateswara Rao) joined BJP, TDP, Congress, (again) BJP and now YSRC," Naidu said. "She (Daggubati Purandeswari) was a Central minister in the Congress government and he was an MLA. They then joined the BJP and now are going to YSRC," Naidu added. Purandeswari is the Chief Minister's sister-in-law. "Their defections are only for the sake of power. They used NTR out of sheer opportunism and brought disgrace to the legend. Now, they are joining YSRC. We should expose their hollowness," the TDP chief told his party men. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation in 2016 had mood fluctuations and wanted to be left alone on several occasions, a doctor who treated her has told an Inquiry commission probing the circumstances leading to the AIADMK leader's death. She was in fluctuating mood, sometimes she will smile, sometimes she will say "leave me alone," the Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry said in a recent order quoting the deposition of Dr Shilpa. In her capacity as a critical care duty doctor, she had attended to Jayalalithaa between October 1 and December 4, 2016. Shilpa, an anaesthetist, made the remarks on Jayalalithaa's then health status while giving evidence as a commission witness on the ailments of the late leader. The deposition of Shilpa has been mentioned in the commission's order dismissing a plea of the Apollo Hospitals seeking constitution of a 21-member medical board to help the panel examine medical records related to her treatment in 2016. The commission said Dr Shilpa was cross-examined only by the counsel for first respondent V K Sasikala, a close aide of Jayalalithaa, and not by the counsel for the hospital. Shilpa had resigned her job in the Apollo Hospitals in 2017. Anyway, the hospital admitted to the views expressed by Dr Shilpa, the panel said adding at last, the critical care doctor's assessment "proved that Chief Minister had cardiac arrest on the evening of December 4, 2016." "That is the reason the counsel for the applicant hospital has not put any question even though Dr Shilpa was present before this commission on two occasions," it said. The Commission said state Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan in his deposition admitted that the evidence of doctors from AIIMS, New Delhi, was sufficient and there was no need for a medical panel. Citing the assistance provided by government doctors following its request to decipher the medical records, the commission had last week dismissed the hospital's application for the medical board. Jayalalithaa died on December 5, 2016 and the Commission of Inquiry was constituted the next year by the AIADMK government following allegations and suspicions surrounding her death. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The longtime head of the world's Yazidis, a minority whose Iraqi community was ferociously targeted by the Islamic State group, has died in Germany after a long illness, officials said Monday. Prince Tahseen Said Ali died in the KRH Siloah hospital in Hanover at the age of 85, according to the head of the Iraqi Kurdish region's head of Yazidi affairs, Khairi Buzani. Born in 1933 in Iraq's northwest Sheikhan district, he was appointed head of the Yazidis at age 11 after the death of his father, who was the previous emir. He later moved to Germany, home of the biggest expatriate Yazidi community. "He will be buried in the coming days in Iraqi Kurdistan," said Iraqi Yazidi parliamentarian Vian Dakhil. Dakhil told AFP that before dying, Prince Tahseen had appointed his son, Hazem, to succeed him. Iraqi officials, including Finance Minister Fuad Hussein and the Kurdistan region's prime minister Nechirvan Barzani, sent condolences to the prince's family on Monday. The Yazidi faith emerged in Iran more than 4,000 years ago and is rooted in Zoroastrianism, over time integrating elements of Islam and Christianity. With no holy book and organised into castes, Yazidis pray to God facing the sun and worship his seven angels -- first and foremost Melek Taus, or Peacock Angel. Of the world's 1.5 million Yazidis, around 550,000 were living in the remote corners of northern Iraq, where their holiest site Lalish lies and where Prince Tahseen was born. In 2014, the Islamic State group rampaged across northern Iraq and seized the Yazidi bastion of Sinjar, near the border with Syria. IS fighters slaughtered thousands of Yazidi men and boys, then abducted women and girls to be abused as "sex slaves". The brutal assault pushed around 360,000 of the Kurdish-speaking Yazidis to flee to other parts of Iraq, including the Kurdish region, in addition to another 100,000 who left the country altogether. The United Nations has said IS's actions could amount to genocide, and is investigating the jihadist group's atrocities across Iraq. The Yazidi cause has found a powerful symbol in Nadia Murad, a former IS abductee from Sinjar who escaped and went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her activism against sexual violence. Murad visited Iraq's Yazidi heartland of Sinjar last month, as well as Baghdad and the Kurdish regional capital of Arbil, to draw attention to the plight of thousands of abducted Yazidi girls who are still missing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pope Francis is ruling out any lifting of the celibacy requirement for priests but says there's reason to consider ordaining older, married men in remote communities where priests are in short supply. Francis said he believes priestly celibacy is a gift for the Catholic Church and opposes a blanket change to make it optional. But he said "pastoral necessity" might justify alternative options in certain parts of the world. "I think the problem should be opened in this sense: Where there's a pastoral problem because of a lack of priests," he said. "I'm not saying it should be done, because I haven't reflected or prayed enough about it. But theologians must study it." Francis' comments, to reporters on the way home Sunday from Panama, open the way for discussion about celibacy in the run-up to a big meeting of bishops from the Amazon at the Vatican in October. Brazil's bishops have long pushed for the church to consider ordaining so-called viri probati, older married men of proven virtue, to minister in remote parts of the Amazon where the faithful can go weeks or months without Mass and evangelical and Pentecostal churches are making inroads as a result. Francis was asked about the possibility that the Latin Rite church might follow the Eastern rite Catholic Church, where married men can be ordained. He ruled out an across-the-board opening, repeating a famous phrase by Pope Paul VI, who was also under pressure in the sexual revolution of the 1960s to allow married priests. "I'd rather give my life before changing the law on celibacy," Francis said. The celibacy question has been a mainstay in Catholic debate given it is a discipline, not a doctrine, and therefore can change. The church has had the tradition since the 11th century, imposed part to spare the church the financial burdens of providing for large families and to ensure that any assets of the priest would pass to the church, not his heirs. Proponents of a relaxation of the rule say more men would consider a vocation to the priesthood if they could marry, a surefire fix to the decline in priests globally. More recently, the issue has made headlines in the context of the sex abuse scandal. While a key 2011 study commissioned by U.S. bishops found no correlation between celibacy and the sexual abuse of minors, abuse experts including A.W. Richard Sipe argued that priests regularly violate the chastity rule, creating a culture of sexual secrecy that allows for abuse to fester and remain hidden. "Personally I think celibacy is a gift to the church," Francis said Sunday. "There could only be a possibility in these far, far-away places, I think about the islands in the Pacific, but it's something to think about, when there's a pastoral need, there the shepherd has to think about the faithful." In such a case, a married man could celebrate Mass, hear confession and perform the anointing of the sick. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Voting began for the high-stake multi-cornered bypoll to the Jind assembly constituency of on Monday. The polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm. All necessary arrangements have been put in place for smooth and peaceful conduct of polling, officials here said. The constituency is witnessing a multi-cornered contest with prestige at stake for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the opposition Indian Lok Dal (INLD), and the fledgling Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), formed by Lok Sabha MP after the split in the The bypoll was necessitated following the death of legislator Hari Chand Middha last August last year. Nearly 1.70-lakh people, including 80,556 women, are eligible to vote, officials said. Braving cold weather conditions, people could be seen queuing up at various polling booths to cast their vote. There are 71 polling booths in rural areas of this constituency and 103 polling booths fall in urban areas. As part of elaborate security arrangements to ensure smooth and peaceful conduct of polling, nearly 3,000 policemen have been put on duty, a senior police official said. Besides, 500 home guards and over 200 personnel drawn from the CRPF and the Rapid Action Force have also been deployed. Additional police forces have been deployed at sensitive and highly-sensitive booths. Jind assembly segment has been divided into 24 sectors, with six deputy superintendents of police being made in-charge to oversee security arrangements. Counting of votes will take place on January 31. Twenty one candidates, including two women, are in the fray. Prominent among the candidates include senior Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is also the party's sitting MLA from Kaithal, late Hari Chand Middha's son and BJP candidate Krishan Middha and INLD's Umed Singh Redhu. The bypoll will also decide the fate of Digvijay Singh Chautala and Vinod Arshi, respective candidates of two newly-formed political outfits -- JJP and Loktantra Suraksha Party (LSP) of BJP rebel MP Raj Kumar Saini. Arch rivals BJP, Congress, and the JJP are eyeing the results as a self-assessment exercise ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The election is considered as a referendum on the Manohar Lal Khattar government and also a semi-final ahead of the general election. Senior police officials of several north Indian states Monday discussed security arrangements to be made for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, an official said. They have planned to install CCTV cameras at interstate barriers to check criminal activities during the polls, said Himachal Pradesh SP (Law and Order) Khushhal Sharma. The decision was taken at a meeting held here for better coordination among police officials of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttrakhand and UT Chandigarh for conducting the parliamentary elections in a peaceful manner. During the meeting, the issues related to sharing information about proclaimed offenders and interstate criminals, regarding drug smuggling, carrying illicit liquor and unaccounted money during elections were discussed at length, Sharma said. The officials have planned to create WhatsApp groups of SHOs and IGs and a separate app will also be developed for getting information of drug smugglers from the public keeping their identity secret, the SP said. The meeting was chaired by HP DGP Sita Ram Mardi and was attended by Haryana ADGP (Crime) Kuldeep Singh, Punjab special task force (STF) IG RK Jaswal, Jammu and Kashmir IG (Crime) Syed Ahfadul Mujtaba, Delhi Deputy Commissioner Police Bhisham Singh, among others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A PIL was filed in the Delhi High Court on Monday claiming that a nun's complaint of alleged sexual abuse by a Catholic priest was ignored by the Church here and sought a thorough investigation by the CBI or an SIT into all such allegations of sexual abuse involving clergy. The plea is listed for hearing on Tuesday before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao. The petition has sought direction to the Centre and the Delhi government for a thorough probe by a special investigation team or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the supervision of the high court into alleged sexual abuse of children and nuns involving the clergy. Petitioner Sanjjiiv Kkumaar also sought direction to the Delhi Police Commissioner to set up a 'clergy abuse Hotline' so that such sexually abused victims and survivors "may come forward to seek justice by registering their grievance and any person may give leads/tips to the law enforcement agency." He claimed there was an allegation of sexual abuse in a catholic Delhi retreat centre which required to be investigated and the victim nun has written an anonymous letter to church authorities which chose not to act "against the perpetrator". The plea alleged that the inaction of church authorities is against the principle of natural justice and the victims have found it impossible to get their allegations taken seriously by the Catholic churches. The plea referred to the case of Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who is an accused in Kerala nun rape case and presently out on bail, and said he was appointed as auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi in January 2009. It claimed the that there was a "possibility" that the bishop, who allegedly raped the Kerala nun 13 times between 2014 and 16 during his visits to a convent in Kottayam district in Kerala, would have done the same with many children and women during his period at Auxiliary Bishop in Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah offered to resign on Monday, as president Mahmud Abbas seeks to form a new government. The moves by Abbas are seen as part of attempts to further isolate his political rivals Hamas as a decade-long split in Palestinian deepens. Hamdallah has "put his government at the disposal of President Mahmud Abbas", the prime minister's spokesman Yussef al-Mahmud said in a statement. The premier later confirmed the offer during a visit to the southern West Bank city of Hebron, but denied a new government was an attempt to squeeze Hamas. "We hope that all Palestinian factions will participate in this (new) government and I appeal to the Hamas movement to participate," he said. It came after the central committee of Abbas's Fatah movement recommended late Sunday the formation of a new government that would comprise members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). The Islamist movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, is not part of the PLO. Palestinian has essentially been paralysed since 2007, when Hamas seized control of Gaza from Abbas's forces in a near civil war, a year after winning parliamentary elections. Since then Abbas's governments have maintained limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank, while Hamas has led a rival government in Gaza. The division between the Palestinian parties is seen as a key issue preventing progress in solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and improving the situation in the impoverished Gaza Strip. In June 2014 Hamdallah formed what was labelled a national unity government after a landmark reconciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas. The deal has since broken down and his government has no control in Hamas-controlled Gaza. Abbas was elected in 2005 for an initial four-year term but no elections have been held since then due to the Fatah-Hamas split. Abbas has also pledged to hold new parliamentary elections in the coming six months, but how that would be possible in Gaza is unclear. Hamas won the last parliamentary polls, in 2006, against expectations. Israel, the United States and other Western powers, which all consider Hamas a terrorist organisation, rejected the result. Hamas and Israel have fought three wars in Gaza since then. Rumours of a new government have been swirling in recent weeks, and Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri attacked such a plan. "The formation of any government apart from a national consensus one is a continuation of the unilateral actions taken by Fatah," he tweeted Sunday. "Such a government will enjoy no legitimacy." It remains unclear what form any future government could take, but analysts warned that keeping Hamas out of it would deepen political divisions. "The move has been described as furthering national unity but if anything such a move -- if Hamas is excluded -- may achieve the opposite, compounding current internal divisions, and pushing Gaza further away," said Hugh Lovatt, Israel-Palestine analyst at the European Council of Foreign Relations. Jihad Harb, a West Bank-based political analyst, said if a government were formed from only the PLO it would indicate an end to already stalled attempts at reconciliation. "The formation of this political government means the end of the (2014) agreement (between Hamas and Fatah)," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pakistan Army has said that the fencing of a substantial portion of the over 2,600-km-long Afghan border has been completed and the rest will be finished by next year to check the movement of terrorists. Pakistan has spent billions of rupees for putting fence on the porous border. Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said that the fencing of the entire border will be completed next year with the cost of about Rs 70 billion, Radio Pakistan reported. Gafoor said that of the total 2,611 km, fencing of 900 km has been completed. He said besides fencing, the project also includes gadgets and surveillance equipment to keep strict vigilance on illicit movement from across the border. "The fence has amply helped to check the movement of terrorists from across the border and it would further assist after completion of the project," Ghafoor said in an interaction with a group of media during a visit to border tribal district of North Waziristan. Media representatives visited Ghulam Khan, Miranshah and other parts of North Waziristan for the first time after the military operations. He said the fence had helped check the movement of terrorists from across the border and the situation would further improve after the completion of the project. Giving a break-up, Gafoor said that about 1,200km of the total 2,600km border with Afghanistan was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the rest is in Balochistan province. The work on the erection of about 1200 km chunk, the most sensitive portion out of the total 2,600km border with the war-torn country, had commenced last year. The fence has made it difficult for terrorists to cross the border. It will stop cross-border terrorism and uncontrolled movement of the people even if the law and order situation gets worst again in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops, The International reported. In December, President Donald Trump decided to pull a significant number of American troops from Afghanistan. Earlier, briefing the media representatives at Corps Headquarters Peshawar, Commander 11 Corps Lt Gen Shaheen said after the end of war in the area, the troops are now in the process of consolidation. He said ninety five per cent work of resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons has already been accomplished. He said following the operation against militants, there is no "No Go Area" in the tribal region. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Six publishers of Pakistan had evinced interest in participating in the 43rd International Kolkata Book Fair to be inaugurated on Thursday, but they would not be able to do it because of visa issues, organisers said here Monday. A total of 26 countries from across the world will be attending the book fair which will witness participation of authors from Russia, Costa Rica, Spain, Scotland, Australia, Argentina, Bangladesh and this year's theme country Guatemala. "Six Pakistani publishers had shown interest (in taking part in the book fair) after invitations were sent by us. But they will not be be able to attend it due to visa problems," Tridib Chatterjee, General Secretary of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, told PTI. Pakistan had never taken part the Kolkata book fair. The Kolkata book fair, which has witnessed the largest footfall among book fairs of the world, will be inaugurated on January 31 and open for the people between February 1 and 10, Chatterjee said. Though our Western neighbour will not attend the fair, Bangladesh, the neighbour in the East, will be there as usual. A large number of publishers from Bangladesh will be accommodated in the Bangladesh pavilion, he said adding that 'Bangladesh Day' will be celebrated on February 10, the last day of the book fair. As Guatemala is this edition's theme country, one of the gates will be the replica of its landmark 'Arch of Santa Catalina'. Another gate will be the replica of National Museum of Modern Art Carlos Merida of the latin American nation. To spread the message of amity in the present times, there will be a 'Sampriti Gate' at the book fair. Another gate will be the replica of the 'Kala Bhawan', the institute of fine arts at Viva-Bharati university, Santiniketan, which is celebrating its 100 years. To tickle the taste buds of the visitors, a Guatemala Dessert Festival will be held inside the Guatemala pavilion everyday from 4 to 7 pm. Guatemala ambassador Giovanni Castillo and the country's eminent author Prof Euda Morales will attend the inaugural function on January 31 along with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Renault-Nissan Alliance India has signed an agreement with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to train its workforce in the Alliance plant in Chennai for future technologies. "Through this partnership, NSDC will assist the Renault-Nissan workforce develop competency standards in emerging automotive manufacturing technologies," a release said. According to the statement, Renault-Nissan Alliance will customise an engagement and skilling action plan along with NSDC's network for programme design, development and employment sustainability from the demand side. The Alliance will provide support through on-site labs, training, mentorship, internship and/or participation of expert domains. It will also lead and conduct seminars, workshops, and technical task forces, among others, to identify and propagate industry-relevant technology, knowledge and skill to support the National Skill Development Mission. The first year of partnership aims to get 10 per cent of employees trained to be able to support the growth and expansion plans of Renault-Nissan Alliance in India, the release said. "The automotive and auto component manufacturing industry has been growing steadily over the last few years. Hence, we see tremendous potential to skill and up-skill the Indian youth and support the sectoral growth. We look forward to a successful collaboration with the Alliance in India to achieve the envisioned milestones," said Manish Kumar, managing director and chief executive officer, NSDC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Regional parties across the Northeast which are in alliance with the BJP will meet in Guwahati on Tuesday to put forth their objections to the controversial They will be joined by the JD(U), NDA's major ally in Bihar, and the AGP, which recently snapped ties with the BJP in Assam over the proposed legislation that seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslim nationals from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India. Meghalaya Chief Minister and National People's Party (NPP) president Conrad K Sangma is taking the lead role in convening the all-regional-parties meet Tuesday and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is the co-convenor of the meeting, Meghalaya's ruling party NPP leaders said Monday. The MNF from Mizoram, NDPP from Nagaland, IPFT from Tripura, SDF from Sikkim besides NPP leaderships from Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur have confirmed their participation in the meeting, they said. K C Tyagi, general secretary of the Nitish Kumar's headed JD(U), arrived in Guwahati. Party's national vice president Prashant Kishore is expected to reach the city. Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga left Aizawl Monday for Guwahati to attend the meeting of chief ministers and regional parties of the north- to be held Tuesday on the issue of Citizenship Amendment Bill, ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) party sources said. The regional parties across northeast which are meeting on the are members of BJP-led (North Democratic Alliance). Protests against the Bill have rocked the Northeast region, with those opposing it contending that it would harm the rights of the indigenous people. The gathering to put forth their objections to the Citizenship Bill, which is piloted by the BJP, is bound to create more uneasiness for the party as the Northeast together accounts for 25 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP which either on its own or with allies is in power in all the eight northeastern states is eying them in the coming parliamentary polls. "The chief minister (Sangma) has invited all political parties, mostly regional parties in the NE region, to discuss on the amendment of the The meeting will be held at Vivanta Taj in Guwahati," Meghalaya state president of the NPP Wanweiroi R Kharlukhi told PTI. All regional parties in Meghalaya, which are part of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, have confirmed their participation at the event, he said. Regional parties from Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura are also attending the meeting, he added. The NPP, which is the main ally of the BJP in the Northeast and part of the NEDA, had met Union Home Minister last month to oppose the Bill. ALSO READ: MNF will snap ties with NDA if Citizenship Bill is not revoked: Mizoram CM The Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, also led by the NPP, has passed a resolution in the cabinet opposing the Bill. The leaders of the AGP had last week met Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma at his residence at Tura. A report from Aiwazl said that that the meeting, jointly convened by the AGP and the NPP, would deliberate on how to oppose the unitedly. "The cabinet meeting chaired by Zoramthanga had adopted a resolution resolving to oppose the passage of the and the chief minister had informed Prime Minister and Union Home Minister that the state government and the people of Mizoram were opposed to the legislation of the proposed amendment," sources said. Majority of the northeastern states have come up with resolutions against the Even the BJP-led government in Manipur has expressed strong reservation against the Bill. The has supported the AGP and the AASU on the issue and has even announced that it would vote against the Bill in Rajya Sabha. Tyagi told reporters in Guwahati Monday that his party would vote against the Citizenship Bill when it will come up in the Upper House. AGP president Atul Bora said that a convention of northeast political parties has been convened in Guwahati on Tuesday to voice their protest against the Bill together. He said that "the entire Northeast is protesting the Bill and it's unfortunate that the Assam government has ignored sentiments of the indigenous people and is instead attacking and harassing people and organisations opposing the Bill". The front lawns of Diggi Palace turned into a set of a channel debate on Monday where senior leaders of political parties indulged in a typical 'tu-tu main-main' (bickering) in what was the closing debate of the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF). "The debate was more filled with noise than sense," said Prateek Sharma, a college student hailing from Karnataka. The panelists, which included Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, senior Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid, were on the top of their voice as they deliberated on the topic titled, "Do Liberals Stifle Debate?". A vast buffet of 'liberal' definitions was put to display in the discussion where time and again a panelist would pitch in to add or subtract ingredients of their own choice. While Khurshid defined liberal as someone who believes of others "right to be wrong", Puri said those branding themselves as liberals today at the very least are "confused lot" busy hurling "abuses against the state". Soon the discussion reached its crescendo with each panelist claiming their viewpoint more liberal than the other. Also, everyone -- with little help from anyone -- was seen requesting each other to have a constructive debate. "We shouldn't reduce this debate to a tu-tu main-main," said Kapil Sibal, who was just minutes before accused by his fellow panelist Puri of turning it into a "political slug fest". That said, even the noisy closing debate could not shadow the incredible "celebration of written words" marked by the best of minds in the world who participated in the festival for the past five days. The festival, which registered lakhs of footfalls, hosted over 350 writers, thinkers, humanitarians, politicians and more at the annual literary extravaganza. "It is time to say goodbye and we hope you to take back all the good memories of all the wonderful discussions that happened here at the JLF," said Sanjoy Roy, producer of the festival, thanking everyone involved for making it a success yet again. The next edition of the festival will take place from January 23 to 27, 2020. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday said there was no reason for it to doubt the Narendra Modi government's intentions on the Ram temple issue. The organisation, which is spearheading the movement for the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, however, also said that there was no progress on the issue since the government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre. "In the last four-and-a-half years, no headway was made for the construction of the Ram temple, which has led to resentment among people," VHP international president Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje said. "We are also angry about this, but we do not have any reason to doubt the intentions of the Centre on the issue," he told PTI. The former high court judge added that "we cannot say that the Centre is not constructing the temple deliberately or it does not have the intention to do so". He had learnt that the government had received legal advice that if it brought an ordinance or a law to pave the way for the construction of the temple, it could be challenged in the court, Kokje said. "It may further delay the resolution of the Ayodhya dispute," he added. Kokje also said the BJP was the only party which was a "well-wisher" of Hindus and which supported the cause of the Ram temple. Asked if the issue was being raked up in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, he said, "The BJP will not gain anything from going back on its assurance to Hindus on the Ram temple issue. But if the construction begins during its current term, then it will definitely get electoral benefits." Kokje added that some people were creating obstacles in the way of hearings in the Supreme Court in the matter and therefore, the chances of the court's verdict coming before the polls were bleak. The Supreme Court on Sunday cancelled the January 29 hearing in the politically-sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case as a member of the five-judge Constitution bench would not be available. Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A suspected gas explosion in The Hague has caused a home to partially collapse, injuring at least nine people including four who were plucked from the rubble, Dutch emergency services said Sunday. The blast ripped off part of the front of a residential building in the densely populated Laakkwartier suburb. Neighbours said they heard a loud bang around 4.30 pm (1530 GMT). Dozens of emergency vehicles rushed to the scene, and a trauma helicopter hovered above as firefighters searched for victims. "Nine people were injured including three people who were rescued from the rubble," The Hague fire department said in a tweet early on Sunday evening. A few hours later, shortly after midnight (2300 GMT), the fire department added: "A fourth person has just been rescued alive from the rubble. He has been taken to an ambulance." There were "no indications that anybody else is trapped," the department added. Resident Wiekash Ramgolam, 39, told AFP the last trapped person was a nephew who was in his late twenties. The Netherlands, with its 17 million inhabitants, is one of the most densely-populated countries in the world. The urban Amsterdam-The-Hague-Rotterdam metropolitan area, called the "Randstad", is particularly crowded. Dutch homes are often terraced townhouses, attached side-by-side, which means that damage from gas explosions or fire often affects several other neighbouring homes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Nicholas Hoult says he considers ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lawrence a part of his "X-Men" "family". Hoult, 29, and Lawrence, 28, started dating after meeting on the sets of "X-Men: First Class". The couple split after four years in 2014. During a recent interview with Evening Standard, Hoult carefully addressed the on-set situation with him and Lawrence as he insisted that there is no awkwardness between them. "It's pretty similar to 'Skins', we're a big family, we've been doing those movies since we were 20 years old. As much as the 'Skins' crowd grew up together, the 'X-Men' crowd really grew up together," he said. "It's been a good eight, nine years making those movies. We've all got to get along, we've all got to have fun. The really beautiful thing about this last film is that (writer and director) Kim Berger has given me somewhere nice and new to experiment and go with the character. Which is cool," he added. Hoult is currently dating model Bryana Holly. The couple has a son who was born in April, 2018. Lawrence is rumoured to be dating gallery director Cooke Maroney. The two stars will once again feature together in the latest instalment of the franchise -- "Dark Phoenix". The film is set to release on June 9 this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eight people were killed in "extra-judicial executions" by Venezuelan special forces following last week's protests against President Nicolas Maduro, a non-governmental organization said on Monday. Rafael Uzcategui, director of the Venezuelan Program for Education-Action in Human Rights, also said that another 35 people have been killed since the protests began last Monday. Speaking at a press conference, Uzcategui said the extra-judicial executions happened in operations conducted by the police special forces unit, FAES, in socially deprived areas. "We have the corroborated figure, with first name, surname, place and presumed guilty parties, of 35 people murdered in the context of the protests" since Monday last week, said Uzcategui. Protests broke out last week after a group of soldiers rose up against Maduro on Monday to support parliament president Juan Guaido's call to disavow the socialist leader. Guaido proclaimed himself acting president on Wednesday during a mass street rally that brought out tens of thousands of people to protest against Maduro, whom they blame for Venezuela's economic meltdown that has left millions in poverty and forced millions of others out of the country. Alfredo Romero, the director of another NGO, Foro Penal, said 850 people, among them 77 minors, have been arrested. Romero said authorities had broken in to "the homes of poor people without any judicial order" to make arrests. Following the arrests, Foro Penal said the number of political prisoners in the country has risen to 976. Opposition parties branded as fraudulent last May's election which saw Maduro win another term, citing the number of opposition leaders that were jailed, exiled or barred from standing. Guaido, whose claims to authority have been recognized by the United States and a dozen Latin American countries, has called two more protests this week in a bid to force Maduro, who is backed by the military, from power. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Housing demand and prices may rise in Noida as well as Greater Noida with the launch of a new metro rail service, linking the twin-cities in western Uttar Pradesh, according to real estate developers and consultants. The new metro rail service, called Aqua line, runs through 21 stations -- 15 of them in Noida and six in Greater Noida -- and covers a distance of 29.7 km. "The upgrading of infrastructure due to metro connectivity is expected to help in spurring the demand for residential units in the region. Also, it is expected to have positive fallout on the commercial and retail segment as well, says Abhinav Joshi, Head of Research for CBRE India. In the past also, Joshi said, metro lines have played a crucial role in uplifting the real estate profile of areas that it connects. Realtors' body CREDAI said that sectors along the Noida expressway will have better connectivity now. "Commutation will become easier from places like Noida Extension too. The market works on sentiment, and the sentiment is positive in the real estate sector," said Prashant Tiwari, President of CREDAI western UP. With improved infrastructure, he expects demand and rates for properties in Noida and Greater Noida region to get a big boost. The new metro line has provided a great relief to home-buyers of this area, said Deepak Kapoor, Director, Gulshan Homz. Dhiraj Jain, Director, Mahagun Group, said the benefit of metro will be shared by both the residents as well as the real estate sector. "The inauguration of the Aqua Line Metro will also hike the rates of the units by 20 per cent in the area along with its boost in the sales," Jain said. Sagar Saxena, Project Head for Spectrum Metro, said several commercial and housing projects are being developed in sectors along the route of the Aqua Line. "This is a big day for the realty sector of Noida and Greater Noida," he said. Around 2006, several projects were launched in 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 51 and 50 sectors, when the average rates at that time were approximately Rs 2,000 per square foot, said Haris Murshid of the Skydeck Infrastructure, a commercial property consultant. "Today, the rates in these sectors is approximately around Rs 4,500 per square foot," Murshid said, adding that there would be no immediate impact on prices. "Maybe in future, after 1.5 years or 2 years, the impact could be seen. As of now, only rental prices may go up by five or six per cent, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nepal's former crown prince Paras Shah suffered a heart attack on Monday evening following which he was rushed to a local hospital here. Shah, 47, was admitted to Norvic Hospital in Thapathali, Kathmandu. A team of cardiologists led by Dr Yadav Bhatta has been looking after him, according to hospital sources. The doctors have successfully installed angioplasty to the former crown prince and his condition is stable, they said. Shah survived a massive cardiac arrest in Bangkok five years ago. This is the third time Shah suffered a heart attack. Earlier in 2015, an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD), a special device powered by battery that helps treat irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias, was successfully planted in his heart. In September 2007, he had undergone an angioplasty operation after suffering a mild stroke. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday that US Donald Trump's regular complaints about the alliance had not undermined it -- adding that his criticism on defence spending was having a positive impact. Trump has frequently blasted members of the 29-nation western security partnership for not paying more into their national defense budgets. Before taking office, he called "obsolete" and recent media reports said he spoke to senior officials last year about pulling out. " Trump has been very clear, he is committed to He stated that clearly just a few days ago and also at the NATO summit in July," Stoltenberg said on 'Fox News Sunday'. "But at the same time, he has clearly stated that NATO allies need to invest more. And therefore at the summit in July last year, we agreed to do more to step up -- and now we see the results." NATO members agreed in 2014 to spend two percent of their on defence by 2024 but around half are not on course to make that target. Stoltenberg said, however, that by the end of 2020, NATO allies would have added $100 billion extra toward defense spending. "So we see some real money and some real results. And we see that the clear message from Trump is having an impact," he added. "NATO allies have heard the president loud and clear and now NATO allies are stepping up. So this is good news meaning that we actually see more fair burden sharing." Earlier this month Trump repeated his view that close allies had been taking advantage of the US security umbrella for decades and that it was his mission to stop that. "We cannot be the fools for others. We cannot be. We don't want to be called that. And I will tell you for many years behind your backs, that is what they were saying," he said during an address to the The president acknowledged Stoltenberg's positive feedback soon after the interview aired, tweeting that sharing defense costs had made NATO "more united". "Dems & Fake News like to portray the opposite!" he added. Stoltenberg was in for meetings with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan and national security advisor Hours after Ratlam police claimed that Himmat Patidar, who is associated with the RSS, faked his 'murder' for life insurance sum and instead allegedly killed his farm help, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh Monday took potshots at the BJP which had held protests against recent killings of saffron leaders in the state. Earlier in the day, police said Patidar had allegedly killed his farm labourer Madan Malviya (32) last week to pass it off as his own 'murder'. Patidar is alive and is on the run, a senior police officer has said. Taking a swipe at the opposition BJP, Home Minister Bala Bachchan said, "Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan should visit the house of the Dalit man who has been allegedly killed by Patidar, one of their (BJP's) own men, and console his family members. Why he (Chouhan) has not tweeted yet?" Bachchan was apparently referring to the tweet posted by Chouhan in the wake of the alleged killing of BJP leader Manoj Thakre (48) in Barwani district on January 20 by unidentified persons. In that tweet, Chouhan had said that it was a matter of grave concern that BJP leaders are being killed in Madhya Pradesh, and accused the Congress of taking the incidents lightly. Chouhan had stressed that Thakre, a BJP mandal president, was killed in the home district of Bachchan. Bachchan said state police are close to crack the Thakre murder case. "The BJP had run a slander campaign against the state government over the killing of a businessman in Indore, and murder of their leader in Mandsaur thereafter," he said. Bachchan said both the crimes were cracked within a short span of time. "The killers have direct or indirect connection with the BJP," the home minister said, adding that the "real face" of the BJP now stands exposed under the Congress rule. "The BJP had burnt the effigies of Chief Minister Kamal Nath and mine claiming lawlessness. Now they should burn the effigies of Patidar and the Dalit man's (Malviya's) killers, who are the BJP's own men, across the state," he said. Bachchan alleged the BJP was trying to malign the image of the newly-formed Congress government, and is trying to create a general atmosphere of mistrust against it. "We inherited a messy law and order from the BJP which had ruled the state for 15 years. We are setting it right," the home minister said. When asked if the government would initiate action against Chouhan and others for "sullying the image" of the government, Bachchan said, "we will take action against wrongdoers". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a sensational twist to the 'murder' of Himmat Patidar, who is believed to be an RSS worker from Ratlam district, Madhya Pradesh police Monday said the 36-year-old had faked his own killing, apparently to claim the insurance money totalling Rs 20 lakh to repay the debt. In order to mislead the police, Patidar allegedly killed his farm labourer Madan Malviya (32) to pass it off as his own 'murder', and burnt his face to conceal the identity. Patidar is alive and is on the run, a senior police officer said. Police have established the identity of the deceased Malviya through DNA test, Ratlam Superintendent of Police Gaurav Tiwari told reporters in a press conference. The body, initially claimed to be that of Patidar, with the throat slit, was found in his field at Kamed village in Ratlam district on January 23. Within five days of recovery of the body, police have cracked the case and nailed the suspected role of Patidar. The SP clarified that though Patidar used to attend RSS 'shakhas', he was not holding any post in the BJP's parent organisation. Patidar's brother Sanjay Patidar is said to be associated with the RSS. He is the district RSS music band chief. It was earlier reported that Patidar was a former Karyawah (secretary) of Shivpur mandal. The killing had created a sensation in the Congress-ruled state. "During the probe, police found out that Madan Malviya, who used to work on Patidar's farm, had been missing. We also noticed that the physical build of the corpse resembled with Malviya," the SP said. He said police initially believed that Malviya had 'killed' Patidar, but got suspicious after they found a diary near the dead body containing details like Patidar's insurance policy number, his fixed deposits, bank pin number etc. Police also found a mobile phone handset with the body, but found out that all call-related data was deleted. "This prompted us to order DNA test of the victim," the SP said, adding that the test report revealed that the victim was not Patidar but Malviya," the SP said. Throwing light on the course of investigation that led the police to nail Patidar's role, Tiwari said as the DNA of the deceased didn't match with Patidar's father, police compared it with relatives of deceased Malviya which established his identity. Suggesting that Patidar's planning was meticulous but for a flaw, the SP said the accused dressed the victim with his own clothes after killing him but didn't change his under-pant, an oversight that revealed the true identity of the deceased. "The accused failed to change the deceased's underwear with his own which ultimately led to the identification of Malviya by his wife," the senior police officer said. He said Patidar allegedly burnt down the face of the victim to conceal his identity, to misled the police. "After committing the crime, Patidar planted his own belongings near the body to make it appear that it was his body," the SP said. When asked about the probable motive behind the crime, the SP said Patidar could have hatched the conspiracy to fake his own killing to claim the insurance sum totalling Rs 20 lakh to repay his loan. "Patidar had got himself insured through the State Bank of India for Rs 20 lakh sometime back, and made his wife his nominee. He had taken some loan. He was also into money lending," the SP said, adding that he might have plotted the crime to claim the insurance money to repay his debt. Police have announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for any information on whereabouts of Patidar, the SP added. Police are also probing whether Patidar's kin were involved in the crime, as it was his father who had informed them about his missing son. The SP said Patidar's father had identified the body, whose face was burnt, as it was clad in the cloths wore by his son, and with the help of other belongings. Further investigation is underway, the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Credit rating agency Moody's on Monday said it has affirmed the ratings of corporate family and bonds issued by realty major but changed the outlook to stable from positive on weak operating sales during the first half of this financial year. Lodha Developers, however, said the company's two transactions -- divestment of London assets and fundraise of about Rs 500 crore in Palava township -- have not been considered while assigning the ratings. "Moody's Investors Service has affirmed the B2 corporate family rating of Ltd (LDL). Moody's has also affirmed the B2 rating of the US dollar-denominated bonds issued by International Limited and guaranteed by LDL. Moody's has changed the outlook on the ratings to stable from positive," the agency said in a statement. The change in outlook reflects the company's weaker-than-expected operating sales during the six months to September 2018 and high debt maturities in fiscal years ending March 2020 and March 2021, said Saranga Ranasinghe, assistant vice-president and analyst, Moody's. Commenting on the ratings, Lodha Developers Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Abhishek Lodha said: "While we are pleased that our rating has been reiterated, we were expecting an upgrade in the rating, which we hope will happen in the next review." Lodha said the company would achieve Rs 9,500 crore of collections and it is also on track for net sales of about Rs 8,000 crore. "Over the next few weeks, we will be making announcements in relation to a Rs 500 crore equity investment from a reputed PE firm in our marquee Palava project as well as the funding from the sale of our stake in our UK business these have not been taken into account by the rating agency since we have not yet formally announced them," Lodha said, adding that the company has ample liquidity and it recently announced buyback of $bonds up to $65 million. However, according to Moody's, Lodha Developers' total operating sales in the financial year ending March 2019 may be around 25 per cent lower than in previous fiscal and around 38 per cent lower than its previous expectations for 2018-19. During April-September 2018, the company achieved Rs 3,460 crore in operating sales from its India operations and Rs 420 crore in operating sales from its London operations. On an annualised basis, these numbers are respectively 27 per cent and 70 per cent below Moody's previous expectations for the two locations. Moody's expects LDL's leverage to remain weaker than required for a higher rating. "Although LDL's operating sales were lower than expected, Moody's expects cash collections to be in line with expectations and around 20 per cent higher than in fiscal 2018, supported by the sales mix," the statement said. Lodha also has ready-to-move-in units, which are typically preferred by customers and also guarantee faster cash collections. "LDL's credit profile is further constrained by its weak liquidity position. LDL has large debt maturities over the next 12-18 months, which are significantly higher than the company's cash balance and expected cash flow from operations," the agency said. The realty firm has debt maturities of around Rs 1,300 crore in India over the next 12 months. Militants Monday shot at and critically injured a civilian in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. Tariq Ahmad Wani was shot at by ultras in Tral area of Pulwama from close range, a police official said. He said Wani was rushed to a nearby local hospital where doctors referred him to a bigger hospital in Srinagar for treatment. Wani was reportedly working as an ATM security guard. A case of attempt to murder and various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has been registered, said the official, adding the probe has been started into the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court was informed Monday that the body of a person, among the 15 miners trapped for over a month inside a flooded illegal coal mine in Meghalaya, has been retrieved while another body has been spotted by the Indian Navy. A bench of Justices A K Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer was told by the lawyer appearing for the petitioner who has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking urgent steps for rescuing the miners trapped in the rat-hole mine since December 13 last year, that its de-watering was necessary to retrieve the bodies. The Centre told the apex court that a body was recovered on January 24 during the rescue operation and on January 26, the Navy personnel spotted the second body at about 280 feet. "Search for balance survivors/mortal remains is in progress," the Centre said in its report detailing the status of action taken by the authorities. Senior advocate Anand Grover, appearing for petitioner Aditya N Prasad, said that 14 to 15 high-powered water pumps were required to de-water the mines. "Without de-watering the mines, they (authorities) cannot have access to the bodies," he said, adding that equipments of the Indian Army were needed in the rescue operation. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that Army personnel were already involved in rescue operation along with officials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Navy and other agencies. He said the suggestions given by Grover on the ongoing rescue operation would be duly considered by the authorities. The bench has posted the matter for further hearing on February 4. The illegal mine is located at Ksan in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district, about 3.7 km deep inside a forest and can be accessed after crossing three streams. It was flooded when water from the nearby Letein river gushed into it. Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually three-four feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed "rat holes" as each just about fits one person. In its status report filed in the top court, the Centre said that crores of litres of water has been pumped out from the mine and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) of the Indian Navy were already working in the rescue operation. "Underground ROVs being operated in adjacent mines, systematically searching and sanitising them one by one. So far, two adjacent mines have been searched and declared clear," the report said. It said Indian Air Force aircraft were also deployed for rescue operation. The status report said that Meghalaya government is undertaking search and rescue operations and the Centre is supplementing the efforts by providing all necessary logistic support. Last week, the state government had told the top court that on January 16, the ROV of Indian Navy had detected a body at a depth of 210 feet in the flooded mine and efforts were being made to retrieve it but could not be completed as the body parts started disintegrating. On January 11, the Centre had told the court that it has to "believe in miracles" for the 15 miners to come out alive. The apex court had earlier expressed dissatisfaction over the steps taken by Meghalaya government to rescue these miners and had said "prompt, immediate and effective" operation was needed to rescue them as it was a matter of life and death. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A local MDMK functionary has been arrested for alleged derogatory social media post against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, police said Monday. Sathiyaraj alias Balu, an office-bearer of MDMK's Sirkazhi town unit in the district, was arrested Sunday night on complaints from local BJP and Hindu Makkal Katchi leaders about the Facebook post made ahead of Modi's visit to Tamil Nadu. According to police, Sathiyaraj allegedly created a carricature of Modi and depicted him as carrying "a begging bowl". On Monday, he was produced before Sirkazhi Judicial Magistrate G Yuvaraj who remanded him to judicial custody, police said. The MDMK worker had made the post on January 26 in connection with the 'GoBackModi' campaign in the social media opposing the visit of the Prime Minister to Madurai for laying the foundation stone of AIIMS. Local BJP unit president N Selvam and Hindu Makkal Katchi state president J Swaminathan Sunday lodged a complaint with the Sirkazhi police seeking action against Sathiyaraj. Inspector Singaravel registered a case and arrested Sathiyaraj following investigations, police said. Modi Sunday laid the foundation stone for the Rs 1,264 crore All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Thoppur near Madurai. The MDMK had staged a blackflag protest against Modi shortly before he arrived in Mdurai, accusing him of betraying the interests of the state. Over 100 MDMK workers led by its chief Vaiko were detained over the protest and later let off. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police has invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against two alleged members of the Ravi Pujari gang. William Rodricks and Akash Shetty were arrested by the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) earlier this month for threatening a builder. MCOCA is usually invoked when the crime has a financial angle. Under the act, police get more time for custodial questioning than in the case of ordinary offences under the Indian Penal Code. Rodricks was arrested from suburban Goregaon on January 15 after he allegedly demanded Rs 2 crore from the builder and also threatened his relatives. Rodricks has at least three criminal cases registered against him at Goregaon police station earlier (as required under the MCOCA), a senior police official said Monday. During the interrogation he allegedly revealed that he had provided contact details of a developer to Pujari. Pujari, believed to be hiding in a foreign country, then started demanding 'protection money' from the developer. Rodricks's questioning led the police to Akash Shetty, another alleged member of the Pujari gang, who was arrested from Mangalore in Karnataka by an AEC team last week. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Security has been beefed up in naxal affected areas in the state's Bhadradri Kothagudem district bordering Chhattisgarh, in the wake of a bandh call by CPI (Maoist) on January 31 against the Centre's "Operation Samadhan", police said Monday. Combing operations in view of the ongoing Gram Panchayat (GP) elections in the state, the police added. CPI (Maoist) gave a "Bharat Bandh" call on January 31 against the centre's "Operation Samadhan"--anti-Left Wing Extremism (LWE) strategy and its strategies. In view of this security measures have been taken to avoid any untoward incidents, police said adding combing operations are conducted on a regular basis and with the panchayat elections taking place in the state additional measures have been taken. Posters and pamphlets reportedly put up by the Maoists surfaced at some places in the district calling their affiliated organisations and sympathisers to take out rallies against 'Samadhan' initiative and to observe a week-long campaign from January 25 and bandh on January 31. Asked about the bandh call and maoist posters and pamphlets, Bhadradri-Kothagudem District Superintendent of Police Sunil Dutt said the maoists were using villagers in (maoist) affected areas after threatening them, they are sending the villagers to normal areas and asking them to drop pamphlets. "They (Maoists) will also try to do some kind of offence and after knowing this and in view of GP elections we have taken all preventive steps. In our border areas (with Chhattisgarh) alert has been sounded," the senior police official told PTI over phone. "Our forces are there and we are providing protection and ensuring that they (rebels) should not come and disturb the ongoing works and also poll process," he added. He said police had got information that some villagers from Chhattisgarh were sent in border areas to throw posters. "Similarly, some militia members and sympathisers in our area also did it and they have been identified and action will be taken against them," the SP added. The first phase of gram panchayat elections in border areas of Kothagudemwith Chhattisgarh were incident-free and all precautions have been taken for next phase of polls also, he said. "We have been able to neutralise their efforts to come and do offences in our areas. Lot of works (irrigation projects and road works) are going on and our parties are providing security," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Police's Special Cell has arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly supplying ammunition to the CPI (Maoist) in Bihar's Ara, officials said Monday. Raj Bahadur alias Raj Kishore, a resident of Kasap village in Ara town of Bihar's Bhojpur district, was carrying a reward of Rs 1 Lakh on his head, police said Monday. The arrest was made on January 23 after police got a tip-off that Bahadur will visit one of his acquaintance in the Shiv Ganj Colony area of the Ara city, police said. A trap was laid and Bahadur was apprehended from the spot and 35 cartridges were recovered from his possession, P S Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), said. Bahadur's associates, who were arrested last year in connection with the case, disclosed to police that he was the main source of supplying of illegal cartridges, he said. Investigations revealed that Bahadur was arrested earlier for supplying illegal cartridges to the Maoists in Odisha, Kushwah said. He has been supplying cartridges illegally since 2008. He used to procure cartridges from a Patna-based man, named Santosh, the DCP said. The procured cartridges were then supplied to Ajeet Ray through Ram Krishna Singh and Sanjay Singh, he said. Bahadur came in contact with Ray in Mumbai when he used to supply labour to a construction company. He, along with Ram Krishna Singh, was arrested in Odisha in 2008, while he was carrying cartridges for supplying them to Maoists, Kushwah added. Bahadur is also involved in various other cases, including robbery and attempt to murder, the DCP said. His associates Ram Krishna Singh, Ray and Sanjay Singh were arrested last year in connection with the case, the DCP said. Ram Krishna Singh used to procure cartridges from Ara, which were supplied to a Garhchiroli-based Maoist cadre. Ray is also involved in several cases of crime in states of Maharashtra, Odisha and Chhatishgarh since 1990, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man was Monday arrested allegedly with cannabis worth Rs 9 lakh in Maharashtra's Thane district, an Anti Narcotic Cell official said. Acting on a tip-off, an ANC team of Thane police laid a trap at Shil Phata area here and apprehended the man when he arrived near a hotel on a scooter, said ANC senior inspector Kishore Khairnar. He identified the accused as Amol Hirve, a resident of Turbhe in Navi Mumbai, and said 28.5 kilogrammes of the drug was seized from him. A case has been registered under the the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at Shil Daighar police station, Khairnar said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra Congress is expected to finalise its candidates for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections during the two-day parliamentary board meeting of its state unit beginning here Tuesday. The parliamentary board is expected to finalise a list of candidates from Marathwada, north Maharashtra, western Maharashtra Tuesday, party sources said. The process for Vidarbha and Mumbai will be taken up on January 30, they added. As per the party procedure, the board will discuss names submitted by the district committees, and then forward the names finalised to the All-India Congress Committee. They said seat-sharing talks between the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party as well as other parties is "almost finalised" and should conclude "soon", they said. As part of its poll campaign, Congress leaders will hold at least 50 meetings in February and would also reach districts of the state which could not be covered by its 'jan sangharsh yatra', they said. While the Congress, NCP and Raju Shetti's Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana have agreed to an alliance, parties like Prakash Ambedkar's Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) and the Samajwadi Party are not yet on board. Out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress and NCP had not yet reached an agreement on Ahmednagar, Nandurbar, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad and Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg. Of these, the NCP traditionally used to fight Raver and Ahmednagar seats. The NCP gave up its claim on Pune and Yavatmal-Washim after talks between Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and NCP's Sharad Pawar. Sources said the Congress is likely to fight 26 Lok Sabha seats and the NCP 22. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of sugarcane cultivators Monday carried out a protest march to the Maharashtra Sugar Commissionerate in Pune demanding fair and remunerative price and clearance of dues by sugar mills. The protest, led Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader and Lok Sabha MP Raju Shetti, started from Alka Chowk. A delegation led by Shetti submitted a memorandum to the state Sugar Commissioner seeking action against those mills that had not yet given cane cultivators their dues. "There are total 191 sugar factories in the state and barring 11 of them, 180 have not paid FRP to farmers. These dues come to around Rs 5,300 crore," Shetti told reporters. "The Chief Minister (Devendra Fadanvis) had said cane farmers should get FRP plus Rs 200 and that the government will do everything to clear the dues. However, till date, no dues have been cleared by the sugar mills," he added. He said these dues were pending even after 90 days had passed since cane-cutting, despite the Sugarcane Act laying down that farmers should be paid within 14 days of the cane-cutting. He added that failure on the part of sugar mills can lead to prosecution under the Revenue Recovery Act. "We demand the government seize sugar from these mills and auction it in order to clear the dues of cultivators," Shetti said. He said the agitation would continue till the Sugar Commissioner issues a written order to this effect. Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav also took part in the protest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister Aidarbekov Chingiz Azamatovich on Monday said talks are going on with India over the possibility of creating a joint financial mechanism that will open up new prospects of business between the two countries. Addressing the India-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum here, Azamatovich observed that this year the Kyrgyz Republic is also chairing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Referring to an important SCO event to be held in Kyrgyzstan, he said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj have confirmed their participation. The SCO Summit is slated to be held in June 2019 in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. "Tomorrow, I will have talks with Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj during which issues of economic cooperation will be discussed," Azamatovich said. "It is necessary to provide favourable conditions and facilitate business including various coordination mechanisms with removal of existing barriers between our countries," the Kyrgyz foreign minister said. He said the Kyrgyz Republic is looking for investments with its significant energy potential. "In this regard, we invite you to long-term and mutually beneficial in water and energy sector," Azamatovich said. He also invited the Indian businesses to play an active part in mutually beneficial conditions in introducing high technologies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With an eye on Lok Sabha polls, the CPI(M)-led Left Front is hoping to regain its lost ground in Bengal with a mega rally here next week. The rally is scheduled to be held at Brigade Parade Ground, the same venue where the ruling Trinamool Congress organized its mega opposition meet on January 19. As many as 24 political parties, including the Congress and major regional parties such as the SP, BSP and DMK, came together at the rally, vowing to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. The Left Front skipped the TMC rally, stating that the ruling party in the state was no better as it destroyed "democracy and institutions". "We will give the call to oust TMC in Bengal and the BJP at the Centre. The people of this country are fed up with the Modi government, they want a change," CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra said. The CPI(M)-led front is pulling all stops to ensure that the February 3 rally turns out to be a massive success. From flags, posters, slogans and roadside meetings to social media messages on Twitter and Facebook, the party is making all efforts to reach out to the masses. Once a formidable force in West Bengal, the Left Front lost to the TMC in 2011, ending a 34-year regime in the state. The BJP, too, outsmarted the CPI(M) and the Congress to become the main opposition in Bengal. The role of Left parties in national largely depends on the number of seats it will win from Bengal. In 2004, when CPI(M)-led Left front played a pivotal role in forming the UPA-I government by winning 35 Lok Sabha seats from the state. Nationally, the front had won 62 seats. In 2014, the CPI(M) had won just two seats in Bengal, while Left Front secured 11 seats. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) RJD chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav were on Monday granted bail by a Delhi court in a money laundering case related to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam. The accused were not arrested by the agency during its investigation and were also granted bail in a separate case filed by the CBI in relation to the scam. Though Prasad has been granted bail in the both the cases lodged by the CBI and the ED in connection with the IRCTC scam, he will remain in jail as he is serving punishment after he was convicted by the Jharkhand court in connection with the fodder scam cases. The 70-year-old is in a Jharkhand jail. Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj granted relief to each of the accused persons in the IRCTC case on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and one surety of the like amount. The case relates to alleged money laundering in granting the operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm. The court also put various conditions on the accused persons, including that they will not leave the country without prior permission and not tamper with the evidence, after ED's special public prosecutor Atul Tripathi submitted that the accused persons may flee from justice. According to the charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), between 2004 and 2014, a conspiracy was hatched in pursuance of which BNR hotels of the Indian Railways, located in Puri and Ranchi, were first transferred to IRCTC and later, for its operations, maintenance and upkeep, given on lease to Sujata Hotels Private Limited, which is based in Patna, Bihar. It is alleged that the tender process was rigged and manipulated and the conditions were tweaked to help the private party - Sujata Hotels. Based on the CBI case, the ED also lodged a case of money laundering against Prasad, Devi, Yadav and others. Others who were granted bail today include then group general managers of IRCTC V K Asthana and R K Goyal and Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar, both directors of Sujata Hotels and owners of Chanakya Hotel. Delight Marketing Company, now known as Lara Projects, and Sujata Hotels Private Limited have also been named as accused firms in the charge sheet. The CBI registered a case in July 2017, and carried out searches at 12 locations in Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar and Gurgaon in connection with the case. The charges in the case included criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption. It also claimed that on February 25, 2005, Vinay Kochhar sold commercial property in the form of three acres of land in Patna through 10 sale deeds for Rs 1.47 crore to Delight Marketing, in which Sarla Gupta was a director as a front benami holder on behalf of Prasad. Between 2010 and 2014, this land was further transferred, CBI alleged. In 2001, it was decided to handover the management of catering services of the Indian Railways, including of its hotels, to the IRCTC. Two such hotels BNR Hotels in Ranchi and Puri were also identified and a memorandum of understanding was signed between the railways and the IRCTC on March 19, 2004. According to an FIR flied by CBI, Prasad, the then railway minister, entered into criminal conspiracy with the owner of Sujata Hotels, Sarla Gupta, wife of his close associate Prem Chand Gupta, a Rashtriya Janata Dal MP in Rajya Sabha, and IRCTC officials for "undue pecuniary advantage to himself and others". The probe agency also alleged that BNR hotels were transferred to Sujata Hotels through a "rigged and manipulated" tender process managed by P K Goyal, the then managing director of IRCTC. The CBI inquiry shows that the railways sought bids for developing, operating and maintaining Rail Ratna Hotels on September 16, 2006. The probe agency has alleged that Prasad was aware about the whole process and was keeping a track of the tender proceedings. It surfaced that while over 15 bid documents were received for both the hotels, IRCTC had no records of bidders other than Sujata Hotels. It was also alleged that with an intention to render undue pecuniary gains to Sujata Hotels, the bid of another hotel was deliberately and unreasonably given low marks under technical evaluation. Prasad became Bihar's chief minister in 1990, but had to resign in 1997 following corruption charges in the multi-crore rupees fodder scam. From 1997 to 2005 his wife Rabri ruled as the chief minister of the state and was replaced by JD(U) president Nitish Kumar. Prasad also served as railway minister from 2004 to 2009. The RJD again came back to power after forging an alliance with its bitter rival Janata Dal (United), led by Kumar in 2015, and Tejashwi Yadav became the deputy chief minister. However, Kumar parted ways from the RJD in July last year. The RJD chief has been serving sentence in Ranchi jail since December 2017 following his conviction in fodder scam cases. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- 100th Incarnation day of 2nd Master of Dera Sacha Sauda, Shah Satnam Ji, was organised at Shah Satnam Ji Dham, Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa on Friday, 25th January. Followers from both, near and far-flung areas from Haryana visited the Ashram to celebrate the birthday of the 2nd Master. This day, is in fact the most awaited event of the year for the followers. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/814104/Dera_Sacha_Sauda.jpg ) A Naamcharcha was organised in the campus to mark this occasion where recordings of Satsangs by Dera chief were played. A new welfare work was added to the list of 133 welfare activities, taking the count to 134. As part of this welfare activity, followers pledged 'will not resort to activities that add to pollution and will take every effort to curb pollution.' followers also distributed stationery, ration, blankets, warm clothes to the needy. Distribution of these essential items was also undertaken by Dera followers across the globe. Dera has been trying its best to move on the path of humanity and raise awareness regarding the same in the masses, since its inception in 1948, as per Senior Vice-Chairperson of the Dera, Shobha Insan, Dera followers across the globe are involved in the welfare of the Society, and are doing a remarkable job as per the teachings of Saint Dr. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan. Lakhs of volunteers celebrated 100th Incarnation Day of 2nd Master Shah Satnam Ji Maharaj at various locations Including Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and UP. It is worth noting, that in addition to India, Dera followers in Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, U.K. and various other parts, participated in the Naamcharcha program, through live telecast on Facebook Live. Although the day was celebrated around the globe, few locations including Salabatpura, Mansa, Patiala, Malout, Rajpura, Nabha, Khaga, Fazilka, Budharwali and Ferozpur in Punjab. Whereas, in places like Kota, Jaipur, Hanumangarh, Bikaner, Ghadsana, Anupgarh and Tara Nagar in Rajasthan and Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh had a large number of devotees at each location, showcasing devotion of the followers who visited the Ashrams, at such short notice. Blankets and Ration were also distributed to hundreds of needy across these locations. Shah Satnam Ji was born on 25th January 1919 in Jalalana Sahib, in distt. Sirsa, Haryana to Mother Aas Kaur, and Father Sardar Variyam Singh. Shah Satnam Ji graced the throne of Dera Sacha Sauda from 1960 -1990 and imparted the method of meditation to lacs, emancipating them from the cycle of birth and death. An OPD was also organised by Shah Satnam Ji Specialty Hospital commemorating the occasion, in which thousands of patients were provided free consultation. About Dera Sacha Sauda: Dera Sacha Sauda is a Social Welfare and Spiritual Organization that preaches and practices humanitarianism and selfless services to others. The main centre of the ashram is located in Sirsa (northern India). More than 60 million people around the world are faithful followers of the organization. Spiritual seekers learn to meditate and follow the principles laid down by Revered Guruji. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister Monday slammed a woman IPS officer who searched the office of the ruling CPIM) here, saying some vested interests had a tendency to "tarnish" the image of those in politics. His criticism comes amid a raging row over the LDF government ordering a departmental probe against the young officer Chaitra Teresa John after she came to the CPI(M)'s district office here on January 24 midnight in search of some accused in a case. A police team, led by Chaitra, had come tracing some leaders of DYFI, the youth wing of CPI(M), who were reportedly involved in the alleged stone pelting of a police station in the city,following which a probe had been ordered against her, based on the complaint of the party district leaders. While replying to a submission on the issue in the state assembly, Vijayan said such raids were not usually carried out at the party offices in the state. It was necessary in a democratic society to create a conducive environment for the smooth functioning of party offices and the safeguarding of such institutions was generally viewed as the duty of the police, he said. "Some vested interests have an inclination to tarnish the image of those in politics and there have been occasions when some people have fallen for such tendencies. A democratic society can go forward only after rectifying such outlooks," he said,adding that the government was viewing the search at the CPI(M) party office with the same approach. A complaint had been received from the party district secretary in this connection and it was the responsibility of a government to consider it with seriousness in a democratic society, he said. "So the DGP has been directed to carry out a probe into the complaint. The government's policy is to ensure a smooth environment where all political parties can function freely. The government will take appropriate action if anyone adopts a stand different from it," the Chief Minister added. Presenting the issue as a submission in the House, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said the search was legal and any action against the officer would send a wrong message and amounted to demoralising the police force. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday laid foundation stone for construction of 11,000 new classrooms in over 200 government schools in Delhi. This is the second phase of infrastructure expansion by the Delhi government after construction of 8,000 new classrooms between 2015 and 2018. "Building infrastructure isn't rocket science, but the way how confidence has been instilled in the teachers of Delhi government schools, through exposures at the most reputed institutes of the world like Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard," Kejriwal said. "It's unbelievable that 300-350 students of Delhi government schools got through IIT-JEE last year. I am from IIT, I know the hard work it takes," he added. The foundation stone was laid at the Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in New Friends Colony. "25 new schools have been built, 31 are under construction and the blue prints for 78 new schools have been decided," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said at the event. "We have no illusion that having built the right infrastructure, the work on is completed. Today Delhi government schools perform better than even private schools, selections in competitive exams from government schools have gone up from 40-50 to more than 250," he said. Sisodia said the fact that was kept away from politics is the reason why the government schools of the country are in such bad state. "It's high time we bring in the political discourse of the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Democratic presidential candidate said Sunday that those in power are trying to turn people against each other, which she says is "not our America". Harris, a first-term US senator from who announced her candidacy last Monday, rallied supporters outside City Hall in Oakland, her hometown and where she served as a prosecutor before becoming the state The event was the formal kickoff for her campaign. "We are here because the American Dream and our American democracy are under attack and on the line like never before," she said. "And we are here at this moment in time because we must answer a fundamental question: Who are we? Who are we as Americans? So, let's answer that question to the world and each other right here and right now. America, we are better than this." Harris also said racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia and transphobia are real in the US. "They are age-old forms of hate with new fuel. And we need to speak that truth so we can deal with it," she said. Harris cast herself as the kind of leader who can unify the country and would fight for the needs of all Americans. "I'm running for because I love my country. I'm running to be a by the people. Of the people. For all the people," she said and echoed the words she has used in courtrooms and has adopted as her campaign's slogan: "My whole life, I've only had one client: The people." The daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, Harris entered the race on Martin Luther King Jr Day. Campaign aides say she has drawn inspiration from Shirley Chisholm, who in 1972 became the first black woman to run for from a major party. If Harris were to win the White House, she would be the first African-American woman and first person of Asian descent to be president. Her first news conference as a candidate was on the campus of Howard University, the historically black college in the nation's capital that she attended as an undergraduate. On Friday, she was in South Carolina to speak to members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, of which she is a member. Harris' campaign is expected to highlight her career as a prosecutor as part of her rationale for seeking the presidency. Harris was the first black woman elected district attorney in California, as well as the first woman, first African-American and first Asian-American to hold that job. Some of her tenure as attorney general, particularly relating to criminal justice, has come under early scrutiny. Harris is among the first major Democrats to jump into what is expected to be a crowded 2020 presidential contest. Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kirsten Gillibrand of have announced exploratory committees. Former Maryland Representative John Delaney and Julian Castro, federal housing chief under President and a former San Antonio mayor, already are in the race. Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Amy Klobuchar of and of Vermont may also run. In her Oakland speech, Harris said she sees this year as an "inflection point" in American history and that she is best positioned to unite a divided country. "Even though we have powerful forces trying to sow hate and division, the truth is that, as Americans, we have much more in common than what separates us," according to her prepared remarks. After the rally, Harris planned to her first trip to Iowa as a presidential candidate. In the weeks before last November's elections, Harris travelled to the lead off caucus state to campaign on behalf of Democrats, and also visited other early-voting states. Harris' campaign will be based in Baltimore and led by Juan Rodriguez who managed her 2016 Senate campaign. Aides say the campaign will have a second office in Oakland. The Jharkhand High Court refused Monday to stop the undergoing mains examinations of the state public services commission, saying it would be injustice to the candidates. The bench of Chief Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Anubha Rawat, however, said that the Jharkhand Public Services Commission (JPSC) results should not be published till the court's order. Appearing for petitioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey, advocate R S Mazumdar alleged before the bench that the JPSC changed rules after the start of the process of the examination which has many "irregularities". He also alleged that some genuine candidates were left out of the exams. The court also directed to make candidates as defendants and said a notice be published in two newspapers by January 30 so that candidates could become defendants. The next date for hearing has been fixed for February 25. The main examinations of the JPSC started on January 25 and will continue till February 1. Advocate General Ajit Kumar submitted that as the examination has begun it would be improper to stop it midway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Subrata Paul's fine performance under the bar helped Jamshedpur FC salvage a goalless draw against FC Goa in the Indian Super League here on Monday. The draw takes FC Goa tally to 21 points and they remain fourth after 12 matches while Jamshedpur FC are fifth with 20 points from 13 games. The first half saw an even contest but it was FC Goa who dominated the second half. The home created ample of chances to score but it was the rival keeper who made couple of smart saves to deny them the full points. Both the sides needed a win from this tie but lacked the creativity to break the defence, as play was confined to the midfield in the major part of the first half. FC Goa had a couple of close chances early on but a Jackichand cross from the right went abegging as there was no one to connect. Minutes later, Eduardo Bedia attempted a header from a cross by Brandon Fernandes but it went straight to the rival keeper. Jamshedpur FC, who had beaten Gaurs 4-1 at home, too found difficult to break the rival defence. Farukh Choudhary, who troubled the goan defence, forced keeper Mohammad Nawaz to make a diving save from a long ranger. The Gaurs showed lot of urgency after the break as they piled early pressure and had couple of close chances but Jackichand could not find his chip on target off a Coro pass. Coro, who is in the race for the golden boot, was kept on a tight leash by the rival strong defence. He had a chance to score but was late to connect Brandon Fernandes' cross from the right. Jamshedpur, who were pushed into their own half, relied on counter moves and had two chances midway in the second half but squandered them. Frustrated after not finding the elusive goal, Goa made three quick changes, bringing in debutant Zaid Krouch, Ahmed Jahouh and Manvir Singh in place of Hugo Boumous, Eduardo Bedia and Jackichand Singh. Zaid nearly succeded in finding the net but his attempt from close failed to beat alert rival keeper Subrata Paul. Coro, who was not given liberty to move around inside the box, twice made his way but was denied Paul. Paul once again came to his side's rescue in the dying minutes as he dived to his left to clear Brandon Fernandes' low shot. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Detainment", a short film based on the murder of British toddler James Bulger, will remain in the Oscar race despite a huge uproar in the UK. The film, directed Vincent Lambe, came under fire after it received an Academy Award nomination in the Best Live Action Short Film category. Denise Fergus, mother of Bulger, who was mercilessly tortured and killed by two 10-year-old boys -- Jon Venables and Robert Thompson -- in 1993, blasted the film, which she said, was made without their permission. She demanded that its Oscar nomination should be rescinded. In a statement, obtained by The Independent, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) said the film was chosen in the top five by the members by applying their "own judgement" on the film's merits and therefore it will remain in contention for Oscar. "We are deeply moved and saddened by the loss that they have endured, and we take their concerns very seriously. Following long-standing foundational principles established to maintain the integrity of the awards, the Academy does not in any way influence the voting process," the Academy said. "Detainment was voted on by Academy members. When making their choices, each individual applies their own judgment regarding the films' creative, artistic and technical merits. We understand that this will not alleviate the pain experienced by the family," it added. The Academy further said that it has a "neutral role in the voting process." "Detainment" recreates police interviews with Venables and Thompson, by using transcripts from the original tapes played in court during their trial. After the film's Oscar nomination, Fergus took to Twitter express her disappointment. "I cannot express how disgusted and upset I am at this so-called film that has been made and now nominated for an Oscar," she said in a statement posted on Twitter. "It's one thing making a film like this without contacting or getting permission from James' family but another to have a child re-enact the final hours of James's life before he was brutally murdered and making myself and my family have to relive this all over again! (sic)" she added. An online petition seeking its removal was started last December after the film made into the top nine Oscar shortlist. It has since gained over 98,000 signatures. "After everything I have said about this so-called film and asking it to be removed, it's still been nominated for for an Oscar even though 90,000 people have signed a petition which has now been ignored just like my feelings by the Academy. "I'm so angry and upset at this present time... I just hope the film doesn't win its category in the Oscars," she said. Lambe had previously defended the film but apologised for not consulting Bulger's family. "I have enormous sympathy for the Bulger family and I am extremely sorry for any upset the film may have caused them," he said. Bulger was killed by Venables and Thompson on February 12, 1993. Fergus took her son with her to a shopping centre near Liverpool, and when she went to pay at the counter, the two convicts took the two-year-old and left the market. The duo had brutally murdered the boy and then left his body on nearby train tracks. They were charged with abduction and murder. They were sentenced for eight years in prison. Venables and Thompson released in 2001 and given new identities. "Detainment" will compete with "Skin", "Marguerite", "Fauve" and "Mother". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Investigators probing the Catholic cathedral bombing that killed 21 people in the Philippines' restive south said Monday a group tied to notorious Islamists Abu Sayyaf is the prime suspect. Two explosions tore through the cathedral on the Muslim-majority island of Jolo, killing worshippers at Sunday mass and security forces in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Authorities said the so-called Ajang-Ajang faction is a small band of several dozen that most likely carried out the bombing, the Philippines' worst in years, in an act of revenge. "Last year their leader was killed. There have been persistent reports that they will retaliate," regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana told AFP. "Yes, we saw them in the CCTV. It was the brother of the leader who was killed," he said referring to footage from outside the cathedral. "He was seen with two other members of Ajang-Ajang." Security forces say the group is composed of relatives of Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group members who have been killed in clashes with the government. Abu Sayyaf, which is based on the remote Jolo island, has been blamed for the Philippines' deadliest attack, a 2004 ferry bombing in Manila Bay that claimed 116 lives. "There are high-level law enforcement operations against them (Ajang-Ajang)," said Rommel Banlaoi, chair of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research. "It evolved into a revenge group." While Abu Sayyaf have sworn allegiance to Islamic State, that is not necessarily true for the motley members of Ajang-Ajang. "Not all members of Ajang-Ajang group are pro-ISIS, but all of them are Abu Sayyaf group," said Banlaoi using another acronym for IS. "It's not IS-affiliated." The IS claim, in a formal communique, said two suicide bombers had detonated explosive belts, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activities. But a military report said a second bomb that went off at the cathedral was left in the utility box of a motorcycle in the parking area outside. Police said they believe the explosives were likely detonated remotely, but did not elaborate. Despite the contradictions, authorities have not ruled out IS involvement. Regardless of who staged the bombing, concern was growing Monday over the impact it will have on a decades-long push for peace that culminated last week in voters approving expanded Muslim self-rule in the south. The vote was the result of negotiations started in the 1990s with the nation's largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and will give it considerable power over the so-called Bangsamoro region. "This is a big challenge for the Bangsamoro government," said Banlaoi. The former rebels need to show they will be able to pull the region toward peace in order to attract much-needed investment to alleviate poverty and counter extremism, he told AFP. "MILF needs to prove it can make a difference... the gravity of the problem faced by MILF is wow, so overwhelming," he added. The church attack came despite President Rodrigo Duterte, who visited the cathedral Monday, putting the southern Philippines under martial rule after pro-IS militants seized the southern city of Marawi in May 2017. Government officials have argued that martial rule, which gives authorities extra powers, has been effective in taming the perpetually restive region. But families of the dead, who began holding funerals on Monday, have become the latest in the Philippines' south to mourn loved ones killed in a bomb attack. "My 81-year-old mother does not deserve this kind of death," Edward Non told AFP, with a row of victims' coffins behind him. "This has to stop. It's the innocent civilians who suffer." Experts were also worried about how the bombing would impact the hopes for new development in the region, which were spurred by the self-rule vote victory. "It's a terrible human tragedy, it's also a development tragedy," World Bank economist Andrew Mason told broadcaster ABS-CBN. "When we see conflict areas, when we see ups-and-downs and negative impacts due to violence and conflict, what we see is also these are development opportunities that are squandered. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Islamic State group's once-sprawling "caliphate" has been reduced to a four-square-kilometre pocket of territory in eastern Syria, a senior Kurdish commander said Monday. With support from a US-led military coalition, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are in the final stages of an assault launched more than four months ago against the jihadists' last bastion. A dwindling number of IS fighters, led mostly by Iraqi commanders, are now defending only a handful of hamlets in the Euphrates Valley, SDF commander Heval Roni said. "Geographically speaking, there are only four square kilometres left under IS control, stretching from Baghouz to the Iraqi border," he told AFP in the Baghouz area. "There are some high-ranking IS leaders among them... but we don't know who exactly," said Heval Roni, who heads SDF operations in the area. The SDF is a Kurdish-led force that also includes Arab fighters from the region and which has spearheaded the fight against IS in Syria since it was formed in 2015. The commander said he had no information about IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who is believed to still be alive and is the world's most wanted man. In an interview to AFP last week, the top commander of the SDF said that the battle was winding up but that his forces would need about a month to assert full control over the area and declare victory. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 1,200 jihadists and around half as many SDF fighters have been killed since the start of the offensive on September 10. The Britain-based monitoring group says more than 400 civilians have also perished, many of them killed by coalition air strikes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court Monday granted bail to RJD chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav in a money laundering case related to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam. Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj granted relief to each of the accused persons on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and surety of like amounts. The court had on January 19 extended the interim bail granted to the them which ended Monday. The case relates to alleged money laundering in granting the operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm. The court had earlier granted bail to them in the IRCTC scam case filed by the CBI. According to the charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), between 2004 and 2014, a conspiracy was hatched in pursuance of which BNR hotels of the Indian Railways, located in Puri and Ranchi, were first transferred to IRCTC and later, for its operations, maintenance and upkeep, given on lease to Sujata Hotels Private Limited, which is based in Patna, Bihar. It is alleged that the tender process was rigged and manipulated and the conditions were tweaked to help the private party - Sujata Hotels. Based on the CBI case, the ED had also lodged a case of money laundering against Prasad, Devi, Yadav and others. Among others named in the chargesheet are - then group general managers of IRCTC V K Asthana and R K Goyal and Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar, both directors of Sujata Hotels and owners of Chanakya Hotel. Delight Marketing Company, now known as Lara Projects, and Sujata Hotels Private Limited have also been named as accused firms in the chargesheet. In 2001, it was decided to handover the management of catering services of the Indian Railways, including of its hotels, to the IRCTC. Two such hotels - BNR Hotels in Ranchi and Puri - were also identified and a memorandum of understanding was signed between the railways and the IRCTC on March 19, 2004. According to an FIR flied by the CBI, Prasad, the then railway minister, entered into criminal conspiracy with the owner of Sujata Hotels, Sarla Gupta, wife of his close associate Prem Chand Gupta, a Rashtriya Janata Dal MP in Rajya Sabha, and IRCTC officials for "undue pecuniary advantage to himself and others". The probe agency also alleged that BNR hotels were transferred to Sujata Hotels through a "rigged and manipulated" tender process managed by P K Goyal, the then managing director of IRCTC. The CBI inquiry shows that the railways sought bids for developing, operating and maintaining Rail Ratna Hotels on September 16, 2006. The probe agency has alleged that Prasad was aware about the whole process and was keeping a track of the tender proceedings. It surfaced that while over 15 bid documents were received for both the hotels, IRCTC had no records of bidders other than Sujata Hotels. It was also alleged that with an intention to render undue pecuniary gains to Sujata Hotels, the bid of another hotel was deliberately and unreasonably given low marks under technical evaluation. Prasad became Bihar's chief minister in 1990, but had to resign in 1997 following corruption charges in the multi-crore rupees fodder scam. From 1997 to 2005 his wife Devi was the chief minister of the state and was replaced by JD(U) president Nitish Kumar. Prasad also served as railway minister from 2004 to 2009. The RJD again came back to power after forging an alliance with its bitter rival Janata Dal (United), led by Kumar, in 2015, and Tejashwi Yadav became the deputy chief minister. However, Kumar parted ways from the RJD in July last year. The RJD chief has been serving sentence in Ranchi jail since December 2017 following his conviction in fodder scam cases. Earlier this month, the Jharkhand High court had rejected the bail plea of Prasad in three fodder scam cases. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India will participate in the International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests the learning levels of 15-year-old students, in 2021. The HRD Ministry signed an agreement with the OECD, which conducts PISA every three years, on Monday, confirming India's participation in the triennial international survey that assesses students in reading, mathematics, science and collaborative problem-solving. Participation in PISA allows benchmarking performance against a wide range of countries. PISA uses test items aligned with international benchmarks. Test items are adapted to the local context and language, pilot tested and validated. "India will participate in PISA in 2021. The participation will assess the health of the system and motivate other schools and states in the subsequent cycles. "This will lead to an improvement in the learning levels of children and enhance the quality of in the country. The OECD has agreed to asking some questions based on Indian context. I am confident that our students will perform well," Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on the occassion. The agreement was signed by Maneesh Garg, joint secretary in the HRD Ministry, and Andreas Schleicher, Director (PISA) in the OECD. PISA is a competency-based assessment which, unlike content-based assessment, measures the extent to which students have acquired key competencies that are essential for full participation in modern societies. More than 80 countries, including 44 middle-income countries, have participated in the assessment since the first round of testing in 2000. The next round of PISA is going to be held in 2021. The list of registered countries includes Brazil, China (certain areas like Shanghai and Beijing) and countries from South-East Asia like Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After having written two books "without reaching anywhere", famed author Yann Martel was distraught for the lack of a new idea, and then "Life of Pi" came to him "all in one moment" of clarity. Speaking at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival, the Man Booker prize-winning author called India as the "major influence" for "Life of Pi", and shared the story of how the basic idea of the book dawned upon him when he was standing on a rock at a hill station near Mumbai. "I was on this rock at a hill station near Mumbai looking at life... saying to myself 'I am in my 30s, I have written two books that had gone nowhere, I am screwed'. "And I am on the top of this rock when a rock came together, it made me remember a novella I had completely forgotten about and its premise of the shipwreck and I thought I could do something here... and 'Life of Pi' came to me all in one moment basically," he said. The novella he mentioned is "Max and Cats" by Brazilian writer Moacyr Sclair. He added that "India nourished him" at a time when he was "drying up". That said, Martel noted that ultimately it was his quest to understand the "mechanism of religious faith" that made him write the book. "'Life of Pi' was to understand faith. Faith is a leap into the unknown. It makes you suspend your disbelief, a religion makes you suspend your disbelief... if it does not then it is a cult. And cult is a negative thing," he said. The 55-year-old author's love for India is not new, and he described it as a "thought provoking" and "philosophically engaging" country. Having visited the country many times, the writer said he hasn't seen such diversity as India anywhere else. "The first time I met a Sadhu here, he was half-naked, he had a white mass of beard and was holding a trident, and I said wow this is one extreme of how one can live and then you also have India of democracy, science, logic, Nobel prize winners, civilisational achievements," said the Canada-based author. "Life of Pi", a 2001 novel, is a story of a 16-year-old boy who survives a shipwreck and is adrift in the Pacific Ocean on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. Adapted into a movie in 2012, which won as many as four Oscars. Replying to a question whether he picks his books again, Martel though replied in negative, did explain why he "never re-reads any of his book". "I never re-read my stuff. In fact that is the reason I forget my own book and make mistakes. "Like I said, I wrote 'Life of Pie' to understand faith and now I understand faith... why should I bother reading it again. I have moved on and it is a past incarnation of my curiosity now," said the author whose last book was "The High Mountains of Portugal". Martel is presently working on a novel based on Trojan War. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Quest for knowledge has been fundamental to Indian culture and the country has emerged as an educational hub, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Monday. Speaking at the alumni award of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Swaraj also said the country has the best of the institutions like IITs, IIMs and NITs that are offering niche courses in biotechnology, solar energy and textile management among others. "There are about 6,000 foreign students studying in India under various scholarships of ICCR and this number is increasing every passing year," she said. Education in India through scholarships of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is a "humble contribution" of the nation to capacity building in other countries, the minister said. "The quest for knowledge has also been a fundamental of Indian culture and civilisation. With institutes like Nalanda, Panchsheela and Vikramashila, India had a well-developed focussed system of education," she added. Swaraj said these institutions formed the foundation of many such institutions in modern India. "India today has emerged as an educational hub and has best of the institutions like IITs, IIMs and NITs that are offering niche courses in Biotechnology, solar energy, textile management among others," Swaraj said. She conferred the alumni award to Ajmal Hameed Abdulrahimzai, Deputy Minister for Administration and Finance in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in Afghanistan; Kaba Urgessa Dinssa, State Minister of Ministry of Agriculture and Live Stock Resources in Ethiopia; Lyonpo Damcho Dorji, former Foreign Minister of Bhutan; and Constantino C Hermanns Xavier from Portugal. Abdulrahimzai thanked India for supporting Afghanistan in "difficult circumstances" by being our constant ally. "India has extensively contributed through educational scholarships," he said. Former Bhutan foreign minister Dorji said India-Bhutan relations has demonstrated the example of good neighbourly relation. Dinssa said India became a home away from away for him and gave him the richest learning experience of his life. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and China have held wide ranging discussions on various issues, including providing market access to domestic products in the neighbouring country, the commerce ministry said Monday. The meeting was held last week in Beijing between Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan and Vice-Minister of General Administration of China Customs (GACC) Zhang Jiwen. Both the countries have signed a protocol for exporting non-basmati rice, fish meal and fish oil to China, it said. GACC has also approved six Indian mills for export of rapeseed meal to China, it added. Both the nations have also inked a protocol to export Indian tobacco leaves to China, which is the largest consumer and producer of tobacco with over 350 million smokers - the world's highest. These developments assume significance as India wants to increase exports to China with a view to bridge the ballooning trade deficit, which has increased to USD 63.12 billion in 2017-18 from USD 51.08 billion in the previous fiscal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Attacking the Congress over its leader Siddaramaiah alleged misbehavior with a woman, the BJP Monday said it shows how much the opposition party respects women and demanded that Rahul Gandhi take action against the former Karnataka chief minister. A purported video of the incident showed Siddaramaiah shouting at the woman and snatching the microphone from her during a public meet organised by his son Yatheendra. The woman had allegedly questioned Yatheendra's non-availability in his constituency of Varuna. Addressing a press conference at the party office here, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said Congress chief Rahul Gandhi should take action against Siddaramaiah. "Rahul Gandhi should tell what action will he take against Siddaramiah, who has insulted a woman. This incident shows how much Congress respects women. Only one woman and one family matters to them," he said. The incident is as a test for Karanataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy who is leading a coalition government with the Congress in the state, Javadekar said. "Today, we saw how Siddaramaiah behaved with a woman. The way he behaved is shameful... is violation of modesty and is condemnable. I hope Kumarswamy has seen this and in Karnataka also this is a cognisable violence," he said. Responding to a question on the Congress inviting former JNU student union leaders Kanhaiya Kumar and Shehla Rashid to an event, Javadekar said the Opposition party had become so narrow-minded that even the SP and the BSP were not ready to align with it. The human resource development minister, citing surveys conducted by global organisations, said that there will be no person below the poverty line in the country by 2030. According to a Brookings report, 44 people per minute are coming out of poverty in India, he said. Citing another report by the World Data Lab, which monitors global poverty, Javadekar said extreme poverty in India is reducing at a very fast pace. In 2012, 14 per cent people in rural areas were below extreme poverty. It has come down to 4 per cent. Similarly, 9.5 per cent people in urban areas were extremely poor. The number has declined to 3.5 per cent, the minister said, adding that all reports have suggested that the Modi government's schemes have succeeded in eradicating poverty. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a massive setback to the Congress in Bengal ahead of the national elections, party MP Mausam Benazir Noor joined the Trinamool Congress on Monday, ending months of speculations. The second-term Congress MP met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at state secretariat 'Nabanna' during the day, following which the announcement was made. Noor, niece of Congress stalwart ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury, have quite often been taking stands which were not in line with that of the party's state leadership. The Malda (North) MP has been a strong advocate of electoral alliance with the TMC to fend off the BJP in the state. She met Banerjee in November last year, giving rise to speculations. Noor's uncle Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury, the Congress MP from Malda (South), is also in favour of forging an alliance with the TMC. Talking to reporters after the announcement, Noor said, "I'm inspired by Didi (Mamata). I'll work under her guidance for the development of the state. I believe that she is the last word for everything. We have to fight against the BJP and I'm quite confident that the TMC will win all the 42 seats in West Bengal in the Lok Sabha elections." "Barkat sahib (Khan Chowdhury) carried out so many development works for Malda and now people have faith in Didi. We are with her. We will do everything to stop the BJP in West Bengal," she added. Soon after her joining, Banerjee announced that Noor will be Trinamool's general secretary and would be taking care of the party in Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda. "She (Noor) will start working from tomorrow. She will also participate in the rally on January 30," Banerjee said. Asked whom she would like to see as the next prime minister, Noor said, "As a Bengali I will like to see Didi in the post." The bordering district of Malda has been a Congress bastion for several decades. Even after the Trinamool Congress formed government in the state, the Congress maintained its hold on the district. Shocked with Noor changing sides just ahead of the elections, the Congress said the Trinamool is trying to finish the grand old party in the state and is paving the way for "communal" BJP. "TMC's claim that it wants to fight the BJP and strengthen secular forces in Bengal and India is absolutely bogus and this poaching of our MP is the biggest example of that," state Congress chief Somen Mitra said. "If someone wants to leave Congress and join some other party how can we stop him or her... When I met Congress president Rahul Gandhi last year I had told him to talk to Mausam as she might switch over to TMC," Mitra, who himself rejoined Congress after quitting as Trinamool's Diamond Harbour MP, said. He said the Congress will put up its candidate from the Malda (North) constituency. A senior TMC leader said Noor's joining TMC is an important development in state "A family member of Barkat da realised that the only hope for the state is the TMC." This is the first time that a Congress MP defected to the Trinamool since 2011. After 2016 assembly polls, 14 Congress MLAs have switched over to the TMC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A student of IIT-Madras allegedly committed suicide in his hostel room on Monday, police said. Gopal Babu, a first year student of M.Tech programme, belonged to Uttar Pradesh. He committed suicide in his room in Brahmaputra hostel, they said. "The institute informed us about the incident on Monday night. The body has been sent for post mortem," a senior officer told PTI. Earlier this month, a woman PhD scholar from IIT-M's metallurgy department allegedly committed suicide in her hostel room. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Vanessa Hudgens has said like her "Rent: Live" character Maureen Johnson she ''loves being the centre of attention''. The actor said she could relate to her character's approach to life in the upcoming TV production of the Broadway musical. ''It's been so much fun finding Maureen within myself because she is loud and she loves being the centre of attention, and I am a performer. ''I love having all eyes on me. She expresses herself in a way that is unique to her own, and she's an artist, and I feel like that's what I aspire to be like as well," Hudgens told the Hollywood Reporter. The actor said she also enjoyed working with Jordan Fisher on "Rent: Live". ''I feel like we both have such a love for musical theatre and a love for 'Rent' even before we came to it, (and) it really just translates," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd's (HPCL) Rs 43,129-crore refinery project in Barmer district of Rajasthan has achieved financial closure with tying up of a Rs 28,753-crore loan from a consortium of lenders, the company said Monday. HPCL, a subsidiary of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), signed a debt syndication agreement with the consortium of nine lenders led by State Bank of India, a company statement said. "SBI is the lead lender with more than 50 per cent share in the consortium," it said. "This is one of the largest project debt syndications in India." The project, where HPCL owns 74 per cent stake and the balance is held by the Rajasthan government, will cost Rs 43,129 crore. Two-thirds of the project cost is being funded through loans and the remaining through equity by promoters. It comprises a 9-million tonne a year oil refinery and a 2-million tonne per annum petrochemicals unit. SBI Caps was the debt arranger, it added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16, 2018, started work on the project that will be completed by 2022-23. Originally, then Congress president Sonia Gandhi had laid foundation stone of the refinery on September 22, 2013. The state government is giving Rs 1,123 crore per annum for 15 years as an interest-free loan instead of previously envisaged tax breaks. This has resulted in reducing the financial burden on the state government from Rs 56,040 crore to Rs 16,845 crore. As much as 4,400,40 acres of land is required for the project, out of which, 1,454 acres will be developed as a green belt. Of the total project cost, Rs 842 crore has been earmarked towards pollution-control measures. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Six packets of heroin weighing 2.9 kg were recovered by the BSF near the India-Pakistan border here on Monday, officials said. A Pakistan made pistol, one magazine and five rounds were also recovered during the special search operation carried out near border out post (BOP) Gatti Hayat, the Border Security Force (BSF) said. Sandeep Channan, DIG BSF, Ferozepur Sector said that the a jawan of the force deputed at the BOP observed some suspicious movement near the zero line. Some smugglers from Pakistan were trying to enter India forcing the BSF troopers to fire at them, he said. "Though, the smugglers managed to escape due to the dense fog, the troopers carried out a search operation in the area and made the seizures," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court Monday dismissed as withdrawn a plea moved by two accused in the Kodanad heist and murder case seeking to dispense with their appearance before a trial court in connection with the case. The two accused, K V Sayan and Valayar Manoj, decided to withdraw the plea as Justice Anand Venkatesan refused to accept their contention seeking quashing of summons issued by the Nilgiris trial court. "When the accused has been enlarged on bail based on the undertaking that they would abide by the conditions imposed by the trial court how can they move such a plea seeking to quash the summon directing their appearance. "Moreover, the case is in chargesheet stage, such relief cannot be given at this crucial stage of the case," the judge added. According to the petitioners, they have appeared before the trial court on more than 20 occasions and demanding any further appearance was unnecessary. However, refusing to accept their contention, the court said when the trial is on, a journalist was circulating video clippings containing videos of the accused. "This creates a doubt whether the accused are trying to divert the progress of the case," the court added. Samuel Mathew, former Tehelka managing editor had on January 11 released a 16-minute video in which the two accused in the case, had allegedly linked Chief Minsiter K Palaniswami to the case. The High Court had on January 23 granted an interim injunction restraining Mathew and six others from making any statement linking Palaniswami to the case. On April 23, 2017, the security guard of the Kodanad estate, former chief minister J Jayalalithaa's retreat home in Nilgiris district, was murdered in a robbery attempt by a 10-member gang. It emerged during the probe that Jayalalithaa's former driver C Kanagaraj and Sayan had allegedly plotted the crime. A total of 10 people were arrested in the case and a charge sheet was also filed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Gujarat government would present a vote on account instead of a full budget during the Legislative Assembly session beginning February 18 in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. As per the schedule released by the Legislative Secretariat Monday, the state Assembly would meet for five days in Gandhinagar for approving the vote on acount. A Full Budget typically includes the passage of a finance bill while a vote on account is sought for proposed expenditure to be incurred in the next few months till the new government takes over. On the first day of the session, Governor O P Kohli, as per a legislative convention, would address the Assembly. Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who also handles Finance portfolio, would present the vote on account on February 19, an official release said Monday. The discussion and voting on the financial proposals would take place on February 21. "In the view of upcoming Lok Sabha elections, state government would present only vote on account for the first four months of this fiscal (2018-19)," said BJP chief whip in Assembly Pankaj Desai. He said a full budget would be presented either in June or July. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government has decided toset up a safety directorate to prevent accidents at steel plants, Union minister Chaudhary Birender Singh said Monday. The directorate will oversee the safety standards in the steel industry, he said adding the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) have comprehensive safety policies. Production of iron and steel is a complex and hazardous activity, Singh said stressing on the importance of safety measures to prevent untoward incidents. "Recognising the need to prevent injuries and accidents and provide a healthy working environment and guard against all possible hazards and risks, it has been decided to set up a safety directorate which will become operational soon," the steel minister said after the meeting of ParliamentaryConsultative Committee in Panaji. In October last year, nine people were killed and 14 others injured in a blast at SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant in Durg district of Chhattisgarh. The explosion took place around 10:30 am in a gas pipeline connected to the coke oven section of the plant in Bhilai town. The minister also said that efforts are on to make Orissa Minerals Development Company Ltd (OMDC) mine operational. He further said India has become the second largest producer of steel in the world leaving behind Japan and the US. According to latest report of global steel body World Steel Association (worldsteel), India has replaced Japan as world's second largest steel producing country. "India's crude steel production in 2018 was at 106.5 million tonne (MT), up by 4.9 per cent from 101.5 MT in 2017, meaning India has replaced Japan as the world's second largest steel producing country. Japan produced 104.3 MT in 2018, down 0.3 per cent compared to 2017," worldsteel has said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Monday said his government was taking several measures for economic and social development of the farmers. The present state government since coming to power has made elaborate plans for the growth of agriculture as this sector contributes nearly 19 per cent to the states GDP, Sonowal said while launching Farmers Credit Subsidy Scheme here. Schemes like Chief Minister Sammagra Grammya Unnayan Yojana Farmers Credit Subsidy Scheme have been launched so that the farmers of the state become economically self- sufficient and also to help them to educate their children using latest technology and empower them technologically, he said. The scheme has been launched to double the income of farmers by 2022. "This scheme has been launched today on the day of Krishak Swahid Divas to honour the martyrdom of nearly 140 peasants who laid their lives in 1894 protesting against the increasing land tax rate and other exploitation by the British Raj," Sonowal added. He also handed over a cheque bearing the state governments contribution to the scheme to the SBI so that the bank in turn can credit the subsidy to the beneficiary account. The farmers Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme has three different plans in it. First is the Assam Farmers Credit subsidy Scheme under which all short term crop loans availed from Scheduled Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks and the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank will be availed at 25 per cent government subsidy for any loan availed between April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019. Secondly under Assam Farmers Interest Relief Scheme, farmers can avail short term crop loan up to Rs two lakh at zero per cent rate of interest in the state and thirdly, the scheme will provide a one time cash incentive up to Rs 10,000 per account for activating the overdue and NPA KCC account provided the account will turn into standard account. Sonowal also said that there should be a team consisting of farmers, bankers and the government to provide financial help and other logistic support for the farmers to enhance agricultural output in the state and help the sector to contribute significantly to the GDP. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Soil Health Cards, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, etc are some of the schemes that the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has adopted and state government is helping the farmers of reap rich dividends of the programmes, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the "Goa audio tapes", cited by the Congress to attack the Centre on the Rafale issue, were authentic and the state's Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is in possession of "explosive secrets" that give him power over Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi's sharp attack came days after the Congress cited an audio tape in which Goa minister Vishwajit Rane was purportedly heard telling an unidentified person that Parrikar has Rafale files, due to which, he has managed to continue in the chair. Tagging a media report in which Rane was quoted as saying after the row erupted in the first week of January that the tapes were "doctored", the Congress chief tweeted: "30 days since the Goa Audio Tapes on RAFALE were released. No FIR or enquiry ordered. No action against the Minister either!" "It's obvious that the tapes are authentic & that Goa CM, Parrikar, is in possession of explosive Rafale secrets, that give him power over the PM," Gandhi said. A war of words had erupted between the Congress and the BJP over Parrikar's purported claim that he had a file on the Rafale jet deal "lying in his bedroom". In the clip released by the Congress, Rane was purportedly heard saying that during a Goa cabinet meeting, Parrikar stated he had an entire file and all documents relating to the Rafale deal lying in his bedroom. Gandhi had also made an attempt in Lok Sabha's Winter Session to play an audio tape. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the tape was "false and fabricated", and asked the Congress president if he could authenticate it. Parrikar, on his part, had termed the audio clip as a desperate attempt to fabricate facts. The Congress, which has alleged corruption and favouritism in the Rafale deal and accused the prime minister for it. The government has denied the charges levelled by the Congress and said the deal is clean, without any corruption or middlemen. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after Union minister Nitin Gadkari said leaders who fail to realise promises made to people get "beaten up" by the public, the NCP saw his remarks as an expression of voices within the BJP against "Narendra Modi's failure" as the prime minister. NCP's national spokesperson Nawab Malik on Monday claimed Gadkari was also trying to establish himself as an alternative to Modi "as the BJP was going to lose" the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. "The way Gadkariji has become outspoken after the Assembly polls in the three states (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh), it indicates there will be no Modi and BJP government after the polls," Malik said. NCP's ally Congress had last month emerged victorious in the elections in these three Hindi heartland states, dislodging the BJP from power there. "Somewhere, voice is being raised within the BJP over Modi's failure. Since the BJP is going to lose, he (Gadkari) is trying to establish himself as the alternative to Modi," Malik said. Union Water Resources Minister Gadkari had on Sunday said political leaders who sell dreams to people, but fail to make them a reality get "beaten up" by the public. The minister had asserted he is a doer and delivers on his promises. Last month, Gadkari said at an event in Pune that leadership should have the tendency to own up defeat and failures. The remarks had come days after the BJP's dismal show in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls. At the valedictory function of the annual Marathi literary meet at Yavatmal on January 13, Gadkari had said politicians should not interfere in other fields. The meet was embroiled in a controversy after an invitation to writer Nayantara Sahgal was withdrawn apparently under pressure from a political party. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Department of Economic Affairs and the French Development Agency on Monday signed a credit facility framework agreement for extending bilateral funding to the tune of Euro 245 million towards the Pune Metro Project. Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MAHA-METRO), a 50:50 joint venture between the Indian government and the Maharashtra government, is currently executing the Pune Metro Project. The estimated project cost is Rs 11,420 crore, of which the loan component is Rs 5,831.5 crore. The loan component is to be funded by the European Investment Bank and the AFD. The current credit facility signing between DEA and AFD France would be to extend bilateral funding to the tune of Euro 245 million to fund the Pune Metro Project, a statement issued from the French side said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four people have been arrested by the customs officials in separate cases for allegedly trying to smuggle gold and forex worth Rs 1.88 crores at the Delhi airport, according to an official statement issued Monday. A man was intercepted by the customs officials on Sunday after his arrival from Riyadh via Bahrain. He was found to be carrying 1.8 kg gold, concealed inside two emergency lights being brought by him, the statement issued by the customs said. The gold valued at Rs 60 lakhs was seized and the passenger was arrested. In the second incident, another man was stopped for checking on the same day when he was proceeding to depart for Sharjah. A detailed personal and baggage search of the passenger resulted in the recovery of foreign currencies -- Japanese Yen 3,62,000, Kuwait Dinar 2,040, Bahrain Dinar 2,140, Omani Riyal 4,555, Euros 4,905, Qatari Riyal 7,000 and USD 12,725 -- equivalent to Rs 33.51 lakhs, the statement said. Another man was intercepted by the officials after his arrival from Riyadh via Abu Dhabi on Friday. He was found to be carrying silver colour coated gold bar concealed within a black coloured torch. The gold, weighing 950 grams and valued at Rs 30.42 lakhs, has been seized, it said. In the fourth case reported on Tuesday, the customs department said a 31-year-old woman was stopped for checking by the customs officials after her arrival from Bangkok. She was found to be carrying two kilogram gold, valued at Rs 64.34 lakhs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP chief Amit Shah Monday said for the Congress OROP means 'only Rahul, only Priyanka', using the acronym for 'one rank, one pension' scheme for military personnel to take a jibe at the Congress. Shah hurled the jibe at the Congress days after party president Rahul Gandhi's sister Priyanka Gandhi was inducted as the opposition party's general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh. The BJP president was addressing a "BJP Panna Pramuk Sammelan" at Hamirpur, also known as "Martyrs' Land" in Himachal Pradesh owing to a significant number of people from the district and adjoining areas joining the Army. Thanking Himachal Pradesh voters for ensuring victory of BJP candidates in all the four Lok Sabha seats in the hill state during the 2014 general elections, Shah said, "The Modi government implemented OROP for ex-servicemen in true sense." No one cared for soldiers for over 70 years but when the Modi government came to power, it implemented the OROP, he added. However, the Congress also follows OROP, which is "Only Rahul Only Priyanka Shah sarcastically said. He was referring to the One Rank, One Pension scheme to equalise pension payments for retired military personnel in the country to take a dig at the opposition party over the induction of Priyanka Gandhi as a key office bearer. But the jibe at the Congress was returned by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah who coined a new acronym to target the BJP, saying the country was suffering from too much "ODOMOS- overdose of only Modi only Shah". "While the rest of the country suffers from too much ODOMOS - overdose (of) only Modi only Shah," the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir tweeted. In his address to BJP workers ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Shah said, "Desh ek Majboot Sarkar chahta hai, majboor sarkar nahi. (The country wants a strong government not a weak and hapless one)." The country wants a government which can give Pakistan a befitting reply for killing its soldiers, he said. "In his speeches, the Congress president nowadays brings up the issue of poverty. I just want to ask Rahul baba what the Congress governments did for decades to eradicate poverty. It's only the BJP government which is taking measures to eradicate it," he added. They couldn't provide even a gas cylinder to each household in the country, he claimed. Himachal got only Rs. 44,325 crore from the 13th Finance Commission during the Congress government, while the Modi government gave Rs. 1,15,865 crore to this hill state,Shah said. The BJP president said like former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi too remains connected with the state. Without naming former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh and his family members, Shah said, "No one else except raja, rani and rajkumar was given importance during the five-year term of the previous Congress government in the state." On the contrary, the Himachal residents now feel that the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government is their own government, he said, adding a total of 20,062 complaints out of 25,227 have been redressed in Jan Manch programmes launched by the Thakur government. BJP workers are the basis of our victory and every BJP Panna Pramukh is determined to make Modi the PM again, said Shah, coining a slogan "mera booth, sabse majboot" for the party workers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- Firmenich India, an affiliate of the world's largest privately-owned perfume and taste company, today announced it is the third company in India, and the first in its industry, to be certified as a gender equality employer with EDGE MOVE status. With this endorsement, Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE), the leading business certification standard for gender equality, is officially recognizing Firmenich India for its established gender equality framework and diverse and inclusive workforce. Globally, Firmenich is one of only seven companies worldwide to be globally certified as a gender equality employer, with India ranking the highest within the Firmenich Group, standing out for its inclusive culture and career advancement opportunities for all. "I am very proud that Firmenich India is one of only three companies in India to receive the second highest level of EDGE Certification for our commitment and progress in gender parity. With women representing 22% of our senior management we are well beyond the national median of 5%," said Satish Rao, Chairman & Managing Director of Firmenich India. "This outstanding recognition not only positions us as an employer of choice for the men and women who work at Firmenich India, it also makes us a trusted and reliable partner for our customers, as diverse teams deliver superior results." "We congratulate Firmenich India on being the first in its industry to earn Global EDGE MOVE Certification," commented Aniela Unguresan, Co-founder of EDGE Certified Foundation. "Firmenich scored exceptionally well in the areas of inclusive culture and career advancement. Particularly notable was the high share of women in the workforce and in management positions, as compared to their industry peers." "I want Firmenich to be the best place to work in our industry globally. That's why we pursued global EDGE certification, supported by flexible work arrangements to ensure all our colleagues have an optimal work-life balance," said Mieke Van de Capelle, Chief Human Resources Officer at Firmenich. "Globally, our female colleagues represent 40% of our senior management and workforce. This recognition confirms we are making gender balance a priority, going far beyond equal pay. We will not stop here, as we remain determined to achieving the highest level of excellence in this area."Advancing its commitment to diversity and inclusion, Firmenich India collaborates with the College of Fragrance for the Visually Impaired (COFVI), in India to enable professional opportunities for its visually impaired graduates, recruiting them as "sensory panelists" to assess flavors and fragrances. Accelerating access to sanitation, the affiliate also recently helped Pune on its journey to become the first "Smart Sanitation" city, by developing a new 'Mobile Toilet for Her' providing a safe, hygienic and pleasurable toilet experience for women in Pune, positively impacting 150 women per day. About Firmenich Firmenich is the world's largest privately-owned company in the perfume and taste business, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895. Driven by its purpose to create positive emotions to enhance wellbeing naturally, Firmenich has designed many of the world's best-known perfumes and tastes, bringing delight to over four billion consumers every day. Renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its leadership in sustainability, each year, Firmenich invests 10% of its turnover in R&D to understand and share the best that nature has to offer responsibly. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 3.7 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2018. More information about Firmenich is available at www.firmenich.com About EDGE Certification EDGE is the leading global assessment methodology and business certification standard for gender equality. It measures where organizations stand in terms of gender balance across their pipeline, pay equity, effectiveness of policies and practices to ensure equitable career flows as well as inclusiveness of their culture. Launched at the World Economic Forum in 2011, EDGE Certification has been designed to help companies not only create an optimal workplace for women and men, but also benefit from it. EDGE stands for Economic Dividends for Gender Equality and is distinguished by its rigor and focus on business impact. EDGE assessment methodology was developed by the EDGE Certified Foundation, which continues to act as the guardian of the EDGE methodology and certification standards. Its commercial arm, EDGE Strategy, works with companies to prepare them for the EDGE Certification. EDGE Certification is currently working with more than 200 organizations, in 50 countries and 23 industries. For more information, visit edge-cert. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Billionaire former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said in a TV interview that he is looking into running against Donald Trump in 2020 as an independent presidential candidate. "I am seriously thinking of running for president," Schultz told the CBS show "60 Minutes" late Sunday. The self-described "lifelong Democrat" said he "will run as a centrist independent outside of the two-party system." According to Schultz, 65, "We're living at a most fragile time." Not only is Trump "not qualified to be the president," but Republicans and Democrats "are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge " Schultz grew up in a working class neighborhood in New York City, but made his fortune when he moved to the northwestern state of Washington in the 1980s and built Starbucks into a global coffee shop behemoth. Schultz blamed both parties for the country's $21.5 trillion debt, which he portrayed as "a reckless example" of the "failure of their constitutional responsibility." Schultz dismissed fears that his bid could split the opposition vote and result in a second term for Trump. "I want to see the American people win. I want to see America win," Schultz told CBS. At least one Democratic presidential hopeful, Texan Julian Castro, told CNN that if Schultz runs "it would provide Donald Trump with his best hope of getting reelected." According to Castro, "I don't think that would be in the best interest of our country." While third-party candidates in US often face insurmountable odds, they have played the role of spoilers. In 1992 conservative billionaire Ross Perot siphoned enough votes away from George H.W. Bush to hand the presidency to Democrat Bill Clinton. And Democrats blame consumer advocate Ralph Nader for taking votes away from Democrat Al Gore in the 2000 election, allowing Republican George W. Bush to become president. Nader rejects the accusation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A top European Commission official says it would be 'a stupid thing' for the European Union to make any concessions to Britain that would put the bloc at a disadvantage just to clinch a Brexit agreement. Jyrki Katainen says "there's no reason to give any concessions" to Britain which knew of the consequences of leaving the bloc. He said the EU has negotiated in good faith and had reached a good deal that was rejected by the British parliament. Katainen said he doesn't see "much room for maneuver" on a backstop deal designed to prevent a hard post-Brexit border that would bring back customs and identity checks between EU member Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK. Katainen was speaking Monday after talks with Cypriot Finance Minister Harris Georgiades. Georgiades said although Cyprus wants to "definitely avoid" a no-deal Brexit and would opt to "pause the process" in order to give negotiators more time to hammer out terms that are "benign and less damaging for all." A leading Brexit supporter says he will back Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit divorce deal with the European Union if she wins concessions on controversial language designed to prevent border checks in Northern Ireland. Boris Johnson, the former UK foreign secretary, writes Monday in the Daily Telegraph that it would be "unadulterated good Brexit news" if May negotiated an expiration date for the Irish border backstop plan. Currently, the backstop clause would indefinitely keep Britain in a customs union with the EU if no other way were found to avoid physical border controls between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Tuesday is a crucial day for May's Brexit deal, with Parliament considering a number of amendments that could prevent Britain from leaving the EU without an agreement on future relations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ethiopian prime minister's office Sunday said Ethiopia-born Saudi billionaire Mohammed al-Amoudi has been freed from jail in Saudi Arabia, where he was arrested in 2017 as part of a vast anti-corruption campaign. Amoudi "has been released from prison in Saudi Arabia," premier Abiy Ahmed's office said on its official Twitter account. "We wish Mohammed Al Amoudi a safe return to Ethiopia." The release of the business tycoon could not be immediately confirmed by a Saudi source. According to Forbes, Amoudi is a 72-year-old Saudi citizen born of a Saudi father and an Ethiopian mother. He owns companies operating in agriculture, energy and construction in several countries. Amoudi, whose fortune was estimated by Forbes in 2017 at USD 8.3 billion, was arrested in November 2017 in an unprecedented Saudi purge that included the arrests of princes, ministers and businessmen for alleged corruption. Since then authorities in the oil-rich kingdom have concluded financial "arrangements" in exchange for the release of most of the people arrested. Critics of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman say the arrests were an attempt to push aside potential rivals and consolidate his power. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gautam Khaitan, a lawyer accused in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, told a Delhi court Monday that Enforcement Directorate was forcing him to falsely implicate someone influential in "any defence deal" which happened during the UPA regime. Khaitan, arrested in a fresh case of alleged possession of black money and money laundering, made the statement before Special Judge Arvind Kumar, who extended his custodial interrogation by the ED for five more days after the probe agency alleged that the accused knows all the persons related to arms deals other than AgustaWestland. Khaitan's advocate P K Dubey told the court that there was no fresh ground for present case. Dubey said: "They asked me (Khaitan) to give any name involved in any defence deal (of UPA period). They asked to give any name, that they needed it within these two months. They are constantly forcing me to give name and I will be absolved. "When Michel (middleman recently extradited from Dubai) came, you (ED) said he had taken my name and I was required to be confronted. But nothing came out of that case. Now you have come up with this case." He added that all the documents shown in AgustaWestland are being put before Khaitan again in this case and that the entire case was related to the AgustaWestland deal, for which Khaitan was already being prosecuted and was out on bail. The counsel said that several Income Tax complaints were already filed against Khaitan. "For same offence I am being prosecuted under I-T Act, Blackmoney Act and now in money laundering case. What was the hurry to arrest me? Is there any summon I did not appear for? No fresh ground for this case," the counsel said. Alleging false implication, he further added, "Any new law comes and the test is done on me (Khaitan). I have been made a monkey on whom every test is done." The ED produced Khaitan after two days' custodial interrogation and its special public prosecutors D P Singh and N K Matta sought seven more days custody for the agency. "He knows all the persons related to arms deals other than AgustaWestland and other deals. There are many more information where people who handle other deals were in his contact. All the documents shown in AgustaWestland are being put before me again in this case," the agency told the court. Denying the accused's allegation that the present case was related to AgustaWestland scam, the ED said that not just there were separate transaction but there were multiple transactions being probed in the present case. "In these three days we have found evidence about new accounts and we would like to go into details. We have to put these to accused. The custody is necessary because he will close all these account if he goes out. There is definite information that there was huge tempering of evidence," the ED said in its reply through advocate Samvedna Verma. The agency added that the probe was at a crucial stage and "if the agency will not get the opportunity of asking these questions, it will lose the tack and probe will be hampered". The ED has maintained that the present case had nothing to do with the alleged AgustaWestland scam and that the accused was operating and holding a number of foreign accounts illegally and thereby possessing black money and stashing assets. The present case under the PMLA was filed by the ED against Khaitan on the basis of a case filed by the Income Tax Department against him under Section 51 of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. The ED has said that it had the knowledge of Khaitan's unidentified assets which value more than Rs 500 crore. Khaitan was placed under arrest on January 25 by the agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Income Tax Department had earlier carried out searches against Khaitan in this new case filed under the anti-black money law. Khaitan had been arrested by the ED and the CBI a few years ago in connection with their probe in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland case. A charge sheet was also filed against him by the two agencies and he was currently out on bail. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 21-year-old law student was found dead at her paying guest accommodation here, police said Monday. Swati Soni, a student of the Delhi University, was founding hanging from the ceiling fan of her PG room in Sector 27 late Sunday night, they said. "The girl hailed from Haridwar in Uttarakhand. She was sharing the room with another girl, but she was not there when the incident took place," a police official said. "She had tried calling her last night but Swati did not respond. Later she called up the cook of the PG and asked him to go to the room and get Swati on the phone. When the cook went, he found the room was bolted from inside and there was no response," he said. Later, the cook and some other PG residents peeped inside the room from a window on the other side and they found Swati hanging from the ceiling fan, according to the police. Soon, the local Sector 20 police station was alerted and officials reached the spot, broke down the door after which the body was brought down and sent for post-mortem, they said. "The girl's family has been informed and were on their way to Noida," the officer said, adding no case has been filed so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) will hold discussions with different stakeholders, including start-ups and angel investors, on the taxation issue being faced by the budding entrepreneurs on February 4, an official said. The meeting assumes significance as several start-ups have claimed that they have received income tax notices on angel investments. "A roundtable is being organised with start-ups, and other stakeholders to discuss the new measures undertaken to address the angel tax issue and understand the mechanism to address them," the official added. DIPP, under the commerce and industry ministry, has also sought views from stakeholders for better implementation of the recently announced procedure for start-ups to seek angel tax exemption. On January 16, the government eased the procedure for seeking income tax exemption by start-ups on investments from angel funds and prescribed a 45-day deadline for a decision on such applications. The move comes against the backdrop of various start-up founders claiming that they have received notices under Section 56(2) (viib) of the Income Tax Act from the I-T department to pay taxes on angel funds raised by them. Entrepreneurs have raised concerns over these tax notices. ALSO READ: Review angel tax The new procedure says that to seek the exemption, a start-up will apply, with all the documents, to the department. The application of the recognised start-up shall be moved by the department to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) with necessary documents. The earlier requirement of start-up to submit report from merchant banker specifying the fair market value of shares has also been removed. A start-up which is recognised by the would be eligible to seek the exemption, subject to certain conditions. Start-ups will have to provide account details and return of income for the past three years. Similarly, investors would also have to give its net worth details and return of income. Section 56(2) (viib) of the Income Tax Act provides that the amount raised in excess of a startup's fair market value is taxed at 30 per cent as income of the firm from other sources. Since April 2018, only two start-ups have got these exemptions. Normally, about 300-400 start-ups get angel funding every year. The government launched the Startup India initiative in January 2016 to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship. Categories Categories Select Category #abarare ABA Events ABA News Action Adventure Alaska AOU Apps Art Asides Attu BEX Big Year Bird Feeding Bird ID Bird of the Year Birders Guide Birdsong Blog Bites Blog Review BookReviews Building Birding Skills Commentary Conservation eBird Equipment Review Featured Gallery Festivals Field Identification Fun Gardening Gear Happening NOW HowToKnowTheBirds Human Dimensions of Birding Humor Listing Members Only Content North American Birds Obscure Hotspots Open Mic Outdoor Tips Photography podcast Point/Counterpoint Presidents Corner Publications RBA Science Science Art Social Media Sponsored Technology Top 10 Travel Young Birders Archives Archives Select Month January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 Blog Birding #394 A great many ecologists have decided to be much more forceful in their denunciations of outdoor cats. At Birdwatching Daily, the ABC has more. An open-access study published in December by leading scientists rebuts unfounded criticisms and reaffirms the need for effective control of outdoor cats. According to researchers, coordinated critics have mounted a misinformation campaign designed to purposefully fabricate doubt regarding the harmful impacts of outdoor cats and stymie policies that would remove outdoor cats from the landscape. A new chapter in the saga of the Maine Great Black Hawk was written this week when the bird was taken in by rehabbers. Ericka Zambella tells the tale at 10,000 Birds. Even standing beneath its shadow, I found it difficult not to feel sorry for the hawk. Temperatures already dipped into single digits during the time the bird had been in Maine, far from conditions the species is normally adapted to. While the group I stood with was calm and kept a safe distance, I heard other stories about idiots climbing the tree to try to take a picture with a cell phone, or chasing the bird when it alighted. In fact, some suspect the chase caused the poor bird to fly directly into a window. I could write an entire essay on the foolish ways people approach nature and wildlife but I wont. The potential for new nesting populations of two species of endangered seabirds on Oahu offers hope for their declining populations. Learn more at The AOS News Blog. Pacific Rim Conservations Lindsay Young and her colleagues used a spatial model based on elevation, forest cover, and illumination to identify potential suitable breeding habitat for both species on Oahu, then deployed automated acoustic recording units at 16 sites on the island to listen for the birds calls in 2016 and 2017, accessing remote mountain locations via helicopter. To their surprise, they detected petrels at one site and shearwaters at two sites. Nick Bonomo of The Shorebirder writes about the discovery of a rare Kamchatka Common Gull in Connecticut. The identification of this bird to kamchatschensis is pretty straightforward to the trained eye. Notable features of this form include its large body size, pear-shaped head, strong bill (for a Mew Gull), amber iris, mid-gray upperparts, heavily streaked shawl, and coarse breast markings. This is the states third occurrence of Kam Gull, but second individual (the first two sightings, two years apart, were of the same individual)and its 8th or so record of the Mew Gull [super]species. At The Insight Blog, Conor Curtis writes about research being done on the Newfoundland subspecies of Gray-cheeked Thrush. The Newfoundland Gray-cheeked Thrush is a songbird found breeding across the island, part of the broader breeding range of the Gray-cheeked Thrush which extends across North America along the northern fringes of the boreal forest, and even into Siberia. These island birds have a story which stretches from Gros Morne National Park all the way to Sierra de Perija National Park in Venezuela, where some spend the winter near the border with Columbia. But their story has not been so happy since the 1980s, when thrush numbers began to decline on the island unlike their mainland cousins who seem to be doing okay. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday said development of tribals was the priority of his government as he urged people to vote the Congress to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. "I would appeal that you will leave no stone unturned in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Tribals will be benefitted if the Congress wins. This should be our resolve that the Congress forms the government at the Centre and Rahul Gandhi becomes prime minister," he said. Gehlot was addressing a farmers' meeting in tribal-dominated Dungapur district. The chief minister said the government will push for the Dungarpur-Banswara-Ratlam highway to enhance road connectivity in the region. Targeting the BJP, he said only two faces -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah -- were ruling the country. "It was not a good sign for democracy," Gehlot added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi government has decided to introduce Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers based on the report of the MS Swaminathan Commission, minister Gopal Rai said Monday. The development minister said the government will hold a meeting with agrarian experts on Tuesday to discuss the matter. The move comes just months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. There are about 20,000 farmers in the national capital. Talking to reporters, Rai said neither the Modi government nor the previous Congress-led UPA regime implemented the Commission's report. "Government has decided to introduce for Delhi's farmers based on the Swaminathan Commission's report. We formed a three-member committee in December to study the report. The committee has submitted its own report on the for Delhi's farmers." "We will hold a conference on this issue tomorrow. The three-member committee's report will be put before experts for suggestions," Rai said. He said that once the is finalised, the government will hold meetings with farmers, seeking their views and thereafter it will be sent to the Cabinet. In its 2006 report, the National Commission on Farmers' chairman M S Swaminathan suggested the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) to fix MSP at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production. This recommendation was not incorporated in the National policy for farmers 2007. However, recently the government has increased the MSP for all Kharif and Rabi crops and other commercial crops for the season 2018-19 with a return of at least 50 per cent over cost of production, the Union agriculture ministry had said in a statement in December last year. The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has sought details on the alleged rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in northwest Delhi. The DCW took suo motu cognisance of the media reports on the alleged rape and murder in Samaypur Badli area, its chief Swati Maliwal said in a notice to the Delhi Police. It has been reported that the child went missing on January 26 and her body was found the next day. Reportedly, she was raped before being killed, the notice said. Calling it a "very serious matter", the DCW has sought a copy of the FIR registered in the case and asked if any arrest has been made. The DCW has also sought a copy of the post-mortem report. "Considering the gravity of the matter, please provide the information to the commission latest by February 1," Maliwal said in the notice. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- SPJIMR has announced the successful closure of placements for the PGDM Class of 2019. The median salary of the batch stood at INR 22 lakhs per annum (LPA), with over 72 per cent of the batch receiving offers of INR 20 LPA or above. The average compensation for the PGDM Class of 2019 stood at INR 22.90 LPA. This placement season saw participation from 111 companies to hire the 239 participants from the PGDM Class of 2019. Twelve international offers were made this year, capping a season marked by high interest in SPJIMR candidates from a large number of marquee companies in diverse sectors. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/688342/SPJIMR_Logo.jpg ) A range of new companies came on board for placements this year, adding to the list of large and reputed corporates who have enjoyed a lasting relationship with SPJIMR. Among the companies who participated in placements this year are McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Co., Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Tata Administrative Services, Airtel, Hindustan Unilever, Nestl, Johnson & Johnson, Ninjacart, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Amazon, Mahindra, Deloitte, PwC, EY, Uber, Britannia, Bajaj Auto, Castrol, OYO Rooms, Pidilite, L'Oral, Philips, Aditya Birla Retail Limited, American Express, Mondelez, ValueLabs , Nivea, Amway , Sterlite Power, Jindal Steel & Power, Unacademy, Paytm, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Auto, Duff & Phelps, Reliance Industries Limited, Citibank , IIFL and Go-MMT Group to name a few. E-commerce stood out as a sunrise sector with the highest increase in the number of offers made compared to the previous years. Consulting companies were aggressive in their hiring from SPJIMR with 35 per cent of the batch picking up offers in the sector. A third of the batch would join IT and E-commerce companies, an indicator of a growing techno-management wave seen across industries. More than 50 per cent of the batch took up PPO/PPI opportunities through their autumns internship with leading companies. Autumns internships are part of a unique SPJIMR model under which participants take up internships after the completion of the core courses (in Finance, Marketing, Operations & Supply Chain Management, and Information Management) as well as advanced specialisation courses at leading universities in the US under SPJIMR's Global Fast Track programme. The continued trend of high PPO/PPI opportunities to the PGDM batch is a reaffirmation of the industry's faith in SPJIMR's autumns internship process. The large number of companies on campus and the range of offers made by them reaffirmed the standing and stature of SPJIMR as a leading management institute noted for a differentiated approach led by the school's mission of 'Influencing Practice' and 'Promoting Value-based Growth'. The SPJIMR way, which brings a blend of Western efficiency and Eastern ethos to its teaching methodologies, prepares students to deliver superior performance while they remain sensitive to the needs and aspirations of all strata of society. A brief on companies visiting: This year saw participation from companies such as McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Co., Tata Administrative Services, Goldman Sachs, American Express, Hindustan Unilever, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Nestl, Amazon, Deloitte, PwC and EY to name a few. General Management and Leadership Roles Conglomerates such as Tata Administrative Services, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv, American Express, JSPL, Reliance and Airtel made 23 offers in several middle management positions this year. These roles are aimed at building the leadership pipeline for the participating companies with a lot of them giving exposure to students to various functions and interactions with the top leadership in their organisations. Finance The batch picked up offers from top league financial players that included Goldman Sachs, Citibank, American Express, HSBC IB, Duff & Phelps, Bajaj Finserv, IIFL, JM Financial, DBS Bank, Barclays and ICICI Bank among others. Offers were received across a plethora of functions ranging from investment banking, corporate/retail banking, equity research and NBFC roles, etc. Corporate finance/strategy roles were also offered by companies like Amazon, Sterlite Power, Nestl and Airtel. Consulting/IT Consulting SPJIMR consolidated its position as a preferred destination for top consulting firms as 35 per cent of the PGDM batch picked up offers in the consulting domain, including 12 international offers. Leading consulting firms participating in the finals process included McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Co., Deloitte, PwC, EY, Capgemini, Bristlecone, Cognizant Business Consulting and GEP. The profiles offered at SPJIMR included strategic consulting, management consulting, supply chain consulting, financial advisory and IT consulting. E-commerce E-commerce saw the highest increase in roles offered compared to previous years. About 17 per cent of the batch was placed in e-commerce firms, which included regular recruiters like Amazon, Cloudtail, Flipkart, Uber, Paytm and Go-MMT. In addition, this placement season saw participation from growing companies like OYO Rooms, Unacademy, Lenskart and Ninjacart among others. This year recorded a significant increase in the number of Product Management roles offered by these e-commerce companies. Other profiles offered by the e-commerce companies at SPJIMR included Program Management, Digital Marketing, Supply-Chain Management and Operations Analytics. IT/ITES IT companies such as Microsoft, Google, Media.net, Wipro, Infosys, and Capgemini offered sales and consulting roles on campus. IT majors made offers to 9 per cent of the batch. Companies such as Hindustan Unilever, Asian Paints, Pidilite and Mondelez offered corporate IT roles. Analytics roles were offered by giants like American Express, Barclays and Philips. Overall, a third of the batch would join IT and E-commerce companies. The average year-on-year increase in compensation for the Information Management specialisation exceeded 21 per cent, reaffirming this as a key growth area. Marketing and Operations SPJIMR saw participation from all the top organisations for roles spread across both Sales & Marketing, Operations & Supply Chain. About 19 per cent of the batch was placed in leading FMCGs like Hindustan Unilever, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, L'Oral, Asian Paints, Castrol, Colgate Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, Pidilite, Marico and Mondelez. The sector hired freshers as well as those with up to three years of work experience, with a background in start-ups and in particular looked for gender diversity. Prof. Abbasali Gabula, Associate Director - External Relations said, "We have deepened our relationships with corporates who have been hiring from SPJIMR and this year went on to open many new accounts. The placements season once again highlighted SPJIMR as a preferred school to hire from, given our high standing, unique offerings and the quality of our students. We will continue to engage with our corporate partners and build on the relationships in the coming years." Dr. Vasant Sivaraman, Professor and Chairperson PGDM Programme said, "Our programme architecture enables participants to complete courses in their area of specialisation before company internships. While the quality of their internship contribution is strong, the individuals also benefit in terms of more clarity on career roles when it comes to the final placement process." "Together with PPOs and PPIs there is a sharper focus on final placements, something reflected this year as well. The roles and companies highlight the underlying shift in the economy - a blend of traditional blue chips and new industries," Dr. Sivaraman added. PGDM Class of 2019 Placements: An Overview Participants in the Batch: 239 Number of companies participating: 111 Number of first-time recruiters: 28 Total Number of International Offers: 12 Total Number of Pre-Placement Offers: 78 Median Salary: 22.00 LPA Average Salary: 22.90 LPA Highest Salary: 46.50 LPA Key Highlights: ? 21.5 % of offers equal to or greater than INR 25 LPA ? 74.9% of offers equal to or greater than INR 20 LPA ? 95.1% of offers equal to or greater than INR 16 LPA Autumns Internship Highlights ? Number of companies: 47 ? Number of new companies: 12 ? Average Stipend: INR 1,99,000 ? Maximum Stipend: INR 3,00,000 About SPJIMR S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) (http://www.spjimr.org ) is a constituent of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and is ranked among the top ten business schools in India. As a premier school of management, SPJIMR is noted for pedagogic innovations and pioneering programmes, which have helped the Institute stand out for its unique and distinctive path in management education. SPJIMR's mission is 'Influencing Practice' and 'Promoting Value-based growth'. The Institute currently operates from its 45-acre campus in Andheri, Mumbai, and a campus in New Delhi. To avoid confusing us with any other institution, look for the five strokes logo and the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan association. Source: S.P. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress will not hold back its big guns and will pull out all the stops before the general elections, senior leader Shashi Tharoor said, asserting his party wants defenestration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government. Tharoor, who recently wrote a book on Modi titled The Paradoxical Prime Minister, said the prime minister makes all the liberal statements in public such as "sab ka saath sab ka vikas" (together with all, development for all) or the "Constitution is my only holy book", but relies on the most illiberal elements in the Indian society for his electoral support and political viability. Speaking on Priyanka Gandhi's induction as the Congress's general secretary, the 62-year-old MP from Thiruvananthapuram said she had the charisma to galvanise voters and will be an asset to the party. The Congress will pull out all the stops before the general elections. Priyanka Gandhi is seen as a figure with great appeal and great credibility. So far, she has been very restrained, doing behind the scenes work and confining herself to Amethi and Rae Bareli. "The fact that she is now going to take a new role is a sign that we are not holding back our big guns, Tharoor told PTI in an interview. The Congress party intends to aim for Modi's defenestration. We want Modi and his government's defenestration (action or process of dismissing someone from a position of power or authority) , he said on the sidelines of the Jaipur Literature Festival. Tharoor said Gandhi may have yet to prove her mettle publicly, but privately the party has seen her involved in a number of issues. Those who have seen her even on television know how quickly she makes a connection, how fluently and idiomatically she speaks and how easily she connects with the people. She doesn't behave like a political novice, he said. Tharoor questioned the prime minister's complete silence on issues like cow vigilantism, ghar wapsi and love jihad, saying paradox remains central to Modi's leadership. Modi is the best orator in Hindi that I have seen. Yet he has remained silent when his moral leadership was called on. He modulates his voice, chooses his words to the maximum impact, uses theatrical gestures. That is part of his major political appeal. Why can't he speak when the country is crying out for a voice to share the pain of the families of Mohammad Akhlaq, Juniad Khan, Pehlu Khan, Rohith Vemula or for the Dalit boys who were flogged in Rajasthan for skinning the carcass of a cow which was their job? Nothing on any of these cases from him. Just complete and total silence, he said. Tharoor also touched upon the controversial remark he made at the Bangalore Literature Festival, where he claimed that an unnamed RSS leader had compared Modi to "a scorpion sitting on a Shivling". The Congress leader said he cited the article to prove there was evidence that the RSS was not fully comfortable with the conversion of Hindutva to Moditva. It was blown out of proportion. Anyone who watches the context of my speech will see I was specifically addressing the issue of whether the RSS was fully comfortable with the conversion of Hindutva to Moditva which is Hindutva plus the outsized personality cult for an individual leader, and I said there is evidence that they are not totally comfortable with it, Ironically, I even found a video clip of Gordhan Zadafia saying exactly this and he may not be the only one to have said it. Zadafia was a Gujarat Minister who is now one of the UP incharges for the BJP. So if someone who is very much RSS-BJP has said this openly and on record, then I don't think I was wrong in quoting it, he said. Tharoor has courted a few controversies in the recent past. In August last year, he had spoken about Modi donning "outlandish" Naga and other headgear on his trips but refusing to sport a Muslim skull cap, drawing condemnation from the BJP which had dubbed it as insulting to the people of the North-East. The outspoken MP also kicked up a row with his remarks that no "good" Hindu would favour a Ram temple in Ayodhya by demolishing somebody else's place of worship. The BJP reacted strongly, terming his party and its chief Rahul Gandhi "anti-Hindu". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The opposition Congress on Monday said while the BJP-led administration has "collapsed" and the state's debt is mounting, the chief minister is asking about the 'spirit' among people in the state. During the inauguration of third bridge on the Mandovi river in Panaji on Sunday, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had begun his speech with a catchy line from the recently released film "Uri: The Surgical Strike", asking the gathering "how's the josh?" Parrikar was the defence minister at the time of the surgical strike conducted by the Army in September 2016. Retorting to Parrikar's remark, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar on Monday said while the administration had collapsed pushing the state into a "crisis", some leaders were asking "how's the josh". "Pehle hosh me aao, baad me josh ki baat karo (first come to your senses and then talk about josh). Everyone is sleeping in the state. The ministers are sleeping and hence, the administration has collapsed," Chodankar told reporters. "How will you see the josh among people? Just inauguration of the bridge is not enough to bring josh. The government should first come to its senses," he added. Chodankar said the state government first needed to see the ground reality. The current government is running by taking advantage of "loopholes in the Constitution", he alleged, claiming that no proper Assembly sessions were being held and the state's debt was sky-rocketing, touching the Rs 13,000-crore mark. However, Goa BJP spokesman Damodar Naik said Parrikar's public appearance and his speech during the river bridge inauguration was a "slap" on the opposition's face. "Despite all what the opposition is saying, Parrikar proved them wrong. At least now stop raising a question mark on his capability to run the state," he said. Naik said Parrikar was "sharp enough and active" to run the state, which was proved beyond doubt after his speech at the bridge inauguration event. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Monday slammed the BJP for its attack over former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah's alleged misbehavior with a woman at an event, saying it does not have the moral, constitutional or political right to talk about women's issues. Siddaramaiah landed in a controversy Monday when he snatched the microphone from a woman during a verbal duel resulting in her dupatta getting dislodged at an event in Varuna in Mysuru. As he faced flak, the senior Congress leader later said the incident was accidental, devoid of any mal-intent and that the woman was like his sister. Attacking the Congress over the incident, the BJP said it shows how much the opposition party respects women and demanded that Rahul Gandhi take action against the former Karnataka chief minister. Responding to BJP's criticism, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: "We consider it to be fairly rich when the BJP expresses concern about the rights of women in this country." "A government which spends 65 per cent of the budgetary outlay on Beti Bachao Beti Padhao on just publicity of the programme, I do not think has the moral, or the constitutional, or the political right (to raise such issues). "The acronym stands for MCP to talk about women's empowerment," he said. Tewari, however, said the Congress was of the view that people in public life need to be sensitive about the manner in which they treat colleagues especially if they belong to another gender. The incident which occurred during a public interaction organised by Siddaramaiah, his MLA son Yathindra who represents Varuna assembly constituency, and others, was caught on camera with the video of it going viral. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Monday dubbed as "manufactured controversy" the reports that it had withdrawn invites to former JNU students Kanhaiya Kumar and Shehla Rashid to an event organised by the party's minority cell. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari, when asked about the media reports and BJP's criticism over the the issue, said the AICC Minorities department had organised the event to commemorate the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and it was its prerogative who to invite or not invite. Tewari slammed the reports as "manufactured controversy", without elaborating on whether the invite to Kumar and Rashid was extended and later withdrawn. Responding to a question on the issue, BJP minister Prakash Javadekar said the Congress, which was once a mainstream party, has become a "narrow-minded party" that even the SP and the BSP were not ready to forge an alliance with it. Tewari, while apparently referring to the chargesheet against former JNU student leader Kumar and 9 others, accused of raising anti-India slogans, said a chargesheet is nothing more than the best appreciation of fact and circumstances as understood by the investigative officer. "Indian jurisprudence stands on a very clear footing that you are innocent until conclusively proven guilty and as I am given to understand by newspaper reports that even the court has not taken cognizance of that particular chargesheet," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Monday seized on Union minister Nitin Gadkari's comments that politicians failing to fulfil dreams they sell to people are beaten up by the public to claim that those were aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, even as the BJP asserted that its senior leader was only exposing the opposition party. Speaking at a function in Mumbai on Sunday, Gadkari said politicians who sold dreams to people but failed to make them a reality got "beaten up" by the public. He also asserted that he was a doer and delivered on his promises. Opposition parties claimed that his remarks were aimed at Modi, who was accused by them of making lofty promises to come to power but failing to realise them. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari cited a Hindi proverb -- "kahin pe nigahein, kahin pe nishana" (looking at something, aiming at something else) -- to claim that Gadkari's eyes were on the prime minister's chair and his target was Modi. "I do not think this should surprise anyone. If you see this statement in the context of his (Gadkari's) earlier remarks, in which he had said 'we did not expect to come to power, so we made the promises that came to mind'.... so, if you see these two statements in the proper context, it will be clear who it was aimed at," Tewari told reporters here. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, dismissed such suggestions and said Gadkari, a former party president, was targeting the Congress and "exposing" how the opposition party had damaged the country. Speaking to reporters, Union minister and BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said, "Gadkari was exposing how the Congress has damaged the country and was citing examples of how the country is progressing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi...He delivers impactful speeches to expose the Congress". The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said Gadkari's words reflected the voices within the BJP against the "failure" of the prime minister. Gadkari's recent remarks have often ignited political speculation with rival parties interpreting those as a dig at the BJP leadership. In December last year, Gadkari had said at an event in Pune that leadership should have the tendency to own up defeats and failures. The remarks had come days after the saffron party's dismal show in the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls. As the comments created a controversy, Gadkari had said his statements were twisted and alleged that "there was a sinister campaign by some opposition parties and a section of the media to twist" his comments and "draw politically motivated inferences to malign" him and his party. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has been awarded the best tableau trophy, amongst all government departments, for showcasing the theme of Mahatma Gandhi and women power through its float during the Republic Day parade on January 26. The trophy was handed over by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to the top brass of the paramilitary force, led by Additional Director General Alok Kumar Pateria, at an event held here. "The tableau showcased the multi-dimensional functions of the force and was the reflection of its aspiration, commitment and dedication towards its mandate," a CISF spokesperson said. The force had depicted the armed cover provided by it at Raj Ghat, the 'samadhi' of Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi, in the lead part of the float that passed through the Rajpath last week. CISF personnel, armed with AK series assault rifles, were deployed at Raj Ghat in 2013. The tableau also depicted CISF security cover provided to the Kishanganga hydro-electric project in the security sensitive area of Jammu and Kashmir, security provided to the Red Fort in Delhi, space installations and Indian airports. A bust of a female soldier, with outstretched hands, was also part of the tableau and it was put with an aim to highlight the fact that CISF had the largest percentage of women personnel among all the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) of the country, a senior official said. The CISF float was included in the Republic Day parade after a gap of 11 years, the last being in the year 2007. The about 1.70-lakh personnel strong force is celebrating its golden jubilee this year and is tasked with securing vital installations such as airports and nuclear power installations across the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CID of West Bengal Police Monday arrested another person from the city in connection with his alleged involvement with a Pakistan-based racket that conned people with fake lottery schemes, a senior officer of the agency said. Farhan Khan, a resident of Bihar, was arrested from his Park Circus residence on Monday morning by the Criminal Investigation Department, taking the total number of people arrested by the CID to three, he said. "Farhan worked as an agent of Pakistani racketeers and ran a network of agents to withdraw money from different accounts for onwards transmission of the money," the officer told PTI. "We are trying to find out who else he was connected to in this racket," he said. The state CID had earlier arrested two officials of a Bangladesh-based Pran Beverages (India) Private Ltd - director Rajesh Ghosh and sales administration manager Bidhan Kirtaniya after they were found to have received money from the racket, the officer said. Acting on a suo motu case registered at Egra police station in East Midnapore district on January 13, the CID found that the racket had been duping people in the state as well in other parts of the country. During investigation it was found that money collected from people were sent to Pakistan through hawala channels. The racketeers would call up people via phone or Whatsapp from numbers starting with +92 or 0092 to tell them that they have won a huge amount of money in lottery, which would be transferred to them on payment of processing fees. Soon after the fees were deposited in the bank account, it was withdrawn by agents here in India. They then sent the money to Pakistan after routing it through Dubai, the officer added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One person was killed and eight others were injured as a car carrying a marriage party fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district on Monday, a district official said. The vehicle fell into the gorge at Chatrer village. The deceased has been identified as Ravi, he said, adding the condition of three out of the eight injured is critical and they have been referred to Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC) at Tanda. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Chhattisgarh Police have set up a four-member team to probe the alleged fixing of Antagarh Assembly bypoll held in 2014 during the previous BJP regime in the state, a senior official said here on Monday. The team has been constituted under the supervision of Inspector General (IG) of Police, Raipur Range, the official added. "Complaints pertaining to 'Antagarh tape row' related to withdrawal of Congress candidate during the by-election held for Antagarh Assembly constituency in 2014 were pending for investigation in Raipur and Kanker districts," said an order issued by state Director General of Police (DGP) D M Awasthi. The probe team comprises Raipur Superintendent of Police Neethu Kamal, Raipur Deputy Superintendent of Police Abhishek Maheshwari, Raipur's Telibandha police station house officer Inspector Naresh Patel and Cyber Cell, Police Headquarters, Sub-Inspector Raipur Vikram Dhruv, it said. They will investigate the aforesaid complaints under the supervision of IG, Raipur Range, the order said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, accused the Congress of hatching a conspiracy to prove its "baseless allegations" against the previous saffron party-led government and its leaders, after coming to power. "The internal factionalism within the Congress was exposed after the CD row following which the party was split. The BJP was being dragged into the issue only due to political malice," BJP state spokesman Sachchidanand Upasane told PTI. When the Congress was in opposition, it had levelled several baseless charges on the BJP government and its leaders and now after coming to power, it was trying to prove those allegations by hatching a conspiracy, he alleged. The Congress government has been setting up Special Investigation Teams (SIT) in various incidents that happened during the previous government. "This is nothing but just a conspiracy," Upasane claimed. Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) leader and former MLA Amit Jogi demanded a time-bound investigation into the matter. "I had earlier sought a CBI probe into the CD row. Now I demand that the entire episode be probed by an SIT or any independent agency under the monitoring of a sitting judge of High Court," he said in a statement. In 2015-16, a CD audio tape was leaked which had purported conversations suggesting exchange of money to make Manturam Pawar, the Congress candidate in the 2014 Antagarh Assembly (Kanker district) bypoll, withdraw at the last minute to facilitate the BJP nominee's victory. The tape had triggered a huge political storm in the state. The Antagarh bypoll was won by BJP's Bhojraj Nag. Pawar, who pulled out a day before the last date for withdrawal, was expelled from Congress. The audio tape suggested that his withdrawal was at the behest of the BJP and was facilitated by former chief minister Ajit Jogi. The tape contained several phone conversations purportedly between Ajit Jogi, his son Amit Jogi and then Chief Minister Raman Singh's son-in-law Puneet Gupta, Pawar and former Jogi loyalists Firoz Siddiqui and Ameen Memon, to "fix" the bypoll. The Chhattisgarh Congress led by state president Bhupesh Baghel had then expelled Amit Jogi from the party and also passed a resolution seeking party high command's nod for the termination of his membership. However, the then BJP chief Minister Raman Singh as well as both Amit Jogi and Ajit Jogi had rejected allegations of their involvement in the episode. Later, Ajit Jogi quit the Congress and floated his own outfit Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J). Pawar joined the BJP in March 2015. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Total release foggers, commonly known as "bug bombs," are ineffective at removing cockroaches from indoor environments, and leave behind toxic residue in areas used by humans and pets, according to a study. Bug-bomb chemicals fail to reach places where cockroaches congregate the most -- on the underside of surfaces and inside cabinets, said researchers from the North Carolina State University in the US. Besides leaving behind numerous cockroaches, bug bombs also leave behind nasty toxic residue in the middle of floors and countertops, areas cockroaches generally avoid but which are heavily used by humans and pets, according to the study published in the journal BMC Public Health. "There has been a general assumption that bug bombs work to eliminate cockroaches indoors, but no one had conducted a formal assessment of their efficacy and any exposure risks," said Zachary DeVries, a postdoctoral researcher at North Carolina State University. To understand more about the effectiveness of total release foggers, the researchers tested four different commercially available bug bombs with various insecticide active ingredients in five different apartment complexes with moderate to severe infestations of German cockroaches (Blattella germanica), common indoor household pests. "All the fogger products contained pyrethroids, a class of fast-acting insecticides, and some contained piperonyl butoxide, a chemical that prevents roaches from metabolising, or breaking down, the insecticide," said Coby Schal, a professor at North Carolina State University. After gauging estimates of cockroach populations in 20 homes, the researchers set off the bug bombs, following the labels' instructions to the letter. The researchers then monitored cockroach populations two weeks and one month after the bombs were released and found no declines from the pre-intervention estimates. "The bug-bomb products did absolutely nothing to control cockroach populations in these homes," DeVries said. The researchers treated 10 additional homes with either a commercially available gel bait or a professional-grade gel bait. Gel baits are generally applied in small dabs via syringe, so they can be placed directly in the places where cockroaches hide. In contrast to the bug bombs, these baits were effective, after two and four weeks, in eliminating cockroach populations in the 10 homes. To further test the effectiveness of bug bombs, the researchers placed both roaches raised in the lab and roaches captured in the homes into greased cages -- making them inescapable -- and set the cages on the floor and in upper cabinets of the studied homes during the deployment of the bug bombs. "The lab roaches, which are not hardy, had high mortality, as expected," DeVries said. "The roaches captured in the homes and then brought back, however, had far lower mortality rates than you would expect from direct exposure to bug bombs, confirming the ineffectiveness of these products when used for German cockroach control," DeVries said. The researchers also examined whether bug bombs increased insecticide exposure risks in the homes. Prior to doing that, however, they swabbed floors and kitchen surfaces and found insecticide residue already present. "Baseline levels of insecticides in these homes makes sense, because residents with moderate to severe cockroach infestations are likely to use insecticides to attempt to eliminate roaches," DeVries said. "However, what was most disconcerting was that these swabs were collected from the middle of floors and kitchen surfaces, locations where roaches don't generally congregate," DeVries said. Four to six hours after the bug bombs were deployed, the researchers again swabbed floors, kitchen surfaces, walls and cabinets and found average insecticide residues increased 600 times baseline levels on all horizontal surfaces. One month later, those surfaces were swabbed again; 34 per cent still had higher insecticide residue levels than the baseline. "Bug bombs are not killing cockroaches; they are putting pesticides in places where the cockroaches are not; they are not putting pesticides in places where cockroaches are and they are increasing pesticide levels in the home," DeVries said. "In a cost-benefit analysis, you are getting all costs and no benefits," DeVries said. "This is of particular concern in low-income communities, where bug bombs are frequently used because professional pest control may be too expensive," Schal added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The three-day budget session of the Goa Assembly will begin from Tuesday during which ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will present the financial statement for fiscal 2019-20. Parrikar, 63, who has been suffering from a pancreatic ailment, is likely to present the budget on January 30 and then table the vote-on-account for five months. Assembly Speaker Pramod Sawant said Parrikar would attend the entire three-day session. The chief minister, who was admitted to hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New Delhi and the US in 2018, had chaired the Business Advisory Committee meeting last week. Ever since his discharge from the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi in October last year, he has been recuperating at his private residence in Goa and has also made a few public appearances. Governor Mridula Sinha will address the House on the first day of the session. A Bill amending the Tourist Trade Act, to curb liquor consumption and nuisance in public spaces including beaches, will be tabled in the House. The speaker's office has received total 419 questions for the three-day session, including 137 starred and 282 unstarred questions. It has also received three government Bills for tabling- The Goa Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Amendment) Bill-2019, The Goa Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill-2019 and The Goa Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill-2019. The opposition Congress had earlier demanded that the session should be of at least 10 days, as three days are not enough to discuss many important issues. Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar had last week said their demand was not approved by the BJP-led state government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A tour organised by the BSF for the students of Jammu and Kashmir's remote border areas to various historical and cultural places in the country marked a colourful closing ceremony Monday. The 'Bharat Darshan' tour is organised by the Border Security Force (BSF) as part of the confidence building measures. A group of 40 students, including 22 girls and 18 boys, all from border areas of Jammu region, participated in the tour which was flagged off on January 22, officials said. The Inspector General (IG) BSF, Jammu, N S Jamwal, along with other officials, welcomed the students and interacted with them during the event at the frontier headquarters here. Jamwal asked students to try and bring positive change in the society through experiences they have gained during the tour. The capacity building tour was flagged off by the IG on January 22 during which the students visited places like the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Lal Qilla, Qutub Minar and the India Gate in the national capital. The students also got the opportunity to witness the spectacular Republic Day parade at the Rajpath on Saturday. The BSF sponsored Bharat Darshan tour for the children from Jammu and Kashmir was started in 2001 and till date 660 students have participated in 18 such tours, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bodh Gaya blast in 2018 was carried out in retaliation of alleged atrocities against the Rohingyas in Myanmar and to overawe the Indian government by the terrorist act, according to a supplementary charge sheet filed on Monday in a Patna court by the NIA. It said Bangladesh-based terrorists group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen was responsible for hatching the conspiracy to attack Bodh Gaya temple and other symbols of Buddhist faith. In the charge sheet, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) named six people behind carrying out the attack. One of them is Bangladesh resident Md Jahidul Islam, and the other five are Md Adil Sheikh, Dilwar Hossain, Abdul Karim, Mustafizur Rahman and Arif Hussain from West Bengal, according to a statement issued Monday. The NIA said investigation has revealed that Md Jahidul Islam alias Kausar along with the other accused formed a terrorist gang and hatched a conspiracy to plant IEDs in the Bodh Gaya temple complex and other symbols of Buddhist faith. "The motive was to attack symbols of Buddhism in retaliation to the alleged atrocities committed on the Rohingyas in Myanmar and to overawe the government of India by the terrorist act," it said. Investigations also revealed that the accused Ahmed Ali, Nur Alam, Paigambar Sheikh, Adil Sheikh, Dilwar Hossain, Abdul Karim, Kausar and Mustafizur Rehman travelled to different places in south India, including Hyderabad and Chennai, where the conspiracy to target Bodh Gaya and other Buddhist places of worship was hatched, the NIA said. "In furtherance of the conspiracy, the accused persons contacted and assembled at various places, took hideouts at Jehanabad and Masaurhi, recceed Bodh Gaya temple complex, procured the explosives and other materials for fabrication of the IEDs," it said. According to the statement, Jahidul Islam fabricated three improvised explosive device (IED) and two hand grenades. CCTV footage of the Bodh Gaya temple complex along with evidences collected during the probe established that Adil Sheikh, Dilwar Hossain and Arif Hussain planted the IEDs in and around the premises of the Mahabodhi temple complex in Bodh Gaya on January 19, 2018, to cause loss of life and property during the auspicious presence of Dalai Lama and also during the visit of the Governor of Bihar and thus committed a terrorist act, it said. Dilwar Hossain also put one of the IEDs (hand grenades) in the cistern of a public toilet near Kalchakra maidan which was later recovered, the NIA said. Investigation also established that the accused used fake and assumed names for travel and for renting hideouts, and used protected text for communication to conceal their real identities. The designs of the conspiracy to wage war against the government, it said. The probe agency said that investigation also brought out that Jahidul Islam is a Bangladeshi fugitive who was staying in India without any legal documents and used different fake IDs. It has been revealed that after committing the act of terror, the accused escaped and were hiding in various locations in and around Bengaluru and other places. "The accused persons also committed a number of dacoities in and around Bengaluru in order to raise funds for their criminal activities. Accused Arif Hussain is still absconding and investigation against him continues," the NIA said. A charge sheet was filed earlier against three accused Paigambar Sheikh, Ahmad Ali and Nur Alam in the NIA special court, Patna, on September 27, 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after his "the hand that touches a Hindu girl" should be eliminated remark, Union minister Ananth Kumar Hegde on Monday called the Karnataka Congress chief "a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady", eliciting a retort from Congress president Rahul Gandhi who said the BJP leader was "unfit" to be a minister and should be sacked. Hegde attacked Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao, whose wife is a Muslim, after he criticised the minister for the provocative statement and questioned him about his achievements. During a meeting of Hindu Jagaran Vedike - a youth organisation of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Hegde had said, "If a hand has touched a Hindu girl, then that hand must not exist." Condemning Hegde's remark, Rao tweeted "What are your contributions for Karnataka's development? All I can say for sure, its deplorable that such people have become ministers and have managed to get elected as MPs." In a counter-attack on twitter, Hegde said,"I shall definitely answer this guy "@dineshgrao's queries, before which could he please reveal himself as to who he is along with his achievements? I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady."Reacting to the Hegde's remarks, Gandhi said, "This man is an embarrassment to every Indian. He's unfit to be a Union Minister and deserves to be sacked."Rao also slammed Hegde for his remarks, saying he has stooped to such "low levels so as to bring in personal issues". "Guess its his lack of culture. Guess he hasn't learnt from our Hindu scriptures. Time hasn't run out, he can still try and become a more dignified human," Rao tweeted. Reacting sharply for being drawn into the controversy, Rao's wife, Tabu said,"such misogynistic and provocative remarks are highly unbecoming of a Union minister." "Yes, I was born a Muslim, but we are proud Indians first. The Constitution of India which is built on the foundation of secularism guarantees every individual "Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship," she said in a Facebook post. "I have never made any personal remarks against any BJP leader and I strongly resent them using me as a pawn in their cheap If they have the courage, they should challenge my husband politically instead of hiding behind a housewife's saree and throwing stones," she added. Condemning Hegde's statement at Madikeri, former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysuru that the electorate has to decide whether Hegde was eligible to be a minister or not. "Is he (Hegde) eligible to be a minister, who calls upon people to chop of hands and commit murder? Siddaramaiah asked. Karnataka Home Minister M B Patil told reporters in Mangaluru that the Union minister has the habit of making such speeches to "incite communal passions". Hegde does not deserve to sit in Parliament as he has no regard for Parliament or the Constitution, Patil said "He had earlier even gone to the extent of saying that the Constitution should be changed. All these statements are made to create a communally charged up situation," he said. Patil said Hegde would have to bear the brunt of his controversial statements in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as the people would act against him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP Monday took a dig at the Congress and its chief Rahul Gandhi against the backdrop of the inauguration of a 5.1 kilometre long cable-stayed bridge, christened Atal Setu, on the Mandovi River. Hitting back, the opposition party said Rahul Gandhi will visit the bridge after becoming Prime Minister in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Earlier in the day, the BJP "requested" Gandhi to "visit" the bridge, named after late BJP patriarch and former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to see how the ruling party was "transforming" India. Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were in Goa since last Saturday on a private visit. The cable-stayed bridge, the third on the Mandovi River, was opened to public on Sunday at a function attended by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. Tweeting from its official handle Monday, the BJP said, "Dear Shri @RahulGandhi, We have come to learn that you are currently on a vacation in Goa. We request you along with all Congress MLAs to visit the Atal Setu, the 3rd longest cable stayed-bridge in india over river mandovi and witness how @BJP4India is #TransformingIndia." All Congress MLAs in the state, except Aleixo Reginaldo from Curtorim, had boycotted the bridge inauguration ceremony alleging corruption in its construction. Congress' Goa unit president Girish Chodankar said the BJP inaugurated the "incomplete" bridge knowing well that they are going to lose the general elections, due in April-May. "The bridge was inaugurated despite it being incomplete, as the BJP knows that they will get defeated in the polls," Chodankar said, adding that Rahul Gandhi will "certainly visit the bridge as a PM after the polls". The Congress leader said the bridge was not open for vehicles because its work is not complete yet. Seeking to know the "real owner" of the bridge, Chodankar said, "the government claims the bridge is handed over to the state-run Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC), but workers of contractor L&T are still seen working on the project". The cable-stayed bridge is a joint venture between Larsen &Toubro and the GSIDC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court Monday agreed to hear in April the Centre's plea seeking Rs 7,844 crore as additional fund from the successor firms of US-based Union Carbide Corporation, now owned by Dow Chemicals, for giving compensation to victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said it would hear the central government's curative petition for enhanced compensation for the victims in April. The Centre is seeking a direction to Union Carbide and other firms for Rs 7,844 crore additional amount over and above the earlier settlement amount of USD 470 million for paying compensation to the gas tragedy victims. Over 3,000 people had died in the tragedy due to release of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. The Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) gave a compensation of USD 470 million (Rs 715 crore) after the toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide factory on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, killed over 3,000 people and affected 1.02 lakh others. The survivors of the 1984 tragedy have been fighting for long for adequate compensation and proper medical treatment for ailments caused by the toxic leak. The families of the deceased and people who bore the brunt of the industrial disaster were planning to sign a petition, to be sent to the Supreme Court, requesting it to start hearing a curative petition of the government filed in December 2010 for more compensation. The victims of the "world's worst disaster" had not been paid adequately by US-based UCC now owned by Dow Chemicals, Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vishwas Sarang had told PTI. On June 7, 2010, a Bhopal court had convicted seven executives of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) to two years' imprisonment in connection with the incident. Then UCC chairman, Warren Anderson was the prime accused in the case but did not appear for the trial. On February 1, 1992, the Bhopal CJM court declared him an absconder. The courts in Bhopal had issued non-bailable warrants against Anderson twice -- in 1992 and 2009. Anderson died in September, 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Monday agreed to hear in April the Centre's plea seeking Rs 7,844 crore as an additional fund from the successor firms of Union Carbide for giving compensation to the victims of the 1984 Gas Tragedy. A bench comprising and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said it would hear the central government's curative petition for enhanced compensation for the victims in April. The Centre is seeking a direction to Union Carbide and other firms for Rs 7,844 crore additional amount over and above the earlier settlement amount of $470 million for paying compensation to the gas tragedy victims. Over 3,000 people had died in the tragedy due to release of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. Bahrain's supreme court, whose verdicts are final, on Monday upheld a life term for Shiite opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman for spying for Gulf rival Qatar, a judicial source said. Salman, who headed the Shiite Al-Wefaq group, was convicted in November of "communicating with Qatari officials... to overthrow constitutional order", a ruling rights groups have called a travesty. Salman's aides Ali al-Aswad and Hassan Sultan, who had been sentenced to life in absentia, also lost their right to appeal. Both men are former MPs and currently reside outside of Bahrain. Qatar has repeatedly denied accusations of conspiring against Bahrain with Salman. Bahrain and Qatar have been locked in a bitter regional dispute since June 2017, when a Saudi-led boycott of Doha was enforced over allegations it was cosying up to regional arch-rival Iran and supporting radical Islamist groups. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates banned their citizens from travel to Qatar. Ruled for more than two centuries by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty, Bahrain has been hit by waves of unrest since 2011, when security forces crushed Shiite-led protests demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister. Bahrain's two main opposition groups -- Al-Wefaq and the secular Waad -- are prohibited from representation in parliament. Bahraini authorities accuse Shiite Iran of provoking unrest in the kingdom. Tehran denies the allegation. Human rights groups have frequently said cases against activists in Bahrain -- men and women, religious and secular -- fail to meet the basic standards of fair trials. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday disapprove of the slow pace of hearing on the Ayodhya title suit in the Supreme Court, and appealed to it for an "expeditious decision" as had been done in the matters related to adultery and Sabarimala temple. Prasad qualified his views with the remark that he spoke as a citizen and not as the law minister. His remarks came a day after the Supreme Court Sunday cancelled the January 29 hearing in the politically sensitive Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case as one member of the five-judge Constitution bench would not be available. Prasad cited examples of expeditious decisions on the entry of women into Sabrimala temple in Kerala, the adultery law, social and cultural activists being dubbed urban Naxals and the late-night intervention in the political turmoil in Karnataka that went in favour of the post-poll Congress-JD(S) alliance, and wondered why the apex court could not come out with a mechanism to decide the Ayodhya petition. "It is the wish of the people of the country that a Ram temple be built at Ayodhya. Our Prime Minister and our party president have also made it clear that this will take place within the constitutional framework," Prasad told reporters here. "However, I would like to add something as a citizen of this country and not as the law minister. This matter has been pending for 70 years. It took 60 years for the Allahabad High Court to come out with its verdict on the title suit and the appeal against the same has been pending before the Supreme Court for 10 years," Prasad, who was the counsel for one of the petitioners in the High Court, said. "The Supreme Court has in many cases that it deems important come up with expeditious decisions. It was seen in the case of Sabrimala, adultery, urban Maoists and Karnataka. I would urge the apex court to do something similar for Ayodhya," Prasad added. The remarks come in the backdrop of many BJP leaders, most notably Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, openly expressing dissatisfaction with the tardy pace at which the matter is being dealt with at the Supreme Court. While hardliners in the Sangh Parivar have been maintaining that matters of faith could not be decided by a court of law and pressing for an ordinance or an Act of Parliament to facilitate construction of temple at the disputed site, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ruled out the possibility of taking the legislative route until the Supreme Court came out with its verdict on the vexed issue. Opponents of the BJP, as also allies like Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, have, however, expressed disapproval of the saffron party raking up the dispute ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australia "recognises and supports" Venezuela's National Assembly head Juan Guaido as interim leader, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Monday, following similar endorsements from the United States and Canada. "Australia recognises and supports the President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, in assuming the position of interim president... until elections are held," Payne said in a statement. She called for a "transition to democracy in Venezuela as soon as possible". "We now urge all parties to work constructively towards a peaceful resolution of the situation, including a return to democracy, respect for the rule of law and upholding of human rights of the Venezuelan people," Payne added. There have been mass protests in Venezuela against President Nicolas Maduro amid a severe economic and political crisis. Canberra's decision follows declarations on Saturday by Spain, Britain, France, the Netherlands and Germany that said they would recognise Guaido as interim president unless Maduro calls elections within eight days. Maduro on Sunday rejected the European ultimatum. Guaido proclaimed himself acting president of the South American nation Wednesday at a mass opposition rally, and called for the military to turn against Maduro's leftist government. The military has so far backed the regime, which came into power more than two decades ago led by the late Hugo Chavez. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia on Monday urged all the non-Congress and non-BJP members in the Rajya Sabha to prevent the passage of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. In a letter to the Upper House parliamentarians, the senior Congress leader said people in the north-east were opposed to the bill as they feared for their "land, language, political authority and indigenous identity". "In this hour of crisis, we must take a cue from the chief ministers of Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur, who opposed the bill in the interest of their respective states. The future of the indigenous people of the north-east is at stake, we must rise above and take a united stand against the bill," he said. The bill, passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to those Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Christians and Parsees who fled religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and entered India before December 31, 2014. Soon after it was introduced in the Lower House, the Congress had argued that it did not address the Assam Accord and requested the speaker to refer it to a select committee. As the speaker refused to accept the demand, the Congress members had staged a walkout. Saikia, in his letter, said the fate of the indigenous people in Tripura due to the illegal immigration of Bengali-speaking Hindus from Bangladesh "has not gone unnoticed" in other parts of the region. The legislation, if passed, would render the March 24, 1971 cut-off date stipulated in the Assam Accord of 1985 for detection and deportation of illegal migrants obsolete, he maintained. "This unconstitutional and communal bill seeks to nullify the safeguards of detecting and deporting illegal migrants from Assam, irrespective of religion or language," Saikia said in his letter, a copy of which is with the PTI. It was a universally accepted fact that Assam, in particular, had borne the brunt of the massive illegal influx of Muslim and Hindu migrants from erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), the Congress leader said. "In its 2016 'vision document' before the Assembly election, the BJP had promised to implement the Assam Accord in letter and spirit. This shameless volte-face by the BJP should not be tolerated," he added. On January 22, Saikia had written to all the non-Congress Rajya Sabha MPs in the north-east, requesting them to join hands in their fight against the legislation. He said a united Opposition had prevented the passage of the legislation in the Rajya Sabha during the recently-concluded Parliament session, but the "danger was not over as yet". "The NDA government is set to try and get the bill passed in the Rajya Sabha in the next session, which will be the last sitting before the general election. "I would, therefore, personally like to request you (MPs) to join hands with other Rajya Sabha members to prevent the bill from becoming an Act during the next session of the House of Elders," Saikia added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Pakistani lawyer, who fled to the Netherlands after receiving death threats for defending a Christian woman on blasphemy charges, has returned home, according to a media report. Saiful Malook returned to the country on Saturday ahead of a Supreme Court hearing on January 29 to decide whether to allow an appeal against Asia Bibi's acquittal on blasphemy charges, The Express Tribune reported. Malook went to the Netherlands last year due to "security concerns" when violence broke out soon after Bibi's acquittal. On returning, he told the paper that he would represent Bibi in the Supreme Court. "I want to make it clear that I intend to permanently stay in Pakistan but there are still security concerns," he said. Malook also appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to provide him security in view of the threats he had received. Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, who is now in protective custody, was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. She always maintained her innocence, but spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement. She challenged the verdict in October 2014 in the Lahore High Court which upheld the death sentence. The apex court's decision to acquit her had sparked three-day-long mass protests led by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The protests were called off after the religio-political party reached an agreement with the government, the foremost condition of which was the placement of Bibi's name on the Exit Control List. The government, however, had only agreed to "initiate the legal process" to place her name on the list, while also agreeing that it would not oppose any review petitions being filed against the court judgement. After her release from Multan's women prison on November 7, Bibi was flown to Islamabad onboard a special aircraft. She was then taken to an undisclosed place amid tight security. Authorities have remained tight-lipped about her movement and whereabouts for security reasons. Her case has been deeply divisive in Pakistan where there is strong support for the controversial blasphemy laws. The blasphemy laws were promulgated by former military dictator Ziaul Haq in 1980s. A person convicted under these laws is given death sentence. Bibi was accused of committing blasphemy in 2009. She was convicted in 2010 by the trial court and her death sentence was maintained by the Lahore High Court in 2014. Her case gained prominence when former governor of Pakistan's Punjab province Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 for supporting her and criticising the blasphemy laws. A month after Taseer was killed, Pakistan's religious minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who spoke out against the blasphemy law, was shot dead in Islamabad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Arunchal Pradesh lawmaker Nyamar Karbak has lodged a complaint at Itanagar police station here alleging circulation of a fake document in the social media in his name, police said on Monday. Karbak is the BJP MLA from Liromoba assembly seat in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The alleged bogus document which is in the social media, particularly WhatsApp, claims that Karbak has declared his support to the opposition party. In a complaint to the officer in-charge of Itanagar police station on Sunday, Karbak alleged that a fake document with his forged signature is being circulated in the social media since January 26. It contained "defamatory and untrue facts" which might create political differences between him, his political party - the BJP and his superiors, the complaint said. "The document is totally unknown to me and it seems that some person(s) with vested interest are intentionally trying to tarnish my political image and create confusion in the minds of the people," he said in the complaint. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Army soldier was injured on Monday in a mine blast along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said. During patrolling of the borderline, a mine exploded in Mendhar sector, resulting in injuries to the soldier, they said. He was taken to a hospital where his condition was stable, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The has decided to shift the venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in North 24 Parganas' Thakurnagar, as the site where it was scheduled to be held has been booked by the The ground, where Modi was supposed to address the mega gathering on February 2, has been booked by Mamata Banerjee's party for a week-long religious programme. According to leaders, the venue was also not big enough and did not meet the security requirements. "We will organise the rally on February 2 at Thakurnagar but the land or the venue where we were supposed to organise it has been changed and it has been shifted to another a nearby ground," state president Dilip Ghosh told PTI. "It has been done mainly due to two reasons -- the new ground is much bigger than the previous one and secondly TMC had already booked the previous venue for religious programme. So we didn't want to take any risk," he said. The Special Protection Group, which guards the prime minister, was also not happy with the previous venue as it did not meet the security requirements, Ghosh said. The BJP-aligned faction of All India Matua Mahasangha is organising the rally. Modi's proposed rally is of immense political significance as the area is known as the hub of Matua community and is near the house of its matriarch Binapani Debi. Matuas with an estimated population of three million in Bengal exhorts influence in at least five Lok Sabha seats in North and South 24 Parganas districts. The community originally hails from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Matuas started migrating to West Bengal beginning 1950s, mostly due to religious persecution there. Ghosh alleged, "Whenever we try to organise any rally, the TMC tries to create hurdles. This time too there has been no difference. So we decided not to take any chance." The denied the charge and called the allegation "baseless". "The allegation is baseless. We had obtained police permission for using microphone on the ground for our religious fair between January 28 and February 5 long time back," said MP Mamata Thakur, who heads a faction of the Matua Mahasangha. According to BJP sources, this will be one of the areas where the saffron brigade will campaign about the Citizenship Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8. The Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslims who fled religious persecution from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and entered India before December 31, 2014. Union minister Hegde Monday referred to Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao as 'a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady', a day after he courted controversy over his remarks that 'the hand that touches a Hindu girl's body should not be there.' The minister's barb targeted the Congress leader, whose wife is Tabassum Rao. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has also slammed Hegde for his controversial remarks about the Congress leader's wife, saying he is "unfit" to be a Union minister and deserves to be sacked. Gundu Rao had taken a potshot at Hegde for his reported comment at an event at Madikeri Sunday that the hand that touches a Hindu girl's body should not be there He asked the (Hindu) community to be writers of history and not just its readers. In response, Gundu Rao tweeted, "Wht are ur achievements after becoming a Union Minister or as MP? Wht are ur contributions for Karnatakas development? All I can say for sure,its deplorable tht such people have become ministers & have managed to get elected as MPs." Hitting back at Rao, Hegde said "I shall definitely answer this guy "@dineshgrao's queries, before which could he please reveal himself as to who he is along with his achievements? I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady." Rao said, Sad to see "@AnantkumarH stoop to such low levels as to bring in personal issues. Guess its his lack of culture. Guess he hasn't learnt from our Hindu scriptures. Time hasn't run out, he can still try and become a more dignified human." Condemning Hegdes statement at Madikeri, Siddaramaiah Monday told reporters in Mysuru that the electorate has to decide whether Hegde was eligible to be a minister or not. "Is he (Hegde) eligible to be a minister, who calls upon people to chop of hands and commit murder? Siddaramaiah asked. Reacting to Hegde's remarks, Karnataka Home Minister M B Patil told reporters at Mangaluru that the union minister has the habit of making such speeches to 'incite communal passions.' Patil said Hegde does not deserve to sit in Parliament as he has no regard for Parliament or the Constitution. "He had earlier even gone to the extent of saying that the Constitution should be changed. All these statements are made to create a communally charged up situation," Patil said. Patil said Hegde would have to bear the brunt of his controversial statements in the coming Lok Sabha elections as the people would react against him. The Home Minister was in Mangaluru en route to Puttur to attend a programme. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Monday the Taliban should "enter serious talks" with his government, after the insurgents and Washington both touted progress during unprecedented negotiations in Qatar last week. A months-long diplomatic push by the United States to get the Taliban to talk to Kabul culminated in six days of meetings between the US and the insurgents in Doha, but the Taliban have long refused to negotiate with the Afghan government to end the 17-year conflict, branding them as "puppets". "I call on the Taliban to... show their Afghan will, and accept Afghans' demand for peace, and enter serious talks with the Afghan government," Ghani said in a nationally televised address from the presidential palace in Kabul. Both the Taliban and the US cited "progress" over the weekend as hopes rise that the length of the negotiations could mean a deal may be in sight which paves the way for Afghan talks. Sticking points remain, with topics including a ceasefire and a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops, as well as a prisoner exchange and a guarantee not to allow militant safe havens in Afghanistan believed to have been on the agenda. US President Donald Trump's clear eagerness to end America's longest war has also weighed heavy on the discussions. But Afghan authorities have previously complained of being excluded from the talks in Qatar, and warned that any deal between the US and the Taliban would require Kabul's endorsement. "We want peace, we want it fast but we want it with a plan," Ghani said in his address Monday. "We should not forget that the victims of this war are Afghans and the peace process should also be Afghan-led... No Afghan wants foreign troops to remain in their country indefinitely. No Afghan wants to face suicide attacks in hospitals, schools, the mosques, and parks." Ghani spoke hours after his office said it has been reassured by Washington that the talks in Qatar remain geared towards bringing the insurgents to the table with Kabul. US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad -- who has been leading the negotiations -- arrived in Afghanistan late Sunday to update officials including Ghani on the progress made. "The US insisted in their talks with the Taliban that the only solution for lasting peace in Afghanistan is intra-Afghan talks," Khalilzad said, according to a statement released by Ghani's office. "My role is to facilitate" such talks between the insurgents and Kabul, Khalilzad said according to Ghani, adding that the discussions are ongoing. The palace said Khalilzad also confirmed that no agreement had been made on the withdrawal of foreign troops, adding that any such decision would be coordinated and discussed in detail with the Afghan government. The Taliban have insisted foreign troops must pull out. On Saturday Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that until a withdrawal timetable is decided progress on other issues is "impossible". The palace's statement said Khalilzad denied reports that the issue of an interim government had been raised, saying that was "absolutely wrong" and there had been no discussions with the Taliban about any future government in Kabul. He also confirmed there had been no progress on the issue of a ceasefire. Afghans have expressed tentative hopes about the talks tempered by fears of an American exit, with Afghan security forces taking staggering losses, the government facing election upheaval, and civilians paying a disproportionate price after nearly two decades of bloodshed. The Taliban and US officials have agreed to continue negotiations, though no date has been publicly announced. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- Leading publishing house, Kalamos Literary Services LLP, releases her first travel fiction titled 'Ghoomophiro- Travel bringing families together' globally Himadri Garg is a travel influencer and heads a digital agency. She writes her travel musings on Ghoomophiro and showcase her photography skills in an annual exhibition 'Shades of India'. India's leading adventure travel influencer, Himadri Garg released her first fiction novel 'Ghoomophiro- Travel bringing families together' at the World Book Fair held at New Delhi. The book is a travel fiction that revolves around the lives of two sisters Nitika and Kritika and their exciting and much-awaited trip with their family. Both of them are travellers and during this trip, they discuss everything about their travel tales. The book has been published by New Delhi based publishing house, Kalamos Literary Services LLP. Himadri Garg is a travel photographer who started her travel journey with her sister Prachi Garg in early 2007. In the past 12 years, the two sisters have travelled to the most remote and unexplored parts of the country. In the year 2010 she decided to take her passion to the next level with her sister Prachi Garg to help other solo women also chase their travel dreams. This eventually lead to the birth of their travel startup http://www.ghoomophiro.com . They have been featured across leading outlets including CNN, Tripoto, SBS, Holidify. Commenting on the launch of her book, Himadri Garg says, "As a kid we have always travelled as a family and I cherish the times that we spent with our family during those travels. Till date, we have an yearly travel family affair to the places with minimum network connectivity so that as a family we can spend quality time. The idea of writing this book was to encourage people to travel." Her book 'Ghoomophiro- Travel bringing families together' is inspired by her travel experiences along with her sister. The novel evolves around two sisters Nitika and Kritika who are extremely fond of travelling and plan to celebrate their 25th travel anniversary with their complete family. The book is a conversation between two sisters and the family who are curious about their experiences and different aspects of travel. With its vivid descriptions, uplifting adventures, the book narrates the tale of a journey that everyone can live with, relate to and inspire anyone to pack their bags and explore the world outside. The book is priced at Rs. 199 and is available on Amazon, Flipkart, and other major bookstores. An MBA graduate in Advertising & Marketing Communication from Symbiosis International University, Himadri is an evangelist for 'Solo Women Travel'. To promote women traveling, she does her annual solo photo exhibition at Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi which was a unique and one of its kind exhibition that showcased pictures from her travel. Himadri has represented India at 'Zafigox 2018' an event for women to learn, discover, be inspired, and meet other bold, adventurous, and extraordinary women. The event held in Malaysia last year. Himadri is one of the country's leading adventure travel influencer and has received numerous awards for travel achievements. The 'GhoomoPhiro Sisters' Himadri Garg and Prachi Garg are dedicated to showcase India's amazing scenery and empower women to travel alone, without their families. They customize itinerary for solo and group women travellers to suit their requirement, budget and comfort levels. Their startup also organizes team outings and team building activities for women. They partner with various tourism boards to showcase the beauty of the place via Ghoomophiro.com. More information on the book: http://bit.ly/ghoomophiro Instagram: @himadri Twitter: @himadrigarg Facebook: @ghoomophiroCompany Website: http://www.ghoomophiro.comEmail: himadrigarg@live. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party chief and Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar Monday accused Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of "misleading" the country on the Ram temple issue. The BJP has its governments at the state and the Centre "who has stopped them from building the temple", he said. Referring to the chief minister's claim during an interview to a channel that the temple issue can be resolved in 24 hours, Rajbhar told reporters: "BJP which is in power at the centre has not been able to find a solution to Ram temple issue in the past five years...what will the chief minister do in 24 hours." "... The party is in power both at the Centre as well as state..who has stopped them from building the temple. Adityanath is misleading the country on the issue," he said. During the interview, Adityanath had reportedly asked the court to give its verdict soon "or else hand over the issue to us and we will resolve the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute within 24 hours. We won't take 25 hours." To a question on the candidature of Congress president Rahul Gandhi for the post of prime minister, Rajbhar said he (Rahul) is suitable for the post but in a democratic set up it is the public which is supreme. "Every body has qualities and Rahul too has them ...the manner in which the present Central government is being run, Rahul will also run it like this," he said. On the electoral fortunes of the Congress with the entry of Priyanka Gandhi into active politics, Rajbhar said time will tell how much impact she will have on the vote percentage of the party but her coming has charged the Congress workers. Rajbhar reiterated that February 24 will be the last day of his party's alliance with the BJP which has betrayed the backward communities. "The backward and the deprived sections will support the BSP-SP combine in the coming Lok Sabha elections," he added. Rajbhar is minister for Backward Classes Welfare and Department of Disabled People development in the UP government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) Monday staged 'black flag' protests across Assam against the alleged attack on its members by BJP workers in Nalbari district on Sunday. The organisation would continue with the protest on Wednesday when its members block National highways across the state for an hour from 12 noon, AASU Chief Advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya said. Effigies of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state BJP president Ranjit Dass were also burnt across the state on Monday. BJP workers had allegedly attacked AASU activists at Ghograpar in Nalbari district when members of the students' body were protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. The BJP had arranged a motorbike rally to escort the health minister and Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary who had gone there for the inauguration of a hospital by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The AASU alleged that its members were allegedly stopped and attacked by the BJP workers with stones. The police took three AASU members in custody and they were again attacked by the BJP activists at Ghograpar police station, Bhattacharya alleged. "The state government is trying to suppress the movement against the Bill by resorting to such blatant misuse of power. The police are working as an agent of the BJP and the RSS and are being used by the government," he added. "We will not tolerate such high-handed attitude of the government and if this continues, we will intensify our agitation," he said. The protest against the Bill will continue as the identity of the indigenous population is being threatened, Bhattacharya said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least four Burkinabe soldiers were killed Monday when gunmen raided a military base in the north, security sources said, a day after 10 people died in a separate attack in the same region. The pre-dawn attack saw heavily-armed gunmen ambush a base in Nassoumbou in Soum province which flanks the Malian border, with one security source saying they used rockets. "Heavily-armed and unidentified individuals attacked the GFSN military base in Nassoumbou at around 4:00 am. Four members of the defence and security forces were killed and four others were injured," a security source told AFP. The GFSN is a military force which is engaged in anti-terror operations in Burkina Faso's restive north. "The attackers... arrived on motorbikes and also fired rockets at the base" which caught fire, a second security source told AFP, saying they fled towards the Malian border, which lies just 30 kilometres (18 miles) away. Nassoumbou was also targeted in November when two soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb. But the worst attack on the base was just over two years ago in December 2016 when gunmen staged a deadly raid in which at least 12 soldiers were killed. Monday's attack came just 36 hours after gunmen raided Sikire, a village about 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the east, killing 10 people when they opened fire on local residents. Burkina Faso lies in the heart of the vast Sahel region, which is struggling with a bloody insurgency by Islamist extremists. The region turned into a hotbed of violence and lawlessness after chaos engulfed Libya in 2011. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The year 2018 was momentous for India-China relations during which the bilateral ties witnessed an all-round expansion covering political and economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and defence interactions, India's envoy to China, Vikram Misri, said Monday. Highlighting last year's Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Misri in his address at the reception to celebrate India's 70th Republic Day here listed a host of high level official visits that took place between the two countries. "The year just gone by was a truly momentous one for India-China relations. The Wuhan Informal Summit between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping in April marked an important milestone in our closer development partnership and was the high point during the year," he said. Modi and Xi met at Wuhan in April 27-28 last year in the first informal summit between the two leaders. It was conceived by both sides following the 2017 military standoff at Doklam which ratchet up tensions between the two countries. Since the summit, the two countries steadily normalised relations with intensified dialogue on various fronts including the military and trade. Misri said the year 2018 also witnessed an all-round expansion in the ties between the two neighbours, covering political and economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and defence interactions. India's trade and economic ties with China also witnessed steady growth, with three commercial protocols being signed in the last eight months, he said, adding that in 2019, India is looking forward to sustain the momentum of the robust bilateral ties with China and further deepen the cultural connect between the two ancient civilisations. At a high-level meeting held in Delhi in December last year, 10 focus areas -- tourism, sports, yoga, traditional medicine, film and television, museums, education, culture, youth and provincial-level exchanges -- were identified to further the ties between India and China, the envoy said. Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Hanhui and several military officials and diplomats from other nations attended the reception. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two alleged jewel thieves with cases against their names in several states in the country were recently arrested from Ghatkopar in neighbouring Mumbai, a Thane police official said Monday. They were wanted by police for a chain-snatching case that took place in Kalwa here on December 28 last year, said Thane Crime Branch senior inspector Nitin Thackeray. Acting on a tip-off that the duo were hiding in a flat in Ghatkopar meant for rehabilitated slum-dwellers, a Thane police team raided the place and nabbed the duo last week, Thackeray said. He identified them as Ghulam Abbas Shaikh (45) of Ghatkopar and Bhopal-resident Virendra Singh Rajput (27) and said they stole from jewellery shops after diverting the attention of the staff there. "They have cases against their names in various states including Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Our probe shows they are involved in at least 10 crimes leading to theft of over 2 kilogrammes of gold and 9 gram diamonds," he said. Investigating officer Aviraj Kurhade said the total value of jewellery stolen by then duo might be between Rs 70-80 lakh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Atleast 14 school children were injured, three of them seriously, when their school bus fell into a culvert in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh Monday. The seriously injured students have been shifted to the Government General Hospital in Guntur for better treatment, according to the local Sub-Divisional Police Officer. An official release here said the bus was carrying about 50 students belonging to a private school and was on its way to Macherla town when it lost control and fell into a culvert on a rivulet. Driver of the school tried to avoid another vehicle coming in the opposite direction and steered to the extreme right, leading to the accident. The injured students were first rushed to the Government Hospital in Macherla town. Macherla MLA P Ramakrishna Reddy visited the hospital and consoled the students parents. The three students who sustained major wounds were later shifted to Guntur, according to the SDPO. "Their condition is fine and they are recovering. There is no cause for concern," he added. State Tribal Welfare Minister Kidari Sravan Kumar spoke to the Guntur district health authorities and enquired about the students' condition. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Air India has started serving food stocked from India on 11 return flights from eight foreign cities, and it plans to save around Rs 49 crore annually through this measure, a senior official said Monday. The 11 return flights are Copenhagen-Delhi, Stockholm-Delhi, Birmingham-Amritsar, Birmingham-Delhi, Vienna-Delhi, Madrid-Delhi, Singapore-Delhi, Singapore-Mumbai, Bangkok-Delhi, Bangkok-Mumbai and Shanghai-Delhi, the Air India official told PTI. "When the aircraft departs from here (India), the food is stocked in chillers to keep it fresh. So, when the aircraft is returning from a foreign city to an Indian city, this food is served to customers," the official said, assuring that it remains "fresh and tasty". "According to our estimates, we will be able to save Rs 48.97 crore annually on catering costs on these 11 return flights," the official said, adding that the national carrier is planning to replicate the measure on "all flights where it is feasible to do 'return catering'". Air India spends around Rs 600 crore to Rs 800 crore annually on catering costs and it plans to cut down on this expenditure. The official told PTI that according to the airline's estimates, it would be able to save Rs 17 crore per year through "return catering" on Stockholm-Delhi and Copenhagen-Delhi routes. "Through 'return catering', we will be able to save Rs 19 crore on Singapore-Bombay and Singapore-Delhi flights. On Shanghai-Delhi flight, we will save Rs 1.94 crore per year. On Vienna to Delhi flight, we will save Rs 4.38 crore per year," the official said. "On Birmingham-Delhi and Birmingham-Mumbai flights, we plan to save Rs 4.17 crore. On Bangkok-Delhi and Bangkok-Mumbai flights, around Rs 1.87 crore will be saved," he said. However, on Madrid-Delhi flight, the airline is estimated to save only Rs 61 lakh annually through "return catering". Air India did not respond to the queries sent by PTI. On January 9, Air India's Chairman and Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola had announced that the airline had started carrying food from India for use during the return journey, in an attempt to rationalise catering costs on international flights. "The food is taken from here in India in chillers and then it is heated whenever it has to be used...Catering costs for us are around Rs 600 crore to Rs 800 crore a year. Catering in India is 3-4 times cheaper as compared to catering in the West," he had said on January 9. On January 12, Air India issued a statement on Twitter clarifying that any misgiving about the in-flight food is "unfounded" as it stays fresh in chillers on-board. The airline said that it "ensures strict compliance to quality checks at every step of its in-flight catering right from its flight kitchen". Air India is estimated to have a debt burden of more than Rs 48,000 crore and the government's efforts for strategic disinvestment of the flag carrier failed in May last year. It has been making losses since the merger with Indian Airlines in 2007. High interest burden, increasing competition, high airport user charges, adverse impact of exchange rate variation and liberalised bilaterals to foreign carriers leading to excess capacity in the market are among the reasons for the losses, according to the civil aviation ministry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A session titled "Beginnings and Endings" at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) featured award-winning writers sharing profound insights on the craft of short-story writing and the importance of the beginning and the ending, along with their personal process of crafting stories. Author and moderator Paul McVeigh began the discussion on the concluding day of the fest by asking the panellists about the beginnings of their stories. "I'm not good at beginnings," said Pulitzer-winning author Andrew Sean Greer. For him, "the beginning must have some kind of mystery." The beginning could often give away the entire story without readers realising it, he quipped. For author and novelist Anjum Hassan, "the story is a glimpse of something." She said she attempts to capture the style in the first paragraph, rather than focusing on conveying information. Often, what serves as the beginning of the writing process is a "conversation in a bus or a face. Some of the things you dream about become responsibilities, she added. It's an "impulse" that gets her to write, rather than a plot, she shared. Jayanth Kaikini, noted Kannada writer and winner of the DSC Prize, conceives of the short story as "a mode of thought, a mode of knowing." He said he explores the story only as he begins to write, starting out with a blank page in front of him. "I can see physically a place, a context," he said. "It's like fishing," waiting for the story to be caught on paper. Writer Mahesh Raodis agreed with the practice of beginning with a hook for the reader. He said he prefers an opening that describes "the beginning of a quiet moment of transformation" and then grows into "something quite big." "I really need concrete things to latch on to." Yet even as he draws upon reality, he needs "a spark" to begin writing, something that really stands out. The second half of the session dealt with endings. Greer said that he usually knows the ending of the story before he begins. In fact, in the case of his latest novel "Less", he said he "rewrote the rest of the booka to keep the ending. Rao agreed with this planned method of writing, saying "I knew how it would end, which is why I started at all." Kaikini added that "the entire experience of writing takes us to the ending." He elaborated further: "Every story has its soul and its body in proportion. So much soul can only hold so much body." Therefore, the story decides when to stop. Hassan too said she would be willing to "go back and rewrite everything", that is the "way the ending is a beginning." She distinguished between stories that are "open-ended" and "unresolved." Open-ended stories have "a small universe of possible endings," as opposed to unresolved stories. Rao added that open-ended stories result in "a dialogue between the reader and the writer." --IANS ss/rs/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A wildfire has engulfed Cape Town's famous Lion Head mountain and has moved towards residential neighbourhoods , prompting several people to evacuate their homes, the media reported on Monday. A Cape Town Fire Service spokesman said 70 firefighters and 20 trucks fought the blaze on Sunday night, reports the Guardian. Bad wind conditions complicated efforts to bring the blaze under control. Video and photographs of the fire flooded social media, with some describing the scene as "Armageddon". Images showed thick black smoke as the blaze swept close to the affluent neighbourhood of Fresnaye. The cause of the fire was not known. Cape Town is in the grip of a drought that in early 2018 almost left the South African city without water. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US Treasury Department has formally lifted sanctions on three Russian companies, including Rusal the world's second-largest aluminium producer, which were tied to an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite sharp objections in Congress. On December 19, the Treasury Department notified Congress of its intent to lift the sanctions saying the companies were sanctioned because of their ownership and control by oligarch Oleg Deripaska, not for the conduct of the companies themselves, CNN reported. In a statement on Sunday, the Department said that Rusal and EN+ Group, the holding company of the Russian aluminium giant, as well as energy firm JSC EuroSibEnergo had made significant restructuring and corporate governance changes to diminish Deripaska's ownership and sever his control to allow them to meet the criteria to be delisted within the 30 days. "EN+, Rusal and ESE have reduced Oleg Deripaska's direct and indirect shareholding stake in those companies and severed his control," the statement said. "This action ensures that the majority of directors on the EN+ and Rusal boards will be independent directors -- including US and European persons who have no business, professional or family ties to Deripaska... And that independent US persons vote a significant bloc of the shares of EN+." Sanctions on Deripaska however, remain intact. He was added to the blacklist last April as part of a broader package targeting alleged Russian meddling in US elections, cyberattacks and other provocations. "The companies have also agreed to unprecedented transparency for Treasury into their operations by undertaking extensive, ongoing auditing, certification and reporting requirements. "All sanctions on Deripaska continue in force," the statement added. But congressional Democrats and some Republicans loudly objected to the Treasury's decision, reports The Washington Post. They said it doesn't go far enough to sever Deripaska's control because the businessman's stake in En+ Group, together with that of his former wife, former father-in-law and a foundation Deripaska launched years ago will still amount to over 50 per cent of the shares. Earlier this month, congressional Democrats narrowly failed to pass a measure that would have stopped Treasury from lifting the sanctions, despite attracting the support of 136 Republicans in a significant rebuke to President Donald Trump's administration. "The Trump Administration is working seven days a week with favouritism for Russia," Democrat Representative Lloyd Doggett said on Sunday, referring to the agreement as a "sordid deal". "This represents just one more step in undermining the sanctions law, which President Trump has obstructed at every opportunity, while Russian aggression remains unabated." The sanctions on the companies were never fully implemented, as the US repeatedly issued licenses allowing certain business activity while the two sides tried to work out a deal. The final licenses were set to expire on Monday. --IANS ksk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha on Monday said it will be "unconstitutional" on part of the Narendra Modi government to present a full-fledged Budget instead of a vote-on-account in an election year. "There are reports that this government is planning to present a full Budget this year as well as the Economic Survey. It is unconstitutional on part of the government. It has no authority to do it," Sinha said in an interaction with mediapersons at Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC). "If it does so, it would be the first government that would do so in violation of a long standing Constitutional convention. No government to my knowledge has ever presented a Finance Bill with a vote-on-account," Sinha, who has served as the country's Finance Minister twice, said. He said in an interim budget, as per the convention, the government does not introduce any new service, nor does it bring Finance Bill or present the Economic Survey. Asked if there was anything in the Constitution that prevents the government to not present a full Budget in an election year, Sinha said: "The Constitution's conventions are as important as its written word. And what is Article 116 is in Constitution for?" He also berated the Narendra Modi government over the state of economy, saying "he did not trust the government figures". He said when the government changed the base year and the formula for calculating the GDP, it should also have given the corresponding figures as per the old formula so that people could compare. "In FY 2013-14, the growth rate as per the old series was around 4.5 per cent. But as per the new series introduced by the Modi government, that figure would be around 6.5 per cent," Sinha said. Speaking on the effects of demonetisation, he said a Labour Bureau report that was supposed to come out in December 2017 was still being put in abeyance as it would show a dismal picture. "A report given to a parliamentary Standing Committee by the Agriculture Ministry on the impact of demonetisation on agricultural sector showed it in a poor light. That report was quickly withdrawn after criticism," he said. "The kind of agrarian distress we are facing today is unprecedented," he said. --IANS mak/pgh/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two BJP leaders in Delhi, Dharamveer Awana and Raju Nirmal, joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday in the presence of Rajya Sabha MP N.D. Gupta, AAP South Delhi Lok Sabha in-charge Raghav Chadha and Badarpur MLA N.D. Sharma. "I welcome the two senior leaders who will surely strengthen the Delhi unit of AAP, especially the South Delhi Lok Sabha unit," Chadha told the media. Chadha, while introducing Awana, said: "Awana, a former BJP Councillor from Meethapur ward, had served as Deputy Chairperson SDMC Standing Committee for a year and continued as an active member for four years. "He was also a member of the Councillors Code Of Conduct Committee and engaged in BJP's organization building as a 'Vistarak' in Bijwasan Vidhan Sabha. He has been an active member of the BJP and served as a Councillor in 2012-17 in Badarpur." Nirmal, Chadha said, contested the MCD elections 2017 on BJP ticket from Badarpur. "He finished second with over 7,000 votes to his credit. He has been actively working in south Delhi with various senior BJP leaders." Chadha also said that several senior members of the BJP, who have previously fought elections or worked during elections, have been influenced by AAP's ideology and work and have expressed an interest in joining the party. Awana said he decided to join the AAP after being influenced by the work of party chief Arvind Kejriwal. "Delhi had a lot of issues in healthcare and education but the AAP government has focussed on them and brought changes. So I wanted to join it." --IANS nks/mr/rs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tata Steel on Monday said its step-down subsidiary, T.S. Global Holdings Pte Ltd (TSGH), has signed definitive agreements with China's HBIS Group to divest a majority stake in its South East Asia (SEA) business. "TSGH has executed definitive agreements with HBIS Group Co Ltd controlled entity to divest its entire equity stake in NatSteel Holdings Pte Ltd (NSH) and Tata Steel (Thailand) Public Co Ltd. (TSTH)," the steel maker said in a regulatory filing. As per the agreements signed in Beijing, the divestment will be made to a company in which 70 per cent equity shares will be held by an entity controlled by the HBIS and 30 per cent by the TSGH. Both Tata Steel and HBIS Group have been in discussions in relation to the future of the SEA business. "The definitive agreement signed today (Monday) between the two companies is a significant milestone in our strategic relationship, offering the SEA business robust growth opportunities, given the access to resources, technical expertise and regional understanding of HBIS," Tata Steel CEO and Managing Director T.V. Narendran said. According to the filing, the sale is expected to be completed in at least four months, subject to regulatory approvals. Tata Steel also said the consideration received from such sale would be "$327 million and equity stake of 30 per cent in the entity held by HBIS Group and TSGH on 70-30 basis". The Chinese group was established on June 30, 2008, by the merger of Tangshan Iron and Steel Group and Handan Iron and Steel Group of Hebei province. It is amongst the largest steel makers in the world and a state-owned enterprise in China. HBIS is a leading player in China's home appliance, automotive steel and supplies steel for nuclear power, marine engineering, bridges and construction with revenue in excess of $40 billion and total assets exceeding $50 billion. --IANS bdc/ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Monday said the government will soon come out with a revised solar energy policy. He was speaking at inaugural function of float glass major Saint-Gobain India Pvt Ltd's third manufacturing plant, an advanced magnetrol coater and glass solutions line and a 72 million litre rainwater harvesting reservoir. He said the government has made it easy to start a business with its single window clearance system with provisions for deemed permission is an investor does not get the permissions within 30 days of his application. Palaniswami said Saint-Gobain has invested about Rs 3,400 crore in its facility in Sriperumbudur. He also said the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government recently to invest Rs 720 crore in the state. Palaniswami also urged Saint-Gobain to cut down the use of plastics in its factory and added that the government would extend all support to the company for its growth. --IANS vj/rs/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Swasth Bharat Yatra, the cyclothon organised by the FSSAI to nudge people to 'Eat Right will culminate in the national capital on Tuesday after more than 100 days since its flag off, a statement said. According to food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the concluding ceremony will be held at Rajiv Chowk and will be attended by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey. The yatra had began from six different locations - Leh, Panaji, Thiruvananthapuram, Puducherry, Kolkata and Agartala - on six different tracks last October last year. More than 10,000 volunteer cyclists covered over 20,000 km across 36 states and union territories spreading the message of 'Eat Safe, Eat Healthy and Eat Fortified'. The goal of this yatra was achieved through engagement activities and events in more than 2,100 locations along the yatra and the creation of over 21,000 local, community 'Eat Right Champions' who would sustain this movement in the future, added the statement. --IANS spk/oeb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday reaffirmed her country's commitment to undertake political and economic reforms to attract foreign investment but skirted the issue of multiple conflicts raging in the country, including a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya Muslim minority. Addressing the Invest Myanmar Summit 2019 in the capital, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate highlighted the geographic location of Myanmar, which shares borders with the world's two largest growing economies: China and India. Suu Kyi stressed that there was an immense investment opportunity in Myanmar with a growing domestic market, natural resources, cheap labour and great agricultural potential despite the slow pace of and challenges posed by the changes in the administration, Efe news reported. Myanmar, which was ruled by the military between 1962 and 2011, began a transition to democracy eight years ago that resulted in elections in 2015, which the Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy won. "As southeast Asia's final frontier market, final and the best, we offer a world of investment opportunities," said the leader, re-affirming her commitment to create an investment-friendly environment. The gross domestic product of Myanmar, one of the poorest countries in Asia, grew 6.6 per cent in 2018 and was expected to top 7 per cent in the current year, according to the Asian Development Bank. In her 30-minute speech broadcast live by the chamber of commerce, Suu Kyi made no reference to the multiple ongoing armed conflicts in several states of the country nor to the offensive by the Myanmar Army in the western Rakhine state against members of the Rohingya ethnic minority. Some 732,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh since August 2017 to escape a military crackdown, which the UN denounced as "deliberate genocide" and "textbook ethnic cleansing". Rakhine, located along the western coast of Myanmar and in a key geo-strategic location, is rich in natural resources even though it has among the highest poverty rates in the country. Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingyas as one of the nation's ethnic groups and considers them to be illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, subjecting them to various kinds of discrimination, including restrictions on freedom of movement. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday lost his temper at a public event in Mysuru when questioned by a woman about the issues faced by public in his son Yathindra's Varuna constituency in the district. Visibly agitated by the woman's questioning, the former Karnataka Chief Minister snatched the microphone from her and along with it pulled a section of her 'dupatta' and forced her to sit down. The incident took place at a public gathering in which Siddaramaiah took part along with his son Yathindra, a legislator from Varuna in the same district, about 150 km southwest of state capital Bengaluru. Speaking to the media later, the woman, Jamalar, said she was trying to point out to the Congress leader that the Revenue Department in the constituency was not functioning well and the legislator (Yathindra) was not reachable. "I was trying to raise the issues being faced by public in the constituency and not being able to reach the MLA regarding them ... for which he got angry," Jamalar said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit President B.S. Yeddyurappa said it was "unfortunate and unbecoming" of a former Chief Minister to not allow a woman to speak. "It would have only taken few minutes to listen to the woman and respond to her issues. It is unfortunate that a former Chief Minister behaved the way he did," Yeddyurappa told the media. Taking to Twitter later, Siddaramaiah said the incident was an "accident" and Jamalar was a party worker whom he had known for 15 years. "The incident that happened, when I tried to stop our party worker for taking more time, was an accident. I know that woman for more than 15 years now and she is like my sister," Siddaramaiah tweeted. Congress state unit President Dinesh Gundu Rao said Siddaramaiah got agitated as the woman was banging on the table. "He was only asking for the microphone as he had to attend meetings later. There was no ill intention," Rao told a news channel. --IANS bha/soni/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Veteran Congress leader Kapil Sibal and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri locked horns at the Jaipur Literature Festival's closing debate on the proposition "Do liberals stifle debate" here on Monday. Alleging that the Modi government was indulging in foul play to contain a news channel "Harvest" that Sibal is promoting, the Congress MP accused the BJP government of stifling dissenting voices. Puri retorted that Sibal was only promoting his channel. He said liberals in India have borrowed the inspiration from their Western counterparts and called for an introspection by those who disguise themselves sunder the garb of liberalism. "Those who are calling themselves liberal are a confused lot. You were ashamed of your Indianness and Indian liberals need to introspect. You are trying to bring the state down but ultimately it will bring you down," said Puri. The two politicians got into personal attacks during the hour-long discussion. "If you have the courage to make a mistake and acknowledge it, then you are liberal," Sibal said. Towards the end of the debate, however, Puri recognised that Sibal was a good teacher to him at college that he was an excellent lawyer but maintained that he was a politician in the wrong place. The 12th edition of Jaipur Literature Festival ended on Monday. --IANS ss/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Monday sought information from the Centre and Assam on the number of people who after being declared foreigners by the Foreigners Tribunal were repatriated in the last 10 years. Seeking a year-wise break-up of the people declared foreigners by the tribunal in the last 10 years and in how many cases repatriation was tried and the outcome of that, a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna sought information on the total number of detention centres and the inmates lodged there. The court also directed the competent authority to give details of the total number of detention centres and the inmates. Besides this, the court sought information on whether all the inmates in the detention centres have been declared foreigners or they also include persons whose references are pending before the Foreigners Tribunal. The court's order came on a PIL by a former bureaucrat turned activists Harsh Mander who had drawn the attention of the top court towards the plight of inmates in the camps. Appearing for Mander, activists lawyer Prashant Bhushan told the court that the inmates were poor and were not getting legal assistance to represent their case before the tribunal. The court was told that that an illegal entrant gets five years sentence under the Section 14 of the Foreigners Act but people are lodged in the camps well beyond five years and are languishing there. This was disputed by the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who told the court that they were being provided legal assistance by the legal aid authorities and were not going unrepresented by legal assistance before the tribunal. Giving authorities three weeks time to furnish the information, the court directed the next listing of the matter on February 19. --IANS pk/rs/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Float glass major Saint-Gobain India is interested in using a portion of sand mined by integrated lignite-mining-cum-power generation company NLC Ltd, said a senior company official. Speaking to reporters near here, B. Santhanam, Managing Director, said: "We found the sand layer above the lignite layer can be used to manufacture glass. We have developed beneficiation process whereby the sand could be used after removing the impurities." The NLC's lignite mines in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu are open cast and the sand mined are dumped outside. According to Santhanam, Saint-Gobain has a beneficiation plant near NLC. "We want the Tamil Nadu government and NLC to agree on logistics and royalty for the sand," Santhanam said. He said if both the parties agree on supplying the sand, then there will be more glass makers in the country as the sand mined at NLC mines are of huge quantities. Santhanam said Saint-Gobain meets its sand needs from nearby areas as well as from Gujarat and Egypt. He also hoped a pipeline to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) is laid from Ennore to the Saint-Gobain plant in Sriperumbudur near here to bring down the energy cost. He said the company could then stop using furnace oil, thereby reducing the carbon foot print. The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is setting up a LNG terminal at Ennore. Santhanam said IOC will supply the LNG in tankers. --IANS vj/in/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Russian Su-27 fighter intercepted a US reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea approaching the Russian border, the country's Defence Ministry said on Monday. "The Russian fighter approached an airborne object and its crew identified it from a safe distance as a P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft of the US Air Force," the ministry was cited as saying by Xinhua news agency in a statement. After the US plane flew away from the Russian border, the Su-27 returned safely to its home airfield, the statement added. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Special CBI judge here on Monday convicted 15 people, including National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) chairman Ranjan Daimary, in the October 30, 2008 serial blasts across Assam, saying the quantum of punishment would be pronounced on Wednesday. Daimary was the main accused in the serial blasts that left over 88 dead and 540 injured. The blasts had ripped through Guwahati's Ganeshguri, Panbazar and Kachari areas and also struck Barpeta, Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon almost simultaneously. The Central Bureau of Investigation had filed a charge-sheet against 22 people, including the NDFB chief in 2009. The charge-sheet also named 650 witnesses and listed 682 documents, including post-mortem reports, confessional statements of those apprehended and details of calls made by some of the accused. According to the prosecution, there were nine blasts in which 53 were killed in the three blasts in Guwahati, 20 in the three blasts in Kokrajhar and 15 in Barpeta Road. There were no casualties in the Bongaigaon blast. Daimary was later arrested in Bangladesh and handed over to Indian authorities in May 2010. Daimary, also known as D.R. Nabla, formed the Boro Security Force in October 3, 1986 and later changed its name to to NDFB. Although the outfit entered a ceasefire agreement with the Indian government in 2005, it often flouted the truce. The outfit split in 2008 after the investigating agencies named Daimary as the main mastermind behind the serial blasts. The outfit also suspended Daimary, who led another faction called NDFB (Ranjan). Although a total of 14 cases were registered against Daimary in the serial blasts, he was granted bail in 2013 after the CBI submitted a no objection to his conditional bail considering the fact that he was taking part in peace talks with the government. --IANS ah/in/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday sought the removal of Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde over his controversial remarks concerning religion and women, saying he was an embarrassment to every Indian. "This man is an embarrassment to every Indian. He's unfit to be a Union Minister and deserves to be sacked," Gandhi tweeted. Hegde, Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, during a public event in Kodagu district of Karnataka on Sunday said that "any hand that touches a Hindu girl should not exist". "We should be aware of what is happening around us. Regardless of caste and religion, any hand that touches a Hindu girl should not exist," the Minister had said. On Monday, Hegde was also locked in a Twitter war with Karnataka Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao over their achievements and contributions. Responding to Hegde's tweet that he knew Rao as "a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady", the latter retorted that it was sad to see the Central minister stoop to such "low levels as to bring in personal issues". Gundu Rao, a Congress lawmaker, is married to Tabu Rao. --IANS ps/oeb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A US university professor has been removed as director of a graduate programme, amid a furore over an email she sent urging students not to speak Chinese, a media report said. Megan Neely, an assistant professor at the Duke University in North Carolina, told students that not speaking English could lead to "unintended consequences" for international students, the BBc reported. The email was sent after two unnamed faculty members of the biostatistics Masters programme complained to her about students speaking Chinese in public areas in the department. The controversy erupted after screenshots of Neely's email to biostatistics students went viral online over the weekend. Duke University confirmed to US media that the screenshots were genuine. Neely said that the two faculty members had asked her if she had photos of students on the Masters programme, before picking out a number of first-year students "who they observed speaking Chinese (in their words, very loudly), in the student lounge/study areas". Neely said that the faculty members told her "they wanted to write down the names so they could remember them if the students ever interviewed for an internship or asked to work with them for a masters project. They were disappointed that these students were not taking the opportunity to improve their English and were being so impolite as to have a conversation that not everyone on the floor could understand, the BBC reported. "To international students," she continued, "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep these unintended consequences in mind when you choose to speak in Chinese in the building." She added that she respected international students for learning "in a non-native language", but "I encourage you to commit to using English 100% of the time when you are in Hock (the faculty building) or any other professional setting". Her email went viral on Twitter and Chinese social media, while Duke's medical faculty has promised to review its biostatistics programme. Many have criticised Neely's email as racist or insensitive, and raised concerns that faculty members were discriminating against international students. However, some ethnic minority students on the Masters programme told the BBC they supported Neely, describing her as a supportive programme director and "definitely not a racist, not even close". --IANS in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Vivek Anand Oberoi on Monday started shooting for "PM Narendra Modi", a film tracing the life of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A photograph from the set of the biopic has been released where producer Sandip Ssingh, director Omung Kumar B and Vivek can be seen holding the clapperboard at the set here. Vivek will essay the role of Modi in the film, which also stars Boman Irani and Darshan Kumaar. The biopic will trace Modi's journey from a tea-seller to assuming the office of the Prime Minister of India. With the film's poster launched in 23 languages earlier this month, "PM Narendra Modi", which has a tagline 'Desh Bhakti Hi Meri Shakti Hai', will be shot extensively in Gujarat and across locations within the country. The film is being co-produced by Ssingh and Suresh Oberoi. --IANS sug/rb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan is willing to resume peace talks with New Delhi after the 2019 general election in India with whoever takes power, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has said. Speaking to the Gulf News in an interview on Sunday, Chaudhry termed the current time unfit for talks due to the "ongoing turmoil" in Indian "We have delayed our efforts to hold talks with India because we do not expect any big decision from the present Indian leadership. It is useless to talk to them (India) now unless there is some stability. "We will move forward once the new government is formed after the elections," he said. Asked which Indian leader will suit Pakistan more when it comes to peace talks - Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi -- Chaudhry said that it does not matter for Islamabad. "We will respect any Indian leader and the party elected by the Indian people. And we would like to move forward to hold a dialogue with whosoever comes into power in India." Bilateral ties remain frosty with Islamabad not having taken any action against terrorists and terror groups operating out of Pakistan's soil. The Minister said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan invited India on multiple occasions to hold talks but New Delhi never responded positively. Khan had earlier said that India gave a "political colour" to his gesture of opening the Kartarpur border to link Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur in India with the Kartarpur gurdwara where Guru Nanak spent his last years. --IANS soni/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Will there be an interim budget or a vote-on-account on February 1. While the suspense on who will present it has ended with Piyush Goyal again being given additional charge of the Finance Ministry, with general elections round the corner, intense speculation continues about the final shape of the document he will unveil. This speculation is about the nature of the upcoming budget -- on whether it would be a simple vote-on-account to be passed by Parliament to permit government expenditure in the transition period or whether Goyal will go beyond that by presenting full estimates of both revenue and expenditure as well as policy measures. While an incoming government has the freedom to change the estimates in the interim budget when it presents the final budget after taking office, outgoing governments in India have generally followed the convention of avoiding major policy announcements or taxation proposals in the interim budget. Going by recent history, however, interim budgets have been passed thrice since 2000, and according to a market research firm, the upcoming one might be the last opportunity for the BJP-led NDA government to "woo a larger section of the society" by altering both taxes and outlays on schemes. "After the failed budget promise of enhanced procurement of crops through a revised Minimum Support Price (MSP) formula in 2018-19, announcements made on February 1, 2019 will be the last opportunity for the government to woo a larger section of society through an interim budget, as against a vote-on-account, by altering both taxes and outlays on schemes," said a report last week by JM Financial Institutional Securities. With the general elections due in April-May, the government is looking at making available cheap loans and free accidental insurance to small businesses, a segment that bore the brunt of the demonetisation of November 2016, an official source here said, requesting anonymity. The GST Council doubled the exemption threshold for small businesses from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 40 lakh. Besides, the threshold limit for eligibility under the GST Composition Scheme, which has been raised to Rs 1.5 crore from Rs 1 crore, is due to apply from the 2019-20 fiscal beginning April 1. Such sops would follow major relief measures taken earlier this month to benefit the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector, currently plagued by liquidity and other issues. According to former Jawaharlal Nehru University economics professor Arun Kumar, though it would be unethical to present an interim budget with major policy proposals, there is also the matter of the Presidential address to the Budget Session whereby the government makes its vision statement. "If the budget proposes populist schemes, it will become difficult for the new government if it is led by another political party to withdraw these," he explained. According to noted economist Ashok Desai, who was Chief Consultant to the Finance Ministry (1991-93), the outgoing government cannot make any tax proposals or policy changes. "With the elections around the corner, what the government can do is make incremental outlays for existing schemes, but cannot announce new schemes," Desai said. "In this situation, it is the states which have more liberty in announcing populist schemes through their state budgets," he added. Economist Nagesh Kumar felt there is a likelihood of higher outlays being proposed on schemes for the rural sector and small businesses, which "is not necessarily a bad thing" because it would boost consumption demand, especially at a time of slowdown in private investment. (Biswajit Choudhury can be reached at biswajit.c@ians.in) --IANS bc/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the Indian Army has shown that it does not meddle with others, but if someone attacks India, it does not spare the aggressor. "Army ne dikhaya ki hum chherte nahi, lekin koi chhere toh usey chhorte nahi hain (Our Army has given this message that we don't meddle with others, but if someone attacks us, we don't spare them either)," Modi said while addressing the National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets here. "We want peace, but we won't hesitate to take any tough action to ensure our national security...I can assure you that in future, too, every necessary action would be taken for national security," he added. Modi said that last year India has entered the league of those few nations that have nuclear strike and defence capabilities from air, land and water. He said that his government's "thinking and action" has shown that no matter how big or powerful a corrupt person is, he won't be spared. He said that his government was taking steps to ensure equal opportunities for women in every sphere, including the armed forces and police. --IANS mak/oeb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will to visit Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh next month, a government official said on Monday. The official said Modi will arrive in Arunachal on February 9 to inaugurate the Hollongi airport and later that day address a public gathering in Agartala at the Swami Vivekananda Ground after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of several projects. Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said arrangements were being finalised for Modi's visit. Several tribal parties including the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) and the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) will submit a memorandum to Modi demanding withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. INPT General Secretary Jagadhish Debbarma said many tribal parties, excluding the IPFT and CPI-M's Tripura Rajya Upajati Ganamukti Parishad, will stage a major rally on Wednesday in Khumulwng. --IANS sc/ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said that the protest against Prime Minister Narendra in Madurai reflect the mood of the nation. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President said if Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah were to visit Andhra Pradesh, they would face stronger protests than the one witnessed in Madurai. In an interaction with TDP leaders through teleconference here, he said Modi had to face public protest in Madurai on Sunday for not coming to the rescue of Tamil Nadu in dealing with the devastation caused by Gaja cyclone. Naidu alleged that Modi had done more injustice to Andhra Pradesh than to any other state. TDP sources quoted Naidu as saying that the last meeting of 'Dharma Porata Deeksha' to be held in February in Amaravti will be attended by leaders of various national and regional parties. The TDP chief asked the party leaders to organize the meeting at par with United India Rally organised by Trinamool Congress at Kolkata which was attended by leaders of 23 parties. 'Dharma Porata Deeksha' is the series of meetings organised by TDP to protest the denial of special category status to Andhra Pradesh by the Modi government. Referring to his co-brother Daggubati Venkateswara Rao joining the YSR Congress Party, Naidu alleged that he had done this for the sake of power. Pointing out that Venkateswara Rao's wife D. Purandeswari is in the BJP, the TDP chief said he suspected the BJP could be behind his move. Naidu also referred to TDP founder and his father-in-law N. T. Rama Rao's second wife Lakshmi Parvati joining the YSR Congress and remarked that all opportunists who had used the late NTR for their vested interests were joining hands with YSR Congress. --IANS ms/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Cairo on a three-day visit to the North African country to discuss bilateral cooperation with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian state TV reported. At Cairo International Airport, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly received the French President and his wife Brigitte on Sunday after they completed a tour in Abu Simbel temple in Upper Egypt's Aswan province earlier in the day, where they were accompanied by Egypt's Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany, Xinhua news agency reported. According to French media reports, Macron is accompanied by both French foreign and defence ministers as well as a delegation of chiefs of French giant corporations. The visit comes amid the two countries' celebration of the Egyptian-French cultural year. It's Macron's first visit to Egypt and the second meeting with Sisi after their talks in Paris in October 2017. Macron's three-day trip to Egypt comes as protests against his policies continue to be held on the streets in France. Over the past couple of months, Macron has been facing domestic protests, mostly peaceful, held by demonstrators dressed in "yellow vests" against the French government's austerity measures including fuel price hikes. --IANS vin/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korean automotive major Kia Motors, which is commencing trial production at its India plant at Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, will launch its first vehicle after July this year, a top company official said. The first offering of the world's eighth largest auto maker for the Indian market will be SP2 concept, a SUV which was showcased at the New Delhi Auto show last year. "We have already invested $1 billion in this facility while another $1 billion would have been invested by vendors," Manohar Bhat, Head, Sales & Marketing Group, Kia Motors India, said here on Monday on the eve of the trial production ceremony. Kia motors along with the auto ancillaries from South Korea is one of the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India in automobile sector. The Greenfield facility will have installed capacity of 300,000 vehicles annually from day one, Bhat said. The 75-year-old company plans to have three launches in the Indian market in one-and-half year. SP2 concept will be launched in petrol and diesel. The plant is also capable of producing electric vehicles. "After 6 months we will come out with second vehicle, may be after 6-9 months third vehicle, and likewise fourth. In the shortest possible time we intend to have 4-5 models." SP2 will compete with Renault Duster, Maruti Suzuki S-Cross and Hyundai Creta with same price range of Rs 9 lakh to Rs 17 lakh. Bhat said since SUV was fastest growing segment, they felt that this was the best segment to enter but the company had variety of models. "We have a wide range. We have MPVs, hatchbacks, sedans, super hatches, we have large SUVs. We are still looking at what exactly we have to bring taking into account the state of Indian market and what consumer wants." He believes design and quality would be the differentiator for Kia in India like in US, Europe and other markets in the world. "Our products appeal to young professionals and to the young at heart. That is our DNA. First vehicle and others will carry the same DNA and philosophy." Kia Motors, which manufactures nearly 3 million vehicles globally every year, had signed an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh government in April 2017 to set up the plant. The construction started towards the end of 2017 and the 214-hectare completed a month ahead of scheduled. Anantapur plant, which is Kia's 15th plant worldwide, currently employs 1,300 people and the number will go up to 3,000 once it attains capacity of 300,000 vehicles annually. The bulk of the capacity will be for domestic. "We are focusing on domestic market. Exports is only an afterthought. We are not really focusing on that," he said. Two vendor parks have come up near the plant. "Task for us now going forward is to ensure that the quality in terms of processes, materials and everything is right up to where we want it to be. Worldwide we are renowned for quality of vehicles. For example in US, which is the toughest market in the world, we are ranked number in quality by JD Power Ratings for last four years." Bhat said localisation of their products would be to the greatest extent possible. "We will give a vehicle everyone will want to own. It will be real value for money." --IANS ms/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A team of UN experts arrived here on Monday to begin an investigation into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside his country's consulate in Istanbul, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. UN human rights expert Agnes Callamard, accompanied by British lawyer Helena Kennedy and forensic professor Duarte Nuno Vieira from the University of Coimbra, was received by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Efe news reported. "Met Agnes Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions, who is in Turkey to investigate the murder of Jamal Khashoggi," Cavusoglu said in a post to Twitter. Callamard's week-long visit came after the Washington Post columnist and supporter-turned-critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman was killed on October 2 at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, where he had gone to pick up paperwork he needed for his marriage. The UN expert was scheduled to visit Istanbul as part of an inquiry into the circumstances of Khashoggi's death. According to a UN statement released last week, Callamard was set to "assess the steps taken by governments to address and respond to the killing as well as the nature and extent of states' and individuals responsibilities for the killing". "The inquiry will also seek to identify ways by which states can strengthen fulfilment of their international commitments to protect the right to life, prevent violations and ensure accountability," Callamard said, according to the UN statement. Khashoggi's killing sparked an outcry from the international community, drawing condemnation from organizations and world leaders. The Turkish government had slammed the Saudi authorities for the slow pace of investigations and on several occasions called for an international probe into the case. Last week, Cavusoglu said it was time to open a UN-led investigation, adding that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had ordered the relevant preparations. The expert was expected to present the team's findings at a session of the UN Human Rights Council in June. Saudi officials initially denied Khashoggi's death at the consulate but later acknowledged he had been killed when a fight broke out. The kingdom had said Khashoggi was killed in a "rogue operation" and put 11 defendants, all Saudi nationals, on trial earlier in the month. Saudi prosecutors said they were seeking the death penalty for five of the suspects. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP on Monday hit out at former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over his indecent behaviour with a woman in the state and dared Congress president Rahul Gandhi and State Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to take action against him. "Rahul Gandhi must first tell the people about what he will do with Siddaramaiah. He is a former Chief Minister, it is visible how he misbehaved with a woman," Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters at the party headquarters here. "The way in which he has insulted a woman shows how the Congress looks at women," he said. "They only know how to respect women in the family and not others. This is Congress mantra. They have learnt nothing from the Tandoor case," he said. The BJP leader also said that the Karnataka Chief Minister now faces a test as to what action he will take against Siddaramaiah. "It will be interesting to see if he shows any courage to take action against Siddaramaiah," he said. Javadekar was responding to a question about Rahul Gandhi demanding the resignation of Hegde over his controversial comments at a public event that any hand that touches a Hindu girl "should not exist". Hitting out at the Congress chief, Javadekar said that instead of asking for the BJP Minister's resignation, Gandhi should take action against his own former Chief Minister. --IANS aks/oeb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Expected sops from the interim budget 2019-20 and fears of over slippage in fiscal deficit will determine the trajectory of the Indian equity market in the coming week. Market observers pointed out that select industrial production data coupled with stock-specific movement due to the ongoing earnings result season and F&O expiry dynamics will affect investor's sentiments. "The upcoming interim budget and RBI's monetary policy are likely to direct the trend of the market going forward," SMC Investments & Advisors CMD D.K. Aggarwal told IANS. "Nifty is likely to trade between 10,750-11,100 levels while Bank Nifty is expected to trade between 26,900-27,700 levels." Parliament's Budget session will kick off from January 31, followed by the interim budget 2019-20 on February 1. "Traders should anticipate further declines in frontline indices if Nifty breaches 10,700 and the next stop could be 10,500 or lower. Expiry cues and Budget expectation will guide trade this week," said Sahil Kapoor, Chief Market Strategist, Research, Edelweiss Wealth Management. According to Geojit Financial Services' Head of Research Vinod Nair, "Market is likely to extend a range bound movement as the upcoming interim budget and the RBI's monetary policy are the two major events that could steer market sentiment. "We do not expect important measures to be announced in the interim budget specifically benefiting stocks and sectors, other than consumption-oriented sectors given the populist agenda. But this ongoing populist risk will reduce post the budget and election." Apart from the Budget, the week ahead will be heavily influenced by Q3 corporate earnings and the direction of foreign fund flows. Companies like Escorts, Piramal Enterprises, Wockhardt, Axis Bank, Bank of Baroda, Housing Development Finance Corp, Bajaj Auto, ICICI Bank, Indian Oil Corp, NTPC, Bharti Airtel, Hero MotoCorp and Dr Reddys Labs are expected to announce their quarterly results in the coming week. Besides quarterly results, macro-economic data points like Index of Eight Core Industries (ECI) figures and the country's fiscal deficit data up to December will be keenly watched by investors. In addition, monthly automobile sales figures and the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) manufacturing data will become other major sentiment drivers. On the currency front, the rupee is expected to appreciate due to global factors. "Rupee can appreciate to 70.50 next week on back of soft US Fed tone, after a long depreciation streak which started at 69.24," said Edelweiss Securities' Head of Forex and Rates Sajal Gupta. On a weekly basis, the Indian currency stood standstill at 71.18 against the US dollar at close on Friday compared to last week, after a largely negative trend for most part of last week. The week ended on January 25 also witnessed an outflow of foreign funds as FIIs were net sellers to the tune of over Rs 559.31 crore, provisional data on the BSE showed. Last week, disappointing quarterly results and negative global cues pulled the Indian equity market down. Consequently, the 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange closed at 36,025.54 points -- down 361.07 points or 1 per cent from its previous week's close. Similarly, the NSE Nifty closed lower by 126.4 points or 1.16 per cent to 10,780.55 points. (Rohit Vaid can be contacted at rohit.v@ians.in ) --IANS rv/oeb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry on Monday signed a pact with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for the participation of students from Central government schools here to take the PISA-2021, a competency-based test, which tests the learning levels of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics and science. With the signing of the pact, Indian students aged 15 will be able to take the Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA, which is conducted every three years. "We are moving from national assessment to international assessment. Under this initiative, students will be tested in reading, maths, and science. I am sure that Indian students will come out with flying colors," HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told the media. He said that the outcomes of the test will be used to do more teacher training programmes and curricular reforms. The Minister said that questions in the test will be contextualised according to the Indian setting to help students understand them better. Schools run by Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and schools in the UTs of Chandigarh will participate. "Learnings from participation in PISA will help to introduce competency based examination reforms in the school system and help move away from rote learning. The CBSE and NCERT will be part of the process and activities leading to the actual test," the government said in a statement. --IANS vn/oeb/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry on Monday signed a pact with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for the participation of students from India to take the PISA-2021, a competency-based test, which tests the learning levels of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics and science. With the signing of the pact, Indian students aged 15 will be able to take the Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA, which is conducted every three years. "We are moving from national assessment to international assessment. Under this initiative, students will be tested in reading, maths, and science. I am sure that Indian students will come out with flying colors," HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told the media. He said that the outcomes of the test will be used to do more teacher training programmes and curriculur reforms. A sample of students will be randomly selected from different regions to appear in the test. The Minister said that questions in the test will be contextualized according to the Indian setting to help students understand them better. --IANS vn/oeb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India on Monday named Sunjay Sudhir, a 1993 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), as its new Ambassador to the Maldives. Sudhir, presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, is expected to take up the assignment shortly, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. Sudhir will succeed Akhilesh Mishra in Male. Ties between India and the Indian Ocean atoll nation started improving towards the end of 2018 after remaining strained most of the year over former Maldivian President Abdul Yameen's policies. Yameen, seen to have been distancing himself from India and leaning towards China, imposed a state of emergency in the Maldives in February last year. The crisis ended in September when Ibrahim Mohammed Solih, the joint opposition candidate, defeated Yameen in the presidential election. Modi attended Solih's swearing in ceremony on November 17. --IANS ab/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Now in its 11th year, the much-awaited India Art Fair (IAF) is all set to present an incredible range of art by over 1,000 artists and 75 galleries and institutions from India and beyond. Promising to be a four-day treat to collectors and connoisseurs, as well as a cultural day out for enthusiasts, the fair seeks to offer visitors unique access to Indias thriving visual art scene. Scheduled to take place from January 31-February 3 at the NSIC Exhibition Grounds here, IAF 2019 will be a converging point for art projects, solo presentations, Indian and international galleries. It includes platforms for emerging art practices, collectives and for boosting youth partake in arts. "Unlike a biennale, which is a non-profit initiative, the fair is a commercial marketplace for the arts. While some visit to acquire artworks, others view the fair more as an exhibition, enjoying the experience as a cultural day out," IAF Director Jagdip Jagpal, who has over 30 years experience in arts and culture, publishing and media, luxury and fashion, told IANS over email. IAF will feature a diverse selection of Indian contemporary and modern art galleries, which will exhibit masterworks by artists including Raja Ravi Varma, Tyeb Mehta, F.N. Souza, Akbar Padamsee and Ram Kumar. With over 70 per cent of the fair space dedicated to local exhibitors, Jagpal said that it will always be grounded in its local context and is committed to featuring Indian galleries as the large majority. "The majority of programming caters to our general visitors, so those attending on the public days can expect to see a fantastic scheduling of talks, performances and workshops. "We have also launched a series of collecting masterclasses and walkthroughs, so that our younger audiences can learn about the modern and contemporary artworks on display in a fun and personal way," the Director said. Asked about her personal highlights in IAF, she listed a large-scale photographic works by Dia Mehhta Bhupal, sculptures by Benitha Perciyal and L.N. Tallur along with new works by internationally renowned artists Ai Weiwei and Yayoi Kusama, whose "participation reflects both the fair's global outlook and India's cosmopolitan modern-day identity". Beyond the booths, the performance programme is a must see, said Jagpal, naming Sajan Mani's performative installation "Art Will Never Die, but COW?" and Mithu's Sen intervention "100 Silent Ways" as highlights. The event also promises to be an all-inclusive one. "Everyone is welcome to come and experience tactile representations of Art Projects. We have introduced braille guides, sign language interpreters, wheelchair services and feeding rooms," said the member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Task Force for Arts and Culture. Outside the fair grounds, a new initiative called IAF Parallel, will also see collateral events run simultaneously in Bikaner House, NGMA, KNMA, FICA, IGNCA, and the galleries in Lado Sarai here. IAF's presenting Partner BMW Group India will showcase the 14th BMW Art Car by David Hockney -- BMW 850 CSi, 1995. Since 1975, 19 prominent artists from across the world have created Art Cars on the basis of contemporary BMW automobiles of their times, all offering a wide range of artistic interpretations. Tickets to IAF are available online at www.indiartfair.in for Rs 350 (for students) to Rs 700 for a day. --IANS sj/oeb/soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) If the AICC directs, the Goa Congress will file a police complaint into the revelation allegedly made by Health Minister Vishwajit Rane in a telephonic conversation that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had stashed files related to the Rafale deal in his bedroom, Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar said on Monday. Chodankar also said that the initiative of probing the controversial audio tape, in which Rane allegedly is heard telling a local newspaper editor over the phone about the Rafale files, lay with the ruling BJP governments in the state and the Centre. "It has been 30 days and there is still no probe. If the police is not enquiring, then the tape is genuine. It is now clear that the tapes are genuine, because there is no probe. If we get a order from the Delhi AICC (All India Congress Committee) to file a police complaint, we will file one," Chodankar told reporters. The state Congress President also said that the real responsibility to probe the contents of the tape now lay with the BJP, whose leaders had claimed that the audio tape was doctored. An audio clip featuring Rane and a local journalist -- where the former claimed that Parrikar in a December 2018 cabinet meeting admitted to possessing a stash of files related to the Rafale deal -- had created ruckus in Parliament. Rane later said that the tape was doctored. Earlier on Monday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted that the Goa Chief Minister possessed "explosive Rafale secrets" which gave him power over Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Thirty days since the Goa audio tapes on Rafale were released. No FIR or enquiry ordered. No action against (Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane) either," Gandhi, who is currently holidaying in the coastal state, said in a series of tweets. "It's obvious that the tapes are authentic and that Goa CM Parrikar is in possession of explosive Rafale secrets that give him power over the PM (Prime Minister)," Gandhi also said. --IANS maya/mr/rs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The great Indian baniya community, single-mindedly focused on business and keeping a close tab on profits, has embarked on a digital journey to understand their customers better and boost growth. Utilising new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and data analytics in their businesses, they know better what the young buyers' preferences are. Today, India's Gen-Y shop using a mix of online and offline modes where they compare prices and refer to reviews online even when they shop in an offline store. The traditional acumen, mixed with New-Age technologies, have unleashed a new breed of baniyas who are defying old wisdom and charting new courses. "Anyone can set up and start a business with a small or a big idea or investment but without having a business sense, the knowledge of trade and the market trends, they can't survive. Baniyas are ahead in this game with additional support of family culture and community," says Anoop Mishra, one of the nation's leading social media experts. Indian millennials -- aged 18-35 and accounting for nearly 34 per cent of the population -- have driven e-retail industry's growth through their increasing Internet usage, says global services firm Deloitte. "Millennials' increasing usage of internet for shopping has driven growth of online retail. E-retail is expected to surge from 3 per cent of total Indian retail market in 2017 to 7 per cent by 2021," said the report. Convenience of buying anywhere and anytime, discounts and access to products not available offline are some of the key reasons for India's Gen-Y going online -- and Baniyas know this well. Prasoon Gupta, Co-Founder and Director, Sattviko Foods, says his idea was to offer a snack that finds its origins in traditional Indian recipes but with a modern twist for young consumers. "Right from coming up with a unique idea to differentiate ourselves from the other players, and what they deliver, Sattviko has overcome many hurdles and has thrived in its journey to where it is today," Gupta told IANS. He has developed an AI-based technology platform called "JIGSAW" to enhance and scale-up the distribution medium. Ola is serving over one billion customers annually and is creating employment opportunity for millions through its ride-hailing platform. Ola Co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal who set up the firm some eight years ago believes the future of employment is micro-entrepreneurship. According to Mishra, "Unlike entrepreneurs who believe in concentrating on business administration, baniyas are hawk-like people". "This is the secret to their ever-flourishing business," Mishra noted. Baniyas are strict with keeping their balance sheets up-to-date. They are also a closely-knit community and adhere to their clan's unwritten rules very strictly. The inner community network plays a big role, where they have enough access to trade or business knowledge, availability of funds and other resources. Almost all of them have retained the hard-nosed approach of their forefathers. "The current army of baniyas knows by heart how their forefathers worked. It is deep down there, even if they live and study abroad and then start their business back home. It is right in their genes," said Mishra. (Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in ) --IANS na/vm/am (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday reviewed the performance of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) during which they committed themselves to stepping up lending to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) while also significantly increasing the level of domestic credit growth. The PSBs also agreed step up their efforts to finance the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana which is aimed at securing housing for all by 2022. At the meeting, the Finance Minister took note of the reduction in non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks under Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework and advised them to maintain the trend of improvement in performance with a view to bringing them out of the PCA framework at the earliest. He also highlighted the need for each and every PSB to ensure that recent gains are sustained and better service delivered to all stakeholders. Earlier in the day, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, who attended the first half of the meeting, flagged the need for further strengthening various aspects of banking, including underwriting standards, capacity building, use of technology and governance. He flagged the need for PSBs to extend credit while observing prudential norms but without excessive conservatism. He asked banks to take advantage of the MSME restructuring scheme to support viable MSME units. The government said the review was against the backdrop of visible signs of strengthening of the financial situation of PSBs as a result of government's approach of recognition, resolution, recapitalisation and reforms, which has positioned PSBs to step up their support to meet the lending needs of a growing economy. "On the back of recapitalisation of PSBs by over Rs 2.6 lakh crore and recovery of over Rs 2.8 lakh crore -- including record recovery of over Rs 1 lakh crore in the first three quarters of the current financial year -- since clean-up began in 2015, and comprehensive reforms for better underwriting of loans, PSBs committed to significantly step up the level of domestic credit growth from 9.1 per cent year-on-year at the end the second quarter of the current financial year," an official statement said. During the meeting, the banks committed to further improve on the robust growth in credit and reducing trend in turnaround time for loan applications through growing use of fintech and technology "as evidenced by the success of the 59 minutes loan portal, through which over 1.25 lakh MSMEs have been accorded in-principle approval", the statement said. "Banks agreed to work further on increasing use of advanced data analysis and where possible, Artificial Intelligence algorithms for better, faster and hassle-free credit decisions and monitoring of accounts," it added. The government also asked the banks to expeditiously complete the opening of branches and banking outlets in Left-wing extremism affected areas. The banks were also asked to ensure that the benefits extended under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana -- by making overdraft facility and accidental insurance cover on RuPay cards more attractive -- reach the common people. "Banks were asked to leverage the pipeline of Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) to provide better access to financial inclusion products and services to accelerate the realisation of a digitalised, financially included and insured society," the statement said. --IANS mgu-vv/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The murder of history-sheeter Jaydev alias JD has put the police in Gurugram on high alert, apprehending a resurgence of gang wars in the city neighbouring the national capital. CCTV footage surfaced on Sunday in which three bikers, their faces covered with helmets and pullover caps, are seen firing indiscriminately. JD died around 6 p.m. on Wednesday after receiving 8 to 10 bullet injuries. Jaydev was a close associate of slain gangster Neetu Gahlot who was gunned down in 2008. Following that, Jaydev joined the notorious Bindar Gujjar gang and was known as an illegal property grabber for him. Police sources believe that his could be the handiwork of the Kaushal gang, which is considered to be the only rival to the Bindar Gujjar gang. An officer said that Jaydev's murder has given all the reasons to Bindar Gujjar and his men to take up arms against their rivals. "Since the matter is very serious, its investigation has been transferred to Crime Branch. Efforts are on to identify the shooters," said Subhash Bokan, PRO of Gurugram police. The timing of this murder is significant keeping in mind that two sharp shooters, Chand (21) and Vikas (29) - close aides of Kaushal gang - were arrested on January 16 in connection with the murder of Sumer Yadav Nambardar of Maneser. Nambardar had a confrontation with Sube Singh, number two of Kaushal gang, over a commercial plot worth Rs 20 crore. Chand was allegedly involved in eight murders in Gurugram, Delhi and Rewari and has been absconding since March 2016 as per police records. He was allegedly involved in the murder of dreaded gangster Mahesh 'Attack' in Jharsha village in 2016 when he was just 19 years old. Chand is considered number three in the Kaushal gang. He is said to have generally received direct orders from Sube Singh, who reported to ganglord Kaushal. "During investigation of the murder of Nambardar, Chand was among one of the four shooters who gunned downed Sumer at IMT, Maneser, in the third week of December 2018. The Crime Branch team received inputs that Chand was travelling from Delhi to Gurugram via KMP. He was intercepted between Maneser and Farukhnagar area," said Shamsher Singh, ACP (Crime Branch), Gurugram police. "It has been reported that Sube Singh is eyeing a commercial plot worth more than Rs 20 crore in IMT, Maneser. The plot belongs to Nambardar which was the reason for the enmity between them," the ACP said. During investigation, Chand had allegedly confessed to his role in the murder of Mahesh 'Attack' on September 22, 2016. Chand, police said, was in the group of shooters that killed 'Attack', along with Sanjeet Vidroh who was killed in an encounter with the Special Cell of Delhi Police in 2018 at Chandanhaula village near Chhattarpur. Mahesh 'Attack' was said to be rival of Kaushal and his murder indicated to rivalry for supremacy among different gangs in Gurugram. Vidroh was 17 when he was allegedly involved in 2017 in the murder of Manish Gujjar, a liquor baron of Gurugram and brother of gangster Virendar Singh Dayma alias Bindar Gujjar, who was a rival of slain gangster Sandeep Gadoli. Gadoli was killed by Gurugram police in a hotel in Mumbai's Andheri suburb on July 6, 2016. Police sources said after Sandeep Gadoli's death, his gang members, 25-30 in number, merged with Kaushal gang and started operating jointly. The primary motive, police said, is to establish a stronghold on extortion, land grabbing and kidnappings. In the meantime, Binder Gujjar came out on bail and started operating on his own. "Sandeep Gadoli gang had close connection with Kaushal gang while Mahesh 'Attack' had close link with Bindar Gujjar. After Gadoli and Mahesh have been eliminated, Gujjar and Kaushal are active in Gurugram," ACP Singh said. --IANS str/vsc/mag/vm/am/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prithviraj Sukumaran isn't scared of failure and has detached himself from getting carried away with success. The southern film industry's multi-faceted star says success comes with a temptation to tread the same path, and that is hard to ignore. "Every film, regardless of being a success or a failure or anything in between, teaches you something. You might not sometimes realise what it taught you, but down the line, there would be a lesson in it," Prithviraj told IANS on the phone from Kochi. "What I am today is pretty much the sum aggregate of all that I have gone through in the past 16 years. I actually have no complaints. After doing more than 100 films, producing so many films, directing one, distributing films and singing for films, if I want more I will be becoming greedy," added the actor, who made his debut in 2002 with critically acclaimed Malayalam film "Nandanam". Prithviraj, who is looking forward to his production venture with Sony Pictures India with "Nine", asserted: "Failure doesn't scare me. And neither success. I am equally detached to both." How does he do that? "Failure is easy to handle because once you fail, the options are very simple...like 'try something different' or 'maybe if you do the same thing, do it in a different way'. "Success comes with a baggage. When you are successful, there is a lot of temptation to not foray outside of your boundaries and just stick to what is successful. It is very tempting because it is very easy to do," said the son of late veteran actor Sukumaran and actress Mallika. From taking up diverse roles to going behind the camera to getting into the business of filmmaking to singing for films -- Prithviraj has always tried to expand his horizons. Though he has backed several projects like "Indian Rupee", "Kadal Kadannu Oru Maathukutty", "Double Barrel" and "Anuraga Karikkin Vellam", Malayalam project "Nine" is the first film from his production banner Prithviraj Productions. He has co-produced it with Sony Pictures India, which also marks the studio's foray into regional cinema in India. Written and directed by Jenuse Mohamed, the sci-fi horror thriller narrates story of a troubled father and his son. It is set against the backdrop of a global event that takes place over the period of nine days. Prithviraj plays Albert Louis, an astrophysicist working in a fictitious institute called ISRC. It will release on February 7. "We all are quite kicked about the way the film has shaped up. And we are confident that it is different from what we have seen. The genre itself has not been attempted before," said Prithviraj, who will be making his directorial debut with Malayalam language film "Lucifer". (Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in ) --IANS sug/rb/vm/am (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz has said he was preparing to launch an independent campaign for the 2020 US Presidential race, the media reported. "I am seriously thinking of running for President... I will run as a centrist independent outside the two-party system," The Washington Post quoted Schultz, a self-described Democrat, as saying in a TV interview on Sunday. "We're living at a most fragile time," the 65-year-old said. "Not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge " In the interview, Schultz said he favoured a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and rejoining the Paris climate accords, and he criticized the Democratic promise of "free health care" for all as unrealistic. Democrats fear a credible third-party candidacy could allow Trump to win states he otherwise would have lost or push a decision on the election to the US House, where Republicans currently have an advantage in the number of state delegations they control. "If this is about principles and not ego, Schultz would help Democrats defeat Trump or run as a Democrat and broaden the debate within the party," said Centre for American Progress President Neera Tanden, the Indian American former adviser to both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in their 2008 campaigns. "Every value he claims to hold dear is undermined by a Trump re-election," she told The Washington Post. Under to the US Constitution, if no single candidate receives a majority of the electoral college votes, which are awarded on a state-by-state basis, the election is decided by the House, with each state delegation receiving a single vote. In the current Congress, Republicans have more representatives in 26 of the 50 state delegations. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani on Monday called on the Taliban to engage in direct talks with the government or be used a "tool" by other countries. His comments came as the President's office, citing US special envoy on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, said that no agreement was reached with the Taliban on a ceasefire or the withdrawal of foreign troops from the war-ravaged country. In his address to the nation, Ghani said his government was committed to end the ongoing war and that "no country wants the presence of foreign troops on its soil indefinitely, but currently, Afghanistan needs these forces", TOLO News reported. The President said the terror group had two choices at the moment -- to either stand with the people of Afghanistan or be used as a tool by other countries. He added that the foreign troops in the country would leave at some point, but that would be done in accordance with an orderly plan. The US special envoy had on Sunday evening shared with the Afghan government the details of his peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar aimed at ending the 17-year-old conflict, according to Efe news. "The Taliban have asked for withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, but so far (the) Americans (have) reached no agreement with them," said Khalilzad, according to the President's office. It said the US envoy had assured Ghani that any decision regarding the withdrawal of foreign troops would be coordinated and discussed comprehensively with the Afghan government. Khalilzad arrived in Kabul on Sunday to meet Ghani after six days of peace talks with Taliban ended on Saturday. Before landing in the Afghan capital, the envoy said "significant progress on vital issues" was made and said the meetings in Qatar were "more productive than they have been in the past". He said the talks with the Taliban leadership would resume "shortly". "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and 'everything' must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire," Khalilzad tweeted. The President's office statement on said the envoy had also discussed a ceasefire with the Taliban, but that there had been no progress made yet. Khalilzad also rejected the "reports and rumours" regarding any agreement with the Taliban during Doha talks on Afghanistan's future. "No talks and discussions have been held regarding Afghanistan's future political structure." "The issue of (forming) an interim government is fully wrong, and was never discussed in Doha talks, and this is not in my authority and responsibility. My responsibility is to facilitate an intra-Afghan peace process," he said, according to the statement. "In talks with the Taliban, the US has urged that intra-Afghan talks are the only way to reach a lasting peace in Afghanistan," the statement said, adding that President Ghani had thanked Khalilzad for sharing the details of the talks and "appreciated the US efforts toward facilitating intra-Afghan talks". The Taliban has refused to hold negotiations with the Afghan government directly. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Reconstruction work in Kedarnath area has been suspended in the wake of heavy snowfall having lashed Uttarakhand last week, even as the authorities launched efforts to rescue the tourists who are stranded due to roadblocks. Four tourists from Delhi and a couple of workers were stranded for the past four days at a hotel in the hilly Chakrata area of Dehradun district, where heavy snowfall has blocked many roads, police said on Monday. "We will try to clear the road leading to a hotel in Chakrata, where four tourists are said to be stranded in a hotel due heavy snowfall in the area," said Anup Nayal, the Station House Officer (SHO) at Chakrata. In the Kedarnath area, power supply has been affected in the past few days, leading to suspension of reconstruction work in the area. Reports from the district headquarters in Rudraprayag said the heavy snowfall has virtually cutoff the main pathway leading to the Kedarnath area. "The work will remain suspend for a week," said an engineer at Kedarnath. All the labourers have been asked to return to the base camp from Kedarnath. Meanwhile, tourists at Lokhandi hotel in Chakrata have posted a video in the social media saying they are facing an acute shortage of food and water due to the snowfall. They urged Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to intervene and provide immediate help. --IANS str/vsc/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) National award winning actress Sonam Kapoor, who is gearing up for the release of her forthcoming film 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga', has said she doesn't believe in labels, which are associated with the actors in the film industry. Sonam Kapoor was interacting with the media at the promotional press conference of 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga' along with his co-actors Anil Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Juhi Chawla, director Shelly Chopra Dhar and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra in Mumbai on Monday. Sonam Kapoor is essaying an LGBTQ character in the forthcoming movie. Same-sex relationships continue to be a taboo in India, despite the Supreme Court scrapping Section 377 that criminalised "unnatural intercourse". And when it comes to lesbians, there is a further lack of acknowledgement or understanding. However, 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga' seems to be talking on a pertinent issue - marriages of middle class, queer and Indian women. The trailer of the film has received a positive response from the audience. When asked whether she had second thoughts while playing a bold character in the film or not, Sonam said, "I don't know about bold character but there is one thing that I don't believe in and that's 'labels'. When I decide to do a film or a character, I get encouraged by the fact that nobody else would say yes to it except for me." When asked Sonam whether she thinks that she is pushing the envelope for Indian actresses by playing these kind of characters, she said, "I don't think I am immodest enough to say something like that. I am humble enough to understand that I am certain kind of person and actor. I can't do what other people do so, I can only do what I can do. I don't think I am talented enough to do what other people do, So, I am very happy in my space. I am just trying my very best to do what I can do." Anil Kapoor is collaborating with his actress daughter Sonam Kapoor in 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga' for the first time. When asked about his first reaction when he heard script of the film, which revolved around a bold subject, Kapoor said, "When I hear a script, I don't go into the knowledge of everything. If I love the story and the character and if I am in that character then, the rest follows." "I am not a political person. I am very liberal person. I believe in aLive and Let Live' policy and that's my way of thinking and that's the way I am. I believe in a democratic society otherwise, when I listen to a story that time, I am an actor. If I love the story and I love my role then, I just do it. After that, whatever happens, it's entirely up to the audience," he added. Produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and directed by debutant Shelly Chopra Dhar, 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga' is slated to release on February 1, 2019. -- IANS iv/vin (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi government will hold a farmers' conference on Tuesday over the implementation of M.S. Swaminathan Committee Report on Agriculture, Development Minister Gopal Rai said on Monday. Last month, the government had formed an expert committee comprising of a senior scientist from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), farmers' representatives and officers of the agriculture department for drafting the Agricultural Policy for Delhi. The Committee has deliberated upon various issues pertaining to agriculture in Delhi. "One of the important issues before the Committee was to give recommendations on separate Minimum Support Price (MSP), 50 per cent more than the weighted cost of production taking into the consideration the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee Report on farmers," Rai said. The Committee held a couple of meetings under the chairmanship of Rai, and various issues regarding implementation of the Swaminathan Committee Report in context of Delhi were discussed. "It was felt that the cost of production should be calculated keeping in view the scenario of Delhi like increased wages of labour, cost of inputs and allied components in the market of Delhi," he said. Accordingly, a committee of officers of the agricultural unit was constituted for the purpose of calculating the cost of cultivation of wheat, paddy and mustard crop of Delhi. "The committee has worked out the cost of production and is in the process of calculating the average cost of production," the Minister said. "To further deliberate on these issues and to arrive at a reasonable weighted cost of production and to suggest at separate MSPs for farmers of Delhi, the farmers' conference has been convened at the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday," he said. The members of the committee constituted for drafting agricultural policy, farmers and other stakeholders, and officers of the agricultural department of Odisha and Telangana government have also been invited for the brainstorming session, he added. The final decision will be arrived at after further consultations with all stakeholders. --IANS nks/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court on Monday granted bail to former Railway Minister and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad, his wife and son in a money laundering case related to the 2006 IRCTC hotels maintenance contract. Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj granted the bail to Lalu Prasad, his wife and also former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, their son Tejashwi Yadav and others asking them to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and a surety of like amount each. The Delhi court was hearing a case related to alleged irregularities in the allotment of contracts of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp (IRCTC) hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006 to a private firm, for which a three-acre commercial plot at a prime location in Patna district was allegedly given as a bribe. The CBI and ED had named Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav and others as accused in the chargesheet. Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav and others were granted regular bail. --IANS akk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A special CBI judge here on Monday convicted 14 people, including NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary, in the October 30, 2008 serial blasts in Assam that killed 88 people, saying the quantum of punishment will be pronounced on Wednesday. Daimary was the main accused in the serial blasts that also left 540 injured. The explosions had ripped through Guwahati's Ganeshguri, Panbazar and Kachari areas as well as Barpeta, Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon districts almost simultaneously. "Out of the 15 in judicial custody, 14 including Ranjan Daimary were convicted by the court. One of the accused, Mridul Gayari, was acquitted as he was not a member of the outfit," said defence lawyer Manas Sarania. Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation's Special Public Prosecutor T.D. Goswami told the media that all 15 were convicted. The CBI had filed a chargesheet against 22 people in 2009 which also named 650 witnesses and listed 682 documents, including post-mortem reports, confessional statements of those apprehended and details of calls made by some of the accused. Daimary was arrested in Bangladesh and handed over to Indian authorities in May 2010. Daimary, also known as D.R. Nabla, formed the Boro Security Force in October 3, 1986 and later changed its name to NDFB or National Democratic Front of Bodoland. Although the outfit entered a ceasefire agreement with the Indian government in 2005, it often flouted the truce. The NDFB split in 2008 after the investigating agencies named Daimary as the main mastermind behind the serial blasts. The group suspended Daimary, who led another faction called NDFB (Ranjan). Although a total of 14 cases were registered against Daimary in the serial blasts, he was granted bail in 2013 after the CBI submitted a no objection to his conditional bail considering the fact that he was taking part in peace talks with the government. Meanwhile, Daimary was taken to the judicial custody from the court on Monday evening amid tight security. "We are going to appeal in the higher court against the verdict," said Daimary as he was taken to jail amid shouts from his supporters "Long live NDFB, Long live Ranjan Daimary". --IANS ah/ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP on Monday hit out at the Congress saying that it earlier used to be a mainstream party but now it has been reduced to a small player that no party is ready to align with for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a press conference here, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said: "Congress was earlier a mainstream party but now it's been reduced to a small party." "Now even its friends like Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party chief) and Mayawati (Bahujan Samaj Party chief) think that it is not fit for an alliance before elections. They have left only two seats for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh for the mother and the son (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi)," he said. Javadekar's remarks came after he was asked about the proposed Mahagatbandhan by Opposition parties for the 2019 general elections. To a question on whether the BJP will fight the 2019 elections with the Shiv Sena, the BJP leader said, "We are partners in the government, Shiv Sena is part of NDA." He said that in the 2014 elections the BJP and the Shiv Sena fought in alliance. --IANS aks/oeb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a setback to the Congress in West Bengal, the party's Lok Sabha MP Mausam Benazir Noor on Monday joined the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress. "Didi (Mamata) has inspired me to join Trinamool. I will work under her. We saw the leadership of opposition parties came here at the January 19 rally to support her to fight the BJP. She is our face," Noor told reporters. Noor, a second term Congress MP from Malda North, is a niece of late party stalwart Gani Khan Chowdhury. Asked whether Congress MP Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury will also join Trinamool, Noor said: "I came here to meet her (Mamata Banerjee) alone. More people from Malda will join and they believe in Didi because people in the district were taken care of well in the recent floods." "We will win 42 seats from Bengal and as a Bengali I want to see her as Prime Minister," Noor said. Reacting, Banerjee said: "Noor has spoken her heart. We will fight together, and our aim is to remove the BJP and save the country." Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Noor has been asked to take charge of Trinamool's campaign in the north Bengal districts. --IANS bdc-dm/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka's ruling coalition partners Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) on Monday said the allies were united with no dispute at the leadership level after Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy offered to quit if Congress could not control its MLAs from criticising his style of functioning. "There is no dispute in the coordination committee and the parties are united at the leadership level. The coalition between JD-S, Congress is a post-poll coalition, in which it is normal to have issues occasionally," JD-S secretary general Kunwar Danish Ali told a news channel. He had spoken to Congress' Karnataka in-charge K.C. Venugopal, who in turn spoke to the Chief Minister, Ali said. "Venugopal directed the Congress MLAs to fall in line. There is a good understanding between the parties, as the leaders want to deliver a stable coalition government for five years," Ali added. Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister remarked that he was willing to step down from his post if Congress did not control its legislators from criticising his work. "I am ready to quit if my style of functioning is not acceptable to anyone. The Congress must control its MLAs and resolve the issues. If they remark against me frequently in open meetings, I am willing to step down," Kumaraswamy told the media here. The Chief Minister's remarks came a day after two Congress ministers and a legislator on Sunday alleged here that no development works took place in the last seven-eight months under Kumaraswamy's administration and claimed that former Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was their leader and was a better administrator. "I don't want to stick on to the chair. Deputy Chief Minister (G. Parameshwara) and myself are trying to do a good job and are working together," asserted Kumaraswamy. The Janata Dal-Secular leader also claimed that the coalition government had invested Rs 1 lakh crore in Bengaluru alone during the past 8 months. "But to deliver good governance, we require the support of all MLAs," Kumaraswamy reiterated. Housing Minister M.T.B. Nagaraju and Backward Classes Minister C. Puttaranga Shetty, who belong to the Congress, also said Siddaramaiah was their Chief Minister. Nagaraju represents the Hoskote Assembly segment and Puttaranga Shetty the Chamarajanagar seat. Somashekar, the Congress legislator, represents Yeshwanthapura seat in Bengaluru northwest. In a related development, Congress leader Venugopal said a show cause notice would be issued to Somashekar for his recent remarks criticising the coalition government. "Instructed Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) to send a show cause notice to Somashekar seeking clarification on his controversial remarks. If the explanation is not satisfactory, party will take strong disciplinary action. @INCIndia will not tolerate any such indisciplined statements and actions," Venugopal tweeted. The Congress leadership has its faith in the coalition government and the Chief Minister, he stressed. A hung verdict in the May 2018 assembly elections led the Congress with about 80 lawmakers support the JD-S with 37 legislators to form the coalition government on May 23 after the BJP with 104 MLAs quit office on May 19 for failing to prove simple majority in the 225-member House. Meanwhile, opposition BJP's Lok Sabha member from the state Shobha Karandlaje said Somashekar's statement testified the mood in the Congress camp, as some of its MLAs are unhappy with the unholy government to bring back the jungle raj of Siddaramaiah. "No wonder that this government still have a Damocles' sword hanging over its existence," Shobha tweeted. --IANS bha-fb/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the growing strains in its ties with the JD-S, the Congress on Monday sought to play down Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamys threat to quit, saying issues are being resolved. "I am ready to quit if my style of functioning is not acceptable to anyone. The Congress must control its MLAs and resolve the issues," an exasperated Kumaraswamy told the media in Bengaluru following criticism of his work by the Congress. The Chief Minister's remarks came after two Congress ministers and a legislator on Sunday alleged here that no development works took place in the last seven-eight months under Kumaraswamy's administration and claimed that former Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was their leader and was a better administrator. While Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal and in-charge of party affairs in the state asserted that the party high command has "full faith in Kumaraswamy", a party leader in Delhi claimed "all was well" within the coalition. "In a coalition, there are and there will be issues. But our coalition is strong and whatever issues there are will be resolved. The leadership of both the parties are discussing and soon things will be amicably resolved," a Congress leader told IANS here. A hung verdict in the May 2018 Assembly elections led the Congress with about 80 lawmakers support the JD-S with 37 legislators to form a coalition government after the BJP with 104 MLAs failed to prove a simple majority in the 225-member House. --IANS and/oeb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jharkhand Assembly speaker Dinesh Oraon on Monday expressed anguish over the state government's failure to come up with a solution for the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) issue being raised since 2015. "Close the House if we do not come up with a solution. I have my own limitations. The sanctity of the House should be maintained. The JPSC issue is being raised since 2015. Even after four years, we have failed to come up with a solution," said the Speaker. "Why is only the JPSC issue being raised repeatedly? Why are other issues not being raised?" he asked. When the House assembled at 11 a.m. on Monday, legislators of the ruling and opposition parties demanded that the JPSC mains examination be postponed as there were several irregularities. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator and Leader of Opposition Hemant Soren said, "More than 34,000 students passed the JPSC preliminary examination and only 27,000 have been issued admit cards for the mains examination. Also, the subjects opted for by students have changed in their admit cards. The state government should postpone the mains examination and rectify the irregularities and then conduct the exam." Members of the opposition parties in chorus demanded that the JPSC exams be postponed. The exams began on Monday. "When the state government can hold talks with Maoists, then why can't they talk to protesting students?" asked Pradeep Yadav, a Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) legislator. Ruling BJP legislator Radha Krishna Kishore said, "There are several irregularities and the examinations should be postponed till the anomalies are cleared." The Opposition members demanded that the Speaker should listen to his heart and help students who are protesting against the irregularities. Later Parliamentary Affairs Minister Neelkanth Singh Munda informed the House that Jharkhand High Court, while hearing the issue, refused to stay the examination. The opposition members rushed to the well of the House forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House till noon. When the House assembled again at noon, the opposition members again rushed to the well of the House shouting slogans demanding the exams be postponed. The Speaker then adjourned the House till 2 pm. IANS ns/oeb/vv/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday presented best tableau trophy to the CISF for showcasing the multi-dimensional functions of the force during Republic Day parade on January 26, an official said. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) received the honour during a function organised at the Rashtriya Rangshala Camp in Delhi Cantonment area for presentation of trophies to the organisations who were adjudged best in different categories during the parade in which the paramilitary force had showcased its tableau after a gap of 11 years Sitharaman, the chief guest on the occasion, presented "best tableau trophy amongst the ministries and departments of government of India" to the CISF tableau titled "Securing National Assets: 50 Glorious Years", a CISF statement said. The trophy was received by Additional Director General (Headquarters) Alok Kumar Pateria. "The CISF tableau showcased the multi-dimensional functions of the force and was the reflection of its aspiration, commitment and dedication towards its mandate. It paid tribute to the Mahatma Gandhi by highlighting CISF security cover to his 'Samadhi' in the front portion. The middle portion illustrated CISF security cover to various government installations like petrochemical plant, nuclear power plant and checking and frisking by CISF personnel. "Remaining portion showed CISF security to Kishanganga hydro electric project in a highly sensitive area of Jammu and Kashmir, Red Fort, space installation and airports. The female soldier present on the tableau, represented the significant presence of women personnel in the force," said the statement. CISF Director General Rajesh Ranjan congratulated the participants for bringing proud moments to the organisation during the golden jubilee year of CISF. --IANS rak/pgh/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Chinese court on Monday sentenced human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang to four years in prison for subversion of state power. Wang was arrested in August 2015 during a government crackdown against law firms specialising in human rights cases, which led to the arrests of around 250 lawyers and activists, reports Efe news. The Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court also deprived Wang of his political rights for a period of five years. "Today's verdict is a gross injustice. It's outrageous that Wang Quanzhang is being punished for peacefully standing up for human rights in China. He must be immediately and unconditionally released," Amnesty International's China researcher Doriane Lau said in a statement after the sentence. "The authorities disappeared Wang Quanzhang into a black hole, where he was likely tortured. Wang's family, who continue to be harassed by the authorities, didn't even know if he was alive until recently. His continued imprisonment only prolongs their suffering." On December 26, undercover police officers blocked Wang's family members - including his wife Li Wenzu - and sympathisers from attending the initial trial hearing in Tianjin. Foreign journalists and diplomats were also not allowed to attend the trial. Two days later, Li was again blocked by security forces when she tried to enter the premises of the Supreme People's Court in Beijing in order to file a petition against the Tianjin court for allegedly violating judicial norms in Wang's case. Wang - who is reportedly in a delicate state of health - has for years defended groups persecuted by Chinese authorities, ranging from members of the spiritual group Falun Gong (banned in China since 1999), to dissidents and activists. A number of human rights organisations and bar associations have repeatedly urged the Chinese government to release Wang. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CBI on Monday said it was questioning persons concerned in connection with its investigation into Uttar Pradesh's illegal sand mining case. A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) source said here that a team of CBI was in Hamirpur district of the state. "The team is completing the field investigation. And the private persons and government officials associated with the case are being examined," the source said. The remarks came a fortnight after the CBI registered a case against 11 people including B. Chandrakala, then Hamirpur District Magistrate, Ramesh Kumar, a Samajwadi Party leader, and others. The CBI had registered separate cases into the alleged irregularities in grant of licences between 2012 and 2016, in violation of the Allahabad High Court order which had ratified an e-tender policy in Kaushambi and Shamli districts in 2018. Then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had granted the mine's leases to 14 people in 2013 in Hamirpur district against the High Court's order. --IANS rak-aks/oeb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a major robbery, burglars broke open the walls of the Punjab National Bank (PNB) in Samayapuram in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli district and emptied some lockers of its contents, police said. The incident came to light on Monday morning when the bankers entered the branch which was closed on Sunday. The burglars gained entry into the branch by drilling a big hole on the branch's back side wall. They broke a couple of lockers using gas cutters. The PNB was not able to estimate the quantum of loss. Police checked CCTV camera footages for clues. Meanwhile, many customers of the bank gathered outside to know the locker numbers which were broken by the burglars. Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), C.H. Venkatachalam, told IANS: "The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been saying that banks are not responsible for what is stored inside the lockers. But when the banks are renting out the lockers claiming they are safe, they should also be made responsible." He said systems that trigger an alarm when the branch walls are hammered should be installed. --IANS vj/mr/rs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US National Security Adviser John Bolton has warned of a "significant response" to any violence or intimidation against American diplomats in Venezuela amid the ongoing political turmoil in the South American nation. "Any violence and intimidation against US diplomatic personnel, Venezuela's democratic leader, Juan Guiado, or the National Assembly itself would represent a grave assault on the rule of law and will be met with a significant response," Bolton said in a tweet on Sunday night. Guaido, who heads Venezuela's opposition-led National Assembly, emerged as the biggest challenge to Nicolas Maduro's turbulent presidency and declared himself Acting President amid massive anti-government protests, claiming Maduro was illegitimately elected for a second term. In response, Maduro, whose election the US has declared illegitimate, announced that he was cutting off diplomatic relations with Washington and ordered American diplomats in the country to leave within 72 hours, The Hill magazine reported. He also ordered Venezuelan diplomats out of the US. But on Saturday, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry reportedly issued a statement suspending the expulsions. The US, UK, Germany, Spain, Germany and France has recognised Guaido as Venezuela's interim President. The European Union (EU) also warned of "further actions" against Venezuela if elections are not called in the coming days. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Editors Guild of India on Monday condemned the way some journalists were stopped from entering the Sher-i-Kashmir stadium in Srinagar during the Republic Day function, calling it "shocking" and a "state-sponsored" attack on press freedom. "The Editors Guild condemns the arbitrary manner in which several senior journalists of Jammu and Kashmir were denied entry into the stadium in Srinagar to cover the Republic Day function on January 26. "It is shocking that many of them were stopped from entering the stadium to perform their professional duty in spite of their possessing entry passes issued by the state government's Information Department," it said in a statement. The Guild demanded an inquiry into the incident and termed the lapse "an unprecedented state-sponsored attack on press freedom". "It (Guild) also seeks an assurance from the government that such reprehensible acts would not be repeated. If necessary, a fool-proof and non-discriminatory system of issuing entry passes to journalists to help them perform their professional duty in high-security areas must be introduced at the earliest," the statement read. The incident was decried by many journalists in Srinagar who took to the streets later carrying placards that read "Journalism is not a crime". --IANS vn/in/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bahrain's Supreme Court on Monday upheld the life sentence of Shia opposition leader Ali Salman over charges of espionage for neighbouring Qatar. Salman, head of the outlawed Al-Wefaq party and a central figure of the 2011 uprising in Bahrain, was convicted in November of "communicating with Qatari officials ... to overthrow constitutional order" -- a ruling rights groups called a "travesty". Salman is currently serving a four-year jail sentence in a separate case for "inciting hatred" in the kingdom. His two aides -- Ali al-Aswad and Hassan Sultan -- were sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia. They are former MPs and currently reside outside Bahrain, Xinhua news agency reported. The court said Salman and his two aides "spied for a foreign state in order to overthrow the government". The three have lost their appeals in the case, according to the court. Qatar has repeatedly denied the accusations of conspiring against Bahrain with Salman. The top court confirmed the verdict against Salman and his aides for "spying for a foreign state in order to ... overthrow the government", according to a statement released by public prosecutor Osama al-Awfi. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said the Ayodhya case that has been pending for almost 70 years, should be heard soon as the people of the country expect the construction of a grand Ram temple where the Babri Masjid once stood. Speaking to the media here, Prasad said: "The Ayodhya case has been pending for the last 70 years. The Allahabad High Court order was in favour of the temple (in 2010), but then it is on hold in the Supreme Court now. This matter should be cleared soon." He said that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah have said that the matter should be resolved under a Constitutional ambit. The Minister said many people complain that many issues, including those relating to Sabarimala and adultery are heard expeditiously. "But the people feel that the Ram temple matter should also be heard soon without any further delay," Prasad said, adding, "We all respect the Supreme Court, we have our faith in the judiciary." His remarks came after reports that the case would not be heard on January 29 as scheduled due to the non-availability of one of the judges of the five-member Supreme Court constitutional bench. --IANS aks/ksk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Nissan Motor said its 2019 sales target in China remains at 1.6 million units, the same as the 2018 goal, said Makoto Uchida, senior vice president of Nissan and president of Dongfeng Motor Company Limited. Nissan's 2018 sales in China grew 2.9% over a year ago to 1,563,986 units, making it the champion among all Japanese automakers in terms of full-year China sales. Both PV unit and light CV units achieved positive sales growth last year. The PV unit sold 1,301,077 vehicles throughout 2018 with a YoY increase of 2.8%. Specifically, Dongfeng Nissan (including Nissan-branded imported models)'s annual sales recorded a new high of 1,166,696 units, a YoY growth of 3.9%. However, Dongfeng Venucia's 2018 sales declined 6.0% to 134,381 units. Meanwhile, the light CV business sector, including Dongfeng Automobile Co., Ltd. and Zhengzhou Nissan, saw its yearly sales rose 5.4% to 216,969 units. Although this is the sixth year in a row for Nissan that achieved year-on-year growth, the automaker is obviously experiencing sales slowdown, which led to the setting of a relatively conservative sales target for 2019. Nissan is speeding up the business deployment in China as it has realized the significance of the world's largest auto market. The company said it is going to introduce 3 electrified models to China in 2019, aiming to double its EV sales in this country. Besides, Nissan's ProPILOT assist technology will be installed in the seventh-generation Altima this year. The remains of an Australian university professor and her sister have been found buried at the home of a family relative in Argentina, days after they were reported missing, the media reported on Monday. Authorities said Pirhya Sarusi and Lily Pereg, both Israeli nationals, had visited Sarusi's son Gil Pereg before their disappearance and were found interred at his property in the city of Mendoza on Saturday, CNN reported. Gil Pereg has been charged with two counts of murder, according to a statement from the Argentine attorney general's office. One of the corpses had three gunshot wounds and the other also had markings indicating a struggle, it said. In an interview shortly before his arrest on Sunday, Gil Pereg told Todo Noticias news channel that authorities had told him nothing and denied that anything illegal had happened in his house. Lily Pereg was a professor at Australia's University of New England, whose main campus is at Armidale in New South Wales. Its website describes her as a microbiologist specialising in plant and soil microbiology. In an interview with CNN before the bodies were found, Moshe Pereg, the brother of the two sisters, said a preliminary search at Gil Pereg's house did not reveal any information. Moshe said Gil told him that Pirhya and Lily left his house the night of January 21 and headed to the bus station. --IANS ksk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand--all three ruled by the BJP-- may be advanced by several months to be held with the Lok Sabha elections in April-May this year. While elections for the Assemblies of Haryana and Maharashtra are due in October this year that of Jharkhand are scheduled for December. There is speculation that the advancing of the Assembly elections could be considered as the BJP may not like anti-incumbency to hit the states if Assembly polls are held separately. The party believes that if held along with the Lok Sabha elections, the performance of the Central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi may overwhelm all negative factors. It suits the BJP to ride on the Modi's image as also on some of the "populist" measures expected in the Budget to beat the anti-incumbency. Polls to the Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim are scheduled to be held alongside the Lok Sabha polls. Besides, polls to elect an Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir, which is under President's Rule at present, may also be held along with Lok Sabha polls. In Haryana, buoyed by his party's success in the local body elections in which it won all five mayoral posts, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has already expressed his willingness for simultaneous polls. In Maharashtra, though Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is not keen on advancing Assembly polls, he would ultimately have to go by the party's decision if it goes for simultaneous polls. In Jharkhand, too, the BJP may decide to advance the polls as an alliance between the Congress, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) is taking shape, and it would like to counter it with Modi's high decibel Lok Sabha campaign. --IANS mak/vsc/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A platoon of Indian soldiers on Monday joined the search and rescue operations in Meghalaya where the fate of 13 miners remains unknown inside an illegal 370 feet deep coal mine in East Jaitia Hills district, an official said. Indian Navy divers couldn't retrieve the body of another miner, which was detected on Saturday by an underwater remotely operated vehicle (UROV) inside a rat-hole coal mine at Ksan village as the UROV got "badly entangled" with the second wooden cart inside the mine. "The soldiers will be providing logistics support to Navy divers, who are deployed in the search and rescue trapped miners for more than a month now," a Defence Ministry official who wished not to be named told IANS. He said the soldiers had already started setting up their camps near the tragedy site. "The Navy divers on Monday couldn't make headway in retrieving the body of another miner from inside the rat-hole mine as the UROV is non-functional after it got badly entangled with the second wooden cart inside the mine," a senior rescue official told IANS. "They are trying recover the UROV. They will lower another new UROV tomorrow (Tuesday) inside the mine to retrieve the other body," he said. A 15-member team of Navy divers from Visakhapatnam detected the second body with the help of the UROV inside the rat-hole coal mine but through a complex maize of sub rat-hole mines. Of the 15 miners trapped inside the coal mine since December 13, only one body of miner from Chirang district was recovered and handed over to his family members on Saturday. The accident inside the mine was of significance because the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had ordered an interim ban on a "rat-hole" coal mining in the state from April 17, 2014. The tragedy came to light after five miners escaped the coal pit. --IANS rrk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president Amit Shah on Monday congratulated Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and party workers for their role in the partys good performance in the state's Rabha Hasong, Sonowal Kachari and Mising Autonomous Council elections. "I congratulate Sarbananda Sonowal, state president Ranjit Das, Himanta Biswa Sarma and our karyakartas (workers) of BJP for Assam unit for the landslide victory in the Rabha Hasong, Sonowal Kachari and Mising Autonomous Council elections," Shah said in a tweet. "The victory in these three Tribal Autonomous councils, reflects the unwavering faith in the work being done for the welfare of our tribal sisters and brothers by the BJP's Central and state governments under the leadership of PM Modi," he added. BJP and its allies won the three tribal autonomous council elections. --IANS ps/oeb/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Central government on Monday told the Delhi High Court that Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), which publishes National Herald newspaper, has "clandestinely" transferred its majority shares to Young Indian in which Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi are shareholders. The court was hearing the AJL appeal challenging the December 21 order of a single judge dismissing its plea against the Urban Development Ministry's October 30 direction that AJL's 56-year-old lease on Herald House was over and that it should vacate. The single judge in its order on December 21 noted that by transfer of AJL's 99 per cent shares to Young Indian company, the beneficial interest of AJL's property worth Rs 413.40 crore stands clandestinely transferred to Young Indian company. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a division bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V. Kameswar Rao that the publication of National Herald newspaper was stopped in 2008 and in 2010-11 AJL clandestinely transferred the property to Young Indian. Mehta told the court that AJL had violated the lease agreement and revived the National Herald only after the Centre sent a notice for inspection of the property in September 2016. He also told the court that a weekly newspaper was published from Noida, not Herald House Defending AJL, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi apprised the court that various media houses print their newspaper from some other place and placed record of some major newspapers which are printing their newspaper from other places. He also told the court that the digital version of the newspaper was started on November 14, 2016. The court listed the matter for further arguments on February 1. The single-judge bench had observed that the AJL had not disclosed the volume of the daily's publication and the extent of its circulation, both in print and online, across the country. The AJL in its appeal said the volume of the publication was neither relevant nor was the company subjected to any query by the single-judge to this effect during the course of oral arguments. "The High Court has plainly erred in completely ignoring these facts in the impugned order (December 21)," the appeal said. The publication of the weekly 'National Herald on Sunday' was resumed on September 24, 2017 and it is published from the Herald House. On October 14, the AJL also resumed its weekly Hindi newspaper. AJL said that the single-judge bench had displayed unwarranted haste. --IANS akk/oeb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Afghan Army launched an operation and freed 38 people from a Taliban prison in Ghazni province, the authorities said on Monday. "The Afghan National Army (ANA) waged a special operation and freed 38 people from a Taliban prison in Ghat Kali village, Ab Band district, on Sunday night," Xinhua news agency quoted the Defence Ministry as saying in a statement. The Ministry said nine militants were also killed in the operation. "Following the raid,three weapons depots and two buildings used by the militants as a prison were destroyed by the security forces," the statement added. The freed people were shifted to an Army base for identification, the statement said. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Facebook is just one of the several social media platforms. Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Reddit and others have flooded us, garnering millions of users. There are over two billion people on Facebook, over 1.5 billion on WhatsApp, one billion on Instagram and 336 million on Twitter -- out of which millions are from India. Despite spending a sizable amount of time on digital platforms, few of us actually ponder over what will happen to our digital possessions once we die. The big question is: How to make digital platforms realise the need to transfer digital assets - personal photos, videos and friendly posts -- to the family once a member is no more. "When someone dies leaving behind his email and social media accounts, the same are movable property and that being so, any heirs of the concerned person can seek right to access the same," says Pavan Duggal, one of the nation's top cyber law experts. Facebook lets people choose a legacy contact -- a family member or friend who can manage their account when they pass away. "Once someone lets us know that a person has passed away, we will memorialize the account," says Facebook. The legacy contact will be able to write a post to display at the top of the memorialized Timeline. If someone likes, he or she may give legacy contact permission to download an archive of the photos, posts and profile information they shared on Facebook. The legacy contact, however, will not be able to log in as the person who passed away or see that person's private messages. Alternatively, you can let Facebook know to have the account permanently deleted after death. A "digital heir" can preserve precious social media moments of the deceased and gift those to future generations via tools such as an external hard disk, Cloud storage, pen drive or DVDs. The said heirs can ask the digital/social media companies to get access after giving the necessary proof. "Invariably, the service provider may not be inclined to give such access without any requisite order from the court of competent jurisdiction. This could mean getting a succession certificate from a court of competent jurisdiction which could be a time-consuming process," Duggal told IANS. Google, which owns Gmail, YouTube and Picasa web albums, has an "Inactive Account Manager" feature which allows a user to nominate who has access to his or her information. If people don't log on after a while, their accounts can be deleted or shared with a designated person. According to Twitter, "In the event of the death of a Twitter user, we can work with a person authorised to act on behalf of the estate or with a verified immediate family member of the deceased to have an account deactivated." Twitter, however, says that "we are unable to provide account access to anyone regardless of his or her relationship to the deceased". Like Facebook, Instagram memorialises accounts but they can't be changed and no one can log into the profile. Instagram asks that friends and relatives get in touch via email to notify them that a user has died and asks for a proof of death. Apple iCloud and iTunes accounts are "non transferable" which means any rights to information end when a user is no more. --IANS na/vsc/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Braving a day-long chill, around 79.16 per cent of the 235,625 electorate voted on Monday in Rajasthan's Ramgarh Assembly constituency in a battle which the Congress hopes to win to gain a simple majority in the 200-member House. The election was scheduled on December 7 along with the rest of Rajasthan Assembly seats but was postponed after Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Laxman Singh died due to cardiac arrest. There were 20 candidates in the fray but the main contest involved Congress' Shaphia Zubair Khan, BJP's Sukhwant Singh and BSP's Jagat Singh. The polling in 278 polling centres went off smoothly, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., said Chief Electoral Officer Anand Kumar. The constituency had 235,625 registered voters including 110,947 females. The Congress is aiming to win the seat to hit a century in the 200-member House. The result will be announced on January 31. The Congress now has 99 seats. Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot asserted that the party shall win by a strong margin. After the formation of a Congress government, this is the first by-election. "Although people say that this is going to be a triangular contest, I strongly feel that the Congress will come up as a winner by a strong margin," Pilot said. BJP state President Madan Lal Saini also expressed hopes of victory saying the Congress had failed to fulfill the promises made to farmers and unemployed youths in its manifesto. BSP state head Devilal added: "Our candidate is quite strong and hence we will definitely win." Meanwhile, there were several persons over 90 years who came out to vote. In booth number 136, two voters aged over 100 years voted. They were identified as Khuda Baksha (106) and Harbai (101), resident of village Mast Bad, an official said. Also, there were seven voters over 90 years old in booths 131, 132, 133 and 134, the official added. In 2013, the voter turnout in the constituency was 80.17 per cent and BJP's Gyandev Ahuja won by a margin of 4,647 votes. --IANS arc/mr/rs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 70,000 people participated in the second "Rise for Climate" march in Brussels aimed at pressuring the Belgian government and the European Union (EU) to increase their efforts to fight climate change. The event on Sunday was described as Belgium's biggest climate march ever, exceeding previous demonstrations held this month, reports Xinhua news agency. The march began at 1.30 p.m. from the Gare du Nord and the crowds arrived shortly after 3 p.m. at the Place du Luxembourg, the headquarters of the European Parliament, where a series of speeches and concerts were performed. "Humanity is facing the greatest challenge it has ever faced on Earth, and it is imperative that we should make our politicians accountable," the organisers told the crowd of protesters. "The fight looks long and difficult, but we will not let go." The protesters waved banners and placards with slogans such as "No More Company Cars", "Act Now", "No time to waste". Sunday's march follows an earlier demonstration of more than 65,000 people held in Brussels on December 2, a date that coincided with the first day of the COP24 that opened in Poland, a major international meeting to discuss the fight against climate change. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 19 militants were killed and 11 others injured after Afghan warplanes targeted a Taliban training centre in the country's Kandahar province on Monday, officials said. "Acting upon intelligence report, the fighting aircraft pounded Taliban terrorist training centre in Sarasahano area of Spin Boldak district along the border with Pakistan early this morning, killing 19 rebels and injuring 11 others," government spokesman Aziz Ahmad Azizi told Xinhua news agency. The Taliban used to train suicide bombers in the centre, he added. The terror group didn't comment on the airstrike. --IANS soni/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mercator announced that the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) had filed an appeal before the courts in London against the arbitration Awards of approx. Rs 50 crore payable to Mercator by DCI. On 25 January 2019, the appeals filed by DCI have been dismissed with costs and the English Court has upheld the Awards made in favour of Mercator. The Company is awaiting the written order and will start the process of enforcement and execution of the award, post the receipt of the same. The Company had earlier announced that in three separate arbitrations commenced by the Company against DCI under contracts relating to the dredging of Sethusamudram Ship Canal project, the Arbitral Tribunal (the "Tribunal") has passed Awards in favour of Mercator, upholding the wrongful deductions made by DCI and awarding damages for wrongful termination by DCI of two of the three Contracts. The Awards found that Mercator had not committed any breach of its contracts with DCI and declared that the termination of the two contracts by DCI was "wrongful and illegal"; and further awarded damages to Mercator for the losses suffered as a result of such wrongful termination by DCI. With regards to the Third Contract which was not terminated, the Tribunal confirmed the in-situ dredging done by Mercator and awarded the full payment in this regards. On 15 March 2018, the Company has in total been awarded a gross sum of approx. Rs 50 crore plus interest, to be paid by DCI, on account of various wrongful deductions made by DCI for work duly done, demobilisation costs, payments towards the in-situ quantity dredged and damages due to the illegal termination of two charterparty contracts by DCI. DCI had also simultaneously challenged the awards in the Delhi High Court on various grounds, and the said challenges have also been dismissed by the Delhi High Court vide its order dated 10 October 2018. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Volatility struck bourses in early trade as the key benchmark indices sink in the red after opening in the positive zone. At 9:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 138.20 points or 0.38% at 35,887.34. The Nifty 50 index was down 58.30 points or 0.54% at 10,722.25. The Sensex dropped below the psychological 36,000 mark in early trade. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was down 1.51%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 1.37%. Both these indices underperformed the Sensex. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was weak. On the BSE, 698 shares rose and 1854 shares fell. A total of 152 shares were unchanged. Overseas, Asian stocks were trading mixed. US stocks gained ground on Friday in a broad-based rally as investors were heartened by news that Washington would move to temporarily end the longest US government shutdown in history. US President Donald Trump has announced a deal with the Democrats to temporarily open the government for three weeks till mid-February. Back home, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) gained 2.78%. On a consolidated basis, net profit of L&T rose 37.02% to Rs 2041.62 crore on 24.22% rise in net sales to Rs 35708.87 crore in Q3 December 2018 over Q3 December 2017. The result was announced after market hours on Friday, 25 January 2019. The company secured orders worth Rs 42233 crore at the group level during the quarter ended 31 December 2018. The current quarter witnessed delays in order awards due to deferment of select prospects in project businesses mainly in transportation infrastructure, heavy civil infrastructure and power business. International orders at Rs 11454 crore constituted 27% of the total order inflow. The consolidated order book stood at Rs 284049 crore as at 31 December 2018, up by 5% over December 2017 position, registering a reasonable growth over a large base. International order book constituted 21% of the total order book vis-a-vis 25% recorded as of 31 December 2017, L&T said. Lupin fell 0.81%. Lupin announced on Saturday, 26 January 2019, the completion of the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) inspection carried out at the company's Pithampur Unit -2 (Indore) facility. The inspection was carried out between January 14 and January 25, 2019. The inspection at Pithampur Unit-2 (Indore) closed with 6 observations. The company is confident of addressing the observations satisfactorily. NBCC (India) shed 0.62%. NBCC (India) has bagged an order of Rs 228 crore for the redevelopment of World Health Organisation (WHO) - SEARO building in New Delhi. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 25 January 2019. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Commerce Secretary, Anup Wadhawan, was on a two-day official visit to Beijing last week. During the visit from 21st to 22nd January 2019, he had bilateral meeting with Zhang Jiwen, Vice Minister of General Administration of China Customs (GACC), for examining market access and quarantine issues for India's agriculture and allied products. During the meeting, Commerce Secretary appreciated GACC for expeditiously addressing long pending agricultural market access issues for Indian products, following the understandings reached on these matters at the Informal Summit in Wuhan last year between President, Xi Jinping and Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Since that Summit, the protocol on exports of non-basmati rice was signed in June 2018 on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. GACC has also approved 6 Indian mills for export of rapeseed meal to China. The protocol on exports of fish meal and fish oil was signed during the visit of China's Vice Minister of GACC to New Delhi in November 2018. The GACC has also deputed experts to inspect Indian soyabean meal establishments and pomegranate orchards and pack houses in December 2018. The SPS Protocols for these products are at an advanced stage of negotiation. During the visit of the Commerce Secretary, India and China also signed the protocol for exports of Indian tobacco leaves to China. Quality tobacco on par with international standards is available in India at competitive prices and there is good potential for export of Indian tobacco to China. The revival of the phytosanitory protocol with China will pave the way for revival of Indian tobacco exports to China and prove economically beneficial to Indian farmers. The recent period has thus seen significant progress in market access for a number of agricultural and allied products from India. The Commerce Secretary requested the GACC to expedite market access for other products like okra, soyabean, bovine meat and dairy products. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday vowed to not to spare anyone found guilty in the Bargari carnage case. Addressing a press conference here, Amarinder said: "I will not spare anyone, including a police officer or politician if they found guilty in the Bargari carnage case." Slamming the Akalis for failing to bring the culprits to book and not accepting the recommendations of its own Commission set up to probe the incident, the Chief Minister said the investigations of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by his government would reach their logical conclusion soon. This comes a day a former police officer Charanjit Singh Sharma was arrested by the SIT in connection with the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing in Faridkot, an incident linked to the Bargari carnage, which claimed the lives of two persons. Pointing out that one senior police officer implicated in the case had already been arrested, the Chief Minister said it was obvious that the officer in question must have been following orders, and the SIT would identify those who issued the orders. The Chief Minister, who was here to disburse Rs 97 crore as relief to 18,308 small farmers from Bathinda and Mansa districts against debt from cooperative banks, personally handed over debt relief certificates to 10 farmers each from the two districts as a token of the disbursement. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister lambasted the previous SAD-BJP government for ruining everything, from agriculture to industry and economy, during its 10-year misrule. "The Badals and their cronies were busy filling their own pockets at the cost of the people's welfare", he said. Captain Amarinder expressed happiness at having faithfully implemented his pre-election promise to waive off farm debts and break the backbone of the drug trade. "There had been a sharp decline in the number of state's farmer suicides and drug trade. Also, The Buddy and DAPO programmes were making significant strides in checking drug abuse and helping in the rehabilitation of the affected youth, he added. On the issue of farmers' problems, the Chief Minister lamented that the Centre had failed to come to their rescue despite his repeated pleas. "Despite fiscal constraints and Rs 2.08 lakh crore debt inherited by us from the erstwhile SAD-BJP regime, we were reaching out to the farmers with its debt waiver scheme, which would benefit 10.25 lakh of the 17 lakh farming families in the state," said Captain Amarinder. Continuing his tirade against SAD and the Centre, the Chief Minister said, "Punjab had witnessed no development under the incumbent Congress government, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had levelled false allegations that no loans had been waived off in Punjab." Captain Amarinder pointed out that his government had spent Rs 250 crore for subsiding 27,500 crop residue management machines. "Next year, Rs 400 crore shall be spent on providing 40,000 more such machines to the farmers," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A police complaint will be filed in the Rafale audio tape case if AICC directs us to do so, said Goa Congress Committee (GCC) president Girish Chodankar on Monday. "As neither a case has been registered nor action taken against Manohar Parrikar and Vishwajit Rane over the Rafale deal tape row, we will file a police complaint if the AICC directs us to do so," he said. Earlier in December last year, a clip was released by the Congress, wherein Goa Minister Vishwajit Rane was purportedly heard saying to an unidentified person that Goa Chief Minister Parrikar had Rafale files with him, due to which he has managed to continue to be the CM. Talking to ANI, Chodankar said: "Neither a case has been registered nor an action taken against Parrikar and Rane. The Rafale audio tapes are genuine." "It is obvious that the tapes are authentic and that Goa CM, Parrikar, is in possession of explosive Rafale secrets that give him power over the PM," Rahul Gandhi tweeted earlier on Monday. Following the controversy, a war of words had erupted between the Congress and the BJP after the former claimed that Rafale deal file was lying in Parrikar's bedroom. Rane hit back at the Congress, asserting that the audio tape was doctored and Parrikar made no mention about Rafale deal and its documents. "The audio tape is doctored. Congress has stooped to such a low level to doctor a tape to create miscommunication between the Cabinet and Chief Minister. Parrikar has never made any reference to Rafale or any documents. I have asked him for a criminal investigation into the matter," Rane had told reporters in Panaji. The Rafale jet deal controversy has been on the boil over the last a few months. The Congress and other opposition parties have been alleging irregularities in the high-profile deal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday asserted that the incident that occurred during his interaction with a woman was an accident and the lady is just like his sister. Speaking to media-persons, Siddaramaiah said, "When I was trying to stop a long speech of a party worker that incident happened, it was an accident, there was no bad intention. I know her since 15 years, she is just like my sister." Earlier in the day, former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah was caught on camera losing his cool while interacting with a woman in Mysuru. In a video, Siddaramaiah could be seen furiously snatching away the mike from the woman's hand and in the process, her 'dupatta' also dropped. The woman was apparently raising some issue, which agitated the Congress leader. However later, the woman with whom Siddaramaiah was caught misbehaving downplayed the entire episode, saying that she had no complaint against the Congress leader. Talking to media persons here, Jamala said: "I have no issues. He was the best Chief Minister. I only told him about some grievances and spoke roughly. I shouldn't have spoken like that to a former a chief minister. He got angry because I slammed the table." Meanwhile, NCW has also taken cognizance of the news reports of the incident and have urged the state police for an investigation of the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States and Taliban have agreed in principle to chalk out a framework for a deal that could eventually end the 17-year old conflict in Afghanistan. According to US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, the Taliban would guarantee that Afghanistan will never be used as a base for terrorism in return for a full American withdrawal from the country, The New York Times reported. He further stated that the Taliban concessions must include a ceasefire and agreement to hold talks with the Afghan government, a prospect the terror outfit has been persistently opposed to previously. "We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement. The Taliban have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals," Khalilzad told The New York Times in an interview in Kabul. "We felt enough confidence that we said we need to get this fleshed out, and details need to be worked out," the Afghan-born US diplomat added. To keep Afghanistan from being used as a base for operations like the al-Qaeda's September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, a major catalyst for the 17-year-old war, has been one of the primary demands made by the American officials. Following nine years of stumbling efforts to arrive at a peace deal, the preliminary draft framework has been the biggest concrete step towards ending the war, which has cost tens of thousands of lives and has had a far-reaching effect on Washington's foreign policy. A senior US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the Taliban has asked for time to clarify their stance with the leadership on the American demands for a cease-fire and holding talks directly with the Afghan government. The official said that all those issues were "interconnected" as part of the "package deal" which was equated to a Russian nesting doll. The official's descriptions tallied with details that have been leaked by Taliban and western officials recently. A senior Taliban official had confirmed that the draft agreement addressed the issue of withdrawal of foreign troops and the Taliban's pledge that Afghanistan would never be used against others. He also said that "working groups" will work the details on a timeline for the troop withdrawal. However, the Taliban official does not consider the withdrawal being dependent on the American condition for a cease-fire or direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, signalling that Washington's demands may be far-fetched. He did not confirm the Taliban's stance on the two issues. The Taliban's stance on the demand for Afghanistan to not be used as a base for terror activities also remained unclear. US officials said the Taliban delegation told them that the group would "provide guarantees" that would be satisfactory for the Americans. A number of analysts of the Afghanistan war have opined that the details which have surfaced from the US-Taliban meetings indicate American desperation for a withdrawal from a war which is considered unwinnable, rather than patience for a holistic peace deal. Diplomats in Kabul also suggested that Khalilzad's apprehensions regarding the fulfillment of the US' demands may be genuine. Khalilzad had said he was looking for ways, including help from other countries, to convince the Taliban for a cease-fire and a meet with the Afghan government. The US envoy returned to Afghanistan on Sunday after six days of talks with Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar, to brief the Afghan government of the developments. Over the course of six days, Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the co-founders of the Taliban, was appointed as their chief peace negotiator. Although he did not participate in the talks in Qatar, he is expected to take in the lead in future discussions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Chinese delegation will arrive in the United States to hold a series of meetings on January 30 and 31 to discuss trade relations between the two countries, President Donald Trump announced on Monday. "For the United States, the trade discussions will be led by United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer and include Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy Larry Kudlow, and Assistant to the President for Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro," a statement from White House press secretary Sarah Sanders' office confirmed. "The United States principals will be accompanied by senior officials from the White House, USTR, and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, State, and the Treasury," the statement added. The meetings are a part of the agreement of a 'temporary truce' reached by Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their dinner on December 1 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina. Part of their agreement was to engage in 90 days of negotiations with a view to achieving the needed structural changes in China that affect trade between the United States and China. In Argentina, Trump had agreed to not raise the then-10 per cent tariffs on the USD 200 billion worth of Chinese goods to 25 per cent. Also, China agreed to purchase "very substantial" amounts of agriculture, energy, and other goods in order to restore trade balances. Additionally, China agreed to "reduce and remove" tariffs on US-made cars and reclassify 'fentanyl' as a 'controlled substance', with the White House terming the latter a "wonderful humanitarian gesture". The statement from the White House press secretary added: "The two sides will also discuss China's pledge to purchase a substantial amount of goods and services from the United States. Under this agreement, an official United States delegation traveled to Beijing for trade meetings from January 7 to 9, 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Singapore [Singapore], Jan 28 (ANI): Thailand is one of the favourite international tourist destinations for Indians. The Indian tourists spent almost 70 billion Baht (USD 2.2 billion) last year and 58 per cent of them have been there before with the length of stay averaging 7.45 days. The South East Asian country, this year, is rolling out red carpet to travel enthusiasts from India. In spite of martial law, the tourism industry has been booming with strong growth every year except for 2014 when it was in political turmoil and amidst the military takeover. Tourism is a major contributor to the Thai economy accounting for some 18 per cent of its GDP. It is projected to end 2018 with about 41.5 million visitors- up some 17 per cent from a year ago (official figures are not out yet for December). If projections are correct, it would have grown almost 70 per cent since 2014 - a very enviable statistic for any country. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) continues its aggressive and relentless push to increase visitors year after year and for this year, rolled out the "Hidden Shades of Amazing Thailand" programme. The programme invites travellers to indulge in unique experiences and aims at four segments of travellers. To target first-time travellers, a new website - www.firstvisit.com, was launched. The second group are couples planning to exchange wedding vows abroad and honeymooners. About 300 Indian destination weddings took place in Thailand in 2018. Thailand is attractive to such tourists because it is inexpensive, and its landscape is dotted with many scenic and romantic locations. "My wedding in Thailand" website was launched to encourage more such visitors. The other two groups are women travellers and family holidaymakers. Indians are ranked sixth among nationalities visiting Thailand with over 1.6 million visitors in 2018. This is just behind Japan and ahead of Russia. This is a marked increase from 11th place and 500,000 visitors ten years ago. Most Indian visitors to Thailand travel independently instead of joining tour groups. Indian leisure travellers generally go shopping and sightseeing in Bangkok and Pattaya with an increasing number also heading to Phuket, Chiang Mai, Ko Samui, Chiang Rai, Krabi, Ayutthaya and Ko Chang (Trat). Recently, it has been observed that the number of Indian film-makers, MICE delegates, wedding parties and honeymooners have increased significantly. TAT is very excited about the potential growth of Indian tourists due to its burgeoning wealth and the growing affluence of the middle class with numbers travelling abroad increasing as a result. It plans to embark on "Amazing Thailand" roadshows in August to Tier-II cities-Ahmedabad, Pune, Amritsar and Bhubaneswar as part of TAT's strategy to tap the potential of India's secondary cities. This is in addition to the 70 Thai exhibitors who took part in the South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) at the India Expo Centre in Greater Noida earlier in January. SATTE is the leading travel trade show in South Asia. It is organised by UBM India, a major exhibition organising company. This year is the 26th edition and was attended by 1,000 exhibitors and representatives from over 50 countries and 90 cities across India. The 70 Thai exhibitors include hotels and resorts, tour operators and travel agents, airlines and tourist attractions. The number of exhibitors is up from 54 in 2018 confirming that many in Thailand believe in the potential market for Indian arrivals. This year marks the 11th year Thailand is present at SATTE. For Thailand, the highlight of the event is winning the "Best Foreign Destination 2019" award along with Australia from a shortlist of 11 countries. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor, said, "We are very proud to be recognised thus by senior leaders and executives of India's top travel institutions. It will go a long way to bolster our strong marketing and promotional efforts across India." "We want to change the perception of Thailand in India from a 'cheap destination' to a more value-for-money destination. We want to move away from a mass tourist destination to a niche destination. After in-depth research on Indian travellers' behaviour, we have identified some lesser known destinations and have formulated a strategy to promote them. I feel we will be able to achieve two million Indian tourists by the end of 2019, a year earlier than the previously set target of 2020," Supasorn added. To give Indian visitors a reason to return, TAT plans to promote less popular destinations in Thailand. They have noticed the emergence of well-heeled Indian travellers who are experienced and discerning and willing to venture beyond the long-standing Bangkok-Pattaya circuit to new destinations such as Chiang Rai, Rayong, Trat, Hua Hin and Samut Songkhram. The Thai government recently extended the waiver of the 2,000 Baht fee for visa-on-arrival from November 21, 2018, to April 30 this year. The waiver applies to Indians as well as 21 other nationalities. What has also helped fuel tourism growth from India is the fact that bilateral airline capacity is at an all-time high with 307 weekly flights between Thailand and 16 major cities in India, served by 13 airlines including Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Thai Smile, Bhutan Airlines, Druk Air, Jet Airways, Air Asia, Spice Jet, Thai Lion Air, Indigo, NokScoot and GoAir. Thailand expects to welcome five million Indian visitors by 2023. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Telangana Prison Department showcased products made by prison inmates at various stalls in an exhibition, selling them at reasonable prices to commoners. Officials informed that the exhibition was held in a bid to help jail inmates reform and rehabilitate by providing them with specific vocational skills that include plumbing, carpentry, textile making, and embroidery. Shoban Rupani, Jailor at Charlapalli central prison told ANI: "Our main aim is to take care of the prisoners by providing education, skills, hygiene food, physical health and, mental health. We always try to make prisoners law-abiding citizens and must be useful to the society". Each prisoner is paid Rs. 75 for one day at the stall, owing to which they can send money home. "We also got a good response from the public as they believe in us and buy the products from the stall. The average sale per day is Rs 75,000," said Shobhan. MD Lateef Khan, who was convicted in a murder case, said he has learned a number of essential skills during his five-year stint in jail. "It's been five years for me in jail. During this time, I have learned welding work, embroidery work, tailoring, plumber work inside the prison. Later the officials have selected me for working in this stall every year. Officials will help us in all kinds, we will be displaying our products and will sell them to the public. Interacting with the public and coming out from jail gives relief to me," he said. Commoners, too, hailed the initiative taken for inmates. "This is a very good step as it will help prisoners to get reformed and come out with some changes in their life," said Parmeshwar, a visitor at the exhibition. Another visitor added: "The products are available at very reasonable rates and are in no way inferior to the products available in the market. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday said, Congress MLA ST Somashekar has apologised to HD Kumaraswamy for his comment against the Chief Minister. Taking to Twitter, the KPCC president said: "Our MLA Sri ST Somashekar has made statements which crosses the lakshmanrekha of coalition It cannot be tolerated, especially when he is holding a responsible position. It's an act of indiscipline and action will be initiated. "MLA ST Somashekar came to KPCC office and explained his statement to me. He has expressed his regret and apologised to the CM for any anguish caused. However I'm warning all the leaders of @INCKarnataka to be careful in their comments and not to cross the Laksmana Rekha," he added. Rao strongly stated that any act of indiscipline will not be tolerated and action will be taken against the defaulters. "Any act of indiscipline by way of comments or behaviour will not be tolerated and discipline action will be initiated. Our coalition with the JDS is to take on the communal forces and unseat the anti democratic forces ruling this country, not to indulge in petty politicking," Rao said in a series of tweet. MLA from Yeshwantpur, ST Somashekar said that development work in Bengaluru had slowed down under the coalition regime-led by Kumaraswamy. The newly appointed chairperson of Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had said that the development of roads in the city is not progressing well, unlike in the past when Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister of the state. Earlier in the day, Kumaraswamy threatened to quit, as he voiced anger over certain remarks by some legislators of the Congress and said they "are crossing the line." He asked the Congress to control its MLAs, after two of them, ST Somashekar and MTB Nagaraj, said on Sunday that they consider only former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as their leader, and not Kumaraswamy. "Congress leaders...They have to watch all these issues. It is left to them. You ask Congress leaders. I am not the concerned person for all these things," a visibily- angry Kumaraswamy told ANI when asked to comment on the remarks made by Somashekar and Nagaraj. "Same thing if they want to continue to (do) all this, I am ready to step down. I am ready to step down. Congress leaders must think about all this. They are crossing the line, they must control," the Chief Minister said. The Congress immediately went into damage control mode, with its senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge, asking the leaders not to make unnecessary comments. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader G Parameshwara said that his party was happy with Kumaraswamy but found nothing wrong in MLAs expressing their opinion. In the 224-member Assembly, JD(S) has 37 seats and Congress has 80 seats. Ever since the Congress-JD(S) jointly formed the government in Karnataka in May last year, there have been murmurs rift in the coalition. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Venezuela's self-proclaimed interim President Juan Guaido has confirmed that talks are being held "discreetly" with the military to oust President Nicolas Maduro. "We have been in talks with government officials, civilian and military men," Guaido told The Washington Post. "This is a very delicate subject involving personal security. We are meeting with them, but discreetly", he added. He also lauded the decision of Venezuela's Defence attache to US of extending his support to Guaido amidst the political turmoil. Protesters and sympathisers with the opposition leader's cause have been handing out flyers to local police to support them and not Maduro. "We're asking them to stop going out to the streets to repress us. We're asking them to come out to support us," The Washington Post quoted a social worker in Venezuela, Manfredo Gonzalez, as saying. The National Assembly President has further mentioned that the process of naming "foreign representatives" is underway. Adding to this, the USA accepted Guaido-appointed Carlos Vecchio as the South American country's representative to the United States on Sunday. On January 23, the opposition leader had proclaimed himself as President of Venezuela to crowds of cheering protesters. He was immediately recognised as interim President by the USA. The elected President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, labelled it as a coup attempt by the US authorities and severed all ties with the country. Following this, the USA appealed to nations to "pick a side" over the crisis in Venezuela at a UN Security Council meeting on Saturday. Despite major protests and an ultimatum by most nations to hold fresh elections, Maduro continues to hold on to his post. Countries like Russia have backed Maduro while condemning international interference in the nation. Other countries which have recognised Guaido as the interim President are Australia, Canada, UK and Brazil, amongst others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre and Meghalaya government to continue their efforts to rescue miners who have been trapped for more than a month in an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district. A bench headed by Justice AK Sikri posted the matter for next hearing on February 4. The apex court was hearing a PIL filed seeking to rescue the trapped miners. Navy divers on Saturday recovered a second body from the flooded rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya where a group of miners were trapped since December 13 last year. According to the Navy officials, the second body was detected 280 feet inside the mine in the state's East Jaintia Hills by its diving team. On Friday, one body was recovered from the mine at Ksan near Lytein River in East Jaintia Hills. A total of 15 miners were trapped in the illegal mine in Lumthari village since December 13 last year, when water from the nearby Lytein river flooded the mine. Since then, a multi-agency rescue operation has been underway to evacuate the miners. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The on Monday asked the Centre and Meghalya government to continue their efforts to rescue miners who have been trapped for more than a month in an illegal coal mine in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills district. A bench headed by Justice AK Sikri posted the matter for next hearing on February 4. The apex court was hearing a PIL filed seeking to rescue the trapped miners. divers on Saturday recovered a second body from the flooded rat-hole coal mine in where a group of miners were trapped since December 13 last year. According to the officials, the second body was detected 280 feet inside the mine in the state's East Jaintia Hills by its diving team. On Friday, one body was recovered from the mine at Ksan near Lytein River in East Jaintia Hills. A total of 15 miners were trapped in the illegal mine in Lumthari village since December 13 last year, when water from the nearby Lytein river flooded the mine. Since then, a multi-agency rescue operation has been underway to evacuate the miners. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Emily Blunt won top honours in the best performance by a female actor in a supporting role category for her work in husband John Krasinski's 'A Quiet Place.' The actress was nominated alongside Amy Adams for 'Vice', Margot Robbie for 'Mary Queen of Scots', Emma Stone for 'The Favourite' and Rachel Weisz for 'The Favourite in the category. Taking to the podium, Blunt joked, "Guys, that truly has completely blown my slicked hair back," before thanking her husband, co-star, and the film's director John Krasinski. "The entire experience of doing this with you has completely pierced my heart directly. You are a stunning filmmaker. I'm so lucky to be with you and to have done this film with you. Thank you for giving me the part. You would've been in major trouble if you hadn't - so you didn't really have an option," she added. The British actor - also nominated for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role for playing magical nanny Mary Poppins in 'Mary Poppins Returns' - starred opposite her husband John Krasinski in the hit thriller and actually filmed 'A Quiet Place' and 'Mary Poppins' back-to-back. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aberame, a leading Information Technology solution provider in India, and M800- a leading global communication solutions provider in Asia- have started a strategic reseller partnership to bring secure and reliable communication solutions, including liveConnect and M800 SDK Suite, to markets in India, Indian Sub-continent, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, powering-up businesses' website, app and IoT devices. M800 is enhancing its global expansion by using Aberame's marketing strategies and aims to empower its and establish worldwide presence. The new partnership is expected to spark innovation in communication markets by maximizing the product development talents and resources at both companies while driving scale and efficiency in the partners' respective supply chains. "We are excited to partner with M800 Limited," said Rajalingam R, Founder Director and CEO of Aberame. "It's clear that every is looking for new affordable communication solutions to attract and retain their clients. The leading communication technology solutions of M800 enable this and allow new marketing solutions to become a necessity." "The collaboration allows us to keep doing what we are good at - but doing it bigger and better. Combining our leading technology and deep knowledge of digital business with the expertise of M800 Limited in communications technology enables us to make our tools uniquely effective in any market area." Steven YAP, Co-Founder of M800 serving as Chairman and CEO similarly acknowledges the new partnership: "We at M800 Limited are enthusiastic about our newest collaboration with Aberame, allowing us to utilize each other's greatest strengths. The business capabilities of our newest partner will bolster our global presence and extend our communication offerings to a wide variety of regions globally and especially the Indian and Southeast Asian markets. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Agitated Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday said that he is ready to step down after Congress MLAs, who are in coalition government with Kumaraswamy's JDS, reportedly said "Siddaramaiah is their leader'. He said, "Congress MLAs say Siddaramaiah is their leader, Congress leaders have to watch all that issues, I am not the concerned person for it. If they want to continue with it, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line. Congress leaders must control their MLAs." This comes after some Congress legislators, such as ST Somashekar, MTB Nagaraj, in a program on Sunday, said that they only consider former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as their leader and not HD Kumaraswamy. Reacting to the issue, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said that there was nothing wrong with the concerned MLAs expressing their opinions, but the party considers Kumaraswamy as the best Chief Minister. He said, "Siddaramaiah has been the best Chief Minister. He is our Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader. For the MLA, he (Siddaramaiah) is the Chief Minister. He has expressed his opinion. What is wrong in that? We are all happy with him (Kumaraswamy)." Ever since Congress-JDS jointly formed the government in Karnataka in May last year, there have been murmurs of cracks in the coalition. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday demanded action on ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for allegedly being in possession of files related to the Rafale deal. Taking to Twitter, he wrote, "30 days since the Goa Audio Tapes on RAFALE were released. No FIR or enquiry ordered. No action against the Minister either! It's obvious that the tapes are authentic & that Goa CM, Parrikar, is in possession of explosive RAFALE secrets, that give him power over the PM." The Congress party, earlier this month, had released an audio clip claiming that Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar possessed all files related to the deal. Congress party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala claimed that Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane was speaking in it to another person about the deal. In the audio, Rane, as claimed by Congress, divulged that Parrikar, who was the Defence Minister when the Rafale deal was signed in 2016 between India and France, had "all files related to the deal in his bedroom." Later, Rane hit back at the Congress, asserting that the audio tape was doctored and Parrikar made no mention about Rafale deal and its documents. "The audio tape is doctored. Congress has stooped to such a low level to doctor a tape to create miscommunication between the Cabinet and Chief Minister. Parrikar has never made any reference to Rafale or any documents. I have asked him for a criminal investigation into the matter," Rane told reporters. The Supreme Court on December 14 last year had dismissed all petitions seeking court-monitored probe into the Rafale deal with France, saying that there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the deal. The top court said it was not its job to go into the issue of pricing. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, has already said that there is no need to conduct an investigation into the details of Rafale pricing. The Rafale jet deal controversy has been on the boil over the last few months. The Congress and other opposition parties have been alleging irregularities in the high-profile deal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Assam government to provide details of the number of people declared foreigners and deported in the last 10 years. The apex court asked the state government to provide data stating the period for which these foreign inmates have been sent to detention centres in Assam. The court also sought details on the number of people deported after being declared as foreigners by the tribunals. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi has now posted the matter for hearing on February 19. Activist Harsh Mander had filed the PIL seeking direction to the authorities to ensure humane treatment of those detained in the detention centres in Assam. The top court had extended the last date of filing claims and objections on the inclusion of names in the draft Register of Citizen (NRC) from December 15 to December 31, 2018. NRC is a register containing names of Indian citizens, which was prepared for the only time in 1951 and is being updated only for Assam to weed out illegal immigrants. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi has commenced shooting for his upcoming film 'PM Narendra Modi'. The film is a biopic based on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vivek is essaying the role of the titular character. Indian film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to his Twitter handle to share the news alongside a picture of the film's team. "Narendra Modi biopic filming begins in #Ahmedabad today... Will be shot at various locations in #Gujarat... #PMNarendraModi stars Vivek Anand Oberoi... Costars Boman Irani and Darshan Kumaar... Directed by Omung Kumar B... Produced by Suresh Oberoi and Sandip Ssingh," he tweeted. The filming that began in Ahmedabad on Monday and will be shot at several locations across Gujarat, Delhi and Uttarakhand over a period of few months. The film will traverse the journey of Modi from his humble beginnings to his years as chief minister and finally his landmark election as the Prime Minister. Earlier this month, the makers of the biographical drama shared the first look poster of the film featuring Vivek as PM Modi. The poster was launched at an event in Mumbai by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Reportedly, the character of PM Modi was earlier being portrayed by Paresh Rawal, who opted out of the film due to some unknown reasons. Vivek, who had been missing from the acting scene lately, has done films like 'Krrish 3' (2013), 'Omkara' (2006), 'Company' (2002) and 'Saathiya' (2002). Apart from Vivek, the film also stars Boman Irani and Darshan Kumaar in pivotal roles. This will be Darshan's third collaboration with director Omung after 'Mary Kom' and 'Sarbjit'. The biopic will be helmed by Omung Kumar, director of some critically acclaimed films including 'Mary Kom' and 'Sarbjit'. The biographical drama is being produced by Sandip Ssingh. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 15 people have died after a mudslide hit a wedding party here on Sunday. Furthermore, over 30 people have sustained injuries in the tragic incident. The event occurred at the Alhambra hotel when a mass of mud and other earthy material crashed into people dancing at the wedding celebrations below. Evaristo Ramos, Abancay's mayor, told local media that around 100 guests were invited to the party, out of which "15 are dead and 34 injured," reports Al Jazeera. Rescue efforts have continued all through Sunday night as firefighters, residents and police work to pull people out from the debris. According to authorities, the hotel was built close to a hillslide. The collapse of the retaining wall led to the mudslide destroying the roof, which fell on the party-goers below. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deputy Speaker of Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, Jafarullah Khan hit out at Pakistan on Monday for its failed policies to generate employment for the youth of its occupied territory. "We had a lot of hope but we don't seem to be getting anything from Pakistan. They have also weakened the Gilgit-Baltistan order 2018 by transferring the powers of the region to the Federal government of Pakistan. People are angry over this," Khan said during an interview. "So we need to find ways to placate them. Employment could be provided to them. Skilled youth of this region could also be provided a quota amongst those who go out and serve in different countries. Then, they will not just be able to send remittances back to the country but will also be able to run their family," Khan added. Both skilled and unskilled people in Gilgit-Baltistan, the part of erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, are affected due to failed policies of Islamabad. People say that a dwindling economy, poverty and denial of fundamental rights coupled with rampant corruption have further worsened the situation. The mounting crisis is not a resultant of the Pakistani economy that has witnessed an unprecedented slump lately but perennial cruelty which has marginalised locals, who have been subjected to ever since the invasion of the region, the deputy Speaker said. Khan further noted that the locals have made repeated demands seeking the consolidation of the private sector in the region. However, all their pleas have fallen on deaf ears of authorities who do not want to let the region get developed. "The region doesn't have much of agriculture land. There are no industries there. The private sector is still at bay from the region. So employment is largely dependent at the government departments. A large number of employees from Pakistan are working in the government offices of Gilgit-Baltistan, at least 25 per cent of them. So, our endeavour is that our youth which is largely unemployed should get employment through different channels and means," said Khan. "Firstly the private sector should be set up there, industries should be there. And along with that the small agricultural land, mining and minerals, they can also benefit from", he added. The status of the region has always been in a limbo with Islamabad, which has been ruling the region through ad hoc executive orders. These orders are basically used as a suppressive tool to keep the indigenous people of the region under check and are aimed at curtailing the fundamental rights of the citizens of Gilgit-Baltistan. Latest in the list, the Giligit-Baltistan order 2018, which transferred all the powers vested with the Giligit-Baltistan authorities to the Federal government of Pakistan, was introduced to facilitate the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an ambitious multi-billion economic project that had hit multiple roadblocks owing to earlier status. Activists who have dared to resist the joint ambitions of Pakistan and China have been slapped with sedition charges. The draconian Schedule IV which in reality brought to bring such situations control has been used indiscriminately. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the ongoing political turbulence in Congress-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka, senior Congress party leader Mallikarjun Kharge has advised his party MLAs "not to speak against the wishes of the party high command". "They (Karnataka Congress MLAs) should not react openly to the media. We have all come together to fight BJP-RSS. It is not advisable for any member to speak against wishes of the party high command. Such incidents will create confusion in the coalition," Kharge told ANI. His statement comes hours after Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy told ANI that he is ready to step down after Congress MLAs reportedly said, "Siddaramaiah is their leader". "Congress MLAs say Siddaramaiah is their leader; Congress leaders have to watch all that issues, I am not the concerned person for it. If they want to continue with it, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line. Congress leaders must control their MLAs," Kumaraswamy said. Earlier, Congress legislators ST Somashekar and MTB Nagaraj in a programme on Sunday reportedly said that they only consider former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as their leader and not Kumaraswamy. Reacting to the issue, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said that there was nothing wrong with the MLAs concerned expressing their opinions, but the party is happy with Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister. He said, "Siddaramaiah has been the best Chief Minister. He is our Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader. For the MLA, he (Siddaramaiah) is the Chief Minister. He has expressed his opinion. What is wrong in that? We are all happy with him (Kumaraswamy)." Ever since Congress-JD(S) jointly formed the government in Karnataka in May last year, there have been murmurs of cracks in the coalition. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress will ensure minimum universal basic income for the poor, if it comes to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, party president Rahul Gandhi announced on Monday. "After winning in 2019 we will take a step that no party has ever taken. We will ensure minimum universal basic income for the poor. No government in the world has ever taken such a decision," Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a rally here. While promising to empower the farmers, poor and marginalised, the Congress leader took a dig at the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)-led government in Centre and states saying that the party only works to benefit the rich. "Whenever we spoke of loan waiver, the BJP said they do not have money. In Chhattisgarh, they said they have no money. In Madhya Pradesh, (former chief minister) Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he does not have money. In Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he does not have money for loan waiver. They do not have money for loan waiver but they can waive loans off India's 15 richest industrialists," Rahul Gandhi said while intensifying his attack on the BJP. "What the BJP could not do in 15 years, we did in 24 hours. There is no lack of money. Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi only wants you to listen to his 'Mann ki Baat'. Rafale was a huge contract. Lakhs of youth could have got jobs. But Modi wanted to benefit his industrialist friend," he added. The Congress chief also accused the BJP of diluting the Land Acquisition Bill in the Parliament. He said: "Our land acquisition bill guaranteed four times the price of land to farmers and if industrialists did not start work in 10 years, the land would go back to farmers. But Prime Minister Modi and the BJP diluted the bill. " He further said that the Congress government in Chhattisgarh will work for the benefit of the people in the state. "You imposed your trust on us and helped us form the government in Chhattisgarh. The responsibility is huge and we will try our best to fulfil it. All our leaders fought unitedly and this helped us win," Rahul said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Baloch Republican Party (BRP) workers held a seven-day awareness campaign outside the United Kingdom Prime Minister's office in London to highlight the unending killings, enforced disappearances, and alleged human rights violations in Balochistan. BRP central spokesman Sher Mohammad Bugti said in a statement that the campaign started on January 19 and came to an end with a protest demonstration on January 26. On the last day of the campaign, the demonstration was joined by the activists of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and Free Balochistan Movement (FBM). While addressing the protesters, BRP central leader Mansoor Baloch urged the UK government to take notice of human rights violations in Balochistan and pressurise the Pakistan government for releasing hundreds of Baloch missing persons reportedly lodged there. Meanwhile, FBM leader Faiz Mohammad Baloch said that the UK should halt any kind of funds or aid to Pakistan army, adding that the latter has created many religious groups that are allegedly being used to suppress the voice of the oppressed such as Pashtun, Sindhi, and Baloch. London-based PTM activist Falak Niyaz Khan expressed solidarity with BRP activists on a successful awareness campaign and said that Pashtuns were going through a similar phase. "Pashtuns are also missing in the thousands, hence we feel the pain of the Baloch people. The demands of the Baloch and Pashtun people are not outside the circle of Pakistan's constitution; rather, the Baloch and Pashtun are simply asking for the basic right to their resources, hence are being disappeared at the hands of the Pakistan army," he added. Bugti thanked the activists of FBM and PTM and said the BRP will continue to raise the plight of Baloch at every possible forum. He further said that Pakistan's policy of abductions and killing has completely failed, adding that Baloch will not back off from their basic demands and will appeal to all European Union member states to take cognizance of the gross human rights violations and take practical steps to put an end to it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Democratic Senator from California Kamala Harris on Sunday officially launched her campaign for the 2020 Presidential Elections. Speaking at the launch event in Oakland, California, Harris said, "People in power are trying to convince us that the villain in our American story is each other". She further attacked President Donald Trump over his proposed wall along the southern border with Mexico, terming it a "medieval vanity project". During Harris' address, a heckler in the crowd expressed his opposition to Harris' anti-wall stance and shouted, "You murdered Corporal Singh," in reference to the murder of Newman Police Department's Ronal Singh by an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. According to media reports, a suspected drunk driver shot Singh in December last year after the latter pulled him over. The Mexico native had reportedly crossed the border in Arizona several years ago and worked a number of jobs. He was also suspected to have had gang affiliations. While Harris' crowd drowned out the heckler with chants of "Kamala!" Singh's death has been a talking point for Trump to advocate for his wall. After Singh's murder, Trump tweeted, "There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop. Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!" The President's aspirations for the construction of the wall took a major hit on Friday when he signed the bill to fund federal agencies until February 15, ending the 35-day government shutdown without securing the border-wall funding. Trump demanded the House of Representatives, controlled by the Democrats, to sanction USD 5.7 billion for the wall in exchange for his signature on a bill funding federal agencies. His refusal to sign the bill unless the House sanctioned the funds resulted in the 35-day long government shutdown, the longest in history. However, Trump dismissed his decision as a concession, assuring his supporters that the move was only temporary and the deadlock would resume if Democrats and Republicans do not reach an agreement by February. He also said that border security will be a "big 2020 issue". On January 21, Harris announced that she will be contesting in the US presidential elections in 2020. The Democrat Senator is the first African-American woman to announce a run for the White House in 2020. However, Harris is not the first Democrat to announce the candidacy. Earlier, representative Tulsi Gabbard had announced that she will be in the race for the Oval Office. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) is taking steps to introduce popular sightseeing places in Yamagata, a prefecture on Japan's Honshu Island, known for its mountains, wonderful winter spots, entertaining events and culture. Yamagata Prefecture has one of the most beautiful scenic winter season in Japan. The 'Mogami River Boat Ride' is an attractive activity, which allows tourists to sail down the Mogami River in Yamagata on a boat. Tourists also get to enjoy the majestic landscapes alongside Mogami River area while listening to traditional Japanese music. The Mogami River changes its faces in accordance with every changing season. Each trip to the river is different and provides one with a special experience. Tourists are offered heated boats or boats during the winter season with 'kotatsu' to keep warm while enjoying beautiful Japanese sceneries and traditions. "I felt very special about the fact that there was actually the long warm table. I was very excited and enjoyed the ride" a tourist from Taiwan was quoted as saying. Explaining about the cruise journey, Yuki Yokoi of Mogami River Cruise said, "Our boat has been going up and down the river up to 12 kilometres as sightseeing ship for the last fifty to sixty years. We have received good feedback, a lot of times from our customers. I hope that every guest enjoys the story and song from our unique boatmen. I want people regardless of their age to come and experience the charm of Mogami River with fun riding". Mount Haguro is also one of the most easily accessible one among the three mountains of Dewa in Yamagata Prefecture. At its summit stands the Haguro-san Shrine, the only one of the three Dewa Sanzan shrines which are open all year long and is the most popular mountain tourist spot. In addition, there are several attractions located along the walking trail up Mount Haguro. One of the most symbolic spots is the 'five-storied pagoda' surrounded by cedars. People can experience the beauty of this centuries-old, unique Japanese wooden structure. Yamagata Prefecture has another popular tourist attraction, namely Kamo Aquarium, known for having the world's largest number of species of jellyfish on display, also has been certified by the Guinness Records. The fifth unique attraction point about this aquarium is its large jellyfish circle shaped tank with a diameter of five meters, making it also the largest in the Yohei Watanabe of Kamo Aquarium said, "Kamo Aquarium is the only one aquarium in Yamagata Prefecture and exhibits mainly fish from local "Shonai region". And the most symbolic thing about this aquarium is the "jellyfish", whose 60 types are exhibited here. I often see visitors enjoy watching the way of its swimming. Please come to enjoy the unique and mysterious space of this aquarium. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Patiala House Court on Monday granted regular bail to former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav and others in a money laundering case against them in IRCTC scam case. Lalu, Rabri, Tejashwi and others have been granted regular bail on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and a surety amount each. Next date of hearing in this matter has been fixed for February 11. Speaking to media after getting bail Tejashwi said, "I have full faith in the judicial system." A Special CBI court on Saturday granted regular bail to former Railways Minister Lalu Prasad in the same case. Special CBI judge Arun Bharadwaj directed the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) supremo to furnish an amount of Rs 1 lakh as a personal bail bond and one surety of like amount. Lalu is already on an interim bail while the other accused in the case are on regular bail. Lalu is facing charges of misusing his position in the allotment of a contract to a private company for the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels located at Puri and Ranchi. The prosecution report had stated that the two hotels of the Indian Railways were first transferred to IRCTC and was sub-leased to the Sujata Hotel Pvt. Ltd owned by Vijay and Vinay Kochhar for maintenance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "As many as 27 performances on the historic Vijay Chowk will enthral the spectators with captivating and foot-tapping music of the bands from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the state police and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF)," the Defence Ministry said in a release. "Out of the 27 performances, 19 tunes have been composed by Indian musicians, which are 'Indian Star', 'Paharon ki Rani', 'Kumaoni Geet', 'Jai Janam Bhumi', 'Queen of Satpura', 'Marooni', 'Vijay', 'Soldier-My Valentine', 'Bhupal', 'Vijay Bharat', 'Aakash Ganga', 'Gangotri', 'Namaste India', 'Samudrika', 'Jai Bharat', 'Young India', 'Veerta Ki Misal', 'Amar Senani' and 'Bhumiputra'," it further added. The eight western tunes planned to be played include 'Fanfare by Buglers', 'Sound Barrier', 'Emblazoned', 'Twilight', 'Alert (Post Horn Gallop)', 'Space Flight', 'Drummers Call' and 'Abide with me'. The event will come to a close with the ever-popular tune of 'Sare Jahan se Acha', the Ministry said. This year, 15 Military Bands, 15 Pipes and drum bands from Regimental Centres and Battalions are participating in the ceremony. One band each from the Navy and the Air Force will also be part of the event. Another band of the State Police and CAPF comprising the Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Delhi Police will also take part in the ceremony. Beating the Retreat ceremony, organised at the Vijay Chowk on January 29 every year, marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations. The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands. 'Beating Retreat' marks a centuries-old military tradition, when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sounding of the Retreat. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and China have successfully concluded talks on examining market access and quarantine issues for India's agriculture and allied products, it was announced on Monday. The two countries signed the protocol for exports of Indian tobacco leaves to China last week. Quality tobacco on par with international standards is available in India at competitive prices, and there is good potential for export of Indian tobacco to China. Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan was on a two-day official visit to Beijing on January 21 and 22 during which he met GACC Vice-Minister Zhang Jiwen, according to an official statement. Wadhawan appreciated the General Administration of China Customs (GACC) for expeditiously addressing long-pending agricultural market access issues for Indian products following understanding reached at the informal summit in Wuhan last year between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping. The revival of the phytosanitary protocol with China will pave the way for revival of Indian tobacco exports to China and prove economically beneficial to Indian farmers. The recent period has thus seen significant progress in market access for a number of agricultural and allied products from India. The government has requested the GACC to expedite market access for other products like okra, soyabean, bovine meat and dairy products. Wadhawan also met Vice-Minister at China's Ministry of Commerce Wang Shouwen to discuss the progress made under Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations and efforts to strengthen bilateral trade. A protocol on exports of non-basmati rice was signed in June 2018 on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. GACC has also approved six Indian mills for export of rapeseed meal to China. The protocol on exports of fish meal and fish oil was signed during the visit of GACC's Vice-Minister to New Delhi in November 2018. The GACC has also deputed experts to inspect Indian soyabean meal establishments, pomegranate orchards and pack houses in December 2018. The SPS protocols for these products are at an advanced stage of negotiation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) VS Kokje, the chief of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), opined that if the BJP-led central government makes a law paving way for the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya, it will surely win the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "If the government makes law on Ram Temple then it will surely win the Lok Sabha elections 2019 but the government is thinking that if a law is made by it then it would be challenged in court," said Kokje. The Supreme Court postponed the hearing in the Ayodhya title suit case due to the unavailability of one of the judges, Justice SA Bobde. The hearing was scheduled for January 29. Commenting on the same, Kokje said: "It seems that Ayodhya case is not among the priorities of the Supreme Court. The verdict is expected to come before November as one judge of the concerned bench will retire in November." Meanwhile, saints who participated in the "Samashti Bhandara" organised at the camp of Mahamandaleshwar Prakhar Ji Maharaj on Sunday at Prayagraj expressed dismay in the delay of the Ayodhya title suit case hearing. "I respect the Judiciary but the Judges are communist and hence they are delaying the verdict," claimed one saint. Another saint said the Supreme Court should leave the Ayodhya issue for the government to decide. "This is a matter of faith and is above the intricacies of the law. Faith is above the law, the Supreme Court must leave the issue for the government to decide," he told ANI. The apex court had constituted a new five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justice Abdul Nazeer, Justice SA Bobde and Justice DY Chandrachud to hear the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Air Force on Monday lost a Jaguar deep penetration strike fighter aircraft in an accident after the plane took off from Gorakhpur airbase and crashed in nearby Kushinagar. The pilot of the aircraft Wing Commander Rohit Katoch managed to eject safely from the plane. "Today morning, a Jaguar aircraft while on a routine mission from Gorakhpur, crashed. Pilot ejected safely. A court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the accident," an IAF spokesperson said. Sources in the Air Force said that prima facie it appears that the twin-engine aircraft had developed some technical defect some time after the plane took off from Gorakhpur. The crash happened when the pilot was trying to return to Gorakhpur air base and land it there, they said. The pilot Wg Cdr Katoch is an ace pilot of the Jaguar fighter team and is the Flight Commander of the 27 Squadron of Jaguars based out of Gorakhpur. The Flight Commander of a squadron is the second-in-Command or the second seniormost officer in the unit. The IAF has a fleet of around 100 Jaguar fighter planes which were imported from Europe in the late 1970s. The force has plans of further upgrading and re-engining the fighter plane which has a long range strike capability. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido, who announced himself as the Interim President of the nation last week, has called for a "peaceful protest" on Wednesday, seeking humanitarian assistance to end the ongoing political and economic crisis in the South American country. Al Jazeera quoted Guaido while addressing the media on Sunday, urging his countrymen to hold mass protests on Wednesday and Saturday of the week, a date which coincides with the ultimatum given to President Nicolas Maduro by the European Union to call for fresh elections in the South American country. The warnings, however, has been rejected by Maduro. Guaido also sought the assistance of the Venezuelan armed forces amid the political turmoil in the country, while asking them not to suppress the expression of the civilians against the malpractices of the Maduro government. "I order you not to shoot. I order you not to repress the people," Guaido was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, Maduro who has been busy enjoying the support of the army was quoted while addressing the soldiers during a show on the local television channel whether they were planning any coup attempt on the government, aided by the United States, to which the military in unison shouted, "No, my commander-in-chief." To this, the Venezuelan President said, "We're ready to defend our homeland- under any circumstance." Guaido confirmed, on Sunday, that talks are being held "discreetly" with the military to oust President Maduro. Protesters and sympathisers with the opposition leader's cause have been handing out flyers to local police to support them and not Maduro. The USA appealed to nations to "pick a side" over the crisis in Venezuela at a UN Security Council meeting on Saturday. Despite major protests and an ultimatum by most nations to hold fresh elections, Maduro continues to hold on to his post. Countries like Russia have backed Maduro while condemning international interference in the nation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar on Monday said that his party president Rahul Gandhi will visit the Atal Setu Bridge after he becomes the Prime Minister. Speaking to ANI, Chodankar said: "Atal Setu is a bridge of corruption. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will visit the bridge once he becomes the Prime Minister. For now, there was no point of inviting Rahul to visit the bridge, especially when the bridge was not even fully constructed." This comes after the BJP got to know about Rahul's holiday in Goa and the party extended an invitation to him to visit the 5.1-kilometre long bridge Atal Setu on the Mandovi River. "Dear Shri @RahulGandhi, We have come to learn that you are currently on a vacation in Goa. We request you along with all Congress MLAs to visit the Atal Setu, the third longest cable stayed-bridge in India over river Mandovi and witness how @BJP4India is #TransformingIndia," read a post on the official Twitter handle of BJP Goa. Atal Setu was inaugurated by the state Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and was opened to the public by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday. The bridge was constructed by the Goa Infrastructure Development Corporation (GIDC) and engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Government of India's Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and the French Development Agency (AFD) on Monday signed a Credit Facility Framework agreement for extending bilateral funding to the tune of 245m Euros to fund Maharashtra Metro's Pune Metro Project. Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MAHA-METRO) an equal partnership joint venture of GoI and Government of Maharashtra is currently executing the Pune Metro Project. The estimated total cost of the project is INR 11,420 crores of which the loan component is INR 5831.5 crores. The loan component is to be funded by European Investment Bank EIB and AFD. The current credit facility signed between DEA and AFD France would be to extend bilateral funding to the tune of approximately 245 million Euros to fund the Pune Metro Project. For Maharashtra Metro, Pune Metro is the second Metro project after Nagpur Metro to be financed by AFD France under the Indo French partnership for clean, socially inclusive and climate-friendly mobility for people in cities. The funds to be received from AFD will be used primarily to fund system packages i.e. Signalling, OHE, Power supply, Telecom and some civil packages. The physical progress of the project is in excess of 27%. The agreements were signed by C.S.Mohpatra, Additional Secretary Department of Economic Affairs, and Clemence Vidal de la Blache, Deputy Director for AFD in India, in the presence of the Ambassador of France to India, H.E. Mr. Alexandre Ziegler. The signing ceremony was also attended by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Mukund Kumar Sinha, Brijesh Dixit, Managing Director, MAHA METRO, S. Sivamathan, Director Finance, MAHA-METRO and Ramnath Subramaniam, Executive Director (Strategic Planning), MAHA-METRO. On December 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the third phase of the Pune Metro rail while asserting that Metro is becoming the lifeline of cities in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States President Donald Trump on Monday lashed out at former Starbucks chief Howard Schultz, who had expressed his interest in contesting the US Presidential elections 2020, saying that the later does not have the "guts" to run for the Presidential poll. The US President took to Twitter saying, "Howard Schultz doesn't have the "guts" to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the "smartest person." Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!" The tweets by the US President came after Schultz's interview on CBS News' "60 Minutes," where he clearly stated that he was "seriously thinking" about running for the presidential elections in 2020, as a "centrist independent." Schultz also accused both the Democrats and the Republicans of indulging in "revenge politics" every single day. Schultz also took a jibe at the incumbent US President Donald Trump during the show. "We're living at a most fragile time. Not only the fact that this President is not qualified to be the President but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics," Schultz said during the interview. When told during the interview that Trump would be tweeting about him in response, Schultz added, "I've become bored with President Trump and his tweets." Schultz, whose net worth according to Forbes stands at USD 3.4 billion, said he favoured rejoining the 2015 Paris Agreement on the show. The US, led by Trump, had left the accord in 2017 and was widely slammed by the countries for its move. Elections are due in the United States on November 3, 2020. Trump had in 2016, surpassed Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the Presidential race. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Farmers whose crops have been destroyed in the intense cold weather accompanied with hailstorms, affecting the region for the past one week, have asked for government assistance. Damoh area of Madhya Pradesh has been witnessing frost for a week and for the past three days, hailstones rained down on the crops of potato, tomato, chilli and pulses in This region in the Bundelkhand area produces tomato, peas, and brinjal on a large scale and transports these vegetables to other states as well. "I have suffered a loss of Rs 1.5 lakhs. What do we eat now? The government should give us compensation," said a farmer. "I have got a survey done through Patwari but no loss of crops has been reported till now. If we found something like this, we will do the survey again," the tehsildar of Damoh, Sangeeta Waghmare said. Shortly after he took oath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Kamal Nath waived off farm loans of Rs 2 lakh according to his poll promise. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Starbucks chief Howard Schultz has expressed interest in running for US President as a "centrist" independent candidate, "outside the two-party system". "I am seriously thinking of running for President. I will run as a centrist independent outside the two-party system," Schultz said on Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes". He also accused both the Democrats and the Republicans for indulging in "revenge politics" every single day. Schultz also took a jibe at the incumbent US President Donald Trump during the show. "We're living at a most fragile time. Not only the fact that this President is not qualified to be the President but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics," the former Starbucks chief said. Media reports are hailing Schultz's decision, stating his self-funded independent campaign had the "potential to reshape dynamics of the race," The Washington Post reported. "I want to see the American people win. I want to see America win," the 65-year-old Schultz said on the show. Shultz, whose net worth according to Forbes stands at USD 3.4 billion, said he favoured rejoining the 2015 Paris Agreement on the show. The US, led by Trump, had left the accord in 2017 and was widely slammed by countries for its move. Elections are due in the United States on November 3, 2020. Trump had in 2016, surpassed Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the presidential race. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court on Monday granted five days further remand of Gautam Khaitan to Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a black money case under the Black Money Act. During the hearing in Patiala House Court, ED argued that it can't supply the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) to the accused at this stage since it is an internal document. It also asserted that a list of documents has been submitted to the court. Claiming that more than Rs 800 crore of Indian rupees has been under the radar, the probe agency had sought seven days more custody of Khaitan. Arguing for the need of the remand, the ED counsel said: "Lately we have found evidence of different entries in other accounts. If he goes out, he will close the accounts, and our probe will be hampered". ED lawyer also argued that there was huge tempering of evidence and if the agency doesn't get the opportunity of questioning the accused in the custody, the investigation will be hampered. Khaitan's counsel Pramod Kumar Dubey raised questions on the arrest and claimed that he was arrested from the airport in a hurry. "He was not fleeing from the justice and he has been pressurised to give some info of the Defence Deal," Khaitan's counsel argued in the court. The central government agency had sought Khaitan's custody to unravel the conspiracy regarding his alleged unidentified assets of more than Rs 500 crore. Khaitan is also an accused in multi-crore AgustaWestland chopper deal kickback case. Last week, the Income Tax Department sleuths raided offices and various other properties in Delhi-NCR belonging to him. I-T department claimed to have gathered evidence against Khaitan for allegedly receiving kickbacks in other Defence deals too, besides AgustaWestland during the UPA tenure. On the recommendation of the I-T Department, ED had registered a case against him under the Black Money Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two men were held by customs officials on Sunday from Delhi airport for illegally exporting foreign currency equivalent to around thirty-three lakh. As per an official statement, "A detailed personal and baggage search of both passengers resulted in the recovery of foreign currency in form of Japanese Yen 3,62,000; Kuwait Dinar 2,040; Bahrain Dinar 2,140; Omani Riyal 4,555; Euros 4,905; Qatari Riyal 7,000; US Dollars 12,725 has been made from the two men. Furthermore, the accused have confessed that they have smuggled foreign currency worth Rs 40 lakh in the past." The accused were arrested when they were planning to flee from the country are were about to board a flight Air Arabia flight to Sharjah. The accused have been apprehended under the provisions of Section 104 of the customs act, 1962. Further investigation is underway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan has said it had "delayed" its efforts to hold talks with India because of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and will move forward once the new government is formed in New Delhi. Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Pakistan felt the talks at this stage would be useless. "We have delayed our efforts to hold talks with India because we do not expect any big decision from the present Indian leadership," Chaudhry told Gulf News on Sunday. In the interview, he argued that it is not the right time to hold dialogue as "Indian is currently in turmoil" because of the upcoming elections. "It is useless to talk to them (India) now unless there is some stability. We will move forward once the new government is formed after the elections," Chaudhry added. Asked which Indian leader - Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi - would suit Pakistan more for peace talks, the minister said it does not matter for Pakistan. "We will respect any Indian leader and the party elected by the Indian people. And, we would like to move forward to hold dialogue with whosoever comes into power in India," Chaudhry said. On being asked as to who decides on the foreign policy of the country, the minister further noted that it is "Of course Prime Minister Imran Khan". "During the earlier regimes, there had been conflicts between the civilian government and the army on various issues as they were not capable of talking to each other frankly. But this is the not the case anymore since Imran Khan has come into power," Chaudhry said. "Our government has an advantage that we can talks freely with each other. Currently, each and every major policy in Pakistan is actually a consensus policy - with the civilian government and the army on the same page," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A new study now finds that global warming may impact human biology. According to them, more boys may be born in places where temperatures rise and fewer boys born in places with other environmental changes, such as drought or wildfire caused by global warming. In a report published in CNN that cites a Japanese study, researchers say climate change could alter the proportion of male and female newborns. Notably, according to lead author of the study, Dr Misao Fukuda, there is a link between temperature fluctuations and a lower male-to-female sex ratio at birth, with conceptions of boys especially vulnerable to external stress factors. Fukuda and his colleagues published a separate study looking at births in areas affected by environmental events that caused extreme stress. These included Hyogo Prefecture after the Kobe earthquake of 1995; Tohoku after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 (and subsequent nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daichii power plant); and Kumamoto Prefecture after the 2016 earthquakes. Nine months after these disasters, the proportion of male babies born in these prefectures declined by between 6 per cent and 14 per cent from the previous year. Fukuda added that stress stemming directly from "climate events caused by global warming" might also affect the sex ratio. Though scientists do not know how stress affects gestation, Fukuda theorises that the vulnerability of Y-bearing sperm cells, male embryos and/or male fetuses to stress is why "subtle significant changes in sex ratios" occur. According to researcher Steven Orzack, sex ratio is equal at conception. However, more than half of all human conceptions die during gestation, and this results in a sex imbalance at birth. "Overall, more females die during pregnancy than do males. So that's why there's an excess number of males at birth," said Orzack, who has published research on this issue. Ray Catalano, a professor in the school of public health at the University of California, Berkeley, explained that the process of natural selection in utero is why deaths occur during gestation. Researchers add that extreme weather and subsequent environmental effects on Earth, such as droughts, will probably lead to human stress which is likely to affect the birth ratio as well. In a study of the Sami people of Northern Finland by Samuli Helle, he was able to quantify the effect. For every 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) rise in temperature, there was a 0.06 per cent increase in the ratio of newborn boys compared with girls. For example, he said, an annual increase of 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) would translate to a 0.18 per cent higher ratio of male-to-female newborns. While it may not look substantial, Helle says that in large populations such effect size might mean thousands of 'extra' boys annually. Helle also said events caused by global warming, such as forest fires and floods, might also impact the sex ratio, though the scale would not necessarily be global. Fukuda believes that any potential effects of climate change on the newborn sex ratio "may not be uniform" around the globe. Even for the earthquake study, Fukuda found that the newborn sex ratio returned to normal within a few months. The "Kobe earthquake took one month, Tohoku earthquake two months, and Kumamoto one month," he said. Ultimately, for Fukuda, the importance of the newborn sex ratio is less societal, more medical. The importance of the newborn sex ratio is as a "sensitive reproductive health indicator," he said. "Extreme temperature fluctuation affects birth weight," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Monday said that Caracas was engaged in a full-fledged dialogue with the United States. "This is reality... we are actually conducting a dialogue... our teams will soon hold a meeting. We will continue to maintain contacts," Arreaza said. On Wednesday, the speaker of the opposition-led Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, declared himself interim head of the state amid the ongoing anti-government protests in the South American nation. The US and a number of other countries, which disputed last year's re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, have recognised the opposition leader. Maduro slammed Guaido as a US "puppet" and accused Washington of organizing a coup in Venezuela. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court slapped a fine of Rs 25 lakh on a company for not following the High Court orders and threatening the applicant with false case. The Court passed the order in a matter where the company (Sapat and Company) had filed a plea against another company (Feel Good India) for violating copyright in their packaging of the product. The fine was slapped on January 11 and has to be paid in three installments by February 28, 2019. Out of these 25 lakhs, 5 lakhs are to be paid to the applicant and 20 lakhs are to be donated to the Tata Memorial hospital. The High Court also ordered to seize the packing materials from the defendant company but it's owner Neha Gandhir not only stopped the people from collecting the packing material but also threatened them to frame them in a false molestation case. Taking note of the threat to frame the opponent in a false case, the High Court imposed the hefty fine of them. The Court took into consideration that the defendant company's Neha Gandhir and her husband not only stopped people from following the High Court orders but also threatened the applicant with a false complaint in sections which are actually meant for protection of women. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australia, on Monday, extended its support to Venezuela's National Assembly President, Juan Guaido, recognising him as the interim President until elections are held. "Australia recognises and supports the President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Juan Guaido, in assuming the position of interim president," Marise Payne, Australia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, tweeted. The nation made its decision "in accordance with the Venezuelan constitution and until elections are held". "We now urge all parties to work constructively towards a peaceful resolution of the situation, including a return to democracy, respect for the rule of law and upholding of human rights of the Venezuelan people," Payne urged, highlighting that Australia had called for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to refrain from assuming Presidency on January 10. The nation's recognition of Guaido as interim President comes amidst a raging political crisis in the South American region. On January 23, Guaido, the opposition leader, proclaimed himself as President of Venezuela to crowds of cheering protesters. He was immediately recognised as interim President by the USA. The elected President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, labelled it as a coup attempt by the US authorities and severed all ties with the country. Following this, the USA appealed to nations to "pick a side" over the crisis in Venezuela at a UN Security Council meeting on Saturday. Despite major protests and an ultimatum by most nations to hold fresh elections, Maduro continues to hold on to his post. Countries like Russia have backed Maduro while condemning international interference in the nation. Other countries which have recognised Guaido as the interim President are Canada, UK, Brazil, amongst others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A new study has found Antibiotic-Resistant Genes (ARGs) that were first detected in urban India, around 8,000 miles away in one of the last 'pristine' places on earth. Researchers who took soil samples in the region of Svalbard have now confirmed the spread of blaNDM-1 into the High Arctic - an ARG originally found in Indian clinical settings, which conditionally provides multidrug resistance (MDR) in microorganisms. Published in the academic journal Environmental International, the research was carried out by an international team of experts from the Universities of Newcastle, York and Kansas and the Chinese Academy of Science in Xiamen, and was funded by the UK Natural Environmental Research Council and other agencies. The rapid spread of blaNDM-1 and other MDR genes across the world is a growing concern because they often target "last resort" classes of antibiotics, including Carbapenems. The research team, led by Newcastle University's Professor David Graham said that blaNDM-1 and other medically-important ARGs were found in Arctic soils that were likely spread in the faecal matter of birds, other wildlife and human visitors to the area. Speaking about it, Professor Graham, an environmental engineer, said, "Polar regions are among the last presumed pristine ecosystems on Earth, providing a platform for characterizing pre-antibiotic era background resistance against which we could understand rates of progression of AR pollution." He added that less than three years after the first detection of the blaNDM-1 gene in the surface waters of urban India, it is being found thousands of miles away in an area where there has been minimal human impact. "Encroachment into areas like the Arctic reinforces how rapid and far-reaching the spread of antibiotic resistance has become, confirming solutions to AR must be viewed in global rather than just local terms," Graham said. Notably, increasing antibiotic resistance is a global crisis. An example is NDM-1, which is a protein that can confer resistance in a range of bacteria. NDM-1 was first identified in New Delhi and coded by the resistant gene blaNDM-1. Strains that carry blaNDM-1 were first found in clinical settings in 2008, but by 2010 blaNDM-1 was found in surface waters in Delhi. Since then, the resistant gene has been found in over 100 countries, including new variants. There are currently few antibiotics to combat bacteria that are resistant to Carbapenems - still a last-resort antibiotic class - and worldwide spread of blaNDM-1 and related ARGs is a concern. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said that his government will provide 100 units free power to the Most Backward Classes (MBCs). Naidu, who spoke with district collectors via teleconference here today, said: "We have decided to give 100 units free power to the Most Backward Classes (MBCs). We will give aid of up to Rs 15 lakhs for foreign education of BCs. We are setting up a Jyotiba Phule memorial centre with Rs 100 Crores. We are going to set up 69 new gurukul schools in addition to the existing 106 gurukul schools. We will allow funds for implementation." He said: "The meeting focused on welfare schemes being implemented by the state government. Complaints received in Janmabhoomi program, land issues, Chandranna Bima insurance scheme, Pelli Kanuka the marriage gift scheme, Yuvanestam the unemployment allowance scheme, Housing, Anna canteens subjects were reviewed." Talking about the recently concluded World Economic Forum meeting at Davos, the Chief Minister said: "The World Economic Forum meeting at Davos discussed the natural farming taken up by Andhra Pradesh. Zero Budget Natural Farming is a gift by us on behalf of India to the world. It can create a healthy world. We are interlinking nature with technology. The entire world is curious about it. Officials should focus on natural farming." "We are going to set up new corporations for many Backward Classes communities as they have been asking from a long time. We will spread out the poverty eradication program under pro rata basis. Andhra Pradesh cabinet recently decided to cater 5 per cent reservation each for Kapu community and the economically backward classes (EBCs) among the forward castes. Responding to this, the Chief Minister said: "Reservation for Kapu community should be given in the form of enactment. We will provide the welfare schemes for Economically Weaker Sections also. We are going to give a BC sub-plan in the lines of SC and ST sub-plans." Naidu has also advised Panchayat Raj department to focus on distribution of drinking water in the coming summer season. He lauded the residents of the Chittoor district for making it to Limca Book of Records for constructing personal toilets. Accusing the Centre of delaying in allotting NREGA funds, Naidu said: "The Centre is delaying in allotting NREGA funds. Ministers should go to Delhi to get the funds and other aids for their departments." "Garbage collection from households in 5200 villages should be started soon. The matter of pay scale for green ambassadors (garbage collecting people) along with regular employees should be considered," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shares of Dish TV India hit a 10-year low of Rs 19.10 apiece, down 15 per cent on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in the intra-day trade on Monday, despite clarification that the company had no dealings whatsoever with Nityank Infrapower and Multiventures Ltd, as per the media reports. Today, the stock climbed as much as 11 per cent to Rs 24.80 in the intra-day session on NSE. On the downside, it slipped 23 per cent from the day's high to Rs 19.10. At the time of writing this report, It was trading at its lowest level since January 28, 2009. In the past two trading days, the ... A senior US government official, speaking after six days of U.S. peace talks with Afghan Taliban militants, said on Monday that Washington was committed to withdrawing foreign forces from Afghanistan to end more than 17 years of war. The official, who declined to be identified, described "significant progress" in talks last week with the Taliban in Qatar about a foreign troop pullout, but more negotiations were needed on a ceasefire and its timing. ALSO READ: Army Chief Bipin Rawat open to talks with Afghan Taliban, sans conditions "Of course we ... The US-China trade talks will reach a pivotal phase this week when Chinese Vice Premier Liu He comes to Washington for negotiations with his US counterparts, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The two sides are trying to resolve deep differences over China's trade and intellectual property practices, industrial subsidies and market access to avert an increase in US tariffs on Chinese goods scheduled for March 2. Here is a look at the key issues in the talks and their implications: WHAT ARE WASHINGTON AND BEIJING FIGHTING ... K. Prime Minister Theresa May and other world leaders nixed plans to attend the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Switzerland, some began to claim Davos is in decline. I take the opposite view. Having been there in the past as part of a participants supporting staff condescendingly referred to by status-conscious attendees as a sherpa I have seen up close how much can be accomplished by a handful of people sitting in a room and talking. As a philosopher and ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor For those who had the good fortune to know her, and also perhaps for those who did not, Krishna Sobti will remain one of those rare people who dont go away. Vivacious, alert and far-sighted while writing of a Panjab only someone of her generation could know, and a Delhi past and present which had become her home, she peopled her fiction and her memoirs with sharply etched characters who also refuse to go away. In a Hindi interspersed liberally with Panjabi and Urdu words and phrases, particularly in her early works, she coined a style ... To stay focused on the growing domestic steel market, Tata Steel on Monday announced it has signed a definitive agreement with Chinas HBIS Group to sell 70 per cent stake in its Southeast Asia operations for a cash consideration of $327 million. According to the agreement, the divestment will be made to a company in which 70 per cent equity shares will be held by an entity controlled by HBIS and 30 per cent by T S Global Holdings Pte Ltd, an arm of Tata Steel. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Bryan, OH (43506) Today Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 88F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely in the evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms later on. A few storms may be severe. Low 71F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC Call it a lesson learned. Faculty at an elite Dyker Heights prep school agreed to instate sweeping cultural reforms at the academy, after its students of color demanded administrators publicly condemn racism and crackdown on bigotry following the discovery of a video that showed one-time white pupils of the school imitating monkeys while in blackface. Poly Prep Country Day Schools head of school Audrius Barzdukas promised his staff will do more to explicitly support its students of color during an after-school meeting with some of those pupils on Jan. 22, where he outlined a plan to address concerns leaders of a black-student group raised at an assembly days after the video surfaced on Jan. 11, according to school spokeswoman Jennifer Slomack. Slomack said that plan proposes: Creating a task force of students, faculty, and administrators to add to and strengthen the schools code of conduct. Forming a second task force to develop policies that ensure discipline is administered equitably and consistently. Committing to working with an outside organization that will evaluate the schools efforts to advance diversity and inclusion. Barzdukas additionally delivered written apologies from the two female students involved in filming the video statements the student leaders called for at the assembly at the recent meeting, according to Slomack, who confirmed a New York Daily News report stating neither girl is still enrolled at Poly Prep. But she declined to say whether the students left voluntarily, or were expelled, citing privacy concerns. The third student involved with the video left the school last year for unrelated reasons, Slomack confirmed. The head of school also sent multiple e-mails since the Jan. 18 assembly, all of which specifically described the video as containing blackface, complying with another of the student leaders demands. Barzdukas told attendees of the after-school meeting that he and fellow administrators are committed to hiring diverse faculty at Poly Prep, where people of color currently account for about a quarter of the staff, Slomack said. He also promised the faculty would honor the students requests for required civics and empathy classes by pressing forward with an already in-the-works plan to create an academic department called the Institute for Ethical Leadership, which would offer a character-based curriculum for all Poly Prep pupils starting in nursery school through 12th grade. A trio of the schools directors will run that department, according to Slomack, who said they began preparing its curriculum last year, before the video surfaced. The spokeswoman said the Jan. 22 meeting was the latest in a series of school-wide gatherings to address concerns following Poly Prep leaders discovery of the video, and the subsequent New York Daily News report that published the footage on Jan. 19, one day after the assembly led by pupils of color, who make up 39 percent of the academys student body, Slomack said. The blackface video is just the latest in a series of biased incidents to plague the prestigious school which is no stranger to controversy over the past few years. In 2017, a vandal scrawled swastikas, along with racist and homophobic slurs, in a classroom and on windows there, according to a report in the schools newspaper that Slomack confirmed. But officials never identified the perp despite a month-long investigation into the incident, she said. And last year, Poly Prep administrators purportedly booted a black eighth-grader from the campus for allegedly stealing Rice Krispie Treats and taking another kids jacket home, according to a Daily News report, which claimed the student then penned a letter to faculty saying he felt targeted due to his race, spurring other pupils to protest his expulsion. Slomack confirmed the student is no longer enrolled at Poly Prep, but said it is not true that officials expelled him for stealing the snack, claiming, no student is ever expelled for taking food. Poly Prep students and parents could not be reached by press time. Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC The Bric Biennial: Volume III, South Brooklyn Edition will feature five satellite exhibits scattered throughout the neighborhoods it covers, in addition to the main display at the Bric House in Fort Greene. Here are the details on each: La Bodega Gallery A solo exhibition of objects and prints by Glenn Goldberg, titled The World is Not the Thing (a shop at La Bodega). Many were created at the gallerys community studio. La Bodega Gallery [695 Fifth Ave. between 21st and 22nd streets in Greenwood Heights, (520) 4094751 www.labod ega-g aller y.com ]. Opening reception on Feb. 8; 710 pm. On display through March 6. Nars Foundation The exhibit Womens Work at the Sunset Park gallery space will feature pieces by 10 women artists from Brooklyn. Each has made work focused on the theme of domestic labor, and its links to craft. Nars Foundation [201 46th St. at Second Avenue in Sunset Park, (718) 7682765, www.narsf ounda tion.org ]. Opening reception on Feb. 8; 68 pm. On view through Feb. 20. Trestle Gallery Artist Phoenix Lindsey Hall appealed to the local women-loving-women community to source the components in her exhibit Lesbian Matters My First Queer Object, a collection of items that represent and symbolize lesbian identity, displayed among Halls porcelain furniture pieces. Trestle Gallery (850 Third Ave., Suite 411, at 30th Street in Sunset Park, www.trest legal lery.org ). Opening reception Feb. 8; 79 pm. On display through March 7. Ortega y Gasset Projects The Gowanus gallery will display a solo exhibit from mixed-media artist Carl E. Hazlewood, titled Swimming Blind in a Wine-Dark Sea. Ortega y Gasset Projects (363 Third Ave. at Third Street in Gowanus, www.oygpr oject s.com ]. Opening Reception on Feb. 9; 69 pm. On view through March 17. Green-Wood Cemetery Inside the chapel at Green-Wood Cemetery you will find a solo exhibit of photographs by Cinthya Santos-Briones. The images in her Living Inside Sanctuary exhibit feature immigrant families who have taken refuge inside houses of worship while they fight deportation orders. Green-Wood Cemetery (500 25th St. at Fifth Avenue in Greenwood Heights, www.green -wood.com ). Artist talk on Feb. 20 at 6:30 pm. On display Feb. 6April 7. A letter written by detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun to be released in the event he was arrested includes an impassioned plea to other civil rights activists to keep fighting for democracy and political reform in China. The missive, written in 2011, reveals Mr Yang feared that his writing and blogging would lead to his incarceration in China. In it, he also cautions his friends and supporters not to risk their own safety by fighting for his release. Yang Hengjun was detained in China earlier this month. Credit:Tanya Lake Mr Yang, a writer, democracy advocate and former Chinese diplomat who has lived in Sydney, was detained by security agents when he arrived in China on January 19. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia risks tumbling into a damaging recession under a Labor government, in a new pre-election strategy that also promises to eliminate $350 billion in debt and revives a jobs pledge once championed by Tony Abbott. In a major speech that paints a dark picture of the economy under Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, Mr Morrison will on Tuesday pitch the battered Coalition as a "jobs government" and vow to oversee the creation of 1.25 million new positions within five years if re-elected in May. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged voters to consider the economy when they cast their vote at the May election. Credit:AAP "At this next election only half of those of voting age will have experienced a recession during their working lives," Mr Morrison will say in Brisbane. "So it is important to remind all of us that our economy cannot be taken for granted. That the economy is real, its impacts are real, and mostly importantly its all about people." Australia is playing a role in helping China develop its rival global positioning system that will be used for guiding missiles and other military technology, according to a leading expert. New Zealand academic Anne-Marie Brady who says she has faced a campaign of harassment and intimidation for her research on the Chinese Communist Party said the "BeiDou" alternative to the American-controlled GPS carries significant benefits for the Chinese military. BeiDou is China's rival to American GPS. Credit:Sanghee Liu A tracking station in Perth has been a key factor in the global advance of the BeiDou satellite navigation system, Professor Brady said, with the Western Australian infrastructure the first to be established in the critical Pacific region. "Australia is playing a small part in helping China to get a GPS system as effective as the US system," she told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. The Australian Medical Association has outlined a multibillion-dollar list of demands before the Morrison's government's pre-election budget, including new Medicare items to allow GPs to spend longer with patients. The association is also pushing for GPs' share of the health budget to jump from eight to 10 per cent. With the government sitting on a $10 billion pre-election war chest thanks to an improved budget performance, the country's main medical organisation wants to ensure the health system gets its fair share. In its 2019-20 pre-budget submission to be submitted this week, the AMA called for action to ensure patients did not face higher out-of-pocket costs. "We know out-of-pocket expenses are increasing higher than inflation," AMA president Tony Bartone said. A woman will front court on Tuesday, accused of stabbing a man twice in the arm on an inner-city Brisbane footpath. The 49-year-old man, who was seriously injured, was rushed to the Princess Alexandra Hospital after emergency services were called to West End just before 4pm on Monday. The stabbing happened near the intersection of Boundary Street (from the left) and Melbourne Street (to the right) in West End. Credit:Google Street Maps Bystanders called police immediately after the incident, on Boundary Street near the corner of Melbourne Street, a police spokeswoman said. She said the man had lost a lot of blood and would need surgery. Having sent Scott Morrisons preferred candidate Katherine ORegan packing to the salubrious leadership of a Western Sydney cemetery trust, Sharma was re-endorsed in August to run against independent MP Kerryn Phelps at the coming May election. Poor Dave Sharma , the Liberal Partys great hope to recapture their until-recent heartland of Wentworth, sure cant catch a break. Dave Sharma - none-too-pleased at his domain name going astray. Credit:AAPIMAGE Some hack has made off with his domain name, davesharma.com.au. After some searching, the Sharma camp discovered it had in fact been commandeered by one Carlin Rookes, who we were shocked to find had on Monday also registered the business name Dave Sharma to his company Standard Pty Ltd. The strangest part? Rookes is a Liberal Party member. Given the pair's shared interest, wed assume extracting the website would be easy. But this has not been the case, with months of negotiation and even legal threats failing to persuade Rookes, who is a member of the branch where ORegan is president. Good morning Canberra! I hope you all enjoyed your Australia Day long weekend. It's going to warm up again today, but there is a chance of a shower this afternoon. From today until Friday you can expect a top of 35 degrees with showers. The fire danger rating today it high, and people are urged to check pets and wildlife have access to cool drinking water. While you get ready to head back to work, here's what is making news this Tuesday morning. 'Industrial dump': border residents speak out on clean fill dumping Update 16.04pm: Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) have said they "have huge concerns for the safety of people sleeping rough around the country" after Met Eireann's Status Yellow weather warning. Forecasters are predicting snow and ice for all counties over the next five days. ICHH CEO Anthony Flynn. ICHH CEO Anthony Flynn has called for emergency protocols to bring in additional beds. Mr Flynn said: "During the Beast from the East last year a lot of homeless people were out in tents across the city and ICHH outreach teams stayed out day and night making sure people were kept safe during the arctic conditions. We have on average 80 people still forced to sleep rough on the streets of the capital every night due to the lack of beds." "Whilst this is a reduction of at least 55% since early December we still have a shortage. With the risk of snow and a cold weather warning in place, I am appealing to the Minister to immediately initiate contingency measures and open as many beds as possible to reduce the risk of death on our streets. "We have already seen rough sleeper deaths around the country since the turn of the year and are fearful we will see more deaths with the temperatures to drop so dramatically. Earlier: Met Eireann issues nationwide snow and ice warning until next Saturday A nationwide status yellow snow-ice warning has been issued for the rest of this week. Met Eireann says it will be very cold this week with scattered wintery showers - the worst of which could fall on Thursday. The warning will be in place from tomorrow at 6am until Saturday, February 2 at 6pm. The forecaster says this week will be very cold "with scattered wintry showers, frequent across the southwest, west and north. Some accumulations of snow are expected. "There will be widespread frost at night with icy stretches on untreated surfaces. "There is the possibility of a more significant spell of sleet/snow on Thursday." 'It looks like we're in for one of the coldest weeks of the winter season so far' Temperatures could dip as low as -5 degrees this week. People are being warned of wintry showers with accumulations of snow on high ground. Met Eireann says that this week will be very cold and that frost and icy patches will be frequent at night. Meteorologist with the forecaster, Matthew Martin, says the cold weather is expected to last until at least Friday. "So it looks like we're in for one of the coldest weeks of the winter season so far," said Mr Martin. "Some quite cold air is going to funnel in across Ireland from Tuesday onwards and we're expecting some wintery showers and widespread frost at night." Tuesday and Wednesday will have clear spells, according to Met Eireann, but there will be scattered wintry showers with sleet or snow in northern areas and on hills and mountains. Thursday will start dry but "rain, sleet and snow will gradually spread from the southwest." Friday will see more cold weather with sunshine in between further wintry showers. A Limerick man who was obsessed with his partner's young daughter has been jailed for 11 years for raping and sexually abusing her. Liam O'Dwyer (aged 45) of Capparoe, Adare, Co. Limerick, was convicted of eight charges of sexual assault, four sample charges of rape and one of oral rape after a retrial last year. He had denied these charges, which took place in his then partner's bedroom between October 1996 and December 2001 when the girl was aged from 12 to 17 years. Counsel for the prosecution told the Central Criminal Court that while the woman does not want to waive her right to anonymity, she did want O'Dwyer's name to be published. Sergeant Brendan Casey said some of the woman's family gave evidence at the trial that O'Dwyer seemed obsessed with her and always wanted to know where she was. One family member said she had felt most uncomfortable with the way O'Dwyer looked at the girl, but parked the issue as nobody else raised it. Other family revealed that O'Dwyer rang their house up to four times a day when the girl came to visit them at one stage. They said she would often cry after the phone conversations but told them it was because she was missing her mother. These witnesses described the girl at that time as very withdrawn and not like a normal teenager. The sergeant said that, years later, the young woman's life spiralled out of control and she got involved with the wrong people and began to abuse drugs. She finally made her statement to gardai in 2014 about the childhood abuse. The woman read her victim impact statement in court and asked the judge to think of her and her life when passing sentence. She described how she is still recovering from the ways the abuse and exploitation has hurt her through her teenage years and into adulthood. She said she now lives her life in fear that someone will hurt her physically and psychologically and that she had pushed out her feelings and trauma. The woman described how her drug addiction brought her to a place she never wants to return to. She said it was like going into a boxing match every day knowing I was going to lose but putting myself through it regardless. She said she experiences flashbacks, nightmares and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Mr Justice Paul McDermott said the woman was groomed into submission by O'Dwyer who was in a position of trust. He noted O'Dwyer continues to deny the charges and has expressed no remorse. He jailed O'Dwyer for 11 years and ordered that he undergo three years post-release supervision to protect the public and prevent future sexual offending. The court heard O'Dwyer began the abuse through sexual touching. He would go to bed early and call the girl upstairs to scratch his back with a shower brush. Sgt Casey said this progressed to getting the girl to lie beside him and he would rub up against her and touch her sexually inside and outside her clothes. Around her 12th birthday, the abuse escalated to rape. During the trial, the woman told the jury she couldn't count the number of occasions this happened as it had been so often. She recalled that on one occasion O'Dwyer brought her by car to a location where he forced her to perform oral sex on him until he ejaculated. He discovered a photo of the woman's then boyfriend in her wallet when she was about 17 years old and punched her in the arms, chest and ear. She attended a doctor with her mother but denied there was any background of sexual abuse when asked. She told the jury she had been too afraid to tell as O'Dwyer had been so controlling. The court heard he has six previous convictions, including this assault and false imprisonment and breaching a barring order relating to the girl's mother. The sergeant agreed with Mark Nicholas SC, defending, that O'Dwyer had a long history of work. Mr Nicholas submitted to Mr Justice McDermott that O'Dwyer's current partner stands by him and that he maintains his position of innocence. RTE presenter Miriam OCallaghan is set for a face-off with Facebook over fake claims that she is involved in a face cream business. The radio and television host is to issue defamation proceedings against the social media giant for alleged failures to stop the false advertising circulating repeatedly for almost a year. Some of the ads placed on Facebook have been designed to look like news articles and falsely claimed Ms OCallaghan was an enthusiastic user of the product, was winding down her broadcasting career to focus on promoting the product, and, in one version, was even causing upset and problems for her employers by her erratic behaviour in the workplace. She told a Sunday newspaper this was the final straw as friends and family members had seen the fake report and were worried by what they read, including her 12-year-old son. She said the advertiser was being facilitated by Facebook to use the fake claims as clickbait to draw potential buyers to their product. To make matters worse, the product is part of a scam that encourages people to provide their credit card details in return for a free trial and later deducts money even when they dont order any more. Ms OCallaghan has previously issued warnings on her own social media accounts to try to alert people to the scam. Ms OCallaghan said her solicitor, Paul Tweed, had tried to get Facebook to respond adequately but she had no choice now but to go to court. Facebook has a comprehensive policy for advertisers that states that before ads appear on Facebook, they are reviewed to make sure that they meet the companys advertising policies. It says, typically, most adverts are reviewed within 24 hours, although in some cases, it may take longer. That policy, summarised, states: Ads must not contain deceptive, false, or misleading content, including deceptive claims, offers, or business practices. But policing those standards on a platform as vast as Facebook is where it is argued the company has fallen down. A Facebook spokesperson said the company had acted on Ms OCallaghans complaint. Adverts which are misleading, false, or infringe on third-party rights are in violation of Facebooks ads policies, and we remove them as soon as we become aware of them, said the spokesperson. The ads that were reported to us by Miriam OCallaghan have been removed and the relevant accounts disabled. Were constantly working to detect and shut down this kind of ad activity using a combination of automated and manual systems. Mr Tweed, one of the top defamation lawyers in the country, currently has another case before the High Court involving a similar complaint with an international flavour. Mohammad Dahlan, the former internal security chief of Fatah, is suing Facebook over the distribution of articles he alleges were defamatory of him. He is suing through the Irish courts because of the presence of Facebooks international headquarters here. The CEO of the Insolvency Service of Ireland, Lorcan OConnor says that the Master of the High Court Edmund Honohan was wrong when he described the Abhaile service as a sick joke. Mr Honohan had said the service was merely a voucher for 200 worth of legal advice before you go to the Circuit Court. He had been responding to advice given by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that people in mortgage arrears should avail of the Abhaile service. Mr OConnor told RTEs Morning Ireland that the 95% success rate of the service was proof of its important role. More than 11,600 borrowers received advice and support from Abhaile, the States mortgage arrears and debt resolution service over a two-year period, according to a recent report. The Department of Justice and Equality, and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, who co-ordinate the scheme, Read More: Over that time, 11,695 borrowers received financial advice and negotiation support either from a personal insolvency practitioner (5,154 households) or a dedicated mortgage arrears adviser (4,960 households). As of July 2018, around 30% of the borrowers who had engaged with Abhaile had a solution in place or on trial. A further 53% of borrowers who had engaged with the scheme (6,148) were still in their homes and receiving support from a financial adviser to get reach a solution. Mr OConnor said he would like to see the figure of those still in their homes at a higher level. He advised anyone in mortgage arrears to contact the service for assistance. The heartbroken mother of a man who was stabbed to death by the partner of the woman he was sleeping with in a fatal "love triangle" has said the worst part is that her son died alone and had no one with him that cared about him. It kills me that I had no time with him to tell him how much I loved him and what he meant to me and to comfort and console him in his last breath. He died alone and I literally cannot imagine what he went through, Valarie McKeever told the Central Criminal Court in a victim impact statement today. She called her son Graham a hero as he was protecting someone and said if only he had never gone to that apartment he would still be alive. Ms McKeever stated that her son was too decent to leave someone in trouble and that is why he is now dead. Ms McKeever said she crumbled to the ground, unable to stand as her legs went to jelly when she heard the news of her eldest childs death. My Graham gone, I just couldnt comprehend it, she said. The testimony was heard as part of a victim impact statement read by Graham McKeever's mother, Valarie McKeever, during Keith Connortons sentence hearing today. Connorton (40) was found guilty of murdering Graham McKeever (32) at Deerpark Avenue, Tallaght on February 18, 2017 by a majority verdict of 10 to two last month. Connorton had pleaded not guilty to stabbing his love rival to death after he came home to find him sleeping with his partner. During the trial the jury heard that Connorton was living with his long-term partner Claire McGrath at Deerpark Avenue but after an argument she invited Mr McKeever to spend the night with her. When Connorton returned home at 4am he found the two of them together and a fight broke out that resulted in Mr McKeever suffering four stab wounds including one that penetrated his heart and killed him Claire McGrath The Central Criminal Court has heard that Connorton and Ms McGrath have since reconciled and have rekindled their relationship. The defendant said he acted in self-defence after Mr McKeever punched him, breaking his eye socket, and then came at him with a knife. Before sentencing Valarie McKeever told the court that February 18, 2017 is a day that will haunt her for the rest of her life. How do you put into words the impact and effect of losing your first-born child, how do you explain the utter devastation in being woken up on a Saturday morning by detectives banging the front door down to tell you your son has died and then to tell you the way he died, she explained. She said she remembered her son as a funny and loving person with a great sense of humour who left an impact on anyone who knew him. Grahams son was the light of his life, she said, whom he loved with every fibre of his body. They had such a great relationship and now his son is just lost without his dad and no one can replace him, the court heard. Ms McKeever said she had a nervous breakdown a month after they buried her son. The grief was so intense, I couldnt accept it, I still cant accept that he is gone and we will never see him again. Ms McKeever said not only has their life as a family changed, it has been ripped apart. Our hearts are broken, never to be whole again because we lost Graham in the worst possible way. How do you come to terms with this kind of death, it just doesnt feel real to any of us, she said. She passes her sons grave in Newlands Cemetery every day going to work and the only consolation she has from this is that he is near her. A few months after returning to work, Ms McKeever had another breakdown and she called the depression horrific saying: I did not want to go on every morning I woke up. I just prayed that God would take me because the pain was just unbearable. Ms McKeever said she was referred to a mental health clinic who prescribed medication for her which she is still on today. I just try my best every day to get up and do what I have to do. I dont look forward to anything anymore. I feel like Im crying inside a lot of the time, she said. The mother of three said her heart hurts everyday with grief and trauma. Its every parents worst nightmare to lose a child but to lose your child the way my Graham was taken is just unbearable. I can see him in my mind fighting for his life, she said. RIP my beautiful Graham, we love and miss you every minute of everyday. Look down on us all and help us come to terms with losing you until we are together, she concluded. Danielle McKeever, Mr McKeevers sister, also entered the witness box during Connortons sentence hearing this morning to deliver a second victim impact statement on behalf of her family. Danielle said Graham was her big brother, her protector and her very first friend in the world. The very moment that I learned of Grahams tragic death was the moment that separated her life into a before and after, the court heard. She told the court that since Grahams death she has been submerged into the depths of a physical and emotional pain that she never knew existed before and could never have understood. Danielle said she was 17,000 miles away from home in Australia when she got the dreaded phone call and had to make the gruelling journey alone. 27 hours of having to exchange niceties with flight attendants and members of the public when inside the despair and heartbreak was flooding my body, she explained. She called Grahams murder cruel and senseless and said her family was serving a lifelong sentence without him. Danielle said she has attempted to continue on with her life in Australia following her brothers death but the grief and fear eventually wore her down. Addressing Connorton, Danielle said: That moment that you killed my brother not only did you take away a fun, loving, handsome man with so much to live for but you took away a father, a son, a grandson, a brother, a nephew, a cousin and a friend to so many. "I can only describe the feeling as going through life with a huge rucksack of rocks on your back, dragging you down everyday, never getting any lighter but in fact increasingly heavier, she said. Connorton will now face the consequences for his actions but he will have the opportunity to watch his son grow and tell him he loves him, said Danielle, words that her nephew will never hear again from his dad. Lorcan Staines SC, defence counsel for Connorton, told the court that his client wanted to apologise to the McKeever family. Connorton took the stand and said: "I can never take back what happened, I'm very sorry for that. I never meant for any of this to happen, I'm sorry for your loss." Earlier, Sergeant Ciaran Coyne from Coolock Garda Station told the court that Connorton has 41 previous convictions including misuse of drugs, robbery and dangerous driving. Sgt Coyne said the defendant had a "rough past" with drugs and lived the majority of his life in homeless accommodation in the city. Mr Justice Tony Hunt said it was a "shocking tragedy" but the defendant had to be punished in the same way as people that set out to cause harm. "It is correct to say that no one makes the case that anyone set out on this night to cause the mayhem from this brief but incredibly tragic event," he said. The worst fear of a parent or sibling is to lose a child or brother or sister prematurely, the judge explained, adding that if it happens through natural causes one can perhaps come to terms with it in some way. However, when death comes "suddenly and violently" it changes everyones world "utterly and immediately", he said. Mr Justice Hunt said Mrs McKeever and her daughter were "very courageous" to take the stand and he hoped it was of some assistance to them and that the load imposed on them will get easier to bear as time goes on. "The impact of evidence shows the devastating blow this is to Mr McKeever's family and friends and I'd like to add my sympathies on his loss," he added. The judge stated that Mr McKeever's young son has to be considered and he had no doubt that the family would pull together to mitigate the "horrendous effects" of this crime on them. He wished them well in their future attempts to deal with this "horrendous situation". In conclusion, Mr Justice Hunt said this was also a tragedy for Connorton but of a "much less variety" and if the defendant had a "shred of sympathy" he would carry some of this with him. The defendant has limited opportunities in his life although he faces a mandatory life sentence, he added. Mr Justice Hunt then sentenced Connorton to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for murder. The sentence was backdated to September 11 2017, when he went into custody. Connorton hung his head as he was led away by prison officers. Evidence in trial In his garda interviews Keith Connorton said he met Claire McGrath at a Luas stop where she was crying after breaking up with her boyfriend. He consoled her and they struck up a bond that became a relationship. He loved her "to bits", he said, and when she became pregnant they were determined to kick their addictions to heroin. But their relationship was described as "bumpy". They frequently argued as Ms McGrath was often suspicious that Connorton was back using heroin. She described herself as volatile and said their frequent arguments would end with Connorton leaving the apartment to allow her to calm down. On the Tuesday three days before Mr McKeever was stabbed there was another argument and Connorton left. Defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC said this argument was different to previous ones because on this occasion Ms McGrath wanted to finish with Connorton to clear the way for Mr McKeever to spend the night with her. She sent Mr McKeever a number of messages in those three days inviting him over and telling him she loved him and wanted his arms wrapped around her. On that Friday afternoon or evening Mr McKeever called and they had a few drinks and watched television. They were in bed together when, at about 4am, Connorton returned. Giving her evidence Ms McGrath became upset as she revealed that the accused had a key to the patio door. "I don't know why I thought he wouldn't come back. He always does," she said, adding: "It was just a bad lapse of judgment." When she heard Connorton she ran to the kitchen and told him to leave, that their relationship was finished. In his statements to gardai Connorton said he was "devastated" by this. He didn't think they had split up and told her the apartment was his, he paid the rent. Then he realised there was someone in the bedroom. He said: "That's when things started getting messy." He hit her across the face and asked who was "in our bed, in my bed". She told him to get out. "Then this big young fella comes out half-naked and clocks me," Connorton told gardai. The accused told gardai that he thinks he "blacked out" and that Mr McKeever must have hit him a "load of times" as he had "lumps" all over him. A doctor's report showed that he had suffered a fracture to the bone around his eye. The next thing he said he could remember was Ms McGrath screaming at Mr McKeever to "put down the knife". Mr McKeever, he said, came at him but the accused got up and grabbed the knife by the blade, cutting his own hand. The jury was shown a photograph of this deep gash. Despite the wound he said he didn't feel the pain and managed to turn the knife around and stab Mr McKeever "a couple of times". He got the knife off Mr McKeever and said he thinks he may have stabbed him again. Prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC described this account as a "pack of lies". He pointed to the evidence of Deputy State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan who found four stab wounds to Mr McKeever's torso, one of which penetrated the heart and caused his death. She found about 40 other injuries including ten to the arms, torso and legs that she said were consistent with being "swiped" by the tip of a pointed blade. Further scrape injuries, she said, were consistent with a serrated blade. Gardai found a pointed and serrated knife at the scene, both of which had Connorton's blood on them but not the deceased's. Ms McGrath gave different accounts of the fight. In her original statements to gardai she said Connorton picked up a knife when he realised there was someone else there, threatened to kill her and pushed her. Mr McKeever, she said, came running into the room after she screamed in fear. In her evidence to the jury she said Connorton had a knife in his hand because he was cutting cannabis and she denied that he pushed or threatened her before Mr McKeever ran in and "charged into him like a bull" and "beat the crap out of him". In her original statement she said that a fight broke out and Connorton swiped with the knife several times and stabbed Mr McKeever in the chest. In her direct evidence, she said he had "ample opportunity" to use the knife but held it down by his side while taking punches to the face. She said he then used the knife in a "defensive movement". Ms McGrath agreed with Mr O'Higgins that her memory of the events was not reliable due to her drug use. At the time she was using cannabis and taking prescribed Xanax and sleeping pills. Mr O'Higgins, in his closing speech, said she lied in her direct evidence and asked the jury to consider that if she could lie to them she could have lied to gardai in February 2017 when she said the accused retrieved a knife and threatened her when he realised there was another man in his bed. He pointed out that she had said she hated the accused at the time and the messages she sent to Mr McKeever suggested that she was in love with him. Prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC told the jury that they could rely on Ms McGrath's earlier accounts to garda, which, he said, she agreed were largely true. She only resiled from them, counsel said, when they were critical of the accused, a man who she is back in a relationship with and who she says she loves.i Ms McGrath and Connorton have made up since the events of February 2017 and are once again in a relationship, she said during the trial. She visits him regularly in prison. During his interviews with gardai Connorton said that all he wanted was a "happy wee family" with Ms McGrath and his son. "Now that's all ruined," he added. The Master of the High Court, who last week had debt cases removed from his workload, has been criticised by a judge over his decision to dismiss a bank's application to repossess a property. Mr Justice Garrett Simons said "it beggars belief" that the Master, Edmund Honohan, continued to make orders striking out special summonses such as the one brought by Permanent TSB against Geoffrey Carr over the repossession of land and a house at Carney Commons, Carney, Co Tipperary. "This course of conduct on the part of the Master simply serves to increase legal costs unnecessarily and to cause delay", Mr Justice Simons said in a High Court judgment today. It had "no practical benefit whatsoever" and the Master's order may, in some instances, give defendants a false sense of hope, he said. Those defendants may mistakenly think there had been a lawful adjudication on the merits of their case and that it had been resolved in their favour. "In truth, the only forum which can adjudicate upon an application for an order for possession, by way of special summons, is the High Court," he said. The Master did not have an adjudicative function in this regard. "To state the obvious, the Master does not hold judicial office", he added. In relation to the PTSB/Carr case, Mr Justice Simons said the possession order arose out of a mortgage taken out by Mr Carr. PTSB had brought the summons and later applied to have the Master's strike-out order overturned. The judge said Mr Carr did not attend court or file an affidavit in this case. While a summons server said that from local enquiries it did not appear there had been anyone living in the Carney house for some years, the judge was satisfied service of the papers on Mr Carr had been effected in accordance with a previous court order. He discharged the Master's strike-out order of October 5 last and ordered the case be transferred back to the High Court list. The Master, who is a court official who deals with cases on the way to trial, was last week no longer permitted to deal with debt cases by order of Mr Justice Peter Kelly, president of the High Court. The HSE is asking the public to stay away from emergency services on Wednesday unless absolutely vital. It has begun outlining details of expected disruption to services during the first of six 24-hour nationwide work stoppages by more than 35,000 nurses. By Daniel McConnell, Political Editor Health Minister Simon Harris has been accused of hiding the escalating cost of the National Children's Hospital before Christmas because of the chances of a general election. The tripling in costs at the hospital to 1.44bn will be the focus of two major Oireachtas Committee hearings this week. Mr Harris is under fire over the failure to disclose the increases. The Oireachtas Health Committee and the Dail's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will both hear from officials involved to seek clarity on how costs were allowed to spiral so dramatically. Mr Harris himself will appear before the Health Committee tomorrow. Both committees will also be examining issues relating to the ongoing cervical check scandal, particularly the revelation that, because of a backlog in the checks, some 6,000 scans will have to be retaken. Labour TD Alan Kelly, who sits on both committees, has said there has to be a political consequence for Mr Harris over what went on. There was either a clear and total breakdown on cost management or there was knowledge of the cost increases and Mr Harris and his top team did nothing about it, he said. Mr Kelly criticised Mr Harris for refusing to disclose board minutes relating to the children's hospital's mishandling by way of parliamentary question. He said he has complained to Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail in a bid to have Mr Harris disclose the relevant information. Mr Kelly said that the significant cost escalation did not come out of the blue and Mr Harris and his officials were either grossly incompetent or they hid the information for some reason. Did it have anything to do with the fact that Fine Gael was looking at the possibility of holding an early general election? - Alan Kelly. "Did they not want this news coming out at that time? But people in the HSE made it known to me that other capital spending projects were likely to be delayed or re-profiled because of the costs overrun at the children's hospital, he said. Why didn't Simon Harris make it publicly known there was an issue here? Why did he continue to insist all was well?" He said it is highly unusual if it turns out there wasn't a hands-on approach from the board in charge and the HSE key team, led by Jim Breslin, Mr Harris' Secretary General. It is fairly incredible that this scale of an increase came out of the blue, he said. Other Opposition parties have again demanded that Mr Harris answers key questions on this issue and on the subject of the runaway costs of the new National Childrens Hospital. Fianna Fail health spokesman Stephen Donnelly and his Sinn Fein counterpart, Louise OReilly, said there is a need for complete clarity on the issue immediately, due to legitimate concerns over both scandals. It emerged at the weekend that the joint medical board of the Childrens Hospital Group wrote to the Health Minister late last year expressing concern about its ability to "adequately staff both the main hospital and the satellite units for urgent and ambulatory care". Figures obtained by Mr Donnelly show that 455 hospital consultant posts are filled by locum, temporary and agency staff. Gardai have found a cannabis growhouse in Co. Donegal. Officers arrested a man in his 30s and seized more than 400,000 worth of cannabis plants in an operation today. The cannabis growhouse in Donegal. Pic: Garda Press Office Gardai attached to Milford Garda Station, supported by the Regional Armed Support Unit searched a house at Kerrykeel in Co. Donegal shortly after noon today. The man in his 30s was arrested at the scene and is being held at Milford Garda Station under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996. A Limerick man found guilty of stabbing to death an "annoying" Romanian national who begged from him has been jailed for eight years. This morning Mr Justice Michael White said the actions of Desmond Coyle (aged 60) over 13 seconds at the deceased's home on Roche's Row in Limerick almost two years ago, resulted in 58-year-old Calo Carpaci "entirely needlessly" losing his life. He also said the killing of Mr Carpaci was "at the upper end of the scale" in terms of manslaughter. Coyle went on trial last December and was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Summarising the facts of the case this morning, Judge White explained that on the morning of May 24, 2017, Coyle left his home on Davis Street in Limerick and collected his disability benefit before going to two pubs where he drank a "substantial" amount. He also bought some food before returning home. He then left his home again and "for some reason best known to himself" he left "armed with a knife" and in search of Mr Carpaci. When Coyle couldn't find Mr Carpaci in the areas the Romanian man used to frequent, Coyle went to Mr Carpaci's home, entered the property and inflicted one stab wound to Mr Carpaci's heart. Mr Justice White noted that Coyle was caught on CCTV entering the Mr Carpaci's home and re-emerging 13 seconds later. The court previously heard Coyle told those who restrained him after the stabbing that he hoped his victim was dead and that he had deserved it. He later told gardai if Mr Carpaci had "stopped f***ing annoying me, it wouldnt have happened". This morning Mr Justice White said the aggravating circumstances are "clear". He said Coyle, "for reasons the court finds hard to explain" was "discommoded at the very most" by Mr Carpaci who had begged from him "on occasions" and that this provoked Coyle to seek out Mr Carpaci at lunchtime on May 24, 2017. Mr Justice White said: "It was clear from the [pathologist's] evidence that he [Mr Carpaci] was still a very healthy man and still had a good bit of life ahead of him." Mr Justice White took a number of mitigating circumstances into consideration before passing sentence. These included a previous plea by Coyle of guilty to manslaughter, Coyle's background, which the judge noted had "a degree of tragedy to it", and the fact Coyle has no previous convictions. At a sentence hearing last week, Mark Nicholas SC, for Coyle, said Coyle had offered to plead guilty to manslaughter before the trial but the DPP rejected the plea. Mr Nicholas also noted that Coyle had always accepted responsibility for the killing and showed remorse when he told gardai that he wished he had not gone to Mr Carpaci's home and added: "I'm not some cruel monster." This morning, Mr Justice White said it was difficult to understand how a man could reach the age of 60, with no previous convictions, and commit the crime he did. He also noted that Coyle is generally a "civil" man in his demeanour with people. But, he said, he had to sentence Coyle for a serious crime which was at the upper end of the manslaughter scale and sentenced him to eight years in prison from the date he was remanded in custody which was December 12, 2018. A former Lord Mayor of Dublin is warning that disgusting local election posters could cause serious injury to the public. Independent Dublin councillor Christy Burke and local election candidate said the posters often fall or slip from polls causing a hazard to the visually impaired, pedestrian, motorists and damage to property. Cllr Burke is also calling for them to be placed only in poster only zones, on the run-up to the local elections on May 24. Christy Burke The posters are disgusting full stop. They need to be placed in poster zones and the maximum amount that should be used per candidate is 40. The posters can cause serious injury to people using our roads and pathways and no-one ever seems to think about those consequences. Its all about getting elected. They are a waste of money as they can cost upwards of 10. What else is needed is a time frame of when the posters can be erected and have to be taken down and these regulations need to adhered to vigorously. We are also in a more environment conscious society and posters are adding to waste and litter issues. I really am appealing to candidates to think again about using posters for election purposes and the Government Task Force examining the use of these posters to bring in stronger regulations on the matter. Cllr Burke highlighted that a group of Limerick councillors have signed up to a voluntary ban on posters for the next local elections. Councillors in the Newcastle West Municipal District believe there is no need for mugshots on poles in the elections next May. It is hoped that the rest of the Limerick council would introduce the ban, and then other local authorities would follow suit. Deputy Mayor of Limerick City and County Council, Fianna Fail's Michael Collins, said it would also help the environment. Mr Collins said: "The poster itself is made from what is known as corriboard, which is a plastic material and then the poster which is attached to the pole is attached normally by a plastic cable tie. "These cable ties last for many years after, you'd probably see cable ties all around the country on poles 20 years after the event. The Government "does not know how many times it has to say it" before Westminster really believes the withdrawal agreement between the EU and Britain is not for changing, Tanaiste Simon Coveney says. The Minister for Foreign Affairs was speaking in Cork as British MPs prepare a number of amendments to come before parliament on Tuesday, including one from Graham Brady that suggests Theresa May's deal would be backed if the backstop is removed. Mr Coveney said such a proposal is a non-runner, and that the withdrawal agreement between Britain and the EU cannot be undone: "The withdrawal agreement from an Irish and EU perspective has already been negotiated. The compromises have already been made. All of the things now being proposed, whether they be time limits or exit clauses from backstops and so on, were discussed in detail during the negotiations, and were shown not to work. "A backstop with a time limit is not a backstop at all. Unless you have a mechanism that kicks in after that time limit, which we dont have. I dont see the withdrawal agreement changing. I dont see a withdrawal agreement without a backstop being supported at EU level or being ratified by the European Parliament." I dont know how many times we have to say it before people really believe that in London. MPs have to think about what they are voting for, Mr Coveney said, because such actions can be rendered moot from an EU perspective. "Im not going to tell the British parliament what they should or should not be voting on, all I would say is that parliamentarians in Westminster need to think not only about what can potentially get a majority in Westminster but also what can get EU approval also," he said. "There are two sides to this negotiation. In my the EU and European Parliament will not ratify a withdrawal agreement that does not have a backstop in it...The deal was thrashed out over two years and is no longer a negotiation, but a ratification process. "The withdrawal agreement is already a series of compromises...that negotiation is done, it is over. Were now at the ratification process of that, not a continued negotiation. "Its pretty non-controversial stuff, its about protecting British and EU citizens rights, its about a financial settlement that is fair, its about a transition period between two and four years to allow a future relationship in all of its detail and complexity to be protected, and it is about protecting a peace process on this island, where there is a 300-mile border. "There isnt an appetite to reopen a balance of compromises that takes into account British red lines and concerns and EU concerns. It is unreasonable to ask for that withdrawal agreement to be reopened," Mr Coveney said. It was "really extraordinary" that British MPs are still unsure of what they want, he said. "What is really extraordinary about all this is that with 60 days to go to the date Britain is formally due to leave the EU, we still dont know what Britain wants. We still dont know what parliament in Westminster will vote for in terms of their ask of the EU. We know what they dont seem to want, but not what they want, so it is very hard for Ireland and the EU to plan and respond," he said. The government has again insisted that the Brexit backstop cannot be binned. It comes as British politicians are trying to ditch it from the Withdrawal Agreement. The government changed tack significantly over the weekend by engaging with UK media to spread the message that the backstop is 100% needed. Tanaiste Simon Coveney going a step further this morning in Cork. "Just because they want to attempt to vote something through in Westminster that doesn't mean that the EU will automatically accept that," said Mr Coveney. I don't believe they will. I don't believe that a Withdrawal Agreement will be ratified in the European Parliament if there is not a backstop in it. "I don't believe a Withdrawal Agreement will be agreed by EU governments if there isn't a backstop in it." Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe reinforced the line this morning saying: "The Withdrawal Treaty has been agreed by the European Union that Withdrawal Treaty contains a backstop. "The Irish government and the European Union are clear that neither will be changing." But British politicians are trying to dilute it. Senior Conservative backbencher @grahambradymp offers a solution to the Backstop impasse #WestminsterHour pic.twitter.com/fOTEnDGlYv BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) January 28, 2019 Tory MP Graham Brady has put forward a motion that will be debated tomorrow to ditch the backstop. "We are trying to make it possible for people to come forward with creative proposals," said Mr Brady. "It might be that instead of reopening the Withdrawal Agreement itself you would have a legally binding codicil to it. "There are different ways you can do it." David Cullinane However, Sinn Fein's David Cullinane rubbished the idea. "Let's stop the fantasy politics and the notion that we can somehow have new solutions and new ideas coming from the Tory party given that we've had two years of negotiations is nonsense," said Mr Cillinane. Tomorrow will be a significant day for the future of Brexit as MPs take a series of votes that could affect Theresa May's negotiating power, or take the impetus away from her altogether. The Chief State Solicitor has raised concerns that top secret papers in her office could be compromised if a new seven-storey office block proceeds close to her office in Dublin city centre. JJ Rhatigan firm, Luxor Investments Ltd has lodged plans for the new office block on Ship Street Great and Chancery Lane near South Great Georges Street in Dublin. The office block at 111ft high is higher than a previously granted accommodation block for the same site which lies in close proximity to the Rhatigan-owned Radisson Blu hotel at Golden Lane. In an objection against the plan, Chief State Solicitor, Maria Browne has told the Dublin City Council that the proposed height and overlook of the office of the Chief State Solicitor is a marked increased on the planning permission already in place. Ms Browne said: We are concerned that this will impact on the lighting, overlook and privacy of the staff in the Office. This office has particular security requirements given the sensitive nature of the work carried out for and behalf of Government. The nature of the documentation handled and processed in this office is of national importance and can extend to top-secret papers, which if compromised from a private/security aspect could be problematic." The Chester Beatty Library has also objected to the plan. The librarys Head of Operations & Administration, Derval OCarroll, told the council that the library holds in its care an extremely important and valuable, world-renowned collection of East Asian, Islamic and Western manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and decorative arts. Ms OCarroll points out that the library has grave concerns relating to the potential increased security risk to our collections as a result of the planned new Luxor Investments plan. Ms OCarroll said that the height of the new building will allow those on the upper floors to view the locations of, or actively monitor a number of our electronic and physical security measures. Ms OCarroll said that the new structure would overlook the librarys conservation lab. She said: Persons on those floors would potentially have direct line of sight into a highly secure area where collection materials are occasionally stored. Kevin Duff of the An Taisce Dublin City Association has told the Council that the proposed change of use from residential to office is inappropriate at a time of acute housing crisis and is contrary to the objectives for the re-population of former residential areas of the inner city. In response to the concerns expressed, the Council has told the developers to reduce the height and scale of the proposal. Seeking additional information, the Council stated that it had serious reservations in relation to both the height and scale of the proposal. A young woman diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer, who battled to be given life-saving treatment, is to be buried on Wednesday. So selfless was 26-year-old Alice Taylor, who was battling against Stage 3B terminal cancer which has spread to her heart, lungs and liver since a PET scan last May, that all she can do is worry about her boyfriend David and family and what they are going through in a bid to cope with her diagnoses. Doctors told her several months ago that palliative care was the option facing her. Alice passed away at St Vincents Hospital, Dublin last Friday. The Kilkenny woman passed away surrounded by her parents Martin and Wendy, brothers James and William, her partner David in St Annes Ward in St Vincents Hospital. She is also mourned by two grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins. Her remains will be reposing at her home tomorrow (Tuesday) from 4pm concluding with Rosary and Vigil Prayers at 7pm. Removal will take place on Wednesday morning to St Brigid's Church, Ballycallan, for Requiem Mass at 11am. Funeral afterwards to Mount Jerome Crematorium for private cremation. Health advocate Vicky Phelan paid tribute to Alice, saying she was "floored" by the news of her death. "Reading about Alice's death has floored me. I had met her and her Mum, Wendy at St. Vincent's Hospital where Alice moved for treatment to get on Pembro, which she had started. It was obviously too late for her. She was far too young to die," Vicky wrote on Twitter. Taking to rip.ie to express shock at her passing one person wrote, Dear Wendy and family, Words cannot express how saddened we are at the news. Vicky Phelan You have all our sympathy at this unbearable time and know that we will help in any way we can in the coming months. May Alice Rest in Peace and I hope you find some measure of comfort in knowing how loved she was. Another offered condolences saying, Wendy, we are absolutely gutted to hear that Alice has passed. RIP. There are literally no words to express our absolute and total sadness for you, Martin, James, William and Dave and family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this incredibly sad and awful time. "Alice was and will continue to be a shining light for all who were lucky enough to know her. Her legacy of love, care, compassion and putting others first will live on in the hearts and lifes of all who knew her. Never a person to give up without a fight, Alice wanted to raise 150,000 to enable her to receive the specialised treatment, via doctors in New York advising which immunotherapy drugs, would best suit her. Friends and family of Alice had been campaigning over several months for her to get access to the drug Pembro and more than 100,000 had been donated to an online fundraiser. She had just started on the treatment last month. However, it seems access to the drug did not come in time. Alice, had hoped to take part in further genetic testing available in New York at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre which was to determine the most appropriate drugs and treatment for her condition. From the village of Ballycallan, Alice was more used to caring for others, through her job at SOS Kilkenny, which provides day and residential services for adults with intellectual disability. Speaking prior to her death Alice said: Its hard to explain how you feel when given a terminal diagnosis. I feel many different emotions. I am angry to think I may not be able to do and see a lot of things that I would like to do. Im sad that I may not be around to have our baby brought into the world. Im worried about my family, Dave (boyfriend) and friends and how they are coping with this situation. But at the same time, I am optimistic and feel very lucky to have had such a fantastic upbringing and a wonderful life up to now with such a huge amount. Her cancer treatment began following her diagnosis in November 2017 after Alice attended her GP with irregular PV bleeding the month before. She was referred to St Lukes Hospital, Kilkenny for further investigations and scans including a biopsy. Alices biopsy confirmed a 7cm tumour and Stage 2B Cervical Cancer. Although shaken by the diagnosis, both Alice and David approached it like they do with everything, strong and positive with good humour as they prepared for battle together. All care was transferred immediately to Dublins Mater and St Lukes Hospitals, in Dublin. The couple first met at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) in 2012 when Alice was studying for a degree in social care. David ODea has remained by her side ever since. Alice explained: During my first appointment in Dublin, I received the news that I would never conceive or carry my own child. Gone was my lifelong dream of having beautiful little babies and becoming a mother. This news was as bad, if not worse than the diagnosis itself. An Algerian man with alleged links to Islamic terrorism has been allowed by the High Court to amend his latest legal challenge against a refusal by the Minister for Justice to revoke a deportation order made against him. The man, aged in his 50s who has lived in Ireland for several years, denies being involved in terrorism or being involved in groups including Al-Qaeda. The man, who is currently detained in an Irish prison, claims he is at risk of being tortured due to his political views. In his judgement, Mr Justice Richard Humphreys said he was satisfied to dismiss the man's latest challenge against the Minister's decision not to revoke the deportation order. However, Mr Justice Humphreys said that he was prepared to adjourn the case to allow the man the opportunity if he so wishes to seek an amendment to his action regarding the issue of reports of "incommunicado detention" facilities in Algeria. The judge said the Minister had provided the court with a reasoned, dense, detailed and impressive analysis of matters including human rights, and prison conditions in Algeria. However, he said there was an error "in less than half a sentence" in that analysis concerning the sole issue of secret or incommunicado detention in Algeria. The Judge said it was not clear if the Minister had factored in material concerning allegations of secret detention in the analysis. While there no specific pleading in the case as it currently stands about secret detentions, the judge said he was of the view that there was a prima facia problem which needed to be addressed. In the circumstances where all the man's points challenging the Minister's decision were dismissed the judge said he was prepared to allow the man make points on reports of secret detention centres in Algeria. The decision to allow the man amend his claim to deal with the issue of secret detention is the latest ruling in several actions brought on the man's behalf against the Minister's decision not to revoke the deportation order. In three previous applications, the Supreme and the High Courts have ruled in favour of the man in respect of challenges brought against the refusal to revoke the order, and have remitted the refusal back to the Minister for fresh consideration. The man was convicted of terrorism offences in Algeria and France, and had previously used multiple identities and had been jailed in Ireland for attempting to travel on a false passport. The Minister issued a deportation order against the man in 2016 after gardai informed the Department of Justice the activities of the man and his associates were of serious concern and contrary to the States security. The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, fears being tortured if returned to Algeria. During the 1990s he was convicted of several offences in Algeria and received three life sentences and two death sentences, which are no longer carried out. Those offences include forming an armed terrorist group intending to spread murder, sabotage, possession of prohibited war weapons assassination, theft intending to harm the security of his home country. He was jailed for eight years following his arrest in France in 2002 after he was found guilty of charges including membership of a criminal organisation preparing an Act of Terrorism. Concerns have been raised about a shocking Irish Examiner report that an Air Corps whistleblower is to retire early due to what he claims are attempts to vilify and isolate him. The Irish Examiner revealed today that the whistleblower - one of three who has previously raised concerns about staff's exposure to chemicals - has announced his decision to retire early. His decision comes two months after telling Junior Defence Minister Paul Kehoe that he has not received assurances from Defence Forces hierarchy that he is not being targeted for making protected disclosures. Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy said a list of deaths compiled by one Air Corps whistleblower requires explanation. The list, the existence of which was previously reported in this newspaper, contains the details of more than 70 deaths of former Air Corps staff that the whistleblower believes may be connected to chemical exposures at the forces headquarters in Casement Aerodrome. Ms Murphy said the causes of deaths and the age profiles of the deceased require explanation and will be a matter she will raise with the State Claim Agency when it appears again before the Public Accounts Committee. Ms Murphy said if the risk has been addressed, then the State Claims Agency should be assessing how many were affected prior to remedying the situation. She described the revelation that a whistleblower is to retire early as shocking. It is almost like his contributions are seen as vexatious complaints rather than valuable information to be interrogated. If that is why he has decided to retire early then that is understandable. The problem here is in not addressing the issue. "Im very concerned about the treatment of whistleblowers and people making disclosures, as some arms of the public service are not dealing with them as comprehensively or fairly as they should, Ms Murphy said. Fianna Fail Defence spokesman, Jack Chambers, said the whistleblowers decision demonstrates a dysfunction in the complaints process and will act as a deterrent to anyone else who is thinking about coming forward. This is symptomatic of the general malaise that has been allowed to fester within the Defence Forces under the current Minister. Whistleblowers who feel that their only next option is to retire demonstrates a dysfunction in the complaints process and it certainly doesnt encourage others who have issues of concern from engaging with the process." The Minister needs to take these issues seriously and propose real solutions to problems like these or morale will continue to plummet and the retention and recruitment crisis will continue, Mr Chambers said. There were a record number of applications from UK jobseekers looking to work in Ireland in 2018 as Brexit draws closer, according to recruitment website Irishjobs.ie. IT roles saw the largest increase in applications from the UK at nearly 50%, closely followed by construction, architecture, property and public sector roles, the websites report found. Visits from the UK accounted for 27% of total overseas traffic to the site in 2018, Irishjobs.ie said. The websites marketing director Safann Mac Carthy said: As the Brexit deadline draws closer, Ireland is seeing a huge influx of investment from UK and multinational companies seeking to relocate or expand in Ireland. Equally, our statistics show that people movement is matching that shift. 2018 marks the highest increase weve seen in UK applications for Irish-based roles and the current political climate indicates that this growth is set to continue into 2019. Irishjobs.ie said that it correlated with IDA figures this month showing 55 significant Brexit-related investments made by multinationals in Ireland in 2018, creating more than 4,500 new jobs. These investments look set to continue as Brexit draws closer, the jobs site said. Ms Mac Carthy said: Ireland offers stability, well-paid jobs, a world-renowned education system, and access to the EU. These are attractive traits for mobile professionals She said Irelands burgeoning reputation as an IT centre for multinational companies was attracting UK talent. Equally, tech companies are actively looking beyond Ireland for talent to fill roles that require a niche skillset that may not be available in the Irish market, she said. Construction workers are also seeking work in Ireland. The current construction boom in response to the rapid population growth of our cities and towns has resulted in 21% year-on-year growth in construction vacancies. These roles are attractive propositions for UK-based construction workers eager to capitalise on rising salaries and the competitive euro-to-sterling exchange rate, she said. Irish Ferries has been ordered to pay compensation to passengers who were due to travel on its cancelled services last summer. There was a delay to the delivery of the new WB Yeats ship which led the cancellation of sailings from Dublin to Cherbourg in France. The regulatory body - the National Transport Authority (NTA) did not accept that the unavailability of the ferry was due to "extraordinary circumstances". Thousands of people had to cancel or make alternative plans due to the delay. Irish Ferries has expressed its disappointment following the decision by the NTA. Go direct from Dublin to France! #SailinStyle aboard our brand new W.B. Yeats for the most comfortable, hassle-free holiday you can get.https://t.co/i1cfkeYrnc pic.twitter.com/jTMQHMjj7E Irish Ferries (@Irish_Ferries) January 21, 2019 "These cancellations were due to extraordinary circumstances which were completely outside of the companys control," the statement said. "Since the delay was due to unforeseen delays by the shipbuilder FSG, and was notified to passengers months ahead of planned sailings, Irish Ferries does not agree that the company infringed the relevant EU Regulation. In dealing with its customers Irish Ferries believes it took every reasonable action to provide passengers with alternative travel options, from a no-quibble immediate refund to allow them to make alternative travel plans, as well as alternative sailings on the Oscar Wilde out of Rosslare Europort and Land bridge alternatives via the UK. It said that a goodwill gesture of 150 discount for a sailing to France this year has already been provided to all customers impacted by the cancellations. Irish Ferries said that "ongoing discussions with the NTA on the interpretation of EU regulation has been a critical factor in regretfully concluding that we are unlikely to operate the Oscar Wilde to France out of Rosslare in 2019". It added: "The NTAs approach to the Regulation has contributed to making the route commercially unviable into the future." A developer is concerned that a legal challenge over part of a planned 220-unit housing development in Harold's Cross could delay the entire project, the Commercial Court has heard. The judicial review challenge, initiated in the High Court last month by a local couple, concerns a November 2018 permission by An Bord Pleanala for demolition of existing structures at 115, 117 and 119 Harolds's Cross, construction of two apartment blocks with a total of 23 units fronting Harold's Cross Road, plus 160 car and 226 bicycle parking spaces at basement level. That development is part of a larger development of 220 residential units on the site of the former St Clare's convent in Harold's Cross for which Kavcre St Clare's Ltd, of Townsend Street, Dublin 2, has secured planning permission. Kavcre, which bought the 1.7-hectare St Clare's site in early 2015, says the judicial review proceedings by Paul Walsh, a recruitment consultant, and his wife Christine Kirwan, a primary school teacher, of Leinster Park, Harold's Cross, are affecting the "deliverability" of both the disputed development and the wider development. It is claimed about 250 jobs will be provided over the construction phase of the wider development which will deliver 220 residential units consistent with the stated Government objective "of providing much needed new homes". Kavcre has spent about 11m to date on acquiring the St Clare's site and on planning fees, representing a "very significant" financial investment for which there has been no commercial return as of yet, a solicitor for the company said in court documents. Brian Murray SC, for Kavcre, applied today to have the judicial review speedily heard in the Commercial Court. The judicial review is against the Board and Kavcre is a notice party. The judicial review was brought on grounds including certain conditions, including build-to-rent conditions, attached to the permission for the disputed development. Those conditions have since been removed in a further decision by An Bord Pleanala on the basis they were attached in error. Other grounds of the couple's challenge include the Board's alleged failure to give reasons for departing from express recommendations of its inspector, including to move an apartment block 10 metres further away from the couple's home to alleviate overlooking and overshadowing of their home. Today Niall Handy, for the couple, said he could not exclude the possibility of a discovery application but it was too early to say. Mr Murray said he could not see how a need for discovery might arise and his side wanted a hearing date. Having been told the couple and the Board were neutral on the application to enter the proceedings in the Commercial Court, Mr Justice Robert Haughton agreed to admit them and said he will fix a hearing date later. A couple who owned a substantial Roscommon truck firm which went into voluntary liquidation have been disqualified by the High Court from acting as company directors for seven-and-a-half years. Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy also ordered that James and Anne Kelly, who were sole directors of Kelly Trucks Ltd, Drummond, Strokestown, be made personally liable for the debts of the now liquidated company which was involved in trucks sales, servicing repairs and testing. Liquidator Gerard Murphy said the realisable assets of the company, estimated at 838,000, have "vanished without plausible explanation". He said simultaneous to the liquidation, two companies operating from Strokestown and Ballaghaderreen rose "from the ashes". The directors of those two companies, Kelly Trucks Strokestown Ltd and Kelly Trucks Ballaghaderreen, are the Kellys' children James Junior and Patricia and the new entities carry on the same business as the liquidated firm. Ms Justice Murphy said the case stemmed from a dispute over a judgment against Kelly Trucks for 32,000 in November 2012 when another transport company sued the Kelly firm over a defective lorry. The Kelly firm also faced a legal bill for that dispute of some 55,000. When the judgment was not paid, the other transport company brought a petition to have Kelly Trucks wound up for being unable to pay its debts. Following legal proceedings, including an unsuccessful attempt by the Kelly parents' firm to appeal the judgment to the Supreme Court, the company still faced the 32, 000 judgement and a legal costs claim which had reached 120,000 by June 2013. The winding up petition came before the High Court a month later and in November, the petition was struck out on the undertaking the Kelly firm would pay the 32,000 judgment, a further 5,000 towards legal costs and 500 a week towards the rest of those costs, pending taxation. While the judgment was paid, most of the legal costs were not. A month later, the Kelly firm was voluntarily wound up. The other transport company then successfully applied to court for the removal of the liquidator which had been appointed by the company and his replacement with Gerard Murphy. Following investigations, Mr Murphy said it was plain substantial assets had been disposed of, the effect of which had been to perpetrate a fraud on the company's creditors who include the Kellys' former solicitors and lawyers for the other transport company. He said Anne Kelly was "the conductor of an orchestrated scheme" to transfer the business of Kelly Trucks to the two new companies. He sought orders from the court under company law including the disqualification of the Kelly couple. Mrs Kelly, who represented herself in court, claimed, among other things, the case was not properly before the court and there were "glaringly obvious breaches of law" due to the failure of the court to follow standard procedural requirements. Ms Justice Murphy, in a judgment published last week, was satisfied the transfer of the business of Kelly Trucks to the new Strokestown and Ballaghaderreen firms, and the frustration of the liquidation, had been brought about by "the deliberate actions of Mrs Kelly". She had "sought to represent herself as an injured party in these proceedings, a fact which is difficult to reconcile with the objective evidence before the court," the judge said. She was satisfied the couple "acted fraudulently and recklessly" with a view to defrauding creditors of their business. She also ordered the return of the 838,000 assets owned by Kelly Trucks. In the last of a four-part series looking at finalists for the Cork Company of the Year Awards 2018, Padraig Hoare casts an eye over those in the Corporate category. Irish Distillers drinks in the global demand for quality whiskey The producer of the most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys, Irish Distillers, is already a major success in the global drinks industry, but remains thirsty for more. Irish Distillers is one of Irelands leading suppliers of spirits and wines and producer of the worlds most successful Irish whiskeys. Led by Jameson, the distillerys brands are driving the global renaissance of Irish whiskey. Jameson is the fastest-growing brand of Irish whiskey, experiencing 29 years of consecutive growth and hitting sales of 7.3m cases in 2017/18. From Cork, Irish Distillers brands are exported to over 130 markets, with over 80 of those experiencing double or triple-digit growth in 2018. The rise has been a remarkable Cork story in the past 23 years. Having sold fewer than 500,000 cases of Jameson in 1996, Irish Distillers has led the Irish whiskey renaissance which has swept the globe. With 340m invested in east Cork since 2012, the company has seen a 70% increase in sales in the last six years, selling 7.3 million cases of Jameson as well as diversifying interest in Irish whiskey with brands like Redbreast, Method & Madness, Powers, the Spot Whiskey range and Midleton whiskey. Irish Distillers was formed in 1966, when a merger took place between John Power & Son, John Jameson & Son and Cork Distilleries Company. In 1988, Irish Distillers joined Pernod Ricard, gaining access to unprecedented levels of investment and an extensive global distribution network. The company employs 230 people across its operations in Cork. Irish Distillers is the market leader for Irish whiskey both in Ireland and in over 80 countries worldwide. The investment continues. In October last year, Irish Distillers announced the investment of over 130m upgrading the distillery in Midleton, and the maturation site in Dungourney, to meet demand. For Irish Distillers, it is a tremendous honour to be nominated in the Corporate category of the Cork Company of the Year Awards, not just for the firm, but also all in east Cork who have helped it to become a global success. General manager of Midleton Distillery at Irish Distillers, Paul Wickham said: Irish Distillers is humbled to be among such illustrious company as a finalist in the Cork Corporate Company of the Year Awards. While our products are enjoyed the world over, we are proud that they all begin in Cork having operated in the beautiful town of Midleton since 1825. Cork is a vibrant, creative and inspiring environment for us to do business, providing us with all the economic, industrial, research and business development infrastructure we need "It also provides us with lush fertile farmland to source our grain, with all the barley used in production is sourced from farms located within 100 miles of the distillery, many of which have produced barley for centuries. We look forward to building upon the countys success story for years to come. Pfizers 50-year Cork presence down to employee dedication Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has become synonymous with Cork over the past 50 years, and plans to be in the county for 50 more. The worlds largest biomedical research and pharmaceutical company is one of Irelands leading employers, with a workforce of more than 3,200 people across six locations. According to the firm, Pfizer employees in Cork and Ireland work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments, and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. It was also one of the first pharmaceutical companies to locate in Ireland, establishing its first base at Ringaskiddy in 1969. Over 800 people are now employed in Little Island and Ringaskiddy. In May this year, Pfizer will celebrate 50 years in its Ringaskiddy site a major milestone for the company, it says. Total capital investment by Pfizer in Ireland exceeds $7bn (6.15bn) and its business interests in this country range across manufacturing, shared services, R&D, treasury, and commercial operations. Pfizer exports bulk pharmaceuticals, the active ingredients in its medications for humans and animals, from its large plant in Ringaskiddy to Pfizer plants around the world. In 2014, a $30m specialist high-tech laboratory facility opened at the site. The investment, supported by the Department of Jobs through IDA Ireland, enabled the Ringaskiddy plant to meet the move to smaller volume, new products requiring unique technology and capability. The Ringaskiddy facility is also the main active pharmaceuticals ingredients site globally for scaling up new products in co-operation with Pfizer Global Research and Development to ensure the timely approval and launch of these new products. Pfizer said it takes its role in the community very seriously, giving back through school partnerships and supporting local charities and sporting organisations. To be nominated in the Corporate Category of the Cork Company of the Year Awards is fitting recognition for the employees of the firm in the county, Pfizer said. Site leader at Pfizer Ringaskiddy, Clair Murphy, said: We are delighted to have been selected as a finalist in the Corporate Category of the Cork Company of the Year Awards. This is testament to the hard work of our 800 colleagues onsite in Ringaskiddy and Little Island who each play a key role in the discovery and the development of medicines that can significantly improve patients lives. We play a key role in impacting the health of people and the local community and endeavour to be a trusted and responsible member of the community. Locally in Cork, Pfizer does this by giving back to the community through school partnerships and supporting local charities and sporting organisations Pfizer Ireland will celebrate 50 years since our opening in Ringaskiddy, we have big celebrations planned nationwide in 2019, and we look forward to another successful 50 years in business. Zenith Technologies makes global impact in patient healthcare It has been an inexorable rise for Zenith Technologies, the Cork firm that has taken the life sciences sector by storm over the past 20 years. Zenith Technologies powers patient health by delivering manufacturing software globally to the life science sector. Having begun life as an SME some 20 years ago, Zenith now employs approaching 900 employees across the world, in 16 offices. Headquartered in Ringaskiddy, it has more than 230 employees in Cork and they are an integral part of the global operation, ranging from direct employment of individuals to the employment of contractors including engineering, finance, human resources, and administration. A particularly strong graduate programme has seen the firms recently-qualified engineer numbers across the country reach 50. Diversity and inclusion are also vital components of Zeniths ethos. Some 60 people from outside of Ireland are part of the Cork team, with the firm helping them integrate into the local community, as well as celebrating different cultures and festivals including Diwali and Thanksgiving, in their local offices The proof is in the pudding, and Zenith is the current Pharma Supplier of the Year in Ireland. It also achieved Great Place To Work status for a second year in a row, while it has qualified as a Deloitte best-managed company for a number of years. It is that investment in the best recruits, as well as continuous up-skilling and training of talent, that has allowed it to rise to become a global player, Zenith said. Its software systems secure the supply of vital treatments to patients worldwide. The firm specialises in implementing and supporting automation, manufacturing execution systems, and digital solutions that manage, control, and optimise manufacturing plants to improve operational effectiveness. With experience in the delivery and management of more than 35 technologies, the firm says it prides itself on being vendor-independent. Operating across five continents, Zenith partners with leading pharma and biotech companies. It supports customers from initial consultation to project implementation, commissioning, and qualification, site maintenance, and continuous learning, and delivers performance improvements, reduced costs, total compliance, and improved operator skills through customer partnership. To be nominated in the corporate category of the Cork Chamber of the Year Awards is wonderful recognition for the business after 20 years, and all the more special in its hometown, Zenith said. Founder and executive chairman Brendan ORegan said: We are all tremendously happy to have been selected as a finalist in the Corporate Category of Cork Company of the Year Awards. This is great recognition for us all at Zenith and for our 20 years of doing business in Cork. Cork is also home to our corporate headquarters for our global business, which makes the nomination all the more special. Shares in Aughinish Alumina owner Rusal rose 9% to reach their highest since April after US sanctions were lifted, as the importance of the Limerick plant in the global metal supply chain was laid bare. The US Treasury officially lifted sanctions on Rusal and other companies linked to controlling stakeholder Oleg Deripaska, the Russian billionaire accused of having close ties with the Kremlin. Aluminium prices fell 2% after the sanctions were lifted as the second biggest producer of the metal became free of the shackles imposed on its business. Rusal controlling company En+ said Mr Deripaskas shareholding has been cut from 70% to 44.95% and his voting rights further cut to 35%. His assets remain frozen and he will not be able to receive any dividends from En+, the firm said. The company made public a letter sent earlier this month to Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer in order to free its business interests, signed by ambassadors from Ireland, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, and the EU. Aughinish Alumina in Limerick was vital to almost one-third of Europe's supply of alumina, the letter said. "Aughinish Alumina has produced alumina on the banks of the Shannon in Limerick since 1983 and contributes 130m to the local economy. The largest company in the region, it directly employs 460 staff and 200 long term contractors and indirectly supports an additional 1,000 jobs. "It was acquired by Rusal in 2007, but is operationally independent from its parent company and maintains an Irish workforce and Irish management team. "Aughinish is critical to the European alumina and aluminium industries, providing approximately 30% of the continents total supply of alumina used by smelters across Europe. "Closure of the facility would therefore result in extensive job losses across the EU while damaging other key downstream industries," the letter said. The US imposed crippling sanctions on Mr Deripaska's business interests and halved Rusals value in the process last April. Full statement by Tanaiste @simoncoveney and Government Ministers on confirmation by US authorities that Aughinish Alumina is no longer directly impacted by US sanctions is available @ https://t.co/kdkwsC2fY0. pic.twitter.com/wBJkcmUKA2 Irish Foreign Ministry (@dfatirl) January 28, 2019 Shares in Rusal plummeted as sanctions reverberated across the entire aluminium industry as it scrambled to restore supply chains. Global mining firm Rio Tinto has plants in France and Iceland that use the Irish alumina, and Liberty House Groups Scottish smelter also depends on the site. Despite stiff resistance from members of both President Donald Trump's Republican Party and the Democrats, US Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin signalled his intent to end the sanctions this month, saying their intention was never to damage companies like Rusal, but to punish Mr Deripaska personally. WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Justice laid out its case Monday against Canada's most famous corporate detainee, unsealing 13 criminal counts of conspiracy, fraud and obstruction against Chinese tech juggernaut Huawei Technologies and arrested telecom scion Meng Wanzhou. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, center, speaks during an announcement of an indictment on violations including bank and wire fraud, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, of Chinese telecommunications companies including Huawei, at the Justice Department in Washington. At his left is Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, with FBI Director Christopher Wray, at right. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Justice laid out its case Monday against Canada's most famous corporate detainee, unsealing 13 criminal counts of conspiracy, fraud and obstruction against Chinese tech juggernaut Huawei Technologies and arrested telecom scion Meng Wanzhou. The indictment, based on 23 grand jury allegations, accuses Huawei and Meng the company's chief financial officer and daughter of its founder of misrepresenting their ownership of a Hong Kong-based subsidiary between 2007 and 2017 to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran. The company's U.S. branch is also accused of stealing trade secrets and equipment from cellphone provider T-Mobile USA. And it was unsealed on the very day that the Trump administration announced new high-level trade talks with China, fuelling questions about whether the two are linked questions the White House batted down. Canada's Department of Justice confirmed late Monday that officials had received the formal request from the United States for Meng's extradition. Her case is scheduled to return to B.C. Supreme Court on Tuesday. Meng, who is free on bail in Vancouver after her arrest Dec. 1 at the behest of U.S. authorities, is charged with bank fraud, wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit both. Huawei and its subsidiary Skycom face charges of bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy, as well as of violating the U.S. International Emergency Economic Powers Act the sanctions law. Huawei and Huawei USA are also charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice related to the grand jury investigation. The alleged conduct bore the hallmarks not of rogue actors, but of "corporate-sponsored behaviour" that was directed as company policy, acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker told a news conference. "These are very serious actions by a company that appears to be using corporate espionage and sanctions violations to not only enhance, potentially, their bottom line, but also to compete in the world economy," Whitaker said. "This is something the United States will not stand for, and we're going to continue to investigate and prosecute these types of cases, because ultimately it undermines the national security and economic security of our country." Whitaker confirmed that the department is proceeding with its extradition efforts against Meng in accordance with the existing timetable, which requires that the formal request be registered with the Canadian courts by Wednesday. Both he and FBI Director Christopher Wray proffered thanks to their Canadian counterparts for their help and, in Whitaker's words, "their steadfast commitment to the rule of law." The indictment alleges that beginning in 2007, Huawei falsely claimed that Skycom was not an affiliate, and denied operating in Iran or violating U.S. sanctions. When news reports in 2013 found that it was, "Huawei employees, and in particular Meng, continued to lie to Huawei's banking partners about Huawei's relationship with Skycom," the department says in a brief on the case. They claimed that Huawei had sold its stake in Skycom a sale the U.S. alleges was "orchestrated ... to appear as an arm's-length transaction between two unrelated parties, when in fact Huawei actually controlled the company that purchased Skycom." Meng, the brief continues, made a presentation in August 2013 to a banking executive in which she "repeatedly lied" about the links between the two. "Both sets of charges expose Huawei's brazen and persistent actions to exploit American companies and financial institutions, and to threaten the free and fair global marketplace," Wray said. Huawei responded by denying that it or its affiliates "have committed any of the asserted violations of U.S. law set forth in each of the indictments." Huawei is "not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng," it said in a statement, "and believes the U.S. courts will ultimately reach the same conclusion." Meng's arrest at Vancouver International Airport touched off a political furor marked by days of angry anti-Canada rhetoric from China's foreign ministry, culminating Sunday in the firing of John McCallum as Canada's ambassador to China. McCallum, formerly a longtime Liberal MP and cabinet minister, had publicly expressed confidence in Meng's case against any U.S. extradition order. McCallum, who apologized for his original remarks, later seemed to make matters worse by saying publicly that it would be "good for Canada" if the extradition effort were unsuccessful. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Sunday he had asked for and received McCallum's resignation. But McCallum wasn't the only one to raise eyebrows with public remarks. President Donald Trump's own musings fuelled speculation that the U.S. might be planning to use the case as leverage in its trade negotiations with China. "Whatever's good for this country, I would do," Trump said in an interview with Reuters just 10 days after Meng's arrest. "If I think it's good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made, which is a very important thing ... I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary." Less than an hour before the Department of Justice news conference was to begin on Monday, the White House announced that its team of high-level economic advisers would meet a delegation from China on Wednesday for two days of trade talks. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will take part in the discussions, along with the president's economic adviser Larry Kudlow and trade adviser Peter Navarro. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders insisted, however, that the two developments were unrelated. "Those two things are not linked; they're a totally separate process," Sanders said. "The negotiations on the trade front will continue to be ongoing." The meetings are part of what Trump agreed to with Chinese President Xi Jinping during meetings last year in Argentina, where they hatched a plan to spend 90 days talking about what it would take for the two countries to forge a trade alliance. Trump has made levelling the playing field with China, a notoriously difficult and powerful trading partner, a cornerstone of his presidency. With files from The Associated Press OTTAWA - Newly minted Treasury Board President Jane Philpott was just finishing a scrum with reporters in the foyer of the new House of Commons in Ottawa Monday. She told journalists to "enjoy the new building," turned and walked through the wrong door. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Snow covers the front gates to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on November 27, 2013. Federal politicians will be on election footing as they resume parliamentary business today. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - Newly minted Treasury Board President Jane Philpott was just finishing a scrum with reporters in the foyer of the new House of Commons in Ottawa Monday. She told journalists to "enjoy the new building," turned and walked through the wrong door. Instead of going into the legislative chamber, the minister set out for the exit. This was a familiar sight Monday as MPs, staffers and media negotiated their way through the Commons' temporary new home in the refurbished West Block while Centre Block undergoes a major makeover, expected to take at least a decade. Cabinet ministers, MPs and their staff had to elbow their way through a melee of reporters and cameras in a smaller-than-they're-used-to foyer outside the chamber. Some tried to get in through a locked door reserved for parliamentary officials. Staff were posted throughout the building to give directions. Inside, MPs joked about how they still felt lost in their new quarters. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used his first answer in question period to note the work of designers and engineers who helped to make the temporary new chamber a reality. "If we who serve Canadians in this place work even half as hard as they worked to build this place for us, we will be very well served as a country indeed," Trudeau said. The change in location did not dilute the partisan vitriol of question period. Trudeau faced pointed questions from Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer on the firing of former Liberal MP John McCallum as Canada's ambassador to Beijing over the weekend. Pointing also to the prime minister's troubled trip to India last year, which featured events attended by convicted attempted murderer Jaspal Atwal, Scheer accused the prime minister's foreign policy of being in a state of "disaster." Trudeau batted away Conservative critiques on the China file, saying his government is working with "integrity and firmness" to ensure the liberation of two Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor detained in there and is seeking clemency on a third Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, who has been sentenced to death for smuggling drugs. NDP MPs, meanwhile, focused their questions on housing shortages across Canada, asking Trudeau to commit funding in his upcoming budget to alleviate this "crisis." Although question period did not lack for fireworks, one new feature did get a particularly loud standing ovation when Winnipeg Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Oullette asked a question in Cree and it was translated simultaneously into English and French. Earlier in the day, he'd delivered a statement in Plains Cree, which was also translated and will be printed in Hansard. This historic first came as a result of a committee report adopted by all parties in the House last fall that recommended interpretation services be made available on request for any MP who wishes to use one of more than 60 Indigenous languages in the Commons or in a Commons committee. MPs also erupted into song at one point, singing "Happy Birthday" to Canadian hockey player Paul Henderson, who was in the Speaker's gallery to hear a number of statements calling for him to be inducted into Canada's Hockey Hall of Fame. Henderson is known for his winning goal in the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. As question period came to a close Monday, Speaker Geoff Regan invited all members to a party for Henderson in a room behind the chamber. "And where would that be?" Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale joked, eliciting laughs from members on all sides of the house. It may be a while before the new House will feel like home for returning MPs in this final session before the election scheduled for October. OTTAWA - The "debacle" over the firing of Canada's ambassador to China is the latest in a string of foreign-policy failures for the prime minister, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer charged on Monday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Canada's ambassador to China, John McCallum, arrives to brief members of the Foreign Affairs committee regarding China in Ottawa on January 18, 2019. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says John McCallum was fired as Canada's ambassador to China because he didn't toe the government's line on the arrest of Chinese telecommunications executive. McCallum apologized last week for misspeaking about the extradition case of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested on Dec. 1 in Vancouver at the request of the United States, which wants to extradite her on fraud charges. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - The "debacle" over the firing of Canada's ambassador to China is the latest in a string of foreign-policy failures for the prime minister, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer charged on Monday. Scheer also cited Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's controversial photo-op-filled trip to India last winter, said Trudeau made "concession after concession" on the trade front to U.S. President Donald Trump, and frustrated Japan and Australia when Canada didn't immediately sign on to a rebooted Trans-Pacific Partnership in late 2017. "It's clear that the prime minister's foreign policy is a disaster and Canadians are paying for his mistakes," Scheer said in the first question of the government in the newly constructed House of Commons in the West Block of Parliament Hill. The final sitting of Parliament before this fall's federal election opened with the Liberals on the defensive, following Trudeau's decision on Friday to fire ambassador John McCallum. The move came after a turbulent week that saw McCallum an experienced cabinet minister who was parachuted into a sensitive diplomatic job with Canada's second-largest trading partner go off script in Canada's efforts to win the release of two men imprisoned by the People's Republic after Canada arrested a Chinese telecommunications executive. "After clowning around in India and inviting a convicted terrorist along with him, he then was forced to take concession after concession from Donald Trump. He even angered our partners in Japan and Australia. And now we have the debacle with China. Why did the prime minister show such weakness and wait so long to fire his ambassador?" Scheer demanded. Trudeau sidestepped the question and reiterated taking points about how the government is devoted to the rule of law and remains committed to marshalling international support to win the release of the two Canadians and seek clemency for a third man facing a death sentence on drug charges. Earlier Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said McCallum was fired because he didn't toe the government's line in the current China crisis. McCallum apologized last week for misspeaking about the extradition case of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested on Dec. 1 in Vancouver at the request of the United States, which wants to extradite her on fraud charges. He was then fired after telling a Vancouver newspaper it would be "great for Canada" if the U.S. dropped its extradition request for Meng. Freeland said McCallum's comments were inconsistent with the position of the government, which is that Meng is the subject of a legal proceeding that is not politically motivated. The "foremost job" of any Canadian ambassador is to accurately represent the government's views, she said. "That is what made it untenable for ambassador McCallum to remain in his role." Freeland said she considers McCallum a friend and that he visited her home earlier this month. But Freeland offered no explanation for why McCallum chose to say what he did. The government remains focused on gaining the release of former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor, who have been arrested on vague suspicions of violating Chinese national security, she said. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman had little to say Monday about McCallum's departure in his government's daily press briefing, saying that it was an internal Canadian matter. But Geng Shuang also made it clear China still wasn't buying Canada's insistence that Meng's case was an independent legal matter and reiterated his government's demand that Canada release her unconditionally. "I want to point out that the Meng Wanzhou case is definitely not a pure judicial case," he said in translated remarks on his department's website. "There are strong political motives and maneuverings behind it. The Chinese people and the international community know that very well." Justice Minister David Lametti said Canada is following its treaty obligations with the United States. "We are protecting Ms. Meng's rights within that process and will continue to do so," he said. VANCOUVER - A judge called Garry Handlen a sexual predator and sentenced him to life in prison for killing a 12-year-old girl in 1978 but moments later dismissed a case involving allegations that the man murdered another British Columbia girl three years earlier. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. VANCOUVER - A judge called Garry Handlen a sexual predator and sentenced him to life in prison for killing a 12-year-old girl in 1978 but moments later dismissed a case involving allegations that the man murdered another British Columbia girl three years earlier. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Austin Cullen said Handlen preyed on the vulnerable and weak to commit barbaric crimes and has already been convicted for other sexual assaults. Handlen, 71, was found guilty by a jury earlier this month of the first-degree murder of Monica Jack, who disappeared while riding her bike in Merritt on May 6, 1978. He confessed to an undercover officer in November 2014 that he abducted Jack, sexually assaulted and strangled her before burning her clothes and parts of her body. "This particular crime is among the worst of its kind and you are among the worst of offenders," Cullen told Handlen on Monday. "Your actions were certain to bring an innocent child terror and pain before her life was so savagely ended." Handlen had also been charged with the first-degree murder of 11-year Kathryn-Mary Herbert in or near Matsqui in 1975, but he pleaded not guilty to that crime after being sentenced for Jack's murder. Crown counsel Mark Sheardown told court no evidence would be presented in Herbert's case. Outside court, Crown spokesman Dan McLaughlin said Handlen had confessed to Herbert's murder during the so-called Mr. Big operation in Minden, Ont., but the judge found that confession to be inadmissible. He said the Crown will review its option regarding that ruling before deciding whether to take any further steps. Just four months after Handlen murdered Jack, he was handed a 12-year sentence for sexually assaulting a another young woman. A conviction of first-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence of 25 years without parole, although Cullen noted Handlen is eligible to apply for parole in 15 years through the so-called faint hope clause because he killed Jack before that law was eliminated. Before he was sentenced, Jack's family gave tearful victim-impact statements, saying they had hoped the happy girl would be found but decades without knowing what happened to her took an emotional toll. Jack's remains were discovered 17 years later on a mountain near where Handlen said he'd driven after he grabbed her from a highway pullout. Glen Jack said he had already suffered the trauma of beatings in residential school before dealing with the loss of his sister, whose bike he found the day after she was last seen riding it. "For 40 years I felt responsible for not being able to protect Monica," he said through tears. Jack said police questioned him for days while he was serving time in jail for break and enters, adding he had become a convenient suspect. "I felt completely isolated and abandoned by my own family," he said. "Garry Handlen committed an act of unspeakable evil in the course of a few hours in May 1978." Jack's sisters, including Elizabeth Kraus, spoke about how her murder has affected them. Kraus said she was 11 when her "beautiful, sweet, kind and good" sister disappeared but that she felt satisfied justice had finally been done because Handlen has been handed a life sentence as her family is working to get on with their lives. Outside court, Madeline Lanaro said her daughter's disappearance caused a lot of pain for her entire family and the frustration and anger of not knowing what happened to her for decades caused tension among the whole community as people started to fear for their children. "I survive by helping people," she told court and later called on the public to support the families of those who are missing or murdered. Follow @CamilleBains1 on Twitter. OTTAWA - Senior regional officials will meet with the northern Ontario community of Cat Lake on Tuesday to develop short- and long-term plans for its "serious housing" situation, Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O'Regan said Monday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. New Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O'Regan addresses the media following a swearing in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. O'Regan says senior regional officials will meet with the northern Ontario community of Cat Lake on Tuesday to develop a short and long-term plan for its "serious housing" situation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - Senior regional officials will meet with the northern Ontario community of Cat Lake on Tuesday to develop short- and long-term plans for its "serious housing" situation, Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O'Regan said Monday. O'Regan said he has spoken with Cat Lake's Chief Matthew Keewaykapow and Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler to discuss concerns about housing in the community. "I remain committed to working in partnership with the community to implement solutions," he said in a statement. Community leaders in Cat Lake, several hundred kilometres north of Thunder Bay, declared a state of emergency earlier this month and cited "profoundly poor conditions of housing." The declaration listed mould, structural issues and a lack of funds for routine maintenance as the causes of health problems including invasive bacterial diseases and lung infections. "People continually encounter the effects of federal and provincial jurisdictional squabbling leading to inequitable access to not only health care, but meaningful solutions to the epidemic proportions of the emergency," it said. O'Regan needs to visit the community himself, Ontario NDP MP Charlie Angus said Monday, adding it is the perfect opportunity for a new minister to show leadership to address a "health and humanitarian disaster" unfolding in frigid temperatures. A crisis of this magnitude has been years in the making, he said. "When temperatures plunge this cold and you've got little children in homes where the walls are full of mould, people start to get sick and people are being medevaced out," Angus said. "We have an emergency." Ontario Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford issued a statement earlier this month saying that the on-reserve housing emergency is a federal responsibility and calling on Ottawa to deliver immediate help. OTTAWA - Canada will host a meeting of Western Hemisphere countries next Monday to address the political and economic crisis in Venezuela. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland talks to media as she makes here way through the foyer of the House of Commons in the West Block of Parliament Hill as she arrives for question period in Ottawa on Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - Canada will host a meeting of Western Hemisphere countries next Monday to address the political and economic crisis in Venezuela. The Lima Group, a coalition of more than a dozen countries in the Americas, minus the United States, was formed in August 2017 to address Venezuela's growing backslide into authoritarianism. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed its next session will be in Ottawa. Canada needs to play a leading role in the Lima Group because the crisis in Venezuela is unfolding in Canada's global backyard, she said. "This is our neighbourhood," said Freeland said Monday. "For Canadians, we have a very direct interest in what happens in our hemisphere. That is why we have been so active and will continue to be so active." The group has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president, saying President Nicolas Maduro's continuing dictatorial rule is creating an economic and humanitarian crisis that has swelled beyond his country's borders. Maduro was populist leader Hugo Chavez's vice-president and came to power with Chavez's death in 2013. Freeland praised the role of Canadian diplomats in Caracas, who helped get the country's opposition parties to coalesce behind the 35-year-old Guaido. The Canadian Press interviewed senior Canadian government officials who have described Canada's role in aiding democratic forces to help rescue the once oil-rich country from the economic and political spiral that has forced three million Venezuelans from their homes. Freeland said Monday's talks will focus in part on the refugee crisis has that has forced a flood of displaced people into neighbouring Colombia and Brazil. "Some of the stories of people coming across the border, unaccompanied children for example, in terrible conditions are really heart-wrenching," said Freeland. "We've seen with Syria the way in which a refugee crisis can have much broader destabilizing impacts." The Lima Group has also called for Maduro's ouster, saying Guaido is the only "legitimately elected" Venezuelan leader after he won control of its National Assembly. On Jan. 10, Maduro was sworn in as president with support of countries such as Cuba, Russia and China. The Lima Group denounced Maduro as illegitimate and Freeland said, "the Maduro regime is now fully entrenched as a dictatorship." Freeland has branded the rise of authoritarian leaders as a major foreign-policy challenge and she suggested Monday that Canada needs to work against it in the Americas. "Our hemisphere has been going in the right direction and it is really important to stand up or to speak up for democracy and human rights." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spoken to Colombian President Ivan Duque and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to affirm their support of Guaido in recent days. On Sunday, Trudeau and Sanchez also agreed on "the imperative for new, free and fair elections in Venezuela," according to Trudeau's office. Ineke Mack straps a 20-pound backpack on at her home in Neepawa, ready to embark on a 25-kilometre hike with her husband, Rey. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/1/2019 (873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Ineke Mack straps a 20-pound backpack on at her home in Neepawa, ready to embark on a 25-kilometre hike with her husband, Rey. Its part of their weekend routine, and just a walk around the block compared to what the 57-year-old and 54-year-old are going to be doing come April. SUBMITTED Rey and Ineke Mack hike in Pinawa during the summer. The couple will be going on a special 500 kilometre hike this April to raise money for mental health programs in the community in memory of Rey's brother, Pieter deKoning. The couple is gearing up for a 500-kilometre walk for mental health in memory of her brother, who committed suicide. "I saw an article about this 500-kilometre walk called Pieterpad, and I knew I had to do it in his memory," said Mack, whose brother Pieter deKoning died in 2008. They will start their walk this April in the Netherlands. She and her husband will be joined for a couple of days by her cousins who live in Holland. "(Theyll be walking) in the memory of the cousin that they lost," she said. Back when he died, there was still such a big stigma around mental health, Mack said. "It was almost an embarrassment," she said. "He didnt know where to turn for help, there were not enough places that he could call or go to that could help him, and there wasnt enough for us as a family to learn how to help either." There should be a lot more resources available for both the patient and the caregiver, she said. Any money they raise for the walk will go to Neepawa Miles for Mental Health in deKonings name to help support mental health services in the community. Her brother was 44 years old when he died, after living with Parkinsons for 10 years. It came with depression for him, and the medication he was using for the disease added to it as well as created paranoia, she said. Often, he couldnt sleep at night because he was shaking too badly. He tried to commit suicide three times, she said, and the last time he was in a coma for two or three weeks when they had to make the decision to remove him from life support. "He wanted to go, you know, that was really the way we could help him," she said. "Just let him win the fight and go because he did not want to live anymore." Although the walk will be challenging for them theyre going in April and May which is usually rainy and windy in the Netherlands it wont come close to what he went through, she said. "He suffered for the last 10 years of his life, we can suffer for 20 days," she said. "I think its kind of symbolic that you gotta keep going forward, you gotta keep going." Their goal is to start the walk on April 17 and be finished in approximately 24 days. People can donate to the cause at the Its Time Fashion & Gifts store in Neepawa that Mack owns, at the Co-op in Souris where deKoning used to work, at Inspire Studio in Minnedosa or by making a contribution to Neepawa Miles for Mental Health under deKonings name. mverge@brandonsun.com Twitter: @Melverge5 Erin Johnson's video installation Heavy Water explores the impact of a nuclear waste facility in South Carolina Johnson's use of digital media to tackle many hard issues of the day has clearly impressed jurors at the Ellis Beauregard Foundation, who recently awarded Johnson a $25,000 fellowship. The fellowship is awarded annually and is paired with a solo exhibition at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockland. I am so humbled and grateful for this award, said Johnson. I look forward to creating a new body of work with the foundations incredible support. Erin is not only a fine individual; gregarious, with a sparkling intelligence, she is diligent and passionate regarding her work, said Donna McNeil, executive director of the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, in a statement on the groups website. McNeil describes Johnson as one of a burgeoning number of artists addressing, through the language of art, the hard issues of the day. In 2018, Johnson launched a new solo exhibition, a video and sound installation called Heavy Water, exploring the relationship between a nuclear waste site in South Carolina and the population of free-ranging, feral dogs that lives on the 310-square mile complex. Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. PR Newswire NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2019 NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TUMI, the leading international travel + lifestyle brand, released its latest global campaign; exemplifying the meaning of personal journeys featuring music legend, designer and actor, Lenny Kravitz and his daughter, actress and musician Zoe Kravitz. The campaign, directed by Eliot Rausch, captured in the Bahamas, the beloved haven that established the soul of the Kravitz family. While honoring the passing of tradition, storytelling, and family values from generation to generation, TUMI joins the Kravitzs on their first film project together, on an intimate quest to where it all began; illustrating the strengthening of the bonds individuals create, and the significant, supporting role TUMI plays - understanding it's not about the destination, but the invaluable moments created along the way. "To me, this campaign is about connecting with ourselves, our roots, and with each other," says Zoe Kravitz. "I loved working with TUMI and the idea of telling a story about travel, family and connecting with one's roots. It was amazing to travel to the other side of the island for my first time to see where my family originated from and to pay respect to our elders and those who came before us to experience that with my father was monumental." "I've been a TUMI customer and admirer of the brand for as long as I've been touring," says Lenny Kravitz. "When you're traveling and living out of a suitcase, your luggage becomes an extension of your homeand yourself for that matter. It's the one thing that's always with you: on the plane, on the tour bus, in the hotel room, backstage, or on set. So, you want it to be reliable, durable, and make a statement. For me, TUMI embodies all of those qualities to the fullest. Working on the campaign was very gratifying. Not only did I get the opportunity to represent a great product, but it was a very collaborative experience as I was involved in many creative aspects of the campaign." In 1983, TUMI introduced its signature Ballistic Nylon, a material that revolutionized the travel market. Originally used by the military to protect WWII troops from shrapnel, TUMI incorporated the ultra-tough material into its luggage designs to make bags that would withstand the wear and tear of a life well-traveled. After rigorous testing proved it held up, TUMI added its patented functionality: U-zip pockets, telescoping handles, dual wheel systems, Add-a-Bag, expansion systems, TUMI Tracerinterior and exterior features designed to make life on the move easier. The combination created the most reliable, time-tested travel companion the industry had seen. Now, 35 years later, TUMI remasters its iconic collection with Alpha 3. "With the launch of A3, we took everything we stand for as a brand and pushed it one step further," says Victor Sanz, Creative Director of TUMI. "It's always been a motivator for us to remember our products are what enable these travel stories to continue, and we were thrilled that both Lenny and Zoe Kravitz wanted to share their perfect journey with us." Alpha 3 will be offered in a wide range of travel products, backpacks, day bags, accessories and more. The collection will retail for $35-$1,175 at TUMI retail stores worldwide and on TUMI.com. The campaign will run globally across the brands' social channels, including Facebook and Instagram, OOH and Digital. About TUMI Since 1975, TUMI has been creating world-class business and travel essentials, designed to upgrade, uncomplicate, and beautify all aspects of life on the move. Blending flawless functionality with a spirit of ingenuity, we're committed to empowering journeys as a lifelong partner to movers and makers in pursuit of their passions. The brand is sold globally in over 75 countries with approximately 2,000 points of sale. For more about TUMI, visit www.TUMI.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/812481/Tumi.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/214382/tumi_logo.jpg Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION Paris Achen: pachen@portlandtribune.com or 503-506-0067. Achen is a reporter for the Portland Tribune working for the Oregon Capital Bureau, a collaboration of EO Media Group, Pamplin Media Group and Salem Reporter. SIGN UP TO GET BLACKLISTED NEWS DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Enter your email address: Wan-Ifra, United for News seek to create gender diversity in news reporting The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (Wan-Ifra) has joined forces with NGOs and United for News to combat the lack of gender diversity in news reporting. To address the lack of diversity, United for News announced pilot programmes in Canada, Iraq and Ukraine to address the lack of diversity. In Canada, a committee of top newsrooms will launch a collaborative process, building on best practices and testing solutions that will significantly amplify women's authoritative voice. In Ukraine and Iraq, Internews will test approaches based on a series of tools pioneered by United for News members. The home logo test confirms it! The news that you're expecting. In the months to come the cluster of pixels that is your logo-to-be, will be taking form. You will likely experience a variety of labour pains, but be warned fewer than five percent of logos actually arrive on their due date... "As a young, Black female, I believe it's not only important to service clients but also to open up the digital floor to much needed conversations so that the campaigns we work on bring about real change," says Nombulelo Malinga, founder and director of Zizi Digital, which specialises in social media marketing and offers 360 digital consulting service. We're closer to functioning as a global cashless society than ever before, yet an Oxfam report warns that equality between the haves and have-nots is higher than ever before. Read on for the impact on females and the unbanked in particular. Suntharin Permpoon via 123RF Rich get richer, poor get poorer "Oxfams 'outrage' over wealth inequality in India is wrong. It uses questionable metrics to judge the wealth of the rich as well as the poor", writes @IlaPatnaik . #ReadAndLearn https://t.co/er3XlB0WWX Kanchan Gupta (@KanchanGupta) January 23, 2019 Readdressing the gender pay gap Girls are pulled out of school first when the money isn't available to pay fees, and women clock up hours of unpaid work looking after sick relatives when healthcare systems fail If all the unpaid care work carried out by women across the globe was done by a single company, it would have an annual turnover of $10tn. #FairnessFirst: How sending girls to school changes the economy Ever thought the answer to breaking the country's poverty cycle was as simple as improving basic education for females? Economist Dr Dawie Roodt explained the implications at last week's Ads24 Food for thought session... #FairnessFirst: Addressing that gender equality pay gap, day by day It was 'equal pay day' in the US on 10 April. That's how far into 2018 a woman had to work to earn what a man earned in 2017. Here's how to stand up for your rights to equal pay for equal work... In recognition of the #EqualPayAct 55th anniversary, we're highlighting the fact that women still may not see equal pay until 2059, according to current projections. https://t.co/dXZICBpVRB pic.twitter.com/mD3vfzZ9Dn IWPR (@IWPResearch) June 7, 2018 Cashless society, here we come Cash is no longer king. All hail digitisation Cold, hard cash has been on the decline in mature first world economies since the 1990s when electronic banking started becoming popular. FNB enables QR code payments on its banking app FNB has introduced QR code payments for consumers and sole proprietor businesses via the FNB Banking App... Another excellent, cashless visit to London. Paid for almost all transactions with Apple Pay on watch, including tube rides. So freeing and easy. (Only thing I felt bad about was not having cash to tip hotel staff.) Dan Frommer (@fromedome) July 31, 2018 Zim is almost completely a cashless economy. Report on payment systems from RBZ revealed that cash was responsible for only 2.05% of all monetary transactions. Means we are effecting 97.95% of all payments thru electronic means cards, internet & mobile https://t.co/qvJC1Fu23y Nick mangwana (@nickmangwana) September 27, 2018 In 2019 we are going to see an even greater uptake in contactless payments as we transition towards a truly cashless society this means that elements of everyday life will need to adapt, and the digital collection plate is an amazing example of tradition meeting technology. An eye-opening report by Oxfam, published ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, warns that "out of control" inequality is stoking anger and threatening democracies, saysMuch of that is because the report states that the 26 richest people in the world actually own $1.4tn, and that rich-poor gap is widening, elaboratesSharing the reports specifics, it seems the world's richest man, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, tops the list of 2,208 billionaires, who are growing $2.5bn richer every day.Bezos alone saw his fortune increase to $112bn last year, while the 3.8bn people at the bottom of the scale saw their relative wealthby $500m each day, elaborates theSo while some dont agree with the metrics, results or the methodology used in Oxfams report, there are some home truths that hit hard.First, that the impact of wealth inequality isIn fact,reminds us of a report last year by the McKinsey Global Institute, which said India the worlds faster growing global economy could add $770bn to its economy by increasing gender equality.Thats because the country has one of the world's lowest female labour participation rates, with recent data from the World Bank showing only 27% of women aged 15 or older in India were classified as working or actively seeking a job in India.The reason?elaborates:Even with more females in the workforce, theres no guarantee of equal pay.That days only expected to arrive in the year 2059 if youre a white woman, working in the USA. If not, itll take even longerBut gender aside, theres further rich-poor discrepancy across the globe.Taken at a monetary level only, theres still deeper inequality, because in addition to spendable cash, what the rich have that the poor do not is credit.Physical cash is becoming more of a hindrance, as its a safety risk as well as being bulky and yes, dirty, which is why weve seen a rise in contactless and cashless options of late.The end of 2018 alone saw an influx of South African retailers and branches of certain restaurant chains like Rocomamas proudly putting up signs saying they no longer accept cash its safer for them and for you.Its the millennial way to rely on smartphone payment apps rather than hauling a wallet around through your day.So sure, that means your purchase is now just an easy swipe of the ole credit card, but what about those who dont have bank cards?Theres the argument that the unbanked arent making this type of purchase anyway, but even churches are reporting a doubling of donations after trialling contactless donation box technology Marc-Alexander Christ, co-founder of SumUp, adds on thewebsite:Cashless society may well be the future, especially in Africa , but we do need to be aware of the risk of increasing inequality in excluding large portions of the population when adapting new technology. Sounds of Sibikwa by Usha Seejarim We want the public to decide what they think constitutes a 'beautiful object' and its not just about what something looks like, its also about smart functionality, or a designs ability to enhance the quality of life for its user or effect change. In the selection process itself we want to foster a sense of appreciation, accessibility and engagement Design Indaba Festival organiser Beverley Cupido. African Bridal Dress by Mzukisi Mbane - nominated by TV presenter Bonnie Mbuli of SABC3s Afternoon Express. - nominated by TV presenter Bonnie Mbuli of SABC3s Afternoon Express. Cancer Dojo App by Conn Bertish - nominated by Tabatha King from King James Group. - nominated by Tabatha King from King James Group. Collective Amnesia by author and playwright Koleka Putuma - nominated by Jay Pather from the Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre. - nominated by Jay Pather from the Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre. Copper & Glass Kettle by Ebert Otto - nominated by Sumien Brink, Editor in Chief of Visi Magazine. - nominated by Sumien Brink, Editor in Chief of Visi Magazine. Interdependence 2 by Houtlander - nominated by local entrepreneur Nandi Dlepu. - nominated by local entrepreneur Nandi Dlepu. Nenzima Desk by Mpho Vakier - nominated by interior designer Donald Nxumalo. - nominated by interior designer Donald Nxumalo. Okapi x Capsule - Yemasa by Okapi - nominated by style guru Felipe Mazibuko. - nominated by style guru Felipe Mazibuko. River Love Sofa by Heino Schmitt Design - nominated by television personality Zuraida Jardine. - nominated by television personality Zuraida Jardine. Sounds of Sibikwa by artist Usha Seejarim - nominated by Market Theatre Foundation CEO Ismail Mahomed. - nominated by Market Theatre Foundation CEO Ismail Mahomed. Stellar Scintillation by artist Chris Soal - nominated by Kaya FM Radio Presenter Bridget Masinga. The Most Beautiful Object in South Africa is an annual undertaking designed to involve and engage people from all walks of life with the best of South African design, at the same time honouring personal freedom of choice and individual sensibilities. The Most Beautiful Object in South Africas transparent nomination and selection process encourages debate around the definition of beauty. For some, value lies in function and social relevance; for others, pure aesthetics are king.The Most Beautiful Object in South Africa is a public-facing initiative that was propelled into being 12 years ago by the Design Indaba, which is itself heading into its 25th year in 2020. This year, there are a total of 10 candidates that have been nominated for this prestigious designation. The nominated Most Beautiful Object in South Africa design or concept that receives the highest number of public votes will be declared the winner.Each of the objects has been nominated by a prominent public figure or industry leader, adding depth and credibility to the process. Indeed, the nominators are often as exciting as the objects themselves.The full list of 2019 Most Beautiful Object in South Africa contenders and their nominators are as follows:The Most Beautiful Object in South Africa nominations can be viewed in the flesh at the festival itself all of these exciting designs will be exhibited as part of the open-hearted Nightscape event, which is free for the public every evening from 17h00 onwards. The 2019 winner will be announced at the festival so get voting now!To help decide your vote, you can find out more about these intriguing objects, the designers behind them, and the people who have put them forward for the award, by visiting DesignIndaba.com ahead of the Design Indaba festival. This annual, award-winning event - powered by Woolworths, Mercedes-Benz and Liberty and declared to be the best design conference in the world - takes place from 27 February to 1 March 2019 at the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town. Leading climate change scientist outlines effects of increasing global temperatures on Birmingham and the rest of the world One of the worlds leading climate change experts will be speaking at the University of Birmingham on Monday 28 January 2019 to set out the implications of predicted global temperature rises, and what we need to do to tackle them. Professor Jim Skea CBE, is Co-Chair of the WG III on the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and editor of the IPCCs influential report outlining the effect of a 1.5oC rise in global temperatures. The United Nations IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C achieved an enormous global impact when it was released in October 2018. It generated controversy at the COP24 Climate Summit in Poland at the end of 2018 when countries debated what actions to take to cap temperature rises at 1.5C Professor Skea's talk is part of the Universitys Leading Thinkers lecture series, a programme of keynote talks where inspirational leaders from across the world are invited to share their influential ideas that are leading change. Professor Skea will explain the origins of the IPCC report and summarise the key findings, focusing on how global emissions lead to temperature increases, and the need to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The talk will then address the follow-up to the report both in terms of what net zero targets might mean in practice for the UK and EU, and in terms of United Nations IPCC's ongoing work. We know that limiting warming to 1.5C will really reduce the impacts of climate change in important ways, says Professor Skea. But that will require huge changes to the way we address challenges such as land management and transportation. Commenting on how Birmingham can contribute to reducing the effects of climate change, Professor Skea said: It is important to take action locally. Issues such as energy use need to be tackled at a governmental level but individuals can make a big difference too, for example by using their cars less or simply throwing less food away. Researchers at the University of Birmingham are working on predicting and reducing the impacts of climate change. Current initiatives include the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, established to explore how future forests will respond to rising CO2 levels and other stresses of environmental change. Birminghams hydrological research includes projects to improve drought and flood preparedness in vulnerable areas around the world and several researchers have also contributed to IPCC reports on climate change. ENDS Notes to editors If you would like to interview Professor Jim Skea CBE, he has availability following the lecture on Monday 28 January 2018, 17:00-18:30, for short radio and print media interviews. To confirm, please contact pressoffice@contacts.bham.ac.uk or call 0121 414 2772. This location will primarily benefit people residing in the Southern backward districts of Tamil Nadu In a major boost to healthcare facilities and services in Madurai and adjoining areas of Tamil Nadu, the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi recently laid foundation stone for AIIMS Madurai. The new AIIMS will come up at Thoppur in Madurai. It will provide leadership in advanced healthcare, medical education and research in the region. This location will primarily benefit people residing in the Southern backward districts of Tamil Nadu. Addressing a gathering in Madurai, PM said In some ways, the laying of foundation stone of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences at Madurai reflects our vision of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. AIIMS in Delhi has cultivated a brand name for itself in healthcare. With AIIMS in Madurai, we can say that this brand of healthcare has been taken to all corners of the country - from Kashmir to Madurai and from Guwahati to Gujarat. AIIMS at Madurai will benefit the entire population of Tamil Nadu. Reiterating the emphasis of the Government on the health sector he said, The idea is to ensure that everyone is healthy and health care is affordable. The speed and scale at which Mission Indra Dhanush is working is setting a new paradigm in preventive healthcare. Schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandhana Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan is making Safe pregnancy a mass movement. The number of UG medical seats have been increased by 30% in the last four and half years. About Ayushman Bharat he said, it is a big step to ensure achievement of universal health coverage for the people. Prime Minister expressed satisfaction that 1 Crore 57 lakhs people from Tamil Nadu are covered under this scheme. PM lauded that in just over 3 months, about 89000 beneficiaries have benefited under this scheme and an amount of more than Rs. 200 Crore has been authorized for admitted patients of Tamil Nadu. I am happy to learn that Tamil Nadu has already started 1320 health and wellness centers. On disease control front, he said Government is committed to the elimination of Tuberculosis by 2025 and added, We are providing technical and financial support to states. I am happy to learn that state government is upscaling the TB free Chennai initiative and seeking to eliminate TB in the state by 2023 itself. Prime Minister also inaugurated the super speciality blocs of Rajaji Medical College, Madurai, Thanjavur Medical College and Tirunelveli Medical College, as a part of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, which aims to upgrade 73 medical colleges across the country. Poonam Khetrapal Singh reappointed WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia The WHO has appointed Dr Takeshi Kasai as Regional Director for WHOs Western Pacific Region, and re-appointed Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh for a second term as Regional Director for WHOs Southeast Asia Region. New Regional Director for Western Pacific (WPRO) Dr Kasai said he plans to build on the decade of leadership and legacy of the outgoing Regional Director. He is a Japanese national, has worked for WHO for more than 15 years. As Director of Programme Management for the last 4 years, he served as deputy to the Regional Director. Prior to this, Dr. Kasai was instrumental in developing and implementing the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Health Emergencies, which guides the Member States to improve readiness and response in public health emergencies. Dr Kasai also served as the WHO Representative in Viet Nam from 2012 to 2014. A physician by training, his career in public health began nearly 30 years ago, when he was assigned to a post on the remote northeast coast of Japan, where he saw first-hand the value of building strong health systems from the ground up. Re-election of the Regional Director for South-East Asia (SEARO) It is a privilege to once again be appointed as Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia Region. The confidence you have reposed in me is humbling, said Dr Khetrapal Singh, whose first term as Regional Director was marked by numerous initiatives and public health achievements. Ziqitza healthcare Ltd is planning to use the proposed fund for setting up 108, 102 and MMU operations in more states, enhance pay-for-use and ambulance outsourcing services and expand operations in the Gulf Ziqitza Healthcare Ltd.(JHL), India's second-largest emergency medical services provider, is planning to raise around $40 million from private equity investors. The company is in talks with investors from India and abroad, to close the deal by April 2019. Ziqitza runs 108 emergency ambulances and 102 ambulances especially for pregnant women. It also runs mobile medical units (MMU) in seven states under PPP (public private partnership) model. In the last decade, ZHL has been instrumental in making the emergency aid available round the clock. Through dial 1298, Ziqitza operates pay-for-use private ambulance service, providing outsourced ambulance fleets to hospitals and corporates. Currently, the company functions across 16 states in India. It recently launched a private ambulance service in UAE as well. Since its inception, Ziqitza has raised two rounds of funding. The company raised Rs 7 crore from the US-based Acumen Fund in 2007, before raising further $3 million in 2010 from Acumen, IDFC and True North. At present, Ziqitza healthcare Ltd is planning to use the proposed fund for setting up 108, 102 and MMU operations in more states, enhance pay-for-use and ambulance outsourcing services and expand operations in the Gulf. Operating around 3,200 ambulances, Ziqitza employs about 9100 people. It owns more than one-third of the ambulances. The rest were given by the government or taken on lease from third parties. Using its platform on lines of cab hailing services Ola and Uber, the company allows private owners to operate their ambulances. Talking about the growth of the company, Manish Sacheti, Chief Financial Officer of Ziqitza said, "We are growing at 30-40% per year. There will be lot of working capital requirement to fund the growth. Sacheti expects Ziqitza to end FY19 with Rs 450 crore revenues. The company is targeting Rs 700 crore for FY20. The growth of the company will be primarily driven by winning new PPP contracts from the state governments. Many of them including UP, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Jammu & Kashmir will be coming up with tenders to select vendors for operating emergency medical services in their respective states. Today, the company caters to more than 10,000 emergencies and serves around 2400 pregnant women on daily basis. Having served more than 70 lakh people in the last two years, India's leading emergency service provider is setting new benchmarks in the healthcare industry. Berks County Love the wine youre with on Berks Wine Trail Berks Wine Trail: Love the wine youre with! Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte visits the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, capital of the southern province of Sulu, Jan. 28, 2019. President Rodrigo Duterte ordered security forces Monday to crush pro-Islamic State militants suspected of exploding bombs that killed at least 20 people and wounded 112 others at a Catholic Cathedral in the southern Philippines a day earlier, officials said. Duterte issued the order as he visited the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the town of Jolo, where the twin bombings took place, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters. On the Abu Sayyaf, crush them, Lorenzana, who accompanied Duterte during the brief visit, quoted the president as saying. Asked by reporters if Dutertes directive meant that the Philippine leader believed that the Abu Sayyaf Group was involved in the attack, Lorenzana answered in the affirmative. Yes, and for all the atrocities they have committed so far, he said, without elaborating. Lorenzana, who travelled with Duterte and other officials, including military chief Benjamin Madrigal and national security adviser Hermogenes Esperon, said authorities were looking at six persons of interest seen on surveillance video before the blasts. The first bomb exploded inside the cathedral during a Mass on Sunday morning, followed by another blast at a parking lot as people panicked and rushed to safety, officials said. On Monday, police ordnance experts scoured the blast site as they scrambled to gather evidence that would point to the perpetrators. Local officials had earlier blamed Abu Sayyaf extremists, who operate actively in Jolo. But the way the attack was coordinated pointed to the handiwork of foreign militants, the military said. The SITE Intelligence, a U.S.-based group that monitors online communications among Muslim militant groups, reported shortly after the blasts that the Islamic States East Asia Province had issued a formal statement claiming responsibility. National police chief Oscar Albayalde said ordnance experts had so far recovered mobile phone fragments, indicating that the blasts could have been triggered by remote control. But they could not definitively say if it was cellphone detonated because there were other cellphones inside [the church], Albayalde said. He said the explosions occurred between 12 and 15 seconds apart, adding that initial reports showed that the attackers used a pipe bomb containing 2 kilos (4.4 pounds) of ammonium nitrate, which is often used in improvised explosive devices. Albayalde said the national headquarters had ordered a general lockdown on Jolo, with roadblocks and checkpoints set up. We have enough troops here. We have two battalions of the SAF also here, he said, referring to the police commando unit, the Special Action Force. Pope, world leaders express outrage Meanwhile, Pope Francis led world leaders in condemning the bombings. The pontiff expressed his firmest reproach and called for the perpetrators to change their ways. Let us pray for the victims of the terrorist attack on the Cathedral of Jolo, in the Philippines, the Vatican News quoted Francis as saying in Panama City, where he was attending a World Youth Day celebration. He noted that the attack brought new mourning to the Christian community as he prayed for God to convert the hearts of the violent and grant the inhabitants of that region a peaceful co-existence. Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross all traditional aid donors to the strife-torn southern Philippines also conveyed their outrage over the attack. The British government also updated its travel advisory, warning its citizens from travelling to the southern Philippines until further notice. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his sympathies, and condoled with the families and relatives of the people who died in the attack. An attack on people attending Sunday services is a despicable act of cowardice, and Canada strongly condemns todays cathedral bombing in Jolo, Trudeau said in a message posted on Twitter. Ola Almgren, the U.N.s resident coordinator in the Philippines, described the bombings as a cowardly act that sought to cause confusion and panic amid the vote to ratify the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BOL) in the south. The U.N. condemns the attack, and any form of violent extremism, and we hope that the perpetrators can quickly be identified and brought to justice, Almgren said in a statement. The bombings took place just two days after the nations elections commission confirmed that a majority in the mostly Muslim provinces in the southern Philippines had cast yes ballots last week for the ratification of the BOL. The law aims to give the south an expanded autonomous area, offering self-determination to the nations four million Muslims by empowering them to elect their own parliament and control over many local government functions, including taxation and education. Senseless act, MILF negotiator says The BOL which Duterte signed last year, came into being four years after the government signed a peace deal with the former separatist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which dropped its war for independence for autonomy. Mohagher Iqbal, chief negotiator of the MILF, condemned the twin bombings. The MILF is ready to support efforts in the apprehension of the perpetrators of the senseless violence that occurred in a place of worship while people were attending the morning mass, Iqbal said. This criminal act has no place in our civilized society especially that we are about to reap the fruits of our struggle with the ratification of Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in the just concluded plebiscite, he said. Security analyst Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said the bombings only show that terrorism does not end in giving the MILF autonomy in the south. This is a big challenge for the MILF to stop or lessen such kind of attacks, Banlaoi told reporters. The military poured additional forces in Jolo last month in a bid to crush the Abu Sayyaf, which has an estimated armed strength of less than 500. The group gained notoriety for its alleged involvement in recent bombings and for beheading some of its kidnapped victims. In 2004, the Abu Sayyaf, or Bearers of the Sword, bombed a passenger ferry on Manila Bay, killing more than 100 people in one of the deadliest terrorist strikes in the country. A faction of the Abu Sayyaf headed by Isnilon Hapilon, the Islamic States acknowledged leader in Southeast Asia, took over southern Marawi city in May 2017 and led local militants, backed by an undetermined number of foreign fighters, in a five-month battle with government forces. About 1,200 people, most of them militants, were killed. Hapilon was among them. Duterte, who had placed the entire south under military rule over the past two years, was disappointed with the incident, but would likely wait for results of the investigation before blaming any group, his spokesman, Salvador Panelo, told reporters. Panelo said intelligence agencies had briefed the president about the SITE report, but Duterte had no immediate reaction to it. Esperon, the national security adviser, said police were studying a recording from closed-circuit television (CCTV) that showed a group of people moving away suspiciously from the blast site. We are looking at some persons of interest caught in the CCTV that we reviewed. Nothing is conclusive yet, but their actuations seem to tell us that they appear to have a participation in the attack, Esperon said on local television. One of those caught on surveillance camera was a known relative of an Abu Sayyaf commander, Esperon said, adding that authorities had earlier received intelligence information that the militants might try to stage attacks to disrupt the BOL vote. Karl Romano contributed to this report from Manila. The defense phase of the trial of two Southeast Asian women charged with murdering Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Koreas dictator, has been postponed to March, a lawyer said Monday. Judge Azmi Ariffin made the ruling in his chamber at the Shah Alam High Court, defense lawyer Gooi Soon Seng told BenarNews. The ruling moves up the defenses presentation of its case for Vietnamese defendant Doan Thi Huong, who was to follow Indonesian defendant Siti Aisyah. We (the lawyers for Siti and Doan) just spoke to the judge in chamber and here are the new dates agreed by all parties. Doan will go first, said Gooi, who represents Siti. Doan is expected to begin her defense on March 11 and finish it on May 8. The court has allowed 18 trial days for the presentation, Gooi said. Azmi ruled that lawyers for Siti were to present her defense from May 27 to July 31. On Thursday, deputy public prosecutor Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad told BenarNews that Doan could present her case first if all parties agreed. Siti and Doan are charged with assassinating the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by exposing the victim to the toxic VX nerve agent at a Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13, 2017. The two could face the death penalty, if convicted of killing Kim Jong Nam. Siti was supposed to begin her defense on Monday, but the trial was delayed last week when an appeals court panel ordered prosecutors to turn over statements from seven witnesses to her attorneys. Of course if we are allowed to see the statement, then we will get a fairer trial, Gooi told reporters regarding the appeals courts ruling. If we do not get a fair trial, where do we get justice? If we are not entitled to see the truth, why must the truth be hidden? Why must the truth be shrouded by the policy of privilege? Prosecutors said they would appeal the ruling to the federal court, citing national security concerns for their reluctance to hand over the statements. The prosecutions appeal would take some time to be processed at the federal court, Gooi said. Since the trial began in October 2017, the defense has maintained that the defendants were duped by suspected North Korean agents into believing they were being paid to perform a video prank at the airport. Four North Korean men, whom Malaysian police linked to the assassination, fled the country hours later. Prosecutors rested their case in June 2018 and Azmi ruled on Aug. 16 that there was enough evidence against both women to carry on with the trial and allow them to present their defense. Sitis defense presentation was to resume in November but was delayed until this month because Gooi was recovering from surgery. Last weeks appeal led to the court to pushing her presentation to May. Nepalese rescuers gather around a passenger plane from Bangladesh after it crashed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, March 12, 2018. A Bangladesh aviation official on Monday challenged a Nepalese committees investigation, which said actions by a disoriented and emotionally troubled pilot caused a US-Bangla Airlines plane to crash last year, killing 51 passengers and crew. Errors by air-traffic control (ATC) contributed to the crash of flight BS211 at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on March 12, 2018, but Nepals official findings on the accident overlooked this factor, Capt. Salahuddin M. Rahmatullah alleged as he reacted to the report. No air crash can be personalized. The finding that came up in the Nepalese investigation was not completely right, Rahmatullah told BenarNews. It solely blamed the pilot. But they skipped the flaws of the air traffic control, said Rahmatullah, who heads the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) aircraft accident investigation group and served as Bangladeshi representative on Nepals investigation committee. The plane crash killed 28 Bangladeshis, 22 Nepalese and one Chinese. The pilot, Abid Sultan, and his co-pilot, Prithula Rashid, were among those killed while more than 20 people were rescued after the crash. The Nepalese government formed a technical investigation committee, which issued a report Sunday that blamed the pilot and said he had suffered an apparent emotional breakdown while attempting to land the Bombardier Q400 turboprop at the Tribhuvan airport. This state of mind with high degree of stress and emotional state might have led him to all the procedural lapses, the report said, according to BBC News. This, together with the failure on the part of both the crew to follow the standard operating procedure at the critical stage of the flight, contributed to the loss of situational awareness. Finally, when the crew sighted the runway, they were very low and too close to [it] and not properly aligned, the report says, adding that the landing attempt should have been aborted. Trying to point a finger at the pilot Rahmatullah urged Nepalese authorities to include in an updated version of their report what he described as erroneous actions air-traffic controllers at the Kathmandu airport. The pilot missed the approach while landing. The ATC could have corrected him. But they did not do it, Rahmatullah said. If they fail to do it, we will turn to the International Civil Aviation Organization in this regard, he warned. Rahmatullah said the crash could have been avoided. A pilot could have made a mistake in his judgment. But the ATC was there to correct him, he added. They always monitor flights. But unfortunately, the ATC did not perform its vested duty to correct the pilot. So many people would not have perished if the ATC had discharged its duties sincerely. The ex-president of the Bangladesh Pilots Association expressed similar concerns. The accident happened because of faults of both, the pilot and the air traffic control. The pilot could have refrained from landing and gone up when he saw the danger, and contact the control tower again to get fresh instructions, S.M. Nasimul Haque told BenarNews. Air traffic controllers made mistakes as well, he said. Instead of permitting landing, they could have instructed the pilot to go around, in that case, the crash would not have happened, he said. Bangladeshs former civil aviation and tourism minister said Nepal had blamed the pilot to save its image. Nepals economy depends on tourism. Tribhuvan International is known as one of the riskiest airports in terms of operation. Flight operations at the airport may come down if the US-Bangla airline crash is attributed to the faults of the airports air traffic control. The number of tourists will fall, retired Col. Faruk Khan told BenarNews. So, they have been trying to point a finger at the pilot. Everybody can understand that no air crash takes place because of a single factor, Khan said. Northern Ireland never fails to deliver fresh new talent year on year. From music to movies to modelling, we take a look at the next big things to make waves in 2019. Some are already established but their stars are on the rise - while others are the new kids on the block just starting to shine in their chosen fields. Presenting She grew up on a farm in Co Antrim but these days Melissa Riddell enjoys a much more glamorous lifestyle as a presenter on Cool FM and a model. The 25-year-old from Portglenone hosts the Cool Nights slot on the local radio station, her favourite show when she was growing up. Expand Close Melissa Riddell / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Melissa Riddell A graduate of the University of Liverpool, where she studied drama, she landed a placement at CMPR as an intern and while there, tried her hand at modelling, at which she was a natural. She then secured her dream job with Cool FM but continues to model in her spare time. A keen blogger and vlogger, Melissa is well known locally for giving tutorials on make-up, hair and fashion. She has over 11,000 followers on Instagram and over 4,500 on her YouTube channel. Music Last year was a busy and fruitful period for Castlerock four-piece Brand New Friend. The indie pop brother-and-sister-fronted band wrapped up 2018 with an Ash support tour and unveiled the news that they will perform with Snow Patrol at their Ward Park gig in May 2019. Expand Close Brand New Friend / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brand New Friend Their debut album, Seatbelts For Aeroplanes, has been voted one of the best Irish albums of the year by Hot Press who described it as "a punk-pop riot that lives up to the advance hype. It got us excited for what we might hear from them in the future." The band has also toured with Feeder and supported Kodaline at Custom House Square, Belfast. They have received support from Annie Mac, Huw Stephens and Phil Taggart on Radio 1, John Kennedy on Radio X, RTE2FM, Cool FM, BBC Radio Ulster and 6 Music's Steve Lamacq. And Brand New Friend has just rounded up a three night residency at the American Bar in Belfast. Modelling Cookstown's Kate Grant took the world by storm in 2018 with a number of lucrative modelling appearances. Now the 20-year-old is well on her way to becoming the first supermodel with Down's syndrome. Kate's journey began when she was invited to take part in Belfast Fashion Week by organiser Cathy Martin. She started to garner widespread Press attention and was the subject of a television documentary, charting her experiences. She then appeared on ITV's award-winning magazine show This Morning, modelling in a fashion segment, which brought her more attention. Just recently, she was unveiled as a brand ambassador for leading cosmetics company Benefit. Expand Close Kate Grant / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kate Grant A Benefit representative said: "We saw one of the news videos in the summer of 2018 on social media and fell instantly in love with her. Her amazing energy was so infectious and we were captivated by her incredible zest for life and determination. She embodied everything we stand for as a brand so we knew we had to find a way to work with her." Speaking about the campaign and her future ambitions, Kate said: "The sky is the limit. You should always follow your dreams. And I want to be the first supermodel with Down's syndrome. I'm not stopping now, I want to go to London, Paris and Milan" Movies An established stage actress, Castlewellan's Eileen O'Higgins got her big screen break in the Oscar-nominated romantic film of 2015, Brooklyn. The former Assumption Grammar School pupil, who trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, played the role of Nancy, best friends to Saoirse Ronan's main character Eilis Lacey. The actresses bonded on set and have been best friends ever since. Eileen even attended the Golden Globes with Saoirse as her plus one in 2018 and was given a shout-out from the stage by the Carlow woman as she was collecting her Best Actress gong for Lady Bird. Expand Close Eileen O'Higgins, (C) BBC - Photographer: Stefan Hill / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Eileen O'Higgins, (C) BBC - Photographer: Stefan Hill Eileen went on then to star in the BBC NI wartime drama My Mother and Other Strangers before landing a part in the lavish new film Mary, Queen of Scots, currently showing in cinemas. She plays the part of Mary Beaton, one of the Four Marys - companions to the Scottish Queen. The film sees Eileen work again with her best friend - Saoirse Ronan stars as Mary, Queen of Scots. Next up for the rising star is a role in a television series about the life of Pablo Picasso and a new movie, Misbehaviour, about the 1970 Miss World pageant. Music Derry teenager Roe, aka Roisin Donald, wrapped up last year by winning the Oh Yeah Contender Award for best emerging act at the 2018 Northern Ireland Music Prize. She also kicks off this year supporting Snow Patrol on their arena tour around the UK, at the personal request of Gary Lightbody, and plays her first ever Irish headline shows in February before heading to Austin, Texas, to perform at the world famous SXSW festival in March. The 19-year-old electro pop artist is about to release her latest single, Down Days, taking on the stigma of mental health. Expand Close Roe / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Roe Speaking about the new song, due for release next month, Roe said: "I was having a really bad day. I felt like I couldn't talk to anyone without annoying them, and I was angry and frustrated at myself. I felt like my brain was about to explode, with no idea how to handle it. "That night I came home and started to write this song as a way of trying to make myself feel better. It's okay not to feel okay. At a time when it can feel that we're surrounded by negativity and constant social pressure, it's important to remember that no matter how shitty you feel, you are not alone." Down Days will be released via Fictive Kin Records, available worldwide via all major digital retailers on Feb 1. Modelling Derry model Joanna Cooper was discovered several years ago when the European casting director of Urban Outfitters plucked her from obscurity after spotting her on Instagram. Expand Close Joanna Cooper / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Joanna Cooper A few weeks later she was whisked off to London and signed to a manager. Since then her modelling career has been on the rise. The former Miss Universe contestant, who is in a relationship with Irish rugby player Conor Murray, has modelled both at home and across the globe and made headlines when she appeared in a photoshoot for lingerie company Agent Provocateur. A former journalism student, Joanna's look has been compared to that of British supermodel Cara Delevingne. As time ticks away to March 29, fears over Brexit and what will happen if there's no-deal and a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic continue. Many voices are heard in this debate, not all credible, but there is no doubting the authority of two former senior PSNI officers who warn about the implications. The former Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde and former Assistant Chief Constable Alan McQuillan are clear about the willingness of dissidents to exploit any chaos. Sir Hugh has stressed that they would view a hard border as an opportunity to mount violent attacks. When this attitude is coupled with anti-social recklessness as shown in Londonderry last weekend, there is a great risk that they will do all they can to kill and maim. The dissidents' bomb in Derry on January 19 could have killed or injured many innocent people in the area. The implied threat is so great that there are reports of MI5 stationing up to 700 officers in Belfast to counter the dissident threat. After 20 years of relative peace, it is hard to believe we could be returning to the darkness of the decades before the Belfast Agreement. There are major concerns about the position in which we find ourselves, and the continuing and disgraceful lack of a Stormont Executive and Assembly inevitably adds to tension and contributes to the political vacuum in our midst. Micro-terrorist groups come and go with depressing regularity, but they show that there are always people intent on carrying out a violent campaign which has no credibility and miniscule support. They display a chilling recklessness in subjecting ordinary men, women and children to life-threatening situations. It was sheer madness to leave that bomb and endanger innocent people. The dissidents' wanton act demonstrated their contempt for all. As the reality of Brexit looms nearer, it is imperative that a no-deal must be avoided, in the interests of everyone. Today a representative group of our business and farming communities and trade unions are in London to do all they can to prevent such a dire scenario. For so very many people in Northern Ireland the prospect of a no-deal presents risks and dangers on far too many fronts. It is important, therefore, for everyone to work hard to lobby against such a worrying development. The urgent need for our politicians to get back to Stormont to do the jobs they are paid to do increases with every single day. Researchers at a university in the United States say far fewer shark bites were reported worldwide last year. According to the University of Floridas International Shark Attack File, 66 bites were documented in 2018, compared with 88 the previous year. Florida shark bite numbers fell by nearly half, with 16 compared to 31 in 2017. @gavinnaylor: aBlacktips used to amass in huge numbers along the coast of #Florida, & there have been far fewer of them, particularly in the last two or three years.a Illustration: Lindsay Gutteridge pic.twitter.com/TMlYWXQG2b Florida Museum (@FloridaMuseum) January 28, 2019 The figure is 26% lower than the five-year average of 84 bites annually. Thirty-two bites happened in US waters. Four of last years bites were fatal, roughly keeping with the average of six deaths worldwide each year. In a statement, Gavin Naylor of the Florida Museum of Natural Historys shark research programme said it is unknown whether the drop can be attributed to more people heeding beach safety warnings or to declining shark populations. Mr Naylor said beach-goers need to learn about shark behaviour in areas such as Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where great white sharks have followed a rebounding seal population. The struggle for control of Venezuela has turned to the military, with supporters of opposition leader Juan Guaido handing leaflets to soldiers detailing a proposed amnesty law that would protect them for helping overthrow president Nicolas Maduro. At the same time, Mr Maduro demonstrated his might, wearing tan fatigues as he watched heavy artillery fired into a hillside and boarded an amphibious tank. Addressing soldiers in an appearance on state TV, Mr Maduro asked whether they were plotting with the imperialist United States, which he accused of openly leading a coup against him. No, my commander-in-chief, they shouted in unison, and Mr Maduro responded: Were ready to defend our homeland under any circumstance. The duelling appeals from the two rivals again put the military centre stage in the global debate over who holds a legitimate claim to power in the South American nation. Expand Close A woman stands next to soldiers in Caracas, Venezuela (Rodrigo Abd/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A woman stands next to soldiers in Caracas, Venezuela (Rodrigo Abd/AP) The standoff has plunged troubled Venezuela into a new chapter of political turmoil that has already left more than two dozen dead as thousands took to the streets demanding Mr Maduro step down. His rival Mr Guaido is calling for two new mass protests over the next week. The tumult erupted when Mr Guaido, the 35-year-old leader of Venezuelas opposition-controlled congress, declared before masses of supporters last week that he has temporarily assumed presidential powers, vowing to hold free elections and end Mr Maduros dictatorship. US president Donald Trump and several foreign leaders quickly recognised Mr Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate leader, prompting Mr Maduro to cut ties with the US and order its diplomats from Caracas within 72 hours. The US defied him, saying Mr Maduro is not the legitimate president, and Mr Maduro relented, suspending the deadline for 30 days for the sake of opening a dialogue. Venezuelas crisis came before the UN Security Council on Saturday, which took no formal action because of divisions among members. Russia and China back Mr Maduro, but France and Britain joined Spain and Germany in turning up the pressure on him, saying they would recognise Mr Guaido as president unless Venezuela calls a new presidential election within eight days. Where do you get that you have the power to establish a deadline or an ultimatum to a sovereign people? said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza. Its almost childlike. Venezuelas armed forces remain the key to Mr Maduros hold on power, firing tear gas and bullets on protesters, killing more than two dozen since Wednesday. Mr Guaido is urging Venezuelans to leave their homes, offices or wherever they may be on Wednesday for a peaceful, two-hour midday protest. He is also asking followers to take to the streets again Saturday for demonstrations in every corner of the nation and around the globe, to coincide with the European Union deadline for announcing a new election. Were advancing well, Venezuela, Mr Guaido said in his broadcast, streamed live on the internet. Weve restored hope. The Trump administration has maintained that all options remain open if Mr Maduro refuses to cede leadership, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said on Fox News Sunday. I dont think any president of any party who is doing his or her job would be doing the job properly if they took anything off the table, he said. So, I think the president of the United States is looking at this extraordinarily closely. Police were called in to rescue a young boy after he got himself stuck in a box. Soona Choe, from Fort Lee in New Jersey, called 911 when her 20-month-old son Luca got wedged inside a toy designed to help teach about shapes and colours. Thank you to Sergeant Rick Hernandez for saving this child who was stuck inside of his toy #FortLeePD Posted by Fort Lee Police Department on Thursday, January 24, 2019 I was panicking, I had to get him out, so I had no choice; I didnt have the tools, she told ABC 7. He got in easily but could not come back out. Luckily for Luca, Sergeant Rick Hernandez was on hand to free him. Mr Hernandez broke a panel, but he revealed in a press conference that back-up was on the way in the shape of a heavy duty tool had he been unable to get it done himself. Thankfully, that wasnt needed. It was a priceless expression on his face, Mr Hernandez said. He was a little bit embarrassed about the situation. EARLY Saturday morning (January 19) residents in Long Bay, Providenciales, took matters into their own hands when they saw suspected illegal immigrants running among bushes. Widely circulated video footage of the vigilante operation showed one resident driving around Grace Bay in search of police officers to hand over the prisoners, while others showed the cops taking possession of them. One of the captured illegal immigrants, according to reports, is a Haitian national who was previously deported from the Turks and Caicos Islands on several occasions, but kept returning on illegal sloops. On Monday (January 21) a press release from the Ministry of Border Control and Employment and the Immigration Department confirmed that an illegal vessel landed on Providenciales that Saturday. Enforcement unit Division B was informed by 911 at about 8.53pm that a speed boat had made landfall in Long Bay. They captured 11 people - eight men and three women. They were all processed and are detained at the Detention Centre until repatriation. The public is also reminded that it is an offence to harbour illegal people and that those found guilty engaging in such activities are liable to a fine of $20,000, a term of imprisonment of four years or both in accordance with Section 99 of the Immigration Ordinance 2015. Anyone with information concerning planned and landed arrival of other vessels can contact police on 911 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1-800-8477. Tips can also be submitted anonymously in English, French or Spanish on either www.crimestoppers.tc or on Facebook as a fan of Crime Stoppers Turks and Caicos. Crime Stoppers tips are received in the USA. The Department for Education has unveiled a new teacher recruitment strategy (PA) Teacher shortages are due to a strong economy, education minister Nick Gibb has claimed. In an urgent question on teacher recruitment, shadow education secretary Angela Rayner suggested that continuing real-terms pay cuts were to blame for teachers leaving the profession in record numbers. But Mr Gibb told the Commons the biggest issue was competition from other sectors such as commerce siphoning off teachers, which he plans to tackle with a new strategy to make teaching more attractive. The principal challenge we face in teacher recruitment is the fact we have a strong economy, with record numbers of jobs and the lowest level of unemployment since the 1970sEducation minister Nick Gibb He said: The principal challenge we face in teacher recruitment is the fact we have a strong economy, with record numbers of jobs and the lowest level of unemployment since the 1970s. We are competing with other professions, with commerce and with industry, for the best graduates in our economy. A strong economy is not a challenge likely to face any Labour government, who whenever they are in office damage the public finances, damage the economy and destroy jobs. Expand Close Nick Gibb in the House of Commons (PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Nick Gibb in the House of Commons (PA) The Department for Education has just unveiled a new teacher recruitment strategy worth at least 130 million a year, including a new entitlement to a two-year training package and a reduced timetable. But the teacher workforce crisis cannot be tackled without addressing continuing pay cuts, said Labours Ms Rayner. His most recent pay deal means a quarter of a million teachers the majority in fact are facing another real-terms pay cut, she said. The teaching workforce crisis cannot be separated from the years of cuts to pay and education budgets I hope this Government is going to start valuing them with more than just warm words. Expand Close Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Mr Gibb said he was surprised at her tone, given teaching unions had broadly welcomed the latest strategy, and added: This is a very effective recruitment and retention strategy that has the support of the sector. Education Secretary Damian Hinds said he believes teachers work too many hours as he launched plans to boost numbers in the profession. The strategy comes after data from a National Association of Head Teachers survey suggested that 77% of its school leaders found recruitment a struggle last year. Plans involve helping school leaders to reduce teachers workload by stripping away unnecessary tasks such as data entry. I think teachers work too many hours - aggravated by unnecessary tasks like excessive marking and data entry, spending more than half their time on non-teaching tasksEducation Secretary Damian Hinds Mr Hinds said: I think teachers work too many hours aggravated by unnecessary tasks like excessive marking and data entry, spending more than half their time on non-teaching tasks. But those who choose to become teachers chose to do so to inspire young people, support their development and set them up for a bright future not stay late in the office filling in a spreadsheet. This ambitious strategy commits to supporting teachers particularly those at the start of their career to focus on what actually matters, the pupils in their classrooms. In a competitive graduate labour market, we must continue to ensure that teaching is an attractive profession so we can train and retain the next generation of inspirational teachers. Expand Close Education Secretary Damian Hinds (Aaron Chown/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Education Secretary Damian Hinds (Aaron Chown/PA) Schools will be helped with introducing flexible working practices through a new matchmaking service for teachers seeking a job-share, with additional incentives to work in challenging schools. Bursaries will be reformed to include retention-based payments for those who stay in the profession by staggering additional payments throughout the first years of their career. Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the strategy as a potential game-changer. He said: Teachers are the lifeblood of our schools but far too many currently leave the profession too early in their careers, and we simply must do more to put the joy back into teaching. The Early Career Framework has the potential to be a game-changer. By providing teachers with support and development during the first few years of their career and helping them to flourish in the classroom, it can help to raise the status of teaching to where it deserves to be: as a life-enhancing vocation. A woman and girl walk through the remaining snow in South Weald Park, Brentwood, Essex, in December 2018 (Nick Ansell/PA) A blanket of snow is expected to fall this week as Britons shiver on through a deep chill. A band of rain is due to push east across England on Tuesday evening, bringing widespread snow to the south of the country overnight. Around 1cm to 3cm of the white stuff is expected to accumulate quite widely, the Met Office said, with the possibility of 5cm to 10cm falling on higher ground. A yellow warning is in place for the south of England, East Midlands and West Midlands from 9pm on Tuesday to midday on Wednesday. A number of different #snow and #ice warnings are in force - as much as 10cm of snow could fall over higher ground - stay #weatheraware https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs pic.twitter.com/rzRMG0TgC4 Met Office (@metoffice) January 28, 2019 The Met Office warned of possible disruption including delays on roads, stranded vehicles and cancelled rail and air travel. It said there was a slight chance rural communities could be cut off and that power cuts may occur. Met Office forecaster Ellie Creed said there was likely to be a widespread frost and possible ice forming overnight into Monday morning. She said: I think you could well find its somewhere between -5 and -7C over the Scottish glens but actually for lots of places maybe negative degrees, about -2 to -3C in the north, whereas some cities in the south will be hovering around zero. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) She added: Its a case of normal wintry hazards that we would expect snow, ice, frost are going to be quite prevalent over the next few days. It follows a windy weekend that left parts of Wales without electricity on Sunday as overhead cables were felled. Strong northerly winds with gusts of up to 70mph pounded the west and east coasts. The Met Office said the winds would slowly ease overnight into Monday. The Duke of Sussex during a visit to the Royal Marines Commando Training Centre in Lympstone, Devon (Chris Jackson/PA) The Duke of Sussex will be spending this Valentines Day in the Arctic Circle with Royal Marines who are being trained in survival in the extreme cold. Harry is more than likely to be reunited with his pregnant wife, the Duchess of Sussex, in the evening, but will spend the day meeting troops who are taking part in Exercise Clockwork in north Norway. The Duke of Sussex, Captain General @RoyalMarines, will visit Exercise Clockwork to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the operation in Bardufoss, Norway on Thursday 14th February. pic.twitter.com/73LASSDk4g The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) January 28, 2019 Exercise Clockwork is the traditional name for the gruelling annual winter training, based in one of the worlds most demanding environments. Set 200 miles (322km) inside the Arctic Circle, more than 16,000 Royal Marines and Royal Navy sailors and airmen have taken part since 1969. Harrys visit marks the 50th anniversary of Commando Helicopter Force and Joint Helicopter Command deploying to Bardufoss in Norway. Military personnel are taught how to survive, operate and fight in the sub-zero conditions and gain experience of operating aircraft in severe cold weather and mountainous environments. The multinational exercise, hosted by the Norwegian Armed Forces, comprises Environmental Flying Qualifications, Cold Weather Survival, Tent Group Commander and Snow and Ice Driving Courses. Expand Close Harry will be in Norway for part of his and Meghans first Valentines Day as a married couple (Aaron Chown/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Harry will be in Norway for part of his and Meghans first Valentines Day as a married couple (Aaron Chown/PA) The duke, in his role as Captain General Royal Marines, will fly to the Air Station in Bardufoss on February 14 to meet military personnel living and training across six months of the year on the base. Harry will also see field tents, snow vehicles and a Quincey Shelter a makeshift shelter built of snow in which the elite forces are able to camp. It is the duke and duchesss first Valentines Day as a married couple. Harry was appointed Captain General Royal Marines in December 2017, taking over the role from his grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh, who held the appointment for 64 years. He will visit the aviation hangar to see some of the specialist aircraft including Apache, Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, and also join Clockwork personnel as they celebrate the 50th anniversary. The duke already has experience of colder climates, facing temperatures as low as -35C on charity expeditions. Harry took part in treks to the North Pole in 2011 and South Pole in 2013 with Walking With The Wounded. (L-R) Micheal Roarty, Shaun Harkin, John Harley and Daniel Scott lost their lives in the crash The four young men who have lost their lives following a horrific road crash in Co Donegal have been named locally. The victims are John Harley (24) from Falcarragh; Daniel Scott (aged in his twenties) from Gortahork; Shaun Harkin (22) from Falcarragh and Micheal Roarty (24) from Gweedore. Read More Gardai described the scene of the crash on a local road near Magheraroarty, Gortahork, as "devastating". The incident occurred on a mountain bog road near a bridge, not too far from the coast road, between Gortahork and Gweedore. The four were travelling in a Toyota Corolla vehicle. Local gardai attended the scene and were joined by the chief superintendent from Buncrana and other gardai from Milford last night. Local councillor Seamus O'Domhnaill described the victims as "four fine young men" and expressed his condolences with their family and friends. Expand Close Garda at the remote scene in Co Donegal where four young men died in a road crash (Rebecca Black/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Garda at the remote scene in Co Donegal where four young men died in a road crash (Rebecca Black/PA) "Four of the finest young men that anyone would want to have in any community have been tragically and devastatingly taken away from us, he told Independent.ie. Members of the Gweedore and wider community are more than devastated. Everybody sends their condolences to their family and also to their group of friends, they were all friends in school." All four of the young victims were travelling in the same car. No other vehicle was involved. The emergency services were alerted to the crash shortly before 9pm. Local gardai secured the scene while ambulances and fire crews attended from across the county. Despite their efforts, all four men were pronounced dead at the scene. Forensic collision investigators continued to work at the scene of the crash today, trying to establish the sequence of events before the fatal crash. The car ended up off the road beside a low bridge at the bottom of a dip in a minor road. Expand Close 28/1/2019, The scene of an accident on a road at Gleann hUallach, in Gaoth Dobhair, gweedore, Co. Donegal where four young men lost their lives. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 28/1/2019, The scene of an accident on a road at Gleann hUallach, in Gaoth Dobhair, gweedore, Co. Donegal where four young men lost their lives. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM The roof of the vehicle was cut off by the emergency services during the rescue efforts. As the gravity of the depth of the tragedy spread around the western Donegal communities of Gweedore, Gortahork and Falcarragh, Supt David Kelly of Milford garda station issued an appeal for information on sightings of the car the men were traveling in yesterday. Garda last night, at approximately 8.40pm received a report of a single vehicle collision at Gleannhualach. When they attended the scene they found one vehicle, a 01DL registered silver Toyota Corolla hatchback off the road and there were four casualties. Also in attendance were the HSE ambulance service and our colleagues from Donegal County Council fire and rescue service. "It was dark, it was a tragic scene, family members arrived. I'd like to sincerely on behalf of the Gardai and my other colleagues to offer our condolences to the families, their friends and the community following this tragic incident. "I would like to make an appeal now to the public and the local community. If anyone saw that silver Toyota Corolla with a 01DL registration travelling in the direction of Magheroarty to Gweedore yesterday evening prior to 8.40pm, or indeed earlier in the day to please contact the Gardai at Milford garda station on 074 9153060 or the garda confidential line 1800 666111." A local priest who attended the scene last night described the incident as "the stuff of nightmares". Expand Close 28/1/2019, Garda close off a local road near Gleann hUallach, in Gaoth Dobhair, gweedore, Co. Donegal where 4 young men lost their lives in a road accident. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 28/1/2019, Garda close off a local road near Gleann hUallach, in Gaoth Dobhair, gweedore, Co. Donegal where 4 young men lost their lives in a road accident. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM Fr Brian O'Fearraigh, from the parish of Gweedore, said he received a call to attend the scene at approximately 9pm last night. Speaking to RTE's Sean O'Rourke, Fr O'Fearraigh said he paused at the top of the hill and looked into the valley as he travelled to the area, aware by the scene below that tragedy had struck. "It just makes no sense whatsoever, it is a terrible tragedy," he said. "It was made clear when I arrived that it was a terrible tragedy and horror. We stood altogether and we had a few prayers when the family members arrived. "We stood still and we spoke and we embraced. Sometimes in tragedies like this, words can fall silent and I think that your presence and the presence of one another is what's important. "These communities have been plunged into the depths of grief and mourning in this most tragic of events." Fr O'Fearraigh said nothing can prepare you as a priest for tragedy, but said he is comforted by the fact that there is a strong community in the north-west and people will help each other. He also paid tribute to the emergency services at the scene. "Their dedication is next to none," he added. "It's important we have that and it's important to acknowledge it. "They don't seek praise, but it's important to say thank you." Parish priest for Gortahork Fr Sean O'Gallchoir said it is a tragedy that spans three parishes in north-west Donegal. Speaking earlier this morning on RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland, Fr O'Gallchoir said there will be a "void" for the parents for the rest of their lives. "People are just saddened and stunned, and in disbelief and totally numb," Fr O'Gallchoir said. "On behalf of everyone, we extend our sympathies to the parents, to the families and friends of the four young men. "It is felt right across the communities as they come from three different parishes, two of the young men are here in Gortahork, one in neighbouring Falcarragh and one in the parish of Gweedore, very well-known young men and very well-known families." Fr O'Gallchoir said he spoke to two of the families last night after the accident. "The two boys were in the same class in primary school, the same class in secondary school, they grew up together. They were friends all their lives," he continued. "I was talking to the parents last night and it just beyond belief. They are totally devastated and in shock and in great grief. "The community will rally around, people will do their best, but this will be a void for the rest of the parents' lives." The local priest said people in the area are "bewildered" by the tragedy. "It's unbelievable for young people to see, these boys they grew up, they went out with." Local Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty said there was a "cloud of sadness over the area", adding that his thoughts and prayers were with the dead men's families. He paid tribute to the four men, saying they had their full lives ahead of them. "As the news filtered through, a cloud of sadness descended on the entire area. When you hear of a tragedy like a car crash, you fear the worst. This was beyond the worst. "These were four friends who had all their lives in front of them, and they had their lives snatched from them." Fianna Fail TD for Donegal Pat the Cope Gallagher expressed his shock and sadness. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of these men. I know the community will rally around the families over the tough days and weeks ahead. I would like to pay tribute to the Gardai and the emergency services and first responders, who arrived swiftly on the scene and tended to the victims." A Belfast school principal has been widely praised on social media after admitting he felt "horrible and worthless" when he failed his 11-plus exam. As thousands of primary school children across Northern Ireland received their transfer test results on Saturday, Dundonald High School principal Ken Perry took to Facebook to recall his own feelings on learning that he hadn't made the grade. Read More In a heartwarming post, Mr Perry (47) said he is still haunted by his failure to get a place at his school of choice - Grosvenor Grammar - alongside his friends, back in 1982. Instead, he ended up attending Dundonald High, which he now heads. A total of 16,507 P7 pupils took both the AQE and GL exams last November in order to secure a place at their chosen school, up 8% on the 15,319 who took the tests the previous year. It's estimated around 2,000 children took both the tests. The official 11-plus was scrapped in Northern Ireland 11 years ago and replaced by the private exams. On what can be a stressful day for both pupils and their parents, Mr Perry wrote on Saturday morning: "I don't post on FB anymore unless I feel it's important. I think today is one of those important days. I failed my 11-plus and felt horrible as an 11-year-old boy. "When I say horrible, I mean: I sat on the toilet opening my results so excitedly, expecting that I would get a grade good enough to go to Grosvenor. "Unfortunately I got a letter with a big 'G' on it, and thinking I was stupid I sat and cried, feeling worthless. "Meanwhile, down our street, two other kids opened their letters and got grades good enough to let them go to that school. I cried for hours. "The good news is that it didn't define me as the years went by but it still haunts me. "This is my request; as you post your children's grades today on Facebook to celebrate how marvellously they've done, always remember that there will be other children, just like me, who haven't done quite so well. Be gentle, people. "PS: I'm a past pupil of Dundonald High School, I'm now the principal of Dundonald High School, (I don't think I've done so bad for a 'failure')," he added. With three of his own family members receiving results at the weekend, Mr Perry felt it was important to support those students who might be feeling disappointed. He told the Belfast Telegraph: "I wanted to reassure them that they had tried their best, which is wonderful and to be celebrated. I also wanted them to remember that not doing as well as they had hoped is not going to be their make or break moment even though it feels like that when you're so young. "I know exactly how awful it feels because I was that child. It was so raw at the time and I just wanted to be with my friends at that next stage of the journey. "All of a sudden you're thrust into going to a school that you hadn't anticipated going to, which for me turned out to be wonderful and where I ended up getting a job years later. "Sometimes we aren't so great at celebrating our successes and it is the failures that we always think of. But young people should always remember that they can be whatever they want to be so just go for it." Mr Perry said he is overwhelmed after his post sparked a huge reaction with thousands of likes and shares on social media. "I have received a lot of really lovely messages about how some children were feeling so deflated but when their parents showed them what I had written, it made them laugh and smile," he said. "Some of my past pupils have been responding to it too, which is so lovely." In his post, Mr Perry revealed that the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, David Sterling, is also a past pupil of Dundonald High and will address this year's prize day at the school. He wrote: "I spoke to him at the Holocaust Memorial Service at the City Hall on Thursday night and we discussed how he had passed his 11-plus and had attended our school, obtaining great grades in his subjects." Mr Perry has also urged young people not to let their exam results define them. "Don't judge books by covers. Bricks and mortar, whether shiny and bright or ageing with experience, do not define the type of teaching experience your child will have in a school. "The children themselves and the dedicated teachers are the ones who create the shiny new moments. "Boys and girls, it's what you do for the next seven years of your life that will put you on the pathway to your own greatness, don't let the score you get today, when you are 11, define you. "High or low, use it as a benchmark to be fabulous in this world," he added. The east Belfast UVF have denied any involvement in the murder of Ian Ogle in the city on Sunday night. A murder investigation has been launched after the 45-year-old man was attacked in the Cluan Place area sometime between 9pm and 10pm. It is understood around five men were involved in the assault. Read More A number of searches have been carried out in east Belfast on Monday in relation to the murder. In a statement released to the Irish News using a codeword the UVF said it was currently "seeking answers as to who carried out this attack". A spokesperson for the group told the newspaper that whoever carried out Mr Ogle's murder "did not do it in the name of loyalism or the UVF". "Actions of this sort undermine the positive transformation which is taking place with the organisation and we distance ourselves from the appalling act on a popular member of out local community," the spokesperson told the Irish News. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Ian Ogle Picture By: Arthur Allison /Pacemaker. Police and forensic officers at the scene of a murder in Cluan Place, east Belfast on January 28th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police and forensic officers at the scene of a murder in Cluan Place, east Belfast on January 28th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police and forensic officers at the scene of a murder in Cluan Place, east Belfast on January 28th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police and forensic officers at the scene of a murder in Cluan Place, east Belfast on January 28th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police at the scene of a serious assault at Cluan Place, east Belfast. Pic Kevin Scott Police and forensic officers at the scene of a murder in Cluan Place, east Belfast on January 28th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police and forensic officers at the scene of a murder in Cluan Place, east Belfast on January 28th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police at the scene of a serious assault at Cluan Place, east Belfast. Pic Kevin Scott Police at the scene of a serious assault at Cluan Place, east Belfast. Pic Kevin Scott Police at he scene of a serious assault at Cluan Place in east Belfast. Pics Kevin Scott. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ian Ogle Picture By: Arthur Allison /Pacemaker. "We send heartfelt condolences to the wider family circle". Police have appealed for anyone with information on Mr Ogle's murder to come forward. Detective Chief Inspector Peter McKenna said that enquiries into the murder were ongoing. "I would like to thank the local community for their patience and assistance as we progress our investigation," he said. We are continuing in our efforts to find those responsible for this brutal murder and I would again appeal for anyone who was in the general area of Cluan Place or Templemore Avenue between 9pm and 10pm last night and who may have any information which could assist us with our inquiries to make contact on 101 quoting reference number 1303 of 27/1/19. "I am particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have seen a group of men running in this area and I would also ask anyone with dash-cam footage to contact us." Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800555111. Horrific attack at Cluan Place earlier tonight, vital that anyone with info contacts the police immediately. Horrible to think this should happen anywhere and no reason could ever justify what has happened in East Belfast tonight. pic.twitter.com/YeyJZXjNfv George Dorrian (@georgedorrian) January 28, 2019 Two men have been charged with a range of offences after a man in his 20s was the victim of a paramilitary style attack in north Belfast on Sunday evening. The men, aged 30 and 32 were arrested under the Terrorism Act. They have been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent, kidnapping and possession of an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence. They are due to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court on Tuesday January 29. Police received a report of a man being assaulted at 5.40pm on Sunday evening. They believe the victim got into car in the Jellicoe Avenue area of the city and was beaten inside it by a number of its occupants, during a journey between there and a layby on the Flush road. The victim was then taken out of the car and beaten again by four men. The weapons used in the assault include an iron bar, a wheel clamp and a wrench. After the attack, the injured man made his way to a nearby house and raised the alarm. He was taken to hospital where he is currently being treated for a range of injuries. Police are actively seeking two other men in connection with the incident and are following definite lines of enquiry. Detective Inspector Kerry Brennan described the incident as "brutal" and said they are treating it as a paramilitary style attack. "The man was left with a number of gashes to his face and an injury to his eye which will require surgery. He also suffered a broken finger and puncture wounds to both legs - in addition to psychological trauma," she said. The layby where the young man was attacked is close to a water treatment facility on the Flush road and I would ask anyone who was in the area around 5.15pm last night and saw a maroon Fiat Punto car driving in the area, or stationary at the side of the road, to get in touch with police. Or, if you were driving in this area and have dashcam footage that could have recorded what happened here, again we would like to hear from you. We want to trace the cars movements during the early part of the evening so if you saw a vehicle matching its description in the Jellicoe Avenue around 5pm or in the north Belfast area between 4.30pm and 5.30pm, please let us know by contacting detectives at Musgrave on 101 quoting reference number 1007 of 27/1/19. Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime. A Tory peer has launched a bid to legislate for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. An amendment to the Civil Partnerships Bill will be debated in the House of Lords on Friday. Northern Ireland is the only part of the British Isles which maintains a ban on marriage for same-sex couples. Lord Robert Hayward, who introduced a Private Member's Bill on the issue last year, has tabled an amendment to the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths Bill, which would extend same-sex marriage to here. MLAs have not voted on the issue recently due to the suspension of the Stormont Assembly. Lord Hayward's amendment would bring same-sex marriage legislation to Northern Ireland, while including a clause giving the Assembly six months to overturn the provision following the Bill becoming law, to allow for a resumption of devolution. Lord Hayward said: "This amendment respects the role of Stormont, but also recognises the reality that those devolved institutions are not currently functioning. "Same-sex couples in Northern Ireland should not be asked to wait indefinitely for equality with the rest of the UK." Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland programme director at Amnesty International and a member of the Love Equality campaign for equal marriage, said: "This is a welcome move from Lord Hayward. "More than two years after the collapse of Northern Ireland's devolved government, we need legislators at Westminster to secure equal marriage for all. If Stormont returns we are happy to continue our work with MLAs across the parties to change the law, but meanwhile, equality can't wait." In November 2015, the Assembly voted to support equal marriage, but the measure was blocked by the DUP using the petition of concern mechanism. Dublin has delivered a thinly veiled warning to Downing Street not to go back on the Brexit deal hammered out with the European Union. And in what is likely to be seen as a swipe at hardline Tory Brexiteers, Tanaiste and Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said those "misrepresenting" the backstop had failed to produce an alternative to it. Mr Coveney said the British Cabinet had endorsed the withdrawal agreement including the backstop aimed at preventing a hard border, as he made clear it would not be changed. He said: "A hard border cannot return. Peace and the Good Friday Agreement are more important than Brexit. "Even in a no-deal Brexit situation every party and every MP in the UK will have a responsibility to ensure there is no return to a hard border and Northern Ireland is protected. "That won't be easy and those who misrepresent the backstop don't have an alternative to it." With Tory Brexiteers putting pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May to secure a time limit for the backstop, Mr Coveney made it clear that would not be acceptable. He said: "A backstop is not a backstop if it is time-limited." With some Irish politicians predicting that people would tear down any border infrastructure erected, Mr Coveney insisted there was never an excuse for violence. He said: "Whatever the political grievance, there is no justification for violence in Northern Ireland." Mr Coveney side-stepped questioning about what he believed the consequences would be of any attempt to impose martial law in Northern Ireland after a no-deal Brexit. He said: "Ireland accepts Brexit is going to hurt us economically, it's a UK policy and there is nothing we can do about the economic damage it will cause. However, we will not accept any going backwards on the 20 years of peace and stability between communities in Northern Ireland and between the Republic and Northern Ireland." Earlier, Mr Coveney sought to play down comments made by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who said on Friday that soldiers could return to the border if Brexit goes "very wrong". He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "He described it to remind people what things were like 20 years ago. We cannot and should not be proposing going back there again." The Bloody Sunday commemoration march took place in Londonderry yesterday The Bloody Sunday commemoration march took place in Londonderry yesterday The Bloody Sunday commemoration march took place in Londonderry yesterday Former MP Bernadette McAliskey speaking after the procession The Bloody Sunday commemoration march took place in Londonderry yesterday A crowd of thousands took to the streets in yesterday's 47th annual Bloody Sunday march in Londonderry. They were there to mark the day 13 people were shot dead by members of the Paratroop Regiment during a civil rights demonstration in the city's Bogside on January 30, 1972. A 14th man died later from his injuries. Earlier in the day, Bloody Sunday families who chose to stop marching after the 2010 apology from the government laid wreaths at a monument in the Bogside. Later that afternoon thousands of people, accompanied by several republican bands, weaved their way down through the streets of Creggan and into the Bogside, retracing the steps of the original march. Organisers say they want the top British officials behind Bloody Sunday - including General Sir Michael Jackson - put behind bars. Former MP Bernadette McAliskey told the gathered crowd that she will campaign until her last breath "to see Jackson, the British Army, the British government and the British state in the Court of Justice at the Hague". Kate Nash, who lost her brother William (19) on Bloody Sunday, said those behind the killings need to face court. "My brother was innocent of any wrongdoing. The perpetrators need to go to court and they need to face trial for what they did that day. He deserves it. We are all entitled to justice," she said. MEMBERS of the TCIs Public Accounts Committee (PAC) jetted off to the UK this week to meet their counterparts in Edinburgh and London. The four day capacity-strengthening programme was organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK (CPA UK). According to a press release from the UK parliament, PACs Maxovonno Thomas led the delegation from Monday to Thursday (January 21-24). "We are grateful to the CPA UK for arranging our visit to the Scottish Parliament and to Westminster to explore ways to enhance the effectiveness of our PAC, he said. "The opportunity to interact with our counterparts in the other jurisdictions will provide a deeper understanding of how other financial oversight committees operate, the methods they use and the ways in which we might be able to strengthen our own financial oversight responsibilities. During their visit, the TCI delegation observed evidence sessions of the financial oversight committees of the Scottish and UK parliament. The programme also offered opportunities for direct exchanges with UK members of parliament, committee clerks and officials, representatives of the UK National Audit Office, and other relevant stakeholders. These exchanges covered good practice around crucial committee work, including building strong relationships with audit offices, questioning techniques for evidence sessions and producing effective reports. The support is delivered as part of the UK Overseas Territories Project (UKOTP), a three-year project on public financial oversight delivered in partnership by the CPA UK, the UK National Audit Office and the Government Internal Audit Agency. The project works with partners in the UK overseas territories to deliver a series of activities focused on providing technical assistance, training and mentoring to support and encourage effective public financial management. Support to the TCI PAC will continue in March when the PAC chair and clerk along with audit officials from will attend the UKOTP Oversight of Public Finances Forum in Miami along with representatives from other UK overseas territories. The forum will explore progress in territories to date, address some of the common challenges faced by PACs, internal and external audit agencies, and look ahead to future opportunities for development around public financial oversight. PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton has announced his intention to retire. Mr Hamilton, who has served in the police for 34 years, informed the Northern Ireland Policing Board that he will retire at the end of June on Monday morning. He has served five years in the post of Chief Constable. I have today informed @NIPolicingBoard of my intention to retire at the end of June. Itas been a huge honour to have served the public through policing for almost 34 years & undoubtedly the greatest privilege of my career has been to serve as Chief Constable of @PoliceServiceNI Sir George Hamilton (@SirGHamilton) January 28, 2019 He said: I want to thank the Policing Board for their ongoing confidence in me and the offer of a three year extension to my contract. Having thought long and carefully, I have decided that it is the right time for both me and the PSNI that I retire from policing in June 2019. I have completed almost 34 years in the police service, having served in the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC, Strathclyde Police and Police Service of Northern Ireland. It has been a huge honour to have served the public through policing and without doubt, the greatest privilege of my career has been to serve as Chief Constable of the PSNI for the last five years. I am privileged and humbled to have led the dedicated officers and staff of the PSNI and to have worked in partnership with so many people committed to public service in Northern Ireland and beyond. Our society today is a much more peaceful and progressive society than it was when I joined policing over 33 years ago. The PSNI has been part of that transformation, as it has focused on delivering policing with the community at the same time as modernising its service delivery. There is no doubt that there are challenges in the months and years ahead, but we have overcome greater challenges in the past and there is nothing that cannot be achieved if the police, our partners and the community continue to work together. I will continue as Chief Constable until the end of June 2019 and during that time I remain fully committed to keeping people safe and helping to build a safe, confident and peaceful society. Theresa May was under renewed pressure from Brexiteers to secure fresh concessions on the Northern Irish backstop as Dublin warned there was no room for manoeuvre on the issue. As the Prime Minister faced another Commons showdown over her EU withdrawal agenda on Tuesday, Downing Street was battling to keep control of the Brexit timetable. In a pointed intervention, arch-Brexiteer Boris Johnson insisted he had it from senior sources the PM was planning to go to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop and win a freedom clause. However, Irelands deputy prime minister Simon Coveney insisted there would be no changes to the Withdrawal Agreement which states the UK will obey EU customs rules if no wider deal has been struck after a transition period. Mr Coveney said the backstop was crucial in preventing a hard border. He told the Press Association: Peace and the Good Friday Agreement are more important than Brexit. Even in a no-deal Brexit situation every party and every MP in the UK will have a responsibility to ensure there is no return to a hard border and Northern Ireland is protected. That wont be easy and those who misrepresent the backstop dont have an alternative to it. Expand Close Brexit protests in Westminster (Jonathan Brady/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brexit protests in Westminster (Jonathan Brady/PA) Mr Coveneys comments were seen as a swipe at Tory Brexiteers hoping to use Commons amendments on Tuesday to try and force a change in direction on the backstop. Attention is focusing on an amendment by Tory grandee Sir Graham Brady which calls for the removal of the backstop and alternative arrangements to be put in its place. Brexiteers say if the non-binding amendment is passed it will give the PM more leeway to win concessions from the EU. Sir Graham, who is chairman of the highly influential 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme the amendment would give enormous firepower to the Prime Minister in Brussels. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Asked if it had Government backing he said: I hope so I dont know so. The amendment was born out of a number of conversations I had with colleagues including members of the Government, including the Prime Minister. I had also spoken to people in the DUP too and Im hoping that the way in which the amendment is crafted can attract that very broad support and if we can win the vote on my amendment then I think it gives the Prime Minister enormous firepower. Meanwhile, pro-Europe amendments pose a threat to Mrs Mays grip on Brexit. If we mean it, if we really try, I have no doubt that the EU will give us the Freedom Clause we needBoris Johnson The Government is thought to be particularly concerned about a cross-party backed amendment put forward by Labours Yvette Cooper which is aimed at stopping a no-deal exit and paving the way for keeping the UK in the EU until the end of the year. Tory former minister Nick Boles, a leading supporter of Ms Coopers plan, told Today there was a great deal of support among ministers and, indeed, Cabinet ministers and they had been pressing for a free vote on the amendment. This is the last chance for Parliament, this is probably the only opportunity that Parliament is going to have to intervene in this process, to take control, he said. If we dont seize the moment tomorrow afternoon then we are at grave risk of just driving off the edge on March 29 without really wanting to, and when there might be a compromise we could achieve if we just had a few more months. The Daily Telegraph reported that the PM is seeking to see off the threat of a Tory rebellion, and the possibility of ministerial resignations, by considering whether to hold a meaningful vote on Brexit within the next fortnight. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) A dozen pro-European ministers including Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd and Justice Secretary David Gauke held a conference call in which they agreed such a move would help defer a potential rebellion, according to the newspaper. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson called on the PM publicly to confirm a change of heart on the withdrawal deal. He said: That backstop is dead, rejected by the biggest ever parliamentary majority; and that is why I hope and pray that I am right about the intentions of Number 10. If we mean it, if we really try, I have no doubt that the EU will give us the Freedom Clause we need. And if the PM secures that change a proper UK-sized perforation in the fabric of the backstop itself I have no doubt that she will have the whole country full-throatedly behind her. PSNI officers carry out a reconstruction of last weekend's bombing outside Londonderry Courthouse PSNI officers carry out a reconstruction of last weekend's bombing outside Londonderry Courthouse PSNI officers carry out a reconstruction of last weekend's bombing outside Londonderry Courthouse A senior police officer made a fresh appeal for information about a "reckless" car bombing in Londonderry as detectives carried out a reconstruction of the attack. The New IRA blast occurred outside the courthouse in the city on January 19. A week later, on Saturday evening, officers from the PSNI's terrorism investigation unit handed out leaflets and spoke to people in the area in a bid to jog their memories. It came a day after people attended a peace rally in Derry following days of security alerts linked to paramilitary groups. Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Griffin said: "Last Saturday night at around 8.10pm, Derry was packed with local families and tourists, socialising and enjoying the best of what the city has to offer when a bomb detonated outside the courthouse. "This unbelievably reckless attack left children and adults in fear of their lives and caused widespread disruption to many people in the local area. It is only out of sheer luck nobody was killed or maimed." DCI Griffin said the reconstruction and leaflet drop was aimed at jogging people's memories. He added: "I would like to hear from anyone who was in the areas of Quarry Street, Lecky Road, Barrack Street, Bishop Street, Nailors Row and Long Tower Court, last Saturday night between 6pm and 9pm, who may have seen either the vehicle or the terrorists, including the man who abandoned the car and ran away from the scene." Anyone with information on the bombing can contact police on the non-emergency number 101. The Donaghadee Road in Bangor where the pedestrian died on Saturday evening The death of an elderly woman who was struck by a car on a "dangerous" Co Down road "could have been prevented", politicians have claimed. The pensioner, aged in her 70s, died on Saturday evening following the one-vehicle collision which happened on the Donaghadee Road in Bangor at around 7.15pm. Eyewitnesses described seeing police officers desperately trying to resuscitate the victim before ambulance crews arrived. But the woman was pronounced dead at the scene just a short time later. It is understood she had just left a Centra store when she was struck by a Citroen C3 car near the Windmill Road and Chippendale Avenue junction in the Ballyholme area close to where she lived. Police have appealed for witnesses or anyone who may have dash cam footage of the incident to contact them. DUP MLA Alex Easton said he was "totally dismayed" by the tragic death. "I believe this accident could have been prevented as Transport NI had planned to introduce a pedestrian crossing at this busy and dangerous junction," he said. "This is the second fatality over the years and Transport NI have a responsibility to now go ahead and install the pedestrian crossing as agreed last year - residents have done a petition and have been crying out for such measures for years." DUP MLA Gordon Dunne said the "awful tragedy" has shocked the entire community and offered his prayers to the lady's family. Alliance councillor Karen Douglas said the stretch of road has "seen tragedy before" as she offered her "deepest condolences to this woman's loved ones." In correspondence from 2015 which has been seen by this newspaper, Transport NI confirmed that the junction met the initial threshold for a pedestrian crossing, but claimed it would be "extremely difficult if not impossible" to install. Elected representatives were advised to inform the PSNI so the location could be included on a list of locations which are subject to intermittent speed monitoring operations. DUP councillor Alistair Cathcart has called for a review of road safety in the wake of the tragedy. "I have been trying for years to improve safety at this location but the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) say it is just too hard. I will raise the issue again," he said. "But of course my thoughts at this time are with the family and friends of the lady who has tragically lost her life." Ulster Unionist MLA Alan Chambers called on DfI to take immediate action to install a controlled pedestrian crossing following the tragedy which unfolded close to where he lives. "I am well aware of the dangerous nature of this junction," he said. "For a long number of years, myself and political colleagues from all parties have campaigned for a controlled pedestrian crossing at this point. "The answer from DfI Roads Service has been a consistent refusal." Mr Chambers claimed that the crossing was "knocked back due to funding issues" and warned that someone else will be killed or injured as a result of inaction. "It's a very well lit road and recently had new LED lighting installed," he said. "It's just a really dangerous road to cross." Mr Chambers has vowed to write to the Permanent Secretary within the department in order to demand immediate action. UUP councillor David Chambers said DfI officials confirmed just last week that the junction has not been included for delivery in the current financial year. "I would hope that following this shocking tragedy, they will reconsider their position," he added. Representatives from Northern Ireland's business, farming, trade union, community and voluntary sectors are travelling to London to urge MPs to avoid a no-deal Brexit. They will speak directly to the leaders of Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party to stress the need for Westminster to "unite and protect" jobs, consumers and the economy here. They have also invited Northern Ireland's 18 MPs to meet them. They say the need for a withdrawal deal is critical to avoid the UK crashing out of the EU in 60 days. Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said the local business community was adamant that a no-deal outcome would be "an unmitigated disaster" for the economy and society. "It is not acceptable for Parliament to continue to create uncertainty," he added. "This is having consequences, as is apparent in our businesses and in our high streets. "The actions of parliamentarians from across the House is not acceptable and I will be pleading with the leadership of the Opposition parties that they need to reach across the chamber and avoid a calamitous crashing out of the EU, which will have dire impact on consumers and jobs." Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI, said: "While Parliament tries to make up its mind, businesses are facing real-life challenges and making decisions. "They are fighting to maintain competitiveness and customers so they can pay wages this Friday and every Friday up to and after March 29, the day the UK wishes to leave the EU. "Our business community, farming representatives, trade unions and voluntary sectors agree that the withdrawal agreement, whilst not perfect, is workable and much better than no deal, and its approval would secure the critical transition period, protect jobs and allow everyone to move to the more positive future relationship negotiations and agreement with the European Union." Owen Reidy, assistant general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, added: "The trade union movement represents over 200,000 workers across all areas of economic activity in Northern Ireland. "We must have an agreement that safeguards jobs and workers rights' and avoids a hard border in the island of Ireland, a border in the Irish Sea and a border between our islands. "Workers cannot pay the price of Brexit." Seamus McAleavey, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action, said: "NICVA and the Northern Ireland community and voluntary sector believe that a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for Northern Ireland society, threatening our stability, prosperity and well-being, and that it is therefore vital that Parliament reaches agreement to avoid this outcome." Colin Neill, chief executive of Hospitality Ulster, said: "We welcome this additional opportunity to speak directly to some of the MPs from across the full range of parties represented at Westminster ahead of the next Brexit vote on Tuesday. "We call on all sides to work towards a compromise and ensure that a no-deal Brexit is avoided. "Our position has always been that a deal needs to be done which meets the business needs of our industry." A no-deal Brexit will drive up food prices and pose a significant risk to the range and quality of products on supermarket shelves, retail bosses have warned (Magdalena Mayom/PA) Leading retailers have warned that a no-deal Brexit will drive up food prices and pose a significant risk to the range and quality of products on supermarket shelves. A letter to MPs warned that tariffs would greatly increase import costs if the UK is forced to fall back on World Trade Organisation rules, while potential delays at ports will reduce the availability and shelf life of many products in our stores. Meanwhile, a former MI5 chief warned that a no-deal Brexit should be avoided at all costs. Baroness Manningham-Buller said that a range of security threats from terrorism to Russian interference were best dealt with in a European context, telling BBC Radio 4s World At One: If we leave without a deal we are going to be less safe. I am pretty queasy that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is so in favour of Brexit I think that should give us all pause. Expand Close Prime Minister Theresa May was continuing talks with Conservative MPs and MEPs ahead of Tuesdays votes (Jonathan Brady/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Prime Minister Theresa May was continuing talks with Conservative MPs and MEPs ahead of Tuesdays votes (Jonathan Brady/PA) The warnings came as MPs prepared to vote on Tuesday on a series of proposed amendments to Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit plans, including some which would block EU withdrawal without an agreement. Downing Street said the PM remained committed to quitting the EU on March 29 this year and will take her plan back to the House of Commons for a second meaningful vote as soon as possible after Tuesdays debate. Mrs May was coming under pressure from Conservative colleagues and the Democratic Unionist Party to seek further concessions from Brussels on the so-called backstop arrangements designed to keep the Irish border open after Brexit. Tory grandee Sir Graham Brady said he hoped to secure Government backing for an amendment on Tuesday which would give the PM enormous firepower when she goes back to Brussels, by telling her to replace the backstop with an alternative arrangement. But hopes of securing concessions were dealt a blow as European Commission vice-president Jyrki Kateinen said it would be a stupid thing for the EU to make further changes putting the remaining 27 members at a disadvantage simply to secure a deal. Mr Kateinen said there was no reason to give any concessions to the UK and there was not much room for manoeuvre on the backstop. Meanwhile, Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a Brussels press conference: This Withdrawal Agreement has been agreed with the UK Government, it is endorsed by leaders and is not open for renegotiation. Expand Close Protests continued in Westminster (Jonathan Brady/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Protests continued in Westminster (Jonathan Brady/PA) Signatories to the retailers letter include Sainsburys, Asda, Marks & Spencer, the Co-Op, Lidl, Waitrose, Costcutter, KFC, McDonalds and Pret A Manger as well as the British Retail Consortium. They warned that the UK relies on Europe for almost one-third of its food, and that it will not be possible in a no-deal scenario to mitigate all risks to supply chains, many of which involve highly perishable goods. In March, the situation is more acute as UK produce is out of season: 90% of our lettuces, 80% of our tomatoes and 70% of our soft fruit is sourced from the EU at that time of year, said the letter. The supermarket and restaurant chain bosses said: We are extremely concerned that our customers will be among the first to experience the realities of a no-deal Brexit. Expand Close PA Graphics Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp PA Graphics We anticipate significant risks to maintaining the choice, quality and durability of food that our customers have come to expect in our stores, and there will be inevitable pressure on food prices from higher transport costs, currency devaluation and tariffs. We are therefore asking you to work with your colleagues in Parliament urgently to find a solution that avoids the shock of a no-deal Brexit on 29 March and removes these risks for UK consumers. Mrs Mays official spokesman told a Westminster media briefing that there was recognition among other EU nations that finalising a deal is in their interests as well as the UKs. The Prime Minister is absolutely committed to leaving the EU with a deal, but clearly if we are to obtain parliamentary support for that deal some changes are going to have to be made, the PMs spokesman said. In a pointed intervention, arch-Brexiteer Boris Johnson insisted he had it from senior sources the PM was planning to go to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop and win a freedom clause. However, Irelands deputy prime minister Simon Coveney insisted there would be no changes to the Withdrawal Agreement, which states the UK will obey EU customs rules if no wider deal has been struck after a transition period. Mr Coveney told the Press Association: Peace and the Good Friday Agreement are more important than Brexit. Even in a no-deal Brexit situation every party and every MP in the UK will have a responsibility to ensure there is no return to a hard border and Northern Ireland is protected. That wont be easy and those who misrepresent the backstop dont have an alternative to it. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Meanwhile, there was no announcement from Labour over whether it will officially back a cross-party amendment put forward by the partys Yvette Cooper and Conservative Nick Boles aimed at stopping a no-deal exit and delaying the date of Brexit until the end of the year. Mr Boles told Today the plan has a great deal of support among ministers and indeed Cabinet ministers and they were pressing for a free vote. This is the last chance for Parliament, this is probably the only opportunity that Parliament is going to have to intervene in this process, to take control, he said. If we dont seize the moment tomorrow afternoon then we are at grave risk of just driving off the edge on March 29 without really wanting to, and when there might be a compromise we could achieve if we just had a few more months. Loyalist serial killer Michael Stone has said poor health means he is no longer a threat to anyone and should be released from jail. Last week, Milltown Cemetery killer Stone secured a legal route to the Supreme Court in his bid to overturn a verdict that he must remain in jail until 2024. The 63-year-old ex-UDA hitman, who was jailed for six murders, was freed early under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement in 2000. Six years later, however, he was returned to jail after attempting to enter Parliament Buildings at Stormont, armed with explosives, knives and an axe, in an attempt to murder Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. Stone denied it had been a bid to kill the politicians, instead claiming it was "performance art". He is attempting to appeal a decision that the six years he spent out on licence should not count towards his minimum term of imprisonment. In a statement from his Maghaberry Prison cell given to the Sunday Life, Stone wrote: "I am not the lively 30-year-old that we see on TV running through Milltown. I am a 63-year-old man with heart, blood pressure and mobility issues related to my muscular dystrophy. "In fact when coming out for paroles or even to attend a weekly visit, I was transported in a minibus with a wheelchair hoist. "I can no longer manage steps and risk an irreparable injury if I were to fall. Further prison time would only be detrimental. I am no danger to anyone." Ministers have been accused of putting the DUP before domestic violence victims after it was claimed plans to reform abortion laws in Northern Ireland had been restricted for fear of angering the party. Labour MP Stella Creasy intended to put down an amendment to the draft Domestic Abuse Bill, but said its scope had been restricted - a technical move which prevents her from bringing her reforms forward. Northern Ireland has a ban on abortions in almost all cases. Prime Minister Theresa May has come under pressure to give MPs a free vote on the issue. But the DUP, who the Prime Minister relies on for a majority in Parliament, is vocal in its opposition to abortion. Ms Creasy tweeted yesterday: "This government cares more about the DUP than domestic violence. Proof (is that) they've restricted scope of Domestic Abuse Bill to try to prevent abortion reform in Northern Ireland. "Won't just affect Northern Ireland but all VAWG (violence against women and girls) - (I am) asking every MP to join me ensuring this scam won't work." Labour MP Jess Phillips urged that the Domestic Abuse Bill must not be used as a "tool to appease the DUP" because this would "undermine the safety of victims from across the UK". The Sunday Times reported that a measure which would have given Westminster jurisdiction over abortion laws in the bill was dropped. A Cabinet Office source told the newspaper: "A bright civil servant foresaw the potential for the legislation to cause problems for the DUP." Abortion is largely prohibited in Northern Ireland through the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. A Home Office spokesman said that whether amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill were in scope would be a matter for the Commons authorities. The DUP has called for Prime Minister Theresa May to "exploit the chaos in Brussels and Dublin" and press for a better Brexit deal. East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson, the DUP's Brexit spokesman, said it was time for the Prime Minister to take advantage of mixed messages coming from the EU and the Irish government over how to deal with the Irish border. Read More "Only last week, the Taoiseach claimed there will be no checkpoints along the border but then within a few days he was sending troops to guard installations which dont even exist," he said. "At the same time, Simon Coveney advised his Ministerial colleagues to say nothing about the border. He didnt want to startle the Irish people. But whether out of panic or plan, Simon Coveney then raised the prospect of checks on boats at an unknown location. "If the chaos in Dublin was not enough, the EU then weighed in and insisted one day that they will have Irish border checks and then the next day, promised there will be none. "Now is the time for the Prime Minister to exploit the cracks which are emerging in the illogical position of the EU and the Irish." The DUP has been at loggerheads with Mrs May over the proposed backstop, which would keep Northern Ireland in a customs union and the single market following Brexit. Expand Close Leo Varadkar (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Leo Varadkar (Brian Lawless/PA) Mr Wilson said the backstop would see Brussels "annex" Northern Ireland and undermine the Union. "We always knew it would come to this when Brussels was faced with a situation of its own intransigence," he said. "It is one of the reasons why the 29th March date must not be moved, otherwise the pressure which the EU and the Irish are now facing will be removed. Now is the time for the Government to be tough and to face down the stubbornness of Dublin and Brussels." Mr Wilson added the EU views the Republic of Ireland "as a small country" which it will "toss aside" once it has been used. Meanwhile, the DUP have been urged to "see the benefits" of the Prime Minister's deal by a delegation from the country's business, farming, trade union, community and voluntary sectors. Twenty representatives held meetings in Westminster to stress the need for MPs to "unite and protect" Northern Ireland's jobs, consumers and economy - and they say the need for a Brexit deal is critical to avoid the UK crashing out of the EU in 60 days. Labour's shadow Brexit secretary, Sir Keir Starmer, spent an hour talking to the group, which is also planning to meet Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay. They have also invited Northern Ireland's 18 MPs to meet them. Expand Close Stephen Kelly, Manufacturing NI / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stephen Kelly, Manufacturing NI Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI, who helped organise the event, said the group wanted to "impress" on the opposition parties the need to protect Northern Ireland. He told the Press Association that the group supported Theresa May's Brexit deal, and said: "Business in Northern Ireland and farming directly engaged with the negotiators to ensure that whatever came out of the Withdrawal Agreement was workable, and it is. So because we have been engaged and employed in the middle of that negotiation what we need is in that agreement, is in that backstop. "If Parliament can't agree that, then whatever it agrees next needs to deliver exactly the same solutions, exactly the same outcomes as what's already been negotiated and agreed." Asked what he would say to the DUP, who prop up Mrs May's Government, he said: "The DUP only partly represent what's going on in Northern Ireland. "Business, farming and jobs all depend on a good agreement and we've been clear to the DUP and to others that we support this Withdrawal Agreement and we would encourage them to see the benefits of it for our community and our economy." Expand Close Glyn Roberts is chief executive of Retail NI / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Glyn Roberts is chief executive of Retail NI Glyn Roberts, chief executive of Retail NI, said: "It is not acceptable for Parliament to continue to create uncertainty. "This is having consequences, as is apparent in our businesses and in our high streets. "The actions of parliamentarians from across the House (of Commons) is not acceptable and I will be pleading with the leadership of the opposition parties that they need to reach across the chamber and avoid a calamitous crashing out of the EU which will have a dire impact on consumers and jobs." By Delana Isles A VIOLENT three hour riot broke out at Her Majestys Prison in Grand Turk on Thursday (January 24) with disgruntled prisoners expressing upset at not be taken to their court hearings. Reports reaching the Weekly News on Thursday afternoon indicated that the disagreement had been long in coming. Inmates had been urged to attend court via video link and repeatedly remanded for offences due to a lack of funding for air travel to Providenciales to attend their trials and other hearings. The issue came to a head earlier this week, when three defendants whose convictions were quashed by the Court of Appeal last year were slated to begin their retrial on Monday (January 21). The defendants were eventually transported to court due to private funding of their air travel, but reports are that their trial did not commence as planned, with a later date being set. On Thursday, frustrated prisoners staged a violent protest in the facility, leaving broken cameras, televisions, microwaves, mops and brooms, tables and other items in their wake. This display prompted the newly appointed Prison Superintendent Grahame Hawkings to try to engage the prisoners to allay their concerns. However, his peace keeping mission was thwarted when angry prisoners dunked several buckets of water on him, poked his deputy in the eyes and pelted them and other officers with rocks and other objects. Order was eventually restored, but the problem remains. Efforts to reach prison officials for comment were unsuccessful up to press time. The non-attendance of inmates to and from court is an ever-increasing problem, with the Court of Appeal angrily wading in on the issue last August, voicing their own disapproval of the local judiciarys non-compliance with the right of prisoners to attend their court hearings. A frustrated justice Elliot Mottley, President of the Court of Appeal, rebuked the court staff and compelled them produce the prisoners after a continuous practice of them taking it upon themselves to anticipate the courts ruling on adjournments and other matters. Mottley informed the court staff that the legal practice is to produce the prisoners on their listed appeal court dates, and when the application is made before the court, as it should be, then the justices will make their decisions on adjournments. The issue this time is a lack of funds for the prison to purchase airfare for inmates whose hearings are in Providenciales, where the majority of criminal proceedings are held. Reports are that the court is taking mitigating measures by remanding the prisoners back into police custody in Providenciales while their trials or hearings are underway. Earlier on Thursday, the Governors Office released a post Cabinet statement in which the body approved a request for additional funding for the prison from the Contingency Fund in the amount of $120,000 for rations and prisoner discharge allowances. There was no indication whether any of this money will be used for the airfare for prisoners travel. Meanwhile, the defendants whose retrial was slated to begin last Monday are Haitian nationals Wilbert Almonor, Fritznel Prevalus and Reginald Presil. They were convicted of conspiracy to rob in a shooting incident that occurred at Sunny Foods supermarket on April 10, 2016. While the men did eventually appear in court, their retrial was put off until Friday, January 25, due to difficulties in the Crowns preparation for the trial. The men have previously applied for bail until their trial commences but there has been no decision on that yet. The mens ten year sentence for the alleged crime was quashed after the Court of Appeal agreed with the defence lawyers that the trial judge, retired justice Joan Joyner, was faulty in her sum up of the evidence to the jury. The lawyers outlined many deficiencies in Joyners summary, which were upheld, culminating in the appellate court sending the case back for retrial. Police at he scene of a serious assault at Cluan Place in east Belfast. Pics Kevin Scott. Police at the scene of a serious assault at Cluan Place, east Belfast. Pic Kevin Scott Police at the scene of a serious assault at Cluan Place, east Belfast. Pic Kevin Scott Police at the scene of a serious assault at Cluan Place, east Belfast. Pic Kevin Scott Police are at the scene of a serious assault in Belfast. A man aged in his 40s was attacked in the Cluan Place area at around 9.30pm on Sunday. Read More Police would only said the man was taken to hospital and appealed for information. Police have in place a large cordon around the area with part of the Alberbridge Road closed. It's expected officers will remain at the scene for some time to carry out their investigations. Any one with information is asked to contact 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Hopes of compromise on the controversial Brexit backstop seem no nearer on the eve of a crucial set of votes in the Commons, with one senior Brussels official blasting the idea of concessions as stupid. Leading Conservative Brexiteers indicated they may not support alternative arrangements to keep the Irish border open, while the DUP which props up Theresa Mays minority Government called on the Prime Minister to face down the stubbornness of Dublin and Brussels. Meanwhile, MPs heard warnings of the danger a no-deal Brexit would pose to the safety of the UK and to the security of its food supplies. In a joint letter, leading retailers including Sainsburys, Asda and Waitrose warned that quitting the EU without a Withdrawal Agreement on March 29 would risk driving up food prices and cutting the range and quality of products on supermarket shelves. Former MI5 chief Baroness Manningham-Buller warned that a no-deal Brexit should be avoided at all costs. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Declaring herself queasy at the enthusiasm of Russian President Vladimir Putin for Brexit, Lady Manningham-Buller said a range of security threats from terrorism to Russian interference were best dealt with in a European context. If we leave without a deal we are going to be less safe, she told BBC Radio 4s World At One. MPs will vote on Tuesday on a range of amendments to Mrs Mays Brexit plans, including some which would block a no-deal departure and others which seek to salvage the PMs Withdrawal Agreement by changing the terms of the backstop to keep the Irish border open. The amendments are not legally binding on the PM, but majority support for any would place immense political pressure on Mrs May as she seeks a way ahead after the crushing defeat of her plan by 230 votes earlier this month. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Downing Street said the PM remains committed to quitting the EU on March 29 and will take her plan back to the Commons for a second meaningful vote as soon as possible after Tuesdays debate, whether or not she secures more concessions from Brussels. The Prime Minister is absolutely committed to leaving the EU with a deal, but clearly if we are to obtain parliamentary support for that deal some changes are going to have to be made, the PMs spokesman said. Mrs May spent Monday meeting Conservative MPs and MEPs, as backbenchers pressed for changes to the backstop. Tory grandee Sir Graham Brady said he hoped to secure Government backing for his amendment which demands the replacement of the backstop with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border. Expand Close Sir Graham Brady (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sir Graham Brady (Stefan Rousseau/PA) He said the proposal would give enormous firepower to the PM when she returns to Brussels, by setting out clearly what the UK Parliament is ready to back. Brexit figurehead Boris Johnson insisted he had heard from senior sources that the PM was planning to renegotiate the backstop and win a freedom clause. But there were question marks over whether the Brady amendment would win the support of Tory Eurosceptic rebels in the European Research Group. Senior Brexiteer Sir Bernard Jenkin said he did not intend to back it, telling ITV News: Its very vague and its deliberately vague because its meant to mean different things to different people. Exposure of the breathtaking hypocrisy of the EU Commission that also exposes there is no need at all for the Irish 'backstop' in the UK's EU draft Withdrawal Agreement. The lack of accountability of the EU Commission is one of the reasons the UK voted LEAVE. @BrexitCentral https://t.co/xOFiMroKzC Bernard Jenkin (@bernardjenkin) January 24, 2019 Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith was reported to have called on Mrs May to table her own amendment, to provide greater clarity and purpose. The DUPs Sammy Wilson said Mrs May should exploit the cracks which are emerging in the illogical position of the EU and the Irish. Mr Wilson said chaos in thinking about the backstop had been exposed by recent suggestions from Irish premier Leo Varadkar that troops may have to be sent to the border in a no-deal scenario. STATEMENT: Itas time to exploit chaos and press for a better deal. pic.twitter.com/YliHnILVqg Sammy Wilson MP (@eastantrimmp) January 28, 2019 Insisting the UK must hold to the date of March 29 to maintain pressure on the EU and Ireland, Mr Wilson said: Now is the time for the Government to be tough and to face down the stubbornness of Dublin and Brussels. European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told reporters in Brussels that the Withdrawal Agreement was endorsed by leaders and is not open for renegotiation. Commission vice-president Jyrki Kateinen said it would be a stupid thing for the EU to make concessions putting the remaining 27 members at a disadvantage simply to secure a deal. Mr Kateinen said there was no reason to give any concessions to the UK and there was not much room for manoeuvre on the backstop. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Chief EU negotiator Michel Barniers deputy Sabine Weyand said it was quite a challenge to see how a majority in support of a deal could be constructed in Westminster, warning there was a high risk of the UK crashing out by accident. Ms Weyand told a Brussels conference that negotiation on the Withdrawal Agreement was finished. Dismissing calls for changes to the backstop as like Groundhog Day, she insisted the EU27 were unanimous in opposing any time limit. A amanaged no deala cannot constitute the policy of any responsible Government, says Brexit Committee https://t.co/nXq0ruk4Hf Nick Boles (@NickBoles) January 28, 2019 There was no announcement from Labour over whether it will officially back a cross-party amendment put forward by the partys Yvette Cooper and Conservative Nick Boles aimed at stopping a no-deal exit and delaying the date of Brexit until the end of the year. Mr Boles told the Today programme the plan has a great deal of support among ministers and indeed Cabinet ministers and they were pressing for a free vote. This is the last chance for Parliament, this is probably the only opportunity that Parliament is going to have to intervene in this process, to take control. An artist has turned the harrowing story of a Holocaust survivor into a triumph of humanity over inhumanity by producing artwork in her memory. A series of paintings by Leslie Nicholl is being hosted by the Northern Ireland War Memorial museum (NIWM) in Belfast to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, which took place yesterday. The exhibition - 'My Name Is Might Have Been - was inspired by the story of the late Helen Lewis, who survived the Second World War genocide and settled in Belfast. Ms Lewis, a talented ballerina and choreographer, was forced to live in a Jewish ghetto in her native Czechoslovakia before being deported to Auschwitz, the largest Nazi death camp. She survived its horrors, and when war ended she came to Belfast where she started a dance company and taught and inspired dancers. Her book, A Time To Speak, which has been reprinted and published in many different languages, left an indelible impression on Leslie and was to change his life. "It's a harrowing story with its humanity and, equally, its terrible inhumanity," the 63-year-old artist said. "The book made a deep impression on me to the point that my wife Elaine and myself travelled to Prague and then to Auschwitz simply as an act of respect for Helen Lewis and her generation. "I had no intention of painting pictures based on those dreadful times, but what shocked me was that for two years I was very upset and unsettled after the visit to Auschwitz. "By chance I came across a box of cotton handkerchiefs lying about the house and one evening I laid a few of them on the wooden floor boards of my studio and started to paint and all of these ghosts of faces just came flooding from somewhere." The former teacher, who lives in Bangor, said he painted 60 faces on 60 handkerchiefs in the studio of his three-storey Victorian seaside house, which he shares with his 62-year-old wife. And he explained how he got the opportunity to actually meet Ms Lewis, for whom these artworks were painted, ahead of his first exhibition at The Engine Room Gallery in Belfast. "The director Cliff Brookes asked me to visit the gallery as a lady wanted to talk to me about the exhibition," he recalled. "I agreed to the meeting and, as I walked in, this tiny, gentle lady turned around to smile at me and I was utterly staggered. I was looking at Helen Lewis. "She had already viewed the exhibition and asked me if she could open the launch - and that's exactly what she did." He added: "I am, and always will be, deeply indebted to Helen Lewis, her kindness and generosity of spirit." The work making up the new exhibition was originally titled 'Closely Observed Trains', and is now dedicated to her memory. Six of the handkerchief paintings will be displayed - space is too limited to show all of them - but the rest of the work will be projected onto a screen. The paintings show the faces of people who experienced the Holocaust, and have the names of various concentration and death camps printed on them using lead typeface. One of the portraits is of Ms Lewis, and when the artist painted it he hadn't met her yet. It is based on a photograph in her book taken when she was a child. NIWM manager Jenny Haslett said: "The series of paintings My Name Is Might Have Been were donated to the museum in 2016 by the artist who felt NIWM was an ideal home for them. "We hope the exhibition will be well attended by the public, who will be inspired to learn more about Helen's experience, which sadly she shared with millions of others. "NIWM is delighted to have these paintings in its collection and is honoured to work with Leslie to exhibit them and highlight the life of Helen Lewis." Ms Lewis died on New Year's Eve in 2009 at the age of 93. My Name Is Might Have Been runs until March 29. Admission is free. For details visit the website, www.niwarmemorial.org Prime Minister Theresa May leaves Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to meet Conservative MPs ahead of tomorrows Brexit vote. (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Theresa May has thrown her weight behind a parliamentary move to win her more Brexit negotiating power by rallying MPs behind an alternative to the controversial backstop. Conservative chairman Brandon Lewis announced that Tory MPs will be whipped to support an amendment tabled by senior backbencher Sir Graham Brady in a series of votes on Tuesday evening. And Tory backbenchers Andrew Murrison and John Baron withdrew their rival amendments, which would have required the scrapping or time-limiting of the backstop, which is designed to avoid the need for a hard border in Ireland following Brexit. Pulling my amendment (e) and supporting Brady amendment (n) so thereas clarity for MPs worried about so-called backstop. #Brexit Rt Hon Andrew Murrison MP (@AWMurrison) January 28, 2019 But the dramatic move was far from guaranteed to deliver a majority for the plan, after it failed to win the support of the influential European Research Group of Conservative eurosceptics. The amendment tabled by Sir Graham, the chair of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee states that Parliament would be willing to support the Withdrawal Agreement reached with the EU last November, so long as the backstop is replaced with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border. The Tory grandee said that he hoped that House of Commons backing would give Mrs May enormous firepower when she returns to Brussels to seek concessions on her Brexit deal. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) But the chairman of the European Research Group, Jacob Rees-Mogg, said that its members, thought to number at least 60, will not support the scheme when it comes before the Commons on Tuesday. Mrs May addressed MPs in Westminster on the eve of a day of high drama, when MPs will debate a range of rival amendments, including calls to block a no-deal departure or delay Brexit from its scheduled date of March 29. Expand Close Sir Graham Brady (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sir Graham Brady (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Emerging from a meeting of the ERG just moments before the PMs arrival, Mr Rees-Mogg said the group would not support any amendment, but would decide on the day whether to abstain or vote against. MPs in the ERG were concerned that the Brady amendment did not spell out what would replace the backstop and did not specify that changes to the text of the Withdrawal Agreement were required, he said. Mr Lewis said that the Brady amendment would allow the Prime Minister to give a very clear message around what Parliament wants, where the party is. He said: I would hope the ERG, when they look at this and actually look through the detail of what this gives the PM tomorrow, (see) it is about giving a message to Europe about what can go through Parliament in terms of dealing with the backstop issue and why that matters. STATEMENT: Itas time to exploit chaos and press for a better deal. pic.twitter.com/YliHnILVqg Sammy Wilson MP (@eastantrimmp) January 28, 2019 Sammy Wilson of the DUP, whose 10 MPs prop up the minority Conservative administration, said the PM should exploit the cracks which are emerging in the illogical position of the EU and the Irish. Insisting the UK must hold to the date of March 29 to maintain pressure on the EU and Ireland, Mr Wilson said: Now is the time for the Government to be tough and to face down the stubbornness of Dublin and Brussels. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) There was no sign in Brussels of any appetite to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement. Chief EU negotiator Michel Barniers deputy Sabine Weyand warned there was now a high risk of the UK crashing out by accident, as it was quite a challenge to see how a majority can be constructed at Westminster. And European Commission vice-president Jyrki Kateinen said there was no reason to give any concessions to the UK and there was not much room for manoeuvre on the backstop. It would be stupid for the EU to make concessions putting the remaining 27 members at a disadvantage simply to secure a deal, he said. Downing Street said the PM remains committed to quitting the EU on March 29 and will take her plan back to the Commons for a second meaningful vote as soon as possible after Tuesdays debate. The Prime Minister is absolutely committed to leaving the EU with a deal, but clearly if we are to obtain parliamentary support for that deal some changes are going to have to be made, the PMs spokesman said. The developments came as major supermarkets and fast-food chains warned that a no-deal Brexit will force up prices and reduce the choice and quality of produce for shoppers. In a joint letter, bosses of firms including Sainsbury, Asda, KFC and McDonalds said: We anticipate significant risks to maintaining the choice, quality and durability of food that our customers have come to expect in our stores, and there will be inevitable pressure on food prices from higher transport costs, currency devaluation and tariffs. We are therefore asking you to work with your colleagues in Parliament urgently to find a solution that avoids the shock of a no-deal Brexit on 29 March and removes these risks for UK consumers. Meanwhile, former MI5 chief Baroness Manningham-Buller warned that no-deal Brexit should be avoided at all costs because security threats, from terrorism to Russian interference, were best dealt with in a European context. If we leave without a deal we are going to be less safe, she told BBC Radio 4s World At One. A amanaged no deala cannot constitute the policy of any responsible Government, says Brexit Committee https://t.co/nXq0ruk4Hf Nick Boles (@NickBoles) January 28, 2019 There was no announcement from Labour over whether it will officially back a cross-party amendment put forward by the partys Yvette Cooper and Conservative Nick Boles aimed at stopping a no-deal exit and delaying the date of Brexit until the end of the year. Mr Boles said the plan has a great deal of support among ministers and indeed Cabinet ministers and they were pressing for a free vote. This is the last chance for Parliament, this is probably the only opportunity that Parliament is going to have to intervene in this process, to take control, he said. The Federation of Small Businesses gave its backing to the Cooper amendment, which it said would help provide the space for other ways forward to be explored. A stable, predictable economic and political environment is a prerequisite for small business growth and the jobs that this sustains, said FSB chair Mike Cherry. With small business confidence already at its lowest since 2011, a no-deal Brexit on March 29 would put this at risk. Trees made famous by Game of Thrones which were damaged A tree on Northern Ireland's most famous country road has been uprooted by strong winds which battered Co Antrim over the weekend. One of the giant beeches that form the 'Dark Hedges', featured in HBO fantasy drama Game of Thrones, fell victim to the icy blast of 60mph gales on Saturday night. Causeway Coast and Glens councillor Joan Baird said she believes heavy numbers of tourists are contributing to the "terrible loss" for the Armoy site. "These are very old trees, but cars and buses driving over their roots has been a problem that has taken too long to solve," she said. Branches were ripped off the trees by similar gusts during Storm Hector last June. Ms Baird warned at that time that trees would topple unless crowd control measures were implemented - now she is warning more could be lost. "The vast numbers of visitors and the amount of cars is damaging the roots - it forces them to bend and squeeze in, which weakens the trees," she said. "We need to hurry up and build an underpass from the nearby hotel car park to preserve these trees and the tourism benefits they bring." Fans from all over the world flock to 'Kings Road' on the Bregagh Road to get a picture in front of the haunting backdrop. Less than two thirds of the 150 trees planted along the entrance to the Stuart family's Gracehill House mansion more than two centuries ago remain standing. The famous tunnel of trees - which provided Arya Stark with her escape route from King's Landing - is counted among the top 10 most-Instagrammed locations here, ranking even higher than Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Four people have been arrested in connection with the murder of Ian Ogle in east Belfast on Sunday evening. Police have confirmed that two men, aged 31 and 45, and two women, aged 35 and 36 have been arrested as part of their murder investigation. Read More All four remain in custody assisting police with their enqurieis. A murder investigation was launched after the 45-year-old community worker was attacked in the Cluan Place area sometime between 9pm and 10pm. A number of searches were carried out in east Belfast on Monday in relation to the murder. The UVF have denied any involvement and said the attack was not carried out in the "name of loyalism". Detective Chief Inspector Peter McKenna said police were seen to speak to a group of men who were seen fleeing the scene following the murder. "I would like to thank the local community for their patience and assistance as we progress our investigation," he said. Expand Close Police and forensic officers at the scene of a murder in Cluan Place, east Belfast on January 28th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police and forensic officers at the scene of a murder in Cluan Place, east Belfast on January 28th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) We are continuing in our efforts to find those responsible for this brutal murder and I would again appeal for anyone who was in the general area of Cluan Place or Templemore Avenue between 9pm and 10pm last night and who may have any information which could assist us with our inquiries to make contact on 101 quoting reference number 1303 of 27/1/19. "I am particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have seen a group of men running in this area and I would also ask anyone with dash-cam footage to contact us." Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800555111. A DUP councillor has been given a five month suspension from Antrim and Newtownabbey Council after being convicted of drink-driving. Former Mayor Thomas Hogg admitted drink-driving in court in Belfast in May last year. Hogg (30) was banned from driving for 12 months, fined 250 and later suspended from the DUP. The Local Government Ethical Standards directorate carried out an investigation into Mr Hogg's conduct and decided to suspend him for five months. The Local government Commissioner for Standards said that Mr Hogg was suspended after he "breached the local government code of conduct which states that councillors must not bring their position as councillor, of their council into disrepute," the BBC reported. The suspension will begin on Monday 4 February and will continue until the end of his term of office. Councillor Hogg said that he "accepted the sanction" and was "deeply sorry" for his behaviour. "My conduct let down my constituents and party. It was wrong and will not happen again," he said. The DUP said that he had been suspended from the party for eight months, but that suspension has now been lifted. "The party notices the sanction, Councillor Hogg's fulsome apology and his commitment to ensure this behaviour is never repeated," a party spokesperson said. Elected as a councillor in 2011, Hogg served as mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey for two consecutive years from 2014. In 2016 he was awarded an MBE for services to local government. The extradition hearing for a Co Donegal man wanted by prosecutors in Northern Ireland over the murder of two UDR soldiers in 1972 has heard claims that police in the UK attempted to fabricate photofit evidence using a picture taken from his house. John Downey, 67, appeared before the High Court in Dublin on Monday to face the extradition hearing. Downeys barrister Garnet Orange SC, said the claims emerged during disclosure proceedings at his trial for the IRAs Hyde Park bombing which collapsed in controversy four years ago. Downey was detained on an unrelated matter in the Republic of Ireland last October under a European arrest warrant. Expand Close John Downey arrives for an extradition hearing (Niall Carson/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp John Downey arrives for an extradition hearing (Niall Carson/PA) In 2013, Downey was charged with murdering four Royal Household Cavalrymen in a bomb in Londons Hyde Park in 1982. He stood trial at the Old Bailey, but the case dramatically collapsed after it was revealed he had received a written assurance from former prime minister Tony Blairs government that he was not actively wanted by the authorities. The letter was issued under the terms of the controversial On The Runs (OTRs) scheme. Mr Downey has always denied any involvement in the Hyde Park attack. During Mondays hearing, Mr Orange said there were credible attempts to fabricate visual identification evidence in relation to the 1982 offences. The court was told that members of An Garda Siochana unlawfully removed pictures of Downey from his home and passed them to the authorities in the UK. These pictures, Mr Orange said, were used to create an image of Downey as a suspect in the Hyde Park bombing. Mr Orange said: It appears from the information given to my client that the image in question was generated from a picture of my client which was taken from his house before 1982 in the course of the raid by the gardai. Last year, Northern Irelands Public Prosecution Service initiated extradition proceedings after determining it had sufficient evidence to charge him with the murders of Lance Corporal Alfred Johnston, 32, and Private James Eames, 33, in a car bomb attack in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. Expand Close The scene following an IRA car bomb blast in Hyde Park, London, which killed four Royal Household Cavalrymen and seven horses (PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The scene following an IRA car bomb blast in Hyde Park, London, which killed four Royal Household Cavalrymen and seven horses (PA) The two Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers died when an IRA bomb exploded in a car they were checking on Irvinestown Road, Cherrymount, on August 25 1972. During Mondays hearing, Mr Orange also claimed that gardai took his fingerprints without legal justification which were then sent to the UK authorities. That is a clear breach of his rights, he added. Gardai took his fingerprints without his consent, retained them without his consent or any legal justification. Downeys barrister said his client is now subject to the extradition proceedings because of the same catastrophic failure. The irony at this stage is that the very people who contributed to the failure are the very people who are bringing this application for extradition, he added. The UK authorities are having a second bite of the same cherry. He also made an appeal to Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly to not proceed with the case until after March 29 when Brexit matters have been clarified. Remy Farrell, barrister for the State, said however that Downeys counsel did not identify how his client would be impinged by Brexit. Justice Donnelly said she will reserve judgment until March 1. Anti-Brexit signage is seen on the border crossing on the Ferryhill Road near Newry and Omeath Theresa May's bid to get EU concessions on the Northern Ireland Brexit backstop has been strongly rejected by Dublin. The Prime Minister has anchored her attempts to try and re-sell her Brexit strategy to Parliament on a push to change the backstop proposals which have been roundly condemned by prominent Leave supporters. However, Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney firmly insisted the EU was not prepared to accept changes to the deal which is aimed at preventing the return of a hard border. He told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "The European Parliament will not ratify a Withdrawal Agreement that doesn't have a backstop in it. It's as simple as that. "The backstop is already a compromise. It is a series of compromises. It was designed around British red lines. "Ireland has the same position as the European Union now, I think, when we say that the backstop as part of the Withdrawal Agreement is part of a balanced package that isn't going to change." Health Secretary Matt Hancock denied Mr Coveney's comments meant Mrs May's Brexit deal was "dead in the water". "Not at all," said Mr Hancock. "That's a negotiating position the Irish are taking, but I think it's also extremely clear from that interview and the tone... Ireland doesn't want to have a no-deal Brexit. "The whole purpose of the backstop is to avoid a hard border, which risks being a consequence of a no-deal Brexit. "The idea the EU and the Irish Government would drive this process to a no-deal exit in order to try to achieve something which is intended to avoid no-deal Brexit, that is not going to happen." Education Secretary Damian Hinds told Sky News: "There are multiple reasons to believe the backstop would never come into place. And, even if it did, actually there are some advantages to the backstop as well as drawbacks." However, Brexiteer Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns said she wanted the PM to abandon the backstop, telling Sky News: "I'd like to see her bin the backstop. I think we need to bin it completely." The backstop would see the UK remain under EU customs rules if a wider trade agreement had not been reached after a transition period. Tory Brexiteers have tabled Commons amendments calling for major changes to the backstop, including the imposition of an end date for it. Tory MP Andrew Murrison wants a deadline of the end of December 2021 put on the "backstop" proposal intended to avoid a hard border in Ireland. Backed by Tory grandees like 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady, it is believed to be viewed favourably by Downing Street as a way of showing Brussels that the Withdrawal Agreement could get through the Commons if concessions are made over Northern Ireland. Another amendment from Dr Murrison seeks the backstop to be "replaced with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border". Commons Speaker John Bercow will decide if the backstop amendments get to be voted on by MPs when the PM's Brexit stance is again considered in Parliament tomorrow. The Alliance Party warned attempts to pass Parliamentary amendments to restrict or change the backstop would only serve to waste time and increase the risk of a no-deal Brexit. Brexit spokesman Stephen Farry MLA said: "There is increased speculation the Conservatives and DUP are trying to unite around demands for major changes to the backstop. "This approach is a dead-end. It would not constitute majority support to advance the Withdrawal Agreement, but rather an action to undermine it." The tensions emerged as it was revealed preparations are being looked at for the possible imposition of martial law after a no-deal Brexit. The move has been described by sources as the civil service "prepping" for all possibilities. Mr Hancock denied the government was "specifically" planning for martial law but did not rule it out. "I wouldn't put a stress on that," he said. "Of course government all the time looks at all the options in all circumstances." He distanced himself from leaked comments in November claiming he had said he could not guarantee patients would not die in a no-deal scenario. "I didn't quite say that," he said. "Cabinet discussions are meant to be secret." Police say they are closing in on the killers of an ex-IRA man turned informer. Eamon Collins (45) was beaten and stabbed to death with a hunting knife on a country road near his home in Newry on January 27, 1999. Detectives used the 20th anniversary of his murder at the weekend to issue a fresh appeal for information. They said advances in DNA technology have brought them closer to identifying one of his killers. Detective Inspector Conor Sweeney from Legacy Investigation Branch said it was a brutal murder. "Eamon Collins was attacked while out walking his dogs in the peaceful, lonely early hours of the morning," he said. "A car full of people pulled up beside him and launched a sudden, sustained and savage assault. Beaten about the body with blunt objects and stabbed repeatedly in the head and face, Eamon never stood a chance that morning." Mr Collins detailed his life in the IRA in the book Killing Rage, which explained how he set up work colleagues for death. He was arrested in 1985 and charged with 50 terrorist offences including five murders and membership of the IRA. He turned supergrass and more than 40 suspects were arrested, but most were released after Collins had a change of heart. The night before his murder, he had painted out the graffiti notice of his own execution: 'Eamon Collins: British Agent 1985-1999' written on a gable wall around the corner from his terraced home. In his weekend appeal, DI Sweeney added: "It's a fact that elements of Eamon Collins' life have been highly publicised in the media and other public records. However, that past was behind him and he himself had publicly rejected violence and turned away from those involved in such violence. "At the time of his brutal murder, Eamon was simply a devoted husband and a loving father. The killers left in their destructive wake a grieving widow and four fatherless children." He said detectives will be following several lines of enquiry in the weeks ahead, warning that "those responsible should expect police attention". He continued: "A full DNA profile has been recovered from the crime scene. We believe this DNA profile was left by one of the killer gang. With the advances in DNA technology, I believe we are close to identifying this person." DI Sweeney added: "Twenty years have now passed since this merciless killing. I ask those who were involved, or heard accounts of what happened, either in the immediate aftermath or indeed over the years, to think about the devastating effect this has had on Eamon's family, and to come forward to the police." Information can be given to detectives by calling 101, emailing LIBEnquiries@psni.pnn.police.uk, or calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. By Olivia Rose "WERE paying you for months to provide a service to our people and they cannot get these basic services. These frustrated sentiments were expressed by Minister of Health Hon. Edwin Astwood who recently called out InterHealth Canada for its inefficiency, exorbitant prices and malfunctioning machines. Astwood made these remarks during a report on his ministrys half term progress on Radio Turks and Caicos on January 17. He said that many complaints relating to the lack of vital healthcare services have reached his desk over the past few months and he is disappointed with the level of service being provided. For years the Government and InterHealth Canada have been discussing ways to improve the cost efficiency of administrative operations of the two hospitals in the TCI. TCIG recently employed a law firm to look into the contractual agreement. Astwood said: "Over the last few years weve had many meetings and we have a law firm on board that is acting on behalf of TCIG in the arrangements and looking at this contract and dealing with a lot of the contractual issues. "I can give a personal opinion on what I see and how I feel. "It really upsets me to see that many of the basic services that we pay this facility for - CAT scan for three, four months persons cannot get it, mammograms now persons are telling me, We went there and this machine is down, that machine is down and the MRI - and those things persons are waiting for months just to get those procedures done. "And TCIG is paying them, our people are paying them so much every month to provide these services. "Now this is no knock on any individual within the institution. Were talking about the whole institution because that nurse or that physiotherapist or that doctor theyre not really responsible for that, theyre just working there, so Im not directing this at them. "Were paying you for months to provide a service to our people. That is the whole thing, we are paying you to provide a service. "Youre not doing this free of cost, so why is it that were paying you and months upon months our people who we already paid for cannot get these basic services? He further stressed that the hospital is not maintaining certain medical standards which raises consumer concerns about the delivery of healthcare. "Mammograms, MRIpeople with all kinds of pains just need these scans and cannot get it and sometimes its the x-ray machines and I was like for Gods sake the x-ray machines have to be down for months and they could call somebody to come in and do that right away. "Why is it that these things are taking months? This supposed to be a state-of-the-art facility and you and I know at the old Grand Turk hospital it wont take months for basic services to get back up. "When we had less, we did more. So, I cannot understand for the life of me why machines are down for months at this state-of-the-art facility and we have five to six flights coming in everyday to this country from all corners of the world and we cannot get these basic services up and going in this day and age. "These things are upsetting to me and many of us in the ministry because we want to do what is best for our patients and when we see that our patients arent getting the care they need you know something is wrong with that. Alluding to the ripple effect the inefficiency of the hospital has placed on the entire healthcare system, Astwood said: "And whats going to happen next? The burden will be on NHIP eventually because these persons need their procedures to be done. Whos going to pay for that? "Maybe we have to insist that they pay for sending these persons off since were paying you to provide a service theyre not providing. "We need to insist that they pay because if you cannot provide the service send them where the service can be provided at your cost. He underscored that the facility must maintain its end of the bargain. Although, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health Desiree Lewis, during the interview on RTC did not divulge much about the legal process she however stressed that the Government is working towards an amicable solution. "What I would say, because of the content of the project agreement between TCIG and InterHealth Canada is confidential, so what I would say is that we are working as a team with the hospitals to have a more collaborative partnership and were looking at some of the things that need changing. "So that we could ensure that Turks and Caicos Islanders continue to use the best level of healthcare services at affordable prices. Astwood in an interview last year said his administration was facing an uphill battle to correct the inadequacies in the initial contract between the Government and InterHealth Canada. "I was wondering who negotiated on these deals because now sitting in Cabinet it is almost impossible for us to get anything done because we have to check this box and that box, and I am like, where were all of these checks before the PDM administration got in? "How come all of these things went unnoticed? All these things happened in the Turks and Caicos, all these bad deals and Im looking at now being in Government and being in Cabinet and seeing that all of the hoops and letters that we have to jump through just to get anything to happen. "I was wondering how come these things happen in the past and where were these checks and balances before that could have prevented all of these things from happening and how come all of these checks and balances only appear now? Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 26th January 2019. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. PSNI officers carry out a reconstruction of last weekend's bombing outside Derry Courthouse. Two former Northern Ireland police chiefs have warned that dissident republicans are ready to exploit the chaos around Brexit to launch a new wave of terror. It comes amid growing fears of violence linked to the UK's impending departure from the European Union on March 29. Read More Former Assistant Chief Constable Alan McQuillan told this newspaper that some are "hitching themselves to the Brexit bandwagon" to stoke trouble. His warning came as former PSNI boss Hugh Orde said dissident republicans would view a hard border as an opportunity to mount further attacks. It also follows reports that MI5 has stationed more than 700 officers in Belfast as part of an intelligence operation to combat the growing threat. The spy agency's main target is the so-called New IRA, a group of some 40 hardliners responsible for the Londonderry courthouse car bombing last weekend. Expand Close Ex-PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ex-PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh That explosion occurred only 30 minutes after a telephone warning to the Samaritans in the West Midlands while police were still clearing the area. Mr McQuillan said the hardliners remain a threat and are intent on further attacks despite the sustained security push by police and intelligence services. "The reality is they are always dangerous and they will use fears over a hard border to try and ramp up their activities," he said. "The dissidents are hitching themselves to the Brexit bandwagon. I think there will be further attacks, I think they remain dangerous. But I don't think they'll succeed." He added: "They're destroying the lives of Derry people. Let's be honest, it's not damaging people in Dublin or London. Derry last week damaged people in Derry." He described the New IRA, formed in 2012 by a merger of the Real IRA which carried out the 1998 Omagh bombing, splinter groups and individuals, as "utterly, utterly reckless". He added: "Phoning England with a bomb warning introduced a huge delay and it ran the risk of police not having time to evacuate and the bomb going off and killing people. It was a recipe to create another Omagh." Mr McQuillan said the New IRA's ability to launch last Saturday's attack was "down to police resources" and he said the current number of officers - around 6,500 - falls well below the 7,500 recommended in the Patten Report. "Police can't be everywhere all the time," he said. "Thinking back to my service, there were times when you knew there was a general intention to mount an attack in a particular area and you did everything you could to prevent that. Expand Close Ex-ACC Alan McQuillan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ex-ACC Alan McQuillan "Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. You couldn't stop every single thing getting through. Alternatively, if you're directing your resources towards one thing, the terrorists will often have a secondary target and they'll go for that instead. "PSNI has been run down in staffing levels and budget over a number of years by successive governments, but we're entering a dangerous phase now and they need to make sure that PSNI has all the resources it needs to deal with this." It came as former Chief Constable Sir Hugh also warned that a hard border would be exploited by dissident republicans. He accused politicians of not paying enough attention to the potential for a return to violence in the even of a hard border and he said there is no way to avoid the return of security patrols in the event of a no-deal Brexit. "At the moment you see anything that starts to create the perception of a hard distinction between North and South, it creates a catalyst that allows people to exploit that position and dissident republicans would be in that category," he told RTE's This Week programme. He described last weekend's New IRA car bombing as a "significant move". He added: "It's a statement that things are going to get more difficult, not less." Sir Hugh said that, if he was still leading the PSNI, a hard border would "worry me greatly". Asked whether politicians had paid enough attention to the security threat that looms over a hard border, he replied: "People seem to have their head stuck in the mud and hoping it will all go away, and certainly it won't and it hasn't." PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton warned last year that if border posts and security installations were created as a result of a hard Brexit they would be seen as targets for attack by dissident republicans. "The last thing we would want is any infrastructure around the border because there is something symbolic about it and it becomes a target for violent dissident republicans," he said. "Our assessment is that they would be a target because it would be representative of the state and in their minds fair game for attack. I would assume that that assessment is shared by senior politicians and officials who are negotiating Brexit." Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, a former high-ranking PSNI officer, also warned in November that dissident republicans will attempt to exploit any form of a hard border post-Brexit as "an emotional rally call around their outlook and terrorist aspirations". Caelin Harkin is accused of inflicting the injuries after turning up at her home and starting a row. A university student allegedly punched and knocked his mother's tooth out, the High Court has heard. Caelin Harkin is accused of inflicting the injuries after turning up at her home and starting a row. Harkin, 22, of Meelmore Drive in Omagh, Co Tyrone, also faces separate charges of assaulting police and disorderly behaviour at a bus station in Belfast. Defence lawyers argued that he should be released on bail again to continue with his quantity surveying studies at the University of Ulster. He is charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm over the alleged domestic violence incident. Prosecution counsel Iryna Kennedy said Harkin's mother told police he had attacked her in the early hours of June 24 last year. "She said her son turned up, started an argument and then punched her to the face, causing a cut and swelling to her mouth and a tooth to fall out. "The tooth was recovered from the fireplace." The court was told the woman is classified as a potential high-risk victim of domestic violence. Harkin is further accused of assaulting three police officers and disorderly behaviour at the Europa bus centre on Belfast's Glengall Street last August. He was later released from custody, but arrested again last month following an incident in Omagh where he allegedly had a metal pole as a weapon. Defence counsel said Harkin is now attempting to "get back on the straight and narrow". The barrister added: "He accepts that he's at a crossroads and this is his chance to turn his life around with a university degree - he's only the second person in his family to attend university." Mr Justice Huddleston was told Harkin has to re-sit some exams and plans to move to Belfast. Adjourning the bail application, the judge indicated that he wanted to be provided with an address. The car of an Alliance Party activist has been damaged in an "acid attack" in Larne. East Antrim party activist Danny Donnelly said that his car was attacked outside his home last Monday. When Mr Donnelly took his car to a local mechanic to have it repaired, he was told that his car had been daubed with acid. Mr Donnelly was able to have the car repaired, but said it was "very concerning" that someone would carry out such an attack. The former Assembly election candidate said that he couldn't think of any reason he would be targeted in such a way. Mr Donnelly said that he could not be sure that he was targeted because of his political activities but said he had some issues in the past, such as having his election posters burned on bonfires. The registered nurse said that he had received a warm response from across the political spectrum after revealing details of the attack. Big thanks to everyone who messaged me today either on here or in private about my car being damaged - especially those with a different political outlook! Itas heartening to know that while we donat always agree we can give support when something like this happens. #CheersGuys Cllr Danny Donnelly (@DannyDonnelly1) January 28, 2019 "The guy who fixed my car said that he'd heard of it before, but it wasn't very common. They tend to target the bonnet and the roof so the car needs a full respray, luckily mine didn't" Mr Donnelly said. "I've never even heard of this kind of thing before and I just hope it's not followed up and doesn't happen again. Expand Close East Antrim: Danny Donnelly, Alliance / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp East Antrim: Danny Donnelly, Alliance "It's concerning that someone would go for your property, for whatever reason. It was clearly deliberate, they came prepared with something to use on it." The Alliance activist said that his connection to the party was well known in the Larne area. "I live in a quiet neighbourhood, we know most of our neighbours and are on good terms with them. I don't any reason why somebody would want to target me, I have no personal feuds with anybody and can't think of anyone who would want to do this," Mr Donnelly said. "I don't know whether it's a connection to politics or not. I would be quite involved in the party locally and online on Twitter. There's a difference between having a heated discussion and just outright abuse. "Since the flags protests there have been issues in Belfast and Stewart Dickson's office was burnt out here in Carrick, but it has been relatively quiet since. I hope it's not connected to politics in any way." Police confirmed that they had received a report of the incident. A group of MPs will visit Co Tyrone today to hear of ongoing concerns over the shortfall in Northern Ireland's education budget. The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, which is holding an inquiry into local education funding, will host a discussion in Holy Cross College in Strabane with school leaders. Grammar, nursery, and special school representatives from the Controlled Schools' Support Council (CSSC) will be highlighting concerns around the current crisis in education funding. They are arguing that educating the next generation must continue to be valued and given the priority it deserves across all government departments. CSSC has previously given evidence to the NI Affairs Committee saying that many schools are struggling to deliver the essential curriculum to enable over 140,000 pupils in their care to meet their potential. Grace Trimble, principal of Kilkeel Nursery School, said many staff are "almost at breaking point" due to unprecedented challenges, exacerbated by the current financial difficulties. "Nursery education has been universally recognised as providing not only the best start to a child's education, but also their preparation for life," said Ms Trimble. "I will be asking the committee to consider that with the ever-decreasing budgets, the nursery sector often has only the bare legal minimum of staff to deal with more and more children who have not had their needs identified, and to try to support parents in their role." Raymond McFeeters, principal of Ballymena's Castle Tower School and Ardnashee School and College in Londonderry, added: "I am concerned that special educational needs (SEN) provision and the classroom assistants who provide this support are one potential area that will be cut back on as a result of budget restrictions. This would be particularly damaging for children with special needs and learning difficulties. "While I fully appreciate that SEN has a relatively large budgetary allocation, special school staff are dealing with the reality of funding decisions that are being made remotely. "Special schools continue to need highly trained staff to deal with the increasing complexity of pupil need." Robin McLoughlin, principal of Banbridge Academy, said there is "insufficient funding in the delegated budget to schools to sustain the schools' estate and the quality of education currently on offer". Irish Minister for Education Joe McHugh talks to Jim D'Arcy, special adviser to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, at the Waterfront Hall Fianna Fail deputy leader Dara Calleary (left) shakes hands with SDLP leader Colum Eastwood as Sinn Fein leader May Lou MacDonald looks on at the Belfast conference at weekend A Fianna Fail senator who compiled the first Irish parliamentary report on a united Ireland has criticised calls for a border poll at the Beyond Brexit weekend event in Belfast. More than 1,500 people attended the Waterfront Hall event, which examined the future of Northern Ireland and the Republic after the UK leaves the EU. The event was organised by Ireland's Future, a collective of Irish citizens living here and seeking to highlight the potential impact of Brexit on their rights and livelihoods. During her speech Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald called for the Irish Government to convene a forum to begin planning for reunification. Senator Mark Daly said the idea of holding a border poll in the near future would be "foolhardy". "The lesson of Brexit is that you do not hold a border poll without having long-term engagement and knowing all the facts," he said. "The idea of having a referendum on a united Ireland without serious and long-term engagement would be a recipe for disaster. "The referendum was held without any facts about what leaving the EU would mean. So it would be foolhardy to follow that up with the border poll. That's not helpful. "A border poll would be a colossal undertaking. No one in government in the south is looking at the practicalities of a border poll. There is no plan." The Kerry senator compiled his report in 2017 for a Seanad committee tasked with looking at the impact of Brexit on the Republic, which also set out proposals for peaceful reunification. Ms McDonald told the conference that crashing out of the EU with no deal in place would lead to a hardening of the border. "A hardening of the border is inconceivable and will be met with the demand for a unity referendum," she said. "We don't exactly know what will happen over the next few weeks or months. It's not in our hands, it's in the hands of a minority Tory Government in London, and that is the crux of the problem. "It's irresponsible and arrogant for a Dublin Government to shout down any prospect of a unity referendum." While there were no unionist politicians speaking at the event, Ms McDonald issued a direct message to the unionist community saying they would "have a home in a united Ireland". SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, however, said now was not the right time for a border poll. "There are unionists who are willing to engage and explore new possibilities," he said. "Unionism should have nothing to fear in a conversation based on persuasion and consent. My appeal to unionism is this: try to convince us of your vision for the future and we'll try to convince you of ours, and then in time let the people decide." Fionnghuale Perry was granted bail at Belfast High Court on Monday. A 61-year-old woman accused of storing coded messages about dissident republican weaponry in a perfume box is to be released from custody, a High Court judge has ruled. Prosecutors were appealing a decision to grant bail to Fionnghuale Perry on charges linked to the seizure of bomb-making equipment, guns and ammunition in west Belfast more than three years ago. They claimed subsequent searches at her home uncovered handwritten notes on cigarette and tracing paper about "Rice Krispies", "dates" and "almonds". In court on Monday, a Crown lawyer alleged these were coded references to munitions, explosives or AK-47 rifles as part of inquiries into what equipment may have been seized in the earlier operation. Perry, of Waterville Street in the city, is believed to have been the author based on handwriting analysis, it was contended. She denies two counts of collecting or making a record of information likely to be useful to terrorists - namely a security debrief regarding the police recovery of firearms, ammunition and explosives. The court heard the notes were discovered in a perfume box during a raid on Perry's home in February 2018. Prosecution counsel said they are believed to relate to an arms find at Ballymurphy in September 2015 when half a kilo of Semtex, detonators, handguns and more than 200 rounds of ammunition were seized. "Details within the notes were never released to the press, they contained information not in the public domain," she said. Comparisons were carried out with a handwriting sample obtained from a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment form. An expert report obtained earlier this month "strongly supports the proposition" that it is Perry's writing on the notes, according to the prosecution. Fingerprint evidence also forms part of the case against her. When charged Perry stated that she had not collected any information for any illegal organisation, adding that she is only a member of republican political party Saoradh. The Public Prosecution Service mounted an appeal after she was initially granted bail at Belfast Magistrates' Court on Saturday. It was claimed her release could create a risk of re-offending or obstruction to the administration of justice. Defence barrister Blaine Nugent had stressed his client denies the charges, adding that membership of Saoradh is not an offence. During the appeal Mr Justice McAlinden asked if police fear she may have compromised an ongoing investigation. The prosecution confirmed, however, that concerns were centred on her alleged knowledge of an operation which has now ended. Upholding the decision to grant bail, the judge ordered Perry to report to police three times a week and abide by restrictions on social media postings. A west Belfast man has been ordered to stand trial for the alleged sexual abuse of his nephew. The 38-year-old accused appeared before the city's Magistrates' Court today charged with four separate offences. He cannot be named to protect the alleged victim's identity. The man is accused of inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity on dates between March 2013 and March 2015. He faces further counts of causing his nephew to watch sexual activity, and engaging in sexual activity in the boy's presence. During a preliminary enquiry defence lawyers did not contest prosecution submissions that he has a case to answer. The man declined to call witnesses or give evidence at this stage. District Judge Fiona Bagnall then granted an application to have him returned for trial at Belfast Crown Court on a date to be fixed. She released the accused on continuing bail until those proceedings get underway. Amber with her sister, Autumn, and parents, Chris and Vixen. A red panda that went on the run from Belfast Zoo has been found safe and well. Police said the animal, named Amber, went missing early on Sunday and may have headed toward Glengormley. They urged the public to not approach the animal and for drivers to be extra vigilant. Folks.. earlier today a red panda decided to take a surprise vacation from Belfast zoo, it is believed to be currently... Posted by Police Service of Northern Ireland on Sunday, January 27, 2019 Following several public appeals, on Monday afternoon Belfast Zoo took to social media stating that Amber had been found. It emerged she had been discovered in Collinbridge, a residential area within a mile of the zoo's grounds. We are happy to report that the missing red panda has been located and is being returned to its home at Belfast Zoo - thanks to everyone for their help with the search! pic.twitter.com/hHLcLmtDyv Belfast Zoo (@BelfastZoo) January 28, 2019 They wrote: "We are happy to report that the missing red panda has been located and is being returned to its home at Belfast Zoo - thanks to everyone for their help with the search!" Alyn Cairns, manager of Belfast Zoo, said they received calls from residents that helped track down the escapee, who got out of her enclosure due to a fault in an electric fence, which has since been repaired. "Red pandas are an endangered species and are facing a high risk of extinction due to habitat loss and illegal hunting," she added. "We were delighted to announce the birth of Amber and her sister Autumn in June 2018 and hope to continue successful breeding of this species in future. "Following the initial report of the escape, we discovered a power fault in an electric fence in red panda habitat. Our maintenance team were informed at the earliest opportunity and the fence has since been repaired. "Safety and security of our animals is of paramount importance so we will continue to monitor this to ensure there are no further incidents." On her return to the zoo, Amber was checked by a vet and was found to be in good health. PSNI Newtownabbey have also shared a picture of the red panda cub loitering on an unsuspecting resident's driveway before she was returned home. It was not black and white when reports came in this morning to Newtownabbey PSNI in relation to suspicious activity in... Posted by Police Antrim & Newtownabbey on Monday, January 28, 2019 In a statement, Belfast City Council thanked members of the public who assisted in the search. "We are pleased to report that the red panda which escaped from its enclosure at Belfast Zoo on Sunday has been located," a spokesperson said. "It is safe and well and has been returned to the zoo. "The red panda had been reported missing from Belfast Zoo yesterday afternoon with a sighting first reported around 5.30pm. Belfast Zoo immediately began a search for the animal which continued today. "Local residents had been asked to report any sightings immediately to Belfast Zoo and we are grateful to members of the public who assisted with the search." Police stopped thousands as part of their Christmas drink-drive crackdown. A 14-year-old was among 322 motorists caught drink-driving in Northern Ireland over the Christmas period, police have said. Some 11,000 drivers were stopped and tested during the PSNI's winter campaign. The figures released on Monday show the number of people detected drink-driving dropped by more than 10% compared to the same period last year. Read More According to preliminary figures, 322 drink-drivers were arrested between November 30 and January 1. One person was more than four times over the drink-drive limit, while a HGV driver who was returning to work was also discovered over the limit. Police said the 14-year-old is accused of a number of motoring offences. The oldest person detected was 83, while women accounted for 72 of the 322 arrests, compared with 49 females arrested during the previous campaign. Another driver was caught driving under the influence of drugs after being involved in a collision. Some 3,000 worth of drugs were recovered from their car. Assistant chief constable Alan Todd said: "When we launched this operation at the end of November, we warned drivers not to take the risk because just one drink can impair decision making. "Just one drink can cause a collision. Just one drink could kill. "Early figures indicate that we tested over 11,000 people during the operation. "While that figure is expected to increase as more information is downloaded, we detected and arrested 322 people for failing those tests. "They can now expect a court appearance where they will most likely lose their driving licence for one or more years, be fined and will have great difficulty in obtaining car insurance in the future. "Some are at risk of losing their jobs or even going to jail. "We shouldn't be detecting people driving with any alcohol in their system." Sue Brew, regional manager for Northern Ireland Crimestoppers said: "We appreciate that it can be difficult to come forward and provide information about drink-drivers, particularly if it's about a work colleague, a neighbour, a family member or a friend, because of the fear of being identified. "During December, we saw a 65% increase in actionable calls with information about drink-driving, when compared to the average for the previous seven months." By Olivia Rose A NATIONAL Recovery Plan, designed to support the return of a robust economy, equitable social services and resilient infrastructure following the 2017 hurricanes, was officially unveiled this week. The 87 page document was prepared by the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD). It was made public by Wesley Clerveaux, chair of the Public Private Task Force, at a press conference held at the Office of the Premier on January 15. The National Recovery Plan - led by the public sector in partnership with the private sector - will guide the territorys recovery needs, priorities and policies over the next five years. Speaking at the conference Clerveaux said: "We need to first clarify the difference between the recovery plan and the recovery process. "The recovery process wouldve started some two weeks or a month after the impact of hurricane Irma so the recovery process if ongoing. "But the recovery plan which were launching today is a consolidation of plans, strategies that we intend to implement over the next five years in a consolidated fashion. He explained that the TCI was heavily impacted by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, with an estimated $558 million in damage suffered both in the private and public sectors. "So its a miracle to say the least that we are where we are now with significant recovery. This is just the immediate recovery that weve done so far and the plan will outline the medium and long term recovery. Also delivering brief remarks at the press conference was Hon. Vaden Delroy Williams, Minister of Home Affairs, Transportation and Communication. "September 2017 will forever be remembered as the month that the Turks and Caicos Islands for the first time in recent history was impacted by two major hurricanes, Irma and Maria, he said. "Irma was the most powerful and devastating storms ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. "These storms resulted in significant damage and destruction in every island of the Turks and Caicos. "We have seen 80 percent of our household stock in the TCI experiencing some form of damage. This resulted in more than 1,500 of our people throughout these Islands being displaced. "Approximately 74 percent of our critical infrastructure and facilities were impacted including our electric grid, water treatment and distribution systems, telecommunications network, health facilities and our schools. "The road to recovery will no doubt be a long one, at times it seemed impossible, but we will continue to recover, we will continue to bounce back even better than before, we will not only continue to rebuild, but we will rebuild stronger. The recommendations in the plan are geared towards sustainable economic development, poverty eradication, education, maintenance of law and order, social infrastructure which includes public health and public housing, and institutional strengthening. Following the press conference for the launch of the National Recovery Plan, members of the National Recovery Task Force, met with Devon Rowe, executive director at the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration. They discussed the strategic steps required for the effective implementation of the plan and the responsibilities of the Recovery Task Force and Implementation Team. The meeting was chaired and co-chaired by Premier Cartwright Robinson, and the Chair of Recovery Task Force, Wesley Clerveaux. Thousands of tonnes of animal waste destined for the Republic could be halted by a no-deal Brexit, it is claimed. Massive amounts of chicken and pig manure are sent south to anaerobic digestion (AD) plants each year to create energy. If the border becomes a frontier with the EU in less than 10 weeks, no one knows that will happen to litter from instensive farming, SDLP MLA John Dallat said. The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) said solutions could involve spreading more on the land, incineration and the use of other waste at energy facilities. Historically it would have been burned in Scotland. Mr Dallat said ammonia levels, a gas from animal waste, are higher here than in the Republic or Britain. He said: "I believe there is now a real risk to our rivers, watercourses, lakes and indeed the sea as ammonia and other nitrates build up to levels that are well above what is considered safe, and we have no Assembly to address this issue." The MLA estimated that some 75,000 tonnes of animal waste are sent across the border each year for processing into energy. The UK is due to exit the EU on March 29, but Westminster has rejected the draft withdrawal agreement, leaving the a no-deal exit the default. Mr Dallat added: "This brings directly into focus the wisdom of the promotion of intensive farming methods which demand outlets for huge volumes of sludge." The material is turned in the digesters into biogas, which is burned to produce electricity. Victor Chestnutt, deputy president at the UFU, said: "There are going to be potential barriers for litter. It usually goes to arable land as fertiliser. "Under a no-deal, you would effectively become a third country, moving that to an EU country. "All the rules of third countries would apply to that and the EU already has its rules for third country waste but it is one of the secondary issues." He said the export of animal product was a priority. "Effectively litter is something which is easier to move, historically it would have been to Scotland to be burned in an incinerator, then it became more attractive to go south to be used as fertiliser. There are alternative technical solutions to export, for example local land spreading, incineration and use in AD (anaerobic digestion) plants. "Equally, it disrupts trade, it is whether there are more efficient ways that we look to utilise it." An AD project outside Ballybofey in Co Donegal was to be built by Co Antrim-based Williams Industrial Services, but it has gone into administration. The project received a 9.3m loan from Invest NI. This article is a portion of a book titled "Challenges, Risks and Opportunities in Today's Spine World "edited by Stephen Hochschuler, MD, Frank Phillips, MD, and Richard Fessler, MD. You can find links to the previous chapters at the end of this article. Over the next several weeks, we will be looking at various spine care models around the US. In the next two chapters we will be looking at the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute model. Introduction The Rothman Institute is a world leader in the field of orthopaedic surgery and musculoskeletal care located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The practice was founded in 1970 by Richard H. Rothman and from its inception has been dedicated to being a national leader in musculoskeletal innovation, clinical care, education and research. Today, the Rothman Institute has grown to include one hundred and sixty-five operative and non-operative physicians as well as over forty-five physician extenders in over thirty office locations across three states. Additionally, the practice has expanded its operations to include physical and occupational therapy, radiology including MRI and CT, as well as a full-service prosthetics and orthotics department. The institute employs a privademic practice model which affords its members the benefits of private practice as well as those of a tertiary academic medical center which has helped recruit expert surgeons in all orthopaedic subspecialties. Practicing the highest quality patient centered care is the main drive of the Rothman Institute. As such the practice has strived to bring expert care into local urban and suburban communities. Education, research and innovation are core aspects of the mission of the Rothman Institute. The practice trains 56 orthopaedic surgical residents and fellows each year. The faculty take great pride in educating men and women to not only be proficient surgeons, researchers and innovators but also engaging members of their communities. The research division of the Rothman Institute employs 60 full-time researchers and encompasses both clinical and basic science research facilities. Every year, research from the Rothman Institute leads to change and advancement in the practice of orthopaedic care in multiple sub-specialties. Privademic Model The Rothman Institute (RI) combines the benefits of a private practice model with an academic institution. The privademic model has proven successful in providing physicians with the advantages of a private practice while also enabling them to contribute to high-quality literature, discoveries, and innovation commonly associated with academic institutions. These qualities make the privademic model attractive for physicians, insurers, and patients. The benefits of a private practice remain present in The Rothman Institutes privademic model by providing surgeons and practitioners with the opportunity to become shareholders in the practice. This makes it possible for partners to supplement declining reimbursements typical of todays market with diverse sources of income. Initial compensation packages can remain on par with or exceed the compensation offered by hospitals and academic medical institutions. Potential salary growth is another attractive characteristic that sets privademic practices apart from other employment options. Ownership increases physician autonomy, reduces administrative barriers, and provides physicians with the ability to select their partners and staff. Many physicians operating under the umbrella of an academic institution or hospital are limited in their ability to influence their work place. This is mainly attributed to administrative oversight that limits and obstructs the way necessary changes are made. A partnering physician in a privademic practice has the freedom of making timely changes that improve the patient experience and the physicians work environment. Ownership in the practice also opens doors to shareholder opportunities in real estate, ambulatory surgical centers, and specialty hospitals. These opportunities supply partners with the ability to diversify their sources of income and makes practicing in multiple markets possible. Flexibility in physician roles within the practice allows for negotiation of compensation based on clinical and academic factors. This allows participating physicians to choose their level of involvement in clinical and research. Partnering physicians are able to keep royalties, intellectual property, and professional consultation fees they have earned. This removes the barriers to additional compensation commonly found in a hospital or academic model, and thus further drives innovation. These incentives encourage physicians to develop and run research studies while maintaining a full clinical schedule. The privademic model provides physicians with the opportunity to participate in research and education. Forming relationships with hospitals and academic institutions creates access to teaching residents and medical students. Physician mentorship provides value to residents as well as physicians who experience greater job satisfaction while instructing. Privademic practices support an environment that is amenable to engaging in clinical and basic science research, helping physicians remain current with recent literature. The hub and spoke model utilized by The Rothman Institute connects satellite community practices to a central academic center. This strategy allows for the physician group to establish relationships with healthcare systems outside of the central market. Forming satellite practices increases competitiveness across markets and lends itself to wise allocation of resources. This model also provides physicians with options to refer patients to multiple locations which can optimize quality of care and cut down on unnecessary expenses. Having the flexibility to direct less complicated surgeries to lower-cost ambulatory surgery centers while referring complex surgical cases to higher-cost academic hospitals benefits providers, payers, and patients. Additionally, privademic practices have the ability to keep department resources and income within the department that secured them. Departmental funds enable highly productive departments to continue producing high quality research and promote growth. This ultimately allows the department to spend money where it is deemed necessary. Another benefit of the privademic model is its ability to allow integration of technology and devices by reducing administrative barriers. The lack of administrative barriers commonly found in the hospital model allows physicians to expedite adoption of new technologies, processes, and protocols. Partnership in the practice improves a physicians ability to adjust policies by having a direct voice among colleagues in the physician group. Privademics is a developing practice model that boasts all of the benefits found in private practice while incentivizing physicians to pursue research and innovation. While healthcare is constantly evolving, large privademic practices have the ability to adapt through these periods of change. Reducing administrative barriers, forming relationship with multiple healthcare systems, and incentivizing physicians to conduct research, distinguishes this model from the alternatives. Privademics has proven to be a competitive model that improves patient experience while simultaneously achieving clinical and research excellence. Philosophy and infrastructure The infrastructure and practice design stems from the Rothman Institutes mission to provide patient centered, value- based care. In order to optimize both practice efficiency and the patient experience,we have streamlined both patient care and business practices. The business and clinical departments work synergistically together. The constant drive to become more efficient allows the practice to lower costs, improve profitability and improve patient experience. The business infrastructure of the Rothman Institute utilizes metrics and real-time analytics to develop business solutions and make decisions. The operations of the practice are constantly being evaluated by metrics which objectively assess each department. The metrics are used to populate a scorecard for comparing how the practice is performing compared to its benchmarks. Patient outcome data, as well as other clinical data, are included in several of these business algorithms such as length of stay, complication rates, and infection rates, among others. These clinical data points are critical in risk stratification and forecasting models that provide valuable data for creating the practice benchmarks and financial forecasts. An integral part of the philosophy of the practice is transparency and equality. All physicians and surgeons in the practice are provided with the same base contract. The practice publishes its departmental scorecards regularly and shares them with all stakeholders. This stakeholders with an up-to-date analysis of the overall performance as well as each physicians performance. Partnership is available to surgeons and non-operative physicians who fulfill the financial and academic requirements of the practice. In todays healthcare climate, it is essential for surgical practices to understand how they are performing from both a business perspective as well as from the perspective of patients. The Rothman Institute has been heavily invested in understanding how their patients view them as well as the clinical outcomes of their patients. As part of this commitment, the practice has used innovative software that collects and categorizes patient survey data on their treatment experience as well as on preoperative and postoperative outcomes. This information enables the practice to gauge the effectiveness of their surgical and non-surgical interventions and helps target where changes can be made to improve the patient experience. A perfect example of the synergistic relationship between the business and clinical departments of the Rothman Institute is the method that the practice utilizes to risk stratify patients. This algorithm allows for each patients individual needs, comorbidities and surgical risk to be considered and steers providers into choosing the appropriate treatment setting. The Rothman Institute has strategically aligned itself with several different surgical facilities and is able to maximize the care provided at each. For example, patients undergoing a microdiscectomy with a history of myocardial infarction or pulmonary embolism maybe risk stratified to have their procedure at the tertiary hospital. On the other hand, a young healthy patient undergoing a microdiscectomy may be better suited for surgery at their orthopedic specialty hospital. This method of risk stratifying patients lowers the overall cost of care for patients, providers and insurers and results in higher patient satisfaction. As more orthopedic surgerytransitions to outpatient surgical settings, it is critical to understand the patient care and financial risks associated with these decisions. The Rothman Institute has a taken a proactive approach in making these decisions to optimize patient safety and cost effectiveness. Another area of focus for the Rothman Institute is their call center. For most patients, the call center is the first contact point with the organization and in many ways affects their perception and experience at the practice. Substantial resources, training and close monitoring are provided to the call center. The call center employees follow clear algorithms in order to ensure patients seethe most appropriate provider. This allows the patient to have a better experience as they are able to get the appropriate care they are seeking in a timely manner. It also benefits providers, as their time is maximized by only seeing patients that may need their expertise. This is particularly important in the spine division where the call center will help sort which patients require a non-operative or operative physician. In the next chapter we will be looking at Research and Innovation at The Rothman Institute. Previous chapters: Challenges, risks and opportunities in today's spine world Spine care - Balancing cost with innovation What are big data and predictive analytics Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning The HSS Spine Care Model, Part 1 The HSS Spine Care Model, Part 2 Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Lutheran Health Network Vice President and CEO Mike Poore revealed he is planning to give up his title as chief executive, The Journal Gazette reports. Mr. Poore told the publication he plans to keep his title as regional vice president but is looking for someone to help lead the system while he focuses on the system's strategic initiatives. He said the job listing was initially advertised as the newly created position of COO, but he was having trouble finding candidates to fill the role. Mr. Poore took over the role of CEO of Lutheran Health Network after the system's parent company, Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, fired the former CEO Brian Bauer in June 2017. Lutheran Health Network and CHS have had a rocky relationship with local hospital leaders in recent years. In 2017, a group of physicians offered to buy out the health network, claiming CHS mismanaged the hospital network and its more than 7,000 employees, the report states. Mr. Poore told The Journal Gazette that overall staff morale has improved during his 18-month stint as chief executive. To access the full report, click here. The State Medical Board of Ohio suspended the license of a former Columbus-based Mount Carmel Health System physician accused of ordering fatal doses of painkillers for patients, according to The Columbus Dispatch. William Husel, MD, had worked as an intensive care physician at the system since 2013. Upon learning of the medication incidents, Mount Carmel fired Dr. Husel and sent details of its internal investigation to authorities. The board, which voted on the suspension Jan. 25, found clear evidence that Dr. Husel violated state law. Allowing him to continue practicing would present a danger of immediate and serious harm to the public, a notice sent to the physician regarding the suspension said. The suspension order said Dr. Husel asserted a constitutional right against self-incrimination Jan. 22 when board representatives asked him if he administered the opioid fentanyl or fentanyl combined with the sedative midazolam for the purpose of ending patient lives. Additionally, the letter notifying Dr. Husel of the suspension said the Ohio Department of Medicaid found a credible allegation of fraud based on Dr. Husel's administration of medically unnecessary services billed to Medicaid. A department spokesperson told the Dispatch those alleged services were "grossly inappropriate" dosages of fentanyl. Mount Carmel officials said at least 34 near-death patients received excessive amounts of pain medication ordered by Dr. Husel while being treated in intensive care units between 2015 and 2018. All 34 patients died, and Mount Carmel executives said the dosage given was potentially fatal in 28 of the deaths. Columbus attorney James McGovern of the firm representing Dr. Husel told the Dispatch neither the physician nor his legal team had any comment about allegations against him. More articles on clinical leadership and infection control: Mount Carmel CEO: We should have acted faster with physician accused of fatal prescriptions Second lawsuit filed against Ohio health system, physician charged with ordering fatal pain med doses Ohio hospital execs review pain med policies amid Mount Carmel probe Last September, CMS threatened to terminate Dillingham, Alaska-based Kanakanak Hospital's Medicare contract for pharmacy deficiencies. After a plan of correction, the hospital has retained funding, according to Alaska Public Radio. Pharmacy problems that led to the termination threat included missing medication labels, unsystematic labeling of medication and staff incompetence. The report following the September investigation detailed several instances of patients' safety being jeopardized, including one in which a patient went into anaphylactic shock after an incorrectly filled medication was administered. A nurse told CMS regulators that the medication had been pulled from the automated dispensing system under an erroneous name several times. Another time, the pharmacy delivered morphine at a dosage five times greater than the physician prescribed. The hospital implemented a plan of correction that included hiring and retraining pharmacy staff. After the CMS follow-up survey, the agency said that the hospital met the Jan. 11 deadline to bring the pharmacy into compliance with federal standards. "I want to thank everyone involved for their commitment and dedication to improvement that was required over the past several weeks to ensure we made the necessary improvements in pharmacy services which will allow us to continue providing safe pharmaceutical care services to the people of our region," said Robert Clark, CEO of the hospital's operator, Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation. Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, will close its primary care office April 5, according to the Bangor Daily News. The primary care office, Guilford (Maine) Medical Associates, is suffering a physician shortage after experiencing significant provider turnover in the past year and a half. The shortage led to the closure. "This is a decision that was difficult to make, but we must deal with the reality of being a small, rural hospital in a time where hospital systems are becoming more necessary for sustainability," Marie Vienneau, BSN, president and CEO of Mayo Regional Hospital, told the Bangor Daily News. "Staffing challenges have led to financial losses for Guilford Medical Associates that the hospital is unable to absorb. This is an unfortunate reality. However, we are confident in our mission to provide high-quality care for people in this region, and staying focused on making Mayo Regional Hospital a resource for many years to come." Staff affected by the closure are expected to be placed in another Mayo Regional Hospital practice. The American Medical Association filed an amicus brief in the Wisconsin Supreme Court Jan. 22 arguing that "the do-nothing approach to firearm violence is particularly unacceptable to physicians," because they, like their community members, must deal with the repercussions of such violence on a daily basis. The brief was filed as part of a lawsuit brought against Armslist, a website that hosts classified ads for firearms. In October 2012, Radcliffe Haughton purchased a semi-automatic handgun from a private seller who posted an ad on Armslist. Mr. Haughton later used the weapon to kill three women, including his wife, and injure four others before fatally shooting himself in a salon in Brookfield, Wis. One of the injured victims, Yasmeen Daniel, filed the lawsuit. The lawsuit was initially dismissed by a lower court, which said the website was immune from culpability because of its status as a passive publisher of content created by third parties. However, a state appellate court reversed the decision, arguing that the allegations against Armslist were not related to the website's role as the publisher of third-party content. The AMA's amicus brief stated facilitating illegal arms sales does not fall under the "traditional publisher functions," and that physicians should be involved in the conversation surrounding gun violence because "physicians carry these invisible scars into their day-to-day lives." In a statement concerning the filing of the amicus brief, AMA President Barbara McAneny, MD, said the medical community should do its part to urge the courts to consider illegal gun sales a public health emergency. "We bear the emotional weight of treating the victims of gun violence everyday: Their wounds, paralysis, colostomies, brain injuries, depression, chronic infections and post-traumatic stress. Common-sense measures to support enacted laws can help prevent more carnage," she said. To access the full report, click here. Peter Lee, corporate vice president of Microsoft Healthcare, said he thought he had made a "career-ending move" after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella asked him to head up the company's healthcare strategy almost three years ago, according to SFGate. Speaking at the the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Mr. Lee explained that, at the time, big technology companies hadn't had much success in the healthcare space. For one: Microsoft's personal health information service HealthVault failed shortly after its launch. "Let's face it. The tech industry is littered with attempts by shiny CEOs to go after a piece of this massive healthcare pie," Mr. Lee said, according to SFGate. "I think, pretty consistently, the tech industry has gone into it with a lot of naivete, even some arrogance. So my knee-jerk assumption was 'Here we go again.'" Since then, Mr. Lee has worked with his team to imagine what contributions Microsoft could make in healthcare. Now, he feels like the company is poised to make a meaningful mark. One area Mr. Lee sees high potential for Microsoft is genomics, a field that requires massive data storage capabilities up to 200 gigabytes for just one individual's genome. With the rise in popularity of genetic testing, and promising research and advancements in personalized medicine, Mr. Lee is confident Microsoft will be able to help improve patient care. "We know [genomics are] going to spread," Mr. Lee said. "When that spreads, the kind of hyperscale computing infrastructure that Microsoft and a small number of other companies have will really be crucial to making that work." Roughly 1,900 patients received bills from University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington last month for procedures dating back to 2017, according to WCAX. The bills were erroneously sent to the patients, who had already paid in full for their procedures. "We're very sorry that they received a bill that goes back that far," Rick Vincent, senior vice president and CFO of UVM Medical Center, told WCAX. "That certainly wasn't our intent. Our intent was actually to get money into the hands of patients." Due to an internal billing error between the hospital and health insurer MVP Health Care, which was discovered in 2017, many patients overpaid the hospital. After MVP fixed the issue, the hospital reprocessed claims based on MVP's data. "We assumed that the only thing that we were actually doing was refunding patients," Mr. Vincent told WCAX. About 2,700 patients did receive refunds. However, 1,900 received bills they were previously told were paid in full. Mr. Vincent said patients will not have to pay the new bills. He advised patients to ignore the bills and to call the hospital's billing department with any questions. Access the full WCAX article here. More articles on healthcare finance: HCA ups debt sale to $1.5B 2 California hospitals face closure if sale delayed Hospital readmissions for gun injuries cost $86M each year, Stanford study says Community hospital CEOs ranked financial challenges as the top concern their organizations faced in 2018, according to an annual survey of the American College of Healthcare Executives. The survey of 355 community hospital CEOs asked respondents to rank 11 issues affecting their hospitals based on how pressing they are. Here are the 10 most concerning issues hospital CEOs cited for 2018. 1. Financial challenges 2. Governmental mandates 3. Patient safety and quality 4. Personnel shortages 5. Behavioral health/addiction issues 6. Patient satisfaction 7. Access to care 8. Physician-hospital relations 9. Technology 10. Population health management CEOs also identified specific areas of concern within issues. Here are the top three concerns within financial challenges, governmental mandates and patient safety and quality. (Respondents could choose as many as desired.) Financial challenges 1. Increasing costs for staff, supplies, etc. 70 percent 2. Medicaid reimbursement 68 percent 3. Reducing operating costs 59 percent Governmental mandates 1. CMS regulations 70 percent 2. Regulatory/legislative uncertainty affecting strategic planning 61 percent 3. Cost of demonstrating compliance 59 percent Patient safety and quality 1. High price/insufficient reimbursement for medications 57 percent 2. Engaging physicians in improving the culture of quality/safety 56 percent 3. Engaging physicians in reducing clinically unnecessary tests and procedures 51 percent Dominican man guilty of raping tourist A THIRTY-three-year-old Dominican national was on Tuesday (January 22) found guilty of raping a female tourist on vacation. Alvaro Tavares has been on bail pending trial since 2017 when the incident occurred. The trial was finally held last week in a Providenciales courtroom, with jury returning a swift guilty verdict just days after. Tavares will remain on bail until his next court appearance on February 8, at which time he will be sentenced. The judge in the case is Justice Shiraz Aziz. Jury of his peers finds GT youth pastor not guilty of rape GRAND Turk police officer and well known youth pastor Huntley Forbes Jr has been found not guilty for the rape of a woman. Forbes Jr, who was previously suspended from the Royal TCI Police Force, found out his fate last week Friday following a brief trial. He was first arrested on suspicion of a serious sexual assault on March 1, 2018, and shortly after he was officially charged with rape. His jury trial was granted after efforts by the Director of Public Prosecutions Office to persuade the court to try the man in a trial without a jury. The DPPs office was unsuccessful in that bid and Forbes Jr was tried by a jury of his peers. Prices for basic procedures vary widely between hospitals, sometimes between facilities that are close in proximity, according to a California Healthline analysis. Four things to know: 1. Hospitals are now required to post their standard charges online under a CMS price transparency rule. The rule, which took effect Jan. 1, requires hospitals to publish their standard charges on the internet. They must present the information in a machine-readable format that can be easily imported into a computer systemand update the information at least annually. 2. California hospitals already were required to make their standard charges available to patients who requested them. The hospitals must also submit a copy their chargemasters, a list of average charges for 25 common outpatient procedures, and the estimated percentage change in gross revenue due to price changes each summer to the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. California hospital charges are publicly available on the health planning and development office's website. 3. Using price lists submitted to the state the same information CMS now requires hospitals to post under its rule California Healthline examined four large acute care hospitals in Oakland, Calif., and another four Los Angeles hospitals. Oakland hospitals studied were Highland Hospital, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and Kaiser Permanente-Oakland.The Los Angeles hospitals were UCLA Children's Hospital, Kaiser Permanente-Los Angeles, Keck Hospital of USC and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. 4. California Healthline said it found a wide range of prices for basic procedures, and sometimes prices for the same procedure varied between hospitals in the same network or between those located within miles of each other. For instance, the analysis found the list price on a brain MRI with contrast ranged from $3,211 to $6,772 between the Oakland hospitals and from $3,781 to $8,793 among the four Los Angeles hospitals. A liter of IV fluid ranged from $56 to $129 between Oakland hospitals and $146 to $383 between Los Angeles hospitals. Access the full analysis results here. More articles on healthcare finance: 3 cost containment strategies from hospital CFOs Inspira waives ER out-of-pocket costs for furloughed federal employees Northwell Health offers payment flexibility for federal workers during shutdown A federal judge on Jan. 25 ruled Epic's policy mandating employees bring wage disputes through individual arbitration is valid and does not violate state and federal law, Kenosha News reports. The ruling ended a nearly four-year case that the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on last year. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Epic that employees can be forced to use arbitration and not the courts to settle disputes about wages and overtime. The case involved Jacob Lewis, a former technical writer at Epic, who alleged the Verona, Wis.-based EHR vendor violated federal and state law by neglecting to pay him and other technical writers overtime pay. However, Epic employees waive the right to participate in any class, collective or representative proceeding when they signed their employment agreements, which stated wages and working hours can only be discussed through individual arbitration. On behalf of the workers, lawyers argued that the Supreme Court's ruling was "unconscionable" under Wisconsin state law because Epic "exploited its superior bargaining power by presenting the arbitration agreement on a take-it-or-leave-it basis," U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb wrote in the ruling, according to Kenosha News. Ms. Crabb noted that Epic gave employees the option to discuss wage disputes with the company directly. She added that the employees could have rejected the terms of the arbitration agreement upon accepting the job, and sought employment elsewhere. Therefore, Ms. Crabb sided with Epic on the case. One of the lawyers representing the Epic workers told Kenosha News there are no plans to continue to challenge Epic's arbitration agreement in court. The deal that will end the partial government shutdown for at least three weeks is welcome, but a permanent solution is needed for the federal workers and contractors involved. They are being treated as pawns in this high-stakes drama, and too many members of the Trump administration dont realize the suffering they were enduring. Early on, President Donald Trump said idled federal workers should treat the shutdown like a vacation. He casually said they will make adjustments. They always do. His daughter-in-law Lara Trump said the sidelined workers were going througha little bit of pain, but its going to be for the future of our country. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, a multimillionaire, reacted to reports of federal workers being forced to use food banks during this crisis with, Well I know they are, and I dont really quite understand why. Trump chief economic adviser Kevin Hassett said struggling workers should contact their federal credit union making low-interest loans and so on. This attitude is clueless, and unacceptable. Its reminiscent of Marie Antoinette, who famously said about people who had no bread, Let them eat cake. For most of the idled workers in this shutdown, this was anything but a vacation or brief inconvenience. Many of them live paycheck to paycheck, without significant savings. Missing one check was hard enough the bills kept coming but losing two was more serious. If they skipped mortgage payments, their credit score takes a hit. If they needed prescription medications for them or their children, they couldnt take a break. Thats why workers affected by this shutdown were taking side jobs or selling household goods. Or even returning Christmas presents and relying on food banks for basic nutrition. They were hurting, and they were scared. They didnt know how the long the shutdown would drag on, or what other adjustments they would have to make. Being reimbursed for lost pay will help, but at best it will get them back to where they were. It wont make up for the late fees or bad credit ratings or the anguish of dealing with this gut-punch and worrying about providing for their children. Both political parties must move toward a permanent solution to this issue, but Trump and the Republicans need to do more. The president never cared that much about money for his border wall until Democrats took over the House. He cant expect them to do something that a solidly Republican Congress wouldnt do for two years. Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, along with local U.S. Reps. Brian Babin and Randy Weber, need to do their part in finding that solution. They have influence with the administration, and they should use it. The federal government must remain open for business so the American people can get about theirs. Texas officials have launched a purge of 95,000 people from the voter rolls, saying they do not appear to be U.S. citizens just the beginning of a wider, more frequent purging that will happen monthly from now on. Texas Secretary of State David Whitley said working with the Department of Public Safety, his office has been able to identify the potential non-citizens among those registered to vote, including 58,000 who have cast ballots before in Texas elections. Integrity and efficiency of elections in Texas require accuracy of our state's voter rolls, and my office is committed to using all available tools under the law to maintain an accurate list of registered voters, Whitley said. Voter advocacy groups pointed out Friday that none of the states suspicions have been confirmed yet, and objected to the method used to identify the suspected non-citizen voters. They noted that 50,000 Texans become naturalized citizens each year. The Secretary of State cannot remove the voters from the rolls. That is up to county elections officials. But Whitley has recommended counties take action by sending notices that would give the people who have been flagged 30 days to prove they are eligible to vote by presenting a birth certificate, passport, or certificate of naturalization. If they fail to respond, their registrations will be canceled by the county voter registrar. The Secretary of States Office said Friday it was not prepared to release a list of how many voters per county are affected, but verified that Harris County has the most. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Already, the list of 58,000 people suspected to have voted despite being non-citizens is being forwarded to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for potential legal action. It is a felony to vote in Texas when you know you are not eligible. Nothing is more vital to preserving our Constitution than the integrity of our voting process, and my office will do everything within its abilities to solidify trust in every election in the state of Texas, Paxton, a Republican, said in a statement to the media. The news is almost certain to buoy conservatives from President Donald Trump to Gov. Greg Abbott who have alleged illegal voting and voter fraud are rampant. Abbott, who made voter fraud a priority item for the Texas Legislature in 2017, said Friday that illegal voting in Texas will not be tolerated, and as governor, I will continue root it out and punish it. If the 58,000 voters in fact turn out to have wrongly cast ballots, Texas would give Trump his clearest backing yet on claims of mass voter fraud that he says cost him the popular vote in the 2016 presidential election. Though Trump won the Electoral College, he lost the popular vote by a wide margin. "In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally," Trump said in a November 2016 tweet. After being elected, Trump set up a voter fraud commission that ultimately disbanded with no clear evidence of widespread wrongdoing. It took little time for Republicans to cite the states preliminary findings in fundraising pleas: We knew it was happening and now we have proof, said an email blast sent three hours after Paxtons press release. But voter advocacy groups warn that Fridays announcement is an attempt to intimidate voters, and the contention that voter fraud is rampant has been repeatedly discounted. There is no credible data that indicates illegal voting is happening in any significant numbers, and the Secretarys statement does not change that fact, said Beth Stevens, Voting Rights Legal Director with the Texas Civil Rights Project. Stevens said she is concerned about how the state identified the suspected non-citizen voters. The Secretary of States office relied on documents that the voters themselves submitted to DPS when they were trying to obtain drivers licenses. Non-citizens, such as temporary residents, asylum seekers and refugees, are eligible to get a Texas drivers license, but they are not allowed to register to vote unless they become U.S. citizens. It is important to note that we are not using information self-reported by the person regarding citizenship status; rather, we are using documents provided by the person to show they are lawfully present in the United States, wrote the states director of elections, Keith Ingram, in a notice to registrars in all 254 Texas counties. Stevens said that could be a problem. About 50,000 Texas residents become naturalized citizens every year. Shes not alone in that concern. I hope that the Secretary of State and the Attorney General are extremely careful to ensure that they make accurate matches and do not unnecessarily alarm the public or falsely accuse people who are eligible to vote, said state Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso. For example, a legal permanent resident with a driver's license who becomes a citizen is not required to go back to DPS and change their status. So just because someone is listed as a non-citizen in DPS records, that does not mean they still are. On Monday, counties are expecting a list from the state of suspected non-citizens on their voter rolls, said Williamson County Voter Registration Supervisor Julie Seippel. Seippel said Williamson County will then review the list, looking for possible errors, before sending letters to registered voters giving them 30 days to prove their citizenship. Those that don't, or can't, will be removed from the rolls. "If they get a letter and they are a citizen, it's important they provide documentation or mail it out to us. That way we can keep them on our rolls," she said. Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen said typically the county is alerted to possible non-citizen voters through the jury summons process, though it's not a frequent occurrence. The state flags a few dozen voters a month statewide who are disqualified from jury duty because they declare they are non-citizens, said Sam Taylor, a spokesman for the Secretary of States Office. The state then compares those names to the voter rolls and forwards the information to counties. But the new purge is part of larger effort as the states technology allows it to better compare voter rolls with drivers license records. The state now can compare names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and election ID numbers to identify potentially ineligible voters. This is just the beginning. Taylor called the 95,000 names the initial backlog. Going forward, the Secretary of States office will use information from DPS on a monthly basis to cross reference the voter registration database to identify potential non-citizens who have registered to vote. Stevens said the latest efforts and the overzealous celebration from Paxton and others are concerning because the next step will be that the state is going to use this highly suspect investigation to try to pass laws that will make it harder for eligible Texas voters to cast a ballot that counts. Texas has already been aggressive in passing laws aimed at alleged voter fraud over the past decade, many of which critics say have reduced access to the ballot box. For instance, the state has adopted voter ID laws and restricted voter registration drives. More recently, in 2017, it passed tougher penalties for people who wrongly handle absentee ballots. Austin Bureau reporter Allie Morris contributed to this report. WASHINGTON Democrats still have Texas on their minds. Smelling blood after picking up two Texas congressional seats in November along with Beto O'Rourke's narrow loss in the U.S. Senate race House Democrats on Monday announced six new 2020 targets in the Lone Star State. In a wish list of 33 GOP-held or open seats targeted nationally by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Texas figures prominently as a potential battleground, particularly in the suburbs. The targeted Texas lawmakers include Houston-area Republicans Michael McCaul and Pete Olson. Around San Antonio, the Democrats are putting two other Republicans in their sights: Freshman Chip Roy, a conservative stalwart who worked for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, and moderate Will Hurd, who represents a heavily Latino border district. For subscribers: Freshman Rep. Chip Roy keeps his promise to go against the grain in Washington Rounding out the list are Republicans John Carter of Round Rock and Kenny Marchant of Coppell. "All six have suburban areas experiencing population booms and an increasingly diverse electorate. These factors gave Republicans a taste of what is headed their way." said DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos, an Illinois Democrat, in a memo released Monday. "In 2020 a rapidly emerging Democratic coalition will make Texas a focal point of the House Democrats' offensive strategy," she continued. Democrats noted that all six targeted Republicans in Texas won by five points or less, revealing electoral weaknesses in a state that has been dominated by Republicans for a generation. For subscribers: Democrat Beto O'Rourke exposed a blue spine across the middle of red Texas In practical terms, the DCCC list indicates the group will be pouring money and organizational resources into those races, including recruitment efforts to help candidates who best match their districts. But by any measure, the Democrats' Texas hit list is extraordinarily ambitious. Republicans still represent 23 of the state's 36 congressional districts. Flipping six seats would give Democrats a 19-17 majority in Texas. That wouldn't just be a blue wave; for the GOP it would be a blue cataclysm. Republicans were playing defense around the nation in the 2018 midterm elections losing 40 seats. But they say they see cracks in the Democratic coalition that could pay dividends in 2020. "In less than a month, House Democrats have pushed a radical agenda focused on open borders, anti-law enforcement and turning our backs on our allies in the Middle East," said Bob Salera, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP's campaign arm. "We look forward to them trying to sell that message in Texas." Texas GOP chairman James Dickey discounted the Democrats' aims. "The Democrats are still riding the splash of the 2018 elections in hopes that it will carry over into 2020," he said. "But the reality is, they have shown Texas Republicans what can happen if any Republican stays home during these crucial elections. We are engaging a massive campaign effort which started the day after the election to ensure we not only will successfully defend Republican seats, we regain the seats Democrats won from the Beto bump of 2018." With less than two years before the election, both sides know a major factor in the battle for Congress will be President Donald Trump, whose popularity is at a low ebb following the 35-day government shutdown over his demand for border wall money. Polls show that Democrats are still fired up, though Trump remains popular with his base. Whatever his fortunes, Trump is now central to the GOP brand. At the very least, the DCCC memo also laid down a marker that the 2020 elections are already underway. "It has already started," Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn tweeted in response on Monday. Cornyn, a top Senate Republican, faces reelection in 2020. Among the potential Democratic challengers: O'Rourke, who is still weighing a potential White House run on the strength of his narrow loss to Cruz in the Senate race. For subscribers: Beto O'Rourke's web diary inspires derision, and hope, as 2020 presidential field takes shape By Delana Isles GOVERNMENT is currently considering a report by consultancy firm Castalia on FortisTCIs proposals for rate and regulatory reform. This was disclosed via a post Cabinet statement issued on Thursday (January 24) which also stated that the Cabinet has since made recommendations to the Ministry of Infrastructure based on the reports findings. Castalia advises governments and private enterprises on a variety of areas and sectors such as regulating natural monopolies and the energy sector, among several others. Details of the report are not known, and there is no indication exactly what Castalia is reporting to the Government. Other than this very brief update on the issue in the Cabinet statement, there has been no word from the Government on the progress or process of the inquiry, and none of the promised public engagements. Last week, FortisTCIs press office told Weekly News the process for its application and the inquiry process is ongoing. On September 25, the utility companys request for an inquiry to be conducted into the reasonableness of their rate variation application was formally granted by Governor John Freeman after their initial application for rate increase was refused. It was stated at the time that an independent expert will be appointed to conduct the inquiry. The procedures of the inquiry will be guided by the Commission of Inquiries Ordinance which is designed to ensure the person appointed to hold the inquiry has the same powers to summon witnesses to give evidence or produce documents, to take evidence on oath and to administer oaths or require the making of declarations. The refusal of the application was based on the fact that there is a lack of impartial and neutral information and assessments regarding the efficiency of investments as well as benchmarking with comparators regarding the real costs of providing electricity services in the Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as the allocation of those costs to customer groups to ensure fair and equitable pricing. The second reason given was the need for a cost of service study and prudency assessment to be conducted to enable an informed and reasonable decision to be made on the request for the rate variation. FortisTCI is requesting, under section 34 of the Electricity Ordinance, an increase to the tariff of rates as a result of losses sustained after hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and increased expenditure required for rapid rebuilding and recovery efforts. The request was for the making of regulations to increase the tariff of rates to customers by an average of 6.8 percent with immediate effect. The proposed rate increase was broken down by customer class as follows: 5.5 percent to 5.7 percent increase in tariff of rates for residential customers and 7.9 percent increase in tariff of rates for all other customer categories. Port Arthur Police Department has identified the body found near an overpass Saturday. Joshua Wade Borel, 25 of Groves was found unresponsive in the 6100 block of Texas 347 (Twin City Highway) at approximately 6:52 a.m.. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said. Police said there were apparent signs of blunt force trauma to the man's body and an autopsy has been ordered. One of the Beaumont City Council's most outspoken members officially has a challenger. Local attorney Jefferson Fisher, 30, last week kicked off his campaign against attorney Mike Getz, who's been Ward 2's representative for nearly a decade. "I decided to run for City Council because I think the city needs a breath of fresh air," Fisher said. "We need a council member who wants to speak life and hope into our community, city and school district to create a positive relationship build bridges rather than tear them down." > > LIST: SE Texas candidates that have filed for office Getz said he's running again because he's enjoyed his position and there's more he can do to improve the city. He acknowledged his tenure has led city residents to have strong positive and negative opinions about him. But he believes most of the detractors live outside Ward 2. With his constituents, he said, he's made a name for himself as a council member who answers phone calls and emails and addresses residents' complaints as fully as possible. Getz's priorities include continuing to repair the city's streets and the aging sewer system. > > PHOTOS: Can you guess the Jefferson County leader by their baby photo? "I'm going to keep responding to constituents with concerns and complaints to make sure the city engineer addresses their concerns to the best of our ability," he said. Getz also plans to continue to be a proponent for more police officers, especially in light of the city's healthy reserve fund; to look into using vouchers for ride-sharing programs for economically disadvantaged residents; and to prioritize the extension of Dowlen Road. Fisher also has a public-safety agenda. But he says that doesn't always mean paying for more police officers. He said the city needs to focus equally on the causes of crime, including taking care of the city's youth. "That means having a positive relationship with BISD that helps engage at-risk youth and creates workforce-ready youth," he said. "I want to see the city take ownership of the youth." Fisher acknowledged the city has only so much power in the school district, but he believes he could open a dialogue with the school board to build a trusting relationship. If elected, he also plans to push for an overhaul of residents' access to city information online. He wants the city's website to provide residents easily digestible information about how money is being spent. "We can mitigate (confusion and discontent) by providing an easy-to-use website to give that information and not leave people guessing in the dark," he said. While not part of his campaign platform, Fisher said he's already received several questions about his feelings on the city's possible purchase of the downtown AT&T Building. The Beaumont City Council recently voted 6-1 to allow the city manager to bid on the building at 555 Main Street. Plans for the building are only tentative but could include the city tearing it down to make room for riverfront development. The issue is made even more pertinent in this race because of Getz's no vote and vocal disapproval of the move. "If there was a plan to do something with it that made sense, I think that would make me and others look at it differently," Getz said. At this point, Getz said, he's not confident that's the case, so he says it should be left to private developers. Fisher said he doesn't know all the costs, intent and plans for the situation, so he can't agree with any building purchase or acquisition. "That said, I wholeheartedly support quality-of-life projects that will develop our downtown waterfront," he said. "But I refuse to pretend that I have answers when I'm not accurately informed." kaitlin.bain@beaumont enterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain Looking to log in? Click the person icon (at the very top of the site, on the right) to login or register. Not getting your Beacon editions in your e-mail when they come out? Log in, click here, click "Email lists" and make sure "e-Edition subscribers" is selected Job opportunities GET plans to hire 35 drivers for its new service. It will hold a job fair all day, Jan. 29, at their office at 1830 Golden State Avenue for those interested in driving the small buses. On-the-spot interviews will be held. Participants must bring a driving history form, known as an H6. Brian Smith served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and retired as an assistant chief with the California Highway Patrol. He resides in Bakersfield. If you have a personal Cop Tale to share, please contact Brian at bmsmith778@gmail.com By Delana Isles A CALL has been made to the Government to fund an electronic case management system within the local courts and enhance their video conferencing abilities. Making the call was Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale during the law year opening ceremony held on January 9. "I envision the day not too far off in the future when we have an e-traffic module that would permit people to pay their traffic fines online, Ramsay-Hale said, pointing out that in todays age of the internet the value of and necessity of an electronic case management system is unquestionable. The primary benefit of an electronic case management system is more efficient data entry and more effective data retrieval. The system also allows for e-filing of claims and other processes, and the chief justice noted that even without e-filing, the system may provide electronic access to appropriate case information for users outside the court. Those external users can include counsel, parties, justice system agencies, the media and the general public. She noted that the size of the Turks and Caicos Islands gives it an advantage in terms of infrastructure and costs. "We are a small jurisdiction and the only challenge we have to overcome is that of being an archipelago in which the courts provide services across four islands to date and perhaps more in the future. "Those services would be greatly enhanced with the use of modern technology and I urge the Government to support the initiatives as the court administrator seeks to bring them online. "In short, we would ask that that technology in the courts be properly funded. She added that until an information technology specialist is identified, the court administration has shortlisted a company and an individual to assist with the project. The company has developed the user requirements which will form the foundation of the system and the individual developer will design the system. This person has already made a preliminary visit to the courts to determine its IT capacity and needs, Ramsay-Hale stated. She added that work on the system will start in January with anticipated full delivery by the end of 2019. Video conference facilities Ramsay-Hale bemoaned the lack of adequate video conferencing capabilities, which forces them to examined witnesses over Skype. This has many disadvantages, including the frequent dropping of calls, she said. "By the end of the first quarter of this year, we hope to equip all courts and the prison with screens and to acquire the software that will permit us to take evidence or conduct bail and other hearings effectively by video. For the latter, she added, they are currently using phone systems with video provided by Digicel for this purpose. "... but we need to be able to have persons appear in the court on the large monitors which have been installed for that purpose. She also stated that for those who doubt a trial can be effective if a witness appears by video, "my own experience of video testimony is that the witnesss appearance by video projects them into the courtroom larger than life, giving the jury or the fact finder a far clearer view of the witness than if he were sitting in the witness box and an equal or better opportunity of assessing his credibility based on his demeanor. However, she added that successful use of the video technology does require a certain digital capability - bandwidth - which is not yet available in Grand Turk and without which the project cannot be completed. Digital audiovisual recording system The chief justice noted that in 2018 the court reached one of its goals, that of installation of state-of-the art digital recording systems in every court. This system ensures that counsel or litigants are able to request and receive a copy of the audio file to facilitate their appeals. The registrar on application produces a written transcript of so much of the audio record as required for an appeal. "I am putting counsel on notice that they will not be receiving a full typed transcript of proceedings. "We will be inviting the attorney general to amend the law, if necessary, to provide that the audio recording is the official record. "I say, if necessary, because the Court of Appeal Rules provides that where the transcript is recorded by electronic means, the record will consist of the transcript of such part of the proceedings as is required for the appeal. What is intended, she added, is that the registrar produce a certified typed transcript of only so much of the record as counsel asserts they need to support a specific ground of appeal. She added that the intention was to outfit every court with a complete audiovisual recording devices. "We hope to add the video suites to the existing audio recording systems later this year so that court proceedings can be captured on both audio and video in all courts as is currently the case in the trial of R v Misick and others. Meanwhile, the court is currently awaiting its .tc domain for its website, which has been launched temporarily at judicialadministrationtci.com The website currently gives information on the courts, the staffing, juries, the court lists, court forms, the laws and where to find them. Ramsay-Hale explained that they are still adding information to the site, which will also host a searchable database of judgments. FILE - In this July 28, 2014, file photo, lightning strikes over Lake Mead near Hoover Dam that impounds Colorado River water at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Arizona. Arizona is nearing a deadline to approve a plan to ensure a key reservoir in the West doesn't become unusable as a water source for farmers, cities, tribes and developers. Other Western states are watching. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation expects full agreement on a drought contingency plan by Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/John Locher, File) Casey Smitherman, an Indiana school superintendent, is accused of pretending a sick student was her son so she could get him treatment. She's been arrested and charged with fraud, but the school board says it stands behind her. By Delana Isles A SEVEN person delegation from the Bahamas will be meeting with TCI Government officials over the next few days to iron out ways in which the two countries can work together to combat similar troubling issues. The delegation is comprised of Darren Henfield, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Captain Godfrey Rolle, Royal Bahamas Defense Force (retired), Lieutenant Commander Floyd Moxey, Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Loren Klein, Office of the Attorney General, and Michael Guy, Foreign Services Officer. They met with Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson and Deputy Premier and Border Control Minister Hon. Sean Astwood immediately upon their arrival at Providenciales International Airport and will engage with Government officials until Monday (January 28). The purpose of their visit is to discuss how the Bahamas and the TCI can work together to combat issues of border security and illegal migration. Like the TCI, every year the Bahamas strives to intercept and repatriate thousands of illegal immigrants from Haiti. Residents in both countries share a similar, deep seated stance on the issue and both are dealing with financial strain from repeated repatriation. Astwood expressed his concerns on the escalating cost of repatriation to his colleagues in Cabinet this past Wednesday. Last year, Haitians in the TCI staged protest action outside of the Haitian consulate, urging the Haitian government to do something to stop the sloops. The protesters were aggrieved at the rising influx of illegal sloops, which they said was making life difficult for them, as well draining the territorys coffers of funds that could otherwise be used for its development. Over in the Bahamas, President of the League of Haitian Pastors Dr Jean Paul Charles said earlier this month that the Bahamas does not have the capacity to receive the many Haitian migrants who enter the country illegally. However, he asserted that despite recent sentiments expressed by the prime minister, he does not believe the influx of illegal Haitian migrants is a threat to the Bahamas. He said while those who make the journey are just "looking for something to eat, more needs to be done to stop the flow of illegal migration into the Bahamas, in part, to prevent people from embarking on such a dangerous journey. Charles comments follow an uptick in illegal Haitian migration and comments from prime minister Dr Hubert Minnis, who told The Tribune: "We continue to deal very aggressively with this matter because it can be a threat not only to our economy, but it can be a threat also to our national security. The pastor told the Bahamian press that he does not believe the illegal immigrants come into the country with guns, but that they put a strain on the countrys healthcare system after spending several days at sea during the perilous journey from Haiti. The state alleges that former Scottsdale schools CFO Laura Smith approved district payments to her sisters consulting company and failed to disclose the relationship or her own financial stake in the firm. The tickets to the show cost $25 and the doors open at 4 p.m. By Trend Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has held talks with Turkmen Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Hajiyev in Tehran, Trend reports referring to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. During the Sunday meeting, Zarif said Tehran attaches great importance to its ties with Ashgabat, and considers Turkmenistan one of the closest countries to Iran. We always seek enhanced relations and cooperation with Turkmenistan in various fields, and hope that we would be able to tap into all the capacities available for promotion of friendship and brotherhood between the two neighbours, he noted. Zarif pointed to earlier agreements on the legal regime of the Caspian Sea, and expressed Irans preparedness to work on joint projects on the body of water. He said no issue should influence friendships between the two countries, and expressed the hope that Iran-Turkmenistan Joint Committee would hold a session in the near future. The Turkmen diplomat, in turn, highlighted the significance of his countrys ties and cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and referred to the constructive talks he earlier in the day held with his Iranian counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araqchi in Tehran. We are trying to prepare the grounds for expansion and deepening of cooperation and bilateral relations and friendship with Iran by removing certain obstacles, he added. A number of big economic projects have been recently implemented. Besides gas pipelines, the IranTurkmenistan Friendship Dam was built and the North-South railway project was completed with Kazakhstans participation. As of February 1, 2018, 89 investment projects with the participation of Iranian companies were registered in Turkmenistan, the total value of which is equal to $1,310.95 million, 0.8 million euros and 0.81 million Turkmen manats. According to the Turkmen Ministry of Finance and Economy, 142 various enterprises with Iranian capital, including limited partnerships, subsidiaries, representative offices, and branches have been registered in the country. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Arystan Kabikenov, Vice Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development of Kazakhstan, spoke about the funds allocated in 2019 to increase the export potential, Kazakh media reports. In order not to lose the traditional export markets, as well as to expand the geography of supplies and product range for the coming year, 500 billion tenge ($1.32 billion) has been allocated, the speaker said at a press conference in the Government. He considers these funds will be used to finance export-oriented projects, at the expense of previously allocated return 220 billion tenge ($650 million). A new financing of 80 billion tenge ($212 million) is introduced, aimed at lending to importers and exporters through DBK tools. Also, the authorized capital of KazakhExport will be increased by 68 billion tenge ($180 million) and a new type of state guarantee in the amount of 102 billion tenge ($270 million) will be introduced, said the Vice Minister. He added that the introduction of a mechanism to reimburse part of the transportation costs of domestic exporters is planned. This is a new tool of 20 billion tenge ($53 million). In addition, it is planned to strengthen traditional types and introduce new tools of service support, which will cost 10 billion tenge ($26 million), he explained. The Vice-Minister stressed that the department provides for conducting trade and economic missions, national exhibitions abroad, marketing promotion of products, comprehensive analysis of sales markets, reimbursement of part of the costs of product certification to exporters. In general, due to these measures, we expect the growth of export earnings by 2021 to 725 billion tenge ($1.92 billion), stressed Kabikenov. Kabikenov noticed that Kazakhstan annually increases exports by 8-10 products and for 2019, the country plans to expand the geography of exports of railway products to Egypt, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, ammonium nitrate - to Georgia. Kazakhstan will export yellow phosphorus and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers will be exported to the U.S., Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, ice cream to Mongolia, water, milk, meat to Afghanistan, Singapore and China, passenger cars to Kyrgyzstan, fittings to Tajikistan, cereals - in Tatarstan, safflower oil - in Japan. New export goods are being opened - sodium cyanide to Russia, semolin in the Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and China. Europe, Iran, soft packaging - to Russia, Tajikistan, ammonium sulphate - to Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, chrome products, soft drinks - to Japan, UK, Turkey, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Belarus, the speaker added. The dynamics are positive. There are expectations to increase exports by 1.5 times by 2022, the speaker concluded. The world's leading buyers will visit Kazakh enterprises in 2019. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Italian company ProBusiness S.R.L. will deliver 2,424 tons of various drill pipes required for drilling and repair work at oil and gas fields to the Turkmennebit State Concern, Trend reports with reference to the state concern. It is expected that the funding will be partially ensured at the expense of the Turkmenbashi Complex of Oil Refineries. Turkmennebit State Concern developed a plan of geological and technical measures until 2024. The state concern operates about 30 fields, including more than 600 oil and gas deposits at various stages of development. In accordance with the plan, new fields "Northern Goturdepe", "Altyguyy", "Uzynada" are being actively developed, modern methods for increasing oil recovery of productive deposits at the fields in long-term operation are being widely implemented, and the advanced technologies in the field of well workover are being applied. The volumes of drilling, as well as the scale of construction of exploration and production wells have been considerably increased. Particular attention has been paid to the study of deep-lying structures. The implementation of projects for the accelerated industrial development of promising fields in the Turkmen sector and the coastal zone of the Caspian Sea, in the Amu Darya basin and in the Central Karakum desert continues. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The groundbreaking ceremony of a new plant for the production of energy-saving light bulbs was held in the industrial zone of the city of Turkistan, Kazakhstan, Trend reports referring to the Kazakh media. The ceremony was attended by the Governor of the Turkistan region Zhanseit Tuymebayev, as well as representatives of Chinese company Tai Energy and Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Source Energy company Oralbek Botbay. The press service of the Turkistan region administration said that the project cost is estimated at $200 million. The construction of the plant began as part of a bilateral memorandum signed earlier at a meeting of the regions governor with the Chinese investor. "Five hectares of land in the industrial zone has been allocated for the implementation of this project. The plant should be built in time and with high quality," Tuymebayev said. It should be noted that Tai Energy's products are in high demand in the lighting of streets, highways and buildings. Turkistan is one of the first regions in Kazakhstan where the company invests its funds. The construction of the plant is planned to be completed within 3 years, after which about 700 people will be provided with jobs. The plant's products are planned to be sold not only in Kazakhstan, but also in neighboring countries. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend A group attacked a military base of Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq on Saturday under "provocation of the PKK," said Turkey's Defense Ministry, Trend reported citing Xinhua. "Partial vehicle and material damage occurred in the attack. Necessary measures are taken regarding the incident," said the ministry on its official Twitter account. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Trot Insider has learned that the first foal by Resolve (4,1:50.4 - $2,749,545) arrived during the morning hours of Sunday, January 27. Southwind Farms contacted me this morning to tell me that my Resolve filly is the first ever and that I should contact Standardbred Canada, Michel Gaboury, of Richelieu Stables, told Trot Insider. The filly is in the video below, attempting to feed for the first time. Gaboury explained that the filly, who arrived at 7 a.m., is out of Ecuries Richelieu Inc.s Angus Hall mare Chef Heartsalot. The filly is the seventh foal out of Chef Heartsalot, whose most notable offspring to date is Jumpshot (by E L Titan), who last year at two raced to a record of 2-2-2 from eight starts, banked $74,946 and took his mark of 1:58.2 over Georgian Downs. Resolves first foal, pictured taking a well deserved rest on Sunday, January 27, 2019 (Image courtesy Facebook) By Trend The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), which envisage transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, have been named among important international energy projects of Greece, Trend reports citing Greek Integrated Energy and Climate Plan for the Period from 2021 to 2030. The document recalls that the 878-kilometers long TAP pipeline has been under construction since 2016. The initial capacity of TAP is 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year with possibility of reaching 20 billion cubic meters by adding two more compressor stations. The plan includes the following important international energy projects: TAP, IGB, Turkey-Greece-Italy (ITGI) pipeline, East Med and others. IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to TAP via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets. The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas. TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU). The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries. Connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network. The project is currently in its construction phase, which started in 2016. Once built, TAP will offer a direct and cost-effective transportation route opening up the vital Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500-kilometer long gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe. TAP shareholders include BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent). --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend If government change actually happens in Venezuela, it will take time before a new government takes control, makes changes and reorganizes the oil sector to the extent that there is significant recovery in Venezuelan oil exports this year, Charles Ellinas, CEO of Cyprus-based energy consultancy e-CNHC told Trend. He was commenting on the political crisis in Venezuela and its possible impact on the world oil market. Venezuela is embroiled in fast-moving political crisis, after an opposition leader stood in the streets of Caracas on Jan.23 and declared himself as the rightful interim president. A flurry of world powers, including the US, immediately backed Juan Guaido, prompting a furious response from President Nicolas Maduro. The socialist leader broke diplomatic ties with President Donald Trump's administration on Jan.23, ordering all U.S. diplomatic personnel to leave the country within 72 hours. He believes that anyway, the US will carry on with shale oil development irrespective. "The only factor that can slow this down is low oil prices, which, with OPEC+ cuts and Iran sanctions, as well as a slower growth in the Chinese and global economies, is not on the cards." He went on to add that the impact of the ongoing developments in Venezuela on the oil market so far the impact has been small. "There is some way to go yet before the political situation becomes clearer. The current President, Maduro, is not in a hurry to get out and the army is supporting him. Without army support Guaido cannot do much even after recognition from the west. Venezuela's oil production has been declining. It was 1.2 million b/d in December. The average in 2017 was over 1.9 million b/d. However, if the US proceeds and applies sanctions then the decline in oil exports may become more significant and may have an impact later in the year," said Ellinas. He reiterated that there has not been government change yet and it may take time before this happens. "Given the low and declining oil exports from Venezuela, the impact on OPEC is not major. This year the key developments to affect the oil price are: a) What happens with Iran sanctions and the wavers the US granted. If these are not renewed then it will impact the oil price. b) OPEC+ cuts. These seem to be effective so far and should keep the oil price above $60/d. d) US shale oil production. Indications are that this will increase further this years. In effect it counter-balances the decline in Venezuelan oil exports. Given the rate of decline during the last two years, the latter may decline by over 300,000 b/d in 2019, even without regime change and faster if US applies sanctions. It appears that the oil market has been discounting the ups and downs of Libya and Venezuela." --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Azerbaijan continues active negotiations on gas supply to the Balkan countries, Counselor of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Serbia Mahir Jafarov said in an interview with Trend. He expressed hope that Serbia, just like Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, will begin the corresponding negotiations with Azerbaijan on gas purchase. Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, being candidates for joining the European Union, are responsible for fulfilling the requirements for diversifying energy sources, he said. These requirements, in turn, create prospects for these countries to purchase Azerbaijani gas through the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). Jafarov reminded that there are plans to supply Azerbaijans gas to Greece and Bulgaria in 2020. A memorandum of understanding for the construction of a gas pipeline between Bulgaria and Serbia was also signed, he said. Azerbaijan important for Europe Commenting on Montenegros decision to open a representative office in Baku, the counselor remarked that the decision was made in December last year during the 103rd government session chaired by Prime Minister Dusko Markovic. Jafarov stressed the importance of Montenegro, a European country, opening its diplomatic office in Baku. This is the result of a successful foreign policy pursued by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and yet another confirmation of our countrys significance for Europe, he said. Preventing Armenian provocations in Europe Unfortunately, no one is immune from provocations of separatist regime, Jafarov said. We see how the separatist regime intensified in Europe, and Serbia is no exception, he noted. He told about one such case that occurred in June 2018. The Azerbaijani Embassy in Serbia learned that a shop called Armenian Flavors in the Duty Free of the Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade sells wine, brandy, vodka and other alcoholic beverages produced by separatists in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, he said. These products were manufactured under the so-called Artsakh brand, he added. We appealed to the authorities of Serbia and reported that the government of Azerbaijan strongly objects the sale of goods produced in the occupied historical Azerbaijani territories, given invented names by Armenia. Such facts threaten the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country. Jafarov noted that the Serbian side was also reminded of the relevant paragraph of the Joint Action Plan on Strategic Partnership between Azerbaijan and Serbia, signed in May 2018 by the heads of both countries, which doesnt allow the sale of goods and services produced in the occupied Azerbaijani territories in Serbia. As a result of urgent measures, these products were once and for all removed from the Duty Free shelves in the Belgrade airport and in Serbia in general, he said. On support to Azerbaijanis living in the Balkans Jafarov stressed that the embassy is constantly in contact with the Azerbaijanis living in Serbia and in the Western Balkans, invites them to participate in the events held by the embassy and also constantly updates them about the current events in Azerbaijan. We keep close contacts with our students studying in these countries, compatriots living and working there, he said. We are interested in each of them individually; we get acquainted with the conditions of education, work and residence on the spot and also support them within our possibilities. He stressed that the ongoing work is based on the tasks set by President Ilham Aliyev to the embassies and representative offices to care and pay attention to every Azerbaijani living abroad. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Head of the delegation of the Azerbaijani parliament in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Sahiba Gafarova, Azerbaijani MPs Javanshir Feyziyev, Azer Karimli, Malahat Ibrahimgizi and Tahir Mirkishili will take part in meetings of the Euronest PA committees in Brussels, Trend reports with reference to the Azerbaijani parliament. Discussions will take place regarding innovations and reforms in the field of education in the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries, simplification of digitalization in order to stimulate economic growth in the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries, parliamentary control as a means of strengthening democracy and efficiency of government agencies in the Eastern Partnership countries and on other issues. Along with the meetings of the committees, the Azerbaijani MPs will also take part in the meeting of the Working Group on Belarus. Members of the Azerbaijani delegation will speak on issues that will be raised at the meetings. The visit will end Jan. 31. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend In accordance with the mandate of the personal representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, regular monitoring has been scheduled for January 29 at the state border of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the direction of Tovuz district, Trend reports with reference to the press service of Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be held by field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative Ghenadie Petrica and Simon Tiller. On the Armenian side, the monitoring will be held by Mikhail Olaru, Ognjen Jovic and Martin Schuster, field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan Carpet Museum will host the exhibition of handmade Turkmen carpets, national jewelry and textile products of Turkmenistan on February 15-18. The exhibition is aimed to enhance cultural interchange and increase trade between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, Trend reported. The event is co-organized by the Ministry of Textile Industry of Turkmenistan together with the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum with the support of the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Baku and the Azerbaijani Cultural Ministry. The exhibition will feature Turkmen pure wool pile hand-made carpets of various colors, ornaments, patterns. A distinctive feature of Turkmen carpets is amazing beauty and durability, which are incorporated in the traditions of carpet weaving. Over the centuries-old history of its existence, the carpet art of the Turkmens has reached the high perfection of artistic expressiveness of patterns. A wide range of textile products produced in Turkmenistan will also be presented at the exhibition. Guests of the exhibition will familiarize themselves with high-quality textile products of Turkmenistan such as knitted and terry fabrics, denim products, etc. All textile products presented at the exhibition are made of 100 percent of organic cotton and natural silk produced in Turkmenistan. Turkmen carpets and textiles are widely popular and in great demand in the global market. A small exposition is allotted for handmade jewelry. Turkmen jewelry is an important part of national culture. The unique women's jewelry made by folk craftsmen have almost a hundred varieties and are widely known all over the world. Special color is given to them by inserts made from carnelian. Since ancient times, it's considered to be a stone, bringing happiness, health, and well-being. The collection of jewelry includes tumar-brooch, bilezik-bracelet, earrings, rings and much more. The exhibition will be featured with Turkmen yurt "Ak Oy", where decorative and applied arts will be exhibited. The Ministry of Textile Industry of Turkmenistan and the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum invite all residents and guests of the city to visit the exhibition. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova First ever Italian-Azerbaijan Film Festival has kicked off in Baku. The event was co-organized by the Imago Group and Sandro Teti Editore, the United Culture Center, with the support of the Culture Ministry of Azerbaijan. A press conference was held as part of the festival, Trend Life reported. The head of the jury of the festival Remo Girone, artistic director of the festival, director and screenwriter Claudio Rossi Massimi, representative of Imago Group Lucia Machaleni, President of Sandro Teti Editore Sandro Teti, head of United Cultures Paola Casagrande, representatives of the cinematography department at the Ministry of Culture Almaz Sultanzade attended the conference. Italian actor and Director, known for his role in the film "La Piovra", Remo Girone stressed the importance of the festival. "I visited Baku for the first time and know that Azerbaijan is very fond of Italian cinema. The film festival will contribute to the further strengthening of cultural ties between Azerbaijan and Italy, will help to establish contacts, mutual enrichment of cultures, exchange of experience and further implementation of joint projects. Unfortunately, Italy is poorly aware of Azerbaijani cinema, but I think that after this festival they will learn, because our goal is to popularize the cinematic language of the two countries, its history and evolution and propaganda of the past, present, and future of cinematography," said Remo Girona. The actor noted that after 30 years in Azerbaijan there are still many admirers of the series "La Piovra". "I played a negative hero in this picture and did not even think that it would bring me so much success. You do not care what role you play in your work, the main thing is I left the audience with emotions in my heart. I played in many films, there were negative and positive roles, but the role of Tano Carridi is a red line through my work," said Girona. He also expressed a desire to take part in the Azerbaijani project and return to Baku again. For five days, Remo Girona will not only take part in the festival, hold a master class, but also take a tour of the sights of Baku, visit the Temple of Atashgah, Gobustan reserve and other places. First ever Italian-Azerbaijan Film Festival will run until January 30. The film screenings are divided into three parts - Italian, Azerbaijani and international. The festival presents the work of both beginners and famous directors from around the world. The main purpose of the event is to identify young talents, to create a platform for the exchange of experience between directors from different countries. Guests of the festival will be actors and directors from around the world. The festival program is also full of seminars, creative debates, meetings. Fifteen selected films by Azerbaijani and Italian juries will be screened during the festival. Winners will be awarded with special prize "Zoroaster Award" on January 30. The prizes will be also given in various nominations: The Best Feature Italian Film, The Best Feature Azerbaijani Film, The Best Feature International Film, The Best International Documentary, The Best Director, The Best Actor, The Best Cameraman, The Best Music. Media partners of the event are Azernews.az, Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan (AmCham Azerbaijan) organized its monthly members luncheon. Its Guest Speaker Mr. Anar Baghirov, Chairman of the Bar Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan delivered a speech on the priorities of the Bar Associations activities and its importance for maintaining the honor of the profession of law as well as the administration of justice in the country. In addition, the Luncheon featured several member presentations. Around 100 AmCham members and partners attended the event, including representatives of diplomatic corps. Mr. Baghirov started his speech with the overview of the Decree On additional measures aimed at the development of the profession of law adopted by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated 22nd February 2018. He particularly stressed upon its importance for supporting the profession of law in Azerbaijan as well as advance and transformation of the judicial system in the country as a whole. He referred to the best world practices demonstrating that strong bar associations play an important role for advocating the access of citizens to high-quality legal aid, effective protection of human rights and freedoms and improving the effectiveness of the national justice system. In this respect, Mr. Baghirov touched upon the adoption of other related Azerbaijani laws and regulations in this field. Speaking on the major directions of the Azerbaijani Bar Associations activities, he mentioned recent signing of a Memorandum on the establishment of new law-enforcement agencies associated with the establishment of ASAN service centers. He also spoke on the close cooperation between the Association and bar associations in different countries and international organizations, and at the same time expansion of the Associations activities throughout the country with the visits to various regions and providing pro bono legal aid to the population. Mr. Baghirov reiterated his confidence that the measures undertaken in the field of supporting the profession of law in Azerbaijan will continue at a steady pace. AmCham Azerbaijan Members Luncheons are organized monthly by the Chamber and feature participation of high ranked government officials, members of parliament and representatives of diplomatic corps. The American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan (AmCham Azerbaijan) is a leading private, non-profit business association supporting and promoting the interests of foreign and local businesses in Azerbaijan. Established in 1996, the Chamber is composed of over 280 Members and Associates active in every sector of the Azerbaijani economy. AmCham Azerbaijan represents nearly 80% of all foreign investment, as well as a significant portion of local investment, in Azerbaijan. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov The Azerbaijani economy has been showing a steady growth in recent years due to a thoughtful, independent policy of the government. This is evidenced in numerous reports and forecasts of global rating agencies. The international rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) expects the Azerbaijani economy to grow by 2.3 percent in 2019, the agency's report said. S&P confirmed the long-term and short-term sovereign credit ratings of Azerbaijan in foreign and national currency at the level of "BB+/B". According to the forecasts, in 2020, the country's GDP will increase by three percent, and in 2021 - by 3.1 percent. Azerbaijans nominal GDP in 2019 is expected to be 80 billion manats, and will continue to rise, reaching 84 billion manats in 2020 and 88 billion manats in 2021. In addition, the agency is waiting for the acceleration of GDP growth per capita. So, in 2019, the growth will be 2.3 percent, in 2020 - three percent, and in 2021 - 3.1 percent. The stable outlook reflects our view on balanced risks for ratings over the next 12 months; we expect the authorities to continue to focus on macroeconomic stability, including fiscal regulation, the agency said. It is noted that the ratings of Azerbaijan are primarily supported by a strong fiscal position of the state, supported by a significant amount of foreign assets accumulated in the State Oil Fund (SOFAZ). Meanwhile, the international rating agency Fitch Ratings said it expects the acceleration of the growth rate of the Azerbaijani economy in 2019. The growth will mainly be supported by gas production within the framework of the second stage of development of the Shah Deniz gas and condensate field, as well as investments within the framework of the extension of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli contract. The growth of non-oil GDP will contribute to the development of tourism and agriculture. "In 2019, the economy of Azerbaijan will grow faster with the restoration of public confidence and an increase in budget spending," the Fitch report on developing countries in Europe says. The government of Azerbaijan forecasts GDP growth in 2019 at the level of 3.6 percent. The agency expects that the current account surplus will be 8.4 percent in 2019. According to Fitch, Russia's interest in importing Azerbaijani agricultural products, the sustainable development of the tourism sector and the opening of the SOCAR Carbamide plant will stimulate non-oil exports of goods and services in Azerbaijan this year. Fitch notes the growth of Azerbaijans international reserves. In particular, the assets of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) increased by nine percent in January-October 2018 to $ 39 billion ($ 35.8 billion in 2017). Agency analysts also note an improvement in the country's banking sector: "The growth of lending in the country reached seven percent in 2018 with the support of lower interest rates, and capitalization increased by 19.5 percent [without considering the International Bank of Azerbaijan]," the report says. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) forecasts economic growth at the level of 3.5 percent in Azerbaijan in 2019. This was stated in the updated report of the bank "Regional economic prospects: in the shadow of trade conflicts." The report notes that the economic recovery of Azerbaijan is supported by measures to ensure macroeconomic stability and high oil prices. Azerbaijan is a country with a well-developed industrial sector. Industrial output accounts for almost 60 percent of GDP. Azerbaijan has the richest reserves of oil and natural gas concentrated in the Absheron peninsula of the Caspian Sea, as well as directly in the Caspian Sea. There are also deposits of iron ore, shale, molybdenum, several mineral sources. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The volume of cargo transportation via the Viking train route is expected to reach 49000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) in 2019, while in 2018 the indicator was 43233 TEUs, the Lithuanian Railways told Trend. Further, commenting upon the question on which countries plan to join the project, the company noted that it would be great to see Sweden and Kazakhstan joining the project. "We are also discussing this possibility with Latvian Latvian Railways (LDz) and Estonian Operail (formerly EVR Cargo)," the Lithuanian Railways added. Lithuania is implementing the Viking project from 2003. Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania are participants of the project. Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey joined the project later. Additional cargo flows can be attracted by adding Azerbaijan and Georgia to this train route. Therefore, in May 2016 Azerbaijan has signed a protocol about the joining of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC to the "Viking train" project. The total length of its Ilyichevsk (Ukraine)-Minsk (Belarus)-Draugiste (Lithuania) route is 1,766 kilometers. The main freight consists of vehicles and its parts, textile products, metal products, products of the chemical industry. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz (AP) Pope Francis is wrapping up his first trip to Central America with a final World Youth Day Mass and a visit to a church-run home for people living with AIDS. Francis' meeting Sunday with HIV-positive residents of the Casa Hogar El Buen Samaritano is likely to send a strong message in Panama, where the virus carries a stigma. "Many of the people we help here have been rejected by their families, by people in the street," said the Rev. Domingo Escobar, the home director. "But here they receive Christian help, as the church wants." Francis was heading to the home after celebrating a morning Mass for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at Panama City's Metropark area scheduled early so the pilgrims can escape the searing heat and start making their way home after a weeklong religious festival. Many had spent the night there after Francis celebrated a vigil Saturday night, the culmination of a busy day that included a luncheon with 10 young pilgrims representing each of the continents. The Vatican described the luncheon as familiar and festive, and the young people said they were surprised at Francis' informality and interest in their questions. Brenda Noriega, a Mexican-born youth minister from San Bernardino, California, said she told Francis that the sex abuse scandal in the United States was a "crisis right now we cannot avoid talking about." She said Francis called abuse a "horrible crime" and assured her that the church was committed to supporting victims. She said Francis also stressed the need for prayer, noting that he sent U.S. bishops on a retreat with his own preacher earlier this month ahead of his big summit on abuse prevention in February at the Vatican. "For me as a youth minister, that means a lot," Noriega told reporters after the luncheon. "Youth ministers, we have been with people who have been angry but sometimes we forget about prayer. We react too easy and too fast. So I think what His Holiness is telling us and the church is to first pray, build community and not forget about accompaniment." It was the first time the abuse scandal has come up publicly during Francis' four-day visit to Panama. The abuse scandal hasn't erupted publicly in Central America in the same way it has in the U.S., where the Catholic hierarchy is facing a crisis in confidence over its decades-long failures to protect young people from priests who rape and molest children. During the luncheon, held on the campus of Panama City's main seminary, the guests peppered Francis with questions. Palestinian pilgrim Dana Salah said she asked Francis about the flight of Christians from the lands of Jesus' birth. She said the pope assured her "'Palestine will always remain the land of Jesus.'" Emilda Santo Montezuma, an indigenous Panamanian, said she spoke to Francis about the environment and the rights of indigenous peoples two issues particularly dear to Francis' heart which will be the focus of a meeting of Amazonian bishops at the Vatican later this year. Francis' support, she said, would embolden indigenous people to fight for their rights. "It fills me with a lot of strength and to say to young people that we can do a lot, and more than we have done," she told reporters. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 24 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Jan. 28, Trend reports. The Armenian armed forces were using heavy machine guns. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A leader of a small Armenian party prosecuted on corruption charges died in prison at the weekend following a 44-day hunger strike. Armenias National Security Service (NSS) arrested Vahe Yeghiazarian, the deputy chairman of the Armenian Eagles party, and charged with him fraud and bribery on December 3. He did not deny taking money, Yeghiazarians lawyer, Vahe Armenakian, said on Monday. He just thought that the matter should be investigated on the civil-administrative plane and that the criminal case should not have been opened because in Armenia tens of thousands of people borrow money from each other and return it later on. Yeghiazarian, who also ran a news website, began the hunger strike two days after his arrest, demanding his immediate release from custody. He ended it on January 17, nine days before he died at Yerevans Nubarashen prison. The 51-year-old died from a heart attack, according to the prison administration. Armenakian told RFE/RLs Armenian service that his client may have stayed alive if he had been taken to a civilian hospital right after the hunger strike. Yeghiazarian did not receive adequate medical care at Nubarashens medical unit, said the lawyer. Hasmik Harutiunian, who leads a team of civic activists monitoring conditions in Armenian prisons, likewise challenged the Justice Ministry to clarify whether Yeghiazarian underwent necessary medical treatment in the prison. According to the office of Armenias state human rights ombudsman, Arman Tatoyan, the suspect suffered from a chronic heart disease. The office said it urged law-enforcement authorities to free him on bail because of that. A Yerevan court refused to grant bail to Yeghiazarian on January 16. Armenakian also condemned the NSS for banning his relatives from visiting him in the prison. In a Facebook post, Yeghiazarians son Vazgen said they would have urged him to the end the hunger strike much earlier. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian reaffirmed his readiness to again cooperate with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) when he met with the partys new leadership on Sunday. Dashnaktsutyun elected its new top decision-making body, the Bureau, during a congress in Nagorno-Karabakh which drew to a close last week. The Bureau is headed by Hagop Der Khatchadurian, a Canadian Armenian, and also comprises 12 other members. Four of them -- Armen Rustamian, Arsen Hambardzumian, Spartak Seyranian and Giro Manoyan -- are leading members of the pan-Armenian partys organization in Armenia. They and Der Khatchadurian were received by Pashinian. Our government is intent on having a broad and productive cooperation with Dashnaktsutyun, Pashinian told them at the start of the meeting. Obviously, we dont have the same views on many issues but on quite a few other issues the vectors of our perceptions converge. Our aim is to have a strong homeland and Diaspora and Im sure that there are enough areas where we can cooperate to the benefit of our national priorities, Der Khatchadurian said for his part. Pashinians press service did not report other details of the meeting. In a written appeal to the delegates of the Dashnaktsutyun congress publicized last week, Pashinian paid tribute to the partys 129-year-long history. He said he is ready to cooperate with Dashnaktsutyun and open to your proposals and criticism. The weeklong congress began with an announcement by Dashnaktsutyuns longtime top leader, Hrant Markarian, that he will not seek reelection to the Bureau. Markarian was reportedly blamed by dissident Dashnaktsutyun figures for the partys poor showing in the December 2018 parliamentary elections. Dashnaktsutyun was part of Armenias former government ousted during last springs velvet revolution. It received two ministerial posts in a new government formed by Pashinian in May. The prime minister fired his Dashnaktsutyun-affiliated ministers in October, accusing their party of secretly collaborating with former President Serzh Sarkisians Republican Party. Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian on Monday dismissed serious concerns voiced by critics of the Armenian government over a series of high-level Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations held in recent months. Mnatsakanian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov met on January 16 for the fourth time in six months. They both described the meeting in Paris as useful and pledged to hold more results-oriented negotiations on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In a joint statement, the U.S., Russian and French mediators co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group said Mnatsakanian and Mammadyarov acknowledged the need for concrete measures to prepare the populations for peace. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev fuelled more talk of major progress towards the conflicts resolution when they met in Davos on January 22. Some Armenian opposition politicians and commentators critical of the government speculated that Pashinian may have agreed to make significant territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Pashinian brushed aside these conspiracy theories on January 23. Mnatsakanian also deplored the critics defeatist claims. I was somewhat surprised and wondered with if we have some defeatist sentiment within the society or have lost our self-confidence, he told reporters. I am sure that there is no such sentiment in our society. Mnatsakanian insisted that the government will not deviate from Armenias traditional position on a Karabakh settlement. We have made clear that the questions of [Karabakhs] status and security remain Armenias overriding priorities, he said. The minister did not shed more light on his talks with Mammadyarov or comment on chances of a breakthrough in the peace process. Pashinian insisted that he did not discuss with Aliyev any concrete detail of a possible peace accord. Criminal charges leveled against three retired top generals in connection with the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan have affected morale within the Armenian military, Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan said on Monday. Of course that is affecting the mood in the armed forces, Tonoyan told journalists. But as I said, we are coping well and doing more than enough [for national security.] The charges stem from the violent breakup of opposition protests staged in the wake of the disputed February 2008 presidential election. Former President Robert Kocharian as well as Generals Mikael Harutiunian, Seyran Ohanian and Yuri Khachaturov stand accused of illegally using army units against the protesters. They all deny the accusations. Ohanian, who was the chief of the armys General Staff during the March 2008 violence, went farther at the weekend, accusing the Armenian authorities of attempting to drive a wedge between the army and the people. In a lengthy Facebook post, he again insisted that army units were not involved in vicious street clashes that left eight protesters and two policemen dead. Ohanian also suggested that the alleged efforts to discredit the high-ranking army command may be designed to facilitate significant Armenian concessions to Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Maybe this is aimed at preparing the peoples for peace, he said, using a phrase from a statement which international mediators issued after a recent meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers. Ohanian was appointed as Armenias defense minister in April 2008. He held that post until October 2016. Tonoyan served as first deputy defense minister from 2010-2017. The minister spoke to reporters at Yerevans Yerablur military cemetery where he and other senior officials led by President Armen Sarkissian and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian laid flowers on Monday. The ceremony was part of official celebrations of Army Day, a public holiday in Armenia. Kocharian, Harutiunian and Khachaturov were charged with an overthrow of the constitutional order shortly Pashinian swept to power in May on a wave of mass protests that brought down the countrys previous government. Pashinian, who was one of the main speakers during the 2008 protests, has repeatedly denied any political motives behind the charges. One of the premiers close associates, deputy parliament speaker Alen Simonian, brushed aside Ohanians latest claims, saying that the Armenian armed forces cannot be associated with a few retired generals. Thats an absurd statement, Simonian told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). By contrast, the high-profile criminal case was criticized by Vitaly Balasanian, another retired general who is now the secretary of Nagorno-Karabakhs Security Council. This accusation of overthrowing the constitutional order is a bit ridiculous, Balasanian told reporters after attending the wreath laying ceremony at Yerablur. Can you imagine Nikol Pashinian overthrowing the constitutional order to stay on as prime minister? he said. Only a force thats not in government could overthrow the constitutional order. Why would people in power overthrow the constitutional order? Democrats who want to tackle climate change are about to face the biggest challenge with sweeping policies: They're much more likely to pass if they get support from both sides of the political aisle. Why it matters: No matter how far-fetched it seems after the government shutdown, the fact remains that policy endures better with bipartisan support, political scientists and past precedent suggest. This is particularly relevant in trying to solve a problem as enormous as climate change and with progressive Democrats rallying around a Green New Deal that calls for massive economic transformation. While the theory of having some collaboration and compromise across the board is always good, its particularly important when the progress is measured in decades. One of the unique challenges of the energy and climate debate is that no meaningful decision gets made unless people have some confidence in at least a decade of consistent policy. Jason Grumet, president, Bipartisan Policy Center Driving the news: After an absence of nearly a decade, two big climate and energy policies are emerging in the Washington debate. The Green New Deal represents the progressive flank of the Democratic Party, but it has no Republican support. The other, a carbon tax, is bipartisan and reflects controversial compromise. By the numbers: While Americas political discourse has gotten more partisan in recent years, actual laws passed by Congress have not, according to forthcoming research described to Axios by James Curry, political scientist at the University of Utah, and Frances Lee, politics professor at the University of Maryland. Since 1985, majority parties controlling Congress have passed just 12 laws getting largely what they wanted on big policy priorities over the opposition of most members of the minority party and the minority party's top leaders. Thats less than 5% of all the majority-party policy priorities considered in more than 30 years. Of the 12 that have passed by rolling the minority party, two have been high profile and more recent, making it perhaps seem more common when it actually isnt: the Affordable Care Act of 2010, which Democrats pushed through with no GOP support, and the 2017 tax overhaul law, which got no Democratic votes. Republicans, meanwhile, have been chipping away at the health care law since it passed, eroding its effectiveness. Examples of bipartisan bills include two comprehensive energy bills in 2005 and 2007 and a 2015 spending bill that featured policies with big repercussions for energy and climate: lifting the 40-year-old ban on oil exports and extending wind and solar tax credits. Its extraordinarily difficult to pass anything thats partisan. Its not happening more than it used to. Its something that needs to be understood by activists. Frances Lee, University of Maryland professor Enter the Green New Deal, which features numerous lofty energy initiatives like a goal of 100% renewable electricity within 10 years (up from 17%), and other big non-energy policies, including a federal jobs guarantee and universal health care. More policy details are expected within the next week or so. Dozens of congressional Democrats, including several presidential contenders, have expressed support for the idea. But no Republicans have, and even some more centrist Democrats have expressed concerns about it. Backers of this proposal, including The Sunrise Movement, a youth-led group pushing the policy along with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, say the plan has to be done in one fell swoop, not piecemeal, given the urgency of climate change. Meanwhile, a carbon tax where the proceeds go back to consumers in the form of a dividend check is gaining support in pockets across the political spectrum. Bipartisan legislation was just introduced in the House, while some oil companies are beginning to fund a similar effort. To varying degrees, these proposals preempt other climate regulations, and in at least one instance provide a legal shield for oil companies facing certain kinds of lawsuits. These two aspects, which are drawing ire from environmentalists, reflect what the backers say is essential compromise to get legislation passed. Flashback: In 2009, when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress and the White House, backers of comprehensive climate legislation failed to get support from enough Democrats, let alone any Republicans. It passed the House but died in the Senate. Most elected Republicans have ignored or dismissed climate change since then, but thats slowly starting to change. Just look at how volatile, partisan and harsh the political environment in the legislative branch has become since the era of trying to do things with just one party, said Rep. Francis Rooney of Florida, who is the only Republican co-sponsoring the carbon tax bill introduced last week. Whats next: As bipartisanship inches back to life in some corners on Capitol Hill, dont expect it to make a grand comeback until at least after 2020. Getting beyond partisanship is unlikely in what is shaping up to be a record-setting polarizing presidential election. Following the indictment of longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone on Friday, House Intelligence chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said in a statement that the committee's "first order of business will be to release all remaining transcripts to the Special Counsels Office." The big picture: Schiff notes that Stone is now the second witness to be indicted or plead guilty to lying before the House panel, joining President Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen who admitted to lying about the extent of negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. The special counsel has signaled that he considers lying and obstruction of justice serious offenses, with Stone, Cohen, Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort among those now facing consequences for their alleged false statements. Go deeper: Everyone caught up in the Trump investigations Facebooks decision to unite the technical guts of its three giant messaging services could not only cement its dominance of instant messaging but also help fend off future break-up attempts by antitrust cops. Why it matters: Uniting the back-end technology that runs Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp is more than just an engineering call. It will bring together users of all three apps in a single network, database and community enabling new features and opening the door to even more anticompetitive challenges, privacy troubles and social conflicts. Driving the news: As the New York Times' Mike Isaac reported, and Facebook confirmed to Axios, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has decided to integrate the back-end infrastructures of Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger so that users of all three can directly message one another. The plan is still early and exploratory, according to Facebook. What it means for Facebook's business Reorganizing the codebases for Facebook's messaging services so that they are essentially one application with three different interfaces could make it much harder for a court or regulator to order a breakup of Facebook's properties, as some critics are proposing. In its antitrust case 20 years ago, Microsoft famously argued that even though its web browser was originally a separate application, the browser's code had become too deeply entwined with the Windows operating system to remove. Microsoft famously argued that even though its web browser was originally a separate application, the browser's code had become too deeply entwined with the Windows operating system to remove. Microsoft lost that argument, but Facebook's lawyers and developers may be able to learn from its predecessor's mistakes. Facebook's integration plan is all about improving interoperability among its own "family of apps." But regulators and many users will also want to know whether Facebook's changes will help, or hinder, the messaging services' ability to communicate with users on competing services. Apple runs its own vast text-messaging universe (iMessage), and the mobile phone carriers run another. Messages can easily cross those systems, but Facebook's messaging remains a world apart. Facebook may be weighing a more open approach, streamlined by this integration plan but such a move would be out of keeping with its past behavior. Zuckerberg's plan would also bolster Facebook's utility for its business customers, per Axios' Sara Fischer: Millions of companies around the world use Facebooks messaging tools as a business-to-business communications platform between vendors and consumers. Facebook has heard from many businesses that its difficult to effectively operate all of its messaging services simultaneously. What it means for privacy on Facebook Zuckerberg has decided that all of the services should protect users' messages with end-to-end encryption by default, currently offered only on WhatsApp, according to the Times report. Encryption can be a boon to users fearful of surveillance or who want to protect their personal data from commercial abuse. No details are known of Facebook's plans, so it's impossible to say whether they will ultimately enhance user privacy or end up sparking new data scandals. But Facebook's controversies over sharing user data have left a residue of mistrust in parts of the public and with some legislators, who will be less likely to give it the benefit of the doubt. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) responded to the news with a statement: "We cannot allow platform integration to become privacy disintegration. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.): "Once again, Mark Zuckerberg appears eager to breach his commitments in favor of consolidating control over people and their data." What it means for Facebook users When Facebook acquired Instagram (2012) and WhatsApp (2014), it said it would keep both services running separately under their original leadership. But the founders of both companies departed last year. Given Facebook's mission "build community and bring the world closer together" it makes sense that Zuckerberg would look at three separate messaging products and want to unite them. Yes, but: People's lives are tangled up in these apps in complex ways. Instagram and WhatsApp evolved as separate products with their own unique features and user behavior patterns. WhatsApp let users sign up for accounts with nothing more than a phone number, but Facebook is committed to users' having a single "real-world" identity. Instagram has become a petri dish for memes, "influencers" and other epiphenomena of visual online culture. Many users of Instagram and WhatsApp don't realize they're on Facebook-owned turf. Linking the services will tie their public images to Facebook's, which has taken a beating, Axios' Ina Fried notes. Treating these vast digital realms as interchangeable reservoirs of users may leave a bad taste for many, but that's not likely to slow Zuckerberg down. Facebook has a record of rearchitecting the social landscape for its own needs without users having a say. The social network sparked its most famous user rebellion back in 2006, when it first introduced the Newsfeed. The protests died out; the Newsfeed is the very heart of today's Facebook. The bottom line: Facebook has always aimed to define and map the "social graph" of humanity. It was only a matter of time before Instagram and WhatsApp users were added to that graph. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told me that as recently as a couple of weeks ago Trump mused to him about the possibility of using military force in Venezuela, where the U.S. government is currently pushing for regime change using diplomatic and economic pressures. What happened: Graham, recalling his conversation with Trump, said: "He [Trump] said, 'What do you think about using military force?' and I said, 'Well, you need to go slow on that, that could be problematic.' And he said, 'Well, I'm surprised, you want to invade everybody.'" Graham laughed. "And I said, 'I don't want to invade everybody, I only want to use the military when our national security interests are threatened.'" "Trump's really hawkish" on Venezuela, the hawkish Graham added in a phone interview on Sunday afternoon, adding that Trump was even more hawkish than he was on Venezuela. To be clear: There are no signs that the Trump administration is planning to invade Venezuela, and my conversations with senior administration officials signal that the coming pressures to accelerate regime change are diplomatic and economic. (We expect the Trump administration will target Nicolas Maduro's oil and offshore wealth in the coming weeks and try to divert that wealth to the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, whom Trump recognized last week as the interim president of Venezuela.) that the Trump administration is planning to invade Venezuela, and my conversations with senior administration officials signal that the coming pressures to accelerate regime change are diplomatic and economic. (We expect the Trump administration will target Nicolas Maduro's oil and offshore wealth in the coming weeks and try to divert that wealth to the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, whom Trump recognized last week as the interim president of Venezuela.) But that doesn't mean we should ignore Trump's private comments to Graham, because he's pointedly made clear that "all options" remain on the table and this isn't the first time Trump has mentioned military intervention in Venezuela. He's wanted to move aggressively against the Maduro regime since his first year as president. In the summer of 2017 Trump alarmed Venezuela with talk of a "military option." Trump's aides at the time talked him out of the idea. The big picture: The Trump administration's approach to foreign policy has quietly but fundamentally changed. Gone are those who often fiercely disagreed with Trump's instincts: Jim Mattis, Rex Tillerson, Gary Cohn and, at times, H.R. McMaster. Trump's new senior team John Bolton, Mike Pompeo and Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan backs his instincts on almost every issue. (Though, again, there are no signs they are pushing him towards a military action in Venezuela.) We saw the new speed in Trump's foreign policy with his swift withdrawal from the Iran deal after Bolton took over as national security adviser, following months of slow-walking from Tillerson, Mattis and McMaster. And while it's still unclear how quickly Trump will withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and to what extent a skeletal U.S. presence may remain neither Bolton nor Pompeo treated the withdrawal as thered-line that Mattis considered it. Venezuela is another case study of the new speed of Trump's foreign policy. It's hard to say how the previous national security team would've reacted to January's events in Venezuela, but there were more voices of caution when the internal Venezuela debate raged in the first year of Trump's presidency. During the spring and summer of 2017, according to senior administration officials, the National Security Council worked with the State Department and the Pentagon to develop an "escalatory roadmap" to game out how the White House should react each time Nicolas Maduro committed a new atrocity. According to a former senior official who was intimately involved, Maduro quickly crossed all the roadmap's red lines: His regime killed protesters, arrested opposition leaders and stripped the parliament of its legislative powers. By the logic of the roadmap which the president approved they ought to have imposed an oil embargo against Venezuela, according to the official. But Gary Cohn, Trump's then-White House economic adviser, and Tillerson argued strongly against this, with Cohn saying it would roil markets, raise gas prices and exacerbate Venezuelas humanitarian crisis. The result: no oil embargo. The bottom line: Stymied at home, Trump is now moving faster than ever on foreign policy. Few, if any, in the White House believe Trump will accomplish much domestically in this Congress. But on foreign policy and national security where he is most powerful there are scant obstacles between what he wants and what he does. Go deeper: The Department of Justice announced Monday it has brought charges against Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese electronics giant Huawei, related to violating trade sanctions against Iran. A second case announced today involves charges against individuals affiliated with Huawei for stealing intellectual property related to robotics. Why it matters: The indictment of Meng, the daughter of Huawei's founder, is only one chapter in a book-long series of international disruptions of one of China's biggest businesses. Huawei is currently dealing with international bans on its 5G equipment over potential espionage concerns and recently had a employee arrested in Poland for espionage. Meng, alongside Huawei and its U.S. subsidiary, is accused of attempting to circumvent sanctions in 2007 by lying about its ownership of the Iranian business Skycom and later lying about selling its interest in Skycom. Huawei is also accused of making false statements to Congress about the deal. The robotics charge involves a case in which Huawei is accused of stealing the technology and even a physical piece of a T-Mobile robot called "Tappy" that's used to test phones. China hasn't taken the campaign against Huawei lying down. Canadian authorities arrested Meng and are currently in the legal process of extraditing her to the United States. A number of Canadian citizens were subsequently arrested in China, and in one case, potential penalties in an earlier case were increased to the death penalty, which Ottawa believes is retaliatory. (CNN) A high-ranking Nigerian policewoman has warned gay people living in the country to leave or risk criminal prosecution. Dolapo Badmos, a Chief Superintendent and spokeswoman for the Lagos State Police Command, made the comments on her personal Instagram account, which is set to private and has 125,000 followers. "If you're homosexually inclined, Nigeria is not a place for you," Badmos wrote last week. "There is a law (Same-sex Prohibition Act) here that criminalizes homosexual clubs, associations, and organizations with penalties of up to 14yeats (sic) in jail. "So if you are homosexual in nature, leave the country or face prosecution," wrote Badmos, who has attained celebrity status in the country due to her frequent social media posts. Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed the controversial Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA) into law, despite widespread international objection. Those found guilty of being in a same-sex relationship face up to 14 years in jail. The law was widely condemned by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch at the time, as well as the then United States Secretary of State, John Kerry. Badmos' comments are the latest reminder of the challenges facing members of the LGBT community in a country where the anti-gay law enjoys broad support among its citizens. According to a survey of 2,000 individuals conducted by The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERs), a Nigeria-based human rights organization, about 90% of Nigerians support the continued enforcement of the SSMPA. Following her post, Badmos received scores of comments, with most of them expressing support for the proposed prosecution of gay people living in Nigeria. "It is illegal and ungodly," one user wrote. Another user said, "we must say no to lesbianism and homosexuality it's evil." Badmos did not respond to CNN's requests for clarification on her comments. A spokesman for Lagos State police declined to comment and referred the inquiry back to Badmos. Olumide Makanjuola, executive director at TIERs, told CNN the Instagram post is tantamount to inciting violence against LGBTQ people in Nigeria, calling her comments "unacceptable." "Police should be wary with their statement and if they incite violence. What she said is out of line," Makanjuola said. Homophobia is widespread in many African countries. More than half of the countries on the continent have enacted laws that make it illegal to be gay and in several, including Somalia and South Sudan, homosexuality is punishable by death. A 2013 Pew Research survey found that 98% of people in Nigeria believe LGBTQ people should not be accepted by society. However, a 2017 survey by NOI Polls commissioned by TIERs showed a seven percent increase in the acceptance rates of LGBTQ people in Nigeria when compared to a similar survey from two years earlier. Many of the people who commented under Badmos' post also singled out an openly transgender individual, who is prominent on social media, and called for their arrest. So far 58 people are dead and more than 300 others are missing and the death toll could continue rising after a dam collapsed at Vale's Corrego do Feijao mine in what looks like Brazil's worst environmental disaster on record. Why it matters to the market: In addition to Brazil being the world's No. 1 producer of iron ore, the strong performance of its assets helped power emerging markets indexes late in the year. What they're saying: "From now, the odds are minimal (to find more people alive) and it is most likely we will recover only bodies," Minas Gerais Gov. Romeu Zema told reporters late Friday. Brazil's environmental protection agency fined Vale an initial $66.5 million over the disaster, and the mayor of the affected town has blasted the company as "careless and incompetent." He has vowed to fine Vale an additional $26.5 million. Authorities initially obtained a court order blocking $270 million of Vale funds in bank accounts to use for victim relief. The Brazilian government has since ordered Vale to stop operations at the mining complex and frozen nearly $3 billion of the company's assets. The big picture: A fall by Vale that's even marginally similar to what's happened with California utility company PG&E currently facing liability charges for wildfires in 2017 and 2018 that left dozens dead could send ripples through emerging market equities. And it's the second dam collapse involving Vale in four years. Vale shares sank 8% on the New York Stock Exchange Friday. With U.S. markets about to open Monday, shares were down another 9% in pre-market trading. Its bonds have cratered and iron ore prices climbed in Asian trading as investors speculate global supply could be interrupted. This impact of the environmental tragedy could be felt in a number of ways. President Jair Bolsonaro made opening up Brazil's protected natural resources to companies and slashing regulations a tenet of his presidential platform. Vale is a major part of Brazil's benchmark Bovespa stock index, holding a weighting of more than 10%. The Bovespa was the best-performing major index in the world in 2018, outperforming the S&P 500 by 18%. The bottom line: "This calls into question the financial viability of Vale going forward because of the sheer scale of their potential liabilities," Tom Goodhead, a lawyer at SPG Law, told Reuters. Go deeper: Stock market hails Bolsonaro, but his economic vision remains unclear Image: Boeing Boeing has delivered the first two KC-46 Pegasus tanker aircraft to the U.S. Air Force. The aircraft, which were built at Boeings facility in Everett, Washington, departed Paine Field on Friday to join the 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas. Two more KC-46s are scheduled to be delivered to McConnel within the next few weeks followed by four going to Oklahomas Altus Air Force Base. Boeing says it plans to build 179 of the Boeing 767-based refueling aircraft to replace the Air Forces legacy tanker fleet. The KC-46A is a proven, safe, multi-mission aircraft that will transform aerial refueling and mobility operations for decades to come, said CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security Leanne Caret. We look forward to working with the Air Force, and the Navy, during their initial operational test and evaluation of the KC-46, as we further demonstrate the operational capabilities of this next-generation aircraft across refueling, mobility and combat weapons systems missions. According to Boeing, the KC-46 is capable of refueling 64 different aircraft types. The tankers boom can transfer up to 1,200 gallons of fuel per minute. It also has hose and drogue systems located on the aircrafts wing and centerline, which allow it to refuel smaller aircraft at up to 400 gallons of fuel per minute. In addition, Boeing says the KC-46 can be rapidly converted for medevac and cargo. Spinoffs are the future of the Fast and Furious franchise, and we already know that the 9th installment of the film is centered and titled around Hobbs and Shaw, two of the iconic characters of the most recent movies.But apparently theres another spinoff in the making, one whose main characters are female. The idea behind this apparently popped up into the head of non-other than Vin Diesel, the heavyweight of the franchise.In an Instagram post dated January 23, Vin Diesel revealed he heard a pitch for the Fast female protagonist driven spinoff he promised Universal Studios back in 2017 and that it was very exciting.In the same post, Diesel announced three names - Nicole Perlman, Lindsey Beer, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet- welcoming them all to the Fast family.Nicole Perlman is James Gunn's precursor in the Guardians of the Galaxy project, having written most of the original work for the movie. She also has a hand in the upcoming Captain Marvel.Geneva Robertson-Dworet is also involved in the Captain Marvel project and has also worked on 2018s Tomb Raider. As for Lindsey Beer, shes currently working on a Short Circuit and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboots.This latest Fast and Furious project is still in its infancy, so its probably going to be a while before we learn more about it. Hopefully, a fresh take on the franchise might just be what was needed to steer it clear of the increasingly outlandish plots and storylines the last few installments surprised us with.That, or well have a superhero-centered Fast and Furious on our hands. kW The latest police department to announce its plans to go green is the one of Fremont, California, the home city of Tesla , the world most famous electric carmaker. There, the local Police Department announced last week plans to begin a pilot program meant to help it reduce gas emissions.The pilot program calls for the use of a Tesla Model S 85 for patrol operations, a car that is currently undergoing the required modifications for the task.The car was purchased by the police department in January last year for $61,478.50 as a replacement for a 2007 Dodge Charger . Since then, the car has been in various shops to be fitted with standard police equipment.It cost the department $4,447 to date to get the car in shape, but that sum is expected to grow further -not by much - as the fitting of the car with police gear nears completion.The police department says that, in addition to being much greener than other internal combustion cruisers, the Tesla is much cheaper to gear up. A Ford Explorer , for instance, requires about $40,000 to get in shape for police duties.For the operation of the Model S, the Fremont police department also had 872of solar panels installed at its headquarters to support the three charging stations located there.As part of the pilot program, the department will monitor performance, durability, range, costs, and unknowns that will only be fully understood once the pilot test is completed and the results are evaluated, in its attempt to cut back on the 980 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year it is responsible for. It is very tricky to say which of the around 500 vehicles on display at the event is the most exciting to look at, especially because theres only a handful of tuning companies that advertise their products to the global media, outside of their intended segment or Pomonas Fairplex.And thats a shame because if they were, youd see more of these thrilling machines on this here website.Luckily, from time to time we get a break. Enter the 1970 Dodge Charger Evolution and 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302, tweaked by an American company that goes by the name of SpeedKore; machines that had both original body and soul yanked from under them and got converted into what you see here.The 1970 Dodge Charger Evolution uses an SRT Demon -sourced 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine forced into spitting 966 horsepower to the rear wheels. It also uses a full-carbon fiber body on the outside and a 14-point roll cage on the inside.The 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302, commissioned in 2016 by Iron Man sorry, Robert Downey Jr. - is powered by a 5.0-liter V8 Aluminator engine of unspecified powersupplied by Ford Performance. As a cape sorry, armor suit the car wears carbon fiber hood, fenders, bumpers, deck lid, chin spoiler, and quarter extensions.It is not the two cars first public appearance, as the Charger was shown at 2018s SEMA show, and the Boss 302 a year before at the same event. But this time the two were side by side, on display at the Grand National Roadster show this past weekend.Not a sight one often comes across. Sorry we nearly missed them. The American space agency is working under a deadline to call off attempts at reviving the Opportunity if no reply is heard over the coming weeks. Although not set in stone, that deadline is looming and has sent engineers scrambling for new solutions.Whereas up until now NASA has sent a command three times a week to the rover to convince it to send back a signal as soon as it powers up, this week attempts are being made with an entirely different set of assumptions in mind.NASA is pondering the fact that the one or both of the rovers primary and secondary X-band radios have failed, hence now it is trying to tell Opportunity not only to send a signal home, but also to switch to its backup X-band radio.Additionally, in case the rover's internal clock, which provides a timeframe for its computer brain, is offset, a command to reset the clock and respond via UHF has also been sent."Over the past seven months we have attempted to contact Opportunity over 600 times," said in a statement John Callas, project manager for Opportunity."While we have not heard back from the rover and the probability that we ever will is decreasing each day, we plan to continue to pursue every logical solution that could put us back in touch."Despite these new attempts, NASA believes all of the above scenarios are the result of unlikely events, hence not much hope for an actual answer.The Opportunity has been silent since June 2018, when a planet-wide dust storm prevented to rover from charging its batteries from the sun and caused it to enter minimal operations.Hopes were that once the dust has settled, the Rover will recharge and go about its business as usual.The Opportunity has been on Mars since 2004 when it landed on a mission that was supposed to last for only 90 days. On Friday, January 25, Opportunity would have turned 15 years on the job. PHEV Once you select a model and fire up the configurator , Porsche Cars North America informs the user that emission and consumption values are currently unavailable. A metallic finish adds $830 to the price while special colors such as Carmine Red go for $3,270. For custom colors, prepare $11,430.The soft-top roof is available in four finishes (black, blue, brown, red) at no additional cost to the customer. Opt for the Carrera Exclusive Design 20- and 21-inch wheels, and youre looking at $2,630. As for the Club Leather package, add $5,340 to the price tag.Customers who cant do without the Premium and Sport packages have to spend $5,380 and $5,460, respectively. Sport Chrono comes in at $2,720, rear-axle steering at $2,090, Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control is $3,170, and the Sport Exhaust System retails at $2,950.Make no mistake about it; configuring the 911 Cabriolet with all the bells and whistles translates to $200,000 or thereabouts. The GTS, Turbo, and Turbo S could break the $300,000 threshold with input from Exclusive Manufaktur. Tracing its roots back to the 1950s, what used to be called Sonderwunschprogramm started with bespoke options for the Porsche 356.The one-millionth 911 rolled off the assembly line in Zuffenhausen back in November 2017, and sales are stronger than ever. The U.S. and Europe bought 9,647 and 15,053 examples of the breed in 2018, most of them coupe and with the dual-clutch transmission.Speaking of the PDK, the 992 generation (eighth if youre still counting) features eight speeds. The transmission was developed for future hybridization, capable of incorporating a disc-shaped electric motor in the rearmost section.Porsche is developing mild- and plug-in hybrid drivetrains for the 911, but little is known about what we should expect. In the case of the, well most likely deal with the heaviest Neunelfer of the 992 generation Hi, when i first went to visit my now fiance, in 2015, we werent officially in a relationship as we had only been talking on skype and whatsapp so I wrote down that I was visiting a friend. I got a letter from him saying he would be providing accommodations for me and we gave an itinerary of roughly things we had planned on seeing around Sydney (we did a harbour cruise, visited a petting zoo cant remember the name, etc). After meeting and hitting it off we decided to be in an exclusive relationship so any visas from there on I wrote down i was visiting my de facto partner. I think if she provides evidence of genuine turisty things she wants to do/ and evidence of only a temporary stay, eg. she has a job to go back to after her visit, it should be fine. I am going through a similar thing at the moment with my partner. We've just received a 12 month visitor visa (3 month stay at a time) which is an awesome (and unexpected) outcome, but there's now all those questions about what happens next. We're doing some more research now and all going well, plan on applying for the 820/801 sometime in the next couple of years. I appreciate your sentiments, and yeah, there is always some risk and it will be pretty expensive for the next while, we'll essentially be on one income. I am pretty comfortable with the fact that I'll need to support him quite a bit financially for the next year (or more) until a time he can work here (or elsewhere if our plans change). Of course it's not ideal but we have talked lots about it and needing to budget, and we've agreed that we'll share some of the bigger expenses and he can pay me back when he can. I guess it's about communicating and keeping in mind this is only a temporary situation, I certainly don't try to think of it as leeching off me, although I know there are a lot of people out there who feel that way (lots of my mates have said things like that too). Good luck with your application. (WB) The first openly gay man elected to Brazils Congress has resigned and fled the country after receiving death threats. Media reports indicate Jean Wyllys, a member of the leftist Party for Socialism and Liberty, made the announcement to a Brazilian newspaper. Wyllys on Thursday posted a message on his Twitter account. Preserving life that is under threat is also a strategy for fighting for better days, he wrote in Portuguese. We have done a lot for the common good. And we will do much more when the new time comes, no matter whether we do it through other means. Thank you to everyone, with all my heart. Wyllys had represented the state of Rio de Janeiro since 2010. He told the Washington Blade during a 2013 interview from the Brazilian capital of Brasila that discrimination against trans people of African descent has a long history in Brazil. Wyllys, a former contestant on the Brazilian version of Big Brother who has attended LGBTQ Victory Institute events in D.C., also emerged as a vocal critic of President Jair Bolsonaro, a former Brazilian Army captain who has faced scathing criticism over his rhetoric against LGBTI Brazilians and other minority groups. President Bolsonaro is among the most bigoted elected officials in the world and his poisoning of Brazilian politics has empowered and emboldened the homophobic forces targeting Jean Wyllys, said LGBTQ Victory Institute CEO Annise Parker in a statement. Jean fearlessly pushed for LGBTQ equality legislation despite violent opposition from extremist lawmakers who threatened violence and worse, but with the increasing death threats, we respect his decision to seek safety. Wyllys announcement comes less than a year after Marielle Franco, a bisexual Rio de Janeiro councilwoman and human rights activist who publicly criticized police actions in the citys favelas, and her driver were murdered. Reports indicate Wyllys party has said David Miranda, a Rio de Janeiro councilman who is married to American journalist Glenn Greenwald, will succeed him in Congress. The Blade has reached out to Wyllys for an interview. Felipe Alface contributed to this report from Sao Paulo. Dr Andrew Bell SC has been named as the incoming president of the New South Wales Court of Appeal. The prominent Sydney barrister will commence in the role on 28 February, when he will also be sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court of the state. Dr Bell is one of the Sydneys leading barristers, with 24 years at the bar. He has appeared in 30 High Court appeals, more than 80 appeals in the NSW and Western Australia Courts of Appeal, as well as appearances in the Full Court of the Federal Court, said Attorney-General Mark Speakman. Among the many accolades won by Dr Bell during his stellar career are his dual University Medals at Sydney University, his Rhodes Scholarship in 1990, his first place in the postgraduate Bachelor of Civil Law at Oxford University and his doctorate from Oxford. He took silk in 2006. (WB) Lawmakers in Angola last week approved a new penal code that decriminalizes consensual same-sex sexual relations in the African country. The Angolan Parliament on Jan. 23 scrapped the law that had been in place since Portugal colonized the country. Lawmakers also banned discrimination based on sexual orientation. Associacao Iris Angola, an Angolan LGBTI advocacy group, applauded lawmakers. We still have a lot to do, but it is important that we celebrate each victory, it wrote on its Facebook page. This is just one of the many that are yet to come and that we will achieve together. Neighboring Zambia is among the dozens of countries around the world in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized. Human Rights Watch notes Seychelles and Sao Tome and Principe are among the countries that have repealed anti-sodomy laws in recent years. The BTR-70MB, a modernized version of the Soviet-made BTR-70 8x8 wheeled armored vehicle personnel carrier, designed and manufactured by the Belarus defense industry has been delivered to the armed forces of Cote d'Ivoire. At ShieldAfrica 2019, the International Defense Exhibition in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, a BTR-70MB was showcased at the front of the Belarus pavilion with a Cote d'Ivoire armed forces registration plate. BTR-70MB 8x8 wheeled armored vehicle personnel carrier of Cote d'Ivoire armed forces at ShieldAfrica 2019, International Defense and Security in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire. January 24, 2019. (Picture source Army Recognition) The BTR-70MB is upgraded with a new engine and the design of the vehicle has been modified to have a layout similar to the Soviet-made BTR-80. The vehicle is designed to be used as troop's carrier offering mobility and protection of infantrymen on the battlefield. The original engine of the BTR-70 has been removed and replaced by a KAMAZ 7403 eight cylinder multifuel diesel engine. The vehicle can run at a maximum road speed of 80 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 600 km. According to our first analysis, the BTR-70MB has lost its amphibious capability, there is no more water jet on the back of the hull compared to the original BTR-70. The design of the BTR-70MB seems very similar to the BTR-80, the door between the second and third axles of the standard BTR-70 has been replaced by a new door with the upper part of which opens to the front while the lower part folds down to form a step as for the BTR-80. The BTR-70MB has a crew of two including driver and commander, the rear part of the hull can accommodate 8 infantrymen. The hull of the BTR-70MB is of all-welded steel armor construction with improved protection over its frontal arc compared to the original BTR-60 series. The vehicle offers protection against firing of small arms and artillery shell splinters. The BTR-70MB is fitted with one-man turret mounted at the front of the hull, and is the same as that mounted on the Russian BTR-70. The turret is armed with armed with a 14.5 KPVT and a 7.62 mm PKVT machine gun. Owosso, MI (48867) Today Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Posted on: January 28, 2019 11:08 AM Consecutive bomb blasts at a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Philippines yesterday (Sunday) resulted in the loss of 20 lives. The first bomb exploded inside the cathedral as worshippers were attending Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolos Barangay Walled City. The second explosion occurred outside the cathedral as security services responded to the first explosion. Officials in the Philippines said that most of the 20 dead and 100 injured were civilians. Five soldiers were killed by the second explosion. Today (Monday), police said that the attack was likely carried out by the Abu Sayyaf terror group, and said that one of their suspects was the brother of the groups former leader. Abu Sayyaf is linked to the Daesh terror group, which calls itself Islamic State. It claimed responsibility for the attacks yesterday, saying that the attack against what they called a crusader temple was carried out by two knights of martyrdom. Jolo is a volcanic island in the southwest Philippines and is the primary island of the province of Sulu. It will be included in a new Islamic autonomous region of the Philippines the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao after voters in the area endorsed the move in a referendum last Monday (21 January). Just over half (54 per cent) of the people of Sulu voted against the creation of the new autonomous region; but they are included as they are part of the existing autonomous region which it will replace. Members of the Philippines Catholic Bishops Conference were meeting in Manila at the time of the explosion. In a joint statement, they said that we condole with the families of the several soldiers and civilians who were killed by the explosions. We also express our sympathies with those who were wounded and extend our solidarity with the rest of the church-goers inside the Cathedral and the rest of the church community in the Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo. At the same time, we condemn this act of terrorism that has taken place only a few days after the plebiscite on the Bangsamoro Organic Law. As we begin a new phase in the peace process with the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM), we ask our Christian brethren to join hands with all peace-loving Muslim and Indigenous People communities in the advocacy against violent extremism. May all our religions of peace guide us in our quest for a brighter future for the peoples of Mindanao. Archbishop Moon Hing, the Bishop of West Malaysia and Primate of the Province of South East Asia, Chairs the Council of the Church in East Asia, a body which brings together Anglican provinces in Japan, Myanmar, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Australia. Speaking to the Anglican Communion News Service, he said: I strongly condemn this inhumane and irresponsible act of terror. It is so sad that political action is allowed to be mixed up with religious extremism and used for evil and selfish ambition. He added: In the advancement of the 21st century technology and progress, it is so sad that there are people who still live with a medieval mentality and mindset. To them, human lives are only viewed as commodity or pawns for the leaders to gain and satisfy their pride, control and selfish desires. While we are in the midst of fighting for a safe environment and creation care, we too must heavily engage in a war of setting people free through responsible understanding and education on human dignity and respect of rights. We pray and stand in solidarity with the wounded, victims of terror, their families and the members of Jolo Cathedral in Sulu. We also pray for the culprits and their team to come to a realisation and encounter with God Almighty to repent and turn from their former ways. A soldier inspects the aftermath of yesterdays terror attack at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Barangay. Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines The ecumenical group the Christian Conference of Asia, which includes a number of Anglican provinces in the region, including the Episcopal Church of the Philippines as well as the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church) which is in full communion with the Anglican Communion, also issued a statement condemning the bombing. Such an act of violence against the worshippers and insolence at a sacred place is an utter disregard for human life and peoples right to live in peace, CCAs General Secretary, Mathews George Chunakara, said. The CCA is saddened by the reports of fatalities. We pray for the families in grief and speedy recovery of the injured. We express solidarity with the church community in the Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo. We call on the authorities in the Philippines to bring the perpetrators of this barbaric crime to justice. With the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the CCA appeals to Christians in the region to be in unity with all peace-loving Muslim and indigenous communities and work together against violent extremism. We wish and pray that the Jolo blasts will not derail the quest for peace in Mindanao. May all our religions of peace enlighten us in our pursuit for an optimistic future for the peoples of Mindanao. May God deliver us from evil and lead us to peace. The island of Jolo lies not far from the north-east coast of Malaysian Borneo. The ecumenical Council of Churches of Malaysia responded to the attacks with a statement in which they condemned in the strongest terms what they called the heinous terrorist attack. We express our sincere condolences and offer our prayers to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured, they said. We join the churches around the world to call upon the government of Philippines to act immediately to defuse the situation in their efforts to fight terrorism and violent extremism. The government should not allow this shameful violent incident to derail the peace process in the Bangsamoro region. The perpetrators of these crimes should be brought to justice and a clear signal given that attacks of religious places of worship will never be tolerated. We stand in prayerful solidarity with the churches in the Philippines as they face this trying period. The countrys military chief has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. I strongly commit, with the help of relevant agencies of government, to pursue the criminals with the full force of the law to ensure that the victims of this injustice will be prosecuted and punished, General Benjamin Madrigal Junior, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said. I call on the people for calm and sobriety as government security forces address this recent attack on the peaceful Joloanos. The United States government is mounting another international push against Huawei as its 5G rivalry with China is heating up, together with other tensions between the worlds two strongest economies. The Trump administration is now actively pressuring U.S. allies to cut ties with the Chinese telecom giant and not allow it to play a meaningful role in their upcoming rollouts of the fifth generation of mobile networks, a new report indicates. The United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland are on the list of countries the federal government already asked to boycott Huawei, citing long-term concerns pertaining to a variety of geopolitical factors. The simplest explanation provided by the Trump administration is that 5G is a crucial technology that will shape countless other industries and the global economy as a whole, which is why its arguing China cant be given the keys to the next-generation of networks that will be deployed in the West. Washingtons lobbying efforts also encompass ZTE and other China-based companies, regardless of whether theyre privately owned or not. A long-held position of the Western intelligence community is that no Chinese firm can resist the communist government and avoid spying on its foreign clients, sharing their existing data, or compromising them in any other way. That stance has been at the center of the anti-Huawei sentiment thats been growing in the U.S. over the course of this century, though the Chinese company itself is also far from blameless for its poor relations with the stateside government; in the last decade alone, Huawei had been implicated in numerous trade secret theft and general patent infringement lawsuits, in addition to consistently refusing to shed significant light on its opaque ownership structure. Advertisement Besides talking the talk, the U.S. is also walking the walk when it comes to boycotting Huawei and other wireless equipment makers from China; the spending bill passed by Congress last summer included a provision specifically baring federal agencies from using Huawei- and ZTE-made equipment. Reports from several weeks back also suggested the White House is considering an executive order that would impose a virtually identical ban on private firms in the U.S. Its presently unclear whether that move is still being pondered. Regardless, Washington-Beijing relations arent getting any better in the meantime, largely due to the ongoing trade dispute thats likely to see a continuation of the currently suspended trade war, but also due to the Justice Departments accusations against Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. Ms. Meng, 46, was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 after the DOJ notified Canadian authorities shes an official suspect in an investigation concerning an illegal banking scheme which resulted in fraud and was aimed at circumventing the Commerce Departments trade embargoes imposed on Iran. While the DOJ has yet to request Ms. Mengs extradition and has only three more days to do so, Canada sees that as a given. China saw the incident as an ill-intended political attack and took to arresting over a dozen Canadian nationals inside its borders, claiming the moves were unrelated. One of them received a death sentence for methamphetamine smuggling two weeks ago. In the meantime, Huawei is threatening with a complete exit from markets it doesnt find hospitable, though thats precisely what the U.S. governments goal is. A new report claims that Google will release a web client for its popular video calling service Duo within the next few weeks. The web version of Duo will work not only for the search giants own Chrome browser, but it is also compatible with other popular web browsers like Mozillas Firefox and Apples Safari. While there is little information available about the features of Duos web client, its likely to utilize browser notifications to alert users about incoming calls. It may also include the Knock Knock feature which allows users to see a preview of the caller before they answer the call, and the ability to leave video messages just in case a user does not pick up the call. Before Google rolls out the web client for Duo, the search giant will have to sort out how to connect peoples accounts with the web version of its video calling service. Its a given that the tech firm will allow people to use their existing Google accounts to authenticate themselves and could also resort to QR codes when it comes to a way of connecting their smartphone apps to the browser version of the service, much like it already did with Allo and Android Messages. Duo launched at Google I/O 2016 alongside another messaging service called Allo. Unlike Allo, which Google will shut down in a matter of months, Duo is considerably more successful, with the application already being present on over a billion active devices, as per Googles own data. Aside from Android smartphones, the video calling service is also available on iOS handsets, Android tablets, Smart Displays, and several Chromebooks. Advertisement Aside from making Duo available to more users and devices, the search giant is also improving its service by introducing more useful features. Last month, Google announced that it will now allow users to send video messages to other users on Duo. Before the tech firm rolled out this feature, users can only leave video messages when the person they are reaching did not pick up their call. Meanwhile, another report released earlier this month states that the new group calling feature of Google Duo is already in limited testing. Based on recent reports, the group calling functionality is limited to seven callers and Duo does not allow users to add people after starting a video call. Google is also testing a new low-light mode on Duo, which alerts the person when there is not enough illumination for other individuals to properly see the user. Justin Uberti, the lead engineer for Duo, also hinted that other features will also come to the video calling service, including integration with the Google Assistant. Even though Duo is already present on more than a billion devices, that is not a clear indication of how many people use the service given that the application comes pre-installed on many Android devices. Nonetheless, launching a web client for Duo will help Google reach a larger audience, and it may also encourage other individuals to try the search giants video calling service. The potential reach Google might add with the move could still be limited by the fact Allo for browsers wont work without a mobile app, as is the case with the web implementation of Allo. Despite remarkable advancements in the field, Googles artificial intelligence solutions are unlikely to replace language learning, now or ever, according to Julie Hansen, the U.S. CEO of Babbel, still touted as the most successful language app in the world. While the language-learning industry changed by a significant margin since Babbels 2007 launch, the company headquartered in New York City and Berlin doesnt view AI as a threat to its business model. At Babbel, we see machine translation as being one part of the language learning journey, rather than being an innovation that replaces it, Ms. Hansen said in a statement provided to Android Headlines. Not only is Babbel unconcerned about the potential threat real-time translations pose to its business but it actually believes such solutions may help it thrive going forward. As exposure to languages increases, so does peoples motivation to learn them, and instant translations presently being offered by Google certainly accomplish the former goal, however rough they may be. That train of thought largely summarizes Babbels stance on technologies such as Google Assistants newly launched Interpreter Mode announced earlier this month. Advertisement Dont buy into the hype Ms. Hansen is referring to instant translation solutions as band-aid tools which can never hope to replace actual knowledge of any given foreign language. Despite the hype around machine learning, algorithms are yet no match for human intelligence, especially when it comes to natural language, the industry veteran explained. Ultimately, Babbel sees its users and other people around the world who are trying to learn a new language as individuals willing to make significant sacrifices in order to communicate with others more effectively. Those dedicated enough to do so are unlikeyl to drop their long-term ambitions just because someone came up with an app that can deliver a rudamentary understanding of select foreign languages, the CEO suggested. Learning a new language also broadens ones perspective of the world as every tongue has its own range of methods for describing life and everything that surrounds us, Ms. Hansen argued, pointing to that phenomenon as yet another example of a benefit that AI-powered translators simply cannot hope to replace. Finally, Babbels U.S. chief is quick to point out that language learning comes with psychological benefits, helping people become more resourceful, particularly when it comes to multitasking, in addition to having a scientifically proven effect on the human brains efforts to delay the start of dementia. Advertisement Ultimately, Babbel isnt just unconcerned by technologies such as Google Assistants Interpreter Mode and real-time translations offered by Pixel Buds but insists its more than happy to welcome such services as it doesnt see any realistic substitute for language learning, as Ms. Hansen explained. Professional translators are also believed to have little reason for concern as teh current state of Googles technologies and comparable solutions is far from being passable in a working environment meant to convey the meaning of foreign languages. Alphabets subsidiary never outright claimed its looking to replace translators and challenge the very concept of language learning but the company has been moving in that direction for a while now. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz appeared on 60 Minutes last night and proceeded to scare the bejesus out of the Democratic Party. I am seriously thinking of running for president. I will run as a centrist independent, outside of the two-party system we're living at a most-fragile time not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics. What makes Democrats so skittish is that Schultz doesn't fit the mold of your typical far-left Democrat and would be attractive to several sorts of middle-of-the-road voters. And, of course, he's got more money than King Midas. Julian Castro, who is contemplating his own run in 2020 as a Democrat, was first out of the box to respond to Schultz. Daily Caller: "I have a concern that if he did run, that essentially, it would provide [President] Donald Trump with his best hope of getting re-elected," Julian Castro a former Housing and Urban Development secretary under the Obama administration and a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate himself said Sunday when asked by CNN about Schultz's possible run. "I would suggest to Mr. Schultz to truly think about the negative impact that that might make." The savvy political operative David Axelrod also weighed in on a Starbucks candidacy: .@HowardSchultz running for POTUS as an independent would put the froth on @realDonaldTrump s Cinnamon Dolce Latte, splitting the opposition and making Trumps low ceiling potentially high enough.https://t.co/O6HsJAL8sP David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) January 21, 2019 So what are Democrats so worried about? As it looks now, the 2020 presidential election is going to be as close as 2016. A few thousand votes in a couple of states will almost certainly mean the difference between victory and defeat. Schultz wouldn't have to get millions of votes to get Donald Trump elected. Just 2-3% of the vote especially in swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida would assure the president of a second term. Schultz will have a billion dollars to get his message out. That's an awful lot of campaign commercials. And certainly enough to build a nationwide organization. Democrats are assuming that most of Schultz's votes will come from disaffected Democrats. But what about disaffected Republicans? Media tycoon Michael Bloomberg has all but announced his candidacy. He says he will run as a Democrat, but in such a crowded field, he may feel he's more competitive as an independent. Politico: "He's not going to be running to the far left like the other candidates are. He describes himself as fiscally moderate, fiscally conservative, but he's clearly socially liberal and he's a key driver of social policies," said a top Bloomberg insider. "For Mike, it's not ideologically driven, [i]t's pragmatic. People die from an excess of guns in America. People are dying and suffering and will continue to from the effects of climate change." Bloomberg is polling and collecting data, the source said, and climate change and guns are "going to drive Democrats to the polls." The politics of climate change have been front and center with the opening of the new Congress as Democrats discuss making a "Green New Deal." Bloomberg's top boosters insist he hasn't made up his mind about running. He'll make an announcement within a month. If he runs, Bloomberg told reporters in Iowa last month, he would make climate change "the issue." Guns won't be far behind. No, he can't win the election running on those issues. Again, like Schultz, he doesn't have to get a ton of votes to upset the race. To those Republicans looking for an alternative to Trump, Bloomberg might fill the bill. In truth, it's unknown what real impact either Schultz or Bloomberg will have on the race. Neither party wants to find out. The difference is that now, we seem to have a pope who's abdicated his moral authority, saying he's not about to take sides, and all because he's concerned about "violence." He didn't specify who was doing the violence, but it's obvious enough to the rest of us. Imagine Pope John Paul II openly declaring he wouldn't take sides in Poland, as the showdown between Solidarity's hugely popular freedom-fighters and the detested Jaruzelski communist military regime came to a head. In Venezuela, that same sort of sort of conflict over communism and freedom is happening, the world is choosing sides, a pope from the actual region is there, and Russia remains the same malevolent puppet-master in the background. Here's the incredible report: ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) Pope Francis said on Sunday he feared bloodshed in Venezuela but that it was premature for him to take sides because it could cause more damage. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is confronting an unprecedented challenge to his authority after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president, citing a fraudulent election and winning wide international support. "In this moment, I support all the Venezuelan people because they are a people who are suffering," the pope told reporters on a plane taking him back from Panama, where he made an appeal for a just solution and respect for human rights in Venezuela. Talk about empty words. Venezuela's opposition is making just that move for a "just solution" and "respect for human rights," and he's not offering them a word of support. America is. Brazil is. Most of Latin America is. The European Union is. Israel is. Australia is. Georgia is. Heck, even the Inter-American Development Bank is. But not the pope. His neutral position is exactly the same as the position of China, which has a large financial stake at risk if the dictatorship is sent packing. The old gray men of the Forbidden City are hedging because they don't want to burn bridges if the whole thing falls apart, because, well, money. The pope's neutrality is suggestive of this being all about soulless money, too, though it probably isn't. No, instead of using the might and power of his office to speak out against some very real injustice seriously, this is a no-brainer, not hard to do at all he's just calling for a preservation of the status quo, and his words must mean a world of comfort to Venezuela's odious dictator, Nicolas Maduro, who can now yell he's got the pope on his side as his goons and foreign "advisers" keep their little torture operation going on and millions of poor continue to starve and flee. The pope pays lip service to caring about the poor, even in his cowardly statements, but the hard fact is, the poor are going to starve so that Maduro can stay in power. His socialist system has failed. The money is worthless. The money for imports is running out, meaning that the food is running out. Medical care has become nonexistent. Foreign aid has been blocked, a regime act so bad that Venezuelans are planning their next big protest around it. Venezuelans are starving, with the poor hardest hit they lost an average of 21 pounds under the Maduro regime last year, and 90% are in poverty. At least three million have fled for their lives. That's why it's the poor who are leading this protest which is countrywide. And the pope can't spare a word of support for these poor, who are unanimous in their loathing for this detested Cuban- and Russian-controlled military regime and are doing the only thing they possibly can, which is to peacefully protest it out of existence? He should be praising these poor if he cares as much as he says he does about them, especially for not taking up arms, which, frankly, they have a right to do. He speaks of his fears of violence, which is pretty cowardly, given that the Venezuelan government's war on the poor has already started. The violence is no longer to be feared; the violence is there. Venezuela's people weren't interested in war, but under socialism, war was interested in them. With this insane "neutrality," about a matter no one can be neutral about, the pope doesn't seem to actually care about the poor, at least as far as getting them less poor is concerned. The poor have already concluded that Maduro (an obviously well fed billionaire along with his cronies) isn't going to give them any food based on the threat that poses to his power, therefore Venezuela's poor will continue to see their children and old people starve or eat garbage if nothing is done. They are responding to literally a mortal threat from an odious dictatorship that they didn't elect, and they are doing the only moral thing they can to save those babies, which is try to stop it. The local bishops of Venezuela have been forthright about the horrors of socialism and the abuses of the regime. Yet the pope is ignoring them, too. It's baffling. The Maduro regime probably is going to fall as momentum builds and the West separates the thug from Venezuela's money. What is the pope going to say then? He won't have anything to say. For a Latin pope to be that out of moral ammunition is sad. Nobody's going to call this guy after he passes "Pope Francis the Great." Donald Trump employed jawboning to persuade, arm-twist, and threaten NATO member-states if they didn't raise the level of their spending on defense. The dictionary defines "jawboning" as "the use of public appeals (as by a president) to influence the actions especially of business and labor leaders." Or "an unofficial technique of public and private discussions and arm-twisting, which may work by the implicit threat of future government regulation." It worked. Fox News: "President Trump has been very clear," Stoltenberg told fill-in host John Roberts. "He is committed to NATO. He stated that clearly just a few days ago and also at the NATO summit in July. But at the same time, he has clearly stated that NATO allies need to invest more. And therefore at the summit in July last year, we agreed to do more to step up and now we see the results." In all, Stoltenberg continued, "by the end of next year, NATO allies will add hundred 100 billion extra U.S. dollars toward defense. So we see some real money and some real results. And we see that the clear message from President Donald Trump is having an impact." This gave the president a perfect opportunity to gloat: Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, just stated that because of me NATO has been able to raise far more money than ever before from its members after many years of decline. Its called burden sharing. Also, more united. Dems & Fake News like to portray the opposite! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2019 Nitpickers like me would point out he might have gone about it a little differently perhaps in less brutal language. And the president exaggerates when he claims NATO is "more united" the alliance hasn't been united since the end of the Cold War, as witnessed by the uneven contributions of NATO member-states to military operations in Afghanistan and a reluctance to confront Russia in eastern Ukraine. But credit where credit is due. Trump accomplished more with a few withering blasts about NATO's defense obligations than President Obama did in eight years of gentle pleading. The results are what counts. NATO needs the U.S. more than we need NATO, and for all their criticisms about U.S. interventions around the world, the bottom line is that NATO member-states would be forced to spend a lot more on defense if the U.S. took a hike. So kudos to the president for a job well done. (AP) The Mormon church said Thursday it doesn't oppose hate-crimes legislation in Utah that includes protections for LGBT people, an announcement that could break a longtime legislative logjam on the issue. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' sought to clarify that it has not actively been blocking hate crimes legislation and will not stand in the way if lawmakers take up the issue this year, said Marty Stephens, the faith's director of government and community relations and a lobbyist for the church. "The LDS church has been a victim of hate crimes over the years and we understand the importance of this," Stephens said. "All men and women are God's sons and daughters and we think they should be treated with civility and respect, and that no group should be targeted for crime based on membership in that group." Utah has a hate-crime law, but the 1990s-era measure doesn't protect specific groups and prosecutors have said it's essentially unusable. Efforts to beef up the law have failed in recent years after the church said the proposal would upset a balance between religious and LGBT rights, according to supporters of the changes. All but five states in the U.S. have hate crime laws; Utah is one of 15 that have such laws that don't cover anti-LGBT-crimes, according to the Human Rights Campaign. "This is definitely a game changer," said Troy Williams, executive-director of the LGBTQ-rights group Equality Utah. "Latter-day Saints and LGBT people both know what it's like to be the victims of hate and violence. It's a logical extension that we can all work together and pass a bill that protects all people." Mormons have long been the dominant religion in the state, with an estimated 62 percent of residents belonging to the faith. At the state Legislature, Mormons account for 91 of 104 lawmakers, according to a recent Salt Lake Tribune report. Republican Utah state Sen. Daniel Thatcher is sponsoring hate crimes legislation again this year, and said the church's statement makes a "night and day" difference in the chances it will get a hearing for the first time since 2016. "If you do not make a statement there are more than enough people who are happy to speak on your behalf, and people were doing just that," he said. Gov. Gary Herbert, a fellow Republican, said Thursday that beefing up Utah's hate-crimes law is "certainly worthy of discussion and debate." He said the church's position might not change every lawmaker's mind, but it "can't hurt the possibilities." The December beating of a young Latino man and his father at their Salt Lake City tire shop by an attacker who told police he targeted them because they were Mexican brought new criticism of the state's hate crime law. Salt Lake County Attorney District Attorney Sim Gill said he couldn't charge the suspect with a hate crime because of shortcomings with the law. Mormon officials have routinely declined to publicly discuss the state's hate crimes legislation. Stephens called it a misconception that the church has opposed recent hate crimes legislation. He said the faith only requested a one-year moratorium on hate crimes discussions in 2016 to allow a church-backed anti-discrimination law passed the year before time to go into effect. That law that made it illegal to base employment and housing decisions on sexual orientation or gender identity and also included religious protections. Gay-rights advocates had tried for years to pass similar legislation but only succeeded when the religion backed the measure. The new church stance seems to fit with the faith's efforts in recent years to stake out a more welcoming stance to LGBTQ people while sticking with fundamental opposition to same-sex marriage and homosexual relationships. But Stephens declined to discuss it in those terms. "I don't view this as a change," Stephens said. "It is just a clarification so people know clearly that it's not something we're opposed to." CNN has a poll saying more Americans are opposed to a border wall than approve it. How many American citizens answer that question with actual data and information on the effectiveness of border walls, and how many answer it with only information they hear from the major media? Major media means CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, big-city newspapers, and George Soros-supported websites or organizations . Big mainstream media are overwhelmingly leftist , and that quite likely would influence people who rely on them exclusively for their news. Let us go a little deeper than the 30-second story at the top of the hour on your AM dial. A wall or fence is old tech and does not work. When you first hear this argument, use your knowledge and experience to evaluate it. Do you have locks on your doors? They're kind of old tech, aren't they? Yes, but they still serve as a deterrent to people who want to come into your house or car uninvited. Sometimes the locks may be bypassed, but they no doubt still will stop people from going where you don't want them to go. It's the same way with a fence. One of the first things done when the military set up forward operating bases in Iraq or Afghanistan was to put up fences or concrete t-walls to protect the base. You still need sentries and other technology, but the barriers prevent most of the bad characters from gaining access and engaging in mischief. A wall on a border works the same way. You can figure that out without listening to a CNN report that may likely be slanted. Recently, Hungary and Israel have built fences or walls along their borders to prevent illegal entry into their countries. This article by Matt Palumbo includes charts showing the effectiveness of those projects. After the fence was built in Hungary, the number of illegal aliens captured dropped from the thousands to near zero. You can also see how the Israeli wall helped lower terror-related deaths from a high of over 180 in 2002 to fewer than ten a year more recently. In addition to that, Palumbo points out that Austria, Kenya, Jordan, Spain, Greece, Norway, Slovenia, Macedonia, Gibraltar, Myanmar, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Oman, Algeria, Ukraine, Tunisia, Hungary, and Morocco have built, fortified, or expanded border barriers since 2010. If walls and barriers don't work, why would so many different countries be building them? What do the people on the ground say about the effectiveness of a wall? Mark Morgan was Border Patrol chief during the Obama administration. He says in this article from WJLJ in Washington, D.C. that the wall works. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a video posted at its website explaining how walls work, as if someone actually needs to have it explained. Even Democrat House majority leader Steny Hoyer agrees that walls work. Another argument against the wall is that it's expensive. It's good to see at least one of our major political parties is concerned with budgetary restraint. I suggest that Democrats' concern for overspending be directed at things that do not enhance our national and personal security, such as some of the billions of dollars of programs pointed out in this Heritage Foundation report. The total cost of a wall-fence-barrier has been estimated to be as high as 25 billion dollars. One of the most extreme claims projects that it could cost upwards of $67 billion. The Federation for American Immigration Reform did a comprehensive study in 2017 and put the annual federal cost of illegal aliens for the taxpayer at over 30 billion dollars a year. (That's only federal spending. When you add in state and local costs, the number jumps to more than 115 billion a year.) With those figures, it's clear that the savings that would be achieved by reducing the illegal alien population would pay for the wall-fence-barrier in a reasonably short time frame. There is debate on whether illegal immigration has a deleterious effect on wages. You can find studies that contend that it does and other studies that declare that it doesn't. But pull back from the reports for a minute. If you are looking for a job, and all of a sudden, there are ten more applicants for that job, many of whom are willing to work for lower wages, do you think that will inhibit your chances of getting the job? Talk to people in construction, in particular, and see what conclusions you can draw. The previously cited Federation for American Immigration Reform study includes 1.2 billion dollars to incarcerate illegal aliens who are in the federal prison system. I double-checked that and came up with the same figure. The number of federal prisoners who are illegal aliens is estimated to be around 35,303 (37,557 confirmed alien prisoners x 94% of whom are illegally present in the country). At an annual cost of $36,299.25 per year for each federal prisoner, the total annual cost of illegal immigration for the federal prison system is over 1.2 billion dollars. This brings us to a more personal level. For each crime, there is a victim. At least 35,303 people have been victimized by illegal aliens. This is only the federal figure and does not include state and local offenses. The first priority of a government is to provide both citizens and foreigners safety and security in their persons and their possessions. For every high-profile crime committed by an illegal alien such as Kate Steinle and Ronil Singh, there are thousands of others most of which will not be reported by the major news media, hence many of the 54% who oppose a wall will not be aware of them. Whether or not illegal aliens commit crimes at a lower or higher rate than the citizen population is really not an issue when we have such large numbers of confirmed illegal alien crimes perpetrated. It would be interesting to see if the majority who disapprove of a border wall would have the same opinion after they had been presented with the data discussed here. Whether the concern is effectiveness, affordability, or safety and security for legal residents, the evidence leans heavily in favor of constructing a border wall. One more thing. Knowing the crimes that have been committed and knowing that thousands of people have become victims of illegal alien crime, is it a fair question to ask, "Is opposing the construction of a border wall immoral?" Elizabeth Warren's proposed 'ultra-millionaire tax' would be the rape of the Constitution Elizabeth Warren has unleashed her bold new presidential campaign promise, which she cleverly calls "The Ultra-Millionaire Tax." After all, none of us is an "ultra-millionaire," so why should we care? This new tax won't hurt you; it would just impose a 2% annual tax on all household net worth over $50M, with an additional 1% surtax kicking in for assets held over $1B. In her plan, wealth is defined as "all household assets ... including residences, closely held businesses, assets held in trusts, retirement assets, assets held by minor children and personal property with a value of $50,000 or more." "I'm in," she says, "on the notion that we have to rewrite the tax code." And a policy like the one she proposes, say two UC Berkeley economists, "would shrink the wealth of the superrich by $2.75 trillion over a 10-year period, while only affecting around 75,000 U.S. households." "Ultra-millionaire." "Superrich." As you can see, this is all very scientific and measured stuff. In truth, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's proposed 70% tax on the "tippy tops" of income-earners looks downright sober and rational compared to Warren's proposed policy. And for all Ocasio-Cortez's ignorance about how government works (the three branches of government are not, in fact, "the presidency, the Senate, and the House," as she recently proclaimed), at least her proposed tax plan appears constitutional. Yet Warren, a Harvard law professor, has proposed a tax plan that is not potentially, but certainly unconstitutional. This can be proven quite simply to anyone who cares to learn. The Sixteenth Amendment of 1913 gave the federal government an additional right to tax income, and only income. Most federal revenue currently derives from this method of taxation. Individual income tax, business income tax (corporate tax), payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare all are collected as a percentage of income earned, and the government is deemed within its right to collect these revenues only because the Sixteenth Amendment exists. Now, you don't have to be an economist or a Harvard law professor to know that "net worth" is not "income," and that the Sixteenth Amendment could not uphold the constitutionality of Warren's proposal. So, what are the other means of taxation allowed by the Constitution? Article I, Section 8 declares that "Congress shall have the power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excises[.]" Throughout our history, we've seen a bevy of "duties, imposts, and excises," but we did not see much in the way of "direct taxes" until 1913. That is because the Constitution includes caveats as to how direct taxes can be applied, most notably in Article I, Section 9, Clause 4, which reads, "No Capitation or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or Enumeration hereinbefore directed to be taken." According to Roy Ulrich of U.C. Berkeley, this is the specific clause which any new "net worth tax" would unequivocally violate. Warren's would most certainly qualify as violating this clause, as it's a direct tax that is uniform based upon a taxpayer's asset value, and without apportionment in relation to "Census or Enumeration" among the individual states. There can be no argument that this clause was the reason for the necessity of the Sixteenth Amendment and that it remains troublesome to progressives today. "A direct tax," Ulrich writes, "is a tax on real or personal property imposed solely by reason of its being owned by the taxpayer. In contrast, indirect taxes are levied upon the happening of an event, such as the transmission of property. Thus defined, the income tax is plainly a direct tax. So, for that matter, is a tax on any asset." It's really quite simple. Income tax is a direct tax, but taxation of income is specifically protected by a constitutional amendment. A direct tax on assets held without any "transmission" of property having taken place is the arbitrary confiscation of property by a federal government which clearly has no right enumerated in the Constitution to do so. I personally do not think Elizabeth Warren has a shot at the presidency. But as the current crop of Democrats seem to be doing perpetual end-arounds to continually stay to the left of one another, I don't think the fact that this policy proposal is insanely unconstitutional means that it has any less value in terms of its rhetorical legs. And I personally do not think that Warren is so stupid as to not know that her proposal is clearly unconstitutional. There's an endgame here, and it's a page torn right out of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's playbook. Let's break it down. First, it's popular with the Democrat base, who sees the Constitution as an obstruction to progress and not the safeguard against tyranny that it's designed to be. In short, the contention is, as it was with FDR, that we need to be experimenting with new ideas to have progress, and if giving the federal government more power than the constitutional tether allows facilitates these experiments, then so be it. Second, let's say Democrats are able to secure both chambers of Congress and the presidency in 2020. They will then have a choice. They could push for a constitutional amendment allowing for some sort of direct tax on net worth because, as that gaggle of lawyers in D.C. should damn well know, nothing in the Constitution currently allows it. But setting the precedent, and enshrining in stone, that the federal government has a right to go diving into Americans' retirement accounts like Scrooge McDuck in his money bin, or requisitioning their securities, their real estate, or hell, even their collectible antique cars, is not something that will sit well with Americans. Such an amendment would be dead on arrival. Rather, they'll take the more sinister path of least resistance. They'll just try to jam through a bill to "rewrite the tax code," as Warren says. And let's say they are able to pass something to this effect, God forbid. It should go without saying that if all members of the Court cared about the nature of the individual's rights in relation to the government as defined by the Constitution, it would be crushed unanimously. But while it may not be shot down with extreme prejudice, it will be shot down by this Supreme Court. Then a constitutional crisis will be declared, just as FDR did when the Supreme Court began laying waste to his reckless New Deal experiments. You should know what comes next. The left will cry that the Supreme Court is at odds with the people's desires and will call to pack the Court with new leftist justices. They've already begun calling for this. Knowing that they can't change the Constitution to allow what they desire to do, this is the only viable means to destroy the Constitution's safeguards that prohibit their radical and redistributive policy prescriptions. It is the Democrats who are advocating this rape of the Constitution's protections, and not one single Republican is. You should remember that the next time you hear a conservative sanctimoniously suggests that the moral thing to do to protect our country's integrity is to sit out on the coming election because he doesn't like the personal demeanor of the Republican candidate. William Sullivan blogs at Political Palaver and can be followed on Twitter. Photo credit: Tim Pierce. The agreement to re-open the government was not a sign of weakness. Rather, it was indicative of a president who cares about the people in the country who have not been paid as well as the country's national security. According to Fox News , hundreds of thousands of workers were furloughed or working without pay, and some had missed their second paycheck. Moreover, the shutdown was impacting various aspects of the nation's security. On Friday, President Trump announced a three-week temporary end to the partial government shutdown. The "agreement" did not include funding for a border wall. While some Republicans might ultimately view this as an act of cowardice on the president's behalf, this conclusion would be an understandable, yet unfair, emotional response. President Trump vowed that he would not cave to the Democrats, who have continued to refuse to fund the wall. In agreeing to re-open the government for three weeks, the president has kept his word with regard to the border wall and has shown the American public that he places country over politics. Every former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, including former White House chief of staff John Kelly, sent a letter to the president and Congress on Thursday asking them restore the department's funding. "DHS employees who protect the traveling public, investigate and counter terrorism, and protect critical infrastructure should not have to rely on the charitable generosity of others for assistance in feeding their families and paying their bills while they steadfastly focus on the mission at hand," the letter said. "This is unconscionable." One of the president's primary duties is to protect the nation and its citizens. In this case, President Trump's willingness to compromise and to temporarily re-open the government showed exactly how much he cares about the country and its citizens. Trump could have continued to play hardball with the Democratic Congress, many of whom continue to refuse to fund the border wall. However, unlike some of his Democratic colleagues, Trump realized that the risk to the nation's critical infrastructure and national security, as well as the pain and difficulty that many American workers have had to endure, was worth more than petty politics. As a matter of fact, during his speech, Trump thanked the various federal workers and their families for their extortionary devotion. Trump stated: You are fantastic people. You are incredible patriots. Many of you have suffered far greater than anyone but your families would know or understand. And not only did you not complain but in many cases, you encouraged me to keep going because you care so much about our country and about its border security. Again, I thank you. All Americans, I thank you. You are very very special people. I am so proud that you are citizens of our country. In 1974, Senator Jacob Javits, a third-term Republican who was seeking re-election, was accused by some on both sides of the political aisle for being too willing to compromise. "My opponent makes fun of me for being the Great Compromiser," Javits said, responding to his opponent on the right. "Well, compromise produced the War Powers Act. Compromise produced pension reform. Compromise produced legal services for the poor and cancer research. Compromise has to be. You can't have great, pious beautiful ideas but no performance." Senator Javits's statement in 1974 is equally applicable today. Fortunately for Republicans and the country, President Trump understands the important role that compromise plays in negotiations. Throughout the recent shutdown, he made various offers to congressional Democrats in an effort to re-open the government, each of which was rejected. By way of their blanket rejections and bad-faith negotiations, Congressional Democrats came across as insensitive, petty, and selfish. While some Republicans (and those who support the president) might feel let down or upset with the president's decision on Friday, this reaction might not be fair for several reasons. First, President Trump did not give up or cave on the border wall and still has the right to declare a national emergency if congressional Democrats fail to act in good faith and approve funding for the wall. Second, President Trump's decision stemmed from his personal compassion for those who are suffering and his responsibility as president to place country over politics. By agreeing to temporarily re-open the government, he solidified funding for a variety of critical departments and workers, put the pressure on the Democrats to negotiate in good faith regarding the border wall, and maintained his commitment to build a wall through bipartisan support instead of declaring a national emergency. President Trump made the right decision on Friday and showed true leadership. As president, his first duty is to the country and its people. Congressional Democrats now have two choices. They can either agree to fund the wall or allow petty partisan politics, greed, and bad faith to drag the country into another shutdown. Trump has done his part. Congressional Democrats have three weeks to do theirs. Mr. Hakim is a writer, commentator, and practicing attorney. His articles have been published in The Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, The Federalist, The Western Journal, American Thinker, and other online publications. https://thoughtfullyconservative.wordpress.com Twitter: @ThoughtfulGOP David Rutz of the Free Beacon has assembled a montage of the apologues of some of the announced candidates: The sudden transformation of the Democratic Party into a dogma-driven left-wing political enterprise has resulted in a wave of apologies and even abject groveling from candidates seeking the 2020 presidential nomination. Positions that were mainstream just a few years ago now demonstrate moral failures and worse, and they must be repudiated, else the would-be president will be repudiated by the loudest, angriest, best organized faction of the party. The regrets include the following: Former Vice President Joe Biden, who has been mulling a run for months, expressed regret for the "big mistake" of supporting tougher sentences for drug possession in the 1980s and 1990s. ... Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.), has described herself as "callous" in her former immigration views and said she "couldn't have been more wrong" about her previous support for gun rights she once sported an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association but now proudly has an "F." ... Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D., Hawaii), released a full apology video for her previous anti-LGBT views. ... [This was a true act of groveling T.L.] Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) was forced to apologize to women who alleged sexual harassment and pay disparities on his 2016 campaign, initially saying he was a "little bit busy" running around the country to be aware of the situation at the time[.] Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) said she took full responsibility for her past decisions that upset progressives as a prosecutor, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) acknowledged she was not a "person of color" while defending her decision to release a DNA test revealing scant Native American ancestry, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who's never backed off his support for the "stop-and-frisk" program, acknowledged not all of his decisions in office were "perfect." Watching the mass self-abnegation reminds me of the spectacle of China during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution that convulsed (and impoverished) that nation for a decade, starting in 1966. Officials, scholars, and almost anyone in a position of authority were forced to undergo self-criticism and repent of their adherence to the remnants of capitalism and feudalism. In China, this was a top-down movement, sparked by Mao Tse-tung's call to youth to rise up and attack his ideological enemies who resisted imposition of "true communism." Years later, I spoke to an eminent Chinese scientist with a Ph.D. from a major American university who returned to his native land in the early 1950s to serve China's development with his learning. During the Cultural Revolution, his American Ph.D. was regarded as proof of thoughtcrime, and he was badly beaten, with a noticeable limp, and paraded through the streets in a dunce cap while onlookers pelted him with rotten vegetables. Eventually, he was restored to his position because his knowledge was so needed, but he was a broken man. Unleashing the raging hormones of adolescent and post-adolescent youth was a horrible mistake, because excesses were inevitable, including murder and destruction of irreplaceable cultural artifacts. Red Guards then; social justice warriors now (public domain picture). The Democrats' version of a sudden ideological upheaval was also sparked from the top, in a sense. First, President Obama called for a "fundamental change" in our republic, only to be foiled in making his changes permanent by constitutional safeguards. The fact that his successor, Donald Trump, was able to undo much of the worst of it with his own pen and phone, plus his refusal to bow before the shibboleths of political correctness, had the same effect of mobilizing hysterical mobs, especially composed of youngsters under the baleful influence of propaganda in schools and colleges. But make no mistake: decades of propaganda coming from a deeply politicized educational system was the necessary pre-condition for this phenomenon. China crippled itself for decades following the Cultural Revolution, with economic output collapsing and mass deprivation. The ruin it experienced helped pave the way for opening relations with the outside world and the reforms of Deng Xiaoping. I have to wonder about the broader electoral appeal of a field of candidates who apologize to the most extreme elements of their party. We shall see. President Trump Can Fund the Border Wall with Unobligated Balances After a 36-day partial government shutdown, the longest in history, President Trump remains determined to make good on his promise to build a border wall to protect U.S. national security, while the Democrats remain staunchly opposed. President Trump has the opportunity to bypass Democrat opposition by drawing on unobligated balances to fund the border wall, effectively precluding a national emergency declaration and allowing for the government to remain open. To his great credit, President Trump has remained steadfast in his determination to build a border partition on the southern border. Such border partitions have proven to be effective. In San Diego, a border partition lowered apprehensions by 95%, while in El Paso, the number decreased by 89%. President Trump has correctly claimed that Israel's southern border wall is 99.9% successful. According to a report released by Senator Ron Johnson, Israel's southern border fence was central to a decline of 99.9% of illegal border crossings, with over 16,000 crossings in 2011 down to fewer than 20 in 2016. Israel's security partition running near the Green Line has also proven extremely effective in an exceptional decline in terrorist attacks. Racism, like every other sin, will exist until Jesus returns. However, there is not enough racism to stop anyone from achieving his American dream. Denying this truth is a despicable self-serving political tactic of Democrats. Democrats have insidiously discouraged blacks for decades, deceiving them into believing that America is a hellhole of racism. Therefore, voting for Democrats is blacks' only hope of keeping evil white racist America at bay. As an American who happens to be black, I wish to share my concerns regarding Black History Month. Irrefutably, America is the greatest land of opportunity on the planet for all who choose to pursue their dreams, regardless of skin color or sex. Right personal choices produce positive results. Democrats and fake news media do not view Black History Month as an opportunity to celebrate black achievements. Instead, they exploit the holiday with old racial injustices experienced by few blacks alive today. Their evil purpose is to make young blacks who have never experienced an ounce of racism hate our country, hate whites, and continue voting for Democrats to save them. This great Democrat deception continues to devastate black communities. Cities like Chicago; Washington, D.C.; and Baltimore, controlled by Democrats for decades, are plagued with high black poverty and addictive government dependency, high black school dropouts, high black fatherless households, high black incarceration, and high black-on-black homicides. Democrats are outraged whenever anyone suggests that blacks take responsibility for their success or failure. According to Democrats and their media buddies, all black failure is the result of "white privilege." Blacks who achieved extraordinary success by making right choices and taking personal responsibility are despised by Democrats. Blacks like Dr. Ben Carson and Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas who achieved success the old-fashioned way, by earning it, are excoriated, called Uncle Tom traitors to their race. My dream is for black history to be taught in a more balanced way. Teach the injustices endured by blacks. But also teach about the courageous whites and blacks who worked together to right America's wrongs. Blacks are only 12% of the population. Therefore, blacks could not have achieved freedom and success without help from good white people. And yet, Democrats and fake news media despicably want you to believe that all black progress was made in spite of white America's 24/7 efforts to stop blacks. I know blacks who absurdly believe that the black vote won Obama the presidency because most whites would never vote for a black man. Democrats and fake news say that if you are black and do not hate your country and harbor resentment against white America, there is something seriously wrong with you. You're suffering from Stockholm syndrome. Black History Month should be about showcasing exceptional blacks, inspiring black youths to take personal responsibility and be all they can be. Joe Ford is one such black role model. Joe Ford was a black pioneer in the field of graphic design and advertising. He was the first black art director hired at W.B. Doner, a prestigious Baltimore advertising agency. Joe may have been the first black art director at an ad agency in the country. Joe's story is remarkable and inspiring, from street thug to advertising art director. I first met Joe in the 1970s, when I was hired part-time at Joe Canale Signs in Baltimore while I was a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Joe Canale was the Italian business owner with the personality of Fezziwig in Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Joe Ford worked at Canale signs as a sign-painter. He was also a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art. I was the naive kid from Pumphrey, a black suburban community. Immediately, Joe Ford became my older Baltimore city streetwise brother. Joe was raised by his grandmother in a rough area of east Baltimore. As a teen, Joe spent a year in jail. Lindy Jordan, a black teacher at Carver High School, mentored and taught Joe the trade of sign-painting. Joe became laser-focused on becoming a professional graphic designer. Joe worked his way through the Maryland Institute College of Art, paying for the expensive tuition, books, and art supplies. Joe drove a school bus while earning his master's degree. In the 1970s, Joe was not the most artistically gifted in our small group of black artists. However, Joe was by far the most laser-focused on his goal. Most in our group of black artists believed Democrats' lie that whites would try to block them from success at every turn. Joe ignored this lie. Joe said he simply pursued his dream and would deal with racist opposition when it arrived. It never did. Joe did experience the bigotry of lower expectations from his sympathetic white female professors. At W.B. Doner Advertising Agency, Joe Ford handled multi-million-dollar ad campaigns. He later became a professor at Morgan State University and the Maryland Institute College of Art. Joe Ford's transformation from a street thug to focusing on his dreams opened the door for many blacks to follow in the path he cleared in the field of graphic design and advertising. Joe Ford, a black role model and pioneer. Happy Black History Month. Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American Help Lloyd spread the Truth: http://bit.ly/2kZqmUk http://LloydMarcus.com How Long Can We Really Expect a Respite from the Shutdown? "How Pelosi won the shutdown battle." That was a headline on the Politico website following President Trump's announcement of an agreement that reopened the government. But the article never mentioned the fact that this was only a lull in the battle a three-week suspension. Both sides claim victory, and both remain undeterred. So, in three weeks, it will likely all heat up again. During his announcement, President Trump recognized the hardships suffered from the shutdown and noted that several Democrats had quietly expressed a willingness to negotiate a real solution. He made it clear that, come February 15, if Democrats still refuse reasonable funding for a border wall, either the government will shut down again or he will fund it through other means. Senator Pelosi was certainly emboldened by the polls, suggesting that most Americans hold the president responsible for this shutdown. Perhaps that was because of his intemperate remark during that meeting with Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. It may be because the liberal press joins the Democrats in propagating that narrative. Or it could just stem from our tendency to hold the person at the top responsible when things go wrong. But a more objective look shows a different picture. It turns out that even the president can't compel federal employees to work without pay. That's where the budget and Congress come in. The impasse congressional Democrats' refusal to pass a budget that accommodates Trump's demand for a border wall suggests that both sides were equally responsible for the shutdown. Still, while Trump made several overtures to the Democrats, Pelosi and Schumer were, and apparently still are unwilling to give an inch, steadfastly refusing to consider any funding for the wall. A negotiated compromise seems to be the best solution, but since the Democrats' concept of negotiation seems to be "Give me what I want, and then we'll talk," these five basic rules of negotiation are offered for her benefit: You have to first come to the bargaining table. Pelosi's and Schumer's supporters might believe that those jaunts to Hawaii and Puerto Rico and that truncated trip to Brussels were really intended to ease the pain they claim to share with those furloughed federal workers. But, as President Trump strongly suggested, the best way to help those workers is to remain in Washington and negotiate a budget. Know what you want. Successful negotiation requires clear goals. Not that long ago, many leading Democrats firmly opposed illegal immigration. In 2009, Schumer announced that illegal immigration is wrong, "plain and simple." Then, during the 2018 campaign, they were all beating your breasts for illegal aliens, wailing about building bridges, not walls. Now, once again, they claim to oppose illegal immigration while at the same time encouraging it with tantalizing incentives, like sanctuary cities, free health care, and offers of in-state college tuition for illegal aliens. Along with those calls to abolish ICE, what Democrats want is becoming increasingly clear. Their goal is not to negotiate a budget, but to defeat Trump's plans to secure our border. That's called negotiating in "bad faith." Don't negotiate in bad faith Try candor. Be honest. Democrats should stop pretending they bear no responsibility for the shutdown. Don't argue that "walls are ineffective," when common sense and most experts tell us they work when statistics show illegal crossings dropping dramatically where walls are constructed. Don't try to argue that surveillance systems, alarms, and fences alone can prevent the kind of chaos that recently occurred when hordes of caravanners trekking north stampeded across the flimsy fencing separating Guatemala and Mexico. And don't say walls are immoral when you know they help prevent crime. Don't talk about morality when you refuse to even meet with Angel Families, Americans whose lives were upended by criminals who had no right to be in this country. Don't overplay your hand. Democrats may believe that polling data puts them in a strong bargaining position, but external events can quickly change that. More caravans, more illegal border crossings, and more Angel Families are inevitable, and that will only increase the demand for real border security. Unless they can reach a negotiated compromise in three weeks, we'll be back to square one, and voters will finally come to understand that they care more about hurting President Trump than you do about border security or government shutdowns. Those favorable polls will change, and their bargaining advantage will quickly evaporate. Always remain detached and dignified. Both sides have violated this cardinal rule, but Democrats' decision to hold the State of the Union address hostage to their demands is unprecedented. While it makes them a hero to the left, history will record you both as the first woman speaker of the House and the most ruthless, self-serving politician to ever hold that position. So it wasn't Nancy Pelosi's obstinacy that won the shutdown battle. Nor was it those endless tears she and the Democrats cried over the furloughed federal workers. They could have opened the government, though, simply by offering a budget that funded even a portion of the border wall. It was Donald Trump's reason and compassion that ended the stalemate, not Pelosi's crocodile tears. Now, if Democrats can stop gloating long enough to begin meaningful negotiations, they may be able to prevent a resumption of the shutdown or some unilateral action by the president. The COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricanes Laura and Delta have kept the USS Orleck Naval Museum stuck at its location on North Enterprise Boulevard in Lake Charles. Efforts to move the former Navy ship to the Jacksonville Naval Museum in Florida have been on hold for more than a year, but Orleck COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) After a year of protests over police brutality, some Republican-controlled states have ignored or blocked police-reform proposals, moving instead in the other direction by granting greater powers to officers, making it harder to discipline them and expanding their autho NEW YORK: Black Panther took the top award at Sundays 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards, giving Ryan Cooglers superhero sensation its most significant honor yet and potentially setting it up for more wins at the Academy Awards. Well, Ill be, said Chadwick Boseman, accepting the award for best ensemble in a motion picture. To be young gifted and black. It was the only award Black Panther was nominated for beside best ensemble of stunt performers, which it also won. Glenn Close, who memorably triumphed at the Golden Globes, won best actress, possibly making her up as the Oscar frontrunner. The 71-year-old Close has frequently been nominated but never won an Academy Award. One of the most powerful things we have as human beings are two eyes looking into two eyes, said Close. Film is the only art form that allows us the close-up. Rami Malek won best actor for his Freddie Mercury, Emily Blunt was the upset winner for her supporting role in the horror thriller A Quiet Place and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel swept comedy series honors at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. Malek dedicated the award for his performance in Bohemian Rhapsody to Mercury, as he did at the Golden Globes. With the win over Christian Bale (Vice) and Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born), Malek seemingly sealed the best-actor Oscar many are predicting for him. I get some power from him thats about stepping up and living your best life, being exactly who you want to be and accomplishing everything you so desire, said Malek. Blunts win was a shocker, particularly for the actress, herself. Blunt, also nominated by the guild for her lead performance in Mary Poppins Returns, was visibly surprised. She wasnt among Tuesdays Oscars nominees for either film. Guys. That truly has blown my slicked hair back, said Blunt, who praised her husband and A Quiet Place director John Krasinski as a stunning filmmaker. Thank you for giving me the part. You would have been in major trouble if you hadnt. Best supporting actor in a film went more as expected. Mahershala Ali, who won two years ago for Moonlight, won for his performance in Peter Farrellys interracial road trip Green Book. Ali thanked his co-star, Viggo Mortensen, and Farrelly. The Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel won the first three awards handed out Sunday at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. It won best ensemble in a comedy series, as well as individual honors Rachel Brosnahan and Tony Shalhoub, whose win was a surprise in a category that included Bill Hader (Barry) and Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method). We cannot thank you enough, said Shalhoub, speaking for the cast. Stay with us. Tom Hanks presented the lifetime achievement award to Alan Alda, who in July revealed that he had been living with Parkinsons disease for more than three years. The 83-year-old actor took the stage to a standing ovation while the theme to M.A.S.H. played. He said the award came at a reflective moment for him. And I see more than ever now how proud I am to be a part of our brotherhood and sisterhood of actors, said Alda. It may never have been more urgent to see the world through another persons eyes. When a culture is divided so sharply, actors can help a least a little just by doing what we do. And the nice part is its fun to do it. So my wish for all of us is: Lets stay playful. For the second time, the cast of This Is Us won best ensemble in a drama series. Other TV winners included Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Darren Criss for Assassination of Gianni Versace, Jason Bateman (Ozark) and Patricia Arquette (Escape at Dannemora). Arquette thanked Special Counsel investigator Robert Mueller and everyone working to make sure we have sovereignty for the United States of America. The SAG Awards have one thing the Oscars dont: a host. Emcee Megan Mullally kicked off the awards by tweaking their role among the many honors leading up to next months Oscars. She called the SAGs the greatest honor an actor can receive this weekend. Among the attendees Sunday was Geoffrey Owens, the Cosby Show actor who caused a stir when he was photographed working at a New Jersey Trader Joes. He was among the performers who began the show with the SAG Awards typical I am an actor testimony. Reunited as presenters were Fatal Attraction stars Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. The SAG Awards are one of the most reliable bellwethers of the Academy Awards, but several of this years top Oscar contenders failed to land a best ensemble nomination. The two leading Oscar nominees Roma and The Favourite were bypassed by the actors guild for a field that also includes Crazy Rich Asians, Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born, which led all films with four nominations. The Favourite still earned nods for its three lead actresses Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz but Roma was shut out entirely. Both films landed 10 Oscar nods Tuesday. The best picture winner at the Academy Awards has always first been nominated for best ensemble by the SAG Awards except in 1996, when Braveheart won best picture, and last year, when Guillermo del Toros The Shape of Water overcame the SAG omission to win best picture. The actors guild instead awarded Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri its top prize. Actors make up the largest percentage of the academy, so their preferences can have an especially large impact on the Oscar race. In the last decade the SAG ensemble winner has gone on to win best picture at the Academy Awards half of the time. It is the countryside, not Khartoum, that is now leading the political struggle for Sudans future. Sudan has had two successful revolutions so far. In 1964 and 1985, mass protests overthrew military dictatorships and installed civilian governments. Both times, the political upheaval erupted in the capital, Khartoum, and its residents, intelligentsia and elite played a pivotal role in the fateful political events that unfolded. Today, we are in the middle of what many are already calling another revolution. This time, however, the revolutionary vanguard is not based in Khartoum. Instead, the popular uprising started in the periphery and swept through the entire country. It all began in the city of Atbara in the northeast River Nile state. On December 19, thousands took to the streets to protest the price rise and the scarcity of basic supplies. The demands of the crowd quickly evolved from bread and fuel to the downfall of the regime, and the building of the ruling party in Atbara was burned down. Barbar and el-Damer, also in the northeast River Nile, also took to the streets with casualties in both cities. The following day protests spread like wildfire across the country to places like the eastern city of Gadarif, which had never witnessed large demonstrations before. According to the independent activist group el-Mustagloon (the Independent), government forces shot 22 protesters on the first day of protests. Then Rabak, the capital of White Nile state in the south, joined the protest movement and another party office of the ruling party was burned down. In the capital of Northern Kordofan state, el-Obeid, clashes between protesters and security forces escalated which resulted in the storming of the citys main hospital. Medical workers were beaten and arrested which prompted doctors to announce a general strike in the city. Residents of el-Fasher and Niyala in the conflict-ridden western region of Darfur also took to the streets. Protests erupted not only in cities and towns, but also in the deep countryside. In el-Jazeera state, which neighbours Khartoum state, villages, some of which were completely unknown to the urban Khartoumites, also witnessed demonstrations. By mid-January, 15 out of Sudans 18 states were part of the protest movement. Khartoum was, of course, among them, but it never took up a leadership position. In fact, before the protests erupted, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), an umbrella group of unions and syndicates, had been planning a march in the capital to demand an increase in the minimum wage. The spontaneous demonstrations in provincial capitals took its activists by surprise and it was not until December 25 that the organisation finally held its march. So how is it that Sudans countryside woke up and took over the political struggle from Khartoum? Saving Khartoum, sacrificing the countryside Sudans economy has been in free fall since South Sudan achieved its independence in 2011 and the country lost 80 percent of its oil revenues. The country had no other industry to rely on and pervasive corruption meant that even though the country was a top recipient of loans from China and Gulf countries, there was no way to stop this economic deterioration. The economic situation got particularly bad in 2018. By then Sudan had racked up $50bn in debt and its allies refused to give it more hand-outs. In the first months of the year, petrol and diesel almost completely disappeared from the market. People were unable to get their savings from banks or any cash from ATMs. By the summer, long queues for bread stretched across the country. The situation in the countryside was much worse, as the government was eager to make economic deterioration less visible in its capital. It worked hard to provide fuel and wheat for Khartoum and often times this meant slashing the rations of other states. In the eastern state of Kassala, Ive personally witnessed fuel lines that would often stretch over a few streets and people would spend up to three days waiting in line to get petrol. Fuel became scarce in Medani, the nearest big city to Khartoum, and almost non-existent in Gadarif. Kadugli city in South Kordofan was without electricity for months, as it was entirely dependent on diesel to operate power generators. Bread shortages have also been particularly severe across the Sudanese countryside. This was not the first time the political elite in Khartoum had pushed people in the provinces to the brink to make sure their lives are comfortable. However, this time, it seems, their mismanagement and arrogance have gone too far. We are all Darfur The countryside has been marginalised for far too long. The South Sudanese fought a war for 21 years (1983-2005), angered by their status as second-class citizens. Then in 2003, the people of Darfur started their fight against economic inequality, injustice and ethnic discrimination. Conflicts continue to rage in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, where the central government has also failed to develop the local economy and recognise local residents as equal citizens. For decades, power, wealth and opportunities have been monopolised by privileged ethnic groups and concentrated in the central part of the country, particularly in the capital city, which boasts the best infrastructure and services in Sudan. Sitting in the posh neighbourhoods of Khartoum, these political elites now feel threatened by the revolutionary wave sweeping the country. Misjudging the situation, they kept the overwhelming majority of their security forces in the capital, to protect their power, wealth and families. The uprising in the countryside took them by surprise and now their forces are stretched thin. They have scrambled to control the situation by mobilising troops, particularly the border patrol and the Rapid Response Forces, a militia previously used in Darfur. But even they are not going to be enough to quell the protests which have spread across the country to its most remote parts. The Sudanese government has failed not only to quash the mass protests by force, but also to dictate the public discourse. People outside Khartoum are now in control of the narrative and use social media to amplify their struggle and their voices. During the first week of the protests, the authorities, in a much-expected move, arrested dozens of students who hail from Darfur and accused them of being saboteurs and part of a rebel group. These spurious accusations did not sway public opinion, as the protest movement fought it successfully and responded by chanting You arrogant racist, we are all Darfur!. This is now one of the most popular slogans used by Darfuri and non-Darfuri protesters alike across the country, from Gadarif to Khartoum. The struggle of Darfuris who, for the last 15 years, have suffered in refugee camps and at the hands of militias is finally taking centre-stage. And so is the struggle of all other dispossessed, impoverished and marginalised people across the country. Time has finally come for real political change, which must alter the power dynamics between the dominant capital state and give justice to the countryside. This movement needs to address past grievances, reform how power is divided and how wealth is shared across the country. For this to happen, a process of decentralisation needs to be carried out to enable each state to decide how it wants to be governed. Justice needs to be served to victims of conflict in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan and those displaced and impoverished in Blue Nile, Kassala, Gedarif and the Northern state to make room for the dams built to bring electricity to those in urban areas. The grievances of the countryside can no longer be ignored. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. January 21 could have been just another laid-back Sunday in Thessaloniki, Greeces uncrowned co-capital. Except that it wasnt. Starting from the morning hours, throngs waving the white-and-blue national flags poured into the citys waterfront. Horsemen in folk attire joined in, said to have made the journey all the way from the island of Crete to take part in the Macedonia is Greek rally . There were moustachioed impersonators of Pavlos Melas, the celebrated Greek fighter chief from the early 20th century, along with those masquerading as soldiers from the army of the Ancient Kingdom of Macedon. By the early afternoon, at least 50,000 people had gathered in front of the Alexander the Great monument overlooking the Aegean Sea. The multitude continued to parade across town throughout the day to have their message heard: Macedonia remains a treasured piece of Greek national heritage, not to be shared with the Slav parvenus north of the border. It was a blast from the past. On February 14, 1992, one million people, 10 percent of the entire population of Greece, marched in Thessaloniki in defence of brand Macedonia. Back then, Greece ended up imposing an economic blockade on its fragile neighbour, which was desperately trying to stay away from the war raging in other parts of former Yugoslavia at the time. Today things seem much calmer. Greece is the third largest investor in the Republic of Macedonia after the Netherlands and Austria. People travel freely across the border in order to vacation, shop or work. But the name dispute is once again on everyones lips, in both Greece and the Republic of Macedonia, or, if you will, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the interim name the UN assigned the state in 1993, which Greece is religiously sticking to. As a fresh round of talks looms, mediated by UN envoy Matthew Nimetz, the go-between on the issue since 1994, politicians and talking heads on both sides have been mulling and breaking spears over the putative compromise. The stakes are high: Macedonias accession to NATO, blocked by Greece in April 2008, and the start of its membership negotiations with the EU. The good news is that a compromise is now within grasp. Athens and Skopje have as good an opportunity as ever to agree on a mutually acceptable name and move on. For nearly a decade, both parties to the dispute have lived comfortably with the impasse. {articleGUID} In the Republic of Macedonia, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski made use of isolation from the West to strengthen his grip on power, dish out benefits to political and business cronies, and refashion Skopjes city centre as a nationalist theme park, featuring a humongous statue of Alexander mounted upon a water fountain, a vast triumphal arch (Porta Makedonija) and a string of neoclassical buildings. Greece, for its part, focused on its mother of all economic crises, and had no pressing reason to accommodate its rogue neighbour. But things have changed since then. Gruevskis downfall, after a two-year long political crisis triggered by revelations of high-profile corruption, elections rigging and obstruction of justice, raised hopes for a new opening. The new government, led by Social Democratic Unions Zoran Zaev and inaugurated in May 2017, wants a settlement in order to shepherd Macedonia into NATO and the EU. So do Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov, one-time chief negotiator with Greece, and the ethnic Albanian coalition partners whose support brought Zaev to power. They have no axe to grind with Greece. We are committed to finding a solution in these six months, declared Deputy Prime Minister Bujar Osmani from Athens on January 9. In the name of Euro-Atlantic integration, the new government signed a long-delayed friendship treaty with Bulgaria, which was recently ratified . NATO and the EU are clearly supportive. Along with Croatia, Macedonia was a frontrunner to join both entities in the early and mid-2000s. Its accession to Western clubs would be a testament that it is still Brussels, rather than Moscow, Beijing or anybody else, calling the shots in the Balkans. NATOs Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Skopje on January 18 and 19 to reassure his hosts. I encourage you to continue on the path of reform. We want you to succeed, Stoltenberg said. Yet, neither the EU nor NATO can intervene as impartial mediators, since Greece is a member of both organisations. The theory that great powers could corner Athens into giving ground carries no water. So the question is whether Athens is prepared to play a constructive role. The answer is a qualified yes . For all his flaws, Alexis Tsipras is no foreign policy hawk, nor is Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias. His stance, as those of previous governments, is: the name Macedonia cannot be anyones exclusive property, as the historic region by the same name is divided into three countries, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria. So Skopje should choose a qualifier New, Northern, Upper, Vardar, etc Macedonia to draw a distinction with the Greek province of Macedonia, which accounts for 52 percent of the region. And Greece insists that the new name should be used in all international dealings (erga omnes), rather than in bilateral affairs. Tsipras faces a Herculean task at home. He needs to turn around hostile public opinion . He also needs to convince his junior coalition partner, Independent Greeks (ANEL), whose trademark is virulent populist nationalism. Its leader, Panos Kammenos, proposed that Skopje should settle for Central Balkan Republic or even Vardarska (an adjective which carries no meaning on its own). {articleGUID} The Thessaloniki rally does not bode well for Tsiprass success. All of ANELs MPs from Northern Greece, along with their colleagues from the main opposition party, the centre-right New Democracy, turned up, together with the citys Orthodox metropolitan Anthimos and scores of local clergy (though the Orthodox Church, as a whole, declared neutrality). Demonstrate, my brothers, for Macedonia Skopje will never be accepted with the name Macedonia by the peoples conscience, Anthimos said in his sermon. If we only shut [access] to the port [of Thessaloniki], theyre dead the following week. Needless to say, the far-right Golden Dawn made their presence known, too. The hard left is singing from the same song sheet. Even legendary composer Mikis Theodorakis (known for Zorba the Greek) has been militating against Tsipras. The voices of reason, meanwhile, are at risk of being swept aside. The problem is that people think that the Republic of Macedonia will take away our identity. No one is doing it, they are no threat to us. People are ill-informed, the outspoken mayor of Thessaloniki Yannis Boutaris vented his frustration in an interview with a Bulgarian TV channel after the rally . In a gesture of goodwill, Boutaris had hosted Macedonias Prime Minister Zaev in Thessaloniki on New Years Eve. The upheaval in Greece threatens to set off an outpour of anger in Skopje. A scandal is already brewing, spurred by a spin on the otherwise measured and constructive interview Tsipras gave to Greek newspaper Ethnos (The Nation). In advance to publishing the piece this Sunday, the Athens daily ran the following blurb: Tsipras: A Macedonian nation never existed. It was a classical manipulation. The editors conveniently dropped the sentences ending: in ancient times, as there was not a nation of Athenians or Spartans. For the time being, Zaev is not feeling the heat. The countrys leading opposition party VMRO-DPMNEs newly elected leader Hristijan Mickoski is not rocking the boat. However, tensions might resurface anew. In a parallel story, President Gjorge Ivanov, a Gruevski loyalist, recently vetoed new legislation that would make Albanian the second official language throughout the country. In the meantime, VMRO-DPMNE refused to back the bilateral friendship treaty with Bulgaria in parliament (Bulgarian legislators voted unanimously in favour, by contrast). If Zaevs EU/NATO aspirations crash, stability in the Balkan state will come under strain once again. But the news that came from the January 24 meeting between Zaev and Tsipras in Davos is positive. In a gesture of goodwill to Greece, Macedonia agreed that Skopje airport and a highway will no longer be named Alexander the Great. Greece, in turn, unblocked the implementation of Macedonias EU association agreement. A new border crossing is to open in the Prespa Lake region. Tsipras and Zaev are having their make-or-break moment. If they succeed in making use of the window of opportunity and secure a compromise, the gain will be for everyone: Greece, Macedonia, the Balkans and the West. If they fail, however, it will be ordinary Macedonian citizens paying the price. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Lets remember the time when Charles de Gaulle meddled in our affairs, the way we today meddle in Venezuelas. Apparently, Canadas prime minister and foreign minister require a short, instructive history lesson in light of their fulsome, almost giddy, support for the attempted coup detat unfolding in Venezuela. Its not at all surprising that Justin Trudeau and Chrystia Freeland have conveniently forgotten when, several decades ago, top Canadian politicians including Trudeaus late father, Pierre were livid after a foreign head of state stuck his big, signature nose into Canadas tricky, delicate business, as they go about sticking their pretty, petite noses into Venezuelas tricky, delicate business. This amnesia is, of course, de rigueur among Western political dilettantes whose diplomatic modus operandi still reflects a grating, colonial-like attitude that dictates to developing countries theres one set of international rules for us, and quite another set for you. So, take heed, rather than suffer the potentially brutish consequences. While Venezuela and its fractured people rest dangerously on the precipice, Trudeau and Freeland a pair of so-called liberals have elected to stand literally shoulder-to-shoulder with renowned populists like Donald Trump and Brazils new president, Jair Bolsonaro, as they prop up their youthful marionette, Juan Guaido, as the countrys interim president. Now, while its plain that scores of Venezuelans back Guaido, millions more want the imperious Yankees and Canucks to pack up their sanctimonious lectures about liberty, democracy and human rights and go home. Watching Trudeau and Freeland scoff at the right of Venezuelans to determine the political destiny of their own country without the familiar regime change subterfuge and rhetoric oozing from Washington, DC and Ottawa, I was reminded of another indelible scene when an apoplectic Canada declared former French president, Charles de Gaulle, in effect, persona non grata for attempting to split the fragile country in two. In 1967, the towering de Gaulle, with his equally prominent nose, visited Canada during the 1967 International and Universal Exposition. At the time, the long-simmering Quebec separatist movement was gathering momentum and de Gaulle, it seems, was anxious to give it a titanic push. On the eve of the visit, Canadas then prime minister, Lester B Pearson, was so concerned that de Gaulle would exploit his stay to champion the separatist cause and, in doing so, intervene in Canadas combustible politics, he dispatched his foreign minister to meet the French president in Paris to mend bilateral relations. The diplomatic overture failed spectacularly. On July 24 that year de Gaulle stood defiantly on a balcony at Montreals city hall before an adoring throng of Quebecers. In his speech, de Gaulle did precisely what Pearson didnt want him to do step firmly and loudly into Canadas internal affairs. Privately, de Gaulle told his son-in-law, General Alain de Boissieu, that he planned to strike a strong blow. Things are going to get hot. But it is necessary. Things got hot all right. As de Gaulles address broadcast live on radio built to a climactic crescendo as he leaned into the microphone and, in his unmistakable baritone, bellowed: Vive le Quebec. Vive le Quebec libre. Vive le Canada Francais! Vive la France! De Gaulle lingered on libre as if he were hurling a grenade into Canadas already frail political psyche. The crowd exploded (in delight) and so did Canada-France relations. Angry English-speaking Canadians deluged the liberal government with messages demanding de Gaulle be booted immediately from the country. Pearson demurred, choosing instead to issue a blistering statement slamming the meddling French leader. The statement by the president [is] unacceptable, a fuming Pearson told Canadians. The people of Canada are free. Every province in Canada is free. Canadians do not need to be liberated Canada will remain united and will reject any effort to destroy her unity. Then Justice Minister Pierre Trudeau also weighed in, wondering, justifiably, what the French reaction would have been if a Canadian prime minister shouted, Brittany to the Bretons. Days later, an unapologetic de Gaulle went back to France, leaving behind a ruptured country now dealing with an invigorated separatist movement in Quebec intent on seceding from Canada. The damage was done. Rather than learn from the lessons of the not-so-distant past when Canada became indignant at an influential outsider butting into its affairs, Trudeau and Freeland have parroted de Gaulle an unrepentant provocateur Trudeau Sr once rebuked. The hypocrisy is as galling as it is telling. Reportedly, Freeland has been repeatedly in touch with the opposition upstart in the weeks and even hours before his carefully orchestrated gambit to wrest the presidency of Venezuela from Nicolas Maduro. Freeland played a key role in secret talks with Guiado from mid-December up to his swearing-in ceremony on January 23. On cue, Freeland released a statement instantly recognizing Guiado as interim president. Canadians stand with the people of Venezuela and their desire to restore constitutional democracy and human rights in Venezuela, Freeland said. Countless Venezuelans, I suspect, will bristle at Freelands implicit suggestion that they need to be liberated and reject her explicit attempt to trespass on their future. I also imagine that Pearson and Trudeau Sr would, at the very least, be chagrined by Freelands and Trudeau Jrs naked interference. But interfere they have on a continent where previous US chicanery has left such a lasting, disastrous and painful residue. And that, no doubt, will be the defining epitaph of Canadas complaisant foreign minister and its dauphin prime minister two liberals masquerading as progressives linking arms with Donald Trump and his fawning Brazilian acolyte to depose a socialist president in South America. Its a truism that Canada is a client state of its southern neighbour. But Brazil too? Who knew? O Canada, indeed. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. You rarely get to hear about Macedonia, but in the Balkans, it is something of a bellwether. A decade ago, it set an example of a multiethnic democracy fragile and dysfunctional, to be sure, yet somehow keeping afloat and gravitating towards the European Union and NATO. More recently, however, it morphed into a one-party state, a replica of Viktor Orbans Hungary with a Balkan twist a combination of old-fashioned clientelism and kitsch nationalism. A stroll around downtown Skopje reveals a city transformed into a one-of-a-kind historical theme park adorned with the monumental statues of Philip and Alexander the Great standing alongside medieval monarchs and anti-Ottoman revolutionaries. Sadly, these days it is not the overblown cult to imagined forefathers which draws world media to the tiny Balkan republic. Rather, it is its volatile politics. Last Thursday, a nationalist mob stormed parliament and beat up Zoran Zaev, the leader of the Social Democratic Union (SDSM) which has been in opposition since 2006, along with several of his fellow party members and a prominent Albanian politician. The reason: SDSM and the Albanian parties had the audacity to elect as speaker Talat Xhaferi, an ethnic Albanian from the Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) who once served as deputy defence minister. The protesters, calling themselves For a Shared Macedonia movement claimed SDSM staged a coup with Albanian backing. They see a plot to transform Macedonia into a binational state abetted by the West and sinister backroom operators such as philanthropist George Soros, the bete noire of the nationalists. Lately, there have been even calls for a wholesale de-Sorosisation of the country. They have become the staple of Macedonias principal centre-right party, VMRO-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE), which is the driving force behind the civic protest escalating into mob rule. Western commentators have succumbed to the temptation to read the periodic outbursts in this chronic crisis as driven by the ethnic divide between Macedonians and Albanians. Some have even seen Russias hand in it a default explanation when anything goes wrong in this part of Europe. But what is at play, really, are the pathologies of Macedonias party politics. Here is how it goes. Gruevski fears jail Led by Nikola Gruevski, a one-time technocrat who turned into a populist in the mould of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Viktor Orban, VMRO-DPMNE has been in charge for more than a decade. Marred by high-level and pervasive state capture, their rule came under attack in 2015 when Zaev produced incriminating tapes implicating Gruevski and his close entourage, including family members, of abuse of power on a grand scale. After a wave of protests, Macedonian parties agreed under EU mediation to hold early elections and set up a special prosecutor to investigate the tapes. What we see in Macedonia is the norm across the post-Yugoslav space: Governments pay lip service to the EU precepts but care little about the substance of democratic and rule-of-law reforms. Postponed twice, the vote was held in December 2016. VMRO-DPMNE had a narrow lead but could not form a coalition because it would not accept the conditions put forward by the DUI, its former partner, and the rest of the Albanian bloc. Under the constitution, it is the turn of SDSM. But the Macedonian President George Ivanov, elected on a VMRO-DPMNE ticket, refuses to hand the mandate to the Social Democrats. The justification for breaking the constitution is the threat of SDSM Albanianising Macedonia. The real reason: Gruevski does not want to be in opposition. Being indicted by the special prosecutor and ending up behind the bars as Croatias erstwhile Prime Minister Ivo Sanader is not a welcome prospect. So, it is not the love of the motherland that is at stake, much less Putin stirring trouble in a far-off corner of southeast Europe. It is the crude realities of Balkan politics. The EUs poster child The ongoing drama in Skopje illustrates the dire straits of Western policy in the region. In the early 2000s, Macedonia was the poster child of the EUs transformative power. Emerging from a brief conflict with ethnic Albanian militants in 2001, it was the second post-Yugoslav country (after Slovenia) to sign an association agreement with Brussels. The diminutive republic muddled through, against all odds through political turbulence, conflicts ripping apart Bosnia and neighbouring Kosovo, and a trade embargo imposed by Greece due to a dispute over the countrys name. (Greece claims that the countrys name implies territorial claims on its own region of Macedonia. But the West was on its side and prospects still seemed bright. Unfortunately for Macedonia, the whole Europeanisation project ground to a halt after Greece imposed a veto on its NATO and EU accession in 2008-2009, once again citing the name issue. But one should not get carried away faulting Athens. The fact remains that Macedonias politicians made use of the deadlock. The party leadership maintains that joining the EU and NATO are important long-term goals, but in reality, they have punted on fulfilling Brussels pesky conditionalities. The dual impasses have furnished Gruevski and his partisans an excellent opportunity to grab power at home while wearing the mantle of the nations protector from internal and external adversaries. Clientelistic networks However, the opposition is not innocent either. It was SDSM, heir to the Yugoslav-period communists, that fathered the clientelistic system and used it in its favour while it was in charge in the 1990s and between 2002-2006. All Gruevski did was take over and upgrade the machinery he inherited assume control over public sector jobs, budgetary resources, and the police and you run the show in Macedonia (or any country in its neighbourhood). Albanian parties are implicated as well as coalition partners they have also had a piece of the pie. And now they have upped the ante by promulgating, together with the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, the so-called Tirana Platform which seeks to upgrade their communitys status and make Albanian an official language. They have handed Gruevski a pretext to enact his spoiler tactics. What we see in Macedonia is the norm across the post-Yugoslav space: Governments pay lip service to the EU precepts but care little about the substance of democratic and rule-of-law reforms. International democratisation watchdogs, such as Freedom House, register a multi-year trend of stagnation or, in some cases, backsliding to authoritarianism. Nowhere is this more visible than in the area of media: Freedom of expression has been in steady decline while economic hardship has heightened vulnerability to political pressure and given political elites the means to coopt or silence critics. Back in December, optimists hoped for a change of government and a rollback of Gruevskis power networks. In principle, that would have been a good thing. The orderly passage of power from a governing party to the opposition and back is the hallmark of a democratic regime. In theory, it would have been a healthy development for VMRO-DPMNE as a party to return to opposition and disentangle itself from the state. Gruevskis retirement would give room for a new generation to step up. However, recent events have cast a shadow over such expectations. The incumbent elites unwillingness to surrender power confirms that Macedonia fails even the minimalist definition of democracy. The ethnicisation of the crisis is a harbinger of more trouble. There will be more bad news from Skopje. Dimitar Bechev is a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and Research Fellow at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He was formerly Senior Policy Fellow and Head of Sofia Office at the European Council on Foreign Relations and lecturer at the University of Oxford. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. With the endorsement of the National Medical Education Bill, a form of confrontation is invited in the country in the initiation of the incumbent Nepal Communist Party (NCP) led government. As two-thirds majority strength is utilized in the parliament even mobilizing hundreds of marshals in Parliament to endorse the disputed Bill, the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has come out to street to protest the governments move. As the concerns of the opposition was not acknowledged even trampling the earlier agreement reached with Dr Govinda KC, not only the oppositions but also other concerns stake holders seem skepticism with the government. It is being alleged to the incumbent government and its allies, particularly its head NCP, seem desirous to encourage the confrontation in the country infuriating not only the oppositions but, to a large extent, with general public as well. The ways and style of forceful move of the ruling head NCP and the siding attitude of Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara will have far reaching consequences not only in the politics but also in the parliamentary system as well. Similarly, the future course of the medical education sector is also seeming confronting as not only the civil society leaders and other nonaligned forces of the country but also the medical professionals regardless of government employees have already hold up the cause of Dr. KC notwithstanding the challenge of the government. As Speaker Mahara showed utter disregard to the main opposition NC to facilitate the ruling parties to endorse the controversial Bill, the government head NCP has sharply been criticized for riding on the two-thirds majority in Parliament even misusing the post of Speaker. The fraught politics developed by the government with arrogance of two third majorities in the parliament would jeopardize the prospect of having to much-needed stability, prosperity and development. Being the head of the government, the NCP should have cautious and mindful of the possible consequences of working against popular aspirations of the general public. Being the head of the two third majority government, showing such a prejudice attitude to the main opposition does not suit the NCP as NC had done nothing blunder by demanding the accommodation of the concerns of Dr KC in line with the spirit of nine-point agreements the government had signed with him in July last year. Being the opposition in the parliament, the NC deserves the right to demand for not leaving out hospitals named after their leaders from federal jurisdiction. As the government had approached to Dr. KC to sign in the agreement in which Primer Oli had also promised with him to accommodate his concerns in the Bill, the government should have own up the issue. The issue would have become a concern to all including the main opposition after government, its head NCP, and the Prime Minister Oli overturned the past agreement just to fulfill the vested interests of some medical entrepreneurs. By Frank Knaack, staff member at Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice; Jesse Kelley, government affairs specialist & criminal justice manager with the R Street Institute; and Shay Farley, JD, senior policy counsel at the SPLC Action Fund In late 2016 Wesley Shelton fell asleep on a Montgomery public bench. He had one marijuana cigarette in his backpack. He was awakened by a police officer who asked to search his bag. The officer found Mr. Sheltons marijuana and hauled him off to jail. Because of that one marijuana cigarette - $10 worth of marijuana - Mr. Shelton spent the next 15 months in the Montgomery County Jail. Ten dollars worth of marijuana upended Mr. Sheltons life and cost the taxpayers of Montgomery approximately $21,000 in incarceration costs. Mr. Sheltons story is shocking, but unfortunately not unique in Alabama. Every year, Alabama law enforcement officers arrest thousands of people for possessing a substance that is legal for recreational or medical use in states where more than half of all Americans live. Its time for Alabama to join them in recognizing that the war on marijuana is a monumental waste of tax dollars, undermines public safety, and is enforced with a staggering racial bias. Alabama prides itself on being a fiscally conservative state, but its continued enforcement of its marijuana laws wastes taxpayer dollars. Each of the 2,351 marijuana possession arrests in 2016 involved a judge, a clerk, law enforcement officers, forensics, storage, and prosecutors, all paid for by Alabamas taxpayers. Taken together, Alabama spent an estimated $22 million enforcing the prohibition against marijuana possession in 2016 enough to fund 191 additional preschool classrooms, 571 more K-12 teachers, or 628 more Alabama Department of Corrections Officers. Its time for Alabama to focus its resources on strategies and programs that will help keep our communities safe - investigating serious crimes and investing in substance abuse and mental health programs. This misuse of tax dollars undermines public safety. The enforcement of marijuana possession laws creates a crippling backlog at the state agency tasked with analyzing forensic evidence in all criminal cases, including violent crimes. As of March 31, 2018, the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences had about 10,000 pending marijuana cases, creating a nine-month waiting period for analyses of drug samples. At the same time, the department had a backlog of 1,121 biology/DNA cases, including about 550 crimes against persons cases such as homicide, sexual assault, and robbery. Alabama spends nearly twice as much enforcing marijuana possession laws as it does on the entire agency tasked with analyzing forensic evidence in all criminal cases. The fiscal and public safety harms are just part of the problem - the war on marijuana also destroys individuals, families, and communities. The overwhelming majority of people arrested for marijuana offenses from 2012 to 2016 89 percent were arrested for possession. In 2016, 92 percent of all people arrested for marijuana offenses were arrested for possession. The impact of an arrest for a drug offense is often significant and can last for years. Even an arrest for the possession of a small amount of marijuana can be a barrier to accessing housing, employment, and student financial aid, and send people and families into a downward spiral of court debt. The war on marijuanas often life-altering consequences fall most heavily on black people a population still living in the shadow of Jim Crow. In Alabama, black people were approximately four times as likely as white people to be arrested for marijuana possession (both misdemeanors and felonies) in 2016 and five times as likely to be arrested for felony possession. In at least seven law enforcement jurisdictions, black people were 10 or more times as likely as white people to be arrested for marijuana possession. These racial disparities exist despite robust, nationwide evidence that white and black people use marijuana at roughly the same rate. Finally, Alabamas marijuana laws undermine the fundamental American principle of equal justice under law. Because Alabama law lacks clarity between marijuana possession and distribution, two people arrested for possessing the same amount of marijuana under the same circumstances can face very different punishments based on the subjective decision of a government official. In addition, access to diversion programs, which enable individuals to avoid a criminal record, is often determined by ones wealth, rather than their actions - effectively denying this opportunity to those without wealth. Equal justice under law does not exist when people receive different punishments for the same action. Public support for legal marijuana in the United States is high 62 percent in recent polling. Nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational use, and another 13 states including Mississippi have reclassified small amounts as non-criminal offenses. And, we now know that the fears of increased marijuana use, traffic fatalities, and crime have not materialized in states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use. At the same time, these states have seen tremendous new revenue generated to support education, drug treatment programs, and other basic government services. Its time for Alabama to reexamine its marijuana laws and implement a responsible approach to marijuana use by adults. The possibility of snow or other winter weather conditions moving into the Birmingham area Tuesday morning is not expected to impact the ongoing operation to demolish and rebuild the Interstate 59/20 bridges downtown. The Alabama Department of Transportation said Monday that the weather was not expected to cause any delays or alterations to the demolition plans, as contractors enter the second week of tearing down the old bridges that elevated I-59/20 over city streets. I-59/20 closed last week in between I-65 and the Red Mountain Expressway (U.S. 31/280) in downtown Birmingham for an estimated 14 months as the old interstate bridges are torn down and replaced. Traffic will be detoured to I-459 or local city streets for the duration of the closure. The contractors are well into the demolition phase of the project, which is expected to take about two months to take down and remove the old bridges. In some spots, including over 16th Street North, the old bridges are already gone, leaving only piles of rubble to be hauled away. In others, the concrete has been chipped away, leaving only the steel beams and support columns from the old bridges. Carraway Boulevard was closed over the weekend as contractors worked on bridges running over that road, but is open again. Carraway will close again Sunday and reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 4. In addition to Carraway Boulevard, 18th Street North is expected to be closed until Wednesday for demolition of the bridges over that street. On Feb. 4, the 25th Street ramps to I-59/20 will reopen, allowing another exit and entry point for motorists taking the detour around the closed section of I-59/20. ALDOT has set up a text message alert system for updates on the project, as well as a manned hotline where motorists can call in for updates or detour information. Traffic conditions and construction updates are also available on the ALGO traffic web site and mobile app, and additional information about the project is available on the ALDOT project web site, 5920bridge.com. Five people were rushed to two Birmingham hospitals after a shooting Sunday night in Birminghams Belview Heights community. The gunfire erupted about 8:40 p.m. on Warrior Road at Avenue O and continued for several blocks, said Birmingham police Sgt. Johnny Williams. When it ended, four adults and a juvenile had been struck. All of the victims were in a Dodge Avenger that finally stopped in the 1400 block of 45th Street Ensley. Williams said an unknown suspect opened fire on the vehicle and continued to shoot for three to four blocks before fleeing the scene. Four of the victims were taken to UAB Hospitals Trauma Center. The fifth victim - the juvenile - was taken to Childrens of Alabama. Williams said two of the adults injuries are considered life-threatening. Police have blocked off a massive area to collect shell casings along the multi-block scene. "We have a far-reaching scene,'' Williams said. Investigators are en route to both hospitals to try to interview the victims. Williams said they have not yet been able to do so. "Weve got to get the community to get involved,'' Williams said. They were after someone. You dont just randomly go shooting a group of people. "If you know something is about to happen, let us know,'' he said. If you know what happened, let us know. Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. In an episode debuting tonight, National Geographics Explorer will follow U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey through two small towns in Alabamas Black Belt region to delve into environmental racism, according to an episode description published by the network. The footage was taken from Bookers 2017 visit to Uniontown and Tallassee, two communities with high percentages of African American residents that are also home to major landfills that accept trash from all over Alabama, and from other states. My hope is to sound the alarm, to let people know that we need to see and confront this ugliness and we need to summon the common will to do something about it, Booker said in a one-on-one interview with Explorers Ryan Duffy. Update: The full episode is now available on the National Geographic web site. In the segment, Booker speaks with Uniontown resident Benjamin Eaton and Tallassees Ron Smith, who describe the challenges their communities are facing. In the episode, Eaton describes Uniontowns malfunctioning sewage treatment pond and sprayfield, while Smith discusses how the nearby opening of a nearby landfill has displaced some black property owners and devalued the lands of the ones who stayed. Why is it so common, that I can spend a weekend, literally, in a car, driving through the Black Belt of the South and see the same story repeated over and over again, Booker said. How this sinister reality could go on in the United States of America is unacceptable to me. Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama State Health Officer and head of the Alabama Department of Public Health, also weighed in on why landfills or other businesses that take heavy tolls on surrounding areas tend to end up in areas with poor and minority populations. Environmental racism is well-recognized, Harris said. "We know that a landfill is most likely to be placed in a neighborhood with people of color. People have tried to sort out, is that because minorities' populations can afford to live there and in fact the answer is no. These are simply the populations that dont have enough social capital to prevent the toxic waste dump or the landfill in their neighborhood. Some things have changed since the episode was filmed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded Uniontown a $23 milllion grant to abandon its failing sewer system and pipe its sewage to Demopolis, though efforts are still ongoing to secure local or state matching funds for the remainder of the $31 million project. Eaton, featured prominently in the segment, won election to the Perry County Commission in 2018. The episode is titled Lions of Zambia, and also features pieces on a lion tagging program in Africa, fracking-related earthquakes in Oklahoma, threats to the global chocolate supply, and designer dogs in New York City. The Alabama segment of the show is about seven minutes long. The episode will air on the National Geographic cable channel at 6 p.m. Central time. This is an opinion cartoon. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has shown that she better than Trump understands the art of the deal in Washington. She is the one who succeeded in building a wall and Trump ran right into it. - Karen Tumulty, The Washington Post We learned a couple of things from Trumps government shutdown. This president will hold American workers hostage to get his way. And Nancy Pelosi doesnt negotiate with terrorists ... or presidents who hold American workers hostage. Pelosi wins the first round of this stare-down. JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and Reckon by AL.com. Sign up for Reckons weekly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And sign up for Reckon Radio, wherever you get your podcasts. Check out more cartoons by JD Crowe Two Alabama men are being hailed as heroes after rescuing a neighbor who was trapped in a bedroom in a burning home. Tyler McLeod and Joshua Donahey, both of Eclectic, Ala., saved the life of a neighbor as fire engulfed the home shortly before 3:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the Eclectic Fire Department. Without the actions of these two neighbors, it is almost certain that the occupant would not have escaped the structure and would have succumbed to his injuries, said Lt. Andrew Wood of the Eclectic Fire Department, in a statement. The Eclectic Fire Department and the Town of Eclectic would like to thank these citizens for their actions, disregarding their own safety while saving another. Around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, the fire department responded to a call of a house fire in the 11000 block of Georgia Road. Eclectic is located just north of Montgomery. Witnesses told fire personnel that prior to the fire departments arrival, McLeod and Donahey were alerted to the fire and rushed to get the homeowners dog so that it wasnt harmed. While they looked for the dog, they heard a loud moaning coming from the bedroom window of the house and realized someone was still inside. McLeod tried to enter the house but couldnt because of fire and debris. Then he and Donahey removed the air conditioning window unit in the bedroom window and were able to rescue the occupant through the window. At that point, according to the fire department, the occupant had suffered potentially life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital, and then by helicopter to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center. The victim is currently in critical condition. Officials have not yet determined the cause of the fire. Tallassee, Santuck, Red Hill and Kowaliga Fire Departments also responded to the blaze, assisting the Eclectic Fire Department and the Elmore County Sheriffs Office for a total of 35 firefighters and 13 apparatus on-scene. Unintended consequences. Andrea Taylor uses that phrase a lot these dayswhile in the midst of the still-stirring storm caused by the board of directors of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, where she serves as president and CEO. She spoke publicly for the first time since the board voted three weeks ago to reverse its decision to honor long-time civil- and human-rights activist and Birmingham native Angela Davis with the 2018 Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award and cancel its annual fund-raising gala. In a statement, the BCRI cited, in part: "Upon closer examination of Ms. Davis statements and public record, we concluded that she unfortunately does not meet all of the criteria on which the award is based. The decisions, amplified by the ambiguity of the BCRI statement, ignited a tempest of criticism that thundered through Birmingham and reverberated far beyond the citys borders. The missteps are well known, Taylor said. Its unfortunate there was a process that did not serve the Birmingham community or the award itself well. Once that process began, it was a series of cascading events that brought us to this moment. It brought a lot of attention to the city and unintended consequences. There were a number of lessons learned we see the opportunity to reaffirm our mission and the role we play in communities. Not just in Birmingham, but in national and global communities, as well. I think were in a good place for new dialogue and advocacy for human and civil rights. Soon after the boards January 4 emergency executive session telephone call (members voted 9-2 to rescind the award, the BCRI later revealed), it was learned the decision was sparked by pressure from different segments of Birminghamvociferously, but not exclusively, some in the Jewish community. Disapproval stemmed from Davis long support of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement in support of Palestine. Neither Taylor not Interim Board Chair Rev. Thomas Wilder reveal exactly how individual board members voted. When the board makes a decision, its everybodys decision, Wilder said. Wilder said the overriding concern was that protests might taint the gala. We didnt want a cloud hanging over the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Award, Wilder said. We didnt want it picketed. We had some honest people in the room who were trying to do what was best for the institution. In hindsight, Wilder called the decision reactionary. Especially since the board had invited numerous groups to meet on Monday, January 7, to share their concerns and potentially work out a compromise. For whatever reason, the board abandoned the process, Wilder said. We did not follow our own decision. Wilder said the board knew there would be some public outcry. We were willing to face that, he said. We didnt go into it blind. The ensuing outrage, however, was massive. It included a public reprimand by Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, who also demanded minutes of the January 4 meeting, the award selection criteria, an apology to the community-at-large, and more: protests led by leaders of the Outcast Voters League and other groups, as well as biting criticism from around the nation and the world. On January 9, three BCRI board officers resigned. In an email to remaining board members on January 11 (the same day he publicly issued his reprimand and demands), Woodfin further admonished board members, saying it breached its fiduciary duty in its handling of the award and caused a level of embarrassment to our city unseen in generations. The City of Birmingham contributed $1 million to BCRIs $3.1 million 2019 budget. Clearly, said Taylor, this is not the kind of headline news you want to see about an institution with a history of service to the national and international community. Three days after Woodfin made clear his requests, yet after eight days of public silence, the board issued an apology. We accept responsibility and are sorry, its statement read, in part. Finally, last Thursday, the board announced it had voted to re-invite Davis to her hometown and reinstate her as the 2018 Shuttlesworth award winner. In the meantime, however, Davis, who said she had been stunned by the boards decision to rescind the award, accepted an invitation to participate in two alternative events hosted by the Committee for Truth & Reconciliation on February 16, the same day she was to have been honored by the BCRI. (Taylor said she secured a ticket to both events Friday evening before they were sold out soon after being offered to the public. Ill be there in the audience, she said.) Taylor said the Institute has not yet received a response from Davis regarding the new invitation. We had a conversation and are having an ongoing dialogue, Taylor said. We will be open and receptive to whatever the circumstances are. Davis did not respond to an email requesting her reaction to the award being reinstated. History will show that BCRI did ultimately make the right decision in conferring the award to Dr. Davis, Taylor said. Now, we want to work with the city to move forward and heal and continue our work as a symbol of social justice and advocacy for present and future generations. As part of that effort, Taylor says she and members of the board met with Carlos Chaverst and Frank Matthews of the Outcast Voters League. Absolutely, she said. They reached out to us and we reached out to them. You cant solve problems and make constructive changes unless you dialogue with people." She called the conversations very constructive. They were a very fruitful and productive set of conversations, she added. I look forward to more of that dialogue. Chaverst described the meetings as pretty sincere in what leaders are trying to convey, sincere in wanting to hear from us and the community and what we felt about [the original recension]. The board acknowledged it was a mistake and done prematurely, he said. The first step is acknowledgment. The resignations were a good step, also. The board still has a long way to go to build significant trust with the community. Chaverst said he had two in-person meetings and two telephone conversations with Taylor. He said she mentioned the possible creation of a community board, he said, to keep the community aware of whats going on and make suggestions to the board. We also suggested that the board needs fresh leadership, he added. The same old dominant leadership has been there for years. Chaverst, like many others, is still waiting to see how each board member voted during the January 4 meeting. In the spirit of transparency, he said. They said they would be releasing details of how the vote actually went. Chaverst added that a protest at the Institute was planned for the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, but it was called off after positive discussions with board members. We were assured changes were coming to the board and there would be some things that were beneficial to the community, Chaverst said. The protest leader said he wanted to work with the board to boost membership to the Institute, especially with young people. Im doing fine, he said. Ill be better when we see actual changes enacted. Then, Ill be at ease. There are always unintended consequences, Taylor said. There is definitely a need for more dialogue between people who have different opinionsa greater understanding of diverse views and finding a place of importance that is equipped for engaging in that dialogue. I think were on the right path for the future. Taylor, who took the helm at the Institute in September 2015, did not directly respond to whether she considered resigning during the controversy or if she will remain at the Institute: I am currently the president and CEO and I look forward to working with the board and the community to continue our work and our mission in a way that is authentic and effective for mutual benefit, she said. Interim board chair Rev. Thomas Wilder said the board never considered removing the president and CEO. Not once, he said. We have a lot of confidence in her ability. It was not even a thought. As for the board members, Woodfin, in his email to the group, also said: I would be derelict in my duty to stand by and just hope the situation will improve. Therefore, for those members of the board who have asked me if they should resign, I would urge you to do soFor those members of the board who have expressed a clear and direct desire to move on with the pace of crisis and restore public trust without questionthen I encourage you to double-down and do everything in your personal power to address my personal requests. He gave members until 8:00 a.m. the following Monday to respond with their decision. All board members committed to remaining. We can work through this mess we created, Wilder said. We asked to remain, at least until the work is done. Heres AL.coms full coverage of the BCRI and Angela Davis. Our brand has taken a hit, Taylor said, and come to understand how important the organization is to local advocates and others across the world. Its our opportunity now to really reach out and engage with that global population. We are a diverse society but still strangers, she added. We dont know a lot about each other or our history. What happened here underscores the need for increasing that awareness, facilitating more programming to enhance awareness and being a safe space for dialogue. I look forward to us becoming an even stronger institution. Police in Tennessee say a sheriff's deputy shot a teenager who had displayed a knife during an arrest. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says in a news release 19-year-old Dalton Elam of Florence was taken to a Nashville hospital with non-life threatening injuries Saturday. The statement says initial reports indicate the Williamson County deputy tried to apprehend Elam, who was driving a vehicle that had fled and crashed in a wooded area. The deputy shot Elam after the suspect displayed a knife. The deputy's name was not immediately released. The bureau is investigating the incident. Four Alabama school systems are closed today due to outbreaks of flu. Albertville, Marshall County, Boaz and Guntersville are all closed Monday; Albertville was closed Friday; Marshall County, Boaz and Guntersville are also shutting down Tuesday. In Boaz, absentee levels topped 10 percent on Friday. For the past week, Boaz City Schools have been monitoring and evaluating our absences daily and have been taking all necessary precautions to minimize illness, officials said. Cindy Saye Wigley, superintendent of Marshall County Schools, said in an announcement she hopes the four days of limited exposure to others will decrease the cases of flu in the system. We understand dismissing school creates a hardship on many of our parents; however, the health and safety of our students must continue to be our number one priority. At this time, the epidemic is not only having an impact on our students but also our staff, preventing us from effectively serving our students, she said. The systems said the extra days will also be used to sanitize the schools. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the influenza virus is considered widespread in at least 36 states, including Alabama. Flu can cause mild to severe illness and, at times, death, especially for the young and the elderly, as well as those with underlying health conditions. It is marked by a sudden onset and can include fever or chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose and muscle and body aches. To avoid getting and spreading the flu, the Alabama Department of Public Health urges people to: Royal Cup Coffee & Tea has won the 2019 Manufacturing Innovation of the Year award from ProFood World for its Birmingham coffee processing facility. This came following a plant expansion designed and built by Florida-based Stellar, an international design, engineering, construction and mechanical services firm. The expansion and renovation project was designed to accommodate green coffee bean reception and storage and expand the companys processing and distribution spaces. The work also added roasting, flavor blending, storage and sanitation capacity while improving overall logistics. These upgrades have truly been invaluable," Royal Cup CEO Bill Smith said. We now understand our business better than ever before. Among the improvements were a 33,000-square-foot, high-tech green bean receiving facility, effectively automating the process of moving beans from the receiving dock into storage. The equipment scans incoming product, making a precise inventory. It also added telescopic conveyors that extend directly into semi-trailers to unload them. This eliminated the need for manual unloading with a forklift, saving time and improving safety. Royal Cup Coffee & Tea has won the 2019 Manufacturing Innovation of the Year award from ProFood World for its coffee processing facility in Birmingham. The additions also employ data collection software from the plants machines and storage silos to improve product flow. There is upgraded dust management, new building insulation and efficient roasters, improving food safety. To pull off a project of this scale, you dont just need any old design and construction firm, you need a partner. Thats exactly what Stellar was for us, Kevin Boughner, senior vice president of operations at Royal Cup, said. They didnt just build a facility and throw us the keys on their way out the door. The Stellar team took time to learn our business and spent countless hours in our wheelhouse to understand our needs. Todd Allsup, vice of president of sales for Stellars Food Group, said the company is pleased with the recognition for Royal Cup. We always knew this unique project was working at the cutting edge of whats possible in food manufacturing and it is gratifying to see that honored," Allsup said. Krasnogorsk court to hear $150 mln claim against Moscow Region district ex-head RIA Novosti 15:58 28/01/2019 MOSCOW, January 28 (RAPSI) A prosecutors claim to forfeit 10-billion-ruble ($150 million) assets belonging to ex-head of the Moscow Regions Serpukhov District Alexander Shestun charged with abuse of office will be heard by the Krasnogorsk City Court in the Moscow Region, RAPSI was told Monday in the Moscow Regional Courts press service. Case papers will be transferred there, a representative of the Moscow Regional Court told RAPSI. On January 17, prosecutors filed the lawsuit with the Moscow Regional Court. These assets are preliminary estimated at 10 billion rubles ($150 million), and this property status does not correspond to his income, according to the Prosecutor Generals Office. The former official is the owner of 676 real estate items in the Moscow Regions Serpukhov district, 2 recreation facilities and 22 cars, prosecutors claim. Shestun has registered his property in the name of his relatives or trustees to evade declaration and suppression of his actual material position. Some property items have been sold, and the funds received have been converted to his own use or the use of his cronies, according to the prosecution. On January 18, the Investigative Committee reported that investigators received evidence that Shestun owned land plots worth 2.2 billion rubles ($33 million) aside from other assets found earlier. Case papers read that between 2008 and 2014 the Serpukhov District administration headed by Shestun illegally transferred four land plots in a local village to the company Center. Damage caused by these actions was estimated at 62 million rubles (about $925,000), investigators claim. Shestun was put in detention. Ex-official pleads not guilty. He could face up 10 years in prison if convicted. Before Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Brendan Frasers Mummy or even Indiana Jones and his crusades, Hunter Johnson thought archaeology was cool. Johnsons father used to take him digging for arrowheads. His mother was interested in the subject, too. I blame them for my affliction, he said with a laugh. That affliction was the inspiration for Johnson to form the Huntsville-based company Tennessee Valley Archaeological Research, which sends staffers to survey, excavate, sift, document and catalog sites around the Southeast. The business began in 2008 at Lowe Mill with roughly 15-20 contracted projects a year. As the demand grew to almost 100 annual jobs and the staff now at about 45 increased, it moved to a bigger office on Metro Circle. Restaurant-style tray racks hold countless treasures picked from old farm sites, Native American settlements and mounds, and property owned by Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA is TVARs biggest client, responsible for about half its business. Each specimen is painstakingly cataloged with a code identifying the year, location and project number. I would say on almost every project we find something, said Johnson, company president. It may be nothing more than a piece of barbed wire or a flake from a stone tool. Where a farmer might dismiss hunks of unidentifiable stuff churned up while plowing, archaeologists can envision communities, lifestyles, historical significance and cultural relevance by studying even the smallest items. We find sites that go back at least 12,000 or more years even though those are more rare, he said, and then weve worked on sites that are as recent as 1950. As each project begins, TVAR does background research to see if there is an existing archaeological site in that location or a house that might be on the National Register of Historic Places. Then we send a crew out to survey the property and evaluate what is there, he explained. We do small shovel tests. We dig a hole down into the ground and all of the soil that comes out of the hole is screened and we recover any artifacts. Knowing exactly where to dig is the hard part. It comes from experience and an eye for reading clues in the landscape. You may not see the house but you may see daffodils growing there or you may see ornamental plants, Johnson said. Youre pretty certain that is an old house site. Trees growing parallel to each other about the width of the road you realize thats an old road bed. Everything found to a depth of roughly 4 feet is recorded in detail: the soil, depth where artifacts were found, or changes in the types of dirt from layer to layer. Staffers bring artifacts back to the office and begin to contextualize them. We try to determine based on their form, the surface treatments, whatever we can garner from a specific artifact, about its age, he said. The client receives a comprehensive report and state and federal agencies review the findings. Where a site fits into the overall significance of a particular region determines its historic value. If theres nothing culturally significant that requires additional excavation then a road expansion, commercial development or other work can move forward. Our goal is never to shut down a project, but it is to keep it moving forward. There have been findings that I will say have delayed projects, he said. We would not be in business if we shut down projects. We have to keep these things moving and sometimes they take a little longer than people expect. After surveys and testing, the final phase could include documenting non-transportable artifacts like fire hearths, a 2,000-year-old storage pit or a stone wall near a Civil War battle site. In the Tennessee Valley, the most artifacts are from Native American tribes and settlements. There was so much settlement over a 10,000-year period, really up until removal, he said, meaning the time when Indians were forcibly resettled out West. We like to make the joke that the Tennessee River only has two archaeological sites the north side of the river and the south side of the river, he said. Theres so much archaeology along the river and it goes from 12,000 years (ago) to historic times when there was a ferry on Dittos Landing. Hobbs Island had a major Indian mound center, he said. Even Boy Scouts know that the banks of the Tennessee River typically yield the most arrowheads. Most of the things people find are not arrowheads, he said. They are spear points or arrow points. The bow and arrow in North America really didnt come around until about 500 A.D. Arrow points are smaller. Most people call everything an arrowhead. Tennessee Valley Archaeological Research staffers examine and catalog specimens from various archaeological digs. The companys employees research sites mostly in Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi but have worked in North Carolina, southern Virginia and Kentucky. One of their more interesting current projects is tied to an industrial development in Starkville, Miss. Sixteenth century Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto went through that area in his explorations and had a significant impact. The existing settlements had developed a working organizational structure, Johnson said, but exposure to Europeans shattered it. It just fractured all these communities and made people move out of groups they were in, and maybe groups that had been affiliated with each other turn against each other, he said. Johnson and his team are now finding pottery, cooking fragments and animal remains at the Mississippi site that dates to around 1540, which they can tell by certain pottery styles. Some of the area will be preserved as green space. TVAR sometimes uses satellite imagery to identify sites but relies more often on ground-penetrating radar, a radiometer to measure magnetism in the ground, or even drones. Then comes the digging. Its hot, tedious, dusty work that usually involves lugging around a field screen, shovel, backpack, water and equipment. Eventually the specimens found by professional archaeologists are sent to federally recognized curation facilities in the state where they were discovered. Alabamas primary repository is in Moundville, with others at Troy University and the University of South Alabama. Tennessee Valley Archaeological Research worked on a site in Kemper County in Mississippi with representatives from the Choctaw tribe. The company is helping Native Americans get access to some of the pottery for their cultural center in Oklahoma. Museums often borrow artifacts from state agencies for display. These things dont just always sit in boxes, Johnson said. Classes can use 3-D laser copies of pottery, for example, to learn about history. One of the most interesting digs Johnson has participated in was with a team in Moundville Archaeological Park near Tuscaloosa. They studied a tribal chiefs house on top of one of the mounds in the prehistoric Native American settlement. The features that we found associated with that house were amazing. Some of the central posts in that house were 2 to 3 feet in diameter. They had to dig a hole and push them in and pack the dirt around them. To see the process that they went through to build those structures was pretty amazing, he said. Any rock, shard, piece of barbed wire or glass fragment in the companys racks, boxes or screens can tell a story. Johnson shows a rock worked to a point and explained that it dates to around the time of Christ. This is what you would call a greenstone hoe. This stone in Alabama only comes from a very specific place, down around Wetumpka. When Johnson and an associate formed the company, one of our primary goals was to do work with the Tennessee Valley Authority and they have massive landholdings through the Tennessee Valley. Any time TVA adds a new transmission line or does construction, the area must be surveyed for cultural resources if it hasnt been done in the past. Some of TVAs own dams are now old enough to be on the National Register. TVA property, which encompasses more than 11,000 miles of shoreland, includes some of the most significant archaeological sites in the Southeast, according to the TVA website. Looting and vandalism are such significant threats that the power provider created a volunteer program called A Thousand Eyes. Local groups and communities are encouraged to call TVA police when they see suspicious activity such as someone digging or using a metal detector at an archaeological site on TVA land. Johnson earned bachelors and masters degrees in anthropology from the University of Alabama. He taught at Jacksonville State University and has published papers on the Widows Creek Site in Alabama, pottery in South Alabama, the Woodland Platform Mound in Northwest Alabama and sites in Mississippi and downtown Knoxville. Whether its Indiana Jones, TVs Bones or a love of history that inspires young people to choose archaeology as a career, Johnson jokes that his own reason was simple enough. I chose this work so I wouldnt have to wear a suit and tie, he said, grinning. Its a fact that the only thing worse than a hangover after a night of (safe) bar-hopping is the dreaded realization that you forgot to close your tab and left your credit card at the bar. Its a problem many experience, but one that may soon follow the path of the dinosaurs to extinction. A phone application called Tab X, developed by two Birmingham brothers, allows you to enter and leave your bar of choice without ever taking your wallet out. Users can open and close bar tabs, review order summaries, see local drink specials, and more, all from their phones. Even before you go to a bar, youre able to go onto this app and open your tab, says Tab X co-creator Josh Taylor. Then, when youre ready to pay up, instead of standing in a line, you simply open the app again, add whatever percentage tip you want to, and close out. For example, on a weekend night out, the app could be a timesaver for both you and busy bartenders. If you go to Avondale Brewery before a show at Saturn, about 20 minutes before the show everyone tries to close out; the bartender cant pour drinks anymore, and youll probably be late to the show, Josh says. With this app, youll be able to close your tab while walking over [to the show] and skip that whole process. Users dont have to immediately close their tabs when they leave, either. Tab X allows for multiple tabs to remain open at the same time, enabling bar patrons to roam around town to their hearts content. A mock-up of the Tab X app. Thanks to an auto-close feature, should you forget to close your tab before the bar closes for the night, your tab will automatically close out with no penalty. You can go home, fall asleep, then while youre asleep, itll close for you, says co-creator Jay Taylor. That problem of leaving your card behind will be eliminated. Tab X uses the electronic payment company Stripe to connect user profiles to their bank accounts for safe and seamless transactions. After each close-out, a running order summary details all drink expenses. The brothers began production on Tab X more than a year ago, but had to shelve the project when everyday life took over. Relative newcomers to the app development industry, the Taylor brothers now have paired with app developers Kirk Alford and Troy Meyer to turn their dream into a reality. After plenty of long hours, the group is excited to debut the app this spring. Tab X is not the first app attempting to solve the tab-closing conundrum, but Josh says theyve identified key reasons Tab X will succeed where others have failed. One is Birminghams geographynot too big or too small, with plenty of bars, as well as a population willing to adopt and use new technology. In Birmingham, Taylor believes they can quickly connect the entire community to Tab X for a truly immersive experience. Founders Josh and Jay Taylor have a drink at Paramount, where they have been testing their Tab X app. Photo by Mary Fehr. Another past roadblock was connecting a bars existing point-of-sale (POS) system to the app, requiring owners to install a new system to match the technology. Tab X is built to operate immediately with existing technology. It also is adaptable to a range of operating systems, a crucial development that can ease establishments into adopting the app. Its really appealing to the end users who are going out to the bars, but we see a real benefit for the bartenders as well, Jay says. We see it saving bartenders a lot of time. Instead of stopping selling drinks to go close tabs, they can spend that time racking up sales, which can help the bar and it will improve their tips. Once Tab X is operational in Birmingham, the goal is to spread it to Auburn and Tuscaloosa, then to other Alabama cities and beyond. And since it operates without location constraints, one could set up a bar tab for a party before they arrive, or buy someone a drink from anywhere in the world. The only thing Tab X cant do? Order your drinks. It seems like a good idea to have an ordering function, but if you order a drink off your phone, where does the bartender put it? Josh says. Having an ordering function actually creates problems. This winter, Paramount Bar served as ground zero for Tab Xs test operations while the team worked out the kinks. As more bars adopt the technology, Tab X will function as a direct marketing service to promote drink specials, events, and new bar locations, further connecting people to the community. Im excited about creating something that we believe is going to be a real asset for people, Jay says. Im excited to deliver a top-quality product that were proud of and Birmingham can be proud of. The logo for Tab X app. Features of Tab X Open a bar tab from anywhere in the world Keep multiple bar tabs open at the same time Close your bar tab or tabs remotely Auto-close for your bar tab when you forget to close out Search and compare drink specials Discover new or different bars around town Get a printable expenditure summary at the end of the night Details Tab X will be available to download in all device app stores. This story appears in Birmingham magazines January 2019 issue. Subscribe today! ISTANBUL Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his pledge to launch a military offensive in northern Syria, saying on Monday that his military aims to create a safe zone in the area so that the 4 million or so Syrian refugees sheltering in Turkey can return home. Turkey wants a 32-kilometer (20-mile) zone along its southern border with Syria to push back the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), a Syrian Kurdish militia with links to insurgents Turkey has battled for more than three decades, after the United States withdraws its forces from Syria. The YPG has fought alongside the United States against the Islamic State since 2014 and its political arm administers much of northeast Syria. US President Donald Trump unexpectedly declared in December he would pull out the 2,200 American special forces fighting with the YPG in Syria, leaving whats left of the battle against IS to Turkey. More than a month on, the details of Trumps withdrawal plan remain unclear. The surprise announcement roiled his own cabinet, prompting his defense secretary and other key figures to resign over the risk it exposed Kurds to. Relations with NATO partner Turkey have been severely strained for years over the US militarys arming of Syrian Kurds and a brief respite in the acrimony following Trumps announcement may prove short lived. Still, Erdogan said in his speech broadcast live that talks with both Russia and the United States have been very positive." Just as we have ensured security in other areas, we will bring peace, safety and security east of the Euphrates River very soon, he said. As we continue our diplomatic efforts, we have also finished preparations for our next step, he added, referring to a potential incursion. The return of Syrian refugees will take part in an initial phase, he said, adding that almost 300,000 Syrians have already returned to areas that Turkey controls in Syria after it launched two separate offensives in 2016 and 2018. Erdogan has been engaged in rigorous diplomacy with both Russia, which supports Turkeys foe Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and the United States to build consensus for a buffer zone along its border. Last week, he met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow but left without announcing any agreement on the buffer zone. He has also spoken at least four times by phone, most recently on Jan. 21, with Trump since the US president invited Erdogan to take over the fight against IS. But Erdogan has also expressed frustration with what he sees as foot-dragging by the Americans, who have made conflicting statements about the withdrawal. Top diplomat Mike Pompeo and Trumps national security adviser John Bolton raised Turkish ire this month by demanding that Turkey not harm the YPG the main reason Turkey wants to enter Syria. Over the weekend, Erdogan said his patience was not without limits and that Turkey will form a safe zone on its own if its foreign partners do not act within a few months. Turkey only needs logistical support from the United States and is in fact the only country capable of ensuring the safe zone works and should have control of it, he said, and that Turkey is not interested in any other formulations for the zone. The US envoy for Syria, James Jeffrey, was in Ankara last week to meet Defense Minister Hulusi Akar to discuss the US withdrawal, coordinating the safe zone and the fate of the flashpoint town of Manbij, controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is primarily comprised of YPG fighters. Hurriyet reported that Jeffrey proposed Turkish, British, French and US troops patrol the zone together and that the United States would provide air defense to create a no-fly zone. I honestly dont see much progress. The US plan Jeffrey is delivering to Ankara has a lot of moving parts and requires buy-in from hostile actors, said Aaron Stein, director of the Middle East Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Washington. He told Al-Monitor, I do think President Trump has prioritized reaching an agreement with Turkey, but its unclear if the Turks can accept what it is that the US is now offering. Moscow, too, seems to be trying to prevent a Turkish incursion, so clearly we have a lot of disagreement. Officials from the presidential palace declined to meet Jeffrey, despite an announcement that he would speak with Erdogans senior adviser Ibrahim Kalin and the deputy foreign minister, reported Cumhuriyet. The former was outside of Turkey during Jeffreys visit, and the latter forced the senior US diplomat to wait a day before meeting him in order to convey Turkish displeasure with US policy in Syria, according to the newspaper. The slight echoed a snub of Bolton in Ankara earlier this month in which Erdogan canceled their meeting over the national security advisers statements defending the YPG. For their part, the Kurds have turned to Russia and Syria in a bid to prevent a Turkish incursion. On Monday, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to discuss efforts to find a political resolution to Syrias seven-year war and Turkeys support for a new constitution. A Turkish television channel reported at the weekend that Turkey was continuing to deploy troops and weaponry to its border further west, an area bordering Syrias Aleppo governorate. In his speech on Monday, Erdogan implied underhanded plots by unnamed countries were a force behind IS or Daesh, the Arabic term Erdogan prefers for the jihadi group that seized wide swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory before the US-led coalition largely defeated it. Today there is almost no Daesh presence left in Syria. We know full well that the existing remnants of Daesh were left there not because they couldnt be cleaned up, but in order to win the terrorist organization YPG legitimacy, to enrich this organization, he said. Since it first emerged, Daesh essentially has been a pawn to serve certain states, certain powers in their plans for Syria and our region. In a sign of the risk that tensions could spiral, violence erupted over the weekend near Dohuk, in Iraqs Kurdistan region, when protesters stormed a Turkish military camp, burning tanks and other vehicles. One protester was killed and 10 others wounded after Turkish soldiers opened fire, Reuters cited Iraqi officials as saying. Cavusoglu said the attack was carried out by the PKK pretending to be civilians. TUNIS, Tunisia On a chilly January morning at his modest villa outside Tunis, Rachid Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia's pro-Islamic Ennahda party, opened the conversation with an ode to women. I bet on women," he said in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor. "I am surrounded by women. My wife decides everything. Ghannouchi's wife is an English literature graduate, and the couple's four daughters were trained in turn as a lawyer, an astrophysicist, a sociologist and a journalist. Three of them hold doctoral degrees, and all were educated in the West. Flanked by a pair multilingual female associates, the 77-year-old Muslim intellectual shared a couch with this female reporter after firmly shaking her hand. Secular critics would likely dismiss the scene as more taqqiya, or dissimulation aimed at disarming a Western audience. Militants among Ghannouchis pious base would argue the opposite, that eight years into Tunisias Jasmine Revolution, he has betrayed many of their ideals. Either way, Ennahda remains Tunisias best organized and most popular force, and Ghannouchi is its uncontested leader. The question of how he chooses to deploy his power remains critical to the future of Tunisias wobbly democracy, the only one to have survived the Arab Spring. Parliamentary and presidential elections that are due to be held by the end of the year will be a major test. Ghannouchis delicate balancing act cutting deals with his secular opponents while protecting his Islamist credentials is being watched closely by Muslims around the world. He nodded wearily when asked whether he feels the burden of proving that Ennahda can succeed, unlike fellow Muslim Brotherhood-linked political parties elsewhere in the region. But he declined to talk about his close ally Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans descent into authoritarianism or about Mohammed Morsi, Egypts first democratically elected president, whom Ghannouchi famously beseeched to tone down his Islamist rhetoric before his ouster. Though Ghannouchi has hailed Erdogans Justice and Development Party as his model, Ennahdas trajectory has been rather different. His allies call it pragmatism, and it was on full display when Ennahda voluntarily relinquished power in January 2014, two years after becoming the countrys first democratically elected government. The move was spurred by mass protests against the Islamists, which were triggered by the assassination of prominent leftist politician, Chokri Belaid, in February 2013. Some 40,000 Tunisians massed in front of the Interior Ministry, chanting assassin Ghannouchi. Another oppositionist, Mohamed Brahmi, was murdered in broad daylight the following July. Secularists again blamed Ennahda for the killings, even though the government identified the culprit as Ansar al-Sharia, an extremist Islamic cell linked to al-Qaeda. As Tunisia's latest elections approach, the accusations are beginning to resurface. And it hasnt helped that Ennahda rejected a bill introduced by Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi in August to establish full equality between men and women in matters of inheritance. Adding fuel to the fire, the chairman of Ennahdas Shura Council, the partys main governing body, said his party would oppose any law that goes against the Quran and the constitution. The bill was approved by the cabinet in November but has yet to be approved by parliament. Ghannouchi argued that it was not for the state to decide, though womens rights activists would vehemently disagree. Everyone should have the freedom to choose," he said. "The state should not interfere or impose anything on that matter. Everyone should be free to decide who should inherit [from] him or her." As proof that he is sincere about empowering women, Ghannouchi pointed to the high number of Tunisia's female mayors 42 out of a total 68, including Tunis first female mayor who were elected on Ennahdas ticket. We are in an electoral year and there many accusations against Ennahda," he said. "But these are part of a media war that is designed to influence public opinion. It was the Ennahda government which declared Ansar al-Sharia to be a terrorist group and took action against them. Nevertheless, the backlash against rising Islamic extremism coupled with continued corruption and economic stagnation took its toll. Ennahda pulled in second behind the pro-secular Nidaa Tounes in the October 2014 parliamentary elections. It then became a decidedly docile partner in a coalition that has ruled since. Ennahda saw the limits of Tunisias religiosity, said Lamine Benghazi, who helps run Al Bawsala, a leading Tunisian civil society organization. The greater geopolitical trend is demonizing political Islam, and Ennahda sees Nidaa Tounes as something of a shield. In 2016, Ghannouchi compromised further, declaring, There is no longer any justification for political Islam in Tunisia. He said Ennahda was a party of Muslim democrats, distinctly Tunisian in character. We are Tunisian Muslims who are determined to live in our age as believing Muslims," he told Al-Monitor. "There is only one Islam, but we believe it is a flexible religion that interacts with each environment with each age. The rebranding has seen Ennahda embrace modern Tunisia's founder Habib Bourguiba as a national hero, whitewashing his abuses and blaming all the horrors endured under six decades of dictatorship solely on Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The shift is an acknowledgement that political Islam has become radioactive. Just as critically, it speaks to the continued resilience of a coalition of politicians and officials left over from the Ben Ali regime, including the notorious national guard, which is attached to the Ministry of Interior. In tandem with a deeply entrenched oligarchy, the holdouts of the Ben Ali regime are determined to prevent the Islamists from establishing their own patronage networks within the bureaucracy and the business world, and they will wield and inflate the threat of Islamic extremism to that end if need be. Analysts warn, however, that Ghannouchi may be carrying compromise too far. To this day, Ennahda lives and acts with a mind to what happened in 2013," said Shadi Hamid, co-editor of "Rethinking Political Islam" and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "The fear of repression, of returning to the days of dictatorship, are a major factor in understanding Ghannouchi's sometimes single-minded focus on consensus, caution and reconciliation with members of the old regime. Looked at this way, survival is success and it takes precedence over all else," Hamid said. "But this strategy has come at a cost, not necessarily for Ennahda but for the country. By prioritizing a narrow consensus, Ennahda has dampened political participation and competition, with politics becoming a kind of elite dance between Ghannouchi and President Essebsi." Sarah Yerkes, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Middle East Program, pointed to a further risk. There is a danger that as Ennahda moves away from its original Islamist ideals, a more militant or extremist Islamist party could spring up and reach out to the former Ennahda voters," she said. As in Turkey, one of the dangers facing Tunisia is a smugness born from decades of repressed religiosity that continues to be mistaken for a lack of it. Outside the capital, in impoverished areas like Sidi Bouzid and Kasserine, where the protests that led to Ben Alis downfall first erupted, Islamic conservatism runs deep. Yerkes observed, Some portion of the population would like to see a stronger role of religion within the government and public life, and Ennahda used to be the clear political party to help achieve that goal. Ennahda lawmakers who back Ghannouchis moderate stance insist that such a stance is necessary if Tunisias democracy is to survive. Cohabitation makes us more pragmatic, and pragmatism is not a dirty word, parliamentarian Naoufel Jammali told Al-Monitor. On the contrary it is what permitted us to become the sole democracy of all the Arab Spring countries. Cohabitation pushes us to be comfortable with the idea that we are not the sole political party in the country and that we need to work together with other parties in order to remain part of the political landscape. Islamists, leftists and secularists all have deep roots in Tunisia. We are condemned to live together." But just how long will Ennahda be willing to take the back seat? The party has regained a plurality in the parliament following a steady defection of lawmakers from Nidaa Tounes, and it beat the secularists in the countrys first free municipal polls that were held in May, though both were overtaken by independents, a sign of voter disaffection across the board. With Prime Minister Youssef Chahed forming a new secularist bloc after his fallout with Essebsi and his son Hafedh, who engineered Chaheds ouster from Nidaa Tounes in June, Ennahda is poised to be kingmaker. It helped Chahed survive a vote of no confidence in November. Will it continue to throw its weight behind Chahed and International Monetary Fund-inspired reforms? And will Ghannouchi throw his hat in the ring for the presidency? The Ennahda leader is holding his cards close to his chest, saying he has no such ambitions but then leaving the door open by saying it's up to his party. For all Ghannouchi's talk of easing Tunisias transition to democracy, there are few signs that he is doing the same within his own party. What happens after Ghannouchi is an unspoken but pressing question, and not just for Tunisians. It's fine to have a leader who appears genuinely committed to democracy, but what happens if he is succeeded by one who is not? asked Levent Gultekin, a prominent Turkish commentator and former adherent of political Islam. The trouble of mixing Islam and politics is that at some point, sooner for some, later for others, one is stuck between rigid interpretations of the Quran and the dictates of a changing world. Ghannouchi has successfully navigated such contradictions, and, according to Brookings Hamid, has become more comfortable with the idea that Ennahda was its own self-contained experiment the one that was, now, the most promising in the region. Below is a transcript of the full interview, edited for clarity. Al-Monitor: The prevailing economic crisis seems to be one of the biggest challenges faced by your government. Will Ennahda continue to support the belt tightening measures being imposed by the IMF even though it makes it unpopular? Ghannouchi: We are in an electoral year, which we have to take into consideration. So it's not the most appropriate year for public sector reforms. Even the state budget took this into consideration in 2019 [and didnt impose too much of a burden] on workers or employers. We are placing pressure on the government to engage in dialogue, to negotiate and to discuss with the unions in order to avoid a general strike. If it does go ahead, this would not be a calamity because we are in a democracy, where freedom of assembly and protest are guaranteed and the UGTT is a national organization. [The interview was conducted before the UGTT, or the Tunisian General Labor Union, carried out a nationwide strike Jan. 17.] Protest is a normal and accepted thing within democracy, unlike the general strike in 1978, which Tunisians still remember with great pain and in which hundreds of Tunisians died. Simply having a protest was seen as a threat of having a revolution. We know that the UGTT is a national organization that always put national interest above that of its members. Al-Monitor: One of the continued critiques being leveled at you by the secularists is that you are seeking to introduce Islamic rule by stealth. Are you? Ghannouchi: We are Tunisian Muslims who are determined to live in our age as believing Muslims. There is only one Islam, but we believe it is a flexible religion that interacts with each environment, with each age, provided that we understand Islam properly and exercise the laws of ijtihad [independent reasoning as opposed to taqlid, or imitation, in Islamic jurisprudence] in terms of free interpretation and free understanding. There is radicalism in Tunisia and there are radical groups, but these are not result of the revolution but heritage of dictatorship. These groups are now on the decline because they could not appropriate or hijack Islam to their ends. Ennahda is seen as representing the mainstream of the Islamic movement and it is closer to the people because the Tunisian people are in essence moderate Muslims who seem themselves reflected in Ennahda, much more so than in these radical groups. Al-Monitor: So why have so many Tunisian youths joined militant jihadi groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State? Ghannouchi: This radicalization is a reaction to the political extremism before the revolution of the dictatorship. The Islamic militants [al-Qaeda and Islamic State] failed to take any piece of Tunisian territory to make it theirs. They managed to carry out some attacks here and there, but they immediately withdraw. The notion of state is very deep in Tunisian society and the government is making a huge effort to combat terrorism. We do not have any historical experience of combating terrorism, yet the security and armed forces are making real progress in beating back and defeating these groups, and these groups are now in a defensive posture. We benefited from external support from the European Union, the United States and Algeria, among others. Al-Monitor: But I have heard various sources charge that you encouraged, or at the very least turned a blind eye, to young Tunisians heading to Syria to wage jihad against Bashar al-Assad. Ghannouchi: We are in an electoral year. There are many accusations against Ennahda. But these are part of a media war that is designed to influence public opinion. These accusations have been examined by courts and found to be wrong. When the judiciary doesnt rule in these groups' favor, they attack the courts and they claim that Ennahda dominates the courts and the police forces, but they deny the fact that we live in a democracy where these institutions are independent. We will continue to go through these cycles of accusations if they do not accept the verdict. Al-Monitor: But your secular opponents insist that Ennahda encouraged young Tunisians to join jihadist groups in Syria to overthrow Bashar al-Assad and allowed Salafist preachers to take over the mosques. Ghannouchi: The reality is that when we entered government we had no experience of governance. But when the revolution happened there was a general amnesty in March 2011, long before Ennahda was elected to power [in October 2011], which released political prisoners. Some were those who had been accused of terrorism, and there was no opposition to this move because people did not have faith that these people had been fairly convicted. When the revolution happened we put all of our energy into politics, and many of these young people who were released went toward mosques, went toward preaching and had their own activities in mosques and dominated hundreds of mosques. Because they were not violent they were left alone and given relative freedom to do their activities. But when Ennahda took power and these groups displayed acts of violence, it was the Ennahda government which declared them to be a terrorist group and took action against them. The interior minister formally declared them [al-Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Sharia] to be a terrorist group. The minister of religious affairs under Ennahda also had a religious plan, a program to reassert state control over mosques, because, in the period between the revolution and the election of a government, there was none. They have made significant progress. The imams are direct employees of the state, exactly like in Turkey. Their sermons are vetted. Also those who were invited to give lectures from abroad had nothing to do with the government they were invited by nongovernmental religious associations. All sorts of people benefited from the freedom from that environment in the aftermath of the revolution, in good and bad ways. There were Salafists who benefited, there were smugglers who benefited, but also members of the media and others. Al-Monitor: It's often stated that one of the biggest threats to Tunisias democracy is the failure to establish democratic oversight, including the governments failure to appoint members of a constitutional court. Ghannouchi: We are committed to completing the establishment of all these democratic institutions. So the parliament has already elected the independent audio visual committee [in line with broadcasting regulatory reform]. It has also elected the members of the anti-corruption committee and members of the ISIE [the Independent Hight Authority for Elections] and also the Council for Human Rights. There are a number of key constitutional institutions that have been established through laws, so the parliament has selected necessary members, but some institutions do remain incomplete, like the constitutional court, and we are committed to establishing it before the coming election. Al-Monitor: What message does Ennahdas decision to support a parliamentary bill giving amnesty to officials accused of corruption investigated by Tunisias Truth and Dignity Commission send about your commitment to accountability? Does it not send a message of impunity? Ghannouchi: When the Ennahda government came to power in October 2011, it decided to establish a separate Ministry of Transitional Justice, which worked over two years with civil society and looked at other countries with similar experiences, such as South Africa, Morocco, Chile and Spain, [for] how to deal with the past and 50 years of violations and dictatorship. We rejected specifically the idea of street justice, of having courts in the street in an unfair way, or collective punishment of these people, as happened in Iran and other countries. We decided on a transitional justice law, which established an independent commission that received over 60,000 files. Fifty thousand of those were Ennahda supporters or people associated with Ennahda alone, and the process began with going through these files. What transitional justice seeks to achieve is a comprehensive reconciliation of the Tunisian people and not punishment or retribution. Transitional justice, in this vision, is not about revenge but about revealing the truth, about encouraging and forcing perpetrators to acknowledge their crimes and to apologize for them. It's about encouraging the victims to have their moment, to have that acknowledgment and to forgive. They must be compensated. This should be moral compensation, material compensation by the state. The goal should be to restore their value [standing] in society and [formally recognizing victims [as such]. Compensation does not have to be financial. It could be renaming a school or a street after the victim by way of symbolic recognition [of their suffering]. There is still a lot of effort that needs to be made, and this is still an ongoing process to which Ennahda is committed. Al-Monitor: Are you planning to run for president? Ghannouchi: This question hasnt been determined yet and this has to be determined by our party and relevant institutions. We still have time to think. I think it depends on the national interest and on the partys decision, but I have no decision as yet as whether to enter this competition. The country needs more youthfulness and more women in politics. The Netanyahu government decided in 2016 to change the custom of setting the government budget every year and inaugurated a two-year budget. The prime minister referenced Bahrain as the only place in the world that has such a procedure. In his view this was enough to avoid an exhausting negotiation with his coalition partners over the next budget, and opposition attempts to use the budget in order to pressure weak links in the coalition to object to the government. Economists warn of the difficulty of planning two years in advance because of rapid changes that require immediate responses. In fact, it was the High Court that saved us (Israel) again, and caused the cancellation of the two-year system for now. But in the meantime it is still in place until the end of this year. We learned of one of the bitter fruits of the two-year budget a few days ago when it turned out that the Foreign Ministry spent its entire budget for 2018 and 2019 in the first year, and doesnt have a penny left for this year. Diplomats complain that essential activities of the ministry have been frozen, including (too modest) aid for developing nations, rescue missions abroad and Independence Day events where each ambassador invites dignitaries of the nation where he serves and presents Israels accomplishments, as other nations do on their national holiday. But these arent the only activities that have been frozen. The ministry has many initiatives, such as exporting Israeli culture and bringing journalists and important guests to Israel, and now this has all been frozen. It is hard to believe that this news worries Benjamin Netanyahu. Serving as both prime minister and foreign minister for the past four years, he has coolly transferred several clearly diplomatic activities from the Foreign Ministry to other ministries as part of the political payments he has paid to form the coalition, believing, it seems, that this is a practically useless ministry, and that it is best for it to focus on VIP visits and other technical arrangements. As reflected in his conduct, Netanyahu sees himself as an airborne Foreign Ministry. Only last week, on Jan. 20, he renewed diplomatic relations with Chad, and who knows, perhaps we will soon see a Chadian Embassy in West Jerusalem. He has forged relations with authoritarian regimes, formed dubious pacts with the president of the Philippines, the president of Brazil, the president of Hungary and the president of Poland. He serves as a model for emulation for US President Donald Trump, and until recently he has enjoyed an open door with the president of Russia. His visit to Oman in October 2018 and his meeting there with Sultan Qaboos proved that he is making wholly successful efforts to fix the great damage his policies have done since he was first elected, when he ended the multilateral talks with countries in the region, cut off relations with Arab countries where such official visits were de rigueur and closed mutual missions that operated openly until then. Given this situation, he would prefer that diplomats and administrators at the Foreign Ministry just clock in at the office every morning and chat at the water cooler with their colleagues. He is doing the real work. But this is not whats happening. Even if here and there Netanyahu could mark short-term achievements, the national price for them could be steep in the mid- to long-term. Netanyahu is betting on extreme right leaders, ignoring democratic and liberal forces in the global system with whom Israel has traditional ties. Neglecting these nations in the European Union, for example, does direct damage to Israels essential interests, not only because Israel is gradually becoming a nation that the club it sees itself as belonging to prefers to distance itself from Israel, but also because Europe is a central destination for Israeli exports and imports, which also grants Israel research grants and aid in many other realms. Neglecting ties with democratic nations in Europe is a sin that cant be atoned for. The Jewish element is the second problem. One cant accuse Netanyahu of not knowing the Jewish world, especially in the United States, or not understanding its importance. But he acts as if he is ready to sacrifice the good relationship with American Jewry on the altar of his coalition. It is not the first crisis with world Jewry, but it seems that he has created the deepest one. The cancellation of the agreement that allowed the prayer of the Women of the Wall, a movement for allowing progressive Judaism women to pray by the Western Wall in Jerusalem, in itself, for instance, was perhaps not the essence of the conflict. What made the conflict so severe was the unbearable lightness with which the prime minister could retract an agreement made with much effort that took into consideration that Reform Jews are the most significant element of American Jewry. To us, in Israel, it is hard to understand the deep insult with which American Jews received this decision. More than they were insulted by the cancellation of the agreement, they were hurt by the disrespect and the willingness to do without them. Instead of focusing on positive actions vis-a-vis the challenge of Jewish continuity worldwide, the Israeli government focuses on the Nationality Law, a legislation that generates anger on many fronts. Jews around the world feel that the Nationality Law sidelines them and belittles their linkage to Israel; Israelis Jews and non-Jews are furious over the discrimination by the law against non-Jewish Israelis. The link between world Jewry and the State of Israel is the responsibility of the Israeli government. In fact, this is one of the important roles of the Foreign Ministry. Because of Netanyahus policies, it has become an even more essential role. Canceling activities in this realm is a reckless move. This cant be a one-man band. This is an orchestra of about a thousand skilled, dedicated people, whose salaries are too modest and who are forced, time after time, to fix the mistakes of careless ministers, to explain Israeli decisions and actions that the world does not accept as obvious, and to work on aid for developing nations, and an infinite number of other tasks. Netanyahu needs, desperately, a responsible and experienced agent that could balance the cynical alliances he is forming and ensure that these will not cancel old essential alliances. And as foreign minister he must take care of his ministrys budget. Israels foreign policy must not pay a steep price only because Foreign Minister Netanyahu is so dismissive of his ministry. HaBayit HaYehudi was formed in 2008 through a political alliance of the National Religious Party (Mafdal) and the National Union Party. The arrangement was not beneficial until the arrival of Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, when under their leadership HaBayit HaYehudi, known in English as the Jewish Home party, won 12 Knesset seats in the 2012 elections. On Dec. 29, 2018, Bennett and Shaked announced that they were leaving HaBayit HaYehudi to establish another party, the New Right. Their departure left HaBayit HaYehudi a flock without a shepherd and at risk of falling off Israel's political map. This uncertainty has led parties on the far right of the map to move to fill the space traditionally occupied by the religious Zionist movement. Mafdal, the basis for HaBayit HaYehudi, had at times sat in coalitions with left-wing parties, such as Labor and Meretz (in Ehud Baraks government, 1999-2000), yet it was clearly identified with the settlement enterprise, the leadership of the settler movement, and the Yesha Council, representing the settlements. The party took care to align itself with official state institutions, which is why its leadership could prevent the struggle over the 2005 disengagement from Gaza from totally deteriorating. Many activists left the party after the disengagement and threw their support behind parties further to the right, including parties calling for the annexation of the occupied territories and expulsion of the Palestinians. Bennett had begun his political career in 2005 as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus chief of staff. He then joined HaBayit HaYehudi in 2012 and represented it in two Netanyahu governments. Mazal Mualem has explained in Al-Monitor that one of the reasons behind Bennett's surprise resignation from HaBayit HaYehudi was to free himself from the control of rabbis affiliated with the religious Zionist movement. As Bennett argued, they made it impossible for him to move forward with the kind of political maneuvering that he believes would expand the party and transform it into a leading force among the broader Israeli public. Bennett and Shakeds sudden departure left HaBayit HaYehudi without any leadership of stature. The party therefore decided on Jan. 27 that its new chair would be selected by a special committee. Apparently, the party hopes to bring in an attractive outside candidate capable of winning back the voters that Bennett and Shaked took with them. With polls indicating that at this stage, HaBayit HaYehudi would fail to pass the electoral threshold if it ran alone, it is in talks with the National Union about continuing their partnership and running together on a joint list. What is now different, however, is that instead of HaBayit HaYehudi leading the religious Zionist camp as it did in the last election, the National Union wants to lead the bloc. The new head of the National Union is Bezalel Smotrich, a young Knesset member who wants to annex all the territories and expel Palestinians who refuse to take an oath of allegiance to the State of Israel. His opinions on matters of religion and state are no less extreme. For instance, he wants to repeal all rights for LGBTQ members of society and opposes granting parental rights to same-sex couples. He has frequently voiced racist positions as well, as in a statement expressing sympathy for Jewish women who did not want to share hospital rooms with Arab women. In a controversial post from 2016, he twitted, Its natural that my wife wouldnt want to lie down [in a bed] next to a woman who just gave birth to a baby who might want to murder her baby twenty years from now. As part of the National Unions attempt to take over HaBayit HaYehudi, the party has appealed to Knesset member Moti Yogev, a prominent member of HaBayit HaYehudi, with the offer of appointing him its number two Knesset member, behind Smotrich. Though Yogev declined, the underlying meaning of the offer was clear: The hawkish wing of the religious Zionist camp feels strong enough to take over HaBayit HaYehudi. The problem remains, however, that even if the two parties run together, they would still only approach the electoral threshold. That is why talks are also underway with two additional parties: Yachad, a right-wing ultra-Orthodox group headed by Eli Yishai, former head of Shas (which won 125,000 votes in the 2015 elections but failed to surpass the electoral threshold), and Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), the successor of Meir Kahanes Kach. Kahane, who founded the Jewish Defense League in the United States, immigrated to Israel and founded Kach, which was based on a racist ideology and advocated extreme measures against the Palestinians. He was elected to the Knesset in 1984, but Kach was barred from successive elections because of its racist platform. Although a Muslim assassinated Kahane in New York in 1990, Kahane's movement has survived in Israel under various names and having adopted a somewhat less radical message that does not violate legislation prohibiting incitement for hatred. Jewish Power is one example of this. In 2015, the party ran on a joint list with Yachad. Now it is one of the main candidates to join a joint religious Zionist list. Smotrich told Al-Monitor that he is holding talks with several right-wing parties about a joint list. This, he explained, would keep the right from losing votes and strengthen its bargaining power in a new coalition presumably led by Netanyahu. He confirmed that Jewish Power is one of those parties. Comparing the platforms of the National Union and Jewish Power shows that they are practically identical in terms of diplomatic and security issues as well as matters of religion and state. The main difference is the attitude of Jewish Powers members toward the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and their particularly sharp criticism of army and Shin Bet commanders in regard to their actions in the West Bank. For example, one of its demands is the closure of the Shin Bets Jewish Division, which focuses on identifying and tracking Jewish terrorist cells. Just last week, for instance, the divisions activities led to the arrest and indictment of a 16-year-old yeshiva student from a settlement near Ramallah for throwing the rock that killed Aisha Rabi, a Palestinian resident of Bidia, last October. Any merger with Yachad and Otzma Yehudit would bestow Smotrich with considerable political power when facing off against members of HaBayit HaYehudi, which still has a sense of loyalty to established state institutions, including support for the IDF and other security forces. Should the National Union swallow up HaBayit HaYehudi, it would mean that the most extreme branch of religious Zionism had gained absolute control of the sectors political representation. It appears that one obvious result of this is that the more moderate religious voters would switch their allegiance to the Likud or to Bennett and Shakeds new party. The most troubling consequence would be in terms of values, as it would mean the disappearance of the pragmatic religious Zionist movement along with its commitment to supporting the institutions of statehood. In other words, it means the loss of an ability to compromise and be a responsible partner in leading the country. With the Iranian public's growing discontent with moderate President Hassan Rouhani, the country's Reformists are trying to keep him at arm's length. But this has done little to appease voters who blame most of the government inadequacies in recent years on the political behavior of the Reform movement. The last litmus test for Reformists came in 2017 when they took over city council seats in the capital Tehran and other major constituencies after landslide victories in local polls held in parallel with the presidential vote. But criticism was already there even in the run-up to the elections against the Reformists' proposed list of candidates, known as the List of Hope, enthusiastically endorsed by the movement's leader, Mohammad Khatami, who urged the nation through widely circulated video messages to write all the names of Reformist candidates on the ballot papers. However, it turned out later that inclusion on the list had not been based necessarily on the movement's common criteria. There were even claims that some individual candidates had offered bribes in their effort to squeeze themselves into the list. This created some level of public distrust concerning the listed names. On the other hand, the latest political and executive background of some candidates in the proposed list dealt a heavy blow to the Reformist camp's political image and resume. As opposed to what they portrayed themselves as being, those candidates proved little adherence to the original ideals of Iran's Reform movement once they secured their seats. From the very outset, it was more than evident that a Tehran City Council fully dominated by Reformists could pose challenges to the camp itself. As time went by, the situation was exacerbated. Some members acted as incompetent pseudo-Reformists, triggering public dissatisfaction with the movement as a whole. Earlier in the 2016 parliamentary elections, Reformists managed to secure a majority but have since failed to fulfill voter expectations. The parliament's Hope faction, representing the elite Reformists led by Mohammad Reza Aref, who swept 1.6 million votes in Tehran, has demonstrated a disappointing performance. Aref himself has served as the key target of political jokes among Iranians. His passivity in parliamentary decision-making has won him the satirical nickname the "silent politician." The trust deficit with which Reformists are grappling is also partly blamed on Rouhani. Beyond doubt, Rouhani owes much of his two election wins to the relentless support from the Reformist camp. Yet he has been sidelining most of the senior camp members, refusing to incorporate them in his administrations. Even in rare cases where he embraced such figures including First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri their executive powers have been shrinking day by day. Now, the Reformists are starting to gradually distance themselves from the Rouhani administration and dodge responsibility for his perceived failures. That trend might speed up in the run-up to the 2021 presidential vote, but it is highly unlikely that the Iranian public would recognize those pushes by Reformists. In fact, the steps are being taken too late as the damage has already been done. Furthermore, even the very few senior Reformists within the government have displayed no markedly different performance from the rest of the administration. To mobilize the public opinion against rival Reformists, hard-liners have managed to further damage their already tarnished reputation through wide-reaching campaigns including on social media. Reports on fraud and corruption committed by Reformists while in power have also increased public disillusionment and distrust in them. And last but not least, to bypass the Guardian Councils vetting and win seats, the camp has turned to little-known figures rather than genuine and established Reformists. To voters' dismay, many of these figures have not only brought the camp little achievement but have also eroded trust. A top thinker of the movement seems to have clearly discerned the Reformists' challenges. "In the political market, we cannot afford to buy fake commodities. The path toward reforms does not necessarily have to go through the ballot box," Saeed Hajjarian said in an interview last December. Suggesting an election boycott when candidates are not true Reformists, he added, "If we are not backed by enough power in politics, we have to stay away from it, because Reform cannot be done with [political] charity." This view, however, is not shared by most senior Reformists who argue that boycott is not an option as it only facilitates the victory of hard-line rivals. Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari, who served as Khatami's interior minister (1998-2005) dismissed the idea, noting that it does not reflect the movement's overall policy. In spite of all that, the Reform movement's key strength has been unified leadership. In the aftermath of the disputed 2009 presidential elections, Khatami has remained the sole leader recognized by all and disputed by none of the senior figures within the camp. Nevertheless, consecutive landslide electoral wins from 2013 to 2017 seem to have made even Khatami too proud. The outcomes of the Reformist leader's decisions bear no signs of regard for criticism and discontent from the majority of top Reformist figures. In a public letter in June 2018, 100 young members of the camp lambasted what they deemed the rising influence of conservative elements inside the Reformists Supreme Council for Policy-Making. They urged reforms within the Reform movement and called for the setup of a new national entity to organize the camp. The signees also warned Khatami that the ongoing trend will pose a threat to his own name and fame to the extent that his calls for the public to vote for his endorsed candidates may no longer be heeded. As such, the current political atmosphere in Iran is reminiscent of the developments that characterized the later period of Khatami's presidency from 2004 to 2005, when most Iranians were disappointed by the Reformist administration's performance. The frustration against the Reform movement was exhibited in a low turnout in the 2004 parliamentary polls and later in the 2005 presidential elections, paving the way for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad then favored by the country's hard-liners to sweep votes on a populist platform. Irans Expediency Council, the body tasked with settling disputes between the parliament and the Guardian Council, is currently debating two contentious bills that have divided the Iranian political landscape, resulting in a call for a national referendum to end the dispute. The Expediency Council has three more weeks to make a decision on Irans ratification of a Combatting the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) bill and also accession to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, often referred to as the Palermo Convention. The bills have been passed back and forth between the parliament, which approved them, and the Guardian Council, which has kept finding faults with the bills. The CFT and Palermo bills are part of four pieces of legislation that would facilitate Iran being removed from the blacklist of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Supporters of the bills believe they will ease banking transactions between Iran and other countries while creating financial transparency, which will help combat money laundering and terror financing. Critics contend that it would give away sensitive financial information while serving as a Trojan horse forcing Iran into making greater concessions in the future, particularly with reference to its support of regional groups such as Hezbollah. FATF has given Iran until February to approve the measures. Majid Ansari, a member of the Expediency Council and an ally of moderate President Hassan Rouhani, has recommended putting the bills to a popular vote in a referendum to end the gridlock. He claims to have received death threats as a result. Ansari said in an interview with the semi-official ISNA news agency, A suspicious movement, by taking advantage of pure emotions and the genuine concern of the faithful, the youth and seminary students, have attempted to divert this issue from its ordinary path. He added, They have mobilized individuals to send threatening messages to officials. Ansari also caused a stir by claiming that the drive to get Iran off the FATF blacklist began under the previous administration. Joining FATF is not even connected to the Rouhani administration. It was presented during [President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejads term, Ansari said. When [Saeed] Jalili was the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, it was with his handwriting that it was recommended. Mehdi Mohammadi, a hard-line pundit who previously served as Jalilis media adviser, responded to Ansaris comment with a clarification though not an outright denial. Iran has previously pursued cooperation with FATF through protecting its interests and national security, he said. But what has happened under this administration is that a specific action plan has been produced for Iran that in reality is a confidential agreement between the Rouhani administration and FATF, and now all the quarrels are over this issue. Mohammadi continued, Under the previous administration, there was never an action plan like the dangerous content of the current agreement for cooperating with FATF. The FATF-related bills are currently the most contentious issue in Iran with daily commentary from officials and the press. Ayatollah Kazem Sedighi addressed it during last weeks Friday prayer sermon, saying, What guarantees are there that if we sign the FATF [bills] we will not be hit with stronger sticks? FATF will be a tool for worse sanctions and more pressure. In this vein, the conservative Velayat parliamentary faction issued a statement saying that CFT and Palermo are the most dangerous pressure points from the United States and Europe in their economic sanctions against Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that Israel now recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's official leader instead of President Nicolas Maduro. The decision follows similar moves by the United States, Canada and several Latin American and European countries but breaks with a tradition of Israeli non-interventionism. Why it matters: Israels Channel 13 reports that a US State Department official formally requested that Israel take a stance during a meeting at the Israeli Embassy in Washington on Thursday. Israel typically prefers to stay out of internal clashes like the one in Venezuela, even when the conflict is on its border like the civil war in Syria, partly for fear of sparking a backlash against Jews. A high-ranking Israeli security official reportedly warned that siding with Guaido over Maduro could endanger the Jewish community in Venezuela. In the end, Netanyahu went ahead anyway, both out of gratitude for the Donald Trump administrations pro-Israel policies and out of spite since Israels enemies including Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran support Maduro. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also fully backing Maduro. Bad blood: Israel has had no representation in Venezuela for more than a decade, ever since former President Hugo Chavez broke diplomatic ties over Israel's 2009 Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. Chavez then deported all Israelis from the country, including envoys from Jewish organizations. Under Chavez and Maduro, the number of Jews in Venezuela dwindled from 25,000 two decades ago to fewer than 10,000 today. Anti-Israel policies continued under Maduro. In a 2013 speech, the Venezuelan leader accused Israel of poisoning Chavez "as they did with [Palestinian leader Yasser] Arafat." Maduro later denied being an anti-Semite and said his grandmother was Jewish. Leftist backlash: The Israeli Communist Party has condemned Netanyahu's declaration as well as US support for Guaido. The party plans to demonstrate Tuesday in Haifa against what they call an imperialist intervention in socialist Venezuela. What's next: Israeli embassies across North and South America are on alert to give help if needed to the Jewish community in Venezuela. If Guaido manages to take power, Israel expects diplomatic relations to quickly resume. Know more: Al-Monitors Amberin Zaman has the lowdown on why Erdogan is a strong and vocal defender of Maduro. - Danny Zaken Turkey is doubling down on its stated intention to continue counterterrorism operations across the border following this weekends deadly protests at a Turkish military camp in northern Iraq. But the incident is increasing pressure on Ankara and other actors to act more cautiously. Why it matters: The raid against the military base in Dahuk was the most violent popular protest yet against Turkish military action in northern Iraq. Protesters stormed the camp to protest civilian deaths in Turkish airstrikes against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Turkey considers a terrorist group. Protesters burned two tanks and other vehicles. Turkish forces shot back, reportedly killing one protester. So far some 20 civilians have reportedly been killed in Turkish operations against the PKK in Iraq. Baghdad has denounced the Turkish response and summoned Ankaras ambassador to Baghdad in protest. What's next: Baghdad has protested Turkeys military presence and its campaign inside Iraqi territory several times in the past, to no avail. The Kurdistan Regional Government, for its part, has so far adopted a lower-profile stance to avoid irritating Ankara. But both are under pressure to rein in perceived Turkish aggressiveness. Intra-Kurdish dispute: Aydin Selcen, a foreign policy analyst, points at the traditional cooperation between Ankara and the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, harking back to the '90s, to explain why Erbils response to the violence was late, moot and meek. One should not expect any abrupt changes in the forward posturing of Turkish armed forces beyond the national frontiers into Iraqi Kurdistan Regions adjacent areas, Selcen told Al-Monitor. Having said this, it is as well obvious that the Turkish governments relations with all the actors within the leadership are not what they used to be. Al-Monitor columnist Fehim Tastekin, an expert on Turkish-Iraqi relations, also thinks the incident is poised to increase the tension at all levels. As long as Turkey continues these operations, the tensions may increase both along Ankara-Baghdad and Ankara-KRG lines, he told Al-Monitor. Know more: Read Al-Monitors previous coverage on the tension between Ankara and Baghdad. Suspect in theft of Kuindzhi painting from Moscows Tretyakov Gallery arrested RIA Novosti, Vladimir Vyatkin 10:36 28/01/2019 MOSCOW, January 28 (RAPSI) A 31-year old suspect in stealing a painting by prominent Russian artist of Greek origin Arkhip Kuindzhi from Moscows Tretyakov Gallery has been arrested, the official spokesperson of Russias Interior Ministry Irina Volk has told RAPSI. The work Ai Petri has been also found and seized from a project under construction in the Moscow Regions Odintsovo District. According to preliminary information, the crime has been committed from mercenary motives. In 2018, the suspect was arrested by police on suspicion of drug possession. By the moment of his current arrest, he was under travel restrictions. The suspected thief could face up to 15 years if convicted of stealing the painting. Kuindzhi painted Ai Petri. Crimea depicting a mountain in the Crimea peninsula in 1908. The work was stolen from the Tretyakov Art Gallery on Sunday. An exhibit showcasing rare illuminated manuscripts by one of the world's most renowned Jewish scholars is drawing uncharacteristic crowds of Orthodox Jews to Jerusalems Israel Museum. Since opening Dec. 11, the Maimonides: A Legacy in Script exhibit has boosted visitation to the museums Jewish Art and Life wing by 60%, Miki Joelson, associate curator of the exhibition and assistant to the chief curator of the wing, told Al-Monitor. A large portion of those visiting the exhibit are Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews who dont ordinarily patronize the museum, she said. Moses Ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides, was a Jewish rabbi and philosopher who was born in 1138 in Cordoba, then a major city in Islamic Spain. As a young man, his family fled Spain for Morocco before wandering across the Mediterranean Sea to Crusader Acre, and eventually settling in Fustat, Egypt's capital under the Ummayad and Abbasid caliphates. There he became not only the leader of the Jewish community but also royal physician to the court of Saladin, the first sultan of Egypt and Syria. Hes a commentator, a rabbinic authority, a doctor, a philosopher, a leader, and hes all these things together, said Joelson. But for many Israelis, Rambam Maimonides Hebrew moniker is just a name, she added. Maimonides has streets named after him in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and almost every other city in Israel. Haifa has a medical center with his name. The most famous of Maimonides works is the Mishneh Torah, a compendium of Jewish religious law, but he also wrote extensively about philosophy and medicine, drawing from Arabic translations of classical literature. His prominence as an interpreter of Jewish law made him the only Jewish thinker to be honored in the US Capitol building. His rationalist worldview reflects a deep immersion in Islamic and Platonist philosophy, which he passed on to later Jewish, Christian and Muslim thinkers alike. Maimonides was the only thinker who proposed a complete systematic method for the Jewish world, Meir Buzaglo, professor of philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told Al-Monitor. It doesnt matter what side of the Jewish world youre on Reform, Conservative, ultra-Orthodox he is the foundation which everyone addresses. The exhibit features 14 manuscripts from collections across the world, including the British Library, the Vatican Apostolic Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Library of France. Most date to the centuries following Maimonides death in 1204 and feature rich illuminations, indicators of the great value placed on Maimonides texts by their medieval owners. But by far the most fascinating books in the exhibit are the three bearing Maimonides own hand that date to his lifetime. These three are manuscripts that the Rambam himself held, that are attributed to his own handwriting, Joelson said. The books remained in Maimonides family for centuries before being sold in the 17th century. One book, a volume of Maimonides Commentary on the Mishna, wound up in Oxford Universitys Bodleian Library, while another volume remained in private hands until it was purchased by Israels National Library in the 1970s. Here we have a meeting for the first time in 400 years of two volumes of the same book, she said. Limited by a relatively small space, the Israel Museum exhibit only scrapes the surface of Maimonides character. It only grazes his rationalist philosophy and aversion of Jewish mystical practices such as worshipping at the graves of prominent rabbis or amulets against the evil eye. Nor does the exhibit fully embrace what Buzaglo describes as the deep connection between Maimonides and the Muslim world." All of his interlocutors, all the people he conducted dialogue with, were Muslims. These were the people he spoke with, whom he learned from, and he was also very respected in the Muslim world in the past, Buzaglo said. Scholars point to Maimonides' influence from the writings of Islamic philosophers al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd, among others. Moreover, Buzaglo said, As a Jewish-Arab thinker from the Muslim world, Maimonides has great potential to unite Jews and Muslims. Joelson likened Maimonides to Galileo Galilei and Leonardo Da Vinci in his breadth of knowledge and scope of achievement. She said she hopes visitors come away with a taste of the multifaceted character. Although Maimonides has long been regarded as one of Judaisms greatest scholars, he has enjoyed a slight resurgence of interest in modern Israel in recent years. Kan, Israels public broadcaster, aired a three-part documentary exploring Maimonides life and philosophy in 2017. Israels National Library held a conference in December about Maimonides writings and legacy and is hosting a sister exhibit, also featuring examples of Maimonides writing after the advent of printing. Buzaglo said popular interest in Maimonides outside the rabbinic world is just crystallizing, but the breakthrough into the Israeli experience still hasnt happened, and Im waiting for it. Maimonides: A Legacy in Script runs through April 27, 2019, at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. CAIRO As Sudan cracks down on protesters seeking to topple the government, President Omar al-Bashir is collecting economic and public support from other Arab countries, including its sometime-nemesis Egypt, which was quick to announce its support to Bashir. On Jan. 27, Bashir paid a visit to Egypt, where he met with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Bashir thanked Cairo for backing his efforts in containing the protests to restore security in Sudan. This week, demonstrators continued their almost daily protests that broke out Dec. 19. More than 40 protesters have been killed and more than 1,000 have been detained by Sudanese security forces, according to Amnesty International. Witnesses told The Guardian the government has also turned up its aggression toward reporters by arresting, detaining, beating them and revoking their credentials. On Jan. 17, protesters marched on the presidential palace. Observers describe the crisis as the worst threat to Bashir since he took over the country in a 1989 coup. Sudan has been plagued by economic crises that led the government to double the customs dollar exchange rate to 18 Sudanese pounds. It also raised the electricity tariffs for the industry, agriculture and trade sectors; lifted wheat subsidies; and increased the price of bread threefold. These factors were key in spurring the rampant protests in 11 Sudanese cities as the security forces attempted to calm the situation. As soon as the protests broke out, Egypt rushed to declare support for Sudan in restoring security and stability in an attempt to mend its deteriorating ties with the country. Bashir has received economic support from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Russia. Egypt and Sudan have been at odds on several issues, mainly the Renaissance Dam and the Halayeb Triangle, a disputed area that includes the cities of Halayeb, Abu Ramad and Shalateen. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri and General Intelligence chief Abbas Kamel headed to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Dec. 27 to discuss bilateral relations with Sudanese Foreign Minister Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed and Salah Abdullah Gosh, director of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service. On Jan. 5, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomed Mohammed al-Mirghani, the Sudanese president's first assistant. During the meeting, Sisi reiterated Egypts full support for Sudans stability, saying it is critical to Egypts own national security. Bashir later thanked Egypt for its solidarity with his country during this critical stage. Meanwhile, during his meeting with Sisi in Cairo, Bashir praised the Egyptian delegation's visit to Khartoum in the early days of the protests, calling it "an important message to the Sudanese people and others on Egypt's support and role in ensuring the stability of Sudan." Ahmed Darraj, a political science professor at Egypt's Beni Suef University, told Al-Monitor that despite the clear differences between the Egyptian and Sudanese regimes on various issues and the worsening tensions between them, they take similar measures when it comes to handling their own people. They both use oppression and violence and trample on democracy, he said, and have imposed tough economic measures. For example, the Egyptian Central Bank decided to float the Egyptian pound in November 2016 and took a series of measures designed to revive the economy. Egypt increased the price of fuel, electricity and medication; passed new laws for investment and civil service; introduced amendments to the income tax law; imposed taxes on cigarettes and cell phones; and levied a value-added tax. Darraj believes Shukri and Kamel's visit to Khartoum included bartering with Bashir. In exchange for Egypts full support in this unprecedented crisis, Darraj speculates, Sudan agreed to settle their differences, mainly by backing Egypt on the Renaissance Dam issue with Ethiopia and settling the Halayeb Triangle dispute for good. Egypt has accused Sudan of bias toward Ethiopia in the dispute over the Renaissance Dam, which is highly profitable for Sudan. Thanks to the electricity the dam will generate, Sudan won't have to build any other dams on the Nile River. The structure will also provide Sudan with its full water quota, so it can increase its agricultural cycles to three per year instead of one. Meanwhile, Egypts water quota from the Nile is expected to drop by 25 billion cubic liters, leading to fallow agricultural lands and decreasing electrical power. Some observers believe Egyptian support for Bashir will worsen the Sudanese peoples opinion of Egypt if the uprising against Bashir succeeds. But the Egyptian regime doesn't care about its image in the public eye, according to Hassan Nafaa, a political science professor at Cairo University. Nafaa told Al-Monitor Egypt is only interested in how it's perceived by other ruling regimes and rejects democratic and rebellious movements. For that reason, Egypt fully supports Bashir despite the ongoing tensions between them. The Egyptian regime believes supporting its Sudanese counterpart is in its interest. Sisi wants to extinguish any revolution in the Arab world because Egypt strongly fears repercussions for its situation. If the Sudanese uprising against Bashir succeeds in toppling him and another regime takes control, Egypt will cooperate with that regime and will not boycott it. Egypt would then say it [only] supported Bashir to maintain Sudans security and stability. If Bashirs regime survives, relations between Sisi and Bashir will improve significantly," Nafaa explained. Sudans location on the southern border of Egypt is a strong motive to counter any possible chaos, as Egypt always faces terrorist threats, especially with the ongoing arms smuggling from Sudanese borders. I think the crisis will turn Bashir and Sisi from foes into friends if Bashir stands his ground. Congress recently finalized the membership rosters for the major Middle East policymaking committees. Emboldened by their midterm election victory, House Democrats are eager to capitalize on the bipartisan heat against Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. Meanwhile, the politics surrounding Israel and Palestine have become increasingly acrimonious as Republicans seek to spotlight freshmen House members who support the pro-Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions movement while advancing anti-BDS legislation a divisive issue within the Democratic caucus. House Foreign Affairs Committee: Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., has said he plans to focus on the Arabian Peninsula for the committees first hearing. Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, the committees top Republican, has also said that changes still need to be made in the US-Saudi relationship, even as he has praised some of Riyadhs domestic reforms. While Foreign Affairs has long been one of the most bipartisan committees, its historically pro-Israel record may be challenged. The panel unanimously backed anti-BDS legislation last year, but freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has become the first committee member to embrace the movement. Omar has taken heat from Republicans for her stance, with fellow committee member Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., going so far as to introduce a resolution accusing her of anti-Semitism. Meanwhile, at least two freshmen on the committee have been backed by J Street, which opposes both the BDS movement and anti-BDS legislation: former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., a former assistant secretary of state in the Barack Obama administration and Washington director for Human Rights Watch. On the other side of the aisle, Vice President Mike Pences brother, freshman Greg Pence, R-Ind., has joined the committee. Senate Foreign Relations Committee: The committees new chairman, Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, takes a hard line on Iran. He has been less critical of President Donald Trumps close relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman than his predecessor, retired Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. However, Risch recently told Al-Monitor that the committee is working on Saudi-related legislation, though he did not go into details. Interestingly, the committee now has three Republicans close to Trump who all seek to pull him in different directions in the Middle East new members Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, as well as returning member Rand Paul, R-Ky. Graham is an Iran hawk who has also urged Trump to punish Prince Mohammed for Khashoggis death. The South Carolina Republican has also criticized Trumps military withdrawal from Syria. Conversely, Paul has pushed Trump to stay the course on the withdrawal while urging Trump to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Cruz has been less vocal on Saudi Arabia and Syria, but introduced legislation that would force Trump to implement an even more stringent Iran sanctions regime. Meanwhile, freshman Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, a former presidential candidate, wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post earlier this month criticizing Trump for his handling of foreign affairs in general. He has so far not weighed in much on Middle East policy. House Armed Services Committee: Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., has vowed to crack down on what he views as excessive military intervention abroad. But hes also pushed back against Trumps Syria withdrawal, joining Engel on a critical letter to the administration. Smith has been very critical of US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. He is a key backer of legislation to end US support for the war, which committee member Ro Khanna, D-Calif., will introduce later this week. Senate Armed Services Committee: Chairman James Inhofe, R-Okla., has been less vocally critical of Trump than his predecessor, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Like McCain, Inhofe is an Iran hawk. He has also been wary of Trumps pending withdrawal from Syria. Inhofe has argued that the Islamic States recent attack on US forces in Manbij should prompt the president to reconsider pulling out. Meanwhile, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the committees top Democrat, has called for a ban on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and voted to end support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. House Appropriations (State/Foreign Operations): Even under Democratic leadership, the House foreign aid panel has largely stayed the course on its Egyptian and Moroccan aid policies at least for now. Although Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., signed on to a letter last year voicing concerns about Egypts detention of American citizens and its poor human rights record, she still ensured that Cairo received $1.3 billion in annual military aid as part of a recent compromise, despite the Republican-held Senates efforts to cut it. Democratic appropriators also pushed their Senate counterparts to once again allow Morocco to use US assistance in the disputed Western Sahara. However, Lowey has criticized the Trump administration for ending all economic and humanitarian aid to the West Bank and Gaza. Both versions of pending spending legislation would require the State Department to report on the status of US assistance. Senate Appropriations (State/Foreign Operations): Theres only one minor change on the foreign aid panel Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., has replaced Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss. Still, the panels top Democrat, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., finally succeeded in persuading his colleagues to end a multimillion-dollar discount for Saudi Arabia on US military training programs as part of the Middle East aid package compromise earlier this month. The new legislation could cause Saudi Arabia to lose an estimated $20 million to $30 million in savings for 2019. CHAMP Cargosystems and Icelandair have transmitted messages in the pilot phase for Transport Canadas PACT programme to send pre-load advance cargo information. Using CHAMPs TGS solution, the airline began sending messages in October 2018. PACT, similar to the US Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) programme, is a pre-load advance cargo information (PLACI) regulation pilot that involves air carriers submitting shipment information prior to loading so that data is assessed for security risk. Nicholas Xenocostas, vice president, commercial & customer engagement at CHAMP Cargosystems, said: Compliance and security will continue to grow in importance in the supply chain. CHAMP is proud to be a part of the PACT pilot. We are delighted that our long-time customer Icelandair Cargo could be an integral part of it. TGS is a platform that operates in a similar way to CHAMPs Traxon Global Customs (TGC) service for pre-arrival filing for customs Advance Cargo Information schemes (ACI), currently supporting more than 55 countries worldwide. TGS is designed to support multiple PLACI schemes from the same platform delivering a consistent and complete solution for security compliance. It is a natural progression to work with CHAMP Cargosystems in the PACT pilot, said Bertel Olafsson, cargo systems manager at Icelandair Cargo. Having already implemented TGS for the respective PLACI scheme in the US ACAS, we know from experience that our security compliance is in good hands with such a user-friendly solution. In addition to TGS, Icelandair Cargo also benefits from CHAMPs cargo management suite Cargospot, Traxon cargoHUB, Traxon Global Customs, and Traxon Quality to build the basis for commercial and operational processes, data sharing, and meeting customs compliance requirements. Share this story The UK has lifted a ban on airfreight being transported directly from Bangladesh, but there is still work to be done before exports can resume. Late last week, British high commissioner in Bangladesh Alison Blake and Bangladesh civil aviation and tourism minister AKM Shahjahan Kamal told local reporters that the UK had lifted the ban, which had been in place since March 2016 because of concerns that cargo was not properly being screened. I am delighted to confirm that the temporary suspension on direct air cargo between Bangladesh and the UK has been lifted, following significant progress made in meeting a number of important security conditions, Blake told local reporters. We will keep monitoring the security system of Shahjalal International Airport as it is a continued work to keep aviation safe so that our people and the cargo continue to flow." The UKs Department for Transport added: "Following ongoing co-operation with the government of Bangladesh on the standards of aviation security at Dhaka International Airport, the Department [for] Transport has removed the interim restrictions suspending the carriage of cargo on direct flights from Dhaka to the UK. "The UK government will continue to work with the government of Bangladesh to support ongoing improvement in standards for all aspects of aviation security." It is understood that Bangladesh will need to undergo three joint safety assessments per year. The move was welcomed by Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association director Nurul Amin, who is also managing director of Tower Freight Logistics. However, he pointed out that Biman Bangladesh Airlines, which is the main airline offering direct UK-Bangladesh services, and the export cargo warehouse still need to gain the European Unions third-country regulated agent certification before it could offer cargo services to the UK. It is understood that certain areas of the warehouse have been approved and the certificate is in the process of being issued. The news will no doubt come as a relief to forwarders and exporters that have been subject to pay extra surcharges to have cargo screened in a third country before being transported to the UK. It has also lengthened transport times. They will also be hopeful the move could lead other countries that have placed a ban on direct exports from Bangladesh to lift their bans. The country is also the EUs list of high risk countries, meaning all exports from the country must be screened by x-ray machines and also using explosive detection systems either an explosive detection dog unit (EDD) or an explosive detection system (EDS). Share this story Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. Photographer and photo editor Santiago Lyon first met Desmond Boyle in the late 1987, when both were covering student protests in Spain. What developed, writes Lyon at The New York Times, was an enduring personal and professional friendship that came to a heartbreaking and premature end last month when Desmond died in Cuba from a heart attack. Lyon remembers Boylans life as an innovative news wire photographer one of the unsung heroes of photojournalism. MINNEAPOLIS In agriculture, there is always discussion on the disconnect between the consumer and the producer. Whether it is grain, meat or fruits and vegetables, farmers are producing food for a wide range of ever-changing consumers, many of whom are very removed from farm communities and rural America. In an effort to bridge that gap, the Minnesota Pork Board is planning a Consumer Insights Panel at this years Pork Congress. On Tuesday, Feb. 5 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, a group of consumers will sit in front of a room full of pork producers. The intent of the panel is really to better understand the evolving consumer preferences that are influencing on-farm practices, said Jill Resler, Minnesota Pork Board COO, during a recent phone interview. With the help of a third-party marketing group, several consumers from a wide range of demographics will be tapped for their views on agriculture. The goal is to have a diverse panel of members from different age groups, with different backgrounds and shopping preferences. The more diverse the group of consumers, the more information they can provide the producers who will be watching and listening. As the chosen consumers sit in front of the group or producers, they will be asked questions by a moderator. These questions will look at how they view various on-farm practices, what is their perception of new technologies, what factors do they consider when purchasing food and more. The trick to doing a panel like this is thinking first to understand and to be understood, instead of trying to educate, to really understand these consumer perspectives, said Resler. That will be the task of the moderators, to work through that and really have a robust discussion within the panel members and to really dig into their perceptions of a lot of on-farm practices and technologies. CARLYLE, Ill. Despite some concerns, Ken Maschhoff is bullish on pigs. The co-founder and head of The Maschhoffs, one of the worlds largest pork production companies said he believes the industry has a solid footing. But he is also aware of outside forces that could shake things up. Were in a tremendously good position because we have the worlds best product, and one that consumers around the globe want, he said. Its pure economics. Fundamentally, I still believe in the industry. I still believe in owning pork assets long-term. But this short-term geopolitical stuff is scary. According to an industry report, The Maschhoffs whose headquarters sits on the site of the family farm in Clinton County is the worlds largest privately held pork producer. It has grown exponentially from a local farm to a network of Production Partners who produce 5 million pigs each year, with annual revenue of about $1 billion. The growth in exports is among factors making pork production a good investment, but Maschhoff sees a vulnerability. Even though we have customers wanting more of our product, were very concerned, he said. As recently as 1992 we imported pork to this country. Now were exporting 27 percent, and after we get all these packing plants running, were going to be over 30 percent. The trade war could change that. Other factors including a stagnating Chinese economy pose challenges. Because of those concerns, the company headed by brothers Ken and Dave and their wives, Julie and Karen, respectively has in recent years made a concerted effort to diversify. Pulse USA, a pulse crop and forage seed company based in Bismarck, N.D., is now fully-owned by some of the employees who work there. By John Stone A special tribute to Del Bigtree (pictured) and his team at ICAN for his stunning 88 page letter to the HHS regarding vaccine safety. As Del reported - in the latest edition of Highwire - the letter, in response to an earlier reply from the then acting Director National Vaccine Program Office, Melinda Wharton, took virtually a year to compile, and is a meticulous piece of research. Most sensationally they researched the HHS claim through US government archives that at least some pediatric vaccines had been trialed against genuine placebo, and came to a negative conclusion. Not only that, they established that none of the vaccines those vaccines had been trialed against had ever been trialed against genuine placebo either. At the end of the line the toxic products were only being compared with other toxic products, rather than against saline. Leave aside the sceptics, for any believer in the vaccine program as a necessary intervention in public health, this should be a devastating finding. Fundamentally, the research into the safety of any of the products before marketing was simply not there. The manufacturers apparently had no faith that their proto-products could withstand this scrutiny, and for the rest they just did not care: under the alleged imperative of protecting the population it seems anything went. So even before all the sham monitoring procedures and reviews which Del and his team dismantle in forensic detail we are left with the proposition that none of the present products being given to US children and frequently other children across most of the developed world have any meaningful pre-marketing safety data all. If you are believer in the program you have been let down: if you wanted a program with any pretensions to safety - supposing such a thing to be possible - it looks like you would have to start from scratch. The manufacturers did this: the governments, the politicians and the regulators (internationally) let it happen. This damning document is published simultaneously with a demand in the UK from the Royal Society for Public Health (which I had never heard of) to shut down comment about vaccines on the web. It echoes calls from Seth Berkley of GAVI, Heidi Larson of the Vaccine Confidence Project and the European Parliament. The pamphlet airily dismisses concerns that vaccines have side effects or that you could possibly have too many. It is pure public relations, and if the RSPH claims to be "independent" it also admits that the publication was paid for by Merck, a detail which was reported by British Medical Journal and the Guardian, but not true to form by the BBC. We have, in truth, been building to this moment for two decades: as the evidence piles up that every single aspect of the program lacks integrity or is simply rotten to the core all the perpetrators can do is call for the silencing of their critics, and maintain the products are safe because they say so. Watch Del introduce the letter on Highwire January 24, 2019: Please help give the ICAN letter the widest possible distribution, particularly to politicians. The full correspondence can be found here. John Stone is UK Editor for Age of Autism. by John Stone Two weeks ago AoA published an unsigned letter to European Parliamentarians about a proposed resolution on "vaccine hesitancy" to Members of the European Parliament which could lead to the extension of vaccine mandates across the Union and a clamp down on free speech. The resolution in its present form asserts vaccines to be "safe" without any qualification. I have now sent my own letter individually to all of the 73 British member of the Parliament. A final vote on this could happen as early as the beginning next week - so we are close to the last opportunity to lobby the Parliament. European citizens can find the details of their representatives here. Dear ____, I am writing to all British members of the European Parliament with the deepest concern about the proposed vaccine hesitancy resolution. The Parliament is poised to further protect an industry from scrutiny which in itself urgently requires investigation. In its present form it will not lead to confidence. The resolution comes before the Parliament amid mounting evidence of vaccine harm in published scientific literature. For too long politicians around the globe have depended on bureaucracies to wage war against infectious diseases without taking adequate steps to ensure the independence of the advice, and contenting themselves with bland assurances that everything they collectively sanction is safe and effective. By now infants are met not long after birth with a barrage of vaccines for diseases which in many cases are either not so dangerous or not so common, without any wider evidence that this is a safe thing to do - meanwhile each of the products have acknowledged risks and side-effects in the small print, even before we consider the problems of cumulative exposure, bad synergies, contamination in manufacture, toxic excipients etc. The bureaucracies choose whatever facts suit them, and they have created a pipeline for their products to be administered to children at public expense. Absurdly, the EP Health Committee have complained about the relative expense of vaccinating children compared with the beginning of the millennium without considering all the expensive new products governments have willingly added to the schedule in the interim - nor the expense of all the new products the industry connected bureaucracy are likely to sanction in future. In the UK the director of Oxford Vaccine Group which develops vaccines is also chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation which recommends them to the schedule. The invidiousness of the process was recently demonstrated in successive complaints by Nordic Cochrane against the European Medical Agency, first to the agency itself and then to European Ombudsman over its handling of reports about HPV vaccines. The complaints involved conflicts of interest, exclusion of contrary expert evidence, bias in selection of data, lack of evidence for the safety of aluminium adjuvants (which are contained in the majority of other vaccines as well). The fact that both the EMA and the EO rejected these representations out of hand does nothing to enhance the reputation or trustworthiness of those institutions, or of the programme. By now there is a large bibliography on the harmfulness of aluminium in scientific literature but our governments march on regardless. Most disturbingly we now have the Italian parliamentary commission into military deaths written by senior scientists declaring the risk of multiple vaccines. There is nothing open and shut about vaccine safety. All this might count for little if our child population in the UK (where we have a long schedule and high compliance) was bursting with good health, but actually we are drowning in disability and chronic disease, particularly neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. While this escapes the main news (or is hidden in stories about lack of provision) the official schools data shows the problem to be completely out of control (not to mention completely unexplained). A BBC news report from SW London last year hinted at 300 new cases of autism per borough per year. Last year the number of diagnosed autism cases in Scottish schools leapt by 11.5% from 1 in 51 to 1 in 46 (but for younger children the rate will be much higher). In Northern Ireland the level was already reported at 1 in 40 in December 2016. Everywhere the trend is dynamically upwards. These are cases which will cost multiple millions each over a lifetime. Having scapegoated Dr Wakefield the Department of Health prefers to say nothing, but the situation is already catastrophic in population terms, and the costs increasingly unsustainable. It is always possible to highlight this or that statistic which shows an infectious disease to be on the rise, nor is the death of any single child to be taken lightly, but we are getting into dangerous waters if we place the programme on a pedestal, unable to discuss its dangers while deliberately suppressing evidence of harm by waging hate campaigns against the people who report it. This is not privileging science, it is privileging the bureaucracy and pharmaceutical industry over ordinary citizens. Inevitably, such moves must lead to distortions of policy and harm to the community. Nor is it a proper way to conduct policy in a democratic, open society. Sincerely, John Stone (UK and European Editor, AgeofAutism.com) Print media has continued to thrive in India despite facing multiple challenges rising cost of newsprint, imposition of GST at 5 per cent on the advertising revenues of the print industry, rapid adoption of digital and mobile, rise of video content, etc. According to GroupMs This Year, Next Year 2018 report, print accounted for the second largest share of the Indian M&E sector, growing at 3 per cent to reach Rs 303 billion in 2017. Print media is estimated to grow at an overall CAGR of approximately 7 per cent till 2020 with vernacular at 8-9 per cent and English slightly slower. Zeniths Advertising Expenditure Forecasts, too, state that print will thrive on regionalisation. On the traditional media front, the Parliamentary elections in H1 2019 will stimulate advertising from the back half of 2018. The GroupM report states that print will see a slight uptick in 2018 from the elections, with key markets in demand. The growth rate for newspapers is estimated at 4.2 per cent with English papers growing slightly slower than Hindi and regional languages. Its no wonder then that brands continue to bank heavily on print advertising as the medium is also seen as enhancing the brands credibility. As stated by Sanjeev Shukla, Chief Marketing Officer, Muthoot Pappachan Group, Mediums credibility and the emotions that a medium evokes, rubs on to the brand advertising in the medium. Newspapers are still seen as a relatively serious medium and hence, help get that imagery for the brands therein. Adding to this, Amit Sethiya, Head Marketing, Syska Group, said, Print medium definitely completes the core IMC planning of any brand. There are enough and more examples of brands which are truly online, but even then they have to rely on traditional medium like print to acquire new customer base. In order to register the brand presence in print, the players need to plan consciously the exposures and frequencies accordingly, which makes the entire participation costly and very thought through, which is not the case when it comes to an easy medium like digital. This invariably brings more credibility to the brand which consumes print media. Key strengths of print advertising The key strength of print advertising, especially newspapers, according to Shukla is that it is totally focussed to the market one wants to reach and there is least spill over. Comparing TV with print medium, he pointed out that a TV advertisement just passes by and so, if a record is not taken or action is not taken there and then, theres a miss. But newspaper is available for a longer time. It doesnt vaporise post reading!, he remarked. Continuing further with the comparison between TV and print, Shukla noted, As its popularly said about us, we are Argumentative Indians. We love to discuss and debate over a variety of topics over endless cups of Chai! TV cant be carried to a Chai Shop or to a gully-corner. But newspaper can be. It is therefore, a point of reference. It thus, gives more life to the paper and to the advertisements therein. He further said that the term, watching television does not take into account various distractive activities that viewers are engaged in, including snacking, chatting, mobile phone addiction and so on. Viewers particularly switch off when ad-break happensmostly to take a toilet break. But when a newspaper is being read, its being read and the ad cannot be skipped. Sethiya pointed out that despite the digital revolution, India is perhaps the only country where newspaper readership is still increasing. Majority of Indians still rely heavily on newspapers for their daily dose of updates out of sheer habit and curiosity. Shukla, too, highlighted the fact especially in smaller towns and rural India reading is still a habit, which will take time to go, and hence, newspaper readership continues to grow. With newspapers getting fragmented in terms of genres, languages and formats, it gives easy targeting metric to the marketers. Sethiya pointed out, In the last 10 years, we have seen a lot of interesting innovations brought out by the print industry, which has helped the brands to not only capture the attention but also connect with the readers. There are a lot of households where a single newspaper still caters to the entire family and hence, an increased possibility of reaching out to more numbers of consumers. Both Shukla and Sethiya were one in that print is not a snacking medium. According to Shukla, By its very nature, the newspaper readership profile is also of a relatively serious profile. For Sethiya, print definitely has the upper hand in communicating the value propositions which are either time bound or are highly geographical in nature and these attributes ensure that the medium is serious and relevant. Skechers, an American lifestyle and performance footwear brand, has signed up Leo Burnett India as its creative agency. The business win comes after a multi-agency pitch, and Leo Burnett Indias Mumbai office will look after the account. Skechers is looking to strengthen its brand positioning in India, in addition to familiarising customers with its array of footwear. Recently, the brand has also launched a wide range of apparel and accessories. Leo Burnett India presented a really strong plan to leverage its strategic thinking and creative power to bring Skechers brand promise to life across all products. Speaking about bringing Leo Burnett India on board, Soumen Das, Senior Marketing Manager, Skechers South Asia, said, Skechers is one of the strongest brands in the active lifestyle space. The brand has a very strong product line-up. As a country, we are witnessing a huge upswing in lifestyle and well-being space. Our job is to make sure that we build a strong brand on the back of our products and a very supportive consumer-culture context. We are super excited to partner Leo Burnett as they have displayed fabulous strategic and creative thinking. Skechers is growing rapidly and we needed a partner who could fuel this expansion with equal passion and capabilities. We look forward to some great work in the future. On winning the account, Dheeraj Sinha, MD India & Chief Strategy Officer, South Asia, Leo Burnett, said, Its exciting to partner an innovative brand like Skechers. The lifestyle footwear and apparel category is exploding with untapped potential, and we want to explore the creative landscape to create some effective work. We are confident about building a powerful brand narrative that will help Skechers grab a larger market share in the months to come. Rakesh Hinduja, Chief Operating Officer West, Leo Burnett India, added here, We are proud to partner brand Skechers. Very quickly,Skechers has achieved a strong presence in the clutter of highly competitive branded and grey market goods. Today, this brand needs a strong Humankind purpose to be consistent and solid for Indian consumers. Its range of products is top quality on performance and lifestyle, and our job with the strength of Power of One is to make this come alive through various touch points across the nation. Leo Burnetts Wave 3 approach and success with new-age, young brands give us the confidence to effectively contribute to Skechers business and brand success. Gigantic, flamboyant, and often frenzied, Kumbh Mela, marks the celebration of Hindu heritage. This time, the largest peaceful gathering of pilgrims on the planet, will also witness News18 Indias much-admired show Bhaiyaji Kahin as it travels to Prayagraj (Allahabad). A travelogue-cum-chaupal, the show will provide a comprehensive and unparalleled ground-level view of the Kumbh festival. In line with bringing the most diverse programming, the special edition of Bhaiyaji Kahin will capture mood of people and will provide a platform to devotees who gather from all around the globe to share their experiences of the Kumbh Yatra. Anchored by Prateek Trivedi, the show will additionally focus on environmental issues and host discussions around topics ranging from Ganga cleaning to environmental imbalance to sanitation to water conservation, to name a few. With his rustic and people oriented approach, Prateek will make this Kumbh Yatra with Bhaiyaji Kahin a truly unique experience for the viewers. Watch Bhaiyaji Kahin- Kumbh Special, 28th January onwards, Monday to Friday at 5:45 PM only on News18 India Moms Belief, a social enterprise that empowers parents of special needs children, is proud to triumph the innovative project of 2019, for help in eliminating the barriers faced by the disabled, awarded at Zero Project Conference at the UN Office in Vienna, Austria. Moms Belief will be presenting its solution to government ministers, health care specialists and other stakeholders from 70 countries at the United Nations Vienna Headquarters. Moms Belief empowers parents with knowledge, guidance and training from a team of child psychologists, speech and occupational therapists and special educators so they can help their child at home. Customized resources are also delivered to the home, giving parents the tools they need to work with their child. Since its launch in early 2018, the Moms Belief home-based program has covered 1,000+ families in 114 cities in India and to families in the US, UK and UAE. Moms Belief also works with professionals in schools, therapy centers and hospitals to enhance their capacity and complement their clinical capabilities and technology. This creates an ecosystem of support that families can rely on in their efforts to help their children reach their potential. Moms Belief plans to expand to GCC markets in 2019. The Zero Project is an initiative of the ESSL Foundation, with the mission of supporting the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) for a world without barriers. Nitin Bindlish, Founder & CEO, Moms Belief saysWe are honoured to have earned international recognition for our innovative practice for special needs children and their families. I want to thank the doctors, partners and schools weve worked with, as well as our outstanding team, who will help us achieve our goal of becoming a global leader and Indias and the worlds largest support provider for parents and professionals who care for special needs children. I also want to thank the parents who trusted us in this journey. After establishing itself in the digital space, Network18's Firstpost launched the print extension of its news and media website on Republic Day under the same brand name. The weekly paper seeks to deliver high quality, in-depth news reportage in print format. Priced at Rs 8 (Rs 421 for 52 issues), the weekly newspaper will be delivered every Saturday to the doorstep of readers in Mumbai and Delhi to begin with. Tailored by acclaimed designer Jacek Utko, the publication has a clean layout and high pictorial quality. Utko has changed the face of some of the worlds most read newspapers and has won accolade for Worlds Best Designed Newspaper four times. The team behind the newspaper is a versatile mix of journalists helmed by BV Rao (Editor) and Praveen Swami (Group Consulting Editor), who will be supported by a vast fleet of reporters. International and Indian columnists will lend their insights to the newspaper keeping the outlook on current affairs fresh and varied. The paper plans careful exploration and detailed coverage that will breathe life into stories and compel readers not to just skim over the headlines. News on Firstpost will solely focus on India politics and culture deep diving into minutiae of coverage to bring out the richness and complexity of topics that will always be part and parcel of public discourse. The content will be a mix of hard and soft news that will include genres like high culture and sports. The 20-page newspaper hopes to unpack and declutter all issues that impact our public space and will add layers to the ongoing conversation. Coming back to design and layout, the paper has taken best practices from digital and beautifully adapted them to print. Intermixing of detailed stories with snippety content provides the desired relief both in terms of readability as well as design. Paper quality is rich and glossy. Most recently, the Network18 Group partnered with Ola Cabs to strengthen their marketing efforts. Conde Nast International today announced the launch of Vogue Business, a new business media title offering a truly global perspective on the fashion, beauty and luxury industries. Headquartered in London, Vogue Business draws on insights from 29 markets, from China, India to the United States, and taps into Conde Nast International's unrivalled global network of brands Vogue, GQ, Glamour and Wired fashion and luxury experts, industry leaders and business partners. While sharing the Vogue name, Vogue Business is operated as a wholly separate entity with an independent editorial team, developed with its own distinctive voice. Vogue Business, rooted in facts and data, fills the gap in the market for industry decision-makers, from startups to CEOs. The editorial team covers the critical intersection between fashion and adjacent industries most notably technology, the driving force of change in the fashion business. In a consolidating media landscape, the launch of a new global title is a rare thing, said Wolfgang Blau, President of Conde Nast International. No one else in the world employs more fashion journalists in more places than we do. Our global network of journalists, digital editors and researchers are immersed in the relevant fashion trends on all inhabited continents, giving the team of Vogue Business access to an unparalleled depth of knowledge, from local design trends to changes in manufacturing, training, technology and distribution. Commenting on the Vogue Business Launch Alex Kuruvilla, Managing Director, Conde Nast India said, Vogue Business will provide a much-needed window to the world of fashion and luxury - the Indian fashion and luxury industry will have an opportunity to tap into the unique insights provided by Vogues global network of journalists and editors. This truly global platform will provide a detailed insight into trends and technologies that will impact the industry, news updates in the fashion business and in-depth analysis across the fashion world. Vogue Business is edited by Lauren Indvik, a seasoned fashion and business journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of Fashionista.com. For the past two years, she has led the Vogue International news and features team in London, collaborating with Vogue teams globally. We take a new global, visual and data-driven approach to journalism," says Lauren Indvik, Chief Editor of Vogue Business. "Our journalism is designed for maximum impact and accessibility, making it easy to understand key ideas at a glance, and to enable fashion leaders to make the decisions that will grow and future-proof their businesses and careers. In today's digital-first media environment, new publications often begin with a website. When Conde Nast International decided to launch Vogue Business it began instead with a newsletter, prioritising high engagement with a select audience over total reach. Vogue Business represents a new way of launching products for Conde Nast. Designed as a global title from its inception, it has been created by applying an incubator model of agile development and constant experimentation together with our beta users in 29 markets. Our development methodology has ensured we understand our audience intimately, thanks to in-depth user research and constant reader feedback, says Ciara Byrne, Director of Business Development at Conde Nast International. Key areas of editorial focus are: * An analysis of trends across the fashion industry, from design and manufacturing to marketing, distribution, show production and talent search * The impact of broader global market dynamics, from climate change to geopolitics * Cultural patterns and shifts that will impact retail and vice versa * How technological and scientific advancements will shape the ways products are produced, marketed and sold UPDATE 12:16 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28, 2019 - The Tehama County Sheriff's Office has identified the suspect killed in an officer-involved shooting as Carl Thayer, 45, of Red Bluff. The sheriff's office also issued a correction stating that the suspect's car did not hit the concrete barriers of the Jellys Ferry Bridge, as recently reported. The vehicle struck a fence in the area. The bridge was not hit. --- UPDATE 11:10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 28, 2019 - According to the Tehama County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the area of Jellys Ferry Road near the Jellys Ferry Bridge due to reports of domestic violence. A 40-year-old female victim reported to deputies that the incident occurred while she and her ex-husband were driving on Jellys Ferry Road. She said that the suspect threatened to intentionally crash the vehicle, killing both the victim and himself. He then drove his vehicle into the concrete barriers on the Jellys Ferry Bridge. The victim was able to escape the vehicle and ran to nearby resident's home where she called the sheriff's office. The suspect fled the vehicle and was believed to be in the area and at large. Deputies searched the area and found the suspect, who had armed himself with a knife. Three deputies attempted to detain the suspect. He refused several orders from deputies to drop the knife, so a taser was deployed on the suspect. He was able to deflect the taser probes using his jacket as a shield and then charged toward the deputy with the knife still in his hand. Another deputy fired three rounds from his firearm at the suspect. The suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene. The Tehama County Sheriff's Office has not identified the suspect that died in the shooting. The investigation is ongoing. Stay with Action News Now for the latest updates as they become available. --- TEHAMA COUNTY, Calif. - One person is dead following an officer-involved shooting in an unincorporated area of Tehama County on Monday morning. The incident happened at around 5:30 a.m. on Monday in the area of Jellys Ferry Road. The investigation is still in the initial stages, but the Tehama County Sheriff's Office was able to confirm that one man is dead following the shooting. No officers were injured during the incident. The sheriff's office has initiated the Tehama County Officer Involved Shooting Protocol with the Tehama County District Attorney's Office and the California Department of Justice to assist in the investigation. This is a developing story. Stay with Action News Now for the latest updates as they become available. CHICO, Calif. -- A seminar was held Sunday at the Women's Club in Chico discussing creative approaches in prisons to help inmates. Local writer Claire Braz-Valentine and Anthony Porter spoke about their writing workshops at High Desert State Prison in Susanville. Braz-Valentine and Porter shared multiple letters from incarcerated men inside the High Desert State Prison. "I think it humanizes them and helps them recognize they're still human because they're in an environment where their humanity is devalued and ignored to some extent," Porter said. Creative writing is just one of many programs that help prisoners move forward. WENN/FayesVision Celebrity Joining Brie and Blunt on the list of best-dressed stars are Emma Stone, Danai Gurira and Mandy Moore, while some male actors dare to play with colors. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - Fresh off the 2019 SAG Awards, fans and viewers are still reeling from the best moments at the 25th annual event which was held on Sunday, January 27 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Besides the winners and speeches delivered during the live ceremony, the stars' dresses were among the most talked about things that night. Never failing to impress, Lady GaGa wowed in a classy white Dior couture gown with a raw-edged plunging neckline and hip-high slit skirt that showed some skin. Amy Adams was elegant in a strapless black gown with ruffled accents along the neckline and waist, while former "RuPaul's Drag Race" contestant Shangela turned heads in a dramatic Christian Siriano dress, which cascaded from off-white on top to pink on the bottom. But they were not the only ones who commanded attention with their dresses. With a bunch of A-listers bringing their high fashion to the silver carpet, here are some other outstanding looks of the female and male guests from the star-studded event. 1. The Biggest Present WENN/FayesVision Alison Brie looked chic, yet elegant in a sleek Miu Miu dress silhouette with a big bow on the back. 2. Sharing the Spotlight WENN/FayesVision The actress, who was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, came with her husband Dave Franco. 3. Simply Bewitching WENN/FayesVision Emily Blunt wowed in a pink sequined Michael Kors dress with large ruffle sleeves that were up to her neck to make them look like a collar. 4. The New Hollywood Power Couple WENN/FayesVision Blunt graced the silver couple with her husband John Krasinski, before giving a shout-out to him during her acceptance speech. 5. Looking Fierce, Girl! WENN/FayesVision Emma Stone opted for an asymmetrical gold Louis Vuitton top with wide-leg high-waisted pants. 6. The Wakandan Royals WENN/Adriana M. Barraza "Black Panther" stars Angela Bassett shone in silver, Lupita Nyong'o opted for a daring black Vera Wang number, and Danai Gurira was beautiful in a while Ralph & Russo gown with feather-filled top. 7. Princess-y Vibes WENN/FayesVision/Apega Elisabeth Moss stunned in a white Monique Lhuillier strapless ballgown, while Gemma Chan wore an Oscar de la Renta number with dramatic ruffled skirt. 8. Simply Glamorous WENN/FayesVision Constance Wu oozed elegance in a strapless champagne-colored Oscar de la Renta dress. 9. The Ever Classic Black WENN/FayesVision Rachel Weisz and Mandy Moore added a touch of silver embellishment to their black numbers. 10. Replacing the Red Carpet WENN/Adriana M. Barraza Sandra Oh and Laverne Cox made the night brighter with their stunning red dresses. 11. Defying the Traditional WENN/Apega/FayesVision Henry Golding and Darren Criss proved male stars could also play with colors with their suits. 12. Black and White WENN/FayesVision Chris Pine opted for a simple white suit and pants, with a black bow-tie and shoes. 13. Bedazzling Blue WENN/FayesVision Catherine Zeta-Jones showed age-defying look in a midnight blue sequined Zuhair Murad gown with lace sleeves as she attended the event with her husband Michael Douglas. 14. Come in Style WENN/FayesVision Mahershala Ali looked dapper in an Ermenegildo Zegna XXX suit, while his wife Amatus Sami-Karin dressed up in a black gown with blue accent. Instagram Celebrity Adam Perry Lang, who was staying at the talk show host's Hermosa Beach home, is booked on making felony criminal threats after cops received a 911 call from the house. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - Jimmy Kimmel's beach house was swarmed by police on Saturday night, January 26 after police received a report of explosives. Police helicopters were flying above the house at Hermosa Beach, California for several hours, while some police cars stopped just outside the house, before they were able to make contact with Kimmel's friend Adam Perry Lang, who was staying and sleeping at the house. The comedian and his family were not at the house during the alleged incident. An audio of the 911 call obtained by TMZ reveals that a man called 911 just before midnight, saying that he had two explosives at the house and that he assaulted his girlfriend with a rifle. While it was initially thought to be a swatting situation, police apparently took it more seriously. They arrested Lang, who is a chef and best selling author, on felony charges of making criminal threats. His bail was set at $50,000. Kimmel visited the Hermosa Beach Police Department on Sunday afternoon and bailed his friend out. Cops reportedly didn't find explosives, weapons or any evidence of a shooting inside the house, but they have not formally cleared Lang. An officer said, "There is a reason we arrested him [Lang]. There is evidence detectives are now processing." Police suggested that Lang didn't cooperate well when they arrived at the house, as the cops insisted that they tried for "several hours" to make contact with Lang, before he "ultimately agreed to exit the residence." A representative for Kimmel, however, said that a lieutenant told the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host they believed it was a case of swatting. Lang's lawyer Glen T. Jonas additionally insisted that his client was innocent. "The 'male' that called 911 was absolutely not Adam Perry Lang," the lawyer stated. "Mr. Lang will be cleared of any wrongdoing. He was fast asleep with his ringer off. He immediately cooperated once he was notified of the commotion." WENN/Act III Communications/Nicky Nelson Movie The actress playing Valerie in the 1987 film insists that director Rob Reiner and her other co-stars would agree with her statement that it was perfect as it is. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - Veteran funnywoman Carol Kane will never be part of a "The Princess Bride" remake, because she doesn't think there's any need to reboot perfection. With so many Hollywood studios greenlighting revamps of classic films like "A Star Is Born", "Aladdin", "Dumbo" and "The Lion King (2019)", fans of Rob Reiner's classic fairytale are hoping for the news of a return of characters like Westley, Inigo Montoya, Prince Humperdinck, Fezzik, Miracle Max and Kane's character Valerie, but she's hoping Tinseltown leaves the 1987 film well alone. "I don't think a movie remake (would work) because I think it's perfect (as it is)," Kane told Page Six at The Paley Media Center on Thursday, January 24. "I would gather that Rob Reiner would say the same and everybody in it would say the same." The film also starred Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, Andre the Giant, Christopher Guest, Robin Wright Penn, and Billy Crystal. "I think that I cannot imagine them doing a remake although now they're doing remakes of just about everything," Carol added. "But why remake something that's perfect the first time around? That's what I think." Reiner gathered his cast together for a 25th anniversary celebration in 2012 - Kane joined the director and many of the film's stars for the premiere of a restored print of the movie at Alice Tully Hall in New York City. The screening was held as part of the 2012 New York Film Festival in conjunction with the release of a Blu-ray edition of the cult classic. WENN/Sean Thorton Celebrity Brad's ex-bodyguard says the 'World War Z' actor and the 'Tully' actress are at least 'friends with benefits,' but they try to keep it secret for fear it would cause tension with his ex Angie. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - Brad Pitt and Charlize Theron are possibly indeed an item, despite recent report debunking their romance rumors. Kris Herzog, a former bodyguard of the "War Machine" actor, confirms that "at the minimum, they're friends with benefits." "I spoke to Charlize about four months ago and she told me Sean Penn had introduced them," Kris tells The Sun (via Radar Online). "I know as a fact they've been together for the last four months." He additionally claims, "I've seen them once myself together. They're definitely dating but they're keeping it secret until they work out whether it's going to be long-term." Kris further claims that the 55-year-old actors tries to hide his relationship with the 43-year-old actress from the public for fear that it would cause tension with his ex Angelina Jolie. As widely reported before, Brad and Angie had a bitter custody battle for more than two years until they reached a custody agreement in November last year. "Everything Brad does is vetted through how it's going to affect his relationship with Angelina," Kris explains. "Because if he pisses her off, it's going to f**k up their child custody situation." The source adds Brad and Charlize are "trying their best to keep their relationship a secret to avoid drama with Angie." Radar recently reported that Angie and Charlize have already been feuding for years over film roles. It reportedly started out as the "Wanted (2008)" actress was "stalling on committing to a 'Bride of Frankenstein' remake" just to frustrate the "Snow White and the Huntsman" actress. Charlize, who was eyeing the same role, reportedly could not accept other roles as she awaited Angie's decision whether or not she would take the role. They allegedly have since battled out for other roles, including for a part in "The Tourist" which Angie eventually starred in, and "Murder on the Orient Express" which Angie initially turned down but then wanted. In the end, neither Charlize nor Angie landed the role in "Murder on the Orient Express", with Michelle Pfeiffer eventually starring in it. Brad and Charlize dating reports first emerged earlier this month, as it was said that the spark between them flew over the Christmas season. However, a source later told PEOPLE that the pair, who met six months ago when they shot a commercial for watch brand Breitling, "have not been out together recently, and were never dating." The source added, "Reports of them being involved romantically are false." FOX TV It's great to see that the live audience are excited and fully immersed in the story until most pivotal scenes of the show is distracted by the noisy audience. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - Many people who tuned in for FOX's "Rent (2019)", which aired on Sunday, January 27, have taken to social media to express their frustration. It's not because of the live production of popular Broadway musical is disappointing, but it's because of the live audience who seemingly would not let them enjoy the show in peace. Fans were enraged, complaining that the live audience's cheering was too loud during pivotal scenes of the show that it drowned out the music. During Angel's big number "Today 4 U", Valentina appeared on the stage and people welcomed her with thunderous applause. It was great to see that the audience were excited and fully immersed in the story until the first half of her performance was distracted. Audience members made so much noise as she strutted passed a group in the audience. "Like why the audience. whyyyyyy. why are you ruiningggg thissss?" a Twitter user complained. "The real villain of #rentlive is this AWFUL AUDIENCE," added one other. The real villain of #rentlive is this AWFUL AUDIENCE. Arielle Cole (@whenariyells) January 28, 2019 Another critic wrote, "The sound quality, audience noise and lack of understudies (so that it would actually be live) are all working hard against this event. 'The show must go on' doesn't mean taped. #RentLive." Another user, meanwhile, revealed that she "can't with all this noise from the audience #RentLive," alongside a GIF of Arnold Schwarzenegger yelling, "Shut up!" The sound quality, audience noise and lack of understudies (so that it would actually be live) are all working hard against this event. The show must go on doesnt mean taped. #RentLive Rob Clendening (@monon1971) January 28, 2019 I cant with all this noise from the audience #RentLivepic.twitter.com/FNW0GJGYXd Marismom83 (@MARISMOM83) January 28, 2019 While some live TV musicals had gone without audience members, it is said that FOX opted to have live audience after the success of its "Grease Live" in 2016. According to American Theatre, there were around 1,500 people in the audience for this semi-live production. The distraction aside, "Rent" wrapped up things in an epic ending. Original Broadcast stars joined the cast members, who included Vanessa Hudgens, Kiersey Clemons, Tinashe, Valentina, Mario, Jordan Fisher, Brandon Victor Dixon and Brennin Hunt, on the stage to perform "Season of Love". Among them who made a return for the special performance were Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs, Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia and Fredi Walke. A day prior to the premiere, "Rent" revealed that one of its cast member, Brennin Hunt, suffered a broken ankle during dress rehearsal on Saturday, January 26. Through an official statement, the live production assured that Hunt, who plays singer-songwriter Roger Davis in the adaptation, would still appear at the production with the producers using pre-recorded segments from the Saturday rehearsal for the broadcast. TNT Celebrity The former 'The Cosby Show' actor proudly addresses his day job while making appearance in the show's traditional opening 'I am an actor' segment. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - Geoffrey Owens was honored with a surprise cameo at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards, four months after he was job shamed for working at a New Jersey Trader Joe's to make ends meet. The actor was included in the show's traditional opening "I am an actor" segment to kick off the Sunday, January 27 event. The 57-year-old, who is best known for his role as Elvin Tibideaux on "The Cosby Show", acknowledged his financial struggle as he introduced himself. "So somewhere in the middle of the road of my life I found myself in the dark wood of unemployment and debt, but instead of switching careers like a sane person, I took a job at a local trader Joe's to see if I could hang in there with my career," he shared. "And it's actually worked out pretty well." "I'm Geoffrey Owens and I'm an actor," he concluded as he received applause from other attendees inside the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. Owens, who also starred on FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", ABC Family's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and HBO's "Divorce", was trolled on Twitter after a customer spotted him working as a cashier at Trader Joe's last August. But stars like Patricia Heaton and Donnie Wahlberg quickly came to his defense, while Nicki Minaj donated $25,000 to help out the actor. "The initial thing was bad - the shaming," Owens told PEOPLE of the reactions. "But it lasted such a short time before the flood of support, the love rolled in. I don't even remember what it felt like that day to feel bad, but I know what it's felt like for the last two months to be offered work, to be offered auditions, to be approached on the street and told how much my story inspires people." He's also grateful for the support from fellow actors and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, saying, "The vast majority of actors, as you know, work one maybe even two day jobs while pursuing parts. What was good (about my viral photo) was the flood of support that I received from people all over the world. It was astonishing. And right in the middle of that flood was support from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation." Owens has since quit Trader Joe's and landed a recurring role on Tyler Perry's crime drama series "The Haves and the Have Nots". Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Amazon TV Sandra Oh ('Killing Eve') and Jason Bateman ('Ozark') also receive trophies for best actress and best actor in a drama series respectively. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - The 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards took place on Sunday, January 27, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Hosted by Megan Mullally, the award-giving event handed out trophies to a slew of actors both in movie and TV departments to honor their work in the past year. Among TV honorees was "This Is Us", which nabbed the winning title for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The NBC family drama bested fellow nominees including "The Americans", "Better Call Saul", "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Ozark". Amazon's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel", meanwhile, received the trophy for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series category. The series also earned Emmy and Golden Globe winner Rachel Brosnahan and co-star Tony Shalhoub an award each. Brosnahan walked home with Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series trophy, while Shalhoub was honored with the title of best male actor in a comedy series. "I want to thank everyone in Amazon, Jen Salke, and especially James Sterling in legal affairs and not just because I'm in the middle of renegotiation," Shalhoub quipped in the acceptance speech for his third SAG Award. The actor then thanked "my incredible cast and crew." The winnings marked the first time since "30 Rock" won all three comedy categories in 2008. That night was also a big night for Patricia Arquette, who came out as the winner of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series category for her role on Showtime's "Escape at Dannemora". Arquette played a character named Joyce "Tilly" Mitchell, a married prison worker who becomes romantically entangled with both Matt and Sweat and aids in their escape. The Golden Globe-winning actress thanked former director of the FBI and special counsel for the United States Department of Justice Robert Mueller during her acceptance speech. She also gave a shout-out to "everyone working to make sure we have sovereignty for the United States of America." Patricia Arquette takes home the Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries! #sagawards pic.twitter.com/4TA3Rh6b2g TNT Drama (@tntdrama) January 28, 2019 Also receiving trophies at the event, which also saw Rami Malek among movie winners, were Darren Criss, who was named as the best male actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series for his performance on "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" and "GLOW" which won Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series category among others. Full List of TV Winners at the 2019 SAG Awards NBC/Trae Patton TV Meanwhile, co-star Amy Ryan shares her feelings for being a part of the hit NBC comedy series, dubbing it 'a joyous experience.' Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - Mindy Kaling is having an update on things that fans of "The Office" may be dying to know: a reunion. The actress, who played Kelly Kapoor on the hit sitcom, talked about the matter when she and her "Late Night" co-stars, including Amy Ryan, stopped by IndieWire Studio presented by Dropbox. Mindy and Holly Flax depicter discussed the possibility of having a reunion with other "The Office" cast members in one form of another. The writer/actress, whose latest comedy "Late Night" was sold to Amazon for $13M, told host Kate Erbland, "I love the show. I've been surprised by how increasingly popular it's gotten." "The Mindy Project" alum then pointed out what possibly hold them back to have a reunion. Alluding that timing was a big issue between them, she explained, "I think Steve [Carell] is literally shooting a show right now and has another show coming up, so besides that I don't think he really has time for an 'Office' reunion." Steve Carell was previously reported to star on a new Netflix comedy titled "Space Force". Co-created by him and Greg Daniels, the new series is centered around "the people tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed servicesSpace Force." In addition to starring and creating, the actor will executive produce alongside Daniels. Meanwhile, Ryan shared her feelings for being a part of "The Office". Dubbing it "a joyous experience," she said, "I feel like most of my jobs have been these really heavy dramas -- I go home kind of beaten and broken up -- but at 'The Office' I honestly went home exhausted and felt like I had done an ab workout because we laugh so hard all the time. It was such a wonderful experience." NBC TV During his appearance, Martin also makes a direct reference to one of his best-known 'SNL' catchphrases from the late 1970s. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - "Saturday Night Live" tackled "Fox News" in its January 26 broadcast. Alex Moffat was taking on the role of Tucker Carlson while Cecily Strong appeared as a screaming Jeanine Pirro. Moffat's Carlson first talked about President Donald Trump's "heroic end" to the shutdown. "It did take him 35 days but he was finally able to get no wall," he said. Joined by Strong's Pirro, they then discussed "crisis at our border (which) rages on." "We have to take a Marie Kondo approach to cleaning up this country. If something doesn't spark joy, throw it out," the show's Pirro shared. "And you know what doesn't spark joy in me? Guatemalans." Strong was not the only cast member appeared on the skit. Kate McKinnon offered an eerily accurate impersonation of Secretary of Commerce and man of the people Wilbur Ross, who was criticized for saying that he didn't "really quite understand why" some furloughed workers were visiting food banks instead of taking out a loan. "I simply meant there were other ways of getting money, like they could have liquidated some of their stocks or sold one of their paintings," McKinnon's Ross said. "I mean, even if they sold a lesser Picasso, that's still going to get you through a week or two of yacht maintenance." Towards the end of the skit, Steve Martin made a surprise appearance as Roger Stone. "I'm just a poor, helpless old man. I'm 66! I'm almost as old as Sting," Martin said, referring to Stone who was being indicted Friday by special counsel Robert Mueller III, who accused him of him of lying, obstruction and witness tampering. "The whole (arrest) experience was so harrowing, and afterwards I could only manage one radio interview. And a speech from the steps of courthouse. And two appearances on television. It's horrible!" he continued saying. He went on sharing that he was broke from the legal battle and people not buying his book was not helping either. The show's Stone then announced that he opened up a page for donation only to get people yelling at him. Before concluding, he declared himself as "a normal and straightforward guy." It was a direct reference to one of his best-known "SNL" catchphrases from the late 1970s. Instagram Music Apologizing for the postponement of the sold-out gig, the 'Pompeii' hitmakers explain that they had exhausted all possibilities to get their tour trucks and buses to Ireland. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - Rockers Bastille had to scrap a gig in Dublin, Ireland on Sunday night, January 27, due to awful weather conditions. According to promoters, the band's plans to sail to Ireland were hampered by the adverse conditions, prompting them to cancel a sold out show at the Olympia Theatre. "Unfortunately, due to adverse weather conditions which have affected Irish Sea sailings over the last 24hrs, Bastille have been forced to cancel their sold out Irish date tonight at Dublin's Olympia Theatre," a statement from MCD bosses reads. The band, venue bosses and promoters are hoping to reschedule the showate as soon as possible with a further announcement later this week. "We're gutted that our gig in Dublin tonight has had to be postponed," a statement from the band reads. "We've been trying everything possible in the last 24 hours to get the tour trucks and buses to Ireland, but the bad weather has meant all ferries have been cancelled and none of our gear will be able to make it in time. Huge apologies to everyone with tickets and anyone who's travelled." The "Pompeii" hitmakers started the year by performing in a rainstorm in New York City as headliners of the Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest New Year's Eve telecast. WENN/Mario Mitsis Celebrity The 'Belle' star has been living in constant fears after she was reportedly been followed by a mystery woman around Los Angeles for over two months. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw has called in police officials to help her track down an alleged stalker who has been following her for months. The unnamed woman reportedly tagged the "Belle" star's car with a tracking device, so she could follow her every move and now Gugu is living in constant fear because she thinks the alleged stalker could show up at her home. According to a search warrant, obtained by TMZ, the mystery woman has been tailing the actress around Los Angeles for over two months. In the documents, investigators claim the alleged stalker has been popping up at hotels and even spin classes, attended by Gugu, while calling her home and hanging up. Instagram Celebrity Offended by 'The View' host's 'schooled you' comment for her boycott declaration against Netflix, the 'Precious' actress hits back by accusing the former of overlooking racism. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - Mo'Nique blasted Whoopi Goldberg as "the help" in a bitter feud over equal pay. Last year (18), the Oscar-winning actress began a boycott against streaming giant Netflix for allegedly failing to offer her a fair salary for a comedy special. Mo'Nique, 51, then appeared on U.S. talk show "The View" to discuss it with the hosts, including Whoopi, who told her that she would have given her advice on what to expect from pay negotiations. "I said if you had called me I could've schooled you on what was expected," the "Ghost" star told Mo'Nique. However, the "Precious" star was stunned by Whoopi's comments, and recently told Vulture that she was disappointed with the Oscar-winning icon. "When you have a woman saying, 'I could have schooled you,' someone would say, 'What was the schooling going to be?' When I look at this woman you say is our icon and our legend she is," she fired. "But, how many things has Whoopi Goldberg executive produced? Whoopi Goldberg has always been the help, and I say that humbly. So what is it that you're going to school me on? I've been doing it for almost 30 years," Mo'Nique added. The actress and comedian, real name Monique Hicks, claimed she only had three minutes to talk about inequality in Hollywood during her appearance on the talk show, and slammed Whoopi for allegedly overlooking racism. "This is a woman who says 'I could have schooled you,' and this is a woman who accepted Ted Danson in blackface, and our community praises this woman," Mo'Nique added. "So oftentimes, we do it to ourselves. But, I just can't. Understand, I love my sister. However, when you know you're being fed the wrong food, you must say, 'I can't chew this, y'all'," she added. WENN/FayesVision Celebrity The 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' actress has been slapped with lawsuit by Madeleine Harmon and Vincent Cammarata after she sued to evict them from her New York home. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - Lucy Davis is being sued by her former tenants over the "rat-infested" home she rented out in New York. Lucy, who plays Aunt Hilda in the Netflix show, "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina", has been accused of letting a family live in a property that was in severe disrepair, according to legal documents obtained by The Blast. Madeleine Harmon and Vincent Cammarata claimed they and their two children, rented the home in Larchmont, Westchester, last year (2018), and paid six months worth of rent up front, totalling $46,000 (35,000). However, upon moving in, the couple allegedly found issues including a dangerous rat, bug and insect infestation, extremely overgrown trees and bushes, and rotten wooden beams. They also claimed there was a "seriously neglected, unmaintained, and infectious pool and jacuzzi". Among the accusations, the couple also reported rats and bugs were frequently entering their young daughter's bedroom through the overgrown foliage. In another incident, Harmon allegedly scaled Davis' roof, and placed her foot on a piece of "illegally attached latticework" that broke away and caused her to fall "fifteen feet to the ground below." The legal documents claim that she suffered a fractured pelvis, four herniated discs in her neck, two herniated discs in her back, severe head and brain trauma, a collapsed lung, a torn lip labrum and painful bruising along the left side of her body. Harmon said she now suffers from seizures, memory loss problems, vision problems and extreme pain. The family's lawsuit, filed by attorney Greg Kirakosian in Los Angeles, is a cross-complaint after Davis sued to evict them from her home. The "Wonder Woman" star, 45, claims they violated their agreement by trimming bushes themselves, and also claims they fell behind on payments. According to The Blast, Davis has denied the accusations levelled against her. WENN/Ivan Nikolov Movie Through a social media post, the Dominic Toretto of the 'Fast' franchise reveals that he has heard a pitch for a very interesting spin-off along with executive producer Samantha Vincent. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - Vin Diesel and his fellow "Fast and Furious" producers are developing a female-driven spin-off after Michelle Rodriguez threatened to quit the franchise unless women got more love. The outspoken Latina, who has played Diesel's love interest in the franchise films, spoke out following the release of the eighth movie, "The Fate of the Furious", insisting she'd walk away if writers didn't give female characters stronger story lines. "I hope they decide to show some love to the women of the franchise on the next one or I just might have to say goodbye to a loved franchise," she said in June 2017. Diesel took her threat seriously and last week revealed he is working on a spin-off movie, surrounding women. "This week, we heard a pitch for the 'Fast' female protagonist driven spinoff I created in 2017," he captioned a photo of himself and "Fast & Furious" franchise executive producer, Samantha Vincent. "You can tell by the smile on Samantha's face that it was VERY exciting." There's already one "Fast & Furious" spin-off in the works - Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) and Jason Statham are reprising their characters from the films for new movie "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" film. Diesel's latest message appears to have more than satisfied Rodriguez, who appeared alongside Vin in an Instagram video he posted on Thursday, January 24, wishing fans in Venezuela well as the country experiences ongoing political and social issues. He captioned the clip, "Crew heads out to London next month for the next chapter... #Fast9." WENN/FayesVision Celebrity Weeks before the happy news gets confirmed, director Neema Barnette took to her social media to congratulate the 'Raising Dion' actor and his fiance for the arrival of their first child together. Jan 28, 2019 AceShowbiz - Jason Ritter and his longtime girlfriend Melanie Lynskey are parents to a new baby girl. The former "Two and a Half Men" star gave birth quietly at the end of last year (2018) but the couple kept the baby news under wraps until a pal, director Neema Barnette, congratulated Jason publicly on Instagram in December. "Congrats to 'Raising Dion' Co Star Jason Ritter & his wife on the birth of their beautiful Sag baby girl. Babies are a blessing & so is Jason!". Us Weekly has now confirmed the news. Ritter and Lynskey became engaged in early 2017. Melanie was previously married to "Westworld" star Jimmi Simpson. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... LAS VEGAS Nevada gambling regulators announced a settlement Monday with casino mogul Steve Wynns former company over allegations that former executives failed on multiple occasions to investigate claims of sexual misconduct against him. The Nevada Gaming Control Board detailed at least seven allegations of misconduct by Wynn dating to 2005 in which former executives and managers of Wynn Resorts became of aware of the claims but failed to act. The board also said Wynns conduct was inappropriate and unsuitable and violated company policies. Wynn resigned from his company in February 2018 and has denied any misconduct. The control boards settlement with Wynn Resorts does not revoke or limit its gambling license but requires the company to pay a fine. The amount will be set by the Nevada Gaming Commission, but it wasnt immediately clear when that could occur. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Wynn Resorts said in a statement the closing of the boards investigation was an important remedial step and noted that any employee named in the control boards report as having been aware of the allegations but who failed to investigate or report them are no longer with the company. We have fully cooperated and been transparent with the board in this in-depth investigation. We look forward to appearing before the Nevada Gaming Commission to review the settlement and establish the final resolution of the investigation, the statement said. Wynns attorney L. Lin Wood said he was busy with a deposition for another case Monday and was not in a position to respond. The Nevada Gaming Control Boards investigation began last year after a January 2018 report in the Wall Street Journal that said a number of women reported they were harassed or assaulted by Wynn, including one case that led to a $7.5 million settlement with a manicurist. Its complaint said that the woman in 2005 alleged she had been raped by Wynn and became pregnant as a result. The complaint said the salons management reported the allegations to human resources and at least four former executives failed to take action after learning of the allegations. The complaint said former executives also failed to investigate after a cocktail server alleged that Wynn pressured her into a nonconsensual sexual relationship from 2005 to 2006, which resulted in him paying a private settlement of $975,000 to the woman and her parents. The complaint also says Wynn sexually harassed multiple flight attendants with Las Vegas Jet, LLC., a Wynn Resorts subsidiary that provided pilots and other flight services for several aircraft owned by the company. The report also included allegations from three workers at the Wynn Resort spa that Wynn sexually harassed them while he was receiving massages in 2014, allegations that Wynn engaged in sexual misconduct in 2005 against a former cocktail server and flight attendant, allegations that a Wynn employee, not named in the report, facilitated sexual relationships for Wynn and hotel guests with cocktail servers, and allegations made in a 2007 email to Wynns former general counsel alleging that a former executive not named in the report loves sleeping with cocktail servers. Along with the probe by Nevada regulators, a similar investigation was launched in Massachusetts, where Wynn Resorts plans to open a $2 billion casino-hotel this summer near Boston. Wynn has sued to block the release of a Massachusetts Gaming Commission report on its investigation, arguing it contains confidential information that is protected by attorney-client privilege. A Nevada judge has temporarily blocked the reports release. Wynn Resorts said the company had undergone an extensive self-examination over the last twelve months, to create a safe, healthy and supportive workplace. The changes included leadership changes, including a new CEO and changeover at the companys board of directors, sexual harassment prevention training for all employees, a womens leadership council that promotes equality in the workplace and studies of pay and promotion equity. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer Larry Hadfield said he was not aware of the police department launching any criminal investigations based on allegations released in the report Monday. Hajia Alima Mahama, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, says the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) on partisan basis would be a key solution to the winner takes all syndrome plaguing Ghanas democratic environment. She stated that the practice where ruling party had the privilege to nominate MMDCEs would end; making way for inclusive governance with all political parties enjoying a level playing field to present a candidate for election on a universal adult suffrage basis. Hajia Mahama said this at a meeting to sensitise and create a better understanding on the election processes among the representatives of the various political parties, on Monday in Accra. The forum on the theme, Electing MMDCEs for Improved Local Decentralisation and Good Governance, was also used to discuss the proposed national road roadmap for the elections, expected to take off on 2021. The Minister, however, explained: Although this is not the only solution to completely solve winner takes-all syndrome; with this system, when a Party wins an election, the President will not have to appoint the MMDCEs. Definitely, some MMDCEs seat will be occupied by the opposition parties and this will deepen the democracy and bring inclusiveness. Hajia Mahama said the Ministry had consulted all key stakeholders on the best possible ways of having local leaders elected on partisan basis. The only obstacle, she said, was working with the key institutions to work on the amendment of article 55(3) of the 1992 constitution. The article, which is an entrenched article, states that, "Subject to the provisions of this article, a political party is free to participate in shaping the political will of the people, to disseminate information on political ideas, social and economic programmes of a national character; and sponsor candidates for election to any public office other than to the District Assemblies or lower local government units." Hajia Mahama said an amendment to this article was critical if MMDCEs would be elected on partisan basis through a universal adult suffrage system. "As an entrenched Article, a national Referendum is required for it to be amended, she explained. A draft Bill for amendment of the article has been approved by Cabinet and sent to the Speaker of Parliament who has sent it to the Council of State for advice. The Council of State has given its advice and the Attorney General has since gazetted the Bill". She said that the Ministry was collaborating with key institutions including the Electoral Commission and the National Commission for Civic Education to ensure that the public was adequately sensitised to ensure a successful referendum in September 2019, alongside the District Assemblies election. The other institutions include the Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government, Information Services Department as well as Civil Society Organisations. Hajia Mahama mentioned that another area of institutional strengthening aimed at consolidating democratic governance was the implementation of the National Public Sector Reform Strategy (NPSRS 2018 - 2023). Dr Eric Oduro Osae, Dean of Studies and Research at the Institute of Local Government Studies, also said the election of MMDCEs on partisan basis would help reduce the winner-takes all situation because no Political Party could win all the seats. The opposition will use the Local Government as a training ground to inform people what they would have done if they won elections, he said. It would also provide the Government with alternatives ideas to reshape their policies because democracy thrives on opposition If the Government was able to implement the intended policy, he said, it would stop acrimonies in elections because political parties would have another opportunity in that of the MMDCEs to be in government. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE A proposal aimed at shining more light on political spending by dark-money groups started moving through the Senate on Monday amid renewed optimism by supporters that it will become law this year, after nearly a decade of efforts. The bill, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, is similar to a measure vetoed by then-Gov. Susana Martinez two years ago. But newly elected Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who took office Jan. 1, says she is open to the legislation and generally supports transparency in campaign spending. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Wirth said the proposal, Senate Bill 3, is necessary because court rulings have blown holes in New Mexicos campaign reporting law. In 2009, for example, a federal court blocked the state from requiring disclosure by nonprofit advocacy groups that kept their donors secret but targeted some legislators in glossy fliers. The legislation is not going to make these dollars go away, Wirth said, but at least the voters will know when theyre in the voting booth whos funding what. Under the current law, donations to a candidates campaign are publicly reported. But donations to independent organizations, even groups that appear to have partisan motives, dont always have to be disclosed. Wirths bill proposes that when theres independent spending above a certain threshold near an election $3,000 for a statewide race, for example the group would have to report the spending and the source of contributions used to make it. Senate Bill 3 would make a variety of other changes to New Mexicos campaign law, too, including adjusting limits on the size of campaign contributions. There would be a $5,000 cap for each primary and general election cycle for all candidates, regardless of the race. That would be nearly twice what legislative candidates can now accept and a decrease from the $5,700 limit for statewide candidates. Opponents of the bill raised a variety of concerns. Some said the contribution limits should be abolished altogether, and others said the bill is too complex. Sen. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque, said the donation cap puts lawmakers at a disadvantage because some political groups those that dont coordinate with a candidate can accept unlimited contributions. It gives donors an incentive to give to outside groups rather than to candidates, who are less willing to engage in negative campaigning, opponents said. We just get nuked from the outside, Moores said. The limits were just handcuffing ourselves. The measure cleared the Senate Rules Committee 7-4 Monday morning and now heads to Senate Judiciary, potentially its last stop before it reaches the Senate floor. It wasnt entirely along party lines, with one Democrat joining Republicans against it and one Republican joining Democrats in favor. Supporting the measure were Republican Greg Baca of Belen and Democrats Linda Lopez of Albuquerque, Daniel Ivey-Soto of Albuquerque, Gerald Ortiz y Pino of Albuquerque, Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen of Las cruces, Clemente Sanchez of Grants and Bill Tallman of Albuquerque. Voting against it were Democrat Jeff Steinborn of Las Cruces and Republicans Moores, Cliff Pirtle of Roswell and Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle of Portales. Steinborn said he objected to raising the contribution limit for non-statewide races, though he liked the bill in general. Supporters said the bill would strengthen new disclosure rules imposed by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, putting them into law and making changes beyond what she had power to carry out. Her authority to issue the rules is the subject of a lawsuit pending before the state Supreme Court. In any case, several senators said Monday that the bill is necessary, even if they arent entirely happy with the contribution limits or other sections. Parts of the state law on the books now are unenforceable because of court decisions, they said. If you follow whats in the election code right now, you are violating the law, said Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, D-Albuquerque. Thats why, to me, this is an incredibly important bill to get passed. In 2017, when the bill passed both chambers of the Legislature, then-Gov. Martinez, a Republican, vetoed the proposal, arguing that it was poorly written. People might be reluctant to donate, she said, if they fear their names will be disclosed. But lawmakers this year have a chance to win over the new governor, a Democrat. Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Claudia Tristan said the governor is open to supporting the bill but will need to review the details if it reaches her desk. She does recognize the need for transparency in campaign reporting, Tristan said. Under the proposal, independent expenditures would be disclosed under certain circumstances. The ad would have to refer to a clearly identified candidate, for example, within 30 days of a primary election or within 60 days of a general election. The requirements would also kick in only if the independent spending by the group exceeded $3,000 for a statewide race or $1,000 if it isnt statewide. Wirth said the state is limited in how it can regulate independent spending because of the legal protections enshrined in the First Amendment. Dark-money spending often comes from nonprofit groups, unions and business associations, though some do file reports voluntarily. This isnt a partisan issue, Wirth said. The same rules apply to both sides. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ORLANDO, Fla. A Chuluota man killed his parents and brother after he was kicked out of his home and accused of stealing $200,000 from his family to send to a woman he had met on a porn website, according to the Sheriffs Office. Deputies say Grant Amato, 29, shot and killed his father Chad Amato, 59; mother, Margaret Ann Amato, 61; and brother Cody Amato, 31, in their rural Seminole County home Friday morning. He faces three counts of first-degree murder. The investigation began Friday, when one of Cody Amatos co-workers at AdventHealth Orlando called authorities to report Cody had not shown up for work that morning. When no one inside the familys home on Sultan Circle in Chuluota answered, despite knocks on the doors and windows and blasts from an air horn, a Seminole County deputy used a knife to break a deadbolt lock and walked inside through a back door. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Deputies found Chad Amato dead in the kitchen. Cody Amatos body was in a storage room, with a handgun nearby, while Margaret Amato was found slumped over her desk in the home office. Chad and Margaret had been shot execution-style, investigators said. Grant Amatos 1996 Honda Accord was missing. Cody Amatos girlfriend told deputies Grant and Cody had been having problems, after Grant stole $50,000 from Cody and sold his guns without permission. Cody and Grants brother, Jason Amato, said Grant had stolen another $150,000 from their father. The girlfriend said Grant had gone downhill since his family found out about his relationship with a Bulgarian woman, and that he was using the stolen money to pay to talk with her. He had also recently been kicked out of nurse anesthetist school. Cody told (his girlfriend) that he was afraid Grant Amato would kill everyone, according to an affidavit. Cody Amatos girlfriend said she last spoke with him the night before his body was found. His father told him to come home because something was wrong. The last she heard from her boyfriend was a text message telling her everything was OK. On Saturday, authorities found Grant Amatos car at a hotel in Orlando. Amato met detectives outside of his hotel room and agreed to go to the Seminole County Sheriffs Office to be interviewed. In an interview, Amato confirmed he had been at odds with his parents over his relationship with the Bulgarian woman, who he had met on Cam Girls, an adult web camera website. Before the killings, Amato said his parents told him to complete a 60-day internet- and sex-addiction treatment program in Fort Lauderdale if he wanted to stay at home. Amato began the program on Dec. 22, but said he left after a few weeks. After returning to Central Florida, Amato said his father gave him a two-page list of rules he would have to follow if he wanted to live in the familys home, including that he have no contact with the Bulgarian woman. Grant Amato initially agreed to the rules his father had set, but he didnt think they were fair because he felt that the Bulgarian female was his girlfriend and they had a relationship, the affidavit said. Despite the ultimatum, Amato kept in contact with the woman on Twitter. His dad eventually found out and told him to leave. Amato told detectives that he left the home. He denied having anything to do with his family members deaths. The next morning, he said he drove by the house and saw a news van and police car at the entrance to his subdivision. When a detective asked Amato why he didnt try to contact his family members, Amato had no answer, authorities said. Amato told authorities he searched for news stories about the killings at a restaurant in Waterford Lakes in East Orlando. He noticed the fence featured in a news video looked familiar, but still did not reach out to his family, he told authorities. While showing Amato crime-scene pictures of his mother, father and brother, a detective asked him if he regretted killing them. Grant Amatos response was his family had been blaming him for months for ruining their lives so he might as well be blamed for this too, according to his arrest affidavit. In the months before the slayings, records show Amatos behavior had at least twice prompted concerned calls to authorities by co-workers or loved ones. In June, Orlando police responded to AdventHealth Orlando, where Grant Amato worked as a nurse, after a report of a suicidal person. Officers determined Amato didnt meet the criteria to be held for observation as a danger to himself or others, but arrested him on a grand theft charge based on evidence that he had stolen vials of Propofol, a powerful sedative. Amato told police he took the drug for patients who were not adequately relaxed by doctor-ordered medication, a police report said. Prosecutors opted against filing charges against him. On Dec. 20, Amatos mother and brother called Seminole deputies to report Grant Amato was missing, depressed and possibly suicidal. They said he had recently lost his job and failed out of graduate school, and had expressed strong feelings of worthlessness. They reported him missing after Grant Amato left home without explanation, then said in text messages to his mother that he tired of dealing with everything and going to handle it his own way. His mother and brother told deputies he had access to guns. Both Mrs. Amato and Cody say this is so out of character for Grant and that they are 100 percent convinced he will try to harm himself, a deputy wrote, reporting Amato as a missing endangered person due to reasonable concern for his safety and mental health. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... MILWAUKEE Heavy snow and powerful wind created blizzard-like conditions Monday across parts of the Midwest, prompting officials to cancel about 1,000 flights at Chicagos airports and close hundreds of schools. But forecasters warned the most dangerous weather is yet to come: frigidly low temperatures that the region hasnt seen in a quarter century. Snowplow drivers had trouble keeping up with the snow in Minnesota and Wisconsin, where some areas got as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters). Chicago-area commuters woke up to heavy snowfall, with more than 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) already on the ground. In Michigan, non-essential government offices were closed, including the Capitol. But the snow is only part one, and maybe even the easier part because temperatures will plummet over the next three days, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Wednesday is expected to be the worst. Wind chills in northern Illinois could fall to negative 55 degrees (negative 48 degrees Celsius), which the National Weather Service called possibly life threatening. Minnesota temperatures could hit minus 30 degrees (negative 34 degrees Celsius) with a wind chill of negative 60 (negative 51 degrees Celsius). Youre talking about frostbite and hypothermia issues very quickly, like in a matter of minutes, maybe seconds, Hurley said. The potentially record-breaking low temperature forecast in Milwaukee is negative 28 degrees (negative 33 degrees Celsius), with a wind chill as low as negative 50 (negative 45 degrees Celsius). The current record of minus 26 degrees (negative 32 degrees Celsius) was set in 1996. Thats 40 degrees below normal, Hurley said. When you think about it in that sense, thats a big whoa.' Cold weather advisories are in effect across a broad swath of the central U.S., from North Dakota to Missouri and spanning into Ohio. Temperatures will be as many as 20 degrees below average in parts of the Upper Great Lakes region and Upper Mississippi Valley, according to the National Weather Service. The unusually frigid weather is attributed to a sudden warming way above the North Pole. A sudden blast of warm air from misplaced Moroccan heat last month made the normally super chilly air temperatures 20 miles (32 kilometers) above the North Pole rapidly rise about 125 degrees (70 degrees Celsius). That split the polar vortex into pieces, which then started to wander, according to Judah Cohen, a winter storm expert for Atmospheric Environmental Research, a commercial firm outside Boston. One of those polar vortex pieces is responsible for the sub-zero temperatures across the Midwest this week. Homeless shelters were preparing for the onslaught of cold. The Milwaukee Rescue Missions call volume was unusually high, but there should still be enough beds for those who need them, said the missions president, Pat Vanderburgh. We are being especially vigilant during the night, he said. Monitoring our doors, our security are going out on the street, were partnering individuals that go out proactively looking out for homeless individuals and sharing with them winter clothes and food. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel urged residents to check on their neighbors and take safety precautions. He said city agencies are making sure homeless people are in shelters or offered space in warming buses. Hundreds of schools were closed across Michigan as road conditions deteriorated, including Eastern Michigan University. The largest public school districts in Wisconsin and Minnesota also were among those closed, including districts in Milwaukee and St. Paul. Minneapolis Public Schools announced there would be no classes through Wednesday. The cold also prompted officials to close some schools in eastern Iowa, while Chicago Public Schools officials said they were monitoring the weather ahead of Wednesdays cold snap. In eastern North Dakota, officials have issued travel alerts because of blowing snow. The Minnesota State Patrol was responding to scores of spinouts and crashes early Monday in the Twin Cities metro area because of snow-covered and icy roads. More than 800 flights were cancelled at Chicago OHare International Airport Monday morning and Midway International Airport canceled more than 220. The high temperature forecast at OHare on Wednesday is negative 14 degrees (negative 25 degrees Celsius), which would break a record set on Jan. 18, 1994. Even the fabled frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, home to the NFLs Green Bay Packers, wasnt able to withstand the heavy snow and wind that closed hundreds of businesses, schools and government offices in Wisconsin. The stadium said tours, the Packers Hall of Fame and other related businesses were closed Monday. Courthouses and most offices were closed in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Columbia and Washington counties, while more than three dozen flights were canceled early Monday at the Milwaukee areas largest airport, Mitchell International Airport. Rare snowfall was also forecast for some southern states . Forecasters warned of up to 3 inches of snow in central Mississippi and Alabama by Tuesday morning and said temperatures will plummet as arctic cold blasts southward. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency ahead of the storm. ___ For the latest updates on weather: https://bit.ly/2FVf5QY ___ Associated Press reporters Caryn Rousseau in Chicago, Gretchen Ehlke in Milwaukee and David Runk in Detroit contributed to this report. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps pick for attorney general, William Barr, says Vice President Mike Pence is among the officials with whom hes discussed the special counsels Russias investigation. Barr said in written responses to Senate questions made available Monday that he and Pence have had occasional conversations since 2017. He said some of those conversations included general discussion of the Special Counsels investigation in which I gave my views on such matters as Bob Muellers high integrity and various media reports. Barr said he never gave Pence legal advice nor did Pence provide confidential information. Mueller is investigating potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign to sway the 2016 presidential election. Barr also said hed resign if Trump claimed executive privilege to cover up evidence of a crime. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... FARMINGTON Regardless of their positions on the issue, various organizations agreed that change is in the air after an early-January decision by the New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission to rehear Hilcorp Energy Companys application to increase well density in the San Juan Basin. For some, it means increased transparency and public input. For others, it signals the growing influence of environmental advocacy and politics in decisions regarding the oil and gas industry. The stakes are high on all sides. While the Permian Basin in southeast New Mexico has seen a boom in oil development, the San Juan Basin continues to struggle despite sitting on the second largest natural gas pool in the United States. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ New Mexicans for Economic Prosperity projected increasing well density in the San Juan Basin would bring in more than $29 million in new tax revenue over five years. The decision to hold yet another hearing on the already approved rule update jeopardizes its positive economic impacts that would be felt in San Juan County, Rio Arriba County, and around the state, said Kyler Nerison, the executive director of New Mexicans for Economic Prosperity, in a statement released after the decision. Without the update, New Mexico will forego new high-paying jobs, tens of millions of dollars in annual investment, and more than $29 million in state tax revenue it could have created. Activists say the days of the oil and gas industry running the show and making the rules in New Mexico are over. Activists praise increased opportunity for public comment After the special meeting this month, Don Schreiber, an activist rancher from Gobernador, praised the decision as a sign that after eight years of being closed out, ignored and left out of the process, advocates and members of the public will finally be able to participate in critical decisions. Prior to the meeting, Navajo Nation Council Delegate Daniel Tso criticized the Oil Conservation Commission through a letter. Tso letter stated the Oil Conservation Commission only listened to the oil and gas industry. The commission made it clear during the meeting that it wanted input from impacted communities. Commissioner Allison Marks specifically highlighted the Jicarilla Apache tribe as well as the Bureau of Indian Affairs. I believe there are about 1.3 million acres affected by this application and 70-or-so-thousand acres of State Trust Land, Marks said, according to a transcript of the hearing. I think its imperative that the (Bureau of Land Management), all government land agencies are noticed, that we get as much public input as possible and that we encourage public participation in this application. Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, executive director of Western Environmental Law Center, asked for impacted Navajo Nation chapters to also receive notices. The Oil Conservation Commission agreed. Environmental advocacy group San Juan Citizens Alliance had been denied the opportunity to have their arguments considered as evidence in the November hearing. The group, which is represented by Western Environmental Law Center, claimed the increased well density could have last environmental and health consequences and argued that the tribal chapters were not adequately informed of the plans. It praised the decision to rehear the case. Hilcorp shot itself in the foot by aggressively trying to silence the voice of public interest watchdog groups who work with impacted communities, said Schlenker-Goodrich in a statement issued after the meeting. But its a new day in New Mexico, and the oil and gas industry will no longer be able to write its own rules and subordinate the public interest to benefit corporate fossil fuel profits. Hilcorp seeks to increase wells that can draw from the Blanco-Mesaverde formation Hilcorp began pursuing increased well density in the Blanco-Mesaverde formation of the San Juan Basin in May. It withdrew its initial application due to concerns with public notice. Months later, the company re-filed the application and it was granted in November. The application sought to increase the number of active wells producing from the Blanco-Mesaverde oil and gas pool. Currently four wells can draw from a 320-acre unit. The application asked to double that. That would not have bypassed the permitting process for new wells, but it would make it easier for operators to recomplete wells so they draw from a different reservoir. While the application was initially granted in November, it was suspended on Jan. 8 after a special meeting. After the meeting, Hilcorp issued a statement that it was disappointed but will defend its position in May. NMOGA spokesman calls decision a discouraging sign For others, the decision is another sign of environmental and political pressures impacting the oil and gas industry. Overall, its a very discouraging sign, said New Mexico Oil and Gas Association Spokesman Robert McEntyre. Proponents of the increased well density have argued that Hilcorp presented scientific evidence while arguing for the increased well density. McEntyre said the political process could take precedence over scientific, evidence-based proceedings in the future as well. I think its concerning the way that all of this has gone on, McEntyre said. Decision could have economic impacts McEntyre said suspending the previous approval of the pool rule means foregone economic value in the San Juan Basin. He said Hilcorp had presented a sound, environmentally-safe plan to invest millions into the basin. The plan focused on recompleting existing wells rather than drilling new wells. Recompleting existing wells means Hilcorp would take a well that drills into one formation and modify it to produce from another. We really have to look at this decision in terms of the human consequences, McEntyre said. McEntyre said Farmington is craving new job opportunities. Both San Juan County and the city of Farmington had passed resolutions in support of the increased well density, citing economic impacts. This just continues to prolong the economic drought, McEntyre said. McEntyre said the debate is not about the merits of the case. He argued that it is about stopping oil and gas development. He said it is based on a political agenda and there can only be two possible outcomes: win or lose. Ultimately, both sides are hoping the May 9 rehearing backs their position. Hannah Grover covers government for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4652 or via email at hgrover@daily-times.com. 2019 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) Visit The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) at www.daily-times.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... In the end, it was as bad as Elizabeth Whitefield feared it would be. The longtime Albuquerque family law judge and attorney had not gone gently into that good night as cancer took its final toll. It was painful. It was ugly. It was cruel. As comfortable as her husband, friends and hospice care had tried to make those last awful hours, it was just not enough. She was so brave, so bright, Paul Thorne, her husband of nearly 33 years, said, fighting back tears. She wanted to live so badly. But she had not wanted to die so badly. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ She didnt want anybody to die so badly. In the last years before her death on the morning of Aug. 11, Whitefield had worked hard in support of the End of Life Options Act, which would allow terminally ill patients like her in New Mexico to seek help from a physician to end their own lives. Similar bills have become law in six states and Washington, D.C., beginning with Oregon in 1994. Whitefield had been there in February 2017, frail yet ebullient, to speak on behalf of the bill at the state Legislature, pressing her hand to the tracheostomy tube in her neck to speak about how such a bill would allow her and others imminently facing death to die peacefully, with dignity, less pain and at the time of their choosing. Im either going to asphyxiate and drown in my own fluids, she had prophetically told a legislative committee. Or Im going to have extreme pain from the liver cancer. The bill was narrowly defeated on the Senate floor by a 22-20 vote. She had been there in May at an Albuquerque City Council meeting to testify in support of a resolution to endorse medical aid in dying. The resolution passed unanimously. Santa Fe and Las Cruces have also passed similar resolutions. She had wanted to be there in August to speak in support of the measure at the annual meeting of the State Bar of New Mexico, fortifying her waning stamina with a blood transfusion and impatiently requesting information for her speech from Elizabeth Armijo, western regional campaign outreach manager for Compassion and Choices, a pro-end-of-life-options group Whitefield had worked with, making calls, making speeches, making her well-known presence useful to the cause. She called me five days before the speech, asking for her talking points, Armijo said. She had this sense of urgency. I was taking for granted that I still had four days to get those to her. Whitefield had taken nothing for granted. After 11 years of battling five major forms of cancers from breast to throat to liver, she knew her time was up. She was too sick to make it to that State Bar speech. She died the next morning, her husband at her side all night long, valiantly suctioning out her tracheostomy tube and trying to calm her. Its a horrific thing, sucking things out of your loved ones throat as their eyes get so big and so scared, he said. Its like theyre being waterboarded. We dont want to waterboard terrorists, and yet we are forced to let our loved ones be waterboarded on their own fluids. Thorne, Armijo and anybody that knew Whitefield believe she would want to be there now at the ongoing legislative session to again speak in support of the End of Life Options Act. This time around they are known as House Bill 90 and Senate Bill 153, co-sponsored by Rep. Deborah Armstrong of Albuquerque and Sen. Liz Stefanics of Cerrillos, both Democrats. The legislation is also now known as the Elizabeth Whitefield End of Life Options Act. The bill will go before the House Health and Human Services committee this morning. On Tuesday, advocates for the bill are expected to rally at the Roundhouse for end-of-life-options lobby day. The legislation has been modified from the 2017 version of the bill to require authorization from two, instead of one, medical providers and a 48-hour waiting period. The act also requires confirmation that the terminal person is of sound mind and has the legal capacity to make an informed decision. And the person must administer the lethal medications themselves. Last week, a small group of health care professionals argued that the bill could lead to elderly or incapacitated patients being done away with a perfect crime, one doctor said. But Armijo said that 40 years of data and research has unearthed not a single incident in which the act was abused in such a manner. Had the bill become law in time, Whitefield would have considered such an option only as a reasoned last resort, her husband said. That is how painful things had become, he said. Passing the bill that bears her name, he said, would be a final honor. In the end, it would have mattered to her. UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, jkrueger@abqjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE New Mexicos oil boom could mean big bucks for statewide road projects. Both Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and a key legislative committee have proposed using a hefty chunk of the states current budget surplus $300 million to $400 million on improvements to an aging, and in places overwhelmed, state road system. Were not going to get this kind of circumstance every year, said Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, sponsor of an annual infrastructure bill that will ultimately include the road funding. This is a one-time opportunity we have to take advantage of. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ It would ultimately be up to the state Department of Transportation to decide which projects receive funding, Cisneros said. Although no decisions have been made yet, the agency has already identified some possible projects, including reconstructing a heavily trafficked oil field route in Eddy County and building a new Interstate 25 interchange near Los Lunas. Adding a third traffic lane on Interstate 25 between Bernalillo and Santa Fe could also be an option, according to DOT and Legislative Finance Committee files. Michael Sandoval, Lujan Grishams pick to lead the Department of Transportation, said projects would be selected in large part based on their potential to create economic growth. Everything is on the table right now, Sandoval told the Journal. We just need to be really smart and strategic about choosing the projects. He said there will most likely be no regional formula for choosing road projects, and said the agency would seek to keep politics out of its decision-making. However, some lawmakers are already advocating for road funding in a state that has more than $1 billion in identified road repair needs, according to the DOT. Rep. Cathrynn Brown, R-Carlsbad, said much of the available budget surplus should go toward roadwork in southeastern New Mexico, where the states oil boom is concentrated. People are upset that the state hasnt put more money into the region, Brown said in an interview. There needs to be some reinvestment. She said increased vehicle traffic on area roads including numerous trucks hauling oil field equipment regularly leads to traffic delays and has created public safety problems. For instance, she said, theres little or no space for law enforcement officers to safely pull vehicles over on N.M. 31 near Carlsbad. The problem is more severe than its ever been, Brown said. Our future revenues depend on a sound infrastructure. Temporary help Using money from the states unprecedented revenue windfall would mark a new if temporary approach to funding road projects. The state typically finances such projects either by issuing bonds or from a state road fund that gets its money from a gasoline tax, along with other taxes and fees. New Mexico also receives federal dollars for highway construction projects. However, the state has struggled to keep up with maintenance on more than 30,000 miles of roadways in recent years, in part because more fuel-efficient vehicles have led to lower tax collections. We recognize there are a multitude of roads in dire need, Cisneros said. Due primarily to a steady increase in oil production levels, New Mexico is on track to end the current budget year in June with a more than $1.2 billion budget surplus. The LFC has proposed using roughly $400 million of that amount for statewide road projects, while Lujan Grisham has recommended $300 million for such projects. Even such a large one-time cash infusion might not address all the states road repair needs, however, as the average cost of paving construction in New Mexico is $2 million per mile, according to the Lujan Grisham administration. Gasoline tax A former Motor Vehicle Division director and longtime DOT employee, Sandoval said a big down payment from this years budget surplus would not be a fix-all for New Mexicos roads. He specifically mentioned the infrastructure situation in Eddy and Lea counties, but said roads statewide will require future maintenance. We understand that everywhere in the state has needs, both urban areas and rural areas, he said. For that reason, lawmakers are considering increasing the states gasoline tax of 17 cents per gallon to address future road repair needs. The Lujan Grisham administration has not said whether it would support such a tax increase. But a big, immediate expenditure on road projects would make a dent in the states current highway repair backlog while also bolstering the states construction industry, Cisneros said. It will infuse a lot of money into the local economy, he said. Meanwhile, because no bonds would have to be issued, construction could begin shortly after the governor were to sign off on a bill including the road projects possibly by as soon as this summer. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Albuquerque city government has some bold goals when it comes to sustainability and now theres a point person behind the scenes pushing to make sure it meets them. Kelsey Rader joined Mayor Tim Kellers administration earlier this month as the citys first-ever sustainability officer. She will help coordinate a series of efforts to shift the way the city operates, from the way it powers its buildings to its vehicle fleet. Rader, who was most recently natural resource policy director for New Mexico First, will focus on ensuring Albuquerque meets the expectations outlined as part of its new $2 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Bloomberg picked Albuquerque and two dozen other cities for its Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge. The city aims to derive 58 percent of its power from solar within two years and to have the city use 100 percent renewable energy by 2022. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Albuquerque also wants electric vehicles to make up 63 percent of its light-duty fleet by 2025 and is already assessing where to install new charging stations around the city. In addition, it will begin looking for energy efficiencies in nearly 500 municipal buildings. But Rader a University of New Mexico School of Law graduate with a certificate in natural resource and environmental law said she will also be involved in sustainability initiatives not specifically related to the grant, both inside and outside of city government. I kind of joke a lot of my role is keeping sustainability working, she said. When youre working within the bureaucracy, theres a lot of different parts and its important to make sure were being efficient and moving forward in a really, really aggressive way. Its that important of an initiative. Kellers office announced Rader and two other appointments this week. He also named James Aranda, formerly Valencia Countys community development director, as a planning administrator; and Lucas Pedraza, who last worked with the Barelas Community Coalition, as economic development manager. JAIL INVESTMENT: Bernalillo County is spending millions on new technology to better track the inmate population at New Mexicos largest jail. The County Commission approved buying a new jail management system from Global Tel*Link Corp., replacing what staff say is a 20-year-old system at the Metropolitan Detention Center. The contract is worth about $2.2 million, including eight years of maintenance and support. But the county has about $5.5 million total for the project, which would also help cover the costs of data conversion and staff training time. Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins said the upgrade is important for safety both for officers and inmates and will allow better interface with the court system and law enforcement agencies. Its that flow of information among all the partners in the criminal justice system that has been identified as a priority here in Bernalillo County and across the state so everybody knows whats happening to an individual, she said. The county will first implement the system at its juvenile detention center and then expand it to MDC, which has about 1,300 inmates as of the most recent population report. Jessica Dyer: jdyer@abqjournal.com .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... The social media community is a lot like a real-world neighborhood where people ask their friends for referrals to a hair stylist or mechanic or roofer. But businesses can use social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram proactively to market products and services in dynamic, interactive ways to the people who want them. In that sense, social media is more potent than a website where people can learn about a business but cant interact with the owners or other customers. Websites are a lot like online brochures, and theyre just as static. And few people see them if they dont know what to look for or if the business doesnt rank high on search engines. Established social media platforms allow the types of engagement that animate social media marketing. They let businesses start a conversation with a prospective customer that could lead to a sale. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Building foundations Marketing begins when a business identifies the target market and plans how to reach the people who populate it. Social media marketing accentuates the social part of that relationship. Unlike other types of business marketing, however, social media isnt the place to come on strong with a sales pitch; most people dont check Facebook or LinkedIn accounts because theyre starved for commercial advertising. People visit social media sites to converse and connect, just as they mingle at networking events to meet potential clients, collaborators or mentors. So a businesss social media face has to be friendly and genuine. And it has to be consistent. If a business launches a Facebook page but the most recent post is five years old, customers will assume the business is defunct, doesnt care about nurturing its social media audience or doesnt know how to use this powerful outreach tool. Fortunately, a business can reboot its social media marketing at any time. If it has too many profiles to keep up with them all, it can downsize to a manageable number striving for quality over quantity. If the business hasnt identified its audience, it can get clarity, decide what to say to followers, and plan how to stay in touch. For example, a coffee shop can use Facebook to share stories about special events it is having or invite people to observe its unique brewing process. A nonprofit can use LinkedIn to invite other businesses to cosponsor a local event or create a strategic partnership. A photographer can share images on Instagram and link followers to her online store. Training available The nonprofit WESST is sponsoring a workshop called Social Media Marketing with Facebook and Instagram to help business owners launch or upgrade their online profile. The eight-week workshop, which uses Facebook-led curriculum that was highlighted in the Facebook Community Boost event held in 2017 in Albuquerque, meets from noon to 2 p.m. one day a week starting Thursday. The event will be held live at the WESST Enterprise Center on Broadway Blvd in Albuquerque and simulcast to other WESST offices, including Rio Rancho and Roswell. Workshop participants will learn how to use these two popular platforms to create pages that showcase the business and attract customer traffic, and theyll learn how to create ad campaigns that support these social media pages. Visit https://www.wesst.org/training/ for more information. Finance New Mexico connects individuals and businesses with skills and funding resources for their business or idea. To learn more, go to www.FinanceNewMexico.org. Nikole Stanfield, who manages social media for the Finance New Mexico project, can be reached on Facebook at @FinanceNewMexico or @WebCopySpecialist. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... FARMINGTON A Farmington nonprofit organization has been awarded a $5 million federal grant to recruit qualified individuals to teach at one of six school districts in the state. The Three Rivers Education Foundation received the five-year grant from the Teacher Quality Partnership Grant Program at the U.S. Department of Education. The Three Rivers Teacher Quality Partnership is recruiting 45 participants to earn a masters degree in education from Eastern New Mexico University, then complete three years of teaching at one of the designated districts. Participants could teach at the Bloomfield School District, the Central Consolidated School District, Clovis Municipal Schools, Cuba Independent Schools, the Farmington Municipal School District and Taos Municipal Schools. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Police produced six personnel of CTD involved in Sahiwal incident Police on Sunday produced the six personnel of Counter Terrorism Department allegedly involved in Sahiwal incident in the duty magistrates court in Sahiwal. The court, on the request of investigation officer, ordered to send the suspects to jail for identification parade. The suspects would be produced before the court after one week. Meanwhile, the joint investigation team (JIT) probing into the killings would arrive at the yousaf wala police station on Monday to start its investigations. It is pertinent to mention here that Khalil, a resident of Kot Lakhpat, Lahore, his wife Nabeela and their 13-year-old daughter Areeba were killed in the firing on their car by the counter terrorism department (CTD) personnel on a highway in the Qadirabad area of Sahiwal district on Jan 19. Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC), on January 24, had summoned the Sahiwal Joint Investigation Team (JIT) head along with the incidents report. Punjab govt seeks public help in Sahiwal shooting probe A single judge bench headed by LHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan was hearing a petition, seeking a judicial probe into the tragic incident where four members of a family and an alleged terrorist were killed by Punjab Counter Terrorism Department personnel in Sahiwal on Jan 19. The Punjab government on Sunday sought assistance from people for evidence on the Sahiwal shooting incident. Following the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) on the alleged encounter, the provincial authorities have now appealed to the masses requesting their cooperation in probing into the deadly incident. In Sahiwal tragedy, Strong evidence of drivers links to terrorists found, as per govts stance. Anyone with solid evidence or leads is requested to come forward, advertisements put up around the city read. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. New Mexicos Mescalero Apache School has been named state winner in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest because of its unique solution to inspire change. The nationwide competition is designed to spark enthusiasm in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects by encouraging teachers and students to solve community issues with STEM skills, organizers said in a news release. The winning project aimed to address food insecurity on the reservation; it was submitted by Nate Raynor, a teacher at Mescalero Apache School, and his students. Each state winner receives $20,000 in technology and a Samsung kit to create a video to showcase each project. Subsequent winners then can advance to the next phase, and win additional prizes and educational opportunities. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The Mescalero Apache School problem is as follows: In Native American communities, particularly those located on rural reservations, elderly tribal members are more likely to live in poverty and therefore lack access to healthy foods. To address the issue, they proposed building a solar-powered Aquaponic system to grow vegetables and to work with the tribal fish hatchery to stock trout to provide food for elderly people on the reservation. Food insecurity is a serious problem not only on Mescalero Apache Reservation, but other tribes throughout New Mexico, student Shylo Cochise-Klinkole, project co-leader and vice president of the Mescalero Apache School STEM Group, told the Journal in an email. We are learning how to grow vegetables without the use of soil and non-renewable sources, she said. Aquaponic is the way to go and we hope to carry this ideal to other tribes in New Mexico. Working with Mescalero Apache Fish Hatchery and DonorChoose.org, we have secured funding for a solar panel and now, with winning the Samsung state award, we can continue with our dreams of providing vegetables to Mescalero Apache elders, Raynor said. Our STEM programs have grown in the past three years from 10 students to over 25 students to date, he said, adding, this is our second Samsung State award, our first was to develop used cooking oil and turn it into biofuel. The school just outside Mescalero is between Ruidoso and Tularosa. The 50 state winners will now compete to become one of 10 national finalists to attend a pitch event in the spring where they will present their projects to a panel of judges. For reaching that level, seven schools will receive a $50,000 Samsung technology package and the other three will progress to the national winner stage. The three national winners will each receive a $100,000 Samsung tech package. We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Registering to vote isnt hard to do in New Mexico. You can register in person or online, when you apply for a drivers license or an ID card, by mail, telephone or in person. You can fill out the form at your county clerks office. Advocacy groups will register you at events around the state. Voting isnt hard either. We have early and absentee voting. In some places, all you have to do is drop by the county clerks office to vote early. You can get an absentee ballot and vote by mail. Enough people did that in the southern part of the state to affect the District 2 congressional race last November. On Election Day, there are voter convenience centers so you dont have to track down your precinct anymore. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ In other words, it takes minimal thought and effort to participate in the political process. Yet the state Legislature is never shy about offering solutions in search of problems. This session bills have been introduced to make registering even easier but should it be? Lawmakers would better serve New Mexicans by finally opening primaries and ending disenfranchisement of around 20 percent of registered voters who Decline To State a party. Here are some of the bills that would make N.M.s already lenient voting laws too lenient: House Bill 57, sponsored by Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque, would allow felons to vote while in prison. Supporters say it would allow felons to maintain their ties to the community, ease their transition into society and eliminate trouble getting back on voter rolls after release. But New Mexico Statute 31-13-1 says felons can have their voting rights restored if they have completed their sentences, fulfilled probation requirements and paid any restitution and court costs. Ensuring that process is working is what lawmakers should focus on. Felons are incarcerated for a reason punishment for crimes committed against society. Prosecutors and other opponents argue the right to vote should be forfeited until theyve paid their debt to society. We agree. House Bill 86, sponsored by Daymon Ely, D-Corrales; Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces; and Debra M. Sarinana, Patricia Roybal Caballero and Joy Garratt, all D-Albuquerque; would allow people to register on Election Day or at early election sites right before casting a ballot. We favor easy access to the polls, but we want voters to be informed before they get there. A person shouldnt go to cast a ballot on a last-minute whim it should be a deliberate action. Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver says the state is able to handle same-day registration. But recent problems in Dona Ana County and other places put that in question. Adding registration to Election Day duties could open the door for error at best and voting-day roundups of uninformed voters and fraud at worst. Under the current system, registration ends 28 days before Election Day. In some communities, thats only a couple of days before early voting and absentee voting begin, a pretty big window that seems more than fair. And it doesnt suppress turnout. There were record-breaking early vote totals for a nonpresidential election year in November, total turnout hit 698,976 ballots, 55.4 percent. House Bill 84 would automatically register a person to vote when they get their drivers license or ID at the Motor Vehicle Division unless they specifically opt out. When it comes to registering to vote, shouldnt we opt in instead? There should be some thought put in to registering to vote as well as the action itself. How hard is it to be asked the question and check the box? Looking for ways to make the political process accessible is a noble goal. But rather than taking all thought out of registering to vote, lawmakers should put some thought into finally providing access to voters who have made the effort and are denied the right to cast ballots every primary. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... SAN DIEGO No mas! I cant take any more sob stories about government workers going without paychecks during a shutdown that just passed the 30-day mark. The preferred media spin is that 800,000 federal workers were held hostage by political gridlock. Wrong. These people were not hostages. They were volunteers. No one forced them to work for the federal government. My problem isnt with the workers. Its with the false narrative. It looks like a breadline out of the Depression, people standing out waiting in the cold to get their soup or sandwich, said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Really? In the Great Depression, the nations unemployment rate hit an all-time high in 1933 24.9 percent. Today, its 3.9 percent. Youre right, Senator. Its the same thing. News footage showed a protester marching in front of a building in Manhattan holding a sign, stamped with a union label, that read: We want to work! I thought to myself: Then why arent you working? If you did more of what some of your colleagues are doing substitute teaching, driving for Uber, doing temp jobs, etc. and less marching, youd be better off. Im 51, and Ive been working since I was 13. My grandmother owned a clothing store, and I pitched in on Sunday mornings. I also worked as a busboy and took orders in a restaurant owned by a family friend before I was old enough to get a drivers permit. During my college years, I stacked 40-lb. boxes of fruit in a packing house and later worked for a federal judge and had about a dozen jobs in between. Where I grew up in the farmland of Central California, work is sacred. My Mexican-born grandfather picked fruit, and he showed up to the fields a half-hour early out of gratitude for the work. Back home, people have two or three jobs. Decades before anyone talked about a side hustle, the folks I grew up with lined up extra work on nights and weekends just to make ends meet. The concept of work isnt as complicated as some people make it. With unemployment at a historic low, theres a job for those who want to work. Unless you think some jobs are beneath you. Maybe you think your time is especially valuable, like the handyman who, several years ago, wanted to charge me $75 per hour to stain a fence. Perhaps you agree with FBI Agents Association President Tom OConnor, who arrogantly said: FBI agents should not have to go work at the store stacking shelves because they cant feed their families on their government job. Oh, because FBI agents are special? I assume that OConnor hasnt followed the news over the last two years. The bureau has so many self-inflicted wounds, it could apply for medical leave. Even so, a lot of people would still like to work for the federal government. The benefits are great. The hours are decent. And the job security is enviable. Thats largely why these jobs are sought after and hard to get, like membership in an exclusive club. (The White House and Congressional Democrats announced an end to the shutdown Friday and) that furloughed government workers will (receive) back pay for the days they missed. Does your private-sector job work that way? Mine dont. I use the plural because I have five of them. Youre thinking that I lack empathy for my fellow man. Guilty. But Im not the only one. Besides, I dont remember government workers being terribly empathetic toward those of us in the private sector 10 years ago when the housing bubble burst and the recession hit. Millions of us lost jobs, homes, health benefits, retirement funds and more. Thats my tribe folks in the private sector. Let me tell you about them. I know a doctor who lost her home, an engineer who left the country and his family to find a well-paying job, a dairy farmer who lost his land to back taxes, a marketing executive who cashed out his 401(k) after being laid off, a private-school teacher who goes without health insurance, and too many out-of-work journalists to count. They all live paycheck to paycheck. So its hard to feel sorry for furloughed workers who have jobs to go back to and back pay to collect and a comfortable pension in retirement. Were told that, during the shutdown, many of these folks had to tap into their savings. Im sure I speak for many in my tribe of private-sector workers when I say: What are savings? E-mail ruben@rubennavarrette.com. This column was updated to reflect the end of the shutdown. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... WASHINGTON Contrary to legend, Marie Antoinette probably never actually said let them eat cake. The Trump administration said it loud and clear, though, to government workers who went more than a month without a paycheck. I dont really quite understand why unpaid employees are resorting to food pantries and other forms of charity, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC on Thursday. They should just take out loans from banks or credit unions to pay for necessities, he advised. Of course theyd have to pay some interest, but theres no reason why some institution wouldnt be willing to lend. Ross, who is a billionaire, should try supporting a family on less than $45,000 a year, like most Transportation Security Administration airport agents do. He would be shocked to learn that banks do not treat every prospective borrower the same. Where is the red carpet? Why are rose petals not being strewn in my path? What do you mean by no? At least Ross didnt advise unpaid employees to do what President Trump did whenever his real-estate schemes threatened to collapse in ruin: Borrow millions of dollars from Dad. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Meanwhile, National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow told a reporter that federal employees who were forced to work without pay were volunteering. The truth is, of course, that if they didnt work, they would lose their jobs. This is the heartless, clueless worldview with which Republicans in Congress have aligned themselves. They demonstrate no sympathy whatsoever for the 800,000 government employees plus hundreds of thousands of contract workers who were made to suffer because Trump does not understand how the Constitution works. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is teaching the president, but hes a slow learner. Trump got his latest lesson Wednesday when he sent Pelosi a letter arrogantly demanding that he be allowed to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday in the House chamber as originally scheduled. He was, in effect, daring Pelosi to follow through on her threat to postpone the speech until the government was reopened. Pelosis response reminded me of another San Francisco enforcer, the fictional Dirty Harry, who told miscreants: Make my day. She gave Trump formal notice that she will not take the formal steps necessary to arrange the speech, period, until the shutdown is over. End of discussion. Trump grumbled about how Pelosi or Nancy, as I call her doesnt want the American people to hear the truth, and he had made defiant noises about giving the speech in some alternate venue. But finally he crumpled like a cheap suit, accepting Pelosis decision that the address will take place after the shutdown ends. Thats her prerogative, he acknowledged. Just as he threatened not to surrender over the speech, Trump insisted he would never cave on his demand that Congress give him $5.7 billion for a border wall. As I said, hes a slow learner. A deal that would let him claim some measure of victory has always been available. The only question is how much more political damage he wants to do to himself and his party before he takes it. Leading Democrats have strongly indicated that they are willing to give Trump $5.7 billion for border security. Some portion of that money could be vaguely earmarked for barriers and fencing allowing Trump to tell his base that Congress gave him money for his border wall, and Democrats to say they did no such thing. This would be a great deal for Trump because and I cant say this often enough the big, beautiful wall that he ridiculously promised during the campaign is totally unfeasible and will never be built, much less paid for by Mexico. And it would be a great deal for the president because the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to decide how public money is spent. All Trump accomplished with the shutdown is to send his approval numbers lower, even as measured by friendly pollsters such as Rasmussen. And if the government had remained closed much longer, he would have been hanging millstones around the necks of Republican senators who must run for re-election in 2020. The fact that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell emerged from hiding told me he was ready to end this farce. He should start by explaining to Trump that the president doesnt always get his way and that instead of referring to Pelosi as Nancy, he really ought to try Madam Speaker. E-mail eugenerobinson@washpost.com. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... After receiving the APS Mill Levies and Bond Election overview in the mail, I checked my property tax assessments and taxes over the last 10 years and can only come to one conclusion APS has distributed Fake News to a significant fraction of the voters. APS, in its overview pamphlet, suggests it is burdened by the increase in construction costs that have occurred over the last five years. When I examine my home assessment increase over the last five years, it has increased by exactly 12.55 percent, which more than covers the claimed construction-cost increases. What radical thinking took place within APS before asking voters for multiple mill levy increases? When private companies are faced with serious revenue issues and cant seem to look out of their box and find a solution, they hire outside consultants who have no vested interest in the current way of doing business. Has this been tried by APS? APS, in the overview pamphlet, suggests that assessed value of property has increased on average over the last 10 years by 2.7 percent. Once again, according to my detailed records, that is far from my truth. Over the last 10 years, my personal property assessment has increased by 18.2 percent, not 2.7 percent. Over the last 12 years, I have seen the maximum 3 percent assessment increase in eight of those years. APS does not mention the additional revenue generated by home sales within the district since assessments for the next year after sale are at market value. Also, APS does not mention all the new revenue due to recent construction acceleration, (and) Bernalillo (County) home sales had a banner year in 2018. APS states in the mailing that Every School in the district will benefit from the passage of the Mill Levies and Bond Election. APS school enrollment has been declining, yet APS is asking for a very major increase in capital funding. Has APS benchmarked its costs against other school districts in metropolitan counties in other states to identify a lower operational cost target for the future? Has APS ever suggested a vision that is less brick and mortar, or perhaps best-in-class? Would it not be wiser to invest in higher bandwidth connectivity so that students at one school can participate in the classroom at another school, and benefit by their exposure to teachers that are both gifted subject matter experts and skilled in being able to convey the importance of education to the masses? The national laboratories in New Mexico have been developing and refining security models for many decades and have been influential in helping other agencies choose the most cost effect investment. Has the leadership of APS had any discussions with the national labs? Fencing, locks, cameras, electronic card access and secure entry vestibules will provide no improvement in security against an insider student, teacher or employee threat! ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ APS (also) makes it sound like increased tariffs has been the environment they have been living with over the last 10 years. I believe the effects of building material tariffs has only been felt in the last 12 months, and if the tariffs disappear because an agreement is reached between China and the United States in the next six months, will APS reduce the mill levy assessment rate for all property owners? Finally, APS, I would like to know more about the control of all existing capital assets. How tight is inventory control? How much capital loss occurs each year, and what has been done to reduce loss? How well is excess capital at one school made available to schools with shortages? Has (the district taken advantage of) excess property computers, servers, etc. released each year by the national labs and other government agencies? I would like to see all the innovative measures taken over the last 10 years to avoid asking for a mill levies and bond increase! I ask each of the property owners in Bernalillo County to look at your property assessments and property tax bill over the last 10 years. For those of you who feel 1) the Mill Levies & Bond Election Overview Bulletin facts do not match your increased property tax burden over the last 10 years, or 2) that APS has not shown leadership with regard to containing capital costs, or 3) APS should be a better steward of taxpayer dollars, please go vote NO for all three proposed ballot initiatives! .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Mixed feelings both encouraged and discouraged. Thats how McKenzie Johnson, who is Navajo, said she felt after an Albuquerque Public Schools forum Thursday night. An emotional Johnson shared her story with the crowd, recalling what happened in an English class at Cibola High School on Halloween. She was dressed like Little Red Riding Hood on that day, but she said her English teacher, Mary Eastin, asked if she was a bloody Indian. Johnson also remembers the sound of the teacher cutting another Native American students braid. Eastin has since resigned. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The forum was held in response to the incident. Johnson has recounted the story before, having spoken at APS Board of Education meetings and interviewed with national news outlets. But she retold it Thursday night at the APS Native American Open Community Forum, because she said it needs to be further discussed and because she still wants an apology from Cibola High School Principal Pam Meyer. She would also like to see changes at APS. Meyer, who was also at the forum held at Paradise Hills Community Center, spoke about student safety assemblies that have been developed by Cibola students. When something hurtful happens, one of the side effects of it is the hurt and the feelings, Meyer said. We are proud of this work because this brings the students and staff together for healing. Madelyn Serna Marmol, APS assistant superintendent of equity, instruction and support, gave the group an update on culturally relevant curriculum and cultural competency teacher training coming to the district before soliciting feedback from the crowd on the programs. But ultimately Johnson said there is more to be done at APS. In particular, she wants better communication and transparency. She said the district can start with advertising the forums. She noted that she hadnt been aware of the forum until she read about it in the newspaper. And as APS implements the curriculum and training efforts, she is hoping to see a continuous dialogue with Native American community input and current updates from the district. Moving forward, she said she hopes APS puts plans in place to respond quickly to future cultural assault in schools. A push for APS to do more was the theme of the public comment period. Some community members called on the district to set aside funding to make changes sustainable. Others said the training and curriculum changes were Band-Aid solutions and APS needed to work on structural changes and screen teachers better. The community became heated when Kristin Cunnar argued theres too much white hatred and encouraged people to think about long-term effects before calling someone racist. But ultimately it ended without incident. Another forum is planned for March in the Northeast Heights. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... WASHINGTON In the years first test of divided government, give round one to Nancy Pelosi. And it wasnt really competitive. When the record 35-day partial federal shutdown began before Christmas, Pelosi had just won a vote-by-vote struggle for enough Democratic support to become House speaker. To secure that job, the 78-year-old House veteran had to overcome critics arguments that she had been party leader for too long and wasnt Democrats best bet to appeal to diverse, social media savvy audiences. By the time President Donald Trump capitulated Friday, ending the shutdown, Pelosi had burnished her image as the shrewd, steely and unquestioned leader of her party. That makes her a formidable opponent in what looms as a perilous two years for the White House before the 2020 election. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ She had kept Democrats united as public pressure built to end the standoff. And she stood up to Trump repeatedly, challenging his intelligence (Lets give him to time to think it oh, think, did I say think?) and even exercising her power as speaker to block him from using the House chamber to deliver a State of the Union address planned for Tuesday. Trump found out that Pelosi is no pushover, said former Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., who once headed the House GOP campaign organization. Backers celebrated her triumph by repeatedly reposting a month-old video of an unruffled Pelosi emerging from a televised Oval Office confrontation with Trump, coolly easing sunglasses onto her face and striding toward reporters. Ive heard people say to me, It looks like we really did elect the right person as speaker,' Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., said days before Trumps surrender. Pelosi demurred when asked whether the shutdown had been a test between herself and Trump. I dont see this as any power play, she told reporters Friday. But actually, it unmistakably was a contest between Washingtons two power centers, each gauging the others tenacity and smarts. In a city where perception begets influence, Pelosi clearly emerged with the upper hand. That could set the tone for skirmishes ahead, including investigations that the Democratic-led House, armed with subpoena power, plans into Trumps businesses and his 2016 presidential campaigns connections to Russia. @SpeakerPelosi should give the State of the Union since shes obviously the one running the country, tweeted Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif. Immediately ahead is the still unresolved question of how much money, if any, Congress gives him to build the wall he along the U.S.-Mexico border. The short-term bill that Trump signed Friday reopening government will lapse Feb. 15. With three weeks to find a border security compromise, Republicans are using that agreement as a test of Pelosis credibility. Trust is earned, & Washington can use more of it. POTUS trusted Sen Schumer & Spkr Pelosi & the promise that we can negotiate border security funding in the next 3 weeks, tweeted Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. He referred to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and used the acronym for president of the United States. House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California insisted that Trump had not surrendered. No. He knows the American people are hurting. He put the American people first, so they can get paid. Three weeks to negotiate, he said in a brief interview. Pelosis upward trajectory during the shutdown contrasted with Trumps, which plunged in the opposite direction. The president abruptly rejected a deal on Dec. 19 that would have temporarily averted a shutdown and given bargainers time to seek a border security deal. GOP and Democratic congressional leaders believed he had accepted that agreement and were stunned when he reneged under criticism from conservative pundits. On Friday, Trump accepted the same offer. But in the interim, he endured numerous self-inflicted wounds. Polls showed voters blamed largely him for the shutdown. His favorability ratings plummeted and he faced a near rebellion from GOP senators, who bluntly told Vice President Mike Pence a day before Trump yielded that it was time to end the standoff. Trump was further hurt by endless stories about the tribulations of the 800,000 federal workers going without pay and countless others missing needed government services, plus comments by high-ranking administration officials that made those officials seem unfeeling about the suffering. Things spiraled dangerously Friday amid a snowballing shortage of air traffic controllers that snarled airports in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, raising questions about safety. All that for an agreement that contains no guarantee Pelosi and her fellow Democrats will provide a dime for Trumps wall, which Pelosi has called immoral and has said Congress will not finance. Trump remains hopeful, tweeting Saturday that only fools, or people with a political agenda do not want a wall or steel barrier. It will happen. History shows that over the past quarter-century, voters generally dont punish candidates for shutdowns. This one occurred nearly two full years before the 2020 elections, leaving time for other events and issues to dominate when Trump runs for re-election and House and Senate control are at stake. Even so, after the performances by Pelosi and Trump, it was Republicans who seemed more concerned about the potential reverberations. Asked if the shutdown was worth it, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said, I dont think theyre ever a good idea. The answer to your question probably has to be, Well see what happens.' ___ EDITORS NOTE Associated Press writer Alan Fram has covered Washington policy and politics, including Congress, since 1987. ___ AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro and Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor contributed to this report. An AP News Analysis .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... BRUMADINHO, Brazil Brazilian rescue crews returned to mud-covered flats Sunday to resume the search for hundreds of people missing in the wake of a dam collapse after the operation was suspended for several hours over fears that a second dam was at risk of breach. The Civil Defense office in Minais Gerais state raised the confirmed death toll to 58, with up to 300 people still missing following the avalanche of iron ore waste from a mine Friday. Earlier Sunday, authorities stopped the search and evacuated several neighborhoods in the southeastern city of Brumadinho that were within range of the second B6 dam owned by the Brazilian mining company Vale. An estimated 24,000 people were told to get to higher ground, but by the afternoon civil engineers said the second dam was no longer at risk. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Get out searching! a woman yelled at firefighters near a refugee set up in the center of Brumadinho. They could be out there in the bush. Areas of water-soaked mud appeared to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable. Late Sunday, more than 100 Israeli soldiers and other personnel arrived with plans to join rescue and recovery efforts Monday. Even before the brief suspension of rescue efforts, hope that loved ones had survived a tsunami of iron ore mine waste from Fridays dam collapse was turning to anguish and anger over the increasing likelihood that many of the missing had died. There was also mounting anger at Vale and questions about an apparent lack of an alarm system Friday. Caroline Steifeld, who was evacuated, said she heard warning sirens Sunday, but no such alert on the day the dam collapsed. I only heard shouting, people saying to get out. I had to run with my family to get to higher ground, but there was no siren, she said, adding that a cousin was still unaccounted for. Several others made similar complaints when interviewed by The Associated Press. In an email, Vale told the AP that the area has eight sirens in the area, but the speed in which the event happened made sounding an alarm impossible in the dam that collapsed. Im angry. There is no way I can stay calm, Sonia Fatima da Silva said as she tried to get information about her son, who had worked at Vale for 20 years. My hope is that they be honest. I want news, even if its bad. Da Silva said she last spoke to her son before he went to work Friday, when around midday a dam holding back mine waste collapsed, sending waves of mud for kilometers (miles) and burying much in its path. She was one of dozens of people in Brumadinho who desperately awaited word on their loved ones. Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais state, said that by now most recovery efforts will entail pulling out bodies. The flow of waste reached the nearby community of Vila Ferteco and an occupied Vale administrative office. It buried buildings to their rooftops and an extensive field of the mud cut off roads. Some residents barely escaped with their lives. I saw all the mud coming down the hill, snapping the trees as it descended. It was a tremendous noise, said a tearful Simone Pedrosa, from the neighborhood of Parque Cachoeira, 5 miles (8 kilometers) from where the dam collapsed. Pedrosa, 45, and her parents dashed to their car and drove to the highest point in the neighborhood. If we had gone down the other direction, we would have died, Pedrosa said. I cannot get that noise out of my head, she said. Its a trauma Ill never forget. In addition to the dead, 23 people were hospitalized, according to the Minas Gerais fire department. There had been some signs of hope earlier Saturday when authorities found 43 more people alive. For many, hope was evaporating. I dont think he is alive, said Joao Bosco, speaking of his cousin, Jorge Luis Ferreira, who worked for Vale. Right now, I can only hope for a miracle. Vanilza Sueli Oliveira described the wait for news of her nephew as distressing, maddening. Time is passing, she said. Its been 24 hours already. I just dont want to think that he is under the mud. The rivers of mining waste also raised fears of widespread environmental contamination and degradation. According to Vales website, the waste is composed mostly of sand and is non-toxic. However, a U.N. report found that the waste from a similar disaster in 2015 contained high levels of toxic heavy metals. Over the weekend, state courts and the justice ministry in the state of Minas Gerais froze about $3 billion from Vale assets for state emergency services and told the company to report on how they would help the victims. Neither the company nor authorities had reported why the dam failed, but Attorney General Raquel Dodge promised to investigate it, saying someone is definitely at fault. Dodge noted there are 600 mines in the state of Minas Gerais alone that are classified as being at risk of rupture. Another dam administered by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton collapsed in 2015 in the city of Mariana in the same state of Minas Gerais, resulting in 19 deaths and forcing hundreds from their homes. Considered the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history, it left 250,000 people without drinking water and killed thousands of fish. An estimated 60 million cubic meters of waste flooded nearby rivers and eventually flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Sueli de Oliveira Costa, who hadnt heard from her husband since Friday, had harsh words for the mining company. Vale destroyed Mariana and now theyve destroyed Brumadinho, she said. The Folia de S.Paulo newspaper reported Saturday that the dams mining complex was issued an expedited license to expand in December due to decreased risk. Conservation groups in the area alleged that the approval was unlawful. On Twitter, new Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said his government would do everything it could to prevent more tragedies like Mariana and now Brumadinho. The far-right leader campaigned on promises to jump-start Brazils economy, in part by deregulating mining and other industries. Environmental groups and activists said the latest spill underscored the lack of environmental regulation in Brazil, and many promised to fight any further deregulation. Marina Silva, a former environmental minister and presidential candidate, said such tragedies should be deemed heinous crimes, and that Congress should bear part of the blame for not toughening regulations and enforcement. ___ Associated Press writer Marcelo Silva de Sousa reported this story in Brumadinho and AP writer Peter Prengaman reported from Arraial do Cabo, Brazil. AP photographer Leo Correa contributed to this report from Brumadinho. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. You are reading a column about tax law. Dont deny it I caught you. Lets focus on why. To begin, as one who has chosen a career others define as boring that of a CPA I have been further dismissed as one in a subfield that is even more boring. Boring squared, so to speak. When asked why I study, and write about, and speak about tax law, I respond that I find it intellectually challenging and personally satisfying. And maybe, just maybe, there is some evidence to support my claims. I already provided one I write a tax column every week, and you, at least sometimes, read it. Every campaign for president is required to address tax policy. Do you want higher taxes? Lower taxes? My opponent wants to tax [fill in targeted group, industry, or entire country]! Economists study how costs affect business and personal decision making and they love to discuss taxes. Taxes affect everyone and every business and therefore provide a petri dish of things for economists to study. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ In the recent movie about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her husband Marty is heard at a party explaining how taxes reflect our values as a society. Marty Ginsburg was a famous tax attorney. I dont know if he ever said such words at a party, but I am certain that he, like all good tax professionals, thought them. Tax is not a boring subject precisely because the way that we tax things does reflect our collective values. In the long run. In the short run, a tax may reflect the narrow values of a group that persuaded Congress to pass a law. But such narrow thoughts eventually are steamrolled by the power of our collective thoughts. The Ginsburg movie chose to focus on such an issue. It highlighted RBGs involvement in the case of Charles Moritz, a single man living in Denver who took in his mother in 1958 when she refused to go to a nursing home. Moritz traveled extensively for work. He could not stay at home with his mother. So in 1961, he hired a caretaker to oversee her care. He claimed a tax deduction for the cost of the caretaker. The IRS challenged his 1968 tax return for the deduction. The law was squarely on the IRS side. It allowed a deduction for expenses paid for the care of a dependent if the care was required to allow the taxpayer to be employed. Sounds like Charles Moritz. But no. Women were allowed to claim this deduction. So too were widowers (thats a man). So too were husbands with an incapacitated or institutionalized wife. The law broadly defined widower to include an unmarried man who was divorced. But not a man who had never been married. Not Charles Moritz. This law was upheld by the Tax Court. But it was struck down in 1972 by the 10th Circuit as being unconstitutional. Whatever values led to the enactment of that law were no longer the values of the country in 1972. RBG argued Moritz on appeal. And 41 years later, RBG joined a 5-4 majority decision in Edith Windsors tax case before the Supreme Court. What was Edith Windsors tax issue? Windsor was in a same-sex marriage. Her partner died, and Windsor tried to claim the unlimited exemption allowed by the estate tax for transfers to a surviving spouse. The IRS denied her exemption because federal law said same-sex marriage could not be recognized. Charles Moritzs gender discrimination case involved a tax law. Edith Windsors sexual orientation-based discrimination case involved a tax law. How you feel about either case as an individual is not important to the point of this column. The point is that the tax law affects us all. It pervades our lives and our communities. And so it must, eventually, to stand unchanged or unchallenged, reflect our collective values. And thats a fascinating part of studying tax law. People often miss that. They think we listen to presidential candidates discuss tax policy out of personal greed and some do. But others listen for social justice. And in the end, our collective values are reflected even in tax laws. Jim Hamill is the director of Tax Practice at Reynolds, Hix & Co. in Albuquerque. He can be reached at jimhamill@rhcocpa.com. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... I watched with horror the video coverage of the Jan. 18 gasoline line explosion that took place in Tlahuelilpan, Mexico, in the state of Hidalgo, north of Mexico City. At the time of this writing, 109 people have been confirmed dead. The Mexican government has reported that the line was breached by people stealing gasoline. Mexico has long struggled with thieves who steal gasoline from these lines and sell the product on the black market. This has been a common practice in Mexico. It has been reported that from January through October 2018, fuel lines have been illegally broken into 12,581 times, or more than 40 times per day by gasoline thieves. Less than a month ago, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador addressed this problem by ordering the shutdown of gasoline lines in areas that have been hit the hardest. He is promising the creation of more storage tanks that can be a more efficient and protected distribution system throughout the country, and be better-guarded. However, this action has caused outages and may cause more attempted gasoline thefts with tragic consequences such as those in Tlahuelilpan, which has had its lines breached 10 times in the past three months alone. As fuel becomes scarcer, people result to more extreme methods to access this resource. It is estimated that the fuel thefts amount to the equivalent of more than $3 billion of losses for Pemex, the state-owned petroleum company. The Mexican army has been sent to protect the fuel lines in regions around Mexico, but it has not been able or willing to crack down on the escalating thefts. In many instances, outnumbered Mexican soldiers have been threatened or physically assaulted by mobs that are intent on stealing gasoline. AMLO is in a tight spot trying to stop illegal gas thefts, while putting a large portion of the population at risk by not having access to fuel. This is not only an economic problem, but one of survival for more vulnerable Mexican citizens. I frequently used to visit the region in which Tlahuelilpan lies when I was in Mexico City, and I know the region well. To see the destruction wreaked upon this small town is hard to take. I would imagine that the Mexican government will have to shut down the section of pipe flowing through Tlahuelilpan for repairs or to intentionally stop gasoline thefts for the foreseeable future. This will further exacerbate the gasoline shortage problem and make life miserable for more people. AMLO was elected president on a platform of improving the lives of Mexican citizens, especially the poorer ones. A key element to his platform was weeding out corruption. The gasoline theft problem is not solely vested on the ground level via desperate villagers. It stretches from the highest levels of Pemex to local government officials and businessmen, to the person on the street who simply wants to pay a discounted price of black-market gasoline or possibly nothing at all. What is happening is reflective of the deep-seated corruption that AMLO faces not just in this particular industry, but in other sectors of the Mexican economy. Since the appropriation of the Mexican petroleum industry in 1938 by then-President Lazaro Cardenas, Pemex has always been referred to as the peoples company. However, it has always been held with distrust by millions of Mexicans who have seen scandal after scandal related to the operations of this behemoth. And now, apparently many Mexicans are taking the term peoples company literally by helping themselves to actual company products. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Ive read reports that estimate that corruption in Mexico robs the nation of at least one percentage point of GDP annually. While that doesnt sound like a lot, one has to consider that Mexico, with a $1.2 trillion GDP, ranks 15 on the list of the worlds largest economies. A loss of one percent due to corruption robs the nation of billions of dollars that it could be using to build infrastructure to bolster the economy and provide better healthcare and education for its citizens. Reducing corruption in Mexico is not something that happens overnight, and many scoffed at AMLO when he put an emphasis on this during his campaign. It will take years, not months or even one presidential term, to accomplish this task. There is probably no better place to start and make a strong statement than attacking corruption in Pemex and in gas distribution throughout the country. Unfortunately, as many Mexicans who are experiencing fuel shortages know firsthand, it will also be painful. Jerry Pacheco is the executive director of the International Business Accelerator, a nonprofit trade counseling program of the New Mexico Small Business Development Centers Network. He can be reached at 575-589-2200 or at jerry@nmiba.com. Pakistan delegation arrived in New Delhi A three-member Pakistani delegation arrived in New Delhi on Sunday to inspect hydropower projects at Chenab river basin under the Indus Waters Treaty. The delegation of experts headed by Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters Syed Mehr Ali Shah entered India via the Wagah Border. Other members are Joint Commissioner Usman Ghani and NESPAK Engineer Mehmood Hayat. They will inspect water projects on Chenab river, mainly the 1,000MW Pakal Dul and 48MW Lower Kalnai. Mehar Ali Shah and Indian Indus Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Saxena along with their respective aides will undertake the tour in Chenab basin of Jammu and Kashmir. Prior to the departure from Lahore, Shah hailed the tour as a positive development for the Indus Waters Treaty, also known as the Sindh Taas Agreement. The visit for inspection of Indian hydropower projects by Pakistani experts was confirmed by Indias Commissioner for Indus Waters Pradeep Kumar Saxena through a letter earlier in January, after several postponements. The tour is an obligation imposed on both the countries by the Indus Waters Treaty 1960 between India and Pakistan. Under the treaty, both the commissioners are mandated to inspect sites and works on both the sides of Indus basin in a block of five years. Since signing of the treaty, a total of 118 such tours on both the sides have been undertaken by the commission. The last tours of the commission in Pakistan and India were held in July 2013 and September 2014, respectively. Monday kicks off week four of the Legislative Session, and there are thousands of bills to get through in just 90 days. So far in the three weeks the Legislature has heard over 300 bills, and its really heating up to be a busy week. Mondays docket for the House of Representatives includes a bill being proposed that would make the use of Styrofoam in food-related businesses illegal. This next bill could cause you to have a suspended license for six months if you were to pass a school bus illegally. In House Bill 242, a person would not be able to use their cell phone while operating a motor vehicle in a work zone. And last is House Bill 192, revising laws related to privacy in communication. Making the publication or distribution of sexual images without the consent of the person depicted a felony. On the other side of the chamber, the Senate will look to opt out of daylight-saving time. Creating Montana Standard Time. They will also be hearing a bill proposing that the Secretary of States Office will pay the postage cost for absentee ballots that are returned. by Nickolas Calabrese 1. And I, who timidly hate life, fascinatedly fear death. Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet. 2. I didnt ask to be born, yet Ive been condemned to death. Early on in Platos Phaedra, Socrates declares that its the job of the philosopher to prepare for death. Addressing Simmias and Cebes he states, I am afraid that other people do not realize that the one aim of those who practice philosophy in the proper manner is to practice for dying and death. There is something vulgarly sunny in the way he suggests it, but it also rings clearly true. What philosophers talk about when they talk about the good life is a life not regretted when it comes time to exit it. Theirs is the pursuit of truth and understanding, and our own mortality could not be a more present topic to pursue. 3. Quite a few artists are engaged in a similar investigation. Although theirs is not as pure as the philosophers, the good ones have a strong tendency to make work that both eviscerates vanity and frames mortality. By its very nature, the subject becomes the object. The countless examples of musicians, artists, poets, etc., examining the finitude of their own lives constitutes a vast list. Those who have spent time producing work in this vein are legion: from Bob Dylan to Future, from John Donne to Amiri Baraka, from Cady Noland to Andy Warhol. It comes as no surprise that ones own death is an attractive topic. After all its something that every person ever has either done or will do in their lives. Death is more common than emotions. Not all people are capable of, say, love, but everyone must die. But what artists try to do with their work is antithetical to what Socrates was defining: artists are trying to cheat death. Ill say more about this further down. 4. The work of art that takes the artists mortality as its subject can be traced at least back to the tradition of the memento mori, which is a lodestar for the artist who thinks about how to live and die virtuously; being more or less a matter of salvation. Now, you can probably interject that these artists are simply making work about death generalized and not about their own. It might be true, but there is a strange fact about death that does not ring true for other topics. You can make art about love that is informed by your own experience in love. You can make art about violence against black men by police in the US informed by your own experience as a black person in the states. You can make art about a lot of things, often informed by your experiences with them (and sure you can make artworks about things you know nothing about, but that will in all likelihood be a shitty artwork). But nobody who is making anything has experienced death. And of course we might all have experienced deaths of friends, family, strangers in our presence, but then we are confronted with the fact of the above instances. If youve never been in love but youve seen people in love, does that qualify you to make an informed piece about it? Maybe, maybe not. The idea here is that an artist, like anyone, is concerned with their own death, not yours, whoever you may be. 5. However, the artist approaches their death as a subject for a less noble reason than Socrates. I think that the artist makes work about death out of a sincere sense of anxiety, whether or not they admit it. Anxiety about death is a normative feature of being a person in general. Death = Undesirable. It is an uncontroversial statement that this is how a lot of people feel. Of course there are those who commit suicide (frequently owed to mental health disorders like depression), but that is a matter of a brain that isnt functioning as it ought to. And then there are those who look at life as just a precursor for the afterlife. Counting among its ranks most religious persuasions, but as I understand it very few are actively attempting to end their lives prematurely in order to reach the afterlife. Whether manifest or subconscious, most people do not actively seek out actual death. Of course we seek simulations, like roller coasters or role playing exercises predicated on dangerous activities that are safeguarded to ensure that nobody gets hurt (think BDSM and video games alike). I should rather have said that avoiding death is a normative condition of living life. Because, really, it is very easy to end life if one chooses. Its actually more difficult to stay alive than to become dead. 6. So why is something so easy to achieve and so common in the history of the world (everybody has died or will die at some point) so intriguing to so many artists? We all have considered our deaths, whether in that moment when you were almost hit by a car, or when youd taken a bit too much acid and felt like you might melt into a puddle on the couch. This fascination comes with the assurance that it will absolutely happen, just not now (hopefully). One of the most peculiar distinctions to be made about death is that it might not actually exist in the way we nominally think of it. Epicurus, for one, thought that to be afraid of death was absurd, since death was not an event; theres no before and after. Since you cease to exist when you die, there is nothing to be afraid of, because you cannot experience what death consists of. And while you are alive, death has not harmed you. Its not an excellent argument, but it shows a good way to frame what is at stake: our future non-existence. 7. Following in Epicurus footsteps, Lucretius tried to provide a better account of the absurdity of death. Employing the symmetry argument, he wonders why we arent full of dread for the time before we were born, as we also did not exist in that moment. Logically, for Lucretius, if we fear the time we will cease to exist, we should also fear the time prior to our existence, because it is characterized by the same state of personhood, which is nonexistence. While his account is also persuasive, it is not quite satisfactory. I dont think it is our nonexistence that people fear in general when they fear death. It is more the mystery of it all. What it will feel like to slip away from life itself, to go from everything to nothing. Will it hurt? Will there turn out to be a religious afterlife? Will I feel my essence ooze into the ether? Will I be bored? Will it be exciting? Will I see it coming or will it surprise me on a Tuesday afternoon while sipping a chai latte with almond milk? 8. Artists are invested in making things that do not exist. Otherwise they would be designers. This might be a premature thought, but that could be the primary distinction between artists and designers: designers make things for living, artists make things for dying. How does one prove that artists make things for dying? I think that there are several ways to explain this. For one, artworks have no practical purpose, no use. They did not exist before the artist invented them, and their furthered existence will be spent trying not to deteriorate (in museum collections, private collections, etc.). Furthermore, it seems that artists consider death in a structural way. What do I mean by structural? Well I mean that death provides the architecture through which we approach life. Thinking about ones death naturally raises the question of how one has lived, just as Socrates was implying. It offers a framework against which we can enact a sort of retrospective look on our life from a point in time that has yet to come. In a way, making art about ones own death is time travelling to some counterfactual future and back again. 9. Perhaps the more convincing argument to make about artists and death, is that they make artworks to cheat death in some perverse way. By making something that has a potentially large value, they are gilding their life and their reputation for a duration as long as the artwork exists. Similar to the ancient Egyptian model of being buried with jewels and gold and ornamentation of all sorts, artists seem to carry with them a desire to have their touch exist long after their death. Indeed, we are all still quite familiar with Da Vinci and Matisse. Every time one sees the works of a great master, like Caravaggios portraits of St. Matthew, they are struck by what Benjamin famously called its aura. The aura is the last bit of life left in the work, imparted by the artist as if through magic (think of the Horcruxes from the Harry Potter series). 10. Now, aesthetically, what do these artworks look like? I dont know. But I want to assure the reader that when I say artworks about death I do not mean a drawing made by the artist of their own literal death, like being struck by a taxi while crossing the street during rush hour traffic. Artworks about ones death can look like just about anything (and this is obviously true for any artwork metaphors, duh). A good example would be Cady Nolands silkscreens on aluminum, which, according to her, contained the seeds of her deepest fears. But to the naive eye they look like a beguiled preoccupation with news headlines. The things that most effectively propel us as agents in the world are either the things that we desire or the things that are anathema to our existence. We have a fixation on considering what we want our lives to be about or not about. In other words, we think about our death and worry about it with the expectation that it will help us to live the life we have. If death is a pressing subject, then we can attempt to have a fuller life as a result. 11. Certainly this is not always the case, and it might even prove to be infrequently the case. But I believe that the best of art enacts these relationships meaningfully. Thomas Nagel wrote an insightful brief essay about death called Death, and it points to something that I think a lot of artists subconsciously disagree with. In speaking about the loss of life, Nagel notes that there is an important asymmetry, where, for instance, we can speak of one person who lived to 78 as having more life than someone who died prematurely in a car accident at the age of 23. But Nagel notes that we cannot ascribe the same quantification of having more or less death. He says, If it is good to be alive, that advantage can be attributed to a person at each point of his life. It is a good of which Bach had more than Schubert, simply because he lived longer. Death, however is not an evil of which Shakespeare has so far received a larger portion than Proust. I would argue that, in a way, some people, artists especially, make work considering this idea of more or less death. 12. The manner of which I mean having more death is of course different than the literal sense that Nagel is speaking against. When I think of more death, I think of having the courage to make work that confronts mortality and a life lived more directly and more fervently, like someone of Nolands caliber. More death is simply more understanding of whats at stake. Its an approach that provides the artist with that structural way of considering life through its finitude that I pointed to above. The good philosopher practices death and the good artist cheats death. 13. And Im gonna miss everybody/and Im gonna miss everybody/when Im gone. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. by Shadab Zeest Hashmi No one knows if it was really in the state prison, the ruins of which are visible today outside the ancient Agora of Athens, that Socrates was kept during the final days before his execution, so many times has the area been destroyed and reconstructed walking past it sends a chill down my spine. Ancient Greece is visceral and vivid because it entered my imagination early in life; some of the most cherished tales of my childhood came from the crossovers of Hellenistic history and legend, such as the one in which Sikander (Alexander the Great) is accompanied by the Quranic Saint Khizr, in pursuit of aab e hayat, the elixir of immortality, or the one about the elephantry in the battle between Sikander and the Indian king Porus, or of the loss of Sikanders beloved horse Bucephalus on a riverbank not far from Lahore, the city where I was born. I became familiar with ancient Greece through classical Urdu poetry and lore as well as through my study of English literature in Pakistan, but I would read Greek philosophers in depth many years later, as a student at Reed college; I would subsequently discover Greek influence on scholars in the golden age of Muslim civilization while working on a book on al-Andalus the overlooked, key contribution of Arabic which served as a link between Greek and Latin, and its later offshoots that came to define the cultural and intellectual history of Europe. Visiting the Agora in the sweltering heat of July, I am amazed by how comfortably these ruins from over two thousand years are nestled in the modern landscaping, park benches and pavements, how familiar the patchy, intensely green grass is, the deep, somnolent shade of oaks the ancient is home once again, brought down to a childs scale, at once snug and phantasmagoric, historic and pulsating with new life. The faces of my children are flushed, they carry their maps and cameras in sweaty hands; I ache for the elders who brought me close to the richness of this world which valued learning above all; theyve passed on, the generation of my grandparents, some were family, some teachers. The world they venerated, warmed up to, and discussed, was a world none of them felt the need to visit in physical form, true to the spirit of Greek thinkers such as Socrates for whom the life of the mind was more than sufficient and fulfilling and was really the purpose of existence. I fan myself and the kids with my canvas hat as we find a tree to sit under the surrounding architecture unclutters the mind; the shapes are grid-like and the colors are vaguely reminiscent of bleached bones. We begin talking in fragments, trying to focus while dealing with the heat and mosquitos but soon we find ourselves engaged in an exciting conversation. The ancient agora was Athenss city center, a marketplace where it was common for Athenians to engage in debate and discussion, one of the prized cultural habits of the ancient Greeks, and one that was seminal to the idea of democracy but also became the undoing of some. Socrates, a proud Athenian and one of the most important and revolutionary thinkers of all times, was ironically a victim of the same democracy that was built on the principle of freedom of speech. He was tried, found guilty and put to death for asking too many questions, criticizing the religion of the ancestors and corrupting the youth. Socrates was highly critical not only of superstition in the realm of religion and culture, but also of the dogma that eclipsed the so called free-thinking, freely-speaking citizens of Athens. The quarrel that ended his life really had to do with his provocative influence against those who wielded power in the Athenian society of his time. What good is democracy he asked, if the state is vested in warships more than the welfare of the ordinary citizen? Is wealth a good thing? Can democracy build a just society? Knowledge was the ultimate virtue for Socrates, and dialogue, the finest means to it; freedom of speech, therefore, was requisite. Freedom of speech also recalls the ethos of ilm or knowledge as a divine path in Sufism, one that is not afraid to ask questions frowned upon by the clergy. Many Sufis got into trouble for provoking orthodoxy and the establishment with their questioning. Not unlike Socrates, they brought the sacred down from the heavens to a pedestrian scale, by seeking to make virtue a livable ideal and to access the divine through ilm as well as the supreme value of Ishq or devotional love. Ignorance is the only evil, Socrates famously said, and that the unexamined life is not worth living. He favored knowledge over the religion of his times because he thought it was the best guide to the understanding of the human good in a universal sense. Though Socrates never articulated his faith in a divine being in the way the Sufis did (and all his articulations were in fact recorded by pupils, never written down by himself), his lifelong, utter devotion comes close to the idea of Ishq, especially vivid in the accounts of his last moments, when he held the cup of hemlock and drank with a steady, unflinching hand, even as his followers were in the throes of grief. His calm acceptance of death shows his faith in that genuine pursuit of the truth which for the Sufis is the consummation of devotional love. Socrates died at the age of seventy, here in the ancient Agora, probably a few feet from where I find myself now. But it was also here that he spent most of his life. As a child he pondered what it meant for his mother to be a midwifeher work was to free the baby from its mothers womb; he keenly observed his father, a sculptor, free the true shape imprisoned inside stone. For Sufis too, the truth is always concealed, waiting to be uncovered, set free of our ignorance through ilm, but mystery becomes equally beautiful and inspiring as knowledge when viewed with Ishq. Wonder, Socrates said, is the beginning of wisdom. In his last moments, as the hemlock began to take effect, Socrates remained tranquil, quite himself, and was even quoted saying mundane things; he had embraced the mystery of death: The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our separate ways, I to die, and you to live. Which of these two is better only God knows. Pakistan closed its consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif Pakistan closed its consulate in Afghanistans Mazar-e-Sharif after a woman tried to take a hand grenade into the premises, the Foreign Office said on Sunday. The suspect had concealed the explosives in her personal bag, the Foreign Office said in a statement, adding that the suspect was taken into custody by Afghan authorities with a probe underway to bring to book those behind the failed terrorist attack. Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul has urged the Afghan government to provide a foolproof security to the consulate. The government has also asked for findings of the investigation to be shared with Islamabad at the earliest, the statement said. The consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif will remain closed for visa services till the provision of foolproof security by the authorities to prevent any untoward incident from happening in the future, it added. The incident comes a day after the United State negotiators and the Afghan Taliban admitted progress on vital issues in talks in Qatar, albeit the insurgents said there was no agreement on ceasefire or talks with the Afghan government. Black Inferiority / Progressive Nationalism Foreign Colonization Is AMERICAN DOMESTICATION RIZZO IS DEAD IN PHILLY. LONG LIVE FRAUD IN THIS GOD FORSAKEN CITY. America: One Big INTEREST ONLY Loan US Government USED Americanized Blacks' To Achieve Its African Goals Why Did You Hear This Admission About The US/NATO Actual Destructive Goals From 'WHITE TRiUMP', While The "We Are In The White House Negroes' Never Pushed President Obama To Admit That The Coup In Libya North Africa WAS NOT A 'Humanitarian Mission', As 'The Black Commander In Chief' Told The World? What Is The 'American Containerized Black' Tribe GIVING UP In The Name Of PROGRESSIVE DISARMAMENT, Which Will Later Be Used Against Them Toward Their Destruction, That Will Be Called 'Social Justice'? A Major Step In Protecting Black Valuables Investmented We Are Now In The "Or Else WHAT" Stage Slavery In Libya North Africa 2017 6 Years After The "Humanitarian Mission" - Not A Peep From "Black Grievance Studies" Professors Perfect 1.0 'Spiritual Whiteness' Is No Respecter Of Skin Color The "Blackest" Moment In American Jurisprudence A Ninja Got Himself Kilt Last Night Few Colonial Subjects Will Ask "Who Were They Fighting Against Between These Two Historical Points" The Qualifications For Admission Have Increased Street Pirate Adverse Community Experience Creator When The Colonizer Becomes Aware Of The Need To Find A NEGRO CONFIDENCE MAN PARTNER The Revenge Of LBJ After MLK "Stabbed Him In The Back" Over Vietnam #BlackLivesMatter Is NOT A GOVERNANCE Movement It Is ONLY A POLIITCAL OPPORTUNISTIC Movement With Up To 75% Of The Homicide Victims In Philly Being Black This Means That About 126 Black People Murdered In 2015 Have Not Triggered More National Awareness Than The Cherry Picked Small Number Of Inductees In The "Black Civil Rights Homicide Victim Martyr Hall Of Fame" That Is Used As A Reference Of The Status Of Black People With Reference To White Americans "#All Killers Of Black People Are Equal Street Pirates" The "#BlackLivesMatter" Movement Must Prove That It Is More Than The 'Ideologically Bigoted' Analog To "Police Racial Profiling" By Eliminating Its Propensity To 'Walk Past Dead Black Bodies That Don't Fit Their Agenda' On Their Way To The Protest Rally On The Downtown Public Square. The Flag Of A New Colonizer Is Hung At Full Staff Sudan - To-Damned-Day The Manifestation Of Progressive Feminism As A Cultural Replacement Download Video: .mp4 CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK UNIVERSITY Agrees With Her Logic As A Logical Extension Of Her "Progressive Fundamentalist"/'Social Justice' Inference BUT It Is An Assault Upon The 'Functional Culture' That Is Needed For The Black Diaspora To Find Its Purpose From "My Queen" To "My Bitch" In A Few GenerationsCONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK UNIVERSITY Agrees With Her Logic As A Logical Extension Of Her "Progressive Fundamentalist"/'Social Justice' Inference BUT It Is An Assault Upon The 'Functional Culture' That Is Needed For The Black Diaspora To Find Its Purpose THE NINJA WHO GOT HIMSELF KILT YOU ARE A WITNESS TO A REVOLUTION IN "HAMSTERDAMN" Thanks To The Progressives I Can Now Breath Getting Your Ass Whipped In Prison Is Not A Choice. Silence In Public Reaction To It Is Kermit Asks That You Be Consistent A Friend Of "Black Community Development" The Capture Of The Assassination Killer Of Kim Jones Of Philadelphia Should Be Top News Among Those Who Value "Black Lives" Maybe You Are Being "Colonized" Today? The Henry Dee & Charles Moore Martyr Hall Of Fame & Last Chance NIT Tournament "Black Consciousness" Is NOT Proven By A Large Headcount A Black Man Seeing Crying In Philly After A Loss At The Hands Of A Street Pirate A Question Of Personal Values And Community Priorities And Black Media Agenda I Want To Be Allowed To Develop Into Maya Angelou Dr King's Pulpit Then And Now The Americanized Negro Has Known No Rivers Beyond The Urban Water Supply Spigot The Fire Hose As A GPS Coordinate Depicting Black People's Coordinates Upon "The Struggle" If After 20 Years Of Observations I Am On To Them, The Fact That The Media Has Been Echoing Them For 50 Years Without Challenging Them About The DEVELOPMENT OF THE LEAST OF THESE UNDER THEIR CARE - Points To A Conspiracy Converting "Safe Passage" From Municipal Street Sign To A Consciousness Within The People The Embedded Confidence Man's Press Agents Blow Smoke Rings As Circular References The SUPERIORITY Of White People's Thoughts Material Access To Consumer Comforts Is Not Indicative Of A Greater Consciousness Mayor Nutter's Lessons Learned Gen Edmund Pettus C.S.A. - Thanks You He Cracked The Code On Black Progressive Outrage In This House We Still Believe In God!!! Tavis-You Blacks Need To Fire The Negro Generals Who Have Failed & Get New Leadership The Inside Threat That Lurks Outside Of The Window Of Community Consciousness My Faith In Institutions That I Once Trusted To Indoctrinate My Children Will Forever Be Shattered Regulatory Capture The Black Racial Services Machine A Miscalculation On The School Busing Program To Social Justice Full Faith And Confidence Of The Office Of The President Of The United States The First Black Man In World History Who Is Able To Execute The Foreign/ Military / Economic Policy In The Name Of The United States Of America And Not Get Arrested In Doing So Because He Runs The Federal Prison System. His Power Is So Venerated That "The Blacks" Have Even Stopped Protesting Against The Actions Of The US Government Because They Fear That Their Outward Expression Of Discontent Against The Government Might Hurt His Chances At Reelection. The First Black Man In World History Who Is Able To Execute The Foreign/ Military / Economic Policy In The Name Of The United States Of America And Not Get Arrested In Doing So Because He Runs The Federal Prison System. His Power Is So Venerated That "The Blacks" Have Even Stopped Protesting Against The Actions Of The US Government Because They Fear That Their Outward Expression Of Discontent Against The Government Might Hurt His Chances At Reelection. Who Diverted The Community's Eyes Off Of The Prize In Pursuit Of Shortsighted Political Gains? As I Increase The Scope Of My Sample For Observation It Is Becoming Clear To Me That The "Machine Effect" In Metro-Atlanta That Distorts And Disrupts The Development Of Black People Is Not A Geographic Phenomenon But Instead Is Rooted In Lack Of Conscious Awareness Beyond One's On Provincial Interests And, More Importantly, The Absence Of A GOVERNING OVERLAY That Can Push Back Against These Misappropriations Of "The Black Community Development Consciousness" NYOil - Ya'll Should All Get Lynched Why Haven't Those Who Claim To MANAGE Your Community Told You The Dimensions Of The Space? The Rabid "Embedded Black Fox Confidence Man" The Mayor Of Philly Learned What The Korean Merchants Already Know A Black Man Is Not Equal Until He Can Commit A "Civil Rights Violation" With His Actions The Elephants In Africa Are Not Republicans Bishop Henry McNeal Turner Obama - The First American President To Bomb Africa w/o Massive Protests From "The Blacks" Prison Radio Speaks To BLAX News A Foreshadowing In "The Motherland" What About All Of The Black Executions That The Police Or The State Did Not "Sponsor"? The Pathway Upon Which The Hijacking Occurs With The Loss Of Black American Consciousness Comes This Detachment With the failure of the institutions within the Black Community to develop ORGANIC COMPETENCIES domestically there is no chance that the interests of the diasporatic Blacks can be protected by American Blacks who are more focused in domestic political affairs. The main utility of this video will be to make the American Negro "angry", increasing his resolve in "VOTING HARDER" as his means of fighting against racism, this according to his present consciousness. :'( The "Mission Accomplished" Banner Hung By The Black Progressive-Fundamentalist A People's Consciousness Fused To An Agenda Not Of Their Own My Relative Ideological Position Malcolm X Called You A "Race Traitor". CF Calls You A "Racial Consciousness Misappropriator"` The "Racial Consciousness Mis-Appropriators Malcolm X Picture On Your Blog" Removal Project Racism Chasing - The Ultimate Hustle The Nationalization Of The Black Community Consciousness The PPP&HWBC Blog Supports The BAOHPEH, Inc Evaluate The Varacity Of The PROCESS Of Judgment Not Merely The Verdict Rendered Community Management 101 Profiles In Community Consciousness Make Black America Happy Once Again When We Were Colored Schuyler And X The 10P's In The Pod Of The Black Establishment Progressive Politicians * Perpetual Protesters (Civil Rights orgs) * Policy Influencers (lobbyist groups, think tanks) * Press Operatives (the Black Press - "The Progressives Town Criers") * Performers (singers, rappers, actors) * Preachers w/ and w/o Pulpits * Public Intellectuals (Humanities Professors) * Public School Teachers * Pro-Union Labor Forces * Posters (Bloggers) (Civil Rights orgs)(lobbyist groups, think tanks)(the Black Press - "The Progressives Town Criers")(singers, rappers, actors) Don't Shoot Me Street Pirate! I Am Attempting To Be A Positive Asset To My Community Will The Black Comunity Recover From The Hijacking Of Its Consciousness? The Use Of "Slave/Jim Crow Images" In Black Political Debate - Evaluate The Agenda The use of "slave imagery" is common in ideological discourse among Black people today. The best way to appraise the veracity of the agenda of the presenter is to distinguish between those images which are used to cajole Black people into "Ideological Unity" versus those images used to bring consciousness to the sad fact that in far too many cases today - the man holding the gun is a Black man, his disturbed consciousness allowed to fester because the balance of our community organizers are focused on external political affairs. They sell us on the notion that when our people assist their political/ideological external partners in their success that these individuals who suffer from BENIGN NEGLECT will be cured - no longer terrorizing us. In the circular reference that is their struggle - the more damaged individuals that matriculate through the local institutions that they now control per their struggle, the louder their call for continued UNITY and redirection lest our community's long time external adversaries start terrorizing us again. They successfully avoid community scrutiny of their stewardship of our key "Human Resource Development" institutions. I Am A Man!! Chicago Lady 216 - The Crisis Of Consciousness WITHIN The Black Community You probably do not have the Flash Player ( Get Adobe Flash Player Here ) installed for your browser or the video files are misplaced on your server! Consciousness Mission Accomplished I Support The "Corporate Premise Security Equality Project" New York Times Demographic Mapping The Antidote For Fear And Ignorance Antidote to the use of the tactics of FEAR as propagated by 'confidence men' to prompt a people toward a certain direction that is against their permanent interests is the development within these masses a base of Knowledge. When this knowledge is applied to their daily lives this builds up their Competencies. As a result their "Standard Of Living" is increased toward the a favorable level. Obama Commemorative Plate = "Mission Accompished - An Ensnared Black Community" Black Male Un-Demployment Rates In "Mission Accomplished" Cities The Conflict Between The Civil Rights Pharisees Vs The Neo-Progressive Establishment Players You probably do not have the Flash Player ( Get Adobe Flash Player Here ) installed for your browser or the video files are misplaced on your server! From Reactionary Transactionalism To Management Of Our Community Ideologically Polarized Vision Ted Kennedy & Black Independent Consciousenss People Who Aide & Abet Street Pirates Need To Hear These Words & Instead Pursue Absolute Justice THe NAACP & Rachael Maddow See These Guns As INFERIOR To Guns Used By Right-Wing Militias ** No matter how many guns these Street Pirates gather and no matter how many Black people are killed - these "equal human beings" will never been EQUAL in the mind of Civil Rights Pharisees and their White Snarling Fox Liberal co-conspirators because there is no ideological and political advantage in going after them. The Rallo Tubbs Fan Club Blog Archive Those Who Have Their Conciousness Focused "Within The Black Community" Page Views - Last 7 Days To our readers: Please note that TWH will be only intermittently accessible on Friday, February, 1, 2018 as we transition to a new format. We begin this weeks Pagan Community News with three witch-related stories. SALEM, Massachusetts Founded on the 300th Anniversary of the Salem Witch Trials, Salems Voices Against Injustice (VAI), a nonprofit organization that promotes awareness, understanding and empathy in support of human rights, tolerance, and social justice, honored Ana Maria Archila with this years Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice. An unconnected and recent story related to the Salem Witch Trials is a new podcast titled The Truth Behind the Salem Witch Trials, with Aaron Mahnke on the site Stuff they dont want you to Know. The podcast provides background and new insights regarding the Salem Witch Trials. KENT, United Kingdom Two stories from Kent Online featured stories of Witches and Pagans last week. In one article, Deborah Samuels-Stuck claims she organized two circles of witches to help her reclaim her stolen scooter, which was returned two days after their joint ritual work. The following day the same publication ran a story citing statistics from 2011 with the headline Hundred of witches, wizards, pagans and druids living in Kent. The article goes on to give a brief explanation of various Pagan beliefs and concludes with the 2011 census numbers of various towns and villages in the area. OTTOWA, Ontario The change in law with the introduction of Bill C-51 in Canada concerning the practice of witchcraft was featured in a story that focuses on its legal significance and realities. The story interviewed Heather Logan, coordinator of the Pagans of Carleton at Carleton University, as well as Dale Dalessio, Wiccan high priestess of the Firestone Coven. TWH recently covered the law change in Canadian law here and here. * * * PARK CITY, Utah Award winning director, Penny Lane, premiered her new documentary, Hail Satan? at the Sundance Institutes film festival last week. Early reviews of the film have been positive, and in some cases even effusive with praise, calling it everything from hilarious to thought provoking. The documentary focuses on The Satanic Temples (TST) rise in popularity and its ongoing legal efforts protecting religious freedom in United States. TST has made the news a number of times since their formation in 2013 by challenging policies that violate the US First Amendment and the separation of church and state, and more recently regarding a lawsuit against Netflix for copyright infringement because of the use of a Baphomet likeness in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Hail Satan? is also scheduled to be screened at the Rotterdam International Film Festival that runs January 23 February 3, 2019. Magnolia Pictures bought the worldwide rights to the film last Thursday, just ahead of its premiere at Sundance, and plans a 2019 spring release. * * * ASHEVILLE (TWH) There has been a spike in reports of witch hunts worldwide since the beginning of the year. Just last week, there were 4 major stories in the news. Last Saturday a woman and her four children, (ranging in age from 1- to 10-years-old) suspected of practicing witchcraft were murdered in Odishas Sundargarh District in India. Six people have been arrested in connection with the murders. Another murder in the Mayurbhanj district, also in Odisha, a man took an ax to his neighbor after accusing her of causing his son to fall ill. Police believe the man was using the accusation to settle an old score. In Kakamega, Kenya a 36-year-old man was rescued by police from villagers who were beating him because they believed he has used sorcery to cause traffic accidents. In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe a shop owner whose stores had been looted found his stolen property returned to police due to the looters believing him to be a sorcerer, and fearing his wrath. The shop owner has repeatedly said he is a Christian and does not place juju on his items. TWH will continue to follow these witchcraft claims, attacks and murders in a forthcoming in-depth series of articles. In other news: The ill-fated, and poorly organized Fyre Festival was back in the news recently after Netflix (Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened) and Hulu (Fyre Fraud) both released documentaries. The releases have spurred various articles quoting a 2017 interview with Matt Skiba, band member of Blink-182, stating I had a bad feeling about that event. I consider myself a pagan and a witch. With every inch of my energy I wanted Fyre not to happen. I put all the electricity and energy in my body against that thing happening. A recent study conducted by the University of Costa Rica found that 1 in 5, close to million Costa Ricans, believed they had been hexed at some point in their lives. The use of divination and magical services are common, with roughly half of those interviewed admitting to visiting a brujo o hechiceros (witch or sorcerer) for some sort help or advice. An American missionary, Steve Campbell, is under investigation by officials from FUNAI , the Brazilian governments Indigenous Affairs Department for entering the territory of the Hi-Merima tribe in northwestern Brazil. Mr Campbell allegedly defended his actions by maintaining that entering Hi-Merima Indian territory was the only way to reach the Jamamadi, a neighboring but contacted tribe, that he claims wish to learn the use of the GPS system . Stephen Corry, Survival International Director, said today: Fundamentalist Christian American missionaries must be stopped from this primitive urge to contact previously uncontacted tribes. It may lead to the martyrdom they seek, but it always ends up killing tribespeople. Indigenous rights groups note that uncontacted tribes not only have the right to self-determination but are also susceptible to disease and exploitation. , the Brazilian governments Indigenous Affairs Department for entering the territory of the Hi-Merima tribe in northwestern Brazil. Mr Campbell allegedly defended his actions by maintaining that entering Hi-Merima Indian territory was the only way to reach the Jamamadi, a neighboring but contacted tribe, that he claims wish to learn the use of the . Stephen Corry, Survival International Director, said today: Fundamentalist Christian American missionaries must be stopped from this primitive urge to contact previously uncontacted tribes. It may lead to the martyrdom they seek, but it always ends up killing tribespeople. Indigenous rights groups note that uncontacted tribes not only have the right to self-determination but are also susceptible to disease and exploitation. Greece has removed 2,330 monuments, museums, and archaeological sites from a development fund that could have potentially allowed them to end up in the hands of foreign buyers due to austerity measures and the countrys bailout terms. The Greek Minister of Culture announced that the cultural assets would be exempted from the fund. We have 2,330 assets which are protected through a legal act. We can now rest assured. Tarot of the week by Star Bustamonte Deck: Tarot of the Cat People by Karen Kuykendall, published by US Games Systems, Inc Card: Three (3) of Pentacles This week will likely require the use of whatever extraordinary skills one possesses in order to be successful. There is no room for mediocrity, sloppiness, or being preoccupied unless failure is the goal. Decks generously provided by Asheville Raven & Crone. Something I've been thinking more about and which gets precious little attention anywhere is what Juan Guaido would actually do if Nicolas Maduro were toppled and he took over the state (see, for example, comments from yesterday's blog post ). There are a lot of contingencies here, which makes the thought process tougher.* But especially after the 2002 debacle, when the Venezuelan opposition immediately tried to establish its own dictatorship, we need to ask whether the "new" Venezuela will be a democracy. Once the usurper (Maduro) was gone, Guaido said free elections needed to be held as soon as possible after political prisoners had been freed and members of Venezuelas swelling diaspora could all be registered. That takes time but we need to take care of these [things] in the shortest period of time, he said. Yet crucially he appears to have an institutional flair like no other opposition figure. He talks about human rights, rule of law, restoring institutional powers in a peaceful manner and stirs away from messianic promises, self-promotion or party politics. Guaido has also ensured he has to reached out to various political groups and stakeholders, including government supporters and the military, reassuring them that a transition does not mean a witch-hunt and it will be a fair institutional process. In his public appearances, he has emphasised unity and has made sure he is surrounded by a cross-partisan group of politicians. They should get a lot more specific about this. There is at least a functioning legislature but there is a strong chance a lot of Chavista judges would be forced out, potentially leaving an ineffective judicial system. If the National Assembly bows to Guaido (with his mentor Leopoldo Lopez right beside him) then there is little horizontal accountability. In the absence of elections, vertical accountability will consist only of protests (or lack thereof). The Trump administration doesn't care about democracy at all, so where would pressure for it come from?They will also have to get specific about what they do with former government officials. If the military amnesty is real, that's one thing, but are you going to round up hundreds of officials and toss them in prison? Without a judicial system how will due process be protected?Maryhen Jimenez Morales, a Ph.D. candidate in Politics at Oxford, writes that it is a good sign that Guaido is not the kind of charismatic strongman Venezuela has seen at various times in its history. That does not necessarily mean he is more committed to democratic principles, but she is keeping the cup half-full:I hope so. He will be pushed hard to seek revenge, to radically reform the economy, and to reshape the state. Doing these things is much harder in a democratic context so he will be faced with the temptation to circumvent it. Can he resist the temptation and a combination of Trump officials and Venezuelan right-wingers telling him Venezuela needs him to act quickly and decisively?* In particular, is there a lot of resistance and violence? Do outside military forces get involved? Violence in general reduces the chance we see democracy in the short-term. Trumps policies DAVID THOMAS WATERLOO There was a letter by Steve Kapler (Jan. 17) defending Trumps disastrous policies. Our national debt was already more than $20 trillion; Trumps tax cuts which only benefit the wealthy will dramatically increase our debt. Most people want to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The U.S. and several other countries put together an agreement to stop Irans nuclear program. A group of Republican senators sent a letter opposing the deal from the beginning. Trump foolishly withdrew the U.S. from this deal. Republicans often get campaign money from defense contractors and seem to prefer war over peaceful solutions. Trumps tariffs on steel and aluminum have hurt manufacturing by raising the cost of those materials. Trumps trade war with China has hurt farmers because of retaliatory tariffs on products such as soybeans for which China is an important market. Trump like a whiny toddler throwing a temper tantrum when he doesnt get his way shut down the government over a costly and ineffective border wall the majority of Americans dont want and Trump promised Mexico would pay for. Farm food CORDT HOLUB Steyer, the California billionaire Democrat, earlier this month called a press conference in downtown Des Moines to announce he will not run for president and instead focus on his organization, which is drumming up support to impeach President Donald Trump. Of course, Scholten also said he has not ruled out any future campaign. He insisted he is, for the time being, focused on his Working Hero Iowa campaign on the income tax credits; but he also said he is leaving the door open. This is not to question Scholtens sincerity about the Working Hero Iowa campaign. But with everything like this especially in Iowa there is a political element. And the campaign could very much help Scholten if he does decide down the road to put his name on the ballot again. Scholten said he will hold Working Hero Iowa events all across the state. He described it as similar to a campaign, in that hell be working to drum up grassroots support and volunteers to the cause. He wants to raise awareness through these public events and earned media. Fencing between Pakistan and Afghanistan to ensure peace: ISPR Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor Sunday said a peace deal in Afghanistan will also push the Pakistani Taliban having backing of inimical forces in the neighbouring country to opt for a reconciliatory path. Following the settlement, the terror elements having backing of inimical forces in Afghanistan, like the TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan), will have to opt for some reconciliatory path as they will be left with no other choice, Maj Gen Ghafoor said while briefing a team of reporters at Ghulam Khan, a bordering village in North Waziristan Agency. To a question regarding the impact of reconciliation process in Afghanistan on Pakistan, he said Pakistan had been playing a role in the efforts and if the parties concerned strike some mutual settlement, it will ultimately be in Islamabads interest. The ISPR chief said work on about 900-kilometer-long fence along Pakistan-Afghanistan border has been completed. He said the work on erection of fence along about 1200-km chunk, the most sensitive portion out of the total 2600-km-long border with the neighbouring country, had commenced last year. He said the project would cost about Rs 70 billion, which also includes the cost of gadgets and surveillance equipment to keep strict vigil on the illicit movement from across the border. He said the fence had amply helped check the movement of terrorists from across the border and it would further assist after completion of the project which was expected next year. Maj Gen Ghafoor said the military is fencing the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan to ensure peace on both sides and that he hoped that Kabul will not allow Afghan soil to be used as a staging ground for attacks against Pakistan. The ISPR chief said 95 percent of the tribal people in North Waziristan displaced by military operations against militants had returned to their homes in the region, which once served as Taliban headquarters. He said the Pakistani Taliban now operate in neighboring Afghanistan after the military evicted or killed them in North Waziristan. He said thousands of security forces and civilians were killed in the fighting. Normalcy is back, smiles are back on the faces people but it was not without a cost, he said. Earlier, Commander 11 Corps Lt Gen Shaheen Mazhar and his team separately arranged a briefing at the Corps Headquarters Peshawar. During the question-answer session, the corps commander said after the end of war in the area the troops were now in the process of consolidation while steps were in hand to resettle about 4,000 families, which had earlier gone to Afghanistan. Regarding the Pashtun Tahhafuz Movement (PTM), he said their most of the demands have already been met while the rest, if any, could be sorted out through a dialogue process. The DG ISPR on the issue added that the PTM leadership instead of making a hue and cry abroad should sit with the local leadership and seek settlement of their genuine grievances. Pakistani Taliban used religion to spread violence and now Manzoor Pashteen was misguiding and inciting youths against the army, he added. The corps commander said following the operation against militants, there was no no-go area in the erstwhile FATA. He said the local commanders have been empowered to hold dialogue and meetings with the people of their respective areas and help mitigate their grievances. The delegation was also taken to Miranshah, the district headquarters of North Waziristan, where they directly interacted with the local populace. Students, traders and common citizens, while interacting with the media persons, welcomed the role of Pakistan Army in restoring complete peace in the area. Maj Gen Ghafoor was hugged by youths and tribal elders in a sign of respect as he visited the towns main bazaar with reporters. As Ghafoor spoke, some youths nearby shouted, Long live Pakistan, and Long Live the Pakistan army. However, some others showed anguish for not being given financial compensation by the civil administration for the losses incurred during over a decade-long drive against militancy. While interacting with the local populace, Major Gen Ghafoor said steps were in hand to sort out their genuine demands besides promptly undertaking work on the development schemes. Residents said they are happy about the return of peace. Taliban are gone and we pray that they dont come back, said Tahseen Ullah, a local resident who sells cooked rice in the Miranshah bazaar. Fee increases The 2012 state audit also showed that the cost of operating the bureau exceeded fees the bureau charges for its work. While the fees are not the bureaus only source of income, the audit pointed out the fees had not changed since 1989. A few since have increased but income from all of the fees, other than dealer license fees and registration fees for products, go to Iowas general fund, not the pesticide bureau. The code usually will set a fee, and if it does not set a fee it will allow the department through its administrative role process to set fees, Jim Cunningham, with the Iowa State Auditors office, said. One of the things that the department and the Legislature should always look at is are those fees covering the cost. Fees for the pesticide bureau are set by law in Chapter 206 of the Iowa Code. The bureau collects fees for commercial pesticide applicator licenses and certifications, dealers for pesticide retailers, registration of individual products that have to be registered at the state level, certification for private applicators who want to apply restricted use pesticides and civil penalties for misuse. WATERLOO Schools across Northeast Iowa and all three state universities are closed as temperatures drop to dangerous near-record lows today and Wednesday. The high today is forecast at minus 4 degrees with a wind chill around minus 30, according to the National Weather Service. Tonights low will be around minus 27 with a wind chill at minus 55. Wednesdays high is expected to be minus 17, with an overnight low of minus 31, near the record low for Waterloo of minus 34 set Jan. 16, 2009, and in 1914. Both Waterloo and Cedar Falls school districts canceled classes today and Wednesday due to expected extreme cold temperatures. Schools across Northeast Iowa followed suit. The University of Northern Iowa also canceled classes from 5 p.m. today to noon Thursday. The campus will have reduced operations Wednesday. UNI courses taught by eLearning will proceed as scheduled. The University of Iowa and Iowa State University also canceled classes from 5 p.m. today through 12 p.m. Thursday on the Iowa City and Ames campuses. Schools closed due to snow in both Waterloo and Cedar Falls on Monday, and superintendents at both districts say more days off are coming. CEDAR FALLS The Gallagher Bluedorn and UNIs School of Music will jointly host the U.S. Air Force Band and Singing Sergeants in concert. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. March 16 in the Great Hall of the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on the University of Northern Iowa campus. With its present home on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Air Force Band is the Air Forces premier musical organization. Since its formation in 1941 as the Army Air Forces Band, the excellence demonstrated by the bands airmen musicians has reflected the excellence carried out 24 hours a day by airmen stationed around the globe. Today, the Air Force Band consists of six performing groups: Air Force Strings, Airmen of Note, Ceremonial Brass, Concert Band, Max Impact and Singing Sergeants. This premier musical unit continues to honor those who serve, inspire patriotism and military service in fellow citizens, and impact the global community positively. The Singing Sergeants is the official chorus of the U.S. Air Force and features 23 active duty airmen musicians. The Singing Sergeants present more than 200 performances annually, performing a wide range of musical styles, from traditional Americana, opera and choral standards to modern Broadway and jazz. Tickets for this event are free, but are limited to four per person. Tickets are available by calling (319) 273-4849 or visiting unitix.uni.edu. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 (The center) has long been a leader in our community, striving to provide equitable opportunities in education for all, Briscoe said. It wasnt until I became a parent, watching my own children participate in their services, that the impact they have made in the Cedar Valley and beyond truly registered with me. Their assistance with my daughter, preparing her for college and her ACTs, was priceless. As a result, she received a full scholarship to New York University, graduated with the second-highest GPA in her class and is now in her junior year. Konicek and Merkel were longtime friends who flew together, and Konicek had used the runway in the past. Merkel and his wife later divorced, and the property went to his wife, who didnt use the airfield and enrolled the land in Conservation Reserve Program, which barred aviation use, records state. His hanger was used to store hay. According to evidence at trial the last time the runway was used was in 1989, and the property owner testified she wouldnt have allowed anyone to land there after that. In 2008, the cooperative undertook a renovation that included upgrading power lines in the area to improve electrical service because of outage complaints, and this included new above-ground lines next to the property. Buried lines are more prone to outages than elevated lines, according to testimony. As part of the project, cooperative officials were supposed to obtain permits, and they did with the exception of a Tama County permit relating to land next to the former runway property, according to testimony at trial. The elevated lines were built in May 2012, just months before the November 2012 crash. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Chaudhry Sarwar to pay fines up to 2 lacs of prisoners Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has announced to pay fines up to 2 lacs of prisoners in all prisons in country. Fines will be paid from funds of Sarwar Foundation. 150 Water filtration plants will be installed by Sarwar Foundation by spending 300 Million Rupees from the funds of Sarwar foundation. Free sewing machines will also be given to women prisoners and other women across Punjab, he said. Punjab Ch Mohammad Sarwar is getting details of all prisoners who are unable to pay fines up to 2 Lac Rupees and still are incarcerated due to unavailability of fine. Governor Punjab will pay fines of these prisoners from his own pocket. Sarwar Foundation will provide clean drinking water to millions of people by installing 150 water filtration plants. Governor said that if clean drinking water is provided to people, it will be the great service because it will eliminate plenty of chronic diseases. Get the list of Brie Larson's upcoming movies for 2019 and 2020. Check out the release date, story, cast, and details about her career. Brie Larson makes has some featuring record in her professional career as an actress and TV star. She was born in California, USA on 1st October 1989. Brie Larson age is 30 years. She always supports the comic characters from her teenage. She starts her career from comic roles and this comic performance leads her towards an adult role. And now she is performing an independent role in movies as well as dramas. She first appears on TV dramas. But nowadays she is going to appear on the big screen. Brie Larson movies list has been upgraded with time. However, at the age of six years, she first took part in American Conservatory Theatre from her school life. Properly, in the year of 1998, she became a star of the screen. She performs in a stage show The Tonight Show With Jan Leno. Then she appears for an independent role in Raising Dad in 2011. Ten she signs another film Hoot in 2006, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World in 2010. She did many roles in several movies. Here are some of the Brie Larson upcoming movies people are most excited about. Avengers: Endgame Avengers is a Brie Larson Upcoming New Movie for Hollywood big screen. The film basically is on a team of comics superhero. The Marvel Studios is the production company of the film Avengers. It is a part of a continuation movie series of Avengers 2018, Infinity Wars and the sequel of 2012 Avengers. This movie has a fairly straightforward save the planet plot, but Whedon manages to make it work using the characters and their relationships with one another. Director: Anthony and Joe Russo Star Cast: Brie Larson, Scarlett Johnson, Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans Release Date: 26th April 2019. Captain Marvel The Captain Marvel is another upcoming of Brie Larson. The film is totally based on the story of a superhero. This superhero is a woman who saves the rights of reality and truth. It is known as the 21st film of MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). The movie has an estimated budget of $152 million. It is assumed that Captain Marvel will fulfill the hopes of its exciting fans. The film contains action, fight, and some comic shots. The Captain Marvel Teaser trailer shows the main shots and action of the movie. It contains how a superhero can control the evil through its powers. Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck Star Cast: Jude Law, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Gemma Chen, Ben Mendelsohn, Lee Pace. Release Date: 8th March 2019 Just mercy This is an upcoming American drama of Brie Larson in 2020. It is a biographical series of drama. This is the story of honesty and liberation. The film shows the true story of Bryan Stevenson (Jordan). In the system of fraud and flaws, a gifted lawyer is fighting for the law and justice. The drama story has a good impact on its viewers. Because it only depends on the truth of justice and people can get a lot from the story. Director: Destin Denial Cretton Star Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Rob Morgan, Ron Clinton Smith, Tim Blake Nelson, Brie Larson. Release Date: 17th January 2020 [su_heading style=modern-1-orange size=16]Brie Larson movies and tv shows list by year[/su_heading] Besides Brie Larson upcoming movies, she has worked previously for both screens. She acts in some TV serials and films. She performs in many hit movies that exhibit asunder in the movie calendar. This movie calendar has all the hits of Brie Larson movies and dramas. Have a look at the table to know about the further details about the past movies and dramas. Exhibits above are the details about the upcoming and previous movies of Brie Larson. If you have any suggestion regarding this information, then you can comment below to let us know about your opinion. You can also send us an email on our email address. Starworld is a good follower but he doesn't like to be delegated. Vijay likes to be delegated but isn't a good follower. Starworld and Vijay are both horses and they could induce some 'horse quotient' in corporate leaders-make them self-reflect, sharpen delegation skills, teach them to adapt the new, and how to lead by example. A leadership training company in Chennai, HQ Leadership India, is working with automobile manufacturers such as BMW and Daimler and IT services companies to train people through horses, sensitive animals that mirror the personality of the human. To understand how a horse makes sense, Business Today spoke to Isabelle Hasleder, founder of the company. She is from Austria and is living in India for over a decade. Why not dogs, man's best friend? "You cannot do leadership with dogs," Hasleder says. "Dogs are hunters while horses are prey. They are flight animals. When they are attacked, they run away." Because horses are prey animals, they tend to be super sensitive to everything that surrounds them. They pick up the tension in the air. "If they feel there is a strong leader-either another horse or a human-they feel protected and follow. They are either walking by your side or walking behind you. The dog tends to walk in the front," Hasleder says. While dogs connect with owners very strongly, the horse mostly responds to signals. "While a horse can be trained to do different things, we keep the horses natural. Just like humans, every horse is different. They have different characteristics. The corporate leaders learn that they have to adapt their leadership style to the situation at hand; they have to analyse the horse and what it likes," she adds. Hasleder conducts two-day workshops in Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai where CXOs are thrown into the ring without much training on how to handle or communicate with the horses. They are given a short briefing on basics, such as not to approach a horse from behind because they can kick. The leaders are next asked to delegate a task to the horse-often they have to tell the horse to run two rounds. "The person is supposed to step in like the CEO of the space and the team is the horse. You can use any body language to tell the horse to run. You can talk to the horse, shout, whatever you like," says Hasleder. "If you step in like the CEO, the horse recognises this person is a leader. But if you step in as a shy person, not very confident, have a slouchy position, or voice that is not very clear, the horse mirrors that and becomes less confident. You may not get the outcome." The sessions are video recorded and analysed. The next exercises are about improving by doing; on team work, on situational leadership. For instance, a leader can be asked to sit on a horse but another workshop participant is told to lead the horse. In this case, the leader has to trust both the co-worker and the horse. "When it comes to training senior level managers it is always difficult to tell them something new because these people have a lot of experience," says Hasleder. "However, they may not have touched a horse before. They are outside their comfort zone. When we do the exercises, many of them connect really fast. The horses give you instant feedback." By Felix Onuah ABUJA (Reuters) - The Nigerian government said it would not accept any foreign "meddling" after the European Union, United States and Britain raised concerns over last week's suspension of Nigeria's most senior judge before a Feb. 16 presidential election. President Muhammadu Buhari, who is seeking a second term in office, suspended Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen on Friday over allegedly breaching asset-declaration rules, drawing criticism at home and abroad. The main opposition party called it an act of dictatorship and halted its election campaign for 72 hours in protest. The EU election observation team said Onnoghen's suspension raised concerns about the "opportunity for electoral justice". Nigeria's judiciary has helped resolve electoral disputes following previous votes, some of which have been marred by violence and vote rigging. The chief justice of Nigeria (CJN) could rule on any future dispute. "FG [federal government] determined to ensure free, fair elections. This government will not bend the rules, and will not allow meddling in our affairs," read a statement issued late on Saturday by Buhari's spokesman, Garba Shehu. Coming hours after statements expressing concern were issued by the E.U., U.S. and Britain, the statement said the government would "reject any interference or perception management that promotes apprehension" about the outcome of the election. In a separate statement issued by Shehu late on Sunday, the presidency said: "The statements by the three seem more driven by unfounded assumptions and to be honest, a certain condescension to this African democracy." It questioned the link drawn between the judge's suspension and the upcoming election, since he would only be called upon at a late stage of any post-election dispute. "For the authors to link the CJN to the elections in this way is illogical unless they assume that election complaints will be filed and will go all the way to the Supreme Court," the statement said. Story continues Onnoghen has not responded to the charges and his lawyers say the tribunal does not have the authority to try him. Buhari, who took office in 2015 after winning an election largely on his vow to fight corruption and improve security, is a retired general who was a military ruler in the 1980s. (Reporting by Felix Onuah; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Daniel Wallis) French president Emmanuel Macron has begun a three-day official visit to Egypt, bringing with him four ministers, with security cooperation and the fight against terrorism expected to be high on the ... A number of multi-million-euro deals are expected to be signed during Macrons visit, including renewable energy deals, agri-food, health, and transport. The Elysee Palace said human rights will also be on the list of topics to be publicly discussed by Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as the two countries work to strengthen their strategic partnership. France considers Egypt a valuable partner in dealing with regional issues. Talks between the two presidents are to begin on Monday, as Sisi meets Sudans beleaguered leader Omar al-Bashir on Sunday. On the first day of his trip, Macron went to Abu Simbel to tour an ancient temple from the Pharaoh Ramses II era (1279 to 1213 BCE), accompanied by Egypts Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anani and Culture Minister Franck Riester. France provided funds for the temple to be moved to safer ground more than 50 years ago, after Nile flooding endangered the archaeological site. France is looking to participate further in archaeological digs such as the Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo. French president Emmanuel Macron has begun a three-day official visit to Egypt, bringing with him four ministers, with security cooperation and the fight against terrorism expected to be high on the ... A number of multi-million-euro deals are expected to be signed during Macrons visit, including renewable energy deals, agri-food, health, and transport. The Elysee Palace said human rights will also be on the list of topics to be publicly discussed by Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as the two countries work to strengthen their strategic partnership. France considers Egypt a valuable partner in dealing with regional issues. Talks between the two presidents are to begin on Monday, as Sisi meets Sudans beleaguered leader Omar al-Bashir on Sunday. On the first day of his trip, Macron went to Abu Simbel to tour an ancient temple from the Pharaoh Ramses II era (1279 to 1213 BCE), accompanied by Egypts Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anani and Culture Minister Franck Riester. France provided funds for the temple to be moved to safer ground more than 50 years ago, after Nile flooding endangered the archaeological site. France is looking to participate further in archaeological digs such as the Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo. Martin Clunes has said that returning to Hawaii 23 years after he proposed to his wife there felt special. The star of Doc Martin recently return from the US state to film for his upcoming series, Islands Of America, which will also see him visit Alaska and the east coast. It was the first time Clunes, 57, had returned to Hawaii since he proposed to his wife, Doc Martin producer Philippa Braithwaite, there. The pair share a daughter, Emily, who was born in 1998. Martin Clunes proposed to his wife Philippa Braithwaite in Hawaii 23 years ago (Ian West/PA) Clunes said he had missed Philippa so much on his last trip to the island that he proposed soon after she arrived to visit him, despite her being jet lagged and in a strange place. He said: I was doing a holiday programme, I wish theyd come back, they were just great. And theyd agreed to fly Philippa out, and Id done San Francisco and Hawaii on the same trip and she came out at the end of the Hawaii shoot. It was the longest wed been apart, and I missed her so much that I proposed, while she was really jet lagged and in a strange place. Martin Clunes is made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen (Jonathan Brady/PA) Asked how it felt to return to the island, he replied: It was special. I could remember the name of the hotel where I proposed, so I typed that in on Google EarthIt found the area, and you could go down into Google street, and because I remembered what was out of the window I pinpointed the room where I proposed. But we didnt go back to Maui this time and we didnt go to Kauai, which I love. I went to Molokai which was amazing. Tourists dont really go there, and to go beyond the kitsch and to see what Hawaiian life was all about. Previous iterations of the programme have seen Clunes island hopping in Britain and Australia. Islands Of America airs on February 5 on ITV. FILE PHOTO: Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort arrives for arraignment on a third superseding indictment against him by Special Counsel Robert Mueller on charges of witness tampering, at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S. June 15, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst//File Photo By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge in Virginia on Monday postponed the Feb. 8 sentencing for President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, after prosecutors for the special counsel's office accused Manafort of breaching his plea agreement in a parallel case in Washington. Judge T.S. Ellis in the Eastern District of Virginia said in a court order he wanted to delay the sentencing until the other judge ruled on whether Manafort had knowingly lied to investigators in breach of his plea deal, noting that such a decision "may have some effect on the sentencing decision in this case." Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating U.S. allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and whether Trump campaign members coordinated with Moscow officials. The Kremlin denies election meddling and Trump denies any collusion with Russia. Judge Amy Berman Jackson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last week ordered Manafort's lawyers and lawyers from Mueller's office to appear on Feb. 4 for a sealed hearing to hash out whether Manafort violated his plea deal. Prosecutors said that Manafort, 69, lied on at least five different subjects ranging from his contacts with Trump administration officials in 2018 to his interactions with his former business partner in Ukraine, Konstantin Kilimnik, who Muellers office has said has ties to Russian intelligence. But Manaforts attorneys say any misstatements were merely due to memory lapses, and do not represent any intent to deceive investigators. Manafort pleaded guilty in September 2018 in the Washington case to attempted witness tapering and conspiring against the United States, a charge that covers conduct including money laundering and unregistered lobbying. He was also separately convicted by a jury in Alexandria, Virginia on eight counts of bank and tax fraud. Jackson's decision on whether Manafort breached the deal could have an impact on the length of his prison sentence. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; editing by Eric Beech and Grant McCool) The British union the EU flags on a building near a traffic sign in London. Photo: Reuters/Toby Melville Britain voted to leave the European Union over two years ago and on 29 March this year, it will sever ties for good. While Brexit hasnt technically happened, it has caused the economy to be 2.3% smaller than if Brits had voted to remain in the EU. Thats according to the major thinktank Centre for European Reforms (CER) calculation of the cost of Brexit by the third quarter of 2018. To obtain the findings, the CER used a doppelganger UK a group of countries whose economic characteristics match Britains. CER says it used a computer program of a group of 22 countries with advanced economies. Those countries included US (whose growth rate makes up 50% of that of the UK doppelganger), Germany (28%), Luxembourg (11%), Iceland (10%) and Greece (2%). Those 22 countries are also labelled by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as fully industrialised from 1995, to remove any countries that are experiencing faster rates of catch-up growth, said CER. It looked at quarterly real GDP and other economic indicators, going back to the first quarter of 2009. The structure of each countrys economy and their growth rates are different to those of the UK. But in combination, they closely match the UKs economic performance before the referendum, said the CER. It added that those countries did not hold a EU referendum in 2016 and coupled with its similar characteristics by comparing those countries economic performances to Britains, it was able to assess the cost of Brexit. Source: CER The findings also showed that the knock-on hit to the public finances is 17bn ($22.4bn) per annum or 320m a week. More calculations can be found here. One way to sanity-check our estimate is to compare the UKs growth to that of other comparable countries since the referendum. The UK has grown by 3.7% over that period. Compare that to the average of the 22 most advanced economies: 5.6%, said the CER. That amounts to a 1.9% gap, not far from our estimate of the cost of Brexit. Story continues How business investment and jobs growth has been hit by Brexit The CERs report falls in line with what data and the worlds biggest leaders have been saying for the last two years. While Brexit hasnt happened yet, many huge companies have put their business investment and job growth on pause until Brexit happens. Last month, UK business investment suffered its biggest fall in three years due to Brexit uncertainty. The IMF also said in November that the Brexit process has affected business investment in the UK. Britains biggest business lobby group CBI, representing 190,000 firms, also released a study showing that 80% of companies say that Brexit has hit investment. And in September, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that businesses have invested 22bn less in the last two and a half years because of Brexit uncertainty. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said recently that the bank will not invest in Britain as much if there is a hard Brexit. He also said: Our headcount in the UK over the last couple of years has not gone down but it hasnt gone up either we have added head count you know on the continent. But I would say that, over time, if this is resolved in a difficult way or a hard way, itll have an impact on where we invest and where we put people. This supports the latest data by Morgan McKinleys Employment Monitor that said uncertainty over how Brexit will play out is continuing to hurt Londons financial sector jobs. Looking at data from December, jobs in the City dropped to a seven year low. Month-on-month, there was a 52% decrease in jobs available as well as a 29% decline in professionals seeking jobs. Hakan Enver, managing director, Morgan McKinley UK pointed out that in 2018 we saw job numbers fall off a cliff. Year-on-year, there was a 39% decrease in jobs available and a 29% decrease in professionals seeking jobs. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. And in a long line of businesses now abandoning Britain, Sony announced recently that its moving its European headquarters from the UK to the Netherlands to avoid disruptions caused by Brexit. Airbus CEO Tom Enders also released a video to the public saying: Please dont listen to the Brexiteers madness which asserts that, because we have huge plants here, we will not move and we will always be here. They are wrong If theres a no-deal Brexit, we at Airbus will have to make potentially very harmful decisions for the UK. After laying low for nearly five decades at agri-related international platforms, India has decided to field a candidate for leadership position at the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation or FAO. PMO officials confirmed that India has nominated Ramesh Chand, member of the NITI Aayog and the Finance Commission, for the job. The FAO aides food programmes in nearly 150 poorer countries. As per the rotation policy, this time the position may go to a candidate from either Europe or Asia. The competition was expected to be between the EU and China, but with India throwing its hat in the ring, things have become more complex. Ramesh Chand will travel to Rome in the third week of February to start lobbying for the job. If elected, he will be the second Indian to head the FAO. The first was bureaucrat Bimal Ranjan Sen. He was appointed in 1956 and had remained at the post till 1967. But the road ahead is not easy. Some diplomats told BT that India aims to convince China to not field its candidate and support its choice. If China doesn't agree, Ramesh Chand will not only get tough competition from the Chinese but also the EU. Both see this as a turf war. China is aiming to further increase its growing influence at the United Nations. Obviously, this will irritate Washington, which has been fighting a trade war with Beijing for the last one year. The US is the largest donor to the FAO. Although China has not declared its candidate, most diplomats expect Shenggen Fan, Director General of Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute, to be its choice. Anticipating tough competition from Asia, especially China, the EU has fielded a joint candidate, French agriculture bureaucrat Catherine Geslain-Laneelle. At most multilaterals, the EU continues to act like a block. It is expecting support from Washington too. Georgia has already fielded David Kirvalidze, an advisor to Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze. The tenure of the incumbent Director-General, the Brazilian agronomist Jose Graziano da Silva, ends on August 31. Delegates from 194 FAO member countries will elect the new head in June end. The member countries have time till the end of February to nominate their candidates. Also read: ILFS, NCLT accounts roil BoI numbers; Q3 net loss soars to Rs 4,738 crore Budget 2019: There may be a big surprise for those earning up to Rs 5 lakh Rahul Gandhi promises Universal Basic Income; what does it mean, how will it benefit people? Bonus panic: Former Barclays head of investment banking and investment management in the Middle East, Roger Jenkins arrives at Southwark Crown Court on January 14, 2019 in London, England. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images Barclays bankers panicked about what a government bailout at the height of the financial crisis would mean for multimillion pound pay packets, a court was told on Monday. The defendants in the case are: John Varley, who was CEO of Barclays between 2004 and 2011; Roger Jenkins, who formerly ran Barclays Capitals investment management business in the Middle East and North Africa; Thomas Kalaris, the former CEO of Barclays wealth and investment management; and Richard Boath, the former head of European financial institutions group at Barclays Capital. Varley and Jenkins each face two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, and Kalaris and Boath each face one. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. Qatar is not accused of any wrongdoing. The jury at Southwark Crown Court heard transcript of calls between senior executives at the bank as part of a case related to Qatari fundraising by the bank in 2008. The multibillion pound investments received that year helped Barclays to avoid a state bailout. In the transcript of one call from October 2008, Jenkins said: I was panicking that we were about to get nationalised and you guys must have been the same because the government would, wouldnt look kindly on compensation over a million dollars. Jenkins, one of four defendants in the case, was head of Barclays Capitals investment management business in the Middle East and North Africa at the time. His total pay packet in 2007 was 37.5m, Edward Brown QC told the jury. Jeff Weiss, another BarCap executive, said on the same call he just figured theyd take [then Barclays CEO John] Varley and [then BarCap CEO] Diamonds compensation down to a reasonable amount. Weiss is not accused of any wrongdoing. Later in the same call Jenkins said: If we dont have to go to the government we dont have to disclose your, yours and Jeffs comps [compensation] because mines nothing. Evidence presented on Monday also showed that the issue of executive pay was raised at board level at the time. Story continues The board discussed whether Barclays should utilise the governments offer of new capital but noted that there would inevitably be constraints placed on the bank relating to dividends, operational flexibility, and executive compensation, minutes of a meeting from October 2008 read to the jury said. READ MORE: Were f***ed: Court hears Barclays bankers panicked over Qatari fundraising nightmare In a separate call transcript, Jenkins said then CEO Varley was scared to death that the government turn up tomorrow morning and said then Barclays Capital CEO Bob Diamond was fucking paranoid about the bank being nationalised and the possibility of losing his job. The transcripts and board notes surfaced as part of an ongoing case against four former Barclays bankers accused of misleading investors during two investments in 2008 that helped save the bank from government intervention. Barclays raised 11.8bn in 2008 in two fundraising rounds. Qatar invested 4.4bn in total that year. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which is prosecuting the case, claims that the four Barclays executives sought to illegally disguise fees paid to Qatar for their investment under Advisory Service Agreements that were simply smokescreens. It claims they did so in order to avoid paying the higher fees to other investors who also backed Barclays at the time. Brown, the SFOs lead lawyer, told the jury after presenting evidence of the pay discussions: You may think that some of these defendants were highly motivated to keep their jobs. The case is ongoing and expected to last up to six months. Read more on the trial of the Barclays four: Steve Jacobs has returned as weather presenter to Today fulltime. He farewelled Today in 2016 to live in Vanuatu but made occasional appearances in 2018. Yesterday he returned to the show, escorted to the studio by pal Richard Wilkins. It is fantastic to be here. Im sort of getting my chops back on board now with the weather, he said. I figured at my age I have to get up at 4am to take a wee anyway. I feel like Im back and part of the family. Sure, it is like the Manson family but it is a family! Related A court in Hanoi on Monday opened a trial for two former deputy ministers of Vietnams Ministry of Public Security in a case linked to jailed Da Nang business tycoon Phan Van Anh Vu. The ex-deputy ministers, Tran Viet Tan and Bui Van Thanh, were last month prosecuted for lack of responsibility that led to serious consequences." Tan, 63, was Deputy Minister of Public Security from 2011 to 2016, while Thanh, 60, served in the same position between 2014 and 2018. Investigators found them responsible for helping Vu acquire seven pieces of valuable public real estate in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City over the course of their respective tenures at the public security ministry by signing a number of documents that violated regulations on protecting state secrets. Thanh also requested the issuance of a diplomatic passport for Vu, who was not qualified to carry the travel document. Their wrongdoings were discovered during an expanded probe into a case of abusing positions and powers while performing duties involving Phan Van Anh Vu and accomplices. Vu, a.k.a. Vu nhom,' was a business tycoon known for owning different companies and multiple pieces of prime real estate in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang. Tran Viet Tan (L), former Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Public Security, arrives at a court in Hanoi on January 28, 2019. Photo: Tuan Linh / Tuoi Tre The three-day first instance court for Tan and Thanh is expected to conclude on Wednesday, and presided over by Truong Viet Toan, deputy chief justice of Hanois criminal court. Besides Tan, Thanh and Vu, two other defedants who are both former public security ministry officials are also being tried at the court. The defedants are defended by nine lawyers in total. The defendants actions have allegedly resulted in a loss of VND1,159 billion (US$50.3 million) in state assets. Vu was in July 2018 sentenced to nine years in prison by a court in Hanoi for deliberately disclosing state secrets. The prison term was reduced to eight years in October. The Da Nang businessman was also charged for abuse of positions and powers while on duty, tax evasion and violating regulations on the management and use of state assets, causing losses and wastefulness. A number of people have faced charges for their alleged links to Vu, including former deputy chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Huu Tin. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Read what is in the news today, January 28! Society -- Three of Ho Chi Minh Citys biggest Tet flower markets, located at Gia Dinh Park, September 23 Park and Le Van Tam Park in District 1, have opened to visitors on Monday, signaling the start of the Lunar New Year festive season as locals begin shopping for decorative plants for their houses. -- Passengers on a train from Ho Chi Minh City to Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam on Sunday demonstrated a humane gesture by chipping in VND22 million (US$955) to assist a female passenger who had lost VND30 million ($1,300) worth of cash she had saved for a whole year. -- Temperatures are forecast to remain in the region of 22 degrees Celsius in Ho Chi Minh City this week, while northern Vietnam will continue to be affected by a cold spell and occasional rains in the last working week before the country enters a nine-day Lunar New Year holiday. -- Vietnams north-to-south rail link, which experienced over 13 hours of disruption after a train derailed in the early hours of Sunday, has resumed operation since the afternoon of the same day although trains are forced to run at slower speeds for safety reasons. -- Two former deputy ministers of Vietnams Ministry of Public Security who were criminally prosecuted for abuse of power and authority in the handling of public land in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City will appear at their first instance court in Hanoi on Monday. Business -- A high-speed boat service operated by GreenlinesDP that connects Ho Chi Minh City and the coastal city of Vung Tau in southern Vietnam will remain in operation throughout the Lunar New Year holiday, with no hikes of ticket prices. -- Foreign delicacies including preserved meat and fruits have been imported into Vietnam in large quantities as Vietnamese consumers seek high-quality options to keep their families fed during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. -- Pet sitters in big Vietnamese cities including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang are offering to watch over other peoples pets during the long Lunar New Year holiday for a price of up to VND500,000 ($21.70) per day. Lifestyle -- Vietnamese families stage a farewell ceremony for the Land Genie and the Kitchen Gods on their yearly visit to Heaven today (January 28), the 23rd day of the last month of the lunar year, marking the start of the springtime festive season in local traditions. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A portion from the exotic 6000+ pig statues and drawings in a collection of renowned Vietnamese historian-turned-politician Duong Trung Quoc is on display at Vietnam Womens Museum in Hanoi to commemorate the coming Year of the Pig. The exhibition, named My Zodiac Sign, the Prosperous Pig, kicked off on January 23 evening. As its owner, historian Quoc, who is quite peripatetic, said the collection enjoys a great deal of diversity. The pigs exhibited come in all shapes and sizes, and hail from every nook and cranny across the globe. Sightseers and art enthusiasts promise bafflement the moment they lay eyes on the sheer volume of the exhibits. The collection reportedly comprises, but not limited to, Chilean Chanchitos pig figurines, porcelain Indian pig statues, violet pigs from Taipei, and even pig sculptures hailing from Austrias mythically famous Hallstatt village. Exquisite additions, from Western civilizations such as Quebec, Rome, Germany, Chopins Poland, to the world-acclaimed Yixing clay pigs from Wuxing City, China, and the Running Pigs figurines from the Russian Mrs. Beauty Contest held in Kaliningrad, also constitute a special part of the spectacle. Aside from the physical fascination on show, it is the various tales accompanying each piggy piece that compel the mass under its enchantment. The exhibition also calls for contributions from potential artists, notably Nguyen Van Toans ceramic pig collection, Le Tri Dungs twelve zodiac signs drawn on utensils, alongside products from some of the most well-known Vietnamese handicraft villages and streets of Bat Trang, Kim Hoan, Dong Ho, Hang Trong, and others. Prominently, it welcomes the pig drawings of Bui Xuan Phai, a legendary painter in Vietnam. The exhibition will persist until after Lunar New Year celebration, which lasts for nine days from February 2, marking the first occasion the museum has received both domestic and international visitors during the period. Sift through the My Zodiac Sign, the Prosperous Pig exhibits and see the culmination of cultural arts from all over the world. Duong Trung Quoc also puts on display piggy figurines of Dr. Dinh Van Hanh. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Cute piglet figurines. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Feeding piggy banks! Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Smiley piggy Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre A pair of similarly looking pig statues. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Pig figurines on display at the exhibition. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Piggy couples. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Duong Trung Quoc recently claimed the record of having the most pig figurines in Vietnam. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Pig sculptures of sculptor Thai Nhat Minh make a debut at the exhibition. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Vietnamese pigs hold a close relationship with their rooster neighbors. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Some are sheer bizarre. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Some pigs appear more colorful than their peers. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Many visitors are mildly enthralled by the sheer volume of the pig figurines. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Ferocious swine bare their teeth against sightseers. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre The twelve zodiac signs drawn on utensils of artist Le Tri Dung. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Pig figurines are seen coming from all shapes and sizes. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre This bizarre piggy trio must have come a long way to make it to the exhibition. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre A figurine depicts a child using a laptop on a pigs back a blend between tradition and modern vibes. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre Duong Trung Quoc, 72, is a Vietnamese historian notable for his practical observation methods in culture and arts which often involve him trekking far and wide and his downright honest feedback at the lawmaking national assembly as a congressman representing Dong Nai Province, southeastern Vietnam. As lunar 2019 is the Year of the Pig, whose sign Quocs birth year falls under, he cooperates with, and gives consent to, Vietnam Womens Museum so that the latter may put his vast collection on display. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! For VND500,000 (US$22) a day or less, pet owners in Vietnam who will be away from home for the upcoming Tet holiday can have their pets tended to by professional pet sitters. The recently-emerging service is most commonly available in big cities including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, where demand is high. Tet, or the Lunar New Year festival, is the biggest public holiday in Vietnam observed around late January or early February, when people celebrate the coming of a new lunar year. This year, Tet falls on February 5, with public workers given a nine-day break ending February 10. Many Vietnamese people are away from their regular place of residence during this festive season, either to travel or to visit their family and relatives who live in other provinces and cities. This creates a market for the pet sitting service to cash in on. Calling themselves pet hotels," these facilities feature air-conditioned rooms designed specifically for keeping pets, tapping a growing need of city dwellers to have someone look after their pets while they are away for the holiday. CCTV cameras are installed in each room so owners can keep an eye on their pets over the Internet, while veterinarians and pet care workers are available 24/7 to feed, bathe, play with and provide medical checkups for the animals during the course of their stay. A regular room, fit for one animal, can set the owner back VND150,000 ($6.5) a day during the Tet holiday, while a VIP room can cost twice as much. For large pets weighing up to 40 kilograms, one nights stay at a pet hotel can cost up to VND500,000 ($22), according to the owner of a pet hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. Lower rates of around VND8,000-45,000 ($0.35-1.95) a day are charged for small animals such as hamsters, hedgehogs, squirrels, guinea pigs and rabbits. Pet hotels also offer additional services such as grooming and spa for the animals, which cost an extra VND100,000-650,000 ($4.30-28) per service. Ho Trung Truc, an employee at a pet hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, said demand for pet sitting during this years Tet holiday has grown 50 percent compared to 2018. Customer retention remains high at around 80 percent, Truc said. We have imported new, modern pet houses that are equipped with automatic air purifiers and humidifiers, he added. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Many foreigners have engaged themselves in the Vietnamese traditions of celebrating Tet (Lunar New Year), including buying and hanging folk paintings and calligraphical works, as they were spotted among locals at an event being held in Ho Chi Minh City on the weekend. As Tet is only one week away, Vietnamese people are gearing up for shopping for the most anticipated holiday in the Southeast Asian country. Apart from buying food, clothing items and floral embellishments for the upcoming Tet, many also choose to purchase calligraphical works and Tet paintings. These Tet items are being put on sale during an annual event taking place at the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Culture House in District 1 on Sunday, attracting not only local residents but also foreign visitors, some of whom were seen wearing ao dai, or Vietnam's traditional long gown. Calligraphical works are those featuring stylized words in Vietnamese, Chinese and even English or any other language that ones heart desires. The content, usually wishes, quotes or verses, is written in the form of calligraphy with a brush using a special kind of ink. In the good old days, Tet was when ong do, a Vietnamese noun referring to male teachers usually of a senior age, would make calligraphical works upon peoples request. The tradition is today revived, with young calligraphers acting as ong do and selling their works. Rhys, a British national, and his Vietnamese wife, Mai Thy, pose for a photo when they visited the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Culture House on January 27, 2019. Photo: Binh Minh / Tuoi Tre At the event in Ho Chi Minh City, known as Pho Ong Do or The Street of Ong Do, many ong do in their 20s or 30s in ao dai were busy writing words to sell to their customers. Thanh, a young ong do, said that foreign visitors, mostly Chinese, Japanese and South Koreans, buying calligraphical works has become a common scene at the event in recent years. They often prefer asking ong do to do English versions of the most common calligraphed words available in Vietnamese. Words like Happy New Year, Lucky or Lucky Money are most commonly requested by international visitors, whereas red envelopes and small-sized greeting cards featuring content in calligraphy are the best-sellers. Pho Ong Do is among the busy gathering places in the southern metropolis in the lead-up to Tet, which starts on February 5, as visitors come not only for the calligraphical works but also for some Tet-themed photos. A group of foreign tourists enjoy souvenir fans with the word Saigon written in calligraphy. Photo: Binh Minh / Tuoi Tre Rhys, a British national, said he was visiting Pho Ong Do for the first time, despite having lived and worked in Ho Chi Minh City for seven years. The Briton, sporting a special ao dai with dragon prints, was touring the street of ong do with his Vietnamese wife on Sunday morning. Rhys said he had donned this special gown in his wedding, also held as per Vietnamese tradition, two years ago. Like Rhys, Sebastian, a businessman from Austria, decided to extend his business trip in Ho Chi Minh City to experience the Vietnamese Tet atmosphere for the first time, after having been to the city for several times. I like to learn about Asian cultures, among which Vietnam is one of the countries that left me with the most special feelings, Sebastian said. He said that what make foreign tourists love Vietnam are the gentleness, hospitality and sincerity of local people, which stay in international visitors memory after they leave the Southeast Asian country. I like the way Vietnamese people appear in traditional costumes, especially the women, Sebastian added. They look different, graceful and charming, unlike when they wear everyday office clothes, the Austrian businessman underscored. Two South Korean tourists visit a calligraphy booth at Pho Ong Do on January 27,2019. Photo: Binh Minh / Tuoi Tre Vuong An (M), an American national, is gifted by his family a word "Tam" written in calligraphy at Pho Ong Do on January 27,2019. Photo: Binh Minh / Tuoi Tre Miyoko (R), a Japanese visitor, poses for a photo with a Vietnamese woman wearing ao dai. Photo: Binh Minh / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Telecom regulator Trai hopes to finalise, by February-end, its recommendations on whether over-the-top (OTT) services, such as WhatsApp and Skype, should be brought under the regulatory ambit, according to a top official. "We will be organising open house discussions soon. And hopefully, by the end of the next month, we should be able to come up with recommendations," Trai Chairman R S Sharma told PTI in an interview. In November last year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) initiated a consultation to explore the regulatory framework for OTT apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Google Duo that provide calling and messaging services similar to that by mobile operators. Trai also sought public opinion on whether the same rules should be applied to OTT applications as are applied to telecom operators. This has been a long-pending demand of telecom operators. Players such as WhatsApp and Facebook have come under the scrutiny of policymakers over issues including data breach and fake news, and any new regulation or licensing requirement is expected to increase pressure on such platforms. Mobile operators' association COAI has said the highly taxed telecom industry, invested heavily in licence fee, spectrum, telecom equipment and security apparatus, is on an "unequal footing with unregulated OTTs" that offer similar voice, video and data services without regulatory cost. In its written submission to the regulator, the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) has said the OTT players should be licensed by introducing 'OTT Communication Authorisation' under the unified licence. Batting for the 'same service, same rules', COAI said that in case similar obligations are not applied to OTT players, a new set of rules or obligations should be adopted for the telecom service providers also. On the other hand, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and the Broadband India Forum (BIF) have opposed the position by telecom operators that OTT services be brought under the licensing and regulatory ambit. IAMAI said legacy telecommunication regulations should not be automatically extended to online applications because of the fundamental "technical and business differences" between traditional services and apps. BIF also said heavy regulatory frameworks on OTTs will not be viable or necessary. "OTT providers offer an array of different services that are accessed by users through the data services provided by TSPs (telecom service providers). Thus, the services provided by TSPs, while they enable access to OTT services, are fundamentally different...," BIF said in its written response to Trai. Supermarkets in Vietnam are offering services via mobile applications with many discounts and promotions during the busy shopping season of Tet, or the Lunar New Year holiday that is only a week away. The retail chains catching up with the digital shopping trend not only brings convenience to customers but also helps them avoid wasting time queuing for checkouts at the brick-and-mortar outlets. The weeks before Tet, which begins on February 2, is normally a nationwide shopping spree, with supermarkets packed with buyers and cashier desks flooded with people standing next to fully-loaded shopping carts. Some supermarkets have thus developed mobile apps that allow consumers to stay at home and enjoy shopping with multiple payment options and free delivery at their chosen time. The items available for purchase on these platforms include not only fashion and household appliances but also fresh and frozen foods, and Tet treats. Vietnams leading supermarket chain Co.opmart, for instance, has taken advantange of the QR (quick response) scanning code technology to help its customers shop anytime, anywhere with their mobile devices. Customers only need to use their smartphones to scan the QR codes on Co.opmarts shopping brochures, webpages and advertisements at bus stations to select the items they want to buy. The supermarket chain has so far issued some 600,000 shopping brochures with QR codes, according to marketing manager Do Quoc Huy. Foreign players such as South Koreas Lotte Mart and Japanese Aeon Mall also have their own online shopping apps to meet Vietnamese consumers need. Another leading retailer from South Korea, Emart, is listing nearly one-third of its products, equivalent to 9,000 out of more than 30,000 items available at the chains physical locations, on its mobile app, according to marketing manager Le Huu Tinh. Retailers that allow customers to shop online offer numerous promotions and discounts to encourage purchases as well. For instance, Emart offers discounts of ten to 20 percent on Tet gift hampers bought via the app, and price reductions between 30 and 40 percent for drinks purchased online. Thanks to these attractive offers, fresh products such as fruits and vegetables have understandably become the best-selling category on the Emart app, followed by beverages including beer, milk, and soft drinks, Tinh said. The marketing manager added these are impressive results, given the fact that Vietnamese consumers normally buy these products offline. As these customers are all loyal members of Emart, they may already know about the product quality, so it does not matter whether they shop via the app or at the stores, he said. While the mobile apps help shoppers avoid queuing at checkout counters during the peak shopping days of the Tet holiday, they also allow retailers to reduce crowding at their locations and enable them to have better goods management. According to a director of a large supermarket chain, retailers have to invest more in facilities and human resources, especially in customer care, to offer better online sales to customers. When a supermarket has a clear set of standards on its goods quality and adequately follow it, it is not necessary [for consumers] to go to the place of purchase, the director said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Other Opinions and Columnists from 'The Conversation' Even more exciting, Miesfeld said turning off the gene once caused the same effect on all clutches of eggs that were laid, leaving them mushy and marshmallow-like. That suggests the protein that Jun found ... is a master regulator, perhaps a master switch, Miesfeld said. This is just the first step, according to Miesfeld. Now, they have a target gene to aim for, and they will start trying to find a chemical compound that affects that gene. Miesfeld said they will test millions of different chemical compounds against the protein. You get a hit and ... you take that compound, you modify it, go back to the mosquitoes and see if you can find a chemical that hits that protein, Miesfeld said. It has to be soluble, so you can spray it, it needs to go on bed nets. For now, Isoe will continue testing the other 120 genes to see if there might be another way to control mosquitoes. Miesfeld said their goal is not to eradicate all mosquitoes. In fact, thats not even possible. Were not trying to kill all mosquitoes. Theyre actually good pollinators, and bats eat mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are always going to be around, Miesfeld said. But the mosquito is causing dramatic health issues for humans, because of the pathogens. The project will expand the two-mile stretch of Broadway, known as the Sunshine Mile, to six lanes. It will include medians, bike lanes, sidewalks and bus pullouts. A total of $71 million has been allocated to the project. Transportation officials highlighted some of the work the public may see in 2019. The construction work that the public can likely anticipate seeing accomplished ... is underground work within the roadway prism, especially on the water and sewer utilities, a TDOT statement said. After that, it is possible they see the start of the installation of the storm drain system and some early widening efforts. While motorists have time to prepare before construction begins, many Broadway businesses are preparing now to continue operations throughout the project. The MainStreet Business Assistance Program, which is funded by the Regional Transportation Authority, is helping the businesses understand how they can prepare for the upcoming construction. Britton Dornquast, the programs manager, and a team of consultants are helping businesses free of charge. Theyre not only keeping owners up to date about the project, but providing tips that have worked on previous projects. Note: Before the Stars Family History Expo in November, The Star asked readers to submit family names to see what could be found on newspapers.com. There were many submissions, so we spent 30 minutes on each to see what we could find and will present several in the coming months. Linda Christine Lopez Mower knew the names of her paternal ancestors back to her great-, great-grandfather, Juan Sambrano Lopez. All of these men lived in Tucson. Her mothers parents were from Chihuahua, so there is less information available on them since there are few newspapers outside the United States and Canada available at newspapers.com. Because the family stayed in Tucson, searching for them was much easier than for those who scatter. The Lopez family was well-known as a pioneer family in Tucson, with several mentions of Lindas great-grandfather Pedro Pablo Lopez in the pages of the Arizona Daily Star. The following information comes from wedding announcements, anniversary stories and obituaries: Juan Sambrano Lopez, Pedro Lopezs father, was born in Tucson in 1834, long before the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen began publication. A man killed in an apparent home invasion on Saturday morning in Sahuarita, Ariz., has been identified, police said. Manuel Bojorquez, 59, of Eloy, Ariz., has been identified as the person who died in the 2200 block of East Sahuarita Road, west of South Nogales Highway, said Sgt. M. Falquez, a department spokesman in a news release. A second victim was released from a hospital after receiving treatment. Further details of the shooting and the two victims have not been released. The investigation so far shows, "multiple Spanish-speaking males entered the home with multiple firearms and fired shots," the release said. The gunmen had their faces covered. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 911 to speak with an on duty officer or 88-CRIME, an anonymous tipster line. PHOENIX A Republican lawmaker wants to reduce the financial burden on medical- marijuana patients. A proposal by Sen. Sonny Borrelli of Lake Havasu would extend the states current one-year certifications for medical-marijuana cards to two years. For patients, that would eliminate both the expense of a required second-year trip to the doctor and of paying the second-year annual fee to the state. The first card would be for two years; renewals after that would remain annual. But Borrellis proposal would also cut that annual renewal fee by two-thirds, to $50. The move comes as records show the state has nearly $55 million in an account from fees paid by cardholders and dispensary owners. The account is growing by more than $14 million a year, as the money collected can be spent only on issues related to medical marijuana. Borellis Senate Bill 1138 would accomplish what some patients have been unable to do by suing the state: Reduce the fees. He said he sees his measure as streamlining government. It would relieve the burden on the Department of Health, he said. They have such a short time in getting these cards in and out. So, for processing, why not have the card go for two years? Boyer said hes not concerned that providing a list of chemicals in vaccines might work against what the health department is trying to accomplish. I think we should trust parents, he said. I dont think anybody should be afraid of more information and whats in these vaccines were giving to our children. State health officials would not comment about the legislation. But former Arizona health director Will Humble said he worries it could lead to fewer parents agreeing to vaccinate their children. He said parents already are provided with what the CDC has determined they need to know about the vaccines and the side effects, all in a form that is understandable. Inundating parents with technical information that is not meaningful and potentially confusing wont help, said Humble, who is executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association. Rather, he said, it will result in doctors having to spend valuable time explaining the technical information instead of talking to parents about things like keeping their children safe at home and in cars. But Boyer said that, as far as hes concerned, parents are being denied information they need in a timely fashion. Flores brought along four trumpets for the work, switching with each movement, and his articulation on each was so crisp that he stood out as a distinctive voice even when the strings soared and the percussion rumbled. In the blistering finale where Marquez puts the biggest spotlight on the soloist, Flores made the virtuosic acrobatics look like a casual stroll on a sunny afternoon. His fingers danced along the valves as he blew out warm, muscular notes all without taking a breath for several minutes. Heck, we were winded just watching him. The "Autumn Concerto" was one of two that Flores performed with the orchestra, which in itself is a rarity. Usually a soloist joins the orchestra for one piece and then performs a short encore. Flores started his night with Neruda's Trumpet Concerto for strings and trumpet, another first for the TSO which had never before programmed the piece. Call the Neruda a tantalizing appetizer for Flores's main course, the Marquez. We got a glimpse of Flores's virtuosity and his musicality especially in the lush solo finale. For an encore, Flores performed Invierno Portenia from Astor Piazzollas Estanciones Portenas. The government has finally put to rest the uncertainty over the National Immunisation Day. The next round of National Immunisation Day (NID) is going to be held on March 10, Preeti Sudan, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told Business Today. According to Sudan, there is no shortage of polio vaccine and the government has already secured the required quantity of bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) for the programme. However, she also informed that to ensure availability of safe and quality vaccine during NID, the testing of bOPV has been made more stringent and it is getting tested at Kasauli (the government testing laboratory). The NID is a campaign approach to deal with polio and came to focus recently when some reports surfaced saying that shortage of polio vaccine was the reason the government was delaying the NID. The government, however, on Thursday, January 24th put out a release denying these reports and said they were false. The government also clarified in the note that there is neither shortage of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) nor any shortage of funds for its procurement for Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) in the country. IPV is generally believed to be more expensive than OPV. Pointing to the success so far, it says, "India has eliminated polio already and as per global guidelines, introduced IPV in its Universal Immunisation Program to safeguard the polio free status, as there are few countries where polio virus is still circulating and Polio is yet to be eliminated.'' India has a birth cohort of 26 million, which is the number of new births every year. Under the routine immunisation programme, along with oral polio vaccine-OPV, and the inactivated or chilled injectable-IPV is given to the children. India follows a mix of sequential schedule for this. Since April 2016, bOPV is being given and since November 2015, IPV is being given under routine immunisation programme in limited number of states. But by April this year, according to a senior officer, the plan is to give it nationwide. IPV was launched in India in November 2015 as part of India's commitment to the "Global Polio Endgame Strategy". In the first phase this vaccine was introduced in six states-Assam, Gujarat, Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. IPV injection is to be given to children below one year of age along with the third dose of OPV at the routine immunisation sessions free of cost. Globally, the plan is to remove all OPVs in the long run and with it the rare risk of vaccine-associated paralytic polio. The argument being that IPV along with OPV will further strengthen the children's immune system and will provide double protection against polio. The decision to switch to IPV and bOPV from trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (tOPV), given earlier in all polio campaigns and routine immunisation in India from April 2016, was taken following certification of global eradication of type 2 wild poliovirus. In India, the last Type 2 wild polio virus case was detected in the year 1999. The tOPV that was used till April 2016 contained three types of poliovirus vaccines (P1, P2 and P3) and protected against all three types of wild polioviruses-type 1, type 2 and type 3. While bOPV contains two types of poliovirus vaccines (P1 and P3) and protects against type 1 and type 3 wild polioviruses. Type 2 component from oral polio vaccine was removed as a part of global polio end game strategy. Also read: Modi govt likely to make big announcement for farmers! Here's what you can expect Also read: YES Bank stock runs out of steam, tumbles 5.58% on profit booking Also read: Lancet report warns against the syndemic of obesity, malnutrition and climate change Sometimes its just nice to sit in the audience and be washed over by the unaltered purity of acoustic music. And this weekend we have three star-studded opportunities to indulge our quieter musical angels. The Tucson Folk Festival is getting some big-time love from big-time Cajun music superstars BeauSoleil. The band, with founding frontman Michael Doucet in tow, is playing a fundraising gig for the Folk Festival on Saturday, Feb. 2, at El Casino Ballroom. The Grammy-winning BeauSoleil, whose musical palette has shades of folk, rock and zydeco, will share the stage with Tucsons own Carnivaleros beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the ballroom, 437 E. 26th St. Tickets are $20 in advance at brownpapertickets.com or at Antigone Books, The Folk Shop or Metro Gnome Music; or $25 at the door. Irish-born Celtgrass band We Banjo 3 must really like us. Or it must be so cold at home that the band felt the need to pay us a visit Saturday, Feb. 2 two weeks shy of a year since their sold-out Tucson debut . Meanwhile on the Hill Sen. John Barrassos Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act was signed by the president after nearly two years of effort. The bill establishes a regulatory framework for American innovators who seek to develop, license and deploy advanced nuclear reactors and other technologies. Sen. Mike Enzi was named to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Rep. Liz Cheney has been very active in her role as the Republican Partys chief spokesman, appearing on The Hugh Hewitt Show earlier this month to rail against the Democrats attacks on free enterprise and, last week, appearing on NBCs Meet the Press to speak on the disastrous effects of prematurely withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria and the need to fully defeat ISIS. Have any tips or suggestions to make this newsletter better? Let me know! Call me at 307-266-0634, email me at <&underline>nick.reynolds@trib.com or follow me on Twitter, <&underline>@IAmNickReynolds Follow politics reporter Nick Reynolds on Twitter @IAmNickReynolds Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Such work requirements were essentially a nonstarter under the Obama administration as far as expansion was concerned. But in January 2018, the Trump administration indicated it would be open to considering them. Last year, Baggs Republican Sen. Larry Hicks sponsored a bill to add a work requirement to the states current Medicaid system, which wouldve affected a relatively small number of the states already trim Medicaid enrollees the majority of whom are chronically ill or underage. He said at the time that Wyoming lawmakers may be more open to discussing expansion if a work requirement were included. Hicks bill passed the Senate but died in the House in 2018. During that debate, Sen. Chris Rothfuss a Laramie Democrat whos supported expansion for years spoke against the requirement. But he said that it would make more sense in the context of expansion. I have no idea why this chamber would want any of them to go out and get a job, Rothfuss said last February of Wyomings Medicaid recipients. If we had expanded Medicaid and we had able-bodied individuals part of the program, some of these provisions would make sense. Rothfuss is a co-sponsor of Schwartzs bill. Neither he nor the Jackson lawmaker returned multiple requests for comment Thursday or Friday. Through a spokesperson for the Republican caucus, Nicholas declined to comment on the bills status on Thursday. On Friday, Harshman didnt completely rule out a hearing on the bill, but said it seemed unlikely as its supporters struggled to rally the votes they would need on the House floor or in the Senate. I think the committee is still kinda pondering and working it, Harshman said. I dont know if the bills going to make it, to be honest with you, or if theyre even going to take it up. On the Senate side, Perkins said senators had expressed disinterest in the bill in closed-door Republican caucus. I know where enough people stand that I dont think it will pass, Perkins said. Its only fair to let the House know so they dont have to have that battle just to have it come down here and fail. Without public discussion, its not clear what made the bill unpalatable for lawmakers despite leaderships support. The Senate wouldnt back the bill without the provision lowering the sales tax from 4 to 3.5 percent, which the bill currently includes, Perkins said. If it doesnt lower, then I think its simply a tax raising bill, Perkins said. A baby conceived in rape is no less a baby than any other baby, she said. Shes no different than my other kids. Shes my baby, and I love her. But Kidd also urged the crowd not to judge women who had abortions. Many pregnant women find themselves in extremely challenging circumstances. Some are unemployed, others have been abandoned by the babys father or just experienced the trauma of being raped, she said. Kidd, the founder of Wyoming Women Warriors, which offers assistance and support to victims of sexual assault or domestic violence, said insulting people or shouting about abortion isnt the best way to end it. Instead, she said the community needs to step up and support pregnant women who are facing dire circumstances. We have to show up for them and provide meals and bring diapers and love them, she said. We cant be so quick to judge. We have to reach out to them with a compassionate hand and with Gods love and say I am here to help you and Im here to help your baby. Kidd then reminded the men in the crowd that they also have a role to play. SF 159 does not answer the bigger questions about a changing energy landscape right now. It may serve its purpose, however, said Bryce Freeman, administrator of the Office of Consumer Advocate. Freeman said it doesnt look like the measure would be detrimental to customers, which is what his office looks out for. Presuming there are buyers for coal plants, which remains to be seen, it could be good for customer rates, Freeman said. The biggest problem with some of the plants weve got is if they retire before the end of their useful lives then there is going to be some investment associated with those plants that is yet to be recovered, he said. A sale could, potentially, alleviate that cost on the utilities customers, he said. Others see the bill differently, arguing that its intent is not just to find buyers but to dissuade companies from retiring coal plants early. In turn, that places the cost of keeping a coal plant on customer shoulders. Connie Wilbert, director of the Wyoming Sierra Club chapter, said the measure is misguided. Wyoming will lose out with this attitude while customers in places across PacifiCorps system reap the benefit of cheaper power sources, she said. World's 10 Scariest Haunted Place to Visit | SiliconIndia Australia, as a settled country, isn't that old. Sydney and Melbourne are the two largest and oldest cities on the continent, yet we can only look back to the late 1700s for a Western history of the country. With such a short time-frame to work with, Australia has more than its fair share of reputedly-haunted locations. The abandoned asylum is made up of 64 buildings, spread over more than 40 hectares.Its empty corridors and deserted grounds resemble the film set of a post-apocalyptic horror film. There is a tales of Old Margaret, supposedly one of the many patients who were kicked out in the late 90s, when Aradale closed, who still hangs around the facility because it was her home for her entire life.The extent of the hauntedness of the Bhangarh Fort is evident from the fact that the Archaeological Society of India has put up warning signs forbidding the tourists to be present in the precincts of the fort after sunset. Hence, no wonder, the fort ranks on the top of the list of most haunted places in India. Today, villagers who live in the area continue to build roofless dwellings because everytime they do build a roof, it inexplicably collapses. People have also mysteriously gone missing after-hours inside the fort. It's an hour and a half by road from Jaipur on the Jaipur-Alwar road.Witnesses say they have seen a "floating" man in a Victorian suit and top hat apparently gliding through locked gates.Legend has it the vampire was a medieval nobleman who had practised black magic in medieval Romania.He was brought to England in a coffin in the 18th century but was awoken from the dead by modern Satanists at his resting place at Highgate Cemetery in North London.The Chase Vault located in the Barbados cemetery of the Christ Church Parish is a fairly unremarkable semi-sunken tomb save for the repeated stories of the coffins inside being thrown around around by mysterious forces. The Mysterious Moving Coffins Of Barbados. Just one month later, their father Thomas Chase committed suicide. He was to be placed in the vault next to his daughter for eternity. But something strange occurred when the vault was opened. When the vault was opened, the coffins were no longer placed neatly aside each other, as they were after the previous funeral. Everything was completely out of place and moved around as if the tomb had been ransacked by grave robbers. The devasted family reorganized the coffins together in a row and placed the 240-pound casket of Thomas alongside them. The huge marble slab was once again rolled over to the front to seal the vault.It has been called the most haunted house in Britain though how exactly one might measure, rank or quantify such a thing is beyond me. Nevertheless, there are countless stories of ghostly sightings at The Ancient Ram Inn; and worse still are the tales of forceful interference, physical assault and even demonic rape at this little old Gloucestershire pub. One popular legend surrounding the Ancient Ram Inn is that of the witch burned at the stake. She was burned at the stake in the 1500s. It was the prosecution of people who did not believe and practice Christianity as sanctioned by the government. A lot of people believe that the woman's spirit still haunts one of the rooms of the house to this day. It is believed that the woman took refuge in one of the rooms of the house before she was captured and killed. Today, that room is called "The Witch's Room".The Corvin Castle, also known as the Hunyadi castle is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved medieval castles in Transylvania. The castle was built in the 14th century, being the most famous property of Romanian ruler Iancu of Hunedoara. To this day, this impressive castle dominates the city of Hunedoara with its Gothic architecture. It only takes one visit to the Corvin Castle for a traveler to imagine this as the perfect setting for Edgar Allan Poe's "ghost stories". Still, the most interesting aspect about Hunyadi Castle is represented by the hauntings. This castle is one of the most haunted castles in the world. Ghostly silhouettes appear in photographs and violent ghosts are thought to wander the halls and chambers at night. When some tourists tricked the guards to remain in the castle at night, they came out the next day bruised, beaten, and terrified - they had supposedly suffered the wrath of an angry ghost. The ghost had tortured them until the early morningIf ghosts exist anywhere in the United States, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is perhaps the right place to look for them.The rolling green hills where the armies of the Union and Confederacy clashed still seem haunted by the more than 50,000 soldiers who were killed, wounded or went missing in the Battle of Gettysburg.I've often heard that the Forbidden City in Beijing is one of the scariest places in China. When I was there, I didn't think so, but I still have some tingling memories of my visit. The Forbidden City (Zijin Cheng, in Chinese; literally "Purple Forbidden City") has over 600 years of history of assassinations and plotting behind it, so no wonder that it's also said to be occupied by several ghosts. When I was walking inside its tall and wide walls, I wasn't familiar with this folklore - unfortunately. But if I ever go there again, I will look at the Forbidden City with entirely different eyes. There are many Ghost Stories we cant forget that.It's by far the most-haunted spot in Australia," our guide claims, which is why the nightly ghost tours here are so popular. "Nothing is fabricated, there are no tricks -- it is about real people's storiesOriginally a summer house built by an Indian business in the British era, the famous Mohatta palace in Karachi now serves as a museum to display various artifacts. Many of the workers claim that things have a tendency to move themselves, from one place to another, claims have been made of lights moving around, when no one is inside. 7 Most Amazing Places Bali | SiliconIndia Bali is one of the standouts amongst the most suggestive and prominent visitor islands of the whole Indonesian enclave.take you straight to the "can't-miss" social fortunes and celebrated scenes discovered all around the mysterious island of Bali.This Indonesian land is very in talk nowadays, which once used to be an uprising tourism focal point of Indonesia has now transformed into a floating escape for individuals around the world.Regardless of the clatter and mayhem of the primary visitor zones, the island is wealthy in normal magnificence, with attractions for each sort of explorer.All things considered, Bali isn't be portrayed in words, it is to be experienced. Is it true that you are as yet surfing the net and attempting to discover the best places to visit amid your get-away?which are the 7 Best Places to visit in Bali and here is the answer Nusa Penida, Pura Tanah Lot, Uluwatu Temple, Mount Batur, tamblingan temple, Ubud Monkey Forest, Sekumpul Waterfall.Nusa Penida is an island southeast of Indonesia's island Bali and an area of Klungkung Regency that incorporates the neighboring little island of Nusa Lembongan. Nusa Penida used to be your escape heaven ideal next two Bali. Inside under three years, they figured out how to stuff the desolate island with inns, autos and huge amounts of individuals. There are two little islands adjacent - Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan - which are incorporated inside the area (kecamatan). Officially, the kecamatan of a similar name, had a populace of 45,178 out of 2010 registration, covering 202.8 km2, almost no change from 10 years prior.Nusa Penida covers a wide zone of jumping areas, including Penida Bay, Batu Lumbung (Manta Point), Batu Meling, Batu Abah, Toya Pakeh, and Malibu Point. The course through the Lombok Strait is, generally, south-tending, in spite of the fact that the quality and heading of the tidal streams are affected by the rainstorm seasons. Amid the southeast rainstorm, the tidal stream tends south; amid the upper east storms, the tidal stream tends north. In the zone of the strait north of Nusa PeniTanah Lot is a stone arrangement off the Indonesian island of Bali. It is home to the old Hindu journey sanctuary Pura Tanah Lot, a famous vacationer and social symbol for photography, The onshore site is dotted with smaller shrines alongside visitor's leisure facilities that comprise restaurants, shops and a cultural park presenting regular dance performances. Following quite a while of substantial waves tenaciously slamming at its stone base, Tanah Lot confronted the steady danger of disintegration, achieving a critical decrease in 1980.Following are the relating dates for future 'piodalan' sanctuary commemorations at Tanah Lot:Uluwatu Temple is a Balinese Hindu ocean temple situated in Uluwatu. The temple is viewed as one of the sad kahyangan and is devoted to Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa in his appearance as Rudra. A night Uluwatu Temple visit can be joined with a new fish supper on Jimbaran Beach. Visits to Uluwatu Temple frequently incorporate pickup and drop-off in either Denpasar or South Kuta. The clifftop temple isn't Uluwatu's only appeal. The area is also deservedly famous for its white-sand beaches. While strong tides make for unsafe swimming, Padang Padang Beach and Jimbaran Beach attract surfers year-round with their consistent waves. Uluwatu Temple sits around a short ways from the Denpasar airplane terminal by street. The most advantageous approach to arrive is on a guided visit, but on the other hand it's conceivable to touch base by taxi from pretty much anyplace on the island.Mount Batur is a functioning spring of gushing lava situated at the focal point of two concentric calderas north west of Mount Agung on the island of Bali, Indonesia. The south-east side of the bigger 10*13 km caldera contains a caldera lake. The Mount Batur dawn trek in Bali, Indonesia is a fulfilling and mystical approach to begin the day. Also, dawns in Bali don't beat this!When you reach the summit of Mount Batur volcano there's a strange adrenaline that kicks in. You see that view and you know it was all worth it. You feel proud. It's so rewarding.It's not even 6am and look how much you've achieved! You don't want to sit down. You don't want to go to sleep. You want to hug everyone at the top. You want to dance around like a loony!Sekumpul Waterfall is one of Bali's most grand characteristic attractions. A cascade is really a group of six to seven tight falls that frame the focal point of a rich green bamboo forested valley. here you will explore the Hidden Village in north of Bali, The most amazing hidden Waterfall " Combination of 7 waterfalls", and visit Baliage village. It is genuinely near Niagara Falls Lemukih, just around 2 km away. Justifiably, the Village and Village Lemukih Sekumpul for sure neighbors. To see Sekumpul Waterfall close, it requires a touch of exertion and battle.Mandala Suci Wenara Wana or well known as Monkey Forest Ubud is the sanctuary or natural habitat of Balinese long-tailed Monkey, in scientific called Macaca fascicularis. It is located at Padangtegal Ubud, Bali. There are around 749 monkeys live in this sanctuary. The Sacred Ubud Monkey Forest in Bali comes with it's fair share of controversy. We have met people that won't set foot in the place because of the experiences they have had or the stories they have heard from others. On the other side of the spectrum are the people that have visited the monkey forest and enjoyed it. A visit here ought not be done daintily or without alert, but rather I do feel that it is an awesome place to visit on your next trek to Bali. You can have a wonderful visit in the event that you are aware of the standards and recall forget that these monkeys are not pets, they are wild creatures.Located in the village of Denpasar in southeast Bali, quiet Sanur Beach is a popular destination for older visitors, which has earned the spot the nickname "Snore Beach." That's a bit of a misnomer, however, as there is plenty to see and do at this beach resort. A popular spot for 40+ visitors, Sanur does have a certain laid-back charm, even if the beach is mediocre. Expect clear waters but not turquoise, and golden sand instead of white powder. The shore (at least midway on Sanur Beach) is abrasive on the feet because of the rocks and broken shells so, instead of swimming in the ocean. Five months after acquiring the infrastructure asset management business of IDFC Alternatives last July, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) kick-started the process of selling its roads platform, Highway Concessions One (HC1), in December. The move is reportedly a part of the US-based infrastructure fund manager's realignment process and it already has a few interested investors lined up. Global pension funds Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ), and National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), are in independent talks to acquire HC1 for around $700 million, The Economic Times reported. "CPPIB, CDPQ and India's sovereign fund NIIF have submitted their initial term sheets and are currently carrying out due diligence," a source told the daily, adding that the portfolio's book value is pegged at $200 million. According to the company website, HC1 currently manages seven roads assets - five toll roads and two annuity roads - across seven states. These are Ulundurpet Expressways in Tamil Nadu, Nirmal BOT in Telangana, Dewas Bhopal Corridor (Madhya Pradesh), Bangalore Elevated Tollway (Karnataka), Godhra Expressways (Gujarat), Jodhpur Pali Expressway in Rajasthan and Shillong Expressway (Meghalaya). "Route length under management has grown at a phenomenal CAGR of 45% since the inception of the platform in 2014," the website stated, adding that the 472-km roads network fetched Rs 620 crore in revenues in the last fiscal. HC1's non-road platforms include renewable energy, telecom towers and rail freight terminals. However, the buzz last month was that GIC intended to monetise the roads platform first since it was the most mature of the lot, and mandated investment bank Citigroup to scout for buyers for the same. While infrastructure and traditional private equity funds typically shy away from projects with a long gestation period, like roads, recent initiatives by the government have helped build investor interest in the space. For instance, take the Hybrid Annuity Model for implementation of highway projects under which 40% the project cost is to be provided by the government while the remaining 60% will be paid by the government through annuity payments from the date the project is commissioned. Besides, sources added that most of the IDFC portfolio is in better shape compared to most of the other road assets up for sale, hence, the interest is expected to be higher. Infrastructure funds typically invest in early-stage roads projects with higher execution risk, exiting as toll traffic picks up. They sell it to pension funds as its investors seek annuity returns for long tenures. The growing investments in the roads sector, furthermore, come at a time of frenetic road construction activity. Over the last four years of the Modi government, road construction has picked up pace from 12 km a day in 2014-15 to almost 27 KM a day in the last fiscal. The target for FY19 was 45 km per day. Private equity (PE) investments in the roads sector had shot up to a decade high of $1,827 million by September 2018 according to the data from Venture Intelligence. The value per PE deal mushroomed a whopping 1235% since 2008, crossing $228 million in 2018. The success of the asset monetisation exercise under the Toll Operate Transfer (ToT) model played a big part in this. The National Highways Authority of India's first auction of a bundle of projects last year fetched Rs 9,681 crore. The government reportedly hopes to raise Rs 2 lakh crore through the ToT model in five years, although the response for the second lot has been a lot less enthusiastic. Also read: ILFS, NCLT accounts roil BoI numbers; Q3 net loss soars to Rs 4,738 crore Budget 2019: There may be a big surprise for those earning up to Rs 5 lakh Rahul Gandhi promises Universal Basic Income; what does it mean, how will it benefit people? Edited by Sushmita Choudhury Agarwal South Africa: Campaign expected to clamp down on illegal trade This story has been published on: 2019-01-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The ten taxi operators, who were arrested during an alleged conflict over routes in Hoedspruit outside Phalaborwa on Friday, are set to appear in court this morning. The ten suspects aged between 26 and 44 were arrested after a shootout, allegedly over taxi routes. The police said the feud has been brewing since December and despite an... See more 5 Must Go To International Destinations during Winter As winter approaches, we find ourselves wishing for winter wonderlands with the excitement of Christmas and New Year coming to experience something unique and unseen. Easy said than done, finding the right place to park ourselves is one Herculean task. But letting you just put your thoughts on what to pack and what not, we bring to you five internatinal holiday destinations you can choose from to make your vacation memorable.If someone tells you Prague is a beauty in summers, tell them Decembers add more to it. The gothic architecture of the city provides the perfect backdrop for sugary pastries, roasted ham and warming up with mulled wine; add to it the major holiday shopping for Christmas in old town and Wenceslas squares. The streets are covered with food and beverages stalls and traditional Czech goods & ornaments with frenzy of holiday carols and lights in every nook and corner you roll your eyes. The must see places are Charles Bridge, Prague Castle which has history of decades, old town square, and St. Vitus Cathedral.Forthose who have love beer, you can literally bath in all the finest brews . The best ever Beer is here!!!Famous for its historical attraction and great art, for distinctive color & flavor of its old sections that has been preserved so well for years, Amsterdam is every tourist's major holiday destination. You can visit the age old museum that tells you the tales of history, for e.g. Van Gogh, Rijksmuseum and the renowned Anne Frank House. The best ways to explore the city is by a boat tour through the historic canal ring or book a bicycle and roam around in the locals in the native.Vienna has an artistic & intellectual legacy shaped by great personalities like Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for imperial palaces, masterpiece-filled museums and more vibrant epicurean and design scenes & art pieces. If you are coffee person, then Vienna has the best coffee culture in the world with the best taste. Vienna is also known for finer Austrian wines, spectacular cakes, elegant restaurants, and their experiments with the local & fresh flavor combinations in innovative ways and often repurposed venues. It entices locals & visitors with splendid attractions, world-class events, and excellent public transport and city bike scheme, fabulous eateries, cafes, bars, wineries, artisan shops and exciting street markets. This place is consistently rankest for offering the best quality in the world.What makes the trip to Norway an unforgettable one is the wonderful nature with panoramic view, numerous outdoor activities and SPA centers. This place is the gateway to the Fjords of Norway where you can explore the wildest & loveliest sides by roaming through the living history. Bergen is famous for the seven mountains surrounding the city centre, the Hanseatic Wharf, the fish market and one of the Norway's biggest cultural events: the Bergen International Festival which is held every year. Since 10 percent of the Bergen's population is students, it adds a fresh and youthful mood to the city's vibe and is home to diverse restaurants, pubs, craft shops and historic museums.The city never sleeps, even in the coldest day of winters. That is what has made it the most lovable destination for tourists. Especially during Christmas, the place is in the bucket list of all travelers. With options to spoil you, you can either enjoy trolling past fifth Avenue shops, or a glide around the ice rink at Rockfeller center, including a lap underneath the world's most famous Christmas tree, and all of the elaborate holiday window displays. New Yorkers enjoy a brighter spirit during this time of year, and you can hear the carols echoing throughout the subway stations and on the streets making you feel Christmassy. The vote and referendum for a new constitution need to be thoroughly discussed in order to avoid unpleasant surprises, according to the opposition in the parliamentary commission on institutions on Friday. The coalition supporting a new constitution is significant, mainly because of the participation and support of opposition party CSV, which has so far been cooperating as previously agreed on. According to Leon Gloden, there are no issues with the current constitution law from CSVs side. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel agreed with Gloden when he says that the constitution is to be dealt with by the Parliament. Future meetings will focus on how to explain the constitutional text to the public. LSAP MP Alex Bodry also supports a constitutional reform and explained that the majority for a new constitution even exceeds the current governmental majority. In light of the CSV's support for a constitutional reform, the opposition in this matter is actually the smaller parties, namely the Pirate Party, the Left, and the ADR. The Pirate Party's Sven Clement was clear that the government must sufficiently prepare the reform and inform the public before they vote. The Left MP Marc Baum pointed out that several discussions have already started, particularly regarding those communes that want to change constituency and district, which is to be one of the subjects that have to be considered as part of the constitution. SUMMER SPECIAL!!! - Sign up at 20% OFF for Full Access to all of the online content and E-Editions on the www.thewordlink.com website here! (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) Please, leave the references to the 1936 film "Reefer Madness" at the door; people's health and well-being are at stake. That South Carolina lawmakers are on the cusp of giving the OK for medical marijuana is a good thing and is nowhere close to opening the door to the trumped-up effects of marijuana that film would lead one to believe. And while some might argue that progress is moving much too slowly on this front, credit is due to the lawmakers who are first and foremost wanting to open more research on the medical benefits that can be derived from cannabis. Other states have been criticized for too readily legalizing the use of medical marijuana; here, the emphasis has been put on testing, procedures and caution, as proposed by state Sen. Greg Hembree, an Horry County Republican. Out of the gate with the start of this legislative session, a panel of lawmakers is moving forward with a resolution that will urge Congress and the U.S. attorney general to expand research on the benefits of medical marijuana, urging lawmakers to "take immediate and additional steps to promote and actively pursue scientific research and testing into the potential use of cannabis to treat other medical conditions and illness by removing the federal statutory and regulatory barriers that prevent these scientific endeavors." Footprints were found on the property, the report states. St. Matthews Police Department A female resident of Mack Hill Street near St. Matthews reported Jan. 18 that when her son, who lives with her, returned home from Pete's Party Shop with his sister, an altercation broke out between the siblings. The woman said a male resident of Mack Hill Street tried to intervene and was attacked by her son, the report states. She said she called police, and her son went after her when he was told to leave, according to the report. When a police officer ordered the woman's son to leave the house, he refused. The man was arrested and charged with third-degree assault and battery. He was transported to the Orangeburg-Calhoun County Detention Center. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 1 EAST GALESBURG, Ill. (AP) Friends, family, caretakers, police and firefighters came together in East Galesburg on a Friday afternoon to celebrate former police officer and volunteer firefighter Richard Banks with a ceremonial "last ride." The procession included a classic 1960s police car, East Galesburg police vehicles, several civilian vehicles, and a firetruck with Banks in the passenger seat. Police and the firetruck ran their lights, and cars let their hazard lights blink in Banks' honor. Family told The Register-Mail that the aim of the event was to realize a dream of sorts for the man, who is in hospice care at the Marigold Rehabilitation & Health Care Center. Banks, who served in East Galesburg back in the '60s, was born there in 1935 and raised in the city that was then known as Randall. After his time in the force, he relocated to Galesburg, where he worked at multiple places as a laborer before retiring. In his time as a firefighter, Banks fought notable fires from Galesburg and East Galesburg's history. He was called in as backup when Sunnyside School in Galesburg was on fire. He also fought a notable fire on State and Main streets in East Galesburg, which resulted in the building burning down. Tom Hanks presented the lifetime achievement award to Alan Alda, who in July revealed that he had been living with Parkinson's disease for more than three years. The 83-year-old actor took the stage to a standing ovation while the theme to "M.A.S.H." played. He said the award came at a reflective moment for him. "And I see more than ever now how proud I am to be a part of our brotherhood and sisterhood of actors," said Alda. "It may never have been more urgent to see the world through another person's eyes. When a culture is divided so sharply, actors can help a least a little just by doing what we do. And the nice part is it's fun to do it. So my wish for all of us is: Let's stay playful." For the second time, the cast of "This Is Us" won best ensemble in a drama series. Other TV winners included Sandra Oh ("Killing Eve"), Darren Criss for "Assassination of Gianni Versace", Jason Bateman ("Ozark") and Patricia Arquette ("Escape at Dannemora"). Arquette thanked Special Counsel investigator Robert Mueller "and everyone working to make sure we have sovereignty for the United States of America." A place to exercise ideas before writing about them with greater discipline. 1+ days ago | June 18th | 2021 5:00 AM Nio Stock is Revving Up, But Should You Jump on Board? Its been a wild ride for electric vehicle (EV) stocks, and Nio (NYSE:NIO) has been no exception. At a quick glance, the 13% drop in NIO stock for 2021 doesnt look too bad. However, the stock is down approximately double that since reaching a high of over $60 in February. And without a rally of over 30% over the The Undead Archives I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world. The OECD Observer online archive takes you on a journey through half a century of public policy and world progress. Since November 1962, the OECDs experts and leading guests offer insights on the questions facing our member countries with concise and authoritative analysis, and provide our audiences with an excellent opportunity to understand policy debates and consider solutions. Each edition of the OECD Observer reports on a core theme of the OECDs on-going work, from economics and society through governance, finance, and the environment, and articles are bolstered by tables and graphs. Gary Scheuran and his wife saw what looked like a small plane with problems as they prepared to board the ferry to Cumberland Island National Seashore on Friday morning. President Erdogan has said that the proposed safe zone is for the benefit of the refugees living in Turkey reports Sada al-Sham. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that his country is trying to establish a safe zone to help the four million Syrians in Turkey to return to their country. Erdogan said in a foundational meeting for a cooperative network between the Red Cross and Red Crescent in the countries of the Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul, We will achieve peace, stability and security in the region east of the Euphrates soon, just as we achieved it in other areas. Erdogan said that Turkey had so far spent, according to United Nations data, 35 billion dollars on refugees, at their forefront about 4 million Syrians. The Turkish President said, The European Union has not lived up to its promises regarding aid for refugees. Regarding fighting terrorism, Erdogan said, We will purge the region of the Islamic State (ISIS) and its remnants being trained against Turkey. He said that Western countries had tried to fight ISIS by arming another terrorist groups, in a reference to the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG). He said that his country, had not only eliminated the terrorists, but had exerted major efforts to reduce the effects of the humanitarian crisis in the conflict areas. The Turkish President shined a light once again on the tragedies witnessed by the Islamic world, saying, Cries of pain still rise from various parts of the Islamic world. He added, The Islamic world over the past two years has witnessed truly painful problems. The Turkish President also expressed his regret over, the Islamic world not taking any effective measures to confront the crisis of famine in Yemen. He added, Many crises that we have witnessed we know are not because of a lack of material capabilities, but because of a lack of compassion and feeling for others. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. With little access to steady and fruitful employment, life for Syrian refugees living in Lebanon is harsh, and ensuring survival is a constant struggle writes Zaman Al Wasl. Activists discovered a video online, which shows a camp owner, in the northern Lebanese town of Miniyeh expelling a Syrian refugee family for not paying the 87 dollars needed for the rent. The distressing video shows Khadija al-Hussein and her three children being ejected from their tent on Tuesday evening, when the weather was freezing and as snow storms rocked the refugee camps. There is no place for the poor in this land. No place for mercy, Hussein said. It was 7 pm when the camps owner expelled me and my children. He threw us out of my tent because I dont have the money to pay the rent, Hussein told to Zaman al-Wasl. In another video, Hussein appeared for the second time accompanied by the camp owner. He said that Husseins husband, who married another woman and abandoned her to live in the camp, is the responsible for what happened. However, Hussein is still buried in debt. She has no breadwinner for her and her children, and has no financial resource to afford her a decent standard of living. The crowds with their cameras left, leaving Hussein alone with her dreams of getting a job to protect her and her children. In the same context, the organizers of Molatqa Ahl al Khayer, or the Forum of the Good People said in a message to Zaman Al Wasl that the Forum will pay the rent after her return to the tent. The displaced woman received many contacts after the video. Many offered her houses for her family, but she apologized, as she cant live away from her relatives. So, she returned to the tent. The refugee appeared in a video in the center of her tent. She thanked the owner of the land who brought her back to the camp. But Hussein blamed the UNHCR. A UN survey conducted earlier this year said Syrian refugees in Lebanon were becoming poorer and weaker than ever. More than half of all refugees live in extreme poverty and more than three-quarters of them live below the poverty line. Thousands of Syrians are unable to return because their homes were destroyed by fighting, or because they fear military conscription. A survey made by Zaman al-Wasl on a random sample of 210 refugees in the camps of Arsal, showed that 92% of the refugees had refused to return, while 8% had agreed to return to the towns in the western Qalamoun, which they described as safe. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. The Adana Agreement, Kurds talk with the regime, Israeli airstrikes and a northern security zone. Catch up on everything that happened over the weekend. 1. On Saturday, an official source at the Foreign Ministry told SANA that, Syria stresses its adherence to the joint cooperation agreement with Turkey (known as the Adana Agreement) and the agreements related to combating terrorism of all its forms by the two states. However, the source added, Syria stresses that the situation on the border would have to revert back to its former state for the agreement to be activated. Additionally, when the Turkish regime abides by the agreement and stops supporting, financing, arming and training terrorists and when it withdraws its military forces from the Syrian territories they are occupying. The agreement will ensure safety and security on the borders between the two countries, the source clarified. 2. Syrian Kurds are pursuing talks with the government in Damascus to protect their territory from Turkish attack, one possible consequence of President Donald Trumps decision to pull US troops from the country. It isnt comfortable for us, but what is the other option? Elham Ahmad, a senior official with the Kurdish group that fought the Islamic State alongside the US, was quoted as saying by the Gulf News. If we were cornered into choosing between a Turkish militia attacking our areas, and reaching an accord with President Bashar Al Assad, she said in an interview in Washington, we would go with the regime. The Kurds, she said, have provided Assad, and his key backer, Russia, with an 11-point road map for reintegrating the region under the Damascus government. The new Syria should be decentralised, said Ahmad. But we want the unity of Syria. We dont want to secede. 3. A well-informed military source said that recent Israeli airstrikes were the most destructive and painful strikes inflicted on the Syrian regime and its Iranian ally. Quoted by Zaman al-Wasl, the source said the strikes sparked a real fear within the regimes inner circle since some of the strikes had directly targeted the offices of senior commanders. The regime tried not to show it to public opinion, he added. Zaman al-Wasls satellite images show the extent of the damage caused by Israels attack near Damascus on Sunday. 4. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expected Friday that a security zone along the border with Syria could be formed in a few months, as the US withdraws militarily from the war-torn country, Anadolu News Agency reported. US President Donald Trump has proposed setting up a 30-kilometer safe zone along the border, but has not specified who would create, enforce or pay for it, or where it would be located. We expect the promise of a security zone, a buffer zone aimed at protecting our country from terrorists, to be fulfilled in few months, Erdogan told a televised rally, referring to the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), who are classified as a terror group by Ankara. 5. On Friday, Syrian tribes, clans and national figures held a meeting in Athriya town in the Aleppo countryside to stress an adherence to unity in defending the homeland against foreign threats and assaults and to show support for the Syrian Arab Army in its battle against terrorism. SANAs reporter in Aleppo said that the meeting included thousands of participants from all tribes and clans and national figures in addition to participants from Iraq and Lebanon. The meeting is meant to show the world that the Syrian people, from all spectra, are standing in a single line in defence of Syrias sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of foreign threats. They pointed out that the largest threat was Takfiri terrorism and its backers. A statement by the Syrian tribes and clans stressed that the Syrian people are resolved to defend themselves, Syrias territory and sovereignty with all means, against any form of aggression including the US and Turkish occupation of Syrian territories. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. The economic sanctions imposed on Syria, have increased the pressures inflicted on the Syrian people reports SANA. More and more negative repercussions are affecting the living conditions of Syrian civilians, as certain Western states continue to impose economic sanctions against Syria. Economic warfare, whether by preventing trade, exploiting mass media or punishing those who help Syria, has several short-term and long-term goals; essentially they seek to create economic problems that cause division in Syrian society and affect the investment environment after it saw improvement recently, as this economic warfare seeks to drive away investors and businessmen. The most prominent goal of the sanctions against Syria is to stall local production in order to transform Syria into a consumer state, subservient to other countries, instead of being a self-sufficient productive state. The effect of economic sanctions and embargoes on living conditions are nothing new to Syrians; according to economic analyst Shadi Ahmad, ever since Western states prohibited the importation of petroleum from Syria, the annual income of the states budget was affected, thereby reducing the governments ability to provide the local markets needs, compared to how things were before 2011. Ahmad mentioned other steps that put pressure on the economic situation, including preventing some oil tankers from entering Syrian waters, even though this is illegal, but this happened nonetheless and caused shortages due to the lack of fuel. He also mentioned the EUs sanctions against Syrian businessmen to restrict their business practises, which previously contributed to providing supplies and goods to the Syrian market, in addition to the decisions to restrict money transfers by Syrians abroad, which has also had detrimental effects. The most recent hostile acts that target Syrian economy is the bill passed by the US Congress, which bears the hypocritical name Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act despite the fact that it effectively cuts off essential and necessary supplies for the Syrian people. Ahmad said this act seeks to punish non-Syrian companies, whether they are Russia, Chinese, Indian or from some other nation. If they provide Syria with any of the essential materials needed by the economic sector, they are subjected to sanctions. The Caesar Act targets any potential contributor to the funding or implementation of reconstruction projects, power sectors, civil aviation companies, and the Central Bank of Syria. Political analyst, Maad Mohammad, told SANA that the reason behind the escalating sanctions is the realization that Syria is close to achieving victory, as the country and its allies make progress on the political, economic, and military tracks. Mohammad said that when Syrias enemies saw that economic conditions were improving in Syria, they worked to undermine this improvement with sanctions, along with using sanctions against states that support Syria including those imposed on Iraq, Iran, and Russia. He described the current situation as an, embargo of a new kind, a vicious economic war, noting that the war isnt over yet and its impact on the states resources is still considerable. He added, What good is it for the state to be able to afford oil tankers, for example, if these tankers cant reach Syria because of sanctions or attacks by US proxies. Mohammad went on to note that there are malicious social networking pages and accounts that actively seek to exploit the needs of the Syrian people and to turn them against the government and create division. He concluded by saying economic conditions will be in a state of flux in the coming stage, until a final political solution is reached, and until then officials must find solutions to use available resources in the optimal manner and provide citizens needs. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. While the recorded number of drug users in Syria continues to rise, the facilities to treat addicts have not improved writes Al-Watan. The Director of the Ibn Rushd Hospital for Psychiatric Illnesses and Addiction Treatment, Dr. Amal Shakko, has revealed that 6,939 patients were referred to outpatient clinics in 2018. Shakko said that drug addiction had spread among young and adolescent people and that the age of drug usage was becoming lower as a result of the war and the negative psychological and health impacts it has had on both sexes in this generation. Many have resorted to painkillers to the point of addiction, or have become addicted to other substances, such as hashish, heroin or others. Shakko told Al-Watan that the Ibn Rushd Hospital was currently the only hospital in Damascus (alongside the Ibn Khaldoun Hospital in Aleppo) that was offering addiction treatment. She said the current number of patients was 25 and that there were 58 beds where patient could be accompanied by a family member, especially if female. The medical staff offers treatment programs, which lasts two weeks, during which time the substance is removed from the patients body and he is completely isolated from his environment and subjected to continuous monitoring. This is provided that they volunteered to be treated, or if they are under 18, and admitted by their guardian. The hospital does not receive patients who are involved in criminal cases or issues such as drug dealing. Shakko added that there is a major connection between drug use and psychiatric illnesses. With the exception of the genetic factor, the social and environmental conditions lead to this connection. However, the process of offering treatment requires separation, which the hospitals lack, despite all the services and medical necessities for the patient, including heating, food and medical care being available. There was also a park attached to the hospital, where they offered physical therapy, but this is currently being renovated. Shakko said that after treatment there was a rehabilitation stage which is not available in Syria. It is the longest stage and lasts for two months and requires centers equipped with major capacities in order to treat the patient and to prepare them to re-enter their communities and to be strong enough to handle their conditions. In the absence of this stage, there is a gap in their path to recovery, and so subsequently this causes some of them to relapse after they are treated in the hospital, Shakko said. The head of the drug department in the Health Ministry, Dr. Majda al-Homsi, told Al-Watan that the rate of drug abuse among adolescents and university students has risen because of the war and its fallout. She said that to stop the issue spreading the Ministry has made it a priority, by launching a non-traditional and swift awareness campaign in cooperation with other ministries, which gave birth to the Hamayti (My Protection) campaign. The campaign includes a number of programs in coordination with the Nour Foundation in the Social Affairs Ministry, and with the National Council for Drug Protection, pending the launch of the missing rehabilitation program in Syria. Homsi said that issue of drug abuse was alien to Syrian society. There were no precise statistics about the rate of drug use, but it had increased due to the conditions of the war, which led to the smuggling of hashish and it being sold among young people. She said that the Ministrys measures to fight this phenomenon were currently limited after offering treatment, setting up an awareness program, and monitoring pharmacies and doctors and regulating the distribution of psychiatric drugs within regular prescriptions. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. While the quality of life for Syrians in the al-Rukban camp continues to fall, the alternative of leaving for regime held areas fills many with fear writes Alsouria Net. Jordan is holding tripartite talks with Russia and the United States, with the aim of dismantling the al-Rukban camp for displaced Syrians, which is located on the border between Jordan and Syria. Amman believes conditions are appropriate for displaced people to return to their homes, a prospect which has frightened the camps residents. On Saturday, the Jordanian Minister for Media Affairs, Jumana Ghunaimat, told Middle East Eye that the United States and Russia could help close the camp, while Colonel Muhanad Talaa of the Syrian opposition Revolutionary Commandos Army said that residents feared punishment or conscription if they returned to regime-controlled areas. In its report, translated by Alsouria Net, Middle East Eye quoted Talaa, who is in charge of security at the al-Rukban camp, as saying that, some camp residents would prefer to be transferred to rebel-held areas in northern Syria. The al-Rukban camp lies in the Syrian desert, and is three kilometers from northern Jordan. It was established in 2015 as a place to bring together Syrians fleeing the fighting in Palmyra, as well as rural areas of Homs and eastern Hama, which are currently controlled by the regime. The camp is now under the protection of the US-led coalition, given its proximity to the al-Tanf base, which is controlled by the United States. In a short time, the camps population reached 50,000, while the Jordanian government has expressed concerns about its presence. Collapse of Camp Conditions On Jun. 21, 2016, fighters from the Islamic State (ISIS) blew up a device which killed seven Jordanian soldiers on a border patrol. This led Jordanian officials to claim that the camp could become a center for the organization. After this incident, Jordan closed its 378 km border with Syria, ending the delivery of humanitarian end and refusing to allow any sick people from the camp to receive treatment in Jordan. As a result of that, the humanitarian situation in the camp collapsed, with eight children dying at the beginning of January when temperatures fell below zero in the area. In a press conference with his American counterpart, Mike Pompeo, on Jan. 8, 2019, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that Russia, Jordan and the United States should discuss the issue of returning Syrians from the al-Rukban camp to their homes, saying that this must be implemented. Ghunaimat claimed that Jordan had long said that al-Rukban was a Syrian and international issue and not a problem just for Jordan. Jordan wants a solution that ends the suffering of the inhabitants of the refugee camp, and Jordan has paid a high price with martyrs dying to support this humanitarian cause. She said that the Jordanian-American-Russian talks, have been initiated to find a solution to the problem of al-Rukban camp. The goal of these talks is to find the proper solution that will allow for the voluntary return of the camp residents back to their homes and towns, and added that, Jordan believes that the current situation on the ground allows for the return of the Syrians. This Jordanian assurance comes as the United Nations says that the situation is not yet appropriate for Syrian refugees and the displaced to returned to their homes because of the dangers they face. Fear From the Talks In this context, Talaa said that he was not comfortable with the prospect of the American-Russian-Jordanian discussions to close the camp, and added that, It is of deep concern to us that Jordan, Russia and the US are negotiating, instead of asking the inhabitants of the camp what they think, or at least having a committee from the camp attend the talks. He said that many residents are concerned about returning to regime areas out of fear of punishment or forced conscription by the Assad regime, with others preferring to go to northern areas controlled by the opposition. Talaa said, There is a division within the camp between those who want to go to northern Syria and those who say they will only return to their areas if there are international guarantees. He expressed his hope that there would be a safe haven opened in northern Syria, so we can get those who want it to the areas of the moderate opposition in Manbij and Jarablus. Otherwise, those who want to stay under international protection and dont want to return to the areas under Syrian regime control should not be forced, because we fear arrest, interrogation and mandatory conscription in the Syrian army. The announcement by American President Donald Trump in December about his countrys forces withdrawing from Syria has complicated the situation. A report published by the American Bloomberg agency said on Saturday that the United States would keep a number of its soldiers in the al-Tanf area. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Photo: Courtesy of the retailers Welcome back to Your Shopping Cart, wherein we break out the top ten products that you, devoted Strategist readers, have lately bought in droves. Think of this as the tl;dr of the Strategist: If your like-minded brethren are buying these items, maybe youd like to, too. This weeks top seller, the ever-ubiquitous Orolay coat, first appeared on the list (also at number one) back in April of last year long before it was written up in the New York Times. Close behind, in second place, is a new pimple-healing cream that Strategist writer Rio Viera-Newton introduced us to last week. Two top picks from our ranking of 100 pens the top-rated felt pen and one of our favorite ballpoints hit the list in third and sixth places, respectively. A Japanese planner makes its debut at number eight, making us think some of those pens might be for bullet journaling or planning for the year ahead. There are also some returning champs on the list, like blue-light-blocking glasses in fifth place, a baby swaddle in seventh, and a blender thats perfect for smoothies at number nine. Finally, some of you are getting in the mood for Valentines Day: a fancy lube is in fourth place for the second installment in a row, and an ultra-discreet vibrator hops onto the list in the tenth-place spot. 7. Happiest Baby Sleepea Swaddle (9) $33 From the baby expert behind the Snoo the white noise and motion-enabled bassinet that sleep-deprived new parents swear is worth the $1,295 price tag this velcro swaddle (no origami skills needed) is a favorite of writer Julia McVeighs. She says that after receiving the Sleepea as a gift, shes enjoyed regular stints of over six hours of uninterrupted sleep, which is quite the achievement for someone with a newborn. After appearing on the last installment of our list at number nine, it moves up a hair this week to seventh place. $33 at Amazon Buy $33 at Happiest Baby Buy 10. Maude Vibe (New entry) $45 Photo: Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. In our roundup of women-founded sex toy brands, we called the Vibe the Day Heel of vibrators (in fact, one of Maudes co-founders comes from Everlane) because of its streamlined, modern design and the companys direct-to-consumer model. Discreet and attractive enough to be displayed on a nightstand, the Vibe was our testers favorite. And it doesnt just look good. One of our testers said, The best way to describe this was that an orgasm just zipped out of me. Looks like our readers are getting in on the action. $45 at Maude Buy get the strategist newsletter Actually good deals, smart shopping advice, and exclusive discounts. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission. Plainridge Park Casino and the Harness Horsemans Association of New England are pleased to announce the return of the Spirit of Massachusetts Trot. After a one-year hiatus, the $250,000 Open even for North Americas top trotters will be contested on Sunday, July 28. The inaugural Spirit of Massachusetts Trot in 2017 was very successful with 40 nominations and a thrilling race which produced a track record by JL Cruze and created excitement both locally and nationally. For 2019, the track has added a co-featured event, the $100,000 Clara Barton Pace for Open fillies and mares. Race secretary Paul Verrette said, the goal of both events is to fill a need on the national stakes calendar. The Spirit of Massachusetts was designed to give top trotters a stake event the weekend prior to Hambletonian Day and I hope that the Clara Barton will do the same thing for top mares, said Varette. Nominations shall be made to the Hambletonian Society and close February 15, 2019, for the $250,000 guaranteed Spirit of Massachusetts Trot and the $100,000 guaranteed Clara Barton Distaff Pace. The 2019 season will get underway at Plainridge Park on Monday, April 8. For more information on staking to either event, visit, www.hambletonian.com. (Plainridge Park Casino and Harness Horsemen of New England) Standardbred Canadas head office in Mississauga, Ont. closed at 2 p.m. (EST) today (Monday, Jan. 28) due to inclement weather conditions. Standardbred Canada would like to apologize for any inconvenience that the closure has caused. Standardbred Canadas head office is scheduled to re-open on Tuesday (Jan. 29) at 8:30 a.m. Trainer Rene Bourassa's first O'Brien Award finalist is a bit of a gift horse. He had not even set eyes on two-year-old trotting filly HP Titania Runner until a few days before she won her first Ontario Sires Stakes Gold event for him at Georgian Downs last July. The E L Titan filly had done most of her prepping at H3R in Trois-Rivieres, QC, then was brought to Woodbine Mohawk Park in July to qualify again by her then-trainer Jean Tourigny. Bourassa, a Quebec native now based in Rockwood, Ont., knew Tourigny from his early days in the sport and had trained horses for him previously. But since his stable consisted primarily of claimers, he didn't know if the owners and breeders -- Claude Hamel of Ayer's Cliff, Que., and Michel Damphousse of Louiseville, Que. -- would want him to handle the filly's Ontario campaign, if she showed she could be competitive. They did. Just five days after her Mohawk qualifier, she made her racing debut for him in the Gold at Georgian. Bourassa, 57, said he started thinking the O'Briens might be in the cards right after that race, a 17-1 upset that also marked his first career win in a Gold. "I'd jogged her but that night was the first time I warmed her up, and I thought 'wow, she really stretches out'." Her second start in August at Mohawk is what really made him a believer. 'It was a tough month between races. She got sick, she didn't eat for a while, she coliced, she stepped on a rock. There wasn't much training. And after all that, she went out and won again (a second Gold, in 1:57.3). She just has that desire to go by horses." Next came another rough patch, a stretch of four off-the-board finishes that included a couple of breaks. Bourassa said he finally opted to put trotting hopples on the late-charging filly, to keep her flat. She had to qualify again in late September, then won her final two starts in October, a Gold event at Mohawk and then the $225,000 OSS Super Final. The latter was the biggest purse ever won by a horse in his stable. "I was so nervous that night, but she came through," Bourassa said. The filly finished the year with four wins in eight starts, $248,650 in earnings, and a mark of 1:56.4 at Mohawk. Bourassa said he's looking forward to bringing her back in 2019. "She's very fast but she was a bit fragile last year. We've been working on her; she's more mature now. I don't think she'll even need the hopples this year." In the meantime, this weekend's O'Brien Awards will be a welcome reminder of what was a year of firsts, after decades of hard work, he said. "It'll be a big night for sure. I've never been, and now I'm in the same category as Jimmy Takter (trainer of the other finalist, Peaceful Way winner The Ice Dutchess). I'm fortunate; some people never go. When you mostly handle claimers, you don't get many opportunities for an O'Brien." Standardbred Canada will present the 30th edition of the OBrien Awards on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at the Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale Hotel. The black tie gala includes a cocktail reception, gourmet dinner, wine, and complimentary portrait for the night's attendees. (A Trot Insider Exclusive by Paul Delean) For the better part of two months, Sara Baillargeon visited Musical Rhythm at the University of Guelph almost every day. Just when things looked to be at their worst, it was a combination of Saras love and the horse's will that just couldnt keep the talented trotter down....read on / continuer a lire Coffee is the next frontier for entrepreneurial technologists looking to make an impact on a budding industry. Just have a look around Kickstarter and youll find all manner of coffee inventions, re-inventions, and re-inventions that are actually no different than the original product they are supposedly revolutionizing; not all ideas are good ones (or new ones). But now, the next frontier is heading to the final frontier: space, as two entrepreneurs are going to roast coffee in space to produce perfectly roasted coffee beans. According to The Guardian, Space Roasters is the brainchild of Anders Cavallini and Hatem Alkhafaji. The Dubai pairs plan is to shoot a pressurized tank filled with 300kg of green coffee into spacearound 200km, or 124 miles, in height (for reference, the ozone is around 30km from the earth)and then let the heat from re-entry do all the roasting. Their theory is essentially that gravity accounts for the flaws in coffee roasting: beans tumble around, break apart, and are scorched by contact with the hot surfaces of the roaster, per the article. But in space, where no one can hear your beans go to first crack, if gravity is removed, the beans float around in a heated oven, giving them 360 degrees of evenly distributed heat and roasting to near perfection. According to The Guardian, the temperature inside the capsule will be held at around 200C (392F) for the entirety of the 20-minute plummet back to earth. Cavallini and Alkhafaji are unsure yet how much they will charge per cup of their space coffee, but seeing how it will be sold in Dubai, its safe to say it will fall in the fuckton of dirhams range. According to their website, a pre-sale starts in four weeks, where the price will presumably be revealed. The real question isother than the very obvious, Why?! Why are you doing this!?!will the coffee be any good? 20 minutes is a pretty long roast time, at least by terrestrial standards, but 200C is a very low temperature. Like, may not make it to first crack low. Im no roaster or anything, but that doesnt quite sound like a recipe for success. Or good coffee. Though, Cavallini has over five years experience, roasting, brewing, tasting coffee from around the world, according to a very ambiguous statement on the company's about the duo's coffee bona fides, so maybe they know what they're doing? But what is progress and innovation without a few over-engineered misfires? And who knows, maybe this one isnt a stinker. Maybe this sous-vide free fall through space is how all coffee will be roasted in the future. I have my doubts, but Im willing to be proven wrong if Cavallini and Alkhafaji want to send me some coffee to try, ideally by not targeting a plummeting coffee rocket ship at my house. Hopefully the coffee wont collide with the La Colombe Draft Latte Todd Carmichael shot into space (if he did in fact send one to space, though we have our doubts). Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge. Poll: popularity of SNS falls after Dankos plagiarism scandal The current ruling coalition would gain 64 seats in the parliament, leaving it unable to form a government. Font size: A - | A + The recent confirmation by the academic commission of the Matej Bel University in Banska Bystrica that Speaker of Parliament Andrej Danko plagiarised his doctoral dissertation has cost his Slovak National Party (SNS) some of its voters support, the Sme daily reported. Read also: University has confirmed: Parliament's Speaker copied large parts of his thesis Read more If the parliamentary elections took place in the second half of January, only 8 percent would vote for the SNS, according to the poll carried out by the Focus agency between January 16 and 23 on 1,013 respondents. Back in December 2018, its support amounted to 9.2 percent of respondents. The elections would be won by Smer, backed by 22.5 percent of respondents, up by 0.8 percent compared with December 2018. The Opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) came second with 12.3 percent, followed by Sme Rodina with 10.4 percent and the far-right Kotleba Peoples Party Our Slovakia (LSNS) with 8.4 percent. Also the currently non-parliamentary Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) would make it to parliament with 7 percent. The coalition party Most-Hid would score with 5.8 percent. Read also: Political parties fail to thrive, to the detriment of Smer Read more The support of the new political parties, Progressive Slovakia and Spolu (Together) dropped a little in the poll. While the former would gain 5.1 percent in the December poll, one month later it would not pass the 5-percent threshold, since it received only 4.9 percent. Spolu dropped by 0.6 percent in comparison with December, gaining only 3.5-percent support. The current ruling coalition would gain 64 seats in parliament and would thus be unable to form a government. 28. Jan 2019 at 21:37 | Compiled by Spectator staff I am not an aggressor, claims the man accused of Filipinos manslaughter He drank about 20 beers and 10 shots of vodka the night Henry Acorda died. Juraj Hossu does not remember the exact developments leading to his attack on Henry Acorda, only the emotions of that moment. When he saw the Filipino, he thought he was a pimp due to the effect of narcotics on his perception of reality. Read also: Expat dies following street attack in Bratislava. Attacker charged with manslaughter Read more This is what Hossu, accused of killing Acorda back in May 2018 in downtown Bratislava, said at his trial which started on January 28, eight months after the incident, the Sme daily reported. I thought he was harming the girls he was with, Hossu said, as quoted by Sme. I cannot really put my mind together, I perceived it in that way and attacked Henry. Hossu estimates that he had drunk about 20 beers and 10 shots of vodka. Moreover, he was seeing a psychiatrist at the time because of stress at work and she prescribed him tranquilizers. He took them in the morning and as he was attending a business party that day, he also took two other pills before the event, Sme wrote. He had an unusual talisman Hossu claims that does not remember whether the women were crying for help. He also said that he is not an aggressor, as the media has depicted him and as the public views him. His friends and relatives also do not perceive him in that way. Ive never proclaimed white supremacy, Hossu said, as quoted by Sme. Read also: Slovak cities paid tribute to killed Filipino expat Read more As soon as he realized that he had harmed Acorda, Hossu said that he called police. Whether this is true is not clear for now since it is still under investigation. Im sorry, I didnt want to cause any harm to him, let alone death, Hossu concluded, as quoted by Sme. After he was arrested, a knuckle duster was found in his bag. Hossu claims he has never used it and that it is only an unusual talisman. 28. Jan 2019 at 21:31 | Compiled by Spectator staff Publishers: The amendment to the Press Code displays Smers egoism The Slovak Press Publishers Association has taken a critical stance towards the Press Code proposal, trying to reintroduce the right of reply for politicians. Font size: A - | A + The Slovak Press Publishers Association (AVT) is concerned about the latest developments in media legislation and rejects the draft amendment to the Press Code, submitted by two Smer MPs. From the point of view of content, the explanatory report to the proposal of MPs Dusan Jarjabek and Miroslav Ciz does not contain any argument that would give reasons to change the right of reply. We do not know of any case when a politician would not be offered a relevant space for response. On the contrary, politicians are often unwilling to answer the questions they receive, and this is frequently the case with high state officials and Smer representatives. AVT emphasises that the proposals do not respond to the urgent need of society to change the legislation. It is a display of egoism and a deliberate effort to restrict the fundamental rights of Slovakias citizens by some politicians who feel aggrieved. Read also: Coalition demands the right of reply for politicians Read more From the procedural point of view, we would like to point to the fact that after the scandal of investigators seizing the mobile phone of Pavla Holcova, the Culture Ministry established a working group comprised of publishers, broadcasters, journalists and their professional organisations, the General Prosecutors Office and several ministries. Its task is to come up with the legislative changes. However, leading representatives of the ruling coalition ignore its work, which makes it meaningless. Soon one year will have passed since the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova. Unfortunately, we have to say that on the occasion of this anniversary, not only would no new laws protecting journalists and improving their status be effective, but also the attacks of top political representatives against journalists and the media and the efforts to complicate their work are emerging. We call on the state representatives to change the tone and content of their communication with journalists and, in case they are interested in media legislation, invite the temporary working group running at the Culture Ministry to the process. We also ask the ministry to distance itself from the proposals that are at odds with what is said on an expert level and to ensure that it will not support any such proposals. The Slovak Press Publishers Association 28. Jan 2019 at 13:53 | Compiled by Spectator staff Conditions for travelling to the US via ESTA change Travellers to the US should not leave their application to the last minute. Slovaks travelling to the United States using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) will have to send their application no less than 72 hours before their departure. Due to changes in ESTA application processing, real-time approvals will no longer be available, as the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministrys press department informed. Citizens of participating Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries travelling to the US are thus encouraged to apply for an ESTA at the time of booking their trip and no later than 72 hours prior to departure. Applicants who apply on the same day of their flights departure risk not having an approved ESTA prior to their scheduled departure. International travellers without an approved ESTA will not be authorised to board their flight, the US Department of Homeland Security informed on its website. VWP allows citizens of participating countries to travel to the US without a visa for stays of 90 days or less for business or pleasure when they meet all requirements. ESTA is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the US under the VWP and is required for all VWP applicants in the air and sea environment. However, ESTA does not guarantee approval to enter US territory and the final decision is always made by the US Customs and Border Protection officer, the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry informed. Read also: UPDATED: The USA approves tighter visa waiver programme Read more This is why the Foreign Affairs Ministry warns that if a traveller, who holds a valid ESTA, is not allowed to enter US territory, the authority they should turn to with complaints is the US Department of Homeland Security, the ministry informed, as quoted by the SITA newswire. Complaints can be submitted via the US Custom and Border Protection and the Traveler Redress Inquiry Program websites. The final decision is made by the US authorities, and neither the Slovak Embassy in Washington, D.C. nor the Slovak consulate in New York can intervene in a Slovak citizens favour, the ministry informed. Travellers can also check their ESTA status at the official website. New applications have to be submitted if travellers have a new passport, change their name, citizenship or conditions for yes/no answers in the previous application. 28. Jan 2019 at 13:44 | Compiled by Spectator staff Parliamentary constitutional committee stuck due to Fico Its members could not agree whether the Smer chair met the conditions for running for the post of Constitutional Court judge. The parliamentary constitutional affairs committee were unable to say whether Smer chair and ex-prime minister Robert Fico met the conditions for running for the post of Constitutional Court judge. One of the basic conditions is that the candidates have been active as lawyers for 15 years. The opposition claims that Fico lacks one year and three months. Though Fico submitted documents proving his practice at law on January 25, which included newspaper articles from 2002 claiming that he represented people in court, Ondrej Dostal from Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) did not accept them, the Sme daily reported. Finally, the committee was unable take any stance on Fico since voting on his candidacy ended in a deadlock when Peter Kresak, who is also running for a post with the Constitutional Court, refused to vote. What will happen next? However, even if the committee claims that Fico does not meet the conditions, it does not mean that parliament cannot not vote for him. The committee only recommends the candidates, but the final say lies with the parliament which may follow or ignore the recommendations, Sme wrote. Read also: Constitutional Court election: Kalinak, Bonul, but also mafia-boss Cernak mentioned Read more According to the committees chair Robert Madej (Smer), Speaker of Parliament Andrej Danko will now decide whether Fico will remain a candidate or not. Danko meanwhile said he wants to have a clear stance on Ficos practice. He has called on Madej to order the committee discuss the issue until they decide whether the Smer chair meets the conditions or not. Until the respective committee decides, it wont be possible for parliament to elect the Constitutional Court candidates, Danko said in a statement, as quoted by Sme. He also called on Kresak to join the voting. PM Peter Pellegrini considers the whole voting process to be purely political. Prochazka talked about moral integrity Apart from Ficos legal practice, one of the main focuses of the January 25 hearing was on former chair of the Siet party, Radoslav Prochazka, who helped create the current ruling coalition, despite his claims before the elections that his party would not have formed a government with Smer. Prochazka, who presented as a candidate of ex-culture minister Marek Madaric, emphasised his legal practice and experience in the field. We all have our purpose, our role in which we can be useful, Prochazka said, as quoted by Sme. Read also: Too cool for school? Read more The MPs asked him about truth and his role in forming the coalition. Prochazka stressed the integrity of his opinions, which do not always have to be popular. However, he avoided direct answers, as reported by Sme. Among the other candidates grilled on January 25 was Juraj Sopoliga, president of the Slovak Judges Association, who is known as one of the close collaborators with ex-Supreme Court president and presidential candidate Stefan Harabin. He started the hearing with a monologue lasting for more than 30 minutes, during which he explained that he is not Harabins ally, and that they were only sitting together on the Judicial Council. However, at the time when Harabin led the Supreme Court and also the Judicial Council and dozens of judges complained about bullying, Sopoliga wrote the so-called anti-charter, defending Harabin. He was also one of the judges who submitted a criminal complaint due to judges receiving differing salaries, Sme wrote. The hearing lasted for more than two hours. The parliamentary committee also heard current Supreme Court President Daniela Svecova, who stressed in her speech that she has not experienced any attempt to influence or bribe her during 45 years in the judiciary. I follow ethical rules and have a clean register to this point, she said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Though she has submitted several proposals to launch disciplinary proceedings against Harabin, MP Miroslav Beblavy pointed out that she had not done so before being appointed to the top post at the Supreme Court. Svecova responded that she has submitted several disciplinary motions and that it was logical to do so only after being appointed because she is now entitled to do so, as reported by TASR. 28. Jan 2019 at 13:34 | Compiled by Spectator staff Striking school workers protest at the West Virginia Capitol on Friday, March 2, 2018. Photo: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images Nearly a year after West Virginia teachers shut down every school district in the state, Republican legislators have drafted a new bill that could inspire another walkout. Last Thursday, Senate Education Chair Patricia Rucker introduced an omnibus education proposal that ties a pay raise for teachers and funding for the states Public Employee Insurance Agency to the creation of charter schools. The Beckley Register-Herald reported: The nearly 140-page bill incorporates a number of proposals, including a teacher pay raise, flexibility on opening charter schools and allowing teachers to bank their sick days for retirement. On Monday, West Virginia Senate Republicans moved to bypass review by the chambers finance committee where they did not have the votes to advance the measure and to take the bill directly to the floor, which may expedite the passage process. In doing so, they set up a direct challenge to the states teachers unions, which, like all teachers unions, oppose the creation of new charter schools. This may instigate another teacher walkout. Last February, teachers walked out over low pay and proposed changes to PEIA, which would have penalized teachers who didnt meet certain benchmarks in a new wellness program. After a historic nine-day work stoppage, teachers believed they had a deal with Republican governor Jim Justice and a bipartisan conference committee in the legislature. In exchange for a 5 percent pay raise and the promise of PEIA reforms, teachers went back to class. Not only does Ruckers omnibus proposal tie these pay raises and reforms to the creation of a charter-school system, the Register-Herald reports that it also contains a non-severability provision, which means that if one part of the bill is overturned, the entire bill is invalidated. In other words, if legislators want a clean bill with no charter provisions, theyll have to scrap the whole thing and start at zero. Justice previously said he opposes charters, but in 2018, he was less than conciliatory toward striking teachers; its unclear if he would sign the bill in its current form. Now the prospect of another walkout looms. In Mingo County, one of the first school districts to walk out in 2018, educators are meeting tonight to discuss the possibility of a second walkout, one teacher with knowledge of the meeting told New York on Monday. In a press conference, union leaders did not dismiss the possibility either: Asked about the possibility of another walkout will happen over the @wvsenate's omnibus education bill -- Dale Lee, president of @WVEAnews -- says anything "is on the table." Dave Mistich (@davemistich) January 28, 2019 If West Virginia teachers do walk out again, theres a chance that they could set off another wave of labor actions. West Virginia isnt the only state where legislators have introduced bills that may be viewed as retaliatory responses to walkouts. Republican legislators in Arizona have introduced bills that would allow the state to penalize or fire teachers who discuss political issues in the classroom. And in Oklahoma, a Republican legislator introduced a bill that would make it illegal for teachers to organize a walkout and would let the state revoke a teachers certification if they do so. In a statement to CNN, Alicia Priest, the president of the Oklahoma Education Association, referred to the bill as retaliation for last years walkout. Legislators in these red states seem to believe that they can prevent future walkouts by either penalizing teachers for political speech, or by forcing them to accept hated education reforms in exchange for higher pay. But these strategies may backfire. Virginia educators are rallying in Richmond over underfunded schools on Monday. Teachers in Oakland, California, are preparing for a strike, and in Chicago, the nations third charter-school strike is scheduled for February 5, unless educators and management can reach a deal. Teachers have political momentum and that could spell trouble for right-wing legislators. This post has been updated to correct an error in the Beckley Herald-Registers original report. The bill would legalize charters everywhere, not just in low-performing school districts. Current standing of BSC sector would have sounded like utopia 20 years ago The sector has grown into one of the pillars of Slovakias economy. (Source: AmCham) This text was published as part of the special supplement on Business service centres, prepared in cooperation with AmCham Slovakia BSCF. The business service centre (BSC) sector is a relatively new one that significantly developed due to globalisation and digitisation after 2000. Even though business service centres are still not visible enough, they have been met with success in Slovakia and, along with the automotive industry, remain a pillar of Slovakias economy. If somebody before 1998 said that more than 35,000 people would work in business service centres in Slovakia within 20 years, earning double the average wage, it would have sounded like a utopia, because at that time, these positions had not even been invented yet, said Rastislav Chovanec, state secretary of the Economy Ministry. First, international companies, benefiting from low wage costs, started launching call centres in Slovakia and neighbouring countries. After the mother companies realised that Slovakia has a lot of talented and skilled people, they began to assign these centres more and more complex and sophisticated operations. Now, experts of these centres write reports that are sent directly to Wall Street or work on automation and robotisation of processes for the whole company, with more competencies being transferred to Slovakia. The Slovak Spectator talked with Chovanec about the importance of business service centres (BSCs), the problems they face, as well as his vision for their development. The Slovak Spectator (TSS): What is the importance of the BSC sector in Slovakia? Rastislav Chovanec (RCh): Its huge. Along with the dominating industrial sector, it is the second pillar of Slovakias economy because it involves services with added value. Besides this, it employs a lot of young people with university degrees that speak at least two foreign languages. Moreover, the importance of BSCs keeps increasing, especially since Slovakia is taking on more complex activities and competencies, along with an increased number of employees. Thus, I see this sector as a very important complement, and some time in the future, even an equal partner to industrial production. TSS: What is the share this sector has in the countrys GDP? RCh: This share is not as significant as the share of industrial production, but we should take into consideration the added value it generates and the income and payroll taxes its employees pay. This sector employs more than 35,000 people with far above-average wages, while its labour force rises by 6-8 percent annually. This makes it the fastest growing sector of Slovakias economy. TSS: Why, in your opinion, is this sector more or less invisible in Slovakia? 28. Jan 2019 at 11:45 | Jana Liptakova Banska Stiavnica becomes Slovakia's City of Culture for 2019 Locals have lost their town to tourism. Can the new title help reverse the situation? Banska Stiavnica has won a new title, the Slovak City of Culture for 2019, receiving 300,000 from the Slovak Arts Council. One of the goals is to reestablish a bond with locals. The town, located in central Slovakia, has a rich history, charming atmosphere, marvellous old architecture and irresistible genius loci hidden in the middle of the Stiavnicke vrchy mountains. It is known, first and foremost, for mines where precious metals, especially silver and gold, were once extracted. Local people also used to work in a cotton mill and tobacco factory. Because of this rich history, Banska Stiavnica is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Nevertheless, by becoming a tourist attraction, the mining town has turned away from its citizens. Your memories, our art The town's opening program, titled Family Silver, reflects the idea that will accompany the city of culture throughout the year. Organisers are aiming to collect the most valuable things local people possess at home. However, they do not need to polish their cutlery because every citizen of Banska Stiavnica is a precious muse. Read also: Spectacular Slovakia #18: Be a miner for a day Read more "To some, the family silver represents a memory, experience, photograph, piece of furniture, or anything else connected to family history," explained Rastislav Marko, a program director of the City of Culture in Banska Stiavnica. In the first wave of collecting valuables, they addressed schools in particular. Students will question parents and grandparents, collect photos, and search for ancient job reports. "Over the year, artists, including writers, visual artists, and filmmakers, will be coming to the town to turn these stories into artworks," said Marko, hoping that a transformation of the stories of local people into an art piece will attract locals and visitors. 28. Jan 2019 at 14:03 | Jana Alexova Business, politics and murders. Her story resembles a thriller. How does an ordinary woman living on the outskirts of the southern-Slovak town of Komarno become a person charged with murdering three people? Alena Zsuzsova has always loved money, flirting, and bad boys. Today, she is charged in connection to the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, and also been charged with the murder of Laszlo Basternak, a former mayor of Hurbanovo, a town near Komarno. Although the details of her life are not known, her testimony to the police, the findings of the investigators and the interviews with witnesses can all paint a better picture of who Alena Zsuzsova really is. Furniture business and debt 28. Jan 2019 at 12:49 | Roman Cuprik If women see the real examples of female leaders, they will not be afraid to step up and make the next career move themselves. Leading by example, says Petra Kahancova, without hesitation. That is the most important leadership skill, in my opinion. Johnson Controls, which employs Petra at the Bratislava Business Center, clearly agrees. The company is leading by example in workplace equality, with a 65% female workforce and an equal number of male and female managers. The company has long promoted diversity and equality within its ranks. Petra, who manages six people on the Vendor Master File team for Johnson Controls, thinks more businesses should follow their example and encourage women to be leaders. Women in business need to see the support and trust of their colleagues, says Petra. This trust can be on multiple levels: from being given more complex projects to manage, to being trusted with flexibility when they need work-life balance. For example, its possible to work from home on certain days and still lead a team very effectively, especially if that team has been well managed and already is confident in their processes. Women in business need to see the support and trust of their colleagues. Petra Kahancova The Bratislava Business Center, which was established in 2007 and now employs more than 1600 people, was built on the foundations of quality service and trust. And Petra believes that foundation comes from leadership, with people like Kristina Gaal Drobcova, the centre leader, showing how its done. You have to show your team how to analyse any project before you begin, teach them the correct methodology for approaching the process. You lead by example in this case, by showing the team how to approach the work but the execution is their responsibility. You have to trust people to do the work once you show them the best method. That way, you will start to see people grow in their roles, which is one of the best parts of the job! Zlatica Rosipkova, who is a Procure to Pay (PTP) Finance Manager for Johnson Controls, knows how to nurture large teams well. She manages more than 70 people on the PTP team. For Zlatica, the key to leadership has three elements. I think responsibility, trust and communication are the pillars of leadership, she says. As a leader, I am responsible for the success and failures of my team. We have a common goal and we need to reach it together. To do that, I need to be honest and have clear communication. My team doesnt always like the messages I deliver, but I am honest with them and they appreciate it. Because of this, my team really understands the tasks and targets given to them. As a leader, I am responsible for the success and failures of my team. Zlatica Rosipkova In Bratislava, Johnson Controls has already achieved parity for women in leadership roles, but what about other businesses in Slovakia? How can we improve the statistics elsewhere? If women see the real examples of female leaders, they will not be afraid to step up and make the next career move themselves, says Zlatica. Apart from the regular development path, I think interviews with women leaders, virtual meeting sessions and the creation of a female-driven workplace community is a good start. From the company side, it is crucial to treat women equally and give them the opportunities to develop and step up. I think what women find most discouraging is seeing leaders who are working 24/7 without having the proper work life balance, which includes time for family, friends, and hobbies. This doesnt have to be the case if you set the boundaries. Encouraging women to be leaders should be a part of the companys culture. Katarina Feckova, Manager of Corporate Controlling and Accounting for the EMEA region, agrees that communication is a key factor in becoming a good leader. Communication is the key to success in this information jungle, says Katarina. Clear, straight and brief communication saves time, energy and eventually money. Good communicators can make everyday life at work much easier, because that provides direction and clarity for everyone involved. Katarina believes theres more to leadership than just communication, however. A good leader, she says, needs to have a strong personality too. It is important to identify what makes each person unique and ensure their own voice is heard and their individual talent is positively employed. Katarina Feckova Self-confidence is vital to being a good leader in my opinion, she says, because leaders often handle the responsibility, stress and emotions of running a team. That is a unique, authentic characteristic of each individual leader which cannot be pushed, acted or learned. It is something that comes from the inside. It is believing in what you do and how you do it. Encouraging that self-confidence is the key to creating more female leaders, according to Katarina. We have a great new program in Johnson Controls called The Mentoring Program for Women. It is important to identify what makes each person unique and ensure their own voice is heard and their individual talent is positively employed. Kristina Kuricova, Finance Manager RTR for Cash and Bank, believes her greatest leadership skill is connecting with her team. Its really important to be in touch with people, to be a human being, she says. The processes you can learn at any time. The top priority should be to have a good relationship with people. I think the opportunities are the same for men and women, but the difference is that the workplace is generally male-driven when it comes to management so it can be harder for women to make the same connections in that environment. Dont think about possible limitations. Have an open mind and be positive. Anything can be achieved. The limitations are only in your mind. Kristina Kuricova To be encouraged, women need to see examples of female leadership, like we have here at Johnson Controls. Dont think about possible limitations. Have an open mind and be positive. Anything can be achieved. The limitations are only in your mind. As for comparisons between men and women in workplace, Kristina does feel like there are differences. For me, men are more process-orientated, while women generally have better people skills. Its good to have a balance between the two. Luisa Guzman, who leads ten people on the RTR intercompany team, says there is one leadership trait that she values above all. Patience. Patience is the key, she said. Adaptability is important too. You need to adapt to all situations. And its crucial to remember that people reflect how you feel so if you feel cheery, people will reflect that. The teams often reflect the disposition of their manager. Luisa says that its important to look on the bright side of life. We shouldnt take everything so seriously, or things wont be fun anymore. We wont be able to save the world through accounting, so we should just concentrate on doing a great job and enjoying it. We have to remember to have fun too. Personally, I wanted to become a manager to pass on the knowledge that I had. To share the same experience and knowledge that my previous managers shared with me. Before I became a manager, I was learning so much and Im still learning now and they supported me with that. The fact that there might be less women in leadership is not because of a lack of encouragement, its because of opportunities given. I think women are sure of themselves and that they can do the job, but the appointments arent always so objective. I think we need to be more objective and select people based on ability and what they are really capable of. Theres a difference between analytics and people management, so the job should go to the person with skills that align with the role. We shouldnt take everything so seriously, or things wont be fun anymore. Luisa Guzman Finally, Luisa offers a picture of what an ideal workplace might look like, if all businesses followed the example set by Johnson Controls. I believe women by nature are more nurturing. Recently, our team was split up and hired more members. So now we have two managers, myself and a male colleague. The team behaves differently with both of us we are pretty much their parents! I think its a great balance that works really well for the team. 28. Jan 2019 at 6:00 See how north Slovakia deals with snow The Orava region was among those hit by snowy weather the most. More information about travelling in Slovakia Please see our Please see our Spectacular Slovakia travel guide January brought an unusual amount of snow to Slovakia. The whole country found itself covered but some parts struggled more than others. Traditionally, the Orava region in the north of Slovakia is among those hit by snowy weather the most. This was also so in January 2019 when there was a calamity in the village of Oravska Lesna and its surroundings. The locals alone were not enough to remove the snow from the roads and roofs. Several hundreds of firemen, both professional and voluntary, and even soldiers helped to handle the emergency situation in Oravska Lesna. video //www.youtube.com/embed/sqEsLJrEIck Anton Katrencik from Oravska Lesna decided to film a video of the situation together with his friends. He wanted to show Oravska Lesna not as a village at the end of the world but as a place where people are used to having so much snow, the Sme daily wrote. The idea came after he talked with several people in Bratislava and they were commenting on the terrible situation in the village. I said: It is fine, its absolutely normal, Katrencik said in an interview for Sme daily. He stayed at home a few days before his flight to Spain, to help his mother to remove the snow and that was the time the video came into being. He cut it at the airport, wrote the scenario and paid USD 14 for dubbing. 28. Jan 2019 at 14:03 | Compiled by Spectator staff Take a giant slab of irony, roll it in batter of absurdity and then deep-fry it in a cauldron of paradox. What you get is the latest development in Afghanistan. While on the face of it the agreement between the United States and the Taliban over a draft peace framework is a welcome development, it cannot fully cover the irony-absurdity-paradox that I just pointed out. Essentially what this means is that nearly 18 years after the US invasion drove the Taliban out of Kabul and vicinity because it harbored the 9/11 masterminds, Washington has now engaged the same Taliban, albeit a mutation of it, in peace talks. One of the primary conditions of the draft peace agreement is that the Taliban guarantee it will never allow terrorist groups to operate from its soil. Let me quickly add to complete the irony-absurdity-paradox picture that only a short time ago Russia was suspected of helping the Taliban. You have to consider that suspicion among some quarters in Washington against the backdrop of the Soviet Union, the earlier avatar of Russia, having invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and being beaten back by the same Taliban with US help in 1989. If your head is spinning, I do not blame you. The New York Times and others report that as part of the draft peace agreement the US will pull out of Afghanistan conditioned upon the Taliban agreeing to a ceasefire as well direct talks with the Afghan government. It has taken nine years for the parties to come to this stage and it is commendable in a broad sense. However, Afghanistan has a long and undistinguished history of having flattered to deceive the great powers that be. Also, the Taliban is not necessarily a cohesive, monolithic organization which speaks in one voice. The fact that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a powerful member of the original Taliban, is the chief peace negotiator from their side is somewhat reassuring but the prospects of peace have to be taken with much salt. The idea that the Taliban would guarantee that Afghanistan does not become a staging ground for terrorists is not wholly reassuring. It is like asking the arsonist to ensure there is no fire, which may work in some sense if the arsonist has enough stake not to burn things down. From the looks of it, the government of President Ashraf Ghani seems like an incidental player to the talks so far. As it is, the Ghani governments writ is not said to run too far outside Kabul but at least symbolically he is the man in-charge in the capital and that counts for something. I am sure Ghani is worried about how the US-Taliban engagement may work out for him even though Washington insists that the Taliban must engage with him before it begins any troop pullout. On a separate note, India must be watching this particular development with some concern because of its deep antipathies towards the Taliban. If the Taliban does return in some consequential way to Kabul, New Delhi will have no choice but to work with it, having already invested over three billion dollars in development aid. Coming as the development does barely months before India will hold its next general election, it is a tricky one for the Narendra Modi government. The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless. The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well. By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism. Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now... Welcome to Source Notes, a new Future Tense column in which Stephen Harrison explores Wikipedia, digital knowledge, and the search for a fact-based world. According to Wikipedia administrator and attorney BD2412, a lawyer using Wikipedia to brush up on the law itself would probably be committing malpractice. For example, if a defense attorney skimmed the Wikipedia page for assault but did not review the precise elements of that crime or tort in their jurisdiction, it would be so irresponsible (and lazy) as to likely rise to the level of professional misconduct. As an attorney myself, Id be tempted to hurl a casebook at our hypothetical lousy lawyer and tell him to stop giving the rest of us a bad name. Advertisement The same rationale, it seems, would apply to the medical profession. Like most encyclopedias, Wikipedia typically functions as a launch pad that provides a general overview of a topic and points to further or original sources. But at least one new study suggests that Wikipedia is superior to other medical sources in at least one key respect: short-term knowledge acquisition. That is, when it comes to finding the right answers quickly, Wikipedia seems to lead the pack. This suggests a new way of thinking about the utility of the crowdsourced encyclopedia. Wikipedia delivers value not only by offering massive amounts of information with its nearly 5.8 million English articles so far, but by providing the means for even professional users to quickly identify and retrieve the most relevant information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The authors of the paper, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in October, devised a three-arm randomized trial to test the comparative effects of three resources. 116 first- or second-year medical students in Canada took a multiple-choice medical test similar to the Canadian medical licensing examination. During the test, participants took notes on topics to research. After the test, the students were provided one of three pre-selected resources: Wikipedia, a digital textbook, or UpToDate, a subscription service mostly used by doctors. After the test, participants researched topics and took written notes using their assigned resource. Then the students retook the test using their notes. If youre like me, then at this point youre probably feeling bad for the poor medical students. But at least the trial yielded a meaningful result: Students in the Wikipedia group had significantly better post-test performances on the exam compared to the digital textbook group. The Wikipedia group also outperformed the UpToDate group by a small margin, an impressive result given that UpToDate costs more than $500 annually for a subscription. Advertisement After reading the paper, I had a few questions about why Wikipedia had seemingly outperformed. So I contacted James Heilman, one of the papers authors, an emergency department physician, and an active Wikipedian. Back in 2008, Heilman was browsing the internet during a quiet night shift when he noticed that Wikipedia was not adequately distinguishing the medical condition of obesity versus the term overweight. He had the epiphany that he could fix the internet and edit the content directly. Since then, hes kept going with more than 260,000 edits to date. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Heilman reduced his hours in the emergency room so that he could devote more time to updating and monitoring the topics Wikipedia page, which received millions of page views and more web traffic than information provided by either the World Health Organization or the CDC. I see this as my way of giving back as a physician to the wider world, Heilman said. Advertisement Advertisement Its not only the general public that turns to Wikipedia for health content. More than 90 percent of medical students, and 5070 percent of physicians, use the online encyclopedia as a source for health information. There are other medical wikis, too, like WikiEM, which applies a how-to format for diagnosis and treatment. But Wikipedia receives far more traffic across its nearly 300 language versions, and in December received 161 million page views for its English medical content compared to the 356,000 page views I calculated for WikiEM using information from SimilarWeb. Heilman explained that Wikipedias medical articles are closely watched by him and a core group of about 300 active volunteers in WikiProject Medicine using tools like this list of the most-visited medical pages each month. (Interestingly, Leonardo da Vincis page counts ranks among the most popular medical topics because of his anatomy work.) The project also publishes a style manual with guidance on appropriate sources and the suggestion to include dense inline citations. Advertisement During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Heilman reduced his hours in the emergency room so that he could devote more time to the topics Wikipedia page. The academic community generally discourages medical students from using Wikipedia for formal study, and there have even been few documented cases where users intentionally added misinformation. For example, one Wikipedia critic edited the article on the medical condition inflammation to state that it could be caused by rhyolitea type of volcanic rocka subtle falsehood that was not detected for weeks. Other doctors mentioned that Wikipedias medical content is more accurate for basic concepts than it is for advanced treatment options or highly specialized practice areasbut few, if any, suggest that Wikipedia should completely replace actual medical references. Advertisement Volunteers like Heilman dont suggest that Wikipedias medical content is perfect. Because we have decided to be such an open platform, there is this level of vandalism that we have to deal with, Heilman said. But he believes it is more common for medical content to be missing than erroneous on Wikipedia, which is why he encourages more physicians to participate in the project. Advertisement When I asked Heilman why Wikipedia performed so well against UpToDate and digital textbooks in the comparative study, he pointed out that students who were assigned Wikipedia rated the encyclopedia higher on measures like ease of navigation, better search functionality, and hyperlinks to other pages. His specific comment on the prevalence of hyperlinks on Wikipedia reminded me of one the nerdiest games I played with friends in college. Inspired by the six degrees of Kevin Bacon hypothesis, the rules are simple: Click random article on the English Wikipedia main page; click any hyperlink on that page with a whiff of Bacon; continue until you reach the Wikipedia page for Kevin Bacon, which you can typically reach within a few minutes. If you are clearly the first to arrive at Bacons entry, you are supposed to celebrate with an obnoxious amount of enthusiasm (or perhaps thats just me). For close races, however, you and your opponent go back and review who found their way to Bacon using the fewest number of hyperlinks. The person with the shortest path wins. Advertisement Advertisement Heres the thing: Theres almost certainly a path to reach Bacons Wikipedia page in six clicks or less. In fact, many Wikipedia entries connect to the actor in less than three degrees of separation. And if youre up for a challenge, try your hand at reaching the Jesus page in five clicks or less, or getting to the Philosophy entry using only the first link in an article. How do these various Wiki games relate to the performance of the Canadian medical students in the trial? Because the millions of hyperlinks that make a Wikipedia race possible also make it easier to navigate between medical topics on the site. So far, by the way, those links have mostly been the product of human effort, added by thousands of volunteer contributors over the past 18 years of Wikipedias existence. Advertisement In some ways, the fact that Wikipedia allows for speedy connections between topics should be obvious. After all, wiki is a Hawaiian word meaning quick. Whats perhaps less obvious is why that quickness provides value. Older doctors might suggest that todays med students have it easyso much medical knowledge is available on their phones! But the body of knowledge required is many, many times the amount it once was. Thats why having tools to quickly navigate and connect concepts is so critical. As Heilman and the papers other authors note, the rate of expansion for medical knowledge has increased rapidly. The estimated doubling time of medical knowledge in 1980 was seven years, which allowed doctors ample time to gradually learn new concepts and treatment methods that were being discovered. The doubling time of medical knowledge in 2020 is expected to be a mere 0.2 years, or 73 days. The expectation, of course, is that the corpus of useful human knowledge will continue to grow, not only for medical professionals but the rest of us. The accelerating knowledge curve only underscores the importance of maintaining connectivity within Wikipedia and other online resources. Its in our interests to carry on with the topical linking and continue building tools that distill and summarize new information. Otherwise we risk losing our way in our ever-increasing knowledge base. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. In the early 1970s, my father was a leftist beatnik finishing his doctoral degree in international relations at the University of Southern California. For a year in 197374, he and my mother lived in a tumbledown unheated villa outside Beirut, where he mostly smoked unfiltered cigarettes and tried to keep warm, and occasionally took Arabic classes at the American University of Beirut. My parents would have preferred to stay longer in Beirut, which still possessed its famous louche glamour, but the drumbeat of impending civil war had begun, and so they looked around for another Middle Eastern locale to call home. My mother had grown up in Saudi Arabia, and that countrys flagship Western-style university, the University of Petroleum and Minerals, was hiring. My dad began teaching social sciences classes to eager Saudi undergraduates, fulfilling work that suited him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, in 1979, after the shah was deposed in Iran and Saudi religious militants took over the Great Mosque in Mecca, threatening the Saudi royal family with the same fate as punishment for their Western ways, the university, acting on orders from the government, quietly advised my father and his Western colleagues on faculty to find other work, and quickly. That is how my father the beatnik wound up working as a suit for the worlds largest oil company, Aramco (the Arabian American Oil Co.). It was a good life for a family man, which my father had just become: excellent schools, abundant vacation time, and free housing on a large and lushly landscaped compound where his kids could walk to and from school every day, including jaunts home for a hot lunch with Mom and Dad. Aramco provided us with an excellent quality of life, and I, like many children, was fiercely loyal to the place I called home. Advertisement Perhaps because of this loyalty, I never questioned my familys presence on the compound until the events of 9/11, which prompted my quest to better understand the Saudi-American relationship. My first novel, The Ruins of Us, grew out of that quest, as did a question: How did my father square his idealism and political liberalism with his employment at a large fossil fueldriven corporation that served an autocratic regime? Advertisement After the disappearance of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in Octoberthe CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered his killingthe question gained urgency. Though Aramco was a privately held company directed by four American corporate shareholders, everyone knew the king called the shots and had since the days when Saudi Arabias first monarch, Ibn Saud, granted the concession to the American company SoCal. It wasnt the CEO or chairman or board of directors. It wasnt even the oil minister. Aramco was, and always has been, answerable to the king, the company serving at his pleasure, often under the threat that the concession could be snatched back and handed to a more solicitous corporate body. Advertisement During my fathers tenure at Aramco, the king was Fahd bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, who violently suppressed reform movements, committed human rights abuses, and out of fear of going the way of the recently toppled shah, gave immense power to the Saudi religious establishment in the realm of education and more, a move that contributed to the rise to al-Qaida. As far as Saudi royal corruption goes, Fahd was known to be one of the worst offenders; in 1988, six years into his reign, and seven years into my fathers time at Aramco, Fortune magazine determined him to be the second-richest person in the world, with a net worth of $18 billion. Advertisement Aramco has been the royal familys chief source of income throughout its near centurylong reign. Especially in the early days, the companys executives frequently found themselves pressed by Ibn Saud to pour more gold into the royal coffers as he outspent his portion of the company profits. Its often said that without oil, the House of Saud would be nothing, but I might tweak that to say that without Aramcowithout the corporate machinery put into place by American geologists and engineers nearly a century ago, and without the dogged work of thousands of American workers that fueled Aramcos risethe familys reign might not have seen the dawn of the 21st century. Advertisement It is not just natural resources that determine a countrys power; its the efficiency of the means put in place to extract them. In Aramco, those American executives engineered an energy titan, a company beloved by its employees and respected in the industry that quickly became indispensable to the development of the Saudi state. To the chagrin of the U.S. government, for years the company unofficially assumed diplomatic duties, its government relations men possessing far more influence than anyone from the U.S. Embassywhich anyway didnt exist in the kingdom until 1944, 12 years after Saudi Arabia was recognized as a country and six years after the first tanker of oil set off from Saudi shores. Advertisement The reason I keep writing about Saudi Arabia is because it was my first and most indelible home. Aramcons are my people. Aramco leadership often found itself serving as an intermediary between the Saudi regime and the U.S. president. This happened most notably during the 1973 Yom Kippur War and subsequent oil embargo, when Aramco executives tried without success to convince President Richard Nixon not to enter the fray in support of Israel at the risk of alienating the Saudis. Once Nixon approved the airlifting of supplies to Israel, Aramco tried to appease an irate King Faisal, who ultimately felt forced to wield the oil weapon against his onetime ally. The Aramco men did succeed in convincing Faisal to allow oil to continue to be delivered to the U.S. Navy, a well-kept secret that would have compromised the kings reputation as a champion of the Arab cause. Advertisement It can certainly be argued that, despite the compromises, Aramcons were performing a patriotic duty by keeping the United States well-supplied in cheap oil, especially during World War II as submarines and ships moved from coal to oil, though climate change has exposed the fallacy that cheap oil would be Americas salvation; instead it has proved to be catastrophic, and sooner than expected. American Perspectives of Aramco, a fascinating oral history of the company published by Berkeleys Bancroft Library, reveals the early Aramco executives to be a salty, savvy and devoted group, who were well aware of Saudi royal corruption. Though they had contempt for it, the truth is that Aramco needed the royal family to remain in place at any cost because if Saudi Arabia became a republic, the company would likely have quickly been nationalized as Irans nationalist government had attempted to do in the 1950s before it was overthrown with U.S. assistance. The countrys new leaders were likely to be religious hard-liners less inclined to look favorably on the American presence on the peninsula, as the Saudi royals frequently reminded Aramco. As it happened, the company did eventually become fully nationalized, but not until 1988, several years after national takeovers in other Middle Eastern countries like Iran and Libya. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So Aramco looked the other way as the Saudi government maintained its debilitating gender apartheid policies; it looked the other way as the Saudi government jailed and tortured human rights lawyers and other activists like Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam through electronic means; and according to Manal al-Sharifs memoir Daring to Drive, the company allowed government police onto the Dhahran compound to arrest her for driving with her brother. I dont mean to suggest that Aramcos American employees should have taken to the streets in protest over these policies; that would have only resulted in a quick expulsion from the company and the country, if not jail time. What I wonder is why more Americans, who on the whole found the draconian government practices to be abhorrent, and who, by virtue of their talent and means, had the luxury of choice when it came to careers, didnt simply pack their bags and take their talents elsewhere. Advertisement After Khashoggis murder, I reached out to a few retired Aramcons, including my father, and asked them if theyd ever had qualms about working for the company. They each wrote back and said, essentially, that they never thought of themselves as working for the king but for the company. Technically this is true, but it also struck me as a convenient way to manage what must have at times felt like extreme cognitive dissonance. Advertisement Some people might simply ascribe this willful blindness to money, but theres something more subtle at work when it comes to Americans loyalty to Aramco, and it has to do with the strength of the narrative that the company has put forward about itself: that it is a world-class organization built through the sheer determination of Saudis and Americans who worked productively, side by side, for decades, that employees are, as the website AramcoExpats.com puts it, less like employees and more like cherished members of an extended family. The children of Aramco employees, who came of age on utopian oil camps that resembled 1950s Bakersfield, are particularly susceptible to this narrative. The reason I keep writing about Saudi Arabia is because it was my first and most indelible home. Aramcons are my people. Advertisement The problems at the root of the Saudi-American partnership extend far beyond the individual career choices of several thousand people. But still, as I watched the drama surrounding Khashoggis disappearance play out, and as the U.S. Congress again finds itself pitted against Saudi Arabia over Khashoggis killing as well as the Saudis catastrophic war in Yemen, I cant help but question the cost of my familys time in the gulf. In March, I was supposed to return to Saudi Arabia as part of an official Aramco annuitants reunion sponsored by the company, where I planned to do informal novel research. However, I have decided not to go; it is my own small protest against the horrors of the Khashoggi case and the starving children in Yemen. Still, I know many Americans will go back, and they will reminisce fondly about their time in the kingdom. I wonder if any of them will dare to whisper Khashoggis name while there, even if only in prayer. Stone and Credico. Photo: Getty Images It is the Wednesday after the midterms, and comedian and longtime New York political stuntman Randy Credico is smoking an e-cigarette at the Friars Club bar, expounding on his theory that the president of the United States is addicted to crystal meth. The guy is tweeting out stuff at like three oclock in the morning, he tells anyone who would listen. When I was doing cocaine and drinking at the three in the morning, I would be doing that. He is wearing a green tie that comes about midway down his torso, a rumpled sport coat, stained blue pants, and glasses perched on top of his head. Credico is with a bunch of other comics to do a Friars program featuring both stand-up and some discussion about comedy in the Age of Trump. But hanging over his remarks and presence at the club that evening is that fact that hes a lot more than a guy cracking jokes about President Donald Trump Credico, a 64-year-old stand-up comedian and self-described political gadfly, has emerged as a key figure in Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election. In September, Credico was subpoenaed by Robert Mueller to appear before a grand jury and questioned about his associations with Roger Stone, one of Trumps longest-serving advisers. Then on Friday, Stone was arrested during a dawn raid at his Florida home, after he was indicted for allegations that he obstructed the House Intelligence Committees investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and for trying to intimidate Credico into lying as well. Im not talking to the FBI, and if your [sic] smart you wont either, Stone wrote to Credico, according to the indictment, advising Credico to do a Frank Pentangeli, in reference to The Godfather II Mafia capo who tells a congressional hearing, I never knew no Godfather, and who when pressed says he was coerced by FBI investigators. You are a rat, a stoolie, Stone later wrote to him. You backstab your friends run your mouth my lawyers are dying Rip you to shreds, adding later that he would take Credicos therapy dog, Bianca, away from him. I am so ready. Lets get it on. Prepare to die. But in a sense, this is nothing totally new for Stone and Credico they have been in an on-again, off-again love-hate relationship for over 15 years. As it happens, as the 2016 presidential election was heating up, it was back on for the two of them. In October 2016, Stone tweeted: Wednesday @HillaryClinton is done. #Wikileaks; also that Libs thinking Assange will stand down are wishful thinking. Payload coming #Lockthemup. Two days later Julian Assange and WikiLeaks released the first batch of emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta a hack that seems to have been part of an election tampering plot by the Kremlin. What explains Roger Stones apparent prescience? When asked by the media, Stone at first said his source was a good mutual friend of both himself and Assange. Stone now says his information about the WikiLeaks dump came from Credico who is indeed a friend (of sorts, anyway) of both men. In practical terms, that means Credico is at the dead center of Muellers probe: If Stone was actively in the loop on what was happening inside WikiLeaks, and communicated that to Trump, it certainly would appear to constitute collusion. If Credico was indeed the source of that information to Stone, things suddenly look more benign (relatively, anyhow). According to Credico, Stone calling him his WikiLeaks source is a complete lie. Credico says his only interaction with Assange before the election was to have him on his radio show on New Yorks progressive WBAI, something that his friend and lawyer Margaret Ratner Kunstler helped set up. Credico also had Stone on his program, where he publicly asked Stone who his WikiLeaks back channel was and Stone refused to tell him. When Credico appeared before the Senate and House intel committees, he took the Fifth, although he says he will set the record straight the next time he appears before them. He told me that he repeated the story of his limited interactions with Assange to Robert Muellers grand jury. (On the subject of Stones arrest, Credico texted on Friday morning: I have been gagged by my lawyers.) Paul Rosenzweig, a senior fellow at the R Street Institute, said that if Credico in fact was the conduit between Stone and Assange, that he could be in legal jeopardy. It would be, he said, like the person who introduced bank robbers to a locksmith. Credico is like the comic relief in the second act, he said. He is a bit player. He is more of a bit player than George Papadopoulos, and that is hard to achieve. As for the accusations and counter-accusations of lying, Rosenzweig said, It certainly seems as if Mr. Mueller has taken the side of Randy Credico. Roger Stone boasts about lying. He is a terrible witness. Not that Credico is that great. I am entirely comfortable with a story that says they are both assholes. That star turn as a witness in front of the grand jury just was my last gig, Credico told the audience at the Friars that November evening. The grand jury was great. I actually did an impression for them. I did my Al Sharpton for them. His voice lowered to a growl part Baptist preacher, part Howlin Wolf. Ah want fii twenty dollah bills. Even the comedians onstage groaned. Robert Mueller was willing to recuse himself that afternoon, said one. Credico joked that he was responsible for Hillary Clinton losing since he handed her a map without Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania on it; he did his Andrew Cuomo impression, his Bernie Sanders, his Ronald Reagan (twice), and then walked off the stage. Credico has spent the better part of three decades as something of a fringe figure in New York politics a cross between The Rent Is Too Damn High guy, the Naked Cowboy, and Samuel Gompers. He has run for the Senate, for mayor, and for governor, never getting more than 4 percent of the vote. He slept out in the cold during Occupy Wall Street, attended a session of the New York State Senate dressed as the Greek philosopher Diogenes, smoked a joint on the steps of the State Capitol in Albany to protest the Rockefeller Drug Laws, and has been tossed out of the White House Correspondents Dinner for screaming about Julian Assange at the CNN table. It remains an article of faith among Credico and his friends that the only reason hes not a household name is that, during his first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1984, he committed the cardinal sin of impersonating Johnny Carson. Carson responded by not inviting Credico over to the couch for a conversation after his bit or back on the program ever again. Instead of fame and lucrative stand-up specials, the decades since have been filled with bit work including a gig as a voice actor on a reboot of the cult childrens TV classic H.R. Pufnstuf. I am hoping he can get something out of this political stuff. I am hoping he can benefit off of it in some way, said Marty Krofft, the 81-year-old producer of H.R. Pufnstuf, who, on the phone from Los Angeles while in the waiting room of his dentist, said that he considered Credico a surrogate son and was trying to arrange meetings with CNNs Jeff Zucker and MSNBCs Phil Griffin on Credicos behalf. All of this can be a positive stepping stone, said Krofft. I know Jeff, I know Phil. Maybe he can get on one of those shows as a regular. I told him, You are on the upswing right now. This is your time. Ya gotta go for it! A few weeks later, I am sitting in Credicos silver Mini Cooper on a street in the West Village. He is chain-smoking his e-cigarette, blasting classical music on the radio, demanding that I delete the last 20 minutes of our interview because I had overheard him talking to his lawyer about how he had to testify again before the grand jury the following week, and threatening to end his sobriety and go to the nearest bar to drink himself to oblivion if I dont. I have been doing this for a whole fucking year now, a whole fucking year! he screams about the Mueller investigation. He points to the coffee shop across the street where we were supposed to meet. I cant even go in there because people think I helped Trump win. Do you understand that?! Because people think I helped Trump win. I got threats from Stones friends out there who are organizing shit against me. I got an offer from every reporter in the world! I am supposed to go on Chris Cuomos show tonight. I am not even supposed to be talking about this. A week after his night at the Friars, Roger Stone released a series of text-message exchanges he had with Credico on the eve of the 2016 election in which Credico appeared to boast of having information on when Julian Assange would release pilfered batches of emails related to Hillary Clintons campaign. Big news Wednesday, Credico wrote to Stone on October 1, 2016. Now pretend u dont know me. U died five years ago, Stone responded. Great. Hillarys campaign will die this week, responded Credico. It went on in this vein, the two bragging, puffing each other up, talking in dark tones about political skullduggery. You are an inveterate liar everybody knows that, Credico writes at one point. You aint exactly George Washington yourself, responded Stone. (Credico says that the text messages are taken out of context, and that he was simply referencing already public pronouncements from Assange about the email trove.) If Credico was on edge in the car, it was in part because he is Randy Credico (I love him, said Sarah Kunstler, a longtime friend. But lets face it, he can kind of be a lot.), and in part because he had once again been called to Washington to testify before the grand jury. He is a rat. He is just a super fucking rat that will do anything to survive, Credico said of Stone, as a sweatshirt used as a makeshift scarf remained tight around his neck. I wish I never had to deal with him. The history between the two is long, stretching over a decade and a half, mostly at the margins of the political world. They would fight over crumbs over who would run on which minor party line only to reconcile and then fall out again. And again and again and again, Stone, the ruthless political operative with the dyed-blond hair and the Nixon tattoo on his back, would get the better of Credico, the scrappy, needy, earnest son of a nightclub owner. While in some sense, the scrap between the two of them over WikiLeaks, Assange, and the 2016 election is just another in a long series, it is safe to say that the political stakes of this one perhaps even with implications for Donald Trumps presidency are considerably higher than any of the others. Stone and Credico met in 2002. Tom Golisano, a Rochester-area billionaire, was running for governor of New York, and Stone served as a senior adviser. Stone is blessed with a remarkable ability to endear himself to very rich people making (often) quixotic bids for public office; Credico shares some of that too at the Friars he was accompanied by Bill Samuels, who has spent millions of dollars on reforming the way Albany operates but lives more of a hand-to-mouth existence. Credicos father did eight and a half years in prison before Credico was born, for what Credico calls small-time Italian mob stuff in the 30s, prior to opening up a club, the Royal Tahitian, in Ontario, Canada. Louis Armstrong, Bobby Darin, Sonny and Cher all played there, and it gave Credico a taste for show business. I wanted to be this big guy, he says in a documentary made about his life. I wanted to, you know, be loved. Credico has struggled with substance abuse most of his life, but he credits his decision to get involved in drug reform a consistent focus in his long career as an activist to a time he holed up in a motel in Florida for several days trying to get clean. On the TV came the story of Anthony Papa, the owner of an auto body shop who was doing 15-to-life for being asked by an undercover cop to deliver a few ounces of cocaine to someone else. I felt like I had dodged a bullet, because Id violated those laws a million times but never came close to being arrested, Credico once told the New York Times. If I were black or Latino Id be in prison right now. In 2002, New York was still fighting the drug war, and Credico convinced Golisano to distinguish himself from rivals George Pataki and Carl McCall by calling for a less punitive approach. He ended up with a respectable 14 percent on a third-party line, and afterward the drug-reform effort began to go mainstream. Andrew Cuomo, fresh off his own disastrous run for governor, joined Russell Simmons in a new effort to end the Rockefeller Drug Laws. They got a formal audience with Pataki. Gradually, the laws began to change. Al Sharpton was then thinking of running for president, and Credico got involved, hoping it would be a vehicle to take the drug-reform conversation national. He introduced Stone to the civil-rights leader, and Stone, according to Credico, saw it as an opportunity to rat-fuck the Democrats by boosting a controversial African-American preacher. Stone became a leading strategist in the race, even joining Sharpton onstage for a Road to Fairness drug-law-reform rally in midtown with Cuomo and Simmons. Credicos role in the campaign evaporated. I got pushed out, Credico says. I thought it was going to be a joint thing, we were going to talk about the drug laws. Next thing I know I was on the outs. And so it would go for Stone and Credico for the better part of 16 years periods of conspiring to overturn the existing political order followed by bitter fallings-out and recriminations. We are like an old vaudeville routine, Stone told me. What was the great Neil Simon play? The Odd Couple? Thats us. We fight like cats and dogs and the we have dinner and smoke cigars and everything is fine again. Randy can be very entertaining. He can be exhausting too, sure but hey, being with me aint exactly a day at the beach either. Their relationship hit a rough patch in 2007, when someone left a message at 10 p.m. on the answering machine of Bernard Spitzer, then-governor Eliot Spitzers 87-year-old father, threatening the elderly Spitzer that he was going to be arrested and dragged to Albany to testify about supposedly shady campaign donations he had made to his son. And there is not a goddamn thing your phony, psycho piece-of-shit son can do about it, the caller said. Bernie, your phony loans are about to catch up with you. You will be forced to tell the truth, and the fact that your sons a pathological liar will be known to all. Private investigators traced the call to Stone, and he was fired from his job advising Republican lawmakers in Albany. But Stone said it was Credico imitating his voice, a story he stands by more than a decade later. Randy is a genius impressionist, Stone says, a view not shared universally. (Randy is the worst impressionist I have ever heard, said Frank Morano, a radio host who has run in some of the same political circles as Stone and Credico. Have you heard his Richard Nixon impression? I sound more like Richard Nixon, talking to you now, without even trying to sound like Richard Nixon, than Randy Credicos Richard Nixon sounds like Richard Nixon.) Still, the two had reconciled by the next year when Stone was advising Scott Rothstein, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer who started a Ponzi scheme selling fake legal settlements to wealthy investors, to fund a lifestyle that included an opulent mansion with gold-plated toilets. Rothstein wanted to become a political player too, and got behind Al Lamberti, a Republican sheriff appointed after a corruption scandal felled the incumbent. Stone enlisted Credico to record robo-calls posing as the kind of political leaders voters in Democratic-heavy Broward County would want to hear from. He did his Bill Clinton, his Sharpton, his Ed Koch in the car he demonstrated Hizzoners famous honk urging people to vote for Lamberti over Democrat Scott Israel. Despite Democrats holding a more than two-to-one voter-registration edge, in a year in which Barack Obama was on the ballot, Lamberti won. The next year, Credico decided to run for the Senate against Chuck Schumer, pledging to stay sober for the entire campaign and hatching the campaign slogan, Which candidate would you rather smoke a joint with? Credico or Schumer? (He ended up getting knocked off the ballot.) At the time, Stone was also running the campaign of Kristin Davis, the Manhattan Madam, who, Stone claimed, provided Spitzer with call girls. He created something called the Anti-Prohibition Party for her to run on, and tried to get Credico to join it. Credico did, but also ran on the Libertarian line he ended up getting fewer than 25,000 votes, but the move enraged Stone, who wanted those votes on his line to make the Anti-Prohibition Party a permanent presence on the state ballot. Stone then let it be known on social media that Credico was dead. It was a frequent riposte between the two, one that, according to Stone, meant that Credico was dead to me. Still, it sent Credico, who was visiting Berkeley at the time, into a state of panic when he says friends started calling him leaving concerned messages on his voicemail. Determined to get back at Stone, Credico received an invitation from a Florida-based strategist to switch sides and help Scott Israel. Israel was again running for sheriff against Lamberti, who, the email said, was still receiving help from Stone. Credico eagerly signed on, doing the same kind of robo-call work he did before Koch, Clinton, Sharpton impressions. Only later, he says, did he learn that the email was a fake, that in fact Stone had quietly switched sides too and was also working for Israel. Its just so many fucking lies with that guy, Credico says from the front seat of his car, where a library copy of Somerset Maughams fictional retelling of the story of Machiavelli sits on the dashboard. Its lies on top of lies, and somehow everybody believes him and somehow I end up the patsy. And so it went, on and on and on. Stone played in the political shadows, and Credico, who needed money and needed recognition, fought for acceptance, trusting Stone just long enough for Stone to get what he could out of Credico. In 2013, Credico ran for office again, this time for mayor on the Libertarian line with, he thought, Stones blessing, only to see Stone organize an effort at the party convention to keep him off the ballot in order to benefit the Manhattan Madam, who was then running for city comptroller. The two got into a screaming match at the hotel conference room where the citys Libertarians gathered. It was Randy yelling that this was a dirty trick, that Roger worked for Nixon, and Roger yelling that Randy was nothing but a cocksucker who wasnt funny, said one person who witnessed the dispute but didnt want to be named to avoid irate late-night phone calls from any of those involved. I mean, its the Libertarian convention of New York City. Its not like this is really the center of New York City politics. Through Stone, Credico was introduced to Fred Dicker, a fiery statehouse columnist for the New York Post and Albany radio host. The three would meet up in Florida and smoke cigars while Dicker would work the phones, calling Cuomo and other New York political big shots and handing the phone over to Stone. They had this weird, symbiotic relationship, recalls Dicker. I think they both thought of politics more as theater, as performance. There was always this sad poignancy though to Randy, he has longing for acceptance and positive reinforcement about how talented he is. The symbiotic relationship extended to Dicker. Even though Dicker fashioned a role for himself as the right-wing pit bull of Albany, Credico, whom Dicker described as an anarcho-syndicalist, was a frequent guest on his radio show, where Dicker valued his impressions, but more importantly his willingness to take on the states Democratic Establishment from the left. In 2014, Credico was on his way down to Mexico to get sober again, and when he turned on his phone he received a message from Stone that said simply, Stay strong on this one. Stone had planted a story with the Post that Credico had snorted cocaine at the back of a bar years earlier with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. (As an example of how far from the truth both men can stray, Credico told me that he publicly recanted the story soon after it ran, but that it was true. I was able to find no record of Credicos recantation, but he still maintains that the story is true; Schneiderman consistently said it was not.) That same year, Credico made yet another run for office, this time running for governor against Andrew Cuomo, although many liberal activists in the state were dismayed that he seemed willing to take votes away from Zephyr Teachout, who was mounting a serious challenge to the governor from the left. The Democrats, Credico told me in the front seat of his Mini, are worse than the Republicans, as far as he is concerned, since they cast their support for an imperial foreign policy and a racist drug war in noble terms. They are more loathsome, he said. They pretend to be something they are not. In 2016, he was originally a Bernie Sanders supporter, but only tacitly. Sanders didnt talk enough about foreign policy. On his WBAI show, he boosted Jill Stein, even as Stone told people that Credico was starting a Sanders Supporters for Trump PAC. (Credico says he only told Stone that as a joke.) Stone was a regular on his radio show, and so was Assange. Now Credico says he never thought Hillary would lose. Trump was too easy to pick on. The guy was a fucking joke. No one took him seriously, he says. The lesson here is that there could be earthquake in the middle of Detroit even though there isnt a fault line there. And the fault line is Hillary Clinton. It can be hard to know who or what to believe here. Seemingly the only irrefutable things Credico and Stone have said is that the other is a proven liar. So in this case, it is falling to Robert Mueller to tell fiction from fact. Credico says that Stone deleted portions of the text messages to make him look bad, something Stone said is bullshit, but who knows? Credico says he gave his computer over to New Yorker writer Jennifer Gonnerman, who has in her possession a communication between him and Stone that would exonerate him. (A New Yorker spokesperson said, We dont discuss our reporting methods and sourcing, especially for stories we havent published. We do not have Randy Credicos computer.) Credico also says the investigation is destroying his life. He complains of stomach pains, says he is sleeping in a safe house along the Brooklyn waterfront, fearful of Stones goons. He canceled our meetings multiple times. But he still keeps up a steady stream of media appearances, sitting for a long interview during a recent trip to California with a former RT reporter who now hosts her own YouTube show, and regularly updates his email list with his media appearances. How did a nice guy like me get stuck in a place like this? he said in the car. Bianca, his Coton de Tulear therapy dog the very one that Stone threatened to kill was in the back seat. What is a left-winger like me doing stuck in all of this? I am on the other side of the revolution. The accidental tourist. I am the Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court. A California Yankee in King Trumps Court, thats it. You put your hand in a fucking swamp, just because you are a daredevil, and you might get bit by fucking alligator. He was a quiet for a minute, and then he started screaming again, his voice echoing off the windshield. I should have taken the Fifth all along, Credico says. He is probably right. Lying to investigators has already felled most of the Trump circle who have been ensnared in Muellers investigation, and Stone has mounted a public-relations campaign, with selective leaks to right-wing outlets like the Daily Caller, painting Credico as a liar. BOMBSHELL TEXT MESSAGES SUPPORT ROGER STONES CLAIMS ABOUT WIKILEAKS BACKCHANNEL, read one headline. Credico has been mostly concerned with the impression among his liberal friends that he helped elect Donald Trump. Even if he did tip off Stone to what Assange was up to, it is hard to see what his liability would be before the grand jury. But Mueller has ensnared people for all kinds of misdeeds, from lying to Congress to business deals long done. Once he calls you down to Washington, who knows what comes of it? Credico swept his hand across his hair and tried to exhale. He couldnt. Stone is such a fucking rat! He is going to do whatever dirty fucking tricks he can! I wish I never had to deal with him any more! I dont want to deal with that guy! Its been a year now. Enough already! Why do I have to keep talking to reporters about this fucking story! I want some fucking peace! When does it come to an end! The car was silent again for a moment. I am sorry I yelled. Either I yell or I start drinking. A mere two days after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history ended, the White House is making clear that President Donald Trump is ready to do it all over again if he doesnt get funding for a border wall. Yeah, actually I think he is, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said on CBS Face the Nation when he was asked if the president is willing to shut the government down again. He is willing to do whatever it takes to secure the border. He does take this very seriously. This is a serious humanitarian and security crisis. Mulvaney did say that Trump doesnt want to shut the government down and expressed optimism that the negotiations are far from over. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump himself appeared to try to lay some pressure on Democrats by sending a series of tweets that pushed the need for a border wall. BUILD A WALL & CRIME WILL FALL! he tweeted. Trump also retweeted a portion of an interview with counselor Kellyanne Conway that mentions the threat of heroin coming through the southern border. Advertisement BUILD A WALL & CRIME WILL FALL! pic.twitter.com/yDdCG5DCxn Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2019 300 people are dying from heroin overdoses a week in this country, 90% of it is coming over the southern border Weve got to stop it.@KellyannePolls pic.twitter.com/h4E5TyV8Wb GOP (@GOP) January 26, 2019 Advertisement Advertisement Trump also tried to make an economic argument for combating illegal immigration. We are not even into February and the cost of illegal immigration so far this year is $18,959,495,168. Cost Friday was $603,331,392. There are at least 25,772,342 illegal aliens, not the 11,000,000 that have been reported for years, in our Country. So ridiculous! DHS, Trump wrote. Although he signs off the tweet with Department of Homeland Security, he didnt cite a source for the numbers. Analysts have characterized Trumps estimates of the cost of undocumented immigrants as absurd. We are not even into February and the cost of illegal immigration so far this year is $18,959,495,168. Cost Friday was $603,331,392. There are at least 25,772,342 illegal aliens, not the 11,000,000 that have been reported for years, in our Country. So ridiculous! DHS Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2019 Advertisement Advertisement Mulvaney acknowledged he didnt know where the president got the figures, but emphasized that what is important is the overall message. Im not exactly sure where the president got that number this morning, but I think what you see him trying to do is point out how silly this debate is, Mulvaney said. This is not that much money in the greater scheme of things. He also defended the presidents claim that that the number of undocumented immigrants in the country is larger than 11 million. We know that its going up because we know, for example, that 60,000 new illegals are coming across each month for the last three months. Again, a number that is not made up, Mulvaney said. That is a real number. So we know the number has to be larger than 11 million. Ive seen ranges as high, I think, of 30 or 40 million. Howard Schultz joined Starbucks early in its existence and turned the company into a global mega-chain. Last June he left his job as Starbucks CEO, and in a 60 Minutes interview broadcast Sunday night, he said hes seriously thinking of running for president as a centrist independent who would advocate for progressive social policies and fiscal restraint. This is a bad idea, and not just because it could siphon votes from the eventual Democratic nominee or because we should probably stop letting rich people with no government experience run the country simply because they have a lot of money to spend on campaigns. Its a bad idea even on Schultzs terms. If he really wants to promote his ideas and serve his country in 2020, he needs to challenge Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schultz has very little chance of winning as an independent. The portion of self-described moderate voters in the U.S. has been declining for years, and even within that swing cohort, social conservatives who hold fiscally liberal views are much more common than social progressives who are fiscally conservative. (Put more bluntly, aging white people who want to protect and expand entitlement programs but hold reactionary views on race and immigration significantly outnumber Schultzs tribe of business-class flyers who believe in LGBT rights.) Schultz also has low name recognition and made inadvertently clear in the 60 Minutes interview that he doesnt understand how the process of getting your name on the ballot works for independent candidates.* Advertisement In other words, the only people right now who seem to think Schultz has a good shot at becoming the first independent candidate to win a presidential election since George Washington are probably the members of the elite team of PR consultants he has assembled to tell him so. Media and voter interest in an independent Schultz campaign would likely dwindle away to nothing as more and more relevant candidates joined the raceincluding, possibly, another fiscally conservative, socially liberal businessman who actually has campaigning and governing experience. Advertisement Which leaves the two parties. And if Schultzs goal really is, as he says, to get people talking and thinking about his ideas, doing so in the Republican primary is the best way to achieve it. While Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters already have an abundance of candidates to choose from (many with high net favorability ratings among Dems), Donald Trumps support among Republicans is somewhat soft. More than one-quarter of Republicans say theyre not sure they want to vote for him again, and his approval rating is declining. If Schultz wants to find a receptive audience, he would have a pretty captive one among Republicans who are sick of Trump. Public interest in a Republican challenger would obviously be tremendous, especially among NeverTrump party and media elites, while the narrative of an actual successful businessman challenging a fake one would be irresistible. Advertisement Polling guru Nate Silver thinks most observers are underrating an independent Schultz runs appeal to Republicans: It's not at all clear IMO whether an Old Rich Business Guy running a 3rd party bid would be more likely to hurt Trump or to help him. People are assuming the latter but not really presenting much in the way of proof. Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) January 26, 2019 Advertisement Advertisement For instance, if Schultz runs on this message, isn't the core buyer a fiscally conservative voter who personally dislikes Trump but worries that the Democrat is way too far to the left? Trump probably needs those voters to win. Now they can vote Schultz. https://t.co/O6eoXQmGhC pic.twitter.com/dFDuCjSYAq Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) January 26, 2019 If Silvers right about the core buyer, Schultz would have even more appeal within the GOP apparatus. Republicans like to vote for their party! (Hed have to spin the fact that hes described himself in the past as a lifelong Democrat, but Im switching parties because these AOCs and Bernie Sanders got too crazy for me, with their socialism and whatnot! wouldnt be a bad explanation.) Advertisement By running as a Republican, Schultz would almost certainly not defeat Trump. But by giving GOP voters a chance to vote for a fiscal conservative who isnt a raving conspiracy idiot, Schultz would be selflessly providing a model for a sane Republican Party that is more like the conservative parties elsewhere in the developed world, and hed be directly challenging the guy who is most personally responsible for the toxicity he says he deplores in national politics. (This is, by the way, also what Bloombergwho was a Republican when he was mayor of New Yorkshould do instead of switching back to being a Democrat again.) If youre going to lose anyway, why not make it count? This article is published through a partnership with New York Medias Strategist. The partnership is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Every editorial product is independently selected by New York Media. If you buy something through our links, Slate and New York Media may earn an affiliate commission. When I met, fell in love with, and married a former barista, we became the kind of household that bought really good coffee. And as any barista will tell you, if youre going to spend that kind of money and attention on fancy coffee, you should really grind your own beans (air and oxidation are enemy number one when it comes to preserving the coffees subtle flavors). All this science is lost on me, but thankfully I have a machine that does all the work for me. Unlike regular grinders that simply blitz the coffee into a coarse meal, the Breville Smart Grinder Pro lets me adjust the fineness based on popular brew methods like French press, espresso, stovetop percolator, and drip. This is a game changer because your typical $20 coffee grinder really only grinds for a drip coffee machine. If youre brewing for a French press, for instance, you should have a coarser grind, but with a low-end grinder you can only sort of just eyeball it, blitzing the beans for slightly less time. More sophisticated machines like the popular Baratza Encore also let you adjust the grind size with a numbered dial, but for amateurs like me, I can never remember if the big number is coarse or fine. With my Breville, however, rather than looking up the grind size each time or paying close attention on a single-setting coffee grinder, I can see it all clearly spelled out (in words instead of numbers) on the digital screen. Sure, the Breville costs a lot more than a Mr. Coffee or Cuisinart grinder, but thats because it uses conical burrs rather than blades to grind beans, making the machine much more durable and the grind much more uniform. For $60 more than the Baratza (which also uses conical burrs and is what youd find in many coffee shops), you get a lot more bells and whistles that are friendly for the home user, too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For instance, the wonder machine does all the weighing and measuring for me. Usually Id pour the beans into a cup on a scale and shake them into the hopper, but with the Breville, I can select the number of cups Id like to brew, dump the coffee beans in the hopper, press start, and it will magically stop grinding once its created the right amount of ground coffee. While I havent graduated to pulling shots on an espresso machine, by popping in an insert, the device can even cradle and grind directly into a portafilter. The only thing it doesnt do is fill up my coffee machine with water and press the start button but I have my husband for that. More Strategist-approved Coffee Accessories Capresso 464.05 CoffeeTeam GS 10-Cup Digital Coffeemaker with Conical Burr Grinder ($199) Writer Kat Odell recommended the Capresso coffee machine with its built-in burr grinder, in our selection of best coffee machines: On mornings when I dont make a pour-over (weigh out the water, the beans, all that fun stuff), the Capresso drip machine yields the cleanest-tasting cup that brings out beans floral flavors, without burning the grinds or yielding an overly acidic cup. Its also got a built-in, conical burr grinder, which saves you from having to buy a separate gadget, too. Portex Mini Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder ($65) Writer Andrew Parks, in his guide to the best way to brew coffee while traveling, told us about the Porlex mini stainless-steel coffee grinder. Slate has relationships with various online retailers. If you buy something through our links, Slate may earn an affiliate commission. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. All prices were up to date at the time of publication. Im bad, the conceptual poet Vanessa Place told an interviewer recently. For those who define poetry as the compression of the maximum meaning into the minimum number of words, Places statement might just qualify; those two words, Im bad, are doing a lot of work. If youve heard of Place at all (and you probably havent), its for the controversy surrounding one of her projects: tweeting the entire text of Margaret Mitchells Gone With the Wind over the course of six years. In 2015, an anonymous group of poets calling themselves the Mongrel Coalition Against Gringpo took offense at this work and, particularly, at Places use of an image of actress Hattie McDanielcostumed as Mammy, the role she played in the 1939 film adaptationas her profile photo. They accused Place, who is white, of donning blackface to present a project that may pretend to critique Gone With the Wind but in fact reinscribes that texts racism. Their campaign for her to be dropped from various gigs, appointments, and conferences succeeded, culminating in the Whitney Museums cancellation of Places scheduled performance of an unrelated work, Last Words, composed of the final statements of executed inmates, that summer. Advertisement For many years, I have made it a practice never to explain or apologize for my art, Place wrote in an artists statement she apparently felt obliged to issue in 2015. I am primarily known as a conceptual poet who often appropriates language that isnt mine: my primary medium is the situation. She certainly got one of those. Place contended that her original intention had been to prod Mitchells famously litigious estate into suing her for copyright infringement so that she could use the publicity to call attention to both the novels enduring popularity and its racism. And maybe thats true, but if so, the Mitchell estate did not take her bait. The Mongrel Coalition did. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The outsiders creed that art must speak the unspeakable truth runs deep in contemporary culture. It was a statement Place made to the Guardian newspaper that crystalized, to me, the mismatch between her artistic approach and the present cultural moment. I see art thats sanitized, art thats precious, art thats playing safe, art for the market, she said. People say they want transgression, that theyre looking for the radical edge, but Im not so sure. This surprised me, because while I can certainly remember a time when people called for and praised transgression in art and literature, its been awhile. The word has the stale odor of an old leather motorcycle jacket, now cracking at the elbows and shoulders, that once sheathed its owner during forays through punk bars and performance art venues. Its a word redolent of the 1990s, when conservative Christian officials argued that the National Endowment for the Arts ought to be shut down rather than allowed to fund artists whose work was described by one Texas Republican as patently offensive to the average person. In those years, causing offense was a badge of honor for artists, proof of their renegade status and a sign that their work had cut deep and drawn forth a fundamental, uncomfortable truth, something that made even their own audiences squirm, at least a little. Is there room for that firebrand attitude anymore, now that outrage is a routine feature of public life? Could it be that artistic transgression, like East Village squats and mohawks, has become completely and hopelessly passe? Advertisement The belief that art ought to be transgressive, that one of its roles is to desacralize whatever the average person reveres, has much earlier roots than the 1990s, of course. Epater la bourgeoisie was the motto of the French decadent poets more than a hundred years ago. Middle-class culture and society were so banal and repressive, the thinking went, that the only pathway to creative greatness and freedom lay in deliberately outraging them. This was an ethos carried forward by movements like Surrealism and Dada, which Place sometimes cites. Advertisement Epater la bourgeoisie has traditionally been the prerogative of young artists; Place is 50. When she was in her 20s, four performance artistsJohn Fleck, Tim Miller, Holly Hughes, and Karen Finley, known as the NEA Fourstood at the center of a maelstrom. Their work became the focus of a successful right-wing campaign against federal funding for individual artists, particularly those deemed indecent and offensive by conservatives. Advertisement Indecent in this instance meant either works dealing with explicit LGBTQ themes, as was the case with Fleck, Miller, and Hughes, or explicit depictions of rape, incest, and the female body, which was Finleys purview. In 1990, NEA chairman John Frohnmayer vetoed the grant applications of all four artists in the aftermath of controversy over the agencys funding of exhibitions of homoerotic photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe and of Piss Christ, a photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine by the Catholic artist Andres Serrano. This was a prominent battle in the culture wars, and it continued throughout the decade. In 1999, then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani threatened to cut off funding to the Brooklyn Museum over an exhibit featuring a painting by Chris Ofili, a Nigerian-British artist who incorporated elephant dung and images clipped from pornographic magazines into the work. The funding cuts would have closed the museum down. Multiple lawsuits, protests, rallies, op-eds, and think pieces followed, as they had on behalf of Mapplethorpe and the NEA Four. In the 1990s, free speech was the rallying cry of the artistic left. Advertisement If all of this uproar seems a bit parochial in an era that sees white supremacists cozily ensconced in the White House, remember that it happened against the background of the AIDS crisis, an epidemic many leading politicians refused even to speak of publicly if that meant acknowledging homosexuals as human beings Americans ought to care about. The belief that homosexuality is disgusting, immoral, and against Gods willall reasons social conservatives found the contested art indecent, that is, unspeakablewas literally killing people. Advertisement Advertisement What is transgression if not the violation of decency, the fearless unveiling and celebration of what is patently offensive to the average personin other words, to the good ol bourgeoisie, who for generations could reliably be shocked by displays of sexuality, irreligion, and disobedient, messy womanhood? Sometimes the pleasure artists and their audiences take in transgressive works is sheer naughtiness, as the career of film director John Waters gleefully demonstrates. But more often than not, art that courts offense claims to be presenting a truth about human beings, their bodies, and the world that polite society prefers to deny. How urgently that truth needs to be told may vary with the historical moment, but the outsiders creed that art must speak the unspeakable truth runs deep in contemporary culture. Advertisement Finleys notorious performances often involved smearing her naked body with foodstuffs while, for example, narrating the threats of a subway rapist (Im an Ass Man, delivered with incandescent rage) or recounting the molestation of a little girl. I remember finding her off-putting at the time, even as I supported the NEAs right to give her a grant despite the disapproval of Holy Rollers. So much transgressive art seemed thirsty to me, desperate to get a rise out of anybody. But perhaps the failing was mine. Looking at a video of Finley in her prime, performing Im an Ass Man at Limelight, Im impressed by her intensity, the feeling that she might drive herself off a cliff in the end, taking the audience with her. This is the fury that fuels the #MeToo movement, a fury I experienced myself. How did I not recognize it? Advertisement Advertisement Possibly I was just too shocked, even if I would never have admitted it. Finleys raw, bizarre rituals both embodied and purged that particular fusion of desire and disgust that men impose on the female body. But shock can backfire. Finleys sensationalism overshadowed the content of her work and became all that anyone knew or remembered about her performances. She had plenty to say about what it means to live in a womans body, but to the average person, then and now, she was little more than an occasion to make jokes about chocolate syrup and yams. Advertisement This is the tradition Place alludes to when she asserts that people say they want transgression in art. But who these people are and what sort of transgressions they claim to desire is unclear. The bourgeoisie is not so easily riled anymore, and like the Margaret Mitchell estate, the Christian right cant be counted on to rise to the occasion, either. Is principled transgression relevant, or even possible, in the current cultural climate? What are the truths of which bourgeois propriety now forbids us to speak? Place thought she was breaking some kind of rule with her Gone With the Wind project, but she didnt hit the target she ostensibly aimed for. Her statement maintained that she wanted to white out Gone With the Wind, to foreground its unfit associations while enacting and inculpating the role white women have performed in minstrelsy. Instead, the group whose oppression she says she intended to illuminate decided that she was part of the problem, not a trickster art magus bent on exposing it. Advertisement To be transgressive, Vanessa Place must have a false piety to rebel against, even if she has to invent it. Places new book, You Had to Be There: Rape Jokesa collection of exactly that, scraped from Reddit and similar online enclavesfeels like safer ground for her; issuing provocations on rape, she cant be accused of appropriating or furthering the suffering of an oppressed group to which she doesnt belong. Place told Observer interviewer Helen Holmes that she became interested in rape jokes in 2012, when comedian Daniel Tosh suggested that an audience member ought to be raped for interrupting his act to protest a joke he made on the subject. There was a debate online, Place elaborated, about whether you could tell a rape joke, or whether anybody could. And the conclusion was that no one could, because rape jokes arent funny. I remember at the time thinking, Oh, thats interesting, because they are. The idea that any online debate ever reaches a conclusion, or even a consensus, is absurd, but even interpreted in the loosest possible way, this, too, is untrue. Prominent feminist commentators allowed that while its entirely possible to make a funny joke about rape, most of the jokes being defended were not, in fact, funny, because they sided with rapists. Nevertheless, to be transgressive, Place must have a false piety to rebel against, even if she has to invent it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The gags Place has collected in You Had to Be There arent very funny either, although this is because, being the work of amateurs, they arent well-executed. (The only one I laughed at is this, which is at least competently structured: I was walking in a dark wood and found a recently raped woman unconscious on the ground. Which was when I knew I was walking in circles.) I didnt, its true, find the jokes Place has collected upsetting, but I did find them depressing. Thats because most of them depend, for their effect, entirely on the belief that their subject matter is forbidden. That is, rather like Places work itself, they lean too hard on transgression in the absence of any other apparent skill or insight. The same can be said for the bootlegged recording of a recent set by disgraced comedian Louis C.K. His former adeptness at teasing out the paradoxes and absurdities of 21st-century life has vanished, replaced by crude, bleating, predictable screeds on political correctness and penis size; their only appeal, if it can be called that, lies in the thrill of imagining how much they will scandalize somebody else. The Korean-American artist Cathy Park Hong identified the fundamental hollowness of Places shock value in a 2015 blog post linking the Gone With the Wind appropriation with a widely deplored public reading of Michael Browns autopsy report by the white conceptual poet Kenny Goldsmith. Places and Goldsmiths antics left Hong frustrated, she wrote, because we are called upon to respond, to react. I am sick of reacting because yet again, we have been relegated to the role of chorus. Even if Goldsmith or Place is being put on trial, as their defenders like to accuse us of doing, they are still the center of the drama. Like a sexual exhibitionist (Louis C.K.s fetish), Place and Goldsmith crave the narcissistic pleasure of being naughty. Advertisement Advertisement Place is right about one thing: There is a similarity between a joke and rape. Both are transgressions. The structure of a joke, according to Freud, she wrote in Artforum International, is that it is a sudden discharge of repression, often sexual, often kind of obscene. And so, in that way, the joke itself ends up being structured, or ends up having the same structure, as a rapea violent discharge of repressed sexuality. A joke is a violation, not of another persons body and self, but of expectations. The man who finds the rape victim in the woods isnt about to save her from a monster; he is the monster. We also laugh (even if mirthlessly) at the conclusion of a minor escapade or tense encounter, like teenagers after pulling off a shoplifting foray or two friends marveling over the rudeness of a shop clerk. Its a release of tension, a tension that sometimes arises from the difference between what we want to do and what we ought to do, and also from our disbelief at how flagrantly the rules have been broken. Laughter is the sign that a transgression has occurred, even if that transgression isnt especially funny. You cant have transgression without rules, however, and that is why Im telling you so much about Place, an artist who intrigues me despite not being very good. Sometimes when youre trying to sort out an aesthetic distinction, bad art, because it is so typical, is clarifying; good art is all exceptions. What rules did Place break? Were they the same sort of rules broken by the NEA Four, who spoke about gay desire and the female body with an unprecedented frankness (at least in government-funded art)? Much of what transgressive art rebels against is politeness, but politeness has many dimensions. It may dictate that you never swear or discuss sex, religion, or politics in mixed company. And it also decrees that you dont use racial slurs when referring to groups you dont belong to. The first restriction, however practical it may be, would strike a lot of people as a prime example of phony bourgeois manners, ripe for skewering in the defense of truth. The second example feels like another, more fundamental standard of decency and morality, and breaking that rule a very different way of being bad. The first is a strategy for not offending people; the second, a policy of not hurting them. Advertisement Advertisement Transgressive artists and comedians have an age-old tradition of violating the first kind of politeness in order to say what they feel needs to be said, but only recently have both been called upon to make acute distinctions between this and the second kind of politeness. It isnt always easy to do, partly because, in some circles, phony bourgeois manners now include prohibitions on overt displays of racism, sexism, and other prejudices, whatever the bourgeois people speaking may actually believe. Places recent projects and Louis C.K.s bootlegged set both come across as stunted reactions to what seems to them an equally stunted set of new prohibitions, exacting strictures dictating precisely what to say in order to avoid being exposed as holding the wrong attitudes. To people accustomed to viewing themselves as rebels, and their rebellion as a force of liberation, this rankles. But allowing your work to become purely a reaction to those rules is equally confining: Louis C.K.s new act was as utterly predictable as the boring young people he now complains about. The two imperatives are interdependent, locked together in a tedious pas de deux in which all they do is refute and therefore define each other, reiterating the same boilerplate positions over and over again. The desire to break out of this stifling call-and-response routine is understandable, and theres something in each of us that yearns to defy a rule. So Places celebration of transgression, while currently unfashionable, doesnt seem entirely obsolete to me: I want art that tells me something I havent already heard a dozen times before. Butand here is what both Place and Louis C.K. missthe alternative to a straitjacket of overly familiar, pious messages isnt a reflexive return to the even more familiar and hateful ones, however ironized. Advertisement Advertisement Its like the inverse of Nanette, a critic friend said when I told her about You Had to Be There. Wed seen Hannah Gadsbys one-woman show together in a small theater before it was released as a Netflix special, so we went in without an inkling of what we were about to experience. The show begins as a stand-up routine, not a form Ive ever much liked. OK, this again, I thought. But then Gadsby cracks open the formula, demanding that her audience ask itself what it expects to see when it pays to be made to laugh by someone like her. Nanette is a transgressionthat is, its a joke, but a joke on jokes themselves, most powerful when it is least funny. At times, you cant tell whether youre laughing at something humorous or out of a need to release the tension of Gadsbys confrontation. This came as a complete surprise to me, something that doesnt happen much anymore. Gadsby demands more from her form than it is in the habit of giving, forces it to accommodate the sort of material that it usually denies. Nanette isnt shocking, but then shock is both harder to achieve now and a lot less revelatory than it used to be. Gadsbys show is discomfiting, as complaints from old-school comedy fans about its lack of funniness demonstrate. (In that way, Nanette cuts close to the bone not despite but because of the fact that it has streamed into millions of American households, alongside episodes of Friends, reaching a much wider audience than the transgressive art of the past.) In my eyes, Gadsby is a truer heir to artists like the NEA Four than Place, with her lazy provocations. It is still possible to break the rules in a way thats fresh and unnerving; you just have to search harder for the right rules to break. The 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were held Sunday night at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and the big winner was Black Panther, which won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. That bodes well for its chances for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but as the buzzer approaches on this years awards season horserace, its still anybodys ball game. Checkmate! Heres Chadwick Bosemans acceptance speech: .@theblackpanther takes home the Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture! #sagawards Great and moving speech from @chadwickboseman pic.twitter.com/Nw2UGbs712 TNT Drama (@tntdrama) January 28, 2019 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Individual film acting awards went to Glenn Close for The Wife, Rami Malek for Bohemian Rhapsody, Emily Blunt for A Quiet Place and Mahershala Ali for Green Book. On the television side of things, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and This Is Us won best ensemble casts for comedy and drama respectively, which meant Sterling K. Brown of Black Panther and This Is Us was a member of two winning ensembles. Individual television acting awards went to Sandra Oh for Killing Eve, Jason Bateman for Ozark, Rachel Brosnahan and Tony Shaloub for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Patricia Arquette for Escape at Dannemora, and Darren Criss for The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. The SAG Awards ceremony is one of the few events that honors stunt performers; this years awards went to Black Panther and Glow. Advertisement But the most important award of the evening, Slates highly prestigious Best Acceptance Speech at the SAG Awards Award, went to Patricia Arquette. Not only did she call out production companies for wage theft, she thanked Robert Mueller and everyone working to make sure we have sovereignty for the United States of America. Heres her speech: Patricia Arquette takes home the Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries! #sagawards pic.twitter.com/4TA3Rh6b2g TNT Drama (@tntdrama) January 28, 2019 Advertisement Advertisement Arquettes acceptance speech call out of the industrys poor labor practices fit the evening just fine: One of the unique things about the SAG Awards is that its put on by a union, and the solidarity between actors can make it slightly less cutthroat than the Oscars. The nights most moving moment was an appearance from Geoffrey Owens, the one-time Cosby Show actor who Fox News tried to shame at the end of the summer for taking a day job at Trader Joes to make ends meet after Bill Cosbys fall from grace. Although Owens teaches a weekly workshop in Shakespearean acting, he went for a Dantean metaphor to describe the uproar during the shows I Am an Actor montage: Advertisement So somewhere in the middle of the road of my life, I found myself in the dark wood of unemployment and debt. But instead of switching careers like a sane person, I took a job at the local Trader Joes to see if I could hang in there with my career. And, um, its actually worked out pretty well. Im Geoffrey Owens and I am an actor. Owens received a standing ovation from his colleagues. Heres a complete list of the nominees and winners: Advertisement Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture *Black Panther BlacKkKlansman Bohemian Rhapsody Crazy Rich Asians Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role *Glenn Close, The Wife Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born Emily Blunt, Mary Poppins Returns Olivia Colman, The Favourite Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me? Advertisement Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Christian Bale, Vice Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody Viggo Mortensen, Green Book John David Washington, BlacKkKlansman Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Emma Stone, The Favourite *Emily Blunt, A Quiet Place Margot Robbie, Mary Queen of Scots Rachel Weisz, The Favourite Amy Adams, Vice Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role *Mahershala Ali, Green Book Timothee Chalamet, Beautiful Boy Adam Driver, BlacKKKlansman Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me? Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series The Americans Better Call Saul The Handmaids Tale Ozark *This Is Us Advertisement Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Julia Garner, Ozark Laura Linney, Ozark Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaids Tale *Sandra Oh, Killing Eve Robin Wright, House of Cards Advertisement Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series *Jason Bateman, Ozark Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us Joseph Fiennes, The Handmaids Tale John Krasinski, Tom Clancys Jack Ryan Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Glow Atlanta Barry The Kominsky Method *The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Alison Brie, Glow *Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Jane Fonda, Grace and Frankie Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie Advertisement Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method Bill Hader, Barry *Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Henry Winkler, Barry Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series *Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora Patricia Clarkson, Sharp Objects Penelope Cruz, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Emma Stone, Maniac Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series Antonio Banderas, Genius: Picasso *Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Hugh Grant, A Very English Scandal Anthony Hopkins, King Lear Bill Pullman, The Sinner Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture Ant-Man and the Wasp Avengers: Infinity War The Ballad of Buster Scruggs *Black Panther Mission Impossible: Fallout Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series *Glow Marvels Daredevil Tom Clancys Jack Ryan The Walking Dead Westworld SIOUX CITY -- Last fall, Sioux City's Hobby Lobby store moved from Southern Square to Sunnybrook Village. The arts and crafts retailer opened the doors at the new shopping center at 5840 Sunnybrook Drive on Sept. 17. The retailer had operated at 4501 Southern Hills Blvd., in a former Cub Foods grocery store, since 2001. The 55,000-square-foot store at Sunnybrook Village is managed by Jay Weeter and is one of 800 stores in the nationwide chain. Hobby Lobby declined the Journal's requests for an interview about the new store. According to a press release, the company store offers more than 70,000 crafting and home decor products including floral, fabric, needle art, custom framing, baskets, home accents, wearable art, arts and crafts, jewelry making, scrapbooking and paper crafting supplies. "We are thrilled to relocate our Sioux City store; and look forward to serving our customers in an amazing new location," Kelly Black, Hobby Lobby's director of advertising, said in the release. "An improved and enhanced shopping experience will be the highlight of our new facility." ROYAL, Iowa -- A Granville, Iowa, man died Sunday after being shot while coyote hunting in rural Clay County. Kirk Struve, 47, was sitting in his pickup truck when he was struck by a stray round believed to have been fired by another member of his hunting party, Iowa Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Joe Yarkosky said. Clay County Sheriff's deputies, DNR conservation officers and emergency personnel responded to a report of a hunting incident at approximately 11:15 a.m. near County Road B-53 and 160th Avenue, about halfway between Royal and Rossie. Struve had been coyote hunting with a large group of hunters. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Yarkosky said an autopsy will be performed. The incident remains under investigation, and no citations have been issued at this time, Yarkosky said. Copyright 2019 The Sioux City Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Senator Kamala Harriss goals for her presidential campaign launch rally in Oakland on Sunday became increasing clear as one approached the event. The massive, diverse crowds lining up in the streets around city hall, for one, foreshadowed her intention to announce herself as a candidate to be reckoned with. (Message received: over 20,000 Californians showed up.) The staging looking not terribly unlike a presidential inaugural address with the grand white granite building in the background, plastered with American flags underscored the political point. As the program began, her intention to associate her bid with one description (FEARLESS, the word that the sign on her lectern instructed the crowd to text to sign up for her campaign list) and a set of core concepts (truth, justice, decency, equality, freedom, democracy, as her kickoff video listed) revealed themselves, too. We are here because the American dream and our American democracy are under attack and on the line like never before, Harris soon said. And, as the senator spoke bluntly of racism and inequality, her promise to lead with moral clarity rang clear, an obvious implied rejoinder to a president lacking in that quality. America, we are better than this, she insisted. Yet it was toward the end of her 35-minute speech when her choice of a particular quotation helped illuminate one last goal. Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly, Harris said, quoting Robert Kennedy as she introduced her finale. He also said, I do not lightly dismiss the dangers and the difficulties of challenging an incumbent president, but these are not ordinary times and this is not an ordinary election. He said, At stake is not simply the leadership of our party and even our country. It is our right to moral leadership of this planet, she continued. The selection of Kennedy, often remembered as a hero of a broad Democratic populism, to be the only elected official mentioned by name in the speech was telling. Choosing to quote the U.S. attorney general-turned-senators 1968 presidential campaign announcement (a primary challenge to Lyndon Johnson, the leader of his own party), doubly so for the California attorney general-turned-senator. Thats because much of Harris address appeared loosely to be an attempt to define, or at least describe the outlines of, her own version of a populist message amid a broader populist moment. That message is, roughly, moving the people toward justice. I do not run for the presidency merely to oppose any man but to propose new policies. I run because I am convinced that this country is on a perilous course and because I have such strong feelings about what must be done, and I feel that Im obliged to do all that I can, said Kennedy in his speech, 51 years ago. I run to seek new policies policies to end the bloodshed in Vietnam and in our cities, policies to close the gaps that now exist between black and white, between rich and poor, between young and old, in this country and around the rest of the world. Harris who chose For The People, a reference to her prosecutor days as her campaign slogan, on stage framed her career up to this point as a struggle on behalf of everyday citizens. To her, she told the crowd, for the people meant advocating for survivors of sexual assault, for middle-class families whod lose their homes, against gangs, and for a fairer criminal justice system. In our system of justice, we believe that a harm against any one of us is a harm against all of us. Thats why when we file a case, its not filed in the name of the victim. It reads, The people, she explained, My whole life, Ive only had one client: the people. (By my count, she said the word people 33 times on stage.) Speaking in the plaza where Occupy Oakland began in 2011, Harris described policy plans in terms of fundamental rights: to Medicare for All, universal pre-K, and debt-free college, for example. And, seeking to position herself squarely on the side of the people against elite wrongdoers, she faulted not only the Trump administration for a range of injustices, but large pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid crisis, and bankers for their arrogance of power and their catalytic part in the Great Recession. That Harris would try and, as an aide put it before her speech, claim [the] mantle of a new populism rooted in serving and representing the needs and lived experiences of all Americans is not, itself, surprising, especially at a time when the term itself now feels nearly ubiquitous in political commentary. In the public mind, populism is now both open to interpretation if not downright vague, beyond a general for the people, not the elites principle and susceptible to claiming by pols of many different kinds, sometimes as a compliment, often as an epithet. (It is by now detached from its roots in American politics. No contemporary American politicians are more frequently described as populists than Trump and Bernie Sanders, and they obviously agree on very little; Barack Obama in 2016 said he might have qualified as a populist, too, but warned of misusing the term.) But its a development that stands to play an important, maybe definitional, role in shaping the Democratic primary. After all, Harris is far from the only candidate framing him or herself as the tribune of the people in some specific way, but she is, for now, perhaps the most explicit about it. Elizabeth Warren, for one, has long advocated for structural change of a rigged system, and has leaned hard into this pitch in her policy-focused campaign ramp-up, which has been heavy on direct contact with voters at long events in Iowa and New Hampshire. Sanders seems increasingly likely to try running again as a working class hero, this time aiming for a broader appeal. And Sherrod Brown, speaking of the dignity of work, has written extensively about the importance of reclaiming the populist title from Trump and the far-right. What we will likely soon find out is how compatible all these visions of populism are with one another which ones actually resonate with the people. Well see whether theres room in 2020 for everyone to have their own definition. 1 hospitalized after west side house fire SIOUX CITY One person was taken to the hospital after a Sunday afternoon house fire on the west side of Sioux City. Robert Wilson, assistant fire chief with Sioux City Fire Rescue, said fire crews were called to a residence at 1815 John St. at around 1:46 p.m. The fire started somewhere in the vicinity of the carport adjacent to the house, Wilson said. Crews were investigating what exactly sparked the fire: It turned out there was no car involved, Wilson said. Shortly after it began, the fire spread from the carport to the house. It was upgraded to a structure fire, so we sent additional units, our normal response for a structure fire, he said. When I left the station downtown, I noticed heavy black smoke in the west side area. The houses yellow vinyl siding burned aggressively and melted on the side facing the carport, and by the time the fire was controlled there were gaps in the wall that exposed part of the houses inside. There were occupants home at the time of the fire. One of the occupants was transported to the hospital with what Wilson suggested were non-life-threatening injuries. SIOUX CITY -- The U.S. Marshals Service Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force is seeking the public's help in locating the following person: * Chase Riessen, 28. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 180 pounds. He has a tattoo on his left hand and also uses the name Cesar Salazar. Riessen is wanted by the Iowa Department of Corrections. He is accused of running out of the Residential Treatment Facility after he allegedly assaulted two facility staff members. He was in the Residential Treatment Facility after being convicted of delivering methamphetamine. Anyone with information can call the Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force at 712-252-0211, email SiouxlandsMostWanted@usdoj.gov or text the keyword TEN99 and the tip to tip411 (877411). Copyright 2019 The Sioux City Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. STORM LAKE, Iowa -- A Cherokee, Iowa, man has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of sexually assaulting and threatening to kill a 12-year-old girl. Ernesto Guerra Pascual, 29, entered his written plea Monday in Buena Vista County District Court to two counts each of lascivious acts with a child and indecent contact with a child and single counts of second-degree sexual abuse, third-degree sexual abuse and first-degree harassment. According to court documents, Guerra Pascual went to the girl's Storm Lake home several times in 2018 while no adults were present and touched and sexually assaulted her. After an October encounter, court documents said, Guerra Pascual told the girl that if she told anyone about the incident, he would kill her after he got out of jail. Guerra Pascual was arrested Jan. 3 after the Storm Lake Police Department took a report of a sexual assault of a minor on Dec. 24. Copyright 2019 The Sioux City Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In early 1939, with the Second World War looming, aristocrat Sir Robert Hunter (Peter OToole) attempts to avert the impending catastrophe by assassinating Adolf Hitler. But his mission fails. Captured by the Gestapo and left for dead, Sir Robert survives his torture but is hunted by both the British and German authorities on his return to England and must use his wits and guile to survive. Based on Geoffrey Household's cult thriller, Rogue Male is a suspenseful action adventure featuring an exceptional lead performance by OToole and a superb supporting cast, including Alastair Sim, Harold Pinter and John Standing. Previously unavailable on DVD or Blu-ray. (Yahoo News Singapore file photo) In the aftermath of Singapore actor Aloysius Pangs untimely death while on reservist training in New Zealand, one writer argues that there is something wrong with National Service culture. Specifically, the writer says that in a system geared towards performance, as our armed forces seems to have, safety can sometimes take a back seat. There is also inherent tension in the fact that the lower level of the armed forces are staffed by conscripts, and the higher levels staffed by career soldiers namely, when unwilling conscripts have to choose between punishment and cursorily completing a task, they naturally choose the latter. There are many more facets to the writers argument, as anyone who has participated in NS will know. But, put simply, do you agree with the statement that there is something wrong with NS safety culture? Have your say in our poll and leave a comment below. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Related: COMMENT: Whats Wrong With National Service Safety Culture, And How To Fix It The United States announced sanctions against Venezuela's state oil company Monday in a coordinated effort with the main opposition leader to cripple embattled President Nicolas Maduro's power base. The measures against state-owned PDVSA were presented as a way of preventing the leftist strongman from looting the coffers in his economically ruined country before he is replaced by the man Washington says is the rightful interim president -- opposition leader Juan Guaido. "The purpose of sanctions is to change behavior," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters at the White House. "So when there is a recognition that the company is the property of, the rightful rulers, the rightful leaders, then indeed that money will be available to Guaido." Guaido, who heads the National Assembly legislature and has named himself acting president, issued his own statement, saying he was taking "orderly control of our republic's assets abroad" to prevent a departing Maduro from trying "to empty the coffers." Venezuela was once a Latin American success story and has the world's largest oil reserves, but has been driven into the ground during years of hardline leftist rule. With millions short of food and other basic resources, there is widespread discontent. However, so far, Maduro has retained the backing of the powerful armed forces, as well as support from Russia and China. Washington has moved decisively to seek the exit of Maduro by recognizing Guaido and urging the military to switch loyalties. President Donald Trump's national security advisor, John Bolton, called for security forces "to accept the peaceful, democratic and constitutional transfer of power." "We've seen Venezuelan official and military personnel heeding this call," he added, citing the defection this weekend of the country's military attache to Washington. Bolton also would not rule out the use of US troops. "The president has made it clear on this matter that all options are on the table," he told reporters. - Pope's 'bloodbath' fears - Guaido called for a two-hour strike Wednesday "to demand that the armed forces side with the people" ahead of a "big national and international rally" on Saturday. His remarks came as the death toll in last week's protests rose to 35, according to NGO workers, with the government security forces accused of killing another eight in "extra-judicial executions." Following a trip to Panama, Pope Francis said he was afraid the escalating crisis would become "a bloodbath." United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, offered to step in, saying he could provide "good offices to facilitate dialogue and negotiation between the parties." Along with China and Russia, Turkey and leftist regional allies Bolivia, Cuba and Mexico still back Maduro. But a dozen Latin American countries have recognized Guaido and six European nations -- Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain -- have said they would follow suit unless Maduro calls elections by February 3. - US: PDVSA must drop Maduro - Mnuchin said PDVSA must cut itself off from Maduro in order to see sanctions dropped. "The path to sanctions relief for PDVSA is through the expeditious transfer of control to the interim president or a subsequent, democratically elected government," he said. PDVSA's US-based subsidiary Citgo will be able to continue operations, as long as its earnings are deposited into a blocked account in the United States. Guaido, who declared himself acting president Wednesday, said he will begin the process of naming new boards for PDVSA and Citgo to "start recovering our industry that is going through a dark time." Lawmakers will be asked to take "the necessary measures to guarantee the greatest transparency and control of the use" of the assets, Guaido added. "We took this decision to ensure that Citgo stays in the hands of Venezuelans." An angry Maduro nevertheless accused the United States of trying to "steal Citgo" and pledged to file legal action over the new sanctions. Since being elected head of the National Assembly legislature last month, Guaido has managed to rally a previously disunited opposition. Maduro has been in charge since 2013 but his re-election in May was branded illegitimate by the European Union, United States and Organization of American States. Several opposition leaders had been forced into exile, jailed or barred from standing in the election, leading the opposition to boycott the poll. burs-sms/sst/oh The international ratings agency Standards & Poors expects Moroccan economy to grow by 4.1 pc in 2020-2021, after decelerating to about 3.2 pc in 2019. The expanding automotive and tourism sectors, coupled with increased demand for phosphates and derivatives, will stimulate the long-term performance and somewhat reduce the reliance on cyclical sectors, notably agriculture, says S&P in a statement We view positively the governments willingness to make the development of the economy more inclusive, adds the international ratings agency in its forecast. According to S&P analysts, Moroccan banks credit growth will remain steady at 4 pc over 2019-2020, based on the recovery of corporate growth and still-dynamic household lending. They say that African subsidiaries will continue to contribute positively to the financial performance of larger Moroccan banks. We expect customer deposits inflows, especially from Moroccan expatriates, to continue to fully fund credit growth, given banks limited access to external funding, underlines S&P in its prognostics. We believe Moroccan banks will continue to use domestic capital markets to match increasing funding needs and reinforce their capital base. In early 2018, Moroccan central Bank (bank Al Maghrib) widened the fluctuation bands between the dirham and the currency basket to +/-2.5% (versus +/-0.3%). We expect the transition to be long and gradual (15 years) and have limited impact on banks as most financial institutions have marginal exposure to foreign currency-denominated assets, says Standards and Poors in its outlook. |Photo courtesy of AFP WestMinCom ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) suspected possible links of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) to the deadly twin explosions in Jolo, Sulu on Sunday morning (January 27). Colonel Gerry Besana of the AFP Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) said that the group Ajang-Ajang, an ASG-affiliated armed group known for abduction and sowing terror in the area, has been identified as the perpetrators of the blast. The military positively identified the group through a CCTV footage recovered from the crime scene which showed some members of Ajang-Ajang entered the Mt. Carmel Cathedral and rushed outside before the two explosions happened. Iyan ang mga Abu Sayyaf na nandudoon sa city pagala-gala lang doon at sila ang mga itinuturo palagi na gumagawa ng atrocities laban sa ating mga kasundaluhan. At the same time gumagawa din ng mga kalokohan at panggugulo dyan sa bayan ng Jolo, confirmed Besana, AFP Westmincoms spokesperson. Ngayon ang kagandahan dito may lead na tayo at alam natin sino ang perpetrators ng pagpapasabog na ito, he added. The AFP-PNP joint investigation on the incident is now ongoing particularly the assessment of the signature prints on the recovered parts of the improvised explosive devices (IED) used by the suspects. Meanwhile, former Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan believes the attacks had something to do with the recently concluded plebiscite for the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). Tan suspects the incident was plotted by BOL supporters after they (Tan) voted no for the BOL. They want to undermine our leadership in the province after the plebiscite, but we will never give in we wont give in we will fight back and we are ready to fight, Tan said. Marje Pelayo (with reports from Dante Amento) The post Twin blasts in Jolo, Sulu linked to Abu Sayyaf Group appeared first on UNTV News. GBCI plans to acquire and merge startups primarily in the fintech, real estate, transportation, supply chain, and renewable energy sectors Singapore-based GBCI Ventures (GBCI) has announced a USD$100 million smart city development fund, which will be directed towards a variation of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, big data, IoT and virtual reality (VR). GBCI will take an active role to provide these startups with know-how, access to technology, financial investment, mentorship, and go-to-market support. Also Read: Indonesian tech media rates top female founders, executives based on their beauty, popularity What differentiates this fund, the company claimed, is the formation of mutually beneficial strategic alliances through mergers and acquisitions and the development of a smart metropolis for the future. The fund aims to move beyond technology and finance and engage with governments, organisations, and businesses that come together to develop smart cities. The dawn of smart city evolution brings economic progress and people are able to enjoy a higher quality of life and better urban services in the ecosystem. This is our vision, especially for companies that can contribute to the development and building of sustainable smart cities for future generations, said Douglas Gan, CEO and Co-founder of GBCI. The concept of the smart city is to allow citizens to access real infrastructure services like parking, traffic conditions, electricity, and water, all in real time. The goal is develop intelligent systems in the area of safety, transport, environmental cleanliness, utilities management, and disaster management. Also Read: Google, Tencent, JD.com to inject around US$920M investment in Go-Jek GBCI strives to give city dwellers a futuristic and an eco-friendly urban lifestyle using AI as the core framework for building smart cities.GBCI invests in AI, robotics, big data, IoT and VR with the plan to be at the forefront to roll out smart cities, said Lee Changjin, General Partner and Co-founder of GBCI Ventures. The post Singapores GBCI Ventures launches US$100M fund for Smart City development appeared first on e27. Brazilian mining giant Vale lost more than $18 billion of its value Monday in a dramatic share plunge on the Sao Paulo stock exchange as investors reacted to the collapse of one of its dams that killed scores and left hundreds missing. The 24.5 percent drop followed an eight percent dive on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, the day the disaster occurred. The Brazilian bourse was closed that day for a public holiday. US-listed shares in Vale continued to fall Monday. They were 17.5 percent lower just before close of trading. Vale, the world's biggest iron ore miner, has seen its reputation severely tarnished by the deadly accident -- the second involving a company-owned mine in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais in just over three years. The company announced it was suspending dividend payments to shareholders and performance-related bonuses to executives. Brazilian authorities separately have frozen a total of 11 billion reais -- around $3 billion -- in Vale assets in anticipation of compensation it will likely have to fork out. A tsunami of mineral-laced mud broke through a dam at an iron-ore mine owned by Vale near the town of Brumadinho on January 25. The official toll from the disaster so far stands at 60 dead and 292 missing. Flavio Godinho, a lieutenant colonel in the Minas Gerais civil defense who is organizing the search and rescue effort, said while hopes were dwindling, "there is still a chance of finding survivors." Those slim hopes were resting on a 130-strong team of Israeli army rescuers who began working Monday with advanced sonar equipment capable of locating people at great depths. But their efforts were likely to be slowed by the shifting, dangerous terrain. - Victims were mine workers - In 2015, a dam at another mine jointly owned by the company ruptured, killing 19 and polluting hundreds of kilometers (miles) of river, causing what is considered the worst environmental disaster Brazil has ever seen. Vale and its partner BHP are still paying for that accident, with compensation and fines costing more than $6 billion and lawsuits ongoing. In terms of human loss, this latest disaster was worse. The company is mourning lost personnel in the latest disaster, as the overwhelming majority of those dead and missing were mine workers. Many of the victims were eating lunch at the site when millions of tons of sludge, a byproduct of mining, burst through the dam and engulfed the administrative area where they were located. Emergency workers also found a company minivan buried in the mud with bodies inside. Jose Ferreira da Silva, a 55-year-old mine worker, was losing hope of ever finding his missing son Josue, who just turned 27. "He's still on the list of missing persons. We're still hoping he just lost consciousness somewhere," da Silva told AFP. - Profitable company - The dam that broke was built in 1976 and was in the process of being decommissioned. Vale said it had passed a structural safety inspection four months ago, which was confirmed by Tuev Sued, the German firm that carried it out. Vale, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, made $5.5 billion in profits, on revenue of $34 billion, in 2017, the last full-year results available. That net result was 38 percent higher than the previous year, evidence of a bounce back after a sharp commodities slump in 2015 that forced the company into cost-cutting. A mining specialist at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Jardim Wanderley, told AFP that there was "a tendency for companies, in that period of commodity prices falling, to cut safety and maintenance budgets." He said that, of the 450 dams in Minas Gerais state, "we have a relatively high number of dams that are doubtful or in inappropriate conditions." - 'Life matters most' - Vale is one of the top miners in the world, behind BHP and Rio Tinto, both Anglo-Australian groups. Apart from iron ore, which feeds China's appetite, Vale also mines nickel, copper and other metals. The company has a workforce of 76,500 in 30 countries and also operates hydroelectric plants, rail lines, ports and ships to get its products to market. Vale started out in Minas Gerais -- a major mining state, as its name indicates in Portuguese -- in 1942 as a state-owned company called Companhia Vale do Rio Doce. It was privatized in 1997. On its corporate website, Vale says it has a "passion for people and the planet." It says that "life matters most" and it aspires to "do what is right." Investigators probing the Catholic cathedral bombing that killed 21 people in the Philippines' restive south said Monday a group tied to notorious Islamists Abu Sayyaf is the prime suspect. Two explosions tore through the cathedral on the Muslim-majority island of Jolo, killing worshippers at Sunday mass and security forces in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Authorities said the so-called Ajang-Ajang faction is a small band of several dozen that most likely carried out the bombing, the Philippines' worst in years, in an act of revenge. "Last year their leader was killed. There have been persistent reports that they will retaliate," regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana told AFP. "Yes, we saw them in the CCTV. It was the brother of the leader who was killed," he said referring to footage from outside the cathedral. "He was seen with two other members of Ajang-Ajang." Security forces say the group is composed of relatives of Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group members who have been killed in clashes with the government. Abu Sayyaf, which is based on the remote Jolo island, has been blamed for the Philippines' deadliest attack, a 2004 ferry bombing in Manila Bay that claimed 116 lives. - 'Revenge group' - "There are high-level law enforcement operations against them (Ajang-Ajang)," said Rommel Banlaoi, chair of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research. "It evolved into a revenge group." While Abu Sayyaf have sworn allegiance to Islamic State, that is not necessarily true for the motley members of Ajang-Ajang. "Not all members of Ajang-Ajang group are pro-ISIS, but all of them are Abu Sayyaf group," said Banlaoi using another acronym for IS. "It's not IS-affiliated." The IS claim, in a formal communique, said two suicide bombers had detonated explosive belts, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activities. But a military report said a second bomb that went off at the cathedral was left in the utility box of a motorcycle in the parking area outside. Police said they believe the explosives were likely detonated remotely, but did not elaborate. Despite the contradictions, authorities have not ruled out IS involvement. Regardless of who staged the bombing, concern was growing Monday over the impact it will have on a decades-long push for peace that culminated last week in voters approving expanded Muslim self-rule in the south. The vote was the result of negotiations started in the 1990s with the nation's largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and will give it considerable power over the so-called Bangsamoro region. "This is a big challenge for the Bangsamoro government," said Banlaoi. The former rebels need to show they will be able to pull the region toward peace in order to attract much-needed investment to alleviate poverty and counter extremism, he told AFP. "MILF needs to prove it can make a difference... the gravity of the problem faced by MILF is wow, so overwhelming," he added. - 'Squandered opportunities' - The church attack came despite President Rodrigo Duterte, who visited the cathedral Monday, putting the southern Philippines under martial rule after pro-IS militants seized the southern city of Marawi in May 2017. Government officials have argued that martial rule, which gives authorities extra powers, has been effective in taming the perpetually restive region. But families of the dead, who began holding funerals on Monday, have become the latest in the Philippines' south to mourn loved ones killed in a bomb attack. "My 81-year-old mother does not deserve this kind of death," Edward Non told AFP, with a row of victims' coffins behind him. "This has to stop. It's the innocent civilians who suffer." Experts were also worried about how the bombing would impact the hopes for new development in the region, which were spurred by the self-rule vote victory. "It's a terrible human tragedy, it's also a development tragedy," World Bank economist Andrew Mason told broadcaster ABS-CBN. "When we see conflict areas, when we see ups-and-downs and negative impacts due to violence and conflict, what we see is also these are development opportunities that are squandered." The fate of a Christian woman enmeshed in a years-long blasphemy row could finally be decided Tuesday, when Pakistan's Supreme Court will decide whether to allow an appeal against its decision to acquit Asia Bibi. Judges -- including Pakistan's new chief justice -- are expected to toss out the petition against their decision last October to free Bibi from death row, where she languished for eight years. If they do, it could lift the last legal hurdle between her and a possible deal for asylum abroad. Bibi was sentenced to death in 2010 in what swiftly became Pakistan's most infamous blasphemy case. The Supreme Court overturned her conviction last year, but she remains in protective custody as a prime target in conservative Muslim Pakistan, where blasphemy is a hugely sensitive charge. With the government refusing to reveal her whereabouts, speculation has been rampant that she may seek asylum with a European or North American country. Bibi's acquittal ignited days of violent demonstrations, with enraged Islamists calling for her beheading. The government has since launched a crackdown on the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party, the Islamist group driving the protests. Its chief, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, has been under detention for weeks. However authorities also struck a deal to end the violence which included allowing the petition seeking an appeal against the Supreme Court's judgement. On Tuesday, "the court will determine if our appeal against her acquittal is admitted" said Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, the lawyer who filed the petition on behalf of a cleric. Petition reviews are usually settled on the same day they are heard by the court. Experts say it would be highly unusual for the court to allow an appeal against its own ruling. The three-member bench hearing the petition will be headed by new Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa -- considered the country's top expert in criminal law -- who helped draft the decision to acquit Bibi. - Inflammatory issue - Blasphemy remains a massively inflammatory issue in Pakistan, where even unproven accusations of insulting Islam can spark lynchings. Many cases see Muslims accusing Muslims, and rights activists say blasphemy charges are often used to settle personal scores. Minorities -- particularly Christians -- are often caught in the crossfire. The allegations against Bibi date back to 2009, when Muslim women accused her of blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed, a charge punishable by death under Pakistan law. The accusation emerged from an argument after Bibi was asked to fetch water while working in the fields, but the women objected to her touching the water bowl as a non-Muslim. Bibi has consistently denied the charges, and her prosecution rallied international rights groups, politicians and religious figures. Pope Benedict XVI called for her release in 2010, while in 2015 her daughter met his successor Pope Francis. Unconfirmed Pakistani media reports claim Bibi's two daughters have already gone to Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in November that his government was in talks with Pakistan over an asylum deal, but neither side has confirmed any details since. Trevor was the only duck on the entire island (Facebook) The worlds loneliest duck has been killed by a dog. Trevor, the only duck on the Island of Niue in New Zealand, had earned something of a celebrity status as he was the only quacking resident on the entire isle. He was named after New Zealand Parliamentary speaker Trevor Mallard, who was hit particularly hard by the news. The island of Niue is said to be in mourning after the death of its only duck. Trevor was missing for a few days, before it was confirmed he had been attacked by dogs. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. His body was found in a bush. Speaker Mallard said: Deepest sympathy to the people of Niue from the Parliament of New Zealand. Trevor was a popular novelty on the island and residents even started a Facebook profile to provide updates on his daily habits. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Its believed he flew or was blown on to the island during a bad storm in 2018. Since his unexpected arrival he set up home near a puddle by the side of the road and was frequently photographed by residents and tourists alike. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK A Greek Orthodox bishop has been sentenced on appeal to seven months in prison for inciting violence against homosexuals and abuse of his office, Greek media reported Monday. Bishop Amvrosios, whose name is Athanassios Lenis, labelled gay people the "dregs of society" and called on his followers to "spit on" and "blacken" them in a written address in 2015. The 79-year-old cleric had been charged with public incitement to violence and abuse of ecclesiastical duties, but was found not guilty and released by a court in the Peloponnesian town of Aigio in March last year. The case was the first of its kind in Greece for a representative of the influential Orthodox church. Prosecutors appealed the original verdict to the criminal court in Aigio which handed down Monday's sentence of seven months in prison, with three months suspended. The bishop has been known to publicly appear alongside leaders of Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn and his release sparked criticism from human rights groups who on Monday hailed the new verdict as a positive step in the fight against hate speech. Former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) gestures as he answers a question from the floor during the LKY School of Public Policy 7th anniversary dialogue session in Singapore September 14, 2011. PHOTO: Tim Chong/Reuters Singaporeans are divided on the prospect of a grandchild of the late Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew entering politics, according to a survey commissioned by Yahoo News Singapore. In the survey conducted by market research consultancy Blackbox Research, the question was posed, Many commentators have talked about how Singapore has been dominated by the Lee family throughout its history and whether the Lee family is a dynasty in the making. How would you feel if one of Lee Kuan Yews grandchildren were to enter Singapore politics? Half of the 916 Singaporean respondents felt positive about the prospect, with 41 per cent of feeling quite positive about it and 9 per cent having very positive sentiment. But the other half of the respondents didnt welcome the prospect 30 per cent of them felt quite negative about it, while 20 per cent viewed it as very negative. The survey also asked respondents if they preferred Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat or Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing as the next prime minister, and what they felt were Hengs strengths and weaknesses. INFOGRAPHIC: Blackbox In recent months, there have been persistent rumours that 31-year-old Li Hongyi, the grandson of the late Lee, is being groomed for political office. The son of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has denied this and said he has no interest in politics. Hongyi is currently working as Deputy Director (Data Science & Artificial Intelligence Division) at the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech), a unit of the Prime Ministers Office. The allegation that PM Lee is attempting to start a political dynasty has also been a running theme in the Lee family saga, which first erupted on 14 June 2017 when his siblings Wei Ling and Hsien Yang issued a joint statement of no confidence against their older brother. The siblings claimed to be threatened by PM Lees pursuit of a personal agenda against them and accused him of plotting to keep the former family house at 38 Oxley Road in order to build a political dynasty. PM Lee issued a Ministerial Statement in Parliament to deny their allegations. Story continues Hsien Yangs eldest son Li Shengwu is currently facing contempt of court proceedings stemming from a private Facebook post made by Shengwu on 15 July 2017, which allegedly attacked Singapores judiciary. The 34-year-old assistant professor of economics at Harvard University has denied this. The Court of Appeal has reserved judgement on Shengwus case. Family troubles Li Hongyi (L), son of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and his cousin Li Shengwu. PHOTO: Screengrab from Prime Ministers Office YouTube channel In an interview with Al Jazeera last year, Shengwu was asked if his cousin Hongyi wants to pursue a career in politics. When the news broadcaster mentioned Hongyis comment that he wasnt interested in politics, Shengwu said, You can remain uninterested until you become interested. I cant read my cousins mind. All I can say is that if he didnt want to be in politics, he could have said things a lot more clearly and in a way that would be at least a little bit difficult to walk back. He also told AFP in a separate interview, Not only do I intend never to go into politics, I believe that it would be bad for Singapore if any third-generation Lee went into politics. The country must be bigger than one family. PM Lees other children are his daughter Li Xiuqi, and sons Li Yipeng and Li Haoyi. Hsien Yangs other children are his sons Li Huanwu and Li Shaowu. Wei Ling has no children of her own. The Blackbox survey was conducted from 14 to 26 December last year. Those aged 50 and above accounted for 40 per cent of the respondents, 28 per cent came from the 35 to 49 age category, and 24 per cent were from the 25 to 34 age group. Those in the 15 to 24 age group comprised 8 per cent of respondents. Related stories Lee Kuan Yew suggested Wei Ling as PAP candidate: Goh Chok Tong I asked Ho Ching to enter politics: Goh Chok Tong Tunisia Saturday said it would welcome Syrias reinstatement in the Arab League as Russia lobbies for the move, but made it clear that the decision is by no means Tunisian but rather a common Arab decision. Syria is an Arab state, and its natural place is within the Arab LeagueHowever, the question does not depend on Tunisia but on the Arab League, said foreign minister Khemaies Jhinaoui at a joint news conference in Tunis with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Arab Foreign Ministers will convene and decide on how to proceed as well as on the date and the status of Syria, he said. Tunisia is keen to see Syria get out of the crisis, guarantee its stability and national unity and safeguard the State, the Tunisian official said. The Arab League in 2011 froze Syrias membership in reaction to President Bashar al-Assads deadly crackdown on protestors. Several Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Jordan had backed up rebels opposed to the Assad regime but since the embattled President turned the tide thanks to Russias intervention four year ago, Damascus is gradually coming back into the international community. The UAE, Bahrain and Jordan have reconciled with Syria. Several other countries are expected to follow suit should the Pan-Arab organization greenlight the move. Qatar has however announced it will not change its policy towards Bashar. Tunisia will host the Arab summit in March and Syrias readmission could be put on the agenda. Lavrov embarked on a North African regional tour to discuss bilateral cooperation but also to lobby for Syrias reintegration within the Arab League. As we have discussed in Algeria and Morocco over the past few days, we would like Tunis to also support Syrias return to the Arab family, the Arab League, Lavrov said at the news conference. Russia and Tunisia agreed to step up their counterterrorism cooperation and an impetus will be given to this cooperation under the umbrella of the United Nations, he added. Lavrov said the talks he had with his Tunisian counterpart offered the opportunity to address several issues, including the situation in Libya where terrorist threats persist. China is seeking to push a closer military bond with Australia amid its escalating rivalry with the US in Asia-Pacific, especially in the South China Sea. Although Australia, one of the closest US allies, has been vocal in its criticism of Beijings activities in the disputed waters, both sides tried to use Australian defence minister Christopher Pynes visit to China last week to improve relations. But in a speech to a regional security forum in Singapore on Monday, Pyne urged China to act responsibly in the South China Sea and avoid a might is right approach. We are not interested in containing China, but we are interested in engaging and encouraging China to exercise its power in ways that increase regional trust and confidence, Pyne told the International Institute for Strategic Studies Fullerton Forum, where Chinese military officials were in the audience. The building and militarisation of artificial features in the South China Sea, for instance, has not increased regional confidence in Chinas strategic intentions instead, it has increased anxiety, Pyne said, urging Beijing to resolve disputes in the South China Sea in accordance with international law. He warned that countries in the region should not be forced to choose between economic gain and sovereignty amid the growing rivalry between the US and China. Pyne was speaking as concerns grow in Australia that the country may be the latest victim of the escalating rivalry between Washington and Beijing after the Chinese authorities confirmed that an Australian writer, Yang Hengjun, had been detained in Guangzhou on the charge of endangering national security. This charge was similar to the allegations made against two Canadians detained in December in Beijing after Canada arrested Huawei Technologies executive Sabrina Meng Wanzhou at a request of the US. But when Pyne visited China last week he was received by top military officials, including the central military commissions vice-chairman Xu Qiliang and Chinese defence minister Wei Fenghe. Story continues Pyne was also taken on a visit to the Southern Theatre Command in Guangzhou, whose responsibilities include the South China Sea. The tour was an unusual arrangement for a Western military official and Chinese observers argued that it showed Beijing was trying to repair relations after Australian politicians accused Beijing of meddling in their domestic politics over the past two years. Australia has supported the US stance on the South China Sea where China and number of Southeast Asian nations have competing claims and has stepped up its naval presence there, sending warships to pass close to Chinese-controlled islands and features. Song Zhongping, a military commentator in Hong Kong, said that Australias backing for what the US characterises as freedom of navigation operations has unsettled Chinese policymakers. He said Australia needed to have frank communication with the Chinese officials in charge of the South China Sea affairs to reduce miscalculation after increasing its military presence there. Australias relations with China, its largest trading partner, have become complicated over the past two years amid growing suspicions that Chinese has interfered in Australian politics and diplomacy, suspicions that Beijing said were groundless. As a key ally for the US and a major trading partner for China, Australia is caught in a dilemma now with growing diplomatic pressure, Liu Qing, a specialist at the China Institute of International Studies. There have been disputes over the South China Sea issue between the two countries, but its also important to improve mutual understanding. Beijing needs to know why Australia is concerned while Australia needs to understand why Beijing builds all the defence facilities in the region. But Ren Xiao, an international relations expert at Fudan University, said the South China Sea may not necessarily become a problem for the two countries, since there are other, more immediate concerns. How Australia sees Chinas development, its relations with the US and its own interests, these are the questions need to be answered, Ren said. This article China offers olive branch to Australian defence minister Christopher Pyne first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019. Thousands more fish have died in a key river system in drought-hit eastern Australia just weeks after up to a million were killed, authorities and locals said Monday, sparking fears an ecological disaster is unfolding. Fisheries officials said they were on their way to Menindee, a small outback town in far-west New South Wales state, after the third mass fish kill in the area in less than two months. The town is near the Darling River, part of the Murray-Darling River system that stretches thousands of kilometres across several states and supplies the country's food bowl. "There's lot of small (dead) fish... a lot of the larger fish have already perished in the last two kills," Menindee tourism operator Rob Gregory told AFP, adding that he counted 380 dead fish in just a six-metre (20-foot) stretch of river. Gregory said Menindee was renowned as having one of the best fisheries in the far-west region. "This is a true environmental disaster that is equivalent to a lot of other things that are occurring like the bleaching of the coral in the Great Barrier Reef," he added. While the federal government blames the deaths on a severe drought, experts and locals say they stem from the systemic depletion and pollution of the river. The NSW Department of Primary Industries said the latest kills were likely linked to rains and a sharp drop in temperature after an extended period of hot weather that contributed to plummeting oxygen levels in the water. The state government has installed aerators in some waterways to keep the levels of oxygen up for fish, but Regional Water Minister Niall Blair said it was fresh water that was ultimately needed for them to survive. "No scientists, no locals, no-one has been able to point to anything else that could prevent something like this other than fresh water coming into the system," Blair told reporters in Sydney Monday. Opposition leader Bill Shorten called on the government to act, saying Monday the Murray-Darling was "facing the makings of an ecological disaster". Abdelaziz Bouteflika is Algeria's longest-serving president and a veteran of its independence struggle, who has clung to power for two decades despite years of ill health. The 81-year-old head of state issued a decree on Friday setting April 18 as the date for the next presidential election. Rarely seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013 that impaired his speech and left him confined to a wheelchair, Bouteflika has not confirmed whether he will seek a new mandate. But many observers believe that he will seek a fifth term. Even before his stroke, a year before the last presidential poll, Bouteflika had repeatedly marked himself out as a wily political survivor. When he came to power, with the support of an army battling Islamist guerrillas, nobody expected him to stay in office for so long. But "Boutef", as many Algerians nickname him, was instrumental in fostering peace after a decade-long civil war in the 1990s. "I am the whole of Algeria. I am the embodiment of the Algerian people," he said in 1999, the year he became president. But he has had a long battle with illness and frequently flown to France for treatment. Known for wearing a three-piece suit even in the stifling heat, he gained respect from many for his role in ending the civil war, which official figures say killed nearly 200,000 people. But he has also faced criticism from rights groups and opponents who accuse him of being authoritarian. After his stroke, Bouteflika consolidated power in a country where the shadowy intelligence service has long been viewed as a "state within a state". In early 2016, he dissolved the all-powerful DRS intelligence agency after dismissing its leader General Mohamed Mediene, known as "Toufik", who had clung to the post for a quarter of a century. - Architect of peace - Bouteflika was born in Morocco on March 2, 1937 to a family from western Algeria. At the age of 19 he joined the National Liberation Front (FLN) in its struggle against the French colonial rulers. When independence came in 1962, he was appointed minister of sport and tourism at the age of just 25, under Algeria's first post-independence president, Ahmed Ben Bella. The following year he became foreign minister, a post he held for more than a decade. But he was sidelined after the death of president Houari Boumediene in 1978 and went into self-imposed exile. While he was abroad, the military-backed government cancelled the 1991 elections, which an Islamist party had been poised to win. That sparked a decade of bloodletting. Bouteflika returned from Switzerland in 1999 to stand for president, with the backing of the army, which saw him as a potential figure of reconciliation. He proposed an amnesty for rebels who laid down their arms and twice secured public endorsement for "national reconciliation" through referendums. The first, in September 1999, was a major gamble -- but it paid off, leading to a sharp decrease in violence that helped propel Bouteflika to a second term in 2004. A constitutional amendment was required to allow him to stand for a third term, which he won in 2009. When the Arab Spring erupted in January 2011, Bouteflika rode out the storm by lifting a 19-year state of emergency and using oil revenues to grant pay rises. His supporters argue that under his stewardship, public and private investment have created millions of jobs and dramatically lowered unemployment. But a lack of opportunities and high youth unemployment continues to drive many Algerians to seek a better life abroad. - Uncertain future - In April 2013, the president was rushed to hospital in France after his stroke, and spent three months recovering. He had already been hospitalised in Paris in 2005 because of intestinal problems, and in early 2006 spent a week undergoing post-operative medical tests at the same hospital. In 2016, he flew abroad twice, to France and to Switzerland, for medical checks. Bouteflika's decision to seek a fourth mandate in 2014 after 15 years in power sparked both criticism and derision from opponents, who questioned his ability to rule. He did not even campaign, casting his vote from a wheelchair, but still officially won 81 percent of the vote. There has been constant speculation over his health and his fourth mandate has been marred by falling oil prices, exposing the country's heavy dependence on hydrocarbons. Critics argue that uncertainty over Bouteflika's fitness for a fifth term -- and speculation over possible successors -- has paralysed the government. Political commentator Rashid Tlemcani argues that the president "should have left office at the end of his second term, after securing national reconciliation and conquering the hearts of a large part of the population". Mandiri Capital Indonesia also prepares follow-up funding round for its existing portfolio Mandiri Capital Indonesia team Mandiri Capital Indonesia (MCI), a subsidiary of Indonesian state-owned Bank Mandiri Group, announced that it will add four new startups in its companys portfolio. Specifically, MCI is aiming for startups in the insurtech and investment management sectors, particularly wealth management. MCI CEO Eddi Danusaputro said that the firm is currently in talks with two startups in the two sectors, so he would not be able to share further details. Once the deal is finalised, the two startups are expected to support Bank Mandiri Group with the technology that they have built. At the moment we are still in discussion [with the startups], but we are ready to invest in Series A stage. They should at least have had a traction, he told DailySocial at the recent Indonesia PE-VC Summit. Danusaputro said that MCI is preparing between IDR40 billion (US$2.8 million) and IDR50 billion (US$3.5 million) to invest this year. The firm also planned to allocate from its own pocket, to participate in follow-up funding for its existing portfolio, for IDR50-60 billion (US$3.5-4.2 million). Also Read: Mandiri Capital Indonesia prepares fresh funds for 4 startups this year We are taking from different pockets [source of fund] for new and existing startups. If Amartha or Privy requires follow-up funding, we will prepare the fund from our own pockets, he explained. Apart from these two startups, Danusaputro also stated that in the future the firm will target startups working in the cybersecurity sector. The sector is considered crucial for all financial institutions, not limited to banks. As technological development gets more advanced, so it the cybersecurity threat that comes with it. Cyber security is required as it is a basic necessity for all financial institutions. We have not found a suitable startup [to invest in]; it may have not been a priority this year, but we predict that this will be what we need, he said. Story continues MCI currently has 10 portfolio in the lending, payment, and enterprise solutions sectors. These companies are Jurnal, Cashlez, Amartha, Yokke, Moka, PrivyID, PT Penyelesaian Transaksi Elektronik Nasional (PTEN), Investree, PT DAM, and KoinWorks. The article Bidik Empat Startup Baru, Mandiri Capital Lirik InsurTech dan Manajemen Investasi was written in Bahasa Indonesia by Marsya Nabila for DailySocial. English translation and editing by e27. Image Credit: Mandiri Capital Indonesia The post Aiming to add 4 new startups, Mandiri Capital Indonesia targets insurtech, investment management sectors appeared first on e27. The project that truly encapsulates luxury hotel-branded residence in Singapore is St Regis Residences, which is considered the first such offering in the city-state. The 173-unit branded residence on Cuscaden Road is adjacent to the 299-unit St Regis Singapore fronting Tanglin Road, a short drive from the Orchard Road shopping strip. Even before the Hollywood hit movie Crazy Rich Asians debuted in cinemas across Singapore last August, the person that thrust St Regis Singapore into the spotlight was North Korean leader Kim Jong Un when he chose to stay there during his visit for the North Korea-US Summit last June. A motorcade carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives outside the St. Regis hotel in Singapore, on Sunday, June 10, 2018 (Credit: Bloomberg) Kim stayed in the 3,606 sq ft presidential suite situated on the top floor of the 20-storey hotel tower. The presidential suite comes with a palatial master bedroom and bathroom, a living room furnished with artworks and a baby grand piano, as well as a formal dining room with a table that seats 12. Kims hotel bill, which was footed by the Singapore government, is said to have rung up to the ballpark of $10,000 a night more than double the median income of the average Singaporean full-time employee who earns $4,400 a month, according to data released by the Ministry of Manpower in late November. The luxury residential development St Regis Residences and the adjacent six-star hotel, St Regis Singapore, were developed jointly by Singapore-listed City Developments Ltd (CDL), privately held Hong Leong Holdings and TID Pte Ltd (a joint venture between Hong Leong and Mitsui Fudosan). Both were completed in 2008. Good long-term investment CDL is said to have received purchase enquiries for units at St Regis Residences in recent months and is considering releasing for sale the 12 apartments currently held for rental income. According to Kwek Leng Beng, executive chairman of Hong Leong Group and CDL, St Regis Residences represents the mark of luxury and quality service buyers have come to recognise and cherish. As such, it also makes a good long-term investment, adds Kwek. Story continues St Regis Residences - Singapore's first luxury branded residential development (Credit: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore) Per sq ft transaction prices at St Regis Residences have been rising steadily over the past year, based on caveats lodged with URA Realis: from $3.68 million ($2,442 psf) for a 1,507 sq ft, three-bedroom unit on the 13th floor in March, to $5.68 million ($2,636 psf) for a 2,153 sq ft, four-bedroom unit on the 17th floor in November. It is no coincidence that branded residences are seeing renewed interest, says Knight Frank in its Branded Residences Report 2019 released in October. According to Knight Franks Wealth Report in 2018, the global ultra-wealthy population (those with net assets of at least $50 million) grew by 18% from 2012 to 2017 and was forecast to increase further by 40% over the next five years. The branded residence sector is experiencing a renaissance as developers attempt to reinvent the concept of the residential development by marrying the best of hotel and other services into a residential project, says Han Huan Mei, director of research at List Sothebys International Realty (List SIR) in her January report, Live Branded: The Rise of Branded Residences. There are over 400 branded residence developments around the world with a total of 55,000 units, and the majority are hotel branded, according to List SIR. In Asia, the branded residence concept took off in 1988 when the first Aman resort, Amanpuri in Phuket, was launched (Credit: List SIR) Asia fastest growing market The concept of branded residences may have originated in the US in the 1920s, but Asia is the fastest growing market. The bulk of branded residences under construction estimated at around 27% are located in the Asia Pacific, according to List SIR in its report. In Asia, the branded residence concept took off in 1988 when the first Aman resort, Amanpuri in Phuket, was launched. Private residential villas originally launched below US$1 million ($1.36 million) at Amanpuri are valued in excess of US10 million today, notes List SIR. The Aman brand itself has also expanded internationally, with 33 properties worldwide today. Following the success of Amanpuri was the launch of Four Seasons Chiang Mai in 1995, which introduced Thailands first branded residences in collaboration with an international hotel chain. YOO8 serviced by Kempinski at 8 Conlay, an upcoming development with branded residences that will transform the skyline of Kuala Lumpur City Centre (Credit: List SIR) Over the past two decades, branded hotel chains continued to develop and they have remained the most dominant form of branded residences in the region. These include The Residences Mandarin Oriental, Bali; Four Seasons Private Residences in Bangkok; YOO8 serviced by Kempinski at 8 Conlay in Kuala Lumpur; Armani brand Century Spire in Manila; and Banyan Tree Residences Brisbane. The premium of branded residences is optimised in less mature or emerging property markets where the local supply cannot sufficiently meet the needs of the ultra-high net worth buyers, says Leong Boon Hoe, List SIR chief operating officer. In more matured markets like Singapore, the luxury stock is already of a high quality, and they could fetch similar or sometimes even higher prices than branded residences because of newness, updated design and facilities. Beyond luxury hotel brands With a crowded market providing the impetus to differentiate, developers are also aligning with renowned brands for more and more aspects of any residential project, observes Knight Frank. The model originated with hotels lending their name to developments. This was followed by the arrival of designers such as Philippe Starck, who co-founded YOO. The next trend was starchitects with the likes of Daniel Libeskind, Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel and Norman Foster. In some cases, there are two or three brands on a single development. Partnerships with fashion brands soon caught on, with the likes of Armani, Bvlgari, Hermes and Versace. In the past decade, real estate developers have also been collaborating with elite car marques, notes List SIR. Examples include The Porsche Design Tower in Miami with a specially-designed lift that whisks the luxury car to where the apartment is and doubles as a glass display case for the owners prized automobiles. The development also offers a car concierge service for residents fleet of luxury cars. Other than the collaborations with fashion and car brands, there is a growing reception towards spa and wellness resorts, observes List SIR. Examples include Canyon Ranch and The Golden Door in the US, and Thailands Chiva Som. Wellness resort brands like Aman, Banyan Tree and Six Senses are also well known for their spa treatments. Chiva Som is currently developing Chiva-Som Residences Bintan in Indonesia, which offers investors an opportunity to invest in health with its uniquely designed longevity programmes and customised packages including consultations with wellness experts. The branded residences of tomorrow look set to provide more than luxury living in style, says Han of List SIR. They are becoming a true destination with a defined purpose, where time and money are invested in ones own health and well-being. Four Seasons Resort - The Nam Hai was the first Four Seasons property in Vietnam (Credit: List SIR) Potential pitfalls The growth of the sector will not be without potential pitfalls, cautions Knight Frank. In democratising the concept of branded residences, developers also risk devaluing it. The concept has always been aspirational. Now hotel companies are also offering brands at a four-star level. Some hotel residences offer guaranteed rental returns (GRRs), says List SIRs Leong. There is a distinction as hotel residences are usually hotel rooms for sale with a GRR. Developers usually sell these hotel residences off plan, and the GRRs offered are based on their projections of occupancy/rates achievable at that point in time, he notes. After the GRRs expire, the actual achieved returns will be dependent on economic conditions, tourist arrivals, how actively the property is being marketed to new tourists, and how well they are able to keep operating costs in check, he says. These in turn have a direct impact on average daily rate (ADR), and affect returns. On the other hand, branded residences usually come in different apartment configurations and sizes that suit the needs of a select group of prospective buyers, unlike hotel rooms, says Leong. The Residences at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok is the first Mandarin Oriental Residence in Southeast Asia (Credit: List SIR) Part of the appeal of branded residences is the ability to garner greater capital appreciation compared to a regular luxury residential project, due to the brand name affiliated to it. However, with more branded residences mushrooming, competition will escalate, adds List SIRs Han. New projects will have to set higher standards in order to keep abreast of these challenges and remain relevant, continues Han. The absorption rate of a branded residence will depend on the developers sales, marketing and pricing strategies and the number of units it releases to the market. For older branded residences to maintain premium pricing in the secondary market, the responsibility falls on the developer/brand operator and the investor/owner, says List SIRs report. The developer/operator is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the building and facilities, as well as the high-quality services. The investor/owner has the responsibility to ensure that the interior of the residences is also in keeping with the brand standards. With these in place, a branded residence will be less susceptible to wear and tear over time compared to a regular luxury residence, adds List SIR in its report. Market cycles Another important factor to bear in mind is market cycles, notes List SIRs Leong. For instance, St Regis Residences was launched in 2006 when the market was approaching its peak in mid-2007. Ritz-Carlton Residences, which was the second branded residence in Singapore, was launched in 4Q2007. Prices for St Regis Residences hit a high $3,600 psf at the peak of the market in 2007, with a penthouse sold for $28 million or a record-smashing $4,653 psf. Meanwhile, apartments at Ritz-Carlton Residences were sold for prices above $4,000 psf. An all-time-high of $5,146 psf was hit for a 3,057 sq ft, four-bedroom unit on the 31st floor of the 36-storey tower. The Ritz-Carlton Residences, the second branded residence in Singapore, was launched in 4Q2007, where prices crossed $4,000 psf (Credit: List SIR) However, between 2008 and 2018, the residential market went through two downcycles, notes List SIRs Leong. The first was brought about by the sub-prime mortgage crisis which started in 2008, and prices bottomed out in 2009. The second downcycle was the result of severe cooling measures introduced by the Singapore government in 2013 which led to the market trough in mid-2017. Like all luxury developments, prices of the two branded residences declined by between 25% and 30%, according to List SIR Research. Currently, they are around 8% to 10% below their initial launch prices but are on a par with luxury apartments in the same neighbourhood, says Leong. Since last year, per sq ft prices at Ritz-Carlton Residences in Singapore have been on an upward trend. In January 2018, a 2,831 sq ft, three-bedroom unit on the 19th floor fetched $9 million ($3,179 psf). In December, a similar-sized unit on the 12th floor changed hands for $10.4 million ($3,673 psf). Wealthy individuals buy hotel branded residences as a lifestyle option but also with an eye on capital appreciation, says Knight Franks report. The lifestyle component of hotel branded residences is also key to buyers decisions. Services include butler service, a seamstress, translation services, personal shopping, flower delivery, catering and childcare. Adds List SIRs Leong: Branded residences have an appeal for the well-heeled community who are willing to pay a premium because they know and trust the brand. For them, to own a branded residence is to bear a mark of distinction which many will aspire to have but only a very limited number can attain. See Also: The logo of LafargeHolcim, the worlds largest cement maker, is seen at its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo: REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann) By Manuel Baigorri, Joyce Koh and Vinicy Chan LafargeHolcim Ltd. is exploring options for its business in the Philippines, including a potential sale, as the cement giant seeks to further reduce debt by selling non-core assets, people with knowledge of the matter said. Europes biggest cement maker is considering the divestment as part of a broader strategic review of its Southeast Asia operations following the sale of its Indonesia business, the people said. LafargeHolcim may keep the business if it decides it cant fetch an attractive enough price, according to the people, asking not to be identified because the information is private. A spokesman for the company declined to comment. The seller may seek to value the Philippines assets at around $2.5 billion, though some suitors have indicated they think the business is worth less, the people said. A rival seeking to purchase all of LafargeHolcims plants in the country may face antitrust issues, which could make it more difficult to find a single buyer, they said. If the business is sold, the next disposal candidate would be Malaysia, they said. LafargeHolcim has been divesting assets as part of a five-year turnaround plan, announcing in November that it will sell its Indonesian unit for $1.75 billion including debt to PT Semen Indonesia. Chief Executive Officer Jan Jenisch said in May the companys Southeast Asia business has been a bit more challenging amid price pressure in markets such as the Philippines and Malaysia. LafargeHolcim said in November it has one or two more disposals coming up after the Indonesia sale. The companys cost-cutting plan is aimed at regaining firepower to make acquisitions, Jenisch told investors at the time. Shares of the companys Manila-listed unit Holcim Philippines Inc. have fallen about 41 percent over the past year. The benchmark Philippines Stock Exchange Index dropped 11 percent over the same period. LafargeHolcim shares rose 2.4 percent to close at 46.25 Swiss francs in Zurich on Friday. 2019 Bloomberg L.P As many Singapore drivers would already know, Malaysia isnt exactly the safest place for a Singapore car to be in. Every year, we read about many horror stories of Singaporeans having their cars stolen while driving in Malaysia. But what exactly happens if you drive into Malaysia and find your car stolen, whether forcibly taken from you or stolen while you were not around? Having Your Car Stolen In Malaysia Is A Terrible Situation To Find Yourself In To put it plainly, having your car stolen in Malaysia is a terrible situation find yourself in. You are likely to be panicking and this only becomes worse if you have young children or elderly family members who are also stranded with you. If you find yourself panicking, you wont be alone in doing so. Most people do not have any prior experience in having their cars stolen before, let alone in a foreign country. However, there is no point in panicking any more than you need to. Ensure Your Own Personal Safety, And Those Of Your Travelling Companion First and foremost, ensure your own personal safety and everyone who is travelling with you. If you are the victim of an armed robbery, call emergency responders immediately if there are injuries. If you are travelling in a convey with other family members and close friends, then you have some decisions that you are able to make. Assuming your passport is still with you, you can decide for some family members to head back to Singapore first with the other Singapore cars travelling with you or find a safe place to stay for, if option 1 isnt feasible. If your passport is missing, you need to contact the Consulate-General to apply for a Document of Identity in order to get a valid single journey trip back to Singapore. Making An Official Police Report Concurrently, you should call the Malaysia Police (999 or 112) as quickly as possible. While the chances of recovering your car back is slim, the Malaysia police are, at this point in time, the best people to advise you on your next steps. Story continues Aside from providing you with immediate assistance, contacting the police is important, since you need to make an official police report anyway in order to claim from the insurance companies. When you are back in Singapore, do also make a police report with the Singapore Police. Read Also: What You Need To Know (And Do) When A Traffic Accident Occurs Claiming On Your Insurance Motor insurance is mandatory for all Singapore cars and in general, the motor insurance coverage provided by your insurance company should provide coverage in West Malaysia and up to 80km after the borders of Thailand. Extent of the insurance coverage will vary, depending on the type of motor insurance coverage that you buy. Your coverage in Malaysia will however be similar to the kind of coverage that you would have enjoyed in Singapore. For example, if you only bought Third-Party Coverage for your car, welltough luck. If you bought Third Party, Fire And Theft or Comprehensive Coverage for your car, then its likely you would be able to claim on your motor insurance policy. Depending on your insurance policy, you may be able to receive a full market value for your stolen car. However, do note that your definition of market value may be significantly different from the market value pay out that an insurer would give you and you may find yourself incurring a loss of at least a few thousand dollars, if not more. If you are driving a new car, you may be able to make a 1-for-1 exchange, but your no-claim discount (NCD) is probably as good as gone. You may need to file a report to the insurance company within 24 hours of the event. So, pay close attention to the specific requirement as stated in your motor insurance policy when you buy or renew it. You may also want to keep receipt of any expenses that you incurred due to the incident as they may be claimable expenses, depending on your insurance policy. Read Also: 5 Things To Know About Vouch No Claim Rebate (NCR) For Drivers The post What Happens If Your Singapore Car Gets Stolen In Malaysia? appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg. Algerias oldest opposition FFS party called for a mainstream boycott of the presidential elections set for April, stressing that it will present no candidate for the bid. Conditions of democratic, free, fair and transparent elections are absent, said the FFS national council. The party added that it will not lend support to any candidate in an election used by the regime to showcase a democratic facade, noting that the results of the poll are known in advance. The regime has hit a point of political, economic and social bankruptcy, the party said, urging long humiliated citizens to boycott the elections. Algeria will hold its presidential elections on April 18 amid calls by henchmen of the regime for ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to run for a fifth term. The 81-year-old president had a stroke in 2013 that left him in a wheelchair. He has rarely been seen in public since. The elections will take place in a climate of uncertainty marked by regime opacity, dwindling oil revenues in a hydrocarbons-dominated economy as well as rising unemployment and insecurity, especially in the south. * PREVIOUS TRADING SESSION MOVES: * SSEC +0.4 pct, CSI300 +0.8 pct, HSI +1.7 pct * CNY official close 6.7485 per dollar, 2.9 pct firmer vs US$ last 90 days * FTSE China A50 +1.4 pct, BNY Mellon ADR China Select Index +1.5 pct SHANGHAI, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Following is a list of recent corporate and policy announcements, as well as other news that might affect Chinese financial markets. Policy, government, sector news: * China names banking veteran to head securities regulator amid shaky markets * China to step up economic stimulus in slowdown fight, but room seen limited * China confident of keeping 2019 growth within "appropriate range" * China's top steelmaking city issues "orange" smog alert * Options for natural rubber, cotton and corn debut in China * China's brokerages offer $125 mln in funds to private firms Earnings/Performance * XCMG Construction Machinery Sees 2018 Net Profit At 1.95-2.15 Bln Yuan * Bank Of Zhengzhou's Preliminary 2018 Net Profit Down 29.1 Pct Y/Y * Century Sunshine Group Holdings Expects Increase In FY18 Earnings * Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Sees Increase In Fy18 Earnings * Shandong Meichen Ecology Sees 2018 Net Profit Down 9.9-39.6 Pct Y/Y * Guanfu Holdings Expects To Swing To Net Loss In 2018 * Zhejiang Dunan Artificial Environment Expects To Swing To Loss In 2018 * Shandong Luyitong Intelligent Electric Sees 2018 Net Profit Up Strongly Equity changes/IPOs * Flat Glass Group To Issue 150 Million A Shares At RMB2/Shr * Zhejiang Guangsha Plans To Buy Back Company Shares Worth 100-200 Mln Yuan Regulation * Anxin Trust Says Controlling Shareholder's 593.53 Mln Shares In The Company Have Been Frozen Other moves (spin-offs, divestitures, deals) (Compiled by Samuel Shen) "Investing in Futures: Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Postsecondary Education in Prison" | Main | A year after denial, Henry Montgomery (of Montgomery v. Louisiana) to get parole reconsideration by parole board This new CBNC article, headlined "Koch network leads coalition urging businesses to hire former inmates," reports on a notable new initiative that serves as a fitting private-sector follow-up on the FIRST STEP Act and similar state level reforms. Here are the details: A broad coalition of business groups is pledging to hire workers with criminal backgrounds in the wake of a new federal law aimed at reducing incarcerations. The movement is spearheaded by billionaire industrialist Charles Koch, who enlisted the support of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation, the National Restaurant Association and the American Staffing Association have signed on as well. Together, the groups represent businesses that employ roughly 60 percent of the American workforce. "As business people, we have so many opportunities we aren't even aware of to make our country better and help people improve their lives. This is one of them," Koch said in a statement. "I challenge all of us, as business leaders, to take this important next step together."... The Koch network has long pushed to overhaul the nation's criminal justice system. The group met with President Donald Trump at the White House last spring on the issue, leveraged relationships with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, and urged lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to make a deal. The result was a rare bipartisan bill that Congress passed last year, just days before the government shutdown began. The First Step Act reduces prison terms for nonviolent drug offenses and gives judges more discretion in setting those sentences. It also eliminates the "three-strikes" rule that imposed a mandatory life sentence for three or more drug convictions. The sentence is now 25 years. The legislation could also have an impact on the nation's workforce, with roughly 650,000 people released from prison each year. SHRM Chief Executive Johnny Taylor said businesses have a responsibility to ensure former inmates have the opportunity to find a job and stay out of jail. "Legislation is interesting, but it ultimately only matters if it results in behavioral change," Taylor said. "We can have a narrative around the importance of hiring the formerly incarcerated, and it really can all fall apart if employers -- primarily HR professionals -- don't make it happen." The new business coalition is committing to using SHRM's guidelines for recruiting and hiring workers with criminal backgrounds. Taylor said it includes best practices for identifying candidates even before they are released from prison and having open discussions about the past.... The move also comes as businesses struggle to fill open jobs amid a shortage of workers. According to government data, there are nearly 6.9 million open positions, but only 6.3 million people who are unemployed. That means even if everyone were hired, business would still come up short.... "If all of us got fully engaged, think of the difference we could make to create second chances, reduce crime and poverty, and improve the quality of life for so many people," Koch said in a statement. The jaws of paddlefish caught by anglers on the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers are helping Montana fisheries biologists keep tabs on the reclusive and ancient fish. I would say the jaws give us the best representation of the age structure, said Cody Nagel, fisheries biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Havre. For mature paddlefish, jaws are by far the most accurate way to age that species, he added, as opposed to ear bones called otoliths typically used to age other species of fish. The age of paddlefish is the cornerstone of FWPs management, said Dennis Scarnecchia, professor of fisheries at the University of Idaho, whose lab ages the fish. We want to know are we getting new year classes into the population. Thats how we can tell if we have new recruitment. He added that its also important to know that there are older fish in the population. Older fish may be more successful spawners, have better eggs, or their young may do better. If a paddlefish evolved to live 50 years wed like to have some in the population, Scarnecchia said. We want a balance in the age structure between young and old. The jaws are donated by anglers who camp out upstream from Fort Peck and Lake Sakakawea reservoirs during spring runoff for the annual paddlefish spawning run. On the upper Missouri, that run can range from about 5,000 to 8,000 mature fish, depending on the year. Without their participation wed be missing a key component of that age structure, Nagel said. Ancient species Paddlefish are unique for several reasons. They get their names because of an elongated snout, shaped roughly like the wide end of a canoe paddle, called a rostrum. According to the Montana Field Guide, The paddle is an electrosensory structure that functions much like an antenna. It detects weak electric fields. The paddle, head and gill flaps are covered with tiny sensory pores that it uses to detect food organisms that give off those weak electrical signals. Like sharks, paddlefish have no bones only cartilage and connective tissue to create their skeletons. Fossils of paddlefish have been found dating back 60 million years. Those fossils look very similar to the fish alive today, so the fish havent changed much. American paddlefish are found only in the Mississippi River and its tributaries. In Montana, the population found below Fort Peck Dam in the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers is larger. The state ranks the fish as a native species of concern because of their limited habitat and small population. Jaw collectors FWP began collecting paddlefish jaws sporadically in the 1980s, Nagel said, before standardizing the process in about 2003. Now, every year the agency collects anywhere from 100 to 200 jaws each spring during the paddlefishing season just on the upper Missouri River. The jaws are sent to Idaho State University where they are cleaned and then thinly sliced with a diamond-blade, low-speed saw. By looking at the slices under a microscope scientists can count growth rings, just like on a tree, to calculate the fishs age. Paddlefish from this population have been observed to live to be up to 60 years old, wrote Lance Breen, a Region 6 fisheries technician for FWP in a recent Facebook post. Among those samples collected on the upper Missouri River in 2018, male paddlefish ranged between 10 and 39 years old. Female paddlefish ranged between 17 and 48 years old. The largest paddlefish that was aged this year, a 115-pound female, was 28 years old. This demonstrates how difficult it is to estimate the age of a paddlefish based only upon its size. Reading the lines The reason the paddlefish jaws are so important to FWP is that after the spring spawning run typically between May and June paddlefish retreat to Fort Peck and Lake Sakakawea reservoirs where little is known about their existence. In the spring when the paddlefish emerge from the reservoirs to spawn, a 75-pound female may lay 400,000 BB-sized eggs, Nagel said. The egg mass could weigh as much as 15 pounds. Once the paddlefish larva hatch in the river, usually after only 10 to 14 days, they will disappear into the reservoir for several years. Theres a big data gap there, Nagel said, although FWP does net and tag adult and young of the year fish as another way to keep tabs on the species. Nagel explained paddlefish larva have about three to three-and-a-half months to grow big enough about 8 to 9 inches to survive winter. That growth is determined by the amount of microscopic-sized plants and animals living in the reservoir, the fishes primary food source. If the fish survive that first year, it will be another 10 years before a male is mature enough to spawn and run up the Missouri River. Females wont mature until they are 16 to 18 years old. Males typically only spawn every two years. Females will go as long as three years before spawning again. Sport fish Anglers are drawn to the freshwater fish because of their large size. Because they feed on small organisms, paddlefish are snagged with large treble hooks held deep in the water by heavy lead sinkers. The largest paddlefish ever caught in Montana weighed 142.5 pounds. Larry Branstetter caught the fish in 1973 on the upper Missouri River. Since 2016 FWP has limited the number of paddlefish that can be harvested from the upper Missouri by utilizing a lottery system that divvies up catch-and-keep tags. Anglers can also purchase catch-and-release tags. Anglers drive from as far away as Kalispell and Missoula to take part in the fishing. Weve seen an almost 1,000 angler increase since we implemented that regulation, Nagel said, mainly because anglers are able to pick and choose their time to come rather than being confined to specific dates. We used to see hundreds of people (at Fred Robinson Bridge) opening weekend, he said, creating a combat fishing situation. Now the atmosphere is more family friendly, with anglers also targeting catfish and sauger while searching for a big paddlefish. People are going there for a lot more reasons that just to catch a paddlefish, Nagel said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A 43-year-old homeless man was arrested Jan. 26 on charges of felony criminal endangerment after allegedly driving drunk with his 12-year-old son in the car. Steven Arvin Mullins, 43, appeared Monday before Ravalli County Justice Jennifer Ray on the felony charge and misdemeanor DUI. According to Ravalli County Attorney Bill Fulbrights charging affidavit, a Montana Highway Patrol Trooper spotted Mullins vehicle driving southbound through Darby at about 5:24 last Saturday. The trooper noticed the vehicles windshield had multiple cracks on the drivers side that were obstructing the drivers view. He could also see that neither the driver nor the passenger were wearing seat belts. Mullins provided the trooper with an invalid Virginia drivers license and then allegedly admitted that his licenses in both Virginia and Montana were suspended. The trooper confirmed that. While speaking to Mullins, the trooper detected the strong odor of alcoholic beverage, noted Mullins speech was slow and slurred and that his eyes were bloodshot and watery. He also observed an open case of Budweiser beer behind the seat with several cans missing. Heavy snowfall in northeastern Algeria propelled floods that took the life of five people and blocked several roads. All the victims have been retrieved over the last 48 hours after being swept away by waters in Annaba, El Tarf, Tizi Ouzou and Tipaza, the civil protection body said. About 100 people have been rescued as highlands in northern Algeria experience snowstorms. Thirty-three roads remain blocked in over 10 regions because of snow. Bad weather also forced the state-run company Air Algeria to cancel several domestic flights on Thursday and Friday. The National Meteorological Office (NMO) urged people to stay indoors and motorists to drive carefully. In neighboring Tunisia, two people were killed by flooding and cold weather, after heavy snowfall, according to the Interior ministry. I love road trips and when I get ready for my vacation, the last thing I worry about is packing my gun. I don't own a gun, and in my many travels I have never felt threatened or in need of a weapon, and I feel sorry for anyone that lives with that kind of fear. It sure seems like there are a lot of "experts" on walls around Rapid City, and I'm guessing most of them have ever been near the Mexican border. If they don't work, why does virtually every prison in the United States have walls around them? So all it really took to end the government shutdown was the threat that Trump could not have his time in the spotlight that he so desperately craves to deliver the State of the Union address? How ironic that the state animal and mascot of USD is the coyote, but the animal is considered a pest and there is open season on coyotes year around, with no limits on hunting it. What if furloughed federal workers who double-dip by collecting unemployment insurance and getting their back pay double-patronize private-sector businesses, providing those businesses with windfall profits? Will the owners of those businesses return those extra profits or donate them to local charities? Aint trickle-down economics great? You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In May, Taylor's column urged members to register to vote in the June election. Her column drew a distinction between legislators who are "normal" and "the wackies." Taylor said the "normal" legislators are "willing to look at issues one by one, listen to facts, and make rational decisions," while the "wackies" are "opposed to government in general and all forms of taxation." She also said the "wackies" think "facts they don't like are lies." Taylor alleges in a lawsuit that Haugaard said her column made the Legislature look like "a bunch of buffoons." She accuses him of unlawful retaliation and violating her free-speech rights. The lawsuit contends that banning Taylor from the floor prevented her from being able to adequately represent her group's members. "One important aspect of lobbying is circulating bill sponsor sheets and explaining to legislators the bill they are being asked to sponsor," the lawsuit states. "Legislators sign the bill sponsor sheet in order to become a sponsor of a bill. This activity occurs almost exclusively on the floors of the House and Senate." The House floor is typically open to lobbyists, journalists and members of the public. Taylor's attorney, David Lust, declined to comment on the case at this time. The Journal left a message for Haugaard but he did not reply. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The federal government has rejected accusations of negligence and excessive force made in a lawsuit by the mother of a Kyle man who was fatally shot in 2016 by an officer at the Pine Ridge hospital. The death of 28-year-old Jamie Brave Heart was caused by his own negligence and actions, not the government's, Ronald Parsons, U.S. attorney in South Dakota, wrote in a Jan. 10 response. Brave Heart was brought to the Pine Ridge hospital on June 3, 2016, by a police officer with the Oglala Sioux Tribe after his mother reported he was acting strangely, a tribal spokesman said after the shooting. After trying to leave the hospital, Brave Heart stabbed and cut the officer, and the officer responded by shooting him, the spokesman said. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Terry Pechota, the lawyer representing Brave Heart's mother, said he would not comment on the lawsuit or incident. The U.S. Attorney's Office can't comment due to the partial government shutdown. In a July 2018 complaint, Brave Heart asked for $2 million for the "pain and suffering" caused by her son's wrongful death. A man died Sunday evening in Rosebud after a police pursuit culminated in officers shooting at a vehicle that rammed them before the vehicle crashed down a cliff, according to a press release from Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. The man is not being identified by law enforcement until his family is notified. It's not clear exactly how the man died. It's unclear if the man was shot, and, if so, if he died from the shooting or the impact of the crash, RST Police Chief Marlin Enno told the Journal. The RST officers were involved in a "shooting that resulted in a death" around 6 p.m. on Jan. 27 said Kevin Smith, spokesman for the FBI Minneapolis Division, in an email. None of the officers were injured, Smith said. "It's an unfortunate situation," Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Rodney Bordeaux said of the incident, noting that many people know those involved since it's a small reservation. "The families on both sides are hurt, which is understandable." Bordeaux said he is praying for the families of the victim and the officers. Its been nearly 20 years since Teri Leuning tried methamphetamine for the first time, but she remembers every detail like it was yesterday. I was a sophomore in high school, and I felt fearless after I tried it for the first time, Leuning said. It was easier to get than beer, and I fell in love with it right away. While shes been sober for six years now, the cravings and dark memories of her meth addiction dont go away. But the 35-year-old mother of two has found that sharing the story of her past meth addiction has not only helped others overcome their meth use, but it also eased her own road to recovery as well. Leuning is the chairwoman of Mitchells Narcotics Anonymous, where shes been leading groups once a week for the past six years for people that have experienced past narcotic use and are seeking help. Its almost hard to put into words how impacting NA meetings are because you can go there craving meth with like-minded people, and you leave feeling better knowing that youre not alone in this struggle, she said. Im only writing this to encourage the motion picture folks to repeat the success. I dont even like most movies and Linda Cook doesnt need my opinion to rate this one, but "The Upside" gets a gold star and some of my time. I laughed in this movie and remarked on the way out that, "There was not a single "F" bomb (that I noticed) dropped to amuse the mentally challenged." The writers, actors and director were so skilled in their talent that they absorbed my attention, entertained me and renewed my hope that the industry has something to offer humanity in years to come. Can you imagine acting a role wherein you could move nothing but your face? Or playing an ex-con in the world of the rich without spewing gutter language and prison attitudes? --and making it funny while poignant? These guys did that. The romance bit wasnt the best but the movie put me in the cast and left me in a better mood than I felt going in. So, dont take the kids, they will not get it. Dont go yourself if you need caped crusaders, car crashes, thousands of gun shots and Zombies. If you just want to be a mature human being for a bit, try this. Bill Wohlford Bettendorf Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 There's a chance of freezing drizzle, possibly mixing with snow after 7 a.m., then gradually ending. Look for patchy blowing snow after 9 a.m. It will be cloudy with a temperature falling to around 10 degrees by 5 p.m. Wind-chill values will be as low as -10 degrees. Blustery southwest winds between 15 to 20 mph will become northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. The chance of precipitation is 20 percent. Tonight: Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around -6 degrees. Wind-chill values will be as low as -25. West winds between 15 to 20 mph, will gust as high as 30 mph. Tuesday: Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 1 and a low around -23 degrees. 5. Q-C providers say the child care crisis 'can't be left to those of us in the trenches' ICYMI, it was our Big Story from the weekend: As a third-shift mom, Takala Campbell said her search for quality, affordable child care took years. The Phase II audit visit to Davenport schools has been rescheduled for Feb. 4 through Feb. 6, according to a statement from spokeswoman Dawn Saul. Representatives from the Iowa Department of Education had been scheduled to be on-site from Tuesday through Friday, but weather conditions have pushed the visit back. The original schedule included one unscheduled day for interviews, if needed, said spokeswoman Staci Hupp. "If the team needs more time during the rescheduled visit, they will work with the school district to either stay longer or return at a later date," she said via email. During the visit, up to 20 state workers will go through documents, conduct interviews, and work with district leadership to study general and special education, treatment of minorities, and district finances. Even though the process is largely reflective of whats happened in other districts most recently the Farragut and Hamburg districts in 2015 the Davenport visit is unprecedented in size and scope. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In the Harrell homicide case, the department was immediately assisted by the Illinois State Police and Rock Island, East Moline and Davenport police departments. Rock Island Police Chief VenHuizen said he was pleased to see the decrease in gun violence in the city in 2018. I think we have some successful strategies in place for combating crime, specifically violent drug-related crime, he said. I think that has had a significant impact on seeing our numbers down, along with our interaction with the community and working with them to help us in investigations. One of those strategies has been the reorganization of the department and the creation of the tactical operations division that focuses on violent and drug-related crime. He said more resources have been made available to the division and assigned an officer has been assigned to the DEA task force, which has had very good results for us. While shootings went down, East Moline saw an overall increase in violent crime from 417 in 2017 to 493 in 2018. East Moline Police Capt. Darren Gault said social media has played a major role in crime over the last few years. Saudi billionaire Mohammed al-Amoudi who has assets in Morocco and Ethiopia has been released from detention in the Saudi kingdom where he had been held since Nov. 2017 as part of the controversial crackdown on corruption. Ethiopian Prime Minister confirmed on Twitter Sunday the Ethiopian-born billionaire and businessman has been released. We wish Mohammed al-Amoudi a sound return to Ethiopia, the twit added. The Prime Minister said he had raised the issue with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) during a trip to Riyadh last May. The information was confirmed by the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), which said the investor was released on Sunday. The tycoon, 73, who had a net worth estimated to stand at $10.9bn, was arrested in Nov. 2017 amid an unprecedented crackdown on corruption in Saudi Arabia where over 200 individuals including 11 princes and scores of state top officials were arrested. Several of the detainees including Saudi Arabias internationally renowned investor Prince al Waleed bin Talal had been released last year after reportedly signing monetary agreements with the state. Amoudis release follows that of several other businessmen last week and comes after the kingdom suffered a global backlash over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the reported torture of women activists. The Saudi citizen is the largest private investor in Ethiopia where he owns several assets including the nations sole gold exporter, a number of hotels, an oil company, and coffee and rice farms. The man who ranked 108th on Bloombergs list of the worlds 500 richest people also owns assets in Europe and Morocco. Al-Amoudi is proprietor of Moroccos sole oil refinery, Samir, which has been shut down a couple of years ago over heavy debts. We've said before that there's no need to rush to legalize recreational marijuana, and it bears repeating now. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has promised to move swiftly on legalization. This Editorial Board remains skeptical. We're not necessarily opposed to legalization. But we want to see more definitive answers to pressing questions about the impact on public health, public safety and more before we're convinced that any potential benefits outweigh the risks. Consider this new big red flag, as reported in the Washington Post: A recent study found that motor vehicle crashes increased by 6 percent in four states Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Nevada that have legalized recreational pot, compared with four neighboring states that have not. "What we're seeing is a definite increase in crash risk that is associated with the legalized recreational use of marijuana," said David Harkey, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute, which conducted the study. "Associated with" definitely calls for more research. As Harkey acknowledged, the study only shows a correlation, not a direct link, between legal pot and higher crash risk. From time to time we use this space to laud and thank those who act solely for the good of others. Recent news begs for us to do so again. Amid stories of grief, pain, frustration and danger, we stand in awe of those who seemingly without thought for their own safety step in to try to prevent harm to others. That instinct is part of everyday life for police officers like Illinois State Trooper Christopher Lambert. On his way home to his wife and 1-year-old daughter in Highland Park at the end of his shift Saturday, he came across a crash on I-294. Lambert pulled his patrol car into the left lane to protect the drivers from traffic and stepped out into the snow. He was struck by another vehicle. Lambert, a 34-year-old Army veteran, died hours later. Thousands of people, including police officers from around the nation and Canada, are expected today at his visitation at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington and at a funeral Friday at the church. Two other instances of heroism last week had less sorrowful results. And thats my point. I contend that what goes on outside the school building, in the home, neighborhood and community, is much more important than what goes on inside. This is not to take anything away from teachers. The ones I know in my rural district work hard and are committed to their students. Yet, they lament that so few parents come to parent-teacher conferences. I applaud the new state school funding formula, which would allocate dollars, if the state had the money, according to evidence-based indicators of performance. Yet, these are input rather than achievement indicators, and the formula is still fundamentally more dollars to low-income districts, as in the past. But how does a public entity like the state, through local schools, intervene in private home lives and the surrounding community, something we are understandably skittish about doing? Maybe we require parenting classes on how to contribute to a childs academic success? Maybe parent aides, similar to classroom aides -- all on the premise that mothers, and fathers where the latter are around, want the best for their kids. In 2018, Braking Traffik served 80 area survivors of trafficking, she said. That has been increasing year after year, as there's more education and awareness that's going on. Trafficking is the use of force, fraud or coercion to get another person to provide labor or commercial sex, according to Sunday's service program. Such cases have been reported in industries including restaurants, construction, cleaning services and factories. Traffickers exploit already vulnerable people women and children, migrant workers, indigenous and displaced people, and those living in extreme poverty, the program said. Pauline gave an example of a girl she works with who attended an Illinois Q-C high school, started being trafficked when she was a sophomore and became addicted to drugs. Each Friday, she was taken to Chicago, where she met with men, forced into prostitution. After she turned 18, her parents viewed her as a problem child and refused to take care of her, and she became homeless. The trafficker threatened to expose her to her parents, and she had a little sister she was worried about, Pauline said. ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL First Army soldiers highlighted the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr., particularly as they relate to the military, during a Jan. 24 observance honoring the civil rights leader. Sgt. Maj. Dwayne Cook of the First Army Operations, Plans, and Training Directorate was guest speaker. He reflected on how his hometown of Detroit both struggled and succeeded with the notions of racial justice and equal opportunity, while noting how the military embraced diversity since his birth in 1969. Dr. King had been assassinated the year before, Cook said of his birth year. Some feared what it might mean for the civil rights movement. Would the dream die with him? Cook said, growing up, he failed to comprehend it all. I remember very little, if any, focus on Dr. King as I went through school," he said. "But I can tell you with certainty that I felt the impact of Dr. King on me and my familys life. Cook spoke about serving under former First Army Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty, whose grandfathers served in segregated First Army units during World War II. An East Moline man accused of the 2017 fatal shooting of his grandfather on Monday was ruled unfit to participate in the proceedings against him. Robert E. Neal Sr., 69, of East Moline, was shot around 9:30 p.m. Nov. 17, 2017, in the 200 block of 19th Street, according to East Moline Police. Roman Knox, 25, of East Moline, was arrested shortly after the shooting, allegedly with blood on him and carrying a gun as he left the home he shared with his grandfather. Knox faces a charge of first-degree murder. Andrew Larson, Knox's attorney, had doubts Monday as to his client's ability to aid in his own defense, Assistant Rock Island County States Attorney Heidi Weller told Rock Island County Judge Frank Fuhr. Dr. Kirk Witherspoon, a Moline-based clinical psychologist, has interviewed Knox and deemed him unfit. Witherspoon's report was accepted by both Weller and Larson. "I find that Mr. Knox is unfit at this time," Fuhr ruled. He said Knox was likely to regain fitness with treatment through the Illinois Department of Human Services. This is the second time Knox's fitness has been questioned. In December 2017, he was found fit after an evaluation by Witherspoon. Its not possible to fire at someone as theyre going towards you and it not be a front-to-back wound, in that the bullet entered the front and exited the back, Stuckart said. That bullet, recovered from Hartmans leg, was in good condition and Stuckart argued the only way that could possibly happen is if Xavier, when he was struck in the leg, had his back to him ... what danger are you posing to someone if youre not looking at them? Stuckart then argued that since Hartman had been shot he kicked in to a fight or flight response. Whats the point in running? Hes already been shot, he said. On the fatal shot to Hartmans leg, Stuckart said, At that point, when the defendant fired that round into the leg of Xavier, that was not self-defense. He became the aggressor at that point. Ringel, in his closing, took over and hammered on what he has called the ricochet bullet that first struck Hartman. That round was fired in a ditch. You would think that (bullet would) go through and through, unless its a ricochet, Ringel said. CAMBRIDGE Reservations are now being accepted for the "Have a Heart for the Homeless" lunch at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 2 at Jumers Casino & Hotel, 777 Jumer Dr., Rock Island. Six years ago, Barb and Tom Montgomery created the lunch that benefits Christian Care in Rock Island and Humility Homes & Services in Davenport. A retired United Township High School teacher, Barb Montgomery said she had a homeless student in her class the last year that she taught. "I found out that she and her mother could not get into any shelter," she said. "They had to go stay in a shelter in Clinton, Iowa, and that disturbed me greatly." She recalled her father returned home from the military after serving 30 years in the Air Force. "There was no counseling after World War II," she said. "My father was older, and he was 39 when I was born." She said her heart went out to her homeless student. "I just had to do something," she said. "And I thought, 'Im retired. I can do what I want,' " and launched the "Have a Heart for the Homeless" luncheon. Ghana will hand over its Electricity Company (ECG-Ghana) to a Private Sector consortium, state-run Daily Graphic newspaper reported. According to the Millennium Development Authority, the company that was responsible for handling the operations, investment and management of ECG, the deal was done under the Private Sector Participation of the Power Compact II Agreement of the country. The takeover processes were completed in April last year following the completion of the international competitive procurement process and evaluation of the proposals received for the ECG Concession. According to officials, the Power Distribution Services, which is a consortium of Ghanaian and foreign entities, has 51% Ghanaian stake while the remaining 49% stake would be for the Manila Electricity Company of Philippines and its partners. The takeover will commence on February 1 this year and the electricity tariffs have been projected to rise by up to 60 per cent, the minority leader of the parliament predicted. According to the Minority Parliamentarians, the ECG has accumulated huge debts since the current government took over. They said the government-imposed policies that were not beneficial to the company hence resulting in the accumulation of the huge debt. The Minority Spokesperson on Energy, Adams Mutawakilu, told reporters that the ECG has accumulated debts ballooning towards $400 million. About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profile Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, was one of only three Assembly Democrats voting no on a bill to make children of illegal immigrants eligible for state financial aid for higher education. The law would make children of undocumented immigrants eligible for state financial aid if they attended a state high school for two or more years and graduated and applied for admission to state college or university within five years of receiving their high school diploma. Woerner voted no, along with Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara of Rotterdam and Monica Wallace of Lancaster. Woerner said Monday she voted against the measure because she is reluctant to support new entitlement programs. She pointed out the amount of money that has been going into the Tuition Assistance Program, and the average TAP grant has been declining over time. I feel that we need to fix that problem before we start adding people to participate, she said. When asked if she would support the principle of giving financial assistance to the children of undocumented immigrants, Woerner said she believes it is the federal governments job to set immigration policy, and she did not believe the state should be involved in the matter. About $4 million worth of investments would be made, split evenly between new construction and new equipment, Kahn said. Construction would take about six months and the store would be open the whole time. We try to minimize the impact it will have on our business and the customers in general, he said. Amanda Bishop Gebicki, a lawyer for Hannaford, said the Hannaford to Go department typically generates three new full-time positions and 8 to 12 part-time positions. The expanded hot bar and sandwiches section creates one to four new full-time and six to eight part-time positions. Gebicki said the company is looking for a sales tax exemption. The property is located in the former Empire Zone and the board has the ability to waive certain tax-break requirements. They would like to start this in March of 2020, so we have a lot of time, Gebicki said. The company is putting together the financial information to make this project work. We found that when we do these renovations, our sales go up, she said. We need a new fresh look, and we need to add some of those services, store manager Tim Losos said. The store gives back to the community by donating food to food banks and bottled water to volunteer fire departments, as well as many other endeavors, Losos said. It employs many local people in Washington County, including students from Hudson Falls schools, he said. Michael Goot covers politics, business, the city of Glens Falls and the town and village of Lake George. Reach him at 518-742-3320 or mgoot@poststar.com and follow his blog at http://poststar.com/blogs/michael_goot/. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BOLTON The Adirondacks are covered in Eastern hemlock trees, evergreens that take nearly three centuries to reach maturity. But in just a fraction of that time four to 20 years an invasive insect could kill it. State and local conservation groups are hoping the public will take advantage of the bare trees during the winter and help examine hemlocks for signs of the bug, the hemlock woolly adelgid. Monica Dore, a conservation project manager with the Lake George Land Conservancy, turned over the branch of a hemlock tree Monday morning at Amys Park in Bolton. She was looking for a white clumpy mass, which she said could be mistaken for a spiders nest. To her relief, there were no white globs, which are the wool nests the adult bug will lay its eggs in. These may also be easier to see and identify in the winter than the small, black aphids that congregate at the base of a trees needles in the summer. Alexander Novick, land steward for the conservancy, was also checking out some of the trees. It can be boring work, they both acknowledged, but as the saying goes, no news is good news. Mark Whitmore, an adelgid expert from Cornell University, said theres two ways to look at it. By his rough calculations, DeMasi figures he has written about 10,000 bylines since his first newspaper article in high school. When he started working as a reporter, there were no iPhones or internet. There was no such thing as tweeting out an exclusive story, he said, adding that there are far fewer people working as reporters, editors and photographers today. And while there has always been antagonism toward the press, DeMasi said the hostility from the current commander-in-chief is blatant, as he denigrates well-researched and thoroughly reported stories simply because they are embarrassing to the president. To label it fake news is troubling, to say the least, DeMasi said. DeMasi hopes folks enjoy reading about the people he has met as a reporter. I hope that theres appreciation for the role of the local newspaper, he said, and how important having a vibrant local paper is to understanding your community. Smiley Lumpkin is dead now. But after the book was published, DeMasi heard from one of Lumpkins children, who requested a copy of the book. She was just thrilled her dad was remembered in this way, DeMasi said. Call me the good news girl. Send me your church functions, your library events, your school honor society induction photos Ill do my best to get it into the Sunday Hometown section of the paper. Are there special people in your community worthy of recognition? Tell me about them. Drop me a line, a tip, a note, or send a press release and photos to ghochsprung@poststar.com or simply call my desk at 518-742-3206. I look forward to hearing all your good news. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The pleasures of Thank Your Lucky Stars are doubled in the re-reading. The 50 stories tucked into 189 pages encourage a binge. Most are short short, sometimes just a few paragraphs; about 10 are traditional-length short stories (if size matters). But when you return to browse through the collection, images and phrases bust out like popcorn popping. I ran away long ago. Its okay to run. Its just the stopping that hurts, says the unnamed voice in House. In Wyoming, we learn that Birds fall fast and furious from the sky. They dont get hurt. Its all an act, like Houdini, a sleight of hand. The Bottle opens with Francine having a fine dinner with Seth, her husband of 10 years, and smashing the neck of a wine bottle on the table, for no apparent reason: The world just didnt fit right. Sherrie Flick, who teaches at Chatham University, has established herself nationally as a foremost practitioner of flash fiction (and she is series editor of the annual Best Small Fictions, published this year by local heroes Braddock Avenue Books). While the 40 stories rushing by Thank Your Lucky Stars have an enchanting wall-of-sound effect, I appreciated the contrast created by the full-bodied stories, each one a gem. Expectations is the one set in Pittsburgh, and just glancingly at that. (Flicks stories emerge from the heavy lifting of imagination; the places are not the things.) Sarah, who wondered why she ever married, is separated from Walt, who wont quite concede and still calls to say I love you a lot. Then theres a call from Big Walt, her blustery father-in-law, in town for a six-hour layover. He takes her to lunch at the place she and Walt could never afford (with a great name: Cushion). Over multiple scotches and beer, they peel back the truths of life. Youll be fine. Were all fine, really, says Big Walt. Its just expectations, thats all. Every time I bump into Dennis Unkovic around town, he has either just returned from work travel in Asiaor is on his way to an Asian nation or other far-flung locale. So while hes not your typical member of the Allegheny County bar, he doesnt come across as any different from your average Pittsburgh guy (in a nice suit). His regular-guy demeanor must contribute to his success in these exotic climesand as his comprehensive work Asia Ascending shows, hes well-informed, well-prepared and dedicated to fair play. In my view the Chinese are among the best negotiators in the world for one simple reasonthey enjoy it, Dennis says, setting the scene for a detailed playbook on how to Get to Yes in Beijing and beyond. (Time is not of the essence is one insight. Putting a Western-style deadline on negotiations will just backfire.) As with all of his advice on working there and in Japan, India, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar, its all based on respect for customs and protocol, sufficient knowledge of history (especially in relation to immediate neighbors) and building trust with local partners. Dennis is no pushover, but hes dedicated to building long-term relationships. Oh, and he has a great anecdote about a young lawyer on his first big formal dinner in Japan. Unfamiliar with the sushi on display, he grabbed a mound of greenish substance in the shape of a small pyramida full portion of wasabi. Talk about fire in the belly. I was the young lawyer wallowing in physical pain and embarrassment more than 30 years ago. But he recovered (with multiple glasses of Sapporo beer) and went on to success. Be humble and embrace the diversity is his motto, and it works around the world. Four years ago, investment whiz Jaffray Woodriff, a graduate of UVa.'s McIntire School of Commerce, gave the university $10 million to build the Data Science Institute. Now he upped the ante and announced that the "Quantitative Foundation" he oversees with his wife, Merrill (both are UVa. grads), will underwrite a new and larger School of Data Science, to the tune of $120 million. MADISON - Osmonds Manzer Equipment, and the Aaron and Ryan Zimmerman family of Pierce County were honored as the Agribusiness and Farm Family of the year respectively Thursday during the sixth annual Ag Banquet sponsored by the Norfolk Area and Madison Chambers of Commerce. His competition journey included Tech.co in Hampton in 2015 (he won the reader's favorite and went on to compete in Las Vegas); Steve Harvey's Funderdome in 2016 in West Hollywood, California (he won $50,000 and used it to design, engineer and manufacture the first faucets); Old Dominion University's 757 Pitch Competition in July 2017 (he won $757 and consulting help to develop a business model canvas); the Kitchen and Bath Show in Orlando in January 2018 (he won the people's choice award) and Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch in California in March 2018 (he lost). As I took in these morbid artifacts, I found myself wishing for a docent - someone to explain what I should be gleaning from these bits and pieces, and maybe how they helped advance medical research and education. Alas, tours at this museum are self-guided, and most of the body parts on display have minimal labeling. This left me with lots of worrisome questions. For instance, as I gazed at a jar of preserved male genitals, complete with wisps of pubic hair, I wondered how they ended up in the hands of the U.S. military, and what I - and other, more medically focused folks could learn from looking at them. As a political scientist I know that everything government does has a political dimension to it, but New York's governor, mayor and legislature have done a very good job of letting their petty political ambitions and competition destroy New York's subway system. In the 1960s and 1970s the subway was subjected to the city's financial neglect, but was rebuilt by Hugh Carey, Ed Koch and Richard Ravitch starting in the late 1970s and ending in the 1980s. After the creation of the MTA and the ascendance of competent management, the system did well for a while, but then was capital starved by the state and city until it once again fell apart in the past decade. The hope when the MTA was created was that it might be able to avoid some degree of political manipulation, but de Blasio and Cuomo's battle over subway funding has demonstrated that the MTA is a failed institutional innovation. This past summer, William Finnegan detailed New York's history of overly political transit management in an excellent piece in the New Yorker. According to Finnegan: "Part of the ongoing problem is the peculiar political status of the M.T.A., which is controlled by the governor but financed jointly by the city and the state. For governors, New York City's transit budget is a huge expense that delivers few votes; for mayors, it is a kind of taxation without representation. Leaders in recent years, starting with Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, have found it expedient to divert transit funds to other purposes. (Giuliani redirected four hundred million dollars from the M.T.A. in his first year in office.) Top officials have encouraged borrowing that has proved financially ruinous. This lack of political seriousness is a root cause. Deferred maintenance, increasingly decrepit tracks and signals and cars, and filthy stations are knock-on effects. Lately, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio have exacerbated the transit crisis with a bitter, prolonged feud. The two of them will fight over anythingsnowstorms, schools, pizza, naps, a deer in Harlembut their most ferocious differences seem to be over the subways." As Finnegan points out, the one positive in the city's mass transit picture is Andy Byford, the competent, committed and highly professional president of the Transit Authority. He is the subway system's best and brightest hope. But the governor seems determined to either drive him crazy or chase him from New York. Last week, the proposed subway fare increaseso desperately needed by the subway systemwas put on hold. As Emma Fitzsimmons reported in the New York Times: "Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was not at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board meeting in Lower Manhattan on Thursday. But his influence was obvious. Transit leaders had been sounding the alarm for months over the need for a fare increase. A vote was scheduled for Thursday. Then Mr. Cuomo and his allies on the board intervened, and the vote was delayed for at least a month Without a fare increase, the authority expects to lose about $30 million in anticipated revenue each month. If the board votes on a fare proposal next month, it is unlikely to take effect before April." We have a governor who seems to relish his image as behind-the-scenes power broker and a mayor who thinks he's presidential timber, and neither seems to understand that their overly political approach to governance is destroying a critical piece of the city's infrastructure. It's time for a little apolitical competent management. It's time for transit management experts like Andy Byford to be given the money and time to fix the system. The stars are now lined up in New York for political accountability. The state's legislature is controlled by Democrats and we have a Democratic governor, mayor and city council. The failure of the city's mass transit system is now completely owned by the state's Democrats. It's time to generate the revenues needed for mass transit capital, operations, and maintenance. It is also time for the MTA to work with state lawmakers to reform the ridiculous contracting and labor practices that make our mass transit system inefficient and ineffective. The problem with mass transit capital construction was discussed in a classic New York Times piece in late December 2017. According to its author, Brian Rosenthal: "The estimated cost of the Long Island Rail Road project, known as "East Side Access," has ballooned to $12 billion, or nearly $3.5 billion for each new mile of trackseven times the average elsewhere in the world. The recently completed Second Avenue subway on Manhattan's Upper East Side and the 2015 extension of the No. 7 line to Hudson Yards also cost far above average, at $2.5 billion and $1.5 billion per mile, respectively The Times found that a host of factors have contributed to the transit authority's exorbitant capital costs. For years, The Times found, public officials have stood by as a small group of politically connected labor unions, construction companies and consulting firms have amassed large profits. Trade unions, which have closely aligned themselves with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and other politicians, have secured deals requiring underground construction work to be staffed by as many as four times more laborers than elsewhere in the world, documents show." The contracting practices that have led to these high costs may not be illegal, but they are nevertheless a form of corruption. One objective seems to be to enhance the governor's political support. Another seems to be to generate the political support needed to enact a capital budget for the MTA. Both objectives can be achieved with more ethical and less expensive methods. It should begin with making the MTA a state agency reporting directly to the governor with a board that no longer governs it, but advises it. The MTA is a failure and its structure does not work. Next, its contracting process should be streamlined and require competitive bidding that is open, rapid and transparent. Finally, the revenue needed to build and run mass transit must be determined, generated and then placed in a lock-box trust fund that can only be used for mass transit and is periodically reviewed by empowered experts for sufficiency. The percentage of funding required by transit fares should be set by law, as should subsidies for people who cannot afford the fare as set. It is obvious that congestion pricing should be one part of the revenue stream. A renewed commuter income tax should also be considered. What is key is that funding for mass transit must act a little like social security: guaranteed and so important that it becomes a (excuse the pun) third rail that politicians refuse to mess with. The governor is capable of providing the leadership needed to reform the system and help Andy Byford do his job. The time for a comprehensive fix for this region's mass transit is long overdue. The governor's blatant political manipulation of the proposed fare increase is yet another example of sacrificing management on the altar of political gain. Meanwhile, the mass transit system continues to struggle. The city's underground arteries are clogged, decaying, and threatening damage to New York's economic heart. I've written about the need to save our subways before, the need to fund it, and its connection to a decarbonized, sustainable city. The governor should step back, take a deep breath, consult with the mayor, legislature and city council, and leave as his lasting legacy a functioning and well-funded mass transit system in New York City and its nearby suburbs. Provided by Earth Institute, Columbia University This story is republished courtesy of Earth Institute, Columbia University http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu. Credit: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Thousands of people cross the border between Oregon and Idaho every day without anyone batting an eye. On one day about 13 years ago, another Idahoan left the Gem State for its western neighbor and, like many of the travelers before him, went totally unnoticed as he passed over the state line. But once his arrival amid Oregon's firs and farms became known, this ramblin' man added fuel to a fiery debate that has been raging across the state for two decades. This controversial crosser was a shaggy black wolf who would soon be known as OR4, after the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife assumed management of him from their counterpart in Idaho. He was not the first wolf to migrate west in recent years, but after he ambled deeper into Oregon's wilderness, he clinched the honor of being a more lasting first. The wandering wolf took a liking to the rugged Wallowa Mountains and settled down in a hollow ponderosa tree with his smoky-furred lady friend, a fellow traveler from Idaho who would be dubbed OR2. Amid slopes of towering evergreens and the churning waters of the Imnaha River, the drifter duo made themselves at home. Together, they started the first pack of wolves in the state since 1947and a contentious conversation about how to manage these animals in Oregon went from theory to reality. Peg Boulay, a UO environmental studies instructor, will tell you that when it comes to wolf management, there are many viewpoints and no easy answers. Ranchers lament the loss of their livestock to these large carnivores. Environmentalists laud their contributions to a healthy ecosystem. Some people would be ecstatic to eliminate every wolf in Oregon, while others don't want a single one harmed. Many fall somewhere in the middle. The individuals responsible for drafting and upholding the state's wolf management plan know how complicated the issue is. The plan's 189 pages outnumber the entire statewide wolf population, currently estimated at about 125 animals. That's one thing stakeholders in the wolf management issue can agree on: it's complicated. Boulay saw the complexities of this thorny environmental issue as a learning opportunity. She recognized that it represents a collision of ecological, sociological, and political factors. She noted the tensions between rural and urban values, the divide between the east and west sides of the state, and rifts between federal and state policy. So she turned the challenges of wolf management into a new course that leverages this hot-button issue into an avenue for students to consider diverse and conflicting interests and address problems in collaborative ways. "These students will have to face daunting and intricate environmental problems as future professionals," says Boulay, who received a grant from the Tom and Carol Williams Fund for Undergraduate Education to design the class. Credit: Charlie Litchfield, University Communications "This course uses wolves as a timely case study to help students explore how to deal with conflict in constructive, catalyzing ways." Tents, Trail Mix, and 1,300 Miles in a Van When Boulay started mapping out the syllabus for Wolves: Conversations in Conservation and Controversy, she firmly believed the most effective way to teach students about this issue could not be done solely in the classroom. Instead, on September 16, the week before fall term began, 15 curious students loaded into two large vans crammed with camping gear, Coleman stoves, and trail mix galore. They pointed the vehicles north and hit the highway, armed with thoughtful questions and open ears. Boulay orchestrated an eight-day, 1,338-mile road trip around northeastern Oregon so the students could hear from the stakeholders themselves. These juniors and seniors spent the final week of summer break in 10 meetings with 15 ranchers, environmentalists, hunters, tribal members, and agency representatives, learning the intricacies of this prickly issue. The students hopped on conference calls, hiked through the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, and hosted fireside chats to engage people with diverse viewpoints in discussions of wolf conservation and management. It didn't take long for them to appreciate just how challenging this matter is. When senior Sky Ramirez-Doble climbed into the van in Eugene, he believed science would emerge as an obvious tool to inform policy decisions about wolf management. As an environmental science major, he draws from research and data to tackle environmental problem-solving. He expected to find a similar approach effective during meetings in Salem, Joseph, Pendleton, and five other Oregon towns and cities. Instead, Ramirez-Doble quickly discovered that science wasn't going to offer any silver bullet solution to managing the 12 wolf packs in Oregon. "I learned that there's a lot of disagreement about what wolves even mean to an ecosystem," he says. "It was really surprising to hear that the science wasn't solid. There were so many different numbers and bits of information referenced during our meetings." To further complicate the issue, most of the limited, existing research has been conducted in areas such as Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, with drastically different landscapes and biodiversity from where wolves have settled in Oregon. Ecosystem Ally or Problematic Predator? The role of wolves in an ecosystem is one of the pillars of the debate around their management. The animals are native to Oregon, but were eradicated through aggressive bounty offerings established in 1843. Wolves have long been demonized as a threat to human and animal safety and Oregon is far from the only place that's tried to chase them away for good. Think about the fairy tales and stories you read as a child. They didn't star a big, bad kitten. Little Red Riding Hood wasn't trying to escape an evil panda. Credit: Charlie Litchfield, University Communications "Wolves have been portrayed as bloodthirsty killers as well as powerful leaders, unrestrained loners, and symbols of dwindling wildness," Boulay says. "Wolves evoke strong emotions in people." While wolves may have received an unfair share of public shaming, they are still carnivores. And they do prey on living animals. Sometimes elk, sometimes deer, sometimes cattle. Environmentalists say they contribute to a balanced ecosystem. By keeping the elk population in check, for example, wolves help control grazing, which prevents stream and river erosion and ensures trees and plants can grow. But when wolves feast on livestock, ranchers and others take umbrage. Through 2017, there were 177 confirmed livestock or domestic animal losses in Oregon attributed to wolves in the last two decades. The number of suspected or possible losses is even higher. "I came into the course thinking the controversy with wolves was mostly over safety and loss of human life, but soon saw it was more of a concern about loss to livelihood," says senior Hunter Mackin, who is majoring in environmental science and economics. The students spoke with ranchers in Baker County about how the reemergence of wolves has affected their operations and bottom line. They even spent a blustery night camped out on a working ranch in Unity. They spread their sleeping bags across a small patch of land that rests among 8,000 sprawling acres where cattle graze and roam. As cows dined on tufts of grass, the students learned more about raising cattle in wolf territoryand what happens when a wolf turns a cow into his breakfast. "So many of the issues stem from loss of cattle," says Ramirez-Doble. A large component of the state's wolf management plan helps ranchers with the financial hit from losing cattle, which are known in the field as "depredations." But compensation for these incidents is not as straightforward as it may sound. There's the matter of pegging the death to a wolf with complete certainty, which isn't always easy, especially on large swaths of land where cattle roam for days without human oversight. And there's the limited depth of the state's budget. While ranchers want reimbursement, many also want funds channeled to deterrence strategies such as using radio collars to track the wolves, boosting the number of agency representatives to respond to depredations, or installing fencing that fends off predators. "And it's not just the actual loss of cattle," says senior Drew Donahue, who is majoring in environmental studies. "We heard ranchers outline what happens when wolves chase cattle. The cows use more energy and that leads to fewer fat reserves, which translates to less income. And ranchers also report that they've seen reproductive rates go down. They don't get compensated for any of that." After a wolf kills a number of cows, some ranchers argue for what's known as a "lethal take," when the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife kills the wolf pegged to the depredations. But what qualifies as enough kills? And does the elimination of a single wolf stop the problem? And how does the loss of a wolf alter the ecosystem and the pack's behavior? Credit: Charlie Litchfield, University Communications "Even among ranchers, there are a lot of different viewpoints and takes on potential solutions and methods of deterrence," says Mackin. "It's really difficult to find a solution because every case is so different, with ranchers and with wolf packs." Campfire Conversations The uncertainties surrounding wolves and their management provided fuel for campfire discussions every night, while the students debriefed after their conversations with stakeholders. That was part of their daily routine. While every meeting they had was drastically different, there was a formulaic approach to the field trip. Boulay roused them out of their rainbow of tents at an hour only a rooster could love, and they got to work making breakfast while the waking sunlight dripped onto their campsite. The students each had chorescooking and cleaning and breaking down gear. They divided and conquered camp life. They also divided and conquered the field work itself. The students were split into five groups to spearhead conversations with each group of stakeholdersranchers, environmentalists, hunters, tribes, and agencies. Each group conducted research and then educated their classmates about the ins and outs of that stakeholder group's perspective, to drive informed conversations and equip each other to ask strategic and thoughtful questions. The students were taught how to approach contentious conversations in respectful and productive ways. Environmental studies instructor Katie Lynch trained them in ethnographic skills that use interviews and observations to study cultures and people. They learned how to frame questions in a way that invited honest dialogue and they practiced empathetic listening to gain a better understanding of the underlying values, assumptions, fears, and hopes that drive one's views. "The goal was to make sure none of our questions were leading, combative, or confrontational, but instead geared toward fostering open discussion, digging deeper, and leading to new insights," says Boulay. Then each night, they sat around crackling flames, huddled as close to the fire's belly as they could stand to escape the freezing air, and outlined takeaways from the dayfor example, the inconsistent understanding of the animal's biological impact, the role of money and income, and the unpredictability of wolf behavior. Inspired by Political Gridlock The matter of listeningor rather, not listeningwas the genesis for the class. The course has roots in the 2016 presidential election, when Boulay was frustrated with the widespread divisiveness and political gridlock that followed. "In this increasingly polarized climate, it seems no one is listening to each other," she says. "We're not collaborating on policy solutions." Boulay asked herself how could she use her classes to help students enter this charged arena with better listening skills and the tools to promote greater understanding? She wanted to help her students learn how to table preconceived stereotypes and engage in conversations with an open mind and the ability to work through competing interests. Credit: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife That's when it hit her: what better venue to hone those skills than wolf management and conservation in Oregon? "It's timely, it's relevant, it's particularly difficult," says Boulay. "It's almost unsolvable." Mackin, Ramirez-Doble, and Donahue agree that they didn't emerge from the field trip with any obvious solutions to wolf management. "Our ideas about how to manage wolves changed after every single meeting," says Mackin, shaking his head slowly. Instead, they returned to Eugene with a deeper appreciation for the difficulty of the issuewhich they continued to explore during the fall term through more interviews, class sessions, an interdisciplinary project, and a meeting of the Wolf Plan Stakeholder Representatives Working Group in Salem. "The students witnessed the proposals, negotiations, arguments, alliances, and facilitation inherent in developing policy options," says Boulay. "Watching some of their interviewees interact with each other was a defining moment that pulled together their entire field experience. And all of the stakeholders seemed truly happy to see the students again." They all concurred that they couldn't have internalized the issue's complexities as meaningfully through only a textbook or lectures. It was while wandering vast sagelands and ambling through thick forests and huddling around a campfire that the students saw and heard firsthand that the matter of wolf management is as gray as the fur that covered OR2. "There is such a spectrum of opinions, even within one group of stakeholders," Mackin says. He talked about visiting with the Umatilla tribe and, even within that one community, hearing several viewpoints. The students also agree on one factor that seems critical to progress: respectful dialogue. "I found that when I'm face-to-face with someone telling me their concerns and feelings, it really got me to table my own biases and see a bigger and more complete picture," says Mackin. They were encouraged by examples of how approaching a thorny environmental issue with an open mind and a sincere desire to listen can bridge divides: a wildlife advocacy group that started the first compensation program for depredations; a pair of environmentalists who helped a pair of ranchers stranded by a flat tire; a fish and wildlife agent who immediately shows up to consider every cattle loss because he cares for people and their livelihood. Through 15 perspectives and 1,338 miles, Boulay's class learned that people can passionately disagree on something but still respect each other and want to find a solution that incorporates competing values and views. "Coming away from every meeting, we developed a connection with every person," Donahue says, with eager optimism. "Every single person we met with saw collaboration as a desirable path forward." Explore further Environmental groups withdraw from Oregon wolf plan talks There need to be deeper reforms to teaching, such as higher pay at the top end, better opportunities for career advancement, and improvements to the professional working environment. Credit: www.shutterstock.com Australia needs to lift the status of teachers to attract the best and brightest to teaching. The world's top-performing school systems make it a national priority to attract the strongest candidates. Improving teacher selection improves student results. Australia's brightest students are increasingly rejecting teaching. The greatest falls were in the 1980s. But entry standards have slipped further over the past decade. In 2018, only one in four students offered a place in undergraduate teaching based on their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) had an ATAR of 80 or more, compared to one in two across all courses. To stop the decline, New South Wales and Victoria have tightened entry standards. Victoria will increase minimum ATAR requirements from 65 to 70 this year. Federal Labor's shadow education minister Tanya Plibersek wants to make entry to teaching far more competitive by significantly increasing ATAR requirements towards an ATAR of about 80. She has threatened to cap teaching places if universities don't lift entry standards themselves. She says too many high-achieving school students get told not to "waste their ATAR" by going into teaching. The federal minister, Dan Tehan, says better career paths and pay reforms are key to making teaching a more attractive profession. His Parliamentary Inquiry into teaching status will report back soon. Both arguments have merit. Making entry more selective will help lift status, but the low status of teaching is more than an image problem. There also needs to be deeper reforms to the job itself, such as higher pay at the top end, better opportunities for career advancement, and improvements to the professional working environment. These reforms would have dual benefits: they would help attract talented people to teaching, and empower existing teachers to be more effective. Entry to teaching should be more selective Tightening teacher selection can deliver big improvements in student results. Yet universities tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to proposals to raise ATAR entry standards. For example, earlier this month the President of the Australian Council of Deans of Education, Tania Aspland, claimed "there is no evidence to show that those with higher ATARs become better teachers". But the world's top-performing systems, such as Singapore, Korea and Finland, invest heavily in screening candidates on admission to teaching. Prospective teachers are assessed on their prior academic ability, as well as traits such as dedication to teaching. Singapore even assesses student teacher performance in a real-world classroom trial. Only one in ten students who apply to be teachers in Singapore are accepted. Several rigorous studies find prior academic performance is a good indicator of who will go on to become a great teacher, not just on standardised tests but also according to on-the-job performance reviews. One 2018 multi-country study found countries with teachers who have high academic aptitude get better student maths and literacy results. Yes, some studies find no link between markers of cognitive ability (such as the SAT scores of US teachers) and student results. But on balance, the evidence suggests requiring prospective teachers to have a higher ATAR along with other predictive factors such as leadership capabilities and dedication to teachingwill increase the likelihood of recruiting more effective teachers. Making entry to teaching more competitive will need to be carefully managed. To ensure diversity in the future workforce, there will need to be adequate alternative pathways for students from a variety of backgrounds or specialist skills. But alternative pathways should not be used as a smokescreen for lowering overall entry standards. Deeper reforms are needed to help raise teacher status Tightening selection into teaching will help make it more prestigious, but lifting the profession's low status requires at least three other reforms. First, lift teacher pay at the top end. Teachers in Australia start on a good salary compared to other graduates, but the pay is too low at the top end. Australia's top teacher salary is 40% higher than the starting salary, well below the OECD average of 80%. To attract high-achievers, the top-end salary needs to be competitive with their options elsewhere. Second, offer better career pathways. The best teachers should have fast-track opportunities that give them responsibility for developing other teachers and driving improvement in their school and beyond. Job descriptions such as this exist on paper, but they don't necessarily happen in practice. Better career options for those passionate about mastering teaching should sit alongside school leadership pathways, so teachers don't have to switch into school management to gain promotion and a pay rise. Third, improve the professional work environment for teachers. Teachers need more opportunities to develop on the job, with meaningful feedback on how to improve their classroom practice. They need more high-quality, tried-and-tested materials and fewer time-consuming administrative tasks. There are no easy fixes to the entrenched problem of low teacher status in Australia. Making entry to teaching more selective would be a good first step, but deeper reforms to pay, career and the work environment are also necessary. Explore further Why South Africa will find it hard to break free from its vicious teaching cycle This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: Newcastle University Antibiotic-Resistant Genes (ARGs) that were first detected in urban India have been found 8,000 miles away in one of the last 'pristine' places on earth, a new study has shown. Soil samples taken in the Kongsfjorden region of Svalbard have now confirmed the spread of blaNDM-1 into the High Arctican ARG originally found in Indian clinical settings, which conditionally provides multidrug resistance (MDR) in microorganisms. Worldwide spread of blaNDM-1 and other MDR genes is a growing concern because they often target "last resort" classes of antibiotics, including Carbapenems. Carried in the gut of animals and people, the research team, led by Newcastle University's Professor David Graham, say that blaNDM-1 and other medically-important ARGs were found in Arctic soils that were likely spread in the faecal matter of birds, other wildlife and human visitors to the area. "Polar regions are among the last presumed pristine ecosystems on Earth, providing a platform for characterizing pre-antibiotic era background resistance against which we could understand rates of progression of AR 'pollution'," says Professor Graham, an environmental engineer at Newcastle University who has spent 15 years studying the environmental transmission of antibiotic resistance around the world. "But less than three years after the first detection of the blaNDM-1 gene in the surface waters of urban India we are finding them thousands of miles away in an area where there has been minimal human impact. "Encroachment into areas like the Arctic reinforces how rapid and far-reaching the spread of antibiotic resistance has become, confirming solutions to AR must be viewed in global rather than just local terms." Concern over the spread of Antibiotic-Resistant (AR) genes Increasing antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis. An example is NDM-1, which is a protein that can confer resistance in a range of bacteria. NDM-1 was first identified in New Delhi and coded by the resistant gene blaNDM-1. Strains that carry blaNDM-1 were first found in clinical settings in 2008, but by 2010 blaNDM-1 was found in surface waters in Delhi. Since then, the resistant gene has been found in over 100 countries, including new variants. There are currently few antibiotics to combat bacteria that are resistant to Carbapenemsstill a last-resort antibiotic classand worldwide spread of blaNDM-1 and related ARGs is a concern. "What humans have done through excess use of antibiotics on global scales is accelerate the rate of evolution, creating a new world of resistant strains that never existed before," explains Graham. "Through the overuse of antibiotics, faecal releases and contamination of drinking water, we have consequentially speeded-up the rate at which superbugs might evolve. "For example, when a new drug is developed, natural bacteria can rapidly adapt and can become resistant; therefore very few new drugs are in the pipeline because it simply isn't cost-effective to make them." Benchmark for tracking resistance Published today in the academic journal Environmental International, this latest research was carried out by an international team of experts from the Universities of Newcastle, York and Kansas and the Chinese Academy of Science in Xiamen, and was funded by the UK Natural Environmental Research Council and other agencies. Analysing the extracted DNA from forty soil cores at eight locations along Kongsfjorden, a total of 131 ARGs were detected. "The resistance genes detected were associated with nine major antibiotic classes, including aminoglycosides, macrolides and -lactams, which are used to treat many infections. As an example, a gene that confers MDR in Tuberculosis was found in all cores, whereas blaNDM-1 was detected in more than 60% of the soil cores in the study. "This finding has huge implications for global AR spread," warns Graham. "A clinically important ARG originating from South Asia is clearly not 'local' to the Arctic." "Identifying an ARG 'gradient' across the study landscape, which varies as a function of human and wildlife impact, shows there are still isolated Polar locations where ARG levels are so low they might provide nature's baseline of antimicrobial resistance," Graham says. "The gradient of resistance genes closely reflects corresponding indicators of wastes in the geochemistry, which suggests a novel basis for identifying sites for further AMR research" adds lead author, Dr. Clare McCann, of Newcastle University. "The only way we are going to win this fight is to understand all pathways that lead to antibiotic resistance. Clearly, improved antibiotic stewardship in medicine and agriculture is crucial, but understanding how resistance transmission occurs through water and soils is also critical. We contend that improved waste management and water quality on a global scale is a key step." Explore further River samples shed light on the spread of potential 'superbugs' More information: 'Understanding drivers of antibiotic resistance genes in High Arctic soil ecosystems' Clare McCann, Beate Christgen, Jennifer Roberts, Jian-Qiang Su, Kathryn Arnold, Neil Gray, Yong-Guan Zhu and David Graham. Environment International Journal information: Environment International 'Understanding drivers of antibiotic resistance genes in High Arctic soil ecosystems' Clare McCann, Beate Christgen, Jennifer Roberts, Jian-Qiang Su, Kathryn Arnold, Neil Gray, Yong-Guan Zhu and David Graham. Human cells. Not1 expression has been suppressed and the partner proteins do not assemble (distinct red and green dots.) Credit: Syam Prakash Somasekharan, Vancouver Cancer Institute To perform the task for which they have been synthesized, proteins must first assemble to form effective cellular "machines." But how do they recognize their partners at the right time? Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have deciphered the fundamental role of the Not1 protein, conserved in all eukaryotic organisms: by regulating the activity of ribosomes, the "protein factories" of cells, Not1 allows proteins that must work together to be synthesized in the same place and at the same time. The identification of this previously unknown mechanism helps to better understand one of the most fundamental elements of cellular machinery, which, if it malfunctions, causes many diseases. Results are published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. In human cells, like in all eukaryotic organisms, genetic material is found in the nucleus in the form of DNA. To perform the genetic programme encoded by DNA, it must first be transcribed into RNA, which in turn is translated into proteins. This job is done by the ribosomes, small machines that produce proteins by decoding RNA. Once synthesized, the proteins arrive in the cytoplasm, between the nucleus and the membrane, where most of the cell activity takes place. However, to function properly, proteins must assemble to form cellular machines and perform the tasks for which they were produced. "The cytoplasm is cluttered with quantities of proteins, RNAs and organelles," says Martine Collart, a professor at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine, who led this work. "Let's imagine a giant concert with a group of musicians. The room, crowded with spectators, has dozens of doors. How will the musicians, in the middle of this huge crowd, all meet in time to perform? This is what happens at every moment in the cytoplasm: proteins belonging to the same complex must find each other and assemble to function properly." Not1, the multifunctional protein of cellular scaffolding But how do proteins get there? This is where Not1 comes in. A very large protein, it acts as a scaffolding and beacon where proteins are assembled according to the genetic programme they must perform. The Geneva researchers have succeeded in demonstrating that messenger RNA is associated with Not1 even before the proteins are produced. Thus, when the genetic information in the RNA is read, proteins are synthesized side by side. Made nearby, they no longer have any difficulty assembling, "as if our musicians had entered through the same door!", underlines Martine Collart. To confirm their hypothesis, the researchers studied a cell machinery, the proteasome, whose function is to degrade poorly formed, useless or obsolete proteins. The disruption of this important mechanism can lead to various diseases, including many neurodegenerative diseases, which are characterized by a surplus of aggregated proteins that have not been degraded. And when they prevented the expression of Not1, the scientists observed that the proteasome proteins were no longer produced side by side to assemble and accomplish their task. Professor Collart first identified Not1 as early as 1990. "I have spent nearly 30 years trying to understand its exact role, and above all, demonstrate why Not1 is an absolutely essential element for proper cellular functioning and conserved in all eukaryotic organisms, from yeast to human beings. To prove my point, however, I had to wait for the development of a new technology, first described only nine years ago, which broadcasts 'live' the translation of messenger RNA into protein." It's all about rhythm This technology, called ribosome profiling, makes it possible to observe the progression of protein synthesis by the ribosome. The researchers quickly realized that, far from working at a constant speed, the ribosome often takes more or less long pauses before restarting. During a pause, the portions of protein already synthesized begin to associate with their "partners." These interruptions therefore do not seem random, but on the contrary, allow proteins to assemble quickly and in an orderly manner, limiting the risk of interference. Not1 would therefore not only allow proteins to assemble, but would also regulate the working rhythm of ribosomes. By uncovering such a fundamental cellular mechanism, this work shows that a malfunction of Not1 could be an interesting key to understanding many diseases. "In order to refine our analyses, we performed ribosome profiles on human cancer cells in parallel with healthy cells, and observed significant differences in rhythm. But how is this rhythm controlled? Would it be possible to intervene? These are some of the many questions we still have to answer," concludes Martine Collart. Explore further A molecular hammock for cotranslational modification Credit: CC0 Public Domain Dark water formed an eddy around Steve Eisenhauer's boots as they sank into the muck at the base of a 90-foot black gum tree so old, its roots were deep in this ground when the Pilgrims landed. Scientists estimate the age of black gums in an old-growth forest surrounded by Bear Swamp in Cumberland County, N.J., ranges from 400 to 500 years, making it among the oldest trees in the oldest forest of its kind in the Northeast. But sea-level rise fueled by warmer oceans and sinking land is pushing saltwater ever closer to the trees, with the potential to kill them in the not-so-distant future. Less than half a mile away, hundreds of trees separate from the old-growth forest are already dead from rising salt levels in what once was mostly a freshwater stream. Those dead trees jutted gray and naked into the late-fall sky during a recent hike with Eisenhauer through the remote part of an old-growth forest, which is in the 6,765-acre Glades Wildlife Refuge owned by Natural Lands. Eisenhauer, regional director for Natural Lands, is cautious about proclaiming an immediate demise for the trees, Nyssa sylvatica, also known as black gum, black tupelo, or pepperidge. "The old-growth trees are potentially threatened," Eisenhauer said. "But we tend to be cautious in saying so." Clearly, though, he is taken with the trees. "Cornell came and did test borings years ago. The oldest sour gums were more than 500 years old," Eisenhauer said, still marveling at that fact. But it's not just black gums that are threatened. The forest is so remote, it lacks both people and trash, a rare thing in the region. It also is home to a grove of American hollies estimated to be at least 200 years old. Nearby are tulip poplar, beech, sweet gum, maple, white cedars, and other species. The few people who venture into the woods tend to be hunters stalking white-tailed deer. Eagles nest nearby. Foxes, robins, and other wildlife feed on the black gum's fruit, while bees gather the nectar. It takes a good hourif you know the wayto reach these time-tested black gums. The only way to get to them is by foot, through deep, marshy woods protected by Natural Lands. Sea-level rise in New Jersey is, in some ways, as old as the black gums. As far back as the 1700s, colonists noted saltwater intrusion. The state's coastal areas have been sinking slowly for thousands of years, as the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated. Pumping out groundwater for human use accelerates this subsidence. But since the 1700s, development, industry, and other human interventions have led to a 40 percent increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In recent decades sea rise has accelerated as oceans have warmed because of carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels. Glades Wildlife Refuge, where Bear Swamp is located, is among the most vulnerable areas of the state to this combination of rising seas and sinking lands. Add to all that another consequence of a changing climatebigger storm surges that drive saltwater into areas once fed only by fresh water. Though climate and other scientists generally agree that seas are rising, they don't always agree on how much. An archived U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fact sheet estimates that the sea is rising about 1 inch every six years because of climate change. By the next century, the Jersey Shore will face sea rise of 18 inches to 4 feet, the fact sheet states. Separately, a Rutgers map of a sea-level rise of 1 foot, the lowest estimate using 2000 as a base level, shows much of Glades Wildlife Refuge, which spans from the Delaware Bay to the old-growth forest, would become mostly water. Already, trees that once were upland are dying along the marshes as salinity pushes in. Pockets of Atlantic White Cedar have already died giving rise to ghost forests. Bear Swamp is far enough inland that it's been protected so far. And the black gums weren't valued for timber because so many are hollow because of their natural aging process, though they are still very much alive. But the core of Bear Swamp was hollowed out decades ago by sand mining, which left vast, man-made pits now full of both groundwater and water that flows in from Oranoaken Creek. Joseph Smith, an environmental scientist with L.J. Niles Associates, has measured salt-marsh encroachment that amounts to about a loss of about 5 feet of forest every year in the area. Five years ago he tested the water in Oranoaken Creek and the lake formed from a mining pit about 200 feet from several black gums. He detected salinity of 3.5 parts per thousand. Closer to the bay, streams and creeks hit 10 to 12. In November, he tested the water again and the results stunned him: up to 8.4 parts per thousand in the pit about 200 feet from the black gum trees. "A forest can't move itself out of sea-level rise," Smith said. "Once you get saltwater into these pits, the ecosystem just flips." The surrounding water-filled old mining pits, once the true "swamp" of Bear Swamp, can span 1,000 acres, helping accelerate saltwater intrusion. If the original land had remained unmined, it would act as a large buffer, slowly draining water back toward the bay. Eisenhauer describes the pits as an unnatural "water highway" for saltwater to travel through. Neil Pederson, now of Harvard Forest, a department of Harvard University, was one of those who came out for a coring of the black gum trees in 2002 in an attempt to date them. "The black gum was really massive and I hadn't seen any of that size at all before," Pederson said. "They were definitely unusual-looking black gum, and that made them very different." But Pederson said it was hard to determine their true age, which could be older than even half a millennium because they are hollow. The deepest part of cores dated to about the 1790s. But that was only halfway to the diameter of some trees, meaning they were probably much older. "Some people were thinking they were ridiculously old," Pederson said. "I don't even want to say the number." He estimates that most were in the range of 350 to 550 years old. He said he's seen black gum trees that date to the 1490s and aren't as tall as the ones in Bear Swamp. "So it really is a special forest just for the size of the trees of that species," Pederson said. "It is a really, really cool forest regardless of how old the trees might be." Gerry Moore, a botanist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in North Carolina, grew up in nearby Millville and began cataloging flora as a young student. He's seen the damage saltwater intrusion has inflicted on the region over the decades. "That's always been a very special area," Moore said of Bear Swamp, noting that naturalists as far back as the 1800s commented on the age and size of the trees. "It's a different kind of habitat with those trees that are that large and old. You're hard-pressed to find them anywhere anymore. In most areas if you want to find old trees, you find them in cemeteries because they're protected. But when you're so close to a saltwater line, that's a real challenge. Saltwater and those trees don't mix." Brian Johnson, who oversees Natural Lands' South Jersey properties, including Glades, stood recently at the edge of the patch of dying trees where Oranoaken Creek spills into the big mining pit near the black gums. "Everything is dying where the stream comes in," Johnson said. "All of it is dying, 100 percent. And every year is more dramatic than the year before. If you ever have an unbeliever in climate change, bring him here." Explore further Climate change before your eyes: Seas rise and trees die 2019 Philly.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Credit: CC0 Public Domain The American blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) is an invasive voracious alien species, with no known predators and with high reproductive and survival rates, which has now spread throughout the Mediterranean. Since it appeared in the Ebro Delta in 2012, this crab native to the American Atlantic has expanded via sea, rivers and wetlands all over the region of Valencia. University of Alicante Marine Research Centre (CIMAR) scientist Carmen Barbera reports on a collaboration between the scientific community and management bodies to define control measures; however, blue crab expansion is faster than research activity and the efforts made by scientific bodies. This crab has potential high fertility and survival rates, which could also be the reason why it has been established in this area successfully. Commercial fishing is one of the most affected sectors, as the crab accidentally destroys the nets when they are caught. The study was carried out as a result of a request made by the Guardamar Fishermen's Association. Members fish king prawns and cuttlefish with gill nets in the area of Guardamar and Santa Pola during the summer. According to the researcher, one of the measures to control its expansion could be to issue permits to fish with more specific fishing baskets, as happens in the American Atlantic, where the crab originates. The researchers are working with fishermen to try out different types of fishing baskets. The problem is similar in other geographical areas. In La Albufera in Valencia and in Mar Menor, the problem is even worse all year round because fisherman also work in winter. Follow-up The University of Alicante-Santa Pola Town Council Marine Research Centre (CIMAR) is actively collaborating in the follow-up of the distribution of this invasive species in the Santa Pola Salt Lake Nature Reserve, where they were caught for the first time in 2014. At the moment, the study is focused on determining the migrations made by the crab from the sea to fresh water and vice versa for reproduction purposes. Its behavioural pattern is known in the natural distribution area in coastal and estuarine areasfemales move to the sea to lay their eggs during the summer. Eggs require some salinity for the larvae to hatch. In the early Autumn, females migrate with juveniles to freshwater streams. Barbera points out that one of the objectives is to define very well where they are at all times. In this regard, the CIMAR works with the Guardamar Fishermen Association, whose traditional fleet accidentally catches crabs at the Segura River mouth, a fishing ground for king prawns with gill nets. This crustacean is thought to be one of the crab's favourite prey when they migrate to the sea. The researcher states that it is difficult to determine how this species has expanded from the Ebro Delta toward the south, as water currents do not go that way. Human factors are likely responsible, such as the ballast water of ships. In terms of ecological impact, the crabs can live higher in wetlands and salt lakes, as they are more closed ecosystems where any change has more intense effects. However, the socioeconomic problem is greater in the sea since it affects fishermen by destroying nets and making them waste days of work. Aim of study The aim of the study is to get to know this species' ecology in these new geographical areas and environments that they occupy as an alien species. This is dangerous because the areas may not have limiting factors to the growth of crab populations, such as competitors, predators, temperature, etc. To this end, a simultaneous sampling plan has been designed in different connected ecosystems, such as the fresh waters of El Hondo in Elche, wetland, the brackish and hyper-salinated water channels of Salt Lake Nature Reserve and the estuarine-marine waters of the Segura River mouth in Guardamar. The results of the study will be published very soon, while researchers continue to work on it. Isabel Esteso, currently working on her master's final project on the blue crab, is one of the researchers involved. In her study, among others, she collects data such as water temperature where the crabs are found, as well as oxygen, salinity and pH levels. Researchers know exactly where the crab communities are located as they have been sampling from the Segura River mouth (in Guardamar) to El Hondo in Elche and it has shown up everywhere, according to the CIMAR scientist. In order to answer questions such as what they eat, what eats them, what the growth limits of their populations are, when and how they are captured most efficiently, how profitable their commercialisation is, and whether this would serve as a control measure, CIMAR has requested a national projectEcology and Impact of the Atlantic Blue Crab in the Spanish Mediterranean Coastal Lagoons and Adjacent Waters (ECESIS). Polytechnic University of Valencia and the Spanish Oceanographic Institute (Murcia Oceanographic Centre) are also contributing, and it will be coordinated by researcher Silvia Falco Giaccaglia, from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. There are many factors to consider. According to records in CIESM Atlas of Exotic Species in the Mediterranean, the blue crab is an invasive species already established in the Mediterranean, and any wrong action could further its expansion. The blue crab was first detected in the province of Alicante, both in Guardamar and Santa Pola, in 2014. Two years earlier, in 2012, it was seen in the Ebro Delta of the Eastern Mediterranean. It has been known in the area of Tunisia, in Turkey, since the 1940s. However, this crab is originally from American North Atlantic. In the U.S., it is just another fishing species, although there, fishermen use special fishing gear, as explained by Carmen Barbera. How the species came to the Mediterranean is still unknown. Researchers think that the most likely theory is that they arrived in the ballast waters of ships. However, it is also known that companies experimented with blue crab farming in Turkey. The fact is that right now, it has spread all over the Mediterranean and Strait of Gibraltar. The blue crab is known for being extremely aggressive, with hard short claws and strong jaws. Researchers have analyzed the content in their stomachs, and know that these crabs sometimes eat each other. On the other hand, due to their accelerated metabolism, involving rapid digestion, the analysis of the content is difficult. According to researchers Carmen and Isabel, everything they have digested prior to the bait is difficult to detect in their stomachs. The scientists also said that they still do not know whether they are feeding in freshwater or in the sea; it seems that they feed mainly on king prawns. Some of these crabs can be more than 20 centimetres in length, from end to end of their legs, and adults can weigh more than 450 grams. They are hidden in daylight and fish at night. Scientists have not noticed interaction with other target species, but this cannot be analysed easily as fishermen avoid areas where more crabs are found. They have been found in the sea during the summer and then they migrate toward fresh water in gullies, rivers, the salt lake reserves from Santa Pola to El Hondo in Elche. They winter in the brackish water of the Albufera, and they move to the marine area during the summer. In Murcia, the crabs are in the Mar Menor, which is hypersaline. In this area, the fishermen are also having a lot of problems, as they fish for king prawns and the nets are very fine. The crabs are located at the river mouth and the nets break if they get caught. In the North Atlantic, it is known that blue crabs have predators, but it is not known if they are hunted in the Mediterranean. Explore further Tunisia fishermen turn tide to cash in on blue crab menace More information: P. K. KARACHLE et al. New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (March 2016), Mediterranean Marine Science (2016). P. K. KARACHLE et al. New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (March 2016),(2016). DOI: 10.12681/mms.1684 Retinal neurons convey visual information to the brain a sequence of electrical pulses. Credit: University of Manchester Scientists from The University of Manchester have found a way to trick the eye into thinking the world is brighter than it actually is. Using a chemical compound, the team activated a small group of retinal neurons in dim light, which unexpectedly made almost the whole retina more active. Though more research is needed, the study provides new insight into how the retina communicates with the brain when animals respond to different situations. The retina is a thin layer of tissue that lines the back of the eye which receives light focused by the lens, and convert it into neural signals which are sent to the brain. The manipulation, carried out in mice, effectively increased the "bandwidth" of communication from the retina to the brain. The research was funded by Medical Research Council, European Research Council and the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animal Research (NC3Rs). It is published in published in PNAS. The discovery led by Professor Rob Lucas from The University of Manchester, uncovers an important principle underlying the way in which different areas of the nervous system communicate with each other. Using the analogy of a digital communication channel, neural communication uses up a lot of energy so its bandwidth must be optimised according to changes in demand. Since the 1990s, scientists have shown that on average brain activity is limited to between 1 to 5 electrical pulses per second per neuron. However at any given time, some parts of the brain may demand many more pulses to perform optimally. Dr Riccardo Storchi, who was on the team said: "This discovery provides some important insight into a simple mechanism by which flexible allocation of energy resources is regulated by the retina. "This effect is mediated by specialist neurons known as 'intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells' (ipRGCs) which act like a light-meter, regulating communication between retina and the brain. "We have known for a while that neuron pulses are energetically expensive, but until now we didn't understand what regulates their frequency. This is a first step which we hope will tackle this important question." Explore further Researchers shed light on how our eyes process visual cues More information: Nina Milosavljevic et al. Photoreceptive retinal ganglion cells control the information rate of the optic nerve, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nina Milosavljevic et al. Photoreceptive retinal ganglion cells control the information rate of the optic nerve,(2018). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1810701115 Earth's magnetosphere, showing the northern and southern polar cusps (illustration). Credit: Andya Space Center/Trond Abrahamsen On Jan. 4, 2019, at 4:37 a.m. EST the CAPER-2 mission launched from the Andya Space Center in Andenes, Norway, on a 4-stage Black Brant XII sounding rocket. Reaching an apogee of 480 miles high before splashing down in the Arctic Sea, the rocket flew through active aurora borealis, or northern lights, to study the waves that accelerate electrons into our atmosphere. CAPER-2, short for Cusp Alfven and Plasma Electrodynamics Rocket-2, is a sounding rocket missiona type of spacecraft that carries scientific instruments on short, targeted trips to space before falling back to Earth. In addition to their relatively low price tags and quick development time, sounding rockets are ideally suited for launching into transient eventslike the sudden formation of the aurora borealis, or northern lights. For CAPER-2 scientists, flying through an aurora provides a peek into a process as fundamental as it is complex: How do particles get accelerated throughout space? NASA studies this phenomenon in an effort to better understand not only the space environment surrounding Earthand thus protect our technology in space from radiationbut also to help understand the very nature of stars and atmospheres throughout the solar system and beyond. "Throughout the universe you have charged particles getting acceleratedin the Sun's atmosphere, in the solar wind, in the atmospheres of other planets, and in astrophysical objects," said Jim LaBelle, space physicist at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and principal investigator for the CAPER-2 mission. "An aurora presents us with a local laboratory where we can observe these acceleration processes close at hand." Technically, the CAPER-2 team is interested in what happens just before an aurora starts glowing. Electrons, pouring into our atmosphere from space, collide with atmospheric gases and trigger the aurora's glow. Somehow, they pick up speed along the way. "By the time they crash into our atmosphere, these electrons are traveling over 10 times faster than they were before," said Doug Rowland, space physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who also studies particle acceleration. "We still don't understand the fundamental physics of how that happens." The CAPER-2 team focused on a special kind of aurora that forms during the day. Unlike the nighttime aurora, the daytime aurora is triggered by electrons that stream in directly from the Sunand we know far less about them. The daytime aurora, observed from an all-sky camera in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Credit: Kjell Henriksen Observatory/UNIS/F. Sigernes "There's been a huge amount of research done on the regular nighttime aurora, but the daytime aurora is much less studied," said Craig Kletzing, space physicist at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and coinvestigator for the mission. "There are good indications that there are some similarities and there are also some differences." The team is focusing on how the electrons that create daytime auroras are jostled around by waves, in ways that may or may not differ from nighttime auroras. Two kinds of waves are of special interest, and have opposite effects. Alfven waves, named after Swedish Nobel laureate Hannes Alfven who first predicted their existence in 1942, are thought to accelerate the electrons. These huge wavesmeasuring tens to hundreds of miles long from peak to peakpropagate along Earth's magnetic field lines, whipping electrons to and fro. On the other side are Langmuir waves, which are generated by the electrons themselvesa process that steals some of the electrons' energy and slows them down. CAPER-2 will carry a high-resolution wave-particle correlator to measure them, the first sounding rocket mission to do so for the daytime aurora. CAPER-2 launches from the Andya Space Center. Credit: NASA/Chris Perry "This is very data-intensive," said LaBelle. "It's unique to sounding rockets to be able to look at this mechanism in this level of detail." For the launch, the CAPER-2 team traveled to northern Norway, one of the few places that can put a rocket within range of the daytime aurora. Every day, northern Norway rotates under an opening in Earth's magnetic field known as the northern polar cusp, where particles from the Sun can funnel into our upper atmosphere. Meeting the aurora right where they form is the best way to understand physical processes that are far too large to replicate in a lab. "It's a kind of natural laboratory," LaBelle added. "We take our experiment to two different environments, where the variables are different, and then test the theory and answer the questions." Explore further NASA plans twin sounding rocket launches over Norway this winter Credit: CC0 Public Domain University of Otago bioethicists are calling for a more robust system of ethical governance in human gene-editing in the wake of the Chinese experiment aiming to produce HIV immune children. In an opinion article in the latest issue of the Journal of Zhejian UniversitySCIENCE B, a major international journal based in China, Professor Jing-Bao Nie, Dr. Simon Walker and Jing-ru Li from the Bioethics Centre, Dunedin School of Medicine, together with Xin-Qing Zhang from Peking Union Medical College in China, outline their concerns about a Chinese scientist's experiment to alter the genes of human embryos so the resulting babies are immune to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Currently, gene-editing techniques are not sufficiently safe or effective to be used on human reproductive cell lines, the bioethicists say. "The construction of regulations and laws should be accelerated to meet the rapid development of emerging biotechnologies. "The clinical application of human germline gene-editing is in the near future. We appeal to policy-makers to pay serious attention to the relevant issues, actively confront the challenges and come up with a responsible and feasible pathway for clinical translation of human germline gene editing." While there is still uncertainty as to whether the scientist successfully altered the genes of two babies, the bioethicists say his actions raise a large number of serious global ethical concerns irrespective of whether they are proved correct. These include questionable scientific and therapeutic benefits of the gene-editing, an illegitimate ethics review procedure, problems with the information and consent processes together with other procedural failings. The scientist breached both Chinese and international ethical conventions on human gene editing. While the genome modifying technique used (CRISPR-Cas9) is the best gene manipulation technique currently available, the Otago bioethicists say its targeting efficiency is still inadequate with other technical problems including mutations, which could cause defects, disabilities or even cancer in some cases. "A particular concern about germline gene editing is that unintended and undesirable changes on germline cells may be passed on to offspring, which may result in unforeseen effects on future generations." For these reasons, the first international Summit on Human Gene Editing in 2015 agreed that it was irresponsible to proceed with human germline genome editing for clinical use at this stage, a stance which was restated at the most recent international summit. Due to these technical limitations, China has issued several regulations prohibiting genome modification on human embryo for reproductive purpose, which were ignored by the scientist and the ethics committee he was working with. The scientist claimed he received ethical approval for the research from a private hospital. However, the bioethicists say the ethics committee of this hospital was not a registered committee and so its apparent approval is "all but meaningless", from a regulatory perspective. Though the scientist gained consent from several couples for inclusion in his study, the bioethicists say the process he used is "highly questionable". The consent form was reportedly a 23-page document written entirely in English and full of technical words, which they say it is likely that at least some of the participants would have had difficulty understanding what they were consenting to. A requirement to pay expenses and the threat of a fine also seriously compromises the participants' freedom to withdraw from the trial and so violates the principles of voluntariness for research involving human subjects. The Otago bioethicists say rapid development of innovative medical technology in recent years continues to generate complex ethical challenges. "Public and academic discussion of these challenges and how they should be met, is desperately needed. We cannot rely on scientists to meet these challenges alone." Ms Li is the lead author of the article, gathering information while carrying out field work in China for her doctoral thesis. She is a Ph.D. candidate in the Bioethics Centre with her research focusing on the role of family in informed consent in China. Explore further China says doctor behind gene-edited babies acted on his own More information: Jing-ru LI et al. Experiments that led to the first gene-edited babies: the ethical failings and the urgent need for better governance, Journal of Zhejiang UniversitySCIENCE B (2019). Jing-ru LI et al. Experiments that led to the first gene-edited babies: the ethical failings and the urgent need for better governance,(2019). DOI: 10.1631/jzus.B1800624 An Anchiornis specimen from Jianchang, western Liaoning. The sampling location is marked by a red box. Credit: Yanhong Pan An international team of researchers has performed molecular analysis on fossil feathers from a small, feathered dinosaur from the Jurassic. Their research could aid scientists in pinpointing when feathers evolved the capacity for flight during the dinosaur-bird transition. Anchiornis was a small, feathered, four-winged dinosaur that lived in what is now China around 160 million years agoalmost 10 million years before Archaeopteryx, the first recognized bird. A team of researchers from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, North Carolina State University, and the University of South Carolina analyzed Anchiornis feathers to see how they differed at the molecular level from those of younger fossil birds and modern birds. "Modern bird feathers are composed primarily of beta-keratin (-keratin), a protein also found in skin, claws, and beaks of reptiles and birds. Feathers differ from these other -keratin containing tissues, because the feather protein is modified in a way that makes them more flexible," says Mary Schweitzer, professor of biological sciences at NC State with a joint appointment at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and co-author of a paper describing the research. "At some point during the evolution of feathers, one of the -keratin genes underwent a deletion event, making the resultant protein slightly smaller. This deletion changed the biophysics of the feather to something more flexiblea requirement for flight. If we can pinpoint when, and in what organisms, that deletion event occurred, we will have a better grasp on when flight evolved during the transition from dinosaurs to birds." A TEM image of a fossilized Anchiornis feather showing the thick filaments composed of -keratins dominated at the ultrastructural level. Credit: Yanhong Pan The researchers, led by Yanhong Pan, a visiting researcher from the Nanjing Institute, examined fossilized feathers from Anchiornis, using high-resolution electron microscopy, as well as multiple chemical and immunological techniques to determine the molecular composition of the feathers. They did the same to other feathers from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras, as well as other -keratin tissues not expected to show this deletion, then compared results with modern bird feathers and tissues. They found that Anchiornis feathers were comprised of both -keratins and alpha-keratins (-keratins), a protein all terrestrial vertebrates have, including mammals. This was surprising because -keratin is present in only small amounts in modern feathers. In addition to co-expressing both keratin proteins, the Anchiornis feathers had already undergone the deletion event that sets feathers apart from other tissues. "Molecular clocks, which scientists use as benchmarks for evolutionary and genetic divergence, predict that the deletion, and thus functional flight feathers, evolved around 145 million years ago," Schweitzer says. "Anchiornis is millions of years older, yet has the shortened protein form. This work shows that we can utilize molecular fossil data to root molecular clocks and improve their accuracywe can start to put timing on genetic events in the dinosaur-bird transition via absence or presence of these two keratins. The data also give us more information about how feathers evolved to enable flight." The work appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ("The molecular evolution of feathers with direct evidence from fossils"). Pan is lead author. Wenxia Zheng and Elena Schroeter of NC State and Roger Sawyer from the University of South Carolina also contributed to the work, which was supported in part by the National Science Foundation and the Packard Foundation. Explore further Keratin and melanosomes preserved in 130-million-year-old bird fossil More information: Yanhong Pan el al., "The molecular evolution of feathers with direct evidence from fossils," PNAS (2019). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Yanhong Pan el al., "The molecular evolution of feathers with direct evidence from fossils,"(2019). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1815703116 Artist's impression of the newly discovered object. Credit: Ko Arimatsu For the first time ever, astronomers have detected a 1.3 km radius body at the edge of the solar system. Kilometer-sized bodies like the one discovered have been predicted to exist for more than 70 years. These objects acted as an important step in the planet formation process between small initial amalgamations of dust and ice and the planets we see today. The Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt is a collection of small celestial bodies located beyond Neptune's orbit. The most famous Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Object is Pluto. Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Objects are believed to be remnants left over from the formation of the solar system. While small bodies like asteroids in the inner solar system have been altered by solar radiation, collisions, and the gravity of the planets over time; objects in the cold, dark, lonely Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt preserve the pristine conditions of the early solar system. Thus astronomers study them to learn about the beginning of the planet formation process. Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt objects with radii from 1 kilometer to several kilometers have been predicted to exist, but they are too distant, small, and dim for even world-leading telescopes, like the Subaru Telescope, to observe directly. So a research team led by Ko Arimatsu at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan used a technique known as occultation: monitoring a large number of stars and watching for the shadow of an object passing in front of one of them. The Organized Autotelescopes for Serendipitous Event Survey (OASES) team placed two small 28 cm telescopes on the roof of the Miyako open-air school on Miyako Island, Miyakojima-shi, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, and monitored approximately 2000 stars for a total of 60 hours. Analyzing the data, the team found an event consistent with a star appearing to dim as it is occulted by a 1.3 km radius Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Object. This detection indicates that kilometer sized Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Objects are more numerous than previously thought. This supports models where planetesimals first grow slowly into kilometer sized objects before runaway growth causes them to merge into planets. Arimatsu explains, "This is a real victory for little projects. Our team had less than 0.3 percent of the budget of large international projects. We didn't even have enough money to build a second dome to protect our second telescope! Yet we still managed to make a discovery that is impossible for the big projects. Now that we know our system works, we will investigate the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt in more detail. We also have our sights set on the still undiscovered Oort Cloud out beyond that." The study is published in Nature Astronomy. Explore further Astronomers probe origin of Planet 9 More information: A kilometre-sized Kuiper belt object discovered by stellar occultation using amateur telescopes, Nature Astronomy (2019). www.nature.com/articles/s41550-018-0685-8 Journal information: Nature Astronomy A kilometre-sized Kuiper belt object discovered by stellar occultation using amateur telescopes,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-018-0685-8 Provided by National Institutes of Natural Sciences Images in HST/F555W: (a) NGC 4736 1, (b) NGC 4736 2, and (c) NGC 4736 3. The circles mark the central objects (a) with the radius of 1.1, it is the maximum seeing on the ground-based images, the 1 slit is shown. Credit: Solovyeva et al., 2019. Russian astronomers have identified three new luminous blue variable (LBV) candidates in the star-forming galaxy NGC 4736. While one of the three newly found candidates was confirmed to be an LBV, the nature of the remaining two remains uncertain. The discovery is presented in a paper published January 16 on arXiv.org. LBVs are rare and unstable, evolved massive stars at one of the final evolutionary phases. They exhibit strong photometric and spectroscopic variability related to transient eruptions. Studies of LBVs and eruptions taking place in these objects could provide more insights about stellar evolution of massive stars. To date, only about 40 LBVs are known in our Milky Way galaxy and in the galaxies of the Local Group. Notably, searching for LBVs in the galaxy is difficult due to high extinction in the galactic plane and uncertain distance measurements, while finding such stars in nearby galaxies could be easier, since the distances to them are determined more reliably. With the aim of detecting new LBVs, a team of astronomers led by Yulia Solovyeva of Special Astrophysical Observatory in Nizhnij Arkhyz, Russia, conducted a search for the presence of hydrogen-alpha emission in blue point-like star objects in the NGC 4736 galaxy. Discovered in 1781, NGC 4736 (also known as Messier 94) is a star-forming spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici, located some 1.3 million light years away from the Earth. Solovyeva's team studied archival images obtained by NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to identify three new LBV candidates. Afterward, they analyzed the spectral and photometric variability of these objects using various ground-based telescopes, including the BTA-6 telescope at the Special Astrophysical Observatory in Russia. This allowed them to find that all the three sources have spectra similar to the spectra of the known LBVs. "We have found three new LBV candidates in the star-forming galaxy NGC 4736. They show typical well-known LBV spectra, broad and strong hydrogen lines, He I lines, many Fe II lines, and forbidden [Fe II] and [Fe III]," the researchers wrote in the paper. According to the study, the candidate designated NGC 4736_1 has an absolute magnitude of 10.2 mag, a bolometric magnitude of 11.5 mag, and a bolometric luminosity of about 6.5. Moreover, this source showcases a significant brightness variation. The properties of this object allowed the astronomers to conclude that it is indeed an LBV star. "Based on its spectrum typical of the LBV, the characteristic bolometric luminosity and considerable brightness variations, we conclude that NGC 4736_1 is actually the LBV star," the paper reads. Other candidate - NGC 4736_2 was found to have lower limits of the absolute and bolometric magnitudes of 8.6 and 10.0 mag respectively. The bolometric luminosity of this source was calculated to be at a level of at least 5.9. However, given that NGC 4736_2 exhibits a relatively small brightness variation, it puts into question its LBV status. When it comes to NGC 4736_3, it has the absolute and bolometric magnitudes of 8.2 and 8.4 mag respectively, and a bolometric luminosity of around 5.3. However, insufficient photometric data does not allow the researchers to estimate brightness variation of the source, leaving NGC 4736_3 classified as an LBV candidate. Explore further New eruptions detected in two luminous blue variables More information: Y. Solovyeva et al. New Luminous Blue Variable Candidates in NGC 4736. arXiv:1901.05277 [astro-ph.SR]. Y. Solovyeva et al. New Luminous Blue Variable Candidates in NGC 4736. arXiv:1901.05277 [astro-ph.SR]. arxiv.org/abs/1901.05277 2019 Science X Network Swine. Credit: Vetmeduni Vienna In a recent study, researchers from Vetmeduni Vienna investigated an episode of fatal listeriosis in fattening pigs with a mortality rate of nearly 10 percent. The research team traced the source of infection to the fed silage. Following simple guidelines during the ensilaging process can minimize this riskwith benefits for food safety and public health. The present case investigated at Vetmeduni Vienna is the first clinical report on this form of listeriosis in fattening pigs. In their study, researchers from the Institute of Microbiology, the Institute of Pathology and the Institute of Milk Hygiene, under coordination by Lukas Schwartz from the University Clinic for Swine, showed that the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, as the causative agent of listeriosis, shouldcontrary to current practiceform part of the list of differential diagnoses when fattening pigs suffer from bloody diarrhoea and septicaemia. Fatal listeriosis in Lower Austria The study was motivated by an episode of fatal listeriosis in fattening pigs in a pig farm in Lower Austria with an integrated fattening unit with space for 450 pigs. Clinical symptoms such as anorexia, bloody diarrhoea and an increased body temperature up to 40C were observed in about 10% of the fattening pigs, mostly in well-fed animals with a bodyweight of 40-100 kg. In total, 35 fattening pigs died in a period of about 3 weeks. A real crime thriller: evidence from DNA fingerprinting Two fattening pigs with clinical symptoms as well as fed maize silage samples were investigated for further diagnostics. Molecular biological characterization isolated identical L. monocytogenes strains from samples taken from the pigs and in the maize silage. Additionally, a high content of deoxynivalenol was found in the maize silage. Deoxynivalenol is a mycotoxin found above all as a metabolic product in affected grains with potentially negative effects for the immune system. "The feeding of maize silage contaminated by listeria, which survive under poor ensilaging conditions, was the most likely source of infection of the fattening pigs," says first author Heiko Stein. Ensilaging under anaerobic conditions provides reliable protection The researchers were able to show with their study that L. monocytogenes can cause clinical disease in fattening pigs that may be the result of immunosuppression due to high deoxynivalenol exposure. Stein therefore formulates the following appeal: "When feeding silage, it is important that all ensilaging procedures occur under appropriate anaerobic conditions to guarantee suppression of listerial growth." Important new insights for food safety Listeria are rod-shaped bacteria that naturally occur in many different places. Most are harmless for people. The species L. monocytogenes, however, is anything but harmless for humans and animals. An infection caused by these bacteria can result in serious diarrhoea and encephalitis in humans and may even be fatal. It is known from cattle and sheep that feeding silage of poor quality can lead to L. monocytogenes transmission causing encephalitis or bloody diarrhoea. In the scientific literature, however, only a few older case reports have dealt with L. monocytogenes transmission in pig herds despite the fact that L. monocytogenes contamination of pork products is of great concern for public health. "Whenever bloody diarrhoea combined with increased mortality occurs in fattening pigs, L. monocytogenes should be part of the list of differential diagnoses, especially if silage is part of feeding. Since in our case therapeutic and prophylactic measures led to a fast recovery of diseased animals, antimicrobial therapy is indicated as soon as possible to avoid further shedding of L. monocytogenes via faeces and to prevent additional fatal cases," says Stein in conclusion. Explore further High fat diet increases risk of food poisoning from Listeria monocytogenes More information: Heiko Stein et al. Listeriosis in fattening pigs caused by poor quality silage - a case report, BMC Veterinary Research (2018). Heiko Stein et al. Listeriosis in fattening pigs caused by poor quality silage - a case report,(2018). DOI: 10.1186/s12917-018-1687-6 South Koreans frequently don breathing masks to combat poor air quality An attempt by South Korea to create artificial rain to tackle air pollution many blame on neighbouring China has failed, the government said Monday, as it struggles to address what has become an urgent public concern. Many South Koreans blamed China when pollution surged for three days earlier this month, and on Friday the Korea Meterological Administration (KMA) sent an aircraft to seed clouds with silver iodide in the hope of promoting rain. The intention was for the rain to douse airborne particles and pollutants known as "fine dust" in South Korea. However, an initial analysis of the experiment has been disappointing, KMA said in a preliminary report issued Monday. While a weak, misty rain was detected for several minutes, the agency said, "there was no observation of significant precipitation". "Aside from its success or failure, the test was an opportunity to accumulate the necessary technology for a faster commercialisation of cloud seeding," it added. A full report is expected to be released later next month. Air quality in South Korea is generally better than in China, which is more frequently affected by choking bouts of filthy air. South Korean President Moon Jae-in last week advised his officials to handle the issue as a "natural disaster" as he urged cooperation with Beijing, addressing "great public concerns about fine dust coming from China". Beijing is also trying to tackle the scourge, which causes widespread public anger, and a recent study found urban levels of PM2.5the tiny airborne particles considered most harmful to healthhad been cut by almost a third on average over four years. But they remain far above World Health Organization norms, and pollution levels in Korea sometimes spike as the prevailing winds blow PM2.5 particulates across the sea between the two countries. China, which according to the International Energy Agency uses coal to generate around three quarters of its energy, is regarded as the world's biggest polluter. Last year, South Korea shut down five ageing coal-fired power plants in a bid to improve its air quality. 2019 AFP Credit: CC0 Public Domain Over the past 40 years, there has been a dramatic decline in fishery landings of an iconic Baltic Sea fish: the flounder. In the 1980s, the landings of the flounder fishery in the Gulf of Finland dropped by 90 per cent, a trend that was later confirmed by fishery-independent surveys. There are two cryptic (i.e. morphologically very similar) species of flounder in the Baltic Sea: the European flounder (Platichthys flesus), which spawn pelagic eggs in high-salinity offshore basins, and the recently described Baltic flounder (Platichthys solemdali), the only endemic fish of the Baltic Sea. The latter lays demersal eggs and is well adapted to the low salinities of the coastal waters of the Gulf of Finland and northern Baltic Proper. It was long assumed that only the demersal-spawning species occurs in the Gulf of Finland, where salinity is too low for P. flesus's reproduction. Researchers from the University of Helsinki developed a simple genetic test to distinguish the two species. By analyzing the DNA from flounders' ear bones collected over the past four decades, they discovered that European flounders were in fact once the most abundant species in the Gulf of Finland. However, they have almost completely disappeared. "We discovered that the decline in fishery landings closely mirrors in time the near-complete disappearance of the pelagic-spawning European floundera species that was not supposed to occur here. This speciesnot the Baltic flounderdominated local assemblages until three decades ago, but has since disappeared as a result of worsening environmental conditions," says researcher Paolo Momigliano from the University of Helsinki. European flounders cannot reproduce in the Gulf of Finland; their northernmost spawning ground is east of Gotland, in the eastern Gotland Basin. However, larvae and juveniles can be transported to the Gulf of Finland by deep water currents. Eutrophication and climate change have contributed to the worsening of environmental conditions in the eastern Gotland Basin. This, in turn, has likely greatly reduced the supply of larvae to the Gulf of Finland, explaining the near-complete disappearance of European flounders from the Finnish coast. Revealing the contribution of each species to flounder stocks is essential for the appropriate management of this marine resource. The test developed by the authors also provides the means to monitor the contribution of each species to the local flounder assemblages in real-time, and for the first time will allow estimations of demographic changes, resilience to climate change and exploitation, as well as each species' response to management. "But perhaps more importantly, our study demonstrates that cryptic species could become locally extinct before we even notice their presence," Momigliano says. DNA was extracted from 480 otoliths (ear bones), sampled from a collection containing over 29 000 flounder otoliths. These were collected annually from 1975 to 2011 as part of the routine sampling conducted by the Finnish Natural Resources Institute and its predecessor, Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute. Explore further The first endemic Baltic Sea fish species received its name More information: Paolo Momigliano et al, Cryptic temporal changes in stock composition explain the decline of a flounder (Platichthys spp.) assemblage, Evolutionary Applications (2018). Paolo Momigliano et al, Cryptic temporal changes in stock composition explain the decline of a flounder (Platichthys spp.) assemblage,(2018). DOI: 10.1111/eva.12738 The sampling site, the Old Cathedral of Coimbra (Se Velha de Coimbra) in Portugal. Credit: Miguel Mesquita To be listed as UNESCO World Heritage requires special care and protection of valuable cultural monuments and pieces of Art from threats such as biodeterioration caused by microcolonial black fungi. The culprits lodge their branch-like structures (hyphae) deep into the stone forming fissures and cracks and also produce polysaccharides that trigger corrosion. These fungi are well known for their unique resistance to hostile environmental conditions, including extreme temperatures, high solar and UV radiation, severe droughts and low abundance of nutrients. As a result, they survive in hot and cold deserts, saltpans, acidic and hydrocarbon-contaminated sites and exposed rocks surfaces. All of this makes them a particular challenge to conservationists and biologists who care for historic monuments. During a multi-disciplinary scientific survey at the 8-century-old cathedral Se Velha de Coimbra (Old Cathedral of Coimbra), which is the only Romanesque cathedral in Portugal to have survived relatively intact since the Reconquista times, scientists retrieved a peculiar slow-growing microcolonial black fungus. What Joao Trovao of the University of Coimbra (Portugal) and his colleagues were looking at turned out to be a species of a whole new family (Aeminiaceae) in the order of the sooty mould fungi. The new species, its new genus and the novel family are described in the open-access journal MycoKeys. The 'Santa Maria' chapel (top) and the artwork from which the scientists retrieved the studied fungi (bottom). Credit: Miguel Mesquita To define the new group of fungi, the researchers first scraped off samples from a deteriorated limestone artwork in the "Santa Maria" chapel and then conducted an extensive and integrative analysis, based on morphological, physiological, ecological characters and DNA sequences. As for the origin of the previously unknown fungus, the scientists hypothesise that the species had 'arrived' at the Old Cathedral of Coimbra with the limestone used during its construction. Coming from the unique nearby areas of Anca and Portunhos, such limestone has been used on several of the "Our Ladies of the O" statues, as well as in the portal of the Royal Hospital in Santiago de Compostela (Spain). Currently, these fungi are considered endemic to the limestone quarries in the Iberian Peninsula. "Regarding stone monuments exposed to the environment, microcolonial black fungi are considered one of the main culprits for the phenomenon of stone biodeterioration, being responsible for severe aesthetic, biochemical and biophysical alterations," comment the scientists. Colony of the newly described black fungus species Aeminium ludgeri. Credit: Joao Trovao "It is, therefore, crucial to gather deeper knowledge regarding their biodiversity and their biological, ecological and physiological unique characteristics, in order to span our knowledge regarding these fungi and, at the same time, allow the development and improvement of tools to protect stone monuments from their deteriorative effects." Explore further Stowaway fungi hitch a ride with birds to be with their plant partners More information: Joao Trovao et al, Description of Aeminiaceae fam. nov., Aeminium gen. nov. and Aeminium ludgeri sp. nov. (Capnodiales), isolated from a biodeteriorated art-piece in the Old Cathedral of Coimbra, Portugal, MycoKeys (2019). Joao Trovao et al, Description of Aeminiaceae fam. nov., Aeminium gen. nov. and Aeminium ludgeri sp. nov. (Capnodiales), isolated from a biodeteriorated art-piece in the Old Cathedral of Coimbra, Portugal,(2019). DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.45.31799 Strong spider mite infestation on a young lemon plant. Credit: Paramecium While fighting over females is common among male animals in the wild, these fights rarely result in death. You can't pass on your genes when you're dead or badly injured. So why do the males in some colonies of the tiny spider mite (Stigmaeopsis miscanthi) display aggressive, and sometimes deadly, behavior against rival males, while the males in other colonies do not, and how did this behavior evolve? Recent research published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, led by Professor Yukie Sato of the University of Tsukuba, Japan, shows that if you are a male Stigmaeopsis miscanthi mite, where you live is likely to determine your level of aggression. These social spider mites infest Chinese silver grass, producing silk to create woven shelters that protect the colony on the underside of leaves. They raise their young collectively, and the males fight to protect their fellow mites when predatory mites invade the shelter. In some places, male mites in the same colony kill each other, dominate the colony, and create a harem. Aggressiveness between males within the same colony is low in colder regions, high in warmer regions, and mild in subtropical regions of Japan. Prof. Sato believes that this can be explained by an evolutionary theory called kin selection theory, in which individuals have evolved to favor those who are genetically related to them. She predicts that mother-son mating occurs in colder regions much more than in warmer regions. Females enter diapause, a type of hibernation, and can overwinter. Males do not enter diapause, but some males overwinter in the warmer regions. Virgin females who overwinter must mate with males to produce daughters. If there are no males, females produce haploid sons from unfertilized eggs. The females then mate with their sons, producing diploid daughters from fertilized eggs, to establish their spring nests. So in the colder regions, males only encounter other related males. In warmer regions, overwintering females can avoid mother-son matings because some males overwinter, therefore, the males encounter both related and unrelated males. In the subtropical regions, the males only encounter unrelated males. The theory predicts that, when related and unrelated males exist together, males are more likely to kill an unrelated stranger than their brother or uncle. Therefore, male killing frequently occurs in the warmer regions. To test this theory and to work out how these mites evolved their unique behavior, Prof. Sato and her colleagues investigated the aggressiveness and phylogenetics (evolutionary relationships) of different populations of mites distributed along two land bridges between the Japanese archipelago and the eastern Eurasian continent. Because male aggressive behavior is likely to vary depending on experimental conditions, they took advantage of the fact that males use their first pair of legs in the fights: Males with longer first legs usually win. The researchers measured the relative length of the first leg in 42 mite populations and categorized the mites into three distinct forms of aggression: low, high, and mild. As expected, these forms of aggression corresponded to the geographical origins of the mite populations, with the low form inhabiting the colder regions, the mild form in the subtropical regions and the high form in the hotter regions. So how have the mites evolved this geographic variation in aggressiveness? To answer this question, the researchers developed sophisticated and advanced computer simulations of different hypothetical migration history scenarios. They also considered the historical expansion in the geographical location of the host plant, Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis), since the evolution of herbivores such as the spider mite is often associated with their host plants. In one scenario, the researchers hypothesized that if the mite shared the same geographical expansion as the grass, the populations with mild aggressiveness in the subtropical region are expected to be the ancestor group, and the two forms with low and high aggressiveness will have emerged during its migration into the north. Their simulations showed that this scenario is indeed the most likely and that the low form was split from the mild form during the last glacial period (20,00040,000 years ago), and subsequently, the high form was split from the mild form at the end of or after the last glacial period (5,49410,988 years ago). This suggests that the high form is quite new and emerged in Japan at the end or after the height of the last glacial period (about 21,000 years ago); that is, when a warmer and moister climate returned, and the Japanese archipelago was completely isolated from the Eurasian continent and Taiwan Islands. The results also suggest that the mite invaded Japan more than once, resulting in the present, partially overlapping distribution of low and high forms in eastern Japan. Thus, it appears that aggressiveness in male spider mites is related to geographical location and the resulting climate: as the temperature rises, so do their tempers. Explore further Researchers discover new male variant of bulb mite More information: Yukie Sato et al. Phylogeography of lethal male fighting in a social spider mite, Ecology and Evolution (2019). Journal information: Ecology and Evolution Yukie Sato et al. Phylogeography of lethal male fighting in a social spider mite,(2019). DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4770 Workers erect a fence along the Denmark Germany border at Padborg, Denmark, Monday Jan. 28, 2019. Denmark has begun erecting a 70-kilometer (43.4-mile) fence along the German border to keep out wild boars in an attempt to prevent the spread of African swine fever, which could jeopardize the country's valuable pork industry. (Frank Cilius/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) Denmark has begun erecting a 70-kilometer (43.4-mile) fence along the German border to keep out wild boars in an attempt to prevent the spread of African swine fever, which could jeopardize the country's valuable pork industry. Work on the fence, which will be up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall, began Monday in Padborg, 220 kilometers (136 miles) southwest of Copenhagen. It was authorized by Danish lawmakers in June after the government warned that Denmark's pork exports to non-European Union countriesworth 11 billion kroner ($1.6 billion) annuallycould be affected by African swine fever. In 2016, total Danish pork exports were worth about 30 billion kroner ($4.55 billion). Unlike swine flu, African swine fever doesn't affect humans but it can be deadly for domestic and wild boars, and cause massive losses for farmers. Critics say the 30 million-kroner ($4.6 million) fence will harm wildlife and is a symbolic gesture tackling a largely non-existent problem. Danish officials have admitted that wild animals could, in theory, pass through the gaps in the fence where it crosses highways, roads and streams. No cases of African swine fever have yet been reported in Germany, though they have been in some neighboring countries. German news agency DPA reported Monday that Jan Philipp Albrecht, the agriculture minister of the neighboring German state of Schleswig-Holstein, as saying the disease is "a serious threat for animals and the pig market." However, it said he added that "we have significant doubts about the usefulness and necessity of a fence between Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein." Workers erect a fence along the Denmark Germany border at Padborg, Denmark, Monday Jan. 28, 2019. Denmark has begun erecting a 70-kilometer (43.4-mile) fence along the German border to keep out wild boars in an attempt to prevent the spread of African swine fever, which could jeopardize the country's valuable pork industry. (Frank Cilius/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) According to the European statistical agency Eurostat, there are some 150 million pigs in the EU, and 40 percent of them are in Spain and Germany, with significant numbers also in France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland. Denmark is the only EU country where pigs outnumber people, with 215 pigs to every 100 residents. Explore further Danes to fence German border to stop boars with swine fever 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Watts Towers in Los Angeles. Credit: Wikipedia Thirteen miles from the coast, marine biologist Bruno Pernet was himself surrounded by concrete, asphalt and an assortment of roughly 10,000 seashells. There were the iridescent shells of black abalone, the chalky shells of California Venus clams and the sun-bleached shells of Pismo clams. No such specimens had seen the ocean for decades, and some had been on dry land for nearly a century. All of them adorn the Watts Towers, the folk-art monument that rises like a do-it-yourself cathedral above a neighborhood of modest one-story homes in South Los Angeles. Pernet spends most of his professional time studying the larval stages of worms and snails that inhabit the Southern California coast. But over the past 10 years, he has channeled some of his scientific expertise into this national historic landmark in pursuit of an unlikely obsession. His goal is to identify the species and provenance of all the shells on the 17 structures that make up the iconic sculpture. He calls it the Watts Towers Bivalve Inventory Project. It is an audacious and time-consuming undertaking, but he believes it is scientifically worthwhile. Though the shells were intended as decorative elements, collectively they create a physical record of the clams, snails, mussels, and other mollusks that inhabited the local shoreline over a 30-year period between the 1920s and 1950s, when the towers were being built. "If this were a museum collection, all the shells would have labels," Pernet said. "Here, the labels were missing." Pernet's friend and colleague, Christine Whitcraft, said the unusual quest is not as crazy as it might sound. "Creativity and science are usually juxtaposed to each other," she said, "but I think good science is done with creative thinking." The Watts Towers were built by Sabato Rodia, an Italian immigrant who worked odd jobs and had no training in art, sculpture or architecture. He purchased a triangle-shaped property on East 107th Street in 1921 and began building the towers that year. It took him more than three decades to complete the project, working in his spare time. Rodia created his sculpture out of structural steel, chicken wire and mortar. He climbed the towers as if they were monkey bars, and decorated them with recycled materials, including glass bottles, broken tiles and shards of mirrors. The result is a stunning tour through one man's boundless creativity. "When you walk inside, it's a very spiritual feeling," said Rosie Lee Hooks, executive director of the Watts Towers Arts Center Campus. "I've been here 20 years and I'm still finding surprises. It's just amazing that one person can do all that by themselves." In 1954, Rodia declared his artwork finished, abruptly deeded the property to a neighbor, and moved to Northern California to be closer to family. He died 10 years later. Rodia, who stood less than 5 feet tall, never clearly articulated what drove him to create his magnum opus, which reaches a height of 99 { feet. He told one interviewer: "I wanted to do something. I wanted to do something big." To another he said, "You gotta do something they never got 'em in the world." There are no drawing board designs, no recipes for the cement mix he used. When discussing his work on the towers, he had a tendency to change his story depending on his audience and his mood. "There's a lot of anecdotal information and history, but it's hard to know what to believe," said Mark Gilberg of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, who is currently managing a three-year restoration of the towers. Pernet first visited Watts Towers in the spring of 2009. He was new to the city and a friend and fellow biologist had offered to show him around. "I don't really remember what else we did," Pernet said. "Watts Towers sticks out in my mind because I spent such a long time thinking about it afterwards." He was transfixed by the shells from the moment he stepped inside the sculpture's wavy walls. Having just completed a survey of clams in Alamitos Bay, he was primed to notice that the shells were frequently grouped by size, but not necessarily by species. Pernet wanted to investigate further, but it would be three years before the California State University, Long Beach professor found the time. "Identifying all the shells on a giant work of art is interesting, but it's not going to get you tenure," he said. In 2012 he took a sabbatical to work at the University of Hawaii's Marine Lab in Honolulu, where he learned new techniques to study invertebrate embryos. He returned to the mainland a few weeks before he was due back on the Long Beach campus. At last, he could turn his attention to his passion project. He asked the Watts Towers conservation team for permission to wander freely among the towers weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (Generally, the public may access the site only on a free guided tour.) Then he sent a note to Paul Valentich-Scott, a curator at the Santa Barbara Museum of History and author of two comprehensive books on the bivalves of the western United States. "I definitely need a clam expert to help me solidify my identifications, and you are the obvious person, for sure!" Pernet wrote. Valentich-Scott was on board. "It was way out of left field, but I love new challenges," he said. "My feeling was, 'Why not?'" Pernet began identifying shells in the various regions of the towers. When he was stumped, he sent photos to Valentich-Scott. To organize his research, Pernet used a schematic map that broke Rodia's sculpture into nearly 100 discrete sections. He tackled a few sections a day, documenting all the species of shells he observed. In some ways it was similar to his more traditional fieldworkidentifying species in the coastal mudflats of Southern California, gauging their abundance, and keeping detailed notes of where each specimen was found. But cataloging creatures in a marine ecosystem is more straightforward than taking an inventory of Rodia's creation, Pernet said. On a mud flat he can create a simple square grid, label the sections and record the animal species found in each one. The towers, on the other hand, are rambling and unwieldy. Built free-form from Rodia's imagination, they don't lend themselves to easy categorizations or boundaries. Pernet was able to identify many of the most common shells by sight, taking into consideration the size and shape of the shell, and what biologists call shell sculpture. "There are all kinds of raised parts of a shellsome that run parallel to the edge, others that are perpendicular," he said. "We can use all of those things to identify it." What they couldn't use was the interior of the shells, which were stuck in the cement. "The outside only gives you part of the story," Valentich-Scott said. "There are a lot of structures inside a shell that help a ton with identification." For example, there may be teeth along the top interior edge of a shell that hint at how the animal once attached itself. There may also be indications of the shape of the muscles it used to keep the shell closed. Pernet had hoped to find some information about where Rodia collected the estimated 10,000 shells that adorn the towers, but records were hard to come by. The most direct lead he found was in a 1962 letter written by the historian Claudio Segre. According to Segre, Rodia said he picked up the shells while walking along the shore from San Pedro to Long Beach. In the end, Pernet and Valentich-Scott identified 34 species embedded in the towers24 bivalves and 10 snails. They also determined that Rodia probably found most of the shells on local beaches because 29 of the species were native to Southern California. (The other five were from Northern California and Florida; how Rodia obtained them isn't clear.) Many of the shells that were common on local beaches in Rodia's dayincluding the California Venus clam and black abalonehave since disappeared from the coastline, driven away by disease or by invasive species that replaced them. "If he was building this today, it would be really different," Pernet said. Pernet has classified most of the shells on the towers, and he said he's come to terms with the fact that he won't be able to identify each and every one. Shells are among the most vulnerable materials used on the towers, said Gilberg, the conservationist. If you look closely, you'll find many instances where all that remains is the edge of a shell, or even worse, just the ghost of its impression in the cement. "The shells turn to dust over time," Gilberg said. "This work gives us more information about what was there." The conservation team is now focused on repairing cracks in the three tallest towers. In the future, Pernet's work could help the team decide which shells should replace the ones that have broken or disappeared. The results of Pernet's project appeared this month in the Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies. The research paper also includes a link to a downloadable pictorial guide to the shells of the Watts Towers. While the publication is nice, he said the real inspiration for the work was to satisfy his curiosity. "It just seemed like a cool question to answer," he said. 2019 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. PANAMA CITY (AP) Young people challenged Pope Francis on the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal and the plight of Christians in the Middle East as the youth took center stage Saturday in the final events of World Youth Day in Panama. Organizers said some 600,000 people turned out for Saturday's main event, an evening vigil service in the Metropark area of east Panama City. Many of them were spending the night in tents or just on sleeping mats to be in place for an early morning final Mass formally ending the religious festival. After looping through the cheering crowds in his popemobile, Francis told the young he understood their anxieties and fears for a future where jobs are scarce and education not always available. "It is easy enough to criticize and complain about young people if we are depriving them of the jobs, education and community opportunities they need to take root and to dream of a future," he told the pilgrims, many of whom clutched rosaries, swayed in prayer and draped themselves in flags from across the Americas and beyond. The vigil was the culmination of a busy day for Francis that included a luncheon with 10 young pilgrims representing each of the continents. The Vatican described the atmosphere as familiar and festive, and the young people said they were surprised at Francis' informality and interest in their questions. Brenda Noriega, a Mexican-born youth minister from San Bernardino, California, said she told Francis that the sex abuse scandal in the United States was a "crisis right now we cannot avoid talking about." She said Francis called abuse a "horrible crime" and assured her that the church was committed to supporting victims. She said Francis also stressed the need for prayer, noting that he sent U.S. bishops on a retreat with his own preacher earlier this month ahead of his big summit on abuse prevention in February at the Vatican. "For me as a youth minister, that means a lot," Noriega told reporters after the luncheon. "Youth ministers, we have been with people who have been angry but sometimes we forget about prayer. We react too easy and too fast. So I think what His Holiness is telling us and the church is to first pray, build community and not forget about accompaniment." Story continues It was the first time the abuse scandal has come up publicly during Francis' four-day visit to Panama. The abuse scandal hasn't erupted publicly in Central America in the same way it has in the U.S., where the Catholic hierarchy is facing a crisis in confidence over its decades-long failures to protect young people from priests who rape and molest children. During the luncheon, held on the campus of Panama City's main seminary, the guests peppered Francis with questions. Palestinian pilgrim Dana Salah said she asked Francis about the flight of Christians from the lands of Jesus' birth. She said the pope assured her "'Palestine will always remain the land of Jesus.'" Emilda Santo Montezuma, an indigenous Panamanian, said she spoke to Francis about the environment and the rights of indigenous peoples two issues particularly dear to Francis' heart which will be the focus of a meeting of Amazonian bishops at the Vatican later this year. Francis' support, she said, would embolden indigenous people to fight for their rights. "It fills me with a lot of strength and to say to young people that we can do a lot, and more than we have done," she told reporters. Francis started the day by reopening Panama City's main cathedral, Santa Maria la Antigua, which is considered the first cathedral of mainland America. He also consecrated its altar after a yearslong renovation, rubbing holy oil onto the altar's marble top, his vestment sleeves rolled up. In his homily, Francis spoke frankly about the pressures, frustrations and anxieties facing priests and nuns in a rapidly changing world where it sometimes seems the Catholic message has no place. Francis warned their weariness can sometimes be paralyzing due to the burdens of their work and the "toxic" conditions in some of their communities. "The weariness of hope comes from seeing a church wounded by her own sin, which so often failed to hear all those cries that echoed the cry of the Master: 'My God, why have you forsaken me?'" Francis said. Francis wraps up his visit Sunday with the morning Mass and a visit to a church-run home for people suffering HIV. JOURNALIST Godofredo Godo Roperos died Monday, Jan. 28, at the age of 88.He suffered from pneumonia.According to his daughter, Maria Fe Alcantara, her father started his writing career at the University JOURNALIST Godofredo Godo Roperos died Monday, Jan. 28, at the age of 88. He suffered from pneumonia. According to his daughter, Maria Fe Alcantara, her father started his writing career at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City at the age of 19. Roperos, who was an associate editor of the Sunday Times Magazine, a weekly supplement of the Manila Times, won the National Press Club-ESSO Silangan Journalism Contest twice. He won second prize in magazine writing for his feature The Filipino Farmer and his Grain of Rice, which came out in the annual progress report of The Manila Times in 1961. Roperos also won first prize in general reporting for his report on the Malalag, Davao del Sur Philippine Airlines plane crash in March 1963, which was headlined in The Manila Times. After serving as regional director of the then Department of Public Information from 1974 to 1980, he returned to newspaper work. Alcantara said Roperos was a pioneer columnist (Politics Also) of Sun.Star Daily (now SunStar Cebu), when the newspaper opened in 1982. He stopped writing his column in 2013. (EOB) (L-R) Former Senator Sergio Osmena III and re-electionist Senator Aquilino Koko Pimentel III MANILA, Philippines Former Senator Sergio Osmena III and re-electionist Senator Aquilino Koko Pimentel III are both included in the recently released list of senatorial candidates for the 2019 midterm polls. But it doesnt follow however, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), that the two candidates are cleared of their respective disqualification cases. Ang clarification kaninang umaga, it would appear na wala pang lumalabas na decision sa dalawang kaso na iyan. Basically they are on the list provided by the Law Department because they are not nuisance candidates, clarified Comelec Spokesperson Director James Jimenez. Senator Koko Pimentel is facing two disqualification cases for allegedly breaching the two consecutive term limit on a senators tenure. He first won in 2007 but he was only proclaimed in August 2011 when the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) favored his election protest against Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri. Meanwhile, the Comelec Campaign Finance Office petitioned to disqualify Osmena due to his non-submission of his statement of contribution and expenditures (SOCE) when he ran in the senatorial race in 2011 and 2016 respectively. Jimenez explained, Pimentel and Osmenas names will still be included in the ballots if their respective disqualification cases remain unresolved until the first week of February when the official printing of election ballots commences. Kung nagpi-printing na then, yes, it will remain. And if they are somehow disqualified then, notice will go out, Jimenez said. So it is possible that they also be substituted because substitution after November 29 is available for candidates running with political parties and for reasons of death or disqualification, he explained further. The National Printing Office remains on status quo unless the Comelec en banc and Law Department decide on Pimental and Osmenas cases until the final printing of ballots begin. Marje Pelayo (with reports from Aiko Miguel) The post No decision yet on Pimentel, Osmena disqualification cases Comelec appeared first on UNTV News. Israeli rescue specialists arrive at a site where a body was found inside a vehicle stuck in the mud, days after a dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. Firefighters on Monday carefully moved over treacherous mud, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling, in search of survivors or bodies four days after a dam collapse that buried mine buildings and surrounding neighborhoods with iron ore waste. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) BRUMADINHO, Brazil (AP) -- The Latest on that collapse of an iron ore mining company's dam in Brazil (all times local): 7:55 p.m. Officials say the death toll from the mine dam collapse in Brazil has increased to 65 people and that 279 people are missing. The death toll earlier Monday stood at 60. Lt. Col. Flavio Godinho of the Minas Gerais state civil defense department also told reporters Monday that 192 people have been rescued, a number that has not changed since an earlier announcement about those rescued. Officials have said they expect the death toll to rise "exponentially." ___ 7:45 p.m. Brazilian mining company Vale says it is giving emergency funding of $26,000 each families of victims of the company mine collapse that killed at least 60 people and left nearly 300 missing. Vale executive Luciano Siani told reporters Monday that the company is handing out the money "so families are immediately provided for, to give them some relief." Siana says the emergency funding will be provided to families with relatives confirmed dead and families with missing relatives. He says Vale is also sending to the disaster site a team of psychologists that specializes in catastrophe trauma to help families. ___ 6:20 p.m. A Catholic priest for a church now being used as a command center for officials trying to rescue people after a mining company dam burst says many of the church's parishioners are believed to be buried in mud. Priest Rene Lopez says the community of Brumadinho will rebuild "but it will be harder to rebuild our hearts." He called the massive mud and debris flow that inundated much of the town last Friday "an open wound for all of the people in Brumadinho." At least 60 people died, nearly 300 are missing and officials said Monday that they believe the death toll will go much higher. ___ 5:10 p.m. Brazilian mining company Vale says a lawyer who said the company's board of directors would not step down following a mine collapse that killed at least 60 people was not authorized to speak for the world's largest iron ore producer. Story continues Monday's statement came after Vale lawyer Sergio Berdumes said in an interview in the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that "no wrongdoing has been proven." He also told the newspaper that "there was no negligence." Vale says the company's board is trying to discover the facts of what happened following the collapse of the dam at an iron ore complex, which buried buildings owned by Vale and inundated neighborhoods. Officials in Minas Gerais state say nearly 300 people are missing following the collapse of the dam last Friday and that the death toll is expected to grow "exponentially." ___ 4 p.m. Shares of big Brazilian mining company Vale SA have plummeted following a mine collapse that killed at least 60 people and left nearly 300 missing. The company's American depository shares on the New York Stock Exchange were down 17.6 percent in Monday afternoon trading, to $11.26 each. A treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out Friday when the iron ore mine's dam breached is up to 24 feet (8 meters) deep in some places. Sen. Renan Calheiros is calling for Vale's board of directors to step down and Attorney General Raquel Dodge says that Vale executives could be held responsible. The company is the world's largest producer of iron ore, the raw ingredient for making steel. ___ 2 p.m. Firefighters say the death toll from a Brazilian mine dam collapse has risen to 60, with 292 people still missing. In an ominous sign, nobody was recovered alive Sunday. The slow pace of search efforts is due to the treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out when the mine dam breached Friday afternoon. It is up 24 feet (8 meters) deep in some places. Meanwhile, anger is growing at the company that operates the mine. Sen. Renan Calheiros is calling for Vale's board of directors to step down and Attorney General Raquel Dodge says that Vale executives could be held responsible. ___ 7:15 a.m. A German company that last year inspected the dam in Brazil that collapsed Friday says it's working with authorities investigating the deadly disaster in which at least 58 people died. TUEV Sued, based in Munich, confirmed Monday that it had conducted a periodic review of dams for Brazilian mining company Vale in July 2018 and a regular inspection of dam safety in September last year. The company declined to provide further details about the reviews, which were commissioned by Vale. But TUEV Sued said it was "fully supporting the investigations and making all required documents available to the investigating authorities." Brazilian authorities say up to 300 people are still missing after iron ore waste from a mine that flooded the mine complex and nearby neighborhoods in the southeastern city of Brumadinho. ___ 2 a.m. Firefighters in Brazil are carefully moving over treacherous mud, sometimes even crawling, in search of survivors or bodies left by a dam collapse that buried mine buildings and surrounding neighborhoods with iron ore waste. The confirmed death toll rose to 58 late Sunday, with up to 300 people still missing, according to authorities. In an ominous sign, nobody was recovered alive Sunday, a stark difference from the first two days of the disaster, when helicopters were whisking people from the mud. A treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out when the mine's dam breached Friday afternoon is up to 24 feet (8 meters) deep in some places. Search efforts were suspended about 10 hours Sunday because of fears that a second mine dam in the southeastern city of Brumadinho was at risk of failing. An estimated 24,000 people were told to get to higher ground. Colombia Hoy Para nunca olvidar Paginas vistas en total 'Parasite' painted on a statue of Queen, Elizabeth in Kent, England Sin palabras La UE le apunta a la paz Cada vez mas solo Follow by Email Precio del Brent To get the BRENT oil price, please enable Javascript. Dolar USA Vs Euro LULA y su Pueblo Bye Bye Homenaje al genial Quino Fueron ellos Una imagen que resume Tan bajo ha caido que se deja tocar el trasero? Porky y el Nene (archiconocido narcotraficante) Ladrones al poder Asi mira el perrito a su amo Crazy Clamor popular La nueva inquisicion Bolivia Chile Hoy Eso es todo amigos! Pinerachet No More Trump Adios Macri, hasta nunca La Marioneta se desinfla Asi o mas cinico Almugre Mexico en 1794 Mas arrastrado imposible La pura verdad Solidaridad con Palestina Serie Capitalismo Espejismos de la clase trabajadora Comerciantes o delincuentes Asi es la vida USA HOY La avaricia no tiene limites Chile Hoy Asi son las cosas Mapa Electoral de Venezuela Patagonia argentina? Un aniversario mas del mayor genocidio de la Humanidad Retrato del franquismo en Espana El Chulo de Madrid Cuando la policia se roba la democracia Una imagen dice mas que mil palabras La purita verdad Asi gobierna la maldita burguesia Mi pobre clase media Como Chavez nadie Comparte La Colmena via twitter Twittear Programa de la MUD Asi o mas clarito Por que Trump no ataco Corea del Norte? 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Por culpa de Chavez Cerveza Polar Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar Translate LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares? Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano... Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos: Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias. Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera. No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje. En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio. Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida. Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella. Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal. Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista. Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen. Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che? Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio. Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora. Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo. Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo. Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania. No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar. Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga. Alguna duda? Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia. OZ1 OZ2 OZ3 OZ4 Homenaje a Jason Galarraga La Victoria de Samotracia Odalisca Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008 La Sierra Nevada de Merida Nuestro precioso Churum Meru Homenaje a Picasso Autoretrato Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola? La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar. Mi profesion? Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos. Sal en la Coca Cola? A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar. De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla: Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido) azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa) Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas Mucha Cafeina Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja. Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos. Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja. En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero). Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma. La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate. Bebidas Light? Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal. Publicado por loretahur En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina: 1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias. 2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina. 3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard. 4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos. 5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla. 6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos. Ahora... sobre la margarina: 1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) . 2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias. 3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno). 4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer. 5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna. 6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo. 7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina. Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas: * No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo). * No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!! No a la guerra, Si a la Paz Misterios de la ciencia... Los costos de la guerra medicos y capitalismo... medicos (2) Quien educa a nuestros hijos? Los Medios... Sin Palabras... Chistes feministas - Cual es el problema, Eva? - Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas. - Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas... - Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti. - Que es un hombre? - Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente. - Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente. - Cual es el truco?. - Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion. - Cual? - Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer. Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos Ellas (2)... Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1 Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije: -Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro. Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria. Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre? -Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa! VENGANZA NUMERO 2 Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris. A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita: - Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!! Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta. La mujer paso quince dias en Francia. El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla. Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es: - Y amor me trajiste mi francesita?? - Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina. VENGANZA NUMERO 3 El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion. - No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo. - Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz. Te quiero confesar algo. - Esta bien, esta bien. Habla! - He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga. - Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!! machismo y cibernetica Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston. -Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad. El simio hace la sena de OK. -Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?. El simio hace la sena de OK. -Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide. -Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!. .Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos. Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco. Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas Gol !!!! Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso! Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy! The state-held National Oil Corporation (NOC) of Libya has a budget of US$50 billion to invest in its oil and gas sector this year, as it looks to overcome safety and security challenges and restore oil production to the pre-civil war level of 1.6 million bpd, the chairman of one of NOCs subsidiaries told S&P Global Platts in Japan. Fifty billion dollars is the budget for this year to improve oil and gas production and to improve downstream [operations] but most of this is for crude oil, Shaaban Bsebsu, chairman of Ras Lanuf Oil & Gas Processing Company, told Platts on the sidelines of an industry event in Tokyo. Libya is looking to boost its crude oil production to 1.6 million bpd in 2019 from around 1 million bpd currently, as it aims to solve security issues and invest in the upgrade of the old oil producing systems. Libya plans to have its crude oil production reach 2 million bpd next year, according to the manager. Bsebsu, however, underlined the security challenges Libyas oil sector faces, with various militant groups striving to gain control over oil infrastructure and assets. The countrys budget deficit halved in 2018 compared to 2017, thanks to higher revenues from oil, Libyas central bank said earlier this month. It is the central bank that allocates the budget to NOC, after authorization from the internationally recognized government in Tripoli. Related: The Venezuela Benefit For Canadian Oil Producers Is Limited Yet, analysts think that with presidential and legislative elections this year, Libya could continue to face security problems at its oil infrastructure. Libyas oil production and exports have been disrupted since early December, due to port closures courtesy of bad weather as well as security incidents and issues at its largest oil field Sharara, which remains shut-in since early December. NOCs chairman Mustafa Sanalla said last week that in order to increase production rates and contribute to national growth, NOC must remain independent and removed from all political or military bargaining. NOC reaffirms its call for the immediate and unconditional restoration of security at Sharara. We reject any type of blackmail and intimidation, as we work to improve the lives of every Libyan, Sanalla said in a statement. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: This weekend, Germany became the latest large European economy to lay out a plan to phase out coal-fired power generation, aimed at cutting carbon emissionsa metric in which Berlin has been lagging in recent years. A government-appointed special commission at Europes largest economy announced on Saturday the conclusions of its months-long review and proposed Germany to shut all its 84 coal-fired power plants by 2038. While Germany will mostly seek to replace coal capacity with renewables, the countrys suppliers of natural gas expect to benefit from the coal exit because natural gas-fired capacity could offer steady supply. Norway, currently Germanys third biggest natural gas supplier after Russia and the Netherlands, expects demand for gas in Germany to increase, Irene Rummelhoff, member of the executive committee and Executive Vice President, Marketing, Midstream & Processing (MMP) at Equinor, told Reuters last week, before the German coal commission announced the conclusions of its report. Norway and Equinor compete with Russian gas supplies. Then there is the possibility that the Gazprom-led Nord Stream 2 pipeline project between Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea become operational, despite all the controversies surrounding it and the steady opposition from the U.S. and some EU states like Poland and Lithuania. Still, Equinor believes that there would be a larger market for its gas in Germany, because Berlinalso on track to shut down nuclear capacity by 2022cant start running on renewables only while it also phases out coal, according to Equinors Rummelhoff. I think it could be an increasing market for us going forward, the manager told Reuters at an industry event in Berlin. Related: Russia-Ukraine Enter Gas Transit Talks The quicker the phase-out (of coal), the stronger the demand for gas as I see it because there is no other viable alternative, Rummelhoff added. The residential heating sector and the public transport sector are expected to need more gas, according to Equinors manager. Germany, where coal hard coal and lignite combined provide around 35 percent of power generation, has a longer timetable for phasing out coal than the UK and Italy, for examplewho plan their coal exit by 2025not only because of its vast coal industry, but also because Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants within three years. The government ordered in 2011 the immediate shutdown of eight of its 17 reactors in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan, and plans to phase out nuclear by 2022. The closure of all nuclear reactors in Germany by 2022 means that Germany might need to retain half of its coal-fired power generation until 2030 to offset the nuclear phase-out, German Economy and Energy Minister Peter Altmaier said last week. According to the coal commissions phase-out proposalwhich needs the approval of the government some 24 coal-fired plants will be shut by 2022. Then, by 2030, Germany is expected to still have eight coal plants operating, Los Angeles Times special correspondent Erik Kirschbaum writes. The commission also proposes the timetable and targets for the coal phase-out to be reviewed every three years and the final coal exit could be pushed forward to 2035, if possible. Related: Theres No Slowing U.S. Natural Gas Production The commission proposals would have serious consequences for RWEs lignite business, Germanys largest utility said on Saturday. The Commissions recommended end date of 2038 for coal-fired power generation is far too early for the company. It is therefore reasonable to re-examine this date in 2032, RWE said in a statement, noting that an extension should also be considered, in order to ensure security of power supply. Last year, renewables beat coal as the main source of Germanys energy for the first time ever, taking more than a 40-percent share of power generation. Going forward, renewables are expected to account for a growing share, but Germanys suppliers of gas also see opportunities in replacing coal because of what they view as more reliable supply than intermittent renewables. Norway and Equinor will have to compete with Russia for a larger share of the German natural gas market, as well as with liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in the works in Germany. According to Equinors Rummelhoff, Germanys rationale for LNG terminals is diversification rather than capacity. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Forecasters project a large increase in U.S. oil production over 2019. The size of this increase ranges from four hundred and twenty thousand barrels per day (Citibank) to 1.7 million barrels per day (OPEC). The most recent forecast, issued January 18 by the IEA, sees an increase of almost eight hundred thousand barrels per day. (Figure 1 presents the production history and forecast from the EIAs latest Short-Term Energy Outlook.) (Click to enlarge) The output increase is primarily associated with the rise in production in the key onshore provinces where fracking occurs: Anadarko, Bakken, Eagle Ford, Niobrara, and Permian. The optimism expressed in these forecasts is understandable when considering just how spectacular the production surge from these areas has been. This continued expansion and the realization of these optimistic forecasts, however, could be threatened by the collapse of frackings silent companions: oil future buyers. Reuters reported recently on the demise of several energy hedge funds in 2018. One commentator noted the massive decline in the number of funds and no replacements. He even went so far as to suggest that there had been a near extinction event in commodities hedge funds. The article notes that the number of hedge funds focused on oil or gas declined to 179 in 2018 through September from 194 in 2016. The authors added that many funds lost money in 2018 because they placed increasingly large bets on the rally continuing through the end of 2018. They were harshly punished when prices fell from $85 to $50 per barrel. The decline in speculative interest in oil will probably create a serious problem for some independent producers because these firms need to hedge some or all incremental output against price declines. Declining interest in oil will raise the cost of hedging, possibly putting it out of reach of some firms. This, it can be argued, is frackings Achilles heel. Related: Private Investment In Natural Resources Hits Record High The frackers problems will be compounded by continued demands that producers pay dividends and return capital. As the various investors quoted by Bethany McLean in Saudi America explained, the fracking business has rarely if ever been cash-flow positive. The consequence could be stagnation or even a decline in U.S. production from end-December 2018 levels by the close of 2019. The basis of this contrarian view can be illustrated by a comparison of the production rise and the increase in key hedge positions as reported by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the InterContinental Exchange (for Brent). Figure 2 compares the short positions of swap dealers and merchants in crude futures with the production increases from the five key fracking provinces. Note that open interest peaked in August 2013 and then began to decline. Production peaked twenty months later in March 2016. Its decrease then followed that of open interest. Note also that open interest bottomed in February 2016. The production recovery began eleven months later in January 2017. The short open interest held by merchants and swap dealers peaked again in May 2018. It has declined since. If historical patterns hold, one should expect U.S. production to begin dropping later this year. (Click to enlarge) Figure 3 offers a second, more concerning presentation of the data. This graph compares U.S. production to days of oil hedged. Note first that only around one hundred and thirty days of production were hedged where the data begin. By mid-2011, almost four hundred days of production were hedged. The volume then declined, and the drop was followed by the major production decrease from these fields. Coverage peaked again at three hundred days in May 2018 and then fell to two hundred and forty-five days at the end of the year. Related: Huge Backlog Could Trigger New Wave Of Shale Oil (Click to enlarge) The hedge data can be read as a warning that the capital expenditures of independent producers may be constrained in 2019. All these firms will meet with their bankers in the next two or three months. The bankers will likely demand to see the companies hedging plans. In some cases, the E&P firms will discover that the cost of hedging their next few wells will force them to curtail or even cancel their 2019 drilling programs. This conclusion assumes the hedging/production time lag observed from 2013 to 2016 occurs again. The linkage between the production hedged and the rise in output from fracked wells seems clear. In sum, the shutdown of the energy-focused hedge funds could have a very real and important impact on activity in the oil patch. Another downturn similar to that of 2015 and 2016 could be coming. By Philip K. Verleger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: [January 28, 2019] Trigent Strengthens its Management Team to Support Rapid Growth and Expansion Plans BOSTON, January 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Trigent Software, a global technology solutions company, is excited to announce the strengthening of its management team with the appointment of Thanuj Madanakesari as Head of Sales, and Arockiasamy Satya as Director of Digital Marketing. Thanuj will lead Trigent's go-to-market strategy and sales operations in India while Satya will be responsible for Trigent's digital marketing initiatives. These two transformative leaders with broad experience in driving strategic change will propel the company forward on its growth trajectory. Thanuj comes with 20+ years of experience as a proven leader in building and growing world-class sales organizations. He has worked in various capacities in business development and sales strategy with leading organizations such as Sato, Goldstone, Xenia, ArisGlobal, and IBM (US). Thanuj has represented NASSCOM as an elite delegate in their European IT Conference held in Germany ad Switzerland. "Thanuj's astute operational insights to grow an organization of high efficiency and effectivity are indispensable for Trigent as we expand our service lines and offerings to existing and new clients," said Mr. Bharat Khatau, President and CEO, Trigent Software. Satya has over 20 years of experience as a marketing professional with various organizations such as NTT Data, Brillio, OnMobile, and Hughes Communications. He has successfully contributed towards business transformation via best-in-class digital and content marketing strategy. "Satya's strong track record of leveraging digital technologies to drive more effective and personalized marketing at scale is invaluable to Trigent," said Mr. Bharat. "This is a great time to have these two leaders join Trigent. They will combine marketing, sales, and technology to position Trigent as the partner of choice for our clients to build connected and collaborative businesses," he added. About Trigent Trigent, a global technology solutions company enables organizations to adopt digital processes and customer engagement models to achieve outstanding results and end-user experience. We help clients achieve this through enterprise-wide digital transformation by modernizing and optimizing IT investments. Trigent's decades of experience, deep domain knowledge, and technology expertise delivers transformational solutions to ISVs, enterprises, and SMBs. Contacts: Nagendra Rao Vice President - Sales and Marketing Trigent Software, Inc. nagendra_r@trigent.com 508-490-6061 www.trigent.com SOURCE Trigent Software [ Back to the Next Generation Communications Community's Homepage ] Canadian oil producers are keeping a close eye on the latest events in Venezuela and the opportunity to boost their exports south of the border if things in the troubled South American country continue to deteriorate, pressing its already falling oil production even lower. In a recent analysis of the topic, CBC News Tony Seskus notes that Canada and Venezuela are the two primary sources of heavy crude for Gulf Coast refiners, so of Venezuelas production continues down in case of further instability, Canadian producers stand to benefit. However, Seskus adds, these benefits will be limited. The primary reason for the limitations is, of course, pipeline capacity. Canadas oil producers are moving growing amounts of crude to the Gulf Coast by rail even if it is costlier, because there are simply not enough pipelines to use. On the plus side, the price of the local crude has been growing after Alberta Premier Rachel Notley imposed a production cut of over 300,000 bpd this month to clear out excess inventory and push up historically low prices. Now that the country apparently has two rival presidents, production is bound to fall further, pushing Canadian crude prices even higher. This has some industry observes and insiders worried that Canadian crude will become less competitive. However, commoditiesand any other goods for salecan only be referred to as competitive if there is competition. The latest EIA import figures, for October 2018, reveal that U.S. refiners imported 3.63 million bpd from Canada, 671,000 bpd from Mexico, and 506,000 bpd from Venezuela. So, Canada is clearly in the lead, even though it is not even the primary source of heavy crude for Gulf Coast refineries: "They were getting most of their heavy crude from Venezuela and Mexico and a little bit from Canada. Now, with the concerns in Venezuela, that means those refineries are looking north to Canadian producers," Seskus quotes the president of the Canadian Energy Research Institute, Allan Fogwill, as saying. Related: Modest Rig Count Gain Caps Oil Prices So far so good, but there is already concern Canadas oil industry wont be able to materialize these benefits in full. The culprit, yet again, would be lack of sufficient cheap transportation capacity. While little can be done about pipelines as things stand right now, railway transportation is expanding and will likely continue to expand with greater demand. The latest weekly data, to January 11, revealed a record-high oil-by-rail transportation rate of 356,000 bpd. There seems to be also worry that the benefits from Venezuelas turmoil for the Canadian oil producers will be limited in time: if there is a government change and the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, takes the helm, he will likely receive a lot of foreign support to revive Venezuelas oil industry, diminishing the attractiveness of Canadian crude. Realistically, this latter concern belongs to the future. Venezuelas oil industry has been battered for years by underinvestment and mismanagement. Thats not something you can reverse in months. For now, therefore, the news for Canadian oil producers remains overwhelmingly good. Demand for Canadian crude will be growing and so will margins. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The bad news coming out of the shale oil fields of America could all be put down to slumping oil prices. That is certainly a big factor. But as investment professionals like to say, when the tide goes out, we all find out who's been skinny-dipping. The pattern of negative news from shale country is not just related to price, however. Oil production, it seems, is being overstated industry-wide by 10 percent and 50 percent in the case of some companies, according to The Wall Street Journal. The CEO of one of the largest players in the industry, Continental Resources, predicted that growth in shale oil production could fall by 50 percent this year compared to last year. In reality, we should expect worse as the industry for obvious reasons tends to exaggerate its prospects. The place where the damage to investors has become severe is in private equity firms who hold a large portion of the shale oil industry's high-yield debt. The plan for the firms was always to unload the debt on somebody else when better opportunities presented themselves. But the firms overstayed their welcome and are having a hard time even finding a bid in the market for these bonds. With the big Wall Street players now questioning the value of their existing investments in shale oil, the industry is finding it hard to raise money. Not a single bond sale has come off since November in an industry which must continuously raise capital to survive. To add to the problems, the future of U.S. shale oil production seems to be in the Permian Basin in Texas which has been providing the lion's share of oil production growth for the entire country. But ongoing drought in an already arid West Texas has raised doubts about whether the Permian will have enough water to meet all the demand for fracking new wells. Because of the rapid declines in the rates of production from shale wells, companies must first drill enough new wells to offset the loss of production from previous wellsa task akin to walking up the down escalator. Related: Is This A Buy Signal For Crude Oil Futures? This was not such a difficult task when the shale boom was just beginning. But with the huge increase in the number of operating wells, companies are having to spend more than half of their capital budgets on simply replacing lost production before drilling wells that add to production. That number is expected to reach 75 percent by 2021. At some point it could reach 100 percent. (For this reason some analysts refer to shale oil development as a Ponzi scheme.) With rig counts dropping; capital expenditures likely to be cut in the face of low prices; and more and more of that budget being used simply to replace existing production, it's possible that the death spiral long anticipated by the industry's critics has arrived. Shale players for years have been unable to finance their drilling programs out of operating revenues as free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capital expenditures) remains wildly negative for most companies. In other words, what companies spend on acquisition of leases and land; drilling and well completion; current operating expenses; and general and administrative expenses far exceeds the cash generated by their sales of petroleum and related products from existing wells. Related: Germanys Rush To Ditch Coal Is Great News For Norway That means the companies must borrow from investors (usually in the form of high-yield debt) or get them to buy new shares in order to raise the money needed not only to drill enough wells to make up for lost production from declining wells, but also to drill enough to grow productionsomething investors have been counting on to secure the value of their bonds and increase the value of their shares. If the needed capital is not forthcoming, it means that companies will be faced with declining revenues from declining production. With lower operating cash flow and little access to additional capital, these companies will be unable to drill enough wells to offset declining ones. That means even lower revenues in the future which will mean even lower investment in new wells. That's what a death spiral looks like. Of course, oil prices could revive and with it, investor interest. No one can know for sure. But the big question is this: The next time oil prices do rise, will investors risk getting caught during a subsequent downturn with shale oil company bonds that can't catch a bid in the market (or shares that could end up worthless)? Of course, if the current downturn in oil prices continues, there might not be a next time for many shale operators. By Kurt Cobb More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Chinas crude oil demand has picked up this month, as independent refiners are looking to buy more crude for March and April delivery to restock supplies while oil prices are still relatively low, Reuters reported on Monday, quoting trade sources. Independent refinerscommonly known as teapotscontributed a lot to Chinas 30-percent jump in crude oil imports in December compared to a year earlier. The surge was the result of independent refiners rushing to exhaust their import quotas before the end of last year. This pushed the daily rate of shipments into China to 10.31 million bpd. That was the second month in a row when Chinese refiners imported more than 10 million bpd of crude oil, Reuters notes, with the December figure slightly below the record-high November import rate. Independent refiners then slowed down purchases for crude oil delivery for January and February, because Chinese demand for fuel is generally lower during the Lunar New Year holiday, which this year falls next week. In recent weeks, however, teapots have started to buy more crude that will arrive in China in March and April, which has pushed up spot premiums for the independent refiners favorite crude grades from Russia, Oman, Africa, and Europe to between $0.50 and $1 higher than quotes from early January, according to Reuters trade sources. Its as if someone lit a match and the markets caught fire, one source told Reuters, but the sources noted that demand would cool by the end of this weekthe week before the week-long Lunar New Year holiday in China. Last year, Chinas crude oil refineries processed an average 12.07 million bpd, up by 6.8 percent on the year and the highest daily processing rate on record. The run rates of Chinese refineries are seen to continue rising this year as well, Reuters reported last week, citing forecasts from the research division of state oil and gas giant CNPC. CNPCs analysts expect run rates at 4.7 percent higher than the 2018 average, at 12.68 million bpd. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Venezuela will continue trading with the United States despite the fact Washington broke off diplomatic relations following president Nicolas Maduros inauguration for a second term in office, which the U.S. and a host of other countries decried as illegitimate. Turkeys Anadolu Agency quoted Maduro as saying, We have multifaceted relations with the U.S. Weve cut off the diplomatic and political ties with the U.S. government but our other relations will continue. If they want to buy potatoes, we will sell potatoes. If they want to buy oil, we will sell oil. If they do not want to buy anything, we will not sell. Venezuela is a major supplier of heavy crude to Gulf Coast refineries, but it is not the only one. Canada is by far the largest supplier of heavy crude to U.S. refiners and Mexico is also a large exporter to its neighbor in the north. Meanwhile, the political situation is Venezuela continues to deteriorate after the president of the opposition-dominated National Assembly, which the Maduro government does not recognize, declared himself interim president and the last elections illegal. President Trump was quick to recognize the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as the legitimate president of Venezuela. Earlier this month, reports emerged that Washington was once again considering a blanket oil import ban on Venezuelan crude following Maduros inauguration. At the time experts weighed in skeptically, saying this could lead to a pretty sharp increase in gasoline prices, which would make the measure unpopular. So far, however, there is no official word of oil sanctions. In the meantime, Venezuela is being rocked by anti-government protests and Guaido has called for more people to take to the streets to topple Maduro. The call came on the heels of an ultimatum from the European Union for Caracas to set a date for new elections. At the same time, Maduro has publicly demonstrated he has the support of the army with a round of military exercises amidst the protests. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The global oil market appears to be well-supplied, even as the OPEC+ production cuts begin to whittle away at excess barrels. But while crude may be ample, there are growing problems within the market for refined products, including an emerging glut of gasoline. The bottom line is that gasoline supply is surging while the market for other products is tightening up. There are multiple reasons for this. First, the crude slate itself is helping to create these imbalances. The surge of U.S. shale production has made the global crude mix lighter and sweeter. Light sweet oil tends to produce relatively more gasoline when it is refined. Medium and heavier oils produce more diesel and other middle distillates, and less gasoline. Shale output has surged in recent years, leaving refiners with more gasoline-friendly crudes to process. At the same time, because of skyrocketing shale production, OPEC+ is backing out barrels in order to avoid a glut of crude. But many producers within the cartel churn out medium and heavy barrels. So, light oil from U.S. shale is surging while medium and heavier barrels are being held back. There are a few more factors driving the divergence in the crude slate. Venezuela has been suffering from steep declines for well over a year. The South American OPEC member produces heavy oil. Any unexpected outage in Venezuela, due to unfolding political crisis there, would magnify these trends. Mexico, another heavy oil producer, has seen its output deteriorate for years, albeit at a more gradual pace than Venezuela. Iran, too, is losing supply. Related: The Most Important Oil Factor In 2019 Again, the upshot is that light oil from U.S. shale has surged at a time that heavier producers from elsewhere have suffered declines. Heavier and sour crudes, which have historically traded at a discount, are seeing upward pricing pressure. Sour [crude prices are] strong because the West is net short sour crude, a Singapore-based trader told S&P Global Platts. The effect on the products markets is even starker prices for gasoline are slumping but those for diesel and other distillates are trading at a premium. While refiners can tweak their inputs somewhat, there are limits to how they adjust to the changing mix of crude. Some refiners are simply more equipped to handle heavier oils, others can handle lighter mixes. Still, as product prices go haywire, refiners are trying to ramp up supplies of diesel and other distillates. But, with more diesel comes more gasoline. Refiners cant simply produce one without the other. As a result, as refiners chase diesel barrels, they are dumping more gasoline onto the global market, exacerbating the emerging glut. The gasoline glut keeps getting worse, U.S. investment bank Jefferies said in a note on Friday. Last week saw gasoline stocks reach their highest level since records began, so it comes as no surprise that crack spreads for gasoline are under pressure, Commerzbank wrote in a note on Friday. Crack spreads in the US are at a 5-year low of just $5.5 per barrel, while in Europe they are even negative. European refiners are having trouble finding a home for their gasoline, Bloomberg reports. Related: Canadian Heavy Crude Producers Find New Ways To Ship Oil There are still more reasons for the disruption in the oil supply mix. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has rules on marine fuels that take effect at the start of 2020. Those rules require ships to cut the concentration of sulfur in their fuels significantly. That means that ships will have to stop running on heavy fuel oil, which is high in sulfur. To replace dirtier fuels, many ships will switch to middle distillates. That may ease the pressure on heavier sour oils, but it could also put even more pressure on diesel and gasoil (another distillate) supplies. At some point, refiners may not be able to take on more light oil as they reach a limit. If you analyze the refining system of the world, they are designed to take a certain percentage of light crude that cannot be changed dramatically, Pedro Antonio Merino Garcia, chief economist at Repsol said at the Argus Americas Crude Summit in Houston, Texas. Ultimately, that means refiners may have to curtail processing rates, which would undercut demand for crude oil, potentially pushing crude oil prices down. By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Washington, PA (15301) Today Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low around 70F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. [January 28, 2019] 2019 NOVIPRO/Leger Survey - IT Portrait of Canadian Businesses - Cybersecurity and Ai topped list of priorities for Canadian IT businesses in 2018 TORONTO, Jan. 28, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - 2018 proved to be an exciting year in technology for many Canadian businesses with AI and cybersecurity topping the list of priorities to invest in. According to the third annual IT Portrait of Canadian Businesses Survey conducted by Canadian IT solutions firm, NOVIPRO, AI adoption is on the rise amongst mid to large-sized companies with more than one-third (34%) of businesses planning to invest in Artificial Intelligence within the next two years. This represents an increase of 48% compared to 2017. Despite advances in IT and AI, the survey reveals that cybersecurity remains the Achilles' heel for most businesses across the country with more than half (57%) owning confidential information on their clients and of these, nearly four in five (79%) already falling victim to a cyberattack. Perhaps most troubling is the lack of processes in place to manage a cyber attack with one quarter (25%) of businesses without a recovery plan in place and nearly half (49%) citing they would not write a note to their clients in the event of a data breach. "While it's wonderful to see Canadian businesses continue to advance and adopt new technologies, like AI, it's important that companies are properly equipped to manage these new technologies so they become an asset, not an issue," says Yves Paquette, Co-founder, President, and CEO of NOVIPRO. "Our survey reveals that security was more of a concern for business leaders in 2018 than in previous years, yet the number of businesses conducting security audits year over year has decreased significantly. Moreover, the recent Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act will oblige businesses to change their practices. As Canadian businesses continue to lead the charge on new technologies, they will need to commit to better securities and processes to protet their investments." Investing in AI across the country The survey reveals that while all provinces continue to plan on major tech investments in AI in the next two years, not all businesses are in sync. Surprisingly, Ontario businesses are planning the least amount of investments at 35%, compared to Atlantic Canada (48%), Quebec (42%), British Columbia (42%) and the Prairies (41%). Some industries also consider AI as a priority more than others. This is the case for businesses in consumer goods (52%), technology, media and telecoms (40%), as well as financial services (40%). Companies that work in professional services (23%), manufacturing (25%) and healthcare (26%) are the least likely to make any significant investments in AI. As the labour shortage continues to be a growing phenomenon in Canada, almost one in three Ontario businesses (30%) plan to invest in AI to replace manual tasks of their organization with the main goal of adapting AI to increase their productivity (48%). Cybersecurity still an important issue amongst businesses In addition to AI, the survey sheds light on the current state of cybersecurity amongst Canadian companies. While 28% of Canadian businesses admit they had been a victim of a cyber attack in 2018, only 25% Ontario businesses were a victim this year compared to 34% in 2017.Businesses from Atlantic Canada (43%) and Prairies (38%) had the most attacks. Industries that were victims of cyber attacks the most were from agriculture (50%) and construction and real estate (40%) sectors. Furthermore, if a data breach occurred, not all companies would want to share this information. Respondents from Ontario businesses say that 79% would communicate with their IT team, half (49%) would write to clients, and 64% would report to police and company leaders. The study found that the most transparent industries were companies in the agriculture and healthcare sectors. Better perception of IT, but not Security After three years of conducting this study, NOVIPRO found that Canadian companies have a better perception of their IT systems. In fact, they are much more conscious this year (38%) in recognizing the strategic role of technologies than in 2016 (21%). Two years ago, one out of five companies (20%) considered their technological infrastructures to be avant-garde. In 2018, the proportion is 34%. In 2016, 54% of Canadian businesses thought the future was in the cloud, but felt they were not ready to implement this change. In 2018, 44% of the companies' surveyed say that Cloud computing has made them better than ever. About the 2019 NOVIPRO/Leger Survey For the third year in a row, NOVIPRO and Leger have drawn a global picture of the IT in Canada. The online survey was conducted from November 1 to November 21, 2018, and polled 476 decision-makers in IT sectors (300) and various other industries (176). All the respondents worked for big (500 employees or more) or medium-sized (100 to 499 employees) companies. Consult the main findings of the survey. About NOVIPRO NOVIPRO, a firm specialized in business transformation through IT, helps companies by providing a wide range of solutions, professional services, ERP, software, infrastructure solutions, big data, analytics, and Cloud computing. NOVIPRO has offices in Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, and Paris. 2019 NOVIPRO/Leger survey was taken by 467 Canadian decision-makers working in organizations with at least 100 employees. SOURCE NOVIPRO [ Back to the Next Generation Communications Community's Homepage ] News & Tech contacted key media executives and industry players for their 2019 predictions. Here are prognostications from Brian Steffens, director of communications at the University of Missouris Reynolds Journalism Institute, in Columbia, Missouri. Reuters Michael Mazza Security, Asia The Taiwanese people have acclimated to their own culture and way of life. Uncoerced unification between Taipei and Beijing is a Chinese pipe dream. Xi Sells 'One China' Dreams to the Wrong Country In a Washington Post op-ed stunning for its intellectual dishonesty, selective presentation of facts, and interpretation of the facts presented, Bucknell professor Zhiqun Zhu paints a picture of China-Taiwan relations dangerously divorced from reality. Writing in the wake of Chinese President Xi Jinpings speech earlier this month to mark the fortieth anniversary of the 1979 Message to Compatriots in Taiwan, Zhu bafflingly concludes that Taiwans reaction to the speech, rather than the speech itself, foreshadows a stormy relationship in the coming years. His analysis betrays an ignorance of developments of cross-Strait relations in recent years and of politics on the island. Zhu begins with a questionable assertion: from 2008 to 2016, when the more China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou was Taiwans president, cross-Strait relations were stable and friendly, and cross-strait exchanges were dynamic. This may appear true on its face. The two sides concluded numerous pacts during the Ma years, perhaps most notable among them an agreement to allow direct China-Taiwan commercial flights and the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement. (Zhu overlooks the fact that progress on cross-Strait ties actually began during the independence-minded Chen Shui-bian administration; the first direct cross-Strait flights, permitted during the lunar new year holiday, occurred on his watch). Of course, Beijing was never coy about its logic in pursuing these arrangementscloser economic integration, so the theory went, inevitably would lead to unification. That is an outcome that few on the island favor, though you wouldnt know that from reading Zhus piece. Whats more, China in fact maintained a high degree of pressure on the island during the Ma years. Beijing, for example, continued to limit Taiwans international engagement. Beijing did drop objections to Taiwans invitation as an observer to the annual World Health Assembly, but it also pressured the World Health Organization in 2011 to begin referring to Taiwan as a province of China rather than the more ambiguous Chinese Taipei. That year, China coerced South Korea into ending its forty-year military officer exchange program with Taiwan. Story continues China likewise maintained a high degree of pressure on the United States to dissuade it from selling needed arms to Taiwan. Following the completion of a relatively minor arms sale in January 2010, Beijing cut off military-to-military exchanges with the United States for an entire year. The Obama administration would remain trigger-shy on arms sales for the duration of its term, denying Taiwan the weapons it most needed to ensure its self-defense. Finally, in 2014, the Sunflower Movement, in which demonstrators called for greater public oversight of cross-Strait engagement, sprouted in response to Mas efforts to rapidly conclude a cross-Strait agreement on trade in services. Both Ma and Beijing, it turned out, ultimately misread domestic politics in Taiwan. In short, during the Ma years, China sought to bind Taiwan more closely to itself while continuing to isolate it internationally and denying it the ability to defend itself. All the while, Beijing and the Ma administration were moving to advance cross-Strait ties at a pace with which many in Taiwan were uncomfortable. Stable and friendly? Hardly. Zhus analysis only gets worse from there. He notes that stable and friendly ties changed with the 2016 election of Tsai Ing-wen, from the then-opposition Democratic Progressive Party, and that the relationship has been marked by stalemate ever since. Zhu intimates that both parties are responsible for this state of affairs, but he conveniently ignores the events of 20162018, an explication of which would undermine his broader argument. Zhu might have noted, for example, that during her campaign and following the election, Tsai Ing-wen went to great lengths to keep cross-Strait ties on an even keel. Consider, for example, that during a June 2015 visit to Washington, candidate Tsai successfully convinced the risk-averse Obama administration that she would be a responsible steward of Taiwan-China relations. During the campaign, she consistently called for maintenance of the status quo and promised to abide by previously concluded agreements. Beijing did not care. Following Tsais elections, Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) effectively announced it would refuse to work with the incoming DPP government. Even so, Tsai Ing-wen continued her efforts to reassure Beijing. In her inaugural address, she called for the stable and peaceful development of the cross-Strait relationship, with such development based upon existing political realities and political foundations. Per Tsai, those realities and foundations included the fact of 1992 talks between the two sides (more on that below) and the existing Republic of China constitutional order. The Republic of China (Taiwan) constitution defines national boundaries as in accordance with those of one China. The reference was a clear olive branch, yet the TAO described the speech as an incomplete test answer. Beijing proceeded to launch a sustained pressure campaign on the island. It has suspended the more-or-less official cross-Strait communication mechanism, employed economic coercion, enhanced its military intimidation of Taiwan, and sought to further isolate it on the international stage. This campaign continues, and included potentially extensive interference in Taiwans recent nine-in-one elections (which are somewhat akin to American midterms). Put simply, in Tsai and Xi, we have one president committed to maintaining the cross-Strait status quo and another intent on overturning it. If Beijings actions over the past three years have not made that clear, Xis recent speech did. Zhiqun Zhu argues that Xi introduced more flexibility to the One Country, Two Systems model proposed for Taiwan, which Xi has suggested should involve the Taiwanese in developing a new model for Taiwan, and that the move injects a level of self-determination for Taiwan into the unification model. Zhu, however, neglects to note that Xis formulation for One Country, Two Systems, was more restrictive than previous descriptions. Xi promised, Taiwan compatriots will be fully respected in terms of their social system and lifestyle. Their private assets, religions and beliefs, and legitimate rights of the people in Taiwan will also be fully guaranteed. But as Brookings Institution scholar Richard Bush has pointed out, this is less than previous formulations, which included the Taiwan army and the islands political institutions. Zhu, moreover, conveniently ignores the fact that Xi tacitly linked One Country, Two Systems with the 1992 consensus, a reputed accord between quasi-governmental organizations in which both sides agreed that there is only one China while maintaining their own interpretations of what one China means. While the DPP has long rejected the 1992 consensus as the basis for cross-Strait relations, even prominent members of the nominally China-friendly KMT have now come out to reject Xis linkage. Finally, Zhu lauds Xis proposal that political parties and people from all walks of life come together to negotiate a roadmap for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations. According to Zhu, this might be the most intriguing and innovative part of his speech since it essentially kicks off the unification process by sidestepping the unpopular governing partyor, one might say, sidestepping the democratically elected government of Taiwan, whose unpopularity stems largely from domestic concerns, not cross-Strait policy. Oddly, Zhu laments the fact that the Tsai administration rejected this proposal for cross-Strait talks from which it would be excluded and castigated the administration for a lack of openness to discussions. In fact, the Tsai administration has continuously sought discussions with Beijing; it is Beijing that has imposed onerous political preconditions on Taipei before agreeing to engage. The political reality is this: surveys show that there is miniscule support in Taiwan for unification and that the people there have developed a unique Taiwanese identity. Uncoerced unification is a Chinese pipe dream. It is Xi Jinpings inflexibility, not Tsai Ing-wens, which may trigger a crisis. Michael Mazza is a research fellow for Foreign & Defense Policy at the American Enterprise Institute where he focuses on U.S. defense policy in the Asia-Pacific region. Image: Reuters Read full article WASHINGTON William Barr, President Donald Trumps nominee for attorney general, told the Senate on Monday he would resign rather than fire special counsel Robert Mueller without good cause," though he expressed doubt about how much the public might learn from the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The answers in written replies to questions from senators echoed what Barr told the Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing Jan. 15, but they added detail to his response about Muellers final report on the investigation. The panel is scheduled to vote Tuesday on Barr's nomination, and the full Senate could vote as early as next week. Under Justice Department regulations, Mueller will submit a confidential report to the attorney general summarizing his decisions to charge or not charge figures in the investigation. The attorney general will then decide what if anything to make public. Through indictments and plea agreements, Mueller's office has revealed details about Russia's efforts to sway the election and efforts by Trump associates to conceal contacts with Russians. Whether the public might learn about the conduct of people who are not charged has remained an open question. Barr, in his written answers, suggested the public might not. It is also my understanding that it is department policy and practice not to criticize individuals for conduct that does not warrant prosecution, Barr said. Barr told senators at his confirmation hearing that he would make public as much as possible about the report. Several Democratic senators questioned why the entire report other than confidential investigative material wouldnt be made public. In response to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Barr said he didnt recall any discussions about using executive privilege to prevent release of the report. If it turns out that any report contains material information that is privileged or confidential, I would not tolerate an effort to withhold such information for any improper purpose, such as to cover up wrongdoing, Barr wrote. Story continues In response to Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Barr repeated his testimony that it is very important that the public and Congress be informed of the results of the special counsels work. Barr said he wouldnt allow personal, political or other improper interests influence his decision. Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced legislation Monday that would require a special counsel to submit a report directly to Congress. Barr had suggested that any changes in special counsel regulations should wait until after Mueller completes his work. Barr had written an unsolicited memo in June 2018 for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the Mueller investigation day to day, that questioned Mueller's authority to pursue obstruction-of-justice charges against Trump under a specific statute. In response to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Barr said Monday he briefly discussed a memo with Trump when he was offered the job of attorney general Nov. 27. "I do not remember exactly what I said, but I recall offering a brief, one-sentence description of the memorandum," Barr wrote. "The President did not comment on my memorandum. There was no discussion of the substance of the investigation. The President did not ask me my views about any aspect of the investigation, and he did not ask me about what I would do about anything in the investigation." Some senators were concerned about Trump firing Mueller for the investigation that the president labeled a witch hunt. I would resign rather than follow an order to terminate the special counsel without good cause, Barr replied to Booker. In response to a Feinstein question about the president's pardon power, Barr called the authority "broad," though "subject to abuse." A president who abuses his or her pardon power can be held accountable in a number of different ways by Congress and the electorate," such as prosecution after leaving office, Barr said. "If confirmed, I will consult with the Office of Legal Counsel and other relevant Department personnel regarding any legal questions relating to the Presidents pardon authority. Barr repeated his commitment to consult with Justice Department ethics officials on whether he should recuse himself from deliberations on any pending matters, including the Russia inquiry. Barr said he already had one such conversation regarding a memo he prepared that was critical of Mueller's investigation, but he did not provide details. He maintained that any final decision would be his. If confirmed, I will consult with the Departments career ethics officials, review the facts, and make a decision regarding my recusal from any matter in good faith based on the facts and applicable law and rules," Barr said. Asked how he would respond if the president claimed executive privilege to cover up evidence of a crime, Barr said, I would resign. Barr's predecessor as attorney general, Jeff Sessions, denied having meetings with Russians during his own confirmation process, but several meetings later came to light. Barr described a series of meetings, at the request of a federal judge for whom he clerked, with an officer of the Soviet Consulate in 1980. Barr said he debriefed the FBI after each meeting and the meetings were reviewed as part of past background investigations. Barr served as attorney general in the early 1990s. In the days after Trump ousted Sessions, Barr said, the White House counsel contacted him about his willingness to take on the job. Barr initially told the counsel Nov. 6 that he was not then in a position to serve as attorney general. At some point prior to Thanksgiving 2018, I communicated to the White House Counsel that I had reconsidered and would be willing to be considered for the position, Barr wrote. On Nov. 27, I participated in an interview at the White House with the White House Counsel and the President. During that interview, the President offered me the position, and I accepted. More: Top 5 moments from first day of William Barr's confirmation hearing for attorney general More: William Barr's grandson steals spotlight at attorney general confirmation hearing More: AG nominee William Barr: 'In some places it may not be necessary to have a wall' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Attorney general nominee William Barr says he would resign rather than fire Mueller 'without good cause' Yanlord Land Group Limited (SGX:Z25), which is in the real estate business, and is based in Singapore, saw significant share price movement during recent months on the SGX, rising to highs of SGD1.32 and falling to the lows of SGD1.19. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Yanlord Land Groups current trading price of SGD1.3 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at Yanlord Land Groups outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. Check out our latest analysis for Yanlord Land Group Whats the opportunity in Yanlord Land Group? Good news, investors! Yanlord Land Group is still a bargain right now. In this instance, Ive used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stocks cash flows. I find that Yanlord Land Groups ratio of 2.79x is below its peer average of 10.35x, which suggests the stock is undervalued compared to the Real Estate industry. Whats more interesting is that, Yanlord Land Groups share price is quite stable, which could mean two things: firstly, it may take the share price a while to move to its intrinsic value, and secondly, there may be less chances to buy low in the future once it reaches that value. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta. Can we expect growth from Yanlord Land Group? SGX:Z25 Future Profit January 28th 19 Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Although value investors would argue that its the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. However, with an extremely negative double-digit change in profit expected over the next couple of years, near-term growth is certainly not a driver of a buy decision. It seems like high uncertainty is on the cards for Yanlord Land Group, at least in the near future. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? Although Z25 is currently undervalued, the negative outlook does bring on some uncertainty, which equates to higher risk. I recommend you think about whether you want to increase your portfolio exposure to Z25, or whether diversifying into another stock may be a better move for your total risk and return. Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping tabs on Z25 for some time, but hesitant on making the leap, I recommend you dig deeper into the stock. Given its current undervaluation, now is a great time to make a decision. But keep in mind the risks that come with negative growth prospects in the future. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on Yanlord Land Group. You can find everything you need to know about Yanlord Land Group in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Yanlord Land Group, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements. The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. ConocoPhillips COP is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 31, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, the upstream energy company posted an earnings surprise of 16.2%. Moreover, ConocoPhillips has an average positive earnings surprise of 12.2% for the last four quarters. Lets see how things are shaping up prior to the announcement. Which Way Are Estimates Treading? Lets take a look at the estimate revision trend to get a clear picture of what analysts expect from the company this earnings season. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings of 96 cents has witnessed one upward revision and three downward revisions by firms in the past 30 days. Despite negative earnings revisions by most of the firms, the stock will likely see a whopping improvement of about 113.3% from the year-ago quarters tally. Further, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter revenues is pegged at $10.2 billion, indicating a rise of 16.3% from the year-ago quarters figure. ConocoPhillips Price and EPS Surprise ConocoPhillips Price and EPS Surprise | ConocoPhillips Quote Factors to Consider Through fourth-quarter 2018, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude plunged from a multi-year high of $76.40 a barrel in early October to below $45 in late December, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Since crude is responsible for more than 50% of ConocoPhillips total production, the decline in crude price may hurt the companys upstream businesses. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not show a beat for ConocoPhillips this earnings season. That is because a stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP for the company is -0.91%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate is pegged at 95 cents while the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at 96 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Story continues Zacks Rank: ConocoPhillips carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). Please note that we caution investors against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) or 5 going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks to Consider Though an earnings beat looks uncertain for ConocoPhillips, here are a few energy firms that you may want to consider on the basis of our model. These have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Ensco plc ESV, a leading offshore contract driller, has an Earnings ESP of +1.77% and carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Southwestern Energy Company SWN, based in Houston, TX, with both upstream and midstream operations, has an Earnings ESP of +2.32% and holds a Zacks Rank #3. Fort Worth, TX-based Range Resources Corp RRC, an upstream energy firm, has an Earnings ESP of +4.46% and a Zacks Rank #3. Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year? Who wouldn't? Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%. See Latest Stocks Today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Southwestern Energy Company (SWN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Park rangers were once again greeting visitors at some national parks across the United States and flight operations at major airports were returning to normal on Saturday, one day after a partial government shutdown came to an end. While there were signs that some government machinery was grinding back to life after a record 35 days without funding, many federal workers and their families approached the end of the shutdown cautiously, saying they were relieved they would receive paychecks again, but would continue to restrict their spending amid fears that another shutdown could happen in weeks. "You can only be so happy because you just have to know that it could happen again," said Rachel Malcom, whose husband serves in the Coast Guard in Rhode Island. "We're going to be playing catch up, so I don't want to overspend." President Donald Trump signed a short-term deal Friday to end the partial government shutdown, which caused 800,000 federal employees to miss two paychecks. The administration asked department heads to reopen offices in a "prompt and orderly manner." Many government agencies still had notices on their websites Saturday saying they were not fully operating due to the lack of appropriations. Calls to several agencies also went unanswered, with voicemails saying the offices were closed due to the shutdown. But many parks from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Minnesota were glad to open their doors to weekend visitors. John Anfinson, superintendent of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, said it felt great to tell his employees to open the Mississippi River Visitor's Center. He texted his manager and said "Roll up the gate!" "They were just waiting for the green light," he said. Park ranger Sharon Stiteler posted a video to Twitter that showed the center's gates opening with the word: "Weeeee!" The visitor's center, located in the lobby of the Science Museum of Minnesota, saw 180 visitors in its first hour of operation, Anfinson said, and when he stopped by, the employees had "big smiles on their faces." Story continues The National Park Service said it was working on reopening all of its parks as quickly as possible, but some parks may not open immediately depending on their staff size and complexity. The Virgin Islands National Park, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the Wright Brothers National Memorial and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were among the parks that reopened Saturday. And Yellowstone National Park officials said visitor centers would reopen there by Sunday afternoon, with the majority of staff returning Monday to begin working on a backlog of permit requests, including from those seeking to do research in the park. Mike Litterst, chief spokesman for the National Park Service, said the nation's more than 400 parks are reopening on a rolling schedule. Some of the parks that were partially open and accessible during the shutdown are expected to get back to full operations more quickly. "We're certainly grateful that all of our dedicated rangers and park service staff are back at work," Litterst said. In the New York area, airport operations were returning to normal, just a day after LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport both experienced at least 90-minute delays in takeoffs because of the shutdown which caused a ripple effect throughout the system. On Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration reported that flights at LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airport were landing and taking off Saturday morning with 15-minute delays. There were no other major delays nationwide, according to the FAA's website, which tracks flight delays. Some parts of the government were taking a little more time to open up. The Smithsonian museums and National Zoo in Washington planned to reopen to the public on Tuesday. Spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas said until then, employees will check all audio-visual and interactive exhibits to make sure everything is working properly and curators will make a final check of the exhibits. Cafeterias will also be restocked and food shipments will resume, but full food service might not be immediately available. Nigel Fields, superintendent of Virgin Islands National Park, said donations kept the park mostly open during its busy tourist season. But, he said, there is some anxiety about another closure. The park covers about 60 percent of the island of St. John, which was hit by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The shutdown affected the park service's ability to continue rebuilding, strengthening the coral reef and restoring native vegetation after the storms. For families of workers, the government's reopening came with a mix of relief and fear. While those who were furloughed or required to work without pay will receive back pay, it's unclear when that will happen. Crystal Simmons, whose husband serves in the Coast Guard in Connecticut, said it will likely take some time to process back pay, and then employees could be in the same situation again if another shutdown happens. "I don't think I can really relax and go back to the way things were," she said. __ Associated Press writers Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island, and Verena Dobnik in New York contributed to this report. Just as Americans are gearing up for tax season, the 2020 presidential election race is starting to kick into high gear. Candidates are declaring their intentions to run and discussing their views on the best course for the nation. Democrats have largely opposed the tax policies that their Republican counterparts have enacted over the past two years, and many are looking at ways to reverse the rising levels of wealth inequality among the U.S. population. Two candidates, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), recently made tax proposals seeking to increase the tax burden for wealthy Americans. Below, you'll get the details on the two proposals, with an eye toward learning what they have in common and how they differ. Clockwork gears in metal, with the words "Tax Reform" engraved on the side. Image source: Getty Images. The AOC proposal The Ocasio-Cortez proposal centers on the income tax. The proposal is relatively simple: take the existing tax brackets and add an eighth one for the highest-earning taxpayers. Instead of the current 37% tax rate applying to all taxable income above the specified top limits -- currently between $300,000 and $600,000 depending on filing status -- the 37% tax rate would only apply on taxable income up to $10 million. Taxes on the first $10 million of income would therefore remain the same, but for every dollar above the $10 million threshold, a new top marginal tax rate of 70% would apply. The Ocasio-Cortez proposal would be a simple change to make from an administrative standpoint. No other changes to tax laws would be necessary, and existing rules for determining income, deductions, and credits would remain unchanged. There's precedent for marginal tax rates of 70% in U.S. history, so the proposal should easily survive any legal challenge on constitutional grounds. It's unclear exactly whether the proposal would lead to higher revenue for the federal government. Taxpayers would take steps to adapt to the new tax scheme, seeking to keep their taxable incomes low enough to minimize any income that would be taxed at the 70% rate. According to initial analysis of the proposal from the Tax Foundation, restricting the new 70% bracket to ordinary income would be the best way to raise revenue, and in that case, it estimates $189 billion in net new revenue over the next 10 years. By contrast, if the proposal applied to all income, including capital gains, the Tax Foundation believes that it would actually reduce revenue by $63.5 billion over the same decade. That's because most investors can time when they sell assets that have risen in value, indefinitely deferring most capital gains liability. Story continues The Warren proposal The Warren proposal, on the other hand, has nothing to do with the income tax. Instead, it would impose a new tax based on a person's wealth. Those with assets worth more than $50 million would pay a 2% wealth tax on the amount by which their net worth exceeded the threshold. A higher tax rate of 3% would apply to those whose wealth exceeded $1 billion. According to proponents of the proposal, the wealth tax could generate extensive amounts of government revenue. Estimates put the impact at $2.75 trillion over 10 years, with about 75,000 households being subject to the tax. However, the Warren proposal has some additional complications. As a brand new type of tax, the wealth tax would require a new bureaucratic apparatus to collect information on taxpayer wealth as well as collecting and enforcing the tax itself. There's a debate about whether the wealth tax would be constitutional, as the constitutional amendment that specifically allows taxes on income doesn't mention taxes on wealth. Yet the federal estate tax has been upheld constitutionally despite its starting point of the value of a decedent's assets, and taxpayers are intimately familiar with the many personal property and real property taxes that many state and local jurisdictions impose. Some critics have also noted that the wealth tax could spur a new resurgence in wealthy Americans renouncing their U.S. citizenship in an effort to avoid taxation. Such activity has moderated quite a bit since the early 2010s, when some high-profile investors chose to emigrate permanently to avoid foreign financial reporting requirements and capital-gains taxes on stakes of companies going public. But with billions at stake, many high-net-worth Americans might seek friendlier jurisdictions elsewhere. The Warren proposal does seek to impose a penalty tax on those who'd be subject to the tax and renounce their citizenship. But it's unclear how far back into the past such a provision could get imposed retroactively, and if wealthy people see the odds of the proposal's passage increasing, they'd likely take preemptive action to try to escape the tax. Let the debate continue Regardless of your own views on these tax proposals, they both aim to extend the debate over wealth inequality and how to address it. There's no chance that either of these proposals will move forward until 2021 at the earliest, but they do represent aggressive platforms that more moderate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle could use as starting points toward finding eventual compromise positions. More From The Motley Fool The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Juan Guaido with his wife Fabiana, second from right, during Mass in Caracas on Sunday - AP A British minister on Monday suggested that the Bank of England should decline to release 1 billion of gold to Venezuela's dictator after the opposition leader wrote to Theresa May. Juan Guaido, who last week declared himself the countrys legitimate ruler and was recognised as such by the US, has written to Mark Carney, the Banks governor, to ask him not to hand over the gold to Nicolas Maduro. He also sent the letter to Theresa May, the Prime Minister. "I am writing to ask you to stop this illegitimate transaction," the 35-year-old opposition leader wrote. "If the money is transferred it will be used by the illegitimate and kleptocratic regime of Nicolas Maduro to repress and brutalise the Venezuelan people." Sir Alan Duncan, minister of the Americas, on Monday said it was a decision for the Bank to make, and suggested they should decline to release the gold. "The Bank of England holds a significant amount of Venezuela's gold. This is a decision for the Bank of England, not the government," he said. "No doubt they will take into account when they do the fact that a large number of countries across the world are now questioning the legitimacy of Nicolas Maduro and recognising that of Juan Guaido." Nicolas Maduro inspecting the troops on Sunday - his military has, so far, largely remained loyal Mr Maduro has been attempting to repatriate the gold from the vaults since last year. The bullion in London makes up 15 per cent of Venezuela's foreign currency reserves. The Telegraph understands that each request for a release of gold made to the Bank of England is subject to fresh risk assessment procedures. The Caracas Chronicles, a Venezuelan publication, claims the Bank has twice refused gold transactions requests from the regime citing compliance-related reasons. A Bank of England spokesman said: The Bank of England provides banking services including gold custody services to a large number of customers. The Bank does not comment on any of those relationships, which are subject to customer confidentiality. In all its operations, the Bank observes the highest standards of risk management and abides by all relevant legislation, including applicable financial sanctions. Story continues The request from Mr Guaido came hours before the US imposed sanctions on oil exported from the country, and adds to mounting diplomatic and economic pressure on Mr Maduro to stand down. Steve Mnuchin, the treasury secretary, said on Monday afternoon that the oil was a valuable asset that we are protecting for the Venezuelan people. From now on oil revenues must now be placed in blocked accounts, which cannot be accessed by Mr Maduro. Mr Mnuchin said that there would also be limitations on the selling of oil products, but stopped short of announcing a total embargo on oil sales. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world. Effective immediately, any purchases of Venezuelan oil by US entities, money will have to go to blocked accounts, he said, adding the US would continue to buy Venezuelan oil, but only if the money from the sale went into blocked accounts. The purpose of sanctions is to change behaviour. When there is the recognition that PDVSA is the property of the rightful ruler of Venezuela, Juan Guaido, then it will go to him. There is no reason for the poverty, the starvation, the humanitarian crisis. John Bolton, the national security adviser, added: The authoritarian regime of Chavez and Maduro has allowed the penetration of adversaries, not least Cuba. We think that is a strategic threat to the United States, and there are others not least Iran. It is our mission to make reality what the people of Venezuela want. Directives sent on Friday to the US Federal Reserve will make it very hard for Mr Maduro to access Venezuela's overseas assets and earnings, including those from Houston-based Citgo, a subsidiary of state-owned oil giant PDVSA and the major source of revenue for the bankrupt government. Oil constitutes close to 90 per cent of Venezuelan exports. Some 75 per cent of the countrys cash-generating oil shipments go the US, according to Barclays, but Mr Maduro retains the support of Russia, China, Turkey and Iran and is likely to divert shipments to them. However, processing international financial transactions will be a challenge, without going through the US or European banks. Transport costs would also jump because Venezuela's ports are not well-equipped to load supertankers for transporting oil to such distant markets. Mr Maduro has had the door slammed in his face by Canada, Australia, Israel and a host of Latin nations, including Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Brazil, who have all followed the US lead and recognised Mr Guadio. Several EU countries have further said that Mr Maduro has eight days to call elections and end the stand-off, or else they will back Mr Guaido. Britain is yet to formally recognise Mr Guaido, but last week Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, said Mr Guaido was the right person to take Venezuela forward. Sir Alan also hit out at Labour MPs who wrote a joint letter to The Guardian, criticising the "far-Right" governments of the US and Brazil, and saying they offer "no hope" to Venezuela. The letter, signed by shadow chancellor John McDonnell and shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, alongside other Labour MPs, individuals and campaigners, insisted there is "no justification for backing the US attempt at regime change under way" and backed the call for dialogue from the Mexican and Bolivian presidents. Jorge Arreaza, Venezuelas foreign minister, on Monday backed the talks suggested last week by Mexico and Bolivia, saying: Were even willing to meet with the devil so that we have sovereignty and peace. Jorge Arreaza, Venezuela's foreign minister But Sir Alan told the Commons he had little time for the Labour-led suggestion. "I think we should all be saddened that in our midst are people who seem to have still sympathy for the regime of Nicolas Maduro despite what it has done to poor people, it has not just made them poorer, it has made them destitute and in many cases has forced them to flee, he said. "So let the signatories of that letter in the Guardian be pinned on every wall as a list of signatures of shame." Rafael Uzcategui, director of the Venezuelan Program for Education-Action in Human Rights, said that eight people were murdered last week by the government in "extra-judicial killings," while another 35 died in the recent protests, which began a week ago. Mr Guadio has called for more demonstrations this week. Speaking at a press conference, Mr Uzcategui said the extra-judicial executions happened in operations conducted by the police special forces unit, FAES, in socially deprived areas. The White House announced new sanctions against Venezuela on Monday, warning the United States would immediately block at least $7bn in assets held offshore by Nicolas Maduro and his top officials. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Security Adviser John Bolton joined White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders during a press conference on Monday to announce the new sanctions, which they said had been kept secret prior to the announcement. In making the sanctions public, the White House warned "all options are on the table" when it comes to dealing with the ongoing conflict in Venezuela. The sanctions target Venezuelas state-owned oil monopoly, with the US goal being the seizure and diverting of Mr Maduros wealth assets to Juan Guaido, the opposition leader who Donald Trump and other world leaders have thrown their support behind. As the head of the countrys elected Congress, Mr Guaido invoked powers within the Constitution and declared himself the interim president of Venezuela last week. We have continued to expose the corruption of Maduro and his cronies and todays action ensures they can no longer loot the assets of the Venezuelan people, Mr Bolton told reporters at a briefing on Monday. The sanctions will include a freeze on any assets the firm may have in US jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with it. The United States is holding accountable those responsible for Venezuela's tragic decline, and will continue to use the full suite of its diplomatic and economic tools to support Interim President Juan Guaido, the National Assembly, and the Venezuelan people's efforts to restore their democracy, Mr Mnuchin said on Monday. Today's designation of PDVSA will help prevent further diverting of Venezuela's assets by Maduro and preserve these assets for the people of Venezuela. The path to sanctions relief for PDVSA is through the expeditious transfer of control to the Interim President or a subsequent, democratically elected government, he said. Story continues PDSVA is the acronym for the state-owned oil company. Senator Marco Rubio, a vocal critic of Mr Maduro who has called for such sanctions, welcomed the move even before it was announced. The Maduro crime family has used PDVSA to buy and keep the support of many military leaders, Rubio said. The oil belongs to the Venezuelan people, and therefore the money PDVSA earns from its export will now be returned to the people through their legitimate constitutional government. The sanctions will not likely affect consumer prices at the gas pump but will hit oil refiners, particularly those on the US Gulf Coast. Venezuelan oil exports to the US have declined steadily over the years, falling particularly sharply over the past decade as its production plummeted amid its long economic and political crisis. Still, Venezuela has consistently been the third- or fourth-largest supplier of crude oil to the United States, and any disruption of imports could be costly for refiners. In 2017, the most recent year that data were available, Venezuela accounted for about 6 percent of US crude imports. Valero and Citgo are among the largest importers of Venezuelan crude. But Venezuela is very reliant on the US for its oil revenue. The country sends 41 percent of its oil exports to the US Critically, U.S. refiners are among the few customers that pay cash to Venezuela for its oil. That's because Venezuela's oil shipments to China and Russia are usually taken as repayment for billions of dollars in debts. Additional reporting by AP If investors are looking at the Non US - Equity fund category, make sure to pass over Van Eck Emerging Markets A (GBFAX). GBFAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective GBFAX is classified in the Non US - Equity area by Zacks, and this segment is full of potential. Non US - Equity funds focus their investments on companies outside of the United States, which is an important distinction since global mutual funds tend to keep a sizable portion of their portfolio based in the United States. Most of these funds will allocate across emerging and developed markets, and can often extend across cap levels too. History of Fund/Manager GBFAX finds itself in the Van Eck family, based out of New York, NY. Van Eck Emerging Markets A made its debut in January of 1994, and since then, GBFAX has accumulated about $119.07 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager, David A. Semple, has been in charge of the fund since December of 2002. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of -0.23%, and it sits in the bottom third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 4.57%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of GBFAX over the past three years is 16.16% compared to the category average of 10.08%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 15.38% compared to the category average of 10.02%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Story continues Risk Factors Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. In the most recent bear market, GBFAX lost 73.44% and underperformed its peer group by 14.99%. This makes the fund a possibly worse choice than its peers during a sliding market environment. Even still, the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.89, so investors should note that it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. The fund has produced a negative alpha over the past 5 years of -6.67, which shows that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, GBFAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.41% compared to the category average of 1.21%. So, GBFAX is actually more expensive than its peers from a cost perspective. While the minimum initial investment for the product is $1,000, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100. Bottom Line Overall, Van Eck Emerging Markets A ( GBFAX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now. For additional information on the Non US - Equity area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into GBFAX too for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (GBFAX): Fund Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Washington (AFP) - The United States urged Venezuela's military Monday to accept a "peaceful" transfer of power as it ramped up the pressure on embattled leader Nicolas Maduro with a raft of sanctions on state oil company PDVSA. President Donald Trump has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president, sparking a standoff with Maduro who until now has retained the crucial backing of military leaders in Caracas. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters at the White House that new sanctions would prevent Maduro from diverting more resources from the crisis-wracked country until control in Caracas could be transferred to an interim or new democratically-elected government. "The purpose of sanctions is to change behavior," Mnuchin said. "So when there is a recognition that the company is the property of, the rightful rulers, the rightful leaders, then indeed that money will be available to Guaido." Ratcheting up the pressure, National Security Advisor John Bolton appealed directly to the military which has been essential to keeping Maduro in power since 2013. "We also today call on the Venezuelan military and security forces to accept the peaceful, democratic and constitutional transfer of power," Bolton said. "To a certain extent, this has begun," he said. "We've seen Venezuelan official and military personnel heeding this call," he added, citing the example of the country's military attache to Washington who broke ranks with Maduro at the weekend. Asked whether Trump would consider getting the US military involved in Venezuela, Bolton replied: "The president has made it clear on this matter that all options are on the table." Washington "is holding accountable those responsible for Venezuela's tragic decline," Mnuchin told reporters. "We call on our allies and partners to join the United States in recognizing interim president Guaido and blocking Maduro from being able to access funds," he said. Story continues Mnuchin added however that PDVSA's US-based subsidiary Citgo would be able to continue operations, as long as its earnings were deposited into a blocked account in the United States. The latest sanctions on PDVSA, which has been a "vehicle for corruption... will help prevent further diverting of Venezuela's assets by Maduro and preserve these assets for the people of Venezuela," Mnuchin said. "The path to sanctions relief for PDVSA is through the expeditious transfer of control to the interim president or a subsequent, democratically elected government." The United States will issue temporary licenses to ensure US, Caribbean and European refineries that rely on Venezuelan crude can keep buying PDVSA oil, Mnuchin said, although he added that many had been taking steps to find other sources. Washington (AFP) - The five-week government shutdown subtracted $11 billion from the US economy, about twice the amount President Donald Trump sought to fund a border wall, an independent congressional body said Monday. However, all but $3 billion, or 0.02 percent of GDP, will eventually be recovered as the government resumes operations, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said in a report. The estimate suggested the damages from the political brawl in Washington were significant but stopped short of the far worse harm that could have occurred had it been allowed to continue. "Underlying those effects on the overall economy are much more significant effects on individual businesses and workers," the report said. "Some of those private-sector entities will never recoup that lost income." Growth in subsequent quarters this year should see a small, temporary bounce, compensating for the losses in the final quarter of 2018 and the start of 2019, the report said. The partial shutdown, the longest in US history, left some 800,000 federal workers either working without pay or furloughed although they are due to receive back pay this week. But government contractors, including hourly workers, may not be compensated for lost income. With public services including aviation safety beginning to buckle under the strain of withheld wages and suspended operations, Trump agreed Friday to reopen the federal government temporarily but with no additional funding for the wall. In a signature pledge from his 2016 campaign, Trump claimed the barrier would stem illegal immigration and drug trafficking, a claim Democrats have rejected. - Temporary agreement - Funding for the government is due to run out by mid-February and Trump told The Wall Street Journal on Sunday the odds were below 50 percent that lawmakers would reach a deal on border security he would find acceptable. The shutdown underscored the myriad but frequently unseen ways that the federal government greases the wheels of the economy: farm subsidies, mortgage approvals, tax refunds, permits for oil drilling, food safety inspections, all were temporarily interrupted. Story continues And the CBO report said its estimate did not reflect indirect costs which were difficult to quantify but which were "probably becoming more significant" as the government freeze went on. The halt to permits and government loan approval was "probably beginning to lead firms to postpone investment and hiring decisions." Airports in Miami and New York operated at reduced capacity causing some flights to be grounded due to shortages of air traffic controllers and transportation safety agents, bringing home the direct threat to normal commerce as the shutdown dragged on. Trump was widely seen as having lost the standoff with congressional Democrats as polling showed most voters blamed the president for the impasse while hard-right commentators accused him of capitulation. The president has threatened to use emergency powers to build the wall if he does not get his way with Congress. However, observers say this would likely face immediate legal challenges. In this photo released by the Afghan Presidential Palace, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, center, speaks to U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, third left, at the presidential palace in Kabul. Afghanistan, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. Encouraging comments from the U.S. envoy to Afghanistan on "significant progress" in talks with the Taliban have heightened hopes for peace, but the envoy and experts on the region warn that major obstacles remain. Even if a deal is reached, the battle-weary nation of 35 million people could be enveloped in a bloody civil war long after the Americans are gone. Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad expressed optimism after talks in Qatar wrapped up over the weekend but added that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed." Then, on Monday, he told the New York Times that negotiators have agreed on a "framework" for a plan aimed at ending the brutal conflict that has crippled Afghanistan since the U.S. invasion more than 17 years ago. Khalilzad said the Taliban has committed to preventing Afghanistan from becoming a platform for international terrorists. The U.S. would begin withdrawing troops in return for a cease-fire and the Taliban conducting talks directly with the Kabul government, something the militant group has previously refused to do. The 14,000 U.S. troops remaining in the South Asian country advise the Afghan military and conduct counterterrorism operations. President Donald Trump has frequently questioned the value of continued U.S. troop involvement. Benjamin Hopkins, director of Asian Studies at George Washington University, says the Taliban leadership is fully aware that Trump wants out and that it cannot take control of the country so long as foreign troops remain. "Recognizing this, the U.S. has been resistant to any deal withdrawing U.S troops while the Taliban is still a militarily capable force," Hopkins said. "The thing that seems to have changed is President Trumps desire to withdraw. ... Khalilzad is negotiating with that political reality in mind." More: Death of American, Taliban attack may muddle plans for withdrawal More: Afghanistan may be a mess if US troops leave; they should leave anyway Story continues Vanda Felbab-Brown, author of "Aspiration and Ambivalence: Strategies and Realities of Counterinsurgency and State-Building in Afghanistan," believes the most likely outcome of a US. exit is civil war. If the Taliban does agree to negotiate with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the militants will demand that it keep its military force or integrate it into the Afghan military, Felbab-Brown said. That would put the U.S. in the position of subsidizing Taliban fighters. The Taliban also won't settle for "meager representation" in Parliament but will want control of ministries and power at the national level. "They will not disarm and go home," she said of the Taliban. "The question is, is there any deal that the Taliban is willing to stick by." Felbab-Brown and Hopkins said Ghani will not be pleased to see U.S. troops leave. Ghani spoke to his nation Monday, inviting direct talks with the Taliban and assuring Afghans that no deal would be made without his participation. Ghani said that while no country wants foreign troops indefinitely, U.S. troops remain a crucial component for his country's stability. Hopkins suggested that U.S. officials might be planning a residual "security footprint" while withdrawing the public face of the deployment. The latest talks "could be the beginning of something, but only if there is a major change in the interests and aims of the parties," Hopkins said. "And I dont see the Taliban as the one moving here." About 2,400 U.S. military personnel have died in Afghanistan including one last week since American forces launched the offensive against the Taliban just weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. A Taliban car bomb attack last week killed at least 45 people, including dozens of Afghan intelligence officials. Violence has been on the rise. Abdul Hakim Mujahid, a former Taliban official and currently a member of the country's High Peace Council, expresses optimism with the talks but stressed that more discussions are needed in the coming weeks or months. "Afghanistan's problem is not so simple that it can be solved in a day, week or month; it needs more time and more discussions," Mujahid told the Associated Press. Felbab-Brown held out hope that if the Taliban win enough concessions, perhaps civil war could be averted. "Civil liberties may fade, but maybe you will save thousands of lives," she said. "That is better than bloody civil war. But it is not a happy outcome." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US-Taliban deal may be close, but future of Afghanistan remains bleak A specialist unit has made its first seizure after discovering a convicted murderer had been paid almost 8,000 while in prison. Stock image. (PA) A convicted murderer has had almost 8,000 seized from his bank account by a task force set up to disrupt organised crime in prisons. It was the first sting of its kind by a specialist unit set up last year to help crackdown on criminals still managing to profit from while serving custodial sentences. The prisoner, who was serving his sentence at HMP Gartree, Leicestershire, was thought to be involved in unlawful activity within the prison, the Ministry of Justice said. The Ministry of Justice said a bank account belonging to the offender had received a number of suspicious deposits with 7,938.99 seized following an investigation. Justice Secretary David Gauke welcomed the news a new unit former in October has made its first seizure. (PA) Justice Secretary David Gauke said: This unit forms an important part of our wider strategy to tackle organised crime and restore stability to prisons so that offenders have the chance to turn their lives around. Last year I announced a new specialist unit to seize the assets of prisoners who commit crime and fuel violence in jail, and I am pleased it has achieved its first success. Details of the prisoner and the unlawful activity have not been disclosed. But the Government said organised criminals in prisons have been known to operate money laundering schemes to receive payment for debts, often as a result of drug deals. It is the first success for the unit which has been in place since October and is based in Peterborough. The unite is made up of intelligence analysts within HM Prisons and Probation system and financial investigators from the Eastern Region Serious and Organised crime unit. The funds will be divided between ERSOU and the Home Office. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Ankara (AFP) - A UN judicial expert investigating the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi met two senior ministers on the first day of her visit to Turkey Monday. Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, met Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and, later Monday, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul. Callamard is in Turkey until Saturday for meetings with senior politicians and officials, including Istanbul's chief prosecutor. Ankara has been pressing for an international inquiry into the killing murder. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and Saudi regime critic, was murdered as he visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Riyadh, after denying the killing for two weeks, finally described it as a "rogue" operation and arrested a number of senior Saudi officials. But the murder tipped the kingdom into one of its worst diplomatic crises. And nearly four months on, Khashoggi's body has still not been recovered. Turkish authorities have called for an international probe into the killing, complaining of what it says was Saudi Arabia's failure to cooperate in the investigation. "Met with @AgnesCallamard, #UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions, who is in #Turkey to investigate the murder of Jamal Khashoggi," Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter, sharing a picture from his meeting in Ankara. In an interview with Turkish media last week, Cavusoglu said of the Khashoggi case: "We believe this case should be brought to the international arena. It is time for an international probe." Turkish officials accuse Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of having orchestrated the killing -- an allegation the Saudi authorities vehemently deny. Earlier this month, the trial opened in Saudi Arabia of 11 men accused of involvement in Khashoggi's murder. The attorney general is seeking the death penalty for five of the defendants. During her mission, Callamard is due to meet with Istanbul chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. burs-fo/jj/pvh Brussels (AFP) - Ukrainian authorities aided by Belgian, US and other investigators have staged raids aimed at smashing the illegal trade of access to hacked computer systems, officials said Monday. Police and prosecutors conducted house searches in nine places in Ukraine last Thursday, seizing several IT systems and questioning three Ukrainian suspects, Belgian prosecutors and the police agency Europol said. "The house searches were related to two criminal investigations into the xDedic Marketplace, on which access to tens of thousands of compromised servers of unknowing victims was offered for sale," Europol said. Both individual personal information and companies were compromised via the Remote Desktop Protocol, it said. Buyers and sellers traded servers from anywhere between $6 to $10,000 (8,7450 euros) each. Belgian federal prosecutors and Europol said the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service took part in the probes. Belgian federal prosecutors added that a US court barred access to the xDedic online market place last week. German police were involved in "making the online marketplace inaccessible" and confiscating its IT criminal infrastructure, according to the prosecutors. The Russian computer security firm Kaspersky Labs described xDedic as a trading platform where cybercriminals can buy any of more than 70,000 hacked servers from around the internet. The underground market "appears to be run by a Russian-speaking group of hackers," it added. "The forum provides members with tools to patch RDP servers to support multiple user logins, as well as other hacking tools, such as proxy installers and sysinfo collectors," Kaspersky said. "The main goal of the xDedic forum is to facilitate the buying and selling of credentials for hacked servers which are available through RDP," it said. London (AFP) - Up to 9,000 jobs are at risk as part of a restructuring programme announced by British supermarket giant Tesco on Monday. "Overall, we estimate that up to 9,000 Tesco colleague roles could be impacted, however, our expectation is that up to half of these colleagues could be redeployed to other customer-facing roles," the supermarket said in a statement. The retailer, which employs around 300,000 workers in Britain, told staff on Monday of the changes being made as part of the longer term "turnaround" launched four years ago. "In our four years of turnaround we've made good progress, but the market is challenging and we need to continually adapt to remain competitive," said Britain and Ireland CEO Jason Tarry. "This will impact some of our colleagues and our commitment is to minimise this as much as possible and support our colleagues throughout." The latest job plans concern the supermarket's fish, meat and deli counters in its British stores. "We expect that around 90 stores will close their counters, with the remaining 700 trading with either a full or flexible counter offer for our customers," it said. More than 10,000 jobs have been cut at Tesco since chief executive Dave Lewis took charge in 2014 with the brief to save A1.5 billion ($1.9 billion, 1.7 billion euros). It rebounded into annual net profit last year on strong sales and restructuring following a net loss of A40 million in 2016/2017, when it was hurt by costs arising from an accounting fiasco. Tesco -- the world's third-biggest supermarket chain after France's Carrefour and global leader Wal-Mart of the United States -- also has global operations dotted elsewhere including China, India, Ireland, Malaysia, Slovakia and Thailand. It has been dogged in recent years by an accounting scandal and fierce domestic competition from German discount chains Aldi and Lidl. The Telegraph Abandoned by her father and bullied by other children for being chubby, life was not too rosy for Giorgia Meloni when she was growing up in a scruffy working-class district of Rome. Thirty years on, she is having the last laugh. The leader of the hard-Right Brothers of Italy party could, conceivably, become Italys first ever woman prime minister, which would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Brothers of Italy, which is the modern-day heir to Italys fascist movement, was then a fringe By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Sunday lifted sanctions on aluminum giant Rusal <0486.HK> and other Russian firms linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska, despite a Democratic-led push in the U.S. Congress to maintain the restrictions. Earlier this month, 11 of Trump's fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate joined Democrats in a failed effort to keep the sanctions on Rusal, its parent, En+ Group Plc, and power firm JSC EuroSibEnergo. But that was not enough to overcome opposition from Trump and most of his fellow Republicans. Advocates for keeping the sanctions had argued that Deripaska, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, retained too much control over the companies to lift sanctions imposed in April to punish Russia for actions including its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, efforts to interfere in U.S. elections and support for Syria's government in its civil war. Some lawmakers from both parties also said it was inappropriate to ease the sanctions while Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigates whether Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Moscow. But in its statement on Sunday, the U.S. Treasury Department said the three companies had reduced Deripaska's direct and indirect shareholding stake and severed his control. That action, it said, ensured that most directors on the En+ and Rusal boards would be independent directors, including Americans and Europeans, who had no business, professional or family ties to Deripaska or any other person designated for sanctions by the Treasury Department. "The companies have also agreed to unprecedented transparency for Treasury into their operations by undertaking extensive, ongoing auditing, certification, and reporting requirements," the department's statement said. Deripaska himself remains subject to U.S. sanctions. Trump administration officials, and many Republicans who opposed the effort to keep the sanctions in place, said they worried about the impact on the global aluminum industry. They also said Deripaska's decision to lower his stakes in the companies so that he no longer controlled them showed that the sanctions had worked. Rusal is the world's largest aluminum producer outside China. The sanctions on the company spurred demand for Chinese metal. China's aluminum exports jumped to a record high in 2018. Trump denies collusion, and Moscow has denied seeking to influence the U.S. election on Trump's behalf, despite U.S. intelligence agencies' finding that it did so. Deripaska had ties with Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign manager. Manafort pleaded guilty in September 2018 to attempted witness tampering and conspiring against the United States. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Peter Cooney) This item is available in full to subscribers. Attention subscribers We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription. If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site. If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here. Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing. By Tina Bellon (Reuters) - A federal judge overseeing lawsuits alleging Bayer AG's glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer causes cancer on Monday tentatively allowed pieces of controversial evidence that the company had hoped to exclude from upcoming trials. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria during a hearing in San Francisco federal court called his decision "probably most disappointing for Monsanto," the Bayer unit that manufactures the world's most widely used herbicide. The company denies allegations that glyphosate causes cancer and says decades of independent studies have shown the chemical to be safe for human use. Chhabria on Monday said plaintiffs could introduce some evidence of Monsanto's alleged attempts to ghostwrite studies and influence the findings of scientists and regulators during the first phase of upcoming trials. He said documents which showed the company taking a position on the science or a study introduced during the first phase were "super relevant." The company had hoped the judge would take a harder line on such evidence following a Jan. 3 order by Chhabria restricting evidence of corporate misconduct. At the time, that decision lifted Bayer's shares nearly 7 percent. Monsanto had argued much of this evidence was a "sideshow" that would only distract jurors from the scientific evidence. Plaintiffs' lawyers contended some evidence of corporate misconduct was inextricably linked to their scientific claims. The judge appeared to agree with them, saying it was difficult to draw the line between scientific evidence and allegations of corporate misconduct, and questioned whether it would be fair for the jury to not hear about the company's alleged attempts to influence scientists. The parties did agree that other internal documents, including emails of Monsanto employees discussing lobbying efforts, do not belong in the initial trial phase. Under Chhabria's order, that evidence would be allowed only if glyphosate was found to have caused plaintiff Edwin Hardeman's cancer and the trial proceeded to a second phase to determine Bayer's liability. Story continues The order applies to Hardeman's case, which is scheduled to go to trial on Feb. 25, and two other upcoming cases. There are some 620 Roundup cases before Chhabria, out of more than 9,300 nationwide. Plaintiffs' lawyers believe corporate misconduct evidence was critical to a California state court jury's August decision to award $289 million in a similar case. The verdict sent Bayer shares tumbling at the time, though the award was later reduced to $78 million and is under appeal. (Reporting by Tina Bellon in New York; Editing by Anthony Lin and Bill Berkrot) By Rupam Jain and Phil Stewart KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and the Taliban have sketched the outlines for an eventual peace accord to end 17 years of war in Afghanistan, a U.S. special envoy said on Monday, but there was no sign the insurgent group had accepted key U.S. demands. "We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement," U.S. special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad told the New York Times in an interview in Kabul after six days of talks with the Taliban. "The Taliban have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals." However, there was no sign that the Taliban had agreed to U.S. demands such as that they commit to a ceasefire before the withdrawal of U.S. troops or that they engage in direct talks with the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, analysts said. "While the progress in Doha has been the most significant to date, reaching a final agreement is far from guaranteed, as (these) two major sticking points could still derail the process," Ahmad Majidyar, a fellow at the Middle East Institute, wrote on the Washington thinktank's website. Another U.S. official in Kabul, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, described "significant progress" in the talks in Qatar but said more negotiations were needed on the issue of the timing of the ceasefire, which looms as a sticking point in the next round of talks on Feb. 25. Taliban negotiators want a full withdrawal before a ceasefire but the Americans want it the other way around, the official said. "Of course we don't seek a permanent military presence in Afghanistan," the official said. "Our goal is to help bring peace in Afghanistan and we would like a future partnership, newly defined with a post-peace government," the official said. "We would like to leave a good legacy." Story continues U.S. forces in 2001 toppled the country's hardline Islamic leaders for harbouring the al Qaeda militants responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks that killed about 3,000 people. A senior Trump administration official who also spoke on condition of anonymity said the Taliban would have to agree to talk to the government in Kabul to make a lasting deal. "The President has made clear that his priority is ending the war in Afghanistan with an agreement that ensures the country never again serves as a base for terrorists to attack the U.S. or any other country," the official said. "To achieve such an agreement, the Taliban must engage with other Afghans and all sides must agree to resolve their differences through peaceful means," he added. Taliban officials have repeatedly refused to talk to the Afghan government, which they regard as a U.S. puppet, throwing into question how effective a peace deal could be. The Taliban do want, however, to join an interim government post-deal. NO PLANS YET Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters outside the Pentagon he had been briefed on the talks but had not been asked to plan for a full withdrawal of troops. "It's encouraging," Shanahan said of the talks. Asked whether he had been tasked with planning a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, he said: "I have not." Despite the presence of U.S.-led foreign forces training, advising and assisting their Afghan counterparts, the Taliban control nearly half of Afghanistan and stage near-daily attacks against the government and its security forces. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said last week that 45,000 members of the country's security forces had been killed since he took office in 2014. A U.S. official said in December that President Donald Trump was planning to withdraw more than 5,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the latest sign of his thinning patience with America's longest war and overseas military interventions. Trump last month decided to pull U.S. troops out of Syria as well. Both U.S. officials and the Taliban hailed progress after the talks with Khalilzad ended on Saturday. Taliban sources told Reuters that the United States had agreed to withdraw foreign troops within 18 months of the signing of a pact but the U.S. official said a timeline was not discussed. The U.S. troops in Afghanistan are part of a NATO-led mission and a U.S. counter-terrorism mission largely directed at groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda. Some 8,000 troops from 38 other countries are participating in the operation, known as Resolute Support. (Reporting by Rupam Jain and Abdul Qadir Sediqi; Additional reporting by Phil Stewart and Steve Holland in Washington; Writing by Greg Torode and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Mary Milliken, Will Dunham and Sonya Hepinstall) By Rupam Jain and Phil Stewart KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and the Taliban have sketched the outlines for an eventual peace accord to end 17 years of war in Afghanistan, a U.S. special envoy said on Monday, but there was no sign the insurgent group had accepted key U.S. demands. "We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement," U.S. special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad told the New York Times in an interview in Kabul after six days of talks with the Taliban. "The Taliban have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals." However, there was no sign that the Taliban had agreed to U.S. demands such as that they commit to a ceasefire before the withdrawal of U.S. troops or that they engage in direct talks with the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, analysts said. "While the progress in Doha has been the most significant to date, reaching a final agreement is far from guaranteed, as (these) two major sticking points could still derail the process," Ahmad Majidyar, a fellow at the Middle East Institute, wrote on the Washington thinktank's website. Another U.S. official in Kabul, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, described "significant progress" in the talks in Qatar but said more negotiations were needed on the issue of the timing of the ceasefire, which looms as a sticking point in the next round of talks on Feb. 25. Taliban negotiators want a full withdrawal before a ceasefire but the Americans want it the other way around, the official said. "Of course we don't seek a permanent military presence in Afghanistan," the official said. "Our goal is to help bring peace in Afghanistan and we would like a future partnership, newly defined with a post-peace government," the official said. "We would like to leave a good legacy." U.S. forces in 2001 toppled the country's hardline Islamic leaders for harboring the al Qaeda militants responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks that killed about 3,000 people. A senior Trump administration official who also spoke on condition of anonymity said the Taliban would have to agree to talk to the government in Kabul to make a lasting deal. "The President has made clear that his priority is ending the war in Afghanistan with an agreement that ensures the country never again serves as a base for terrorists to attack the U.S. or any other country," the official said. "To achieve such an agreement, the Taliban must engage with other Afghans and all sides must agree to resolve their differences through peaceful means," he added. Taliban officials have repeatedly refused to talk to the Afghan government, which they regard as a U.S. puppet, throwing into question how effective a peace deal could be. The Taliban do want, however, to join an interim government post-deal. NO PLANS YET Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters outside the Pentagon he had been briefed on the talks but had not been asked to plan for a full withdrawal of troops. "It's encouraging," Shanahan said of the talks. Asked whether he had been tasked with planning a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, he said: "I have not." Despite the presence of U.S.-led foreign forces training, advising and assisting their Afghan counterparts, the Taliban control nearly half of Afghanistan and stage near-daily attacks against the government and its security forces. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said last week that 45,000 members of the country's security forces had been killed since he took office in 2014. A U.S. official said in December that President Donald Trump was planning to withdraw more than 5,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the latest sign of his thinning patience with America's longest war and overseas military interventions. Trump last month decided to pull U.S. troops out of Syria as well. Both U.S. officials and the Taliban hailed progress after the talks with Khalilzad ended on Saturday. Taliban sources told Reuters that the United States had agreed to withdraw foreign troops within 18 months of the signing of a pact but the U.S. official said a timeline was not discussed. The U.S. troops in Afghanistan are part of a NATO-led mission and a U.S. counter-terrorism mission largely directed at groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda. Some 8,000 troops from 38 other countries are participating in the operation, known as Resolute Support. (Reporting by Rupam Jain and Abdul Qadir Sediqi; Additional reporting by Phil Stewart and Steve Holland in Washington; Writing by Greg Torode and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Mary Milliken, Will Dunham and Sonya Hepinstall) WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - As the U.S. government moved to reopen after a 35-day partial shutdown, some lawmakers on Sunday criticized using the closure of federal agencies as a tool in policy disputes, which President Donald Trump has threatened to do again. Senior legislators from both parties said the latest shutdown, the 19th since the mid-1970s, was as ineffective as previous shutdowns but much more disruptive as it was the longest in U.S. history. "Shutdowns are not good leverage in any negotiation," Republican Senator Marco Rubio said on NBC's Meet the Press, urging congressional conferees to tackle border security in the three-week talks launched by last week's shutdown-ending deal. Hakeem Jeffries, chairman of the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives, said on the same show that shutdowns were "not legitimate negotiating tactics" when there is public policy disagreement between two branches of government. About 800,000 federal workers stayed home on furlough or worked for no pay during the shutdown, missing at least two paychecks that officials are now working to make up for. "We hope that by the end of this week all the back pay will be made up," acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said on CBS's Face the Nation. Payroll providers vary by agency, he said, so some employees may get paid earlier than others. Payments to contractors, he said, will depend on their contracts. RELATED: 6 ways government shutdowns hurt you This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. ANTI-SHUTDOWN BILLS Democratic Senator Mark Warner and Republican Senator Rob Portman have introduced separate bills to prevent future shutdowns. Their prospects were unclear, but House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke favorably of them on Meet the Press. Trump retreated on Friday from his demand for funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall that had caused the closure of about a quarter of the government. He also threatened to resume the shutdown on Feb. 15 if he does not get what he wants. Story continues The president had demanded that $5.7 billion in wall funding be part of any measure to end the shutdown, which started when several federal agencies ran out of money on Dec. 22 for reasons unrelated to immigration or border security. Democrats opposed his demand, triggering a five-week standoff that damaged the economy, hurt many federal workers and tested Americans' patience with delays to air travel, closures of national parks and other disruptions. After polls showed Americans increasingly blamed him for the situation, Trump on Friday signed a measure to fund the government for three weeks as congressional negotiators try to work out a bill to fully fund it through Sept. 30. BACK TO WORK The White House held a conference call with Cabinet department financial officers late Friday to discuss the resumption of government operations. White House Office of Management and Budget acting chief Russell Vought told agencies in a memo to reopen "in a prompt and orderly manner." Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb wrote Saturday on Twitter that the agency would send back pay to staffers no later than Thursday. The Coast Guard told personnel it was "working through the weekend to process your pay as quickly as possible" and also said back pay should be received by Thursday. Federal workers are owed about $6 billion in back pay, according to a study released last week. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration asked employees for "patience and attention, especially during the first 48 hours," noting that most employees' laptops and smartphones have been inactive for more than a month and have not had "critical, regularly scheduled maintenance." During the shutdown some agencies did not complete contracts for grants. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stopped reviewing new auto safety recalls. The Federal Aviation Administration stopped certifying some new aircraft and routes. The Smithsonian Institution said museums in Washington and the National Zoo will reopen on Tuesday. The shutdown was likely to delay the rollout of Trump's 2020 budget proposal and congressional hearings on the budget. It remained unclear when Trump would deliver his State of the Union Address, which was postponed during the shutdown fight. One administration official, who asked not to be named, said on Saturday the speech would likely not occur until February. (Reporting by David Shepardson and Howard Schneider; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Daniel Wallis) WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration is closely eyeing efforts in Europe to set up an alternative money payment channel to ease doing business with Iran and avoid running afoul of sanctions the U.S. has levied on the Islamic republic. The White House is putting the Europeans on notice, saying that if they try to do an end-run around U.S. sanctions on Iran, they will be subject to stiff fines and penalties. Unfazed, the European Union is marching forward with the plan, which, if implemented, could further strain trans-Atlantic relations. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Monday that the EU was on the verge of setting up the alternative channel to send money to Iran that would side-step U.S. sanctions on Tehran. He said Germany had been working on it in recent months with Britain, France and other EU partners. "This has always been our goal and we will implement it," Maas said. The EU has struggled to keep alive the Iran nuclear deal since President Donald Trump pulled out of it last year. The bloc has already introduced measures to stop European companies from complying with the U.S. sanctions without authorization from Brussels. Getting out ahead of a possible announcement, a senior administration official told The Associated Press on Friday that the U.S. will fully enforce its sanctions and hold individuals and entities accountable for undermining them. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue. "The choice is whether to do business with Iran or the United States," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told the AP. "I hope our European allies choose wisely." The U.S. joined China, France, Germany, Russia and Britain in signing a pact with Iran in 2015 that offered to lift economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran's pledge to rein in its nuclear weapons program. President Donald Trump called it a "horrible, one-sided deal." He pulled out of the pact last year and restored punishing U.S. sanctions on Iran. Tehran, which denies wanting nuclear weapons, continues to abide by the agreement, and the remaining five nations in the pact are trying to keep it intact. Story continues Restoring the sanctions regime is part of the Trump administration's "maximum pressure campaign" on the Iranians to force them to radically alter their policies on developing ballistic missiles, supporting regional militant groups and violating human rights. The U.S. has many concerns about the alternative payment system, according to an outside Trump administration adviser. The adviser spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the key U.S. worries. Long-term, the U.S. worries that the alternative money payment system could become successful enough to compete with the international bank transfer system known as SWIFT. The fear is that it could eventually supplant SWIFT as the leading global vehicle for financial institutions to send and receive information about banking transactions. Secondly, the U.S. is concerned that other countries might try to route transactions through the European system just to circumvent U.S. sanctions, the adviser said. Thirdly, while the Europeans have signaled that the alternative money transfer system would be used only for humanitarian transactions, the U.S. is suspicious that it could be used for non-humanitarian transactions to evade U.S. sanctions, the adviser said. "We should oppose efforts to create foreign financial channels that Iran could use to circumvent America's maximum pressure campaign against it, especially when humanitarian exceptions are already in U.S. sanctions laws," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told the AP. As the administration prepares for the potential fallout from the possible European move, it is pressing ahead with its sanctions campaign against Iran and preparing to co-host with Poland next month a conference that will focus on combatting Iranian threats. On Thursday, Treasury imposed sanctions on two Iran-backed militias in Syria and on Qeshm Fars Air, an Iranian civilian airline it accuses of ferrying weapons and personnel to Syria to support President Bashar Assad's government. The sanctions block any assets those targeted might have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with them. At the same time, the State Department told Congress earlier this month that it would waive some Iranian sanctions to allow U.S. companies to sell spare parts to Iranian airlines, which need them to operate aging, American-built Boeing jets. The waivers raised questions on Capitol Hill because some lawmakers are weighing legislation to specifically target Iran's civilian aviation sector. And Iran hawks outside the administration have expressed concern too. Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said Iran's aviation sector is being used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the Iranian military that has ties to militant networks, which Iran uses to expand its influence in the region and abroad. "What effective controls does the administration have in place to ensure that the aircraft receiving these licensed services are not facilitating Iran's support for these destructive activities?" he asked. President Trump didnt waste any time in attacking a potential 2020 rival, Howard Schultz, tweeting Monday that the former Starbucks chief executive lacks the guts to mount a White House bid. Schultz, a lifelong Democrat, hasnt declared a candidacy yet, but in an interview that aired on CBS 60 Minutes Sunday, he said he is seriously thinking of running for president as an independent candidate. I [would] run as a centrist independent, Schultz said, outside of the two-party system. Were living at a most fragile time not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing whats necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics. President Trump and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. (Photos: Ron Sachs/Pool via Bloomberg/Getty Images; Elaine Thompson/AP) Schultz, who built Starbucks into a global chain, is worth an estimated $3.1 billion, and is expected to self-fund at least part of his candidacy. I want to see the American people win, he continued. I want to see America win. I dont care if youre a Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, Republican. Bring me your ideas. And I will be an independent person, who will embrace those ideas. Because I am not, in any way, in bed with a party. Schultz added: I have a long history of recognizing Im not the smartest person in the room, that in order to make great decisions about complex problems, I have to recruit and attract people who are smarter than me and more experienced, more skilled and weve got to create an understanding that we need a creative debate in the room to make these kind of decisions. Howard Schultz doesnt have the guts to run for President! Trump tweeted on Monday. Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the smartest person. Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower! But Democrats think a run by Schultz could be the best thing to happen to Trump, pulling independents and moderates away from whoever wins the Democratic nomination. Neera Tanden, a prominent progressive activist and head of the Center for American Progress, said she would call for a boycott of Starbucks if Schultz runs. Story continues Vanity projects that help destroy democracy are disgusting, Tanden said in a Twitter post. If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because Im not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win. Schultz, 65, stepped down as CEO of Starbucks in April 2017, immediately stoking talk of a potential presidential bid. Ill be thinking about a range of options for myself, from philanthropy to public service, but Im a long way from knowing what the future holds, Schultz wrote in a company memo at the time. The timing of Schultzs announcement Sunday is, not coincidentally, tied to the publication of his new book, From the Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America, due out this week. ___ Read more from Yahoo News: By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday the United States expects significant progress this week in trade talks with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, but the two sides will be tackling "complicated issues", including how to enforce any deal. The talks, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Washington, will include a meeting between Liu and U.S. President Donald Trump and take place amid worsening tensions between the world's two largest economies. The U.S. Justice Department on Monday unsealed indictments against China's top telecommunications equipment maker, Huawei Technologies Co, accusing it of bank and wire fraud to evade Iran sanctions and conspiring to steal trade secrets from T-Mobile US Inc. China, meanwhile, formally challenged U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods in the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement system, calling the duties a "blatant breach" of Washington's WTO obligations. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross insisted at a news conference that the Huawei indictments are "law enforcement actions and are wholly separate from our trade negotiations with China." The Huawei indictment came as a Chinese delegation including Liu and Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen was already in Washington preparing for the talks, a person familiar with the discussions said. Mnuchin, speaking at a White House news conference, said the two sides were trying to tackle "complicated issues," including a way to verify enforcement of China's reform progress in any deal with Beijing. The Treasury chief, who will be among the top U.S. officials at the negotiating table, said Chinese officials had acknowledged the need for such a verification mechanism. "We want to make sure that when we get a deal, that deal will be enforced," Mnuchin said. "The details of how we do that are very complicated. That needs to be negotiated. But IP (intellectual property) protection, no more forced joint ventures, and enforcement are three of the most important issues on the agenda." Reuters reported earlier this month that U.S. officials were demanding regular reviews of China's progress on pledged trade reforms, which would maintain the threat of tariffs long term. Mnuchin added that there had been "significant movement" in the talks so far, and there will be around 30 days for further negotiations after the meetings in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday to reach an agreement before a March 2 deadline for increasing U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. Mounting concerns for both countries, including China's slowing economy and Trump's need for a political win, could prod both sides toward a "partial, interim deal," said Eswar Prasad, a Cornell University trade professor and former head of the International Monetary Fund's China department. "There remains a vast distance separating the negotiating positions of the two sides, making a comprehensive and durable deal unlikely," Prasad said. China is unlikely to give much ground on industrial policy and state support for industries, but it could promise to improve intellectual property protections and enforcement. However, persuading U.S. negotiators that these can be verified will be a "hard sell," Prasad added. The White House said that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would lead the talks for the American side, with participation from Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow and White House trade and manufacturing adviser Peter Navarro. It said the meetings will take place in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, part of the White House complex. (Reporting by David Lawder and Steve Holland; additional reporting by Chris Prentice, David Shepardson and Makini Brice; editing by James Dalgleish) The Trump administration has lifted sanctions against companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, defying efforts led by congressional Democrats to block the move. Earlier this month, 11 Republicans in the Senate joined Democrats in a bid to keep restrictions on aluminium producer Rusal, its parent En+ Group and JSC EuroSibEnergo, a private energy company. But that was not enough to overcome an aggressive lobbying campaign, led by a British lord who chairs one of the firms, and opposition from Donald Trump and most of his fellow Republicans. On Sunday, the Treasury Department ended the sanctions against Mr Deripaskas business empire, having announced its intention to do so last month. In its statement, the US Treasury said the three companies had agreed to its conditions for ending sanctions by reducing Mr Deripaskas direct and indirect shareholding stake and severing his control. That action, it said, ensured most directors on the En+ and Rusal boards would be independent directors, including Americans and Europeans who had no business, professional or family ties to Mr Deripaska or any other person designated for sanctions by the US Treasury. The companies have also agreed to unprecedented transparency for Treasury into their operations by undertaking extensive, ongoing auditing, certification, and reporting requirements, said the statement. Mr Deripaska, a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, remains personally subject to US sanctions. The sanctions, imposed in April, were designed to punish Russia for its actions including its annexation of the Crimea from the Ukraine, efforts to interfere in the US elections and support for Syrias government in its civil war. Advocates for keeping the sanctions argued Mr Deripaska, who has been accused of links to organised crime, retained too much control over the companies. Lawmakers from both parties also said it was inappropriate to ease the sanctions while special counsel Robert Mueller investigates whether Mr Trumps 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Moscow. Story continues On Monday, former US ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, described the Trump administrations decision as a huge gift to Putin. Lifting of these sanctions was a big win for Putin and Deripaska. And what did we the American people get in return? Nothing, he wrote on Twitter. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. After the US Treasurys announcement on Sunday, En+ named its new independent board members, which includes Christopher Bancroft Burnham, a former official in Mr Trumps presidential transition team. Rusal also said Jean-Pierre Thomas had resigned as chairman and director of the company as part of the deal to lift sanctions. Shares in Hong Kong-listed Rusal jumped more than 5 per cent in early trading on Monday. Trump administration officials, and many Republicans who opposed the effort to keep the sanctions in place, had said they worried about the effect on the global aluminium industry. They also said Mr Deripaskas decision to lower his stakes in the companies so that he no longer controlled them showed the sanctions had worked. Rusal is the worlds largest aluminium producer outside China. The sanctions on the company spurred demand for Chinese metal, with Chinas aluminum exports jumping to a record high in 2018. Mr Trump denies collusion, and Moscow has denied seeking to influence the US election on Mr Trumps behalf, despite US intelligence agencies findings to the contrary. Mr Deripaska had ties with Paul Manafort, Mr Trumps former campaign manager. Mr Manafort pleaded guilty in September 2018 to attempted witness tampering and conspiring against the US. The lifting of sanctions comes after a lobbying campaign led by Conservative peer Lord Barker, a former UK energy minister and now chairman of En+. Lord Barker reportedly used lobbyists with ties to the Trump administration, law firms and public relations experts to make the argument that Mr Deripaska was committed to giving up control of his companies. Mr Deripaska is one of Russias wealthiest men. He amassed his fortune under Mr Putin and has bought assets abroad in ways widely perceived to benefit the Kremlins interests. US diplomatic cables from 2006 described him as among the two or three oligarchs Putin turns to on a regular basis and a more-or-less permanent fixture on Putins trips abroad. The 50-year-old found fame in the UK in 2008 when it was revealed that then-business secretary, Lord Mandelson, and shadow chancellor George Osborne had socialised with the oligarch on his yacht off the coast of Corfu. Additional reporting by agencies WASHINGTON President Donald Trump took a swipe Monday at the potential presidential candidacy of businessman Howard Schultz, even as critics fear an independent bid by the former Starbucks CEO could help Trump in his re-election bid. "Howard Schultz doesnt have the 'guts' to run for President!" Trump tweeted, adding that he agreed with Schultz's self-deprecating assessment that he is not the smartest person in the world and would hire good advisers. "America already has that!" Trump claimed. "I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!" Discussing his potential independent candidacy with CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday, Schultz a longtime Democratic donor said both the Democratic and Republican parties are failing the American people, and that Trump has proved he is wholly unqualified to be president. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. As for the comment about intelligence, Schultz, 65, said: "I have a long history of recognizing I'm not the smartest person in the room, that in order to make great decisions about complex problems, I have to recruit and attract people who are smarter than me and more experienced, more skilled." Political consultants from both parties praised Schultz's business background, but said an independent bid would likely split the anti-Trump vote with the Democratic nominee, giving the incumbent a better chance to win re-election. Republican consultant Mike Murphy, a Trump critic, tweeted of Schultz: "I admire the guy and think his intentions are completely honorable but if he runs his campaign slogan really should be, 'Schultz: The Independent Vote-Splitting Leadership Trump Needs Now' #WakeUpAndSmellTheCoffee." In this March 22, 2017 file photo, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz speaks at the Starbucks annual shareholders meeting in Seattle. Democratic strategist Mark Mellman also urged the businessman not to make the race. "Mr Schultz the honest truth," he tweeted: "Despite your achievements, you have no chance of being elected POTUS running as an independent, but some real chance of throwing the general election to @realDonaldTrump. That cant be your goal, but it could be your effect, if you pursue this course." Story continues Asked about the prospect of tipping the race to Trump, Schultz told "60 Minutes," "I wanna see the American people win. I wanna see America win. I don't care if you're a Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, Republican. Bring me your ideas." Schultz also told CBS said he anticipates tweeted attacks from Trump. "I think, like most people .. I've become bored with President Trump and his tweets." 2020: 'Not a wise thing': Democrats pan Howard Schultz's potential bid This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump blasts former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who critics fear could help president win re-election Shark bites plummet, fatalities remain average in 2018 While several high-profile shark bites made headlines last year, the total number of shark attacks globally took a nosedive. The University of Floridas International Shark Attack File reported 66 unprovoked shark bites in 2018, down from 88 in 2017 and 26 percent lower than the most recent five-year average of 84 incidents annually. Four of the bites proved fatal, roughly keeping in line with the average of six deaths worldwide per year. Consistent with long-term trends, the U.S. led the world in attacks with 32 bites, a drop from 53 the previous year. Year-to-year fluctuations in the number of shark bites are normal, but 2018s steep decline is unusual, said Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural Historys shark research program. Statistically, this is an anomaly, he said. It begs the question of whether were seeing fewer bites because there are fewer sharks that would be the glass half-empty interpretation. Or it could be that the general public is heeding the advice of beach safety officials. My hope is that the lower numbers are a consequence of people becoming more aware and accepting of the fact that theyre sharing the ocean with these animals. Naylor said press coverage of two great white shark bites in Cape Cod, Massachusetts one of which was fatal and the uncommon phenomenon of two bites occurring within minutes of one another off Fire Island, New York, gave the illusion that 2018 was a a big year for shark bites. But in reality, total unprovoked bites decreased in the U.S. and abroad, with a few exceptions. The ISAF defines unprovoked shark attacks are those initiated by a shark in its natural habitat. Australia saw an uptick in bites with 20, including one fatality, an increase from the regions recent five-year average of 14 bites annually. Brazil and Egypt both had three bites and one fatality, up from a single non-fatal bite each in 2017. The ISAF confirmed two bites in South Africa and continues to investigate four unclassified attacks in the region. Single bites occurred in the Bahama Islands and Costa Rica a drop from two each the year before and the Galapagos Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand and Thailand. A rash of bites over the past few years at Reunion and Ascension islands signaled they could be emerging attack hotspots, but the islands reported no bites in 2018. Naylor credited Reunion Islands stringent attack mitigation strategies as contributing to fewer bites. Similarly, no attacks were recorded in the Canary Islands, Cuba, England, Japan and the Maldives, each of which had a single incident in 2017. Florida, which annually tops the leaderboard for attacks in the U.S., reported 16 unprovoked bites, down from 31 in 2017, and Volusia County, the shark attack capital of the world, had four bites, compared to nine the year before. Naylor cited the apparent shrinking of the states blacktip shark populations the species most commonly involved in Florida shark bites as a possible factor in the downturn in attacks. Blacktips used to amass in huge numbers along the coast of Florida, and there have been far fewer of them, particularly in the last two or three years, he said. The fact that numbers of that particular species appear to be diminishing would be consistent with the number of bites being a little lower than in past years. Hawaii, North Carolina and South Carolina had three bites each; two bites occurred in Massachusetts and New York; and California, Georgia and Texas reported single bites. Shark bites globally are on a slow, gradual rise, a direct result of the increasing number of people in the water. But fatality rates worldwide have been on the decline for decades, which Naylor attributes to the swift and effective responses of beach safety officials. Naylor said one area to watch is Cape Cod, which experienced two great white attacks, including the communitys first fatality in 82 years. Great whites are returning to the area as local seal populations rebound, a result of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. An increase in sharks is a symptom of restoring healthy oceans, Naylor said. What the public needs to do is become informed about these animals, understand their behavior patterns and listen to the guidelines issued by beach safety patrols. Fifty-three percent of bites involved board sports, which are typically practiced in the surf zone where sharks commonly swim and can produce the kind of water disturbance that could attract a shark. While the chances of being bitten by a shark are minimal, the ISAF offers recommendations for how to lower the risk of a shark attack or fend off an attacking shark. Naylor said a goal of the museums shark research program is to increase the use of DNA as a means of identifying shark species responsible for bites, a technique his lab successfully tested with a tooth fragment recovered from one of the Fire Island attacks. The program also aims to help the public appreciate the diversity and biology of the more than 500 known species of sharks. "Only about 5 percent of shark species have been implicated in bites," Naylor said. As we fine-tune our understanding of these animals, we not only increase our own safety in the water, but we can turn fear to fascination." See full release here. Donald Trump is prepared to shut down the government again if he does not get funding for his border wall, his chief of staff has said. The president is willing to do whatever it takes to push through the contentious $5.7bn (4.3bn) project, Mick Mulvaney warned as hundreds of thousands of federal staff prepared to return to work. Mr Trump signed off a spending bill on Friday to reopen shuttered government departments until 15 February. While the deal ended the longest government shutdown in history and meant workers could be paid for the first time this year, the prolonged stand-off between the president and Democrats shows no sign of drawing to a close. Mr Trump has continued to insist on building a wall along the US-Mexico border, a project congressional Democrats consider an ineffective and unethical waste of money. A group of 17 Republican and Democrat politicians has been set up to thrash out a compromise, but on Sunday the president told the The Wall Street Journal the odds of them agreeing a deal he would sign off were less than 50-50. Another shutdown was certainly an option, he added, vowing to declare a national emergency to secure funding for the wall if necessary. The first shutdown cost the US economy at least $6bn (4.6bn) in just over a month, according to the S&P Global Ratings. Asked if the president would be prepared to partially close down the government again if no agreement has been reached by 15 February, Mr Mulvaney told CBS News: Yeah I think he actually is. Keep in mind hes willing to do whatever it takes to secure the border. He does take this very seriously. The White House chief of staff added: He doesnt want to shut the government down, lets make that very clear. He doesnt want to declare a national emergency. At the end of the day, the presidents commitment is to defend the nation and he will do it with or without Congress. Mr Trump has indicated he would be unlikely to accept less than $5.7bn funding for the border wall, one of his key campaign promises ahead in the 2016 election. He said would also be wary of any proposed deal that exchanged wall funding for broad immigration reform. Story continues Kevin McCarthy, the leading Republican in the House of Representatives, said Democrats had funded border barriers in the past and claimed they were refusing this time simply because the demand was coming from Mr Trump. But Hakeem Jeffries, a member of the Democratic leadership in the House, said his colleagues were looking for evidence-based legislation. Shutdowns are not legitimate negotiating tactics when theres a public policy disagreement between two branches of government, he added. WASHINGTON The Trump administration slapped sanctions on Venezuelas state-owned oil company on Monday a move that will ratchet up pressure on embattled President Nicolas Maduro but could increase gas prices for American consumers. Most American companies will be barred from importing Venezuelan oil under the new sanctions. The administration will also freeze $7 billion in Venezuelan oil assets as of Monday, said National Security Adviser John Bolton in a White House news conference. A handful of American refineries will still be able to continue to purchase Venezuelan oil but any revenue will go into blocked accounts, so Maduros regime cannot access that vital stream of funds, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters at the news conference. Mnuchin said the administration will try to make the oil revenue available to Venezuelas opposition leader, Juan Guaido. President Donald Trump recognized Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela last week and has pressured Maduro to relinquish power. National security adviser John Bolton speaks as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin listens during a press briefing at the White House, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, in Washington. Mnuchin said he did not expect the actions to cause a spike in U.S. gas prices. "Were dealing with Venezuelan oil that is a rather modest part of our overall supply," he said. "Im sure many of our friends in the Middle East will be happy to make up the supply." The U.S. imported more than $10 billion worth of oil from Venezuela in 2017, making it one of the top sources of crude for American refineries along with Saudi Arabia, Canada and Iraq. Venezuela has the largest amount of proven oil reserves in the world, and oil revenues account for about 98 percent of the country's export earnings, according to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The oil industry is mainly controlled by a company called Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., known more commonly as PDVSA. Mnuchin said the U.S. could lift sanctions on PDVSA if it transferred operational control to Guaido, who declared himself interim president last week, or to another democratically elected government. Maduro was sworn in for a second term on Jan. 10 after an election widely viewed as fraudulent. Story continues Mnuchin conceded that some U.S.-based refineries are dependent on Venezuelan oil. Citgo Petroleum Corp., a Houston-based refiner, is majority owned by PDVSA. Texas-based Valero Energy Corp. is also a major importer of Venezuelan oil. Mnuchin said there's "plenty of supply" of Venezuelan crude in the pipeline, explaining that American-based firms have paid for some shipments that are now en route to the U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who has pressed Trump to take a hard line against Maduro, said the sanctions would deprive a corrupt regime of a vital source of revenue. The Maduro crime family has used PDVSA to buy and keep the support of many military leaders, Rubio said in a statement Monday. The oil belongs to the Venezuelan people, and therefore the money PDVSA earns from its export will now be returned to the people through their legitimate constitutional government. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also applauded the move but said he worried about the economic impact on the Venezuelan people, who are already suffering amid hyperinflation and food shortages. Menendez said there are "more questions than answers about the administration's strategy" and called on Trump officials to brief lawmakers on its Venezuela policy. More: Putin warns against 'destructive interference' in Venezuela after Trump recognizes Juan Guaido Contributing: David Jackson This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump administration slaps sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil company Trevor, once dubbed the "world's loneliest duck," has died. The lone mallard that lived near a puddle on the tiny Pacific island of Niue was found dead after being attacked by a dog, a fan page for Trevor announced Friday. Last year, Trevor's story gained international attention after a journalist visiting the island asked for directions and was told to "turn right after the duck." Aside from being a local landmark, the duck was also a sort of local celebrity. The island has no ducks aside from Trevor. No one really knows how he found its way to Niue, an island of less than 2,000 people without wetlands or ponds. "He showed up in Niue in January last year after a big storm, we think he flew or blew here," Rae Findlay, Niue's Chamber of Commerce chief and the person behind Trevor's Facebook page, told the BBC. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. While he didn't have any duck friends on the island, he wasn't all that lonely. Members of the community visited him often, making sure his puddle was full of water and he was fed. He also made friends with a chicken and her four chicks. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. "Taken too soon by a dog. Rest in Peace Trevor," Findlay wrote. "You were a very cool duck!" Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trevor, 'world's loneliest duck,' dies after being attacked by dog A man inspects a damaged car lying on its side in the tornado-hit Luyano neighborhood in Havana early on January 28, 2019. A rare and powerful tornado that struck Havana killed three people and left 172 injured, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said early on January 28. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP/Getty Images) The president of Cuba says that a tornado in eastern Havana has killed three people and injured 174 others. The Cuban capital was battered late on Sunday and in the early hours of Monday by powerful winds and heavy rains. A blackout hit many Havana neighbourhoods around 9pm local time. President Miguel Diaz-Canel posted photos of himself on Twitter with rescue workers besides what appeared to be a vehicle overturned by the storm. Cuba tornado: Three killed and more than 170 injured in Havana as deadly cyclone hits capital Emergency services tape off a building after it suffered serious damage when a tornado hit Cuba. Little further information about the storm appeared in state media. Photos posted by Cuban media and Havana residents on Twitter showed cars crushed by fallen lampposts and cars trapped in floodwaters around the city. Cuban actor Luis Silva said he was driving with his wife and children when the tornado struck. I had to avoid fallen trees, floods, strong winds. Until I was able to get home! he wrote in an Instagram post. We had a big scare. One local radio station said on Twitter that the neighbourhoods of Regla and 10 de Octubre and the town of San Miguel de Padron had been affected by the tornado. A family are helped to evacuate after a hurricane hit Cuba, killing 174 and injuring others. The Tornado struck Havana. Here, rescuers examine an overturned bus as families flee. The tornado whipped through working class districts of the Cuban capital leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The island regularly suffers extreme weather, including hurricanes and Atlantic storms, and sits in the Caribbean Sea which is vulnerable to hurricanes from June until November. In September 2017, 10 people died in Cuba as a result of Hurricane Irma, with seven of these deaths in Havana, according to state television. Story continues Irma made landfall in Cuba as a Category 5 storm, blasting into seaside towns and causing flooding in low-lying areas of Havana. Winds of 125 mph whipped roofs off buildings, ripped trees from the ground and forced evacuations along the coast. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Abuja (AFP) - Nigeria's government has denied suggestions that the suspension of the country's top judge on corruption charges was linked to the upcoming election. President Muhammadu Buhari replaced Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen on Friday, sparking claims he had breached the constitution and was trying to manipulate the judiciary. The European Union, Britain and the United States each issued statements at the weekend expressing concern at the development, as elections are due on February 16. But Buhari's spokesman said late on Sunday that there was no connection. "In Nigerian law there is no such linkage," Garba Shehu said in a statement. "The CJN does not run the election. Nor is he the first arbiter of any electoral complaints. "He and the Supreme Court will only get involved as the final arbiter at the end of the appellate process... "To link the CJN to the elections in this way is illogical unless they assume that election complaints will be filed and go all the way to the Supreme Court." Shehu's statement was his second against the EU, Britain and the United States, which are all scheduled to have election monitors on the ground. His later comments were more conciliatory in tone than the first, in which the government rejected outside "interference" and said the issue was an internal matter. Onnoghen is accused of failing to declare foreign currency bank accounts, in breach of rules governing the declaration of assets by public officials. Shehu maintained Onnoghen's position was "untenable" given the case against him and the president was forced to act because the judge had not stepped down voluntarily. The suspension was temporary until the conclusion of the case, he added. Political opponents of Buhari have questioned the timing of the charges against Onnoghen so close to elections at which Buhari is seeking a second term of office. The 76-year-old Buhari, of the All Progressives Congress, came to power in 2015 on a pledge to tackle corruption. Story continues International and domestic observers have already warned that the two main parties may attempt to rig the vote, in what is expected to be a close race. The main opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar said Buhari's suspension of Onnoghen was "a brazen act of dictatorship" in a clear reference to his army past. Buhari headed a military government in the 1980s. Parliament has been recalled on Tuesday to discuss the suspension. Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report? TJX (TJX), which belongs to the Zacks Retail - Discount Stores industry, could be a great candidate to consider. This parent of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and other stores has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 7.30%. For the last reported quarter, TJX came out with earnings of $0.63 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.61 per share, representing a surprise of 3.28%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.53 per share and it actually produced earnings of $0.59 per share, delivering a surprise of 11.32%. Price and EPS Surprise For TJX, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. TJX currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.88%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on February 27, 2019. Story continues When the Earnings ESP comes up negative, investors should note that this will reduce the predictive power of the metric. But, a negative value is not indicative of a stock's earnings miss. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). Well show how you can use China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corporation Ltds (SGX:G92) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. China Aviation Oil (Singapore) has a P/E ratio of 8.06, based on the last twelve months. That corresponds to an earnings yield of approximately 12%. View our latest analysis for China Aviation Oil (Singapore) How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio? The formula for price to earnings is: Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share (in the reporting currency) Earnings per Share (EPS) Or for China Aviation Oil (Singapore): P/E of 8.06 = $0.85 (Note: this is the share price in the reporting currency, namely, USD ) $0.11 (Based on the year to September 2018.) Is A High P/E Ratio Good? A higher P/E ratio means that buyers have to pay a higher price for each SGD1 the company has earned over the last year. That isnt necessarily good or bad, but a high P/E implies relatively high expectations of what a company can achieve in the future. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. When earnings grow, the E increases, over time. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up. China Aviation Oil (Singapore)s earnings per share grew by -3.3% in the last twelve months. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 9.7%. How Does China Aviation Oil (Singapore)s P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers? The P/E ratio indicates whether the market has higher or lower expectations of a company. As you can see below, China Aviation Oil (Singapore) has a higher P/E than the average company (7.3) in the oil and gas industry. SGX:G92 PE PEG Gauge January 28th 19 Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that China Aviation Oil (Singapore) shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. Clearly the market expects growth, but it isnt guaranteed. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and selling. Story continues A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank The Price in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. That means it doesnt take debt or cash into account. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings. Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context. China Aviation Oil (Singapore)s Balance Sheet The extra options and safety that comes with China Aviation Oil (Singapore)s US$240m net cash position means that it deserves a higher P/E than it would if it had a lot of net debt. The Verdict On China Aviation Oil (Singapore)s P/E Ratio China Aviation Oil (Singapore)s P/E is 8.1 which is below average (11.8) in the SG market. EPS was up modestly better over the last twelve months. And the healthy balance sheet means the company can sustain growth while the P/E suggests shareholders dont think it will. When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock. You might be able to find a better buy than China Aviation Oil (Singapore). If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings). To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements. The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. In a bid to enhance customers shopping experience and stay competitive, Target Corporation TGT has been aggressively undertaking various strategies. In sync with this, the company is steadily expanding its same-day delivery service. Recently, it announced plans to launch same-day delivery of its more than 55,000 groceries, electronics, toys and other assortments via Shipt in Hawaii. This service will begin on Feb 7, 2019, in Hawaii metro areas Honolulu, Hilo, Kahului and Kailua. Earlier, the company launched same-day delivery services in areas of Peninsula, Maryland, Central California, East Bay, North Bay, San Francisco and San Jose, Salinas, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Maria. The latest move will enable more than 300,000 households in Hawaii receive products within an hour. Further, the Shipt platform will allow members to easily search as well as shop in-store products online, following the commencement of the service. Additionally, the platform allows members to note preferences, select a one-hour delivery window and make payments for the purchases done. Markedly, new members who sign up on Shipt before Feb 7 will be able to avail a yearly membership for $49 (usually $99). The annual membership will have free, unlimited delivery on orders above $35. These apart, Target acquired a transportation technology company Grand Junction to expand its supply chain and improve delivery capabilities. Grand Junction provides a platform that allows retailers, distributors and third-party logistics providers to manage local deliveries through a network of more than 700 carriers. Drive Up, an app-based service, is another initiative by Target to expedite the shopping process. The service allows customers to place orders using the Target app and have them delivered to their cars. The company is also deploying resources to enhance omni-channel capacities, come up with new brands and remodel or refurbish stores. Target has adopted cost reduction strategy, rationalization of supply chain with same-day delivery of in-store purchases and technology and process improvements. These endeavors helped it to deliver decent comparable sales numbers for the November-December period. (Read: Target Posts Solid Holiday Numbers Unlike Few Other Retailers) Story continues We note that this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has gained 9.6% in the past month against the industrys 6.6% growth. 3 Retail Discount Stocks You Cant Miss Tuesday Morning Corporation TUES delivered average positive earnings surprise of 16.5% in the trailing four quarters. It carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Ross Stores, Inc. ROST has a long-term earnings growth rate of 10% and a Zacks Rank #2. The TJX Companies, Inc. TJX has a long-term earnings growth rate of 11.1% and a Zacks Rank #2. Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year? Who wouldn't? Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%. See Latest Stocks Today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Tuesday Morning Corp. (TUES) : Free Stock Analysis Report The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Target Corporation (TGT) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Monday peace talks between the US and the Taliban were "encouraging." His remarks came after US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was quoted Monday as saying the US and the Taliban have drafted the framework of a deal which could pave the way for negotiations with the Afghan government. "I'd say really the takeaway right now: it's encouraging," Shanahan told Pentagon reporters as he waited to greet NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Khalilzad has been leading a months-long diplomatic push to convince the Taliban to negotiate with Kabul, but the militants have steadfastly refused, dismissing the authorities as "puppets." US officials have said President Donald Trump wants to withdraw about half of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan. Shanahan did not provide details about potential US troop withdrawals but, in response to a reporter's question, said he had not been tasked to prepare for a "full" pull-out. Stoltenberg later said it was too early to speak about the future disposition of NATO forces in Afghanistan. "We are in Afghanistan to create the conditions for a peaceful negotiated solution," Stoltenberg said. "We will not leave before we have a situation that enables us to leave or reduce the number of troops without jeopardizing the main goal of our presence -- and that is to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for international terrorists." Washington (AFP) - The United States and the Taliban appear closer than ever to a peace deal, but fears are mounting that President Donald Trump could accept a quick accord that pours fuel on -- rather than douses -- Afghanistan's war. Negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad, a key player in George W. Bush's administration when the United States first invaded Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks, said he sealed the outlines of a peace deal after six days of talks with the Taliban in Qatar. But it remains to be seen how much the Taliban, who imposed an austere form of Islam on much of Afghanistan when they were in power, would give in return for a US pullout. The militants are believed to have promised not to provide shelter again to foreign extremists but have so far refused another key US demand -- that they talk to the internationally recognized government in Kabul. Laurel Miller, the US special representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan until 2017, said it will be critical to see if the Taliban's pledges are substantively new -- "or whether really the only change is that the US wants to get out." "If the US pulled out abruptly -- either with a peace deal as a fig leaf for an exit, or not even bothering with a fig leaf -- I think you would see the countries of the region backing their own separate clients within Afghanistan, and I think you will see a dissipation of central authority in Afghanistan and probably a wider and intensified civil war," said Miller, now the Asia director at the International Crisis Group. "But if the withdrawal comes as part of a peace deal, and with interlocking elements of a US withdrawal and an Afghan peace deal, then you have a possibility for that being something that the regional powers could get behind." - Slipping war support - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in a televised address Monday after being briefed by Khalilzad, appealed to the Taliban to negotiate -- saying that all Afghans should agree on the need for peace and an eventual withdrawal of foreign forces. Story continues "We want peace, we want it fast but we want it with a plan," Ghani said. Trump, who reluctantly boosted US troop numbers early in his term, already decided last month to pull half of the 14,000-strong force from Afghanistan, part of his bid to end what he sees as wasteful foreign involvements. Senator Rand Paul, a Republican backer of the drawdown strategy, told CBS News after the troop decision: "We've been there 17 years. We think now we're going to take one more village and we'll get a better negotiated deal?" Support for America's longest-ever war has been waning -- a Pew Research Center poll taken in September found that only 45 percent of Americans still agreed with the decision to use force in Afghanistan, where some 2,400 US troops have died since 2001. "There has been a gradual realization and finally embrace by even the US military of the idea that the war is not going to be won by the United States and that there are limits to how effective the US and NATO have been in building up the capability of Afghan forces to hand over the fight to them," Miller said. Former president Barack Obama was also skeptical of the never-ending war and planned to pull out troops by the end of his term -- but backtracked after seeing Taliban gains and the rise of the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, following the US withdrawal from Iraq. - Could Taliban triumph? - Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said he was "extremely skeptical" about the negotiations in Qatar. "I see no indication of progress on what for me is the key issue: how to share power between the Taliban and the existing government?" he said. He also doubted Taliban commitments against foreign extremists, saying that the group "shares many sympathies with Al-Qaeda and ISIS and won't be able to control all of its own territory regardless." Anthony Cordesman, a strategist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, warned of parallels with the Vietnam War, where the United States handed over the war to unstable allies in the former Saigon who were toppled just two years later. Cordesman said that Cambodia, Nepal, Nicaragua and the Balkans also were cases where rebels negotiated but still sought out military victories. The Afghan talks "seem to be based on the fantasy that the Taliban will shift its positions so radically that it both recognizes the legitimacy of the current Afghan government and accepts a limited and non-violent role in that government," he wrote in an analysis piece. We can verify that the domain is for sale over the phone, help you with the purchase process, and answer any questions. On the lookout for a Japan - Equity fund? Starting with T. Rowe Price Japan Fund (PRJPX) is one possibility. PRJPX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective PRJPX is part of the Japan - Equity section, which is a segment that boasts many possible selections. Japan - Equity mutual funds mostly invest in Japan-based companies, which is one of the world's richest and most diversified economies. Japan's focus on exports allows them to be somewhat exposed to global economic trends, but investors should note that the country's lack of natural resources can also have an impact. History of Fund/Manager T. Rowe Price is based in Baltimore, MD, and is the manager of PRJPX. T. Rowe Price Japan Fund made its debut in December of 1991, and since then, PRJPX has accumulated about $918.73 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Archibald A. Ciganer who has been in charge of the fund since December of 2013. Performance Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. PRJPX has a 5-year annualized total return of 6.37% and is in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 9.02%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 16.56%, the standard deviation of PRJPX over the past three years is 13.31%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 12.63% compared to the category average of 16.18%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors It's always important to be aware of the downsides to any future investment, so one should not discount the risks that come with this segment. In the most recent bear market, PRJPX lost 50.7% and outperformed its peer group by 5.92%. This makes the fund a possibly better choice than its peers during a sliding market environment. Story continues Nevertheless, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.78, which means it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. The fund has produced a positive alpha over the past 5 years of 0.01, which shows that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, PRJPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.94% compared to the category average of 1.20%. So, PRJPX is actually cheaper than its peers from a cost perspective. While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100. Bottom Line Overall, T. Rowe Price Japan Fund ( PRJPX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, T. Rowe Price Japan Fund ( PRJPX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now. Don't stop here for your research on Japan - Equity funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare PRJPX to its peers as well for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. By Maja Zuvela SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Toys, house keys and diaries hang suspended from the ceiling or sit on plain white pedestals at Sarajevo's War Childhood Museum in a simple tribute to the children living in the shadow of the war in Syria. Driven by memories of his own childhood during the Balkans conflict in the 1990s, founder Jasminko Halilovic has made the museum a treasure trove of personal items donated by those who were children then too. He now wants to turn it into the world's biggest archive on wartime childhoods. Sunday's exhibition relied on items donated by children in Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon. A colorful keychain in the shape of sandal was given to the museum by 15-year-old Marwa. "The keys opened the doors to the most beautiful house I have ever seen. My room had pink and green walls. Unfortunately, the house burned during the war, so we don't have the house anymore," she wrote. According to UNICEF, there are 2.5 million Syrian refugee children living outside Syria and 2.6 million internally displaced. "We want to show that war children are not only the passive victims, as we often see them, but also resilient survivors," Halilovic said. Having amassed more than 4,000 exhibits and over 150 hours of a video archive of oral history interviews, his team started collecting personal items from children affected by other wars, such as Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan. The Syrian collection was assembled with the help of Abed Moubayed, 35, from Aleppo, during his two-month internship with the museum, part of his master degree program in post-war recovery at the University of York. "This is a chance for the Syrian children to raise their voices and tell the whole world about their experience and suffering. It is really important to show that history is repeating itself and we, all of us, need to do something to stop it," Moubayed, who left Syria in 2012, told Reuters. "Syrian children have no idea what the future holds for them and you can see it from their stories." The Bosnian 1992-95 war, which claimed 100,000 lives and displaced more than 2 million people, was Europe's bloodiest since World War Two. (Reporting by Maja Zuvela; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) Moscow (AFP) - Russian police on Monday detained a man they believe snatched a 19th-century painting off the wall in a busy Moscow museum then strolled out past visitors and security. Police and museum officials hailed the swift arrest and the recovery of the painting, but Sunday's brazen theft is raising questions about security at Moscow's Tretyakov gallery, home to some of Russia's most storied art. The 31-year-old man took a Crimean landscape by Russian artist Arkhip Kuindzhi and carried it through a room filled with visitors, according to the officials. In a video shot by police after apprehending the man, who has not been named, he denies any wrongdoing. "I don't breach the law or the Russian Constitution," says the man, who is shown kneeling and clearly sporting a black eye. The painting, depicting the Ai-Petri mountain in Crimea, was completed between 1898 and 1908. It is the second security incident to hit the gallery in a year, after a visitor in May seriously damaged a painting of Ivan the Terrible. - Drove off in a jeep - "He took it off the wall, walked behind a column and jumped out of the gallery with the painting without its frame," the gallery's director Zelfira Tregulova told a Moscow press conference. He then drove off with the oil painting in a jeep, she said. Tregulova said the museum's security staff initially received a report that a fur coat had been stolen, but moments later one of the gallery's attendants sounded the alarm that the painting was missing. The incident occurred during the museum's opening hours at around 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) at an exhibition with more than 120 Kuindzhi paintings which Tregulova called "extremely popular." "At the time of the theft, the museum's security -- carried out by forces of the National Guard and the museum's security service -- was working normally," the gallery initially said in a statement. Story continues Police arrested the suspect the next morning in a village outside Moscow. He admitted hiding the art work at a construction site from where it was recovered. The interior ministry said the man had previously been charged with drug possession and was currently not allowed to leave Russia. Tregulova said it was a "miracle" that the painting was found so quickly and undamaged. She added that experts are examining the work's condition, but expected it to be back at the gallery by Monday evening. She called the theft a "dramatic event for the entire Russian museum community." - 'Security sensors' - Following the incident, Russia's culture ministry ordered extensive security checks at the Tretyakov gallery and in the country's other leading museums. The head of the ministry's museum department Vladislav Kononov told reporters Monday that all of the Tretyakov gallery's paintings will soon be equipped with electronic security sensors. These will sound if visitors come too close to a painting. Kononov added that Russia's museums saw a record number of visitors in 2018 and that the "percentage of unlawful acts (in museums) is rising." He referred to an incident last May when a man slashed a painting by Ilya Repin depicting Tsar Ivan the Terrible after he killed his son. Tregulova said that "conclusions were drawn" from the May crime but "that was obviously not enough." She said the museum had undertaken a modernisation of its security system, but has yet to change its "mentality." "The mentality is built on principles that a visitor is coming to look at art," she said. "There should be a conversation on how to stay open (to visitors) while making sure such incidents don't repeat themselves." The Kremlin on Monday said the gallery is "protected at a proper level" but added that "conclusions must be drawn". It praised authorities for recovering the painting. "Thank God, thanks to the energetic efforts of our law enforcement officers, the painting was found quickly and efficiently," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. On its website, the gallery calls Arkhip Kuindzhi, who died in 1910, "one of the most memorable figures in Russian painting of the second half of the 19th century." Park City (United States) (AFP) - For more than 20 years, Harvey Weinstein reigned supreme as rainmaker at the Sundance Film Festival, spending millions of dollars to buy up the best in independent cinema. Now he's back, but in a film detailing his stunning downfall that gives voice to his many sexual assault accusers. "Untouchable," directed by Ursula Macfarlane, makes no claim to offer shocking new revelations. Rather, it attempts to retrace, as rigorously and scrupulously as possible, both the talent and the decadence of one of the most powerful men in Hollywood -- a man who now awaits trial on charges of rape and sexual aggression. The Sundance Film Festival, once Weinstein's favorite hunting ground, presented the film's world premiere Friday, just hours after showing "Leaving Neverland," a four-hour-long documentary featuring two young men who say that, as children, they were sexually abused by Michael Jackson. The alleged victims are also at the heart of "Untouchable." Whether unknown starlets or A-list celebrities, they describe what they say were the abuses, the threats, and the insatiable sexual appetite of Weinstein as he acted without restraint and in seeming impunity. Among them is the actress Rosanna Arquette, one of the first women to publicly accuse the producer, in an article by reporter Ronan Farrow in The New Yorker magazine. "It was time," she told AFP on the "black carpet" of the film's premiere. "We were seeing more and more abuse, such abuse of power of a powerful man who can destroy lives in a flash. So it was time." Arquette, famous for her roles in "Desperately Seeking Susan" and "The Big Blue," said people were beginning to talk about abuse even before the Weinstein scandal erupted in public. "You had the women of Bill Cosby, and they came out before us, so they spoke. And then we came out," she told AFP. Story continues "Apparently because a lot of us were famous actresses, people went 'What?' And then it started something so huge, and now it is a movement across the world -- everywhere, India, Africa, everywhere." - 'Anger brewing' - Ursula Mcfarlane was contacted by producers about making "Untouchable" shortly after the New York Times and the New Yorker published their sensational revelations about Weinstein in October 2017, making headlines around the world. She immediately said yes, she told AFP. "You know, Trump got into the White House and I think that was a big moment. There was the women's march," she recalled. "I think people felt this kind of anger brewing that this guy and many others like him were able to get away with it." Macfarlane did not know Weinstein but feels she knows his type well. "To be honest, when I read these stories, it didn't surprise me because of course I know about lots of other men's behavior, alleged behavior, in these spheres," she said. What did shock her was learning the extent of the allegations, and realizing there were "layers of complicity within the industry" protecting Weinstein. "Women were trying to talk about this for decades, they were trying to talk about it and break the story, and they just couldn't do it, you know, because everyone was frightened," she said. "So I think that level of power and fear that he seemed to be able to generate, that shocked me." - 'A paradigm shift' - The impact of the Weinstein scandal ricocheted through Hollywood and beyond, prompting widespread soul-searching in the film industry, the world of politics, the news media and other sectors. And by sparking the #MeToo movement, it gave thousands of women the freedom, the platform and the desire to at last speak out. Fifteen months after the original "earthquake," Rosanna Arquette believes it is time for men to engage more actively and to draw a line, once and for all, on the sordid ways of pre-Weinstein Hollywood. "I think people are looking at their watches -- 'When is this gonna end?' -- the men especially. But the thing is, this is not an attack on men," she said. "There are many incredible men, and those men are the men that we need to stand up, stand with us, stand beside and treat women with respect. It's a paradigm shift. It's not going to work the other way anymore -- it's not." Macfarlane, too, sees the change as irreversible. "Consciousness is definitely changing, and I think the world of Harvey Weinstein is not going to be the same. I do believe that. "But it might not change as quickly as we all would like. That's the issue." Donald Trumps State of the Union address is back on, now that the longest federal government shutdown in history has finally ended but it may include some caveats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has invited the president to deliver his spech at the Capitol on 5 February in a formal letter. Pelosi said in her letter that she and agreed on the new date after speaking with Mr Trump. The historic tradition was pushed back this year because of the 35-day government shutdown, spurred by the presidents demands for $5.7bn to go towards his campaign promise of a US-Mexico border wall. Congress must pass a joint-resolution inviting the president to make the speech in the US House of Representatives before he can address the nation. With Mr Trump expected to announce a newly-scheduled State of the Union address in the coming days, heres the history behind the significance and meaning of the presidential speech. When did State of the Union addresses begin? The State of the Union has varied in form throughout early-American history, with George Washington and John Adams both delivering their addresses directly to Congress. When Thomas Jefferson assumed the Oval Office he ended the practice of delivering the speech to Congress, instead sending lawmakers a written letter addressing the nation. Woodrow Wilson then ended the tradition of sending written letters, becoming the first president to address Congress with an executives message in nearly a century. Has the State of the Union always been televised? Calvin Coolidge was the first president to conduct a State of the Union address over radio in 1923. However, the first televised State of the Union address occurred under Harry Truman, who also officially renamed the speech the State of the Union after the term was popularised by Franklin D Roosevelt. The State of the Union address was then moved from a daytime speech to 9.00pm. under Lyndon B Johnson in an effort to garner a larger audience throughout the nation. Story continues Has a State of the Union address ever been delayed? The State of the Union has only been delayed once before Mr Trumps shutdown. Ronald Reagan pushed back the speech after the historic Challenger space shuttle explosion on 28 January. Meanwhile, just two presidents in US history never delivered a State of the Union address throughout their tenure in the White House. William Henry Harrison died just 32 days after his inauguration of pneumonia, while James Garfield was assassinated within the first year of his presidency. But that isnt to say the State of the Union is guaranteed annually. A slate of modern US presidents have declined to deliver the major speech during their first year in office, including Mr Trump, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan. New York (AFP) - In building Starbucks into a global behemoth, Howard Schultz has embraced a range of difficult, occasionally polarizing social debates that companies often try to dodge. The former Starbucks chief executive, who is weighing a run for US president as an independent, has been unwavering in support of gay marriage and racial equality, stances in alignment with the progressive side of American politics. Yet Schultz -- whose potential candidacy drew mixed reviews including ridicule from President Donald Trump -- has also found common ground with themes thought of as central in "red" America, as with a drive to hire veterans at the coffee chain and his co-authorship of the book, "For love of country: what our veterans can teach us about citizenship, heroism and sacrifice." Schultz told the CBS news show "60 Minutes" his candidacy would be "as a centrist independent outside of the two-party system." If he runs, Schultz could draw on his legacy of on social issues as much as on his success in transforming Starbucks from a sleepy Seattle cafe into a coffee giant with some 22,500 stores in 70 countries. The "60 Minutes" appearance begins a speaking tour that kicks off Monday in New York and snakes through 12 major US cities through early March. Schultz, whose wealth is estimated at $3.4 billion by Forbes, is promoting his just-published memoir "From the Ground Up," which chronicles his rise from Brooklyn housing projects to the top of what has become one of America's most iconic companies. That tale of a self-made billionaire stands in contrast to Trump, whose wealth originated with support from his father and whom Schultz dismissed to "60 Minutes" as "not qualified to be the president." Trump hit back on Monday on Twitter. "Howard Schultz doesn't have the 'guts' to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that's he is not the 'smartest person.' Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!" Story continues Leading Democrats also reacted negatively, with some threatening Starbucks boycotts on the view that an independent Schultz candidacy would divide the progressive electorate and hand Trump a second term. "There are two ways Trump can get re-elected," Jim Kessler of the center-left think tank Third Way said on Twitter. "Democrats nominate someone who can't win moderate voters or a third party candidate siphons off enough votes that 40% wins an election. Stick to coffee #howardschultz." - CEO President? - A self-described lifelong Democrat, Schultz won big points from gay rights supporters at the company's 2013 annual meeting, when he famously invited a shareholder upset at the company's support of gay marriage to sell his shares if he did not like the stance. Schultz was also behind the chain's ill-fated "Race Together" initiative that sought to compel conversations about race as guests awaited their morning coffee, an idea quickly ditched because it proved awkward in practice, but which Schultz described as close to his heart and an effort "to stimulate conversation, empathy and compassion toward one another." Schultz was also at the forefront of the company's response to the April 2018 arrest of two African American men in a Philadelphia Starbucks, saying he was "ashamed" of their treatment and enlisting civil rights experts with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and other groups to help the company improve its policies. These high-profile stances have boosted Schultz's credentials as a progressive, yet the company is also known for its resistance to labor unions, Washington Post columnist Helaine Olen noted in a June 2018 piece criticizing a potential Schultz candidacy when the idea was floated earlier. "A CEO for president is one of those things that on first blush in our turbo-capitalist society seems to make a lot of sense," Olen said. "CEOs take advice but generally don't need to actually listen to it. They do not govern by consensus. "And satisfying shareholders (the vast majority of whom represent business interests or affluent individuals) or other company investors on a quarterly basis is a far cry from running a government," she added. "The common good is a discretionary concept." Thomas Higgins was jailed for nine years and nine months, after pleading guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent on a three month old child leaving him with brain damage. A soldier who brutally attacked a baby leaving the child brain-damaged has been jailed. Thomas Higgins initially denied hurting the child when questioned by police. But the 21-year-old, of Yate, Gloucestershire, later pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent. Judge Mark Horton jailed him for nine years and nine months today. Higgins has been given a dishonourable discharge from the British Armys Tank Regiment following his sentence. The court was told Higgins is a serving soldier with the British Army having signed up when he was 16. The judge told him: Tragedy is simply too small a word to describe the consequences to that child or what you did to it. This was a brutal attack on a three month old child. You have never provided any explanation of what you did to that child. You have stolen the possibility of anything approaching a normal or significant life. Higgins, who was a soldier since leaving school and served in the Tank Regiment, was to be dishonourably discharged from the service after sentence, the court heard. Higgins was jailed for nine years nine months by a judge at Bristol Crown Court. Ian Fenny, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court when the baby was taken to Bristol Childrens Hospital it had its arms up and fists clenched. Doctors diagnosed a severe brain injury, a displaced fracture to the left femur, a collapsed lung, retinal hemorrhages to both eyes and bruising to the babys shoulder, neck, jaw, spine and head. Medics concluded the injuries were non-accidental and the baby was subjected to severe shaking and uncontrolled force. Mr Fenny said the baby received life-changing injuries including permanent brain damage. He told the court: The child is most certainly not out of the woods. Their life has been wrecked by the assault. Their life is still not safe because of the injuries. Higgins denied being under the influence of drink or drugs and there was no evidence was suffering from mental illness. John Stokes, defending, said: It is a tragic case. The court heard that, though Higgins has not given an account of what happened, he conceded there had been an emotional explosion by him. Story continues The childs gender has been withheld to protect their identity. After the case, DCI James Riccio said: Sadly, the injuries are life-changing and they are still very poorly and in need of ongoing medical attention. Due to the weight of evidence against him, Higgins admitted assaulting the child at court and hell now face the consequences of his reckless actions. FORT HANCOCK, Texas (AP) Donald Trump didn't carry many parts of Texas' heavily Democratic areas along the border with Mexico, but he won remote Hudspeth County thanks to people like Terry Rose. And the 71-year-old mechanic saw the longest shutdown in U.S. history as a campaign promise kept. "I want less government. That's what we're getting," said Rose, who was having lunch with a group of friends in Fort Hancock, an enclave with fields of cotton, alfalfa and chili peppers just across the border from El Porvenir, Mexico. "I'm understanding about federal employees, but if you're 'non-essential' it's hard to feel too badly for you." The shutdown which lasted 35 days and ended Friday with Trump agreeing to fund the government for three weeks did dramatically shrink the size of government at least temporarily. Funding was cut off for nine of the 15 Cabinet-level departments and about 800,000 employees went without pay, nearly half of whom were deemed non-essential and told not to report to work. Even as it eroded the president's approval rating, the shutdown energized a segment of the Republican base that has for decades heard GOP presidential hopefuls vow to abolish the IRS and mothball the departments of Education, Energy or Interior or many other agencies, without actually accomplishing anything close. It's a reminder that should Trump choose a shutdown again, as he threatened Friday, he is likely to have some supporters cheering him on. But the shutdown didn't repair a decades-long schism within the Republican Party between conservatives, who would like to see some parts of government contract but don't mind creating deficits for things like tax cuts and defense spending, and libertarians, whose main goal is to get government out of peoples' lives almost entirely. Trump has backed increasing the size of the federal budget, whether to raise military spending or to spend billions walling off the entire U.S.-Mexico border, making him no true champion of small government. Libertarians and fiscal conservatives are also quick to point out that shuttering the government indiscriminately because of political squabbles did nothing to reduce long-term federal spending or have any lasting, meaningful impact on government's overall size and scope. Story continues Jeffrey Miron, director of economic studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, noted that the shutdown continuing for so long likely will end up costing taxpayers more to make up for lost time as things begin returning to normal. "This just makes small-government people, and conservatives who claim to be small-government people, look like they're angry, aggressive, willing to cause people to go without their paychecks," Miron said. Rose considers himself a conservative and not a Republican, but concedes he almost always votes GOP. He said he feels for those who missed paychecks: "I don't want to be mean to them, but it's really a system that's overburdened, out of control." Gene Henderson, a 69-year-old Vietnam veteran and retired Border Patrol agent, agreed that the shutdown was a positive example of small government and predicted it could cement Trump's 2020 re-election. "People sent him up there to stop all this stuff and to drain the swamp," Henderson said of Washington. "And he'll be sent up there again." But Joe Brettell, a Republican strategist in Houston, said the shutdown taught the Trump administration "how widespread and diverse the federal government is." "There isn't a single member of the House that doesn't have a federal agency in their district," Brettell said. "As a result, you've got members of all stripes taking calls from people facing really dire financial situations." It's hard to get farther away from Capitol Hill than Fort Hancock, a dusty desert town of about 1,800 that feels straight out of 1950s Hollywood Wild West central casting. Trump won the county that encompasses it, Hudspeth, by 179 votes out of fewer than 900 cast in 2016. But much of the rest of Texas' heavily Hispanic border areas tend to favor Democrats. Possible 2020 presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke hails from neighboring El Paso County, which went for Hillary Clinton by nearly 45 percentage points. Still, locals have an unusual view of the issue at the center of the shutdown the border wall because they can see it literally from two sides. A barrier of towering steel runs through much of town, then stops, giving way to low barbed-wire or, eventually, nothing at all. That means some residents know life with a border wall and others know life without one. Many Trump supporters here dismiss the notion of building a wall the length of the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, but believe Trump was right to hold out for expanding it as much as possible. Isela Duran, who was part of the construction crew that helped build the Fort Hancock wall about 10 years ago, said she feels for the federal workers who were furloughed so long. "But I think about us over here, too, and keeping ourselves safe." The shutdown damaged Trump's overall approval ratings, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which showed the number of Americans who approve of his performance dropping to 34 percent from 42 percent a month earlier. Among Republicans, however, Trump's approval rating remained close to 80 percent. Sitting at Angie's Restaurant, which specializes in "Mexican and American food," including burritos and cheeseburgers, Rose said he still pins his hopes on Trump. "If Trump gets another four years and a Congress that can work with him, we can save the country," he said. "If not, it will become like Europe. Out of control." Some couples discuss their lives pre- and post kids, but Cheryl Baun and Paolo Garcia Mendoza, the owners of a small Filipino restaurant in New York, separate their lives into pre- and post Esquire. On Nov. 30, the national magazine ranked Karenderya, their Nyack eatery located about 30 miles from New York City, among the 20 best new restaurants in America (they landed at number 19). Esquire's Jeff Gordinier described Karenderya: "In the future, we pray, thousands of small towns in America will have Filipino restaurants as excellent as this one, with adobo pork belly braised to crispy meltiness atop garlic rice, and shrimp aswim in a coconut broth that tastes like French cream, and a cassava-jackfruit cake that comes across like a cobbler in which the topping and the filling have magically merged, and a smart beer list that highlights the best of Hudson Valley breweries." The 35-seat village mainstay was quickly overwhelmed, bombarded with foodies willing to make the trip to sample the restaurant's authentic Filipino food. Business quadrupled, with Mendoza ordering two to three and sometimes four times the amount of pork belly and beef as before. As lines formed outside, the formerly no-reservations eatery had to create waiting lists; at one point, they lost phone service leaving diners in the dark. Food shortages sometimes forced the couple to close early, or on some days, not open at all. Husband and wife owners, Paolo Garcia Mendoza and Cheryl Baun, are pictured at their restaurant Karenderya, on Main Street in Nyack, Jan. 16, 2019. A blessing and a curse The couple, who have two kids, had an inkling their restaurant would get some notice. Gordinier, Esquire's food and drinks editor, had been in a few times with his family and, on two occasions when it was quiet, Baun and he starting talking about food and the restaurant. "It all seemed so conversational; we never imagined he'd ever write about us," Baun said. "We had been following him on Instagram, so we figured we'd be so happy if he even posted a picture of our food." Story continues Added Mendoza: "We had no idea we were about to get national exposure." That is, until a couple days before when Gordinier called to give them fair warning. They had already been contacted by Esquire earlier about submitting a photo, but it never registered to them that it was anything beyond local coverage. The two were bowled over. After all, their restaurant, which opened in July 2017, is not fancy: Diners order at the counter, seat themselves and grab their own silverware, before being served what the couple refer to as traditional Filipino food with a twist. Many of the dishes, such as fried crispy chicken and longganisa (Filipino sausage patties), are available in either rice bowls or as sandwiches, and liquor is a fairly recent addition they added it six months after they opened. "When I first heard the news, I was like 'Oh my God, this is great.' But then I panicked when I realized I had to hire more people and push them to get up to speed," Baun said. "It's one thing when you're the local restaurant to your neighborhood," said Mendoza, who as chef felt the pressure. "But another when you're named among the best in the nation. "The review was definitely a game-changer." The Fried Crispy Chicken Sandwich, marinated in ginger and lime, with a sweet soy drizzle, calamansi mayo and a fried egg, and atsara (pickled green papaya) at Karenderya restaurant on Main Street in Nyack, Jan. 16, 2019. Pre-Esquire Karenderya was created as the kind of place where Mendoza and Baun wanted to eat: honest and comforting food at a good price that works with (or without) kids. It's modeled after the carinderias, or roadside eateries of the Philippines and on the menu albeit with modern touches are many of the dishes Mendoza (who was born in Pasay City in the Philippines) grew up eating before moving to Brooklyn as a teen. So, too, are influences from Baun, whose Filipino parents moved to the Lower Hudson Valley from New York City when she was a baby. The cassava-jackfruit cake Gordinier extolled in his story, in fact, is Baun's mother's recipe. She makes it at the restaurant herself along with the biko, sticky rice with coconut caramel topping. On any given day, pre-Esquire, locals grabbed a quick lunch or dinner and parents lingered with their kids (the owner's children were there sometimes too). The exterior of Karenderya restaurant on Main Street in Nyack, Jan. 16, 2019. The day the Esquire article published was normal, but then each day got crazier and crazier to a point where the restaurant owners, with a no-reservations policy for parties with fewer than six, had to start a wait list. And, a few times, the two are sorry to say, they had to stop lunch service because they ran out of food and needed to regroup. At one point, they lost phone service, adding to the madness and wrote on social media "never a dull moment." The dining room at Karenderya restaurant on Main Street in Nyack, Jan. 16, 2019. Mendoza had to cut down on his specials it was just too much to produce at that volume. Lunch has since been discontinued midweek, and Mendoza, a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education who has worked with some of the countrys most well-known restaurateurs including Floyd Cardoz and Geoffrey Zakarian, has hired extra staff. And he and his employees have gotten into a new rhythm regarding food prep, since Karenderya's kitchen is so small. He's also no surprise working extra hours. In life before Esquire, he got to tuck his kids into bed at night. Now, not so much. "We've just tried to be honest, and I think that's helped in keeping people's goodwill," he said. "But I'm sure along the way we've disappointed people." The Shrimp Adobo, with a rice vinegar and coconut milk broth, with yams and crispy shallots at Karenderya restaurant on Main Street in Nyack, Jan. 16, 2019. Mendoza and Baun never lost their sense of humor or lost sight of how grateful they were for their new reality even with the added pressure of so many new customers, some of whom have been thrown off that their place is so casual. "Some diners are surprised that they have to get their own utensils and order at the counter," Baun said. "We're not fine dining, and I think some people have come in with really big expectations, which puts a whole level of pressure on us that didnt exist before." They used social media to connect with their customers, listing new hours and writing messages like: "Well, this is getting embarrassing! We keep producing, and you keep exceeding our expectations! We are so grateful for everyone's support!" Another December message read: "It's been a crazy ride so far, but we're loving every minute of it, growing pains and all." "The whole thing really just happened overnight, and we've just had to adjust and fly by the seat of our pants," admitted Baun. Menus at Karenderya restaurant on Main Street in Nyack, Jan. 16, 2019. Post-Esquire The restaurant remains consistently busy, and because Karenderya was designed to be a fast-casual restaurant, tables still turn over rather quickly, so there usually isn't much of a wait. Tables for two, said Baun, can still generally get seated easily, depending on the time of day. Midweek dinner is less busy than weekends. "It ebbs and flows and is hard to predict," said Baun. Surprisingly, Saturdays at 4 p.m. tend to get busy as folks think coming before the dinner rush will be best. The couple said they and Karenderya are in a better place. "We've become more of a destination rather than just a place people went to for lunch or dinner," said Baun. People stay longer at their table and many are now busy Instagramming their meal. Their staff has risen to the occasion there are two or three people taking orders at the front and Baun's retired parents, who many locals knew from their presence in the dining room, have taken a more active role and are now front and center helping in whatever way possible. Asking for diners' patience remains part of the equation. "Although we're a fast-casual restaurant, the kitchen is very small, and at the busiest times, the wait for food can be longer than usual," said Baun." Most people are pretty understanding and will order some drinks and small plates to tide them over." Despite still trying to figure it all out and make sure everything is running smoothly, the two stressed how blessed and grateful they are for the exposure and the crazy pre- and post-Esquire life change. Said Baun: "This is the industry, and this is being an entrepreneur. It comes with the territory." The bar area at Karenderya restaurant on Main Street in Nyack, Jan. 16, 2019. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Small Filipino restaurant in New York sees popularity skyrocket after Esquire names its among best Letter to the editor: I couldn't disagree more with USA TODAYs editorial on finding a compromise over immigration to reopen the government. Let me start by saying we don't need so much government. It burdens people, unnecessarily taxes them and regulates private businesses. So let these government workers fall off the dole and find work in the private sector. The news media don't like to hear this. But nothing too devastating has happened from the government shutdown, though. Except people having to find honest work. We're doing just fine without a federal government. Lets say this lasts a year, and we tweak things so government workers who do contribute (air traffic controllers, airline security, Food and Drug Administration workers, law enforcement, some parks and services, etc.) get paid. Look at the bottom line after its over. My guess is well be doing fine. I think many people might be relieved the government shutdown worked out so well. Robert Thurston; Atlanta Covington boys should be ashamed Letter to the editor: As a former Catholic who attended Catholic school, a retired public school teacher and Air Force veteran, I am disgusted by the behavior of the Covington Catholic High School students toward Native American and Vietnam-era veteran Nathan Phillips in Washington, D.C. Related: Covington Catholic confrontation shows ugly side of Kentucky, and US as a whole If these students were representing their school, why were they allowed to wear political attire including Make America Great Again hats? Where were the adults in charge of this crowd of students? Would their parents have condoned or even encouraged this abhorrent behavior? What are we becoming as a nation when students from a religious school can display such despicable hatred toward other people? How much of this behavior can be laid at the feet of a president who is, on a daily basis, a terrible role model for civil behavior? Susan P. Zanol; Montrose, Colo. Story continues Let young people decide on abortions Letter to the editor: While abortion access is under attack across the country, young people have been at the forefront of the fight. I know because I organized to bring medication abortion pills to public colleges and universities in California. Kristan Hawkins is wrong claiming to speak for people of color who seek abortions and citing her own organizations survey claiming young people support restrictions, in her USA TODAY column. But we know our friends need access to health care, including abortion, and have even missed class to travel for care. In fact, Public Religion Research Institute polling shows 65 percent of young people believe abortions should be legal in all or most cases. Related: Supreme Court should rule against discriminatory abortions based on genetics, gender I had a difficult time accessing an abortion, particularly after the student health center at at University of California-Riverside sent me to an anti-abortion clinic. Im fortunate I was able to obtain an abortion when I needed one. But for many young people, unnecessary restrictions on abortion prevent them from getting care. Young people must be able to make our own decisions impacting our bodies, lives and futures. Thats why Im fighting to make abortion accessible for all who need it. Jessy Rosales, National Network of Abortion Funds; Costa Mesa, Calif. Fight opioid crisis with recommended drug Letter to the editor: We cant immediately solve the opioid health crisis, but we can prevent unintentional loss of life by providing naloxone to those at risk of opioid overdose, in line with the recommendations of the U.S. surgeon general. Naloxone rapidly reverses opioid overdoses and can saves lives. The fact that more people are dying of accidental overdose than from car accidents indicates that more outreach is urgently needed. Related: The opioid crisis hits home. Mine. The financial cost of opioid abuse is in the billions, not to mention the emotional, physical and personal costs to users and their loved ones. As a patient safety leader for many years, I would add that its also critical that opioids are prescribed safely in the first instance even if it means physicians changing their practice patterns and navigating difficult conversations. More support and guidance is needed on this front. Kerin Torpey Bashaw, Senior vice president at The Doctors Company; Napa, Calif. To join the conversations about topics on USA TODAY, email letters@usatoday.com, comment on Facebook, or use #tellusatoday on Twitter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shutdown lesson? We can survive without the federal government: Readers sound off Sasa Basi is a US-based Kenyan artiste who identifies himself as a Jack of all trades. He is a fitness trainer, graphic designer, poet, fashion enthusiast and rapper. Sasa Basi was in the country recently and Nation caught up with him for an exclusive interview. 1. How did it all start? About 10 years ago I started writing songs before I met up with a few friends and we did a few tracks. I took a break and in 2017 I came back and rebranded as Sasa Basi and I released Lakini Bado. 2. How can you describe your music? Personally, I like music and mentally I try to be versatile. Mostly I write and sing about everyday life. But sometimes I also like to make feel good music even if it doesnt have any message. And then there are other songs that I want to pass a certain message my everyday life and the things that I come across. 3. Why sing in Swahili? I used to write in English before but I came to realise that if I sing in English I will be competing with millions of people. I also found out that if I sing in English I will not be authentic. When I sing in Swahili I feel authentic and I relate with it. 4. Whats your take on Kenyan music and do you think it has grown? As Kenyans, we have to consume more for it to grow and for the artistes to also earn. In the US, we are many but majority of the residents there like to listen to what is being made in Kenya. That is why I want to try and push my songs in Kenya so that I can come back to US for them to listen. 5. What are your dreams? My dream is for Kenyan music to be able to compete with other internationally acclaimed music. I would like to see local music being first appreciated by Kenyans themselves first before others doing it. 6. How can you describe yourself? I have this mantra that you should treat people the same way you would like them to treat you. I would not like to lose my humility. My ego should never be bigger than who I am. 7. Last words and advice Just stay focused, push and believe in yourself. Sometimes there is this pressure that you want to be like somebody else which can lead you to quickly give up in the industry. Stay grounded, humble and keep pushing. Sao Paulo (AFP) - Brazilian mining giant Vale lost more than $18 billion of its value Monday in a dramatic share plunge on the Sao Paulo stock exchange as investors reacted to the collapse of one of its dams that killed scores and left hundreds missing. The 24.5 percent drop followed an eight percent dive on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, the day the disaster occurred. The Brazilian bourse was closed that day for a public holiday. US-listed shares in Vale continued to fall Monday. They were 17.5 percent lower just before close of trading. Vale, the world's biggest iron ore miner, has seen its reputation severely tarnished by the deadly accident -- the second involving a company-owned mine in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais in just over three years. The company announced it was suspending dividend payments to shareholders and performance-related bonuses to executives. Brazilian authorities separately have frozen a total of 11 billion reais -- around $3 billion -- in Vale assets in anticipation of compensation it will likely have to fork out. A tsunami of mineral-laced mud broke through a dam at an iron-ore mine owned by Vale near the town of Brumadinho on January 25. The official toll from the disaster so far stands at 60 dead and 292 missing. Flavio Godinho, a lieutenant colonel in the Minas Gerais civil defense who is organizing the search and rescue effort, said while hopes were dwindling, "there is still a chance of finding survivors." Those slim hopes were resting on a 130-strong team of Israeli army rescuers who began working Monday with advanced sonar equipment capable of locating people at great depths. But their efforts were likely to be slowed by the shifting, dangerous terrain. - Victims were mine workers - In 2015, a dam at another mine jointly owned by the company ruptured, killing 19 and polluting hundreds of kilometers (miles) of river, causing what is considered the worst environmental disaster Brazil has ever seen. Story continues Vale and its partner BHP are still paying for that accident, with compensation and fines costing more than $6 billion and lawsuits ongoing. In terms of human loss, this latest disaster was worse. The company is mourning lost personnel in the latest disaster, as the overwhelming majority of those dead and missing were mine workers. Many of the victims were eating lunch at the site when millions of tons of sludge, a byproduct of mining, burst through the dam and engulfed the administrative area where they were located. Emergency workers also found a company minivan buried in the mud with bodies inside. Jose Ferreira da Silva, a 55-year-old mine worker, was losing hope of ever finding his missing son Josue, who just turned 27. "He's still on the list of missing persons. We're still hoping he just lost consciousness somewhere," da Silva told AFP. - Profitable company - The dam that broke was built in 1976 and was in the process of being decommissioned. Vale said it had passed a structural safety inspection four months ago, which was confirmed by Tuev Sued, the German firm that carried it out. Vale, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, made $5.5 billion in profits, on revenue of $34 billion, in 2017, the last full-year results available. That net result was 38 percent higher than the previous year, evidence of a bounce back after a sharp commodities slump in 2015 that forced the company into cost-cutting. A mining specialist at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Jardim Wanderley, told AFP that there was "a tendency for companies, in that period of commodity prices falling, to cut safety and maintenance budgets." He said that, of the 450 dams in Minas Gerais state, "we have a relatively high number of dams that are doubtful or in inappropriate conditions." - 'Life matters most' - Vale is one of the top miners in the world, behind BHP and Rio Tinto, both Anglo-Australian groups. Apart from iron ore, which feeds China's appetite, Vale also mines nickel, copper and other metals. The company has a workforce of 76,500 in 30 countries and also operates hydroelectric plants, rail lines, ports and ships to get its products to market. Vale started out in Minas Gerais -- a major mining state, as its name indicates in Portuguese -- in 1942 as a state-owned company called Companhia Vale do Rio Doce. It was privatized in 1997. On its corporate website, Vale says it has a "passion for people and the planet." It says that "life matters most" and it aspires to "do what is right." By Jibran Ahmad KABUL/PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - The Taliban's new political leader is expected to join meetings with U.S. officials in Qatar imminently, Taliban sources said on Saturday as the latest round of talks to find ways to end the 17-year Afghan war entered a sixth day. The peace talks, initially slated for two days, are continuing despite Taliban representatives staging a brief walkout on Friday over differences with U.S. special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. Two senior Taliban officials in Afghanistan who are privy to the negotiations said momentum was building following Thursday's appointment of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar as the political leader of the hardline Islamist group. Baradar, released from a prison in Pakistan last year, is expected to fly to Qatar to join the session - a move they believe will be welcomed by a U.S. side keen to talk to senior Taliban figures. "He is expected to join soon," one of the senior Taliban officials in Afghanistan said. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul was not immediately available for comment. Question marks remain over Baradar's health, with Taliban officials saying after his release in October that Baradar needed rest before joining the movement's leadership council. Baradar, who earlier led the insurgent group's military operations in southern Afghanistan, was arrested in 2010 by a team from Pakistan and U.S. intelligence agencies. A co-founder of the movement, he was a close friend of the reclusive former Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, who gave him his nom de guerre, Baradar or brother. His appointment marks a new push to bring Taliban out of the political and diplomatic shadows, with several other officials being appointed to oversee education, mining and health issues. Staging near daily attacks against the Western-backed Afghan government and its security forces, the Taliban controls nearly half of Afghanistan and are widely seen as more powerful than at any time since being toppled in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, said last week that 45,000 members of the countrys security forces had been killed since he took office in the fall of 2014. When he joins talks, Baradar will be faced with easing U.S. fears over the Taliban's refusal to cut ties with al-Qaeda - the issue at the core of Friday's walkout. One of the key U.S. demands is a guarantees from the Taliban that Afghanistan would not be used as future base for terrorist attacks against the U.S. and its allies. "The Taliban has assured the U.S. that they will oppose any attempt by militant groups to use Afghanistan to stage terrorist attacks on America or its allies," a senior Taliban leader told Reuters, adding that U.S. wants the Taliban to snap ties with Islamic State and al Qaeda. "We are willing to denounce links with Islamic State but we refuse to disconnect ties with al-Qaeda because they accept Taliban supremo Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada as their leader too," the leader told Reuters, on condition of anonymity. (Additional reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi, Rupam Jain in Kabul, Writing by Greg Torode, Editing by) WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump said Saturday that "things are going very well with North Korea" and he plans a second summit with leader Kim Jong Un to try to broker a deal that would entice the North to give up its nuclear weapons. "We've agreed to meet sometime probably the end of February. We've picked a country, but we'll be announcing it in the future. Kim Jong Un is looking very forward to it and so am I," the president told reporters Saturday at the White House. The initial news of a second meeting with the reclusive North Korean leader came after Trump's 90-minute session Friday in the Oval Office with a North Korean envoy, Kim Yong Chol, who traveled to Washington to discuss denuclearization talks. "We have made a lot of progress as far as denuclearization is concerned and we're talking about a lot of different things," Trump said, adding it's "not been reported, unfortunately, but it will be. Things are going very with North Korea." In May, North Korea released three American detainees and sent them home with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after his meeting with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang. The second summit signals stepped-up efforts by both countries to continue talks. Trump has exchanged letters with the North Korean leader amid little tangible progress on the vague denuclearization agreement reached at their first meeting last June in Singapore. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said "it's high time" for serious negotiations between the United States and North Korea to outline a road map for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The U.N. chief said New York on Friday that would allow both sides "to know exactly what the next steps will be, and to have predictability in the way negotiations take place." Trump has spoken several times of having a second summit early this year. Vietnam has been considered as a possible summit venue, along with Thailand, Hawaii and Singapore. Story continues Since the Singapore talks, several private analysts have published reports detailing continuing North Korean development of nuclear and missile technology. A planned meeting between Pompeo and the envoy, who is North Korea's former spy chief, in New York last November was abruptly canceled. U.S. officials said at the time that North Korea had called off the session. The special U.S. envoy for North Korea negotiations, Steve Biegun, planned to travel to Sweden for further talks over the weekend. The talks have stalled over North Korea's refusal to provide a detailed accounting of its nuclear and missile facilities that would be used by inspectors to verify any deal to dismantle them. The North also has demanded that the U.S. end harsh economic penalties and provide security guarantees before it takes any steps beyond its initial suspension of nuclear and missile tests. Harry Kazianis, a North Korea expert at the Center for National Interest, said any talks between the two nations are a positive development, but the hard work of negotiating an agreement has only begun. As a possible first step, Kazianis said, North Korea could agree to close its nuclear centrifuge facility at Yongbyon in exchange for some relief from U.S. sanctions or a peace declaration ending the Korean War. The three-year war between North and South Korea ended in 1953 with an armistice, not a peace treaty. South Korea said it expects the second summit between Trump and Kim to be "a turning point in firmly establishing a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula." Kim expressed frustration in an annual New Year's address over the lack of progress in negotiations. But on a visit to Beijing last week, he said North Korea would pursue a second summit "to achieve results that will be welcomed by the international community," according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. Kim's latest trip to China, his fourth since last year, came as the North's strongest ally has encouraged negotiations with the U.S. while at the same time arguing in favor of an immediate easing of sanctions. The U.S. and North Korea seemed close to war at points during 2017. The North staged a series of weapons tests that brought it closer to its nuclear goal of one day being able to target anywhere on the U.S. mainland. The two sides then turned to insulting each other: Trump called Kim "Little Rocket Man" and North Korea said Trump was a "dotard." SEBRING, Fla. Sebring Strong. Signs declaring that sentiment gave proof of how this central Florida town of 10,000 was coping Sunday night as they gathered to honor five women fatally shot Wednesday at the Sebring Midtown branch of SunTrust bank. What was to have been an outside candlelight vigil was pushed inside the News-Sun Center at Fireman's Field because of day-long rains and chilly temps. An estimated 400 to 450 people attended. Investigators have said that the shooting rampage was a random act. In the days since, a reason has still not surfaced. Family members at the vigil, some reluctant to talk so soon after the tragedy, spoke mainly about how much the family members they lost meant to them. "She loved everybody," said Greg Warner, victim Jessica Montague's father and a former police officer. "There was nobody she couldn't help." Hundreds of people attend a vigil on Sunday at the News-Sun Center in Sebring, Florida, for the five people that were killed in a shooting at a SunTrust Bank on Jan. 23 in Sebring. His wife and Montague's mother, Tina Warner, said she would miss her daughter's smile and added that one effect her daughter's death had was that she was now telling everyone she met that she loved them. "Life is too short," she said. Both Warners said their grandchildren know what happened to their mother and were coping as well as they could. Jan. 25: The small town of Sebring, Florida, struggles to make sense of 5 shooting deaths Jan. 24: Florida allows families of bank murder victims to withhold names under 'Marsy's Law' Tim Williams, brother-in-law to victim Ana Pinon Williams, spoke at the end of the vigil in a spirited and stirring speech that touched hearts and brought those in attendance to their feet, cheering, several times. Tina Warner, left, weeps at a vigil on Sunday at the News-Sun Center in Sebring, Florida, for her daughter, Jessica Montague, and four other people that were killed in a shooting at a SunTrust Bank on Jan. 23 in Sebring. Hundreds of Sebring community members attended the service. "There's something about dark times," he said, "that makes the light shine brighter." Williams, a pastor, exhorted the crowd to open their hearts and not let hate take over. "Let's use this opportunity, as our hearts are truly broken, and allow the light to shine in our lives," he said. Story continues After the vigil, Williams, whose wife died in November, said that to keep that message going would mean surrendering your heart. "Never quit praying. It's the secret," he said. "It is a discipline, to keep the heart open." Jan. 24: Nearly 200 attend church vigil for victim of Sebring, Florida, bank shooting Jan. 24: Nearly 200 attend church vigil for victim of Sebring, Florida, bank shooting Among others offering remarks at the vigil were Highlands County Sheriff Paul Blackmon, Sebring Police Chief Karl Hogland, and Kimberly Dorsett, a SunTrust representative. It was the randomness of the shooting that gave most of those at the vigil pause. "I don't understand it," said David Crawford, a local resident since 1988. "This is a peaceful town. There was no need for this, no need at all." Karl Beckerich attends a vigil on Sunday at the News-Sun Center in Sebring, Florida, for his friend, Jessica Montague, pictured, and four other people that were killed in a shooting at a SunTrust Bank on Jan. 23 in Sebring. Hundreds of Sebring community members attended the service. Crawford said he didn't really know the five women that well but had met victim Marisol Lopez previously. "She was the nicest lady I ever met," he said. Customer Cynthia Watson and bank employees Lopez, Williams and Montague were among the victims. The family of the fifth victim asked police not to release her name, per Marsy's Law. However, those who filed into the vigil venue were surprised that only four of the five photos were set up on stage. "I don't know why (the fifth victim's) not up there," said Sebring resident Lesa Sawyer. "She was such a beautiful soul." Investigators have not determined why Zephen Xaver, 21, barricaded himself inside the bank branch Wednesday and opened fire around 12:30 p.m. At 12:36 p.m., Xaver called 911 and told the dispatcher he had killed five people, Hoglund said. Police arrived four minutes later. After Xaver refused to allow officers into the bank, a SWAT team rushed in at 1:54 p.m., and Xaver surrendered. Jan. 23: Sebring, Florida, shooting: Who is Zephen Xaver, suspect accused of killing five at SunTrust Bank Jan. 23: 5 people 'senselessly murdered' after gunman takes hostages in Sebring, Fla., bank The slayings did not appear to be part of a robbery, and Xaver had no apparent connection to the SunTrust branch or the victims. We believe it was a random act, Hogland said Thursday at a news conference. Aside from perhaps driving by and seeing it was a bank, we have no known evidence that he targeted this bank for any particular reason. Among those coming to the vigil were groups of current and former SunTrust workers. Lu Edwards said she had worked at the Sebring branch years ago and could not process what happened and that a lot of workers were still full of heartache and disbelief. Tom Herbert attends a vigil on Sunday at the News-Sun Center in Sebring, Florida, for five people that were killed in a shooting at a SunTrust Bank on Jan. 23 in Sebring. Hundreds of Sebring community members attended the service. "I don't," she said of trying to understand the carnage. "Not in this little town." She said the SunTrust bank was doing a lot to try to help the families of those affected. A SunTrust decision to keep the branch closed permanently was seen as a good idea by Edwards. "That's the right thing to do," she said. A local sign company, Signtastic, printed up the Sebring Strong signs and offered stickers and an ornament for sale to help the families of the five women. Catherine Mitto, helping to collect donations, said she knew Lopez well. "She didn't deserve this," she said. Contributing: John Bacon, USA TODAY; Will Greenlee, The (Stuart, Fla.) News; The Associated Press. Follow Michael Braun on Twitter: @MichaelBraunNP This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Sebring comes together to remember 5 women gunned down in bank shooting Riyadh (AFP) - The crisis in OPEC member Venezuela, where the president is locked in a power struggle with the opposition, could impact the oil market, the Saudi energy minister said Monday. "Of course, developments in Venezuela may have an impact on the (oil) markets ... We are watching developments there, and there could be an impact on the oil market balance," Khalid al-Falih told Al-Arabiya news channel. Oil production in Venezuela has dropped sharply in past months from over two million barrels per day to around 1.4 million bpd. The Latin American nation sits on the world's largest crude reserves of over 300 billion barrels, most of it heavy crude that is costly to produce. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido have been locked in a power struggle since Guaido proclaimed himself "acting president" Wednesday amid angry protests over the country's economic woes. The standoff has split the international community between nations that recognise Guaido as president, including the United States and a dozen countries in the region, and those that still recognise Maduro, including Russia and China. OPEC members and their non-cartel producers late last year decided to cut output by 1.2 million bpd to shore up sluggish prices. The six-month agreement that includes major non-OPEC producer Russia took effect from the beginning of this month. Falih said it was premature to say if the production cuts deal would be extended. Elon Musk, Tesla Saudi Arabia has reportedly slashed its exposure to Tesla. Part of the SECs complaint against Tesla and Elon Musk last year was related to Musks claims that Saudi Arabia was backing him in taking the company private. The SEC fined Tesla and Musk separately for $20 million each in the debacle. According to the Financial Times, the Saudi Public Investment Fund made a move on January 17th to hedge its investments against expected damage to TSLA stock. They retain their 4.9% holdings in TSLA, but they will not actually lose any money if things go south for TSLA. The arrangement was new and marks the latest twist in the relationship between Mr Musk and the Saudi state fund overseen by the powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Elon Musk was quoted by FT as saying via e-mail: To the best of my knowledge, there has been no communication with PIF for months. I thought they had probably sold their shares. We dont know if they own any at all. Shares have already dropped over $50 in the days since the Saudis made their hedge. Read the full story on CCN.com. Emily Blunt at the 2019 SAG Awards Wearing a bespoke Michael Kors dress accessorised with Sam Edelman shoes, a Jimmy Choo clutch and Forevermark jewellery. [Photo: Getty] Theres no rest for the A-list pack this month, as the film industrys biggest names graced the red carpet for the 2019 SAG Awards last night. A starry ceremony sure to be pencilled into every Hollywood residents calendar, it was always destined to deliver on the sartorial front with attendees including Emma Stone, Timothee Chalamet and Margot Robbie. In an unsurprising turn of events, Lady Gaga proved a star was born in Dior haute couture which debuted on the runway just six days ago. Yep, just when we thought you couldnt beat her Golden Globes Valentino number Meanwhile, Emily Blunt who took home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor deserves another trophy for her red carpet look. The Mary Poppins star proved pink is here for another round this season in bespoke Michael Kors yet another winning ensemble to add to her recent string of covetable looks. But she wasnt the only one to deliver, as Sandra Oh won our hearts once more in a blood red Jenny Packham dress Villanelle would surely lust over. Doing it for the boys, Bohemian Rhapsody starlet Rami Malek further demonstrated his fashion know-how in a slick Christian Dior tux. While Chadwick Boseman gave us major outfit envy in a patterned suit by Ermenegildo Zegna with Christian Louboutin shoes earning him extra style points. From Jane Fonda to Bradley Cooper, see who wore what at this years SAG Awards. UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States considering all options in relation to Venezuela is dangerous and any potential military intervention there should be avoided at any cost, Russia's ambassador to United Nations said on Saturday. "(The) U.S. has now stated all options are on the table which is ... dangerous," Vassily Nebenzia told reporters on the sidelines of a U.N. Security Council meeting. "If it evolves into something more military that is even more regretful. We think it should be avoided at any cost," he said. Washington has recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president and called for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down. Russia opposes the move. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Writing by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Daniel Wallis) A family in Timau is in mourning as they seek justice for the tragic death of their son who was killed on Saturday night in unclear circumstances at Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital. Ronney Mutuma, 42, was allegedly attacked by a male patient and hit using a blunt object on the head before he succumbed to the injury later in the night. Confirming the incident, Laikipia County Health Secretary Joseph Lenai Kamario said the deceased was attacked by a patient who had been receiving treatment for epilepsy and hypertension. The accused, a 48-year -old only Identified as Paul, is said to have turned violent and started attacking other patients and members of staff. On Saturday night at around 11:30 pm, he developed certain violent behavior and attacked members of staff on duty and other patients, Lenai said. Six patients and two nurses sustained injuries, unfortunately, a male patient has succumbed to injuries as doctors attended to him, he added. The deceased who was being treated for diabetes was diagnosed three days ago and admitted at the county hospital, Lenai said. The body of the deceased was taken to the facilitys morgue while the accused was put under isolation as investigations continue. The reason for Johns sudden violent behavior has not been identified yet, but doctors suspect that it could have been fuelled by an epileptic attack. Laikipia East OCPD Kizito Mutoro cautioned hospital staff to be more careful with such patients in the future. HONG KONG (Reuters) - Aluminum giant Rusal said on Monday Jean-Pierre Thomas had resigned as chairman and director of the company as a pre-requisite for a decision by the United States to lift sanctions on the company. Shares in Hong Kong-listed Rusal jumped more than 5 percent in early trading on Monday. Sunday's move by President Donald Trump's administration ended sanctions on Rusal and other Russian firms linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite a Democratic-led push in the U.S. Congress to maintain the restrictions. Rusal is the world's largest aluminum producer outside China, and sanctions on the company spurred demand for Chinese supplies. China's aluminum exports jumped to a record in 2018. In a stock exchange filing, the firm, formally known as United Company RUSAL Plc, also said Philippe Bernard Henri Mailfait had resigned as an independent non-executive director effective Jan. 26 due to other business commitments. (Reporting by Donny Kwok; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) One of the lessons of the TrumpPelosi standoff on border security is that government shutdowns are a foolish way to resolve partisan disputes. But the other lesson may be far more important. The partial shutdown, with agencies such as the Transportation, Agriculture, and State Departments, as well as other independent agencies, closed for business, demonstrated how irrelevant so much of our $4 trillion government is to the everyday lives of Americans. As I traveled over the last several weeks to Florida, California, and many states in between, and asked people what they thought of the shutdown, many said they didnt even know the government was shut down for more than a month. Their everyday lives were disrupted or inconvenienced only, if at all, in a trivial way. It turns out there are countless Americans who dont watch CNN or MSNBC and so didnt learn about the supposed horrors of agency closures. This was a particularly painless shutdown for the average taxpayer because the essential activities of government were mostly unaffected. Seniors got their social-security checks. The military was protecting us. We got through the airports with minimal delays until the last week when some TSA officials and air-traffic controllers werent on the job. It was also telling that the only real victims of the shutdown (about whom the media obsessed) were 800,000 government employees who were furloughed. Yes, I know many people in Washington who work for the federal government who faced financial stress for several weeks (and I also know many for whom this was a deferred-pay vacation). But wait a minute. What is the primary purpose of a government program or agency? To give workers a paycheck? I thought these agencies were in business to serve the taxpayers and provide important services for our economy and our citizens. Businesses dont keep workers on the payroll if what they produce isnt necessary to customers or if they dont add to earnings. They certainly cant do that if they are losing money. The federal government is $1 trillion in the red a year despite record revenues in 2018. Story continues The media tried to find stories of major negative effects from the shutdown, but amazingly, their findings were pretty slim pickings. One of my favorites was that a climate-change report was going to be delayed. Say it aint so. The Wall Street Journal reported that paleontologists were forced to delay their dinosaur research. The horrors! Agencies like the Census may not be able to find out how many bathrooms you have in your house or how often you drive to work. But none of this is the governments business anyway. Yes, government is important, and liberals love to point to the very important things government does like providing security at airports or food-safety inspections. But those public-safety functions are classified as essential government services. There were 800,000 government employees laid off due to the partial shutdown. Less than half are considered essential. Many of the other half are engaged in activities that are completely incidental to the lives of Americans in most parts of the country. I am not saying that all of these activities are not valuable. I am saying that for the benefit of taxpayers, congress and the president need to find out which are and which arent. Now that the government is reopened, Congress needs to figure out what we can live without in terms of redundant, wasteful, and obsolete services. Congress could start by investigating the thousands upon thousands of examples of waste and misappropriation of funds. Why do federal-government workers get as many as 40 days a year in sick leave, vacation, holidays, personal days, and so on? Many private-sector workers dont get benefits nearly this exorbitant. Congress should also examine its spending priorities. Do we need an Urban Transit Agency? This should be conducted by cities and states, not the feds. Do we need a vast diplomatic corps at the State Department? Probably that could be cut in half. Do we need crop subsidies? Do we need the Defense Department to be spending money on climate change? Do we need to pay for foreign-aid programs or arrogant institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF, all of which have done little to provide real and lasting economic aid to the poor around the world? All of government today has more employees than our entire manufacturing sector in America. Twenty years ago, I wrote a book entitled: Government: Americas Number One Growth Industry. It still is, which happens to be the reason we have a $1 trillion deficit and $22 trillion debt. Institutions that lose money year after year after year cant afford to be spending tens of billions of dollars on nonessential activities. In October, Trump floated a proposal for every agency to cut at least 5 percent of its budget this year. The government shutdown has taught us how easy this should be. More from National Review We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So well take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Hong Fok Corporation Limited (SGX:H30). Do Insider Transactions Matter? Its quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required. Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Harvard University study found that insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year. See our latest analysis for Hong Fok Hong Fok Insider Transactions Over The Last Year Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Joint Chairman & Joint MD Sim Eng Cheong for S$3.7m worth of shares, at about S$0.75 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher, an insider wanted to purchase shares. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the companys future. Its not at all bad to see insiders buy shares at or above current prices. In the last twelve months insiders paid S$8.0m for 10.65m shares purchased. In total, Hong Fok insiders bought more than they sold over the last year. The average buy price was around S$0.75. Id consider this a positive as it suggests insiders see value at around the current price, which is S$0.70. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! SGX:H30 Insider Trading January 28th 19 Hong Fok is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Story continues Hong Fok Insiders Bought Stock Recently Over the last three months, weve seen significant insider buying at Hong Fok. In total, insiders bought S$8.0m worth of shares in that time, and we didnt record any sales whatsoever. That shows some optimism about the companys future. Insider Ownership I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon its a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Hong Fok insiders own 41% of the company, currently worth about S$197m based on the recent share price. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders. So What Do The Hong Fok Insider Transactions Indicate? Its certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Once you factor in the high insider ownership, it certainly seems like insiders are positive about Hong Fok. Looks promising! I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can access this interactive graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow for free . But note: Hong Fok may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements. The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. The book contains details of Jewish populations in North America (Picture: Library and Archives of Canada) A book once owned by Adolf Hitler contains hints that he planned to extend the Holocaust to North America. The discovery shows that the Nazi leader may have been contemplating an extension of the Final Solution to the US and Canada. The 137-page report, Statistik, Presse und Organisationen des Judentums in den Vereinigten Staaten und Kanada (Statistics, Media, and Organisations of Jewry in the United States and Canada), was written in 1944 by Nazi researcher Heinz Kloss. It contains details on the Jewish population of North American cities such as New York and Montreal, as well as smaller Jewish communities throughout the two nations. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The Final Solution was the code name for the Nazis goal of committing genocide against the Jewish people. They killed about 6 million Jews during the Holocaust, mostly from Europe. The book, which was once owned by a Holocaust survivor, has been acquired by the Library and Archives of Canada. MORE: Shocking bodycam footage shows thugs kick police officer into path of moving bus MORE: Frances Macron attacks Brexit and says it will end up costing the British people This invaluable report offers a documented confirmation of the fears felt so acutely and expressed by so many Canadian Jews during the Second World War: that the Nazis would land on our shores and with them, the annihilation of Jewish life here, said Rebecca Margolis, president of the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies. While these fears may seem unfounded given the geographic distance of Nazi Europe to Canada, this handbook offering detailed statistics of Jewish populations across North America underlines their nightmarish potential. Adolf Hitler may have been contemplating an extension of the Final Solution, the book indicates (Picture: Getty) Kloss was a Nazi researcher who lived in the US between 1936 and 1937. Hitler is said to have had a library of thousands of books. It is believed the book was brought to the US as a souvenir by a soldier who raided Hitlers alpine retreat near Berchtesgaden in 1945. It was later acquired from a respected Judaica dealer, who obtained it from the collection of a Holocaust survivor. Story continues Library and Archives of Canada curator Michael Kent said: While this is certainly a creepy item, the decision to acquire it was simple. The book is a 137-page report on Jewish communities in the US and Canada (Picture: Library and Archives of Canada) The chance to acquire an item like this reminds us of the role we play in ensuring the memory of the Holocaust is preserved. The find comes after a poll found that one in 20 UK adults does not believe the Holocaust took place, while one in 12 believes its scale has been exaggerated. The poll of 2,000 people was carried out by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of people, including survivors, politicians and members of the public, gathered to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and remember its 6 million Jewish victims. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Weve lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Raffles Infrastructure Holdings Limited (SGX:LUY). What Is Insider Selling? Its quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required. We dont think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. As Peter Lynch said, insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise. See our latest analysis for Raffles Infrastructure Holdings Raffles Infrastructure Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Lay Yee Choong for S$5.0m worth of shares, at about S$0.60 per share. So its clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. Its not at all bad to see insiders buy shares at or above current prices. In the last twelve months insiders paid S$18m for 30.25m shares purchased. In total, Raffles Infrastructure Holdings insiders bought more than they sold over the last year. Their average price was about S$0.60. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price of S$0.19 attractive. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! SGX:LUY Insider Trading January 28th 19 If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Story continues Does Raffles Infrastructure Holdings Boast High Insider Ownership? Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Its great to see that Raffles Infrastructure Holdings insiders own 62% of the company, worth about S$8.0m. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders. So What Does This Data Suggest About Raffles Infrastructure Holdings Insiders? There havent been any insider transactions in the last three months that doesnt mean much. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. It would be great to see more insider buying, but overall it seems like Raffles Infrastructure Holdings insiders are reasonably well aligned (owning significant chunk of the companys shares) and optimistic for the future. I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph. If you would prefer to check out another company one with potentially superior financials then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements. The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Jonesborough (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Protestors shut down a border road between Ireland and Northern Ireland on Saturday, erecting a concrete wall with mock-military checkpoints to illustrate the violent unrest a hard Brexit could bring to the fragile region. Locals hauled towering concrete barriers into place and installed a customs hut defended by a watchtower manned by men dressed as armed British troops -- evoking haunting memories of the three decades of bloodshed known as "the Troubles". "It's actually to remind some of our younger generation exactly the way things were 25 years ago," said John McNamee, an activist with group Border Communities against Brexit. "This is what it was about and we certainly don't want it back," he said -- dressed as a customs agent which were once a common sight at the border. During the Troubles the area was militarised as republican and unionist paramilitaries and the British military vied for control. More than 3,600 were killed before the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 ended the conflict and effectively dissolved the border between the British province of Northern Ireland and the Republic. After a rally calling on Westminster to avoid the return of a hard border along the 310 mile (500 kilometer) boundary locals smashed down the mock wall using sledgehammers in a jubilant atmosphere. They also took heavy machinery to the watchtowers as the British troops intervened in a dramatic act of "street theatre", designed to illustrate tensions which could return to the region following a hard-won peace. "We're 60 days out from the reality of Brexit with or without a deal," said Border Communities Against Brexit organiser Tom Murray. "Without a deal there may be the imposition of a border. This is a visual representation of the potential of the worst case scenario," he said. British parliament is currently in deadlock, unable to pass a withdrawal deal that would rule out the need for border checks. Story continues If Britain quits the EU without an accord on 29 March, there are concerns infrastructure will be needed to enforce customs and regulations at the new edge of the trading bloc. "It would be fairly tough on our daily life," explained protestor Aaron Crilly -- whose family is split between the two territories. On Friday Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told Bloomberg TV that border may "involve people in uniform" as well as "cameras, physical infrastructure, possibly a police presence, or an army presence to back it up." Allies of Opposition Leader Raila Odinga have orders from the former Premier to oppose Deputy President William Rutos presidential bid, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho has claimed. Speaking in Butala, Busia County, the ODM Deputy party leader said he will do everything to make sure that Ruto does not win the 2022 presidential election. If Raila says we go right we shall all go right and if he says we go left we have all to go left. He (Raila) has told us to support Uhuru and oppose Rutos presidential bid that is exactly what we are doing, Joho said. According to Joho, DP Ruto lacks the integrity to lead the country. I am extremely against the presidential bid of Ruto, this country cannot be led by someone like Ruto because of his bad integrity. The Mombasa governor asserted that while he can account for his wealth, DP Ruto cannot. Joho further lauded President Kenyattas cabinet shake-up that tasked Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination Fred Matiangi with overseeing all government projects. The Sultan of Mombasa noted the appointment of CS Matiangi will now stop Ruto from traversing the country. I am ready to welcome Matiangi whenever he comes to Mombasa to oversee projects because he is not interested in politics but advancing development agenda of the Uhurus government, said Joho. Joho also told residents of Busia to prepare for the referendum, noting that he would like to see Ruto oppose it so that he can be defeated. There is a strong team that is ready to campaign for the change of the constitution and I am telling Ruto to dare oppose the referendum, we shall put him where he belongs, said Joho. Last week, ODM booted its members allied to DP Turo; Aisha Jumwa (Malindi) and Suleiman Dori (Msambweni). Blasphemy against Orange Democratic Movement is unforgivable, those who go against the constitution of the party will be punished and as a party we are ready for the by-elections in Malindi and Msambweni, said ODM secretary general Sifuna. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is skeptical that Congress can reach a deal on border security that he can accept, telling The Wall Street Journal on Sunday that he puts the chances at "less than 50-50" that lawmakers can get it done in the three weeks before government funding runs out again. A record 35-day partial government shutdown ended Friday, with lawmakers and Trump agreeing to three weeks of funding and giving Republicans and Democrats time to hash out an agreement. But despite this temporary deal, Trump doesn't appear to be backing off his demand for $5.7 billion to build a barrier on the southern border and repeated his threat of using emergency powers to get it done if Congress fails to act. When asked in an interview if he would accept a deal that provided less than the $5.7 billion for a wall, Trump told the Journal, "I doubt it." "I have to do it right," he explained. He also threw cold water on the idea of granting citizenship to undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as children, a group often referred to as DREAMers, in a deal for increased border security funding. "I doubt it," he said when the Journal asked if he would accept such a deal. "Thats a separate subject to be taken up at a separate time." In a previous effort to end the shutdown earlier this month, Trump had offered protections for DREAMers in exchange for wall funding. The issue has left the president in a difficult political situation. Trump believes he has to deliver on building a border wall because it was a central part of this presidential campaign, but polling showed he was being blamed for the shutdown and that his popularity was suffering because of it. Yet, ending the shutdown drew accusations of "caving" from conservatives who were disappointed that he agreed to back down. "Good news for George Herbert Walker Bush: As of today, he is no longer the biggest wimp ever to serve as President of the United States," tweeted provocateur Ann Coulter after Trump announced the end of the shutdown. Story continues This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. "I hear shes become very hostile, Trump said of Coulter in his interview with the Journal. Maybe I didnt return her phone call or something." 'Fake news' on Fox News?: Trump criticizes his seemingly favorite news outlet The Journal reported that a bipartisan group of 17 lawmakers from the House and Senate Appropriations committees will lead the effort to strike a deal. "I personally think its less than 50-50, but you have a lot of very good people on that board," Trump said of the group's chances. The president said that another shutdown was "certainly an option" if Congress doesn't put an acceptable solution on his desk. White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" that Trump is prepared to follow through on that threat. "Keep in mind he's willing to do whatever it takes to secure the border. He does take this very seriously," Mulvaney said. "He doesn't want to shut the government down. Let's make that very clear," he added. "What he wants to do is fix this the way that things are supposed to get fixed with our government which is through legislation." Fact-check: Five things President Trump said while announcing the shutdown is over If that doesn't work, the president's other option would be to declare an emergency and use military funds to build a border wall, a possibility that the Pentagon has started preparing for. Mulvaney said that was also something the president "didn't want" to have to do. Such a move would likely trigger immediate court filings challenging the legitimacy of the emergency declaration, and it is opposed by members of the president's own party who fear the precedent it would set. "I think it'll be a terrible idea. I hope he doesn't do it. I don't think it's leverage," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" of a potential emergency declaration. Rubio also opposed using the threat of another government shutdown. He said he hoped the country's recent experience, "teaches everyone that shutdowns are not good leverage in any negotiation." Trump's concept of what constitutes a border wall has evolved from a 1,000-mile long, 30-foot tall, solid concrete structure with a "big, beautiful door," to something that resembles the steel bollard fencing that already is in place in some places along the border. From concrete wall to steel fences: A timeline of Trump's evolving border barrier concept Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has been firm in her opposition to a wall, Democrats were reportedly ready to offer Trump funds for a "smart fence" that would use technology to help spot border crossings and some congressional Democrats have expressed a willingness for additional physical fencing. "I have to see what it is," Trump told the Journal when asked what kind of border barrier he would accept. "As long as it can stop criminals, gangs, human trafficking and drugs, Im open to anything. But the only thing that will work is a very strong form of physical barrier." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Trump: 'Less than 50-50' odds Congress cuts border deal, new shutdown 'certainly an option' ABOARD PAPAL PLANE (AFP) - Pope Francis said Monday he was terrified the political crisis enveloping Venezuela would descend into a "bloodbath". "What am I afraid of? A bloodbath," the first Latin American pontiff told journalists aboard a plane on his return trip from Panama, adding that "the problem of violence terrifies me". Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido have been locked in a power struggle since Guaido proclaimed himself "acting president" Wednesday amid fierce protests over economic woes. The standoff has split the international community between nations that recognize Guaido as president, including the United States and a dozen countries in the region, and those that still recognize Maduro, including Russia and China. Before flying out of Panama, Francis called for a "just and peaceful solution" to the crisis and said he was praying for an outcome "respecting human rights". Francis has been at pains not to take sides on the issue, even though the Church in Venezuela has been highly critical of Maduro's socialist regime amid the country's economic collapse. A dangerous polar vortex moving through the Dakotas into Chicago, Illinois and on to New England is blasting the US with super-cold arctic air and sub-zero temperatures. By Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, Chicago will hit -30C (-25F), the National Weather Service said. This is dangerous, deadly cold, said Richard Bann, meteorologist with the NWSs Weather Prediction Center in College Park Maryland. Exposed skin loses heat fast, like you dont even know, He added. Blizzard conditions are predicted across parts of the western Ohio Valley and snow is expected Tuesday through Wednesday from the Great Lakes area into New England, the weather service said. Most of the snow will be in the Dakotas, the Twin Cities and Central Michigan, where they might get a foot or more, Mr Bann said. Upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire will see less than a foot. Boston and cities in the east will get less than an inch. Its going to be cold throughout the east coast, he continued. Even parts of Mississippi and Alabama might see an inch or two of snow before this is over. But Chicago will take the main brunt of the super-cold weather. Frigid temperatures were already affecting parts of northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin. The mercury dipped to minus -42C (-44F) in International Falls, Minnesota, on Sunday morning, breaking the previous record by eight degrees, the NWS said in a tweet. The agencys Des Moines branch said dangerous, life-threatening cold air will impact Iowa from Tuesday morning through Friday morning, with wind chill values on Wednesday likely to reach -48C (-55F) across the northern part of the state. Delta Airlines said it would waive change fees for passengers affected by the winter weather in Chicago, Detroit and areas of the Upper Midwest. Reuters contributed to this report If you're in the Midwest this week, you might not want to say hello to your neighbor. It's going to be so cold in parts of the country that the National Weather Service is calling on people to avoid "taking deep breaths" and "minimize talking" outside. Wednesday is expected to be the coldest day in Chicago history as a polar vortex, or continuous blasts of cold air, descends on much of the Midwest and the South. The National Weather Service warned that the vortex will bring below-zero temperatures to a quarter of the continental U.S. What can you do to stay warm on your way to work or at home? USA TODAY breaks it down: Dress for the weather The most important step you can take to guard against the cold is choosing a weather-appropriate outfit, according to Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. "I think the Number 1 thing to keep in mind is that you've got to keep your whole body covered up when it gets brutally cold," Kines said. "That means hands, ears, necks and your face. It's just as easy to get frostbite on your ears." Kines also said dressing in layers is key to staying warm and that mittens will keep your hands warmer than gloves. "It's always best to dress in layers as opposed to one big coat," Kines said. "When you dress in layers, the air between each of those layers will heat up with your body heat to keep you warm." You should also wear loose clothing instead of tight options, which can restrict blood flow in the body and make you colder. To guard against chapped lips, you should opt for lip balm with shea butter or coconut oil. These can limit the effects of dry, freezing air, according to The Muncie Journal. Getting to school and work Everyone should try to stay inside this week, according to Hines, even if that means working or completing class assignments from home. "If you absolutely have to (be outside), the less you can be out in the cold, the less you're going to risk frostbite," Hines said. Story continues If you use public transit to commute, Hines said to keep moving at bus and metro stops by pacing or jumping up and down. If you drive, make sure you have a flashlight with fresh batteries in your car, as well as a full tank of gas. ACDelco, a General Motors' automotive parts brand, told The Detroit Free Press that you should also check your wiper blades if you are planning on driving in the cold. If the blades leave streaks or squeak when you use them, it's time to invest in a new pair for your front and back windshields. Know the signs of hypothermia and frostbite Author and journalist Thomas Kostigan told USA TODAY you should be ready to recognize the signs of cold-related conditions such as hypothermia and frostbite. Even if you are inside, if you notice your skin turning blue or gray, or you experience extreme fatigue and shivering, you should warm up right away. It can take less than 15 minutes for the first signs of hypothermia and frostbite to set in, according to Hines. "You don't have to be outside very long for frostbite to take over," Hines said. "It's a very dangerous air mass. It's an air mass that means business." Keeping your home safe There are also a few key steps you can take to keep your home safe in the winter weather, according to Kostigan. You should keep your thermostat at 68 degrees to conserve fuel, just in case low temperatures "last longer than expected." If you are using space heaters to keep warm, keep them several feet away from furniture, curtains and drapes to avoid creating a fire hazard. According to Consumers Energy, a Michigan-based public utility company, carbon monoxide poisonings are "most prevalent in the winter" when people use furnaces with windows and doors closed. Make sure you have audible carbon monoxide alarms installed throughout your house. If you already have alarms, make sure they have fresh batteries. Contributing: Doyle Rice and John Bacon, USA Today; The Muncie Journal; The Detroit Free Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Polar vortex 2019: Here's how to stay safe as frigid temperatures hit Midwest, South Bobby Deol celebrates his 50th birthday All his close friends from the industry celebrate with him. Recognise any of them? (Pics: Yogen Shah) Bobby Deol says he might be turning 50, but still feels like a five-year-old. In a new interview, the actor spoke about what his plans for the big day (January 27) are. My mother will organise a havan, thats customary on all our birthdays, the actor told Mumbai Mirror. My sisters, Ajeeta and Vijayta, are flying down from Delhi and the US respectively. That apart, the entire family will be home. Its great to spend time with all those who have made a difference in my life. The Deols are anyway very family oriented and love bringing in all occasions together, Bobby said. Speaking about whether his Race 3 co-star, Salman Khan, has been invited to the party, Bobby said, Salman is like an older brother, the most amazing human I have met in the industry who cares for everyone around him. He doesnt need to do anything for anyone but still goes out of his way to help others, just like my brother (Sunny Deol) and father (Dharmendra). In fact, Bobby said that he aspires to have a career like his fathers, who is still doing movies at the age of 84. (Hindustan Times) All photos: YOGEN SHAH Just months after Sonja and Stephen Willis adopted Fritz, their feisty chihuahua leaped from Sonja's lap and badly sprained a back leg. The pup's pitiful limp led the Willises to pack Fritz off to the vet for anti-inflammatory medications and pain pills then later, for surgery to permanently repair his trick knee. At $2,500, the surgery fee was steep, but the Willises felt relieved that they'd lined up pet insurance that covered the exam and drugs, plus $1,000 toward the surgery. "You never think you're going to need it," said Sonja Willis, a retired school secretary from Leavenworth, Indiana. "I would do it over again, and I wish I had more (coverage)." Count the Willises among a small but growing army of pet owners who are insuring their dogs and cats to cover vet bills for illnesses and injury. They bought their policy from PetFirst, a Jeffersonville, Indiana, company that's been an early success in pet insurance, an industry that now tops $1 billion. The rise of pet insurance has tracked the overall pet industry, which has soared from $17 billion in the mid-1990s to an estimated $72 billion last year, as owners adopt four-legged buddies and make them honored family members. More: Puppuccinos, fur-ternity leave and more: Millennials' pampered pets are like children More: Don't let puppy love blind you to the expense of having a dog More: Dogs in the workplace: Good for you, your employees, your bottom line Merchandise and services that were once unheard of funerals and cremation services, fashionable jackets, car safety seats, refrigerated foods, even Fitbits and treadmills for cats and dogs are now standard. Some employers also offer pet insurance as a benefit with life, medical and other coverage. In vet medicine, the realm of treatment has expanded rapidly to include MRIs, chemo for cancers, aqua therapy, cataract surgery, acupuncture and back problems. "Most people that own cats and dogs would do anything to save them," PetFirst co-founder Lansdon Robbins said, and that means footing bills for what's become increasingly sophisticated medical intervention. Story continues PetFirst Healthcare LLC began after Brent Hinton, then the Kentucky Humane Society's CEO, was hit with a $3,000 bill to repair a disk in his shelter dog's neck. Afterward, he searched for a pet insurance policy but couldn't find one he liked. So, he approached Robbins, a Louisville-based entrepreneur and then owner of Service Net, a booming warranty business for Apple, Best Buy and other electronics retailers. With a business proposal in hand, Robbins recalled, he and Hinton visited the UK, where more than 20 percent of pet owners insure their dogs and cats. "I really loved what I saw," Robbins said, referring to the business opportunity in the U.S. Most of PetFirst's customers are in pet-friendly California, but other hot spots are Dallas, Texas, New York, South Florida and Virginia. The founders won't disclose sales or revenues, but Business First reported in fall 2010 when recognizing PetFirst as one of its Fast 50 companies that it generated $2.6 million the prior year, on about $11 million in gross written premiums. It's grown an average of 20 percent each year and remains in the middle of about a dozen companies, the largest being Nationwide, which bought the dominant provider VPI about four years ago. PetFirst could be bigger, Robbins said, but he, Hinton and the board have avoided taking on venture capital that requires giving up large equity stakes in favor of investments from friends and family. "We're pretty comfortable in our spot," he said. "We know it's an industry that's growing." PetFirst has policies with $1,000 to $5,000 in claims coverage, with a 10 percent deductible. The average owner pays about $30 a month, CEO Katie Blakeley said. Common claims include gastrointestinal illnesses, arthritis, cancer, seizures and heart disease. Puppies often need treatment for parvo virus, plus extraction of "foreign bodies," such as Christmas tree ornaments and shoes. Cats, which make up about 15 percent of premiums, tend to get respiratory and urinary tract infections, upset stomachs, as well as ear and eye infections. For Fritz, the Willises' chihuahua, the couple pays about $20 a month in premiums. Sonja Willis said when the couple renews this year, they will increase coverage because "Fritz is pretty special to us." At the PetFirst offices in Jeffersonville, Indiana, a handful of dogs are regulars with 60 employees who work in claims, sales, marketing and IT. George, a boxer, and Hazel, a black-mouth cur mix, anchor the sales team's workstations. Winston, a black French and Boston terrier mix, assists Lisa Recker, a staff accountant. It's easy to relate to owners as they discuss their pets' needs, said Hannah Baird, who joined the sales team six months ago. After Hazel suddenly fell ill with cancer, she spent $2,000 on bills, thanks to a loan from her parents. After working at an AutoZone and child care centers, Baird said, PetFirst is a dream for a dog lover. "You get to bring your dog every day and talk to people about their dogs. It doesn't get much better than that," she said. As for coverage, it's easy to evangelize after her journey through lifesaving chemo for Hazel. "I wish I had had pet insurance," she said. "I hear all the horror stories." Grace Schneider: 502-582-4082; gschneider@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @gesinfk. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: How pet insurance company PetFirst is making a name for itself by protecting your pets WASHINGTON Most people want Democrats to get copies of President Donald Trumps tax returns and make them public, something Democrats said they would do but havent done yet. Sixty percent of Americans say Democrats in charge of the House of Representatives should use their power to obtain and release Trumps tax returns, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll. Federal law lets certain committee chairs ask the IRS for copies of anyones tax returns. Republicans declined to use their oversight power to get Trumps returns, even after he broke with decades of precedent by not voluntarily releasing them during the 2016 presidential campaign. Now that Democrats control the House, they control its committees, and can make the request whenever they want. Some experts have criticized House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) for not doing so immediately. Neal says his committee is methodically drafting the request and plans to submit it this year. Its going to involve precedent, its going to involve legality, and its also going to be what do you do when you get them, if you get them, Neal told HuffPost earlier this month. Its possible Neal wont be able to get the returns, at least not right away. A spokesperson for the Treasury Department, which oversees the IRS, said last year that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin would review a tax return request for legality hinting that Mnuchin might not obey the law and that a long court battle could ensue. If its not done carefully and the case ends up in court, then it could conceivably be sent back to you based on procedure, Neal said. Liberal groups have spoken out against Neals delay. And so has Steve Rosenthal, a senior fellow with the independent Tax Policy Center, who said it was a mistake for Neal not to make the request immediately. But he said it does matter how the request is made, and that it should relate to a legislative purpose. Story continues There are a variety of legitimate legislative purposes, including how the IRS is administering the tax law, Rosenthal said. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) has defended Neal, saying the chairman is juggling the tax return issue with other committee priorities, which include not only taxes but also health care and Social Security. But Trumps tax returns are still in the top four, he added. We got a lot at stake here, Pascrell said. We want to see if the president of the United States has a conflict of interest that he brought with him or that he created since he got here. The only way to do that is to get his tax returns. Unlike previous presidents most of whom released their tax returns as a matter of course Trump hasnt divested from his businesses, meaning he could be making policy decisions that directly enrich his family. In the ABC News/Washington Post poll, 57 percent of respondents said they think Democrats should investigate possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, and 61 percent said Democrats should look into the presidents financial ties to foreign governments. Even 39 percent of conservatives and a quarter of Republicans said Democrats should try to obtain Trumps tax returns, which would reveal information about his sources of income. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Chief Justice David Maraga had a drinking problem for close to three decades before he turned his life around. The Supreme Court president on Saturday opened up about his earlier love for the bottle and how it almost ruined his life. Speaking as he delivered a sermon at Nyambaria Boys High School in Nyamira County during the institutions alumni service, CJ Maraga said he lived the ultimate party life for about 28 years. Accompanied by his drinking buddies, CJ Maraga moved from town to town every weekend sampling what life had to offer. After I finished one week, I would be like, Friends, where are we going this weekend? We would then either meet in Nakuru, Nairobi or Kisii and spend the entire weekend enjoying, he said. Generally, I thought I was living well, enjoying life, drinking and all that. What bothered me every day was my inner battle to quit the bottle, one week after the other. Justice Maraga revealed that his drinking problem started when he joined Kisii School from Maranda High School. There was a hill near Kisii School where we would go to drink. I continued with this habit all through to the time I worked as an advocate. From 1963 to 1991, I was a different person, he said. While working as an advocate in Nakuru, Maraga said he did not care about a lot of things besides providing necessities for his family. I drank hard and except for providing for the bare necessities, I ignored my family and literally mark timed for about 20 years. I did not bother to further my professional career, the CJ added. But something kept bothering me and I kept telling myself that I was not doing the right thing. Towards the end of 1991, I developed a strong urge encouraging me to go to church where my wife and our daughter, who was the only child then, were attending, he was quoted by Nation.co.ke. The turning point for the Chief Justice came on the first day of 1992 when he quit drinking and decided to commit to his Christian faith. I made a decision to organise my life after having told myself that I was not born to live such a pathetic life. You are not just a statistic. God knows you as an individual. Be different. Stop being like the rest of the people in the world, said Maraga. Maraga, who is known for his strict adherence to the Seventh Day Adventist church beliefs, described his earlier life as wasteful, directionless and hopeless. His sermon, which majored on having a purpose-driven life, was aimed at encouraging the youth who face many temptations, including alcohol and substance abuse. Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah offered to resign on Monday, as president Mahmud Abbas seeks to form a new government. The moves by Abbas are seen as part of attempts to further isolate his political rivals Hamas as a decade-long split in Palestinian politics deepens. Hamdallah has "put his government at the disposal of President Mahmud Abbas", the prime minister's spokesman Yussef al-Mahmud said in a statement. The premier later confirmed the offer during a visit to the southern West Bank city of Hebron, but denied a new government was an attempt to squeeze Hamas. "We hope that all Palestinian factions will participate in this (new) government and I appeal to the Hamas movement to participate," he said. It came after the central committee of Abbas's Fatah movement recommended late Sunday the formation of a new government that would comprise members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). The Islamist movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, is not part of the PLO. Palestinian politics has essentially been paralysed since 2007, when Hamas seized control of Gaza from Abbas's forces in a near civil war, a year after winning parliamentary elections. Since then Abbas's governments have maintained limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank, while Hamas has led a rival government in Gaza. The division between the Palestinian parties is seen as a key issue preventing progress in solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and improving the situation in the impoverished Gaza Strip. In June 2014 Hamdallah formed what was labelled a national unity government after a landmark reconciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas. The deal has since broken down and his government has no control in Hamas-controlled Gaza. Abbas was elected in 2005 for an initial four-year term but no elections have been held since then due to the Fatah-Hamas split. - 'No legitimacy' - Story continues Abbas has also pledged to hold new parliamentary elections in the coming six months, but how that would be possible in Gaza is unclear. Hamas won the last parliamentary polls, in 2006, against expectations. Israel, the United States and other Western powers, which all consider Hamas a terrorist organisation, rejected the result. Hamas and Israel have fought three wars in Gaza since then. Rumours of a new government have been swirling in recent weeks, and Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri attacked such a plan. "The formation of any government apart from a national consensus one is a continuation of the unilateral actions taken by Fatah," he tweeted Sunday. "Such a government will enjoy no legitimacy." It remains unclear what form any future government could take, but analysts warned that keeping Hamas out of it would deepen political divisions. "The move has been described as furthering national unity but if anything such a move -- if Hamas is excluded -- may achieve the opposite, compounding current internal divisions, and pushing Gaza further away," said Hugh Lovatt, Israel-Palestine analyst at the European Council of Foreign Relations. Jihad Harb, a West Bank-based political analyst, said if a government were formed from only the PLO it would indicate an end to already stalled attempts at reconciliation. "The formation of this political government means the end of the (2014) agreement (between Hamas and Fatah)," he said. ST. LOUIS (AP) A nonprofit group on Monday revealed its plan to merge St. Louis city and county into what would become the nation's 10th-largest city. The group Better Together said in a lengthy report that a merger is necessary for the region to realize its potential. Better Together plans a $25 million campaign to put the merger on a statewide ballot in November 2020, officials said at a news conference. St. Louis city and county were separated by a vote in August 1876. Several previous reunification efforts have failed. St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, a Democrat, said the unification would help end the in-fighting that has become common in the region. "The competition should not be between Wildwood and Hazelwood or the city and the county," Krewson said. "The competition should be between St. Louis and Nashville, St. Louis and Indianapolis, St. Louis and Louisville, or Austin, or Denver." St. Louis was once among the nation's largest cities, but as residents increasingly moved to the suburbs, the city's population has fallen from a peak of around 860,000 in 1950 to less than 309,000 today. That makes it the nation's 62nd-largest city, even as it anchors the 19th-largest metropolitan area. Combining with the county would give St. Louis 1.3 million residents. Advocates say the prestige of instantly becoming a top-10 city is secondary to other benefits. They argue a single streamlined government will more efficiently serve all residents and help create better economic development. The task force recommendation says a merger also would save taxpayers millions of dollars. The study found that "$750 million in excess tax dollars are spent each year" because the region includes so many government entities including 88 municipalities in addition to St. Louis city and county government. St. Louis' reputation also would be bolstered. The high crime rate in the city would drop significantly if paired with the county's relatively low crime rate. Story continues Still, approval of the merger won't come easily. Though Democratic St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger favors it, many municipal leaders in the county do not. An organization called "Stop the City County Merger" wants the issue decided by St. Louis-area voters, not a statewide vote. But the Better Together report said a statewide vote is appropriate since it is the Missouri Constitution that defines the city/county relationship. The proposal calls for creation of a new class of local government in Missouri called a metropolitan city. Rather than separate governing bodies, the metropolitan city of St. Louis would have a single mayor, a single elected prosecutor and 33 council members. Fifty-five police departments would be consolidated into one. Current county municipalities would be preserved as "municipal districts" that would still levy utility and property taxes, operate parks, collect trash and serve other typical municipal functions. But the municipalities would lose authority over things like sales tax, courts and police. If voters approve the constitutional amendment, the new government would phase in over a two-year transitional period starting Jan. 1, 2021, the report said. AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands refused on Monday an Italian request to take in 47 migrants on a humanitarian ship that is being blocked from Italian ports, saying there was a need to distinguish between genuine refugees and economic migrants. The Sea Watch 3, run by a German humanitarian group and flying a Dutch flag, rescued the migrants from a rubber boat off the Libyan coast more than a week ago. Since then it has been buffeted by high winds and 7-meter (23 ft) waves. Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio, leader of the 5-Star Movement, said the ship should go either to France, which he has accused of shirking its responsibilities to the migrant influx, or to the Netherlands. The Dutch Justice and Security Ministry, which oversees immigration policy, said it would not take in any migrants from Sea Watch until there was a long-term agreement on how to distinguish refugees from economic migrants. "Those who are not entitled to international protection need to be sent back immediately on arrival at European borders," it said in a statement. "Without a clear perspective for such a structural solution, the Netherlands will not participate in ad hoc measures for the disembarkation." Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's office said in a statement that Rome would refer the matter to the European Court of Human Rights, reiterating that the government had no intention of allowing the boat to dock in Italy. It added that as soon as Dutch responsibility was ascertained, it would help open up a "human corridor" to let the migrants move to the Netherlands. Conte also promised to provide supplies and medical care if needed to the NGO boat, which is moored off the Sicilian coast. It is the second time in a month Sea Watch has been stranded at sea with rescued migrants and no safe port. The last standoff ended after 19 days and an agreement among eight EU countries, including Italy, to take in the migrants. The Netherlands, which took in hundreds of thousands of migrants in the 1960s and 1970s to work as laborers, has adopted one of the tightest immigration policies in Europe following a public backlash. The Italian statement on Thursday questioned why Sea Watch had decided to brave stormy waters and head to Italy, rather than take the migrants to nearby Tunisia. "Did the Sea Watch aim to rescue people ... or to create an international incident?" (Reporting by Anthony Deutsch and Bart Maijer; Editing by Gareth Jones and Crispian Balmer) The Hague (AFP) - Using rhyming radio ads and a puppet intended to represent Brexit, the Netherlands launched a media blitz Monday to warn firms about the impact of Britain's departure from the EU. "Make sure Brexit doesn't get in your way," says the payoff to the radio commercial broadcast by the Dutch government at the start of a huge government information campaign. In Dutch, the word "Brexit" rhymes with the last two words of the jingle, giving it a sing-song feel along the lines of "Don't let Brexit block the exit". Businesses will need to be creative in the face of Brexit, say the radio ads -- as the prospect of Britain crashing out of the European Union without a deal on March 29 grows by the day. "It's possible that products will be held up for longer at customs, that British certificates and licences will no longer be valid, and that data transfers will be hit by a new digital frontier," it adds. "Don't let yourself be taken by surprise," the ad warns, providing a website -- www.brexitloket.nl -- where firms can check for the potential impact on their business. The first radio ads ran on Monday and an online campaign will follow from Friday. It will feature a "character that literally shows how Brexit gets in the way of business", a Dutch government statement said. It will be a "muppet"-style creature that blocks trucks and conveyor belts to show the impact of Brexit. Newspaper ads will launch in mid-February, but the government will only run television commercials if there is a no-deal Brexit, a foreign ministry spokesman said. The campaign "reiterates what the government has been telling companies for months now" about being prepared. "It makes sense to stress such a message more and more as Brexit is approaching," the spokesman told AFP. Britain is one of the Netherlands' biggest trading partners in the EU, and Dutch officials say a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the two closely linked economies. Story continues The government last week started negotiating with MPs for emergency powers in the event of a no-deal scenario actually happening. Hospitals have warned there could be shortages of medicines, medical supplies and equipment. On the other hand, the Dutch have already seen some benefits, having persuaded Japanese electronics giants Sony and Panasonic to move their European HQs from Britain to the Netherlands. The EU's medicines agency has also quit London for the Netherlands, transferring to offices in Amsterdam. And Dutch officials say another 250 companies are in contact with the government about a possible post-Brexit move to the Netherlands. Washington (AFP) - Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia in the 2016 presidential election is close to being wrapped up, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said Monday. "The Mueller investigation is close to being completed," Whitaker told journalists. "I've been fully briefed on the investigation and I look forward to Director Mueller delivering the final report," he said. "I hope we can get the report from Director Mueller as soon as possible." Mueller will submit his report to Whitaker unless he has been replaced as attorney general by then by Bill Barr, who has been nominated to the post but not yet confirmed by the Senate. Without elaborating, Whitaker said: "I am comfortable that the decisions that were made are going to be reviewed." Mueller, a former FBI director, was named by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in May 2017 to look into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Mueller's team has indicted a total of 34 people -- but so far, no charges of outright collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow have been filed. On Friday, Roger Stone, 66, a veteran Republican operative and longtime Trump adviser, was arrested at his Florida home by FBI agents on charges of making false statements to Congress and witness tampering. Six Trump associates have pleaded guilty to various charges so far including his former campaign manager Paul Manafort, former lawyer Michael Cohen and former national security advisor Michael Flynn. We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC). What Is Insider Selling? It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required. We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Harvard University study found that insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year. See our latest analysis for WESCO International The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At WESCO International In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Christine Wolf bought US$100k worth of shares at a price of US$59.20 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price. Its very possible they regret the purchase, but its more likely they are bullish about the company. That purchase may suggest an expectation of positive returns over the long term. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Christine Wolf. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! NYSE:WCC Insider Trading January 28th 19 For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Insider Ownership of WESCO International Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon its a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. WESCO International insiders own about US$12m worth of shares. That equates to 0.5% of the company. Weve certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders. Story continues So What Does This Data Suggest About WESCO International Insiders? There havent been any insider transactions in the last three months that doesnt mean much. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Insiders own shares in WESCO International and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in WESCO International, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company. Of course WESCO International may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies. To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements. The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Later school start times are said to boost wellbeing and grades (Picture: Getty) Parliament will consider debating if schools should start at 10am because teenagers are too tired. MPs may debate the proposal in the House of Commons after an online petition reached the required threshold. The petition, titled School should start at 10am as teenagers are too tired, has received more than the needed 100,000 signatures to force Parliament into considering the issue. It features in the petitions section of the UK Government and Parliament website. The site says Parliament will consider the motion for debate, and a debate date could be finalised within two days. The petition reads: Teenagers are so tired due to having to wake up very early to get to school. The government should require secondary schools to start later, which will lead to increased productivity at school. MORE: Shocking bodycam footage shows thugs kick police officer into path of moving bus MORE: Frances Macron attacks Brexit and says it will end up costing the British people Parliament considers all petitions for a debate which get more than 100,000 signatures. The petition was created by Hannah Kidner. There have already been examples of schools in the UK putting their start time back from 9am to 10am, as several studies claim they lead to an increase in productivity among pupils and even better exam results. Pupils could be given an extra hour in bed if changes are made to school start times (Picture: Getty) In 2017, a study by the Open University carried out at an English state school showed that a later start also led to improved mental and physical health. Students at the school started at 10am instead of the usual 8.30am, leading to a decrease in illness and better grades. The big issue about school times is health, said Dr Paul Kelley of the Open University at the time. It starts with physical illness, and then theres mental illness, and last but not least academic performance. In the same year, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine stated that delaying school start times positively impacts student achievement, health and safety. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK A British mothers lifesaving neuro-surgery in America had to be cancelled while she was being prepped for the operation because her bank blocked payment after an automatic fraud alert was generated. Samantha Smith, from Rochdale, flew to Arizona for the 250,000 procedure to rebuild her neck, which has been weakened by Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. But she said surgery had to be postponed on Friday morning because Barclays denied the cash transfer despite her pre-warning them about it. The 32-year-old, whose condition means her neck has become too weak to support her skull, was lying in her hospital bed at the Mayo Clinic, in Phoenix, when doctors broke the news to her. It is unclear when she will be able to reschedule the urgent operation for. To have it taken away over money, money that weve got, the mother-of-two told the Rochdale News. Weve lost the surgical date. Theres been a complaint escalated with Barclays but that can take up to eight weeks for that to be sorted. I was on the phone to them for hours crying that Id lost the date that it took months to get. Ms Smith, who is still in the US, was diagnosed with the rare tissue disorder in 2017, and has had to wear a neck brace ever since. The operation, which is not available on the NHS, would have fused the bones in her spine together to give her head greater support. It is thought there are only three surgeons in the world who can perform the complex procedure. She raised the money through holding events and crowd funding. But she was attempting to pay the pre-surgery costs when the transaction was halted. Despite her spending almost three hours on the phone to the bank, Barclays refused to lift the restrictions. A spokesman said: We have now established contact with the customer and are helping to resolve the matter so the payment can be processed as swiftly as possible. The hospital has not commented. Watch the full episode 14 of Yahoo UKs show The Royal Box, here. A royal biographer has said that Meghan Markles father and half siblings have reduced the commentary of the Royal Family to something from the Jerry Springer show. Speaking to Yahoo UKs The Royal Box, Duncan Larcombe branded the Markles tacky adding: I think the public, certainly here in the UK, see that for what it is and thats not Meghans fault. You can choose your friends, you cant choose your family. The Duchess of Sussex has long been estranged from her half siblings Samantha and Thomas Markle Jr. The pair have repeatedly criticised Meghan on social media and during press interviews. Its believed that pregnant Meghan hasnt spoken to her father Thomas Markle since her wedding [Photos: ITV/Getty] This weekend Samantha added further fuel to the drama when she announced on Twitter that there would be a second part to her tell-all book In The Shadows of The Duchess. Meanwhile its believed that Meghan hasnt spoken to her father Thomas Markle Sr. since her and Prince Harrys wedding last May. He was caught staging paparazzi photos for money and subsequently pulled out of walking his daughter down the aisle, reportedly due to health problems. During his last TV interview with ITVs Good Morning Britain in December, Mr Markle said he hoped the Queen will step in to help mend the rift between him and his estranged daughter. In past interviews, he has revealed personal details about his relationship with Meghan and conversations hes had with Prince Harry. In comparison, Larcombe says Meghans mother Doria Ragland has maintained a dignified silence, since her daughter began dating Harry. Doria accompanied Meghan in the car on her wedding day [Photo: Getty] Ms Ragland was the only member of the former actress family to attend the royal wedding. She accompanied the bride in the car on the way to the ceremony. She also joined Meghan for the launch of the Together cookbook in September, in support of the Hubb Community Kitchen. Larcombe, who penned Prince Harrys biography, thinks Doria will spend more time in London when Meghan and Harrys baby arrives this spring. Story continues He added: She has done everything right in a way that Meghans father, unfortunately, maybe through ignorance rather than spite, has done everything wrong. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK. Read more from Yahoo Style UK: The day I nearly got punched by Prince Harry Prince Harrys defensive of Meghan because he feels he could have done more to protect Diana Samantha Markle reveals plans for second book about Meghan McDonalds. Photo: Anthony Devlin/PA Archive/PA Images Leading British supermarkets and popular food outlets have warned of inevitable pressure on food prices and fewer products in stores under a no-deal Brexit. In a sign of rising alarm among top British firms at the ongoing deadlock over the Brexit negotiations, leading companies have come together in a significant and highly unusual intervention in the political debate. The chief executives of Sainsburys, Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, Waitrose, Asda, Costcutter and Lidl signed a letter to MPs warning their customers could be first to experience the realities of a no-deal Brexit. The chief executives of McDonalds, Pret A Manger and KFC in the UK also backed the call for politicians to find an urgent solution, saying it was impossible to stockpile enough goods. READ MORE: Britains biggest supermarket reveals its fears over a no-deal Brexit Their letter, seen by Yahoo Finance UK, suggests both product availability in stores and best-before dates could significantly reduce because increased delays from new border checks would see fresh food going off much sooner after reaching them. The message may prove uncomfortable reading for ministers as the business figures suggest no-deal preparations are inadequate, echoing a recent warning by the Bank of England governor that there are not enough ferries or warehouses. The joint statement by some of the biggest and most popular brands in the UK was co-ordinated by the British Retail Consortium. The body represents more than 5,000 businesses in the UKs retail sector, and its chief executive and chair both also signed the open letter to parliament. The letter reads: While we have been working closely with our suppliers on contingency plans it is not possible to mitigate all the risks to our supply chains and we fear significant disruption in the short term as a result if there is no Brexit deal. READ MORE: Why taking no deal off the table is vital for UK firms Story continues Nearly one-third of the food we eat in the UK comes from the EU. In March the situation is more acute as UK produce is out of season: 90% of our lettuces, 80% of our tomatoes and 70% of our soft fruit is sourced from the EU at that time of year. This complex, just in time supply chain will be significantly disrupted in the event of no deal. Even if the UK government does not undertake checks on products at the border, there will still be major disruption at Calais as the French government has said it will enforce sanitary and customs checks on exports from the EU, which will lead to long delays. Supermarkets warn of fewer products. Photo: Chris Radburn/PA Archive/PA Images For consumers, this will reduce the availability and shelf life of many products in our stores. The top business figures say they are extremely concerned that leaving without a deal with the EU could result in higher tariffs, increasing import costs and putting upward pressure on food prices. They suggest one alternative Britain setting import tariffs at zero, while UK farmers still face tariffs exporting to Europe could have a devastating impact on farmers who also supply them. READ MORE: What is a no-deal Brexit and what could it mean for firms and consumers? The letter says stockpiling is being carried out as far as possible, but highlights the very little warehousing space now available in Britain and the impossible nature of stockpiling fresh goods like salad leaves and fruit. It ends: We are therefore asking you to work with your colleagues in parliament urgently to find a solution that avoids the shock of a no deal Brexit on 29 March and removes these risks for UK consumers. (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May will seek legally binding changes to the Irish backstop from the European Union in an attempt to break the deadlock over Brexit, lawmaker Boris Johnson wrote in The Telegraph on Sunday, citing senior government sources. The PM is looking to change the text of the agreement to insert either a sunset clause or a mechanism for the UK to escape without reference to the EU, Boris Johnson said in The Telegraph. The contentious backstop arrangement is designed to prevent a hard border between Ireland and the UK province of Northern Ireland by requiring Britain to keep some EU rules if it was unable to agree a trade deal with the bloc. Ireland said earlier on Sunday it would not accept any changes to the backstop agreement. (Reporting by Ishita Chigilli Palli in Bengaluru and Paul Sandle in London; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) As the Brexit countdown continues it has emerged that government has examined martial law in the event of a no deal Brexit. Stock image. (PA) Brexit planners have considered martial law in the event of a no deal Brexit, reports at the weekend revealed. The Sunday Times reported how senior civil servants are preparing for every eventually, including the possible introduction of martial law, in the event of a no deal Brexit. However, in an interview on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said while martial law is on the statute book, it is not a main focus. However, it has been considered. But what would that mean? A mock checkpoint manned by actors dressed as soldiers and customs officers constructed during an anti-Brexit rally at the Irish border near Carrickcarnan, Co Louth. Campaigners are concerned such scenes could become real if martial law is imposed. What is martial law? Martial law is when regular government, and laws, are suspended most commonly in the event of a natural disaster, major emergency or military coup. Commonly, this includes travel bans, curfews, confiscation of property, no-go areas and the deployment of troops. Often, military personnel are deployed to enforce these measures and help to keep order. Also, any Act of Parliament except the Human Rights Act can be extended for 21 days. Why would it be used? Formally known as the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, in the case of Brexit it would be used due to concerns over civil disobedience. Especially, as the Sunday Times reported, if it would lead to disorder and food and medical shortages. Prime Minister Theresa May is trying to avoid a no deal Brexit but civil servants and trying to consider every eventuality So, who told the Sunday Times? A senior civil servant told the Sunday Times: The overriding theme in all the no-deal planning is civil disobedience and the fear that it will lead to death in the event of food and medical shortages. Has it been used in the UK before? Not exactly. The British government used similar measures during the Irish war of independence and throughout the Troubles before the Good Friday Agreement there was a strong military presence throughout Northern Ireland but thankfully there have been no real instances on mainland Britain. In 2011 there was fury during the London Riots when Downing Street refused to introduce martial law to restore order instead riot police and regular officers restored order. File photo dated 01/04/1974 of police and military checking cars at a border post in Swanlinbar in the Irish Republic, just south of the Ulster border.(PA). Ok, then where has it been used? Story continues It is more commonly used in non-democratic countries. In Egypt martial law has been in place practically since 1967 with the act being renewed by parliament every three years. It has been used in Thailand notably following a military coup in 2006 and again following civil unrest in 2014. In Poland Communist generals introduced martial law in December 1981 to stop the opposition gaining power and popularity, it remained in place until July 22 1983. In November 2018 Ukrainian politicians voted in numbers to introduce martial law in coastal regions and areas bordering Russia in response to growing aggression from Vladimir Putins regime and hostilities in the Crimea. Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock told the Andrew Marr Show that martial law was on the statute book but not a focus of cabinet Brexit talks. At present. (PA) What exactly did Matt Hancock say? During Sundays edition of the Andrew Marr Show Mr Hancock was asked if the government was considered martial law and curfews. In response he said: Well I wouldnt put a stress on that. Of course government all the time looks at all of the options in all circumstances. When pressed he went on to say the government was not specifically looking at martial law, adding: Well it remains on the statute book, but it isnt the focus of our attention, no. And what has been said since? Other departments have pointed towards Number 10 in response to martial law and its likely introduction. A Downing Street spokesman said: Respecting the referendum decision means leaving the EU. The Prime Minister has said there will be disruption in the event of no deal, but as a responsible government we are taking the appropriate steps to minimise this disruption and ensure the country is prepared. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK The Venezuelan military stands ready and prepared to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, President Nicholas Maduro said during a speech to soldiers in Carabobo state on January 27. Maduro was speaking days after the countrys opposition leader, Juan Guaido, declared himself the interim president, quickly backed by countries including the US, Canada, Brazil and Colombia. Maduro was attending military exercises at Fort Paramacay. Local media quoted him as saying we have to make the Venezuelan nation respect military power. Credit: Nicolas Maduro via Storyful LuLaRoe, a company that promised its sellers the chance to become entrepreneurs by selling clothing directly to their social networks, was running a "pyramid scheme'' that burdened consultants with debt and items they couldn't sell, according to a lawsuit filed in Washington State. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, filing suit in King County Superior Court, said in a statement that "LuLaRoe tricked consumers into buying into its pyramid scheme with deceptive claims of high profits and refunds for unsold merchandise, Instead, many Washingtonians lost money and were left with piles of unsold merchandise and broken promises ... Its time to hold LuLaRoe accountable for its deception. LuLaRoe could not be immediately reached for comment. The company, whose brightly patterned tops and leggings have been frequently offered on Facebook and other social media channels, is a direct-selling business in the vein of Avon and Amway. It offered stay-at-home mothers or others looking to make some extra income the chance to be consultants after paying an "onboarding'' fee that could be as much as $9,000 according to the Washington State Attorney General. But sellers have accused the company of being more interested in them wooing new consultants, who would have to pay those same initial fees, than in supporting their efforts to sell merchandise. For instance, after their first purchase, sellers were no longer given a choice of which sizes or even designs they sold, the Washington State Attorney General said, with the company selling consultants a 33 piece pod with pre-selected items instead. More: Many women are afraid to tell the boss they're pregnant. And they may have reason to worry More: Game on? New report suggests Apple may be prepping for a gaming service More: Free bacon, bacon and more bacon: Fast-food chains go whole hog on what Americans love Prior to July 2017, LuLaRoe consultants received bonuses based not only on how much they sold, but also the merchandise sold by sellers they'd brought into the company. That bonus system violated Washington's Antipyramid Promotional Scheme law, Ferguson's complaint claims. Story continues LuLaRoe has long been controversial. In 2017, it faced two lawsuits including a complaint by three California women claiming that LuLaRoe encouraged its sellers to borrow cash and even sell breast milk to purchase clothing that they ultimately couldn't get customers to buy. Both suits also accused the business of unfair business practices and false advertising. That year, LuLaRoe got rid of its guarantee to buy back all merchandise that went unsold, leaving consultants on the hook for thousands of dollars in piled up inventory. Amid an outcry by its sellers, LuLaRoe reversed that decision but continued to impose rigid rules around the return of products. In the past five years, LuLaRoe had assembled a team of over 3,500 sellers in Washington alone, according to the state's attorney general, but there are fewer than 2,000 still selling today. More: LuLaRoe consultants file class-action lawsuits, allege pyramid scheme More: Tax season opens: You can file your federal taxes starting today More Money: Sonic Drive-In adds county fair favorite deep-fried Oreos to menu The Washington state lawsuit wants LuLaRoe to pay the top penalty of $2,000 per violation and also is demanding that the company pay back customers. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LuLaRoe was little more than a scam, a Washington State lawsuit claims The Islamic State has issued a statement that it was behind the blasts that killed at least 20 and injured scores of others during Mass at a Catholic Church Sunday morning. This claim notwithstanding, probes are under way and authorities have assured the public that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. Several countries and world leaders have condemned the blasts, saying it was a senseless act by cowards. Senseless, indeed. Cowards, indeed. News of the bombing dampened an otherwise hopeful and optimistic mood across the strife-torn South. The Bangsamoro Organic Law had just been passed by Congress and a plebiscite was held just a week ago to get the peoples nod on the law that would establish a new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. The passage of the law was hailed as something no other administration has done before. President Rodrigo Dutertes strong political will was said to be instrumental. Finally, lasting peaceor at least its possibilityappeared within reach. Then again, we may have spoken too soon. The Jan. 21 plebiscite had its own share of delays and other problems. The law is being challenged before the Supreme Court on grounds of unconstitutionality.Most importantly, Sundays blast was a painful reminder that despite the passage of the law, the projected results of the plebiscite, and all the lofty objectives toward peace and development, Mindanao will not magically turn into a peaceful place. Foremost, international terrorists have found their way to it, and not even the extended martial law across Mindanao could stop this. The blasts also showed the rest of us what terror truly means. A church is a place for solace, but it turned out that not even the most sacred places are safe from the evil designs of the enemy. Incidents like the Jolo bombings could be powerful sources of disenfranchisement. Authorities are now scrambling for answers and people are staying indoors, fearing for their lives. This could only validate terrorists faith in their own designs. The biggest fight we can put up now is against despair. Its a long and thorny road ahead, but Mindanao, supported by the rest of the country, must move forward. Vienna (AFP) - The head of Libya's internationally backed government on Monday defended efforts to improve life for some 20,000 people held in its migrant camps, after the Austrian president bluntly criticised conditions there. "We are working within the security and economic constraints that we have to respond to (detainees') needs," Fayez al-Sarraj said on a visit to Vienna during which he met with President Alexander Van der Bellen as well as Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. Speaking alongside Sarraj at a press conference, Van der Bellen said that "the situation in the camps is -- to put it mildly -- far from satisfactory." "My personal opinion is that under these circumstances, refugees shouldn't be sent there at the moment," Van der Bellen added. However, he recognised that Sarraj's Tripoli-backed Government of National Accord has no control over large swathes of the country. Libya is regularly criticised by the UN and humanitarian groups over conditions in the camps, which house migrants who have tried to make the sea crossing to Europe. "Of course the situation in the camps is not ideal, there are many problems, many challenges," Sarraj said. "But we must bear in mind the number of illegal migrants in Libya -- more than 800,000 in the whole country. Not more than 20,000 of them are in the camps," he said. "I wish we had a comprehensive approach to dealing with this problem. We're talking about development for the countries of origin, about them taking back their citizens," Sarraj added. Earlier Sarraj met Kurz, whose government has pushed a hard line on immigration since coming to power in December 2017. Kurz said that Austria had a "fundamental interest" in Libya's security and development and underlined the importance of fighting both Islamic State jihadists and people traffickers. He expressed his "deep gratitude" to the Libyan coastguard "who have saved 20,000 people (at sea) and taken them back" to Libya. In an interview with the Austrian APA agency Sarraj had said European criticism of Libya's handling of migration policy was "unacceptable". "We call on those countries who are concerned about the migrants in the camps to help directly -- by taking them into their own countries or to help with sending them back," he said. BRUMADINHO, Brazil (AP) The latest on the deadly mine waste dam collapse in southeastern Brazil (all times local): 9:30 p.m. The Civil Defense office in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais has raised the number of confirmed deaths in a dam collapse to 58. More than 300 people are still missing after iron ore waste from a mine that flooded the southeastern city of Brumadinho on Friday. Brazilian officials resumed the search the missing Sunday after briefly suspending it amid fears that a second dam was at risk of breach. Rescue workers say areas of water-soaked mud appear to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable. The death toll is expected to rise. ___ 3:55 p.m. Brazilian officials have resumed the search for hundreds of missing people in the wake of a massive dam collapse, with firefighter crews returning to mud-covered areas after a several-hour suspension over fears that a second dam was at risk of breach. Authorities had evacuated several neighborhoods in the southeastern city of Brumadinho that were within range of the B6 dam owned by the Brazilian mining company Vale. An estimated 24,000 people were told to get to higher ground, but by the afternoon, civil engineers said the second dam was no longer at risk. Authorities on Sunday also lowered the confirmed death toll to 37 from 40, though they did not explain why. And that number is expected to increase as rescue and recovery teams got to the hardest hit areas. ___ 2:05 p.m. Pope Francis is offering prayers and solidarity for the victims of the Brazilian dam collapse. Francis spoke out about the tragedy on Sunday while he was wrapping up a visit to Panama for World Youth Day. In a blessing, Francis appealed for God's mercy for all those who were killed "and at the same time I express my love and spiritual closeness to their relatives and the entire population of Minas Gerais state." Brazilian officials on Sunday suspended the search for potential survivors of the dam collapse that killed at least 40 people amid fears that another nearby dam owned by the same company was also at risk of breaching. Story continues ___ 8:15 a.m. Brazilian officials have suspended the search for potential survivors of a dam collapse amid fears that another dam owned by the same mining company was at risk of breaking as well. Authorities on Sunday are evacuating several neighborhoods in the city of Brumadinho that are within range of the B6 dam. Pedro Ahiara, spokesman for the firefighters in the state of Minas Gerais, says "the risk of a breaking continues." Even before the latest news, hope that loved ones had survived a tsunami of iron ore mine waste from a dam collapse in Brazil was turning to anguish and anger over the increasing likelihood that hundreds of people had died. By Saturday night, when authorities called off rescue efforts until daybreak, the dam collapse toll stood at 40 dead with up to 300 people estimated to be missing. ___ 5:20 a.m. The Israeli military says a search-and-rescue delegation has left for to Brazil to assist the victims of a mining waste dam collapse. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus says a delegation of 130 men and women is on its way Sunday to the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte. He says the delegation is expected to stay for a week and will look for survivors after the collapse of a dam holding back mining waste. As of Saturday night, the death toll in the dam collapse stood at 40 dead with up to 300 people estimated to be missing. Conricus says his delegation includes K-9 forces, firefighters and a special underwater unit. The military is responding to an order from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who offered the aid to his close ally, new Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. ___ 1 a.m. Hope that loved ones had survived a tsunami of iron ore mine waste from a dam collapse in Brazil was turning to anguish and anger over the increasing likelihood that many of the hundreds of people missing had died. By Saturday night, when authorities called off rescue efforts until day break, the death toll stood at 40 dead with up to 300 people estimated to be missing. Throughout the day, helicopters flew low over areas buried by mud and firefighters worked to get to structures by digging. Sonia Fatima da Silva was among the scores in the city of Brumadinho trying to get information about their relatives. Her son has been a Vale mining company employee for 20 years. She says "I'm angry ... my hope is that they be honest. I want news, even if it's bad." Da Silva said she last spoke to her son before he went to work on Friday, when around midday a dam holding back mine waste collapsed, sending waves of mud for kilometers (miles) and burying much in its path. Romeu Zema, governor of Minas Gerais state, says most recovery efforts now would entail pulling out bodies. BRUMADINHO, Brazil (AP) -- The Latest on that collapse of an iron ore mining company's dam in Brazil (all times local): 7:55 p.m. Officials say the death toll from the mine dam collapse in Brazil has increased to 65 people and that 279 people are missing. The death toll earlier Monday stood at 60. Lt. Col. Flavio Godinho of the Minas Gerais state civil defense department also told reporters Monday that 192 people have been rescued, a number that has not changed since an earlier announcement about those rescued. Officials have said they expect the death toll to rise "exponentially." ___ 7:45 p.m. Brazilian mining company Vale says it is giving emergency funding of $26,000 each families of victims of the company mine collapse that killed at least 60 people and left nearly 300 missing. Vale executive Luciano Siani told reporters Monday that the company is handing out the money "so families are immediately provided for, to give them some relief." Siana says the emergency funding will be provided to families with relatives confirmed dead and families with missing relatives. He says Vale is also sending to the disaster site a team of psychologists that specializes in catastrophe trauma to help families. ___ 6:20 p.m. A Catholic priest for a church now being used as a command center for officials trying to rescue people after a mining company dam burst says many of the church's parishioners are believed to be buried in mud. Priest Rene Lopez says the community of Brumadinho will rebuild "but it will be harder to rebuild our hearts." He called the massive mud and debris flow that inundated much of the town last Friday "an open wound for all of the people in Brumadinho." At least 60 people died, nearly 300 are missing and officials said Monday that they believe the death toll will go much higher. ___ 5:10 p.m. Brazilian mining company Vale says a lawyer who said the company's board of directors would not step down following a mine collapse that killed at least 60 people was not authorized to speak for the world's largest iron ore producer. Story continues Monday's statement came after Vale lawyer Sergio Berdumes said in an interview in the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that "no wrongdoing has been proven." He also told the newspaper that "there was no negligence." Vale says the company's board is trying to discover the facts of what happened following the collapse of the dam at an iron ore complex, which buried buildings owned by Vale and inundated neighborhoods. Officials in Minas Gerais state say nearly 300 people are missing following the collapse of the dam last Friday and that the death toll is expected to grow "exponentially." ___ 4 p.m. Shares of big Brazilian mining company Vale SA have plummeted following a mine collapse that killed at least 60 people and left nearly 300 missing. The company's American depository shares on the New York Stock Exchange were down 17.6 percent in Monday afternoon trading, to $11.26 each. A treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out Friday when the iron ore mine's dam breached is up to 24 feet (8 meters) deep in some places. Sen. Renan Calheiros is calling for Vale's board of directors to step down and Attorney General Raquel Dodge says that Vale executives could be held responsible. The company is the world's largest producer of iron ore, the raw ingredient for making steel. ___ 2 p.m. Firefighters say the death toll from a Brazilian mine dam collapse has risen to 60, with 292 people still missing. In an ominous sign, nobody was recovered alive Sunday. The slow pace of search efforts is due to the treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out when the mine dam breached Friday afternoon. It is up 24 feet (8 meters) deep in some places. Meanwhile, anger is growing at the company that operates the mine. Sen. Renan Calheiros is calling for Vale's board of directors to step down and Attorney General Raquel Dodge says that Vale executives could be held responsible. ___ 7:15 a.m. A German company that last year inspected the dam in Brazil that collapsed Friday says it's working with authorities investigating the deadly disaster in which at least 58 people died. TUEV Sued, based in Munich, confirmed Monday that it had conducted a periodic review of dams for Brazilian mining company Vale in July 2018 and a regular inspection of dam safety in September last year. The company declined to provide further details about the reviews, which were commissioned by Vale. But TUEV Sued said it was "fully supporting the investigations and making all required documents available to the investigating authorities." Brazilian authorities say up to 300 people are still missing after iron ore waste from a mine that flooded the mine complex and nearby neighborhoods in the southeastern city of Brumadinho. ___ 2 a.m. Firefighters in Brazil are carefully moving over treacherous mud, sometimes even crawling, in search of survivors or bodies left by a dam collapse that buried mine buildings and surrounding neighborhoods with iron ore waste. The confirmed death toll rose to 58 late Sunday, with up to 300 people still missing, according to authorities. In an ominous sign, nobody was recovered alive Sunday, a stark difference from the first two days of the disaster, when helicopters were whisking people from the mud. A treacherous sea of reddish-brown mud that surged out when the mine's dam breached Friday afternoon is up to 24 feet (8 meters) deep in some places. Search efforts were suspended about 10 hours Sunday because of fears that a second mine dam in the southeastern city of Brumadinho was at risk of failing. An estimated 24,000 people were told to get to higher ground. Kamala Harris has kicked off her campaign for the White House at a rally attended by thousands of supporters in her hometown of Oakland. The crowd packed out the California citys Frank Ogawa Plaza to watch the Democratic senator launch a bid to oust Donald Trump as president in 2020. We are here because the American Dream and our American democracy are under attack and on the line like never before, Ms Harris told supporters. And we are here at this moment in time because we must answer a fundamental question: Who are we? Who are we as Americans? So, lets answer that question to the world and each other right here and right now. America, we are better than this. The first-term US senator announced her candidacy last Monday and launched her formal campaign on Sunday in the city where she served as a prosecutor before becoming Californias attorney general. If she were to be elected, her victory would be historic: Ms Harris would be the first woman, first female African-American, and first person of Asian descent to become American president. Addressing supporters in Oakland, Ms Harris invoked the speech that Robert F Kennedy gave in 1968 when he announced that he would challenge president Lyndon B Johnson. She noted Kennedy having said: At stake is not simply the leadership of our party and even our country, it is our right to moral leadership of this planet. Ms Harris added: So today I say to you, my friends: These are not ordinary times, and this will not be an ordinary election, but this is our America. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, Ms Harris said she had grown up in an East Bay community with a deep belief in the promise of our country, and a deep understanding of the parts of that promise that still remain unfulfilled. Ms Harris's campaign is expected to highlight her career as a prosecutor. She was the first woman elected district attorney in California, as well as the first black woman and first Asian-American to hold that job. Story continues On Sunday, she said she has "only had one client - the people", echoing words she has used in courtrooms and has adopted as her campaign's slogan. She attacked Mr Trump directly, saying the US welcomed refugees and calling the wall the president wants to build along the US-Mexico border a "medieval vanity project". Ms Harris is among the first major Democrats to jump into what is expected to be a crowded 2020 presidential contest. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York have announced exploratory committees ahead of 2020 bids. Former Maryland Republican John Delaney and Julian Castro, federal housing chief under president Barack Obama and a former San Antonio mayor, are already in the race. OAKLAND Kamala Harris kicked off her 2020 presidential campaign Sunday with a massive hometown rally that put her Democratic presidential rivals on notice and sought to bolster her progressive credentials, despite her years as a prosecutor. With a crowd estimated at over 20,000 exploding with applause as Harris took the stage at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, the gravity of the moment seemed to momentarily overwhelm the senator. So, here we are, here we are, she said with a broad smile. Let me tell you, I am so proud to be a daughter of Oakland, California. California Sen. Kamala Harris formally launched her campaign for president at a rally in her hometown Sunday. (Photo: Tony Avelar/AP) We were raised by a community with a deep belief in the promise of our country and a deep understanding of the parts of that promise that still remain unfulfilled, Harris said before devoting most of her speech to those unfulfilled parts of the American experiment. But first, Harris needed to address the elephant in the room: her former career in law enforcement. Since announcing her intention to run for president on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Harris has faced attacks from progressives who claim she didnt work hard enough to reform the criminal justice system during her seven years as San Franciscos district attorney and two terms as state attorney general. Harris cited the Bob Marley lyric dont give up the fight when talking about her career path. In the speech, Harris defended her work as a prosecutor against the charge that she didnt do enough to right wrongs in the criminal justice system. (Photo: Tony Avelar/AP) It is this deep-rooted belief that inspired me to become a lawyer and a prosecutor, she said, the crowd going silent with discomfort at the mention of her background in criminal justice. It was just a couple of blocks from this very spot, nearly 30 years ago as a young district attorney, I walked into the courtroom for the first time and said the five words that would guide my lifes work: Kamala Harris for the people. A populist reworking of courtroom language used by prosecutors introducing cases, the phrase constitutes her 2020 campaign slogan and could be seen on T-shirts, placards and electronic screens in the plaza, and it brought the crowd back to life. Story continues Now I knew that our criminal justice system was deeply flawed, but I also knew the profound impact law enforcement has on peoples lives and its responsibility to give them safety and dignity. I knew I wanted to protect people, Harris said. She was interrupted by a heckler taking issue with her record. In few cities in America could one find such a staunchly progressive electorate as Oaklands. The last time so many people had gathered in this spot was in the fall of 2011, when Occupy Oakland demonstrations encamped in the plaza and their persistent rallies led to a general strike that closed the Port of Oakland on Nov. 2. On that day, thousands of people marched beneath a banner hung across 14th Street that read Down with capitalism. The rhetoric of the protests conflated the police, justice system and other agents of state power with the financial institutions that had caused the crisis. The daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother who met as graduate students at the nearby University of California, Berkeley, Harris lived in Oakland until she was 12 and attended Thousand Oaks Elementary School in Berkeley. She was raised going to protests in the East Bay during the Civil Rights era and is no stranger to Bay Area activism. A mural at Thousand Oaks Elementary School in Berkeley, Calif., features former student Sen. Kamala Harris. (Photo: David Knowles/Yahoo News) While Hillary Clinton beat Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primary in Alameda County (which includes Oakland) by 3.4 percentage points, the battle was especially fierce here. Clinton seemed to pour gasoline on that still smoldering fire in a 2017 interview in which she decried attacks against Harris made by some of Sanderss supporters. It feeds into sexism and misogyny, Clinton said. Shes being attacked by the left. Enough. If you dont support Democrats, go somewhere else. Oakland resident Tony Lewis, 60, a retiree, said he voted for Sanders in 2016 to send a progressive message but wont vote for the Vermont senator if he runs in 2020. Yahoo News reported Friday that Sanders had made a decision to enter the race, probably as early as this week. I wasnt a strong supporter of Sanders last time around, Lewis said. My sense is hes probably less viable this time around than he was four years ago. Instead, Lewis is choosing between Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, viewing both as on the progressive end of the scale. Many young people attended the rally in Oakland, a city with a staunchly progressive electorate. (Photo: Tony Avelar/AP) A 53-year-old Oakland resident named Tiara, who described her profession as that of someone who wears many hats, said she was all in for Harris. I like her strength, Tiara said. Im looking for something new. Something fresh. Thats why Im here today, to feel empowered. The first big Democratic rally of the 2020 presidential campaign, the Oakland kickoff found its stride when Harris began going after President Trump. While she warned the crowd that the U.S. needed to address the serious threat posed by international drug cartels, she was quick to add a disclaimer about Trumps demand for a wall on the border with Mexico: The presidents medieval vanity project is not going to stop them received a rousing ovation. In a section of her stump speech devoted to drawing a clear distinction between herself and Trump, Harris ticked off a list of items that fell under the rubric not our America. When we have leaders who bully and attack a free press and undermine our democratic institutions, thats not our America, Harris said. When white supremacists march and murder in Charlottesville or massacre innocent worshipers in a Pittsburgh synagogue, thats not our America. When we have children in cages, crying for their mothers and fathers, dont you dare call that border security, thats a human rights abuse. And thats not our America! Harris said she would run on a platform including universal pre-K and debt-free college. She said she hoped to restructure the tax code, giving middle-income earners a large break and and reversing the 2017 tax cut on corporations and the wealthy. Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris, of California, formally launches her presidential campaign at a rally in her hometown of Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019. (Photo: Tony Avelar/AP) The media attention to her rally and her impressive fundraising haul in the first week of her campaign (she took in over $1.5 million in the first 24 hours after announcing her candidacy) suggest she is off to a fast start. A Morning Consult/Politico poll of potential Democratic contenders taken Jan. 18 to Jan. 22 puts Harris in third place, behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Sanders. Warren was tied for fourth place with former Rep. Beto ORourke. She seems to be more in touch with the public, in what we want, said Paula, a 33-year-old from Oakland who works in the financial industry and declined to give her last name. She knows politics and thats what we need, someone who can run the country competently. As the rally broke up, two young men held up signs. Kamala chose not to release nonviolent drug offenders, one sign read. Another read, Kamala chose not to prosecute Mnuchin a reference to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who made a large profit from his investment in failed California mortgage lender IndyMac, later called OneWest Bank. As attorney general, Harris resisted calls to bring charges against him; he later made a contribution to her Senate campaign. In her speech, Harris made a point of boasting that she had helped institute Californias tough law on home foreclosures. When asked if they were Sanders supporters, the men just smiled. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misidentified the date of a Hillary Clinton quote about Bernie Sanders. We regret the error. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: It could take Joshua Tree National Park up to 300 years to recover from damage it sustained during the partial government shutdown, a former park superintendent said Saturday. Curt Sauer, who retired as Joshua Trees superintendent in 2010, spoke to a group of some 100 park advocates who gathered on Saturday in protest the environmental and economic effects on Joshua Tree during the shutdown. Whats happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years, Sauer said, according to the Palm Springs Desert Sun. A once vibrant Joshua tree, felled in an act of vandalism in Joshua Tree National Park in California. (Photo: Gina Ferazzi via Getty Images) Three thousand miles away, President Donald Trump the previous day announced a short-term plan to reopen the government for three weeks. The announcement was a clear concession on his part, temporarily shelving his demands for $5.7 billion in funds for his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a project Democratic lawmakers firmly rejected. The short-term deal came on the 35th day of the shutdown, the longest in United States history, and after over 800,000 federal workers had already missed two paychecks. (Trump promised the affected workers would get back pay very quickly or as soon as possible.) He said he is prepared to shut down the government again if funding for his border wall is not secured by the end of the negotiation period. The U.S. economy may never recover $3 billion lost during the shutdown, according to a report released by the Congressional Budget Office. The political gridlock in Washington, D.C., also affected the countrys many national parks, which were left open during the shutdown. Joshua Tree National Park remained open during the government shutdown, and with few rangers on hand, some visitors drove their vehicles off roads, graffitied rocks, started illegal campfires and cut down some of the park's famed trees. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS) National parks typically close during government shutdowns, but the Trump administration decided to keep them open, leaving them understaffed and vulnerable to misuse for over a month. Just eight rangers were on hand to oversee Joshua Trees sprawling 790,636 acres during the shutdown. Spokesman George Land said in a statement this month that the park witnessed incidents of new roads being created by motorists and the destruction of Joshua trees. Story continues With the gates open and minimal staffing, some visitors drove their vehicles off roads, graffitied rocks, started illegal campfires and cut down some of the famed trees that lend the park its name. Joshua trees grow just 1/2 to 3 inches a year and usually reach about 5 to 10 feet before they start to produce blossoms, according to the National Park Service. The tallest tree in the park rises to a whopping 40 feet. Some researchers think an average lifespan for a Joshua tree is about 150 years, but some of our largest trees may be much older than that, the NPS says on its website. John Lauretig, who runs the Friends of Joshua Tree nonprofit, was one of a host of local volunteers who picked up the slack, cleaning overflowing toilets and trash areas and providing other basic maintenance work. The local community is fed up with our parks being held hostage and the fact that its open and partially staffed is not good for the park, its not good for the public and its not good for the local community here, Lauretig said at Saturdays rally. If the government doesnt fund or staff the parks appropriately, then they should just close the parks to protect the parks and protect the people. Just eight rangers were on hand to oversee Joshua Trees sprawling 790,636 acres during the shutdown. (Photo: Mario Tama via Getty Images) The NPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Joshua Tree is a place of haunting natural beauty, a place where the American West and its associated longings and fantasies are manifested. But theres a deceptiveness to the hard, craggy stones, spiky trees and barren-seeming landscape. Casey Schreiner, a journalist who works to educate people on how to responsibly enjoy the West Coasts natural beauty, told The New York Times California Today column this month that desert ecosystems are more fragile than they look. Deserts are home to delicate flora dependent on a fine layer of cryptobiotic soil that, as he told the Times, can take literally thousands of years to form and can be crushed with a single footprint. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Paris (AFP) - With diplomatic ties between France and Italy increasingly tense, some observers have reached for marital metaphors to describe the breakdown in relations between two countries at the heart of the European Union. Veteran French foreign affairs commentator Dominique Moisi titled a recent column about the crisis "Divorce Italian Style", a nod to the 1961 Oscar-winning film of the same name ("Divorzio all'italiana"). The silver-screen tale of passion and deceit recounts the struggles of a local aristocrat and his wife to divorce when it was illegal to do so in Italy -- like modern-day France and Italy, which have drifted apart but are bound together inside the EU. Moisi said he was stunned this month when Italy's populist leaders publicly backed "yellow vest" demonstrators who have taken to the streets in France since November to denounce French President Emmanuel Macron. "An Italian government at the core of the European Union encouraging opposition forces to this extent? I don't think there's a precedent," he told AFP in an interview. - Broken axis - The seeds of the crisis were planted back in March, after elections in Italy that left Macron feeling jilted. The centrist was hoping for a compatible government to emerge in Rome to join him with his grand plans for pro-EU reform. Instead, it was eurosceptic populists -- the far-right League and anti-elite Five Star Movement -- who emerged victorious. Matteo Salvini, head of the League, and Five Star chief Luigi Di Maio each took deputy prime minister positions, forming a tandem which has grown increasingly hostile towards France. It has many analysts wondering about the consequences for the EU, given that French-Italian ties have been a generally stable axis in a bloc that is grappling with Brexit and other tensions between eastern and western members. "The fact that we can't work with Italy on the European project is a real problem," Sebastien Maillard, director of the Jacques Delors Institute think-tank in Brussels, told AFP. Story continues "Already with other partners it isn't easy, including with Germany, but Italy was always a close ally, in line with French positions," he added. Last week, France summoned the Italian ambassador to lodge a complaint after Di Maio accused France of continuing to colonise Africa and said Paris was indirectly responsible for Africans migrating to Europe. Salvini left no doubt about his feelings a few days later, calling Macron "a terrible president". "I will not respond. That's what they want," Macron said on Sunday in Cairo. "The Italian people are our friends and deserve leaders who are worthy of their history." - Electoral calculations - But it would be wrong to see France or Macron as simply the victims of Italian antagonism, analysts say. French-Italian ties, like marriages, are subject to their own sensitive internal dynamics. "This crisis has deep roots. There's a form of competition and a superiority complex among the French which has run into an inferiority complex in the Italians," Moisi told AFP. "There's something very emotional in Franco-Italian relations." In one of his first bursts of diplomatic activity in 2017, Macron waded into finding a solution for war-wracked Libya, organising a major peace conference in Paris. He omitted to fully consult Italy -- Libya's former colonial power -- which jealously guards its historic influence in the country and its economic interests. For electoral reasons, Macron has also talked up the differences between what he calls his "progressive" camp and far-right nationalists like Salvini ahead of European Parliament elections in May. When Salvini turned away a rescue boat with migrants on board last June, Macron blasted him for his "cynicism and irresponsibility." He went on to liken populism to "leprosy" -- a remark that still rankles in Rome. A French diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the issue of immigration "continues to complicate things", while the Italian government has also attacked EU budget rules that limit public spending. But Rome's positions in other key areas of European policy-making, such as a new budget for the eurozone, a proposed tax on digital companies and new defence initiatives, are still relatively aligned with France, the diplomat said. "It's not a Franco-Italian crisis, even if France is an easy and convenient target for them," said the diplomat on condition of anonymity. "The main issue is the relationship Italy has with Europe." Moisi says that after the European elections in May there is a "greater chance of compromise" that might limit the current tensions. That sounds better than "Divorzio all'italiana" -- which ends with murder. "We hope their example will be multiplied many times over by other people of good heart and great faith." The well-known resilience of our country and people has found new meaning in the latest tourism statistics for 2018. According to the Department of Tourism, the number of foreign visitors reached 7.1 million last year, or 7.6 percent over the 6.6 million posted in 2017. This was achieved despite the six-month closure of Boracay island, which used to draw about two-million visitors a year. If we normalize for this closure, the increase would actually be closer to 27 percent. South Korean tourists again led the pack with 1.6 million. But the biggest increase was posted by Chinese visitors, up by 30 percent year-on-year to reach 1.3 million. This is one of the windfalls from Dutertes foreign policy tilt towards China. The mainland Chinese are not the most pleasant people to be around, so we can only hope that their renminbi spending is making up for their lack of social graces. This kind of resilience is another argument for exercising the iron political will that will be needed to clean up the worst of our nations excesses. Chief among these is the toxic pollution of Manila Bay, which Duterte has now lined up in his cross-hairs following his spectacular achievement in Boracay. This monumental marine cleanup is estimated to take up to seven yearswell into the post-Duterte era, requiring him to build up irreversible momentum. The resources required to do the job are staggering, not to mention the resistance we can expect to be mounted from so many quarters: Informal settlers and their leftist advocates; pollutive industries and their rightist advocates; the two water concessionaires who should be doing a better job of processing the sewage of Metro Manila; and all other manner of vested interests who benefitone way or another, no matter how indirectlyfrom leaving Manila Bay a cesspool. The redoubtable former general, DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu, has his work cut out for him, even if he can only finish, at best, one half of the job. Whats needed now is a lot of volunteer support, an exemplar of which are the pro-Duterte Republic Defenders group, headed by another former general, Ambassador Vidal Querol. We hope their example will be multiplied many times over by other people of good heart and great faith. * * * The biennial plenary session of the Catholic bishops last Saturday was blessed by the usual message of support from the Holy Father, who assured them of his prayers for your efforts to shepherd in truth and love those entrusted to your pastoral care, especially your efforts to advance the mission of the Church in the Philippines.His message was of course to be expected, in Asias only majority-Catholic country, and with the Philippine Churchs 500th anniversary just around the corner in 2021. But it is already being spun into an anti-Duterte salvo as well, more so with an inter-faith rally scheduled to be held this Friday after the Presidents latest diatribe against the Church and, more recently, legislative moves to lower the minimum age of criminal liability. If the Presidentor any other public figurechooses to criticize the Churchor anybody else, for that matterthen dont be surprised if those being attacked will answer right back in their own defense. That is simply self-preservation, protected by various constitutional guarantees of free speech and expression. And dont complain if that self-defense is backed by something as mighty as the institutional weight of the Church. After all, the presidency is no slouch, either. When heavyweights like these two institutions collide, at the expense mainly of the public well-being, its high time for someone to mediate. Our best suggestion is for peace and dialogue to be arranged by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is both a former occupant of the presidency and a devout Catholic lady who enjoys the support of mostthough not allof the bishops. Will the Speaker step up to the plate on yet another mission above and beyond? Time, and God, will tell. * * * As I write this column, Im getting online reports about an explosion during Sunday Mass at the Catholic cathedral in Jolo, Sulu that has reportedly claimed 10 civilian and five military fatalities among its victims. This horrific incident comes just after the conclusion of a regional plebiscite in Mindanao on the Bangsamoro Organic Law that reportedly approved the law and the consequent replacement of the current ARMM with a new Bangsamoro judicial entity. Were the cathedral bombers lethally sore losers who hate the MILF and/or just want to keep fighting forever? The bombing also comes after the SWS 4th quarter survey last year found moderate support among all Filipinos for BOL and BARMM, with 36-percent supportive, 22-percent opposed, and a significant plurality of 42-percent neutral or no opinion. The last one is a large bloc of undecided citizens who remain to be persuaded by the results of the plebiscite and, more important, by the behavior of the protagonists in that plebiscite towards each other afterwards. How the MILF deals with this latest bombing and similar crimes, as it prepares to take power in Bangsamoro, will be closely watched by the Christian majority, for whom the Mamasapano SAF 44 incident is still a raw memory. InshAllah, the same kind of iron will with which the MILF waged war will also sustain them as they now keep the peace. RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli settlers shot and killed a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, Palestinian officials and the Israeli military said. The incident followed a confrontation between settlers and Palestinians near the city of Ramallah in which a settler was lightly injured, the military said. "Initial details suggest that shortly thereafter, a conflict erupted between Israeli civilians and Palestinians in the area, in which live rounds were fired by the civilians. One Palestinian died and several others are injured," the military said in a statement, adding that an investigation has begun. The Palestinians said the settlers had entered the village of al-Mughayer and that its residents tried to fend them off. The Israeli military said its forces dispersed the crowds. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that the man killed was 38 years old and that nine other people were wounded by gunfire. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the killing. "The Israeli Government is continuing its policy of escalation," Abbas said in a statement published by the official Wafa news agency. "This will lead to serious consequences, further tension and the creation of a dangerous and uncontrollable atmosphere." Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2014, and a bid by U.S. President Donald Trump to restart negotiations has so far shown little progress. The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with a capital in east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move unrecognized abroad and in 2005 pulled its settlers and army out of Gaza. It maintains a blockade of the territory, which is controlled by the Islamist Hamas movement. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel and the West. In the West Bank, the Palestinians have limited self-rule and most of the territory is controlled by Israel. Most countries view the settlements Israel has built there as illegal - a view that Israel disputes, citing biblical, historical and political ties to the land. (Reporting by Ali Sawafta and Maayan Lubell; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he will not renew the mandate of international observers in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron, effectively closing the mission. The Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) was established in the city following a massacre of Palestinians in 1994, but Netanyahu accused it of bias. "We will not allow the continuation of an international force that acts against us," Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office on Twitter. The premier did not specify why he had decided not to renew the mission's mandate, which had been renewed every six months since its creation. The Norway-led team is comprised of 64 observers who are tasked with promoting a sense of security for Palestinians in Hebron, the largest city in the West Bank. Its mission was created after 29 Palestinian worshippers were killed by an American-born Israeli settler. Observers carry out daily patrols and document rights abuses they witness, although they are not allowed to intervene. The mission reports its findings to its member countries -- Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey -- as well as the Israeli and Palestinian authorities. Israel has in recent years accused some observers of failing to act impartially. Hebron is holy to both Muslims and Jews and has been a flashpoint in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. At least 600 Jewish settlers live under heavy military guard in the city, which is home to around 200,000 Palestinians. Israeli settlements are seen as illegal under international law and a major obstacle to peace, as they are built on land the Palestinians seen as part of their future state. Every investor in Stamford Tyres Corporation Limited (SGX:S29) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. I quite like to see at least a little bit of insider ownership. As Charlie Munger said Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome. Stamford Tyres is not a large company by global standards. It has a market capitalization of S$71m, which means it wouldnt have the attention of many institutional investors. In the chart below below, we can see that institutions dont own many shares in the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about S29. Check out our latest analysis for Stamford Tyres SGX:S29 Ownership Summary January 28th 19 What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Stamford Tyres? Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once its included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing. Since institutions own under 5% of Stamford Tyres, many may not have spent much time considering the stock. But its clear that some have; and they liked it enough to buy in. So if the company itself can improve over time, we may well see more institutional buyers in the future. When multiple institutional investors want to buy shares, we often see a rising share price. The past revenue trajectory (shown below) can be an indication of future growth, but there are no guarantees. SGX:S29 Income Statement Export January 28th 19 Hedge funds dont have many shares in Stamford Tyres. As far I can tell there isnt analyst coverage of the company, so it is probably flying under the radar. Insider Ownership Of Stamford Tyres The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. Story continues Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances. It seems insiders own a significant proportion of Stamford Tyres Corporation Limited. Insiders own S$23m worth of shares in the S$71m company. This may suggest that the founders still own a lot of shares. You can click here to see if they have been buying or selling. General Public Ownership The general public, mostly retail investors, hold a substantial 51% stake in S29, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. This size of ownership gives retail investors collective power. They can and probably do influence decisions on executive compensation, dividend policies and proposed business acquisitions. Private Company Ownership Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 15%, of the companys shares. Its hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private company. Next Steps: While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph. Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free free list of interesting companies. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements. The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. By Devjyot Ghoshal and Krishna N. Das NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The leader of India's main opposition Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, promised on Monday to provide the poor with a minimum income if Congress wins an upcoming general election, a pledge the ruling party dismissed as an unaffordable gimmick. Congress officials said the proposal would help eliminate poverty and could be fulfilled with funds now spent on food subsidies and other programs that often do not reach the poor. "We have decided that every poor person in India would be guaranteed a minimum income after the Congress forms the government in 2019," Gandhi told a farmers rally in the central state of Chhattisgarh. "No one will go hungry in India, no one will remain poor." Anger over joblessness and economic hardship, especially in agricultural areas, has turned the national election due by May into a tightening race between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress. The BJP dismissed Gandhi's promise of a basic income. "Where will the money come from? Hes promising the moon to fool the people," said Gopal Krishna Agarwal, a party spokesman specializing on economic issues. He said the government had looked at the issue of a basic income in 2014 but concluded that eliminating all subsidies would provide only enough funds to pay 6,000 rupees ($84) per family per month, not enough to feed them. Modi's administration is weighing measures of its own to woo farmers, small business owners and those who are less well-off, expected to be unveiled in its final budget before the election. A government economic adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Gandhi's promise showed the "competitive populism" among politicians, which raises concern that whoever wins, India may breach goals to rein in its fiscal deficit. Providing the poor with a universal basic income is an idea that is gaining attention in wealthier countries such as Finland and France. India has had rapid economic growth but is still home to one in three of the worlds extreme poor, with millions more at risk of becoming poor from an emergency medical payment or bad harvest. Luke Martinelli, research associate at the Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath said the Congress move was significant, although short of universal coverage. "Obviously, a means tested guaranteed income for the poorest is very different from a universal basic income per se. Having said that, obviously, in terms of income security there are some significant overlaps and this will be treated with enthusiasm, Im sure, by the basic income community," he said. Congress says diverting funds from India's expensive subsidy programs would provide enough money to eliminate poverty. India's 2018/19 food subsidy bill alone was estimated at 1.7 trillion rupees, roughly 7 percent of total federal spending. "We do not want two Indias in this country. There will be only one India and the Congress Government will ensure a minimum income to every poor person in the country," Gandhi said. Former Congress finance minister P. Chidambaram said the party will find the resources to implement the promise. "The poor of India have the first charge on the resources of the country," he said. (71.1220 Indian rupees) (Additional reporting by Manoj Kumar; Writing by Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Peter Graff) Investors looking for stocks in the Automotive - Foreign sector might want to consider either Honda Motor (HMC) or Auto Trader Group (ATDRY). But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look. Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits. Honda Motor has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Auto Trader Group has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that HMC has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in. Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels. Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years. HMC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.08, while ATDRY has a forward P/E of 25.42. We also note that HMC has a PEG ratio of 2.79. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. ATDRY currently has a PEG ratio of 3.03. Another notable valuation metric for HMC is its P/B ratio of 0.69. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, ATDRY has a P/B of 212.44. Based on these metrics and many more, HMC holds a Value grade of A, while ATDRY has a Value grade of F. HMC is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that HMC is likely the superior value option right now. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (HMC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Auto Trader Group (ATDRY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Reuters Ali Bakeer Security, Middle East Fighting Hezbollah is not only a military competition, but a financial one. Hezbollah's Finances are Its Achilles' Heel On January 10, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo maintained that the U.S. administration won't accept Hezbollahs major presence in Lebanon as the status quo. Speaking from Cairo, where he delivered his speech A Force for Good: America Reinvigorated in the Middle East, Pompeo criticized the way Obama handled the Iranian-backed militant group, stressing that the current administration is targeting both Iran and Hezbollah at the same time. Indeed, since taking office in January 2017, Trump imposed several sets of sanctions on both Iran and Hezbollah, Tehrans most powerful and one of its oldest allies in the region. Although the Shia Lebanon-based group has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department since 1997, the financial and military activities of the group have kept growing in a steady way. In October 2018, the United States designated five groups, including the Hezbollah as a top transnational organized crime threats. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions affirmed that disrupting and dismantling activities of these groups is a priority for President Trump and his administration. For many years, Hezbollahs foes focused solely on its military capabilities as a source of power while totally ignoring the Shia partys Achilles heelits financial resources. As a hybrid semi-state actor, the ideological nature, organizational structure, and stretched regional agenda of Hezbollah require huge financial capabilities which surpasses the capacity of normal political parties. Indeed, since 2006, Hezbollah established itself as the second largest employer in Lebanon after the Lebanese state. Although the ideological/religious factor is important in securing the support of the Shia environment, it is mostly through money that Hezbollah is able to carry out its agenda and sustain the loyalty and support of a large segment of Lebanese society. Story continues Since its establishment in the early eighties, Hezbollah relied heavily on the money coming from Iran. However, during the last two decades, it has worked hard to diversify the sources of its financial income. This move aimed to give the party considerable flexibility in critical times, and a greater ability to evade efforts targeting its financial ties with Iran. Among other goals too, Hezbollah wanted to ease the burden on Iran and meet the increasing needs of its stretched regional agenda from its own financial sources. To that end, the Shia party built its own parallel economy inside Lebanon and indulged in economic and financial activities across several continentsfrom Africa to Latin America to Asia. Its activities as a transnational criminal organization mainly include money laundering, construction, and contracting business among others. Today, Hezbollahs money comes from five main sources: Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Iran as a state, its foreign economic empire, the khums (where Shia Muslims pay one-fifth of their excess income to Iranian religious authorities), and the parallel economy inside Lebanon. The annual budget of Hezbollah is unknown, however, most recent estimates indicate that the Iranian support constitutes around 70 percent to 80 percent of Hezbollahs budget, which is approximately equal to $700 million. This range was never fixed due to lack of transparency and extended agenda of Hezbollah in the last decade. Last October, the United States imposed a new set of sanctions on Tehrans ally in Lebanon under the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act. The new legislation is supposed to isolate Hezbollah from the international financial system and reduce its funding by targeting foreign persons and government agencies that knowingly assist or support the group and its affiliated networks that engage in transnational crime. During an event marking the thirty-fifth anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, President Donald Trump emphasized that the aim of the new sanctions is to further starve Hezbollah of its funds, adding We will target, disrupt, and dismantle their operational and financing networksof which they had plenty; they dont have plenty now. Many analysts downplayed the implications of the U.S. sanctions against Iran or Hezbollah on the status of Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Lebanese Daily Star, for example quoted experts saying the sanctions on Iran are unlikely to affect Tehrans proxy. The General Secretary of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, maintained that U.S. sanctions on Iran will have no effect on the party. These statements disregard the fact that unlike weapons, Hezbollah cannot survive without the support of its Shia environment. Although some of its supporters are strong believers in Wilayat al-Faqih (loyalty to the Iranian Supreme Leader), the Islamic revolution, and the Iranian state, most of them are not. Money plays an important role in securing the support of the majority. In addition, through its efforts to diversify its financial resources, Hezbollah has managed to create an economic hub in the southern suburbs of Beirut that has yielded benefits not only locally but also for the greater Shia sect in Lebanon as well as in Syria and Iraq, thus creating a mutual financial interest for its supporters too. Aware of its financial vulnerability, Hezbollah recently slashed its expenditures and is encouraging its supporters and many of its members to find an official public governmental job. This particular phenomenon is increasing and is happening at the expense of the longtime Shia rival Amal Movement, which mostly represents Shias in public sector jobs in Lebanon. The goal of this move is to shift some of the financial burden to the Lebanese government and to fill the governmental institutions with Hezbollahs members and supporters. Although the efforts to target Hezbollahs financial system are not new, they never managed to bring Hezbollah to its knees. There are several reasons which can explain why: First, the sanctions against Iran are not tight enough. Since 2009, Iranian people are becoming more sensitive regarding the financial support given by their government to regional allies, including Hezbollah. Although more sanctions on Iran might not zero its financial support for its ally in Lebanon, it would certainly reduce it and incite more Iranian people to protest against this kind of support. Historic experience proves that whenever the sanctions on Tehran are tight and/or oil prices are low, Iran as a state tends to reduce its support for Hezbollah to a minimum. This has happened many times during the last decade, especially in 2009 and 2014. Second, there is a dilemma regarding the Supreme Leaders money. According to a 2013 investigation by Reuters, Khamenei himself controls tens of billions of dollars in secret investments. It is believed that the financial support coming from Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his institutions constitutes the bulk of Hezbollahs budget. Unlike the funds coming from Iran as a state, these funds are even harder to trace and target. It is delivered to Hezbollah from outside of the financial system and mainly through suitcases. In a television appearance in 2016, Nasrallah openly admitted that As long as Iran has money, we have money . . . just as we receive the rockets, we receive our money. No law will prevent us from receiving it, he said, adding that all the banks of the world cannot stand as an obstacle to Hezbollah. The fact that Iran has a diplomatic mission in Beirut and Hezbollah has a considerable influence in the Lebanese airport and several ports as well as on borders with Syria makes things much easier. Without the targeting of this resource in particular, no matter how many measures are taken against other sources of Hezbollahs finance, the party will still be able to operate. Third, Hezbollah has a foreign financial empire. Although the effort to deprive it from the financial resources coming out from its foreign activities witnessed progress during the last few years, the measures were never strong enough to totally dry out money coming through these means. In order to decrease the impact of these measures, Hezbollah started to utilize its growing presence in the last few years in countries such as Iraq and Syria to establish front companies there. In fact, it channels a lot of money via Iraq and Syria especially through front companies working in business and contracting and via khums money, particularly from Iraq. Fourth, Hezbollah utilizes the Lebanese state. During the last decade or so, there has been a debate about the way Hezbollah uses the financial system and the institutions of the Lebanese state to facilitate access to the U.S. financial system, launder money, and evade sanctions. Recently, eleven Lebanese banks were accused of providing support to Hezbollah "in the form of financial and banking services." Financial measures that target Hezbollahs parallel economy in Lebanon are critical but often very hard to implement and even harder to sustain as long as Hezbollah is a part of the Lebanese government and able to utilize its Shia environment and Christian allies to its benefit. Financial and ideological support for Hezbollah in the Shia environment remains strong. While Hezbollahs popularity in the Islamic world has declined in the last decade, it has strengthened in the Shia environment. One reason is that Hezbollah wanted a sectarian narrative to prevail in order to rally all Shia Muslims in the region behind it, especially after the eruption of the Syrian revolution in March 2011. As the Syrian war is winding down now, Hezbollah is working to rebuild its legitimacy by opening up slowly but steadily toward many Sunni groups. The resistance rhetoric is one tool to cultivate support from Sunnis across the region. If successful, this would provide the Shia party with another layer of protection and makes the efforts to target its financial resources even harder. All in all, the newly taken measures by the Trump administration will complicate Hezbollahs financial situation, but they will not be capable of defeating it. Financial support from the Iranian Supreme Leader, income from Hezbollahs foreign activities, and the parallel economy in Lebanon will all work in Hezbollahs favor and allow it to survive the financial sanctions. Ali Bakeer is an Ankara-based political analyst and researcher. Image: Reuters Read full article DUBAI (Reuters) - A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander on Monday threatened Israel with destruction if it attacks Iran, state media reported. The comments by Brigadier General Hossein Salami, deputy head of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, followed an Israeli attack on Iranian targets in Syria last week - the latest in a series of assaults targeting Tehran's presence there in support of President Bashar al-Assads government. "We announce that if Israel takes any action to wage a war against us, it will definitely lead to its own elimination and the freeing of occupied (Palestinian) territories," Salami said, quoted by state television. Iranian officials have previously said Tehran, which does not recognize Israel, would respond swiftly to any Israeli attack. Israel backed U.S. President Donald Trump's move to back out of the 2015 international deal on Iran's nuclear program and welcomed Washington's reimposition of sanctions on the country. Israel sees Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs as a threat to its existence. Iran says its nuclear work is for peaceful purposes only. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Angus MacSwan) Athens (AFP) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday announced an 11-percent rise in the minimum wage, the first after a decade of austerity and months ahead of legislative elections. Tsipras, whose party is trailing in opinion polls, said the minimum wage would increase from 586 euros ($668) to 650 euros from February. "Crushing workers is not the way to sustain growth and boost the economy," he told the cabinet. "On the contrary, it's a proven recipe for bankruptcy." Nearly 900,000 people would benefit from the move, either directly or indirectly, as the change would also affect unemployment benefits, he added. The benefit is calculated from a percentage of the minimum wage. It was a conservative-led government that slashed the minimum wage by 22 percent in 2012, under pressure from Greece's EU-IMF creditors at the height of the financial crisis. But Tsipras, with his leftist Syriza party trailing in polls some 10 points behind conservative rivals New Democracy, is in a race to improve his ratings. Elections in Greece are not scheduled before October but there is speculation they could be held in May -- coinciding with local and European parliament elections -- or even sooner. The 44-year-old prime minister heads a minority government after his nationalist coalition allies defected this month over their opposition to the historic name-change deal with neighbouring Macedonia. "The Pope challenged the young pilgrims from all over the world." This has been a good week for Catholics, especially the youth, with Pope Francis visiting Panama to attend World Youth Day. Once again, tens of thousands of young people flocked to this gathering of hope with a majority coming from the countries of Central America. The main theme of the Popes homilies in Panama was hope. In his mass with priests and religious, acknowledging the crisis faced by the Church because of the sexual abuse scandals, he talked about how to overcome weariness. In the vigil mass with the pilgrims, Pope Francis exhorted the role of Mary as the great influencer. And on his final mass in Panama, the Vicar of Christ proclaimed the importance of love to find meaning in our live and to change our society better. The Popes homily in his Mass for clergy was based on the Gospel reading that describes Jesus wearily sitting beside the well and asking the Samaritan woman to give Him a drink of water. Pope Francis reflected on the theme of weariness in the lives of priests, consecrated men and women, and members of lay movements. According to him, The causes of this weariness, he said, range from long hours of work, to relationships that lead to exhaustion and disappointment, from simple daily commitments, to burdensome routines, from predictable little problems, to stressful periods of pressure. What is needed, according to Francis, is a well from which we can set out once more. Pope Francis called this the weariness of hope, one that paralyzes us because it calls into question the energy, resources and viability of our mission in this changing and challenging world. What was meaningful and important in the past can now no longer seem valid, he added. This weariness of hope is a result of seeing a Church wounded by sin that opens the door to the heresy of believing that the Lord and our communities have nothing to say to the new world now being born. The response, like Jesus in the well with that Samaritan woman, was to be courageous and ask to quench our thirst, trusting that, as God did yesterday, He will still do tomorrow. In the Vigil Mass, Pope Francis gave Mary a new title the the influencer of God, being the ultimate example of how to say yes and to trust in the love and promises of God. According to Francis: Marys yes echoes and expands in every generation . . . To be an influencer in the 21st Century is to be guardians of roots of everything that makes us feel part of one another that makes us feel we belong.The Pope challenged the young pilgrims from all over the world: Are you willing to say yes? Are you willing to be an influencer like Mary? Finally, in the last Mass, before going back to Rome, Pope Francis proposed to young people how they could find happiness and meaning in the world: You, dear young people, are not the future but the now of God. He invites you and calls you in your communities and cities to go out and find your grandparents, your elders; to stand up and with them to speak out and realize the dream that the Lord has dreamed for you. Not tomorrow but now, for wherever your treasure is, there will your heart also be. Whatever you fall in love with, it will win over not only your imagination, it will affect everything. It will be what makes you get up in the morning, what keeps you going at times of fatigue, what will break open your hearts and fill you with wonder, joy and gratitude. Realize that you have a mission and fall in love; that will decide everything. We may possess everything, but if we lack the passion of love, we will have nothing. Let us allow the Lord to make us fall in love! For Jesus, there is no meantime, but only a merciful love that wants to enter into and win over our hearts. He wants to be our treasure, because he is not a meantime, an interval in life or a passing fad; he is generous love that invites us to entrust ourselves. He is concrete, close, real love. He is festive joy, born of opting for and taking part in the miraculous draught of hope and charity, solidarity and fraternity, despite the paralyzed and paralyzing gaze born of fear and exclusion, speculation and manipulation. Before leaving Panama, Pope Francis condoled with us in the Philippines, reeling from the bombings in the Cathedral of Jolo which killed 20 or more people. He entrusted the victims of the attack to Christ and to the Virgin and prayed for the Lord to convert the hearts of the violent and grant the inhabitants of that region a peaceful coexistence. (In this January 17 story corrects attendance fee paid by Precognize CEO in last paragraph) By Silvia Aloisi MILAN (Reuters) - An array of crises will keep several world leaders away from the annual World Economic Forum in Davos next week, which takes place against a backdrop of deepening gloom over the global economic and political outlook. Anxieties over trade disputes, fractious international relations, Brexit and a growth slowdown that some fear could tip the world economy into recession are set to dominate the Jan. 22-25 Alpine meeting. The WEF's own Global Risks Report set the tone this week with a stark warning of looming economic headwinds, in part because of geopolitical tensions among major powers. Some 3,000 business, government and civil society figures are due to gather in the snow-blanketed ski resort, but among them are only three leaders of the Group of Seven most industrialized countries: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte. Donald Trump, who stole the Davos limelight last year with a rare appearance by a sitting U.S. president, pulled out of this year's event as he grapples with a partial U.S. government shutdown. On Thursday, the White House said Trump had also canceled his delegation's trip to Davos because of the shutdown, now in its 27th day. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been expected to lead the U.S. team, according to two senior administration officials. French President Emmanuel Macron is also skipping the meeting as he seeks to respond to the "yellow vest" protests, while British Prime Minister Theresa May battles to find a consensus on Brexit. Outside the G7, the leaders of Russia and India are shunning Davos, while China - whose president, Xi Jinping, was the first Chinese leader to attend the elite gathering in 2017 to offer a vigorous defense of free trade - is sending his deputy instead. Story continues That will leave the likes of British Finance Minister Philip Hammond, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan and a host of central bankers with the task of trying to reassure business chiefs. "Davos will be dominated by a high level of anxiety about stock markets, a slowdown in growth and international politics," said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Markit. "The leadership presence is lower than last year but those who are going ... will be seeking to impart a sense of confidence and calm business and investors' nerves." REVAMP Before the U.S. cancellation, a Trump administration official had said the U.S. delegation would also discuss the importance of reforming institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Trump has harshly criticized globalization and questioned U.S. participation in multilateral institutions such as the WTO, calling for a revamp of international trade rules. Davos watchers said the absence of so many top leaders this year did not mean the glitzy forum had lost its status as a global stage for top politicians to present their agendas. "Abe is going to Davos not just as Japanese prime minister but also as chair of the G20. It will be a perfect opportunity to lay the groundwork of upcoming G20 meetings," said a Japanese government source familiar with international affairs. "Of course there may be inconveniences such as missing opportunities to hold bilateral meetings, but that won't undermine the importance of Davos," he said. A Chinese official who has attended Davos regularly but will not go this year said China had never expected to make progress at the meeting on the trade dispute with the United States. "It's just an occasion for making a policy statement," he said. The low turnout among major Western leaders may also give more prominence to political personalities who may otherwise be upstaged. Davos will be the first major international outing for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, elected on a wave of anti-establishment and conservative nationalism also seen elsewhere. He said on Twitter he would present "a different Brazil, free of ideological ties and widespread corruption". For business chiefs, the value of Davos lies not so much in the public sessions but in the networking and dealmaking opportunities on the sidelines of the main conference. "It's the best place to pitch for ideas, build connections and get your brand known," said Chen Linchevski, chief executive of Precognize, an Israel-based start-up developing software that prevents technical or quality failures at manufacturing plants. "It's the kind of place where in a few days you meet people you wouldn't easily meet otherwise," said Linchevski, who paid just under 15,000 Swiss francs ($15,135) to attend the event. (Reporting by Silvia Aloisi; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington, Yawen Chan in Beijing, Kaori Kaneko, Tetsushi Kajimoto and Linda Sieg in Tokyo, Tom Miles in Geneva, Dmitry Zhdanikov in London and Anthony Boadle in Brasilia; Editing by William Maclean and Peter Cooney) Road sign on German autobahn next exit Leipzig-West. Photo: Getty A heated debate over introducing an autobahn speed limit has gripped Germany ever since it emerged last week that a committee tasked with coming up with ideas to lower transport emissions was suggesting a limit of 130kph (80mph) on the countrys motorways. The spectre of an autobahn speed limit riled up the media and politicians, including transport minister Andreas Scheuer, whose ministry oversees the committee that suggested the speed restriction. Scheuer said the proposal went against all common sense. Angela Merkels spokesperson finally parked the topic on Monday, telling journalists in Berlin that the chancellor would not introduce a speed limit on the German autobahn. There are more intelligent methods than a general speed limit, Steffen Seibert said, in reference to controlling CO2 emissions. He noted that there were already limits on large swathes of the motorway network, with 30% of motorways already subjected to speed limits. However, not all Germans appear to be obsessed with tearing along at blistering speeds. A survey by Emnid for newspaper Bild showed that 52% of respondents were in favour of a motorway limit of between 120kph and 140kph to help fight climate change. A police chief also spoke out in favor of a speed limit. Speed is still the number one killer on German roads, said Erich Rettinghaus, the State Chairman of the German Police Union in North Rhine Westfalia. He considered a general speed limit to be a necessary step in tackling the number of road deaths. READ MORE: Germany aims to ditch coal by 2038 Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - The sole passenger crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen in both directions Tuesday, the strip's Islamist rulers Hamas said, after it was partially closed amid Palestinian political infighting. In a statement late Monday, the Hamas-run interior ministry announced "the opening of the Rafah border crossing in both directions on Tuesday". There was no immediate confirmation from Egypt. Forces loyal to Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas withdrew on January 6 from the Rafah border crossing, accusing rivals Hamas of interference. Hamas employees retook the post and negotiated with Egypt, saying they were seeking to maintain control after the PA's withdrawal. Since then Egypt had kept the border sealed for those seeking to leave the Gaza Strip, while allowing those returning to enter. The crossing is the only way for Palestinians to leave Gaza that bypasses Israel and is a key lifeline for the enclave's two million residents. Hamas has controlled Gaza since seizing it from Abbas's forces in a 2007 near civil war. The PA had retaken control of the border after a 2017 reconciliation deal between Abbas's Fatah, which dominates the PA, and Hamas. That deal has since collapsed and relations between the parties have worsened. In a shareholder-friendly measure, GATX Corporation GATX announced a hike in its dividend payout and approved a new share buyback program. This strategic move is reflective of the companys intention to utilize free cash for enhancing shareholders returns. Notably, the company raised its quarterly dividend by 4.5% to 46 cents per share ($1.84 annually). This new dividend, approved by the companys board of directors, will be paid on Mar 31, 2019 to stockholders of record as of Mar 4. The dividend yield based on this latest payout and the Jan 25 closing market price is approximately 2.5%. Additionally, the companys board members cleared a new share repurchase authorization of $300 million in replacement of the previous one. GATX has a track record of consistent dividend payments since its inception in 1919. Apart from the recent dividend hike, the company increased its quarterly dividend by 5% to 44 cents per share last January. Moreover, it returned $1.3 billion to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks in the last 10 years. GATX Corporation Price GATX Corporation Price | GATX Corporation Quote In recent days, companies like J.B. Hunt Transport Services JBHT and Alaska Air Group ALK in the broader Transportation sector also raised the respective dividend payouts. The successive dividend hikes in the sector can be attributed to the current tax law, which boosts cash flow owing to huge tax savings. With an increased cash flow, companies are frequently engaging in shareholder-friendly activities among other things. As investors prefer an income generating stock, a high dividend yielding one is much coveted. Needless to say, that investors are always on the lookout for companies, which boast a track record of regular and incremental dividend payments. Zacks Rank & Key Pick GATX carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked stock in the broader transportation sector is Spirit Airlines SAVE, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Spirit Airlines has an expected EPS growth rate (three to five years) of 27.3%. Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year? Who wouldn't? Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%. See Latest Stocks Today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Spirit Airlines, Inc. (SAVE) : Free Stock Analysis Report J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (JBHT) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The actress Freida Pinto was happy for a job in the 2010 Woody Allen movie You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. At the time, the only other role on her resume was Slumdog Millionaire, and it gave her the opportunity to work alongside Josh Brolin, who taught her the importance for an actor of relaxing between takes. Still, Pinto says she wouldnt work with the director of Annie Hall again, because of the sexual abuse allegation that his daughter Dylan has brought against him. Freida Pinto attends a screening on April 13, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo: Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images) No. Absolutely not, Pinto tells The Guardian in an interview to promote her new movie about sex slavery, Love Sonia, which is now out in the United Kingdom. I wouldnt work with him, because Im in solidarity with women who have come out with their stories, whether they are proven or not. Im just going to stick to what my gut instinct tells me. Im 34 years old, Ive worked for 11 years in this industry, Im not desperate and I will never be desperate. Farrow first brought the claim against her father when she was a child in the 1990s. When Allen was awarded with a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes in 2014, Farrow wrote a piece about her experience for the New York Times that attracted a lot of attention. (Allen has always denied his daughters accusations, and he was never charged with any crime in the incident.) From left to right, Anthony Hopkins, Woody Allen, Freida Pinto and Josh Brolin speak about You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 12, 2010, in Toronto. (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images) However, a long list of actors has since refused to work with the Oscar winner. Mira Sorvino, Rebecca Hall, Colin Firth, Michael Caine, Greta Gerwig and Timothee Chalamet have also expressed regret that they worked with Allen. Actors Diane Keaton, Alec Baldwin and Javier Bardem are among Allens staunchest supporters. Pinto noted during the interview that she found some of the characters she has played over the years problematic they werent much more than eye candy and says that, as a feminist, she would make different career choices today. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: HELSINKI (AP) Winters in Finland are often frigid but meteorologists say the Nordic nation's Lapland region has produced Europe's coldest temperature this winter at minus 38.7 degrees Celsius (minus 37.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Meteorologist Ari-Juhani Punkka from the Finnish Meteorological Institute told Finnish public broadcaster YLE on Sunday that Finland and northeastern Europe were now hosting the continent's coldest air masses, ones that "are Arctic in nature." This winter's coldest temperature in Europe outside of Russia was measured early Sunday in the Sodankyla municipality, 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. Frigid temperatures are common in Lapland, the northernmost part of Finland, which covers one-third of the nation's land mass and is a popular tourist destination. Paris (AFP) - French anti-fraud inspectors testifying in the trial over a 2013 "horsemeat-for-beef" scandal told a court Monday that their suspicions were aroused at one processing plant by meat that was unusually cheap and from a country with "no cattle industry". Two former executives from France and two Dutch traders face a range of serious fraud charges which could see them sentenced to up to ten years in jail over the alleged scam. Millions of meals were recalled from supermarkets across Europe in 2013 after they were found to contain horsemeat and not beef. On the trial's fourth day, French anti-fraud agency officials said they noted suspicions over the Romanian origins of meat presented as beef and by its price and route the meat had taken. "In Romania, there is no cattle industry", but rather pork or poultry, said Alain Boismartel, one of the inspectors. During the inspection in Castelnaudary in southern France, the inspectors also believed the price was too low for the quality of beef presented and they were wary of the route it had been shipped. Supermarkets across Europe pulled millions of products like frozen lasagne and meatballs from shelves in 2013 after the scandal broke, deepening wariness about the meat industry and food safety. The four men are accused of helping organise the sale of 500 tonnes of horsemeat in 2012-2013 to a subsidiary of Comigel, a French company whose frozen meals were sold to 28 companies in 13 European countries. The alleged racket saw cheap horsemeat from Belgium, Romania and Canada imported into France and then labelled incorrectly as beef, with the meat processing company Spanghero and the Dutch middlemen pocketing the profits. On Friday, conservative commentator Ann Coulter wrote on Twitter that President Trump was the biggest wimp ever to serve as President of the United States, and he fired back on Sunday in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, dismissing her insult over his decision to reopen the government without a deal on funding for his proposed border wall. Fox & Friends joined the conversation on Monday, as guests on the broadcast weighed in on the spat and had a message for the president. He should not pay any attention to Ann Coulter, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said. Ann Coulters never run for office. She doesnt know anything about how you put a majority together. Shes off here in some fantasyland, where she gets to be noisy, which helps her sell books. Christian Broadcasting Network chief political correspondent David Brody also chimed in on Coulter while discussing why people should trust Trump when it comes to the border wall. Ann Coulter, and bless her heart as they say in the South, she is an outlier here and quite frankly not representative of the base at all, Brody said. An outlier for sure and some of those comments, off her rocker, no doubt about it. Trump also took issue with two Fox News reporters over coverage about his handling of the border wall negotiations. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. After Fox News anchor Julie Banderas defended her colleagues on Twitter, Brian Kilmeade appeared to used the Coulter story multiple times throughout Mondays show to send a message to Trump as well. I do think the president cares way too much about people in the media. Hes president. Hes not a candidate, Kilmeade said, later adding: He has got to almost ignore people whether its me or you one day, Ann Coulter today, and just do what he knows is best. See what viewers on Twitter had to say after CNN was the only outlet on the scene during Roger Stones arrest: Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or leave your comments below. Former White House aide Cliff Sims appeared on The View on Monday to discuss his new book, Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House. In it he wrote about his time in the Trump administration, working with figures like White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, whom he referred to as a cartoon villain brought to life. During his interview on the show, Sims opened up about once being called to Conways office to write a statement responding to accusations that Conway was leaking things about President Trump to the media when she was not being interviewed for television. Im sitting on her laptop writing this statement and her iMessages are synced so I can see, as she sits at her desk texting, I can see what shes saying, Sims said. And shes doing exactly what Im supposed to be writing a statement defending her about. When pressed, he confirmed that she was leaking information as Im typing. But Sims did have some positive things to say about Conway and how she handles her role in the Trump White House. One thing that will never go out of style in Trump world is someone with thick skin, whos tough, whos willing to go on TV and defend the president, Sims said. I give Kellyanne all the props in the world for being that tough and being able to go in and take people on the way that she does. The accusation Sims leveled at Conway as a leaker in the Trump administration was interesting to the hosts of The View as they noted that her husband, George T. Conway, is a consistent critic of Trump. Joy Behar asked Sims whether he thinks that Conway actually agrees with her husband at the end of the day. I dont know. That is, the great, you know, kind of the rumor that goes around in D.C. is that its like theyre in cahoots together, its a big kind of charade, Sims said. I dont know if thats true or not. Simss book, which Trump is reportedly not happy about, hits shelves on Tuesday, but Kellyanne Conway has already issued a response, which was read on the air by View host Abby Huntsman. Story continues She said, The real leakers past and present get much more positive press than I do. While its rare, I prefer to knife people from the front, so they see it coming, Huntsman read aloud. But despite the bleak picture painted by Sims in his book about a White House full of chaos and backstabbing, Sims said he was proud to work there and gave his opinion when asked whether he thinks Trump is fit to serve. I think he is fit to serve, Sims said, drawing a strong reaction from both hosts and audience. No, listen, listen. I can disagree with some of the things he does while having seen it firsthand. I can say that he is not unfit, you know what I mean? See what guests on Fox & Friends had to say about Ann Coulter and her recent criticisms of President Trump: Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or leave your comments below. Hodeida (Yemen) (AFP) - Gunshots reverberate through a battle-scarred granary in the port city of Hodeida, where a mountain of grain meant for starving Yemenis remains inaccessible as a hard-won ceasefire comes under strain. The Red Sea Mills, one of the last positions seized by Saudi and Emirati-backed forces before last month's UN-brokered truce, holds wheat that could feed nearly four million people for a month in a country on the brink of famine. But the facility, a shrapnel-pocked symbol of how controlling food is a weapon in Yemen's war, has remained off-limits to aid organisations since September as skirmishes shake the fragile ceasefire agreed with Huthi rebels during talks in Sweden. The site, on Hodeida's eastern edges, was rigged heavily with mines when it slipped from Huthi control in November. Last week, during a military embed organised by the Saudi-led coalition, AFP saw government loyalists including Sudanese soldiers scouring the vast complex with metal detectors amid fears rebels were sneaking in to plant new booby traps. Sudan is a member of the Saudi-led coalition. A column of smoke snaked into the sky from Huthi positions less than a mile (1.6 kilometres) away, with loyalists saying the rebels were burning tyres in a provocative move. Then, a volley of close-range gunshots crackled through the complex. It was not possible to tell who was firing. "We are committed to the truce... but the enemy has not committed to anything as you can see and hear," said Yemeni commander Mohammed Salman.. Just after the tour, the UN on Friday reported apparent mortar shelling at the mill had started a fire that left two food silos damaged. "The loss of this wheat comes at a terrible time," said the UN's humanitarian coordinator Lise Grande. "More than 20 million Yemenis, nearly 70 percent of the entire population, are hungry." - 'Red line' - In Hodeida, the entry point for more than two-thirds of Yemen's food imports and international aid, the choices are stark -- either an imperfect truce with violations on both sides or all-out fighting that could unleash famine. Story continues The ceasefire came after Western nations pressed Riyadh to end its four-year military campaign in Yemen following the murder of Saudi critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But with recurring breaches, observers warn its collapse could be just a matter of time. "If it is allowed to break down, there will be no opportunity for a similar deal for a long time," the International Crisis Group said. Inside Hodeida, a city rippling with tension as the war-wounded continue to trickle into hospitals, a common refrain among civilians and military officials is "mafi hudna" - Arabic for "no truce". Colonel Saeed Salmeen, an Emirati commander on Yemen's west coast, told AFP his men were committed to the ceasefire but were "always ready" for battle. He warned Yemen's west coast road - a key supply route linking the south to Hodeida - was a "red line". UN chief Antonio Guterres said on January 7 that neither side had tried to gain new territory since the ceasefire. But an agreed redeployment of rival forces from the city, a key confidence-building measure, has not happened. UN envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths said Monday the expected timeline for a truce in Hodeida and a prisoner swap between the warring parties had been pushed back. "We are dealing with a complex situation on the ground," he told Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. - 'Food is a weapon' - "How long can the international community accept this Huthi game -- ceasefire, regroup, ceasefire, regroup?" a member of the coalition told AFP, requesting anonymity. "Only when you catch them by the neck will they come to the negotiating table." The sentiment was echoed by other pro-government troops who insisted to AFP that military action was the only solution. The truce has given the World Food Programme "some breathing room" to reach districts in southern Hodeida previously inaccessible due to fighting, its country director Stephen Anderson told AFP. However, 51,000 metric tonnes of wheat -- one quarter of WFP's flour-milling capacity in Yemen -- remains locked away in the Red Sea Mills. The WFP has been trying to get access "to see for ourselves the scale of the damage" after the fire, a spokesman said, adding one of the damaged silos held about 4,500 tonnes of WFP wheat. For starving Yemenis on both sides of the conflict the lack of access is collective punishment. Salman, the Yemeni commander, alleged the Huthis hoarded grain, creating artificial shortages and exacerbating famine-like conditions. When the Huthis controlled the mill, they accused the coalition of destroying food with indiscriminate air strikes. The mills are "being used in the most Machiavellian ways by all warring parties to achieve political goals," said Wesam Qaid, executive director of Yemeni development organisation SMEPS. "Whoever controls such facilities will have greater say on who gets fed. Food is a weapon." "The five banks could have helped avert their common debtor's financial debacle if they had exchanged information about the financial position of Hanjin Philippines-more specifically, the movement of its debt." The reaction of most knowledgeable Filipinos to the news regarding the bankruptcy of the shipbuilder of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines Inc.the largest bankruptcy in this countrys historymust have been the question How could that have happened? It was a perfectly reasonable question because the parent company of Hanjin Philippines is a South Korean company and South Korea has some of the worlds most successful shipyards. The follow-up to that question was Couldnt the South Korean mother-company not have extended financial assistance and thereby prevented the bankruptcy? The answer to that is that Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines Inc. is a separate and independent corporate entity that had accessthanks to its powerful parentageto ample financial resources in its host country. Ample accurately describes the magnitude of the financial resources available to Hanjin Philippines: at the time that it declared its bankruptcy, Hanjin Philippines owes a total $412 million to five of the largest commercial banks in this country (RCBC $140 million, Landbank $80 million, Metrobank $72 million, BPI $60 million, BDO $60 million). The peso equivalent of $412 million is far greater than the amount owed to a consortium of domestic banks by what until then had been the biggest corporate bankruptcy in this country, to wit, that of Victorias Milling Co. in the 1990s. Hanjin Philippines debacle very probably would not have happened if its South Korean mother company had been more financially supportive and its Philippine affiliate did not have to heavily rely on borrowed resources. Hanjins headquarters should have kept itself abreast of the circumstances of additional equity to help Hanjin Philippines solve its liquidity problems, and Hanjin Philippines should have sought such equity from its mother company instead of piling on more and more debt. Why didnt that happen?On their part, Hanjin Philippines creditors could have helped avert their common debtors financial debacle if they had exchanged information about the financial position of Hanjin Philippinesmore specifically, the movement of its debtand thereby placed themselves in the position of being able to judge whether their common clients borrowing activity had reached a precarious level. Would RCBC, for instance, have allowed its lending to Hanjin Philippines to reach $140 million if it had learned that four other major Philippine commercial banks already had a combined exposure of around $272 million to Hanjin Philippines? Im sure it wouldnt. Yet good sleuthingparticularly with the BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas), the credit information agencies and the external-auditor community would surely have yielded the information that Hanjin Philippines borrowing activity had reached dangerous levels. The trouble is that for a variety of reasonsa desire for a bigger credit market share, arrogance and a misplaced obsession with secrecy, among othersfinancial institutions are loath to exchange information. Commercial banks are no exception. The results of this disinclination to share information are situations like the Hanjin Philippines bankruptcy. Not willing to share information, creditors fall together. This brings me back to the title of this column. Multi-creditor bankruptcies should not happen. But they happen, and its because creditors dont want to talk to one another. Hodeida (Yemen) (AFP) - Gunshots reverberate through a battle-scarred granary in the port city of Hodeida, where a mountain of grain meant for starving Yemenis remains inaccessible as a hard-won ceasefire comes under strain. The Red Sea Mills, one of the last positions seized by Saudi and Emirati-backed forces before last month's UN-brokered truce, holds wheat that could feed nearly four million people for a month in a country on the brink of famine. But the facility, a shrapnel-pocked symbol of how controlling food is a weapon in Yemen's war, has remained off-limits to aid organisations since September as skirmishes shake the fragile ceasefire agreed with Huthi rebels during talks in Sweden. The site, on Hodeida's eastern edges, was rigged heavily with mines when it slipped from Huthi control in November. Last week, during a military embed organised by the Saudi-led coalition, AFP saw government loyalists including Sudanese soldiers scouring the vast complex with metal detectors amid fears rebels were sneaking in to plant new booby traps. Sudan is a member of the Saudi-led coalition. A column of smoke snaked into the sky from Huthi positions less than a mile (1.6 kilometres) away, with loyalists saying the rebels were burning tyres in a provocative move. Then, a volley of close-range gunshots crackled through the complex. It was not possible to tell who was firing. "We are committed to the truce... but the enemy has not committed to anything as you can see and hear," said Yemeni commander Mohammed Salman, standing by a pile of grain. Just after the tour, the UN on Friday reported apparent mortar shelling at the mill had started a fire that left two food silos damaged. "The loss of this wheat comes at a terrible time," said the UN's humanitarian coordinator Lise Grande. "More than 20 million Yemenis, nearly 70 percent of the entire population, are hungry." - 'Red line' - In Hodeida, the entry point for more than two-thirds of Yemen's food imports and international aid, the choices are stark -- either an imperfect truce with violations on both sides or all-out fighting that could unleash famine. Story continues The ceasefire came after Western nations pressed Saudi Arabia to end its four-year military campaign in Yemen after journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder intensified international scrutiny. But with recurring breaches, observers warn that its collapse could be just a matter of time. "If it is allowed to break down, there will be no opportunity for a similar deal for a long time," the International Crisis Group said. Inside Hodeida, a city rippling with tension as the war-wounded continue to trickle into hospitals, a common refrain among civilians and military officials is "mafi hudna" - Arabic for "no truce". Colonel Saeed Salmeen, an Emirati commander on Yemen's west coast, told AFP his men were committed to the ceasefire but were "always ready" for battle. He warned that Yemen's west coast road - a key supply route linking the south to Hodeida - was a "red line". UN chief Antonio Guterres said on January 7 that neither side had tried to gain new territory since the ceasefire. But an agreed redeployment of rival forces from the city, a key confidence-building measure, has not happened as distrust runs high. Guterres pointed to allegations from the Huthis that pro-government forces are massing troops near the city, and from the Saudi-led coalition that the rebels are fortifying positions with barricades and trenches. - 'Food is a weapon' - "How long can the international community accept this Huthi game -- ceasefire, regroup, ceasefire, regroup?" a member of the coalition told AFP, requesting anonymity. "Only when you catch them by the neck will they come to the negotiating table." The sentiment was echoed by other pro-government troops who insisted to AFP that military action was the only solution even if it results in bloodshed. But the truce has given the World Food Programme "some breathing room" to reach districts in southern Hodeida that were previously inaccessible due to fighting, its country director Stephen Anderson told AFP. However, 51,000 metric tonnes of wheat -- one quarter of WFP's flour-milling capacity in Yemen -- remains locked away in the Red Sea Mills. "We have been trying to get access... (But I hear) the Huthis aren't allowing us to get to the mill," WFP chief David Beasley said in an interview in Davos. "So it is four steps forward, two steps back, but I am still cautiously optimistic." The lack of access to the mill, one of the most hotly contested sites in Hodeida, is a collective punishment for starving Yemenis on both sides of the conflict. Salman, the Yemeni commander, alleged the Huthis hoarded grain, creating artificial shortages and exacerbating famine-like conditions. When the Huthis controlled the mill, they accused the coalition of destroying food with indiscriminate air strikes. "The Red Sea Mills is a leverage point being used in the most Machiavellian ways by all warring parties to achieve political goals," said Wesam Qaid, executive director of Yemeni development organisation SMEPS. "Whoever controls such facilities will have greater say on who gets fed. Food is a weapon." Fitbit trackers may not be entirely accurate, say researchers (Picture: Getty) Some of the most popular fitness trackers on the market can overestimate the number of calories burned by their users, a study has claimed. Researchers at Aberystwyth University in Wales said trackers, such as those produced by Fitbit, can overstate a persons exercise by more than 50%. They found that all products tested, varying from 20 to 80 in price, were not accurate during running and walking tests. The study was carried out for the BBC X-Ray programme, which will be broadcast on BBC One Wales at 7.30pm on Monday. The universitys Dr Rhys Thatcher told the BBC that fitness trackers had an inherent tendency to over-measure. Fitness trackers were put to the test for the BBC programme (Picture: PA) The tests measured the amount of oxygen a volunteer used during walking and running sessions on a treadmill, each lasting ten minutes, before comparing it with the readouts given by fitness trackers. The Fitbit Charge 2, the best-selling fitness tracker on the market, was very accurate in testing calories burned while running, the study found, only underestimating by 4%. MORE: Shocking bodycam footage shows thugs kick police officer into path of moving bus MORE: Frances Macron attacks Brexit and says it will end up costing the British people But when it came to measuring walking, the Fitbit device overestimated by more than 50%. The study found that cheaper devices the Letscom HR and the Letsfit underestimated the number of calories burned while running by 33% and 40% respectively. Dr Thatcher said: If you want to know the exact number of calories that you are burning during an exercise session then it doesnt matter which device you use, you have to interpret the data with some caution. Fitbit is the most popular fitness tracker in the UK (Picture: PA) However, Fitbit said it was confident in its products performance, saying it was based on extensive research. Letscom and Letsfit said their devices depend on data such as height and stride for accuracy to give only estimations and are not medical devices. Meanwhile, Fitbit devices are being blamed for a surge in patients reporting to their doctors because the devices are reportedly telling them they are ill when they are perfectly fine. Story continues A report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges warned of a dystopian scenario in which the NHS would struggle to cope with large numbers of patients seeking treatment because they have erroneously been told to attend by their AI-enabled Fitbit or smartphone, The Times reported. One of the reports authors, Jack Ross, said patients with Fitbits and Apple Watches attended his clinic thinking they have a fast heart rate or low heart rate when it has been normal. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Ottawa (AFP) - Canada's envoy to China was sacked for being out of step with the government when he suggested a Chinese executive detained on a US warrant had a "strong" case against extradition, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked for ambassador John McCallum's resignation on Saturday, after he said the US extradition request for top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was flawed. "Ambassador McCallum's comments were inconsistent with the position of the government of Canada," Freeland told reporters outside the House of Commons. "The first and foremost job of any ambassador of our country is to express accurately our government's position. And that is what made it untenable for Ambassador McCallum to remain in his role." Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer and the daughter of the company's founder, was arrested while changing planes in Vancouver on December 1. Accused of fraud linked to alleged violations of American sanctions on Iran, she is out on bail, but her arrest has sparked an escalating diplomatic crisis between Ottawa and Beijing, with the US in the middle. McCallum briefed lawmakers last Tuesday on the plight of two Canadians detained in China and a third placed on death row in what are widely seen as retaliatory moves by Beijing. He told Chinese-language media that Meng had a "strong case" against extradition to the US, citing remarks by US President Donald Trump that appeared to politicize her arrest. McCallum walked back the comments, which opposition parties said undercut the strict hands-off approach to judicial matters touted by the Canadian government. But on Friday, he doubled down by telling The Vancouver Star that it would be "great for Canada" if the US dropped its extradition request for Meng. The fire brigade say they are striving to champion equality One of the largest fire services in the UK has been accused of discrimination after it was revealed that white men must score higher in recruitment tests. By 2021, West Midlands Fire Service wants 60 per cent of new recruits to be women, and 35 per cent to be from black and minority ethnic groups. In order to reach this target, pass rates have been altered so a greater number from these social groups score highly in the test. For Women and people from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups to pass, they must score 60 per cent on verbal and numerical tests. To achieve the same pass, white men have to score 70 per cent. According to a senior source, the new recruitment programme, introduced in late 2017, costs 100,000 a year. This includes 2,500 per month on targeted Facebook adverts aimed specifically at women. The fire brigade have been criticised for the approach (AFP Photo/Zinyange Auntony) He claims West Midlands Fire Service is the first brigade in the UK to introduce the tactic. He said: This directly discriminates against white men. This approach was intentionally adopted to directly manipulate the diversity figures to meet the targets. This approach to recruitment is appalling. Not only are they discriminating against large parts of my community, but they are also using huge amounts of public money to do so. There is such a negative culture within management who want to achieve their own agendas at all costs. I have never heard of discrimination on such an industrial scale in the public sector. Its not fair on the members of the community who rightly expect the best people for the job being selected to serve on the front line. Its difficult to swallow knowing people have not been able to achieve their dream careers because they are too white or too male. West Midlands Fire Service is targeting women in Facebook recruitment adverts There should, of course, be measures put in place to encourage those from underrepresented groups to apply, but how would they feel if they found out they were required to perform at a lesser level because of their gender or ethnicity? The new recruitment process was introduced in September 2017. Story continues It sees recruiters dip into the pool of applicants every three months to select 1,000 people to be shortlisted for the first stage a 45 minute test into reactions. Candidates who pass the tests are then sent a link to the numerical, verbal and mechanical reasoning exam. But since the change, white men have to score seven out of 10 to get through to the next stage a physical test while women and BME candidates only have to score six. The source claims as part of the drive, the brigade has intentionally not posted general adverts on job boards, in favour of women-targeted Facebook adverts. He added: There is intentionally no general adverts anywhere like job boards of the brigades own social media, in order to minimise white men applying. An internal memo said the process has been altered in a bid to make sure by 2020/21, 60 per cent of successful candidates are woman and 35 are BME people. Due to the existing workforce, this would result in females making up 17 per cent of the total number of firefighters in the service, which would be 15 per cent BME. This would make sure the force represents the general population by 2034, the memo claimed. A spokesman for the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service, said: West Midlands Fire Service is committed to a having a workforce which reflects the diversity of the population of all our communities, and one that is welcoming to all. We are also extremely proud to have been ranked second in this years Top 50 UK Employers List, which recognises our continuing commitment to workplace diversity. Our recruitment shows our determination to challenge outdated perceptions about who can and cant be a firefighter. We are working hard to break down barriers faced by people who could bring so much to our service and to their community. Our work to attract more firefighters who are women or from minority backgrounds has been praised by the Government. The approaches we take for recruitment and selection are carefully considered to ensure that they are appropriate, balanced and above all legal. Fighting charges: Former chief executive of Barclays John Varley (centre) arrives at Southwark Crown Court on January 14, 2019 in London, England. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images. Barclays bankers panicked about how Qatar would react to the outcome of an emergency fundraising in June and July 2008, a court was told on Monday. The jury at Southwark Crown Court were presented with transcripts in which senior bankers described the outcome of the 4.5bn ($5.9bn) fundraising announced in June 2008 as a f****** nightmare and said they would have to kiss arse. Four former Barclays bankers stand accused of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation. The UKs Serious Fraud Office (SFO) alleges that the executives misled investors by hiding the true amount of commission paid to Qatar in exchange for a multibillion pound investment that saved the bank from a state bailout at the height of the financial crisis. The defendants in the case are: John Varley, who was CEO of Barclays between 2004 and 2011; Roger Jenkins, who formerly ran Barclays Capitals investment management business in the Middle East and North Africa; Thomas Kalaris, the former CEO of Barclays wealth and investment management; and Richard Boath, the former head of European financial institutions group at Barclays Capital. Varley and Jenkins each face two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, and Kalaris and Boath each face one. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. Qatar is not accused of any wrongdoing. Has he got the cash? Edward Brown QC, the lead prosecutor for the SFO, said on Monday that the accused acknowledged the higher commission being paid to the Qataris as the deal was closing. The Qataris asked for a commission of 3.75% in return for its investment, which was more than double the standard rate of commission of 1.5%. The SFO alleges that Barclays eventually agreed to pay Qatar a fee of 3.25% but disguised the extra 1.75% through sham advisory services agreements (ASAs), the court heard. Brown presented the jury with tapes and transcripts of calls between Barclays bankers around the time the first 2008 fundraising closed in July. Story continues Defendant: Former Barclays head of investment banking and investment management in the Middle East, Roger Jenkins arrives at Southwark Crown Court on January 14, 2019 in London, England. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images Qatar had agreed to backstop the deal, saying it would buy all the shares offered to existing investors if they were not taken up. However, the Qataris did not expect to end up with a large shareholding as they thought other investors would want to buy shares, Brown said. Bankers panicked when it became clear that investors uptake of the other shares was limited, according to the prosecution. It meant the Qataris would receive a smaller return on their investment as the commission fee was calculated on the maximum possible payment for shares, regardless of how much was finally paid. Richard Boath and Robert Jenkins were dismayed about the low share uptake, Brown said, and panicked about how the Qataris would react to the news and whether they would be able to pay in full. Were f*****, were f*****, Boath told Jenkins in a call on July 16 that was read to the jury. Its a f****** nightmare. Is he going to settle? Yeah, hell settle, Jenkins replied. Has he got the cash? Boath asked. Were just working that through now, Jenkins said. Eat humble pie Jenkins discussed flying to the south of France to meet Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, the prime minister of Qatar at the time, to personally deliver the news of the low shares uptake. Sheikh Hamad took part in the investment through a family vehicle, Challenger. He needs to know how hes going to react because hes going to have the world and his wife ringing him and saying youre a w*****, Jenkins said. In a call later on the same day, Jenkins said he was going to eat humble pie and kiss arse tomorrow. Hes not gonna get the benefit of his three, three and three-quarters which you wouldnt want to print anyway, he said. The prosecution alleges that this referred to the 3.25% commission fee it claims Barclays agreed to pay Qatar for its investment. Brown told the jury: The prosecution say, this shows a continuing recognition by Roger Jenkins and Richard Boath that the ASA1 fee was just an additional fee for investing. The reaction of Mr Jenkins and Mr Boath shows that both knew that the ASA element was part of the fee for investing and couldnt reveal it. I read it, I sort of start to tremble In the dock: Former global co-head of Barclays Finance Richard Boath arrives at Southwark Crown Court on January 14, 2019 in London, England. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images Earlier in the trial the jury was played a recording of a call when Boath expressed concerns about journalists discovering the first ASA and questioning its veracity. When I put that on my screen and I and I read it I sort of start to tremble, Boath said. So, you know, Id really like to go and do something about it, so I can sleep. Brown said: The anxiety expressed by Mr Boath clearly demonstrates his true state of mind about the ASA The Crown say he could not have believed that the ASA was a genuine and truthful document if he was in this state about it. The case continues at Southwark Crown Court and is expected to last up to six months. It is the first time senior banking executives have faced criminal charges for actions related to the financial crisis. If convicted, the accused could face prison sentences of up to 10 years. Read more on the trial of the Barclays four: By Erwin Seba and Jessica Resnick-Ault HOUSTON (Reuters) - Chevron Corp has agreed to buy a Texas oil refinery with a troubled past and space to handle a coming flow of shale from its West Texas operations, two sources familiar with negotiations said on Monday. The U.S. oil major is expected to disclose the deal to acquire a 112,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Pasadena, Texas, this quarter, the sources said. The plant is operated by Pasadena Refining System Inc, a Texas-based unit of Brazil's state-run oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA. Chevron spokesman Braden Reddall declined to comment on Monday. Carlos Monteiro, a spokesman for Petrobras in Rio de Janeiro, said any communications on an agreement would be disclosed to the market. A deeply indebted Petrobras put the plant on the market in early 2018 after sinking more than $1.18 billion into it since it acquired its first stake in the operation in 2006. Chevron and Petrobras' negotiations were delayed in part by Brazil's presidential election and pipeline operator Kinder Morgan Inc dropping out of talks to operate a terminal at the site as a joint venture, the sources said. Kinder Morgan spokeswoman Lexey Long declined to comment. Petrobras has been looking to divest $21 billion in assets to reduce its debt load amid a series of corruption scandals including allegations bribes were paid to executives as a result of the 2006 purchase of the Pasadena plant. The rapid expansion of U.S. shale production from the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico has stirred demand for new U.S. refining capacity and crude-export facilities. Oil output has soared to an estimated 3.8 million bpd this month, from 1.48 million five years ago. Chevron, which reported a 150,000 bpd increase in shale production in the third quarter, has said it wants a second Gulf Coast facility to handle that crude and better supply its retail gasoline network. The plant produces mostly gasoline and distillates such as diesel. The refinery covers 192 acres on the Houston Ship Channel and the purchase includes another 274 acres of terminal and other cleared land available for expansion. The site has storage tanks that can hold 5.1 million barrels and a marine terminal for exports. The plant's 300-strong work force is represented by the United Steelworkers union, and would become Chevron employees once the deal is completed. There are several small U.S. refineries on the market. Husky Energy Inc earlier this month began marketing a 12,000-bpd refinery in Prince George, British Columbia. Royal Dutch Shell recently began accepting bids for its 75,000-bpd Sarnia, Ontario, refinery, according to people familiar with the matter. Delta Air Lines Inc last September began marketing a stake in its 185,000-bpd Trainer, Pennsylvania, refinery. In November, CVR Energy Inc said it may buy out the public holders of its refining unit, CVR Refining GP, which operates refineries in Kansas and Oklahoma. That decision would unwind a partnership making a future sale easier. (Reporting by Erwin Seba and Jessica Resnick-Ault; writing by Gary McWilliams; editing by Bill Rigby) Brussels (AFP) - An EU delegation has visited China's far western region of Xinjiang, a rare chance to gather evidence on controversial re-education camps that have drawn harsh criticism from rights groups and Western powers, officials told AFP Monday. The team was supervised by Chinese officials during on the three-day trip this month, but managed to gather information the EU said builds on "compelling and mutually consistent" reports of rights abuses in the region. Up to a million Uighurs and members of other mostly Muslim minority groups are held in extra-judicial detention in camps in the Xinjiang region, according to a group of experts cited by the United Nations. This was the first visit to Xinjiang by a multinational body such as the EU since Beijing acknowledged the existence of the camps, which it calls "vocational training centres". It followed another trip last month, also led by the Chinese government, by diplomats from Russia and 11 Asian countries, most with large Muslim populations. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has said her office is seeking access to Xinjiang to check reports about the camps, with Beijing insisting UN officials can come only if they agree to stay out of the country's internal affairs. Beijing says the centres help people drawn to extremism steer clear of terrorism, and allow them to be reintegrated into society. But the programme has faced fierce criticism, notably from Washington and human rights groups. The EU has repeatedly voiced concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, highlighting the issue of the camps in particular and warning that freedom of religion is being curbed. Former camp inmates have said they were detained for following Islamic customs such as wearing long beards or the veil. An EU official confirmed a team of three visited the Xinjiang cities of Urumqi and Kashgar from January 11 to 13, "with the agreement and facilitation of the central and provincial authorities". Story continues During the trip, the officials were given "extensive supervised access" to sites including mosques, an Islamic teaching institute and one of the controversial "training centres". - 'Useful insight' - "Whilst the sites that were visited were carefully selected by the authorities to support China's official narrative, the visit provided useful insight which complements other sources of information (including reports by UN bodies, international media, academic researchers, and NGOs)," the EU official said. "Many of these sources provide compelling, and mutually consistent, evidence of major and systematic human rights violations in Xinjiang." Critics say China is seeking to assimilate Xinjiang's minority population and suppress religious and cultural practises that conflict with Communist ideology and the dominant Han culture. The trip comes with EU-China ties delicately poised. Brussels is seeking to find some common ground with Beijing as they both endure trade tensions with Washington -- while also pushing back against steel dumping by the communist giant and fretting about possible Chinese use of tech infrastructure for spying. At the same time, the EU has not shied away from criticising China's human rights record. A source familiar with the EU trip said the delegation was shown "more or less" the same sites as the diplomats on the earlier visit, including an exhibit of past terror attacks in Xinjiang. The officials got the impression that the Chinese authorities had carefully curated the trip to try to give a good impression -- a school they visited had been freshly painted and it appeared that surveillance cameras had been removed. They were left with the impression that the things said by the people they talked to were "scripted". An AFP investigation last year examining more than 1,500 publicly available government documents -- ranging from tenders and budgets to official work reports -- found evidence that the centres are run more like jails than schools. Centres bought police uniforms, riot shields and helmets, pepper spray, tear gas, net guns, stun guns, electrified batons, billy clubs, spears, handcuffs and spiked clubs known as "wolf's teeth". Party officials in the regional capital Urumqi argued in an emergency request for Tasers that the equipment was needed to "guarantee staff members' personal safety". The centres first appeared in 2014, the year that authorities launched a new "strike hard" campaign against "terrorism" after deadly violence in Xinjiang, but the build-up accelerated in 2017. BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will begin legal action at the World Trade Organization this week against U.S. duties imposed on Spanish olives, EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom said on Monday. Malmstrom, the European Trade Commissioner, tweeted that the duties imposed by the United States were unjustified, unwarranted and went against WTO rules. "Tomorrow, we are taking this case to the WTO dispute settlement system, requesting consultations with the U.S," the commissioner said on Twitter. "From the Commission side, we have already raised this case with our U.S. counterparts at many occasions. Together with Spanish authorities, we will continue to vigorously defend the interests of EU producers," she continued. U.S. imports of Spanish olives were worth $67.6 million in 2017. The U.S. Commerce Department has concluded that Spanish olives are being sold too cheaply and benefit from unfair subsidies. It has imposed anti-subsidy tariffs of between 7.52 and 27.02 percent and anti-dumping duties of between 16.88 and 25.50 percent, according to the producer, to counteract this. Under WTO rules, the two sides have 60 days to try to settle the dispute, after which time the European Union could ask the WTO to adjudicate. But the WTO's dispute system is facing an imminent breakdown because the United States is blocking appointments of judges to hear trade dispute appeals. [nL8N1YM24Q] Disputes filed now risk falling into legal limbo and may never get resolved, unless an agreement can be found before two of the three remaining appeal judges leave in December. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop. Editing by Jane Merriman) BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran is likely to expand its cyber espionage activities as its relations with Western powers worsen, the European Union digital security agency said on Monday. Iranian hackers are behind several cyber attacks and online disinformation campaigns in recent years as the country tries to strengthen its clout in the Middle East and beyond, a Reuters Special Report published in November found. This month the European Union imposed its first sanctions on Iran since world powers agreed a 2015 nuclear deal with Teheran, in a reaction to Iran's ballistic missile tests and assassination plots on European soil. "Newly imposed sanctions on Iran are likely to push the country to intensify state-sponsored cyber threat activities in pursuit of its geopolitical and strategic objectives at a regional level," the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) said in a report. A senior Iranian official rejected the report, saying "these are all part of a psychological war launched by the United States and its allies against Iran". ENISA lists state-sponsored hackers as among the highest threats to the bloc's digital security. It said that China, Russia and Iran are "the three most capable and active cyber actors tied to economic espionage" Iran, Russia and China have repeatedly denied U.S. allegations that their governments conduct cyber attacks. A malicious computer worm known as Stuxnet that was used to attack a uranium enrichment facility at Irans Natanz underground nuclear site a decade ago is widely believed to have been developed by the United States and Israel. When Washington imposed sanctions on several Iranians in March 2018 for hacking on behalf of the Iranian government, Iran's foreign ministry denounced the move as "provocative, illegitimate, and without any justifiable reason". In November the United States indicted two Iranians for launching a major cyber attack using ransomware known as "SamSam" and sanctioned two others for helping exchange the ransom payments from Bitcoin digital currency into rials. Cyber activities are expected to increase in coming months, particularly if Iran fails to keep the EU committed to a 2015 landmark nuclear deal, ENISA said. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio, Additional Reporting by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by William Maclean) "How do you make it work in practice?" Were going to hear more and more of it in the days ahead, especially from government functionaries, who seem all too eager to mention it at every opportunity. Were referring to the buzzword these days, which is the whole-of-nation approach to solving the countrys main problems, whether its poverty, corruption, armed rebellion or terrorism. The basic rationale for the whole-of-nation approach is that government cannot go it alone, even if it can muster enough economic resources through taxation, and has extensive presence from the national down to the grassroots levels. The private sector has the capital to generate jobs and make the economy grow. But business has to operate within parameters set by lawand the government. Of course, business is now well aware of the social dimension of its work. Thus, we have corporate social responsibility projects that seek to convey the message that its not only after profit but also wants to help in alleviating poverty or protecting the environment. Civil society refers to the organized citizenry composed of peoples organizationsfarmers, workers, fisherfolk, youth, women, small entrepreneurs, and indigenous peoples, among othersand non-government organizations or nonprofit groups and institutions engaged in development work or espousing various causes. They, too, must operate within the constitutional or legal framework, and conform to social norms. Hence, the government should be the main catalyst of change, with the private sector and civil society providing support to its development initiatives. Before this new approach became fashionable, we had comprehensive, holistic, integrated, and total approaches to national problems. Those buzzwords became trendy in the 1970s onwards. The whole-of-nation approach was actually preceded by the whole-of-government approach or WGA. This refers to the joint activities performed by different government departments and agencies in order to provide a common solution to a particular problem or issue.The whole-of-nation approach basically entails a more participatory process. While the WGA was state-driven, the whole-of-nation approach is more of a partnership between the government and different segments of society. The whole-of-nation approach can apply to the campaign against illegal drugs by addressing both supply and demand. The government can deal with the supply through police operations and draconian measures, but the rest of society must do its part especially in reducing the demand, through treatment and rehabilitation of drug dependents, education of the youth on the dangers of drug addiction, and similar measures. The whole-of-nation approach can also apply to fighting terrorism. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddyboy Locsin, while still our Permanent Representative to the United Nations, underscored during last years UN General Assembly annual debate on measures to eliminate international terrorism, that the Philippine government has adopted the whole-of-nation approach, and affirms its rejection of terrorism in all its manifestations wherever, by whomever, and against whomsoever committedand whatever the excuse. Terrorism, he emphasized, is a global problem no country can tackle alone. The fight against terrorism should unite us all. Foreign terrorist operations do not recognize borders. Its not just in the Philippines where the whole-of-nation approach has gained credence. In Singapore, public service agencies have been urged to adopt a whole-of-nation effort through partnership by government with business, citizens and other stakeholders to develop better solutions together. A statement of a recent meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also reaffirmed the importance and effectiveness of the whole-of-nation approach over a purely military option in combating terrorism and violent extremism and mentioned ways of fighting terrorism, including preventive education, involvement of women and youth and civil society, promotion of peace and moderation as a counter-narrative, and more effective use of social media in countering terrorist messages online. While the whole-of-nation approach represents an improvement over WGA, it requires diligent efforts on the part of government to attract not just the private sector and civil society behind development initiatives. It also requires close coordination among government agencies at various levels, which may not be an easy thing to do at all. The way I look at it, the whole-of-nation approach sounds good in theory, but how do you make it work in practice? The government can only ask the private sector or civil society to extend their cooperation or assistance in certain projects, but not compel them. If there are no diligent efforts to convince the private sector and civil society to support government initiatives, then this approach becomes just a slogan uttered in an echo chamber, calculated to look good before the people but in essence pure and simple lip service with little commitment to make it really work. We hope not. Kinshasa (AFP) - DR Congo's parliament held its opening session Monday after a bitterly-fought election that ushered in a new opposition president but left the National Assembly dominated by supporters of former leader Joseph Kabila. The session opened just four days after Felix Tshisekedi was sworn in as president of sub-Saharan Africa's largest country, replacing Kabila who had ruled the country since 2001. The handover marked the country's first-ever peaceful transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960, although it was disputed by runner-up Martin Fayulu, also an opposition candidate, who branded the outcome as rigged. But the new president will have to share power with Kabila's supporters who will control parliament for the next five years after winning an overwhelming majority in the 500-seat National Assembly. And with Kabila widely expected to wield influence through his supporters, it was expected they would feature prominently as Tshisekedi moves to choose a new prime minister and government. Legislative elections, which took place on December 30 alongside the presidential poll, saw the pro-Kabila Joint Front for Congo (FCC) winning 337 mandates, while Lamuka, the opposition coalition which backed Fayulu, won 102 seats. And Tshisekedi's Heading for Change bloc won just 46 mandates, just under 10 percent of the seats in the lower house. "Tshisekedi will have little margin for manoeuvre," Stephanie Wolters at South Africa's Institute for Security Studies (ISS) think tank told AFP last week. Of the 485 deputies so far elected, 50 are women. The other 15 seats will remain vacant until March when elections can be held in three regions where they were suspended for health and security reasons. Addressing the 434 lawmakers present at Monday's session, Jean Nguvulu Khoji, the National Assembly's administrative secretary general, urged them "not to sacrifice the interests of their constituents in favour of political interests." Story continues At the session, Khoji began moves to establish a provisional government. A permanent lineup will only be possible in March after the outstanding elections are held and the Constitutional Court publishes the final results. December's presidential election was challenged in court by Fayulu who branded the outcome as an "electoral coup" masterminded by Kabila with the full agreement of Tshisekedi. He claimed he won the vote outright with more than 60 percent in a stance that initially won international support but was rejected outright by the Constitutional Court. By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) - With federal prosecutors expected to rest their case against Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman on Monday, lawyers for the accused Mexican drug kingpin have given few clues about how they plan to counter three months of testimony by more than 50 government witnesses. Among the tough choices they face are whether to call their own witnesses to try to undermine the prosecutors' evidence, and whether Guzman should take the stand in his own defense. One of his attorneys said on Friday that they would not reveal the names of any witnesses unless they decided to call them. "Similarly, we will not disclose Joaquin's plans about testifying until the time comes to inform the court," Guzman lawyer Eduardo Balarezo said in a statement. Guzman, 61, the alleged leader of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, was extradited to the United States in 2017. He has been on trial since November on charges of trafficking vast quantities of cocaine, heroin and other illegal drugs into the country. Prosecutors have called more than a dozen former cartel members to testify against him. The main defense argument, as put forth by Guzman lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman in his opening statement, has been that the real leader of the Sinaloa Cartel is Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, and that Zambada bribed the Mexican and U.S. governments to frame Guzman. Guzman's lawyers have discussed multiple potential witnesses with prosecutors in open court, and have filed a motion suggesting they might call an inmate in the U.S. prison system, but they have not publicly revealed any names. Defendants in criminal cases are under no obligation to call any witnesses. Many defendants in organized crime cases do not, said defense lawyer Steven Boozang, who defended Boston mafia boss Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme in a murder trial last year. He said the decision depends on what exonerating evidence is available. "It has to be reliable," he said. "It has to be truthful." Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor, said it could make sense for a defendant to call witnesses if they could offer the jury an alternative explanation of the evidence that proved a defendant's innocence. But he said such witnesses can backfire if their testimony is not convincing. Lichtman said evidence for the defense's contention that Zambada framed Guzman would emerge from the prosecution's own witnesses, but such testimony largely failed to materialize. Multiple witnesses described Guzman as either the boss of the cartel or an equal partner with Zambada. The most explosive allegations about bribery came when one witness said Guzman paid $100 million to former Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto. Pena Nieto has denied taking any bribes. In many cases, Honig said, the only viable defense strategy is to seek to undermine prosecution witnesses who have pleaded guilty to crimes and agreed to cooperate. "Tell the jury, 'You just heard a bunch of tales from a bunch of lying criminal scoundrels who simply want to please the government, and my guy is their meal ticket,'" he said. Guzman's lawyers have sharply interrogated cooperating witnesses about their past crimes. Under cross-examination, former Guzman associate Jorge Cifuentes admitted traveling the world on forged identification documents; his former communications technician Christian Rodriguez admitted not paying taxes on money the U.S. government paid him to cooperate; and Colombian kingpin Juan Carlos "Chupeta" Ramirez acknowledged taking part in dozens of murders. In Guzman's case, the strategy may have limits. Much of the evidence against him is intercepted electronic messages in which Guzman himself appears to discuss drug deals, and his lawyers have not so far challenged their authenticity. Boozang said Guzman's lawyers were sure to discourage their client from testifying himself, which would let prosecutors cross-examine him. "Putting on the defendant, it's almost never done," Boozang said, adding that the prosecution "would most likely have a field day" with Guzman. But the alleged cartel boss may ignore his attorneys. Numerous witnesses have described him as boastful and impulsive. In recent years, Guzman has courted publicity, seeking to make a movie about his life and giving an interview to actor Sean Penn for Rolling Stone magazine in 2015. In a Brooklyn courtroom, he could find his biggest stage yet. (Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Anthony Lin and Daniel Wallis) By Brendan Pierson NEW YORK (Reuters) - Accused Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman said in court on Monday that he will not testify in his own defense at his U.S. trial. Guzman announced his decision after prosecutors rested their case against him in federal court in Brooklyn. After excusing the jury, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan asked Guzman directly whether he understood it was his decision, not that of his lawyers, to testify or not. "Yes, but they counseled me about it and I agree with them," Guzman answered. Had Guzman, 61, testified, it would have provided a fitting climax to an already dramatic trial. However, Guzman's decision was widely expected, as testifying would have exposed him to cross-examination by prosecutors. Guzman was extradited to the United States in January 2017 to face charges that he trafficked massive quantities of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other drugs into the United States as leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. Prosecutors have put more than 50 witnesses on the stand since the trial began in November, many of them former Guzman associates who have pleaded guilty to U.S. charges and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Their testimony has offered an unprecedented look at the inner workings of the Mexican drug trade. Jeffrey Lichtman, one of Guzman's lawyers, said in his opening argument in November that his client was framed by the cartel's true leader, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, with the help of corrupt government officials. Lichtman said on Monday he planned to call two U.S. law enforcement agents, whom he did not name, as defense witnesses on Tuesday morning. Lichtman had said in a court filing on Saturday that he wanted to call the agents to rebut testimony by two of the prosecution's witnesses about their earlier statements to law enforcement. Judge Cogan said prosecutors should expect to begin their closing argument on Wednesday morning. The trial has also featured accusations of corruption against Mexican government officials, the most explosive of which was that former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto took a $100 million bribe from Guzman. A spokesman for Pena Nieto has denied the allegation. Alejandro Edda, the Mexican actor who plays Guzman in the Netflix television drama "Narcos," made a surprise appearance in the courtroom gallery Monday. Guzman grinned broadly at Edda after his lawyers told him who he was. Edda later told reporters outside the courthouse that the smile "shook" him. (Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; editing by Anthony Lin and Jonathan Oatis) New York (AFP) - The actor who plays Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in the Netflix hit "Narcos: Mexico" made an appearance in a federal courtroom in Brooklyn on Monday, taking advantage of an unusual opportunity to study his character in real life. Afterwards, Mexican actor Alejandro Edda, 34, said he found the experience "intimidating." Even more surreal -- a journalist who had been in touch with the Mexican actor introduced him to Guzman's lawyer Eduardo Balarezo, who then explained to the defendant who he was. El Chapo, sitting just a few meters (yards) away, gave him a big smile. "I came to study a man who in a certain sense is a myth, a legend," Edda told reporters. "I became nervous, when he saw me and greeted me from a distance," he said. "It was intimidating in a certain sense." Edda said Guzman, who headed Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel for a quarter-century, struck him as "very attentive, focused," aware of everything going on around him. He said he had "mixed feelings" about the man and his trial. "As an actor, I am investigating a human being," he said. "I pay attention to mannerisms -- his look, how he touched his face." "In a human sense, he is strong, he is sad, you feel all the power of the United States against one person. The man does not speak English. I feel that in a certain sense, he is caged in a foreign place." "But speaking as a Mexican, the man must pay for his crimes. There are many people, thousands, who have died because of drug trafficking," Edda said. Guzman is accused of trafficking more than 155 tons of cocaine and other drugs into the United States over a 25-year period. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to life in prison. The trial is in its final stages, with the prosecution thought likely to finish presenting its evidence this week, after which it will be the defense's turn. Story continues Although some thought Guzman might testify, he said Monday that he would not take the stand. "I will not testify," Guzman told Judge Brian Cogan, saying he had consulted with his attorneys. "They've advised me and I agree." Closing arguments will begin on Wednesday and the jury could begin deliberations by week's end. Cairo (AFP) - A British woman convicted in Egypt of smuggling painkillers has been granted early release after spending more than a year in prison, an Egyptian security source said Monday. Laura Plummer, 34, was arrested at Hurghada airport and sentenced in December 2017 to three years in prison after customs officers found almost 300 Tramadol pills in her luggage. She was among a number of prisoners granted a presidential pardon after having served a third of her sentence, said the source at the Egyptian prison authority. "Procedures for her release were completed yesterday (Sunday)," he added. Tramadol, a strong painkiller used to treat moderate to severe pain, is tightly controlled in Egypt where it is often abused as a recreational drug. The painkiller is dispensed on prescription in Britain. Since her arrest, Plummer and her relatives maintained that she was unaware of Egypt's restrictions on the drug and that she was bringing the painkillers for her Egyptian partner who suffered from back pain. There was no immediate confirmation from Britain of Plummer's pardon. "Our staff continue to do all they can to support Laura and her family, and our embassy remains in regular contact with the Egyptian authorities," a British Foreign Office spokeswoman said. WASHINGTON The White House used its first news conference in more than a month to push a variety of agenda items: New economic sanctions on Venezuela, new trade talks with China, and old arguments about how Congress can avoid another shutdown by funding a border wall. Conducting her first formal news briefing in 41 days, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said President Donald Trump cannot rule out another shutdown or a declaration of emergency next month until he sees whether Congress is willing to fund a U.S.-Mexico border wall. "We don't want another government shutdown," Sanders said. "We want a deal." The Monday news conference came three days after Trump agreed to end the record-breaking 35-day partial government shutdown for three weeks while lawmakers continue to negotiate border security issues, including Trump's call for $5.7 billion in border wall funding. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other Democrats say they will oppose what they regard as an expensive and unnecessary wall. As lawmakers negotiate, Sanders downplayed talk of the alternatives should Congress fail to reach consensus by Feb. 15: Another shutdown or a declaration of a national emergency that would theoretically allow Trump to use defense money for the wall, but would surely be challenged in court. "The best fix is to able to do it legislatively," Sanders said. The shutdown discussion came after the administration made announcements about economic issues involving Venezuela and China. Left to right: Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, National Security Adviser John Bolton and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin during Monday's briefing. In announcing sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil business, administration officials said they are trying to ratchet up the pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to give up power to opposition leader Juan Guaido. "Effective immediately, any purchases of Venezuelan oil by U.S. entities, (the) money will have to go into blocked accounts," Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said during the first White House news briefing since Dec. 18, four days before the shutdown began. Story continues Also appearing in the press room, National Security Adviser John Bolton said $7 billion in Venezuelan oil assets will be blocked as of Monday. Asked about possible U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, Bolton said: "All options are on the table." As for China, administration officials announced they will meet Wednesday and Thursday with a delegation from China to work out a new trade agreement in an effort to head off a tariff war. Mnuchin noted that the U.S. and China face a March 1 deadline before new tariffs kick in, deepening a trade war conflict that has roiled markets across the globe. This week's set of meetings is more about making progress than reaching a final agreement, the treasury secretary said. "We do have another 30 days after this," Mnuchin said. "These are complicated issues." The United States and China have accused each other of unfair trade practices for years. The administration announced the new round of talks the same day that it filed fraud charges against Chinese tech giant Huawei, accusing it of stealing trade secrets. For good measure, the White House used its now-rare news briefing to have economic adviser Larry Kudlow promote new economic numbers, claiming things are in good shape despite analysts who say that the shutdown and Trump's tariff policies threaten a recession. I still think the economys very strong," Kudlow said. "I know theres some disagreement. The White House never really gave a reason for cutting back on its news briefings. In recent weeks, Sanders and other officials have done informal gaggles with reporters in the White House driveway following their appearances on television news programs. On Twitter last week, Trump blamed the way some reporters covered Sanders. "The press covers her so rudely & inaccurately, in particular certain members of the press, Trump said. I told her not to bother, the word gets out anyway!" More: Nancy Pelosi invites Donald Trump to deliver State of the Union speech at Capitol on Feb. 5 More: Trump administration slaps sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil company This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump's team sanctions Venezuela, pushes China trade talks and makes another border wall pitch WASHINGTON Wimp? Coward? Caveman? Those insults may have been hurled at President Donald Trump after he agreed last week to reopen the federal government without getting money he requested for a border wall. But that's not how most of his base sees him, according to a Monmouth University Poll released Monday. More Republicans surveyed (44 percent) said the action made Trump look stronger than the share of GOP respondents who said he looks weaker (19 percent). And Trump's job approval rating among Republicans has changed little from his 84 percent support in November. "Despite what was objectively a climb-down in Trump's position, these poll results provide more evidence that public opinion of the president has been largely baked in since day one," said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute. Among all respondents, somewhat more said Trump's decision made him look weaker (32 percent) than stronger (24 percent). But a plurality of 41 percent said it had no effect on how they view him. The poll did show Trump's support worsened among both independents and Democrats. Both groups view him more negatively than they did in November. And half of all surveyed said Trump was primarily to blame for the unpopular shutdown. The poll was conducted by telephone Jan. 25-27 with 805 adults. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Trump had said he would not restart funding unless Congress including money for a border wall. Democrats said they would not negotiate funding for a wall while the government was shut down. When Trump agreed Friday to three more weeks of funding while both sides try to reach a deal, he received some blistering criticism from the right. "Good news for George Herbert Walker Bush: As of today, he is no longer the biggest wimp ever to serve as President of the United States," conservative commentator Ann Coulter wrote on Twitter. Story continues Mike Cernovich, a conservative blogger, said he was disgusted by Trump's decision. "I don't like to be lied to," Cernovich said in a video after Trump's announcement. "Just say I'm not going to build the wall. I'm a coward. I don't have what it takes." The New York Daily News' front page called Trump "Caveman." But Trump's action was defended by some on the right. North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, a prominent member of the House Freedom Caucus who pushed Trump in December to use agency funding as leverage for a wall, said Friday that the president "is sticking by his commitment to keep our communities safe and has assured me that nothing will deter him from accomplishing that goal." And former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Monday that Coulter is in "some fantasy land." "The fact is, the presidents base is with the president," Gingrich said on "Fox & Friends." "If he goes to them and says, 'I got this done for the wall. I got this done to protect America. Im doing these good things you believe in,' the base is going to say, 'fine.' " Coulter shot back that there are two groups of Trump voters: the "Tell the Truth faction" and the "Kiss the Emperor's Ass camp." "Newt and I have picked different camps," she tweeted. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump's base sticking with him despite his shutdown cave, poll shows Automated Markets. Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Andy Serwer moderates a Davos panel exploring how traditional traders are increasingly being replaced by quant funds powered by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data. Panelist include David McKay, CEO of RBC; Ron Mock, CEO of Ontario Teachers Pension Plan; William Ford, CEO of General Atlantic; and Adena Friedman, President and CEO of Nasdaq. (Yahoo Finance) Justin Trudeau, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Theresa May skipped the 2019 World Economic Forum, better known by its Swiss ski resort shorthand. And chances are, you didnt make it to Davos this year either. Luckily, Royal Bank of Canadas (RY.TO) David McKay did. The president and chief executive of Canadas biggest bank jotted down some thoughts about his fourth visit to the prestigious gathering of the global elite. Here are some of the key takeaways: CHINA The leaders of the two largest economies were nowhere to be seen, but the escalating tension between the United States and China was difficult for the Davos crowd to ignore. McKay found attending business leaders expressed quiet confidence the dispute between the global powers would be resolved in the next few months. But the broader rivalry between the countries is another matter. The Chinese came in force to Davos, with a clear message that they will not be subjected to Washingtons worldview, McKay wrote. They see themselves indisputably as the worlds No. 2 economic power, on their way to No. 1, and believe its up to the West to adjust. 5G The next generation mobile technology promises to usher in an era of ever-present, lightning-fast data that flows like electricity, powering self-driving cars, delivery drones, and digitally-enabled appliances. However, McKay found the Davos set wasnt fully up to speed. I found it intriguing that despite the buzz, many of the worlds business and government leaders seemed to know little about 5G, he wrote. McKay said theres little doubt that Huawei Technologies is a leader in the space, and questioned if nations who shut out the Chinese telecom giant over fears of state ties will be left behind. BREXIT British Prime Minister Theresa May was among the high-profile leaders who skipped Davos. Residents of her country are reportedly stockpiling food ahead of another crucial vote in Parliament on Tuesday. McKay recalled a session in Davos where 90 per cent of the hands in the room shot up when asked who would be in favour of a second referendum on Brexit. He said about 300 people were in attendance, and the preference was for the U.K. to remain in the European Union. Story continues GLOBAL COOPERATION Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued warnings about the threats to the rules-based international order, as well as efforts to subvert democracy and market capitalism. For McKay, those risks underscore the importance of groups like the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO is the central plumbing of global commerce, connecting 400 preferential trade agreements and 3,000 investment deals, and yet its been stripped in recent years of its ability to function normally, he wrote. Its one reason global trade has been plugged up since the financial crisis. DISTRUST AND DISCONTENT The release of the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer coincided with the start of this years summit. The survey of 33,000 people in 27 markets did not paint a rosy picture of the institutions in the hands of Davos attendees. Most respondents predicted they would not be better off in five years time. In Canada, only one-third said they believe the future would be brighter. We used to count on good public schooling, workplace security, decent pensions, accessible healthcare and affordable housing. But in many countries, a career is now a series of gigs, the price of education is soaring, and housing is beyond the reach of many young workers, McKay wrote. Small wonder were seeing so much disquiet and its political cousin, populism. MACHINES IN THE MARKETS To what extent was the market rout of late 2018 driven by automation? Its a pressing question, given that more investors are turning to passive investments such as Exchange-Traded Funds rather than picking stocks themselves. Its a popular and positive trend, as it gives small investors a more level-playing field with the big ones. It also carries some long-term risks, McKay wrote. In many cases, that means there are fewer buyers and sellers of stocks. As market automation isnt likely to slow, financial institutions will need to continue to find ways to help clients navigate those shortfalls in liquidity and any ensuing volatility. ENERGY McKay notes climate changes is the number one risk on the minds of Davos attendees a decade after then-British Prime Minister used the forum to press leaders to take action on the issue. Three of the top five risks identified the World Economic Forums 114-page Global Risks Report are related to the environment. Those include failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation, extreme weather events, and natural disasters. The concerns underscore the need for regulators to evolve as rapidly as the planets needs, (and) to spur new processes and wind down old ones, according to McKay. Supply chains, industrial processes and consumer choices, from home heating to commuting, are going to take time to change, he wrote. Much of the discussion (at Davos) focused on finding ways to make our oil more carbon-efficient, to fuel that growth sustainably, and to use some of the revenue from old sources of energy to invest in the development of new ones. Its why people call it a transition. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Michael Peck Security, Or is this just more fake news? Did a Russian-Made Missile Strike an F-35? According to the available information, the Syrian Defense Forces used a S-200 missile against the Israeli warplane, Southfront claimed. Did a Russian anti-aircraft missile hit one of Israels new F-35 stealth fighters? Pro-Russian media are claiming that an Israeli F-35I was hit and damaged by a Russian-made S-200 surface-to-air missile during an Israeli air strike in Syria earlier this month. Israel says one of its F-35s was damagedafter colliding with a bird. (This first appeared in October of 2017.) The story begins on October 16, when Israel announced that its aircraft had struck a Syrian SAM battery near Damascus that had fired two hours earlier on Israeli reconnaissance planes flying over Lebanon. The attack damaged the missile battery, and no Israeli aircraft were hit, according to Israel. Coincidentally or not, the incident happened the same day that Russias defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, arrived in Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Recommended: Could the Battleship Make a Comeback? However, Southfront.org, a website that covers the Russian military and its intervention in the Syrian Civil War, suggested a different story. According to the available information, the Syrian Defense Forces used a S-200 missile against the Israeli warplane, Southfront claimed. Recommended: 5 Worst Generals in U.S. History Southfront could not resist pointing out that a much-vaunted F-35 stealth fighter had been hit by a missile that dates back to the 1960s. This Soviet-made missile is the most advanced long range anti-aircraft system operated by the Syrian military. Even in this case, its old-fashioned in terms of modern warfare. However, the evidence cited by Southfront seems rather tenuous. Hours after the Israeli military announced the strike on the Syrian missile battery, Israeli media reported that an Israeli F-35 had been damaged by a bird strike two weeks before (Google translation here). The plane reportedly landed safely, but the Israeli Air Force did admit that it wasnt sure whether the plane will fly again. Israel has taken delivery of only seven F-35Is so far, with a total of fifty on order. Story continues Recommended: 5 Reasons No Nation Wants to Go to War with Israel The incident allegedly took place two weeks ago but was publicly reported only on October 16, Southfront noted. However, Israeli sources were not able to show a photo of the F-35 warplane after the bird collision. Southfront didnt explain why the Israeli Air Force would feel a need to release a photo of a damaged stealth aircraft. As U.S. defense website The Drive points out, the F-35 is just entering Israeli service now, and wouldnt likely be flying missions over Syria just yet unless there was some kind of emergency (and Israel has plenty of F-15s and F-16s to handle those right now). Nor is it optimized for the kind of photographic reconnaissance missions that Israel flies over Lebanon. As The Drive summed up rather neatly, Although we cannot rule the possibility out entirely, as Freud would saysometimes a bird strike is just a bird strike. In any event, whats most interesting about this story isnt whether an F-35 was hit by a Russian missile. Like the existence of UFOs, the story may or not be true, but we need more than circumstantial evidence to give it any credence. No, the interesting part is that the F-35 has become such a symbol of U.S. technological prowessor incompetencethat any rumor that an F-35 has been damaged or shot down in combat will draw attention. Russia and its boosters will pounce on any suggestion that an F-35 has been hit, and no doubt the pro- F-35 crowd will counter those suggestions accordingly. Already there are reportsagain, just reportsthat Israeli F-35s have flown combat missions. Given that the U.S. and Israeli air forces are among the most active in the world, sooner or later the F-35 will really, truly see combat. But the rumors are out there now. This is just the beginning. Michael Peck is a contributing writer for the National Interest. He can be found on Twitter and Facebook. Image: Creative Commons. Read full article BICAM MEETING. Senate Panel Chairperson Senator Loren Legarda (left) discusses with Congress Panel Chairman Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. (below) the importance of the 2019 national budget during the Bicameral Meeting between the Senate and Congress at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City. Ver Noveno Rolando Andaya A senator who had consistently denied using pork barrel and exposed the alleged budget insertions of fellow legislators was found to have insertions amounting to P50 billion during Mondays congressional bicameral committee meeting on the stalled 2019 national government budget.This came up even as Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., chairman of the House committee on appropriations, said senators introduced P190 billion in insertions or alleged pork barrel in the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019. Andaya said the P190 billion was almost 25 percent bigger than the P51-billion alleged insertions in the House of Representatives. The Senate version is seeking an amendment or a total net increase of around P190 billion and the House is requesting for P51 billion, Andaya told the bicameral conference committee that was opened to reporters on Monday at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City. Senator Loren Legarda, the chairman of the Senate committee on finance, backed Andayas statement and named Senator Panfilo Lacson, the panels vice chairman, as the one who introduced almost P50 billion in institutional amendments out of the P189.2 billion that the Senate inserted in its version. We were supposed to include the institutional amendments of Senator Lacson ... almost P50 billion of that [P189.2-billion] are amendments of the vice chairman [Lacson]. I accepted most of his amendments, Legarda said. She said P68 billion out of the P189.2 billion in insertions were unprogrammed funds, or were being requested by various agencies like the Office of the President, Office of the Vice President, Congress, the Interior, Agrarian Reform, Agriculture and Health departments and others. Lacson, who had consistently criticized the House leadership for its alleged insertions in the national budget, defended his so-called institutional amendments, which he said were done by request from various agencies. An example of the institutional amendments that I introduced and adopted by the Senate is the P4 billion for the activation of an infantry division. This was requested by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the PNP [Philippine National Police], Lacson told the panel.Legarda then asked the congressional bicameral conference committee on the 2019 national budget to agree and vote on the institutional amendmentsa proposal that Andaya struck down. Lacson, a staunch critic of pork barrel, then urged the congressmen to have a pie with an acceptable figure that you can divide. Why dont we agree on a pie? We also acknowledge that you congressmen have legislative districts to attend to. Lets have a certain figure to work on, Lacson said. Legarda also said the institutional amendment amounting to almost P800 million was intended for World Teachers Day this October. But she was quick to say that those funds were not pork funds. Dont consider that as pork. There is an institutional agency requesting [for it]. It has been vetted by the regional development council, [theres] a request from barangay, local government units, and provinces. That cant be considered [pork barrel], Legarda said in defending her action.But Andaya said institutional amendments were still insertions that Lacson had branded earlier as pork barrel, especially if those had come from congressmen. That is still insertions. Lets be fair here and observe transparency, Andaya said. (Getty) Debt is keeping young Canadians up at night but retirement isnt. A new poll by Angus Reid finds one-in-three Canadians has put off saving for retirement because of debt. Though troubling, its hardly shocking considering we owe an average of around $1.78 for every dollar we earn. The results of this poll arent surprising and young people are facing more uncertainty than ever, Kelley Keehn, personal finance author/educator, and FPSCs consumer advocate told Yahoo Finance Canada. A degree doesnt buy you what it used to but it does guarantee debt right out the gate. And yet, despite having little saved, young Canadians aged 18-25 have the rosiest outlooks for retirement of any age group. Many (34 per cent) say they expect to have enough money to do everything they want. At 8 per cent, they were the least worried about making ends meet. (Angus Reid Institute) Millennials might want to tamp down their expectations for their golden years, unless they are willing to put aside more money for retirement. Especially considering 68 per cent say their retirement savings will finance their golden years. Housing is beyond unaffordable for most Canadians and rapidly shrinking employer pension plans mean millennials need to plan now and for retirement perhaps more so than any generation, says Keehn. Millennials seem to be more focused on the present. More than half say I often worry about my ability to find or keep a good job. (Angus Reid Institute) Do what I say not what I do Almost nine-in-in ten respondents agree that its stupid to go into debt if you dont need to. Meanwhile, more than three-quarters are carrying debt themselves. Only 16 per cent say their debt is difficult to manage. Debt is also keeping a large chunk of respondents from buying homes (18 per cent), getting married (8 per cent), and having children (7 per cent). (Angus Reid Institute) Its important to remember that anyone can reach out to a pro like a certified financial planner you dont need assets and many are fee only, says Keehn. Story continues A CFP will work with you to build a financial plan and will help to highlight blind spots along the way that may prevent you from reaching your financial goals. Almost a quarter of respondents say they have no debt. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. A look at the shareholders of Singapore Reinsurance Corporation Limited (SGX:S49) can tell us which group is most powerful. Institutions often own shares in more established companies, while its not unusual to see insiders own a fair bit of smaller companies. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned. With a market capitalization of S$172m, Singapore Reinsurance is a small cap stock, so it might not be well known by many institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutions own shares in the company. Lets take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about S49. See our latest analysis for Singapore Reinsurance SGX:S49 Ownership Summary January 28th 19 What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Singapore Reinsurance? Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index. As you can see, institutional investors own 42% of Singapore Reinsurance. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. When multiple institutions own a stock, theres always a risk that they are in a crowded trade. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Singapore Reinsurances historic earnings and revenue, below, but keep in mind theres always more to the story. SGX:S49 Income Statement Export January 28th 19 It looks like hedge funds own 5.0% of Singapore Reinsurance shares. That catches my attention because hedge funds sometimes try to influence management, or bring about changes that will create near term value for shareholders. As far I can tell there isnt analyst coverage of the company, so it is probably flying under the radar. Story continues Insider Ownership Of Singapore Reinsurance The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. The company management answer to the board; and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board, themselves. I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions. We can see that insiders own shares in Singapore Reinsurance Corporation Limited. It has a market capitalization of just S$172m, and insiders have S$8.6m worth of shares, in their own names. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board, though I generally prefer to see bigger insider holdings. But it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling. General Public Ownership With a 40% ownership, the general public have some degree of sway over S49. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies. Public Company Ownership It appears to us that public companies own 7.7% of S49. Its hard to say for sure, but this suggests they have entwined business interests. This might be a strategic stake, so its worth watching this space for changes in ownership. Next Steps: I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. I always like to check for a history of revenue growth. You can too, by accessing this free chart of historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph. If you would prefer check out another company one with potentially superior financials then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, backed by strong financial data. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements. The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. McKesson Corporations MCK third-quarter fiscal 2019 results are scheduled to release on Jan 31. The companys core business units U.S. Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions, and European Pharmaceutical Solutions are likely to boost the companys quarterly performance. Fiscal Q2 Results McKesson reported second-quarter fiscal 2019 earnings of $3.60 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.28. Adjusted earnings improved 10% year over year. Sales came in at $53.08 billion, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $53.56 billion. However, the metric rose 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. In the trailing four quarters, McKesson has delivered a positive average earnings surprise of 6.4%. McKesson Corporation Price and EPS Surprise McKesson Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | McKesson Corporation Quote Which Way Are Q3 Estimates Headed? The Zacks Consensus Estimate for McKessons fiscal third-quarter earnings is pegged at $3.18, mirroring a 6.7% decline year over year. The same for revenues stands at $55.27 billion, reflecting an increase of 3.1% year over year. Lets see how things are shaping up prior to the earnings release. Core Business Units to Drive Q3 Results McKessons Pharmaceutical wing is likely to act as a key catalyst in boosting the companys fiscal third-quarter results. Notably, the segment is likely to gain momentum on the back of its branded, generic and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. This apart, McKessons Specialty business is likely to be a major top-line contributor, with strong growth in specialty drug distribution. Not to forget, the companys U.S. Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions contributed 70.4% to the companys net revenues in the fiscal second quarter. For the quarter to be reported, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the U.S. Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions is pegged at $43.01 billion, showing a sequential rise of 3.4%. Story continues Other Factors at Play European Pharmaceutical Solutions Interestingly, despite stiff competition in France, the European Pharmaceutical revenues contributed 12.5% to McKessons net revenues in the fiscal second quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for European Pharmaceutical's third-quarter revenues is pinned at $6.85 billion, indicating a sequential increase of 3.2%. Medical Surgical Solutions This segment delivers laboratory supplies including reagents, lab equipment, lab glassware, eye wash solution, specimen collection and lab supplies. In the last reported quarter, the unit contributed 3.7% to the companys net revenues. For the quarter to be reported, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the segments sales stands at $1.98 billion, reflecting a sequential increase of 1.7%. What Does Our Model Say? Our proven model clearly indicates that a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) to deliver a positive earnings surprise. This is not the case here. Earnings ESP: McKesson has an Earnings ESP of -0.08%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: McKesson carries a Zacks Rank #3. Please note that we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell rated) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revision. Stocks Worth a Look Here are a few medical stocks worth considering as they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in the upcoming releases: PerkinElmer, Inc. PKI has an Earnings ESP of +0.77% and a Zacks Rank #3. Illumina, Inc. ILMN has an Earnings ESP of +0.02% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. DexCom DXCM has an Earnings ESP of +8.93% and a Zacks Rank #2. Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year? Who wouldn't? Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%. See Latest Stocks Today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report PerkinElmer, Inc. (PKI) : Free Stock Analysis Report DexCom, Inc. (DXCM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump was feeling the heat. Week after week, Trump had demanded that the government stay partially shuttered until Democrats agreed to pay for his wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Surrounded by a shrinking cast of advisers, he watched as federal workers went unpaid and basic services were frozen. His poll numbers were slipping. His arguments were landing with a thud with the public. A pair of Senate votes on Thursday, and a round of telephone calls from frustrated Republicans, made clear he had no way out. A president who never admits defeat then began a rapid retreat. The story of how Trump reversed himself, ending the country's longest shutdown with little to show for it, is largely one of acceptance. Over 35 days and a critical final 24 hours, Trump finally came to see what many allies had known for weeks about his strategy: His only option was to climb down, at least for now. So Trump did what he does best, ending one campaign and beginning the next. As soon as this shutdown was about to close, he promised everyone a new fight would begin and another shutdown could soon follow. Trump's GOP allies in the Senate had been more than eager to help him get to "yes" on ending Round One. The critical first step was showing that Democrats were not going to buckle. The White House had maintained there were untold numbers of Democrats ready to bolt from their leaders and back his demand for $5.7 billion in wall money. Yet for weeks, few such Democrats had emerged. Then Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who had stayed on the sidelines as Trump battled with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, agreed to put the theory to a vote. There would be votes on two plans to reopen the government. The first was backed by Trump; the second by Democrats. The Democrats' bill won more votes than the GOP bill, even though Republicans control the Senate. Story continues It was a harsh, indisputable reality for the president. He recognized something had to give, according to eight people familiar with his thinking who, like others interviewed for this account, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private conversations. "He knew that it was a lost cause," Schumer said Friday. Even before the second vote was gaveled shut, McConnell told others he was preparing to reach out to Schumer to talk about what was next. The two met in the majority leader's stately office off the Senate floor. McConnell discussed the offer the White House had proposed: a short-term bill to reopen government that included a "down payment" Trump wanted for the wall. Pelosi, however, had already waved off the idea, and Schumer said Democrats would not support it, according to a senior Democratic aide. Pelosi had kept her boisterous caucus of Democrats surprisingly united throughout the standoff. She persuaded many that the fight was bigger than any wall. "That is part of the design, to undo the role of government," she told Democrats on Wednesday, imploring them to hold tough, according to an aide in the room. "There is a plan. It is working for us." Schumer answered McConnell with the proposal that eventually would be accepted: a three-week measure to reopen the government and then a plan for House and Senate negotiators to discuss border security. McConnell took the Schumer proposal to the White House. Overnight and into Friday, several Republican senators ramped up the pressure. They called Trump and urged him to end the shutdown and take up border security through the regular legislative process, according to a person familiar with the private conversations. The White House was ready to consider proposals from Capitol Hill. Vice President Mike Pence had endured a contentious lunch with Republican senators on Thursday, absorbing criticism for having no plan for a way forward. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said senators described the "discomfort" of a shutdown and "how fruitless many of us I'd put myself in that category think it is." While the vice president "asked for unity" before the upcoming Senate vote on Trump's plan, he also acknowledged the "need to reach a conclusion," she said. Stories about federal workers in dire straits due to missed paychecks were weighing heavily, too, on Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. "There's a parade of horribles of how people are having to cope with not getting paid and it's not good," Cornyn said. "There was a lot of frustration expressed about the situation we find ourselves in." White House aides acknowledged they were running out of options that might minimize the impact of the lengthy shutdown as complaints intensified from government employees and people who depend on federal aid and services. By Friday morning, with airports reporting increased shutdown-related flight delays and more workers recounting their personal financial crises, Schumer and McConnell were on the phone talking details. At that point, it wasn't hard to persuade Trump. Pence, senior adviser Jared Kushner and others on his team were seen as supporting an exit strategy. But those close to the White House insisted that Trump viewed this not as a capitulation but rather as one more chance at the deal he wants. Aides said the president believes there are Democrats willing to work on border security and that the bipartisan negotiators on Capitol Hill will draw in a more diverse range of views. "Will not be easy to make a deal, both parties very dug in," Trump tweeted Saturday, publicly confident of an outcome that has eluded him: "We will build the Wall! ___ For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. government shutdown: https://apnews.com/GovernmentShutdown United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Malnutrition rates in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Yemen worsened in the latter part of 2018, the UN said Monday in a report highlighting the links between conflict and food scarcity. By contrast, some improvements were noted in Somalia, Syria and the Lake Chad Basin countries thanks to an improved security situation. Overall, some 56 million people across eight conflict zones need emergency food assistance and assistance to support their livelihoods, according to the report compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WPF). The research "clearly demonstrates the impact of armed violence on the lives and livelihoods of millions of men, women, boys and girls caught up in conflict," said FAO director Jose Graziano da Silva. "I would strongly encourage you to keep in mind that behind these seemingly dry statistics are real people experiencing rates of hunger that are simply unacceptable in the 21st century." David Beasley, director of the WPF, said the UN needed better and quicker access to conflict zones to provide help. "But what the world needs most of all is an end to the wars," he added. According to the report, acts of violence against humanitarian workers are on the rise, sometimes leading to a suspension of operations and depriving vulnerable populations of aid. A significant deterioration in food security is expected this year in the lean season -- from June to August -- in the Lake Chad Basin, including parts of Nigeria and Niger, where Boko Haram militants are active. Paris (AFP) - Comoros President Azali Assoumani has denied targeting his opponents in the run-up to March elections, calling the detention of numerous opposition members in the Indian Ocean nation as "unfortunate coincidences". Assoumani, who first came to power in a 1999 coup, insists the March 24 vote will be transparent, putting the impoverished islands on the path to becoming an emerging economy by 2030. That's despite widespread criticism from international monitors over a referendum last year on constitutional changes which could allow him to remain in power until 2029. As for his opponents: "No opposition figure can say they were arrested because they spoke. There are no political arrests in the Comoros," Assoumani told AFP in an interview during a private visit to Paris. Several opposition politicians have been tried and convicted by the former French colony's courts in recent months. Ex-president Ahmed Abdallah Sambi is under house arrest for fraud and corruption, and the head of his Juwa party, Hassane Ahmed el-Barwane, was sentenced in December to seven years in prison for assaulting a soldier. Four others, including former vice-president Djaffar Said Ahmed Hassane, who has fled to Tanzania, have also been sentenced to hard labour for life for plotting against the state and endangering national security. "Our leaders are being arrested or hounded," a senior member of Juwa told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. Assoumani brushed aside the arrests as "unfortunate coincidences". He insisted the judiciary operated independently in the Sunni Muslim nation, which has been undergoing an exodus to the neighbouring French-run island of Mayotte. "I challenge any judge to say that they were acting on a call from President Azali," he said of the opposition arrests. - Ten more years? - This is the second spell in power for 61-year-old Assoumani, who after the coup was elected to a four-year-term in 2002 and then returned in 2016. Story continues Last year's referendum supposedly gave him 93 percent public backing for changing the constitution to allow Comoros presidents to hold two consecutive terms. But the vote was boycotted by the opposition, and observers cast serious doubt over the official turnout of nearly 63 percent. The presidency will continue to change hands between the three islands that make up the Comoros -- Grand Comore, Anjouan, and Moheli -- but every 10 years, instead of every five. The changes could potentially allow Assoumani to stay in power for a further decade. That might well worry his opponents, but he insists the changes can only be a good thing for the "unity of the country". Under the new system, all citizens will be able to vote from the first round of presidential elections, rather than this being reserved for residents of the island holding the presidency. Anxious to give credibility to the elections after the controversial referendum, Assoumani is inviting observers to monitor the presidential vote. "The campaign starts on February 24 and we must have observers in place to inform us of any errors that need correcting," he said. The Comoros have notably asked the African Union and the world body of French-speaking nations, the International Organisation of La Francophonie, to send monitors. - 'I won't be beaten' - Assoumani insists that things don't always go his way. "I was elected in 2002 and when I left in 2006, my candidate didn't win," he said. But if he loses in March, would he accept the result? "I won't be beaten," he laughed. "I am confident, the Comorians are not ingrates -- they know what we have been putting in place in any number of sectors," he said. "We are developing infrastructure: the roads; we have a project to build an autonomous deep-water port in Anjouan; there is a contract to make a decent international airport for Moroni," the capital. His government has signed contracts with the United Arab Emirates to develop solar energy, a sector Assoumani is keen to develop, along with fishing. His objective is to speed up development of the Comoros, notably to put a brake on the wave of departures towards wealthier Mayotte, which chose to remain part of France after Comoros declared independence in 1974. Mayotte sends home 18,000 to 22,000 Comorians every year -- an issue that riles Assoumani, who is pushing for Comorians to be allowed visit the neighbouring island visa-free. "We consider Mayotte as Comorian under international law. It is very difficult for us to see Comorians sent home from Mayotte as if they were illegal immigrants, as if they were foreigners," said Assoumani. The Comoros have had a tumultuous history, marked by 20 attempted or successful coups since independence from France in 1975. And the Mayotte issue has embittered relations with Paris. Assoumani insists he wants to "prioritise dialogue" with France, with a deal to soothe relations currently under negotiation. Abidjan (AFP) - Lawyers in Ivory Coast on Monday warned against political interference in the legal system, demanding that judges execute their duties "in total independence". "The Ivory Coast Bar Association formally asks Ivorian judges to carry out their missions with total independence and impartiality," said Thomas Ze N'Dri, the body's president. "The reality of the last few months has given Ivorians cause for real concern, with a blurring of the lines between the law and politics," he said in a public announcement in the capital Abidjan. "A judge should only take orders from the law," the bar association said. The lawyers' statement came two weeks after a similar protest by unions representing the country's magistrates. In a statement on January 17, they said there had been a "progressive deterioration in their moral and psychological working conditions due to... threats, intimidation and interference in the pursuit of carrying out their duties". The National Union of Ivory Coast Magistrates and the Magistrates' Trade Union Syndicate Union denounced "in the strongest terms, the intolerable interference in the exercise of their duties". They urged "all magistrates to close ranks in order to face up to all these attacks, wherever they come from". They also demanded that President Alassane Ouattara, "as the constitutional guarantor of the independence of the judiciary", to ensure the separation of powers and rule of law. Today we are going to look at Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. To be precise, well consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that will inform our view of the quality of the business. First, well go over how we calculate ROCE. Second, well look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. And finally, well look at how its current liabilities are impacting its ROCE. Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) ROCE measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussin has suggested that a high ROCE can indicate that one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar. How Do You Calculate Return On Capital Employed? Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets Current Liabilities) Or for Chevron: 0.054 = US$3.5b (US$257b US$29b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.) Therefore, Chevron has an ROCE of 5.4%. Check out our latest analysis for Chevron Is Chevrons ROCE Good? ROCE can be useful when making comparisons, such as between similar companies. It appears that Chevrons ROCE is fairly close to the Oil and Gas industry average of 5.6%. Putting aside Chevrons performance relative to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms is poor considering the risk of owning stocks compared to government bonds. Readers may wish to look for more rewarding investments. In our analysis, Chevrons ROCE appears to be 5.4%, compared to 3 years ago, when its ROCE was 0.6%. This makes us wonder if the company is improving. NYSE:CVX Last Perf January 28th 19 When considering ROCE, bear in mind that it reflects the past and does not necessarily predict the future. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. ROCE is only a point-in-time measure. We note Chevron could be considered a cyclical business. What happens in the future is pretty important for investors, so we have prepared a free report on analyst forecasts for Chevron. Story continues What Are Current Liabilities, And How Do They Affect Chevrons ROCE? Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To counteract this, we check if a company has high current liabilities, relative to its total assets. Chevron has total assets of US$257b and current liabilities of US$29b. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 11% of its total assets. With a very reasonable level of current liabilities, so the impact on ROCE is fairly minimal. Our Take On Chevrons ROCE Thats not a bad thing, however Chevron has a weak ROCE and may not be an attractive investment. But note: Chevron may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20). I will like Chevron better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements. The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Bernardo de la Cruz casts his eyes around the nearly silent workshop where he used to toil overtime hand-painting custom decor on jeepneys, the singularly Philippine mini buses facing the scrapheap. These rolling art galleries adorned with images of everything from Batman to babies, as well as disco lights and chrome wheels, have for decades provided cheap transport for millions. But pollution and safety concerns have led to a modernization programme, with jeepneys 15 years or older to be taken off the streets by 2020. This is an act of treachery against fellow Filipinos, said de la Cruz. This is a uniquely Filipino product. We were born with it. When he began 45 years ago, there were hundreds of artists giving the vehicles their famously boisterous paint jobs. Now there are estimated to be fewer than a dozen left. He has seen orders decline from a high of up to 80 a month in the 1980s to just one or two now. His canvas is being replaced by eco-jeepneys, powered by electricity or lower-polluting diesel motors. Riders of old jeepneys currently have to climb in through a hatch in the rear, cramming into the benches inside with no respite from the heat and roadside pollution.The jeepneys successor is being billed as a big improvement. It has doors, individual seats, air-conditioning, and enough height to stand up. But it will be mass-produced and look just like a public bus. Skipping over the jeepneys bespoke production process in small workshops means a loss of the individual style and flair that made them global symbols of the Philippines. Its one of the most genuine forms of modern folk art that we have, Bernie Sim, a Manila-based graphic designer and co-author of a 2014 book on jeepney art, told AFP. French fashion designer Christian Louboutin launched a jeepney-themed handbag collection last year, while Swedish furniture giant Ikea painted a jeepney in its signature blue and yellow to announce plans to open a Philippine store. But the vehicles, which were first made from leftover US jeeps after World War II, have been on borrowed time for years. Jeepneys are highly polluting, and the Philippines is desperate to improve air quality in its traffic-clogged cities.Their drivers are also notorious for ignoring traffic rules, and the vehicles have few safety features. On top of that, Manila ushered in internet-based ride-sharing services in 2014, and three years later President Rodrigo Duterte said the jeepney must evolve or disappear.They have all but stopped making jeepneys, said 52-year-old jeepney artist Vic Capuno, based in San Pablo town south of Manila. As a result he and a colleague at Armak Motors now paint just three of four jeepneys a month. De la Cruz worked on nine in the last year. Hes the only painter left at Manilas Sarao Motors, once the countrys biggest producer. Two of his siblings were also jeepney artists, but they died from diseases he believes were caused by years inhaling fumes from the paint. Yet he is still passionate about the vehicles importance in Philippine history. When the jeepney disappears a piece of Filipino culture will also die, De la Cruz warned. A self-taught painter, he was inspired by the work of renowned local artists such Carlos Francisco and Fernando Amorsolo. His jeepney designs, still seen on the streets for now, chronicle the rapidly changing landscape of his homeLas Pinasfrom a farming and salt-making backwater into a highly urbanised area. Its a pleasing sight. It brings us back to a time and place that is no more, said De la Cruz. After raising four children on the pay earned painting, he now also creates canvases and makes storefront signs as a sideline. He conceded he could have a decent life without the jeepneys, but was heartbroken by the governments decision. I would like to appeal to the authorities not to outlaw it, de la Cruz said. At times I cry quietly when I think about what is happening. A huge cannabis factory covering three floors of a derelict tower block scheduled for demolition has been found in the middle of a housing estate. Police had to get through an internal steel-barred door, reinforced with a metal grille, and an industrial-sized padlock before discovering the sophisticated operation. Inside, officers found plants with an estimated street value of 500,000, along with living quarters and stocks of food for those tending the operation. A loading winch had also been fitted into one of the blocks empty lift shafts. Inside the cannabis factory covering 31 rooms and three floors in a towerblock in Birmingham earmarked for demolition. (PA) The 20-storey block, Warstone Tower, in Bromford Drive, Birmingham, has been earmarked by the city council for demolition and has been empty for some time. West Midlands Polices cannabis team found plants growing on the 16th floor but equipment sprawled across the 15th and 17th floors, covering 31 rooms in total. Electricity was being abstracted, while another room had containers holding gallons of water with a pumping system installed, along with ducting for the air conditioning system. The growers had also knocked holes in the floors, ceilings and walls to run hundreds of feet of piping and cable. The front door of a cannabis farm covering three-storeys of Warstone Tower, in Bromford Drive, Birmingham. (PA) Reams of wiring had also been run up the internal staircases. Further inside the warren of rooms, beds with mattresses, duvets and pillow cases had been brought in, along with food provisions including a box of tomatoes. Officers arrived after a member of the public called police on January 24. Five men were arrested at the scene on suspicion of cannabis cultivation. Detective Inspector Jim Church, of West Midlands Polices CID, said: This is a sophisticated, organised crime operation that has clearly been running for some time, but which weve now been able to dismantle. Well be working throughout the day to establish the full scale of it and make the property safe. A cannabis farm covering three-storeys of Warstone Tower, in Bromford Drive, Birmingham, has been discovered. The tower is earmarked for demolition. (PA) Cllr Majid Mahmood, who represents the ward, said the tower had been due to be pulled down after a neighbouring derelict block had been successfully demolished, last year. Story continues The work is part of a housing redevelopment plan for the area. But concerns over debris coming down on a nearby school had pushed back the date to August this year, when work would happen during the summer holidays. He said: Questions need to be asked about how those people were so brazen, living there and running a cannabis farm, when youve got shops nearby and a church, so youve got a lot of footfall. I think a lot of people might have thought they were the (demolition) contractors, coming and going, but with the stench of the plants that must have been coming from there, Id have thought someone would have noticed. He added: The only silver lining is because this has now happened, it means the city council will secure the property. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Macmillan Cancer Support have released a poll revealing the terms and descriptions cancer patients arent loving [Photo: Getty] Brave, fighter, victimjust some of the terms cancer sufferers dont like to be used when people are describing them or their condition. When finding out a friend or loved-one has been diagnosed with cancer, it is often difficult to know what to say or how to react. Today, 4 February, is World Cancer Day, which aims to promote research, prevent cancer and raise awareness of the condition among the global community. In light of the awareness day, a new survey by Macmillan Cancer Support has revealed that there are certain descriptions that arent always appreciated, however well-meaning. Six out of 10 people with cancer dont want to be described as a fighter, while many object to the suggestion they are battling with the disease. The poll found many felt that battling or fighting words were inappropriate to describe what they were going through, but equally they do not want to be called a hero. The word brave didnt always go down well either because this can put patients under pressure to seem positive. The UK poll of 2,000 people who have or had cancer found cancer-stricken and victim were also among the least-liked terms. The charity said it offered an indication of just how divisive certain descriptions of cancer can be. Saying a person had lost their battle or lost their fight with cancer when they died, were other unpopular descriptions with almost half (44%) not appreciating the first phrase and 37% not liking the second, according to the survey carried out by YouGov. Almost half (44%) of people affected by cancer find the phrase lost their battle inappropriate while 37% do not like the phrase lost their fight There are certain terms cancer patients object to people using [Photo: Getty] Instead the survey found that people with cancer prefer the language used to describe them or their condition to be factual. Articles in the media and posts on social networks were found to be the worst offenders for using language cancer sufferers took offence to according to more than half (52%) of patients surveyed. Story continues But almost a fifth (19%) said their friends and family had done the same and 8% said even health professionals used these words with them. To illustrate the impact the vocabulary can have on those with cancer and to highlight the fact that there isnt just one way of responding, the charity have released a video revealing how people with cancer react to often well-meaning phrases. Commenting on the findings Karen Roberts, chief nursing officer at Macmillan, said: We know that there is no such thing as a typical person with cancer, so it follows that people will prefer different ways of talking about it. We hear from people every day who face this problem, that at its worst could even stop people getting the support they need. By drawing attention to this we want to encourage more people to talk about the words they prefer to hear, and stop the damage that can be caused to peoples wellbeing and relationships. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK. Read more from Yahoo Style UK: Cervical cancer screening letters not sent out after NHS mix-up putting over 40,000 women at risk Theres one common symptom of ovarian cancer that 99 per cent of women dont know about Bride claims fiance dumped her days before wedding after brain cancer made her gain five stone Beijing (AFP) - Chinese state-run media on Monday decried the sacking of Canada's ambassador to Beijing, who was fired after he suggested it would be "great" for Ottawa to release a detained Huawei executive. The former envoy, John McCallum, had raised eyebrows over a series of remarks regarding the case of Huawei's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, whose arrest has sparked a diplomatic row between Beijing and Ottawa. The resignation, at the request of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, "reveals political interference", nationalist tabloid Global Times said in an editorial. Ottawa is now as "sensitive as a frightened bird", the newspaper said, noting the visceral political reactions to McCallum's comments. "The truth is that they knew the geopolitics in the case from the very beginning, but were afraid to point them out," it said. "As a Chinese folk saying goes, 'You cannot live the life of a whore and expect a monument to your chastity'," the Global Times wrote, accusing Ottawa of double standards. Meng was arrested in December at the behest of the United States, where she is wanted for alleged violations of Iranian sanctions. US authorities plan to formally file for her extradition by a January 30 deadline. Beijing has reacted furiously to Meng's detention. In apparent retaliation, two Canadian citizens have been detained on national security grounds and another was sentenced to death for drug trafficking. McCallum, a former senior cabinet minister, said in front of Chinese-language media in Ontario last week that he believed the US extradition request was seriously flawed, comments which he later walked back. But on Friday, he told the Star Vancouver newspaper that it would be "great for Canada" if the US dropped its extradition request, prompting Trudeau to demand McCallum's resignation. Ottawa has repeatedly stressed the case is not politically motivated and the justice system is fair but Chinese media has cast Meng's arrest as part of an assault on the country's high-tech industry. Story continues In the past year, a number of Western countries close to the US have barred Huawei products in their telecommunications infrastructure citing security concerns. The China Daily observed: "McCallum was merely stating the truth when he observed that Meng (Wanzhou) has a strong case against extradition, which he rightly said was politically motivated." China's foreign ministry on Monday declined to comment on McCallum's resignation, calling it "Canada's internal affairs". "What I want to point out here is that Meng Wanzhous case is by no means a simple judicial case," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing. "There are strong political motives and manipulation behind it," he added, repeating a call for Ottawa to free Meng. DOUALA (Reuters) - Cameroonian authorities arrested opposition leader Maurice Kamto on Monday, his lawyer said, after weekend protests that security forces dispersed with live bullets, wounding six people. Kamto has been mobilizing dissent against President Paul Biya since losing what he says was a fraudulent election in October. Kamto declared himself winner at the time of the poll and has since challenged Biya's win in the African Union court. Protests are rare in Cameroon, outside its troubled Anglophone western region, and tend to be swiftly put down by force and mass arrests. "I can confirm that professor Maurice Kamto was arrested (today)," his lawyer, Agbor Bala, told Reuters by telephone, adding that it was because of the weekend protests in which dozens took part. The treasurer of his Cameroon Renaissance Movement party, Alain Fogue, was also detained, Bala said. At 85, Biya is the oldest leader in sub-Saharan Africa and most Cameroonians have known only him as president. He holds Cabinet meetings only every few years and spends a lot of his time on private trips to Switzerland. But the opposition has been unable to mount a credible challenge to him. The election cemented his place as one of Africa's longest- serving leaders, but allegations of ballot stuffing and intimidation loomed over his victory, and turnout was low because of a secessionist uprising in the Anglophone regions in which hundreds have died. Biya's camp has denied all allegations of electoral fraud. (Reporting by Josiane Kouagheu; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Peter Cooney) Yaounde (AFP) - Cameroon opposition leader Maurice Kamto, who claims to have been cheated out of the presidency in elections last year, was arrested in the country's economic capital Douala on Monday, a senior party member said. The arrest is the latest political turbulence to hit the West African country and comes after several recent eruptions of violence over the October vote, which saw Kamto come second behind Paul Biya, who has ruled for more than three decades. "Mr Kamto was arrested at the home of (supporter) Albert Dzongang," said Emmanuel Simh, vice-president of the opposition Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC), confirming information from a source in Douala. Following Kamto's arrest, around 300 people gathered outside Dzongang's house, according to an AFP reporter, flanked by about 50 police officers. Shots were fired into the air to disperse the crowd. The authorities did not respond to an AFP request for information. Veteran leader Biya won a seventh consecutive term in the October election, which was blasted by the MRC as an "electoral hold-up". Kamto, who has continued to claim he was the rightful winner, won 14.23 percent of the vote to place second, according to the official figures, but his party has held sporadic protests since then to dispute the result. On Saturday 117 people were arrested during protest marches in several towns. The MRC was holding a crisis meeting late Monday in response to the arrests, Simh told AFP, adding that Dzongang and Christian Penda Ekoka, an economist, were also arrested in Monday's police raid. Kamto's former election campaign head Paul-Eric Kingue and rapper Valsero were among those detained over the weekend. The Cameroon government has looked to dissuade Kamto's party from demonstrating, claiming that the opposition leader was an "outlaw" for not accepting the election results. In France dozens of protesters broke into Cameroon's Paris embassy on Sunday, vandalising portraits of Biya, according to witnesses. Police forced them out of the building two hours later and onto the street, where they continued their protest outside the embassy. Biya has ruled the West African country since 1982 with support from the army, government administrations and the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (RDPC) that he created in 1985. Special Counsel Robert Muellers indictment of Roger Stone, rumored for months to be imminent, is more telling for what it omits than what it alleges. Stone is charged with lying during congressional investigations of what happed in 2016 rather than for anything directly related to his laughably inept efforts to gather information on what WikiLeaks was about to dump on Hillary Clinton during the campaign. Allegedly, Stone testified falsely about his communications with two associates in 2016, Jerome Corsi, Stones confederate at the Infowars conspiracy-theory site, and Randy Credico, a left-wing comedian and talk-show host. Needless to say, this was a decidedly C-list caper. Stone is further charged with witness tampering and with falsely denying that he was in possession of emails and texts documenting communications about WikiLeaks. The evidence of Stones corruptly influencing Credico to stonewall the committees seems, ahem, strong. Referring to the committees subpoena, he texted Credico, Stonewall it. Plead the fifth. Anything to save the plan . . . Richard Nixon. Also: If you testify youre a fool. Stone, who has long prided himself on his outlaw politics and may now have literally lived down to his self-image, also made a reference to mobster Frank Pentangelis sudden bout of amnesia during congressional testimony in The Godfather: Part II. Most of the 23-page indictment weaves the tale of the longtime Trump associates desperation to find out what WikiLeaks had, and to press sources who had access to Julian Assange particularly Credico, who interviewed him. The idea, clearly, was to urge WikiLeaks to publish damaging information in the weeks before Election Day. Stone, however, is mostly in the dark. His one request through intermediary Credico, that Assange provide information about a specific incident (not described) during Clintons tenure as secretary of state is apparently rebuffed. For all the big wind-up, Muellers case does not allege Stones confederation with WikiLeaks; it is built on Stones apparently foolish lies, denying the existence of conversations and written messages that could easily be proved. Story continues At least one of those conversations was with a person the indictment describes as a high-ranking Trump campaign official (identified in some reporting as Steve Bannon, who was then the campaigns CEO, and who has been interviewed by Muellers investigators). Stone also has exchanges with an unidentified supporter of the Trump campaign as well as a reporter who had connections to a high-ranking Trump campaign official. In summary fashion, the indictment asserts that in June and July 2016, Stone informed senior Trump campaign officials he had information indicating that WikiLeaks had documents whose release would be damaging to the Clinton campaign. But Mueller does not claim that this information came from WikiLeaks itself (and, though the indictment does not mention this, The Daily Caller has reported that Stone had other sources who predicted that WikiLeaks would release compromising information about the Clinton Foundation which it never did). After WikiLeaks began publishing hacked DNC emails on July 22, the indictment alleges that a senior Trump campaign official was directed to contact Stone about any additional releases and what other damaging information [WikiLeaks] had regarding the Clinton campaign. There is no indication of who did the directing. Stone has denied it was Donald Trump, but it is not clear hed be in a position to know that. In any event, Stone is said thereafter to have told the Trump campaign about potential future releases (emphasis added). That is, the Trump campaign did not know what WikiLeaks had or would do, and the best Stone could do was surmise what it might have and might do. We rehearse this detail to point out that, after more than two years of investigation premised on thenFBI director James Comeys highly irregular public announcement (in congressional testimony shortly after Trumps inauguration) that the bureau suspected Trump-campaign coordination in Russias espionage efforts, the special counsel has never alleged a conspiracy between Trump associates and the Kremlin. In fact, his indictments indicate that Russia orchestrated hacking operations on its own and passed the stolen emails to WikiLeaks, which published them. The Trump campaign obviously hoped to benefit from anti-Clinton revelations of any kind and from any source, no matter how unsavory. But the Stone indictment elucidates what Muellers earlier Russian indictments indicate: There is no reliable evidence of Trump-campaign complicity in Russias hacking, the campaign did not know what Russia stole, and it had no connection to WikiLeaks acquisition or publication of Democratic emails which themselves had scant bearing on Mrs. Clinton (she is virtually absent as a participant, though it is clear that the DNC favored her over rival Bernie Sanders). Given how suspicions over Russia connections have roiled over politics and cast a cloud over the White House, it is past time for the Justice Department to state whether it stands by the explosive suggestion in then-director Comeys testimony, subsequently reiterated by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, of TrumpRussia coordination. What we know beyond a doubt is that Trump and the campaign had too many sleazy associates, with Roger Stone high on the list. More from National Review Current and former BuzzFeed employees are demanding the company compensate recently laid off staffers for their full, unused paid time off. In a weekend Medium post, the BuzzFeed News Staff Council an internal organization designed to raise employee concerns with management said the issue for departing workers could be the difference between whether or not bills and student loans will be paid on time and how their families are supported. BuzzFeed is refusing to pay out earned, accrued, and vested paid time off for almost all U.S. employees who have been laid off. They will only pay out PTO to employees in California, where the law requires it, the petition signed by more than 350 BuzzFeed employees read. Also Read: BuzzFeed, HuffPost and Mic: Inside the Crisis in Digital News Employers absolutely can pay out PTO and often do. It is a choice, and for a company that has always prided itself on treating its employees well, we unequivocally believe it is the only justifiable choice, it added. The letter was addressed to BuzzFeed co-founder and CEO Jonah Peretti, editor-in-chief Ben Smith and the companys HR chief, Lenke Taylor Many of the laid off BuzzFeed employees had accrued days or even weeks of unpaid vacation time. As the letter noted, only BuzzFeed staff in California are currently slated to received their unpaid days and only because state law is forcing the companys hand. The Medium post was shared by dozens if not hundreds of BuzzFeeders across Twitter on Sunday, causing the issue to take over the platform. In a message to petition organizers obtained by TheWrap, Taylor said the company was open to discussing the matter further. We would like to have a dialogue with the news staff council and staff from other departments on PTO payout. We are open to re-evaluating this decision but we think it is important for everyone to understand the tradeoffs in changing the PTO practice, how we came to the decision to offer everyone a minimum of 10 weeks salary, and the ways weve adjusted our severance to be fair and competitive in every state where we operate. We will follow up soon with next steps so a representative group of employees from across the company can meet with Jonah and me about this. Youll hear from us by the end of the day Monday on scheduling next steps. Last week capped one of the most brutal in the media industry in recent memory, with BuzzFeed beginning a process that will ultimately end with the termination of 15 percent of their staff or roughly 215 people. Similar gutting also took place at HuffPost and Gannett. All told, roughly a 1,000 media industry jobs were eliminated, according to a count from CNN. Read original story BuzzFeed Staffers Demand Company Pay Out Paid Time Off to Laid Off Employees At TheWrap Strong winds caused blowing snow that wreaked havoc across the Greater Toronto Area on January 27, 2019. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto) Ontarians woke up Monday morning to a frigid start to the work week, and it looks like these bone-chilling temperatures will continue for at least the next couple of days. Were looking at certainly tomorrow night right through Wednesday night, and probably into Thursday, bitterly cold weather here, Brett Anderson, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather told Yahoo News Canada. Dangerous cold outbreak certainly.the coldest air of the winter, by far. Environment Canada has issued special weather statements for much of Ontario, into southern Quebec. The government agency is also warning Canadians of extreme cold weather stretching from northeastern Alberta all the way to Quebec, with wind chill values as low as -55 C. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Why is it so cold now? Cold weather in January is far from unusual, but these extreme cold temperatures can be blamed on a polar vortex, referring to a circulation of cold air that usually sits in the Arctic region but occasionally makes its way southward. This polar vortex is pushing farther south than normal, bringing the bitterly cold temperatures with it. Its getting shiftedabnormally far south and its actually getting all the way down into northern Ontario it looks like Tuesday into Thursday, Anderson said. That allows the core of the Arctic air to sweep down from the eastern Prairies, Manitoba, directly into Ontario and even western parts of Quebec over the next few days. According to Anderson, temperatures across Ontario are expected to be 10 to 20 C below normal from Tuesday night into Thursday. With wind chill factors, much for the province can expect temperatures sitting at -25 to -35 C Tuesday night, creeping down even chillier to -35 C to -40 C with windchill factors on Wednesday night, according to AccuWeathers predictions. Northeastern areas of Ontario, around the Ottawa region, wont see temperatures as extreme as southern Ontario. The core of the cold is going to be pretty much from southwestern Ontario, Anderson said. Thats where the worst of the wind chill is going to be, from basically Toronto on west and north, but not east. Story continues This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Snow expectations Although Environment Canada is calling for 15 to 20 cm of snow for the City of Toronto, Anderson believes accumulation amounts will be significantly lower in the Greater Toronto Area this week. Were not expecting much snow in the Toronto area, probably looking at a general two to eight centimetres across much for the Greater Toronto Area with this particular storm, Anderson said. But the AccuWeather meteorologist does anticipate some significant lake effect snow on the horizon for Ontario, with the more westerly wind in mind. Areas like Owen Sound, Hanover up towards Bruce Peninsula, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Midland and other areas north of Barrie are estimated to see 30 to 90 cm of snow, causing miserable blizzard conditions. How to prepare for the cold With temperatures this low below zero, there are some preventative measures that should be taken to manage the deep freeze, starting with trying to limit the amount of time you spend outside and ensuring youre properly dressed in layers, including a hat and mitts. Anderson recommends leaving your faucets dripping a bit in your house because exposed pipes can freeze and rupture. Where the pipes are, perhaps in areas that can get chilly in the house, you may want to run some extra heat, Anderson said. If you have a car, youll definitely want to check your battery as well, especially if its a few years old. It might also be a good time to invest in something to warm your battery to get you out the door on Wednesday morning during the deep freeze. London's Daily Telegraph apologized to first lady Melania Trump on Saturday and said it had agreed to pay her "substantial damages" for publishing false statements regarding her family and her modeling career. It was at least the third time that the first lady has successfully sued publications or online blogs over defamatory articles. "We apologize unreservedly to The First Lady and her family for any embarrassment caused by our publication of these allegations," the newspaper wrote Saturday. "As a mark of our regret we have agreed to pay Mrs. Trump substantial damages as well as her legal costs." The claims appeared last week in a cover story in its Saturday magazine entitled "The mystery of Melania." The conservative British newspaper said the article should not have made the claim that Melania Trump was struggling in her modeling career before she met Donald Trump nor that she had advanced in her career due to his help. Melania Trump: First lady rings in 2019 with a sparkly selfie "We accept that Mrs. Trump was a successful professional model in her own right before she met her husband and obtained her own modeling work without his assistance, " the Telegraph said. The newspaper also said she did not leave her design and architecture course at her university because of anything to do with completing her exam, as alleged in the article, "but rather because she wanted to pursue a successful career as a professional model." The apology also stated that the future first lady met Trump in 1998, not in 1996, as it had published, and also wrongly claimed that her mother, father and sister had relocated to New York in 2005 to live in buildings owned by Trump. "They did not," the newspaper said. The Telegraph also cleaned up a couple of additional points: "Mrs Trumps father was not a fearsome presence and did not control the family. " Story continues "The claim that Mrs. Trump cried on election night is also false." In 2017, Melania Trump's lawyer said she settled a defamation suit for a "substantial sum" against a Maryland blogger who wrote she once worked as an escort. The blogger, Webster Tarpley, also issued a statement in which he said that his article was replete with false and defamatory statements about her, Variety reported. That same year, the Daily Mail and Mail Online agreed to pay significant damages, estimated to be under $3 million, to settle a libel claim. A statement agreed upon by both parties said a double-spread newspaper article and an online posting about her by the Mail included false and defamatory claims about [Mrs Trump] which questioned the nature of her work as a professional model and republished allegations that she provided services beyond simply modeling," according to The Guardian. The Mail also published an apology to the first lady "for any distress that our publication caused her." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: British paper apologizes to Melania Trump, pays 'substantial damages' over article Four members of the New Peoples Army were killed while a wounded rebel was captured following two separate skirmishes with army troopers in Cotabato and Iligan City on Sunday. The first clash occurred when army soldiers surprised a group of heavily-armed NPAs reportedly extorting from villagers in Sitio Kalo Kali, Brgy Bagumbayan, Magpet in Cotabato at around 1 p.m. Col. Ehrlich Noel Paraso, commander of the 19th Infantry Battalion, said about 70 armed terrorists of Guerrilla Front 53 of the Southern Mindanao Regional Command scampered to different directions as troops opened fire at the rebel group. Paraso said despite being outnumbered, the soldiers overwhelmed the rebel group in the firefight that lasted for about 30 minutes. The rebels eventually retreated to different directions leaving behind a dead rebel and several wounded fighters. An army soldier was also wounded in the fighting. Paraso said a wounded rebel tried to evade soldiers who were conducting mapping operations after the fighting but was intercepted in a military checkpoint in Brgy. Gubatan and was immediately brought by an ambulance for medical attention. Recovered from the battle scene were an M14 rifle, an M16 rifle with anM203 grenade launcher, an anti-personnel landmine, 5 magazines with 20 rounds of ammunition, 2 flags each from the NDF, NPA, and CPP, medical paraphernalia and subversive documents.We had been receiving reports from concerned civilians about the presence of the terrorist NPA in the area the reason why we launched our operations. This village was a former mass base of the terrorist group and they are trying to recover it by harassing the populace and threatening former rebels to rejoin them in their failed armed struggle, Paraso said. Authorities had extended their sympathies to the family of the dead terrorist as they coordinated with the local government unit and the PNP counterparts to help find the familys whereabouts and those of the relatives of the wounded rebel. Members of the terrorist group have a choicethey can remain and accept their fate of being killed in an encounter against government troops, or they can go back to their families and return to the mainstream society, said Maj. Gen. Ronaldo Villanueva, commander of the 4th Infantry Division. The second fighting took place in the outskirts of Butan City where army troops of the 29th Infantry Battalion battled CPP-NPA terrorist in Sitio Patagon, Brgy Anticala at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday leaving three terrorist killed. Maj. Ronaldo Putol, Civil Military Operations officer said the firefight erupted after troops received information from a civilian that the NPAs were extorting money from the villagers. He said that as soldiers were approaching Sitio Patagon, the NPA members believed to be members of Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee under Toto Anub fired at government forces sparking a firefight which lasted 10 minutes after which the rebels scampered to different directions leaving three dead comrades. The troops recovered one AK47 rifle, two M16 rifles, and an M203 rifle grenade launcher at the encounter site. By Marta Nogueira RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The Brazilian prosecutor running talks to settle a lawsuit over a 2015 tailings dam rupture at the Samarco mine told Reuters on Saturday that a deadly dam burst on Friday at a mine run by Vale SA could scramble those sensitive negotiations. Federal prosecutor Jose Adercio Sampaio said that depending on Vale's culpability in the new disaster, it may change how his task force handles a 155 billion reais ($41 billion) case against Samarco Mineracao SA, a Vale joint venture with BHP Group . That case is currently suspended amid negotiations for a potential settlement. "Now an intervening fact has appeared and that may completely change the course of those talks," Sampaio said in a telephone interview. On Friday, a burst tailings dam at a Vale mine in the town of Brumadinho, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of the Samarco complex, sent a torrent of mud tearing through the miner's facilities. At least 37 people died and nearly 300 were missing. and left hundreds missing. "We need to investigate what caused this new rupture, if there were the same causes as the Samarco case: a lack of monitoring, incomplete information, neglect," Sampaio said. Vale, BHP and Samarco declined to comment. The new disaster at the Vale mine drew immediate parallels to the Samarco disaster, which involved the collapse of a larger dam that killed 19 people, buried a village and poured toxic waste into a major river near the town of Mariana. Sampaio said state and federal authorities have also failed to apply more stringent regulation to the hundreds of tailings dams around the country. "When it comes to the safety policy for these dams, nothing absolutely nothing has changed," Sampaio said. "We're going to see one tragedy after the other." Sampaio said he has contributed to prosecutors' work so far on the new disaster, and over the weekend prosecutors will decide whether to create a new task force or expand the scope of the Samarco team. (Reporting by Marta Nogueira; Writing by Brad Haynes; Editing by Sandra Maler) Sao Paulo (AFP) - Brazil's new president, Jair Bolsonaro, underwent surgery Monday to successfully remove a colostomy bag attached after suffering a serious abdominal wound in a knife attack while campaigning last year, his office said. The leader, who took office at the beginning of January, will have two days of absolute rest then resume his duties from his hospital ward in Sao Paulo until he more fully recovers, something expected to take between a week and 10 days. Bolsonaro, 63, was stabbed by a mentally unstable lone assailant on September 6 while he was campaigning in a crowd in a street in the southeast state of Minas Gerais. After emergency surgery to save his life, the far-right politician was forced to lay up for 23 days -- but still saw his popularity rise because of public sympathy and the way the attack played into his hardline law-and-order agenda. Bolsonaro went on to easily win October elections. He has vowed to crack down on crime and corruption in Latin America's biggest country. The president made his first foreign trip to attend last week's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland with his colostomy bag still attached. Late Sunday he issued a video on social media from the hospital, wearing a blue hospital gown and saying: "If God wills it, all will go well. Thanks to all for your prayers." For Bolsonaro's two days of rest, Brazil's Vice President Hamilton Mourao will serve as acting president before handing responsibilities back to his boss. Ministers will fly in from the capital Brasilia as needed. "A whole structure has been set up in Sao Paulo to ensure effective governance," said presidential spokesman Otavio Santana do Rego Barros. Sao Paulo (AFP) - Muddy waste from a ruptured dam at a mine in Brazil's southeast is reaching an indigenous community in the region, contaminating its water supply, a chief told AFP. "We noticed that the river is becoming dirty and later, we started to see dead fish," a leader of the Nao Xoha native community, Hayo Pataxo Ha-ha-hae, said by telephone. He said he had met a representative of the government's indigenous protection agency Funai to discuss the pollution. The muddy change to the Paraopeba river was the result of the dam collapse that occurred last Friday at the mine owned by mining giant Vale, close to the town of Brumadinho. The disaster has killed at least 60 people and left nearly 300 missing, presumed dead. More than $16 billion was wiped off Vale's market capitalization on Monday as investors digested the news, which was compounded by a previous mining dam disaster involving Vale in the same region three years ago. The Nao Xoha community is comprised of 27 families living on the banks of the Paraopeba river in a fishing village, Sao Joaquim de Bicas, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Brumadinho. "They informed us yesterday (Sunday) that they have only small reserves of water," the regional Funai director, Jorge Luiz de Paula, said in a statement. Funai on Monday delivered donations to the Nao Xoha families. Hayo said: "We are in a very serious situation.... We depend on the river and the river is dying. We don't know what to do." Marcelo Laterman, a geographer and spokesman for Greenpeace, called the pollution "worrying." "We are seeing this toxic mud spreading and it looks as if it will go 220 kilometers to another dam where these mining residues can be blocked," he told AFP. He said parts of the river and nearby vegetation "were completely destroyed." Brazilian authorities have ordered that more than $3 billion in Vale assets be frozen with the aim of using it to pay out compensation and fines. Police have said at least 34 people have died in the Brazil dam collapse and hundreds more are still missing. The collapse occured in the eastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais on Saturday, triggering mudslides that buried the surrounding areas in waste from an iron ore mine. Avimar de Melo Barcelas, the mayor of the town of Brumadinho where the collapse occurred, said earlier in the day on Saturday he expected the death toll to rise as search and rescue operations continue. A restaurant believed to be full of workers was destroyed, and roads to the area were cut off. In response to the mine collapse, evacuations were ordered. The sludge stretched as far as the nearby community of Vila Ferteco. Firefighters in the evacuation response were helping residents to escape and evacuate with helicpoters. Images from the aftermath of the collapose showed sludge surrounding the rooftops of buildings. More than 100 firefighters were at the scene, with another 200 expected to arrive. Ive never seen anything like it, Josiele Rosa Silva Tomas, president of Brumadinho residents association, told the Associated Press. It was horrible ... the amount of mud that took over. Unfortunately, at this point, the chances of finding survivors are minimal. Were likely to just be rescuing bodies, said Romeu Zema, governor of the mining-intensive state of Minas Gerais where the disaster struck. The collapse of the dam which is owned by Vale SA, Brazils largest mining company comes just three years after another dam administered by the company and Australian mining firm BHP Billiton burst in 2015 in the city of Mariana, burying a village and pouring toxic waste into a river. Vale CEO Fabio Schvartsman said he did not know what caused the latest collapse. He said that the burst dam, located at the Feijao iron mine, was being decommissioned and that equipment had shown the dam was stable on 10 January. Two hours after the accident, Vales stock fell by 10 per cent on the New York Stock Exchange. Story continues Many local residents were waiting for news of loved ones who had been working near the dam. Environmental groups and activists said the latest spill underscored a lack of regulation. The Associated Press contributed to this report Associated Press Afghanistan's is racing to ramp up supplies of oxygen as a deadly third surge of COVID-19 worsens, a senior health official told The Associated Press in an interview Saturday. The government is installing oxygen supply plants in 10 provinces where up to 65% of those tested in some areas are COVID positive, health ministry spokesman Ghulam Dastigir Nazari said. Afghanistan's 24-hour infection count has also continued its upward climb from 1,500 at the end of May when the health ministry was already calling the surge a crisis, to more than 2,300 this week. DETROIT (AP) For Cheryl Monroe and generations of other African-Americans, federal government jobs have long been a path to the middle class and a way to provide a comfortable life for their families. Then the record-long government shutdown hit, making it hard for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration chemist from Detroit to pay her mortgage. "People say 'save for a rainy day' and you're always saving, but when there is no check, that's a hurricane not a rainy day," Monroe said. The shutdown that ended Friday left an especially painful toll for African-Americans who make up nearly 20 percent of the federal workforce and historically have been on the low end of the government pay scale. The federal government played an important role in the building of the black middle class in the United States, giving African-Americans job opportunities that weren't always available in the private sector. It started during World War II and the post-war years when the need for manpower was great as large numbers of whites were in military-related or war-production jobs. These jobs offered African-Americans a chance to reach for a "slice of the American dream," said Frederick Gooding Jr., African-American studies professor at Texas Christian University and author of the recently published "American Dream Deferred: Black Federal Workers in Washington, D.C., 1941-1981." "One of the pull factors was a good government job had stable pay, higher pay and benefits in contrast to domestic jobs and tough industrial jobs," Gooding said. "After the war ended, the federal government really started to take a look at what it should do because many of those black workers were still there." Gooding said the federal Office of Price Administration which helped regulate the economy made sure opportunities were provided for blacks in federal government. Many also found jobs in the Postal Service, Defense Department and general printing office, but the work still primarily involved manual labor and "many failed to reach high pay," Gooding said. Story continues "In my experience, there are far fewer African-Americans in the higher grades," said Monroe, who began her federal employment in 1987 with the IRS and is a chapter president with the National Treasury Employees union. "White people have the more lucrative jobs in the government. They are able to save, able to put money away for six months or a year's worth of salary. It's harder for black people. We're always starting at the bottom." The challenges for black workers at the federal level mirror the wage gap in the broader economy. The median black income in 2017 was $40,258 for black households, compared with $65,273 for their white counterparts, according to the Census Bureau. Experts say the wage gap put black federal workers at a particular disadvantage during the shutdown. "African-Americans, despite the opportunities, have generally not had all of the opportunities that whites have had and tend to be more concentrated in the bottom half of the federal workforce and are the most vulnerable to be hurt in a shutdown situation," said Joseph McCartin, a labor history professor at Georgetown University. The Rev. Tia Coulter of Greenbelt, Maryland, earned $15,000 a year when she first started working for the federal government in the 1990s. She worked her way up to a program support assistant job with the Security and Exchange Commission but admitted this week that she was "struggling," having already gone without one paycheck and with another now coming late. "I'm happy to be going back to work with the possibility of getting paid," she said Friday. "That being said, I am also leery of the upcoming months and what will happen on or after Feb. 15. I am hoping that some kind of plan will be put in place so that when these three weeks are up we continue working." Of the approximate 2.1 million federal executive branch employees in 2017, about 37 percent were ethnic minorities, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. African-Americans made up 18.2 percent of the workforce, compared with 9 percent for Hispanics. Data listed 63 percent as white. Those numbers do not include postal workers and members of the U.S. intelligence services. In 2017, whites made up about 78 percent of the overall U.S. workforce , according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Blacks comprised 13 percent. Gary Morton, 58, of Philadelphia, started working for the federal government in 1981 with the IRS and has been with the EPA since 1992. He now works in the Land and Chemicals division and has missed out on more than $4,000 in pay since the start of the shutdown. Morton cut back on expenses and unnecessary purchases when the shutdown started. "I'm really trying to buy only the basic necessities, food, pay my utility bill, still pay my church tithes," said Morton, who is African-American and president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238. "I'm cooking more. I won't go to McDonalds and buy a $3 milkshake when I can get (a carton of) ice cream for $2.50. I carry a case of water in the car now instead of pulling over for a $2 beverage." Coulter, who is black, said the shutdown has opened the eyes of many people relying on a government paycheck that's becoming less of a sure thing during constant gridlock in Congress. Coulter said she's looking at a less expensive place to live and thinking about a second source of income. "I need to think about the savings aspect in the long run and prepare for another storm," she said, referring to the shutdown. "Not all black families were taught about budgeting and money. This for me is like a lightbulb going on. I have to get my financial house in order." SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Search engine Bing's outage in China last week was a technical error, rather than an intentional censorship block, a source familiar with the matter said, although Chinese authorities and Microsoft have not commented on the topic. From a technical perspective, a person at Microsoft Corp told Reuters, the site appeared to have been blocked in a manner similar to sites blocked by the government. But the company had received no prior notice from authorities, and the disruption was not intentional on the part of the government, added the person, who declined to be identified, citing the sensitivity of the matter. Microsoft was not immediately available for comment on Monday. Last week, although it confirmed the outage, it declined to give details. The Cyberspace Administration of China did not respond immediately to a faxed request from Reuters seeking comment. Starting from Thursday, Internet users in China attempting to access cn.bing.com, the search engine's domestic URL, found themselves directed to an error page. Attempts to log on to Facebook, Google search, or other sites blocked by China's Great Firewall, encountered the same fate. Service had resumed by late on Friday, however. Engineers at ExpressVPN, a provider of virtual private network (VPN) software allowing internet users in China to access censored websites, ran tests during the outage to determine its origin. They found that rather than domain name service (DNS) poisoning, the most common means for blocking sites under the Great Firewall, Bing's outage appeared to employ a technique known as "black-holing". With this method, rather than re-directing to a dummy server traffic headed for a specific website, the traffic is simply cut off en route, usually at the internet service provider (ISP) level. Express VPN Vice President Harold Li said blackholing boosts the likelihood of an accidental block, versus the more typical DNS poisoning, though he added that the company could not confirm the exact nature of the outage. "We have no idea if it was an accident or not, but it's much easier to make the mistake of blocking Bing when you're blocking a set of IP addresses," he said, referring to website addresses. Bing has long been the only major overseas search engine accessible in China, which blocked access to Alphabets Google search platform starting in 2010. Microsoft alters Bing's results to avoid politically sensitive topics, in line with government policy. Bing's outage came a day after a widely read article by a Chinese journalist criticizing the quality of search results from Baidu Inc, the dominant domestic search engine. That led some internet users to speculate the two incidents were related. The company has endured regular public backlash since 2016, when a Chinese student died after seeking treatment at a hospital that advertised on Baidu. (Reporting by Josh Horwitz and Cate Cadell; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) After an intense week at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, the worlds most powerful people laid bare the things that worry them the most. Earlier this month, WEF released its annual Global Risks Report that highlighted and ranked the urgent risks facing the world right now. The report, based on a survey of roughly 1,000 top business executives, politicians and experts, noted that the following five risks were considered the most likely to happen in 2019: Extreme weather events (such as floods and storms) Failure of climate-change mitigation and adaptation Major natural disasters (such as earthquakes and tsunami) Massive incident of data fraud/theft Large-scale cyberattacks But speaking to Yahoo Finance UKs Alanna Petroff in Davos, there was one key issue that was worrying them the most the US-China trade war. Check out the video above to hear what they said. Bangui (Central African Republic) (AFP) - The prime minister of Central African Republic led a rally of around 3,000 people on Monday calling for a global arms embargo to be lifted ahead of a UN meeting later this week. The mineral-rich country, wracked by ethnic and religious conflict since 2013, has been subject to a UN Security Council arms and ammunition embargo for the past five years. Speaking on a podium in Bangui's central Place des Martyrs, Prime Minister Mathieu Simplice Sarandji said: "This is a lock that deserves to be opened, this is an embargo which strikes our defence and security forces." "The government respects the embargo while armed groups receive weapons! The people of Central African Republic can not understand this law of double standards," he said to cheers from the crowds in the capital. The UN Security Council will on Thursday decide whether to renew the embargo, which bans weapon supplies to the country unless approved by a UN sanctions committee. The authorities in Bangui have repeatedly called on the UN to lift the embargo. The sanctions are aimed at ensuring imported weapons do not end up in the hands of militias in the corruption-prone country. The committee has previously approved shipments of weapons from France and Russia but Chinese weapons deliveries have been blocked. A UN report last year said "the recent acquisition of arms by the government has prompted factions" of militias to rearm. Several protesters on Monday blamed UN Security Council member France for maintaining the embargo. "We have soldiers who no longer work because of the embargo. It's because of France," said demonstrator Pierre. "Only the army can ensure the security of CAR. We want Central African Republic to regain its sovereignty, we want the total lifting of the embargo," said another protester, Fiacre. One of the world's poorest nations, Central African Republic has struggled to recover from a 2013 civil war that erupted when President Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels. In response, Christians, who account for about 80 percent of the population, organised vigilante units dubbed "anti-Balaka" in reference to the balaka machetes used by Seleka rebels. Thousands of people have died in the violence, 700,000 been internally displaced and another 570,000 have fled abroad. PRESIDENTIAL RAGE. President Rodrigo Duterte visits the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cathedral Monday, where 20 people were killed by a double bomb attack Sunday, expresses disappointment that there are still those who sow terror and murder people. ON THEIR TOES. Members of the Philippine National Police, some with K9 assistants, inspect all south-bound passenger buses at the crowded Araneta Bus Terminal in Quezon City Monday as part of heightened alert for law enforcement agents following the cathedral bombing in Jolo, Sulu on Sunday. Manny Palmero By Zeba Siddiqui and Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - A top official at an observer group that monitored Bangladesh's election, as well as one of its foreign volunteers, have said they regret participating in the process, casting doubt on the credibility of a vote won overwhelmingly by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling alliance. The president of the SAARC Human Rights Foundation told Reuters he now believed there should be a fresh vote after hearing accounts from voters and officials presiding over polling booths that activists from Hasina's Awami League stuffed ballot boxes the night before the poll and intimidated voters. "Now I have come to know everything, and can say that the election was not free and fair," said Mohammad Abdus Salam, a 75-year-old former high court division justice. A Canadian observer who was brought in by the foundation has also said she now wishes she had not been involved. Bangladesh, which is an important supplier of clothing to major Western High Street brands and is the second-biggest garments exporter in the world behind China, had already faced criticism from European Union, United States, and British officials for irregularities observed during the polling. Transparency International last week said its investigation into the Dec. 30 election found irregularities at 47 of the 50 constituencies surveyed, including fake votes, ballot stuffing, and voters and opposition polling agents barred from entering polling centres. It found the ruling party was alone in actively campaigning at all areas surveyed, sometimes with help from local law enforcement officials and government resources. The government has dismissed the Transparency International investigation as lacking in credibility. Hasina's political adviser H.T. Imam called the group "a puppet" of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The BNP-led alliance has rejected the election, calling it rigged, after the Awami League and its allies swept more than 95 percent of the parliamentary seats. The United States, European Union and Britain have since called for allegations of ballot-rigging and intimidation to be investigated. Story continues Ahead of the election, the U.S. State Department had expressed disappointment that several U.S.-funded observers had been forced to cancel plans to monitor the polls as Bangladesh didn't issue visas "within the timeframe necessary". Bangladesh denied delaying visas and said it was following due process. Political experts said observers were key to establishing the credibility of the poll, which was Bangladesh's first fully participatory election in a decade. The BNP had boycotted the last vote in 2014. VICTORY ENDORSED The SAARC Human Rights Foundation brought in observers from Canada, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, who spoke to the press on election day and the day after, endorsing the fairness of the voting, often in glowing terms. On New Year's Eve, hours after being declared the winner of a contest that brought her a third straight term in power, Hasina sat on a white couch at her residence to address an audience of journalists and election observers. "They voted so enthusiastically, especially women and the young generation," Hasina said. "By coming to my country, you have also given us good opportunity to show how democracy is working." As a microphone was passed around the room, monitors from the SAARC Human Rights Foundation as well as other observers, including those from the Saudi Arabia-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, congratulated Hasina on the win. The first to speak was a representative of the foundation, a Canadian woman named Tanya Foster, who called the election "very fair and democratic". "In Canada I feel that it is a similar type of process," Foster said, as Hasina smiled back. Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed, who is the government's information and communication technology adviser, repeatedly tweeted out statements made by the foundation's observers calling the election fair and peaceful. GOVERNMENT LINKS Though the initials and logo it uses closely resemble those of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the SAARC Human Rights Foundation has no affiliation with that inter-governmental body. The foundation's Secretary General Abed Ali told Reuters the group had applied for approval from SAARC and was expecting it soon. A spokesman for the Kathmandu-based SAARC, though, told Reuters it had never heard of Ali or his group. "The organization is not recognised by SAARC and does not have any relation with SAARC whatsoever," the spokesman said. The SAARC Human Rights Foundation's website says it is based in Dhaka and its initials stand for South Asian Association for Research Council. Its advisory committee includes a lawmaker from Hasina's Awami League, and a former lawmaker from the Jatiya Party, which has often been allied with the Awami League. A former minister in a previous BNP government is also listed on the panel, but no current opposition members. The secretary of Bangladesh's Election Commission, Helal Uddin Ahmed, said it had no knowledge of links between Ali's groups and any political party. Referring to the Awami League and Jatiya Party lawmakers on the group's board, Ali said: "They are just supporting our humanitarian activities." "I want to make it clear that we have no affiliation with any political party," he added. FOREIGN OBSERVERS But at the headquarters of the foundation, a dusty two-room ground floor apartment in the industrial town of Mirpur on the outskirts of Dhaka, there are regrets. Salam, the group's president, said the observers fielded by his organisation had only monitored a few polling stations, so were in no position to make a clear assessment of the election's fairness. He said some presiding officers had told him they had been forced to stuff ballot boxes. "I want to speak the truth," he told Reuters. "I am not doing this for any political gain." He said he was not directly involved in organising the poll observers. Ali dismissed the president's comments, saying: "Can you write something just based on someone saying something?" Tanya Foster, a policy analyst in the Saskatchewan provincial government, told Reuters she had heard from Bangladeshis in Canada that a group known as the SAARC Human Rights Foundation was looking for foreign election monitors. "I asked about the qualifications because I thought it would be an interesting experience. I applied to SAARC and to the Election Commission and they vetted me and offered me an invitation to be an observer," said Foster, whose daughter Chloe Foster also joined the observer's panel. They had never acted as international observers to a national election before. Foster said she was not aware of the foundation's links to the Awami League or the lack of affiliation to SAARC. In hindsight, she said "I don't feel great about it. I feel like I was too naive". "I don't know that our reports are of that much value, considering we only visited nine polling centres and only in Dhaka," she added. "We didn't go to the more hostile areas. We didn't audit the election commission or conduct background checks of the presiding officers or poll agents." Chloe Foster was not available for comment. Ali, the foundation's secretary general, said the women had experience monitoring elections in Canada. He said it was not possible for any group to monitor all polling stations. To be sure, not all the observers fielded by the foundation regret endorsing the voting. Gautam Ghosh, a Kolkata, India-based lawyer, and Hakimullah Muslim and Nazir Miya - members of Nepal's ruling Communist Party - said they stood by their initial statements that the polls were fair. "We heard of incidents of violence but never saw anything with our own eyes. We can't comment on what happened elsewhere," said Miya. Ghosh said he had never seen such a good election. (Additional reporting by Serajul Quadir in DHAKA and Gopal Sharma in KATHMANDU; Editing by Martin Howell and Alex Richardson) DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain's highest court upheld life sentences against three opposition leaders on charges of spying for Qatar, state news agency BNA and a rights group said on Monday. Al-Wefaq secretary-general Sheikh Ali Salman and two senior al-Wefaq leaders Sheikh Hassan Sultan and Ali Alaswad were sentenced to life imprisonment in November, overturning a previous acquittal. The decision was made by the Bahrain's highest court of appeal, the Court of Cassation. Al-Wefaq, which has strong links to the country's Shi'ite Muslim majority, has campaigned for social and political reforms in the country, which is ruled by a Sunni Muslim royal family. Al-Wefaq said in a statement the ruling was made for "political reasons". Amnesty Internationals Middle East Campaigns Director Samah Hadid, said: "Todays verdict is yet another nail in the coffin for the right to freedom of expression in Bahrain and exposes the countrys justice system as a complete farce." The London-based human rights group Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) condemned the decision and said it marked the end of a "long, flawed trial". Since the Bahrain authorities crushed street protests in 2011, demonstrators have clashed frequently with security forces, who have been targeted by several bomb attacks. Manama says Qatar supports the unrest, accusations denied by Doha. Sultan and Alaswad were tried in absentia. Salman is already serving a four-year prison sentence for inciting hatred and insulting the interior ministry, after he was arrested in 2015. (Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Alison Williams, William Maclean) Microsoft Corp. MSFT is slated to report second-quarter fiscal 2019 results on Jan 30. The company benefits from enterprise strength, robust Office 365 & Azure adoption. Further, its blockchain deals and acquisition synergies to enter the AR/VR market is a key catalyst in the to-be-reported quarter. Office 365 is a subscription plan to access Office applications and other productivity services utilized in cloud services. Microsoft is firing on all cylinders to catch up with Alphabets G-Suite by empowering Office 365. LinkedIn is also growing much faster than previously anticipated. In the last reported quarter, LinkedIn revenues surged 33% from the year-ago quarter (same at cc) to $1.46 billion. LinkedIn sessions were up 34%, reflecting acceleration in engagement. Click here to know how the companys overall Q2 performance is likely to be. Microsoft Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Microsoft Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | Microsoft Corporation Quote Azure, Office 365 & Dynamics: Key Growth Drivers For second-quarter fiscal 2019, Productivity and Business Processes revenues are expected between $9.95 billion and $10.15 billion, driven by double-digit growth in Office commercial and Dynamics. Office is anticipated witness continued momentum in new subscriber growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues for the Productivity and Business Processes segment is currently pegged at almost $10.09 billion, much higher than $8.95 billion reported in the year-ago quarter. Microsoft is benefiting from growing user base of its different applications like Microsoft 365 and Teams. Both solutions continue to gain strong adoption. Microsoft 365 has been chosen by the likes of Eli Lilly and Company in recent times. Microsoft Teams is now utilized by roughly 329,000 organizations, including 87 of the Fortune 100. More importantly, Microsoft is adding features on a regular basis to these applications. Apart from strengthening cybersecurity features of Microsoft 365, the company integrated new AI-driven features, including automated slide design, Cortana reminders, enhanced search experiences and real-time meeting transcription, among others. Story continues In Microsoft Teams, the company is adding automated translation support for meetings, shift scheduling for firstline workers, and new industry-specific offerings for healthcare and small businesses. Moreover, Microsoft is well-poised to gain on strong growth in no-code app building and business analytics in the cloud, driven by the companys investments in Power BI, Power Apps and Flow. The Open Data Initiative, which is a partnership between Microsoft, Adobe ADBE and SAP SE SAP, is expected to strengthen the companys dominant position further. Notably, Azure's revenues soared 76% at cc on a year-over-year basis in the last reported quarter. The company added almost 100 new capabilities to Azure in the last reported quarter, with focus on existing workloads like security and new workloads like Internet of Things (IoT) and Edge AI. Azures clientele continues to expand with Volkswagen, Anheuser-Busch In Bev and Mastercard selecting the cloud platform. The momentum is expected to continue in the to-be-reported quarter. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Currently, Microsoft has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Pure Storage, Inc. PSTG, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), is a stock worth considering in the same sector. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Long-term EPS growth rate for Pure Storage is currently pegged at 17.5%. Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year? Who wouldn't? Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%. See Latest Stocks Today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Adobe Systems Incorporated (ADBE) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. A woman was allegedly raped at a care home (Picture posed by model: PA) An autistic woman contracted HIV after being raped by a night shift worker at a care home, it has been claimed. The woman in her 50s, named Cassie to protect her identity, was allegedly abused at an independent care home in Brent, north London, some time between 2006 and 2016. Her condition emerged after she collapsed and was taken to Guys and St Thomas Hospital in central London. Doctors there found she had contracted HIV and that she lacked the mental capacity to consent to sex. A report published by Brent Council has said Cassie, also known as Adult B, was failed by services. It is alleged that she was raped by a night worker at the care home and that the same employee may have abused another five residents over a ten-year period. MORE: Shocking bodycam footage shows thugs kick police officer into path of moving bus MORE: Frances Macron attacks Brexit and says it will end up costing the British people The council report said Cassie had been in care since childhood, and that she started suffering from rashes, bruising, teeth problems and a loss of appetite from about 2007. The woman was later treated at Guys and St Thomas Hospital in London (Picture: PA) Professor Michael Preston-Shoot, chairman of the Brent Safeguarding Adults Board, told the Sunday Express: This is a distressing case of a woman who should have been safe but has acquired a serious infection probably as a result of sexual abuse. The board wishes to express its deep and sincere regret to Adult B and her family. Police were not able to take forensic evidence as the alleged rape could have happened any time between 2006 and 2016. The Metropolitan Police said the investigation was closed in 2017 as there were no new lines of inquiry. The care home has since been closed and Brent Council says it no longer places residents with the private company who ran it. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Washington (AFP) - A US-Polish conference next month on the Middle East is not aimed at Iran, a US official said Monday, after key players balked at attending. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to head to Warsaw for the February 13-14 "Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East," which he earlier said would look at "making sure Iran is not a destabilizing influence." But the conference has drawn few concrete RSVPs amid unease over the hard US line on Iran, with EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini saying she had previous commitments even though the event is taking place in the European Union. A senior US official, previewing the conference to reporters, said that Iran would not be a specific agenda item. "It's important to underscore that this is not an anti-Iran meeting or coalition-building exercise," the official said on condition of anonymity. "From the start, this ministerial has been focused on exploring a range of issues important to the region's security and prosperity," he said. He said Pompeo "will certainly discuss concerns regarding Iran's destructive policies in the region," but said this was because "it's difficult to talk about the region's challenges without referencing Iran." The official said that the conference would discuss the crises in Syria and Yemen as well as missile proliferation, cyber issues, human rights and refugees, with working groups then tasked with following up. The conference, which Pompeo said will draw ministers from around the world, comes almost exactly as Iran marks 40 years since its Islamic revolution and after the United States reimposed sweeping sanctions on the country. Iran summoned a Polish diplomat to protest the conference, which it called a hostile act. A Polish official said that, despite serving as co-host, that Poland still supports an international agreement on Iran's nuclear program from which President Donald Trump withdrew. Russia has also said it will not attend the conference because of its "one-country" focus and failure to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. PARIS (Reuters) - Efforts by Alstom and Siemens to create a European rail champion could yet hit the buffers despite their latest concessions to try to address antitrust concerns. The merger aims to create the world's second largest rail company -- with combined revenues of about 15 billion euros ($17.1 billion) -- but the deal has met opposition since it was announced in September 2017 . In a statement on Monday, France's Alstom confirmed that last-minute concessions had been offered, but sounded a note of caution, adding: "There is, however, still no certainty that the content of this package will be sufficient to alleviate the concerns of the (European) Commission." People familiar with the matter said last week that the European Union competition watchdog would block the deal, with a decision likely on Feb. 6, before the Feb. 18 deadline. German politician Manfred Weber, leader of the European People's Party in the European Parliament, said the latest proposals were a good way forward. But a senior EU official cautioned that if the new concessions did not completely remedy problems raised by a market inquiry, the EU competition office will have no room for maneuvers. Germany's Siemens and Alstom have argued that their deal would help them be better equipped to compete with China's state-owned CRRC, but the EU has stressed its concerns lay with defending consumer interests rather than creating regional industrial powerhouses. The combined revenues of the rail company would be roughly half the size of CRRC but double Canada's Bombardier. To sweeten the deal, the two companies are now prepared to share Siemens' high-speed train technology for 10 years instead of five in Europe, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters last week. European Union Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told Reuters on Sunday her staff were reviewing last-minute changes filed by the two companies on Friday. Story continues But she added that they had come "way, way over the usual deadline." Asked if the door was still open for a possible agreement, Vestager said, "We're looking at what was handed over to us this Friday. This is the last push, if at all possible." Competition agencies in Germany, Britain, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium have warned against the merger, saying the first set of concessions fell short. But the French and German governments have argued that halting the deal would be a strategic error, and have thrown their weight behind the rail merger. Alstom's shares fell 2.8 percent in Paris on Monday, while Siemens' shares slipped 0.2 percent. ($1 = 0.8778 euros) (Reporting by Inti Landauro and Sarah White; Additional reporting by Joern Poltz in Munich and Andreas Rinke in Berlin; Editing by Keith Weir) Algiers (AFP) - Abdelaziz Bouteflika is Algeria's longest-serving president and a veteran of its independence struggle, who has clung to power for two decades despite years of ill health. The 81-year-old head of state issued a decree on Friday setting April 18 as the date for the next presidential election. Rarely seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013 that impaired his speech and left him confined to a wheelchair, Bouteflika has not confirmed whether he will seek a new mandate. But many observers believe that he will seek a fifth term. Even before his stroke, a year before the last presidential poll, Bouteflika had repeatedly marked himself out as a wily political survivor. When he came to power, with the support of an army battling Islamist guerrillas, nobody expected him to stay in office for so long. But "Boutef", as many Algerians nickname him, was instrumental in fostering peace after a decade-long civil war in the 1990s. "I am the whole of Algeria. I am the embodiment of the Algerian people," he said in 1999, the year he became president. But he has had a long battle with illness and frequently flown to France for treatment. Known for wearing a three-piece suit even in the stifling heat, he gained respect from many for his role in ending the civil war, which official figures say killed nearly 200,000 people. But he has also faced criticism from rights groups and opponents who accuse him of being authoritarian. After his stroke, Bouteflika consolidated power in a country where the shadowy intelligence service has long been viewed as a "state within a state". In early 2016, he dissolved the all-powerful DRS intelligence agency after dismissing its leader General Mohamed Mediene, known as "Toufik", who had clung to the post for a quarter of a century. - Architect of peace - Bouteflika was born in Morocco on March 2, 1937 to a family from western Algeria. At the age of 19 he joined the National Liberation Front (FLN) in its struggle against the French colonial rulers. Story continues When independence came in 1962, he was appointed minister of sport and tourism at the age of just 25, under Algeria's first post-independence president, Ahmed Ben Bella. The following year he became foreign minister, a post he held for more than a decade. But he was sidelined after the death of president Houari Boumediene in 1978 and went into self-imposed exile. While he was abroad, the military-backed government cancelled the 1991 elections, which an Islamist party had been poised to win. That sparked a decade of bloodletting. Bouteflika returned from Switzerland in 1999 to stand for president, with the backing of the army, which saw him as a potential figure of reconciliation. He proposed an amnesty for rebels who laid down their arms and twice secured public endorsement for "national reconciliation" through referendums. The first, in September 1999, was a major gamble -- but it paid off, leading to a sharp decrease in violence that helped propel Bouteflika to a second term in 2004. A constitutional amendment was required to allow him to stand for a third term, which he won in 2009. When the Arab Spring erupted in January 2011, Bouteflika rode out the storm by lifting a 19-year state of emergency and using oil revenues to grant pay rises. His supporters argue that under his stewardship, public and private investment have created millions of jobs and dramatically lowered unemployment. But a lack of opportunities and high youth unemployment continues to drive many Algerians to seek a better life abroad. - Uncertain future - In April 2013, the president was rushed to hospital in France after his stroke, and spent three months recovering. He had already been hospitalised in Paris in 2005 because of intestinal problems, and in early 2006 spent a week undergoing post-operative medical tests at the same hospital. In 2016, he flew abroad twice, to France and to Switzerland, for medical checks. Bouteflika's decision to seek a fourth mandate in 2014 after 15 years in power sparked both criticism and derision from opponents, who questioned his ability to rule. He did not even campaign, casting his vote from a wheelchair, but still officially won 81 percent of the vote. There has been constant speculation over his health and his fourth mandate has been marred by falling oil prices, exposing the country's heavy dependence on hydrocarbons. Critics argue that uncertainty over Bouteflika's fitness for a fifth term -- and speculation over possible successors -- has paralysed the government. Political commentator Rashid Tlemcani argues that the president "should have left office at the end of his second term, after securing national reconciliation and conquering the hearts of a large part of the population". A decade ago, Rushern Baker III started seeing signs that something was wrong with his wife when she was still in her late 40s. Christa Beverly was forgetting things and losing things. Then, she was hopelessly lost only blocks from her parents home. It took some doing, but he convinced her to see a doctor. She was tested, and at age 49 was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers. At the time, Baker was preparing to run for county executive in Prince Georges County, Md., which borders Washington, D.C., an election he won in 2010. Within a few years of the diagnosis, Christa had lost most of her functions. Today, at age 58, she is unable to talk, walk, or eat on her own, but she remains at home. Baker, 60, was re-elected county executive in 2014, and mounted an unsuccessful primary campaign for Maryland governor in 2018, but remained his wifes primary caregiver through it all. An estimated 5.7 million people live with Alzheimers in the United States, including 1 in 10 over 65, according to the Alzheimers Association. What may surprise many is that African Americans like Christa are far more likely to be afflicted with Alzheimers or dementia than whites. Researchers say that may be partly related to some of the health issues that are more prevalent in the African American community. Everyone should be concerned, but African Americans are twice as likely to have Alzheimers, less likely to receive a diagnosis and more likely to be diagnosed in later stages, says Joanne Pike, vice president of programs for the Alzheimer's Association in Chicago. Daniel Bateman, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Indiana University School of Medicine and a scientist at the university's Center for Aging Research, says a number of studies show a higher rate of Alzheimers in African Americans. There has been some hypothesis as to why, he says. There are higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes in African Americans compared to whites. All of those are risk factors for Alzheimers and dementia. Story continues He says a 2018 study that also looked at a number of factors of people have had a stroke found that African Americans had an increased rate for all five types of dementia. Robert Newton Jr., associate professor at Louisiana State University, says researchers are looking at many avenues to understand the link. Part of it is genetics. Are there some genetic markers that African Americans have higher risks that predispose them to higher risk of dementia? Is it lifestyle? Are there social factors? Is it education or stress? Researchers are looking at many avenues. Pike says other probable causes may be lower education and income. One of the problems with determining the reason for the higher rate of Alzheimer's cases is that African Americans are not well represented in clinical trials, research studies and screenings that produce earlier diagnoses. We need more information, says Pike. Also, there is a stigma related to talking about diseases like dementia. Baker says mental illness was not something that was readily talked about in the African community, even in churches. Pike blames a lack of public awareness or understanding. "Stigma prevents people from getting treatment or diagnosis." In our community you didnt talk about it, Baker says. By the time it is clear something is wrong, you are two to three years in. The things you could have done to prepare family financially and emotionally dont happen until you are in the last stages." A lot of people were like my family and me, he says. it was considered something that happened to older people. It was not something people talked about 20 years ago in church. Alzheimers was not on radar screen. Baker says he stopped taking his wife to church because he was afraid of what people would say. He didnt tell his two daughters what was going on until his son, Rushern III, the eldest of his three children, told him he could no longer avoid it. He later regretted both decisions. The emotional and financial impacts of dementia are huge, he says. And people need to be willing to talk to family and friends about it and seek support from organizations like the Alzheimers Association. Because he was a public servant, Baker says, his wife was the family's major breadwinner as a civil rights attorney, congressional aide and government affairs director for the United Negro College Fund. His son had just started graduate school when Christa was diagnosed. One daughter had just started college and the other was still home. The impact was tremendous, he says. The person who handled everything was my wife. I never paid any of the bills. I didnt know the codes to go online and pay them. It was a total shock. We were behind in paying the Verizon bill because ... (Verizon) wouldnt give me the code. ... The emotional impact is beyond anything you can imagine." He found help through the organizations like the Alzheimers Association, and his local church, where he now takes his wife every Sunday. Pike says the Alzheimers Association is seeking volunteers willing to share information on support groups, such as Purple Sundays, which offers education and resources to the African American faith-based community. Those programs allow people who notice symptoms in themselves or family to talk to a faith leader before they visit a doctor. The organization is also partnering with sororities, fraternities and business groups, she says. If you bring attention to the problem, African Americans in those communities will respond, says Mary Austrom of the Indiana Alzheimers Disease Center and the Indiana University Medical School. Education is huge key. The thing I would say, especially to the African American and Latino community: 'Dont be afraid to speak out,' says Baker. If you think there is something wrong with a family member, they are forgetting things, it is important that you seek medical attention. Once you get the diagnosis, it is not the end of the world. There are ways to make your life and your loved ones life as comfortable and rewarding as possible. Alzheimer's support materials: Alzheimer's Association Facts & Figure Report Alzheimer's Helpline Community Resource Finder Alzheimer's Association Helpline: 1-800-272-3900 This article was written with the support from the Gerontological Society of America, Journalists Network on Generations and AARP. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: African Americans face greater risk of Alzheimers disease than whites The second round of the plebiscite to ratify the Bangsamoro Organic Law will push through on Feb. 6 as scheduled despite theSunday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Monday. That has not been discussed. It is not being discussed. It is not being considered, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said when asked if the vote would be deferred. Read: Jolo blasts: 20 dead, 81 hurt We will prepare as normal. If anything, the police will probably be on greater watchfulness, he said. The Feb. 6 plebiscite will cover the six municipalities of Lanao del Norte: Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagaloan and Tangkall, and 39 barangays of North Cotabato in the municipalities of Aleosan, Carmen, Cabacan, Midsayap, Pigkawayan, and Pikit. The first round of the plebiscite was held Jan. 21, covering the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Cotabato City and Isabela City in Basilan. The yes vote prevailed overwhelmingly. Sulu province, which voted no, will still be included in the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao because it is part of the ARMM. On the other hand, Isabela City, which also voted no, will remain in Region IX. READ: BOL ratified: 'yes' is for peace, unityMILF Following the deadly blast in Jolo, Sulu that left 20 people dead and scores wounded Sunday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said it would take extra precautionary round of the BOL plebiscite.We will take extra precautionary measures in the advent of the Jolo incident. Meanwhile, our troops are advised to be always on the alert for any changes in the security protocols to anticipate the fluid situation. All other security arrangements stay the same, AFP public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato on Monday said in a text message. The military has allocated some 10,000 troops and support units to help secure the plebiscite, along with the Philippine National Police. A leader of therevolutionary group was behind the Jolo blast. Let us wait for the final result of the investigation by the government because to conclude at this time who did it is speculation, said MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar. No revolutionary group or members of a true revolutionary organization will do that because when you plant bomb in the middle of a population, there will be victimssome will die, some will get wounded, but who knows if those who will die or be wounded are your relatives and friends and many supporters, he said in an interview with ANCs Early Edition. Experts voiced concern on Monday over the impact the attack would have on a decades-long push for peace that culminated last week in voters approving expanded Muslim self-rule in the south. This is a big challenge for the Bangsamoro government, said Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research. The former rebels need to show they will be able to pull the region toward peace in order to attract much-needed investment to alleviate poverty and counter extremism, he said. MILF needs to prove it can make a difference... the gravity of the problem faced by MILF is wow, so overwhelming, he added. WASHINGTON (AP) The special counsel's Russia probe is "close to being completed," the acting attorney general said Monday in the first official sign that the investigation may be wrapping up. Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker's comments were a departure for the Justice Department, which rarely comments on the state of the investigation into whether President Donald Trump's campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. "The investigation is, I think, close to being completed," Whitaker said Monday at the end of an unrelated news conference in Washington. He said he had been "fully briefed" on the probe. Whitaker did not elaborate or give any timetable for the end of a nearly two-year investigation that has shadowed Trump's presidency. So far, special counsel Robert Mueller has charged 34 people, including several close to the president. But he has yet to accuse anyone close to the Trump campaign of conspiring with the Kremlin to hurt Democrat Hillary Clinton and help Trump win the election. Whitaker, who is seen as a Trump ally, took over the Justice Department and oversight of the Mueller probe after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned at Trump's request in November. Whitaker has drawn criticism for not recusing himself from the Russia investigation, even though he has publicly criticized it in the past. A top Justice Department ethics official advised him to step aside out of an "abundance of caution," but Whitaker declined to do so. According to Justice Department regulations, Mueller has to provide a report to the attorney general at the conclusion of his investigation laying out his prosecution decisions. But it's unclear what form the report will take or whether it will be released publicly. And depending on when Mueller wraps up, the report may not go to Whitaker. Trump has nominated William Barr to serve as the next attorney general. His confirmation hearing was held this month and he's awaiting a vote in the Senate. Story continues Barr told the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month that he wants to release as much information as possible about Mueller's findings, but he has hedged on specifics. Trump has slammed the Russia investigation as a "witch hunt" and says there was no collusion. The evidence so far shows that a broad range of Trump associates had Russia-related contacts during the 2016 presidential campaign and transition period, and several lied about the communication. Those contacts, according to Mueller's indictments and U.S. intelligence agencies, occurred while the Russian government carried out a multifaceted effort to influence the 2016 presidential campaign and attempt to sway it Trump's way. On Friday, longtime Trump confidante Roger Stone became the sixth Trump associate to be charged by Mueller. The others are Trump's former national security adviser, his campaign chairman, his former personal lawyer and two other campaign aides. Stone faces a Tuesday morning arraignment in federal court, where he is expected to plead not guilty to charges that he lied to lawmakers, engaged in witness tampering and obstructed a congressional investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. Though most defendants facing charges tend to stay quiet for fear of inflaming prosecutors or a judge, Stone has opted for a different tack since his pre-dawn arrest Friday. Stone staged an impromptu news conference outside a Florida courthouse, made the rounds on weekend television interviews and mocked the probe on Instagram, posting a cartoonish image of Mueller holding a "nothingburger" just a hamburger bun with no meat. Also Monday, a judge delayed the sentencing of Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort in Virginia after he was convicted of eight financial crimes last year. The sentencing is being delayed as a judge in Washington decides whether Manafort intentionally lied to investigators. ___ Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report. WAYNE, N.J. At 92, John Kooreman is the eldest firefighter among his township's bravest. Mild-mannered and soft-spoken, Kooreman bucks the stereotype of a rough-and-tumble firefighter. Although he lost a step, or two, he is not yet ready to hang up his gear. "It gets in your blood, and you just got to keep doing it," Kooreman said from his home on Wednesday. The veteran firefighter at Preakness Volunteer Fire Co. 4 in Wayne, New Jersey, was recently recognized for his service at a public meeting. Fire Chief Peter Haenchen each fire company in Wayne has its own chief said Kooreman embodies the spirit of a volunteer. "It is an honor to work with a guy that has 75 years of service," the fire chief said. Kooreman, a native of Hawthorne, New Jersey, joined his hometown's Fire Co. 4 when he still was in high school. World War II diverted many men from fire scenes to the front lines of battlefields. As a result, Kooreman said, the fire department was in need of volunteers, and he and his friends were allowed to join at a younger age. "We were considered a wartime fireman," Kooreman said. "You had to be 21, but during the war, they made it 18 'cause they couldn't get people." Kooreman later joined Haledon's Fire Co. 2, before he and his late wife, Beverly, moved to Wayne to raise a family. He has three children, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Kooreman came aboard Wayne's Fire Co. 4 in 1959. He served as its chief in 1968, and twice as the township's fire commissioner a role not found in most municipalities that gives power to the officeholder to advise the mayor and Township Council. The commissioner serves for two years, approving new volunteers and overseeing calls for service. It is rare to hold that position more than once, local firefighters say. Although Kooreman is the oldest firefighter in the township, he has not served for the most number of years in Wayne. Story continues That distinction belongs to 89-year-old Gregory Velardi Sr., a life member of P.O.L. Fire Co. 2, who joined the fire department in 1956. Newspaper clip from the June 24, 1966, edition of The Record, with a story about a fatal fire that Kooreman said was among the most memorable of his firefighting career. John Babitz, 77, fondly recalled how Kooreman recruited him to join the fire department. At the time, the men worked together for New Jersey Bell Telephone Co., a Verizon predecessor, in Paterson. Kooreman was a switchman, and Babitz a cable splicer. "He became a mentor for me because he taught me a lot through my whole career," Babitz said. "Not only is he a legend in the [fire] company, he's a legend in the town." In 1966, the year Babitz joined, the township endured a devastating fire in which a 36-year-old man and his 3-year-old daughter were killed. The father, Donald Heintjes, at first escaped, but he ran back into his home in a vain attempt to rescue the girl, who died, according to a newspaper article published by The North Jersey Record on June 24 of that year. Memories of that fire, which sparked in the family's TV, still haunt Kooreman. "Guys were throwing up all over the place," Kooreman said. "They were carrying them out guys would take one look, and whatever they ate for the last couple of days was coming up. "And, they thought, you know it reminded them of their own kid," he added. Kooreman no longer responds to calls for service, but he remains a fixture at the firehouse. He attends the fire company's meetings, goes to its drills and, like a true volunteer, pitches in when he is called on to do so. And, he has been president of the Passaic County Firemen's Association for decades. His son, Scott Kooreman, 60, is vice president of the organization, and he said he might take over its leadership duties. "It gets in your blood," Scott Kooreman said, echoing his father. "Once a fireman, always a fireman." This article originally appeared on North Jersey Record: This 92-year-old firefighter has been battling blazes since WWII Readers share how their toxic jobs hurt their mental and physical health. (Photo: sorbetto via Getty Images) When you really hate your job, it can wreak havoc on your body. We published a story last week with expert insight into the physical signs of chronic work stress, and the response we got from readers was overwhelming. People recognized themselves in the symptoms of sleeplessness, aches, sicknesses and mood changes, and they tagged friends and relatives in the comments on the storys Facebook link. Hundreds of readers shared their own experiences of what a bad boss, job or colleague did to their psyches and bodies. Their stories are a warning to others. The one with nonstop headaches I had debilitating migraines for three years because of the toxic work environment I was in. It took a two-week vacation (which included the stress of my own wedding) with absolutely NO migraines to finally realize the cause. I quit in June. I can count on one hand how many [migraines] I have had since, when I was getting on average one a week prior to leaving. Niki, then working in customer service as head of returns and refunds The one getting hives from a boss I loved my work, but hated going each day because of [my supervisor]. I would get physically ill knowing when she would be around. Emails from her would give me serious anxiety and hives. If she requested meetings, I would have stress attacks and cold sweats. I didnt sleep, constantly worrying about work and was ill frequently. I ended up in the ICU at 36 [years old] and had serious work-induced anxiety.... I walked away from the fight. I feel 100 times better, happier, and can give my family more.Joan, a former state government employee whose name has been changed The one with stress-induced smells Pretty minor, but funny. I was transferred into a sales training program after my [research and development] job was eliminated. I absolutely hated it. About 2 weeks in, I developed a strong foot odor. When I quit about six weeks after that, the foot odor went away. Now I know its time to quit a job when my feet start to stink. Nicole, then a sales trainee in the packaging industry Story continues (Yes, stress-induced foot odors are a real thing, according to the U.K.s National Health Service.) The one who ground her teeth I have a chronic illness which was doing well enough for me to work. However, [after] a year of that toxic environment, my symptoms were getting worse. I could not function. It increased my depression. I developed a teeth-grinding problem. It was a horrible time. Britt Marie, then working as a mortgage analyst The one with infertility stress I couldnt get pregnant for years in my toxic old job. Failed IVF everywhere. First try in new wonderful job... bam, pregnant. Shes 5 now. Megan, then an account manager at a marketing agency (2018 research linked lowering psychological distress with significant increases in pregnancy rates.) The one with aches and declining mental health I felt my whole body hurting. My mental health went down so much. I remember being on vacation worried so much about work that I checked my phone instead of spending time with my family. Toxic workplaces can ruin a persons life. Emily, then an inside sales representative in the educational sales industry The one with crumbling self-esteem The other part is that sense of worthlessness. I struggle with this every day and have been looking for another job. The problem is no one else wants me, and it makes me feel worse when the only job that does views me as highly expendable and useless. Steve, who works for a major cellphone provider The one with hair loss Since retiring over a year and a half ago, my hair has grown back and gained some bounce. I also now enjoy Sundays, whereas before Id be depressed at the prospect of going back to work. Toni, former Australian government employee ...And heres how to get through it in the meantime. Break out of the self-defeating pattern of thoughts. Dysfunctional workplaces break down your confidence and make you lose sight of yourself. As Ask a Managers Alison Green warns, Practices that would have horrified you previously can start to feel normal. In a toxic job, your mind could be telling you an unhelpful story that is not true. Honor your feelings and accept that your physical symptoms are valid signs of stress. Recognize that your self-worth is not tied to any one job. Salvage what you can. If you have a reasonable manager, go to them with your concerns. They may be able to address the root of the problem and make adjustments. Or use the time outside of work to get new skills and professional development that will help build your resume, as Harvard Business Review recommends. Move on. Do not fall into the trap of thinking you have to stick it out at a bad job to be good at your career. As Dying for a Paycheck author Jeffrey Pfeffer told HuffPost, toxic bosses often play to employees egos to get them to stay. Employees dont want to admit that they made a mistake in a job that they took, or because theyve been told by their employer, If you leave, youre not good enough, he said. Use the urgency of your situation as the push you need to get out despite what your toxic employer is telling you. Ultimately, the best cure for a toxic job is usually to leave it entirely. Related Coverage 10 Weird Signs You're Stressed Out 14 Toxic Thoughts To Let Go Of If You Want To Be Happier This Is What Happens to Your Body When You Hate Your Job Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. LONG HILL, N.J. Eight children and their driver were safely removed from their school bus in Long Hill, New Jersey, on Monday morning after it crashed into a utility pole, trapping it off the road with power lines laying on top, police said. No injuries or pain were reported among the victims, but the bus driver was taken to Morristown Medical Center for evaluation per bus-company policy, Lt. James Marczewski said. Police arrived shortly after receiving multiple 911 calls about the crash at 8:26 a.m., Marczewski said. The occupants of the bus obeyed orders to remain on board after police observed "primary wires" atop the bus, then exited when instructed. The children were being driven to Millington and Gillette elementary schools when the crash occurred. A school bus, occupied with eight students on board crashed into the intersection of Long Hill Rd and Meyersville Rd in Long Hill, Monday January 28, 2019. Utility poles were taken down and live wires were resting on the bus after the crash. The students were not injured in the crash. "The children were transported to their schools after the accident to meet up with their parents," Marczewski said. Jersey Central Power & Light Co. reported two power outages in the area, with 438 Morris County, New Jersey, customers without power. The power lines were still on top of the bus at noon. Jan. 24: One dead, at least 20 injured in New Jersey bus crash Dec. 4: Arkansas bus crash: Memphis youth football coach describes chaos of fatal wreck Rich Donat, a Long Hill Township resident, said he had just put his 6-year-old daughter on a different bus to Gillette School about 8:23 a.m. when two power outages in the area alerted him that something was wrong. Word of the crash spread quickly on social media among parents, Donat said. When he learned about the crash, he went to the scene, as did other anxious parents. "We are pretty freaked," said Donat. "I know I was a little freaked. Nobody told us anything." Other parents went to the schools for updated information. Long Hill School District Superintendent Edwin Acevedo was not immediately available for comment. Follow William Westhoven on Twitter: @wwesthoven Dec. 3: One killed as bus carrying youth football team crashes in Arkansas Nov. 23: Washington marching band won't travel to Apple Cup game after bus crash This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: 8 children safely removed from bus trapped under power lines after crash in New Jersey Jan. 28, 2019, marks 50 years since the pristine shores and Pacific waters of Santa Barbara, California, were blemished and blackened by an estimated 3 million gallons of crude oil that spewed out for months from a platform off the coast, forming an oil slick 35 miles long down the coastline across 800 square miles of ocean . The blown-out oil well resulted in what was the largest oil spill in United States history at that time. The disaster killed thousands of marine animals as well as approximately 3,700 birds , according to the California Department of Fish and Game. "If you've got a blowout, it isn't just contained in a small area of land," said Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's Energy Program. The nonprofit organization focuses on the inadequacy of current environmental and taxpayer provisions in U.S. offshore drilling policies. "The oil quickly disperses over large geographic areas, thereby exacerbating the environmental impact," Slocum told AccuWeather. 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill - AP Photo Millions of Americans watched in horror as shocking images of oil-drenched sea birds, elephant seals, dolphins and other animals, some clinging to life and others already dead, played out during extensive news coverage on analog television sets across the country. "Humans are a visually oriented species, so we need to see images of things to often move us to respond or take action," Slocum said. "The images of the massive oil contamination along the California coast was something that was very stunning to people." The shock and alarm resulting from the catastrophe, along with the incident of the oil slick that caught fire on the Cuyahoga River five months later in Cleveland, Ohio, helped galvanize support for the birth of the modern environmental movement, culminating into what eventually became the first Earth Day in 1970. Story continues The catastrophic spill Workers on Platform A, an offshore oil rig owned and operated by El Segundo, California-based petroleum company Union Oil (known today as Unocal), were removing the drill pipe from a freshly bored well when "highly pressurized gas and oil leaked into the water through faults and fractures in the upper layer of the ocean floor," according to Pacific Standard. The powerful explosion cracked the sea floor in five places, the Los Angeles Times reported, polluting the Pacific Ocean with crude oil at a rate of 1,000 gallons per hour. Union Oil had not taken proper safety precautions, which led to the blowout. The U.S. Geological Survey had granted the company a waiver that allowed construction of a protective casing around the drilling hole; however, the casing did not meet federal minimum requirements at that time, falling 61 feet short of them. "They capped it, cemented it and then it started leaking in other places," said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. About 100,000 barrels of oil leaked into the ocean. Cleanup during 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill - AP Photo "It was quite a mess and devastating to the local wildlife, the fisheries were closed," Rogers told AccuWeather. "People across the country saw this beautiful place now dripping in oil. It went for miles down Santa Barbara all the way to Mexico, and they couldn't make it go away." Birth of the modern environmental movement In addition to the shocking images, a top oil company executive further fueled public outrage when he said of the disaster, "I am amazed at the publicity for the loss of a few birds," according to the Los Angeles times. "When you see Santa Barbara in the context of what can and does happen today, it is remarkable how this oil spill spawned a generation of environmental activists," Rogers said. The contamination of the ocean and coastline as well as the deaths of many animals drew global attention and sparked a turning point for environmental activism, spurring lawmakers to action. "The biggest legacy [of the oil spill] is that President Richard Nixon signed into law the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)," Slocum said. The act, considered one of the most important federal environmental protections, was enacted on Jan. 1, 1970. "NEPA was really revolutionary in that it forced the federal government, for the first time ever, to take into account the environmental impact of their decisions," Slocum said, adding that NEPA, along with the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts of 1970, garnered strong bipartisan support. The environmental movement led to the first Earth Day, held on April 22, 1970. "The 20 million people that came out on the streets on that first Earth Day were responding to Santa Barbara, the Cuyahoga River fire, the toxic dumps and clusters of cancer," Rogers said. Earth Day 1970 remains the largest human civic event in history, worldwide. "Never before had you had 20 million people out on the streets [in support of] a single issue, and we may never again," Rogers said. The shipping industry is responsible for transporting the majority of goods involved in world trade and is rightfully considered as the life line of the global economy. However, trade related conflict between the United States and China dealt a severe blow to the industry in the second half of 2018. Recent positive developments on the trade war front and decisions of the Chinese authorities to stimulate the economy will be major catalysts for the shipping industry. In 2019, the shipping industry will be driven by growth in world trade especially the demand from newly-industrialized emerging economies. Consequently, it will be prudent to invest in shipping stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank. Positive Developments on Trade War Front On Jan 18, Bloomberg reported that China has offered to ramp up imports from the United State in the next six years. Total value of these imports will be $1 trillion which will bring down the United States massive trade deficit with China to zero in 2024. Notably, the United States had a trade deficit of $323 billion with China in 2018. Although no broad-based agreement has been reached so far, China has already approved five genetically-modified crops for import that is likely to benefit U.S. agricultural exports. On Jan 16, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. government is contemplating lifting some tariffs imposed on China. This will act as an incentive to the Asian economic giant to make deeper concessions to the United States. However, a Treasury Department spokesperson later denied the report. On Jan 25, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that he is confident of reaching an amicable solution in ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries. The U.S. Trade Representative's office said that China has provided assurance of importing "a substantial amount" of agricultural, energy and manufactured goods and services from the United States. China Taking Steps to Stimulate Economy In order to stabilize its economy, Chinese authorities are taking several initiatives. The Peoples Bank of China has decided to increase efforts to stimulate growth of the countrys economy by improving credit availability for smaller companies. On Jan 25, Chinas central bank stated that it will release about 250 billion yuan ($37 billion) in additional cash to banks. Additionally, the Chinese central bank has created a bond swap facility that will enable bond holders to swap commercial bank perpetual debt for central bank bills to be utilized for borrowing collateral. All these initiatives have been taken by China in order to cope with ongoing trade conflicts with the United States which resulted into domestic slowdown. Moreover, the Chinese Ministry of Finance has pledged to cut taxes and augment infrastructure spending which will aid in bolstering market sentiments. A strong Chinese economy will be a boost for the U.S. technology companies as China is the largest market for high-tech products. Additionally, China also plays the role of low-cost supplier of inputs to the high-tech U.S. industries. Our Picks Positive developments on the trade war front and economic stimulation by the Chinese authorities will protect the global economy to fall into recession which in turn will boost up demand in other emerging markets. As a result international trade will flourish the biggest catalyst for the shipping industry. We have narrowed our search to five such shipping stocks each carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (strong Buy) stocks here. The chart below shows price performance of our five picks year to date. Story continues Teekay LNG Partners L.P. TGP provides liquefied natural gas and crude oil marine transportation services under long-term, fixed-rate contracts with major energy and utility companies. The company has expected earnings growth of 129.6% for current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 1.1% over the last 60 days. Frontline Ltd. FRO engages in the seaborne transportation of crude oil and oil products worldwide. The company has expected earnings growth of 247.4% for current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 27.3% over the last 60 days. GasLog Ltd. GLOG is an owner, operator and manager of liquefied natural gas carriers. The company has expected earnings growth of 234.4% for current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 0.8% over the last 60 days. Navios Maritime Acquisition Corp. NNA provides marine transportation services worldwide. The company has expected earnings growth of 81.9% for current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 48.8% over the last 60 days. Pyxis Tankers Inc. PXS operates as a maritime transportation company with a focus on the tanker sector in the United States. The company has expected earnings growth of 21.4% for current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 9.1% over the last 60 days. Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year? Who wouldn't? Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%. See Latest Stocks Today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation (NNA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pyxis Tankers Inc. (PXS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Business Services sector offers a wide array of services such as staffing, consulting, advertising and marketing, outsourcing, technology, financial transaction, waste removal, business information, and auction and valuation. The sector has outperformed the Zacks S&P 500 composite over the past year. The sector has gained 0.9% against the S&P 500s decrease of 6.5% in the said time frame. Whats Going in Favor of the Sector? Trump administrations business-friendly approach, including tax cuts and higher government spending have kept manufacturing and non-manufacturing activities in good shape, thereby spurring demand for business services. The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) measured by Institute of Supply Management (ISM) touched 54.1% in December, indicating better economic activity in the manufacturing sector. This marks the 28th consecutive month of manufacturing growth. Also, December was the 107th straight month of growth in non-manufacturing activities, with ISM-measured Non-Manufacturing Index (NMI) touching 57.6%. Whats in Store for the Sector This Earnings Season? Per the latest Earnings Preview report, total earnings for the business services sector are expected to be up 10.0% on 4.4% higher revenues. Additionally, the sector is one of the eight (out of the total 16) Zacks sectors expected to register double-digit earnings growth in fourth-quarter 2018. The primary growth drivers include a healthy economy with decent prospects of job growth, higher disposable income and new business initiatives. An ideal mix of services, effective marketing strategies and ability to retain and attract new customers is expected to boost profits of sector players. Given the forecast, it might be a good idea to zero in on some business services stocks that are poised to beat earnings estimates this quarter. An earnings surprise is likely to lead to an outperformance in shares. 4 Potential Winners in the Business Services Sector Story continues Picking the right stocks for your portfolio might appear to be a colossal task, given the large number of companies in this arena. Here, the Zacks methodology comes in handy as it helps identify stocks that not only boast solid fundamentals but are also poised to beat estimates this earnings season. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) and a positive Earnings ESP have a higher chance as high as 70% of beating estimates. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. With the help of the Zacks Stock Screener, we have zeroed in on four promising stocks from the business services sector, which match the abovementioned criteria. Lets take a look at them. Virginia-based, Booz Allen Hamilton BAH has an Earnings ESP of +4.22% and a Zacks Rank #1. It has market capitalization of $6.88 billion. The companys expected earnings growth rate for current quarter is 20.8%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-quarter earnings has increased 1.8% in the past 60 days. The company delivered trailing four-quarter average positive surprise of 16.2%. The company is slated to release third-quarter fiscal 2019 results on Feb 1. Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation Quote Georgia-based, First Data Corporation FDC has an Earnings ESP of +4.35% and a Zacks Rank #3. It has market capitalization of $23.53 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-quarter earnings has remained unchanged in the past 60 days. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter average positive surprise of 3.5%. The company is slated to release fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 7. First Data Corporation Price and EPS Surprise First Data Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | First Data Corporation Quote Mastercard Incorporated MA has an Earnings ESP of +1.45% and a Zacks Rank #3. It has market capitalization of $209.6 billion. The companys expected earnings growth rate for current quarter is 34.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-quarter earnings has improved 0.7% in the past 60 days. The companys trailing four-quarter average positive surprise is 8.8%. The company is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 31. Mastercard Incorporated Price and EPS Surprise Mastercard Incorporated Price and EPS Surprise | Mastercard Incorporated Quote North Carolina-based, IQVIA Holdings, Inc. IQV has an Earnings ESP of +1.04% and a Zacks Rank #3. It has market capitalization of $25.20 billion. The companys expected earnings growth rate for current quarter is 5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-quarter earnings has remained unchanged in the past 60 days. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter average positive surprise of 3.8%. The company is expected to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 13. IQVIA Holdings Inc. Price and EPS Surprise IQVIA Holdings Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | IQVIA Holdings Inc. Quote Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year? Who wouldn't? Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%. See Latest Stocks Today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report IQVIA Holdings Inc. (IQV) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Social Security is a vital program for tens of millions of Americans, but a financial crisis for the program is looming. For a long time now, those who follow Social Security have predicted that a major financial disruption will hit around the mid-2030s, and both current and future recipients of Social Security benefits could see devastating cuts without further action. Even with the American public becoming increasingly nervous about the future of Social Security, Washington gridlock has thus far remained an insurmountable impediment to finding a solution. For several years, the public hasn't even had a voice among the trustees of the trust that holds Social Security's asset reserves. There are supposed to be two members of the public named among the six trustees, but those spots have been vacant for years. Below, we'll go into more detail about the role that the public trustees are supposed to play -- as well as why two people who used to fill those roles have taken it upon themselves to volunteer to provide the same sort of information that they used to give in their official capacity. Three Social Security cards with a brass key on top of them. Image source: Getty Images. How public trustees got onto Social Security's trust fund Social Security's trust fund didn't always have public trustees. Indeed, for much of the first half-century of the program's existence, only appointed government officials were entitled to a seat among the trustees of the trust fund. Today, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services are the three cabinet-level trustees, and the Commissioner of Social Security fills a fourth seat. When Social Security reform last happened, in 1983, former Fed chair Alan Greenspan led a commission that recommended two public trustees to join those overseeing the trust fund. The commission's hope was that including members of the public would boost confidence among everyday Americans about the trust fund's management. Mary Falvey Fuller and Suzanne Denbo Jaffe took their spots as the first public trustees in 1984, and subsequently, replacements were named on a regular basis. Story continues Over the years, political wrangling has led to vacancies in the post. From 2008 to 2010, no public trustees were listed, as the White House and Congress couldn't agree on who should fill the seats of the departing public trustees. A similar situation occurred in 2016, and as of the most recent trustees' report, the public trustee spots are again listed as vacant. What the most recent public trustees have said But the expiration of their terms in 2015 hasn't stopped Robert Reischauer and Charles Blahous from making their views known. Shortly after the most recent release of the trustees' report, Blahous and Reischauer issued an open letter through the Bipartisan Policy Center. In the letter, the two former public trustees discussed what they saw as the key findings of the report: The Social Security trust fund is expected to draw down its fund balances beginning this year, starting what most see as a downward spiral that will eventually led to the depletion of the trust fund. Even though the date at which financial troubles for Social Security are expected to begin has stayed stable, the fact that it's getting closer will make it more difficult for lawmakers to remedy the problem. Solving the problem currently would take either a 21% boost in tax revenue, a 17% cut in benefits, or some combination of the two. Overall, the two former public trustees said that the trustees' report used appropriate methodologies and assumptions in coming to its conclusions. Yet they still think that the public trustees have a role to play: [T]he process [of developing the trustees' report] would benefit greatly from the participation of public trustees, to provide bipartisan independent oversight of assumptions and methods, to substantiate public confidence in the trustees' findings, and help explain the details of the projections to lawmakers, press, and the public. Even more important, however, is that lawmakers take seriously the trustees' warnings about the increasing urgency to repair the programs' [Social Security and Medicare] financing shortfalls. Finding a solution Many skeptics question whether lawmakers will ever be able to resolve Social Security's financial crisis. Yet the experience in the early 1980s showed that under pressure, Washington can come up with solutions. Back then, though, it took an independent commission to accomplish that. The public trustees to Social Security's trust fund play a similarly bipartisan role, and the sooner new public trustees are named, the faster they'll be able to get to work to provide the insight and determination necessary to get the program's problems solved. More From The Motley Fool The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Niamey (AFP) - Ten troops have been killed on Niger's border with Nigeria in a joint operation by the two countries against "bandits", Nigerien Defence Minister Kalla Moutari said on Monday. "Five Nigerien and five Nigerian" troops and 11 enemy fighters were killed in the operation, launched against gangs in the Maradi region at the weekend, he told AFP. "The Nigerian defence and security forces are identifying the bodies of the bandits," Moutari also said, according to a TV report from Maradi, where he went to attend the funeral of the dead Nigerien troops. Niger is one of several countries in the impoverished Sahel region to be hit by jihadist violence. Officials often call Islamist attackers "bandits" but a security source said the joint operation targeted criminal gangs that plague the Niger-Nigeria border, holing up in dense forests. The fighting "began on Saturday in the middle of the morning," the source said, adding that several troops from both countries were also wounded. The groups are blamed for kidnapping, theft and cattle rustling. The troubled region lies on part of Niger's southern-central border abutting the northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara. In August, Niger sent reinforcements to the area, and in September began a three-week operation with Nigeria that led to the death of at least 30 "bandits," the interior minister, Bazoum Mohamed, had said on October 16. The authorities were now "fully in control" of the region "and are in the middle of mopping-up operations," he had maintained. Voting 146-34-0, the, which lowered the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 12 from 15. The House plenary session, presided by deputy speaker and Davao City Rep. Mylene Garcia-Albano, passed the bill that proposes to widen the scope of the juvenile justice and welfare system and strengthen the social reintegration programs for children in conflict with the law, and by amending Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006. Opposition lawmakers led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman were among those who opposed the bills passage. Lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility will not result in lower crime rates. Data show that children commit only 1.72 percent of reported crimes and most of them are poverty-induced crimes like theft. Poverty is the problem that must be addressed and solved, Lagman said. Instead, Lagman said, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 must be fully implemented with the assurance of adequate funding for non-penal institutions and programs for children in conflict with the law. We must not expose children to the adversities and hazards of prosecutory and judicial processes just because the government has failed to implement the juvenile justice law, Lagman said. Due to lack of funding for the creation and operation nationwide of the Bahay Pag-asa, children in conflict with the law are bound to be confined in jail-like facilities. No prison is fit for a child. Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano echoed Lagmans view. He said lowering the age of criminal responsibility will not deter syndicates from doing criminal activities. Akbayan party-list Rep. Tom Villarin also said the billIt is a complete reversal of whatever gains we had under the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act or RA 9344, which until now remains unimplemented, Villarin said. READ: Duterte: No jail for children, yes for parents Putting children under our much-flawed criminal justice system condemns them to a life of crime and punishment. From arrest, arraignment and prosecution, children will be put in detention regardless if the bill says otherwise as children are not separated from adults under our criminal justice. House Committee on Justice chairman Doy Leachon, who sponsored the bill on the floor, said theto nine years old and was changed to 12 years old. READ: House bill punishes parents for their childrens offenses He said an overwhelming majority of the House members welcomed the shift pegging 12 years old as the new minimum, including all the co-authors of the measure. Leachon said the measure focuses on safeguarding children through reform and rehabilitation. The approved bill includes provisions to ensure funding for the development of Bahay Pag-asa, a 24-hour child-caring institution to provide short-term residential care for children in conflict with the law. Under the provisions of the measure, a child under 18 years old who commits a petty crime will not be subjected to mandatory confinement in a Bahay Pag-asa facility. Mandatory confinement will be implemented if the crime committed by the child is a serious offense; if they are neglected children, meaning they do not have a family; or if it is a case of recidivism. If there is no Bahay Pag-asa facility in the area to cater to the child, they will be temporarily released on recognizance to their parents. READ: Criminal age bill up for final reading SIU students will prepare your income taxes for free by Christi Mathis CARBONDALE, Ill. Area residents can have their income tax preparation done for free this year at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, courtesy of a group of trained student volunteers. Beta Alpha Psi, an SIU College of Business honors accounting student organization, is once again sponsoring the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in 2019 to assist low-and moderate-income community members and fellow students in completing their tax returns. Tax prep sessions start Feb. 9 The VITA program kicks off on Feb. 9 and virtually every Saturday thereafter, through April 6. Free tax preparation help will be available from 8 a.m. until noon in the computer lab on the lower level of Rehn Hall, located at 1025 Lincoln Drive. There will be no sessions on March 9 or 16 due to the universitys spring break. Students are well-trained to provide this service Jared Nicholas, a master of accountancy student, and Joshua Hill, a junior accounting major, are the program coordinators for 2019. They participated in advanced training to prepare for their leadership roles. They will oversee a team of about 25 accounting and law students who will prepare the tax returns at no cost to qualifying community members and SIU students. The free tax preparation service also includes free electronic filing. Each of the students participating in this community service project is an IRS-certified volunteer tax preparer and has completed mandatory ethics and basic tax examination courses. The VITA coordinators will also be on hand to review all returns and assist with any questions. Students get valuable experience while providing important community service In addition, Benna Williams, a School of Accountancy lecturer and former tax practitioner who also serves as Beta Alpha Psis faculty adviser, along with other faculty, will be on hand to offer their expertise. I am so happy we are able to provide VITA services to our community, Williams said. The students love helping the taxpayers by providing this free service to them. It is also a valuable benefit for the students and they are learning early how important it is to give back to the community. Students have provided this valuable service to area residents for more than 25 years. Last year alone, volunteers completed more than 200 tax returns all at no cost. Walk-ins welcome No appointments are required during the tax sessions but services are provided on a first-come, first served basis. Sessions end at noon so latecomers may be asked to return the following week. Most tax returns are completed in an hour or less. VITA assistance is open to any U.S. citizen, whether single or married, as long as their income does not exceed $55,000 and they take the standard federal deduction. All American SIU students who meet the income guideline can also get help; organizers note that VITA is no longer able to serve international students so they will need to reach out to tax professionals for help. Although a few tax situations may exceed the scope of the aid provided by VITA, the volunteers can assist with most typical tax situations, including those involving wages and earnings from self-employment, interest and unemployment income, Social Security benefits, dividends and returns that involve child tax, education or earned income credits. Bring necessary documentation To avail themselves of the VITA services, taxpayers need to bring to the session they are attending legal identification, such as a drivers license or passport, as well as all other current tax documents. That includes W-2s, SSA-1099s, 1099-MISCs or 1098-Ts as well as any other relevant documentation. People should also bring their Form 1095-B or some other proof of insurance so as to avoid a penalty for not having health insurance, because the insurance requirement is still in place for 2018 tax returns. For more information, email SIUVITA2019@gmail.com or call 618/453-2289. Crime prevention organizations may serve as helpful liaisons between police and communities by Hannah Erickson CARBONDALE, Ill. With crime rates continuing to remain high in many large cities, law enforcement agencies have worked over the last 15 years to implement hot spot policing in small regions with concentrated crime. While these efforts have proved effective in many cases, new research backs the idea of using community-based programs as another tool to reduce crime rates in specific areas. After conducting extensive evaluations on one such nonprofit organization in Seattle, Julie Hibdon, associate professor in the criminology and criminal justice degree program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, finds the community-based efforts to be a potential way to strengthen local areas, and build safer neighborhoods for future generations. Community-based approach to crime prevention With crime frequently focused in small geographical regions, police are often limited by a lack of resources and strained community relationships. In response to this problem, the Seattle Neighborhood Group, a long-standing community-based crime prevention group, set out to focus their efforts on specific hot spot locations. In 2016, Hibdon and another researcher from Arizona State University, Cody Telep, stepped in to evaluate the effectiveness of SNGs work. Their goal was to determine if the community-led programs reduced crime calls in the targeted locations, and if the efforts could be a sustainable alternative to high police dependence. They had heard about crime hotspots and about targeted police interventions at crime hotpots, Hibdon said, And they wanted to see if their efforts could make a difference on the small geographic locations. The organization set up a variety of activities with the goal of strengthening the community, decreasing crime and lessening the dependence on police resources. Some of these activities included 911 trainings, landlord and tenant trainings, summer lunch programs, movie nights, park renovations, barbecue cookouts and other similar activities. The events actively used community space for positive purposes and worked to build communication between the residents. After more than two years of evaluation, the researchers found the community-based activities to go a long way in reducing crime. We looked specifically at the changes from pre-implementation to post-implementation, Hibdon said. In the first hotspot where they had a number of changes to the local park and the activities, we saw significant reductions in crime, specifically violent and drug-related crime. The results from the second hotspot also looked promising, but were not completely conclusive due to ongoing construction. We also looked at displacement, to see if the crime moved from the target location to locations nearby, Hibdon said. In both target areas we saw no evidence of displacement. Liaison between law enforcement and community Due to the nationwide controversy surrounding the police over the last several years, alternative crime prevention programs are a valuable option for many regions, Hibdon explained. While community policing can be beneficial, Hibdon believes some regions may respond better to trainings and activities from outside organizations. Aggressive police tactics run the risk of damaging relationships between the police and the people, but community efforts offer a more mild approach. These type of community prevention approaches can be very useful in areas where there might be historical issues between the police and the areas they serve, Hibdon said. These programs may even be able to act as a liaison between the two. The program also works to empower the communities to grow and develop, which is something we cannot expect the police to be in charge of, Hibdon explained. Crime prevention is the job of the whole community, not just law enforcement officials. This model encourages a more holistic approach, prompting individuals to do their part in their own neighborhoods. Model for other programs One of the key goals of Hibdons evaluation was to help build a model for future work in community-based, crime prevention programs. SNGs focus on specific community efforts in small regions was a groundbreaking experiment, and one Hibdon believes could be an additional tool for solving problems in crime hotspots. This is one of the first organizations to look at community crime prevention efforts in a very focused location, Hibdon said. Most of the research on community crime prevention has focused on larger communities, so this was a little bit different. The results from the study not only show the success of community-based efforts in the Seattle area, but they also indicate future benefits to other regions. I absolutely think this is a beneficial model for other communities to adopt, Hibdon said. Crime prevention involves all of us, and we cannot totally place the responsibility on the police force. As Hibdon continues her research, she is looking to hone in on the best strategies for community crime prevention and build a more complete understanding for the best ways to address crime hotspots nationwide. 22:51 The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Monday said there was no reason for it to doubt the Narendra Modi government's intentions on the Ram temple issue. The organisation, which is spearheading the movement for the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, however, also said that there was no progress on the issue since the government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power at the Centre. "In the last four-and-a-half years, no headway was made for the construction of the Ram temple, which has led to resentment among people," VHP international president Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje said. "We are also angry about this, but we do not have any reason to doubt the intentions of the Centre on the issue," he told PTI. The former high court judge added that 'we cannot say that the Centre is not constructing the temple deliberately or it does not have the intention to do so'. He had learnt that the government had received legal advice that if it brought an ordinance or a law to pave the way for the construction of the temple, it could be challenged in the court, Kokje said. "It may further delay the resolution of the Ayodhya dispute," he added. Kokje also said the BJP was the only party which was a 'well-wisher' of Hindus and which supported the cause of the Ram temple. Asked if the issue was being raked up in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, he said, "The BJP will not gain anything from going back on its assurance to Hindus on the Ram temple issue. "But if the construction begins during its current term, then it will definitely get electoral benefits." Kokje added that some people were creating obstacles in the way of hearings in the Supreme Court in the matter and therefore, the chances of the court's verdict coming before the polls were bleak. The Supreme Court on Sunday cancelled the January 29 hearing in the politically-sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case as a member of the five-judge Constitution bench would not be available. Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad high court judgment that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. -- PTI Malacanang on Monday urged the Public Attorneys Office to file charges and substantiate its allegation that the government had been bribing Dengvaxia victims to keep mum about the controversy. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo made the remarks after PAO chief Persida Rueda Acosta claimed that the Department of Health offered money to Dengvaxia patients, urging them to drop their charges against government officials. In an interview with dzMM, Acosta accused Health chief Francisco Duque III of paying each family P50,000 to ensure that the case would just be dropped. Thats a serious charge. She should substantiate that, Panelo said in a Palace press briefing. Asked if the Palace would initiate an investigation on the issue, Panelo said Acosta should be the one to file the appropriate charges if she deemed it true. That is just an allegation, so we cannot just be poking into every allegation of every person or citizen of this country. If they have evidence against particular public official, then sue them and let due process run its course, Panelo stressed. On Thursday, the PAO filed a criminal complaint anew before the Department of Justice against Duque and former Health Secretary Janette Garin. According to PAO, Norma Gotoc reached out to their office about the death of her son Dr. Kendrick Gotoc.Complainant highly suspects Dr. Kendricks death is related to his inoculation with Dengvaxia, prompting them to seek assistance from the Public Attorneys Office, the complaint said. The young Gotoc, who passed away at the age of 39 last April 2018, managed to tell his mother that he received shots of the vaccine three times. Under the complaint, the respondents are accused of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and violations of the Anti-Torture Act and Consumer Act Gotocs complaint is the 31st case filed before the DOJ about the Dengvaxia controversy. Three preliminary investigations are pending before the agency involving deaths of schoolchildren and one police officer. In 2016, the Philippines became the first country in the world to launch a large-scale anti-dengue program with a newly-invented drug called Dengvaxia. However, French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur, the local distributor of Dengvaxia, admitted a year later that children who havent had dengue but were given Dengvaxia shots are more prone to have a severe case and hospitalization up to the fifth year after immunization. YEREVAN.- The Army is not only the guarantor of the countrys security and peace, bus also an integral part of its economy, President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian said during an awarding ceremony at the Presidential Palace on the occasion of the Army Day, the press service of the President reported. The Army is not only a consuming, but also a creating structure. The Army is both a client for industry and science and a participant of their progress, the President said. The Army proposes tasks for the military-industrial and scientific-research sector, by expecting contemporary and innovative, and also sometimes unexpected decisions which do not necessarily need to be the copy of foreign solutions. The Army must participate not only in the countrys defense, but also the development of economy by closely cooperating with the scientific bodies, business circles and all those citizens who have a desire to bring their contribution, Armen Sarkissian said. The unique attitude towards the Army and the soldier, according to the President, is an inseparable part of the description of Armenians. At all times this attitude has been demonstrated with unique care and love. Homelands Defender program aimed at involving people who received disability during the military service in state bodies for work launches. These people have full right not only be respected and loved but also continue being part of our social, political and economic life, Armenias president Armen Sarkissian noted. He said that the presidential office has assumed a moral commitment to accept 2-3 servicemen with disabilities to work. They are bright personalities and with corresponding assistance and educational program may return to life, become full personalities and not only get pensions but feel self-confidence, solve issues, the president said. The president stressed that in the sidelines of the program one of the heroes of the April war has already passed to work in the presidential residence. The first swallow is Gor Darmanyan with disability. He works in the presidents apparatus, the president said, expressing hope that other structures as well start such a process. Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will lead an investment mission to Saudi Arabia to look for business opportunities for Mindanao as she was scheduled to leave the country Monday. Arroyo will be accompanied by Mindanao Reps. Mauyag B. Papandayan Jr., Macmod D. Mending Jr., Amihilda J. Sangcopan, Bai Sandra A. Sema, Ruby M. Sahali and Shernee A. Tan in the investment mission. Arroyo was originally invited by her Saudi counterpart, Dr. Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Ibharim Al Sheik, President of the Majlis Al-Shura or the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia, to the KSA for an official visit. With the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, she saw it as a good opportunity for an investment mission to enable the representatives from Mindanao to look for investors for their region. In an earlier interview, Arroyo said the representatives from Mindanao were now keen on inviting investors to Mindanao in the light of the passage of the BOL.The Bangsamoro congressmen are now eager to go to the next steptry to get investments. So that having the Bangsamoro they will be able to bring down the poverty there by having business activities so were helping them out. We are going to have an investment mission in Saudi Arabia, she said. During her visit, she will meet with Dr. Abdullah in Riyadh. She will also meet with the Council of Saudi Arabia Chamber of Commerce in Riyadh together with the Mindanao representatives to explore business opportunities in Mindanao. Speaker Arroyo with the help of Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia has also arranged a meeting for the representatives from Mindanao with the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce in Jeddah. The Speaker will return to the Philippines on Wednesday in time to attend oversight committee hearings and the session in the House of Representatives. YEREVAN. In the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process, Artsakhs status and security mattersaround which negotiations are in progressare priority for Armenia, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on Monday told reporters. In his words, the Armenian party to the Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict pays attention to all the circumstances relating to a climate that contributes to peace. Mnatsakanyan assured that in the negotiation process, they have not deviated from what they have been speaking about in public. We have stressed all those fundamental precepts which are about [the conflicts] solely a pacific settlement, [and] solely within the framework of the three co-chairmanship of the [OSCE] Minsk Group, he said, in particular. The most important [thing] that we have said [is] that the [Artsakh] status and security matters remain supreme for Armenia; the negotiations are going on around this. We havent been and will not be defeatist, Mnatsakanyan also stressed. He noted that the matter of Karabakhs engagement in the peace talks also was discussed at the meetings. For us, this is a very specific practical issue, so that the progress be more practical and realistic in the negotiation process, the Armenian FM added. In terms of the partin the recent statement by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairswith respect to preparing the Armenian and Azerbaijani people for peace, the minister noted that there was such a provision in previous statements, too, and that the UN Secretary-Generals response is not new either; and by doing so, he wants to support the results achieved, or the statements made, in the format of the Minsk Group co-chairs. We work for peace, and our [respective] determination should not be questioned, the FM added. There is no alternative to peace; the alternative to peace is catastrophe. Also, he assured that they do everything openly and transparently. To the remark that the Armenian PM and the Azerbaijani president have already met for the third time without participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and asked whether this deviates from the format, Mnatsakanyan noted that the three meetings were impromptu. Its a very positive thing because it facilitates and creates the opportunity for sensing each other better and working more productively on these matters, he said, in particular. The FM, however, disagreed that the peace talks have met an impasse. He stressed that the Armenian party has not abandoned the arrangements that were made in Vienna and Saint Petersburg, and that, furthermore, the arrangements reached in Dushanbe have been added to them. We have achieved so that we have less risks, calmness at the [Artsakh-Azerbaijan] line of contact and the [Armenia-Azerbaijan] border, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan concluded. Risk reduction was important to us (). We were able to work a mechanism that is favorable in terms of risk reduction. 2 people killed in plane crash in France Yerevan court examining appeal of hospital director, MP candidates arrest Armenia "I Have the Honor" bloc member: Bloc's MP candidate has been detained "Armenia" bloc on acting PM's Facebook live: This was direct campaigning using administrative levers Armenia legislature chair meets with CIS Interparliamentary Assembly election observation mission delegation Armenia parliament speaker receives CSTO PA observation mission Two new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh Karabakh emergency service: 1 more body found during search operations Ruben Vardanyan is granted Armenia citizenship Vanetsyan: Armenia law enforcement started terrorism against "I Have the Honor" bloc since early morning Armenia ex-PM Karen Karapetyan is spotted leaving Armenia bloc headquarters Russia government to fund UNDP project to rehabilitate most affected regions of Armenia About 50 foreign media outlets are accredited to cover Armenia snap elections Acting PM: Winner of snap parliamentary elections shall be Armenia citizen 3 Iran presidential candidates already congratulate Raeisi on election victory Materials being prepared on taking mental health center patients to Armenia ruling party election campaign rally Psaki: Idea about holding back US military aid to Ukraine is nonsense Nine killed in Russia plane crash Search for soldiers remains continues Saturday in Artsakh Total number of voters in Armenia voter register is 2,578,678 President to Armenia voters: Vote fairly, freely, according to your conscience only Biden to be denied of Communion for supporting right to abortion? Director of cultural center of Armenias Goris is remanded in custody 81 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Armenia civil society organizations issue statement-call Iran, IAEA discuss nuclear deal latest developments Iran presidential election voting extended until 2am US is pulling some of its military equipment from Middle East EU sets out potential criteria for sanctions against Lebanon politicians Prosecutor submits petition to Armenia Central Electoral Commission to consent to arresting MP candidate China considering lifting all childbirth restrictions Statue of country's first PM is removed in Canada Macron urges EU to work out common rules in relations with Russia COVID-19 delta variant becoming globally dominant, says WHO official Armenia 3rd President: We will set up committee to lead probe into 44-day Artsakh war after coming to power 10-year-old boy from Armenia's Hrazdan hits fence with quadricycle, transferred to hospital with passenger 5 Karabakh residents, including children injured after major car accident in Armenia's Syunik Campaign in Armenia is over Members of "5165" Movement political party visit Armenia's Gyumri and Etchmiadzin Robert Kocharyan: We'll do everything possible to meet expectations and build Armenia of our dreams Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin calls for release of head of Izmirlian Medical Center Opposition party leader: There are 270,000 unemployed people in Armenia Flights to and from Russia and Armenia to resume on June 28 Mandate of Armenia ruling party's ex-MP transferred to next candidate on list "Armenia" bloc's march ends in Yerevan "Armenia" bloc holding march after rally at Republic Square in Yerevan Bus traveling from Artsakh to Yerevan gets into car accident, passenger in extremely critical condition Opposition party leader: If Armenia doesn't take a full step now, it will lose Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces ARF-D member: On behalf of young soldiers saved by Armen Charchyan, we demand his immediate release Searches for remains of Armenian servicemen in Hadrut fruitless Armenia 1st President: If elections are held normally, my political party will have seats in parliament Armenia 1st President: If my proposal was accepted, Pashinyan would escape in 1-2 weeks "Armenia" bloc member: Director of Izmirlian Medical Center Armen Charchyan has been detained Bright Armenia Party holds march of solidarity in Yerevan Armenia 1st President: There will be clashes after the elections Construction underway at new residence in Karabakh's Astghashen area (PHOTOS) Soldiers bodies found in Artsakh, campaign for Armenian snap elections is over, Jun 18 digest Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief visits MOD central recruitment station Armenia Penitentiary Service: Officers not involved in any political process Armenia MFA issues statement on inadmissibility of false charges against Armenian POWs and captured civilians Participants of "Armenia" bloc's rally heading to Republic Square in Yerevan "Armenia" bloc's rally kicks off in Yerevan (PHOTOS) Armenia "I Have the Honor" bloc member on their snap election hope: We have stable double-digit 3rd place Armenia Election Rights Watch: Some citizens attended acting PM's rally with hammers Armenia State Revenue Committee, IMF agree to continue cooperation to improve tax and customs laws One dollar drops below AMD 514 in Armenia Armenia "I Have the Honor" bloc leader: Lets choose peaceful work! Tashir company says Azerbaijan accusations against their Russian Armenian chairman are absurd Armenia ex-premier: Russians closed airspace during Artsakh war on regular basis Policemen summoning "Armenia" bloc's supporters to police stations and threatening them Nearly 47 Diaspora Armenian organizations call on voting for "Armenia" bloc during elections Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan on snap parliamentary elections: June 20 is crucial day Chinese Ambassador: China-Armenia economic relations have only intensified and achieved significant results Armenia human rights activist: 3 penitentiary institutions working to make sure convicts vote for current govt Member of European Parliament calls on stopping sham trial of 14 Armenian POWs in Baku Azerbaijan government sentences two ministers of Nakhchivan Armenia ex-PM: Azerbaijan death toll in Artsakh war is actually 18,000 Bright Armenia Party leader: If government of national accord is not formed, our agenda will be defeated Armen Gevorgyan: Our democracy must be preserved Union of Armenians of Russia: Azerbaijan Prosecutor General's Office has in fact accused Russia of illegal actions Kremlin comments on forthcoming snap elections in Armenia Head of Union of Armenians of Russia comments on information on Azerbaijan declaring him internationally wanted Peskov: Russia in close contact with Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan over Karabakh Kremlin: Russia closely following information about possibility of establishing Turkish military base in Azerbaijan Lavrov says information about establishment of Turkish military bases in Azerbaijan is "rumors" Gallup survey: "Armenia" bloc is ahead among respondents Armenia State Revenue Committee, Iran Customs Service officials meet Iran doesn't accept interference in its nuclear and missile programs openDemocracy: UK company makes profit from last Nagorno-Karabakh war Bright Armenia Party leader: Our country has been in skirmishes of 4 people ever since 2008 Health condition of teenager hurt in car accident in Armenia village improves Azerbaijan Prosecutor General's Office declares several Russian Armenian businessmen wanted Armenia court announces decision on acting PM Two new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh 86 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Armenia Prosecutor General to go on business trip to Russia Newspaper: All Armenia government resources used for ensuring attendance at acting PMs election campaign rally US Senate confirms Chris Inglis as first White House cyber czar Chinese apps may face US subpoenas and bans Iran presidential election voting kicks off January 28 is celebrated in Armenia as Army Day, and this year marks the 27th anniversary of the Armenian Armed Forces. In September 1990, the then Supreme Council (parliament) of Armenia adopted a decision on forming the Special Regiment within the Internal Affairs Ministry of the time; and with the governments decision, the Committee of Defense was formed on May 4, 1991. On January 28, 1992, the Government of Armenia adopted the decision On the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, and this became the beginning for the formation of the Armenian Armed Forces. And on September 25, 2002 the National Assembly made an amendment in the Law on Holidays and Memorial Days, whereby Army Day became a non-working day in Armenia. The first phase for the formation of the Armenian army, however, is considered to be from 1988 to 1992, when the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) War was going on and there was a challenge of ensuring the safety of the people of Armenia and Artsakh; at the time, volunteer detachments were carrying out this task. The Indian community living in neighbouring Himalayan country of Bhutan commemorated the 70th Republic Day of India at the Indian Embassy in Thimphu on Saturday. The celebration began with the unfurling of the Indian flag by the Indian Ambassador to Bhutan, Jaideep Sarker, according to reports. The ambassador also read out the Indian President Ram Nath Kovinds message to the assembled gathering. On the other hand, Gyalpoi Zimpoen presented a scarf to the ambassador on behalf of the Bhutanese government. It was on this day in 1950 when the Constitution of India came into effect, and India became an independent republic. Thereafter, January 26 has been celebrated as the Republic Day of India. The Office of the Solicitor General has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the three other petitions questioning the legality of the extension of martial law in Mindanao. In a manifestation, Solicitor General Jose Calida appealed to the SC to junk the similar petitions filed by the Makabayan bloc led by Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, the group led by former Commission on Elections chairman Christian Monsod and the group of Lumad teachers and students represented by the Free Legal Assistance Group along with the first petition filed by opposition lawmakers led by Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman. Calida, who represents the respondents from executive and legislative branches, argued that all four petitions have exactly the same arguments and should be dismissed for lack of merit, saying the three other petitions did not raise new issues apart from those already discussed in the Lagman petition. All petitions alleged that the latest extension of martial law in Mindanao is unconstitutional because the factual bases for the declaration no longer exist. However, the Solicitor General asserted that rebellion, a key requirement for declaration of martial law under the Constitution, persisted in Mindanao.The chief state lawyer cited the official report from the Armed Forces that cited ongoing rebellion of the Daesh-Inspires groups and its local and foreign allies, particularly the Daulah Islamiyah and also of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New Peoples Army forces in Mindanao. He disclosed that the Daesh- inspired groups have shifted their strategy from establishing a Wilayat to global insurgency or rebellion and that they continue their recruitment and radicalization activities teaching their new members how to launch deadlier attacks and to sow chaos and instability that will extremely endanger the public. Calida also cited the attacks by the said groups from January to December last year as well as the consistent influx of foreign terrorists in the country who are primarily responsible for the conduct of trainings to local terrorist fighters, especially in making improvised explosive devices and motivating locals to serve as suicide bombers. Ive watched at least a dozen different videotapes on the encounter, read countless stories, and have been barraged by the blather put forth by the PR firm (yes, PR firm) hired by Catholic white boys family, that he was a good, tolerant kid, just trying to keep the peace, encouraged by his adult chaperones to do so. That message simply doesnt square with the fact that he and his all-white friends from their privileged religious school, kept their MAGA hats on throughout the entire encounter, with not one student nor an adult guiding them recognizing that to non-whites in this country, MAGA hats have become the symbolic Swastika or Confederate Flag of the 21st century. To whine for sympathy while continuing to wear those symbols of hate, is to throw sand into the eyes of the nation. Still worse, is the fact that none of these teenage boys nor their adult chaperones from the Kentucky Catholic school, nor the school administrators seem to have learned or understood the Apostle Pauls First Letter to the Corinthians, 13, where he writes: The construction of a physical barrier along the Mexican border has been Donald Trump's signature issue since he hit the campaign trail in 2015 and led repeated chants of "Build the wall!" After Trump won, he enjoyed two years when his fellow Republicans controlled both the Senate and House. But he began to insist on billions in wall funding only after Democrats captured the House, precipitating the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history. If the border wall was as important to Trump as he says, why didn't Republicans provide the funds while they ruled Capitol Hill? The answer to this political mystery is that the wall has never been a top priority for most Republicans. And their stance reflects limited enthusiasm for its construction among conservative policymakers and voters alike. An American public that has serious concerns about immigration in general nevertheless remains unconvinced that a wall would solve the problems it perceives. As a result, Republican politicians apparently calculated that they'd be better off if the electorate continued to express broad anxiety about the border than if lawmakers actually tried to impose an unpopular solution. To put that in another context, Sacramentos $25 million bond would fully purchase homes for 100 families more than the 74 families now living in Cascade Village. Or one could compare the price of rehabbing Cascade to other apartment complexes now for sale in Sacramento. Many are less than $200,000 a unit and very nice ones in very nice neighborhoods can be had for about $250,000 a unit. Still another comparison: The $378,000 per unit price tag for rehabbing Cascade Village is more than the states estimate of the average cost of building affordable housing from scratch. This is not a new issue. Yours truly raised the same point several decades ago when the same agency spent more than $80,000 per room to convert two dilapidated downtown hotels into a single room occupancy complex for low-income adults. At the time, that was more than the average price of multi-room apartments for sale in Sacramento. City officials figuratively shrugged their shoulders when queried about the high cost of the Shasta/Argus hotel project on 10th Street a couple of blocks from the Capitol, saying that it was just what it cost to comply with all of the red tape. Rev. Richard Wylie was a Napa Presbyterian Church pastor for more than 50 years, 1866-1923, and a larger than life personality. In addition to spear-heading the construction of the existing local Presbyterian edifice and overcoming great personal challenges, he was an accomplished horticulturist, inventory and musician. Richard Wylie is a legendary Napa County historical figure. He was known for his flair for the dramatic. Typically, he would enter the sanctuary every Sunday with gusto, throw open the cape he wore over his vestments to reveal its red lining and then energetically launch into his sermon. But on one occasion that flair caused him some embarrassment. In 1911, following the conversion of the churchs gas fixtures into electric lights, he and the electrician, Earl Wilson, planned a dramatic debut for those lights. A Sunday evening service began in darkness. Richard then stood up and commanded, Let there be light! With that cue, Wilson turned on the lights only to blow a fuse casting the sanctuary back into darkness. Fortunately, Wilson quickly fixed the problem. Richard Wylie was the surviving emissary of a ministering dynasty. He, his two brother, James, Jr. and John, as well as their father, James, Sr., were all ordained Presbyterian ministers. But, Richard was the only one to survive tuberculosis. D.J. Lipton Weide, an enrolled agent with Lipton Tax Company, Inc., announced that the company is celebrating its fifth year anniversary since moving to downtown Napa. Lipton Tax Company also announced two new professional tax advisers: Sam Jones, enrolled agent for 13 years, formerly of Capital Business Systems of Napa and Raymi Vontz, CPA of 34 years, formerly of Florida. Lipton Tax Company, Inc. is an income tax preparation and advisory firm that focuses on income taxes for small businesses, individuals, trusts and estates and tax-exempt organizations. The company specializes in helping clients resolve prior year tax return issues and can help negotiate payment arrangements, said a news release. Lipton Tax Company, Inc. is located at 830 School St., Suite 6, in downtown Napa. Info: 707-927-5995 Police must accept there is insecurity ... Vodafone Group recently announced it was suspending certain equipment purchases from Huawei. Vodafone CEO Nick Read said there was a lot of noise around governments banning Huawei network equipment and the facts need to be established. Vodafone is in talks with the company and various agencies and governments, following the pause on buying Huawei equipment for its core network, he said. The move follows continued pressure from the US to prevent the use of Huawei equipment in broadband and telecoms networks, with many operators around the world reassessing their use of the Chinese companys products. Effect on Vodacom South Africa MyBroadband contacted Vodacom after the Vodafone announcement as Vodafone is the majority shareholder in Vodacom to find out whether its operations will be affected by the Huawei pause, and Vodacom provided the following statement: Against the backdrop of heightened political noise in Europe and wanting to make sure the industry is engaging in a fact-based discussion around this issue, Vodafone has decided to pause any new deployment of Huaweis 5G equipment in its core in Europe. Huawei South Africa on its network equipment Speaking to MyBroadband, Huawei South Africa said it understands the security concerns of networks and governments, but can assure all stakeholders its network equipment meets the highest security standards. Even before the US stance escalated, we had been and will continue reassuring our customers that Huawei strictly complies with all applicable laws and regulations in our business operations in all countries we operate in, said Huawei SA. Huawei continuously collaborates with operators, government, and regulators in South Africa and the continent to ensure end-to-end cyber security solutions tailored for our customers. Huawei has a 20-year track record of doing business in Africa, weve had no security breaches here or in the rest of the world to date, it added. It said that South Africa is a key market for Huawei and it is focused on increasing connectivity across the country. This will coincide with a spend of $2 billion over the next five years to improve software engineering capabilities and to maintain cyber security standards. Networks want Huawei Huawei said it has established a sustainable and trustworthy security assurance system across all aspects of its business, and its network equipment is in high demand. Huawei has secured 30 commercial contracts for 5G networks and has already shipped more than 25,000 base stations to markets around the world, it stated. A large number of network customers globally have indicated they want Huawei. We are currently the market leader with the best equipment for faster and more cost effective upgrades to 5G and will remain so for a while to come. Please log in to keep reading. Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Power retailer Manila Electric Co. is making its own preparations for the scheduled maintenance shutdown of the Malampaya natural gas project in October, a top executive said Monday. Meralco utility economics head Lawrence Fernandez said the company would be looking for other sources of power if needed. The Malampaya consortium plans a four-day maintenance shutdown on Oct. 12 to 16. This will affect the operations of Sta. Rita, San Lorenzo, Ilijan, Avion and San Miguel natural gas power plants in Batangas with a combined capacity of 3,200 megawatts. Power rates historically go up at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, the countrys trading floor of electricity, during the Malampaya shutdown because of the tightness in supply. Normally, there is a coordination meeting set whenever theres a Malampaya shutdown. All stakeholders will meet to ensure there is adequate supply and to also ensure minimal impact on consumers, Fernandez said. We will get guidance from the Department of Energy to coordinate efforts to ensure reliable power during the planned shutdown. Past initiatives included IPSAs, ensuring availability of adequate alternative/liquid fuel, adjusting maintenance shutdowns of other power plants etc All these will be considered by stakeholders during the coordination meetings, said Fernandez. The department is looking at mitigating measures to prevent price spikes during the expected shutdown of the Malampaya gas field in northwest Palawan in October.We dont want to be unprepared. I want to know. They said October this year. What are preparations, measures that will be undertaken that there will be fuel for the plants that are dependent on them, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said. Cusi said some natural gas power plants could run on condensate, which is also produced by the Malampaya gas field. Cusi said he wanted to know if the condensate, a byproduct of natural gas currently exported by the consortium, could be utilized during the shutdown. A source from the Service Contract 38 consortium said the shutdown would cover technical work at the offshore platform and onshore gas plant in Batangas. It would also involve repair of equipment, installation of critical spare parts and checking of instrumentation and controls. The Malampaya consortium is composed of Shell Philippines Exploration B.V., Chevron Malampaya LLC, and state-owned PNOC Exploration Corp. The Malampaya natural gas platform project underwent maintenance works in February 2017. The Legislature first passed Medicaid expansion in 2015 and built in a sunset of summer 2019, meant to give lawmakers a chance to review the program this session and decide its future. Expansion covers people who make up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or $15,418 a year for an individual or $26,347 for a family of three. An effort to continue expansion and pay for the states share by increasing the tax on tobacco products failed on the ballot last November. Some Republicans say that November vote was a message from Montanans about what to do with the program, while Democrats point out tobacco companies spent more to defeat it than any previous ballot measure in Montana history. During the first two and a half years of expansion, those covered have received nearly $1.4 billion in health care, according to the report. The federal government pays for that at a higher share, about 90 percent, than those covered under traditional Medicare, where the feds pick up about 65 percent of the cost of care. The report says about 85 percent of Medicaid spending represents new money in Montana that would not be here otherwise. Medicaid expansion spending comes into the states economy in two ways through new health care spending and by replacing existing spending that would be paid for by the state, employers or the people covered. A year ago, when Tonkin learned that she was expecting and would be moving forward as a single mother, she transferred out of the general high school population to the Career Center. She had always been a solid student but admitted that trying to stay in school while pregnant was difficult. Despite fatigue and nausea, she made it through the end of the school year. It was pretty draining for a while, she said. When she returned to school in the fall of 2018, she remained committed to her studies, right up until the birth of her daughter, River, last October. Taking only two weeks off after delivery, Tonkin was back in class, thankful that her mother had volunteered to babysit. Assistant Special Education Director Melissa Johnson said that Tonkin is a responsible young woman. Shes a motivated person with a big heart, she said. Impressed by her maturity, Johnson asked Tonkin to serve as her first period office aide on campus. Megan Paul, Tonkins teacher for jobs for Montana grads (JMG) and science classes spoke highly of her, calling Tonkin dependable and responsible. Tonkins ability to strive for success has served her well. She has overcome barriers and is going to graduate this year with good grades and the chance of a bright future, Paul said. It's all the more evident now why Donald Trump admires dictators. He wants to have his way spending our tax dollars, not Mexican money, on a useless border wall. He was unable to obtain support from his own Republican Congress on this nonsense and now blames the Democratic Party for lack of support. My heart goes out to all the dedicated government employees who pay the price for Trump's temper tantrums. To feed their families, pay mortgages and provide health care, many of these employees were forced to leave their jobs and seek other employment, and we are lost good people in our government jobs. The Federal Reserve in 2017 revealed that four in 10 adults couldn't produce $400 in an emergency without sliding into debt. The National Park and Conservation Association estimates that the National Park Service lost $400,000 per day from entrance fee revenues system-wide. The NPCA also estimates that on an average day in January, 425,000 park visitors spend $20,000,000 (million) in nearby communities. How much more of this insanity must we endure before Congress gets their act together and takes some countermeasures to restore some sense of order in our government? Phillip Iversen, Jeff Hughes, your (Jan. 14) letter was well written; however, short on factual information. The central source of illegal fentanyl is sourced, primarily, to China and is trafficked through sea ports. The top five countries trafficking heroin to the U.S. are Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Albania and Turkey. The wall is a scam. Speaking with border law enforcement officers, I have learned they have made it clear that more personnel and better technology is needed, not a wall. By the way, the only barrier at Yuma is a chain link fence. The two murders you spoke of are far overshadowed by the hundreds of people murdered, in the same period, by white mass murderers. We are in more danger from mentally compromised individuals than any undocumented person. Rather than a vanity wall for a despot, we need a jail cell for Donald Trump. His suppression of information concerning his private meetings with Vladimir Putin, his weekly telephone calls to Putin on his private unsecured telephone, and his shameful acquiescence to Putin in Helsinki are treasonous behavior. I was very disheartened to see that Missoulian reporters chose to lump the Montana Academy (MA), a therapeutic prep school operating for two decades, and founded by four highly educated and experienced professionals, into your seven-part series on teen treatment programs. Two of the founders of the MA, described as the wives of the founders, have been friends of mine for over 20 years. Rosemary McKinnon, MSW, and Carol Santa, PhD, blended their education and professional experience with that of their husbands to create a school that could better address the complex needs of troubled teens. These four professionals, with over 175 years of educational and clinical experience, have raised their families in the Flathead Valley and are a respected part of the community. How insulting to the founders to suggest that financial motivation played a role in bringing family members into the 70 member MA staff. The McKinnons' daughter returned to the Flathead upon receiving her MD in psychiatry, to ease the load on her parents who were trying to retire! You gave little thought to MA founders, the current staff and the parents of children enrolled there now. Janet Hess-Herbert, Helena You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 A man and a woman run a business with many good employees doing their jobs well. The man wants to buy a wall. The woman says no. So the man takes out his anger on his employees, refusing to pay them unless the woman lets him have his way. Even though he promised that Mexico would pay for his wall, most of the mans workers dont care whether he buys the wall or not. They just need, and deserve, a paycheck for the work they do. The mans employees include Coast Guard and Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and IRS workers, park rangers and paramedics, Transportation Security Administration inspectors and air traffic controllers many of them are veterans of foreign wars, most are just good folks who like their work. Maybe there ought to be a law that no man can hold his employees hostage while demanding ransom from taxpayers for a wall or any other political reason. Only dictators do that. Its no way to run a business, or a democratic republic. Gene Sentz, Choteau You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 2 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Pelosi assured the president the address could take place once the shutdown was over, but that didnt suit the big, bad wolf so he huffed and puffed and threatened to enter the House chambers regardless of whether he was invited to do so by Congress or not. But thats not how it works. Presidents must be invited by a concurrent resolution of the House and Senate to address Congress which makes sense since otherwise a president could interfere with congressional business whenever he or she desired. And Pelosi, being Speaker of the House, controls the new Democratic majority and hence, determines whether any such resolution is passed. Apparently someone informed Trump that he couldnt just blow down the doors to the House, presumably telling him he would be turned away by the Sergeant at Arms and the spectacle would go out live on national media. Facing humiliation, Trump folded on his speech and then folded on the wall. But Speaker Pelosi is not the only one who isnt afraid of the big, bad wolf. Six Republican senators split with Trumps demands and voted for the Democrat bill to end the shutdown on Thursday. Given their former temerity at riling their easily offended president, this was significant. Unfortunately Montanas Sen. Steve Daines put party over country and stuck with Trump. A former Missoula police officer was convicted this month on illegal hunting charges in Alaska, one of three people implicated in the scheme. Casey Richardson, along with Dale Lackner and Jeffrey Harris of Washington, each changed their pleas on multiple illegal hunting charges filed against them in 2017. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in Alaska reported Richardson was sentenced to three months in a halfway house, followed by three months of home confinement. All three men are prohibited from hunting or assisting with hunting during a five-year probation period. Richardson is also ordered to pay $14,000 in restitution. Richardson, who retired from the Missoula Police Department in 2016, was alleged to have participated in illegal hunting-related schemes at a lodge within the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska in 2014 and 2015. Specifically, Richardson is alleged to have put canine-poisoning sweetener in rabbit carcasses in an effort to kill off the wolf population and bolster game like sheep and moose. He also illegally killed a Dall sheep in September of 2014, according to court documents. He sees advantages and disadvantages on the debate over whether a potential museum should be on campus or downtown. "I'd like to make a decision soon, and that will direct our fundraising efforts and put our energies in that direction," he said. ** The museum is currently showing pieces from the collection of copper king William Clark. In the spring, an exhibition will explore the narrative and technically dazzling painting of Stephanie Frostad. In the fall, the galleries will feature Montana painters of the modernist movement, Jack Franjevic and Clyde Apsevig. He wants the museum to be more "nimble." He and curator Jeremy Canwell just lined up a summer exhibition of photographs by Matt Hamon. The UM professor has been on sabbatical in Iceland, and shooting pictures that touch on the increasing human presence in the tourist haven's landscapes. Hamon has been winning international awards, and Chacon, somewhat facetiously, said he didn't want to "wait 30 years" to see the work shown in Missoula. "When you have world-class artists in your community, you have to make an effort to reach out so the community knows why they're significant, why they're important to have here. And that's just one example of these artists," he said. Polyard to purchase oil from Alegria field posted January 28, 2019 at 08:05 pm by Alena Mae S. Flores January 28, 2019 at 08:05 pm Polyard Petroleum International Group signed an agreement on Jan. 10 to purchase oil from the Alegria onshore discovery in Cebu. Polyard unit China International Mining Petroleum Company Ltd., operator of service contract 49, owns majority of the Alegria discovery in South Cebu. Currently, GA Oil is mobilizing its oil trucks to prepare for a hauling of at least 150 barrels of crude oil on a daily basis at the end of January, Polyard said. CIMP discovered an estimated 27.93 million barrels of oil with a possible production recovery of 3.35 million barrels or a conservative estimate of 12 percent of total oil in reserves.Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. earlier expressed interest to acquire crude oil from the Alegria oil and gas onshore discovery in Cebu for its Batangas refinery. We are always evaluating whatever may be feasible. What is tricky is if it is compatible to our refinery and is the pricing sufficient for us to make margins, but we are open-minded, said Pilipinas Shell president Cesar Romero earlier. COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publications right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section. For Bill Borrie, a walk in the woods isnt just a getaway. Its the basis of a career. When I look at wilderness, which is now my specialty, it's more than just having a fun time in wilderness, the University of Montana professor of park and recreation management explained. Its becoming American. Since Congress created the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1964, he noted, its grown from about 9 million acres to roughly 110 million. So Congress has said we still want wilderness, we still need wilderness in this country and I think if we look around the world folks see that as uniquely American and an essential part of America and who Americans are, that we had the foresight to set these areas and lands aside. Borries path to studying wilderness, and its place in Americas psyche, began in his native Australia, where he studied forestry as an undergraduate at the University of Melbourne. Like America, he said Australia is also somewhat of a colonial culture and it's also a very outdoor-oriented culture. But in the early days of his career, he found limits in studying that culture. The position Tschida wanted eliminated was FWPs human dimensions supervisor, currently held by Michael Lewis. FWP Chief of Staff Paul Sihler said Lewis was working on 150 projects related to public opinions and values, at the request of FWPss fisheries, wildlife, law enforcement, education and citizen advisory departments. It was also conducting surveys at the behest of the Legislature, including one to determine if hunters and anglers supported spending $1 million on improving boat ramps in state parks. The only person to support Tschidas bill was Rep. Kerry White, R-Bozeman. He said he was concerned that FWP was failing to manage elk overpopulation, and recounted a conversation with an FWP biologist he would not name. I asked why cant you get these populations of elk into target numbers so there would be less property damage, White told the committee. He told me we have to manage based on what is socially acceptable. This supervisor said we cannot manage based on science. Wolves of the Rockies representative Mark Cooke said Whites argument would have unintended consequences if FWP depended strictly on biological science. Credit: CC0 Public Domain An international collaboration including Javier Belda, professor of surgery at the University of Valencia, has reported a new genetic variant associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The work, with a sample of more than 2,000 patients, has been published in the Intensive Care Medicine Experimental journal. ARDS is one of the main causes of mortality in adults admitted to intensive care units. Previous studies have shown the existence of genetic variants involved in susceptibility for this syndrome. The researchers sought to identify new genes involved in the susceptibility to ARDS induced by sepsis. For this, three candidate genes were prioritised, and a single nucleotide polymorphism of the FLT1 gene was associated with ARDS. Javier Belda, co-author of the study, says, "The identification of genes associated with respiratory distress syndrome allows us in the clinic to advance treatment decisions to the patient, which brings us closer to a personalised or precision medicine." The work included a sample of more than 2,000 participants. The first study of association and recognition of the genes involved was carried out among 225 patients with ARDS induced by sepsis and 899 controls based on the population. Finally, the findings were validated in an independent sample of 661 cases of ARDS induced by sepsis and 234 risk controls. The researchers identified a genetic variant of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor FLT1 as a new susceptibility gene for ARDS and have shown that the integration of genomic data can be a valid procedure to identify new susceptibility genes. Explore further ARDS appears to be underrecognized, undertreated and associated with high risk of death More information: undefined undefined et al. A vascular endothelial growth factor receptor gene variant is associated with susceptibility to acute respiratory distress syndrome, Intensive Care Medicine Experimental (2018). undefined undefined et al. A vascular endothelial growth factor receptor gene variant is associated with susceptibility to acute respiratory distress syndrome,(2018). DOI: 10.1186/s40635-018-0181-6 (HealthDay)The supply of donor organs for infants needing a heart transplant is critically low, but researchers have taken a first step toward using pig hearts to fill the need. The concept of using animal organs to save human lives has been around for years. With donor organs in short supply, the hope is that animal organs can keep patients alive while they await a human donor. One major hurdle, though, is that the human immune system is primed to launch a massive reaction against an organ from another species. But in a preliminary study, scientists found evidence that babies' immune systems might tolerate a heart from a genetically modified pig. Specifically, the modifications "knock out" three genes that would provoke the immune system's immediate antibody response against a pig organ. The researchers found that when they exposed infants' blood samples to cells from the pigs, there was "almost zero" reactivity. "We found that there was no strong human immune response to these triple knock-out cells," said senior researcher Dr. David Cleveland, who specializes in congenital heart surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "This gives us hope moving forward," he said. However, Cleveland stressed, there is a long road ahead. As a next step, his team wants to do more testing of infant blood samples. And before any human trials could happen, Cleveland said, researchers will need to reliably show that hearts from the modified pigs function well when transplanted into non-human primates. "Right now, what I'd say to parents is, researchers are continuing to work hard on the problem of congenital heart disease," Cleveland said. "I'm not saying xenotransplantation is the answer. But it may become an option in the future." Xenotransplantation refers to implanting an organ from one species into another. And it's far from a "new concept," Cleveland noted. Back in 1984, doctors implanted a baboon heart into an infant with a critical congenital heart defect known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). The baboon heart was not genetically altered in any way, and the infantknown as "Baby Fae"died 20 days later. But in the past few years, new gene-editing technology has allowed scientists to start producing triple knock-out pigs "rapidly," Cleveland said. The hope is that organs from those animals could fill a critical need. There are few human donor hearts available for babies and young children with congenital heart disease, Cleveland said. A xenotransplant, he explained, might allow those children to survive while they await a suitable human organ. Dr. Carl Backer is surgical director of the pediatric heart transplant program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. "There are children born with cardiac disease that we can't fix," he said. "The only option is a heart transplant." Just over 100 babies younger than 1 year undergo a heart transplant in the United States each year, according to Backer. "But probably many more could use one, if a donor heart were available," he said. To put the need into perspective, Backer noted that every year around 1,000 children are born with HLHS alone. When an adult is awaiting a heart transplant, doctors can implant a mechanical device to help the heart keep pumping until a suitable donor is found. "The problem is," Backer said, "those devices don't work well in infants." He called the new findings "an interesting step forward." But only time will tell if genetically altered pig hearts will ultimately offer a viable option, Backer said. For the study, Cleveland's team exposed serum samples from 70 babies to red blood cells taken from the triple knock-out pig. Overall, they found, only four samples showed an antibody response to the pig cellsand those reactions were "very weak." Cleveland was to present the results Monday at the annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, being held in San Diego. Such research is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Beyond asking whether xenotransplantation is scientifically possible, Cleveland said, there is another question: Will it be socially acceptable? He said his team is sensitive to the ethical issues, and they're conducting surveys of health care providers and families of children with congenital heart disease, to gauge their opinions. Explore further New study shows much longer survival for heart transplants across species More information: David Cleveland, M.D., clinical assistant professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine; Carl Backer, M.D., surgical director, pediatric heart transplant program, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago; Jan. 28, 2019, presentation, Society of Thoracic Surgeons annual meeting, San Diego David Cleveland, M.D., clinical assistant professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine; Carl Backer, M.D., surgical director, pediatric heart transplant program, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago; Jan. 28, 2019, presentation, Society of Thoracic Surgeons annual meeting, San Diego The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has more on pediatric heart transplants. Copyright 2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved. (HealthDay)Strong limits on marketing and sales are needed to control and prevent teens' use of electronic cigarettes, a new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement says. Teens who use e-cigarettes are more apt to use traditional cigarettes eventually, studies show. The surge in vaping among American teens threatens to turn back five decades of public health gains in reducing tobacco use, the AAP warned. "Nicotine is highly addictive, and we know that the earlier that someone uses nicotine products in childhood, the more difficult it is to quit later," said Dr. Brian Jenssen, lead author of the new policy statement. He is a primary care pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Most adult smokers started using tobacco before age 18," Jenssen said in an AAP news release. The policy statement calls on federal officials to take immediate action to restrict marketing and sales of flavored vaping products to youth. It appears in the February print issue of the journal Pediatrics and was published online Jan. 28. Along with the risk of addiction, nicotine can do long-term damage to teen brain development, according to the AAP. In 2018, nearly 21 percent of high school students and 5 percent of middle schoolers said they'd used an e-cigarette in the past month, according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey. That's up 78 percent from 2017. More than 28 percent of middle and high school studentsabout 20.5 millionwere exposed to e-cigarette ads from at least one source in 2016. "E-cigarettes need stronger federal regulations to prevent youth access and use," said Dr. Susan Walley, co-author of the policy statement. "The research is clear that teens are at higher risk of transitioning to traditional cigarettes even with experimental use of e-cigarettes," she said. Walley leads the AAP Section on Tobacco Control. The statement calls on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to immediately ban sale of e-cigarettes to people under age 21; prohibit online sale of vaping devices and solution; ban certain flavors including menthol, and ban ads and promotions that can reach youth. The AAP also says e-cigarettes should be included in current tobacco-free laws that apply in places where kids live, learn, play, work and visit. The statement urges pediatricians to screen youth for e-cigarette use and warn them about the health risks. It also says doctors should not recommend e-cigarettes as a treatment option for quitting tobacco. No scientific evidence supports claims that vaping helps people stop smoking traditional cigarettes, the AAP said. "It took decades to raise awareness of the deadly effects of smoking and traditional tobacco use," Jenssen said. "Today, we know that e-cigarettes are dangerous for children and teens. We have a chance to protect this generation, but we need to act now." More information: The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has more about Journal information: Pediatrics The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has more about teens and e-cigarettes Copyright 2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Credit: CC0 Public Domain The authors of a new report are calling on federal, state and local governments to do more to address a staggering spike in pedestrian fatalities. The report, "Dangerous By Design 2019," urges swift action to curb the death toll, approximately 49,340 people in the 10-year period ending in 2017 in the United States. "We are killing an airliner's worth of people walking each and every monthand these numbers are only increasing. This is a wake-up call for all of us. No one should have to risk their life just to cross the street, yet that's exactly what thousands of people have to do just to get around each day," said Emiko Atherton, director of the National Complete Streets Coalition, which produced the report along with the advocacy group Smart Growth America. The ongoing public health crisis of pedestrian deaths was the focus of last year's Detroit Free Press/USA Today Network investigation, "Death on Foot." The investigation highlighted the role of SUVs, which have gained in popularity over passenger cars and are more likely to kill pedestrians in a crash. It also noted that roadway design, vehicle speed and distraction are factors. In just two years2016 and 2017, the most recent years for which data is availableapproximately 12,000 pedestrians have been killed in the United States. "Many places still lack the most basic safe infrastructure for walking. For example, crosswalks, if they do exist at all, are often spaced so far apart as to be impractical, or don't provide enough time for older adults to safely cross. Unnecessarily wide lanes encourage high speedsa major factor in the likelihood of surviving a collisionand many streets are designed with wide turning lanes that allow cars to make right turns through crosswalks at high speeds," according to a news release. Atherton also blasted the expectations set by 18 states, including Michigan, for an increasing number of people likely to be killed or seriously injured in 2018 versus 2017 for non-motorized crashes, including pedestrians. "This is really unacceptable," Atherton said. "States need to be setting targets that actually improve safety." The federal government, Atherton suggested, could send a message to the states by withholding some of the approximately $30 billion in federal highway money for those that do not show safety improvements. Boosting safety for those walking is crucial, the report says, because 16 percent of those killed on roadways are now pedestrians. The report seeks a "strong national Complete Streets policy" as a first step to addressing the problem of motor vehicle-related fatalities. Complete Streets policies typically direct transportation planners to consider all road users, not just those driving cars, trucks and SUVs, when designing roads. Michigan does, however, have a Complete Streets law. The focus of transportation planning should be safety, not speed, according to the report. Is the United States going to be a country that supports mobility and equity in the movement of people and goods or will it be a country that prioritizes high-speed motor vehicle travel? Atherton asked. The report also calculated how dangerous walking can be in different areas of the country from 2008 to 2017. Florida was the most dangerous state during that time, with states in the Sun Belt occupying all but one of the top 10 spots. Michigan was ranked 19th. Among metropolitan areas, eight of the top 10 most dangerous places to walk, based on the report, were located in Florida. The combined Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area came in at No. 18 during that time. The Free Press/USA Today Network investigation, which also analyzed federal data, noted that Detroit had the highest pedestrian death rate among U.S. cities of more than 200,000 from 2010 to 2016. The report also noted that people of color, older residents and those walking in low-income communities are disproportionately affected by fatal pedestrian crashes. 2019 Detroit Free Press Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (HealthDay)The "choking game"and other clearly ill-advised and dangerous internet challengesleave many parents wondering what drives teens to take the bait and participate. Now, a new study suggests that an underlying psychological disorder may be one reason why some kids jump at online dares such as the "Bird Box" challenge, where people walk around blindfolded, and the Tide Pod challenge, daring people to eat laundry detergent. The French researchers, who decided to focus on the choking game, found that nearly 10 percent of the almost 1,800 middle schoolers surveyed had tried it. Those who had participated were about twice as likely to be depressed or to have a conduct disorder. "Parents of adolescents with behavioral problems, as well as parents of depressed teens, need to be aware of this serious problem in order to educate and monitor their vulnerable youth," said Dr. Victor Fornari. He directs child and adolescent psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y., and Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. Fornari said this study highlights that "prevention strategies need to be developed to intervene in this dangerous behavior." The choking game is a thrill-seeking activity where people self-strangulate or have someone else strangle them to the point of passing out. Supposedly, the lack of blood and oxygen to the brain causes a temporary euphoric feeling before people lose consciousness, the study authors explained. There is also a "rush" when blood flow is restored and people become conscious again. Information on this sometimes deadly practice can easily be found on the internet. In addition to the risk of dying, the choking game may lead to chronic headaches, changes in behavior, recurrent episodes of fainting, seizures, eye damage and neurological damage, the study authors said. The study was led by researcher Gregory Michel, from the University of Bordeaux in France. Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said, "This 'game' can end in stroke, asphyxiation or death." Given the potential for harm, what might make kids do this? For depressed teens, Michel and his colleagues suggested it's possible that "this behavior serves as a specific coping mechanism for distressed adolescents." The link with conduct disorders and participation in the choking game was slightly higher than the link to depression. The authors suggested this may have something to do with the antisocial behaviors common in teens with conduct disorder. Conduct disorders are a group of behavioral and emotional disorders, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (ACCAP). Teens with these disorders have trouble following rules and respecting others. They have difficulty showing empathy and are often thought of as delinquent by others. Risk factors for conduct disorders include brain damage, neglect or abuse, a family history and traumatic experiences, the ACCAP says. Michel and his team pointed out that their study wasn't able to show a direct cause-and-effect relationship between these psychological problems and participating in the choking game. They were only able to pinpoint an association. Still, Glatter said this study shows the need for a better understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that cause kids to engage in these behaviors. "Is the very act of playing this game a 'cry for help,' or a coping mechanism in their attempt to ease ongoing mental conflict and pain?" Glatter said. He added that depressed teens or those with a conduct disorder might benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy, "to give them the tools to better address and confront negative emotions that may drive them to play the choking game." The study authors suggested that interventions designed to specifically prevent these types of risky activities are needed. Giving kids tools to better manage their emotions would help, they said. The findings were published online Jan. 28 in Pediatrics. More information: Learn more about the choking game from the Journal information: Pediatrics Learn more about the choking game from the American Counseling Association Copyright 2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved. San FernandoAbout 16,000 workers of Superl Philippines Inc., a top manufacturer and exporter of leather bags based in Pampanga province, may lose their jobs because of a Department of Agriculture directive banning the importation of cow leather. Superl Philippines, one of the biggest companies at the Angeles Industrial Park in Barangay Calibutbut, Bacolor, Pampanga, is the leading manufacturer of leather bags for distribution abroad. Acting Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda asked Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol to reconsider the lifting of the ban on cow leather and exempt Superl from DA Memorandum Order 23. The order, issued in August, imposed a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild pigs as well as similar products like pork meat and semen from Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and China to prevent the entry of African Swine Fever in the Philippines. Superl informed Philippine Economic Zone Authority director-general Charito Plaza that an abrupt ban was imposed on 100-percent treated cow leather without prior notice beginning Jan. 24. The company said it appealed the case because the sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances were placed a year in advance.Secretary Pinols order covered only swine. If treated cow leather would also be included, the operation of Superl would stop and many Pampanga workers would lose their jobs, Pineda said. Superl makes hand bags and wallets for international well-known brands. It has been operating its factory on an 8.5-hectare lot at the Angeles Industrial Park since 2012. The company spends P220 million in salaries, P20 million in workers insurance and P13 million in electricity every month. Superl general manager Ho Ming Fung asked Rep. Aurelio Gonzales to request for the exclusion of SPI and its subsidiary for the rejection of SPS importation clearance for cow leathers. Pampanga provincial board member Jun Canlas said Superl was in no danger of causing contamination because it was bringing in treated cow leather. Health safety is out of the question. What is in danger of being jeopardized is the regular employment of 16,000 workers, Canlas said. Abortion pills, Mifepristone and Misoprostol. Credit: Women on Web While the abortion debate continues worldwide, even in countries where it has long been legal, new drugs and online telemedicine services could provide access to safe abortion beyond borders and laws. Since the early days of the birth-control movement, scientific research and development have contributed significantly to increase the range of options available for managing human fertility and giving women autonomy over their own bodies. One of the most remarkable changes in recent years is medical abortion, a non-surgical method for terminating pregnancies. It involves the use of prescription drugs such as Misoprostol and Mifepristone (also known as RU-486), which was developed in France and approved for use in 1989. Long before the scientific interest in these drugs, however, it was women themselves who first discovered their potential. In Brazil, where abortion is legal only in cases of rape and to save the woman's life, misoprostol was registered for the treatment of ulcers. The label warned women not to use the pills in case of pregnancy. Understanding the implications, women started to take misoprostol to induce abortions and its use quickly spread. Medical abortion is a common practice today and has been shown to be effective for 98.3% for women in early pregnancies. The procedure mimics miscarriage and is preferred by many women on the grounds that it is less invasive. Given the low risk of complications and high success rate of medical abortions, the World Health Organisation has stated that they do not need to take place in a hospital or clinic. Home use of abortion pills became legal in Scotland and Wales in 2017, and in August 2018, England followed suit. The US organisation Planned Parenthood states that: "Which kind of abortion you choose all depends on your personal preference and situation. With medical abortion, some people like that you don't need to have a procedure in a doctor's office. You can have your medical abortion at home or in another comfortable place that you choose." Carrying the abortion battle online Combining the advent of medical abortion with communication technologies, telemedicine services can provide access to safe abortion worldwide. Run by medical doctors, social workers and even volunteers, such platforms not only furnish women with medical abortion pills, but they also provide counselling and assistance throughout and even after the procedure. Women on Web was established in 2006 by a Dutch doctor, Rebecca Gomperts, who has previously and famously organised abortion ship campaigns in countries where access to abortion is restricted. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the website in 2016, the Women on Web community stated that over the past 10 years, more than 200,000 women from over 140 countries received consultation through their website and approximately 50,000 women obtained medical-abortion supplies for home use. Since Women on Web was launched, telemedicine services that provide abortion care to those living in restrictive settings have proliferated. Even in countries where abortion is restricted by law, these services were able to operate as the custom regulations in most countries allow women to receive prescription medicine for individual use. By navigating around restrictive laws, such organisations have been able to provide safe abortions beyond laws and borders. Several studies have been conducted on the use of telemedicine abortion services, and they concluded that it is safe and effective and that outcomes are in the same range as the termination of pregnancy provided in outpatient settings. A US-based study puts forth that insofar the findings are "sufficiently large to be able to conclude that telemedicine provision of medication abortion is as safe as abortion in person." It can thus be argued that telemedicine revolutionises access to safe abortions, while "putting abortion pills into women's hands". On the other side of the spectrum, rights advocates also warn against fake abortion websites and scams. Researchers also underline that telemedicine might be more applicable to the context of developed countries, where women have better access to quality care in rare cases of complications. Reproductive-rights activists have asserted that telemedicine prescriptions could undercut abortion restrictions and help fill in the gap in abortion care. As abortion debates continue to revolve around different socio-political and religious realms, the science of abortion has developed tremendously. While abortion rights continue to be restricted in many countries around the world, research has shown that the sitution has already changed thanks to feminist activism, medical advances and telemedicine services. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. A research team, including Jim Desmond and Jonathan Epstein, sample bats for Ebola in Liberia. We are trying to prevent the next global pandemic, said Desmond. Credit: EcoHealth Alliance The outbreak of Ebola that started in 2013 in West Africa, infecting nearly 30,000 people and killing 11,000 before it ended in 2016, has long left scientists puzzling over a key question: Where did the virus originate? Now a consortium of scientists has found the Zaire strain of Ebolaone of six known types of the virusin a cave-dwelling West African bat species, shedding light on the outbreak's possible origins. The discovery was the result of research led by EcoHealth Alliance's Jonathan Epstein, V02, MG02, and Jim Desmond, V08, VG08, as part of the USAID-funded PREDICT project. During the 2013-16 eruption of Ebola, Zaire ebolavirus infected people in Liberia and the neighboring countries of Sierra Leone and Guinea, and the surprise epidemic snowballed to become the deadliest in history. Tufts Now talked with Desmond, who trained and oversaw the bat-testing team on the ground in the Liberia, about how they finally found Zaire ebolavirus in an animal, and why such research is necessary to preventing future pandemics. Tufts Now: Why have you been searching for Ebola and other viruses in wildlife? Jim Desmond: We are trying to prevent the next global pandemic. The world has seen an increase in emerging infectious diseases over the last several decades. Seventy percent of these diseases are zoonoticmeaning they come from animalsand about 75 percent of those zoonotic disease originate in wildlife. Doctors will always tell you that it's better to prevent disease than treat it once it has become severe. The work we do in PREDICT is disease prevention on a global scaleprotecting against pandemics similar to how doctors approach disease prevention on an individual scale. Human development increasingly is encroaching on wild areas, so humans now are coming into contact with animals they may have not come into contact with before. If we want to prevent outbreaks of Ebola, Marburg, SARS, and other diseases that jump to people from wildlife, it's important that we understand where and how these viruses circulate in nature, as well as what factors contribute to these spillover events. For example, if we had made this finding before the 2013-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, public-health authorities may have had the resources in place to better respond when it started. What did it take to find this strain of Ebola in a bat? When we first started this research, the goal was to sample many, many bats from a wide range of species. It's very challenging to find a virus circulating in a bat populationit's like finding a needle in a haystack. We suspect they pass Ebola around among themselves, but that the virus may be seasonal and that infected animals do not shed the virus for very long. We think it's similar to that brief period where you are sick with a cold and coughing and sneezing. That period quickly passes, and you still "have a cold," but are not infecting others. When we are out catching, testing, and releasing bats, we know the chances of finding Ebola is very small, so we need to sample many animals in hopes of catching the right bat at the right time. As we go to each location for few days for sampling, we need to get lucky to catch a bat at the exact moment it's carrying and shedding the virus. What did you find? We found about 20 percent of the genome for Ebola Zaire in an oral swab from a small, insect-eating species of bat called Miniopterus inflatus, or the Greater long fingered bat. The same bat also had neutralizing antibodies indicating exposure to Ebola Zaire, which further strengthened the finding. Of course, this finding, while exciting, is not definitive. We need to conduct more research to learn more about this specific bat species, as well as other species of bats that may co-roost with them. The PREDICT project ends this year, but we will apply for additional funding to continue our field work. How does this new information help safeguard human health? Some types of bats live in the eaves of houses and thatched roofs, but this bat species primarily live in caves and abandoned mine shafts. So the good news is that these bats are generally not coming in contact with humans, unless people go into those places. That makes the take-home message pretty straightforwardavoid those types of areas and don't touch any bats. In West and Central Africa, where people eat bush meat, public-health officials also need to spread the word that people should not hunt or eat batsthat appears to be one of the biggest risk interfaces for an Ebola spillover event. What else should the public know about bats? When news like this comes out, a lot of times people's first reaction is to want to exterminate the bats. This is exactly the wrong thing to do, for many reasons. First off, if you go into a cave to try to kill a lot of bats, you're increasing your risk of exposure. Many bats also will disperse to new places, which increases the risk of spreading disease. And finally, once humans leave that habitat, the bats will just come back and repopulate the cave. Some studies have shown that when we try to eliminate what humans consider to be a pest animal species, it often just makes the situation worse later. Bats are super important for the environment and the ecosystems we all share. Insect-eating bats like the species we found this Ebola strain in eat tons of insectsreducing the risk of other serious human diseases like malaria, dengue, and zika virus. Fruit bats meanwhile are really critical for seed dispersal and pollination in both agriculture and nature. Explore further Scientists discover Ebola virus in West African bat In the wake of the announcement in China last November of the first 'CRISPR babies', Prof. Bartha Knoppers and researcher Erika Kleiderman from McGill's Centre of Genomics and Policy (CGP) have published a commentary article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on the use of CRISPR gene-editing techniques. In addition to the universal ethical condemnation of Dr. He Jiankui's CRISPR work involving human embryos, the birth of the twin girls has wider legal and policy implications for gene-editing research and its potential clinical translation. This commentary group the ethical critiques of human gene-editing into four broad categories: concerns about eugenics the health risks to children allegations of the failure of professional self-regulation a possible "chilling effect" on scientific research. Knoppers and Kleiderman contend that we need a renewed conversation about the criminal law ban on basic research on human germline gene modification in Canada. Moreover, they contend that our current hybrid model of statutory law plus codes of ethics for the governance of emerging biotechnologies is generally inadequate; it should be complemented by models based on a human rights approach. Finally, they propose that basic research using germline modification should be permitted if scientific standards are followed for preclinical evidence and accuracy. Explore further Otago bioethicists call for more robust system of ethical governance in human gene-editing More information: Bartha Maria Knoppers et al. "CRISPR babies": What does this mean for science and Canada?, Canadian Medical Association Journal (2019). Journal information: Canadian Medical Association Journal Bartha Maria Knoppers et al. "CRISPR babies": What does this mean for science and Canada?,(2019). DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.181657 In this July 19, 2007 file photo, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Craig Mello, front, acknowledges applause from members of the Massachusetts House and Senate on the floor of the House Chamber at the Statehouse in Boston. Emails obtained by The Associated Press show Chinese scientist He Jiankui told Mello about the gene-edited babies in April 2018, months before the claim became public. Mello objected to the experiment and remained an adviser to He's biotech company for eight more months before resigning. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File) Long before the claim of the world's first gene-edited babies became public, Chinese researcher He Jiankui shared the news with a U.S. Nobel laureate who objected to the experiment yet remained an adviser to He's biotech company. The revelation that another prominent scientist knew of the work, which was widely condemned when it was revealed, comes as scientists debate whether and how to alert troubling research, and the need for clearer guidelines. Emails obtained by The Associated Press under a public records request show that Nobel Prize winner Craig Mello of the University of Massachusetts learned about the pregnancy last April from He in a message titled "Success!" "I'm glad for you, but I'd rather not be kept in the loop on this," Mello replied. "You are risking the health of the child you are editing ... I just don't see why you are doing this. I wish your patient the best of luck for a healthy pregnancy." Mello stayed on as a scientific adviser for He's Direct Genomics company for eight more months, until December, just after news of the births became public and drew international scorn. The Chinese scientist's gene-editing work was not a company experiment. He tried to alter the genes of twin girls to help them resist possible future infection with HIV, the AIDS virus. Several U.S. researchers knew or strongly suspected He was considering trying embryo gene editing, and his disclosure to Mello in April is notable because it specified the pregnancy had been achieved, and came on the day He himself said he learned of it. Editing embryos intended for a pregnancy is not allowed in the U.S. and many other places because of the risk of harming other genes and concerns that these DNA changes can be passed to future generations. But there's no certain way to stop a rogue scientist from experimenting, no matter what rules are in place, because the gene-editing technology is cheap and easy to use. In this Nov. 28, 2018, file photo, He Jiankui, a Chinese researcher, speaks during the Human Genome Editing Conference in Hong Kong, where he made his first public comments about his claim to have helped make the world's first gene-edited babies. Emails obtained by The Associated Press show He told Nobel laureate Craig Mello about the gene-edited babies in April 2018, months before the claim became public. Mello objected to the experiment and remained an adviser to He's biotech company for eight more months before resigning. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File) It's not clear how someone would have raised concerns about He's project, said University of Wisconsin bioethicist Alta Charo, who was one of the leaders of the Hong Kong gene-editing conference where He gave details of the experiment. He's work has not been published in a scientific journal. University of Minnesota bioethicist Leigh Turner said the lack of action by scientists who learned of He's intentions indicates a broader culture of silence. "There seems to have been multiple lost opportunities," Turner said. Last week, China's state media reported that He could face consequences after investigators determined he acted alone and fabricated an ethics review by others. The Xinhua report said the twins and people involved in a second, ongoing pregnancy with a gene-edited embryo will remain under medical observation with regular visits supervised by government health departments. Efforts to reach He were unsuccessful. Mello declined requests for an interview. In statements provided through his university, Mello said he had no idea He was "personally interested" in human gene editing or had the means to pull it off, and that their discussions were "hypothetical and broad." Mello repeated his disapproval of He's project and said he resigned from Direct Genomics' scientific advisory board because he felt that a company led by He could no longer be effective. Mello said he started on the board in October 2017, and said he didn't accept compensation for the role. A representative for his university said faculty members are allowed to serve on scientific advisory boards. Mello is paid by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which also supports AP's Health & Science Department. Mello's work with Direct Genomics was not as an HHMI representative, according to the university and an email from an HHMI lawyer to He. According to a statement Mello's university provided, He approached Mello during a break at a company meeting in November 2017 to talk about the possibility of using the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR to prevent HIV infection from parent to child. The statement said Mello said he had no idea of He's intention to try this himself. After the meeting, emails show that Mello connected He to a colleague for advice on "pediatric HIV transmission risks for a therapy he is contemplating." In this Dec. 10, 2006, file photo, Craig C. Mello, left, receives the 2006 Nobel Prize in Medicine from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during the Nobel Prize award ceremony in the Concert Hall of Stockholm, Sweden. Emails obtained by The Associated Press show Chinese scientist He Jiankui told Mello about the gene-edited babies in April 2018, months before the claim became public. Mello objected to the experiment and remained an adviser to He's biotech company for eight more months before resigning. (Jonas Ekstromer/TT via AP, File) Infectious disease expert Dr. Katherine Luzuriaga replied that she looked forward to talking. She did not respond to requests for an interview. The university released a statement saying that Luzuriaga and He had a brief phone call, and that she was not aware the advice she was providing could be for He's work on gene-edited embryos. In April, He emailed Mello: "Good News ... the pregnancy is confirmed!" He asked Mello to keep the news confidential. Mello, who won a Nobel in 2006 for genetics research, expressed concern about health risks. "I think you are taking a big risk and I do not want anyone to think that I approve of what you are doing," he wrote. "I'm sorry I cannot be more supportive of this effort, I know you mean well." The emails show Mello attended another Direct Genomics meeting in China in November, about a week before the Hong Kong conference where He made his claim public. Mello's statement said he resigned from the company's scientific advisory board on Dec. 6. 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Research shows we all hold negative stereotypes; once we accept this, we can start to making positive change. Credit: Shutterstock Stigma is everywhere. We have come a long way in understanding mental illness and addressing the social stigma that affects those who suffer. Stigma is a negative stereotype, in this case about mental health. National and international public education campaigns are helping to bring the topic of mental illness out of the shadows. Unfortunately, despite widespread recognition, and significant investments in anti-stigma campaigns, the problem of stigma remains. Those who look for help for their mental illness or addictions encounter a system that can make them feel blamed and shamed. In my own lived experience as a psychiatrist, and with recent evidence I have gathered as a stigma researcher, I have seen the damaging effects of stigma. When a young person builds up their courage to ask for help and share their story, how the health system responds can have a profound impact on this young person's future. I have also heard from many health professionals who want to be better at helping those with mental illness, and are genuinely interested in reducing stigma. Consider the following example: when teaching medical students about stigma, a student once asked me, "Why is psychiatry the only rotation that gives us wearable panic [alarm] buttons?" Responding to this question in a safe, non-judgmental and open manner is essential. If we challenge health-care professionals too aggressively, we may worsen their feelings of guilt, and shame. Can we eliminate stigma through education? Providing basic education programs or lessons for people about the negative impacts of stigma does not seem to be enough to change people's behaviour or attitudes. And shaming people who might demonstrate negative beliefs or behaviours towards mental illness can make stigma worse by triggering a defensive, and counterproductive response from them. Sometimes, when people who have lived experiences of stigma share their story, it may help to reduce stigma. However, such initiatives have limitations. Hearing the story of someone who looks like me and talks like me might have some impact. But if there is someone who does not speak the same language as me or is a different generation from me, their story will have less impact. Also, there are circumstances when this type of exchange between the mentally ill and those who are not ill may reinforce negative stereotypes about people with mental illness. Most stigma reduction programs start with the ridiculous assumption that there are "bad" people who stigmatize others, and "good" people who do not. Training often involves making participants feel judged for stigmatizing others, especially when they do not mean to stereotype. We know from science, that we can all be guilty of perpetuating the stigma of mental health; this can be normal.Our brains organize information using heuristics, and categories all the time. Therefore, changing the conversation about stigma requires a different way of thinking. That is, despite our best intentions, we are all a product of our upbringing, and susceptible to the messages around us. If we start stigma reduction education with the default assumption that we all hold certain types of stigma, and that we can never eradicate it, we can start having a different kind of conversation. Making the explicit, implicit Talking about the concept of implicit stigma may help shift our approach. Implicit stigma is something that exists outside our awareness and influences us despite our best intentions. Since the first step to reducing implicit stigma is making it explicit, my research team and I found that there are a lot of negative emotions that accompany the realization that we may have stigma despite our best intentions. Yet simultaneously, our implicit stigma can also perpetuate discrimination for some of the most vulnerable members of society. While addressing the harmful impact of stigma is important, and possible, it also requires changing our mindset. Teaching and learning about implicit stigma represent a different way of thinking about the issue. Accepting flaws can help us become change-agents In a recently published study, we explored how teachers and learners manage the tensions that occur during the process of learning about their own implicit stigma. We learned that recognizing implicit stigma triggers compartmentalization between the ideal version of ourselves, and who we truly are. This work suggests that successfully managing implicit stigma requires reconciling these tensions through striving for the ideal version of ourselves, while accepting our flaws and vulnerabilities. Another challenge with implementing stigma training is that stigma is embedded within our culture. In another study, we followed participants for several months after they participated in implicit stigma training. Initially, they told us that learning about stigma motivated them to change their behaviour, but they felt this was challenging to do. As we followed them, they began reflecting on their stigma and channelling their frustration into actionable behaviours that they could change. Over time, they saw themselves as role models and became change agents within their workplace. Together, these individuals described themselves as co-constructors of social change. Forever improving, never perfect Can we become stigma free? The answer is not as simple as you may think. We encourage all educators to consider how they frame their interventions regarding stigma. If we want to address the harmful impact of stigma, we must normalize stigma. Having stigma is not something that should make us feel ashamed or guilty. Nor should we worsen feelings of guilt, or shame. Reducing stigma cannot be accomplished without practicing self-compassion and self-forgiveness. We can strive for the best version of our selves, while accepting that we will always be flawed. Always practicing; forever improving; never perfect. Explore further Most teens, young adults with type 1 diabetes report stigma This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The subtitle is Populism, Immigration, and the Future of White Majorities, and might this be the must-read book of the year? It is to the right of my views on immigration policy, but still I found it informative, fascinating, and relevant on just about every page. Here is the authors opening framing: First, why are right-wing populists doing better than left-wing ones? Second, why did the migration crisis boost populist-right numbers sharply while the economic crisis had no overall effect? If we stick to data, the answer is crystal clear. Demography and culture, not economic and political developments, hold the key to understanding the populist moment. Kaufmann, by the way, is Professor of Politics at Birkbeck in London, but hails from Canada. As for the basics, there is this in addition: Much of this book is concerned with the clash between a rising white tribalism and an ideology I term left-modernism. If you wish to understand all the stuff that is going on today, maybe Whiteshift is the best place to start? Kaufmann, by the way, is not a mega-pessimist and he seems to think that broadening the category of white will lead to a good enough solution for many of the Western democracies. Still, much of this book is disturbing, especially for readers who might consider themselves to be on the left. Most of all, he sees whiteness as a legitimate cultural interest, and one which, if we deny, will lead to more overt racism rather than less. Here is Kaufmann on Brexit, brutal but I think largely correct: many analysts bring a political lens to their analysis which inclines them to want to tell a story about wealth and power. Over half the country voted Leave and we cant condemn such a large group. So we pretend populist voters are motivated by the same things we are: economic stagnation (for fiscal conservatives) or, for left-liberals, inequality and resentment of the establishment. Kaufmann also has strong evidence for the immigration backlash hypothesis, for instance: a higher immigrant share is a consistent predictor of higher opposition to immigration over timein Western Europe there is a .63 correlation between projected 2030 Muslim share and the highest poll or vote share a populist-right party has achieved. On top of all of its other virtues, Whiteshift provides the best intellectual history of the immigration debates I have seen. It also has the best discussion of why Canada seems to be different when it comes to immigration, and I may cover that in another blog post. Kaufmann does very much argue that the left-wing values of diversity and solidarity stand very much in conflict. How is this for an ouch sentence?: Casual observation would suggest that being black in diverse San Francisco is not necessarily better than being black in white-majority Fargo [North Dakota]. By no means am I convinced by everything in this book. I dont think European politics can handle systematized refugee camps in Europe itself (rather than Turkey and Lebanon), and most of all I am not sure that recognizing whiteness as a legitimate cultural concern will diminish rather than boost racism. I wish he had said much more about gender, and how immigration and gender issues interact. Nonetheless this book has more points of interest yet, including an original and persuasive take on residential clustering, a good analysis of racial intermarriage, and a sustained argument that avoiding the no dominant ethnic group approach of Guyana and Mauritius is imperative. Strongly recommended, it is out next week, you can pre-order here. Actually, it must be more than that, or else the votes behind the speaker and the president, which allow them to take these positions, wouldnt be there. And it does after all have immense national impact. Fulcher: My urging is to forget about the politics, forget about the party moniker right now. But unlike Simpson, he voted against the proposal which, once again, had been developed and approved by both Republicans and Democrats. A week ago, Risch participated with a group of Senate Republicans offering a bill to avert federal government shutdowns in the future, by setting up an automatic continuing resolutionsort of putting the federal government on temporary budget autopilotin case of a budget stalemate. He also said, Shutting down the government is the complete opposite of what we were elected to dogovern. I have co-sponsored this legislation year after year and hope we can finally move it forward. Real people with real problems get caught in the balance of government shutdowns and we need to act for them and for the sake of government efficiency. I would prefer a smaller and less intrusive government than what we have, but regardless it needs to operate. Good sentiments, and at the least a reasonable legislative concept. But with all these good intentions and good will, why are the votesall of the delegations votesstill not there for an actual compromise, like the one Congress had but a month ago, to end a shutdown now with no end yet in sight? Randy Stapilus is a former Idaho newspaper reporter and editor and blogs at www.ridenbaugh.com. He can be reached at stapilus@ridenbaugh.com. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 TWIN FALLS City staff would like to construct some additional sediment removal ponds near the Auger Falls recreation area. The Twin Falls City Council on Monday will consider a request to use city property to construct a series of ponds atop the canyon rim and near the Auger Falls recreation parking area. These ponds would add capacity to others that are used to collect and filter canal water. The city will plant native grasses around the ponds to help rehabilitate a wetland area. The ponds attract different kinds of wildlife to the area, city spokesman Joshua Palmer said. Originally, the ponds were used to dispose of potato waste by Idaho Frozen Foods. They were abandoned by the company in the early 1980s. Twin Falls is a member of the Southern Idaho Waster Quality Coalition a partnership that works to identify, manage and increase water quality in the Mid-Snake River. The coalition has applied for federal grant money to construct the sediment reduction ponds. The property would remain in the citys ownership and control if the project is approved by the Bureau of Reclamation. The Twin Falls Canal Co. would provide construction service for the ponds. The classes will be instructed by Morgan Jeno, a certified Hatha Yoga instructor and licensed massage therapist. Cost is $99. Register at csi.edu/communityed, 208-732-6442, or at the Community Education Center. Blood drive The American Red Cross has scheduled a blood drive from 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday at La Quinta Inn, 539 Pole Line Road, Twin Falls. Donors of all blood types and platelet donors are needed. A blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. To schedule an appointment to donate, use the free blood donor app, visit redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767. Donors can use RapidPass online to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire. Grief support Visions of Hope bereavement and grief support, 5 to 6 p.m. Thursdays at Hospice Visions, 1770 Park View Drive, Twin Falls. The grief support group is open to anyone in the community who has experienced a loss. Information: John or Tonya, 208-735-0121. Rides for treatment Tax policy is tied with the national party, Cavener said. The Republican Party is associated with fiscal conservatism. Cavener said he is undecided about partisan elections. If making them partisan benefits the voter Im open to learning more, but there is no Republican or Democratic way to pick up trash, he said. By making elections partisan, candidates who might not have the funds to run alone could access party resources and networks, allowing more people to enter a race, Davidson said. City council members interviewed by the Statesman said they sometimes have made use of Democratic or Republican networks or email lists but have not typically received money from the parties. Frank Terraferma, executive director of the Idaho Republican Party, stands by the proposal. Its not a question of advantaging a party but getting people this information, he said. The nonpartisan nature of municipal elections is a legacy of the Progressive era, which saw a variety of reforms meant to combat the one-party rule in cities. Those reforms also saw many cities move their municipal elections from November to the spring, to encourage voters to select individual candidates rather than voting for their party down the ballot. MOUNTAIN HOME A priest accused of raping an intoxicated man who was renting a room from him will not face a new trial for now, and the Diocese of Boise says he will not be given any new assignment, but his status within the Roman Catholic Church is still not decided. The Rev. Victor Franz Jagerstatters trial in 2017 was declared a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous decision. At the time, prosecutors said that one juror refused to deliberate the verdict. After the mistrial, the alleged victim was deployed on military duty, and in July 2018, the charge was dismissed without prejudice, meaning there wont be an immediate retrial, but the possibility remains open down the road. At the time of the rape charge, Jagerstatter was a priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Mountain Home. The airman at Mountain Home Air Force Base told police that he went home intoxicated after a party in July 2016, fell asleep fully clothed, and then awoke partially undressed, according to previous Statesman reporting. The airman told police that he did not give permission for any sexual contact, according to court documents. Multiple calls by the Statesman to the Elmore County Prosecutors Office last week to ask about the case were not returned. SORRENTO, Maine (AP) A Maine judge has banned a man from farming for life after authorities seized 105 animals from his farm. Animal welfare officials say they found filthy conditions at Marc Calcias farm in Sorrento. The Bangor Daily News reports officials seized 75 chickens, 10 ducks, 15 rabbits and five pigs and brought them to shelters. Justice Bruce Mallonee ordered the ban, saying that the 53-year-old had violated an April 2018 deferred disposition agreement that required him to clean up the farm. Calcia has been issued at least 13 court summonses alleging animal cruelty since August 2017. He said the livestock were cared for appropriately and that assessments of the animals condition by various state officials were contradictory. He said he has hopes that his lawyer can get the order reversed. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 4 BURLEY Three southern Idaho farmers will share their experiences on soil improvement activities at the fifth annual Soil Health Workshop to be held Feb. 6 in Burley. Brian Kossman will speak at the workshop about the Direct Seed and Cover Crop Project which provides education and resources to farmers working to improve soil health. Kossman raises sugar beets, beans, barley, corn and alfalfa on 200 acres. His approach to conservation is saving water using no-till practices for water penetration, preventing soil erosion and improving organic matter for soil health. Kossman also serves as farm manager for Schaeffer Farms where he implements many innovative practices. He is currently chairman of the Minidoka Soil and Water Conservation District. In 2013, Kossman was named a Cooperator of the Year by the conservation district, and in 2016 he was made an honorary member of the Minico FFA. The Food Producers of Idaho spotlighted Brian and Gretchen Kossman as a Featured Farm Family during the 2017 Twin Falls County Fair. Luke Adams will share his knowledge about cover crops at the workshop, discussing successes and failures involved in his efforts to improve soil health on his farm. Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency in Wisconsin on Monday, because of the heavy snows that have fallen and the extreme cold still to come. "Im concerned about the safety and well-being of our residents as this major storm and bitter cold moves in," Evers said in a release. The state of emergency authorizes the adjutant general of the Wisconsin National Guard to call up military personnel to active duty if the need arises, and for all state agencies to be available if called on. This request came from Wisconsin Emergency Management in case Guard units are needed to assist with emergencies in any affected parts of the state. Dangerously cold temperatures are expected to drop actual temperatures to below zero starting Tuesday, with wind chill values down to 50 below zero, putting state residents and visitors at risk of frostbite and hypothermia. Snow that started late Sunday night and continued into Monday caused multiple crashes and slide-offs across the state, prompting the State Patrol and the National Weather Service to urge people not to travel, at least through Tuesday. The snow emergency in Madison continues to 7 a.m. Tuesday, so people parking on the streets in the city, including those parking in the snow emergency zone, should park on the odd house-numbered side of the street Monday night. Since Monday afternoon temperatures have stayed in the low teens, city crews won't be deploying salt on major routes, because it won't work in weather this cold. Instead, trucks will put down sand where needed, and will keep plowing until all streets in the city have had at least one pass, with more plowing set the rest of the week to clean up areas that need it. The bitterly cold weather will make just about everyone want to stay indoors. To that end, warming centers are opening in communities around the Madison area. In Columbia County, warming shelters are in Portage at the municipal building and library; in Columbus at the senior center and library; in Fall River at the village hall; in Cambria at the community room and library; and in Randolph at the village hall. Shelters are set up for daytime use, and visitors are asked to bring their own food and water, medication, games, etc., but no pets. In Vernon County, warming shelters are in libraries in Viroqua, Readstown, La Farge (village hall too) and Ontario; in Gundersen St. Joseph Hospital in Hillsboro (open 24 hours) and in the DeSoto community center. Because of the severe cold, Metro Transit in Madison is asking paratransit customers to cancel any upcoming rides that won't be needed, so rides can be scheduled properly. Metro also advises riders to dress warmly if waiting for a bus, because there are occasions when buses are delayed for a short time. For communities that don't have warming shelters listed, good places to go are libraries, shopping malls, community centers and senior centers, but if deciding on a place to go, especially in a smaller community, call ahead to make sure a facility is open. Now to the bad wind chill news. The National Weather Service has a winter storm warning still in effect until 6 p.m. Monday for any remnants of the strong storm that blew through late Sunday night, but the big danger coming up is from the cold and the wind. A wind chill advisory starts at 4 a.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Tuesday, then a wind chill warning starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday until noon on Thursday. The area covered by the advisory and warning takes in all or parts of Dane, Columbia, Green Lake, Marquette, Rock and Sauk counties. Wind chills of 10 below to 15 below are possible Tuesday night, but with strong north winds blowing up to 25 mph, temperatures are expected to fall and wind chills getting worse as the day goes on. The temperature could drop to around 8 below by 5 p.m. Tuesday, with wind chills between 20 below and 30 below. Winds could gust up to 35 mph. Wednesday could be deadly to anyone not prepared to be outside. "This will be one of the coldest stretches of temperatures and wind chills we have ever seen," the Weather Service said. Wednesday's high is only expected to reach 13 below, and the overnight low into Thursday could drop to 27 below. Wind chills are expected to be in the 40 below to 55 below range at times, from Tuesday night through Thursday night. By Friday, we should see a high above zero, in fact up to 19 degrees above zero, then balmy weather moves in, with highs of 37 on Saturday and (gasp) 40 on Sunday. There are chances for rain and snow during the weekend. Local Weather Get the daily forecast and severe weather alerts in your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The threats by Stone quoted in the indictment as proof of witness tampering, aimed at an unidentified individual, are perhaps the most shocking. When that individual said in an email that Stone should be honest with the FBI, Stone replied, You are a rat. A stoolie. You backstab your friends-run your mouth my lawyers are dying (sic) Rip you to shreds. Stone later wrote to that same individual saying, Prepare to die (expletive). ... We mention all this not out of any partisan instinct or desire to see collusion proven once and for all. A blow to the credibility of our democracy, and the presidency any presidency is a blow to our nation as a whole. Some on the left seem to relish the idea that those closest to the president if not the president himself may face similar indictments. While some on the right seem to agree with the president that the Mueller probe is nothing but a witch hunt and believe the special counsel long ago overstepped his bounds. The EPA had suggested a method for detecting between 14 and 18 PFAS compounds, but when the water utility used it in 2015 for mandated testing it failed to find any PFAS. In 2017 the water utility found the Well 15 contamination by using a more sensitive method that could detect lower levels of a broader array of PFAS compounds. The more sensitive testing method was used on five wells that draw water near likely PFAS contamination sources such as landfills. But Maria Powell, president of the Midwest Environmental Justice Organization in Madison, said the toxic chemicals are so widespread in the environment that all city wells should be retested. In December the utility said it would probably use a method that can detect at least 12 PFAS compounds in the monthly Well 15 tests. At the time Powell said a modified EPA method that can detect 30 PFAS compounds should be used along with more sophisticated sampling technology. Powell, other activists and some elected officials have called for quicker action on a cleanup at Truax, for public meetings to inform more people about potential risks, and for Wisconsin to set enforceable standards that could free up federal cleanup money. The march was conceived as a chance not to protest, but instead to bring forth Kings vision, she said. We feel our vision of a just world aligns with MLKs vision, Millon said. The march was preceded by students studying Kings Six Principles of Nonviolence and reading various age-appropriate accounts of the Civil Rights Movement. Some of the older students also looked at the designs of protest banners, posters and artwork that have been used in support of the movement throughout the years. Wingra had a school-wide meeting to sing about peace and break into smaller mixed-age groups to talk about the ways in which the Civil Rights Movement continues today. We thought as a social justice school, as a democratic school we want to teach kids democracy and we also want them to practice, said Sagan Pizzingrilli, who teaches students ages 11 to 14 and was on the committee to organize the activity. Pizzingrilli, who said the activity was a way to honor King and his work, said it seemed appropriate to have the kids take their message to the Capitol because it is the center of the city and the government and because many of Kings civil rights marches ended at such official locations. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Im glad the Assembly recently postponed a vote on Marsys Law, an effort to amend the Wisconsin Constitution to protect victims rights. On Aug. 19, 1990, my 33-year-old son, John Kippert Jr., was robbed and murdered in Madison. I know the endless pain and trauma that victimized families and other survivors of violent crime have to endure. I have empathy for those survivors who are endorsing Marsys Law, but Im not backing Marsys Law, and let me tell you why. First, its unnecessary. Wisconsin already has a statute (called Chapter 950) that contains the protections that the proposed constitutional amendment would offer. The statute says that victims and witnesses of crime are treated with dignity, respect, courtesy and sensitivity, and then spells out their specific rights, which must be honored and protected by law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and judges in a manner no less vigorous than the protections afforded criminal defendants. If the legislators want to support the victims and survivors of violence, they could invest their efforts into putting more teeth into Chapter 950. And then, if victims and survivors rights are still not being honored and protected, sheriffs and district attorneys and judges should follow the law and start treating them the right way. Japanese lifestyle guru Marie Kondo offers a simple path to decluttering: Put all your possessions into piles, pick up each item individually and feel whether it "sparks joy." If not, out of the house it goes. But where does it end up? In Madison, it appears some of those joyless items are finding their way to thrift stores. Several stores report being a bit busier than a normal January, and theyre hearing the buzz from donors dropping off bags and customers looking for new joy-producing purchases. Store representatives cant say for sure that Kondo is driving higher donations, but whatever the reason, theyre happy about it. More donations means more sales and potentially less waste, they say. Kondos teachings are not new. Her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up came out in 2014 and was a best seller. But her method gained new momentum with her Netflix show, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, which premiered on Jan. 1. In the show, her subjects express the will to change their overstuffed lives: Its a never ending battle to fight the clutter, they say. With the baby coming, weve got to get our stuff in order, or I lost my husband. I dont know that I have everything it takes to get rid of his belongings. MTI president Andy Waity said next weeks week of action is a culmination of several years of planned work by the union to address race and equity issues, which started with revamping its mission statement to include promoting racial justice and eliminating disparities. In a packed auditorium at Edgewood on Sunday, Hagopian challenged teachers to publicly show support for minority students during the week of action and use the events to incorporate anti-racism into their classrooms. Its amazing to see a movement that spread from my hometown come all the way to Madison, Hagopian said, noting that his father attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and participated in protests to get the university to include more ethnic studies courses. I come by this work honestly. Hagopians talk began with an overview of how the Black Lives Matter at School movement started in Seattle, noting a lack of accurate history on topics such as slavery, heightened amounts of standardized testing and the use of police officers in schools. Venezuela abandoned its decision to sever diplomatic ties with the U.S., stating that each country agreed to keep a so-called interest section open in their respective capitals. The Saturday evening announcement that the missions would remain open was a retreat after days of bellicose rhetoric prompted by the U.S. decision to recognize National Assembly leader Juan Guaido as the nations rightful head of state. President Nicolas Maduros election to a six-year term last year has been widely criticized as a fraud designed to keep him and his military allies in power despite the countrys years-long spiral into misery and hunger. This weekend, Guaidos supporters maintained a united front from New York and Brussels to the streets of Caracas, and the countrys military attache in Washington declared allegiance to the newcomer. The European Union demanded speedy elections and U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo told the UN that the socialist Maduro must go. It is time for every other nation to pick a side. No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or youre in league with Maduro and his mayhem, Pompeo told the UN Security Council on Saturday during an emergency session called by the U.S. Maduro called Pompeo a warlord who speaks with a lot of despair and hate in a preview of an interview with CNN-Turk channel. EFFECTIVE RETREAT Pompeo and President Donald Trump have been intransigent in the face of Maduros fury. Despite the regimes threats to throw out diplomats and cut off electricity, the U.S. had refused to close its embassy. However, nonessential staff were leaving the country, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said in a statement, calling it an effective retreat. Venezuelan diplomats in Washington were already returning to Caracas on Saturday, he said. Now, the governments have 30 days to reach an agreement that will establish interest sections, which permit basic consular functions, but are the lowest level of diplomatic exchange. Remaining personnel will stay in their respective embassies, protected by diplomatic prerogatives during that time, according to Arreazas statement. There was no immediate response from the U.S. Venezuelas competing leaders Guaido is a 35-year-old engineer-turned-lawmaker while Maduro succeeded the late President Hugo Chavez in 2013 are vying for support in the streets, the military and the mainstay oil industry. The nations diplomatic outposts are more leverage Guaido would like to seize. At a Saturday morning rally in Caracas, he said that many diplomats were heeding his calls to stay in place in defiance of Maduro. Remember all those consulates that were going to close? Guaido asked the crowd. Ive got good news for you: Theyre going to stay open for a long while! Colonel Jose Luis Silva Silva, Venezuelas top military diplomat in the U.S., said in a video widely circulated on social media Saturday that he supports Guaido. The armed forces have a key role in restoring democracy in the country, Silva said, calling on the government to stop the usurpation of executive power. BACKING DOWN Carlos Luna, a professor of international relations at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, said Maduros decision to allow interest sections represents a loss in power. He made a threat and didnt complete it, Luna said. Hes doing this to ease tensions with the U.S. When he made the decision to break relations he did so because he felt obligated, but forcing diplomats out by force carries consequences, especially if youre staring down the worlds greatest military power. Guaidos success in keeping a unified opposition to Maduro at home and abroad and Maduros reluctance so far to arrest Guaido raise the prospect of a grinding standoff. TIPPING THE SCALES The U.S. is betting it has the clout to tip the scales after Trumps decision to recognize Guaido was joined by countries including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Panama. EU powers shifted toward the U.S. position Saturday with envoys of the U.K. and Germany saying the European Union would recognize Guaido as interim president unless a new election is called within eight days. Arreaza called the push for a new election almost childlike. Maduro has stood firm in the face of demonstrations against his rule this week, winning the endorsement of key military leaders and vowing to defeat what he calls a U.S.-backed coup against his government. Pompeo on Saturday urged countries to help isolate the Maduro regime economically, saying they should assure that they disconnect their financial system from the Maduro regime. SYMBOLIC CLASH The UN hearing was mostly a symbolic clash. With Venezuelan allies China and Russia holding veto power, there was little chance the UN body would agree to take action. Among the countries rejecting the U.S. request for an emergency meeting was South Africa. Russia has helped Maduros government with loans and weapons exports. China has provided more than USD62 billion, mostly in loans, to Venezuela since 2007 and its paid back in crude. Moises Rendon, associate director of the Americas Program at Washingtons Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Saturday that Maduros opponents should ready themselves for a long struggle. The path to restoring Venezuelas democracy and stability will undoubtedly be long and arduous, he said. Bloomberg A group of 20 local residents held a press conference on Saturday morning seeking help from lawmakers over an alleged real estate scam they say they are victim to, TDM reported. The homebuyers say they were lured into investing in a real estate project development known as the GBH development in Jiangmen prefecture in Guangdong province in between 2015 and 2017. According to the contract, they should have seen the project reaching the conclusion stage in 2018 but the residents say that the developer kept giving excuses to stall the residents on fake promises. Although there were only 20 buyers present at the press conference, a representative of the alleged victims said that the number of buyers is 755, of which around half are from Macau. The group claims that a total of over RMB20 million is involved, investment that they made through real estate agencies located in the nearby cities of Zhuhai and Jiangmen. One of the victims told TDM that a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the site, counting the attendance several high profile officials from both Macau and Jiangmen. The press conference was held with the support of lawmakers that represent the Workers Association in Macau. According to Leong Sun Iok, the local government should pay attention to these cases as in the upcoming years it is likely that more residents will be interested in buying property in the neighboring cities in the mainland due to the Greater Bay Area Initiative. He suggested the government establish a system that offers investors guarantees in cases like this. RM The Russian city of St. Petersburg marked the 75th anniversary of the end of the devastating World War II siege by Nazi forces with a large military parade yesterday in the citys sprawling Palace Square. Russian President Vladimir Putin later laid flowers at a monument in Piskarevskoye Cemetery, where hundreds of thousands of siege victims are buried. The siege of the city, then called Leningrad, lasted nearly 2 years until the Soviet Army drove the Nazis away on Jan. 27, 1944. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than 1 million Leningrad residents died from hunger or air and artillery bombardments during the siege. Yesterday, more than 2,500 soldiers and 80 units of military equipment paraded as snow fell and temperatures hovered around minus-18 degrees Celsius (0 Fahrenheit). The vehicles included a T-34 tank; such tanks played a key role in defeating the Nazis and became a widely revered symbol of the nations wartime valor and suffering. During the siege, most Leningrad residents had to survive on rations of just 125 grams (less than 0.3 pounds) of bread a day and whatever other food they could buy or exchange at local markets after selling their belongings. Among those who succumbed to the deprivations of the siege was Putins 1-year-old brother. Putin himself was born after the siege, in 1952. The Russian president did not attend the parade, which some civic groups had objected to as inappropriate, saying the day should commemorate the victims rather than flaunt military strength. The Kremlin also announced Sunday that Putin had signed an order allocating 150 million rubles (USD2.3 million) for creating new exhibits at the state museum of the siege. Today we mourn those who died defending Leningrad, who at the cost of their lives broke through the blockade. We recall those who worked in the besieged city, who, risking themselves, delivered bread and medicine along the Road of Life, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev wrote on social media. Medvedev was referring to the ice road across Lake Ladoga that was the only conduit for supplies and evacuations during much of the siege. Tamara Chernykh, 81, told The Associated Press that she still cant forget the tiny pieces of bread that her granny used to put under her pillow as a night treat for a starving four-year- old girl in besieged Leningrad during the deadly winter of 1941-1942. In the daytime, Chernykh said she and her baby cousin mostly stayed put under several blankets in the darkness. There was no heating during the first and the coldest winter of the siege, when temperatures outside sometimes plunged to -40 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees Fahrenheit). Chernykhs grandmother, who gave the bread out of her own scant food ration, said the crumbs would bring good dreams. She died from starvation before the siege ended. Germany has allocated 12 million euros ($13.5 million) to modernize a Russian hospital for veterans of the war and to create a center in St. Petersburg where Germans and Russians can meet, the German and Russian foreign ministers said Sunday. We are sure that this voluntary action will improve the life quality of the victims of the siege who are still alive and also serve the historical reconciliation of the peoples of both countries, ministers Heiko Maas and Sergey Lavrov said in the statement. Irina Titova, St. Petersburg The number of non-resident workers (TNR) reached its highest point ever in 2018, totaling 188,480 people at the end of December, data disclosed by the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) show. According to the report, which cites figures from the Public Security Police Force (PSP), 2018 registered year-on-year growth of 5 percent. The hotels, restaurants and other similar establishments sector continue to employ the largest share of the TNR workforce with 53,064 workers (28.2 percent) followed by the construction sector with a total of 30,129 (16 percent) and domestic workers which totaled 28,692 (15.2 percent). There was no change in the origin of such workers, with a large majority continuing to arrive from mainland China (62.5 percent), followed by the Philippines (16.7 percent) and Vietnam with 8 percent. Indonesia is responsible for 5,308 workers (2.8 percent) and closing the top five is the neighboring region of Hong Kong with a total of 4,721 workers (2.5 percent). The previous record high in the number of TNR was registered in 2015 when the number of workers reached 181,646, following year-on-year growth of 6.6 percent. RM Chinese internet users lost access to Microsofts Bing search engine for two days, setting off grumbling about the ruling Communist Partys increasingly tight online censorship. Microsoft Corp. said Friday that access had been restored. A brief statement gave no reason for the disruption or other details. Comments on social media had accused regulators of choking off access to information. Others complained they were forced to use Chinese search engines they say deliver poor results. Why cant we choose what we want to use? said a comment signed Aurelito on the Sina Weibo microblog service. Bing complied with government censorship rules by excluding foreign websites that are blocked by Chinese filters from search results. But President Xi Jinpings government has steadily tightened control over online activity. The agency that enforces online censorship, the Cyberspace Administration of China, didnt respond to questions sent by fax. China has by far the biggest population of internet users, with some 800 million people online, according to government data. The Communist Party encourages internet use for business and education but blocks access to foreign websites run by news organizations, human rights and Tibet activists and others deemed subversive. Since coming to power in 2012, Xi has promoted the notion of internet sovereignty, or the right of Beijing and other governments to dictate what their publics can do and see online. Chinese filters block access to global social media including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Officials argue such services operating beyond their control pose a threat to national security. Xis government also has tightened controls on use of virtual private network technology that can evade its filters. Alphabet Inc.s Google unit operated a search engine in China until 2010 that excluded blocked sites from results. The company closed that after hacking attacks aimed at stealing Googles source code and breaking into email accounts were traced to China. That has helped Chinese competitors such as search engine Baidu.com to flourish. But Baidu has been hit by repeated complaints that too many search results are irrelevant or are paid advertising. Joe McDonald, Beijing, AP Eka Tjipta Widjaja, who became a coconut and palm-oil trader at the age of 15 before building a multi-billion dollar empire with businesses spanning paper and pulp to financial services, has died. Widjaja, 98, passed away at his home in Jakarta on Saturday, said Gandi Sulistiyanto, a managing director at Sinar Mas Group. The founder of Sinar Mas was Indonesias fourth-richest person with a net worth of USD9.3 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The Indonesian tycoon of Chinese origin will also be remembered for the $14 billion default by his flagship Asia Pulp & Paper Co. after the 1998 Asian financial crisis. While several of Sinar Mass businesses were taken over by the government after the fall of the dictatorship of General Suharto, Widjaja managed to rebuild his empire, which employs around 380,000 people in Indonesia. Widjaja, then known as Oei Ek Tjhong, landed at Makassar in Indonesias Sulawesi province as a seven-year-old with his parents from mainland China. He started out selling biscuits and sweets by bicycle, Sinar Mas Group said in a statement. Even though he only graduated from elementary school, for him there was no hope and ideals that were too high, Sinar Mas said. The philosophy of honesty, maintaining credibility, and being responsible, both toward family, work and social affairs became his lifes compass. His early success in commodities trading spurred him to diversify into paper and pulp, real estate, food and telecommunications, with holdings primarily in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. The fallout from the Asian financial crisis forced the group to surrender control of its flagship bank, PT Bank Internasional Indonesia, after opting for a bailout from the central bank. Widjaja moved back into banking by acquiring PT Bank Shinta Indonesia in 2005 and later renamed it as PT Bank Sinarmas. Widjajas business empire is now run by his children and grandchildren. Companies under the Sinar Mas brand include Singapore-listed Golden Agri Resources Ltd., one of the worlds biggest producers of palm oil, and Bumi Serpong Damai, Indonesias largest listed property company. Harry Suhartono, Fathiya Dahrul, Bloomberg Approximately 300 local and international guests and members of the France Macau Chamber of Commerce (FMCC) joined Fridays 10th FMCC Annual Charity Gala Dinner, themed First Class to Tahiti. The event was in support of Macao Fok Sin Associations (MFS) Visit the Elderly project, which arranges personal visits and brings useful gifts along to underprivileged local elderly adults who either have low mobility, broken or no families, or lack emotional and financial support. During the charity event, FMCC raised over MOP70,000 through donations by generous sponsors and guests. Macao Fok Sin Association is expecting to cater to over 200 elderly people. FMCC chairman, Rutger Verschuren and the executive board of members welcomed the Deputy Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, Paule Ignatio, Macao Government Tourism Offices (MGTO) director, Helena de Senna Fernandes, among other leading executives from Macau and the Greater Bay Area. The Annual Charity Gala Dinner commenced with a welcome speech from Ignatio, followed by Verschuren, who said that this years 10th Charity Gala Dinner was the Chambers first gathering in 2019. He added that the networking event aimed to bring closer together the business and community leaders in the Greater Bay Area. FMCC, one of Macaus largest chambers of commerce, connects to the CCI France International network that unites via French Chambers of Commerce in 92 countries to over 35,000 companies globally, hence members benefitting tremendously by reaching across borders, as well as within the region. Accompanied by the founders, the VIP guests and Board of Directors, Verschuren made a toast and wished everyone a successful year. MFS is a local non-profit association that provides a platform for young residents to participate in community work, in order to understand, appreciate and accept that the unfortunate and underprivileged are part of our community. Through the project Visit the Elderly, MFS organizes visits and provides gifts such as food, clothes and essential articles to unprivileged elderly. The MFS volunteers also bring support on special days such as Chinese New Year, allowing disadvantaged elderly residents in Macau to be part of the celebrations. JZ Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fired Canadas ambassador to China after the envoy said it would be great if the U.S. dropped its extradition request for a Chinese tech executive arrested in Canada. Trudeau said Saturday that he had asked for and accepted John McCallums resignation Friday night. McCallum made the remark to the Toronto Star on Friday. That came a day after he issued a statement saying he misspoke about the case earlier in the week and regretted saying Meng Wanzhou has a strong case against extradition. The arrest of the daughter of the founder of Huawei Technologies Ltd. at Vancouvers airport Dec. 1 severely damaged relations between China and Canada. The U.S. wants her extradited to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about Huaweis business dealings in Iran Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallums resignation as Canadas Ambassador to China, Trudeau said in a statement. Trudeau said Jim Nickel, the deputy head of mission at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, would represent his government in China. He thanked McCallum, a former minister in Trudeaus Cabinet, for his 20 years of public service. China detained two Canadians shortly after Mengs arrest in an apparent attempt to pressure Canada to release her. A Chinese court also sentenced a Canadian to death in a sudden retrial of a drug case, overturning a 15-year prison term handed down earlier. McCallum told Chinese media in the Toronto area earlier in the week that the extradition of Meng to the United States would not be a happy outcome. He suggested the case was politically motivated and said the U.S. could make a trade deal with China in which it would no longer seek her extradition, and two Canadian detained in China could then be released. But on Thursday McCallum walked back the remarks and said he misspoke. Trudeau had earlier dismissed calls to fire McCallum, but he clearly had enough after the envoy spoke off script again. Trudeau and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland have stressed that Canadas government cant interfere politically in the case. The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, said McCallum should have been fired days ago because his remarks raised concerns about the politicization of the Meng case. Scheer said McCallum caused damage to Canadas reputation by delivering different messages through different media on different days. McCallums remarks surprised many and fueled speculation that Canada might be trying to send a signal to China to reduce tensions. A year ago, McCallum also made controversial comments about how Canada had more in common with China than the United States under Trump. McCallum has strong personal ties to China, and he pointed out to Chinese-language media last week that his wife is of Chinese ethnicity and his three sons have Chinese spouses. Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said he felt bad for McCallum but said it was the right thing to do. What is worse is this is happening in the middle of the crisis when we need all-hands on deck, Saint-Jacques said. He said the Chinese will now know that McCallum was not speaking for the Canadian government. Roland Paris, a former foreign policy adviser to Trudeau, said Mr. McCallums remarks were continuing to cause confusion about Canadas position. On a matter of this importance, the Canadian government has to speak with a single, clear voice. Robert Bothwell, a professor at the University of Toronto, said it is not an ambassadors job to speak out of turn. Of course, McCallum can obviously take refuge in arguing that what he said was largely true, but he cant escape the fact that it wasnt his job to say it. It does underline the hazards of sending a politician to do a diplomats job, Bothwell said. Saint-Jacques said he spoke to Chinas consul general in Montreal on Thursday who reported that China is furious at Canada for arresting Meng on behalf of the U.S., which is involved in a trade talks with China. Saint-Jacques said the consul general told him he thinks a Canadian delegation should visit Beijing for talks. Saint-Jacques believes Canada should appoint a special envoy to try to resolve the crisis. Trudeau and Freeland have stressed that Canada has an extradition treaty with the U.S. that it must respect. The White House National Security Council declined comment on McCallum. Meng is out on bail in Vancouver awaiting her extradition proceedings. The U.S. has until Wednesday to submit paperwork for the extradition request. Huawei has close ties to Chinas military and is considered one of the countrys most successful international enterprises. Rob Gillies, Toronto, AP A tailings dam owned by miner Vale SA broke in the state of Minas Gerais on Friday, hitting a local community near the capital and echoing a similar accident that became Brazils biggest environmental disaster three years ago. By Saturday night, when authorities called off rescue efforts until day break, the death toll stood at 40 dead. Approximately 200 people are missing, according to seeveral media reports. Helicopter footage from local television showed several buildings leveled by a slide of mining waste, and a sea of mud blocking roads. Minas Gerais has formed a crisis management group and sent first responders to the affected area, according to a statement. Aircraft are doing flyovers as part of rescue operations, it said, without mentioning any deaths or injuries. Vale announced yesterday that rising water levels at its Dam 6 had prompted new evacuations of local residents. President Jair Bolsonaro intended to visit the disaster zone on Saturday, according to a spokesman. Earlier, the president said he had sent a team of high-ranking officials to the area, including the ministers of environment, and mines and energy. Our biggest concern at the moment is to attend to possible victims of this serious tragedy, he posted on his twitter account. In an emailed statement, Vale said there are possible victims among employees who were at an administrative facility hit by the mud. It added theres no information about the cause of the accident. The failed dam serves the Feijao mine, one of Vales smaller operations that produced 7.8 million tons of iron ore in 2017, according to the company. In Brazils largest-ever environmental catastrophe, another tailings dam collapsed near the municipality of Mariana, also in Minas Gerais state, in November 2015. It spilled the equivalent of 25,000 Olympic swimming pools of toxic mud that destroyed entire towns, contaminated waterways and resulted in 19 deaths. The dam was owned by Samarco, a joint-venture between Vale and BHP Billiton Ltd. While the images of mud burying houses and cars are reminiscent of the 2015 disaster, the scale should be quite different. The Feijao dams capacity is no more than 2 million cubic meters, while the Samarco dam spilled 50 million cubic meters into the surrounding environment, according to a committee that gathers 110 groups advocating for greater mining regulation. The type of waste is similar to Marianas, but the volume is significantly lower, said Katia Visentainer, a spokeswoman for the committee. Also, the Mariana disaster happened during a raining season, which augmented its impacts. Its not the case now. MDT/Agencies China will join a group including the U.S. and the European Union in negotiating new rules to cover the USD25 trillion e-commerce market. The EU and 47 other members of the World Trade Organization launched the discussions, according to a Friday statement. If successful, a digital trade accord hashed out through the Geneva-based trade body would establish a baseline international regime for 21st century trade and reduce cross- border hurdles to e-commerce. China, which for years has heavily restricted use of the internet inside its borders, had resisted joining the talks until Thursday, raising concerns over the language in the statement advocating a high standard outcome, according to four people familiar with the talks who asked not to be identified because the discussions were private. In a statement emailed to Bloomberg, Chinas ambassador to the World Trade Organization, Zhang Xiangchen, said China had in the end decided to join the negotiations out of concern over a broader crisis surrounding the WTO, which has been coming under attack from the U.S. and President Donald Trumps administration. The multilateral trading system is in a deep crisis, he said. Against this backdrop, the launching of e-commerce negotiation will in a significant way help reinvigorate the negotiating function of the WTO, and shore up confidence in the multilateral trading system and economic globalization. Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative, said in a statement on Friday that the U.S. is seeking an ambitious, high-standard agreement that is enforceable and has the same obligations for all participants. He called the digital economy a powerful force for global economic growth that should be guided by market-based rules and lowered barriers.The inclusion of China was important because of its scale and role in the global economy, Cecilia Malmstrom, the EUs top trade negotiator, told Bloomberg. With China on board the negotiations will include WTO members accounting for more than 90 percent of global trade. But it also served as a sign that the WTO still had life in it. It shows that the WTO is still alive and that we can take on board one of the biggest challenges on global trade e-commerce, Malmstrom said in an interview. The new rules will seek to reduce barriers that prevent cross- border sales, ban duties on electronic transmissions, ensure the validity of e-contracts and e-signatures and address forced data localization requirements, according to Fridays EU statement. G-20 Simon Birmingham, the Australian trade minister, said the hope was that some tangible progress could be made in negotiations before a Group of 20 summit in Japan in June and that the negotiations could be wrapped up next year. If anything this is an initiative that started too late because the reality is that e-commerce and digital trade are here, theyre big, and there is an inevitability that the way in which commerce occurs around the world is going to be influenced more heavily by the digital economy, he told Bloomberg in an interview. The group is expected to hold their first formal negotiating session in March, and movement toward an agreement has been praised by some retailers, including Amazon.com Inc. Amazon welcomes progress made this week by the joint statement group towards a global e-commerce agreement, which has the potential to significantly benefit Amazons customers and seller partners by eliminating and preventing barriers to online trade, an Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Largest Market China, which is expected to surpass the U.S. this year as the biggest retail market in the world, adds greater weight to a potential accord. China will likely register $5.5 trillion in online sales this year due to the spread of its powerful online companies like Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Baidu Inc. But some in the U.S. fear that China could also seek to water down any eventual outcome and Beijings decision to join at the end was tinged with reluctance. To be very frank, the current text of the joint statement before us, in our view, could have been better drafted if time allows, Zhang told Bloomberg. Even though Trumps administration didnt send a representative to Fridays meeting in Davos, the U.S. has been a key contributor to e-commerce discussions ever since they were first floated at the WTOs 2017 ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires. Bryce Baschuk, Shawn Donnan, Bloomberg Marko Arnautovic signed a contract extension at West Ham on Saturday, hours after declaring his intention to stay with the English Premier League club despite a very tempting offer from a Chinese team. I love this club and I will always love this club no matter what, Arnautovic said in a statement released by West Ham. You have decisions you have to make in life, but I say from now it doesnt matter what happens I will always love West Ham. Late on Friday, the Austria forward wrote on Instagram that it was time to put a stop to all the writings and speculation, having needed time to talk to his family and West Ham about his future. I want to put the offers aside, he wrote, help the club to climb as high as possible in the [Premier League] table and try to win the [FA] Cup. West Ham lost to third-tier AFC Wimbledon 4-2 in the FA Cup on Saturday, with Arnautovic left out of the matchday squad. Minutes after the fulltime whistle, West Ham announced the new deal for Arnautovic, whose previous contract ran until 2022. Im happy for this, he said, and I want to say to the fans that Im happy to stay. The 29-year-old Arnautovic was left out of West Hams squad for the Premier League game against Bournemouth last weekend. He returned to training this week. Marko Arnautovic never refused [to play or train], he said in the club statement. I would never refuse. West Ham is 10th in the 20-team Premier League. AP Two bombs minutes apart tore through a Roman Catholic cathedral on a southern Philippine island where Muslim militants are active, killing at least 20 people and wounding 111 others during a Sunday Mass, officials said. Witnesses said the first blast inside the Jolo cathedral in the provincial capital sent churchgoers, some of them wounded, to stampede out of the main door. Army troops and police posted outside were rushing in when the second bomb went off about one minute later near the main entrance, causing more deaths and injuries. The military was checking a report that the second explosive device may have been attached to a parked motorcycle. The initial explosion scattered the wooden pews inside the main hall and blasted window glass panels, and the second bomb hurled human remains and debris across a town square fronting the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, witnesses said. Cellphone signal was cut off in the first hours after the attack. The witnesses who spoke to The Associated Press refused to give their names or were busy at the scene of the blasts. Police said at least 20 people died and 111 were wounded, correcting an earlier toll due to double counting. The fatalities included 15 civilians and five troops. Among the wounded were 17 troops, two police, two coast guard and 90 civilians. Troops in armored carriers sealed off the main road leading to the church while vehicles transported the dead and wounded to the town hospital. Some casualties were evacuated by air to nearby Zamboanga city. I have directed our troops to heighten their alert level, secure all places of worships and public places at once, and initiate pro-active security measures to thwart hostile plans, said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in a statement. We will pursue to the ends of the earth the ruthless perpetrators behind this dastardly crime until every killer is brought to justice and put behind bars. The law will give them no mercy, the office of President Rodrigo Duterte said in Manila. It said that the enemies of the state boldly challenged the governments capability to secure the safety of citizens in that region. The [Armed Forces of the Philippines] will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals. Jolo island has long been troubled by the presence of Abu Sayyaf militants, who are blacklisted by the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organization because of years of bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. A Catholic bishop, Benjamin de Jesus, was gunned down by suspected militants outside the cathedral in 1997. No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack. It came nearly a week after minority Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation endorsed a new autonomous region in the southern Philippines in hopes of ending nearly five decades of a separatist rebellion that has left 150,000 people dead. Although most of the Muslim areas approved the autonomy deal, voters in Sulu province, where Jolo is located, rejected it. The province is home to a rival rebel faction thats opposed to the deal as well as smaller militant cells that not part of any peace process. Western governments have welcomed the autonomy pact. They worry that small numbers of Islamic State-linked militants from the Middle East and Southeast Asia could forge an alliance with Filipino insurgents and turn the south into a breeding ground for extremists. This bomb attack was done in a place of peace and worship, and it comes at a time when we are preparing for another stage of the peace process in Mindanao, said Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Human lives are irreplaceable, he added, calling on Jolo residents to cooperate with authorities to find the perpetrators of this atrocity. Security officials were looking at different threat groups and they still cant say if this has something to do with the just concluded plebiscite, Oscar Albayalde, the national police chief, told ABS-CBN TV network. Hermogenes Esperon, the national security adviser, said that the new autonomous region, called Bangsamoro, signifies the end of war for secession. It stands for peace in Mindanao. Aside from the small but brutal Abu Sayyaf group, other militant groups in Sulu include a small band of young jihadis aligned with the Islamic State group, which has also carried out assaults, including ransom kidnappings and beheadings. Abu Sayyaf militants are still holding at least five hostages a Dutch national, two Malaysians, an Indonesian and a Filipino in their jungle bases mostly near Sulus Patikul town, not far from Jolo. Government forces have pressed on sporadic offensives to crush the militants, including those in Jolo, a poverty-wracked island of more than 700,000 people. A few thousand Catholics live mostly in the capital of Jolo. There have been speculations that the bombings may be a diversionary move by Muslim militants after troops recently carried out an offensive that killed a number of IS-linked extremists in an encampment in the hinterlands of Lanao del Sur province, also in the south. The area is near Marawi, a Muslim city that was besieged for five months by hundreds of IS-aligned militants, including foreign fighters, in 2017. Troops quelled the insurrection, which left more 1,100 mostly militants dead and the heartland of the mosque-studded city in ruins. Duterte declared martial law in the entire southern third of the country to deal with the Marawi siege, his worst security crisis. His martial law declaration has been extended to allow troops to finish off radical Muslim groups and other insurgents but bombings and other attacks have continued. AP Macau is amongst the group of countries and regions with a mostly free economy, according to the latest economic freedom report from U.S. organization the Heritage Foundation. Macaus ranking has remained almost unchanged for the past three years, scoring 71 points (out of 100), just 0.1 up from the 2018 report. According to the report, it is in the 34th position overall and ninth amongst the Asia-Pacific countries. As the report, released last Friday, states, Macaus results are mostly due to monetary freedom and tax burden exceeding a decline in the score for government integrity. From the report, it is also possible to conclude that Macaus overall score is considered above the regional and world averages. Despite having a positive outcome, the same report also highlights challenges relating to the casino industry that the region must stay up to date with, which include money-laundering risks and the need to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on gaming revenues. The organization also notes that Macau shares several factors contributing to its favourable result with its neighbor Hong Kong, which tops the 2019 index of the organization as the most free economy in the world for the twenty-fifth consecutive year, followed by Singapore and New Zealand. One of the similarities is that each region has a free port, resulting in the regions benefiting from global trade and investment. Other growth areas include finance, insurance, and real estate, with the Heritage Foundation classifying the entrepreneurial environment as generally efficient and streamlined. The rights of property were also a factor taken into account, which according to the report are generally respected, followed by a relatively efficient and low taxation system. This year, there was a decrease in macau in the category of Government Integrity scoring only 33.2 points, a drop of 3.2 points from the 36.4 achieved in 2018. In fact, the government integrity is one of the few categories in which Macaus results have been dropping continuously ever since its inclusion in the report in 2009. Ten years ago, Macau scored 57 points. The biggest decrease registered was in 2017, when the government integrity dropped 12.6 percent (from 49.7 to 37.1), failing to recover ever since. Factors contributing to these results include the rapid economic expansion [that] has left the judiciary understaffed, as well as public protests against a range of issues such as corruption, favoritism, and nepotism have increased in recent years. Macau also scored low in the category of Labor Freedom, in which Macau has been scoring 50 points for the past four years after dropping from 55 in 2014 and 60 points in 2012. The Heritage Foundation notes that the economy lacks a dynamic and broad-based labor market, with the government setting minimum standards for the terms and conditions of employment. On a more positive note, factors such as Monetary, Trade, Investment and Financial Freedom as well as Fiscal Health pulled up Macaus scores, achieving the maximum score of 100 points. Regarding these categories, the report states that the overall regulatory environment is relatively transparent and efficient, with license requirements varying by type of economic activity. The Heritage Foundation noted that monetary stability in the region has been relatively well maintained, although in many cases this related to generous government subsidies to households, students, and the elderly, which increased in 2018. It was also noted that Macau is relatively open to foreign investment and that the small financial system functions without undue government influence. China ranks 100th (scoring 58.4 points) on the 2019 list, which includes a total of 180 countries and regions. Although China is still considered under the mostly unfree group, the countrys result this year constitutes a rise by 0.6 points when compared to 2018, performing well for the fourth consecutive year. On behalf of the Macau government, the Monetary Authority of Macau released a statement acknowledging the results of the region and highlighting the praise made to the areas performing best. I suggest that the so-called contradiction diverts our attention from the real story: President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence ask Honduras for more brutality against its suffering citizens. Trump criticizes Honduras doing nothing to stop caravans, and Pence praises Honduras President Juan Hernandez for arresting organizers. I see no plea to improve conditions in Honduras, so that its citizens need not risk their lives to come here. Instead consistent with the Trumps repeated false claim that those seeking refuge are dangerous they demand that Honduras bring down a hammer to prevent suffering children, women and men from escaping persecution and death. The cruelty seems to know no bounds. Robert Caro in an article last week's New Yorker disclosed that his Lyndon Johnson biography won't be finished for several more years. At 83, Caro is still doing research on the final volume of his lauded narrative of Johnson's rise from rural Texas obscurity to supreme political power. The fifth installment of the exhaustive work will cover the downfall of Johnson's presidency over the Vietnam War. Instead of the finale of the Johnson book, Caro this spring will publish"random recollections" on his research methods for Johnson's life, and his earlier ground-breaking biography of New York public works commissioner Robert Moses. The New Yorker published a segment of the "recollections." Along with finishing the Johnson opus, Caro plans to write his full-scale memoirs. Conceding that he might not have time to do the Johnson book and the memoirs, Caro said he decided to publish his thoughts on his work. Caro seems confident that he will finish the Johnson book. A dogged researcher, Caro even found it necessary to move to Vietnam for a time to investigate the aftermath of the war. Concerned Caro fans might remember William Manchester's inability to finish his excellent biography of Winston Churchill. Manchester's two Churchill volumes ended in 1940, and he couldn't complete the work after suffering two strokes. Writer Paul Reid used Manchester's research to write a concluding book on Churchill, with less critical acclaim than Manchester received. Following veteran investigative reporter Seymour Hersh's memoirs last year, Caro's examination of his research methods will be valuable to journalists, historians and Johnson scholars. Hersh also subscribes to Caro's mantra, imparted to him by a crusty newspaper editor when he was a young reporter, to turn every page. JF Ptak Science Books Overall Post 5130 There are many hopeful headings that appear in the fantastically-readable journal Nature (especially in the 19th century), and this one--"The Last Attack on Darwinism"--is certainly one of them. It was written for the 25 July 1872 issue by Alfred Russell Wallace in 1872 in response to Dr. Charles R. Bree's1 An Exposition of Fallacies in the Hypothesis of Mr. Darwin, and it pretty much eviscerates Dr. Bree's attack. No doubt this title can be read two ways--one meaning the most recent attack on Darwinism, and the other meaning the final attack. I suspect Wallace hoped that this would be the last such thing he'd have to read or review, but being a thinking man he probably felt that no mater what proof and evidence was established for evolution there would always be someone/group/society that would argue their belief over the science, and so on into the future the debate would go. In any event, I've reproduced the first and last paragraphs of the Wallace review. Also there's a further quotation on Bree from The Lancet as an example of the many scathing reviews Bree's book received. The reviews are surgical and denunciating, though from what I've read they do not reach the high/low level of book reviews by Poe, whose book reviews read as though he read the work with a sledge-scalpel. And the last short paragraph from Wallace: "In conclusion, I must again repeat that the only reason for devoting so much space to a book so little worthy of its title or its author, is the wish to warn such as are not well acquainted with Mr. Darwin's works from implicitly relying either on Dr. Bree's facts and arguments, or on the accuracy of his representation of those of Mr. Darwin and his supporters." Now a snippet from one of many such reviews that greeted Dr. Bree's work, this from The Lancet (volume 2 1872): "This book is the production of an uncompromising opponent of the Darwinian hypothesis. Dr. Bree can see no good in it at all, but hews away at it root and branch...The position taken up by Dr. Bree would, it appears to put a stop to all investigation of nature, for he contends that it is beyond the limits of human reason to furnish any sound explanation of the modus operandi of God in creation." And: "Upon the whole, we should scarcely expect to find Dr. Bree's work exercise much influence in staying the progress of the new opinions, or do more than satisfy those who have already made up their minds against them." Notes: 1. Charles R. Bree (1811-1886). An Exposition of Fallacies in the Hypothesis of Mr. Darwin. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1872. 8vo., 418 pp. + 32 pp.(publisher's list). SAN DIEGO The U.S. Open prides itself on being the most open of all majors, with some 9,000 players from all walks of golf having a chance to compete. scholarship, news and new ideas in legal history The U.S. Department of Energys nuclear security office is developing a project to help other countries deal with nuclear waste. The information comes from two sources who spoke to the Reuters news agency. They asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. The sources say the plan aims to keep the United States competitive against other countries that are developing their own waste technology. For example, both Russia and France offer services to take care of nuclear waste. Dov Schwartz is the spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration. He confirmed the group is thinking about how to help other countries reduce nuclear waste. However, Schwartz did not give details. The NNSA also declined a Reuters request for an interview with Brent Park, who is leading the effort. What would the technology do? The unnamed sources say the technology could involve crushing, heating or sending an electric current through nuclear waste to reduce its size. The machinery to do so would be put in a black box the size of a shipping container. It would be sent to other countries with nuclear energy programs; however, it would remain owned and operated by the United States, the sources said. The sources did not name countries to which the service would be offered. They also did not say where the waste would be stored after it is run through the equipment. But they said they were worried the processes could increase the risk of dangerous materials reaching militant groups or nations unfriendly to the United States. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter banned nuclear waste reprocessing in 1977. The reprocessing opens pure amounts of uranium and plutonium, both of which could be used to make nuclear bombs. NNSA spokesperson Dov Schwartz said the plans under consideration do not involve reprocessing. But he did not say what technologies could be used. Concerns The government of U.S. President Donald Trump has made promoting nuclear technology abroad a high priority. The U.S. Energy Secretary, Rick Perry, visited Saudi Arabia this month for talks on a nuclear energy deal with the kingdom. And the American business Westinghouse hopes to sell nuclear power technology to countries from Saudi Arabia to India. But a top arms control officer during the Obama administration questions the direction of the Trump government. Thomas Countryman said the U.S. should improve its ability to get rid of its own nuclear waste before helping other countries. A nuclear expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists also expressed some doubt about the NNSA plan. Edwin Lyman said NNSA should not be focused so much on reducing the size of nuclear waste. Instead, it should be concerned about the dangers of nuclear waste that make it hard to store. Lyman said even a small amount of nuclear waste gives off radioactivity and heat. It remains dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years, he said. I'm Susan Shand. The Reuters news agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story source n. a person, book, etc., that gives information uranium n. a radioactive element that is used to make nuclear energy and nuclear weapons plutonium n. a radioactive element that is used to make nuclear energy and nuclear weapons priority n. something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first radioactive adj. having or producing a powerful and dangerous form of energy You might have heard of a whisperer a person who has special skills to calm and train animals. Some of the most well-known whisperers work with horses or dogs. American Wilson Menashi discovered long ago that he too had this kind of gift. However, the animal he feels closely connected to, the octopus, rarely has contact with people. But that never stopped Menashi, now 84, from continuing to help aquarium workers who call him the octopus whisperer. Menashi retired from a career as a chemical engineer 25 years ago. Shortly thereafter, he began volunteering at the New England Aquarium in Boston. Since then, the aquarium says he has spent 7,800 hours working there with octopuses. The time is equal to nearly four years of full-time work. Ive been able to interact with them from the beginning, Menashi told the Associated Press (AP) about his involvement with octopuses. I do not know why. I cannot explain it, but I can connect with them, he added. Menashi spoke to the AP while working with the octopuses. As he put his arm into a large tank, a giant Pacific octopus named Freya stretched out her arms to meet him, almost like a friend. Freya immediately began putting some of her 2,240 suction cups onto Menashis arm. An octopus uses the suction cups to taste and smell as it gathers information about its surroundings and other living things. Shes just contacting me and shes saying, You come to me, Menashi says of Freya. The 3-year-old octopus weighs about 18 kilograms. Her arms stretch about four meters in length and contain enough strength to kill sharks and other enemies. But the interaction at the aquarium shows Menashis special skills dealing with such dangerous sea animals. Looking happy and playful, he keeps touching the octopus. He explains to the AP the sea creatures have left life-long impressions on him. But along with that, the octopuses also leave physical marks. I will come back home sometimes with hickeys all over my arm and my neck, he said. He is asked how he explains such marks to his wife. Not too difficult when you have about 10 or 15 marks next to each other, he answers. It did not take much. She also knew where I was, anyway. Bill Murphy works at the aquarium. He told the AP Menashis eye for detail, patience and willingness to experiment makes him the perfect octopus whisperer. Every octopus is different. So then you cant use the same rules for every octopus, Murphy said. You need to change it up. And Wilson does that. Menashi says spending time with octopuses and other animals has given his life a whole new purpose in retirement. Just being here has been, to me, a lifesaver, he said. Gave me something to do. Gave me different interests and showed me the world is a wonderful place to be, he added. Im Bryan Lynn. The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story whisperer n. a person who can tame and train a type of animal just by using the voice and gentle body movements aquarium n. building people can visit to see water animals and plants suction cup n. round piece often made of rubber material that sticks to surfaces when pressed against them impression n. an effect or influence on the way someone feels or thinks hickey n. a temporary red mark on someone's skin, often the neck, that may be caused by kissing puzzle n. a game or activity in which places have to put pieces together or answer questions using skill patience n. being able to stay calm and not get angry, especially when something takes a long time Huge rocks from outer space, or asteroids, are falling from the sky more than they have in the past. But there is no need to worry. A new study has shown that for the past 290 million years, large asteroids have been crashing into Earth more than twice as often as they did in the 700 million years before that. The journal Science published the study in January. But, even with the increased crash rate, asteroids still only hit Earth every million or few million years. The United States space agency NASA lists its observation of large space rocks that could crash into Earth. It shows no major threats coming soon. The biggest known risk is a 1.3 kilometer wide asteroid with a 99.988 percent chance that it will miss Earth when it passes by in 861 years. University of Toronto scientist Sara Mazrouei led the study. She told the Associated Press she is not worried about asteroids hitting Earth because they are such rare events. Its just a game of probabilities, she said. Mazrouei worked with researchers in Britain and the U.S. on the study. Together they gathered a list of the large marks that asteroids leave on planets and other objects, also known as impact craters. Researchers looked at impact craters on Earth and its moon that were larger than 20 kilometers wide. It takes an 800-meter wide space rock to create a hole that large. They also estimated the dates of the craters. The team counted 29 craters that were less than 290 million years old. And they found nine from between 291 million years and 650 million years ago. Rebecca Ghent, another University of Toronto scientist, also worked on the study. She noted that we can see relatively few big craters on the Earths surface because the planet is more than 70 percent ocean. Also, the movement of large mountains of ice, otherwise known as glaciers, covered some of them. The team estimated that there were 260 space crashes on Earth in the last 290 million years. And that crash rate is 2.6 times more than the 700 million years before then. Since glaciers mostly covered older craters, the scientists studied craters on the moon to estimate the age of those between 650 million and 1 billion years old on Earth. The moon is close enough to the Earth to be in the same path of the asteroids and its craters last longer. So what happened nearly 300 million years ago? Perhaps an asteroid family was broken up in the asteroid belt, Mazrouei suggested. The space rocks then headed toward the Earth and moon, Ghent added. The planet then got a few more hits because it is a bigger target and has higher gravity. Other scientists are divided about the teams research. Earth scientist Jay Melosh at Purdue University said he found the number of craters too small to prove any major point. But Harvard Universitys Avi Loeb agreed with the teams findings. Modern humans might not have existed without major extinctions from space rocks, Loeb wrote in an email. Most scientists think dinosaurs and a lot of other animals went extinct after a huge space rock crashed into Central America about 65 million years ago. This demonstrates how arbitrary and fragile human life is, he wrote. Im Pete Musto. Seth Borenstein reported this story for the Associated Press. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. How concerned about asteroid crashed are you? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Quiz Quiz - Huge Space Rocks Are Hitting Earth Twice as Often as Before Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story twice adv. doubled in amount or degree journal n. a magazine that reports on things of special interest to a particular group of people probabilities n. the chances that something will happen belt n. a region that has a lot of a particular thing extinction(s) n. the state or situation that results when something, such as a plant or animal species, has died out completely arbitrary adj. not planned or chosen for a particular reason fragile adj. easily broken or damaged Sunday, January 27, 2019 The Law Society of Upper Canada Tribunal Hearing Division has ordered a two-month suspension for an attorney's misuse of his trust account On March 12, 2018, in Law Society of Upper Canada v. Atkinson, 2018 ONLSTH 33 (CanLII), we found Mr. Atkinson had engaged in the following acts of professional misconduct as stated in the Notice of Application: 1. In January 2013, the Respondent, contrary to Rule 2.02(5.0.1), disbursed $47,000 in trust funds in circumstances where he ought to have known that he was being used by a client, an associated person, or any other person, to facilitate dishonesty or fraud, thereby resulting in an overdraft in his trust account. 2. In February 2013, the Respondent... b. alternatively, contrary to Rule 2.02(5.0.1), accepted and disbursed funds in circumstances where he ought to have known that he was being used by a client, associated person or any other person to facilitate dishonesty or fraud against H.B., wherein H.B. lost over $66,000. We dismissed allegation 2(a), which was an allegation of knowing assistance of fraud. Findings As our reasons reflect, we found that Mr. Atkinson, in January 2013, had allowed his trust account to be used by his client, Peter Psarros, when he should have known that the client intended to commit fraud. Particular 2(b) captures a similar situation that occurred in February 2013. In very brief overview, particular 1 concerned a situation in which Mr. Atkinson received funds by cheque from a client, Mr. Psarros. These were placed in his trust account. Mr. Psarros then gave him instructions to disperse $47,000 from his trust account to an associate. Mr. Atkinson did so; the cheque payable to the Lawyers trust account was dishonoured, and Mr. Atkinsons trust account was overdrawn. Particular 2(b) arose from Mr. Psarross decision to purchase a yacht, which was moored in Florida. He retained a Miami lawyer, Henry Bolz. Mr. Atkinson had no formal role in this transaction but the Miami lawyer understood Mr. Atkinson was the Psarros family lawyer. Mr. Bolz received some $70,000 in trust from Mr. Psarros. These funds came to him by cheque. (He mistakenly advised Mr. Atkinson that they had come to him by wire transfer.) When the yacht purchase fell through, Mr. Psarros instructed Mr. Bolz to send the amount of $70,000 less his fees to Mr. Atkinson. Mr. Atkinson placed these in his general account. After making several inquiries to satisfy himself that the funds were free and clear, he disbursed about $57,000 to his TD Canada Trust general account. At all material times Mr. Psarros was an inmate serving time at a federal penitentiary in Quebec, having been convicted of fraud and related offences. The residence did pose a problem Both counsel observed that this was not like the mortgage cases, where there is frequently a pattern of conduct extending over months or years. In this instance, Mr. Atkinsons misconduct involved two transactions taking place over a short period of time. We accept the Societys position that the nature of Mr. Atkinsons misconduct in the second transaction is troubling. We found that Mr. Atkinson could have disclosed to the American attorney, Mr. Bolz, that his client was incarcerated in a federal prison, but did not do so. He also admitted that he had become involved at the edges of the second transaction in the hope that he would somehow be repaid the money owing to him. The victim We have taken into account that there was an individual victim in this circumstance, namely Mr. Bolz. The American lawyer wrote to the Society. Law Society counsel conveyed to us that Mr. Bolz remained deeply troubled by what had happened. He requested that, as part of our order, we require Mr. Atkinson to make restitution. The Society did not support that request. We do not believe that we have jurisdiction to make such an order but it is not necessary for us to decide that matter. We wish to express our thanks to Mr. Bolz for taking the time to travel to testify in the hearing in this matter. We were impressed by his candour. We also observe that, although it took him considerable time and effort, we understand that Mr. Bolz and his firm were made whole out of the proceeds of the commercial insurance policy. (Mike Frisch) https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2019/01/the-law-society-of-upper-canada-tribunal-hearing-division-has-ordered-a-two-month-suspension-we-found-that-mr-atkinson-in.html THE ISSUE SecondChancePA, a pre-arrest diversion program for addicts, was launched at the start of this month by Blueprints for Addiction Recovery, an outpatient treatment facility in Elizabethtown, LNPs Heather Stauffer reported Jan. 20. Under the program, participating police officers from Elizabethtown and Northwest Regional departments can offer, at their discretion, treatment within the SecondChancePA program as an alternative to criminal charges for minor offenses such as possession of drug paraphernalia. As of a week ago, more than a dozen individuals had already been successfully placed into the program, according to Blueprints. Offering second chances opportunities for redemption is a familiar concept to the many people of faith in Lancaster County. We imagine theyll applaud the launch of SecondChancePA and wish those running the program the best as they get off the ground. We certainly do. Its a needed and worthwhile initiative. In the continuing midst of the opioid crisis and other addiction crises, we need assistance and contributions on as many fronts as possible. In recent months, for example, we have lauded the efforts of The RASE Projects warm handoff strategy, designed to give opioid overdose survivors someone to talk to at a crucial, vulnerable moment in their addiction. We praised the Pennsylvania Department of Healths distribution of free doses of the anti-overdose medication naloxone across the state. We commended the Lancaster County Drug Task Force for its ongoing efforts to monitor and deploy law enforcement against the ever-changing flow of drugs heroin, meth, etc. into the county. And we have been inspired by the Lancaster County Joining Forces Coalition's coordination of efforts involving many agencies and individuals to reduce deaths from opioids and heroin. There are so many deployed in various ways to fight the addiction epidemic. And now theres SecondChancePA. Lancaster County District Attorneys Office spokesman Brett Hambright told Stauffer that he credits Blueprints for Addiction Recovery for thinking outside the box and looking at different tactics with SecondChancePA, adding that it considers the needs and situations of those who are addicted. We agree. Heres how it works: As Stauffer reported, police officers have the discretion given those needs and situations Hambright mentioned to offer individuals who might otherwise be charged with minor drug-related offenses the option of going into treatment with SecondChancePA. (The diversion program is not an option for dealers, Hambright stresses, and we agree that is reasonable.) There is training, via Blueprints specialists, on addiction and recovery for Elizabethtown and Northwest Regional police officers and also Susquehanna Valley and Northwest EMS ambulance crews. Stauffer notes that the Blueprints specialists, who have met recovery milestones and received training in how to help others, can speak over the phone, go to the scene of an overdose or go to where someone is facing potential minor charges, to offer hope and help coordinate treatment. Getting those who need professional help into the immediate orbit of those who can provide just that is important. The programs website secondchancepa.com describes what it then offers: We connect participants to addiction treatment, mental health and recovery support services of every type and description, from medically-monitored detoxification through rehabilitation and into self-directed recovery. The sites FAQ further states that SecondChancePA is a no-cost care coordination and treatment support program for anyone in need of help, though there may be costs associated with treatment itself. The goals are straightforward: save lives and keep addicts out of jail. We agree that, in so many cases, incarceration benefits neither addicts nor society. People who are suffering from addiction and police officers historically see each other as the enemy, Elizabethtown police chief Ed Cunningham told Stauffer. We want to knock down that stigma from both sides; help the officers see that these are regular people who have a problem, and help the people who are struggling with addiction see that police are just regular people who are looking to help. Christopher Dreisbach has been CEO of Blueprints for Addiction Recovery since it opened in early 2016 and has firsthand knowledge of this issue. His struggles with addiction more than a decade ago led him to spend nearly two years behind bars. So we understand his passion for a pre-arrest diversion program for others who are struggling as he once did. Treatment over incarceration is such an important piece of the puzzle, he told Stauffer. Were grateful that piece of the puzzle is being offered here. Dreisbach said hed like to see SecondChancePA expand to more police and EMS agencies across Lancaster County and even Pennsylvania. The more second chances especially with this kind of compassionate human touch the better. Arnold Pack tells a lot of compelling stories. The 71-year-old Pack, of East Hempfield Township, spent 44 years in policing and administration in New York City and was at ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001. I saw everything. I saw the plane hit, the second one, says Pack, who helped set up a command post to organize the response. Pack, who describes being trapped under a fire engine after the buildings collapsed, said he still struggles with the memory of directing first responders into the towers before they fell. I sent a lot of people in to die, who needlessly died, said Pack, who at the time was director of administrative services for the Health and Hospitals Corporation, now NYC Health + Hospitals. Pack, who moved to East Hempfield in 2012 because his son had relocated here, talks freely about his experiences on 9/11, saying he thinks its important for people to understand what happened. But these days, he has another favorite topic: Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors. After a retirement in Lancaster County that included walking dogs and driving cars for local dealerships, Pack learned about the organization and saw it as an ideal place to volunteer. Pack now serves as the Lancaster County ambassador for the group, which provides assistance to veterans who need help with their mortgages, home repair bills, medical expenses or car payments. Right now he is our guy and Im thrilled that we have him, said Terry L. Davis, a Harrisburg volunteer with Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors who is mentoring Pack. Were all happy that we have a guy in Lancaster that is this energetic and cares about veterans, he said. I care about everybody, Pack responded. A focus on veterans Founded it 2006, Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization with a yearly budget of nearly $1.3 million, 95 percent of which goes directly to veterans in need. While the organizations mission is similar to the national Wounded Warriors Project and the Keystone Wounded Warriors, it operates independently of those groups. Requests for assistance from Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors can come from any veteran and are made through local veterans affairs offices, VA hospital, VFW or American Legion, all of who are familiar with its program. The average outlay is around $1,600, which is paid directly to vendors or creditors after being approved by the organizations board, according to Davis, who says the identity of veterans is carefully protected. Davis estimated more than 10,000 veterans have received some sort of assistance from the group, which helps disabled and nondisabled veterans. He said county-specific statistics arent available. To bring in money, Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors relies on outside groups to hold fundraising events on its behalf. Wounded Warriors needs your help I am a retired chief of the New York City Health and Hospitals Police Department and now amb Were trying to get organizations to help us raise money so we can help vets. Thats what were about, he said. Because of that approach, Davis says its important to keep the organizations name and mission in the spotlight, which is the purpose of ambassadors like Pack. A self-described workaholic, Pack said he is embracing his new role as he spreads the word about Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors to Lancaster County businesses, school groups and emergency responders. It gives me a lot of pleasure to meet people and introduce them to this organization, he said. For more information about Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors, including how to donate or ask for assistance, visit pawoundedwarriors.org Clarification: This article was updated to include Pack's job title on Sept. 11, 2001. A Lancaster County farm may be linked to a rare and potentially serious illness, according to state and federal officials. Last week the Pennsylvania Department of Health and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both sent advisories to health care providers about Millers Biodiversity Farm in Quarryville. A New York resident who drank raw milk purchased from that farm was diagnosed with brucellosis in November 2018, they said, and that was the third known case of the illness traced to Brucella RB51 from raw milk acquired in the U.S. since August 2017. The other two cases were in unrelated outbreaks in 2017 in Texas and New Jersey, according to the CDC. The CDC advisory said people who had raw milk or raw milk products from the farm since January 2016 may have been exposed to brucelliosis, and exposures have been identified in 19 states ranging from Alabama to California. Authorities recommended that anyone who consumed the milk or products within six months be treated with antibiotics even if they dont have symptoms of the disease. Anyone who consumed it between January 2016 and six months ago should schedule an appointment with their primary care doctor to discuss symptoms of brucellosis, they said. Farms response The farm referred questions to Real Food Consumer Coalition, which in an emailed statement described Millers as providing food products to a private membership food buying club. The statement said the farm and coalition have worked closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to investigate where the illness came from and how to prevent it in the future. Through the voluntary cooperation of the farm, ongoing testing and research is being performed in the continuation of working towards safety and high production standards across the board, the statement said. As consumer demand for fresh farm food increases, it continued, we expect the federal level agencies to find ways to work with farmers to create higher standards and avenues for transactions. Consumer safety is at the top of everyones agenda. Authorities said some people with brucelliosis do not have symptoms, which include fever, headaches, backaches, joint pain, fatigue, muscle pain, sweating and loss of appetite. The RB51 strain can cause miscarriages in pregnant women, they said, and is resistant to some antibiotics that would normally be used to treat the disease. RB51 is a weakened strain of the bacteria used to vaccinate young female cattle, according to the CDC, but in rare cases, vaccinated cows can shed RB51 in their milk. The only way to avoid this potential exposure to RB51 is to drink pasteurized milk, the release said. Only the farms raw milk and products of it were under quarantine starting in late December, according to the agriculture department. It issued a news release then saying, Pasteurized dairy products from Millers Biodiversity Farm have been deemed safe. Spokeswoman Shannnon Powers said Friday that department vets used genetic testing to trace the dangerous bacteria to one cow, which is still under quarantine. The animal has been isolated. Its milk is not being harvested, nor has it been commingled with milk from others. The quarantined animal cannot be sold for meat or otherwise, nor can any products from her be moved off the farm, she wrote. The other animals have been double-tested and come up negative twice, Powers wrote. They are no longer under quarantine. LAist only exists with reader support. If you're in a position to give, your donation powers our reporters and keeps us independent. Our reporting is free for everyone, but its not free to make. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe A memorial happening today, at 12:30 p.m. at Mount Sinai Memorial Parks at Forest Lawn, will honor Alan Canter. The son of Canter's Deli founder Ben Canter, he passed away at the age of 82. His family made the announcement on Friday in a Facebook post: "Our beloved owner, has passed away at age 82. He kept his family legacy alive and built an LA landmark. He worked 18 hour shifts and took pride in hand-cutting each fruit cup. He taught his children how to run this business just as his father taught him. We are deeply saddened by this loss." "He's definitely going to be missed. He's part of the legend, part of Canter's," says current Sirius and former KROQ deejay Rodney Bingenheimer, one of the restaurant's most famous regulars. After losing a Jersey City deli in the stock market crash of 1929, brothers Ben, Joe and Ruby Canter headed west. In 1931, they opened Canter Brothers Delicatessen in Boyle Heights, which was then the heart of Jewish Los Angeles. Their original address, 2323 Brooklyn Ave., is spitting distance from neighborhood standby George's Burgers, on what is now Cesar Chavez Ave. Canter's menu of traditional deli items such as pickled herring, matzoh ball soup and corned beef sandwiches proved popular but the neighborhood's demographics were changing. The Jews of Boyle Heights had begun moving west with many of them settling near Fairfax Ave. between Melrose Ave. and Beverly Blvd., turning the area into the new hub of L.A.'s Jewish community. Canter Brothers Delicatessen in Boyle Heights, 1939. (Photo courtesy of Canter's Deli) The Canter family knew which side their rye bread was buttered on. In 1948, Ben and his wife, Jennie, partnered with his daughter, Selma Udko, and her husband, Harold Price, according to the deli's website, to open a Canter's outpost at 439 N. Fairfax Ave. The Los Angeles Times reports that "Ben and his best friend, Hymie Fisch, bought two connecting storefronts" to open this location. Either way, this was where Alan Canter, started as a pickle packer and delivery boy. Before going into the restaurant business, Alan had been a mechanic who loved racing cars and tinkering with new ways to drive faster, his son Marc Canter told the L.A. Times. A menu from Canter's Deli, circa 1948. (Los Angeles Public Library Collection) In 1953, Canter's moved up the block. The owners bought the Esquire Theater, known for showing Yiddish films, and transformed it into the restaurant we know today, at 419 N. Fairfax Ave. Settling into these larger, snazzier digs, Canter's became one of the first 24-hour restaurants in the city. Bingenheimer has been going there since he was 16 years old and still shows up almost every night. He holds court in a booth in the back, near the stairwell on the bakery side. "My booth is across from Marilyn Monroe's table," Bingenheimer says. "Apparently, Marilyn Monroe and Shelly Winters used to come there all the time in the '50s. And even before Shelly Winters passed, she used to still come and sit in the same booth and tell the story about her and Marilyn sitting there." In 1959, Canter's bought out the business next door, Cohen's Deli, and expanded. Two years later, in 1961, Canter's opened the Kibbitz Room, the next door cocktail lounge. It soon became a favorite hangout for rockers, along with the restaurant. Back in the day, you might've spotted Frank Zappa, Nancy Sinatra, Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell and Jim Morrison there. Later, it attracted musicians like Fiona Apple, Courtney Love, Rick James, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns 'n' Roses. (Alan's son, Marc Canter, has been a close friend since childhood of Saul Hudson, better known as Slash.) "In addition to destruction, Slash also had an appetite for pastrami sandwiches, Axl for tuna fish and Duff for barley bean soup," according to the L.A. Times. Radio deejay Rodney Bingenheimer attends a screening of "Rock N' Roll High School" on July 8, 2005 at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. (Photo by Matthew Simmons/Getty Images) Bingenheimer (aka Rodney on the Roq) shows up at Canter's around 10 or 10:30 p.m. He orders a cup of hot water with lemon (for his voice) and a bowl of his favorite barley bean soup. "It's probably one of the best places, the only place that had 24 hours," he says. "We used to have a saying -- all roads lead to Canter's -- because you can go in there and there's always something happening there." Tons of other celebrities have been spotted at Canter's (the restaurant has a web page chronicling its famous visitors). President Barack Obama even stumped there in 2014. A customer enjoys the "Maisel sandwich" at Canter's Deli on December 10, 2018. (Photo by Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Amazon Prime Video) The Boyle Heights location hung on until the 1970s but it too closed. Despite various ups and downs -- a food truck, reduced hours, a shuttered Las Vegas location -- Canter's Deli remains a family-owned business. Many of the waitresses and counter staff have been working at the restaurant for decades. KPCC's own John Rabe says, "Two things stand out for me when it comes to Canter's. One, the unflappable waitstaff. No matter how crowded, when they get to you, they're all yours. Two, the chicken in a pot. For under $20, you get at least three meals, including a restorative chicken soup." Alan Canter is survived by his son, his daughter and five grandchildren. LAist only exists with reader support. If you're in a position to give, your donation powers our reporters and keeps us independent. Our reporting is free for everyone, but its not free to make. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe California's middle class is reaching a breaking point. Especially when it comes to the high cost of housing. So says the state's new governor, Gavin Newsom. "Housing. This is the issue," Newsom said at a press conference earlier this month, unveiling his first budget proposal as governor. "Unless we get serious about it, this state will continue to lose its middle class, and the dream will be limited to fewer and fewer people." Middle-class Californians could find some relief under Newsom's $209 billion budget, which includes new spending aimed at getting cities to approve more housing. Other proposals could bring down the cost of health care and higher education for Californians who currently make too much to qualify for state help. But middle-class California families won't find much help shouldering other expenses, like the looming cost of caring for aging family members. What does "middle-class" even mean in California? In a state where families of four earning up to $117,400 meet the federal government's definition of "low-income" in certain regions, there may be no definitive answer on what qualifies as "middle-class." But according to a recent Pew Research Center analysis of government wage data, families of four in California can be considered middle class if they make anywhere between $59,702 and $179,105 per year. In the Los Angeles metro area, the range skews a bit higher, between $61,424 and $184,271. By that math, Pew concludes that about 47.3 percent of adults in L.A. are middle class. Direct subsidies in the governor's budget tend to go toward Californians making less. Newsom noted that no state has a higher poverty rate than California. He wants to try to lower it by giving higher tax refunds to full-time workers earning up to $15 an hour through an expanded version of the state's earned income tax credit. He's also proposing a large boost in spending to subsidize the development of affordable housing for low-income residents. His budget calls for increasing the state's low-income housing tax credit from $80 million to $500 million per year. The budget also includes a $500-million bump to the California Housing Finance Agency's mixedincome loan program, which finances developments that include units for moderate-income residents. Housing The governor's budget doesn't propose similar housing subsidies for most middle-class Californians. Matthew Lewis, director of communications for the pro-housing group California YIMBY, said that approach makes sense. "As a matter of policy, you don't provide subsidies to people who are making over $80,000 a year," said Lewis. "But in California, that's the middle class." Lewis doesn't think Newsom can subsidize his way toward a solution to the state's housing crisis. Instead, he and other housing advocates like what Newsom's budget does to push local governments to approve more housing in general. "It appears that Governor Newsom is himself a YIMBY," said Lewis. Under Newsom's budget, cities that meet housing goals set by the state would be rewarded with money from a $500 million state fund, and they could use that money for whatever they want. "In other words, he's starting to build funds that would actually financially encourage cities to build more housing," said Chris Thornberg of Beacon Economics. He said that should help address California's housing supply problems. "That's really helpful for California's middle class." Newsom has also discussed punishing cities that fail to meet their housing goals by withholding transit funding. It's an idea that has not gone over well with local governments. In a statement on the governor's budget, League of California Cities executive director Carolyn Coleman said her organization was concerned about proposals "that would raid local transportation funds that voters have repeatedly dedicated to local communities." Health care The words "middle-class" only appear once in Newsom's 280-page budget proposal. They show up under his plan to expand health care subsidies. One Californian encouraged by that move is Heather Altman. She works as an environmental consultant out of her home in Long Beach. She gets to be her own boss, and she makes decent money. "I guess I do consider myself middle class," Altman said. She would not have started her business back in 2014 without Obamacare. It meant she could finally afford her own health insurance. She no longer needed to get it through an employer. She has asthma, a pre-existing condition that made individual coverage unaffordable in the past. Back in 2014, "My premium was $356 for a platinum plan," Altman said. "I thought that was super affordable." Premiums for the same plan have more than doubled, to $761 per month. Altman has switched to a plan with a lower premium. But add in the routine costs of treating her asthma, and she's spending more than $800 a month. "That's very difficult to budget," Altman said. "And it certainly isn't sustainable." Currently, individuals who earn up to $48,560 a year are eligible for subsidized premiums through Covered California. Altman makes too much to qualify. But Newsom's budget calls for raising annual income limits for individuals to $72,840 and for families of four to $150,600. "Had that subsidy bracket been in place when I started my business, there would have been years that I would have qualified," Altman said. "I'm hopeful that some of these changes may make a meaningful difference in my financial bottom line." Altman has shared her story with the advocacy organization Health Access California. Executive director Anthony Wright said Newsom's budget is promising for Californians like her. "Current law has cliffs where the assistance runs out," Wright said. "The extra help will allow some families to get coverage that otherwise couldn't afford it." Newsom plans to pay for the expanded subsidies by creating a state version of the Affordable Care Act's federal mandate to either buy health insurance or pay a tax penalty (which has gone to $0 under the Trump administration). In a report on the governor's budget, the California Legislative Analyst's Office notes that this approach could create a funding conflict. If the state tax penalty works, it should drive more people to buy insurance. But then, "less funding would be available for premium subsidies." College Higher education is another big drain on middle-class budgets. Newsom's budget calls for a tuition freeze at state universities, earmarking $300 million for the California State University system and $240 million for the University of California system each year. University of Southern California professor of sociology Manuel Pastor said middle-class families could also get a break under Newsom's $40 million plan to make a second year of community college tuition-free. "If you can make the first and second year free, you're lowering the cost for a lot of middle class parents of a four-year education," Pastor said. The cost of caring for family members, young and old Universal preschool and six months of paid family leave for parents are still on Newsom's agenda. But this budget won't pay for those goals. Stanford University assistant professor of health research and policy Maya Rossin-Slater said California's existing paid family leave law could be strengthened. Right now, many parents don't use it. Her research shows California workers at smaller, lower-paying companies are less likely to take paid family leave than higher-paid workers. That could be, in part, because workers fear that under existing law, their jobs won't be protected while they're out. "Job protection, I think, is crucial," Rossin-Slater said, "Especially for middle-class families that might worry about not having a job to return to after the leave." Longer paid family leave could help alleviate some of the high cost of child care, which often costs middle-class parents more than college tuition. California's population is aging. With more and more baby boomers retiring, the cost of caring for elderly parents will also start to stack up for more middle class families. The governor's budget includes a 15.2 percent increase in general fund spending for in-home supportive services. But USC gerontology professor Donna Benton said most Californians don't qualify for the low-income program. So they're stuck spending thousands of dollars a year on caregiving. Out-of-pocket costs eat up 20 percent of caregivers' income, on average. Some caregivers have to quit their jobs. "Family members in general sacrifice a lot," said Benton. "And then when they go to look for services for themselves, usually they're not going to qualify." Benton was part of a state task force that issued a number of recommendations to help ease the cost. Among their ideas was a tax credit for caregiving expenses, as well as more funding for resource centers throughout the state that serve caregivers regardless of income level. When Benton looked through Newsom's budget, she said, "I didn't see anything that, I would say, touched on any of the recommendations." Long Beach environmental consultant Heather Altman lives near her parents, who are now in their 70s. She said they're in a good financial position right now. But she wonders if they'll end up needing her help in the future. "Should it come to that time, then yeah, that responsibility falls to me," she said. The same will be true for millions of middle-class Californians. The California Dream series is a statewide media collaboration of CALmatters, KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the James Irvine Foundation. LAist only exists with reader support. If you're in a position to give, your donation powers our reporters and keeps us independent. Our reporting is free for everyone, but its not free to make. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Friday brought something we don't usually see at the Sundance Film Festival: a bomb-sniffing dog. There was a heavy police presence at the premiere of Leaving Neverland at Park City's Egyptian Theatre. It's a documentary about Michael Jackson's alleged sexual abuse, focusing on two young boys -- it comes to HBO in March, as well as Channel 4 in the U.K. Fans of the late music superstar have reportedly been threatening the festival, ever since it was announced that the two-part film by British director Dan Reed would play Sundance as a Special Event. But in the end, there were only two women before the movie started protesting with signs expressing their love of Michael Jackson -- though by the time it got underway, another 20 or so showed up, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sundance staff were prepared for any emotional issues the film could trigger in the audience. In Leaving Neverland, two men in their 30s recount how Jackson befriended them as young boys, showered them with love, attention, and gifts -- then allegedly sexually abused them for years. In the film, they describe those sexual encounters graphically, going into intimate detail about what they allege happened to them. When John Cooper, director of the Sundance Film Festival, took the stage before the screening began, he made the following announcement: "You never kind of know what a movie like this is going to do to you. And at any point during the film if you feel uncomfortable -- if you feel overwhelmed -- we have health care professionals here from the state of Utah, and all you have to do is go out into the lobby and find a staff member." Cooper went on to acknowledge that attending this screening wasn't like seeing any other film at the festival. "Thanks for coming out for this," Cooper said. "It's an important film. I'm really proud of this audience for coming out for this." Leaving Neverland consists of two two-hour-long episodes, intercutting archival footage with present day interviews with James "Jimmy" Safechuck and his mother, as well as Wade Robson and Robson's mother, sister, and brother. The film tracks how Michael Jackson cultivated relationships with these boys and their families. Then, as the boys became the focus over time, the families were sidelined -- and the sexual abuse became a larger part of the equation. The "relationships" went on for years. Safechuck first met the pop icon when he was 8 years old and appeared in a Pepsi commercial with him. In the film, Safechuck and his mother describe Jackson as almost being like a boy himself, who looked to Jimmy to be his best friend. He even spent the night at Safechuck's family home in Simi Valley, with his mother washing Jackson's clothes. By the time the boy was 10 years old, he was on tour as a dancer in Jackson's show -- and one night in Paris, the sexual abuse began. For Wade Robson, Jackson was his hero. At 5 years old, he memorized all of the star's signature dances and got the chance to meet him after winning a dance contest when Jackson was touring Robson's homeland of Australia. The sexual abuse began when Robson and his family visited Jackson in California when he was 7 years old. Amy Kaufman sums up a brief history of the abuse claims by Robson and Safechuck in the Los Angeles Times. At press time, Sundance had only scheduled two screenings of Leaving Neverland, but we were told that more could be added if there was high demand. However, between trying to find a four-hour hole in the packed schedule and the cost of all the extra security, that may not come to be. Hemp is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for the industrial uses of its derived products. It is one of the fastest growing plants and was one of the first plants to be spun into usable fiber 10,000 years ago. It can be refined into a variety of commercial items including paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, and now phytonutrient products. Wisconsin was historically a major producer of industrial hemp for fiber until 1958. According to Zigovits, it still can be found growing feral in the county, for it escaped cultivation via wildlife and its desire to reproduce via male and female plants. A 2017 law has re-opened Wisconsin for hemp farming, allowing farmers to once again grow industrial hemp. In addition, the 2018 Farm Bill federally rescheduled hemp, which allows Wisconsin hemp to now cross state lines and is now considered an agricultural crop. Zigovits maintains that currently the most valuable returns for farmers in Vernon County is growing seedless female plants whose flowers will be used for the extraction of CBD. Grain hemp poses a big threat to our farmers' well-being and their bottom line," he said. "Because of the risk of pollination of their crops, we discourage planning grain and fiber hemp in our community. Male plants are needed for grain production and will cause the involuntary formation of seeds in CBD hemp, which will significantly reduce farmer pay price and the percentage of extractable CBD for HempScience." We must critically evaluate President Donald Trumps autocratic demand that any proposal to permanently end the government shutdown must contain a $5.7 billion commitment to expand the wall between Mexico and the United States. Has the president overstepped his legitimate range of authority with this demand? We know he believes that his action is fair and rationally based, but is it? We do know that Trumps scientific acumen is weak, his spelling ability is weak, his respect of the opinion of professional scholars is weak, and his grasp of what the majority of the American people want is weak. So we must ask whether the president has a moral, ethical and legal foundation for his wall-building demand. History and constitutional law answer this question for us and the answer is no -- there is no justification for Trumps position here; at least this is morally and ethically certain and it is arguable that the president has no legitimate authority to impose his will on the American people when there is no Congressional support for such action. A person facing dire straits could be your co-worker, she said, adding that that is all the more reason for people to pay attention to others and offer help if something seems amiss. She, Miller, Brekke and Bauman noted that resources are available in each of their spheres, but people experiencing homelessness often dont trust formal agencies because of negative episodes with them. Those factors often make it more likely that such individuals will go to emergency rooms for health issues that have become severe instead of tending to their health as they go along, they said. At St. Clare, Brekke said, We do sick care. When people are living on the street, with a lack of sleep and poor nutrition, taking care of themselves is a low priority if it is not affecting the here and now affecting more than where I will sleep tonight. A lot of homelessness develops because of the stigma and misinformation, McDermid said. People dont want to say theyre homeless, she said. Maybe other people have treated them poorly and they dont know where else to go but the ER. - Alex Gonzaga spoke up about the new venture of Toni Gonzaga which is vlogging - She also responded to accusations that she is threatened by the new endeavor of her sister - Alex mentioned about the differences of her and Tonis vlogs PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Kapamilya actress Alex Gonzaga finally expressed her side regarding the rumors that she is threatened by the new vlogs of sister Toni Gonzaga. KAMI learned that the elder Gonzaga already followed the footsteps of her sibling in making entertaining videos about her life and uploading them on social media. Toni decided to start vlogging on her birthday, January 20, 2019, and she also created her Youtube channel for the people who want to watch her videos. Just after three days, the channel already hit more than 100 thousand subscribers and a lot of netizens were amused by this. However, this development also created speculations that the number of Alexs audience will reduce since some could find the other vlogger more entertaining. There were also allegations that the younger Gonzaga is already threatened by the videos and concepts of her sister. PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! Because of this, the I Can See Your Voice star aired her opinion about the issue and cleared that she greatly influenced her ate to start vlogging. Alex also expressed that she is not threatened by Tonis channel and vlogs since they have different concepts and their topics are not the same. Antagal ko siya na-influence actually pero one day sinabi niya, Catherine, magba-vlog ako. May naisip na ako na konsepto, she quipped. Never pa siyang nakita ng tao as a mother so parang lists ng pagiging first time mom niya. How to balance yung career niya being a mother, a sister, a wife, she added. In a previous article by , the netizens could not help but react hilariously after the Gonzaga sisters pranked their mommy Pinty. Alex Gonzaga, or Catherine Cruz Gonzaga in real life, is a Filipina television personality who was born on January 16, 1988. She gained more popularity as an ABS-CBN talent after hosting The Voice of the Philippines. POPULAR: Read more news about Toni and Alex Gonzaga! Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone! Do you enjoy watching street interviews and listening to different opinions? Are you ready for the first 2019 edition of Tricky Questions? Let's get it started! on HumanMeter! Source: Kami.com.ph - Abu Sayyaf leaders brother was among the suspects for the bombing in Jolo - The suspect was caught in a CCTV footage - According to the police, the suspect is a known bomb maker PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed The brother of the slain Abu Sayyaf leader is one of the suspects for the twin suicide bombing in a cathedral in Jolo, Sulu. KAMI learned that the brother of Abu leader Surakah Ingog, Alias Kamah was caught on CCTV lurking around the church before the tragic incident happened as reported by ABS-CBN News. PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! According to PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde, Kamah is a known bomb maker. He also added that the police are looking into the bomb fragments seized to determine the masterminds. The bomb was likely denoted through a cellphone. In a previous report by KAMI, an Islamic State group has claimed the responsibility over the attack. However, the Armed Forces of the Philippines was pointing the Abu Sayyaf group as the people behind the incident. Last January 27, a twin bombing happened during a mass was going in Jolo, Sulu. This incident caused at least 20 deaths and around 100 people injured. Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! We wondered... who would likely share their food: fortunate or less fortunate people? Those, who have enough or those who have one last piece? And the results were quite amazing. Check out our videos on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: Kami.com.ph - Pope Francis has expressed his side over the church attack in Jolo - Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau extended his condolences for those killed during the twin bombings - European Union also condemned the attack that happened PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed A twin suicide bombing that killed at least 20 mass-goers happened in a church in Jolo, Sulu last January 27, Sunday. KAMI learned that Pope Francis, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and European Union strongly condemn the church attack. In a report by Inquirer, Pope Francis expressed his firmest reproach for this episode of violence. The Pope also said that the terrorist attack that happened was the recent hit to the Christian community in the Philippines. Pope Francis also prayed for those killed and injured due to the tragic incident on Sunday while he was still in Panama. He also called for peace and for the criminals behind this to change their behaviour. As reported by GMA News, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau has expressed his side through Twitter over the attack that happened. An attack on people attending Sunday services is a despicable act of cowardice, and Canada strongly condemns todays cathedral bombing in Jolo, Philippines. My deepest condolences to all the families affected by this tragedy, Trudeau said. PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! Even the European Union has expressed their condolences over the recent bombings at the Jolo church. "A human tragedy, this is also an attack against the basic right to practice ones religion," EU spokesperson Maja Kocijsncic said. However, the EU maintains their support on the Mindanao Peace Process and the plebiscite on greater Bangsamoro regional autonomy. As previously reported by KAMI, an Islamic State group has claimed the responsibility over the twin suicide bombings in Jolo. However, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has tagged the Abu Sayyaf as the people behind the attack. Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! We wondered... who would likely share their food: fortunate or less fortunate people? Those, who have enough or those who have one last piece? And the results were quite amazing. Check out our videos on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: Kami.com.ph - An Islamic State group claimed the responsibility over the attack in Jolo - However, the Philippine military has tagged the Abu Sayyaf as the people behind the bombing - The Armed Forces of the Philippines is still on the lookout for the criminals behind the attack PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed An Islamic State group has claimed the dual suicide bombing in a cathedral in Jolo, Sulu. KAMI learned that a formal communique was released in the website of SITE Intelligence Group on Sunday, January 27 as reported by Rappler. However, in a report by GMA News, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) tagged the Abu Sayyaf as the people behind the bombing which killed at least 20 mass goers last Sunday. "Ang ating early suspicion ay mga miyembro ng Abu Sayyaf base na rin po sa ibang impormasyon na nakalam natin partikular ang CCTV footage," Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo of AFP said. "Mayroon tayong ginagawang pursuit operations at sa ngayon ay atin pong tinutugis at hindi po natin tatantanan ang mga hinihinalang miyembro na 'yan ng Abu Sayyaf na siya pong pangunahin nating itinuturing na suspects," Arevalo added. The AFP spokesperson also said that they are not limiting the suspects over the tragic incident. "Be that as it may, we are not discounting any other possibility na meron pang iba na maging suspek dito sa naging pagsabog na ito," PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! As previously reported by KAMI, twin suicide bombings happened at the Our lady of Mt. Carmel cathedral in Jolo. 20 were reported killed and around 81 were injured. The Palace said that they will get at the very bottom of this attack and that they will put in jail the criminals behind this. Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! We wondered... who would likely share their food: fortunate or less fortunate people? Those, who have enough or those who have one last piece? And the results were quite amazing. Check out our videos on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: Kami.com.ph Conley wrote the three Republicans directly or indirectly indicated they did not approve of OWNs liberal viewpoint and that it contributed to blocking OWNs account. Heres the bipartisan part: Judge Conleys ruling lays down a marker for elected officials interaction with constituents on social media. Were laymen, but we believe we know the establishment of precedent when we see it. If, for example, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, were to block the conservative-leaning Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty or Pro-Life Wisconsin from following him on Twitter, were certain Judge Conley and, presumably, any other federal judge would rule that also is a free-speech violation. If a state legislator holds a town-hall meeting, he or she cannot restrict access to those known to be supporters of that legislator. When the doors of the community center or school gymnasium are thrown open, those who walk in are free to pose questions and make statements, and as long as the questions and statements are civil the legislator is obligated to listen. The same principle should apply on the new frontier of social media. Judge Conley ruled that it does. Elected officials are obligated to listen to all of their constituents, not just the ones that agree with them. That applies to Democrats as well as Republicans. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 RACINE With the Foxconn Technology Group building a facility in Mount Pleasant, and several different business developments in Downtown Racine, the City of Racine and Racine County as a whole are getting a lot of attention for mostly positive reasons. Ten years ago, Racine was in the spotlight for different reasons. On the 10-year anniversary of former Racine Gary Beckers arrest, The Journal Times visited with some of the individuals who were key players in moving the city past that trying time. To tell the story, The Journal Times recorded a podcast called Belle City that tells the behind the scenes story of how the City of Racine made it through the turn of events and how people feel looking back on that time a decade later. Today, The Journal Times releases the third and final episode of the Belle City podcast. The podcast can be found by searching Belle City podcast at journaltimes.com. The biggest crisis After Becker was arrested, city officials scrambled to find the best way to move forward. David Maack, City Council president at the time, became acting mayor. Rob Weber, then-city attorney, helped put together a succession plan that eventually lead to then-Alderman Tom Friedel being appointed interim mayor by the City Council. That was probably the biggest crisis that the city had faced, Maack said. Its hard to believe its been that long, it seems like it was just yesterday relationships were damaged as a result of this. None of us will be the same again. Maack said he remembers the year before he went on a trip to Zapotlanejo, Mexico with other city officials, including Becker, to visit Racines sister city. It was a really good trip and we made a lot of memories, Maack said. And then within a year, some of those relationships would never be the same. Weber stayed on as city attorney for a few more years until moving into private practice. What some people fail to realize was just how popular Mayor Becker was, Weber said adding those events happened against the backdrop of the 2008 recession. The citys outlook was very positive it was an exciting place to be here, despite the economy at the time. Proud to serve Weber also hadnt realized that 10 years had passed saying time has gone by so fast. I just have the greatest hopes right now, with Foxconn and whats happening with developers coming in and the city looks better to me, than it has in the last 40 years, Weber said. Weber looks back at this time in the citys history with a feeling of pride because of how people responded. Looking back, Im really proud of the efforts by all of the city employees at that time, Weber said. Their ability to bounce back from this, almost seamlessly, from this crisis kind of set the stage for where we are now. Weber said he is excited about where the city is now and its prospects for the future. I really think that, that peaceful, efficient transition really set the stage for everything that happened later, Weber said. It was a trying time, but looking back at it, Im actually glad I was a part of it. Everybody wants to know how theyre going to react to a crisis Im really proud at the way everyone handled everything. In December, The Journal Times reached out to Becker who said hes been trying to keep a low profile since hes been out of prison. Becker is interested to see how development continues with the area, particularly with Foxconn. Time will tell, Becker said. I think obviously its going to help the region a great deal. What the long-term lasting effect, is it worth it? Ill be honest, I dont think anyone is smart enough to tell you the answer ... we dont know. After John Dickert was elected during a special election he asked Friedel to be his city administrator. It was a busy eight years after that for me, my whole life changed, Friedel said. This is my hometown. I was proud I got a chance to serve like that, I was proud to be administrator for those eight years. Reflecting back on that time, Friedel said: Politics is interesting theres always things going on. Im a little jealous that were finally crossing some paths and development is starting to occur, Friedel said. We plowed a lot of ground. We got things cleaned up now theyre finally starting to grow, its exciting. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. RACINE Lee Enterprises, which owns The Journal Times, announced Monday morning that the company has reached an agreement to purchase the print and digital assets of the Kenosha News and the Lake Geneva Regional News. Mark Lewis, the publisher of The Journal Times, will become the president and publisher of the new media group comprised of all three publications and related properties. Its a great benefit to our readers, advertisers and our communities. With expanded resources we can cover more news and, with expanded circulation, we can provide advertisers with more options, Lewis said. The editorial departments will remain independent and allow us to maintain a strong focus on local issues. The Kenosha News publishes seven days a week and has an average daily print circulation of about 20,000. The Lake Geneva Regional News publishes weekly. The sale is expected to close on Thursday, with the new ownership starting Friday. The selling price was not disclosed. In November 2017, The Journal Times and the Kenosha News signed an agreement to have Racine print the Kenosha paper. The Kenosha News started to be printed in Racine in May 2018. Racine County District Attorney Tricia Hanson explained in an email that the reason the suspect isn't facing hate crime charges is because "There are enough facts, outside of those in the complaint, to indicate that the defendant did not intentionally select the victim because he was gay (and that) the two were fighting over household duties as they were roommates. Once the fight began, he defendant began using homophobic slurs." Mann rejoined Eastern, but the airline was struggling and eventually faded into oblivion. He wound up at Virginia Tech but was looking for something different when he heard about the job in Racine. I wanted something where I could put my teeth into it and build it up, he said. I came up and talked with them, and I loved it, and they hired me. Hazards When Mann came to Batten on Jan. 1, 1991, the airport was open 24 hours a day and had a total staff of 20 to 22 people. The hours have since been cut back, and there are about 10 people employed. Mann currently oversees an airport with about 65,000 flights in and out each year. It has 105 aircraft based there, including aircraft of about 10 companies. Under Manns leadership, Batten has paid off the debt on the terminal, built up its maintenance vehicle fleet and added a U.S. Customs port of entry. One of the airports ongoing challenges is the deer that continually jump the 8-foot, barbed-wire fences to pose a danger to aviation. In fact, Mann said, the late Sam Johnson, a pilot, once struck a deer with his wing during a landing with Johnsons entire family on board. The county which receives the SRCCY grant can contract with other counties. Delagrave said he has been in touch with nearby counties, including Kenosha and Walworth counties, during the grant application process. Delagrave also said the county is still looking into possible locations and size for the center. Kamin said that a vocational training component is important to any SRCCY as well. It makes sense at this point, as there is a unique situation with good jobs being available in the area, to make sure that the kids have an availability to the jobs, he said. The state has set a deadline of Jan. 1, 2021 for the closure and transfer of juveniles at Lincoln Hills to SRCCYs and new Type 1 facilities. But state Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, said the state may consider pushing the deadline for grant applications back three to six months to give counties more time to understand all of the components of the SRCCYs. This could in turn push back the closure of Lincoln Hills as well. The idea behind them (SRCCY) is to make it more regional so we dont have hours and hours of driving time in between them, Wanggaard said. Type 1 facility as well? The indictment alleges that in the summer of 2016 Stone told senior Trump campaign officials he knew WikiLeaks had information that might damage the prospects of Trump's rival in the presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton. WikiLeaks, referred to as "Organization 1" in the indictment, released the DNC emails on July 22, 2016, after which an unidentified senior Trump campaign official allegedly "was directed" to contact Stone about other damaging material. According to Bloomberg News, that senior Trump campaign official was Steve Bannon. The identity of whoever was allegedly directing Bannon and Stone to seek other damaging information about Clinton isn't disclosed in the indictment. It was likely someone in the very upper reaches of the campaign possibly a member of the Trump family or Trump himself. Regardless, the indictment's 24 pages offer one of law enforcement's most thorough descriptions to date of how intimately Trump's closest advisers worked with WikiLeaks and Russian-sponsored hackers during the 2016 campaign. The indictment also draws a very full portrait via testimony, public statements, email and other evidence of just how readily and actively the Trump campaign colluded with a foreign power in its bid for the presidency. When President Trump abruptly announced on Dec. 19 that he was pulling all U.S. troops out of Syria, he suggested they were already on the way home. "We have won against ISIS," the president said, referring to Islamic State. "Our boys, our young women, our men -- they're all coming back, and they're coming back now." His "now" was premature. More than a month later, the 2,000 or so U.S. military personnel remain in eastern Syria, and administration policy remains as much a muddle as ever. American diplomats are still haggling with Turkey over the conditions under which U.S. troops will come out, and the Pentagon has announced no timeline for their removal. The holdup isn't merely logistical. Like it or not -- and the president often sounds as if he doesn't -- the United States still has significant interests in Syria. Despite Trump's claim, Islamic State appears stubbornly alive, if not well. Its militants have launched two suicide attacks against U.S. troops in the last week, one of which killed four Americans. Iran, which Trump considers a malevolent enemy, has moved thousands of forces into Syria and could try to grab territory abandoned by U.S. troops as it seeks to further its influence. OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE A new $1.3 billion military facility that will serve as the United States' military command headquarters during national emergencies will soon open at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha. The first of more than 3,500 employees will begin moving into U.S. Strategic Command's new Command and Control Facility in the spring. The 916,000-square-foot facility will replace StratCom's current headquarters in the Gen. Curtis E. LeMay Building, which was constructed in 1957. "The construction of the (Command and Control Facility) is historic," said Vice Adm. David Kriete, StratCom's deputy commander. "It marks the transition from the old to the new." The facility is "a national asset" designed to serve as the nation's military command headquarters, even during a national emergency such as a nuclear war, Kriete said. "We firmly believe a nuclear war should never be fought," Kriete said. "But we want the good guys to know, and the bad guys to know; we're really good at it." The project is in its second phase, which focuses on installing technology in the facility, Kriete said. The headquarters will have oversight of the nation's space forces, missile defense, electronic warfare and nuclear arsenal. People from all across Nebraska gathered in downtown Lincoln on Sunday to participate in the third annual Women's March, which is intended to People from all across Nebraska gathered in downtown Lincoln on Sunday to participate in the third annual Women's March, which is intended to fight issues such as violence against women and those with disabilities. The crowd, which was estimated at more than 1,000 by event organizers, gathered at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln student union at 2:30 p.m., chanting "women's rights are human rights" as they set out on the march to the state Capitol. "The women who are going to speak today are women who speak truth to power," said Lory Dance, an associate professor of sociology and ethnic studies at UNL. "And they don't just do it today, they do it for as long as necessary." The first Women's March was held in Lincoln on Jan. 21, 2017. That day, hundreds of marches occurred across the country, as more than 4 million people participated, making it the largest single-day protest in U.S. history. The first march was in response to the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The now-annual marches are designed to advocate for human rights, immigration, healthcare reform, the environment and more. Sunday's event was also one day after the March for Life, an annual anti-abortion event that is held annually to advocate for unborn children. We listen to local police and fire departments scanner traffic, but sometimes miss crimes, wrecks, fires or other incidents, especially if they happen overnight. If you know of something were not covering yet, please let Managing Editor Jeff Pownall know by emailing him at jpownall@lufkindailynews.com , or submit a news tip online by visiting lufkindailynews.com/tips. "And I felt like it was being diminished," she said. Chambers came back to the microphone to say women should not look at whatever progress they have made with contentment or acceptance. "I'm glad to see the few women that are here," he said. But he has been in the Legislature many years and has seen how women have been treated and mistreated, for example getting less of a pension payout than men, at one time, because they live longer, even though they had to pay in as much as men. And he has fought for women on those injustices, he said. Cavanaugh came back, saying she appreciated everything he had done in his legislative history. But she is here to legislate her own way, to find her way and make her own mistakes and learn her own lessons. "I just wanted to let you know, and everyone else in this chamber know, that women are awake. We know what's going on," she said. "You might not agree with our way of doing things, but we're here and we're doing them." Two years ago, thousands of women marched in Washington, letting people know their voices would be heard. Women don't all have the same approaches to problems, but they are fighting for themselves and others. And deserve respect for that. Union Pacific has filed a lawsuit defending its right to fire an engineer who defecated on a train car. According to the suit filed last week in U.S. District Court, the engineer was terminated after admitting that during a November 2016 train stop he defecated on a knuckle connecting a locomotive and box car, threw feces-covered tissue out the window of the locomotive and then later informed his manager that he left a "present." In addition, he also twice extended his middle finger to a security camera on the train. The suit said that the engineer admitted to all of the allegations during a January 2017 investigatory hearing and said he was willing to accept "full and complete responsibility for his actions." A week after the hearing, the railroad terminated the engineer under a rule that prohibits conduct that is "negligent, insubordinate, dishonest, immoral, quarrelsome or discourteous." The union representing the engineer, the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division, appealed the termination. Union Pacific subsequently denied the appeal, and the matter was sent to an arbitration panel. Greetings, and hello Monday! Im home from my quick weekend jaunt to Maine, and it feels good to be back in my office although I sure do miss that beautiful lake view. Today Im sharing my January Favorites. This is basically a roundup of new finds and old favorites that Im particularly enjoying right now. one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine Before we get started, LOFT is running 50% off plus free shipping today with code NEWFAVES. I just got my order from last week, so Ill do the try-ons today and share on Facebook and/or Instagram. Meanwhile, you can check out my Loft Favorites in The Shop! January Favorites #1. Jagger Ripped Skinny Jeans These jeans are a new find, although I have tried this style before so I knew they were pretty much a sure thing. Im totally addicted to my AG legging ankle jeans, but for those who prefer a budget-friendly option, these Vigoss Jagger skinnies are a great substitute. The fit is very similar, and I think theyre as flattering as the AG jeans. The denim is also fairly soft and feels good on. I dont like the wash quite as much, but its still pretty good, and I really like the way they applied the distressed details. I shared a few pictures of me wearing them in Saturdays Try-On Haul, if you care to see them on someone other than the Nordstrom model. For reference, these are the 28 the same size I usually wear in AG. In my experience, these do stretch out some, so I recommend buying them snug. #2. Halogen Solid Cashmere Infinity Scarf I have this scarf in grey and red, and its so cozy and easy to throw on with any coat or jacket plus right now its 40% off! This is a great price for a cashmere scarf; in fact, if youre one to buy Christmas presents a year ahead, this would make a nice gift. #3. Im Silently Correcting Your Grammar Fitted V-Neck T-Shirt This tee cracks me up. I am always correcting peoples grammar in my head. Incorrect grammar drives me batty. I often feel like Im a lone ranger in caring about such matters, but the fact that they even make this t-shirt gives me hope. #4. Urban Decay Naked3 Eye Shadow Palette I did an eye shadow tutorial with this palette, but in case you missed it, this is a gorgeous assortment of rose-hued neutrals that create a fresh and pretty look as we head into springtime. Urban Decay eye shadow has a ton of pigment, so a little goes a long way, and it goes on smoothly and lasts all day if you wear an eye shadow primer underneath. The quality is definitely on par with the price tag, in my opinion. #5. Tarte Shape Tape I purchased this at Cyndis recommendation, and I love it! I ordered online so I totally took a gander at the color, but its worked out great. I have the 16N Fair-Light Neutral (fair to light skin w/ neutral undertones.) It feels heavy when you put it on, but somehow it blends into the rest of your makeup and your skin without creasing or drying you out. I also take Cyndis advice and make sure to apply eye serum or eye cream before I use this. FYI, Colleen Rothschild is running an Anniversary Sale! Take 20% off site-wide with code 5AVS. #6. Blondo Ellie OTK Boots These boots are a workhorse in my winter wardrobe. Theyre absolutely the best boot for a stylish option in inclement weather because theyre waterproof. When its raining or snowing and I dont want to wear rain boots or snow boots, I wear these. I also wear them when Im going to be doing a lot of walking because they have a memory foam footbed and a lug sole. I also get compliments almost every time I wear them. #7. SHASHI Womens Warrior Double Pendant Necklace I ordered this necklace on a whim, and Ive been wearing it a ton. I like it a lot on crewneck sweaters because of the length. It isnt adjustable at all it doesnt even have a clasp, so you cant use an extender, but if you like the length (24.5) its a great piece to have. You could also layer it with other delicates. #8. Veja Esplar Sneakers I finally decided on a new pair of sneakers after trying almost a dozen different pairs. I decided the Veja Esplar was the perfect marriage of style and quality, and Im enjoying them so much already! I can definitely see wearing these a lot as the weather warms up. #9. Madewell Inland Mockneck Sweater Im totally laughing because when I searched Inland on my blog for pictures of this sweater, I discovered that I also included it in last years January Favorites. Yes, this is an oldie but goodie that Madewell brought back for a second year! It stands alone nicely because of the flattering fit and subtle knit details (note the extra long ribbed cuffs and hem) but its also great for layering. I often layer it under a moto jacket. I have it in ivory and Hthr Cement and Hthr Burgundy, and I love both equally. Im also kind of crushing on that Heather Dahlia. If I didnt already have two of these sweaters, Id snap that one right up. For size reference, I have one in a small and one in a medium, and both are fine. I feel the medium gives me more wiggle room while keeping the flattering silhouette, but you can size down for a more body-con fit. Sizes are getting depleted, but you can get 40% off the sale price with code DOUBLEYAY. I also love it in the Donegal Smoke. That one isnt on sale at Madewell, but its 25% off at Nordstrom, for some reason. #10. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour(R) Cream Fragrance-Free Skin Protectant This is a late addition, so its not pictured in the image collage, but this cream is saving my hands this winter. Elizabeth Arden sent me a few items to try out last fall, and this was in that box. This product was created more than seventy years ago and has won tons of beauty awards over the years. It goes on thick, but it soaks in and isnt greasy. I use it every night before bed, and my hands havent gotten dried out this winter. #11. MOLOCH Tortoiseshell Hoop Earrings Finally, another last minute addition, these tortoiseshell hoop earrings are super cute and only $8. I linked them in my email newsletter a few days ago as a Finds Under $50 feature, and they sold like hotcakes. Tortoiseshell is a classic that is also trending right now, and its a great way to add a subtle pattern to an outfit. Dont miss a post! Subscribe to get email updates! In addition to my most recent blog posts, youll receive exclusive newsletter content like special sales, my newest favorite finds, and a peek behind the scenes all delivered right to your inbox. PLUS youll be automatically entered for a chance to win a $100 gift card each month, so dont miss it! This post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, it helps support my business (at no additional cost to you) so thank you! Monday, January 28, 2019 Fed Influence on NM Economy Grows; Diversify To What? Plus: All Is Not Well In Animas, And: Don't Call Them "Troopers" the takeaways: --President Trump is one of the least popular politicos in big Bernalillo County but his --Sandia reports that in budget '18 it spent over $317 million with small businesses and that its employment has climbed --Los Alamos National Labs reports employment continues after a slowdown earlier in the decade, when there were LAN layoffs. It employed 11,743 in '18 and had a budget of $2.7 billion. Sandia's budget is now over $3.2 billion and growing. --NM is now a permanently flat-lined state, with no population growth in the last decade and very little on the horizon. Diversifying the economy is now way down the ladder on the list of priorities. --The top priorities that Santa Fe seems to finally be catching on to with the advent of a new administration are to finally resolve the educational and behavioral health crises that plague the state and keep it ranked near 50th in just about everything. --Start taking a bite out of those urgent matters and perhaps in ten years or so you can take serious conversations about diversification and significant business growth, well, seriously. --The ABQ Mayor also seems to understand the new paradigm. He was glad to help snag big spender Netflix for the metro but the cornerstone of his economic plan is to nurture local businesses. That's because landing the whales is more elusive than ever since ABQ and NM are unable to compete with the 21st century Millennial hotspots of Austin, Denver etc. --The "diversification" that would satisfy many in the crowd is to somehow have less of the federal spending tied to nuclear weapons. Can NM's congressional delegation do more in that regard? Meanwhile, those federal budgets aren't going away (as they haven't for over 70 years). They provide a foundation of economy stability as New Mexico attempts to dig itself out of a deep hole generations in the making and exacerbated so profoundly in the last ten. DATELINE ANIMAS There's another side to the immigration issue that a number of New Mexicans are now Residents in (Animas), a remote ranching town in southern New Mexico complain theyve been forgotten and left out as Washington and Santa Fe debate border issues. . . Animas business owner and rancher Tricia Elbrock wants more border security. In 2015, drug smugglers kidnapped one of her employees near the border. She and other ranchers in New Mexicos Bootheel say they need a border wall and more security as the region, long a drug smuggling corridor, has also become a hot spot for guides leading large groups of Central American migrants to Antelope Wells. On a recent visit to the border MLG asserted that here was IN THE WEEDS Let's go in the weeds with the Legislative Finance Committee newsletter which finds. . . New Mexicos 66,725 active medical cannabis patients in November was a nearly 50 percent increase from the count a year ago, and the number of personal production licenses, 7,563, was a 16 percent increase from the prior year. However, the total number of cannabis plants in production was down 5.2 percent. The price was stable at $9.98 per gram. As for the Legislature legalizing recreation majority during this year's session, the prospect continues to NOT "TROOPERS" Joe, I greatly appreciate your blog and read it daily. I was reading today about the alleged affair of Governor Martinez. The article states that she had an alleged affair with her Trooper bodyguard. New Mexico State Police officers are not troopers. In fact, the only troopers in New Mexico are members of the New Mexico Mounted Patrol, and all-volunteer law enforcement agency created by Governor Miles and the state legislature in 1941. New Mexico and California are the only two states that do not have troopers as part of their Department of Public Safety. As Deputy Chief of the South for New Mexico Mounted Patrol, I wanted to provide this correction as Im very proud of our status as troopers, our history, and the service we have provided the local, county, and state law enforcement agencies for 78 years. I did not know that, Kevin. Guess my gringo roots are showing. I grew up in Pennsylvania where the state police there are known as This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. ( c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019 The cries go on for "diversifying" New Mexico's economy so it won't be so dependent on federal spending. Well, it hasn't happened and there's good reason to think it won't. We look more dependent than ever on the Feds. Here are--but his aggressive posture on the national nuclear arsenal is creating hundreds of new jobs at Sandia National Labs and putting serious change into the pockets of a multitude of small businesses and their employees that depend on the labs for their livelihood.and that its employment has climbed to 12,769 . About 11,500 of those jobs are in ABQ and the remainder in California. its steady climb after a slowdown earlier in the decade, when there were LAN layoffs. It employed 11,743 in '18 and had a budget of $2.7 billion. Sandia's budget is now over $3.2 billion and growing., with no population growth in the last decade and very little on the horizon. Diversifying the economy is now way down the ladder on the list of priorities.with the advent of a new administration are to finally resolve the educational and behavioral health crises that plague the state and keep it ranked near 50th in just about everything.and perhaps in ten years or so you can take serious conversations about diversification and significant business growth, well, seriously.. He was glad to help snag big spender Netflix for the metro but the cornerstone of his economic plan is to nurture local businesses. That's because landing the whales is more elusive than ever since ABQ and NM are unable to compete with the 21st century Millennial hotspots of Austin, Denver etc.in the crowd is to somehow have less of the federal spending tied to nuclear weapons. Can NM's congressional delegation do more in that regard?Meanwhile, those federal budgets aren't going away (as they haven't for over 70 years). They provide a foundation of economy stability as New Mexico attempts to dig itself out of a deep hole generations in the making and exacerbated so profoundly in the last ten.There's another side to the immigration issue that a number of New Mexicans are now feeling acutely and that could pressure the Governor in the days ahead:On a recent visit to the border MLG asserted that here was no "crisis" there as President Trump has argued, but it seems to depend on what part of the order you are focused on. If the Central American migrants continue to cross into Animas and Antelope Wells this will likely become a national story with attention paid to actions from the state. And then there's Senators Udall and Heinrich. Where's the plan?Let's go in the weeds with the Legislative Finance Committee newsletter which finds. . .As for the Legislature legalizing recreation majority during this year's session, the prospect continues to look dim Here's an interesting letter from Kevin Berry, Deputy Chief of the South, New Mexico Mounted Patrol. It's about that lawsuit involving former Gov. Martinez and the use of the word "trooper"in describing the state police bodyguard who the suit claims was having an affair with her:I did not know that, Kevin. Guess my gringo roots are showing. I grew up in Pennsylvania where the state police there are known as state troopers This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Yes, Simon's Cat is between the covers again The new book is called Simon's Cat vs the World and you can win your own copy, acco... SPRINGFIELD Every single House Republican has signed on to a proposed constitutional amendment to change the way legislative maps are drawn in Illinois. It sets up a process to remove politics as much as possible from drawing new maps, a process that Illinois will undertake after the 2020 census. It's an important deal because when it comes time to approve the new map, there will be a Democratic governor and a Democratic-controlled legislature, barring some completely unforeseen development. Gov. J.B. PRITZKER has said he will veto a map that he considers unfair. However, if the Democrats maintain their supermajorities in the House and Senate, the governor's action could be overridden, if they are so inclined. Given those realities, the GOP has an obvious interest in changing how the next legislative map is drawn. And introducing the proposed amendment means they'll have a talking point for months to come. But the idea the proposed amendment will ever get to a floor vote in the House defies belief. It was the legislature's unwillingness to act that led to two unsuccessful efforts to change the process through petition. People are advised to never say never around the Statehouse, but changing the mapmaking process doesn't seem very plausible. * If you still haven't quite gotten used to the idea that there's a new Democratic governor in town, here's some help adapting. Last week, Pritzker and Treasurer MICHAEL FRERICHS, another Democrat, held a news conference to announce a program of financial assistance to furloughed federal workers in Illinois. Now, if former Gov. BRUCE RAUNER was announcing the program, you'd probably expect him to tiptoe around any commentary about why such a program is needed and who is at least partially responsible. "As the president brings the federal government to a standstill, trying to thwart democratic processes and force through a divisive and ineffective agenda, too many hard-working Illinoisans are paying a direct price," Pritzker said to open his comments. "Hard-working families are suffering because this president wants to build an unnecessary wall and that's simply unacceptable." That seems to be pretty clear. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. * However, if that wasn't clear, Pritzker piled on a bit a little later. "The president is being completely unreasonable here," Pritzker said. "This is no way to run a government, this idea of threatening everybody to get what you want." * Frerichs wasn't quite as blunt as the governor, but he wasn't silent about the situation either. "Working men and women should never be locked out and used as pawns over a policy disagreement," he said. "The president agreed to legislation to fund the government and then reneged on his promise." * It's the time of year when lawmakers introduce bills for consideration in the new legislative session. Rep. DAVID McSWEENEY, R-Barrington Hills, who definitely does not like taxes, introduced one to make sure everyone is aware when a bill would increase revenue. His proposal is that any bill that increases a tax or fee has to have the words "Tax Increase," "Fee Increase," or "Tax and Fee Increase" in the short title, which would mean that pretty much anyone would get the idea the bill raises revenue. It also requires the sponsor of such a bill to provide a statement about why the increase is needed. It's highly unlikely this is going anywhere, but it would be fun to hear it debated. * Also on McSweeney's agenda is a crackdown on rich people buying elections. Of course, that's not how his bill is worded. Rather, it puts a $5 million limit on the amount of money a person can contribute to a political committee that benefits himself or herself. Had that been the law last year, there probably would have been a lot fewer of those annoying campaign commercials on the air. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 "It is about the beauty of living in a small town," Mattoon Tourism & Arts Director Angelia Burgett said of the new mural. "This is going to be such a nice calling card for Mattoon, a welcome to the community." CHARLESTON -- Police say they used tracks in the snow to locate a man and arrest him for having drug items and being wanted in another state. Coles County sheriff's deputies first had contact with Steven D. Cannon after investigating a vehicle parked on a rural road, when they say he and a woman both lied to them about Cannon's identity. Cannon, 22, of West Siloam Springs, Okla., and Julia A. Williams, 31, of Charleston were located in the parked vehicle just north of Mattoon on Thursday, according to a news release from the Coles County Sheriff's Office. The deputy suspected the two provided false information about Cannon's identity but couldn't remain at the scene because of another call, the release said. Deputies later contacted Oklahoma authorities to confirm Cannon's identity and learned he was wanted in that state, according to the release. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} On Saturday, officers went to the residence at 530 Reynolds Drive, Charleston, the two provided on Thursday, it also said. Williams was located there and admitted she and Cannon lied about his identity and, after she consented to a search, officers found marijuana plants, syringes and other drug-related items, the release said. Footprints in the snow outside the Reynolds Drive location led police through a wooded area and farm fields, then to a Charleston apartment where Cannon was located and arrested without incident, according to the release. It said officers with Charleston, Oakland and Eastern Illinois University police helped with the search. Photos: 2019 mug shots from the JG-TC Contact Dave Fopay at (217) 238-6858. Follow him on Twitter: @FopayDave Love 3 Funny 3 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 0 The 2019 Charleston Chamber of Commerces Annual Dinner was held this past Saturday, the 26th, at the Grand Ballroom at Eastern. We had such an incredible crowd and I want to thank everyone who came out for the event! Thanks to the help of Eastern staff and the Chambers Diplomats, the Grand Ballroom looked stunning. Thank you to Eastern for providing us with, not only the Ballroom, but with the delicious meal as well. A quartet of Eastern students provided lovely background music during our cocktail hour. Thank you to the students; Addie Bayer, Eliot Crispin, Jackson Frosh, and Conor Baltz for providing the music and to Dr. Sam Fagaly for organizing the music. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The Small Business of the Year Award was presented to Paap Printing to honor their professional excellence and service to our community. Henigman Oil Company sponsored the award and Gary Henigman, President of Henigman Oil Company, was at the dinner to present the award. I would like to thank Paap Printing for their contributions to our community and Henigman Oil Company for sponsoring the award. Roy Lanham, Director and Campus Minister at the Newman Center, was presented with the Citizen of the Year Award. Mr. Lanham is involved with many organizations in Charleston, as well, as involved with international outreach through programs like Water for Life in Haiti. All those who know him, agree that Roy was the perfect choice to receive the award. I would like to thank Roy for all he does for the Newman Center, our community, and those all over the world! This years Citizen of the Year Award was sponsored by Machinery Management Services, Inc and was presented by Matt Piescinski, a longtime friend of Roy. Thank you to Machinery Management Service, Inc for sponsoring the award and thank you to Matt for presenting the award! Chas Parker was the recipient of this years Diplomat of the Year Award. The Chamber Diplomats are a group of volunteers who help serve as the front line at Chamber events and activities. The Diplomat of the Year Award a ballot vote among the Diplomats. Chas is extremely deserving of this recognition and it was my honor to present her with the award. I would like to thank Clarence Miller Insurance for sponsoring the award! I would like to thank Tammy Bell, owner of Ikes, for welcoming us and hosting our after party. Fun was had by all who attended! I am already anticipating next years Annual Dinner! Jessica Killough is president and CEO for the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Introduction In just 50 years, almost a million Jews, whose communities stretch back up to 3,000 years, have been 'ethnically cleansed' from 10 Arab countries. These refugees outnumber the Palestinian refugees two to one, but their narrative has all but been ignored. Unlike Palestinian refugees, they fled not war, but systematic persecution. Seen in this light, Israel, where some 50 percent of the Jewish population descend from these refugees and are now full citizens, is the legitimate expression of the self-determination of an oppressed indigenous, Middle Eastern people. This website is dedicated to preserving the memory of the near-extinct Jewish communities, which can never return to what and where they once were - even if they wanted to. It will attempt to pass on the stories of the Jewish refugees and their current struggle for recognition and restitution. Awareness of the injustice done to these Jews can only advance the cause of peace and reconciliation. (Iran: once an ally of Israel, the Islamic Republic of Iran is now an implacable enemy and numbers of Iranian Jews have fallen drastically from 80,000 to 20,000 since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Their plight - and that of all other communities threatened by Islamism - does therefore fall within the scope of this blog.) SINCE THE RAPTURE OCCURS BEFORE THE FUTURE 7 YR TREATY IS SIGNED, I WONT BE AROUND TO HAVE THE ACTUAL TREATY SIGNING. BUT UNTIL THEN THIS SITE IS DEDICATED TO THE BEGININGS OF THE ISRAELI / ARAB PEACE PROCESS. AND AS CLOSE TO THE 7 YEAR SIGNING THAT WE GET BEFORE THE RAPTURE OF THE SAVED TO HEAVEN. UNTIL WE MEET JESUS IN THE CLOUDS BODILY, AND COME TO EARTH 7 YRS LATER. On 10 January 2019, the National Intellectual Property Administration of China ( CNIPA , formerly known as SIPO ) held the Q1 press conference in Beijing, releasing the major IP statistics for the Chinese mainland in 2018. 2018 saw a steady growth in the number of IPR applications, showing a good momentum of development. 1. Patents: In 2018, applications relating to invention patents increased steadily and reached 1,542,000, of which 432,000 were granted. The invention patents filed by domestic applicants (346,000) still significantly outnumbered those filed by foreign applicants (86,000). By the end of 2018, the cumulative number of invention patents held by the Chinese mainland was 1,602,000, and the number of invention patents owned by per 10,000 head of population reached 11.5. In 2018, the CNIPA received in total 55,000 PCT applications, with a year-on-year increase of 9%, of which 52,000 were filed by domestic applicants with a year-on-year increase of 9.3%. The top three provinces/municipalities for invention patents for each 10,000 heads of population were: Beijing (111.2), Shanghai (47.5), Jiangsu (26.5). Huawei was once again #1 for invention patents obtained. In 2018, a total number of 808,000 invention patent applications, 1,874,000 utility model patents and 667,000 design patents were examined. While the number of patent applications increased, the examination time for patent applications decreased steadily and the time for high-value patents was reduced by 10%. With respect to re-examination, 38,000 requests were filed, of which 28,000 were closed. As for invalidation, 4,000 out of 5,000 requests of declaration were settled. 2. Trade marks The trade mark field was also busy. Trade mark applications continued to grow. A total of 7,371,000 applications for trade mark registration were accepted in 2018, of which 5,070,000 were granted, and 5,007,000 were from domestic applicants. By the end of 2018, the cumulative numbers of valid registered trade marks in Mainland China (excluded those applications applied by foreign applicants and the Madrid applications) reached 18,049,000. The number of trade marks owned by per 10,000 market entity reached 1,724. In 2018, 6,594 Madrid international trade mark applications were filed. By the end of 2018, 31,000 applications of the Madrid international trade mark were filed by domestic applicants, with a year-on-year increase of 23.5%. 6 months . IPKat readers may remember that in an earlier post (the Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Trademark Registration Facilitation and Effectively Raising Efficiency of Trademark Registration to shorten the examination time for trade mark to 6 months by the end of 2018: the task was completed 52 days ahead of schedule. In 2018, 8,043,000 trade mark applications were examined. Notably, in 2018, the average time for trade mark examination were reduced to. IPKat readers may remember that in an earlier post ( here ), it was mentioned that the State Administration of Industry and Commerce had set a goal into shorten the examination time for trade mark to 6 months by the end of 2018: the task was completed 52 days ahead of schedule. In 2018, 322,000 requests of trade mark review were filed, of which 265,000 were closed. The time for reviewing the trade mark registration rejections was reduced to 7 months. 3. Geographical indications (GIs) In 2018, 67 GIs were granted. 'GIs', as mentioned in Article 2 of the Provisions on the Protection of Geographical Indication Products, refers to those products which originate from a specific region, and whose quality, reputation or other characteristics dependon the natural factors and humane factors of the area of production. 223 enterprises were approved to use the special signs for GI-protected products. By the end of 2018, cumulatively, 2380 GIs were granted, and 8,179 enterprises were approved to use GIs. 4. Integrated circuit layout design In 2018, the CNIPA received 4,431 applications for the registration of integrated circuit layout design, which increased year-on-year by 37.3%. In total of 3,815 applications for the registration of integrated circuit layout design were issued the registration certificate, with the year-on-year increase of 42.9%. Data Source: the CNIPA | In our market, Maruti Baleno is the top-selling premium hatchback. It is also the only hatchback in its segment, which is offered with mild-hybrid technology. Last year, the carmaker discontinued the.. | The Bajaj Dominar 400 has an alien-like face, thanks to the full-LED headlamp. However, you wouldnt call it an intimidating design, would you? But heres a particular model that has been given a.. FILE PHOTO: People gather outside the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Russia November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo MOSCOW (Reuters) - A 20th century landscape painting by a Russian artist was stolen from a Moscow art gallery in a brazen act of theft during an exhibition, police said on Sunday. A museum employee called in to say video surveillance footage showed the thieves simply took the painting off the wall and made their escape, the police said. The work, "Ai Petri. Crimea", was painted in 1908 by Arkhip Kuindzhi, a Russian artist of Greek origin, and depicts a mountain in the Crimea peninsula. Russian news agencies said the painting was stolen from the Tretyakov gallery, one of Russia's leading art galleries, which has been targeted by criminals several times in recent years. The gallery could not be immediately reached for comment. Last May, one of the country's most treasured 19th century art works, which depicts Tsar Ivan the Terrible cradling his dying son, was damaged by a man with a metal rod. Kuindzhi is known for his landscapes. His 1881 work "Birch grove" was sold at auction house Sotheby's for over $3 million in 2008. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Mark Potter) By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A high-level delegation from Libya's parallel government in the east visited the main southern city of Sabha on Monday after its forces this month seized control of the city, an official said. The eastern government is allied to Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a campaign this month in southwestern Libya. Sabha had been nominally under the control of the internationally recognised government in Tripoli but in reality was run by local groups including tribes. Control of Sabha is seen as vital for securing southern Libya's oilfields, one of the stated goals of the LNA campaign. The interior, health and junior justice ministers of the eastern government, which is based in Benghazi, were seen meeting local officials in the municipality of Sabha in pictures sent to Reuters by members of the visiting delegation. The officials later visited the main hospital and a court, journalists said. Tripoli officials could not be reached for comment on the visit, which further highlighted the internationally recognised government's continued lack of authority in most of Libya. Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj said during a visit to Vienna on Monday that "many things" were not going well in the south, but he did not allude to the visit by the eastern delegation or to the LNA advance. "Regarding the south we need better support for our security forces. We need more cooperation between all security forces," he said. The LNA has secured Sabha airport and other strategic sites in the area in recent days, after local groups handed them over without a fight. The LNA says its campaign is aimed at combating militant groups and securing oil facilities in the south, which include El Sharara oilfield, Libya's biggest. On Monday LNA forces killed a suspected al Qaeda fighter called Adel Ahmed al-Abdaly when they stormed his house in Sabha, LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari said. Otherwise the city has been largely quiet since the arrival of the LNA. Al Qaeda and Islamic State have been using southern Libya as a base for attacks in Libya and neighbouring countries, exploiting a security vacuum created by the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in a 2011 rebellion backed by NATO air strikes. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli in Benghazi and Francois Murphy in Vienna; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Gareth Jones) Following the state BJP executive meeting in Jalna, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday, 28 January, hinted that an alliance between Shiv Sena and his party is still a possibility ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Fadnavis said that those who believe and work for the Hindutva cause will come together. Despite the recent comments from various Shiv Sena leaders, BJP has not closed doors for alliance with Shiv Sena, the Maharashtra chief minister was quoted as saying by ANI. BJP Open To Alliance But Not Helpless However, Fadnavis added that while the BJP was open to an alliance, it was not helpless. Taking a dig at the Congress-NCP alliance, Fadnavis asserted that he did not want the country to be governed by people who loot. "BJP is not helpless, yes we want alliance but for development of nation. Dont want power to go in hands of people who looted nation for long. The BJP is the party which reached 200 seats from two seats." - Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra CM Fadnavis claimed that the people will not be swayed by the lies of the Congress-NCP alliance, but will trust Prime Minister Narendra Modis work. Maharashtra unit president of the BJP, Raosaheb Danve, inaugurated the day-long conclave on Monday and Fadnavis addressed the valedictory session. Also Read: Will Find a Way: Maharashtra CM on BJP Alliance With Shiv Sena Shiv Sena The Big Brother in Alliance? The Shiv Sena, on the other hand, said on Monday it would always be the "big brother" in an alliance with the BJP. The party added that no such proposal had been received. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai after a meeting chaired by party chief Uddhav Thackeray, the Sena's Rajya Sabha MP and chief whip in Parliament Sanjay Raut was quoted as saying by PTI: Shiv Sena is the big brother (in the alliance with BJP and other parties) in Maharashtra and will continue to be so. There is no proposal from the BJP to form any alliance with the Shiv Sena. Those who wish to forge an alliance with us are talking about it. We are not waiting for any proposal to be offered to us. Story continues BJP Will Win More Seats Than Shiv Sena Without Alliance Earlier on Friday, 25 January, Danve had said that BJP will win more seats than the Shiv Sena in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections if theres no pre-poll alliance. Addressing a press conference in Jalna, he said that the absence of an alliance between the BJP and the Shiv Sena will benefit the Congress and the NCP. The BJP will win more seats than the Shiv Sena in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections if the Sena does not forge an alliance with the BJP, he said. Danve said the BJP has made preparations to contest all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state in case there was no alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. Also Read: Prepare for Polls With or Without Shiv Sena: Amit Shah To Maha BJP Meanwhile, Thackeray is likely to conduct a meeting with party MPs to discuss the prospective alliance with the BJP. All party members have reportedly given Thackeray a free hand to decide for or against the alliance. According to sources quoted by India Today, the Shiv Sena has demanded an equal (24 each) seat sharing between it and the BJP. BJP Will Find a Way: Fadnavis Fadnavis had recently said that the party will find a way to keep its alliance with Shiv Sena. Speaking at an event held to commemorate the legacy of Shiv Sena Founder Balasaheb Thackeray at the YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai on 15 January, The Indian Express quoted Fadnavis as saying: It is due to the alliance in 1995 that we have come such a long way. Whenever there were issues in the alliance, Balasaheb used to take decisions with a big heart. Now, the responsibility of the alliance is on us and we will figure out a way. Praising the late Shiv Sena founder for being a great leader, Fadnavis had spoken about how Balasaheb never hesitated to speak his mind, a trait that appealed to people and made him a great orator, the report added. Balasaheb never just gave a speech. He used to communicate with people. He used to speak his mind. The people used to feel that he was speaking to them, he had said. (With inputs from ANI and PTI) . Read more on Politics by The Quint.RSS & BJPs Nehru-Netaji Cosplay: Irony Dies a Thousand DeathsUnconstitutional for Govt to Present Full Budget: Yashwant Sinha . Read more on Politics by The Quint. Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday, 28 January, disapproved of the slow pace of hearing on the Ayodhya title suit in the Supreme Court, and appealed to it for an "expeditious decision" as had been done in the matters related to adultery and Sabarimala temple. Prasad qualified his views with the remark that he spoke as a citizen and not as the law minister. His remarks came a day after the Supreme Court Sunday cancelled the January 29 hearing in the politically sensitive Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case as one member of the five-judge Constitution bench would not be available. "People Want Ram Temple to be Built at Ayodhya Prasad cited examples of expeditious decisions on the entry of women into Sabrimala temple in Kerala, the adultery law, social and cultural activists being dubbed urban Naxals and the late-night intervention in the political turmoil in Karnataka that went in favour of the post-poll Congress-JD(S) alliance, and wondered why the apex court could not come out with a mechanism to decide the Ayodhya petition. "It is the wish of the people of the country that a Ram temple be built at Ayodhya. Our Prime Minister and our party president have also made it clear that this will take place within the constitutional framework," Prasad said. "However, I would like to add something as a citizen of this country and not as the law minister. This matter has been pending for 70 years. It took 60 years for the Allahabad High Court to come out with its verdict on the title suit and the appeal against the same has been pending before the Supreme Court for 10 years," Prasad, who was the counsel for one of the petitioners in the High Court, said. "The Supreme Court has in many cases that it deems important come up with expeditious decisions. It was seen in the case of Sabrimala, adultery, urban Maoists and Karnataka. I would urge the apex court to do something similar for Ayodhya," Prasad added. Story continues Also Read: Ayodhya Land Dispute: SC to Not Hear Case on 29 January The remarks come in the backdrop of many BJP leaders, most notably Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, openly expressing dissatisfaction with the tardy pace at which the matter is being dealt with at the Supreme Court. Why Sangh Parivar is Cross With BJP Over Ayodhya Issue? While hardliners in the Sangh Parivar have been maintaining that matters of faith could not be decided by a court of law and pressing for an ordinance or an Act of Parliament to facilitate construction of temple at the disputed site, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ruled out the possibility of taking the legislative route until the Supreme Court came out with its verdict on the vexed issue. Opponents of the BJP, as also allies like Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, have, however, expressed disapproval of the saffron party raking up the dispute ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Also Read: Why Has a 5-Judge Bench Been Constituted to Hear the Ayodhya Case? . Read more on India by The Quint.RSS & BJPs Nehru-Netaji Cosplay: Irony Dies a Thousand Deaths79.16% voting in Ramgarh constituency in Rajasthan . Read more on India by The Quint. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), directed by Barry Jenkins, is based on the 1974 James Baldwin novel of the same name. Jenkins is best known as the dir... 1 day ago Im not a clinician or an autism expert, he confessed. But my basic research on how brains work has led us to develop a test for autism which could diagnose the disease years earlier than we do now. See also Better understanding sensory perception could help people with autism and dyslexia The simple test would have profound implications for children and their families. Research has shown that early diagnosis and treatment can improve outcomes for children and reduce their need for support services. When Prof. Vallortigara discovered that chicks have an in-built preference for face-like objects, he became interested in whether humans share this natural interest in faces. It turns out, most people are instinctively drawn to faces. They are also attracted to objects that move in a natural way rather than to things that move randomly or mechanically. The brains of vertebrates (animals with backbones) can distinguish inanimate objectives from living objects from birth, he explained. We call it animacy. Animals respond to biological motion and to face-like shapes. Its a natural survival mechanism. Even an inverted triangle with three dots loosely resembling two eyes and a nose is enough to trigger this built-in facial recognition system. In tests, animals are drawn to inverted triangles more than other groups of dots. This tendency to interpret shapes as faces also explains why we sometimes see faces in clouds or in pieces of toast: we seek out living objects. For people with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), these preferences are much weaker: they dont gravitate towards faces, they are less interested in animalistic movements, and they actively prefer pictures of faces that do not make eye contact. Simple test Fast-forward a few years and dozens of further experiments, and Prof. Vallortigaras team has developed a simple test that they hope could screen babies for autism. The ultimate goal is to identify people with ASD at birth and offer interventions designed to improve outcomes in later life. Through the MoViS project, the researchers have developed a short test that shows newborn babies shapes, faces and representations of biological movements, known as biological motion. The results are compared to a database of typical responses to check whether the babies are in the normal range or on the autistic spectrum. The system was tested in one-week-old babies who have a sibling with ASD and are thus at higher genetic risk of having the condition themselves. Using a mobile lab, the team of neuroscientists drove around Italy testing babies between six and 10 days old. In addition to biological motion and facial recognition, the researchers added images of faces that looked either directly at the child or away from the child. Babies with ASD tended to avert their gaze rather than make sustained eye contact a classic sign of autism in older children. The next step is to refine the system so that it can be used outside a laboratory setting. If we can automate it, the test could be delivered by people without neuroscience or behavioural science training, said Prof. Vallortigara. His team is working with engineers to build an easy-to-use device that could become part of the usual neonatal tests like the vision and Apgar tests that all babies undergo. It is a long way from the basic science we were doing in animal models, he said. But maybe thats the point some research seems obscure to the public, but it can lead to life-changing outcomes. Unlikely Raffi Rembrand also came to autism research from an unlikely starting point. A chemical engineer with 40 years experience in signal processing, his interest was sparked by personal experience. Rembrands son was diagnosed with ASD at the age of four in the late 1980s. As he delved into how autism was diagnosed and managed, he was shocked at how late the condition is detected and frustrated that windows of opportunity for behavioural treatment have often closed by the time diagnosis is confirmed. Having already overseen the development of a wearable hug vest that is designed to calm children with autism, in 2015 he launched a company, SensPD, in Kiryat Tiv'on, Israel, dedicated to developing a screening tool that would identify ASD much earlier. Unlike the visual stimuli tests devised by Prof. Vallortigaras group, SensPD are using the auditory system as a way to examine sensory perception. Their otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test checks how babies make sense of sensory input in this case, sound. It is known that people with autism have signal processing issues. Children with autism often respond differently to noise, taste, touch and other sensory stimuli, but this appears to be built-in from birth. If you look at how autism is diagnosed today, its too subjective, too cumbersome, too time-consuming and too expensive. Maayan Shahar, CEO, SensPD Maayan Shahar, CEO of SensPD, says the company is about to begin trials of its software which offers a non-invasive way of detecting autism. If you look at how autism is diagnosed today, its too subjective, too cumbersome, too time-consuming and too expensive, she said. The process can begin around two years of age, but it takes a long time, and input from several health professionals, to observe the childs behaviour and arrive at a diagnosis. The software, which can be integrated into an existing hearing test device, checks how the brain stem responds to audio stimuli. The results are compared to a database and an algorithm determines whether ASD is present and, if so, calculates its severity. As we get more data, we hope to identify sub-categories within the autistic spectrum, Shahar explained. The trial will collect data on 150 children aged 1.5 years to 5 years. These children will be divided into three groups: one group of typically developed children, one group with ASD, and another with language disorders. There is a question mark in the scientific literature over the relationship between language disorders and ASD, said Shahar. Sometimes children diagnosed with language issues are on the autistic spectrum. Their autism may be diagnosed later or missed. If the trial is successful, SensPD hope to market their product as a medical device which could be used to screen babies and improve their long-term outcomes. This could change the lives of kids and their parents, Shahar said. By supporting them earlier and better, it may also lead to lower need for medication and help at school, as well as lower levels of self-injury and hospitalisation. The research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please share it. Robert Nichols is the state senator for Senate District 3. First elected in 2006, Nichols represents 19 counties, including much of East Texas and part of Montgomery County. He can be reached at 699-4988 or toll-free at (800) 959-8633. When it comes to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USCMA), Under Secretary Ted McKinney calls it a huge win, especially for dairy. McKinney, who serves as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, addressed the audience at the Dairy Business Associations Dairy Strong Conference held in Madison, Wis., last week. In his presentation focused on current trade situations around the world, he started with North America. I think one of the most important things we at USDA are and can and should be working on is the USMCA, or NAFTA 2.0 as some of your call it, he shared. McKinney said it was a long, arduous task, but he was pleased with the end results. The USTR (United States Trade Representative) really delivered for agriculture generally, and for the dairy industry in particular, he said. We did get more market access for agriculture, with the majority of that being dairy, McKinney explained. That was hard fought. It was difficult to take our free enterprise system and work, particularly against Canada, which has the managed supply system. According to McKinney, a great deal of the negotiations specific to agriculture took place in the final weeks and months. He shared that the United States only learned of the Canadian specifics one day before President Trumps deadline, and that is what led in part to the extension. The Under Secretary noted that a lot of the extension time working on the USMCA was fighting for market access. USDA and USTR did their part, and I hope we can look at USMCA up to this point as a successful venture, he said. Speaking specifically of dairy, McKinney remarked, A wall or containment was placed around Canada, so it is truly a managed system and not one in which they can take the best of the dairy industry and then dump on the world markets that which is of less value. The deal is not final yet, as it now needs Congressional approval. McKinney encouraged dairy producers to speak to their representatives in Congress to get support for the agreement. Its going to take a full, heavy lift. Its going to take all of us to make sure your views are known on the value of USMCA and its passage, he said. Still, McKinney is optimistic. As for USMCA, I am checking the box with a pencil. Until we get it through Congress, only then can I use an ink pen, he said. What we have so far is pretty doggone good. Were thrilled with what we got. To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com. (c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2019 January 28, 2019 That phone in your hand might as well be a giant beacon, calling attention to your location and a lot of items you thought were private. And it's perfectly legal for your cellphone carrier to sell that information to third and fourth parties without your permission. Last week, the San Jose Mercury News reported about the problem, based on a new report from Motherboard, an online publication that takes an in-depth look at all things related to computers and the internet. A wide variety of companies can access cell phone location data, and the information trickles down from cell phone providers to a wide array of smaller players, who dont necessarily have the correct safeguards in place to protect that data, Motherboard reported Jan. 8. The investigation shows just how exposed mobile networks and the data they generate are, leaving them open to surveillance by ordinary citizens, stalkers, and criminals. ... Theres a complex supply chain that shares some of American cell phone users most sensitive data, with the (telephone companies) potentially being unaware of how the data is being used by the eventual end user, or even whose hands it lands in. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Welcome to a closer look inside technology, where a handheld computer can search the world for arcane questions, take photos, make phone calls, provide calendar reminders and weather forecasts, while it also allows strangers to have hard and soft data about how and where we live our lives, how much we weigh, what we buy, and what medicine we take. And that doesn't take into account the information derived from our many social media accounts, whose owners may also share data with outside parties. According to Motherboard and as reported by the Mercury News, location data can be bought for legitimate purposes for example, by financial firms seeking to detect fraud or by roadside-assistance companies using it to find customers whose vehicles break down. But aggregation companies specializing in selling location data are passing it onward at a profit, and with minimal oversight, the newspaper said. In Motherboard's investigation, location data was sold to a bounty hunter who pinpointed the location of a test phone to within a couple blocks. Several carriers interviewed by the newspaper said they either had changed their policies or were working on that after learning about the issue. Still, at some point, the companies knew they were sharing data with an outside group. Without close attention to the group's plans, the companies in essence provided a key to your locked door of privacy. Technology is ahead of the law in many areas. Until, or unless, it catches up, we're responsible for making sure technology in our lives doesn't open the door for criminals. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 DECATUR If shivering Central Illinois thinks its cold now, just wait we havent seen anything yet. A bone-chilling bout of Arctic weather begins tightening its grip in the wake of a small bout of snow that started Sunday night and extends into today as a rain and snow mix with a predicted accumulation of up to half an inch. But any thawing will soon freeze solid and could create slippery driving conditions as the cold air launches its major onslaught. The National Weather Service in Lincoln said the actual air temperature in the Decatur area by Wednesday night into Thursday morning is expected to hit minus 14 degrees. And wind chills Tuesday night into early Wednesday are forecast in a range from 30 to 35 degrees below zero. NWS meteorologist Chris Geelhart said the weather is shifting into a potentially record-setting deep freeze where its not just uncomfortable to be outside, but actually physically dangerous for anyone not dressed for it. At these kind of levels, it wouldnt take 10 or 15 minutes to cause frostbite, he said. By contrast, the normal temperature for the Decatur area at this time of year would call for highs of 35 degrees. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Bearing that in mind, the stage is set for some weather records to be shattered. The record low for Wednesday's date in Decatur was registered at minus 12 (in 1966) and is due to be challenged by a predicted low Wednesday night of minus 14. It goes on like this until Friday, when a predicted high near 30 is going to feel like the Bahamas in comparison to what came before it. Central Illinois is predicted to avoid any major snow events this week, but thats not true for other parts of the state. The NWS said temperatures that dipped to 6 degrees on Saturday at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport will climb a bit but just long enough to dump as much as 8 inches of snow north of Chicago. Geelhart said that the actual air temperature in Northern Illinois is due to fall to an astonishing 25 to 30 degrees below zero this week with wind chills making it feel like 50 degrees below zero. Looking around the rest of the region, the weather picture was equally nightmarish. The NWS reported blizzard conditions Sunday in parts of eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Officials issued a travel alert for north-central, northeastern and southeastern North Dakota due to snow and blowing snow. No travel was advised in south-central North Dakota due to freezing rain and snow. Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele has declared a snow emergency for county employees. Milwaukee County courts and nonessential county services will be closed Monday. Milwaukee Public Schools also will be closed Monday. NWS meteorologist Tyler Hasenstein based in Chanhassen, Minnesota, said parts of far southeastern Minnesota into western Wisconsin could see a foot to 14 inches of snow this week. The Associated Press contributed to this report. History photos: Past winters in Decatur Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. DECATUR Police said a skating rink employee who got into a face-to-face confrontation with an off-duty officer working security at the rink was arrested after being subdued with a jolt from a stun gun. A sworn Decatur police affidavit from officer Lorne Sturdivant said the incident happened about 9:15 p.m. Friday at Krazy Skate, 3710 Greenswitch Road. Sturdivant said he was working security at the rink and wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words POLICE in bold letters on the front, back and on both sleeves. He described removing two juveniles who had been involved in a verbal confrontation when a rink employee, age 18, chose to let one of the juveniles return. Sturdivant stood in the doorway and told the employee that the juvenile was not allowed back in the building. (The employee) became irate, he told me he wasnt afraid of me and that I need to move out of his way, Sturdivant said in the affidavit. When I didnt move, he stood directly in front of me and he began pointing his finger at my face ... he then made contact with my face, with his finger, as he pointed it at me. Sturdivant informed the man he was then under arrest, and he described the man as struggling while he and a fellow off-duty officer tried to secure him. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. I had to drive stun him to get him to stop fighting against our efforts to arrest him, Sturdivant said. He was finally taken into custody without further incident. A drive stun is the use of a stun gun to deliver a jolt of disabling discomfort by making contact with a person without actually launching the stun guns probes. The employee was booked on preliminary charges of aggravated battery to a police officer and resisting arrest, which are subject to review by the Macon County State's Attorney's Office. He is free after posting $5,000 bond. A spokesman for Krazy Skate said Monday the business had no comment about the incident. 2019 mug shots from the Herald & Review Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. DECATUR Hickory Point Bank has announced that Jenny Krell has been promoted to vice president. With her new responsibilities, Krell will oversee the training and development of the banking staff for all Hickory Point Bank locations throughout Central Illinois. She will also continue to oversee the daily operations of the Springfield, Illinois branch located at the corner of Wabash and Koke Mill Road. Jenny provides exceptional service to our customers in Springfield and we believe she is best positioned to guide and develop all our branch teams bank wide, said Morgan Nessler, vice president and head of Retail Banking. Jenny exemplifies Hickory Point Banks first in class customer service culture, and we are thrilled to have her provide consistent training for all branch banking colleagues. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Krell joined the bank in 2012 as a Retail Banking officer and has fourteen years of banking experience. She was born and raised in Decatur and graduated from Illinois College in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration and a minor in communications and theater. She is a graduate of Leadership Springfield through the Springfield Chamber of Commerce. Krell lives in Springfield and enjoys spending time with her son, Brody, exercising, being outdoors and spending time with friends and family. Krell is located at Hickory Point Bank, 3131 West Wabash, Springfield and may be reached at (217) 547-3607. Hickory Point Bank & Trust, with total assets of $648 million, is one of central Illinois leading locally owned banks. Hickory Point Bank offers a full line of commercial, mortgage, consumer, online, trust, investment management, and farm management services to Central Illinois businesses and families with locations in Champaign, Decatur, Peoria, and Springfield. For more information about Hickory Point Bank and its products, visit www.hickorypointbank.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 DNRC released the report as the Montana Legislature prepares to consider new funding options for Montanas aquatic invasive species program. The funding bill passed in 2017 tapped hydropower and fishing license fees to pay for the program, but current proposals call for fees on boats and general fund dollars. Mike Bias, executive director of Fishing Outfitters Association of Montana, says anglers will be watching the funding debate closely. The effects of what happens if mussels get here is just scary I dont even think some of the issues are in there but the report is timely as the Legislature is going over budgets for the future of the AIS programs, he said. Citing the report, Bias would like to see those industries most impacted by a potential mussel infestation pay for the prevention program. While anglers dont have a problem being part of the funding, he believes hydropower and other recreational users, specifically wake boats, should be an emphasis in the next funding bill. Weve got to do what we can, but our pitch is lets not just go after the anglers, because once its here, its an everybody problem, he said. For those of you who actually believe the media, just look around at what has actually been happening with yourself, your friends and your family. More people are at work, food stamp recipients are down, the economy is booming as never before, taxes are lower, gas prices are lower and the world situation has become more stable. You could not say that during the reign of President Barack Obama. Not on any one of those issues. Dont believe me, just look around and observe the current situation in Missoula and Montana in general. And it will get even better. Arming teachers is the wrong approach to school firearm danger for three reasons: First, many types of firearm incidents, such as brandishing or possession, occur around schools, but deadly or injurious assaults are extremely rare. In a year with high incidence of events (2018), only 26 of the 132,000 public and private K-12 grade schools in the United States had death or injury to students or personnel caused by a firearm. Those numbers mean fewer than a 50th of 1 percent (2/10,000) of schools had an injurious firearm event involving students, teachers or staff. Additionally, the vast majority of these rare events were not preventable by an armed teacher. Second, the classroom is special. Teachers typically have close physical contact with pupils. A loaded firearm in class poses a risk if taken by a curious, impulsive or angry student, or misused by the teacher. If an armed individual is truly necessary for a school, that person should not be a teacher confined to a classroom. It should be someone free to patrol the school and maintain security widely. If a school district cannot fund a trained school resource officer, then a volunteer SRO without teaching responsibilities should fulfill that job. In reference to Bradley Williams recent guest column concerning what he refers to as euthanasia and as physician-assisted suicide, it appears that he believes that the Montana Supreme Courts decision in Baxter v. State somehow turned Montana into the nations destination spot for those. Nothing could be further from the truth. First, medical aid in dying is not euthanasia (i.e., purposeful killing) or suicide any more than is a terminally ill patients perfectly legal use of a do not resuscitate directive, or his or her perfectly legal direction to the physician to discontinue treatment, or his or her perfectly legal refusal to accept medical treatment. Medical aid in dying involves a physician prescribing life-ending medications that the patient can choose to self-ingest or not. Moreover, the physician will prescribe these medications only after the patient undergoes thorough medical and emotional evaluations. It is a difficult and careful process, as it should be; and it is only available to patients who have a bona fide illness that will end in death within a relatively short period of time, and, typically, death in a painful, agonizing and protracted manner. Law enforcement can prosecute people who share sexual images without consent under peeping Tom laws, which would bring a misdemeanor charge. Ryan's bill would make the first offense a felony. There's also not a mechanism in state law to remove images that have been posted. A study published by the Data and Society Research Institute in 2016 found 1 in 25 Americans has been a victim of revenge porn. The study said more than 30 states had published legislation between 2013-2016 to address the problem. Kristine Hamill of Missoula told the committee that for 12 years her husband had been posting nude photos without her consent at online porn sites and distributing the images elsewhere. "When I went to the police I was shocked to find he had committed no crime," Hamill said. While she has an order of protection stopping him from further posts, Hamill said her photos are already out there and she can't get them removed. The bill received support in committee Monday from environmental groups that cited the environmental costs of using plastic foam, noting a 2016 study from Saint Louis University that estimated the annual social cost of greenhouse gases emitted during production of Styrofoam at $4.6 billion. Economically speaking, technology change is one of the ways that we can spur growth, said Wyatt Smith of Montana Audubon. And if we continue to maintain a status quo, nothing will change. But the bills passage would require weathering the opposition of the Montana Retail Association, as well as the state and local Chambers of Commerce. Brad Griffin, president of the Montana Retail Association, said a major reason his organization opposes the bill is that it plucks out one use for a broadly used product. As one of my members said, if Styrofoam is so bad, why are they not looking at the thousands of other applications that it is used for? Griffin asked. The simple truth is this: Styrofoam is used because it does its job very well. Griffin and other opponents also noted that many businesses are already moving in the direction of alternatives, making a forced effort at the state level unnecessary. The 2015 law was Montana's first foray into school choice programs, which typically direct public money toward private schools. Advocates of such programs argue that they allow those without financial means to attend private schools and have educational options outside their zoned public schools. Critics argue that the programs siphon money from public schools, subsidize religious instruction and reward schools who don't have to adhere to the same rules as public schools, like for the acceptance of students with special needs. Eric Feaver, who leads Montana's largest teacher's union, said he doesn't see the program taking flight in Montana even if religious schools are included. The union opposed the inclusion of religious schools, and has vociferously opposed school choice legislation. "I don't believe Montanans are fooled by the enticement of $150," he said. "I think people like their public schools and want to support them first and foremost. ... If people really thought this was going to catch fire moving forward, there would have been more scholarship organizations." Alvin Lee Grant Jr.: Felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs, Guilty. Sentence: Five years in jail, all suspended. Revocation of suspended or deferred sentence, Guilty. Douglas James Knight: Felony theft common scheme, Guilty. Sentence: Five years in the Department of Corrections, all suspended. Revocation of suspended or deferred sentence, guilty. Timothy William Bogert: Felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs, Guilty. Sentence: Three years in jail. Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, fleeing from or eluding peace officer, failure to carry proof or exhibit insurance in vehicle, dismissed by court. Revocation of suspended or deferred sentence, Guilty. Timothy William Bogert: Felony theft, Guilty. Sentence: Five years in jail, all suspended. Felony Criminal endangerment, dismissed by court. Misdemeanor fleeing from or eluding police officer, obstructing a peace officer, criminal possession of dangerous drugs, dismissed by court. Felony theft, dismissed by court. Revocation of suspended or deferred sentence, dropped by prosecutor. The Independent Record invites the community to vote in the Best of Helena contest each year. Here are this year's winners in the people of th About Me I am a professor at Ewha Womans University, where I teach composition, research writing, and cultural issues, including the occasional graduate seminar on Gnosticism and Johannine theology and the occasional undergraduate course on European history. My doctorate is in history (U.C. Berkeley), with emphasis on religion and science. My thesis is on John's gospel and Gnosticism. I also work as one-half of a translating team with my wife, and our most significant translation is Yi Kwang-su's novel The Soil, which was funded by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. I'm also an award-winning writer, and I recommend my novella, The Bottomless Bottle of Beer, to anyone interested. I'm originally from the Arkansas Ozarks, but my academic career -- funded through doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships (e.g., Fulbright, Naumann, Lady Davis) -- has taken me through Texas, California, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, and Israel and has landed me in Seoul, South Korea. I've also traveled to Mexico, visited much of Europe, including Moscow, and touched down briefly in a few East Asian countries. Hence: "Gypsy Scholar." View my complete profile Grand Old Partisan remembers an American tragedy. This day in 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded seventy-three seconds after liftoff. Lost were seven brave astronauts. That evening, President Ronald Reagan addressed the nation: Ladies and gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss. Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But we've never lost an astronaut in flight; we've never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle; but they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together. For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, 'Give me a challenge and I'll meet it with joy.' They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us. We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for 25 years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers. And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them. I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don't hide our space program. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute. We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue. I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this mission and tell them: 'Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it.' There's a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and an historian later said, 'He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.' Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete. The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.' Here is a Video Version of this article on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yBkf4KSiwnc Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement. Each day, his grandoldpartisan YouTube channel and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than sixteen decades of Republican heritage. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states so far. He also wrote the 2005 Republican Freedom Calendar. Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision. Buy the book at Amazon See www.youtube.com/q?v=IzxKCiXc5Qc for a brief video of a Texas Republican praising Back to Basics for the Republican Party. "This is the most amazing book about politics that I have ever read. The Overview should be required reading for anyone with even a minor interest in government. The remainder is an enthralling history lesson that I will never forget. For years, we have all been misled about the true nature of the GOP. This is the real deal! Read it and be proud!" "Michael Zak wrote the definitive history of the GOP." "Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the most significant contribution to the Republican Party in the last twenty years apart from Ronald Reagan." "Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before." and "one of the best books I ever read" The Estrada Doctrine For 70 years, until Vicente Fox took office in 2000, Mexicos foreign policy had been guided by the Estrada Doctrine. Named for Genaro Estrada, who served as the Mexican foreign affairs secretary from 1930 to 1932, the doctrine took a noninterventionist approach to diplomatic relations, promoting the idea that countries shouldnt interfere in the domestic affairs of other nations and that they especially shouldnt comment on the legitimacy of foreign governments. From this perspective, anything short of minor signals of disapproval such as recalling diplomatic staff or limiting diplomatic presence in a foreign capital is viewed as unacceptable. Its not hard to see why Mexico adopted such an approach. Throughout its history, Mexican governments have had to deal with foreign invasions and regimes that refused to acknowledge their legitimacy and Mexicos autonomy. Since the 19th century, Mexico fought Spain for its independence, was invaded by France and was partially annexed by the United States. But the countrys problems werent brought on only by external factors. After gaining independence, it descended into civil war, and in the early 20th century, numerous revolutions threatened to destabilize the country. Foreign powers often took sides in these fights. Mexico, therefore, has repeatedly felt the frustration of being subjugated by foreign governments and struggling to gain international recognition. This history was the foundation of the Estrada Doctrine. But as Mexico developed into an emerging economy, it began experimenting with other foreign policy approaches to reflect its new status. In 2000, when the National Action Party unseated the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which had been in power since 1929, the administration of Vicente Fox aspired to increase Mexicos influence in multilateral organizations and strengthen its ties with the U.S. Fox believed cooperating with Washington would help boost Mexicos international profile, as one of the United States top and most trusted partners. This approach continued with the administrations of Felipe Calderone in 2006-12 and Enrique Pena Nieto in 2012-18. But it had some major drawbacks and ultimately proved detrimental to Mexicos broader objective of increasing its role in the region. As part of its closer alignment with the U.S., Mexico began to take positions on issues that were inconsistent with its historical orientation. It criticized the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Honduras (among others) and commented on their domestic affairs. Some began to see Mexico as a puppet of the United States, using its cultural, linguistic and historical ties to Latin America to do Washingtons bidding in the region. And in doing so, Mexico put at risk one of the biggest advantages it had in the region over the U.S. its credibility among Latin American countries. Mexicos international status did improve, but it came at a price. Lopez Obradors refusal to condemn Maduros government in Caracas has to be seen in this context. Mexico doesnt want to set a precedent for foreign interference in domestic affairs, even in countries facing political crises, because it, too, has been the subject of external interventions in the past. This approach doesnt prevent Mexico from expressing concerns about certain regimes. In the past, it has removed its diplomatic missions from countries with governments widely criticized by the international community such as Chile under Augusto Pinochet and Spain under Francisco Franco but it stopped short of making claims about the governments legitimacy. The Lopez Obrador government may consider pulling its diplomatic mission out of Venezuela at some point, but for now, it prefers to sit on the sidelines and watch how things play out. A Key Difference But theres one key difference between the way the Estrada Doctrine was applied in the past and the way its being applied today. Lopez Obrador wants to portray Mexico as a strong and independent country able to compete with the United States for influence in North America. In his inaugural address, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard laid out this vision for Mexican foreign policy to the countrys diplomatic corps. He said Mexicos position in the world has grown stronger, and it, therefore, has a greater ability to achieve its strategic objectives. According to Ebrard, the current global climate (which refers in part to ongoing tensions over trade) will require Mexico to design new responses to old realities. Mexico cant rely solely on tradition to navigate its relations in North America. Mexicos government will, therefore, be looking to break from the past three administrations and forge its own position on issues independent of the U.S. One area in which it has already done so is the Central American migration issue. While the U.S. has sought to prevent migrants from reaching its southern border and rely on other countries to deal with the problem, Mexico has offered alternative solutions, trying to absorb some of the migrants and even hiring them to work on major infrastructure projects in the south. By adopting a softer stance on the migrants than the U.S. has, Mexico can boost its image and influence with Central American nations. Lopez Obrador has also campaigned for a mini-Marshall Plan for Central America to help spur economic development and improve the security situation there though its relying on Washington to fund the project. These policies have a minor impact in the short term but may help position Mexico as a regional leader over time. The government also plans to use culture as one way to project influence. In his inauguration speech, Ebrard said his country has not forgotten about Mexicans living abroad and that they, too, are part of the Mexican nation. By emphasizing the cultural links, Ebrard is trying to appeal to people of Mexican heritage in the United States, particularly those in the southern border states, who have close ties to Mexico even though, in some cases, their families have been in the U.S. for generations. Mexico can use these cultural ties in the future to extend its influence into the borderland . Meanwhile, its also cracking down on fuel theft , which has cost state-owned energy firm Pemex $3.3 billion between January and October 2018, to reduce its dependence on U.S. energy which will help Mexico gain more control over its own foreign policy. It might seem like a contradiction that Mexico is embracing a noninterventionist foreign policy, seen through the presidents comments on Venezuela, while also expanding its regional influence. But the government is trying to strike a balance between learning the lessons of Mexicos past and taking advantage of its growing regional clout to pursue its interests, thereby positioning Mexico as an alternative to the U.S. and a critical partner for other Latin American countries. So Mexico is indeed changing the direction of its foreign policy; its just not heading in the direction that most people think. By Eli Lake When Sen. Mitt Romney opened 2019 with a scathing op-ed lamenting President Donald Trump's lack of moral leadership, it seemed like he was claiming the mantle of the late Sen. John McCain. Like McCain, Romney for the most part did not partake in the ritual fealty that so many of Trump's vanquished foes demonstrated. Sure, he met with Trump in November 2016 to audition for secretary of state. But Romney never fully bent the knee. So one might think Romney would have joined the 11 other Republican senators who voted last week to stop the Trump administration from lifting sanctions meant to squeeze Russian President Vladimir Putin's allies. Senate aides told me Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not try too hard to whip the vote, and neither did the White House. Yet Utah's junior senator voted with the administration. His communications director, Liz Johnson, told me Romney "believes the U.S. should maintain strong sanctions on Russia for its bad behavior, including its interference in our elections." Nonetheless, she said, "his vote was in line with longstanding U.S. policy and will help preserve our leverage to gain concessions from other bad actors." At issue was a deal that required Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska to divest from three of his companies so he no longer owned a majority stake. In exchange for the divestment, the U.S. Treasury Department would lift sanctions on those companies. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin made the case for the bargain personally in meetings this month with House leaders and Senate Republicans. Part of his argument was that it was important to show that sanctions can be lifted when bad actors comply. He also promised that the deal for Deripaska's divestiture required unprecedented transparency from these companies. If they violated the agreement, he said, there would be swift repercussions. That sounds good. But it's not entirely clear that Treasury has the capability to find out whether Deripaska, who has been accused of money-laundering, extortion and threatening rivals, has actually divested. Charles Davidson, the founder of the Kleptocracy Initiative, told me that Treasury can demand a change in ownership, but it wouldn't necessarily know who controls or influences the newly organized companies. Sen. Tom Cotton, who voted against easing the sanctions, was slightly more optimistic in an interview. The new agreement calls for an extraordinary level of transparency and includes an auditing requirement, he told me. At the same time, the unprecedented nature of the bargain means that the Treasury Department lacks experience in enforcing it. And the deal allows Deripaska to retain a 45 percent stake in the companies, down from 70 percent. "I fear Deripaska will likely retain operational control of those companies," Cotton said. If he does, what can Treasury do? Romney's argument is that the punishment will be swift. "The senator expects the administration to re-impose sanctions if these companies don't comply," Johnson told me. This expectation is misplaced. Remember that last year Trump overruled his own Commerce Department when it sought to sanction the Chinese telecom giant, ZTE, for violating the terms of an earlier settlement to avoid penalties for selling equipment to Iran and other sanctioned states. At the time, Trump was in the middle of trade negotiations with China. There is no evidence, for now, that this Deripaska deal is part of a larger rapprochement with Russia. Some policy experts have endorsed it on the merits. That said, the optics are miserable for the president. Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, is a former business associate of Deripaska, who once loaned Manafort $10 million. Democrats have already seized on this. In a letter to colleagues, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote he was concerned by the timing of the sanctions deal because it benefits a Putin confidante "who is reportedly under investigation as part of the Special Counsel's investigation of the Russian government's effort to interfere in the 2016 presidential election." All of this gets back to Romney. The measure to close debate and repeal the Deripaska deal lost by only two votes. The senator declined to join the 11 other members of his party, a party whose 2012 presidential nominee memorably warned that Russia was America's "No. 1 geopolitical foe." That guy was on to something. I wonder what happened to him. Eli Lake is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering national security and foreign policy. He was the senior national security correspondent for the Daily Beast and covered national security and intelligence for the Washington Times, the New York Sun and UPI. The above commentary was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. English French VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, former Deputy Prime Minister and Quebec Premier Jean Charest hosted the Aerospace Industries Association of Canadas (AIAC) Vision 2025 aerospace engagement day in Vancouver, meeting with industry leaders, government officials and educators to begin charting a course for the future of aerospace in Canada. Global competition has never been fiercer, and were at a turning point where Canada must step up to compete, or risk being left behind, said Mr. Charest. British Columbia employs over 9,300 in the aerospace industry and we need to ensure that were looking forward, and safeguarding good jobs here, and across Canada. Mr. Charest and Jim Quick, AIACs President and CEO, met with the Honourable Bruce Ralston, B.C.s Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology, and conducted roundtables with students, educators and local aerospace industry leaders. The aerospace industry is vital to British Columbia and Canadas economy. We must support it by having a clear vision and providing the necessary needs. It was incredibly valuable to hear the insights, expertise and opinions on how we can come together and ensure a strong, vital aerospace sector that will propel Canadas economy now and, in the future, added Mr. Charest. Todays engagement day builds on similar outreach events already held in Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg. Prior to preparing and releasing his Vision 2025 Report this spring, Mr. Charests will also hear from Atlantic Canadas industry, academic and political leaders in Halifax on February 13. While Canadas aerospace sector ranks fifth globally and contributed nearly $25 billion to the national economy and almost 190,000 jobs in 2017 alone, a comprehensive strategy to guide the countrys investment in the sector has not been proposed for decades. Vision 2025 will culminate in a report and recommendations that reflect input gathered from the Charest-led discussions in cities with strong aerospace presence, and will provide recommendations to spur growth in the aerospace sector. Were grateful to have an industry champion like Jean Charest lead us with Vision 2025, said Mr. Quick. We know that Canadian aerospace is at a critical juncture, and we need a long-term strategy and investment to keep Canada at the forefront of the global aerospace sector. Highlights of the aerospace industry in British Columbia: BC is uniquely positioned to capitalize on market opportunities with its proximity to the worlds largest aerospace cluster next door in Washington State and to the rapidly growing Asia Pacific region. British Columbia is the third largest cluster in Canada with approximately with over 200 companies directly employing over 9,300 workers and nearly 20,000 indirectly. BC generates annual revenues of $1.8 billion and direct GDP of $1.63 billion. More details on VISION 2025 are available at www.aiac.ca/vision2025 (English) or www.aiac.ca/fr/vision2025 (French). About AIAC: AIAC is the national association representing Canadas aerospace manufacturing and services sector. As the worlds fifth-largest aerospace industry, Canadas aerospace sector contributes nearly $25B to the economy in GDP, exports 75% of its output, and dedicates over 20% of its activity to research and development (R&D). Aerospace is responsible for the employment of 190,000 Canadians. Media contact: Ben Parsons 613-323-5226 bparsons@counselpa.com PEMBROKE, Bermuda, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sompo International Holdings Ltd., a Bermuda-based specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, announced today that the companys U.S. Insurance business now offers its primary and excess Employment Practices Liability policyholders access to pay equity audit services through Charles River Associates (CRA), a worldwide leader in economic, financial, and management consulting services. Through this exclusive partnership, Sompo International clients across the U.S. have access to CRAs pay equity auditing services, which includes a comprehensive wage gap analysis by race/ethnicity and gender accounting for company specific compensation related factors. The confidential pay equity audit is offered to Sompo International clients at a discounted rate. Mr. Fred Cooper, Executive Vice President, Commercial Management Liability at Sompo International commented, We are pleased to partner with Charles River Associates to offer an innovative service that enables public and private companies to proactively identify exposures resulting from wage gaps in their workforce. This value-added service complements our broad employment practice coverage and risk management services, and further enhances our ability to help our clients address these potential loss exposures. Mr. Joseph Kelly, Vice President and leader of Sompo Internationals U.S. Employment Practices Liability team added: Central to implementing effective policies and procedures to address pay equity is identifying potential pay gaps and proactively taking steps to eliminate them. By offering these services from Charles River Associates to our policyholders, were providing employers a framework for measuring, building, and maintaining a corporate culture around pay equality and opportunity. Mr. Matthew Thompson, Practice Leader of Labor and Employment at Charles River Associates added, For more than two decades, CRA consultants have provided companies with in-depth analysis and guidance on their labor and employment practices. We are pleased to partner with Sompo International to assist human resource professionals, risk managers and their law firms to better understand the risks they face. About Sompo International Sompo International is a global specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, headquartered in Bermuda. Through its operating subsidiaries, Sompo International writes agriculture, professional lines, property, marine and energy, and casualty and other specialty lines of insurance and catastrophe, property, casualty, professional lines, weather risk and specialty lines of reinsurance. Sompo International companies are wholly owned subsidiaries of Sompo Holdings, Inc., whose core business encompasses one of the largest property and casualty insurance groups in the Japanese domestic market. We maintain excellent financial strength as evidenced by the ratings of A+ (Superior) from A.M. Best (XV size category) and A+ (Strong) from Standard and Poors on our principal operating subsidiaries. Sompo Internationals headquarters are located at Waterloo House, 100 Pitts Bay Road, Pembroke HM 08, Bermuda and its mailing address is Sompo International, Suite No. 784, No. 48 Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton HM 11, Bermuda. For more information about Sompo International, please visit www.sompo-intl.com. About Charles River Associates (CRA) Charles River Associates is a global consulting firm specializing in economic, financial, and management consulting services. CRA advises clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings, and guides corporations through critical business strategy and performance-related issues. Since 1965, clients have engaged CRA for its unique combination of functional expertise and industry knowledge, and for its objective solutions to complex problems. Headquartered in Boston, CRA has offices throughout the world. Detailed information about Charles River Associates, a registered trade name of CRA International, Inc., is available at www.crai.com. Contact Sompo International Investor Relations Phone: +1 441 278 0988 Email: investorrelations@sompo-intl.com SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (HISPANICIZE WIRE) - The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities has announced the launch of its new leadership program, the HACU Presidential Leadership Academy/Academia de Liderazgo, to prepare vice presidents and other senior academic administrators for top leadership roles at Hispanic-Serving Institutions and emerging HSIs. The program is especially designed to increase Hispanic representation in presidential positions in higher education. The program was first announced by HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores at HACUs Annual Conference in October 2018, and he encouraged participation from aspiring college presidents and CEOs. He also called on current presidents and CEOs of colleges and universities to make a commitment to support a member of their institution to participate in the program. We expect the majority of participants to come from Hispanic-Serving Institutions and emerging HSIs, said Flores. The sessions are strategically woven into settings that provide substantial networking opportunities in the Hispanic higher education community, including an international component to provide a broader perspective of challenges and opportunities beyond the U.S. La Academia, a one-year fellowship program with three seminars, will begin October 2019 in conjunction with HACUs Annual Conference in Chicago. The second seminar will lead into HACUs Capitol Forum in Washington, D.C., in April 2020, and the third session will be held in late spring or early summer of 2020, at an international location to be determined. This very selective program will tap current and former presidents and chancellors as faculty and mentors. Fellows will be chosen for the inaugural cohort through a competitive application process. We are excited to bring together senior higher education administrators to learn from Presidents and CEOs who will bring a combined wealth of experience in regional, national and international settings, said Flores. Information on the program, application process and frequently asked questions are available on the program website. Applications and nominations may be made at https://www.hacu.net/leadershipacademy. The application process will close on April 5, 2019, and the selected participants will be announced on May 31, 2019. A PDF of program information can be downloaded here. About HACU HACU, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain and school districts throughout the U.S. The Associations headquarters are located in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Washington D.C. and Sacramento, California. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Information is available at www.hacu.net CONTACT: Norma Jean Revilla-Garcia Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (210) 576-3206 njgarcia@hacu.net Amsterdam, 28 January 2019 - HEINEKEN launches an innovative new employer branding campaign informed by the real and exciting experiences of employees, to engage and inspire future talent. Go Places 2.0 features over 30 HEINEKEN employee stories from around the world that showcase the entrepreneurial culture upon which HEINEKEN was built. The collection of films illustrate how with the right mindset, people 'Go Places' physically and professionally during a career at HEINEKEN. Hero videos can be viewed here. HEINEKEN seeks to employ professionals with a thirst for knowledge and a spirit for adventure. With a curious mind and a broad skill set, these professionals embody the company's core values and culture and what sets it apart from its competitors. Chris Van Steenbergen, Chief Human Resource Officer at HEINEKEN, commented: "At HEINEKEN we recognise that many professionals today want to experience different challenges, take advantage of various opportunities and experience multiple cultures. With the Go Places 2.0 campaign, HEINEKEN hopes to not only demonstrate the diversity of opportunity available to candidates, but also show the characteristics that drive the organisation forward and continue to make HEINEKEN a great place to work. By showcasing our culture and the desired behavioural characteristics, we hope to maintain HEINEKEN's position as an employer of choice across the world, and in particular within those markets key to the company's growth." Go Places 2.0 is a continuation of HEINEKEN's Go Places campaign, launched in 2016, which focused on making the online application process personalised, compelling and interactive with the aim of attracting dynamic talent. Go Places 2.0 showcases 22 HEINEKEN markets, and a variety of roles, levels and departments within the organisation including Marketing, Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, Procurement, Human Resources, IT and Corporate Affairs. The videos illustrate the type of talent HEINEKEN is looking to recruit, encouraging bold and brave ideas, giving the power to the employee to take their career into their own hands, and have the autonomy to do it. HEINEKEN markets involved in Go Places 2.0 include: Mexico, Vietnam, Spain, Nigeria, South Africa, Singapore, Slovakia and the Netherlands. The employer brand campaign will roll-out globally from February 2019, with markets promoting it through a multichannel approach, including earned amplification, paid media partnerships, online and social media engagement, geo-targeting of job sites such as LinkedIn, and promotions at career fairs and events. ENDS EDITORIAL INFORMATION: For more information, please contact: Hannah Nottage Hannah.Nottage@edelman.com ABOUT HEINEKEN: HEINEKEN is the world's most international brewer. It is the leading developer and marketer of premium beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than 300 international, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders. We are committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through "Brewing a Better World", sustainability is embedded in the business. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. We employ over 80,000 employees and operate breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares trade on the Euronext in Amsterdam. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on Reuters under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. HEINEKEN has two sponsored level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programmes: Heineken N.V. (OTCQX: HEINY) and Heineken Holding N.V. (OTCQX: HKHHY). Most recent information is available on HEINEKEN's website: www.theHEINEKENcompany.com and follow us on Twitter via @HEINEKENCorp. English Icelandic Eva Soley Gudbjornsdottir has been hired Chief Financial Officer of Icelandair Group. She replaces Bogi Nils Bogason who was appointed CEO of the Company in December 2018. She has an extensive experience of management, operations and finance in Iceland and internationally, both within private and listed companies. She worked as a Managing Director of Finance and Operations at Advania in Iceland from 2015 and then as a Managing Director of Service and Operations of the Company from May 2018. Before Eva Soley joined Advania, she was a Vice President in Corporate Finance at Ossur, from 2014-2015, focusing on Investor Relations and Strategic Projects. Prior to that, she was an independent consultant and investor between 2012 and 2014. Eva Soley started her career within the financial services industry. She worked at Kaupthing Bank for many years in various roles, such as in treasury, asset and liability management, funding, corporate banking and corporate finance. She was a Managing Director at Kaupthings Resolution Committee from 2008 to 2009 and the Chief Financial Officer from 2009 to 2011. She has served on the Board of various companies and was the Vice Chairman of the Board of Landsbankinn in 2013 to 2016. She now serves on the Board of Jupiter Capital Management and the University of Iceland Science Park. Eva Soley holds a Master of Science Degree in Financial Engineering and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Management Systems, with a minor in Economics both from Columbia University in the City of New York. She is also a Certified Securities Broker. Eva Soley is married to Hilmar Rafn Kristinsson and they have two children. Eva Soley will start working for Icelandair Group in mid-February and will become a member of the Companys Executive Committee. For further information, please contact: Bogi Nils Bogason, President & CEO Telephone: +354 5050300 Email: bogi@icelandairgroup.is ATHENS, Greece, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE: DSX ), (the Company), a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels, today announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Uniper Global Commodities SE, Dusseldorf, for one of its Post-Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Amphitrite, for a period of minimum fourteen (14) months to maximum seventeen (17) months. The gross charter rate is US$5,000 per day for the first five (5) days of the charter period and US$12,750 per day for the balance period of the time charter, in each case minus a 5% commission paid to third parties. The charter commenced yesterday. The m/v Amphitrite was chartered, as previously announced, to Cargill International S.A., Geneva, at a gross charter rate of US$11,150 per day, minus a 4.75% commission paid to third parties, for the agreed period of the time charter. The Amphitrite is a 98,697 dwt Post-Panamax dry bulk vessel built in 2012. The Company also announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Phaethon International Company AG, for one of its Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Naias. The gross charter rate is US$10,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum twenty-three (23) months to about twenty-six (26) months. The charter commenced on January 26, 2019. The m/v Naias was chartered, as previously announced, at a gross charter rate of US$10,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, until January 26, 2019. The Naias is a 73,546 dwt Panamax dry bulk vessel built in 2006. The employments of Amphitrite and Naias are anticipated to generate approximately US$12.22 million of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charters. Diana Shipping Inc.s fleet currently consists of 48 dry bulk vessels (4 Newcastlemax, 14 Capesize, 5 Post-Panamax, 5 Kamsarmax and 20 Panamax). As of today, the combined carrying capacity of our fleet is approximately 5.7 million dwt with a weighted average age of 9.21 years.. A table describing the current Diana Shipping Inc. fleet can be found on the Companys website, www.dianashippinginc.com. Information contained on the Companys website does not constitute a part of this press release. About the Company Diana Shipping Inc. is a global provider of shipping transportation services through its ownership of dry bulk vessels. The Companys vessels are employed primarily on medium to long-term time charters and transport a range of dry bulk cargoes, including such commodities as iron ore, coal, grain and other materials along worldwide shipping routes. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words believe, anticipate, intends, estimate, forecast, project, plan, potential, may, should, expect, pending and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, Company managements examination of historical operating trends, data contained in the Companys records and other data available from third parties. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies that are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Companys control, the Company cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Companys view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for dry bulk shipping capacity, changes in the Companys operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Companys vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessel breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other factors. Please see the Companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Security platform includes an automated vehicle recognition system tracking and recording all vehicles approaching the campus; allowing entry to authorized vehicles only. Provides real-time alerts on potential threats as identified by local and/or federal law enforcement authorities. Potential market for AI-based school security systems is large; Florida alone has more than 4,000 similar schools.* SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quest Solution, Inc. (OTCQB: QUES), (Quest or the Company) a provider of Supply Chain and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Machine Vision solutions, has announced that it has been selected to install a state-of-the-art AI-based safety and security system on the campus of a Pre-K 12 preparatory School in South Florida. This system will provide enhanced safety for students, faculty and visitors to the school. For safety reasons the name of the school is not disclosed. The Quest Safe School System is based on technology from Quests recently acquired subsidiary HTS Image Processing and offers real-time, automated vehicle recognition via machine vision. In a school setting, the system is hosted on a cloud-based platform integrated with campus intelligence, tracking vehicles, students, staff, deliveries and campus visitors. The Safe School System has whitelist and blacklist capabilities to immediately identify vehicles upon arrival, allowing the admittance of authorized cars or a real-time alarm for any unauthorized and/or suspicious vehicle. The Safe School System can interface with government based databases to detect and provide real-time alerts on threats to the school campus including: Potential shooter threats Enforcement of restraining orders Attempted access by registered sex offenders Terror threats Criminal activities such as stolen vehicles, burglary and gang activity The Visual Cortex algorithm is proprietary patented technology developed by a team of scientists and engineers from Quests wholly-owned subsidiary HTS IP. The algorithm has already been successfully deployed in sensitive areas in the Middle East, in various cities and locations in the US and in South America as part of Homeland Security and law enforcement efforts. Shai Lustgarten, CEO of Quest, stated: We are excited to have this opportunity to apply our cutting edge, efficient AI Visual Cortex technology to facilitate a safe school environment for students, staff and visitors. Campus security is of utmost importance, and our technology has the potential to be a game changing development for school safety in Florida and elsewhere. There are thousands of schools across the U.S. who could benefit from our Safe School technology and we are focused on introducing our solution to school districts nationwide. Mr. Lustgarten concluded, As we continue enhancing our machine vision solutions, we are achieving unprecedented accuracy and are committed to providing our customers a reliable, proven security package. This order highlights the successful integration of our recent merger, as our sales teams are actively marketing the new HTS IP technology and were responsible for winning this important contract. * https://ballotpedia.org/Public_education_in_Florida About Quest Solution, Inc. Quest Solution is a Specialty Systems Integrator focused on Field and Supply Chain Mobility. We are also a manufacturer and distributor of consumables (labels, tags, and ribbons), RFID solutions, and barcoding printers. Founded in 1994, Quest is headquartered in Eugene, Oregon, with offices in the United States. Rated in the Top 1% of global solution providers, Quest specializes in the design, deployment and management of enterprise mobility solutions including Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC), Mobile Cloud Analytics, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), and proprietary Mobility software. Our mobility products and services offering is designed to identify, track, trace, share and connect data to enterprise systems such as CRM or ERP solutions. Our customers are leading Fortune 500 companies from several sectors including manufacturing, retail, distribution, food/beverage, transportation and logistics, health care and chemicals/gas/ oil. Information about Forward-Looking Statements Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this press release relating to plans, strategies, economic performance and trends, projections of results of specific activities or investments, and other statements that are not descriptions of historical facts may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This release contains forward-looking statements that include information relating to future events and future financial and operating performance. The words may, would, will, expect, estimate, can, believe, potential and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which that performance or those results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time they are made and/or managements good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: fluctuations in demand for Quest Solution, Inc.s products, the introduction of new products, the Companys ability to maintain customer and strategic business relationships, the impact of competitive products and pricing, growth in targeted markets, the adequacy of the Companys liquidity and financial strength to support its growth, the Companys ability to manage credit and debt structures from vendors, debt holders and secured lenders, the Companys ability to successfully integrate its acquisitions, risks related to the sale of Quest Solution Canada Inc. to Viascan Group Inc. and other information that may be detailed from time-to-time in Quest Solution Inc.s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Examples of such forward looking statements in this release include, among others, statements regarding revenue growth, driving sales, operational and financial initiatives, cost reduction and profitability, and simplification of operations. For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting Quest Solution, Inc. please refer to the Companys recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. Quest Solution, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless otherwise required by law. Investor Contact: John Nesbett/Jen Belodeau IMS Investor Relations 203.972.9200 jnesbett@institutionalms.com LOS ANGELES, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QY Research has released a new publication on the global digital remittance market under the title of Global Digital Remittance Market Report 2018 to 2025 that provides the insights of the current market status of this sector. As per the report, the global market is expected to reach the value of US$ 8590 Mn in 2025 from US$ 1536 Mn in 2017, expanding at a gigantic CAGR of 23.3% throughout the forecasted period. The Digital Remittance Market Report covers small businesses, study abroad and travel migrant labor workforce and so on. As a matter of fact, the cost saving procedure from the digital remittances have become a powerful boost to the global GDP that can have a remarkable influence on controlling poverty worldwide. Worldwide Market for Digital Remittance: Drivers Digital remittance is one of the most powerful monitory solutions that can have the potential to cause positive development on the local and global economy. A number of economic situation can be handled through banking, that offers connectivity, identity, and it also includes literacy solutions as well. All of these are mostly developed by both the private and public sectors with the help of support and collaboration with government. The existing refugee crisis, on the other hand, is creating a favorable time for the digital remittance, as it is being able to come up with enhanced and more balanced economic opportunities for those people who need it the most. This market has some other benefits as well. Being available beyond the fee costs, saving important time, being within reach, and the most important of all, the security benefits are easily expected to enhance the growth of the digital remittances market. The cost saving from the digital remittance could be a substantial improvement to the global GDP that could create a notable effect on global poverty. Request Sample Report and Full Report TOC: https://www.qyresearch.com/sample-form/form/558393/global-digital-remittance-market Global Market for Digital Remittance: Forecast by Region The World Bank data suggests that India has become the largest economy among the migrant remittance entries that covers the 11.2% of the globe. Apart from India, countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam, Germany, Pakistan, Nigeria, France, Mexico, Philippines, and China, also have their fair share in being the top names that have received substantial sums of remittance revenue globally. Digital Remittance Market: Key Players The major players in the global market include Alipay/Ant Financial, WeChat Payment, FlyRemit, Avenues India Pvt Ltd, Smiles/Digital Wallet Corporation, OrbitRemit, Toast, Coins.ph, TNG Wallet, InstaReM, TransferGo, Azimo, Remitly, MoneyGram, WorldRemit, TransferWise, Western Union PayPal/Xoom, and Ria Financial Services that are currently operating in the market. But interestingly, there are a number of fintech start-ups that are coming in limelight, to boost the global market for digital remittance and some of the most acknowledgeable names are Azimo, Remitly, WorldRemit, TransferWise and Xoom have been able to get included in the market to create a great influence on the global market of digital remittance. Global Digital Remittance Market Now, Report delivery time within 24 hours @ https://www.qyresearch.com/settlement/pre/d4769f5e38289f5d3a0dd82f5e6bf331,0,1,Global%20Digital%20Remittance%20Market%20Size%252C%20Status%20and%20Forecast%202025 For Any Special Requirement and Discount Request @ https://www.qyresearch.com/request-discount/form/558393/global-digital-remittance-market Sales Contact: USA Registered Office: QY Research, INC. 17890 Castleton, Suite 218, City of industry, CA - 91748 USA: +1 6262 952 442 Emails enquiry@qyresearch.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cypress Development Corp. (TSX-V: CYP ) (OTCQB: CYDVF ) (Frankfurt: C1Z1 ) (Cypress or the Company) is pleased to announce that, through the Companys U.S. subsidiary, Cypress Holdings (Nevada) Ltd., the Company has fulfilled its obligations under its 2016 Option Agreement for the purchase of 100% interest in the Glory Property in Esmeralda County, Nevada. The Company completed the purchase on schedule with a cash payment of USD $75,000 and issuance of 250,000 common shares of Cypress (CYP) shares to the vendor. The vendor retains a 3% net smelter return (NSR) royalty interest. Cypress or its assigns has the right to purchase two-thirds of the royalty, or 2% NSR, for USD $1 million prior to production. The Glory Property consists of 137 unpatented placer and lode claims in the southern third of the Companys Clayton Valley Lithium Project. Completion of the purchase obligations of the Dean Property, which adjoins the Glory Property to the north, is due later this year. The Dean property is held under a separate 2016 Option Agreement with similar terms to the Glory Property. In October 2018, the Company released a Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Clayton Valley Lithium Project (see News Release Oct. 1st ). Cypress has been making progress on the recommended Prefeasibility Study (PFS). Metallurgical tests have been underway using available sample material from previous drilling. Drilling is expected to resume this month or early February with a short infill program which will target resources in the pit area for the PFS and obtain fresh sample material. Completion of the PFS is expected in the second quarter this year. About Cypress Development Corp.: Cypress Development Corp. is a publicly traded exploration company focused on developing the Company's 100%-owned Clayton Valley Lithium Project in Nevada. Exploration and development by Cypress has discovered a world-class resource of lithium-bearing claystone adjacent to Albemarle's Silver Peak mine, North America's only lithium brine operation. Cypress Development Corp. has approx. 72.5 million shares issued and outstanding. To find out more about Cypress Development Corp. (TSX-V: CYP ), visit our website at www.cypressdevelopmentcorp.com . CYPRESS DEVELOPMENT CORP. Dr. Bill Willoughby WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY, PhD., PE Chief Executive Officer For further information contact myself or: Don Myers Cypress Development Corp. Director, Corporate Communications Telephone: 604-639-3851 Toll Free: 800-567-8181 Facsimile: 604-687-3119 Email: info@cypressdevelopmentcorp.com NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. SAN JOSE, CA, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE Sonasoft Corp. (OTCQB: SSFT), a leader in innovative eDiscovery and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, announces that effective immediately, Frank Velasquez has been appointed CEO of Sonasoft Corp. and has also been awarded a seat on the Board of Directors. The Company's former CEO and Founder, Andy Khanna, will transition from his previous role and assist the Company with his nearly fifty years of leadership as an adviser. Andy Khanna, the Founder and CEO of Sonasoft since its inception in 2002, will pass the torch to Mr. Velasquez. Andy Khanna has played an integral leadership role in building the foundation that has positioned the company for exponential growth. Andy will continue to be a significant asset to Sonasoft as Vice Chairman of the Board, and he will ensure the success of essential components of the business through mentorship in a senior advisory role. The change in leadership has been planned since the completion of the acquisition agreement between Sonasoft and Cornerstone Technologies in May 2018. The management team has purposefully timed the change in leadership to ensure a seamless transition with a concrete strategy for the acceleration of the business model. The Company will continue its aggressive expansion plans to gain significant market share through increased commercialization of its eDiscovery, data archiving and recently launched artificial intelligence technologies. Mr. Velasquez, the Founder and CEO of the Companys wholly-owned subsidiary, Cornerstone Technologies, will now take the reigns as CEO of Sonasoft Corp. Mr. Velasquez brings with him over 20 years of executive experience in business and technology, as well as, sales leadership gained at companies such as AVCOM Technologies, Veritas, and Symantec Corporation. In addition to the responsibility of Large Enterprise Sales at Veritas and Symantec, Frank was responsible for the US Western Region Sales for Enterprise Information Archiving (EIA), eDiscovery, and Secure Messaging Solutions. The portfolio of early start-up companies he drove results for include: PIC Systems (acquired by Ingram Books), Azor Inc. (acquired by Tescom), and Web Harbor, a subsidiary of AVCOM Technologies. Mr. Velasquez holds a Bachelor of Science from California State University, Hayward. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to lead this organization of great people and great technology to the next level, stated Frank Velasquez, newly appointed CEO of Sonasoft Corp. Collectively, our interest is to drive shareholder value beyond their expectations and to be thoughtfully and purposefully executing at a pace that meets what our industry demands. Mr. Velasquez possesses an unparalleled desire to achieve goals while operating within the guidelines of high ethical standards. His commitment to high principles in business has allowed him to gain and maintain the trust of not only his customers but of an impressive list of industry professionals and business partners including Microsoft, Exterro, TransVault, Dell EMC, Cisco, and many more. His ambition, technological expertise, and ability to solidify strategic relationships, have been the foundational catalysts for the development and continued success of Cornerstone Technologies, and they have distinguished him as the perfect candidate to drive Sonasofts continued growth in the foreseeable future. The Company has a number of exciting initiatives at various stages of progression, including R&D, strategic partnerships, additional acquisition targets, and the continued marketing and sales drive of the artificial intelligence technology. Additional updates can be expected in the coming weeks as these initiatives continue to develop. For a no-cost consultation and to learn more about more about the power of Sonasofts Artificial Intelligence (AI) Solutions, visit us here: https://www.sonasoft.com/products/artificial-intelligence-ai/ To obtain the latest company updates in between press releases, please follow us on Twitter @Sonasoft or visit us here: https://twitter.com/Sonasoft About Sonasoft Sonasoft Corporation is a publicly traded corporation and is listed on the OTCQB Markets under the trading symbol SSFT (OTCQB:SSFT). Sonasoft is now an AI-first company. The Company intends to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into the Companys core business model, which includes enterprise-class archiving, eDiscovery, and business continuity software solutions for Microsoft Business Applications on Microsoft Windows platforms. Sonasofts signature products for eDiscovery tools, which include SonaVault 6.1 Email Archiving and eDiscovery Software, as well as SonaVault Email Archiving Appliances, deliver affordable enterprise-level functionality that exceeds compliance and ease-of-use requirements of large and medium-sized businesses, governments, school districts, organizations, and enterprises. The Company also launched SonaSecure, which protects systems from ransomware and other email-based threats as well as provides email continuity services. In addition, Sonasoft offers data export and migration services for competing email archiving solutions. Sonasoft email archiving and eDiscovery solutions have hundreds of deployments with an exceptionally high degree of customer satisfaction. Founded in 2003, the Company is headquartered in San Jose, California. About Cornerstone Technologies Based in the heart of Silicon Valley, Cornerstone Technologies, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sonasoft Corp., is a leading provider of engineering services focused on the modern data center, data and cloud migrations, data archivals, eDiscovery, and managed services solutions. Cornerstone Technologies plays a pivotal role in the transformation of their clients' IT environments. Cornerstone Technologies is a key partner to Microsoft, Dell/EMC, VMware, and TransVault, and the Company has built an impressive customer list across multiple verticals, which include retail, high tech, healthcare, public transportation, and financial services. For further information about Cornerstone Technologies, please visit: https://cornerstonetechnologies.com/ For more information about Sonasofts email archiving solutions and business continuity software, contact: Mike Khanna Sonasoft Corporation Phone: (408) 708-4000 Source: https://www.sonasoft.com Forward-looking Statements This release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. These statements appear in a number of places in this release and include all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company, its directors or its officers with respect to, among other things: (i) the Companys financing plans; (ii) trends affecting the Companys financial condition or results of operations; (iii) the Companys growth strategy and operating strategy; and (iv) the declaration and payment of dividends. The words may, would, will, expect, estimate, anticipate, believe, intend, and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Companys ability to control, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. TSX-Venture Exchange: SUGR, SUGR.WT CALGARY, Alberta, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SugarBud Craft Growers Corp. (SugarBud or the Company) is pleased to provide an update regarding the completion of its 29,800 square foot (Phase 1) vertical cannabis cultivation facility at Stavely, Alberta (the Facility) and its retail strategy. Status of the Facility SugarBud has completed the construction of the Facilitys exterior and inner walls, including the installation of key electrical, plumbing and mechanical equipment (the Base Building), and occupancy of the Facility is expected in February, 2019. The Base Building was completed at a cost of approximately $7.8 million, representing $0.5 million more than the budgeted amount. The additional expenditures were primarily attributable to design changes to allow for future expansion capability, including Phase 2 of the Facility. See Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 for pictures of the Facility. Figure 1 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0273a1b0-d335-49ad-bf64-c8bc5bc20060 Figure 2 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/09ace4fc-f554-48d3-a5d9-15f02bc6cd7f Figure 3 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/169f5f2d-0600-4ffe-b8e7-323db32f74d9 Figure 4 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a4e8d089-c367-4c4d-b04c-d4f9965756c3 The Company anticipates that it will receive a cultivation license from Health Canada by the end of Q1, 2019. Upon the receipt of a cultivation license, SugarBud will commence cultivation in its first two partially equipped grow rooms. The Company will then begin to equip the remaining six flowering rooms, capital permitting, until the entire Facility is in full production. SugarBud plans to have Phase 1 in full production by the end of 2019. Phase 1 of the Facility is comprised of 29,800 total square feet of floorplate, including eight ~2,150 square foot cannabis flowering rooms totaling ~17,500 square feet of floorplate. The ceilings of the flowering rooms are 28 tall, allowing for up to four layers of flowering canopy in each grow room. SugarBud estimates that under a full development scenario with four layers of flowering canopy, Phase 1 of the Facility will have up to 37,000 square feet of flowering canopy. At a metric of 50 grams per square foot of flowering canopy per crop, and five crops per year, this equates to up to an estimated 9,500,000 grams of dried cannabis flower production per year. SugarBuds vertical grow method with four layers of flowering canopy is anticipated to result in a 211% flowering canopy to flowering floor plate ratio. This high utilization of square footage maximizes revenue per square foot of floor plate and minimizes capital costs per square foot of flowering canopy. For reference, if SugarBud were to utilize a single layer of flowering canopy, its flowering canopy to flowering floor plate ratio would reduce to 53%. Phase 2 of the Facility is estimated to be comprised of 12 additional flowering rooms totaling approximately 26,000 square feet of floorplate, up to 55,500 square feet of flowering canopy, and up to an estimated 14,000,000 grams of dried flower production per year (at the same 50 grams per square foot of flowering canopy per crop, and five crops per year). See below for a summary of these figures. Phase (#) Layers of Flowering Canopy (#) Flowering Canopy (Square Feet) Estimated Annual Dried Cannabis Flower Production (Grams) 1 4 ~37,000 ~9,500,000 2 4 ~55,500 ~14,000,000 Total N/A ~92,500 ~23,500,000 Health Canada Attestation Video SugarBud has engaged a professional film crew to shoot an attestation video for Health Canada (the Video) on February 7 and 8, 2019. The Video is one of the final steps to be taken prior to the receipt of the Companys cultivation license from Health Canada. The Video will outline the readiness of the Facility for the cultivation of cannabis and the integrity of the Facilitys security protocols. Timeline Summary See below for a summary of the estimated timeline for the completion of Phase 1: Base Building : Completed. : Completed. Health Canada Attestation Video : February 7 and 8, 2019. : February 7 and 8, 2019. Building Occupancy : February 28, 2019. : February 28, 2019. Flowering Rooms 1 and 2 (Partial) : March 15, 2019. : March 15, 2019. Cultivation License : Expected Q1, 2019. : Expected Q1, 2019. Flowering Rooms 3 8 : December 31, 2019. This timeline is subject to change and is based on current internal estimates. Power and Water The Company believes that it can access all of the required power for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Facility under favorable commercial terms. The Facility is currently operating on generated power with redundancy. SugarBud is performing a comprehensive power study regarding its long-term power needs for Phase 2, which are anticipated to be satisfied with natural gas co-generation, power provided by the grid, or a combination thereof. The objectives of the Company are to employ the most cost effective and reliable power strategy available. SugarBud has water supply from the town of Stavely in quantities satisfactory for Phase 1 and Phase 2. All water used in growing operations will be processed through an industrial scale reverse osmosis system prior to being used, ensuring that there are no contaminants. Retail Update SugarBuds initial retail strategy of identifying and high-grading potential retail locations is intact and the company is monitoring the AGLC moratorium implemented in December 2018. SugarBud has identified numerous potential retail locations and intends to enter into non-binding leases conditional upon the ability to achieve applicable licensing for the distribution of cannabis. SugarBud is also evaluating potential joint ventures and acquisitions with respect to existing and potential locations. About SugarBud SugarBud is a Calgary based emerging cannabis company engaged in the development, acquisition, production and distribution of cannabis in Canada. For further information regarding this news release, please contact: Craig Kolochuk President & Chief Executive Officer SugarBud Craft Growers Corp. Phone: (403) 875-5665 E-mail: craigk@sugarbud.ca Jeff Swainson Chief Financial Officer SugarBud Craft Growers Corp. Phone: (403) 796-3640 E-mail: jeffs@sugarbud.ca Investor Relations Contact Gary Perkins, President Tekkfund Capital Corp. Tel: (416) 882-0020 E-mail: garyperkins@rogers.com Website: http://www.sugarbud.ca/ Address: Suite 620, 634 - 6th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta T2P 0S4 Telephone: 403-532-4466 Fax: 587-955-9668 Forward Looking and Cautionary Statements This news release may include forward-looking statements including opinions, assumptions, estimates, the Companys assessment of future plans and operations, and, more particularly, statements concerning: the Facility; the completion of the Base Building and the cost thereof; the completion of Phase 1; equipping the flowering rooms of the Facility; development plans for Phase 2; the receipt of a cannabis cultivation license from Health Canada and the timing thereof; future cannabis production in the Facility and the timing thereof; the quality and yield of cannabis to be grown in the Facility, including pursuant to vertical growing technology; and sources of power for the Facility. When used in this document, the words will, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, intent, may, project, should, and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by the Company which include, but are not limited to, the timely receipt of all required regulatory and third-party approvals. Forward-looking statements are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties, and although the Company believes that the expectations represented by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will be realized. Any number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to: regulatory and third party approvals, including receipt of cultivation and sales licenses from Health Canada, not being obtained in the manner or timing anticipated; the ability to implement corporate strategies; the state of domestic capital markets; the ability to obtain financing; changes in general market conditions; industry conditions and events; the size of the medical marijuana market and the recreational marijuana market; government regulations, including future legislative and regulatory developments involving medical and recreational marijuana; construction delays; competition from other industry participants; and other factors more fully described from time to time in the reports and filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities. Please refer to the Companys annual information form (AIF) for the year ended December 31, 2017 and managements discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 for additional risk factors relating to the Company. The AIF and MD&A can be accessed under the Companys profile on www.sedar.com . Except as required by applicable laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. Neither the TSXV nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lupaka Gold Corp. ("Lupaka Gold" or the Company") (TSX-V: LPK, FRA: LQP) reports that despite considerable effort to broker an end to the illegal demonstration at the Companys Invicta Gold Development Project (Invicta), the demonstration continues. As previously announced on October 25, 2018, access to Invicta had been restricted due to an illegal blockade by community members from the nearby community of Paran. In addition, the Company announces that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of units (the Units) of the Company for gross proceeds of up to $1,000,000 (the Offering), and has downsized the workforce in Peru as a result of the blockade. Illegal Demonstration Update The demonstration at Invicta has resulted from a land conflict that exists between two of Invictas neighbouring communities, Paran and Lacsanga. Based on all known information the Company continues to believe that the community of Lacsanga is the legal owner of the land in question, the basis which supports our existing valid community agreement with Lacsanga. Lupakas management team has worked diligently with the Peruvian authorities to help broker a solution to the conflict and regain access to the Invicta development site. However, efforts to-date have been unsuccessful at removing the blockade. Contributing to the delay in obtaining a resolution was a change in a number of government related positions including at all municipalities, certain key members of the Ministry of the Interior and the counsels of most regional communities effective January 2019. Dialogues continue with the communities, and high-level officials from both the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines and Ministry of the Interior, with support from the office of the Prime Minister and Vice-President of Peru. The Company is confident that these continued efforts will result in a positive, meaningful, long-term solution to the demonstration. Due to the illegal demonstration the Company has been unable to access or inspect the Invicta development site. Overall project development is approximately 90% complete and the final inspection for the mining exploitation license, which was originally scheduled for October 2018, remains outstanding. The demonstrations have resulted in: 1) significant delays in the Companys ability to develop and operate Invicta, 2) a loss of the contracted toll milling capacity and 3) the ability to reach positive cash flow when originally scheduled. Consequently this has caused the Company to delay scheduled payments on the PLI Financing facility, the outstanding Bridge Loans and to certain vendors. According to the terms of the PLI Financing Agreement and Bridge Loan 2 Agreement, those facilities are technically in default as of January 2019. The Company is working with its lenders and vendors on implementing restructured payment plans and securing necessary waivers. In the meantime, headcount has been dramatically reduced and all non-essential employees have been placed on leave without pay, due to force majeure or have been laid-off. We are extremely disappointed that the demonstration has continued and would like to thank our stakeholders for their continued patience as we work to achieve a positive long-term outcome. We look forward to continuing to work to build strong relationships with Invictas local communities, including Lacsanga, Santo Domingo and Paran. While we have taken steps to rapidly reduce our short-term cash outflows, we remain committed to completing the commissioning of Invicta. Our understanding of the geological model was validated and greatly enhanced through the excellent results from our underground development and sampling work performed in 2018, which included an average channel sample grade of 9.06 g/t Au-Eq.* over a strike length of 235 m, with an average sample width of 3.87 m, on the 3430 sublevel. These results prove the high-grade continuous nature of the deposit and demonstrate the tremendous potential of the Invicta project. We remain confident in the ability to grow resources and to generate cash flow from the asset. Will Ansley, President and CEO of Lupaka * Au-Eq. calculations are based on US$1250 for gold (Au), US$17.00 for silver (Ag), US$3.00 for copper (Cu), US$1.25 for zinc (Zn), and US$1.05 for lead (Pb), with assumed metallurgical recoveries of 85% for Au, 80% for Ag, 82 % for Cu and Pb, and 77% for Zn. Individual estimated grades were 4.35 g/t Au, 57.59 g/t Ag, 1.55% Cu, 1.34% Pb, and 1.28% Zn Private Placement The Company will be raising up to $1,000,000 by way of a non-brokered private placement. Each Unit will be priced at $0.10 and will consist of one common share of the Company and one transferable common share purchase warrant (each, a Warrant), each warrant entitling the holder to acquire one common share of the Company at a price of $0.10 for a period of 30 months from the date of the closing of the Offering. Proceeds from the Offering are intended to be used for general working capital purposes and to continue working with the government to resolve the blockade. The closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or before February 28, 2019, subject to receipt of approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV). The common shares and Warrants issued in the Placement will be subject to a four-month hold period. Management Changes Lupaka also announces that Daniel Kivari, Director of Operations, is no longer with the Company. As part of the separation agreement with Mr. Kivari, the Company intends to issue 850,000 common shares of Lupaka to settle US$100,000 of debt. The deemed price per Common Share is $0.155. This issuance of the Common Shares in this shares-for-debt transaction is subject to review and approval from the TSXV and will be subject to a four month hold period which will expire on the date that is four months and one day from the date of issue. Effective February 1, 2019 Luis Felipe Bravo will join the Company as the Country Manager responsible for all administration and legal representation within Peru. Mr. Bravo was previously the General Manager in Peru of a Canadian based company that operated the San Juan Mine located south of Lima. San Juan is a high-grade, narrow-vein, conventional underground mine operating a 750 tpd flotation and CIL mill, producing approximately 25,000 ounces of Au per year. Mr. Bravo has a masters degree in Corporate Law from Lima University and performed postgraduate studies at Yale University and Universidad de Salamanca. Mr. Bravo will be granted 500,000 incentive stock options, for the purchase of up to 500,000 common shares, pursuant to the Company's 2010 Incentive Stock Option Plan and subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange. The options vest over 18 months and are exercisable on or before February 1, 2024 at a price of $0.10. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this news release. About Lupaka Gold Lupaka is an active Canadian-based company focused on creating shareholder value through discoveries and strategic development of its assets in some of the most prolific mining regions of Peru. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Will Ansley, President & C.E.O. wansley@lupakagold.com Tel: (416) 862-5257 or visit the Companys profile at www.sedar.com or its website at www.lupakagold.com Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including all statements, trend analysis and other information relative to anticipated future events or results. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements relating to: discussions with the protesters and the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines and Ministry of the Interior; discussions with the protesters and the lifting of the blockade; the relationship with partner communities; the use of proceeds of the Offering, the receipt of regulatory approval of the Offering, the size and completion of the Offering. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made and which the Company believes are reasonable. Such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the Company. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: that discussions with the protesters are not productive; that regulatory approval of the Offering is not received; that financing will not be available when and if needed on reasonable terms; adverse changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities. This forward-looking information may be affected by risks and uncertainties in the regular course of business and due to market conditions. Additional risks are described in the Companys annual information form, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Lupaka Gold does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. PETERBOROUGH, Ontario, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ontario Health Coalition has been holding rallies outside of Pre-Budget Hearings across Ontario that have been attended by Members of Provincial Parliament on the Standing Committees on Finance and Economic Affairs. On Monday, January 28, the hearings are going to Peterborough and the Coalition will be there. At the same time as promising to end "hallway medicine" and adequately fund health care in Ontario, Doug Ford's government has pledged to cut $22 billion in provincial revenues through axing cap-and-trade and through tax giveaways that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy and corporations. Cuts to health care, education, and social programs have already started. At the same time, the media has revealed that Ford is planning to privatize health care. We are organizing rallies outside of the Pre-Budget Hearings to send a clear message to the Ford government that the Ontario people did not give him any mandate for services cuts and privatization. What Ontario needs is expanded and improved health care services not cuts and privatization. Monday, January 28 Peterborough Pre-Budget Hearing Rally at 12 noon, Holiday Inn, 150 George St N Cosponsored by: CUPE Ontario/OCHU, OFL, OPSEU, UNIFOR ~ Protecting Public Medicare for All ~ Ontario Health Coalition 15 Gervais Drive, Suite 201 Toronto, ON M3C 1Y8 ohc@sympatico.ca English French Press Release Paris (France) 28 January 2019 at 8:00 Ymagis Announces the Restructuring of French subsidiary Eclair Cinema SAS The Employment Protection Plan (PSE) for Eclair Cinema SAS, which oversees Eclairs post-production and restoration activities in France, approved by DIRECCTE and authorised by the official receiver Ymagis Group (FR0011471291, MAGIS, PEA-PME, TECH 40), the European specialist in digital technologies for the film industry, announced the implementation of the Employment Protection Plan for Eclair Cinema SAS following its approval by the regional labour authority (DIRECCTE) and validation by the official receiver. This decision follows the placement in receivership of the French subsidiary Eclair Cinema SAS last November. For information, Eclair Cinema SAS represented 5.5% of Ymagis Groups revenue for the first half of 2018 and almost all losses recorded over this same period. The plan involves the closure of post-production activities in France and a reduction of the number of employees working on restoration activities. The Employment Protection Plan concerns 38 employees, the cost of the redundancies being financed by the AGS (French wage guarantee scheme). Eclair Cinema SAS will pursue its restoration activities and is working on ending the receivership through a continuation plan. All restoration projects in progress will continue to be executed in accordance with the agreements signed with the customers. Eclair has also ensured that all films in post-production with Eclair Cinema have been finalised or entrusted to other service providers, in agreement with the customers concerned. In parallel with the reorganization of Eclair Cinemas activities, Eclair will henceforth focus its efforts and investments on the development of its adaptation activities (subtitling, dubbing), digital distribution, preservation and content delivery to cinemas. In doing so, Eclair is actively pursuing the digitalisation of its services with its strategy involving the development and operation of cloud-based platforms. Next press release on 15th February 2019: Full-year 2018 revenue (initially scheduled for 4 February 2019) ABOUT YMAGIS GROUP Ymagis is a European leader in advanced digital technology services for the cinema industry. Founded in 2007, the Group is headquartered in Paris and has offices in 26 countries with 770 employees. Our core business is structured around four main units: CinemaNext (exhibitor services: sales and field services, software solutions, customer service/NOC), Eclair (content services: postproduction, theatrical delivery, digital distribution, versioning and accessibility, restoration and preservation), Virtual Print Fee (VPF) for finance solutions and other activities, including EclairColor, EclairGame and Virtual Reality. For more information, please visit www.eclair.digital YMAGIS is listed on Euronext Paris and is part of the CAC Small, CAC Mid and Small and CAC All-Tradable indices. YMAGIS GROUP Jean Firome, CFO Tel.: +33 (0)1 75 44 88 88 investisseurs@ymagis.com CALYPTUS Sophie Levesque / Mathieu Calleux ymagis@calyptus.net Tel.: + 33 (0)1 53 65 68 62 Attachment It is very rare to have lows below negative 30 in northern Iowa this time of year, State Climatologist Justin Glisan said. In the 126 years of station records in Mason City, the low has only been minus-30 or below 20 times. The lowest temperature reported in Mason City, which has been active since 1893, was minus-45 on Feb. 2, 1996. Glisan said the stretch of days between Jan. 30 and Feb. 4 in 1996 is similar to the cold outbreak that will hit Iowa this week. Temperatures will slowly rise Thursday and Friday. Saturday's high will approach 40, with lows in the upper 20s. Quite the temperature swing from minus-19 degrees on Wednesday, Glisan said. There is a projected 60 degree or more difference between Wednesday and Saturday. Be prepared Wind chill values are forecasted to be below minus-50 degrees in northern Iowa, Glisan said. This can lead to frostbite in 10 minutes. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} And Ritz thinks that one way the participation number could climb even more is if there were more robust child care options in Iowa. Ritz said that a career-ready workforce committee is looking closely at the child care issue and that such research could have a positive impact. "By default well be able to attract more people to the workforce," he said. As for GSP, in 2017, the state's GSP was $179 billion. In 2018, that number jumped by $11 billion to $190 billion. However those specific advancements came as the "State Technology & Science Index" slightly tailed off from 35th in the country to 36th. That specific index analyzes the share of the state's employment that is "connected to science and technology occupations." In 2018, that number was 38.82 percent. Somewhat twinned with those economic and labor numbers are the IBC's education metrics. Iowa's second in ACT scores (at a 21.8 average) among states with at least 50-percent participation and finished tied for 10th (with Utah) for "high school-plus" education attainment. (High school plus includes: those who have graduated high school, those with some college and no degree, those with an associate's degree, those with a bachelor's degree and those with a graduate or professional degree.) Two days into the New Year in 2018, Dirk Cordtz stepped out into Nevada Avenue a couple of blocks from the homeless shelter where he had been living. Moments later, he lay pinned and dying beneath a Ford SUV the first traffic fatality in what would become the deadliest year on Colorado Springs streets. Forty-eight people died on roadways across the city in 2018 most of them drivers and passengers, and some of them bicyclists. An alarming number of them were pedestrians, most of whom were homeless, police investigators say. Eight of the 13 pedestrians fatally struck by vehicles on Colorado Springs streets last year were homeless more than twice as many as the previous two years combined. Theres been no letup in the first month of 2019. On Jan. 10, another homeless man, Jeramy Hutchison, 42, was killed crossing North Academy Boulevard near Austin Bluffs Parkway, in what was the citys second traffic fatality this year. The only common factor in the deaths is that in every case the homeless pedestrians were crossing streets illegally sometimes outside a crosswalk, others against traffic signals, said Sgt. Jim Stinson, who helps oversee the Colorado Springs Police Departments Major Accident Unit. The same was true for Hutchison just 2 weeks ago. It was a problem that extended beyond the homeless community. Three of the other five pedestrians killed last year also were jaywalking, he said. We dont like to use the term accident, because accident makes it sound like youre a victim of fate, and these are preventable and avoidable. Stinson said. Each one of these car wrecks is a tragedy. In light of the deaths, several agencies are stepping up education campaigns that encourage people experiencing homelessness to stop jaywalking. In addition to typical pamphlets and business cards offering contact information for a wealth of services, the Police Departments Homeless Outreach Team has begun distributing business cards urging people to Stay Safe COS, suggesting they be aware of their surroundings when crossing, use crosswalks and avoid darting between vehicles, and to wear visible clothing and make eye contact with drivers when out on the streets. Posters with those same recommendations have been posted at homeless shelters in the city, said Andrew Phelps, the citys homelessness prevention and response coordinator. And Drive Smart Colorado paid about $1,500 to purchase 250 neon yellow beanies embroidered with the words be safe, be seen, to pass out to people experiencing homelessness. The hope is that people wearing them will be more visible to motorists. Bright colors are always a benefit, no matter the time of day, said Maile Gray, the nonprofits executive director. We need people to be more visible. Whether pedestrians making themselves more visible will help save lives is unknown. But, Pamela Tower, 64, said she never saw John Trujillo, 66, until her car hit him in early November as he unexpectedly crossed against the light at Astrozon and South Academy boulevards. Since the crash, she said she thinks about him almost continuously. She isolated herself socially, and hasnt driven since terrified that someone will jump out in front of her. Even as a passenger, the sight of someone standing alongside a road gives her panic attacks, she said. The almost overwhelming sense of grief and loss for the man she killed, and for such routine pleasures as taking a quick drive to see her daughter and grandchild has led her to seek counseling. I dont know if people are going to understand I certainly didnt before, of what happens after something like that, realizing it would change your entire life, Tower said, weeping. If it wasnt for the support of my family, I dont know what I would have done. While drivers, most of whom were not at fault, try to cope with the emotional toll, relatives of those killed are left with sorrow and questions. Its awful these drivers need to slow down and watch what theyre doing, said Cordtzs stepdaughter, Carrie Lance. But also in the same token, pedestrians have got to be more careful. A lot of these pedestrian deaths are their fault. These guys, they have got to start watching, because even though youre a pedestrian doesnt mean its going to save you against an SUV. I always tell people: Dont think you have the right of way, because it doesnt matter. Witnesses told investigators that Cordtz was cutting across Nevada Avenue outside the crosswalk when he was struck the afternoon of Jan. 2, 2018, by a car turning left from Las Vegas Street, Stinson said. Nevertheless, Lance doesnt want to believe it her father always crossed at this crosswalk always. In their grief, other relatives of the homeless pedestrians killed in 2018 also have questioned whether police put in the same effort investigating their loved ones deaths as they did for victims who werent on societys margins. Among them is Doug Russell, whose 39-year-old son, Beau Russell, died on Oct. 23 while crossing South Academy Boulevard at Astrozon Boulevard in the crosswalk, but against the light. No citations were issued, despite the fact that the motorist was going 59 mph in a 50-mph zone. About two weeks later, the speed limit on that stretch of South Academy Boulevard was reduced to 45 mph, due to the intersections rising body count. I just think it was all because they felt sorry for her, Doug Russell said. But thats just me. Im bitter my son is dead. And this woman had no consequences at all, none. The intersection where Beau Russell died was one of three where most of the fatal crashes occurred all of which were near homeless shelters or homeless encampments. Two other people died over the following two weeks at that same intersection on the citys east side. A 7-Eleven and several fast-food restaurants around the intersection are a short walk from an undeveloped area beside Sand Creek that is home to several camps. Two more people including Cordtz died at Nevada Avenue and Las Vegas Street, just a couple of blocks from the Springs Rescue Missions sprawling and expanding homeless campus, which includes the citys largest homeless shelter. Another homeless person died at North Academy Boulevard and Austin Bluffs Parkway, followed by Hutchisons death near that same intersection this month. At least half of the homeless pedestrians killed in 2018, including Russell and Cordtz, were using drugs or alcohol at the time of their deaths. Beau Russell became homeless about two or three years ago after losing a job, his relatives said. He frequently stayed in touch with his family in other states, calling once a week or once a month to check in. The younger Russell was the nicest guy youd ever meet, said his father, who still cries at night at the thought of his sons death. When youre laying there dead in the gutter, and people are going Well hes this homeless guy, Im going No, he was a member of the community, he worked, he had three children, Russell said. Stinson said the time and effort his detectives put into investigating a traffic death and whether charges are filed are based on the circumstances, not whether someone is prominent or homeless. My detectives, they dont care about anybodys station in life, Stinson said. Theyre out there looking at the facts. Stinson said no citations were warranted in Russells death because drivers in that part of town normally exceeded the roadways previous speed limit of 50 mph eliminating carelessness in the officers eyes. He added that the 4th Judicial District Attorneys Office prosecutors agreed with the officers recommendation. In two other deaths of pedestrians who were jaywalking, Stinson said the drivers were arrested. Investigators suspect Elizabeth Bennett, 29, was drunk when the vehicle she was driving fatally struck Essence Grant, 40, in late October at Academy and Astrozon boulevards. She has pleaded not guilty to several charges, including vehicular homicide. Officers also tracked down and arrested Robert Valencia, 26, in connection with the hit-and-run death of Christopher Seal, 44, who died on Halloween near Academy Boulevard and Austin Bluffs Parkway. Valencia has pleaded not guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving death, and other lesser charges. Stinson said the bottom line is pedestrians need to be more careful you can be in a crosswalk, crossing with the light, and still end up dead. Its not just homeless people you go downtown, you sit there and you watch people cross the street, and theres almost I dont want to say arrogance but an entitlement of people, said Stinson, adding that pedestrians have a you better slow down for me attitude. If you get hit, youre going to die, Stinson added. We as a community have got to come together and figure out a way to stop this. Beth Roalstad, chairwoman of the Pikes Peak Continuum of Care, said drivers need to be more aware as well. The southern edge of downtown along Las Vegas Street has seen exponentially more foot traffic in recent years, as the Springs Rescue Mission has gone from sheltering just a few dozen people to several hundred. Its a reason for motorists to be more careful much as they are around Palmer High School, where hundreds of students routinely cross downtown streets, she said. Shouldnt we also offer the same consideration to adults experiencing homelessness? Roalstad asked. A 42,000 square-foot facility in Russiaville soon will play host to one of Indianas few industrial hemp operations. The local business DREEM Nutrition is within arms reach of procuring a hemp-growing license from Purdue University. Now, owner Austin Rhodus is close to bringing his hemp-manufacturing operation back to his home state. I feel absolutely wonderful about it, said Rhodus. Im very excited for our company, DREEM Nutrition, but Im also very excited for our farmers that have been chomping at the bit to have some part in engaging in this industry. Thats what I think is exciting, because we have some of the best soil and the best farmers in the nation, and Im excited to see them engage in an industry that is growing very rapidly. In recent years Indiana law regarding hemp products such as CBD oil has undergone reform, loosening regulations on the sales of the products derived from a plant related to marijuana. While CBD products dont possess any of the legally-maligned effects of marijuana, such as the ability to get users high, the ability to produce hemp-related goods and grow the plant has been an uphill battle for manufacturers. Some, like DREEM Nutrition, relied on manufacturing their product outside of the state using hemp plants also grown across the state border. Previously, Rhodus moved his manufacturing operation around the nation, at one point basing work out of Oregon, while most recently the work was outsourced to a manufacturer in Hawaii. A big change for the industry, on a national level, came when President Donald Trump signed the 2019 Farm Bill, which authorized states to implement a hemp program under the oversight of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The bill also removed hemp from the definition of marijuana, a schedule I drug, which broadly legitimized hemp as an agricultural crop. Prior to that, then Governor Mike Pence signed an industrial hemp bill into law, authorizing the Office of Indiana State Chemist and Seed Commissioner to obtain the necessary permits and authorizations for industrial hemp production in Indiana. This paved the way for Purdues hemp pilot program, which advocates often bemoaned as being underfunded while rarely handing out licenses to potential growers and manufacturers. But, Rhodus is about to join the lucky few able to engage in hemp production in Indiana ahead of further legal overhauls in the state. Last October he applied for a license with Purdue University. All that remains in the approval process is an Indiana State Police background check, and then DREEM Nutritions growing operation is set to launch in Russiaville. There, just outside Kokomo, Rhodus company prepares to set up shop in a 42,000-square-foot facility, an upgrade from the previous 3,000-square-foot operation. DREEM Nutrition will move into its Russiaville location on Feb. 1. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute Alan Davidson, a farmer from Russiaville, has been hired and will function as DREEM Nutritions director of Agriculture, along with Dr. Bret Kueber, who has been brought on board to work as DREEM Nutritions chief medical officer. He will oversee product formulations and CBD studies in order to refine the companys products. The plan, said Rhodus, is for DREEM Nutrition to refine its hemp-growing operation utilizing genetics and clones. And it wont just be DREEM Nutrition utilizing the hemp plants grown in Russiaville. Rather, plant clones and seeds fostered locally will be sold to other Hoosier farmers looking to get into the hemp-growing business. Our operations will be vertically integrated to where well be growing our own harvest. Well be running all the extraction, ideally, in Indiana, said Rhodus. The other sector of that is where were helping farmers grow hemp for ingredient supply to integrate into the markets of the national market of CBD. We want to provide solutions to the farmers so they can have a high-quality ingredient since we know what is desirous in the industry right now. We know the market trends, and we can help identify the farmers in their infancy here in Indiana that want to grow. DREEM Nutritions move into local manufacturing and farmer supply comes as Rhodus predicts Indianas hemp market prepares to expand. At the statehouse, the Indiana General Assembly will consider Senate Bill 516 this legislative session. That bill would establish an Indiana hemp advisory committee and bring the states hemp laws in line with the 2019 Farm Bill. This would expand hemp production in the state of Indiana beyond Purdues pilot program. If passed, the owner of DREEM Nutrition sees Hoosier hemp production increasing greatly. Under the pilot program weve still seen it opening up a little bit to different processors and farmers, but once Senate Bill 516 goes through thats where it should really open the floodgates to allow farmers that have the appetite to diversify, to integrate into the industry, apply for licenses, get the licenses, and start putting hemp in the ground in Indiana, said Rhodus. And even though Indiana has been slower than other states in loosening hemp regulation, Rhodus said he believed that it will be to the states benefit in the long run should SB 516 pass. We dont have to go back in and change all of our pilot program language, legislation, bills, and regulations, said Rhodus. We can now just come in and adopt the federal farm bill that is very hemp-friendly, and we can kind of have a good program from the ground up versus other states that will have to go in and redo language and systems that theyve built over the past four years. Rhodus, also a veteran, initially launched DREEM Nutrition as CBD DREEM in 2015 in Kokomo. Since, he has worked extensively at the Indiana statehouse lobbying for reform to Indianas hemp laws. Jason E. Glass is superintendent and chief learner of Jeffco Public Schools, Colorados second-largest school district. He has previously served as the superintendent of Eagle County Schools and as Iowas director of education. Seven views from experts in the field on how to upgrade education in the state. EAGLE COUNTY -- Colorados Dreamers -- immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children -- are following closely as a 17-member congressional conference committee tries to come up with a border-wall funding deal that could include protections for them and possibly avoid another partial government shutdown on Feb. 15. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Clear skies. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Last week brought about another candidate for mayor of Kokomo and more political attacks in an already contentious election season. Last Tuesday Abbie Smith, the president of United Way of Howard County, announced she would seek the position of mayor. In doing so she insured a political showdown was just over the horizon as she joined fellow Democrat Kevin Summers on the ballot for this years mayoral primary race. Until Smiths announcement, Summers, a former Kokomo Police Department captain and common council member, stood as the only Democrat running for the position after Goodnights surprise announcement that he would not seek a fourth term two weeks ago. Shortly after Smiths announcement, political sparks flew anew within the City of Firsts. The day after Smith announced her candidacy, United Way clarified the six-year presidents role moving forward with the nonprofit. According to a press release from the agency, Smith would be taking a leave of absence from her position while retaining a contractual role with United Way. This contract, according to interim President Jeff Young, would be reviewed on a monthly basis, and Smiths role would be altered accordingly. Her role will not be largely the same because her role cannot be many of the things she was, said Young. She will not be in a public-facing role during her campaign. She will not be involved in fund distribution decisions during her campaign. However, Summers took issue with Smith still possessing a paid role with the nonprofit, issuing a press release of his own last Wednesday morning, the day after United Ways went out. In that release, Summers called on Smith to resign completely from United Way, insisting the same conflict would still remain. There are many individuals, businesses, and civic organizations that contribute to the United Way of Howard County, said Summers. As the leader of this nonprofit organization, there is no room for politics, said Summers. When you are trying to raise money to support other nonprofits that serve thousands of people in our community and you mix that with politics, you have the ability to adversely affect the participation and donations to the charity, regardless of what party you represent. Young contended after Summers release that Smiths role, however, is proper and had been approved by the organizations executive committee, reviewed by United Way Worldwide and the Indiana Association of United Way. Smiths response to Summers was brief. I trust the United Way board of directors and their commitment to the mission and integrity of the organization, said Smith. However, several questions arose after Summers statement relating to both the candidates present status with other local nonprofits as well as previous roles hed occupied during previous elections. For one, Summers occupied a board position on the Carver Center Board of Directors at the time he sent the press release calling for Smiths resignation. In an interview, the political candidate said he made the decision to resign from the board after issuing his statement concerning Smith. His term on the board, he said, would expire in March. However, Summers said he still believed his situation differed from Smiths. I look at it slightly different from the mere fact that Im a volunteer, unpaid, behind the scenes on the board there, that I chose to go ahead and resign as good faith, said Summers. Second, in 2016 Summers made an unsuccessful bid running for Howard County Commissioner against Tyler Moore, who also is running for mayor on the Republican ticket. At that time he worked as a loaned associate, an unpaid volunteer for United Way of Howard County tasked with raising funding for the nonprofits annual campaign. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute Granted, this is an unpaid volunteer position, which differs greatly from Smiths position as president. But, as a political candidate, Summers did try to raise money to support other nonprofits that serve thousands of people in our community. The Kokomo Perspective asked Summers if he was doing, at that time, just what he accused his political opponent of doing. No, and there again I think that if anybody would have seen that as an issue or had any complaint or problem with that if there was already an issue, it would have already surfaced, said Summers. Im out talking about politics in Kevin Summers running for commissioner or mayor or whatever that is. I believe its such a reduced role and not employee status or anything thats associated with that. Summers, again, repeated his call for Smith to resign from United Way entirely. If shes committed to being the next mayor of Kokomo she should jump in like I did and actually give a full commitment to running for that position, said Summers. Summers resigned from his position with KPD after almost 21 years with the department on Dec. 12, the day after he announced he would run for mayor. The same day he announced his candidacy for mayor, KPD issued a public rebuke of Summers for what were deemed misleading statements the candidate made to local media relating to the timeline of his reassignment with the department as a community service officer to the property room. At the time Summers said the reassignment came directly after his campaign announcement, while the KPD press release contended the reassignment was as a result of his failure to respond and communicate to members of the administrative staff, (of which he is a member), and, additionally, because he has failed to complete tasks that have been assigned to him in a timely manner as the Community Service Officer. Capt. Summers was reassigned on December 5th, 2018 to the K.P.D. Property Room. Any statements made to the press by Capt. Summers that would offer an alternate set of facts should be considered misleading or, more plainly, a lie. Simultaneously KPD announced it had opened a professional standards investigation into the matter, and the following day Summers announced his retirement. Another Republican enters the fold While the showdown on the Democratic side in the race for mayor solidified last week, recently Moore received an opponent on the Republican ticket. Richard Stout, a 69-year-old Kokomo-native, also filed to run for mayor recently. The former owner of a landscaping business and a former member of the Indiana National Guard said he was inspired to run by President Donald Trumps successful campaign in 2016. He said he was a Democrat at the time but switched parties. I was a Democrat for a long time, and they started turning socialist. So I just cant live that, Stout said. Among Stouts reasons for running was a call for bolstering the police department. He claimed hed like to see two police officers assigned to each patrol car. He also said the fire department needed more equipment that can get jobs done. During his interview Stout also said he didnt believe Muslims should hold political office. I dont think we should have a Muslim as a senator or congress either, but the people vote for people they want in there If theyre born here, then they ought to try to be an American. Quit trying to put our country down. Keep it growing. Depending on whom you ask, e-scooters are either the coolest thing to come along in years or another nuisance/fad that threatens to clog our sidewalks and streets. Users of dockless e-scooters (electric scooters) can rent them via smartphones and drop them off wherever when theyre done. E-scooters are not allowed in Fort Collins as city leaders study the issue. The scooters are controversial in Denver and are under discussion here in Colorado Springs. Do they belong on streets or on sidewalks? Sidewalks in and around our downtown are for pedestrians only, so should that law be changed? Should they be allowed on our paved trails where e-bikes are allowed? Proponents argue that e-scooters are an affordable (and fun) form of transportation for short trips. They say they take vehicles off streets and appeal to tourists and millennials. Opponents point to the resulting mess in cities such as San Francisco and Austin, Texas, where companies dumped scooters by the hundreds before regulations were in place. In those cities, emergency room visits increased as a result of scooter-related injuries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are conducting a first-of-its-kind study on scooter-related injuries in Austin, where one medical facility reports as many as 10 such injuries per day. Denver recently passed rules requiring scooter users to: Use bike lanes whenever possible. Stay at or below 15 mph in bike lanes. Ride in the road when bike lanes arent available unless the speed limit exceeds 30 mph. Stay to the right on roadways, unless its unsafe. Only use the sidewalk when other options arent available. Stay below 6 mph on sidewalks. State lawmakers plan to tackle scooter regulations this year. Unresolved issues include providing adequate places for them to park between rides and enforcement. As for Colorado Springs, perhaps the best approach is for city departments to come together and create a pilot program that learns from the mistakes of others. Its pretty clear from stories around the country that giving companies carte blanche to drop off hundreds of scooters without rules in place doesnt work for anyone. Davies is executive director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition. The Senate Transportation & Energy Committee on Thursday delayed action on a bill that would bar drivers from holding cellphones while their vehicle is moving. Senate Bill 12 is Senate President Pro tem Lois Courts third attempt in as many sessions to get drivers to stop using cars as mobile phone booths. The bill would increase the penalties for distracted driving tied to holding cellphones while a vehicle is in motion to $300 and four points for a first offense. The penalty increases for subsequent violations. Court told the committee Thursday that her bill would not prohibit the use of a cellphone while driving, only holding it while the car is moving. It also applies to other electronic devices, such as laptops, tablets, computers, electronic games and taking photos. The bill exempts first responders and those reporting road rage, for example, and truckers, for whom federal law is more strict. It also does not allow law enforcement to seize the device, she said. The committee Thursday heard from 40 witnesses, most in favor of the bill. But Tristan Gorman of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar warned that the bill would disproportionately impact the working poor and could lead to racial profiling. The fines and points in the bill are excessive and unnecessary, Gorman said, pointing out that the bill makes the offense a Class 2 traffic misdemeanor, which even for a first offense could mean up to 90 days in jail. Its being equated with more serious offenses, such as reckless driving that results in bodily injury or even death, she said. Denise Maes of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado said she acknowledges the dangers of texting and driving. But the bill is too broad, and no state in the country bans it in this way. The approach should be to get the private sector involved, Maes said, to find a way to ensure that phones dont work while a car is in motion. Susan Dane, representing Coloradans Organized for Responsible Driving, said her group was formed after a couple on a motorcycle was killed by a driver who was looking down at a text. The law has not kept up with technology, she told the committee. Sixteen states have similar laws, 10 others are considering it, and she said she doesnt want Colorado, a progressive state, to be the last. Bicycle Colorados Jack Todd also testified in favor of the bill. When Im biking or walking to work, all I want to do is get where Im going safely, Todd said. But all too often, he said, he has to slam on his bicycle brakes when he has the right of way, to see a driver looking up from a cellphone. Bob Frank, who operates a motorcycle training school, said that in the last 17 months, hes been hit four times (driving a Ford F250 pickup, not a small vehicle) by distracted drivers who were on their cellphones. In three of those accidents, he was at a full stop. While Frank would prefer a carrot to a stick, it amazes me that we dont have more enforcement. Chris Johnson, executive director of the County Sheriffs association, also spoke in favor of the bill. Using cellphones is a habitual behavior, like smoking, he said. Why would anyone think that behavior would change when they get behind the wheel of a car? he asked. But committee members had reservations about the bills penalties. Democratic Sen. Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood pointed out that no one believes the problem doesnt exist; she recently had surgery to deal with the consequences of a texting driver, she said. But the question is whether the solution will address the issue, whether its a fair solution, and whether it will change behavior, she said. Republican Sen. Kevin Priola of Henderson added that people who dont follow the rules wont follow this rule either. The bill has merit, he said, but the question is how high the penalty should be. I am adamant that we have to address this problem. ... We have to get a hold on this and cannot leave it as is, Court said. But she also agreed to work with the committee members on amendments. Legislation designed to ensure state funding support for basic education costs in all of Nebraska's public schools would address the current "inequity in K-12 student funding" while assuring substantial property tax relief, Sen. Curt Friesen of Henderson said Monday. Only 69 of Nebraska's 244 school districts receive state funding for what is described in the school aid formula as state equalization aid, and they are primarily in urban areas where both enrollment and needs are growing, leaving rural districts ever more dependent on local property tax revenue. The bill (LB497), co-sponsored by a dozen senators, would broaden the sources of state aid funding to help replace some property tax funding through elimination of some sales tax exemptions, increases in cigarette and alcohol taxes, and elimination of the personal property tax exemption. Other new revenue would come from collection of state sales taxes already owed for internet purchases. Friesen's proposal would also make a one-time allocation of $150 million to help replenish the state's cash reserve fund. The bill would guarantee every public school receives state support equal to 50 percent of its basic education funding needs while ensuring the additional state aid is used to replace local property taxes. - By Matt Winkler The news around Deutsche Bank (DB) would be comical if it wasn't so serious. The German bank, according to the International Monetary Fund, is the single most systemically important bank of the global financial system. This is old news, but it hasn't changed. What's new is that Deutsche now has the Federal Reserve on its tail for what could turn out to be the most massive case of global money laundering in financial history. Suspecting of shuttling over $227 billion illegally over eight years through an Estonian intermediary, the suspect transfers allegedly began in 2007, a year before the outbreak of the last financial crisis. Now Deutsche is getting embroiled in some of the seedier aspects of American politics. It has been a significant lender to the Trump Organization, and now it has senior congressional Democrats rooting around looking for connections to Russia in order to feed findings through to the ongoing Mueller investigation. The current situation surrounding the embattled lender is akin to a snake eating its own tail. This is because the Fed, Congress, and the most systemically important bank in the world by the IMF's own admission all drink from the same trough. Consider, if we are to assume that the current probe by the Fed has credibility and that $227 billion in transactions were indeed dirty, then what exactly is supposed to be done about it? Any penalty imposed could seriously endanger the bank's eroding position. Deutsche has been racking up losses for so long that its stock has collapsed 94% since 2007, and 50% in the last year alone. Shares are trading for 20% below book value. As of its last annual report, Deutsche reportedly had 72 billion euros worth (see page 104) of exposure to the eurozone PIIGS countries, those perpetually overleveraged sovereigns drowning in debt despite negative deposit rates throughout the eurozone. Its biggest European credit exposures outside of its native Germany are the U.K. and Italy, the former on the brink of crashing out of the European Union and the latter currently the epicenter of the ongoing though at-the-moment quiet European sovereign debt crisis. This snippet from Deutsche's previous annual report (see link above) is particularly revealing: Story continues "We may be required to take impairments on our exposure to the sovereign debt of European and other countries if the sovereign debt crisis reignites. The credit default swaps into which we have entered to manage sovereign credit risk may not be available to offset these losses." The latest eyebrow-raising news for Deutsche is a vague commitment for investment from the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar, something of a Middle Eastern loan shark. The country is currently suffering through a military blockade initiated by Saudi Arabia in addition to a diplomatic boycott by most of its gulf neighbors. To add insult to injury for Deutsche stockholders, Qatar reestablished full diplomatic relations with Iran back in August 2017, which adds another complication that could eventually expose Deutsche Bank to accusations of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. The Trump Administration has already used this argument with Canada in spurring its arrest of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou late last year. As the most systemically important bank in the world, there isn't much to be done about Deutsche's alleged $227 billion money laundering scheme. Like the Austrian Creditanstalt collapse of 1931 that helped spurred the global Great Depression, a Deutsche Bank collapse could end up being just as consequential. The institutions currently probing the bank then have virtually no choice but to give it a slap on the wrist at the very most. As history rhymes, the ironic thing about all this is that Creditanstalt was taken over by none other than Deutsche Bank back in 1938 after Hitler united Germany and Austria. Now here we are 80 years later, it's the most systemically important bank in the world, and we're discussing the largest suspected money laundering operation in history by the same bank. Disclosure: No positions. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Vale S.A. VALE suspended its planned dividend, share buybacks and executive bonuses in the wake of a dam disaster at Vales Corrego do Feijao iron ore mine in Brazil. The Corrego do Feijao iron ore mine is one of the four in Vale's Paraoeba complex, which includes two processing plants. The complex produced 26 million tonnes of iron ore in 2017. Vales strategic plans such as reinvesting in loss-making divisions, offering handsome dividends and mid-sized acquisition deals are under scrutiny as the company braces for lawsuits that could cost it billions of dollars. The Minas Gerais state fire department had confirmed 58 dead after a tailing dam broke. Around 300 people remain missing. However, the company focuses on rescue efforts and protection of the lives of direct employees and local communities. Three court orders froze 11 billion reais ($2.9 billion) of Vale assets to pay for damages. Moreover, Brazilian environmental agency Ibama has fined the company $250 million reais ($66.3 million) for pollution and other regulatory violations related to the disaster. The company has put its expansion plans on hold for now. Vale has plans to pump $500 million into its nickel mine in New Caledonia. Also, the company focuses on mid-sized acquisition in its core iron ore business instead of any big deal. Last December, the company announced the acquisition of iron miner Ferrous Resources Ltd from its controlling shareholder Icahn Enterprises for $550 million. The deal is expected to close this year. Shares of the company have gained around 4.7% over a year, in line with the industrys growth during the same time period. Vale has been steadily lowering its debt through increased free cash flow generation. During the third quarter, Vale reduced net debt by $815 million, closing the quarter with net debt of $10.7 billion the lowest since third-quarter 2009. The company is close to its target of net debt of $10 billion. However, the company expects volumes to decline and costs to rise in first-quarter 2019, mainly due to seasonality. Story continues VALE S.A. Price and Consensus VALE S.A. Price and Consensus | VALE S.A. Quote Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Vale currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are Ingevity Corporation NGVT, Israel Chemicals Ltd. ICL and The Mosaic Company MOS. Ingevitys shares have gained 22.8% in the past year and flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 21.5% for 2019. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Israel Chemicals has an expected earnings growth rate of 2.7% for 2019 and carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The stock has rallied 34.3% in a year. Mosaic has an expected earnings growth rate of 20% for 2019 and carries a Zacks Rank #2. Its shares have gained 15.1% in a year. Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year? Who wouldn't? Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%. See Latest Stocks Today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Israel Chemicals Shs (ICL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ingevity Corporation (NGVT) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker speaks Monday during an announcement of an indictment on violations including bank and wire fraud of Chinese telecommunications companies including Huawei, at the Justice Department in Washington. At left is Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and FBI Director Christopher Wray, at right. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have unsealed a 13-count indictment against the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies, alleging the company took part in a long-running scheme in which it deceived the U.S. government about its business dealings with Iran. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York alleges that Huawei, the companys subsidiaries in the U.S. and Iran and Wanzhou Meng, the companys chief financial officer, lied to the U.S. government and global financial institutions about Huaweis ties to Skycom, an unofficial subsidiary in Iran. Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Washington in Seattle also allege that Huawei stole trade secrets from T-Mobile USAspecifically a robotic testing system for its phones. Huawei relied on banking partners to move Skycom-related transactions through the U.S., the U.S. attorneys office alleges, which violated laws that generally prohibit transactions in American dollars that are related to Iran. Huawei and Skycom are charged with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate and substantive violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and conspiracy to commit money laundering. For over a decade, Huawei employed a strategy of lies and deceit to conduct and grow its business, said Eastern District U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue in a news release. Prosecutors allege that Huawei orchestrated a 2007 sale of its interest in Skycom to a third party that was actually controlled by Huawei. Huaweis press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The release states that one financial institution processed $100 million worth of Skycom-related transactions through the U.S. from 2010 to 2014. A spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office said that counsel for the defendants has not been disclosed publicly. Meng, 46, was arrested in Canada in December and the U.S. is seeking her extradition, according to the release. She is charged with bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. The case has been assigned to Judge Ann Donnelly of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Read more: Story continues Attendees at Februarys First Friday will have the chance to heat up by tasting samples of chili downtown for the sixth annual chili cook-off. This years competition, dubbed Lovin Spoonful, will feature 18 chilis that have been cooked by downtown business owners and artisans. Guests can walk from business to business to sample the different types of chili. Susan Alexander, director of creative placemaking and downtown initiatives with the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance, said the event is "perfect" for February's First Friday. The beauty of this event is our chili competition warms hearts and bellies on these cold evenings in February for our cold, winter event, she said. Maps will be available with chili sites marked. Once guests make their rounds, theyre encouraged to vote for their favorite chili, and that business will be awarded Peoples Choice. Behind the scenes, a panel of judges will be sampling the chili for the Judges Choice award. Last year, Kokomo Toys & Collectibles took the award for Peoples Choice with its "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mutagen green chili" and Firefighters Local 396 earned Judges Choice" with "Fireman Scott's golden pork chili." LeaderOne Financial earned "People's Choice Showmanship" with its "12 second chili." Vying for a title this year is Blue Circle Products, a newcomer to downtown and the chili competition. The business, which sells CBD products, will bring a new type of chili to the event: vegan hemp white chili. Alicia Sherrell of Blue Circle Products will take her traditional vegan white chili and add hemp hearts to the mix. The versatile seeds are said to have a mild, nutty flavor, are rich in essential fats, and are a good source of protein. Sherrell said she hopes attendees not only favor the chili but also learn more about the health benefits of hemp. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute Hemp has more protein in it than almost anything else. It carries more protein than any of these high-protein powders that anyone is using, she said. Hemp should be one of those healthy things that we do for ourselves and our bodies. She also hopes to normalize the product and bring hemp from the field to the family. A longtime participant, Artworks Gallery, also will be reentering the competition. This year, however, First Friday attendees will be able to sample four different chilis there that will be created at the hands of four different artists: Bob Dawson with chili con-carney, Marilyn Aleman with Chi-Town chili, Penny Alexander with Indy chili, and Ramona Daniels with Philly chili. Daniels, whos from Philadelphia, is bringing a taste of her hometown to her chili. While Daniels wouldnt give away her recipe, she said her chilis signature Philadelphia flavor isnt spicy but has a different kind of kick to it. It also wont contain macaroni. Cheryl Sullivan, president of Kokomo Art Association, said Artworks always has enjoyed participating in downtowns chili competition. Its a lot of fun, and we get a lot of people downtown to enjoy it. You get to taste a lot of chili, and we wanted to be on the map again this year, she said. Other businesses participating in the chili cook-off are Fired Arts with "Where's the beef? Chili con pollo," Mo Joe Coffee with "Mo's fancy sauce chili," Beyond Barcodes Bookstore with "vegan African peanut chili, Bind Cafe with "Moroccan chickpea and chicken chili," Wings Etc. with "Wings Etc. loaded chili," 3 Amigos with "Mexican chili," Kokomo Toys and Collectibles with "Targaryen dragon chili," Gingerbread House Bakery with "Gingerbread House chili" and "Gingerbread House spicy chocolate chili," LeaderOne Financial with "LeaderOne lounge chili," Studio Black Retro Revival with "Studio Black and white chili," Bona Vista's The Corner Decor with "BV Bistro chili," and BioLife Plasma Services, hosted by PF Hendricks, with "Gotham City chili." In addition to the popular chili competition, Alexander said guests will be able to enjoy different Valentines Day-themed events, music, and art. And new this year, guests will be given reusable mood spoons inscribed with First Friday on the handle in order to reduce waste. First Friday takes place in downtown Kokomo on Friday, Feb. 1, beginning at 5:30 p.m. By Dmitry Zhdannikov DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - When the global oil industry held its biggest annual gathering this week in the Swiss town of Davos, it invited banking bosses and fund managers to discuss two key topics - climate change and pressure from investors. The conclusion of the discussions was worrying for those present - pressure is rising and the industry is losing a battle not to be seen as one of the world's biggest evils. The answer? Lure investors with higher returns and raise the PR game. "There is no doubt - and there is a consensus coming here in various meetings in Davos - that our industry is literally under siege and the future of oil is at stake," said Mohammed Barkindo, secretary-general of oil producer group OPEC. "The industry needs to come together and respond positively with facts and figures. We are not shying away from the fact that we have not been able to communicate well," Barkindo said. The industry gathered on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, holding a series of closed-door meetings. The chief of oil giant Chevron, Michael Wirth, had discussions with bosses from BP, Royal Dutch/Shell, Total and Aramco for the first time as U.S. companies joined European and Middle Eastern peers in debating climate change. Darren Woods, head of the biggest U.S. oil firm, Exxon Mobil, participated in the meeting via telephone. The meetings were also attended by John Flint, chief of HSBC, Ron Mock, president of Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, and executives from investment firms Canyon Partners and ValueAct, two sources present at the discussions said. The climate change debate has split the oil industry over the past decade. While U.S. majors took an initially soft approach towards global warming, Shell had urged that the industry be held responsible not only for its own emissions, but also for those of consumers. Linked to that debate was pressure from investors urging the oil industry to help tackle climate change, with some pension funds including that of Norway saying they would stop investing in the stocks of oil companies. Story continues WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS The oil industry has repeatedly tried to explain that if it stops investing in new projects, the world will face an energy shortage and price spikes because renewables and nuclear energy cannot meet rising energy demand as the global population grows. "How do you get the hearts and minds of investors back? That is a real challenge for our industry," said John Hess, the founder of independent U.S. producer Hess Corp. He said investor frustration with the oil industry was manifested by the fact that the share of energy companies in the S&P index had shrunk to 5.5 percent, from 16 percent 10 years ago. "We will have to compete against other industries in the S&P to create the value proposition that makes us more attractive. A new paradigm is coming up which is to generate free cash and share some of this cash with investors," he said. The U.S. oil industry has been booming in recent years but investors have been frustrated by heavy debts and a lack of free cash flow and dividends. However, even European oil majors such as Shell and BP, which pay billions of dollars in dividends, have struggled to remain popular with investors. "We need to engage with policymakers and the public to understand the huge task we have ahead," Hess said. TAX ON WHOLE VALUE CHAIN BP chief Bob Dudley said the industry needed to explain the challenge of producing and making energy affordable for an increasing global population, which will see energy use rising 30 percent by 2040. "You cannot just tax energy-intensive industries and not the users of energy and think you're going to solve the problem. People need to use less energy. Philosophically, trying to look at emissions across the entire value chain is critical," Dudley told Reuters. The head of state-run Saudi oil giant Aramco, Amin Nasser, said investors would ultimately differentiate between cleaner and more polluting companies. Aramco wants to list its stock sometime after 2021 in what could become the world's largest initial public offering. Nasser said the latest research by Stanford University found Aramco was the cleanest major oil company in the world thanks to zero gas flaring and modern field technology. He said oil companies could help cut emissions by end users but should not ultimately be responsible for them. "We have to look at what we control. I have control of what I send to the grid in Saudi Arabia. But we do not have control over factories in Europe," Nasser said. "However, it doesnt mean we dont care about end users. As a company we are looking at what we can do to increase the efficiency of end users," he said. Aramco invests in research to make cars more efficient, increase mileage per gallon and the use of hydrogen in cars. It recently acquired high-end rubber producer Arlanxeo to help reduce tyre friction. "We need to boost efficiency or get rid of CO2 by technology," Nasser said. (Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Dale Hudson) (Bloomberg) -- On June 20, 2017, two venture capitalists arrived at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Chicago to hand-deliver a letter to Travis Kalanick. The memo helped convince the Uber Technologies Inc. co-founder to step down as chief executive officer. The document was among a series of files that were unsealed Monday as part of a lawsuit over autonomous-vehicle trade secrets brought by Alphabet Inc.s Waymo. Although the companies settled the case a year ago, a judge ruled that some of the evidence shouldnt be kept from the public. Below is a full reproduction of the letter, which references corporate scandals and concerns about the lack of a qualified chief financial officer. Kalanicks replacement, Dara Khosrowshahi, worked to rectify those in his first year on the job. He appointed a former Merrill Lynch executive, Nelson Chai, as chief financial officer to help prepare Uber for an initial public offering planned for this year. Travis Kalanick1455 Market St. #400San Francisco, CA 94103 Dear Travis: On behalf of Benchmark, First Round Capital, Menlo Ventures, Lowercase Capital, and Fidelity Investments, we are writing to express our profound concerns about Ubers future, its willingness to fully embrace the changes that are needed to move forward, and your ability to implement them. We all believe in Ubers mission. We are deeply grateful for your vision and tireless efforts over the last eight years, which have created a company whose technology and workforce have transformed the worlds idea of transportation. A series of recent revelations, however, continues to affect Ubers business and put the mission at risk. Among the enormously troubling developments that have recently come to light are the issues of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation that prompted the Holder Report, as well as publicly reported allegations about the behavior of Ubers senior executives in connection with the India rape incident and other matters. The ongoing Waymo trade secret litigation and Greyball investigation are also extremely serious and unresolved. Story continues We believe that the cultural values of Uber need to be transformed to embrace transparency, diversity and social responsibility alongside growth and the bottom line. We believe that this transformation is possible - and is necessary for Uber to succeed operationally and as a respected member of the community. The public perception is that Uber fundamentally lacks ethical and moral values. Uber has a clear opportunity to engage positively with its employees, drivers and customers to change the company, correct this perception and achieve Ubers full potential. As shareholders representing approximately 40% of Ubers voting shares and 28% of Ubers overall stock, we believe the company must immediately take concrete steps to address these issues and strengthen Uber. The company must change at its core. If Uber does not adequately address the companys ethical, cultural, and governance issues now, Ubers operations and reputation will continue to erode, to the detriment of the company and all of its stakeholders, including you. To that end, we believe that the company must take certain concrete steps to enhance its leadership and culture. Please know that we remain fully supportive of Ubers mission and the incredibly positive role Uber can play in communities around the world. But that positive role -and Ubers full value for all its stakeholders -cannot be realized unless Uber achieves a new level of trust, social responsibility and transparency through the adoption of values that transcend the negative business practices and culture of the past. With these changes we firmly believe Uber can ensure its future as one of the most important companies Silicon Valley has ever produced. Below are the steps that we believe are imperative to serve this end: First, you need to immediately and permanently resign as CEO and transition this leadership role to capable hands. We strongly believe a change in leadership- coupled with effective Board oversight, governance improvements, and other immediate actions -is necessary for Uber to move forward. We need a trusted, experienced, and energetic new CEO who can help Uber navigate through its many current issues, and achieve its full potential. Second, Ubers current governance structures, including the composition and structure of the Board of Directors, are no longer appropriate for a $70 billion company with over 14,000 employees. The new CEO must report to an independent Board that will exercise appropriate oversight, which will help the company attract the most qualified candidates for CEO. Further, as you know, the Holder Report calls for the appointment of additional independent Board members. To that end, you should fill two of the three Board seats you control (retaining one for yourself) with truly independent directors who comply with the Holder Reports recommendations for qualification for service on the Board as an independent -that is, they should be experienced, unbiased, and come from diverse backgrounds. They should also have the unanimous support of all the directors. You should also commit to apply the same standards to any future appointments to those two Board seats. Third, new leadership from a revitalized Board and a new CEO will allow Uber to begin the critical process of healing and rebuilding to resume its path to success. You should support a board led CEO search committee, with an independent chairperson, and the inclusion of a representative of senior management and a representative of the driver community. We believe CEO candidates must have not only a fully articulated strategic vision and expert management skills to lead Uber, but -equally important -the ability to establish the ethical, values -based culture Uber needs to move forward. Fourth, the company should immediately hire an adequately experienced interim or permanent Chief Financial Officer. Uber has shown an unwillingness to hire and retain experienced executives, especially in the finance area. The company has intentionally operated without a properly qualified executive in the top finance role for over two years. The interests of all of Ubers stakeholders would be served by urgently addressing this need for financial expertise in management. We hope you will agree to move forward with us on this path, and look forward to your response. To contact the reporters on this story: Eric Newcomer in San Francisco at enewcomer@bloomberg.net;Joel Rosenblatt in San Francisco at jrosenblatt@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Mark Milian at mmilian@bloomberg.net, Peter Blumberg For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. (Adds details on units, CEO quote, background) Jan 28 (Reuters) - Sempra Energy plans to sell its South American operations as it increases investments at its dominant North American business, the U.S. utility said on Monday. Sempra will sell its fully-owned Chilean subsidiary Chilquinta Energia, the country's third biggest electric utility, and an 83.6 percent stake in Luz del Sur, Peru's biggest electric company. Its ownership in two other energy services companies based in Chile and Peru would also be sold, Sempra said, without providing any financial details of the sales. "We have set a clear strategic goal of becoming North America's premier energy infrastructure company," Sempra Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Martin said in a statement. "This planned sale allows us more focused capital investment in the U.S. and Mexico to support additional growth opportunities," he added. Sempra had come under pressure last year from activist investors Elliott Management and Bluescape Resources, which had pushed for sweeping changes at the company, including the sale of international business lines and the addition of new directors to the board. In September the utility reached an agreement with the investors and promised to add two board members and review its liquefied natural gas business. Funds affiliated with Elliott and Bluescape owned a combined 4.9 percent stake in Sempra valued at $1.6 billion, the company said at the time. Neither Elliott nor Bluescape immediately responded to requests for comment on Monday. San Diego-headquartered Sempra said it expects the sales to be completed by the end of the year. (Reporting by Shanti S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar) HOUSTON, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sysco Corporation (SYY), the leading global foodservice distribution company, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Waugh Foods, Inc., a leading Illinois broadline distributor with approximately $40 million in annual sales. Waugh Foods Inc., headquartered in East Peoria, Ill. has been in business for 70 years. Joseph A. Waugh, Sr. founded Waugh Frozen Food Company in 1948, and in 1966, after additions to the companys product lines, the name was changed to Waugh Foods, Inc. Today, the company provides a wide variety of products to customers throughout Central Illinois. Waugh Foods has a long, rich history in the Central Illinois area, which includes strong relationships with local independent operators, said Greg Bertrand, executive vice president, U.S. foodservice operations. We are excited to welcome Waugh into the Sysco family and believe this acquisition is a perfect complement to our existing local and regional presence. Waugh Foods executives will continue to manage the business, including Waugh President, Rick Look, Tim Waugh and Joe Waugh, Jr. About Sysco Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. With over 67,000 associates, the company operates approximately 330 distribution facilities worldwide and serves more than 600,000 customer locations. For fiscal 2018 that ended June 30, 2018, the company generated sales of more than $58 billion. For more information, visit www.sysco.com or connect with Sysco on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SyscoCorporation or Twitter at https://twitter.com/Sysco . For important news and information regarding Sysco, visit the Investor Relations section of the company's Internet home page at http://investors.sysco.com/ , which Sysco plans to use as a primary channel for publishing key information to its investors, some of which may contain material and previously non-public information. Investors should also follow us at www.twitter.com/SyscoStock and download the Sysco IR App, available on the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Market . In addition, investors should continue to review our news releases and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is possible that the information we disclose through any of these channels of distribution could be deemed to be material information. Story continues For more information contact: Camilla Zuckero Media and Investor Relations Contact Zuckero.camilla@corp.sysco.com T 281-899-1839 BY ROBERT ATIKU. editorial@ug.nationmedia.com Over 50 candidates who sat 2018 PLE at Lugbari primary school in Arua District have been summoned to appear before the UNEB Security Council over suspected examination malpractice. UNEB withheld the results of this rural school after all the candidates passed in first grade in last years PLE, something unusual in the history of the school. Marino Acia the District Education Officer for Arua revealed this during School Proprietors meeting at Arua Public Primary school last week on Wednesday. However in a phone interview with Daily Monitor on phone, however, Cyprian Lemaku the deputy head teacher of Lugbari primary school said they had not yet received the said letter. Theodore Bundy after his original arrest, July 1978. Photo via Wikimedia Commons Theodore Robert Bundy was one of the most notorious killers of the 20th century. But according to the South Florida judge who sentenced him to death in 1979, Bundy also would have been a terrific lawyer. The comment by then-Dade Circuit Judge Edward D. Cowart was a standout moment in a new Netflix documentary, "Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes," released Jan. 24 on the streaming service. "Youre a bright young man," Cowart said in a post-sentencing exchange with Bundy, a former law student-turned-serial killer and rapist. "Youd have made a good lawyer. Id have loved to have you practice in front of me. But you went another way, partner." That other way led to infamy, as federal and state law enforcement agencies linked Bundy to the slayings of more than 30 women and at least one child in California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington. News reports at the time focused on Bundy's good looks, charm, intelligence, quick wit and widespread disbelief that the handsome, well-dressed man strangled and sexually assaulted dozens of victims, decapitating some. The Netflix documentary shows Bundy giving media interviews, joking with reporters and appearing confident he would defeat the charges against him. At other times, it shows his clever banter evoking laughter from the courtroom. That charm was not lost on Cowart, who presided over Bundy's 1979 South Florida trial for the murder of two female students at Florida State University's Chi Omega sorority house in Tallahassee. The judge, who died in 1987, seemed conflicted, using now-iconic language to describe Bundy's crime, while at the same time offering a glimpse at his more nuanced feelings about the man. The court finds that both of these killings were indeed heinous, atrocious and cruel. And that they were extremely wicked, shockingly evil, vile and the product of a design to inflict a high degree of pain and utter indifference to human life," Cowart said at the end of the trial. "This court, independent of, but in agreement with the advisory sentence rendered by the jury does hereby impose the death penalty upon the defendant Theodore Robert Bundy. But while Bundy was still standing before the court for sentencing, Cowart added, Take care of yourself, young man, to which the defendant responded, Thank you. I say that to you sincerely. Take care of yourself," Cowart told him. "Its a tragedy for this court to see such a total waste, I think, of humanity that I have experienced in this court. ... I dont have any animosity to you. I want you to know that. (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has slashed its exposure to Tesla Inc, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter. The sovereign fund, with help from JPMorgan Chase, hedged most of its 4.9 percent stake in Tesla after the market closed on Jan. 17, FT reported https://www.ft.com/content/d501c670-2307-11e9-b329-c7e6ceb5ffdf. On Jan. 18, Tesla said it would cut thousands of jobs to rein in costs as it plans to increase production of lower-priced versions of its crucial Model 3 sedan, sending its shares down as much as 10 percent. As part of the hedging program, PIF will still hold the shares but with little exposure to the stock's movements, according to the report. The derivative used to put on the hedge is known as an equity collar, which are bespoke instruments that are costly to finance and have become popular with Middle Eastern and Asian investors, the newspaper said. Tesla and PIF each declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Tesla's shares, which fell as much as 3 percent, ended marginally lower at $296.38 on Monday. Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said in August that the PIF had expressed support for a $72 billion deal to take the company private. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in its suit, however, had said that the meeting between Musk and the fund "lacked discussion of even the most fundamental terms of a proposed going private transaction". (Reporting by Vibhuti Sharma and Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta) For investors of American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) stock, it wasn't always about the plastic. Founded in 1850 by Henry Wells, William G. Fargo and John Butterfield, American Express's early business model was well-suited for the times -- to deliver money and packages over long distances to people who really had no other way to get them. In fact, the company was an early investor, along with Wells Fargo & Co. ( WFC), in the Pony Express, and ran so-called packet boats down the Illinois River to customers in Illinois, Iowa and Ohio. [See: 7 Best Places To Hold Short-Term Cash.] Almost 170 years later, American Express is a well-known, even iconic global financial brand, with $33.4 billion in revenues in 2017, and more than 55,000 employees all over the globe. Yet the company faces the same 21st century challenges that all of the traditional financial services companies face -- more aggressive competition, the shift from paper-based currency to digital payments made online and via mobile, and a changing customer demographic that demands advanced user technologies and a high standard of customer service. How is American Express adapting to major cultural, demographic and technological shifts? As well as can be expected, investment experts say. AmEx stock is undergoing some severe turbulence, but earnings are up, and generally strong sentiment from analysts and money managers -- at a time of great change for the company and for the financial industry. American Express Stock at a Glance American Express is trading at $98 per share, with a consensus one-year $115 per share estimated outlook from analysts. The company boasts a robust market cap of $84 billion and pays a 1.6 percent dividend, which is healthy for a credit card company. American Express also seems to be rolling along at a nice clip, financially. The company has generated steady earnings over the past few quarters, at 3.2 percent, and sees an estimated earnings growth rate of 4.5 percent on a year-to-year basis. Story continues On the downside, AXP has taken investors for a roller-coaster ride in late 2018. In December the company saw its stock price plummet from $112 to $95. Analysts don't appear to be worried about AXP, however, as the company is widely viewed as a prudent steward of assets, with an abundant amount of cash on hand and relatively low debt. Pros to Buying American Express Stock Many analysts seem generally bullish on AXP, with, as always, a few reservations. "AXP stock seems to be a pretty solid bet, although nothing is guaranteed," says David Bakke, an analyst at MoneyCrashers.com. "Earnings in the third quarter surpassed expectations, allowing AmEx to raise its forecast regarding earnings per share. Revenue is up close to 10 percent as well. [See: 9 Stocks That Pass the Warren Buffett Buy Test.] "Those gains were largely due to an increase in consumer credit card spending, revenues from loans and income from fees," Bakke says. American Express is also taking strides to remain competitive in an environment that is shifting more toward digital payments. "It recently partnered with GreenSky, which provides cutting-edge point of service loan technology to various businesses," Bakke says. "The payment network currently being used by American Express is in line for an upgrade as well, most likely in response to the shift toward the emerging digital payments society. " As long as safety and security remain at a high level, the entire digital payments sector will most likely achieve good results moving forward. "But again, you can assume nothing with stocks and sectors, especially as the recent stock market sell-off and ensuing recovery would show," Bakke says. It's also OK to view American Express as a cornerstone stock to buy in a portfolio. "AXP is one of my favorite stocks and is a wonderful core holding for the average investor," says Robert R. Johnson, a finance professor at Creighton University in Nebraska. "None other than Warren Buffett has been a long-time shareholder of AXP." In the mid-1960s, Buffett bought 5 percent of American Express with 40 percent of the Buffett Partnership capital (approximately $13 million), Johnson says. "Now Berkshire (Hathaway, BRK.A, BRK.B) holds 151 million shares worth approximately $14.3 billion, he says. "American Express is now Berkshire's fourth-largest equity holding behind only Apple ( AAPL), Bank of America ( BAC) and Coca-Cola ( KO)." The stock trades at a consensus forward price-earnings ratio of a below-market 12.1, and it sells at remarkably low PEG ratio (P/E divided by expected growth) of 1.06, Johnson notes. "A good sign for AXP and other financial services stocks is that Berkshire Hathaway spent approximately $14 billion on the purchase of financial services stocks in the third quarter, with the sector accounting for 40.7 percent of Berkshire's reported equity portfolio at the end of September," Johnson says. "This compares to the 14 percent financials weighting in the broader S&P 500 index." Others agree, noting that AXP represents good value heading into what many market commentators view as a declining market in 2019. "We believe American Express is a good value stock for the long-term investor," says Michael Osteen, chief investment strategist at Port Wren Capital in South Carolina. "On the positive side, we see both P/E and P/B close to its one-year low. Their one-year free cash flow growth of 90.4 percent, along with their three-year average of share buybacks, are strong indicators of higher share prices over time." Additionally, the current low price is due to overselling related to their issuing new debt and missing revenue estimates, Osteen says. "At its current share price and estimated EPS into 2020, we believe it is currently undervalued," he says. Cons to Buying American Express Stock On Jan. 18, Amex reported fourth-quarter profit numbers that missed consensus Wall Street analyst expectations, as AXP customer credit spending slowed for the quarter. AXP stock fell by 2 percent within hours of the earnings release. Some industry observers say that it's no surprise credit card providers like American Express are experiencing some speed bumps with earnings. In fact, it's a trend that could strengthen in future quarters. "Credit card providers are facing a number of challenges in the coming years," says Dean Kaplan, president of The Kaplan Group, a commercial collections agency. "Credit card companies earn revenue in three ways: annual fees, transaction fees, and interest income." "Now, though, consumers have a rapidly expanding set of alternatives with lower costs that is putting substantial pressure on the long-term outlook for credit cards since they combine lending with higher transaction costs," Kaplan adds. Industry insiders agree with that sentiment, noting that the competitive landscape is changing, and not in a direction that traditional card providers like Amex would favor. "There are tons of challenges facing card providers these days," says Cyndie Martini, chief executive officer at Member Access Processing, the largest aggregator of card services for credit unions in the U.S. The first is keeping up with innovation in the market, Martini says. "The fintechs are challenging the legacy networks like Amex, and issuers wherever they can," Martini says. "This constant "turn" in innovation is both expensive, and a huge drain on resources for card providers." The second issue is that credit cards are pretty much the same across the industry, and are viewed by consumers as "payment utilities," diluting brand loyalty and differentiation. "This is having a big impact on rewards, the third big challenge," Martini adds. "The only real differentiator for cards is rewards, which require card providers to invest heavily in order to remain competitive." Other Wall Street insiders say aren't bashing AXP alone when they see the stock price sliding downward. Instead, they view the stock as a victim of a broader sliding market, much like investors saw in December when the major stock indexes fell by at least 8.7 percent. "AXP is headed to about $100 by the end of January 2019, but longer term, I anticipate it dropping to about $80 by this summer," says Surjit Chhabra, founder of the Stockmarketpredictionsdaily.com market analysis website. "That's not because there is anything wrong with the company, but because the entire market is in a bear market right now." The first quarter of 2019 could be problematic, too, for AXP, as a consensus analysis of analysts who track the stock see revenues falling from $10.56 billion to 10.44 billion in the quarter ending March 31. Additionally, AXP It isn't a big dividend play (despite its dividend rate relative to credit card industry competitors) "as its forward dividend yield is only 1.65 percent," Johnson says. The Bottom Line on American Express Stock If you view the market as sliding into a deep trough, American Express represents a good, steady long-term value play, as Osteen points out. In other words, it will still be a good stock to own at the end of 2019. [Read: How Savvy Investors Beat a Stock Market Slowdown.] Yet if you're looking for a quick strike, AXP may churn upward a few points, as Chhabra notes. But be prepared to sell more quickly than usual, as the stock could experience some major turbulence as broader negative market factors weigh in, and downside market events occur that are out of American Express management's control. More From US News & World Report MILWAUKEE, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Old National Bank is pleased to announce the promotions of Kevin Anderson to Wisconsin Region CEO and Traci Mann to Wisconsin Region President. Anderson replaces Len Devaisher who recently left the company. Kevin Anderson joined ONB in 2013 as Corporate Relationship Manager in the Louisville Region and was promoted to Milwaukee Region President in 2016. Prior to Old National, Kevin was Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking Manager at Fifth Third Bank in Louisville. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. Anderson is an active community leader and serves on the board of directors for the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and the United Performing Arts Fund. He is also a member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee. Traci Mann worked for AnchorBank for 26 years prior to its partnership with ONB in 2016. She most recently served as Market President, Commercial Banking Executive in Madison. Traci recently graduated from Old Nationals Senior Leadership Academy and earned her bachelors from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. Mann serves on the executive committee for the American Heart Associations Go Red for Women Luncheon, The Madison Club Foundation Board, and Downtown Madison Inc. Economic Development Committee. She also volunteers for the Madison Symphony Orchestra. ONB is fortunate to have Kevin Anderson and Traci Mann as such qualified successors with extensive knowledge, experience and proven leadership, said Jim Sandgren, President & COO. I am confident they will continue Old Nationals strong commitment to clients, community and associates in the Wisconsin Region and beyond. About Old National Bank Old National Bancorp (ONB) is the holding company of Old National Bank. Headquartered in Evansville with $19.7 billion in assets, it is a top 100 U.S. bank, the largest Indiana-based bank and has been recognized as a Worlds Most Ethical Company by the Ethisphere Institute for seven consecutive years. For nearly 185 years, Old National has been a community bank committed to building long-term, highly valued relationships with clients. With locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, Old National provides retail and commercial banking services along with comprehensive wealth management, investment and capital markets services. For information and financial data, please visit Investor Relations at oldnational.com. Story continues Media Contact: Kathy Schoettlin (812) 465-7269 / (812) 319-2711 Kathy.schoettlin@oldnational.com Photos accompanying this announcement are available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/04256027-9b32-4f75-bd2b-ed1b2d841e38 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/631a546f-91a1-4ab0-88e1-e99e7aad18fb By Ritah Kemigisa The Netherlands institute for Multiparty Democracy has today unveiled a shs 6 billion project to support political parties in the country. The institutes country representative Frank Rusa says the project will among other things enhance the capacity of the parties, strengthen the role and participation of Youth and Women in politics so that their voices can also be heard and also improve conflict management. He has however asked Ugandans to finance their own democracy and not wait for donor support. However the FDC secretary General Nandala Mafabi has asked the Netherlands institute to account for the funds of the previous project which he says never benefited the political parties. The shs 6 billion Political parties Support Project being funded by the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) will run for a period of three years. The funds are to be availed quarterly to the various implementers. Investing.com - Oil prices tumbled to start the week on Monday, after data late Friday that showed that U.S. energy firms added drilling rigs for the first time this year. Baker Hughes reported Friday that the number of domestic rigs drilling for oil rose by 10 to 862 in the week to Jan. 25. That largely reversed the previous week's drop, which was the sharpest in over three years and which came amid a slew of statements from U.S. producers saying they would cut capital expenditures this year. The rebound still left the rig count below where it was at the end of the year, but still indicated a relatively buoyant level of drilling that will support actual output in the coming months. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for March delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange slumped $1.08, or around 2%, to $52.61 a barrel by 8:30AM ET (13:30 GMT). Elsewhere, Brent oil for April delivery on the ICE (NYSE:ICE) Futures Exchange in London sank $1.07, or about 1.7%, to $60.52 a barrel. Venezuela is likely to stay in the headlines this week, as turmoil in Caracas triggered concerns that its crude exports could soon be disrupted. Amid violent street protests, Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president last week, winning backing from Washington and large parts of Latin America, including Brazil and Colombia. That prompted Nicolas Maduro, the country's leader since 2013, to cut ties with the U.S., although he later reversed the decision after the U.S. signaled it could impose sanctions on Venezuela's oil exports. After ending 2018 in freefall, oil has gained roughly 15% since the start of January, the largest increase in percentage terms in the first month of the year since 2005. Overall, the recent advance for the energy complex has been powered by evidence of a decline in global output. Saudi Arabia-led OPEC and its non-member allies led by Russia agreed to collectively cut production by a total of 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) during the first six months of 2019 in an effort to stave off a global glut in supplies. Story continues Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency earlier Monday that the kingdom would cut its output by more than agreed in the December deal, and added that the Venezuelan situation was having no impact on the global oil market for now. In other energy trading, gasoline futures dropped 1.7% to $1.381 a gallon, while heating oil fell 1.5% to $1.859 a gallon. Natural gas futures plunged 5.8% to $2.893 per million British thermal units, on the back of changing winter weather forecasts. -- Reuters contributed to this report Related Articles Senate finance chair says tariffs on steel, aluminum should go U.S. crude stockpiles rise less than expected, gasoline draws down: EIA U.S. Crude Oil Inventories Rise by 0.92M Barrels Last Week: EIA nvidia stock price cryptocurrency Nvidia investors got a nasty surprise this morning when the chipmaker announced its Q4 fiscal 2019 earnings could come in $500 million short of original estimates. While Nvidia has repeatedly blamed its financial woes on a decline in cryptocurrency mining-related demand in the past, its acknowledging that its baby the gaming industry remains a significant problem. nvidia earnings guidance stock price The chipmaker dropped its guidance to $2.2 billion from $2.7 billion, and the news sent its share price into a tailspin. Read the full story on CCN.com. (Bloomberg) -- Facebook Inc. will begin vetting political advertisers in Europe and displaying who paid for specific ads from March, the companys head lobbyist said Monday during a speech in Brussels. Nick Clegg, a former U.K. deputy prime minister and hired by Facebook last year to lead the companys lobbying efforts, used his first speech since taking the job to explain how the company wants to repair its reputation and be accountable for its impact on society. "We are at the start of a discussion which is no longer about whether social media should be regulated, but how it should be regulated," Clegg said. The former politician said Facebook would begin to only allow "authorized" entities who have confirmed their identities to Facebook to purchase certain types of ads in Europe. Users will be able to search an archive of data about how well such promotions allowed on the platform performed, how much was paid for them, and the demographics of individuals who saw them, for up to seven years. The change will cover electoral ads as well as so-called "issue ads," Clegg said, which focus on highly politicized topics such as immigration. Facebook will create an operations center in Dublin to coordinate these efforts in Europe. Earlier: Facebook CEO Zuckerberg Says Problems Will Take Years to Fix Clegg also answered questions around early-stage plans by the company to integrate the chat tools on the WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger services -- a move that could help the social-media giant better tailor ads for users. "Its so early days, we havent worked out how it would work, whether its workable, what regulators may or may not think about it," Clegg said. "Its much, much more simple than the heated language suggests." He said Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerbergs consideration of the plans stems from his belief that, over time, users will want to be able to send messages from one app to the other. Story continues The potential integrations have already raised questions among European regulators. The Irish privacy watchdog said Monday its seeking an urgent briefing with Facebook, adding that previous proposals to share data between Facebook companies "have given rise to significant data protection concerns." Facebook has to do much more to restore trust of the regulators and many of its users, EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said Monday after a meeting with Clegg. EU regulators are closely monitoring Facebooks actions and the path they choose to take when it comes to protection of personal data. Jourova also said she expects of Facebook to start showing more concrete action and less rhetoric or apologies in how it protects users from fake news or elections from being manipulated. On Jan. 25, Tommaso Valletti, the EUs chief antitrust economist, greeted early reports that Facebook might integrate its data with Instagram as well as WhatsApp by tweeting that the company must have told "lies" during its 2014 acquisition of WhatsApp. "I dont know who this chap is," Clegg said when asked about Vallettis comments, adding that the case has been settled. Facebook was fined 110 million euros ($125.7 million) in 2017 for failing to alert European Union merger regulators that it could match data from its users with WhatsApp accounts during the EUs 2014 review of the deal. Regulators said the ability to link the data wouldnt have changed their view that the deal didnt harm competition. Facebook didnt appeal the decision. Clegg also said that the company was considering creating an independent external appeals body, to which the public could raise concerns about content decisions made by Facebook. A draft charter for this proposed body is set to be published Monday. Cleggs visit to Brussels comes as Europe readies for elections this spring. Facebook, along with Alphabet Inc.s Google, Twitter Inc. and other tech and advertising companies, in September agreed to a code of conduct to combat misinformation on their platforms. That includes implementing transparency tools for political ads in Europe after rolling them out in the U.S. Facebook has already started providing such transparency tools around political ads in the U.K. The European Commission, the blocs executive body, has threatened to propose legislation in the area if the platforms efforts on misinformation are unsatisfactory. The European cybersecurity and digital commissioners are set to hold a press conference on Tuesday about the companies efforts to fight disinformation. Clegg also expressed worry about the development of deep fakes, especially in cases where it is "basically impossible to distinguish if a computer-generated politician is a real person or not." He said the company is trying to work out what its defenses would be and what kind of machine-learning tools it might need to combat the "very worrying new frontier." Facebook said in a blog post Monday that it currently employs 30,000 people to work on safety and security, three times as many as in 2017, when it discovered an extensive campaign by Russia to manipulate U.S. voters. The companys strategies have come under heavy criticism, given how severely the platform was abused ahead of the U.S. presidential elections. Its new fact-checking operation, which relies on third-party groups like Snopes and the Associated Press to identify stories as true or false, only scratched the surface of manipulative content. Now, its available in 16 languages and focusing more on photos and videos, the company said. The political ad verification system -- which in some cases had been easy to game and has blocked ads unrelated to politics -- will roll out in India, Ukraine and Israel ahead of their polls, then go global by June. (Updates with response from EUs Justice chief from 10th paragraph.) --With assistance from Aoife White, Sarah Frier and Stephanie Bodoni. To contact the reporter on this story: Natalia Drozdiak in Brussels at ndrozdiak1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Nate Lanxon For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. By Damali Mukhaye The law dons at Makerere University have advised the vice chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe to lift the suspension of the University of the Staff Leaders because they are illegal. The dons representative Prof John Jean Barya says Nawangwe does not have powers to suspend leaders of some staff associations who were only trying to raise grievances on behalf of their colleagues. He now advises Nawangwe to negotiate with the strike staff so that the issues presented are resolved. Meanwhile the striking staff at Makerere University have defied the directive from the vice chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe to return to work. Over the weekend Prof Nawangwe through the staff emails directed them to resume work since he only Suspend Kamunyu as an individual over indiscipline. Addressing a joint staff associations press briefing, the vice chairperson of the Academic Association Edward Mwavu said they will not resume work until management addresses their demands. The teaching and non-teaching staff laid down their tools following the suspension of the chairperson of the University Academic Staff Association Deus Kamunyu among others. These vowed to resume work until the suspension on Kamunyu and others is lifted. Investing.com -- Mining stocks were a rare bright spot in generally weak stock markets in Asia and Europe Monday, as traders priced in the risk that the world could be left short of iron ore if Brazil's authorities crack down on mining giant Vale (NYSE:VALE). Markets were otherwise broadly on hold ahead of key economic and political events - notably the Federal Reserve's policy-making meeting - due later this week. The STOXX 600 was down 0.4% at 356.48 at 06:05 AM ET (11:05 GMT). Vale's biggest rivals, Rio Tinto (LON:RIO), BHP Billiton (LON:BHPB) and Anglo American (LON:AAL) outperformed local markets in the U.K. Monday on speculation they would profit from higher prices if Vale's production plans are disrupted. The worlds largest iron ore producer, Vale is the operator of a tailings dam in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais that burst last week, leaving at least 58 dead and hundreds more missing. Over the weekend, Standard & Poor's put its credit rating on review for a downgrade, while the Brazilian authorities froze $3 billion of its assets to cover potential penalties. Vales ADRs in New York lost 8.1% on Friday and are set to open down another 7.5% on Monday. Earlier, there was more gloom about the state of the global economy after research institute Ifo reported Germanys exporters have sharply cut their expectations for 2019. It said the key auto, chemicals and engineering sectors were all downbeat about their prospects. Bayer (DE:BAYGN) fell 1.2%, while Volkswagen (DE:VOWG_p) and Daimler (DE:DAIGn), the maker of Mercedes-Benz, were down 0.6% and 0.4%, respectively. Luxury goods makers Kering (PA:PRTP) and LVMH (PA:LVMH) were also among the biggest losers in Europe on nervousness for Chinese demand ahead of key trade talks between the Chinese and U.S. governments on Wednesday. Gucci owner Kering was also suffering after weekend reports that it faces a $1.6 billion tax bill in Italy. Related Articles Story continues AT&T Falls 5% Boeing Rises 7% Amgen Falls 5% SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 28, 2019 / The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. announces that a lawsuit was filed for certain investors in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS). Investors, who purchased shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS), have certain options and should contact the Shareholders Foundation at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or call +1(858) 779 - 1554. On March 7, 2016, an article was published entitled "Ex-Goldman Banker to Malaysia Fund Said Subpoenaed in U.S. Probe," reporting that the U.S. Justice Department had subpoenaed former Goldman Sachs managing director Leissner in late February in connection with a probe linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd. ("1MDB"), a Malaysian state-owned investment fund set up in 2009. Goldman Sachs has since been the subject of investigations by the U.S. Justice Department regarding the multibillion-dollar fraud and money-laundering scheme involving 1MDB, for which Goldman Sachs was the primary bond underwriter. On November 1, 2018, U.S. federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York unsealed indictments against former Goldman Sachs managing directors Leissner and Ng Chong Hwa, also known as Roger Ng related to the 1MDB probe, explicitly describing them as "agents acting within the scope of their employment on behalf of" the Company "with the intent, at least in part, to benefit" Goldman Sachs. That same day, the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced that Leissner's guilty plea was unsealed for "a two-count criminal information charging Leissner with conspiring to launder money and conspiring to violate the FCPA [Foreign Corrupt Practices Act] by both paying bribes to various Malaysian and Abu Dhabi officials and circumventing the internal accounting controls of the Financial Institution while he was employed by it." The U.S. Attorney's Office also stated that, "[a]ccording to court filings, Leissner has been ordered to forfeit $43,700,000 as a result of his crimes." Story continues On November 8, 2018, a report was published detailing the personal involvement of Goldman Sachs's then-Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), Lloyd Blankfein, in a meeting to establish ties with Malaysia and its new sovereign wealth fund that was referenced in the court documents unsealed the prior week. In a November 8, 2018 article entitled "Goldman's Blankfein Said to Have Attended 2009 1MDB Meeting," it was noted that "Blankfein was the unidentified high-ranking Goldman Sachs executive referenced in U.S. court documents who attended a 2009 meeting with the former Malaysian prime minister," and that "[t]he meeting was arranged with the help of men who are now tied to the subsequent plundering of the 1MDB fund[.]" On November 12, 2018, Malaysian government officials denounced Goldman Sachs's role in the 1MDB scandal. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad stated that "[t]here is evidence that Goldman Sachs has done things that are wrong" and "[o]bviously we have been cheated through the compliance by Goldman Sachs people." Meanwhile, the country's Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said that Malaysia would seek a "full refund" of the approximately $600 million in fees that the Company earned in connection with 1MDB's $6.5 billion bond deal. On December 20, 2018, a lawsuit was filed against The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc over alleged securities laws violations. The plaintiff claims that the Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that Goldman Sachs participated in a fraud and money-laundering scheme in collusion with 1MDB, that the foregoing conduct, when revealed, would foreseeably subject Goldman Sachs to heightened regulatory investigation and enforcement, and that as a result, Goldman Sachs's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. Those who purchased The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS) shares should contact the Shareholders Foundation, Inc. CONTACT: Shareholders Foundation, Inc. Michael Daniels +1 (858) 779-1554 mail@shareholdersfoundation.com 3111 Camino Del Rio North Suite 423 San Diego, CA 92108 The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is a professional portfolio legal monitoring and a settlement claim filing service, which does research related to shareholder issues and informs investors of securities class actions, settlements, judgments, and other legal related news to the stock/financial market. The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is not a law firm. Any referenced cases, investigations, and/or settlements are not filed/initiated/reached and/or are not related to Shareholders Foundation. The information is only provided as a public service. It is not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon. SOURCE: Shareholders Foundation, Inc. NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Klein Law Firm announces that class action complaints have been filed on behalf of shareholders of the following companies. If you suffered a loss you have until the lead plaintiff deadline to request that the court appoint you as lead plaintiff. GreenSky, Inc. (GSKY) Class Period: Class A common shareholders who purchased shares pursuant to the IPO on or around May 23, 2018 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: January 28, 2019 The Offering Documents were negligently prepared and, as a result, contained untrue statements of material facts or omitted to state other facts necessary to make the statements made not misleading, and were not prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations governing their preparation as the Offering Documents failed to disclose: (i) that GreenSky was transitioning away from the solar power market in favor of the elective healthcare market; (ii) foreseeable negative effects on GreenSkys profits because of significant differences in transaction fees GreenSky charged to different classes of merchants; (iii) the primacy of the merchant mix as a driver of GreenSkys transaction-fee revenue; (iv) the ongoing deterioration in GreenSkys transaction-fee revenue, while touting GreenSkys growth and financial performance; (v) the negative impacts of GreenSkys changing merchant mix on EBITDA; (vi) the markedly lower transaction fees GreenSky charges to healthcare companies; and (vii) as a result of the foregoing, GreenSkys Offering Documents were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. Get additional information about the GSKY lawsuit: http://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/greensky-inc-loss-submission-form?wire=3 Ternium S.A. (TX) Class Period: May 1, 2014 to November 27, 2018 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: January 28, 2019 The lawsuit alleges Ternium S.A. made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose during the class period that: (1) Defendant Paolo Rocca, Terniums Chairman, knew that one of his companys executives paid cash to government officials from 2009 to 2012 to expedite compensation payments for the sale of Terniums Sidor unit; (2) this conduct would lead Rocca to be charged in a graft scheme and subject Ternium, its affiliates, and/or its executives to heightened governmental scrutiny; and (3) as a result, Terniums public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times. On November 27, 2018, Bloomberg reported that Rocca was indicted for his role in a graft scheme. According to the article, The judge charged Rocca after the Argentine billionaire testified that one of his companys executives paid an undisclosed amount of cash to government officials in monthly installments from 2009 to 2012. The officials were allegedly working for then-President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchners administration to speed up a compensation payment from Venezuelas Hugo Chavez for the nationalization of Sidor, a unit that had been seized by Venezuela. Roccas group was compensated with $1.95 billion for the unit. Story continues Get additional information about the TX lawsuit: http://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/ternium-s-a-loss-submission-form?wire=3 Marriott International, Inc. (MAR) Class Period: November 9, 2016 to November 29, 2018 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: January 30, 2019 Marriott International, Inc. allegedly made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Marriotts and Starwoods systems storing their customers personal data were not secure; (2) there had been unauthorized access on Starwoods network since 2014; (3) consequently, the personal data of approximately 500 million Starwood guests and the sensitive personal information of approximately 327 million of those guests may have been exposed to unauthorized parties; and (4) as a result, Marriotts public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times. Get additional information about the MAR lawsuit: http://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/marriott-international-inc-loss-submission-form?wire=3 Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM) Class Period: April 21, 2015 to November 27, 2018 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: January 29, 2019 The complaint alleges Cheetah Mobile Inc. made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Cheetah's apps had undisclosed embedded features which tracked when users downloaded new apps; (ii) Cheetah used this data to inappropriately claim credit for having caused the downloads; (iii) the foregoing features, when discovered, would foreseeably subject the Company's apps to removal from the Google Play store; (iv) accordingly, Cheetah's Class Period revenues were in part the product of improper conduct and thus unsustainable; and (v) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. Get additional information about the CMCM lawsuit: http://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/cheetah-mobile-inc-loss-submission-form?wire=3 Your ability to share in any recovery doesnt require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. There is no cost or obligation to you. If you suffered a loss during the class period and wish to obtain additional information, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or visit the webpages provided. J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. By Crispian Balmer ROME, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Italy is considering pulling its troops out of Afghanistan within a year, a senior defence ministry source said on Monday, following reports the United States may cut back its own military presence. The source told a group of journalists that Defence Minister Elisabetta Trenta had demanded that military command should start initial planning for a full withdrawal of the Italian contingent in Afghanistan. "The timeframe could be 12 months," the source said. Italy has had a military presence in Afghanistan for more than 15 years and, according to the Defence Ministry, is committed at present to having 900 troops there as part of a NATO-led mission. Since taking office last June, the coalition government has said it was considering cutting its presence in Afghanistan, but news that the defence minister had ordered that plans be drawn up for a full withdrawal surprised some colleagues. "I have only heard about this today ... She hasn't talked to me about it," Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi told reporters during a visit to Israel. Trenta is a member of the 5-Star Movement, which has long questioned the value of Italy's Afghan mission. A source in the far-right League, which is 5-Star's coalition partner, said Italy was committed to bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. "No decision has been taken at present, only an assessment by the relevant minister," the source said. U.S. officials told Reuters last month that U.S. President Donald Trump had issued verbal orders to plan for a withdrawal of about half of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. However, they said he could reverse course. (Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) State-run 529 plans have been a staple of the college savings landscape for years. But a 529 account has never been as easy as ordinary investments to choose and manage. With the new tax rules passed about a year ago and the financial markets looking shaky, families may wonder if the venerable 529 is still worth the trouble. Why jump through hoops if you could invest in an ordinary taxable account with greater flexibility and a universe of investing options? The short answer: 529s are still a great deal. But investors who took a hands-off approach until their child was ready to start college should probably take a closer look at the risk they're taking in today's market. Here are few considerations they should weigh: -- Know that 529s still have tax benefits. -- Take a look at an age-based target portfolio. -- Assess if your allocations are safe. Know That 529s Still Have Tax Benefits "529s are still the best savings tool for college tuition," says Jim White of J.H. White Financial in Pottstown and Malvern, Pennsylvania. "Any of the various alternatives frequently mentioned either have contribution limits or lack tax benefits." [See: 10 of the Best Stocks to Buy for 2019.] 529s are named for the statute that created them in 1996. Though features like tax treatment changed in the early years, many of the key elements remain the same after the Republican tax law passed late in 2017. Most important is that withdrawals for approved expenses, such as tuition, books and room and board, are free of federal income or capital gains tax. Investors can contribute up to $15,000 a year from each donor to each beneficiary without incurring gift tax, but there is no tax deduction on contributions, as with other tax-favored accounts like 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts. Some states also offer tax breaks. The downside hasn't changed either. Shopping can be tricky, since the common investment-style plans are offered through state-sponsored programs. Investors can use plans from any state, not just their own, except when it comes to a subset called prepaid tuition plans. Because of its complexity, many investors use plans offered through brokers, which can increase expenses, though most plans have versions available for direct investment with no middleman. Story continues The biggest change in the new law is to allow these funds to be used for private schools for K-12 education, says Ben Birken, financial advisor with Woodward Financial Advisors in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. "For most people, this change doesn't amount to much due to the high cost of private school and the limited amount of time that would be available for tax deferred/tax-free growth," he says. Most plans contain packages of stock and bond mutual funds that investors choose according to their views of the market, time to college and tolerance for risk -- heavy on stocks for the bold, loaded with bonds for the cautious. Many plans also offer ever more popular target-date funds that start out emphasizing stocks for maximum growth and automatically shift to bonds and cash for safety as the college start date approaches. [See: 7 Top Investing Strategies for an Uncertain Market.] Take a Look at an Age-Based Target Portfolio "While the (recent market) volatility has not changed my view on 529s, it has strengthened my opinion that monthly savings in age-based target portfolio is the way to go," White says. "You cannot predict the future and trying to do so usually doesn't end well. Dollar-cost averaging in an age-based portfolio that will slowly reduce risk as the student approaches college is simple and prudent and doesn't require trying to remember to reallocate." Dollar-cost averaging means investing an equal sum at regular intervals, buying more shares when prices are down and fewer when they are up. That approach helps investors resist the urge to play the market's ups and downs. When money is needed for college, the wise choice is generally to have the fund send it directly to the institution to avoid paperwork and potentially taxes. A 10 percent penalty can be charged if it is channeled into an ordinary account first. Colleges and the fund companies that manage the plans for the states have become familiar with the process and experts say it generally works smoothly. The plans are meant to be fire-and-forget investments that leave decisions to the pros, but investors can switch from one investment to another, either within a state's program or to a different state's 529, for instance. Assess if Your Allocations are Safe Birken suggests investors look closely at their accounts to see if they are still comfortable with the allocation between stocks and bonds. That means, for example, looking at how a target-date plan intends to change the allocation as the college years approach, as some leave more in stocks than others. "Some 529 plans have more aggressive allocations than others, even as the account beneficiary approaches college age," Birken says. "This worked great when markets only went up, like in 2017. But 2018 was a different story. If your allocation has been too aggressive, moving to cash after markets decline isn't necessarily helpful. That's like asking for an epidural after the baby is born." In a volatile market, it's simply prudent to emphasize safety, says Katie Vercio, a wealth consultant at Evergreen Wealth Consultant with Evergreen Gavekal in Bellevue, Washington. "If a child is in high school, I would recommend taking a conservative track, Vercio says. "If a child is starting school in fall 2019, it may be a good idea to switch to a cash or (a certificate of deposit) option." One of the trickiest questions is what happens if the beneficiary doesn't go to college. Taxes or penalty are waived in some circumstances, such as if the child goes to a military academy. But if the child simply chooses another path, 529 proceeds can be subject to tax and penalty if simply withdrawn. [See 7 of the Best Paying Closed-End Funds.] But the beneficiary can be changed to another person without penalty. There is no age limit for beneficiaries and funds can be used for graduate school and private schools. Emily S. Boothroyd, a private wealth advisor at Price Financial Group in Wilton, Connecticut, urges parents to keep the big picture in mind -- the parents' retirement needs as well as college costs, as young people have more time to pay off loans. "For younger parents or those who are focused on their own financial planning, please use the oxygen mask analogy when thinking of your kids: Help yourself first, then them," Boothroyd says. "If you have credit card debt, you probably should not be adding to a 529. If your retirement isn't on track, you probably shouldn't be adding to a 529." More From US News & World Report By Ritah Kemigisa The trial of Dominic Ongwen, a former commander of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), resumes today at The Hague after a two weeks break. Judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) had adjourned his trial to allow Ongwens lawyers have doctors assess his health. The judges ordered the medical officer of the detention center where Ongwen is held to report by January 23 whether he will be able to attend the hearing scheduled for today. 44 year old Ongwen faces 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity which he is alleged to have committed between July 2002 and December 2005 in northern Uganda. Last year Ongwens lawyer asked ICC to acquit him of all charges against him. Cannell Capital Wages Vote No Campaign Against 3 Directors Including Chairman By John Jannarone Cannell Capitals Carlo Cannell believes he is doing regional newspaper company Lee Enterprises a service by urging shareholders to vote against the three board directors up for election next month, including Chairman Mary Junck, he told CorpGov in an interview. Mary Junck should be out here on the next plane to give me a foot massage, said Mr. Cannell, whose firm is based in Wyoming while Lee is headquartered in Iowa. Mr. Cannells fierce words come after his firm announced a position in the company in late December when he criticized it through a letter. He has since published a slide deck detailing the companys alleged shortcomings, including what he calls excessive compensation and a weak operational performance. Mr. Cannell said his stake in the company has risen above 5% and he expects to file another presentation as soon as Monday. The campaign was launched just months after Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway endorsed Lees management by hiring the company to manage dozens of newspapers for an annual fee of $5 million with further upside linked to performance. That deal sent Lees shares temporarily higher but they have since retreated and are down more than 90% from their record high. A chief complaint from Mr. Cannell is that Lee, which operates in 49 regional markets, hasnt managed the shift from print to digital as well as it could have, despite the companys reported 8.3% annualized growth in digital revenue since 2011. Struggling newspaper companies have been forced to slash costs, consolidate, or sell out to financial buyers since print peaked in the early 2000s. Most recently, hedge fund-backed MNG, better known as Digital First Media, announced a hostile bid for USA Today publisher Gannett. Mr. Cannells campaign is somewhat unusual because he launched it after the deadline to nominate his own director picks. That means that even if the three directors dont get majority support, they wont necessarily need to step down or be replaced right away. Story continues But Mr. Cannell isnt discouraged by what he calls a technicality. The way I see it Ive already won, he said. Shareholders are already pissed offIve already achieved more than I thought Id achieve. Mr. Cannell said that since he launched his campaign, he has fielded calls from frustrated shareholders but also potential investors in the company such as strategic buyers and financial firms like private-equity shops. He added that a vote indicating a lack of shareholder support would herald the inevitable removal of current directors. Do these directors want to end their careers with this cloud of shame? he asked rhetorically. Eventually they will not be there anymore. Mr. Cannell pointed out that he will also have the chance to actually name specific candidates several months from now for next years vote. He has already identified six potential directors and attempted to introduce them to the company, though Lee has declined to speak to them, he said. I presented some outstanding directors, which isnt easy to do with little Lee Enterprises, he said. I asked them to keep some of them confidential and they said no which is obstinate. Earlier in January, Lee said in a filing it had engaged director search firm Spencer Stuart to help in identifying, screening, and assessing the capabilities of potential director candidates. The companys filings also show an extended back and forth with Mr. Cannell over the last several months. Mr. Cannell said he is likely to name one of his director suggestions in the presentation planned for publication Monday. He also said that he would be willing to settle on terms that included only one director of his choosing, as long as the company agreed to some other terms. He emphasized that his director suggestions were not representatives of his firm. Im seeking directors to benefit all shareholders, he said. As part of its defense against Cannell Capital, Lee recently disclosed that its budgeted an additional $425,000 beyond its normal proxy solicitation expenses. Part of that sum includes a fee to Morrow Sodali LLC, which will employ 25 people to assist in proxy solicitation. That sum may appear high for a company like Lee, which has a market capitalization of roughly $150 million, down from about $2 billion at its peak in the early 2000s. But a proxy solicitor interviewed by CorpGov said investor outreach can be expensive, requiring phone and mail outreach, particularly when there is a large retail base. Lee had over 25% of its quorum voted by brokers last year without instruction and another large chunk of shares not represented at the meeting at all, the proxy solicitor said. For his part, Mr. Cannell said his campaign had only incurred costs in the low hundred-dollar range (not thousands). Im not going to seek reimbursement from Lee for my $120, he said. Mr. Cannell said that Lee needs to recognize the value in digital operations rather than print. You cant continue live in this world of 1989 25-times Ebitda multiples for newspapers, he said. The music has stopped. Mr. Cannell reiterated that directors including Ms. Junck have been paid far too much in an environment when cost cutting is critical. According to Cannells letter in December, Ms. Junck has taken more than $40 million of compensation since 2002. Theyve been paid a lot of cash but it could have been in equity, Mr. Cannell said. Contact: John Jannarone, Editor-in-Chief www.CorpGov.com Editor@CorpGov.com Twitter: @CorpGovernor Here are the companies the Yahoo Finance team are watching today. A mixed bag at Caterpillar (CAT). The heavy-equipment maker fell short on earnings, but delivered better than expected revenue last quarter. The company is blaming tariffs, for pushing up raw material costs. It also plans to raise prices up to 4% worldwide to offset the increase. A big deal for file sharing company Dropbox (DBX). It's buying HelloSign for $230 million in cash. That startup helps you electronically sign documents and is a direct competitor to Adobe and DocuSign. Dropbox says HelloSign will continue to operate independently. The deal is the biggest acquisition for Dropbox since its founding in 2007. A major deal for two chemical companies could impact the semiconductor industry. Versum Materials (VSM) is merging with Entegris (ENTG) in a stock swap. The combined company will be worth about $8 billion, and retain the Entegris name. Both companies provide chemicals that help preserve and protect high-tech materials, like semiconductors. Much of Fox TV's live production Sunday night of the hit musical Rent wasn't live after all. Fox (FOX) was forced to broadcast most of the dress rehearsal that was recorded Saturday after one of its lead actors broke his foot and couldn't perform. The actors made the announcement in a pre-recorded video during the three-hour-event. Apple (AAPL) is trying to help women entrepreneurs in tech get ahead. The tech giant launched a free two-week program Sunday to help women successfully build their apps. The company invited 11 companies run by women to participate in the camp at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. Huawei has raised suspicions in the west for its close ties to the Chinese government and generated fears the company may be a tool of China's international espionage capabilities (AFP Photo/Nicolas ASFOURI) China's envoy to the EU on Monday said Huawei was the victim of slander as western governments try to hamper the Chinese telecommunications giant's effort to deploy its technology worldwide. "It is not helpful to make slander, discrimination, pressure, coercion or speculation against anyone else," Ambassador Zhang Ming said in an interview with the Financial Times. "Now someone is sparing no effort to fabricate a security story about Huawei," he said. Beijing's criticism follows similar words by Foreign Minister Wang Yi who said the campaign against Huawei was "unfair and immoral". The United States, France and other western nations have voiced fears that using Huawei base stations and other gear could give Beijing access to critical network infrastructure worldwide, possibly allowing it to spy on foreign governments. In an interview with Bloomberg, European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip said the EU was especially worried given China's National Intelligence Law, passed in 2017. This law compels companies and individual citizens to actively assist China's spy organisations in investigations. "When it's written in the law, then we have to understand those risks are higher. We cannot be naive anymore," Ansip told Bloomberg. The worries circle around 5G technology, in which Huawei has invested billions of dollars, competing mainly against Sweden's Ericsson and Finland's Nokia. The United States, Britain and other countries have warned of potential Huawei security risks, not least since its founder Ren Zhengfei is a former People's Liberation Army engineer. Huawei officials bristled at the claims, and chairman Liang Hua warned this week that it would pull out of partnerships in countries where it is not welcome. "We do not pose a threat to a future digital society," Liang said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week. Adding to the tensions, Canadian police arrested in December Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou -- a daughter of the company's founder -- on a US warrant over suspected Iran sanctions violations. China on Wednesday accused Washington of "bullying behaviour" after US authorities confirmed plans to seek Meng's extradition. Bank of Hawaii (BOH) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.30 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.36 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.09 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -4.41%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this bank holding company would post earnings of $1.34 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.36, delivering a surprise of 1.49%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. Bank of Hawaii, which belongs to the Zacks Banks - West industry, posted revenues of $166.08 million for the quarter ended December 2018, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.05%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $160.63 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Bank of Hawaii shares have added about 14.1% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6.3%. What's Next for Bank of Hawaii? While Bank of Hawaii has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Story continues Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Bank of Hawaii was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.36 on $166.80 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $5.55 on $682.63 million in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Banks - West is currently in the bottom 28% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Bank of Hawaii Corporation (BOH) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research (Adds nations backing Guaido) MELBOURNE, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Australia on Monday joined other Western nations in backing Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's interim president until fresh elections are held President Nicolas Maduro, 56, is confronting an unprecedented challenge to his authority after Guaido declared himself interim president citing a fraudulent election. "Australia recognises and supports the President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, in assuming the position of interim president, in accordance with the Venezuelan constitution and until elections are held," Australia Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement on the ministry's website. "We now urge all parties to work constructively towards a peaceful resolution of the situation, including a return to democracy, respect for the rule of law and upholding of human rights of the Venezuelan people." The United States, Canada and most Latin American nations have backed Guaido as interim president. At a U.N. Security Council debate on Saturday, Russia and China strongly backed Maduro and rejected calls by the United States, Canada, Latin American nations and European powers for early elections. New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said New Zealand will not give official recognition to either side. "It is not New Zealand's practice to make statements of recognition of governments," Peters was cited as saying in a statement e-mailed by his press office. "Venezuela needs to decide its future through free and fair elections. This government expressed concerns about Venezuela's elections in 2018, and these concerns remain." (Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Michael Perry) In an effort to secure the best talent on the market, more and more companies are expanding their applicant pool to include professionals without a traditional college degree. Job search site Glassdoor compiled a list of who some of these companies are, with top employers like Apple, Google and IBM making the cut. Recently, FlexJobs examined that list to see which companies are also in their database with open positions that allow employees to work from anywhere. (FlexJobs notes that while some of the available work-from-home positions at these companies do require a college degree, there are many open positions that don't.) Take a look at the list below to see which flexible companies you should consider working for if you don't have a four-year college education: 1. Google According to FlexJobs, instead of requiring a college degree, Google has a lot of open positions that require what the company calls "equivalent practical experience." Click here to view job listings 2. Ernst & Young While some positions at EY still require a bachelor's degree or higher, FlexJobs says that the global financial services company has a lot of open flexible positions in its United Kingdom division that do not require a college degree. Click here to view job listings 3. Penguin Random House According to FlexJobs, this publishing company has open flexible positions where "equivalent work experience" is accepted if an applicant doesn't have a four-year degree. Click here to view job listings 4. Hilton According to FlexJobs, this hotel management and hospitality company has several flexible job options that only require a high school diploma. Click here to view job listings 5. Apple According to FlexJobs, Apple has open positions for "entry-level and experienced workers that require facility with technology, good communications skills and the ability to focus on details but no college degree." Click here to view job listings Story continues 6. Nordstrom According to FlexJobs, the retail giant has offered several store-based and administrative flexible positions that don't require a college degree. Click here to view job listings 7. IBM According to FlexJobs, IBM has flexible positions that may require technical experience or a special certification, but no four-year college degree. Click here to view job listings 8. Lowe's According to FlexJobs, Lowe's offers a variety of flexible positions that don't require a degree for both in-store employees and those who work remotely. Click here to view job listings Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube! Don't miss: Google, Apple and 12 other companies that no longer require employees to have a college degree More From CNBC Sat., June 19, 5-8 p.m. La Fiesta Chatham 6901 Preston Dr., Springfield Chatham Live Music, Children's Corner B-Flat Karaoke and La Fiesta present Kids Karaoke! Bring your little star out for their chance to SHINE behind the mic. Music, food and family fun!Of course Mom and Dad can join in for a duet! B-Flat karaoke will provide the tunes (complete with vocal tracks just in case your little one needs some help) while La Fiesta serves up great food and drinks.See you there! 217-697-5588 1. Yes. Its important to address the problem before it gets worse. A bond is needed. 2. Yes. Its fine, as long as the bond isnt too large. The city doesnt need more debt. 3. No. A bond issue would just put the problem back on the taxpayers. Not acceptable. 4. No. Certificates of obligation, targeting the worst roads, would be a better choice. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say without knowing the details of what a bond would entail. Vote View Results Wildlife at risk after snowfall in Khaptad Heavy snowfalls at the Khaptad National Park has affected the parks wildlife.According to the Parks officials, the park has witnessed incessant snowfall since January 21. ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, Pakistan's Supreme Court will begin a review of its own acquittal of a Christian woman charged with blasphemy, a verdict that sparked days of Islamist protests and threats and chaos across the country. Asia Bibi, who spent eight years on death row, has been in hiding since the Supreme Court freed her in October, with religious hardliners calling for her death and putting pressure on the government to prevent her from leaving the country. A three-judge panel, including the new Supreme Court Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, are due to hear the case.Most reviews of Supreme Court verdicts are dismissed immediately, but the politically sensitive nature of the case has added an extra layer of uncertainty. Bibi's lawyer, Saif-ul-Malook, who fled to Europe due to fears for his safety last year, said he expected the case to be dismissed. Malook was returned to Pakistan this week and will represent Bibi in court state that "They have filed the petition on flimsy grounds. They haven't attempted to counter her release on constitutional grounds," further added that "God willing, she will have the decision in her favour tomorrow. She will be a free person to go anywhere she wants to." Bibi is widely expected to seek asylum abroad due to safety concerns, with Canada among the favourites to accept her. While In November, Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau said his country was in talks with Pakistan about helping Bibi. Bibi, a farm worker, was condemned in 2010 over allegations that she made derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours working in the fields with her objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. She has always denied committing blasphemy. Bibi's case has irritated Christians worldwide and reignited a debate about Pakistan's draconian blasphemy law, which critics say is often abused and unfairly targets ethnic minorities. also read Two sisters have been found dead after disappearing more than two weeks ago in Argentina Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah offered to resign Washington: On Sunday, Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris launched her 2020 presidential bid with a scathing rebuke of President Donald Trump's policies, alleging that the US democracy was under attack like never before. Remembering the fighting spirit of her Indian mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who migrated to the US from Tamil Nadu for studies, Harris share a cheering crowd in her hometown of Oakland, California, that this was not going to be an easy election pitted against an incumbent like Trump. the 54-year-old, Kamala Harris said in her impressive speech that lasted for more than 30 minutes, that "Her mother used to say don't sit around and complain about things. Do something," She further added that "With the fighting spirit She got from her mother, she stand before you today to announce her candidacy for president of the United States. And she said that , she is running for president, because she love her country. She is running to be the president, of the people, by the people and for all people," Harris, announced her presidential candidacy last Monday on Martin Luther King Jr Day and, within days, has been voted on top of the list of Democratic leaders aspiring to defeat Trump in the November 2020 election. So far four women have entered the race. Apart from Harris, the three others are Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii. also read The Chinese embassy in Islamabad conduct a mock drill of security All of them have to pass through a grilling presidential primary beginning next January, the winner of which would be announced in the Democratic National Convention in July 2020. The nominee would challenge incumbent Trump in the presidential election in November that year. also read 2-Year-Old Spanish Boy's Body Found, fell in a well on January 13 London: An African practice of 'ironing' a girl's chest with a hot stone to delay breast formation is spreading in the UK to "protect" young girls from unwanted male attention, sexual harassment, and rape, the media reported on Saturday. The Guardian reported that community workers in London, Yorkshire, Essex and the West Midlands informed the newspaper about cases in which pre-teen girls from the diaspora of several African countries were subjected to the painful, abusive, and futile practice. The UN has described the practice as one of five global under-reported crimes relating to gender-based violence. The perpetrators, usually mothers, consider it a traditional measure which protects girls from unwanted male attention, sexual harassment and rape. Medical experts and victims, however, call it child abuse which could lead to physical and psychological scars, infections, inability to breastfeed, deformities and breast cancer. One community activist told the daily that she was aware of 15-20 recent cases in South London town of Croydon alone. "It's usually done in the UK, not abroad like female genital mutilation (FGM)," she said, describing a practice whereby mothers, aunties or grandmothers use a hot stone to massage across the breast repeatedly in order to "break the tissue" and slow its growth. "Sometimes they do it once a week, or once every two weeks, depending on how it comes back," she added. Margaret Nyuydzewira, head of the diaspora group the Came Women and Girls Development Organisation (Cawogido), said that at least 1,000 women and girls in the UK had been subjected to the intervention. But there has been no systematic study or formal data collection exercise, the daily said. British-Somali anti-FGM campaigner and psychotherapist Leyla Hussein told the Guardian that she spoke to five women in her north London clinic who had been victims of breast-ironing. "They were all British women, all British citizens," Hussein said, adding that one of the women became flat-chested as a result of the practice. Mary Claire, a church minister in Wolverhampton, said she had spoken to four victims in Leeds, originally from west Africa. "You could see the marks," she said. The police said they fielded no allegations about breast-ironing in the UK, but suspected that it was happening. The British government said it was "absolutely committed" to stamping out the practice, but according to activists and social workers, little had been done so far. Trade tensions One of the key objectives of Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week was to draw international attention to the investment summit scheduled for March this year. Chicago: Jovina Joy becomes the first Malayali woman to be part of the village police force at Carol Stream, a suburb near Chicago. She is the daughter of Kadiyammpally Joy and Veronica who reside at Des Plaines. Jovina took over the charge at the Carol Stream police station, on 21st December, after undergoing rigorous training for 3 months. She has also worked part time, for more than two years, at the Park Ridge and Morten grove police stations. More than the impressive remuneration and the dignity associated with the profession, it was her desire to serve the society which inspired Jovina to choose a career in the police force. She firmly believes that a police officers life should be dedicated to ensure justice, peace and safety in the society. She had rightly chosen sociology and criminal justice as her main subjects in the university. Jovina gave up a promising career as a marketing manager to pursue her dream of becoming a police officer. Though her parents were worried initially, they wholeheartedly supported their daughter's decision. She aims to pursue higher studies in criminal justice. Jovina, whose parents hail from Punnathara in Kottayam, was born in Mumbai and migrated to the United States of America when she was four years old. Jovi and Jobi are her siblings. Washington: President Donald Trump expressed scepticism on Sunday that US lawmakers seeking to avoid another government shutdown could reach a deal on border security that he would accept, as he renewed his vow to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump said chances were low that Congress could craft an agreement and avoid another closure of part of the US government in three weeks' time, when funding will expire. "I personally think it's less than 50-50, but you have a lot of very good people on that board," the president said, referring to the committee of lawmakers appointed to work out a compromise on border security funding. Another shutdown, Trump told the Wall Street Journal, was 'certainly an option.' The president has also said he might declare a national emergency in order to build his border wall. Democrats would likely challenge that in court. "Does anybody really think I wont build the WALL? Done more in first two years than any President!" Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday evening. Democratic resistance to Republican Trump's demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall resulted in a 35-day shutdown of about a fourth of the US government, a closure that just ended on Friday. The five-week standoff damaged the US economy, left many federal workers scrambling to make ends meet and tested Americans' patience with delays to air travel, closures of national parks and other disruptions. After opinion polls showed Americans increasingly blamed Trump for the situation, the president signed a measure on Friday to fund the government for three weeks as congressional negotiators try to work out a bill to fully fund the agencies through September 30. But Trump also threatened to resume the shutdown on February 15 if he does not get what he wants. In his interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump also sounded doubtful about a possible deal involving both wall money and a broader overhaul of US immigration laws. "I doubt it," he said, when asked if he would agree to citizenship for a group of immigrants known as "Dreamers," who were brought to the United States illegally as children - in exchange for border wall funding. "Thats a separate subject to be taken up at a separate time," Trump said. 'Shutdowns not good leverage' Earlier on Sunday, some lawmakers criticized using the closure of federal agencies as a tool in policy disputes. Senior legislators from both parties said the latest shutdown, the 19th since the mid-1970s, was as ineffective as previous ones but much more disruptive as it was the longest in US history. "Shutdowns are not good leverage in any negotiation," Republican Senator Marco Rubio said on NBC's "Meet the Press," urging congressional negotiators to tackle border security in the three-week talks launched by last week's shutdown-ending deal. Hakeem Jeffries, chairman of the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives, said on the same television show that shutdowns were "not legitimate negotiating tactics" in public policy disagreements between two branches of government. About 800,000 federal workers were furloughed or worked without pay during the shutdown, missing at least two paychecks that officials are now working to make up for. "We hope that by the end of this week, all the back pay will be made up," acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said on CBS' "Face the Nation." Federal workers are owed about $6 billion in back pay, according to a study released last week. As a candidate, Trump pledged to build the wall, with Mexico paying for it. Mexico refused and now Trump wants US taxpayers to pay for the barrier, which he sees as key to curbing illegal immigration and illegal drug flows into the country. Democrats say a wall would be too costly and ineffective. It remained unclear when Trump would deliver his State of the Union address, which was postponed during the shutdown. One administration official, who asked not to be named, said on Saturday the speech would likely not occur until February. Read more: Latest world news New Delhi: The CBI has transferred the investigating officer in the ICICI Bank case as its 'discreet inquiry' suggested his role in leaking information related to searches, officials said Sunday. Superintendent of Police Sudhanshu Dhar Mishra was transferred to Ranchi, a day after filing an FIR in the case against former ICICI CEO Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar and Videocon Group MD Venugopal Dhoot on January 22, they said. The agency had carried out searches at multiple locations after the charge of the case was given to new investigating officer Mohit Gupta, they said. Justifying the transfer, the CBI pinned the blame on Mishra for keeping the preliminary enquiry pending without any reasons, they said. The CBI did not issue any formal statement in this regard. "ICICI Bank case is one of the very important cases that was pending without progress," one of the officials said. The official said after review some time ago, the preliminary enquiry wad sped up and was converted into a regular case. Immediately after the registration of the case, the searches were proposed to be conducted, they said. "However, it was suspected that there was a possibility of information regarding searches being leaked," the official claimed. "A discreet inquiry was conducted and role of Sudhanshu Dhar Mishra was strongly suspected. Hence he has been transferred pending detailed inquiry in the matter, being serious," he said. The officials alleged role of Mishra and others, if any, in 'keeping the PE pending' is also being looked into. Meanwhile, the agency did not respond to question if Mishra was suspected of leaking the information why was he allowed to file the FIR when agency knew that he was delaying the preliminary enquiry. The agency also did not respond to question which officer had cleared the FIR. The agency had carried out searches at the offices of Videocon Group in Mumbai and Nupower Renewables and Supreme Powers, both controlled by Chanda Kochhar's husband, on January 24. It is alleged that during the tenure of Chanda Kochhar six loans worth Rs 1,875 crore were cleared for Videocon Group and its associated companies in which in two cases she herself was on the sanctioning committees. In its FIR, the CBI has also named several top honchos of banking industry including the present CEO of ICICI Bank Sandeep Baxi alleging that they were also members of the sanctioning committees whose role needs investigation. Banking doyen and Chairman of New Development Bank K V Kamath,Goldman Sachs India chairman Sonjoy Chatterjee, Standard Chartered Bank CEO Zarin Daruwala, Tata Capital head Rajiv Sabharwal and Tata Capital senior advisor Homi Khusrokhan need to be investigated, according to the FIR. Their names were included by the agency in the text of the FIR after a year-long preliminary enquiry. The action attracted strong comments from former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who advised the agency against 'adventurism'. "Sitting thousands of kilometres away, when I read the list of potential targets in the ICICI case, the thought that crossed my mind was again the same - instead of focusing primarily on the target, is a journey to nowhere (or everywhere) being undertaken? If we include the entire who's who of the banking industry with or without evidence what cause are we serving or actually hurting." Jaitley, who was finance minister till last week and had to temporarily hand over the charge to his fellow minister Piyush Goyal for the duration of his indisposition, advised the investigators - "Follow the advice of Arjun in the Mahabharat Just concentrate on the bull's eye." Read more: Latest India news Ahmedabad: Firebrand Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Sunday tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend Kinjal Parekh in a simple ceremony at a community temple in a village in Gujarat's Surendranagar, nearly 150 km from here. As he, flanked by his newly-wedded wife stepped out of the temple in Digsar village, an elated Hardik Patel told reporters, "I have always stood up for equal rights for everyone and in the same way will give equal rights to my wife." 25-year-old Patel said that he along with his wife had resolved to continue his struggle for the rights of the people and youth. Hardik told reporters it was an "arranged love marriage" and he used to meet Kinjal secretly earlier. The two families had completed the engagement formalities sometime ago. The wedding was kept a secret family affair and no prominent people or politicians were invited. The first rituals were completed in Hardik's native Viramgam town and from here the marriage procession reached Digsar village. Digsar is Kinjal's native village though her family has been staying in Surat. At present Kinjal is studying law, while Hardik is a commerce graduate. Kochi: Jasminsha, the president of United Nurses Association (UNA), has come out against the smear campaign targeting nurses following the mysterious death of Annliya, the Bengaluru-based nurse who was found dead in Periyar River in late August. Earlier, Annliyas father Huygens Parakkal had revealed that some people who were upset over his decision to seek a probe into the death were showering abuse on him and family on Facebook. Supporting Huygens, a large number of Facebook users have registered their protest against the campaign insulting nurses as well as the nursing profession. Jasminsha defended the nursing fraternity by writing in a Facebook post that some had posted insulting comments on nurses below the news related to Annliyas death. People who realise the importance of the nursing profession have reacted sharply to these comments, he stated. I too studied at West Fort College of Nursing like Annliya. When I enquired about her with classmates, seniors, juniors and teachers, everyone had only good things to say about Annliya. She was good at not only studies but also singing. Annilya always had a smile on her face, Jasminsha continued, while adding that she would not easily give up hope as she was smart. Annliya's body was found after she was reported missing from Thrissur railway station on August 25. Her husband Justine has surrendered before the Chavakakd Judicial Magistrate Court as police took up the probe after Annliyas father Huygens complained expressing doubts over her death. Excerpts from his post: I had not so far posted anything for Annliya as it is the job of the police to clear the mystery over her death. I also do not wish to blame her husband or anyone else. The nursing fraternity hit back strongly against the abusive comments over Annliyas death. Afterwards, I received some video messages, especially her husbands video, and calls which prompted me to upload this post. Subsequently I made some enquiries and wish to state I will be with #Annliya till justice is ensured. So dont send me videos or messages insulting Annliya, he wrote. Read more: Latest Kerala news Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that his government would not approve of any action intended to undermine the independent functioning of political parties in the state. He said that a rare few were seen to have fallen for the tendency to belittle those in public life. A democracy can progress only by correcting such tendencies, the chief minister said in the assembly on Monday. He was responding to the submission moved by opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala in the assembly on Monday regarding the government action against SP Chaitra Teresa John who had conducted a midnight raid inside the CPM district committee office in the capital on January 24. A complaint regarding a police examination at the CPM district office has been submitted by the CPM district secretary. It is the obligation of a government functioning in a democratic space to seriously consider complaints given by responsible leaders of political parties, the chief minister said. This is precisely why the DGP was asked to conduct a probe into the complaint, he added. In his complaint, the CPM district secretary Anavoor Nagappan had said that there was a 'secret design' behind the raid in the CPM district office. The SP, in her search report to the magistrate, had stated that the raid was on the basis of 'reliable information'. The chief minister was not impressed. Chaitra was shifted to the Women's Cell, and stripped of her charge as DCP (law and order). Pinarayi said the government's policy was to create the necessary conditions for political parties to function independently. This is of paramount importance, and inevitable, in a democracy. And it is the responsibility of the police in a democracy to protect such institutions, the chief minister said. Pinarayi wanted political parties to be granted immunity from the law and order machinery. He said that normally party offices were not subjected to police raids. One of the basic principles of democracy is to allow political parties to function independently. Also, political leaders in the state have generally shown a cooperative attitude towards all kinds of police investigation, he said. The chief minister said that the trouble began when the officer in charge refused to entertain those who reached the Medical College police station on the night of January 23 to meet people who were arrested and kept in custody. (Interestingly, he did not use the phrase 'party workers'. Neither did he say that the men the party workers were so desperate to meet were those arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.) When permission was refused, more people gathered in front of the station and raised slogans. In the incidents that followed, it is estimated that the station had suffered damages worth Rs 2,000, the chief minister said. Cases were registered, including under Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act. It was to nab the accused in these cases that the police entered the CPM district office. During the examination it was also made clear that none of the accused were in the party office. There were only a handful of leaders there at that time, the chief minister said. Thiruvananthapuram: The recent raid on the CPI(M) district committee office here by a police team headed by SP Chaitra Teresa John, was not illegal, according to an inquiry report by a top cop. ADGP Manoj Abraham's inquiry report has come as a relief for Chaitra, who was removed from her temporary responsibilities of DCP (Law and Order) and reinstated in the Womens Cell, after her action provoked the ruling CPI(M)-led government. The report has not recommended any action against the woman officer. However, it points out that she should have been more vigilant in view of possible law and order issues. Superior officers should have been informed about the raid, the report said. The inquiry was conducted after CPI(M) district secretary Anavoor Nagappans plea alleging conspiracy to defame the government during the Assembly session. A search report submitted to the magistrate by Chaitra says credible information, including evidence of a culprit's phone conversation revealing his presence in the party ofce, led to the raid at midnight on January 24. The IPS officer led the raid on the party office to nab nine people who pelted stones at Medical College Police Station earlier in the day. The station was attackedafter the Left supporters were disallowed to meet two DYFI activists who were booked under the POCSO Act. Chaitra who was on a temporary DCP duty was transferred within hours of the raid, inviting much criticism against the chief minister. However, Nagappan said Chaitra raided the party office to get media attention.He alleged conspiracy behind the action. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that his government would not approve of any action intended to undermine the independent functioning of political parties in the state. He said that a rare few were seen to have fallen for the tendency to belittle those in public life. A democracy can progress only by correcting such tendencies, the chief minister said in the assembly on Monday. He was responding to the submission moved by opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala in the assembly on Monday regarding the government action against Chaitra. Read more: Latest Kerala news Two politically significant events had taken place after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to the state this year on January 15. First, a mystery man who called himself Syed Shuja, and who claimed to be a former Electronics Corporation of India employee, staged a press conference in London on January 21 to demonstrate how electronic voting machines in India could be tampered with. The second was the politically more momentous event. It happened a couple of days later when Rahul Gandhi, in a surprise move, asked his charismatic sister Priyanka Gandhi to lead the Congress election charge in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, considered the den of Narendra Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath. The prime minister, on his second visit to the state on Sunday, took on the first event head on. Modi made fun of the London press conference, and sought to politically embarrass the Congress. "The entire nation was amused to see a press conference in London where on foreign soil India's democratic ethos was questioned," he said at the valedictory of the Yuva Morcha state conference in Thrissur. And then, infusing a bit of drama, he said in a conspiratorial tone: Who was spotted at the press conference? A topmost congress leader. He paused for effect and added: Is this your respect for democracy, is this what our politics have come down to. The Congress will have to answer the people of India on this issue. Priyanka Gandhi However, it looked like the prime minister had completely ignored the more significant political event. There was not even a veiled mention of Priyanka's official entry into politics. BJP circles had hoped that the prime minister would throw in a cloaked sentence or two that would have cast aspersions on her husband Robert Vadra's allegedly shady business dealings. At least, it was hoped that Modi would ridicule Congress for its dynastic leanings. But that was not to be. Perhaps, the prime minister did not want to brighten the Priyanka aura by disparaging her. Still, a careful analysis of the prime minister's speeches on the day reveals that their message was dictated by the arrival of Priyanka on the national political stage. Modi's speeches on Sunday, the one in Kochi and then in Thrissur, were subtle attempts to neutralise the Priyanka factor. The things he spoke today were almost similar to what he said on January 15. Both then and today, he was essentially listing his achievements during the past four-and-a-half years. What was different today was the smart spin that he gave his accomplishments. Today, he gave his triumphs a clear feminine lilt. So when Modi took to the pulpit on Sunday, four days after Priyanka made a formal entry, it was not foreign direct investment or ease of doing business that had the pride of place in his list of achievements. His top successes today had a women connect. Four and a half years ago we launched a major effort to make all kitchens smoke-free, he said, beginning his list of successes. In 2014, only 55 per cent of all homes in India had a cooking gas connect. Today, the number stands at over 90 per cent, he said. This was not all. We are close to our goal to provide cooking gas connection to every home. More than six crore poor women have received free cooking gas connection, he said. Sanitation, another issue close to women, was also touched upon. "Sanitation was never important enough to be high on the priority of any former governments. Toilet coverage which was around 38 per cent in 2014 had gone up to more than 98 per cent today," the prime minister said. There was no mention of any of these achievements in the prime minister's January 15 speech. Modi said that neither the Congress nor the communists were serious about women empowerment. If they were they would not have opposed our attempts to do away with triple talaq, Modi said. It cannot be coincidental, this sudden and subtle shift in political messaging. There is a near consensus that Priyanka, because of her charisma and startling similarity to her grandmother Indira Gandhi, has the potential to sway women voters in a big way. Modi wants this perception nullified. It looks as if encroached forest land is the most sacred piece of real estate in the state. Or else, why would state governments consider the recovery of usurped forest lands as something as sensitive as meddling in the affairs of a religious order. The total encroached forest land in the state, according to figures placed in the State Assembly, is 19,277 acres. In September 2015, the High Court had directed that the recovery should be completed within a year, which is by September 2016. Forget the deadline. Even two and a half years after the deadline, the Forest Department has managed to get back only less than 300 acres, or nothing more than 1.5 per cent of the encroached land in the state. The Forest Department had already filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking more time to complete the eviction proceedings. Forest Department has managed to get back only less than 300 acres, or nothing more than 1.5 per cent of the encroached land in the state. This might give the impression that a bit more time was all that was enough for the government to effectively complete the task. Reality is, the government is least interested. Not just the present government, even the earlier ones had found recovering stolen forest lands politically risky. Political hot potato Political parties find it wise to turn a blind eye to encroachment. This political indifference leaves forest officials high and dry. Last year, forest officials had made an attempt to recover 15 acres of fresh encroachment by a group that was already in illegal possession of 100-odd acres of forest land. Local leaders of all political parties unitedly fought back the forest officials, a top Forest Department official said. We did not even touch the 100-odd acres that were already encroached, but only the 15 acres that were freshly encroached upon by the party in 2018, the official added. The forest official receive no help from the police or the district administration. The encroachers are not an abstract mass. The state clearly knows who they are, and the extent of land they have occupied. Political parties find it wise to turn a blind eye to encroachment. A survey had been conducted and the list of all encroachers, and the rough extent of their encroachment, has been submitted to the concerned district collectors. Fertile land for encroachers Problem is, this list will not have any value until the Forest Department clearly demarcates encroachments before January 1, 1977. Encroachments before 1977 have been regularised. Since even these older encroachments have not been defined properly using boundary markers it is convenient for those who had encroached after 1977 to claim that they too had encroached before 1977, the Forest Department source said. For instance, in the northern parts of the state, title deeds have still not been distributed to families who had encroached before 1977. The Kerala Land Assignment (Regularisation of Occupations of Forest Lands Prior to January 1, 1997) Special Rules was issued in 1993. Though the joint verification of lands encroached before 1977 was completed in 1992, a year before the Rules were issued, boundary markers were not planted. Persecution mania This official failure has given the post-1977 encroachers the chance to play the victim. They argue that they were pre-1977 settlers and were being unnecessarily persecuted by the Forest Department. They now want a second joint verification. Forest officials feel that this is a ploy to further delay eviction. The second joint verification is presently on at Wayanad, Kozhikode, Mannarkad and Nilambur. Significantly, the largest encroachments are in Mannarkad (6672.54 acres), Wayanad (4297.14 acres) and Nilambur divisions (1691 acres). Encroachments before 1977 have been regularised. There is another curious fact. None of these encroachers who now cry foul have not bothered to take the government to court for including them in the list of encroachers. It is a clear sign that they are confident that they will not be evicted, the official said. Departmental deception The official machinery also uses a bit of deception to save the illegal settlers. They make moves that seem proper, even courageous, but in truth are only attempts to give the encroachers time. Take for instance the Forest Department's practice of serving eviction notices. This, many say, is baffling because the Kerala Forest Act, 1961, allows summary eviction of encroachers. In the Kerala Government vs Mathai Kuriakose case in 1988, the High Court had also found nothing illegal in summary eviction. Further, it has also been established that encroachers have no rights. Field level officials of the Forest Department consider swift eviction the most effective way to recover encroached land. Field level officials of the Forest Department consider swift eviction the most effective way to recover encroached land. In Nelliampathy, for instance, the only lands that have stayed with the department are the ones that were summarily evicted. Wherever notices were issued, the encroachers had gone to court and secured a stay, a forest official said. Kochi: The Gujarati school here has completed 100 years of glorious service. The institution, which was established as a centre to teach Gujarati language to girls of families who had migrated to Kerala from Gujarat, has come a long way in the past 100 years. The centenary celebrations of the Cochin Gujarati LP and UP School will be inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on January 31. The centre, which came into existence in 1904, became a regular school in 1919. It was functioning from a rented space since 1904, and the school moved to the present building, which was inaugurated by then Cochin Dewan Vijay Raghavachari, in 1919. The school got government recognition in 1957, and eventually became a government-aided educational institution. It also got the nod to teach lessons in English medium from class I to class VII in 1962. Padmanabha Menon was the head master and Babubhai Jayaram the manager when school became an aided institution. English medium in the high school section was started in 1962, and a new high school building was opened by then Kerala chief minister R Shankar the next year. The school was expanded into a higher secondary school in 2003, and the kindergarten division was started in 2009. The institution which began functioning in 1904 with 57 students, now has 2,500 students and 115 teaching and non-teaching staff. People from Gujarat migrated to Kochi for business purposes and later settled down over here. As many as 812 families, comprising 4,500 members, come under the Cochin Gujarati Mahajan. Out of these 812 families, 650 families are based in Mattancherry and Kochi regions in Ernakulam district. Close to 8,000 Gujaratis are settled in Kerala. The three-day centenary celebrations will be held at the Kuruva Ground on Gujarati Road here from January 31. The cultural festivities will be inaugurated by Kerala Education Minister C Raveendranath on February 1, and the programmes of February 2 will be opened by Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac. Film actor Mammootty will also be part of the function. An alumni meet will be held on February 2. Read more from Ernakulam Snowfall affects vaccination drive in Humla Snowfall in Humla has affected the ongoing polio vaccination campaign in the district. The U.S. government reopened on Monday with about 800,000 federal workers returning after a 35-day shutdown as lawmakers geared up for talks to avoid another standoff before funding runs out again in three weeks, Trend reports referring to Reuters. The longest government shutdown ended on Friday when President Donald Trump agreed to end the partial government shutdown amid under mounting pressure as the effects spread across the country. Trump and Congress reached a deal to reopen the roughly one-quarter of the government that had been closed despite the president not getting the $5.7 billion he had demanded to build his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Still, it remained to be seen how lawmakers address border security before the Feb. 15 deadline while avoiding another closure. A committee of lawmakers from both parties will try to negotiate a compromise on border security as Congress prepared to reconvene on Monday. Government is open again, but we cannot forget what shutdowns mean: unnecessary anguish for millions of Americans, said U.S. Representative Madeleine Dean in a tweet. She is one of the dozens of new Democrats who took office this month as her party took control of the House of Representatives. Trump vowed to shut down the government again unless an acceptable border deal is reached, and on Sunday expressed skepticism that such an agreement could be made. He also left open the possibility of declaring a national emergency to get money for the wall, an extraordinary move that Democrats and some Republicans have vowed to fight and that would likely face a court challenge. Democrats, eager to capitalize on their political victory, oppose any border wall money but say they back additional funding for border security measure such as increased technology and Border Patrol agents. Republicans, who controlled both the Senate and the House when the shutdown began Dec. 22, are wary of a repeat closure. Polls show the public mostly blamed Trump and his party for the shutdown. Federal workers are expected to get paid this week for the five weeks of missed paychecks. Federal contractors and businesses that relied on federal workers business, however, face huge losses, although some lawmakers are pushing legislation to pay contractors back as well. We can never put families in such a difficult position again, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, the No. 3 Democrat in the chamber, said Sunday night on Twitter. President Donald Trump expressed skepticism on Sunday that U.S. lawmakers seeking to avoid another government shutdown could reach a deal on border security that he would accept, as he renewed his vow to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico, Trend reports citing Reuters. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump said chances were low that Congress could craft an agreement and avoid another closure of part of the U.S. government in three weeks time, when funding will expire. I personally think its less than 50-50, but you have a lot of very good people on that board, the president said, referring to the committee of lawmakers appointed to work out a compromise on border security funding. Another shutdown, Trump told the Wall Street Journal, was certainly an option. The president has also said he might declare a national emergency in order to build his border wall. Democrats would likely challenge that in court. Does anybody really think I wont build the WALL? Done more in first two years than any President! Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday evening. Democratic resistance to Republican Trumps demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall resulted in a 35-day shutdown of about a fourth of the U.S. government, a closure that just ended on Friday. The five-week standoff damaged the U.S. economy, left many federal workers scrambling to make ends meet and tested Americans patience with delays to air travel, closures of national parks and other disruptions. After opinion polls showed Americans increasingly blamed Trump for the situation, the president signed a measure on Friday to fund the government for three weeks as congressional negotiators try to work out a bill to fully fund the agencies through Sept. 30. But Trump also threatened to resume the shutdown on Feb. 15 if he does not get what he wants. In his interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump also sounded doubtful about a possible deal involving both wall money and a broader overhaul of U.S. immigration laws. I doubt it, he said, when asked if he would agree to citizenship for a group of immigrants known as Dreamers, who were brought to the United States illegally as children - in exchange for border wall funding. Thats a separate subject to be taken up at a separate time, Trump said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: As a result of a fire at a shipyard in Istanbul's Tuzla district two people died and 11 got injured, Trend reports referring to Turkish media on Jan. 28. The state of one of the victims is extremely serious, reports said. The reasons of the fire are currently being investigated, according to reports. An alcohol factory also caught fire in Istanbul's Gungoren district on Jan. 28. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: An alcohol factory has caught fire in Istanbul's Gungoren district, Trend reports via Turkish media. Firefighters and rescue workers have arrived at the scene of the incident. Work is underway to contain the fire. The cause of the fire is not yet known. No information is reported about victims. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: After the creation of a security zone in northern Syria, Syrian refugees will leave Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Jan. 28. Presently, there are about four million Syrian refugees in Turkey Erdogan added, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media. "Turkey has spent $35 billion for Syrian refugees." The security zone in northern Syria consists of an area stretching 460 kilometers along the Syrian-Turkish border. In case of the creation of this zone, it will be divided into two parts, the first part will start from the Iraqi-Syrian border and will be extended to the Syrian city of Qamishli, because the Syrian government forces control this city. The second part of the security zone will start from Qamishli and will be extended to Jarabulus city, which was liberated from the terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) as part of the Operation Euphrates Shield conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces in 2016. Manbij city, where Turkey had previously intended to conduct new anti-terrorist operations, will not be a part of the security zone. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: All attempts by Armenia to repair relations with Turkey are doomed to failure, a source in the Turkish government told Trend Jan. 28. The source noted that the reason for this is the occupation of Azerbaijani territories. The repair of relations with Armenia isnt a priority for Turkey, the source added. If Armenia really wants to repair relations with Turkey, Yerevan should prove this, first of all, by withdrawing its forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, the source said. Withdrawing forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories is actually beneficial for Armenia itself, the source noted. The occupation policy of Yerevan has led to the fact that Armenia has isolated itself from important regional projects. The source added that Armenia should think about the future of its citizens and ensuring normal economic conditions for them, instead of occupying of the territories which sooner or later will return to their true owner - Azerbaijan. Armenia must also immediately renounce claims to Turkey over the events of 1915, the source said. Turkey closed the borders with Armenia in response to its occupation of Azerbaijani territories. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu In an effort to counter Washingtons punitive measures, Russias Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation has entered into negotiations with its Chinese counterparts to hammer out a joint action plan to fight off US sanctions, Dmitry Shugayev, the agencys chief told NTV television on Monday, Trend reports referring to TASS. "We are holding negotiations with our Chinese partners. The most important thing is to avoid disparities in other sectors due to the transition to mutual settlements in national currencies," Shugayev pointed out. "However, the sanctions have another negative aspect, namely to intimidate our partners quite unceremoniously," he said, emphasizing that not all partners give into these intimidations. In an earlier interview with TASS, Shugayev said he did not see any threat from Washingtons punitive measures against contracts with China for the supply of Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 air defense systems. He also said that Moscow and Beijing saw eye to eye as to "the necessity of taking joint measures to minimize the effects of the sanctions". In September, the United States slapped sanctions on China due to the countrys purchase of ten Sukhoi Su-35 aircraft along with S-400s from Russia. The punitive measures were introduced under the 2017 Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). In particular, Chinas Equipment Development Department (EDD) was blacklisted. At the moment, Chinas stock of orders for Russian military products exceeds $7 billion. Russias Interior Ministry jointly with the Federal Security Service have detained in hot pursuit a suspect in the theft of Arkhip Kuindzhis "Ai Petri. Crimea" painting from the State Tretyakov Gallery, Russian Interior Ministry Spokesperson Irina Volk told TASS, Trend reports. "A suspect in the theft of Kuindzhis painting has been detained in a search operation conducted by staff members of the Main Directorate for Criminal Investigation of the Russian Interior Ministry jointly with the Russian Federal Security Service," Volk said. Police apprehended the suspect in the Zarechye village in the Moscow Region. The 31-year-old man told police that he had hidden the painting on the territory of a facility under construction in the Odintsovsky Region. Police later found the painting there. The man was held by police for storing drugs in December 2018. He is a suspect in a drug-related criminal case and was released under the pledge not to leave the country. The criminal investigation is ongoing. The painting by famous Russian landscape painter Arkhip Kuinzhi was stolen from Moscows Tretyakov Gllery on Sunday evening. The masterpiece had been brought from St. Petersburgs Russian Museum to be displayed at the exhibition of Kuindzhis works. The police spokesperson earlier told TASS that security officers who were in charge of video monitoring saw unidentified persons remove the painting from the wall and flee the scene. According to a source familiar with the situation, the price of the painting is to the tune of $1mln. The exhibition at the State Tretyakov Gallery will be reopened at 3 pm on Monday, the press service said. Israel government approved exports of Israeli-grown medical cannabis to the booming worldwide legal market on Sunday in news that Israels pioneering cannabis producers have long awaited, Trend reports referring to The Jerusalem Post. The global medical cannabis market was valued at $8.3 billion in 2017, and is projected to soar in value to $28b. by 2024, according to a recent report by Energias Market Research. While Israel is world-renowned for pioneering cannabis cultivation and its extraction technologies, producers have been left frustrated in recent months as the government has repeatedly stalled on giving growers the green light to export. However, a bill that was passed unanimously by the Knesset last month providing for the export of medical cannabis and implementing regulations for the licensing of medical cannabis businesses assured producers that the wait was nearly over. Licenses will be exclusively granted by the Health Ministry and will require police approval. I have supported the export of medical cannabis from Israel all along, and I welcome the governments approval today, said Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon. The export of medical cannabis will give the State of Israel a huge advantage in connecting research and development with agriculture and the cannabis industry, it will bring significant foreign currency revenues into the state and will maximize the advantages that the State of Israel possesses throughout the production chain. The governments decision was based on a recommendation from the Interministerial Committee of the Finance and Health ministries in August 2017, to allow the export of cannabis for medical purposes. It estimated that the state could earn between NIS 1b.-NIS 4b. ($1.09b.) per year from such exports. The committee cited the economic potential created by Israels many advantages in advanced regulation, research and development, clinical experience and unique climate that can be exploited by farmers, researchers and entrepreneurs to develop Israeli products for the international market. I supported the export of medical cannabis because of its economic contribution to the Israeli economy and following an agreement with the Finance Ministry to direct some of the resources to the health system, said Deputy Health Minister Yaacov Litzman. This is a dramatic step that was only approved after it passed all the necessary meticulous procedures by Israeli professionals, in full cooperation with the relevant government ministries, he added. Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel said the export approval constituted a historic message to farmers of Israel, young farmers, to patients and the Israeli economy. There are currently eight companies cultivating cannabis for medical purposes in Israel, and dozens more have applied for approval to commence work in the field. Shares of cannabis producers on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange were buoyed by the announcement, and company executives welcomed the governments decision, although some did so cautiously. We are thrilled by the government approval of medical cannabis exports from Israel, said Cannassure Therapeutics chairman Nir Peles. We think our experienced management team together with a strategic collaborative agreement with a Hadassah hospital subsidiary which includes distribution places us at the forefront of the Israeli cannabis industry to seize business opportunities that will further benefit Cannassure Therapeutics and its shareholders, Peles said. Cann10 Chairman Yossi Bornstein said Israels success in approving exports does not end with the governments decision. The great test is the time that will pass between the decision to write the regulations and the actual production, he said. We hope that, contrary to the nature of Israeli bureaucracy, this wont be a long process. Otherwise, the State of Israel will lose more precious time on its way to becoming an important player in the global industry. Another company hoping to benefit from the export approval is InterCure, a medical cannabis company chaired by former prime minister Ehud Barak. We welcome the decision to approve the export of medical cannabis and are convinced that this is positive news for the State of Israel, said Barak. InterCure, through Canndoc, is ready to export high-quality, pharma-grade medical cannabis to countries around the world and is pleased to accelerate production at its Israeli facilities to 100 tons. Adv. Hagit Weinstock of Tel Aviv-based Weinstock Zehavi & Co., a law firm that represents a range of Israeli and international investors and companies in the field, expects to see the first Israeli exports in three to four months. The primary market for Israeli exports will be in Europe, the biggest market in the world for medical cannabis, Weinstock told The Jerusalem Post, highlighting Germany as a potential customer. Exports will be on the basis of contracts between companies in Israel, who require export permits, and European companies, who need import permits. We are dealing with drugs so everything is tightly regulated, but they want Israeli products because the regulations here are very strict, and they believe in Israels pharmaceutical and agriculture knowledge. According to Adv. Noam Goodman, a partner at DLA Piper Canada specializing in cannabinoids regulation, Israeli exporters could even hold an advantage over leading Canadian export firms in the key European cannabis market. Israel can export medical cannabis to European countries at a lower cost, said Goodman. There are a couple reasons for this: the ability to grow, develop and process the product all in the same place, along with the geographical proximity between Israel and Europe. This sets Canada at a disadvantage, as Israel becomes one of the strongest exporters in the world. Philippines vows to crush 'terrorists' after church bombs kill 20 The Philippines vowed to destroy those behind twin bombings that killed 20 people during a Sunday church service in the countrys restive south, six days after a referendum on autonomy for the mainly Muslim region returned an overwhelming yes vote. The European Union has a message for British Prime Minister Theresa May as she plots a path out of the Brexit impasse: a backup plan for the Irish border can be tweaked but will have to be included in any divorce deal, Trend reports referring to Reuters. With less than nine weeks until the United Kingdom is due by law to leave the European Union on March 29, there is no agreement yet in London on how and even whether to leave the worlds biggest trading bloc. Parliament defeated Mays deal two weeks ago by a huge margin with many Brexit-supporting rebels in her Conservative Party angry at the Irish backstop, an insurance policy aimed at preventing a hard border in Ireland if no other solutions can be agreed. Ahead of Tuesdays votes in the British parliament on a way forward, lawmakers in Mays party are pushing for her to demand the European Union drop the backstop and replace it with something else. Ireland said the backstop was staying and the European Commission repeated on Monday that the withdrawal agreement text, and its backstop component, is not open for renegotiation. The European Parliament will not ratify a withdrawal agreement that doesnt have a backstop in it, its as simple as that, Irelands Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney told the BBC. As the Brexit crisis goes down to the line, however, EU officials indicated there might be wriggle room if May came back with a clear, and viable, request for changes that she - and the EU - believe will secure a final ratification. The backstop is a type of insurance policy aimed at preventing a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland if no other solutions can be agreed. It is the most contentious part of Mays deal. The question for May is whether the EU can offer enough to get a variant of her defeated deal through the British parliament. Possible amendments floated by EU officials range from further public assurances that the backstop would probably never be used or only for a brief period to amending the text which accompanies the treaty and which lays out expectations for the trading relationship that will come in after the transition. The EU has explicitly said if Britain were to stay in a customs union indefinitely, as the opposition Labour Party favors, that could leave the backstop redundant. One key element is maintaining a united front with the Irish government, which insists it needs the backstop without a time limit to ensure there is no physical frontier, which could become a target of the violence that has been reduced as a result of the two-decade-old Good Friday Agreement peace deal. EU and Irish leaders insist that Dublin is under no pressure to relent. However, a looming no-deal Brexit, in which the EU insists Ireland cannot leave an open door to British goods, has highlighted the difficulty Ireland will face if the backstop issue scuppers an agreement. EU leaders are open to giving May more time beyond March 29 if she can convince them she will use the time to secure the elusive orderly outcome, whether leaving or staying. Chinese authorities have launched a new operation called Sky Net 2019 to hunt down fugitive corruption suspects, Trend reported citing Sputnik. The campaign will be carried out by a number of Chinese agencies, including the National Supervisory Commission (NSC), the Supreme People's Court and the People's Bank of China, according to the Chinese media. Li Shulei, the deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said as quoted by the agency that China should increase efforts to boost international law enforcement cooperation improve the system that prevents more corruption suspects from fleeing. The move comes after French newspaper Le Parisien reported last year that the Chinese authorities suspected Interpol President Meng Hongwei, who also serves as the Chinese deputy public security minister, of corruption. The first Sky Net campaign was launched in April 2015. Iraq must wean itself off economic reliance on Iran and become more energy self-sufficient, Britain's foreign office minister for the Middle East said on Sunday, Trend reports referring to Al Arabiya. Alistair Burt visited Iraq after a flurry of high-profile diplomacy in Baghdad this month that followed US President Donald Trump's surprise announcement he was pulling American troops out of Syria. US allies worry the withdrawal, even if it proceeds more slowly than initially planned, will embolden Iran, whose influence has grown in Iraq and Syria in recent years. Washington hopes to counter Iranian influence through renewed sanctions, and has pressured Iraq to halt imports of Iranian gas. To expect Iran to have no influence in Iraq is fanciful, Burt said in an interview with Reuters at the British Embassy in Baghdad. What is important is that Iraq finds the opportunity to follow its own future in terms of foreign relations and that its economy is strong, and isn't reliant on Iran. Burt said Iraq must convert oil resources to become more self-sufficient. The sooner all its oil wealth can come on stream and can capture all the energy that is sometimes not used as effectively as possible.. the better, he said. Iraqs oil export capacity is nearly 5 million barrels per day, although it is pumping below capacity in line with an OPEC agreement to reduce production to stabilize prices. Washington hopes it can reduce its gas flaring to satisfy domestic energy needs and rely less on Iranian power imports. Burt said there were ideas for more power projects in Iraq, without elaborating. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.28 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: The European Union (EU) expects Armenia to ensure proper investigation of Mher Yeghiazaryans death, Trend reports citing Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Maja Kociancic. Indeed, Armenian investigative Authority reported by died over this weekend after hunger strike. Generally speaking, you know that EU is committed to the prohibition of all forms of torture and ill-treatment and to preserve the human dignity in any circumstances and in this context we expect the government of Armenia to ensure the proper investigation of this case and take measure as they would be appropriate following this investigation. We are aware of the case and we expect the Armenian authorities to act, she said during a midday press-briefing at the European Commission. Mher Yeghiazaryan, responsible for the Haynews.am news website, died in the Nubarashen prison in Yerevan on Jan.26. He was also vice-chairman of the Armenian Eagles: United Armenia political party. Yeghiazaryan was detained by officers of the National Security Service and then arrested last December on charges of fraud and extortion of money from the military. Tehran, Iran, Jan. 28 Trend: Iran's Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian has defended the agreement to form a free trade zone between Iran and the Eurasian states, and asked the parliament to pass the bill immediately. "The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is a single market of 190 million people and the most important and active economic union. The GDP of its member states is $4,000 billion. Russia alone has imported $250 billion worth of goods and products from around the world," said Ardakanian, Trend reports citing ILNA. A temporary agreement previously reached on formation of a free trade zone with Iran was concluded in a summit meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) in St. Petersburg. "Vietnam is the only country that joined the free trade agreement with the EEU and the second country will be the Islamic Republic of Iran. It tries to join the economic union before the next meeting of the Iran-Russia economic commission," he said. Iran joined the free trade agreement with the EEU on April 24, 2018, following months of negotiations with Russia. In the initial phase, Iran will sell some 350 items to the bloc, while 180 items will be available in the Iranian market. The EEU includes Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. It is a political and economic union of states located in central and northern Eurasia. Ardakanian noted: The Iranian goods will become more competitive and the agreement will improve the employment status. On the other hand it will attract investments to the northern and southern regions of Iran that will gain tariff exemptions for imports." He expressed hope that the Iranian MPs will pass the bill. Tehran, Iran, Jan.28 Trend: Iran's President economic advisor said the deepening of Iran-Turkey economic relations is a step towards deeper engagement of the two nations, emphasizing that Tehran and Ankara are determined to strengthen alliances particularly in the economic sector. The Islamic world is becoming stronger with closer ties between Iran and Turkey. With the unification of Iran and Turkey, no country can succeed in sanctioning the two countries, President Hassan Rouhani's economic advisor, Mohammad Nahavandian said on Saturday, in a meeting with Mustafa Rafat Hizar, chairman of the Turkish Chamber of Commerce. Referring to the US sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran, he said that the difference between the current and past US sanctions is that now the countries of the world, and even European governments, not only do not accompany the US, but also stand against its actions. Nahavandian outlined the expansion of relations with the Turkish government as one of the priorities of Iranian foreign policy. Tehran, Iran, Jan.28 Trend: A member of the City Council of Tehran spoke about the source of the bad smell that had spread in Tehran several weeks ago. Residents of Tehran complained about the spread of bad odors in various parts of Iranian capital, as the authorities appealed to citizens to help them search for the source of smell, Iranian media outlets reported. The bad odors which were spread in a few hours in some parts of central and southern Tehran did not have any traces, Tehran city councilor Zahra Sadr-Azam Nouri told Trend. Referring to the actions taken by municipality of Tehran to find out the source of this bad smell, she said that the Municipality's Environmental Department and the related entities, including the Water and Wastewater Organization, the Environmental Organization, the Gas Company, the Governorate and even universities, worked together to examine all probabilities. Zahra Sadr-Azam Nouri added that it was said that bad odors could be due to gas leakage or breakage of sewage pipes or due to methane gas from waste depot in Arad Koh or Plasco sewage. All of these items were reviewed and rejected. She said all probabilities were actually rejected, and no source were identified for this odor. "It could be that mercaptan was being transported by a tanker, and leaked, so the leakage spread around. But this option was also rejected." Yet, the official said the smell was observed in Tehran only for a few minutes and then vanished. Pointing to the possibility of repeating this event she said "There is no such possibility, and in just a few minutes, it came and disappeared and did not happen again." Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 28 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has held talks with Turkmen Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Hajiyev in Tehran, Trend reports referring to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. During the Sunday meeting, Zarif said Tehran attaches great importance to its ties with Ashgabat, and considers Turkmenistan one of the closest countries to Iran. We always seek enhanced relations and cooperation with Turkmenistan in various fields, and hope that we would be able to tap into all the capacities available for promotion of friendship and brotherhood between the two neighbours, he noted. Zarif pointed to earlier agreements on the legal regime of the Caspian Sea, and expressed Irans preparedness to work on joint projects on the body of water. He said no issue should influence friendships between the two countries, and expressed the hope that Iran-Turkmenistan Joint Committee would hold a session in the near future. The Turkmen diplomat, in turn, highlighted the significance of his countrys ties and cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and referred to the constructive talks he earlier in the day held with his Iranian counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araqchi in Tehran. We are trying to prepare the grounds for expansion and deepening of cooperation and bilateral relations and friendship with Iran by removing certain obstacles, he added. A number of big economic projects have been recently implemented. Besides gas pipelines, the IranTurkmenistan Friendship Dam was built and the North-South railway project was completed with Kazakhstans participation. As of February 1, 2018, 89 investment projects with the participation of Iranian companies were registered in Turkmenistan, the total value of which is equal to $1,310.95 million, 0.8 million euros and 0.81 million Turkmen manats. According to the Turkmen Ministry of Finance and Economy, 142 various enterprises with Iranian capital, including limited partnerships, subsidiaries, representative offices, and branches have been registered in the country. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 Trend: The Emirates airline Flydubai will start flying between Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and Dubai from March 11, 2019, Trend reports via Podrobno.uz, which cited press service of the airline. Moreover, the flights will become daily starting from May 31. The airline will use the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on the flights. The Boeing 737 MAX is more spacious than the previous generation aircraft. Business class fares start at 7,500 dirhams ($1,785) and include luggage weighing 40 kg, meals and entertainment in flight, while economy class fares start from 1,545 dirhams ($420) with luggage weighing 20 kg and hot meals. Departure schedule: FZ 1941 - Departure from Dubai International Terminal 3 - 21:20 (GMT +4) - Arrival at Tashkent International Airport - 01:45 (GMT +5) FZ 1942 - Departure from Tashkent International Airport - 03:15 (GMT +5) - Arrival at Dubai International Terminal 3 (DXB) - 06:05 (GMT +4) Flydubai's network of regular flights consists of 94 cities in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe. It has a fleet of more than 60 Boeing aircraft of various modifications. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Funds worth $22.5 billion obtained from Irans non-oil exports havent yet returned to the country, Head of Trade Promotion Organization Mohammad-Reza Modudi said, Trend reports via Tasnim. He said that only $10.5 billion or about one-third of Irans non-oil exports worth $33 billion for the period until January 14 have returned to Iran. He added that if the difference in the foreign currency prices between the black market and Iran's domestic Forex Management Integrated System (locally known as NIMA) is minimized, the problem will be solved. "If this difference isnt minimized, we will offer a solution for the foreign currency obtained from exports to return to Irans economy," he said. The price of 1 US dollar in the NIMA system is set at 82,700 rials. This is while in the black market, the price of 1 US dollar is about 120,000 rials. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Taleh Mursagulov Trend: S&P Global Ratings expects Azerbaijani economy to grow 2.3 percent in 2019, Trend reports Jan. 28 with reference to the international ratings agency. S&P Global Ratings affirmed the long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on Azerbaijan at 'BB+/B'. The outlook on the long-term ratings is stable. Azerbaijans GDP will grow 3 percent in 2020 and 3.1 percent in 2021, according to the forecast. Azerbaijans nominal GDP is expected at 80 billion manats in 2019 and will continue growing, reaching 84 billion manats in 2020 and 88 billion manats in 2021, the report said. In addition, the ratings agency expects acceleration of GDP growth per capita. Thus, the growth will be 2.3 percent in 2019, 3 percent in 2020 and 3.1 percent in 2021. The stable outlook indicates our view of balanced risks to the ratings over the next 12 months; we expect that the authorities will continue to focus on macroeconomic stability, including fiscal management, reads the report. The ratings on Azerbaijan are primarily supported by the sovereign's strong fiscal position, which is underpinned by the large stock of foreign assets accumulated in the sovereign wealth fund, SOFAZ, the report said. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @TalehMursagulov Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.28 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), which envisage transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, have been named among important international energy projects of Greece, Trend reports citing Greek Integrated Energy and Climate Plan for the Period from 2021 to 2030. The document recalls that the 878-kilometers long TAP pipeline has been under construction since 2016. The initial capacity of TAP is 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year with possibility of reaching 20 billion cubic meters by adding two more compressor stations. The plan includes the following important international energy projects: TAP, IGB, Turkey-Greece-Italy (ITGI) pipeline, East Med and others. IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to TAP via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets. The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas. TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU). The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries. Connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network. The project is currently in its construction phase, which started in 2016. Once built, TAP will offer a direct and cost-effective transportation route opening up the vital Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500-kilometer long gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe. TAP shareholders include BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent). --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.28 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Turkmenistans real GDP growth is expected to slow to 5.8 percent in 2019 from an estimate of 6.2 percent in 2018, Trend reports citing Fitch Solutions Macro Research (a unit of Fitch Group). Factors underpinning our 2019 outlook include a still-poor business environment and fiscal consolidation, even though we believe that gas exports to China will continue to provide major support to growth, said the report released by Fitch Solutions. The company believes that Turkmenistans growth will likely decelerate modestly thanks to continued support and tailwind from natural gas exports to China. We believe that the Central Asian countrys overseas gas shipments are likely to benefit from Chinas continued commitment to lowering environmental pollution over the coming years, through increasing its reliance on natural gas and reducing the usage of coal. Indeed, Chinas gas demand is booming, with imports of natural gas rising by 31.9 percent year-on-year in 2018, picking up from 26.9 percent in 2017, according to Fitch Solutions. Turkmenistan is endowed with abundant natural resources of oil and gas deposits (with gas reserves estimated to be the worlds fourth largest at around 10 percent of global reserves ), which will enable it to benefit from this trend, said the report. Fitch Solutions pointed out that indeed, China remains a big importer of Turkmenistans natural gas, with the Central Asian nation supplying almost 4 percent of Chinas overall gas imports along the 3,666 km Central Asia-China Pipeline. Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline with a length of 1800 kilometers is the world's largest transboundary gas pipeline. The Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline runs through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. It is planned to build the fourth line of the gas pipeline - through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, with commissioning of which the gas export volume will increase. In addition, it's planned to increase the gas supply volume to 65 bcm a year, which is more than 1.5 times than the current figures. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend: Satti, a jackup rig of Kazakhstans company KazMunayGas will be delivered to Baku where it will be modernized and later used for drilling work by Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR in the projects in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, Trend reports Jan. 28 with reference to SOCAR. This is envisaged by the memorandum of understanding signed by SOCAR and KazMunayGas. The document was signed by SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev and Alik Aydarbayev, chairman of the Management Board of the KazMunayGas. The memorandum envisages a wide range of potential cooperation between the companies, including possible cooperation in geological exploration in the Caspian Sea, joint exploration of geological and geophysical materials on the exploration of hydrocarbon crude as well as transport and trading. The memorandum was signed following the meeting in Baku between representatives of SOCAR led by Rovnag Abdullayev and a delegation from Kazakhstan led by Alik Aydarbayev. Kurmangazy Iskaziev, deputy chairman of the Management Board of the JSC NC KazMunayGas, Dimash Dosanov, general director of JSC Kaztransoil and Marat Ormanov, general director of the National Maritime Shipping Company Kazmortransflot also participated in the meeting. The representatives of both companies discussed the prospects of wider cooperation between the two companies throughout all segments of the oil and gas industry and a joint work plan for the near future. During the meeting, a letter of intent was signed between SOCAR Marketing and Operations and National Maritime Shipping Company Kazmortransflot LLP (NMSC) regarding cooperation prospects in hydrocarbon transportation. After the official meeting and discussions, the guests visited an interactive exhibition at SOCAR Tower, which reflects the ancient history of Azerbaijans oil industry and the new energy strategy of the republic. National Company KazMunayGas is Kazakhstan's national operator for exploration, production, refining and transportation of hydrocarbons, representing the interests of state in Kazakhstans oil and gas sector. KazMunayGas was founded in 2002 and includes more than 190 organizations. The shareholders of company are National Wealth Fund Samruk Kazyna (90 percent) and the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan (10 percent). --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.28 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: The ongoing crisis in Venezuela can cause power vacuum in OPEC, Cyril Widdershoven, a Middle East geopolitical specialist and energy analyst, a partner at Dutch risk consultancy VEROCY and SVP MEA-Risk, told Trend. "The current OPEC+ production agreement is not going to be affected directly. However, it should not be underestimated that Venezuela is currently leading OPEC. The current power vacuum will have its effect. Also, the possible removal of Maduro will decrease position of Iran and others, as they always have been backing Iran," he said. Widdershoven believes that the current and continuing instability in the country will keep 1. Compliance of OPEC production cuts at high levels. 2. Keep out the possible production and exports of Venezuela. 3. Will destabilize part of the market, as there is a growing need for medium to heavy crudes, of which Venezuela and Iran are major suppliers. Both are not out of the market. 4. It will put pressure on shale oil, as it will constrain putting light shale oil volumes into existing refineries outside of the USA. It will take a while to get Venezuelan oil again back on the market, according to the expert. "A possible government change could reopen the countrys position in the market, however, until now destabilization is high, without any real results yet. At the same time, the country has been mismanaging its oil production, volumes are constrained by wrong technical production approach. Also, appetite to invest in the country will be for long period still very low," he said. Widdershoven pointed put that in the foreseeable future more volumes will still be out. "Production at present is less than 1.2 million bpd, which is very low. Possible increases will take 1-3 years to materialize, if even the case. Still, more stability in the country will have a positive effect on market. At same time, Maduro is not yet out. Power play is not over, so situation is very diffuse." Venezuela is embroiled in fast-moving political crisis, after an opposition leader stood in the streets of Caracas on Jan.23 and declared himself as the rightful interim president. A flurry of world powers, including the US, immediately backed Juan Guaido, prompting a furious response from President Nicolas Maduro. The socialist leader broke diplomatic ties with President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday, ordering all U.S. diplomatic personnel to leave the country within 72 hours. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Huseyn Valiyev Trend: The 8th meeting of the Azerbaijan-Germany high-level working group will be held in Baku on January 31, the Azerbaijani Economy Ministry told Trend on Jan. 28. The issues regarding the current trade and economic relations between the two countries, the work that has been carried out since the 7th meeting, the prospects for expansion of cooperation and other issues will be discussed during the meeting. The 7th meeting of the working group was held in November 2017 in Berlin. According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Germany exceeded $1.44 billion in 2018, about $780 million of which accounted for the export of Azerbaijani products, while $660 million accounted for the import of German goods. The trade turnover between the two countries increased by 61 percent in 2018 as compared to 2017. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @h_veliyev Baku, Azerbaijan, January 28 Trend: The European Union provided Uzbekistan with 5 million euros for a project to support country's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Trend reports via UzDaily which cited the press service of Uzbek Foreign Trade Ministry. Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Trade held a meeting with the Head of EU Delegation to Uzbekistan, Ambassador Eduards Stiprais. The parties discussed prospects for further multidimensional bilateral cooperation as well as expanding cooperation in the field of trade, financial and technical assistance. In particular, Eduards Stiprais confirmed the EUs interest in supporting the activities of Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Human Security for Aral Sea region. The ambassador noted that parties should jointly consider the possibility of using the appropriate EU financing instruments for Trust Fund due to the specifics of EU financial and technical assistance in Uzbekistan, namely the development of rural regions. The parties also discussed issues of attracting EU assistance in the process of Uzbekistans accession to the World Trade Organization. Ambassador Stiprais supported the position expressed by Uzbek side regarding the need for a clear distribution of areas of assistance in the context of each donor. In this regard, the European side expressed its readiness to synchronize its activities with other donors, regarding the provision of assistance to the process of Uzbekistans accession to the WTO in order to avoid possible duplication. EU allocated 5 million euros for Uzbekistan to support the project on WTO accession which will be implemented by the International Trade Center (ITC) of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development trade organization. At the same time, taking into account EU procedures for approving projects, the Delegation of the European Union confirmed that ITC will soon begin practical implementation of the project without waiting for the completion of these procedures. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: Kazakhstan has allocated 500 billion tenge to prevent losses in traditional export markets and expand the geography of supplies and product range in 2019, Trend reports referring to the Kazakh media. "Some 220 billion tenge will be used to finance export-oriented projects," Arystan Kabikenov, Vice Minister for Investment and Development of Kazakhstan, said at a briefing. He noted that 80 billion tenge will be spent on crediting exporters through the tools of the Development Bank of Kazakhstan. It is also planned to increase the authorized capital of the Export Insurance Company KazakhExport by 68 billion tenge and to introduce a new type of state guarantee for the amount of 102 billion tenge. It is also planned to organize trade and economic missions, national exhibitions abroad, marketing promotion of products, a comprehensive analysis of sales markets, and reimburse part of the costs of product certification to exporters. Due to these measures, export revenues are expected to grow by 725 billion tenge until 2021. It should be noted that in 2018, KazakhExport supported 50 exporters, including 27 new companies. The supported export contracts amounted to 419.7 billion tenge. (377.46 KZT = 1 USD on Jan. 28) --- Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid Baku, Azerbaijan, January 28 Trend: Uzbekistan proposed Turkey to create a joint transport company and logistics center, Trend reports with reference to Podrobno.uz. Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade Badriddin Abidov offered this to the delegation of Agricultural Credit Cooperatives of Turkey during the negotiations. The parties discussed a plan for cooperation in the field of trade and investment. Abidov put forward a proposal to establish cooperation in the development and creation of a joint Uzbek-Turkish logistics company, attracting large Turkish investments to modernize the Urta Osiyo Trans Park as well as organizing an international, intermodal and multidisciplinary logistics center with large storage and refrigeration capacities. The parties agreed to make every effort to implement the agreements reached upon completion of the negotiations. Nowadays, Turkey is one of the most important trading partners of Uzbekistan. The volume of trade between our countries increased by 30 percent and amounted to $ 1.5 billion in 2017. Furthermore, Turkey ranked fourth in the foreign trade turnover of Uzbekistan in 2018. The volume of trade between the countries exceeded $2.1 billion, $936 million of which are Uzbek exports and $ 1.2 billion are imports. Durga Devi's DNA matches with vaginal swab of Nirmala The DNA sample taken from the vaginal swab of Niramala Pant, the 13-year old girl from Kanchanpur who was raped and murdered on July 26 last year, has matched with the DNA of her mother. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: "Turkmen Autobahn" CJSC has commenced the construction of the 600-kilometer Ashgabat-Turkmenabat high-speed road, Trend reports referring to Turkmen media. The Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan is the customer and general contractor through "Turkmen Autobahn", the local "Turkmenistan" TV channel reports. The works will be carried out by the local private enterprises "Nusayyollary" and "Hyzmat merkezi", "Oguz yoly" and "Altyn nesil". "The high-speed road will allow for the acceleration and increase of the cargo volume passing through Turkmenistan. Great prospects in this regard are opening up in the field of transport interaction with neighboring Uzbekistan," the "Turkmen Dovlet Habarlary" agency says. Due to its intersection with the Ashgabat-Turkmenbashi highway, the highway connecting the eastern regions of the country with its center will give direct access to cargo flows to the international seaport in the Caspian Sea and then via maritime roads to the Caucasus, heading to Europe, southern Russia, northern Iran, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman. Commissioning is planned on the following dates: December 2020 for the Ashgabat-Tejen section; December 2022 for the Tejen-Mary section ; December 2023 for the Mary-Turkmenabat section. The project, worth $ 2.3 billion, envisions construction from 20192023. The width of the roadway will be 34.5 meters. The highway will begin at the intersection that will be built on the 24th kilometer of the Ashgabat-Dashoguz highway. Centers for electronic payment, road supervision service points, and recreation platforms will also be set up here. Four bridges over the rivers, an additional four over the railway, and 22 at the intersections with other roads will be erected along the highway. In addition, a special passage for animals is considered. There will also be 76 underground pedestrian crossings, water collectors, bridges over mudflow channels, and junctions, among others. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend: The volume of cargo transportation via the Viking train route is expected to reach 49000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) in 2019, while in 2018 the indicator was 43233 TEUs, the Lithuanian Railways told Trend. Further, commenting upon the question on which countries plan to join the project, the company noted that it would be great to see Sweden and Kazakhstan joining the project. "We are also discussing this possibility with Latvian Latvian Railways (LDz) and Estonian Operail (formerly EVR Cargo)," the Lithuanian Railways added. Lithuania is implementing the Viking project from 2003. Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania are participants of the project. Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey joined the project later. Additional cargo flows can be attracted by adding Azerbaijan and Georgia to this train route. Therefore, in May 2016 Azerbaijan has signed a protocol about the joining of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC to the "Viking train" project. The total length of its Ilyichevsk (Ukraine)-Minsk (Belarus)-Draugiste (Lithuania) route is 1,766 kilometers. The main freight consists of vehicles and its parts, textile products, metal products, products of the chemical industry. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: The President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev has held talks with Rolf Draak, member of the Board of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA), and Mehran Eftekhar, Finance and Corporate Services Director at Nest Investments Holdings, Trend reports referring to the press service of the Kazakh president. The meeting was also attended by the Head of the Presidential Administration Asset Issekeshev, Mayor of Kazakhstans capital Astana Bakhyt Sultanov and architect-designer Kenneth Bruce James Anderson. The head of state was presented with a project for the construction of the World Trade Center building in Astana, which is planned to be implemented entirely at the expense of foreign investment. "Given the extensive experience of the WTCA in the implementation of such projects, I am sure that our cooperation will be fruitful for both parties," Nazarbayev said. Draak expressed his gratitude to the Kazakh president for the opportunity to meet and discuss the project. Eftekhar, in turn, stressed that Astana has a special strategic importance in the process of expanding the companys trade and economic ties. "Our investment group owns 18 major World Trade Centers. We know how to build and manage such objects. Kazakhstan and Astana in particular are an important place in our strategic expansion due to their participation in the major One Belt, One Road project," he said. At the end of the meeting, Nazarbayev approved the project of the new World Trade Center building and instructed the mayor of Astana to start joint work on its implementation. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 Trend: The multimedia round table entitled "Russia-Azerbaijan: Agenda for 2019" will be held at the press-center of Trend news agency on January 30, 2019 at 12:00 local time. From the Azerbaijani side, PhD, Head of Baku Network Elkhan Alasgarov, deputy director general of Trend news agency Lina Vaitkeviciene, senior adviser of the Baku International Multiculturalism Center Tofig Abbasov, head of the press-center of the Sputnik Azerbaijan news agency Ilqar Valizade will take part in the round table. From the Russian side, Chairman of the Expert Council of the Workshop of Eurasian Ideas Research Support Foundation, member of the Expert Advisory Group at the Russian CEC Grigory Trofimchuk, Director of the Center for Post-Soviet Studies at the Institute of International Studies of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Russian Foreign Ministry Stanislav Chernyavsky, President of the Center of Social and Political Studies (Aspect) Georgy Fedorov and Senior analyst at the Agency for Political and Economic Communications Mikhail Neyzhmakov will take part in the round table. Over the past year, Russia and Azerbaijan confirmed and strengthened the policy for the active strategic partnership to reach higher level of cooperation. The level of political trust and the potential of economic cooperation between the parties are progressively increasing. Azerbaijan is becoming one of Russia's priority partners in the South Caucasus, which contributes to ensuring regional stability and the implementation of big transnational projects, such as North-South transport corridor. The signing of the Caspian Convention opens up new prospects for cooperation in the Caspian sector. The dialogue between the parties in other international formats, in particular, the CIS and the SCO, is being intensified. The important decisions were made by the parties with a view to mutually beneficial development of bilateral cooperation, including the implementation of the joint action plan in key economic areas till 2024. Will those decisions be implemented in 2019? What will be the geopolitical situation in the region? What are risks and expectations? The experts will voice their views on these and other topical issues of interaction between Russia and Azerbaijan during the Moscow-Baku video-conference. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Samir Ali Trend: Hallabong, a rare citrus fruit, has been planted on more than 100 hectares (ha) of land in Azerbaijan's Lankaran, the Lankaran City Executive Power told Trend. The harvest time of this fruit differs from other citrus fruits: "Although other citrus fruits of the southern region are harvested in October-November, the harvesting of hallabong begins after December 25 and lasts for a month. Around 10-12 tons of the product was harvested from 15 ha of lands in 2016. An extra 18.7 ha of hallabong was planted in 2017, with 15.3 ha in other areas. This year there is an abundance of land and productivity." It is planned to increase the area of hallabong plantations in the future. The rare citrus plant known as hallabong or dekopon is grown in only 5 countries, including Azerbaijan. The fruit is originally from Japan. After Japan, its cultivation reached South Korea, eventually making its way to the US and Brazil. The fruit was brought to Azerbaijan and planted in Lankaran in 2015. Hallabong's weight ranges from 350 to 400 grams, with the fruit having a pear-like shape. It is rich in vitamins essential to the human body. The fruit has many health benefits, including helping preventing tooth loss and diabetes. It is also helpful in protecting the organism from various harmful substances and illnesses. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: Mikhail Avagyan, who became the executioner of Azerbaijani civilians in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, is an enemy not only of the Turks, but also of Georgians, head of the Turkish Association that Struggles Against International Baseless Armenian Lies (ASIMDER) Goksel Gulbey said, Trend reports. A monument to Avagyan recently erected in Georgia is not a coincidence, he said. "Such a step was taken on the day of the 29th anniversary of the January 20 tragedy," Gulbey added. Azerbaijani extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador to Georgia immediately held a meeting at the Georgian Foreign Ministry. The meeting was devoted to the installation of a bust of Avagyan in Bugashen village of Georgias Akhalkalaki on Jan. 20. Avagyan directly participated in the occupation of Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region and the surrounding areas and killing the Azerbaijanis in the territory. Azerbaijans protest on this issue was brought to the attention of the Georgian side. At the same time, the Georgian ambassador to Azerbaijan was summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, where he was called upon to take urgent measures to eliminate this case, which does not meet the spirit of the existing bilateral strategic partnership between the two countries. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Samir Ali - Trend: The elements that fulfill the orders of foreign anti-Azerbaijan centers are engaged in destroying the country from inside, striving to find peace in the "passion for rallies", Vugar Rahimzade, a member of the Political Council of the New Azerbaijan Party, chief editor of the Iki Sahil newspaper, told Trend. "These people, who do not have social support, authority in society, each time under the pretext of holding rallies gather 3-5 people around themselves, put forward slogans based on the theses of foreign sponsors and thus once again demonstrate their disgraceful position," Rahimzade said. Commenting on the opposition rally on Jan. 19, he noted that this show demonstrates its weakness, the lack of support from the Azerbaijani people. He added that the true goal of such elements is to get grants from the Armenian lobby and anti-Azerbaijan forces. "For this purpose, they lie a lot, changing masks one by one. However, people are already tired of the slogans, speeches of these destroyers, their senseless and deceitful promises that have not changed for 25 years now," Rahimzade said. He also said that one of the missions of these destroyers is to seem heroic on social networks and do things that they cannot do in real life. "On one of the pages on social networks, the rally of Jan. 19 is presented as "great heroism". But people cannot be deceived by this kind of lie. Observations show that the rally on Jan. 19, as usual, is remembered as unsuccessful," he said. He noted that in order to fulfill orders received from abroad, these destroyers are even ready to turn Azerbaijan into Syria, Libya and other countries where there is confrontation between citizens. "Naturally, the Azerbaijani state, its leadership and the people have never allowed and will not allow these dirty intentions to be embodied. The destroyers themselves have only listened to their lies, the empty promises they have been making for 25 years," he added. Rahimzade also said the destroyers' attempt to come to the Martyrs Alley on Jan. 20 and arrange outrage instead of paying tribute to the martyrs testifies to the lack of self-esteem among those persons. The radical opposition, organizing a political show on Jan. 20, showed disrespect for the martyrs who fell for the freedom of the country, he added. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: Head of the delegation of the Azerbaijani parliament in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Sahiba Gafarova, Azerbaijani MPs Javanshir Feyziyev, Azer Karimli, Malahat Ibrahimgizi and Tahir Mirkishili will take part in meetings of the Euronest PA committees in Brussels, Trend reports with reference to the Azerbaijani parliament. Discussions will take place regarding innovations and reforms in the field of education in the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries, simplification of digitalization in order to stimulate economic growth in the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries, parliamentary control as a means of strengthening democracy and efficiency of government agencies in the Eastern Partnership countries and on other issues. Along with the meetings of the committees, the Azerbaijani MPs will also take part in the meeting of the Working Group on Belarus. Members of the Azerbaijani delegation will speak on issues that will be raised at the meetings. The visit will end Jan. 31. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 By Azad Hasanli Trend: Azerbaijan continues active negotiations on gas supply to the Balkan countries, Counselor of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Serbia Mahir Jafarov said in an interview with Trend. He expressed hope that Serbia, just like Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, will begin the corresponding negotiations with Azerbaijan on gas purchase. Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, being candidates for joining the European Union, are responsible for fulfilling the requirements for diversifying energy sources, he said. These requirements, in turn, create prospects for these countries to purchase Azerbaijani gas through the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). Jafarov reminded that there are plans to supply Azerbaijans gas to Greece and Bulgaria in 2020. A memorandum of understanding for the construction of a gas pipeline between Bulgaria and Serbia was also signed, he said. Azerbaijan important for Europe Commenting on Montenegros decision to open a representative office in Baku, the counselor remarked that the decision was made in December last year during the 103rd government session chaired by Prime Minister Dusko Markovic. Jafarov stressed the importance of Montenegro, a European country, opening its diplomatic office in Baku. This is the result of a successful foreign policy pursued by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and yet another confirmation of our countrys significance for Europe, he said. Preventing Armenian provocations in Europe Unfortunately, no one is immune from provocations of separatist regime, Jafarov said. We see how the separatist regime intensified in Europe, and Serbia is no exception, he noted. He told about one such case that occurred in June 2018. The Azerbaijani Embassy in Serbia learned that a shop called Armenian Flavors in the Duty Free of the Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade sells wine, brandy, vodka and other alcoholic beverages produced by separatists in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, he said. These products were manufactured under the so-called Artsakh brand, he added. We appealed to the authorities of Serbia and reported that the government of Azerbaijan strongly objects the sale of goods produced in the occupied historical Azerbaijani territories, given invented names by Armenia. Such facts threaten the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country. Jafarov noted that the Serbian side was also reminded of the relevant paragraph of the Joint Action Plan on Strategic Partnership between Azerbaijan and Serbia, signed in May 2018 by the heads of both countries, which doesnt allow the sale of goods and services produced in the occupied Azerbaijani territories in Serbia. As a result of urgent measures, these products were once and for all removed from the Duty Free shelves in the Belgrade airport and in Serbia in general, he said. On support to Azerbaijanis living in the Balkans Jafarov stressed that the embassy is constantly in contact with the Azerbaijanis living in Serbia and in the Western Balkans, invites them to participate in the events held by the embassy and also constantly updates them about the current events in Azerbaijan. We keep close contacts with our students studying in these countries, compatriots living and working there, he said. We are interested in each of them individually; we get acquainted with the conditions of education, work and residence on the spot and also support them within our possibilities. He stressed that the ongoing work is based on the tasks set by President Ilham Aliyev to the embassies and representative offices to care and pay attention to every Azerbaijani living abroad. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli Details added (first version posted on 18:54) Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 Trend: Armenia must understand that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict's settlement is beneficial for the entire region's development, spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Leyla Abdullayeva, said. Abdullayeva made the remarks at a meeting with Italian journalists in Baku, where a journalist from the Agenzia Nova news agency also participated, Trend reports on Jan. 28. The adoption of the declaration on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during Italys OSCE chairmanship opened the way for the current intensive negotiations to resolve the conflict lasting for many years, she said. According to Agenzia Nova, Abdullayeva made this statement referring to the joint declaration adopted in Milan when the meeting of the Council of Ministers was held as part of the completion of Italys OSCE chairmanship in December 2018. "Azerbaijan has a complex geostrategic position, which, of course, affects our foreign policy," Abdullayeva said. Abdullayeva spoke about the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as a result of the conflict, and the problem of more than one million refugees and internally displaced people living away from their ancestral lands. "Our goal is to return the occupied Azerbaijani territories through the maximal development of the country, she added. "If Armenia understood that as a result of withdrawal of its troops from the Azerbaijani territories the whole region would develop, all strategic infrastructure and energy projects in the Caucasus would be more functional," Abdullayeva added. Touching upon the intensification of negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia in connection with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Abdullayeva stressed that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan had a meeting in the 2+3 format (Azerbaijan and Armenia + co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group) in January 2019 and an agreement on the continuation of negotiations in February was reached. She stressed the need to continue discussions, saying the new meeting will become important for mutual understanding of positions. Each side agrees that the bilateral negotiations consist of two official sides - Armenia and Azerbaijan, she said. Bakus position on this issue is clear. "The structure illegally created in the Nagorno-Karabakh region is not recognized by any country, even by Armenia itself, Abdullayeva said. Azerbaijan only wants its territorial integrity to be respected." Abdulayeva noted that settlement of the conflict is possible only after the de-occupation of Azerbaijani territories, including Nagorno-Karabakh, and the provision of a high autonomy status to the region within Azerbaijan. Abdullayeva also highlighted another positive result achieved during the last meeting in Paris. She noted that during this meeting, there was emphasized a need for both governments to prepare the population of both countries for peace. "Of course, it is not easy to resolve the conflict, but internationally recognized borders of all countries must be respected," she said. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Medical Education Bill tabled at National Assembly meeting National Medical Education Bill has been tabled at the National Assembly meeting amid protest from the main opposition Nepali Congress on Monday. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 Trend: In accordance with the mandate of the personal representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, regular monitoring has been scheduled for January 29 at the state border of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the direction of Tovuz district, Trend reports with reference to the press service of Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be held by field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative Ghenadie Petrica and Simon Tiller. On the Armenian side, the monitoring will be held by Mikhail Olaru, Ognjen Jovic and Martin Schuster, field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 24 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Jan. 28, Trend reports. The Armenian armed forces were using heavy machine guns. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28 Trend: Azercell Telecom LLC continues to launch beneficial campaigns for its customers in 2019. This time, jointly with ABC Content LLC, Azercell will please its prepaid line subscribers with the new stimulating lottery Azercell-dn Hdiyyli Balans (Gift Balance from Azercell). The campaign will be valid from Jan. 24 to Dec. 29, 2019. In order to acquire the right for participation in the stimulating lottery, the subscribers should top-up their balance (except Simcredit and Paycell) for at least 1,00 AZN and text blank SMS to 5353.(sms is free). Prepaid subscribers joining stimulating lottery, will gain points and gifts during the validity period of the campaign: - 1000 AZN Every day - 10,000 AZN Every month - Super prize up to 100,000 AZN Please visit www.hediyyelibalans.az to get further information about the terms of participation, schedule and the winners. Be noted that, only the subscribers aged 18 and older are eligible to participate in the lottery. Join this campaign and take the opportunity to win up to 100 000 AZN from Azercell! For detailed information, please visit: https://www.azercell.com/en/personal/campaigns/monthly/hediyyelibalans/ For more information, please contact [email protected] The leader of the mobile communication industry, the largest taxpayer and the biggest investor of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. With 48 per cent share of Azerbaijans mobile telecom market Azercells network covers 80 per cent of the territory (excluding 20% per cent of the occupied territories) and 99,8 per cent of population of the country. Currently, 4,5 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, mobile internet services, Metro coverage, 24/7 call centre service, 7 day/week Front Office service, M2M services, one-stop-shopping approach Azercell Express offices, mobile customer services, Online Customer Care and Social Media Customer Care services, mobile e-signature service ASAN Imza etc. Azercell deployed first 4G LTE services in Azerbaijan in 2012. According to the results of mobile network quality and wireless coverage mapping surveys by international systems, Azercells network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. Azercell is the only company in Azerbaijan and CIS region which has been awarded Gold Certificate of International Investors in People Standard. A member of Irans Expediency Discernment Council (EDC) has said that after its latest meeting on Saturday, January 26, he was threatened with death. Majid Ansari told ISNA news agency he will ask Irans security and judicial organs to investigate the death threat against him, but he did not provide any details as to exactly how the threat was made. He added, This is the peak of despotism when some think whoever opposes their views is a traitor. The EDC, which is a constitutional arbiter between parliament and the Guardian Council met on Saturday to decide about the fate of legislation related to anti money laundering and terror financing demanded by an international watchdog and Western countries. The international Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has asked Iran to amend a series of laws to make its legal framework compatible with international standards. President Hassan Rouhanis government proposed a series of four bills, but Irans conservatives have fiercely resisted their approval. Although parliament has approved the bills, the conservative Guardian Council has refused to endorse two of them. It was expected the EDC to make a ruling two days ago, but it failed to do so, although FATF has given Iran a deadline until February to change its laws. Ansari has served as one of president Rouhani's deputies and it can be assumed that he defended the approval of the bills during the EDC meeting and later received death threats. Ansari also argued that the EDC exists to break deadlocks and if regarding important matter no solution can be foundthe constitution clearly prescribes a referendum. It should come as no surprise that a parliamentary motion banning child marriage proposed in December in Iran was killed in its infancy. Many of the clerics who dominate the ruling establishment have themselves taken child brides, and despite the public outcry on social media in favor of the ban, there is no will among the authorities to end this practice. The history of marrying underage girls in the Islamic Republic goes back to its founder, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who at the age of 27 married 15-year-old Khadijeh Saqafi. Khomeini's daughter-in-law, Fatemeh Tabatabei, was also just fifteen years old when married to the Ayatollah's younger son, Ahmad. Khomeini's successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, married his wife, Mansoureh Khojasteh, when she was under seventeen years old. Iranian clerics have traditionally promoted marriage at a young age for both boys and girls. Mohammad Javad Larijani, Irans 68-year-old International Deputy Chief Justice, says he was married so young, he cannot even remember at what age. His brother, Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, the head of the Islamic Republics judiciary, similarly says "I cannot remember how old I was when I married; probably I was 16-17 years old. Their brother, Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iranian Parliament, married the daughter of Ayatollah Morteza Motahari, a prominent supporter of Islamic government, when he was twenty and she was fifteen. When Sahebeh Arabi married her maternal cousin Hassan Fereidoun (currently Hassan Rouhani, Irans president), she was only fifteen years old. The record breaker for underage marriage is the Islamic Republics first Minister of Intelligence, mid-ranking cleric Mohammad Reyshahri, who proposed marriage to Ayatollah Ali Meshkini's daughter while she was only nine. The minister waited two hears before taking the 11-year-old bride home. Although the Quran does not mention a specific age for marriage, either for the husband or wife, Shi'ite jurists, including Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, have maintained that the appropriate age for marriage is puberty. Insisting that Prophet Muhammad is the perfect example for all Muslims, Shi'ite jurists argue that he married a six-year-old bride, Aisha, with whom he consummated the marriage when she was only nine years old and had allegedly reached puberty. A prominent member of the Islamic Republic's Cultural and Social Council for Women recently defended child marriage, arguing it protects girls from a life of prostitution and illegal abortions. Fereshteh Rouhafza told state-run ILNA December 4 that in light of the rapidly growing number of increasingly young girls undergoing illegal abortions and joining the sex trade, opposition to child marriage is wrong. Defenders of human rights have repeatedly dismissed such claims, rejecting child marriage as child abuse. According to Irans Association of Childrens Rights, the number of girls married in Iran under the age of 15 climbed from 33,383 in 2006 to 43,459 in 2009, a 30 percent increase in three years. Experts say the increase is due to deepening poverty and parents abiding desire to control their daughters sexuality. The Islamic Republics civil code stipulates that the legal age of marriage in Iran is thirteen for girls and fifteen for boys. However, the civil code allows girls as young as nine to marry with the consent of their father or the permission of a judge. An influential ayatollah in Iran says no one has been singled out to succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the position of supreme leader. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, spokesman of the Assembly of Experts (AE) and Tehran's interim Friday Prayer leader, said on January 26 that the media had misconstrued his previous comments about a confidential committee being formed to pick the future leader. According to Khatamis interview with the state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA) two years ago a confidential committee had been formed to select the future supreme leader in Iran. "The committee is currently vetting records of qualified persons to occupy the position in the future," he was cited as saying at the time. Khatami explained that only the current supreme leader Khamenei had access to the reports filed by the committee and that he would be given the names of qualified candidates upon request. However, in his latest interview with ISNA, Khatami said, "Thank god that our supreme leader is in the most buoyant condition, going for walks and working out. Naturally, though, one should think about the ruling system's future, as well." As a member of the AE's , Khatami also said that no one is being considered to replace Khamenei. It is not clear why the conservative ayatollah raises the issue of succession now after he left his previous comments stand for two years. One possible reason why Khatami took back his statement about a select committee being appointed to choose the next leader could be that the idea is against raison d'etre of the Assembly of Experts that ha the constitutional task of choosing the successor to the Supreme Leader. Designating a small committee of a handful of AE members to accomplish the task would have undermined the main reason for the existence of the Assembly and the rest of its members. However, he did admit that the AE Select Research Committee should have its own tactics and "measures" for when someone suitable is found, saying the AE has compiled fair guidelines. "There were miscellaneous documents on the case that we decided two years ago to compile and write guidelines based on them," Khatami said. "Now the guidelines are prepared and ready to use." Khatami said that Khamenei had asked the AE to compile the requirements needed for the position of leader of the establishment. However, Article 5 of the Iranian Constitution stipulates the requirements endorsed by Khamenei, including such qualities as courage, resourcefulness, and administrative ability. The AE is the deliberative body empowered to appoint and dismiss the supreme leader. However, all directly elected members of the AE must be first approved by the supreme leader before gaining their seats. The assembly consists of 88 members who are elected from lists of vetted candidates by direct public vote for eight-year terms. The last AE election was held in 2016. The current chairman of the Fifth Assembly is 91-year-old cleric Ahmad Jannati. The question of finding a replacement for Khamenei has been widely discussed in recent years after he underwent surgery reportedly for prostate cancer in 2014. Khamenei, 79, was born in Mashhad, northeast Iran, and after two terms as president (1981-1989) replaced Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as supreme leader in 1989. Nearly 60% of Ukrainians support Donbas war end even with relinquishing territories outside Kyiv's control - poll KYIV. Jan 28 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Over a half of polled Ukrainians support the cessation of the war in Donbas even under the condition of relinquishing the certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Oleksiy Borovskiy, the director of the Seetarget polling institution, said. "Over a half of the population of Ukraine, almost 60% [59.2%] want peace at any cost," Borovskiy said at the presentation of the sociological survey 'Ukraine in the Focus of Sociology: Social Sentiments during the Electoral Campaign in 2019' at Interfax-Ukraine in Kyiv on Monday. Even by means of relinquishing the territories outside Kyiv's control, he said. According to Borovskiy, 24.1% of respondents chose the option of continuing the military conflict by any means, including the force, until Ukraine gains control over the separate areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. According to the poll, 73.1% of residents of the east of Ukraine stand in favor of the end of the war. "This matter virtually divides Ukraine into two political camps or two large social groups," Borovskiy said. In addition, despite the armed conflicts, the majority of Ukrainians hold a negative attitude towards the implementation of legal initiatives on the freedom of selling arms. Therefore, 77.6% of respondents do not support free trade of arms under the condition of more severe responsibility for crimes using firearms and illegal circulation of weapons. And only 18.1% of those polled deem it acceptable. Seetarget interviewed 2,010 respondents aged 18 and older between December 17 and 23, 2018, ahead of the presidential election in March. The margin of error is not higher than 2.3%. KYIV. Jan 28 (Interfax-Ukraine) Almost 80% of Ukrainian citizens are convinced that Ukraine is moving in the wrong direction, Director of the Seetarget company Oleksiy Borovsky said referring to the results of a poll. "The absolute majority estimate the direction of the country's movement as negative. Almost 80% choose "rather in the wrong direction" and "definitely in the wrong" answering the question about the country's way, but there are 14% who note the positive movement of the country," Borovsky said at the presentation of the research results at the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine press-conference on Monday. According to the survey, 43.2% of respondents noted that Ukraine is definitely moving in the wrong direction, 37.1% of respondents believe that the country is heading "more likely in the wrong direction." At the same time, 2.3% of respondents are confident that Ukraine's direction is unequivocally correct, and 11.9% are convinced that Ukraine is moving 'rather in the right direction." Seetarget company conducted a study titled "Ukraine in Focus of Sociology: Social Attitudes of Citizens during Election Campaign 2019" on December 17-23, 2018. The method of personal interviews with 2,010 respondents over 18 years old was used. Sampling error is not more than 2.3%. Last Sunday, an inspection of the readiness of the Ukrainian military aviation forces on combat duty with vessels of Ukraine's Naval Forces and State Border Service was held in the Sea of Azov under Joint Forces Operation (JFO) control, JFO Commander Lt. General Serhiy Nayev has said. The level of interaction between different units was tested. On Monday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Facebook that "an inspection (training) of assault aircraft supporting naval operations of the Ukraine's Armed Forces and the State Border Service of Ukraine, operating as part of JFO in the Sea of Azov" had been held. A number of tasks were worked out, in particular, air support for the actions of Ukraine's Navy and providing air cover. Practical targeting of the enemy's naval targets was carried out by Ukrainian ships on duty in the Sea of Azov, as well as responding to enemy targets at sea. "The military pilots, naval sailors and seamen of the State Border Service of Ukraine coped with the tasks and were rated 'ready for missions,'" the report said. Captain of the Nord fishing vessel Voloydymyr Horbenko, a Ukrainian citizen, has disappeared, his lawyer Maksym Mohylnytsky has said. The Nord was detained by Ukraine's State Border agents in March 2018. "Volodymyr Horbenko went missing. According to the relatives, last Saturday around noon, Volodymyr disappeared from home and no one has seen him since. The captain does not contact the family and the lawyers," the lawyer said on Facebook on Monday, noting there are grounds for concern. "We are very worried," the lawyer said, adding that he does not exclude provocations by law-enforcement agencies or members of radical organizations. Mohylnytsky said he hoped the captain is alive and well. As earlier reported, on March 25, 2018, Ukraine's State Border Service of Ukraine detained the Nord with 10 crew members on board. Horbenko was served with a notice of suspicion under Article 332-1 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (violation of the procedure for entry/exit into the occupied territory of Ukraine in order to harm the interests of the country). Later, he was served a notice of suspicion under Article.249 (illegal fishing). The Kherson city court chose a measure of restraint in the form of personal recognizance. At the time of the pretrial investigation, Horbenko stayed with relatives in Melitopol, Zaporozhia region. On June 19, the Kherson city court refused to renew the obligation for Horbenko not to visit the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. On January 10, 2019, Kyiv's Obolonsky District Court postponed the preparatory meeting for Horbenko's trial until February 1, 2019. Ministry to draft laws to address climate change, define roles on all levels In a bid to address the overarching issues related to the environment, forests and climate change in the new federal structure, the Ministry of Forest and Environment has started drafting and amending various laws. Ukraine's Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said he hopes Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada can strengthen responsibility for election-related offenses in new legislative acts. "Work on this has been going on for almost two years ... The main novelties of this law are the irreversibility of punishment for crimes against the electoral rights of citizens and the decriminalization of certain minor violations that do not affect the overall outcome of the electoral process. The bill also provides for strengthening the ability to counter bribing voters and falsification of the voting results," Avakov said during a meeting with top Interior Ministry officials in Kyiv on Monday. In this context, the minister expressed the hope that "at the beginning of the election campaign, parliamentarians will be able to consider this bill and adopt as a whole." As reported, in April 2018, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine submitted to the Parliament draft law No. 8270 on introducing amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine regarding strengthening responsibility for violation of electoral legislation. This bill provides that priority will be given to those offenses that affect the election results. At the same time, some violations will be decriminalized, which cannot affect the election results. The draft law exempts violators who report violations of electoral legislation. Among other things, the draft law proposes introducing a penalty of imprisonment for up to two years for illegal ballot stuffing, for violating the secrecy of voting by a member of an election commission, a candidate or an observer, for receiving an unlawful gain by an elector for active or passive influence on the election results. Also, up to six years in prison is proposed to strengthen the sanction for offering the voter undue benefits (now up to three years), including alcoholic beverages and food. In addition, law enforcement officers will be able to carry out secret investigative actions to collect evidence to bring persons to justice for violations of electoral legislation. The EU Mission headed by Mr. Thomas Mayr-Harting, Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia in the European External Action Service, and Mr Peter Wagner, Director of the European Commission's Support Group for Ukraine, will visit the regions adjacent to the Azov Sea from January 27 to February 2. The mission staff will comprise representatives from several other European Commission departments, the press service of the European External Relations Service said on Monday. "The main objective of this high-level EU mission is to assess the economic, social and political situation in the region, which has been severely affected by the Russian inspection regime in the Azov Sea, particularly after the escalation of 25 November 2018 in the Kerch Strait and the Azov Sea," it says. As expected, the officials will first meet with the Ukrainian authorities and other stakeholders in Kyiv. In-depth discussions will then take place in Mariupol, Berdiansk, Melitopol, and the surrounding areas with local and regional administrations and councils, civil society representatives, members of the business community, and education institutions. "Based on the findings of this mission, the EU will assess how to intensify support for the Azov Sea region, including building on already ongoing programmes and in cooperation with European financial institutions," the message reads. It is noted that the visit, building on the results of coordination meetings with Member States and other international partners organized by the European Commission in Brussels at the end of 2018, takes place amid a number of additional high-level missions from EU Member States. Three 28-year-old tourists from Kyiv have been caught by an avalanche on the Stig Mountain in Rakhiv district of Zakarpattia region on the previous night, one of them died, Head of Zakarpattia Regional State Administration Hennadiy Moskal has said. "Before climbing the mountain, the guys contacted the rescuers and asked how safe this route was. They were told literally like this: "Do not go, because the funeral costs a lot." Despite the warning, all three decided to go to the mountains. Already during the descent, the first avalanche tore down and covered them up to the waist. And the second one covered them completely," Moskal said on Facebook. According to him, one of the tourists managed to independently get out from under the snow and helped to dig out his friend, after which both dug up the third one. "Unfortunately, the young man suffocated under the snow and died," the head of the regional state administration added. DTEK, the largest private energy holding in Ukraine, actively supports the speedy transition to an auction system while encouraging the development of renewable energy sources and compete under these new conditions, Maksym Tymchenko, the director general of the energy holding, has told Interfax-Ukraine in Davos. "We are not only not scared [by the transition to the auction system], but we actively support it and promote the relevant law at the expert level. The transition to auctions is what should happen in Ukraine in the near future, and we are ready to compete, however, as in other businesses," he said on the sidelines of the Davos Ukrainian Breakfast, organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. Tymchenko expressed hope that the parliament would soon adopt at second reading the relevant law so that Ukraine could comply with international trends not only at the level of power generation technologies, but also in the regulatory environment. The head of DTEK noted that the company since its inception has supported the world energy trends and has long ago announced a strategic decision to actively increase its presence in alternative energy, starting back in 2010 the first project in this area - Botiyevska Wind Power Plant with a capacity of 200 MW. According to him, by the end of this year it is planned to form a portfolio of assets in renewable energy at the level of 1 GW, of which 500 MW is wind power and 500 MW is solar power. The Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce on January 28 began its first meeting on the second transit dispute between Naftogaz Ukrainy and Gazprom (Russia), Executive Director of the Ukrainian company Yuriy Vitrenko said on his Facebook page. In July 2018, Naftogaz filed a lawsuit to the Stockholm arbitration with the demand to revise the transit rate of March 18, 2018 and reimbursement from Gazprom to about $12.5 billion. Gazprom, in turn, filed a lawsuit to terminate the transit contract with Naftogaz, which expires at the end of this year. The arbitration combined the claims in one case. Naftogaz also demands to compensate for losses for Gazprom's failure to fulfill the gas supply contract (as amended by the previous arbitration). Vitrenko earlier explained that the difference between the revised contract price (the formula that was changed by the previous arbitration court) and the price at which Naftogaz is forced to replace gas supplies from Gazprom with gas supplies from Europe is subject to compensation. Ukrainian gas traders have begun preparing for testing gas exports to Central Europe after the approval by the National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation (NCER) of the temporary tariffs of Ukrtransgaz for the transportation of natural gas for entry and exit points. According to the report of the ICIS international analytical agency, which refers to its source, several Ukrainian companies, whose names are not specified, plan to examine the readiness of the Ukrainian gas transmission operator Ukrtransgaz and customs regimes for new types of operations on exports to Hungary and Slovakia. According to ICIS, currently Ukrtransgaz is also negotiating with the Gaz-System operator of the Polish GTS on obtaining permit for gas transit at the Hermanowice border checkpoint. In addition, Ukrainian gas companies could export gas to Romania, in case of the construction of a new interconnector. In connection with reduced tariffs for gas transportation, Ukrtransgaz is also studying the ways to provide services for European gas pumping and storage companies in Ukrainian underground storage facilities. Ukraine and Norway have signed preliminary contracts for approximately $1.5 billion, of which $1 billion is investment in renewable energy, Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman has said. "Today, we've signed preliminary contracts for approximately one and a half billion. Of these, only $1 billion goes to an investment in renewable energy," the prime minister said on the Priamy TV channel on Monday during a working visit to Norway. Groysman also noted that in addition to energy issues, the parties discussed issues of the economy, education and several other sectors of cooperation between Ukraine and Norway. As reported, Ukraine and Norway signed a joint statement in the field of nuclear safety, "green" energy and energy efficiency. Drop Charges Against Rights Defender Sashik Sultanyan The Coronavirus-Related Situation in Armenia The European Union in Armenia calls all parties to contribute to a peaceful Election Day to celebrate democracy 22 ventilators to Armenia PACE to observe the early parliamentary elections in Armenia With Ucom's level up tariff plans subscribers have unlimited access to Tiktok, Spotify and Coursera PACE rapporteur welcomes Azerbaijans release of Armenian captives and Armenias handing over of mine-maps to Azerbaijan Armenia/Azerbaijan: Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell on the latest developments Pashinyan to publicly apology to Khachatryans During EURO 2020 Ucom subscribers to take part in the uMeter voting and draw USA to continue to press for the return of Armenian prisoners of war and detainees: Philip Reeker Post-war Prospects for Nagorno-Karabakh: Crisis Groups new report Ucom-1 team was recognised the winner of the 2021 futsal tournament of the Galaxy Group of Companies: The award ceremony took place COVID 19: 11 deaths Statement of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia regarding the criminal prosecution against the Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijan The Coronavirus-Related Situation in Armenia Google Ad UCOM introduced new level up packages of voice service President Michel has discussions with President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Acting Prime Minister Pashinyan of Armenia COVID19:108 new cases Ucom launches "Hello, summer" offer and presents "U!hoo" kids magazine 182 hearing aids and 2 buses by benefactor Mikayel Vardanyan for students of Special Educational Complex Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group What our Homeland, Armenia and Artsakh will be like depends on us. President Armen Sarkissians message on the Republic Day Ucom Digital lab students keep on getting high-quality technical education Aharon Sahakyan is appointed governor of Kotayk Marz of Armenia 3503 tests were done yesterday Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Covid 19: 323 recoveries and 11 deaths Efforts by prosecutors and law enforcement to address hate crime in Armenia: ODIHR seminar Artur Vanesyan: I did not receive premiums (video) Artur Vanesyan, the head of the National Security Service (NSS), was in the Yerablur Military Pantheon. Answering journalists' questions, he mentioned that there are always challenges in terms of security. "We live in a region where we cannot be quiet in no time. The whole defense system of the Republic of Armenia works in that direction," said Vanetsyan. "The army is constantly developing and strengthening, it must be in constant progress. At what moment the advancement of the army has stopped, we will have very bad consequences." And what about the premiums? "We have not given premiums. To tell the truth, I did not know about the premiums, I learned about them from the press and I cannot comment on it,"Artur Vanetsyan emphasized. He also added that he did not receive premiums. Drop Charges Against Rights Defender Sashik Sultanyan The Coronavirus-Related Situation in Armenia The European Union in Armenia calls all parties to contribute to a peaceful Election Day to celebrate democracy 22 ventilators to Armenia Google Ad PACE to observe the early parliamentary elections in Armenia With Ucom's level up tariff plans subscribers have unlimited access to Tiktok, Spotify and Coursera PACE rapporteur welcomes Azerbaijans release of Armenian captives and Armenias handing over of mine-maps to Azerbaijan Armenia/Azerbaijan: Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell on the latest developments Pashinyan to publicly apology to Khachatryans During EURO 2020 Ucom subscribers to take part in the uMeter voting and draw USA to continue to press for the return of Armenian prisoners of war and detainees: Philip Reeker Post-war Prospects for Nagorno-Karabakh: Crisis Groups new report Ucom-1 team was recognised the winner of the 2021 futsal tournament of the Galaxy Group of Companies: The award ceremony took place COVID 19: 11 deaths Statement of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia regarding the criminal prosecution against the Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijan The Coronavirus-Related Situation in Armenia Google Ad UCOM introduced new level up packages of voice service President Michel has discussions with President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Acting Prime Minister Pashinyan of Armenia COVID19:108 new cases Ucom launches "Hello, summer" offer and presents "U!hoo" kids magazine 182 hearing aids and 2 buses by benefactor Mikayel Vardanyan for students of Special Educational Complex Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group What our Homeland, Armenia and Artsakh will be like depends on us. President Armen Sarkissians message on the Republic Day Ucom Digital lab students keep on getting high-quality technical education Aharon Sahakyan is appointed governor of Kotayk Marz of Armenia 3503 tests were done yesterday Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Covid 19: 323 recoveries and 11 deaths Efforts by prosecutors and law enforcement to address hate crime in Armenia: ODIHR seminar Media museum to be built The Federation of Nepali Journalists is set to establish a media museum to be named after the late journalist Krishnasen Icchuk. Ararat Mirzoyan addresses congratulatory message on Army Day Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan addressed a congratulatory message on the Army Day: "Dear compatriots, I congratulate all of us on the 27th anniversary of the establishment of the Armenian Army. The creation of the Armenian Army is one of the glorious pages of the history of the newly-independent Armenia. I want to honor those who were at the roots of the creation of our Army during the difficult days of the Karabakh war. I want to bow my head before those soldiers who currently hold firm our state borders, before their friends who defended our country during these years, before their parents and families. The modernization of the Armed Forces is one of the priorities of the new leadership. And we will jointly solve all issues as a result of which the Armys combat readiness will further increase. Once again congratulations to all soldiers and officers. You are the guarantors of peace and statehood development." States put non-citizens on voter rolls Editor: It has just been reported by the Texas Attorney General that more than 95,000 non-citizens are illegally registered to vote in Texas. The Texas Secretary of State has confirmed that more than 58,000 of these non-citizens have actually voted. California has done the same with tens of thousands of non-citizens added to the voter rolls via their DMV. Nevada is no different; yet, the NV Secretary of State, Barbara Cegavske, has done virtually nothing about the potential thousands of non-citizens being registered to vote in Nevada. She previously initiated a voter fraud investigation, laying blame on the DMV for adding non-citizens to the voter rolls. The fact that Nevada DMV employees have been providing voter registration materials to customers they know to be non-citizens, has been surfaced with former Senator Dean Heller and with Cegavske repeatedly since 2016. Now, through the ignorance of those Nevadans who voted in favor of Question 5 during the 2018 mid-term elections, anyone who visits the DMV for a drivers license or state ID will be automatically registered to vote! Anyone, regardless of citizenship status! Editor: The recent standoff in Washington has convinced many Americans that there has to be a better way to run a government. When you cant sort out a couple of issues without shutting down the Federal government and throwing 800,000 workers on the street for over a month, things have gotten a bit too crazy. In December, a number of centrist political parties across America joined forces to create The Alliance Party. The party is committed to a moderate, pragmatic platform based on fiscal prudence; balanced budgets; and dealing with our enormous public debt. The Alliance Party supports an open immigration system with sound borders. We believe all Americans deserve accessible and affordable health care. Founded by veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, The Alliance Party supports a strong modern military; the welfare of our veterans; and ensuring public safety without interfering with our Second Amendment rights. Above all we believe that government must respect the rights of all and minimize intrusions on our rights and freedoms. The Alliance Party respects the rights of individual state party affiliates to forge their own platforms within the general guidelines of the national platform. The Real Jackie Kennedy Her style and grace were legendary, and her image came to define the 1960s. She captured the hearts of world leaders, fashion icons and people all over the planet, who knew her as Jackie Kennedy, Jacqueline Onassis, or simply Jackie O. But who was the real Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis? Take our quiz and find out. Take The Quiz The mines owner, Vale SA, is the worlds largest producer of iron ore, the raw ingredient for making steel. The Brazilian companys American depository shares plunged 18 percent Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. At the scene of the disaster, helicopters looking for bodies took off and landed nonstop. On the ground, dozens of rescuers with tracking dogs were searching for bodies through the mountains of mud. An Associated Press photographer witnessed at least 10 helicopters each carrying one body. More than 100 Israelis equipped with specialized rescue technology joined the 200 Brazilian firefighters in the search. Areas of water-soaked mud appeared to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable. Still, it was slow going for the search teams, residents were on edge and some started searching on their own for relatives. A Catholic priest for a church now being used as a command center for rescuers said many of his parishioners are believed to be buried in mud. Its going to be difficult to rebuild our hearts, said the priest, Rene Lopez. This wont take a month or a year. Its an open wound for all of the people in Brumadinho. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 4 Angry 0 Cannon described how the Westerners had gathered in a courtyard after a meeting in the Library of Congress and were feeling a bit rebellious. They started their own dialog, what he called the folklorists sagebrush rebellion. Some felt that the folk arts of the West were neglected and that the folk art definitions were based on the folk arts of the colonies and the old country. Later, Cannon met cowboy poet Waddie Mitchell and other artists who wrote about their real-life experiences living in the West. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Theres something very powerful in a life which develops these sensibilities out in the wonder of the western land, Cannon wrote in another essay called Cowboy Poetry: the right place at the right time, also published in the first insert. Cowboy poets draw on those wonders to create their verses, as they have for decades. Try not to think about people who are writing facile things on the Internet. Remember the radical ancestor poets who have gone before, especially those who receive less acknowledgement than they should have, those whose genius was insufficiency recognized. When you feel paralyzed by the pointlessness of temporary fashion, or when dull or predictable work is lauded, try new things that will surprise you as you work for the joy of the process, remembering that all a writer needs are four true readers and one of them can be a tree. This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 14 years and 30,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going. Ukraine slaps import duties on food-grade salt, bulbs from Belarus Anti-dumping investigations into the shipments of the said commodities started in late 2017. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Ukraine slides to 13th place in WSA's rating in 2018 All the 64 countries ranked by the WSA increased steel output by 4.5% in 2018 against 2017, to 1.79 billion tonnes. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter NBU gets over US$93.6 mln in repayment of insolvent banks' debt in 2018 In particular, the regulator received UAH 1.238 billion ($44.5 million) from the sale of property rights. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Most directors on the En+ and Rusal boards will be independent directors, including Americans and Europeans, who had no business, professional or family ties to Deripaska. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Sunday lifted sanctions on aluminum giant Rusal and other Russian firms linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska, defying a Democratic-led push in the U.S. Congress to maintain the restrictions. Earlier this month, 11 of Trump's fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate joined Democrats in a failed effort to keep the sanctions on Rusal, its parent, En+ Group Plc, and power firm JSC EuroSibEnergo. But that was not enough to overcome opposition from Trump and most of his fellow Republicans, Reuters said. Read alsoRussia's Rusal slapped with U.S. sanctions cuts net profit by 31% in Q2 against Q1 Advocates for keeping the sanctions had argued that Deripaska, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, retained too much control over the companies to lift sanctions imposed in April to punish Russia for actions including its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, efforts to interfere in U.S. elections and support for Syrias government in its civil war. Some lawmakers from both parties also said it was inappropriate to ease the sanctions while Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigates whether Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Moscow. But in its statement on Sunday, the U.S. Treasury Department said the three companies had reduced Deripaska's direct and indirect shareholding stake and severed his control. That action, it said, ensured that most directors on the En+ and Rusal boards would be independent directors, including Americans and Europeans, who had no business, professional or family ties to Deripaska or any other person designated for sanctions by the Treasury Department. "The companies have also agreed to unprecedented transparency for Treasury into their operations by undertaking extensive, ongoing auditing, certification, and reporting requirements," the departments statement said. Deripaska himself remains subject to U.S. sanctions. A leprosy survivor leaves a pagoda after offering prayers in Van Mon Leprosy hospice compound in Thai Binh Province on January 20, 2019. Photo by AFP/Manan Vatsyayna Tran Huu Hoa was scared, desperate and on the verge of suicide after his leprosy diagnosis in 1958. He had feared that he'd never work or marry in an age when lepers were completely shunned from Vietnamese society. He could not imagine he would find new life at the leprosy hospice where he has been living for 61 years, a walled off compound in northern Thai Binh Province where he met his wife, worked as a union boss and took in needy children. "There were about 2,000 people here then, mostly young people. It was fun because we started a teen union," the 80-year-old told AFP, sitting on his bed with his wife Teo of 54 years. Today there are only 190 patients at the hospital, all cured but living with disabilities caused by leprosy. Many walk with prosthetic legs. Others like Hoa have lost fingers. Some are so severely disabled they spend the day bent over in bed, covered with thick blankets to keep the cold at bay. Founded in 1900, Van Mon is the oldest leprosy hospital in northern Vietnam. At its peak it treated 4,000 patients a year -- a number that has dwindled as leprosy cases have dropped across Vietnam thanks to improved healthcare, hygiene and greater awareness of the disease. World Leprosy Day is January 27. A leprosy survivor offers prayers on the 15th day of lunar month at a pagoda in Van Mon Leprosy hospice compound in Thai Binh Province on January 20, 2019. Photo by AFP/Manan Vatsyayana There were 248 people being treated for leprosy in 2017 in Vietnam, down by more than half from a decade earlier, according to data from the World Health Organization. But as numbers have decreased so have the live-in patients at the Van Mon centre. Meandering days are punctuated with a morning and midday meal. Some pass the time worshipping at the on-site chapel or pagoda, while most watch TV or listen to the radio during the day when they are not sleeping. "I have no one to count on, I'm so lonely, so I just follow God. When I die I will follow God then too," said Pham Van Bac, 83, who has been at the centre since 1960. His daughter no longer visits and his grandchildren come only once a year, so he has little to look forward to most days, he says. Young Vietnamese boys ride a tricycle for a leprosy patient at the Van Mon Leprosy hospice compound in Thai Binh Province on January 20, 2019. Photo by AFP/Manan Vatsyayana But many like Bac chose to stay, fearing they will be a burden on their families, or lose the care and small stipend provided at the government-run hospital. Some, like Hoa, have found companions in the centre. "It's a source of encouragement and motivation and they can have a happier and better life," said Nguyen Thi Thai, deputy director of the hospital where both her parents were once treated for leprosy. And even though stigma against leprosy sufferers has largely faded outside the walls of the hospice, many prefer to remain at Van Mon. Hoa said: "This is my second home, I will live here until my death." Girl, 10, found dead on riverbank A 10-year-old girl, who had gone to her neighbours house to watch television, was found dead in Biratnagar on Sunday. Vietnamese national Doan Thi Huong (C) is due to begin her defense on March 11, having been charged in Malaysia with murdering the North Korean leader's half- brother. Photo by AFP/Manan Vatsyayana The trial of two women accused of murdering the North Korean leader's half-brother was adjourned Monday until March. The case will now drag on until at least mid-2019. Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam have been on trial since October 2017, accused of murdering Kim Jong Nam by smearing the nerve agent VX on his face at Kuala Lumpur airport. The brazen assassination in February 2017 shocked the world, but the women have denied murder, saying they believed they were taking part in a prank and were tricked by North Korean agents. Proceedings in the trial of the women, both in their 20s, have moved slowly due to the large number of witnesses and infrequent hearings. There have been no hearings since August, when the prosecution finished presenting its case. The latest hold-up has been caused by an appeal from the defense, which is urging prosecutors to make key witness statements available. The prosecution argues the statements should not be made public. With the appeal still ongoing, a series of hearings scheduled for this week were cancelled, and the trial will now resume on March 11 with Huong's defense. New information given out by the High Court in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, showed hearings set until July 31, with the final verdict likely to come only after that date. During the first months of the trial, the court saw CCTV footage of the accused attacking the relative of the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, and prosecutors argued it was a well-planned hit. South Korea has accused the North of ordering the assassination, an allegation denied by Pyongyang. Under current laws, the women will be handed a death sentence if convicted of murder. Malaysia's new government has vowed to abolish the death penalty, but parliament still needs to back the change. A village in Nam Dinh has struck gold with ships, enjoying a per capita income 2.5 times higher than Hanoi. Phu An can lay a claim to being a village like no other in Vietnam. It is only two kilometers long, but it is densely packed with high-rise buildings and head-turning mansions, instead of the traditional homes typically found in rural areas. Most of the wealth of Phu An Village in Cat Thanh Commune, Nam Dinh Province, comes from villagers owning ships with capacities of 1,000 - 5,500 tons that are worth millions of dollars each. Situated just 1.5 hours south of Hanoi, Phu An hosts more than 800 households with 2,500 residents in an area of four square kilometers. Eighty percent of the population here work in water transport, the rest are in farming and other fields. According to the Cat Thanh Commune People's Committee, up to half of Phu An villagers have monthly incomes of over VND25 million ($1,077) , which is four times the average national income at VND6.5 million ($280). This income is 2.5 times that of Hanoi, according to the General Statistics Office's 2017 data. Vietnam's average GDP per capita in 2018 was around $2,500. A Rolls Royce stands in front of a private house of grandiose proportions in Phu An Village. Photo by VnExpress/Trong Nghia. "The income of the people here is not less than big cities, although they only work within the village. Few people know that most of them were farmers before, standing all year-round deep in the mud of rice fields," said Do Van Doc, vice chairman of Cat Thanh Commune People's Committee. Just a couple of decades or so ago, there was almost no major economic activity in the village. Villagers grew rice and fished in the river. Then, all of a sudden, everything changed. In 1990, a water transport cooperative was dissolved and its members split the cash and assets. Thus, Phu An Village had its first 10 river vessels. Since then, the river and sea transport profession began flourishing. At the beginning, there were only ships carrying agricultural and construction materials, the like. In 2009, a huge demand for transporting goods rose, and some households in the village decided to invest in the shipping industry, building ships with larger capacity. To date, there are about 300 container ships specializing on the Hai Phong - Quang Ninh sea route in northern Vietnam. "In 2010, three residents in Phu An Village invested in building large transport ships with capacity of up to 5,500 tons to participate in the transnational shipping market," Doc said. Doc said that after starting with one to two ships, Tran Van Dinh, a village resident, now owns a fleet of 30 or so vessels. Tran Van Thach, another resident , has a fleet of 15 ships. About ten households have 3 - 4 ships providing both river and sea transportation services. It is estimated that Phu An's shipping profession creates regular jobs for about 1,500 people. Mansions worth millions of dollars are a common sight in Phu An Village. Photo by VnExpress/Trong Nghia. Because most people have to go to sea for work, the village is often deserted. The pace of life here does not resemble busier neighboring villages. "Here, a wedding with hundreds of guests is normal, because the people here are socially well connected. On cold days, they send private cars to pick up their guests from elsewhere, sometimes up to several hundred vehicles are used. "However, I think it is not exceptional wealth that is being portrayed, but the fact that life here is fuller than other villages," said Tran Van Tiep, head of Phu Tho hamlet in Phu An. Tiep said most villagers, including farmers, have enough money to spend at least VND5 million ($215) per month for family insurance. Although they have a lot of money, they do not escape to big cities, but bring money to their hometown to build houses, populating the small village with bigger and better houses. While Phu An Village road is lined with mansions, it wears a deserted look because people rarely stay at home. Photo by VnExpress/Trong Nghia. All the residents of Phu An are Catholic. The parish council has a great influence, so everyone tends to live a good life and upholds his/her religious beliefs Wealthy people support the Catholic fund, and the priest provides assistant to those from underprivileged backgrounds, including scholarships for children. In recent years, each poor household in the village gets a Tet, Lunar New Year Festival, allowance of VND5 million ($215). In Hanoi, the Tet 2019 allowance for each individual in poor households is between VND300,000 and 2.5 million ($12.9 - 107). Do Van Kiem, 55, a Phu An resident, said: "The parish also helps people to improve themselves, giving advice on how to accumulate wealth, information on rice cultivation and consumption, so that people develop a sense of doing business while enhancing their spiritual lives." The commune People's Committee estimates that after deducting all expenses, each ship transporting goods in rivers earns about VND100 million ($4,313) a month while a ship providing sea transportation earns five to six times this amount. It is thus that the 800-household village has more than 400 houses worth hundreds of thousands of US dollars and about 10 villas have been modeled on European castles worth millions of US dollars. Two former deputy ministers appeared in court Monday, charged with involvement in violations committed by a disgraced and jailed property tycoon. Former deputy public security ministers Bui Van Thanh, 60, and Tran Viet Tan, 64, were charged with "negligence of responsibility, causing serious consequences" and "abusing power or position in the performance of official duties." Standing trial in Hanoi with them for the same charge were Phan Huu Tuan, 64, former deputy head of the ministrys General Department of Intelligence and Nguyen Huu Bach, 56, a division head under the department. According to the Politburo, the Communist Party's highest decision-making body, between 2014 and 2018, Thanh committed violations that resulted in "very serious" consequences, negatively affected the reputation of the Party and the public security forces. Bui Van Thanh at the court in Hanoi on Monday. Photo by Vietnam News Agency Thanh, as the deputy public security minister responsible for the ministry's General Department of Logistics-Engineering and as the department's former general director, was responsible for violations committed by the Standing Committee of the department's Party unit, the Politburo held. He was found to have violated the principle of democratic centralism and shown irresponsibility in leading, managing, inspecting and supervising the department, enabling violations. Thanh also violated regulations on protecting state secrets and the ministry's working regulations, and broke laws in signing documents proposing the sale of several properties and land lots that belonged to the ministry. He was also found to have signed a decision allowing Phan Van Anh Vu, a property tycoon hired as an intelligence agent, to travel abroad and requested a diplomatic passport for him, although the latter was not qualified to get one. The investigations happened four months after the Prime Minister dismissed Thanh from his position as Deputy Minister of Public Security and retroactively stripped Tan of his title as Deputy Minister of Public Security for the 2011-2016 term. Thanh was also dismissed from all Party positions and demoted from lieutenant general to colonel, while Tan lost his former Party position and was demoted from colonel general to lieutenant general. Tran Viet Tan faces the court in Hanoi on Monday. Photo by Vietnam News Agency Meanwhile, Tan, during his time as member of the Executive Committee of the Public Security Force's Party unit, had shown irresponsibility in leading, managing, inspecting and supervising the force. He had also signed a number of documents that violated regulations on protecting state secrets, the indictment says. It also says that Vu, 44, who used to be one of the biggest property developers in Da Nang and was the chairman of three large property companies as also a shareholder in a number of projects in the city, was recruited to work as intelligence agent for the ministry. His activities were managed by Tan, Bach and Tuan. Before working for the ministry, Vu already owned two companies based in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. With his new position, Vu asked his superiors to approve paperwork for him to lease and transfer land, as also land use rights of seven projects at prime locations in the two cities, causing losses worth more than VND1.15 trillion (nearly $50 million) to the state budget. Disgraced property tycoon Phan Van Anh Vu brought to the trial in Hanoi on Monday. Photo by Vietnam News Agency Last December, authorities issued an international arrest warrant for him for revealing state secrets after he left the country. He was detained in Singapore the same month for violating that country's immigration laws and deported to Vietnam, where he was arrested upon arrival. He was sentenced to nine years in prison for "deliberately disclosing state secrets" in July. An appeal court in late October commuted his sentence to eight years. In the same case, Tuan and Bach got seven and six years in jail, respectively. In late December last year, Vu received 17 more years in prison for "abuse of power to appropriate property" in a case where he was found to have misappropriated more than VND200 billion ($8.6 million) from Dong A Bank. Vu is also under investigation for violations of land regulations in Da Nang and HCMC. The current trial in Hanoi is expected to last until Wednesday. A 32-year-old woman from Nghe An is being investigated for luring pregnant women to China for selling their newborns. Moong Thi Oanh faces charges of "organizing and/or coercing other persons to flee abroad," a crime punishable by up to 20 years in jail under Vietnams Penal Code. She is now pregnant and has been placed under house arrest. Preliminary investigations show that Oanh is married to a Chinese man and has lived in China for many years. Last year, she returned to Vietnam and persuaded four heavily pregnant women (around eight months) in Ky Son District to cross over the border into China to sell their newborns to unknown traffickers for VND40 million to VND80 million ($1,725 to 3,451) each. Last September, as her husband was driving the group of women to China, the car overturned. One of the four women died on the spot and three others suffered injuries and were hospitalized for treatment. Nghe An Police and Blue Dragon, a Hanoi-based non profit organization working with street children and trafficking victims, organized a rescue operation and successfully brought the injured victims home last Saturday. Police said they are expanding their investigation into trafficking of newborns to China. Nghe An, around 300 km (190 miles) south of Hanoi, has been a hotbed for human trafficking, which has shown no sign of slowing down in recent years. The province reported at least 27 pregnant women traveling to China to sell their babies last year. China, the most populous country, suffers from one of the worst gender imbalance rates in the world due to the one-child policy and illicit abortion of female fetuses by parents wanting male heirs. This has led to rising kidnapping, tricking and trafficking of Vietnamese women and baby girls, and now, babies. Besides financial difficulties of the victims, experts have highlighted negligence, poor education, weak law enforcement and gender imbalance in destination countries as major factors driving human trafficking. Medical staff arrive at the vessel to give first aid to Haddock Richard Ray before transferring him to a local hospital in Nha Trang. Photo by VnExpress/Xuan Ngoc Vietnamese maritime forces Monday transferred an American man to a hospital after he went into a coma at sea. Haddock Richard Ray, 78, was traveling on a cruise ship off the central resort town of Nha Trang when he started vomiting. His belly swelled up, he could not move and he went into a coma. The captain of the ship immediately contacted Vietnams Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center for help. A team from the center, along with medical staff, arrived at the vessel and provided first aid before transferring Ray to a hospital in Nha Trang. The man showed signs of suffering from peritonitis, said an official from the center. Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the tissue that lines the inner wall of the abdomen and covers and supports most of your abdominal organs. It is usually caused by infection from bacteria or fungi. Americans are among the leading foreign visitors to Vietnam, with 687,226 arrivals last year, an 11 percent year-on-year increase. 80 percent of HCMCs first metro line to be completed in 2019 Workers walk along the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa Eighty percent of Ho Chi Minh Citys first metro route will be completed this year, the agency overseeing its construction has said. Duong Huu Hoa, director of the HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railway, said at a recent meeting with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which provides funding for the project, that only 62 percent of the Ben Thanh Suoi Tien line had been completed at the end of last year against a target of 65 percent. The reason for the shortfall was a funds shortage, he said. The first train is expected to be delivered to Vietnam in the first quarter, Hoa added. Last November Japans ambassador to Vietnam, Umeda Kunio, had said the Japanese contractor Sumitomo Corporations unpaid bills had risen to $100 million. If the city failed to pay by the end of 2018, the contractor might have to stop work, Kunio had said in a letter sent to the government and the city. The HCMC administration recently said it would make an advance payment, before getting funds from the government, to the Japanese contractor. It will be the fifth time since 2017 the city does so. It has made payments of VND3.27 trillion ($141 million), but only received VND591 billion ($25.41 million) form the government so far. The work on the first metro line, which began in August 2012, was expected to be finished in 2017 and become operational this year. The line runs 20 kilometers (12.43 miles) through the districts of 1, 2, 9, Binh Thanh, and Thu Duc of HCMC, and Di An District in the neighboring province of Binh Duong. It will run underground from Ben Thanh Market for 2.6 km, past the Opera House and Ba Son Shipyard, cross the Saigon River on an elevated track that runs through District 2 and go on to Suoi Tien Park and a depot at Long Binh in District 9. Media giant Yeah1 Group has forked out another $1.55 million to acquire U.S. digital media network Thoughtful Media Groups Thai subsidiary. Thoughtful Thailand is expected to contribute $2-3 million to Yeah1s revenues in the first year and $6-7 million after two years, according to Yeah1 Group This is Yeah1s second acquisition this month. On January 10 it paid $20 million to buy ScaleLab, a Hollywood-based MCN that partners with famous YouTube names such as Jake Paul, Jimmy Donaldson, Mariale Marrero, Erika Costell, Katie Angel, and others. Last year it had bought two other MCN companies, SPRINGme of Thailand and Something Big of France. Thoughtful Media Group (TMG) is a multi-channel network that supports YouTube content creators around the world. It launched its Thai operations in 2015, when it had already signed more than 300 channels and was delivering nearly 75 million views per month on YouTube. It is now one of the biggest multi-channel networks in Thailand. The system connects brands with consumers through a network of thousands of content creators in areas such as fashion, beauty, games, cooking, car repair, and tourism. Founded in 2006 Yeah1 is Vietnam's largest multi-channel media ecosystem with TV channels, movie studios, YouTube networks, and digital news. It was also the first media company to list when it got on board the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange last June. "This is a weblog that is truly welcome in blogtopia a new blog doesn't seem to be frantically trying to score points for any party. That does NOT mean it's afraid to take a stand or be critical....You really can't predict exactly where The Debate Link will come down on all issues. It's not chanting anyone's mantra." -- The Moderate Voice "[A]n emerging genius in legal scholarship and commentary." -- Jim Chen "It's on my 1st cup of coffee rss feed." -- Hanno Kaiser "I heart this blog.... he referenced Wittgenstein, and it was entirely appropriate and non-pretentious." -- kath.A.rine "[F]unny, thoughtful, acclaimed ...." -- The Core 60 Minutes feature? Do they think he's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or something? He isn't. He's just another super-rich, under-taxed old white guy who thinks he should be king. I think 60 Minutes would be better off-- as would America-- if they ran an interview with author Marianne Williamson, who is announcing her campaign tonight in Los Angeles. She sure has more interesting things to say than Schultz does! Schultz showed himself to be nothing but a rich asshole and moron (trained monkey). And yes... of course he said, "Extremists on both sides." When Schultz says "I want to see the American people win; I want to see America win," he's already exhibiting symptoms that autocrats all have-- an identification with their self being the nation. He looked dangerous on 60 Minutes last night. When publishing the Nick Troiano/Charles Wheelan Washington Post identified them as officials of "Unite America," without identifying Unite America as the new name for the failed Centrist Project that formed, in part, around an attempt, through the Simpson-Bowles Commission (Obama's very worst policy thrust), to wreck Social Security and Medicare at the behest of wealthy donors who hate paying taxes to help poor people. In 2018, Nick Troiano and Charles Wheelan ran 3 gubernatorial candidates, 2 U.S. Senate candidates and 10 state legislative candidates, all of whom lost. Now they are eager to run another right-of-center turd, Schultz, the Starbucks billionaire, this time as president. In 2018, the Unite America superPAC raised $209,020 and contributed to just one federal candidate, $5,000 to The Starbucks guy deserves afeature? Do they think he's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or something? He isn't. He's just another super-rich, under-taxed old white guy who thinks he should be king. I thinkwould be better off-- as would America-- if they ran an interview with author Marianne Williamson, who is announcing her campaign tonight in Los Angeles. She sure has more interesting things to say than Schultz does! Schultz showed himself to be nothing but a rich asshole and moron (trained monkey). And yes... of course he said, "Extremists on both sides." When Schultz says "I want to see the American people win; I want to see America win," he's already exhibiting symptoms that autocrats all have-- an identification with their self being the nation. He looked dangerous onlast night.When publishing the Nick Troiano/Charles Wheelan OpEd on Howard Schultz Sunday, theidentified them as officials of "Unite America," without identifying Unite America as the new name for the failed Centrist Project that formed, in part, around an attempt, through the Simpson-Bowles Commission (Obama's very worst policy thrust), to wreck Social Security and Medicare at the behest of wealthy donors who hate paying taxes to help poor people. In 2018, Nick Troiano and Charles Wheelan ran 3 gubernatorial candidates, 2 U.S. Senate candidates and 10 state legislative candidates, all of whom lost. Now they are eager to run another right-of-center turd, Schultz, the Starbucks billionaire, this time as president. In 2018, the Unite America superPAC raised $209,020 and contributed to just one federal candidate, $5,000 to Marty Grohman , an independent congressional candidate in Maine who ran against progressive Democrat Chellie Pingree and took 29,670 votes (8.7%). Of the $209,020 they collected, another $40,914 went to the Centrist Project Election Fund. The rest... who knows? Anyway, their OpEd is worthless drivel and although I included the link, I don't recommend anyone read it... unless you like hearing from conservatives trying to mask what they are by calling themselves "moderates." How about this for a clueless suggestion, considering the abject failure Macron's presidency has been: "By choosing a Republican running mate to forge what they might call a unity ticket, and assembling a bipartisan Cabinet, Schultz could unite center-left and center-right Americans who would vote as a coalition without having to leave their current parties, similar to what independent Emmanuel Macron did to win Frances presidency." The Atlantic Saturday, If you need to read something about Howard Schultz, over and above the ego of a (billionaire) man who thinks his very first foray into political service should be as President, try Edward-Isaac Dovere's piece inSaturday, ExStarbucks CEO Could Get Trump Re-elected . "Before there was Jill Stein," wrote Dovere, "there was Ralph Nader. Before there was Nader, there was Ross Perot. None won. All argued that the Republican Party and the Democratic Party were basically the same, and the only way to make real change was to ditch them both. Each was blamed for siphoning off enough votes to throw the presidential elections. These days, the difference between the parties is starker than its ever been in modern times. Yet here comes Howard Schultz, a billionaire who feels that he might be the answer to American politics, and that hed run for president as an independent." What happens when Schultz wakes up and realizes how hard it is-- and expensive-- to get on the ballot in all 50 states and DC? Will he then decide to enter the Democratic primary after all? Remember, any anti-Trump vote in 2020 that doesn't go to a Democrat-- be it a progressive like Bernie, Liz Warren or Merkley or to a corporate shill like Biden or Gillibrand or any of the 20 others-- helps reelect Trump and end American democracy. One Democratic strategist put it this way: "Hes Ralph Nader without any of Naders redeeming qualities. Whats his value proposition for America? Make America like a corporate chain?" Or is it that anyone who has $3.3 billion must be great? He can call his new independent party the . "It concerns me," the billionaire who's apparently never read any MMT literature told CNBC's last June, "that so many voices within the Democratic Party are going so far to the left. I say to myself, 'How are we going to pay for these things,' in terms of things like single payer [and] people espousing the fact that the government is going to give everyone a job. I don't think that's realistic... I think we got to get away from these falsehoods and start talking about the truth and not false promises... I think the greatest threat domestically to the country is this $21 trillion debt hanging over the cloud of America and future generations. The only way we're going to get out of that is we've got to grow the economy, in my view, 4 percent or greater. And then we have to go after entitlements." "And then we have to go after entitlements." No wonder Nick Troiano and Charles Wheelan were so excited about him! This guy is pure poison. It is hard to imagine him taking votes away from A Bernie/Stacey ticket. He will attract conservatives who hate Trump but can't bring themselves tp support anyone who backs a pro-worker agenda. If he runs-- and stays in the race-- he's likely to do to Trump what that Ross Perot did to George H.W. Bush. One thing is sure... after his appearance last night, Twitter showed it was revolted by him. Gee, just in my own little Twitter poll (above), 92% of the voters picked "against him" or "donate to his opponent" as their reaction to his appearance and only 5% said they want to vote for him. Another view of the same tweet stream, but with a little poll I ran. It was before 60 Minutes ran. He would have probably done worse if I ran the roll afterwards. Still, 9% of respondents said they would vote for him. What country! What a world! What a species! Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is a mainstream Democrat who was reelected in November with 231,477 votes (61.5%) against Republican Robert Flanders, who took 6 of Rhode Island's 39 municipalities. Frank Bruni's distorted puff piece on Rhode Island's right-of-center crooked governor, Gina Raimondo-- The Loneliness Of The Moderate Democrat didn't mention Whitehouse, only that Raimondo had been "reelected by a margin of more than 15 percentage points." She took 196,977 votes, significantly fewer than the normal Democrat won with. But that didn't fit Bruni's dishonest narrative. So why mention it? Bruni's whole twisted piece was deceptive, an attempt to paint the Republican wing of the Democratic Party heroic. Worst of all, he was happy to confuse "corrupt" and "right-of-center" with "moderate, saddened she isn't running for president." He bales that she "won her primary against a progressive rival by more than 20 points, then trounced her Republican opponent in the general election, 52.8% to 37.3%. No mention by Bruni that Obama won it both times he ran with over 62%-- just a little better Gore (61%) and Kerry (59.4%)-- and that even Hillary did better than her with 54.4%. 52.8% for a Democrat in Rhode island is pretty bad. Senator John Reed won his seat last time he was reelected with over 70%. The Intercept's Aida Chavez did a much better job of reporting truthfully than Bruni did for The Times. Also no mention that she spent over $7 million, to Republican Allan Fung's $2.3 million. Independent outside spending for her was at least $5.5 million more, compared to just $1.8 million for Fung. Her primary challenger, Matt Brown, was also swamped by her flood of corporate money . Last year's Aida Chavez did a much better job of reporting truthfully than Bruni did for Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo is working to fend off a progressive, albeit underfunded, primary challenge from the left. Matt Brown, a former Rhode Island secretary of state, is running a grassroots campaign against Raimondo, who he describes as the most extreme corporatist Democrat in the country. The Democratic Governors Association has pumped in $1 million to support Raimondo, money that wont be available for Georgia, Florida, or Maryland. EMILYs List, which helps elect pro-choice women, jumped in as well, spending $345,000 on pre-primary mailers for the incumbent. Although Raimondo presents herself as pro-choice, she was criticized by reproductive rights advocates for passing what amounted to restrictions on abortion access during her first term in office and is listed as mixed-choice by NARAL Pro-Choice America. A July survey found Raimondo with a 40 percent job approval rating among the general public and 58 percent among Democrats. That dropped to 29 percent among independents, who are legally allowed to vote in Wednesdays primary. Raimondo, a former venture capitalist, has raised nearly $7.8 million for her re-election, raking in much of her fundraising from the same corporate players responsible for the states fiscal problems. The claim of most extreme corporatist may sound like hyperbole, but as state treasurer, Raimondo touched off a scandal by pushing through pension reform legislation that handed a billion dollars of state worker money over to hedge funds with links to the conservative movement, which harvested eye-popping fees. ...Raimondos head-to-head polling calls into question the conventional argument that centrist or pro-corporate candidates deserve support because they are more electable. Shes taken millions in campaign contributions from Wall Street, fossil fuel industry, tobacco industry, lobbyists, corporations, tax breaks, and benefits from the state, Brown said in an interview. And she has, I think, raised a total of $7 million dollars now for this race and yet, as you point out, still a large majority of Rhode Islanders are looking for a different candidate with a different vision. Throughout her political career, Raimondo has also received thousands of dollars from the family that owns Purdue Pharma, a company widely blamed for fueling the opioid epidemic. Browns campaign has sworn off corporate political action committee money, relying instead on individual contributions. The campaign boasts hundreds of volunteers that knock on doors and hold phone-banking sessions. In the first two months of the campaign, he said, they held over 70 events all across the state, in peoples living rooms, talking to their friends and neighbors. As for his policies, hes running on Medicare for All, the creation of a public bank, tuition-free college, undoing Raimondos cuts to Medicaid, and a Green New Deal. ...Raimondo has refused to participate in even a single debate with her primary opponent. She has funded her campaign with millions of dollars from Wall Street and corporations in an attempt to buy the election, while doing no debates with me about our records and our visions for the state, Brown said. So, its really-- the kind of campaign shes running is not democracy. Raimondo told the Providence Journal she skipped out on debating because Brown is not operating in good faith, accusing him of telling lies. The only conclusion one can come to when a candidate avoids debate, Brown said, is that the candidate has an indefensible record. And in her case, its a record of always working for Wall Street and corporations at the expense of the people. Its a record of cutting Medicaid and giving out corporate giveaways, handouts, out to handpicked corporations that are often her campaign donors, he continued. Its a record of taking money from the executives of a gas company and then turning around and announcing that were going to do whatever we have to to make sure were successful here at building a fracked gas and diesel oil burning plant in Rhode Island, which would be bad for everyone in the state, bad for our future, bad for our children. The only one its good for is the corporation. The fracked gas corporation, theyd make a bundle off Rhode Islanders, and Gov. Raimondo gets campaign contributions from them in return. Frank Bruni looked at that pile of congealed puke and calls it "moderate" and just could not wait to bash Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in his shameless and misleading propaganda column. "She can't tweet worth a damn," he wrote, "and the same goes for Instagram. She winces at talk of a top marginal tax rate of 70 percent and cringes at the growing use of 'corporatist' as a slur against Democratic politicians deemed too cozy with business interests. She thinks that big companies often need to be prodded forcefully to do right by their employees, but that its bad policy and bad politics to paint them as the enemy." No one will ever confuse Gina Raimondo with an enemy of Big Business; no need to worry about that. She's an old style conservative who even hates the idea of a minimum wage for workers. She recalled an exchange with college students not long ago. One of them said: I get who you are. Youre one of those spineless centrists. And I was like, Excuse me?, she said. It takes a lot of spine to be a centrist in America today. You get whacked from the left and whacked from the right. Thats my life. I get whacked. Moderate Democrats have certainly had their day and their sway. In fact the passions of the left arise in part from how much compromise there has been-- and here we are stuck with Donald Trump. The rage of less moderate Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is earned and righteous. And Raimondo said precisely that to me. But Ocasio-Cortez is by no means the whole of the Democratic Party. And is the leftward lurch that she personifies the best and safest bet for 2020? I worry, because theres no political priority higher than limiting Trump to one term. Raimondo also worries-- a lot. So many Democrats just assume were going to win, she said. They underestimate how hard its going to be. And it might be a serious tactical mistake, she added, to nominate any candidate who seems to be at war with capitalism itself or entertains the idea of a guaranteed minimum income. We have become the party that is anti-business, she told me. We need to be the party of work. She acknowledged that the system we have today is totally broken. She cited grotesque income inequality. She noted that too many Americans have no economic security and no prospects for achieving it. But I fall in the camp of: Lets fix it, she said. Lets embrace business to come to the table. Someone needs to make the case that its in the best interest of businesses and wealthy people to be better corporate citizens. Pay for health care. Help people get their college degree. Pay for job training. Along those lines, she recently proposed that companies doing business in Rhode Island be taxed up to $1,500 annually for every employee who is enrolled in Medicaid because he or she cant get health insurance through a company-sponsored plan. I hope that theyre embarrassed, she said. But, she added, Where I think we are at risk is if all we do is beat up and crap on businesses. Sound like a Republican to you? Even Bruni admits her right-wing bullshit is "an exaggeration of where the party is." But he forgives her instantly for it; "I take her point." He sure does. He goes on the moan that "The media attention to full-throttle progressives among newly elected House Democrats is disproportionate to their numbers, and it sometimes obscures a sizable, practical middle. Besides, their more moderate peers are the ones who wrested seats from Republicans in districts that, like America, arent deep red or emphatically blue. 'I dont think the lefties can win a general election,' Raimondo said. But, she conceded, 'Who knows? Im not running in 2020. I could have missed the boat.'" David Segal, a former Green Party city councilman who later joined the Democrats, represented East Providence in the state House and founded Rhode Island's Progressive Caucus, told us that "Decades of neoliberal policies that assume we should outsource political decisions to 'the market' have ruined untold millions of lives and left our democracy strained. Just as a consensus is emerging that we must act to systematically reform our political economy by instituting a new, progressive social contract, implementing state programs that provide for the general welfare, and undermining the power of this generation's robber barons, my governor gains praise in the paper of record by asserting that we should solve of nation's vast problems by begging our corporate overlords for more crumbs. It's appalling, but in the context of Raimondo's record of subservience to Wall Street and the donor class, it is anything but surprising." From a sleepy town to a business hub Its three in the morning. Overnight, the temperature has dropped to five degrees. But the biting cold does not deter Tulsi Narayani Shrestha from heading out to an open market on the banks of Salinadi where she has set up a small shop. By 4am, she is well settled in her shop, busy catering to devotees. Shrestha, 50, sells an array of puja items. "They're reaching out for a lifeline to help," Levy said of the texters. "It is so courageous on their part." The job of the volunteers on the other end, in essence, is to bring the texters "from a hot moment to a cool calm," as the nonprofit organization says on its website, and to work with them to come up with a plan to stay safe. The volunteers, for example, might suggest resources that could be helpful. They might the texters work out a plan for next steps. Sometimes, the text conversations trigger more immediate action: Once a day on average across the nation, the Crisis Text Line instigates at least one active rescue of a texter who's thought to be in immediate danger of suicide. Maybe most of all, the Crisis Text Line offers an anonymous and safe way for a texter to reach out to another human being. Levy said that some two-thirds of the texters she's worked with "are sharing something that they haven't shared before." And the ubiquity of texting means that it can be done from anywhere a bedroom, a school cafeteria, a shopping mall without fear of the stigma that our society sometimes still foolishly attaches to mental health issues. The case of Alanna Nicole Partin continues to produce sparks in the courtroom of Benton County Circuit Court Judge Locke A. Williams. Partin, who has been charged with a series of weapons counts stemming from a Nov. 7 traffic stop in downtown Corvallis, used her arraignment hearing Monday to continue to challenge the authority of the court. Partin, a Sweet Home resident who showed up in court 15 minutes late, refused to cross the railing that separates court officials and defendants from spectators, claimed that she was firing her attorney, ordered him removed from the room and said she has not received important documents in the case. Partin also said this court has no standing over me. I am above this court. The scene was similar to ones that occurred at her earlier court appearances, one before Judge Matthew Donahue on Dec. 6 and her previous appearance before Williams on Dec. 27. Partin appears to be mounting a sovereign citizen defense, a legal tactic that denies the validity of the U.S. judicial system. RIYADH: Saudi Arabia executed four Yemenis found guilty of murdering a security guard, the kingdoms interior ministry said on Sunday. The four men robbed and killed a Pakistani man who worked as a security guard at a company, said a ministry statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. The execution took place in Mecca, the statement added. Twenty people have been executed in the kingdom since the beginning of the year, according to the authorities. The ultra-conservative kingdom has one of the worlds highest rates of execution, with suspects convicted of terrorism, homicide, rape, armed robbery, homosexuality and drug trafficking facing the death penalty. In 2018, Saudi Arabia carried out the death sentences of 120 people. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde Agence France-Presse, January 28, 2019 SHAH ALAM, Selangor: The trial of two women accused of murdering the North Korean leader's half-brother was adjourned Monday (Jan 28) until March, and the case will now drag on until at least mid-2019. Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam have been on trial since October 2017, accused of murdering Kim Jong Nam by smearing the nerve agent VX on his face at Kuala Lumpur airport. The brazen assassination in February 2017 shocked the world, but the women have denied murder, saying they believed they were taking part in a prank and were tricked by North Korean agents. Proceedings in the trial of the women, both in their 20s, have moved slowly due to the large number of witnesses and infrequent hearings. There have been no hearings since August, when the prosecution finished presenting its case. The latest hold-up has been caused by an appeal from the defence, which is urging prosecutors to make key witness statements available. The prosecution argues the statements should not be made public. With the appeal still ongoing, a series of hearings scheduled for this week were cancelled, and the trial will now resume on Mar 11 with Huong's defence. New information given out by the High Court in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, showed hearings set until Jul 31, with the final verdict likely to come only after that date. During the first months of the trial, the court saw CCTV footage of the accused attacking the relative of the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, and prosecutors argued it was a well-planned hit. South Korea has accused the North of ordering the assassination, an allegation denied by Pyongyang. Under current laws, the women will be handed a death sentence if convicted of murder. Malaysia's new government has vowed to abolish the death penalty, but parliament still needs to back the change. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde Agence France-Presse, January 28, 2019 A businessman and former employee of the murdered victim Tang Tung Kuok have been charged for the alleged crime. No plea was taken from the accused Teng Jing Bian and Tiong Kim Kai as the case was still being mentioned in the Magistrates Court. The chemists report as well as the findings of the autopsy, post-mortem, forensic DNA sample tests are still needed before it can be transferred to the High Court. Businessman Tang, 37, was allegedly slained between Jan 12 and 15 at an unnumbered (and abandoned) house at Lorong Dusun, Off Jalan Ong Tiang Swee here. Four other men, suspected to be Chinese nationals are still at large. It was also claimed that Tang was kidnapped first before the murder. It was believed that he was stabbed with a knife. Murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code is a non-bailable offence that carries the death penalty upon conviction. His remains were identified after a wristwatch and a gold ring purportedly belonging to the victim was found on the body, which was in a state of decomposition. Counsels Roger Chin and Michael Kong represented Teng while Cousel Voon Lee Shan represented Tiong. 4 other men (locals) has been released on court bond of RM10,000 each. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde The Borneo Post, January 28, 2019 Louisiana has a broken death-penalty system. Its arbitrary, vengeful and inordinately expensive in a state with dire fiscal needs. It embodies a sordid history of racism and is shamed by one of the highest rates of reversal and exoneration in the country. I am excited that a local organization, LA REPEAL , a project of the Promise of Justice Initiative, is bringing together a strong coalition of churches, other faith communities, and civil rights advocates to repeal capital punishment in Louisiana. They hope to end the legal relic of taking a life in order, LA REPEAL puts it this way: Repealing Louisianas death penalty will prevent a flawed system from making irreversible mistakes, and will free up immense resources that can be redirected to violent crime prevention strategies. That means writing, emailing or calling our state representatives. You will be in good company! Sister Helen Prejean, author of the culture-changing book, Dead Man Walking, later made into a movie, is part of the LA REPEAL Leadership Council. So is Bill Quigley, one of the strongest civil rights lawyers in the nation. So is Episcopal Bishop Joe Doss, a decades-long activist against the death penalty. And so is Calvin Duncan, who spent nearly 30 years as an inmate at Angola for a crime that he did not commit. My deep opposition to the death penalty was buttressed recently by a tragedy. Most every month for four years I had been driving to Angola to visit an inmate awaiting execution. Suddenly he was gone. My friend had had enough of Death Row. He hanged himself. I had chosen not to ask what Tyrone, as Ill call him, had done to get himself convicted of a capital crime. I was not there as a judge. I was there to offer what help I could as he sought spiritual rehabilitation. What was obvious to me and to Tyrones family and friends was how much his life had changed. Scriptural study and the passage of time had opened his heart. Sullenness and fear had given way to repentance. But the isolation and hopelessness of life on the Row had thrown him into despair. At his home-going (funeral) in a small Central Louisiana town, friends and family members spoke of their love for Tyrone and how he sought their forgiveness for his crime. I was able to testify to how much my monthly visits had meant to me and, I hoped, to Tyrone as well. I may be a clergyman, but I think I learned as much from Tyrone as he learned from me. On occasion, I have quoted him in my sermonsprotecting his identity, of course. I learned from Tyrone just how much any of us can change. The lesson was reinforced during my many years serving as a volunteer at Angola in the Kairos Prison Ministry International. When volunteers take part in the Kairos three-plus days in-prison retreats, they do their best to carry out the Kairos mantraListen, listen, love, loveas they relate to the inmates (residents, as some prefer to be called). Those who have done the worst can and do change. Many take responsibility for their crimes and seek ways to ask forgiveness from those they have deeply hurt. That life-altering power to change is my first reason for opposing the death penalty. My second reason: Those on death row at Angola are doomed to life-long solitary confinement. They are let out of their small cells only to enter a larger cage for 1 or 2 hours a day. As a result of this treatment, many of the men go crazy, become impossibly hostile, or curl-up-in-a-corner, defeated, bored, beyond reach of rehabilitation. Imagine how many more stories of redemption there might be if instead we treated those on Death Row humanely. Imagine how much better off wed be if the money wasted on the death penalty were spent instead on preventing crime more effectively and rehabilitating prisoners and their victims. Third, the cost of condemning inmates to death row is, as LA REPEAL attests, immense. One recent Louisiana case involving 5 co-defendants cost $15 million, and yielded only 2 death sentences, both of which are under appeal. LA REPEAL calculates that over the past 10 years, the death penalty in Louisiana has cost taxpayers $155 million. At this writing, tax payers are footing the bill for 67 men on death row at Angola, 73 % of whom are African American or Hispanic. The 1 woman on death row in the Louisiana Correctional Institute at St. Gabriel is black. If these same brothers and sisters were in one of the other Angola prison camps, they would have an opportunity to work, earning their keep or at least paying for some of it. In solitary, they do nothing and earn nothing. Imagine how much better off wed be if the money wasted on the death penalty were spent instead on preventing crime more effectively and rehabilitating prisoners and their victims. My 4th reason for opposing the death penalty: Every day of their lives, those on the Row face sudden notification that their execution date has been set. It is hard enough to face death from an illness, but think about what happens to those scheduled to be killed by the state. There is no one in the last weeks or months to hold your hand, to thank you for what you have tried to give them, to pray with you. Special family members can be with you on that last day, but it is always a day of fear and trembling as you become the dead man walking. The possibility that the execution date could be set any day terrified Tyrone and, I believe, contributed to his hanging himself. My 5th reason for opposing the death penalty is that it does not serve as a deterrent. Despite myths to the contrary, it does not stop others from taking a life. The National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the federal Department of Justice, confirms this. (See also Deterrence and the Death Penalty , edited by Daniel S. Nagin and John V. Pepper.) The National Institute of Justice study is backed by a poll of nationwide police chiefs on ways to reduce violent crime; they ranked the death penalty last the least effective approach. Common sense leads to the same obvious conclusion. Who among those planning a murder will hold back, thinking that if they are caught, it would be much better to spend their days locked up for life than to be executed? Finally, I am opposed to the death penalty because I care about victims families. I think it is absolutely necessary to support the families of crime victims as much as we are able. I learned this long ago as a member of the clergy at Trinity Episcopal in New Orleans. The teenage son of one of our active church members had been murdered. Horrified as we all were by the death of that young man, I nonetheless spoke out against the death penalty. The young mans loving father was furious with me. I had neglected him and his family members, he charged, adding that I only wanted to be politically correct. He was right about the neglect but not about the reasons for my opposition to the death penalty. From then on, I promised the father and myself that any time I spoke out against the death penalty, I would also speak up for, and support as I could, the families of the victims. As many discover whether or not they want a defendant sentenced to death the protracted death penalty process only adds to their suffering. The automatic appeals, the inevitable delays and the years of uncertainty are a sentence the victims families must also endure! Whats more, with the publicity surrounding death penalty cases, the renewed attention that comes with every appeal or ruling in the judicial process rips open wounds. The victims families struggle to heal when they are ensnared in a seemingly never-ending legal process. LA REPEAL acknowledges the Catholic Church as a leader in the effort to end the death penalty. Pope Francis has often called on people of faith to work for an end to the death penalty. Here is one of his statements: Nowadays the death penalty is inadmissible, no matter how serious the crime committed. It is an offense against the individuality of life and the dignity of the human person, which contradicts Gods plans for man and society and his merciful justice, and impedes the penalty from fulfilling any just objective. It does not render justice in the victims, but rather vengeance. One does not have to be a Catholic or even a person of faith to embrace what the Pope is preaching. As we strive to change our laws, thank you, Pope Francis, for your insights and the strength of your determination to end this barbaric practice. LA REPEAL is working with numerous groups and individuals to lobby every Louisiana legislator, to write op-eds for various newspapers, to circulate petitions, and to hold interfaith meetings. Visit the LA REPEAL website to keep up with this work and, in particular, to find out when the anti-death penalty bill will be brought up in committee. I believe that together, we can work to end Louisianas broken and outdated death penalty. Source: Angels in the Wilderness, was named Book of the Year in the Indie Book Awards inspirational non-fiction category. He tells more about his ministry to Angola inmates, including his friend who committed suicide, in a previous book: Called to Heal the Brokenhearted: Stories from Kairos Prison Ministry International. thelensnola.org , William Barnwell, January 26, 2019. William Barnwells recent book, , was named Book of the Year in the Indie Book Awards inspirational non-fiction category. He tells more about his ministry to Angola inmates, including his friend who committed suicide, in a previous book: . | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde typically, to avenge the crime of taking a life.As a longtime opponent of the death penalty, I believe LA REPEAL represents the best prospect for abolishing the death penalty that I have seen. I hope readers of the Lens will swing into full support for this reform even before the bill comes up in the state legislature, as promised, later this year. Bangladesh: Dried puti fish spinning fortunes in Narail January 28,2019 | Source: Dhaka Tribune Excess puti fish from Narails marshes is being fermented and processed for export, according to local fishermen and its traders. Not only is this returning a fair price for its farmers, but it is also generating interest and employment for entrepreneurs. In the last five years, marsh areas such as Shalua, Maij Para, Shingasolpur, Mirzapur, and others have been heavily involved in the drying process of puti. There are 57 marshes in Narail altogether, where a significant amount of small-sized putiand other such fishare caught for four consecutive months of a year. Fishermen usually preserve them for duck feed, but now the puti are fermented and dried, then sent across the country in sacks; employing thousands of the districts fishermen. Afterwards the fermented fish are mixed with oil and water, and packed to be sold commercially. The largest puti fermentation and production operation of the country is in the districts Maij Para union, at Shalua, where 2,000 maunds of puti are fermented from the middle of October till February. The fish are first brought in and then dried under the sun. They are in great demand in Comillas Daudkandi and Brahmanbaria, where they are further processed and packaged for export, for example to Indias Assam and Meghalaya. Low capital and cost of operations attract many to this trade. According to fish traders, puti production fetches Tk1.5 crore in transactions. A maund of dried fish, varying in quality, costs anywhere between Tk6,500-8,000. Alak Malo, a puti fisherman, started in this trade 13 years ago, with a handful of such fish. Now an established fermented-puti trader, he told the Dhaka Tribune that he sends his goods to: Madaripur, Gopalganj, Magura and other districts of the country; where they are in great demand. He added that apart from puti, he purchases fresh fish at the market, rinses them in marsh water, and dries them under the sun for 10-15 days; turning them over three times during the drying process. I have dried 250 maunds of dried fish till now, Alak added, I purchase raw fish between Tk500-5,000 per maund, dry them, and then sell them at between Tk6,500-15,000 per maund. Faruk Bapari, a fish trader, came from Madaripur to establish his own dry fish hatchery near Shalua. He now dries 550 maunds of fish annually. Siddiqur Rahman, a fish trader from Madaripur, said that he has been in the fish-drying business for 30 years. He remarked that a lot of similar fish are caught in Gopalganjs marshes, but they are paltry when compared to the ones caught in Narail, in terms of quantity. Large-sized dried fish cost more, while the little ones cost less, he added, Every year, the fermented- fish trade amounts to Tk1.5 crore. Ajit Malakar, a fisherman from Ichamati marsh, said that previously his nets caught 10-20kgs-worth of puti fish, which he used to store as duck feed. However, after seeing traders purchase them in bulk, he now sells them for Tk30-40 per kilogram. According to the district fisheries office, there are six large-scale dried-fish hatcheries in Maij Para and Shingasolpur; where 2,500 maunds of fermented puti are processed annually. Hose Ara Happy, assistant director of the district fisheries office, told the Dhaka Tribune that larger production volumes are attracting increasingly more entrepreneurs; but more quality control is needed, which her office is providing to fishermen across the district. Former crown prince Paras Shah suffers heart attack Former crown prince Paras Shah has been admitted to Norvic Hospital in Thapathali after he suffered a heart attack at 4:15 pm on Monday. He survived a massive cardiac arrest in 2013 while he was in Bangkok. This is the third time Shah suffered a heart attack. Tamil Nadu: Trawlers: Govt.s arrest-and-release policy decried January 28,2019 | Source: The Sunday Times The Government has started releasing Tamil Nadu fishing trawlers caught poaching in Sri Lankan waters between 2013 and last year, with the latest batch of 13 being returned to their owners yesterday. This brings the total number of trawlers returned this year alone to 27. The moves have attracted widespread condemnation from Northern fishermen who are once again observing incursions by Tamil Nadu trawlers carrying out illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Sri Lankan waters. Scores of trawlers were detained by the Navy in recent years. But a majority of them have been released with no fines, making a mockery of the act of sending the Navy out to apprehend them, said Thiyagaraja Waradas, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Colombo. The Tamil Nadu fishermen and their trawlers were taken in by the Navy for violating Sri Lankas law, the international maritime boundary and engaging in illegal and predatory fishing. Mr Waradas said the boats were being released at the behest of the President who disregarded all requests by fishermen to former Fisheries Minister Wijith Vijithamuni Soysa. The legal implications of this are that Sri Lanka sets a precedent for bending its own laws and that it is not good for the sustainable fisheries methods we want to promote, he pointed out. The boats were taken into custody under the Immigrants and Emigrants Act. Under the law, they must come to court but this was not done. They were held in detention. By simply ignoring the law, there is room for manipulation and extra-legal action. What is the point in sending your navy out and arresting them if only to release the vessel with no penalty, he asked. It is a waste of public taxpayers money. Mr Waradas also decried that Tamil Nadu boat owners were permitted by the Sri Lanka Government, facilitated by the Sri Lanka Navy, to come via sea to the North to collect their boats. A team arrived here, he said. They were allowed to come to the country via sea. This was not a friendly visit. They were people accused of illegal fishing in our waters. Sri Lanka Navy has been facilitating for them to take their vessels back. What kind of hypocrisy is that? This is not a good practice, he continued. We protest that Tamil Nadu fishermen should not enter into our waters illegally. Then we allow them to come to Sri Lankan waters and take their boats back. Fishermen are not happy about the decision to release boats. And, politically, there is a dilution of Sri Lankas policy to protect its own territorial waters and of measures taken in the last three years to curtail IUU fishing herethat is, to have regular arrests and prosecution, retain the vessel and release fishermen. Whats the point of arresting if you are just releasing? Mr Waradas asked. What is the guarantee these same vessels will not venture back into Sri Lankan waters again? He has been cited by Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed on radio, TV and in social media. For many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates. Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post and other publications. A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission. He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and was inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame. He received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. The Award is the Section's highest honor. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups. Cirucci's passions include politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel. In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association. He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and the host of The Advocates on RVN-TV. We moved here to be close to my oldest and dearest friend, whose kids are now grown, and to my sister, who hardly talks to us or sees us. My husband's sister and her husband's family love us and treat us well. They have suggested we should move by them. They have kids our daughter's age. The only issue is possibly not finding a good home or school. Private school could be an option. Would another move be bad? Should we make a final move before our daughter gets vested in school and friends? It would put us within walking distance to several families we spend a lot of time with and who love us very much. We are afraid of judgment from everyone. Please help us sort it out. -- HOPEFUL NOMADS IN ILLINOIS DEAR NOMADS: Forget about the judgments. You will survive them. The older your daughter becomes, the more difficult moving away from the people she knows will be for her. If you are going to move to an environment more compatible for you, your husband and your daughter, the time to do it is now, so her education and social relationships will not be as disrupted as they would be when she is older. DEAR ABBY: I'm a widowed senior who has been dating a very kind man, "Ben," for three years. He's retired; I am not. He does things for and with me, and we enjoy traveling together. Australia celebrates 26th January as Australia Day which marks the landing of the First Fleet, a convoy of 11 ships carrying convicts, at Port Jackson in 1788. It also marks the founding of the colony New South Wales. How the Australia Day came into being? On the 30th anniversary of the founding of the colony in 1818, the Governor of New South Wales celebrated the day with a 30-gun salute and a holiday for all government employees. Initially, the celebrations were confined to New South Wales. The first founding day was celebrated on 1838, 50 years after the First Fleet arrived in New South Wales. By 1926, almost all states of Australia were celebrating the Australia Day and it was being referred to as Anniversary Day in New South Wales. From 1946, January 26 was celebrated as Australia Day all over the country with the public holiday. January 26 is also a day of Mourning It is said that there are two Australias, one is the land occupied for more than 50,000 years by Indigenous people before the arrival of the First Fleet, and second is the Australia that was colonised in 1788. The colonisation of Australia led to disastrous consequences for the indigenous population. On 26th January 1938 Aboriginal people gathered in Sydney to mark a Day of Mourning to protest against the callous treatment of our people by the white men during the past 150 years. In 2008 then-prime minister Kevin Rudd formally apologised to Australias Indigenous communities over historic government policies of forced child removal and Indigenous assimilation. There are now demands to change the date since the Australia Day should bring the country together not divide Australia. Chief Minister of Goa Manohar Parrikar inaugurated the Atal Setu on the Mandovi river in Goa. Key features of the Bridge The important features of the bridge are: It is a four-lane 5.1-km long cable-stayed bridge connects state capital Panaji with north Goa. This four-lane bridge weighs at 2.5 lakh tonnes is equivalent to the weight of 570 Boeing aircraft. The bridge has been built by 1 lakh cubic metres of high strength, high performance concrete enough to fill 40 Olympic size swimming pools. 13,000 tonnes of corrosion resistant reinforcement steel, 32,000 square metres of structural steel plates and 1,800 kilometres of high tensile pre-stressing strands have gone into making the bridge. The bridge utilizes 88 high tensile strength cables in the state-of-art single place harp type cable stay system and a real-time force monitoring mechanism. The bridge is constructed by the GIDC (Goa Infrastructure Development Corporation) in collaboration with construction major Larsen and Toubro. River Mandovi River Mandovi, also known as Mahadayi or Mhadei river is regarded as the lifeline of Goa. The river originates from a cluster of 30 springs at Bhimgad in the Western Ghats in the Belagavi district of Karnataka and has a total 2,032 km2 catchment area of which 1,580 km2, 375 km2 and 77 km2 catchment area are in Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra respectively. Owing to the differences over the sharing of the river water among the states of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, the union government has constituted Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal to examine the claims made by the states. Russian marked the 75th anniversary of the end of the devastating World War II siege by Nazi forces with a large military parade at ST. Petersburg which was then called as Leningrad. Siege of Leningrad After the invasion of Soviet Union by Nazi Germany in June 1941, the German Army approached Leningrad from the west and their ally Finish Army approached the city from the south, down the Karelian Isthmus. Leningrads population joined hands to build antitank fortifications along the citys perimeter in the support of the Red Army defenders. Even though the defence mechanisms soon stabilised, the city was almost completely encircled, with all the vital rail and other supply lines cut off by early November. This blockade and siege claimed more than 650,000 lives in 1942 alone. The minimal supplies which were coming kept the citys arms factories operating and its two million inhabitants barely alive in 1942. Soviet launched an offensive in early 1943 and ruptured the German encirclement and allowed more copious supplies to reach Leningrad along the shores of Lake Ladoga. By January 1944 a successful Soviet offensive drove the Germans westward from the citys outskirts, ending the siege. The government of the erstwhile Soviet Union awarded the Order of Lenin to Leningrad in 1945 and bestowed the title Hero City of the Soviet Union in 1965. A monument to commemorate the victims and heroism of the siege was unveiled in 1975. Then, with the midterm elections looming, Republicans kicked the can again. Republican leaders are more focused on urging Trump to delay a fight for the wall than on fighting for it themselves, the Washington Post reported in September 2018. Congress is working to pass a short-term spending bill that would avert a government shutdown Oct. 1 and punt a showdown over wall funding into December, after the November midterms. And the current shutdown was precipitated in large part because the Republican Freedom Caucus wouldnt accept anything less than Trumps request for $5.7 billion in funding. Theres also the fact that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has opted to back the presidents play (despite opposing a shutdown in the first place) by refusing to consider any bills the president wont sign. Of course, what all of this leaves out is the fact that the reason Republicans punted on the wall is that the wall is not very popular, even among Republicans. As The New York Times Nate Cohn recently noted, voters have steadily opposed it by a 20 point margin in national polls. That makes it even less popular than the president himself. But by constantly playing lip service to the presidents cherished policy goal while doing nothing, it was inevitable that he would get fed up with the delays and force a confrontation. At the very least, the congressional GOP deserves a larger portion of the blame, and their insistence that this is only a crisis now that theyre not in charge should be added to the hypocrisy list alongside the Democrats sudden moral horror of walls. Jonah Goldberg is an editor-at-large of National Review Online and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. You can write to him in care of this newspaper or by e-mail at JonahsColumn@aol.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The great thing about the 21st century is we have access to all this data, he said. We can either let it sit around or we do something with it. We can get meaningful insights from it, and we can help real people by analyzing real data. Dieck has already started working with a few friends to try to come up with a computer program that estimates stock prices based on peoples posts on Twitter, although he joked that is likely not his million dollar idea that would lead him to an early retirement. He carries a 105 out of a possible 100 GPA while taking a full course load of advanced placement and college preparatory classes. He is also an active member of the high school band, which he described as his main extracurricular activity. Dieck plays the bass clarinet and saxophone in the schools concert, marching and jazz bands and has been selected for district, regional and state orchestra and band on multiple occasions. It is music that taught him to push and work for the things that he really wants, he said. Dieck made district band his eighth-grade year and practiced even harder to go back his freshman year in high school. He came up short. Q. Now, when you come into Pennsylvania, you wade into a convenience store battle between Sheetz and Wawa. Which one wins where chocolate milk is concerned Wawas brand or Gallikers, which is the Sheetz brand? Or should we skip them both for Rutters, another convenience store? A. Great question. I wondered this myself. Which convenience store has the best, self-branded chocolate milk? In my review, I compared whole and low-fat versions (separately, of course) of Rutters, Wawa and Turkey Hill. I had reviewed Gallikers separately, as I believe its available in other places outside of Sheetz stations, but Ill include Gallikers into the answer. For the low-fat chocolate milk, Wawa was the clear winner, then Gallikers (average), Turkey Hill (flavorful, but too sweet), and then Rutters (smooth, but not at all chocolaty and very strange flavor). For the whole chocolate milk, I gave Wawa and Turkey Hill the same score (8.5/10), as they were both delicious in their own way, but Wawa got the edge on account of its uniqueness. After all, its hard to be memorable after more than 1,000 chocolate milks, so points awarded for that. Rutters (decent but lacking flavor punch that the others had) would take third place, and Gallikers (too much focus on sweet) would be last. Granted, Gallikers whole chocolate milk is still preferable to Wawas low-fat chocolate milk (re: whole is better than low-fat, mentioned above). In short, the best convenience store branded chocolate milk is Wawas Double Dutch chocolate milk, super-strong and slightly sour cocoa flavor that is unique, mature and indulgent. Email Tammie at tgitt@cumberlink.com. Follow her on Twitter @TammieGitt. Love 4 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Foreign currency expenses to be tightened to check balance of payments deficit The government is preparing to tighten the payment system and foreign currency expenses amid growing pressure on the countrys foreign exchange reserves. A government panel formed last month to study the countrys deteriorating balance of payments situation said that service trade and imports were the key reasons behind the depletion of Nepals foreign currency reserves. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Washington, D.C., January 28, 2019The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Sudanese authorities to release at least six journalists who have been detained in recent days after covering widespread antigovernment protests calling on President Omar al-Bashir to resign. Today, the Sudanese Communist Party-owned daily Almidan said on its website and the local press freedom group Sudanese Journalists Network said in a statement published on its Facebook page that Sudans National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) has arrested four Almidan journalists and editors since January 25, and stopped the outlet from distributing the print version of the paper seven times since the protests started in December. The moves came as Bashir, speaking at a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo, blamed the media for exaggerating the size of the protests, according to news reports. President Bashirs attempt to deflect the publics anger by smearing Sudans brave journalists is both futile and shameful, said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour. Rounding up more journalists wont help authorities find a solution to the countrys ongoing unrest. Almidan said the arrested journalists were Tariq Ali, its correspondent in Kosti city south of Khartoum, who was detained on January 25, and editors Iman Osman, Musab Mohamed, and Osama Hassan from its Khartoum office, who were detained on January 26, according to statements published by several local media and news websites. Yesterday, the authorities also arrested freelance reporters Adam Mahdi in Nyala, a city southwest of Khartoum, and Amin Sanada in Port Sudan, a city northeast of Khartoum, Almidan and the Sudanese Journalists Network reported. The Sudanese Communist Partya main opposition partyheld a press conference on January 23 in which the partys leader, Ali Al-Kanin, said the NISS had stopped the party from distributing the print version of Almidan seven times since the protests started. The most recent print issue of Almidan available on its website is from January 24, according to a CPJ review of the website; in that issue, the daily devoted significant coverage to the protests, including two pages of photos and names of activists arrested throughout the country. All the detained journalists and editors have been covering the protests, Abdel Qader, a Khartoum-based journalist and press freedom advocate, told CPJ. Ali specifically reported on teachers strikes and labor issues for Almidan, including during the protests that started in December, according to a CPJ review of his writing. On January 8, Osman wrote an editorial criticizing the governments response to the protests and calling for the release of her colleagues Ghurashi Awad and Kamal Karrar, who remain in detention, according to a CPJ review of her columns. CPJ was unable to determine if any of the journalists have been formally charged. The NISS did not immediately respond to CPJs request for comment sent via email. Since the protests began, the Sudanese authorities have attempted to stifle news coverage and disrupt access to the internet and social media networks, CPJ has documented. Almidan columnists Awad and Karrar were arrested along with other columnists by the security services in Khartoum after criticizing the governments response to the protests in late December and early January, CPJ documented at the time. Since then, the authorities revoked the credentials of at least six journalists working for international news outlets. MONDAY, Jan. 28, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- More U.S. families with young children are buying handguns -- and that might help explain a recent spike in firearm deaths, a new study suggests. Government figures show that after years of decline, gun-related deaths among U.S. children under age 5 have been on the upswing. Between 2006 and 2016, the rate nearly doubled -- from 0.36 deaths for every 100,000 children, to 0.63 per 100,000. The question has been why. The new study, published in the February issue of Pediatrics, offers a possible reason: The firearm of choice for U.S. families has shifted from hunting rifles to handguns. The key difference, experts said, is that families usually buy handguns for protection and may keep them somewhere that little hands can reach. "It's the changes in firearm type -- the shift to handguns in the home -- that appears to be putting these young children most at risk," said lead researcher Kate Prickett. She is the director of the Roy McKenzie Center for the Study of Families and Children at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. Prickett said the findings put more weight behind what experts already recommend: The safest choice for parents with young kids is to keep their home gun-free. But if they do own a firearm, it should be unloaded and kept under lock and key. For the study, Prickett and her team analyzed years of findings from a nationally representative survey of U.S. households that asked -- among other things -- about firearms in the home. They compared those patterns against federal statistics on gun-related deaths. Like past studies, this one found a disturbing trend in gun deaths among children ages 1 to 4: After declining from historic highs in the early 1980s, the death rate began to climb again after 2004. Similarly, gun ownership changed over the years. In 1976, half of white families with young children owned a gun. That declined to a low of 29 percent in 2002, before it spiked again -- to 45 percent in 2016. The critical change, according to the researchers, was in the type of gun families owned. Back in the 1970s, half of gun-owning families had a rifle -- presumably for recreation, like hunting. By 2016, 72 percent of those families had a handgun. It's reasonable to assume that most of those handguns are meant for protection, according to Dr. Kavita Parikh, who wrote an editorial published with the study. When that's the goal, she said, families may resist advice to lock guns away, unloaded. Statistics paint a clear picture, said Parikh, a pediatrician at Children's National Health System in Washington, D.C. When a gun is in the house, she said, people are much more likely to be accidentally hurt than to use it for self-defense. Firearm-related injury is the fifth-most common cause of injury-related deaths among 1- to 4-year-olds, the study noted. The current findings do not prove that the changes in families' gun ownership have driven up gun deaths among children. But Prickett said they are in line with many studies that all show a "clear and consistent finding." When it comes to gun-related deaths among children and teenagers, having a gun in the home is one of the strongest risk factors. Parikh pointed to American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines stating that ideally, parents should keep guns out of the house. Short of that, any gun should be locked away, unloaded and separate from ammunition. A seemingly good hiding place is not enough. "What we're seeing is that kids explore and know where the family firearms are," Parikh said. She stressed that gun manufacturers have a responsibility, too. Namely, they could invest in developing "smart guns" that can only be operated by the intended person and not by children. Legislation could also help, according to Prickett. Many states have child access prevention (CAP) laws, which, to varying degrees, hold adults liable when a child gains access to their gun. But, Prickett said, an overarching federal CAP law -- along with other steps, such as universal background checks -- might keep more guns out of kids' hands. More information Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has more on children and gun violence. 1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war. 2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. 3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength. 4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war. 5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites. 6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination. 7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. 8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. 9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress. 10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N. 11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.) 12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. 13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. 14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office. 15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. 16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. 18. Gain control of all student newspapers. 19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack. 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions. 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures. 22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art." 24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. 25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV. 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man." 31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. 32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. 33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus. 34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities. 35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI. 36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. 37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business. 38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand. 39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. 42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems. 43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government. 44. Internationalize the Panama Canal. 45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Hefti said shes glad to have another SRO working alongside her again. I am very happy. Its very overwhelming trying to do everything by yourself and trying to serve all the needs of the schools, she said. I think this will make the SRO program more visible. Its not about how many citations we can write, its about being there, being present, being visible. The purpose of the SRO program is to be with the kids, to show the kids they can trust law enforcement and show that we can be a resource for the students and parents as much as the administration. Columbus Public Schools Superintendent Troy Loeffelholz said he's encouraged by CPD adding another school resource officer. That extra officer will help facilitate things that are happening in our community, he said. Loeffelholz praised Hefti for her efforts throughout the years, adding she has already done so much for the district's faculty and students. Officer Hefti has been a great asset. We consider her one of us, he said. Shes in our buildings consistently talking with kids and creating relationships with students. Once again, the Wisconsin Legislature will be discussing drunk driving. Rep. Jim Ott of Mequon and Sen. Alberta Darling of River Hills, have introduced legislation to make a first drunken driving offense a crime, punishable up to $500 in fines and 30 days in jail. Of course that legislation has gone nowhere in the past and it is unlikely to go anywhere this time around. The sentiment is best expressed by our state Senator Kathy Bernier quoted in the Leader-Telegram: I dont think the first offense should be criminalized. Most people self-correct. The fines are significant, their insurance premiums go up, and they are humiliated. I dont think we need more. Everyone deserves a second chance in life. The philosophy of education and prevention comes from Rep. Rob Summerfield of Bloomer who in the same article said: Overall, drunk driving is going down, I think education (about the dangers of driving drunk) is the best. Is this contradicting where were going, with moving toward rehab? If someone is .081 (blood alcohol level), are they a criminal? To Mr. Summerfield remarks, if someone is .081 are they a criminal? if that is the way the law is written, then the answer is yes. One of the girls friends told the Menomonie investigator that she met Logan through the smartphone app TikTok, according to the complaint. Logan told an Oklahoma police detective that he met a girl on an app, drove to Wisconsin and spent time with the three girls, but denied having sexual contact with any of them. Boyceville man charged with sexual assault A Boyceville man has been charged in Dunn County court with repeatedly sexually touching a juvenile female. Timothy S. Cocherell, 46, of 833 Dale St., was charged Thursday with repeated sexual assault of the same child at least three violations of first-or second-degree sexual assault. A girl told a Boyceville police officer that Cocherell had sexually assaulted her repeatedly between 2012 and 2017, while she was between the ages of 12 and 17, according to a criminal complaint. The girl said Cocherell touched her over and under her clothing and once told her he wanted to have intercourse. A woman told the officer that the girl told her Cocherell had sexual contact with her, according to the complaint. Clifford D. May (Twitter @CliffordDMay) is president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a columnist for The Washington Times. Toby Dershowitz (Twitter @tobydersh) is FDD senior vice president for government relations and strategy Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh. blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work. . ..Israel Hayom..28 January '19..For more than a decade, Alberto Nisman had been investigating the worst terrorist attack ever committed on Argentine soil: the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. Eighty-five people were killed and hundreds wounded.Four years ago this week, the federal prosecutor was putting the finishing touches on a report that would accuse then-President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and a dozen others of helping cover up the Islamic Republic of Iran's responsibility for the attack.On Jan. 18, the day before he was to present that report to Argentina's Congress, Nisman was found dead in the bathroom of his locked 13th-floor apartment. A .22-caliber bullet had been fired at close-range into his head.Kirchner initially called his death a suicide even though his fingerprints were not found on the Bersa pistol left close to his body, and there was no gunpowder residue on his hands.Just over a year ago, however, an investigation by 28 forensic experts and law enforcement officials conclusively determined that he did not kill himself. In fact, they were able to deduce, two people roughed him up, sedated him, and then shot him.Who were those people? And from whom were they taking orders? Argentines attempting to answer such questions place themselves in danger.Late last month, Federal Judge Sandra Arroyo Salgado, who also is Nisman's former wife and the mother of their two daughters, withdrew from formal involvement in the investigation. The reason: ongoing threats the "need to guarantee the protection and safety of the family," as she phrased it in a written statement.Nisman used wire-tapped conversations to build his case against Kirchner. Among them was one concerning an ally, former intelligence official Antonio Stiuso. Kirchner says on tape : "We have to kill him." Her defenders claim she did not intend to be taken literally. Stiuso, unconvinced, subsequently fled the country with his family.In September 2017, former Argentine Ambassador to Syria Roberto Ahuad revealed in testimony that Foreign Minister Hector Timerman had visited Syria in January 2011 to finalize an agreement with Iran, at a meeting hosted by Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. A message sent to Ahuad asked: "When are you committing suicide?" Another warned: "Beware of an induced suicide."And Eduardo Taiano, the head prosecutor investigating Nisman's murder, has received messages threatening to do to him and his son what was done to Nisman.Nevertheless, Taiano is continuing to investigate, focusing most immediately on calls made over more than 150 phone lines many of them reportedly to intelligence agents on the day Nisman's body was found.Long before implicating Argentine officials in a conspiracy, Nisman had found solid evidence that officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran planned and financed the AMIA bombing, and that Hezbollah, its terrorist proxy, carried it out.Mohsen Rabbani became cultural attache at the Islamic republic's embassy in Buenos Aires just months before the AMIA bombing. In 1997, after Argentine authorities issued an arrest warrant for him, and INTERPOL a red notice (a request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition), he managed to return to Tehran. Red notices for four other Iranian officials in connection with the bombing remain in effect to this day.Evidence points also to Hezbollah's responsibility for the bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992, in which 29 people were killed, and more than 200 wounded. Argentine authorities charged Imad Mughniyah, Hezbollah's infamous former military commander, who also masterminded the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. (He was killed in Damascus in 2008 in what may have been a joint Israeli/U.S. operation).The most likely motive for the AMIA attack: Iran's rulers, in their own special way, were conveying displeasure over the Argentine government's suspension of nuclear cooperation.As for the cover-up, Nisman believed a deal was in the works to lift the red notices in exchange for oil.Tehran and Hezbollah have long been seeking influence and power in Latin America, not least through illicit means. As far back as 2004, the U.S. Treasury Department designated Assad Ahmad Barakat, a Lebanese-born citizen of Paraguay, as a terrorist and Hezbollah financier. He and other members of his family are believed to have provided logistical support for both the AMIA and embassy bombings.Recently, Argentina froze the assets of 14 members of the Barakat clan. That sent a message that Mauricio Macri, elected Argentina's president in 2015, is unwilling to give Hezbollah free rein.A few weeks ago, the U.S. State Department hosted a ministerial meeting with key Latin American officials that sent another message: Hezbollah operatives in the Western hemisphere must be thwarted.That said, it remains to be seen whether Hezbollah or Iran will ever be held accountable for the terrorist attacks of 1992 and 1994, and whether anyone will be brought to justice for attempting to cover their tracks and for the murder of the investigator who followed the facts wherever they led him.That investigator, just days before he was assassinated, said prophetically: "With Nisman around or not, the evidence is there." Argentines now face a choice: to act on that evidence or to surrender to terrorists and murderers. To put it another way, they must decide what kind of nation Argentina is, and what kind of nation Argentina will become. Electric scooters yet to gain traction in Nepal While more people are making the switch to electric scooters as the cost savings over their petrol powered brethren are substantial, they have failed to set the sales chart on fire. Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh. blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work. . ..UK Media Watch..28 January '19..The Guardians institutional hostility to Israel is in part driven by their near obsession with the plight of the Palestinians a story almost always framed, regardless of the facts, in terms of the latters suffering at the hands of the former. This disproportionate focus was evident in our review of their Photos of the Week series, which they describe as The best photographs in news and culture from around the world.Our survey of this series since March 31st when the Hamas-led Great March of Return began found that 31 photos depicted scenes from the weekly Gaza border riots.(This count doesnt include photos related to other non-protest related Gaza violence such as IDF responses to Hamas rocket attacks or events in the West Bank. If we were to include such photos, the count would be significantly higher.)In contrast, the Guardian published a mere 21 photos depicting the Syrian Civil War over the same 10 month period.To get a sense of the scale of this imbalance, note that the Gaza riots have claimed 209 Palestinian lives, whilst roughly 16,000 Syrians died during that time, with another 800,000 or so driven from their homes (extrapolating from 2018 totals as reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights). Environment Canada has issued wind and snowfall warnings across southern Saskatchewan. Wind gusts exceeding 90 kilometres an hour are possible in the Regina, Cypress Hills and Estevan areas. "We're expecting winds to pick up fairly dramatically throughout the day," said Mike McDonald, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. "There will probably be a few gusts closer to 100 kilometres an hour down in the southwest end of the province." Winds are expected to be high from the noon hour into the evening. "It's an Alberta Clipper that developed over northern Alberta last night," McDonald said. Environment Canada said a cold front with a fast moving low pressure system is bringing the surge of strong winds on Sunday. Since conditions may change, people are advised to check Environment Canada's website for weather alert changes. McDonald said the southwest area may be the hardest hit by wind. "That's where we're expecting gusts close to 100 km/hr," he said. McDonald said everywhere was above zero degrees Sunday morning but the cold front will drop temperatures -10 C or more. "We're going to see a lot of melting occurring this morning and that's going to be rapidly freezing this evening," he said. "So it's going to be real icy out there." Eastern Saskatchewan may experience more snow throughout the day Sunday. "Probably see another four to six centimetres over eastern Saskatchewan," McDonald said. "That show should taper off this evening. The worst of it is going through right now and early this afternoon." Winter storm warnings are also in place for the La Ronge area. Some areas experienced freezing rain late Saturday night but Environment Canada said that should be all for the weekend. Highway hotline Highway conditions include warnings of drifting snow, icy sections, ice covered and reduced visibility areas. Saskatoon police also issued a warning late Saturday night that road conditions within the city and on the outskirts have deteriorated with snow and rain. Police are asking people to give themselves additional time for travel. "Right now, we're without a country." Windsorite Mark Sarty is desperate to bring his Ukrainian wife home to Canada, but instead, they're waiting out the spousal sponsorship process in Mexico, in what he says feels like "limbo." Sarty met his wife Marina while on a trip to Ukraine, and they married in the summer of 2017. With support from a Windsor immigration consultant, they submitted their paperwork for spousal sponsorship in October 2018, and were planning on waiting out the typically year-long process in her home country but things didn't work out as planned. Sarty explained that tensions between Ukraine and Russia were escalating at the time, and with the implementation of martial law in Ukraine for the regions bordering Russia, he felt that it was time to go. "I decided that this was not a safe place for my wife and I to be anymore," Sarty said, explaining that they were worried about getting caught in a war. "We decided to buy plane tickets and leave. So basically we left everything there. Our car, our belongings, everything else. Just brought whatever we could bring in suitcases." Waiting in Mexico He said he'd hoped to get a visitor visa for Marina so that they could wait out the spousal sponsorship approval in Canada, but because visitor visas rely on the applicant's ability to prove that they intend to leave the country once the visa expires, they were denied. So unable to return as a couple to his home in Canada, and no longer feeling safe in her home in Ukraine, Sarty and his wife moved to Puerto Penasco, Mexico in December. It was a place for which they were both able to acquire 6-month visitor visas with their respective citizenships. Sarty explained that even though Mexico also has its dangers, it was the couple's best alternative to Ukraine. Now, Sarty said, he hopes to see the sponsorship process expedited so he can finally bring his wife home to Windsor. Story continues "We understand that there's a process to go through, but I also understand as a Canadian that we need to deal with unique situations and unique circumstances in different ways and not have the unfortunate situation where a Canadian citizen has to bring his Ukrainian wife and live in Mexico because it's the only place that was going to give a six-month visa right away." A 'complex set of circumstances' Eddie Kadri, a Windsor immigration lawyer says this is a sad situation for the couple, but fast-tracking a process like this is unlikely. Submitted by Mark Sarty "You can't help but be sympathetic to their situation, but it's a very complex set of circumstances," said Kadri, who is not working on Sarty's file, but he has helped many clients on spousal applications. He explained that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has to deal with a lot of public policy when processing applications like these, and it always takes a long time to process. There are background checks, security checks, and police clearances that need to be done, plus the authenticity of the marriage also has to be proven. Marriage fraud and marriages of convenience are a "big problem" in Canada, Kadri explained, and for every spousal application, the government has to determine that the relationship is a genuine one. "Unfortunately in today's day and age with Canada being such a desirable country, it's very prevalent this issue. People slip through the cracks, and so that's why these applications take so long." As for whether or not cases can be expedited on a case-by-case basis, Kadri says it's almost impossible, and that he's never seen it happen in his practice. He said that in his experience, fast-tracking an application would require the Minister's involvement, and would usually be a broad scope policy change for all people from a certain region where there are threats to safety, security, or war. 'We want our home' "I feel for this individual, I really do," Kadri said. "And if he were my client I would fight for him to the extent that was possible, but you have to be realistic in this situation." Katerina Georgieva/CBC He said that the couple's best course of action would be to ensure that their application is entirely in order, that documents have been presented, their situation has been clearly explained, and that way the process can proceed as swiftly as possible. If the couple's 6-month visas in Mexico run out before the sponsorship is approved, Sarty said he's not sure what the couple will do, explaining he doesn't want to have to move around from country to country. "We want our home. I want to bring my wife home to Canada," he said. "I'm just hoping that my country can come through for me." Environment Canada has issued a snow squall watch for much of southern Quebec, warning that brief, but intense snowfall could suddenly reduce visibility. Snow squalls are expected in the late morning to early afternoon Sunday, bringing about five centimetres of snow to the Montreal region. Heavy snow and blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility, the agency says. Thick flurries combined with moderate to strong westerly winds will give near-zero visibility for a short period of time. Temperatures will vary between 1 C in the early afternoon and 13 by 11 p.m., feeling like 22 with the wind chill. The snow squall watch, in effect since about 4:40 a.m., covers Longueuil, Chateauguay and the island of Montreal. There is also a snow squall watch in Beauce, Quebec City, Richelieu Valley, Drummondville, Kamouraska, Montmagny, Temiscouata, Vaudreuil and the Eastern Townships. Jean-Claude Taliana/Radio-Canada Snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably, Environment Canada says on its website. Changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common, causing sudden reductions in visibility. Snow squall watches are issued when conditions are favourable for the formation of bands of snow that could produce intense accumulating snow or near-zero visibility, the agency says. Thousands of residents were displaced in Indonesia as floods and landslides ravaged southern Sulawesi, bringing the death toll to 68, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman with Indonesias disaster agency said on January 28. More than 5,000 homes had been submerged in the floods, Sutupo said. In Batang, central Java, a local official touring damaged schools and libraries estimated the cost of damage caused by flooding there would reach billions of rupiah. This footage was provided by the Indonesian Red Cross, who described it as showing evacuations in central Java on January 27. Credit: Indonesian Red Cross via Storyful Holocaust survivor Fishel Goldig feels he has a responsibility to share his story. "Survivors we have an obligation. Our obligation is to tell the story to many, many people, as many as we possible can," he said. "When you listen to a survivor, you also become a witness." He was one of two survivors taking part in an event at the Montreal Holocaust Museum in Cote-des-Neiges on Sunday, commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day which marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The event featured a free workshop that provided people with the tools to create art based on elements of Goldig's testimony. CBC Leading the workshop was artist Eleonore Goldberg, who created a short film in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada depicting the survival story of her grandfather. Her film, My Yiddish Papi, is completely made up of hand-drawn animation that took her over two years to finish. Goldig said it was a "great honour" to have his story transformed into art by the participants, adding: "Maybe they'll even make a masterpiece, you never know." He spoke to the group about his experiences as a young Jewish boy in Nazi-occupied Ukraine. He recalled seeing scores of families gunned down by German soldiers as they moved to clear the ghetto where Jewish residents from the area had been forced to live. Goldig fled to a nearby shed with his mother, aunt and cousin. His aunt and cousin were found and shot a few feet away from him, but Goldig managed to hide under a mattress and survived. CBC Participant Julia Jones told CBC that she wanted to capture the emotion of Goldig's story in her painting. "Just the image from the beginning of his story, where he had to leave his village with his family with nothing but the things they could carry really stood out to me," she said. Jones said that getting to hear testimony from a survivor really helps to personalize the events of The Second World War and the Holocaust. "It's something that you don't get to hear every day, but I think it's really important." Following the sudden dismissal of Canada's ambassador to China, a man who once held that job called on the government to immediately appoint a special high-level envoy to deal with Beijing while it searches for a new, permanent representative. As it may take some time to find a new ambassador, appointing a high-level envoy would send the right signal to China that Canada is serious about trying to end the ongoing diplomatic dispute said Guy Saint-Jacques, who was posted in Beijing until 2016. Canada has been embroiled in diplomatic discord with China since the detention of Meng Wanzhou, a top Huawei executive, in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of the U.S. China subsequently detained two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, without just cause, according to the Canadian government. "It would be important for the prime minister to consider to send a high-level envoy, tasked with trying to resolve the issue, or at least lower the temperature with the Chinese," Saint-Jacques said. "I think we're at a stage where we need a good face-to-face dialogue." The former ambassador said this could be done by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland or the prime minister's National Security Adviser Greta Bossenmaier. Another high-ranking official could be named to listen and explain Canada's position directly, Saint-Jacques said. Margaret McCuaig Johnson, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, agrees. "Perhaps the prime minister would do well to have a special envoy like [former prime minister] Jean Chretien to be sent over to China to just focus on the detainees," she said. Watch as PM fires John McCallum as ambassador to China: Most recently, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government appointed former Liberal leader Bob Rae as a special envoy to Myanmar to make recommendations on the best way to offer humanitarian support to the region. Saint-Jacques' comments come after John McCallum was dismissed from his posting as ambassador to Beijing over the weekend after the former Liberal cabinet minister reiterated controversial comments about the extradition of Meng Wanzhou. Story continues McCallum had already apologized for suggesting earlier in the week that Meng had a strong case to make against her extradition to the United States. Similar comments made again on Friday seemed to leave the prime minister with little choice but to remove McCallum, given the mixed messages being sent to the Chinese about the government's official position. Saint-Jacques said there are many qualified people who could fill McCallum's role, but it could take until this spring to get them into position. "I think we have people who would be at the right level, who have very good Mandarin skills, good experience." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily news briefing in Beijing on Monday that the McCallum matter "is an internal affair for Canada. China will not comment." The spokesperson's comments were brief, but a former Chinese government official said Beijing likely will interpret McCallum's dismissal as a further misstep by the Trudeau government. "This sends a very negative signal, this sends a signal of chaos in Ottawa, and this also revealed the inner thinking of PM Trudeau and this is not reflecting well," said Victor Gao, vice president of the Center for China and Globalization, a think-tank. "It seems the Canadian government is at the end of its wits and does not know which route will lead to a positive result." Freeland told reporters in Ottawa today that McCallum has a long and distinguished career as an academic and member of Parliament but had to be removed because of his comments. "Ambassador McCallum's comments were inconsistent with the position of the government of Canada," she said. "The first and foremost job of any ambassador of our country is to express accurately our government's position. And that is what made it untenable for ambassador McCallum to remain in his role." For now, Deputy Head of Mission in China Jim Nickel will be Canada's point man in Beijing, although it's unlikely he will be appointed ambassador. Due to tensions with China and the fate of two Canadians hanging in the balance, Saint-Jacques said, there is precedent for a former ambassador to be asked to return to the country on an interim basis. When asked whether he would be interested in the job, Saint-Jacques said he is pretty sure the Chinese wouldn't want him back. "They know where I stand," he said. By Zeba Siddiqui and Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - A top official at an observer group that monitored Bangladesh's election, as well as one of its foreign volunteers, have said they regretted participating. The election led to an overwhelming victory and a third successive term For Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her ruling alliance, though western governments, including the United States, have called for reports of irregularities at the polls to be investigated. The president of the SAARC Human Rights Foundation told Reuters he now believed there should be a fresh vote after hearing first hand accounts from voters and some officials presiding over polling booths that activists from Hasina's Awami League stuffed ballot boxes the night before the poll and intimidated voters. Reuters was not able to independently verify those accounts. "Now I have come to know everything, and can say that the election was not free and fair," said Mohammad Abdus Salam, a 75-year-old former high court division justice. After Reuters published this story, the SAARC Human Rights Foundation issued a statement saying Salam had been misquoted. It quoted him as saying he told the reporters that "people in the mosque were saying the elections weren't conducted properly", but that he did not feel able to offer an opinion because he had not been an observer himself. "I have responsibly and judiciously discharged my duties," the statement quoted Salam as saying. "This incorrect news has hurt my prestige and standing, and I am distressed." Contacted again by Reuters, Salam declined to comment further. A Canadian observer who was brought in by the foundation, Tanya Foster, also told Reuters she regretted her involvement. But in a subsequent email and letter she said the regret concerned the hostility and harassment she faced from the media and others on her return to Canada and not her actual participation as an observer. A Reuters spokesman said: "We stand by our reporting on the views expressed by the election monitors." Several observers fielded by the foundation said they continued to endorse the vote. Gautam Ghosh, a Kolkata, India-based lawyer, and Hakimullah Muslim and Nazir Miya - members of Nepal's ruling Communist Party - said they stood by their initial statements that the polls were fair. "We heard of incidents of violence but never saw anything with our own eyes. We can't comment on what happened elsewhere," said Miya. Ghosh said he had never seen such a good election. Bangladesh, which is an important supplier of clothing to major Western High Street brands and is the second-biggest garments exporter in the world behind China, had already faced criticism from the European Union, United States, and British officials for irregularities observed during the polling. Transparency International last week said its investigation into the Dec. 30 election found irregularities at 47 of the 50 constituencies surveyed, including fake votes, ballot stuffing, and voters and opposition polling agents barred from entering polling centers. It found the ruling party was alone in actively campaigning at all areas surveyed, sometimes with help from local law enforcement officials and government resources. The government has dismissed the Transparency International investigation as lacking in credibility. Hasina's political adviser H.T. Imam called the group "a puppet" of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Imam did not respond to calls seeking further comment on Reuters' report about the monitors' misgivings. The BNP-led alliance has rejected the election, calling it rigged, after the Awami League and its allies swept more than 95 percent of the parliamentary seats. The United States, European Union and Britain have since called for allegations of ballot-rigging and intimidation to be investigated. Several U.S. groups, including the Washington-based International Republican Institute (IRI), also monitored the voting but have not made their observations public. Ahead of the election, the U.S. State Department had expressed disappointment that some U.S.-funded observers had been forced to cancel plans to observe the polls as Bangladesh didn't issue visas "within the timeframe necessary". Bangladesh denied delaying visas and said it was following due process. Political experts said observers were key to establishing the credibility of the poll, which was Bangladesh's first fully participatory election in a decade. The BNP had boycotted the last vote in 2014. VICTORY ENDORSED The SAARC Human Rights Foundation brought in observers from Canada, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, who spoke to the press on election day and the day after, endorsing the fairness of the voting, often in glowing terms. On New Year's Eve, hours after being declared the winner of a contest that brought her a third straight term in power, Hasina sat on a white couch at her residence to address an audience of journalists and election observers. "They voted so enthusiastically, especially women and the young generation," Hasina said. "By coming to my country, you have also given us good opportunity to show how democracy is working." As a microphone was passed around the room, monitors from the SAARC Human Rights Foundation as well as other observers, including those from the Saudi Arabia-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation - which endorsed the poll as fair - congratulated Hasina on the win. The first to speak was Foster, who called the election "very fair and democratic". "In Canada I feel that it is a similar type of process," Foster said, as Hasina smiled back. Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed, who is the government's information and communication technology adviser, repeatedly tweeted out statements made by the foundation's observers calling the election fair and peaceful. Though the initials and logo it uses closely resemble those of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), an inter-governmental body that is well-known in the region, the Dhaka-based SAARC Human Rights Foundation has no affiliation with that organization. The foundation's Secretary General Abed Ali told Reuters the group had applied for approval from SAARC and was expecting it soon. A spokesman for the Kathmandu-based SAARC, though, told Reuters it had never heard of Ali or his group. Its advisory committee is chaired by a lawmaker from Hasina's Awami League, and includes a former lawmaker from the Jatiya Party, which has often been allied with the Awami League. A former minister in a previous BNP government is also listed on the panel, but no current opposition members. Ali said those current and former lawmakers "are just supporting our humanitarian activities". "I want to make it clear that we have no affiliation with any political party," he added. Awami League lawmaker Obaidul Muqtadir Chowdhury, who is listed on the foundation's website as chairman of its adviser panel, did not respond to calls seeking comment. Former Jatiya Party lawmaker Mohammad Ruhul Amin, who stood down at this election and is also a member of the adviser panel, did not respond to calls seeking comment. Party Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju said he had not heard of the foundation. The secretary of Bangladesh's Election Commission, Helal Uddin Ahmed, said it had no knowledge of links between the SAARC Human Rights Foundation and any political party. FOREIGN OBSERVERS In his original interview with Reuters Salam, the group's president, said the observers fielded by his organization had only monitored a few polling stations, so were in no position to make a clear assessment of the election's fairness. He said he was not directly involved in organizing the poll observers. He said some presiding officers had told him they had been forced to stuff ballot boxes. "I want to speak the truth," he told Reuters at the headquarters of the foundation, a dusty two-room ground floor apartment in the industrial town of Mirpur on the outskirts of Dhaka. "I am not doing this for any political gain." He did not identify the presiding officers, who he said spoke to him in confidence because they felt guilty at participating. Reuters could not independently verify the accusations. Ali dismissed the president's comments, saying: "Can you write something just based on someone saying something?" Foster, a policy analyst in the Saskatchewan provincial government, told Reuters she had heard from Bangladeshis in Canada that a group known as the SAARC Human Rights Foundation was looking for foreign election monitors. "I asked about the qualifications because I thought it would be an interesting experience. I applied to SAARC and to the Election Commission and they vetted me and offered me an invitation to be an observer," said Foster, whose daughter, Chloe Foster, also joined the observer's panel. They had never acted as international observers to a national election before. In hindsight, she said "I don't feel great about it. I feel like I was too naive". "I don't know that our reports are of that much value, considering we only visited nine polling centers and only in Dhaka," she added. "We didn't go to the more hostile areas. We didn't audit the election commission or conduct background checks of the presiding officers or poll agents." In her subsequent email and letter to Reuters, Foster said that she stands by her comments on election day: that she didn't witness any election irregularities. She also said she had left Bangladesh "feeling good about the role I had played in upholding democracy". Foster said her regrets concerned the pressure she faced from journalists and others on her return to Canada. "I had dozens of people harassing me about what I knew and didn't know," she said, adding that these people even contacted her government employer, putting her in a tenuous position at work. Chloe Foster was not available for comment. Ali, the foundation's secretary general, said the women had experience monitoring elections in Canada. He said it was not possible for any group to monitor all polling stations. (Additional reporting by Serajul Quadir in DHAKA and Gopal Sharma in KATHMANDU; Editing by Martin Howell and Alex Richardson) By Fathin Ungku SINGAPORE (Reuters) - There is no proof that Beijing's detention of a Chinese-born Australian writer is related to the arrest of Canadians in China, Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said on Monday. Yang Hengjun was detained in southern China earlier this month and taken to Beijing where China has said he was held under "coercive measures", a euphemism for detention, as he is being investigated on suspicion of "endangering state security". "In terms of the detention of Mr. Yang, I dont see any evidence that the detention of Mr. Yang is linked to decisions made by the Australian government in recent times. Nor do I see it being linked to the detention of the two Canadians, Pyne told a security forum in Singapore. Pyne held talks in Beijing last week aimed at repairing ties with Australia's largest trading partner that have been strained since 2017, when it accused China of meddling in its affairs. Pyne said he had spoken to Chinese authorities during his trip to "ensure that he (Yang) has been well cared for, treated fairly and transparently". Tensions have risen in recent weeks between China and some Western countries after two Canadians, a diplomat on unpaid leave and a consultant, were arrested in China on suspicion of endangering state security. Australia joined international condemnation of the arrest of the Canadians, but Yang has long been in the sights of Chinese authorities. He has criticized what he described as Chinese interference in Australia. Yang's lawyer, Mo Shaoping, told Reuters that his client was suspected of "espionage", and was being held under "residential surveillance at a designated location." (Reporting by Fathin Ungku; writing by Jack Kim; Editing by Michael Perry) Doctors put pressure on the government to save Dr KC Doctors across the country said on Sunday that they would stage a relay hunger strike starting Monday to press the government to save the live of Dr Govinda KC, who has been on his 16th fast-unto-death for the last 19 days. British Chamber of Commerce of Germany president Michael Schmidt speaks at the chambers 100-year anniversary, Berlin, January 24, 2019. Photo: PICTUREBLIND/Jurgen Sendel Brexit was front-and-centre as the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany (BCCG) celebrated its 100th anniversary in Berlin on Thursday. BCCG president Michael Schmidt said that Brexit has drawn the German and British business communities closer one of the few positives in the current climate of uncertainty and anxiety. As Britains second-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade topping 180bn (156bn) in 2017, the relationship between Germany and the UK will remain significantly important post-Brexit. Schmidt spoke to Yahoo Finance UK about managers vs. politicians, how the role of the chamber has intensified, and the risk of dangerous legends arising around Brexit. This interview has been edited for brevity. Yahoo Finance UK: Has Brexit had a noticeable effect on the role of the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany? Michael Schmidt: As long as trade relationships between different geographies work smoothly there is no significant need for a kind of organisation such as ours. We answer questions and build networks, but its a normal steady business. In terms of Brexit you get a lot of attention, you get a lot of questions, and the visibility and the importance of the BCCG in Germany has increased. We see this in terms of requests from our members and the general interest of not just our members in other companies, but also the wider public. I would say in a year where we celebrate the 100th anniversary, its the only good thing in a bad situation. YFi UK: Airbus CEO Tom Enders said this week that it is a disgrace how the government handling of Brexit means businesses havent been able to plan ahead. Would you agree? MS: As far as the consequences are concerned, I think it is a disgrace. The vast majority of parliamentarians have voted against [prime minister] Theresa Mays deal all for different reasons. There are so many different agendas being followed that it is very hard to detect where a common solution may lie. Its a nightmare for companies simply because they cannot prepare for it, and if you want to prepare for all the different options which are still feasible, you dont have the resources for that, particularly smaller companies. Story continues YFi UK: What is the best-case Brexit scenario now, given were running out of time? MS: The best scenario from my point of view would be if our British friends decided to stay in the European Union. Is it likely? Not really. So I fully accept the vote, but given the options on the table now, I would say if you want to avoid an Irish border you need to stay in the customs union. But to be honest its guessing, I dont know. YFi UK: Would an extension of the withdrawal date beyond March 29 solve anything? MS: If you have more time, you have more opportunities to look for majorities. The big difference between managers and politicians is managers are looking for the best solution; politicians are looking for a majority, that doesnt necessarily mean the same. YFi UK: The title of todays BCCG discussion is Brexit: entrepreneurial chance or deep uncertainty. The deep uncertainty is obvious, so what opportunities could Brexit bring? MS: I cannot see a real benefit. From my perspective it is wishful thinking to find better trade agreements than the EU has, given the re-nationalisation we are observing across the globe and the changed dynamics and politics in the US, its quite unlikely that you find a better deal. What really strikes me, and this is not just my personal view, but also that of the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany, is that we already have trenches between UK and continental Europe and these are deepening. We are already starting to look for scapegoats was it [Angela]Merkel not listening to [David] Cameron? Is it the EU treating the British negotiator badly? Legends are going to develop and this is one of the serious risks I see. In terms of trade, we are mostly likely facing a phase of changes, you may call that chaos, but after a certain period of time this will be transferred into a steady mode, where we have steady agreements in place. This is the most important task to find an agreement on how we can and want to deal with each other in the future. The relationship between the two partners needs to be maintained even after Brexit. Its not a given, we need to work on it. Water vapour rises from the cooling towers of a lignite-fired power plant of Lausitz Energie Bergbau in Jaenschwalde, Germany. Photo: Reuters/Hannibal Hanschke Germany should exit coal power by 2038, according to a hotly anticipated proposal by the countrys coal commission. The debate on a feasible coal exit has been raging for more than six months in Germany, where the pressure is mounting to tackle carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Nearly 40% of Germanys electricity is coal-generated. German chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged the difficulty of weaning the country off its dependency on lignite, or brown coal, at Davos last week. After the country exits nuclear energy in 2022, Merkel said, we have a different problem, in that the only source that can generate energy all the time is brown coal that obviously emits a lot of CO2. The commission report recommends that as a first phase, power-plant companies should shut down 12 gigawatts of capacity, and all brown-coal plants should be taken offline by 2022. Germany is aiming to reduce its CO2 emissions by 40% by 2020, from 1990 levels, and the coal exit will help with that. The phase-out proposal has received a largely positive response among lawmakers, with economy minister Peter Altmaier saying that the government would move ahead quickly to implement the reports recommendations. READ MORE: Angela Merkel says Germany will keep buying Russian gas The 2038 phase-out was an acceptable compromise to environmentalists, many of whom had pushed for an earlier exit. Its better to have bad climate protection than no climate protection at all, said commission member Kai Niebert, head of the DNR environmental organisation. However, some power company executives have said it is too fast. RWE said an exit by 2038 is too soon. How many employees will be affected, we can not say at the moment, RWE chief executive Rolf Martin Schmitz told the Rheinische Post newspaper on Monday. But I expect a significant reduction by 2023. Some 20,000 people work in the lignite industry. The coal commission said that power companies and regions where jobs will be lost to plant closures need to be compensated by the stateand that the extra costs should not be added onto power prices for consumers. It recommends that 40 billion ($45.6 billion) should be paid out to the main lignite-plant regions between now and 2040. By Foo Yun Chee and Katie Paul BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Facebook Inc on Monday laid out plans for an independent content oversight board with the power to overturn company decisions on user posts, aimed at addressing concerns over misinformation and abusive behavior on the platform. The board's 40 members would select cases to review as the world's largest social media network tries to crack down on harassment, incitement of violence and the spread of false information without infringing freedom of speech. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has said that Facebook should not make such decisions, but defer to an independent body of technology and human rights experts free of commercial influences. Facebook will select inaugural members for three-year terms, but they will independently decide on future membership, Facebook proposed in a draft charter. Details about the board's makeup and appeals process will be finalised after a series of workshops over the next six months, wrote Nick Clegg, Facebook's recently appointed head of global affairs, in a blog post introducing the charter. At a news conference in Brussels, Clegg also said the company will strengthen rules and safeguards around political advertisements to prevent foreign interference in elections, including those in Europe this year. Facebook has faced pressure from regulators and the public after last year's revelation that British consultancy Cambridge Analytical had improperly acquired data on millions of U.S. users to target election advertising. Fears about misinformation and interference have intensified with elections due this year for the European Parliament and several EU countries including Belgium and Finland. "We will require those wanting to run political and issue ads to be authorized, and we will display a 'paid for by' disclaimer on those ads," Clegg said. Clegg, a former British deputy prime minister hired by Facebook in October last year, said the new tools to be launched in late March aim to help protect the integrity of European Union elections due to be held this spring. Facebook said the transparency tools for electoral ads would be expanded globally before the end of June, while the tools would be in launched in India in February before its elections and in Ukraine and Israel before polls in both. "We now have more than 30,000 people working on safety and security across the company, three times as many as we had in 2017," the company said in a statement. The new tools are similar to those adopted for the U.S. mid-term elections, Clegg said, with all political ads stored in a publicly searchable library for up to seven years. This will contain information such as the amount of money spent and the number of impressions displayed, who paid for them and the demographics of those who saw them, including age, gender and location. The new tools will also cover 'issue ads' which do not explicitly back one candidate or political party but which focus on highly politicized topics like immigration. DEFENSE CENTERS Facebook said it would also set up two new regional operations centers focused on monitoring election-related content in its Dublin and Singapore offices. "These teams will add a layer of defenses against fake news, hate speech and voter suppression," it said Clegg also addressed allegations that Facebook sells user data, saying this was not the case. "Selling people's information to advertisers would not only be the wrong thing to do, it would undermine the way we do business, because it would reduce the unique value of our service to advertisers," he said. Facebook has no plans to swap its ads-only business model for a fee-paying service, Clegg said, responding to calls by some as a way to stave off privacy issues. "We want Facebook to be a universal service. We believe that anyone should be able to connect to anyone else. The best way to do this is to offer the service for free - and that's what the advertising model allows us to do," he said. (This story corrects spelling of Clegg.) (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, Munsif Vengattil and Katie Paul; editing by Alexander Smith and Richard Chang) (Bloomberg) -- Americas cannabis companies are racing to build national brands and market their wares to mainstream consumers. Theres just one problem: Its hard to advertise your product when the federal government considers you a drug dealer. Facebook, which like Google prohibits marijuana ads, has kicked some weed sellers off Instagram. Earlier this month CBS declined to air a commercial touting the benefits of medical marijuana during the Super Bowl. Much the way banks are unwilling to finance cannabis startups, television networks and online advertising marketplaces are understandably cautious because the Feds still classify marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug alongside heroin and ecstasy. With a growing number of states legalizing weed for recreational and medical purposes, the U.S. market could surge eight-fold to $80 billion in sales by 2030, according to Cowen & Co. But its hard to see that happening unless companies can market their wares the way beer and liquor companies do. After decades of prohibition, many consumers need a push to give marijuana a try. The public has a stigmatized view of the product but legitimate business owners cant reach themit creates mistrust, says Kyle Porter, who runs CMW Media, which does marketing and public relations for cannabis companies. Were really limited in how we can reach customers. For several years, marijuana companies have considered Instagram an ideal place to build their brands. In an effort to position weed as a mainstream product, they post pictures of buds and joints and show people hiking with vape pens or relaxing on the beach with cannabis edibles. But Instagram, a Facebook property, doesnt let weed sellers advertise. In a statement, the company said that while it allows marijuana advocacy content, posts promoting the sale of cannabis are verboten. Dispensaries are prohibited from providing contact information, including phone numbers and street addresses, regardless of state or country. Story continues Though many weed sellerslegal and black marketcontinue to operate accounts on Instagram, some complain that the social-media site shuts down their accounts with little warning or explanation. Binske, a Colorado company that sells vape pens, bud and cannabis-infused chocolates made with Peruvian cacao, spent the better part of two years building up its brand on Instagram. Then in September, just a few days after the company paid Snoop Dogg $30,000 to DJ a promotional event at a Las Vegas dispensary, the account disappeared. Concerned about losing social-media momentum, Binske vice president of business development Alex Pasternack spent two weeks submitting documents to Instagram, trying to prove his company was legit. Then, without notice, the account came backwith its more than 12,000 followers intact. Everyone is just making up their own rules, says Pasternack, whos looking at other ways to get the word out. Binske now has licensing deals with companies that will use its recipes and branding in California, Nevada and Florida, partnerships the company hopes will help double revenue this year. This type of arrangement is key in an industry where companies are still not allowed to ship products from one state to another. Calivaone of Californias top-selling marijuana brandssays it has lost five or six Instagram accounts over the last couple of years. It sponsors education events at Bay Area yoga studios and senior centers, where representatives hold forth on the medical benefits of marijuana, how to fit edibles into an active lifestyle and other topics. Many companies rely on thebud tenders manning the counter at dispensaries around California. If asked for recommendations, they can steer customers toward certain brands. Our hands are really tied from a marketing perspective, says Calivas branding chief Rosie Rothrock. So we rely heavily on those relationships. MedMen, arguably the best-known name in the industry, is using a time-tested marketing trick from the brick-and-mortar playbook: opening stores. With a market value of roughly $1.5 billion, the company has spent heavily on licenses and real estate to operate stores at high-profile spots in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and even New York City, where it has a location not far from the Public Library on Fifth Avenue. New York state has a small medical program and is expected to approve recreational weed this year. Until then, the real estate is an investment in a flagship, says David Dancer, the companys chief marketing officer. While MedMen has also lost Instagram accounts, its finding that some marketing channels are opening up as attitudes about marijuana shift across the U.S. The company, which sells weed in distinctive red bags, has billboards in California and runs spots during the Howard Stern show on Sirius radio. It has also started placing print ads in Conde Nast publications. For now, television and streaming services are a hard no when it comes to cannabis ads, Dancer says, but he expects them to get on board sooner rather than later. It just keeps snowballing, he says. These conversations keep expanding and expanding. To contact the author of this story: Craig Giammona in New York at cgiammona@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Robin Ajello at rajello@bloomberg.net, Jonathan Roeder For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Opinion / Columnist South Africa is our powerful neighbour and is one of the most powerful nations in Africa and can easily influence political changes for the better in Zimbabwe. So far they have not been able to work on a successful plan with the Zimbabweans. They have tried though on several occasions to put things right for us to no avail.The New version of displaying results outside each polling station soon after counting the ballots, introduced by the former president Thabo Mbeki. His help went on and resulted in the formation of a GNU which stabilised Zimbabwe significantly. He had prior to that sent in a team of experts, including army generals, to investigate the army killings of civilians towards the run off elections in 2008, results of which former president Jacob Zuma was not comfortable releasing. Now they are back again talking, trying to help us.My advise to our good neighbour is to try and work on a lasting solution, one that would see an end to the repeat of the horror. That definitely should not include giving us a handout monetarily but help us realise the importance of democratizing our behaviour by implementing those reforns and turning the army into a civil service institute than a dictatorial mafia style junta that protects the corrupt. To be honest, the only help Zimbabwe needs is to get off the reigns of zanu pf and that's it, that will be a massive way forward and economic recovery will be achieved.The problem we have is that we are being ruled by people who know exactly what to do but dont want to do it and are bent on making sure the right thing is not done so that they don't lose their grip on power. They have the army to protect them do what they want. Does a person who hires a 75 thousand dollars an hour plane look like he needs 1.8 billion dollars for a loan. You must be kidding. Zimbabwe makes a lot of money per day and it's spent extravagantly. Tendai Biti made in roads into economic recovery because he was strict with expenditures. He was a no nonsense finance minister who would tell the president that his trip to whereever was expensive and worthiless and so could not be financed by government.Rare of a kind that man, the sanest Zimbabwean politician ever. If you look at the money this government makes plus the debt they have, you wonder what they have been financing. Roads are not maintained, hospitals have no drugs, police stations have no patrol cars and civil servants are earning peanuts. The country is basically in ruins. So, where is the money going to. They run around the world signing lots of meaningless deals instead of concentrating on reforming and reviving the collapsed government institutions. You are busy buying beer at a shabeen yet your family goes hungry every day at home. A hell of a father. You give this government money they will go buy mercedes benz and hire expensive planes, luxury, real thugs they are.Emerson Mnangagwa and George Charamba will manufacture all the lies they want but the truth is that zanu pf knows what to do and is deliberately avoiding it. Does it take an expensive trip to Russia to avoid doing the right thing. Can South Africa stop us from our sick behaviour. There are no renegade army and police officers who committed atrocities after the recent demonstrations George Charamba confirmed that and unfortunately Charity Charamba is lying unless she can prove it. Charity Charamba has been lying since the Mugabe era to date and probably that's what qualifies her into this pariah as a police spokesperson. Apprehend and parade them for the public to see. Liar.Good luck South Africa.Clement Moyo+263 712 708 284/778 662 090clemenmoyo@gmail.com Opinion / Columnist henerimadiro@gmail.com Henry Madiro is a tobacco farmer and a diabetic patient who health is being compromised by the the conversion of his US dollar account to a bond account yet his source of money was foreign currency. Having been a tobacco farmer for the last three years and my young brother being an artisinal gold miner, mukorokoza for a longtime we have nothing to show from our exploits except that we are wallowing in poverty. Some are and had been enjoying the fruits of our Labour. Is this the way it should be for us?In Zimbabwe tobacco and gold are top earners of foreign currency but the producers have not benefited from it. The fruit of their Labour is being enjoyed by those in government industry and some revered political elites. Yet the people earning the money are still languishing in poverty. They are being milked and the fruits of their Labour taken from them. They have nothing to show for the fruit of our Labour except poverty and more poverty.Last year the much sought after foreign currency was taken by the reserve Bank and used to purchase fuel guzzlers for chiefs who have been used to whip us into the Zanu-PF way of doing things. The service chiefs in the military and police also benefited from this plunder and where allocated state of the art fuel guzzlers. Not to be left out Zanu-PF went to allocate every aspiring candidate with these vehicles that gobbled a lot of foreign currency. Rumors are awash that these vehicles are now being used against us the citizenry. Cases of human rights abuses reportedly to have happened during the past few days are being attributed to have been carried out by people using such vehicles. My fruit of Labour being abused and used to harm my fellow countrymen. It's a shame.It is my belief that as the top earners of the foreign currency we should enjoy the benefits. The reserve bank has failed to do the great work of allocating this scarce resource. It has favored certain individuals and political parties at the expense of the tobacco farmers and makorokozas.It is my belief that the government must stop controlling the distribution of foreign currency and let market forces determine the rate of foreign currency against their surrogate currency the bond note. It is true that by being adamant that the bond note is equivalent to the US dollar the government is lost and is single handedly killing the economy. I only see it as a ploy by government to rob from us poor tobacco farmers and makorokozas as they did last year. I sold my tobacco in US dollars and the buyers brought in US dollars to purchase my crop only to be told that bond note was equivalent to US dollars but some months down the line I'm then told through a misguided monetary policy that money in my account is not US dollar but RTGS or bond. This was daylight robbery and should we allow this to continue happening to us as foreign currency earners.This Zimbabwean government is clearly acting like a pirate government that loots from its citizens without caring about how they would survive. With the money I earned in US dollars I could be buying my diabetes drugs but can't afford them because Mr Government stole my US dollars and gave me the useless RTGS. Pharmacies demand that I pay them in US dollars. Is it the way we have to live in our country? If the leaders fall sick they are flown outside the country for treatment but alas I'm to die because I cannot afford my diabetes drugs yet I earned US dollars. What a shame.I implore the authorities to let those who produce foreign currency enjoy it rather than deprive them of their earnings. It is also necessary for them to listen to the voice of reason and introduce currency reforms. The current economic problem being faced by Zimbabwe are due to poor economic planning and are enchored on poor monetary policies.Our president claims to be a listening president but in this regard he has remained a deaf president. It's either he doesn't care or is otherwise in complicity with the idea of depriving we the small fish of our hard earned money which in our cases is the foreign currency we earn.In conclusion, we implore the government to consider the tobacco farmers and the makorokozas who earn the much needed foreign currency. They need to survive like them too. It's high time you smell the coffee and allow proper economics to work and avoid being an insensitive government. Accept currency reforms and allow the market to decide the value of your bond or demonities the bond note. Let farmers and gold miners live. Opinion / Columnist The calls for the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA) to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe by prominent African leaders that include Rwandese president Paul Kagame and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa is commendable, as it adds more voices in calling for the end of the illegal western sanctions which have hurt the countrys economy for nearly 20 years.These heinous sanctions continue to hamper Government efforts in effecting economy revival under the new dispensation.Since President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over power, several leaders and businessmen such as telecommunications mogul, Strive Masiyiwa and Joe Mutizwa have denounced sanctions, calling on for their immediate removal.President Ramaphosa is the latest high profile individual to take the plea for the removal of Zimbabwe sanctions to the global stage. He made the call to the EU leaders, last Tuesday at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) meeting in Davos Switzerland ahead of the 49th edition of the World Economic Forum (WEF).Speaking to the media after the meeting President Ramaphosa said, Zimbabwe has emerged from a very difficult political situation and they held elections which went well but they still have sanctions that many countries around the world have imposed on them. We are some of those who have been calling on the world to relax the sanctions or lift the sanctions altogether so that Zimbabwe can begin to operate in an economic manner with the capabilities that it has.President Ramaphosas call is coming hard on the heels of his Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and opposition leader, Economic Freedom Fighters president, Julius Malema echoing similar sentiments. Last week at a media briefing Malema denounced the sanctions saying, we want the (Zimbabwe) sanctions gone.After making such a noble plea, it is disheartening that President Ramaphosa received a back lash from some sections of Zimbabweans who are mainly opposition supporters.A self-made video of an unknown Zimbabwean woman went viral on social media platforms attacking President Ramaphosa left, right and centre on his stance.What boggles ones mind is that it is our neighbours who are speaking strongly against the sanctions affecting each and every one of us, yet some of our fellow brothers and sisters are still advocating for more sanctions for the country.It is shameful that members of the opposition parties, mainly the MDC Alliance have never spoken against the sanctions but continue to ask for more sanctions for the country.On 12 December 2017, pseudo human rights activist Dewa Mavhinga, former selous scouts member Peter Godwin, MDC leaders Nelson Chamisa and Tendai Biti appeared before US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs and presented their testimonies, where Mavhinga urged the US Congress to maintain existing US policy toward Zimbabwe. In simpler terms, thus, he persuaded the US government to maintain the sanctions on Zimbabwe.On the other hand, Mr Biti submitted that, we ask the international community and the U.S. to keep us in your hearts. Do not allow our country to be forgotten in our battle against tyranny and poverty and for democracy and human rights. Our election requires active support and oversight from the international community, including our American friends."Instead of becoming the country ambassadors, these disgraceful individuals should be reminded of the saying that the good always triumphs over evil.With more voices from all over the world condemning the maintenance of the sanctions and calling for their removal, its only a matter time that these restrictions will finally be lifted and our beloved country will soon work again. Doctors begin mass hunger strike to press government to address Dr KCs demands In a bid to pile pressure on the government to save the life of Dr Govinda KC, who has been staging his 16th hunger strike for the past 20 days, doctors at the initiative of Nepal Medical Association on Monday started a relay hunger strike. Opinion / Blogs Books written by Tandi include; Advanced levels students undertaking Humanities subjects usually struggle with identifying authors who contribute to their academic well-being. Fortunately, today I have good news particularly to those students studying History, Sociology and Shona. This is important to know and have in your file for research at advanced level. As some students are reflecting on what they can do after attaining their excellent grades, learning from others can be well enlightening.Thanks to the New Curriculum, for some voices are now emerging to the readers and worth embracing. Constain Tandi has written 20 articles in internationally refereed journals, author of more than 10 textbooks and his research interests include but not limited to Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Climate Change and Variability, Rural Poverty, Agriculture and Community Development. The profile is being shared at a time when a number of advanced level students received their November 2018 public examinations results under the Zimbabwe School Examination Council (Zimsec).Costain Tandi is a Graduate teacher for advanced level, History and Sociology as well as Head of Department (Humanities) at Rufaro High School in Chatsworth, Masvingo province in Zimbabwe. Tandi is well decorated academic and educationist with;- Masters of Arts Degree in Development Studies from Midlands State University,- Bachelor of Arts 4th year Honours (History) - Great Zimbabwe University,- Bachelor of Arts General Degree - University of Zimbabwe,- Graduate Certificate in Education - Great Zimbabwe University,- An Executive Certificate in Project and Program Monitoring and Evaluation - University of Zimbabwe and- An Executive Certificate in Project Management from the University of Zimbabwe.Tandi, C & Mawere, M. (2018).People-Centred Public Works Programmes: A Strategy for Poverty alleviation and rural development in sub-Saharan Africa, Bamenda: Langaa research & publishing.Tandi, C. 2018. New Trends in History, Form 1, Harare: Edulight Publishers.Tandi, C. 2018. New Trends in History, Form 2, Harare: Edulight Publishers.Mawere, M, Tandi, C. 2017. Total Sociology Book One, Harare, Priority Projects Publishing.Mawere, M & Tandi, C. 2017. Total Sociology Book Three, Harare, Priority Projects Publishing.The above are some of Tandi's works. However, he has also contributed in Guidance and Counselling whilst some of his books are upcoming. Personally, I am inspired by Mr Tandi not only by his academic contributions but also his wealth of experience spanning over a decade as a teacher. It's wise to learn from those who walk the talk.Brian Maregedze is an author, historian and columnist.Feedback; bmaregedze@gmail.com News / Regional by Staff Reporter JOHANNESBURG - While Zimbabweans and the rest of the world, have been seized with the latest shooting of protesters, who were demonstrating against an unexpected fuel price hike, reports are that dozens of other activists have silently gone missing since the November 2017 coup that ushered President Emmerson Mnangagwa into power.This newspaper can exclusively reveal that in December 2018 alone, dozens of activists including former members of the ruling party, disappeared and have not been seen, after they were targeted by either state security agents or members of the ruling party.Among those still missing are former members of Zanu PF, Butholezwe Ngwenya (23), Ivan Ndlovu (35), Mollet Moyo (31), Edward Siwela (37) and Michael Ndlovu, whose age was not given. It remains unknown whether they were arrested, abducted, killed or in hiding, as details remained sketchy, but their relatives feared that they could have been abducted or killed under the radar. All six were accused of having parallel membership to a splinter Zanu PF group known as the G40 which tried to block Mnangagwa's rise and the Mthwakazi secessionist parties.Although locations and circumstances were different, each of the activists apparently disappeared while either being pursued by state security agents or having received mysterious calls and visits from suspicious people, after they were branded "sellouts" by Zanu PF officials.Michael Tshuma, a cousin to Ngwenya, said he had not been in touch with the latter since December, after he was deported for being an illegal immigrant. He however, neither reached home nor returned to Johannesburg since then and has not been in touch with any of his relatives. Deported Zimbabweans are usually dumped at a police station in the border town of Beitbridge and Tshuma feared his cousin could have been abducted there."What worries us most is that he did not reach home and has not returned to Johannesburg. The last time we heard from him, he called calling saying he was being deported," said a worried Tshuma. "The whole family is now fearing for the worst because when he came here, he was running away from state security forces at home on political issues."Before their disappearance, the activists were allegedly being followed by suspicious people. Their relatives have not rested since, while some have fled to neighbouring South Africa, telling this newspaper that people driving unmarked cars kept harassing them in their homes at night, threatening them with death if they "kept hiding the sellouts".Trouble for the activists is said to have begun in November 2018, after they were publicly manhandled and threatened with death during a Zanu PF meeting in Bulawayo, where they were accused of being spies who leaked information to "enemies of the struggle."They were accused of belonging to the G40 while others accused them of being members of secessionist groups agitating for the secession of Matabeleland to form a separate state of Mthwakazi."One day in November, we were in a party (Zanu PF) meeting in Bulawayo, where we were preparing for the party's forthcoming conference in Esigodini the following month. In that meeting, our youth leaders called out our names and said they had evidence that we were spies planted in the party by the G40 and Mthwakazi groups. They said they knew that we were leaking party information to enemies of the struggle and manhandled us, threatening to kill us, but police and party elders intervened," said Nkululeko Ndlovu, one of the activists in hiding in South Africa, adding that he did not feel safe in the neighbouring country, while his relative were still being threatened in Zimbabwe.At least three other relatives of the missing activists said they themselves had to flee their homes in Bulawayo after people driving unmarked vehicles continued to harass them at night, threatening to kill them if they continued to "hide the sellouts"."What worries us most is that we have heard stories of many people - especially political activists, disappearing here in South Africa, where there are many Zanu PF informers," said a man who requested not to be named as he is also in hiding.Many Zimbabwean activists who flee to the neighbouring country have been abducted in their safe houses and taken back to Zimbabwe, where they are detained, tortured and in the worst-case scenario, killed. Gift Nhidza (now late) and Ishmael Kauzani are some of those who were abducted in South Africa in recent years. Others like Remember Moyo, Godfrey Phiri, Nkathazo Moyo and Rufaro Hove died mysteriously in South Africa, while Adrian Chirape disappeared without trace.Dozens more activists have gone missing since government began its crackdown on opposition activists and civil society leaders following recent protests over a sharp rise in fuel prices. While some are in hiding, others are believed to have been abducted by state security agents. A number of others have been tortured and left for dead. News / National by Staff reporrer WATCH: "This is a crisis. This is a situation upon which the South African government cannot continue taking quiet diplomacy as a way forward. There is a humanitarian crisis taking place in Zimbabwe." - @MmusiMaimane#ZimbabweCrisis pic.twitter.com/ZfnmYTnZJm Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) January 28, 2019 DA leader Mmusi Maimane wants the United Nations (UN), the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the South African government to intervene in the Zimbabwe "crisis".On Monday, Maimane said human rights were violated in recent protests in the country over the government's decision to increase the petrol price and this left at least a dozen people dead."The year 2019 has started off in the worst conceivable way for our northern neighbours... today, the country finds itself on the verge of a humanitarian crisis," said Maimane."Widespread civilian suppression, military-led violence and bloodshed has ensued, as Emmerson Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF government has implemented what can only be described as a dictator-like military clampdown on citizens, which has to date, claimed the lives of at least 12 people."Maimane said citizens were shot and killed, homes were raided and the entire country was "effectively on lockdown".According to the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, at least 12 people have been killed, with reports of 78 gunshot wounds, and 240 experienced "assault, torture, inhumane and degrading treatment".Maimane said he had been told that Zimbabweans were fleeing their country. He also heard from border officials that more than 130 000 people crossed the Beitbridge border post into South Africa in a single day in mid-January."The situation is dire," Maimane added."With the fall of the Mugabe regime, a sense of hope arose as change was promised by new President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mnangagwa committed to doing things differently, and Zimbabweans believed this was indeed possible. However, over a year after Mnangagwa took office, nothing has changed".The DA leader also accused President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government of having "sat on its hands" and watched on, while employing the government's "quiet diplomacy" policy."There has been no advocacy for the citizens, no justice for the deceased, and no protection of civil liberties for those who are currently detained."Maimane vowed to "fight against the oppression and murder of innocent Zimbabweans" who are mobilising and calling for change."You have many friends in South Africa. Beyond your borders you have millions of allies in your fight for a free and open society."He said that his party would pursue a set of immediate interventions to resolve the "crisis".In his capacity as chairperson of the Southern African Partnership for Democratic Change (SAPDC), he will pay a working visit to Zimbabwe this week to meet with opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, and former MDC leader Tendai Biti, among others."The purpose of this visit is to seek practical solutions to the ongoing crisis and garner support across the region for much-needed intervention in Zimbabwe". News / National by Mandla Ndlovu Leader of social group Tajamuka/Sesjikile Promise Mkwananzi says he is considering storming the Harare Central Police station in the company of lawyers and the media so that the whole world sees that he has handed himself over.Mkwananzi has been on the run for the past 13 days after the police indicated that they would to interview him over the violent protests that rocked Zimbabwe on 14 January under the banner of #ShutdownZimbabwe "My sixth sense tells me that I must hand over myself to the police with the journalists, media and lawyers so that everybody sees that I have handed myself over," Mkwananzi said.Last week Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi told the state owned Herald that they wanted to interview Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Peter Mutasa, activist Promise Mkwananzi and some MDC Alliance party members in connection with last week's #ShutdownZimbabwe protests.Mkwananzi then indicated that he was seeking legal advice from his lawyers on what step to take before turning himself over at the police station."How they wish that I flee the country so that it appears as if I am a fugitive from justice thus criminalise me and delegitimise the people's cause." Mkwananzi said. "That will not happen. At the appropriate time, in consultation with my lawyers and advisors, I will go to Harare central police to find out what they want to interview me in connection with. I am innocent and have not committed any crime."Five MDC MPs are currently in police custody over the violent protests.Meanwhile, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has condemned the brutality by state agents after Sky News flighted a video of police brutalizing a citizen. News / National by newzimbabwe FORMER Masvingo provincial minister, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti says President Emmerson Mnangagwa should act like his predecessor Robert Mugabe who resigned 2017 when locals staged massive street demonstrations to show their resentment for his continued rule.Writing on his Twitter handle recently, the former Zanu-PF loyalist said Mnangagwa was well known for chanting his favourite slogan "the voice of the people is the voice of God".Accordingly, he said, Mnangagwa should listen to the voice of thousands of locals who staged countrywide protests inside the last two weeks to demand his resignation."I'm praying for Ngwena (President Mnangagwa) to honour his word. Gushungo (Mugabe) had already cleared the path. You just need to follow him since you were his closest ally," said the former Mwenezi legislator, who was ousted along with several Zanu-PF bigwigs when the party's factional wars exploded in 2014.In a later interview with NewZimbabwe.com, the now National Patriotic Friont politician said. "'The voice of the people is the voice of God' is a catchphrase Mnangagwa said in reference to the ousting of Mugabe in 2017."He was saying that since the people had demonstrated against Mugabe, Mugabe was supposed to obey and leave office."Now that people overwhelmingly staged a successful shutdown in protest against his rule, he should do exactly what his predecessor did, leave office!"Mugabe was forced to resign in November 2017 after being put under siege by the country's military irked by his decision to fire then Vice President Mnangagwa for alleged insubordination.The tempestuous demonstrations on the last fortnight coincided with a national job stay away which was called by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and some local citizen movements.Angry citizens barricaded roads with stones and burning tyres, among other acts of public unrest, in protest over a government decision announced by Mnangagwa to hike prices of fuel by more than double.Locals demanded Mnangagwa's resignation after his new tenure has been off to a chaotic start in what has seen the incomes of many whittled down by skyrocketing prices of goods and services.Mnangagwa has been slammed by both his compatriots and foreigners for allegedly displaying Mugabe's dictatorial traits which are coupled with lack of accountability to citizens and state institutions. News / National by Staff reporter Zimbabwe appears headed for another social crisis as authorities have embarked on a widespread operation to destroy illegal structures in urban areas, reminiscent of the 2005 disastrous Operation Murambatsvina which left over 700 000 people homeless.The operation began in Chitungwiza on Friday afternoon where armed soldiers stormed the busy C Junction in Chitungwiza Unit C ordering owners of tuckshops and other small business premises to remove their wares and pull down their structures within 30 minutes failure which they would be beaten up.With memories of the blood that soldiers spilt in the communities still fresh in their minds gloom immediately descended on the usually bustling centre of business as people began pulling down their shops and carting their wares home, marking an end of sources of livelihood for many.The Standard witnessed the operation in action at C Junction on Friday before it spread to other parts of Chitungwiza, a dormitory town of Harare and home to over three million people. Yesterday the destruction had become commonplace in the town with major action being reported at Makoni Shopping Centre, one of Chitungwiza's biggest and busiest business hubs.It appeared the police and the city municipality were all behind the operation as their officers stood by as people pulled down their tuckshops and stalls.The Standard also visited Harare's oldest and most populous suburb of Mbare where the operation began to unfold yesterday morning. Illegal shop owners in the sprawling suburb were busy pulling down their structures under the watchful eye of soldiers, police and Harare municipal police. There was no resistance seen except downcast and visibly angry faces of affected people.Residents were pulling down the structures on their own after being given a 24-hour notice to demolish the structures on Friday by soldiers who reportedly warned unspecified action if the order was not heeded.Almost all morning, armed municipal police and soldiers were milling around the suburb, observing the demolitions. The Standard witnessed a group of the council police officers moving in clusters around Mbare."Yesterday (Friday) municipal police came here and ordered us to remove the structures within 24 hours or face unspecified consequences. Soldiers then came today (yesterday). They are armed and watching from their trucks, not saying anything," one resident said."We don't have room to disobey - you know what the soldiers have been doing these days. We, however, feel they should have given us adequate notice and alternative places to sell out wares. We are here not because we want to, but because we don't have jobs."But other residents said the decision was a welcome move because the tuckshops were mushrooming everywhere and not paying council levies, but paying to Zanu-PF youths."And they are now a menace, obstructing traffic. These tuckshops also fuel the black market. They were selling cooking oil at as high as $17 when OK Zimbabwe is selling it at $4. They should go," another resident said.But although municipal police were seen apparently backing the operation, it appears there could be discord and controversy in the launching of the operation. Harare mayor Herbert Gomba, the policy head of the city told The Standard yesterday that he was not aware of any such operation and that council had definitely not sanctioned the demolitions or enlisted the services of the military."We have not made a resolution to that effect," Gomba said. "My council's policy is that of engagement and we have always advocated for that. I am not sure if that was followed, but we will investigate further and give details later." News / National by Staff reporter RESERVE Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor John Mangudya is this week expected to present the monetary policy statement amid calls that he should address the deep-seated currency challenges which are affecting the economy.This comes at a time when industry has raised the red flag warning that the country's manufacturing base would collapse within a month if government did not urgently resolve the currency crisis in the short term.Civil servants are also pushing for salary increments to match the rising cost of living that has escalated on the back of currency volatility.Just two weeks ago, business was brought to a standstill for three days as demonstrators took to the streets protesting against a massive rise in government tax on fuel which then increased the fuel cost build-up.In his last monetary policy statement, Mangudya directed local banks to separate hard currency deposits from RTGS balances, effectively admitting that the two were not of equal value.The move unnerved the market resulting in wild price hikes and acute shortages of basic commodities.Economist Eddie Cross said Mangudya should set an independent monetary policy committee and demonetise the bond note."This monetary statement will be the most important for some time. I'm expecting the minister and the governor to discuss the formation of the monetary policy committee (MPC) and to set the committee terms of reference giving them independence from the Ministry of Finance and the central bank. I'm expecting them to announce an outline of future monetary policy. The latter will include demonetisation of the bond note and the adoption of a new local currency in due course," Cross said.He said there was need to halt the practice of sweeping foreign currency balances from private accounts to the private banks."At the same time they need to arrange for the MPC to float the RTGS dollar and set daily exchange rates. This is the only way to remedy the present chaos," he said.Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) president Sifelani Jabangwe said the central bank should put in place a platform to trade currency to avert business from closing."Given that the RBZ does not have the currency to allocate to business, industry has almost stopped. We are thus lobbying government for a legal platform to trade currency otherwise most business will close," Jabangwe said.CZI recently said that companies were left with a month's supply of raw materials and were on the verge of winding up operations as a result of the forex shortages.As the economy continues to tank, economist John Robertson said government would shift from the fallacy that the US dollar is trading pari passu with the bond.He added that this could be done by the banks, who could work together to see that supply and demand set the prices."Our currency crisis was caused by government printing money and by our own need for imports that exceed export values. So, government has to cut its own costs to spend no more than tax revenues and industry has to produce more so that we import much less," said Robertson.Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers president Denford Mutashu said government should adopt a proper currency to end the pricing dilemma obtaining on the market."We expect the normalisation of the price situation and that has to bring finality on the pricing model. So far we have a distorted market where others demand US dollars while mainstream retailers are not allowed to sell in forex. There is a dilemma in that certain imported products are paying duty in forex and yet retailers are not allowed to sell in forex. So there is need for policy interventions. The MPC should address such critical issues on whether we are re-dollarising or we are introducing our own currency," Mutashu said.Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce chief executive Christopher Mugaga is of the opinion that Mangudya should mop up the excess liquidity in the economy, which is the major cause of currency distortions prevailing in the market."The governor must tell us on how he is going to mop up excess liquidity in banks. We are on the edge and the centre can no longer hold. There is also need for debt profiling, showing how much we owe to different countries in the world," Mugaga said.Economic analyst Shoko added that the only way out of the situation was to demonetise the bond and take it out of circulation."He (Mangudya) needs to see how he stops the bond from circulating and also needs to address the RTGS balances that ballooned because of indiscipline by both government and the public so that we find a way towards a genuine currency. But we have to understand and appreciate the fact that it is not an overnight thing no matter how bad it is performing because there is a serious amount of that money which is in circulation," said Shoko."He needs to find a way to attract diaspora remittances into the formal economy so that the funds contribute to the development of the economy because some of these challenges can be addressed if we get the remittances circulating in the formal economy. There is also need of addressing trust in the banking system because at the moment very few people are comfortable with the idea of putting their foreign currency in the banks" News / National by Staff reporter The Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance has submitted a dossier to the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) detailing alleged gross human rights violations by the security forces as pressure mounts on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to end a military crackdown on citizens.According to the report compiled by the party's secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora, Zimbabwe has been under a de facto state of emergency since January 14 when the army was deployed to violently crush protests organised by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) over a steep fuel price increase and general economic hardships.The report was copied to Mnangagwa.Titled, State-sponsored crackdown, microwave justice and prisoners of political conscience, the report submitted to the ZHRC on Friday details hair-raising cases of assault, torture, and rape allegedly committed by the security forces across the country."Just yesterday, in Hopley, 14 women were raped by soldiers, while four women from Epworth were also raped out of the 13 assaulted people," reads part of the report."Another 28 victims who were receiving treatment were rounded up and taken to Harare Central police before they were released to the medical facility the next day."Others are just too afraid to report and are recuperating from home for fear of retribution."Two weeks ago, police and the military reacted disproportionately to violent protests during a stayaway called by the ZCTU and social movements.Twelve people died and several others were injured, while hundreds have been arrested amid allegations that they were being subjected to unfair trials.The MDC said five MPs, nine councillors and four staff members had been arrested while 43 MPs as well as four staff members and councillors had gone into hiding to avoid arrests and torture.Bulawayo has the largest number of people arrested, with about 395, followed by Chitungwiza with 138 and Harare with 104.According to the Human Rights NGO Forum, about 844 violations have been reported with 78 people sustaining gunshot wounds.The MDC report claims the beatings and firing of live ammunition on protesters happened throughout the country resulting in loss of life, and grievous injuries to many."There is a sustained vilification and attack of the MDC by the state media through the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and The Herald which continues unabated," the report reads."The deliberate nationwide internet shutdown by the state led to a total blackout of information and the state media took advantage of the blackout to misinform and misrepresent facts on the ground."The report added: "There was targeted persecution of MDC leaders, Members of Parliament, councillors and perceived members by state security agents and Zanu-PF militia followed."Detained party leadership and perceived supporters where systematically denied bail throughout the country."A de-facto state of emergency is what is obtaining currently, leading to a curtailment of basic freedoms. For instance, in Bulawayo where there is a by-election in Cowdray Park, the party failed to hold its primary elections to select a candidate in preparation for the nomination court this week."Meanwhile, a regional legal lobby group has accused Mnangagwa's government of committing serious crimes against humanity and threatened to take steps to force the authorities to comply with the law in investigating the cases of abuse.The Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) said it was concerned about reports of gross human rights violations committed by government, which constitutes a breach of international laws and urged the Zimbabwean authorities to investigate the abuses.The statement took note of the use of live ammunition by soldiers and police on civilians, attacks on victims in medical care, displacements and arbitrary detentions among a litany of other serious violations of human rights during the stayaway."Zimbabwe has an international obligation to investigate and prosecute the crimes committed by the police, government security forces and Zanu-PF officials against its citizens," SALC said."Should Zimbabwe take no steps towards fulfilling its obligation, the international community has an obligation to intervene in order to hold those responsible for the commission of the crimes accountable."SALC warned: "As a regional body that strives to hold governments accountable for the commission of international crimes including acts of torture and crimes against humanity, SALC reiterates its position that it will take steps towards holding accountable those individuals who are committing the crimes in Zimbabwe."South Africa's ruling ANC on Friday slammed the crackdown following threats by the opposition DA to take Zimbabwe to the International Criminal Court.The United States and British governments have also condemned the crackdown, with Zimbabweans in South Africa, the US and Britain protesting on streets and Zimbabwean embassies condemning the abuses. News / National by Staff reporter THE violent clampdown on protesters by soldiers and the police has left deep scars and trauma on children and women who were beaten up, raped or were forced to watch as their husbands, fathers or brothers were assaulted and tortured.Tendai Phiri ended up with a broken hand after being hit by a metal object by soldiers in DzivarasekwaThere are several reports emerging following the recent nationwide protests of women that were raped, assaulted and forced to perform sexual acts on fellow male victims. The government has promised to investigate and bring perpetrators to book. This followed widespread international condemnation of the gross human rights violations.Several women from Epworth and Hopley Farm were allegedly raped and assaulted. The youngest rape victim is 17 and the eldest 61 years old.A counsellor at one of the safe houses where some of the rape victims were last week said: "They are at a safe house that we cannot disclose. Most of them are still very traumatised, especially because they were raped without the use of any protection. There is fear of contracting diseases, and we have assisted more than 14 victims."He said there could be several other women that were raped allegedly by soldiers, but they feared to come out in the open because they had not yet told their husbands and suspected that the soldiers would come back for them.One victim narrated to The Standard: "Six soldiers forced themselves into our house in Epworth and two of them took turns to rape me in front of my four kids. After the first one finished raping me, he ordered me to go and wash myself, and then the second soldier raped me again without protection."A lady of the night who was coming back home around 4am found soldiers at her home and was also raped without protection.The Standard on Friday spoke to many victims, particularly in Harare's Dzivaresekwa suburb where young children and pregnant women narrated how they were beaten up and tortured to force them to reveal the whereabouts of their fathers or husbands.Dzivaresekwa residents said the soldiers looked scary with many of them wearing all sorts of masks including woollen hats, ladies' pulling socks and ragged cloths to cover their faces and disguise themselves, leaving only their eyes, noses and mouths.Most of the victims we spoke to said they could not identify their attackers because of the masks and also because they had never seen them before. Some, however, said they managed to identify a few soldiers whom they said lived in the locality. They also said they suspected, from actions exhibited, that a good number of their assailants were Zanu-PF youths who were in the company of heavily armed soldiers. They were travelling in military trucks."It was very scary. They were armed with AK47 rifles with bayonets which we usually see in war movies. Apparently they had names of youths and men in the area, mostly MDC Alliance supporters, that they were looking for," one of the victims, Trymore Mwadya (not real name), narrated."They came to Dzivaresekwa 3 on January 16 in two army trucks at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and started beating up any males they saw on the streets, accusing them of barricading the roads during the January 14 to 16 demonstrations. They went door to door kicking doors open, and if they found a man in the house he would be thoroughly beaten and made to sing and dance while they were tortured in various ways."Mwadya said he and several other men were captured and smeared with soot from burnt tyres on the streets."We were then frogmarched to a puddle of muddy water and ordered to roll in the muddy water despite having sustained serious open wounds from earlier beatings. It was like a war situation as youths were chased around the suburb by armed soldiers. The chase was dramatic as the youths took cover in maize fields where they would be busted and the chase continued with those that were caught being beaten mercilessly. Several youths spent days hiding in maize fields and in nearby hills," he said.One of the worst cases of the brutality was meted out on Trevor Zhanje (not real name), who was shot on both legs on January 15, but managed to crawl to a nearby sugarcane field where he was unfortunately fished out."He was going to Musawu at Dzivaresekwa 4 turnoff when soldiers in a truck suddenly appeared and when he tried to run away they shot him in the legs. He managed to crawl and hid in a sugarcane field and they came for him and found him. They argued amongst themselves on whether or not to finish him off.Lady Luck smiled on him and they left him alive," his mother told this newspaper.Another traumatised mother, Rudo Sibanda, narrated how her nine-year-old son was beaten up by two soldiers who forced their way into their house carrying AK47 rifles looking for her husband."They came around midnight on January 15, but when we did not open the door, they kicked it open. They ransacked the house looking for my husband whom they accused of taking part in the demonstrations. My nine-year-old son was hiding in the bedroom. They found him under the bed and dragged him outside the house where they assaulted him with an electric cable ordering him to disclose where his father was. The young boy still carries unhealed injuries from the assault."For a small child the beating was brutal and excessive and I watched all this with tears flowing down my face. They also beat and tortured a 21-year-old man whom we live with who is mentally challenged. Now he keeps hallucinating, shouting that soldiers are coming for him. My son was severely traumatised and he refused to go to school for two days," a visibly distraught Sibanda said.Another child in Dzivaresekwa (13) was waylaid along Bulawayo Road by the soldiers as he returned home from school on January 14 when the demonstrations began. His mother, Revai Shoko, said the child was ordered to stop and to remove burning tyres which were barricading the road. After that he was made to roll in a puddle of muddy water."His hands were heavily burnt by the hot tyres and he is still receiving medical treatment," Shoko said.Along Rujeko Street in Dzivaresekwa 1, an eight-year-old boy was mauled by dogs after soldiers ordered him to open the gate to a house guarded by vicious dogs because they wanted to get inside but were afraid of the dogs.The dogs pounced on the child and bit him on the legs. This reporter saw the child who is likely to take a long time receiving treatment for the serious injuries.A 19-year-old pregnant woman, Prudence Moyo, also narrated her ordeal at the hands of the soldiers."When soldiers came to Dzivaresekwa in the middle of the night on January 15, I was alone in the house and had locked myself in out of fear. The soldiers were hunting down every male in the neighbourhood and the boys and men were fleeing everywhere. Some were jumping over fences in a bid to escape and that is how soldiers saw some of them who had apparently fled through our yard. They entered our yard, forced my door open and demanded to know where I had hidden the youths."I was ordered to lift up my dress and was beaten up with something that looked like barbed wire wrapped in cloth on my back which tore off my skin," Moyo narrated.Moyo is six months pregnant and is now receiving treatment at a private centre which has been assisting victims of military brutality.Another young woman, Tendai Phiri of Dzivaresekwa 4, was visibly in pain as she narrated her encounter with the soldiers on January 20 where she was beaten with a metal object on her right hand.Phiri's arm was broken at two places and it is still swollen. She said she got medical assistance from doctors that were treating the victims of the brutality for free. Because of a shortage of medicine at the centre, she said she only got tablets for her pain and a sling to support her broken arm.A visit to her one-roomed lodgings showed that she and her husband Steven Phiri are poor and cannot afford proper medical treatment."It was around 7pm in the evening of January 20 when soldiers just appeared from nowhere in an army truck while I was walking with my husband. They carrying guns, baton sticks and different assault objects, including barbed wire. I have problems with my legs and so when the soldiers started beating and chasing people I could not run. My husband did not have a choice but to run as well, so I was left alone."I felt a very heavy metal object hitting my right arm and I screamed. It hit me again, breaking my arm in two places. The soldiers were wearing masks, and they had covered the number plates of the army trucks with a cloth," Phiri said.She said doctors had told her that her hand needed to be operated on, but her unemployed husband cannot raise the fees.Several men recounted how they were rounded up from their homes, severely beaten and made to roll in flowing sewage, muddy water and to smear their wounds with soot from burnt tyres.Onward (22), who said he is a known supporter of the MDC Alliance, was one of the youths who were badly beaten and tortured. He admitted to taking part in the demonstrations and burning tyres and barricading roads with heavy stones.Onward, however, said he was not taking part as an MDC Alliance youth, but as a disgruntled Zimbabwean suffering from economic hardships."Five soldiers who had masks on their faces came to my house on January 16 in the wee hours of the morning and dragged me outside where they beat me up.They pushed me into a pool of water with their heavy boots. They used vehicle fan belts, baton sticks, bicycle chains and other objects to assault me until I bled and lost consciousness," he said."They dipped me in sewage and ordered me to explain who had sent me to take part in the demonstrations. I was undressed and beaten up until I bled in all parts of my body. They pushed a thick stick through my backside before ordering me to go back and sleep at home."When he was taken to a safe house for treatment, the soldiers accompanied by the police allegedly came back for them and arrested them, although they were later released.MDC youth organiser for Dzivarasekwa, Donias Mutenha said most of the victims of the beatings were his party supporters."What I saw was that local Zanu-PF youths were working with the soldiers. They had names of MDC Alliance supporters whom they targeted for beatings and torture," Mutenha said.Dzivaresekwa MP Edwin Mushoriwa said he escaped the soldiers by a whisker and had to hide in a maize field when he heard they were coming for him."If they are members of the army, then these are criminals within the army because I do not think that soldiers that live in Dzivaresekwa would commit such heinous acts," Mushoriwa said.Besides Dzivarasekwa, many other people in Harare, Chitungwiza and Bulawayo were also brutalised by soldiers.Asked to explain if members of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces were sent to brutally assault citizens over the demonstrations, ZDF spokesperson Overson Mugwisi responded: "Please put your questions in writing and then I will respond to them." He had, however, not done so at the time of going to print.The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission in their report last week said after doing investigations they found that citizens were brutalised by people dressed like soldiers.During a press conference last week, Home Affairs minister Cain Mathema and Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi issued a statement saying the alleged abuses on citizens, including cases of rape by the security forces, would be investigated."The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage wishes to acknowledge reports of alleged rape, sexual abuse and assaults that have been perpetrated by security forces during the recent operation. They will be investigated," Mathema is quoted as having said. News / National by Staff reporter A Twitter account reportedly run by President Emmerson Mnangagwa has exposed sharp divisions within the ruling party, with two of his top lieutenants clashing over its authenticity.The divisions, long manifesting in the Information ministry, came to the fore this week when Information ministry permanent secretary Ndabaningi Mangwana openly trashed claims by Mnangagwa's spokesperson George Charamba suggesting the President was not in charge of his Twitter account."There may be many fake accounts in HE President Mnangagwa's name, but @edmnangagwa is the legitimate voice of the President," Mangwana said, adding: "Nothing goes on there but that which represents his views and positions on issues and that which he has explicitly cleared."Mangwana is the one believed to be running the ministry's as well as Mnangagwa's accounts.Charamba was moved from the Information ministry to become deputy chief secretary in the office of the president responsible for presidential communications.Mangwana's tweet came after Charamba on Wednesday discredited a message posted on Mnangagwa's official Twitter account last Tuesday, where the Zanu-PF leader seemed to suggest that he was committed to enter into dialogue with other political actors and civic groups to address the country's deteriorating economic situation.Addressing journalists at State House soon after the swearing-in of Kumbirai Hodzi as substantive prosecutor-general, Charamba said people should not believe everything posted on that Twitter account."Just when we were there, the President was drawing my attention to an attempt to, as it were, putting words into his mouth using his Twitter account, right. So, don't always believe that which is coming through," Charamba said.When Mnangagwa returned from Russia and other little known East European countries where he had gone for a week, he used his Twitter handle to call for dialogue after violent protests engulfed the country over his decision to increase the price of fuel by 150%.Charamba said the protests severely damaged the country's image."It has been a damaging week for Zimbabwe, for political parties, for political leadership, which must in fact inculcate a sense of peace and a sense of order and a sense of constitutionalism in this country," he said.In a tweet posted on his micro-blogging site, Mnangagwa said it was time to talk and solve the economic crisis, months after he and his party had declared that they were not interested in dialogue with election losers.Mangwana insisted whatever came from the Twitter account represented the president's views and that he would have cleared the posts.Asked about his work relationship with Charamba, Mangwana said he had a good working relationship with him."We work well. In fact, I am coming from a meeting with him," Mangwana said.Charamba has said a lot of things that contradict his boss's tweets, amid reports there were fights for control of the Information ministry. Death toll rises to 58 as hope dims after Brazil dam collapse Brazilian rescuers searched into the night on Sunday for hundreds of people missing after a burst mining dam triggered a deadly mudslide, as the death toll rose to 58 and was expected to keep climbing more than two days after the disaster. News / National by STaff reporter The late music superstar Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi will be laid to rest at his rural home in Madziwa, Shamva district in Mashonaland Central province today, amid revelations that it was the musician's choice to be interred among his ancestors.Although Tuku was on Thursday declared a national hero, the superstar will not be buried at the shrine.In one of the songs titled Hero that is buried in an impressive catalogue of over 60 albums, Mtukudzi poses pertinent questions on what constitutes a national hero."Do you have to die to be a hero?" Tuku quizzed while declaring departed artiste Safirio Madzikatire one."Yes, I remember some of the lyrics in his plays, Handinzwi. That's a hero, what a hero Mukadota"Tuku may have been baffled in the world of the living his entire life yet his existence was the answer to his question.Loud calls from the arts fraternity and fans pleaded that he be conferred the national hero status after the entertainer's passing on Wednesday and the government obliged.Aged 66 at the time of his death, Mtukudzi was by any measure a hero.A humanitarian, he was not only a star for gracing international stages neither because of all types of gongs in his cabinet, but for healing the masses throughout a music career spanning four decades.His influence had long transcendend local confines and if his burial place was to be a subject for debate, some would possibly suggest he rests on the banks of the Limpopo (border between Zimbabwe and South Africa), or somewhere at the very centre of the continent.All suggestions are understandable because the icon was a shared symbol of African heritage, but his family has discarded the Heroes Acre space which comes with the national hero status settling for rural Madziva where he comes from.The final resting place could have been his choice, now all eyes are fixed on his legacy.Music critic and promoter Benjamin Nyandoro said while he welcomed the decision by the Mtukudzi family to inter the musician at his rural home, he felt the decision could have repercussions on the Tuku legacy."My proposition would have been an application by the Tuku family for a burial site at Pakare Paye Arts Centre in Norton and turn the centre into a 'Dr Oliver Mtukudzi Arts Centre' that would host, among others, tours, a music school, hotel and conference centre, live performances, recording studio, music library and store," said Nyandoro."Now, a decision to lay to rest the legend at his rural home 114km north of Harare defeats the narrative. Serious thought must go into how the legacy preservation will be sustained."There is need to monetise and sustain operations at Pakare Paye, management of the Tuku brand and the family. It is an expensive exercise to say the least, as it requires enlisting services of skilled and qualified personnel."With the death of his only son, Sam, 10 years ago, it seems there is no one to take over the Tuku throne."The gap left by Tuku will be difficult to fill. He was an iconic figure in his own right and as Zimbabweans, especially those upcoming musicians, it would be wise to take note of the lessons that we learnt from Tuku if we are to keep his legacy," said jazz musician Bob Nyabinde.Nyabinde, who claims to have met Tuku first in 1978 and later in 1985 when the late musician relocated to Kwekwe, was optimistic the musician's legacy would be kept alive.Zimbabwe Music Awards (Zima) chairman Joseph Nyadzawo said his organisation would do all it could to help keep the late musician's legacy alive."As Zima, we have been working hand in glove with Dr Tuku and we believe despite his death, we will do all we can to keep the Tuku brand running," he said.On Thursday, Tuku's wife Daisy vowed to keep his husband's legacy alive. News / National by Staff reporter Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Peter Gift Mutasa yesterday appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court charged with attempting to subvert a constitutionally elected government or, in the alternative, inciting public violence.Mutasa (41) was not asked to plead when he appeared before provincial magistrate Francis Mapfumo, who remanded him in custody to tomorrow after his lawyer Aleck Muchadehama indicated his intention to make an application challenging his client's placement on remand.In his warned-and-cautioned statement to police, Mutasa denied both charges arguing that whatever he did or said does not constitute any known criminal offence."I have understood the charges and I deny them. In whatever I did, I was expressing myself and exercising my rights in terms of the Constitution. Further, I am a leader of the workers in Zimbabwe as well as a member of the Global Trade Union Federation. What I said and did was done for the promotion and advancement of the rights of the workers and the ordinary members of the public," Mutasa said."I totally deny calling upon people to overthrow a constitutionally elected government as alleged or at all. I further deny inciting anyone to commit acts of public violence. I contend that it is not an offence to call upon government to address workers' and people/citizens' concerns. I deny that whatever I did or said constitutes any known criminal offence."Prosecutor Patience Chimusaru presented that on January 1, 2019, Mutasa, while working in connivance with #ThisFlag leader Evan Mawarire, who is already on remand on the same allegations, recorded and published a video to the Zimbabwean populace, which went viral on all social media platforms.It is the state's contention that the contents of the video so recorded was meant to subvert a constitutionally elected government in that Mutasa and Mawarire were coercing the Zimbabwean workers to boycott reporting for duty and encouraging civil disobedience or resistance to law.The state further alleges the two men also coerced or attempted to coerce the constitutionally elected government by giving demands that the boycott or civil disobedience would only end if the government attended to their demands which were: to address economic challenges, pay workers in United States dollars and to remove the bond notes.Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has expressed concern over the arrests of Mutasa and his general-secretary Japhet Moyo.In a statement yesterday, Cosatu noted with concern that Moyo and Mutasa's arrests were done despite them having called for a peaceful job stayaway and people's constitutional rights to demonstrate."In the past few days we have followed with great concern the alarming and dangerous situation faced by peaceful protesting workers including the leaders and members of the ZCTU in retaliation for taking peaceful protest action against steep fuel prices that have worsened an already unbearable high cost of living in the country," the Cosatu statement read."We learned that the ZCTU general secretary Moyo was arrested at the airport upon his return from abroad. He was processed at the Central Police Station with a charge of subverting a constitutionally elected government. We were also informed that the police have indicated its intention to arrest the ZCTU president Peter Mutasa on charges of inciting violence and treason. Reportedly, his house was raided by police forces and his brother severely beaten."Cosatu said workers in Zimbabwe have the right to express their views on the government's economic programmes, including through peaceful demonstrations in an atmosphere free from fear, intimidation, coercion, repression and violence. News / National by Staff reporter HIGH Court Senior Judge, Justice Nicholas Mathonsi has upheld a ruling by the Gweru Magistrate Court to fine a police officer, Detective Constable Gift Gorongonya $400 for shooting a soldier following an altercation.Gorongonya appeared before Gweru magistrate, Ms Mildred Matuvi, in August last year and was fined $400 for the offence.Gorongonya appealed against the ruling at the High Court. However, Justice Mathonsi on last Tuesday overruled the appeal and upheld the ruling by Ms Matuvi.The State's case was that in February last year Gorongonya, who was in the company of his colleague, Constable Chrispen Musiiwa, was assaulting a soldier along Harare Road when a Five Brigade bound Zimbabwe National Army bus stopped and Corporal Zico Shumba together with other soldiers disembarked and tried to restrain Gorongonya.The complainant allegedly disarmed Cst Musiiwa who was armed with a pistol and removed the magazine. The court heard that Gorongonya then drew a pistol and fired some shots before hitting Corporal Shumba on the leg. The two police officers then rushed to Gweru Central Police Station. Corporal Shumba was rushed to Gweru Provincial Hospital (GPH) where he received treatment. Corporal Shumba is said to have sustained a fractured leg as a result of the shooting.Through his lawyer, Mr Arshiel Mugiya of Mugiya and Macharaga Law Chambers, Gorongonya alleged that he shot Corporal Shumba while in the line of duty after he tried to obstruct him from arresting a suspect. Mr Mugiya had applied for the court to place Gorongonya off remand arguing that he a constitutional mandate of enforcing the law and where there is resistance he can use force. News / National by Staff reporter Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you are passionate about something, then you are willing to take risks. That is the story of Sakhile Khanye, the founder of Classique Q&A Magazine.Growing up in the dusty streets of Lobengula West in Bulawayo, also being a pastor's daughter everyone would have expected her to be holding those church positions, only to see her passion for art outgrowing people's expectations. The Zimbabwean artiste based in the UK said she was charmed by art at a very tender age."I have always admired arts since I was 13. I remember I used to stand in front of the mirror and pretend to be interviewing people or sometimes I would write articles about imaginary people in my head, I am talent and passion driven," she said.She moved to England in 2010 when she was 15, where she established herself as a brand."I moved to England at the age of 15 in 2010 to re-unite with my parents after two failed attempts and a 10-year gap of not seeing them that's where I found my footing in arts industry," said Khanye.Her blogs saw her being winged by professionals who could see her raw talent thus resulting in the birth of her magazine."I used to write blogs and interview mostly celebs. Lance Guma and Vicky Storm who are legendary journalists took me under their wings by featuring my articles on their platforms, fast forward 2015 I met Rudo Muchoko who owns her Publishing Company (RM Publishers), she suggested that we transfer my blogs and turn them into a magazine and the rest is history," she said.She said Classique Q&A Magazine is amazing as it makes her meet different people and some who are inspirational."Classique Q&A Magazine has been nothing but amazing to work on. I get to work with amazing and inspirational individuals. Rudo and I still get excited when we are about to release a new issue it's like our baby," she said.Other fellow Zimbabweans in the diaspora have shown much needed support in her works."At first I used to be hesitant about it because people used to say "Zimbabweans don't support each other". However, for me they received Classique very well and they have been supportive," said Khanye. News / National by Staff reporter THE Government has warned people against buying and using prescribed drugs and other pharmaceutical items that were looted when pharmacies were broken into during the violent stay away recently, saying they should go to authorised dealers.The Government also said it was making sure that those that looted were brought to book. A number of pharmacies were broken into and looted during the skirmishes that ensued recently, resulting in unwarranted destruction of infrastructure.In an interview with Sunday News, the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Gibson Mhlanga, urged members of the public to avoid buying and taking drugs without being prescribed by health practitioners even if they were cheap."People should desist from self prescribing. They are looters on the prowl. Neither should they buy from people who are selling drugs on the streets because they have no medical supervision or license to sell drugs," he said.Dr Mhlanga said the ministry does not know yet in terms of quantities and types medicines or drugs people got access to during the time of looting."However, as we know medical drugs can be very dangerous if they are not used appropriately, it will be unwise for someone to buy or take drugs without being prescribed by a qualified health practitioner so it is quite dangerous if people are to buy and take the looted pharmaceutical items," said Dr Mhlanga.He emphasised that even the common antibiotics could be very dangerous if not used properly."If it is antibiotics the body can resist them in future because they would have not been used in the manner that they are supposed to be used.So there can be issues of overdosing and inappropriate use of drugs for a particular condition just because the drugs are supposed to be prescribed by medical professionals like doctors and nurses," he said.The immediate past president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe, Mr Sikhumbuzo Mpofu, was at pains to express his shock at the looting of essential places like pharmacies."In my 20 year career I have never seen people looting pharmacies during protests, these are places that are considered vital but when protesters attack these places then there is a problem," he said.Mr Mpofu noted that the communities suffer the most. "If you look at the areas that were looted it is in the western side of Bulawayo and those communities need to make use of pharmacies nearest to them but now that they vandalised them how will they access drugs?He further said another major loss was that of medical records of patients, adding that some pharmacies were unlikely to recover as it cost around US$ 10 000 to set up the structure. News / National by Staff reporter GOVERNMENT is on the verge of securing at least $150 million from a local bank for construction of on-campus accommodation at recently established State universities, a Cabinet minister has said.The development is meant to avail decent housing to students in higher learning institutions.Zimbabwe has in the last few years established universities in Lupane, Gwanda and Marondera as it moves to provide tertiary academic studies in all provinces. However, there is dire need for on-campus accomdation at most institions, a situation that forces students to secure expensive or sub-standard residency in suburbs near the institutions.The situation has exposed students to vices such as prostitution and drug abuse due to lack of supervision.In an interview with The Sunday Mail, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Professor Amon Murwira said Government and a local bank were finalising modalities to fund construction of hostels at higher institutions of learning."We are at various stages of agreements with CBZ bank and are almost done with the finalisation of funding for Lupane, Gwanda and Marondera State universities. Each will get $50 million to start constructing hostels," said the minister. There are around 165 000 students countrywide who do not have access to on-campus accommodation."In that regard, the ministry has a two-year target to be able to accommodate about 60 000 students in the recently established three State universities."The accommodation project is a five-year initiative, so we will continue mobilising funding for the residencies of our students."Professor Murwira said the Government was also receiving support from private construction companies that were investing in accommodation facilities at the universities. News / National by Staff reporter President Emerson Mnangagwa's visit to Russia has unlocked $300 million that will trigger implementation of the $2 billion Great Dyke Investment (GDI) platinum mining venture in Darwendale.GDI officials told The Sunday Mail that the project will be one of the top five platinum mines in the world, adding that, the investment was certain in light of several agreements signed by President Mnangagwa in Russia.In an interview with The Sunday Mail last week, Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando said funds for the project will be availed immediately following President Mnangagwa's meeting with President Putin."As you aware, our President met the Russian President. As a result of that high level meeting, there was a massive boost for Great Dyke platinum as the investors made an undertaking to release about US$300 million," said the minister."What is important to note is that the money was availed immediately and it is ready for immediate drawdown."Minister Chitando said the funds will enable the company to buy state-of-the-art equipment for effective implementation of the project by June."There is going to be a hive of activity on site with positive results soon," he said."The first phase of the project will now be in full throttle, starting in June."Massive infrastructure development is now earmarked to take place in the Darwendale area this year with state-of-the-art equipment set to be established on site.The US$2 billion project is one of the biggest mining investments in the country since independence and is expected to create 8 000 jobs at its peak.During his visit to Moscow, President Mnangagwa and Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin discussed and agreed on implementation strategies for the venture, giving fresh impetus to the project.In an emailed response to The Sunday Mail, GDI chair Dr Hespina Rukato said a number of agreements were signed in Russia to facilitate implementation of the project.Among the signed documents include a licence agreement with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, Memoranda of Understanding with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), African Finance Corporation (AFC) and Russian Export Centre (REC).Said Dr Rukato, "The license agreement stipulates the procedure and conditions for implementation of the decision to issue the Special mining lease dated May 7, 2015 as part of fulfilment of obligations arising from the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe on cooperation in implementation of the project of comprehensive development of the Darwendale platinum group metals deposit."The MOU with Afreximbank envisages provision of a direct credit line facility for the Project (project financing) in the amount of US$151 million and additional US$41 million as part of the credit line facility for formation of working capital required at launch of production and sales of commercial products."The MOU with the AFC provides for equity interest of the Corporation in the Darwendale Project in the amount of up to US$ 75 million."The Memorandum of Cooperation with AO REC provides for insurance of political risks of participation in the Darwendale project for and AO Afromet (which represents the Russian shareholding in the Russian-Zimbabwean joint venture Great Dyke Investments)."A statement by the Russian investors availed to The Sunday Mail shows that as a result of the signed deals, the project will be "definitely" achieved."We see a great potential for cooperation with the Republic of Zimbabwe in the field of mining, metallurgy and energy," reads part of the statement."These agreements express the common interest in developing mutually beneficial business ties between our countries and at the level of commercial structures."I am confident that our plans, shaped together with the Zimbabwean partners and friends with regards to the Darwendale Project, will definitely be fulfilled."One of the most important points of strategic growth will soon appear in the economic and social structure of Zimbabwe, which will ensure not only a notable GDP growth, but also employment of thousands of Zimbabweans."The project implementation strategy envisages a phased construction of the mine, processing and metallurgical complex which includes mining of up to 10.5 million tonnes of ore and production of 870,000 ounces (27 tonnes) of platinum group metals (PGM) per year.The project is one of the most cost-effective in the industry in terms of capital and operational costs, due to the flat and shallow ore body.Darwendale is characterised by a balanced basket of metals, including platinum, palladium, gold, and other metals."GDI is a joint venture company between Zimbabwean and Russian shareholders and was officially commissioned in 2014 with Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov as guest of honour.Since it's commissioning, the project has undergone large-scale geological exploration, complex ore studies and results of a 2017 Bankable Feasibility Study show that reserves for mining in the first phase are estimated at 7,8 million ounces, or 240 tonnes of PGM and gold. News / Local by Staff reporter THE death of Oliver Mtukudzi grabbed newspaper headlines around the world befittingly demonstrating the global influence of the Afrojazz icon's work and personality.Newspapers around the world mainly in Africa acknowledged Tuku's impact on their communities by carrying the news of his death on their pages.An almost similar story narrated by vast media houses in all their different editorial policies across the globe demonstrated how consistent Tuku was in his work, personality and what he stood for. Though glowing, media across Africa carried heart-breaking stories of how Tuku who died at 66 touched the lives of all and sundry through his music.While Tuku's influence is deemed to have impacted the southern African region the most, his tentacles as evidenced by media coverage of his death was felt in other regions likes East Africa and beyond. The dominance of stories narrating Tuku's life in newspapers across East Africa specially in Kenya speak of the rapport the Afro-Jazz legend had with artistes and local audiences in that region.Publications under The Nation Media Group, the largest independent media house in East and Central Africa covering audiences in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda had stories of Tuku taking over huge space chronicling the death of the Zimbabwean icon. The Daily Nation in Kenya described Tuku 'as a legend in the vibrant cross-genre music of Afro-jazz'. The story running under a headline 'What shall we do? Oliver Mtukudzi dies' said "His lyrics delivered through rasping vocals, often carried social messages about HIV/Aids and alcohol abuse and encouraging self-respect, sometimes invoking proverbs and wisdom from his mother tongue, Shona."Also from Kenya, The Standard had a story under the headline 'Raila mourns death of Oliver Mtukudzi' mentioning that in his four decade career, Tuku released 66 albums and won fans all over the world due to his powerful music which often had a message that resonated with everyone"The same paper also featured a story on the headline 'Kenyans pay glowing tribute to renowned Afro-jazz legend' narrating that Tuku's influence stretched beyond Zimbabwe making him an African icon."Yesterday Suzanna Owiyo, a legend who worked with Mtukudzi in Nairobi last February was among the artistes and fans mourning the musician whom she described as a friend and a long-time colleague," the paper narrated.The newspaper also noted that Mtukudzi has carved a name for himself as Africa's musical voice, a true believer in the continent's hidden treasure. The East African with its bases in Kenya also captured the death of the 66 year old under the headline 'Zimbabwean music legend Oliver Mtukudzi dies'.In describing Tuku's unique voice, the paper said, "Post-independence he used his unmistakable husky voice to provide profound political and social commentary. . . he became the most recognised artist to emerge from Zimbabwe onto the international scene and has earned a devoted following across Africa and beyond''.In Tanzania, three English daily newspapers, The Daily News, The Citizen and The Guardian announced and carried news of the death and life of Mtukudzi with a cartoon depicting a crown being placed on Tuku's head seemingly popping his coffin.In its article titled 'Zimbabwe and world music star Oliver Mtukudzi dies at 66', The Guardian wrote, "With his distinctive husky voice Mtukudzi had a career that stretched from white minority ruled Rhodesia to majority ruled Zimbabwe, producing a string of hits that spread his fame across Africa and eventually to an international audience".In the introduction of the story 'Bidding Farewell To The legend of Afro-Jazz', The Citizen said, "Africa has lost an icon, a music legend who was loved by many. If you got a chance to listen to his music or attend a live performance then you would bare witness of just how a great an artiste he was''.Rwanda's leading daily newspaper, The New Times carried a story with the headline 'Zimbabwean music icon Oliver Mtukudzi has died' in which it acknowledged that Mtukudzi performed in Kigali on October 26, last year at the monthly Kigali Jazz Junction."To date his performance is considered among the most memorable in the history of the jazz junction," the paper wrote.Joy Online which falls under the Multimedia Group Limited, the biggest private media organisation in Ghana carried the story headlined 'Oliver Mtukudzi, Zimbabwe's Afro-jazz legend, has died'.In Malawi, The Nation announced, 'Oliver Mtukudzi dies' noting that, "Tuku has contributed immensely to the nurturing of Zimbabwean music talent and holds various prestigious positions among them Goodwill Ambassador for United Nations Children's Fund and the coveted Cavalier of the order of Merit bestowed on him by the Italian Government''.What more shall we say, space fails us to mention each and every media, which in its own way paid tribute to Africa's Afro-jazz legend. Bowalley Road Rules The blogosphere tends to be a very noisy, and all-too-often a very abusive, place. I intend Bowalley Road to be a much quieter, and certainly a more respectful, place. So, if you wish your comments to survive the moderation process, you will have to follow the Bowalley Road Rules. These are based on two very simple principles: Courtesy and Respect. Comments which are defamatory, vituperative, snide or hurtful will be removed, and the commentators responsible permanently banned. Anonymous comments will not be published. Real names are preferred. If this is not possible, however, commentators are asked to use a consistent pseudonym. Comments which are thoughtful, witty, creative and stimulating will be most welcome, becoming a permanent part of the Bowalley Road discourse. However, I do add this warning. If the blog seems in danger of being over-run by the usual far-Right suspects, I reserve the right to simply disable the Comments function, and will keep it that way until the perpetrators find somewhere more appropriate to vent their collective spleen. A woman in Manhattan got stuck in an elevator Friday evening and wasn't rescued until Monday morning. According to HuffPost, the unidentified woman was cleaning a five-story townhouse in the Upper East Side of Manhattan when she became trapped in the elevator between the 2nd and 3rd floor. The homeowners were out of town for the entire weekend, the elevator didn't have a phone, and apparently she didn't have a cell phone on her. Finally, on Monday morning, one of the homeowners came home, realized what had happened and called 911. Firefighters broke into the elevator around 10am, rescued the woman, and sent her to the hospital. Miraculously, she's in good condition. Moral of the story for claustrophobic people like me: take the stairs. APF official dies in jeep crash Armed Police Force Superintendent Balram Pokharel died in a road accident on Nijgadh-Pathlaiya road stretch in Bara district on Saturday night. At least six empty houses owned by the estates of Philadelphians ended up in the hands of William Ernest Johnson III, a violent felon currently on parole; the houses were then sold on to developers who renovated and flipped them. The houses were stolen by providing Philadelphia's city deeds office with forged deed transfers, either bearing the stamps of notaries who say they were tricked, or forged notary stamps (either from nonexistent notaries, or from notaries who say the stamps were forged including the wife of a former state senator). Pennsylvania does not require that notaries capture a thumbprint when notarizing a document. There have been other waves of house thefts in the past, but those were sophisticated identity-theft crimes that involved merging multiple data-sets from online breaches to impersonate the house's owner and secure a duplicate deed. However, in this case, it seems that a combination of poor checking at the Philadelphia city deeds office and lax standards for Pennsylvania notaries meant that even a dumdum could simply rip off houses wholesale. Johnson denies being that dumdum. However, at least one of the flipped houses was laundered through his wife, who was convincingly angry and surprised when the Philadelphia Inquirer asked her about it, implying that she'd been scammed by him. Then Johnson called the reporter and said, "I wanted to know if I could offer you something. What is it going to take for you not to mention my wife's name?" The stolen houses had been owned by longtime residents who died without clear estates, or whose distant relations had not moved quickly to sell them on. How a House Is Stolen 1 Sheriff's sales lists and public records are searched for properties with unpaid taxes and overdue mortgages. Deeds are scoured for properties that have been off the market for decades, a sign they might be abandoned with dead or absent owners. 2 A visit is paid to the property to chat up neighbors is the owner dead? Does anybody stop by? Are there family members who show interest in the house? 3 A deed is forged. A blank deed can be purchased for a few dollars and a sale fabricated. A crooked notary is used to validate the document. Sometimes a notary's signature and seal are simply forged. 4 The doctored deed is filed with the city deed room in City Hall. A modest transfer tax is paid and the property now belongs to the thief. 5 The property is flipped. Sometimes it is transferred first to a confederate or fictional buyer to launder the title's shady history. Ultimately it is sold to a legitimate buyer, often a developer, for cash. Stealing from the dead [Craig R. McCoy/Philadelphia Inquirer] (via Naked Capitalism) Yahoo! JAPAN Yahoo! JAPAN Muc suy giam cua kieu hoi toan cau trong nam 2020 thap hon so voi nam khung hoang tai chinh toan cau 2009 (4,8%). We just never get that commercialized or at least commercialized in a way that could benefit consultants or farmers, he said. For instance, imagery has been a big buzz; however, it needs to be something useful for farmers. Weve got to tie a solution to that. We cant just hand farmers an image with no solution tied to it, he said. Godsey and fellow speaker Paul Schrimpf both said autonomous technologies have caught on faster than agronomic technologies. Things like autosteer, which quickly became affordable and made tasks easier for farmers, caught on easier than things that require the capturing and analysis of data, Schrimpf said. Farmers want to farm, Godsey said, not focus on data collection and analysis. He said boots on the ground are still needed, even with technological advances, and he doesnt see that changing. The North Dakota Department of Transportation along with the North Dakota Highway Patrol have lifted the no travel advisory for all areas of the state including Bismarck, Mandan, Williston, Dickinson, Minot, Devils Lake, Jamestown, Grand Forks, and surrounding areas. Motorists are asked to drive with care as scattered ice and snow may be present on the highways. Motorists are encouraged to reduce speeds, drive according to the conditions and always wear their seat belt. All travelers are encouraged to monitor road conditions as weather conditions occur and use caution while traveling. For road information, call 511 from any type of phone or go to the Travel Information Map at www.dot.nd.gov. Bismarck and Mandan school buses will run two hours late today. Burleigh County offices won't open until 10 a.m. today. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 4 Sad 1 Angry 0 FARGO -- Bell Bank has announced its intent to purchase Warner and Company Insurance, a full-service insurance agency founded in Fargo more than 100 years ago. Under the purchase agreement signed Wednesday, Bell will purchase Warner and Company Insurance, as well as two of Warner and Company's other full-service agencies: Schiller Insurance in Detroit Lakes and Thompson-Schaefer Insurance Agency in Grand Forks. Together, the three agencies have 30 employees. Michael Solberg, president and CEO of Bell Bank, released a statement praising the partnership between the two longtime Fargo institutions. Were very excited to have the team from Warner and Company become part of the Bell Bank family, Solberg said. Warner has a century-long commitment to building our community and treating people the right way. Its a fantastic culture fit for our two companies. Brian Hayer, president and CEO of Warner and Company, will remain managing director of all three insurance agencies under the Bell Insurance brand. The Supreme Court could receive the amended proposal for consideration by Thursday, Jensen said. Its decision on the proposal could come within 30 days. Further public commenting isn't likely. North Dakota Supreme Court Clerk Penny Miller previously said the court may adopt, amend, reject or do "any number of things" to the proposal. Jack McDonald, legal counsel for the North Dakota Newspaper Association, considers the proposal to be "a good thing for public information." "So if the people want to actually find out how the courts work, they can look," McDonald said. "They can go in and see the documents. I think it's opening up the process, and I think nothing but good will come of that." Jensen said the court will likely have to consider the degree of demand for access and increasing bandwidth to accommodate users. Court information technology staff would have to vet those issues. The federal court system operates the Public Access to Court Electronic Records service, which charges 10 cents per page to view court documents online. Jensen said the committee has so far rejected the idea of pay-per-view court records. "They're public records," he said. A Beulah High School teacher accused of sending naked photos of herself has resigned. Beulah Public School District superintendent Travis Jordan said on Friday that the Beulah Board of Education had formally accepted the resignation of Kelsie Laura Schmidt. Schmidt, 24, was charged last week with felony luring minors by computer or other means after a student told a detective with the Mercer County Sheriff's Department that he received three or four naked photos on Snapchat from Schmidt in August, according to court documents. Schmidt allegedly admitted to the detective that she sent the nude photos of herself to the student, the affidavit said. Schmidt is in her first year teaching at the high school, according to Jordan. (Reach Blair Emerson at 701-250-8251 or Blair.Emerson@bismarcktribune.com) Love 5 Funny 2 Wow 3 Sad 6 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Dear Doctor: My wife read that a man had his legs amputated after he got an infection from being licked by his dog, and now she's freaking out. She's afraid to even touch our dog anymore, lest it somehow get saliva on her. Please talk some sense into her. Dear Reader: We can understand your wife's initial sense of alarm regarding this story and suspect her reaction has been shared by quite a few others. The idea that just a lick from a beloved family pet can have such dire consequences is indeed disturbing. But before we get to the specifics, we're glad to offer your wife reassurance that what happened in this case is extremely rare. According to news reports, a 48-year-old man from Wisconsin was rushed to the hospital after symptoms similar to the flu -- fever, vomiting, and aches and pains -- quickly escalated. His fever spiked high enough that he became delirious, and bruises suddenly began to appear on his limbs, face and torso. The doctors in Wisconsin fought the infection with antibiotics for a week but were unable to stop its progress. In order to save the man's life, parts of his legs and hands had to be amputated. The man was diagnosed with a rare blood infection caused by the bacterium Capnocytophaga canimorsus, which is found in the saliva of many healthy dogs. Prior to becoming ill, the man had contact with several dogs, including the family pet. A new natural gas pipeline is proposed for the core of the Bakken. MDU Resources Group has announced that subsidiary WBI Energy plans to construct the North Bakken Expansion Project, adding 67 miles of pipeline in Williams and McKenzie counties. The project will transport natural gas that has been processed from the Tioga area to a new connection with Northern Border Pipeline in McKenzie County. The $220 million project also includes two compressor facilities and other related infrastructure. Trevor Hastings, president and CEO of WBI Energy, said in a statement the expansion will meet the natural gas transportation needs in the Bakken. We are working with our customers to meet these needs as the industry focuses on reducing natural gas flaring while growing production volumes, Hastings said Friday. North Dakota produced an average of 2.5 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas in November, a figure thats projected to continue breaking records. Operators flared about 527 million cubic feet per day due to inadequate infrastructure. A closed door In order to take legal action against Bodha Raj Tripathee, the maths teacher accused of sexual abuse by a number of former students as reported by the Post, a group of students, parents, and concerned staff attempted to register a First Information Report (FIR) at the Metropolitan Police Range, Jawalakhel on Sunday. As for the three caribou transported to the Revelstoke pen, they will be introduced into the local caribou herd. A member of the adjacent population might be put into the pen, giving the animals a chance to get to know each other. "Caribou like cattle, deer or elk or whatever," Degroot said. "They are very social animals and have a pecking order." Then all the animals would be released with the hope that the resident caribou would show newcomers the way. With the removal of the elusive ungulates some worry that the Canadian government will eliminate rules that prohibit logging, snowmobiling and other activities in the caribou range. "Our concern is that some of those restrictions will be lifted and in the future the entire habitat protection could be lifted," said Candace Batycki, a program director at the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. "There are a lot of pressures to reopen that landscape to logging again." Already, Batycki said, snowmobiling permits are being issued for areas where caribou traditionally roamed. "These are not unfounded fears," she said. The first annual Faith, Science and Climate Action Conference, held late 2018, convened more than 200 people from Montana who are deeply concerned about the real and imminent threat from climate change to the earths life-sustaining systems. We learned from scientists and faith leaders about the impacts of climate change on Montana and the world, and we committed to solutions-oriented collaboration. The recently released United Nations Intergovernmental Panel Special Report, with over 6,000 cited references from hundreds of scientists, calls for immediate worldwide attention to this global problem already causing suffering among the vulnerable. Our varied faiths hold common values of responsible stewardship and social justice, summoning us to moral courage and action. We are excited about possibilities for new technologies, regenerative agriculture, improvement in human health, and greater equity for the worlds poor. As people of faith and people of science, we have committed to actions which will lessen future suffering, help people adapt to changing conditions, and create a better future. Lack of funding has hindered further energy conservation in Billings high schools, which educate more than 5,000 students in four school buildings. What difference does energy conservation make? Take Senior High for an example: In November 2018, Seniors heat and power costs were $23,422, but that was $9,293 less than the costs with none of the conservation measures. A new, efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning system has been installed in about two-thirds of the classroom areas. For years, there has been a plan to finish that upgrade in the rest of the classrooms and the gym, but Senior High was unsuccessful in applying for state grants, and now that state program has been discontinued. Reiter estimates that the cost of completing the Senior High HVAC and related energy conservation upgrades would be roughly $10 million. In addition to reducing utility bills, the upgrade would make the classrooms more comfortable and functional with fresh air and temperature controls in a space that is now subject to extreme heat and cold, depending on the weather. While Congress may acknowledge that our outdoor recreation economy accounts for $887 billion in consumer spending and 7.6 million American jobs, their inability to work together to reauthorize and fully fund LWCF speaks volumes. Montanas gateway communities made us proud when they volunteered to clean toilets and pick up trash overflowing in Yellowstone National Park thanks to the government shutdown. These businesses should not be tasked, quite literally, with cleaning up the governments mess. The cost of picking up the pieces after a shutdown grows by the day, while the easier solution of Congress working to come up with a wise solution remains stagnant. From a business perspective, it is fiscally irresponsible to continue the government shutdown. The stalemate in Washington is yet another symptom of a Congress that is willing to hold our public lands, our businesses and our jobs hostage for political theater. Montana Sen. Steve Daines has been at the helm of the Senate majority and has a direct line to Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell. This gives Daines a unique opportunity to advocate for a sensible end to the rising costs this shutdown is creating for our gateway communities and our outdoor recreation industry, who will bear the burden of this shutdown each day that it is allowed to continue. Daines extolls the values of our public lands and we believe he knows the right thing for Congress to do. We encourage him to get to work on getting the government running again and quit holding our public lands and our jobs hostage. As a successful business leader, Daines must also know how fiscally irresponsible it is to continue this shutdown. We urge him to consider Teddy Roosevelts reminder as he reflects upon his duty to advocate for Montana. Carla Fisher operates Backslope Brewing in Columbia Falls. Shannon Hughes operates Spur Studios in Bozeman. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 FARGO, N.D. Sens. Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven announced Monday, Jan. 28, that they're both co-sponsoring Savanna's Act, a bill which specifically addresses missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, as it's reintroduced in Congress. "This is important legislation that will help us further combat crimes on tribal lands," Cramer, R-N.D., said in a news release. Former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., initially introduced Savanna's Act which passed the Senate but stalled last year in the House with the aim of collecting data on missing and murdered indigenous people. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., announced Monday that they have reintroduced the legislation. It's named after Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a 22-year-old pregnant Fargo woman from the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in northeast North Dakota. She was murdered in 2017, and her baby was cut from her womb. "Sen. Heitkamp was a true leader on this issue and an advocate for indigenous peoples throughout her tenure in the Senate, Murkowski said in a statement. "Im proud to reintroduce this bill and continue our efforts to bring much needed attention and coordination to the issue of murdered and missing Native women." The defense said the judge should have allowed into evidence the victims juvenile criminal history, which directly implicate(s) her credibility, Strong said. But the judge said that case law allowed evidence only of criminal history that demonstrates dishonesty, which did not include the burglary and car theft convictions the victim had as a juvenile. If those crimes demonstrated dishonesty, the judge wrote, citing a Montana Supreme Court finding, then any crime would. Likewise, the judge barred testimony about a defense witness past conviction for bail jumping and drug distribution conviction, but allowed testimony on her obstruction conviction. Strong had wanted to question the victim on the number and identity of her sexual partners, saying such information could have supported the defenses position that the victim falsely accused Mejia of raping her in order to protect one of her sexual partners. But the judge said he properly applied the states Rape Shield Law, which is designed to prevent victims from being exposed at trial to harassing or irrelevant questions concerning their past sexual behavior, according to state statutes. Dr. William Roper answers reporters' questions on Nov. 1, 2018, in Chapel Hill, minutes after the UNC Board of Governors voted to make him interim president of the UNC system: Above. UNC's new interim president presented a welcome address Jan. 25 to the UNC Board of Governors, setting the tone for new leadership in the departure of former President Margaret Spellings.This is no caretaker period, Roper told board members.Roper said.The former CEO of UNC Health Care has inherited a monumental task in the wake of turmoil over Silent Sam and the abrupt resignation of UNC Chapel Hill's Chancellor Carol Folt.Folt, who ignited turmoil over her decision to strip UNC Chapel Hill's campus of Silent Sam's pedestal and remaining accoutrements, submitted her resignation last week, stating her intention to leave the job after May graduation.The board voted to accept her resignation, but moved Folt's exit up to Jan. 31. In a resolution passed Friday, the board gave Roper authority toUnlike Spellings, who refrained from commenting personally on Silent Sam, Roper is open about his views.Roper, who now must name an interim chancellor to the job in Chapel Hill, says he is up to the job.he said.Great leaders must chart strategic direction, and deal with "external factors that can affect it."The role of interim president also requireshe said.he said.Roper's comments come even as a media storm of criticism floods the UNC board, which has repeatedly been accused of micromanaging individual universities, and of involving itself too much in campus operations.The body is working hard to do what is in the best interest of North Carolina, said board Chairman Harry Smith.Smith said.During a post-meeting press conference, Roper wouldn't comment on whether he is open to taking the position full time. Nancy just said she just doesnt understand why? Very simply, without a Wall it all doesnt work. Our Country has a chance to greatly reduce Crime, Human Trafficking, Gangs and Drugs. Should have been done for decades. We will not Cave! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2019 Minnesota Democrat Rep. Collin Peterson said in an interview this week that the Democrats should give President Donald Trump the money that he wants to build the border wall on the southern border.Peterson, the Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, told KFGO's "News & Views" on Tuesday that "when I bring up what I have to say [to Democrats], they look at me cross-eyed."Peterson said, adding that he wouldPeterson continued.In an interview with the MinnPost on Wednesday, Peterson tried to clarify his remarks after enraging Democrats in Washington, D.C., highlighting that he specifically stated that there needed to be strings attached to the money to make sure that it is spent responsibly.Peterson said.Peterson continued.Fox News reported on Thursday.On Wednesday, Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi exchanged shots back-and-forth over the State of the Union address, with Trump ultimately deciding to drop the issue as he showed a willingness to work with the Democrats.Trump tweeted on Thursday morning.Earlier this month, the Republican National Committee (RNC) launched a new website highlighting statistics about the border, including:In four Customs and Border Protection sectors where physical barriers have been expanded - El Paso, Yuma, Tucson, and San Diego - illegal traffic has dropped by at least 90%.In fiscal year 2018, U.S. Border Patrol seized or helped seize 282,000 pounds of cocaine, 248,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 6,500 pounds of heroin, and 2,400 pounds of fentanyl.In 2018, over 17,000 adults arrested at the border had prior criminal records. This included over 6,000 gang members, a major number of those members were from MS-13.The Democrats would rather risk the safety of hard-working Americans than work with President Trump to secure our nation's borders. But in 2013, all 54 Senate Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, voted to pass legislation that provided $46 billion to build a physical barrier on the border.Nancy Pelosi and her hyper-liberal Congressional colleagues just passed a bill to give $54 BILLION to foreign governments, but Democrats won't allow just $5 billion to secure our borders and protect American citizens. Those trying to tar all media today arent interested in improving journalism but protecting themselves. Theres a lot more accountability in media these days than in our politics. We know we live in a glass house, we hope the folks we cover are as self aware. Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) January 19, 2019 Ben Shapiro at March for Life: "The truth is no pro-life person would kill baby Hitler. Baby Hitler was a baby." pic.twitter.com/PPgQcbWSrq jordan (@JordanUhl) January 18, 2019 Over the weekend, the media engaged in coverage of three separate stories that once again demonstrated just why the America people don't trust them. The first story: the attempted destruction of Covington High School students over false allegations of harassment of an elderly Native American. The second story: the imploded BuzzFeed scoop that President Trump told former personal attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress. The third story: an attempt by Left-wing media to portray a 21-second clip from my show as a bizarre defense of Hitler.All three stories were lies. All three stories were politically driven.Take, for example, the Covington High School story. On first blush, it's understandable that members of the punditocracy immediately leapt to the conclusion that the students had done something wrong - after all, would members of the media, the blue-checkmarked brigade, really have butchered video badly enough to completely lie about the story? Between Saturday night and Sunday morning, according to Newsbusters, CNN and MSNBC spent some 53 minutes and 20 seconds on the original, false narrative.Then, as the facts emerged, everyone had to reconsider - the full video not only exonerated the kids, it actually cut directly against the prevailing narrative that the MAGA-hatted kids had surrounded the Native American man after he defended a group of black activists from them. In fact, the black activists were members of the cultish Black Hebrew Israelites, they were shouting racial and sexual slurs at the kids, and the Native American man sauntered with his group into the center of the high school crowd, banging his drum in the face of one particular student. The students reacted to all of this by singing their high school chants and songs. End of story.That still hasn't stopped members of the media from trying to dig up other information demonstrating the racism of the high school, or targeting the students for supposed bad behavior, or justifying the leap to conclusions as a predictable result of living in Trump's America.The lesson: don't trust the media's immediate take. And count on their screw-ups to consistently reinforce a Leftist narrative about American racism and Trumpist bigotry.Then take the BuzzFeed scoop. That story audaciously claimed that not only had Trump told Cohen to lie to Congress about a prospective Trump Tower deal, but that the lie had been documented viaThis report was so badly flawed that in unprecedented fashion, the Mueller investigation actually slammed it: a spokesman stated,BuzzFeed said it stood by the report, asked the Mueller office for clarification (which it clearly can't give). Defenders in the media then responded by claiming that BuzzFeed shouldn't be called on the carpet by the public:After all, impugning the motives of those pushing BuzzFeed to backtrack is obviously the most good-faith way to correct media malfeasance.Finally, there's the story of my podcast last Friday at the March for Life. During that podcast, I discussed the oft-made argument that abortion lowers the crime rate. Here's what I said, in total:This is a cohesive argument, with a colorful example.(Worth noting: The New York Times tweeted about the "baby Hitler" example in 2015, Tom Hanks commented on it, and a bevy of thinkpieces were written about it.)A progressive activist, however, cut out just this 21-second version:The idea, of course, is that this was a random comment about Hitler that was stupid, because the March for Life is stupid, and thus should be ignored. Again, idiocy at the top level from the media. But that didn't stop the out-of-context story from being utilized by the media for purposes of clicks and mockery.Wonder why conservatives don't trust the media? Perhaps it's because when the media make mistakes, they tend to run only in one direction. Perhaps it's because the media operate all-too-often in pure bad faith. Perhaps it's because when corrected, they deflect toward criticizing their attackers, as Todd does.Conservatives have a bevy of reasons not to trust the media. And the media keep feeding them fodder, day in and day out. 5 foreign firms interested in reviving Janakpur Cigarette Factory Five foreign investment firms have shown interest in reviving state-owned Janakpur Cigarette Factory which was once the leading cigarette manufacturer in the country. The company has remained closed since 2011 after sinking into a mess due to political interference, mismanagement and overstaffing. Many times you might have found the multiple casinos available in the online market but when you are going to... Gov. Roy Cooper has instructed employees of his administration to refuse to speak with investigators looking into his shady dealings surrounding the Atlantic Coast Pipeline deal, according to reports Cooper has rightly been accused of having a transparency problem with this issue. We first learned about his administration's questionable dealings when it turned out approval for the pipeline may have been contingent on the pipeline manufacturer forking over $58 million to Cooper's office, to be spent at his discretion. At that time, Cooper and his Department of Environmental Quality refused to show up for a committee hearing in which they could answer questions about this shady deal.More recently, evidence has turned up in a search through a "document dump" from Cooper's office that Cooper may have been using the pipeline deal as leverage to seal a deal with Duke Energy to help enrich one of Cooper's buddies in the crony solar business. Which brings us to Cooper's latest gag order of his staffers.Something very shady and unethical went down with this pipeline deal, and Cooper is refusing to come clean. What is he trying to hide? Joshua Malcolm, former chairman of the Bipartisan State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement. (CJ file photo) The N.C. Republican Party has submitted a list of four nominees for the new State Board of Elections, from which Gov. Roy Cooper will select two. The N.C. Democratic Party offered its list Thursday afternoon, and one prominent name won't be among its four nominees.Former elections board chairman Joshua Malcolm, whose role in the Mark Harris-Dan McCready 9th U.S. Congressional District election has raised questions, told the Charlotte Observer Thursday he won't ask to take one of the three Democratic seats on the new board.Malcolm told the Observer.The new five-member board set to be named Jan. 31 is expected to hold an evidentiary hearing to determine whether GOP Rep.-elect Harris will be certified the winner. He leads Democrat McCready by 905 votes, but questions about absentee mail-in ballot irregularities clouded the outcome (see Carolina Journal stories here).An ongoing investigation has delayed certification in the race. Harris attempted to get a judge to order his certification, but Tuesday was rebuffed in court.Malcolm made the motion for the previous elections board not to certify Harris' win, and to seek an investigation. The elections board has named Leslie McCrae Dowless, a Harris campaign worker, as a person of interest in the investigation into whether Dowless and others working for him unlawfully collected absentee ballots, filled some in for Harris, and trashed others already checked for McCready.There are allegations the Bladen County Improvement Association or others conducted similar efforts for McCready. All have denied any wrongdoing.State Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, House Rules Committee chairman, and Sen. Dan Bishop, R-Mecklenburg, Senate Redistricting and Elections Committee chairman, released a joint statement Thursday.Among the issues lawmakers raised was the governor's refusal to respond to a request they made in December to form an independent task force to investigate allegations of voting shenanigans dating back several election cycles.they said.The Republican Party on Wednesday nominated Francis DeLuca, Eldon "Buck" Newton III, Stacey "Four" Eggers IV, and Eddie Woodhouse for elections board seats based on their extensive experience in election law and administration, and records of prior public service.Eggers, an attorney, was a member of the elections board that was dissolved by court order late in December because of its unconstitutional framework. Woodhouse is a previous chairman of the Wake County Board of Elections and is a cousin of Dallas Woodhouse, the Republican Party's executive director. DeLuca is former president of the Civitas Institute and a member of the former State Ethics Commission. Newton, a lawyer, is a former state senator who unsuccessfully ran for attorney general in 2016.Attempts to get an update on N.C. Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Goodwin's six nominations were unsuccessful. Cooper will appoint three of them.UPDATE: Thursday afternoon, Goodwin sent a list of only four nominees to the governor. N.C. Policy Watch published a copy of the letter Goodwin sent to Cooper. Three of the four, Stella Anderson, Robert Cordle, and Valerie Johnson, served on the previous elections/ethics board. The other nominee is Wake County elections board member Greg Flynn. In higher education, the value of a liberal arts education has been frequently debated. Defenders on the left argue that it exposes students to coursework and teaches critical thinking skills they would otherwise miss. Critics on the right, however, have argued that the liberal arts can be a vehicle for leftist indoctrination and provide minimal value to students in an increasingly technical job market.But the promise of a liberal arts education can be revived if universities consider standardizing their general education curriculum. Doing so could raise academic standards, depoliticize the curriculum, and improve students' critical thinking skills.The need for change in the status quo is shown by the difficulty students have in developing critical thinking skills. A 2017 analysis by The Wall Street Journal of the College Learning Assessment Plus, a standardized exam which measures an institution's ability to improve critical thinking skills, showed that at least a third of seniors at more than half of the 200 participating schools were unable to make a cohesive argument, assess the quality of evidence in a document, or interpret data tables. But the analysis also showed that schools which establish high curricular standards tend to offer students a better education. The biggest student gains in improving critical thinking were not made at the most selective institutions, but at oft-overlooked state institutions such as Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, West Chester University in Pennsylvania, and the University of New Mexico.Most colleges require students to take core classes ranging from the humanities to the sciences, or what is referred to as a liberal arts education, in the form of a general education curriculum. However, this coursework can vary wildly in quality, rigor, and instruction by faculty, by department, and by institution.Standardization can fix that inconsistency by requiring content taught in core classes to be updated and reviewed, holding faculty to high teaching standards. Many universities still view faculty as self-governing and self-regulating, erroneously assuming that academics will improve their teaching methods independently without guidance or assistance. But universities, particularly those with graduate programs, place a greater emphasis on academic research. Here, research determines university prestige and faculty promotion, especially for academics pursuing tenure, which incentivizes improvements in research over teaching.For standardization to be effective, the executive responsibility should reside in university colleges, who would be charged with reviewing class content and requirements, ensuring that faculty provide students a robust education. Faculty would submit a syllabus to a committee of peers and administrators to review, drawn from across the college. Then, much like academic peer review, the class would be approved, or the faculty member would be asked to revise and resubmit their syllabus. The review committee would adhere to strict criteria for ideological neutrality and academic standards to approve only classes that provide both an inclusive array of topics and require students to do more than show up to pass. Bringing together faculty across a college could increase the differing academic perspectives students encounter in class. Hence, it would become harder for individual faculty or isolated departments to push a narrow view of acceptable ideas in their curricular offerings.By contrast, the current approach to syllabus review at most colleges does little to control for either ideological bias or curricular skew. Departments, not colleges, approve course syllabi developed by the instructor with perhaps an occasional administrative review and virtually no input from fellow faculty. This lax approach is a far cry from the meticulous scrutiny associated with academic peer review.If colleges aren't sure about how to approach standardization, they can study standardized testing as a blueprint. Already, professional schools rely on standardization for admission standards. The Medical College Admissions Test, for example, outlines the required coursework and content for aspiring medical students. The benefit of using standardized tests is that they are developed by both content and measurement experts to ensure quality and consistency. Even professional organizations, such as the American Chemical Society and the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Media Communication, have established program requirements for accreditation. But those organizations are a minority. However, by using standardized testing or professional organization guidelines, universities could "back engineer" their curricula to ensure it covers the necessary material.The benefit of using standardized tests is that they are developed by both content and measurement experts to ensure quality and consistency.Embracing standardization could also safeguard the free exchange of ideas and protect against what Angela Logomasini of the Competitive Enterprise Institute has called "the academic nanny state." It could generate better discussions around controversial issues such as sexual and gender identity, abortion, and climate change by building a curriculum that puts intellectual merit above ideological sound bites. When a college reviews potential coursework, it can correct political excesses in the classroom by adding readings that offer competing interpretations or removing poorly argued opinions masquerading as academic research. Standardization could at least require faculty to understand conflicting views and present them intelligently for students to evaluate.Faculty may argue that standardization reform is fantastical, but several universities already recognize that the haphazard approach to general education needs to change. At the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, a research-intensive institution serving over 25,000 students, administrators created capstone courses which integrate standardized, core coursework. At Temple University, administrators have introduced a sequence of "Great Books" courses to introduce undergraduates to canonical works of literature. But the changes made by the most daring administrators is slowed by the current decentralized structure; support systems have arisen for the status quo, rather than reform that would standardize the university.Faculty may also contend that standardization will infringe on their academic freedom, but faculty and interested students will still have room to pursue specialization through elective coursework outside the general education requirements. Or, they may also argue that their political leanings hardly affect their teaching. While this disinterestedness may be the case for instruction, it is difficult to defend such an argument in terms of curriculum, which is influenced by works instructors consider worthwhile. If true, though, then standardization should be welcome, as the professor will be commended for their commitment to exposing students to unfamiliar and competing ideas.It is important to acknowledge that standardization does not herald the end of creativity. History has shown us that, as the demands and needs of societies become more complex, standardization is the cornerstone of progress. In the 18th century, the introduction of the metric system revolutionized measurement in the natural sciences; during the 19th century, the introduction of the Napoleonic Code laid the groundwork for modern European continental law; and in the 20th century, the Bretton Woods Agreement established the rules for international banking and finance. Standardization breathes life into interdisciplinary thought and creativity and helps ensure that students receive a superior education-an ideal higher education aspires to but often falls short.A robust liberal arts general education is more important now than ever. But subjecting students to attenuated curricula riddled with dogma does a profound disservice to both tomorrow's leaders and the credibility of higher education. With standardization, universities can avoid academic irrelevance and restore public faith in higher education. Ethan S. Ake-Little is a PhD candidate in urban education at Temple University. The Beatrice American Legion Auxiliary awarded three Quilts of Valor to women have served their country in the armed forces on Sunday afternoon. In a ceremony at the Beatrice Veterans Club, quilts were given to Elizabeth Shotkosky-Jurgens and Tami Schmidt, who served in the Marines Corps; and Erin Schoen, who served in the Air Force. We have (previously) given 11 quilts out and are very pleased that these quilts are going to women," said Loree Dienstbier, President of the American Legion Auxiliary. These quilts are to be used and a symbol of appreciation from a grateful nation." Elizabeth Shotkosky-Jurgens joined the United States Marine Corps on Feb. 6, 1978 in the delayed entry program. She received many medals and ribbons during her service, including the USMC Good Conduct Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal. She served with the 2nd MAW 533 AW Attack Squadron: West Pac Tour, Japan, Korea, and the Phillipines 19811982. She discharged in 1982 as a Sergeant. Shotkosky-Jurgens joined the Nebraska Army National Guard in 1982 and retired in 2001 at the rank of Major. I feel so overwhelmed and honored to receive this quilt. Its very humbling, said Shotkosky-Jurgens. The areas largest tourism attraction is back in business after closing for more than a month as the result of the federal shutdown. Homestead National Monument of America reopened its doors this week following the 35-day shutdown that forced the site west of Beatrice to close. Homestead Park Superintendent Mark Engler said employees wasted no time getting back to work, preparing the National Park Service site for visitors on Sunday. After receiving word Saturday morning to reopen we spent most of the day just getting the Monument to where it could be opened and operated in a safe manor, he said. Staff had gone to work removing snow and ice and getting the buildings ready to open and programs ready for next day. Engler said staff was working to reschedule programs that were canceled during the shutdown, but was unsure if scheduling would allow for all of them to be held. As frigid temperatures struck the area, Engler said the park did experience issues with heating systems that posed a challenge for the limited workers available, but none of the problems resulted in damage. Tesco is set to shake-up its in-store bakeries as part of a major overhaul of its fresh foods operation, according to newspaper reports. The retailer is to switch from using fresh dough in its in-store bakeries to frozen dough, the Mail on Sunday has claimed. This will be part of a plan affecting around 700 of Tescos largest stores, and will see the cutting of up to 15,000 jobs as the business closes down meat, fish and delicatessen counters, according to the reports. Tesco this morning told British Baker it was always looking at ways to run our business more simply and efficiently. Whenever we make changes in our business, colleagues are always the first to know, added a spokesman for the retailer. Currently, Tescos in-store bakery operation comprises some products that are supplied frozen and baked-off in store, while others are baked from scratch. If Tesco does switch from fresh dough to frozen, this could reduce the staff and equipment required, but comes with challenges, explained Stan Cauvain, director and co-founder at consultancy BakeTran. A major issue is that frozen dough has to be defrosted to deliver good bread quality, he said. Dough is a poor conductor of heat and this takes time, which reduces the immediacy of bread supply. Frozen dough works less well, as the size of the loaf increases because of the time taken for warmth to reach the centre. While the industry has flirted with frozen dough in the past, it has had more success with frozen par-baked products. However, even with this technology, the larger the product, the more difficult it is to deal with. Cauvain added that, while changing from fresh to frozen dough (or frozen part-baked) might reduce the need for fresh bakery production skills, it would not remove the need for good process control over the bake-off operation. %%Quote_47%% This particular aspect has been the downfall of similar attempts to ditch scratch bakery production in in-stores in the past, he said. Tesco has invested heavily in its in-store bakeries in recent years. In 2017, when the business won the Supermarket Bakery Business of the Year category in the Baking Industry Awards, it said it had worked to make its bakeries the most compelling reason to shop in our stores. Speaking on the future of Tescos in-store bakeries at the British Society of Bakings Spring Conference last April, the retailers bakery chief Gordon Gafa said the three priorities would be simplification of product range, innovation around key trends and collaboration across its business and supply chain. At the time, in-store bakery sales were up 4.1% like-for-like compared to the previous year. Today, union Unite has called for urgent talks with Tesco following the Mail on Sunday report. The union is recognised at four Tesco distribution centres, where it has around 1,000 members. This is a very worrying time for our members who deliver to Tesco stores across the UK, said Unite national officer for retail distribution Adrian Jones. While the reports centre on job losses in-store, such as at the bakeries and deli counters, we still need to know what this could mean for our members. Laura Ashley the Tea Room has expanded its afternoon tea offering with a vegan option at its three sites. Priced from 20 per person, the afternoon tea comprises vegan sandwiches, including hummus and roasted vegetable, tomato & shallot chutney, and avocado & lime crostini, as well as vegan scones with jam and sweet treats, such as double chocolate cake, banana cake and fruit skewers. With the rise of veganism in the UK, weve seen an increase in vegan diners visiting the tea rooms. We created our new vegan menu so that we can offer everyone an opportunity to enjoy the perfect afternoon tea experience, said Nigel Cooke, head chef at Laura Ashley the Tea Room in Solihull. Afternoon tea isnt usually a vegan-friendly meal, so we are delighted to be able to launch a full afternoon tea completely free from animal products. The first Laura Ashley the Tea Room opened in Solihull in 2017, followed by the first in the south of England at Burnham Beeches Hotel in summer 2018, and the newest addition in Coventry in October 2018. It is decorated in signature Laura Ashley interior style, featuring products from the retailers home accessories range. The new menu is in addition to its existing gluten-free and vegetarian options, which are available on request. The 2019 British Pie Awards have opened for entry, with the addition of the Vegan Pie class. The awards are to be held on Friday 8March 2019 in the pork pie capital of Melton Mowbray, with judging taking place on Wednesday 6 March. The 11th annual British Pie Awards sees the introduction of three new elements, including The Vegan Pie Class, a Fish & Chip Shop Pie Class, and the Best Young Piemaker Award. Over the past 11 years weve judged over 8,000 pies, with the help of around 150 pie connoisseurs and culinary experts. Each pie is judged on presentation, consistency and, of course, flavour its a very serious, albeit delicious, undertaking, said Matthew OCallaghan, chairman of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association and host of the British Pie Awards. Every year were blown away by the creativity and quality that goes into reinventing, or perfecting, a national favourite. With the new Vegan Pie Class and Fish & Chip Shop Class, we expect this year will be equally exciting, if not more so. Entry to the awards is open until 5pm on Friday 15 February 2019. Entries must adhere to the following rules: all pies are to be totally encased in pastry, must be baked and must fit into one of the 23 pre-assigned classes. All entries must be commercially available in the UK. Dalston-based The Dusty Knuckle Bakery is to open a dedicated bakery school next month. The school, which will hold its first class on 2 February, will be located in two converted 40ft shipping containers one of which was The Dusty Knuckle Bakerys first site when it was established in 2014. In 2018, the bakery moved into a permanent space, allowing it to increase production and add a cafe that is open six days a week. We used to run classes a couple of years ago, but due to the pressure of running the bakery as well, they fell to the wayside, bakery school coordinator Tomek Mossakowski told British Baker. Weve always been a learning space and have taught dozens of bakers over the years, so this is just the next step. Whats great about The Dusty Knuckle is we have a really dedicated customer base, weve got loads of regulars, so the school feels like the next step towards creating a community. A former academic, Mossakowski worked for The Dusty Knuckle for a year, but left for another bakery. He re-joined the business in September 2018 to head up the educational development. As a precursor to the dedicated space, the bakery has been holding classes on Wednesdays for the past few months. Weve already have people returning to the classes, noted Mossakowski. On offer will be a range of all-day, half-day and evening classes, covering topics such as Introduction to bread, Baltic baking, rye breads and sweet doughs. Seasonal classes such as Easter baking and barbecue breads will also be available. Check out one way experts say you can cut your risk of depression, how you can start using cryptocurrency as rewards on your credit card, and Venezuela quietly lobbied Nepal's ruling party to release a strong statement condemning the US and its allies, sources say A group of ruling party leaders told the Post that they were not sure whether Dahal had had prior discussions with Oli before issuing the statement, which is in line with the position China, Russia and a number of other countries have maintained on Venezuela, criticising the role of the US and its allies. Never mind that they actually originated in the Middle East. The food that is perhaps the most Indian of all Indian foods, the food most people think of first when they think of Indian foods, is samosas. - Samosas are the ultimate street food. A bit of filling stuffed into dough and fried, small enough that you can eat it with your fingers, is served in one form or another by street vendors all around the world. - But it is in India that it is most popular and best known. The quintessential street food has invaded the menus of even the finest Indian restaurants around the world. - Samosas have two parts, the filling part and the dough part. Fillings can be meat or vegetarian, they can be made of seafood or cheese or nuts and raisins. The dough can be homemade or fashioned out of an already-existing pastry, such as store-bought phyllo sheets, and it can be baked or fried. A lone duck named Trevor that lived on the tiny Pacific island nation of Niue has died, officials say, sparking an outpouring of grief from as far away as New Zealand. The celebrity mallard found fame last year after a visiting journalist from New Zealand discovered that his makeshift home, near a puddle, was used for directions. But his 15 seconds of fame were tragically cut short when he was "seen dead in the bush after being attacked by dogs" this weekend, a Facebook page dedicated to Trevor said. The chief executive of the Niue Chamber of Commerce, Rae Findlay, said it was a "sad time for Niue". "He captivated the locals, of which there are only 1,600 in Niue, and the 9,000 visitors to Niue each year," Findlay told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Sunday. "He will definitely be missed, he captured many hearts and even the rooster, the chicken and the weka were looking a little forlorn today wandering around the near-dry puddle." Niue, a tiny speck of land, lies around 2,400 kilometres (1,500 miles) northeast of New Zealand. One of the world's biggest coral islands, Niue does not have natural ponds or wetlands, so when Trevor turned up a year ago he was believed to have blown in from New Zealand with a storm. He quickly settled down in a large puddle near a road that the Niue fire service later topped up with water, the ABC reported. He became so famous locally that when the New Zealand Herald's deputy political editor Claire Trevett visited the island nation, she found he had been incorporated into street directions. "Someone said, 'Turn right past the duck' and then the whole story came out, the only duck on Niue," she told the ABC. He was later dubbed the "world's loneliest duck" for his solitary existence. Trevor Mallard, the speaker of New Zealand's House of Representatives after whom the late duck was named, offered his condolences. "Deepest sympathy to the people of Niue from the Parliament of New Zealand," Mallard wrote on the duck's Facebook death notice. Trevor, a mallard, was dubbed the "loneliest duck in the world" after being blown onto isolated Niue island from New Zealand during a Pacific Storm Crisis-hit Venezuela has been plunged into new turmoil since January 21, with the US and other countries backing an opposition leader's claim to have replaced President Nicolas Maduro. Here is a recap of developments. - Call to revolt - On January 21 a small group of soldiers takes control of a command post north of Caracas, releasing a video rejecting Maduro's regime and calling on people to take to the streets. The rebellion is over quickly and 27 soldiers are arrested, but there are demonstrations of support in Caracas. Hours later the Supreme Court declares the leadership of the opposition-controlled National Assembly illegitimate and its decisions invalid. Days earlier the National Assembly had promised an amnesty to members of the military who abandon Maduro. - US backs opposition - On January 22 US Vice President Mike Pence brands Maduro "a dictator with no legitimate claim to power" and tells the opposition, "We are with you." Washington and other countries have already dismissed as fraudulent the May 2018 election that gave Maduro a second term. Maduro accuses Washington of ordering "a coup from the fascist state." - Self-proclaimed 'acting president' - On January 23 tens of thousands of people protest in Caracas and other cities in rival demonstrations for and against Maduro. Clashes erupt. In front of cheering supporters in the capital, National Assembly head Juan Guaido proclaims himself "acting president." He pledges to install a transitional government and hold free elections. US President Donald Trump immediately recognizes Guaido, followed by Brazil, Canada and Colombia, among others. However China, Cuba, Mexico, Russia and Turkey voice support for Maduro. - Army loyal to Maduro - On January 24 Venezuela's powerful military high command throws its weight behind Maduro. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino accuses Guaido of attempting a "coup d'etat." - Guaido persists - On January 25 Guaido calls on Venezuelans to continue their demonstrations against Maduro. He says he does not rule out including Maduro in an amnesty. Maduro says he is ready to meet Guaido, who rejects the offer of talks. - European ultimatum - On January 26 several European powers say they will recognize Guaido as president unless Maduro calls elections within eight days. The 28-member EU says it will take "further actions" if elections are not called, including on "recognition of the country's leadership." Caracas rejects the ultimatum. At the UN Security Council, Russia and China block a draft US resolution supporting the National Assembly led by Guaido. Venezuela's military attache to Washington, Army Colonel Jose Luis Silva, breaks ranks with Maduro, becoming the first major military officer to publicly switch support. - Demos called - On January 27 Guaido calls for new national and international protests on Wednesday and Saturday. Copies of parliament's amnesty measures are circulated to members of the military, some of whom publicly burn the document. Maduro, appearing at a military exercise, calls on soldiers to show "union, discipline and cohesion" to defeat an "attempted coup d'etat." Israel and Australia recognize Guaido as interim president. - US oil sanctions - On January 28 the United States imposes sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA. They would prevent Maduro from diverting resources until control could be transferred to an interim government, officials say. The White House urges Venezuela's military to accept a "peaceful" transfer of power to Guaido. Guaido says he is "beginning to take progressive and orderly control of our republic's assets abroad" to prevent Maduro from eventually trying to "empty the coffers." Moscow slams the PDVSA sanctions as "illegal." The UN says protests in the week after the soldiers' brief uprising had left more than 40 people dead and record numbers arrested. Venezuela's National Assembly head Juan Guaido (L) is locked in a power struggle with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (R) Grab taken from a handout video released by Sergeant Major Luis Bandres Figueroa, the man who identified himself as the group's sergeant in the video which circulated on social media appealing for public support On January 22 US Vice President Mike Pence brands Maduro "a dictator with no legitimate claim to power" and tells the opposition, "We are with you" In front of cheering supporters in the capital, National Assembly head Juan Guaido proclaims himself "acting president" On January 24 Venezuela's powerful military high command throws its weight behind Maduro On January 25 Guaido calls on Venezuelans to continue their demonstrations against Maduro The United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, aimed at preventing Maduro from diverting resources until control can be transferred to an interim government A UN judicial expert investigating the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi met two senior ministers on the first day of her visit to Turkey Monday. Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, met Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and, later Monday, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul. Callamard is in Turkey until Saturday for meetings with senior politicians and officials, including Istanbul's chief prosecutor. Ankara has been pressing for an international inquiry into the killing murder. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and Saudi regime critic, was murdered as he visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Riyadh, after denying the killing for two weeks, finally described it as a "rogue" operation and arrested a number of senior Saudi officials. But the murder tipped the kingdom into one of its worst diplomatic crises. And nearly four months on, Khashoggi's body has still not been recovered. Turkish authorities have called for an international probe into the killing, complaining of what it says was Saudi Arabia's failure to cooperate in the investigation. "Met with @AgnesCallamard, #UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions, who is in #Turkey to investigate the murder of Jamal Khashoggi," Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter, sharing a picture from his meeting in Ankara. In an interview with Turkish media last week, Cavusoglu said of the Khashoggi case: "We believe this case should be brought to the international arena. It is time for an international probe." Turkish officials accuse Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of having orchestrated the killing -- an allegation the Saudi authorities vehemently deny. Earlier this month, the trial opened in Saudi Arabia of 11 men accused of involvement in Khashoggi's murder. The attorney general is seeking the death penalty for five of the defendants. During her mission, Callamard is due to meet with Istanbul chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. burs-fo/jj/pvh Agnes Callemard is the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions An angry mum has shared her disgust at finding a baby and toddler left in a hot car with the windows wound up while their mother was shopping. Chrystal Alatasi claims she found the two kids in the car parked outside a supermarket in Napier on New Zealands North Island on Sunday, Newshub reports. The mum wrote on Facebook the children were distraught and sweating profusely adding it was 33 degrees. Chrystal Alatasi claims she found the two kids in the car parked outside a supermarket. The windows were rolled up and it was 33C outside. Source: Facebook/ Chrystal Alatasi & Newshub She managed to convince the little girl in the car to open it from the inside. It was like opening an oven door, Ms Alatasi told the New Zealand Herald. The mum added the baby was in the full-blown sun and described it as shocking. Ms Alatasi said the mum soon arrived and she confronted her. The mum told her she had made a mistake, Ms Alatasi claimed. NZ Police told the Otago Daily Times the woman was issued a warning with a report made to Oranga Tamaraki the Ministry for Children. Stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo7s daily newsletter. Sign up here. When California legalized recreational marijuana use in 2016, Gene Grozovskiy decided he would show tourists the big change behind the scenes. Now he's seeing some green, thanks to strong interest in all that grass in Los Angeles, considered the world's largest pot market where the air routinely smells of weed. The 35-year-old took inspiration from his father, a Russian immigrant who led tours of Los Angeles for decades. The younger Grozovskiy outfitted a bus to take visitors on pot-themed outings. But he acknowledged that getting Green Tours off the ground has not been easy. It's the same complaint heard from many with pot-related businesses in California: while dreaming of big money, what they have encountered is plenty of bureaucracy and high taxes from the state. "At first, the cannabis industry did not accept us, the tourism industry did not accept us," said Grozovskiy. "It took a year of literally knocking on doors and fighting," he explained. The company lost money in 2018 but expects to be in the black this year. Rivals, such as Green Line Trips, Weedology, Dope Tours and Food High, cropped up over the first few months after recreational pot use was legalized. Grozovskiy's tour takes about four hours and includes a visit to a dispensary -- selling not only weed but also candies, chocolate and other edibles -- a local growing facility, a bong factory and a house for smoking. It costs $89. Rather than typical Hollywood tour stops, Grozovskiy's bus will take patrons to experiences like a smoking session with actor Tommy Chong from "That'70's Show," for $179. In the future, he hopes to bring other celebrities on board, like Snoop Dogg. - Like at Disneyland - Guide Ryan Lance told the story of cannabis: how it was first used as medicine in the United States before being outlawed. Now, its recreational use is legal in 10 US states, including California, and in the capital Washington. Among the major changes since legalization, marijuana-linked arrests have declined sharply -- down from millions in recent decades. In the dispensary, manager Scott B, who wouldn't give his last name, detailed the various types of marijuana plants that exist. He also described how to differentiate female from male plants, how they are crossed, and the light and water the plants need to thrive. The manager detailed worrisome state taxes, strict tests that can lead to millions of dollars in weed being discarded and how some companies employ five-year-old children to test the safety of their packaging. Dan Chlebanowski, 30, who has been a pot lover since his teenage years, listened closely. "I think any time you're interested in something, and anytime you can see the behind-the-scene aspect of that, it's always fun," he said. "I mean you see it at Disneyland, you see it here in Hollywood, why not for cannabis, you know?" Legalization was critical to launch pot-related tourism ventures. And yet the overall marijuana industry has not surged as many predicted. Arcview, a firm specializing in the cannabis market, reported a drop in the state's sales between 2017 and 2018, from $3 billion to $2.5 billion. "The decline is slight, but remarkable given that we projected a very rapid growth," said Arcview vice president David Abernathy. - 'I have my contacts' - California's pot legalization means that anyone over the age of 21 -- as for alcohol -- can have up to one ounce (28.3 grams) of grass. Meanwhile, producers, distributors and sellers must apply for city and state licenses, and adapt their products to meet tough legal requirements. The measures have led to a "very developed and robust illicit market" of businesses that won't comply with the new law and can thus avoid charging astronomical taxes that can reach 35 percent, said Abernathy. Alex Traverso, head of communications at the California Bureau of Cannabis Control responsible for regulating the industry, told AFP that several measures will be approved in the state legislature that may reduce the tough current regulations. But anyway, the impact of the high prices was so great that Felicia Davis, who was on the tour, said she would not vote for a similar legalization in Wisconsin, where she lives. She prefers to pay less on the black market. "I have my connections," she said with a smile. Gene Grozovskiy founded Green Tours, where the focus is marijuana One inevitable stop on LA's pot tourism outing is a smoking session at someone's home Dan Chlebanowski was fascinated by the tour, and then got high Green Tours takes its patrons to the California Compassionate Care Network (CCCN) marijuana dispensary's grow operation Investigators probing the Catholic cathedral bombing that killed 21 people in the Philippines' restive south said Monday a group tied to notorious Islamists Abu Sayyaf is the prime suspect. Two explosions tore through the cathedral on the Muslim-majority island of Jolo, killing worshippers at Sunday mass and security forces in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Authorities said the so-called Ajang-Ajang faction is a small band of several dozen that most likely carried out the bombing, the Philippines' worst in years, in an act of revenge. "Last year their leader was killed. There have been persistent reports that they will retaliate," regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana told AFP. "Yes, we saw them in the CCTV. It was the brother of the leader who was killed," he said referring to footage from outside the cathedral. "He was seen with two other members of Ajang-Ajang." Security forces say the group is composed of relatives of Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group members who have been killed in clashes with the government. Abu Sayyaf, which is based on the remote Jolo island, has been blamed for the Philippines' deadliest attack, a 2004 ferry bombing in Manila Bay that claimed 116 lives. - 'Revenge group' - "There are high-level law enforcement operations against them (Ajang-Ajang)," said Rommel Banlaoi, chair of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research. "It evolved into a revenge group." While Abu Sayyaf have sworn allegiance to Islamic State, that is not necessarily true for the motley members of Ajang-Ajang. "Not all members of Ajang-Ajang group are pro-ISIS, but all of them are Abu Sayyaf group," said Banlaoi using another acronym for IS. "It's not IS-affiliated." The IS claim, in a formal communique, said two suicide bombers had detonated explosive belts, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activities. But a military report said a second bomb that went off at the cathedral was left in the utility box of a motorcycle in the parking area outside. Police said they believe the explosives were likely detonated remotely, but did not elaborate. Despite the contradictions, authorities have not ruled out IS involvement. Regardless of who staged the bombing, concern was growing Monday over the impact it will have on a decades-long push for peace that culminated last week in voters approving expanded Muslim self-rule in the south. The vote was the result of negotiations started in the 1990s with the nation's largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and will give it considerable power over the so-called Bangsamoro region. "This is a big challenge for the Bangsamoro government," said Banlaoi. The former rebels need to show they will be able to pull the region toward peace in order to attract much-needed investment to alleviate poverty and counter extremism, he told AFP. "MILF needs to prove it can make a difference... the gravity of the problem faced by MILF is wow, so overwhelming," he added. - 'Squandered opportunities' - The church attack came despite President Rodrigo Duterte, who visited the cathedral Monday, putting the southern Philippines under martial rule after pro-IS militants seized the southern city of Marawi in May 2017. Government officials have argued that martial rule, which gives authorities extra powers, has been effective in taming the perpetually restive region. But families of the dead, who began holding funerals on Monday, have become the latest in the Philippines' south to mourn loved ones killed in a bomb attack. "My 81-year-old mother does not deserve this kind of death," Edward Non told AFP, with a row of victims' coffins behind him. "This has to stop. It's the innocent civilians who suffer." Experts were also worried about how the bombing would impact the hopes for new development in the region, which were spurred by the self-rule vote victory. "It's a terrible human tragedy, it's also a development tragedy," World Bank economist Andrew Mason told broadcaster ABS-CBN. "When we see conflict areas, when we see ups-and-downs and negative impacts due to violence and conflict, what we see is also these are development opportunities that are squandered." The deadly church bombing in the southern Philippines killed worshippers and soldiers during Sunday mass Map locating a double bomb attack on the island of Jolo in southern Philippines Experts have voiced concern over the impact of the Philippines church attack on the decades-long peace process in the Bangsamoro region The fate of a Christian woman enmeshed in a years-long blasphemy row could finally be decided Tuesday, when Pakistan's Supreme Court will decide whether to allow an appeal against its decision to acquit Asia Bibi. Judges -- including Pakistan's new chief justice -- are expected to toss out the petition against their decision last October to free Bibi from death row, where she languished for eight years. If they do, it could lift the last legal hurdle between her and a possible deal for asylum abroad. Bibi was sentenced to death in 2010 in what swiftly became Pakistan's most infamous blasphemy case. The Supreme Court overturned her conviction last year, but she remains in protective custody as a prime target in conservative Muslim Pakistan, where blasphemy is a hugely sensitive charge. With the government refusing to reveal her whereabouts, speculation has been rampant that she may seek asylum with a European or North American country. Bibi's acquittal ignited days of violent demonstrations, with enraged Islamists calling for her beheading. The government has since launched a crackdown on the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party, the Islamist group driving the protests. Its chief, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, has been under detention for weeks. However authorities also struck a deal to end the violence which included allowing the petition seeking an appeal against the Supreme Court's judgement. On Tuesday, "the court will determine if our appeal against her acquittal is admitted" said Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, the lawyer who filed the petition on behalf of a cleric. Petition reviews are usually settled on the same day they are heard by the court. Experts say it would be highly unusual for the court to allow an appeal against its own ruling. The three-member bench hearing the petition will be headed by new Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa -- considered the country's top expert in criminal law -- who helped draft the decision to acquit Bibi. - Inflammatory issue - Blasphemy remains a massively inflammatory issue in Pakistan, where even unproven accusations of insulting Islam can spark lynchings. Many cases see Muslims accusing Muslims, and rights activists say blasphemy charges are often used to settle personal scores. Minorities -- particularly Christians -- are often caught in the crossfire. The allegations against Bibi date back to 2009, when Muslim women accused her of blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed, a charge punishable by death under Pakistan law. The accusation emerged from an argument after Bibi was asked to fetch water while working in the fields, but the women objected to her touching the water bowl as a non-Muslim. Bibi has consistently denied the charges, and her prosecution rallied international rights groups, politicians and religious figures. Pope Benedict XVI called for her release in 2010, while in 2015 her daughter met his successor Pope Francis. Unconfirmed Pakistani media reports claim Bibi's two daughters have already gone to Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in November that his government was in talks with Pakistan over an asylum deal, but neither side has confirmed any details since. Asia Bibi's acquittal ignited days of violent demonstrations, with enraged Islamists calling for her beheading Asia Bibi's acquital last year sparked massive protests by Muslim hardliners Despite the humiliating rejection of Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, Britain is no closer to knowing the end result of its vote to leave the European Union. A raft of amendments to be voted on by MPs on Tuesday threaten to further muddy the waters as the clock ticks down to Britain's scheduled departure from the EU on March 29. Three ultimate scenarios remain -- leaving without an official deal, leaving with a very similar deal or no Brexit at all. But each path is fraught with uncertainty, political volatility, constitutional logjams and an increasingly embittered electorate. Here are the potential next steps: - No deal - Britain is legally on track to leave the EU with or without a deal on March 29, unless it delays or stops the process. A no-deal scenario threatens to trigger a recession in Britain and markedly slow the EU's economic growth, as well as causing significant legal disruption. The world's fifth-biggest economy could lose preferential access to its largest export market overnight, affecting every sector, leading to rising costs and disruption at British ports. As D-Day looms, the government has conducted visible displays of its ramped-up no-deal preparations over the past few weeks. But speculation is growing that the government, under pressure from parliament, could seek to delay the process and take no-deal off the table. - Delay - Some amendments introduced in parliament are seeking to delay Britain's departure date, although all the other 27 EU countries would have to agree. A potential complication is that elections to the European Parliament are due in late May and the new chamber is set to sit on July 2. Some of Britain's 73 seats have already been reallocated. A delay to give May time to pass legislation enshrining her Brexit deal would likely command widespread support, said leading pollster John Curtice. But Brexit supporters would be deeply opposed to a delay motivated by a desire "to go away and have a referendum or a general election or softer Brexit", he added. Brussels also may not be so keen if the delay would simply translate into more months of political gridlock. - Second referendum - Growing numbers of MPs are seeking a new referendum to reverse the 2016 result, when the Leave campaign won by 52 percent to 48 percent. But supporters admit they do not currently have the numbers in parliament to make it happen. No law prevents Britain from doing it all over again, but many question whether a revote would be democratic -- or resolve anything. May has warned that another vote "would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics". It also threatens to be just as divisive as the last one, with opinion polls showing the country is still split over the issue. - Try to get another deal - After MPs overwhelmingly rejected the deal agreed between May and Brussels, May held talks with lawmakers across parliament as well as business figures and trade unions to try to find a way through. The key sticking point is the deal's "backstop" solution to keep the Irish border open, which has the potential to leave Britain indefinitely tied to some form of EU customs union. Influential Brexit supporters say that with changes to the backstop, they could support the agreement. EU leaders have said they are willing to talk further, including on plans for the future trading relationship, but have repeatedly said they do not want to reopen the deal itself. - General election - Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn sought to oust May's government by calling a confidence vote after her Brexit deal was defeated, but she won. There is a risk that her Conservative party and their Northern Irish allies, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), could turn against her if she pursues either a "softer" or a no-deal Brexit. But if not, the only other way to force an election is for the prime minister herself to gamble and call a snap vote to break the impasse. - No Brexit - Some lawmakers favour the nuclear option of cancelling Brexit altogether, despite the threat of widespread public rage. Finance minister Philip Hammond even told business leaders last week that Article 50 could be rescinded. burs-jwp/ar/gd Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29 Each path is fraught with uncertainty, political volatility, constitutional logjams and an increasingly embittered electorate. Here, pro-Brexiteers wear yellow vests to copy French anti-government protesters Brexit supporters would be deeply opposed to a delay motivated by a desire "to go away and have a referendum or a general election or softer Brexit", said pollster John Curtice May has warned that a second referendum "would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics" Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn sought to oust May's government by calling a confidence vote after her Brexit deal was defeated, but she won Some lawmakers, and the protester shown here, favour the nuclear option of cancelling Brexit altogether, despite the threat of widespread public rage Using rhyming radio ads and a puppet intended to represent Brexit, the Netherlands launched a media blitz Monday to warn firms about the impact of Britain's departure from the EU. "Make sure Brexit doesn't get in your way," says the payoff to the radio commercial broadcast by the Dutch government at the start of a huge government information campaign. In Dutch, the word "Brexit" rhymes with the last two words of the jingle, giving it a sing-song feel along the lines of "Don't let Brexit block the exit". Businesses will need to be creative in the face of Brexit, say the radio ads -- as the prospect of Britain crashing out of the European Union without a deal on March 29 grows by the day. "It's possible that products will be held up for longer at customs, that British certificates and licences will no longer be valid, and that data transfers will be hit by a new digital frontier," it adds. "Don't let yourself be taken by surprise," the ad warns, providing a website -- www.brexitloket.nl -- where firms can check for the potential impact on their business. The first radio ads ran on Monday and an online campaign will follow from Friday. It will feature a "character that literally shows how Brexit gets in the way of business", a Dutch government statement said. It will be a "muppet"-style creature that blocks trucks and conveyor belts to show the impact of Brexit. Newspaper ads will launch in mid-February, but the government will only run television commercials if there is a no-deal Brexit, a foreign ministry spokesman said. The campaign "reiterates what the government has been telling companies for months now" about being prepared. "It makes sense to stress such a message more and more as Brexit is approaching," the spokesman told AFP. Britain is one of the Netherlands' biggest trading partners in the EU, and Dutch officials say a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the two closely linked economies. The government last week started negotiating with MPs for emergency powers in the event of a no-deal scenario actually happening. Hospitals have warned there could be shortages of medicines, medical supplies and equipment. On the other hand, the Dutch have already seen some benefits, having persuaded Japanese electronics giants Sony and Panasonic to move their European HQs from Britain to the Netherlands. The EU's medicines agency has also quit London for the Netherlands, transferring to offices in Amsterdam. And Dutch officials say another 250 companies are in contact with the government about a possible post-Brexit move to the Netherlands. The Dutch government is warning business that a hard Brexit could hurt the country's economy, including the Netherlands' massive flower production More than 50 people are dead and 300 missing after a dam collapsed in Brazil. Crews returned to mud-covered flats on Sunday to search for hundreds of people who still remain missing following Fridays collapse in the southeast city of Brumadinho. The dam is operated by Brazilian mining company Vale, and the collapse of it, which was holding back mining waste, sent waves of mud for kilometres burying much in its path. It buried buildings and roads with 58 people confirmed dead and 23 hospitalised. Vale dam (pictured) in the southeast city of Brumadinho, Brazil, collapsed on Friday with 58 confirmed dead and 300 missing. Source: Reuters Searches had to be suspended for hours over the weekend amid fears a second dam was at risk of breach. Several neighbourhoods, containing an estimated 24,000 people, have also been told to evacuate as they were within range of the second B6 dam owned by Brazilian mine company Vale. Areas of water-soaked mud appeared to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable. Late Sunday, more than 100 Israeli soldiers and other personnel arrived with plans to join rescue and recovery efforts on Monday. Even before the brief suspension of rescue efforts, hope that loved ones had survived a tsunami of iron ore mine waste from Fridays dam collapse was turning to anguish and anger over the increasing likelihood that many of the missing had died. Firefighters search for bodies in the region two days after the collapse. Source: Getty Images There was also mounting anger at Vale and questions about an apparent lack of an alarm system Friday. Caroline Steifeld, who was evacuated, said she heard warning sirens Sunday, but no such alert on the day the dam collapsed. I only heard shouting, people saying to get out. I had to run with my family to get to higher ground, but there was no siren, Ms Steifeld said. She added a cousin of hers is still unaccounted for. A man studies the destruction. The mud travelled for kilometres. Source: Getty Images Sonia Fatima da Silva whose son worked at the Vale dam for 20 years said shes angry after trying to get information about him. My hope is that they be honest. I want news, even if its bad, she said. Ms da Silva last spoke to her son before he went to work on Friday. Story continues A cow trapped in the mud in the community of Casa Grande. Source: Getty Images In an email, Vale told the Associated Press that the area has eight sirens in the area, but the speed in which the event happened made sounding an alarm impossible in the dam that collapsed. According to Vales website, the waste is composed mostly of sand and is non-toxic. However, a UN report found that the waste from a similar disaster in 2015 contained high levels of toxic heavy metals. People watch a road buried in mining waste. Source: Getty Images Simone Pedrosa, who lives in Parque Cachoeira which is about 8km away from where the mine collapsed, said she could see the mud coming down the hill, snapping trees. Ms Pedrosa, 45, and her parents dashed to their car and drove to the highest point in the neighbourhood. If we had gone down the other direction, we would have died, Ms Pedrosa said. I cannot get that noise out of my head, she said. Its a trauma Ill never forget. Over the weekend, state courts and the justice ministry in the state of Minas Gerais froze more than AUD$4 billion from Vales assets for state emergency services and told the company to report on how they would help the victims. With Associated Press Stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo7s daily newsletter. Sign up here. Friends have gathered at an RSL in South Australia for a moving tribute to a much-loved war veteran who was killed while walking home. Brynn Hardiman, 71, had been at the Elizabeth RSL in Salisbury, about 25 kilometres north of Adelaide, with mates on Sunday afternoon. He was crossing Midway Road when he was struck by a passing car, just metres from his front door. Emergency crews raced to the scene but couldnt save the war veteran. Friends have gathered at the Salisbury RSL in Adelaide to honour their mate Brynn Hardiman. Source: 7News At the RSL, a cold beer and an empty stool have been left at the bar for the man they describe as a loveable larrikin. That stool there, and his beer, thats where he was, friend Sam Cochrane said. You knew when you walked in the door Brynn was going to be there. The grandfather had been a devoted member of the RSL for more than 10 years. Those who knew him best are shattered. Mr Hardiman (pictured) was crossing the road when he was struck by a passing car. Source: 7News This was his home, this is where he had his social outlet, because hes on his own and no family here, friend Allan Hobbs said. He was in here everyday, good friends with everyone, very lovely man, very happy, and he made everyone happy, Ms Cochrane said. He was just genuinely a really lovely person and he would do anything for anyone. Police hope CCTV from the RSL will help piece together just how the crash happened, but say it appears to be a tragic accident. Gunshots reverberate through a battle-scarred granary in the port city of Hodeida, where a mountain of grain meant for starving Yemenis remains inaccessible as a hard-won ceasefire comes under strain. The Red Sea Mills, one of the last positions seized by Saudi and Emirati-backed forces before last month's UN-brokered truce, holds wheat that could feed nearly four million people for a month in a country on the brink of famine. But the facility, a shrapnel-pocked symbol of how controlling food is a weapon in Yemen's war, has remained off-limits to aid organisations since September as skirmishes shake the fragile ceasefire agreed with Huthi rebels during talks in Sweden. The site, on Hodeida's eastern edges, was rigged heavily with mines when it slipped from Huthi control in November. Last week, during a military embed organised by the Saudi-led coalition, AFP saw government loyalists including Sudanese soldiers scouring the vast complex with metal detectors amid fears rebels were sneaking in to plant new booby traps. Sudan is a member of the Saudi-led coalition. A column of smoke snaked into the sky from Huthi positions less than a mile (1.6 kilometres) away, with loyalists saying the rebels were burning tyres in a provocative move. Then, a volley of close-range gunshots crackled through the complex. It was not possible to tell who was firing. "We are committed to the truce... but the enemy has not committed to anything as you can see and hear," said Yemeni commander Mohammed Salman, standing by a pile of grain. Just after the tour, the UN on Friday reported apparent mortar shelling at the mill had started a fire that left two food silos damaged. "The loss of this wheat comes at a terrible time," said the UN's humanitarian coordinator Lise Grande. "More than 20 million Yemenis, nearly 70 percent of the entire population, are hungry." - 'Red line' - In Hodeida, the entry point for more than two-thirds of Yemen's food imports and international aid, the choices are stark -- either an imperfect truce with violations on both sides or all-out fighting that could unleash famine. The ceasefire came after Western nations pressed Saudi Arabia to end its four-year military campaign in Yemen after journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder intensified international scrutiny. But with recurring breaches, observers warn that its collapse could be just a matter of time. "If it is allowed to break down, there will be no opportunity for a similar deal for a long time," the International Crisis Group said. Inside Hodeida, a city rippling with tension as the war-wounded continue to trickle into hospitals, a common refrain among civilians and military officials is "mafi hudna" ?- Arabic for "no truce". Colonel Saeed Salmeen, an Emirati commander on Yemen's west coast, told AFP his men were committed to the ceasefire but were "always ready" for battle. He warned that Yemen's west coast road -? a key supply route linking the south to Hodeida ?- was a "red line". UN chief Antonio Guterres said on January 7 that neither side had tried to gain new territory since the ceasefire. But an agreed redeployment of rival forces from the city, a key confidence-building measure, has not happened as distrust runs high. Guterres pointed to allegations from the Huthis that pro-government forces are massing troops near the city, and from the Saudi-led coalition that the rebels are fortifying positions with barricades and trenches. - 'Food is a weapon' - "How long can the international community accept this Huthi game -- ceasefire, regroup, ceasefire, regroup?" a member of the coalition told AFP, requesting anonymity. "Only when you catch them by the neck will they come to the negotiating table." The sentiment was echoed by other pro-government troops who insisted to AFP that military action was the only solution even if it results in bloodshed. But the truce has given the World Food Programme "some breathing room" to reach districts in southern Hodeida that were previously inaccessible due to fighting, its country director Stephen Anderson told AFP. However, 51,000 metric tonnes of wheat -- one quarter of WFP's flour-milling capacity in Yemen -- remains locked away in the Red Sea Mills. "We have been trying to get access... (But I hear) the Huthis aren't allowing us to get to the mill," WFP chief David Beasley said in an interview in Davos. "So it is four steps forward, two steps back, but I am still cautiously optimistic." The lack of access to the mill, one of the most hotly contested sites in Hodeida, is a collective punishment for starving Yemenis on both sides of the conflict. Salman, the Yemeni commander, alleged the Huthis hoarded grain, creating artificial shortages and exacerbating famine-like conditions. When the Huthis controlled the mill, they accused the coalition of destroying food with indiscriminate air strikes. "The Red Sea Mills is a leverage point being used in the most Machiavellian ways by all warring parties to achieve political goals," said Wesam Qaid, executive director of Yemeni development organisation SMEPS. "Whoever controls such facilities will have greater say on who gets fed. Food is a weapon." Controlling food is a weapon in Yemen's war The Red Sea Mills is one of the last positions seized by Saudi and Emirati-backed forces before last month's UN-brokered truce The site, on Hodeida's eastern edges, was rigged heavily with mines when it slipped from Huthi control in November In Hodeida, the entry point for more than two-thirds of Yemen's food imports and international aid, the choices are stark -- either an imperfect truce with violations on both sides or all-out fighting that could unleash famine The lack of access to the mill, one of the most hotly contested sites in Hodeida, is a collective punishment for starving Yemenis on both sides of the conflict An EU delegation has visited China's far western region of Xinjiang, a rare chance to gather evidence on controversial re-education camps that have drawn harsh criticism from rights groups and Western powers, officials told AFP Monday. The team was supervised by Chinese officials during on the three-day trip this month, but managed to gather information the EU said builds on "compelling and mutually consistent" reports of rights abuses in the region. Up to a million Uighurs and members of other mostly Muslim minority groups are held in extra-judicial detention in camps in the Xinjiang region, according to a group of experts cited by the United Nations. This was the first visit to Xinjiang by a multinational body such as the EU since Beijing acknowledged the existence of the camps, which it calls "vocational training centres". It followed another trip last month, also led by the Chinese government, by diplomats from Russia and 11 Asian countries, most with large Muslim populations. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has said her office is seeking access to Xinjiang to check reports about the camps, with Beijing insisting UN officials can come only if they agree to stay out of the country's internal affairs. Beijing says the centres help people drawn to extremism steer clear of terrorism, and allow them to be reintegrated into society. But the programme has faced fierce criticism, notably from Washington and human rights groups. The EU has repeatedly voiced concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, highlighting the issue of the camps in particular and warning that freedom of religion is being curbed. Former camp inmates have said they were detained for following Islamic customs such as wearing long beards or the veil. An EU official confirmed a team of three visited the Xinjiang cities of Urumqi and Kashgar from January 11 to 13, "with the agreement and facilitation of the central and provincial authorities". During the trip, the officials were given "extensive supervised access" to sites including mosques, an Islamic teaching institute and one of the controversial "training centres". - 'Useful insight' - "Whilst the sites that were visited were carefully selected by the authorities to support China's official narrative, the visit provided useful insight which complements other sources of information (including reports by UN bodies, international media, academic researchers, and NGOs)," the EU official said. "Many of these sources provide compelling, and mutually consistent, evidence of major and systematic human rights violations in Xinjiang." Critics say China is seeking to assimilate Xinjiang's minority population and suppress religious and cultural practises that conflict with Communist ideology and the dominant Han culture. The trip comes with EU-China ties delicately poised. Brussels is seeking to find some common ground with Beijing as they both endure trade tensions with Washington -- while also pushing back against steel dumping by the communist giant and fretting about possible Chinese use of tech infrastructure for spying. At the same time, the EU has not shied away from criticising China's human rights record. A source familiar with the EU trip said the delegation was shown "more or less" the same sites as the diplomats on the earlier visit, including an exhibit of past terror attacks in Xinjiang. The officials got the impression that the Chinese authorities had carefully curated the trip to try to give a good impression -- a school they visited had been freshly painted and it appeared that surveillance cameras had been removed. They were left with the impression that the things said by the people they talked to were "scripted". An AFP investigation last year examining more than 1,500 publicly available government documents -- ranging from tenders and budgets to official work reports -- found evidence that the centres are run more like jails than schools. Centres bought police uniforms, riot shields and helmets, pepper spray, tear gas, net guns, stun guns, electrified batons, billy clubs, spears, handcuffs and spiked clubs known as "wolf's teeth". Party officials in the regional capital Urumqi argued in an emergency request for Tasers that the equipment was needed to "guarantee staff members' personal safety". The centres first appeared in 2014, the year that authorities launched a new "strike hard" campaign against "terrorism" after deadly violence in Xinjiang, but the build-up accelerated in 2017. Xinjiang's notorious 'training centres' seek to 'reintegrate' Uighurs and members of other mostly Muslim minority groups into Chinese society, according to the government The Netherlands on Monday refused a request by Italy to take in 47 migrants stuck on board a Dutch-flagged rescue ship that Italian ports have refused to allow to dock. The Sea Watch 3 ship, run by a German NGO, rescued the mainly sub-Saharan African migrants off Libya more than a week ago and is currently sheltering from bad weather off Sicily. The Mediterranean nations of Italy and Malta have both refused to let the vessel dock. "Without a firm idea of an overall solution, the Netherlands will not take part in ad hoc measures for disembarkation" of the ship, Lennart Wegewijs, a spokesman for the Dutch Justice and Security Ministry, told AFP. Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has insisted Germany or the Netherlands take responsibility for the migrants, warning that he was considering legal action against the crew. German and Dutch authorities insist the problem should be solved within the wider context of an elusive EU migration deal that distinguishes between people in need of asylum, and economic migrants. The Dutch government said it was not its responsibility because the boat had acted "on its own initiative... It was up to the captain of Sea Watch 3 to find a nearby port to disembark the 47 migrants he had on board". EU rules task the country where migrants land with responsibility for dealing with asylum claims. "How is it possible that 47 people can pose such a threat to the entire European Union?" Red Cross President Francesco Rocca asked in a statement. "Saving lives must be the priority of all governments." Italy's official but independent authority for the protection of detainee rights decried the migrant's "illegal detention" since they were not allowed to disembark in Italy. The group said in a statement that Italy's action amounted to "depriving the rescued migrants of their freedom". In early January the EU reached a deal to share out migrants on board two ships, one of which was Sea Watch 3, between eight European countries. Migrants rescued by ships have frequently been left in limbo since Italy's anti-immigration government began turning them away last summer. Some 113,482 migrants crossed the Mediterranean to reach Europe last year, according to the UN refugee agency, which said 2,262 people lost their lives or went missing making the perilous journey. Europe has been wrestling with the issue since the migration crisis of 2015 when more than one million people arrived on its shores, many of them fleeing conflict in the Middle East. Migrants watch a vessel of the Italian coast guards from the Dutch-flagged rescue ship Sea Watch 3, as 47 migrants including minors, are stranded aboard the vessel anchored off Syracuse, Sicily, on January 26, 2019 Malnutrition rates in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Yemen worsened in the latter part of 2018, the UN said Monday in a report highlighting the links between conflict and food scarcity. By contrast, some improvements were noted in Somalia, Syria and the Lake Chad Basin countries thanks to an improved security situation. Overall, some 56 million people across eight conflict zones need emergency food assistance and assistance to support their livelihoods, according to the report compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WPF). The research "clearly demonstrates the impact of armed violence on the lives and livelihoods of millions of men, women, boys and girls caught up in conflict," said FAO director Jose Graziano da Silva. "I would strongly encourage you to keep in mind that behind these seemingly dry statistics are real people experiencing rates of hunger that are simply unacceptable in the 21st century." David Beasley, director of the WPF, said the UN needed better and quicker access to conflict zones to provide help. "But what the world needs most of all is an end to the wars," he added. According to the report, acts of violence against humanitarian workers are on the rise, sometimes leading to a suspension of operations and depriving vulnerable populations of aid. A significant deterioration in food security is expected this year in the lean season -- from June to August -- in the Lake Chad Basin, including parts of Nigeria and Niger, where Boko Haram militants are active. A Yemeni child suffering from severe malnutrition is weighed at a hospital in Yemen's northwestern Hajjah province Prime Minister Scott Morrison will deliver a major speech today that will attempt to frame this year's election as a choice on the economy. He will pledge to create 1.25 million new jobs over five years and eliminate net debt by 2030. Morrison will also point out that only half of Australia's voting population has seen a recession during their working lives. Scott Morrison will pledge the creation of 1.25 million new jobs over the next five years and the eradication of net debt within a decade, a move that would require paying down more than $350 billion over the 10 years. In his first major economic speech for the year, the Prime Minister will issue a veiled warning of the risk of recession under Labor as he seeks to distil the May election into a single choice that between a strong economy and a weak economy. "At the next election, you'll be deciding more than the government," he will say in the speech to be delivered in Brisbane at the start of a week-long sweep through Queensland. "You will be deciding the economy you and your families your children and grandchildren will live in for the next decade. And the consequences will be real." Senior minister Christopher Pyne was more blunt on Monday. "It means a recession in Australia," he said of the prospect of a Shorten government. Mr Morrison's speech also aims to put behind the government the rough start it has already had to the year, marked by an unprovoked attack on Malcolm Turnbull by failed leadership aspirant Peter Dutton, and the late decisions by three ministers Kelly O'Dwyer, Michael Keenan and NiMgel Scullion to quit at the next election. These events have caused frustration among Liberals who believe the party needs to stop the internal focus if it is to have any chance of winning the election, due in May. When Tony Abbott led the Coalition to power in 2013 he promised to create 1 million jobs over five years, a target that was reached in the final months of Mr Turnbull's leadership. Mr Morrison will renew that pledge on Tuesday, saying the ultimate proof of a strong economy is jobs and that his government was delivering the same high-employment economy as that under the Howard government. Story continues "Labor said we would fail, but we nailed it 1.1 million jobs within five years and we are now past 1.2 million jobs," he will say. "Today, I am making a new jobs pledge for our government, to see 1.25 million jobs created over the next five years." Mr Morrison will also set a "goal" of eradicating debt, saying that with "continued good management, our debt can be eliminated within the decade". The mid-year budget update released in December forecast net debt to fall from the current level of 18.2 per cent of gross domestic product, or $351.9 billion, to 1.5 per cent of GDP, or about $35 billion, in 2028-29. To eradicate it altogether by then would require paying down the full $351.9 billion, which is an extra $35 billion on top of the trajectory forecast in the budget update. Labor's fiscal strategy involves offering income tax cuts to low-and-middle income earners only and raising $280 billion in revenue through tax increases such as curbing negative gearing and abolishing cash payments for excess franking credits. It argues that the extra revenue, which will be in addition to the budget position it inherits, would enable a Labor government to fund its promises as well as pay down debt and deficit faster than the Coalition, providing a bigger buffer in the event of a global downturn. Mr Morrison will argue in his speech that the government has managed to fix the budget without hiking taxes and it would be dangerous to hand the economy to Labor. He will seek to remind people of the last recession under the Hawke/Keating government in the early 1990s. "At this next election, only half of those of voting age will have experienced a recession during their working lives," he will say. "So it is important to remind all of us that our economy cannot be taken for granted. "That the economy is real, it's impacts are real and most importantly it's all about people." 'Tackled waste' Mr Morrison, who was treasurer under Mr Turnbull's leadership, will reiterate the promise to return the budget to surplus next financial year and will take a swing at those who badgered him to return the budget to surplus sooner. "Over five years, we have repaired Australia's fiscal position. We did this without slowing the economy or harming jobs growth," he will say. "The purists wanted us to go faster and Labor wanted more debt we got the balance right. "We tackled waste and made sure that taxpayers got better value for money." Mr Morrison's decision to make the speech in Queensland and then spend another week in the state confirms the election will be won or lost north of the Tweed where there are a clutch of marginal seats, most of which are held by the Liberal-National Party. Already this year, Mr Shorten has made a 10-day bus trip through the state and Mr Morrison has spent a few days there. This week, his focus will be in the state's south-east and he will unveil a range of "congestion-busting" infrastructure promises. Opposition infrastructure spokesman Anthony Albanese said the government was desperate given it was going to ape a number of Labor promises, including funding for improved Park and Ride facilities at train stations. "While Mr Morrison's politics of imitation are welcome, if he was truly serious about reducing traffic congestion and improving public transport services across south-east Queensland, he should also match federal Labor's commitment to partner with the Queensland government to deliver Cross River Rail," he said. "This important project, which will provide a second rail crossing of the Brisbane River in the City's CBD, will be a game-changer, increasing the capacity of the rail network right across south-east Queensland. This story first appeared at The Australian Financial Review. Read the original article. Follow the Financial Review on Twitter. Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Thank you for your support! The Turkish government has donated military equipment to the Gambian army at the countrys defence headquarters in Banjul on 15 January bringing its support to countrys military to $1.4M from 2018 to now. The donated items include military boots, jackets, bags and non lethal weapons. Turkey donates military equipment to the Gambian army (Picture source: Defense Imagery ) Ismail Sefa Yuceer, Turkish ambassador to Gambia explained that This cooperation scheme is a technical assistance program that has been going on during the last sixteen years and, in that respect, the total volume of the assistance (received from 2018 to 2019) is $1.4. In addition to these items we are expecting other items which will arrive soon. officials said 7,500 Gambian soldiers have been trained by the Turkish military, both in the country and in Turkey. YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Soldier Gor Darmanyan, who was wounded in 2015 while preventing the Azerbaijani sabotage operation in Artsakh, is currently working at the Armenian Presidential Office. He is the first beneficiary of the Homelands Defender initiative which aims at assisting the servicemen who became disabled during the military service by providing them with jobs. I have been employed at the presidential administration in June 2018. It was on the proposal of the Armenian President. In line with this I am also studying at the Law faculty of the Yerevan State University. This is a very important initiative. It provides great opportunities to soldiers who put their lives under danger during the military service. I am very happy that this initiative will be continuous, and many like me will pass training and will be employed. This initiative enables the boys who put their health under danger to return to life, feel appreciated and learn something new, Gor Darmanyan told reporters at the Presidential Palace. He remembered the 2015 March events, stating that they pushed back the adversarys sabotage operation. Gor and his friends gave such a counter attack, carried out such operations that the adversary was unable to attack for a year, Chief Military Inspector Movses Hakobyan said in his turn. President Armen Sarkissian talked about the Homelands Defender initiative and stated that they cannot forget all boys, who served in the Army and endangered their lives. Yes, we are not forgetting them, they receive pension, but in addition to this, there is one simple issue. They are young people and cannot receive pension for 60 years, we need to bring them back to life. They undoubtedly have some talent, we need to find that, to teach, help and train. Gor comes to work every day, receives salary, and this is very good, Armen Sarkissian told reporters. He said he has put the launch of this initiative, but hopes that the businessmen and the public sector will also react to this. As a result, the number of employed military disabled persons will increase. Eventually, if a businessman has 100 employees, he can definitely hire one disabled person. I encourage so that this work continues in the country. I will personally meet with major businessmen, will encourage and ask them to do the same. As a result, hundreds of disabled soldiers will have jobs and will return to active life, the President said. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. About three dozen servicemen and war volunteers have been awarded with the high state awards of the Republic of Armenia on the Army Day according to the decrees of President Armen Sarkissian, reports Armenpress. Soldiers Mher Hovsepyan, Aram Chagharyan and sergeant Hayk Karamyan have been posthumously awarded with the Combat Service Medal. President Armen Sarkissian handed over the awards and delivered remarks during the event today at the Presidential Palace. Distinguished Mr. Prime Minister, Distinguished Speaker of the National Assembly, Dear Soldiers and Officers, Distinguished Compatriots, With a deep sense of pride, we are celebrating today the Army Day, and I congratulate us all on this occasion. Our feelings today, on the occasion of this grand holiday, are first and foremost those of pride, pride for the Army which is safeguarding our security and peace. The birth of our Army was not easy; the birth of our Army can be compared to the birth of Vahagn. The Armenian Army was also born in pangs of childbirth, in the tumultuous and tough times; it was born in the flames, its birth was a must. And just like Vahagn, it too fought for freedom, for Fatherland, for victory. Our Army was created through the joint efforts, spirit, and willpower of our dedicated volunteers and professional servicemen, privates and commanders, state and political figures, intellectuals and workers, people of Artsakh and Armenians in Spyurk. In a short period of time, it became the most well-organized and combat-ready army in the region. We had multiple victories and legendary heroes. Allow me to express deep gratitude to all those in Armenia, Artsakh, and Spyurk who took part in the creation, maturing, and empowerment of our Army. I bow to the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the Fatherland, for our country, our people, and the Army. Dear Compatriots, The Army of modern time, as a unique school and university of life should also bring up citizens of modern time, our boys and girls, and give them a start in life. Regardless of the type of service, regardless of ones age, a serviceman acquires in the Army skills and experience, becomes more organized and disciplined. The Army is also the first contact with the state, and it is very important for that contact to be stimulating, inspiring hope and faith. The Army is truly the mirror of the society. If the society, the state undertakes steps to eliminate negative trends, to uproot them, it will most definitely be reflected first and foremost on the Army. The Army must be flawless, impeccable; serving in the Army must be not only a duty but also a great honor. I would like to thank the government and the Ministry of Defense for all steps taken in that direction. Dear Friends, The Army is not only the guarantor of the countrys security and peace but also an indivisible part of the economy. And it is not only a consumer but also a producer, a structure which can lead. For industry and science, the Army is a purchaser and also a participant of its advancement. Army sets tasks for the military industry and the areas of scientific research and anticipates contemporary and innovative, often also unexpected solutions which shouldnt necessarily be replicas or copies of foreign solutions. We are capable of giving our own solutions to the problems. Many of the solutions from the military industry often are used in civil life. It means that Army is tasked to participate not only in the defense of the country but also in its economic development, closely cooperating with the scientific institutions, business circles and all citizens who are willing to make their contribution. Dear Fellow Citizens, A special attitude towards the Army and its soldiers is an inseparable part of our character. At all times, it has been the attitude of a special goodwill, care, consideration, and love. For me, this day carries a double pleasure: On the Fatherland Defenders Day I would like to talk with you about a new initiative. The institute of the President of Armenia, presidential structure, together with the government, Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Health has designed a program which is called the Homeland Defender. The program is aimed to help those individuals who endangered their lives in the course of duty and became persons with disabilities. The number of such persons, patriots of our nation, unfortunately, in not small. There is no doubt that these persons not only deserve full respect and love but also deserve to continue to be part of our social, political, and economic life. Thus, the Homeland Defender program is aimed at assisting those servicemen who have become disabled in the course of their military service and at finding jobs for them. It means that the program will become a link between the individuals who served in the army and became disabled, the Army and other state, social, benevolent institutions and businesses. To set an example, we have undertaken a moral obligation to employ in the Presidential Administration in the nearest future two or three of our courageous servicemen with disabilities. Even though they might have certain physical limitations, each of them is a bright person and through the necessary support and educational program, they will be able to return to normal life, not just receive a pension but also be able to solve independently problems they face from financial to personal. The first swallow, or rather the first falcon whom we have hired, is Gor Darmanian a participant to the war, a hero, a disabled person who is working today at the Presidential Administration. I hope this example and appeal will inspire all our compatriots regardless of where they work in the state sector, or private sector to engage them fully in our society. Dear Friends, I congratulate us all once again on the occasion of Army Day and wish health, peace, and new victories. Let yours and our peoples each morning be peaceful. Let our Fatherlands each day be full of creative work. Thank you. Congratulations". Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Disarming the Defenders- Socialist Politicians Sacrifice our Children in "Gun-Free" Zones By Rob Morse. January 24th, 2019 Original Source Professor Thomas Sowell said it is dangerous to let people make decisions when they are immune from the consequences. That describes the school board in Baltimore, Maryland as well as other Maryland politicians. Their self-serving political decisions will get out kids hurt and killed. When that happens, these politicians will blame us and demand more political control over our lives. They will probably be re-elected after their policies fail. I say this because the Baltimore School Board voted unanimously to disarm law enforcement officers on school grounds. That makes the officers easier victims for gang attacks. It leaves all the students at greater risk. It also lets Maryland politicians signal their virtue as they throw hate on cops. I suspect the school board in Baltimore has already acted like the notorious school board in Parkland, Florida. I suspect they refused to prosecute and remove violent students. I know the Parkland school board ignored sexaul assault and phsical battery as a matter of school policy. These decisions made the school board look good as statistics showed more thugs graduated from high school. What the stats hid from us was that more students were victimized by unchecked violence in school. We didnt know that more of the good students left because school wasnt safe anymore. We found all this out after a murderer killed 17 students and staff at the high school in Parkland. Now Baltimore is walking it those bloody footprints. Im going to unpack the political decisions of the Maryland politicians step by bloody step. What I dont know is who made the first phone call and set this in motion. We were told that honest citizens should depend on the government for protection just as they depend on the government for food, for shelter, and for education. depend on the government for protection just as they depend on the government for food, for shelter, and for education. Were told we can reduce violence in our schools with more tolerance, more counseling, and more money spent on education. Armed police in school "send the wrong message." That which gets rewarded gets repeated, so violent crime grows in school and in the larger community. Now were told that we should take guns away from law abiding people since crime is rising in Baltimore (and it is). take guns away from law abiding people since crime is rising in Baltimore (and it is). Only politicians and government employees may be armed. Police are now the only ones who can protect you and your family. Those are big steps towards government control, but nothing moves a political agenda like a good crisis..even if the politicians have to build it themselves. How long until the gangs take over the schools in Baltimore? They already have. It wont take many more dead students until the Maryland legislature uses dangerous schools as an excuse to impose stricter gun control. Unfortunately, we are the ones who brought these dangerous politicians to this point. The Maryland legislature imposed strict gun control in 2013. Theyve also increased the restrictions on honest citizens in each succeeding year. I have to add that important modifier, honest citizens, because criminals dont obey gun laws. No one should be surprised that gun prohibition laws dont disarm the criminals and the crazies. As youd expect, violent crime surged in Baltimore as more and more of the victims were disarmed. What do you call an idea that fails 99 percent of the time? It is called gun control. I pray we dont have a mass murder in Baltimore schools, but mass murderers want defenseless victims and these politicians served them up on a platter. I also have to underscore the hypocrisy of the Baltimore School Board and Maryland politicians. The students are left defenseless while the school board has armed guards at their district offices and at school board meetings. The state capital has armed guards protecting the legislators. These government officials demand that men with guns protect them, but not our kids. An honest police chief would resign or withdraw his officers in protest of disarmed school security officers. That wont happen since the Baltimore police chief is appointed by the mayor of Baltimore. Elections have consequences and Baltimore brought this on themselves. When faced with this level of corruption, this disregard for our childrens safety, Id take my children out of Baltimore public schools. If charged, then demand a jury trial and tell the judge to appoint armed officers to your childs school before youll let your children back in class. Alternatively, you could ask the judge and the court bailiff to go unarmed and show our children that Maryland politicians dont need guns for protection. Snort. Back to Top YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. The member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have something to learn from the Armenian partners in terms of the export of goods in the Eurasian market, Tatyana Valovaya, Member of the Board - Minister in charge of Integration and Macroeconomics at the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), said during todays video conference dedicated to the EAEUs 5th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the Eurasian integration idea, in response to the question of Kyrgyz reporter, reports Armenpress. The reporter said the EAEU provides great opportunity for export, but last year, the expert from their country to the other EAEU states has increased by a very little percent. The reporter was interested in the reason of this. In response the EEC Minister said the Kyrgyz partners are not fully using the existing potential. I think we all, Russians, Belarussians, Kyrgyz and Kazakhs have something to learn from the Armenian partners. Despite the complex geographical position, they are systematically exporting their goods to our market. In this sense we and the Kyrgyz partners have something to learn from them, Tatyana Valovaya said. However, she noted that in 2017 the export of goods in Kyrgyzstan has increased by 21%. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. In recent period large-scale works have been carried out in the Armenian Armed Forces. In particular, changes have been made in the demands for combat readiness. More ambitious demands have been set, Defense minister Davit Tonoyan told reporters today after the awarding ceremony at the Presidential Palace on the Army Day, reports Armenpress. Reforms have been carried in providing items and in other issues, we have created preconditions for the future actions. I would like to state that everything is being done to reduce the number of tragic incidents in the Army. It wouldnt be correct to say statistics, but I assure you that we are actively working on this path, are raising the level of discipline, all actions aimed at security are being taken, and we also pay attention to inter-personal relations. We will pay a specific attention to the soldiers with psychological problems because suicide problems emerge among those soldiers, the minister said. As for the border incidents, the defense minister informed that in recent months, the number of cases in the border has been less due to the actions of the adversary. This has been recorded thanks to both the political agreements and the professionalism of our Armed Forces, he added. The Republic of Armenia and Armenians around the world celebrate the 27th anniversary of the Armenian Armys establishment on January 28. On January 28, 1992, the Government adopted the On the Defense Ministry of Armenia historic decision, heralding the formation of the Armenian Army. In May of 1992, the ministry held the first drafting, laying the foundation for the stable tradition of drafting conscription servicemen to the Army. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Army should always be in the process of advancement, Director of the National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan told reporters today after the awarding ceremony at the Presidential Palace on the Army Day, reports Armenpress. Today is one of the most important days for our country, we all celebrate the day of the establishment of our Army. As long as we have strong, powerful Army, our country and people can live calm and create, the NSS Director said. He stated that there are always security challenges, but Armenias defense system is regularly working on this path. We live in a region where we cannot be calm at any moment. Yes, there are many challenges, but I can say that the whole defense system of Armenia, including the Defense ministry, the NSS and the Police, are constantly working on this direction, he said. Artur Vanetsyan added that the strong Armenian Army is at constant development stage. He highlighted the fact that the Army should always be in the advancement process. The Republic of Armenia and Armenians around the world celebrate the 27th anniversary of the Armenian Armys establishment on January 28. On January 28, 1992, the Government adopted the On the Defense Ministry of Armenia historic decision, heralding the formation of the Armenian Army. In May of 1992, the ministry held the first drafting, laying the foundation for the stable tradition of drafting conscription servicemen to the Army. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. During todays awarding ceremony at the Presidential Palace on the Army Day, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian announced the launch of a new program aimed at providing persons who became disabled during the military service with jobs, reports Armenpress. The Presidential institute, jointly with the government, healthcare and defense ministries, has proposed a program which is called the Defender of the Homeland. The program aims at assisting those persons who have put their lives under danger during the service and became disabled as a result. And the number of such persons, the patriotic sons, unfortunately, is not less. And of course these people have a full right not only to be respected, loved, but also to continue participating in our public, political and economic life. Therefore, the Homelands Defender initiative aims at assisting disabled servicemen and finding a job for them. In other words, the initiative should be a connecting link between the persons who served in the Army and became disabled, the Army and the state structures, public, charity organizations, the business, the President noted. Two-three of disabled soldiers will soon be employed at the Presidential Office. They perhaps suffer physical difficulties today, but each of them is a bright personality and can return to life via a respective support, an educational program, become a full person, and not only to receive pension, but also to participate in life, feel themselves more confident, and of course, to solve their problems starting from material ones up to personal life. And the first one of this program whom we have accepted for work is Gor Darmanyan who is a participant of the April four-day war, is a hero, disabled, but is working at the Armenian Presidential Office, Armen Sarkissian said. The Republic of Armenia and Armenians around the world celebrate the 27th anniversary of the Armenian Armys establishment on January 28. On January 28, 1992, the Government adopted the On the Defense Ministry of Armenia historic decision, heralding the formation of the Armenian Army. In May of 1992, the ministry held the first drafting, laying the foundation for the stable tradition of drafting conscription servicemen to the Army. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. The Army is not only the guarantor of the countrys security and peace, bus also an integral part of its economy, President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian said during an awarding ceremony at the Presidential Palace on the occasion of the Army Day, reports Armenpress. The Army is not only a consuming, but also a creating structure. The Army is both a client for industry and science and a participant of their progress, the President said. The Army proposes tasks for the military-industrial and scientific-research sector, by expecting contemporary and innovative, and also sometimes unexpected decisions which do not necessarily need to be the copy of foreign solutions. The Army must participate not only in the countrys defense, but also the development of economy by closely cooperating with the scientific bodies, business circles and all those citizens who have a desire to bring their contribution, Armen Sarkissian said. The unique attitude towards the Army and the soldier, according to the President, is an inseparable part of the description of Armenians. At all times this attitude has been demonstrated with unique care and love. The Republic of Armenia and Armenians around the world celebrate the 27th anniversary of the Armenian Armys establishment on January 28. On January 28, 1992, the Government adopted the On the Defense Ministry of Armenia historic decision, heralding the formation of the Armenian Army. In May of 1992, the ministry held the first drafting, laying the foundation for the stable tradition of drafting conscription servicemen to the Army. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. The GDP and industrial production of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have increased, however, the growth in the Unions member states greatly exceeds the Unions indicators, Tatyana Valovaya, Member of the Board - Minister in charge of Integration and Macroeconomics at the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), said during todays video conference dedicated to the EAEUs 5th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the Eurasian integration idea, reports Armenpress. Last year many meetings were held, many important decisions were made. 2018 was distinguished by quite a favorable economic situation, we have stable macroeconomic indicators. According to the Commissions assessment, we have reached 1.9% GDP growth rate. But for us its more important that this indicator is higher for a number of countries. For instance, that figure in Armenia is 6.2%, in Belarus-3.7%, Kazakhstan-4%. And these are very important indicators, we see the impact the states receive thanks to integration, the EEC minister said. She stated that if the growth of industrial production for entire Union comprised 3.2%, that in Belarus was 6.1%, Kazakhstan 4.5%, Kyrgyzstan 4.9%, Armenia 4.1%. The figures of most of the countries surpass the Unions indicators. She attached importance to the fact that last year in May the heads of the member states signed the declaration on deepening integration. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenian President Armen Sarkissian on January 27 participated in an event dedicated to great composer, Peoples Artist of Armenia Tigran Mansurians 80th birthday. Tigran Mansurian was born in Beirut in 1939. His family moved to Armenia in 1947. Mansurian studied first at the Romanos Melikian Music School and later at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. He wrote different works, won prizes during the student years. Mansurians works have been performed in Armenia and abroad. His Monodia album was nominated for the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra) and Best Classical Contemporary Composition. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan addressed a congratulatory message on the Army Day, the Parliament told Armenpress. The message reads: Dear compatriots, I congratulate all of us on the 27th anniversary of the establishment of the Armenian Army. The creation of the Armenian Army is one of the glorious pages of the history of the newly-independent Armenia. I want to honor those who were at the roots of the creation of our Army during the difficult days of the Karabakh war. I want to bow my head before those soldiers who currently hold firm our state borders, before their friends who defended our country during these years, before their parents and families. The modernization of the Armed Forces is one of the priorities of the new leadership. And we will jointly solve all issues as a result of which the Armys combat readiness will further increase. Once again congratulations to all soldiers and officers. You are the guarantors of peace and statehood development. The Republic of Armenia and Armenians around the world celebrate the 27th anniversary of the Armenian Armys establishment on January 28. On January 28, 1992, the Government adopted the On the Defense Ministry of Armenia historic decision, heralding the formation of the Armenian Army. In May of 1992, the ministry held the first drafting, laying the foundation for the stable tradition of drafting conscription servicemen to the Army. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Artsakhs status and security remain priority issues for Armenia, Foreign minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan told reporters today in the Yerablur Military Pantheon, adding that his talks with Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov have been and will be over this, reports Armenpress. Commenting on the issue of Artsakhs return to the negotiation table, the Armenian FM said this is a consistent work. It is also a practical applicable issue. If such a thing doesnt happen now, it doesnt mean that we forgot it. This is a very concrete practical issue for us, he said. As for the statement on preparing to peace, the FM said he is surprised by the mood of defeat among the society. What is said in our, the other sides and the Co-Chairs statements is a continuous, consistent policy. We have always talked about the fact that an environment leading to peace is necessary, because its impossible to negotiate for peace on the one hand, and hostility or to further increase the escalation tension on the other hand. We have never deviated from the issues we have said. There has never been any deviation in our position when we have highlighted the principles relating to the exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict, the peace talks within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, the Armenian FM said. Armenian foreign minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and foreign minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov met on January 16 in Paris under the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov (Russia), Stefan Visconti (France) and Andrew Shoffer (US). Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk was also present at the meeting. During the meeting the interlocutors referred to a broad scope of issues referring to the peace process, including issues of preparing the peoples to peace, as well as security and regional stability. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Armed Forces fulfill their very important mission at the highest level, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said in his congratulatory letter addressed on the Army Day, reports Armenpress. Congratulations on one of the most important holidays of our new history, the Army Day. Today our Armed Forces have a very important mission, that is to ensure the independence of Armenia and Artsakh, the security of the Armenian people, and they carry out that mission at the highest level, Avinyan said. The Republic of Armenia and Armenians around the world celebrate the 27th anniversary of the Armenian Armys establishment on January 28. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Disarming the Defenders- Socialist Politicians Sacrifice our Children in "Gun-Free" Zones By Rob Morse. January 24th, 2019 Original Source Professor Thomas Sowell said it is dangerous to let people make decisions when they are immune from the consequences. That describes the school board in Baltimore, Maryland as well as other Maryland politicians. Their self-serving political decisions will get out kids hurt and killed. When that happens, these politicians will blame us and demand more political control over our lives. They will probably be re-elected after their policies fail. I say this because the Baltimore School Board voted unanimously to disarm law enforcement officers on school grounds. That makes the officers easier victims for gang attacks. It leaves all the students at greater risk. It also lets Maryland politicians signal their virtue as they throw hate on cops. I suspect the school board in Baltimore has already acted like the notorious school board in Parkland, Florida. I suspect they refused to prosecute and remove violent students. I know the Parkland school board ignored sexaul assault and phsical battery as a matter of school policy. These decisions made the school board look good as statistics showed more thugs graduated from high school. What the stats hid from us was that more students were victimized by unchecked violence in school. We didnt know that more of the good students left because school wasnt safe anymore. ....... These paranoid decisions to stop having anyone armed in schools - (see also no armed teachers in Illinois), are further enabling potential school murderers, and so blatently ignoring the safety of students. If a gun-free school gets attacked then of course the cries will go up for (even) more 'gun control' measures, which will never do more than penalize the good guys and empower the sickos. Common sense is a lost commodity. Back to Top YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. INVEST ARMENIA 2019 international business forum will be held in Yerevan on April 27 which will be attended by dozens of businessmen from the US, Canada, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia and Lebanon, reports Armenpress. The Forum will differ from all forums held in Armenia both with its format and efficiency. It will become a unique platform for major foreign businessmen to present their investment programs and at the same time get responses to their issues of concern from the heads of concrete fields. The Forum participants will have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the investment packages prepared by the public and private sector. This is a new manifestation of the states transparent and reliable working style and high responsibility for investors in new Armenia. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. President of the Republic of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan on January 28 addressed a congratulatory message on the Homeland Defenders Day, reports Armenpress. President Sahakyan wished peace, courage and success to the Armenian people. Dear compatriots, On behalf of the Artsakh authorities and personally myself I sincerely congratulate you on the Homeland Defenders Day. We celebrate this day with great enthusiasm by once again valuing and highlighting the unique role and place of the Armenian Army in the defense of the Homeland and its own people, preservation of peace and stability in the region, and ensuring the normal activity of the state. We glorify and praise all our people who rightly are the defenders of the Homeland. We are proud of the feat, bravery and courage of each of our soldiers. They firmly stand on the border and fulfill their sacred mission of the Homeland defender with an honor. Dear friends, Once again congratulations to all of us on this day. I wish you peace, good health, success and all the best for the glory of our Homeland and people, the message said. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan together with President Armen Sarkissian, President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan, His Holiness Garegin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan, the members of the National Security Council, as well as the leadership staff of the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces, visited the Yerablur Military Pantheon on January 28 to pay tribute to the memory of Armenians who gave their lives for the independence of the Homeland, the PMs Office told Armenpress. The PM laid flowers at the graves of Commander (Sparapet) Vazgen Sargsyan, Commander Andranik and a wreath at the memorial for the fallen soldiers. Pashinyan was also introduced on the construction process of the Museum of the Yerablur Military Pantheon. The Republic of Armenia and Armenians around the world celebrate the 27th anniversary of the Armenian Armys establishment on January 28. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, addressed a congratulatory message on the 27th anniversary of the establishment of the Armenian Army, reports Armenpress. From the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin we bring our patriarchal blessing to the courageous officers and soldiers of the Armenian Army and all Armenians on the Army Day. On this day our souls are filled with a feeling of pride because our victorious Army is defending the borders of our Homeland by bringing the example of patriotism and responsibility in our life with its courageous and constant service. We believe that the Armenian Army holiday should strengthen each son of our people in his duty towards the Homeland with glorious and heroic memories. The Army Day is a message to our people to be filled with the confidence of victories, bring effort and contribution to the prosperity and development of Armenia and Artsakh and implement our visions for progress and national awakening, His Holiness Garegin II said in the message, wishing peace and prosperity to Armenia and all Armenians. The Republic of Armenia and Armenians around the world celebrate the 27th anniversary of the Armenian Armys establishment on January 28. On January 28, 1992, the Government adopted the On the Defense Ministry of Armenia historic decision, heralding the formation of the Armenian Army. In May of 1992, the ministry held the first drafting, laying the foundation for the stable tradition of drafting conscription servicemen to the Army. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. The Republic of Armenia and Armenians around the world celebrate the 27th anniversary of the Armenian Armed Forces establishment on January 28. The formation of the Armenian Army coincides with 1992-1994, when the newly independent Republic of Armenia, along with the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, being in undeclared but de facto war with Azerbaijan, at the same time embarked on the creation of a national army. Declaration of Independence of 1990, however, played a decisive role in the creation of the Armenian Army which declared Armenia's independence and opened new legal and practical perspectives for the creation of national army. On January 28, 1992, the Government adopted the On the Defense Ministry of Armenia historic decision, heralding the formation of the Armenian Army. In May of 1992, the ministry held the first drafting, laying the foundation for the stable tradition of drafting conscription servicemen to the Army. The establishment of the Armenian Army has gone through several stages. The first stage lasted from February 1988 to May 1992. In this period, ensuring the safety and security of the populations of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh was more than urgent, as the Karabakh Movement activated and the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations underwent extreme escalation. The second stage, June 1992 May 1994, when the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh were in the crosshairs of the Azerbaijani aggression. The third stage began since June 1994 and continues to present day. During this period, significant works were carried out in the direction of improving the battle-worthiness of the troops, strengthening discipline, training of officers, Army-public relations etc. In September of 1990, the special regiment of Yerevan was formed, while five companies were established in Ararat, Goris, Vardenis, Ijevan and Meghri. In 1991, the Government approved the formation of the State Committee of Defense. Men aged 18-27 are subject to compulsory military service in Armenia for a two year period. Drafting is carried out twice a year in winters and summers. In 2017 the Defense Ministry introduced I am, I have honor and Outlook programs. Since its establishment, the Armenian Armed Forces have collaborated and continue collaborating with international structures. On May 15, 1992, Armenia became a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Military cooperation with Russia has a great role in the international cooperation field of the Armenian Armed Forces. Russia is Armenias strategic partner and the defense cooperation between the states is on a high level. Cooperation with NATO is also expanding year by year. The Armenian Armed Forces greatly focus on training and educating highly skilled personnel. With this purpose, the Military aviation college was formed, which later transformed into the Military-Aviation institute, the Defense Ministrys Command College was established currently the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Institute, and the military-medical faculty of the Yerevan State Medical University. Graduates of the abovementioned institutions have continued trainings in foreign educational facilities. Namely, more than 1500 officers and cadets have trained and continue training in Russia and Greece. Armenian peacekeepers have a significant role in the history of the Armenian Armed Forces. Due to the peacekeepers, various countries around the world saw and appreciated the highly skilled and professional Armenian soldiers. The Armenian Army has collaborated in several international missions with the West. On February 12, 2004, Armenia deployed a platoon-sized unit (three squads) to Kosovo as a part of the Greek peacekeeping battalion. The unit, known as the Peacekeeping Forces of Armenia, is headquartered in Camp "REGAS FEREOS" as a part of the Multi-National Task Force East and is tasked with maintaining vehicle check points, providing security for the base but also serves as a quick reaction force and crowd and riot control. In 2008, the KFOR unit was expanded, adding a second platoon plus company staff (bringing Armenia's contingent to about 85 personnel). In the autumn of 2004, the Armenian government approved the dispatch of a 46-man contingent from the army consisting of sappers, engineers and doctors under Polish command as part of the Multinational Force in Iraq. On October 6, 2008, due to improving security conditions, the contingent's tour of duty came to an end. In 2010 Armenian peacekeeping servicemen arrived in Afghanistan in, where, under German command, they are tasked to defend the regional airport in Kunduz. There are currently 126 servicemen in Afghanistan. In conjunction with its strategic allies, Armenia has sent over 1,500 officers to be trained in Greece and Russia. The Armenian Ministry of Defense also established in 2004 a joint partnership with the Kansas National Guard in order to exchange knowledge and facilitate cooperation in national security and civilian affairs. It also signed a military cooperation plan with Lebanon on November 27, 2015. Since November 26, 2014, Armenian peacekeepers are deployed in Lebanon, within the Italian contingent. In 2015, one peacekeeper was dispatched to Mali on a monitoring-peacekeeping mission. The Armenian Army is also the guarantor of security in the region. Enforced peace this is a statement which in the recent period has started to be used more frequently due to frequent ceasefire violations. In favor of the option to settle the problems through a dialogue, the Armenian Armed Forces also announce that if it is impossible to enforce peace through political means, they are ready for any scenario. Moreover, tariffs on intermediate goods have impacts all along the global supply chain. The trade restrictions imposed by the Trump administration are rippling through the U.S. economy, raising the costs of production for those firms that depend on foreign supplies of goods that are subject to the tariffs. Daniel Ikenson of the Cato Institute has found that the U.S. transportation, construction and manufacturing sectors are those that are among those most affected by the tariffs. If the tariffs are not removed, firms will reconsider investing in new production facilities. Global supply links also affect the current accounts of the nations where the multinationals are based. When these firms establish foreign subsidiaries in order to take advantage of cheaper costs abroad, then their home countries record less trade but more primary income resulting from the operations of the subsidiaries. The countries that receive the largest amounts of primary income include the U.S., Japan, France and Germany, all home countries of multinationals with extensive foreign operations. Net primary income does not receive as much publicity as fluctuations in the balance of trade, but the primary income balance has increased in magnitude, and in some cases dominates the current account. Japans net income surplus has in some years more than offset its trade deficits, while the United Kingdoms current account deficit is due primarily to its net income deficit. These foreign operations also give the multinational firms the opportunity to take advantage of differences in national tax systems. Stefan Avdjiev and Hyun Song Shin of the of the Bank for International Settlements and Mary Everett and Philip R. Lane of the Central Bank of Ireland have shown some of the consequences of these maneuvers. Firms can manipulate the value of their foreign profits in order to lower their tax liabilities. Until recently, the U.S. taxed multinational firms headquartered here on their global profits, with credits given for foreign taxes. The foreign profits were not taxed until they were repatriated. Firms could book profits in low-tax jurisdictionsknown as tax havensand keep those profits outside the U.S. Those foreign profits could be increased by lowering the recorded cost of inputs from the U.S. and raising the value of goods sent back, thus increasing the profits recorded by the foreign subsidiary. Such transfer prices should be based on their market value, but in many cases there are none, which give the firms the opportunity to understate their domestic profits and overstate their foreign profits, which are subject to the lower tax. Similarly, intellectual property assets could be shifted to low-tax jurisdictions. Thomas R. Trslv and Ludvig Wier of the University of Copenhagen and Gabriel Zucman of UC-Berkeley have investigated this movement of profits to tax havens. They estimate that about 40% of multinational profits are shifted to tax havens, such as Ireland, Luxembourg and Singapore. As a result, the home countries of the multinational firmsparticularly the non-haven European Union nationslose tax revenues. The shareholders of the multinationalsparticularly those based in the U.S.are among the main winners. Governments are well aware of the activities of the multinationals, and the loss of tax revenues. Kim Clausing of Reed College has estimated that profit shifting by U.S. multinational corporations reduces U.S. government tax revenues by more than $100 billion each year. The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development has taken the lead in formulating policies to tackle what it calls Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). To date over 100 countries have agreed to participate. The recent tax code changes in the U.S. have greatly reduced the incentive for U.S. firms to record and hold profits overseas. Multinationals such as Google and Starbucks are receiving close scrutiny of their international profits, and Apple has been ordered to pay back taxes to Ireland. The OECDs initiative, as well as the work of advocacy groups such as the Tax Justice Network, has increased the visibility of the activities of the multinationals designed to lower taxes. But the existence of different factor costs and divergent tax codes will always provide incentives for tax lawyers and accountants to devise new ways of lowering the taxes of the multinationals. In a Westphalian world, domestic governments are reluctant to give up their sovereignty. As a result, multinationals that are much more adept in dancing around national borders will take advantage of any opportunities they see. Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: Es fundamental que se aprueben con celeridad estas normas pues, de esa manera, se podran implementar las reformas constitucionales que la mayoria de peruanos ya decidio en el Referendum del 9 de diciembre. pic.twitter.com/58CrdPpPuE One of the most active Linux kernel developers, Christoph Hellwig, backed by the Software Freedom Conservancy , (unsurprisingly perhaps) has struck again against a virtualisation giantVMware. for breaching the GNU General Public Licence (GPL) . More than two years after the Hamburg District Courts dismissal , an appeal has been filed in the German Court of Appeal. This case has attracted a worldwide attention because the claims raised call for courts interpretation of the scope of the GPL applicability and, in particular, the reach of its copyleft effect. Background VMware describes the architecture of its ESXi product as an operating system that manages the hardware and software resources of the physical server. At the core of the ESXi operating system is a kernel called "vmkernel", that provides control over those resources. [] vmkernel has a general-purpose API called "VMK API" that enables device drivers and other loadable modules to perform specialised functions. Third parties can write drivers and modules that interact directly with the vmkernel utilising the VMK API. And while these drivers do not need to be Linux drivers, when they are, we offer a compatibility alternative through a loadable kernel module called "vmklinux", which in association with any Linux drivers, is loaded by the vmkernel and interfaces with the vmkernel through VMK API. VMware has licensed vmklinux under the GPL, but ESXi is only available under a commercial licence. Hellwig alleges that VMware has combined his contributions to Linux kernel with its own code into a proprietary product in breach of GPL provisions. Sections 2 and 3 of the GPL require the user to distribute the derivative works under GPL and accompany any such distribution with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, or a written offer thereof. However, if identifiable sections are not deemed to be derivative works, and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works, then GPL will not apply to those sections when they are distributed as separate works. The question at issue is whether GPLs viral effect reaches the vmkernel when the drivers and vmklinux are licensed under GPL. SFCs view of system architecture VMware's defence primarily rests on two pillars. Firstly, VMware contends that Hellwig lacks standing on the basis of copyright to bring an action and, secondly, that vmklinux is not a derivative work of Linux kernel, but merely an interoperability module, i.e. a separate work, which communicates through a stable interface, VMK API. The Hamburg District Court in the first instance did not rule on the merits of the case, basing its decision to dismiss solely upon evidentiary deficiencies, namely, Hellwigs failure to identify in VMwares product the specific lines of code authored by him. This Kat needs clarity on the meaning of "derivative work" As Hellwig promised , he has now sought recourse from the court of appeal. If the parties cannot reach a settlement by a set deadline, the German Court of Appeal is expected to adjudicate the appeal. Is this The Test Case? The notion of a derivative work in a GPL context has been a big unknown for nearly two decades. Such uncertainty and potential risk of having to open-source proprietary code has led many commercial entities and open source projects to refrain from including a GPLed software in their codebase. Hellwig v VMware might become a gamechanger, if it provides for the first time much-anticipated judicial clarity as to what implications software architecture has for licence interpretation and how copyright law fits in. That said, given the wide diversity of the structure of software is built and how it is distributed any decision in this case will not likely be the last word. South Africa: SAA optimistic of resuming Malawi flights South African Airways (SAA) is optimistic of resuming flights between Johannesburg and Malawi later this week. The airline advises customers that the airline is likely to resume flights between Johannesburg and Blantyre, Malawi on Saturday, 2 February 2019, said the national carrier. The airline cancelled flights due to the implementation of a corrective action plan following audit findings at Chileka International Airport in Blantyre relating to the condition of the airport. On 18 January, SAA took a decision to cancel flights between the two cities after the audit process which confirmed that the airport was not fully compliant with minimum standards required for SAA to operate in line with its licensing conditions. We took steps immediately after we suspended operations to Blantyre and dispatched personnel from our head office to augment our staff in Blantyre to attend to the audit findings to ensure compliance with our licensing conditions, said SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali. SAA put together a Corrective Action Plan and submitted it for consideration by its regulator, South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA). The airline, working together with the Malawian authorities as well as stakeholders such as the Malawian Ministry of Transport and the local municipality in Blantyre, implemented the required interventions to return the airport to expected levels for safe operations. On Thursday, SAA notified SACAA that the remedial interventions have been implemented. We now await SACAA inspection of the airport and demonstration to them that we have successfully implemented required interventions as per our corrective action plan. Until measures put in place meet the satisfaction of SACAA, our operations between Johannesburg and Blantyre will remain suspended. SAA operates a three weekly service between Johannesburg and Blantyre (Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays). The airline said the inspection will take place on Wednesday, with the airline optimistic that the regulator will be satisfied with the measures implemented. The airline apologised to its customers for the inconvenience caused by the closure. SAA will confirm the date for the reinstatement of the service the SACAA has granted permission to resume flights. It is anticipated that flights will resume on Saturday, 2 February 2019. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-01-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Opinion Patels new Borders Bill wont stop dangerous Channel crossings Theres a nasty spectre looming over Refugee Week this year. As we celebrate the incredible contributions refugees make to our country, and as we recognise that far more must be done to protect the 30 million refugees and asylum seekers around the world, Police are searching for a suspected drunk driver who ran off after slamming his pickup truck into a Staten Island home early Monday morning. An 18-year-old passenger in the vehicle, Cesar Ramos-Morales, attempted to flee in the truck, but ended up crashing into a nearby grassy knoll, police said. He was arrested at the scene on charges of driving while intoxicated. The crash, which occurred at 3:30 a.m. on Monday morning, caused extensive damage to the front of a residential home at 350 Jewett Avenue in Port Richmond, according to police. The Department of Buildings was called to the scene, and determined that the home had been illegally converted to include apartments in the attic and basement. The Staten Island Advance reports that 19 people were inside the house at the time of the incident. A partial vacate order was issued, and at least six adults were forced to leave the illegal apartments, according to the DOB. The agency has issued violations to the building owner for illegal construction, failure to provide tenants with adequate egress, and violating the Certificate of Occupancy, which classified the residence as a two-family home. The American Red Cross has offered emergency relocation assistance to the displaced families. Meanwhile, the FDNY has shored up parts of the home affected by the crash. Police are continuing their search for the initial driver of the pickup truck. There were no injuries reported. This is an ongoing story and we'll update as more information becomes available. NY Times writer Michael Wilson is one of the best true crime reporters in the city, covering everything from psychic scammers to coffin mix-ups to sweetheart swindles. This weekend, he brought a new underground crime wave to our attention: international pickpocket crews have apparently made their way to NYC and are targeting unsuspecting commuters on the subway. Wilson writes about how these international pickpocketing crewsincluding people from Colombia and Chileare able to avoid detection by moving from city to city. While the NYPD keeps a close eye on repeat local offenders, whom they call the "Nifty Fifty," these international thieves usually have no prior criminal records in NYC and get off with slaps on the wrist on the rare occasions they are caught. Two such pickpockets were Jenny Gomez Velandia, 27, and John Diaz-Albarracin, 31, who were arrested last fall for an attempted pickpocket, and then tied to nine other thefts on the subway that summer. "They come, they do what they can do, then they move," said Chief Edward Delatorre, who leads the Police Departments transit bureau. Police said that another pickpocket who was caught last summer, Victor Diaz Jimenez, 33, was part of a three man team from Chile who worked the 7 train in Queens during last summer's U.S. Open. After he and his alleged accomplices were caught, here's how he explained their methods to police: This is how I make my living, he told a detective. I open the purses, put my hands in and take the wallets out. I pick people who are distracted. He recalled lifting a wallet from a tourist on the green line. He took stolen credit cards to Target to buy watches he sold on the street, he said, and if the card had already been reported stolen, he threw it away. Ive only been here for two weeks, he said. Jimenez was sentenced to 30 days in jail, but prosecutors found that he had an open warrant from Kansas for charges of larceny and identity theft, and he "remains on Rikers Island, facing a possible extradition to Kansas." Police blame these international thieves for an increase in subway grand larcenies in 2018: In Manhattan, transit larcenies were up 15 percent with 754 reported cases, while in Brooklyn, there was a 4 percent increase to 474 cases. The two crews mentioned above were linked to at least 18 thefts last year. At Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, the nation's busiest immigration court reopened Monday morning after the unprecedented 35-day government shutdown. Judges put on their black robes again, government attorneys wheeled shopping carts full of paperwork to courtrooms, and lawyers and clients attended their previously scheduled trials and procedural hearings. But beneath the calm surface of a court getting back to business, many immigration attorneys said they were deeply concerned about the impact on clients whose hearings couldn't take place during the shutdown. Attorney Sofia Dee said she had four clients whose trials were cancelled. "I have no idea what's going to happen with those," she said. When hearings are cancelled, judges reschedule them for their next available opening which could mean another year or more, depending on the judge's calendar. New York's immigration court has a backlog of more than 105,000 cases and many judges aren't scheduling new hearings until 2022. Dee described one client as a single dad from Ecuador who is trying to prevent the government from deporting him because of the impact it would have on his U.S.-citizen daughter. Dee said the 11-year-old girl has special needs and chronic asthma. "She's in the hospital at least once a year," she said. "So she would certainly suffer extreme hardship if she were to return to Ecuador." Undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for at least ten years and don't have a serious criminal record can request what's called "cancellation of removal" if their deportation would cause exceptional and extremely unusual hardship on a U.S.-citizen spouse or child. Dee said this client lives in Putnam County, has no criminal record and has been paying taxes for over a decade. He was counting on getting a green card after the court hearing that was scheduled for January 17th. Now he cant until the case is resolved. "He could've traveled, he could've not been looking over his shoulder all the time," she said. On Long Island, Aaron Rivera Julka said he has a client from El Salvador with a similar situation whose hearing was canceled this month. He said the man has a 20-year-old U.S. citizen son with diabetes who depends on the father's financial support. "We're concerned that we're not going to be able to get the case heard before the child turns 21 and is no longer a qualifying relative," he said. The research group TRAC at Syracuse University estimates more than 86,000 immigration hearings nationally may have been cancelled during the shutdown as many as 10,000 cases in New York alone. California, New York and New Jersey were among the five states most affected. One New York judge who came back to work on Monday, called it "a disaster" for the courts backlog. The individual asked not to be quoted because judges are not allowed to speak to the press. The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which runs the courts, said trials that did not go forward due to the shutdown will be rescheduled for the soonest date available. New Yorks immigration judges have extremely busy calendars. On Monday, some had 70 or more cases scheduled for master calendars, procedural sessions when immigrants and their lawyers file motions before they get to the trial stage. This is normal. Support staff worked over the weekend with overtime to get the cases ready, according to New York immigration judge Amiena Khan, executive vice president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, speaking in her capacity as a union representative. But things werent as calm in Los Angeles. Union president Ashley Tabaddor, who is based in L.A., said all hearings except for trials there had to be cancelled when the court reopened on Monday. "Our clerks could not be expected to pull the files for hundreds of cases in time for court," she explained. She said she also heard some cases were adjourned because no interpreters had been requested in advance. Because of the shutdown, the union wants the Department of Justice to halt a quota system it began in October for immigration judges, who work for the agency. Each must complete 700 cases a year to get a satisfactory performance rating. "They want the agency to suspend the application of the quotas and deadlines in light of the great disruption of the shutdown on our dockets and ability to work properly," Tabaddor said, of her fellow judges. For asylum-seekers whose trials were canceled during the shutdown, the situation could be especially perilous. Attorney Inessa Spevakova described a client from Uzbekistan who is seeking political asylum. She said he's eager to win his case as soon as possible so he can bring his children to the U.S. They're in a "dangerous situation" she said because their family is known to the Uzbek authorities. But she doesn't know if the judge will be able to schedule a new hearing for him before 2020. Some attorneys acknowledge there could be a bright side to these cancellations. A decision by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions made it harder for immigration judges to grant asylum to women fleeing domestic violence and victims of gangs, because he said these cases involved private criminals and not government actors. As employees of the Department of Justice, immigration judges are obliged to follow any precedent-setting rulings by the attorney general. Dee said she had three clients from Central America with gang and domestic violence claims whose trials were cancelled by the shutdown. She said she hopes it takes a couple of years for them to be rescheduled because there might be a new president by then, with different immigration policies. "It can't hurt," she said. "It can't be any worse than it is today." Other immigrants whose lawyers considered their cases to be weak might also benefit from shutdown cancellations, if it allows them to collect more evidence or save money. Immigrants waiting for asylum hearings are allowed to work legally one reason the Trump administration has criticized what it calls a catch and release policy at the border for migrants. The administration has noted that most migrants pass a credible fear test at the border, allowing them to spend years waiting for court hearings, even if their cases ultimately fail. For more on this story, listen to Beth Fertig's WNYC segment. Hearings for detained immigrants were not affected by the shutdown because they're considered the top priority. Those immigrants, who are held in jails in New Jersey and upstate New York, continued seeing judges at another federal court on Varick Street. Those hearings are usually done by video, unless theres a technical glitch, because in-person hearings were canceled last June. But two judges at Federal Plaza also saw detained immigrants on Monday, and they did it by person instead of by video. DocumentedNY reported that the move happened shortly before the shutdown and caught some lawyers off guard because they werent given enough notice to come to the new location and represent their clients. Beth Fertig is a senior reporter covering courts and legal affairs at WNYC. You can follow her on Twitter at @bethfertig. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced on Monday that he's considering running for mayor in 2021. At the moment, Johnson is both the speaker and Acting Public Advocate (he'll hold the latter position until next month's special election). He currently represents several neighborhoods in Manhattan, including Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, the West Village, and Times Square. Johnson noted on Twitter that if he runs for mayor in two years, he won't be accepting individual donations over $250 from anyone, and will accept "zero" money from real estate developers, lobbyists, or PACs. I think this is the future of the Democratic Party, he told The New York Times. I think a lot of anxiety in New York City about gentrification and over development and people dont like any appearance of influence based off of contributions. This is a way to totally eliminate that. It's still fairly early for mayoral candidacy announcements, though Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. has opened a campaign account. Comptroller Scott Stringer and Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams are thought to be considering runs as well, but have yet to formally announce their campaigns. The announcement comes on the heels of Johnson's recent five-borough transit tour earlier this month, coupled with a survey in which he interviewed thousands of New Yorkers about pressing transportation concerns and priorities. Johnson's team did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Last year, Johnson spoke with Gothamist about decriminalizing sex work, affordable housing, and more. guest column Electricity is considered a luxury in parts of Africa. When it comes to its supply in public health facilities however, it can mean life or death. When Ugandas privatized electricity supplier shuts off power to hospitals, the results are catastrophic. In 2012, 150 babies on oxygen concentrators at a hospital in Jinja died after utility company UMEME Uganda Limited turned off the electricity with no prior notice. In 2015, Kiboga District Hospital was without power for over a month. UMEME disconnected the supply because the government of Uganda had not paid the bill of over 100 million Uganda Shillings (US$26,600). The utility has a right to be paid for the services it provides. But when it comes to hospitals, the consequences are too grave for such hard and fast rules. We need stricter regulations that ensure the unbroken supply of electricity to hospitals, even if the government fails to pay its bills. Otherwise, more patients will die. If UMEME gave hospitals sufficient warning that the power was going to be turned off, these facilities could make arrangements for temporary measures such as generators. But thats not what happens; my law firm has handled cases in which the utility sent agents to disconnect the power to hospitals with no warning. This costs lives. Kibogas district hospital, for example, serves 100,000 people. When it went without power for a month, doctors said they were unable to provide even basic first aid such as sutures because they could not sterilize tools. Vaccines and blood went bad because of the lack of refrigeration. Laboratories could not perform diagnostic services without power. The maternity wing was in complete darkness, and Cesarean sections could not be performed. Mothers died on their way to the capital Kampala or private clinics to access emergency obstetric care. Even so, UMEME did not reconnect the electricity supply. The issue of power outages in public facilities is not peculiar to Uganda. Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Malawi have reported power outages causing deaths. Yet governments have yet to set regulations that would ensure private utilities provide uninterrupted power to hospitals. Ugandas constitution guarantees the right to life and the protection of human rights, as do many other nations in Africa. The law firm where I work, Center for Health, Human rights and Development (CEHURD), recently sued UMEME, arguing that it denied those basic rights by cutting off power to hospitals. To our dismay, the High Court dismissed the case in September, on grounds that corporations have a contractual obligation to recover their money and governments ought to pay their outstanding bills. UMEME certainly has a right to be paid for the services it provides. No one is arguing that the government has a right to skip payments. But doesnt the right to life supersede the right to be paid? UMEME has a moral obligation to preserve life. More people will die if we fail to hold multinational corporations to account for the preventable loss of life. Ultimately, UMEME can use the courts to recover money owed because courts are well equipped to enforce contracts. Patients who die for lack of proper medical care have no such recourse. This is not a challenge without solutions. The United Nations has offered guidance on how to manage businesses while respecting human rights. Businesses must respect, protect and remedy individuals when they violate fundamental human rights. In 2001, Uganda privatised the provision of electricity by granting concessions to non-state actors. Since then, electricity service has become commercialised and unaffordable to an increasing number of rural communities. Under international human rights law however, privatisation does not relieve the state of its responsibility to ensure that social services are accessible. The state is obliged to ensure that lives always come before profits, even when private service providers are involved. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Uganda Health Energy By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The government's failure to develop infrastructure sufficient to regulate electricity supply to health facilities is a violation of Ugandan and international law, as is the failure to provide alternative power sources due to insufficient government funding. In Uganda and many other countries across Africa, the push for privatization was prompted by the World Bank, which tied aid to efforts to remove government ownership of public services. The World Banks intent was to promote accountability and good governance. We now need regulations that prohibit distribution companies from cutting power to health facilities. This will protect the vulnerable and ensure that no power outage occurs in hospitals. This will save innocent lives. Primah Kwagala manages strategic litigation at the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development in Uganda. She is a 2018 Aspen New Voices Fellow. PLEASE NOTE! Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate! All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited! (One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!) After more than a decade of failed attempts, the State Senate has passed a bill extending the amount of time that childhood victims of sexual abuse can seek justice as adults. Matching legislation is expected to pass in the State Assembly tonight, and Governor Andrew Cuomo has vowed to sign the bill into law in the next few weeks. "It has taken us a number of years to get here, but we got here because of you and your tenacity," the governor, who was previously accused of dragging his feet on the issue, told survivors and advocates prior to the vote. "The delay, the delay, don't take personally." While the bill has repeatedly passed in the Assembly in recent years, the previously Republican-controlled State Senate had blocked the legislation from getting a vote. On Monday, the bill passed the Democratic-controlled chamber unanimously. "I have to ask the question, as I explain my vote: What took you so long?" wondered State Sen. Brad Hoylman, the bill's sponsor, through tears. "The Senate postponed a reckoning and buried this legislation." Newly-elected State Senator Alexis Biaggi also gave emotional testimony in support of the bill, sharing that she had been a victim of sexual abuse. "The acts of terror that you have endured does not make you less human," said Sen. Biaggi. New York currently has one of the most restrictive statute of limitations for childhood abuse claims, giving victims only five years to pursue litigation after they turn 18. The legislation would raise the age limit for criminal sexual assault cases to 28, and would give victims the chance to pursue civil litigation until they turn 55. Crucially, all victims will be provided a one-year look-back window to bring a civil suit, regardless of who their abusers are or when the abuse took place. Andrew Willis, founder of the Stop Abuse Campaign, told Gothamist on Monday that passage of the Child Victims Act "makes New York a safer place for children, a safer place for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, and a worse place for sex offenders." Advocates believe that the changes will provide a lifeline to the estimated 43,000 children who are abused in New York each year, as research shows that a majority of childhood victims wait at least five years before telling anyone. Willis himself was raped at the age of 10, but says he was too racked with guilt to mention it to anyone until he was almost 50 years old. The teacher responsible was eventually accused of abusing more than 100 other students. The legislation has long languished in Albany, due in part to fierce opposition from groups including the Boy Scouts, a leading ultra-Orthodox umbrella group known as Agudath, and, most vocally, the Catholic Church. Between 2007 and 2015, the Catholic Conference, led by Bishop Timothy Dolan, paid out more than $2.1 million to lobbyists to block the legislation. Catholic League President Bill Donohue has taunted those pushing for the bill as "losers," and once claimed that the act is "a vindictive bill pushed by lawyers and activists out to rape the Catholic Church." While calling it a "fantastic day," Marci Hamilton, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and leader of CHILD USA, said the bill's opponents should not be forgotten. "My message to the groups opposed to this is that they are responsible for the ongoing suffering of victims," Hamilton told Gothamist. "Shame on them." Attempts to reach the Archdiocese of New York, the Boy Scouts, and Agudath were unsuccessful. Besides, the police expect attempts to falsify the electoral documentation of the Ukrainians who live abroad Oleg Kozlovsky, the Deputy Head of Ukraine's National Police Unian Police warn about a prepared plan of falsification of the presidential elections using votes of the resettles, as the Deputy Head of the National Police Oleg Kozlovsky said at the session of the Internal Ministry, Ukrainian News reported. As Kozlovsky said, criminals on the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and in annexed Crimea are preparing this. According to the information we have, the perpetrators have started such preparations, Kozlovsky stressed. Besides, the police expect attempts to falsify the electoral documentation of the Ukrainians who live abroad. There are four millions of such. The Head of the National Police Sergiy Knyazev ordered to intensify prevention efforts and provide the presidential candidates with security under their requests. As it was reported, 266 appeals on violations were filed and eight criminal proceedings opened since the election campaign began. Presidential elections in Ukraine are scheduled for March 31, 2019. The election campaign began on December 31, 2018. The border guards will register the international observers out of turn, on a priority basis Ukraines State Border Guard Service will carry out a preliminary inspection of all the international observers who are to come to Ukraine during the presidential elections, as Petro Tsyhykal, the Chairman of the service, said during the panel of the Internal Ministry, the press office of the ministry reports. One of the defined tasks our service has is to enhance control on the channels of the international connection. This is related to the high number of the international observers, who will come, he said. He noted that the border guards will register the international observers out of turn, on a priority basis. Each checkpoint will have the copies of the lists of the registered international observers and organizations, which the Central Election Commission provides. The State Border Guard Service is ready to hold the inspection of these people under the departmental data base. There also will be registration of the information and its transfer to the concerned bodies, and its publication, the Chairman of the service noted. Tsyhykal added that special attention would be paid to the pro-Russian journalists. The Demarcation Commission would put the state border from the map on the area and on Chornobyl exclusion zone Open source Belarus and Ukraine approved the Demarcation plan for 2019, as the press office of the Belarusian Border Guard Committee reported. During the 20th session of the Joint the Belarusian-Ukrainian Demarcation Commission, which was held in January in Gomel, the parties have confirmed the results of the performance of the work on the state border between Belarus and Ukraine last year and approved the Demarcation plan for 2019, the message says. The Demarcation Commission will put the state border from the map to the area and to the exclusion zone of Chornobyl. The total length of Ukraine-Belarus border is about 1,084 km. Following the Chornobyl disaster in 1986, a big portion of the border lays with the so-called Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (Ukrainian side) and Polesie State Radioecological Reserve (Belarusian side). The area does not have adequate infrastructure for border crossing which is conducted in the area under special authority due to contamination. The exclusion zone itself has own checkpoints. Flight training of combat aviation of the Ukrainian Navy took place, in support of the patrol activity of the vessels of the Navy and the State Border Guard. The event was held on Sunday, January 27. The press center of the Joint Forces Operation reported that on Monday. A number of objectives were completed during the drills. 'The involved units completed a tactical locking on the naval targets of the enemy; it was launched by the Ukrainian ships that are on duty in the Sea of Azov. The response and the scramble were performed in an adequate time period', the message said. Earlier, a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter aircraft crashed in Zhytomyr region (northern Ukraine) during a scheduled flight. The pilot, Major Oleksandr Fomenko deceased. The scientists believe that the election opportunities, as well as opportunities for investment and the government benefits, will make the realization of the project HypeUA possible Hyperloop Open source The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine expressed perspectives on implementing Hyperloop in Ukraine. The press service of Ukraine's Ministry of Infrastructure reports this. The scientists believe that the election opportunities, as well as opportunities for investment and the government benefits, would make the realization of the project HypeUA possible. The scientists estimate that Hyperloop can not only become a new type of transport but also encourage the development in other fields, the report said. On January 25, the project "High-speed transport Hyperloop for the short-term period in Ukraine" and the scientific and technological research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine on the implementation of Hyperloop in Ukraine were presented. In order to bring the project into life, it is necessary to analyze passenger flows, to evaluate the industrial potential of Ukraine, to conduct international Hyperloop competitions and to support and develop innovations. Only such organizations visited the presentation, which is ready to participate in the development of the technology in Ukraine. The next planned step is the realization of the project in the Transport Innovation Center of the Transport Tech Hub. A memorandum on launching the HypeUA Transport Innovation Project in the framework of the innovative transport technologies in Ukraine project, firstly the High-speed transport system Hyperloop, was signed in the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine on February 2018. The project includes creating the testing ground in the Dnipro city and the encouraging of Ukrainian companies to invent new technologies for the project. After that, the company Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has also joined to the project after signing the memorandum on cooperation with the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, which includes the building of the new pilot Hyperloop line 15 km long. Hyperloop is the innovative type of terrestrial (or underground) transport, which is an air cushion train that moves under forevacuum conditions. The Transport Innovation Project was suggested by the American inventor Elon Musk in 2013. He represented his idea as the fifth transport type after trains, plains, cars, and ships. GENEVA, Switzerland, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ellisys, a leading worldwide provider of test and analysis solutions for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Universal Serial Bus (USB), and other wired and wireless communications technologies, today announced the availability of comprehensive qualification testing and analysis features supporting version 5.1 of the Bluetooth Core Specification, released today by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). Consumer products using the enhanced location services defined by therein could be available later this year. This update enables and enhances a multitude of positioning and proximity applications, such as POI, item finding, beaconing services, and indoor positioning. Pertinent Bluetooth SIG-defined product qualification test cases were released in parallel with the updated specification, and these are fully supported by the Ellisys Bluetooth Qualifier test system and the widely adopted suite of Ellisys Bluetooth protocol analyzers. We make it a priority to provide our customers with updates to our Bluetooth qualification and analysis tools that support emerging capabilities at a very early stage to better enable them to confidently and efficiently roll out new and updated products, said Mario Pasquali, Ellisys president and CEO. Much of our IP supporting this specification update has been available to our early adopter customers for several months, and here on day one of the public release from the Bluetooth SIG, we are pleased to announce that we have full coverage on all our products. The Bluetooth community continues to find ways to meet evolving market needs and open new opportunities, said Mark Powell, Bluetooth SIG executive director. The addition of Bluetooth direction finding demonstrates this commitment to drive innovation and support the incredible growth opportunity within the location services market. Ellisys Bluetooth Solutions Support Ellisys test and analysis solutions are used by Bluetooth developers worldwide, including radio and controller manufacturers, IP developers of various types, including software stack creators, makers of consumer electronics, cyber security services, automotive companies, and test labs. The companys solutions include the Ellisys Bluetooth Qualifier (EBQ) platform, and several protocol analyzer tools supporting both Bluetooth radio types Low Energy and Classic (BR/EDR). EBQ is a comprehensive compliance, validation, and development system for Bluetooth technology, targeting the behaviors of the lower communications layers, including implementation of approximately one-thousand test cases defined by the Bluetooth SIG. Ellisys protocol analyzers include the ubiquitous Tracker, Explorer, and Vanguard systems, offering deep features sets designed to meet a variety of customer requirements. Bluetooth 5.1 Adds Enhanced Location Services and Other Updates Bluetooth 5, released in late 2016, added definitions for two new PHY variants to the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio, designed to significantly increase range and speed (exclusively). Speed was increased from 1Mbps to 2Mbps using a doubled symbol rate, and range was extended up to 4x using forward error correction. In addition, Bluetooth 5 defined new capabilities for broadcast topologies, which are fundamental to location services that are now enhanced by the 5.1 update. The primary driver behind these enhancements is the addition of direction finding, which uses trilateration and triangulation techniques to improve Bluetooth location services to centimeter-level accuracy. These services are refined using antenna arrays and well-known positioning and distance techniques to improve accuracies from meter-level to centimeter-level. Several other improvements are added with this update, including GATT caching for unbonded devices (clients can store server attributes to avoid unnecessary discoveries), randomization of the primary advertising channels sequences (for avoiding packet collisions in dense mesh environments), and advertising synchronization improvements (aimed at future audio implementations over BLE). Availability, Product Photos, and Information The EBQ is available from stock to Bluetooth SIG-recognized test labs, known as Bluetooth Qualification Test Facilities (BQTF) and Bluetooth Recognized Test Facilities (BRTF), and to Bluetooth SIG member companies involved with radio, controller, or IP development. Ellisys protocol analyzer systems are also available from stock either direct from Ellisys or from authorized distributors worldwide. For more information, visit www.ellisys.com/ebq for EBQ, www.ellisys.com/products/btcompare.php for our Bluetooth analyzers, or contact Ellisys at sales@ellisys.com. About Ellisys Ellisys is a leading worldwide supplier of advanced protocol test solutions for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB 2.0, SuperSpeed USB 3.1, USB Power Delivery, USB Type-C, DisplayPort, and Thunderbolt. More information is available on www.ellisys.com. Ellisys | Chemin du Grand-Puits 38 | CH-1217 Meyrin Geneva | Switzerland World Class Protocol Test Solutions for Bluetooth, USB, and Wi-Fi Ellisys, the Ellisys logo, Better Analysis, Bluetooth Explorer, Bluetooth Tracker, Bluetooth Vanguard, and Type-C Tracker are trademarks of Ellisys, and may be registered in some jurisdictions. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Ellisys is under license. Wi-Fi and the Wi-Fi Alliance logo are trademarks of Wi-Fi Alliance. USB Type-C and USB-C are trademarks of USB Implementers Forum. DisplayPort and the DisplayPort logo are trademarks owned by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) in the United States and other countries. Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners. The Metropolitan of Kyiv Epiphanius sent an invitation to accept the award to Patriarch Bartholomew The Patriarch Bartholomew Open source The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. This was reported by the press service of the university. The Academic Council of the University adopted the decision on December 20, 2018. In such a way the community of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy 'has not only paid tribute to the religious service of the Patriarch of the worlds Orthodoxy but, above all, has noted his merits as a scholar especially in the canon law field." The Patriarch Bartholomew is an authoritative researcher, a specialist in canon law and an organizer of the international interdisciplinary seminars and symposia, where the leading world scholars participate. He has an honorary doctorate by 30 universities and educational institutions around the world, among them, are Yale and Georgetown universities (USA), University of Athens (Greece), University of London (UK), University of Jerusalem (Israel), the report said. The patriarch is also the author of numerous scientific papers. The main reasons for bans are lack of the necessary documents and funds Polish Border Guard Open source More than 77,000 foreigners were not allowed to cross the border to Poland during the 2018 year. Most of those people were the citizens of Ukraine. The Polish Border Guard spokeswoman Agnieszka Golias said as Polskie radio reported. According to the Main Commandant's Office of the Border Guard, last year, the Polish border guards have issued 77,200 bans on entering Poland. Most of them were the citizens of Ukraine (46, 700), Russia (20, 200) and Belarus (5,500)," the report said. The main reasons for issuing bans on crossing the border were a lack of a valid visa, the special residence permit, all necessary documents proving the purposes of entering the country and lack of necessary funds. Last year the Polish border guards also detained 285 persons, crossing the border illegally, on the so-called Green Border. 1,173 attempts of the illegal crossing were recorded at the crossing points for cars with Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, 404 were recorded at the airdromes. Mostly, those people had fake visas. Fake documents for crossing the Polish border or for staying in the country were mostly used by Ukrainians (1,138), Russians (145), Belarusians (52), Syrians (47), Iranians (40), Vietnamese (22), and Chinese (2), said the spokeswoman of the Border Guard Service of Poland. Besides, it appeared that more than 12,000 of foreigners were employed violating the rules, as a result of checks of employment legality. Among those, who violated the rules the most, were the citizen of Ukraine (19,600), Moldova (400), Belarus (370), and Georgia (246). The State Border Service of Poland checked in total 52.3 million people at the borders over 2018, 36 million people were foreigners. Over 21.6 million checks took place at the border with Ukraine. Totally, 1,300 foreigners were banned from entry to Ukraine since the beginning of 2019 The border guards did not allow almost 700 citizens of Russia to enter Ukraine since the beginning of 2019, as Ukrainian News reported citing Head of State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Petro Tsyhykal. Since the beginning of the year, 1,300 foreigners, including almost 700 citizens of Russia, were banned from entry to Ukraine, he reported. Tsyhykal noted that the border guards continue to check the citizens entering Ukraine in enhanced regime after the end of martial law. Earlier we reported that over 800 Russian citizens failed to enter Ukraine after the martial law ended on December 26. The border guards did not allow 1,650 citizens of Russia to enter Ukraine during the action of martial law in ten regions from November 26 till December 26. Ukraine has banned the entry to its territory for the male citizens of Russia in the age from 16 up to 60. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko proposed to tighten the rules of the registration in Ukraine for the Russians. 24-year-old Fevzi Sahandzhy was imprisoned for his supposed involvement in the Asker (or Noman Celebicihan) Battalion in mainland Ukraine Supposed detention of a Crimean Tatar accused of joining the Asker Battalion. Human Rights in Ukraine A 24-year-old Crimean Tatar was sentenced by the Crimean court to 10,5 years behind the bars for supposed involvement in mainland Ukraine in the Asker (or Noman Celebicihan) Battalion, as Human Rights in Ukraine reported. Very little is known of this latest victim of Russias mounting attempts to demonize a volunteer battalion, which is legal in Ukraine and not engaged in any combat. It is, however, telling that the Russian-controlled reports of this sentence, passed on 23 January, used identical video footage to that shown in reporting another alleged arrest of a battalion member on that very same day, the message says. On January 23, the sentenced person was named - Fevzi Sahandzhy. The prosecution claimed that the Crimean Tatar joined the battalion in January 2016. Being a member of the said illegal armed formation, supporting the aims of its creation (carrying out a blockade of Crimea from the Ukrainian border, as well as the battle, including armed, for the return of the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine), Fevzi Sahandzhy took an active part from January 2016 through September 2017 in the activities of the battalion, undergoing courses in armed, hand-to-hand and explosives training, the news agency reports. Acting Deputy Head of the watchdog Yuriy Kontemirov was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying the checks would be completed in the second half of February Russia is conducting checks to find out whether the American consumer goods group Procter & Gamble and Burger King comply with the local data laws, as Reuters report referring to the Spokesperson of the Russian communications watchdog. Russia has introduced tougher internet laws in the last five years, requiring companies to store Russian users personal data on servers within the country, search engines to delete some search results, and messaging services to share encryption keys with security services, the message says. The Acting Deputy Head of the watchdog Yuri Kontemirov was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying the checks would be completed in the second half of February. The law on personal data entered into force in Russia in 2015. According to it, both domestic and foreign companies need to store personal data of Russians in Russia. Roger Stone also stated he would not testify against the President BBC News Trumps old friend and advisor Roger Stone did not exclude that he would cooperate with the Special Attorney Robert Mueller concerning his investigation of Russias meddling in the U.S. elections in 2016, as Reuters reported. Id also testify honestly about any other matter, including any communications with the president. Its true that we spoke on the phone, but those communications are political in nature, theyre benign, and there is certainly no conspiracy with Russia, he said. He added that he would define the level of cooperation with Muellers investigation after his lawyers discuss something. On Friday, January 25, ex-Advisor of the U.S. President Donald Trump was arrested in Florida. He was accused under seven items within the investigation of Russias meddling in the U.S. elections in 2016. The list contains 149 people, who participated in the suppression of the democratic protests in Sudan The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) published a list of 149 mercenaries of Wagners group, who participated in the suppression of the democratic protests in Sudan at the beginning of 2019, as the SBU press-office reported. The SBU emphasized that over 90% of the African contingent of the mercenaries participated in the military aggression against Ukraine in 2014-2015, particularly, the storming of Luhansk airport and Debaltseve city, and then they were sent to the Central African Republic. Moreover, the creation of point of the provision of the Russian Navy with the military and technical support was activated at the end of 2018 in Sudan. The ex-officers of the Ukrainian Naval Forces, who betrayed the Ukrainian people in spring 2014 and took the Russian side and are now serving in the Black Fleet of Russia, participated in it. The analysis of the passport data of more than 1,000 Wagners group workers shows that the majority of the documents of the Russian mercenaries was issued by the Federal Migration Service of Russia. The number of the passports of a few hundreds of members of Wagners group differs only by the last figures. The series and number of the foreign passports of Wagners group members and the place of their issuance confirm the fact that it is the secret squad of the non-regular killers of Russian GRU, SBU Chairman Vasyl Hrytsak noted. The members of other countries - Belarus, Moldova, and supported by Russia self-proclaimed republics - were sent to the African rotations of Wagners group. Moreover, the current information shows the targeted recruitment of Ukrainian traitors among citizens of occupied Crimea, who got the Russian citizenship for the support of the Russian aggressor, to Sudanese trips. Earlier SBU claimed about the presence of the evidence on the involvement of the Russian mercenaries from Wagner Group in the murder of three Russian journalists Orkhan Dzhemal, Aleksandr Rastorguev, and Kirill Radchenko in the Central African Republic (CAR). The Wagner Group has been involved in Donbas conflict since May 2014 till August 2015. Then, it has moved to Syria, assisting the Syrian army in a number of combat operations. Open source According to the law, the change of subordination of a religious organization on a general meeting is approved by two-thirds of votes of the present. Those two-thirds are counted from the number of parishioners, required for conducting a general meeting of their religious community. The decision to change subordination and to make appropriate amendments or additions to the statute is affirmed by the signatures of members of the religious community. The enactment defines the list of documents that have to be submitted for registration of the statute (position) of the religious community. According to the final statutory provisions, the religious organizations inform the Ministry of Culture or the local state administration about the change of subordination, and they publish the information on the official site. The law comes into force in one day after its official publication. The law does not provide any criteria for people's membership in the religious communities, which leaves room for speculation. The document also provides for a temporary ban on carrying out any actions with parish property. Thus, upon transferring a parish, it is impossible to sell, take away or pledge its real property. If a part of the parish does not want to conduct a transition into a new church, it can form its own new religious community and has the right to conclude an agreement on the alternate use of the temple. The reserves of the officers of the special detachments and patrol police would be additionally created The head of the National Police Oleksandr Fatsevych Chief Department of the National Police At least 60,000 police officers should be attracted to provide the security of the polling stations during the presidential elections in Ukraine, as 112 Ukraine reported citing Deputy Head of the National Police Olexandr Fatsevych. Considering 33,000 of the district and local elections commissions, it is needed to involve at least 60,000 law enforcers to provide their security. It is about two officers for each polling station. Besides, the reserves of the officers of the special detachments and patrol police should be additionally created, Fatsevych said. The official presidential election campaign kicked off in Ukraine on December 31, 2018. The Presidential elections will take place on March 31, 2019. Central Election Commission of Ukraine closed all polling station in Russia, particularly, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk. Meet the registered candidates running for president in Ukraine. The election campaign has officially started on December 31, 2018. Registration of the candidates would last until February 4, 2019, and on February 9, the final list of presidential candidates will appear. The candidates would be able to withdraw his candidacy until March 7, 2019. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rejected an international ultimatum to hold elections within eight days and said that opposition leader Juan Guaido violated the Venezuelan constitution, declaring himself president. Maduro stated in an interview with CNN Turk, Reuters reports. Maduro also added that he is open to dialogue. He noted that a meeting with US President Donald Trump would be "incredible, but not impossible." Earlier it was reported that France, Spain, and Germany issued an ultimatum to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro: either he announces new elections in the country in 8 days, or they recognize Juan Guaido the new president of Venezuela. English French Paris, January 28, 2019 Resignation of Olivier Rosenfeld, member of the Board of Directors At the Board of Directors' meeting on January 28, 2019, Olivier Rosenfeld informed the Board that he was stepping down as a director of the Company for personal reasons. Xavier Niel and all of the Board's other members would like to warmly thank Olivier for his contribution and commitment to the Board's work throughout his time in office. Iliad's Board of Directors is therefore now made up of 12 members, including six independent directors and one director representing employees. About Iliad Iliad is the parent company of Free, the inventor of the Freebox, the first multiservice box on ADSL. Free is behind numerous innovations in the Broadband and Ultra-Fast Broadband access segment Since January 2012, Free has brought mobile phone usage within everyone's reach with straightforward offerings at very attractive prices. Free has 20 million subscribers (6.5 million Broadband and Ultra-Fast Broadband subscribers and 13.5 million mobile subscribers at September 30, 2018). On May 29, 2018, the Group launched its mobile network in Italy under the Iliad brand, becoming the country's fourth operator, and had over 2.23 million subscribers at September 30, 2018. http://www.iliad.fr/en/ Exchange: Euronext Paris Market place: Eurolist A of Euronext Paris (SRD) Ticker symbol: ILD ISIN: FR0004035913 FTSE classification: 974 Internet Member of Euro Stoxx, SBF 120, CAC Mid 100 Germany plans to cut the use of coal and increase consumption of the natural gas Germany prepares for the refusal from the coal-fired power plants and increased need in the natural gas due to this, as EU Observer reported. According to German Advisory Commission for coal phase-out, all coal-fired power plants might be closed by 2038; however, the plan of the refusal from using coal should be approved by the German government and it seems to be so. The coal phase-out plan was developed in order to reduce Germany's C02 emissions. Moreover, Germany considers stopping using nuclear power, despite the fact, that it is less harmful in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. This would lead to the increased need in the natural gas, which would be supplied by Russia, however, Nord Stream 2 project is too controversial. "I believe we would be well advised to admit that if we phase out coal and nuclear energy then we have to be honest and tell people that we'll need more natural gas," Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the World Economy Forum in Davos last week. Moreover, she emphasized that natural gas will play a highly important role in the life of Germany during the next few decades. It means that, despite all controversies, German state needs it and will receive it. Besides, Merkel added that Germany would also supply liquid gas from other countries, particularly, the U.S. Earlier Polish President Andrzej Duda urged the German government to give up on Nord Stream 2 construction. He insisted that the new pipeline would breach the current energy balance, posing danger to the energy safety of some countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Putin claimed that the Russian Federation was ready to save the gas transit through Ukraine after the launch of the Nord Stream 2. Gazprom and its partners intended to begin the realization of the Nord Stream 2 project, which costs ten billion dollars. It is expected that the 1200 km gas pipeline will be laid through the Baltic Sea, and will connect Russia and Germany passing Ukraine, Poland, and Baltic countries. The capacity of the gas pipeline will be twice increased than the first Nord Stream. The construction is estimated to be completed by the end of 2019. Ukraine is adamantly opposed to the construction by calling it politically motivated and suggesting the EU to create a consortium with the involvement of European companies to manage the existing more efficient transportation route through Ukraine. A number of EU countries have expressed their disagreement with the Nord Stream 2 project in particular Poland and Lithuania. Open source Ukraine has an experience of boxer serving a city mayor, so why cannot it survive after having boxer as a president. Wladimir Klitschko has delivered a speech at the international forum in Davos during the discussion on Ukraines attractiveness for foreign investors. Unfortunately, the consciousness of our political "elites" and the existing reality are two parallel worlds that never intersect. Great athletes are becoming mediocre politicians, unable to even invite a couple of their Californian or Munich friends to Kyiv, not to mention a mass investor. Wladimir Klitschko claimed: We are sexy and everybody wants us. Although the "meaning" of this phrase was flawed. If they played a song I'm Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO at the meeting, and the participants of the boring panel took off their official suits and appeared in G-strings, it would be much more impressive. After all, after the word sexy, a few potential investors began to yawn and watch something on their gadgets. My long introduction describing the news from the international forum in Davos is just perfect setting to the recent news that Ukraine has fallen sharply in Bloomberg 2019 Innovation Index. Moreover, it has appeared in the list of "losers," together with Tunisia. Although we have to admit that, unlike Ukraine, Tunisia has never been a leader in the field of science and the development of innovative products. Deterioration of Ukraines valuation scores was most affected by the lack of the main global innovation companies. Investors prefer reading Bloomberg to the speeches of our officials with cheerful calls to invest in Ukraine, where "all" opportunities for the development of private business are created. South Korea is the leader in the Innovation Index, its president has not come to Davos. Maybe because he does not need to catch the head of the IMF somewhere "in the corridors" with a request to issue new loans... Germany is catching up with the Koreans. These two countries have demonstrated impressive results in value-added innovative products, patent activity, and research intensity. German innovation centers are Volkswagen AG, Robert Bosch GmbH and Daimler AG. What about the Ukrainian centers: Ukrainian Motor Sich JSC, Antonov state company, Yuzhmash state enterprise? Nothing. Our security officials have almost accused Motor Sich of trying to transfer the plant to Chinese Chongqing. Although some time before Ukraines First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and simultaneously Minister of Economic Development and Trade Stepan Kubiv proudly spoke during his trip to China that Ukrainians will produce aircraft engines in China. Ukraine buys helicopters in France, and a profile plant in Zaporizhia reports a record decline in gross income. Ukrainian aircraft designers are developing aircraft industry of Azerbaijan, and Antonov does not sell aircraft to Saudi Arabia, but just a factory for assembling these aircraft (with all the technologies, intangible assets, copyright, etc). Yuzhmash still somehow exists thanks to orders from the United States; this small production cooperation seems to be slow euthanasia. Meanwhile, China has improved its position due to its patent activity, gradually turning from a plagiarist to a new center for generating innovations of the 21st century. Experts note the dichotomy of this country: Huawei Technologies Co. and BOE Technology Group brought the country to the second place in the world in patent activity, but at the same time the rate of transfer of innovations to the real sector is still quite low, and their impact on the growth of labor productivity is insufficient. Asia is among the new global trends. This country strengthens its competitiveness, relying on innovations, for which it develops science, education, and medicine as priorities. Developing countries win the competition from the developed world with the help of their brains, not their hands. Only Ukrainian officials are still trying to seduce investors with "cheap labor." Citing Bloomberg: The battle for control of the global economy in the 21st century will be won and lost over control of innovative technologies. Koreas number one spot and Chinas shift up the rankings is a reminder that the U.S. trade war might slow but wont stop Asias technological rise." Ukraines place of Ukraine in this battle is still in deep reserve. Not a single systemic participant in the innovation market has yet come to us, while the national innovation centers die a slow and painful death, and the authorities stay completely indifferent. The only success is that Ukraine is still in the list of 60 best countries, that is, it appears in the ranking. This should not be perceived as our success but as the flaw of Ukrainian officials. Ukraine spends 0.5% of its GDP on financing the researches, while in the EU this figure is 2.5%. Our spending on science is less than $ 100 million a year (equivalent to the innovation budget of an average European pharmaceutical company), while 5,7 billion USD was allocated for the nationalization of PrivatBank, and the state 8,9 billion USD on capitalization support of banks , while the state funding of innovation is less than 71 million USD over the past ten years. However, Ukraines Cabinet of Ministers promised to launch a fund for financing startups with a common resource of 1,8 million USD in 2019. This money would be enough just to repair the office of the director of the fund... In the 21st century, the dependence of the global economy on raw materials and "working hands" weakens with each year. In the direct proportion to this process, the dependence of world economic systems on "brains" will increase. And what about us? We are sexy and everybody wants us. Read the original text at 112.ua. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or 112.International and its owners. Ukraine still lags behind developed and many developing countries in terms of agriculture labor productivity In February 2016, the then US ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt said: "Ukraine is already one of the world great agricultural producers, but it should become an agricultural superpower." After hearing Geoffrey Pyatts statement, I immediately recalled the so-called Morgenthau Plan. Henry Morgenthau, United States Secretary of the Treasury, was at first an amateur farmer, operating near the Roosevelt estate in upstate New York. He was a friend of Warren, a specialist in agricultural economics at Cornell University. Morgenthau became Finance Minister due to the fact that William Woodin was forced to resign due to problems with health. Therefore, Morgenthau was hastily appointed. By the way, before this appointment, he worked as a chairman of the Agricultural Advisory Commission, founded by Franklin Roosevelt. Henry Morgenthau was a financier with an agricultural bias. It has ideologically led him to develop a plan for Germany, turning it into an agricultural power. When it became clear that the Allies were winning the Second World War, the question arose: what should be done with Germany, which had launched two world wars in the previous 30 years. Morgenthau made a plan in 1944, which made it possible to secure the world from a militant nation. He proposed to completely destroy German industry and turn it into an agricultural country. It was proposed to remove the industrial equipment and flood all the mines with water or cement. De-industrialization of Germany was perceived as a guarantee of the neutralization of German militarism, which caused the two world wars. However, in 1946, it became clear that the Morgenthau Plan poses serious social and economic problems in Germany. The implementation of the plan was accompanied by an increase in unemployment and impoverishment of the population. The destruction of the industry led to a decrease in agricultural productivity. Former US President Herbert Hoover has conducted an investigation and concluded: "there is an erroneous opinion that the new Germany can be turned into a rural country. This cannot be done without destroying or removing 25 million inhabitants from it." After that, the Morgenthau Plan was quickly replaced by the Marshall Plan, the result of its realization is current Germany, the world leader in industrial development and exports. We are offered to become an agrarian superpower. Maybe in the present conditions, it is really promising for Ukraine. After a sharp drop in 2015-2016, the world price for the number of agricultural products has increased. But along with rising prices, their volatility and amplitude of fluctuations increase as well, which makes the market less predictable. In addition to increasing food demand from developing countries, climate change and energy savings have led governments to resort to more extensive use of ethanol and biodiesel fuel (which are almost entirely made from food) and livestock feed (corn, sugar cane, palm, and soybean oil). It would seem that Ukraine has good prospects if it stakes on agricultural development. However, not a single country managed to get rich without a developed industrial and services sector. And I am not talking about sporadic economic bursts, but stable economic growth. Developing countries will never enter the club of the developed ones, relying exclusively on exporting the food products to the rich countries. In 2016, Ukraine has exported goods to the amount of $ 36.36 billion, including 15.26 agricultural exports (its share was 42%), industrial exports - $ 4.9 billion (13.5%). In 2017, Ukraines export amounted to $ 43.27 billion 17.79 billion (41%) of agricultural products, 5.8 billion (13.4%) of industry; for 11 months of 2018, export amounted to 43.25 billion dollars, including 16.81 billion for agriculture (39%), 5.8 billion for industrial products (13.4%). Of course, agricultural products could be a high-value-added product. But, unfortunately, the share of exports of finished products in the total volume of its exports is rather small: 16% in 2016, 16.3% in 2017, and 16.1% in 2018 (11 months). Destructive changes last for more than ten years. If we take the pre-crisis 2007 year and compare it with the current situation, the share of agriculture in the Ukrainian economy has more than doubled, while the share of the manufacturing industry has decreased by 1.5 times. Ukraine still lags behind developed and many developing countries in terms of agriculture labor productivity; and the reasons aredue to de-industrialization of its agrarian production, low crop yield, excessive employment, and irrational organization of production. A low level of productivity is caused by worn out production assets, the use of the most modern technologies, and an insufficiently developed infrastructure. These factors reduce productivity and quality of agricultural products. Business conditions in the agricultural sector of our country are often extensive. The third part of the world black soil, favorable geographical location, favorable climatic features why dont we use these factors? The potential of the export-raw material development of the Ukrainian economy has been exhausted. After all, our economy was focused on the export of raw materials, and this orientation has preserved. Metallurgy has lost its leading position. But prices for the low-value-added commodities and products often fall during the periods of slower growth in the global economy, and International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and many prominent international economists warn us about it. Long-term trends in commodity prices do not give hope for their growth. But we have the opportunity to receive strategic benefits from the current situation, based on stable global food demand, creating the conditions for the rational direction of resources to promising industries. Ukraine can build a new industry that meets the challenges of the third and fourth industrial revolutions. Therefore, a tactical focus on the agricultural sector, especially if the market situation is favorable, should be used to develop the industrial and post-industrial sectors in the Ukrainian economy. This is the real way for modernization of the Ukrainian economy. And another task should be the implementation of innovative technologies in the agricultural sector. This is exactly how Ukrainian agricultural production will move towards high productivity. And would push the development of modern Ukrainian industry through the demand for its high-tech products. Read the original text on Facebook. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or 112.International and its owners. Open source In the Balkans the transition is over, Remzi Lani, an Albanian political analyst, told me some time ago. But unlike in many post-Communist countries, Mr. Lani didnt mean a transformation from dictatorship to democracy. We transitioned from repressive to depressive regimes. He is right. The old Communists and radical ethnic nationalists are largely gone; in their places is stagnation economic, social and political. The question now is how these depressive regimes fit into a growing geopolitical rivalry. A day before his recent visit to Belgrade, Serbia, President Vladimir Putin of Russia expressed his great displeasure with Macedonias name change and accused the United States and certain Western countries of destabilizing the region; the Russian foreign minister, meanwhile, denounced the willingness of the United States to lead all Balkan states into NATO as soon as possible and to remove any Russian influence in this region. Russia wants to make clear that this is not what the people in the region want. Watching Mr. Putins visit to Belgrade and listening to his rhetoric, one couldnt help but conclude that the confrontation in the Balkans between the West and Russia is changing both in nature and intensity. In the last decade, Russia was actively defending its economic and cultural presence in the region, but it never openly challenged NATO or European Union hegemony. Not anymore. At first glance, Russias ambitions seem unrealistic. The Balkans remain firmly entrenched in the West: Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Albania and Montenegro are all NATO members and Macedonia is on its way. Every country in the region is either a member of the European Union or aspires to join it. The European Union is far and away the regions top trading partner, its biggest investor and the preferred destination for emigration. The conventional wisdom is that Russia might be a troublemaker but could hardly be more. The conventional wisdom could be wrong. Moscow has sensed a critical vulnerability in the Wests position in the Balkans: While in places like Ukraine the European Union has been perceived as a symbol of change, in the Balkans its seen as the defender of a status quo that may be ready for disruption. Publics are frustrated and angry. Ethnic tensions are on the rise. Almost every country in the region has seen large-scale antigovernment demonstrations. Economic growth is sluggish in most places, misery is widespread and the depopulation of the region is dramatic: More than 40 percent of people born in Bosnia and Herzegovina have left the country; about 40 percent of those born in Albania and about 25 percent of those born in Macedonia have done the same. And while polls show that a majority of people still sees joining the European Union as the best road to prosperity, the promise of European integration is losing its talismanic power. Not only does the European Unions future look uncertain, but leaders like President Emmanuel Macron of France have made it clear that they will not spend political capital advocating for the integration of the Western Balkans. And yet, even as sentiment in the region has changed, the European Union is reluctant to change its approach to it. This is in part the result of bureaucratic inertia and a lack of political interest. But it also comes from a fear that any policy change in the Balkans will seem like a betrayal of principles. The wars in the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia played a critical role in shaping the European Unions post-Cold War political identity. Europeans saw the nearby tragedy not as a clash between states or nations but between two principles: the principle of ethnic nationalism, represented by Slobodan Milosevic, and the principle of multiethnic democracy, embodied by the European Union. Consequently, European Union policy toward the Balkans is more driven by ideology than in any other part of the world. Europes ideological rigidity is admirable, but it is also partly responsible for the regions paralysis. This is best illustrated by the European Unions role in the ongoing diplomacy between Serbia and Kosovo. The dialogue was initiated and encouraged by the European Union because everybody realizes that mutual recognition between Belgrade and Pristina is the only way to remove the obstacles for deeper economic cooperation and pave the way for Serbia and Kosovo to join the European Union. But when President Alexander Vucic of Serbia and his counterpart in Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, began addressing the sensitive question of correcting their borders in order to reach a final agreement, major European capitals quickly declared that they would never allow it. Changing borders is never a great idea, especially after the traumatic experience of ethnic wars in the Balkans. But telling elected leaders that they cannot shape relations between their countries isnt a great idea, either. So while European fears are legitimate about how changing the Kosovo-Serbia border could encourage other countries to follow suit, and the European Union is right to insist that any border changes should be supported by the majority of people in those countries, the message comes across poorly. It sounds like Europe is telling its naughty neighbor to stay away from sharp objects. And thats why it has backfired. The chances for a Serbia-Kosovo deal today are much worse than they were months ago, and the risk of ethnic clashes is higher. Thats where Russia comes in. Last November, Mr. Putin met Mr. Thaci, despite the fact that Moscow doesnt recognize Kosovo as a state. The meeting signaled that Russia does not see its role in the Balkans only as Serbias protector, but also as a potential power broker. Thats why Europeans should not be surprised if Russia soon produces its own road map for normalizing Serbian-Albanian relations. (They also shouldnt be surprised if Turkey expresses interest in such a Russian initiative.) In other words, Russias actions in the Balkans are not only spoiling games. Moscow wants to replace the European Union as the mediator for solving regional conflicts, in the way it is attempting largely successfully to replace the United States as a mediator in the Middle East. On Friday, after 27 wasted years of disputes, the Greek Parliament finally approved Macedonias new name, North Macedonia, putting an end to one of the conflicts that has been haunting the Balkans. This was a real victory for the European strategy for the region. Now, Europe should find similar energy and flexibility to push Serbia and Kosovo to find their own compromise. Thats the only way it can stay relevant in the region not by being a force for the status quo. Read the original text here. According to Martin Sajdik, the peaceful plan for Donbas was presented to representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France in December 2017 The close cooperation of the UN and OSCE under the unified leadership, the creation of Agency on Reconstruction, temporarily administration, and amnesty enter the list of the new plan on the peaceful settlement of Donbas Conflict as Kleine Zeitung reported citing Martin Sajdik, the Special Envoy of OSCE to Ukraine and Trilateral Contact Group. During the last years, we saw that something was not clear with the Minsk Agreements. In order to implement the key issue, hold the local elections, the crucial moment is the external assistance. We have concluded that only the UN can do it. The OSCE has the task to estimate the election process and it cannot organize the elections. Moreover, the security aspect is added, he claimed. Sajdik emphasized that the UN should be involved as there are not enough OSCE observers to cover the territory of occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The official stands for the cooperation of the UN and the OSCE under the guise of the so-called special representative office. He emphasized: they should act not parallel but together. It concerns both, military and police UN component and OSCE mission. Sajdik offers to create an Agency on Reconstruction. It should cooperate with the UN and OSCE; however, it should not be ruled by the joint special representative office. According to him, the Agency should be created similar to the Balkan one. Sajdik is sure that the new plan on actions in Donbas should not be only signed but also ratified by the Ukrainian and Russian parliaments. The diplomat stands for the creation of the temporarily UN administration for the transition period. The aim of such measure is not to weaken the locals, but, opposite, to guarantee that its right will be implemented. And all this is amid the amnesty, Sajdik noted. He supposed that there will be no need in such a great number of the UN mission representatives for the implementation of his plan (there can be fewer people than earlier announced 20,000 people). According to the official, the new plan was presented at the session of OSCE Foreign Ministers Council in December 2018 in Milan, joined by the representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France. Later, the Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories stated that they knew about the peace plan only from the media. We know about the plan only from the mass media. We have not seen the original source and its quite hard to comment it. Usually, the devil is in details, so its ungrateful action to comment something without the access to the original source, Georgy Tuka said to 112 Ukraine. Earlier Sajdik said that the OSCE did not come out with a proposal to send a joint OSCE and UN mission to Donbas. Besides, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated that a lot of people promise to establish peace in Ukraine. But these are the populist promises. Donbas militants attacked positions of the Ukrainian military near Novotoshkivske with automatic grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms Open source Over the day, January 27, the pro-Russian militants fired at the positions of our troops once. This was reported by the press service of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine. In particular, in the North operational group action zone, the Russian occupying forces attacked positions of the Ukrainian military near the village of Novotoshkivske; they used automatic grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms. The International Committee of the Red Cross sent over 150 tons of humanitarian aid to the militant-controlled territories of Ukraine in Donbas. The State Border Guard of Ukraine reported that on Saturday. Four vans loaded with humanitarian cargo proceeded across the Novotroitske checkpoint. The transports carried food and medicines from the Internationa Committee of the Red Cross, the Border Guard said. All entry-exit checkpoints in Donbas work as scheduled, the authority reported. It also added that 41,8000 people and 4,600 vehicles crossed the checkpoints in both directions. The joint press conference of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at the Helsinki summit in mid-July was in full swing when journalists started talking about Russia's interference in the US elections in 2016: Will Putin reveal the intelligence officers accused by the US Department of Justice? No, the Russian president answered, but the investigators can easily interrogate the accused in Moscow. In this case, his people in response could interrogate some American citizens. Great offer, Trump said. Soon they began to talk about the fact that Putin was primarily referring to Michael McFaul, who under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2011 was the main adviser on Russia in the White House, and then the ambassador in Moscow. Never before have American diplomats had to make excuses to foreign authorities for their work. The US Department of State said that Putins proposal was absurd, and since the senators were against it, Trump eventually refused to summon his counterpart to interrogate the Americans. McFaul is a professor of political science, a friendly man who, having worked at the field of diplomacy has now returned to teaching at the elite Stanford University in California. An expert on Russia and a Twitter fan never hid his dislike of Putin, but Putin has enough haters. Why is the Russian president so stubbornly pursuing McFaul? McFaul recently published his memoirs about the time of Obama, which contains the answer to this question. His book is one of the most unusual documents on recent history. After all, it is Putins opponent McFaul who explains in his book how big the US role was in the escalation between the two superpowers. The former diplomat begins his narration from the times preceding the bloodshed in Ukraine, when the start of a new cold war seemed impossible to many observers. However, under the upper layer of balance, unrest was already raging, and McFaul quite openly talks about a mixture of ignorance and disregard for Washingtons attitude to the former rival. Whether it was the NATO attack on Yugoslavia in 1999, the expansion of NATO to the east from 1997 to 2004, or the withdrawal of the ABM treaty initiated by the Americans in 2002, Russia was constantly considered "weak and insignificant," the political scientist writes. When the Kremlin expressed its wishes, the position of the Americans was as follows: "Who cares about it at all?" Russian politicians complained to McFaul, or in his presence they said that the United States was deceiving them, this is how a former diplomat describes events. He admits that they were absolutely right. So, Putin believed the then US President George W. Bush that after the attacks of September 11, 2001, it was possible to create a joint alliance to fight terrorism. But Bush, despite the wishes of the Kremlin, attacked Iraq - a long-time ally of Russia. The Obama's government also deceived the Kremlin, for example, in the case of UN sanctions in 2010 against Iran. The Americans then created the impression that they were not planning any further penalties against Tehran - which was a lie. When Moscow agreed with this, Obama imposed additional sanctions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was outraged and, as McFaul writes, had the right to do so. And, of course, in a similar way, the Americans acted in the situation with the NATO air raids in Libya in 2011. Obama claimed that with the help of the bombing he wanted to prevent the genocide in the civil war in Libya, and not to overthrow the then dictator Gaddafi. In this regard, the Russians abstained in the UN vote from adopting a resolution on Libya, and after the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime, they felt as if they had been deceived. "Not without reason," admits McFaul. The author of the memoirs understands Putins actions in the case of NSA agent Edward Snowden, whom Russia provided asylum and who, while in Moscow, told the world about the wiretapping methods actively used by Americans that became the most terrible PR catastrophe for the Obama government. "We would do the same if the Russian intelligence officer came to Washington," McFaul writes. This does not prevent the former diplomat from blaming Putin for the new cold war. Fearing the loss of power, the "reactionary autocrat" chose a course of confrontation to enlist the support of the Russian public by imposing anti-Western hostility. Western mistakes were only "tolerable hiccups" compared with Putins intentions. The fact that it is Obamas leading expert on Russia that diminishes the importance of the Kremlin regimes criticism indicates the extent to which the White House underestimated Putin with his destructive capabilities. Be it a crisis in Ukraine or a war in Syria, the Obama government was confident that it could resolve these conflicts without taking into account the interests of the Kremlin. Americans were forced to admit that they built illusions. McFaul joined Obama even before the 2008 elections in order to "change the course of history." A fellow student, later the presidential adviser on national security issues lured him into the Obama team. McFaul describes the then presidential candidate as a "smart, sociable, fun" person. A lawyer by education, Obama was not well versed in matters of Russia. According to McFaul, their first conversation "was more like a Stanford workshop." He discussed with the future president the Soviet history and theories of international relations, and also spoke in favor of a reset of relations with Russia. Obama could do this better than his predecessor, and McFaul became the main strategist of the reset policy. At first everything went well. Shortly before Obama moved to the White House in 2009, Putin completed his second presidential term, and his successor, Dmitry Medvedev, positioned himself with Barack Obama as a representative of a new generation. Both presidents took a great interest in smartphones, visited the Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, a suburb of Washington, they even used the word F, that is, friend. They signed a disarmament agreement called "Restart", acted together against North Korea, as well as in Afghanistan. Russia was finally able to join the World Trade Organization. According to McFaul, Obama thus solved not only foreign policy problems, such as North Koreas nuclear weapons or disarmament issues. Washingtons goal was a fundamental democratic reform of Russia; behind this goal was the conviction that democratic countries do not pose a threat to the United States. Even in the first document on the reset policy, formulated by McFaul for Obama, it appeared that the US government should bypass the Kremlin in "speaking to the Russian people in order to develop our common values." Obama, according to McFaul, wanted to strengthen Russian civil society so that its representatives could "implement democratic reforms and ensure respect for human rights." The point was, McFaul writes, to create more favorable conditions for a democratic regime change. McFaul compares Putin with Stalin and does not allow any doubt that for this it is necessary: the deprivation of the power of the former KGB agent, who remained even during Medvedevs presidency as an influential figure in the background. The realization of this step is impressive. McFaul specifically draws attention to the fact that few people in the Obama administration have gone as far as he does. Yet Obamas policy toward Russia was dictated by McFauls position. Americans trained liberal opposition activists or paid millions of dollars to civil organizations, which, according to McFaul himself, could not be politically neutral. During a meeting with the Russian opposition in Moscow, Vice President of Obama Joe Biden said that it would be better if Putin did not participate in the next presidential election. When the ruling United Russia party largely took advantage of fraud in the 2011 elections - according to McFaul, probably on its usual scale - the Americans didnt limit them to moderate criticism. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a strong protest, which started a lifelong feud with Putin. Those who at the White House endorsed Clintons position were McFaul. As a student and young scientist, McFaul lived in Russia for several years and already then tossed between university and political activities. In the early 1990s, he participated in demonstrations in Moscow, organized seminars for the democratic movement and worked in non-governmental organizations which goal was to implement the principles of democracy in Russia, A former human rights defender from Chicago, McFaul later found a like-minded person in the face of President Obama. When in 2012 Putin won the election and moved to the Kremlin again, he was convinced that the Obama government wanted to get rid of him. This was the last circumstance that put an end to the reset policy. Curiously, McFaul finds Putin's point of view ridiculous. At the same time, Putin overestimated the scale of the intentions of the Americans, and not their main focus. "How can they be so hostile to me?" McFaul was perplexed, referring to the cold attitude that he, as the new US ambassador, received in Moscow in 2012. Soon McFaul was threatened with murder, unknown pierced the tires of cars belonging to his employees, and pursued his sons on the way to school. Russian guards in front of the US embassy molested his wife, television inflamed dissatisfaction with the new ambassador, members of a pro-Kremlin youth organization lurked for McFaul at the embassy walls. By 2014, he got sick of it, and he returned to California. Today, McFaul is banned from entering Russia. This extremely unfriendly decision was made by Putin. The last US ambassador to receive such a ban was George F. Kennan. He represented the United States in Moscow, when the one who ruled in the Kremlin was Joseph Stalin - the personification of crimes against humanity. Read original article at Der Spiegel Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-27 01:17:22|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian police on Saturday gunned down eight suspected armed robbers who were caught in a robbery attempt in the nation's northwest region of Mwanza. Jonathan Shanna, Mwanza regional police commander, said the suspects were killed in an exchange of fire with the police, adding that two of the suspects managed to escape. "The suspected criminals were gunned down in a joint raid by police who laid a trap," said Igala ward councilor Joshua Manumbu. "There have been a series of criminal incidents in the ward located in Ukerewe district that involved armed robbery," added Manumbu. On Nov. 29 last year, police killed six suspected bandits who were on an attempt to rob a businessman in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. Lazaro Mambosasa, the Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander, said the suspected bandits were armed with an military firearm and 11 rounds of ammunition. On Nov. 16 last year, police killed seven suspected armed robbers in Mwanza city on the southern shores of Lake Victoria. NEW YORK, NY, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Weyland Tech Inc. (WEYL) (Weyland or the Company) announces update in its strategic partnership with Indonesian telecom services and bill payment provider, PT. Finnet Indonesia ( Finnet), announced in August 2018 and also approval by regulators for its co-branded online eMoney license enabling the launch of AtoZPay QR code payment solutions. Finnet http://www.finnet-indonesia.com/home/en, founded in 2005, is 60% owned by PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia, the largest provider of telecom services in Indonesia, is currently the largest fixed-line provider with over 10 million households and businesses as their clients. In August 2018, the Company signed an agreement with Finnet to provide QR code based services to Weyland Techs AtoZPay branded customers and to Finnets customers. Currently, in Indonesia and many other emerging markets where cash payments are the standard, mobile smartphone users make payments in cash to agents and then receive credit on their phones via a scratch-off card. A QR code is a unique a machine-readable code that eliminates the need for paper-based codes thereby making it highly efficient and fraud-proof. Furthermore, Finnet and AtoZPay have applied to the Bank of Indonesia for licensing approval to provide the QR code-based service to customers of which only 34 large banks and telecom services companies hold. The license was approved on January 18, 2019 and the joint launch will begin February 15th, 2019. Leveraging both Finnets 80,000+ ATM network and channel relationships with retail chain Alfamart (14,000 locations) is expected to provide upside to our current forecasts which rely solely on AtoZPays own direct sales. Brent Suen, CEO of Weyland, comments, We are pleased that our agreement with Finnet signed last August has progressed with Bank of Indonesia approving our co-branding with Finnet as of January 18, 2019. With one of just thirty-four e-money licenses in hand, AtoZPay is now in position to roll-out QR payment solutions to merchants. Hermawanto Djunaedy, President Director of AtoZPay, noted We have performed limited trials of our QR Code payment technology and are now excited to officially launch a robust marketing effort. Our partnership with Finnet is expected to accelerate adoption to over 200,000 merchant outlets using AtoZPay QR technology after our expected launch on February 15th. The Company is targeting $100 million in Gross Transaction Volume (GTV) by 2020. Recent initial public offerings and transactions, including the acquisition of Kudo by Grab Pay for $100 million, value eWallet companies at as high as 2.4X to 4X GTV. About Weyland Tech Inc. Weyland Tech is a global provider of mobile business applications. The Company operates a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) software used on mobile smartphones. The PaaS platform offers a mobile presence to Small-to-Medium-Sized- Businesses (SMBs) in emerging markets, with partnerships on 3 continents and growing. The PaaS platform, offered in 14 languages with over 70 integrated modules, enables SMBs to create native mobile applications (apps) for Apples iOS and Google Android without technical knowledge or background, empowering SMBs to increase sales, reach more customers and promote their products and services in an easy, affordable and efficient manner. In May 2018, the Company expanded its portfolio to fintech applications with the launch of its AtoZPay mobile payments platform. The mobile wallet launched in the worlds 4th most populous country, Indonesia, and is already experiencing rapid growth in transactions taking place on the platform. Safe Harbor Statement This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of the Company. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are forward-looking statements including statements regarding: the continued growth of the e-commerce segment and the ability of the Company to continue its expansion into that segment; the ability of the Company to attract customers and partners and generate revenues; the ability of the Company to successfully execute its business plan; the business strategy, plans, and objectives of the Company; and any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as believes, expects or similar expressions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Companys actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Companys periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website (http://www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume any duty to update these forward-looking statements. Deportarea banatenilor in Baragan. 70 de ani de la Rusaliile Negre Cinci ani aveau sa-i petreaca departe de Banat, in Baragan, departe de casa si in coditii inumane. Au intrat ca barbarii peste noi un ofiter, un civil si un militar cu o arma in mana, o baioneta si or spus. Eu eram aici, in camera, 14 ani aveam. [citeste mai departe] OAKVILLE, Ontario, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Giyani Metals Corp. (TSXV:WDG) (FRANKFURT:KT9) (WKN:A2DUU8) (Giyani or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a non-binding term sheet with Traxys Africa Trading (Pty) Ltd. (Traxys) which sets out terms for an investment of US$1 million in the form of a secured convertible loan facility under which Traxys will have exclusive rights to market all of the direct shipping ore (DSO) manganese material processed and produced from the Companys K.Hill and Otse reclamation projects in Botswana. Robin Birchall, CEO of the Company commented: We are very excited to be partnering with a global leader in metals marketing and trading like Traxys. These terms underline the shared vision we have with Traxys in terms of the importance and market potential of battery-grade manganese. We expect the completion of the definitive agreements and final approvals will occur expeditiously, and once established, we will be in a position to use the proceeds received from the convertible loan to implement the reclamation projects at K.Hill and Otse within the framework of the recently announced environmental management plans (EMPs) at both prospects. Key terms of the convertible facility terms settled with Traxys include: Principal amount of up to US$1 million, which will be available in two draws over a 12-month period Net proceeds from the sale of DSO by Traxys will be used to reduce the principal amount outstanding of the convertible facility Traxys will be granted a right of first refusal to provide additional debt financing for the K.Hill project in exchange for the right to market 100% of mined ore and electrolytic manganese metal produced from the K.Hill project Repayment of the convertible facility will be secured by the surface stockpile of ore at the K.Hill and Otse projects, and other personal property security The convertible facility will also bear interest at a rate equal to the aggregate of 10% and the US Dollar LIBOR per annum compounded quarterly and will mature 36 months from the date that all conditions precedent to draw down have been satisfied. The outstanding principal amount may be converted, in whole or in part, at the election of Traxys into common shares at a price per share equal to C$0.225. At the establishment of the convertible facility, Traxys will also receive 3,000,000 warrants all vesting immediately. Each of the warrants will be exercisable into one common share for a period of 36 months from their date of issue and at an exercise price of C$0.225, subject to the approval of the TSXV. Establishment of the convertible facility and issuance of the warrants is subject to completion of definitive convertible loan facility, security and warrant documentation, TSXV approval, and final Traxys and Giyani board approvals, and completion of satisfactory due diligence, all of which is expected to be completed on or before March 31, 2019. Giyani intends to use the funds received from the convertible facility to finance the development and operation of K.Hill and Otse, and to implement the EMPs at those projects. About Giyani Giyani Metals Corp. is a Canadian junior exploration company focused on creating shareholder value by accelerating the development of its high-grade manganese project in the Kanye Basin, Botswana, Africa. Additional information and corporate documents may be found on www.sedar.com and on Giyani Metals Corp. website: http://giyanimetals.com/. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Giyani Metals Corp. Robin Birchall, CEO Contact: Giyani Metals Corporation Robin Birchall CEO, Director +447711313019 rbirchall@giyanimetals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Giyani expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words expects, does not expect, plans, anticipates, does not anticipate, believes, intends, estimates, projects, potential, scheduled, forecast, budget and similar expressions, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could, should or might occur. Specific forward-looking statements and forward-looking information herein includes statements regarding the size of and completion of the private placement and the intended use of the net proceeds from the financing. Forward-looking statements in this press release include the establishment and drawdown of the convertible loan facility, including the timing thereof, as well as the proposed terms and conditions of the convertible facility. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of the relevant management as of the date such statements are made and are subject to certain assumptions, important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Giyanis ability to control or predict. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In the case of Giyani, these facts include the results of negotiations, their anticipated operations in future periods, planned exploration and development of its properties, and plans related to its business and other matters that may occur in the future. This information relates to analyses and other information that is based on expectations of future performance and planned work programs. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, without limitation: inherent exploration hazards and risks; risks related to exploration and development of natural resource properties; uncertainty in Giyanis ability to obtain funding; commodity price fluctuations; recent market events and conditions; risks related to the uncertainty of mineral resource calculations and the inclusion of inferred mineral resources in economic estimation; risks related to governmental regulations; risks related to obtaining necessary licenses and permits; risks related to their business being subject to environmental laws and regulations; risks related to their mineral properties being subject to prior unregistered agreements, transfers, or claims and other defects in title; risks relating to competition from larger companies with greater financial and technical resources; risks relating to the inability to meet financial obligations under agreements to which they are a party; ability to recruit and retain qualified personnel; and risks related to their directors and officers becoming associated with other natural resource companies which may give rise to conflicts of interests. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect Giyanis forward-looking information. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking information or statements. Giyanis forward-looking information is based on the reasonable beliefs, expectations and opinions of their respective management on the date the statements are made and Giyani does not assume any obligation to update forward looking information if circumstances or managements beliefs, expectations or opinions change, except as required by law. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. For a complete discussion with respect to Giyani and risks associated with forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, please refer to Giyanis financial statements and related MD&A, all of which are filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 06:17:41|Editor: mmm Video Player Close HELSINKI, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven conferred in Helsinki on Monday. A release of the presidential office said the talks of Niinisto and Lofven covered cooperation between Finland and Sweden, European defense cooperation and issues related to the Arctic region. The meeting was the first in a series of high level encounters between Finland and Sweden early this week. On Tuesday, Lofven is to meet Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila. Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom will arrive in Helsinki on Tuesday for talks with Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini. In the Swedish government declaration last week, Finland was the only defense partner of Sweden mentioned by name. "We are deepening our defense cooperation especially with Finland", Lofven formulated in the declaration. The meetings in Helsinki take place against the backdrop of the statement by the new Swedish government that Sweden will not apply for a NATO membership during this governmental tenure and a recent security policy statement by Niinisto underlining the limits in the cooperation with NATO. In an address at the Finnish Military Academy late last year, Niinisto noted explicitly that Finland would not allow its territory to be used for "hostile purposes against third parties". This was seen by observers as an assurance towards Russia and carried a recollection to the cold war era when Finland had a treaty commitment on not allowing its territory to be used against the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Niinisto described the presence of foreign troops in Finland as "by invitation only". Niinisto further said that there was hardly any need to widen the cooperation with NATO. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 05:47:29|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close KIEV, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- A grand gala named "Joyful Spring Festival" dedicated to the Chinese Lunar New Year was held in Kiev on Monday, attracting an audience of about 600 people. Staged at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, the concert featured songs of different Chinese ethnic groups, world-famous opera pieces and Ukrainian songs performed by the chorus of China National Opera House. Chinese artists charmed the Ukrainian public with the 18th century Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower," the masterpiece "Road to Heaven" that highlights the beauty of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and the song "Alishan girl" of Gaoshan ethnic group. Besides, they performed arias from Western operas Carmen, La Traviata and Turandot. The Ukrainian audience was particularly impressed by performance of a Ukrainian New Year song "Schedryk" by the Chinese artists. The concert, organized by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine, was attended by Chinese people living in Ukraine as well as Ukrainian cultural figures and government representatives. Addressing the event, Ukraine's First Deputy Culture Minister Svitlana Fomenko said the Lunar New Year gala, which is held in Ukraine for the second time, is another evidence of flourishing cultural ties between China and Ukraine. "The cultural cooperation between our countries is developing very dynamically," Fomenko said. Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Du Wei said that the event will further promote the cultural exchanges between China and Ukraine. "I hope that today's gala will open the curtain for the new achievements in the cultural sphere between our two countries in the new year," Du said. As part of the event, a photo exhibition was held showing the Spring Festival celebrations in different countries on the five continents. The exhibition featured some 40 exhibits installed in the central hall of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, which was decorated with red lanterns and other Spring Festival symbols. "I am pleased to visit this big celebration. It is great that the Philharmonic in Kiev is so beautifully decorated. And I like this great exhibition," said Ukrainian journalist Margaryta Yakovleva. Meanwhile, Maria Salamin, a musician at the National Bandurist Choir of Ukraine, said she was impressed by the concert performed by the Chinese artists. "This is a totally different culture and quite different music...I really enjoyed it, especially the songs of the national minorities that have been performed today. They are simply fantastic," Salamin said. The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Feb. 5 this year. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 05:32:25|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close Egyptian artists perform at the lighting ceremony of Saladin Citadel in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 28, 2019. Amid a joyous musical winter night, Cairo's renowned Saladin Citadel on Monday lit up in red to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) CAIRO, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Amid a joyous musical winter night, Cairo's renowned Saladin Citadel on Monday lit up in red to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival. The celebration, which was attended by Minister of Chinese Embassy in Cairo Liu Yongfeng and Egypt's Minister of Tourism Rania al-Mashat, was co-organized by the Chinese Cultural Center in cooperation with the Egyptian Tourism Ministry and Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities. "In the Chinese culture, the red color symbolizes good fortune, eternity, prosperity, warmth and hope," Liu addressed the event. "I think all these beautiful words are also good to describe our long-term friendship of our two peoples." She added that the development of China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership will maintain the current great momentum and grow even faster. For her part, al-Mashat said that it is a tradition for Egyptians to celebrate the Spring Festival with the Chinese people over the past ten years. "Our two great nations have long-term friendship and relationship that go back for many years," she said. "We both come from very old civilizations that celebrate art, humanity medicine and lots of achievements." The celebration featured Chinese and Egyptian musical performances that added beauty to the friendly atmosphere. Norhan Salah, an Egyptian young woman, said that it is her first time to attend the Spring Festival celebrations in Egypt, adding that she came to the event to share the festival's moments with her Chinese friends. "I love China and love everything about it...I'm an addict of Chinese drama and literature. I love the Chinese culture because it is very close to ours," said Salah who studies Chinese language at the Chinese Cultural Center in Cairo. Egyptian-Chinese bilateral ties have been elevated to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership with growing economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries in the light of China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 05:12:20|Editor: yan Video Player Close KIEV, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Martin Sajdik, special representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in the Contact Group on Ukraine crisis, unveiled a new peace plan for resolving the conflict in Donbas, the Ukrainian government-run news agency Ukrinform said on Monday. Sajdik said that the OSCE-developed concept envisages sending to the conflict-hit region a joint mission from the OSCE and the United Nations, which would incorporate military and police components as well as international administration. Besides, the new peace plan stipulates for the creation of an agency of Donbas post-conflict recovery, which is ruled by the European Union, Sajdik said. According to him, the plan, which should be approved by the Normandy Four countries, namely Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, is set to replace the Minsk agreements. The Minsk agreements, reached in September 2014 and February 2015 respectively, are designed to peacefully end the conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014. They envisage a ceasefire, a withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the contact line, a prisoner exchange and local elections, among other measures. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 04:22:09|Editor: yan Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- A motorcycle rigged with explosives detonated at a public market in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Mocha on Monday evening, killing six civilians and injuring 26 others, a government official told Xinhua. The government official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that a blast caused by an explosives-laden motorbike parked near a restaurant killed six civilians and injured 26 others in the government-controlled Mocha city. The blast took place around 7:45 p.m. local time while many people were gathering to have their dinner in public restaurant, the source said. It was not immediately clear if pro-government military soldiers or officials were the target in the motorcycle bombing. Local residents said in a telephone interview that the small medical center in Mocha was overwhelmed with the wounded, most of them in critical condition. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the motorcycle blast. Pro-government security forces launched an investigation into the incident. The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since the Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including capital Sanaa, in 2014. Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after the Houthis forced him into exile. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 03:46:54|Editor: yan Video Player Close MUSCAT, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Sultanate of Oman on Monday reported that four people are diagnosed with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). An official statement by the Omani Ministry of Health affirmed the four cases were receiving health care and treatment at a government hospital. The ministry said it took the necessary health measures with other authorities concerned that all hospitals are ready to handle such cases and efforts are underway to combat the disease through an effective epidemiological surveillance system. It appealed to all citizens and residents to abide by the necessary precautions to combat infection, observe hygiene ways when sneezing or coughing and get information from official sources. The total number of SARS cases, recorded in the Sultanate since 2013, including these four cases, hit 18, according to the statement. SARS is a viral respiratory disease caused by the SARS coronavirus. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 03:11:45|Editor: mmm Video Player Close BUCHAREST, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Romania constantly supports the Republic of North Macedonia for its Euro-Atlantic integration, Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said on Monday when meeting with visiting Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister Bujar Osmani. Osmani's visit to Romania, which holds the Presidency of the EU Council during the first semester of the current year, came after Macedonia's parliament had approved the constitutional amendments to change country's name to the Republic of North Macedonia. It is a continuation of high-level contacts between the two countries after Dancila paid an official visit to Skopje last June, according to a Romanian government statement. Dancila commended the ratification of the Prespa (or Prespes) Agreement by the parliaments of Macedonia and Greece. Under the UN-brokered Prespa Agreement reached in June 2018, Macedonia's constitutional name would become "the Republic of North Macedonia". Greece and Macedonia have been in dispute since 1991, when the former Yugoslav republic gained independence. Greece has objected to its neighbor's constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia, fearing that the name indicates territorial ambitions over the northern Greek province of Macedonia. Greece's objection has impeded Skopje's bids to join NATO and the European Union. Dancila "reiterated Romania's constant support for the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Republic of North Macedonia, voicing confidence that the Republic of North Macedonia, with the country's new constitutional name, will become the 30th member of the Alliance", the statement said. For his part, Osmani said that Macedonia will start the negotiations for EU accession during Romania's presidency. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 02:51:40|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close PRAGUE, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of revelers in the Czech capital and two other cities have been fascinated by Chinese New Year celebration featuring art performance and traditional culture presentations. This year, China Zhejiang Wu Opera Troupe brought classic Chinese music genres, dances, acrobatics and performances with traditional musical instruments to the audiences from city of Prague, Ostrava and Olomouc. Czech artists were also invited to the stage, singing with them Czech songs including "Promeny". The four-day event also offers calligraphy and martial arts presentations, tea ceremony and food stands with traditional Chinese snacks such as dumplings, boiled or fried. The fifth Chinese New Year celebration, which started last Friday and ended on Monday, is sponsored by China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Czech Cultural Ministry, the Embassy of China in the Czech Republic, and local governments of Moravian-Silesian region and Olomouc. The celebration has been launched in the Czech Republic to share the joy and culture of the Chinese lunar New Year with the Czech people. Zhang Jianmin, Chinese ambassador to the Czech Republic, said the celebration was kicked off as the first of a series of events to mark the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Czech Republic. "It is the best way to help build a bridge to connect the people of the two countries," said the ambassador. The celebration has been held ahead of the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, which starts on Feb. 5. The year 2019 will be the "Year of the Pig" in the Chinese lunar calendar. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 02:06:23|Editor: yan Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi met in Jerusalem on Monday to discuss economic cooperation and regional threats. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement saying the two officials "discussed bilateral cooperation in technology, innovation and industry." They also discussed the East Med natural gas pipeline that is due to export Israeli gas via Cyprus and Greece to other countries in Europe. The prime minister told his guest that "Iran has been attempting to establish a permanent militarily foothold in Syria and its actions undermine the stability in the Middle East." The Italian foreign minister met also with Israel's President Reuven Rivlin, telling him that Italy sees great importance to the relations between the two countries and that he would be happy to see them become even deeper. The East Med pipeline is expected to facilitate the export of natural gas from Israel through Cyprus and Greece to the rest of Europe. The gas would come from a gigantic natural gas reservoir called Leviathan, which was discovered off Israel's Mediterranean coast nine years ago. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 01:36:15|Editor: yan Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends a gathering and extends Spring Festival greetings to leaders from non-Communist parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and personages without party affiliation in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 28, 2019. Wang Yang and Han Zheng, both members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also attended the gathering.(Xinhua/Yan Yan) BEIJING, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday attended a gathering in Beijing and extended Spring Festival greetings to leaders from non-Communist parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), and personages without party affiliation. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, expressed his hope that they will make new and greater contributions to the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Senior officials Wang Yang and Han Zheng attended the gathering. Gao Yunlong, chairman of the ACFIC, addressed the gathering on behalf of the central committees of non-Communist parties, the ACFIC and personages without party affiliation. Xi said China has kept its economic growth within a reasonable range during the past year, noting that institutional reforms of the Party and the state have been comprehensively promoted along with other reforms, and China's level of opening-up has seen constant improvement. The year 2018 was the first year since new leaders of non-Communist parties and the ACFIC were elected, Xi said, noting that central committees of non-Communist parties, the ACFIC and personages without party affiliation have actively offered advice and suggestions and provided important references for the scientific decision-making and effective policy execution of the CPC Central Committee. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, Xi expressed gratitude for their work including the active role played in poverty alleviation. Noting that pursuing progress while ensuring stability was the underlying principle of the current and future work of the Party and the country, Xi urged to pursue progress while ensuring stability in both economic and social development. He called on non-Communist parties, the ACFIC and personages without party affiliation to unite the people in promoting reform and development, adding that they should follow closely the policies and decisions made by the CPC Central Committee while giving full play to their expertise and wisdom. Calling investigation and research the foundation of making correct decisions, Xi said that more investigations and research should be made in addressing prominent issues in the work of the Party and the country, including forestalling and defusing major risks, carrying out targeted poverty alleviation and preventing and controlling pollution. Xi also called on the ACFIC to fulfil the CPC Central Committee's requirements on supporting the growth of private businesses and help to implement policies of promoting the development of medium-sized, small and micro enterprises and private investment. Cambridge, UK and Indianapolis, US 28 January 2019: Acacia Pharma Group plc (Acacia Pharma, the Company) (EURONEXT: ACPH) welcomes an editorial published in the leading peer-reviewed journal Anesthesiology, accompanying the print publication of results from its positive Phase 3 clinical trial of BARHEMSYS (intravenous amisulpride) as rescue treatment of established post-operative nausea & vomiting (PONV). In their editorial, Drs Darvall and Leslie, of the University of Melbourne, Australia, comment on the significance of what they describe as the first randomized placebo-controlled trial proving the effectiveness of a rescue treatment for postoperative nausea and vomiting after failed prophylaxis with a different agent. Noting it is likely that, on any given day, hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide are vomiting, retching, or experiencing nausea after anesthesia, Drs Darvall and Leslie highlight a lack of high-quality, randomized controlled trials of postoperative nausea and vomiting treatment and summarise the evidence that rescue treatment after failed prophylaxis with an agent from the same class is ineffective. Commending aspects of the trial design, including the distinct and thorough assessment of nausea as well as vomiting, the editorial authors conclude that the study addresses a huge gap in our clinical evidence base. Dr Gabriel Fox, Acacia Pharmas Chief Medical Officer, commented: We are honoured that a journal as prestigious as Anesthesiology has selected our trial with BARHEMSYS as the basis of an editorial. We thank Drs Darvall and Leslie for their thoughtful and balanced article, in which they clearly highlight the pressing unmet need in treating established PONV after failure of standard prophylaxis. We agree with their observation that many millions of patients are suffering with PONV each year and that more research into effective treatments is urgently required. We remain fully committed to further investigation in this highly important and clinically relevant field. References Darvall, J.N. and Leslie, K. Pounds of Prevention but Only Ounces of Cure. Anesthesiology 2019; 130:183-185. Habib, A.S. et al.: Amisulpride for the Rescue Treatment of Postoperative Nausea and/or Vomiting in Patients Failing Prophylaxis: A Randomized, Placebo-controlled Phase III Trial. Anesthesiology 2019; 130:203-212. Contacts Acacia Pharma Group plc Julian Gilbert, CEO Christine Soden, CFO +44 1223 919760 IR@acaciapharma.com Citigate Dewe Rogerson (Financial PR) Mark Swallow, Shabnam Bashir, David Dible +44 20 7638 9571 acaciapharma@citigatedewerogerson.com About PONV PONV is a common complication of surgery, occurring in approximately 30% of surgical patients and up to 80% of high-risk patients. It is associated with the use of anaesthetic gases and opioid pain-killers and is particularly common following gynaecological, abdominal, breast, eye and ear operations, especially those lasting an hour or more. The Company estimates that approximately 65 million surgical procedures are conducted in the US each year that require injectable analgesia and are eligible for antiemetic use to prevent PONV. Based on market research, Acacia Pharma estimates that the total market in the US for prophylactic and rescue treatment comprises an estimated 34 million treatment events annually. PONV has been ranked as the most undesirable of all surgical complications by patients and contributes significantly to patient anxiety and distress. PONV can delay hospital discharge; result in re-admission after in-patient procedures; and lead to day-case patients being admitted to hospital, all of which can result in significantly increased healthcare costs. About Acacia Pharma Acacia Pharma is a hospital pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialisation of new nausea & vomiting treatments for surgical and cancer patients. The Group has identified important and commercially attractive unmet needs in nausea & vomiting and has discovered two product candidates based on the same active ingredient, amisulpride, to meet those needs. The Group's lead project, BARHEMSYS for post-operative nausea & vomiting (PONV), has generated positive results in four Phase 3 clinical studies. A New Drug Application (NDA) for BARHEMSYS is under review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Its sister project, APD403 for chemotherapy induced nausea & vomiting (CINV), has successfully completed one proof-of-concept and one Phase 2 dose-ranging study in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Acacia Pharma is based in Cambridge, UK and its US operations are centred in Indianapolis, IN. The Company is listed on the Euronext Brussels exchange under the under ISIN code GB00BYWF9Y76 and ticker symbol ACPH. www.acaciapharma.com Forward looking statement This announcement includes forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations and projections about future events. These statements may include, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as "believe", "expect", "intend", "may", "plan", "will", "should", "could" and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements may and often do differ materially from actual results. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about the Company and its subsidiaries and investments, including, among other things, the development of its business, trends in its operating industry, and future capital expenditures and acquisitions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances. Any forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current view with respect to future events and are subject to risks relating to future events and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to the Group's business, results of operations, financial position, prospectus, growth or strategies and the industry in which it operates. Save as required by law or applicable regulation, the Company and its affiliates expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update, review or revise any forward-looking statement contained in this announcement whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 01:36:15|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close A staff member presents a refrigerator at the showroom of Chinese home appliances enterprise Midea Group in Beijiao Town of Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Ma Ning) BEIJING, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Six decades ago, the town of Beijiao was home to vast stretches of paddy fields. Beijiao in Shunde District of Foshan City in south China's Guangdong Province, was previously one of the lowest ranking township-level divisions in Shunde, said Wang Chongxi, head of Beijiao township. With reform and opening up, incentives for production were promoted and the commodity economy has rapidly developed. The GDP of Beijiao in 2018 surpassed 60 billion yuan (8.89 billion U.S. dollars), an annual increase of 7.5 percent. The township is now an economic powerhouse with two Fortune Global 500 companies. Wang said the change was made possible through "indomitable and fearless reforms and the guarantee of socialism with Chinese characteristics." China has set 2020 as the target year to finish the building of a moderately prosperous society (Xiaokang) in all aspects, with poverty eradicated and GDP and per capita income doubling that in 2010. The miracle of Beijiao reflects the miracle of China. Through reform and opening up, Chinese people have used innovation and hard work to move ahead. ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUCCESS "Only through independent innovation can China's manufacturers hold their heads high in the global market," said Zhu Yunlong, a senior vice president with Goodbaby, now a world-leading parenting products company. The brand was founded 30 years ago, when its founder took over a factory on the verge of closure. Goodbaby's stroller sales ranked first in China in 1993. It became the largest stroller supplier of the United States and the European Union in 1999 and 2006 respectively. A total of 9,200 patents have been created by Goodbaby, equal to the total number of patents of its top five global competitors, Zhu said. "Reform and opening up has brought not only opportunities but also innovation vigor and a striving spirit," he added. China rolled out more than 100 important reform measures in 2018. The country hosted the first China International Import Expo and started construction of Hainan Pilot Free Trade Zone. Supply-side structural reform and institutional reform have made further headway in recent years, demonstrating China's determination to accomplish rejuvenation. Reforms, which China says will never stop, have also brought impressive opportunities for foreigners. Foreign direct investment (FDI) in December reached 92.34 billion yuan, up 24.9 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Adrien Duisberg Brill, having finished his freshman year in Arizona, moved to Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, in 2009. Falling in love with China, he applied to Sichuan University the next year and completed his undergrad education. Brill now operates a company in Huangshan City of east China's Anhui Province. "I have spent 10 years in China and now hold deep feelings toward this country. I regard myself as one of you," Brill said. "China has a friendly environment for entrepreneurship. I think my current success could not be reproduced in any other country." Brill said he wanted to share his experiences with more American friends, deepening their understanding of China as a bridge. "I hope some of them can come here like me and fall in love with the country." HOPE FOR BETTER FUTURE Huangshan has stepped up protection of its ancient villages in recent years. Its natural scenery, culture and history have not only attracted increasing domestic tourists but also visitors from afar. Starting in 2016, dozens of undergraduate students from leading American universities including Harvard and Yale have conducted a week-long visit to the region. They visited ancient villages to learn tea farming and production, craftsmanship, architecture, philosophy and history. Frida Calderon, now a senior at Yale University, came to Huangshan when she was a freshman. "There is a lot to learn from China's extensive scholarship." "People living in the ancient villages shared many stories about changes in their lives since reform and opening up," she said. "I believe that they will continue to have better and better lives." Changes do not only take place in more developed east China. Karmapemo, a graduate student at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), comes from rural area of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. "When I herded yaks during childhood and saw planes in the sky, I dreamed of flying in the sky in the future too," she said. "Back then my parents never would have thought their daughter could one day attend university by taking a train or a plane." She was elected class monitor when she entered NUAA as a freshman, and for years, with the support of NUAA, Karmapemo spent a considerable amount of time teaching Tibetan children in her hometown. "The economy is booming and people's lives progress with each passing day as a result of reform and opening up," Karmapemo said. "I witnessed the changes. As a Chinese, our country's achievements make me proud." In 2001, Yuan Jianhua, a scholar at Harvard University, returned to China and founded JET Bio-filtration in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province. Yuan's enterprise has provided more than 50 countries such as the United States, Japan and Germany with products, including laboratory consumables. "Without reform and opening up, my company's development, from small to large, would be impossible," Yuan said. "Though I spent many years studying overseas, I am on the same wave as our nation and, always from the bottom of heart, I hope our country can become stronger." (Video reporters: Mei Yuanlong, Zhou Ziyang, Tang Yang, Deng Ruixuan, Xiao Sisi, Chen Nuo, Chen Gang; Video editors: Yin Le, Xie Xie) Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 01:31:13|Editor: yan Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday that no Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank will be ever evicted, even not in the framework of a future peace agreement. He made the remark during a meeting with settlers of Netiv Ha'avot, a former outpost demolished in June 2018 under a court order because it had been illegally built on private Palestinian land. The meeting was held in a new neighborhood that Israel's right-wing government sponsored for Netiv Ha'avot's former residents in the settlement of Migdal Oz, south of Jerusalem. "No one will be uprooted from his home," Netanyahu told the settlers. "There is a thought that the way to achieve peace with the Arabs is by uprooting us from our land," he said, referring to the Palestinians' demand to halt the expansion of the settlements in order to renew the long-stalled peace talks. "As far as I am concerned, there will be no uprooting of settlements, and there will be no cessation of (construction in the) settlements, but the exact opposite," Netanyahu noted. "The land of Israel is ours and it will remain ours," he added. The meeting was held amidst political campaigns held ahead of Israel's general elections to be held in April. The settlements, a major issue among the right-wing constituency, are illegal under the international law because they are built on lands seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war where the Palestinian wish to build their future state. File Photo: A rose is seen at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, capital of Germany, on Jan. 27, 2019. The memorial, located in the center of Berlin, was built to remember the up to 6 million Jews killed in Nazi Germany during World War II. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi) SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The daughter of a former Chinese diplomat who risked his life and career to help thousands of Jews escape from Nazi-occupied Europe recounted her father's story during an event to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day held in the western U.S. state of California on Sunday. Fengshan Ho, known as the "Oskar Schindler of China," served as the Chinese Consul General in Vienna from 1938 to 1940. When the Nazis took over Austria in March 1938, anti-Semitism and the persecution of Jews erupted in full force. "My father was one of the first diplomats who helped Jews escape the Nazi-occupied Europe," Manli Ho told the audience of hundreds of people from the Jewish community who attended the event hosted by Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael, about 29 km north of San Francisco. "What he did was to issue one particular visa to one place in China -- the port of Shanghai," she said. The Nazi authorities incarcerated Jews in concentration camps unless they produced proof of emigration. At that time, the Japanese-occupied Shanghai did not require documents for entry. With Fengshan Ho's visa, Jewish refugees were allowed to leave Austria. Consulates were flooded with applications from Jews desperate to escape the Nazi Holocaust, but many countries were unwilling to accept more refugees, Manli Ho explained. Shanghai was the first city in the world which opened doors to Jews. According to the Shanghai Jewish Center, from 1938 on, some 20,000 Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria escaped to Shanghai. By the end of the war, the Chinese coastal city was home to approximately 24,000 Jews. During her presentation, Manli Ho showed the audience historical photos, including those of some refugees' passports with her father's visas, as well as family photos of some refugees after they had escaped Europe. It was not known how many visas Fengshan Ho had issued for Jewish refugees, but based on the serial number of the visas, it was estimated to be in the thousands, his daughter said. "He is a role model for us," said Elana Rosen-Brown, Rabbi-Cantor of Congregation Rodef Sholom. "We are all motivated by his righteous deeds." International Holocaust Remembrance Day is an global memorial day on Jan. 27 designated by the United Nations in 2005 to commemorate the genocide that occurred during World War II. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 01:11:09|Editor: yan Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- A car bomb went off in Syria's rebel-held northern city of Azaz in the countryside of Aleppo province on Monday, wounding five people, a war monitor reported. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the car bomb was detonated in southeast of Azaz which is controlled by the Turkey-backed militant groups, adding that one of the wounded is in critical condition. It's the latest in a series of explosion rocking rebel-held areas in northern Syria, particularly in the northern countryside of Aleppo near the Turkish border. Earlier in the day, a roadside bomb went off in the Afrin city also in the northern countryside of Aleppo, killing one person, according to the Observatory. The activist group repeatedly reported about the state of lawlessness in rebel-held areas in northern Syria as many of those areas are strongholds for various rebel groups which are not always on the same page. Explosions even returned this month in safe areas such as in the capital Damascus, where two low-scale explosions took place leaving injuries. Also in January, a car bomb went off in Latakia city in northwestern Syria, killing one and wounding four others. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 00:15:53|Editor: yan Video Player Close BERLIN, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer demanded on Monday that the "logic of thresholds" for particulate matter and nitrogen oxides in the air should be questioned. Limit values should be verifiable, since the effects of limits would now be affecting citizens. "Air quality is quality of life. But a good quality of life also requires good mobility," said Scheuer. Scheuer encouraged a discussion about the precise locations of measuring stations for air pollutants in Europe. Other countries would proceed "very freely and very flexibly" in this regard, according to Scheuer. That is why the locations of the NOx and fine dust measuring stations in Germany were now being checked. The minister of the German federal state of Hesse, Volker Bouffier, also supported an examination of the position of measuring stations in Germany. It would be sensible to think about why the measuring stations would be positioned "directly on the curb when the relevant EU regulation says they could be up to 10 meters behind them," Bouffier argued. Michael Kretschmer, minister of the German federal state of Saxony, warned against a policy of lecturing on the current debate on limit values for particulate matter in Germany. Acceptance for air pollution thresholds would fall "if people have the impression that laws and limit values are not there to protect them." Last week, over 100 German lung physicians signed a position paper in which the health benefits of the currently valid limit values for particulate matter and nitrogen oxides were questioned. The publication of the position paper had further intensified the debate on limit values for air pollutants in Germany. "It is correct that we in Germany are now engaged in an intensive debate on whether the nitrogen oxide thresholds set by the EU are based on a serious scientific foundation and whether the measuring stations are correctly positioned," Bernhard Mattes, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), told the German newspaper Handelsblatt on Monday. Good regulation would include constant questioning of laws and their application, added Mattes. The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) contradicted the position paper of the German doctors on Sunday. "FIRS agrees with the national German standards, the European standards and those of the World Health Organization (WHO) and thus contradicts the group of German lung specialists who had spoken out in favor of watering down the limit values," the FIRS statement reads. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 00:10:52|Editor: yan Video Player Close SKOPJE, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Monday signed a loan agreement of 10 million euros (around 11.4 million U.S. dollars) for a project providing 35 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to Macedonian capital Skopje. The loan agreement signed at the Macedonian Finance Ministry aims to modernize the city's bus operations, enhance public transport and improve air quality. Macedonian public enterprise (JSP) will also invest 1.8 million euros (around 2.06 million dollars) in the project, which will provide a fleet of 35 CNG buses to replace diesel buses and thus will cut CO2 emissions by at least 15 percent. The Mayor of Skopje Petre Silegov, present at the signing ceremony, said that he expects that with the buses in operation, air pollution of the capital city, fuel consumption and maintenance costs will all be significantly reduced. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 00:05:52|Editor: yan Video Player Close LUSAKA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people gathered at a church in Lusaka, the Zambian capital for a funeral service of the country's former Vice President Lupando Mwape who died last week. President Edgar Lungu led hundreds of senior government officials, opposition leaders and ordinary citizens in paying their last respects to the former vice-president, who was 68, during a somber service held at the church. Solemn music characterized the funeral service, with family members clad in black attire. The Zambian leader described the former vice president as a gallant son of the land who had integrity and a strong desire to see a better Zambia. He told the funeral service that the former vice president had an approachable persona which made it easy for anyone to interact with him, adding that he had left behind an impressive ad admirable career both in public service and in politics. After the church service, the former vice president's body was taken to Leopard Memorial Park for burial. The government declared three days of national mourning in honor of the former president from Friday, when his body arrived in the country from South Africa where he died. The government had evacuated him to a South African hospital for specialized treatment. He served as vice president under late President Levy Mwanawasa between 2004 and 2007 and was Zambia's ambassador to the People's Republic of China between 2007 and 2009. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 00:05:52|Editor: yan Video Player Close SINGAPORE, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Singapore launched on Monday evening its bicentennnial celebration, as its Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted the year of 1819 marked the beginning of a modern, outward-looking and multicultural Singapore. Lee made the remarks in his speech that although a thriving seaport existed in Singapore as early as the 14th century, it was when the British Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore in 1819 and made Singapore a free port. The establishment of the free port made trade Singapore's lifeblood, drawing immigrants and helping to nurture political values, inter-communal relations and worldviews that "diverged from the society on the other side of the causeway". So, without 1819, the path to nationhood as Singaporeans know it today may not have happened, he said at the launch ceremony held at the Asian Civilization Museum. Singapore celebrated its 53rd birthday on Aug. 9 last year. "In this bicentennial year, as we reflect on how this nation came into being, let us also think of how we can move forward together. For we are never done building Singapore," he said. Lee said that over 200 groups and organizations are holding commemorative events for the bicentennial this year. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-29 00:05:51|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close MADRID, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Atletico Madrid on Monday confirmed an 18-month loan deal for Chelsea's Spain international striker, Alvaro Morata. The deal was made official on Monday, although the move was an open secret after the striker arrived in Madrid in the early hours of Sunday in order to complete his medical check with the club. The move has angered some Atletico fans who are unhappy about Morata's past with local rivals, Real Madrid, but speaking to the press on Sunday morning Morata said it was "normal for people to have their opinions, but I know what I have to do." "I began my career at Atletico and people know where I come from know my story and what it means for me. The past is the past and I can't change it," commented the forward, while the Atletico website reminded fans he had "spent four years at our Academy, having joined as an Alevin (10-11 years old)." The 26-year-old Morata joined Chelsea from Real Madrid in the summer of 2017 and scored 16 league goals in 47 appearances, although the feeling has always been that he wastes too many clear cut chances. Atletico will hope he can provide support to Antoine Griezmann and provide cover for the injured Diego Costa. Morata is likely to make his debut at some time during Atletico's next Liga Santander match, which is away to Betis, while his home debut will be the following week in the Madrid derby against non-other than Real Madrid. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 23:50:48|Editor: yan Video Player Close WINDHOEK, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The sustainability of the 140 kilometer water canal which supplies water to about 847,000 people in the Northern part of Namibia is under threat from persistent drought conditions that are faced by the country. A sustainability report released Monday by the country's water utility says the canal which starts from Calque Dam in Angola and stretches to Oshakati in Namiba is under threat from unsustainable rainfall patterns that have affected Namibia and other Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. "While Namibia is generally experienced with drought conditions, in recent years the sustainability of this water supply infrastructure (Canal) has been threatened by the destruction of the canal by floods which wash away sections of the canal as well as drought conditions, which have limited water supply. "For this reason the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry with development partners KFW commissioned a pre-feasibility study aimed at analyzing the water demand and supply situation in the areas supplied by the canal," aid the report. SADC countries are said to be facing a potential drought with normal to below normal rainfall because of an Elnino condition. Hampton, VA, Jan. 27, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hundreds of Hampton University students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members including City of Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck and U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott, attended the unveiling of the latest addition to campus, Legacy Park, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The opening of Legacy Park, which was commissioned by the Hampton University Board of Trustees, culminates a full year of celebration of the leadership of Hampton University. Legacy Park is located between Hamptons noted historical landmarks Memorial Church and Ogden Hall, faces the campus' scenic waterfront. The sculpted figures in the park represent members of the Hampton family, as well as friends, who have studied, worked and demonstrated support of Hamptons mission of academic excellence and character building in an outstanding manner. During the ribbon cutting ceremony officially unveiling this new and beautiful campus landmark, Hampton University President, Dr. William R. Harvey provided an inspirational and heartfelt message to the audience in attendance about Hampton Universitys founder, Brig. General Samuel Chapman Armstrong. The unveiling coincides with Hampton Universitys Founders Day. On this Founders Day and every day, I am an unabashed fan of General Samuel Chapman Armstrong. I have said that he worked tirelessly to transform the haze of a dream into the concrete reality of an institution, and as a result, hundreds of thousands of people; black, white, red of all shapes and colors, have been the beneficiary. Just since I have been President, some 34,000 students have graduated from Hampton University. Thats a blessing as well, said Dr. Harvey. I want you to think about something as we honor General Armstrong today. Think about the fact that he, as a northern white man, a General in the Union Army during the Civil War, came to the cradle of confederacy and started a school for recently freed slaves. Think about all of the opposition that he had from the recent slave owners, and the other haters, but despite all that, he persevered. I am absolutely convinced his vision, his courage, his genius and his hard work has changed the very course of the universe. After his sentimental and emotional message about General Armstrong, Dr. Harvey spoke about Legacy Park and why some of the individuals are being memorialized in this new campus landmark. Its always exciting to unveil a new campus project. The Lord has blessed me and my team, and my family to be able to provide the leadership for some 41 years, and we have built 29 structures, but this is something that is new. The area that we are getting to unveil now, Legacy Park, is one that will further contribute to the beauty of this outstanding campus, while standing as a lasting memorial of people who have made a lasting impact on us. Legacy Park was established by the Hampton University Board of Trustees, under the leadership of Chairman Wesley Coleman and we wanted to memorialize a few of the people that have had a major impact on this great institution, said Dr. Harvey. We understand why most of these people are being memorialized, but some may not be as obvious. William Howard Taft, when he was President of the United States and Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, was president of the board, basically he was Chairman of Hamptons Board. Think about the influence that a sitting President had. President Taft contributed to Hampton University immeasurably. I want you to also think about Susan B. LaFlesche, you may not know about her. She was the first Native American to get a medical degree in the United States of America. She was a Hampton grad, Dr. Harvey said. Some of you may remember Reuben Burrell. He was the most cantankerous man Ive ever seen in my life. He was fussy, but he got the job done, Dr. Harvey said with a smile and some of the audience members who knew Mr. B., laughed. The sculptures themselves in Legacy Park were created by artist Jon Hair. I love commemorating people in history because I think they need to be memorialized but my real impetus is that seeing them will inspire others to do great things in their own lives, said Hair. The individuals recognized at Legacy Park are: - Martin Luther King Jr.: an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his death in 1968. Dr. King made several visits to Hampton Universitys campus. His mother Alberta Williams King graduated from Hampton University in 1924. - Rosa Parks: During the period of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and following, Mrs. Parks and her family experienced constant harassment. She and her husband were fired from their jobs and unable to secure other employment. As a result, they returned to her home in Detroit. A mere 9 months after the boycott officially ended on December 20, 1956, Mrs. Parks (mother of the Civil Rights Movement) was offered and accepted employment at Hampton University. On September 5, 1957, then President of Hampton, Alonzo G. Moron wrote to Mrs. Parks, I would like very much to have you come to work for us at Hampton as hostess at the Holly Tree Inn. He further shared with her, in this job you have an opportunity to meet many interesting people, for we always have visitors at Hampton. A few days later, Mrs. Parks responded, If your offer of the job is still open, I would like to hear more about it, and will come to Hampton when you are ready for me to begin. She concluded the letter stating, Thank you for considering me as Holly Tree Inns hostess. On September 23, 1957, she arrived on campus to assume the aforementioned position. In that position, she demonstrated grace, competence, and courtesy. Mrs. Parks remained employed at the University for 1 year, after which she returned to Detroit where she lived the remainder of her life. Mrs. Parks desired to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free...so other people would be also free. - William Howard Taft: While serving as President of the United States and later Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, President Taft was the President of the Hampton University Board of Trustees. During this time, he was very influential in securing federal support for Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. The Board of Trustees were so pleased with his support and contributions that they named a bedroom in the Mansion House in his honor. The William Howard Taft Room in the Mansion House is still utilized as a bedroom for distinguished visitors. President Taft served on the board from 1909 until his death in 1930. - Mary Jackson: an African American mathematician and aerospace engineer at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which in 1958 was succeeded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She worked at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, for most of her career. She began as a computer analyst at the segregated West Area Computing division. She took advanced engineering classes and, in 1958, became NASA's first black female engineer. Jackson's story is featured in the non-fiction book Hidden Figures: The Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race. She is one of the three protagonists in Hidden Figures, the film adaptation released the same year. Jackson graduated from Hampton University in 1942. - Barack Hussein Obama: an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. He was the first African American to be elected to the presidency. Obamas relationship with Hampton University dates back to 2007, when President William R. Harvey invited then Senator Obama to address attendees of the 93rd Annual Hampton University Ministers Conference. The Hampton University Marching Force Band, performed in President Obamas Inaugural Parade. President Barack Obama returned to the campus when he served as the University's 140th commencement speaker on May 9, 2010. - Susan B. LaFlesche: an Omaha Native American doctor and reformer in the late 19th century. She is widely acknowledged as the first Native American to earn a medical degree. She campaigned for public health and for the formal, legal allotment of land to members of the Omaha tribe. She graduated from Hampton Institute in 1886, as class salutatorian. - Mary Peake: daughter of a freed African American woman and a Frenchman who conducted the first lessons taught under the Emancipation Oak located on the Universitys campus. Classes continued at The Butler School, which was constructed in 1863 next to the oak. - George H. W. Bush: an American politician who served as the 41st president of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Prior to assuming the presidency, Bush served as the 43rd vice president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. His earlier posts included those of congressman, ambassador, and CIA director. President Bush demonstrated a long-standing support of Historically Black Colleges and Universities over his career. Aside from delivering the 1991 Commencement address at Hampton University, President Bush founded the United Negro College Fund chapter at Yale University during his college days. As president, he continued his overwhelmingly positive support for Black Colleges with initiatives such as appointing 23 individuals to the Presidents Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities to advise him and the Secretary of Education on ways to strengthen the HBCUs; directed the Office of Personnel Management, in conjunction with the Secretaries of Labor and Education, to develop a program to improve the recruitment of graduate, and undergraduate HBCU students for part-time and summer federal positions; and signed Executive Order 12677, which directed 27 agencies to increase the opportunities for the participation of HBCUs in federal programs and others. - Jerome Holland: Jerome H. Holland was inaugurated as the ninth president of Hampton Institute in 1960. During Hollands service to Hampton Institute, the dedications of Thomas Turner Hall, Martin Luther King Hall and the William A. Freeman Hall were accomplished. President Holland was responsible for Virginia Hall, Academy Building, Mansion House, and Memorial Chapel being included on the Virginia Landmarks Register. President Holland served at Hampton until 1970. - Reuben Burrell: or "Mr. B" as he was also called, said he would work until the day he died and that he did, rarely missing a day of his 66-year career as Hampton's photographer. He worked under eight presidents recording now-historical events, student life, graduation ceremonies and famous visitors. Hampton Universitys broad range of history and culture is readily apparent through Burrells work. His photographs and his stories were an inspiration. He touched the lives of many Hampton University administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and visitors. - Frederick Douglass: an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, gaining note for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings. He visited the campus in 1884 and said, This school is too vast, too multiform, too cosmian, to be grasped in a single hour. I have seen London, I have seen Edinburgh I have seen Venice, I have seen the Coliseum, I have seen the British Museum, but I should not have seen the world if I had not seen Hampton Institute. I have seen more today of what touches my feelings, more of prophecy of what is to be, more of contrast with what has been, than I have ever seen before. I cant talk, I can only say I am glad-glad-glad deep in my heart, with what I see. Frederick Douglass [January 1884] Attachments Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 23:45:47|Editor: yan Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's western region of Kigoma, which borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) across Lake Tanganyika, said on Monday it has strengthened its surveillance and alert systems against the deadly Ebola following a recent warning by the World Health Organization (WHO). "We are on high alert 24 hours a day and seven days a week," said Paul Chaote, Kigoma regional medical officer. Chaote said 14 Ebola treatment centers or temporary Ebola holding centers have been created in the region. Kigoma regional authorities undertook these measures following advice by the WHO to countries sharing a border with DR Congo to urgently strengthen their surveillance and alert systems for early detection of Ebola, and timely and effective response. According to WHO, as of January 15, there had been 663 cases of Ebola, including 407 deaths in the DR Congo. "Screening at five entry points of Kigoma airport, Kigoma port, and Manyovu and Mabamba borders is ongoing," Chaote told Xinhua in an email. He said laboratory personnel have been trained on safety procedures and specimen collection, packaging, labelling and transportation. Chaote added that 391 health workers have been trained on Ebola case management, sample collection and transportation. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 23:40:47|Editor: yan Video Player Close TEHRAN, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iranian foreign minister said on Monday that the ties with Abu Dhabi have drifted into an "unacceptable" course because of the strategic "mistakes" by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) leaders over the past years. "The UAE government, despite maintaining vast economic ties with Iran, has entered an unacceptable confrontational phase in its relations with the Islamic republic because of the political and strategic mistakes of its leaders," Mohammad Javad Zarif told a parliament session. The UAE has announced that it will comply with the re-imposition of the U.S. sanctions against Iran. In recent months, Washington's sanctions targeted Iran's shipping sector as well as its banks, oil exports and national airline, a decision that complicated Iranian oil tankers' fueling in the UAE's Fujairah port. On Monday, Zarif said that Iran was taking necessary diplomatic measures to ensure Abu Dhabi would no longer violate the rights of Iranian traders working in the country. Meanwhile, Iran was laying required financial ground in other countries in the Gulf region to replace the UAE, he added, referring to the countries that have "better" relations with Iran, namely Oman and Qatar. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 23:35:45|Editor: yan Video Player Close GAZA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement has begun consultations with factions of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to form a new government, a move Palestinian observers believe will further deepen the 11-year-old internal division. On Sunday, Fatah Central Committee recommended the formation of a national unity government. In a press statement following a meeting chaired by Abbas, the committee said the new unity government should comprise PLO political factions and independent figures to replace the current consensus government headed by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. The Fatah Central Committee also recommended the formation of a committee that includes Fatah leaders to begin dialogue and consultations with PLO factions on the formation of the new government. Fatah officials announced that the committee will not hold any discussions with Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, or the Islamic Jihad movement. The current Palestinian consensus government was formed in mid-2014 in accordance to a reconciliation agreement reached in Gaza in the house of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. Meanwhile, Hamas criticized Fatah's attempts to create a new government, saying it comes with no "national consensus." In an interview with Xinhua, Hamas Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum accused Fatah of evading its responsibilities of ending the internal division, stressing that it is necessary to form a national unity government of all political factions to prepare for the general elections. Officials in the Popular Front and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the two largest factions in the PLO after Fatah, announced their refusal to join the new government as it does not "enjoy national consensus." "Fatah movement believes that forming a new government is an effective tool to restore its power in ruling in the West Bank," Ramallah-based political analyst and writer Jihad Harb told Xinhua. Through the new factional government, Fatah want to face the consequences of the next stage, including the possibility of taking new measures against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, he added. "Fatah sees that the current government did not deal properly with many files which led to difficult economic and social challenges," the expert said, adding that the formation of the new government will exacerbate the internal Palestinian division "which has already become enough." In October 2017, Palestinian rival movements Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation deal in Cairo to end their long-time rift, agreeing on a complete handover of Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to Fatah by Dec. 1 and to enable the consensus government under Fatah to have full control of the enclave. However, the deal has not been implemented so far, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Fatah in the West Bank are trading accusations on who is responsible for the delay. The Palestinian division began in June 2007 when Islamic Hamas movement forcibly seized control of the Gaza Strip, leaving Fatah party in control over only the West Bank. Hani el-Masri, a Ramallah-based political analyst, said the approach of the Palestinian Authority and Fatah to form a new government comes after the reconciliation efforts reached a dead end. "The government to be formed should assume the task of preparing for the legislative elections following the recent decision of the Supreme Constitutional Court to dissolve the current Hamas-dominated Legislative Council," he told Xinhua. He added that the move to form a new government without consensus perpetuates "the failure of the Egyptian attempts to create a breakthrough in the reconciliation file to end the division." Abbas announced on Dec. 22 last year that the Palestinian Constitutional Court issued a decision to dissolve the inoperative parliament, better known as the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), and prepare for holding new parliamentary elections in the Palestinian territories within six months. Hamas movement, which won the last parliamentary elections held in 2006, slammed the decision as a way to deepen the internal Palestinian division. In the meantime, professor of political science at Al-Azhar University in Gaza Riyad al-Eila highlighted that the formation of the new government will be linked to the basic task of preparing for the holding of new parliamentary elections. "It is too early to talk about the extent of participation in the new government or the extent of its support from the factions of the PLO," he said, adding that the upcoming official consultations will decide who is going to join the new government. He also said the general trend is to elect a parliament as "a translation of a new transitional phase that would effectively put previous Palestinian decisions into actions in order to transform from the stage of an authority to the stage of a state." Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 23:25:41|Editor: yan Video Player Close ZAGREB, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Croatian Economy Minister Darko Horvat confirmed on Monday that several investors have submitted bids to become a strategic partner of Croatia's largest shipbuilder Uljanik, the public television HRT reported. Some of the bids are very serious, Horvat told reporters but refused to name any until the company's management further evaluate all of them. The CEO of Uljanik shipyard, Emil Bulic, presented on Monday the submitted offers to the economy minister. Bulic told reporters that the management would disclose the offers in the next few days after the evaluation. "The criterion for choosing the best bid is sustainable shipbuilding in both shipyards and liquidity insurance for the functioning of the system," Bulic explained. Uljanik Group is the largest shipbuilder in Croatia that owns two shipyards in the northern Adriatic cities of Pula and Rijeka. The company is on the brink of bankruptcy and in a desperate need of a strategic partner who would help it to stay afloat. From December 27 until January 24, the management decided to open its "data room" and run a due diligence process for all potential investors. The CEO of Uljanik confirmed on Friday that six companies were involved in the process. For years shipbuilding has been an important industrial sector in Croatia, but since the early 1990s, Croatia's shipbuilding industry has been struggling to survive. The state still has a minor stake in Uljanik, but the shipyard's management has the final say on its future. According to some estimates, Croatia has spent over 30 billion kuna (4.7 billion U.S. dollars) to subsidize its shipyards since 1992. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 22:25:12|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close WINDHOEK, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources on Monday said that it is safe again to consume abalone from the Luderitz Aquaculture Production Area. The ministry's public relations officer De Wet Siluka told Xinhua Monday the most recent test results conducted on abalone samples collected from Luderitz Production Area produced negative results of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning in abalone. The test was facilitated by the Namibia Standard Institute and was guided by the National Shellfish Sanitation Program following an announcement of a potential threat on Jan. 11, a statement from the ministry said. The abalone samples were collected and submitted for testing for Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, the ministry said and two consecutive re-tests produced negative results which confirmed that abalone may therefore be harvested for direct human consumption. Meanwhile Siluka said that no cases of human poisoning were recorded during the period, due to the ministry's fast reaction. Furthermore he added that the results from the oysters and mussels produced at Walvis Bay also indicated that there were no abnormalities in the products. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 22:15:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- A Russian Su-27 fighter intercepted a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea approaching the Russian border, the Russian Defense Ministry said Monday. "The Russian fighter approached an airborne object and its crew identified it from a safe distance as a P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft of the U.S. Air Force," said the ministry in a brief statement. After the U.S. plane flew away from the Russian border, the Su-27 returned safely to its home airfield, the ministry said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 21:50:01|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close BERLIN, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier is seeking to protect consumers in his country from additional costs arising from the phase-out of coal energy, he said in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF on Monday. "The government will do all it can to protect consumers from increasing electricity prices" resulting from the transition to renewable energy, Altmaier said. Affordability and reliability in energy supply would be "precious assets" to the minister. Last week, the coal commission formed by the German government and bringing together politicians, climate protectors, trade unionists, entrepreneurs and researchers agreed on a coal phase-out by 2038 and sketched out the way to achieve this. The commission's final report proposes 40 billion euros (45.6 billion U.S. dollars) in aid for German coal regions affected by the phase-out. Altmaier announced that "two major laws" would be necessary to facilitate the implementation of the coal commission's decision. The first law would regulate "how to create new jobs" and "how to help the affected regions," while the second would set out a clear schedule for "when each plant can be taken off the grid." Altmaier pledged that the government will examine the commission's report carefully and constructively, supporting Germany's strategy of switching to renewable energies. Last year, renewable energies accounted for more than 40 percent of the country's energy mix for the first time, according to calculations published by PV research institute Fraunhofer ISE. Germany's utility giant RWE expects the exit from coal to also cost jobs. On Monday, RWE CEO Rolf Martin Schmitz told the German newspaper Rheinische Post that he could not yet say how many employees would be affected. "But I expect a significant reduction by 2023, which will go far beyond previous plans and what is possible through normal fluctuation." People look at musical instruments at an exhibition in Gaborone, capital of Botswana, Jan. 26, 2019. (Xinhua) GABORONE, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition of musical instruments with Chinese brands, held in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, attracted about 1,000 people. The three-day exhibition, which ended Sunday, was hosted by Paradise Melody Instruments to introduce musical instruments from China. Lynne Liu, general manager of Paradise Melody Instruments, told Xinhua on Saturday that she is optimistic the affordable instruments from China can help nurture Botswana's potential music talent. "Most music instruments in Botswana come from neighbouring South Africa, and the prices are very high," Liu said, adding that many musicians in Botswana rely on second-hand equipment from overseas. Liu said she wanted to introduce good Chinese instruments of competitive prices for music enthusiasts in Botswana. Lynn Taylor, a music teacher in Gaborone, expressed the intention to cooperate with Paradise Melody Instruments due to its quality instruments and affordable prices. People light candles to mourn for victims of an attack in Nairobi, Kenya, on Jan. 22, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Teng) NAIROBI, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police said Sunday called on the public to remain on high alert and be extra vigilant especially in crowded public places in the wake of a major terror attack in the country. Police Inspector General Joseph Boinnet said security officers have stepped up security surveillance across the country in the wake of an attack at DusitD2 hotel complex on Jan. 15 in which 21 people were killed and an explosion in Nairobi on Saturday evening that left two people slightly injured. Somali-based extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the hotel attack. "It is critical that all citizens must step up their levels of alertness regarding their surroundings and provide information immediately to the police in case anything out of the ordinary is observed," Boinnet said in a statement issued in Nairobi. He said the security forces have increased surveillance measures in key installations, private and public places and urged the public to exercise caution while dealing with people with mysterious motives. The police chief advised against the laxity in the screening of cars for explosives at all shopping malls and any business or social gatherings at any given moment that these might be vulnerable to attacks. "We also wish to inform the public that whilst we have stepped up alertness on our highways, all police commanders have been instructed to apply to a court of law for forfeiture of any vehicle found with illegal immigrants and any form of contraband," said the police chief. He also called on hotels, landlords, churches and public service vehicles including educational institutions to always endeavor to establish the identity of their customers entering their premises by examining their identification documents. "We further advise that all hotel operators must obtain full details of their lodgers and restaurant operators must also step up their levels of alertness and security in their establishments," Boinnet said. The statement came after two people were slightly injured on Saturday evening after an improvised explosive device went off along a busy Nairobi street. Nairobi police commander Philip Ndolo said a man had allegedly hired a trolley pusher to move a carton box within the city when the package exploded. The explosion injured the trolley pusher and a newspaper vendor. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 21:04:49|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Eshaq Jahangiri, first vice president of Iran, arrived in Syria's capital Damascus on Monday for meetings with top officials. The top Iranian official is expected to hold meetings with Syrian officials and promote cooperation between his country and the administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The two-day visit comes as part of Tehran's effort to assist Syria in its reconstruction process. The visit also comes in the light of the repetitive Israeli strikes on Syria, which are reportedly targeting Iranian-run bases in Syria. Iran has been a key supporter to the Syrian government in the face of the more than seven-year-long insurgency. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 20:29:41|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close MOGADISHU, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Monday expressed its support to the semi-autonomous Puntland State for the peaceful transfer of power after the inauguration of Said Abdullahi Deni. Francisco Madeira, head of AMISOM, lauded the maturity with which the federal state held its Jan. 8 presidential election won by Deni. "The process was evident of democratic maturity in Puntland," Madeira said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, adding that the AU mission would continue working with Puntland forces to fight violent extremism and terrorism. "As you begin to deliver on your promises and duties to Puntland and Somalia, as a key partner of Somalia, AMISOM stands ready to support you and your administration in fulfilling your mandate," said Madeira. Puntland's presidential vote followed similar elections held in South West State on Dec. 19, 2018. Deni took office as the fifth president of Puntland at Saturday night's inauguration ceremony which was witnessed by Somali President Mohamed Farmajo, senior government officials and representatives of the international community. Puntland declared itself semi-autonomous in 1998 as fighting raged through most of Somalia. Since then the region of about 3 million people has had four presidents, all selected by lawmakers who were in turn selected by clan elders. Madeira also commended Puntland police forces for their role in the implementation of operational readiness assessment of Puntland State Police. The assessment, he said, was spearheaded by AMISOM and is aimed at gauging the preparedness of the Somali security forces to take over security responsibilities from the AU Mission. Madeira expressed gratitude to outgoing President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali for his administration's achievements. "Your administration has achieved a lot for the people of Puntland - we all owe you a debt of gratitude. More importantly, I wish to highlight your statesmanship - this has facilitated a peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 20:09:30|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close BEIRUT, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The official website of Beirut's airport was hacked on Monday by a Syrian group, leading to its shutdown, a local news agency reported. The hack is meant to convey a message to the Lebanese army and Hezbollah for their attacks on Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Lebanon Debate quoted the Syrian Revolution Troops as saying in a statement. "These crimes cannot be forgiven and all those who attack Syrian refugees will pay a heavy price for it," the group warned. The hack came days after Ahmad El Zoabi, a 14-year-old Syrian refugee, was found killed in a building in Beirut. According to Lebanon Debate, Zoabi, who worked as a shoe cleaner in the Lebanese capital, was wanted by Beirut's municipality. The municipality issued a statement denying its responsibility for Zoabi's death, saying the teenager ran away and the police could not get hold of him. The airport's website has returned to normal. Lebanon is hosting 976,000 registered Syrian refugees according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, while the government estimates the true number of Syrian refugees in the country at 1.5 million. The flow of Syrian refugees to Lebanon has weighed heavily on the country's infrastructure and job market, which caused conflict between Lebanese citizens and Syrian refugees. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 19:54:27|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- A total of 19 militants were killed and 11 others sustained injuries after fighting aircraft targeted a Taliban training center in Spin Boldak district of the southern Kandahar province on Monday, provincial government spokesman Aziz Ahmad Azizi said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 19:49:26|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Islamic State (IS) militants killed two people and kidnapped another in the desert of Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial police source said Monday. "Three civilians from the town of Haditha, some 200 km northwest of the capital Baghdad, went to the nearby desert on Sunday morning to collect truffles, but haven't returned yet," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. After the families of the victims reported to the police, a search was launched in the desert before finding two of the missing persons shot dead, while the third remains missing, according to the source. Khalid Salman, head of the Haditha's town council, told Xinhua that the IS should be responsible for the death of the two men whose tribe fought IS militants for years and prevented them from seizing the town. In December 2017, Iraq declared full liberation from the IS after the security forces and the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units, backed by the anti-IS international coalition, recaptured all areas once seized by the extremist group. However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out attacks from time to time against the security forces and civilians. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 19:39:25|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close BUJUMBURA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were seriously injured in a grenade explosion in Burundi's capital city Bujumbura on Sunday night, the Burundian security ministry said on Monday. The explosion occurred inside a bar at around 7:45 p.m. in Buterere, in northern Bujumbura, and the victims included the bar owner, his child, a guest and five others in the bar, Pierre Nkurikiye, spokesman of the security ministry, told a press briefing in the capital city. Police are trying to identify and catch the "terrorists" behind the blast, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 19:34:22|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's western province of Anbar boasts seven of the world's richest oil blocks, an Iraqi newspaper reported Monday. "The focus of international oil companies will be on Anbar province as it has seven of the richest oil blocks in the world," Mohammed Abu al-Heil, a member of the parliamentary oil and energy committee, was quoted by the independent al-Mashriq newspaper, as saying. "The shaky security situation in Baghdad and Anbar in recent years has pushed foreign companies away from investing in this area," the parliament member added. Al-Heil expects the foreign companies to invest in Anbar following the tangible improvement in the security situation in western Iraq. Iraq's economy relies heavily on crude oil exports, which account for more than 90 percent of the country's revenues. In 2017, it was announced that Iraq's proven oil reserves increased to 153 billion barrels from a previously estimated 143.1 billion ones. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 19:24:18|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close BEIJING, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has called on Chinese tourists to behave properly when traveling abroad during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday. In a post on its website, the ministry urges Chinese tourists to abide by the local laws and regulations of their destinations, respect local traditions and religions and avoid inappropriate behavior such as littering, smoking or talking loudly in public areas. "When abroad, every tourist represents their home country," said the ministry in the post. Nearly 7 million Chinese people are expected to travel to about 90 countries and regions during the 2019 Spring Festival public holiday from Feb. 4 to 10, according to a data analysis by multiple institutions. Tourists should pay close attention to alerts released by tourism and foreign affair authorities and avoid traveling to countries and regions suffering from terrorist attacks, political turmoil, natural disasters or disease outbreaks, the ministry said in the post. The Spring Festival holiday is regarded as "golden week" in China, which saw about 6 million outbound tourists during the 2018 public holiday. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 19:19:16|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close KABUL, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Monday called on the Taliban to give up fighting and engage in direct talks with the government of Afghanistan to find negotiated settlement to the country's prolonged crisis. "I am calling upon the Taliban to initiate serious talks on return of lasting peace to Afghanistan," President Ghani said in his televised speech after meeting Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative for Afghan reconciliation. Khalilzad, who held talks with the Taliban representatives in Qatar's capital Doha last week, visited Kabul and briefed President Ghani on his six-day consecutive talks with the hardliner Taliban outfit on Sunday. Media reports suggested that the United States, in the talks with Taliban, had agreed to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and the armed group would announce ceasefire after the White House declares a timetable for pullout of its the troops. Cautiously commnenting the reported agreement in the Doha talks, President Ghani said, "We don't want to see the repetition of the then (President Mohammad) Najibullah's regime collapse and we are aware of the possible risks that threat the country after peace." Najibullah's regime collapsed in 1992 which was followed by factional fighting that lasted for several years. "We should not forget that the victims of the current war are Afghans, so the peace initiative must be at the hand of Afghans. At the same time, none of the Afghans wants the foreign forces to stay in their country for the long term," he noted. "I and the people of Afghanistan want peace but it should be an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process," the president asserted. Afghans want to see end to the ongoing crisis, he said, adding no Afghan likes to witness suicide bomb attacks in mosques, parks or other places that claim the lives of people. The presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan is based on a bilateral agreement recognized by the international community, President Ghani said. However, the president added that the presence of foreign forces would come to zero based on a comprehensive plan. The Taliban has repeatedly rejected the offer to talks with the Afghan government directly, saying no dialogue would be held with the Afghan government in the presence of foreign forces in the country. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 19:14:14|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close GUANGZHOU, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Southern China's Guangdong Province said Monday it would step up efforts in 2019 to build the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into a global tech innovation center. Guangdong governor Ma Xingrui made the announcement while delivering the government work report to the province's legislature, which opened its annual session on Monday. He said Guangdong would work with Hong Kong and Macao to build a group of laboratories on advanced and industrial technologies as it created a tech innovation corridor linking Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao. "The province will promote the sharing of scientific facilities and data with Hong Kong and Macao and boost cooperation between universities, research institutions and tech firms within the Greater Bay Area," he said. Guangdong will also speed up the construction of a high intensity heavy-ion accelerator and cooperate with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to build a national terahertz science center and an intelligent supercomputing platform. The Greater Bay Area covers the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao, and nine cities in Guangdong. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 19:14:14|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close RAMALLAH, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said on Monday that he was willing to resign to support the efforts of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to form a new government. Hamdallah welcomed the recommendations of the Fatah Central Committee to form a new government, and has "put his government at the disposal of President Mahmoud Abbas," the government spokesman Yousef al-Mahmoud said in a statement. Abbas' Fatah party proposed on Sunday evening to form a new national unity government that would include members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Fatah said the decision was made after reconciliation talks with Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip for more than 12 years and is not part of the PLO, have failed. In addition, the Constitutional Court decided to dissolve the Palestinian Legislative Council last December and new legislative elections will be held within six months, Fatah added. The Prime Minister of the new government will be announced following consultations with the PLO, said Mahmoud Aloul, vice chairman of Fatah, on the official Palestinian TV. Aloul said a committee composed of Fatah Central Committee members has been set up to start dialogue with the PLO on forming a new government, adding that the new government is not linked to the elections. Meanwhile, Hamas criticized Fatah's attempts to create a new government, saying it comes with no "national consensus." In an interview with Xinhua, Hamas Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum accused Fatah of evading its responsibilities of broadening the internal division, stressing that it is necessary to form a national unity government of all political factions to prepare for the general elections. The Palestinian government led by Hamdallah was formed in 2014 under national reconciliation agreements between PLO factions and Hamas. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 18:34:03|Editor: ZX Video Player Close A guide dog helps its owner with eye disease during the Spring Festival travel season in Suzhou north station in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Bo) NANJING, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Little Q, a golden retriever in a red vest, embarked on a 1,300-km journey with his master during the Spring Festival travel rush. "Little Q is my eyes and I can rest assured with him," said Su Bo, the dog's owner and a man with visual impairment. With the help of Little Q and staff in the railway station, he made it on to high-speed train G1956 Sunday linking Suzhou, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province, with his hometown Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province. The travel rush began 15 days ahead of the Spring Festival (Chinese Lunar New Year), which falls on Feb. 5 this year. Nearly 3 billion trips will be made on China's transport system. A steward led Su and Little Q to a seat near the bathroom and offered him a service bell. When he pressed a button on the device, the train crew would arrive in a minute. Designed for people with disabilities, seniors and children traveling alone, the service bell was put into use by the Nanjing railway authorities for a pilot run this Spring Festival. "There is a QR code on each table. Passengers can scan it to order food online. But it may not be helpful for seniors or people with disabilities, so we launched this device," said Zheng Ying, head of the train crew. China has over 17 million blind and visually-impaired people. Many are restricted to home due to the inconvenience of going out. "I appreciate their kindness and considerate service," said Su, a columnist for a magazine in Suzhou. He was diagnosed with an eye disease at the age of 30 and lost his eyesight. In 2013, he got the two-year-old guide dog. It was the first time for Su, accompanied by his guide dog, to go home alone. It was a tedious journey for Little Q, who lay silently under the table for most of the journey unless his master needed help. Su fed him before the train started and offered him some water on the nine-hour trip. "I have to control his food intake. It's a problem if the dog needs to go pee or poop on the train," Su said. According to Chinese regulations, passengers are banned from carrying animals on the trains. However, the China Railway Corporation and the China Disabled Persons' Federation formulated a regulation in 2015 allowing visually impaired people to take guide dogs on trains. When Little Q appeared on the high-speed train, passengers were curious. Some children even tried to pat or feed him. The train crew explained that they must not disturb the dog when it was doing its work. "I feel warmhearted as people with disabilities can be respected and join the Spring Festival travel rush with us to go home," said passenger Wang Jun. There is one year left before Little Q retires. Su hopes to accompany his friend in his later life. "Little Q has been my guide for years. When we arrive in Taiyuan, I want to become his tour guide and introduce my hometown to him." Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 18:24:01|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, presides over a bi-weekly consultation session on the protection of intellectual property rights in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 28, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) BEIJING, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's political advisors on Monday called for more efforts to enhance the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) and put forward their suggestions at a bi-weekly consultation session presided over by top political advisor Wang Yang. Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said a better understanding of IPR in its creation, protection and application on the Internet was needed to better enforce protection measures. A total of 18 political advisors and experts, including Zhou Qunfei, founder of touchscreen maker Lens Technology and Pony Ma, founder and CEO of Tencent, raised suggestions on IPR protection, legal guarantees and corporate responsibilities while another 180 left suggestions on a mobile application platform. The political advisors spoke of the need to strengthen IPR protection as a discipline in the university, set up a talent pool and build a professional and international IPR protection team. They also proposed to put more efforts in the publicity and education work of IPR protection and improve people's IPR protection awareness. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 17:43:53|Editor: ZX Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had exported 217,500 tons of dry rubber in 2018, up 15 percent from a year earlier, according to a General Directorate of Rubber report released on Monday. The Southeast Asian nation earned gross revenue of 287 million U.S. dollars from the exports of commodity last year, down 3.9 percent year-on-year, the report said. "A ton of dry rubber averagely cost 1,319 U.S. dollars in 2018, about 262 U.S. dollars lower than that of 2017," Pol Sopha, the director general of the General Directorate of Rubber, said in the report. Cambodia exports the commodity mainly to Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and China. The country has grown rubber trees on a total area of about 436,682 hectares, in which 201,949 hectares, or 46 percent of the cash crop, are old enough to be harvested, according to the report. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 17:43:52|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Sand Artist Rana Ramlawi works on her sand sculptures in Gaza City, Jan. 24, 2019. Rana Ramlawi, a 23-year-old Palestinian young woman from the Gaza Strip, resorts to sand art to highlight the Palestinian cause and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In her sculptures made out of sand and water, many messages are conveyed in support of the Palestinian cause, since she believes art is an important way to emphasize the rights and demand for freedom and ending the Israeli occupation. "One of my goals in my works is to keep this heritage and say that our identity, which Israel is trying to eradicate, is still there," she said. (Xinhua/Stringer) GAZA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Rana Ramlawi, a 23-year-old Palestinian young woman from the Gaza Strip, resorts to sand art to highlight the Palestinian cause and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In her sculptures made out of sand and water, many messages are conveyed in support of the Palestinian cause, since she believes art is an important way to emphasize the rights and demand for freedom and ending the Israeli occupation. "One of my goals in my works is to keep this heritage and say that our identity, which Israel is trying to eradicate, is still there," she said. "As a Palestinian artist, I try to keep this cause alive from generation to another through my works," the young woman added. Ramlawi's brother was seriously injured in the foot by an explosive bullet shot by Israeli soldiers during the anti-Israel rallies along the Gaza-Israel borders that have been going on since late March last year. "My brother's injury negatively affected me and made me stop sculpting for a month ... I resumed work by doing a sand sculpture that details the injury of my brother," she said. During her three-year stint as a sand artist, Ramlawi has learned and mastered a lot of styles and skills about sand sculpture. The artist, who teaches basic education at refugee schools in Gaza, said she has found great creative potentials in sculpture and drawing where she can put her thoughts and beliefs into sculptures and paintings. Sand art is the practice of shaping sand into an artistic form, such as sand brushing, sand sculpture, sandpainting and sand bottles. Sand forms are typically made by children for fun, but there are also sand-sculpture contests for adults that involve large, complex structures. Ramlawi said one needs to improvise to master this type of art. "I was playing with wet sand after a rainy day, without specifying a particular shape. I was just sculpting curves that turned it into circles," she said. "When the circle was completed, I imagined the shape of a human being. I completed the head without face details and then the body until it became a full statue," the Palestinian artist added. Ramlawi uses a number of simple tools, including a thin wooden stick, to carve the wet sand grains. In addition to the sand and the stick, she uses a shovel, a trowel and some water. "I aspire to have my own gallery, which helps me keep my works alive," she said, blinking her eyes hopefully. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 17:38:50|Editor: ZX Video Player Close CANBERRA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Australia's hardline border policies are putting lives at risk, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned. Thomas Vargas, head of the UNHCR's Indonesia agency, said on Monday that the organization would continue to fight against Australia's border policies regardless of which party wins the upcoming general election. He said the turn-back policies used by Australia's Border Force to prevent asylum seekers from arriving in the country by boat "just don't work." "If you turn someone back or push them away, you risk pushing them into harm's way - and that's what is so terrible about these types of policies - rather than rescuing them, bringing them to safety and then figuring out how best they can be helped," Vargas told News Corp Australia. "One country might say 'Yes, it's working for us', but that leaves other countries to deal with the situation and inevitably we are all in this together." The governing Liberal-National Party coalition (LNP) has made strict border control one of its signature policies since it took power after the 2013 election. Prime Minister Scott Morrison launched Operation Sovereign Borders (OSB) shortly after the 2013 election, when he was the minister for immigration. Morrison has sought to make border protection one of the key issues in the lead-up to the election, repeatedly attacking Bill Shorten, leader of the Opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP), on the issue. However, polls project that Shorten and the ALP is set to win the election, which is due to take place in May, in a landslide. Vargas said the UNHCR would continue to oppose the policy regardless of which party was in power, instead pushing their position that "countries work together to rescue any boats in distress." "One way or another, governments have to find ways to work together to make sure those two things can happen and that not any one government is saddled with finding the solution and no one else is helping," he said. "If you have a situation where people are not safe in their own country, and their lives are at risk if they do not leave, you can try to deter them all you want but there will be people that will risk their lives to try and save their lives and those of their families," Vargas added. "So unless these wars stop, a pushback policy is ultimately not going to work." Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 17:18:46|Editor: ZX Video Player Close SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Issuance of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in South Korea posted a double-digit fall last year as the government unveiled a set of measures to control household debts, financial watchdog data showed on Monday. The sale of MBS, issued by the state-run Korea Housing Finance Corp. (KHFC) to securitize the home-backed debts owed by households to lenders, amounted to 24.8 trillion won (22.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, down 21.8 percent from the previous year, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The reduction came as the government took measures last year to control speculative investment in the real estate market with borrowed money. Households had rushed to purchase new home with borrowed money amid the protracted low-rate trend. Including MBS, the issuance of asset-backed securities (ABS) totaled 49.4 trillion won (44.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, down 14.2 percent from a year earlier. The ABS sale by financial companies tumbled 22.1 percent on low demand from credit card issuers and specialized credit financial firms. However, the ABS issuance by industrial companies expanded 15.1 percent on demand for the ABS sold with high-end smartphone installment as underlying asset. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 16:48:36|Editor: ZX Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- For a woman in her 80s, Ingrid Rubens looks very healthy with an exuberant smile on her face, but she admits she would not have led a happy, long life without the help of the Chinese people decades ago. "The Chinese people are wonderful. Our lives were saved because of them," said Rubens, a resident of the San Francisco Bay area and one of the Jewish refugees who fled Nazi-occupied Europe for Shanghai in eastern China during World War II. Rubens joined hundreds of people at a Jewish community center in San Rafael, Northern California, on Sunday to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Most of them were in their 80s or 90s, and some of them were accompanied by their children. In a fully packed room, these people with similar experiences shared their stories during the social turmoil and recalled China as a safe haven when almost all other countries closed their borders to Jewish refugees. After Germany annexed Austria in March 1938, an international conference was convened in Evian, France, to promote the emigration of Jewish refugees in Austria and Germany. However, delegations from the 32 participating nations, aside from the Dominican Republic, failed to come to any agreement about accepting the Jewish refugees. Shanghai was the first city in the world which opened doors to Jews. According to the Shanghai Jewish Center, from 1938 on, some 20,000 Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria escaped to Shanghai. By the end of the war, the Chinese coastal city was home to approximately 24,000 Jews. Rubens' parents were very fortunate to obtain a visa to Shanghai. When they left their home in East Prussia in 1939, Rubens was no more than 2 years old. But she remembered how difficult life was in the "ghetto." "No garbage collection, no running water, no toilets. It was hard," recalled Rubens. "The Japanese made it very difficult." In Japanese-occupied Shanghai, the Jewish refugees were put in a restricted area known as "the Shanghai Ghetto." Compared with the European Jews, Inna Mink, 91, had a better life during that time because she was born in Shanghai to a Russian Jewish family. Though her school was turned into a concentration camp for Allied prisoners of war by the Japanese, she said their life was not "bothered" by the Nazis at all. "As a matter of fact, in the days I lived in Shanghai, we weren't even aware of Hitler and all that," said Mink, who now lives in San Francisco. "Shanghai for us who were born there was a magnificent world," she said. "I still remember our address in Shanghai." In Shanghai, some Chinese families took in the Jewish refugees before they could find a place to live on their own. Such homes have been preserved to commemorate this part of history. Richard Waxman, the organizer of Sunday's gathering, recently came back from a tour of the Jewish settlement and such homes in Shanghai. "Shanghai was the first city in the entire world to say yes to Jews coming in," he said. From Shanghai, the Jews were able to go to the United States, South America, Central America and other countries, he added. "I didn't know it was such a thriving Jewish community who, for the first time in decades, was able to live just as people in Shanghai until the Japanese came in and put them in the ghetto," Waxman said. He also visited the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, which exhibits historical photos and artifacts. Some of the photos show the friendship of Jewish refugees and their Chinese friends in the Shanghai Ghetto. "They turned the Jewish temple into a museum. It is beautiful and well done, because that's more important to tell the story and reach more people," Waxman said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 16:33:32|Editor: ZX Video Player Close TAIYUAN, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Michele Termine Schuppon plans to showcase 35 pictures of the ancient Chinese city of Pingyao at an antique shop in Carpentras in the south of France, retracing her career as a photographer. She hopes to celebrate the coming Chinese Lunar New Year by introducing the people of Pingyao to the French. Pingyao, included on the world cultural heritage list by UNESCO in 1997, is located in north China's Shanxi Province and is famous for its well-preserved ancient city walls. Thirteen years ago, the city was twinned with Provins, a town of medieval fairs that is a one-hour drive from Paris. Schuppon neither lives in Pingyao nor Provins, but spent 33 years in Beijing before returning to Paris in 2015. She has settled down in Carpentras since September last year. Nonetheless, she has played an indispensable role in connecting the two ancient cities. "I feel honored to be able to do something for the cultural exchange between Pingyao and Provins," Schuppon said. She currently teaches a few French people Chinese language and gives travel tips to those about to visit China. Schuppon came to China in 1982 to study, and she worked in human resources in Beijing after graduation. She visited Pingyao in 2006 and photographed over 120 inhabitants of the old town. Schuppon became a good friend of Pingyao after she participated in Pingyao International Photography Festival in 2013 and 2014 to demonstrate her photo collection named "My Pingyao Home." She served as an interpreter when Christian Jacob, then mayor of Provins, visited Pingyao. With the invitation from Jacob, Schuppon made her first visit to Provins in 2015, bringing with her the pictures she took in Pingyao, and was later commissioned by Jacob to present the ancient city of Provins at a tour operators conference held in China. "I heard about Provins through Pingyao and know Pingyao better through Provins," Schuppon said. Exchanges between the two sister cities span both economic and cultural spheres. In Pingyao, a big screen is showing the scenes of medieval knight performance of Provins. In the Saint Ayoul abbey of Provins there is also a demonstration zone promoting Pingyao. Pingyao welcomes more than 120,000 foreign tourists annually, at least 30 percent of which are French. The local government of Pingyao is organizing shop owners and tour guides to study French. A Provins-style cafe is under construction in Pingyao, with a number of trainers being sent by Provins to help with the preparation for the business. "Provins is actively participating in cooperation with Pingyao, which reflects the charm of China's development," said Hou Shijun, an official with Pingyao tourism management authorities. Hou also expressed gratitude to Schuppon for her contributions in promoting Sino-French cultural communication. Pingyao and Provins signed a cooperation memorandum in 2013, and the two cities will sign a new one in March. This year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. A passer-by places flowers at the entrance of the Jewish Museum in Brussels, Belgium, on May 27, 2014. (Reuters File photo) JERUSALEM, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of anti-Semitic attacks worldwide hit a record high in 2018, in the streets, online, and in the political arena, said a report on Sunday. The annual Global Antisemitism Report was released by Israel's Diaspora Affairs Ministry to mark the International Holocaust Memorial Day. According to the report, 13 Jews were murdered in three anti-Semitic attacks worldwide in 2018. "This marks the highest number of Jews murdered in anti-Semitic attacks since the attacks on the Argentinian Jewish community in the 1990s," the report read. "Unlike previous years, anti-Semitic violence in 2018 was led by neo-Nazis and white supremacists," the report said. Additionally, about 70 percent of anti-Jewish attacks were anti-Israel in nature, according to the report. Most of the incidents were recorded around the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018 and the Gaza Strip's protests along the fence separating the Palestinian enclave and Israel. Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett urged governments around the world to get rid of "anti-semitism, and take harsh stance against the hatred of Jews." Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 15:18:11|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close CARACAS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday visited a military base in the northern state of Carabobo, exhorting the audience, "Traitors never, loyal always," televised images showed. During the visit to Fort Paramacay in Carabobo's capital city Valencia, Maduro, along with Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, marched through barracks during an exercise in the latest gesture to display military backing. The military is planning larger exercises on Feb. 10-15 that Maduro said are the "most important in the history of Venezuela." In a video posted on Twitter on Sunday, Juan Guaido, the self-proclaimed interim president, called for a "peaceful" strike on Wednesday and another "big national and international" one on Saturday. Vying to draw soldiers over to his side, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly has published an amnesty law that guarantees impunity for military members who join him. The opposition is in talks with sympathetic military and civilian officials in a bid to force out Maduro, Guaido told The Washington Post on Sunday. Israel on Sunday announced that it joined the United States and Canada in recognizing Guaido as Venezuela's leader, after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged countries to "pick a side" on the leadership of the poverty-stricken country. Over the past days, Britain, Germany, France and Spain said they would recognize Guaido if Maduro will not call new elections within eight days, an ultimatum that Maduro has rejected. "Nobody can give us an ultimatum," said Maduro in an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk that was aired Sunday. Maduro was elected last year with 67.84 percent of the votes, and he was sworn in as president on Jan. 10 for another six-year term. On Jan. 23, 35-year-old Guaido declared himself interim president. U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 23 said the United States recognizes Guaido as Venezuela's "interim president," adding that the United States would continue to use economic and diplomatic power to press for "the restoration of Venezuelan democracy." In response, Maduro on the same day announced he was severing "diplomatic and political" ties with the United States. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 14:48:01|Editor: mmm Video Player Close SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's artificial rain experiment over the country's western waters to reduce fine dust ended in failure, local media reported Monday citing the weather agency and the environment ministry. Research institutes of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) and the Ministry of Environment jointly carried out the artificial precipitation experiment in waters off the western coast Friday by dispersing silver iodide, a chemical that collects water vapor in clouds. The dispersion increased the size of precipitation particles, but no rain or snow was observed. Only the weak misty rain was detected for several minutes from a mobile observation vehicle. Despite the little success, the experiment was an opportunity to accumulate technology on the practical use of the artificial precipitation to reduce fine dust, the weather agency and the environment ministry were quoted as saying. The agency and the ministry planned to conduct 14 more artificial rain experiments this year. The next one could be carried out at a time when the fine dust concentration is expected to rise. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 14:37:58|Editor: mmm Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 students were injured, six of them critical, when their school bus fell off the road into a deep culvert in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Monday. According to local media reports, the mishap occurred in the state's Guntur district, when the driver lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a curve. Following the incident, the injured were shifted to a government hospital. Media reports quoted the police as saying that the bus was carrying 52 students accompanied by a school teacher when the accident occurred on the Srisailam-Macharla highway. The victims from Mandadi and Uppalapadu villages were on their way to school. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 13:52:52|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's unification ministry said Monday that it has been pushing to hold the video reunion of Korean families, separated across the border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), at an earliest possible date. Baik Tae-hyun, unification ministry spokesman, told a press briefing that South Korea has been in close consultations with the United States since late last year about the issue. Based on the consultations, South Korea will make efforts to hold the video reunion as soon as possible, Baik noted. Seoul had pushed to hold the video reunion around the Lunar New Year's Day traditional holiday that falls on next week. However, it seemed hard to be materialized as time is needed to win sanctions exemptions for equipment necessary to be sent to the DPRK for the video reunion. After their third summit in Pyongyang in September last year, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un agreed to cooperate in allowing the separated Korean families to hold the video reunion and exchange video messages. Since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with armistice, people of the two Koreas have been banned from contacting and meeting each other. Following the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000, 21 rounds of face-to-face family reunions were held, including the latest in August last year. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 13:47:50|Editor: mmm Video Player Close KABUL, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan army waged an operation and freed 38 people from a Taliban prison in eastern province of Ghazni overnight, authorities said on Monday. "The Afghan National Army (ANA) waged a special operation and freed 38 countrymen from a Taliban prison in Ghat Kali village, Ab Band district, Ghazni province Sunday night," the Afghan Ministry of Defense said in a statement. The ministry said nine militants were killed after Taliban clashed with the security forces during the operation. The freed people were shifted to an army base after the raid for identification processing, the statement said. "Following the raid, nine suspected militants were also arrested and three weapons depots, and two buildings used by militants as a prison were destroyed by the security forces," the statement added. The Taliban militant group claimed that there were casualties on the side of the security forces in the clash in Ab Band on Sunday night. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 13:42:48|Editor: mmm Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- More than six in 10 U.S. citizens believe their country is heading in the wrong direction, while nearly seven in 10 gave negative opinions on the state of the country, a poll found Sunday. The poll, released by NBC News/Wall Street Journal, showed that 63 percent of respondents said the United States is heading off on the wrong track, while 28 percent say the opposite. Records showed that the percentage of people who believe the country in the right direction is the lowest since July 2016. When asked how the state of the United States should be described today, 68 percent of respondents gave negative words and phrases, the most common ones include "wrong track", "disaster/hard times", "parties undermining each other/no compromise." The poll, which was conducted before the White House struck a deal with the Democratic Party to reopen the government, showed that public opinion on U.S. President Donald Trump had remained largely stable. It is unclear if agreeing to reopen the government without extracting border wall funding from Congress had damaged his support among his base voters. The U.S. government just came out of its longest shutdown in history, which was caused by a deep partisan divide on immigration policies and if a wall between the United States and Mexico should be built. Trump, supported by many in the Republican Party, believes that a wall would be useful in curbing the flow of illegal immigrants entering the country, while the Democrats strongly opposed the measure. After about five weeks of government shutdown, Trump agreed to fund the government for three weeks to allow time for both sides to agree on a border security deal. He has threatened to shut down the government again if talks fail. The tumultuous political environment was reflected in the recent poll, said Peter Hart, a pollster who participated in making the poll. "Times are grim, the shutdown is front and center," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 13:22:43|Editor: mmm Video Player Close KABUL, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Afghan army waged an operation and freed 38 people from a Taliban prison in eastern province of Ghazni overnight, authorities said Monday. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 13:17:41|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close LONDON/BRUSSELS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese diplomats in Europe have recently slammed the "groundless" accusation against Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei, stressing that Huawei does not pose any threat to any country. A signed piece by Liu Xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to Britain, was published Saturday on The Telegraph with the title "Don't listen to the scaremongers - Huawei is not a security threat to Britain." Earlier on Tuesday, Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union, told The Financial Times that "someone is sparing no effort to fabricate a security story of Huawei," and this goes against free and fair competition. In the article, Liu noted the "needless anxiety" over and "a ban in some countries" on companies such as Huawei. "If left unchecked, they could disrupt market rules, undermine company confidence, poison business cooperation, and cause uncertainties and instabilities in the world economy," he wrote. The senior diplomat said Huawei UK has made an important contribution to the economic and social progress of its host country over the past five years by bringing 2 billion pounds to Britain through investment and procurement and creating 7,500 jobs, making a name for itself as a provider of high-quality products and services. In the past process of its cooperation with British partners, he wrote, Huawei has expanded its global reach and adapted to international standards, while in the future, Huawei has much to contribute to the long-term development of Britain's telecommunications industry. "Having pledged a further 3 billion pounds to investment and procurement in the UK in the coming five years, Huawei will continue to play an active role in IT application in this country -- a vote of confidence in the economic prospects of the UK as it leaves the EU," said Liu. "To make this vote count, the UK must remain committed to openness and cooperation and provide a fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Huawei and other Chinese enterprises," he said. On the contrary of posing any threat to the country, Liu said, Huawei has made relentless efforts in providing global solutions to maintaining cyber security. "The Chinese Government has never supported cyber theft by any company, nor is anyone authorized by law or regulation to force enterprises to install back doors." Citing the fact that, over the past 30 years, there has never been any evidence showing that Huawei has ever done anything to undermine the national security of any country, the ambassador called on Britain to "pursue an independent policy based on its national interests, instead of drifting along with others." To answer the question of "how to respond to the hyped allegation against Huawei," Liu said, "I belive the UK has to decide whether it wants to see China's development as an opportunity or a threat." According to the edited transcript of an interview with The Financial Times provided by the Chinese Mission to the EU on Sunday night, Zhang said he does not think the security story of Huawei "has anything to do with security, and the so-called security concerns are not supported by any fact or evidence." "Rather I believe that it is an act of protectionism with a political sense. That indicates a pushback against globalization," Zhang said. "Such a move is trying to turn a business issue into a political one or even a security one indiscriminately, and that completely violates the principles of free and fair competition," he noted Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology infrastructure and smart devices, including in the so-called 5G area. Zhang said the 5G technology is a product of global open cooperation. It is an outcome of high-tech innovation by the whole international community and a good thing for the whole world. "The global industrial, supply and value chains are highly intertwined in this area and cannot be artificially and deliberately cut by anyone," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 13:02:38|Editor: mmm Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian judicial officials in southeast Minas Gerais state on Sunday froze another 5 billion reals (1.325 billion U.S. dollars) in bank accounts belonging to mining giant Vale in the wake of Friday's tailings dam collapse. So far, the humanitarian and environmental disaster has claimed 58 lives while more than 300 people remain missing. It is the second time in just three years that a tailings dam at a Vale-owned mining operation in Brazil has collapsed, flooding communities and fields with toxic waste. It was the third time officials have put a freeze on Vale accounts since Friday, bringing the total of frozen assets to 11 billion reals (2.915 billion dollars). Freezing the assets aims to guarantee funds are available to pay for reparations to the victims, most of them mine workers. According to prosecutors, in addition to material damage, the disaster has caused "evident and notable moral, psychological, emotional, communal, health and cultural damage." Prosecutors noted that the company's third quarter statement showed it had net earnings of 8.3 billion reals (some 2.2 billion dollars), and the money should be invested in environmental recovery and indemnification, instead of being distributed among shareholders. The incident at Vale's mine in Brumadinho, near the state capital Belo Horizonte, is estimated to have unleashed at least 13 million cubic meters of toxic mud. In November 2015, a tailings dam collapsed at a mine in Mariana, also in Minas Gerais, killing 19 people and causing what was considered Brazil's worst environmental disaster. Vale was a co-owner of the mine. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 12:27:33|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close HANOI, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's food processing and drinks industry has seen growth of 7 percent in recent years, with more and more foreign investors deciding to pour money into it, local media reported on Monday. In the last five years, many international food processing companies have invested and expanded their production in Vietnam whose government plans to withdraw its shares in major food processing and drink firms, including Vinamilk and Habeco, creating more opportunities for foreign investors, daily newspaper Vietnam News reported. For foreign investors, the abundance of agricultural products and foodstuffs in Vietnam is an advantage. Vietnam is considered as one of the top five food baskets in the world and one of the top 15 largest countries by agriculture exports. Vietnam's export turnovers for processed foodstuffs and agricultural products totaled more than 40 billion U.S. dollars last year. Vietnamese products have been present in 200 countries and regions, including the United States and Japan. Vietnam's young population and the rising popularity of processed food are two other factors influencing investors' decisions. Foreign investors have also invested in and expanded their trade centers, supermarkets and convenience stores, which have helped increase consumption of processed foods. Multinational retailers like Circle K, 7-Eleven, B's mart, Family Mart, MiniStop, Big C, Aeon and Lotte now have a total of 3,000 convenience stores, 300 trade centers and supermarkets in Vietnam. "The food and drinks sector is now taking the largest proportion of monthly spending for the Vietnamese, around 35 percent," Pham Thanh Kien, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, was quoted by Sai Gon Giai Phong (Saigon Liberation) newspaper as saying. In Ho Chi Minh City, food and drinks represented 17 percent of its total retail revenue last year. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 12:22:32|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close VIENTIANE, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Lao local tourism-related businesses should make adjustments for more Chinese tourists that Lao government expects to visit this year, local daily Vientiane Times on Monday, quoting Lao Vice President of National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Daovone Phachanthavong as saying. Daovone said hotels, restaurants, guesthouses and travel agents should try to deliver services at prices that will meet with the expectations of Chinese visitors. "Chinese people like to shop in Laos but local businesses struggle to provide food and goods that are to their liking," he said, adding that there is definitely room for improvement in terms of customer service. Laos and China officially launched Visit Laos-China Year 2019 in Lao capital Vientiane last Friday, hoping two countries will become more enticing holiday destinations as a result of the campaign. Lao authorities expect 1 million Chinese tourists out of an overall total of 5 million to visit Laos this year, said the report. According to Daovone, service providers who know some Chinese language will improve service and having a better understanding of Chinese food and fashion preferences will also be helpful. If good service is provided, Chinese visitors will be more likely to return in the future. Daovone said incentives should be offered. "Some neighboring countries already offer visa or visa fee exemptions to Chinese nationals," he said. Daovone said he hoped officials from both countries will have in-depth discussions to maximize the benefits which might come from Visit Laos-China Year 2019. Lao President of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Oudet Souvannavong said Lao government and business operators should coordinate in such things as putting up Chinese-language signs at tourist sites and information brochures written in Chinese should also be provided. During Visit Laos Year 2018, more than 800,000 Chinese nationals visited Laos, an increase of 26 percent over the previous year. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 11:59:02|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close DHAKA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- As part of celebration of the Chinese New Year 2019, a calligraphy and Chinese painting competition was held here on Sunday night. Scores of Bangladeshi students attended the competition of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy to greet the upcoming Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 5. The Chinese embassy in Dhaka organized the competition. The competition featured diverse performances along with a festival of local traditional handmade delicious local pithas (cakes). Apart from the competitors, hundreds of people including dignitaries joined the Chinese New Year celebration ceremony which was held at the Shanto-Mariam Foundation campus in Dhaka on Sunday night. Winners of the contest were given certificates and prizes. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 11:43:59|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Treasury Department said Sunday it has lifted sanctions imposed on three Russian companies connected to Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska, a move which some lawmakers once attempted to block. The department said in a statement that the sanctions on the companies, namely, EN+ Group, United Company RUSAL, and JSC EuroSibEnergo, were removed as they have reduced Deripaska's direct and indirect shareholding stake in them and severed his control. All sanctions on Deripaska remain in force, according to the statement. Deripaska reportedly has a connection with both Kremlin and Paul Manafort, U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman pleaded guilty last September. The Trump administration announced plans in December to relax sanctions on the three companies, which was opposed by Democratic lawmakers. Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled Senate rejected the Democratic-led effort to maintain sanctions on them. The United States has imposed a series of sanctions on Russia based on the accusation of the latter's meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, which Moscow has repeatedly denied. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 11:28:54|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close KAMPALA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese community in Uganda on Sunday held celebrations ahead of the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival of the Year of the Pig. Hundreds of Chinese thronged the Speke Resort Munyonyo on the shores of Lake Victoria in the capital Kampala, where they enjoyed several cultural performances played by acrobats from China's Shaanxi Provincial Acrobatic Art Troupe. Speaking at the ceremony, Chinese ambassador to Uganda Zheng Zhuqiang said the relations between the two countries have grown stronger. "During the year, there were also high-level exchanges, economic cooperation, trade and investment, educational exchanges" between the two countries, Zheng said. "Cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results." Looking back on China's achievements, Zheng said the Chinese government promoted various reforms in 2018, leading to a maintained stable economic growth. "Progress has been achieved in poverty alleviation," Zheng said, adding that more than 10 million people in rural areas were lifted out of poverty In 2018. The Spring Festival, falling on Feb. 5 this year, is one of the important traditional festivals of the Chinese people, featuring family reunion, feasts and performances. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 11:23:52|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close BRUSSELS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- China hopes the foreign direct investment screening legislation of the European Union (EU) will be in line with the spirit of free trade and investment facilitation, the Chinese envoy to the EU has said. Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, made the remarks in an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, according to an edited transcript of the interview provided by the mission on Sunday night. "We don't hope to see a legislation that is targeted at a specific country. Otherwise, it would be discriminatory," he said. Zhang said there is a lot of media coverage in that direction. That may get some Chinese investors worried about the potential trend. If that becomes a reality, it would not be a good thing to bilateral cooperation, he said. Volunteers pick up trash along the coast of Manila Bay in Manila, the Philippines, Jan. 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) MANILA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in the Philippines has fished out over 45 tons of garbage as authorities start a massive cleanup drive to rehabilitate the heavily-polluted and foul-smelling Manila Bay famous for a scenic sunset view. Data released by the MMDA on Sunday said a total of 45.59 tons of garbage were hauled up by 11 garbage trucks on the first day of the cleanup campaign. About 5,000 people joined the so-called solidarity walk along the Manila Baywalk to dramatize the start of the project dubbed "Battle of Manila Bay." The project will cost the government 42.95 billion pesos (817.6 million U.S. dollars) in the next three years, according to government estimates. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it plans to restore the heavily-polluted bay to its "pristine" state. The bay, which runs in the strip of Roxas Boulevard, is contaminated with human feces and trash coming from sewage. Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu expressed optimism that the cleanup campaign will "bring Manila Bay back to life." Volunteers march to Manila Bay in Manila, the Philippines, Jan. 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) "With the commitment and determination of every Filipino to do his share in this rehabilitation effort, we have already won the battle for Manila Bay," Cimatu said in a statement. The DENR has prepared for an all-out strategy to bring the coliform concentration in Manila Bay to a safe level so that millions of people who reside in the bay region and neighboring areas will enjoy its waters and marine resources without fear of getting sick, Cimatu said earlier. A report from the DENR Environmental Management Bureau said the current level of coliform bacteria have reached over 330 million most probable number (MPN) for each 100 ml or way above the safe coliform level of only 100 MPN/100ml. It means the bay's coliform level is over 3 million times higher than the safe level. The rehabilitation will require the relocation of thousands of illegal settlers, whose household waste contribute to 70 percent of pollution in the area, DENR spokesperson Jonas Leones said earlier. The Pasig River and Laguna Lake, which both flow into Manila Bay, will also have to be cleaned up, according to him. Early this month, President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to close down establishments, including hotels, that empty wastes into the bay. The Duterte government also plans to relocate approximately 233,000 informal settlers living along the coast of the bay. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 09:48:23|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close HOUSTON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- China-U.S. relations have forged ahead despite twists and turns, a senior Chinese diplomat said here Saturday night. The development of China-U.S. relations is attributed not only to the wisdom and efforts of the leaders of the two countries, but also to the contributions of the people from all walks of life, Chinese Consul General in Houston Li Qiangmin said at a concert presented by the Chinese Consulate General and the Asia Society Texas Center. The Chinese diplomat said that "the cooperation between China and the southern United States is an important part of China-U.S. relations" and that China has been the top three export markets for Texas, Georgia, Louisiana and Alabama for many years. Dubbed "Greetings of Spring," the concert was held to mark the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival, and to commemorate the 40th anniversary of China-U.S. diplomatic relations as well as the visit to Houston by then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. The concert featured traditional Chinese and western music played by local Chinese performers, as well as Peking opera and solos. Present at the event were hundreds of guests from the local communities. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 08:23:13|Editor: mmm Video Player Close Children learn to use chopsticks during a dumpling festival to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year in Chicago, the United States, on Jan. 27, 2019. Some 650 people Sunday gathered in a compound in the western suburbs of Chicago to celebrate 2019 Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 5. (Xinhua/David Zhang) CHICAGO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Some 650 people Sunday gathered in a compound in the western suburbs of Chicago to celebrate 2019 Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 5. Chicago North Shore Chinese Center put five big pieces of dough of five different colors, made of flour mixed with carrot, red beet root, yellow beetroot, purple cabbage and fennel juices, respectively, on a long table that also displayed some finished Jiaozi, traditional Chinese dumplings. Eight-year-old Hannah Hargan was immediately attracted to the colorful display of the dough. Each with a small flat piece of dough in hand, Principal Phillip Sun taught Hargan how to make a Jiaozi hand by hand. After putting a spoon of filling in the center of the flat dough, Sun bowed down to the same height of Hargen and showed her how to pinch the dough edge together with the thumb and index fingers. Watching Sun's demonstration and following his instructions, Hargen made a Jiaozi of her own in a minute and proudly added it to the display tray. This is the third year in a row for the United Chinese Americans (UCA) Illinois Chapter to host the dumpling festival to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. With traditional Chinese dumpling making as its theme, the festival has gone beyond to include some other Chinese cultural demonstrations and games, say Chinese calligraphy, clay sculpture, shuttlecock, paper folding and cutting, lantern making, tea ceremony, abacus and tangram. Sitting at a table scattered with colorful papers, 6-year-old Maeve Longbing Contant and 4-year-old Mairead Chuhan Contant followed an instructor and folded two dogs, which they kept as their rewards. Anne Contant, the two sisters' mother, stood behind them and looked at them lovingly. Anne Contant adopted her two daughters with albinism in China when they were 16 months old. Pending Chinese Lunar New Year, Anne has raised red lanterns at home and decorated the rooms with red. Now living in the United States, Anne just tries to take every chance to let her daughters indulging themselves in Chinese culture and "know where they are from." In a greeting address, Liu Jun, Acting Consul General of the People's Republic China in Chicago said the story about dumpling is related to China's Lunar New Year. "The shape of dumpling represents happiness and harmony." Liu wished everybody present a happy and prosperous new year. Traditional Chinese musical instrument zither was played and Qipao show was staged at the scene as well. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 08:21:25|Editor: mmm Video Player Close People visit Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem, on Jan. 27, 2019. In 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which designated Jan. 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, the day when Auschwitz death camp was liberated in 1945. (Xinhua/Gil Cohen Magen) Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 07:29:49|Editor: mmm Video Player Close People hold candles during a commemorative event marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Frankfurt, Germany, on Jan. 27, 2019. In 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which designated Jan. 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, the day when Auschwitz death camp was liberated in 1945. (Xinhua/Lu Yang) Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 04:07:36|Editor: yan Video Player Close ALGIERS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Algerian navy forces on Sunday rescued as many as 52 African illegal immigrants off western coast of Ghazaouet area, located in the province of Tlemcen, local media reported. The state-run ENTV channel specified that the 52 illegal immigrants are originated from different African nationalities, as their handmade boat was broken amid stormy weather hitting the northern parts of Algeria, but rescued on the right time by navy troops who were patrolling the area. The source added that 7 migrants were found in critical health conditions as they were rushed to hospital to get medical care. The rescued migrants were apparently trying to sail to Spain, given that the western coast of Algeria is closer to the Iberian Peninsula, and several illegal migrants, either Algerian or foreigners The source added that authorities will take care of these migrants and they would be sent back to their countries of origin. Illegal immigration by sea in Algeria has become a real issue for authorities, regarding the increasing number of local and foreign people intercepted on board of makeshift boats attempting to cross the sea and reach the other side of the Mediterranean in a search for better life. Hopeless youngsters ride small flat-bottomed boats not designed for crossings, which increases the death rates among them before reaching the destination. Usually, when Algerian illegal immigrants are arrested, they are tried for illegal immigration charges, while foreigners are repatriated to their home states. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 03:02:26|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close Rakan al-Jubouri (R), the governor of Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk, and Chinese ambassador to Iraq Chen Weiqing attend a joint press conference in Kirkuk, Iraq, on Jan. 27, 2019. The governor of Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk on Sunday called for Chinese investment and expertise in the reconstruction of towns and villages in the province that were destroyed in battles against the Islamic State (IS) militant group. (Xinhua) KIRKUK, Iraq, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The governor of Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk on Sunday called for Chinese investment and expertise in the reconstruction of towns and villages in the province that were destroyed in battles against the Islamic State (IS) militant group. "China has a strong and solid economy. We in Kirkuk need Chinese expertise and support in the light of official and legal frames," Rakan al-Jubouri told a joint press conference with the Chinese ambassador to Iraq. Al-Jubouri said Chinese companies can cooperate with the Kirkuk's provincial Chamber of Commerce and the Investment Board. "We in Kirkuk are facing a severe shortage of services, especially in the field of electricity and the municipality and we have some 130 destroyed towns and villages," al-Jubouri said, adding that his province has plans to help displaced people return to their homes. For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Iraq Chen Weiqing confirmed his keenness to cooperate with the provincial authorities to develop the economy in the province. "China and Iraq are friends. A few days ago I met Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. We expressed our support to his government program and our readiness to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq's infrastructure," Chen told reporters. "We have a desire to cooperate in the field of transport, communications, electricity, industry and agriculture," he said. "We are ready to receive a delegation from Kirkuk at our embassy in Baghdad to continue discussions to reach common understanding," Chen added. Large parts of the oil-rich province were badly damaged in June 2014, after the IS militants seized towns and villages. Late in 2017, the Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militant group across the country despite the presence of its remnants, who are still hiding in some rugged areas in central Iraq. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 02:47:24|Editor: mmm Video Player Close CAIRO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Sunday evening on a three-day visit to the North African country to discuss bilateral cooperation with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian state TV reported. At Cairo International Airport, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly received the French president and his wife Brigitte after they finished a tour in Abu Simbel temple in Upper Egypt's Aswan province earlier in the day, where they were accompanied by Egypt's Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany. According to French media reports, Macron is accompanied by both French foreign and defense ministers as well as a delegation of chiefs of French giant corporations. The visit comes amid the two countries' celebration of the Egyptian-French cultural year. It's Macron's first visit to Egypt and the second meeting with Sisi after their talks in Paris in October 2017. Macron's three-day trip to Egypt comes as protests against his policies continue to be held on the streets in France. Over the past couple of months, Macron has been facing domestic protests, mostly peaceful, held by demonstrators dressed in "yellow vests" against the French government's austerity measures including fuel price hikes. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-28 02:47:24|Editor: yan Video Player Close BEIRUT, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Lebanon celebrated on Saturday the upcoming Chinese New Year with Chinese peacekeepers in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). More than 200 people, including Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian, UNIFIL chief Stefano Del Col and Lebanese political and military officials, attended the celebration. Musicians from Chongqing, a major city in southwestern China, presented a concert to convey greetings to the Chinese peacekeepers, sharing the moment with all UNIFIL troop-contributing countries. Meanwhile, the choir of Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, presented the "Ode to Peace" which has a special meaning to southern Lebanon. Wang emphasized the crucial role played by the UNIFIL in maintaining the peace of southern Lebanon. "All UNIFIL peacekeeping forces, including Chinese peacekeepers, stationed far away from their motherlands and loved ones, doing their best to ensure the stability of another country, practicing the UN oath of keeping world peace," he said, expressing his appreciation for the troops' hard efforts. Meanwhile, Del Col said the Chinese contingent has been an integral part of the UNIFIL since 2006. "You contribute to the mission by working harmoniously toward peace and stability in South Lebanon, carrying out activities such as mine clearance, engineering construction, maintenance, medical aid as well as humanitarian assistance," he said. Del Col called upon all troops to keep their cooperative work with dedication in pursuit of the UNIFIL's mission. He also called upon troops to work in cooperation with the government of Lebanon and the Lebanese army. Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-27 22:36:38|Editor: yan Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan said Sunday it has closed its consulate in Afghanistan's city of Mazar-e-Sharif after a woman tried to take a hand grenade inside the building. Pakistan urged the Afghan government to ensure security of Pakistan's diplomatic mission in Mazar-e-Sharif, Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement. "Today, the Pakistan Consulate General in Mazar-e-Sharif was closed when an Afghan woman was caught trying to sneak a hand grenade into the Consulate, in her personal bag. The woman was arrested by the police and is under investigation to find perpetrators of the failed attack," the statement said. "The Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul has urged the Afghan Foreign Office to provide foolproof security to its Consulate General in Mazar-e-Sharif and to share the findings of its investigation at the earliest," said the foreign ministry. Pakistan Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif will remain closed for visa services till the provision of fool-proof security by the authorities in Mazar-e-Sharif to prevent any untoward incident from happening in the future, it said. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - Legislation once again filed at the state capitol, called the Rule of Law Adherence Act, would require local governments to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention requests and to repeal sanctuary policies. The measure would also impose stiff penalties on those that declare themselves sanctuary cities from immigration enforcement. A similar measure was approved by the Florida House in a 71 to 35 vote during the 2018 legislative session. However, the House measure did not advance through the Senate Judiciary Committee. A new bill filed last week in the House mirrors legislation filed late last year by State Senator Joe Gruters, who is also the chair of the Republican Party of Florida. Gruters feels the bill is common sense. This is about saving lives, protecting Americans and making sure that people follow the law. We are a country of laws," said Gruters. "This is not a new law. It just says, basically, follow the laws that are on the books and lets comply with the federal government. The sanctuary city ban received the support of Governor Ron DeSantis during his inaugural address earlier this month, and Gruters is hopeful that Floridas new governor will lobby for the bill during the legislative session that begins in March. Critics, however, have contended the proposal is unconstitutional and could lead to racial profiling. (WTXL) - Two Florida lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make acts of animal cruelty and bestiality a federal felony. According to a report by the Orlando Sentinel, two U.S. congressmen, Rep. Ted Deutch (D-West Boca) and Vern Buchanan (R-Sarasota), have reintroduced the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act. The bill would target "crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating and impaling animals" as well as those who sexually exploit them. If passed, someone convicted of those crimes could spend up to seven years in prison. A law was passed in 2010 that targeted animal abuse videos, but didn't create any penalties for offenses not on film. U.S. Senators, according to the Orlando Sentinel, have passed the PACT act twice before, however the measure was blocked by a former judiciary chairman. Most states have laws making certain types of animal cruelty a felony offense, according to the Human Society of the United States, other offensives are considered a misdemeanor. Yellow weather warning issued as the Met Office forecasts snow and ice This article is old - Published: Monday, Jan 28th, 2019 There could be snow and more ice on the way for Wrexham this week. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning across large parts of Wales and north west England, with temperatures locally set to drop as low as -1C over the next two days. The yellow weather warning (not to be mistaken with a yellow snow warning) is in place between midday on Tuesday until 11am on Wednesday. A statement released by the Met Office reads: A band of rain will arrive across Wales, northern and western England through the middle of Tuesday, then move eastwards through Tuesday afternoon and evening. The rain will turn quickly to snow on hills, then also to low levels in places. 3 to 5 cm snow is likely above 200 metres, with up to 10 cm in a few places. A patchy covering of 1 to 2 cm is possible at low levels, although some places will see no snow at all. As skies clear overnight, ice is likely to form on some surfaces. In addition, wintry showers will follow into western areas on Wednesday morning, giving further slight accumulations of snow in a few places. RWF veteran has no known family to attend his funeral this week This article is old - Published: Monday, Jan 28th, 2019 A public notice has been placed letting people know of veteran of the Royal Welch Fusiliers passed away this month, and that his funeral will be held on Thursday. The notice notes that there are no known family to attend the funeral: Are you able to attend the funeral of George Formstone RWF Veteran? George passed away on 9th January aged 81 and has no known family to attend the funeral. The notice was placed on FLOW (Forces Leavers Organisation Wales) which is a community website to support the delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant in North Wales. It aims to bring together both serving and non serving members of the community across the region and offer support and information relevant to those people already living, or planning to live in North Wales. Georges funeral will be held on Thursday 31st January 10:30am at Plas Acton Cemetery, Plas Acton Road, Gwersyllt (LL11 2UB) RWF groups are aware and it also appears it has been circulated internally with Wrexham groups. Whatever the precise nature of Esha Guptas ambassadorial role with Arsenal was, it must surely be a thing of the past after the Indian actress/model was found to have used racial slurs while criticising Alex Iwobi. Having watched the Gunners go out of the FA Cup on Friday night, Gupta discussed Iwobis performance with a friend who referred to the Nigeria winger as a gorilla and a neanderthal. So taken with the snappy repartee, Gupta was still giggling as she shared the conversation on Instagram Hahahahaha. Lololololol. After being called out on the dreadfulness of the messages (most notably by Daily Cannon writer Dan Critchlow), Gupta sought to make amends by issuing the now standard sorry if u were offended half-apology over a series of increasingly vapid tweets. She didnt realise the discussion had directed towards racism? Well, thats certainly a new one. Pies arent entirely sure what Guptas role as Arsenal envoy entails she has assisted in a kit launch before but we can only assume, nay hope, that it doesnt go on for much longer. Waters: Millennials Want School Choice, Too By Jim Waters LEXINGTON - New polling indicates that not only are policies empowering parents to decide how, what and where their children learn more popular than ever, but the support school choice enjoys across political, demographic and geographical spectrums reveals that educational freedom isn't just about helping minority students escape failing urban schools.Giving parents more educational opportunities for their children is supported by over two-thirds of white and rural respondents to a new survey of 1,200 likely voters conducted for the American Federation for Children by Beck Research, a respected Democratic polling firm whose previous clients include the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers' union and parent organization of the Kentucky Education Association both of which are stubborn opponents of school choice.But it's not just older white American voters in rural areas that want educational choices available to families; 75 percent of millennials and 64 percent of suburban voters support more options for parents.Neither is the clamor for more choices from white right-wing Republicans.Beck's polling shows 56 percent of Democrats, 73 percent of Latinos and 69 percent of political independents back choice, suggesting that the search for educational alternatives has expanded beyond the single minority parent in the big city.Vicki Alger, Ph.D., a nationally recognized school-choice expert, observes that the increasing support for alternatives coupled with a growing number of programs, including tax credit scholarships, which engage both businesses and individuals in creating additional funding to allow students to attend private schools who otherwise would not be able to, education savings accounts for the learning-disabled and more innovative and successful public charter schools suggests parents increasingly view choice as "a pathway into schools offering better fits for students based on their unique individual needs."Yet while more than half of all states have multitudes of choices, which give thousands of children at least the opportunity of getting a better and better-fitted education, Kentuckians currently have no access to such programs."Education systems like Kentucky's that largely ration options based on where a child's parents can afford to live are relics of a bygone era," Alger wrote recently on Facebook. "Such systems cannot provide the customized learning opportunities students need. Parents want and their children deserve educational options that are as unique as they are."Federal government data suggests that many parents, while seemingly resigned to local education bureaucrats sporting nanny state-type titles like "student assignment director" deciding how, what and where their children learn wouldn't choose such a traditional public school if given alternatives.The federal Digest of Education Statistics reports 69 percent of America's K-12 students in 2016 attended public schools but only 19 percent of their families would choose a regular public school.This meshes with a survey conducted by EdChoice of 1,200 Kentuckians a decade ago that found around 91 percent of Kentucky's K-12 students attended regular public schools, but given a choice, only 13 percent of parents said they would choose such schools for their children.It's no wonder when Kentucky families can look across the river into Ohio, where families have access to 10 different private-school choice programs in addition to a revived and robust public charter-school program.Critics' rancor often reaches apoplectic levels regarding school-choice programs offering the prospect of private education to students who, without financial help, would never have such an opportunity.Warnings that pro-school-choice policies will mark the beginning of education apocalypse in Kentucky often accompany their seething.However, states with such programs some going back more than a quarter century to America's first charter school not only aren't experiencing falling skies but instead are enjoying the kind of economic growth Kentucky could only dream about in the past.Jim Waters is president and CEO of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, Kentucky's free-market think tank. Read previous columns at www.bipps.org. He can be reached at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com and @bipps on Twitter. Mayfield Pair Face Meth, Other Charges By West Kentucky Star Staff MAYFIELD - Two Mayfield residents were arrested Sunday on methamphetamine and other charges. The Graves County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to a home on Dorothy Lane to serve an indictment warrant out of Fulton County for drug and theft-related charges. When deputies entered the home, 51-year-old Treasa Skinner was arrested on the warrant. Before her arrest, deputies say Skinner grabbed a large knife from the kitchen area and came at a deputy with it. After being arrested, Skinner allegedly told deputies that there were illegal items in the home. During a search of the home, deputies reportedly found methamphetamine and multiple items of drug paraphernalia. Skinner was charged with wanton endangerment of a police officer, abuse/neglect of an adult, possession of meth and possession of drug paraphernalia. Another person at the home, 44-year-old Jeffrey Skinner, was also arrested on charges of possession of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia and DUI. Deputies say the DUI charge was a result of him pulling up to the home and operating a motor vehicle under the influence, while the search was being conducted. Both were lodged in the Graves County Jail. KYTC Public Meeting Tonight in Bardwell By West Kentucky Star Staff BARDWELL - Western Kentucky residents will have a chance this week to meet with state highway officials at a planned event in Carlisle County.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says it will hold a public forum on Thursday at the UK Extension Office located at 65 John Roberts Drive in Bardwell. The meeting will allow local officials and residents to share input and ask questions about the most pressing transportation infrastructure needs in Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman, and Fulton counties. The community forum is part of an extended statewide listening tour.The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Kentucky Transportation Secretary Greg Thomas will attend, as will KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Kyle Poat, KYTC District 1 PD&P Engineer Harold Gibson, and Commissioner Gray Tomblyn II with the Department of Rural & Municipal Aid. Hopkinsville Man Arrested on Drug, EPO Charges By West Kentucky Star Staff HOPKINSVILLE - A Hopkinsville man was arrested Saturday for violating an emergency protective order and on drug charges.The Hopkinsville Police Department said officers arrested 35-year-old Gregory Shemwell after he refused to leave the area following an argument with his ex-wife. Police said Shemwell is allowed to visit his children at his ex-wifes home, but only if there are no acts of abuse.Officers also reportedly found a small amount of marijuana and rolling papers on Shemwell. During a search at the jail authorities also found five grams of methamphetamine on him.Shemwell was charged with violation of an EPO, possession of meth, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Argument Leads to Man's Arrest on Assault Charge By West Kentucky Star Staff GRAVES COUNTY - A man faces an assault charge after an incident Sunday in Mayfield. The Graves County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to a home in the 100 block of Dorothy Lane, where they found the victim limping in the roadway. The victim told police he had gotten into a verbal argument with his roommate, 64-year-old Rodrigo Carbonell. Carbonell was reportedly in a minivan as the victim was talking to him through the window. The victim told deputies that Carbonell intentionally ran over his foot and leg causing injuries, and then fled the scene. Deputies later found Carbonell at a home on KY 1241. Carbonell was arrested and charged with 2nd degree assault. He was lodged in the Graves County Jail. Reported Assault Leads to West Paducah Arrest By West Kentucky Star Staff WEST PADUCAH - A West Paducah man was arrested Sunday after a reported assault.According to the McCracken County Sheriff's Department, they responded to a home in West Paducah and spoke to the alleged victim, who is 72 years old. The victim showed deputies injuries to the face, head, ears and ribs, and it was later determined that ribs were broken.The investigation led to the arrest of 34-year-old Robin C. Shelman on a charge of assault 2nd degree, but deputies say the investigation may lead to more charges against Shelman.Deputies said the victim and Shelman are not related. If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit Thank you for Reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. At the invitation of the World Economic Forum (WEF), WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya participated in the Annual Meeting 2019 held from 22 to 25 January 2019 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, where he met with global leaders, explained the important role played by Customs and contributed to various sessions. Under the overarching theme of "Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution", data governance was one of the focus areas of the discussions held throughout the Annual Meeting. Secretary General Mikuriya addressed trade ministers and business leaders on the WCOs digital Customs initiatives, including the collection and analysis of data, cross-border e-commerce and the use of disruptive technology at borders. Secretary General Mikuriya emphasized revenue and security concerns, stressing the Customs communitys willingness to facilitate legitimate trade while focusing on the ensuing benefits for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises as well as for consumers. In addition, Dr. Mikuriya described how the WCO encourages Customs administrations to improve the business environment through the use of performance measurement. By way of example, he referred to the WCO's efforts to facilitate the Customs communitys engagement with the World Bank's "Ease of Doing Business" survey, and to identify ways of addressing bottlenecks in border procedures by means of dialogue with business. Dr. Mikuriya took part in bilateral meetings with ministers, heads of government, international organizations and global businesses, raising Customs profile among world leaders as a result. The high-level participants welcomed the WCO's input to the sessions and its collaboration through a range of initiatives. UK Parliamentarians Remain Firm on Gibraltar The Government says it has intensified its contact on Brexit with senior United Kingdom parliamentarians both in the House of Commons and the House of Lords in order to put across the position of Gibraltar. The Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia took advantage of their visit to London last week to meet opinion-formers on the Remain and the Leave sides of the argument. The Government said it is delighted with the continued firm support for Gibraltar across the political divide and on both sides of the Brexit argument. On the Conservative side, there were discussions with five Ministers of UK Government in the context of the Joint Ministerial Council. Mr Picardo and Dr Garcia also met with prominent leave campaigner Sir Bernard Jenkin MP who is the Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, as well as with the Chair of the Treasury Committee Nicky Morgan MP. There was also a briefing with the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gibraltar Bob Neil MP. On the Labour side, separate meetings were held with Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Sir Kier Starmer MP and the Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry MP. A very useful discussion both on Gibraltar and the wider Brexit issue was held with Hilary Benn MP, who chairs the EU Exit Committee in the House of Commons. In a private meeting with the House of Lords EU Committee, the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and the Attorney General each addressed a different aspect of Brexit as it affects Gibraltar. This covered such topics as the Withdrawal Agreement, no-deal contingency planning and the legislative programme for our EU departure. This was followed by a question and answer session. The meeting in the House of Lords included Baroness Verma, the Chair of the External Affairs Sub Committee, as well as Lord Whitty who is Chair of the Internal Market Sub Committee. Commenting on the meeting, the Chief Minister said: The strategy of the Government in keeping parliamentarians abreast of developments in Gibraltar continues to work. Despite the intensity of the debate in the United Kingdom, key players at a national level made the time to meet with me and the Deputy Chief Minister in order to be updated on Gibraltar issues. It is very encouraging to see the high level of political support for Gibraltar in Parliament on every side of the argument. We have met people from both front benches and from all shades of Brexit opinion on the backbenches and all fully understand the position of the Government of Gibraltar and all remain completely supportive of our plight and our work. Brexit has continued to be a divisive issue in the United Kingdom but on Gibraltar our many friends in Parliament remain strong and united. CM & DCM with Kier Starmer MP CM & DCM with Emily Thornberry MP CM & DCM with Bernard Jenkin MP Five members of my family were killed by a wrong-way drunk driver on January 6, 2019. That day was the most devastating day of my life. In an instant, I lost my only sibling and best friend, Rima (38); my brother-in-law, Issam (42); my two nieces, Isabella (12) and Giselle (7); and my nephew, Ali (13). My world crumbled to pieces. That feeling is even more palpable this month, with Rimas birthday being June 12. Normal, IL (61790) Today Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. For this benefit, he delivered a full voiced Non Piu Andrai from Le Nozze de Figaro, maybe the most well-known aria from the opera. Mooney gave it all the wit and charm the comic moment deserves, decorating it with characterizations that enhanced the joy of the piece, closing the benefit concert on a solid note of success for two deserving community-focused arts groups and their worthy students. Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said in an email that there have not been any announced changes to Amtrak scheduling to the Williamsburg station due to the project. "I think there is some theory under which you could include them in such a conspiracy, and I wonder why not," said Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney. "Is it that they don't think the evidence goes that far? Is it that they think this conduct does not amount to a conspiracy to defraud the United States and it is instead dirty, political tricks?" Walter Kimbrough has a reputation for motivating, encouraging and guiding university audiences to strive for success in academia and in the community. (Jan. 28, 2019) The UTSA African American Studies Program this week presents the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture Series with keynote speaker Walter Kimbrough, president of Dillard University. Known as the hip hop President for promoting free speech on college campuses, Kimbrough has a reputation for motivating, encouraging and guiding university audiences to strive for success in academia and in the community. The UTSA Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture Series began in 2016 to provide scholarly global appreciation of diverse and social justice issues relevant to our society. This years event is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30 in the Student Union Retama Auditorium (SU 2.02.02) on the UTSA Main Campus. It is free and open to the public. In addition to an inspiring message from Kimbrough, UTSA MLK, Jr. 2017 Scholarship Winner Genesis Cogle will address the audience during the lecture. The UTSA Women's Choir will provide a musical tribute. "Dr. King believed in education and the impact education can have on one's ability to grow socially, theoretically and spiritually, said Karla Broadus, UTSA senior lecturer and director of the UTSA African American Studies program. If our students truly engage in our lecture series speakers and not only become thinkers as well as change agents, our UTSA campus will become a true leader of inclusiveness." Kimbrough is one of the youngest college presidents in the nation. In October of 2004, at the age of 37, he was named the 12th president of Philander Smith College. In 2012, he became the seventh president of Dillard University in New Orleans, La. In 2014, he was honored as the Historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) President of the Year. Additionally, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education named Kimbrough as one of 25 To Watch in 2009. He was cited in 2010 by Bachelorsdegree.org as one of 25 college presidents you should follow on Twitter by Education Dive. In 2010, he was cited as one of the Ebony Magazine Power 100 doers and influencers in the African American community. In 2013, he was named to NBC News/The Griot.coms 100 African Americans making history today. Kimbrough is recognized for his research of college level African American men, diversity issues and HBCUs. He also is the author of the book Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia, a Master of Science degree in college student personnel services from Miami University and his doctorate in higher education from Georgia State University. Experience survival horror like never before in the 8th major installment in the Resident Evil franchise - Resident Evil Village. With detailed graphics, intense first-person action, and masterful storytelling, the terror has never felt more realistic. Published: January 28, 2019 UT Writers at the University Series Welcomes Cambodian-American Poet Peuo Tuy for a Reading Feb. 5 On Tuesday, Feb. 5, The University of Tampa will host a reading with spoken word poet and fiction writer Peuo Tuy as part of the Writers at the University series. The reading begins at 7 p.m. in the Scarfone/Hartley Gallery and is free and open to the public. A Cambodian-American, Tuys poetry collection, Khmer Girl, is inspired by the traumas of her life, including her family escaping the killing fields of their native country and facing the injustice of life as an immigrant in the United States. Her poetry, written and spoken, educates audiences about both the history and beauties of her Khmer heritage, as well as the effects Khmer culture had on her self-esteem as a girl and woman. Tuy conducts writing and self-empowerment workshops that focus on peace, compassion and overcoming adversity in difficult times for people of all ages. She is currently working on storybooks for children and a young adult fiction novel. For more information, contact Lynne Bartis at lbartis@ut.edu. The statue of pioneer missionary Marcus Whitman at the five-way intersection near Whitman College at Main Street and Boyer Avenue. A bill in the state Legislature seeks to remove statues of Whitman from the Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C., and from the state Capitol in Olympia. Register for a FREE account to keep reading! Register now for a FREE account to keep reading. No cost and no credit card required! Access up to 5 articles per month when you register, or get unlimited access to all of our content online starting at $1.99 now! Already registered? Click the log in link below New Delhi, Jan 28 (UNI) The 1993 batch IFS officer Sunjay Sudhir, presently Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, was on Monday appointed as India's next Ambassador to the Republic of Maldives. According to an official announcement by the Ministry of External Affairs, he is expected to take up the assignment shortly. In another communique, the Ministry said that Vijay Singh Chauhan, Consul General at the Consulate General of India, Sao Paulo in Brazil has been appointed as the Ambassador of India to Burkina Faso. "He is expected to take up the assignment shortly," the official release said. It may be mentioned here that the Modi government has lately tried to improve relations with the Maldives especially after Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took over reins of the country after a fiercely contested elections. President Solih visited India on December 17 and during his stay met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and both sides pledged to improve bilateral ties. Mr Modi had visited Male during the swearing-in ceremony of new dispensation headed by Mr Solih in November 2018 after a keenly watched election. UNI DEVN SHK1858 Brazil crosses 500,000 COVID deaths amid 'critical' situation 20 Jun 2021 | 8:16 AM Brasilia, June 20(UNI) Brazil on Saturday crossed the grim figure of 500,000 COVID deaths which is the second-highest in the world, even as health experts warned that the outbreak could worsen due to slow vaccination and the start of winter. see more.. Ebrahim Raisi elected Iran's new president 19 Jun 2021 | 2:09 PM Tehran, Jun 19 (UNI) Iran elected Seyed Ebrahim Raisi as its new president in Friday's presidential election, with state-run media reporting that his main opponent has conceded his defeat on Saturday. see more.. Seven dead, 13 injured after plane crash-lands in Russia's Kemerovo region 19 Jun 2021 | 12:16 PM Moscow, Jun 19 (UNI) Seven people were killed while 13 others injured after a plane crash-landed in Russia's Kemerovo Region, officials said on Saturday. see more.. Brussels rejects legal EU demand for more AstraZeneca, imposes deadline on drugmaker 19 Jun 2021 | 8:19 AM Brussels, June 19(UNI) The European Union on Friday lost a legal battle in Brussels to force Anglo-Swedish drug maker AstraZeneca to supply 120m doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of June. see more.. Security Token Issuance Set To Rise Boards of listed companies are already discussing the possibility of issuing security tokens according to Henry James, deputy chief executive and co-founder of Fincross International, a new digital and fintech investment bank. Fincross was launched to bridge the token economy and traditional assets for institutions and is led by Eddy Abramo, former chief executive of the Middle East and Africa at French bank Societe Generale. James told Markets Media: The security token market will dwarf the cryptocurrency market. They can represent fractional ownership of illiquid assets such real estate or art and so are more stable and easier to value for investors than cryptocurrencies. He explained that tokens can be issued on a distributed ledger but can attract institutional investors because an offering is regulated like a normal security, such as in an initial public offering for equities. A security token offering (STO) is more competitively priced than an equities issue and are being discussed at the board level of four companies in the French CAC 40 index, added James. He highlighted that the St Regis Hotel in Aspen raised $18m from accredited investors in an STO in the US last year. Fincross plans to hold its own token sale this year. James continued that obstacles to market growth are lack of regulatory clarity, as tokenized assets have no borders, and the lack of infrastructure for secondary trading. Consultancy Aite Group agreed in its report, Top 10 Trends in Institutional Securities & Investments, 2019: More M&A Ahead, that security tokens are becoming increasingly popular. Gabriel Wang, analyst at Aite, said in a webcast to discuss the report that in theory, any fiat assets can be tokenized with increased transparency, enhanced liquidity, and reduced transaction costs. Aite Group expects to see a growing number of firms (including some of the incumbent Wall Street firms) starting to offer security tokens as part of their blockchain innovation in 2019, he added. Global exchanges can also work with blockchain startups to develop security token products that can be listed on the exchanges, and build out dedicated trading platforms. Custody One of the main hurdles holding back the institutional trading of cryptocurrencies is the lack of trusted custody solutions according to a survey from GreySpark Partners last year. The consultancy said in a report The market is waiting for big houses such as State Street and Northern Trust to take on this role. Difficulties in accessing liquidity or finding capital-efficient instruments for short or hedge positions is also an issue. Fincross intends to launch a digital asset custody service in April this year. James explained that insurance costs for digital assets can be prohibitive but Fincross will launch its service in partnership with a German insurance company, who will hold one of the four private keys required to access the assets. James said: The cost will come down to less than 1%. This week GMEX, a provider of multi-asset exchange and post-trade business and technology solutions, also announced it has launched ForumCustody and ForumWallet, part of the GMEX Fusion product suite to include digital custodian and vault capabilities. 1 2 next For more information on related topics, visit the following channels: Bedsonline, a leading accommodation and complementary services supplier, celebrated 15 years of success at a private event for clients last week. The event, held on the fringes of FITUR (the international tourism fair held in Madrid, Spain), brought together more than 300 travel agents from all over the country at a private dinner. Bedsonline leveraged the occasion to confirm its leadership position in the Spanish source market its founding market which still remains the main market globally for the company. This leading position in the market is due mainly to the large and diverse portfolio with over 170,000 hotels around the world, 24,000 transfer routes and 18,000 activities offered to its customers, a powerful and easy-to-use technology platform and a specialised knowledge combined with a strong local commercial team. Alistair Rodger, Retail Travel Agents director of Hotelbeds, stated: "Today we celebrate an important milestone for the company: 15 years of history in the retail channel. We started our journey in Spain which as of today is still our main market and, after the formula for success was developed in the country, we exported the model to the Dominican Republic in 2004, and Portugal, Mexico and Costa Rica in 2005. Nowadays, more than 50,000 travel agents from over 100 source markets around the world make their bookings through our platform. Today we are showcasing in FITUR our new brand identity and a strengthened product portfolio after the consolidation of Tourico Holidays and GTA (TravelCube and TravelBound) into our platform, and the consolidation of all brands into Bedsonline identity." Carlos Feliu, sales director for Iberia, UK and Ireland of Bedsonline, commented: "After 15 years of success and growth, we have managed to consolidate our leadership position in the country in the retail niche, confirming once again that Spain is our main source market globally, with more than 8,000 local agents booking through our platform." "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our affiliated travel agents for their loyalty and support during all these years. Looking ahead to the next 15 years, our mission is to leverage our strong and powerful product portfolio after the inclusion of Tourico Holidays and GTA into the Bedsonline platform," he said. Likewise, the company used the occasion to showcase the recently renewed brand image revealed in September and to offer details on the new and enlarged product portfolio. This strategy has allowed Bedsonline not only to strengthen the offer, but also to provide a new 360-degree solution that improves the experience of travel agents. The new Bedsonline platform now offers travel agents globally the following benefits: Diverse and competitive product portfolio: Over 170,000 hotels globally available (with over 90,000 of those directly sourced, making the content both unique and competitively priced), 24,000 transfer routes and 18,000 activities, PLUS 140,000 cars available for hire all sourced by a team of over 1,000 contractors globally. Powerful and user-friendly technology: Best-in-class search engine designed specifically for the needs of travel agents allows users to filter and compare results in a flexible and practical way, including intuitive email and PDF functions 70 per cent of existing customers cite the platform as a top factor in choosing the service. Bedsonlines parent group is the only distributor to operate its own cloud-based, open source data centre and handles up to 3 billion searches per day. Local knowledge combined with a global offering: Local sales teams in every market with significant local knowledge and industry know-how ready to take care of all the needs of customers. - TradeArabia News Service Spain-based Acciona, a leading supplier of sustainable infrastructure solutions and renewable energy projects worldwide, said it has been named among the 2019 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations for the second consecutive year. The list was revealed by Corporate Knights at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Over 2,500 leaders from the business world, governments, international organisations and civil society were at this year's forum which was held under the theme - Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This ranking analyses companies that reached revenues of over $1 billion in 2018 (around 7,500 companies from 21 countries) and rates them according to economic, environmental, social and governance indicators, said a statement from the company. Those indicators include the percentage of profits linked to the green economy, emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, the use of renewable energies, the use of sustainable suppliers, spending on innovation, tax contribution, workplace accident rates, and gender equality, it said. Acciona, which is ranked 68th, directly links its business model to the green economy, as defined by the UN; activities in this category contributed 34 per cent of the company's worldwide revenues and 67 per cent of its ebitda last year. A major global player in renewable energy sector, Acciona's range of services cover the entire value chain, from design through construction to operation and maintenance. As for emissions of CO2, Acciona has been carbon-neutral since 2016. In addition, by producing electricity from 100 per cent renewable sources, the company avoided the emission of 14.4 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere in 2017, and it extends its commitment to sustainability by measuring the pollutant emissions and water consumption of 100 per cent of its suppliers. Inclusion in the 2019 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations represents additional recognition for Acciona's sustainable approach, as it is also a member of other benchmark indexes such as FTSE4Good, MSCI Global Climate Index and CDP Water A List 2018. At the Davos event, Chairman and CEO Jose Manuel Entrecanales took part in encounters organised by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WCSD), and the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), among others.-TradeArabia News Service Work on a new fuel farm complex, being developed by BAC Jet Fuel Company (BJFCO) - a joint venture between Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) and National Oil and Gas Authority (Noga) - is progressing at a steady pace and is on track for completion by by the third quarter of 2019. The new aviation facility is coming up in the northeast area of the Bahrain International Airport (BIA) in line with directives from Bahrains leadership to relocate the airports fuel tanks from Arad. Housing three aviation fuel tanks with a capacity of 10,000 cu m each, the fuel farm complex covers 77,000 sq m, in addition to its dedicated operational buildings. It is equipped with state-of-the-art safety and security features and the latest aviation product handling technologies, said the statement from BAC. It will supply aircraft with fuel through 20- and 18-inch pipelines located below the airport runway, it added. The strategic project, an important component of the Airport Modernisation Programme, will reinforce Bahrains position as a centre of aviation fuel services in the GCC region and contribute to national economic growth in line with the kingdoms Vision 2030, said Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed during an inspection visit to the site. He was accompanied by Bahrain's Minister of Oil Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and other senior government officials. "The fuel farm complex is an important component of plans to restructure the aviation sector in the kingdom and will play a key role in streamlining the aviation fuel supply, operation, and maintenance process at the airport," he remarked. "It is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the Kingdom and is aimed at stimulating sustainable economic growth and diversifying revenue streams in line with Bahrains Economic Vision 2030," stated the minister. "There are currently 38 airlines operating out of BIA and we expect this number to grow. The fuel farm, which is being built according to the highest international standards, will enable us to support the increased activity," he added. The ministers were later briefed on the latest milestones of the project, including the achievement of a major milestone of one million man hours without lost-time accidents, in the presence of BAC Jet Fuel Company (BJFCO) board members, and representatives from BAC, engineering consultants Mott Macdonald, and main contractor Amana Pipeline Construction. Shaikh Mohammed praised Nogas vision to support pioneering projects aimed at achieving a number of tangible and qualitative goals, including improving efficiency and the expansion of aviation fuel operations and services. He also stressed the importance of completing the construction of the complex of aircraft fuel depots in a timely manner in accordance with the highest specifications and standards, and utilising the highest level of skill, knowledge and competency. Following the tour of the site, BJFCO chairman Engineer Abdul Majeed Al Qassab gave an update on the projects progress and the details of upcoming stages. On completion, BJFCO will be responsible for the facilitys management and operation, as per directives from Bahrains leadership. "The objectives of the restructuring are to create a more competitive environment in the aviation fuel sector and to meet the needs of airlines more effectively," remarked Kamal bin Ahmed. "This is why BAC plans to appoint a fourth jet fuel distributor alongside the three existing distributors - Bapco, Chevron, and British Petroleum and a second into-plane operator at BIA in addition to Bafco," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Oppo, a global smartphone brand, said it has opened the company's second regional hub within the UAE and is set to make Dubai as its new centre for operations in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. The move comes as part of the brand's remapping in the region, as Oppo eyes plans for additional Gulf investments this year, said a statement from the company. The new Dubai hub will be Oppo's base for Middle East's regional sales, distribution and marketing operations, as well as being a point from which Oppo will look to deepen technology partnerships with other private and public-sector entities. The hub will also oversee Oppo's continued expansion in the Middle East with Oppo already evaluating a potential entry into markets like Saudi Arabia in 2019. This is the brand's latest move in the region after announcing its plan of launching the R17 Series in Saudi Arabia earlier this month which will also be the first time Oppo launches its mid to high-end R series in the region, it added. Andy Shi, the president of Oppo (Middle East and Africa) said: "With youth in its DNA, Oppo is dedicated to creating products that integrate technology and artistry, and give users a wonderful experience in their digital lives." "The Gulf region is a particularly exciting market for us given the large youth population, the high level of mobile connectivity, and the public's enthusiasm for new technology experiences," he noted. "In addition to bringing advanced smartphone technology to the UAE, the company will contribute to local employment and promote innovation in line with the UAE Vision 2021," stated Shi. The opening is part of Oppo's global growth strategy and recognizes Dubai's unique position as a regional nexus for business and technology innovation, he added. Oppo has expanded its smartphone business to over 30 countries and regions, covering Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, providing products and services at over 400,000 points of sale. The company first began offering products to consumers in select Middle East markets in 2015, later setting up a regional sales office in Cairo, Egypt, in 2016. In Egypt, Oppo has been ranked the top three smartphone brand and is enjoyed by youth across the country. Within the last year, Oppo has started to adjust its product line in the region. This has included the launch of its flagship Oppo Find X smartphone in the UAE in September 2018. This year, Oppo will continue to adjust its product line to offer more premium series to young consumers in the region. "The UAE's combination of excellent infrastructure, open economic policies, and a strong talent pool make it an ideal hub from which to expand Oppo's business in the Gulf," stated Shi. "In particular, Dubai is a vibrant multicultural city from which we can showcase the Oppo brand and better communicate with consumers from across the region and around the globe," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the largest industrial company in the UAE outside oil and gas, has announced that commissioning of its new Al Taweelah alumina refinery has entered its final stages. On the project progress, EGA said commissioning of the four major sections of Al Taweelah alumina refinery is being completed in a carefully planned order, with the final stages of the Bayer process ready for production first. Commissioning of the last process stage, calcination, was completed in December. The Emirati aluminium giant said the first production from Al Taweelah alumina refinery is expected during the first half of this year. EGA has now begun hot water testing of the digestion section of the alumina refinery. Digestion is the first of four successive stages of the Bayer process through which bauxite ore is refined into alumina, the feedstock for aluminium smelters. Digestion involves the heating of a slurry of crushed bauxite and caustic soda to 270 degrees centigrade using steam. Commenting on the project, Abdulla Kalban, the managing director and CEO, said: "We are making good progress with the complex process of commissioning Al Taweelah alumina refinery, in line with the meticulous planning and preparations which began even before construction started.:" "We are looking forward to beginning production and ramping up of this project, which along with our Guinea mine will transform EGA into an integrated global aluminium producer," he stated. On the ongoing progress, Kalban said testing equipment and pipelines with hot water under high pressure simulates normal operating conditions and is the last step to ensure a facility is ready for process chemicals to be introduced. Earlier this month, EGAs nearby Al Taweelah power plant started delivering steam to the new alumina refinery through new connecting pipelines. Supplying steam from EGAs existing power plant, which was built to provide electricity and steam for EGAs Al Taweelah aluminium smelter, improves the alumina refinerys overall energy efficiency. Al Taweelah alumina refinery, which has a total budgeted project cost of approximately $3.3 billion, is the first in the UAE and only the second in the Middle East. EGA is also building a bauxite mine and export facilities in the Republic of Guinea, where first exports are expected during the second half of 2019, said Kalban. Once production is fully ramped up, Al Taweelah alumina refinery is expected to produce some 2 million tonnes of alumina per year and meet 40 per cent of EGAs alumina requirements, replacing some imports.-TradeArabia News Service Exhibitors from around the world are highlighting their new products, technologies, machinery and equipment used in the petrochemical, plastics, printing and packaging sectors at an ongoing event in Saudi Arabia. The 16th edition of the Saudi Plastics and Petrochemicals Exhibition opened at the Jeddah Center for forums and events, in the presence of Saud Bin Abdullah Bin Jalwi, advisor to the Governor of Makkah region, undersecretary of Jeddah Province. The exhibition, in conjunction with the Saudi Print & Pack exhibition 2019 and organised by the Riyadh Exhibitions Company Ltd, will continue until January 30, presenting an ideal platform for engineers, industrialists and businessmen to identify the latest products, technologies and services within the petrochemical, plastics, printing and packaging sectors. The event is the perfect platform to review the investment prospects of these sectors in line with global demand, where exports of chemical products and plastics represent more than two thirds of total Saudi industrial exports and 10 per cent of the overall exports of the kingdom, said a statement from the organisers. Mohammad Al Al-Sheikh, head of marketing, Riyadh Exhibition Company, said: Saudi Arabia pays particular attention to the petrochemical sector as it is one of the main pillars of the Saudi economy. The Saudi market consumes about three and a half million tonnes of plastic annually, and the plastics sector in the kingdom is expected to grow at a rate of 3.2 percent a year until 2020. In its 16th edition, the exhibition brings together hundreds of exhibitors in the kingdom, attracting thousands of specialised visitors, businessmen, entrepreneurs, VIPs and decision makers from various industrial sectors, he said. He added: We are confident in what the exhibition will offer in its current edition as the most prominent event that accompanies the growth of the petrochemical and plastics sectors in the Kingdom. The exhibition is a unique opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of these sectors and increase their contribution to the national economy. " This year, the exhibition is supported by the public and private sectors. Sabic comes to the forefront of support as a diamond sponsor. Also, Saudi Industrial Development Fund is a sponsor of industrial empowerment. Furthermore, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu is an industry support partner, and Investment Authority a supporting body that opens the way for exchange of knowledge and discussions between companies to create a manufacturing base in the kingdom in order to familiarise visitors with all the new in the field of plastic and petrochemical industries, and see the latest developments that enhance the continuity of expansion and increase exports to the Saudi market, it stated. TradeArabia News Service Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement worth $2.8 billion with Trafigura Singapore to set up the first copper smelter in the kingdom, said a Reuters report. Trafigura Singapore is a unit of Netherlands-based Trafigura, a leading independent commodity trading and logistics house. The project aims to produce 400,000 tonnes of copper; 200,000 tonnes of zinc; and 55,000 tonnes of lead annually, added the report. MBABANE As the war for the cost-of-living-adjustment (CoLA) rages on, civil servants say law enforcers should arrest anyone who is corrupt, even if its their members. Members of public service associations (PSAs) are: the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) and Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP). The PSAs have for a long time complained that corruption was rife in government despite that they were the core-engine or human resource that the State uses to render basic services to the populace. A year ago, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) reported that some junior civil servants were multi-millionaires due to the benefits they reap from corrupt acts. The agency, assigned to deal with corruption in the country, stated that the junior officers were getting kickbacks from tenders awarded by their various ministries. This, the agency claimed, was done by demanding 10 per cent from the government suppliers; which some of the contractors have spoken about in hushed tones, as they fear jeopardising their future business prospects. In the stance of getting their CoLA, leaders of the various PSAs have claimed that they were not immune to the various corrupt acts that led to government losing billions over the years. Aubrey Sibiya, President of NAPSAWU, said the fact that government was corrupt was not merely an allegation but was shared by erstwhile Minister of Finance in the Ninth Parliament, Majozi Sithole. Sithole, at the height of a financial crisis in the country in 2011, said the country was rich and should not be at financially dire straits. The former politician said about E80 million was lost per month to corruption. He said corruption was what brought government to its knees. The ex-Mafutseni Constituency MP, termed corruption as colluding and conniving in government in order to loot public funds. Procurement The ex-minister said the government procurement system was filled with schemes to steal public funds. To this, Sibiya said it was obvious that government was aware of tricks that led to the money being siphoned from it but failed to act. He called upon government to arrest any individual who was costing public service servants better remuneration through greed. He said: Those stealing from government coffers should be arrested and dealt with through the justice system; even if they are our members. MBABANE Experience has worked for Maphalaleni Member of Parliament Mabulala Maseko as he managed to admit 43 pupils to a newly-built school in the area. Not only did Maseko admit the pupils to the school but he also kept them busy in class in the absence of teachers. Maseko, who retired a few years back from the teaching profession after joining politics, confirmed on Friday that he admitted the pupils to the school. He was heading Eluvinjelweni High School before he was elected into Parliament in 2013. He said they were mandated by the Ministry of the Education and Training to admit the pupils in the absence of the head teacher as the ministry was still in the hiring process. We have admitted 27 boys from our local primary schools, he said. Maseko revealed that the Teaching Service Commission had posted a head teacher who was a deputy in one of the best schools in Mbabane to head the school. He said the head teacher was in the process of sorting the curriculum and timetables before she could request for relevant teachers from the commission. Asked about his admission criteria, Maseko said the pupils were admitted as per the usual procedure. We admitted all pupils irrespective of their results. We did not opt for the whizz-kids because all pupils deserve equal rights to education, he said Asked about the effects of the new school in the area, Maseko mentioned that pupils from three royal kraals would no longer travel 12 kilometres to school. The royal kraals included Nsingweni, Maphalaleni and Mcengeni. Maseko revealed that the school, which was built by the community through sponsorship from the Ministry of the Education and Training as well as Micro Projects, cost over E2 million. The school comprises classrooms, teachers houses and toilets. Some of the pupils who were found with with Maseko in class said they were introduced to normal school regulations. When sought for comment, the Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission, Simanga Mamba, stated that the commission was in the process of posting teachers to all the nine new schools across the country. Mamba said lessons in these schools were likely to commence this week as head teachers were done with the curriculum and the timetables. I hope teachers have all submitted their requests for teachers which means teachers will be posted to all the schools this week, Mamba said. BIG BEND Incessant arson attacks on unharvested sugar cane at Ubombo Sugar Limited have warranted the deployment of the police. Since last month, unknown arsonists have targeted sections of the companys vast tracts of cane fields, burning a total of 94.7 hectares. The company is yet to quantify the total damage caused by the arson attacks but it is estimated that it could run into hundreds of thousands of Emalangeni. Police were deployed to the sugar manufacturing company to guard cane fields following the last arson attacks on January 16 this year. We can confirm that police have been deployed to the company following the arson attacks. Investigations are ongoing and no suspect has been arrested yet in connection with the crime, said Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer. Attacks The company management confirmed that the last arson attacks took place about a fortnight ago whereby a total of 29 hectares were set alight. Before that, a total of 65.7 hectares of cane fields were set alight, which brings the total size of cane fields that have been burnt to 94.7 hectares. As previously indicated, the matter is still under police investigation, hence we cannot comment any further, said Bongani Ndwandwe, the Human Resources Manager. Convinced Apparently, the company management is convinced that the cane fields were deliberately set alight for malicious purposes. In a memo (dated December 17, 2018) directed to stakeholders, including workers unions, Managing Director (MD) Oswald Magwenzi strongly condemned the arson attacks, further stating that these criminal acts were putting the company and its employees at risk. Management (is) working hand in hand with employee stakeholders and security structures to ensure that those responsible for carrying out these criminal acts are brought to book and dealt with by the law, reads in part the memo issued by the MD. He further urged employees with information which could lead to the arrest of the suspects not to hesitate to report to management or the police. MBABANE - A businessman has narrated how he ended up losing a E3 million government tender after Standard Bank Swaziland allegedly refused to release a house he had used as security for a previous loan. The bone of contention between the businessman and the bank was over the release of a house the former had bonded as deposits for a truck and trailers to the amount of E1.7 million. Bongani Masango, who is the Director of Real Ocean Res Investments (Pty) Ltd trading as Lwandle Logistics, alleged that the as a result of the banks refusing to release the property, his company lost the job that they wanted to do with government. The bank refused to give him a loan and further to release his house so he could use it as a security to solicit a loan with other banking institutions to finance his tender. According to a government purchase order, Masangos company was to supply Exide batteries to the Central Transport Administration (CTA). Masango and his company have since instituted legal proceedings against the bank where he is seeking an order directing the bank to release his property described as Lot 493, Extension 2, and Mbabane Township. He also wants the court to declare that there was no loan agreement between him and the bank. The company is represented by Sifiso Maseko of Henwood and Company. These are allegations contained in an affidavit whose veracity is still to be tested in court and the bank is yet to file its papers as it is opposing the matter. Giving a background of the matter, Masango stated that on or about December 2014, his company approached the bank with a view of getting a business facility for the purchase of trucks and trailers. He submitted that as a condition of obtaining the facility, the bank wanted the company to provide security for the loan. According to the businessman, the loan which his company wanted from the bank was E8 million. The company provided a security in the form of a piece of property. The property was accepted by the bank as security for provision of the loan, submitted Masango. Recover your password. A password will be e-mailed to you. The Montreal SPCA is asking citizens to take positon on draft animal welfare regulations THE SHORTHORN Is seeking work study student assistants for our reception desk for summer and fall.Prompt, cheerful, students with professional attitudes are encouraged to apply to answer office phones and greet guests from behind a plexiglass COVID barrier.Preference is given to students available to work some mornings. This in-office job offers flexible hours and plenty of time to study.Apply through Handshake for job #4723423 or call 817-272-3188 for more information. Posted Monday, January 28, 2019 6:33 am For years, state and federal civil rights law has prohibited the targeting of individuals by law enforcement based on their look and appearance. But motorcyclists are not afforded any legal avenues under those anti-profiling laws. On Friday, bikers from across the state rolled into Olympia hoping to change that. They expressed support for House Bill 1152, which would prohibit a law enforcement officer or agency from engaging in motorcycle profiling and give bikers legal recourse if they are the brunt of profiling. Of the 34 people who signed in to speak at the hearing before the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee, 30 were in favor of the bill. Im very fond of the Washington state constitution and what it says about establishing and maintaining individual rights, said Richland resident Donnie Landsman, who was with the advocacy group Bikers of Lesser Tolerance. Were asking for maintenance. Current state law defines motorcycle profiling as illegally targeting someone riding a motorcycle or who is wearing motorcycle-related paraphernalia for arrest, search, or to stop and question. I would guess that those of us sitting up here can look out into the audience and probably guess who drove out here today on a motorcycle, said Rep. Steve Kirby, D-Tacoma, the bills prime sponsor. In 2011, the Legislature passed a bill that required motorcycle profiling to be included in law enforcement training and policies along with racial and other types of profiling. But it did not specify any legal action that could be taken by those who believe they were profiled. This is a group that is not asking to be a protected class, Kirby said. But they would like to have the remedy that protected classes have when it comes to discrimination of this kind. The new bill would prohibit law enforcement officers and agencies from motorcycle profiling and also allow motorcyclists to seek injunctions of further violations and recover damages, attorney fees and costs. Two people who testified against the bill said they were in favor of the provision that prohibits law enforcement from profiling motorcycle riders. But they expressed concern that the added legal avenue for motorcyclists would tie up officers and state resources if they became engaged in a lawsuit. Its just another thing that takes us away from our duty, said Lacey resident James McMahan on behalf of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Washington State Patrol Capt. Monica Alexander said she is opposed to the legal remedy because her organization already investigates every complaint. However, she said she agrees with the anti-profiling language. It reads almost as though it came right out of our regulation manual. Posted Monday, January 28, 2019 6:10 am The ongoing local outbreak of measles has close to three dozen confirmed cases as of Monday afternoon, with Gov. Jay Inslee declaring a public health emergency and the county director of health believing that cases will continue to climb in February. Clark County Public Health announced Sunday that there were 35 confirmed cases with 11 suspected. On Jan. 25 Inslee announced the declaration, directing state agencies to use Washington resources and do everything reasonably possible to assist affected areas. The proclamation will allow use of the nationwide Emergency Management Assistance Compact, through which Washington can request additional medical resources from other states. Following Inslees declaration several local lawmakers acknowledged the help that it would provide. State Sens. Lynda Wilson and Ann Rivers alongside State Reps. Paul Harris, Brandon Vick and Larry Hoff said in the statement that apart from allowing the use of state resources the declaration brings a heightened public awareness about this dangerous and preventable disease. Prior to Inslees announcement Clark County Public Health Director Alan Melnick spoke to Clark County Council about the ongoing outbreak, explaining it was likely the county would be dealing with new cases through February. Melnick said measles was exquisitely contagious, explaining that two hours after a contagious individual left a room susceptible people could still catch the disease. The initial symptoms were also similar enough to other ailments during the current time of year that those unvaccinated wouldnt know if what they were experiencing was measles or something more benign. Regarding costs, Melnick said that within the first several days the outbreak had cost the county $31,000, adding that the total cost for the outbreak would likely be several hundreds of thousands of dollars by its end. Melnick said his department has had to shift staff from other programs such as the Nurse-Family Partnership, employees whose usual workloads include high-risk individuals like young children, or even food inspectors whose usual work involves billable expenses the county could not collect on. This basically impacts everything we do, he said. The Clark County Council made their own public health emergency declaration Jan. 18. Melnick said that declaration is allowing the department to use mutual aid agreements to expand their resources. Speaking before Inslees decoration Melnick added such a measure would help bring in federal assets as well. Melnick said all cases were at ages where the individuals should have been vaccinated based on medical guidelines. All of those cases could have been prevented by a very safe ... and very cheap vaccine, Melnick said. He explained schools had been cooperative through the outbreak with implementing exclusion policies for unvaccinated students and staff to stay home during the incubation period following discovery of a case. Melnick said school district superintendents are contacted directly if a confirmed case is found to be someone at one of their buildings. Shared spaces between two or more schools as well as buses that handle multiple routes to different buildings can exacerbate the outbreak given the long time the disease can linger in an area. Melnick expressed a desire that after the end of the outbreak his department and the schools could work together on outbreak preparedness, better tracking of immunization status and providing more education to parents about vaccines. Melnick asked for councilors to follow up with the county school advisory committee as to whether vaccinations would be a topic for them once the outbreak had ended. Councilor Julie Olson stressed the importance of vaccination to stop future outbreaks of the preventable diseases. The idea that it is not dangerous is simply wrong, Olson remarked about the disease. Melnick said before measles vaccinations became widely available in the 1960s, 400 to 500 individuals died from measles and roughly 50,000 were hospitalized annually. If we lose one child because of this thats a tragedy thats preventable, he said. {{tncms-inline content="

Age

• 1 to 10 years: 25 cases

• 11 to 18 years: nine cases

• 19 to 29 years: one case

Immunization status

• Unverified: four cases

• Unimmunized: 31 cases

• Hospitalization: one case

" id="525eb525-7434-4466-aa80-8ffc4a8d056a" style-type="bio" title="Outbreak at a glance" type="relcontent"}} {{tncms-inline content="

Health care facilities

• PeaceHealth Urgent Care – Memorial, 3400 Main St.

Noon to 5:30 pm Monday, Dec. 31.

4:30 to 7:50 pm Saturday, Jan. 19.

• Magnolia Family Clinic, 2207 NE Broadway, Suite 200, Portland from 11:30 am to 3 pm Tuesday, Jan. 8.

• The Vancouver Clinic, 700 NE 87th Ave., Vancouver

3:30 to 7 pm Friday, Jan. 11.

10:45 am to 1:30 pm Saturday Jan. 12.

4:30 to 7:30 pm Sunday, Jan. 13.

9:30 am to 1 pm Monday, Jan. 14.

• Vancouver Clinic Columbia Tech Center, 501 SE 172nd Ave., Vancouver from 11:30 am to 4 pm Friday, Jan. 11

• Kaiser Cascade Park Medical Office, 12607 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver

1 to 8:30 pm Saturday, Jan. 12

7 pm Tuesday, Jan. 15 to 2 am Wednesday, Jan. 16.

• PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Emergency Department, 400 NE Mother Joseph Pl., Vancouver

10 pm Saturday, Jan. 12 to 4 am Sunday, Jan. 13.

12:30 to 8:30 pm Sunday, Jan. 13.

• Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center Emergency Department, 2211 NE 139th St., Vancouver

8:30 pm Saturday, Jan. 12 to 1 am Sunday, Jan. 13.

5:45 pm Sunday, Jan. 13 and 12:30 am Monday, Jan. 14.

11:40 pm Monday, Jan. 14 to 5:10 am Tuesday, Jan. 15.

• Kaiser Orchards Medical Office, 7101 NE 137th Ave., Vancouver

1:55 to 6:10 pm Monday, Jan. 14.

1:50 to 7:30 pm Thursday, Jan. 24.

• Rose Urgent Care and Family Practice, 18 NW 20th Ave., Battle Ground from 3:45 to 8 pm Monday, Jan. 14.

• The Vancouver Clinic Salmon Creek, 2525 NE 139th St., Vancouver:

8:15 am to noon Friday, Jan. 18

4:30 to 9:30 pm Wednesday, Jan. 23

• Kaiser Cascade Park Medical Office, 12607 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver

12:30 to 7:30 pm Saturday, Jan. 19.

•Legacy GoHealth Urgent Care Cascade Park, 305 SE Chkalov Drive, Vancouver

6:25 to 10:15 pm Tuesday, Jan. 22.

Child care facilities

• St. Paul Christian Daycare, 1309 Franklin St., Vancouver:

Wednesday, Jan. 16

Thursday, Jan. 17

Friday, Jan. 18

Wednesday, Jan. 23

• Yelena’s Daycare, 17007 NE 23rd St., Vancouver:

Tuesday, Jan. 22

Wednesday, Jan. 23

Schools

• Orchards Elementary School, 11405 NE 69th St., Vancouver on Monday, Jan. 14.

• Cornerstone Christian Academy, 10818 NE 117th Ave., Vancouver on Friday, Jan. 4

• Vancouver Home Connection, 301 S. Lieser Road, Vancouver on Monday, Jan. 7; Wednesday, Jan. 9; and Friday, Jan. 11.

• Hearthwood Elementary School, 801 NE Hearthwood Blvd., Vancouver on Monday, Jan. 7; Tuesday, Jan. 8; and Wednesday, Jan. 9.

• Slavic Christian Academy, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Vancouver on Monday, Jan. 7.

• Image Elementary School, 4400 NE 122nd Ave., Vancouver on Tuesday, Jan. 8 and Wednesday, Jan. 9.

• Eisenhower Elementary School, 9201 NW Ninth Ave., Vancouver on Tuesday, Jan. 8 and Wednesday, Jan. 9.

• Tukes Valley Primary School, 20601 NE 167th Ave., Battle Ground on Tuesday, Jan. 8.

• Tukes Valley Middle School, 20601 NE 167th Ave., Battle Ground on Tuesday, Jan. 8

• Maple Grove School, 601B SW Eaton Blvd., Battle Ground on Tuesday, Jan. 8 and Wednesday, Jan. 9.

• River HomeLink, 601 SW Eaton Blvd., Battle Ground on Tuesday, Jan. 8 and Wednesday, Jan. 9.

• Evergreen High School, 14300 NE 18th St., Vancouver on Wednesday, Jan. 9.

Other locations

• Dollar Tree, 11501 NE 76th St., Vancouver from 8:10 to 10:50 pm Tuesday, Jan. 15.

• GracePoint Christian Church, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Vancouver from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm Monday, Jan. 7.

• A Children’s Dentist, 101 NW 12th Ave., Battle Ground from 1:30 to 6 pm Tuesday, Jan. 8.

• Fisher Investments, 5525 NW Fisher Creek Drive, Camas

6:20 am to 7 pm Thursday, Jan. 10

6:20 am to 7 pm Friday, Jan. 11

6:20 am to 7 pm Monday, Jan. 14

6:20 am to 7 pm Tuesday, Jan. 15

• Moda Center (Trail Blazers game), 1 N Center Court St., Portland from 5:30 to 11:30 pm Friday, Jan. 11.

• Verizon Wireless at Cascade Station, 10103 NE Cascades Parkway, Portland from 5 to 11 pm Monday, Jan. 14.

• Church of Christ Our Savior, 3612 F St., Vancouver

9:30 am to noon Sunday, Jan. 6

6 to 11:30 pm Sunday, Jan. 6

9:10 am to 3 pm Sunday, Jan. 13

• Church of Truth, 7250 NE 41st St., Vancouver from 11 am to 4:30 pm Sunday, Jan. 6.

• Portland International Airport, 7000 NE Airport Way, Portland from 10:45 am to 3:45 pm on Monday, Jan. 7. More specifically, anyone who spent time in Concourse D and the Delta Sky Lounge during that time period.

• Costco, 4849 NE 138th Ave., Portland from 1 to 5:30 pm Tuesday, Jan. 8.

• Amazon Lockers, 1131 SW Jefferson St., Portland from 3:30 pm to 7 pm Thursday, Jan. 10.

• Rejuvenation, 1100 SE Grand Ave. Portland from 3:30 to 7:30 pm Thursday, Jan. 10.

• Pho Green Papaya, 13215 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver from 7:30 to 10:30 pm Thursday, Jan. 10.

• Chuck’s Produce, 13215 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver from 8 to 11:45 pm Thursday, Jan. 10 and 2:30 to 5:30 pm Friday, Jan. 11.

• Ikea, 10280 NE Cascades Parkway, Portland from 4:30 to 8:30 pm Friday, Jan. 11.

• Dollar Tree, 7809-B Vancouver Plaza Drive, Vancouver

6:30 to 9:10 pm Tuesday, Jan. 15.

• Portland International Airport, baggage claim and south end of the ticket counter (near Alaska Airlines and Starbucks), 7000 NE Airport Way, Portland

7:30 to 11 pm Tuesday, Jan. 15.

• Costco, 4849 NE 138th Ave., Portland

5:30 to 8:40 pm Wednesday, Jan. 16.

• Vancouver Division of Children, Youth and Families, 907 Harney St., Vancouver from 12:15 to 5:15 pm Friday, Jan. 18.

• Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave., Portland

2:30 to 7 pm Saturday, Jan. 19.

• Golden Corral, 11801 NE Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver

4 to 9 pm Saturday, Jan. 19.

• New Life Mission Church, 3300 NE 172nd Place, Portland

9:30 am to 2 pm Sunday, Jan. 20.

• Trader Joes, 305 SE Chkalov Drive, Vancouver from 12:30 to 3:40 pm Monday, Jan. 21.

• Dollar Tree, 305 SE Chkalov Drive, Vancouver

1:10 to 4 pm Monday, Jan. 21.

• Walmart Supercenter, 14505 NE Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver

1:30 to 5 pm Monday, Jan. 21.

• Vancouver Women, Infant and Children (WIC) office, 5411 E Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver

2:50 to 6:15 pm Wednesday, Jan. 23.

• Tower Mall public areas (entrances, hallways), 5411 E Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver from 2:50 to 6:15 pm Wednesday, Jan. 23.

" id="aaa7bd5a-8044-4c6e-91ef-27e9f40cb9ac" style-type="bio" title="Exposure sites and times" type="relcontent"}} Posted Monday, January 28, 2019 6:09 am With his picture hanging next to 15 other hometown war veterans at the Ridgefield Post Office, John Oatley feels like hes in good company. I appreciate it, said the 93-year-old who served as a Naval Aviation Cadet in Corpus Christi, Texas, during World War II. Its nice to know that the city and the people feel the same way too. Oatley was interviewed by The Reflector in 2014 about his time managing five major movie theatres in the Hollywood area for Warner Brothers. There, he met stars of the day such as Ronald Reagan, Gary Cooper and Errol Flynn. When a career change was in order, a neighbor suggested Oatley pursue law enforcement. He was part of the Crime Scene Investigation Unit for the Santa Ana Police Department. He learned how to take photographs of crime scenes, collect evidence, take plaster casts of tire tracks and various other skills necessary to accurately process a crime scene. Oatley opened his own private investigation business in 1962. After keeping that venture going for about 15 years, he felt it was time to step away from the limelight. Oatley settled down in Ridgefield, where he has lived for the past 25 years. La Center resident Carole Parker honors veterans like Oatley by collecting their photographs and posting them on the walls of the post offices in Ridgefield and La Center. I was down at the post office in La Center. They had a bunch of vet pictures just thumb-tacked on a bulletin board really bad, Parker recalled. I thought, this has got to be better for them. Her connection to the military was through her late husband, Lloyd, who fought in Vietnam and earned the Purple Heart. Unfortunately, Lloyd Parker died during a training exercise in Germany at the age of 26. Carole Parker has posted about 85 photos of local veterans at the La Center Post Office and another 16 at Ridgefield. Its just so important to me because I think so many of our service men go unnoticed, she said. When they retire or as they get older, I think that its important that the community knows that they served. This is my gift. This is my way of giving back. Posted Monday, January 28, 2019 6:37 am Proposed Senate legislation would create rural development and opportunity zone funds and extend tax reductions to certain timber activities. Private investment companies could apply to join these funds that would provide capital for businesses in qualifying areas. Prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5423, Sen. Guy Palumbo, D-Maltby, reworked the bill from what he proposed last year, noting it wont cost the state any money. SB 5423 would create a tax incentive for Rural and Small Business Investment Companies (RBICs) and Small Business Investment Companies (SMBICs). In this case, the incentive is for investment in specific opportunity zones in Washington. This is the way that tax preferences should be written, said Palumbo. This one has such strong sideboards and accountability that it theoretically shouldnt cost the state anything. Federal qualifications for an opportunity zone include, an individual poverty rate of 20 percent or higher and a median family income up to 80 percent of the area median. In Washington, a qualified area could also have a population density of less than 100 people per square mile or a county smaller than 225 square miles. Grant and Kittas counties would qualify. The bill briefly discusses timber activities offering a reduced tax rate on certain timber industry activities like sales of standing timber and selling certain timber and wood product at wholesale. Rural and small business investment companies can apply to invest money in the funds created by SB 5423 utilizing a tax credit. The investors must certify that the businesses they invest in will bring in the same or more tax revenue than the tax credit they are awarded. If the business fails to do so, the investor is required to pay the difference. The fund operations are outlined in detail in the bill. The funds are required to focus on investing in small businesses and requirements for businesses that can receive funds are outlined fully in the bill. Rural job summits hosted by the Association of Washington Business in Moses Lake, Olympia, and Longview, where they heard from stakeholders on issues rural areas face. Director of Government Affairs for the business association, Mike Ennis, testified in support of the bill. Washingtons rural areas have struggled to keep pace in many key economic measures like unemployment, job growth, labor force trends, median wages, and home prices when compared to the urban centers around the state, said Ennis. Andy Mesojednik Vice President Commercial Banking Officer at Bank of the Pacific testified in support of the bill. We do have money to lend for a lot of our established customers, however, some of these customers when it comes time to do a major expansion or change in the way they do business because of either existing laws changing or the market changes they need to come up with capital that we may not be able to provide to them through a standard regular everyday process, said Mesojednik. Thats where SB 5423 would help, according to Mesojednick, to get money on the streets so that we can get people employed. Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Partly cloudy skies early then becoming cloudy with periods of rain late. Low 69F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early then becoming cloudy with periods of rain late. Low 69F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia January 28, 2019 Pres. George Manneh Weah The President of Liberia, George Manneh Weah, is to give his state of the nation address today. But the prevailing culture of corruption, impunity, and clamp down on campus politics coupled with lawlessness have contributed to a tense situation in the country. To add insults to injuries, The Perspectives is alerted by credible sources that Dr. H. B. Fahnbulleh, the man who intends to bring the Weah Government down via a Socialist Revolution is on the ground. But what is amazing about the Doctor is that he was working with President Weahs predecessor for over 12 years and did not dream of any socialist revolution. Some observers say that the efforts now are geared towards putting bread and butter on the Doctors dining room table. So, therefore the omnipotent war-maker is determined to cause trouble in the sub-region. And, as the sources intimated, this has nothing to do with corruption, neither does it have anything to do with impunity. Meanwhile, the international audit report on ther 16 billioLiberian that evaporated in thin air and the 25 million dollars that the Liberian Finance Minister placed in Ghana MustGo bags for marketers at Gobachop Market at the Red Light, have to all be accounted for. This means that the Weah Government is in a bind. So, today in Monrovia, no student will walk to school without pass or permit. No market woman will be allowed to walk to a market without a pass or permit. Please see the announcement published below: Public Service Announcement January 27, 2019 The public is hereby informed that due to the event marking the State of the Nation Address to be delivered by His Excellency, Dr. George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia, the following traffic and security measures will be observed and implemented: On Monday, January 28, 2019, beginning at 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, all vehicles plying the road from Red Light to Central Monrovia will be diverted from 9th Street through Jallah Town All Vehicles commuting from Broad Street will be diverted from the Ministry of Gender and Children Protection through Jallah Town The Road from Lynch Street through Redemption Street around the Barclay Training Center will be closed to the driving public No vehicle without permit will gain access to Tubman Boulevard after 9th Street towards the Capitol until 6:00 PM No vehicle or individual will commute in these restricted routes without a valid Access Pass or Invitation. All drivers are warned to remain in their positions 5 minutes after the passage of the Presidential convoy All individuals and vehicles will be subjected to security scrutiny Hence, the public is hereby advised to adhere to these traffic and security regulations so as to avoid embarrassment. Signed: _____________________________ H. Moses Carter, Sr. Chief of Press & Public Affairs (U-122) Tel #: 0770800122 The annual Bowling for Burns tournament was held over the weekend at 10 Pins of Trenton. For a recap of the boys' results click here. For a re When the 2021 high school softball season kicked off, more than 150 teams from around the state set out to reach the Division 1 state championship game. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. and Eric Gill, 'AND - Palm Sunday'. Image courtesy of Eames Fine Art. and sensualised Gills innovative approach to the art form of typography is evident in this exhibition. Words interweave with figures, creating a hybrid of text and man, like in his work AND Palm Sunday. Here, the narrative is fuelled by Gills infamous lettering, which is deliberately incorporated into the scene. In other words, such as Crucifix, ChaliceHost, these dark lines are no longer used for lettering, but for the depiction of poignant Christic imagery. Regardless of howand emotive the artists subjects become, there always seems to be an underlying sense of mathematical precision, with each line meticulously calculated. Eric Gill, 'Crucifix, Chalice and Host'. Image courtesy of Eames Fine Art. Perhaps unknowingly, ERIC GILL | Graphic highlights a topical conversation regarding whether art can be separated from the artist. Gills personal life was littered with controversial sexual proclivities that were at odds with his strong Catholic beliefs. The artists incestuous abuse of his sisters and daughters, as well as his many extramarital affairs, arguably makes it hard to disassociate his sometimes-sexual imagery with these acts. This exhibition takes a formal approach when looking at the artists oeuvre, establishing a more art historical outlook on Gills use of erotic imagery. The personal is excluded from this narrative, allowing for the works to speak for themselves.For Rebecca Eames, director of the gallery, this show has personal meaning. One of the first original artworks I ever bought was woodcut by Eric Gill and that was when I was still a student studying art history in London, Eames recalls, I knew of Gills work as a typographer and sculptor, but I was surprised to see how beautiful and sensual his engravings and woodcuts were as well. Eric Gill, 'Ibi Dabo Tibi'. Image courtesy of Eames Fine Art. The prints on the walls are curated in a way that encourages conversation amongst Gills various themes. Sex talks to Christianity, typography to portraiture and figuration, creating an amalgamation of discussions in one room. They speak to many of the conflicting urges that exist in human nature; says Eames, religious and rebellious, human and animal, serene and violent, chaste and sexual. These small and lively prints scatter the walls in unified frames, yet simultaneously feed into the contradictions of human nature. This exhibition is a celebration of British art history, highlighting and solidifying Gills engravings and woodcuts in this timeline. It is clear that Eames personal preoccupation with their beauty is echoed in the reaction of the audience. The graphic value of the artworks and the universal themes on which they focus the director summarises, show us why Gill has remained such a strong presence in British art and design nearly a century after most of the works were made. This successful show of contradictions succeeds in uniting the various themes of Gill's work, creating harmony within a varied oeuvre of work. Eric Gill, 'Autumn Midnight'. Image courtesy of Eames Fine Art. here Salida, CO (81201) Today Mostly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 55F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 55F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Welcome back pirates! As you make your return to campus The East Carolinian has created a forum that centers around topics within the community where readers can express their experiences and concerns. With the new guidelines set in place by East Carolina University do you feel as these precautions will keep you safe? Survey Catching up with a friend over Zoom, I wondered what might have happened if China had come clean about the presence and origins of COVID-19 before it spread beyond Wuhan. But, my friend asked, wouldn't the United States have done the same and tried to hide it, too? Meet Sam. Sam is a 9-year-old lab mix rescue and the resident shop dog at Defense In Depth in Sabraton. His favorite treat is chicken. Want to share some news? Have a hot news tip? Let us know what's going on! Submit News Unlimited website access 24/7 Unlimited e-Edition access 24/7 The best local, regional and national news in sports, politics, business and more! With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. Three dead, 172 injured in Havana tornado Havana, Jan 28 (AFP) Jan 28, 2019 A rare and powerful tornado has devastated sections of Havana, overturning cars, uprooting trees and leaving homes in shambles. Three people were killed and 172 injured, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Monday. A shaken resident, recalling a night of terror, said she clutched her daughter and crouched down in her kitchen as the tornado came roaring in Sunday night. "It was as if rocks were falling -- it was hail -- and I felt things beginning to fall. It lifted my entire roof, and took everything away," Canaima Hernandez, 36, said, sobbing. Hernandez's Havana neighborhood, Regla, was one of the hardest hit by the tornado, which state media said was comparable in strength to the most powerful hurricanes. Residents picked their way through overturned vehicles, collapsed walls, overturned lampposts, and uprooted trees on Monday morning. Diaz-Canel, who toured the city's darkened streets visiting emergency crews, wrote on Twitter that damage was "severe." In the city's Luyano neighborhood storm debris -- including parts of a balcony ripped off an old building -- blocked the streets, AFP photographers reported. As emergency sirens blared across the city, firefighters and ambulances rushed about on rescue missions, their flashing lights giving light to blacked out areas. "As of now we mourn the loss of three human lives and 172 injured people are receiving aid," Diaz-Canel tweeted. He added that several emergency teams were working hard to restore power to blacked-out areas. At the Hijas de Galicia maternity hospital staff were forced to evacuate the building due to storm damage. The tornado, spawned by a powerful storm that originated in the Gulf of Mexico, hit western Cuba with winds of up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) per hour. "Islanders are used to these warnings, but they did not suspect the magnitude of what was approaching," said Granma, the Communist Party daily. People described the tornado as having "the sound of a jet engine," and reported feeling changes in the environmental pressure when it arrived, Armando Caymares with the Institute of Meteorology said. The tornado "caught me in the street, in the car with my wife and children," actor Luis "Panfilo" Silva wrote on his social media account. "I had to dodge fallen trees, flooded areas and strong winds until I managed to get home. We experienced great fear," he wrote. Francisco Sotolongo said it was a good thing the tornado's impact only lasted seconds. "Because if it lasted a minute there would be nothing left here." High winds sent sea water surging over the city's famed Malecon esplanade and several meters into the city. The western provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa and Mayabeque also were affected by the storm. Snow wallops US Midwest as it braces for extreme cold Chicago, Jan 28 (AFP) Jan 28, 2019 The US Midwest was digging out Monday from a snowstorm that closed schools and businesses, as it braced for "extreme and dangerous" sub-zero temperatures forecast to arrive overnight. School districts in Minnesota and Wisconsin canceled classes and government offices, universities and businesses shuttered, with the mercury expected to drop to a polar -65 Fahrenheit (-54 Celsius) in gusting wind. The states were deluged by up to nine inches (23 cm) of snow in some places, as a wide-reaching storm moved through. Hundreds of flights were canceled at two airports in Chicago, a major regional hub and America's third city, in neighboring Illinois. On the heels of the storm, nearly a dozen states braced for a blast of arctic air known as a polar vortex. "Extreme and dangerous COLD! is forecast this week from the Northern Plains through the Great Lakes," the National Weather Service (NWS) tweeted. The frigid air mass had veered from its usual path and was forecast to chill the region by early Tuesday morning, lasting through Thursday. "The arctic air, together with brisk winds, can lead to dangerously cold wind chill values," NWS said. Temperatures were expected to plummet to between -10 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit (-23 to -40 Celsius) in a vast area stretching some 1,200 miles (1900 km) from the Dakotas to parts of Ohio. Wind chill would make temperatures feel more like -30 to -65 degrees Fahrenheit (-34 to -54 Celsius), according to NWS. . 18 , ... Brazil mining giant Vale suspends dividend payments after dam burst Rio de Janeiro, Jan 28 (AFP) Jan 28, 2019 Brazilian mining giant Vale said Monday it was suspending dividend payments to shareholders and performance-related executive bonuses after a dam at one of its mines burst, killing dozens and leaving hundreds missing. Vale, the world's biggest iron-ore miner, has seen its reputation severely tarnished by the deadly accident, the second involving a company-owned mine in the southeast Brazilian state of Minas Gerais in just over three years. The decision to suspend payments follows an emergency board meeting on Sunday, officials said in a statement. It said Vale was also suspending stock buybacks. The news came hours before the Sao Paulo stock exchange opened. Trading in Vale shares was expected to be intense Monday as the market was closed for a holiday on Friday. However Vale shares lost eight percent in New York trading on Friday following news of the dam rupture. Brazilian authorities separately have frozen 11 billion reais -- around $3 billion -- in Vale assets in anticipation of compensation it will likely have to fork out. A tsunami of toxic mud broke through a dam at an iron-ore mine owned by Vale near the town of Brumadinho, in Minas Gerais, on January 25. The official toll from the disaster was 58 dead and 305 missing as of late Sunday. In 2015 a dam at another mine jointly owned by the company ruptured, killing 19 and causing what was considered the worst environmental disaster Brazil had seen. Vale and its partner BHP are still paying for that accident, with compensation and fines costing over $6 billion and lawsuits ongoing. The company is also mourning its lost personnel, as the overwhelming majority of those dead and missing in Friday's disaster were Vale employees. Many of the victims were eating lunch at the site when millions of tons of muddy sludge, a byproduct of mining, burst through the dam and engulfed the administrative area they were in. Emergency workers also found a company bus buried in the mud with bodies inside. - Profitable company - The dam that broke was built in 1976 and was in the process of being decommissioned. Vale said it had passed a structural safety inspection four months ago, which was confirmed by Tuev Sued, the German firm that carried it out. Vale, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, has a deep purse from which to pay fines, compensation and lawsuits resulting from the latest disaster. In 2017, based on the last full-year results available, the company made $5.5 billion in profits, on revenue of $34 billion. That net result was 38 percent higher than the previous year, evidence of a bounceback after a sharp commodities slump in 2015 that forced the company into cost-cutting. A mining specialist at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Jardim Wanderley, told AFP that there was "a tendency for companies, in that period of commodity prices falling, to cut safety and maintenance budgets." He said that, of the 450 dams in Minas Gerais state, "we have a relatively high number of dams that are doubtful or in inappropriate conditions." - 'Life matters most' - Vale is worth an overall $78.7 billion dollars, according to its market capitalization. That makes it the third-biggest miner in the world, behind BHP and Rio Tinto, both Anglo-Australian groups. Apart from iron-ore, which feeds China's appetite, Vale also mines nickel, copper and other metals. The company has a workforce of 76,500 worldwide and also operates hydroelectric plants, rail lines, ports and ships to get its products to market. Vale started out in Minas Gerais -- a major mining state, as its name declares in Portuguese -- in 1942 as a state-owned company called Companhia Vale do Rio Doce. It was privatized in 1997. On its corporate website Vale says it has a "passion for people and the planet." It says that "life matters most" and it apsires to "do what is right." rmb/ch/rlp VALE * Username This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Choose wisely! It's three weeks until pre-season testing for 2019 kicks off in Barcelona, and Pirelli already has an eye on the weather that could prevail in Spain on March 18. Last year's adverse conditions - marked by freezing temperatures, sleet and snow - practically led to a write-off of the first week of testing, and Formula 1's tyre supplier is wary of a cold front hitting once again the Circuit de Catalunya in mid-February. "Until [early] January it was like it was spring [in Barcelona], but now it is much colder there and we know what happened last year," Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola told the German edition of Motorsport.com. Weather forecasts are obviously worthless beyond two weeks, but Isola notes that pre-season testing starts earlier this year compared to 2018. "We have some worries because we are one week earlier this year than 2018. But you never know we've had excellent weather at the beginning of February, but sometimes even the deepest winter." During last year's wash-out teams mulled the possibility of organizing pre-season at a warmer that would potentially guarantee better conditions, such as Bahrain. In the end however, Barcelona remained the venue of choice. Isola says the Circuit de Catalunya rarely offers weather that is representative of what teams will encounter later on in the year. But the track and its location still offer F1 the best compromise. "Temperatures are close to freezing, but at lunchtime it's usually comfortably warm, and I'm confident the teams will use this window of opportunity to devote to tyre work," he added. "For this, we need representative weather. "For the teams, the starting point is a bit different because they have to develop their new cars, with the priority of putting in as many kilometres as possible, as close as possible to the respective team headquarters. "So if you need new parts then you can send them to Barcelona pretty easily." Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers *The Raleigh Police Department and NC State University Police were on the scene of the shooting on Centennial Campus on June 10, according to WRAL. Letter to the Editor The efforts been renewed to bond for a new school. . Let me state the problem Everybody, including me, wants a new school, nobody wants to ... What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 712-243-2624 or email circ@ant-news.com. The Casa de los Navajas in Torremolinos is currently hosting an exhibition by Cadiz artist, Mariemma Yague. Under the title of Our Voice, the artists work reflects on discrimination against women in the workplace and in wider society. Organised by the Delegation of Cultural Promotion, in collaboration with the Tourism Board of Torremolinos, the exhibition comprises 12 acrylic works that stand out for their creativity, sensitivity and colorful depictions of women. Her paintings have a fresh Mediterranean flavour and strong elements mixing realism and fantasy, while highlighting the plight of women in Africa, Latin America and India. The artist, who is based in Malaga, has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including galleries in Rome, Stockholm, Paris and New York. She has also participated in major international contemporary art fairs, such as the Salon International dArt Contemporain in Paris. Mariemma Yague is an artist who is especially committed to the issue of equality for women. She is a member of the Association of Female Researchers and Technologists of Spain, and the Association of Artists of Malaga. The exhibition, which is free, will continue until 17 February and can be visited Monday to Sunday 11am - 2pm, and 6pm - 8pm. She has swapped the sunny days and torrid heat of the south for the persistent chill and penetrating damp of Galicia; the blue sea of her native Malaga for the leafy valley of eucalyptus, chestnuts and pines of a hidden-away village in A Pontanova in Lugo; and the bustling towns and mass tourism of the Costa del Sol for the peace of woodland. Milagros Ruiz has never been concerned about moving house or turning her life upside down to achieve her goals. She started at a young age, when she packed a bag and went off to be an au pair in the UK. She wanted to learn English and wasn't frightened at the thought of doing it on her own. Now aged 45, she has done it again, embarking on what many would consider a crazy scheme at her age, with family dependent on her (she and her husband have three children) and a stable and well-paid job in a bank. For Milagros, however, she is living the dream. Milagros Ruiz. / R. C. During regular holidays in northern Spain she fell in love with an area which gave relief from the suffocating summer heat in Archidona, where she currently lives, as well as the intensity and "dangers" of town life. "The first year we visited the Rias Baixas area, I told my husband that one day we would buy a cottage and live in Galicia," she says. She only had to wait a few years, and then a TV programme gave her the opportunity. It was Saturday 10 October 2015, and she remembers it as if it were yesterday. That day marked the start of her new life. "As soon as I had watched the report about depopulation in rural villages and that it was possible to buy them, I picked up the phone and rang the contact number they gave because I wanted one," she says. But Pepe, the salesman at the Aldeas Abandonadas estate agency who answered her call, tried to stop her being so impulsive. He suggested that she should visit the old houses which had been featured in the programme before deciding, but Milagros had made up her mind. "Give me the bank account number and I'll transfer the money right now," she insisted. The purchase price was 60,000 euros and she sent the deposit that night. The hamlet of Vilaxe, bought by Milagros, in Lugo. / R. C. The following week, coinciding with the bank holiday on 12 October, they travelled to Vilaxe to look at what she had bought: 15,000 square metres of land with six old houses. That was all. Her husband, who runs a firm which sells building materials, was incensed: "Are you mad? It'll cost a fortune to do these up!" he said. "He even tried to get our money back, because he said what we had bought wasn't worth it," says Milagros. The dangers of grants The staff at Aldeas Abandonadas, an agency which has been selling depopulated villages in Spain for the past decade to stop them disappearing, suggested that the couple visit other houses in the area which had been restored, and that enabled Milagros to visualise her new way of life: she decided to create a new village, spend the rest of her days there with her family and run a rural tourism business. "There are no disadvantages to this," she says, and far from being depressed by the climate, she loves it. "When you have to put up with 40 degrees all through the summer, there comes a time when you get fed up with the heat as well. Everyone thinks it must be very cold in Galicia, but it isn't, not everywhere," she insists. Other factors also played a part in her decision, such as being able to bring her children up in the countryside and "being able to let them go out in the street without worrying that something would happen to them", job security, because Unicaja Banco (where she works now) had merged with Caja Duero and she would be able to transfer to Lugo and, finally, "the possibility of obtaining a grant to carry out the works". Milagros always sees her glass as being half full and she was full of enthusiasm. "When we signed at the notary there were only 45,000 euros more to pay and we took out a mortgage for that," she says. In addition to the purchase price, she calculates that it will cost about 400,000 euros to do up the six houses and the streets. Things became more complicated at the end of last year, however, when they lost the first 120,000 euros of the total grant of 200,000 which they had been given by the Galician regional government to restore the village. "In September they gave the go-ahead for the first payment, but we were supposed to have done 60 per cent of the works by December. At that time we had only spent 30,000 euros and they suggested paying us the difference between that and the 120,000 in advance so we didn't lose the grant, but on condition that we gave them a bank guarantee. Unfortunately no bank would give us one because we had a mortgage, so we lost that money," she explains. Far from being downhearted, Milagros is more excited about her project than ever. She has started to do up one of the houses with her own money and has put their house in Archidona on the market so she can continue to finance her dream. "The aim is to have 60 per cent finished by December this year so we don't lose the remaining 80,000 euros of the grant the Xunta gave us," she says. Advice from Gwyneth Milagros has set herself the target of summer 2020 to start enjoying her new life in the heart of Galicia. Despite the setbacks, she has never regretted her decision and isn't at all worried about moving away from a busy town "because A Pontanova is only three kilometres away and we can find everything we need there," she says. Only one thing concerns her: leaving her parents and siblings behind in Malaga. Like Milagros, more and more people are tempted by the idea of rural living and have taken the opportunity to buy an entire village, especially since actress Gwyneth Paltrow, on her lifestyle portal Goop, recommended buying one in Galicia as a Christmas present. It isn't always easy, because all the property owners have to agree, but many do manage to get the paperwork together to sell properties they have inherited. "We list about seven or eight properties a day from people who no longer have any attachment to their family village," says Elvira Fafian, founder of Aldeas Abandonadas, which currently has about 250 on sale. This type of business has grown in recent years and prices have continually increased. "Ten years ago a village might have cost 6,000 euros, but now it can be 60,000," says Elvira. Pepe Rodriguez. / R. C. Pepe Rodriguez, who is 68 now, can vouch for that. He decided that when he retired he would venture into the rural tourism business in Taramundi, in Asturias, a municipality with 52 hamlets. He had lived in the one called Teixois until he was eight and already owned three properties there. In 2002 he bought another two "at a very good price" and now owns a large part of the hamlet. "There are three other houses there, but for the moment the owners don't want to sell. If they did, I would buy the whole village," says Pepe, who travelled all over the world as an aircraft mechanic and with the merchant navy. For him, buying villages isn't just a business. "It's a way of maintaining our heritage," he says. Kane Williamson again missed out on a chance to keep his hometown Bay Oval fans happy but another top Ross Taylor effort has given the Blackcaps an outside chance in the third One Day International today against India. The Blackcaps have made it to 243, batting first after captain Williamson won the toss, but again the top order batting has left them in a precarious position. Openers Colin Munro and Martin Guptill both fell early, leaving Williamson and Taylor with the job of repairing the innings to set a target which could challenge the rampant Indian side, who have taken a 2-0 lead in the ODI series over the Blackcaps with comfortable wins in Napier and the first match at the Bay Oval on Saturday. Taylor drives through the covers on his way to 93 out of the Blackcaps total of 243 However the skipper could only make 28 off 48 deliveries before he chipped one to midwicket, where he was caught in a brilliant diving effort by Hardik Pandya. Tom Latham joined Taylor to put on a partnership of 119, which threatened to set up an imposing total for the home side, but Latham's dismissal for 51 (off 64) sparked a run of wickets, with Henry Nicholls, Mitch Santner and then Taylor going in quick succession. Tom Latham sets off for a single after pushing to midwicket Taylor had reached 93 (106) and looked good for his 21st ODI century, until edging behind to wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthick. Doug Bracewell and Ish Sodhi both sparkled briefly, adding 15 and 12 respectively to the total. Trent Boult was the last man to fall, skying a catch on the last ball of the 49th over, leaving his side disappointed they couldn't bat out their 50 overs. So India need 244 to win, and on current form will be strong favourites to get there and take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series. The Blackcaps will need to make early inroads into the Indians imposing top order batting of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli, to give themselves any chance of keeping themselves in the series. Tauranga resident Dame Lynley Dodd is known for her bestselling books Hairy Maclary and Friends. The book series already has a tribute in the form of a life-sized bronze statues of Hairy Maclary and his animal friends located on the waterfront on The Strand. Scarface Claw, the roughest and toughest, boldest and bravest of cats, takes centre stage at Waikato Museum in an exhibition dedicated to the villain of the Hairy Maclary and Friends book series. Waikato Museum is the first venue in New Zealand to host The Life and Times of Scarface Claw, which opens this Saturday January 26. The exhibition features more than 40 original illustrations by Dame Lynley Dodd dating back to Scarfaces first appearance in 1983s Hairy Maclary from Donaldsons Dairy, recently named New Zealands best-selling book of the decade. I am delighted that Scarface Claw is having an outing to Waikato Museum, which is not too far from my hometown of Tauranga, says Dame Lynley. Also included in the exhibition is the artwork and text from Scarfaces latest misadventure, Scarface Claw, Hold Tight! Published in 2017, the book is based on a real-life cliff-hanger which finds Scarface far from home. As well as the paintings by Dame Lynley, visitors to the exhibition can view the celebrated authors research, preliminary drawings, and preparatory work she does to produce a picture book. Waikato Museum Director Cherie Meecham says Dame Lynleys books have been a mainstay of growing up in New Zealand for more than 30 years. From current fans to those whose childhood included Hairy Maclary, Scarface Claw, Bottomley Potts, Hercules Morse and the rest of the gang, this exhibition has cross-generational appeal, she says. The Life and Times of Scarface Claw was originally curated by art historian Penelope Jackson for the State Library of Western Australia and the Awesome Arts Festival. Dame Lynley will be at Waikato Museum on Saturday February 16 from 10.30am 12pm for a book signing session, follow by a question and answer session led by Penelope from 1.30pm 2.30pm. On Thursday March 28 from 5.30pm 6.30pm, Penelope will share her knowledge of Dame Lynleys work having curated three exhibitions celebrating her oeuvre. The Life and Times of Scarface Claw runs until May 12 2019. Waikato is open daily from 10am 5pm with free entry. Mosque tours catch on View(s): Mosque tours are fast catching on in Sri Lanka. The latest Open Mosque Day held at the Kollupitiya Jumma Mosque in Colombo on January 22 had around 800 people of other faiths participating. Besides a tour of this beautiful mosque, participants were taken around clearing misconceptions of Islam, given free calligraphy of their names in beautiful Arabic script and were served traditional Muslim foods, besides a henna corner for the ladies. Mosque Tours is a unique interfaith initiative where people of other faiths are invited to mosques to learn about Islam. The Centre for Islamic Studies (CIS) launched its pilot Mosque Tour program at Wekanda Jumma Mosque Colombo in 2014 and since then it has taken off in a big way. Mosque Tours have been held in various parts of the island, including in Colombo, Kandy, Beruwala, Akurana, Gampola, Anuradhapura and Pottuvil. This included the first Open Mosque Day held at Akbar Mosque, Slave Island in March 2017, which was the first occasion in Sri Lanka where a mosque was open to the public to visit. More such mosque tours are planned to be held in the southern parts of the country like Aluthgama, Weligama and Galle this year. How globalisation of crime and corruption killed our mother By Matthew, Andrew, and Paul Caruana Galizia, exclusive to the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka View(s): View(s): LONDON The worldwide network that facilitates transnational organised crime and corruption is, tragically, one of globalisations most enduring success stories. It is also, therefore, one of its deadliest flaws. While the produce and proceeds of crime flow seamlessly across borders, justice and law enforcement remain largely trapped within national boundaries, and are being steadily undermined and captured. Meanwhile, journalists attempting to document this are intimidated, locked up, and murdered. As the forces of globalised crime and corruption continue to chisel away at our freedom and security, the murdered journalists left in their wake have taught us powerful lessons about how to respond. These lessons concern not only journalism, but also law enforcement and the kind of society we want to live in. One of these journalists was our mother, Daphne Caruana Galizia. She was assassinated in Malta on October 16, 2017, when a bomb placed under the drivers seat of her car exploded as she rushed to the bank to unblock her account, which had been frozen by the countrys economy minister. It was the last in a string of attacks she endured for her reporting, but not the last violation Malta would suffer for what she had revealed. A trained archaeologist, our mother uncovered a web of corruption linking major multinational deals, passport sales, and a sophisticated global money-laundering operation, and tugged on the threads until they led her to the heart of Maltas government. The result was not what she expected. Instead of resignations came reprisals. Pockets of institutional independence in Malta that had survived four years of populism were quashed. And our mother, a beacon of hope and courage for hundreds of thousands, including judges and law-enforcement officials, was executed in broad daylight. The people she exposed remain in public office, while those who campaign for justice for her murder are assaulted in public. By exposing the venality of the powerful in a place where institutions are little more than facades, our mothers work triggered a backlash that killed her, and is currently throttling the countrys public life. Little wonder, then, that in 2018 Malta fell the furthest in press-freedom rankings in Europe, a region that itself experienced the fastest decline globally. The country also slipped in democracy rankings and rule of law indicators, and leads the field in hate speech. The impact of globalised crime and corruption is not limited to Malta and Europe, of course. In response, investigative journalists have banded together in global networks such as the Daphne Project. And the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers show just how effective investigative journalism can be in forcing greater transparency, undermining criminal networks, and driving up the cost of political corruption for its perpetrators. But while journalists increasingly cooperate across borders, national law-enforcement authorities are still playing catch-up in combating crime and corruption. As a result, the impact of investigative journalism varies widely by country and over time. In countries where law-enforcement authorities are independent from the central government and private interests, and where the public can channel grievances effectively through responsive political institutions, investigative reporting can have an immediate impact on preventing corruption and state capture. But in countries lacking the will or capacity to root out organised crime and corruption, and with a public too polarised to unite against its enemies, compelling transparency and accountability can have perverse results. In such places, journalists continue to be targeted with dangerous consequences both for local communities and the global economy. When journalists come under attack, it usually means that the societies within which they operate are so corrupt that their principal law-enforcement institutions and democratic checks have already been fundamentally compromised. This makes investigative reporters the last people left standing between the rule of law and those who seek to violate it, and it makes their work both more dangerous and less effective. The most recent phase of globalisation gave us Moneyland, a vast playground for organised criminals and kleptocrats that hoovered up weaker jurisdictions like Malta into the service of dark money. The right response to this is not to retreat behind national borders, but to create a new global entity designed to address the transnational nature of organised crime and corruption. For a start, law-enforcement bodies could learn from journalism and work more urgently to develop the trusted-network approach that organised crime has perfected. As the world seemingly enters a new phase of globalisation, we must not allow new opportunities to be extended to global crime and corruption. Otherwise, our collective future will belong to an alliance of dark money, disinformation, and the sort of division that robbed our country of its most prominent journalist. (Matthew Caruana Galizia is a journalist and software engineer who has worked on investigations into international corruption for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Andrew Caruana Galizia is a Global Leadership Fellow and Strategic Intelligence Lead at the World Economic Forum. Paul Caruana Galizia is the finance editor at Tortoise and a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics.) Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019. www.project-syndicate.org Port Richey, FL (34668) Today Scattered thunderstorms, especially during the evening. Low 78F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms, especially during the evening. Low 78F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. This presidency is different from the other 44 in many ways. First and foremost, there is more corruption than in the other 44 combined. The Mueller investigation hangs over the Trump administration like a guillotine sword. Many Trump associates have been found guilty of many serious charges. Prison awaits many of them. Now, amidst the longest government shutdown ever, even the State of the Union message is a victim of Trump hubris. The normal statement in the message to the nation is, The nation is strong. We all have a hard time believing that today. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren plans to propose an annual 2 percent federal tax on individual fortunes of more than $50 million and 3 percent on those greater than $1 billion, according to economists advising her campaign. A lot has to happen before anything like this could ever become law: The senator from Massachusetts would have to (a) get elected, (b) win 60 votes in the Senate and (c) overcome a likely constitutional challenge. (Depending on how it's structured, a wealth tax might run afoul of the Constitution's ban on "direct" taxes that are not levied in proportion to the population of each state.) Such political and legal obstacles aside, would it be a good idea? 'Annoying' shopping channels and food safety in the spotlight From:Shine | 2019-01-27 17:29 The local market authority said they will consider working together more with social forces on the city's food safety supervision and enhance monitoring on the content of local television ads after political advisers made relevant suggestions at an on-site CPPCC consultation meeting during Two Sessions. Wang Jun, a local CPPCC member and one of the city's food safety supervisors, said last year he did some social investigations and discovered the situation is often "time-sensitive" with some food security cases because officers from related watchdogs cannot arrive on scene in time. "Some unscrupulous eatery owners often take advantage of this time gap to violate the rules and that can cause harm to local citizens' health," Wang told Shanghai Daily. "So my advice is that Shanghai set up a new 'street chief' system like the current 'river chief' system, which can enable timely intervention." That can be achieved utilizing officers from related departments, food safety supervisors or volunteers, he said. Shanghai's Market Supervision and Management Bureau added that now people can make complaints about food safety smoothly via its hotline. The bureau promised to take Wang's advice on-board and strive to promote it. Another CPPCC member, Li Dongliang, sought tougher supervision and control of local television advertisements, especially those promoting "health products." Li told Shanghai Daily that when he was watching TV, he found there were six to seven shopping channels, including local ones and those from other provinces. Theads were always "annoying", and may pose hidden risks like false advertising and misleading information. He suggested the ads go through a check to see if the information claimed is accurate. Meanwhile, he said shopping channels could be replaced with better quality content. The bureau said it will make strict checks on the content of such advertisements, while media platforms are responsible for the format of ads. CHUCK TODD: I want to turn to Venezuela here and ask you because, first of all, youve been it's interesting. The New York Times calls you the ouster-in-chief today. But let me read you one part of this and get you to respond. "The administration has given no indication of a clear plan to protect the United States embassy and its personnel against possible retaliation. And while Mr. Rubio insists there are unspecified contingency options that he will not reveal, analysts say the Trump administration does not seem prepared with a plan B in case the leader there, Nicolas Maduro, defies the pressure and holds on to power, and essentially fights." The United States obviously has decided to recognize Mr. [Juan] Guaido as the interim president. Do you want this administration to use military power if necessary to back up Mr. Guaido? On the island of Chincoteague, Virginia where my family has rented the same house at Christmas for 38 years, tides rose and fell under the house twice daily the entire week. It used to be dry. Our kids had the sobering realization that this island could disappear in their lifetimes. The Florida Legislature should be given the opportunity to review the claims data, so they may clearly understand the property insurance carriers are to blame for much of the increased litigation. Senator Doug Broxson, a Republican from Gulf Breeze who works in real estate and insurance sales, has already filed Senate Bill 122 that would make changes to the way AOB claims and attorney fees are handled. This is yet another reason why securing a full representation of the Citizens Property data is so important. How can the Legislature make changes without seeing the whole picture? Lee will be in charge of the Division of Elections, which works with the 67 supervisors of elections in running the states elections. The division is coming off a chaotic election and three statewide recounts, after which Broward Supervisor Brenda Snipes resigned and Palm Beach Supervisor Susan Bucher was removed by DeSantis, at the recommendation of Ertel. BOSTON State police say they were called to the Massachusetts Turnpike because a man was clinging to the hood of a moving SUV in an apparent road rage episode, some of which was caught on video . The Treasury Department said it has lifted sanctions it imposed last year on one of the world's largest aluminum companies, Rusal, and two other firms in which Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska owns large stakes. Sanctions imposed last year against Deripaska himself will remain in force as punishment for what the Treasury has called his support for "the Kremlin's global malign activities, including its attempts to subvert Western democracy." Florida usually tops the chart in unprovoked attacks across the U.S., with Volusia County annually crowned the shark attack capital of the world. But last year, the number in the state fell by nearly half, from 31 to 16. Research director Gavin Naylor said thats likely linked to decline in blacktip sharks, the species usually linked to attacks in state waters. The defense attorneys pointed out that DNA from three or four individuals, but not Daniels, was recovered from the mask. They also said very little of Daniels DNA is on the other clothing found during the investigation. Xiongan aims to set pattern for country From:ChinaDaily | 2019-01-28 07:59 Xiongan New Area is set to become China's high ground for financial innovation and opening-up, as the country pursues its ambition to build Xiongan into a model of high-quality growth, analysts said. "We will promote cutting-edge policy measures of reform and opening-up across various fields and carry out forward-looking, innovative pilot projects in Xiongan New Area," a guideline released on Thursday said. By promoting all kinds of innovation, Xiongan aims to explore a new route to high-quality development that the whole country can follow, according to the guideline, which was jointly issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council. As for the financial industry, the guideline said that Xiongan will "take the lead" in putting the newest research results in financial technology, or fintech, into practice, and build a high-standard fintech center. Innovative financial services, such as the securitization of intellectual property assets and equity crowdfunding, will be encouraged in the new area, it said. Xiongan will also encourage private financial institutions based in Beijing to expand into the new area and will build a college to train high-quality professionals to work in the capital market, the guideline said. The new area, about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, spans three counties in Hebei province. "The measures will not only help build an efficient financial system in the area but will explore the road map of financial reform for the country as well," said Hong Rong, founder of investor education platform Hongda Education and an MBA tutor at the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance. For instance, by creating a favorable business environment for private financial institutions to thrive, Xiongan has the potential to become "the most vibrant financial center" in China, Hong said. Such a success would encourage similar reforms in other regions, and help solve the bane of China's financial systemprice distortionthereby unleashing great economic growth potential, Hong said. In the country's current financial system, private institutions play a much weaker role than their State-owned counterparts, even though they are more efficient and innovative, Hong said. Luo Wei, an associate professor at Peking University's Guanghua Management School, said the area's efforts to introduce the securitization of intellectual property assetswhere IP assets are pooled and back up the issuance of securitiescan help boost innovation-driven growth. "The mechanism will help to more effectively set the price of IP assets, which will encourage research and development by innovators," Luo said. The new area will also uphold a high level of financial opening-up, in line with its role as a "pioneer" in China's overall transformation, said Liu Chunsheng, an associate professor at Central University of Finance and Economics. Liu's remark was based on a slew of financial opening-up measures outlined in the guideline. "The area will support the establishment of wholly foreign-owned and joint-venture financial institutions, and widen or remove ownership caps as soon as possible when conditions permit," it said. The area will also allow qualified investors to set up equity funds investing in overseas companies, the guideline said. Feed tests reveal lower digestibility New seasonal feed quality test results showing the stark differences between wet and dry seasons have underlined the need for end users to measure and know what they are feeding. The judge said she was concerned because federal pretrial services the branch of the justice system that oversees defendants who are not in custody had questioned whether Fleurys father, Patrick, could provide a suitable home in Santa Ana for him as he awaits trial. Thats not how Rom Brummitt, president of the mission, sees it. He said the county never contacted him about the change it is planning. He thinks the decision is directly related to the measure he took in October over stalled contract negotiations with the county that were financially strapping his organization. He wanted a commitment from the county to help pay for the 30 overnight beds the center had been providing. He received an initial six-month contract, which the county now plans to let expire. Another young participant kicked off that bus, wrote that the official Birthright leader sidestepped their questions with the answer that the entire conflict is caused by crazy violent Palestinians. She further wrote: I am devastated by Trumps policies of family separation, detention of children, and building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border because it goes against all of my values I was taught growing up in my Jewish community, where my mom was the rabbi. It was unfathomable that I would be asked to stay silent when we see the same thing happening in Israel. I sensed a shift at that moment the fighting spirit took hold in each individual; we were now ready. That day, we fought with our hearts and spirit, rather than our weapons; we arrested 42 terrorists in half the scheduled time. Most of the terrorists surrendered without a fight, and those who did fight had no chance against our strong fighting spirit. When we returned to base, I was called into my supervisors room and praised for the mission's success, but what I remember most is the way my soldiers looked at me when I came out of that room it was the same look I had when I was eight years old, looking at my friend, the bus driver. I realized then that my promise to him and myself had came true I had developed and taught the Israeli fighting spirit. "We are coordinating whatever programs and services Jewish communal agencies and synagogues wish to do for their constituencies, so we're helping to provide different ideas and projects that they might want to take on. We're providing marketing backup for them so that if a particular synagogue wants to do something, whether it's a lecture or activity, we'll help promote that. We'll do that for all of the different constituency agencies, synagogues and schools that are part of our South Palm Beach County community." It just goes to show you the power of serendipity, Mackintosh recalls. My first job was in Oliver. I had been a stage hand the [Theatre Royal] Drury Lane. Back then the tour of Oliver was going out. Now I had decided at the age of 8 that I was going to be a producer. I knew I had to work my way up. So I was a stage hand. I hadnt any money, but I had it all planned out how I was going to work my way up to become a producer. So I got the stage manager [job] of Oliver on this tour. I ended up reviving Oliver. He graduated from West Point in 1960, the first in his family to graduate from college. He spent three years in the military as a paratrooper and an executive officer of a nuclear missile site, according to FSUs news release. He met Judy in 1966 while working in Wisconsin. The company, based in California after it was founded in Boca Raton, recruited investors through TV, radio and newspaper ads, as well as cold calls, social media, websites, seminars and in-person presentations, the SECs complaint states. Victims were told the investments, which would be used to buy real estate, were safe and secure, with annual returns of 5 percent to 8 percent payable each month. Who among us hasnt, at least at some point, worried about humidity and their cigars? Some become obsessive about maintaining conditions, some opt to simply gauge it by feel and instinct, and many fall somewhere in the middle. I confess I probably am closer to the first category, though more by necessity than temperament. Floridas extreme heat makes a cooled humidor almost a necessity. And extraordinarily high humidity levels also can play havoc with humidor conditions. Im sure many of you in other parts of the country have dramatic weather conditions to contend with as well. For me, this has meant lots of futzing through the years with ways and means to keep my cigars in shape. The latest: the Xikar PuroTemp Wireless Hygrometer System. Here are the basics: Theres a base unit, with stand, that displays the time and, from up to three remote sensors, temperature and relative humidity readings from inside the humidor. The base can also be programmed to beep a warning when temperatures or humidity levels rise or fall to selected points. A button allows you to select displays from each remote unit. The package comes with one sensor, and sensors also are sold individually. Unlike most better thermometer/hygrometer units, theres no way to adjust the readings on these. According to Xikar, the company opted instead to invest the time and attention necessary in the factory to get the temperature and humidity settings correct from the start. It is important to recognize that the wireless technology isnt WiFi. You cant interface with a smartphone or computer, so theres no way to automatically chart the readings over time. Ive been using and evaluating my PuroTemp system for about three months and, overall, Ive found it to perform as advertised. The one caveat occurred about a week or so after I got it home. That was when the connections between the base and the remotes began to drop frequently and then fail to reconnect for a long time, if ever. I contacted Xikar, and they had no qualms about honoring the lifetime warranty and had me ship the components to Kansas City, Mo. About a week later, I heard from Xikars Ken Dolinger, whod supplied me with information earlier as I prepared this review. It was tested by our head engineer, he found that your sensors are working great but something was wrong with your base unit, Dolinger emailed. So I will be sending your sensors back and a new base unit. Since getting the new base, Ive experienced no problems. I tested the unit in numerous ways, including remotes side-by-side in my filled Avallo Cooled 1200 cabinet humidor; remotes individually and together in a sealed container with a 69% Boveda pack; and remotes together and individually in a desktop humidor without cigars and several 69% Boveda packs. According to Xikar, the units are accurate to within 2 percentage points for relative humidity and a single degree Celsius for temperature. With regard to temperature, I observed little variation between the two sensors, whether I was measuring in Fahrenheit or Celsius. For relative humidity, it was a different story. Overall, once I had a properly working system, I found both remotes to operate consistently and within the stated tolerances both internally and in relation to each other. To be clear, though, the two remotes did not report identical humidity readings. Within the sealed container, for example, one sensor consistently read 67% while the other read 71%. Thats within the 2 point tolerance for each but, as you can see, leaves them 4 points apart. Now, relative humidity can be very difficult to measure exactly, even with professional-grade equipment. A correction at 70% may, or may not, hold at, say, 50%. The Boveda pack Im using may not track at exactly 69%. Inside my Avallo, three fans run independently on timers, and Rh is almost certain to vary as one or the other moves air inside the unit, as well as when theyre all off. Some variations are inevitable. I think its a mistake to get too hung up over exact readings. I dont know whether the philosopher Emile Durkheim was a cigar smoker, but he could be the patron saint of humidor maintenance for writing, To pursue a goal which is by definition unattainable is to condemn oneself to a state of perpetual unhappiness. For me, knowing the tolerances of the two sensors is enough. It should be more than adequate to keep my cigars in the range I want and to warn me when the Rh is dropping or rising too much. Xikar lists the range of sensors and base unit connectivity as 60 feet, depending on possible obstructions and interference. I did some spot checks, though none likely as far as that, and never had a problem with response. There are a couple of additions that I think would improve the overall PuroTemp package: 1. A battery level indicator on the base screen and alerts of some sort from each remote when the battery level runs low. 2. Simple stickers included to label the remotes. The list price is $79.99 for the basic PuroTemp system, consisting of the base unit and one sensor. Additional sensors list at $39.99 each. Poking around online, it looks like you can save as much as $25 on the base and sensor package, and $6 to $8 on a sensor. Youd need to add postage and handling to nearly all these costs. Thats a pretty fair chunk of change, especially considering that Xikars equally touted PuroTemp Round Hygrometer lists for only $29.99 and can be had online for $19.99. Only you can decide whether the wireless functionality is worth the money. In my case, the decision was helped by what seemed to me to be quite a bargain. I got an email for a Thompson Cigar event featuring Xikar at its outlet store near Tampa International Airport. It advertised 20% off. I checked and saw that Thompson offered the PuroTemp system online for $67.99 and a sensor for $33.99. I called to see if they would have the system at the event, and a clerk told me that while they didnt routinely stock it in the store, they would be selling it then. At the event, I picked up a unit and went to the cash register where I learned the discount was 30% rather than 20% and that I also had a $30 credit Id accrued in some program I wasnt even aware of. So, I grabbed a second sensor and had them tally the bill. Altogether, I paid a few pennies under $58 out the door. So, Id advise checking out a Xikar event if youre in the market for the PuroTemp system. Overall, I rate the PuroTemp system highly. It is clear, simple to operate, and lives up to expectations. And it comes from a company with a first-rate warranty and an impeccable reputation. George E photo credits: Stogie Guys Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. A radar spat between Korea and Japan that was triggered by a Japanese surveillance aircraft buzzing a Korean destroyer near Dokdo is escalating into a war of nerves. Japan's defense chief paid an ostentatious visit to a naval base housing surveillance airplanes, which followed a warning from the Korean Navy against further close flybys. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo in turn paid a visit to naval command headquarters and ordered troops to respond firmly to further provocations by Japan. Both politicians wore military jackets during their visits to signal that they mean business. Japan's Defense Ministry is minded to cancel its plan to let a warship dock in Busan in April during a multinational maritime drill, while the Korean Navy has put on hold a scheduled visit to a Japanese naval base next month. Senior naval officers from both countries normally exchange visits every year, but now all bets are off as the nominal allies bicker. Japan will also not let its ships cross Korean waters to take part in an Asia-wide exercise in late April hosted by Korea and Singapore. Of course there can be differences of opinion between allies. In that event the best thing to do is to sit through a cooling-off period and deal with the matter objectively. But both the Korean and Japanese governments seem determined to use the spat to their political advantage at home. And the behavior of both sides has been anything but professional. Some ruling-party lawmakers here are now calling for the scrapping of a vital intelligence-sharing pact between the two countries, which even Cheong Wa Dae believes to be invaluable for Korea's national security. Both governments must prevent the spat from escalating further. Japan must stop its silly coat-trailing flybys, and Seoul must get them into perspective. A second Washington-Pyongyang summit takes place soon, and the security landscape in Northeast Asia could change drastically as a result. Both Korea and Japan need to grow up. Blake Strode, executive director, ArchCity Defenders, outlined a federal suit his firm filed with co-counsel challenging St. Louis and the 22nd Judicial Circuits system of pretrial detention on Monday, January 28, 2019 at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being. Listening were co-counsel Seth Wayne of Georgetown Law's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, co-counsel Thomas Harvey of the Advancement Project National Office and Montague Simmons of the Close the Workhouse Campaign. Stay up to date on COVID-19 Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. A North Korean art troupe staged two performances at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China last weekend as part of celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic ties this year. The troupe was led by Ri Su-yong, who holds the rank of vice chairman in the Workers Party Central Committee. A North Korean art troupe performs at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China on Saturday. /Xinhua-Yonhap It was the first time in over three years that a North Korean troupe performed in Beijing and sent another signal that the sometimes fractious allies are now the best of friends again after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's fourth visit earlier this month. Security was tight at the venue before Saturday's performance, with face recognition systems checking the IDs of some 2,000 pre-selected audience members who included political leaders, corporate guests and North Korean embassy staff. The performance was not open to the foreign media. People line up to enter a concert hall at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China on Saturday. /Xinhua-Yonhap The official Xinhua news agency said the show "was a cultural exchange event in accordance with the agreement to deepen and strengthen long-held bilateral relations." Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan met with the troupe before watching the performance on Sunday. Many Scottish beef producers taking part in the scheme were sent warning letters relating to BES. These letters, most received early this week, told farmers that they were in breach of the scheme requirements to enter the weights of their cattle into the relevant section of ScotEID database. Some of those letters were genuine but others were incorrect and Scottish Government is now writing to those affected to clarify the situation. BES requires beef farmers and crofters to undertake several on-farm activities such as tissue sampling, weight recording and collecting calving data. Late last year, some scheme members also reported that they were being asked to collect tissue samples over and above those actually required by the scheme rules. Commenting on the recent problems, NFU Scotland President Andrew McCornick said; The Beef Efficiency Scheme has always been one backed by the sound principles of improving the productivity of the Scottish beef herd, while providing support to hard-working farmers and crofters. However, the recent errors involving the recording of weights and tissue sampling will have further soured the experience of participating in the scheme. While several farmers received warning letters in error, we understand that some will also have received genuine ones. The Scottish Government is now writing to scheme participants to clarify the situation. The Agriculture Bill sets out both the framework for transition from the Common Agricultural Policy schemes currently in place, towards new schemes focusing on public payments for public goods and productivity. However, in many cases, tenant farmers may be precluded from taking advantage of these new arrangements due to clauses within their tenancy agreements. TFA Chief Executive, George Dunn, said; With 30% of all farmland being tenanted, it is really important that all farmers have there is fair access for all farmers to the new schemes being developed in both England and Wales. Where tenants are restricted from entering into new schemes by the terms of their agreements, they must have the right to overturn those restrictions subject to landlords being able to make reasonable objections. Shadow Agriculture Minister, David Drew MP, has tabled an amendment, backed by several other MPs, enabling tenants to pursue any objection from a landlord to arbitration or expert determination. We have asked the Government to consider supporting this amendment at Report Stage of the Bill in the House of Commons. Although DEFRA Ministers have acknowledged the issues, we have yet to receive any assurance that the amendment will be accepted or if the Government will come forward with its own amendment. This may be an issue that we will have to continue to pursue when the Bill heads to the House of Lords, said Mr Dunn. Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. US urges Venezuela army to accept 'peaceful' power transfer Washington, Jan 28 (AFP) Jan 28, 2019 The United States urged Venezuela's military Monday to accept a "peaceful" transfer of power as it ramped up the pressure on embattled leader Nicolas Maduro with a raft of sanctions on state oil company PDVSA. President Donald Trump has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president, sparking a standoff with Maduro who until now has retained the crucial backing of military leaders in Caracas. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters at the White House that new sanctions would prevent Maduro from diverting more resources from the crisis-wracked country until control in Caracas could be transferred to an interim or new democratically-elected government. "The purpose of sanctions is to change behavior," Mnuchin said. "So when there is a recognition that the company is the property of, the rightful rulers, the rightful leaders, then indeed that money will be available to Guaido." Ratcheting up the pressure, National Security Advisor John Bolton appealed directly to the military which has been essential to keeping Maduro in power since 2013. "We also today call on the Venezuelan military and security forces to accept the peaceful, democratic and constitutional transfer of power," Bolton said. "To a certain extent, this has begun," he said. "We've seen Venezuelan official and military personnel heeding this call," he added, citing the example of the country's military attache to Washington who broke ranks with Maduro at the weekend. Asked whether Trump would consider getting the US military involved in Venezuela, Bolton replied: "The president has made it clear on this matter that all options are on the table." Washington "is holding accountable those responsible for Venezuela's tragic decline," Mnuchin told reporters. "We call on our allies and partners to join the United States in recognizing interim president Guaido and blocking Maduro from being able to access funds," he said. Mnuchin added however that PDVSA's US-based subsidiary Citgo would be able to continue operations, as long as its earnings were deposited into a blocked account in the United States. The latest sanctions on PDVSA, which has been a "vehicle for corruption... will help prevent further diverting of Venezuela's assets by Maduro and preserve these assets for the people of Venezuela," Mnuchin said. "The path to sanctions relief for PDVSA is through the expeditious transfer of control to the interim president or a subsequent, democratically elected government." The United States will issue temporary licenses to ensure US, Caribbean and European refineries that rely on Venezuelan crude can keep buying PDVSA oil, Mnuchin said, although he added that many had been taking steps to find other sources. US envoy confirms 'draft framework' with Taliban: NYT Kabul, Jan 28 (AFP) Jan 28, 2019 The US and the Taliban have drafted the framework of a deal which could pave the way for peace talks with Kabul, Washington's main negotiator was quoted as saying Monday, but major hurdles including a ceasefire and a withdrawal of foreign forces remain. The comments by special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad to the New York Times are the clearest signal yet from a US official that talks between Washington and the militants are progressing, igniting hopes of a breakthrough in the grinding 17-year conflict. Khalilzad has been leading a months-long diplomatic push to convince the Taliban to negotiate with the Afghan government, but the militants have steadfastly refused, dismissing authorities in Kabul as "puppets". The flurry of activity culminated in an unprecedented six straight days of talks in Qatar last week, with both the US and the Taliban citing progress over the weekend. "We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement," Khalilzad, who arrived in Kabul Sunday to update Afghan authorities on the talks, was quoted as saying by the Times. He told Afghan media that Washington and the insurgents had "agreed to agreements in principle on a couple of very important issues", and said Afghans must "seize the opportunity", according to comments released by the US embassy in Kabul. Experts quickly hailed the development as a milestone, noting it indicated willingness on both sides to find a way out of the conflict. Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan described the talks as "encouraging". However there is still no accord on a timetable for a US withdrawal or a ceasefire -- major issues on which previous attempts at negotiations have foundered. On Saturday Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that without a withdrawal timetable, progress on other issues is "impossible". - 'Good faith' - Khalilzad confirmed the Taliban had acceded on one major issue for the US: safe havens. "The Taliban have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals," he told the Times. He gave no further details, but the statement gave weight to reports last week that the Taliban had agreed to oppose Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group in Afghanistan. The US invasion of 2001 was driven by the Taliban's harbouring of Al Qaeda, but more than 17 years later the jihadist group appears diminished in the region. Islamic State, however, is a growing and potent presence in Afghanistan, where it is fighting a fierce turf war with the Taliban in some areas. Analyst Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center in Washington, DC said such a move had long been a major ask of the US -- but noted it was more of a "conciliatory gesture" than a concession. "The Taliban has never been a friend of ISIS, and Al-Qaeda has become a shadow of its former self," he told AFP. Even so "it signals, at least at this point, that the insurgents are willing to negotiate in good faith and agree to a key US demand". - 'Clear, hard assurances' - Afghan authorities have warned that any deal between the US and the Taliban would require Kabul's endorsement. "I call on the Taliban to... show their Afghan will, and accept Afghans' demand for peace, and enter serious talks with the Afghan government," President Ashraf Ghani said in a televised address Monday. US President Donald Trump's clear eagerness to end America's longest war has also weighed heavy on the discussions, and Ghani warned against rushing into a deal, citing violence following the Soviet withdrawal in 1989. "We want peace, we want it fast but we want it with a plan," he said. "No Afghan wants foreign troops to remain in their country indefinitely. No Afghan wants to face suicide attacks in hospitals, schools, the mosques, and parks." Civilians continue to pay a terrible price for the Taliban insurgency, with some estimates showing the Afghan conflict overtook Syria to become the world's deadliest last year. Ghani's office said Khalilzad had reassured the government that the negotiations in Qatar remain focused on bringing the insurgents to the table for talks with Kabul. The palace said Khalilzad confirmed no agreement had been made on a withdrawal or a ceasefire. NATO combat troops left Afghanistan in 2014, but thousands remain in training, support and counter-terrorism roles. Trump has said he wants to pull out half the remaining 14,000 American troops, according to US officials. Kugelman said the process could yet collapse over a withdrawal. "Who's to say the Taliban won't decide to seize on the resulting battlefield advantage and take up the fight anew?" he said. Afghan security forces are already taking staggering losses, with 45,000 killed since late 2014, and morale is low. "There will need to be clear, hard assurances that any troop withdrawals take place only after the Taliban has begun talks with the Afghan government," Kugelman continued. Underlining the parlous backdrop to the talks, the Taliban Monday claimed to have killed or wounded 33 US and Afghan forces in two recent incidents, according to the SITE monitoring group. The Taliban routinely exaggerates its attacks, and NATO denied the claims. The Taliban and US officials have agreed to continue negotiations, though no date has been publicly announced. bur-st/ds/amz/ia EU's Iran payments vehicle ready - but stuck Brussels, Jan 28 (AFP) Jan 28, 2019 A payment mechanism the EU hopes will save the Iran nuclear deal by bypassing US sanctions is ready, diplomats said Monday, but is held up by disagreements among European countries. The "Special Purpose Vehicle" is being put together by Germany, France and Britain, the European signatories to the 2015 accord that curbed Tehran's nuclear ambitions in return for sanctions reilef. The entity, to be based in France with German governance and finance from all three countries, will allow Iran to receive payments despite Washington reimposing sanctions after ditching the deal. "It will be registered, it is not yet registered. I would say that we are immediately before the point of the implementation of our plan," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said at a meeting in Brussels organised by the Belgian government. While the vehicle is the work of the three governments involved, the EU wants to launch it along with a formal statement on Iran endorsed by all 28 member states and addressing the whole spectrum of European concerns about the Islamic republic. The EU has commended Iran for sticking to its commitments under the nuclear deal, but has growing concerns about Tehran's ballistic missile programme, as well as its human rights record, its interference in Middle East conflicts and recent attempted attacks against opposition groups in Europe. Diplomatic sources said that Italy and Spain have so far blocked the adoption of the statement, meaning it may have to wait until the next formal meeting of EU ministers on February 12. It is not clear whether Germany, France and Britain will wait for consensus on the statement or go ahead and launch the vehicle without it. Race for 'hypersonic' weapons heats up as France joins fray Paris, Jan 28 (AFP) Jan 28, 2019 World powers are vying to develop so-called "hypersonic" weapons that travel several times the speed of sound, with France the latest to join a field led so far by Russia and China. Hypersonics are like missiles that travel at over five times the speed of sound (Mach 5) but are able to manoeuvre in mid-flight, making them much harder to track and intercept than traditional projectiles. France is the fourth of the five permanent UN Security Council members to join the so-called "stealth by speed" contest, after China, Russia and the United States. "We have decided to issue a contract for a hypersonic glider" that can travel at over 6,000 kilometres/hour, Defence Minister Florence Parly said last week, promising a test flight by the end of 2021. "Many countries are acquiring them (hypersonic weapons) and we have the know-how to develop them. We could no longer afford to wait," Parly said, unveiling project V-MaX (Experimental Manoeuvering Vehicle). In March last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin stunned Western military analysts -- and many in Russia -- by unveiling plans for a new arsenal of hypersonic weapons which he said would render missile defence systems obsolete. Putin insisted the weapons would only ever be used in self-defence, but his presentation featured video montages of missiles crossing the Atlantic, sparking jitters among NATO members. A few months later US President Donald Trump threatened to walk away from a key arms control treaty with Moscow. - 'Avanguard' - France has already carried out studies on propulsion systems for hypersonic flights as part of a 37 billion euro ($42 billion) revamp of its nuclear arsenal. Under the V-MaX project, being led by ArianeGroup -- a joint venture between Airbus and France's Safran -- the air-to-surface ASN4G missile, which will replace the medium-range ASMP, could possibly be configured to travel at hypersonic speeds. "These (hypersonic) weapons could constitute an instantaneous threat of a conventional or even nuclear strike," France's inter-ministerial Secretariat for National Defence and Security (SGDSN) wrote in a 2017 report on next-generation technologies. Hypersonic gliders would be carried to the end of the earth's atmosphere by a launch vehicle and would then "glide" back to a target on the ground. "The goal is high-speed manoeuvrability. That's how it differs from a ballistic trajectory," the French government's defence procurement and technology agency (DGA) said. "Once the initial speed is reached, we can play with speed and altitude to move up and down, to the left and to the right, creating a trajectory that is more difficult to intercept. And, the agency added: "If we are targeted by a defence system, we can operate evasive manoeuvres." In December, the Kremlin touted the capabilities of its new hypersonic glider, aptly named "Avanguard". The Kremlin said that in tests the intercontinental projectile reached 27 times the speed of sound -- 33,000 kilometres (20,500 miles) per hour or Mach 27. "At this speed not a single intercepter missile can shoot it down," Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov boasted. China has also reportedly carried out several successful tests since 2014 of a glider that can reach speeds of between Mach 5 and Mach 10. - Falling behind - Harry Harris, former US military commander for the Pacific region, admitted last year: "China's hypersonic weapons development outpaces ours... we're falling behind." The United States, which is developing several hypersonic programmes, is also studying the feasibility of creating a space-based interceptor system, in which an orbiting craft of some sort would be equipped with missiles that could destroy an incoming warhead while it is in space. "The US will now adjust its posture to defend against any missile strikes including cruise and hypersonic missiles," President Donald Trump said in January, releasing a review of the US missile defence network. For France, developing and deploying a device that can withstand hypersonic speeds poses an enormous challenge. The DGA, the French defence agency, admitted that it had "relatively little experience" in the area. "The first use will probably not be for several years, and will be limited in terms of payload, flight time and precision," the SGDSN cautioned. There are fears that by trying to save W120 billion per year on defense, Korea faces greater losses in exports to the U.S. The notoriously peevish Trump Administration is adamant that the minimum South Korea should pay for the upkeep of the U.S. Forces Korea should be US$1 billion per year or W1.12 trillion. But Seoul wants to pay no more than W1 trillion. Concerns are rising that a spat between Korea and the U.S. over the upkeep for American troops here could prompt Washington to slap punitive tariffs on Korean exports like cars. U.S. President Donald Trump could retaliate with higher tariffs on Korean cars if he does not come away with a satisfactory deal. Trump has been pushing for a 25-percent tariff on imported cars under the Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act since last year, overriding the existing free trade agreement on the spurious grounds that imports harm "national security." The deadline for deciding on tariffs, which was temporarily suspended at the end of last year, comes on Feb. 17. Although the U.S. government has not officially linked the forces upkeep negotiations to tariffs, Trump's capricious nature has Korean insiders worried. "The U.S. side has not brought up the tariff issue to us yet, but common sense has had little place in the Trump administration so far, so it is possible that the two issues will affect each other," a government official here said. The government has belatedly started to appeal to public sentiment on the issue. One retired diplomat said, "Cheong Wa Dae ordered the foreign ministry to stop working-level negotiations at the end of last year and took it over. Now its likely to agree to increase South Korea's share at the last minute, perhaps in exchange for easing economic sanctions on North Korea to promote inter-Korean business projects." But USFK upkeep negotiations have never gone smoothly. Prof. Park Won-gon at Handong Global University said, "The U.S. will strongly insist on South Korea taking a bigger share of the cost, and Trump may threaten to reduce troop numbers. I would say, rather than agreeing to the one-year deal the U.S. wants, it would be better to work toward a longer deal that is valid for three to five years." Climate change pushing killer whales to migrate north Reisafjorden, Norvege, Jan 28 (AFP) Jan 28, 2019 Paying no attention to nearby divers, a killer whale and her calf hunting for food frolic in a snowy Norwegian fjord. Their favourite meal, herring, abounds, but climate change means both predator and prey must increasingly migrate further north. The clear and calm waters of Reisafjorden, in Norway's Far North, have in recent years become the winter playground of the Scandinavian country's killer whale population. At three degrees Celsius (37 Fahrenheit), the cold water is perfect for the herring which, ahead of the spawning season in February and March, have fattened up and make a tasty dish for the hungry killer whales, also known as orcas. As if they were performing an underwater ballet, the whales encircle a school of herring, forcing them up to the surface before slapping the water with their large tail fins to stun them. "Then they all share the feast," eating only the best parts of the fish: the eggs, meat and semen, explains Pierre Robert de Latour, founder of the organisation Undersea Soft Encounter Alliance, on board a whale-watching vessel. "It's food that's easy to hunt, available in great quantities, and very high in calories," he says. But in the past 20 years, the herring migrated 300 kilometres (190 miles) north, leaving the Lofoten Islands in search of waters that remain under six degrees Celsius -- the temperature required for them to reproduce. The Norwegian killer whales, which only occasionally feast on seals or smaller whales, have followed the herring. "We believe that the global warming which is responsible for the rising water temperatures has pushed the herring further north," said Robert de Latour. "In the long term, they're going to move even further north. If the stocks were to diminish it would be an environmental catastrophe for whales, orcas, sea birds and cod," he warns. - A whale nursery - For now, the killer whale population along Norway's coast appears to be thriving. Robert de Latour estimates their number at around 1,500, twice what it was two decades ago. The area "is a real nursery, thanks to the abundant resources," he says. Some researchers say there may even be up to 3,000 orcas in the region, which runs from Norway's northern mainland up to the Svalbard archipelago and along Greenland's eastern coast, which has become more accessible as its ice sheet recedes. In addition to global warming, fishing and growing numbers of tourists who flock to the region for whale watching and diving pose a threat to the killer whales, says Robert de Latour. But, notes Tore Haug of Norway's Institute of Marine Research in Tromso, "killer whales and fishing vessels targetting herring have co-occurred on the herring fishing grounds for decades," and that hasn't prevented the whale stocks from growing. Ecotourism is booming in the region. It's not unusual for several boats carrying dozens of amateur divers to converge in the same fjord, with both boats and divers coming within just a few metres (feet) of the giant mammals. "Norwegian authorities aim to implement some recommended regulations of such activities," Haug said. "Whale watching is a good way of raising awareness and educating people about these animals and their life in the oceans, but too much could cause some problems," said Robert de Latour, himself a nature guide. Fifteen years ago, Hollywood's most famous killer whale died in a Norwegian fjord. Keiko, a male orca captured in 1979 off Iceland around the age of two, spent most of his life in water theme parks before starring in the 1993 hit movie "Free Willy". After a massive international campaign, Keiko was released into the wild in Iceland, before he headed for Norway -- one of the only countries in the world that hunts whales, albeit not killer whales. He died in December 2003, at the age of 27. Misinformation woes could multiply with 'deepfake' videos Washington, Jan 28 (AFP) Jan 28, 2019 If you see a video of a politician speaking words he never would utter, or a Hollywood star improbably appearing in a cheap adult movie, don't adjust your television set -- you may just be witnessing the future of "fake news." "Deepfake" videos that manipulate reality are becoming more sophisticated due to advances in artificial intelligence, creating the potential for new kinds of misinformation with devastating consequences. As the technology advances, worries are growing about how deepfakes can be used for nefarious purposes by hackers or state actors. "We're not quite to the stage where we are seeing deepfakes weaponized, but that moment is coming," Robert Chesney, a University of Texas law professor who has researched the topic, told AFP. Chesney argues that deepfakes could add to the current turmoil over disinformation and influence operations. "A well-timed and thoughtfully scripted deepfake or series of deepfakes could tip an election, spark violence in a city primed for civil unrest, bolster insurgent narratives about an enemy's supposed atrocities, or exacerbate political divisions in a society," Chesney and University of Maryland professor Danielle Citron said in a blog post for the Council on Foreign Relations. Paul Scharre, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, a think tank specializing in AI and security issues, said it was almost inevitable that deepfakes would be used in upcoming elections. A fake video could be deployed to smear a candidate, Scharre said, or to enable people to deny actual events captured on authentic video. With believable fake videos in circulation, he added, "people can choose to believe whatever version or narrative that they want, and that's a real concern." - Chaplin's return? - Video manipulation has been around for decades and can be innocuous or even entertaining -- as in the digitally-aided appearance of Peter Cushing in 2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," 22 years after his death. Carnegie Mellon University researchers last year revealed techniques that make it easier to produce deepfakes via machine learning to infer missing data. In the movie industry, "the hope is we can have old movie stars like Charlie Chaplin come back," said Aayush Bansal. The popularization of apps which make realistic fake videos threatens to undermine the notion of truth in news media, criminal trials and many other areas, researchers point out. "If we can put any words in anyone's mouth, that is quite scary," says Siwei Lyu, a professor of computer science at the State University of New York at Albany, who is researching deepfake detection. "It blurs the line between what is true and what is false. If we cannot really trust information to be authentic it's no better than to have no information at all." Representative Adam Schiff and two other lawmakers recently sent a letter to National Intelligence Director Dan Coats asking for information about what the government is doing to combat deepfakes. "Forged videos, images or audio could be used to target individuals for blackmail or for other nefarious purposes," the lawmakers wrote. "Of greater concern for national security, they could also be used by foreign or domestic actors to spread misinformation." - Separating fake from real - Researchers have been working on better detection methods for some time, with support from private firms such as Google and government entities like the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research projects Agency (DARPA), which began a media forensics initiative in 2015. Lyu's research has focused on detecting fakes, in part by analyzing the rate of blinking of an individual's eyes. But he acknowledges that even detecting fakes may not be enough, if a video goes viral and leads to chaos. "It's more important to disrupt the process than to analyze the videos," Lyu said. While deepfakes have been evolving for several years, the topic came into focus with the creation last April of video appearing to show former president Barack Obama using a curse word to describe his successor Donald Trump -- a coordinated stunt from filmmaker Jordan Peele and BuzzFeed. Also in 2018, a proliferation of "face swap" porn videos that used images of Emma Watson, Scarlett Johansson and other celebrities prompted bans on deepfakes by Reddit, Twitter and Pornhub, though it remained unclear if they could enforce the policies. Scharre said there is "an arms race between those who are creating these videos and security researchers who are trying to build effective tools of detection." But he said an important way to deal with deepfakes is to increase public awareness, making people more skeptical of what used to be considered incontrovertible proof. "After a video has gone viral it may be too late for the social harm it has caused," he said. Medford, NJ (08055) Today Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. You are the owner of this article. Enterprise, AL (36331) Today Mostly cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 72F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 72F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. The United Nations will officially launch the International Year of Indigenous Languages on Monday afternoon in Paris, France. Here in Samoa, the year will be marked with the release of a Samoan language dictionary, the first monolingual dictionary for Samoan language. Ms. Nisha, director of the United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organisation (UNESCO) for Samoa has been supporting the Samoan Language Commission since last year on the work and is confident the dictionary will be complete by December. A monolingual dictionary, rather than a Samoan to English dictionary will enable people to expand their vocabulary and protect their mother tongue, Ms Nisha said. If you want to develop the language as a medium of instruction for example, to produce literature, poetry, know what do different words in Samoan language mean, and in different contexts, The idea through this initiative is to enrich the peoples knowledge and understanding of their own language, to enlarge their vocabulary. That will be a focus for the year in Samoa. Unlike many other indigenous languages, Samoan is not at risk of becoming endangered or extinct. But it needs constant attention to ensure that doesnt happen. Ms Nisha said children in particular need to learn in their mother tongue to be strong learners in any other language, like English. If a child is not strong in mother tongue, one language, the child will find it harder to become strong in an acquired language. For the child to be more receptive to ideas and learn more, absorb more during that zero-to-six age group when the child is most absorbing and fastest growing, the medium of instruction and how much exposure the child gets becomes very important. For Samoans living abroad, Ms Nisha said she hopes the dictionary will be a useful resource for parents taking on the responsibility of teaching their children their mother tongue. Outside of Samoa, with little or no educational resources in Samoan, parents have themselves and their diaspora community to lean on when it comes to language promotion. Keeping the language alive and promoting the language becomes parental business family business, said Ms Nisha. We are hoping that the dictionary will be one important tool in that direction. At least the parents will have a resource to themselves that they can use and as children are growing into adulthood they can continue to learn their language. In 2013, a Victoria University of Melbourne academic built an online database of 300,000 words in Samoan in the website sketchengine.co.uk. As the International Year of Indigenous Languages, Ms Nisha said she hopes people will take the opportunity to look at how language contributes to society, and in particular to the preservation of culture and tradition. Samoans are proud of their heritage, she said, and that passion should be channelled into formally understanding the way language keeps traditional knowledge alive. Traditional knowledge does not exist in English, or in a foreign language, they exist in mother tongues. They have been passed down from generation to generation. When a language weakens, along with that a lot of history, a lot of traditional knowledge weakens. When language dies, a body of knowledge dies, Ms Nisha said. The scandal blew up after Sohn met with the freelance reporter, identified as Kim (48) in a bar in Sangam-dong in northwestern Seoul on Jan. 10, where Kim claims Sohn assaulted him when Kim threatened to expose him over a hit-and-run accident. Sohn Suk-hee, the chief and main anchor of cable channel JTBC, offered a freelance reporter hundreds of millions of service fees to keep him from going public with assault allegations, it was revealed Sunday. Sohn has denied the charge and said he merely "tapped" Kim a few times after the reporter tried to blackmail him for a job. But on Jan. 18, Sohn met Kim again with Kim's lawyer and offered him vast amounts of money and a job to keep him quiet. The deal fell through when Kim demanded that Sohn sign the agreement on paper. Sohn told the lawyer, surnamed Yang, that Kim had been blackmailing him for a job for five months. But Sohn did not report Kim to police and sent Yang a text message on Jan. 19 offering Kim a two-year service contract and guaranteeing W10 million in monthly earnings (US$1=W1,122). Sohn had asked the reporter for his resume when Kim came to interview him about a hit-and-run accident Sohn was involved in. "Let's look for ways we can help each other," Kim quoted Sohn as saying. Sohn then seems to have spent the next five months looking for ways to find Kim a job at JTBC that would be acceptable to him. In one text message, he offered Kim a one-year employment contract that could be switched to a permanent position depending on performance. When Kim still threatened to go public with the accident, Sohn apparently offered the investment and service fee deal instead. He appears to have been extremely anxious that JTBC should not find out about his woes and did not allow Kim to visit his office. Suh Jung-wook at law firm Minjoo said Sohn's actions may carry a criminal charge of breach of trust since he was offering to use company funds to get himself out of trouble. "In this case, he did not actually pay any money, so he could be charged with attempted breach of trust." But another attorney said Sohn was already guilty of breach of trust because he committed an act damaging to the interests of a corporate entity in the pursuit of personal objectives. On last Thursday's JTBC evening news, which he anchors, Sohn said, "I also have many things to say, but will only state at this point that [the claims] are totally false." Sohn and JTBC have not responded to the Chosun Ilbo's requests for further comment. But Sohn also wrote a message on a website run by his fan club last Thursday evening saying, "It looks like I'll be involved in a drawn-out fight. I believe the truth will be revealed. I won't be shaken. Don't worry." The post attracted more than 300 comments over the next three days, most of them supportive. Meanwhile, the puzzle is growing why Sohn was so eager to keep the very minor fender bender quiet. Kim has told police that the driver of the pickup truck Sohn hit in a parking lot in Gwacheon one night in 2017 told police that a young woman had been sitting next to the star anchor. Sohn in another statement vehemently denied that a woman was in the car with him and accused Kim of trying to smear him to gain the upper hand. He said he submitted evidence to police proving there was no woman in the car with him that night. The truck driver told the Chosun Ilbo, "The car that hit me started driving away, so I chased after it for about 1 km and banged on the window, but the car drove away again. I chased after the car with others, and it finally stopped and Sohn got out." There seem to be no other witnesses who saw a woman in the car. In a transcript of a recorded telephone call between Kim and Sohn in August last year, the anchor says nobody was in the car with him. But in another recorded phone call between the two on Jan. 18, Kim asks Sohn if he was with his mother in the car and Sohn responds, "That was out of necessity." 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Minister De Weever stated that this type of program brings more awareness about pertinent issues that school-going youth are confronted with from time to time during their years in high school. TAPS is an 11-week US program primarily designed for at-risk youth where students partner with mentor police officers to discuss such issues as violence, physical and sexual abuse, stalking, sexual exploitation, and bullying. The program was adjusted to meet the juvenile needs of the Sint Maarten youth according to a statement by the Sint Maarten Police Force back in October when the training started at the St. Maarten Academy P.S.V.E. section. Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever said the program initiated by the Sint Maarten Police Force is a great initiative that comes at a time when students and the educational system are confronted with a number of social youth related challenges. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. There are a number of international programs designed to confront anti-youth social behavior and TAPS is one such program being utilized as an intervention by the Police Force. TAPS cover a number of areas pertinent to youth development such as conflict resolution, truancy, drugs and alcohol, safe driving and being stopped by the police, health, fitness and nutrition, service learning, human trafficking, victimization/bullying, and team building. Another program that the Police Force will be starting in February is Cops and Kids. These programs are very important for the youth of the nation. Everyone has a role to play when it comes to our nations youth. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child, and the Police Force as an integral part of society, will do its part by creating awareness in order for our young people to make the right choices, Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever said on Friday. PHOTO CUTLINE: Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever Page Content The Kadaster Department will soon launch a new innovation in the use of technology to improve its functioning when its ICAD System goes live within short. The innovation in technology will result in increased accuracy, improved productivity and efficiency and will allow attorneys and Notary Publics to access, request and receive certificates or information on land sales and transfers from the comfort of their offices. The new system will replace the existing CADSIS System that has been in use for almost two decades on St. Maarten and was a product of Dutch counterparts in The Hague. ICAD was designed by ICT Labs in Curacao and can compile comprehensive reports on every subject relating to the sale or transfer of a parcel of land and send this information directly to notaries and attorneys. Minister with responsibility for the Kadaster Department the honourable Perry Geerlings received a presentation from ICT Labs Software Engineer Rademier Streder during a courtesy visit to the Kadaster department in Philipsburg on Friday. During the visit, Geerlings told the team at the Kadaster of his fond memories of the department during his seven years as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Kadaster. He had actually been instrumental in introducing the soon phased out CADSIS System, which at the time served to improve the department. With the advances in technology and the increased demand for service from the Kadaster Department Minister Geerlings says that the innovations are indeed a welcomed improvement. He admonished the Kadaster Management to ensure the full training and upgrade of the staff with complete certification, which he said, can be useful for them in their future career. He also encouraged the Management Team to work diligently on improving the high standard required for customer service to, for example, the Notaries who often need more details to be included in Certificates issued by the Kadaster. Once live tests of the ICAD System are successful, the intention is to complete the transfer data from the old CADSIS system to the new system. When this is phase is completed the Kadaster will be able to provide member access with different levels of authorisation to Notary Publics and Attorneys. Once they have an account they will be able to track monthly and yearly land transactions based on sales, purchases, seizures and can review easements, get information on mortgages, and apartment splits. The system will be able to make reports on any subject relating to land transactions and produce invoices for electronic payment for services. The system has a user-friendly dashboard, is entirely web-based and can connect to ARCEUS, which is a Global Information System application for visualisation of land parcels. It also allows remote and secure management and authorisation of documents by the Mortgage Custodian for the Kadaster who will now be able to sign papers electronically. Minister Geerlings said he was especially proud of the fact that the system is now entirely owned by St. Maarten and that the Kadaster can securely manage and extend access to the public who wishes to access specific information. The secure system also comes with different levels of access for administrators within the Kadaster Department and a full report of all user transactions. Geerlings also received a presentation by a representative of Florida Level & Transit Co. John Mc Kay on the Leica Geosystems that is being used for Land Survey on St. Maarten and Saba. Mc Kay frequently visits the Kadaster Department in St. Maarten as part of the support provided by Florida Level & Transit Co who is the dealer of the Leica Geosystems for Florida and the Caribbean. During his latest visit, he performed an evaluation on the way the Kadaster works in the field. He is working with the department to improve its use of the Leica Geosystems to take advantage of advances in the technology. He told Minister Geerlings that by taking advantage of new Satellite Constellations surveyors can "push the boundaries" and perform surveys in more difficult areas. Once fully updated the Kadaster will be able to transmit data between the office and field surveyors in real time, which will eliminate the need for returning to the office to complete daily tasks and will allow immediate correction of any discrepancies concerning land survey. The Kadaster Department will soon launch a website that will be fully interactive and be accessible by Utility Company NV GEBE who will be able to use it for their fieldwork. The improved Leica Geosystem is accurate up to 1 millimetre and can only be accessed through a secure login. Minister Geerlings said he along with colleague Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (VROMI) Miklos Giterson would continue to monitor the progress in improving the quality of work and service at the Kadaster. Page Content Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications TEATT Minister the Honourable Stuart Johnson has issued a statement as a conclusion to the alleged abuse of power and sexual misconduct" involving his temporary cabinet worker saying the false allegations can no longer go unchecked. He said, "At no time did I sexually harass anyone much less the former temporary cabinet worker contrary to the claim, though not direct but seemingly orchestrated by others with personal agendas, said Johnson on Sunday He said, As an educator of 10 years with an impeccable record of service, I had first to consider what a media debate on this subject could do to our already fragmented society, and I felt it a responsible approach to let a transparent investigation take place before I make any further statements. Johnson had filed a complaint with the local police and Public Prosecutors office when he learnt that text messages were circulating containing lewd comments and sexually explicit and doctored photos suggesting he had propositioned his former staffer while they were on a working visit to The Netherlands. The prosecutors office has since then issued a letter in which it stated that the complaint was dismissed and there was no further investigation. Although he is confident that the photos and allegations were maliciously concocted, Johnson understood as a public servant that the topic of abuse of power and sexual misconduct in the workplace is sensitive and touches a core problem of abuse of powers that many people, especially women, in our community endure daily. "As such, I first wanted to ensure that the authorities did their investigation which shows I have done none of the things I was accused of doing and as such, the investigation was closed." The work to rebuild the Tourism product and economy on St. Maarten continues to be the focus of the TEATT Minister. However, Johnson felt it was now the right time to disclose the details surrounding the dismissal of the former cabinet worker especially considering that members of certain organisations were attempting to score political points awaiting my final statement on the subject. In explaining the sequence of events, leading up to the false allegations, Johnson said he had operated from the standpoint of trust when he gave his government cellular phone to the former cabinet worker. While he was an executive assistant, the accuser had unrestricted access to the Ministers government mobile phone, which he used to take photos, answer calls, and respond to texts when the minister was unavoidably away from his phone for meetings or any related work event. It appears that during the first stage of his trip the former temporary cabinet worker spent the money he received from the Government to pay for his accommodations abroad and for meals at a casino. He subsequently left his outstanding hotel accommodation debts on the trip to the tune of over Euro$1000, which is unpaid to date. When he could not generate sufficient funds to remain in The Netherlands, the former cabinet worker was forced to return home at which point the text messages surfaced. He appears to have taken advantage of his access to the Minister's cellular phones and betrayed the trust of his employer in an attempt to paint a negative image transpired in The Netherlands. After he returned to the island, the former cabinet worker failed to return to work at the cabinet despite several attempts by cabinet workers to encourage him to return. It was first felt that he was venting frustration at the delay in formalising his appointment to the Cabinet. He was informed that this was a matter that had to be handled through the approval of the Justice Minister and took time, as consideration also had to be given to the transfer by the KPSM. Johnson concluded based on the continuous failure of the former cabinet worker to show up for work, he [the former cabinet worker] had no intention. The natural conclusion was that he no longer had an interest in working in the cabinet and as such, he was sent a formal letter of dismissal. The former cabinet worker has by now returned to KPSM. The balance of his payment is being held as Minister Johnson said the former cabinet worker is actually still being paid as a Police officer by the KPSM. On the subject of outstanding payment from the cabinet, Johnson said, The difference has to be calculated from the balance of the business trip which the former cabinet worker attended and did not complete. The minister says he will not allow a former employer of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau turned politician, to force him to enter into a mudslinging contest over rhetoric spewed by individuals with an axe to grind over his decision not to use taxpayers money to finance their comedy show. The Tourism Minister explained that he has accepted an enormous responsibility to be the minister of TEATT and says he looks forward to rebuilding the island's Tourism Product, reopen and restore both points of entry to full operation and create the opportunity for businesses to rebuild and re-hire workers. "No one should be placed in a position of abuse of any kind, and neither should individuals be falsely accused of personal or political gain. Page Content The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, is calling on the community to continue to practice hand hygiene and cough etiquette in order to prevent the spread of influenza and other infections. Symptoms of the flu include sudden onset of fever, cough (usually dry), headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat and a runny nose. The cough can be severe and can last two or more weeks. Most people recover from fever and other symptoms within a week. However, influenza can cause severe illness or death in high-risk groups such as pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy; children younger than five-years; people older than 65-years; people with chronic medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, asthma, heart and lung diseases and diabetes; people with increased risk of exposure to influenza, which includes health care workers. Keeping hands clean through improved hand hygiene and cough etiquette which are two of the most important steps one can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Washing your hands should take 40 to 60 seconds. Your hands should be washed after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. Flu viruses are thought to spread mainly from person to person through the coughing, sneezing, or talking to someone with the flu. Flu viruses can also spread when people touch something with the flu virus on it and then tough their mouth, eyes, or nose. Many other viruses spread these ways too. People infected with the flu may be able to infect others beginning from day one before symptoms develop and up to five to seven days after becoming sick. That means you may be able to spread the flu to someone else before you know you are sick. Preventive actions entails: try to avoid close contact with sick people; cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze (cough etiquette); throw the tissue in the trash after you use it; clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu. Roger Stone, a long-time friend and adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, said Sunday he would consider cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and discuss his conversations with the U.S. leader. Stone, charged last week with lying, obstruction and witness tampering in connection with Trump's campaign, told ABC's "This Week" show, the extent of his cooperation with Mueller's 20-month probe would be something he would "have to determine after my attorneys have some discussions." He added, "If there's wrongdoing by other people in the campaign that I know about, which I know of none, but if there is, I would certainly testify honestly." The 66-year-old Stone, arrested in a pre-dawn FBI raid Friday on his Florida home, has denied wrongdoing, saying hours after his apprehension, "I will plead not guilty to these charges, I will defeat them in court. I believe this is a politically motivated investigation." Armed police soldiers in Mission-Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) gears use instruments to detect simulated poisonous gas during a chemical defense training exercise in early April, 2018. They are assigned to a chemical defense detachment of the Chinese Armed Police Force. Photo: eng.chinamil.com.cn An unnamed squadron under the People's Armed Police Force in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is listed on an honor roll released on the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily on Monday as a model for strong army construction. The honor roll set a total of 10 units and 18 individuals as models for outstanding performances in building a strong military, according to the PLA Daily. Founded in 1993, the Xinjiang squadron is in charge of missions, including intelligence reconnaissance, deals with armed assault and explosives disarmament, people.cn reported, and calls the squadron a "keystone" to maintaining the safety and stability of Xinjiang. Stationed at the western border of the country, the squadron successfully handled more than 30 serious violent terror incidents, eliminated and captured more than 300 terrorists and disarmed more than 200 explosive devices in recent years, the PLA Daily reported. In a previous capture and elimination mission, squadron member Liu Zhijun killed two terrorists after they stabbed a lance in his mouth, PLA Daily reported. Liu lost six teeth and had five stitches in his lips and six stitches in his tongue, the report said. The squadron has previously won many awards for their service, individually or as a unit, the PLA Daily reported. Sei in Home Shipping BESIKTAS SHIPYARD - PROVEN and EVOLVING EXPERIENCE IN REPAIR The United States Treasury lifted sanctions on three businesses linked to Russian oligarch and Putin ally Oleg Deripaska on Sunday. The companies Rusal, EN+ Group Plc, and EuroSibEnergo JSC have all "agreed to unprecedented transparency for Treasury into their operations by undertaking extensive, ongoing auditing, certification, and reporting requirements," the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a press release. ...The move comes over the objections of congressional democrats, who have argued that the sanctions should not be lifted until the Mueller investigation has ended. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) was one of the first to condemn the lifting of sanctions Sunday in a statement to The Daily Beast. "Ignoring House disapproval of this sordid deal, refusing to have Secretary Mnuchin testify, and seeking to preempt Senate disapproval, the Trump Administration is working seven days a week with favoritism for Russia. This represents just one more step in undermining the sanctions law, which [Donald] Trump has obstructed at every opportunity, while Russian aggression remains unabated," Doggett said. Always has been, and still is Welp. That about sums it up.We are being governed, such as anyone in the executive branch is governing the nation at the moment, by traitors. Villar condemns Jolo Cathedral bombing Sen. Cynthia Villar today condemned the bombing of Jolo Cathedral which killed 20 people and wounded at least 80 others. "This bombing which targeted innocent people as they celebrate the Sunday mass is clearly an act of terrorism. This should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. No time should be wasted in hunting down those who are responsible for this senseless act," Villar said. Villar also condoles with the loved ones of those who perished and sympathizes with those who were wounded. Authorities also said that aside from civilians, soldiers were also among those who died in the blast. "I fully support our government as they vow to crush those responsible for the attack. I am also praying for the safety of military personnel as they go after the perpetrators," Villar said. Villar also expressed concern that the bombing could be an attempt to undermine the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law and the creation of the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as a measure that will bring prosperity and lasting peace in Mindanao. On Sunday, two improvised explosive devices exploded at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, Sulu. Initial report says the IED was placed inside a motorcycle's utility box. Press Release January 28, 2019 Pimentel, Binay, call for ban on use of BPAs in baby food containers A proposal to protect infants and children from harmful chemicals is now due for second reading in the Senate. Senate Bill No. 2170, also known as the BPA in Child Care Articles Prohibition Act is contained in Committee Report No. 564 prepared by the Committees on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship and Health and Demography. It seeks to protect infants and children by regulating the use of Bisphenol A (BPA) in baby food products. The bill is a substitution of Senate Bill No. 1844 introduced by Senator Nancy Binay and Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III. Bisphenol A (BPA), according to Binay, is a chemical primarily used in the production of polycarbonate plastic products and epoxy resin food can liners. It is used to harden plastics, prevent cans from rusting and keeping food safe from bacteria. "Beverage bottles, food packaging materials and metal can-coated products including water and infant bottles are among the many food and liquid containers applied with BPA," Binay said. Pimentel, for his part, cited the need to ban BPA as possible side effects on humans, particularly on infants and children may emanate from the use of the chemical which include endocrine disruption, heart disease, and fetal brain development, among others. Under the measure, manufacturers of child care products are duty bound to use safer alternatives as replacement of BPA. Manufacturers shall not be allowed to replace BPA with substances known to have carcinogenic properties or any substance that the Department of Health (DOH) has deemed as causing birth defects, reproductive, or developmental harm. The measure also directs the Food and Drug Administration to create an information system containing all the data on BPA and other harmful toxins and chemicals that can be found in child care products. This database will be made accessible to the public. For its part, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in coordination with the DOH and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) shall develop a public information campaign aimed at encouraging all concerned stakeholders to prevent the use of BPA and other toxic chemicals in baby food or beverage containers and other child care products, and promote science-based method in the search for alternatives to BPA. Anyone found violating the prohibition shall be subjected to a fine ranging from P50,000 to P300,000, or imprisonment of one year to five years, or both. In case the offender is a Filipino, the president, secretary, treasurer, or other officials responsible for the offense shall be liable for the penalty of imprisonment. Foreign offenders shall be deported after having served his sentence and payment of the fine. Press Release January 28, 2019 Manifestation of Sen. Pacquiao re: Bible Day at the Senate MR. PRESIDENT, I would like to make a manifestation. Thank you, MR. PRESIDENT. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU, MY FELLOW SENATORS FOR THE RESOLUTION OF COMMENDATION AND CONGRATULATIONS ON MY RECENT VICTORY AGAINST BRONER. NAGPAPASALAMAT PO AKO SA SAMBAYANANG PILIPINO SA PAGMAMAHAL AT SUPORTA. KAYO PONG LAHAT ANG AKING INSPIRASYON. I DEEPLY APPRECIATE YOUR PRAYERS, YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT. MR. PRESIDENT, i would also like to seize the opportunity to express my joy because today, January 28, the last Monday of the month, we celebrate the National Bible Day, a special working holiday in the Philippines by virtue of Republic Act 11163. President Duterte signed it into law on December 20, 2018, three days after my 40th birthday. As the main author and sponsor of this legislation, I am grateful for the support of all our colleagues, partners, and staff in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The National Bible Day will be an annual celebration. In the coming years we will make the celebration bigger. We will invite and encourage our partners in the public and private sectors, as well as learning institutions, to celebrate in their own special way. Today, we altogether declare that God's word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path. We all need the Word of God to direct us and guide us in every area of our lives. Apart from God, we will stumble and fall. Apart from Him, we are nothing. But through Christ who gives us strength, we can do all things. We can face the giants. We can overcome obstacles. We can experience miracles. As it is written in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." THIS IS WHY EVERY MORNING, UPON WAKING UP, I KNEEL BEFORE GOD AND PRAY. I TAKE HOLD OF MY BIBLE AND READ THE WORD OF GOD. NO MATTER HOW BUSY I AM, I READ THE BIBLE DAY AND NIGHT. While I was in Las Vegas for my fight with Broner, I shared to those who attended the Press Conference what is written in Jeremiah 9:23-24, This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord. MR. PRESIDENT, LET US ALTOGETHER BELIEVE THAT GOD'S GRACE WILL MAKE THE PHILIPPINES GREAT AGAIN! WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES! Press Release January 28, 2019 Sen. Manny Pacquiao's National Bible Day Message By virtue of Republic Act 11163, the last Monday of January every year is proclaimed as National Bible Day. President Duterte signed it into law on December 20, 2018. Today, January 28, the last Monday of the month, we have gathered to celebrate the National Bible Day, a special working holiday in the Philippines. As the main author and sponsor of this legislation, I am grateful for the support of my colleagues in the Senate and the House of Representatives. I would like to commend my brother, Congressman Rogelio Pacquiao, for filing it at the House of Representatives. I would also like to thank our dear friend and brother Sen. Joel Villanueva for being my co-author in the Senate. Maraming salamat din po sa Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, lalong lalo na sa ating mahal na pangulo sa pagpapahalaga sa ating panukala. Throughout the entire legislative process, we recognize that it takes a team to accomplish a dream. Our dream of institutionalizing the celebration of the National Bible Day has come to pass because of the collective efforts of all our colleagues, all our partners, and all our staff. The National Bible Day will be an annual celebration. In the coming years we will make the celebration bigger. We will invite and encourage our partners in the public and private sectors, as well as learning institutions, to celebrate in their own special way. Bible reading can be integrated during the flag ceremony. There may be Bible Distribution, Bible Study, Bible Quiz, and other creative ways of honoring the Word of God. Today, we altogether declare that God's word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path. Apart from God, we will stumble and fall. Apart from Him, we are nothing. But through Christ who gives us strength, we can do all things. We can face the giants. We can overcome obstacles. We can experience miracles. We all need the Word of God to direct us and guide us in every area of our lives. As it is written in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." In John 6:35, we read that Jesus is the bread of life. Whoever comes to Him will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Him will never be thirsty. This is why every morning, upon waking up, I kneel before God and pray. I take hold of my Bible and read the Word of God. No matter how busy I am, I read the Bible day and night. Salvation is God's gift for everyone. He calls us into a relationship, not a religion. When we believe in him and fully surrender our lives to Him, He will change us from glory to glory. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." As we consistently read the Bible and meditate on God's Word day and night, we will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. As we fully depend on the Lord, whatever we do shall prosper. While I was in Las Vegas for my fight with Broner, I shared to those who attended the Press Conference what is written in Jeremiah 9:23-24, This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord. Press Release January 28, 2019 Lacson Pushes P4.78-B Institutional Amendment for Mindanao Infantry Unit More at: https://pinglacson.net/2019/01/28/lacson-pushes-p4-78-b-institutional-amendment-for-mindanao-infantry-unit/ Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson is pushing for a P4.78-billion institutional amendment in the P3.7-trillion national budget for 2019 for an infantry division that will counter threats from armed groups like the Abu Sayyaf. Lacson, who disclosed this at the bicameral conference committee meeting on the 2019 budget on Monday, said the funding to mobilize the 11th Infantry Division was requested by the Department of National Defense (DND). "It is an institutional amendment that I introduced, for the activation of an infantry division as requested by the DND," he said. He pointed out institutional amendments should not be set aside because these are requested by the agencies concerned, and are properly vetted by lawmakers. The 11th Infantry "Alakdan" Division, provisionally activated by the Philippine Army last December 1 in Jolo, Sulu, aims to strengthen the Armed Forces of the Philippines' efforts to address the threat by the Abu Sayyaf in the Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-tawi (BaSulTa) area. The Abu Sayyaf has been linked to various incidents of violence, including the bombing of a church in Jolo, Sulu that left at least 20 people dead last Sunday, Jan. 27. Lacson noted the P4.78-billion institutional amendment is part of the unit's three-year funding requirement. "We should not set aside institutional amendments because these were requested. We also vet," he said. Meanwhile, Lacson pushed anew for transparency in crafting the national budget, by retaining the Unified Accounts Code Structure (UACS) in the budget bill. He noted the UACS, which helps track programs for funding in the budget, is in the National Expenditure Program - the version of the budget submitted by Malacanang to Congress - but is usually gone by the time the budget bill is transmitted by the House of Representatives to the Senate. While it may be too late for the UACS in this year's budget, Lacson said the UACS should be maintained in future budget deliberations so items for funding will be easier to trace. "It is easier to track where the line items would go if we maintained the UACS. My suggestion is future budget deliberations we maintain the presence of UACS so that it would be easier to trace," he said. The award ceremony PHNOM PENH, Jan 27 (ChinaMil) -- The 13th medical expert team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) to Cambodia was awarded the "Peace Knight Medal" by the Cambodian Defense Ministry in Phnom Penh on Sunday morning, in recognition of their contributions to the discipline construction and the improvement of the medical level of the Preah KetMealea Hospital as well as the development of medical and health services in Cambodia. The medals and certificates of honor were conferred on the five members of the Chinese medical expert team by the deputy director of the General Administration of Logistics and Finance of the Cambodian Defense Ministry at the ceremony held on the same day. In his speech, the deputy director said that Chinese medical experts have provided technical guidance and help to Cambodian doctors in such aspects as medical treatment, teaching, scientific research, teleconsultation and network information construction, and have further enhanced the discipline construction and medical level of the Preah KetMealea Hospital. He hoped that the Chinese and Cambodian militaries can further strengthen friendly cooperation in the future. Li Ningya, military attache of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, said that medical assistance is an important part of the exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese and Cambodian militaries, playing an important role in China's assistance to Cambodia's health and people's livelihood. The Chinese medical expert team has promoted a series of new methods and technologies, and carried out a wealth of academic lectures. All these have significantly improved the clinical diagnosis and treatment level of the Preah KetMealea Hospital. Lieutenant General Ly Sovan, director of the Preah KetMealea Hospital, said that under the guidance of Chinese medical experts, the medical level of the hospital has improved significantly. Many patients no longer had to go abroad for medical treatment and spoke highly of the Chinese medical experts, he added. "We are very honored to be able to contribute to the friendship between China and Cambodia," said Fan Li, head of the Chinese medical expert team. Press Release January 28, 2019 Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on the Jolo bombing I condemn in the strongest possible terms the bombing incidents in Jolo, Sulu that left more than 20 of our fellow Filipinos dead and many more wounded. My heart goes out to the families of those who suddenly lost their loved ones in this appalling event. Nothing can justify this merciless, barbaric and diabolical attack on people who were peacefully attending mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. I urge the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to do everything to bring the perpetrators of this atrocity to justice, and to make sure that no similar threats will again endanger the safety of our people, not only in Mindanao, but in the whole country as well. It is also my hope that this incident will not derail or thwart our latest successes in paving the way towards lasting, genuine and just peace in Mindanao, especially the recent successful ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). We must not let any act of violence stop us from working as one nation for the cause of peace and progress for all. Press Release January 28, 2019 De Lima denounces Jolo bombings, demands for accountability Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has denounced the bombings of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu that left at least 20 people dead and injured 100 others despite efforts towards achieving lasting peace in war-stricken Mindanao. De Lima, a known human rights defender here and abroad, called on the authorities to seriously investigate and track down the perpetrators of the crime to ensure accountability and accord the victims and their families the justice they deserve. "The bombing of a Roman Catholic Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu that wasted at least 20 innocent lives is appalling as it is extremely atrocious. I extend my deepest sympathies to the families who have lost their loved ones to this unfortunate incident," she said. "This senseless attack calls for serious government attention and action to ensure that the perpetrators behind the bombing are put to justice and the victims will not be simply relegated as collateral damage of the persisting acts of terrorism in the area," she added. At least 20 people, including civilians and troops, were reportedly killed after a double bomb attack occurred inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, Sulu where people celebrated the Sunday Mass last Jan. 27. The bombing incident took place days after the Bangsamoro people voted to ratify the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) or Republic Act 11054, and a few days short of the plebiscite on the ratification of the BOL this coming Jan. 29. The lady Senator from Bicol said she hopes that the double attack in Sulu would not derail the Bangsamoro peace process which could finally allow for genuine autonomy and meaningful self-governance of the Bangsamoro people. "The timing of the bombing is really questionable that is why it poses a big challenge for the authorities to find out, through a thorough investigation, the real reason and mastermind behind the Jolo bombings," she said. "We should not allow any faceless cowards with selfish interests to threaten the safety and security of innocent people, especially not now that the government tries to convince us that the continuing implementation of martial law in Mindanao can help ensure the safety of the people," she added. Last June, De Lima called on security authorities to step up efforts in preventing insurgent groups from launching a series of bomb attacks using improvised explosive devices following reports of the presence of ISIS-trained makers in the region. Press Release January 28, 2019 Dispatch from Crame No. 458: Sen. Leila M. de Lima's Statement on Cronyism and the Glaring Conflict of Interest Involved in the Issues, Re: 3rd Telco Player Last week's Senate hearing on the third telco player has exposed that cronyism and high-level corruption are alive and well in the Duterte government. The favored company, MISLATEL, has basically nothing to its name but a franchise that has never been used to operate any telecommunication service. According to Sen. Drilon, MISLATEL's franchise is even considered ipso facto revoked for non-operation since its grant by Congress and due to the transfer of its controlling interest without the consent also of Congress. For all intents and purposes, MISLATEL is a paper corporation with no track record whatsoever. Yet, by some magic trick, it was awarded the government contract for the much-coveted third telco player in the country. This is the company that Dennis Uy, the Davao businessman who is personally close to Duterte and Bong Go, intends to use as his vehicle to acquire the multi-billion-peso contract for the operation of a third telco player in the country. At the same time, it just so happens that Dennis Uy is also personally connected to almost anyone in government who has power and influence. During the hearing, Sen. Trillanes has managed to draw out an admission from both Uy and Sec. Esperon that the latter uses Uy's private jet in trips to Davao. According to Sen. Trillanes's sources, the usual passengers of Uy's private jet also include other high-ranking Cabinet officials. Esperon and some of these Cabinet big-wigs are members of the oversight committee on the third telco player contract. However, the issue of conflict of interest is completely lost on Sec. Esperon, on how the use of a private jet conflicts with his official decision-making whenever the interests of the owner of the private jet become the subject of government scrutiny, as in the case of MISLATEL. Sen. Trillanes also managed to force Uy to admit that many of the members of the board of his holding corporation that is part of the MISLATEL consortium also donated considerable amounts to Duterte's presidential campaign. Uy himself donated P30 Million. Again, nobody among the executive officials present in the hearing recognized the glaring conflict of interest issue presented by Sen. Trillanes. It won't take a genius to uncover what is happening here. Duterte's Davao Group, through Dennis Uy, is on a roll in cornering lucrative government contracts. It also doesn't take a genius to surmise who are the intended beneficiaries of these corrupt undertakings. These series of machinations that involve the awarding of government contracts to paper companies with no track record other than personal connections to Duterte and his officials constitute the crime of graft and corruption, if not plunder. They are basically no different from the cronyism practised by Marcos that made his family and friends the richest people in the Philippines, and some of the richest in the world. What is more worrisome is that under Duterte, there is even no longer any pretense to conceal the use of public authority to serve private interest. This is corruption at a new level, one that is characterized by impunity, shamelessness, and disregard for legal niceties and public opinion. Masyado nang lantaran at garapal ang paggamit sa gobyerno ng sindikatong Davao Group sa kanilang pagpapayaman. Hindi natin pwedeng hayaang mamayagpag muli ang kawalanghiyaan ng iilan gamit ang kapangyarihan. Press Release January 28, 2019 ANGARA: NOT ENOUGH HEALTH WORKERS TO CARE FOR SENIOR CITIZENS Senator Sonny Angara has expressed alarm over the lack of professionals specializing in the care of the elderly in the Philippines, which puts to question the country's ability to meet the healthcare needs of its adult population. According to Angara, a champion of senior citizens' rights and welfare, the country is facing a serious shortage of geriatricians or medical doctors who are specially trained to evaluate and manage the unique healthcare needs and treatment preferences of older people. Citing a report from Retirement and Healthcare Coalition, Angara said there were only 140 geriatric doctors operating in the country and without specialized geriatric nurses. "Assuming that there are around 8 million senior citizens in the country, a geriatric doctor is tasked to cater to the varied and immediate needs of around 57,000 elderlies," Angara said. "This means that if they wanted to attend to everyone, a doctor will have to see around 150 senior citizen patients for 365 days straight." Out of 140 or so geriatric doctors across the country, the senator further said, about half do not have actual clinic or hospital experience, largely due to lack of facilities where health professionals can train for this specialty. "There needs to be a venue where our geriatricians can hone their skills," Angara said. In the Philippines, only St. Luke's Medical Center (SLMC) has a dedicated Geriatric Center. "And quite frankly, hospitals like SLMC are not the kind of facility that the elderly in the marginal sector could easily access," he lamented. According to Angara, this situation bolsters the need to strengthen the capability of the state-run National Center for Geriatric Health (NCGH), the country's first center for aged care which was established in 2010 as a training and research facility for geriatric medicine and gerontology. Angara said the proposal to institutionalize the Philippine Institute of Aging--a measure initiated by his father, the late Senate President Edgardo Angara--should be pursued in order to improve research related to older Filipinos to promote their welfare and needs. He admitted that he inherited this advocacy for the elderly from his father, the reason he pushed for the expansion of the Senior Citizens Act in 2010 to include the value-added tax (VAT) exemption on particular goods and services and the monthly stipend of PHP500 to all indigent senior citizens. The senator's father was credited for the implementation of the Senior Citizens Act of 1992, also known as the Angara Law. Now, the younger Angara is fighting for the proposed Expanded Social Pension Act, which seeks to double the amount and widen the scope to cover those without any form of pension. Financial service provider Guotai Junan Securities has lodged a suit against Bestway Marine chairman Liu Nan with Shanghai Financial Court to pay back the principal financing capital, liquidated damages, interests and litigation costs of the case. Liu signed a financing agreement with Guotai Junan in March 2017 for RMB160m and RMB75m principal financing capital. As a guarantee Liu pledged his shares in the company to Guotai Junan. Liu was supposed to pay back the funds and release the stock pledge by 21 and 23 March in 2018. However, he failed to execute the financing agreement and had until end 21 December 2018 to repay RMB145.43m in debt. Bestway Marine & Energy Technology Co., Ltd., formerly Shanghai Bestway Marine Engineering Design Co., Ltd, established in 2001, was listed in Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2006. It is engaged in the provision of ship and marine engineering design services, engineering,procurement and construction (EPC) services, as well as the distribution of natural gas. The company acquired Shanghai Wojin Natural Gas Utilization Co., Ltd in 2014 to enter into natural gas sector, and acquired Jin Hai Yun Marine Equipment Company to explore military business in 2016. It changed its name to Bestway Marine & Energy Technology Co., Ltd in the same year. Bestway posted RMB142m net profit in 201,6 and RMB164m net profit in 2017, hit a record high. However, its performance dropped sharply last year, a loss of RMB1.324bn for the first three quarters of 2018. Its unstable financial results raised attention of supervision authorities, resulting in fines for the company's board members. The companys senior management team also began to exit the company in 2018. The companys shareholders tried to sell equity as a fix for its debt problems but failed in the attempt. Currently, Bestway is facing bankruptcy and delisting if no new financial support appears. Since he took office, US President Donald Trump has upheld the America First doctrine. On the one hand, he hopes to shrink the US troops in the Middle East to save funds, and on the other hand, he worries that this move may cause Washington to lose the leading position and practical interests in the region. In addition, the USs Middle East policy full of uncertain ties escalates regional turbulence, and also undermines the USs international status and diplomatic reputation. Arguments on the US military retreat from Syria testify that Washington's Middle East policy is trapped in a contradiction and dilemma. In general, the tendency of Washington shrinking strategically its military presentence in the Middle East will continue, but it will not completely leave the region. On the one hand, the US considered containing Iran as one of its core goals. While reducing military investment in the Middle East, the US is also struggling to maintain the regional strategic balance and its leading position in the region. Therefore, it has promised to its allies that it wouldnt leave the Middle East and constantly demonstrated its determination to contain Iran. In his speech in Cairo, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed that Washington wouldnt retreat from the Middle East until the end of the anti-terrorism war, and once again pointed the finger at Iran. On the other hand, the Trump administration hopes to get away from unnecessary regional conflicts as soon as possible and achieve a sustainable strategic shrinkage while urging its Arab allies, Israel and Turkey to play a greater role through its limited military intervention, so as to maintain the US' leading position in the Middle East. Considering the drastic changes of the Middle East situation, complex and intricate relations among relevant parties and the unstable policies and administrative style of the Trump government, the US strategy concerning the Middle East is facing multiple obstacles. The US hopes that Turkey and Israel will take the main responsibility for the Syria issue after its military retreat. Meanwhile, it intends to protect Kurdish armed groups in Syria, resulting in strong dissatisfaction from Turkey which considers Kurdish militants a key threat. During his visit to Turkey, US National Security Adviser John Bolton didnt get a chance to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This implies that there is a huge divergence between the US and Turkey and the formers policy coordination is unsuccessful. In the Persian Gulf, the haunting Qatar diplomatic crisis has yet to be settled. This verifies that there are huge contradictions among Arab states, making it hard for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to successfully consolidate its internal forces. Arab states vary in the attitude and relations with Iran, making it impossible for the US to implement the plan to establish an Arab NATO to contain Iran. Arab states in the Gulf, Turkey and Israel are all allies of the US, but they conflict each other in many aspects. Particularly, Turkey and most Arab states don't exactly coincide with the interests of the US in the Middle East. Moreover, they don't want to fell into a full confrontation with Iran and Russia. Therefore, in the event that the US continues its strategic shrinkage and lacks the intention to carry out enough intervention and effective investment, its strategy of depending on regional allies to achieve its strategic goals is destined to fail, and may even push the Middle East into more violent conflicts. (The author, Zou Zhiqiang, is an associate research fellow at the Middle East Studies Institute, Shanghai International Studies University. The article was published in Chinese on the PLA Daily on January. 26, 2019. It is translated from Chinese into English and edited by China Military Online.) By Ouyang Hao BEIJING, Jan. 28 (ChinaMil) -- Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe met with visiting Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) Undersecretary General Cardozo M. Luna at the Bayi Building in Beijing on the afternoon of January 25, 2019. General Wei said that recent years have witnessed a consolidated and enhanced China-Philippines relationship under the joint guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Most notably, the two sides have decided to establish a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership since President Xi Jinping's state visit to the Philippines in November 2018, pointing out the direction for the future development of China-Philippines relations. The relationship between the two militaries is an important part of the relations between the two countries. The Chinese military is willing to work with the Philippine side to implement the important consensus reached by the two leaders, grasp the correct direction, promote pragmatic cooperation, strengthen multilateral coordination, properly handle contradictions and differences, promote the in-depth development of bilateral military cooperation, and contribute to maintaining regional security and stability, said Wei. General Luna said that the Philippines is grateful to China for its support and assistance to the Philippines and its military. The Philippine side attaches great importance to the development of the Philippines-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Luna also said the Philippines is willing to strengthen friendly exchanges with China in various fields, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and make new contributions to the healthy and stable development of the relations between the two countries and the two militaries. Close-up details of the Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile DF-26 show that the missile can greatly adjust its position mid-flight to accurately attack a moving aircraft carrier, experts said Sunday after China showed the launch of its new-generation missile for the first time. Western media frequently question the DF-26's ability to hit a moving vessel, saying China had never practiced attacking such a target. The recent exercise demonstrated the missile's capability, experts said. People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force conducted a live-fire exercise somewhere in Northwest China featuring the launch of two DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missiles, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Thursday. The nose of the missile has a double-cone structure with four fin-like flight control surfaces symmetrically built around the base of the warhead, the CCTV report shows. This is the first time the launch of a DF-26 missile and detailed images of its appearance have been made public. Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday that the special design enables the missile to accurately control the attack trajectory, as the four flight control surfaces provide super maneuverability and guide the warhead during the terminal stage to hit a slow-moving aircraft carrier. Song, who used to serve in the Second Artillery Corps (now the Rocket Force) of the PLA, said the double-cone structure provides the missile with increased targeting capability, speed, and stealth, making it more difficult to intercept. "An information network connected to the warhead, which possibly includes satellites, ground and naval radar in addition to radar on the missile itself, will constantly update the location of a moving target, informing flight control where to guide the missile," a Beijing-based military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday. Already in service with the PLA Rocket Force, the DF-26 can carry conventional or nuclear warheads and is capable of launching precision strikes on land targets or medium and large vessels at sea, said Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian at a routine press conference in April 2018. However, many foreign military experts and media doubted the missile's capability to fulfill its claimed role. US media outlet CNN quoted Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, as saying in January that no military has ever successfully developed an anti-ship ballistic missile and using one would also require practice launches, which China has shown no evidence of having done. The recent exercise is an example of practiced launches, said Song. The DF-26 is said to have an effective range of 4,500 kilometers, and could reach US naval bases in Guam in the western Pacific, china.com reported. Ruskpp/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- The Trump administration announced Monday it is sanctioning Venezuela's state-owned oil company, blocking $7 billion in assets and costing the country $11 billion of oil revenues, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The move was meant to put the squeeze on President Nicolas Maduro after the U.S. recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president. Maduro is open to talks with President Donald Trump, his foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, said Monday. There was no immediate public response from the White House to that offer. While the U.S. has recognized Guaido as interim president, Maduro's government has tried to reassert its authority and prove that the U.S. is still working with Maduro's faction. That may become even more difficult in the days to come, as the Trump administration considers giving Guaido's government access to Venezuela's financial assets overseas. The administration has declined to comment on any potential future plans, but a Treasury spokesperson said in a statement Friday that the U.S. "will use its economic and diplomatic tools to ensure that commercial transactions by the Venezuelan Government, including those involving its state-owned enterprises and international reserves, are consistent with this recognition" of Guaido as interim president. Guaido has called for this financial move, which would undermine Maduro, who maintains the loyalty of Venezuela's military top brass but could be left unable to pay them. While a handful of military and diplomatic officials have sworn allegiance to Guaido in the last week, losing access to Venezuela's coffers could unleash a wave of defections. In a press conference Monday, Arreaza asserted that the U.S. continues to have diplomatic relations with Maduro's government after recognizing Guaido, even reading some of the diplomatic notes the U.S. has set and showing a photo of U.S. Charge d'Affaires Jimmy Story's meeting with the Vice Chancellor on Saturday. "Diplomatic relations are not simply about statements," he added. Charge Story is one of a handful of American diplomats still in Venezuela after the State Department ordered the evacuation of non-emergency staff and families out of concern for their safety. Last Wednesday, Maduro had ordered the U.S. to remove all its diplomats within 72 hours, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. would not obey the order because Maduro was the "former" president and his commands were "illegitimate." That set up a showdown by Sunday morning, with National Security Adviser John Bolton threatening action: "Any violence and intimidation against U.S. diplomatic personnel, Venezuela's democratic leader, Juan Guiado, or the National Assembly itself would represent a grave assault on the rule of law and will be met with a significant response," he tweeted. But Maduro backed down, suspending his order and giving the U.S. 30 days to negotiate or withdraw its remaining personnel. Arreazza added Monday that all Venezuelan diplomats had left the U.S. and the U.S. should also respect the 30-day deadline, too. A handful of senior military and diplomatic officials, however, have not departed, instead defecting to join Guaido's fledgling government, which has promised amnesty to anyone in the military who disavows Maduro and even floated it for Maduro himself. Col. Jose Luis Silva, the military attache at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, announced he was breaking with Maduro in an interview with the Miami Herald on Saturday, adding, "My message to all armed forces members, to everyone who carries a gun, is to please let's not attack the people. We are also part of the people, and we've had enough of supporting a government that has betrayed the most basic principles and sold itself to other countries." On Sunday, another senior official joined him -- the deputy chief of the Venezuelan consulate in Miami, Scarlet Salazar -- posting in a video online where she added, "This decision abides by my democratic principles and values as a career diplomatic officer serving Venezuela for more than 18 uninterrupted years." The State Department announced its own staffing changes Friday, bringing on Elliott Abrams as a special envoy for Venezuela. Abrams was an Assistant Secretary of State under President Reagan and a Deputy National Security Adviser to President George W. Bush, making him a controversial choice for his role in Reagan's support for Latin American dictatorships, his cover-up of the Iran-Contra affair, and his support for the Iraq War. Abrams pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors for withholding evidence to Congress, but was later pardoned by George H.W. Bush. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- The increasing use of cosmetic products and rising demand for organic and natural ingredients is the major factor to drive the totarol market. Totarol is extracted from the totara tree, and have high anti-microbial and anti-oxidant properties. High anti-oxidative property and multiple benefits of totarol are attracting the manufacturers from the different sector for its application in their products. In the global anti-oxidant market, the totarol market is growing at high growth rate owing to its wide application and high anti-oxidative property than other products in its segment. Totarol is the one of the most potent anti-oxidant which is three times stronger than vitamin E. Due to its high potency as anti-oxidant it can replace commonly used anti-oxidants such as vitamin E, Vitamin A, vitamin C, rosemary extract and others. The demand for totarol is increasing in food and nutraceutical industry also owing to its anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant properties. In the global totarol market, New Zealand holds the major share in the production of the totarol, which is distributed unevenly, mainly to the North American and European countries. Request Sample For More Information @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=56595 Antioxidants are the compounds, which are responsible to inhibit the damaging activity of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species, and various other free radicals, which possess the damaging effect on living cells. In the global anti-oxidant market, the demand for totarol is increasing at a robust growth rate in the cosmetic industry, pharmaceutical industry and also in the food industry. In the food and beverage industry, the demand for totarol is increasing as anti-oxidant, which prevent the oxidative damage of food ingredients in processed food products. In addition, totarol also have antimicrobial activity, which can prevent spoilage of food by inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. Totarol is gaining its application in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the pharmaceutical industries, totarol is used as a substitute for less potent anti-oxidant, which are mainly used in the treatment of other diseases. On the other hand, the totarol application is peculiarly increasing in the cosmetic industry. Totarol is used in body creams and lotions. Totarol is mostly used in skin care products, which impart its anti-oxidant property and prevent the aging of the skin. On the basis of above-mentioned factors, it can be expected that the totarol market will grow and give high returns over the forecast period. Some of the key players operating in the business of totarol market are Essentially New Zealand Limited ALB Technology Limited, Mende Biotech Ltd, Shaanxi Huatai Bio-fine Chemical Co., Ltd, Institut DERMed, Kiwi Herbs Ltd., and others. Read Report Overview @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/totarol-market.html Increased demand for cosmetic products with anti-oxidant property is one of the major factors to raise the demand for totarol. Totarol has also gained its application in nutraceuticals as a potent anti-oxidant, which can enhance the value and efficacy of the nutraceutical products. Totarol is also gaining attention in pharmaceutical industries as a substitute for other anti-oxidants mainly used in the treatment of celiac disease and other medical problems. Apart from all the mentioned factors above, increasing awareness about totarol among consumers and manufacturers will also contribute to the growth of the totarol market in the coming future. Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- The global market for smart irrigation is considered as a highly competitive market and is projected to witness a stiff competition in the next few years, stated a new market research study by Transparency Market Research. The key players in this market are focusing on the development of new product and innovations, which is projected to enhance the growth of the overall market in the next few years. In addition to this, the rising research and development activities is predicted to generate potential growth opportunities for the market players in the next few years. Some of the key players operating in the smart irrigation market across the globe are HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc., Rachio Inc., Orbit Irrigation Products Inc., Rain Bird Corporation, The Toro Company, and Telsco Industries Inc. Furthermore, the increasing number of mergers and acquisitions in the market is another major factor that is estimated to enhance the competitive environment of the market and in the next few years. PDF Brochure For Future Advancements: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=10871 As per the market research study by Transparency Market Research, the global market for smart irrigation is projected to reach a value of US$2.32 bn by the end of 2026. The market is predicted to register a promising 13.10% CAGR between 2017 and 2026. The global market for smart irrigation has been categorized on the basis of geography into North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. In the last few years, North America held a large share of the overall market and is estimated to remain in the similar situation in the next few years. Furthermore, Europe is expected to hold the second position in the coming few years, thanks to the increasing adoption of smart irrigation. On the other hand, Asia Pacific is projected to register a strong growth rate in the next few years. The high growth of this region can be attributed to the rising contribution from China, South Korea, and India. The rising expenditure on the adoption and implementation of smart irrigation in order to cater to the rising food demands is projected to accelerate the growth of this region in the next few years. Get Sample PDF at: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=10871 The global smart irrigation market has been segmented on the basis of end use into education and play grounds, agri-professionals, communities, commercial properties, architect and specifiers, and others. Among these, agri-professionals segment is expected to register a healthy growth rate in the next few years. This segment is considered to hold a major share of the market in the coming few years. On the other hand, the architect and specifiers and communities segments are estimated to register a healthy growth rate in the coming few years. Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- The report "Release Agents Market by Ingredient (Emulsifiers, Vegetable Oils, Wax & Wax Esters, and Antioxidants), Application (Bakery, Confectionery, Processed Meat, and Convenience Food), Form (Liquid and Solid), Function, and Region - Global Forecast to 2023", The release agents market is estimated at USD 925.4 million in 2018 and is projected to reach a value of USD 1,131.3 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 4.1%. The market is driven by the increased use of release agents in the baking industry, growth in demand for natural sources of ingredients, research & development driving innovation, and increase in consumer awareness & health concerns. On the other hand, international regulations governing the use of release agents in food are the key factors hindering the growth of this market. This indicates that there is immense scope for the growth of the release agents market, globally. Browse 75 market data Tables and 41 Figures spread through 159 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Release Agents Market - Global Forecast to 2023" Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. Make an Inquire The vegetable oil ingredients segment is estimated to account for the largest share in the release agents market in 2018. A release agent's functionality can be defined based on a balanced mix of various raw materials and the associated manufacturing process it undergoes. Divider oils are used to facilitate dough dividing and scaling operations, while pan oils are sprayed on pans to help in the release of baked bread from pans. The demand for vegetable oil is growing, which contain natural ingredients, particularly in developed regions, which is also positively impacting its market. The liquid segment is estimated to account for the largest share in the release agents market in 2018. Liquid release agents are used as a release aid for flexible, semi-rigid, and rigid polyurethanes. Brushable liquid wax is mainly used for airbrushing when large surface coverage is required. Liquid release agents are easy to use and can be applied directly to the surface of the mold, pan, or machine, making it the more preferred form. Speak to Analyst The bakery segment is estimated to account for the largest share in the release agents market in 2018. As the texture is of prime importance for consumers' acceptability of food products, release agents are used to aid in the separation of food from a cooking container after baking or roasting. The use of release agents in the bakery industry helps manufacturers to reduce the production cycle time and also the labor cost incurred in cleaning pans, trays, and molds. Europe is estimated to dominate the release agents market in 2018. European consumers are considered to be more health-conscious and pay increasingly close attention to the ingredients used in the food products they consume. This high level of awareness has resulted in the demand for natural and non-GMO foods in the region. The increasing demand for processed food is also one of the major factors driving the market in the European region. In the Asia Pacific region, the use of release agents was low in proportion to its dense population. This can be attributed to the comparatively low sales of bakery and meat food products. Hence, there is still a huge untapped market for bakery and meat products, which is opening up opportunities for the release agents industry in this region. This report includes a study of marketing and development strategies, along with the product portfolios of the leading companies. It includes profiles of leading companies such as ADM (US), Avatar Corporation (US), Par-Way Tryson (US), AAK AB (Sweden), and Associated British Foods (UK). Apart from these companies, other release agents companies, such as Mallet & Company (US), DowDuPont (US), IFC Solutions. (US), Lecico (Germany), Lallemand (Canada), Masterol Foods (US), Puratos (Belgium), Zeelandia (Netherlands), DUBOR (Germany), Sonneveld (The Netherlands), and Bakels (Switzerland). About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledgestore" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Shelly Singh MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA : 1-888-600-6441 sales@marketsandmarkets.com Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- Polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer, which is used in various applications. It is produced by the combination of propylene monomer with catalysts. It is primarily employed in the packaging industry for consumer products, food containers, cosmetic products, and beverages. Polypropylene is also used in the manufacture of plastic parts, car bumpers, and dashboards in the automotive industry. Read Report Overview @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/polypropylene-homopolymer-market.html Polypropylene Homopolymer Market: Drivers & Restraints Homopolymers, also known as polypropylene homopolymers, are the widely used types of polypropylene. They provide high strength-to-weight ratio and are stiffer than copolymers. Excellent chemical resistance enables the usage of polypropylene homopolymers in various corrosion resistant structures. Increase in demand for polypropylene in automotive and medical industries in Asia Pacific is expected to fuel the homopolymers market during the forecast period. Polypropylene homopolymer is widely used in the manufacture of various products for household, automotive, electrical, electronics, packaging, personal care, medical, and other applications in the plastic processing industry. Polypropylene homopolymer offers high strength-to-weight ratio and good chemical resistance and weldability. Owing to its vast application base, PP homopolymer is a large volume commodity material. Increase in consumption of PP homopolymer in the packaging industry and expansion in the retail sector are estimated to boost the market during the forecast period. Polypropylene Homopolymer Market: Key Segments Based on type, the polypropylene homopolymer market can be segmented into injecting molding, film & sheet, fiber, extrusion, blow molding and others. Consumption of polypropylene homopolymer in the blow molding application has been rising due to the increase in demand for packaged food and beverages in emerging countries. Polypropylene is majorly used in the blow molding application due to its ability to withstand elevated temperatures. It can be easily steam sterilized and has high melting point. Its common applications include water bottles, shampoo bottles, and lubricant/pesticide containers. Request to view Sample Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=57339 In terms of end-use industry, the polypropylene homopolymer market can be divided into packaging, electrical & electronics, textile, automotive, building & construction, medical, and others. The packaging segment is expected to dominate the global polypropylene homopolymer market. Rise in consumption of polypropylene homopolymer, particularly in flexible packaging applications, is expected to boost the packaging segment. Polypropylene Homopolymer Market: Regional Outlook In terms of region, the global polypropylene homopolymer market can be segregated into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to account for key share of the polypropylene homopolymer market in the near future. This can be ascribed to the well-developed application segments such as packaging, automobile, textile, and others; and large presence of PP homopolymer manufacturers in the region. The market in Europe is anticipated to expand at a remarkable pace from 2018 to 2026, due to increase in consumption of polypropylene homopolymers in the automotive industry and rise in the demand for these homopolymers in the construction industry in the region. The market in Asia Pacific is projected to expand at a rapid pace in terms of revenue, owing to the increase in adoption of polypropylene homopolymers in health care and automobile sectors in emerging economies in the region. Latin America and Middle East & Africa also account for significant share of the global polypropylene homopolymer market. This can be ascribed to increase in demand for PP homopolymers in various end-use industries in these regions. Polypropylene Homopolymer Market: Key Players Prominent players operating in the global polypropylene homopolymer market are LyondellBasell Industries, Braskem S.A., The Dow Chemical Company, Reliance Industries Limited, L.C.Y. Chemical Corporation, Total Petrochemicals USA Inc., IRPC Public Company Limited., Sasol Limited., National Petrochemical Industrial Company, and The Polyolefin Company (Singapore) Pte Ltd. Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- The global market for ophthalmic drugs is competitive in nature and is anticipated to witness a healthy competition throughout the forecast period, states a new market research study by Transparency Market Research. The increasing number of players entering the market and the growing focus of players on research and development activities are some of the major factors that are projected to enhance the competitive level throughout the forecast period. Some of the leading players operating in the ophthalmic drugs market across the globe are Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc., Pfizer Inc., Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc., ALLERGAN, Shire, Genentech, Inc., Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Novartis AG, Bayer AG, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The development of new products and innovations are further anticipated to encourage the growth of the global market in the next few years. Furthermore, the enhancement of the distribution network is likely to generate growth opportunities for market players in the next few years. According to the market research study by Transparency Market Research, in 2016, the global market for ophthalmic drugs was worth US$24.4 bn and is estimated to reach a value of US$34.3 bn by the end of 2025. Moreover, the market is projected to register a healthy 4.0% CAGR between 2017 and 2025. Request for Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1769 ophthalmic drugs marketDevelopment of Novel Techniques to Encourage Growth of North America Market Among the regional segments, North America is anticipated to witness high growth and attain a leading position throughout the forecast period. The high growth of this region can be attributed to the rising advent of advanced novel techniques and products and the increasing cost of therapies. In addition to this, the rapid development of the healthcare sector is another major factor, which is predicted to encourage the growth of the ophthalmic drugs market across North America in the near future. North America is further followed by Europe, thanks to the presence of a large number of players operating in this region. Furthermore, Asia Pacific is anticipated to register a healthy growth in the next few years, thanks to the increasing contribution from India, China, and Malaysia. The global market for ophthalmic drugs has been classified on the basis of disease indication into dry eye, allergy, retinal disorders, uveitis, glaucoma, infections and inflammations, and others. Among these, the retinal disorders segment is anticipated to witness high growth and attain a leading position in the global market in the next few years. The high growth of this segment can be attributed to the rising number of patients who are seeking long-term treatment. Furthermore, the dry eye segment is anticipated to remain in the second position in the next few years, owing to the changing environmental conditions and several ill-effects of rising air pollution on eyes. Increasing Incidences of Eye Disorders to Encourage Market Growth According to the research study, the global ophthalmic drugs market is anticipated to witness substantial growth throughout the forecast period, states a TMR analyst. The rising instances of eye diseases and the consequent visual impairment are the key factors that are projected to encourage the growth of the global market in the next few years. In addition to this, the rising prevalence of intraocular eye disorders, including glaucoma, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration are further predicted to enhance the growth of the market in the near future. With several growth opportunities, the market players are estimated to focus and invest heavily on research and development activities, which are likely to result in innovations on treatment methods an enhance the mechanism of drug action. This is projected to accelerate the growth of the ophthalmic drugs market in the coming years. Request Report Brochure @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1769 This information is based on the findings of a research report published by Transparency Market Research (TMR), titled "Ophthalmic Drugs Market (Disease Indication Dry Eye, Glaucoma, Infection/Inflammation, Retinal Disorders (Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration, Dry Age-related Macular Degeneration, and Diabetic Retinopathy), Allergy, and Uveitis; Therapeutic Class Anti-inflammatory Drugs (Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Steroids), Anti-infective Drugs (Anti-fungal Drugs and Anti-bacterial Drugs), Anti-glaucoma Drugs (Alpha Agonist, Beta Blockers, Prostaglandin Analogs, and Combined Medication), Anti-allergy Drugs, and Anti-VEGF Agents; Product Type Prescription Drugs and Over-the-Counter Drugs; Distribution Channel Hospital Pharmacies, Online Pharmacies, and Independent Pharmacies and Drug Stores) Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 2025." Key Takeaways: North America and Europe to witness high growth with the development of the healthcare sector throughout the forecast period. Development of new and improved treatment options to generate promising growth opportunities for market players. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge. Contact Us Transparency Market Research State Tower, 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 United States Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: www.transparencymarketresearch.com Selbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- Increasing spending on artillery modernization programs is expected to drive the multiple launch rocket system market (MLRS). The multiple launch rocket systems market is expected to witness the highest growth in Europe during the forecast period. Request a sample of this premium report at: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/1256457/ Scope of the Report: This report focuses on the Multiple Launch Rocket Systems Market, especially in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, types and applications. Multiple Launch Rocket Systems Market Segment by Top Manufacturers Including: - Lockheed Martin - Roketsan - Imi Systems - Avibras Industria Aeroespacial - Norinco - Npo Splav - Hanwha - Bae Systems - Tata Power - Larsen & Toubro Multiple Launch Rocket Systems Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers: North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa) Multiple Launch Rocket Systems Market Segment by Type covers - Tracked Type Launch - Wheeled Type Launch Market Segment by Applications can be divided into: - Space Simulation - Rocket Launch - Other Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report at: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/1256457/ There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Multiple Launch Rocket Systems market. Chapter 1, to describe Multiple Launch Rocket Systems Market Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force; Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, with sales, revenue, and price of Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, in 2016 and 2017; Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017; Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, for each region, from 2013 to 2018; Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions; Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2018; Chapter 12, Multiple Launch Rocket Systems market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023; Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Multiple Launch Rocket Systems sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source Table of Contents: 1 Market Overview 1.1 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) Introduction 1.2 Market Analysis by Type 1.3 Market Analysis by Applications 1.4 Market Analysis by Regions 1.5 Market Dynamics 2 Manufacturers Profiles 3 Global Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) Sales, Revenue, Market Share and Competition by Manufacturer (2016-2017) 4 Global Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) Market Analysis by Regions 10 Global Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) Market Segment by Type 10.1 Global Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018) 10.1.1 Global Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) Sales and Market Share by Type (2013-2018) 10.1.2 Global Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018) 10.2 Tracked Type Launch Sales Growth and Price 10.2.1 Global Tracked Type Launch Sales Growth (2013-2018) 10.2.2 Global Tracked Type Launch Price (2013-2018) 10.3 Wheeled Type Launch Sales Growth and Price 10.3.1 Global Wheeled Type Launch Sales Growth (2013-2018) 10.3.2 Global Wheeled Type Launch Price (2013-2018) 11 Global Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) Market Segment by Application 11.1 Global Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) Sales Market Share by Application (2013-2018) 11.2 Space Simulation Sales Growth (2013-2018) 11.3 Rocket Launch Sales Growth (2013-2018) 11.4 Other Sales Growth (2013-2018) 12 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) Market Forecast (2018-2023) 12.1 Global Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2018-2023) 12.2 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) Market Forecast by Regions (2018-2023) For more information on this report at: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-multiple-launch-rocket-systems-mlrs-market-2018-by-manufacturers-regions-type-and-application-forecast-to-2023/?utm_source=Releasewire.com-SP Related Report: United States Multiple Launch Rocket Systems Market Report 2017 In this report, the United States Multiple Launch Rocket Systems market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022. https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/united-states-multiple-launch-rocket-systems-market-report-2017?utm_source=Releasewire.comRR-SP Read More: https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/At-58-CAGR-Household-Appliances-Market-to-Reach-USD-594100-Million-by-2023-2019-01-11 About Market study report LLC Market study report LLC allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management. Contact Us: Market Study Report LLC 4 North Main Street, Selbyville, Delaware 19975 USA Phone: 1-302-273-0910 US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150 Email: sales@marketstudyreport.com Website: https://www.marketstudyreport.com Blog: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/blog/ Rockville Pike, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- Knitted fabrics sales will increase from approximately 49 thousand tons to reach nearly 52 thousand tons during the period 2018-2019, according to a recent study of Fact.MR. The incremental growth of the knitted fabrics market is influenced by a variety of factors, such as positive growth prospects of the textile industry and increasing popularity of knitwear among the millennial population. Request For Sample Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2865 The Fact.MR study remains bullish on the impressive growth prospects of the knitted fabrics market, as the adoption of next-gen knitting technologies has led to enhanced business efficiency and productivity for manufacturers. Leading players in the knitted fabrics market are focusing on enhancing sustainability and quality of their products to increase their footprint in this highly competitive marketplace. "Knitted fabrics are witnessing burgeoning demand as high-quality knitwear apparels are becoming a status symbol among the young fashion enthusiasts across the world. Manufacturers in the knitted fabrics market are adopting high-tech manufacturing procedures introduce innovative designs and types of knitted fabrics at competitive prices. The information presented in the study can help readers with a new vision on the potential rise in knitted fabrics demand and growth prospects of the regional market for knitted fabrics," says Fact.MR. China's Supremacy in the Textile Industry Fosters Knitted Fabrics Market Growth in APEJ Region According to the Fact.MR study, the Asia Pacific region excluding Japan (APEJ) held a hefty ~70% volume share in the knitted fabrics market in 2018. The study predicts that the knitted fabrics sales in the APEJ region will reach nearly 35,000 tons by the end of 2019, which will continue to support growth of the APEJ knitted fabrics market. China leads growth of the knitted fabrics market in the APEJ region with a whopping 61% share in the global sales of knitted fabrics, according to the Fact.MR study. China is one of the top clothing exporters in the world, as it accounts for over one-third of the EU's apparel and textile imports. Domestic manufacturers in the China's knitted fabrics market are rapidly transforming their manufacturing strategies with digitalization and automation to bolster their sales of high-quality knitting fabrics worldwide. However, the Fact.MR study finds that China's trade conflicts with the U.S. is among many other factors that are making a negative impact on its dominance in the APEJ knitted fabrics market. China's allegedly rampant theft of U.S. textile intellectual property is likely to invite retaliatory tariffs on China's apparels and textiles, which may lead to compromising its share in the knitted fabrics market. Browse Full Report on Knitted Fabrics Market with TOC- https://www.factmr.com/report/2865/knitted-fabrics-market Recently, tax exemption on woven cotton fabric and knitted fabric imported from India are likely to be declared under the free trade agreement between the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India. This can lead to making India a leading supplier of raw materials and machines to the textile industry in Vietnam, and strengthening its position in the knitted fabrics market. In addition, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan rank in the top five countries to export clothing in the European Union, according to the European Statistical Office (Eurostat). Developing countries in Asia-Pacific other than China are foraying into the knitted fabrics market with the rapidly escalating knitwear industry in India and Bangladesh. Furthermore, favorable regulatory frameworks, increasing competition, and low labor costs are improving the export profitability for knitted fabric businesses in India and Bangladesh. Weft-Knitted Fabrics Account for 64% of Global Sales as End-users Aim to Reduce Knitwear Production Cost The Fact.MR study predicts that the demand for weft-knitted fabrics will remain higher vis-a-vis wrap-knitted fabrics, owing to the low cost and versatility of weft-knitted fabrics. Weft-knitted fabrics need only single yarn feed, which ultimately helps end-user in the textile industry to cut down the raw material input requirements and the processing steps involved in the production of knitwear apparels. As most end-users are seeking ways to curtail economic, social, and environmental costs of their manufacturing processes, the demand for weft-knitted fabrics has remained consistently high over the period of past few years. The Fact.MR study provides comprehensive details about growth prospects and developments in the knitted fabrics market during the period 2018-2027. The knitted fabrics market will envisage a healthy 5.3% volume CAGR through 2017, according to the study. To Buy Knitted Fabrics Market Report, Check- https://www.factmr.com/checkout/2865/S About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports. Contact Us Fact.MR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: sales@factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ Blog: https://factmrblog.com/ Read Industry News at - https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/ Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- In Vitro Diagnostics Market: Overview In vitro diagnostics (IVD) is a suite of diagnostic tests performed using analytical instruments and reagents, on samples such as blood, stools, urine, tissues, and other body fluids. These samples are derived from patients or healthy individuals, to detect diseases or infections. Some of the significant technologies incorporated in in vitro diagnostics are polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunoassays, and sequencing technologies. In vitro diagnostics play significant role in risk assessment, and disease monitoring. Great advances have been achieved lately, particularly in the field of clinical immunology Recombinant allergens have been investigated in diagnosing asthma and food, pollen-induced and insect allergies, in in vitro testing. Report Overview @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/in-vitro-diagnostics-market.html In Vitro Diagnostics Market: Segmentation The market can be segmented across different categories such as product types, applications, end users and geography. Based on product types, the market is segmented into, instruments, data management systems and reagents & kits. Based on application, the market is further segmented into, diabetes, infectious diseases, oncology, cardiology, nephrology, HIV, and other applications. Laboratories, standalone clinics, hospitals and patients form the major end-users of the market. The in vitro diagnostic market comprises several tests such as thyroid function tests, renal function tests, lipid profiling, liver function tests, basic metabolism tests, immunoassays, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), radio Immunoassay (RIA), florescent Immunoassay (FIA), hematology, full blood count (RBC, WBC, and platelets), bone marrow testing, blood coagulation tests, biopsy, microbiology, and other IVD techniques. Request Brochure @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=12959 In Vitro Diagnostics Market: Regional Insight On basis of geography, the market has been segmented into five countries Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The BRICS IVD market is expected to have a healthy growth rate owing to the booming healthcare industry, thus driving the in vitro diagnostics market. China is expected to have the major share and is likely to remain the largest regional segment of BRICS countries, followed by Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa. Rampant economic growth observed in BRICS countries and emerging markets enabling patient base to afford diagnostic services has resulted in steady increase in healthcare expenditure. This is likely to remain an important driver for the BRICS IVD market in coming years. Increased awareness of diseases and personalized medicines, and rising health conscious urban population, combined with growing incidences of infections and diseases, has led to rise in demand for in vitro diagnostics in BRICS countries. Large aging population and prevalence of chronic diseases, combined with government support for healthcare market will drive the in vitro diagnostics market in China. Request for TOC @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=12959 Brazil Chamber of Laboratory Diagnostics (BCLD) study demonstrated that out of the total in vitro diagnostics market, laboratories comprised 88%, followed by blood banks at 11%, whereas Point of Care (POC) testing centers comprised only 1%. Increasing healthcare budgets along with rising number of private hospitals, and income levels backed by huge untapped population base offer interesting growth opportunities for IVD market in Brazil. However lack of proper reimbursement policies and a stringent regulatory framework may hamper the market growth. IVD market in South Africa has reached a stable phase with growth concentrated around infectious diseases diagnostics. However price sensitivity, lack of reimbursement policies and labor shortages continue to prove a hindrance to the growth of IVD market in South Africa. In Vitro Diagnostics Market: Key Players The in vitro diagnostics market is competitive in nature and hence possesses higher threat to new entrants. Some major players of in vitro diagnostics market comprises Roche diagnostics, Siemens Healthcare, Danaher, Abbott Laboratories, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, and Bio Rad laboratories, Inc. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge. Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement. Contact 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- Guacamole is a thick or semi-liquid paste of the avocado fruit that is mixed with chopped tomatoes, onions, chilli peppers, and seasoning. Guacamole is a native dip/ spread from Mexico, first developed during the Aztec civilization. With globalization, guacamole has become a part of international cuisine, due to which, its demand has increased significantly. Guacamole is made up majorly of avocado, which is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fats. Guacamole is becoming very popular in the U.S., owing to the increasing consumption of fast food items and the health benefits that it offers. Since the U.S. government lifted the ban on avocados, the consumption of guacamole has increased significantly, which is expected to bolster the demand for guacamole over the forecast period. Request Sample For More Information @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=56583 Increasing Hispanic Population in the U.S. The Hispanic population in the U.S. is increasing at 2.0% annually, which is the second-highest in the region. Till 2016, this population accounted for around 58 Mn according to the United States Census Bureau. This population is considered as the major consumer of avocados and guacamole. The rise in this population in the region is expected to result in an increase in the consumption of guacamole and other related products over the forecast period. Moreover, food items with guacamole, in the region, are expected to witness high demand over the near future. The demand for products such as guacamole mayo, guacamole spreads, and guacamole salad dressers are already on the rise. Awareness about the benefits of guacamole is expected to increase through the Internet of Things and the media, which is expected to boost the demand for guacamole over the forecast period. Global Guacamole Market: Key Players Some of the key players operating in the global guacamole market are Avo-King, Wholly Guacamole, Snowcrest Foods Ltd., SABRA DIPPING CO., LLC, Yucatan Foods, Westfalia Fruit, Frontera Foods, Calavo Growers, B&G Foods Inc., Ventura Foods, LLC, Casa Sanchez SF, and Woolworths Group Limited, among others. With a number of players entering the guacamole market, it's anticipated that the demand will increase significantly, globally. Read Report Overview @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/guacamole-market.html Opportunities for Market Participants The demand for processed food is increasing significantly. On-the-go food products with guacamole are expected to witness high demand in North America and Europe. Products such as guacamole mayo, guacamole dips, and guacamole salad dressers are gaining traction in the global market. North America and Europe are experiencing heavy demand in the healthy food segment, since the population in the region has high awareness about the contents in their food, and are aware about the contents of the products that they use. Guacamole is placed into the market as an immediate healthier alternative to tomato sauce, which at times is also processed artificially. Guacamole has taken its place in fast food chains, where it has become pretty much mainstream. This is expected to fuel the demand for guacamole, globally, as its nutrition content is higher than most edible sauces or dips. With innovative advertisements, there is still plenty of opportunities for guacamole manufacturers to increase the demand for guacamole. Despite the guacamole being popular in the U.S. and Europe region, the market is still lacking in terms of household penetration. Reaching new households with continued investments in media and encouraging current consumers with new varieties or flavored products are expected help guacamole continue its rapid global rise. Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- The Global Smart Mirror Market Research Report offers an extensive number of the most recent and newest industry information that covers the general market circumstance.Also this report is an accumulation of realistic data, quantitative and subjective estimation by industry specialists, the commitment from industry authorities and industry assistants over the esteem chain. Besides, the report likewise gives the subjective aftereffects of differing market factors on its geologies and portions.It gives data on patterns and improvements, and spotlights on Markets and materials, limits and on the changing structure of the Market.The key motivation behind the report is to give a proper and key examination of this industry. The Smart Mirror Industry report provides a detailed description of market capacity and growth estimation for the forecast period. This report will help market players understand major players in the world Smart Mirror market and what ways they follow to increase overall revenue. Sample Copy of Research Study : https://www.garnerinsights.com/Global-Smart-Mirror-Market-Report-2018#request-sample Top Key Players in the Smart Mirror Market: Japan Display, Gentex Corporation, Magna International, Samsung Electronics, Murakami Kaimeido, Seura Major Types of Smart Mirror covered are: Product Type Segmentation: Hardware,Software,Services Major end-user applications for Smart Mirror market: Automotive, Healthcare, Residential The prime objective of this Smart Mirror Industry report is to help the user understand the market in terms of its definition, segmentation, market potential, influential trends, and the challenges that the market is facing. Deep researches and analysis were done during the preparation of the report. The readers will find this report very helpful in understanding the market in depth. The data and the information regarding the Smart Mirror market are taken from reliable sources such as websites, annual reports of the companies, journals, and others and were checked and validated by the industry experts. The facts and data are represented in the report using diagrams, graphs, pie charts, and other pictorial representations. This enhances the visual representation and also helps in understanding the facts much better. Get Exclusive Discount Up To 50%, Click Here: https://www.garnerinsights.com/Global-Smart-Mirror-Market-Report-2018#discount What Makes the Smart Mirror Market Report More Effective: The fundamental analysis of Smart Mirror market size segmented by competitors, active regions (United States, Europe, China, Japan, India), and product applications. An extensive portraying of Smart Mirror market changing market trends, driving factors, growth potentials, investment opportunities, threats and restraints . Valuation of market current sitch, technological advancement, role in the World economy, and industry historic development. An authentic and precise data with a systematic and uncomplicated arrangement. A crystal-clear rundown of product/service consumption , supply, import, demand and export. Complete comprehension analysis of industry variables, as well as manufacturers value chain, market share, competitive landscape, sales volume and business stratagem. Thus, The Smart Mirror Market report serves as a valuable material for all industry competitors and individuals having a keen interest in Smart Mirror Industry study. Rockville, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- Cross bottom bags are cost effective than its alternatives such as block bottom bags and pinch bottom bags, which is the prime factor expected to drive the growth of the market. Increasing urbanization and awareness regarding better packaging are the other factors expected to drive the growth of the Cross Bottom Bags Market Globally. Cross bottom bags are generally made from paper and plastic, which makes them recyclable. Cross bottom bags used for packaging not only protects the material but also prevents from leakage as they are in standing position during transportation across the supply chain. Cross bottom bags are recyclable and biodegradable in case of paper which makes it more popular than its alternatives. Properties such as high strength, stability and cost efficiency are escalating the growth of the market for cross bottom bags. Request Brochure of this Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=B&rep_id=2849 Cross bottom bags have hexagonal base without side folds. Cross bottom bag is an attractive type of packaging. In the food sector, bags are ideal for carrying tea, spices and confectionery items such as chocolates, nuts, cookies and sweets or finely ground spices. Cross bottom bags are extensively used in the retail sector. Cross bottom bags have a good holding capacity and are extraordinary stable along with easy storage when the bag is empty. If cross bottom bags are filled evenly and carefully, it will stay upright without any support. The bottom of the cross bottom bag is sealed rather than glued. Cross bottom bags offer various advantages such as rip proof, highly transparent and ensure the safety of food items. Cross bottom bags can be modified to suit individual product preferences and brand so that it has high resistance to pressure that decreases the chances of package rupture. Cross bottom bags are used to carry different kinds of agricultural products, agrochemical products, fertilizers, etc. In the recent years, consumers are seeking sustainable packaging to the extent that it affects the choices, which plays an important role in the growth of the cross bottom bags market. With the technological developments, the design of cross bottom bags is more sturdy and effective. Most of the manufacturing companies focus on recyclability and sustainability of the cross bottom bags, which is also expected to accelerate the growth of the market. However, stringent government regulations towards plastic usage below 50 microns is expected to hamper the growth of the cross bottom bags market. To know more about the Cross Bottom Bags Market Visit the link- https://www.factmr.com/report/2849/cross-bottom-bags-market Global Cross Bottom Bags Market: Regional Outlook Geographically, the global cross bottom bags market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, MEA, APEJ & Japan. APEJ is expected to account lion's share in the global cross bottom bags market due to increasing export activities in emerging economies. Countries in this region such as India China, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia & Thailand are witnessing momentous increase in the use of cross bottom bags in food & beverage industry. The growth is in this region mainly due to the increasing population & rapid economic growth that is escalating the demand for cross bottom bags for various end-use industries in Asia-Pacific. The U.S., Europe & MEA are projected to witness moderate CAGR growth over the forecast period owing to growing industrialization. Global Cross Bottom Bags Market: Key Players Examples of some of the key players in the cross bottom bags market are: Polymer-Synthese-Werk GmbH, Charlotte Express Packaging Ltd., Elke Plastic GmbH, SIEGFRIED POHL VERPACKUNGEN GMBH, HELMUT SCHMIDT VERPACKUNGSFOLIEN GMBH, BK International, Westflex Ltd., Dijkstra Packaging Inc. Many local and unrecognized players are expected to contribute to the global cross bottom bags market during the forecast period. The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies. Request TOC of this Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2849 About FactMR FactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market insights reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports. Contact Us FactMR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: sales@factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ Blog: https://factmrblog.com/ Read Industry News at - https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/ Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- Transparency Market Research (TMR) has published a new report titled, "Bowel Management Systems Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20182026". According to the report, the global bowel management systems market was valued at US$ 1,682.95 Mn in 2017 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 3.70% from 2018 to 2026. Increase in the prevalence of fecal incontinence and constipation in elderly population and rising geriatric population are anticipated to boost the global market from 2018 to 2026. North America and Europe are expected to dominate the global bowel management systems market in the next few years, owing to new product launches, demand for technologically advanced bowel management systems in developed countries, and proactive population seeking physicians' advice for bowel management. Key players operating in the global bowel management systems market strive to enter into distribution agreements and strategic acquisitions in order to strengthen their footprint across the world. Systems segment to expand at prominent growth rate The report offers detailed segmentation of the global bowel management systems market. Based on product, the market has been segmented into systems and accessories. The systems segment is expected to propel at a high growth rate owing to the rising demand for minimally invasive treatment options due to their effectiveness and cost-efficiency. The irrigation systems sub-segment holds a major share of the systems segment owing to the ease of use and effectiveness of the treatment. These help improve the quality of life, prevent infections, provide odor control, and reduce daily nursing time. Request A Sample Copy @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=49794 Adult segment to expand at rapid pace The adult segment is likely to expand at a high CAGR during the forecast period, owing to increase in the geriatric population. Additionally, rising life expectancy, owing to the decline in the mortality rate, fuels the market. For instance, in the U.S., according to Population Reference Bureau Report, the geriatric population, over 65 years of age, is anticipated to reach more than 98 Mn by 2060, from 46 Mn in 2017. Moreover, increasing longevity among the geriatric population, which reached 79 years in 2013 from 68 years in 1950, would propel the market. Hospitals segment held major share In terms of end-user, the global bowel management systems market has been divided into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and home-care settings. The hospitals segment held a major share of the market in 2017. Expansion of the segment can be attributed to the rising cases of spina bifida and anorectal malfunctions among the pediatric population and rise in the number of surgical procedures such as spinal cord injuries in adults. Request Brochure @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=49794 Asia Pacific market to be driven by increase in geriatric population in Japan and India In terms of revenue, Europe dominated the global bowel management systems market in 2017. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at a rapid pace during the forecast period. Expansion of the bowel management systems market in the region is attributed to the increase in geriatric population and rise in the number of patients suffering from fecal incontinence and constipation. Additionally, new product launches, changing reimbursement scenario, rise in awareness among people, and improving healthcare infrastructure are major factors driving the market in Asia Pacific. Strategic acquisitions is the primary strategy adopted by market players The report also provides profiles of leading players operating in the global bowel management systems market. Coloplast A/S, Medtronic plc, Hollister Incorporated and ConvaTec Group Plc. are major players in the market, offering products with proprietary technologies. Major market players adopted the strategy of inorganic growth in order to strengthen their market presence. For instance, Coloplast acquired direct-to-consumer homecare companies globally, including IncoCare Gunhild Vieler GmbH in Germany, in 2018; SAS Lilial in France, in 2017; and Comfort Medical in the U.S., in 2016. Other players include Cogentix Medical, Inc. (acquired by LABORIE Medical Technologies), Consure Medical, ProSys International Ltd., Aquaflush Medical Limited, C. R. Bard, Inc. (acquired by Becton, Dickinson and Company), B. Braun Melsungen AG, Respiratory Technology Corporation, MBH International A/S, Wellspect Healthcare (Part of Dentsply Sirona Company), and Axonics Modulation Technologies. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge. Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement. Contact 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Pune, Maharashtra -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- A recent Fact.MR study foretells the automotive actuators market to record an expansion at 6.8% CAGR over the forecast period (2018-2028). Automotive actuators continues to witness increased traction in air conditioning system application. However, innovations in HVAC system for better efficiency will gain impressive growth in some of the regions. Automotive Actuators Market- Safety Hungry Consumers Developments in automotive actuators market is fueled by the growing safety preference of consumers. Adoption of new technologies to make actuator functioning accurate and efficient happens to be a trend in the market. In developed regions, such as Western Europe and North America, increased demand for automobiles, the government and ruling authority have imposed stringent regulations to ensure the safety of the driver. Increasing demand for safety sensors, such as seat belt tension, impact sensors, anti-theft, parking sensors, etc. is creating significant opportunities for the manufacturers, contributing significantly to the growth of both automotive sensors and actuators market. Currently, car security systems are being promoted in many countries across the globe. Use of basic security systems such as immobilizers have been made mandatory across geographies such as Australia. This has been done primarily to decrease instances of vehicle theft. Implementation of such regulations will increase the demand for vehicle security systems and thus, automotive actuators. Request Sample Report @ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=297 Automotive Actuators Market- Development of Electric Technologies to Enhance Deployment of Automotive Actuators Every OEM is embracing the opportunity of development of electric technology for their vehicles. Problems associated with mechanical-based actuation of any system within a vehicle, such as weight, process lag and higher consumption of power, has pushed automakers to shift towards electric assisted technologies. Simple features, such as power windows, automatic lighting and automatic closure, which were deemed too luxurious to be fitted in a vehicle in the past and have become default installation in the present scenario. Though mechanical actuation utilizes physical linkages to initiate motion, electric assisted technologies call for the implementation of various sensors, benefitting its growth in the market over the long run. In an effort to gain an edge over competitors in terms of customer base, automakers are trying to equip their products with more electric assisted features, further augmenting demand for robust and reliable actuators. Automated window regulators are an example of electric assisted technologies. Automated window regulators are a very important part of a vehicle's interior from a customer's viewpoint. The convenience over manually cranked window has made automated window regulators almost a part of every new passenger car. The ultra-competitive automotive industry has prompted vehicle manufacturers to automate most of its basic features in an effort to gain market share and hence, improve its revenue. The trend of offering manual and automated features as an option is becoming increasingly popular in the current automotive scene and has been providing more flexibility to the customers. Request/View Toc@ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=297 Automotive Actuators Market-Rise of Connected Systems The world is moving towards connected systems and OEMs are catching up as well. The number of advanced technologies integrated within a car has risen to a great extent in the past couple of years. Internet of Things (IoT) is one such technological offering that has found its ways into the automotive industry, opening up possibilities of connecting the vehicle with other vehicle or its own manufacturer via internet. With the aid of sensors housed within a car, data generation and its transfer has enabled in developing new avenues for safety, convenience and security. In the current market scenario, around 20 million new cars are connected in real time to the internet which may jump with a very positive growth rate in the future. At present, General Motors, Audi among other well-known manufacturers are introducing hotspot services and over-the-air car updates to avoid car glitches and recalls owing to advancements witnessed in the sensing technology. Speak To Research Analyst for Detailed Insights @ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=AE&rep_id=297 Table of COntent COvered in the report are: Chapter 1 Global Economic Outlook Chapter 2 Global Automotive Actuators Market - Executive Summary 2.1 Opportunities Analysis 2.2 Mega Trends 2.3 Winning and Losing Components Chapter 3 Global Automotive Actuators Market Overview 3.1 Introduction 3.1.1 Global Automotive Actuators Market Taxonomy/Scope of the Report 3.1.2 Global Automotive Actuators Market Definition 3.2 Global Automotive Actuators Market Size (US$ Mn & Volume '000 Units) and Forecast, 2013-2027 3.2.1 Global Automotive Actuators Market Y-o-Y Growth 3.3 Global Automotive Actuators Market Dynamics 3.4 Supply Chain 3.5 Regional Assessment and Product Acceptability 3.6 PESTL Analysis 3.7 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 3.8 Forecast Factors 3.9 Forecast Scenario (US$ Mn) 3.10 Investment Feasibility Matrix Access This Report @ https://www.factmr.com/checkout/297/S 3.11 Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By Region Chapter 4 Global Automotive Actuators Market Analysis and Forecast 2013-2027 4.1 Global Automotive Actuators Market Size and Forecast By Product Type, 2013-2027 4.1.1 Wastegate Actuator Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.1.1.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.1.1.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.1.1.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.1.2 VGT Actuator Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.1.2.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.1.2.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.1.2.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.1.3 Throttle Actuator Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.1.3.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.1.3.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.1.3.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.1.4 Brake Actuator Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.1.4.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.1.4.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.1.4.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.1.5 EGR Actuator Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.1.5.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.1.5.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.1.5.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.1.6 Power Seat Actuator Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.1.6.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.1.6.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.1.6.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.1.7 Grille Shutter Actuator Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.1.7.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.1.7.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.1.7.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.1.8 HVAC Actuator Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.1.8.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.1.8.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.1.8.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.1.9 Headlamp Actuator Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.1.9.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.1.9.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.1.9.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.1.10 Others (Quick Attach, Hood Lift etc.) Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.1.10.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.1.10.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.1.10.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.2 Global Automotive Actuators Market Size and Forecast By Vehicle Type, 2013-2027 4.2.1 Passenger Vehicle Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.2.1.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.2.1.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.2.1.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.2.2 Commercial vehicles Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.2.2.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.2.2.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.2.2.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.2.3 Heavy Commercial Vehicles Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.2.3.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.2.3.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.2.3.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.3 Global Automotive Actuators Market Size and Forecast By Sales Channel, 2013-2027 4.3.1 OEM Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.3.1.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.3.1.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.3.1.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.3.2 Aftermarket Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.3.2.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.3.2.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.3.2.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.4 Global Automotive Actuators Market Size and Forecast By Working Type, 2013-2027 4.4.1 Pneumatic Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.4.1.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.4.1.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.4.1.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.4.2 Hydraulic Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.4.2.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.4.2.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.4.2.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.4.3 Electromagnetic Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.4.3.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.4.3.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.4.3.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.4.4 Gear motors or electric Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.4.4.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.4.4.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.4.4.3 Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region 4.5 Global Automotive Actuators Market Size and Forecast By Application, 2013-2027 4.5.1 Vehicle Interior Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.5.1.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.5.1.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region 4.5.2 Body Panel Market Size and Forecast, 2013-2027 4.5.2.1 Revenue (US$ Mn) & Volume ('000 Units) Comparison, By Region 4.5.2.2 Market Share Comparison, By Region And COntinue... About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports. Contact Us Rohit Bhisey Fact.MR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: sales@factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ Read Industry News at - https://theswisstimes.com Rockville, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2019 -- As the population increases in this world, and advancement in automobiles is emerged the number of accidents also increased. Any sudden accidents wants instant help where hospitals are not present so ambulance was introduced and when it comes into the existence and thus its equipment is widely used, there are several equipment used. Increasing number of road accidents is considered as the major factor which is directing manufacturers to increase their focus in the global ambulance equipment market. Ambulance equipment is used to help patients at the time of medical emergencies like accident and surgeries. Ambulance equipment reduces the personal injuries and thus prevent loss of life. Over the past few years, the major ambulance equipment manufacturers have been expanding their capacity in the production of devices. Huge market opportunity in future, due to huge demand from end users. The rise in accidents and emergency cases has led the high growth of ambulance equipment market globally. Some of the Ambulance equipment which is highly are patient compartments, ambulance cot, nebulizer, Fire extinguisher, Oxygen delivery system, basic first aid box, mobile ventilator, and others which helps in emergency. Ambulance Equipment Market: Drivers and Restraints According to the World Bank, about 1.25 million people get injured in road accidents each year. Thus, the rising number of accidents have increased the adoption rate of ambulance equipment, particularly in the emergency cases. Majorly due to the large patient population base coupled with an increase in the incidence of trauma and emergency accidents provide lucrative growth opportunities for ambulance equipment companies to record high sales in these markets. Therefore, increasing investment in medical instruments advancement by manufacturers as well as new players opens doors to expand its global footprint to record high growth in ambulance equipment market. Click here to subscribe Sample @ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2683 Evolution in ambulance equipment should be there as it is must for everyone. Ambulance Equipment Market: Segmentation Tentatively, the global custom ambulance equipment market can be segmented on the basis of product and end user. By Product Type: Basic Life Support Equipment's Ambulance Stretcher Wheel Chair Suction Pump Nebulizer Stethoscope Others Advance Life Support Equipment's Transport Ventilator Defibrillator Syringe Infusion Pump Handheld Glucometer Others End User Hospital Ambulance Private Ambulance Services Elderly Care Centers Others Ambulance Equipment Market: Overview Nowadays, ambulance plays an important role as it is considered as mobile hospitals. Ambulance contains all the equipment that is essential in case of emergency. Ambulance Equipment is essential for life so it needs focus for improvement. There are several tools that is needed either for treatment or surgical stuffs. Ambulance Equipment should be evolved. Ambulance Equipment are the most demanding thing in today's market therefore Ambulance Equipment market have only high growth rate in upcoming future because experts are trying to make improvements in Ambulance Equipment to make it more cost effective. Since Ambulance Equipment helps to prevent loss of life, Ambulance Equipment is the most demanding services of the world. Due to these reasons, Ambulance Equipment market's growth rate is increasing day by day. Ambulance Equipment behaves as a life rescuer. Ambulance Equipment are the services which must be given to each and every citizen. There is a new entry in medical science services which is a step ahead in terms of advancement i.e. Teremetrial Ambulance. Teremetrial Ambulance is helping to connect rural ambulance to a coronary care unit. So, in recent trends this is the new innovation. Teremetrial ambulance provides all the mobile facilities in the rural area. Request/View TOC@ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2683 Ambulance Equipment Market: Region-wise Outlook Geographically, Ambulance Equipment market is categorized into seven regions as: North America, Latin America, Europe Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, & Africa and Middle East. Emerging economies in the Asia Pacific such as India hold immense potential in the ambulance equipment market. Since these countries have large population therefore they have more accidents and so the chances of ambulance equipment uses increases. The demand for Ambulance Equipment is high in the regions such as North America because it has high advancement Ambulance Equipment. In Asian pacific excluding japan (APEJ) growth rate is impressive of the product due to the presence of huge local manufacturers in countries, such as Japan, China and India. Asian has large population and chances of accidents become high in such countries and so Ambulance Equipment are come into the screen. Ambulance Equipment Market: Key Players List of the prominent market players in the Ambulance Equipment market are ROYAX Stryker Corporation, Hamilton Medical, ZOLL Medical Corporation, Schiller AG, Spencer Italia s.r.l., LANAFORM, GE Healthcare, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Omron Healthcare, Inc. and others. The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies. The report covers exhaustive analysis on: Market Segments Market Dynamics Market Size Supply & Demand Current Trends/Issues/Challenges Competition & Companies involved Technology Value Chain Regional analysis includes North America (U.S., Canada) Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Rest of Latin America) Europe [EU -4 (Germany, France, Italy, Spain), BENELUX (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg), NORDIC (Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden), Eastern Europe (Poland, Ukraine, Czech Rep. etc.), Rest of Europe CIS & Russia Japan APEJ (Greater China, India, S. Korea, ASEAN Countries and Rest of APEJ) Middle East & Africa (GCC Countries, Turkey, Iran, Israel, South Africa, Rest of MEA) Report Highlights: Detailed overview of parent market Changing market dynamics in the industry In-depth market segmentation Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value Recent industry trends and developments Competitive landscape Strategies of key players and products offered Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth A neutral perspective on market performance Must-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprint. Grow Your Business From Expert Advice: https://www.factmr.com/report/2683/ambulance-equipment-market About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports. Contact Us Rohit Bhisey Fact.MR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: sales@factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ Blog: https://factmrblog.com/ Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Severe winter weather in the Midwest is forcing Southwest, United, American, British, Scandinavian, Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Swiss, Lufthansa, LOT Polish, and Royal Jordanian airlines to either cancel, delay or divert many flights between San Diego and Chicago. Southwest says the disruption could last through Feb. 1. CBS News reports that more than 850 flights were canceled on Monday at Chicago Midway and OHare airports due to heavy snow. (Click here to check your flight. Click here to check all arrivals/departures at San Diego International Airport.) Conditions will deteriorate further with the arrival of the polar vortex, a band of extraordinarily cold air that is descending into the Midwest and Northwest from the Arctic. Advertisement The National Weather Service says that the vortex could drop temperatures to minus-23 degrees on Tuesday night in Chicago, and to minus 21 degrees on Wednesday night. The temperature could plunge below minus-30 degrees in other parts of the Midwest. Forecasters say the wind chill could be minus 40 on Wednesday night in northern Illinois. The cold weather will spread into the Northeast. United Airlines has issued weather-related travel waivers for dozens of airports in the Midwest and Northeast due to the polar vortex. The airline said that such waivers enable travelers to change to alternate flights without paying a change fee. The changes can be made through Jan. 29. The affected airports include, but arent limited to, Buffalo, New York-Kennedy, Cleveland, New York-Newark, Philadelphia, Ottawa and Quebec City. The fee will be in effect through Feb. 1 at Chicago-OHare The smell is what hits you first within a block of Baja Californias Medical Examiner office in Tijuana. Its the unmistakable odor of rotting corpses, and a grim indication of a city overwhelmed by unprecedented levels of violence. Officials in Tijuanas medical examiners office, an agency known as SEMEFO, have asked the state government for additional funding after operating for several months at nearly double its capacity for cadavers, on the heels of last years record violence. Law enforcement officials on both sides of the border said the spike in violence is mostly because of lower-level drug dealers fighting over street corners. Advertisement Judge Salvador Juan Ortiz Morales said the issue was urgent and called on the state government of Baja California to fund an additional refrigerator to hold an extra 100 bodies. There are days where the smell is worse than others, said Marcela Lopez, who works in a laundromat downwind from Tijuanas SEMEFO. The agencys capacity is between 130 to 150 bodies, but Dr. Cesar Raul Gonzales Vaca, the states director of SEMEFO, told Spanish-language media this week that the office is receiving at least double that amount. He said, at times, it is quadruple the capacity with up to 20 cadavers daily, or up to 600 bodies a month. In 2018, the agency received more than 2,700 bodies, he said. For families, who have lost loved ones, it means long waits and confusion because of a lack of personnel to assist members of the public during one of the worst moments of their lives. There is order, but it does not happen fast, said Beatrice Espinoza who was at the SEMEFO on Friday to reclaim the body of a family member who had passed away more than a week ago. Espinoza said she had been jumping through bureaucratic hoops since Tuesday with no one available at SEMEFO to explain the process to her as she tries to plan a funeral and retrieve her family members body. She declined to say how her loved one died. I know its not the fault of the people who are working here. They are trying very hard with the resources they have, she said. Still, for me, Id rather just grieve and not have to come back here four times to sort out the paperwork because they dont have the personnel. Advertisement The facilitys 26-member staff, which includes 12 medical examiners, has struggled to examine the hundreds of bodies that have arrived since January 1. About half of the autopsies are conducted on homicide victims, but medical examiners also must certify the causes of death of involuntary manslaughter victims and accidental deaths that could be suspicious. Right now, Im just sad and I havent given much though to anything else, said Kimber Villa, who was waiting for her older brothers to come identify the body of her youngest brother. She said he died accidentally in his home. Advertisement Its harder though because you wonder: How is he being treated in there? said Villa, still in shock about her brothers death. Arturo Mendoza, who works at a funeral home nearby, said the facility has been struggling day and night with staffing issues, especially after increasing the hours they are open to the public. Sometimes, people have a hard time getting their loved ones body back just because they have a lack of staffing, he said. By law, SEMEFO will wait 15 days for the body of a loved one to be recovered before the deceased is buried in Tijuanas common grave. Advertisement With more than 2,500 homicides last year, the city of Tijuana, population of approximately 1.8 million, is one of Mexicos most violent places, as drug cartels compete for control over northern trafficking routes. Gonzales said sometimes family members are afraid to come identify the bodies of their lost loved ones for fear of inserting themselves in police investigations. Art exhibits on display in February around San Diego include Look to the Stars, Hearts on Fire and Groundbreaking Girls. Through 2.3: The AjA Project presents Collective Voices: The Power of Empathy A collaboration through The AjA Project and United Women of East Africa featuring three collaborative photography pieces that focus on mental health and building unity in Emotion Portraits and the Power of Radical Listening, Beyond Borders: Anger, Destruction, and Rebuilding and A Retrospective: Expectation and Reality. San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park, 619.236.0011, sandiego-art.org Through 4.7: Look to the Stars Inspired by the Stephen Hawking quote look to the stars the Canyon Quilters answered this quilting challenge by creating works based on the quote, interpreted in their own, personal way. Visions Art Museum, 2825 Dewey Rd., Ste. 100, Liberty Station, 619.546.4872, visionsartmuseum.org 2.1-22: Hearts on Fire These symbols, scenes, and stories of love are created by artists 18 and older, and judged by multi-media artist Daniel Marquez, who has been influenced in his work by surrealist painters and maintains an interest in indigenous rituals and spirituality. Brandon Gallery, 105 Main Ave., Fallbrook, 760.723.1330, fallbrookbrandongallery.org 2.1-4.28: Groundbreaking Girls What started as an artists search for inspiration after the death of a spouse has led to painting the portraits of strong, empowering women throughout history. Womens Museum of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Rd., Ste. 103, Liberty Station, 619.233.7963, womensmuseumca.org 2.9-3.2: June Stratton: Modern Dryads Artist June Stratton uses the emotions from her dreams and combines them with elements of nature, symbols and her point of view as a woman to tell her stories in this exhibit. Distinction Gallery, 317 E. Grand Ave., Escondido, 760.707.2770, distinctionart.com 2.16-6.30: Christian Marclay: Telephone A combination of popular culture while examining human nature and emotion, this exhibit uses clips of phones ringing and being answered, including scenes featuring Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, the 1983 film Mr. Mom and the 1993 film Sleepless in Seattle. San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park, 619.232.7931, sdmart.org Christian Marclay: Telephone. (Courtesy photo.) 2.16-3.24: Deviate / Landscape The artists featured in this exhibit use contemporary approaches like painting, photography, installation, and video to imagine a landscape as a constructed and deconstructed space. San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park, 619.236.0011, sandiego-art.org Deviate / Landscape. (Courtesy photo.) 2.16-3.24: Trinh Mai: That We Should Be Heirs A collaborative work that uses handwritten letters as a form of healing, participants are encouraged to submit letters that document the stories of immigrants in native tongues, survivors of tragedy and hardship, and stories of triumph that will be bound and rolled to remain private while part of this installation. San Diego Art Institutem, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park, 619.236.0011, sandiego-art.org Trinh Mai: That We Should Be Heirs. (Courtesy photo.) 2.22-6.2: Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen MacArthur Award-winning artist Trevor Paglen is described as a conceptual artist with activist intentions and this exhibit presents his early photography along with his more recent sculptures, and his work with artificial intelligence. MCASD Downtown, 1100 & 1001 Kettner Blvd., downtown, 858.454.3541, mcasd.org Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen. (Kenji Morita ) 2.23-5.12: Matthew Barnes: Painter of the Night This is a rare solo exhibition of the imagist, surrealist and expressionist work of artist Matthew Barnes, an original master of California noir, who created darker, more shadowy landscapes that were the opposite of the sunnier side of the state. Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside, 760.435.3720, oma-online.org Maybe Pelosi should throw her hat in ring Although Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden and even Beto ORourke are mentioned as possible contenders for the 2020 presidency, why havent Democrats considered House Speaker Nancy Pelosi running for president in 2020? It appears she has most of the skills required shes an outstanding politician and shes winning the battle for public opinion. While Trump dreams about Congress funding a wall, Pelosi is intent on getting House bills passed that are in the best interest of Americans. Advertisement Bunny Landis Oceanside Pelosi leaves much to be desired as speaker Nancy Pelosi is a very petty person. She is no Tip ONeill. Paul Sims Solana Beach I do not agree with Speaker of the House, Pelosi, withdrawing an invitation of the President of the United States delivery of the State of the Union in the House.of Representives. Advertisement I do not care what Trump and Pelosi think of each other. I do not think, Pelosi is right to restrict the president of the United States to deliver the State of the Union to the people from the peoples House.. I do not think our Founding Fathers gave any thinking about the President of he United States not being invited to deliver the State of the Union the House of Representatives. Willard Doc Howard Chula Vista Advertisement The self-ascribed worlds greatest negotiator is held thousands of federal workers hostage over his border wall that he promised Mexico would pay for. He has already broken this campaign promise, and now wants the taxpayers to foot the bill for something that will not work. Future historians will look back on 2019 and determine that Trump and his enablers (Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan and much of the GOP) failed to do their sworn duty to protect our great nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic. History will judge Nancy Pelosi and Robert Mueller as revered heroes, while Trump and his party hacks will be thrown out of office. Steven Miller Advertisement Rancho Penasquitos Letters and commentary policy The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below. Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. Re Rep. Mike Levin: Heres how Im spending my first year in Congress (Jan 18): As a local San Diegan and waterman, I was inspired to see our new U.S. representatives moving so quickly to combat the federal plan for expanded offshore drilling. President Trumps drilling plan could be catastrophic for the waters that I rely on for my main source of tranquility free diving. I applaud Congressman Mike Levins promise to protect our coast. This month, Reps. Levin, Scott Peters, Susan Davis and Juan Vargas from San Diego County joined their colleagues in the House in co-sponsoring bills to ban new drilling on Californias coast and the Pacific Coast. Its been made clear by local, state and federal elected officials that Californias coast ought to be removed immediately from federal plans to drill. Im proud that we have the San Diego delegation fighting to protect our coastal way of life and look forward to supporting their efforts in Congress. Brady Bradshaw Advertisement Campaign organizer Oceana.org Letters and commentary policy The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below. Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. President Trump isnt done crunching numbers or maybe even pulling them out of thin air to justify building a border wall. On Sunday, Trump tweeted, We are not even into February and the cost of illegal immigration so far this year is $18,959,495,168. Cost Friday was $603,331,392. That fuzzy math appears to be based on Trumps claim that there are 14 million more undocumented immigrants in the country than any published research seems to support. There are at least 25,772,342 illegal aliens, not the 11,000,000 that have been reported for years, in our Country, he claimed in that same tweet. The President signed off: Ridiculous! DHS. Advertisement The Daily Beast pointed out that according to a Department of Homeland Security report released last month, the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S., which is declining, is closer to 10.7 million. We are not even into February and the cost of illegal immigration so far this year is $18,959,495,168. Cost Friday was $603,331,392. There are at least 25,772,342 illegal aliens, not the 11,000,000 that have been reported for years, in our Country. So ridiculous! DHS Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2019 Newly appointed White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney was unable to explain the Presidents claim during a Sunday visit to CBS Face the Nation. Im not exactly sure where the President got that number this morning, but I think what you see him trying to do is point out how silly this debate is, Mulvaney said President Trump ended a 35-day government shutdown Friday after senate Democrats made clear they would not set aside $5.7 billion in taxpayer money to build a nearly 2,000-mile wall across the Mexican border a wall which Trump has repeatedly said Mexico would finance. Democrats offered $1.3 billion for border security, which doesnt include a brick-and-mortal wall. Mulvaney told Face the Nation the President is willing to do whatever it takes to secure the border and wouldnt rule out shutting down the government again as negotiations between the two sides continue. This isnt the first time the Presidents accounting has been questioned with regards to immigration. Politifact.com noticed that on Dec. 4, Trump tweeted the U.S. is losing $250 billion a year because of illegal immigration. The President offered no math to support that theory. In 2016, Trump said that number was only $116 million annually, according to The Associated Press. Advertisement Newly elected Rep. Mike Levin has organized a task force to consider how millions of pounds of radioactive waste from the shuttered San Onofre nuclear plant can be safely stored in coming years or moved far away from the coast. Levin, who was elected in November to the 49th District congressional seat previously held by Rep. Darrell Issa, named a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral and a former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman as co-leaders of the task force. It is imperative that people who live around the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station have a voice in the future of the facility, said Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, in a statement. A worst-case scenario disaster at San Onofre would be devastating for millions of people. We cannot allow the status quo to continue indefinitely, which is why we must find new solutions to deal with the grave safety challenges we face. Southern California Edison, which co-owns the closed power plant with minority partner San Diego Gas & Electric, said it welcomed additional oversight of the radioactive waste. Advertisement The congressman and SCE share common ground in a desire to have the spent fuel at the San Onofre nuclear plant moved to a permanent geologic repository or a consolidated interim storage site, Edison spokesman John Dobken said in an email. The task force will be chaired by retired Rear Admiral Leendert Len Hering Sr. and Gregory Jaczko, a former NRC chairman. The panel, which also will include other stakeholders and experts, is scheduled to convene its first meeting next month. There may be 15 to 20 people on the task force, but Levin is not seeking applications, said Eric Mee, spokesman for Levin. I know there are no easy solutions, but I am confident that Congressman Levins task force will play a key role in moving the ball forward,Jaczko said in a statement. The committee is expected to review storage operations at the nuclear plant as well as Edisons efforts to relocate 3.6 million pounds of spent fuel from the north San Diego County shoreline. The plant closed in 2012 after newly installed steam generators failed. It was shut permanently the following year. Now it is in the decommissioning process, and the spent fuel is being moved from cooling pools into whats known as dry storage. The transfer process was suspended in August after one of the 50-ton canisters was mistakenly wedged inside its storage cavity, 18 feet above the bottom. Federal regulators are considering penalties against Edison for the August mishap and other violations. The utility has not yet been permitted to resume the waste transfers. Advertisement The panel will study ways to improve safety if and when the transfer process restarts. Failure to act is not an option, and I am determined to drive solutions as a co-chair of the task force, Hering said in a statement. Critics of the storage plan praised Levin for making the nuclear waste issue at San Onofre a priority. Congressman Levin is the first elected official to come forward with a commitment to move the waste to a safer location, said San Diego attorney Michael Aguirre, who sued Edison over its handling of the spent fuel. Advertisement All of us -- community leaders, elected officials, the NRC, and SCE -- need to unify behind a plan openly made, he said. We must disentangle ourselves from old thinking and work together with open minds. Charles Langley, of the Public Watchdogs nonprofit advocacy group, said the task force will bring more attention to the hazards posed by burying the waste in dry-storage canisters on the beach. We are hopeful that Congressman Levins task force will help build awareness of the imminent hazards posed by the San Onofre nuclear waste dump and that it will use its influence to facilitate viable solutions, he said. Advertisement jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald Just hours after the warring parties in the Los Angeles teachers strike hailed Gov. Gavin Newsom for helping end the weeklong labor impasse, activist Erin Brockovich stood on the south steps of the state Capitol and demanded that the governor and state lawmakers hold Pacific Gas & Electric Co. accountable for sparking deadly wildfires. I think he has an opportunity here to step up and, honestly, be the right leader when it comes to Pacific Gas & Electric. Theyve gotten too many passes in the past, said Brockovich, made famous by the movie about her legal battle with PG&E over cancer-causing pollution in the small farming town of Hinkley. Her challenge offered a glimpse of the unrelenting pressure the Democratic governor faces as he settles in to lead a state that overflows with natural disasters and man-made emergencies. In just two weeks in office, Newsom displayed his political savvy and instinct for self-preservation when faced with his first two major crises: the weeklong Los Angeles Unified School District teachers strike and the ongoing threat of bankruptcy for Californias largest utility. When Newsom was almost immediately confronted with the two predicaments after taking office Jan. 7, his newness to the job allowed him to address both without risking the perception that he contributed to or had ownership of the issues. Advertisement Newsoms got the best of all worlds now, said Sean Walsh, a senior policy advisor to former Republican Govs. Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hes rolling, rolling, rolling in money right now with the budget surplus, and hes got problems that arent seen as his problems. So he can be seen as a problem solver. On the first day of the L.A. strike, Newsom offered only a muted response by calling on union leaders and school district officials to continue negotiating. The governor, who was endorsed by teachers unions in the 2018 gubernatorial election, told reporters he was engaged in informal talks but would not directly intervene unless asked by both sides a request made by L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner, but not by the union. But behind the scenes, Newsom and his staff played a pivotal role in helping to resolve the strike. Newsom was on the phone continually with Beutner and Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, signaling his administrations support for a number of underlying issues including increased funding for special education programs and community schools, which provide social services to students and families, as well as enriched academic programs, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The week before the strike, Newsom released a new state budget that included a one-time, $3-billion payment to reduce the pension liabilities of school districts across California, freeing up more money for campuses including those in Los Angeles and Oakland, where the potential for a teachers strike still simmers. The governor and his team played an important role in getting this solved. He was in constant contact with both Alex and myself in helping find solutions, so many of which the state must play a role in, Beutner said in a statement Wednesday. He spoke very clearly about his commitment to public education and his willingness to work with us on the long term solutions we need to make it better for students and educators. Activist Erin Brockovich talks with a victim of the recent California wildfires after a news conference outside the state Capitol. Brockovich called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to make sure the victims are fairly compensated for their losses. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) Caputo-Pearl said Newsom also emphasized his support for legislation to increase transparency and accountability at charter schools, a crucial issue to the teachers union, which believes the growth of such campuses in Los Angeles is an existential threat to the public school system, draining funds and enrollment. Caputo-Pearl added that a possible moratorium on new charter schools was a big part of the discussion during the last five days of negotiations. During his campaign for governor, Newsom advocated increased transparency for charter school operations and finances. Wealthy charter school backers also spent $23 million attacking Newsom and supporting one of his Democratic rivals in the primary, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Advertisement Newsom, who has enjoyed strong political support from unions, has nevertheless been on both sides of labor disputes and contract negotiations, particularly during his two terms as mayor of San Francisco. In addition to negotiating with San Franciscos public employee unions throughout his time in the mayors office, Newsom also intervened in labor disputes outside the citys purview, including a protracted two-year impasse between hospitality workers and 13 San Francisco hotels as well as threatened strikes by teachers and school janitors in the Bay Area city. One thing that the people of California have in Gov. Newsom is not only experience, he has the credibility to go in and mediate these issues, said Steve Kawa, Newsoms chief of staff while he was mayor of San Francisco. In the hotel labor action, Newsom made good in 2004 on a threat to join union members on the picket line outside the Westin St. Francis hotel after management locked the workers out and refused to agree to the then-mayors call for a 90-day cooling-off period. And as lieutenant governor in 2013, Newsom interjected himself into a four-day regional rail strike in the Bay Area, talking to both sides in the negotiations even though he had no real authority to intervene. Advertisement Coverage of California politics But wading into the Los Angeles teachers strike did not come without peril. If Newsom alienated the teachers union, he risked losing the backing of one of his strongest bases of political support: organized labor. If the governor agreed to open the states checkbook to increase year-after-year funding for public schools allowing L.A. Unified to meet the unions demands to reduce class sizes, increase pay and expand support staff other districts around the state would expect the same, dramatically increasing state spending. For politicians getting involved, almost everything bad happens to you. You become the target of both sides, Walsh said. When Orange County declared bankruptcy in the mid-1990s after suffering $1.7 billion in losses on high-risk investments, then-Gov. Wilson rejected the idea of a state bailout, fearing other municipalities across California facing fiscal troubles would come to Sacramento with their hands out, Walsh said. Advertisement Sometimes it takes a lot more courage to say no, Walsh said. The Newsom administration now must weigh what level of response it should take with Pacific Gas & Electric, balancing the rights and well-being of wildfire victims, ratepayers and the fate of a utility that provides electricity and natural gas to roughly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. Legislative leaders have said they have no interest in bailing out a utility that, among other things, was found criminally liable for a gas pipeline explosion that killed eight people and destroyed a residential neighborhood in San Bruno in 2010 and was accused by the state Public Utilities Commission of falsifying pipeline safety records. Weve been in constant contact, including a few hours ago, with representatives from PG&E, including the interim CEO, and were just staying in close contact, Newsom said Thursday. We arent making any commitments in private, or asserting any point of view in private that Im not making here in public. Just days after PG&E officials said the utility intended to file for bankruptcy over the potential liabilities it faces due to the states wildfires, Newsom announced that his chief of staff, Ann OLeary, would lead a task force to determine the next steps for the state. Newsom offered assurances that the lights will stay on and that PG&E would be held accountable. Advertisement PG&E, with respect, has not been a trusted player in the past, Newsom said just days after the utility made its bankruptcy announcement. They have admitted knowingly misleading regulators in the past very recent past. That is simply unacceptable. I can assure you when it comes to our engagement with PG&E, it is trust but, dare I say, verify. And let me underscore verify. As with the teachers strike, Newsom has said hes been in constant contact with the parties involved. A spokesperson for the Newsom administration said the governors internal PG&E task force has been meeting every day to plan for all contingencies. Attorney and former state lawmaker Noreen Evans, whose legal firm represents 4,000 wildfire victims, said Newsom must do everything in his power to ensure PG&E does not declare bankruptcy. If the utility does, Californians who have lost loved ones and everything they own will get stiffed, she said, because federal bankruptcy courts put them at the back of the line of all the creditors to be paid. Evans acknowledges that Newsom has no direct legal authority to prevent the utility from declaring bankruptcy or to ensure the victims are fairly compensated. That will mostly be in the hands of a bankruptcy judge, the California Legislature and the Public Utilities Commission, whose members the governor appoints, she said. Advertisement But Newsom didnt have legal authority in the Los Angeles teachers strike either, and that didnt stop him, she said. The governor is the leader of the state of California, Evans said. So if he were to announce some blueprint to get to the place where the victims get compensated and PG&E gets reined in, the Legislature is going to work on that. Times staff writers Howard Blume and Taryn Luna contributed to this report. phil.willon@latimes.com Advertisement Twitter: @philwillon Kamala Harris formally launched her Democratic bid for president Sunday with a blunt-force assault on President Trump and a promise to unify a country deeply riven along social, cultural and political lines. Speaking from the steps of Oaklands flag-bedecked City Hall plaza, to a crowd that spilled over several downtown blocks, Harris depicted her candidacy as a fight against those trying to sow hate and division. We are here at this moment in time because we must answer a fundamental question, Harris said. Who are we? Who are we as Americans? So lets answer that question, America. We are better than this. Though Harris never mentioned Trump by name, it was abundantly clear she was painting a damning portrayal of the president and his actions. Advertisement When we have leaders who bully and attack a free press and undermine our democratic institutions, thats not our America, said Harris, stabbing a finger in the air for emphasis. When white supremacists march and murder in Charlottesville, or murder innocent worshipers in a Pittsburgh synagogue, thats not our America. In one of her harshest attacks, she pointed to Russian interference in the 2016 campaign and an ongoing probe into possible Russian collusion with the Trump campaign and its leaders. We have foreign powers infecting the White House like malware, she said to a roar from the partisan crowd. It was just one in a litany of accusations delivered over 35 minutes, like a lawyer laying out her prosecutorial brief. Harris condemned an economy that, she asserted, was stacked against working people. She assailed a criminal justice system that, she suggested, locks away too many poor, black and brown people. She promised to expand access to healthcare a fundamental right and make college more affordable. The speech on a bright, sunny afternoon in Harris liberal-leaning hometown came nearly a week after Californias junior senator acknowledged what had long been evident, jumping into a crowded field by declaring her presidential candidacy in a symbolic move on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Barely two years into her freshman Senate term, the 54-year-old lawmaker is bidding to make history as the nations first black female president. Harris delivered her remarks just a few blocks from the Alameda County courthouse where she began her career as a deputy district attorney. On hand were at least a dozen state and local lawmakers, including Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who helped introduce Harris and delivered a fervent endorsement. Harris embraced her hometown roots, declaring at the start of her speech she was proud to be a daughter of Oakland, California. She attributed her drive for public service to her upbringing, particularly her Jamaican father and Indian mother, both immigrants, who met as graduate students at UC Berkeley and were active in the civil rights movement. Advertisement My mother used to say, Dont sit around and complain about things. Do something. Basically I think she was saying, youve got to get up, stand up and dont give up the fight, Harris said, quoting reggae icon Bob Marley. She also made reference to Frederick Douglass and Robert F. Kennedy. The tightly choreographed event drew a sprawling crowd that police estimated at more than 20,000 people. The scale fed into the perception that Harris was a top-tier candidate out of the gate. But the senator warned of a rocky road ahead full of naysaying doubters. Theyll say its not your time. Theyll say wait your turn. Theyll say the odds are long. Theyll say it cant be done, she said. But Americas story has always been written by people who can see what can be, unburdened by what has been. Advertisement Among the onlookers were more than a few shoppers curious to hear Harris before committing. Leslie Brueckner, an attorney in Oakland, said she was driven by her violent hatred of Donald Trump and my passionate desire to see a progressive candidate who can sweep him and the GOP out of office. However, though very excited by Harris bid, Brueckner said she needed to delve more into her record as a prosecutor. I want someone who puts their money where their mouth is, Brueckner said. I think weve had enough of moderate Democrats. Indeed, while Harris legal background will be central to her campaign the leitmotif is the words for the people, taken from her courtroom salutation her career in law enforcement has been met with skepticism from some on the Democratic left. Critics accuse her of being too timid in reforming the criminal justice system and remedying its harsh application to people of color. Advertisement That puts Harris in the delicate position of trumpeting her legal work while also acknowledging the deep suspicion that some in the Democratic base have of law enforcement. I knew our criminal justice system was deeply flawed, but I also knew the profound impact law enforcement has on peoples lives, and its responsibility to give them safety and dignity, Harris said of her decision to become a prosecutor. The remarks also signaled a central theme of Harris pitch: that she will be an honest broker, vowing to seek truth, speak truth and fight for the truth. Her speech included some blunt talk on the uglier realities of American society. Racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, transphobia are real in this country, Harris said. And they are age-old forms of hate with new fuel. We need to speak that truth so we can deal with it. Advertisement The fact that Harris, a woman of color, could face some of those prejudices remains on the minds of the senators supporters and other Democrats looking to back the most viable candidate. Zach Garelik, a 21-year-old tech worker from San Francisco, said he was impressed by Harris ambition. But he said shell have to appeal to the rest of the country and worries her home state may work against her. Theres an implicit bias in the rest of the nation against California politicians, Garelik said. The Justice Department fired a legal broadside Monday at Chinese telecom giant Huawei, alleging in two criminal indictments that the company engaged in a long-running scheme to deceive banks and the U.S. government about its activities in Iran and tried to steal sensitive information from T-Mobile. Federal prosecutors also charged Huaweis chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of the firms powerful founder, with bank and wire fraud. Meng was detained in Canada last month on a provisional arrest warrant, and the U.S. government is seeking her extradition. For the record: An earlier version of this article misidentified Huaweis chief financial officer as Manzhou Meng. She is Meng Wanzhou. The filing of criminal charges against Huawei marks a significant escalation in the Trump administrations campaign to halt the telecommunications behemoths global expansion over concerns that its equipment and software could pose a national security threat to the U.S. and its allies. Washington has pressed Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand not to use Huaweis technology in the next generation of cellular networks, known as 5G. Australia banned government procurement of Huawei hardware this year, and Poland brought espionage charges this month against a Huawei employee and a former Polish intelligence official. Advertisement The company has been mostly blocked from U.S. markets since 2012 when a congressional committee released a report saying the company, which has close ties to the Chinese government, posed serious security risks. Huawei executives insist that they are independent of Beijing and would never compromise customer data, though U.S. officials point to Chinese laws requiring domestic companies to cooperate with government requests as evidence that the company poses a security threat. The company did not respond to emails seeking comment. But in a Jan. 15 interview with international press, Huawei President Ren Zhengfei defended the companys track record on security. Huawei is an independent business organization, he said. When it comes to cybersecurity and privacy protection, we are committed to siding with our customers. We will never harm any nation or any individual. The indictments, filed in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Seattle, charged Huawei and two of its affiliates with offenses including bank and wire fraud, attempts to steal trade secrets, and obstruction of justice. The charges were announced by a platoon of top Trump administration officials, including the secretaries of Commerce and Homeland Security. These are very serious actions by a company that appears to be using corporate espionage and sanctions violations to not only enhance its bottom line but to compete in the world economy, said acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker. This is not something the United States will stand for. The case is likely to heighten a trade dispute between the U.S. and China that has panicked investors and shaken the worlds economy. High-level negotiations are set to resume Wednesday in Washington when Liu He, Chinese President Xi Jinpings right-hand man on the economy, will lead a Chinese delegation hoping to resolve, or at least pause, the tariff war started last year by Trump. Citing what it believes is Beijings long history of engaging in unfair trade practices, the Trump administration imposed tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imported goods and has threatened higher duties beginning March 1 if an agreement is not reached. Beijing has counterpunched by imposing duties on $110 billion of U.S. goods. Advertisement The indictments describe separate fraud schemes that go back at least six years and include allegations the company was engaging in commercial spying that has long irked U.S. officials and business leaders. Federal law enforcement officials and security experts have reported a sharp rise since early 2017 in Chinas efforts to swipe U.S. trade secrets. Beijing is seeking to boost its domestic industries and its rise as a global power, and has relied on an army of domestic computer hackers, traditional spies and corrupt corporate insiders in the U.S. and elsewhere to pilfer sensitive information. In the Brooklyn indictment, federal prosecutors alleged that from 2007 through 2017, Huawei and two of its affiliates, Huawei Devices USA and Skycom Tech, engaged in a scam to deceive banks and the U.S. government about the conglomerates activities in Iran. Huaweis employees lied to banks and the U.S. government about the firms relationship with Skycom, a company in Iran, by asserting it was not a Huawei affiliate, the indictment said. They also lied by telling banks and U.S. officials that Huawei had limited operations in Iran and was not violating U.S. sanctions, federal prosecutors alleged. Advertisement To disguise its control of Skycom, prosecutors wrote, Huawei orchestrated in 2007 the sham sale of the Iranian firm to an affiliate it controlled. The company took such steps to deceive banks and U.S. authorities because financial institutions were generally prohibited by U.S. laws and sanctions from processing transactions tied to Iran. One bank, prosecutors said, cleared more than $100 million in Skycom-related transactions through the U.S. in a four-year period ending in 2014. When Huawei employees learned that federal prosecutors and agents were investigating the company in 2017, they sought to obstruct the probe by moving potential witnesses from the U.S. to China and by concealing and destroying evidence, prosecutors said. Advertisement These charges lay bare Huaweis blatant disregard for the laws of our country and standard global business practices, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said. Companies like Huawei pose a dual threat to both our economic and national security. The second indictment, unsealed Monday in Seattle, alleged that Huawei had launched a coordinated effort to try to steal information about a T-Mobile phone-testing robot nicknamed Tappy. Huawei engineers violated confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements in 2012 by secretly taking photos of Tappy, and even stealing a piece of the robot in the hopes their company could replicate the device, according to the indictment. When T-Mobile learned about the theft and threatened to sue, Huawei reported that rogue actors had been responsible, federal prosecutors alleged. Emails obtained by the Justice Department revealed that the engineers were working as part of a companywide effort to purloin Tappys secrets. President Donald Trumps pick for attorney general, William Barr, says Vice President Mike Pence is among the officials with whom he has discussed the special counsels Russia investigation. Barr said in written responses to Senate questions made available Monday that he and Pence have had occasional conversations since the spring of 2017 on matters including policy and personnel. Some of those conversations included general discussion of the Special Counsels investigation in which I gave my views on such matters as Bob Muellers high integrity and various media reports. In these conversations, I did not provide legal advice, nor, to the best of my recollection, did he provide confidential information, Barr told Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat. In his role as special counsel, Mueller is investigating potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign to sway the 2016 presidential election. If confirmed by the Senate, Barr would inherit oversight of Muellers investigation. The Senate Judiciary Committee is prepared to vote on Barrs nomination to be attorney general this week or next. Advertisement Barr described the Pence conversations in response to a question from Whitehouse about whether he had ever discussed Muellers investigation with anyone at the White House. He has also acknowledged that he discussed Mueller with Trump himself when he turned down an opportunity to represent the president in the special counsels investigation. During the meeting, the President reiterated his public statements denying collusion and describing the allegations as politically motivated. I did not respond to those comments, Barr said. He also reiterated how he shared with lawyers for the White House and for Trump a June 2018 memo he had written in which he disputed the idea that the president could have obstructed justice by firing former FBI Director James Comey. Barrs responses to the senators written questions largely matched his testimony from earlier this month. He repeated his intention to release as much of Muellers findings as possible, though he said he did not know what form a report from the special counsel would take. Barr also said he would resign if Trump claimed executive privilege to cover up evidence of a crime, and if he were asked to fire Mueller without good reason. I would resign rather than follow an order to terminate the Special Counsel without good cause, Barr wrote in response to a question from New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker. President Donald Trump said the odds congressional negotiators will craft a deal to end his border wall standoff with Congress are less than 50-50. As hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers prepared to return to work, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he doesnt think the negotiators will strike a deal that hed accept. He pledged to build a wall anyway using his executive powers to declare a national emergency if necessary. I personally think its less than 50-50, but you have a lot of very good people on that board, Trump said in an interview Sunday with the newspaper. The president was referring to a bipartisan committee of House and Senate lawmakers that will consider border spending as part of the legislative process. Advertisement The presidents standoff with Democrats on Capitol Hill is far from over and the clock is ticking. The spending bill Trump signed on Friday to temporarily end the partial government shutdown funds the shuttered agencies only until Feb. 15. Its unclear if the Democrats will budge. Trump seemed girded for battle over the weekend, sending out a series of online messages that foreshadowed the upcoming fight with lawmakers. BUILD A WALL & CRIME WILL FALL! he tweeted. Is Trump prepared to shut down the government again in three weeks? Yeah, I think he actually is, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said. He doesnt want to shut the government down, lets make that very clear. He doesnt want to declare a national emergency. But Mulvaney said that at the end of the day, the presidents commitment is to defend the nation and he will do it with or without Congress. The linchpin in the standoff is Trumps demand for $5.7 billion for his prized wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, a project Democrats consider an ineffective, wasteful monument to a ridiculous Trump campaign promise. Asked if hed be willing to accept less than $5.7 billion to build a barrier on the southern border, Trump replied: I doubt it. He added: I have to do it right. He also said hed be wary of any proposed deal that exchanged funds for a wall for broad immigration reform. And when asked if he would agree to citizenship for immigrants who were illegally brought into the U.S. as children, he again replied, I doubt it. Advertisement California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the leading Republican in the House, said Democrats have funded border barriers in the past and are refusing this time simply because Trump is asking for it. The president is the only one who has been reasonable in these negotiations, he said. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, a member of the Democratic leadership in the House, said his colleagues are looking for evidence-based legislation. Shutdowns are not legitimate negotiating tactics when theres a public policy disagreement between two branches of government, he said. Advertisement Jeffries said that Democrats are willing to invest in additional infrastructure, especially at legal ports of entry where the majority of drugs come into the country. Were willing to invest in personnel. Were willing to invest in additional technology. ... In the past, we have supported enhanced fencing and I think thats something thats reasonable that should be on the table, he said. Trump has asserted there is a crisis at the southern border requiring a wall, blaming previous presidents and Congress for failing to overhaul an immigration system that has allowed millions of people to live in the U.S. illegally. Last month, he put that number at 35 million, while on Sunday he pegged it at 25.7 million-plus figures offered without evidence. Im not exactly sure where the president got that number this morning, Mulvaney said. Advertisement Both are higher than government and private estimates. His homeland security chief cited somewhere between 11 million and 22 million last month. In November, the nonpartisan Pew Research Center reported 10.7 million in 2016 the lowest in a decade. The president also tweeted Sunday that the cost of illegal immigration so far this year was nearly $19 billion; he didnt cite a source. Compare that with research in 2017 from a conservative group, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates for less immigration: $135 billion a year or about $11.25 billion a month a figure that included health care and education, plus money spent on immigration enforcement. Advertisement Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. said that he thinks a compromise is possible. The president went from talking about a wall along the entire southern border at one point during the campaign ... to lets have barriers where they work and lets have something else where barriers wouldnt work as well, Blunt said. The partial federal shutdown ended Friday when Trump gave in to mounting pressure, retreating from his demand that Congress commit to the border wall funding before federal agencies could resume work. The bill he signed did not provide the money Trump wanted for a barrier, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called immoral and has insisted Congress will not finance. Mulvaney said Trump agreed to temporarily end the shutdown because some Democrats have stepped forward, publicly and privately, to say they agree with Trumps plan to better secure the border. Advertisement Mulvaney said they told Trump they couldnt split with Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and work with the White House if the government remained closed. Everybody wants to look at this and say the president lost, Mulvaney said. Were still in the middle of negotiations. Mulvaney appeared on Fox News Sunday and CBS Face the Nation. Jeffries and McCarthy spoke on NBCs Meet the Press, Blunt was on Fox. The federal government shutdown will cause slight permanent harm to the economy about $3 billion according to a report Monday by the Congressional Budget Office. The report says the five-week shutdown has slowed growth in the near term but that most of the lost growth will eventually be recovered. Overall, CBO predicts that just $3 billion in lost gross domestic product will be permanently lost, a modest figure in a $20 trillion-plus economy. By years end, CBO says, GDP would be just 0.02 smaller because of the shutdown, which shuttered many domestic agencies. Most of the 800,000 furloughed federal workers are returning to their jobs Monday. More broadly, the report estimates a drop in GDP growth to 2.3 percent this year as the effects of President Donald Trumps tax cut on business investment begin to drop off. It also says that the U.S. budget deficit will hit $897 billion this year. Advertisement The CBO credits the 2017 tax bill which cut corporate and individual income taxes by $1.9 trillion over a decade with a burst in growth last year, but it says that this year the boost that recent tax legislation gave to business wanes. The report comes as the government is reopening after a 35-day partial shutdown. The CBO says the shutdown will have a modest negative impact on the economy, lowering projections of economic growth by 0.4 percent to 2.1 percent in the first quarter, though the economy is expected to mostly make up for it over the rest of the year. The shutdown dampened economic activity mainly because of the loss of furloughed federal workers contribution to (gross domestic product), the delay in federal spending on goods and services, and the reduction in aggregate demand, the report said. Underlying those effects on the overall economy are much more significant effects on individual businesses and workers, CBO said. Among those who experienced the largest and most direct negative effects are federal workers who faced delayed compensation and private-sector entities that lost business. Some of those private-sector entities will never recoup that lost income. The CBO Report predicts a $118 billion increase over last years $779 billion deficit. It predicts that the economy will grow by 2.3 percent this year, a slowdown from 3.1 percent last year The report lands in a divided Washington, where neither Trump nor Democrats controlling the House are expected to make curbing the deficit a priority. In fact, Trump and lawmakers are likely to increase spending for the Pentagon and other federal agencies, which would otherwise face cuts from outdated budget caps that are the remnant of the 2011 budget deal. And Congress is ultimately going to face pressure to make permanent provisions of the 2017 tax cuts for individuals that would otherwise expire in 2025. The agency also predicts that Trumps trade policies higher tariffs on Chinese goods and products such as imported steel would have only a relatively modest negative impact on the economy. Authorities have identified a pedestrian who was killed Thursday when he was struck by a vehicle on an Interstate 805 transition ramp near the University City area. Edward John Quijada Jr., 38, of San Diego, was walking westbound across the northbound I-805 transition ramp to state Route 52 around 6 p.m.Thursday when he was struck, according to the county Medical Examiners Office. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, the Medical Examiners Office reported. The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with California Highway Patrol officers. Advertisement Twitter: @karenkucher (619) 293-1350 karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com A 27-year-old man who died early Sunday morning when the stolen SUV he was in crashed into a tree near Lakeside has been identified as Lance Xavier Christian of El Cajon. Authorities said Christian was in a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe headed north on Moreno Avenue near San Vicente Avenue when the vehicle veered across the southbound lanes and into the tree around 4 a.m., the California Highway Patrol said. Christian was found partially ejected from and pinned underneath the overturned SUV. It was believed he was unrestrained at the time of the crash. CHP officers and Lakeside Fire Department personnel were dispatched to the scene. Christian died before he could be taken to a hospital, according to county Medical Examiners officials. Advertisement The Tahoe had been reported stolen in September. Because Christian had been thrown partway out of the SUV, and because it was a stolen vehicle, CHP officials did not know for certain if he was driving at the time of the crash, Garrow said. There was no immediate evidence that Christian was not the driver, but investigators planned to fully process the SUV for evidence before making a final determination, Garrow said. CHP officials said it was believed drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash. Anyone with information about the collision was asked to call the CHP at (619) 401-2000 or (858) 637-3800. Advertisement Twitter: @karenkucher (619) 293-1350 karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com UPDATES: Advertisement 3:10 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details. This article was originally published at 2:45 p.m. Authorities on Monday identified a 50-year-old kayaker who died at the San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside. Nicolas Khaiaphone of San Diego was found dead after his kayak overturned in the reservoir on Saturday morning. A boater noticed the overturned kayak in the reservoir around 10 a.m. and notified staff. San Diego lifeguards found Khaiaphone in the water and pronounced him dead at the scene at 12:04 p.m. The San Diego County Medical Examiners Office has not yet released any information about Khaiaphones cause of death. Advertisement dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @danalittlefield A fire at a Campo house early Monday displaced three adults and two children and left investigators trying to determine what sparked the blaze, a Cal Fire official said. The fire at the home on Highway 94 near Meanwhile Ranch Road in Campo was reported shortly after 6 a.m. By time fire crews arrived, flames were showing from the building, said Cal Fire spokesman Issac Sanchez. It took firefighters around 15 to 20 minutes to knock down the flames. The cause of the fire was under investigation. No damage estimate was immediately available. Advertisement The Red Cross was called in to assist the five residents with temporary lodging, Sanchez said. Twitter: @karenkucher (619) 293-1350 karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com After a FedEx employee fatally stabbed another driver during a road-rage incident in November, Chula Vista police used a drone to take crime-scene photos from a birds-eye view, capturing images that potentially could help a future jury better understand the scene. About a month later, when a landscaper accidentally sparked a vegetation fire, a Chula Vista police sergeant flew a drone over the blaze to help firefighters better determine its size and movement. And when a woman at a park late last year called Chula Vista police to report an allegedly vicious dog intimidating other animals and park visitors, officers flew a drone above the park, determined there was no such disturbance and diverted responding officers to more urgent calls. Those are just some of the ways the Chula Vista Police Department has used its drones since late October, when it launched an experimental program thats part of a nationwide pilot program being overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration. Advertisement With strict limitations on how they can be used, Chula Vistas drones are mostly deployed as first responders during business hours between Mondays and Thursdays, responding to certain 911 calls within a one-mile radius of department headquarters. From Oct. 22 until Jan. 11, the department flew 231 drone missions totaling 57 flight hours. Calls to which drones were dispatched resulted in 14 arrests. The drones arm officers with information, Lt. Chris Kelley, the drone program manager, said. Were able to see stuff before the officers get there that we wouldnt have known about before. Patrol officers can even pull up an app on their department-issued cellphones and watch a live feed of the drone footage, Sgt. Lamar Barrett, program supervisor, said. The real-time video gives them a better understanding of how quickly they need to get to a scene, or how dangerous a scene could potentially be when they arrive. And just last week, the department found another use for its drones, when they were flown over several areas, including The Jungle an open area near the Westfield Plaza Bonita Mall to find homeless encampments a few hours ahead of the annual Point-in Time Count. Sgt. Frank Giaime with the Chula Vista Police Departments Homeless Outreach Team had a drone pilot take photos of homeless camps in Chula Vista that were used for briefing officers on where to go for the annual point-in time homeless count that occurred Friday morning. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) Using photos taken by a drone, officers from the departments homeless outreach team walked into the area in the predawn hours Friday morning to count and interview homeless people there. Establishing Chula Vistas new experimental program hasnt always been smooth which was to be expected. It was understood there would be hiccups and false starts. Ironing out the wrinkles and figuring out how to safely and effectively use drones is precisely why Chula Vista, in partnership with the city of San Diego, was elected as one of 10 cities or agencies around the country to take part in the U.S. Department of Transportations Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program. Advertisement The participating government agencies and their private, commercial partners were chosen to help push the limits of commercial drone testing in real-world environments. The program is also meant to help the FAA develop ground rules around commercial drone use across the country. The biggest obstacle Chula Vista police have encountered in the drone programs infancy has been a firmware issue that grounded the departments two biggest and best drones the DJI Matrice 210 in early November, just a few weeks after the program kicked off. The fear was the drones just falling from the sky. There were reports of them falling out of the sky, Kelley said. We were absolutely not going to put those machines out in the community with that risk. The firmware issue which had to do with inaccurate battery readings, causing the Matrice 210 to lose power quicker than expected was a manufacturers problem, and out of the Police Departments control, Barrett said . Advertisement DJI, which is based in China, released a firmware fix earlier this month, and Chula Vista officers planned to relaunch their two Matrice 210 drones last Tuesday more than two months after they were grounded. In the absence of the pair of Matrice 210 drones, which feature a 30-times-zoom camera, the department used a DJI Mavic Pro and a DJI Mavic Enterprise, which are smaller drones with much weaker cameras. We never went down, we kept supporting the mission, we just made do with the smaller (drones), Kelley said. Standing on the roof launch pad at Chula Vista police headquarters, Officer Laurence Meyerowitz (right) and retired Capt. Fritz Reber (left) watch a drone land that is being piloted from a remote room in the building during a practice and training program Jan. 18 in Chula Vista. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) Advertisement Another obstacle the pilots learned to deal with was magnetic interference, Barrett said. It was especially a problem when launching from the top of police headquarters, which is outfitted with large radio antennas. The problem has been overcome by launching flights from an elevated platform. Magnetic interference throws off the drones compass, Barrett said as drones buzzed overhead during a monthly training session. This one took place above an area of open space near Clear View Elementary School. A drones compass allows it to fly by GPS, which is the way nearly all missions are carried out. Using an app, the pilots and operators flying the drones can drop a pin in the location where they want it go, and thats where the drone flies, supervisory Sgt. Jim Horst said. Chula Vista police now have nine FAA-certified drone pilots, including both Kelley and Barrett. Advertisement Despite some early setbacks, Kelley and Barrett said the lessons they and others will learn by participating in the FAA pilot program could help other public safety agencies in the future. Barrett said law enforcement officials from around the country have already been calling Chula Vista to learn more about how best to use drones, Were gaining valuable experience that other departments will be able to learn from, Kelley said. Our ability to participate in the (Integration Pilot Program) opens a lot of doors, and a lot of agencies will be the beneficiaries. Advertisement Twitter: @Alex_Riggins (619) 293-1710 alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com A 27-year-old man died after the vehicle he was in crashed into a tree in Lakeside early Sunday, a California Highway Patrol officer said. The man was in a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe headed north on Moreno Avenue when the vehicle veered across southbound lanes and hit the tree about 4 a.m., CHP Officer Travis Garrow said. The Chevrolet overturned and the man was partially ejected and pinned under the truck, Garrow said. Emergency crews later freed him, but he died of his injuries before he could be taken to a hospital. Investigators believe the man, a San Diego resident, was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. He was not identified. Advertisement Officers later determined the Chevrolet was reported stolen in September. Drugs and/or alcohol are believed to be factors in the crash. Anyone with information about the collision was asked to call the CHP at (619) 401-2000 or (858) 637-3800. Twitter: @karenkucher (619) 293-1350 karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com Joaquin El Chapo Guzman will not take the stand at his own trial, the Mexican drug kingpin said Monday. Speaking for the first time during his sweeping drug trafficking trial, Guzman, 61, told federal court Judge Brian Cogan, through an interpreter: I will not testify. The judges question to Guzman on whether he would testify came moments after the prosecution rested, finishing its case after 11 weeks. More than 50 witnesses testified for the prosecution, many former leaders in the Sinaloa cartel, one of the worlds most powerful drug networks. The unprecedented trial has unearthed astonishing detail about the brutal, multibillion-dollar drug trade that Guzman ruled over. Standing with his hands clasped at his waist, Guzman, wearing a navy suit, light blue shirt and dark blue tie, spoke respectfully to the judge. Advertisement You have the absolute right to testify, Cogan said. You understand its your decision, he said, adding that it was not the decision of Guzmans lawyers. Yes, they counseled me about it, and I agreed, Guzman said, confirming that he would not take the stand. Defense lawyers whove argued that Guzman has been framed by a vast conspiracy that includes U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and those cartel lieutenants whove testified against him are expected to call two law enforcement officials Tuesday morning. Those are the lone witnesses for their case. One of the prosecutions final witnesses, who began testimony Thursday and finished Monday, offered the most gruesome details of the case. Isaias Valdez Rios, long Guzmans bodyguard and one of his secretaries, testified in stark detail about three slayings he said Guzman carried out himself. Valdez, 39, a former officer in the Mexican army, said he began working for Guzman in 2004 and later witnessed the full extent of his boss brutality. At the end of 2006 or early 2007, he said, he and Guzman picked up a rival cartel member who had already been tortured by the kingpins people. The man had been burned with a clothes iron and had marks from a car lighter all over his body; his feet were so burned he couldnt walk, Valdez said. Guzman was angry that the damaged man was less useful for interrogation, and complained, They should have just killed him, Valdez testified. Nonetheless, Guzman ordered his men to put the rival in a hen house, the witness said. Advertisement After three days, Valdez told his boss that the man, rotting from his wounds, was beginning to smell, the witness said. We told Mr. Guzman he had a pretty bad odor, Valdez testified. He was pretty much decomposing. Guzman told his men to start digging a grave. When it was finished, they brought the man, blindfolded and bound, to the hole. Guzman grabbed a gun and began yelling at the man, interrogating him, Valdez said, and as he blurted answers, Guzman shot him. The person was still gasping for air, Valdez said, but Guzman said to bury him, and thats how we dumped him, Valdez testified. Another time, Valdez said, they picked up two men from another rival gang, the Zetas. He said Guzman personally beat the men with a stick, for hours. Afterward the people were like rag dolls, he said. All the bones in their bodies were fractured. Guzman kept telling the men they were traitors for working with the Zetas. How is it possible youre working with these people, Guzman told the men, Valdez testified. Youre betraying us. Guzman ordered his men to dig a huge hole and build a bonfire inside; the Zetas were made to watch the blaze. Advertisement Guzman took out his handgun, placed it to one mans head, cursed him, and boom, Valdez said. He did the same to the next man, Valdez said. Guzman then ordered his workers to make the fire bigger before they threw the men into it; I dont want any bones to remain, Valdez testified. Along with drug trafficking and firearms violations, Guzman faces charges of conspiracy to murder but has not been directly charged with murder. Prosecutors will present their closing arguments Wednesday, followed by the defenses closing Thursday. The jury is expected to begin deliberations Friday. Guzman faces life in prison. Actor Alejandro Edda, who has portrayed Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, talks to reporters outside the drug kingpins trial in New York on Monday. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press) Advertisement Despite echoes of Valdezs gruesome testimony being brought back up Monday by the defense on cross-examination, the day in court began on a much lighter note Monday morning. Guzman, whose nickname means Shorty, was all smiles when he was informed of a special guest in the courtroom audience: Alejandro Edda, the actor who plays him on the Netflix series Narcos: Mexico. Outside the courtroom during a midmorning break, Edda, 34, said being in the court had been surreal. Being so close to Guzman, he said, made his hands sweaty and his heart beat fast. As Edda spoke to a small group of reporters, one of Guzmans lawyers, William Purpura, passed by. Advertisement He was happy you were here, Purpura told Edda, referring to his client. But he thought youd be taller. Purpura smiled. Im just kidding. Plagianos is a special correspondent. Seventeen years after the U.S. military-led invasion of Afghanistan after the deaths of more than 2,400 American troops, tens of thousands of Afghan soldiers and police and untold numbers of civilians the prospect of a truce with the Taliban appears to be inching closer to reality. Six days of talks in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar ended over the weekend with a commitment by U.S. and Taliban negotiators to reconvene soon and the outlines of a deal under which all 14,000 U.S. troops would depart Afghanistan within 18 months. The talks still dont include the Afghan government, whose leader, President Ashraf Ghani, on Monday warned against a precipitous troop withdrawal and insisted that any peace agreement must be Afghan-led. But the longest face-to-face meeting between U.S. and Taliban representatives has raised hopes that a deal will be reached. Advertisement Heres a rundown of where the talks stand and why many feel this is their best chance of success: What have the U.S. and Taliban agreed to? Nothing, yet, except that they will meet again for another round of discussions, perhaps as soon as next month. But sources briefed by Taliban negotiators said the two sides agreed to the outlines of a deal focused on a few key points. According to these individuals, who were not authorized to speak to the media, the Trump administration would agree to a withdrawal of all foreign troops and the lifting of an international travel ban on top Taliban leaders. In exchange, the Taliban would pledge that Afghanistan not be used as a base for attacks against foreign countries. The Talibans sheltering of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda is what prompted President George W. Bush to order U.S. troops into Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Also on the table though not agreed to are a proposed cease-fire and an exchange of prisoners that is likely to include American Kevin King, a university professor kidnapped by the Taliban in 2016. The two sides finally agreed on certain important issues, one source close to the Taliban said. Zalmay Khalilzad, President Trumps point man in the peace process, said: There is a lot more work to be done before we can say we have succeeded in our efforts, but I believe for the first time I can say that we have made significant progress. Advertisement Who is involved in the talks? Khalilzad, a former U.S. ambassador to Kabul, has injected urgency into a long-stalled peace effort with the Taliban. 1/3 After six days in Doha, I'm headed to #Afghanistan for consultations. Meetings here were more productive than they have been in the past. We made significant progress on vital issues. U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) January 26, 2019 Appointed in September with a mandate to end a war that President Trump had tired of despite sending thousands more troops into Afghanistan last year the Afghan-born Khalilzad has zigzagged across South Asia, the Middle East and Europe to build support for an agreement. Perhaps more important, however, is who is sitting on the other side. Advertisement Last week, the Taliban announced a new chief negotiator: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a former No. 2 in the extremist group who was close to its founding leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar. A decade ago, Baradar sought a peace deal with the Afghan government before being arrested by authorities in Pakistan, whose security establishment opposed negotiations. Pakistan quietly released Baradar late last year, following a secret meeting between Khalilzad and Taliban representatives. Baradars appointment was widely seen as a sign that the Taliban was serious about reaching an agreement. What about the Afghan government? The Taliban has refused to negotiate with the elected Afghan government, describing it as a puppet of the United States. Ghani has quietly expressed frustration over the peace process moving forward without him. Advertisement No Afghan wants foreign troops to remain on their soil for their entire lives, but the current presence is based on a carefully considered assessment, Ghani said Monday following a meeting with Khalilzad, who flew to Kabul to brief him on the Qatar talks. That number will be brought down to zero, based on a concrete plan. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, center, speaks to U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, to his right, at the presidential palace in Kabul on Monday. (Associated Press) Last year, Ghani launched his own peace bid, offering amnesty to Taliban militants who renounced violence. That move was ignored, and the Taliban has continued to attack Afghan forces nearly every day, chipping away at the governments hold on the country, nearly half of which is now controlled or contested by insurgents. Khalilzad said any suggestion that the Afghan government was excluded is a false narrative. Advertisement I have encouraged the Taliban to engage in direct talks with the Afghan government, he said. It is our policy to get to intra-Afghan talks. Is Pakistan on board? Long seen as the spoiler in Afghanistan, Pakistan has sheltered Taliban leaders and failed to crack down on militants who attack U.S. forces. Trump called out Pakistan for duplicity early in his term and withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in security assistance. Facing a financial crisis, Pakistan finally appears ready to support a peace process. Saudi Arabia, which has sent envoys to the U.S.-Taliban talks, has also reportedly offered to help bail Pakistan out of a financial crisis if it supports the peace effort. Advertisement What could prevent a deal? There are many ways that a truce could collapse chiefly the relationship between the Taliban and the Afghan government. Taliban leaders want a pathway back into the political mainstream in a country they had ruled until the U.S.-led invasion. They have proposed talks with Afghan opposition groups and have floated the idea of forming an interim government to implement political changes. Ghani, running for reelection this year, on Monday dismissed the idea of an interim government. But he and other Afghan officials would not be negotiating from a position of strength. This month, Ghani told an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that more than 45,000 Afghan soldiers and police had been killed in fighting since he took office in 2014. Those losses are far higher than previously known, and U.S. military commanders have long believed the Afghan casualty rate is unsustainable. Advertisement Many experts believe the Afghan government might have to agree to some form of power sharing, by allowing Taliban leaders to administer certain provinces or run certain ministries. The presence of former militants in government would be awkward, to say the least, for Afghan security forces they battled for so long. And it could be devastating for women and girls who were heavily repressed under the former Taliban government and have only won back a measure of freedom since 2001. But after nearly four decades of war, starting with the insurgency against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s, the Taliban is more ready than ever to give up arms, said Mushtaq Yusufzai, a Pakistani journalist who has covered the movement. They know they cannot fight forever, but they also dont want to waste their success on the ground, Yusufzai said. This war has already eaten up three generations. They are human beings and want to live a normal life. Advertisement Special correspondents Faizy and Sahi reported from Kabul and Islamabad, Pakistan, respectively, and Times staff writer Bengali from Singapore. shashank.bengali@latimes.com Shashank Bengali covers Southeast Asia for The Times. Follow him on Twitter at @SBengali Two years after President Trump signed orders to hire 15,000 new border agents and immigration officers, the administration has spent tens of millions of dollars in the effort but has thousands more vacancies than when it began. In a sign of the difficulties, Customs and Border Protection allocated $60.7 million to Accenture Federal Services, a management consulting firm, as part of a $297-million contract to recruit, vet and hire 7,500 border officers over five years, but the company has produced only 33 new hires so far. The presidents promised hiring surge steadily lost ground even as he publicly hammered away at the need for stiffer border security, warned of a looming migrant invasion and shut down parts of the government for five weeks over his demands for $5.7 billion from Congress for a border wall. The Border Patrol gained a total of 120 agents in 2018, the first net gain in five years. Advertisement But the agency has come nowhere close to adding more than 2,700 agents annually, the rate that Kevin McAleenan, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, has said is necessary to meet Trumps mandated 26,370 border agents by the end of 2021. The hiring surge has not begun, the inspector generals office at the Department of Homeland Security concluded last November. We have had ongoing difficulties with regards to hiring levels to meet our operational needs, a Homeland Security official told The Times on Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity. He described the Border Patrols gain last year as a a huge improvement. Border security agencies long have faced challenges with recruitment and retention of front-line federal law enforcement in particular Border Patrol agents much less swiftly hiring 15,000 more. In March 2017, McAleenan said Customs and Border Protection normally loses about 1,380 agents a year as agents retire, quit for better-paying jobs or move. Just filling that hole each year has strained resources. Beyond that, given historically low illegal immigration on the southern border, even the Homeland Security inspector general has questioned the need for the surge. But administration officials argue an immigration system designed for single, adult Mexican men has become woefully outdated. The number of families and children we are apprehending at the border is at record-breaking levels, another Homeland Security official said. Its having a dramatic impact on Border Patrols border security mission. Advertisement Since 2015, CBP officers have been required to work overtime and sent on temporary assignments to critically understaffed points on the southwest border, Tony Reardon, president of the union representing about 30,000 CBP officers, told the House Homeland Security Committee on Thursday. After fighting for years for higher pay, staff and a better hiring process, Reardon said the agency needs to hire more officers for the 328 ports of entry. All of this contributes to a stronger border, he said. On Jan. 25, 2017, five days after Trump was inaugurated, he signed executive orders to hire 5,000 new Border Patrol agents and 10,000 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, vowing to beef up border security and crack down on illegal immigration. Advertisement Today the United States of America gets back control of its borders, Trump said as he signed the orders. Today, Customs and Border Protection the Border Patrols parent agency has more than 3,000 job vacancies, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosis office. Thats about 2,000 more than when Trump signed the orders, according to a Government Accountability Office report on CBPs hiring challenges. Border Patrol staffing remains below the 21,360 agents mandated by Congress in 2016, which is itself 5,000 less than Trumps order, according to the latest available data. Advertisement The CBP contract with Accenture, awarded in November 2017, has drawn special scrutiny for its high cost and limited results. CBP officials told the House Homeland Security Committee in November that only 33 new officers had been hired. Under the terms of the contract, the company is paid about $40,000 for each one. An entry-level Border Patrol agent is paid $52,583 a year. In December, the Homeland Security inspector generals office said Accenture and CBP were nowhere near filling the presidents hiring order. Advertisement It warned that if problems in the hastily approved contract are not addressed, CBP risks wasting millions of taxpayer dollars. CBP subsequently scaled back the Accenture contract from $297 million to $83 million and issued a partial stop-work order. Officials said the agency will decide in March whether to cancel the rest of the contract. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the problem-plagued contract reinforces my doubts about CBP leadership. CBP cannot simply farm out its hiring and spend hundreds of millions without addressing systemic problems at the agency, Thompson said. Advertisement Deirdre Blackwood, Accentures spokeswoman, told The Times, We remain focused on fulfilling our clients expectations under our contract. The first Homeland Security offical defended the contract. Youve got to be willing to innovate and try things. In no way, shape or form was there fraud, waste or abuse. Immigration and Customs Enforcement canceled a solicitation for a hiring contract with a similar pay structure to Accentures last May, citing delays in its hiring timeline and limited funding from Congress. ICE said at the time it would restart the contracting process by the end of 2018 to help it meet Trumps hiring order. It has yet to do so. Advertisement Homeland Security officials declined to say how much has been spent or how many people have been hired since Trumps executive orders, saying the partial government shutdown prevented them from accessing the data. The hiring surge foundered from the start. In July 2017, six months after Trump signed his executive orders, the Homeland Security inspector generals office said the agencies were facing significant challenges and could not justify the hiring surge. Officials could not provide complete data to support the operational need or deployment strategies for the additional 15,000 additional agents and officers they were directed to hire, the inspector generals office wrote. Advertisement On Friday, Trump signed a bill to reopen the government until Feb. 15, ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Tens of thousands of Border Patrol agents and CBP officers, among others, worked without pay. Experts warned that previous attempts at a hiring surge led to greater corruption, a perennial problem for law enforcement on the border. Drug cartels and other criminal groups target Border Patrol agents, offering bribes or even sexual favors to allow migrants, drugs and other contraband to cross the border. To help fight corruption, the Border Patrol set strict vetting requirements, but those measures have slowed the hiring process. Advertisement Border Patrol applicants must pass cognitive, fitness and medical exams. They also must provide financial disclosure, undergo drug tests and pass a law enforcement background check and a polygraph test. ICE doesnt require the lie detector test, pays its agents more and places most of them in cities, not at isolated posts along the border. Supporters of the CBP requirements call them necessary safeguards to prevent the scandals of past hiring surges. Critics view them as an impediment to putting more boots on the border. CBPs rigorous hiring requirements, including the polygraph test, were put in place by Congress in 2010 after the agency had doubled in size and Border Patrol notched an increase in corruption and a spate of deadly incidents. Advertisement The FBI still leads 22 border corruption task forces and working groups nationwide. In recent years, some lawmakers tried to help CBP get rid of the polygraph test. In 2017, the agency got the green light to waive the requirement for certain military veterans and began to test a version that improved pass rates. Partly as a result, CBP has increased hiring of frontline personnel by nearly 15% and increased its applicant pool by 40% in the last three years, according to a Homeland Security 2019 budget document. The agency has also cut the time it takes to hire from roughly 400 days to about 270 days. The governments goal for hiring is 80 days, but CBP has said thats not feasible. Advertisement Part of the problem stems from the Trump administrations funding disputes with Congress over border security. We have to hire to the money that were appropriated, at the end of the day, the first Homeland Security official said. After Trump signed his executive orders in 2017, ICE requested $830 million to hire about 3,000 new officers and build capacity to ultimately bring on 10,000, according to a Government and Accountability Office report. Instead, Congress last year gave ICE $15.7 million for 65 new agents plus 70 attorneys and support staff. Advertisement Over the past two years, ICE has brought on 1,325 investigators and deportation officers, according to the agency. The agency typically loses nearly 800 law enforcement officers each year, so it has not kept pace and remains far behind the presidents order. For its part, CBP requested $330 million to hire 1,250 Border Patrol agents and build capacity to ultimately hire 5,000, according to the GAO report. Congress gave CBP about $65 million in 2017 to improve hiring practices and to offer incentives for agents to transfer to understaffed sites. In 2018, it provided $20 million more than the agency sought for recruitment and retention. CBP faced high attrition rates even before the Trump administration made it a polarizing organization, said Thompson, the House Homeland Security chairman. Osama bin Laden was fatally shot in the head and had his remains thrown in the Arabian Sea but Roger Stone claimed Monday he has been treated far worse than the brutal terror leader. The longtime confidant to President Trump who was arrested during a dramatic pre-dawn raid last week following his indictment in special counsel Robert Muellers investigation compared himself to bin Laden while talking to reporters outside his Fort Lauderdale, Fla., home. The self-proclaimed dirty trickster of politics even referenced a couple of infamous drug lords to make his questionable case. To storm my house with greater force than was used to take down bin Laden or El Chapo or Pablo Escobar, to terrorize my wife and my dogs, its unconscionable, Stone said. Advertisement Despite Stones comments, bin Laden, the leader of Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda, was killed by a U.S. special operations team of snipers in Pakistan on May 2, 2011 following a 10 year long manhunt. After the assassination, bin Ladens body was weighed down with chains and dropped into the depths of the North Arabian Sea a move meant to prevent any burial shrine from being built for the terror leader. Pablo Escobar, the Colombian cocaine lord, was also shot to death and Mexican drug kingpin El Chapo, whose real name is Joaquin Guzman, is currently held in solitary confinement at a Manhattan jail while on trial. Stone, meanwhile, was allowed to go free within hours of his Friday arrest after posting $250,000 bond. The Republican operative and Trump ally claimed Monday the special counsels office could simply have called his attorney and asked him to appear in court instead of having a phalanx of heavily-armed FBI agents raid his home. Im 66-years-old, I do not own a gun, I do not have a valid passport, I have no prior criminal record, Im charged with nonviolent process crimes, Stone said. But the special counsel defended the raid, saying in a court filing that it was crucial to keep Stones indictment confidential until after his arrest since informing him of the matter beforehand could increase the risk of the defendant fleeing and destroying (or tampering with) evidence. Mueller indicted Stone on seven counts of obstruction of justice, witness tampering and lying to Congress. The charges stem from Stones inconsistent claims about his contacts with WikiLeaks and attempts to prevent witnesses in Muellers Russia probe from testifying. Advertisement Stone is the sixth high-profile Trump associate to be indicted in Muellers investigation into possible collusion between the Presidents campaign and Russians during the 2016 election. But, even though Trumps name is mentioned several times in Stones indictment, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed total vindication. The more this goes on, the more we see none of these things have anything to do with the President, Sanders told reporters Monday afternoon. I think the further we get into the process, the more and more we see that this has nothing to do with President Trump. A 50-year-old hiker who was reported missing Saturday was found dead at the base of a cliff on El Cajon Mountain, a sheriffs official said Sunday. Thomas Mark Castiglia had met up with a group of hikers around 8:30 a.m. Saturday near El Monte County Park, San Diego County sheriffs Lt. Rich Williams said. The group, some of whom had apparently connected through an online meetup forum, planned to trek El Cajon Mountain via the south route, with an ultimate destination of Lunch Rock, Williams said. But around 10:40 a.m., Castiglia began falling behind the group and told the others to carry on without him, Williams said. He told the group he was going on an offshoot trail, but by 2:45 p.m., neither the other hikers nor Castiglias wife had heard from him. The other hikers reported him missing. Advertisement Castiglia is an experienced hiker and has no known medical conditions, the Sheriffs Department said in a statement. A sheriffs helicopter began searching for Castiglia, and a search-and-rescue team was dispatched to the really rugged terrain, Williams said. Castiglias body was found overnight. Riggins writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com How do you raise the flag on the mast of a ship that has no mast? It wasnt the biggest problem the Michael Monsoor had faced in years of planning, construction and setbacks. But the ultra-powerful destroyer required a flag-raising for its commissioning Saturday at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado. So the Navy constructed a temporary mast atop the ship. Dignitaries spoke before an estimated 5,000 people, the American flag was raised, and its crew called on board. And thats how the Monsoor officially entered service as the second of three high-tech and expensive Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyers. Advertisement The Monsoors unconventional blocky, low-profile outline which made the mast improvisation necessary has inspired jokes comparing it to a Transformer. Civil War buffs might notice that the Monsoors silhouette hugging the water strongly resembles that of the ship Virginia, the terrifying Confederate ironclad that in 1862 opposed the Unions Monitor in the Battle of Hampton Roads. Like the ironclads, the Monsoor represents a new kind of vessel, which has endured snafus common with development of new technology. The $4.6-billion ship has also endured delays, including the replacement of its engine. But while the ironclads were slow, clumsy and barely seaworthy, the Zumwalt class destroyers are sleek, speedy and designed to hit targets many miles away. The class is named after Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., chief of naval operations from 1970 to 1974. The first ship was named after Zumwalt himself. The third and last is named for President Lyndon B. Johnson. The naming of this particular ship for the late Navy SEAL Monsoor was apt, said speakers led by Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego). Zumwalt was dedicated to the entire Navy, making a point of eradicating any racial or sectarian differences among sailors. Monsoor made the ultimate sacrifice to save his fellows in SEAL Team 3. When an enemy grenade was thrown into their position in the battle for Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006, Monsoor leaped onto it, taking the blast to save the others. In so doing, Monsoor lived his faith, Peters said. He was a devoted Catholic who attended Mass daily, even in the theater [of war]. Advertisement Monsoor, Peters noted, was named after St. Michael the Archangel, the patron saint of warriors. That history is symbolized in the ships crest, which bears a winged arm wielding a sword. And it was on the Feast Day of St. Michael, Sept. 29, when Monsoor threw himself on that grenade. Monsoors mother, Sally Monsoor, is the ships sponsor. She christened it in 2016 in Bath, Maine, where it was built. On Saturday, she gave the commissioning order, kept short for the audiences comfort, she said, because of the hot sun. Advertisement This is the fun part, she said. Officers and crew of the USS Michael Monsoor, man our ship and bring her to life. The audience roared. bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com Alfredo and Claudia Valdez were an hour and a half into their drive from Bakersfield to a Los Angeles federal courtroom, brimming with expectation that a judge there would finally declare them legal United States residents. It was early January, nearly two weeks into the partial federal shutdown. Alfredos brother had flown in from Denver and his parents had driven from Palmdale for the occasion. A friend, a co-worker and a former manager had taken the day off work to speak as witnesses on his and Claudias behalf. The couple were aware of the shutdown, but because they live so far away, they couldnt risk the court reopening and missing their morning hearing. After a phone call to his lawyer confirmed that the court was still shuttered, a dejected Alfredo turned the car around. Last Friday, President Trump agreed to temporarily reopen the government, including immigration courts, for three weeks while lawmakers continue negotiations on funding for border security. The agreement affords a temporary truce in a partisan fight that has paralyzed Washington. Advertisement But for people such as the Valdez family, caught up in a serpentine court system already overwhelmed with backlogged cases, the shutdown derailed a lengthy process that could take weeks or months to get back on track. Me and my wife, we were trying to get past this nightmare of waiting, he said. The shutdown has not only resulted in thousands of canceled court hearings but also generated chaos for everyone involved in the immigration system. Most judges were furloughed, and those who remained worked without pay. Lawyers canceled flights for out-of-town hearings and, absent direction from the Justice Department, continued to meet filing deadlines imposed by courts that werent open to accept them. Dozens of immigrants n showed up at courthouses every day, some unaware of the shutdown, many simply to prove that they didnt intentionally skip their hearing. With more than 76,000 pending cases as of November, Los Angeles already had the nations second-largest immigration court backlog, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. Across the country, more than 800,000 cases were pending, a figure that has swollen from a low of fewer than 125,000 in 1999. Every week of the shutdown added 20,000 cancellations to the backlog. By Jan. 11, more than 9,000 court cases were canceled in California alone. Meanwhile, about 300 of the nations nearly 400 immigration judges were furloughed, said Ashley Tabaddor, president of the National Assn. of Immigration Judges. Immigration court schedules are split between hearings for detained and released immigrants. Tabaddor said hearings for detained immigrants, which make up less than 10% of the entire docket, continued during the shutdown and were being overseen by judges who werent getting paid. Advertisement Morale among judges was already at historic lows before the shutdown, said Tabaddor, who is based in Los Angeles. In October, the Justice Department implemented a quota system tied to performance evaluations under which immigration judges are expected to complete 700 cases a year to receive a satisfactory rating. She said the DOJ had not provided guidance about whether those quotas would be waived once the government fully reopened. Each day, it becomes exponentially more difficult to get back up to speed in a short timeframe, she said. What I understand right now is there are piles and piles of filings that are just sitting there. The first thing were going to have to do is dig ourselves out from under the mountain of paperwork. Kathryn Mattingly, a spokeswoman at the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees immigration courts, said Monday that she could not immediately provide any information. Lawyers were also frozen by the shutdown. Sabrina Damast, an L.A.-based immigration lawyer, said she continued sending case documents to the court and to lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security even though she assumes the paperwork isnt being reviewed. She worries that some of those documents will get lost in the shuffle. Advertisement Damast checkedd on the status of the shutdown every morning so that she could tell her clients whether to show up to court. Many had already requested the time off work and made childcare and transportation arrangements. The irony is, for all of Donald Trumps enforcement, those people who are criminals or repeat violators or the bad guys theyre getting just as many delays as everybody else, she said. One recent morning, around two dozen people stood outside the downtown L.A. immigration court. Inside, security guards informed them that the court was closed. Many took photos of a notice taped near the elevators stating that cases would be reset for a later date after funding resumes. Ashley Ramirez was supposed to have a court hearing that day for her asylum petition. The 29-year-old said she fled Guatemala after enduring physical and sexual abuse by her boyfriend. She and her 9-year-old daughter turned themselves in to Border Patrol agents last March after illegally crossing the Rio Grande in Texas. She was released from detention two weeks later and came to Santa Ana to live with her godmother. Advertisement Dozens of immigrants have showed up at the Los Angeles Immigration Court every day. Many took photos of a notice taped near the elevators stating that cases would be reset for a later date after funding resumes. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) Ramirez is enrolled in the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, an alternative to detention that requires her to check in with an officer every other week. She knew the court was closed, but the day before her hearing, an ISAP officer told her she had to take a photo of the closure notice and present it during a check-in the same day. So after snapping a photo with her cellphone, Ramirez went six blocks east to the ISAP office. After sitting for 45 minutes in the crowded waiting room, an officer called her name. When she showed him the photo, she said, he told her that they just wanted to be sure shed do what they asked. Shes not sure her asylum case will play out favorably. The shutdown bought her more time before a final decision. Even so, she wasnt happy to miss the court date shed planned to ask for a work permit. Advertisement For many others, the shutdown was a burden. Judith Seeds Miller, a lawyer in Bakersfield, described the case of an agriculture worker who has been in the U.S. since 1995. The 37-year-old man landed in deportation proceedings three years ago. He has a lengthy but nonviolent rap sheet 11 arrests including three DUIs, several instances of driving without a license and one instance of driving with a suspended license. The man applied for cancellation of removal, a humanitarian benefit that would grant him permanent residency but requires Seeds Miller to prove that his deportation would cause one of his U.S.-citizen family members extreme hardship. She said the mans 18-year-old son, whom he cares for, has chronic depression and an anxiety disorder, as well as an intellectual disability. Only 4,000 such visas are available every year, and Seeds Miller said the wait time is a couple of years. But they are in a race against time: The mans son will no longer be considered a qualifying family member once he turns 21. Seeds Miller was ready for their trial Friday. She had a UCLA psychology professor lined up to testify as an expert witness and had spent hours prepping the family for questioning. Advertisement Everybody was all dressed up, nowhere to go, she said. Her client cant spare another couple of years waiting for a new trial. If its not rescheduled soon, she said, It would mean he was out of luck. Its a really big loss. Others saw the shutdown as a gift. Oscar Gomez, 34, has been in deportation proceedings since 2010, when Oregon police detained him for driving without a license and turned him over to immigration authorities. The government had suspended its effort to deport him until last year, when he was convicted of a misdemeanor related to domestic violence. The Moreno Valley construction worker said hes now applying for asylum. This is like winning time, he said. Well see what happens in the future. Advertisement Tabaddor, of the National Assn. of Immigration Judges, said its likely that most immigrants whose trials were canceled will have to go to the back of the line a potential delay of two to four years. She acknowledged the harm that could result from people with time-sensitive cases missing their long-anticipated hearings. Those who have the best cases and were ready to go forward are going to suffer, she said. Memories fade, witnesses disappear, children age out, parents die of old age. Back in Bakersfield, Alfredo Valdez, a 40-year-old Mexico native, had been anticipating his day in court for almost 25 years. His father, a naturalized citizen, first petitioned for him in 1994, a few years after he was brought into the country illegally. But yearly limits on the number of green cards available to Mexican citizens and their spouses who are being sponsored by a U.S.-citizen parent have led to a more than 20-year wait. Advertisement Claudia, 39, is also from Mexico and entered the U.S. in 1998 with a visa. She and Alfredo got married in 2005. A paperwork error by a previous lawyer landed Alfredo in deportation proceedings. His current lawyer has helped him apply for a work permit and bide his time until a residency visa becomes available. Alfredo and Claudia pay more than $1,300 collectively each year to renew their work permits. He works as an electrician apprentice and in construction, and she does shipping and packing for a food warehouse. They have two sons, 13 and 18. The shutdown meant it could be two more years before they get their green cards. Advertisement Its kind of depressing, Alfredo said. Thats not what we expected. andrea.castillo@latimes.com | Twitter: @andreamcastillo Classic musicals used to revel in fantasy sequences known as dream ballets. Grace McLeods Herland might not be a musical, but it does have an answer to those old-school reveries: Think of it as dream karaoke. The scene in the gifted young playwrights world-premiere work at Moxie Theatre is set to Bruce Springsteens Born to Run, and it captures a lot of what works about this smart and completely charming play: Its funny, unexpected and kind of lovably awkward and so what if (as the kids say) its a little bit extra? Of course, maybe the kids dont say it quite that way (Im sure my own college-student daughter would be happy to set me straight on this). But thats part of the point of Herland, which explores how a freshly minted high-school grad named Natalie (Christine Cervas Nathanson) and her latest acquaintances who have a good five decades head start on her in life both navigate the gaps between their experiences and find surprising connections. The premise is an inventive one: Jean (Rhona Gold), a divorcee of a certain age, has signed up Natalie as an intern to help with the logistics of setting up a self-styled retirement community in Jeans own garage. Advertisement Its a place where Jean used to be banned from even entering without permission: The garage (designed to cluttered perfection by Julie Lorenz) was the domain of her ex-husband and his Springsteen tribute act. Joining this nascent community are Jeans longtime pals Louise (Jill Drexler) and Terry (Loie Gail), who likewise are trying to figure out the next stage in their lives. Thats true for the college-bound Natalie, too: Shes not just looking ahead to what life will be like as an adult, but also is coming to terms with her identity as a lesbian. Whats most remarkable about McLeods writing is how authentic and gratifyingly non-patronizing the dialogue feels between Natalie and her new friends. Its especially impressive given the playwright is just 23 the youngest ever to have received a rolling world premiere from the National New Play Network, which has arranged for Herland to be produced at two other theaters in quick succession after Moxie. Theres a funny scene where Jean played by Gold with wonderful wit and openness, in a welcome return to Moxie reacts to Natalies shock over a past episode of sexual harassment that Jean silently endured by saying: Wait a minute am I being called out? This is fantastic! I read an article about this. The humor, under the deft direction of Moxie executive artistic chief Jennifer Eve Thorn, manages to walk that fine line of acknowledging differences in knowledge and understanding without making cheap jokes. A few scenes (including one staged in total darkness) go on longer than they need to, but what ultimately abides is a sense of real warmth and affection among these characters young and less so. Jill Drexler, Loie Gail and Rhona Gold (from left) in Herland. (Daren Scott) Advertisement A major part of that is Nathansons tremendously appealing turn as Natalie one that can make you wonder why we havent seen this accomplished actor (and Moxie staff member) on local stages sooner. Shes all heart as this enterprising and studious young woman who name-checks the plays title inspiration Charlotte Perkins Gilmans 1915 utopian novel about a society populated solely by women but remains sympathetic to the real-life struggles of Jean and Co. Drexler is likewise in top form here as the demanding, structure-loving Louise I love steps!, she says, when she encounters an online guide to being an independent woman and has a pretty epic spit-take to boot. And Gail is a key presence as the quiet-but-wise Terry, whos going through her own reassertion of sexual identity. Meg Stoll Tron also makes the most of her one funny, awkwardly endearing scene as Becca, Natalies would-be hookup their romance quashed by an untimely needle-drop of Springsteens Im On Fire. Advertisement Ashley Bietzs lighting design brings home a lovely and perfectly fitting final moment, and Anastasia Pautovas costumes and Lily Voons sound also work well. Boss fans might not love this one, but Tron gets one of the plays most pointedly funny lines, as Becca muses on how people think that if America was a person it would be Bruce Springsteen. An old white guy who doesnt know when to quit? Seems right to me. Herland When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Feb. 17. Advertisement Where: Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Rolando District (near San Diego State University) Tickets: $18-$44 (discounts available) Phone: (858) 598-7620 Online: moxietheatre.com Advertisement jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert Oceanside plans to better regulate its short-term vacation rentals by hiring a full-time enforcement officer, requiring licenses and annual fees, and streamlining the tax collection process. The proposal outlined by first-term Councilman Chris Rodriguez got the City Councils unanimous approval Wednesday, along with the stipulation that details of the program be worked out by city staffers and ready for the councils consideration in 120 days. Like San Diego, Del Mar and many other tourist destinations, Oceanside has been looking for years for better ways to regulate short-term rentals. Online services have boosted the business by making it easier for travelers to find and rent rooms at private homes in popular destinations. The downside can be an influx of sometimes noisy or disruptive strangers vacationing in older residential neighborhoods and, in many areas, fewer affordable homes available to long-term tenants. Advertisement Its time for Oceanside to stop being the wild, wild West, when it comes to short-term vacation rentals, Rodriguez said. The city needs a better way to collect fees and transient occupancy taxes from the rentals, he said. Right now its sort of a Boy Scout-sort of honor system that allows individual property owners to report and pay the room tax, Rodriguez said. He suggested the city work with the online companies to ensure the revenue is collected from everyone. Oceanside has more than 800 registered short-term rental operators who generated more than $2.6 million in transient occupancy tax and marketing district assessment revenue from April 2017 through March 2018. Most of the rentals are west of Interstate 5 and 75 percent are in the coastal zone, according to a staff report submitted to the council last year. Still, city officials say there are probably hundreds of other rentals that are not registered and dont pay taxes. Resident Linda Walshaw, a member of the citys Housing Commission, said short-term rentals are hurting Oceansides mobile home parks. Oceansides rent-control ordinance keeps mobile-home spaces affordable, she said, but too many homeowners take advantage of that by offering short-term rentals. Its one space less for our families and seniors, Walshaw said. Advertisement Last year, the city created an ad hoc committee to hold a series of community meetings on short-term rental policies. The committees third and final meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, and its recommendations are to be considered as part of the proposed program. Councilwoman Esther Sanchez serves with community members on the ad hoc committee. She said Wednesday the city needs a balance of measures that might cap the number of rentals in some neighborhoods but allow most existing rentals to continue under a grandfather policy. The city cant afford to lose long-term housing to short-term rentals even though it needs the tax revenue, she said. I want to be sure we maintain as much control as possible, Sanchez said. Advertisement Councilman Jack Feller also said the city needs more control. We have some very conscientious people who take care of business just like theyre supposed to, Feller said. But, he said, because the short-term rental market is so strong, some people take advantage of it to operate without following the rules. The proposed program is tentatively scheduled for a presentation at the councils May 22 meeting. Advertisement philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @phildiehl Numerous times over the past decade, Escondido City Councilwoman Olga Diaz criticized her council peers for taking positions on federal immigration issues that she felt the city had no business weighing in on. Such positions, she said, were against a council policy that says the city shouldnt get involved in matters that dont directly impact Escondido. But last Wednesday, the new council majority, at Diazs request, voted to author a resolution and send a letter opposing the Trump administrations proposal to allow offshore drilling along Californias coast. Diaz said she doesnt find the move hypocritical because former Mayor Sam Abed routinely ignored the policy. Advertisement That rule has been used and manipulated several times over the years to essentially prove its irrelevant, she said. Diaz said her position has nothing to do with Trump and everything to do with saving the coast. She said the entire countys economy would be affected by offshore drilling. Abed, over the years, argued that illegal immigration was an issue that directly impacted Escondido. Wednesday night, the new majority voted 3-2 to oppose drilling. Similar to other recent votes, the two conservative members of the council left from the old majority voted against making the largely symbolic statement. Councilman Mike Morasco said he could not support the resolution because it includes opposition to natural gas drilling, which he supports. Councilman John Masson said the same thing, adding that the state has already taken positions opposing offshore drilling and he didnt think Escondido needed to weigh in on the matter. Both men supported joining the sanctuary city lawsuit and generally supported other positions the council has taken over the years that were viewed by many as anti-illegal immigration stances. The reason that we have language in our city council policies about not taking on issues that dont affect the city is because (former councilwoman and now state Assemblywoman) Marie Waldron kept taking on immigration issues and whenever that would happen wed have council chambers full of people that were in absolute disagreement, Diaz said. Advertisement She tried to bring attention to the policy later. I tried to use that when Sam (former mayor Sam Abed) wanted to join the federal lawsuit against the state of California regarding the states sanctuary city laws, she said, but to no avail. By authorizing the resolution, Escondido joins more than 300 other municipalities around the country, including all of the countys coastal cities as well as the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, that have also expressed disapproval. The Escondido City Council majority voting block was turned upside down in November when Abed was ousted by voters in favor of Paul McNamara, a moderate Democrat, and when Councilman Ed Gallo was defeated by Consuelo Martinez, also a Democrat. The two have joined with Diaz in supporting several positions recently that would have been unheard of just a couple months ago. Advertisement Everything is different than it used to be, Diaz said. Diaz said the council will soon sit down at a workshop to plan out future policies and the citys priorities and direction. She said she would like to include examination of the policy not to get involved in matters not directly impacting the city, as well as policies such as the requirement that at least two members of the council must agree before an item can be placed on the agenda. Diaz often found herself over the past years unable to place an item on the agenda for discussion because she couldnt get another member of the council to agree to consider it. Starting times of council meetings may also be changed. Martinez said she would like to have meetings start later than 4:30 p.m. so the working public can more easily attend. Advertisement In other action at the councils Wednesday night meeting, the members gave direction to city staff to come up with changes to the way the budget is presented and discussed, with the emphasis being on far more interaction with the public. jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells will hold his first Town Hall meeting of the year to give residents a chance to weigh in on their concerns and ask questions. Wells said he expects the citys population of homeless individuals to be a hot topic of conversation at the meeting, set for 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 30 in the sports complex on the campus of El Cajon Valley High School. The school is at 1035 E. Madison Ave. The meeting will give Wells a chance to answer questions about how the city is working to solve pressing issues, talk about projects and developments coming to El Cajon and share some of the citys latest accomplishments. Advertisement He said he expected Police Chief Jeff Davis to attend as well in the dialogue and discussion. He wasnt certain if any other members of the City Council would attend. I want people to be able to air their grievances on how the city is run and share what their thoughts are, said Wells, the mayor of El Cajon since 2013 and a City Council member since 2008. Im hoping this Town Hall will give them an opportunity to talk to me and the police chief, to get a more realistic understanding of the problems the city faces. He said the issue of homelessness is something that reaches far beyond the citys boundaries, in scales that we havent seen in our lifetimes, but that some people in the city think this is only happening to us. He said many cities have seen an uptick in their homeless population but that El Cajon has actually had a decrease. The annual San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless Point-in-Time count in 2018 showed 288 individuals living unsheltered, down from 323 in 2017 and 321 in 2016. Wells said he also thought residents would want to talk about pedestrian and bicycle safety and what the city is doing to identify problem areas and how to make the streets safer for everybody. Advertisement karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com San Diego was the second most popular California destination for Airbnb users last year, bringing hosts $213 million in income, the home sharing platform reported. While local residents also earn money from a number of other online platforms like HomeAway, Airbnb is the dominant player in the California market. In 2018, some 1 million guests stayed in Airbnb rentals throughout San Diego County, which translated into the more than $200 million that hosts received for rented rooms and whole homes, Airbnb said. Among the most popular origin cities for Airbnb guests staying in the county were Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Among countries, the U.S. led the pack, followed by Canada, Great Britain, Germany and Mexico, according to Airbnb. Advertisement Coming in far ahead of San Diego in the overall guest arrival count last year was Los Angeles County with 2.7 million guests, who enriched hosts with $613 million in earnings. Those numbers, though, could drop significantly in the coming year when tough new rules adopted last month by the Los Angeles City Council go into effect. Beginning in July, residents will be allowed to host short-term stays of fewer than 30 days only in their primary residence, not a second home or investment property. Although short-term rentals were already technically illegal, the city rarely enforced the restriction. In the city of San Diego, the City Council also enacted last year tough new regulations similar to L.As, but a successful referendum petition drive led by the home sharing platforms forced the council to withdraw their regulations, which would have gone into effect this year. Its unknown when the City Council or the mayors office will launch a new effort to regulate vacation rentals. There are an estimated 11,000 short-term rentals in the city of San Diego, with the highest concentrations in the citys coastal communities. Business lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com Advertisement (619) 293-2251 Twitter: @loriweisberg A few weeks ago, I wrote the name tag column. It generated an inordinately large response, which surprised me. Apparently, lots of people share my perspective. But one wag improved greatly on the idea, suggesting that the type face also needed to be big enough to read at greater than 2 feet away. Thank you. Of course, the larger theme behind the column was the problem of how we communicate. How do we want to interact with others and more importantly how do we want others to interact with us? It turns out that the lowly phone number plays some major significance in this arena. First, do you put a phone number on your website? Go to Zappos, a company that is famous for customer service. Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh, says that he puts the corporate phone number at the top of every single page of our website, because we actually want to talk to our customers. And we staff our call center 24/7. Another example is Rackspace. The CEO says, we will be available to you by phone or ticket, 24/7 within minutes. By contrast, in the case of Jeff Bezos and Amazon Web Services, there is no phone number readily available. Bezos says that the best customer service is if the customer doesnt need to call you. That just goes to show you that there is more than one way to build a billion-dollar company. Now I understand that every business is different and 24/7 around the globe availability is not necessary for making restaurant reservations, but it is extremely refreshing to have it when it really matters. Advertisement I am personally put off (and often just delete or walk away) when the only way to contact a company is for me to fill out my email, give the reason why I want to contact them and finally give them my phone number (they never call me anyway). A month ago I sent an email to a company using only info at__. The email said that I wanted to talk to the CEO. My request was short, direct but didnt say much more than that I was the CEO of a tiny software company and that I wanted to talk to him. I have a partner and he tells me that the chance of hearing from this guy is less than 10 to the N, where N is infinite. I got an email from the CEO (35 days after sending mine) that said Your company is interesting; I am discussing with my team. By the way the company in question is a unicorn with over $300 million in annual revenue. Regardless of the outcome, this guy has won my heart. While I am on a roll, please allow me to rant about the lack of phone numbers in the signature block of emails. I get a handful of blind requests every week. Someone wants me to do something for them or look at something or ask for some assistance. And there is no phone number in the signature block. It is usually only the name. Huh. Lets do this again. You want to contact me; you want something from me but you make me respond by email, by LinkedIn, by Instagram, by Facebook, whatever but if I want to just pick up the phone and call, no way. So I have now taken to not responding at all. By extension, when I am reaching out to someone, when I want something, besides the obvious email and website, I include office phone, cell phone and sometimes my satellite phone if I want to create zero friction. Finally, one of my partners says to me, big shots dont put their phone numbers on their emails. If you are an important person, you dont put your phone. I asked him where he got that idea, was there some research I had missed? He confessed that he just knew it; big shots are not readily available. (I did suggest to him that maybe they became big shots by being available. We all know the Gates / DOS story). As Woody Allen says, 80 percent of success is just showing up. So now you, my faithful reader, can decide just where you stand on the big shot scale. Advertisement Rule No. 594: You rang? Business Advertisement Neil Senturia, a serial entrepreneur who invests in early-stage technology companies, writes weekly about entrepreneurship in San Diego. Please email ideas to Neil at neil@blackbirdv.com. Reach out. Touch base. On a going-forward basis. Its not on my bandwidth. Take this off-line. Think outside the box. Reach for the low-hanging fruit. The elephant in the room. Lets crunch the numbers. Bang for your buck. Move the needle. No need to re-invent the wheel. Theyve moved the goalposts. A win-win for everyone. All hands on deck. Hit the ground running. Stay in your lane. Weve all heard these phrases, and many more. Im sure you use at least a handful of your personal favorites all the time. Of course, I dont use them all that much -- except when I do. Advertisement Its true that in more than a few workplace situations, these catch-phrases do serve a valuable purpose, that of applying clever metaphors and similes to make complex ideas more easily understood. Some are truly clever, like deja moo -- the feeling youve heard that bullspit before. They get a pass from me. Same with professional nomenclature, specialty-driven acronyms, and ultra-insider terms that are exempt from this rant. For example, I wouldnt dare tell a doctor to stop using complex medical terminology in discussing my case with his peers. But Id sure appreciate it if he/she talked to me using words and phrases I could more easily understand. Same with lawyers, accountants, bankers, politicians, plumbers and electricians. And HR directors. What were talking about is communication, plain and simple. Rendering most of them all but meaningless Thing is, the overuse of these kinds of phrases reflects the worst examples of corporate-speak and thus their impact becomes laughable, rendering most of them all but meaningless. And theyre way too convenient. Heres how it happens: Over the course of the work-a-day whirl, amid emails and memos, follow-ups and meetings, these expressions simply become so ingrained in our speech patterns that we dont even notice weve used them to excess. Advertisement They infiltrate our lives through various sources -- self-help books by gurus, the latest corporate tell-all, the hottest surefire approach to management and then we spread them down to everyday conversations. Inevitably, we wind up sounding perilously close to Michael Scott, Steve Carells hopelessly unctuous character in The Office. The more I hear these buzz phrases variously uttered at board meetings or conferences or office settings, the more I want to stand up and ask in my most peevish voice: Tell me, what exactly are you really trying to say? To quote the film Cool Hand Luke: What weve got here is failure to communicate. Advertisement Sometimes, its unintentional, other times very deliberate. They evoke a remoteness that may not be intended Which brings me to this: The use of such corporate buzzwords in a personal context can be just as offputting, even more so. Because outside the office or workplace, they often evoke a remoteness that may not be intended. When someone I havent seen in a while tells me theyd like to touch base or reach out or reconnect with me, Ill listen, sure. Advertisement But Ill also listen closely to see if they cant help themselves from using such cliches, as if trying to impress me. They dont. Or how about the awkwardness that ensues when we casually ask, How you doin? and the person starts telling us about their bad back? Perhaps we should try to be more considerate and respectful as we communicate with each other, and not treat our friends and family members as we tend to treat our co-workers. Better to avoid using these words and phrases in the workplace, and at home. Or at least not so often. We can all do better by speaking and writing in more direct, concise, easier-to-understand verbiage that gets our point across. Advertisement Try this: For a more personal approach, speak and write by using more genuine words and phrases. Do your best to avoid falling into the catch-all inbox/outbox jargon that sounds cold and clinical. Email and text less. Try to talk more often by phone or, crazy as it sounds, face-to-face. Really. At the end of the day, break through the clutter, make a paradigm shift. I mean it, literally. Blair, co-founder of Manpower San Diego and author of Job Won; pblair@manpowersd.com Advertisement Twitter: @PhilManpowerSD The maritime security of Samoa will be further boosted with the arrival of a new Australian Government-funded patrol boat. The Australian High Commissioner to Samoa, Sara Moriarty, made the announcement at her residence last Friday when Samoan Government leaders and the diplomatic community joined her to celebrate Australia Day. Australia and Samoa will continue to enhance security and cooperation across defense, policing and cyber security, added Ms. Moriarty. We will continue to enhance our security cooperation across defense, policing and cyber security. Under the Pacific Maritime Security Programme, Samoa will this year receive the Nafanua II a bigger, more capable patrol boat to enhance Samoas capacity to secure its ocean resources and maritime domain. And a steady flow of Samoans and Australians will travel in both directions across the South Pacific Ocean in pursuit of political, business church, sporting and educational endeavors or simply to visit family and friends, and enjoy the beautiful beaches and landscapes that both our countries are blessed with, she added. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi said Samoa and Australia will continue to build on and strengthen their bilateral relations. We are gathered here once again to celebrate Australia Day and to reflect on ways by which we can continue to build on and strengthen our bilateral relations that are underpinned by development and security programmes. And strong people to people links, these connections have helped to enhance and deepen our understanding of each other and strengthen our relationship to our mutual benefit. We will also be receiving a bigger and more technologically advanced patrol boat as well as beginning operations of one of the maritime, he said. The Prime Minister added that the patrol boat will cover Samoas Pacific neighborhood, which he said are missions to enhance the security of its ocean resources. The Guardian-class Pacific Patrol Boat program will see 21 vessels being gifted by Australia to 12 Pacific Island nations and Timor Leste as part of the Australian Governments Pacific Maritime Security Program. Help Our Community Please help local businesses by taking an online survey to help us navigate through these unprecedented times. None of the responses will be shared or used for any other purpose except to better serve our community. The survey is at: www.pulsepoll.com $1,000 is being awarded. Everyone completing the survey will be able to enter a contest to Win as our way of saying, "Thank You" for your time. Thank You! Take The Survey Dubbing the opposition as a "corrupt house", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said in the last four years, people in Delhi have made him a "chowkidhar". "As long as I am there in Delhi, I will not allow any kind of corruption and will not allow the nation's unity and integrity to be destroyed," said Modi, addressing a mammoth rally of his party workers here. After inaugurating the meeting of the state Yuva Morcha, he said: "My friends in the opposition are bankrupt when it comes to development of the nation. All they have is hatred against Modi. Their day begins by abusing Modi and ends by again abusing Modi. All I wish to tell them is 'you may abuse me, but please don't mislead the farmers, youth and the poor' and don't destroy the great nation and its progress," said Modi. "The opposition is destroying agencies like the CBI, armed forces, police, CAG and even the Election Commission as all these organisations are wrong for them, while they (Congress) are right. "Recently, the entire nation was amused to watch a press meet on foreign soil which was one that hit badly at the democratic ethos of our country, when the Election Commission came under attack. Seen was a 'top-most leader'. They even undermine our nation on foreign soil," said Modi and added that the Congress party will have to answer for this. "Elections will come and go, but the nation will always be here. The opposition should stop disrespecting institutions," added Modi. Speaking against both the ruling CPI-M led government and the Congress-led opposition in Kerala, Modi said the cultural ethos of Kerala has been destroyed. "The issues in Sabarimala was watched across the country and saw the way the CPI-M was disrespecting all aspects of Kerala's culture. Why is the CPI-M undermining our culture? The Congress here also is no different, as they say one thing in Delhi and another here. None of these two parties have any respect for gender justice," said Modi. The Prime Minister pointed out that so many ministers of the Left government in Kerala had to resign due to corruption. "For the Congress led UDF, the solar scam was there. For the Congress, solar is used for scam, while we use solar for development of the nation. The Congress here made ISRO scientist S. Nambi Narayanan, a spy and used the case to settle political scores amongst themselves, while we honoured him with a Padma award. We really value science," added Modi. He urged his party workers to work to save the culture of Kerala and to help build a new India and a positive India. Modi arrived at Kochi around 2 p.m on Sunday and after inaugurating a crucial petrochemical project, he reached Thrissur. He returned to Delhi, soon after addressing the party workers at Thrissur. New Zealand will on Tuesday release December numbers for imports, exports and trade balance, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Imports are expected to be worth NZ$5.30 billion, down from NZ$5.80 billion in November. Exports are called at NZ$5.50 billion, up from NZ$4.94 billion in the previous month. The trade surplus is pegged at NZ$225 million following the NZ$861 million deficit in the previous month. Australia will see December results for the indexes for confidence and conditions from National Australia Bank; in November, their scores were +3 and +11, respectively. Singapore will provide December figures for producer prices; in November, producer prices were up 5.0 percent on month and 5.1 percent on year. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Nissan over executive pay. The Japanese automaker said Monday that it received an inquiry from the SEC and is cooperating fully with the agency. There were reports that the SEC is looking into whether Nissan accurately disclosed its executive pay in the U.S. This follows the recent indictment in Japan of Nissan and its former chairman Carlos Ghosn on allegations of financial misconduct. Former Nissan director Greg Kelly was also indicted. Ghosn, who headed the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, was arrested on November 19, 2018. Ghosn is charged of understating his compensation by more than $80 million over a period of eight years. He also faces a charge of having allegedly plotted to transfer his personal losses to Nissan's books. The latest charges were filed on January 11. Ghosn has denied any wrongdoing. In November, Nissan had said its internal investigation showed that over many years, Ghosn was reporting compensation amounts in the Tokyo Stock Exchange securities report that were less than the actual amount, in order to reduce the disclosed amount of compensation. Nissan added that numerous other significant acts of misconduct were uncovered, such as personal use of company assets. As a result, Ghosn was ousted as Chairman of Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (MMTOF.PK) and also was temporarily replaced as head of French automaker Renault SA (RNSDY.PK, RNSDF.PK, RNT.L). Last Friday, Renault said its board of directors decided to provide the company with a new governance structure and to institute a separation of the functions of Chairman of the Board and CEO. The Board co-opted Jean-Dominique Senard as new Director and also elected him Chairman. It appointed Thierry Bollore as CEO. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News NVIDIA (NVDA) said that it cut its fourth-quarter revenue guidance, reflecting weaker than forecasted sales of its Gaming and Datacenter platforms. In Monday pre-market trade, NVDA is trading at $137.74, down $22.41 or 13.99 percent. "Q4 was an extraordinary, unusually turbulent, and disappointing quarter. Looking forward, we are confident in our strategies and growth drivers," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. In Gaming, NVIDIA's previous fourth-quarter guidance had embedded a sequential decline due to excess mid-range channel inventory following the crypto-currency boom. The reduction in that inventory and its impact on the have proceeded largely inline with management's expectations. However, deteriorating macroeconomic conditions, particularly in China, impacted consumer demand for NVIDIA gaming GPUs. In addition, sales of certain high-end GPUs using NVIDIA's new Turing architecture were lower than expected, the company said. In Datacenter, revenue also came in short of expectations. A number of deals in the company's forecast did not close in the last month of the quarter as customers shifted to a more cautious approach. Despite these near-term headwinds, NVIDIA has a large and expanding addressable market opportunity in AI and high performance computing, and the company believes its competitive position is intact. The company now expects fourth-quarter revenue to be $2.20 billion, plus or minus 2%, compared to the prior outlook of $2.70 billion, plus or minus 2%. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report revenues of $2.7 billion for the fourth-quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company noted that it will provide fourth-quarter of fiscal 2019 financial results and first-quarter of fiscal 2020 guidance on its earnings call scheduled for February 14. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Chemical Financial Corp. (CHFC) and TCF Financial Corp. (TCF) announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which the companies will combine in an all-stock merger of equals transaction. TCF will merge into Chemical, and the combined holding company and bank will operate under the TCF name and brand. TCF shareholders will receive 0.5081 shares of Chemical common stock for each share of TCF common stock based on a fixed exchange ratio, equivalent to $21.58 per TCF share. Upon completion of the deal, TCF and Chemical shareholders will own 54% and 46% of the combined company, respectively, on a fully diluted basis. The combined company will have approximately $45 billion in assets, $34 billion in total deposits and more than 500 branches across nine states. The transaction is projected to deliver 17% EPS accretion to Chemical and 31% EPS accretion to TCF by 2020, with a tangible book value earn-back period of 2.7 years. The deal is expected to generate approximately $180 million in annual run-rate cost synergies by 2020. The combined company will be led by: Craig Dahl, who will serve as CEO and president; Dennis Klaeser, who will serve as CFO; Brian Maass, who will serve as deputy CFO and treasurer; and David Provost will become chairman of the combined bank and Tom Shafer will become president and COO of the combined bank. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Fortis Inc. (FTS,FTS.TO) said that consistent with its capital investment funding strategy, it has entered into a definitive agreement with Columbia Power Corporation or CPC and Columbia Basin Trust or CBT to sell its 51 percent interest in the Waneta Expansion Hydroelectric Project in British Columbia for approximately $1 billion. CPC and CBT are currently partners with Fortis and together own 49 percent of the Waneta Expansion. Fortis expects to fund its $17.3 billion five-year capital investment plan at its North American regulated utility with cash from operations, debt raised at its utilities, common equity from its dividend reinvestment plan, and $1 billion o $2 billion of proceeds from non-core asset sales. "The sale of our interest in the Waneta Expansion helps finance the substantial growth occurring in our regulated utility business, including growth in British Columbia. This transaction completes the asset sale funding component of our five-year capital investment plan," said Barry Perry, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fortis. Fortis said it expects the transaction to close within 90 days. With its partners, Fortis constructed the 335-MW hydroelectric generating facility expansion ahead of time and on budget and, through FortisBC Inc., has operated the facility since it went into production in 2015. CPC and CBT are both 100 percent owned by the Government of British Columbia. FortisBC will continue to operate the Waneta Expansion facility and purchase its surplus capacity. RBC Capital Markets acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Fortis. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News German stocks were moving lower on Monday as investors braced for an eventful week. U.S.-China trade talks will resume in Washington this week, with hoping for a thaw in the escalating tensions. The Federal Reserve's two-day meeting starts Tuesday amid growing expectations of dovish hints from the U.S. central bank. The next key Brexit debate in the House of Commons is scheduled for Tuesday following the historic defeat of Prime Minister Theresa May's deal in the Commons earlier this month. Disappointing industrial profit data from China also rekindled growth worries. The benchmark DAX was down 40 points or 0.35 percent at 11,242 in opening deals after climbing 1.4 percent on Friday. Siemens slid half a percent. Media reports suggest that the German conglomerate and France's Alstom have made new concessions to the EU Commission regarding the planned merger of their rail activities. MorphoSys AG slumped 5.4 percent after a U.S. court declared some patents invalid. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis Buzz! "Current Mood with John Mayer" is a fun 45-minute program in which he entertains viewers with musical guests, returned for its second season at 8:30 am IST today John Mayer launched his own talk show last year on Instagram via the apps live video feature. Current Mood with John Mayer, is a fun and encouraging 45-minute program in which Mayer invites musical guests, while showcasing their talents. Past guests had name like Halsey, Charlie Puth, Thundercat, Cautious Clay and Alec Benjamin. This second season of Current Mood returned to Instagram today 8:30am IST with 24 years old Maggie Rogers who rose to fame after her song Alaska was played at a masterclass with Pharell Williams. The show today had Mayer talking to Rogers about her upcoming album Heard It in a Past Life, after playing a small set with her while playing backing guitars. Every once in a while we all need heroes in music and this record is it, said Mayer while praising Maggies talents. The show started as a way to fight my own loneliness, and maybe help some other people fight theirs, Mayer said in an Instagram story. Filmed on an iPhone in Mayers living room, the show comes across as a great window for all to learn about new music and at the end of it, the Grammy winner talked to an almost twenty-thousand-strong audience about his upcoming tour in the summer across the United States. Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Starkville, MS (39762) Today Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Ex-Russian banker to remain detained in $18 mln embezzlement case RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 14:03 28/01/2019 MOSCOW, January 28 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court on Monday upheld a lower courts ruling ordering to extend detention of ex-Promsberbank shareholder Ivan Myazin, who stands charged with embezzling over 1.2 billion rubles (over $18 million) from the bank, the courts press service told RAPSI. The Tverskoy District Court of Moscow earlier extended the defendants detention until April 10. Investigation into Promsberbank case was launched more than 5 years ago. Ex-banker was put in detention on May 11, 2018, although previously he was a witness in the cases involving the financial organization. According to investigators, Myazin has committed large scale embezzlement and misappropriation. Investigators also claim that the banks managers including Myazin have granted unrecoverable and unsecured loans to sham companies. In December 2016, a court in the Moscow Region sentenced two other bank managers, deputy chief of Promsberbank credit office Zulfiya Musina and deputy security chief Andrey Kibitsky to prison terms ranging from 3 to 9 years for swindling. Promsberbank was declared bankrupt in 2015. Bankruptcy proceedings against VIM Airlines extended for 6 months flickr.com/Anna Zvereva 17:16 28/01/2019 MOSCOW, January 28 (RAPSI) - The Commercial Court of Tatarstan has extended bankruptcy proceedings against VIM Airlines for six months, RAPSI has learnt in the court. The republican commercial court has scheduled hearing of a bankruptcy receivers report on the results of the bankruptcy procedure for July 19. On September 26, the court declared VIM Airlines bankrupt. The bankruptcy claim has been filed against the air carrier by the company RNGO. In August, the court granted an application filed by the company, including a 3 billion-ruble ($44 million) debt into the creditors demands list. On October 17, 2017, a criminal case was launched over premeditated bankruptcy of VIM Airlines. In September of the same year the court returned a bankruptcy claim against the airline back to the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA). According to the court, due to the social tensions surrounding the activities of the airline, the applicant decided to recall the motion. Investigators believe that certain top managers and owners of the air carrier intentionally made losing bargains in 2016 and 2017 including those aimed at siphoning of assets abroad. The deals led to enormous financial outlay and undoubtedly resulted in the companys failure to pay debts to creditors in full. According to investigators, employees of VIM Airlines continued to sell tickets to clients despite being aware that the airline was not able to transfer passengers because there were not enough funds to buy fuel. Investigators believe that the employees embezzled more than one million rubles ($17,000). VIM Airlines CEO and chief accountant Alexander Kochnev and Yekaterina Panteleyeva have been arrested as part of the case. Co-owners of VIM Airlines Rashid Mursekayev and Svetlana Mursekayeva fled Russia and are currently residing abroad, according to investigators. Allegedly Mursekayev and Kalashnikova fled Russia to hide from investigative authorities. In December, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow issued an arrest warrant for Mursekayev in absentia. Investigators also believe that between 2015 and 2017 the defendants abused their office positions to buy overpriced aviation fuel from companies controlled by Mursekayev. Allegedly, VIM Avias damages reach 782 million rubles (nearly $12 million). Alleged thief pleads not guilty to stealing Kuindzhi painting RIA Novosti, Interior Ministry 13:06 28/01/2019 MOSCOW, January 28 (RAPSI) A man suspected of stealing a painting by prominent Russian artist of Greek origin Arkhip Kuindzhi from Moscows Tretyakov Gallery has pleaded not guilty, according to video records published by the Russian Interior Ministry on Monday. The suspect claims that he has not committed the crime and styles himself as a law-abiding person. The 31-year old suspect was arrested in the Moscow Region on Monday morning. The work Ai Petri was also found and seized from a project under construction in the Moscow Regions Odintsovo District, the official spokesperson of Russias Interior Ministry Irina Volk told RAPSI. According to preliminary information, the crime has been committed from mercenary motives. In 2018, the suspect was arrested by police on suspicion of drug possession. By the moment of his current arrest, he was under travel restrictions. The suspected thief could face up to 15 years if convicted of stealing the painting. Kuindzhi painted Ai Petri. Crimea depicting a mountain in the Crimea peninsula in 1908. The work was stolen from the Tretyakov Art Gallery on January 27. Justice Ministry proposes release from liability for corruption offences in some cases RIA Novosti 11:56 28/01/2019 MOSCOW, January 28 (RAPSI) Russias Justice Ministry is drafting a bill releasing individuals from release from responsibility for corruption offences in certain cases. The notification of the document development has been published on the official website of draft laws and regulations. Amendments would be proposed to the anticorruption law. Under the bill, an individual would be released from liability if omission to observe restrictions, bans, requirements to prevent or settle competing interests as well as failure to execute duties set to combat corruption have been resulted from external circumstances making their observance and execution impossible. The objectiveness of circumstances would be established by a commission on compliance with the requirements to official conduct and clearing of conflict of interest. Firefighters put out a blaze at 128-20 14 Ave. in College Point on Monday morning. The fire badly injured an employee at the location, who was rushed over to the Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. New York City, NY (11385) Today Becoming partly cloudy after some evening light rain. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Becoming partly cloudy after some evening light rain. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday that President Donald Trump and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner thought firing Michael Flynn, then Trump's national security adviser, would end any investigation into possible collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign and beyond. He said, you know, Flynns the only guy who spoke to the Russians apparently, so I think this is going to end it and I just laughed, said Christie, who details what he said was a 2017 conversation with Trump and Kushner in his new book, Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics. Christie, who was a former federal prosecutor before he served as governor, launched a GOP bid for president and then eventually led Trump's transition team, said he told Trump and Kushner that, based on his experience, the investigation wasnt going away. Mr. President, it's unfortunate that I have to tell you this, but having done this myself for a living were going to be talking about this on Valentines Day, February 18," Christie, an ABC News contributor, described of his conversation with Trump in an interview on Good Morning America on Monday. "And they laughed out loud, and Jared told me I was crazy. But they had no experience in government and no experience at this and what I was trying to do was help them and say, listen you guys need to get ready for a war, Christie continued. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about contacts with the Russians before he became a member of the administration. He submitted his resignation at the White House less than a month after Trump took office. Christie said its now clear that he undersold how long the investigation would last. Were gonna be talking about it on Valentines Day 2019, not just 2018, and I think they just didn't understand that, Christie said of Trump and Kushner. Christie also maintained that the Trump campaign didnt actively collude with Russia but instead was just trying to figure out how to get field people hired in places like Pennsylvania, let alone run some sort of Tom Clancy operation. He said the lies that have been detailed around the Russia investigation stem from bad personnel choices. One of the presidents biggest problems has been that some of the people he surrounds himself with have just not been good people, Christie said, citing Flynn, former adviser Steve Bannon and former aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman. Roger Stone, a longtime friend of the president and political operative, was the latest in the presidents circle to be arrested on Friday. The special counsel filed a seven-count indictment against him as part of the ongoing probe. Christie, speaking on This Week Sunday, called the indictment "pretty damning." Despite the political challenges of the investigation, Christie said he didnt think the president would be vulnerable to a primary challenger come 2020. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. US Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas): I understand from whats been testified to the Forest Service and the BLM [Bureau of Land Management], you want very much to work on the issue of climate change. We know theres been significant solar flare activity, and so is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moons orbit, or the Earths orbit around the sun? Obviously that would have profound effects on our climate. Jennifer Eberlein, associate deputy chief for the National Forest System, responded that she would have to follow up with you on that one, after a brief pause. Gohmert: Well, if you figure out a way that you in the Forest Service can make that change, Id like to know. June is the true beginning of summer in Michigan. Its a chance for us all to get out on the water, enjoying our beautiful Great Lakes, spending time with friends and family that we may not have been able to see for some time. The challenges of the pandemic that held us all back from people, KAMPALA Liquid Telecom on weekend hosted gaming hackathons under the Global Game Jam brand Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Zambia. The events intended to support the gaming industry in the 4 African countries and also included African gaming developers, programmers and designers. Liquid Telecom also provided participants in the Global Game Jam with venues and high-speed connectivity. Global Game Jam is the worlds largest game jam event taking place at various locations around the world this weekend. Established in 2008 by a small group of gaming enthusiasts, Global Game Jam has grown into a major international event and last year was held in 803 locations across 108 countries, resulting in 8,606 games being created over one weekend. Events like Global Game Jam are a great way for local game developers to connect with the global community and test their skills. At Liquid Telecom, we are passionate about supporting these types of initiatives that promote collaboration whilst also putting our high-speed fibre network to the test. We are already seeing a huge uptake of online gaming on our fibre network all the way from Cape Town to Cairo, said Ben Roberts, Group CTIO, and Liquid Telecom. Through its Innovation Partnership initiative, Liquid Telecom has been supporting some of the regions first international gaming tournaments, providing high-speed connectivity for competitive gamers. It has also partnered with many of the regions leading innovation hubs and today supports almost 200 hubs through its network, connecting over 250,000 individuals and over 10,000 start-ups across the continent. In Uganda, Global Game Jam was hosted by Innovation Village, Kampala, Uganda Comments There are a few questions that we get all the time at The Planetary Society. Look up at space at night from a dark location and you can see innumerable stars. Why, then, do photos of things in space not contain stars? How come the black skies of the Moon contain no stars in Change photos? The answer: The stars are there, they're just too faint to show up. I can illustrate with an example from everyday life. I'm sure that everyone reading this article has made the mistake of shooting a photo of a loved one standing in front of a brightly lit window. In your photo, all you can see is a silhouette; your subject's face is a nearly featureless shadow. Their face still exists, of course! It's just not brightly lit enough to show up in the photo. The same issues that can make your casual snapshots look bad affect space images, too. Let's talk about three things that affect what details you can see in any photo, whether it's of a star, a planet, or a person: the sensitivity of the camera, the time your camera had to collect light, and the dynamic range of your camera. How Sensitive Is Your Camera? How much light does your camera need to see by? Fancy cameras can adjust sensitivity by opening and closing the aperture that lets in the light. Human eyes do the same thing, automatically, all the time, by dilating and contracting their pupils. If you're a sighted person walking from a brightly lit to a dark outdoor area, you won't see stars in the sky either, at least not right away. As your eyes dial up their sensitivity by opening up your pupils, you slowly notice fainter and fainter stars. Most space cameras actually can't adjust their aperture in this way. Instead, scientists predict the light levels that a camera will encounter through its mission, and design their instruments to have an aperture that's an appropriate size for the range of targets they expect to encounter. This can be a challenge if your spacecraft will encounter a wide range of target brightnesses, but you make your camera to work on the intended science targets and don't worry if it isn't ideal for any fun extras you may photograph along the way. OSIRIS-REx, whose MapCam was designed to study the colors of a very dark-toned asteroid, couldnt look at Earth without getting overwhelmed by the brilliant light reflecting off of bright clouds, causing the artifacts you see in the top of this image. Venezuela's self-proclaimed interim president and opposition leader Juan Guaido and his supporters thrust pamphlets offering amnesty into the hands of soldiers on Sunday, part of a strategy to win over allies of President Nicolas Maduro to a transitional government. The reaction from the soldiers in the glare of TV cameras was, predictably, rejection. Some tore up or set fire to the paper, which promised no civil or criminal retribution for acts committed under Maduro's government, considered illegitimate by the United States, Canada and most Latin American nations. While Guaido is unlikely to give up on a plan that political strategists have long argued will be an essential part of any attempt to peel military support away from the Maduro government, concerns are also emerging from human rights groups and victims of serious abuses. "Amnesty is good as long as it is not for human rights violators," said Bonny de Simonovis, wife of Ivan Simonovis, a police chief arrested in 2002 and who is under house arrest. Venezuela is not the first country to face the conundrum of how to facilitate a transition from a government accused of abuses or armed conflict without letting the worst offenders off the hook. This was a hot issue in the peace process in neighboring Colombia. How to get the balance right is a topic of discussion among theorists of transitional justice and conflict resolution around the world. After a phone call of encouragement from U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Guaido declared himself interim president on Wednesday, arguing that Maduro had stolen last year's election and had no legitimate claim to run the country. In a coordinated diplomatic effort the 35-year-old opposition leader was quickly recognized by the United States, Canada and most Latin American countries. Venezuela's generals are accused by the United States and other powers of a range of crimes including cocaine trafficking, financial fraud and illegal mining. Even more seriously, human rights groups link the security forces to extrajudicial killings, torture and illegal detention. "In all situations of transitional justice there is a really difficult issue and that is that fighting against impunity and facilitating a transition often work in opposite directions," said David Smilde, senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America, a think tank. The amnesty plan is due to be submitted to consultation on Monday with committees of victims and non-governmental human rights organizations, which have already warned that the benefits can not cover people linked to crimes against humanity such as murder, torture and political persecution, among others. The respected Human Rights Center at Andres Bello Catholic University said that the final amnesty law produced by the National Assembly, the legislative body that Guaido heads, must include a clear clause excluding perpetrators of "grave human rights crimes whether they are the material or intellectual authors, complicit or have covered up (abuses) by action or omission." As it stands, the draft law contains a certain amount of ambiguity, Smilde said, making it sound like it is going to absolve any military person who participates with the "restoration of democracy." That ambiguity may be deliberate, to encourage military personnel to defect. Juan Guillermo Requesens, father of opposition lawmaker Juan Requesens, a prisoner since August, said, "It is good to bring people on board to restore the democratic order, but the violation of human rights cannot be pardoned." Short link: Thank you for reading the Philadelphia Tribune. You have exhausted your free article views for this month. Please press the "subscribe" button below and see our introductory price of $0.25 per week for 13 weeks. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you next month. In 1940, Albert C. Barnes and his wife, Laura, purchased an 18th-century farmhouse in Chester Springs as a country getaway where they also brought their favorite dog, Fidele de Port Manech, a Brittany spaniel mix. The prominent art collector named the farmhouse, built in 1775, Ker-Feal, meaning Fideles House in Breton, a Celtic language. On Friday, nonprofit Natural Lands announced it had struck a deal to place a conservation easement on Ker-Feal, now owned by the Barnes Foundation. A conservation easement permanently limits the use of land for conservation purposes. Natural Lands said the deal also preserves 137 acres of the historic property in West Pikeland, Chester County. The easement will also protect a mile-long portion of the Horse-Shoe Trail located on the eastern edge of the property. The 140-mile trail runs from Valley Forge National Historical Park to Harrisburg. This is a success story on many levels for open space, for history, and for outdoor recreation, Oliver Bass, president of Natural Lands, said in a statement. Barnes, born in Philadelphia, went on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvanias medical school and study chemistry in Germany. He made a fortune by co-inventing an antiseptic with a German colleague. But he also had a passion for art and began buying paintings in Europe, beginning what became a legendary collection. Barnes, who died in 1951, established the Barnes Foundation in Merion. It officially opened on March 19, 1925. In 2012, the collection was moved to its current location on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. In exchange for signing the agreement, the Barnes Foundation will receive a $1.52 million grant the appraised value of the easement from West Pikeland and the county, according to Natural Lands. We are grateful to Natural Lands, Chester County, and West Pikeland Township for the opportunity to preserve the open space and rural character of Ker-Feal for future generations. The proceeds from the easement have been designated by our board to be added to the Barnes Foundations endowment to further our educational mission, said Thom Collins, executive director and president of the Barnes Foundation. Chester County Commissioners Michelle Kichline, Kathi Cozzone, and Terence Farrell also praised the deal. Ingrid Cantarella-Fox, president of the Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy, said the easement will preserve a bucolic section of the trail laid out in 1935. Natural Lands is the Philadelphia regions largest land conservation organization, with more than 125,000 acres preserved. According to County Lines Magazine, the fieldstone farmhouse has eight rooms and the landscape was designed by Laura Barnes. The magazine reported that Barnes was driving the country roads from Ker-Feal back to Merion when he ran a stop sign and was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer. Fidele, a passenger, had to be euthanized. Laura Barnes continued to use the country house until her death in 1966. Trina Garnett was 14 years old when she killed two people in Chester. Garnett had been abused and neglected for most of her life, suffered a serious intellectual disability, and was homeless at the time of her offense. Despite these challenges, the girl was tried in adult court for the murders and sentenced to life without parole. She remains in prison today, 40 years later. Pennsylvania has the third-largest number of people serving life-without-parole sentences in the U.S., after Florida and Louisiana. The state is leading a nationwide trend of ever-lengthening prison terms. In Pennsylvania, one in six prisoners is serving a life sentence, the vast majority of whom have no chance at a parole review. There are nearly the same number of people serving life sentences in Pennsylvania today as the entire state prison population back in 1980. This growth poses a major obstacle to ending mass incarceration, and is counterproductive to public safety. In a new book on life imprisonment in the United States, authored by Marc Mauer and myself, we document that life sentences accelerated rapidly amid a harsh political environment looking to assuage public fears about victimization. The punitive policy approach lacked research showing effectiveness over less punitive sentences. Philadelphia is the home for most of the people serving life sentences in the state. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, it experienced a sharp, temporary rise in violence as a result of the crack epidemic. Residents worries about crime were not unfounded, but the solutions adopted were far from evidence-based. As the tough on crime movement advanced in the 1980s and beyond, much of its focus was to extend the length of prison terms through policies, such as mandatory sentencing, three strikes and youre out, abolishment of parole, and trying juveniles in the adult system. Because most of the people sentenced under such provisions had committed violent crimes, there was little pushback. Pennsylvania maintains such a high proportion of life-sentenced prisoners for two reasons: first the state abolished its parole system for all people serving life sentences. Second, people convicted of first-degree or second-degree murder receive a mandatory life sentence. Moreover, the states placement of teens as young as 14 in adult criminal court compounds these numbers to produce the nations and the worlds largest population of lifers who were juveniles at the time of their offense. The diminishing impact of long sentences on public safety is largely a function of two dynamics. First, criminologists have long known that people age out of crime. Involvement in criminal behavior rises sharply in the late teen years among those who are at-risk, but declines significantly by the mid- to late-twenties for most. Thus, imposing a decades-long prison term on a 22-year-old means that we will be spending enormous sums of money to prevent a declining proportion of crime over time. Second, public safety resources are finite. The $66,000 or so that is spent annually incarcerating a person in their 50s or 60s is money not available to work with the 14- and 15-year-olds who are beginning to engage in risky behaviors. It would be far more effective to invest in strengthening the capacity of families, schools, and communities to foster resilience and opportunities for young people that would avoid future incarceration. This reorientation will involve a series of shifts in sentencing policy, including: repealing felony murder statutes that penalize a getaway driver as harshly as the triggerman in a homicide; bringing back the system of parole for lifers; and ending the one size fits all structure of mandatory sentencing by restoring discretion to sentencing judges in order to impose individualized sentences by person and offense. Pennsylvania is now poised for meaningful reform as prominent elected officials have offered bold proposals to reorient the states sentencing policy. Reevaluation of prosecutorial practices in Philadelphia, led by the election of Larry Krasner in 2018, could place the city as a national leader in criminal justice reform. In the legislature, one proposed reform would reinstate parole for lifers. While there is no single action that will end mass incarceration, a stepped-up focus on excessive sentences is critical to making that goal a reality. Ashley Nellis, Ph.D. is a senior research analyst at The Sentencing Project and coauthor of The Meaning of Life: The Case for Abolishing Life Sentences. She will be at Industrious (230 S. Broad St.) discussing her book at a community forum on life sentences 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Governor Tom Wolf has pushed to increase Pennsylvanias minimum wage every year since he took office in 2015. Wolfs claim is that the minimum wage is not a living wage. But it isnt supposed to be. A minimum wage is supposed to be an entry-level wage that applies to people who have little to no skills or experience. The lower that wage is, the more likely employers will be to risk hiring these workers, and the more quickly the workers will be able to accumulate skills and experience. How do we know workers will quickly earn more? Because very few are earning the minimum wage now. Only 1 percent of Pennsylvanias workers earn the minimum wage. Out of 6 million workers, 40,000 earn the minimum. Another 60,000 tipped workers receive less than the minimum from their employers, but often earn much more than the minimum from their customers. Around 70 percent of minimum wage workers live in households that are already earning more than the living wage of $15 an hour. Fewer than 7 percent of minimum wage workers have dependents. Regardless, if the minimum is supposed to be an entry-level wage, $15 an hour isnt that. Fifteen dollars an hour is, functionally, a middle-class wage. It is just pennies below the median wage in the nonmetropolitan areas of the Commonwealth, and 15 percent less than the median wage in Pittsburgh. Only in Philadelphia, where the median wage is over $20 an hour, is a $15 wage more than 25 percent below what most people are already earning. Of course, the cost of living in Philadelphia is higher, but the governor is not advocating different minimums tailored to different areas hes pushing a one-size-fits-all minimum. Excluding tipped workers, the average Pennsylvanian earning under $15 an hour earns around $12, meaning a $15 minimum would increase the cost of such a worker by a whopping 25 percent. When more experienced workers who already earn $15 see less experienced workers getting 25 percent pay raises, the more experienced workers are going to demand increases as well. Employers will have to accede or suffer significant morale problems. And there are only three ways for employers to pay for a wage hike: by cutting into profits, by charging customers more, or by laying off less productive workers. Most people believe that the average company has more than a 35 percent profit margin, and so can afford to pay for a massive wage hike out of its profits. This is so far from correct as to be laughable, or at least it would be if the ramifications werent so severe. The average U.S. companys profit margin is less than 8 percent. And businesses that employ large numbers of low-skilled workers, like retailers and restaurants, have profit margins closer to 2 percent. It is unlikely that such businesses are making anywhere near enough to afford to pay for a hefty wage hike out of their profits. That leaves price increases and layoffs. When businesses raise their prices to pay for a minimum wage hike, minimum-wage workers give back some of their gains. A wage boost looks much less attractive when accompanied by increases in the prices of things workers need to buy. And then there are the layoffs. Making low-skilled workers more expensive encourages businesses to replace them with machines. So, when you go into a McDonalds, youll see more kiosks and fewer cashiers. When you go into a movie theater, youll see an automated drink dispenser and fewer concession workers. When you hire a lawn mowing service, youll get one expensive riding mower that requires one operator instead of several cheaper push mowers that require several operators. In the end, the minimum wage is not $15, $7.25, or any other number politicians might throw around. The minimum wage is, and will always be, zero. Thats the wage workers earn when their jobs disappear because some politician decided that employers must pay workers more than their labor is worth. Tom Wolf and his friends in the tinkering class would do well to remember this, because the jobs they will destroy are the ones held by the very workers they claim to be helping. Antony Davies is associate professor of economics at Duquesne University. James R. Harrigan teaches in the department of Political Economy and Moral Science at the University of Arizona. They host the weekly podcast, Words & Numbers. When you read that a purchase is a Product of the USA, youre pretty much assuming it was made here, right? Well, apparently that line gets a little fuzzy when it comes to mushrooms, and its putting the squeeze on mushroom growers in our region. My colleague Sam Woods report may have you rethinking your shiitake purchases. And yes, the government shutdown is indeed over, for now. But the mess it left behind has yet to be cleaned up. A look at how Immigration Courts will be impacted makes for a startling read this morning. Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning. Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com) Kennett Square, Pa., is known as the Mushroom Capital of the World. But Oakshire Mushroom Farms and several other mushroom producers in Southeastern Pennsylvania say their business is being clobbered by imports. Oakshire, for instance, is laboring under more than $10 million in debt and has filed for bankruptcy. Making matters worse, mushrooms that originate in China are being labeled Product of the USA thanks to a regulatory quirk. The partial government shutdown has ended and the government has reopened (for now, at least). But that doesnt mean everything goes right back to normal, especially for the Immigration Courts. During the shutdown, immigration hearings were cancelled at a rate approaching 20,000 per week. That means some migrants who have already waited two, three, or even four years for hearings may have to wait two or three more. In the last election, Burlington County Democrats won over the countys governing body. This month they took control, and theyve already taken aim at a pipeline project in the Pinelands. The controversial $180 million Southern Reliability Link pipeline cuts through the federally protected million-acre tract. Now Democrats want the chairman of the Pinelands Commission to step down and the fight is escalating in the courts. What you need to know today Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly You can feel the sun from here, @kylehuff. Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and well pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out! Thats Interesting Opinions Yes, were so afraid of asking people to move their cars that were going to deputize a small army of trash blowers to push rubbish under, around, and possibly over parked cars and into the path of the aforementioned street sweepers. Columnist Mike Newall on the citys loud, odd, and very Philly solution to our filthy streets. In Philly, mothers who lose children to gun violence often seek justice themselves by investigating and, columnist Helen Ubinas writes, perhaps they should formalize their efforts. The government may be open (at least temporarily) but we should end the State of the Union Address for good, writes columnist John Baer. What were reading A Daily Dose of | Activism A Camden school nurse has turned her wish to end gun violence into a grassroots arts campaign, symbolized by empty desks painted by students Movita Johnson-Harrell has had a whirlwind year: She got a job as a crime victims' advocate at the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office. Her business closed. She filed for bankruptcy. And now shes the Democratic nominee to represent the 190th District in the state House. Johnson-Harrell is one of four candidates on the March 12 special election ballot to fill the West Philadelphia legislative seat vacated last month by Vanessa Lowery Brown, a Democrat who left office in disgrace after being convicted on bribery charges. She was selected as her partys nominee Sunday afternoon in an occasionally raucous 90-minute meeting of the leaders of seven wards in the district, overseen by former U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, the city party chairman. Johnson-Harrell was called into the meeting three times to answer questions about her financial troubles. Brady, after the meeting, said attorneys for the party had reviewed Johnson-Harrells legal issues. Theyre confident theres nothing wrong there, nothing to preclude her from taking office, he said. Were feeling pretty confident. Those troubles include a 2013 guilty plea for a summary charge of making a false statement or representation knowing it to be false, involving employer-withheld taxes at a West Philadelphia personal-care home Johnson-Harrell operated. Court records show she finished paying $25,569 in restitution in late December 2017, just days before starting her job as supervisor of victim witness services and restorative justice in the office of District Attorney Larry Krasner, which paid $96,105 per year. Johnson-Harrell said the summary charge was filed because a payroll company she hired failed to withhold state unemployment-insurance taxes from workers' checks. Johnson-Harrell, who resigned from her job at the District Attorneys Office on Friday, filed for bankruptcy in November, and in December cited $788,083 in assets, including her 2009 Porsche Cayenne and three Powelton Avenue properties where the personal-care home was located. She also listed $607,429 in liabilities, the biggest chunk being a $465,000 default judgment from October, the result of two 2005 loans for a combined $560,000 that were secured with those properties. They were listed in October for sheriffs sale, but that was postponed two weeks ago due to Johnson-Harrells bankruptcy filing. The personal-care home was abruptly closed in May after state investigators found unsanitary conditions and no staff on duty. At the time, Johnson-Harrell said she no longer ran the business. Johnson-Harrell also has a string of local judgments against her for Philadelphia tax liens, along with an IRS lien of $56,397 in 2011 for unpaid federal taxes. Johnson-Harrell was escorted in Sundays ward leader meeting by State Rep. Jordan Harris, the Democratic House whip, and State Sen. Sharif Street, a lawyer and vice chairman of the state Democratic Party. The Democratic candidate selection process has been marred with mishaps. The original front-runner for the nomination, attorney Sonte Reavis, withdrew from consideration after a Clout column in the Inquirer and Daily News raised questions about his residency in the district. Another Clout column also raised residency questions about the partys original nominee, barbershop owner Darrell Thomas, who announced on Facebook on Saturday that he was withdrawing from the race. Two Democrats who unsuccessfully sought the party nomination, Amen Brown and Pastor Pam Williams, will appear on the ballot as independents. The Republican nominee is Michael Harvey. Any Democrat is heavily favored to win the election because 87 percent of the districts voters are registered with the party. The winner will complete Browns two-year term in office, which pays $88,610 per year. After more than 40 years of being in the minority, Democrats seized control of Burlington Countys governing body this month, and already have joined the fray over a natural gas pipeline that opponents say threatens the Pinelands, a federally protected million-acre tract in New Jersey. The new majority on the Freeholder Board is calling for Sean Earlen, chairman of the Pinelands Commission, to step down or be ousted, saying he has a conflict of interest and is beholden to the Republican Party. Earlen, who was appointed by the boards previous GOP majority and named chairman by then-Gov. Chris Christie, helped push through the $180 million Southern Reliability Link pipeline, which cuts through the protected area. Last week, Earlen said he would not resign. My term is up at the end of 2020, and I dont believe there is a conflict," said Earlen, who was recently named the head of the countys Republican committee. The 30-mile-long, 30-inch pipeline was approved in September 2017 but is still quite contentious, as shown by the hundreds who go to meetings to protest against it. Work on the project quietly began in Plumsted Township late last month, but multiple lawsuits are pending and more are being filed as the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and Sierra Club challenge the pipeline, saying that it would harm the environmentally sensitive preserve and that an alternate route should be considered. The environmental groups also argue that irregularities and conflicts of interest marred the approval process. New Jersey Natural Gas Co., which is handling the project, is suing, too, saying the freeholders have imposed too many restrictions on installation of the pipeline, which would go from Chesterfield Township, Burlington County, through parts of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and end in Manchester Township, Ocean County. The gas company representatives say the pipeline is needed to enhance service to South Jersey customers and increase reliability. Yes, we are looking at stopping the pipeline," said Tom Pullion, a Democrat newly sworn in as the director of the five-member freeholder board. In November, Democrats captured two seats, giving the party a 4-1 majority and some oversight over the pipeline, including road closures during the project and appointments to the Pinelands Commission. Pullion said the board is considering rescinding the action that the lame-duck GOP-controlled board took in late December to allow two county roads to be closed during the duration of the pipe installation. More than 100 people went to the December meeting to oppose the road closures. Rescinding the authorization to close the roads could be very significant, said Carleton Montgomery, executive director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. It might make it impossible for them [the gas company] to do it the way they want to do it.... Maybe they would consider a different route less harmful to the Pinelands. The alliance is suing to overturn the vote, saying two of the three Republicans who participated, former Freeholder Director Kate Gibbs and Freeholder Latham Tiver, should have recused themselves because they work for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825. The union has lobbied for the pipeline and the work it would bring, he said. The vote was 3-2, so without their votes, the authorization would have failed. Gibbs said she had no conflict because all we were doing is giving the county engineer another tool in his toolbox to incorporate the road closure in with the permits. She said she favors the pipeline because it is necessary for the Joint Base and for our infrastructure ... but I have no financial gain or benefit from the vote. Tiver could not be reached for comment. The GOP-controlled board also voted in 2017 to reappoint Earlen to another three-year term on the Pinelands Commission, a 15-member body composed of seven members appointed by the governor, seven by the counties that have territory in the Pinelands, and one by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The commissions purpose is protect the federal preserve and the trillions of gallons of water in its aquifer and to limit development. Heres a guy who sat on the commission who doesnt seem to care about the environment and who cares more about business than the residents whose homes are right next to where the pipeline will be, Pullion said. There was an alternate route for that pipeline to go without putting trillions of gallons of clean water at risk. Why wouldnt you do that? Pullion said Earlen also has a conflict of interest because he was named the chairman of the county Republican committee this month. The decisions you make on the commission should serve everyone, and hes the GOP chair, he said. Deputy Freeholder Director Balvir Singh, also a Democrat, said foes of the pipeline have attended several board meetings this month and requested Earlens ouster. Were hearing concerns from the people that as the head of a political party, his decisions wont be as unbiased or as fair when decisions come before him, Singh said. A lot of money flows through the party, and we want to explore those concerns. After the GOPs bruising losses in the county elections and the resignation of former longtime Chairman Bill Layton, Earlen was named to head the party. In November, two incumbent freeholders, the county clerk, and U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur, who represented Burlington and Ocean Counties, were all defeated. Earlen said his new position does not interfere with his serving on the Pinelands Commission. All the appointments on the Pinelands Commission are made by politicians, and on top of that, there are a multitude of mayors, freeholders, and other folks involved in local and state politics who have served in the past. Many of us wear different hats, said Earlen, who is also mayor of Lumberton Township. The commissions job is to enforce the comprehensive management plan and protect the Pinelands. Politics and accusations of conflicts of interest have long plagued the Pinelands Commission. In 2013, Commissioner Edward Lloyd, who was the president of the Eastern Environmental Law Center, was asked to recuse himself on votes involving a second gas pipeline because he said he was told by the Attorney Generals Office that he had a potential conflict of interest. Environmental groups opposed to that pipeline criticized the recusal request, saying Christie was trying to muster enough votes to get the pipeline approved after Lloyd had raised questions about it. That South Jersey Gas Co. pipeline received approvals in 2016 and 2017. It follows a 22-mile route that starts in Cumberland County and ends at a proposed gas-fired electricity-generation plant in Cape May County. After the first vote on the projects approval ended in a tie, Christie appointed Earlen as chairman, in 2016, to replace Mark Lohbauer, a foe of the project. Cumberland County also switched its representative on the commission to a member who favored the project, and a second vote allowed the project to move forward. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who has been in office one year, has discretion to name a new chairman at any time. When asked for comment, a spokesperson said in an email: The Governors Office does not comment on appointments that have not yet been made. Gov. Murphy has directed his team to take a hard look at energy infrastructure projects as part of an updated Energy Master Plan, which will set New Jersey on a path to 100 percent clean energy by 2050. Follow-up questions were not answered. Its surprising to me the Democratic governor has left the chairman of the local Republican Party as the chair of the commission," Montgomery said. I dont like to see the Pinelands Commission politicized. Montgomery said one reason could be that Murphys administration has two sets of constituents they like, the people who care about the environment and oppose pipelines, and then they have unions, the operating engineers, who want the work." In recent days, Murphy made his first two nominations to the commission. Both are environmentalists, and they await confirmation by the state Senate. ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE Pope Francis has sought to lower expectations from his big sex abuse prevention summit next month. Francis told reporters returning from Panama on Sunday that he wants the Feb. 21-24 meeting to essentially be a catechism class for bishops about sex abuse. He said he wanted to sensitize church leaders around the globe to the pain of victims, instruct them how to investigate cases and develop general protocols for the entire hierarchy to use. "Let me say that I've sensed somewhat inflated expectations," he said. "We have to deflate the expectations to these three points, because the problem of abuse will continue. It's a human problem." Francis' lowering of expectations will likely not go over well in the United States, where rank-and-file Catholics are withholding donations and demanding accountability from their bishops after the hierarchy's repeated failures to protect children were exposed again last year. The crisis began in early 2018 when the Argentine pope strongly defended a Chilean bishop accused of cover-up. It intensified when a prominent U.S. ex-cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, was accused of sexually abusing minors and adults, and then reached crisis point when a grand jury in Pennsylvania detailed allegations of 70 years of abuse and cover-up in six dioceses in the state. Francis himself was implicated in the McCarrick scandal when a former Vatican ambassador accused him of rehabilitating McCarrick from sanctions despite knowing of his penchant to sleep with seminarians. Francis, who removed McCarrick as a cardinal when the allegations of abusing a minor were lodged, is expected to soon decide whether to defrock him. Francis in September summoned the presidents of bishops conferences for the summit after realizing that church leaders in some parts of the world still didn't "get it." In fact, more than 30 years after the scandal first erupted in Ireland and Australia and 20 years after it hit the U.S., bishops in many parts of Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia either deny the problem exists in their regions or downplay it. Just last year, for example, Italian bishops began developing protocols for handling cases and accompanying victims. Expectations for the February summit grew in part because the head of the U.S. bishops' conference, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, claimed that the Vatican had cited the need to wait for the meeting's outcome before adopting U.S. protocols to address the scandal last year. In fact, the Vatican blocked the U.S. vote on the protocols because the U.S. conference had withheld the legally problematic proposals from Vatican review until the last minute. The U.S. bishops had wanted to create a reporting mechanism to hold themselves accountable that would have involved a lay-led commission receiving accusations when bishops themselves were accused of misconduct. An alternate proposal called for the accusations to be fielded by the metropolitan bishops who have regional responsibilities over other bishops. Francis suggested that idea could figure into the general protocols under consideration, saying the protocols would discuss "what bishops, the metropolitans and the president of the conference must do." Francis entertained a wide range of questions during his 45-minute in-flight press conference. In addition to abuse he The first criminal charges in the long-running FBI investigation into the Philadelphia regions largest Electricians union local were revealed Monday, as a New Jersey electrical contractor with extensive ties to labor leader John J. Johnny Doc Dougherty admitted to unlawfully providing thousands of dollars in benefits to an unnamed union leader. George Peltz, owner of MJK Electrical Corp., with offices in Philadelphia and Berlin, Camden County, pleaded guilty to counts including tax evasion, failing to pay payroll taxes, theft from employee benefit funds, and making unlawful payments to a union official. He told a federal judge that between 2012 and 2016, he provided an Electricians Local 98 officer named in court filings only as Official 1 with nearly $57,000 in home and office improvements at no charge. That work included security systems installed at a business co-owned by the official and the installation of large-screen TVs in homes of the official and the officials relatives. Peltz also acknowledged giving the same official $4,500 in gift certificates to Boyds, the Chestnut Street clothing store, in 2013 and 2016. Federal law prohibits employers from providing goods and services to union officials unless those transactions are carried out at fair market price. Mondays court proceeding came as federal authorities prepared to reveal the results of their wider probe into the operations of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers an announcement that sources familiar with the investigation said could come within days. Those sources, who were not authorized to discuss the case publicly, have described a multipronged investigation examining the methods by which the union has exerted its considerable clout in labor relations and politics in Philadelphia and across the state. Over the last several years, agents have scrutinized everything from Local 98s voluminous political spending to allegations of work-site intimidation and misspending of union funds. The Inquirer and Daily News reported in 2017 that agents had tapped the phones of key union officials, including business manager Dougherty and City Councilman Bobby Henon, who holds a paid position with the union. The involvement of Peltz a longtime contractor and an established figure in the building trades came to light after agents went to his office in 2016 as part of a series of coordinated FBI raids on more than a dozen offices and homes connected to Local 98, its officers, and key allies. Court filings surrounding Peltzs plea Monday said that he had not struck any agreement to cooperate with the investigation or testify against any other union members who may be indicted. He accepts responsibility, his attorney, Barry Gross, said. He will pay restitution, and he wants to move on with his life. A Local 98 spokesman declined to comment Monday on Peltzs guilty plea. According to the companys website, Peltz founded MJK in 1994 along with business partner Michael J. Jones, who was not charged Monday. With Jones, an African American, serving as president, the company has benefited in the years since from city rules requiring a certain percentage of contract work to be awarded to minority-owned businesses. During the 2016 Democratic National Convention, MJK handled some work at the Wells Fargo Center, with Peltz the on-site representative. On its website, the company says it handled convention and trade show work at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown and the Convention Center. The company is also one of the largest recipients of what are known as market recovery funds from Local 98, receiving more than $1.3 million since 2012, according to the unions financial statements. The payments are meant to subsidize labor costs for union contractors to help them compete with nonunion employers. But their use by Doughertys union has drawn scrutiny from federal investigators, sources familiar with the scope of the investigation have said. During Mondays court appearance, Peltz also admitted to a host of other crimes tied to more than $1.6 million in business and personal income he admitted to hiding from the IRS between 2012 and 2015. That total included $101,000 in MJK revenue that prosecutors said he spent on himself in those years to pay college tuition for a family member, golf fees, fitness club dues, hotel and travel expenses, and more than $30,000 in purchases at Boyds. At work, Peltz instructed his bookkeeper to keep all payments for less than $10,000 off MJKs official ledgers, according to his plea documents. He would then cash those checks and pay some employees who were Local 98 members under the table. He also instructed his staff to keep separate ledgers of employee overtime and weekend work pay, which he also doled out in cash. But even as he did so, he was cheating his workers, prosecutors said. Peltzs cash overtime payments were approximately half of the regular hourly rate, so the employees union wages were undercut, his plea documents state. As a result of that underreporting of hours, MJKs payments to its employee benefit plans which were based on the number of hours worked consistently fell below what he should have paid. In total, he admitted to shorting the funds $464,000 between 2012 and 2015. Immediately after the 2016 FBI raids, prosecutors said, Peltz instructed his bookkeeper to start reporting all employees full wages to the companys payroll service. He will face up to five years in prison for each of the four counts to which he pleaded guilty Monday at a sentencing hearing scheduled for May. A crowd of mourners gathered Sunday outside 146 N. 10th St. to toast farewell, as if for an Irish wake, for what may be the citys oldest Chinese restaurant. They started queuing up under the weathered awning of the Imperial Inn well before 10 a.m., murmuring of milestones marked inside the red-carpeted dining rooms. After more than 45 years, as it had announced, the Inn closed Sunday afternoon, soon to be replaced by a supermarket. But it couldnt bow out without one final lunch rush, a dim sum served with a heady side dish of nostalgia. Upstairs, away from the line that snaked down the block, Evan Liu and three generations of his family sat down for a meal in the same room where, 36 years earlier, he and his wife, Donna, had held the rehearsal dinner for their wedding. I am far and away the least sentimental person I know, but I was strangely saddened by this, said Liu, a Center City lawyer and physician. You just expected this place to be here forever, that it would continue in some form. Things change, but it was still shocking. Liu first sat down for a meal at the Inn hours after arriving in Philadelphia from his hometown of Pittsburgh to attend what was then called Jefferson Medical College, he and his Chinese expat parents making the four-block trek north after unpacking his dorm room. Legend has it that Kit Fon Law, one of the Inns four original partners, saw Lius parents walking in Chinatown and invited them, in Cantonese, to eat at his restaurant. It was a seminal moment in Lius life, he said, leading to literally thousands of post-church Sunday lunches with his four children, all of whom were weaned on the Inns dim sum in utero. This final Sunday was a call to action for the family. They had erupted in a panic Wednesday after reading a report on Philly.com announcing the Inns impending closure. Tears were shed. Dread set in. And, amid the torrent of emotion, a plan was hatched. Chris Liu booked a last-minute flight from Denver, hustling to the Mile High Citys airport in the predawn hours Saturday with nothing but a backpack and a manic craving for lotus leaf sticky rice. His younger brother Robert made a bleary-eyed, seven-hour drive from Burlington, Vt., after digging his car out from under a few feet of snow. All of our memories lead back to here, said Robert Liu, 26. Its very rare that you know a certain time is the last time, ever, that youll do something. None of us could miss it. Its not that Daniel Law, Imperial Inns urbane, soft-spoken general manager, has secret recipes that trump all of his competitors'. The draw, for the Liu family, goes deeper than food. Ive eaten dim sum in China; this isnt a matter of better, said Kirstin Liu, the oldest of her four siblings. When I want comfort, I want this. Its what my taste buds crave. Like the proverbial pots of Italian gravy that have graced Sunday dinner tables in South Philly for generations, dim sum is the connective tissue binding Chinese families. Its a brunch-like meal delivered on carts by waiters who offer a rotating selection of small plates, including shumai dumplings, spring rolls, and a savory rice porridge called congee. In Philadelphia, plenty of families have come to trust the cuisine overseen by Law, whose father partnered with Luis Sust, Tseng Man Tah, and Kit Foon Law to open the Imperial Inn in 1973. On Sunday afternoon, Daniel Law held court behind the bar, scribbling totals on receipts and processing credit cards. By 1 p.m., with two hours to go before closing, he estimated his staff already had seated more than 800 people. Its sad in a way, but in life everything has to come to an end, said Law, 69. Ive been here 45 years. I was a teenager when I walked in, and I leave it as a senior citizen. From his vantage point, Chinatown has changed with the proliferation of dessert shops and small-plate takeout joints, the blurred lines of newer restaurants that offer dumplings alongside sushi and sashimi. If he could start over, he said, hed add a few fusion items to his own menu. But he has no complaints. He promised his wife a long-overdue vacation to Cancun. I just want to thank everyone for the support, Law said. We had good days and we had bad days, but no matter what, we always had support. Kit Foon Law had been the face of the restaurant, its majordomo, until November, when he died at 94 after putting in a full days work. Regulars felt like members of his family Donna Liu said he would regularly serve them fish and noodles when he knew they were celebrating their anniversary, symbolic dishes wishing them good health and luck. Debbie Law, Foon Laws granddaughter, arrived Sunday as a customer at the restaurant where she grew up, but ended up being roped in to help hustle plates to and from the kitchen. It was, she said, what my grandfather wouldve wanted. Its surreal to be here, I cant believe this is happening, she said as she stole a quick break, glancing over the Inns packed second-floor banquet room. Hearing this place has touched thousands of families, it just makes me proud. To hear some who stood in line Sunday tell it, it was a place where families started. Mike Black proposed to his wife, Anna Cho, in the first-floor dining room, enlisting the aid of the servers and bartenders. The couple returned Sunday with their two kids to say goodbye. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder with dozens of people with similar stories: adults returning with their children for the chicken and broccoli theyd eaten with their own parents, couples reliving first dates, a nervous energy pulsing through them all as they jockeyed for one final cup of tea, one more glance at the faded backlit pictures of Taoist temples. Laughter and smiles were the order of the day, and no tears were shed despite everyones loss. At 3 p.m., the doors of the Imperial Inn snapped shut forever, and a pillar of the old guard passed into Chinatown history. The Boston Globe described the work as "recently discovered" in its headline. A Vox article evoked a scene of abandonment and deterioration - the story had "languished in her archives for decades." And a recent New Yorker article, "A Lost Story by Sylvia Plath Contains the Seeds of the Writer She Would Become," noted that "not even the author's estate had known the story existed until the critic and academic Judith Galzer-Raymo stumbled over it while doing research in Plath's archives." But was Plath's story really "lost"? For years, "Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom" has been preserved - and has been accessible to the public - at Indiana University's Lilly Library, thanks to the work of archivists and other cultural stewards. As an archivist, I bristle at this sort of misleading coverage, which is only the latest example of the media ignoring the work of archivists in order to highlight something found in archives as "newly discovered." What's behind this media impulse and why do these mischaracterizations persist? Archival tropes I've become all too accustomed to seeing headlines about "long-lost" manuscripts that have been found. For example, in 2012 twoarticles in The Atlantic debated whether a medical report relating to Abraham Lincoln's assassination amounted to a "discovery." As another example, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported a "long-lost letter" by Rene Descartes that had "lain buried in the archives [at Haverford College] for more than a century." The public also recently learned of letters from interned Japanese-Canadians during the Second World War that had been "long-forgotten in the bowels of Library and Archives Canada." In all these examples, the documents were already preserved and accessible in archival repositories. And on the rare occasions that archives are featured in the press or in popular culture, they're usually characterized as old, secluded and dusty places. For example, in 2013 The New York Times published an article titled "Leaving Cloister of Dusty Offices, Young Archivists Meet Like Minds." If the headline alone didn't convey this sentiment, the text drove it home: The archivists, it read, had "long spent their careers cloistered, like the objects they protected." Any archivist reading this story knows that nothing could be further from the truth. In a letter to the editor, Helen W. Samuels, a former archivist at MIT, responded, "While I was delighted that your article focused attention on the talented archivists now employed by so many institutions, I was saddened that it perpetuated the outdated image of archivists as preservers of dusty, precious artifacts maintained in a cloistered environment." Innovators versus maintainers For the record, "dusty" doesn't characterize any of the repositories I've worked in or visited. For example, the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia is clean with an open layout, and its spaces are filled with natural light. Similarly, the University of Michigan's William L. Clements Library spaces do not fit the "dusty" stereotype. Perhaps the media finds these tropes appealing because they evoke the romance and mystery of unearthing, discovering and rescuing rare books, documents or artifacts, as if they're hidden treasures. After all, who doesn't want to feel like Indiana Jones? And by representing archives as dusty, cloistered places, the materials appear to be on the verge of disappearing into obscurity - that is, unless a researcher comes to the rescue. Another reason these tropes persist could have to do with the way our society privileges innovators over maintainers. Maintainers, according to scholars Andrew Russell and Lee Vinsel, are "those individuals whose work keeps ordinary existence going rather than introducing novel things." Archivists are maintainers: They perform the "ordinary" work of acquiring, appraising and arranging archival materials. They respond to the inquiries of students and researchers, and work to preserve materials for posterity. As members of the archival community have pointed out, this sort of work is generally ignored and misunderstood. Instead, when it comes to stories about archival research, stories will focus on the "innovators" - the scholars who write about the rare manuscript or old letter and, in doing so, rescue these materials from obscurity. In almost every case, these stories gloss over the fact that these items exist in publicly accessible collections and are described in finding aids and databases. Giving credit where credit's due This is not to take anything away from the work of researchers. Archival research is a process that often involves an intense commitment of time and energy. A researcher can see value or significance in a letter or manuscript that might have otherwise gone unnoticed outside of the archives. Nonetheless, while a researcher might be the first researcher to read a document, they may not be the first person to have encountered it - not when archivists, curators, librarians and other staff work with materials on a daily basis. Interestingly, the researcher featured in The New Yorker article about the Plath short story doesn't appear to have been the first scholar to have "discovered" that "lost" Sylvia Plath story. As Rebecca Baumann, Head of Public Services at the Lilly Library, noted, "Many people have written about ["Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom"] . There's published scholarship that discusses [it]." But that doesn't always make for the best story. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/sylvia-plaths-new-short-story-was-never-lost-so-why-is-the-media-saying-it-was-just-discovered-110329. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Monday, the first business day after the partial government shutdown ended or at least went on pause brought a sense of relief to many of the 800,000 federal workers who had been furloughed or working without pay since Dec. 22. But Brian Turner says hes still in shutdown mode. Turner, 28, a Transportation Security Administration agent at Philadelphia International Airport who was one of those who worked without pay during the 35-day shutdown, said his attitude is a practical one. A father to an infant son, he knows the government might shut down again after Feb. 15 if lawmakers cant come to an agreement over if or how to fund President Donald Trumps proposed wall along the southern border. So hes stocking up on groceries and still keeping an eye out for other jobs. As long as the shutdown seems to be a negotiation tactic, I have to prepare for the worst, he said. Despite the agreement to end the shutdown at least temporarily, Turner and hundreds of thousands of others federal employees who returned to work, immigrants awaiting hearings, families relying on food stamps havent put the shutdown behind them completely. Trump has said that he does not think a deal is likely and that he would use his emergency powers to fund building of the wall if it came to that. The shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, likely will mean a $3 billion hit to the $20 trillion-plus national economy, according to a report the Congressional Budget Office released Monday. It will add years to many immigrants court cases, immigration lawyers and former judges said. And because of the shutdown, people got their February food-stamp benefits early, which means they have to last for more than a month. Stores that rely on shoppers' using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits also stand to miss out on sales by the end of February. Meanwhile, some restaurants extended their deals for federal employees. The airport will keep its food pantry open for workers until Thursday. On Monday, a red banner still appeared at the top of the National Park Services website warning that the shutdown had closed some parks and limited operations in the rest. The Philadelphia region has one of the nations largest bloc of federal workers, more than 40,000. About 60 work at Valley Forge National Historical Park, where employees gathered Monday for a morning briefing, together again after more than a month away. "They are relieved the shutdown is over, theyre pleased to be back in the parks, and were ready to resume where we left off, said Jonathan Parker, the parks public information officer. "One of the first orders of business here today is to have amended our time cards so that they can be sent to Washington to facilitate the back pay, Parker said. Parker said employees would begin to receive back pay as early as Wednesday. Since federal workers could get one big check of back pay, they likely would get more taxes taken out of their paychecks, said Nurel Story, a revenue agent with the IRS and union leader. Employees who got unemployment benefits will also have to repay them; more than 41,000 federal workers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania applied for those benefits in the first four weeks of the shutdown. Fourteen employees had continued to work at Valley Forge during the shutdown, mostly federally commissioned law enforcement rangers and some maintenance staff. Parker said the park should be back to full operation at midweek. During the shutdown, most of the parks restrooms were closed, so they need to be cleaned and reopened. The park was open for normal business hours Monday, but some historic buildings were not yet accessible. School field trips canceled because of the shutdown need to be rescheduled. Paused discussions about budgeting and hiring need to resume. What will be the long-term impact of the shutdown on the park, and when will employees be caught up from a month away from work? Thats a great question Im not sure internally we even have an answer for yet, Parker said. That remains to be seen. Two nonprofits the bookstore and souvenir shop the Encampment Store and the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board kept basic visitor operations going during the shutdown. According to national policy, these groups will not be reimbursed. In Old City, the Independence Visitor Center, which resumed normal operating hours on Sunday, saw a 126 percent increase in attendance over the same weekend last year, said spokesperson Nicole Woods. The Visitor Centers staff went unpaid one day per week during the shutdown and will not receive back pay because they are not federal employees. Rich Gennetti, a national representative for the union for federal government employees in Pennsylvania and Delaware, said workers are all delighted to be back, at least temporarily. We hope sanity prevails, he said, "and everyone figures out no one wants to go through this again in three weeks. To Amelia Longo, the citys public libraries are more than just a book repository. Longo, 35, says the library is expansive," offering not just books and materials, but free events and programs, as well as a free space to read, hang out, do work, meet up, and reorient between travels. Its a space that I can be for free and that has WiFi, she said. Longo, of Point Breeze, is one of many millennials across the city who rely on libraries as public spaces that provide free WiFi and programming, digital services, and the chance to connect with their community. The citys millennials hold 222,225 library cards the most when compared with baby boomers and Gen Xers but they borrow fewer items, data from the Free Library show, suggesting the group engages with branches in ways that go beyond simply renting materials. In 2018, millennials borrowed 703,589 items, placing them third behind Gen Xers (756,718 items) and boomers (934,221). Across the board, the generations borrowed fewer items at the Free Library from 2017 to 2018, the data showed. Millennials are the generation of Americans most likely to visit public libraries, Pew research shows. These trends may be related to the significant changes many public libraries have undergone in the last few decades to emphasize social and community aspects, experts say. Theres no doubt that community-related services at libraries and programming are particularly compelling to millennials, said Lee Rainie, director of internet and technology research at the Pew Research Center in Washington. National research has shown that millennials are relatively heavy users of libraries and that they are more likely to not just check out books and use the reference desk, but also to use computers and check out technologyrelated materials. So many people suppose, number one, that libraries are a thing of the past, and number two, that young people arent book readers anymore, dont have any connection to libraries because theyre living online, especially on their smartphones, Rainie said, but data tell a different story. Much of how millennials use libraries can be traced back to their watching libraries transform as they grew up, he said. Young people watched libraries reinvent themselves: adding computers and internet connection; reconfiguring spaces to emphasize tech, social gatherings or community; and offering more programs built around community activities. Now, their use habits have aged with them, and millennials many of whom are now in their late 20s and early 30s are doing things that people have always done at libraries," such as taking young children to story times. As a child, Temple University senior Rebecca Roman was carted to libraries by her grandmother every few days. Roman, now 22, remembers that even then, the library felt welcoming; always positioned as a space for community; and a nice way to just see new faces. When she grew up, the library became a place to study and finish homework assignments. Its really kind of a place of refuge sometimes, said Roman, who says these days she mostly uses the library to meet up with friends and hold study sessions. The Free Library has tried to embrace its new role as a digital hub, and to reimagine branches to meet the shifting needs of patrons. Under the 21st Century Library Initiative, some branches underwent extensive overhauls meant to modernize the library and appeal to younger crowds with reduced numbers books and bookshelves, and more cafe tables and study rooms. At the Free Librarys Independence Branch, millennials visit weekly, some to work, some to get books, and others to gather in the name of political or social activism. We have a lot of [young] people who will come in and set up, and theyll be here for hours and hours," working on their devices, said Vicki Szondy, a library assistant at the branch. >> READ MORE: Renovated Free Library branches aim to get more people in the door There are lots of ways that libraries didnt stand still as the digital tsunami was washing over the culture, and millennials were observant of that, Rainie said. They knew that libraries were places to meet up with folks." Libraries were these third places where these community activities could take place. Audrey Ellis is one of many who see the library as a third place a place besides home and school or work where she and others can gather for free. Ellis, a 34-year-old South Philadelphia resident, lives within walking distance of three Free Library branches, and visits at least once a week, mostly to cobble together activities for her 14-month-old son. Ellis young family uses the library as a community center, she said. Its a place to go thats warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and we love it when theres programmed activities there. But we also just go there as a third space. For us, its really about the actual space and the resources that the space [has], and the programming they provide," she said. HARRISBURG State Sen. Daylin Leach on Monday sued a woman who has accused him of luring her into performing oral sex when she was a teenager and he was an attorney representing her mother in a criminal case nearly 30 years ago. Leach, a Democrat from Montgomery County, contends that Cara Taylor, along with two Philadelphia-area women, have defamed him by peddling what he calls a fictional 1991 encounter of sexual assault, including in online forums. He is seeking at least $50,000 in damages, according to a copy of the suit filed Monday morning in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia. The three defendants have sought to achieve their goals by seeking to exploit for their own malicious purposes an important political movement in order to broaden the audience of their false claim among a trusting, unknowing, and unsuspecting public, to wrongfully mobilize and incite unwitting accomplices against plaintiff, and to inflict maximum harm on plaintiff and his family based on accusations they know to be false, Leach contends in the suit. Reached for comment, Leach, who has repeatedly denied Taylors accusation, said he would not discuss the case until Tuesday. He did not explain why, saying only that he promised his legal team he would be disciplined. His lawyer, Joseph R. Podraza Jr. of Sprague & Sprague, did not return a call seeking comment. Marni Jo Snyder, a Philadelphia lawyer acting as spokesperson for the three women, called Leachs lawsuit an unsuccessful attempt to silence these women and an attack on free speech. She added: They have strong voices that they are entitled to use, and I know that there are many people out there who value those voices. I will only say at this time that truth is an absolute defense to the claim and that Mr. Leachs condemnation of the #MeToo movement as a method for defamation makes me sick. In filing the defamation suit, Leach has taken a legal route not often used by public officials who have been accused of misconduct as part of the #MeToo movement. Onetime California lawmaker Matt Dababneh last year sued a lobbyist, claiming she defamed him by alleging he pushed her into a bathroom and masturbated in front of her. Also last year in Alabama, former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, who was accused of pursuing relationships with teenagers, sued four of his accusers. Those lawsuits are ongoing. Leachs lawsuit targets Taylor and two other women Colleen Kennedy of Havertown and Gwen Snyder of Philadelphia, both activists in the #MeToo movement. He contends Kennedy and Snyder have shown a reckless disregard for the truth in gleefully republishing and embellishing upon the serial liars fabrication. Kennedy is among several women who spoke out against Leach after a December 2017 story in the Inquirer and Daily News that detailed allegations from eight women and three men who claimed the senator behaved inappropriately toward young female campaign staffers and volunteers on multiple occasions between 2008 and 2016. In response, Leach on Facebook called Kennedy a truly horrific monster, and a human wrecking ball of hate. He later deleted the comment, of which several people took screenshots. Snyder, a delegate during the 2016 Democratic National Convention, accused a fellow delegate, Walter Weeks, of indecent assault in a case that generated national headlines. A Philadelphia Municipal Court judge acquitted Weeks, ruling that the testimony of two character witnesses provided on Weeks' behalf was enough to raise reasonable doubt. Senate Democrats announced last week that they had hired an outside law firm to conduct an investigation into Taylors allegations. The move came after Taylor distributed to the offices of nearly every senator copies of a private criminal complaint that described the alleged sexual assault. In the complaint, Taylor alleged that decades ago, Leach had asked her to perform oral sex when she was 17, while he was representing her mother, Kathleen Speth, in an attempted homicide case. Taylor was convicted of perjury after she falsely took the blame for the crime, for which her mother was ultimately convicted. In his lawsuit, Leach said that Taylor conveniently declined to sign the private criminal complaint and distribute it to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said last week that Taylor had met with a prosecutor and investigator from his office, but that his office had not received a formal copy of her complaint. Martin said Taylor was told that her case fell outside the statute of limitations for criminal charges, and that on that fact alone, his office would not pursue it. On Monday, Temple University law professor and civil rights lawyer David Kairys said it is unusual to see public officials file defamation suits. A landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision, New York Times v. Sullivan, established that a public official must show the remarks were made with actual malice that is, with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard for the truth. Kairys also said the court case differentiated between statements of fact and statements of opinion. The latter, he said, leaves ample room for people to express controversial and even incendiary points of view. You dont see this much, and in my view you shouldnt, Kairys said of such lawsuits, because when you go into public life, you really should have thicker skin than that. Kairys also said such suits by public officials run the danger of being viewed as silencing critics. Such actions, nicknamed SLAPP lawsuits or Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation have been the subject of legislation in recent years. Last session, the Senate passed a bill aimed at curbing and quickly resolving such suits. Leach was a cosponsor and voted for it. The measure died in the House. Editors' Note: Some portions of this suit or its attached exhibits contain sexually graphic information. A retired Community College of Philadelphia biology professor was arrested Friday after investigators said they found child pornography at his South Jersey home, the Burlington County Prosecutors Office said Monday. Dino Fiabane, 73, of Lumberton, was charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child. He was taken into custody after police with a search warrant seized computers, cell phones, external hard drives, and other digital storage devices at his home. A preliminary review of the devices by detectives revealed child pornography images, the office said. In New Jersey, child pornography charges are contained under child endangering statutes, prosecutors spokesperson Joel Bewley said Monday. The investigation began late last year after the prosecutors high-tech crimes unit was notified of Fiabanes alleged online search activities by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Bewley said. The case will be prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment, he said. Fiabane taught at the college for more than 26 years. He was hired as a full-time faculty member in June 1987 and retired in February 2014, college spokesperson Linda S. Wallace said Monday. In April 1999, he chaired a search committee for a biology professor at the college, according to an Inquirer ad from the time. Fiabane has a bachelors degree from Rutgers University and masters degrees from Pennsylvania State University and the University of Florida. He is a member of several New Jersey bird-watching organizations and an amateur nature photographer who has posted nature photos on Flickr. This article is part of Made in Philly, a series about young residents shaping local communities. Neha Ghosh, chief events organizer of the Philly LGBTQ+ group Qunify, runs through a checklist each time they enter a prospective venue. People of color-friendly? Check. Queer-friendly? Check. Gender-neutral bathrooms? Check. Founded by Ghosh and four others in 2017, Qunify organizes meetups in an effort to provide safe, inclusive spaces for all LGBTQ+ community members. In two years, it has hosted 40 events all over Philadelphia, attracting as many as 150 attendees. Former meeting places include popular performance spaces like Johnny Brendas, La Peg, and LEtage, as well as hip hangouts like North Phillys Love City Brewing Co. and East Germantowns Uncle Bobbies Coffee & Books. But though it may seem like those spots were selected for their reputation or cool factor, in reality, Ghosh and the Qunify team carefully explore and even debate each location. They usually hold events near public transportation routes, and they change venues regularly to reach people in different neighborhoods. To ensure that a lack of finances doesnt prevent anyone from attending, the group looks for free or low-cost venues, like the Gayborhoods William Way LGBT Community Center and the historic LGBTQ bookstore Giovannis Room. (They catalog all former meeting spaces on their website in a Queer Philly Map.) And to make sure the events appeal to everyone in the LGBTQ+ community not just, say, the happy hour set Qunify diversifies the activities, too. Some events bring people together to have casual conversations over coffee. Others involve more structured discussion, as with the groups themed Our Stories series, which have covered topics like activism and consent culture. Some of the most popular meetups have been ticketed dance parties, with reduced admission for those planning to stay sober. Ghosh identifies Qunifys ability to bring all kinds of people together in one space as the organizations defining feature. When you come to our parties, you see South Asians, East Asians, black folks, Latinx folks, femme folks, masc folks, trans folks everyone just celebrating the community. That is not something that happens often, Ghosh says. People in New York, when I tell them about Qunify, theyre like, Oh, we dont even have that. When I talk to people in L.A., they dont have that there. Qunify cofounder and chief operating officer Eric Schroeckenthaler cites the groups mission to make additional spaces and experiences open for all LGBTQ+ people as their biggest consideration. That three-letter word all in front of LGBTQ+ people has become very pivotal in how we think about fulfilling that mission, Schroeckenthaler said. We have to put the folks that are furthest to the margins toward the center. As Qunify and Ghosh have planned more events, the checklist has grown. Now, Ghosh looks for spaces large enough to hold as many people as they plan to invite. They plan to use microphones at future gatherings to accommodate any hard-of-hearing attendees. But Ghosh kept coming across a box they could not check as Sofia Oleas, Qunifys chief information officer, pointed out, safe spaces are not always physically accessible to all bodies. We come from different backgrounds," Ghosh says of their cofounders, who variously identify as black, Latinx, and gender non-conforming. If it was only me, I would miss things. Ive learned from my team what other things to look for. To check the accessibility box, Ghosh started looking for places with wide doors, which better accommodate wheelchairs. But Qunify also raised money to buy a 6-foot ramp that can be folded up and used for entrances or for bathrooms with stairs. It made its debut at Qunifys Coffee Conversations event on Saturday, Jan. 26, at Black & Brew in South Philly. Another longtime restaurant is making the leap into Center City. Picanha Brazilian Grill, the popular, critically acclaimed Brazilian steakhouse at Castor Avenue and Hellerman Street in Northeast Philadelphia, has signed a lease for a second location, at 1111 Locust St. in Washington Square West, the former site of Garces Trading Co. Amabilis Silva, who with her family runs Picanha, said the churrascarias opening is about six weeks away. Though Silva said a liquor license is in the works, Picanha initially will operate as a BYOB, as is the original spot. Nostalgists remember that Oxford Circle location as the former Gingham House, a diner that operated for decades before its closing in the early 2000s. Picanha opened in 2005 under different owners, and the Silvas took over in 2006. Silva said the restaurant will offer fast options for lunch, while dinner will bring the familiar combination of all-you-can-eat salad bar backed by skewer-proffering waitstaff that roams the dining room. Prices have not been set but are likely to be lower than those at Center Citys chain churrascarias, Chima and Fogo de Chao. As Inquirer critic Craig LaBan noted in a 2006 review: The primal smell of rodizio meats sizzling as they turn on swordlike skewers atop a barbecue pit at the back of the room is as close to the South American pampas as Philadelphians can get. Even the rock salt that crusts the meat and the handmade natural charcoal, called carvao, are imported from Brazil. Picanha is following the operators of the two El Balconcito restaurants, which opened Vista Peru in Old City in early 2018, and the Olney Korean destination Seorabol, which opened a branch in Center City last fall. (Also, just FYI, the West Oak Lane-rooted Lees Hoagie House is making a Center City comeback, opening a location at 246 S. 11th St. on Feb. 1.) Youre going to fall in love with Philadelphia, Danilo DEugenio kept telling the woman who would become his wife, Monica Fenocchio. His mothers cousin lives in Newtown Square and he visited here from time to time. Both are widely traveled and Italian-born (hes from Morro dOro in Abruzzo, and she is from Rome). Theyve relocated to Philadelphia and in March plan to open DaMo Pasta Lab, selling house-made fresh and dried pasta from imported ingredients, in a cafe setting with a glassed-in kitchen at 12th and Sansom Streets. Ordering will be made through kiosks or online. Dining tables, seating about 20 people, will be set up in the window. DaMo combining their first names is coming together in the White Building, whose corner at 12th and Chestnut Streets houses a Shake Shack, while a coffee shop with roots in Croatia (Cogito Coffee Roasters) is planning a spring opening in the middle of the block just north of DaMo. Fenocchios background is in food, while DEugenios is information technology and event organizing. It was a visit to Philadelphia that not only inspired their move but their new business, said Fenocchio, who is more confident in English. People are so nice, she said. Most of all, she said, the people have a passion for the city and food. When he brought me me here, we looked around seriously," she said. We said this city is so young and full of energy, and the food is amazing. Its all top quality at a very affordable price compared to New York. We got the idea of passing our passion toward tradition and food to a city that would understand that. They have sources for their own organic extra-virgin olive oil, semolina flour, and tomatoes from Puglia, she said. Theyll sell eight pastas five fresh (with egg) and three dried. On certain days, they will make up 100 orders of a limited-edition pasta and offer it only till it sells out. They also plan to toss in some education, through signs and videos explaining contemporary Italian cooking that is, traditional recipes prepared healthfully. A millennial approach to Italian pasta," Fenocchio said. They want to take a purists approach. Theyll serve it hot if youre eating there, or refrigerated if you intend to eat at a later date. Theyll also flash-chill a dish if you intend to reheat it, say, an hour later for dinner. (Fenocchio seemed to shudder at the mere concept of reheating a pasta dish that had not been chilled.) The menu also will include several soups, as well as salads and cold dishes such the Caprese and prosciutto with melon. It should be a nice solution for different needs, Fenocchio said. This is the second food business run by European-born entrepreneurs to find a home recently on 12th Street in Washington Square West, following Bastien Ornandos late-2017 opening of the French patisserie Jaime. (The neighborhood also will soon see the debut of Crunchikn (212 S. 11th St.), a shop specializing in Korean fried chicken, rice bowls, and tacos.) A quick note for now about Cogito Coffee Roasters, opening next door to DaMo: Marko Brkich, a Philadelphian of Croatian descent, and Matija Belkovic are behind the companys rollout in the States. Cogito will sell third-wave-style coffee. Opening is planned for spring. The Vans Warped Tour marked its final cross-country run last year, but the festival will return this summer to celebrate its 25th anniversary with three stops including one in Atlantic City. Presented as part of the annual Atlantic City BeachFest concert series, Vans Warped Tours A.C. dates will be June 29 and 30. Live Nation and Atlantic Citys Casino Reinvestment Development Authority will produce the event, which will serve as the lone 25th anniversary celebration stop on the East Coast. Other scheduled dates are June 8 in Cleveland and July 21 and 22 in Mountain View, Calif. Warped Tour was meant to take place on the surf and sand, Live Nation Philadelphia regional president Geoff Gordon said in a release, so we welcome fans from across North America to experience this unforgettable weekend with us in Atlantic City. Ticket pre-sales begin Feb. 25; sales to the general public will begin March 1. The festivals lineup, as well as a list of special attractions, also will be released March 1. The lineup will include more than 50 bands, according to a release. Founded in 1995 as a traveling alternative rock tour, Vans Warped Tour ran nationwide up until last year, when founder Kevin Lyman announced that 2018 would be the festivals last nationwide trek. The move inspired many to attend the festivals final Camden stop as a badge of honor, as the Inquirers Bethany Ao wrote last summer. However, in December, Lyman announced that Warped Tour would return in 2019 with three events during the summer festival season. As a national tour, Vans Warped Tour brought bands from alternative rock genres like punk, emo, and metal to crowds around the country, popularizing groups like pop-punkers Blink-182, emo outfit Simple Plan, and post-hardcore rockers Silverstein, among others. As a limited series, however, the festival aims to provide a more immersive experience, Lyman said in a release. With the [Vans Warped Tour] 25th Anniversary events, we want to bring the atmosphere of a classic Warped Tour show, but on a scale that our fans simply could not get with a national tour Lyman said. The bands, the special attractions, everything we want to bring back elements that have made the Warped Tour, Warped Tour, over the past 25 years. U.S. farmers are pleased that President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a trade truce, but theyre not rejoicing just yet. That wont come until they see ships full of their soybeans headed to China. The bottom line is: What are the details? said Sharon Covert, co-owner of a farm in north-central Illinois with 500 acres of soybeans. Shes one of several farmers interviewed Monday with a wait-and-see attitude on the truce. David Rodibaugh, a soybean grower in Rensselaer, Ind., was happy to hear about the truce, he said, but was taking it with a grain of salt until he sees actual sales. He and scores of other U.S. farmers have stashed away more bushels than usual to wait out the trade war and sell at higher prices. Midwest soybean growers have been caught in the crossfire as the U.S. and China argue over intellectual property, steel, and cars. Amid the tit-for-tat tariffs, China shunned U.S. soybeans, buying instead from Brazil and Argentina. That upset trade flows developed over decades, and dropped U.S. prices at a time when farmers were reaping a record crop. "I want to see ships sent to China with U.S. beans on them so we can avoid losing market share," Rodibaugh said in a telephone interview. The signs have been cryptic at best. After the dinner in Argentina, the White House said China will begin buying commodities immediately from the U.S. again without any details. Then, Trump followed up with a tweet saying that farmers would be "very BIG and FAST" beneficiaries. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Monday he expects Chinese crop purchases to resume around the first of the year, probably starting with the purchase of soybeans. But China has yet to formally respond, and there's still no sign of any easing in the 25 percent retaliatory tariff that China levies on imports of American soybeans. I see little incentive for Chinese commercial crushers to buy U.S. soybeans right now unless the 25 percent tariff is lifted, or U.S. farmers cut prices even more, said Monica Tu, an analyst at Shanghai JC Intelligence Co. Any purchases made in the current conditions would probably be to supply state inventories, she said. China has indicated it could reimburse the cost of the 25 percent tariff if the cargoes are imported for state reserves, according to people familiar with the matter. The different statements issued by the U.S. and China on the outcome of the meeting between Trump and his counterpart highlight how much needs to be achieved in the next three months if the U.S. soybean farmer is to find any kind of solace from rising stockpiles. Meanwhile, U.S. farmers remain cautiously hopeful. "It means a lot for North Dakota farmers if we can get trains rolling and ships out of the Pacific Northwest," said soybean grower Matt Gast, who was harvesting corn while keeping an eye on futures prices in his combine. "We've got beans. Let's get them rolling." Gast and his family, which grows several thousand acres of corn and soybeans near Valley City, N.D., are storing about 60 percent of their soybean harvest this year compared with 10 to 15 percent in the past as the drop in exports drove prices lower. Farmers such as Covert and Rodibaugh want to know if Chinas retaliatory tariffs on soybeans and other U.S. agricultural products will continue? What will Chinas biotech and phyto-sanitary regulations look like going forward? Most important, will the country start buying again from the U.S.? Agricultural heavyweight Cargill Inc. said the U.S. may have missed a bulk of the window to sell soy to China. The country usually buys three months ahead, Dave Baudler, managing director of North America grain for Cargill, said at a conference in St. Louis on Monday. China usually buys heavily from the U.S. as it harvests crops between September and December and then shifts to South America starting in January and February. Its hard to overstate how important China is for the soybean world including for the U.S. China is the biggest global consumer by far, using the oilseed as a protein in livestock feed as well as for cooking oil, and has been, until this year, the biggest buyer of U.S. supplies. U.S. soybean acreage in several parts of the country including North Dakota has grown to meet demand from China. In September, as farmers began to rev up combines during the earliest part of the harvest, most-active soybean futures fell to $8.12 a bushel, the lowest since December 2008. Cash prices in some parts of the country including North Dakota have been much worse, falling below $8 a bushel as China stopped buying. After the trade truce was announced, most-active soybean futures in Chicago spiked as much as 3.2 percent to $9.23 a bushel when the market opened in Chicago on Sunday. Thats the highest price for a most-active contract since June, before Chinas retaliatory tariffs went into effect in July, but the market pared its gains Monday. Illinois soybean farmer Daryl Cates took advantage of the rally and sold some soybeans Sunday, but hes worried about next year. I wasnt as concerned with this years crop as I was that this tariff would stay on for next years crop, Cates said. Im hopeful that this is just the beginning to get everything taken care of. That locally grown produce for sale in your neighborhood grocery store? It may have started its life up to 6,000 miles away. And that irks Gary Schroeder, who has been growing and packing specialty mushrooms for nearly 40 years in the so-called Mushroom Capital of the World, Kennett Square. Schroeders Oakshire Mushroom Farms had annual sales of $37 million in 2017 and employed 65 people last year. In early January, Schroeders farm was forced to slash the workforce to 16, and file for bankruptcy. Weve got ourselves in crisis mode, said Schroeder, who founded Oakshire in the mid-1980s and is now laboring under more than $10 million in debt, according to documents filed in court. Im fighting a battle to save this company every day. Schroeder, and several other mushroom producers in Southeastern Pennsylvania, say they have been clobbered by imports from both Canada and China. This is one of the reasons that the local shiitake market has suffered, said Chris Alonzo, the third-generation owner of Pietro Farms based in Kennett Square. Thats one of the things that has hurt Oakshire. To add insult to injury, the farmers say, mushrooms that originated in China are allowed to be labeled Product of the USA due to a regulatory quirk. Schroeders business last year was dealt a couple of near-fatal blows. First, he lost his biggest customer, Costco. The warehouse market chain, he said, switched to packaged mushrooms from Canada because the stronger U.S. dollar made it cheaper. But Schroeder and other producers said its shiitake mushrooms that start their journey in China that hurt them the most. Shiitakes are a specialty mushroom, and for years they have fetched a premium at food markets, retailing for about $10 a pound. Theyre chewier and more flavorful than standard white button, or brown crimini and portabello mushrooms. Last year, there were about $45 million in wholesale shiitake sales industry wide. Log, stock and barrel Shroeders Oakshire Farm is also one of a handful of American companies that produce the logs on which shiitakes are grown. The logs, made from compressed sawdust and grain, are inoculated with shiitake mushroom spawn the fungi equivalent of seed. The spawn sends out the thread-like mycelium, which spreads through the logs and becomes the bulk of the mushroom organism. When the shiitake mycelium is shocked when it senses its going to die it sends out fruiting bodies that we recognize as mushrooms. Each log produces about 2.5 pounds of shiitakes. Until mid-2018, Schroeder was manufacturing 1.5 million of them a year. No longer. In the course of nine months last year, Schroeder said, Chinese log manufacturers swept in, deeply undercut the prices, and wiped out 85 percent of his log sales. There was just no chance to adjust, Schroeder said. We didnt see it coming. Mushroom growers operate on razor-thin margins, according to industry experts, so it makes economic sense for them to switch to a cheaper log as long as it produces a safe and high-quality product. Lou Caputo, CEO of Kennett Square Specialty Mushrooms, said he also was hit hard. Theyve managed to cripple me," Caputo said. "I was making 85,000 logs a week and selling them at $3.95 apiece. Now Im down to making 25,000 and keeping them to grow strictly for myself. Logs in China are made of Chinese sawdust and grain, inoculated with Chinese spawn, and loaded onto container vessels for a six- to eight-week trans-Pacific voyage. When the logs arrive in the U.S. , theyre distributed across the country. Many of them end up in Kennett Square mushroom grow houses. In a week to 10 days, the mushrooms are picked and the logs get thrown away, said Caputo, who called the mushrooms grown on Chinese logs inferior. Product of USA Because these mushrooms are harvested in the United States, they meet the USDAs country-of-origin labeling requirement. Theyre clearly not U.S. grown, said Daniel J. Royse, professor emeritus at Penn State who specializes in mushrooms. The regulations dont make much sense to me. But the USDA says theyre OK because theyre classified as spawn. The logs actually are colonized substrate, they shouldnt be allowed. The growers should get together to demand the USDA reevaluate the criteria." Schroeder, whose log business once generated $5 million in sales a year, couldnt agree more. But growers' concerns have fallen on deaf ears, he said. We believe the Chinese are skirting the law, Schroeder said. But the USDA and the U.S. Customs folks say it doesnt rise to a level deserving their attention. Representatives for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Customs could not be reached for comment last week due to the partial government shutdown. Mushroom expert Luke Smithson, the president of the New Jersey Mycological Association, said the labeling falls into a gray area. I would say the shiitakes on Chinese logs are a product of a global economy, said Smithson, who is a chef for a large caterer in New Hope. Its kind of like my Toyota. The parts were made overseas but assembled in Tennessee. I guess my car can be said to have been made in America. But as a chef, I would find those shiitakes to be labeled deceptively if theyre claimed to be produced here. A spokeswoman for Chrissy Houlahan, who represents Pennsylvanias Sixth Congressional District, including Kennett Square, didnt have an official comment but said her office is looking into mushroom farmers' concerns. How local is local? Shiitakes arent the only produce with a tangled origin story, said Eric Stein, CEO of the Media-based Barisoft Consulting Group, which specializes in indoor farming. Its become a trend in the industry. Its not just mushrooms. You seed in one location and you ship it to another place to do maturing, said Stein. This is a whole new thing. Leafy greens are often germinated in warm regions such as Texas, Florida and Mexico, Stein said, and then sent north to be finished in regional vertical farms. Its a little sleight of hand, a double trick," Stein said. Growers can bring out certain characteristics in the plants by controlling the light. But the bigger reward comes with the peripatetic products appeal to locavores people who want to eat local because they believe it reduces the carbon footprint of their groceries and therefore has less of an impact on climate change. If you are finishing them within 400 miles of where theyre sold, you can claim theyre locally grown, Stein said. "Under USDA guidelines you can say its local. Schroeder is scrambling to diversify and climb out of Chapter 11. He thinks he can pull it off. Hes still a leading producer of oyster mushroom spawn logs, and he grows several other exotic fungi: oyster, enoki, pompom and maitake. But when he visits customers, he sees the logs that have traveled 6,000 miles. They switched over to Chinese because theyre cheaper," he said. It hurts. Still, there are some local mushroom growers who have promised to continuing buying his shiitake logs. Theyre heroes in my eyes, he said. Zawya cinema will host the Zawya Shorts IV between 31 January and 2 February, showcasing 14 short films made by Egyptian directors or ones based in Egypt. Chosen from a pool of submissions, the line-up includes the following 14 films: South of the Cinema, by Mena Yousry My Father Couldnt Save the Kite, by Khaled Medhat Moeit Intense Practice to Improve Performance, by Yasser Shafiey Jar Full of Fish, by Joseph Adel Fifteen, by Sameh Alaa The Sea, by Nahed Nasr On my way to the Cinema, by Sondos Tarek Tomatic, by Christophe Saber Like the Sun, by Hana Mahmoud An Experi-mental E-Motion Picture, by Noura A. Rahman My Extended Arm, by Mohamed Allam Golden Threads, by Abdul-Rahman Salem Being in Seventh Heaven, by Christeen Hanna Mona & Rahim, by Hady Bassiony The films will be competing for four prizes; Red Star Films' Best Film Award, worth EGP 15,000, Misr International Films' Best Director Award, worth EGP 10,000, Film Clinic Jury Prize, worth EGP 10,000, New Century Productions Audience Award, worth EGP 10,000, and Dahshur Residence Best Script, which grants the winner free participation in any of the Dahshur workshops until June. All screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the directors, and the ticket includes a full days screening. Zawya Shorts has been an annual festival since it began in 2015 with the aim of supporting and giving a platform to Egyptian filmmakers' short films. Programme: The festival runs between 31 January and 2 February, daily at 7pm Zawya cinema, 15 Emad Eddin St., Downtown, Cairo For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: Andrew Cavenagh likes to experiment not in a white-walled laboratory, but in the marketplace of employee health coverage. We need employers to be a petri dish" to figure out what saves money and improves quality, said Cavenagh, managing partner of Pareto Captive Services, a Philadelphia company that organizes health coverage for groups of employers that pay their employees' medical bills directly. Paretos latest experiment is a partnership with an Elkins Park company called R-Health to open four primary-care practices in Southeastern Pennsylvania this year to offer expanded and unlimited primary care to Paretos clients and other employers for a flat monthly fee of $60 to $80 per member. The first of those sites is scheduled to open this spring in lower Bucks County. The strategy pursued by Pareto and R-Health, called direct primary care, fits among a wide range of efforts nationally to expand the role of primary care which accounts for an estimated 6 percent to 7 percent of commercial health care spending in the health-care system by spending more on that segment and strengthening the relationship between patients and their regular doctors. The premise that we are implementing is, lets spend twice as much money on primary care. Lets give everyone better primary care, because every dollar we spend there will take $1.50 or $2 somewhere else out of the system, said Cavenagh. Among the drivers behind the direct primary-care movement is the rise of high-deductible health plans, which leave many middle- and lower-income individuals unwilling to spend money on a primary-care visit, said Ann Greiner, chief executive of the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative in Washington. Theres a lot of evidence that robust primary care reduces costs and improves quality, but she said her organization doesnt have specific data on the direct primary-care arrangement, which comes in many different forms. Like lots of experiments in health care, weve got to watch it, she said. Greiner said she has heard of R-Health through its participation in a direct primary-care pilot in New Jersey for people covered by public-sector health plans. Since that pilot started in the fall of 2016, 4,000 teachers, police, firefighters, and other state and local government employees and retirees have signed up to receive primary care at one of R-Healths six offices in the state. From what Ive heard about R-Health through the grapevine, they seem to be doing a lot of things right, she said. Mason Reiner, cofounder and CEO of R-Health, said the company added 1,000 members during New Jerseys open enrollment in October. Its been growing very nicely, he said. Because R-Health doctors are limited to 1,000 patients, compared to 2,000 or more across much of medicine, patients get shorter wait times and more time with their doctors, he said. R-Healths offices in New Jersey are also open to private-sector employers, such as Ameriflex, which processes payments for health savings accounts and other individual health-care accounts and has an office in Mount Laurel. The companys chief executive, William Short, said Ameriflex has been using R-Health in South Jersey and other direct-primary-care providers at other sites around the country for about four years. Weve been able to see a savings of around 27 percent from where we were before, he said. Short said the company, which also has software that facilitates payments for direct primary-care arrangements, has 120 to 150 participants in direct primary care in South Jersey. The model encourages better engagement by the patient and the physician, who is accessible, he said. "That may save an ER visit, an urgent-care visit. Thats where weve seen the bulk of the savings. Clemens Food Group, a major pork processor, first opened a primary-care clinic at its main plant and headquarters in Hatfield, where 2,300 work, in 2014 because it did not like the number of chronic problems, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, that it was seeing among its employees, said Leslie Wheeling, director of CFG Cares. All of these things that can be prevented very easily, but are much more difficult to reverse, she said. R-Health, separate from its deal with Pareto, started to run the clinic in December. What we like about the R-Health model is that they are very proactive," Wheeling said. "Rather than a doctors office waiting for someone to come to them, R-Health has really reached out to help people understand why taking care of their health in a preventative manner is so important. It is too soon to know whether R-Health is making a difference, but Wheeling said she is encouraged by what she hears from employees who have visited the clinic. Clemens employees are not required to use the on-site clinic. At Havertowns Nolan Painting, which is in its third year of self-insurance with Pareto, owner Kevin Nolan has made it his mission to get more of his 120 employees to go to the doctor for regular checkups. Last year we had a hard time getting doctors for everybody, he said, so hes looking forward to the opening of the R-Health Clinics.. As to being a petri dish for health care experiments, Nolan said: Its fun, as described by me, because I happen to like this stuff. It is definitely exciting. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Actor John Dumelo has joined the bandwagon rooting for the legalisation of marijuana in Ghana. Speaking on Cooks and Braggarts, a cooking show hosted by Yvonne Okoro, Mr. Dumelo said the country can benefit more from the medicinal advantages of Marijuana after it is legalised. When you go to some of the western countries, it [Marijuana] has been legalised for health purposes and we can also do same, he stated. Mr. Dumelo said, If alcohol and cigarettes are legal in Ghana, why not marijuana. Some interest groups, including the Rastafari Council of Ghana, in years past have suggested, the country could control effectively the recreational use of the weed by decriminalising it. Other groups also suggested, addressing the use of Marijuana through criminal justice institutions, ultimately infringes on various fundamental rights of people who use drugs, including the rights to health, information, personal autonomy, and self-determination. However, the Mental Health Authority in 2016 did not budge in their argument against the legalisation of Marijuana saying, it poses a severe threat to the mental health of people who use it. If you take Marijuana in your teens when the brain is actively developing, you interfere with your ability to be motivated adequately and to judge adequately, the Chief Executive Officer of the authority, Dr. Akwasi Osei said. Expressing his thoughts on how the recreational use of the drug could be controlled, the entrepreneur said authorities in Ghana can do research of their own and later put up structures needed to prevent the abuse of the drug after it has been legalised. He explained Cannada put those structures in place after legalising marijuana in October 2018. The entrepreneur stated, many people think the legalisation of marijuana will increase high crime rates and mental illnesses as a result of the recreational use of the drug but that is not true. If you look at places like Holland, California and Colorado where the drug has been legalised crime rates are low, he added. Source: jfm/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. The Government Monday debunked media reports that it has asked eight chief executive officers of state-owned agencies to proceed on retirement because they have passed the mandatory retirement age of 60. Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information, in denying the report, at a news conference in Accra, on Monday, urged the public and institutional stakeholders to, therefore, disregard the information circulating in some sections of the media. Over the past few days, some social and traditional media have reported that the Government had asked eight CEOs, who had passed 60 years to leave office by March this year. The report mentioned Mr Eugene Ofosuhene, the Controller and Accountant General, Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, of the Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation, Mr Isaac Osei, of Tema Oil Refinery, Mr Kwame Owusu, of the Ghana Maritime Authority and Mr Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, of the Forestry Commission. The rest are; Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Samuel Annor, the CEO of National Health Insurance Authority and Mr. K.K. Sarpong, the CEO of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation. But Mr Oppong Nkrumah said should the President at any time opt to disengage the services of any CEO, it would be done, as always, in accordance with established due process. He explained that engagements between the Government and CEOs of State Owned enterprises were routine, and while it remained the prerogative of the President to engage or disengage their services, he exercised such powers after the requisite deliberations. He, therefore, urged the media to always cross check controversial issues with his Ministry before publishing them to be able to serve the public with accurate information. Asked by some journalists why the Ministry sometimes delayed in reacting to such false reports concerning government operations, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said it is not practically impossible for it react to every allegation made in the media across the country; besides a number of them were sheer speculation. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A study has shown that Ghana has, since independence in 1957, politically appointed only 45 females, representing 12.36 percent against 319 males, representing 87.67 percent, as ambassadors and high commissioners to its foreign missions. The worrying data, which excludes career appointees-those who have risen through the ranks as personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs-was collected and analysed between 1957 and 2017. The study, entitled: A gender analysis of political appointments in Ghana since independence, was co-authored by Charity Elikem Dzradosi, Martin Wiredu Agyekum and Petronella Munemo and published by the Institute of Local Government and Friedrich Erbert Stiftung (FES) in 2018. Interestingly, since independence, not so much had been achieved with appointment of women to occupy sensitive political positions as female ministers and deputies. The first Republic had 19.05% women appointees, 2nd Republic had only men, 3rd Republic recorded 2.94% and 4th Republic had between 8.33% (1981), 15% (1993) and 19.23% (2017) as ministers and deputies. The issue is not different with appointments of District Chief Executives (DCEs) in the decentralisation process of the country, as for instance, the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly has never had a female assembly member. Discussants of the book at the launch last Thursday in Accra, were Samuel Okudzato Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongue and Ranking Member of Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Miss Gloria Ofori-Boadu, lawyer and lecturer, and Victoria L. Hamah, Executive Director for Progressive Organisation for Womens Advancement. Mr Ablakwa, in handling the subject on ambassadorial appointments, could not understand what was so masculine or machoistic about serving as ambassador or high commissioner that various governments have failed to appoint more women. According to him, ambassadorial position, per the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic and Consular Relations, is a role that can perfectly be performed by women. Mr Ablakwa, furthermore, rubbished the idea of lack of competent women, saying that Ghana does not lack a pool of competent women, as the country is achieving the norm of 40% of students in the universities to be females, as well as they being the topmost recipients of awards at almost all speech and prize giving day. On affirmative action, the MP charged gender groups not to just ask for political parties commitments and demand concrete specifics from the political leadership, especially the flag-bearers and also attach consequences in the event they emerge victorious and failed to act. What we politicians feared is to be told by electorate that they will vote against us, because we have not kept your promise. So that is where we must go and its important we do that. In any case, some of these men who are being paraded as leaders in our country, and being given top appointments and all of that, how many women are they better than, and what are the levels of competence that had been shown? We have to be very sincere, he stated. He added that it was time the groups considered legislation that would compel the political parties to reserve a quota of their strongholds for women to contest, because the tokenism of the political parties are not enough. Acting Director of ILGS, Dr Abdulai Darimani said the book traced from history, the political decisions that were made which excluded key actors, especially women from the development process, by assessing efforts by successive governments in mainstream gender. The books are stock of reference for our day-to-day personal life, conduct of official business, as well as short-to-long-term planning and development decision. They provide lessons and data, which are valuable for objective decisions, he pointed out. Miss Ofori-Boadu, on her part, also called for legislation that would guide local government appointments of women into the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies. Source: The Chronicle Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Electoral Commission must ban camera devices from polling booths during elections, as one of the means of reducing vote-buying, Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye has said. If you want to prevent vote-buying, its one of the ways of doing so because thats one of the reasons why the vote must be secret. You take a vote by way of your thumbprint and it shows you voting in a certain direction and you go to show it to a person by a pre-arranged system or plan, and you are paid for [it]. That is stealing, Prof Oquaye said at the 17th International Electoral Affairs Symposium in Accra. In the Speakers view, allowing cameras into polling booths allows the doing of a wrong, and thats why we must regulate our laws very seriously to cover all dimensions of the activity that will make it an offence. At the same event, the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Jean Mensa, dispelled suggestions that the reported allegations of electoral fraud recorded during the referenda for the creation of the six new regions in Ghana, will be commonplace in other elections including the 2020 general elections. Some videos and pictures were widely circulated on social media alleged to have captured cases of electoral fraud, involving EC officials. However, Mrs Mensa said the first major electoral exercise that took place under her supervision, taught her many lessons which will help in drawing up new strategies to ensure more credible polls in the future, especially the upcoming local assemblies and subsequently the 2020 general elections. We believe that the challenges and opportunities, experiences and lessons from these elections and referenda will adequately prepare us for the parliamentary and presidential elections in December next year, she said. The event was organised by the International Centre for Parliamentary Affairs, on the theme: Building Innovative Strategies for Better Electoral Systems Globally, with support from the Electoral Commission of Ghana and the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD). Source: classfmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Minister for Information and Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has urged the people of Dagbon to maintain the peace for there to be development. According to him, if there must be progress, there must be compromises and peace and the people have understood that.they know there must be progress so that there will be developmentabove all, the President has assured security" A new Overlord of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Mahama Abukari II was crowned on Friday, 25th January, 2019 after 17 years of protracted disputes. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo while reading his speech at the investiture announced that Cabinet has approved a $30 million water supply project that will replace the old and dilapidated water system in Yendi and its catchment area. Interacting with Kwami Sefa-Kayi on Mondays edition of Peace FM morning show Kokrokoo, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah also urged politicians to put aside partisan politics and help maintain the peace in Dagbon. Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Volta Region Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said that former President John Dramani Mahamas tour of the Region will bring great relief to the regional executives, the grasssroots and anxious members of the public. According to James Gunu, since the former president started his campaign tour of other regions, hundreds of people, most of whom are branch and constituency executives from accross the region, have been calling the regional secretariat on daily basis to enquire when Mr Mahama would come to the Volta Region. He said callers included Moslem leaders, traditional authorities, clergy, media practitioners, professionals, just to mention but few. Mr Gunu told journalists in Ho that the former president is scheduled to visit the Region from January 28thto February 2nd to solicit votes from delegates in the constituencies to lead the party in the February 23 presidential primary and ultimately lead the NDC to recapture power in the 2020 general elections. The Regional Secretary said Mr Mahama will also take the opportunity to pay courtesy calls on traditional authorities and interact with Moslem leaders and the clergy. The Regional Secretary also disclosed that the party has inaugurated a seven-member committee to supervise the primary to be conducted by the Electoral Commission. According to Mr Gunu, the electoral committee was an ad-hoc one. It has the responsibility of working with all stakeholders including the EC, security agencies and the media to ensure successful elections in the region. He said the committee is chaired by Mr Henry Ametefe, Regional Vice Chairman and Former Regional Organizer. Other members are Pascal Agbagba, Regional Director of Elections, Mary Agbenyenu, Former DCE for Central Tongu, Edem Gidisu, Krachi East Constituency Secretary, Bernice Adiku Hello, MP for Hohoe, Manfred Nuku Dei, Former Member of the Regional Elections Committee, Joyce Yaa Osei, Former Deputy Regional Women Organizer and all constituency directors of elections. The Regional Secretary said that all Constituency Executive Committees have also been tasked to form the Constituency Electoral Committees to ensure transparent, free and fair elections. Source: 3news.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Related The complete list of winners at Screen Actors Guild Awards Rami Malek won best actor for his Freddie Mercury, Emily Blunt was the upset winner for her supporting role in the horror thriller "A Quiet Place'' and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' swept comedy series honors at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. Malek dedicated the award for his performance in ``Bohemian Rhapsody'' to Mercury, as he did at the Golden Globes. ``I get some power from him that's about stepping up and living your best life, being exactly who you want to be and accomplishing everything you so desire,'' said Malek. Blunt's win was a shocker, particularly for the actress, herself. Blunt, also nominated by the guild for her lead performance in ``Mary Poppins Returns,'' was visibly surprised. She wasn't among Tuesday's Oscars nominees for either film. ``Guys. That truly has blown my slicked hair back,'' said Blunt, who praised her husband and ``A Quiet Place'' director John Krasinski as a ``stunning filmmaker.'' ``Thank you for giving me the part. You would have been in major trouble if you hadn't.'' Best supporting actor in a film went more as expected. Mahershala Ali, who won two years ago for ``Moonlight,'' won for his performance in Peter Farrelly's interracial road trip ``Green Book.'' Ali thanked his co-star, Viggo Mortensen, and Farrelly. The Amazon series ``The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' won the first three awards handed out Sunday at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. It won best ensemble in a comedy series, as well as individual honors Rachel Brosnahan and Tony Shalhoub, whose win was a surprise in a category that included Bill Hader ("Barry'') and Michael Douglas ("The Kominsky Method''). ``We cannot thank you enough,'' said Shalhoub, speaking for the cast. ``Stay with us.'' Tom Hanks presented the lifetime achievement award to Alan Alda, who in July revealed that he had been living with Parkinson's disease for more than three years. The 83-year-old actor took the stage to a standing ovation while the theme to ``M.A.S.H.'' played. He said the award came at a reflective moment for him. ``And I see more than ever now how proud I am to be a part of our brotherhood and sisterhood of actors,'' said Alda. ``It may never have been more urgent to see the world through another person's eyes. When a culture is divided so sharply, actors can help _ a least a little _ just by doing what we do. And the nice part is it's fun to do it. So my wish for all of us is: Let's stay playful.'' For the second time, the cast of ``This Is Us'' won best ensemble in a drama series. Other TV winners included Sandra Oh ("Killing Eve''), Darren Criss for ``Assassination of Gianni Versace'', Jason Bateman ("Ozark'') and Patricia Arquette ("Escape at Dannemora''). Arquette thanked Special Counsel investigator Robert Mueller ``and everyone working to make sure we have sovereignty for the United States of America.'' The SAG Awards have one thing the Oscars don't: a host. Emcee Megan Mullally kicked off the awards by tweaking their role among the many honors leading up to next month's Oscars. She called the SAGs ``the greatest honor an actor can receive this weekend.'' Among the attendees Sunday was Geoffrey Owens, the ``Cosby Show'' actor who caused a stir when he was photographed working at a New Jersey Trader Joe's. He was among the performers who began the show with the SAG Awards' typical ``I am an actor'' testimony. Reunited as presenters were ``Fatal Attraction'' stars Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. ``Black Panther'' and ``BlacKkKlansman'' were among the films vying for SAG's top prize, best ensemble. Ryan Coogler's superhero hit started with a win for best ensemble of stunt performers one that ``GLOW,'' the Netflix series about professional women wrestlers, won on the television side. The SAG Awards are one of the most reliable bellwethers of the Academy Awards, but several of this year's top Oscar contenders failed to land a best ensemble nomination. The two leading Oscar nominees _ ``Roma'' and ``The Favourite'' _ were bypassed by the actors guild for a field that also includes ``Crazy Rich Asians,'' ``Bohemian Rhapsody'' and ``A Star Is Born,'' which led all films with four nominations. ``The Favourite'' still earned nods for its three lead actresses _ Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz _ but ``Roma'' was shut out entirely. Both films landed 10 Oscar nods Tuesday. The best picture winner at the Academy Awards has always first been nominated for best ensemble by the SAG Awards except in 1996, when ``Braveheart'' won best picture, and last year, when Guillermo del Toro's ``The Shape of Water'' overcame the SAG omission to win best picture. The actors guild instead awarded ``Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' its top prize. Actors make up the largest percentage of the academy, so their preferences can have an especially large impact on the Oscar race. In the last decade the SAG ensemble winner has gone on to win best picture at the Academy Awards half of the time. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Short link: Former President John Dramani Mahamas subtle call for recognition of the efforts made by successive governments in the resolution of the Dagbon chieftaincy dispute, has been given a befitting response by the Information Minister, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah. According to the Information Minister, successive governments will surely be given their due for their role in bringing about peace in Dagbon and the installation of a new Ya Naa, Abubakari Mahama ll, as the overload of the Dagbon traditional area. Former President John Dramani Mahama, last week, expressed his excitement over the peace that has finally been restored at Dagbon following the peoples acceptance of the new Ya-Naa, Abukari Mahama II. "I am so happy for this day, and we should be eternally grateful to Allah that Dagbon has finally seen peace." After many years of hard work, negotiations, long meetings, disagreements, traditional considerations and agreements, we celebrate the efforts of successive governments for this day, he posted on Facebook. But in what can best pass for a direct reply to Ex-president Mahama's post on social media, the Information Minister, Hon Oppong-Nkrumah, speaking in an interview on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning show, said as efforts of successive governments are being celebrated in the resolution of Dagbon Chieftaincy dispute, the same act should be accorded successive statesmen who worked hard and fought in attaining independence for Ghana. We shall surely celebrate successive government's efforts in the resolution of the Dagbon chieftaincy dispute and that is why we invited all of them except former President Kuffour who was not feeling well....and I will add that the same recognition we are giving to them should be accepted during the founders day discussion in Parliament about those who fought for Ghanas independence, he stated. ...when it gets to that discussion in Parliament, they should not say that we should exclude everybody else except one person. I'ld rather they say that successive statesmen who worked and fought hard to help the country attain independence should be included; just as we did for him [Mahama] at Dagbon, when we discuss the founders day in Parliament, i hope there is consensus that due recognition is accorded all these statesmen," he stressed. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Gender and Social Protection Minister, Cynthia Morrison, has disclosed that the government will not allow foreigners to hurt Ghanaian citizens in the name of maintaining good relationship. According to a Joy News account, Madam Morrison said she would be meeting with the Nigerian High commissioner today, on how his outfit can help find the three girls kidnaped in Takoradi. This comes after the police disclosed the identity of the prime suspect in the case as a Nigerian. She disclosed this during her visit to some family members of the three kidnaped Takoradi girls. The man is not from Ghana, he's from Nigerian, there are Ghanaians also living in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, if we start speaking ill about other countries, it can affect the relationship with them, but we will not allow foreigners to hurt us in our own country. Monday Ill be meeting the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, I will tell him about what is happening, and ask what his doing about it. And also how his people can respect our laws because when we flaunt other laws in other countries, they will deal with us. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The United States of America and the United Kingdom have announced the deployment of a team of investigators to assist the Ghana Police Service search for the three girls kidnapped between August and December last year in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis. This comes in the wake of mounting calls for the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Police Service to prioritize investigations into the kidnapping to ensure speedy rescue of the victims. The Director General of the CID, Deputy Commissioner of Police Maame Tiwaa Addo-Danquah who announced this during separate meetings with the families of the three Kidnapped victims assured the families of the police administrations commitment to finding the girls. She urged the families and the public to cooperate with the police, saying the team of investigators is seriously working to track the girls and that it is not all leads picked during the investigation that would be made public. She said the early rescue of the three; was not an issue for the family alone but for the entire nation and beyond, assuring them that the police administration is doing everything possible to rescue the victims. The CID Director General met the families of the victims separately in their homes and conveyed the sympathy of the IGP and the Police Administration to the families. The parents were very grateful to the police for the constant interaction by the Regional Police Commander and also the visit by the CID boss, saying it gives them confidence the police attach great importance to the search for the girls. The parents expressed gratitude for work done so far and urged more action to bring back their children and assuage the anxiety of the people as a result of the kidnapping. Other members of the community appealed to the Police Administration, government and the health sector to assign the services of a clinical psychologist to assist the anxious parents to ease the trauma they are going through. Among the entourage of the CID boss were the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Vincent Redeemer Dedjoe and his 2/IC ACP Edmund Ohene Bosompem, the Regional Crime Officer, ACP Mr. James Amoako Acheamfour and his 2/IC, Supt. Alhaji Hussein Musah Awinaba, the Staff Officer DSP Mr. Kweku Ayepah, the Regional Public Relations Officer, DSP Olivia Ewurabena Adiku, and the Takoradi District Police Commander, C/Supt. Peter Ofori Donkor. Source: graphic.com.gh Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Scholarships Secretariat, headed by Kingsley Agyemang, has introduced new operational reforms aimed at deepening public trust, ensuring transparency and restoring public confidence in scholarship awards. Addressing a section of Ghanaian students in the United Kingdom over the weekend at the maiden National Conference of the National Union of Ghanaian Student Association, UK, Mr Agyemang gave the assurance that the once defunct secretariat was now better placed to offer more scholarships at the tertiary level of education to Ghanaians locally and abroad for training in various programs. The Conference was on the theme Mobilising Ghanaian students in the UK; engineering the rebirth of our National Vision, Freedom, Justice, Unity and Development. District Scholarships Review Committee As means to decentralise the scholarship awarding processes to ensure accessibility, the Registrar of Scholarships said the Secretariat was liaising with the Regional Coordinating Councils, Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies for the establishment of a District Scholarships Review Committee (DSRC). The objective of this initiative is the systematic decentralization of scholarship awarding processes with the view of increasing transparency and accessibility to available funding opportunities, he said. He added that a new scholarship line carved by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was also in the offing. I am happy to report to you that an initial amount of GHC30 million has been earmarked for a new scholarship line called local tertiary scholarship, carved by His Excellency the President. This new scholarship is to pay for the academic facility user fee of Ghanaian applicants in both public and private tertiary institutions in Ghana, he said. Addressing challenges Mr Agyemang confidently told the students that the era where students, especially those abroad, had had to abandon their study programs due to funding constraints was over as his outfit was working with the Ministries of Finance and Education in the development of policy guide lines to absorb private Ghanaian students abroad and offer some government support to aid the successful completion of their study programs. With regards to the challenge of securing jobs after the completion of the studies, the Registrar said various initiatives have been introduced to address these issues. The Scholarship Secretariat in conjunction with Associations of Ghana Industries (AGI) is establishing what we call a Labour Bank. This would register all graduates from foreign institutions with specialized degree certificates to serve as a skill database for our industries in Ghana. Soon, the question as to what to do on completion of study programme and return would no longer be a constraint, he assured the students. Word of advice With the Government of Ghana providing scholarships to about 120 students to study in the UK, Mr Agyemang entreated the students not to only focus on knowledge or skill acquisition but the effective application of this acquired knowledge and skills to national development. Ghana belongs to us and it behooves on us to make it a better place even for the unborn generations. With students in various universities here in the UK, I am very optimistic that the future of Ghana is very bright and together we can all help in the transformational agenda, he said. Mr Agyemang urged the students to be good ambassadors of Ghana in their host institutions. You must eschew indiscipline and all forms of vices that will disrupt your studies, inhibit your progress and bring the international image of Ghana into disrepute. The saying that to whom much is given, much is expected should always guide us in our dealings even as we learn here, he said. Some of the dignitaries that graced the occasion included Ghanas High Commissioner to UK, Papa Owusu Ankomah; Ghana Education Minister, Mathew Opoku Prempeh, among others. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Dr Dominic Kwame Obeng-Andoh, Proprietor of Obengfo Hospital at Weija who was dragged to an Accra Circuit Court for operating a health facility without licence and practicing medicine without lawful authority has been discharged. The court presided over by Mrs Priscilla Dapaah Mireku discharged him on the basis of want of prosecution. In her ruling cited by the Ghana News Agency, the trial judge said the prosecution had earlier been ordered by the court to comply with the rules on disclosures and serve Dr Obengfo or his counsel. According to the court, at its last sitting, the prosecution promised to serve accused at the next sitting but failed to do so. The court indicated that if they failed to serve them by January 7, 2019, the accused person will be discharged. Today is January 23, 2019, and the prosecution has still not complied with the orders of this honourable and prays for more time, the court stated. According to the court, per Article 19 of the 1992 Constitution, an accused person is presumed to be innocent until proven otherwise or the accused person has pleaded guilty. The court said if the prosecution were not ready to prosecute the case, the accused person should not be made to suffer their actions, hence discharged Obengfo and struck out the case for want of prosecution. The prosecution can go for the accused persons when they are ready to prosecute the matter, the court added. Obengfos discharge followed defence counsel Nana Kofi Bekoe, who held the brief of Dr Emmanuel Maurice Ankrah, had prayed the court to discharge Obengfo as the matter had been adjourned for three consecutive times as a result of same reasons. Defence counsel prayed the court to take cognisance of the fact that the complainant in the matter had been absent anytime the matter was called. On January 23, this year, Inspector Princess Tetteh who held brief of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mawenyo Nanegbe told the court that her instructions were that the police were preparing documents to serve Obenfo and prayed for a short date. Obengfos arraignment was after the Attorney General Department had advised that the two charges be maintained by the Police for the trial to proceed. The Ghana Medical and Dental Council in Accra in July 2015 during their routine monitoring exercise received information that accused had failed to renew his annual licence for registration to practice as a medical doctor and to operate a private facility since 2013 but still practiced in his hospital. The Ghana Medical and Dental Council therefore reported the matter to the Police and on December 28, 2016, the Police went to the accuseds hospital to arrest him. The Police however met him in the process of performing certain medical procedure on a witness in the case. The police after questioning Dr Obeng-Andoh charged him to appear before the court on February 6, 2017. The accused however petitioned the Criminal Investigations Department and the court process was temporarily halted. The case docket was forwarded to the Attorney Generals Department for advice. The Attorney General Department on May 8, 2018 advised that all charges preferred against Dr Obeng-Andoh be maintained. Meanwhile Obengfo is standing in another trial for murder following the death of Stacy Offie Darko, former Deputy Chief Executive Officer of National Entrepreneurship Innovation Programme who visited his medical facility at Weija, Accra. He is standing at a District Court in Accra together with his cleaner, Edward Amponsah who is being held for impersonation. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The second lady of Ghana, Samira Bawumia on January 17, 2019 left for Morocco to attend a meeting with the Ambassador Director General of Morocco International Cooperation Agency (AMCI), Mr. Mohamed Methqal, in Rabit. Among key issues discussed was the AMCIs promotion of human capital through its educational scholarships for Ghanaian students, potential support for the implementation of human development projects in Ghana for the economic empowerment of women; and mutual learning opportunities between the two countries. Read her post below; On Sunday, January 17, 2019, I had a meeting with the Ambassador Director General of the Morocco International Cooperation Agency (AMCI), Mr. Mohamed Methqal, in Rabat, Morocco. We discussed the AMCIs promotion of human capital through its educational scholarships for Ghanaian students, potential support for the implementation of human development projects in Ghana for the economic empowerment of women; and mutual learning opportunities between the two countries. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has said the criticism he has received from the EU, UK and the US over the suspension of the chief justice is based on rush and uninformed opinion. Linking the removal of Judge Walter Onnoghen to the election was "illogical", his spokesman said. Justice Onnoghen is facing charges over allegedly failing to declare his personal assets before taking office. Nigeria's presidential and legislative elections will be held on 16 February. The EU, UK and US have criticised the suspension of Justice Onnoghen , who took office in 2017, suggesting it could "cast a pall over the electoral process". The Nigerian government reacted to the comment saying its "friends" had acted in "haste" and did not have a deeper understanding of the situation. Atiku Abubakar - the main challenger to Mr Buhari in the presidential election - called Justice Onnoghen's suspension "an act of dictatorship". 'Illogical link' Justice Onnoghen's refusal to step down voluntarily forced the president to act, presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said. "To link the [chief justice] to the elections in this way is illogical unless they assume that election complaints will be filed and go all the way to the Supreme Court," Mr Shehu added. "The [chief justice] does not run the election. Nor is he the first arbiter of any electoral complaints." The suspension was temporary until the conclusion of the case being heard by a Code of Conduct Tribunal, he said. He said that the none of the western countries would allow a person, "enmeshed in legal uncertainty to preside over your legal systems until the cloud has been cleared from him". Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghanaians have been asked to help the Ghana Police Service with information on shady activities going on in their communities. The Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says if the police are not given any information, they will not be able to fully fight crimes in the country. The minister was reacting to the spate of kidnapping and murder cases in the country. Ghana keeps recording cases of murder and kidnapping; increasing insecurity in the country and making Ghanaians question whether the security services are really doing their work. However, speaking on Peace FM morning show Kokrokoo, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said without the help and corporation of the General Public, the police service cannot do their work. Government has tasked the security agencies to be up and doing to resolve these matters. The police also needs corporation from the general public; giving out information where necessary. While we continue to encourage the security agencies we need to also help in giving them information. The security has been well equippedwe need to ensure that people still have confidence in the security agencies he opined. Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The partnership between the Ministry of Sanitation and Ghana First Company Limited towards the construction of modern toilet facilities across the country to complement the governments effort of improving waste management and sanitation is gathering momentum. Last Thursday, some top officials from the Ministry, together with Ghana First officials led by its Chief Executive Officer Frank Akuley, toured the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality (where one of the ultramodern toilet facilities being constructed across the country is located) to assess progress of work. During a brief meeting, Mr. Akuley said it had come to the attention of Ghana First that some contractors who were supposed to make payments to their respective suppliers were not doing so, even though the contractors had already been paid the 60 per cent threshold under the contract agreement with the waste management company. Some contractors in their private arrangements with their suppliers are denying the suppliers payments and are making spurious claims that it is as a result of Ghana Firsts inability to pay them, the CEO said, adding under our arrangement with the contractors, once a contractor hits 60 per cent of work done as the agreement stipulates, there is no way we cannot facilitate your claims for payment. He said: It s worrying when contractors sign agreements with Ghana First and then approach the Ministry of Sanitation for payment; it shows very clear that some of the contractors did not understand the agreement but signed on to the project. We have already gone through all the processes with them but some do not seem to understand the workings of Ghana First. We shall continue to sensitize them to the way forward. At Nsawam, the project was nearing completion and Mr. Akuley disclosed that so far about 1,800 projects have been given on contract and about 500 are at various stages of completion. The facility, unlike the traditional public toilets, will have its patrons paying for its use via electronic systems and it comes with automatic shower devices and water closets, a storeroom and a reception. We dont have anything like this in this country. And once we have decided to do it for the first time, I think its a plus for the nation, Mr. Akuley indicated and expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Sanitation and Water resources for their support, especially for sending a delegation to inspect the progress of work. Representatives from the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources commended Ghana First for the initiative, describing it as impressive. The officials expressed delight over the automation of the facility and said that it would greatly help governments efforts to curb open defecation. They said there was the need for an extensive public education on the project and its use, as well as proper management so as to get more people to not only patronize it but also maintain it. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ghana National Association of Teachers, (GNAT) says they feel disrespected to be called pure criminals by the former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, (GIMPA), Professor Stephen Adei. They however called on the educationist to with immediate effect apologise to them for the name calling. Professor Stephen Adei on Thursday, 24th January 2019, in an interview with Class FM said that, Ghanaian teachers in public basic schools are pure criminals because "they do not teach yet take their salaries and send their children to private schools. According to him, the attitude of the teachers was affecting the quality of education at the primary level. Speaking on the issue, the Central Regional Chairman of GNAT, Dr Isaac Owusu, described Prof Adei's comment as unfortunate. "Ive also heard what our senior comrade, Prof Stephen Adei has said about the teachers in this country, and, in fact, this is not the first time he's spoken. He's our elder and a very respectable man, so, we sometimes don't want to be treating him like we do to others . . . It is, indeed, an insult. Yes, indeed, like in every institution or profession, you may find one or two teachers among us who may be doing what is not expected, but that doesn't mean you should generalise it that all teachers are criminals. It is very unfortunate, so, we, the GNAT members in the region, are calling on him to apologise to all teachers before he incurs our wrath," He told Ahomka FM. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Ambrose_wash Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The growing number of development projects and an improved investment environment has encouraged French multinational corporation Schneider Electric to pump new investments into Egypt, said Luke Remont, executive vice president of international operations at the company. We are planning to double the production capacity at our factory in Egypt by June 2019, Remont said today during a press conference in Cairo. Remont also said that the Egyptian market is a strategic one for SE because of its capacity and potential to grow faster than any other market in the region, as well as the access it provides to other countries through free trade agreements. Thanks to the government's national development plan, Egypt is offering many investment opportunities in major projects, and SE wishes to scale up its investments in the country, Remont said, adding that the main fields of cooperation include renewable energy, smart cities and sea water desalination. We are manufacturing in Egypt and export to other markets as well, he said, explaining that SE exports to 12 countries in the MENA region through its factory in Egypt. We are going to participate in the development of infrastructure in the new cities being built in Egypt, which are considered mega projects that cater to the needs of the growing population and a growing industry, he added. Walid Sheta, Schneider Electrics regional cluster head of North East Africa and the Levant, said that the local components in the company's upcoming projects will exceed 60 percent, adding that SE is working with local partners, integrating its technologies in the electricity market, industry and transportation sectors. He also stressed that SE is eager to increase the volume of its business and investment in Egypt as a key market for countries in the MENA region, especially with the improved economic conditions. Moreover, Sheta said that Schneider Electric will sign today five memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with the Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity to establish five off grid electricity projects (solar panels) in five remote Egyptian villages, with one project to be carried out per year. SE provides technologies that help save about 30 percent of energy by the industry, which will in turn contribute to lowering carbon emissions and help the environment. Energy efficiency is a priority when we provide our technologies for infrastructure projects, he added. SEs investments in Egypt during the last 32 years, since 1987, amount to approximately 315 million euros. The company has worked with the Egyptian government during that time to offer energy-efficient infrastructure solutions in development projects such as the New Administrative Capital, the New Alamein City and the solar park in Benban in Upper Egypt. Search Keywords: Short link: In a report by CitiNewsRoom, the Tarkwa Senior High School female student who was reportedly kidnapped has been found with boyfriend according to the Police in the Western Region. Augustina Ndaago, a Home Economist student took an exeat to visit her mother in Prestea but never reached home and that led to her mother reporting to the police that her daughter has been kidnapped. The schools authoritys statement reads: On Thursday 24th January 2019, around 12:30noon, Augustinas brother called the housemistress to inform her that a supposed kidnapper had sent him a text message that Augustina together with two others had been kidnapped and were in their custody. The police is still interrogating Augustina Ndaagos boyfriend (suspect) on why he kept her overnight according to the Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Maame Tiwaah Addo-Danquah. we have arrested the suspect. Apparently, the lady met the guy, the guy proposed to the lady and she followed him to his house. They slept. The guy is in police custody and we have begun the investigation. That lady is around, we are talking to him and we are interrogating the suspect to understand the circumstances under which the whole issue happened, she said. Source: ghanacelebrities.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Testimonies from witnesses presented by the state in the ongoing trial of former NCA officials do not tally, making it much more difficult for state persecutors to prove their case against the accused persons at the ongoing trial at the High Court before the presiding judge, Justice Kyei Baffuor. Madam Abena Asafu Adjei, Director Legal of the National Communications Authority (NCA)who was the first prosecution witness stated during cross examination that the NCA had no knowledge of a request from National Security Secretariat to the National Communication Authority to purchase a Cyber Security System on its behalf a claim the fourth prosecution witness, also from the NCA has boldly refuted in court. Interestingly, Madam Abena Asafu Adjei who was on leave at the time of the transaction towards her retirement, has since been rewarded with a two-year contract after her testimony in court. In a sharp contrast to Madam Abena Asafu Adjeis testimony, Mr. Henry Kanor who is the Deputy Director General in charge of Technical Operations at NCA and was the Director of Engineering at the time of the transaction, told the court that he was tasked to ensure the delivery, installation and the testing of the Pegasus Cyber Security System at a National Security site on the Spintex Road. Mr. Kanor further said acting on behalf of NCA, he dealt directly with the NSO Group and NSOs Reseller Infraloks Development Ltd during the procurement of the equipment. It is worthy to note that in the course of the cross examination, it came out that the Israeli government regards the Pegasus tracking software as no less than a weapon, whose exports are therefore supervised by the Israeli Defense Ministry. In that regard, the Israeli Defense Ministry gives approval on behalf of the Israeli state for the sale of the Pegasus system to countries with good relationship with Israel. Mr. Henry Kanor, the 4th prosecution witness admitted in court that, as the Director of Engineering at the time of the transaction, was tasked by the Director General of the NCA to oversee the clearing of the hardware when it arrived in the country, the delivery of the equipment to the end user site and the installation and testing of the system due to the National Security nature of the transaction. Mr. Kanor also liaised with the National Security during the clearing from customs and the deployment of the system. The witness also confirmed to the Court that he took the NSO deployment team to a National Security site when they arrived in the Ghana. Documents were tendered in evidence to confirm direct correspondence between the NCA and the NSO Technologies Group. Mr. Henry Kanor also informed the court that he visited the site and the NSO deployment team every day for twenty minutes to check on the progress of the deployment and gave progress report to the Director General of NCA at the time. A letter signed by Mr. Kanor which confirms the completion of the deployment phase was tendered in evidence. The confirmation letter was to also enable NSO issue an invoice and get paid by the reseller as the neither the National Communications Authority or Government of Ghana was liable for the payment of the system although the sale was to NCA/GoG as approved by the Israeli Defense Ministry. Subsequent checks about the Pegasus Cyber security system revealed that the Israeli Defense Ministry after its own due diligence gave approval to the NSO Group to sell the system National Communications Authority/Ghana and provided an end-user certificate to the NCA. Per the terms of the contract, NSO cannot sue NCA or GoG for non-payment as NSO has no recourse to NCA or GoG. The court proceedings were adjourned to the 29th January, 2019 for the prosecution to present its next witness. Source: Kwame Essuman Aidoo Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Asabke Alangdi, who fled in May 2015, to escape prosecution as the second suspect in the murder of Adams Mahama, the former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been arrested in Cote dIvoire. Ghanas security agencies arrested Alangdi with the aid of Interpol on January, 25, 2019 after more than a year of surveillance and search, during which the fugitive was said to have moved from Burkina Faso to Ivory Coast. Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information, announcing the development at a news conference in Accra, on Monday, said the arrest had necessitated the filing of a Nolle Prosequi in respect of the trial of Afoko, which had been adjourned till 20th February, 2019, for his lawyers to address the Court. Consequently, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said the State earlier in the afternoon, filed the Nolle Prosequi at the High Court with the objective of discontinuing the trial to enable the two accused persons to be jointly tried to best serve the interest of justice. Consequently, committal proceedings for the two accused persons would commence as soon as possible, he said, explaining that the State intended to pray the Chief Justice to assign a dedicated judge for expedited trial considering the background of the case. Government assures all Ghanaians that it will not relent on any efforts to bring the perpetrators of crimes within this jurisdiction to book, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said. It would be recalled that Mr Mahama was attacked while he was in front of his house at Bolgatanga with acid, on May 20, 2015, which led to his death in the hospital. Police blamed Afoko and Alangdi for the attack following their investigations. Afoko has since his apprehension by the Police been trial at an Accra High Court, presided by Justice Lawrence L. Mensah (JA) sitting as an additional High Court Judge. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Diaspora Youth Organisers of the New Patriotic Party wish to congratulate His Excellency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his role in restoring peace in Dagbon and overseeing a successful enskinment of the new Yaa-Naa, Naa Abubakari Mahama II, King of Dagbon. We appreciate that the path taken to realise this great feat has not been an easy task but by virtue of your sterling leadership and compassion, the people of Ghana celebrate with you today. We are proud of your genuine interest in always solving conflicts diplomatically; a legacy that will live on forever. This long path began with the formation, in 2003, of the Committee of Eminent Chiefs by President Agyekum Kufuor, himself a man engrossed in royalty. To the Nayiri, Yagbonwura and Otumfuo the Asantehene; the Youth of Ghana are proud of you for displaying excellent tenacity and unwavering focus to broker such a historic peaceful deal that has brought joy to the people of Ghana. If any of our generation doubted the relevance of traditional leadership there lies their answer. Your commitment to your task further illuminated that we cannot be separated in interest or divided in purpose. We stand together until the end. To the people of Dagbon especially the Youth; we believe that unity and victory are synonymous hence we join the rest of the nation to celebrate with you and we are grateful to you for ensuring our generation actualise a dream of peace. We wish the great King, Naa Abubakari Mahama II, long live and prosperity. May your reign be one of a kind; one that will bond us together and promote the youth to achieve their ultimate best. Long live Ya-Na Long live HE Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Long live Ghana Signed: NPP Diaspora Youth Organisers Richard Gyamfi - NPP UK Boakye-Yiadom Emml Oppong - NPP Germany Aaron Appiah - NPP Netherlands Godfred Obeng - NPP Finland Tony Appiagyei Mensah - NPP Italy Edward K. Adade - NPP USA Prince Akyereko - NPP Canada Kingsley Boakye-Nkrumah - NPP Norway Bright Appiah - NPP Austra Joseph ANTWI- NPP France Robert Agyemang Dua - NPP Belgium Yeboah Constace - NPP Japan Alexander Oppong -NPP Spain Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Government has secured a loan of One Million US dollars ($US1 million) from the Ghana Export and Import Bank (Ghana EXIM Bank) under the One District/One factory initiative for the revamping of the defunct ASTEK Company Ltd at Nsawam which ceased operation in 2009 as a result of some challenges. ASTEK is to use the $US 1million for the purchasing and installation of equipment for the processing and packaging of fruits such as orange pineapple for export and repay the loan within four years. This was made known today when the MP for Nsawam/Adoagyiri Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh and the NPP Executive in the constituency visited the factory to inspect preparation being made towards its revamping. Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh described the securing of the $US1million loan for the company as a dream come true and a big hope to the youth mostly in Nsawam/Adoagyiri who will be employed by the company. He said the opposition parties in the country regarded the 2016 campaign promise of President Nana Akufo- Addo to ensure the establishment of one factory in each district of the country as mere rhetoric. However he said such "doubting Thomases" are living witnesses to the fulfilment of the promise by government. Managing Director of ASTEK Company Ltd Mr Albert Owusu commended the government of President Akufo- Addo and Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh for their tireless efforts to help revamp the company in fulfillment of government's promise to promote job creation in the country. He said ASTEK has signed an MOU with nine (9) out grower farmers associations in Nsawam/Adoagyiri and Akuapem South Districts for supply of raw materials (fruits) for processing. According to Mr Albert Owusu the company could start operation by September 2019 and export its products to Spain, Europe and the USA. About 50 workers will be employed initially by the company but the staff will be increased to about 200 when it expands operation, according to Mr Albert Owusu. Source: Emmanuel Akorl/Parliamentary Correspondent, Peace FM Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Bank of Ghanas GHS400 million recapitalisation exercise saved over GHS 11.6 billion of 1.5 million depositors, Governor of the central bank, Dr Ernest Addison, has revealed. Dr Addison pointed out that contrary to the belief that the BoG has caused unnecessary losses in the banking sector, the clean-up exercise has "protected deposits" of clients, including deposits of savings and loans companies; rural and community banks; investment fund managers, pension funds, and life insurance companies with the banks. The recapitalisation exercise ended on 31 December 2018, It reduced the number of universal banks from over 30 to 23. In the apex banks view, these banks are sound, liquid, well-capitalised, and well-positioned to translate the gains made so far from two years of far-reaching reforms, to the rest of the economy. Dr Addison expressed confidence that the recent actions of the central bank will lead to a better financial industry in the country. At the end of December 2018, total assets of the banking sector grew by 14.7 per cent year-on-year to GHS107.3 billion. Going forward, growth in industry assets is expected to rebound, as banks deploy their newly-injected capital towards financial intermediation, he noted. Source: classfmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video EU Delays Payment System For Iran Amid U.S. Warnings 01/28/19 Source: Radio Farda The EU has reportedly delayed registering an alternative financial channel to help Iran, say reports coming from Brussels on Monday January 28. Reports from Brussels Monday morning said that the release of the conclusion on Iran has been "postponed" due to differences over one of its ten articles. Bloomberg reports that the EU's Special Purpose Vehicle for #Iran may be announced as soon as this week, with the intent to circumvent US #sanctions against Iran. Learn why the SPV won't probably work with our Econographic https://t.co/FZvpuKLf11 pic.twitter.com/O8qE7495N5 Global Econ (@ACGlobalEcon) January 28, 2019 An EU diplomat told Radio Farda that the delay is caused by Spain's opposition to an article referring to Europe's talks with Iran about its presence in Yemen, as Spain was not represented in the meetings, while Germany, France, UK and Italy were represented in the meetings with Iran about Yemen. The United States also appears to be adamant to "fully enforce its sanctions" against Tehran and "hold individuals and entities accountable for undermining them," The Associated Press quoted a "senior administration official" on Friday as saying, as Europe was planning to launch an alternative payment channel for Iran to circumvent the sanctions. That was when other reports originating from the EU in Brussels, including a Radio Farda exclusive report, broke the news about the imminent launch of a Special Purpose Vehicle to facilitate Iran's international trade in spite of the U.S. sanctions. According to AP, the Trump administration is closely watching " efforts in Europe to set up an alternative money payment channel to ease doing business with Iran and avoid running afoul of sanctions the U.S. has levied on the Islamic republic." In another warning, AP quoted Senator Tom Cotton as having said that "The choice is whether to do business with Iran or the United States," adding that "I hope our European allies choose wisely." This was yet another indication that "The White House is putting the Europeans on notice, saying that if they try to do an end-run around U.S. sanctions on Iran, they will be subject to stiff fines and penalties," AP observed. This comes while Maja Kocijancic, the spokeswoman for EU Foreign Policy Chief, told reporters on Friday that preparations for the SVP were at an "advanced stage," and that she hoped to announce the systems launch "very soon." Radio Farda was told on Friday by an informed EU source that the SVP would be registered on Monday January 28, when an EC "Conclusion" would simultaneously express concern about Iran's regional military ambitions, ballistic missile program, hostile acts in EU, and violation of human rights in Iran. Within EU frameworks, a "conclusion" includes a series of political positions about a certain matter as approved during talks at the European Council. EU members are to discuss the conclusion about Iran in another meeting later this week. Meanwhile, Bahram Ghasemi, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Tehran that Tehran can wait until the EU officially announces the launch of the SVP. Ghasemi said he was aware of the news that said the launch was to be announced on Monday, adding, "We have heard many promises during recent weeks, but we will wait for the official announcement." An adviser to the Trump administration said U.S. is concerned that the alternative financial system could become so successful in the future that it can compete with the international financial communication system SWIFT and eventually supplant it as the leading global institution facilitating sending and receiving information about banking transactions. According to AP, the U.S. is also concerned that other countries might try to route transactions through the European system just to circumvent U.S. sanctions, the adviser said. Thirdly, while the Europeans have signaled that the alternative money transfer system would be used only for humanitarian transactions, the U.S. is suspicious that it could be used for non-humanitarian transactions to evade U.S. sanctions, the adviser said. The United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran in May 2018 and EU promised to protect Iran's continued economic benefits from the nuclear agreement and help with its international financial transactions through an alternative payment system which has not materialized yet. Lawyer Says Australian-Based Population Expert Released From Iranian Detention 01/28/19 Source: RFE/RL's Radio Farda The lawyer for Meimanat Hosseini-Chavoshi says the Australian-based academic has been released by Tehran, which held her for more than a month on charges of trying to "infiltrate" Iranian institutions. Hosseini-Chavoshi, a dual Iranian-Australian citizen who works at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, was released by the court "a few days ago," her lawyer Mahmoud Behzadi said on January 27, according to the state news agency IRNA. Meimanat Hosseini Chavoshi In mid-December, the hard-line newspaper Kayhan reported the arrest of Hosseini-Chavoshi as one of the "activists...who, under the cover of scientific activities, had infiltrated state bodies." According to Kayhan, they manipulated statistics and handed sensitive information to Iran's enemies as part of efforts at "cultural and social invasion." Behzadi did not say whether the charges against Hosseini-Chavoshi, who works for the University of Melbourne at its School of Population and Global Health and has been published widely on Iranian fertility and family-planning policies, had been dropped without a court sitting. She was in Tehran to speak at a conference on aging populations at the invitation of the Labor and Social Welfare Ministry. Iran was once considered a success story in population control, having lowered the birth rate to two per woman from seven between the 1980s and 2002, according to World Bank figures. Iran's population census data Hosseini-Chavoshi was arrested while leaving Iran after the conference had finished. In October, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for greater efforts to combat enemy "infiltration" as tensions escalated with the United States after Washington withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran. Iran does not recognize dual nationality and does not routinely announce arrests or charges of dual nationals. Reuters reported in 2017 that Iran had arrested at least 30 dual nationals in recent years, mostly on espionage charges. With reporting by Reuters, IRNA, and AFP Paxton, IL (60957) Today Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. The Israeli government on Sunday gave the final go-ahead for the export of medical cannabis, the health ministry said, a move expected to generate significant revenues for the state. "Israel is one of the leaders in the world in the field of medical cannabis," Moshe Bar Simon Tov, director general at the ministry, said. "Our know-how in this area allows us to supply high-quality products for export." The approval comes after parliament in December passed a law allowing overseas sale of cannabis grown with a health ministry licence. It has been estimated that the medical cannabis export market could generate a billion shekels ($270 million, 240 million euros) per year in additional state income. There are currently a handful of companies in Israel growing medical cannabis, with many more awaiting to receive permission from the authorities. In 2016 Israel approved the use of medical cannabis, and in 2017 the public security ministry partially decriminalised marijuana use, setting fines and treatment for initial use instead of criminal procedures. Short link: News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. PARLAMENTUL REPUBLICII MOLDOVA 2010 The Moldovan Parliaments website design was supported by the Democracy Support Programme in Moldova" an initiative financed by the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Originally from Russia, Kyunchi splits the year between New York City and Tokyo. But really they live on the Internet more specifically, the Internet of the past. The bedroom musician is helping lead the #20ninescene revival by making what they call "Myspace music for 2019:" cyberbops that reference Millionaires, Jeffree Star and Mean Girls. Yearn for a more innocent time. Alongside the likes of Slayyyter and Ayesha Erotica, the internet native is making music that's nostalgic and futuristic at the same time. We'd have it autoplaying on our profiles for sure. Maybe even put them in our Top Eight. xD. Related | Bring Back Emo in 2019 PAPER met up with Kyunchi in New York to talk more about the early days of social media, and their enduring influence on pop culture. What's your first Myspace memory? I just remember being like a site model, in high school, and I'd design graphics for people. Why do you think we're getting so nostalgic for that time right now? Right now I think it has to do with the political climate. People want to go back to a time where everything was semi-normal, it wasn't perfect back then but it was better than what we have right now. I think a lot of my personal happiest memories were from that time. Although a lot of Myspace music I only got into when Myspace was dead. I think it's the same for a lot of people. The Internet felt very free back then. It sucks because most of it is lost now, I didn't archive any of my Myspace. It just kind of disappeared! It's really sad. How are you developing your Myspace sound, and what does that mean exactly? I'm currently working on an EP. I do want to work with really interesting people who are doing things in this style, like Charli XCX, Slayyyter. I want to find interesting people with an interesting point of view. Charli XCX is an interesting example to talk about because she's very nostalgic even though her music is super futuristic. That's kind of where my head is at too. Not so much that I want to sound like her, it's kind of like the same blueprint but making a different model. I conceptualize a lot, think a lot about the atmosphere of a song, I really come up with a concept first. "Beauty Guru Fantasy" I knew I wanted to be about YouTube. And that's where it all came from. I'm working with Ayesha and she's a fantastic producer and songwriter she has a better eye for it than I do and helps me put it all together and make my vision come alive. As you've started marketing yourself as a Myspace-style artist, have you found other artists trying to do the same thing? Yes, a lot of people have been contacting me, saying they love that MySpace sound, this is what I want to do. I'm encouraging people to pursue it, because Myspace music really was all about community, after all. You're touching on a feeling of having missed out on Myspace slightly, and I think that's really common. Yeah, some people say, "I wish I could have gone to Woodstock!" And Myspace is the new Woodstock. I remember being really into emo and scene for a while but never actually fully participating, like I wasn't actually scene myself, I just knew a lot about it. Yeah, you'd be like, I wish I was part of the group. But nothing is stopping us from recreating it now! "Myspace is the new Woodstock." I really like "Regina George." It taps into nostalgia for a similar era. Thank you so much. We all just wish we could go back. I'm already working on part two of that song, and it's going to be called "Paris and Nicole." I definitely want to make a double album, half of it pure MySpace music. I want to do a collab with Melissa Marie. She's the original Myspace Queen. And then a second part that's more futuristic. I'm actually also working on a J-pop song too. I want to show my love for Japan in my music. There's a big intersection between MySpace music and K-pop, J-pop. Yeah because you know Japan was a huge part of MySpace, too. A lot of Americans discovered it that way. Back then it was an edgy thing to listen to. So what can we do to make the #20ninescene movement happen? Stream Kyunchi! True Detective Recap: Nic Pizzolatto Shoulders Both Writing and Directing The Hour and the Day, and the Story Turns Derivative By Roxana Hadadi | TV | January 28, 2019 | This is my life. You got some missing pieces. I need em. After the SAG Awards last night, during which Mahershala Alis Supporting Actor win for Green Book made him the first actor in the ceremonys 25-year history to win the same award twice, Ali mentioned that his role on True Detective is his first leading role on TV. Kathleen over at Lainey Gossip broke down his comments in the press room, and its worth reading. And Ill say this again, because it bears repeating: Ali is phenomenally good in this third season of True Detective, even when the material lets him down, and I think that is particularly obvious as we reach our season midway point with fourth episode The Hour and the Day. Series creator Nic Pizzolatto takes over directing duties for this episode on top of co-writing it (alongside David Milch, of NYPD Blue and our beloved Deadwood), and although this season has already felt derivative of various season one elements, The Hour and the Day is inarguably so. So many dramatic moments from season one are recreated here: a domestic fight turns into an emotionally fraught sexual encounter (just like Woody Harrelson and Michelle Monaghan in season one, when she picks a fight about his ambition and not being the same guy she knew in college); the detectives find themselves in a potentially violent situation in a run-down black neighborhood (just like Cary Fukunagas long tracking shot when Matthew McConaughey posed undercover to infiltrate that drug house in the projects); and were teased with a climactic shootout (just like Harrelson and McConaughey vs. Reggie and Dewall Ledoux in their drug-cooking and child-holding compound). And look, I think the first season of True Detective was flawed but ambitious television, and I liked it very much, and I get wanting to recapture some of that magic. But to this degree of mimicry? The Hour and the Day never develops its own strengths. Anyway, heres some stuff that happened: In 1980: Mahershalas Wayne Hays and Stephen Dorffs Roland West visit the church that the Purcells attended and speak to the priest, who shares that he took the communion pictures, that Julie was excited to see an aunt (although she doesnt have any biological aunts), and a parishioner who is a dear good woman made chaff dolls quite similar to those found near the body and in the bag of toys Will and Julie played with. But that woman turns out to be a racist old bat who cant provide any more details about who bought the dolls from her, aside from he was black. The look Mahershala gives us her is Nights King levels of icy disdain! Anyway, her tip leads the detectives to a black community, Davis Junction, literally on the other side of the railroad tracks, where they essentially take a man hostage (and where Roland is sneeringly comfortable in his white privilege), but dont get any worthwhile information from him. On the ride back, Roland goes full Im more careful around black people because Im so progressive, duh, and his overly zealous justification of his behavior during the altercation feels like another fissure between him and Hays. The first official date between Amelia and Hays was incredibly painful, wasnt it? And Im not sure the show intended it to be that awkward? But it feels like Pizzolatto not quite knowing what he wants the relationship between Amelia and Hays to be, so hes throwing this shes a sexy bad girl with a resentful-yet-lustful view of authority stuff at the wall, and its not really working. But some things I liked during this scene, uncomfortable as it was: How Hayss face collapses when Amelia brings up the murders to discuss over dinner; the way he cant really keep up with her constantly changing the subject; as badly written as it was, Carmen Ejogos delivery of Youre my first police. You gonna rough me up? was solid; and Hayss admission that whatever their relationship ends up being, Thats down to you. Ive noted before in previous recaps that Hays seems quite passive in his interactions with Amelia, and we also see that when the narrative jumps forward to their marriage in 1990, when he admits to her that if she keeps talking shit about me, Imma start crying. I would feel more impacted by their failing marriage if I totally bought the relationship that preceded it, but I do think that their fundamental issues make sense: The two were drawn together as outsiders in this closed community; Amelia resents Hays for resenting her success; and Hays will never accept that she focused on the missing Purcell children to launch her writing career. Let me just use this awful tragedy to take myself onto better things is the kind of insult that suggests deep intimacy and profound disappointment. So, Lucy totally wrote the note that the Purcells received, right, about how children should laugh? She mimics that language when speaking with Amelia before throwing the teacher out of the house, and although she admits to hating her domestic life, Im not sure if her Ive done a terrible thing, God forgive me is an admission of being complicit in her childrens kidnapping or just an acknowledgement that she was an awful mother. Hays and West pick up the long-haired teen, Freddy Burns (Rhys Wakefield), who admits that he took Wills bike. He was looking for her. He was begging us. He ran into the woods, Freddy admits, which seems to sync up with the detectives understanding of events: Whoever took or attacked the children was primarily after Julie, not Will. And Hays pulls out the prison-rape threat one more time against Freddy, leading him to collapse into panicked, hysterical sobsI dont think theres anything else the teen would be hiding. Front Toward Enemy reads the explosive device that Brett Woodard sets up in his booby-trapped house as the town racists chase him with murderous intent. (I thought the way Michael Greyeyes ran home was the most tense part of this episode, and a scene Ill remember for a long time.) Im guessing whatever happens next is where we see the shooting that Hays mentioned to West last episode. In 1990: Hays is now officially a special investigator working on the reopened Purcell case, but West is leading the unit, and I can imagine there will be friction there over time. Weve seen them each speak in the depositions about each other before the investigation is reopened, and there doesnt seem to be any ill will between the two of them outside from Hayss not-wrong belief that West succeeded partially because of his race. But we havent seen them speak yet after the investigation reopened in 1990, so what happened then to keep them apart for 25 years? (Also very noticeable in 1990: Wests limp, which Hays alluded to last episode by mentioning that West got shot. Im guessing in the shootout we see teased at the end of the episode?) Julie is alive! Or at least she seems to be! Wayne sees her on the Walgreens tape. In 2015: Wayne meets with Elisa (Sarah Gadon) in her hotel room, and it certainly looks like she had companytwo wine glasses, messy bed, is she fooling around with Henry or not?and she shares a piece of evidence that Wayne didnt know: that the bones of creepy cousin Daniel were found in southern Missouri. Were they hidden? We learn that Henry is also a cop, which may lend some credence to the theory that the true crime documentary is a farce cooked up by Elisa and Henry to pick Waynes brain for details about the Purcell case. That seems a little out there for me, but I do know that theory has been kicking around, so we might as well acknowledge it! Anyway, Henry agrees to help find Roland, because his father literally doesnt even know if his old partner is still alive. And maybe that confusion is complicated further by Wayne seeing even more dead people this timethe Viet Cong who crowd his office as he tries to remember details about that brown sedan, who murmur and whisper and agitate Waynes mind. But theres someone else in that crowd of dead people, too: a white man, in a suit and tie, with what looks like a bullet wound in his chest. Who is that? And is Wayne only seeing people he killed? If so, why did he see Amelia in the last episode? Questions, questions. And finally, something I want to note that is outside of this general what happened in 1980, 1990, and 2015 layout: How quickly the white people of West Finger fall back to racist language and actions and behavior when things dont go the way they want. But only one of the characters in the narrative is forgiven for this slight: Scott McNairys Tom Purcell. We see how his relationship with West was cemented in 1980, when Roland comes to pick him up from a bar, and on the drive home Tom throw out the n-word when discussing Hays. Its a reminder of how he treated Hays that first night when the detectives arrived at the Purcell house, but West isnt having it: Hes the best detective on the case, trying to find your daughter, Roland emphasizes, and that urges a moment of clarity. I apologize. For the word I used. My god, Im so sorry I used that word. Dont tell him, Tom begs, a fresh round of tears leaking down his face. West extends pity in that moment: Hes been called worse by people meant it more than you did, Roland reassures Tom, but thats not enough for Purcell: Im sorry for that, too. This scene was profoundly emotionally manipulative, yeslook at these white men, trying to shake off the racist structures that raised them!but I must admit that I found McNairy quite powerful here, and my heart broke for his character anew. I still dont think hes a suspect. But this is all in contrast to Lucy, who acts in a racist way toward Amelia and to whom the show doesnt seem to extend this same forgiveness. When Amelia comes to the Purcell house to drop off some of Wills and Julies things, Im unsure of whether she was coming strictly benevolently or if she was also, in her own way, looking for information about the case. Lucy doesnt seem to pick up on that, but she does become enraged by Amelias mention of Wayne, and throws Amelia out of her home by calling her You pickaninny bitch. You snooty cunt! Do we then get another scene where Lucy apologizes for the language she used? Or for turning on Amelia, one of the only people who seems to have shown her any kind of kindness, or even attention? Nope and nope. Im not sure if this is because theres some other revelation awaiting us regarding Lucy, but I do think its worth noting that the show provides us with numerous glimpses of the racism and prejudice roiling through this town, but only one scene with anyone feeling any sort of regret about it. If the show is trying to sway us toward Tom and away from Lucy, I would say its working. And some odds and ends: + There were signs of Milchs dialogue style all over this episode, from Dorffs West (Man signs up to go without fucking for life? Either he dont know himself for a liar, or hes some type limited edition psycho. I mean, everybodys fucking something) to Ejogos Amelia snarking that Wayne should look up vicissitudes when she throws it at him during a fight to the argument about the terms pussy hound vs. dick holster during Amelias and Wayne date. Very romantic! + Much like Rust and Marty in season one, Wayne and Roland have no time for religion in this season, either. I particularly appreciated how consistently Wayne shuts down the priests attempt to get him back in church: I reckon Ill let it pile up a little more, he says when rejecting the priests confession offer, and finally ends the conversation with, I get to feeling penitent, Ill let you know. I bet he wont! + White children. If its in the paper, its white children, says the man that Roland and Wayne try to interrogate in Davis Junction, and hes not wrong. (Also, the man says he used to work at a chicken factorydid he work at Hoyt Foods with Lucy?) + The look that Becca and Henry give each other in 1990 when they hear their parents start having sex and rhythmically bumping into the wall feels like a less intense parallel to Martys daughter Audrey drawing pictures of naked people and sexual acts in season one. These kids know more than they should. + Fucking Walmart. Preach, Wayne! + Also amazing: What the fuck is a Donahue? Review: 'Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes' | What's The Deal With 'Serenity's Old Wes? Roxana Hadadi is a Senior Editor for Pajiba. You can follow her on Twitter. Image sources (in order of posting): HBO Media Relations, HBO Media Relations, HBO Media Relations, HBO Media Relations, HBO Media Relations Rich, Old White Men Continue to Ruin Everything By Dustin Rowles | Politics | January 28, 2019 | Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks and a lifelong Democrat is considering pulling a Lieber next year and running for President as an independent, a move that will either fail spectacularly or give the election to Donald Trump, which is to say: Fail spectacularly in a different kind of way. The billionaire doesnt want to run as a Democrat even though he is a lifelong Democrat because he knows he cant win on account of the partys rejection of old, rich white men. More to the point, Schultz is afraid that some lefty will come in with ideas about universal health care and free college tuition, and Schultz believes thats just as bad as Trumps wall, nevermind the fact that Trump is never going to get his wall and Democrats are probably never going to get universal health care and free college tuition, but steering the country in that direction is better than the alternative. Democrats, however, fear that if Schultz runs as an independent, hell peel votes away from the party and allow Trump to win with his 35 percent of the vote. They might not be wrong, either. I am not actually opposed to a legitimate third-party run and a European style electoral system with more than two parties, just not now when Democracy is crumbling and Schultz could help to hasten it. Besides, if there must be an independent candidacy, Schultz should take his billions and put it behind a moderate candidate who actually has a shot in hell of winning the election, rather than in himself a billionaire businessman whose best-case scenario is playing spoiler. Elsewhere, rich old white man and venerable journalist Tom Brokaw stuck his damn foot in his mouth during Meet the Press yesterday, when discussing why they want a wall in places like Wyoming. A lot of this, we dont want to talk about. But the fact is, on the Republican side, a lot of people see the rise of an extraordinary, important new constituent in American politics, Hispanics, who will come here and all be Democrats. Brokaw then appeared to cite the fear of racial mixing and a majority-minority nation expressed by some Americans. Also, I hear, when I push people a little harder, Well, I dont know whether I want brown grandbabies, he said. I mean, thats also a part of it. Its the intermarriage that is going on and the cultures that are conflicting with each other. Tom. Dude. But then he goes in with the kicker: Assimilation. And these comments he did not attribute to Republicans in Wyoming and Idaho. This was his own commentary. I also happen to believe that the Hispanics should work harder at assimilation, he said. Thats one of the things Ive been saying for a long time. You know, they ought not to be just codified in their communities but make sure that all their kids are learning to speak English, and that they feel comfortable in the communities. And thats going to take outreach on both sides, frankly. Ack! He didnt help matters in his efforts to apologize on Twitter. finally,i am sorry I failed to convey my strong belief that diversity - dynamic and inclusive is what makes America Tom Brokaw (@tombrokaw) January 28, 2019 my tweet portal is whack i hv been trying to say i am sorry i offended and i so appreciate my colleague Tom Brokaw (@tombrokaw) January 28, 2019 it worked! i got your attention. night Tom Brokaw (@tombrokaw) January 28, 2019 What are you doing, Tom?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Finally, I leave you with this, re: the Rich, Old White Man in Charge. From Molly OToole at the L.A. Times: Today the United States of America gets back control of its borders, Trump said on Jan. 25, 2017, signing executive orders to hire 15,000 new border and immigration officers. Two years after President Trump signed orders to hire 15,000 new border agents and immigration officers, the administration has spent tens of millions of dollars in the effort but has thousands more vacancies than when it began. In a sign of the difficulties, Customs and Border Protection allocated $60.7 million to Accenture Federal Services, a management consulting firm, as part of a $297-million contract to recruit, vet and hire 7,500 border officers over five years, but the company has produced only 33 new hires so far. 33! Heckuva job, Brownie! Terry Crews Offered to Slap the Sh*t Out Of DL Hughley for Mocking His Sexual Abuse | Tessa Thompson Offers The #TimesUp Directors Challenge Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba. Header Image Source: Fox Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Monday said peace talks between the US and the Taliban were "encouraging." "I'd say really the takeaway right now: it's encouraging," Shanahan told Pentagon reporters as he waited to greet NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Shanahan's remarks came after US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was quoted Monday as saying the US and the Taliban have drafted the framework of a deal which could pave the way for peace talks with Kabul. Khalilzad has been leading a months-long diplomatic push to convince the Taliban to negotiate with the Afghan government, but the militants have steadfastly refused, dismissing authorities in Kabul as "puppets." US officials have said President Donald Trump wants to withdraw about half of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan. Shanahan did not provide details about potential US troop withdrawals. In response to a reporter's question, he said he had not been tasked to prepare for a "full" withdrawal. Stoltenberg later said it was too early to speak about the future disposition of NATO forces in Afghanistan. Short link: We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Do you appreciate the work we do as the only independent media outlet dedicated to serving OU students, faculty, staff and alumni on campus and around the world for more than 100 years? Then consider helping fund our endeavors. Around the world, communities are grappling with what journalism is worth and how to fund the civic good that robust news organizations can generate. We believe The OU Daily and Crimson Quarterly magazine provide real value to this community both now by covering OU, and tomorrow by helping launch the careers of media professionals. If youre able, please SUPPORT US TODAY FOR AS LITTLE AS $1. You can make a one-time donation or a recurring pledge. Oswego, NY (13126) Today Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 60F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 60F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Finally, Ritchie repeats the myth that charter schools drain funding from district-run schools. According to a 2017 report by Florida Tax Watch, taxpayers spent $10,308 per pupil in district-run district schools in 2015-16. By contrast, charter schools which are also public schools -- received only $7,307 per pupil, or 71 percent of district spending. The state in recent years has provided charter schools with more funds for construction costs, but those dollars pale in comparison to the capital funding that districts can tap through local property taxes and which not all share with charter schools. Hundreds of taxis blocked a central traffic artery in Madrid during Monday's morning rush hour, in their biggest show of strength yet as a protest seeking tighter regulation of Uber and other ride-hailing services entered its second week. Anti-riot police backed by a fleet of tow trucks took several hours to clear the vehicles from the capital's Paseo de la Castellana. Stoppages are expected elsewhere as the protest drags on. The city's taxi drivers started the protests last week against the private services, which offer rides that often undercut taxi prices and can be hailed via the internet rather than in the street. In September, Spain's government gave ride-hailing companies four years to comply with regulation granting them just one new licence for every 30 taxi licences. The cab drivers are demanding stricter regulations now. "They (ride-hailing services) can't do the same services that a taxi does. They can't pick up people on the streets. That is illegal but nothing happens," said taxi driver Juan Mateos. Taxi drivers in Barcelona ended a strike last week after regional authorities proposed the ride-hailing services can only be booked a short time in advance and cannot be hailed in the street. Negotiations there remain ongoing, and some ride-hailing platforms say they may be forced to leave Barcelona if the new rules take effect. Short link: There was a man lying on the sidewalk 3 feet from the road. Everybody was whizzing by in their cars ignoring the man. I had just been told by my mom that she had terminal cancer so I didnt really want to deal with this but I turned around and went back. Another women and her son saw me and turned around to help. The report did not say how or why the pills were mixed up. They belonged to an unidentified person who lives at the same address as Emery. You think about what that does to the learning environment, what it does to the child and what it does to the other children and how they respond to the child whose parent is in there exposed, Parkinson told the Daily Memphian. No state Republican Party chairman in the history of America has ever supported a bill this dangerous and irresponsible, Stemberger wrote. The bill represents both bad policy and bad politics and because of his refusal to pull his support from this egregious legislation, we are announcing a grass roots campaign to unseat him as state party chairman. The unnamed woman who was not wearing a seat belt was driving her 2008 Toyota 4-door car southbound on the Turnpike, near mile marker 230, when she lost control of the vehicle and overturned on the shoulder, said FHP spokeswoman Lt. Kim Montes. It is disappointing that the City Council disregarded the detailed findings in the Special Magistrates Order and the expressed preference of the adjoining homeowners, and voted to deny this project based upon little more than the preference of Universal, Spain said in an email. The nonprofit announced it has submitted its intent to bid to host WorldPride in 2026, an event that could bring about 1 million attendees to the city more than five times the number at last years Come Out With Pride in Orlando. Mark Anthony Weig, 22, of West Palm Beach didn't know he was texting an undercover investigator January 16 when he said he wanted to travel to Walton County to have sex and described violent sexual behavior including using a firearm and knife, deputies said. The girlfriend said Grant had gone downhill since his family found out about his relationship with a Bulgarian woman, and that he was using the stolen money to pay to talk with her. He had also recently been kicked out of nurse anesthetist school. A crash on west I-4 has the right lane blocked at the Floridas Turnpike exit, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. Traffic is backed up to the John Young Parkway exit. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Monday extended ceasefires in two conflict-hit states, official media reported, where protest leaders have pushed for anti-government rallies. Addressing supporters in South Kordofan state, Bashir said his "top priority" was ending fighting which erupted there in 2011. "We are ready to go to any length to bring peace to this area," Bashir, dressed in military uniform, told hundreds of cheering supporters at a televised rally in the state capital Kadugli. Since June 2016, Bashir has declared several unilateral ceasefires in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile, bringing relative calm to the three war-torn states. The president extended the ceasefires for South Kordofan and Blue Nile, the official SUNA news agency reported, while no announcement was made for Darfur. Bashir has been charged by the Hague-based International Criminal Court for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur, accusations he denies. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the three conflicts and millions displaced over the years after ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Khartoum, accusing it of economic and political marginalisation. Bashir's visit to Kadugli came a day after a protest movement called for demonstrations in the three states, following weeks of anti-government rallies in other parts of Sudan. The Sudanese Professionals Association also pushed for protests in various states and camps for internally displaced people on Monday, "to show our people's rejection of the dictator", the group said in a statement on Sunday. There were no reports of rallies Monday in the three conflict-hit states, which have been devoid of demonstrations apart from a day of rallies in Darfur earlier this month. Small demonstrations were however held in four villages in the state of Jazeera, witnesses said. Protests in Sudan began on December 19 after the government tripled the price of bread. They have since spiralled into nationwide rallies against the government of Bashir, who has refused to resign three decades after sweeping to power in a coup. For years, anger has been mounting across Sudan over growing economic hardships and deteriorating living conditions. That ire has now spilt onto the streets, with protesters chanting their main slogan: "freedom, peace, justice!" Officials say 30 people have died in protest-related violence since the demonstrations began, while rights groups say more than 40 people have been killed. Short link: No one has been arrested in the shooting, and the Sheriffs Office has not publicly named any suspects in the case. The man who came to the door was described as about six feet tall with a thin build and dreadlocks. He was wearing black jeans, the report said. We are not aware of anyone else becoming ill and continue to be engaged with the Department of Health to ensure we have all of the right processes in place to protect our cast members and guests, she added. In the video, take a quick look at Orlando Sentinel arts writer and critic Matthew J. Palms picks for three cant-miss arts events taking place around Central Florida this week. That followed an extended negotiation period with county commissioners, who in October completed an agreement that required Airbnb to charge and collect from users 5 percent on stays, mirroring the rate that the countys hotels and resorts pay. The demonstration launch was supposed to occur in early January, but the date has been pushed several times amid the government shutdown. SpaceX and Boeing both need to complete successful unmanned test flights as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program before astronauts can once again launch to the ISS from American soil. VHP for Nationwide Agitation Against Oppression of Ayyappa Devotees The Central Management Committee and Board of Trustees of VHP calls upon the Hindus to carry out nationwide agitation against the oppression of the Ayyappa devotees and join the agitation with full vigour Prayagraj: The Central Management Committee and Board of Trustees of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) that met at Sector 14 in Prayagraj Kumbh on January 17 strongly condemned the inhuman atrocities perpetuated on the Ayyappa devotees by the Left Front Government of Kerala. It called upon the Hindu society to carry out a nationwide agitation against the oppression and join the agitational activities with full vigour. Apart from various saints and VHP leaders, RSS Sarkaryavah Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi also attended several meetings. VHP leaders and saints at the Central Management Committee and Board of Trustees meeting in Prayagraj Kumbh A resolution passed at the meeting on the Sabarimala issue said, A perception has developed that the Left Front Government of Kerala, in connivance with jihadists, left goons and local administration, has been perpetuating atrocities on the Ayyappa devotees. The VHP is of the opinion that the judiciary and the government should refrain from interfering in the Hindu traditions and beliefs. The VHP and saints applauded the struggle being carried out by various Hindu organisations including the Ayyappa devotees, Hindu women, NSS, KPMS, SNDP, Arya Samaj, People of Dharma etc. The struggle for Sabarimala today has reached the level of Ayodhya movement, the resolution added. The Christians set the Sabarimala Temple on fire in 1950. Then they put up a Cross on the temple land in 1982. Now Muslim women made a human wall against Sabarimala. All these incidents show the depth of the conspiracy. The Government of Kerala has also started tirade against the Ayyappa devotees in the name of judiciary. Five devotees have sacrificed their live in this struggle and more than 15,000 devotees have been arrested by implicating them in more than 5000 false cases. Lakhs of Ayyappa devotees are trying to save the ancient tradition of the temple through demonstrations and creating human walls. But the Government of Kerala insulted their faith by pushing the non-believers into the temple at night, the resolution added. In another resolution on conspiracies to break unity of the Hindu society, the VHP said conspiracies are being repeatedly hatched by Islamic, church and left outfits to divide the Hindu society. Now some political parties and other organisations have also strengthened these conspiracies for vested interests. It is sometimes in Mumbai in the name of region, sometimes in Gujarat or Koregaon, Saharanpur and Patthalgarhi in different names. All these incidents show there is serious conspiracy to divide the Hindu society, the resolution introduced by Shri Jagganath Sahi from Bokaro and seconded by Shri Ajit Jena from Guwahati, said. The VHP called upon the Hindu society not to be misguided by any conspiracy and counter all game plans unitedly. There is a need to be vigilant from the political parties which are trying to divide the society for their political gains. All great sages like Maharshi Valimiki ji, Sant Ravidas ji, Guru Nanakdev ji, Ramanujacharya ji, Ramanandacharya ji, Narayana Guru ji, etc have always made efforts for unity of the Hindu society. The Hindus join all the Kumbhs and other festivals irrespective of any difference of caste, creed, etc. and they have also in the past foiled all conspiracies to weaken the Hindu society, the resolution added. Ayyappa Bhakta Sangamam: Sterling Show of Hindu Strength Sending a stern warning to the ruling CPM trying relentlessly to destroy temple traditions and Hindu customs in the state, the Sabarimala Karma Samiti organised a mammoth gathering of Ayyappa Bhaktha Sangamam in Thiruvananthapuram W hat the capital city, Thiruvananthapuram, witnessed on January 20 was an massive show of strength of Hindus in general and Ayyappa devotees, in particular. It was Ayyappa Bhaktha Samgamam at Putharikkandam, the largest available grounds in the city. It was a strong warning to Pinarayi regime, which is all set to wreck Shabarimala by violating the temple traditions there. Not less a person than Matha Amrithanadamayi Devi alias Amma, Bharat's spiritual ambassador in the entire world, lit the traditional lamp to mark the inauguration of the auspicious gathering. The gathering congregated was estimated to be more than three lakhs. They were from 3 to 4 southern districts. Devotees from Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta districts manned the three shobhayatras. The participants of the shobhayatras, estimated to be more than 1 lakh could not even enter the venue as the ground had overflowed by that time. The last rows of the shobhayatras had not even moved from the starting points when the public meeting came to an end. The devotees from four out of 14 districts of Kerala was more than enough to prove the mood of the people of Kerala. The ocean of devotees took the oath to do whatever is needed for protecting the dharma, culture and Ayyappa tradition. A galaxy of spiritual leaders from all across South Indian states on the dais Bharat bushan, brother of kanakadurga, came to the dais and apologised to the society for the violation of tradition committed by his sister In her inaugural address, Amma said that temples are the pillars of our culture. If they are wrecked our culture would be killed. The society will turn broken kites. If rituals and traditions are not protected properly it will wreck the atmosphere of the temple. The developments in Sabarimala is too unfortunate. Every temple has got its own peculiar traditions and rituals. It is wrong to neglect them. The whole Shabarimala issue originated from lack of knowledge regarding temple rituals. There are several areas where there is no gender bias; temples and idols should not be viewed on this basis. In every temple, each idol has got its own traditions. Tradition is the language of the heart. A partial view of the massive Hindu congregation Amma added that Ayyappa is a Naishtika Brahmachari. The Sabarimala traditions should be maintained. Therefore, young women should not enter there. The government should have acted with practical sense. These sorts of matter should be discussed by the devotees, thanthris, priests and people. Amma raised the slogan Sabarimala Ayyappan ki Jai. Swami Chidananda Puri, in his presidential address, said that LDF regime should apologise to the devotees for trying to wreck Sabarimala. He said, Pinarayi should be thanked for creating a situation for the Hindu unity. Lakhs of women and children have been participating in hundreds of programmes since the last more than three months with respect to Sabarimala issue. Hundreds of programmes were conducted in other states of Bharath and various countries abroad. Sabarimala has got unique rituals and traditions. Thanthri alone is competent to make necessary changes to it. No one can demolish Sanathana Dharma. Government tried to drag Sabarimala into controversy. Government unleashed invasions on it. #IndraprasthaAyyappaJyoti: India stands with Kerala Hindus New Delhi: Giving a new direction to the Sabarimala movement at the national level, All India Sabarimala Action Council organised the Indraprastha Ayyappa Jyoti at Connaught Place on the evening of January 21. Chanting Ayyappa mantra, the devotees called for the protection of temple traditions and customs. Despite adverse weather conditions, women in large number thronged the inner circle. Women devotees also carried placards reading, Save Sabarimala and other slogans, urging the state and public to save Hindu traditions and customs. As far as Sabarimala tradition is concerned, it has nothing to do with gender discrimination. It is rather a self-imposed restriction observed by the women devotees. Every restriction is not gender discrimination. Diversity is the soul and beauty of Indian culture and our temple traditions, they added. Speaking to Organiser, Prajna Pravah national convener Shri J Nandakumar said, The Sabarimala verdict has far-reaching implications as it is not just about the Sabarimala temple but all localised temple traditions and customs across the country. The argument of constitutional morality should not be used to target unique Hindu worship systems which are premised on non-codified traditions. The All India Sabarimala Action Council also organised a seminar and brainstorming session called Citizens Meet to Save Sabarimala Traditions in New Delhi on December 19. Swamiji stated, the government should have held discussions with the stakeholders in the light of the supreme court verdict. CM did not do it; on the other hand, he went ahead with facilitating young womens entry at any cost. But lakhs of women took to the street, with nama japa against the violation of traditions. CM not only ignored it, but also both CM and Devaswom minister kept on insulting the devotees. Swamiji added that if the minister believes that he is the king, it is the people's responsibility to make him understand that he is wrong. Hindu Aikya Vedi state president KP Sasikala teacher delivered the introductory speech. She said Sangamam is meant for creating a new history in Kerala. Former DG of Kerala Police TP Senkumar IPS welcomed the gathering. He said lakhs of devotees came to protect the traditions. It is in contrast with the 'broken' Women Wall (organised by the LDF government on January 1, 2019) sponsored by the state government. Sabarimala is a pilgrim centre, not any tourist spot. The government tried to bring atheist and young anarchist women to the temple. Some IPS officers who do not respect the supreme court verdict properly resorted to worst methods hence this Sangamam. But the government submitted a fake list of 51 women who entered the temple. Making a sarcastic reference to the murder of rebel CPM leader TP Chandrasekharan by CPM goons and 51 cuts in his body according to the post mortem report, Kumar said that 51 is CPMs fancy number. Bharath Bhushan, brother of Kanakadurga, one of the two young women who entered the temple in fancy dress with police escort during the wee hours of January 2, came to the dais and apologised to the society for the violation of tradition committed by his sister. She would not be permitted to enter his home until she apologises to crores of devotees. When she returned to her husbands home, she beat her old and sick mother-in-law. But her CPM comrades propagate that the old women did beat Kanakadurga. She hid in a CPM party village and moved to Sabarimala as part of the CPM conspiracy. Kottayam SP (district police chief) Harishankar IPS is the man behind this. Bhooshan is ready to produce valid evidence for this drama. The video messages of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Sadhwi Ritamabara and Swami Vishweshwara Theerthha of Pejwar Mat were played before the audience. Senior leaders of RSS and associated organisations including RSS Prant Pracharak Harikrishna Kumar, Sahprant Pracharak Sudarshanan and BJP president Adv. PS Sreedharan Pillai were on the front row of the audience. Swami Prakashananda (former president of Shivagiri Mat founded by Sree Narayana Guru), Swami Amruthswaroopananda Puri (vice chairman, Amrithanandamayi Mat), Swami Poornamaruthananda Puri general secretary, Amrithanandamayi Matt), several sanyasins from all over the country, RSS Pranth Sanghchalak PEB. Menon, RSS Pranth Karyavah Gopalankutty Master and a galaxy of Hindu leaders were on the dais. Prior to the august programme, Dewaswom Minister and CPM leader Katakampilli Surendran had visited Amma. Reports suggest that he was the emissary of the LDF regime and CPM assigned to dissuade Amma from participating in the programme. After the programme CPM state secretary, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan attacked Amma for participating in the Sangamam. Apparently, the terminologies he used are not suitable for reproducing in this weekly. BJP general secretary K Surendran said that Kodieyri was attacking a noble spiritual leader who is a woman who belonged to a so-called backward community. Fake document in SC Meanwhile, LDF government committed a deliberate Himalayan blunder by submitting before the Supreme Court a list of 51 young women who entered the temple and had darshan. The list showed the age, address and phone numbers of the women. But, when the media men tried to contact them, the cat came out from the bag. Some women said, their age is above 50. Some others said, at Pampa policemen compelled them to record younger age. Some phone numbers are wrong. Some other phones do not exist. A number of people said that they never thought of going to Shabarimala, let alone going there. Funny thing is, two of the women in the list are actually men !!! Apparently both Bindu and Kanakadurga are not on the list! After this latest 51 episode Pinnarayi Vijayan has become a joke. Reports from Supreme Court say the list was was not asked for. The whole Sabarimala episode speaks volumes about the rude and dirty games CPM plays in Kerala to demolish Hindu faith. They believe that it will pave the way for the fall of HIndu organisations like RSS, BJP, VHP, etc. But, people of Kerala believe that his calculations are wrong. He underestimated the power of Hindu forces and of course RSS and other organisations. That is why the people of Kerala believe that but for RSS and BJP, LDF and CPM would have converted Shabrimala temple into a haven for Maoists, sexual anarchists and extremist forces. A History of Misrepresentation If we fail to recognise the Sabarimala verdict as a wake-up call, it wont be wrong to say we are beyond redemption A temple on the top of a hill in a vast tropical forest that finds mention in the great epics of India is today featured in the pages of national and international media. The reason is in no way connected to the true purpose of the establishment and maintenance of the temple, but for reasons, no devotee of the deity of the temple ever dreamed of. I invite you to that temple, the abode of Ayyappa. I was startled by how a famous European media outlet described a particular tradition at the Sabarimala temple. It said that women considered to be of menstruating age were prohibited at the temple due to the belief that their presence would threaten Lord Ayyappas celibacy. This is circulated as fact, when anyone who has the slightest knowledge of the temple and its traditions knows that a sacred tradition has been deliberately misconstrued by the agency. If it were one stray report, we could have brushed it aside as ignorance of facts. But report after report, articles after articles repeated the same concocted plot in different words; not only by one media house but by almost all of them out there. This is why it is important for us to verify the historical perspective, not just about the temple or its traditions which everyone seem to be doing, but about the practice of misrepresenting Hindu traditions. The first invaders arrived on horsebacks, then came those on ships. As someone who came to conquer and rule, they had little respect for the people who lived here, and viewed the multiculturalism that existed in Bharat as a threat to their aims. They wanted everyone to surrender or submit their purported superiority. They were impatient to impose monoculturalism on the Dharma-abiding people here. They had to invent a new tool as Dharma kept on protecting those who stayed true to it. Those who crossed the desert and over the seas were not unfamiliar with the Trojan horse that brought a mighty empire to its downfall. To divide the various communities of the Hindus through strife, and thus bring about the downfall of the only remaining fortress of the Sanatana Dharma from within was their plan. With this in mind, they invented caste system, a distortion of the chaturvarnya laid down by the Dharma. The tenets of Sanatana Dharma are the only hindrance to a scheme designed to bring the whole world to subservience. Therefore those who wanted to profit from the herd mentality historically hatched up to remove Dharma from the consciousness of people with the connivance of irrational fanatic religious groups who have little understanding of what Hindu Dharma is. When the administrators of the temple themselves feel that defending what is considered sacred to the temple is not their duty, isnt that a sign that something is rotten in the state of Denmark? A legion of distortions, portraying Dharmic living in very poor light, was unleashed on the Dharmaabiding Hindu population. A host of machineries right from the nursery to the death bed were successfully employed to achieve this deception. The vocational education system that successfully existed here has been replaced by the so-called modern educational system that promised an egalitarian society, but millions of people are jobless. People have become so dependent on the external forces that many lack even the basic survival skills. From youth to old age, the seeds of distrust have been sown by those who want to destroy the Sanatana Dharma. The then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, in his judgment allowing entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 into the temple, said that a woman is not inferior to a man and patriarchy cannot be permitted to trump over faith. The honourable Chief Justice seems to have been carried away by the impression that Sanatana Dharma is a Patriarchal institution. A mere glance into the fundamental principles of the Vedic and Tantric systems reveal that such an impression is the direct result of a prolonged distortion of the facts. But nobody seems to care. Another honourable judge Justice Nariman said, in his judgment, women are equally entitled for religious practice, and dignity of the individual is an unwavering nature of fundamental rights. This particular reading stems from the impression that Sanatana Dharma denies women their fundamental rights and views them as lesser individuals. Isnt this another misrepresentation of what the Vedic and Tantric systems advocate? Isnt this another example of prolonged distortion of facts to undermine Dharma? To treat women as children of a lesser God is to blink at the Constitution itself, read the honourable Justice Chandrachud in his judgment. There may be people treating women as inferior all over the world, but to superimpose that impression on to the Vedic and Tantric systems prescribed by the Sanatana Dharma is nothing short of an incorrect understanding with its roots in a very clever establishment that purposely distorts the precepts of the Sanatana Dharma. The Travancore Devaswom Board that administers the day to day functions of the Sabarimala temple decided not to even seek a review of the verdict by the Supreme Court. When the administrators of the temple themselves feel that defending what is considered sacred to the temple is not their duty, isnt that a sign that something is rotten in the state of Denmark? None of the people or institutions mentioned above is foreigners or foreign agents. They are citizens of this nation who graduated from the prestigious academia and are serving or served some of the most revered offices of the nation, yet why do they all seem to believe that the precepts of Sanatana Dharma are denying the fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution of a modern nation. This is why we focused on the historical perspective, the practice of misrepresenting Hindu traditions, allowing the readers to decide for themselves. The devious design of the invaders and enemies of the Sanatana Dharma seems to have worked; our own despise us. If we fail to recognise the verdict by the Supreme Court as a wake-up call, and use this great moment in time to understand the true percepts of the Sanatana Dharma enshrined in the Vedic and Tantric traditions, it wont be wrong to say we are beyond redemption. It is time to excise the tumour planted and watered by those who want Sanatana Dharma to be wiped off the face of the earth, and restore the Dharmarajya to her rightful glory. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah offered to resign on Monday, as president Mahmud Abbas seeks to form a new government. The moves by Abbas are seen as part of attempts to further isolate his political rivals Hamas as a decade-long split in Palestinian politics deepens. Hamdallah has "put his government at the disposal of President Mahmud Abbas", the prime minister's spokesman Yussef al-Mahmud said in a statement. The premier later confirmed the offer during a visit to the southern West Bank city of Hebron, but denied a new government was an attempt to squeeze Hamas. "We hope that all Palestinian factions will participate in this (new) government and I appeal to the Hamas movement to participate," he said. It came after the central committee of Abbas's Fatah movement recommended late Sunday the formation of a new government that would comprise members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). The Islamist movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, is not part of the PLO. Palestinian politics has essentially been paralysed since 2007, when Hamas seized control of Gaza from Abbas's forces in a near civil war, a year after winning parliamentary elections. Since then Abbas's governments have maintained limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank, while Hamas has led a rival government in Gaza. The division between the Palestinian parties is seen as a key issue preventing progress in solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and improving the situation in the impoverished Gaza Strip. In June 2014 Hamdallah formed what was labelled a national unity government after a landmark reconciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas. The deal has since broken down and his government has no control in Hamas-controlled Gaza. Abbas was elected in 2005 for an initial four-year term but no elections have been held since then due to the Fatah-Hamas split. - 'No legitimacy' - Abbas has also pledged to hold new parliamentary elections in the coming six months, but how that would be possible in Gaza is unclear. Hamas won the last parliamentary polls, in 2006, against expectations. Israel, the United States and other Western powers, which all consider Hamas a terrorist organisation, rejected the result. Israel launched three military offensives against Gaza since then. Rumours of a new government have been swirling in recent weeks, and Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri attacked such a plan. "The formation of any government apart from a national consensus one is a continuation of the unilateral actions taken by Fatah," he tweeted Sunday. "Such a government will enjoy no legitimacy." It remains unclear what form any future government could take, but analysts warned that keeping Hamas out of it would deepen political divisions. "The move has been described as furthering national unity but if anything such a move -- if Hamas is excluded -- may achieve the opposite, compounding current internal divisions, and pushing Gaza further away," said Hugh Lovatt, Israel-Palestine analyst at the European Council of Foreign Relations. Jihad Harb, a West Bank-based political analyst, said if a government were formed from only the PLO it would indicate an end to already stalled attempts at reconciliation. "The formation of this political government means the end of the (2014) agreement (between Hamas and Fatah)," he said. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Short link: Human Rights Watch on Monday accused a Syrian group led by former Al-Qaeda fighters of using "torture" against activists opposing their rule. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham earlier this month cemented its control over the northwestern region of Idlib at the expense of smaller, Turkey-backed outfits. The New York-based rights group said it documented 11 cases in which HTS "detained Idlib residents, apparently because of their peaceful work documenting abuses or protesting the group's rule". "Six of those detained were apparently tortured," including a 16-year-old boy, it said in a statement. "One man described being hung from a pole upside down for hours during interrogation," it said. Another said he was locked up in something resembling a coffin for three hours, while a third said he was pushed through a tyre and beaten incessantly in a method infamously used by regime security services. "The maximum you can do is move your shoulders a bit. And scream for help. But on several occasions, they stuffed things in my mouth so I can't scream," the detainee told HRW. "I used to lose my consciousness a lot." Seven of those interviewed by HRW said they were media activists or journalists who had participated in or covered protests against HTS, or were working with foreign media. Four were made to sign a document pledging they would no longer film or report on the jihadist-led alliance. The rights group called for the immediate release of all unlawfully held prisoners, including four still being held or missing among the 11 cases documented. "There is no legitimate excuse for rounding up opponents and arbitrarily detaining and torturing them," said HRW's Lama Fakih. "HTS's crackdown on perceived opposition to their rule mirrors some of the same oppressive tactics used by the Syrian government." Syria's war has killed at least 360,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression on anti-government protests. Short link: What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 716-372-3121 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. All OSU classes will adopt Canvas software May. The system will be available through any internet browser or smartphone. To see history happen, I got on the bus with 50 immigrant youth from community organization Make the Road New York. It was my first time in Albany, and I was anxious looking down at our State Senators and Assembly members as they debated and cast their votes on my future. In 2014, the Senate failed to pass this bill by just two votes. This time around, there was new leadership in Albany. Bahrain's highest court has upheld life sentences for a prominent Shia cleric who led a now-shuttered opposition party and two of his colleagues. The ruling on Monday targeted Sheikh Ali Salman, who headed the Al-Wefaq political party. A court in June previously acquitted Salman and his two colleagues of spying charges. Bahrain's Supreme Court of Appeals later overturned that verdict and found them guilty in November. Both state-aligned media and activists reported the ruling by the Court of Cassation. Short link: Let me be clear: I fully understand why so many critics in the United States, and around the world were offended by Neelys email. It suggested that Chinese people at Duke werent trying to learn English, which runs counter to everything we know about international students. And it also threatened their livelihoods, at least implicitly, at a moment of increased tension and risk for anyone coming to study in America from abroad. The public simply wouldnt have it. Common sense told them what this man had done and they forced the state legislature to change California law to reflect this common sense. This change would pave the way for a 2003 case in which Scott Peterson killed his pregnant wife Laci. He was charged with double homicide, a charge which made him eligible for the death penalty. As a pro-lifer, I do not support capital punishment for him or anyone else, but Peterson is on death row today only because California had the common sense to call his act what it was: the killing of two human beings. For victims who suffered the trauma of sexual assault, and the added injury of institutional cover-up of these grotesque crimes, our day of healing and justice has not come soon enough. We will never forget fellow victims whose pain went unrecognized, and those who turned in despair to addiction and even suicide because their agony was impossible to bear. Nor will we forget those who did everything in their power to repeatedly prevent the Child Victims Act from reaching the Senate floor. However, until the immigration system is fundamentally reformed, the attorney general will continue to wield this power. If and when Barr takes up the mantle of attorney general, Congress must watch closely to see if he continues the trend of his predecessors and certifies significant numbers of important immigration cases to himself. And, to the extent that his decisions in such cases fail to reflect the will of Congress, our representatives should waste no time in using their legislative power to keep him in check. The bird is believed to have flown or blew onto the island in a storm last year and made a puddle on the side of a road his home since there are no major bodies of water there. He won the hearts of so many locals and tourists, he became a global celebrity and promoter of Niue, the Facebook page states. The announcement follows the unusual decision by the U.S. and other nations last week to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela instead of Maduro, who was re-elected last year in an election widely seen as fraudulent. The once prosperous nation has been in an economic collapse, with several million citizens fleeing to neighboring countries. The more this goes on, the more we see none of these things have anything to do with the President, Sanders told reporters Monday afternoon. I think the further we get into the process, the more and more we see that this has nothing to do with President Trump. Research has shown that students who are suspended or expelled at higher rates are more likely to drop out, less likely to graduate and more likely to be involved in the juvenile justice system, Nolan and Montgomery wrote. While disappointing, its not particularly surprising that the Catholic Church is wrong again by opposing a law to allow a compassionate option for dying New Yorkers, Carey said. Just as the Legislature ultimately made the right decisions on CVA, marriage equality, and reproductive rights despite Church opposition, were confident the Legislature will do the right thing on medical aid in dying. Yes! she said excitedly when asked if she was proud to see passage of the bill to make it easier for victims of child sex abuse going back decades to seek their day in court as adultseven those who are frozen out because the statute of limitations has expired on their cases. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron are expected to take part in a joint economic forum later today. El-Sisi and Macron are expected to deliver speeches during the event, which is organised by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Egypt (CCFE). The forum will bring together several Egyptian and French ministers and businessmen. Earlier today, following their talks and a deal signing ceremony between the two countries, El-Sisi and Macron toured the arts and culture district in the New Administrative Capital, which will include the Middle Easts biggest opera house. The arts and culture district will cover around 127 feddans and will include theatres, exhibition halls, libraries, museums, and galleries for traditional and modern art. On Sunday, Macron arrived in Egypt for a three-day visit, starting with a tour of Aswan's Abu Simbel Temple, where he was told about the site's history. The French president was accompanied by Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Anany. Short link: We have a governor that brags about it, Dolan said. We have a governor that uses his dissent from church teachings as applause lines. We have a governor that takes quotes from Pope Francis out of context to draw lines between Bishops of New York and the Holy Father himself. Hes not going to be moved by this. So what would be the use? Cuomo said former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is also considering running in 2020 as a Democrat, would be an intriguing candidate because he has business and governmental experience. Cuomo held the public bill signing minutes after the Legislature passed the Reproductive Health Act that moves abortion from the state criminal statute to the health code, allows health professionals who arent doctors to perform the procedure, and permits abortions in the third trimester if the life or health of a mother is at risk or a baby is not viable. We will look at it and see if the President thinks there is a valid claim and if there is, do we want to make it, Giuliani told Bloomberg News. We reserve the right. We dont know if we have to, but we havent waived it. Harris, a former California attorney general, made her case against President Trump by citing acts of hate that took place during his first two years in office, including the October slaughter of 11 worshipers in a Pittsburgh synagogue and the White Supremacists march in Charlottesville. She also spoke out against leaders who rail against the media and the FBI. Talk of a Schultz candidacy has been percolating since shortly after the 2016 election when a Ready for Schultz grassroots movement took to the Internet to inspire the 65-year-old billionaire. The buzz got louder last week when CNN quoted a source close to the Brooklyn native saying, (Schultz) is thinking deeply about his future and how he can best serve the country. Schultz appeared on 60 Minutes Sunday night to confirm he is seriously thinking of running for president as a centrist independent who worries about the national debt and fears the Democrats and Republicans have become too entrenched in partisan warfare. The President is a big fan of the show and vice versa. Ann Coulter has never run for office She doesn't know anything about how you put a majority together. Shes off here in some fantasy land where she gets to be noisy, which helps her sell books. If you want to rely on your money to get elected instead of talking with voters, run as a Republican. But a billionaire buying his way out of the entire primary process does not strengthen democracy; it only makes it more likely that our democracy will be further strained under another four years of President Donald Trump. She confessed that her choice to auction the robe fueled an unexpected backlash in her 600-plus person town. Miller received four bids by phone, one absentee bid and two bids from attendees at the standing room-only auction, where she estimates 100 people were in the house. It is clear from his interview with the board that (Eidelman) had not even a basic understanding of the diagnostic criteria for either ADHD or Bipolar Disorder, and he primarily relied on family history, the board said. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi says that Egyptian authorities do not use force against unarmed demonstrators, stressing that protesting is a right guaranteed by law and the constitution. The president made the comments during a joint press conference with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, where the two leaders exchanged viewpoints on the issue of human rights. When asked by a French journalist about whether French-made weapons were used by Egyptian authorities against protesters, Macron said that once in 2013 France had raised concerns about a French-made armoured vehicle being used to crack down on protesters. Macron also said that no new potential military contracts have been discussed in his talks with El-Sisi, with the exception of a possible deal for 12 fighter jets. El-Sisi affirmed that no armoured vehicles have been used to crack down on protests in the country from the period between 2011 till now. "We ask people to protest within the law," El-Sisi said, referring to the country's 2013 protest law. Macron was asked by an Egyptian journalist about the ongoing "yellow vest protests" in France, which have led to the deaths of 11 people since demonstrations started in November. "[The protesters] have all the freedom to express their opinions. This is democracy, and such freedom is guaranteed by the constitution," Macron said, adding that he regrets the deaths of the French citizens during the protests, yet insisting they were not the result of police violence. Yesterday, Macron told reporters on the sidelines of his visit that Egypt's current human rights record is perceived as being more hardline than that of former president Hosni Mubarak, who was overthrown in the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. When asked about these statements by an Egyptian journalist, Macron said he would not be an honest friend to Egypt if he did not say what is on his mind. Macron also said that during El-Sisi's visit to Paris in October 2017, the French president had broached the issue of human rights, but that the discussion had gone in "another direction." Macron had said at the time that there are Egyptian bloggers and intellectuals in jail, and that some of the "individual cases" he mentioned to El-Sisi do not "undermine stability." The French president had been heavily criticised in France for not addressing the issue of human rights with Egypt and France's sale of weapons to the Arab country. Macron said at the time that he "would not lecture" the Egyptian president on human rights. In response to Macron's comments, El-Sisi said that Egypt "is not like Europe or the US," and that it has its own special circumstances. El-Sisi asked people not to forget "that the country is located in a troubled region," adding that Egypt had successfully defeated plan to establish a religious state. "I stand today here through an Egyptian will, and if such a will is no longer there, I will not stay [remain in power]," El-Sisi said, adding that 45,000 NGOs are operating in the country, and that Egypt is currently holding a dialogue with civil society regarding amendments to a controversial law that has been described as limiting NGO activities. El-Sisi also highlighted that Egypt is providing proper housing for 250,000 people living in slums despite the country's dire economic situation and its ongoing fight against terrorism. The Egyptian president added that waiting lists at public hospitals have gone up from 10,000 people a year to 10,000 a month. "Given these efforts, is Egypt not implementing human rights standards from a different perspective than the one you see?" he said. "Egypt will not rise up with bloggers Egypt will develop with effort and patience," El-Sisi said. "What should I do with employment? Rising population? How do we solve these problems? Tell me." El-Sisi also said that "bloggers speak a language that is different from the reality in which we live," adding that Egypt has nothing to hide or be ashamed of. "We lead our state with honesty and integrity," he said. "We do not want to confine the issue of human rights in Egypt to freedom of expression, people's opinions are one thing, and the destruction of the state is another," he said. "You should not look at us from a European perspective just like we do not look at you from our Egyptian perspective because that would not be fair." Search Keywords: Short link: For some reason he always hated people and wanted everyone to die. He got kicked out of school for having a dream that he killed everybody in his class, Alex Gerlach told WSBT. Burton blamed changes in medication and absence of mental health treatment as the cause for Borg suffering a critical manic episode, which cause her to think she and her family were being attacked and she injured herself and a beloved family pet while suffering from those delusions. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to honor unaccompanied United States Air Force Veteran Joseph Walker and lay him to rest at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery. We are overwhelmed at all this love and support. We do NOT leave Veterans behind, the post read. "When she Facetimed me I did not recognize the gentleman driving the car," the mother told ABC News. "I had never seen him before. I could not see who was in the back of the car because it was so dark out. But I heard voices talking over each other that's how I knew there were at least two individuals in the back seat of the vehicle." For us, it really is emotional trauma to continually go through things like this, to have situations pop up that are a reminder of the ugliness of it all, Mynda Smith, whose sister Neysa Tonks was killed in the shooting, told CNN. "We never wanted financial gain -- it wasn't of importance to us. But if this man is willing to pay to destroy something associated with evil, that is a gift to not only us, but to the families and survivors. We are saddened to learn of the death of one of our students. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the Brown family and those close to Corey. He was loved by many and will be deeply missed. We will continue to offer additional counselors at Miller Middle School and Marshalltown High School to assist those in need. Medical school dean Mary Klotman wrote to students as well with an apology, along with assurances that there is absolutely no restriction or limitation on the language you use to converse and communicate with each other. Your career opportunities and recommendations will not in any way be influenced by the language you use outside the classroom. Something needs to be done as far as gun violence. It should be no reason why a 15-year-old or 14-year-old have guns, Marlborough said. It should be no reason how parents are even allowing guns to even be in their home. He came legally, he said, but he understood people who risk their lives to get to the United States. They do not do so lightly, he said. The legal way is not an option for them, he said. And theyre so desperate to have a better life. They dont walk 3,000 miles with a toddler on their shoulders because they have a disease, or are criminals, or belong to a freaking gang bang or whatever its called. Obviously, we are very grateful [he] intervened," Lt. Andrew Scott of the Placer County Sheriff's Office told ABC 10. "Luckily no one was hurt. Thats our first and most pressing concern in something like this, but because he intervened we were able to catch this man and take him off the streets." Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and French President Emmanuel Macron witnessed on Monday the signing of a number of agreements between the two countries to develop education, social protection, health, transportation, foreign affairs, trade, culture and youth issues in Egypt. The two presidents held a press conference in Cairo following the signing, where they talked about international and regional issues of mutual interest as well as human rights. The French president said he told his Egyptian counterpart that stability and security in Egypt cannot be separated from human rights. El-Sisi said that the Egyptian people alone can assess the political, economic and social rights they enjoy, and he highlighted Egypt's advancements in healthcare and social housing. Before the press conference, three MoUs were signed by Egypt's Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr and the executive director of the French Development Agency Remy Rioux. The first MoU is a strategic partnership on social and economic development from 2019 to 2023, based on Egypt's 2030 sustainable development plan. The second involves a facilitated credit agreement with a loan of 6 million to support the social security sector in Egypt. The third MoU is a facilitated credit agreement to support women-owned small, medium and micro enterprises with a loan of 50 million and a 1 million grant. The Egyptian and French sides also signed an agreement to finance the fourth phase of construction of the Cairo-Heliopolis metro line with a loan of 336 million. Earlier on Monday, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his wife received the French president and first lady at Cairo's Ittihadiya Presidential Palace. The French head of state began a three-day trip to Egypt on Sunday with a stop at Aswan, where he visited Abu Simbel Temple. Macron's visit to Egypt comes amid unrest in France as a result of the so-called yellow vest protests, which have now reached 11 weeks of marches against Macron's economic reforms. Macron's visit also marks the start of 'France-Egypt 2019,' which was launched earlier this year by El-Sisi and his French counterpart to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Suez Canal. El-Sisi last visited Paris in October 2017, where he met with Macron and discussed joint efforts to combat terrorism, the Middle East peace process, the situation in Libya, and issues related to bilateral cooperation. This is Macrons first official visit to Egypt since assuming office in 2017. Egypt and France have strengthened economic and military ties since El-Sisi was elected president in 2014. Short link: The guy came out of nowhere and began screaming at me, Diaz, a married father of one, said in Spanish a week after the incident. I didnt pay him any attention because its normal to see people like that in New York. "This is somewhat closure. Richard Stewart said. I just want justice for him. And I'll never be able to see him again. Part of its closure, but the other part of it is having whoever did this get his justice." A memorial is placed outside the house on N. Mada Ave. where police believed Michael Stewart was murdered. Stewart, 40, disappeared Dec. 20. Police have not found his body, but "through the course of the investigation" determined he was slain, a police source said. (Luiz C. Ribeiro / for New York Daily News) They are basing their whole case on statements of a girlfriend he had broken up with, Gallucci said. So at this point we have no evidence that Mr. Nesimi did anything. I have seen no video, no DNA reports. I have seen no property that was recovered - not a thing. Attorneys for NYU and the student appeared before Judge Andrew Carter only an hour before a university-run hearing on the incident was to begin. The judge allowed the hearing to proceed, ruling there was no need for him to intervene at this stage. The crook went behind the counter of the store on Boston Road near Conner St. in Eastchester and pointed his weapon at the 21-year-old worker, holding it in his left hand and using his right hand to conceal his face, just past 10 p.m. on Jan. 8, cops said. El Chapos attorneys said the kingpins ultimate decision not to testify came after they warned him he would likely be subjected to intense cross examination were he to take the stand in his own defense. This comes at a time when I look back on my life and what it means to be an actor, and how proud I am to be part of our brotherhood and sisterhood of actors. When we get a chance to act, its our job, at least in part, to get inside a characters head and to search fora way to see life from that persons vision of the world, and then to let an audience experience that. In the films trailer, Peter packs for his overseas adventure and debates whether he wants to bring his Spidey suit. I just want to go on my trip with my friends, Peter says. We couldn't use anyone else for his stand-ins, because you could just tell, Penna told The News. His idiosyncrasies, he could match every single time, and no one else could. He can say so much with just his face, and that's what we wanted. The screenplay had very, very little dialogue, and we needed to rely on somebody who was this talented. The Egyptian parliaments budgetary and planning committee recommended that an ad hoc committee be formed to investigate the financial and administrative conditions of the countrys National Media Organisation, also known as the national Radio and Television Union (Maspero). The committee should be formed within two months in order to move quickly to stem the tide of the National Media Organisations debts which have ballooned to 42 billion, mostly owed to the National Investment Bank, said the committees deputy chairman Mostafa Salem. The ad hoc committee which is recommended be formed by the cabinet should include experts who can settle the organisation in terms of privatising assets and rationalising spending, said Salem, adding that the ad hoc committee submit parliament a report on the results of its investigation after two months. Salem indicated that the National Media Organisations debts in one year 2018 reached EGP 6.2 billion, thus pushing the total debt to EGP 42 billion. The organisation will continue to bleed as long as no reform moves are taken seriously, said Salem, adding that competition from the private media as well as the government showing no interest in reform left Maspero in the cold, bleeding all the time. Worse, Salem said, in spite of losses, Masperos spending in 2018 increased to EGP 328 million and it was also allowed to take out EGP 82 million in a loan. This will only worsen the problem, and so there should be a coordinated plan by the ministries of finance and planning to stop this deterioration, said Salem. The head of the National Media Organisation Hussein Zein said that Masperos problems are historical and all officials are ready to reform conditions. Reform of Maspero is a necessity as it is the official voice of Egypt and that it is the national media which can stand up to foreign hostile attacks and bring the country together around national goals, he said. Maspero is also currently coordinating with the private Egyptian Media group to streamline performance and cut costs. Short link: TMZ reports that police later paid a visit to Langs estranged wife and asked her to identify the voice behind the call. She reportedly told authorities that it did sound like her ex and could very well be him. Lang filed for divorce in December 2017 after 18 years of marriage. Rome, GA (30161) Today Rain. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 68F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Rain. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 68F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Cedartown, GA (30125) Today Showers and thundershowers early, then overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low 67F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Showers and thundershowers early, then overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low 67F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. La Fayette, GA (30728) Today A steady rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected.. Tonight A steady rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. The presidency has once again criticised the US, UK and EU over their statements on the suspension of Walter Onnoghen, chief justice o... The presidency has once again criticised the US, UK and EU over their statements on the suspension of Walter Onnoghen, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN). on Friday over the false declaration of assets charges filed against him. President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Onnoghenon Friday over the false declaration of assets charges filed against him. The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) had filed six-count charge against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) following a petition written against the CJN. Although he failed to appear before the CCT which summoned him, the tribunal ordered that he be replaced with Ibrahim Muhammad. The implementation of the order triggered fierce criticisms, with the UK, US and EU, calling on the Buhari administration not to heat up the polity. In separate statements, they said the action could affect the credibility of the general election. Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, had said Nigeria would not accept foreign interference. However, in another statement on Sunday, Shehu said the statements of the foreign countries were based on unfounded assumptions. refrain from being too hastily attracted by the arguments of those who have partisan agenda at odds with the governments positions. He said linking the suspension to the elections is illogical, advising them torefrain from being too hastily attracted by the arguments of those who have partisan agenda at odds with the governments positions. Below is his statement: The Presidency notes with interest the coordinated statements of the US, UK and EU linking the suspension of CJN Onnoghen to the conduct of the upcoming elections. We appreciate the concerns voiced by the three statements and accept that the authors of the statements believe they were acting in friendship toward Nigeria with regard to making the statements. However, we also note that friends, when not properly informed or acting in haste, can indeed make serious mistakes even with the best of intentions. Such is the case here. The statements by the three seem more driven by unfounded assumptions and to be honest, a certain condescension to this African democracy. This is unfortunate. But this gives us an opportunity to clarify some points in the hope that these three friends reach a deeper understanding of the situation. The statements by the US, UK and EU speak of their respect for constitutional practice and fair elections. However, the positions they stake tend to contravene rather than strengthen these laudable objectives. CJN Onnoghens situation is one of his own making and, to a large degree, his own choosing. The CJN was brought before the CCT because of a serious breach of law regarding his assets declaration. This is not a mere technicality like innocently placing a document in a wrong file or mistakenly placing yesterdays date on a document. All credible evidence indicates the CJN owned and operated several secret bank accounts. Unexplained large sums of money, exceeding several million dollars have passed through these accounts. Several thousand dollars are currently parked in the accounts. Multiple deposits of equal sums of money were deposited in some of those accounts during the same day. Such rapid and equal deposits are indicative of a person attempting to evade banking reporting laws and regulations. Thus far, CJN Onnoghen has given no plausible explanation for the funds or for failing to report the subject accounts in his assets declaration despite having ample time and opportunity to explain the omission. Given the amount of money involved and the CJNs inability to explain the source of the funds, the most plausible explanation at this point is also the most unfortunate explanation. No one did this to CJN Onnoghen. He and he alone is to blame for this turn of events. Over the years and with great frequency, the authors of the three statements have advised and even chided Nigeria about official corruption. Now we are presented with the sad and unwanted situation where the CJN is discovered to have a vast, unexplained amount of money in his pocket. Because of this he has been thoroughly discredited. It is untenable that a person in such compromised circumstances would be allowed to preside over the entire judicial system of a great nation. That would travesty the nation and what it stands for. Had the situation been reversed and the US, UK or any EU member government found that its chief judicial official is the recipient of large sums of money of questionable origin and Nigeria suggested that you retain the person in that position, you would question Nigerias bona fides. You also would swiftly move to suspend the official pending final determination of the causes against him. Not one of your nations would allow a person enmeshed in legal uncertainty to preside over your legal systems until the cloud has been cleared from him. That would incentivize corruption and assault the rule of law. Thus, the CJN should have and could have helped the process in this regard by recusing himself from the bench until this matter is settled. Instead, he indefinitely postponed a NJC meeting for no plausible reason except to avoid any consideration of this matter by the NJC. Again, this calls into question his motives while undermining the normal operations of the judiciary. The CJN cannot be allowed to use his office to shield himself from the normal operation of the law as applied to any other jurist or any other Nigerian for that matter. Such a ruse is effectively an abuse of office. His position is one of utmost public trust; it is not a shield to protect him from the fair consequence of his own actions. Despite these errors and omissions by the CJN, let us make this very clear, he has not been removed from office. Nor has he been permanently replaced. Those who claim that he has been permanently removed, do so out of imprecision of thought or mischief. CJN Onnoghen has been suspended pending the final determination of the substantive issues in his matter. The suspension is only temporary. This is only as it should be. He cannot sit as both defendant and umpire in his own matter. No legal system allows for such self-interested adjudication; the US, UK and EU should not now ask us to embrace such an anomaly. While the three friends seem to give much credence to those who question the constitutionality of the suspension, they seem to give less to those who believe what we did is constitutional and protective of the integrity of the judiciary. Only the three can answer why they have assumed this bias. Last, the three make a curious direct linkage between the CJN suspension and the elections. However, in Nigerian law there is no such linkage. The CJN does not run the election. Nor is he the first arbiter of any electoral complaints. He and the Supreme Court will only get involved as the final arbiter at the end of the appellate process. For the authors to link the CJN to the elections in this way is illogical unless they assume that election complaints will be filed and will go all the way to the Supreme Court. Here perhaps they know something about the intentions of certain political actors to which we are not privy. Yet, even with that, the US , UK and EU should want any such matters to be heard by a Supreme Court led by a CJN without an obvious and outstanding ethical and legal blemish on his ledger. To have such a person preside over any case, would call into question the impartiality of any decision rendered and undermine the rule of law. A front-line lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana SAN, has faulted the decision by the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walt... A front-line lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana SAN, has faulted the decision by the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, to challenge his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, in court. Falana, in an interview with Channels Television on Sunday, said that both the Executive and the Judicial arms of government have failed Nigeria. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria pointed out that Onnoghen himself had stated during the case of Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Federal Government that the CCT was the only forum empowered to try public office holders. According to him, The judicial arm of government and the Executive arm of government have disappointed Nigerians. Once your client is invited by the police or any law enforcement agency, what we were taught in the law school is that you can accompany your client to the police station; ask for the bail of your client. If the bail is refused, you go to the High Court and ask for bail. But you cannot by the invitation of your client by the law enforcement agency go to court to say, thou shall not invite my client; thou shall not investigate my client; thou shall not try my client. It is not part of our law. The courts injunctions stopping Onnoghens trial are wrong under our law. Because by virtue of section 303 of the administration of the Criminal Justice Act, once a trial commences, there shall be no stay of proceedings; no suspension. Theres no way, any court; anywhere; can stop a prosecution before the Code of Conduct Tribunal. In the case of Saraki and the Federal Government, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Onnoghen, had said that the Code of Conduct Tribunal is the only court; only forum exclusively empowered to deal with issues of code of conduct for public officers. So you cannot go to a national industrial court, Customary Court of Appeal, or Federal High Court, which have no jurisdiction on allegations of bridges of the code of conduct. Video: Aisha Yesufu, the co-cordinator of the BringBackOurGirls, BBOG, has recalled how Senate President, Bukola Saraki, sacked the Chief Judge... Aisha Yesufu, the co-cordinator of the BringBackOurGirls, BBOG, has recalled how Senate President, Bukola Saraki, sacked the Chief Judge of Kwara State when he was governor. Yesufu, who also served as the head of campaign team of former presidential candidate, Oby Ezekwesili, insisted that the current crop of politicians are all the same. President Muhammadu Buhari had on Friday, suspended the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Walter Onnoghen. The Presidents action has received wide range of local and international condemnation. Saraki had also described the suspension of Onoghen by Buhari as a coup against democracy and a deliberate attempt to endanger our hard-won democracy. Mrs. Yesufu tweeted, So the Senate President Bukola Saraki @bukolasaraki sacked the Chief judge of Kwara State in 2009 when he was Governor of the State? Wonderful! These old order politicians are the same. The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, has warned that any one who has intention of rigging the 2019 el... The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, has warned that any one who has intention of rigging the 2019 elections in Akwa Ibom State risks losing his/her life. Secondus stated this on Monday during a campaign tour of the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, which was held at the GodswillI Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo Akwa Ibom State. According to Secondus, I want to warn those of our friends are in Abuja, who are from this state, who only believe that elections in Akwa Ibom must be rigged, to have a rethink. If you rig elections in Akwa Ibom, you will risk your head. He wondered why the opposition APC would rear its head in Akwa Ibom, a state adjudged to be PDP, noting that in other civilized nations, any state known to be fully occupied by a political party, the other party will not try to go there. The Chairman urged Akwa Ibom people to join hands to vote out APC led federal government, which he described as being economically battered and threat to democracy. His words, Our dear country is in distress and the whole world is aware. The economy is torn and collapsed, security is porous, people are being killed everyday, hunger and intimidation of the judiciary have become the order of the day. We can no longer keep quiet and silent. All the actions of Buhari are threat to democracy. They are dangerous to the existent of this country and democracy. Our country is passing through trying period. As we speak, the NJC, all the civil society groups are meeting to deliberate on the illegal actions of the president, a president who does not care about the constitution. He wants to be the chief Judge of Nigeria, he wants to be the Senate President and to be the speaker of the House of representatives. He also argued the rationale behind the sack of the CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, by President Buhari saying that the president has no powers to fire the CJN. The Commissioner of Police in Edo, Hakeem Odumosun, has said that the policeman killed by unknown gunmen in Benin on Saturday night was ... The Commissioner of Police in Edo, Hakeem Odumosun, has said that the policeman killed by unknown gunmen in Benin on Saturday night was a member of a secret cult. The CP told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that two other persons were killed in the shoot out that claimed the life of the officer. NAN had reported that a police officer, identified as Oisa Ehigie, was shot dead along Normayo/Sakponba road of Benin City. It was also reported that the killing may not be unconnected with activities of secret cults that had claimed several lives in the city recently. The commissioner said the slain officer was killed alongside two members of his cult group. According to him, the slain policeman died while fighting on the side of his cult group against rival cult group. Three people were killed in the fight, the police officer and two others. I have gone to see his family. It is a cult killing and the officer is a cultist, the CP said. The Nigerian Senate has filed a case at the Supreme Court to seek clarification on the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, W... The Nigerian Senate has filed a case at the Supreme Court to seek clarification on the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen. Relying on an order from the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), President Muhammadu Buhari last Friday suspended the chief justice replacing him with another Supreme Court justice, Tanko Mohammed. On Monday, the Senate approached the apex court seeking its interpretation on whether President Buhari acted within the provision of the constitution in his suspension of Mr Onnoghen. The Senate also wants the court to determine whether the action of the president does amount to usurpation of the powers of the Senate as provided for in Section 292 of the constitution. The section states conditions for removal of a chief justice but fails to clarify the difference between temporary removal and permanent removal. The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the suspension of Walter Onnoghen, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), has devastated the plans o... The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the suspension of Walter Onnoghen, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), has devastated the plans of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to get back to power through cash and carry judicial system. In a statement on Monday, Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC spokesman, said PDPs opposition to Onnoghens suspension points to their penchant for anything corrupt and criminal. Issa-Onilu said Onnoghen, who is accused of false assets declaration, should have resigned and faced trial after his confession. The strident opposition to Justice Onnoghens suspension coming from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar again points to their penchant for anything corrupt and criminal, he said. In the spirit of good conscience, integrity, character and general conduct expected of occupants of public office, we are of the strong position that Justice Onnoghen should have resigned immediately to face his trial after his confession and spare the Judiciary further disrepute. Justice Onnoghen did not. This in itself smells mischief. Justice Onnoghen fought to keep himself as CJN by all means possible, thereby fighting the same constitution that he swore to protect. It is important to remind the PDP and Atiku that Justice Onnoghen is not entitled to special treatment. Such entitlement being canvassed by the PDP and Atiku is alien to our laws and not in tandem with our cardinal objective of fighting against corruption and indeed our overall change agenda. It is clear that Justice Onnoghens suspension has devastated the PDP as their plans to get back to power through the cash and carry justice system they put in place during their unfortunate 16 years reign is in serious jeopardy. Issa-Onilu said the country must remain committed to the change promised by his party. We fought for change, our country is changing and we remain committed to the process. The PDP and Atiku have asked the international community to intervene in Justice Onnoghens suspension, he said. Is the international community not supportive of the fight against corruption? Against the backdrop of statements by some foreign concerns over Justice Onnoghens suspension vis-a-vis forthcoming general elections, we strongly advise that they are abreast with our laws and procedures. A situation were these foreign concerns come across as meddling or being misled or influenced by bogus partisan narratives is unfortunate and unacceptable. A 10-year-old boy on Monday told a Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan that his mother asked him to put poison in his fathers food and bathi... A 10-year-old boy on Monday told a Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan that his mother asked him to put poison in his fathers food and bathing water. Adenike Ayodele, the mother of the boy, had petitioned the court to dissolve her 15-year-old marriage to her estranged husband, Adeshina, on grounds of irresponsibility and battery. In his testimony, the boy told the court that his mother gave him a package which contained some powdery substance which she instructed him to pour in his fathers food as well as his bathing water. After giving me the substance, my mother warned me never to tell my father or anyone about it. However, I love my father and I told him because I never wanted any bad thing to happen to him, he said. Earlier, Adenike, who lives at Agbaje area of Orita-challenge, Ibadan, had told the court that Adeshina had turned her into a punching bag. At any slight opportunity, my husband beats me. For 14 years, Adeshina has not stopped beating me and the last one he did was the reason why I made up my mind to quit the marriage. On that day, I requested for money for the upkeep of the children and Adeshina beat me so much, blood started to drip from my two ears. He also broke one of my legs that day and I am still experiencing the pain till today. Again, on December 5, 2018, Adeshina came to attack me in my shop because he was not happy that my business is doing well despite inhumane treatment. Then, he threatened to ruin my business by all means and what followed was the burgling of my shop two Sundays ago. Now, all my means of livelihood have been burgled and I got him apprehended but without any positive result, Adenike said. In his response, Adeshina consented to the petitioners request for termination of the marriage, but denied all the allegations leveled against him. My lord, I had on different occasions given Adenike the childrens school fees. Aside from that, when one of our children urgently needed a surgery to be performed on him, I gave Adenike the required money for the surgery, but she spent it on herself. I sent her to school to acquire NCE, but she told the school management that she is a widow which means that I am nothing to her. If I give her money to buy anything at home, she doesnt put my name on the receipt. Worst of all, Adenike told our second child to put poison in my food and bathing water, but, the child revealed the secret to me and I informed my relatives about it, Adeshina said. All the witnesses that testified corroborated Adeshinas submissions. The petitioner, who was unruly during the court s proceedings, was asked by the President of the court, Chief Ademola Odunade, to bring her parents to the court. Odunade adjourned the case till February 27 for judgment. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his wife Entissar El-Sisi received French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron at Cairo's Ittihadiya presidential palace on Monday, before the two presidents started a closed session of talks. The French head of state began a three-day trip to Egypt on Sunday with a first stop at Aswan, where he visited Abu Simbel Temple. During his three-day visit, the two presidents are also set to hold a session of talks with the participation of delegations of officials from the two sides, followed by the signing of a number of agreements and MOUs, El-Sisis spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. El-Sisi and Macron will also hold a press conference after their talks, according to Rady. Macron's visit also coincides with the start of 'France-Egypt 2019,' which was launched earlier this year by El-Sisi and his French counterpart to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Suez Canal. El-Sisi visited Paris in October 2017, where he met with Macron and discussed joint efforts to combat terrorism, the Middle East peace process, the situation in Libya, and issues related to bilateral cooperation. This is Macrons first official visit to Egypt since assuming office in 2017. Egypt and France have strengthened economic and military ties since El-Sisi assumed office in 2014. Short link: Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry did not speak to journalists after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Mond... Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry did not speak to journalists after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday. President Buhari met behind closed doors with Mbaka at the State House, Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that Mbaka, who came into the villa in a private maroon BMW car, was accompanied by a lady. The cleric, according to NAN, did not disclose the outcome of the meeting between him and the president, which lasted about 35 minutes. Mbaka, who did not speak to newsmen after the meeting, was once quoted as saying that President Buhari is change, but former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is `bureau de change. Abubakar is the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming general elections. Mbaka was also recently quoted in the social media as calling on Buhari to effect changes in his leadership style to cushion the hardships experienced by citizens. So let the will of God be done in Nigeria. It is like what I have been saying Buhari change or you will be changed, he said while addressing members of his Adoration Ministry. The Birniwa Local Government Council in Jigawa on Monday says it has sponsored and conducted the wedding of 10 selected female orphans i... The Birniwa Local Government Council in Jigawa on Monday says it has sponsored and conducted the wedding of 10 selected female orphans in the area. The Information Officer of the council, Alhaji Abdullahi Yakubu said that the 10 women were drawn from 10 wards of the council. He said the council also assisted each of them with N30,000 to each of them, adding that N20,000 would serve as dowry while N10,000 was a grant for each of the new brides to start up small scale business. This support provided by the Council Chairman, Alhaji Muhammad Jaji-Dole, is in line with the state governments Social Intervention Programme. The state government, on its part, had already donated furniture, which includes chairs, beds and mattresses. The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari over his response ... The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari over his response to the foreign interference on the suspension of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen. The international community, including the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom over the weekend expressed serious concern over the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen. But, Buhari in a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu on Saturday, warned against foreign interference into the nations affairs. The president noted that foreign interference was capable of creating apprehension, distrust among citizens and undermining the transparency and acceptability of outcomes of the nations electoral process. Atiku, reacting to Buharis statement, reminded the president of celebrating commendations and statements from UK,EU during the 2015 elections. In a statement he personally signed on Sunday, Atiku said: To those who accuse these governments of interfering, I remind them that they made no such accusations when they celebrated a statement from the US/UK/EU calling for free and fair elections in 2015, just after the postponement of the 2015 elections to make room for a final assault against Boko Haram. What has changed between then and now, except that they are now in power. The former Vice President also noted that his fight against suspension of Onnoghen is for the protection of the nations constitution. I am not fighting for Justice Onnoghen. I am fighting for the constitution. Once we open the Pandoras Box of unconstitutionality, we cannot tell where it will end. This scenario appears to me like deja vu. Under a particularly brutal military dictatorship, Nigerians witnessed the illegal and arbitrary removal of many innocent people from their positions of authority and many said nothing because they were not from the ethnic group of those affected. I remember speaking up then that what we know is when the rain begins, but we do not know when it will end. My warnings were ignored by some until they woke up one day and that dictator removed no less a personality than the Sultan of Sokoto. It is worth pointing out that Muhammadu Buhari was by his side when he did that. He obviously learned very well from his teacher. A pro-democracy organization, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked international community to issue travel ban... A pro-democracy organization, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked international community to issue travel bans on President Muhammadu Buharu and his close officials over the suspension of Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN Walter Onnoghen. HURIWA in a statement urged EU and the UK to withhold travel ban against Buhari until he restores Justice Onnoghen to his position and show evidence of his willingness to stop his serial undermining of the democratic authorities and independence of the legislature and the judiciary and halt the serial abuse of power by his government. The group also condemned the Presidency for rejecting counsels from the international community in regards to Onnoghens suspension Buhari had in a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu on Saturday, warned against foreign interference into the nations affairs, capable of creating apprehension, distrust among citizens or undermining the transparency and acceptability of outcomes of the nations electoral process. HURIWA dismissed the reaction of the Buharis administration to the statements from international community as empty arrogance of a dictator. The statement read: HURIWA has asked the global leaders like the United States of America; United Kingdom; Canada; France; Germany and Australia to immediatelly slam diplomatic sanctions including travel bans on President Muhammadu Buhari and his top officials until the Nigerian government demonstrates transparent willingness to allow for the free; fair, transparent and peaceful conduct by an independent electoral arbiter of the February 16th Presidential election and the subsequent sub- national amd national polls in March. President Muhammadu Buharis administration has dethroned the legally constituted head of the Nigerian judiciary and supplanted an acting Chief Justice whose wife is reportedly and allegedly a Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Bauchi State which incidentally is the state of origin of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission Mahmood Yakubu who appears too weak to assert the autonomy of the electoral commission and resist the mounting pressure from the incumbent to manipulate the electoral process to favour the All Progressives Congress. HURIWA condemns the Nigerian Presidency for the irrational, Illogical; unsound and unbriddled response it gave to the International community in the wake of the series of public diplomatic statements from the USA; UK and European union expressing grave concerns that the illegal removal of the substantive Chief justice of Nigeria Mr Justice Walter Onnoghen and his replacement by a Presidencys handpicked replacemen Tanko Mohammed only few days to the polls would undermine the credibility of the forthcoming elections. HURIWA faults the President Muhammadu Buharis administration for asking that the international community not to interfere in Nigerias internal affairs just as HURIWA stated that the electoral commission which will conduct the elections- Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is receiving funding and technical assistance from those nations and since Nigeria is not an island given that it is a member of several international organisations such as the United Nations and the African Union amongst many others in which the Country subscribes to several global treaties and conventions to protect and promote democracy and defend human rights, the Nigerian Presidency must keep to those values or expect international scrutiny including severe sanctions targeting government officials should the government deliberately deviates from those international legally binding obligations. HURIWA urges the World leaders to maintain the tempo of international pressure so President Muhammadu Buhari does not undermine democracy, destabilise the Country and create spectacular refugee crisis for Africa because if the election is rigged the Country might witness cocktails of violence that may spiral out of control. HURIWA recalled that the presidency had reacted to the position of both the United States of America and the European Union on the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen just as the Rights group recalled that a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu, noted that as much as Nigeria welcomes prevailing interests and partnerships for successful 2019 general elections, the government would not condone unfair interference in matters that are wholly internal. President Muhammadu Buhari, has disclosed that the All Progressives Congress, APC, won the Osun State governorship election through r... President Muhammadu Buhari, has disclosed that the All Progressives Congress, APC, won the Osun State governorship election through remote-control. Buhari made the disclosure on Saturday, during a meeting with monarchs led by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan at the banquet hall of Osun State Government House, The Guardian reports. The president, while appealing to traditional rulers in the State to support his re-election, however, did not explain what remote-control meant. The President said the traditional rulers should support his relection to enable his administration consolidate on its achievements. According to Buhari: I know how much trouble we had in the last election here. I know by remote control through so many sources how we managed to maintain the party (APC) in power in this state. Buhari was received on arrival, along with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo by Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola and his entourage. He said the APC has recorded gains in the areas of infrastructural hence the need for the people to return the administration to consolidate on the achievement its has made in the last three years. Many people have forgotten, but parents, relatives of victims of the Ikeja Cantonment Bomb blasts can never forget the trauma, pains and... Many people have forgotten, but parents, relatives of victims of the Ikeja Cantonment Bomb blasts can never forget the trauma, pains and anguish that greeted them when they lost loved ones. It was January 27, 2002 when the quiet and serene ambience was rudely shattered, with heavy detonations from the military armoury in Ikeja. Bombs were flying everywhere, there was pandemonium, residents of Ikeja, Oshodi, Isolo and Ejigbo ran helter and skelter to flee the unknown, but over 1,000 met their waterloo. The tragedy was likened to the popular Biblical passage in Jeremiah 31:15 which said A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. The Lagos State Government which used to mark January 27 of every year in remembrance of the victims has been silenced ever since. The day has long been forgotten but today, Sunday, January 27, 2019 makes it 17 years since the tragedy occurred. Flashback: Lagos armoury explosion was the accidental detonation of a large stock of military high explosives at a storage facility in the city of Lagos, Nigeria, on 27 January 2002. The fires created by the debris from this explosion burnt down a large section of Northern Lagos, and created a panic that spread to other areas. As people fled the flames, many stumbled into a concealed Ejigbo canal and drowned. The explosion and its aftermath were believed to have killed at least 1,100 people and displaced over 20,000, with many thousands injured or homeless. The government of Nigeria launched an inquiry, which blamed the Nigerian Army for failing to properly maintain the base, or to decommission it when instructed to do so in 2001. The Ikeja military cantonment was a large military cantonment and storage area in the city of Lagos, situated north of the city centre near the districts of Isolo and Onigbongo. In January 2002, the base was being used to store a large quantity of high calibre bombs, as well as other sundry explosives. On the afternoon of 27 January, a fire broke out in a street market being held next to the base, which was also home to the families of soldiers. At around 6:00pm, the fire apparently spread to the bases main munitions store, causing an enormous explosion. This blast killed many of the base staff and their families and immediately destroyed several nearby streets, flying debris starting numerous fires further afield. Tremors from the explosion also collapsed many buildings in the area, trapping people in the ruins and starting new fires from damaged cooking appliances. These tremors were so powerful that windows shattered 15km away and the blast could be felt more than 50km inland. Bombs from the cantonment on streets Also thrown up by the blast were thousands of as yet unexploded military munitions, which fell in a rain of exploding shells, grenades and bullets casting further destruction across most of the northern section of the city. Thousands of people from Ikeja and neighbouring districts, seeing explosions and fires breaking out, fled their houses in an attempt to leave the affected areas. As the streets became more and more crowded, explosions amid the fleeing crowds from shells falling from the initial explosion created panic. A stampede developed as panicking people fled in all directions, trampling those who fell underfoot. Reports also described people jumping from burning high-rise buildings and being killed in desperate attempts to cross the busy Ikeja dual carriageway. Also thrown up by the blast were thousands of as yet unexploded military munitions, which fell in a rain of exploding shells, grenades and bullets casting further destruction across most of the northern section of the city. Thousands of people from Ikeja and neighbouring districts, seeing explosions and fires breaking out, fled their houses in an attempt to leave the affected areas. As the streets became more and more crowded, explosions amid the fleeing crowds from shells falling from the initial explosion created panic. A stampede developed as panicking people fled in all directions, trampling those who fell underfoot. Reports also described people jumping from burning high-rise buildings and being killed in desperate attempts to cross the busy Ikeja dual carriageway. In Central Lagos there is a large canal, which runs from north to south parallel to the Isolo-Oshodi expressway through the centre of the city. It bordered a banana plantation, which many refugees thought might be safe from the falling shells and spreading fires. However, the canal separated the plantation from the city and was covered by water hyacinth and thus invisible in the darkness. As the crowd surged towards the plantation, hundreds of panicking people fell into the water. Those on the bottom were crushed by yet more people falling into the waterway, and in the struggling confusion, at least 600 people were killed, many of them children. Many of these bodies drifted down the canal, some being found as far as ten kilometers from the explosion. The affected areas of the city burned through most of the night, with explosions continuing to boil out of the wrecked armoury until the afternoon of 28 January. The emergency services were woefully inadequate to deal with the devastation, as there were not enough fire crews or water points available to cope with the fire, which consequently consumed large parts of the citys northern suburbs. City hospitals were also utterly overwhelmed, many injured going for hours without any medical attention even if they did manage to reach an undamaged medical facility. The military, too, having suffered the loss of many of its Lagos-based personnel in the initial explosion, was not in a position to assume control of the city and did not appear in large numbers until late on 28 January. The Ejigbo canal, where many perished By the evening of 28 January, most of the fires were under control and people began returning to the city and attempting to find loved ones lost in the stampede. Many of the dead were children, separated from their families in the confusion and subsequently crushed in the crowds that filled the streets and canal. On top of the dead from the canal, several hundred of people had died in the city itself: killed by falling munitions, trampled by the crowds, or trapped in the fires. Aftermath The final death toll is hard to compute, although the Red Cross claims that at least 1,000 bodies were recovered and a number of people were reported missing and never found. In addition to the dead, at least 5,000 people were injured in the disaster and over 12,000 left homeless, with entire districts of the city gutted. About 20,000 people had fled the city on the night of the explosion, and the survivors gradually returned over the course of the next week. The then Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo arrived in Ikeja on 28 January along with most senior city and national politicians, and he publicly demanded answers from the military as to why such a huge ammunition dump was kept in such a poorly maintained and public location. It later emerged that a small explosion had occurred at the base the previous year, following which the army was advised by city officials to remove or modernise the armoury, but took no action. -Kazeem Ugbodga/Wikipedia.org Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara has declared that N30,000 monthly salary was not enough as minimum wage. ... Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara has declared that N30,000 monthly salary was not enough as minimum wage. According to him, since the National Assembly will need to go on a short recess for the purpose of the general elections, the lawmakers will proceed with further legislative actions on the matter at plenary on Tuesday. Speaking on Monday at the National Assembly during a public hearing on the New Minimum Wage organised by the House Ad-Hoc Committee on New Minimum Wage, 2019, Dogara noted that the two focal points that must be given priority by government are poverty and corruption because while the former, caused mainly by underemployment and unemployment, is a threat to democracy, the latter fundamentally undermines democratic institutions and values. Dogara proposed a more reasonable living wage that will not only provide for basic needs of the workers but also enable them to make provisions for themselves that will lift them out of poverty and lead to a reduction in corruption. The speaker stated, While we are not oblivious of the current economic downturn and the dwindling revenue of Government, we cannot also be blind to the fact that all economic indices indicate that even the 30,000 Naira Minimum Wage that Labour is asking for is not enough to sustain a small family unit. It is said that the promise of democracy is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. According to Thomas Jefferson, these are God-given rights. Therefore, it is not enough to merely be alive and free, one must also be engaged in the pursuit of happiness in order to enjoy the promise of democracy. If that is the case, can we say that Nigerian workers are enjoying the promise of democracy? Can we say that millions of our youth who roam the streets daily in search of non-existing jobs are enjoying the promise of democracy? Absolutely, no. This is because, although they are alive and free, they lack the means with which to pursue happiness. While the workers are underemployed, the latter are unemployed. So as a country, we are battling twin evils, namely: underemployment, which is as grave a problem, as unemployment. I have said before that poverty is the greatest threat to our democracy. Those who doubted me have seen that threat manifest itself in vote buying and in the use of money to compromise electoral and security officials during elections. On account of the sense of despondency and powerlessness that poverty breeds amongst the poor, the poor have and will always remain ever ready tools in the hands of tyrants and demagogues, who in the course of history, have always found it easy to mobilize for the purposes of subverting democratic Institutions. Since underemployment and unemployment are bedmates of poverty, eliminating them must be the focal point of governments policies. The next evil is corruption. It is not in doubt that corruption fundamentally undermines democratic institutions and values. Corruption affects the poor most because they depend more on the government for support. How then do we fight corruption from the roots rather than dealing with its symptoms as is currently the case? The answer is for us to begin to pay workers living wage, not minimum wage. When we do not pay living wage, we cannot tame corruption. When workers take home is not enough to take them home, the temptation for them to cut corners in order to get home will always be there. Workers keep and process our national wealth and the only way to insulate them from the temptation to want to help themselves to it, is to ensure they are well remunerated. It is not in contention that it is a mean job to muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain. Leaving workers to their temptations is dangerous unless we can show that they are greater than Oscar Wilde, who in his vintage wicked wit, proclaimed, I can resist everything except temptation. That we cannot pay living wage in a nation that represents a major promise for economic prosperity in the world speaks to the bane of our leadership. In order to reverse these tragic narratives, we must invest in proactive and innovative leadership not the reactive leadership model that we practised all this while. Reality is, I am not a believer in minimum wage although it is a constitutional issue and the practice in many nations. Therefore, I cannot wait for that Nigeria to emerge wherein workers are paid wages that would not only take them home but have a portion to spare in savings in order to pursue happiness and give their children the training that they could ever dream of. That should be our national goal going forward if we hope to ever make it to the club of elite nations. If we do not ever make it to the point where we can have a conversation about Economic justice, it would not be because its impossible to achieve but because we lack the right leadership. We have talked about ending so many things in Nigeria, now is the time to talk about creating wealth and ending poverty, and those who bear the burden of the nation must be the first beneficiaries. President Muhammadu Buhari has summoned members of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate to a meeting at the Presidential Villa ... President Muhammadu Buhari has summoned members of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate to a meeting at the Presidential Villa on Monday (today) over Onnoghens suspension. The meeting, which is going to hold at the Banquet Hall, is being tagged as a dinner. Invitations to the dinner were signed by the Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, who is also the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi. Onnoghen was suspended on Friday by President Buhari based on an ex parte order granted by the Code of Conduct Tribunal. He is facing six counts of false assets declaration filed against him by the Code of Conduct Bureau. Buharis meeting with the APC Senators will take place ahead of the Senate emergency resumption on Tuesday (tomorrow) when decisions are expected to be taken on Onnoghens suspension by the President. Recall that the APC caucus in the Senate at the weekend had vowed to resist any attempt by the presiding officers of the National Assembly to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Buhari. Meanwhile, the APC senators meeting with the President, it was gathered, would take a position on how to counter the expected condemnation of the CJNs suspension by the members of the opposition in the Senate on Tuesday. Also, members of the APC Caucus in the House of Representatives have scheduled an emergency meeting for Monday (today). The Majority Leader, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, called the meeting, according to a text message circulating among the lawmakers on Sunday. The police have early Monday sealed off the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, who was suspended by Pres... The police have early Monday sealed off the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, who was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari, last Friday, sources at the Supreme Court confirmed. In a move that appeared to stop any possibility of Onnoghen to accessing the office, policemen were said to have sealed the office and ejected all administrative staff in the axis of the CJN office as early as 7am on Monday. One of the sources said, The police have sealed the office of the CJN. Officers and men of the Force went to the administrative staff offices at about 7am and ordered clerical and other staff who were already at their desks to leave after which they locked up everywhere. This came as the National Judicial Council has fixed Tuesday for an emergency meeting to deliberate on the sudden suspension of Onnoghen and swearing in of Justice Tanko Muhammad as the Acting CJN by President Buhari. On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari swore in Tanko Mohammed as the new CJN, pending the determination of the case against Onnoghen at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). Buhari based his action on an order of the CCT. The chief justice is accused of false assets declaration. Onnoghen was suspended on the eve of swearing in members of the 2019 national assembly, governorship and state assembly election petition tribunals which Mohammed did on Saturday. When contacted Awusam Bassey, media aide to Onnoghen, he confirmed the ejection of staff and sealing off of the office. Its true, its true, Bassey said. Frank Mba, police spokesman, could not be reached for comments on the latest development. More to follow... Lawmakers in the Lagos state house of assembly have accused Akinwunmi Ambode, governor of the state, of incurring expenditure from th... Lawmakers in the Lagos state house of assembly have accused Akinwunmi Ambode, governor of the state, of incurring expenditure from the 2019 budget without presenting it to the assembly. At plenary on Monday, the aggrieved lawmakers gave the governor a week ultimatum to explain his action, saying failure to do so could trigger impeachment proceedings. Majority of the lawmakers at the plenary called for the impeachment of the governor while a few asked him to resign. But Mudashiru Obasa, the speaker, appealed to his colleagues to give the governor the last chance to defend himself. Nonetheless, he asked those pushing for the governors impeachment to start collecting signatures. On several occasions, the governor met brick wall in his attempt to present his last budget. On January 3, Olusegun Banjo, Lagos state commissioner for budget and economic planning, had said the states 2019 budget of N852.317 billion had been submitted to the state assembly. It was the first time in 10 years that the state would present the budget after the fiscal year ended. The commissioner explained that the governor had sent verbal information to present the budget on December 24, after the state executive council approval on December 19. But the presentation did not take place as the house was on recess and could not form a quorum. On January 21, the lawmakers frustrated the bid of the governor to present the budget. Ambode had contacted the lawmakers that he was set to present the budget but he was not given the opportunity. Ambodes relationship with the lawmakers went cold after he fell out with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. There had been reports of attempts to impeach the governor but in an interview shortly after Ambode lost his reelection ticket to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Obasa had said the governors action will determine whether or not he would be impeached. The arrival of 10,000 tourists from China will further catapult the country's booming tourism industry. The efforts of the Government to increase the number of tourists visiting local attractions have started to bare fruits as the country is anticipating to receive 10,000 tourists from China this year. Efforts of bringing in such number of tourists is under the facilitation of the China's Touchroad International Holdings Group (Touchroad Group) that signed agreements with Tanzania Tourists Board (TTB) to market Tanzania's tourist attraction to China. The arrival, apart from boosting the tourism industry and the Tanzania economy, will also play a big role in further cementing the long standing relationship between Tanzania and China which started in 1961. As part of implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a total of 35 Chinese tourists arrived in the country on Friday (January 18, 2019) for a three-day stay. Moreover, other 300 tourists from China are anticipated to jet in Tanzania in March this year. According to the Prime Minister's office, the tourists from China will be received by Premier Kassim Majaliwa. The decision by the Premier to receive the tourists was reached after hon. Majaliwa, met with Touchroad Group Chairman, Mr. Liehui He and Chairman for Board of Directors of Tanzania Tourist Board, Justice Thomas Mihayo, at his office in Dodoma city. After their tour in Tanzania, the tourists will visit Djibouti and be received by the Prime Minister before heading to Zimbabwe where they will be received by President Emerson Mnangagwa. Premier Majaliwa has urged citizens surrounding the tourist attractions to explore opportunities by selling various local products, adding that the country is well determined to make better use of the available natural resources for tourism purposes. "The determinations go together with the improvement of infrastructure, upgrading of the attractive sites and other services. I am also impressed with the idea of making Dar es Salaam a tourist hub for foreigners, who will be visiting Tanzania, Lusaka, Harare, Johannesburg, and Djibouti," hon. Majaliwa said. For his part, TTB Marketing Officer, Hozza Mbura, said the Chinese nationals have come to visit attractions available in Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo district in the Coast region. Being in the country, the tourists visited the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) station, which is among the key projects that were constructed by the government of China in the country. The tourists also visited the national museum, the Makumbusho village in Kijitonyama, Bagamoyo museums as well as having a tour of the city. They were in the country for three days. According to Mbura, "This is just the beginning as more tourists will be coming as days go on. Their arrival among others will also play part in increasing national economy as well as the foreign currency." "This was a result of the TTB's trip to China to attract tourists and to advertise the newly launched Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft of Air Tanzania, which is expected to fly direct to various destinations in Middle and Far East countries." Speaking to Premier Majaliwa, the Touchroad Group Chairman, said apart from the 10,000 target of this year; they will be adding the number of tourists by 20 per cent for a period of five years. Mr. Liehui He said: "We are planning to use Air Tanzania which is expected to fly direct to China, to bring tourists straight from Shanghai, China." Currently the statistics shows that the number of tourists that toured in Tanzania in 2018 stood at 1.3 million and the Government is targeting to attract 2 million tourists by 2020. According to the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI)'s study, approximately 4.31 million Chinese visited Africa last year. Not only that but also China is considered as the largest tourism industry in the globe according to data released in 2017, which showed that about 145 million Chinese toured different parts in the world. The TTB Marketing Officer, Mr. Mbura, said that "This is great opportunity for Tanzania to benefit more from tourism and increase the contribution of the industry to the national income." The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has sent the names of new Deputy Inspectors-General of Police to the Police Serv... The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has sent the names of new Deputy Inspectors-General of Police to the Police Service Commission for consideration and approval. It was gathered that the nominees include the Force Secretary, Taiwo Lakanu; former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, and four others. The bags will be reusable and recyclable, and the supermarket said the scheme was being introduced after customers raised concerns about the environment. The new bags are accredited by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, which means they have been sourced from forests that are managed responsibly. It follows an announcement from Waitrose that the chain will be giving money to projects that reduce plastic pollution, using money from the 5p charge on plastic bags. Trends in plastic bag use A levy on single-use plastic bags was introduced in England in October 2015. Since then, shoppers have been paying 5p for each one they use. According to government figures, the new law resulted in an 83% fall in plastic bag use at the seven biggest supermarkets between April 2016 and April 2017. About 1.3 billion were sold during that time. Between April 2017 and April 2018, that figure dropped again to about 1 billion. Morrisons raised the 5p charge to 10p last year, reducing overall bag sales by 25%. Now, the chain is raising the price again, asking customers for 15p per bag - still cheaper than the 20p paper alternative. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Narita Airport, near Tokyo, is expected to extend its operating hours until midnight, starting in October. The transport ministry and the airport's operator had asked nine neighboring municipalities to allow the extension for one of the two runways until 12 midnight, one hour longer than now. The extension is aimed at receiving more visitors ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. But two of the municipalities were opposed to the plan, saying it is difficult to win the support of residents who would suffer from the noise. Airport officials explained to the local authorities their offer to bear the additional cost of noise-control measures, such as subsidies for the installation of air conditioners in each house. The two municipalities have accepted the plan by Monday. The extension plan will be formally decided at a conference next month attended by the relevant bodies, including neighboring municipalities. This will be the first extension of Narita Airport's operating hours since it opened in 1978. Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested a 41-year-old man who is suspected of regularly abusing his 10-year-old daughter prior to her death at their residence in Noda City last week, reports Jiji Press At around 11:10 p.m. on January 24, Yuichiro Kurihara called emergency services to report that Mia, a fourth-year elementary school student, was not breathing. Police and emergency services personnel arriving at the residence, located in the Yamazaki area, confirmed her dead after finding her body in the bathroom. During questioning, Kurihara, who has been accused of inflicting injury, told the Noda Police Station that he poured cold water over the girl and used both hands to grab her near her neck. Police are now investigating whether the assault directly caused the death of the girl, with the results of an autopsy being used to determine cause of death. aI did not mean to get hurt [her] through discipline,a the suspect was quoted by police. aBecause she did not do what I told her, I got angry and pulled her hair.a According to police, Kuriharaas wife, 31, and other daughter, 1, also lives in the residence. An examination of the body of Mia revealed red marks on several locations of her scalp, leading police to believe that she was regularly abused. After the incident, police learned that Mia was temporarily taken into protective custody after she complained of abuse by her father in 2017. At the time, she was attending a different elementary school in Noda. Police are now questioning staff members at the consultation center to learn why Mia was allowed to return home. At least 18 people were killed yesterday when two bombs hit a Catholic church on a southern Philippine island that is a stronghold of Islamist militants, the military said, days after voters backed Muslim self-rule in the region. A powerful first blast shattered pews and left bodies strewn inside the cathedral on Muslim-majority Jolo as mass was being celebrated, an army spokesman said. Just moments later a second explosion outside killed troops who were rushing to help the wounded in the smoking and heavily damaged church. It is one of the deadliest bomb attacks to strike the insurgency-plagued southern Philippines in years and came amid the hope spurred by voters overwhelming approval of a plan to give Muslims more control over their own affairs. Manila swiftly vowed to hunt down the attackers, but no group has claimed the bombing. We will pursue to the ends of the earth the ruthless perpetrators behind this dastardly crime, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement. The law will give them no mercy. Five soldiers, a member of the coast guard and 12 civilians were among the dead while 83 other people were wounded, said regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana. The regional police chief Graciano Mijares put the toll slightly higher at 20 dead, lower than a figure of 27 he gave earlier. The second bomb was left in the utility box of a motorcycle in the park - ing area outside the church, a military report said. Authorities said the notorious Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group could be behind the blasts. When you talk about terrorism in Sulu, the primary suspect is always the (Abu Sayyaf ) but we are not discounting the possibility that there are other perpetrators, Besana told AFP. The remote island of Jolo is a base of the Abu Sayyaf, which is blamed for deadly bombings, including an attack on a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that claimed 116 lives in the countrys deadliest terror assault. Peace spoilers? The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Ladens Al-Qaeda network, and has earned millions of dollars from banditry and kidnappings-for-ransom, often targeting foreigners. It is among armed networks based in the strife-torn region of Mindanao, some of whose members have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. Jolo also lies in the Bangsamoro Muslim-majority autonomous region, which local voters overwhelmingly backed last week. The approval, which sealed a peace deal with the nations largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front, raised hopes for peace after decades of fighting killed some 150,000. Sulu province -- which includes Jolo -- voted against the creation of the new region, with its governor filing a petition in the Supreme Court to prevent its formation. Despite Sulus vote, the province is legally required to join Bangsamoro because voters from across the current autonomous region voted in favour of it on the whole. Yesterdays bombing follows a New Years eve blast in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato killed two people and wounded 35 others. The timing of yesterdays bombs raised questions on whether the attack was meant to derail the peace process. Mujiv Hataman, a regional leader in the Philippines south, said the blasts highlighted the urgency of implementing the peace law. I hope the (law) is implemented well so it could be a solution to stop the spread of terrorism, Hataman told AFP. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said extremist criminals plotted the bombings. We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace, Esperon said. Peace must prevail over war. The University of Bahrain (UoB), one of the Middle Easts largest educational institutions in co-operation with Google Developers Group Manama is conducting free training programmes for all Bahraini students with an aim on expanding their horizons by learning new skills. The premium university entered a partnership with the Google Developers Group (GDG) Manama and Start-Up Bahrain to roll out a range of free training programmes for students across the country. The UoB code academy is providing free skills training to any student from any university in Bahrain. These courses, to be offered via UoBs newly launched coding academy, are available for students from any university in the Kingdom and any study background, sources said. Speaking to Tribune, UoB president Prof Riyad Hamzah said: We are extremely proud of this initiative. The three-week programme, which is from basic to intermediate and then to advanced levels has seen the participation of around 2,000 students. The primary objective of this initiative is to help students familiarise themselves with emerging disruptive technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, Data Science, and Web Technologies. This is in line with the Kingdoms growing emphasis on raising a future generation of a skilled workforce that can take the homegrown digital economy and technology sectors to new highs. Students who enrol in these programmes will receive certificates upon successfully completing the curriculum. Interestingly, UoB has decided to issue these certificates using its proprietary blockchain technology, becoming one of the first universities globally to issue digital diplomas anchored in the blockchain. Saudi Arabia has commended the Yemeni governments efforts to protect and promote human rights and its continued willingness to work with the international community to strengthen forms of cooperation with multilateral mechanisms for the promotion of human rights. During a session of the review of the situation in Yemen held on Wednesday by the UNs Human Rights Council, the kingdoms ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva Dr Abdulaziz Al Wasel praised the Yemeni governments co-operation with all international and regional efforts to find a peaceful political solution to the Yemeni crisis, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. He called on the international community to intensify its support and assistance for the Government of Yemen in order to enable it to meet the challenges and obstacles it faces in implementing its human rights policies, as well as in education and healthcare. Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 52F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 52F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Police smash nearly 6,900 mafia-style groups in major campaign BEIJING, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have busted 6,885 mafia-style groups since a major campaign against gang crime was launched nationwide about a year ago, official figures showed Monday. During the period, police cracked 79,270 criminal cases, seized 851 guns, and sealed assets worth of 62.1 billion yuan (9.23 billion U.S. dollars) related to such crimes, according to a report issued by the Ministry of Public Security. The country saw a year-on-year drop of 7.7 percent in the number of criminal cases and a 13.8-percent drop in serious violent crimes reported, it read. Amid intensified efforts to pursue fugitives, in August 2018 the ministry issued a class-A wanted list of 10 fugitives suspected of gang crime. Nine of them have been captured. In addition, 164 of 299 fugitives on a wanted list issued in early December have been seized. China has taken a tough stance and stepped up efforts to crack down on gang crime. In January 2018, it launched a three-year campaign against organized crime and officials who shelter criminal organizations. St. Jude Children's Research HospitalIt was an emotional weekend for Randy Owen, as he marked the 30th anniversary of Country Cares for Kids, the program he started with St. Jude founder Danny Thomas. Over three decades, country fans have given more than $800 million dollars to the free Memphis hospital that treats childhood cancer and sickle cell disease. Randy's currently on Alabama's 50th Anniversary Tour, as his band mate, Jeff Cook, fights Parkinson's disease. "[I'm experiencing] a lot of emotions, particularly right now, [with] what Jeff's going through with Parkinson's," Randy reveals. "I feel very cheated. I'm sure he does as well. But on the other hand, I'm very grateful that people still want to hear the music, and that people are still supporting Country Cares." "It's a time in...life when you don't really think about a whole lot," he explains, "except [to] just try to enjoy the moment, because I don't know how long I'll be here on this earth. But I certainly know this much: while I've been here, I've tried to make a difference." At the Saturday night Country Cares banquet, Randy presented Jake Owen with the Angels Among Us Award for what he's done to make a difference for St. Jude. Afterwards, Michael Ray and Clint Black joined the two for a jam session that included classics like "Tennessee River," "Better Man," "Mountain Music," and "Spend My Time," as well as more current hits like "Down to the Honkytonk" and "Kiss You in the Morning." Perhaps the most moving moment of the night came when Randy suggested everyone else sing their songs, since his were from the eighties. Michael responded by launching into the Alabama classic, "Lady Down on Love," with Jake and Clint harmonizing and alternating leads. The performance brought Randy to tears. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. (Newser) The Trump administration imposed sanctions Monday on the state-owned oil company of Venezuela, PDVSA, a potentially critical economic move aimed at increasing pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to cede power to the opposition, the AP reports. National security adviser John Bolton and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced the measures against the company. They are also aimed at boosting Maduro's rival, opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom the administration recognized last week as Venezuela's legitimate leader. The sanctions will include a freeze on any assets the firm may have in US jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with it. Senator Marco Rubio, a vocal critic of Maduro who has called for such sanctions, welcomed the move even before it was announced. story continues below "The United States is holding accountable those responsible for Venezuela's tragic decline, and will continue to use the full suite of its diplomatic and economic tools to support Interim President Juan Guaido, the National Assembly, and the Venezuelan people's efforts to restore their democracy," Mnuchin said. "Today's designation of PDVSA will help prevent further diverting of Venezuela's assets by Maduro and preserve these assets for the people of Venezuela. The path to sanctions relief for PDVSA is through the expeditious transfer of control to the Interim President or a subsequent, democratically elected government," he said. The sanctions will not likely affect consumer prices at the gas pump but will hit oil refiners, particularly those on the US Gulf Coast. (Read more Venezuela stories.) (Newser) A nightmare ending to the story of a 13-year-old Iowa boy who ran away from home: Corey Brown was found dead Sunday morning. He ran away after a "disciplinary discussion" with his parents Tuesday night during which his phone was taken away, police say, though the police chief tells the Washington Post it was simply a "typical discussion about household rules" and not a "fight" or "argument." His parents realized he was missing early Wednesday and an intense search ensued; concern for the eighth-grader was high due to snow that fell Tuesday and Wednesday, plus three consecutive days of below-zero temperatures immediately after his disappearance, the Des Moines Register reports. Police say the Marshalltown boy's body was found in a secluded area about a mile away from his home and that no criminal activity was suspected, but gave no further details on the circumstances surrounding his death or the discovery of his body, other than to say multiple scenarios were under investigation. story continues below Brown's family asked through police that their privacy be respected, and no friends or neighbors have commented on the details. His tearful parents and 16-year-old brother had pleaded with him to come home at a press conference Thursday, per the Gazette: "Corey, if youre out there bud, youre not in trouble, just come home," said his dad. Echoed his mom, "Please, please just come home. We want you safe at home. We love you so much." "Our hearts bleed for the Brown family," Marshalltown's mayor said in a statement after the boy's body was found. The school district also expressed its condolences in a statement, noting Corey "was loved by many and will be deeply missed." Counselors will be available to assist students at the local middle school and high school, the statement said. (Another boy who recently went missing was found alive after two days.) (Newser) An Arkansas teen has pleaded guilty to trying to steal a commercial plane so he could fly to Chicago to attend a rap concert, the AP reports. Per the Texarkana Gazette, Zemarcuis Scott of Texarkana pleaded guilty Thursday to attempted theft of property and commercial burglary and was sentenced to five years of probation. Authorities have said Scott, who is being variously reported as 18 or 19 years old, was found July 4 inside the cockpit of an American Eagle jet at Texarkana Regional Airport and that he had hoped to fly to an out-of-state concert to see rapper Famous Dex. Airport security called the police after they say they saw Scott jumping a fence to get onto airport property. story continues below Scott has no training as a pilot. Police have said he told investigators he thought piloting the plane would involve little more than pushing buttons and pulling levers. In December, he was found mentally competent to stand trial. Scott allegedly told a psychologist he met with that he'd been mulling over the plane theft idea for a month or so, and that he'd kept his eye on the plane from the other side of the fence for hours before making his move in the early morning hours of Independence Day. Authorities say the 44-seat jet wasn't damaged. (Read more weird crimes stories.) (Newser) Officials in Brazil feared they'd find many more bodies after a dam collapse in Brumadinho on Friday. Those fears have been realized, with the death toll climbing from under a dozen to now nearly 60. Authorities have confirmed 58 people perished and up to 300 are still missing, and rescue and recovery efforts sound perilous in their own right: The AP notes firefighters sometimes having to crawl over the search area, with the mine-waste-infused mud that surged out from the dam up to 24 feet deep in places. Making matters worse was a scare on Sunday that a second mine dam was about to breach, sending 24,000 people to higher ground while civil engineers checked everything out. That dam was eventually deemed to be OK, but the New York Times notes the entire situation underscores possible oversight issues with Brazil's mining industry. story continues below Plus, because the country's new president, Jair Bolsonaro, has pledged to pull back on mining regulations, many worry something like this could happen again. The paper notes there are about 400 mining dams similar to the one that gave way (some deemed "unstable"); one in nearby Mariana burst in late 2015, killing 19. Both the Brumadinho and Mariana dams had been deemed "stable" before they collapsed, an industrial engineering expert says. Meanwhile, Vale, the mine that operates the newly collapsed dam, is facing serious troubles as a result of the breach: Per the Wall Street Journal, the company is now facing "spiraling losses," including shares that plummeted 19% after trading kicked off Monday. The Journal adds the incident could be "the world's most deadly mining disaster in over 50 years." (Tragedy at an abandoned mining pool in Malaysia.) (Newser) Sebastien Bras is a world-renowned chef who stunned the culinary world when he asked the Michelin Guide to keep him and his Le Suquet restaurant out of its pages. The folks at Michelin granted the first-of-its-kind request, and there was no sign of Le Suquet in the 2018 guideeven though the restaurant had earned the highest possible three-star rating for several years in a row. Now, the new 2019 guide for France is out, and Bras is unhappy to see that Le Suquet is once again in the book, reports France24. It's not clear whether Michelin forgot about the earlier request or decided to ignore it. story continues below "This contradictory decision has left us with doubts, even if in any case we no longer worry about either the stars or the strategies of the guide," says Bras. "I made my position clear last year and I still feel the same still, and more than ever, enjoying the confidence of our clients." Bras wants no part of Michelin because he says the intense pressure involved with maintaining the rankingnever knowing if a secret inspection is taking placetakes the joy out of his work. In any case, the Michelin critics demoted his restaurant from three to two stars, which Munchies sees as a "solid troll job." (Read more Michelin Guide stories.) (Newser) Federal authorities have arrested a man wanted in the slayings of four people and injuring of a man in a pair of shootings in Georgia. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says 27-year-old Daylon Delon Gamble was arrested Sunday in Indiana by the US Marshal's Service. Gamble, who was wanted on four charges of murder in the shootings Thursday night in Rockmart, about 45 miles northwest of Atlanta, was taken into custody without incident, according to a GBI news release posted on their Facebook page. story continues below Authorities say 48-year-old Helen Rose Mitchell and 19-year-old Jaequnn Davis died at one home, and 24-year-old Arkeyla Perry and 26-year-old Dadrian Cummings died at another home, the AP reports. The GBI says 24-year-old Peerless Brown was injured at the home where Mitchell and Davis were killed. Authorities have not disclosed a motive or Gamble's relationship to the victims, though they say the killings were not random. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Gamble was paroled from state prison in 2016 after a 2011 conviction for armed robbery and burglary. (A suspect in five Louisiana murders was arrested in Virginia on Sunday.) (Newser) Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz gave the 2020 race a jolt Sunday by announcing that he is "seriously considering" running for president as an independent. "Our two parties are more divided than ever," he tweeted. "Lets discuss how we can come together to create opportunities for more people." The 65-year-old billionairewho hinted at the move when he stepped down from the company last yeartold the New York Times that although he is a "lifelong Democrat," the party has shifted too far left for him. He said Republicans and Democrats who no longer see themselves as "part of the far extreme of the far right and the far left" are "looking for a home." story continues below For Democrats, the news was as welcome as a tarantula in a Frappuccino. They warned that an independent run from Schultz would split the vote and boost President Trump's chances of re-election, reports Reuters. If Schultz entered the race, "essentially it would provide Donald Trump with his best hope of getting re-elected," said Democratic contender Julian Castro, per the Guardian. The Washington state Democratic Party tweeted a picture of a Starbucks cup with "Don't do it, Howard!" written on the side. Analyst Nate Silver, however, tweeted that it wasn't clear whether an "Old Rich Business Guy running a 3rd party bid" would help Trump or hurt him. (Kamala Harris entered the 2020 race last week.) (Newser) A bipartisan group of 17 lawmakers has been tasked with forging a deal on border security before a three-week deal to fund the government comes to endbut President Trump isn't holding his breath. He tells the Wall Street Journal that he thinks the group's chances of reaching a deal in time are "less than 50-50, but you have a lot of very good people on that board." He says he doubts he will accept anything less than the $5.7 billion he is seeking for a border wall, because "I have to do it right." Trump, who announced a deal Friday to reopen the government, says another shutdown is "certainly an option." He has also threatened to get the wall built by declaring an emergency. story continues below Trump says he doubts he will approve any deal involving citizenship for "Dreamers," because he feels it is a "separate subject to be taken up at a separate time." Asked about conservative commentator Ann Coulter, who called Trump a "wimp" for reopening the government without a deal on the wall, Trump says: "I hear shes become very hostile. Maybe I didn't return her phone call or something." In a tweet later Sunday, Trump attacked two Fox News hosts, the Washington Post reports. John Roberts and Gillian Turner show "even less understanding of the Wall negotiations than the folks at FAKE NEWS CNN & NBC," Trump said. (Nancy Pelosi says no date has been set for Trump's State of the Union address.) (Newser) The US now considers Juan Guaido to be Venezuela's interim leaderand any "violence or intimidation" against him, or against American diplomats, will be met with a "significant response," John Bolton warned Sunday. The national security adviser tweeted that any such actions from Nicolas Maduro's forces would be considered a "grave assault on the rule of law," the BBC reports. Bolton later tweeted that the US urges all nations to "support the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people as they try to free themselves from former president Maduro's illegitimate mafia state." On Saturday, Maduro rejected an ultimatum from European nations including Spain, Germany, the UK, and France, who said they would recognize Guaido as leader if elections were not held within eight days. story continues below Top military officials have pledged their allegiance to Maduro as the crisis escalates, though Guaido supporters have been trying to persuade soldiers to abandon the leader, the AP reports. In an appearance on state TV, Maduro asked soldiers if they were plotting against the country with the "imperialist" US, and they responded "No, my commander-in-chief." Guaido tells the Washington Post that the opposition has been in touch with military leaders who want to get rid of Maduro. "We have been in talks with government officials, civilian, and military men," he says. "This is a very delicate subject involving personal security. We are meeting with them, but discreetly." (Maduro's government changed its mind Saturday on the expulsion of US diplomats.) (Newser) Duke students are as free as anybody else in America to speak whatever language they want on their own time, the university stressed after a professor's email to international students caused an uproar. Megan Neely told biostatistics students Friday there had been complaints from faculty members about students speaking Chinese "very loudly" in break areas, the New York Times reports. She said faculty members were disappointed that the students weren't "taking the opportunity to improve their English" and "were being so impolite as to have a conversation that not everyone on the floor could understand." She urged them to "commit to using English 100%" of the time when in the building, and warned that using their native language could have "unintended consequences" for their careers. story continues below Amid an outcry, it emerged that Neely had sent a similar letter to students in February 2018. Dr. Mary E. Klotman, dean of Duke's medical school, told students Saturday that Neely had stepped down as director of graduate studies for the Master of Biostatistics program. Around 36 of 54 students in the program are Chinese, as are 10 of 50 faculty members, the Times notes. "To be clear: There is absolutely no restriction or limitation on the language you use to converse and communicate with each other," Klotman told students feeling "hurt and angered" by Neely's email. Neely, who remains on the faculty as an assistant professor of biostatistics, acknowledged Saturday that the email was "clearly in error" and apologized for any hurt she had caused, the Chronicle reports. (Last year, a white Yale student called the police on a napping black student.) Photo via People's Daily Li Juhong, a 37-year-old legless village doctor in a small rural area in southwest Chinas Chongqing has touched many Chinese netizens for her devotion to providing medical treatment for thousands of villagers over the past 17 years. At the age of four, Li was hit by a large speeding truck on a mountain road outside of Wadian Village in Chongqing where she lives. Although her life was saved, she lost her legs, leaving her with stumps that measure less than less than 3 cm. This accident saddened her family, but Lis parents were determined to help their daughter to walk again. So, Lis father made two chairs to help her up when she was five years old. As Li grew older, the chairs became a way to help her to study. Fortunately, Li, with the support of those around her, successfully graduated from high school due to her persistence and perseverance. Determined to help others, Li did not hesitate to choose medicine as her major for her higher education. Though I experienced a brush with death, I also experienced love and kindness. I know what patients need. So, I want to pass on what I have received from all the people who have helped me, Li said. Upon graduation, Li immediately traveled back to her village instead of opening a clinic in bigger townships like most others. During her nearly two decades of devotion in the village, Li set up three rules for herself, which cannot be breached: (1) Help whoever asks for help with a warm smile (2) Prepare dinner for the elderly and children (3) Charge nothing or only the cost of the services if a patient is financially disadvantaged. In September 2018, the god of destiny tested her again. Li was diagnosed with a brain tumor. However, Li said she believes that with the encouragement of villagers and her family she can get over this, too. Lis story has not only touched the hearts of the villagers, but also many people beyond Wadian Village in Chongqing. Her story continues to be shared and many people are wishing this brave and optimistic woman the best. (Newser) Four teenage boys were convicted in the 1990 murder of Gregg Smart, and as of 2015, all four of them had been released. Smart's wife, Pamela, convicted of convincing the teens (one of whom was her lover) to kill him, remains behind bars. The now-51-year-old, who inspired the Nicole Kidman character in the mockumentary To Die For, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for witness tampering, conspiracy to commit murder, and being an accomplice to first-degree murder. In a series of new interviews with the Washington Post, she still insists she didn't order a hit on her husband and says the thought of dying in prison is "always" on her mind: "I would rather be put to death than die in here of old age." Her case is back in the news as a new legal filing asks New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu to commute her sentence and make her eligible for parole. story continues below As the Post notes, life sentences without parole have recently come under scrutiny in the US, and Smart's sentence is of particular interest to some activists since she was so young when convicted (23) and because she has not been freed while the four males involved have been. Some of the "prominent feminists" who have written to the state on her behalf include Gloria Steinem, Vagina Monologues playwright Eve Ensler, and Sexual Politics author Kate Millett. And then, of course, there's Smart herself and advocates including her mother, who insist she's innocent; Smart's mother blames the "quote, fake media" for her daughter's conviction. But Smart also says she finally feels, in one way, "responsible for my husband's death. ... Had I not made that initial, horrible decision [to have an affair] nothing would have happened." Read the fully story at the Post. (Read more Longform stories.) He Reluctantly Testified. Now His Home Is Burned and He's Gone What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 574-583-5121 or email cgrace@thehj.com. Financial Secretary Paul Chan (second left) and Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau (left) meet UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox. Financial Secretary Paul Chan met senior financial officials of other regions to forge closer ties on economic and trade co-operation with Hong Kong during his visit to Davos, Switzerland. He met Australias Minister for Finance & the Public Service Mathias Cormann and Chile's Minister of Finance Felipe Larrain Bascunan. He expressed Hong Kong's interest in pursuing agreements on avoidance of double taxation with the two countries to boost bilateral trade and investment activities. He also met Irelands Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure & Reform Paschal Donohoe. Mr Chan welcomed Irish enterprises to use Hong Kong to enter the Mainland market. Mr Chan also attended a gathering of financial leaders under the World Economic Forum which focused on fintech and building agile and stable financial systems. Joined by Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau, Mr Chan met UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox to explore ways to further strengthen bilateral trade. He looked forward to forging closer economic and trade ties with the UK, including exploring the possibility of a free trade agreement. Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau (right) speaks at the 3rd Belt & Road Davos Forum in Switzerland. Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau today attended a forum in Davos, Switzerland in which he said Hong Kong is the prime platform and a key link for the Belt & Road Initiative. Speaking at the 3rd Belt & Road Davos Forum, Mr Yau said Hong Kong is best placed to be the platform for provision of professional and comprehensive services for Belt & Road related projects as well as in facilitating capital flows and financing. At the forum's panel discussion, Mr Yau said Hong Kong has a rich pool of professionals who are experienced in areas including accounting, insurance, risk assessment and others. They are prepared to offer expertise in professional services for Belt & Road-related countries as well as enterprises seeking to participate in the initiative. He added the city boasts internationally geared business and professional services that are benchmarked against international standards and practices. The forum was hosted by Tsinghua University, the International Cooperation Center of the National Development & Reform Commission, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Development Bureau. After the forum, Mr Yau attended a lunch hosted by the Washington Post, Slate and Foreign Policy where international political and economic leaders shared their views on current trade issues. He will later attend the World Trade Organization Informal Ministerial Gathering and the Informal Ministerial Meeting on Electronic Commerce. Mrs Lam (second right) poses for a photo with other participants of the forum. Chief Executive Carrie Lam today continued attending the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where she addressed a Belt & Road forum. Speaking at the 3rd Belt & Road Davos Forum, Mrs Lam said Hong Kong has been performing unique functions in the process of the reform and opening up of the country in the past four decades. She said Hong Kong will continue to contribute proactively to the Belt & Road Initiative, including the promotion of the five areas of connectivity, namely policy co-ordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bonds. Mrs Lam also attended a breakfast meeting organised by the Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd in which she introduced the latest developments of Hong Kongs financial services to participants from investment banks and financial corporations. In a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Mrs Lam said that to strengthen people-to-people bonds between Hong Kong and Vietnam, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has recently decided to grant visa-free access to holders of Vietnamese diplomatic and official passports. The Chief Executive hopes the Vietnamese Government would actively consider providing greater convenience to Hong Kong people travelling to Vietnam for business or vacations. Last night, Mrs Lam attended a reception on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. She briefed participants on the favourable conditions for the development of the bay area, especially the support of the Central Government, the closer links between cities and the people-to-people bonds in the region. (Photo/Chinanews.com) China has made steady progress in tobacco control, and this momentum will be maintained as further legislation is implemented in this field, industry insiders have said. Police in Shenzhen recently fined an Internet cafe 30,000 yuan for failing to stop a customer from smoking on the premises. It was the first punishment targeted at an Internet cafe and the largest sum in its category in China. Beijings efforts to ban smoking in public have also proven effective. Since June 2015, when the city rolled out its rigorous smoking ban, 1,917 companies have been fined a total of 5.44 million yuan, and 8,883 individuals have been punished. East China's Zhejiang province included e-cigarette liquid as an additional tobacco product to be banned in public starting Jan. 1, 2019. Smoking is also prohibited in public indoor spaces, workplaces and on public transportation in the province. Wang Kean, former director of the Think Tank Research Center for Health Development, attributed the successful implementation of the campaign to wide public support. Statistics released in 2015 indicated that 27.7 percent of people above the age of 15 smoke in China. According to a guideline, that figure is meant to drop below 20 percent by 2030. It is a difficult task given Chinas population and size. Wang said the authorities need to properly handle the relationship between public health policies and the tobacco industry and enhance national legislation, which requires cooperation among various parties. Some positive outcomes have been delivered through legislation regarding tobacco control in public areas, and national legislation is now at a mature stage, Wang disclosed. He added that the country should make action plans to define targets, strategy, performance index, monitoring, evaluation and supporting measures so that guidelines will be better implemented. Liao Wenke, deputy director of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control, said tobacco use among youths also needs special attention. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. By PTI DUBAI: Pakistan will try to resume peace talks with India only after election results are out as it is "useless" to talk to New Delhi because no big decisions are expected from the present Indian government, a senior minister has said. Fawad Chaudhry, Minister of Information of Pakistan, said that the time is not right to hold dialogue as the Indian leaders are preparing for the upcoming general elections, Gulf News reported. "It is useless to talk to them (India) now unless there is some stability. We will move forward once the new government is formed after the elections. We have delayed our efforts to hold talks with India because we do not expect any big decision from the present Indian leadership," he said. He said the Pakistan government would respect any Indian leader and the party elected by the Indian people. When asked which Indian leader will suit Pakistan more when it comes to peace talks - Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi, the minister said it does not matter for Pakistan. "And, we would like to move forward to hold dialogue with whosoever comes into power in India," he said. The Indo-Pak ties strained after the terror attacks by Pakistan-based terrorists in 2016 and India's surgical strikes inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The ties further nose-dived in 2017 with no bilateral talks taking place between them. India has been maintaining that terror and talks cannot go together. Chaudhry said the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pakistan in November last year is a remarkable development between the two countries because it will not only help the Sikh community but also benefit the Indo-Pak relations. On being asked who calls the shots in Pakistan when it comes to foreign policy - the army or the civilian government, Chaudhry said, "Of course Prime Minister Imran Khan. "During the earlier regimes, there had been conflicts between the civilian government and the army on various issues as they were not capable of talking to each other frankly. But this is the not the case anymore since Imran Khan has come into power," he said. By PTI LONDON: The UK government on Monday expressed regret over reports that the Indian flag was burnt during a demonstration by separatist groups outside the Indian High Commission in London on Republic Day. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it was disappointed that separatist groups had chosen to take such an action, as Scotland Yard confirmed that it was working to establish the exact circumstances around the incident on Saturday. "We are disappointed that anyone would choose to burn the Indian flag on any day, let alone the celebration of Republic Day, and we regret the upset that this will have caused," an FCO spokesperson said. "We congratulate India on Republic Day celebration, and look forward to deepening our relationship further as we prepare to leave the European Union and forge new partnerships with key global allies," the spokesperson added. A small group of activists from some British Sikh and Kashmiri outfits had gathered outside India House in central London on Saturday to wave placards against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chant anti-India slogans. Indian officials had confirmed that the Metropolitan Police had been made aware of the planned demonstration, during which some protesters were caught on camera burning the Indian flag. "On Saturday, 26 January a demonstration took place outside India House in Aldwych, WC2. An appropriate policing plan was in place. There were no incidents of note and no arrests. No allegations of crime have been reported. We are aware of a social media video that appears to be from the demonstration outside India House in Aldwych on Saturday, 26 January. We are working to establish the exact circumstances of it," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. The FCO had earlier called on demonstrators to stay within the law in reference to reports of a planned protest to mark Republic Day. "We are proud to be a country that fiercely protects the rights of individuals to peaceful protest and free speech as essential parts of a vibrant democracy, provided that demonstrators act within the law. We do not condone the burning of national flags, which is deeply offensive to most people," an FCO spokesperson had said. In April last year, the Indian government had demanded legal action against those behind a similar desecration of the Indian flag at Parliament Square on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London attended by the Indian prime minister. The perpetrators, caught on camera with the Indian tricolour, were pro-Khalistani demonstrators brought together with Kashmiri separatist groups under the banner of a so-called "Minorities Against Modi" group. Similar groups are believed to be behind the latest incident outside India House in London on Saturday. By PTI WASHINGTON: Democratic presidential aspirant Tulsi Gabbard has alleged that she had become a victim of "religious bigotry" and some media outlets were targeting her and accusing her supporters, who have Hindu names, of being Hindu nationalists. Gabbard, the first Hindu elected to the US Congress, wrote an op-ed for the Religious News Services on Sunday, describing the campaign against her, supporters and donors as "profiling and targeting of Hindu Americans and ascribing to them motives without any basis". The 37-year-old had on January 11 announced that she would be running for the White House in 2020. In the hard-hitting piece, Gabbard pointed out to the accusation against her of being a Hindu nationalist. "Tomorrow will it be Muslim or Jewish Americans? Japanese, Hispanic or African Americans?" she asked. ALSO READ: Why the Left hates Tulsi Gabbard "My meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's democratically elected leader, have been highlighted as 'proof' of this and portrayed as somehow being out of the ordinary or somehow suspect, even though President (Barack) Obama, Secretary (Hillary) Clinton, President (Donald) Trump and many of my colleagues in Congress have met with and worked with him," Gabbard said. "I am proud to be the first Hindu-American to have been elected to Congress, and now, the first Hindu-American to run for president," the four-term Democratic lawmaker from Hawaii said. "And, while the headlines covering my announcement could have celebrated this historic first, maybe even informed Americans at large about the world's third-largest religion, some have instead fomented suspicion, fear and religious bigotry about not only me but also my supporters," Gabbard said. Gabbard said India was one of America's closest allies in Asia and is a country of growing importance in a critical region of the world. "The strategic partnership between our two countries has been a priority for several decades now. To question my commitment to my country, while not questioning non-Hindu leaders, creates a double standard that can only be rooted in one thing: 'religious bigotry'. I am Hindu and they are not," Gabbard said. READ HERE: Accused of being a 'Hindu nationalist' for meeting PM Modi, says Tulsi Gabbard She referred to the attack against her in the past by political opponents. "Religious bigotry and attempt to foment fear of Hindus and other minority religions persist. During my 2012 and 2014 elections, my Republican opponent stated publicly that a Hindu should not be allowed to serve in the US Congress and that Hinduism is incompatible with the US Constitution," she said. In the 2016 race for Congress, her Republican opponent said repeatedly that a vote for her was a vote for the devil because of her religion, Gabbard wrote. "Republicans like Ben Carson said in 2016 that a Muslim-American would be unqualified to serve as president. Democratic Senators have recently grilled and opposed Republican judicial nominees because of their connection to Catholicism," she alleged. These actions and attitudes not only undermine the Constitution, but also incite fear and force people into the shadows because of their religion, Gabbard said. Gabbard said after her 2012 election, she made a personal decision to take "my congressional oath of office on the supreme yoga/Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna's teachings have provided wisdom and spiritual solace to me throughout my life, including when I was serving our country in the Middle East during the Iraq war." "Those who are trying to foment anti-Hindu sentiment expose the dark underbelly of religious bigotry in politics and must be called out. To advocate voting for or against someone based on religion, race, or gender is simply un-American," she said. Gabbard had last September refused to be the chairperson of the World Hindu Congress in Chicago, citing her differences with its organisers who were seen close to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. By PTI WASHINGTON: Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has hit back at critics who accuse the Democratic presidential hopeful of being a "Hindu nationalist", saying questioning her commitment to America while not probing non-Hindu leaders creates a "double standard" that can only be rooted in "religious bigotry". Gabbard, the four-term lawmaker said from Hawaii, wrote an op-ed for the Religious News Services on Sunday, describing the campaign against her, supporters and donors as "profiling and targeting of Hindu Americans and ascribing to them motives without any basis". The 37-year-old on January 11 announced that she would be running for the White House in 2020. In the hard-hitting piece, Gabbard, the first Hindu elected to the US Congress, noted that she has been accused of being a Hindu nationalist. "Tomorrow will it be Muslim or Jewish Americans? Japanese, Hispanic or African Americans?" she asked. READ HERE: Why the Left hates Tulsi Gabbard "To question my commitment to my country, while not questioning non-Hindu leaders, creates a double standard that can only be rooted in one thing: 'religious bigotry'. I am Hindu and they are not," Gabbard said. "My meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's democratically elected leader, have been highlighted as 'proof' of this and portrayed as somehow being out of the ordinary or somehow suspect, even though President (Barack) Obama, Secretary (Hillary) Clinton, President (Donald) Trump and many of my colleagues in Congress have met with and worked with him," Gabbard said. "I am proud to be the first Hindu-American to have been elected to Congress, and now, the first Hindu-American to run for president," she said. Gabbard said while the headlines covering her presidential bid could be celebrated as historic first, maybe even informed Americans at large about the world's third-largest religion, but "some have instead fomented suspicion, fear and religious bigotry about not only me but also my supporters". She referred to the attack against her in the past by political opponents. ALSO READ: Proud to be first Hindu-American to run for president: Tulsi Gabbard "Religious bigotry and attempt to foment fear of Hindus and other minority religions persist. During my 2012 and 2014 elections, my Republican opponent stated publicly that a Hindu should not be allowed to serve in the US Congress and that Hinduism is incompatible with the US Constitution," she said. In the 2016 race for Congress, her Republican opponent said repeatedly that a vote for her was a vote for the devil because of her religion, Gabbard wrote. "Republicans like Ben Carson said in 2016 that a Muslim-American would be unqualified to serve as president. Democratic Senators have recently grilled and opposed Republican judicial nominees because of their connection to Catholicism," she alleged. These actions and attitudes not only undermine the Constitution, but also incite fear and force people into the shadows because of their religion, Gabbard said. Gabbard said after her 2012 election, she made a personal decision to take "my congressional oath of office on the supreme yoga/Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna's teachings have provided wisdom and spiritual solace to me throughout my life, including when I was serving our country in the Middle East during the Iraq war. "Those who are trying to foment anti-Hindu sentiment expose the dark underbelly of religious bigotry in politics and must be called out. To advocate voting for or against someone based on religion, race, or gender is simply un-American," she said. Gabbard had last September refused to be the chairperson of the World Hindu Congress in Chicago, citing her differences with its organisers who were seen close to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Gabbard said India was one of America's closest allies in Asia and is a country of growing importance in a critical region of the world. "The strategic partnership between our two countries has been a priority for several decades now." Sushmitha Ramakrishnan By Express News Service CHENNAI: Over a lakh candidates have applied to the 422 temporary teacher vacancies created by the suspension of government teachers who are participating in the ongoing indefinite strike, said a senior official from the School Education Department. Members from Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers' Organisations and Government Employees' Organisations (JACTTO-GEO) are on strike since January 22 urging the government to meet their nine-point demand, including pay hike. ALSO READ | Dont fall prey to motivated propaganda: CM to teachers on strike strike In a bid to bring the strike to an end and reopen the schools, the School Education Department has decided to appoint temporary teachers, if the association does not withdraw the strike by Monday evening. "We want to restore normalcy in schools and reopen the ones that have been closed. We will take any step to ensure that the exam schedule of students are not disturbed," the official said. Even though more than a lakh teachers have applied for the limited posts, not many of them will be qualified, according to the official . ALSO READ | Over 400 Tamil Nadu government teachers suspended for striking "Only about two-thirds of them would have cleared Teacher's Eligibility Test (TET). We will still have enough candidates, even after filtering," he said. Members from the association however argued that temporary teachers will not have the competency of the existing staff and will not be able to give the right guidance for students before exams. Creating more incentives for teachers to return to work, the School Education Department issued a circular to all Chief Education Officers on Monday informing that the teachers who return to their jobs will be given preference for transfers to fill in the vacancy created by the suspension. However, members of the association deemed this as a move to disrupt the unity among the teachers. ALSO READ | Striking teachers, employees lock horns with Tamil Nadu govt; Monday turns crucial for both sides The department had already issued a circular over the weekend promising teachers that no disciplinary action will be taken against them if they return to work on Monday. The circular said that teachers' salary will be cut under the 'no work no pay' policy, for the days they absented themselves. Children from a few schools in the State held protests outside their schools asking their teachers to come back to work. In some schools students, in fact supported their teachers and condemned the government suspending them. ALSO READ | Government tightening screws on striking teachers: 12 JACTTO-GEO leaders placed under suspension in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai The association has a nine-point demand list in which they urged the government to repeal the new pension scheme and revert to the old one, settle a 21-month pay arrears according to the new pay commissions guidelines, settle pay anomalies for secondary teachers and regularise the jobs of part-time staff and teachers working at Anganwadis. In addition to these, the association has asked the government to not employ elementary school teachers in Anganwaadis. By Express News Service COIMBATORE: The State governments international textile expo TEX TN and the fair by Texprocil (Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council) and Pdexcil (Powerloom Development and Export Promotion Council) titled IND TEXPO saw that participation of buyers from both the domestic and international circles. The events would aimed at helping the industrialists of Tamil Nadu find buyers from across the world. Inaugurating the expo on Sunday at the CODISSIA trade fair complex, Central Textile Minister Smriti Irani welcomed the buyers from over 20 countries. She said that the expo was meant to aid all industrialists in the entire textile value chain get good recognition for their goods and services in the foreign markets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has been showing a lot of interest to ensure that the necessary support from the Centre was being given to a State like Tamil Nadu conduct such events, she noted. The minister talked about how the State benefitted by implementing various schemes initiated by the Centre. The power bank scheme was implemented to help the powerloom industrialists get yarn directly from the spinning mills rather than depend on middlemen or brokers, she pointed out. Powerlooom weavers also benefitting from the various subsidy schemes, she noted. State Minister for Textile O S Manian pointed out that the AIADMK-led government was the first to organise an international textile expo in the State. Meanwhile, buyers seemed impressed by the expo. Jenny Bai and Jane Wang from China noted that all products from across the value chain had been put on display under roof to help buyers. BINITA JAISWAL and C SHIVAKUMAR By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Taiwan based Delta Electronics will be investing Rs 4,000 crore in Krishnagiri to set up an electronics hardware plant. The plant will come up in 120 acres of land and the production will start from the second quarter of 2020. It is learnt that Delta was planning to invest in a neighbouring state but found the conditions in Tamil Nadu favourable and shifted to open a plant here, said executive vice chairman of Industrial Guidance Bureau, M Velumurugan. The plant will be set up in two phases. We will be constructing a domestic plant in 60 acres of land and on parallel lines, we will be building a plant in another 60 acres of land for exports, said Hsieh Shen Yen, president, Delta Electronics Thailand. In the first phase, 28 acres will be allocated for the Special Economic Zone and the remaining 32 acres for domestic tariff area, said Yen. The products which could be churned out from the plant will include small mobile chargers, large inverters etc, he said. Meanwhile, Schwing Stetter India, one of Indias leading concrete equipment manufacturers, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Tamil Nadu government. As per the MoU, Schwing Stetter India has committed an immediate investment of Rs 237 crore in a new plant in Cheyyar on SIPCOT land and will be scaling it up to Rs 350 crore over a period of four years. The state government is giving the land through SIPCOT on a 99-year lease. The facility will be spread over 53 acres of SIPCOT land and will be used for producing truck-mounted concrete boom pumps, self-loading mixers and XCMG road machinery. Schwing Stetter India has also committed to employ 200 personnel over the investment period of four years. The new unit, is a step towards strengthening Schwing Stetters commitment to the Indian market and focus to meet the emerging infrastructure boom in India and export potential in Asia and African markets. (Photo/Hangzhou Daily) More senior Chinese citizens are leaving home to enjoy travel than ever before, thanks to added savings and time, combined with the fact that many people pay for tours as a gift to their parents, Workers Daily reported on Jan. 23. According to lvmama.com, a well-known Chinese tourism and travel service provider, in 2018, the platform saw the number of senior tourists over the age of 60 increase by 50 percent, with 70 percent choosing package tours. Sixty percent of these tours were given as a gift, arranged by the children of seniors. When we were young, we wanted to travel to many places, but we failed to do so for many reasons. Now that were still in good health, we must visit as many places as possible, said a retired Chinese man surnamed Qu, who disclosed that he and his wife now enjoy a combined pension of around 15,000 yuan (about $2,206.3) every month, most of which goes towards travel. In the past three years since retirement, we have been to the famous scenic spots of Tibet Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Hubei Province, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said Qu, adding that they plan to travel more this year. In China, the number of people aged over 60 has exceeded 200 million, while senior travelers have become the target group of tourism development. According to an investigation report on the living conditions of elderly Chinese citizens released by the China Research Center on Aging, 22.2 percent of respondents stated that they are already planning to, or are likely to, travel in the coming year. While they have enough money and time and are in good health, elderly people want to go out and see more of the world. Nowadays, many people also encourage their parents to do so and help pay for travel costs, an executive of a travel company in Urumqi, capital of northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, told Workers Daily, disclosing that senior travelers are often the main visitors to scenic spots outside of holiday periods. To attract more senior visitors, many Chinese scenic spots have launched elderly concessionary fares. From May to October 2018, a total of 23,340 seniors enjoyed half-fare or free entrance to Bosten Lake in Xinjiang. Chinas leading online travel agency, Ctrip, has also rolled out a series of innovative tourism products and 33 new service standards for senior travelers. Senior travelers represent a huge market, especially today when they have a growing interest in travel. To better meet their needs, we have customized special routes for them and launched more high-end services, said an executive of a tourism development company in southeast Chinas Fujian Province. According to the executive, price is no longer the biggest concern for senior travelers, with many paying more attention to comfort. Industry insiders noted that as the senior travelers views on travel are changing, tourism product providers need to innovate their service for this group of travelers, suggesting that they can develop better medical service and culture-oriented trips. By IANS NEW DELHI: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday said his sister Gita Mehta has every right to decline the Padma Shri award. "My sister has a right to do whatever she desires," Patnaik told the media here. Noted writer Gita Mehta, Patnaik's elder sister, had declined to accept the Padma Shri last week, saying its timing was questionable as the general election was set to take place and the award may cause embarrassment to both the Odisha government and her. Mehta had been named for the Padma Shri in the 'Foreigners' category for her outstanding contribution to the field of art and literature. The Chief Minister also rubbished the allegations of Congress President Rahul Gandhi that he was remote-controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his government's involvement in corruption. "Bilkul Bakwaas (absolute trash)," responded the Chief Minister. He also reviewed the pending issues with the officials of Union government at the Odisha Bhavan here. He said the Centre is yet to transfer Rs 6,400-crore due to the state, with only one month left for the financial year to end. This includes more than Rs 1,000 crore for housing, Rs 375 crore for health, Rs 400 crore under the rural job scheme and Rs 650 crore for agriculture, Patnaik said. While the state government is spending more than Rs 3,000 crore on drinking water from the state budget, the Centre has allocated Rs 180 crore, of which only Rs 80 crore has released. For poverty alleviation, out of Rs 200 crore, the state has received only Rs 6 crore, he said. Dhinesh Kallungal By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Motor giant Nissan is setting up a digital innovation hub in Thiruvananthapuram and fellow Japanese companies Fujitsu and Hitachi are waiting in the wings as Kerala aims to emerge as an investment-friendly state in the country. But a lack of connectivity to cities other than in the Gulf and to a few recently-added ones in the Far East is a major cause for concern for the existing investors and those who wish to come to the state. Other than the Gulf routes, the state has direct connectivity only to Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Maldives and Colombo. Recently, SilkAir, which flies from Thiruvananthapuram to Singapore, decided to hand over its route to Scoot, the low-cost arm of the Singapore Airlines Group, along with its Coimbatore and Visakhapatnam routes, leaving industrialists from East Asia worried. A senior officer with a Japanese firm which has strategic investment in Kerala said the only reasonable business connection to Tokyo and other East Asian countries was through SilkAir, which is now going to be handed over to a low-cost airline. So its not sure whatll be the future of Nissan, Fujitsu and other Japanese or East Asian countries looking for connectivity with the state, he said. Experts say the development model the state currently follows in the aviation sector is insufficient. Kerala has no direct flight connection to Europe, Australia, New Zealand or the US or any Latin American countries, despite the presence of Keralities everywhere in the world. Setting up international airport in every nook and corner will not serve the purpose of the state. We should follow a Hub and Spoke model to expand the reach of the state to destinations beyond traditional ones. Karipur airport has no flight service to East Asia or any other parts of the globe beyond Gulf and it is trivial to think Kannur airport or the proposed Sabarimala airport will bring any significant traffic to East Asia or destinations beyond Gulf. If the international traffic from these destinations inside the state is channelised to one particular airport, Kerala can think of starting new services to destinations beyond its reach hitherto, said IATA Agents Association of India national president Biji Eapen. An airport looks to have 180-240 passengers to a destination to hold a service. Otherwise it would not be viable for an airline to press an aircraft into service.If an airport in the state can be promoted as a major hub similar to Colombo or Heathrow Airport, London, and other airports feed it, that would be more viable, say airline officers. Kochi, considered to be the gateway to Kerala, has only two direct flights to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Maldives and Colombo flights per day and one to Bangkok. For Tokyo, the passengers have to go via Singapore or London and take a connecting flight. SilkAir, Malindo, Scoot, Air Asia and Indigo are the major airlines that hold service in these routes. M S Vidyanandan By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state-specific GST cess and an expected increase in the borrowing limit would be the two major revenue sources of the state to fund the big-ticket projects, including the post-flood infrastructure rebuilding. The state plans to mobilise only Rs 1,000 crore from the GST cess though it can collect much higher if it is made applicable to all category of goods. A careful selection of goods will be made. It would be announced in the budget, Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac told Express. He said Kerala has set a model of sorts for the country to fund emergencies arising out of natural disasters. Also, since the cess is levied on the sales value of goods, the tedious task of amending the law was avoided, he said. Isaac refuted criticism Kerala had opposed a previous cess proposal to help the crisis-ridden sugarcane farmers. We didnt oppose it, but demanded similar rights for us. The sugar cess proposal was more of a political demand. I then asked similar rights for us - like a cess to help rubber farmers, he said. Isaac said the KGST revenue for FY 19 has improved, thanks to the bar reopening. Not just the increase in tax revenue, it helped in the revival of the tourism sector. Again, Kerala has emerged as a top destination for business meetings and conferences, said Isaac. The state expects a favourable decision on enhancing its borrowing limit by June. Several states had made demands at the GST council to raise their borrowing limit to compensate the revenue loss after GST implementation. The Union Finance minister had also agreed to this in principle. We expect a favourable decision after the LS polls, he said. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Justifying the move against SP Chaitra Teresa John for leading a raid at the CPM district committee, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday told the Assembly that people with vested interest often try to show political workers in a bad light and the search carried out by the officer could only be viewed in that manner. Replying to the submission of Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala, Pinarayi said the government's policy is to protect the right of the political parties to function in a free manner and appropriate action will be taken if anyone takes a different stand. "The CPM district secretary has given a complaint regarding the raid. When the responsible leaders of political parties lodge complaints, it's the duty of the government to look it into it seriously. Hence the DGP was instructed to launch an inquiry into the complaint against the officer," he said. Pinarayi further added that the offices of political parties are not usually subjected to searches. The political leaders normally cooperate with the police investigation. The civil society also views the protection of offices of the political parties as the responsibility of the police. Respecting those who do public work is the basis of a democratic society, Pinarayi said. Earlier Chennithala urged the government to drop action against the police officer and said when a similar raid happened at the CPM district committee office during the time of A K Nayanar's rule in 1990, the then Chief Minister had lauded the efforts of the police in the Assembly. CPI-M upset with IPS officer Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Chaitra Teresa John last week searched the district office of Communist Party of India-Marxist here in connection with a stone-throwing case at a police station in which youth cadres of the Left party were involved. She had raided the office on a tip-off that those involved were in the CPI-M district office. However, she could not find anyone there. Soon after the search operation, Vijayan, who also holds the Home portfolio, summoned John. She was removed from the post of DCP. This prompted the Congress-led opposition to slam Vijayan for not appreciating the boldness of the young officer and removing her, especially when the Chief Minister was always speaking about gender justice. Earlier in the day, Additional District General of Police Manoj Abraham, who probed John's action, submitted a report to Kerala Police chief Loknath Behra, giving John a clean chit. She had followed all the required protocol before conducting such an operation, the report said. The CPI-M leadership here has been upset with John after she took a strong stand against eight state government employees belonging to a Left union, who have since been in jail for vandalising a State Bank of India branch here on January 9, during a nationwide strike. The issue though has come to rest as she returned to the post of Superintendent of Police (Women's Cell). (With IANS inputs) Shiva Kumar By Express News Service Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday came in for criticism after he berated former Taluk Panchayat Vice President Jamalar after she complained that his son and local MLA Dr Yatheendra was inaccessible to the local administration and residents in his constituency The former CM lost his cool at a public meeting and scolded the woman for raising her voice, even snatching away the microphone when she asked questions about development work in the region. Jamalar said that she was meeting Siddaramaiah for the first time after last year's elections. The meeting was taking place in Varuna in Mysuru and she said that there was no one to hear them as the officers and revenue inspectors were making them run from pillar to post to even get a family tree changed. Jamalar was told by Siddaramaiah that she should have approached the local MLA when she shot back and said that the MLA was not accessible. At this point, upset with her arguments Siddaramaiah took away her mike. A video of the incident shows an irate Siddaramaiah keeping the mike with him and asking the woman to sit down when she tried to continue her argument. He can be seen staring at Jamalar and gesturing to her to sit down. He also rose and physically made her sit down. "Have we done injustice justice to you to behave in this fashion," asked Siddaramaiah. He went on to say that it was not a Congress government in power but a coalition government and that the JD(S) had their officers posted. He added that his party would have addressed the issue if had been raised earlier. He went on to warn officers of disciplinary action if they failed in their duties. According to Jamalar, she insisted on the mike only so that officers could hear her plight and she could get it addressed. "Although I apologized to Siddaramaiah, he was not in a mood to hear. I felt I have done a mistake by beating the table and taking a mike to address the issue," she said. "I would not have spoken if I had known that such a situation would arise. He has spoken to me with great faith and confidence in the past and has never been angry with me," she added. READ HERE: Sack Ananth Kumar Hegde, says Rahul Gandhi after minister's 'Muslim wife' jibe Meanwhile, Opposition parties and others have demanded an apology from Siddaramaiah for his alleged unruly behaviour. Many took to social media to express their anger and even wanted action from Congress president Rahul Gandhi. State Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao defended Siddaramaiah saying, "Sometimes when people start asking questions in a rough way and after hearing them out when they dont stop, you want to pull the mic. When pulling the mic, the dupatta came along. There was no such intention." Union Minister Prakash Javadekar slammed Siddaramaiah for misbehaving with a woman. "Rahul Gandhi should tell what he'll do with him. This is a crime, the way he abused her. That's how they see women, they haven't changed since the tandoor case. They only respect women from one family," he said. #WATCH Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah misbehaves with a woman at a public meeting in Mysuru. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/MhQvUHIc3x ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019 Earlier on Monday, amid talks of unrest between the Congress and the JD(S) coalition government in the state, Siddaramaiah clarified that there was no trouble with ally JD(S) and he would talk to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. Kumaraswamy had said that he was ready to step down following Congress MLAs reportedly saying that "Siddaramaiah is their leader". (With inputs from online desk) By Express News Service GUNTUR: Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan said he was confident that Jana Sena will win the coming elections and thundered that the party flag will be flown in Amaravati. He also announced two party candidates to contest from Guntur district on Sunday. Former United AP Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar will contest from Tenali and Thota Chandrasekhar from Guntur, he said. Kalyan addressing a Samarasanka meeting here after inaugurating the district party office. Kalyan said he was confident Jana Sena will win in the coming elections and expressed confidence that the party flag will be flown in Amaravati. He affirmed that he will not sleep till dividing of UP in to four state. He said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu once in six months raised his voice for special category status (SCS) for the State and makes contrasting statements each time. He alleged that YSRC president Jagan Mohan Reddy did not respond to the call given by former MP Undavalli Arun Kumar, but everyone should stand united for the demand of SCS for AP. The Jana Sena chief said though he spoke with Telangana Chief Minister KCR, I cannot imagine to surrender my self-respect to anybody. Michael Tracey By Ever since Tulsi Gabbard, the four-term Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, declared her intention to seek the US presidency in 2020, reaction from the American media has ranged from dismissive and condescending to outright disdainful. Her policy positions are almost entirely progressive by any conceivable measure, yet her most ardent antagonists have tended to be liberals and leftists offended by the very notion that she would even have the gall to consider running in the first place. Some conservatives, on the other hand, are cautiously intrigued. Her political identity is difficult to pigeonhole, as this confused reception reflects. Understanding why Gabbard receives the hatred she does is a complicated task. But it largely stems from two key risks shes taken during her young political career (she is only 37 years old). The first was in 2016, when she resigned from the Democratic National Committee and endorsed Bernie Sanders, the socialist insurgent then challenging Hillary Clintons coronation. Gabbard maligned Clintons foreign policy views as unacceptably hawkish, and some Democrats will never forgive her for this grave betrayal. The other was her January 2017 trip to Syria, where she met with Bashar al-Assad. The mission was diplomatic in nature, and in keeping with Gabbards strident opposition to reckless US military interventionismwhich had exacerbated an already hellish situation in that country. But predictably, Gabbard was castigated as Assads sympathiser and defender. The charge is groundless; she never said one praiseworthy thing about Assad. But the label stuck, and has been peddled so relentlessly that the only thing many Americans know about her is the scurrilous notion that she cozied up to a brutal dictator. Then there is her personal background. Gabbard, the first Hindu ever elected to Congress, has often been hit by insinuations. Her friendly interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been construed as evidence that she is a supporter of Hindu nationalism, and one prominent publication, The Intercept, even went so far as to scour Gabbards list of donors for names that are of Hindu origin. Needless to say, such obviously inflammatory innuendos would not be tolerated with respect to donors who belonged to other religious or ethnic groupsand justifiably so. But Americans general ignorance of Hinduism has been leveraged to attack her, typically with the added implication that she is under the cultic spell of Hare Krishnas. None of this is to say that Gabbards religious beliefs or diplomatic endeavours should be immune from criticism. As a presidential candidate, of course this is all fair game. But the intense, selective and frequently vitriolic scrutiny she receives suggests that elements of the political and media class see her as a threator at minimum, they are very uncomfortable with the way her presence in the 2020 race could illuminate tensions in the Democratic Party coalition. FiveThirtyEight, the influential elections and data prognostication website, has officially designated her an oddball, while founder and chief prognosticator Nate Silver has announced that he would not be serving readers well were he to give Gabbard significant coverage. And in an infographic feature this week, the New York Times lauded the history-making potential of another female minority candidate, California Senator Kamala Harrisbut declined to offer Gabbard the same identity-based plaudit. She was the first American Samoan ever elected to Congress, the youngest person ever elected to the Hawaii legislature and the youngest woman ever elected to any state legislature. Yet rather than compliment her history-making potential, the Times instead chose to highlight Gabbards purported affinities for Assad, as well as her history of making anti-gay remarks as a teenager and young adult (which she has since thoroughly renounced.) Going forward, the attacks launched against Gabbard will grow even more vociferous, especially if her appeal resonates with an as-yet malleable electorate. There will be allegations that shes somehow in the thrall of the Kremlina delegitimising tactic now popular amongst large numbers of liberals, who for over two years have fixated endlessly on the perceived scourge of Russian interference, which they blame for electing Donald Trump. At least with respect to Gabbard, the charge makes no sense whatsoever, but that wont stop her naysayers from flinging it. Indeed, good sense is an increasingly rare commodity among Democrats since Trumps rise to power drove a high percentage of them insane. She will also be denigrated as some sort of Trump accommodator, due mostly to the fact that she met with him at Trump Tower shortly after the 2016 election; the meetings purpose was to discourage the then president-elect from pursuing regime change in Syria. But ironically, Gabbard has turned out to be one of his most effective criticsnot shrill or screechy, like so many other Democrats, but targeted and substantive. Most recently she distinguished herself as the first 2020 candidate to unequivocally condemn the administrations move to facilitate the ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. This, like most of her other activities, will only alienate her further from the entrenched foreign policy establishment, as well as recalcitrant party elites. But its another risk which could endear her to votersmuch to the dismay of scornful, dismissive journalists. Michael Tracey New York-based journalist and writer Email: mtracey@protonmail.com Vinod Mathew By There are mandarins in the state capital who harbour dark thoughts about a section of advisers in the ruling regime who are convinced the LDF government has, by seeing through the Sabarimala season, passed its sternest test since coming to power. They feel justified their reservations about policy are not misplaced, given the not-so-hands-on approach by the government when faced with the Rebuild Kerala task. Equally discouraged are the corporate houses in the state as they had volunteered to do their bit. What everyone hoped to see was a business-like approach by the government faced with the rebuild challenge. Clearly, rebuilding is a brick-and-mortar business and requires action to follow plans. No one has forgotten some of the grandiose plans that remained plans in the last couple of years. One such was the high-speed rail network connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur, proposed by Finance Minister Thomas Isaac in 2016, which was to cost Rs 1.25 lakh crore. A fortnight ago, the government decided to wind up the Kerala High-Speed Rail Corporation. Some plans even came with an international flavour like the Masala Bond, with an eye on the Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs), to raise money abroad in Indian rupees. There were also the real desi ones like the reworked concept of a Kerala Bank, this time by merging all the 14 District Cooperative Banks. Then there was the street-smart decision to launch Pravasi Chitty, tailor-made for, who else, but those with loose cash, the NRKs. One felt things got stretched a wee bit when K-Fon got unwrapped. The plan to digitally connect 33,000-plus government institutions and provide free internet to two lakh households appears half-baked as its success depends on the acceptability of the K-Fon. Whats called for is due diligence of this K-connect in the world of cutting edge technology and shaving the margins, where the likes of Tata have all but disappeared, Vodafone and Idea have been forced into a merger while Reliance is struggling to stay relevant. We all know what happened to Air Kerala, the pet project of the UDF government. No doubt, it was with the right intention a 14 per cent fat tax was announced in the 2016-17 Kerala budget on burgers and pizzas. As luck would have it, it got a bare run that lasted barely a year before GST swallowed it. Now, Rebuild Kerala will once again hold centrestage as the Finance Minister bets big on Rs 1,000 crore from cess allowed by the GST panel for the next two years. That is, provided the state can generate annual sales of Rs 50,000 crore each year. According to the state government, Rebuild Kerala would cost Rs 30,000 crore though the World Bank pegs it lower, at Rs 25,046 crore. The World Bank and the ADB have together promised another $500 million apiece, which would account for, at current exchange rates, about Rs 7,125 crore. Consider what the state has in hand. The Chief Ministers Distress Relief Fund - Rs 3,226.33 crore; what the Centre released as immediate assistance - Rs 600 crore; what the high-level committee, headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, approved as additional assistance Rs 3,048.39 crore. Add to that Rs 1,000 crore that the state may get over the next two years by way of cess on GST and the receivables side of the balance sheet looks good for Rs 7,875 crore. In short, once WB, ADB and other agencies pool in their bit, the state seems set for Rs 15,000 crore. Therefore, when Isaac gets ready to present the budget on January 31, the entire Malayali population would be waiting to see how he plans to bridge the yawning chasm between funds in hand/likely to come into hand and whats actually needed. A pretty daunting task as the state needs another Rs 15,000 crore to go about establishing a Nava Keralam a task that will easily consume the remaining period of its stint in power. If action really does follow all the rhetoric, whats on the cards is an altogether different kind of Navodhanam, an economic Perestroika. Not sure if we have to wait for a Glasnost first. Vinod Mathew Resident Editor, Kerala vinodmathew@newindianexpress.com Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRINAGAR: Three from Jammu and Kashmir made the state proud by bagging the Padma Shri. Narsingh Dev Jamwal, Fayaz Ahmad Jan and Tsering Norboo were part of the elite list of achievers. While Jamwal from Jammu has been named for his work in the field of literature and education, Jan from Kashmir and Norboo from Ladakh have been selected for their work in art-craft-papier mache and surgery, respectively. Jamwal, born in 1931 in Bhalwal did his matriculation in 1945 and joined the J&K Police in 1953. When Pakistanis raiders attacked J&K in 1947, I fought along with Brigadier Rajinder Singh in Uri and we defeated them, he said. For four years, he was in the Indian army and quit in 1951. Initially, Jamwal used to write in Urdu but later switched over to Dogri. So far, he has written 48 books. The other recipient Fayaz Ahmad Jan, a paper mache artisan, from Hassnabad has been pursuing the craft for last 37 years. I am honoured to receive the Padma Shri. My hard work has not gone unnoticed, Jan said. Coming from a family of paper mache artisans, Jan has participated in workshops in the US, Brazil, France, Sweden, Italy, Singapore, Oman, Dubai, Iran and Krgystan. Dr Tsering Norboo from Leh, selected for the award for his contribution in the field of medicine-surgery, worked as a physician at the District Hospital in Leh and retired in 2002. After retirement, I started an NGO, Ladakh Institute of Prevention, to make people aware about environmental health, lifestyle-related diseases and communicable diseases, Dr Norboo. His studies have been published in national and international journals. The UK is expecting a boost in the number of Chinese visitors as Chinese New Year approaches, this year falling on Tuesday, Feb. 5. Flight booking data showed that bookings from China to the UK were up 24 percent from Wednesday 30 January to Tuesday 12 February, compared with the Chinese New Year period last year. Longer term booking data shows that bookings from China to the UK were up 31 percent from January to June this year compared to the same period in 2018. VisitBritain is expecting 483,000 visits from China in 2019, up 43 percent from 2017, with Chinese visitors expected to spend more than 1 billion this year, up 50 percent, moving China well into the UKs top 10 markets. The UK is gearing up to host some of the largest Spring Festival celebrations outside of Asia. Events include a three-day celebration in Liverpool, parades in Manchester, festivals and performances in Birmingham and Leeds, a street parade from Charing Cross to Chinatown in London and the first ever Chinese New Year festival in Edinburgh. VisitBritain Director Patricia Yates said, China is an important market for VisitBritain, and we want to provide a world-class experience and welcome for Chinese visitors who travel here. Were building on the growth we have seen, working with partners such as British Airways and Ctrip to convert the inspiration to visit into bookings and making it easier to visit and explore more of the UK through regional gateways, driving our ambitious plans for growth." She added that with 2019 being the Chinese Year of the Pig, the UK have added opportunities "through the rising popularity and profile of iconic British brands such as Peppa Pig in China, to connect with millions of potential visitors to the UK and promote associated visitor attractions, destinations and experiences. The perception among Chinese people of Britain as a travel destination is clear. China ranked the UK second out of 50 nations for its overall brand in the 2018 Anholt Nation Brands Index. Visitors from China are some of the UKs highest spenders, spending an average of 2,059 during their visit, more than three times the all-market visitor average. (Tianxing Bai) Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: When political parties in UP are busy striking alliances and working outcaste equations vis-a-vis upcoming Lok Sabha elections, mafia dons and history-sheeters have also got into poll mode approaching various parties to get a ticket to the big battle of ballots. In fact, the political parties have been bestowing the status of politician on the criminals and mafia dons nonchalantly by giving them a comfortable political space eying their money and muscle power which often becomes handy in winning elections. ALSO READ | Congress decides, Rahul Gandhi will not share stage with Bihars don-turned-MLA Anant Singh With the Lok Sabha polls inching closer, these gangsters-turned-politicians, some incarcerated and some out on bail, have started exploring poll arena yet again. While a few are allegedly gravitating towards the BSP seeking ticket sensing brighter chances of victory as alliance candidate, some are exploring new equations with outfits like Jansatta Party having taken shape recently. Jansatta Party has been launched by sitting independent MLA from Kunda RaghurajPratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya, who has his lineage to the royal family of Bhadri estate near Pratapgrah in Oudh region. Launching his own party, Raja Bhaiyya is now planning to field his candidates on several seats across UP in upcoming LS polls. Dhananjay Singh, a former BSP MP, who had been a BSP MP from Jaunpur in 2009 but was later expelled for anti-party activities, is believed to be in contact with BSP leadership yet again for a ticket. He is also in touch with BJP and Jansatta Party leaders. Dhananjay had fought as an independent candidate from Jaunpur in 2014 but lost. The former MP has cases of murder and rape against him. Not only Dhananjay but also his contemporary and sharing the same fiefdom, mafia don Umakant Yadav, with influence in Jaunpur-Azamgarh region is seeking BSP ticket from the same belt of eastern UP. He had switched sides from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) to BSP last year. Similarly, Mukhtar Ansari, mafia- turned-politician and a sitting BSP MLA from Mau may contest for Lok Sabha on a BSP ticket. Now in Ropar jail in Punjab on charges of extortion from a Mohali businessman, earlier Ansari was in Banda jail in connection with the murder of BJPs prominent leader of Purvanchal Krishnand Rai. Ansari has 45 cases of murder, kidnapping and extortion against him. Ahead of the 2017 assembly election, Ansari had merged his Quami Ekta Dal (QED) with BSP. While Mukhtars sibling Afzal Ansari, may contest from Ghazipur, uncertainly looms over his (Mukhtar) fate as Behenji is still in the process of finalising tickets, said a senior BSP leader seeking anonymity. While announcing QEDs merger with BSP, BSP chief Mayawati had then accused political rivals (read SP chief Akhilesh Yadav) of maligning the image of Ansari family by framing them in false cases." Notably, in June last year, QED had announced merger with SP in presence of Shivpal Yadav, the then state unit president of the party. However, the move was opposed by Akhilesh and it led to a major fight between him and his uncle Shivpal, culminating in a split in the party before they got back just in nick of time for the assembly polls. Former strongman of Gorakhpur region and a dreaded mafia don Hari Shankar Tiwari, who had been a minister in respective BJP and BSP governments is believed to be in touch with with Maywati seeking ticket for his son Kushal from Sant Kabir Nagar. Other musclemen, especially, of western UP like Haji Mohammad Yakub, DP Yadav, Narendra Bhati, Kadir Rana, are also making all out efforts to get a ticket from BSP. A recent meeting between newly launched Jansatta Party leader Akhshay Pratap Singhand mafia don-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad has also triggered speculations. Atiq Ahmad, now lodged in Bareilly jail with a number of murder and extortion cases pending against him, may contest as Jansatta Party candidate from Prayagraj. The speculations to this effect were triggered when Akshya Pratap Singh, kin and close confidante of Raja Bhaiyya, met the don in jail recently. Atiq had contested 2014 Lok Sabha elections on SP ticket from Shrawasti but lost. Muscleman Rizwan Zaheer may contest from Shrawasti as a Congress candidate. He had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls on a Peace Party ticket but faced the drubbing. History-sheeter and extortionist Bal Kumar Patel, brother of dacoit Dadua, is vying for a Samajwadi Party ticket from Banda in Bundelkhand. By PTI LUDHIANA: The CPI(M) and the CPI Monday lashed out at the Narendra Modi-led government, accusing it of being "anti-people" and having failed to address burning issues like unemployment and economic crisis in the country. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader D Raja attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the Centre was following "anti-people, anti-farmer and anti-labour policies". Both leaders were here to address a state level joint rally 'Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao' at the grain market here. They held the prime minister responsible for alleged unemployment and economic crisis in the country. In his address, D Raja lambasted the Centre for allegedly "undermining" the constitutional institutions in the country. Yechury told reporters that the left parties would contest all the Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal and Kerala. He said the CPI(M) could enter into an electoral alliance with the regional parties on a state-to-state basis to contest the polls. "The main motive is to remove the BJP government from the Centre," said Yechury. When asked about joining the non-BJP government, if formed at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections, Raja said, "We shall cross the bridge when it comes." Both leaders also accused the Congress government in Punjab of not honouring even a single promise during its two-year term. Abhijit Mulye By Express News Service MUMBAI: Shiv Sena has been the 'big brother' and shall remain so in Maharashtra, party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has said while commenting on possibility of pre-poll alliance with the BJP. Party leaders have deliberated on the poll strategy along with the role of its lawmakers in both the Houses of the Parliament, Raut told reporters. "In the meeting, we have also decided to demand that exemption limit for income tax be raised to Rs 8 lakh," Raut said. When asked about the discussion on poll alliance, Raut said, "We haven't received any proposal regarding seat sharing from the BJP and we are not waiting for any such proposal." Commenting further over the issue, Raut said, "Shiv Sena had been the 'Big Brother' in the alliance for over 25 years now and shall remain so." When asked whether the Shiv Sena would be relying on any 'invisible hands' for help during polls, Raut said that the party doesn't need any hands for support and the politics that the Shiv Sena had been pursuing since the days of Balasaheb Thackeray don't call for any 'helping hands'. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: In the first high profile arrest in the case of police firing against anti-sacrilege protesters, former senior superintendent of police of Moga Charanjit Sharma was arrested from his house in Hoshiarpur on Sunday morning. Two Sikh youths had been killed in police firing on anti-sacrilege protesters on October 14, 2015, at Behbal Kalan in Faridkot district of Punjab. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiring into the incidents arrested him during the early morning raid at his house around 4.25 am. He tried to escape by jumping the wall but was nabbed. We had information that Sharma was planning to flee from the country, said a police officer. Sources said his custodial questioning was required as the SIT had collected substantial evidence related to his actions that are believed to have led to the police firing. Inspector General of Police and Kunwar Vijay Partap, who is part of the SIT, confirmed Sharmas arrest. This is the first arrest made by the SIT since the case was registered in October 2015. Shrama was earlier suspended and then compulsorily retired from service. He, along with three other police officers, had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking protection from prosecution. The court turned down their request on January 24. The SIT was waiting for HC to vacate the stay on proceeding against five police officers, including Sharma. Anand ST Das By Express News Service PATNA: With the Supreme Court has deferred the hearing of the Ayodhya title suit for unavailability of a judge in the five-member Constitution Bench, Union law and justice minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday strongly advocated a hearing of the case at the earliest as it is now a 70-year-old dispute. While asserting that an early settlement of the Ram Temple issue is the wish of a majority of Indias citizens, the senior BJP leader also highlighted the perceived contrast between the status of this case in the apex court and a few others that got an expeditious hearing there in recent months. Prasads statements drew stiff criticism from Congress. ALSO READ | Sabarimala issue shows Left government trying to disrespect Kerala culture: PM Modi I would not comment on the unavailability of a judge, but I must say that a huge chunk of the countrys citizens want a grand Ram Mandir to be built there (Ayodhya) I would certainly say, not as the nations law minister but as a citizen of the nation, that the Ram Janmabhoomi case is pending with the courts for the past 70 years and the Allahabad High Courts verdict was essentially in favour of Ram Janmabhoomi, said the minister for law, justice and electronics. Reminding that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah have said that this issue should be resolved through the constitutional process, Prasad added: Now the appeal is pending for nearly ten years. This whole suit, which is now 70 years old, should be dealt with as early as possible. People are also raising the issue of certain cases like Sabarimala, adultery, or the case of trust vote in Karnataka Assembly, which the court heard in the night. People keep asking me about this. Even the case about the Urban Maoists is also heard expeditiously, said Prasad. He hastened to add: All this is very good, but the countrys people want that the Ram Janmabhoomi case be heard at the earliest. Asserting that he has very high respect for and full faith in the Supreme Court, Prasad further said: We only have a singular expectation that this case be heard at the earliest. Congresss senior national spokesperson Shakil Ahmed deplored the Union ministers statements, saying they are tantamount to casting aspersions on the motive of the nations highest court. The Ayodhya case is with the nations highest court. By comparing it with hearings in other cases, the law minister has in effect cast aspersions on the motives of the Supreme Court. It is unheard of and uncalled for, said Ahmed, a former Union minister, to this newspaper. By Agencies RAIPUR: Congress president Rahul Gandhi announced Monday that his party would ensure minimum income guarantee for every poor in the country if it returns to power after the Lok Sabha polls due in April-May. Gandhi said that no government in the world had taken such a step. He also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP alleging that they had no money to waive loans of farmers but had no hesitation when it came to waiving loans of industrialists. He said the new Congress government took a decision in 24 hours to waive farmers' loans in Chhattisgarh, something the BJP could not do in 15 years. "Whenever we spoke of loan waiver, the BJP said they don't have money. In Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Chouhan said he does not have money. In Delhi, Prime Minister Modi said he does not have money. They don't have money for farmers' loan waiver but they can waive loans of India's 15 richest industrialists," Gandhi said. "What BJP could not do in 15 years, we did in 24 hours. There is no lack of money," he said. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP of trying to create two Indias -- "one of the Rafale scam, Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya, Mehul Choksi and the other of the poor farmers which has nothing for them except listening to 'Mann ki Baat'", referring to Modi's monthly radio programme. READ HERE: Rahul Gandhi slams PM Modi at public meeting in Amethi, says chowkidar proved to be a 'thief' The Congress President added that the BJP tried to dilute the Congress' land acquisition bill which guaranteed four times the price of land to farmers compared to the market price and also ensured that if industrialists did not start work in five years, the land would be returned to farmers. Gandhi made the remarks at the 'Kisaan Abhaar Sammelan' held here to express gratitude to Chhattisgarh's people, particularly farmers, for voting the party to power in the state after a gap of 15 years. "We cannot build a new India while millions of our brothers and sisters suffer the scourge of poverty. If voted to power in 2019, the Congress is committed to a minimum income guarantee for every poor person, to help eradicate poverty and hunger. This is our vision and our promise," Gandhi said. He also distributed loan waiver certificates to some of the beneficiary farmers during the function. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and senior Congress leader P L Punia were among those present at the event. The Congress had posted a massive victory in last year's state Assembly polls, winning 68 of the total 90 seats. Ahead of the Assembly polls, Gandhi had assured to waive farm loans if his party was voted to power in the state. (With PTI and IANS inputs) By Express News Service NEW DELHI: With the Budget session of Parliament commencing from Thursday, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has called an all party meeting on Wednesday. The Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu will also be meeting leaders of all parties to enlist their cooperation in the smooth functioning of the Upper House. The government has already made clear its intent to push contentious legislations Citizenship Amendment Bill and Triple Talaq Bill. President Ram Nath Kovind will address a joint session of the two Houses on Thursday, as per convention. The government will present the Vote on Account on Friday. The first half of the Budget session will conclude on February 13, with the remaining session likely to begin in July after the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections. We will utilise the last few days of the upcoming session of Parliament to pass pending legislations. The Citizenship Amendment Bill, Triple Talaq Bill and National Medical Council Bill, are among the legislations which the government is keen on seeing passed by the Parliament, a top BJP leader said. The Citizenship Amendment Bill is stuck in Rajya Sabha amid the Opposition demanding that the government drop Bangladesh from the list of nations from where the refugees would be eligible to apply for citizenship. The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha during the Winter session. The Opposition in Rajya Sabha has demanding that the Bill be sent to the Select Committee. Another washout? The government will present the Vote on Account on Friday. The first half of the Budget session will conclude on February 13, with the remaining session likely to begin in July. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: While comparing the Constitutions of various South East Asian countries with India, Aakar Patel, the managing director of Amnesty International India, indicated that if India indeed transformed into a Hindu Rashtra, it would be a volatile country like the others, where rights of the minorities would not be upheld. Citing the example of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which has had four Constitutions in the last 70 years, Patel said that they neglected the rights of minorities like Hindus or Ahmadis. He similarly talked about Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka whose Constitutions did not define secularism like that of India. Coming to the concept of Hindu Rashtra, he said, It is not only a political change, but also a cultural change that its propagators want. Patel, while quoting Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, the second sarsanghachalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said that the concept was steeped in the caste system. He said, Golwalker, in his idea of Hindu Rashtra, dismissed the idols as Gods, but instead emphasised on the worship of human beings as gods. However, he said, For Golwalker, human beings were only Hindus under the caste-system -- Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Terming the Constitution as great, he said that Article 15 and 16 essentially banned classical Hinduism -- in which untouchability was a prevalent practice. By PTI PATNA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi may share the stage with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan here on March 3 at a rally where the NDA will sound the bugle for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the state. The announcement was made Sunday at a joint press conference by the JD(U), the BJP and the LJP. Kumar who heads the JD(U) and Paswan who is the LJP chief, have given their consent for attending the rally, while an invitation was being sent to Modi, the NDA leaders said. Notably, the NDA rally will be held exactly a month after Congress' "Jan Akanksha Rally", which will be addressed by Rahul Gandhi. It will be his first public meeting in Bihar after becoming the party's national president. Asked whether their rally was aimed at giving a "reply" to Gandhi, the NDA leaders said they were not bothered about the Congress president. They said that BJP president Amit Shah will also be requested to attend the rally, where workers of all the three NDA constituents would gather from across the state. They reiterated that candidates to be fielded by the respective NDA constituents would be finalised in due course and said that the date of March 3 was agreed upon since the parties wanted to hold one such public meeting before the poll schedule was announced. The NDA rally could be the first occasion for Modi and Kumar to share the stage at a political function in Bihar. Kumar had cancelled a dinner hosted for BJP leaders a decade ago when advertisements appeared in local newspapers wherein he was shown holding hands with Modi, the then chief minister of Gujarat. Kumar snapped 17-year-old ties with the BJP in 2013 when it became amply clear that the party would fight the Lok Sabha polls with Modi as its face. Kumar, however, returned to the NDA in 2017 after a short-lived alliance with arch-rival Lalu Prasad's RJD. By PTI KOLKATA: In a massive setback to the Congress in Bengal ahead of the national elections, party MP Mausam Benazir Noor joined the Trinamool Congress on Monday, ending months of speculations. The second-term Congress MP met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at state secretariat 'Nabanna' during the day, following which the announcement was made. Noor, niece of Congress stalwart ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury, have quite often been taking stands which were not in line with that of the party's state leadership. The Malda (North) MP has been a strong advocate of electoral alliance with the TMC to fend off the BJP in the state. She met Banerjee in November last year, giving rise to speculations. Noor's uncle Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury, the Congress MP from Malda (South), is also in favour of forging an alliance with the TMC. Talking to reporters after the announcement, Noor said, "I'm inspired by Didi (Mamata). I'll work under her guidance for the development of the state. I believe that she is the last word for everything. We have to fight against the BJP and I'm quite confident that the TMC will win all the 42 seats in West Bengal in the Lok Sabha elections." "Barkat sahib (Khan Chowdhury) carried out so many development works for Malda and now people have faith in Didi. We are with her. We will do everything to stop the BJP in West Bengal," she added. Soon after her joining, Banerjee announced that Noor will be Trinamool's general secretary and would be taking care of the party in Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda. "She (Noor) will start working from tomorrow. She will also participate in the rally on January 30," Banerjee said. Asked whom she would like to see as the next prime minister, Noor said, "As a Bengali I will like to see Didi in the post." The bordering district of Malda has been a Congress bastion for several decades. Even after the Trinamool Congress formed government in the state, the Congress maintained its hold on the district. Shocked with Noor changing sides just ahead of the elections, the Congress said the Trinamool is trying to finish the grand old party in the state and is paving the way for "communal" BJP. "TMC's claim that it wants to fight the BJP and strengthen secular forces in Bengal and India is absolutely bogus and this poaching of our MP is the biggest example of that," state Congress chief Somen Mitra said. "If someone wants to leave Congress and join some other party how can we stop him or her... When I met Congress president Rahul Gandhi last year I had told him to talk to Mausam as she might switch over to TMC," Mitra, who himself rejoined Congress after quitting as Trinamool's Diamond Harbour MP, said. He said the Congress will put up its candidate from the Malda (North) constituency. A senior TMC leader said Noor's joining TMC is an important development in state politics. "A family member of Barkat da realised that the only hope for the state is the TMC." This is the first time that a Congress MP defected to the Trinamool since 2011. After 2016 assembly polls, 14 Congress MLAs have switched over to the TMC. China's rapidly aging society is bringing enormous challenges, said Liu Yuanli, president of Chinese Aging Well Association (CAWA) while interpreting a recent report on Chinas aging population. The report, jointly issued by Peking Union Medical College, CAWA, and Social Sciences Academic Press (China) on Jan. 26, noted that positive measures to promote healthy aging are necessary for China to cope with an aging society. According to Liu, Chinas population aged 60 and above increased from 126 million to 241 million between 2000 and 2017. Now this group accounts for 17.3 percent of the countrys total population. The figure is estimated to exceed 250 million by 2020, nearly 20 percent of Chinas total population. The report said that Chinas aging issue is developing faster than its economy. It will, on the one hand, raise society's economic burden because of the shrinking working group and surging costs of pension, medical care and social welfare, and on the other hand, catch China in the middle-income trap due to changes within the labor force. To provide accessible and high-quality health care services for senior citizens and promote the health of the aging group is a prerequisite for a harmonious and stable society, the report said. It will also help to reduce the economic burden of both the government and society. Additionally, measures to facilitate healthy aging will make seniors more energetic, thus lowering depreciation of human capital, which is conducive to the formation of a second round of demographic dividend. The report pointed out that healthy aging would also accelerate the changes in the economic development pattern. It will force economic development patterns that depend on investment and export to one that is driven by domestic demand. Besides, nursing and health care services will create new jobs, and facilitate the growth of elderly care and insurance industries. By PTI NEW DELHI: Gautam Khaitan, a lawyer accused in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, told a Delhi court Monday that Enforcement Directorate was forcing him to falsely implicate someone influential in "any defence deal" which happened during the UPA regime. Khaitan, arrested in a fresh case of alleged possession of black money and money laundering, made the statement before Special Judge Arvind Kumar, who extended his custodial interrogation by the ED for five more days after the probe agency alleged that the accused knows all the persons related to arms deals other than AgustaWestland. Khaitan's advocate P K Dubey told the court that there was no fresh ground for present case. Dubey said: "They asked me (Khaitan) to give any name involved in any defence deal (of UPA period). They asked to give any name, that they needed it within these two months. They are constantly forcing me to give name and I will be absolved. When Michel (middleman recently extradited from Dubai) came, you (ED) said he had taken my name and I was required to be confronted. But nothing came out of that case. Now you have come up with this case." ALSO READ | Have letters which reveals 'saga of Rome and RaGa' in AgustaWestland deal: BJP He added that all the documents shown in AgustaWestland are being put before Khaitan again in this case and that the entire case was related to the AgustaWestland deal, for which Khaitan was already being prosecuted and was out on bail. The counsel said that several Income Tax complaints were already filed against Khaitan. "For same offence I am being prosecuted under I-T Act, Blackmoney Act and now in money laundering case. What was the hurry to arrest me? Is there any summon I did not appear for? No fresh ground for this case," the counsel said. Alleging false implication, he further added, "Any new law comes and the test is done on me (Khaitan). I have been made a monkey on whom every test is done." The ED produced Khaitan after two days' custodial interrogation and its special public prosecutors D P Singh and N K Matta sought seven more days custody for the agency. "He knows all the persons related to arms deals other than AgustaWestland and other deals. There are many more information where people who handle other deals were in his contact. All the documents shown in AgustaWestland are being put before me again in this case," the agency told the court. Denying the accused's allegation that the present case was related to AgustaWestland scam, the ED said that not just there were separate transaction but there were multiple transactions being probed in the present case. READ HERE: Under Modi, ED has become 'embarrassing disaster': Congress hits back on 'Mrs Gandhi' claim "In these three days we have found evidence about new accounts and we would like to go into details. We have to put these to accused. The custody is necessary because he will close all these account if he goes out. There is definite information that there was huge tempering of evidence," the ED said in its reply through advocate Samvedna Verma. The agency added that the probe was at a crucial stage and "if the agency will not get the opportunity of asking these questions, it will lose the tack and probe will be hampered". The ED has maintained that the present case had nothing to do with the alleged AgustaWestland scam and that the accused was operating and holding a number of foreign accounts illegally and thereby possessing black money and stashing assets. The present case under the PMLA was filed by the ED against Khaitan on the basis of a case filed by the Income Tax Department against him under Section 51 of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. ALSO READ | VVIP chopper scam: 'Mrs Gandhi', 'big man R' mentioned by Christian Michel add spice to the drama The ED has said that it had the knowledge of Khaitan's unidentified assets which value more than Rs 500 crore. Khaitan was placed under arrest on January 25 by the agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Income Tax Department had earlier carried out searches against Khaitan in this new case filed under the anti-black money law. Khaitan had been arrested by the ED and the CBI a few years ago in connection with their probe in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland case. A charge sheet was also filed against him by the two agencies and he was currently out on bail. By AFP DUBAI: Dubai International Airport on Monday said it has retained its position as the world's busiest airport for the fifth consecutive year in a row in 2018 with Indian travellers emerging as the largest source of traffic for the airport which registered a record footfall of over 89 million. Annual traffic at the major transit hub rose slightly to 89,15 million passengers, up just over 1.0 per cent on the number who used the airport in 2017, it said in a statement. Although the figure was a new record high, it missed on the 90.3 million passengers the Dubai airport had projected for 2018. "2018 was yet another remarkable year for Dubai Airports," said CEO Paul Griffiths. According to the latest figures, a total of 89,149,387 travellers used the airport in 2018. India remained the biggest source of traffic for the airport, accounting for more than 12.2 million travellers. Most of them coming from the Indian cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Cochin. Saudis came second over 6.4 million passengers, overtaking travellers from the United Kingdom. About 6.3 million British nationals used the airport. Apart from these countries, 3.5 million flyers from China, 3.2 million from the United States and about 1.5 million from Russia arrived at Dubai airport. The airport exceeded the 8 million passenger mark twice last year, particularly in July, when passenger numbers reached 8.2 million, and in August, which logged 8.4 million flyers, making it the busiest month in the history of the airport since it started operations in 1960. It overtook the crown of the world's busiest hub for international travel from London's Heathrow in 2014. The airport also handled over 408,000 flights last year, about 0.3 per cent down from the previous year.The Dubai International Airport (DXB) was opened for civil aviation in July 1937. By PTI KOLKATA: Discussions for seat sharing between the Congress and the CPI(M) in West Bengal for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls are expected to start soon, sources in the two parties said Monday. They said the parties have already been holding informal parleys, but formal talks are likely to begin after the Feburary 3 rally of the CPI(M)-led Left Front at the Brigade Parade grounds here. "There have been informal talks but formally the talks are yet to begin. It will begin only after Left Front's rally at Brigade Parade ground. We are hopeful that all the issues can be resolved through talks between the two parties," a senior state Congress leader said. According to state Congress sources, the party is keen on fighting at least 18-20 seats including Raiganj and Murshidabad, which are the only two seats that CPI(M) won in the last elections in the state. These two seats are presently the bone of contention between the two parties, sources said. Both the seats have been strongholds of the Congress for several years but CPI(M) managed to wrest them in a four-corner contest in 2014. READ HERE: Lok Sabha polls will be decisive for TMC in Bengal: Amit Shah Raiganj, which was a pocket borough of Congress stalwart Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, went to CPI(M)'s Mohammad Salim in 2014. He defeated Priya Ranjan's wife and Congress nominee Deepa Dasmunshi by less than 2,000 votes. Murshidabad was bagged by Badarroza Khan of CPI(M), who defeated Congress' Abdul Mannan Hossain by about 18,000 votes. Hossain had triumphed on this seat in 2009, trouncing CPI(M)'s Anisur Rahman. "Any issue can be sorted out through talks. We are hopeful that every issue can be resolved. We can start at least state-level talks, however, the final decision will be taken by our party high-command," Senior Congress leader and chairman of the coordination committee, Pradip Bhattacharya, told PTI. Leaders of both the parties feel that a joint vote share would be able to put it in a formidable position to take on the TMC and the BJP in the upcoming elections. ALSO READ | Mega Opposition rally HIGHLIGHTS: No more achhe din for the BJP, says Mamata Banerjee Currently, the TMC has 34 MPs in the state and the Congress has four. The CPI(M) and the BJP have two Lok Sabha members each. Mamata Banerjee's TMC got 39.3 per cent votes in Bengal in 2014. CPI(M) along with its Left Front partners -- CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc -- registered 29.5 per cent votes, while Congress got 9.6 per cent vote. The BJP received 16.9 per cent votes in the state. READ HERE | Top BJP leaders, including PM Modi, Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath, to address rallies in West Bengal The BJP over the last few years has outsmarted the CPI(M) and the Congress and emerged as the main opposition of the TMC in the state. Majority of the state Congress leaders are in favour of an informal seat-sharing arrangement with the CPI(M) for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. However, a Congress leader said a section of the party wants to go alone. Party sources said a final call on the issue would be taken by its national president Rahul Gandhi. By Express News Service MUMBAI: The Maharashtra state BJP executive meeting at Jalna near Aurangabad and the meeting of Shiv Sena MPs called by party president Uddhav Thackeray, both on Monday, are likely to decide the fate of pre-poll alliance between the two ruling partners. The day-long BJP meeting, likely to be attended by around 1,200 office bearers from across the state, will attempt to boost the morale of the cadre and explain the partys strategy for the Lok Sabha elections. According to the partys constitution, it is mandatory to hold the state executive committee meeting within 15 days of national executive. Hence the state executive is meeting on January 28, said state BJP president Raosaheb Danve. Asked if the issue of alliance would be discussed, he replied in the affirmative and said the BJP saw no obstacle in the way. At the Shiv Sena meeting, Thackeray wants to discuss the party line on important issues concerning the state, party spokesperson Harshal Pradhan said. However, the real issue on the agenda is the alliance, said party insiders. The Sena had been going for the BJPs jugular for a while now. But the state governments decision to grant `100 crore for Balasaheb Thackeray Memorial is seen to have brought a thaw in the ties. Mondays meeting is to gauge the mood in the party about the poll alliance, said a Sena leader. While the party expects the BJP to give it a larger share, like it did in Bihar with the JD (U), the BJP is apparently split over the issue. By PTI MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Monday countered the Shiv Sena's claim of being "the big brother" in the Sena-BJP alliance, saying his party is not seeking a tie-up desperately and can take on the Congress-NCP combine. He was speaking at the valedictory event of a day-long meeting of the state working committee of the BJP in Jalna. "BJP does want an alliance with the Shiv Sena but we are not desperate for it. We want the alliance as custodians of Hindutva and a strong force against corruption. We (BJP) are competent to fight the Congress-NCP combine," he said. READ | Shiv Sena is 'big brother' in Maharashtra, says Sanjay Raut on seat-sharing with BJP The chief minister said his party believes in Hindutva and wanted to keep the opposition alliance away from power. Several BJP ministers in the state have stated earlier that an alliance with the Sena, which has often been critical of the BJP-led government, is needed to keep anti-Hindutva forces at bay. The Sena had said last January that it would go it alone in all future elections. Earlier Monday, Sena's chief whip in Parliament and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said his party is the "big brother in Maharashtra and will continue to be so". "There is no proposal from the BJP to form any alliance with the Shiv Sena....We are not waiting for any proposal to be offered to us," Raut added. Talking about the BJP-led government's performance in the last four and a half years, Fadnavis said that "potholes" of the last 60 years cannot be fixed within five years. "We need a continuation," he said. Till 2014, the BJP and Sena, allies for long, had an understanding where the former contested a larger share of Lok Sabha seats and the latter contested a greater number of Assembly seats in Maharashtra. In the 2014 Assembly polls, which the two parties fought separately, the BJP won 122 seats against Sena's 63. The Sena later joined the government in the state as a junior partner. Fadnavis also attacked the Opposition for creating a "hue and cry" over implementation of the recommendations made by the Swaminathan Commission for welfare of farmers. He said while the Congress sat on the report, the Narendra Modi government has implemented it. The chief minister said even M S Swaminathan had praised PM Modi through an article for implementing his recommendations. "The report was submitted during the previous Congress regime but the party did not open a single page of the document. Even Swaminathan wrote that the UPA government did nothing about the report. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who had served as Union Agriculture Minister, also did not implement the report," Fadnavis said. He said the proposed "mahagatbandhan" or grand alliance shaping up against the prime minister, has no agenda except to grab power. "They have come together out of their fear of Modi," the CM alleged. Later, addressing a public meeting in the city, the chief minister listed development works being carried out by the BJP government. In his speech, Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil praised Fadnavis for granting 16 per cent reservation to the Maratha community. "A Brahmin chief minister has given the quota, which (any) Maratha CM could not do," he said. Addressing the gathering, Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde slammed the erstwhile Congress-led government for "doing nothing" for the state. "The NCP is steeped into corruption. The Rashtravadi party (NCP) should be named as 'Bharstacharvadi' (corrupt) party". BJP state unit president Raosaheb Danve took a veiled dig at Shiv Sena minister Arjun Khotkar, who he said is "dreaming" to contest Jalna Lok Sabha seat in upcoming polls, and questionned his "contribution" towards development of the constituency. By PTI NEW DELHI: The BJP will hold rallies of its top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in West Bengal as it seeks to organise up to 200 public meetings by February 8 in the state to boost its tally of seats there in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is the party's in-charge of the state, said there was widespread anger against West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) president Mamata Banerjee and that the saffron party's extensive campaign would turn the tide against her party. "We will win up to 25 seats (in West Bengal). There is anger against the TMC, which rules by coercion and fear. There is no democracy in the state. But the BJP will show that it is up to the challenge and will rally the masses against the state government," he said. ALSO READ | PM Modi targets Mamata's Opposition rally in Bengal, says 'grand alliance is against people of India' Modi will hold two rallies in West Bengal on February 2 and another one on February 8, while Shah will address a public meeting on January 29, party leaders said. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani and Dharmendra Pradhan and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are also among those who will address the saffron party's rallies. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking to organise anywhere between 150 and 200 public meetings in West Bengal, involving its national and state leaders, by February 8, Vijayvargiya said. The BJP had won only two of West Bengal's 42 Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 general election and Shah had identified it as one of the states for the party to boost its tally in the 2019 polls. The saffron party has gained in vote share during various by-polls and local elections in West Bengal, but the TMC has maintained its preeminent position in the state. By PTI MUMBAI: One who could trounce the Shiv Sena was yet to be born, party chief Uddhav Thackeray said, days after BJP chief Amit Shah remarked that his party will thrash former allies if a pre-poll tie-up did not materialise ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. In a vitriolic attack on those talking about the caste of Lord Hanuman, Thackeray said if such remarks had been made by a person of some other religion, people would have broken that person's teeth. In a veiled warning to the Sena, Shah had recently said that if an alliance happened, the BJP will ensure victory for its allies, but if it did not, the party will thrash its former allies in the coming Lok Sabha polls. Slamming the comments, Thackeray, whose party is an ally of the ruling BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra, said, "I have heard words like 'patak denge' from someone. ALSO READ: I care for farmers not for alliance, says Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray One who will trounce the Shiv Sena is yet to be born. Speaking at a public rally in the Worli area here, he also took a dig at Shah for likening the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls to the third battle of Panipat. "Once you lose the confidence of people, you are bound to lose any battle. When people lose their confidence in you (BJP), they will pull you down from power," he said. Taking a swipe at the 'Modi wave' before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he said, "The Sena has seen enough 'waves' in its journey." Unlike the BJP, he said, the Sena has raised the Ram temple construction issue before the polls to "expose" those who used the issue as a poll plank. "I raise the Ram mandir issue during elections only to expose others who always use it as an election plank," the Sena chief said. "Just tell us how the Congress is hindering the temple construction. The Congress was shown its place in 2014 for its deeds. The party could not even get the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha," he said. ALSO READ: Uddhav Thackeray slams PM Modi on Ram Temple issue, says 'seat-sharing talks with BJP can go to hell' He also asked the BJP how could it build the Ram temple when it has allies like Nitish Kumar of the JD(U) and Ram Vilas Paswan of the LJP opposing it. "The BJP should come clean on it," he added. Thackeray, however, clarified that when his party talks about hollow promises, it does not necessarily mean they are criticising the government. He said some BJP leaders were now calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. "How come the incarnation of Lord Vishnu can't get the Ram temple built," he said in remarks laced with sarcasm. He said if the BJP was treating Ram temple construction as just another "jumla" (rhetoric), then there was no meaning of the government and its work. "You have a leader who talks about caste of our God, Hanuman. If a similar thing had happened in some other religion, people would have broken that person's teeth," he said. He also demanded income tax waiver for the upper caste people having income up to Rs 8 lakh per annum and getting benefits of the Centre's 10 per cent reservation under economically weaker category. Thackeray said elections in future should be contested over the issues like god, country and religion. Suman Prasad By Express News Service BENGALURU: Theres an exchange of ideas when two countries with different cultures come together with an aim to innovate and connect with local people through food. Israel and India are celebrating 27 years of the official diplomatic ties between the countries and to mark this occasion, the Consulate General of Israel to South India is hosting a series of traditional Israeli baking workshops. Keren Agam Keren Agam, Israeli baker chef who hails from Jaffa, will be representing her country in Bengaluru and will share stories of Israeli innovation through its cuisine.The Consulate and Agam will spearhead three important events in the city. To start with, a baking workshop will be hosted for eminent personalities at The Den on January 31. This will be followed by a baking workshop for 80 students from Christ University on February 1. On the same day, Dana Kursh, the Consul General, will host a dinner for invitees with a traditional Israeli Challa bread workshop by Agam to mark the beginning of Shabbat. The dinner will include all the traditional symbols such as lighting candles, prayers and blessing the wine and the bread. During the workshops, Agam will showcase pastries of unique Israeli flavour such as Fucacia with Shakshuka, Jerusalem Beigale, Challa bread, Rogalach and more. In order to maintain the authenticity of the dishes, she will bring along few local Israeli ingredients such as Zaatar and feta cheese. Innovation, however, isnt off the cards and she, along with the Den Hotel chef will also be testing local ingredients, such as millet flour, to see if they can create new pastries. Ariel Seidman, Deputy Consul General of Israel to South India, says, Indians and Israelis connect at many levels. The common denominator is innovation. These workshops are an opportunity for connecting people through food while showcasing the innovative nature of our cultures. In the past, the Israeli Consulate in Bengaluru has hosted events to celebrate Indian and Israeli festivals of light with religious leaders from six different communities; brought down Israeli doughnuts to celebrate Diwali; and has hosted a Yoga workshop. More such activities will be hosted in the future as well to strengthen cultural and economic ties between the two countries,concludes Seidman. By PTI JAIPUR: Anything that is written in an Indian language should qualify as Indian literature rather than being dubbed as regional literature, acclaimed Tamil writer Perumal Murugan said Sunday. Murugan, 53, asked if writings in other languages were regional literature what qualified then as the mainstream literature. "I don't like to qualify it as regional literature. It's so sad. If this is regional, then what is the mainstream literature? Is it English?" he asked. "Anything that is written about Indian life and in an Indian language should be part of the Indian literature rather than being dubbed as regional literature. That would make perfect sense," he said at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival. Murugan, who writes in Tamil, declared his writing "dead" in 2015 after he was harassed and attacked by right-wing groups. He participated in a discussion at JLF on his comeback novel "Poonachi" (The Story Of A Black Goat) which is a fable about a goat that tells a story of humans, love and freedom. Echoing Murugan's views, his English translator for "Poonachi" N Kalyan Raman said many of the Indian languages had already become international languages. "Bengali is spoken in Bengal. Tamil is an official language in India, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka," he said. Talking about writing, Murugan said creative writing was all about a quest for the unknown and drew an interesting analogy between writing and farming. He emphasised that both are essentially same in "creating a new life". "There are many things in nature which are hidden and remain a secret, but they remain a secret so far as we are not aware of them, the act of creative writing is to discover what is still unknown. It is a quest for the unknown. In a certain sense even the goal of humans is part of nature. The secret of human life can be revealed through writing," he said. Known for his fine connection with the land and giving so evocative a flavour of the landscape to the readers that they can smell the dust, Murugan said his stories were woven out of elements of nature. Murugan who said he would have been a farmer if not a writer compared farming with creative writing. "I come from a family of farmers. Farming is akin to creative writing. Unless you have a creative bent of mind, you can't do farming. All the processes involved in farming - from preparing the soil, sowing the seed, nurturing and harvesting - are same as in writing. "Farming is essentially creating a new life in a creative way. This is the basis of my writing. The ability to create a new life," he said. Noting that writing is a wonderful way to express yourself, Murugan said he had always liked literature which is why he also studied it. "I don't write every day. But something keeps going on in my head. Writing keeps forming itself inside my head. I need a space and time, only then can I write," he said. The controversial writer said although he was not a political chronicler, yet his writing was not free from politics. "I am not a writer who writes overtly about politics. I even look at politics through the literary lens. But nothing is free of politics and therefore when I write, politics is embedded in it just as it is embedded in everything we do," he said. "Poonachi" is Murugan's first novel after his self-imposed literary silence in January 2015. He gave up writing after protests against his novel "Madhorubhagan" (One Part Woman) set in his hometown. Local groups led protests against the book, saying the "fictitious" extramarital sex ritual at the centre of the plot insulted the town, its temple and its women. By Express News Service KOCHI: After nearly a year, a youth who was booked for attempting to murder a woman during a brawl at Parakkadavu, near Angamaly, landed in the police net. Rijo, 23, son of Shaju of Mazhuvancheril Veetil, Parakkadavu, was arrested by Angamaly police for attacking a woman when she tried to block him from manhandling her husband during a brawl on March 23 last year. Rijo had hit the woman on her head with tiles, injuring her severely. The police had earlier arrested Rijos twin brother in connection with the incident. Rijo had fled to Tamil Nadu after the incident. He later returned to Angamaly and stayed at various hideouts to evade arrest. He was arrested after the cops received a tip-off regarding his location. The officers said Rijo was booked in several criminal cases, including an attempt to murder, in the Angamaly police station. China held a grand gathering to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the countrys reform and opening-up on Dec. 18, 2018. President Xi Jinping attended the event and delivered an important speech. Over these days, Chinese people have been celebrating the anniversary of this national policy. In the past four decades, China has made remarkable achievements, changed a lot, improved peoples living standards, and blazed an unprecedented path of economic and social development. I have worked in China for over a third of the past 40 years, witnessing the countrys amazing development achievements in reform and opening-up. Back to 40 years ago, if I were asked how China would become 20 years, 30 years or 40 years later, I certainly wouldnt expect such dramatic changes. Maybe only a few people would expect that. China has now become an engine of global growth and a leader in international trade. I am convinced that the country will continue to maintain a high economic growth rate. Even one percent of growth is remarkable, given the countrys large size of economy. I also believe that Chinas economy will influence the process of global economic development to a great extent, and reform and opening-up is of special significance to the country and the world. We are very glad to see the positive development momentum of Russia-China relations. 2018 and 2019 mark the years of sub-national cooperation and exchanges between our two countries. International events including the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Eastern Economic Forum, the Boao Forum for Asia and the China International Import Expo have provided stable cooperation platforms for our two countries. Russia-China trade volume in 2018 is expected to exceed the goal of $ 100 billion. The two countries both received 1.5 million tourists from each other. Exchanges in education also witnessed rapid development. By 2020, Russia and China are expected to realize the target set in 2013 of exchanging 100,000 students. The two countries have maintained close communication and coordination on multilateral platforms including the United Nations, the G20, BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Bilateral relations act as a stabilizer in the world. I firmly believe that Russia-China relations will continue to advance in an all-round way, and benefit the two countries and people of the world. Andrey Denisov is the Russian ambassador to China. Interviewed and edited by Peoples Daily journalists Zhang Guangzheng and Peng Min Anuradha Shukla By Express News Service The ICICI Bank management is likely to meet finance minister Piyush Goyal over the FIR lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Chanda Kochhar case, requesting the government to reconsider the investigation as the agency has indiscriminately named everyone in its FIR. If you see the FIR, it was done in a hush-hush manner and has named everyone. This is not fair to include everyone indiscriminately. This will have a very negative impact on the morals of the top banking management. We are planning to meet the finance minister, a top official from ICICI Bank told this publication. The CBI on January 22 had filed a first information report against ICICI Banks former managing director and chief executive officer Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar and Venugopal Dhoot, managing director of Videocon Industries over alleged irregularities in transactions between the lender and private entities. The FIR on the alleged quid pro quo transactions had also questioned the role of senior officials, including the current CEO Sandeep Bakhshi, K Ramkumar, Sonjoy Chatterjee, N S Kannan, Zarin Daruwala, Rajiv Sabharwal, KV Kamath and Homi Khusrokhan, who were on the banks credit committees at the time. READ| CBI officer removed for ICICI case leak The CBI went on to say that the role of these officials should be probed and that it had planned to question them, starting with K V Kamath, who served as ICICI Banks managing director and CEO from May 1, 1996 until his retirement from executive responsibilities on April 30, 2009. The FIR was publicly slammed by Union Minister Arun Jaitley, who in his facebook post, wrote that there is a fundamental difference between investigative adventurism and professional investigation, stating that such adventurism leads to media leaks, ruins reputations, and not convictions. One of the reasons why our conviction rates are poor is that adventurism and megalomania overtakes our investigators and professionalism takes a back seat, Jaitley wrote. His move was supported by former finance minister P Chidambaram who in a series of tweets on Sunday, said he was glad that Jaitleys conscience and legal acumen have finally stirred to condemn the indiscriminate targeting of eminent bankers. By Pam Greenberg Today is Data Privacy Day, recognized annually to create awareness about the importance of respecting privacy, safeguarding data and enabling trust. Data Privacy Day began in the United States and Canada in January 2008 as an extension of the Data Protection Day celebration in Europe, according to the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), which officially leads the Data Privacy Day campaign. Data Privacy Day aims to empower individuals and business to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust. The NCSAs Stay Safe Online website has tips to help teens, parents, older adults and others to manage their privacy online. This year, the day takes on even more significance, given Europes General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the recently enacted California Consumer Privacy Act, which are changing the privacy landscape dramatically for businesses and consumers. The GDPR, which took effect in May 2018, extended European Union jurisdiction to businesses that sell to or have European Union customers, regardless of where the business is based. It requires processors of personal information to disclose what data they collect and for what purpose, how long the data will be retained and if it is being shared with third parties. Consumers have the right to know what data is being collected about them, and they have the right to have their data removed under certain circumstances. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), enacted in June 2018 and amended in September (with additional changes expected), has similar requirements. Effective Jan.1, 2020, it allows California consumers to: Request a business to disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information that have been collected about them, as well as the source of that information and the purpose for collecting it. Opt out of a business sale of their personal information without being discriminated against for opting out. Ask businesses to delete personal information that has been collected from them. Other states that have introduced similarly comprehensive legislation so far in 2019 include New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Washington. In another significant first, Vermont last year became the first state to regulate data brokers, companies that buy and sell personal information. The law requires data brokers to register annually with the state to disclose whether and what activities consumers can opt out of with respect to the collection of personal information and how they may do so. States have long led the way on data privacy legislation. The far-reaching nature of these recent state laws is prompting more questions about whether Congress will follow. Pam Greenberg tracks privacy issues for NCSL and is liaison to the National Association of Legislative Information Technology. Email Pam Kay L. Rogers, 69, of New Castle passed away on June 16, 2021, at Haven Convalescent Home. Kay was born on Aug. 25, 1951, in Appleton, Wisconsin. She was preceded in death by her father, Donald Rogers. Her mother, Marion Hill, survives in New Castle. Kay had worked at the Haven Convalescent Infotainment Naga writer releases book titled A Diamond of Dust A Anoto Swu (L) with Rev S Vithoshe Swu during the launching of the book. (NP) Staff Reporter Dimapur, Jan 28 | Publish Date: 1/28/2019 12:20:30 PM IST A Naga writer A Anato Swu, released a book titled A Diamond of Dust during a brief event at Hotel Acacia, Dimapur on Monday. The book published by Maurice Wylie Ministries, Northern Ireland was launched and prayed upon by Dimapur Sumi Baptist Church, senior pastor, Rev S Vithoshe Swu. In a brief introduction about the book, the author Anato said, writing had always been his passion right from his childhood days and that he would scribble down quotes and lyrics during his leisure times. Lamenting over the time he wasted when he started indulging in abusive substances, Anato said he had lost the best part of his life due to his uncontrolled behaviour. He went on to say that after quitting drugs he decided to make the best use of whatever time he was left with and that led him to write book which talks about how a person, even though is made of dust, was as precious as a diamond. Earlier welcome address was delivered by Er Aghali Swu while a short speech on behalf of the publishers was made by Bohoto Zhimomi. Withee Bible College founder, Dimapur, Rev Dr Vikheshe Chishi made the opening prayer and Lhomithi Village Baptist Church, Dimapur, pastor Toluho Chishi pronounced the closing prayer. The launching event was hosted by Rachel Swu. Aerial photo taken on Jan. 25, 2019 shows the Kuihua Village of Ganluo County, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Feng Wancai, 91, moved to an isolated area in the remote Daliang Mountain in Sichuan after his wife Yang Wenying was diagnosed with leprosy in 1958, only one year after they got married. The place was recognized as a "leprosy village", as leprosy patients gathered here to receive treatment. Years later, after most of the leprosy patients had been cured, the isolated land was renamed Kuihua Village, and geared up to battle poverty with targeted poverty alleviation measures unveiled. The couple have been living in the village for over 60 years without any other member of their big family's later generations contracted to the disease. Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that can cause nerve damage, leading to muscle weakness and atrophying, and permanent disability. The disease is preventable, non-inheritable and with proper treatment, curable. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) The Mandalay Banquet Center was the hot spot for breakfast cocktails today as the 4th Bloody Mary Showdown kicked off this morning at 11am. Produced by Planned2Give this fundraiser pitted nineteen area bartenders against each other, all putting their own twist on this classic cocktail, powered by Svedka Vodka. VIP ticket holders started the morning off with a buffet breakfast before the taping and at 11:45am the doors opened to general admission ticket holders as well making for a packed house! There were spicy drinks, and sweet drinks and even a green tomato bloody mary. Garnishes ranged from home make pork rinds, to shrimp, chicken wings, cheese, tomatoes, pickles and some glasses had rims dusted with celery salt, spices and so much more! Participating bartenders from : Archers Tavern, Bargos, Bar Granta, Brixx Ice Company, Calypso Grill & Smokehouse, Dewberry 1850, Fift h Street Brewpub, Jimmies Ladder 11, Meadowlark, Miami Valley Gaming, Milanos, Papi Joes Tennessee Pepper Sauce Company, The Barrel, TJ Chumps, Troll Pub, Trolley Stop, Tutys Bar & Grill and Wheat Penny. The Winner from the last two years, Scott Conrad, who competed from The Vue, retired from competition, but was still on hand sampling his winning mix, now being bottlled and sold at retail as RADS Bloody Mary Mix. Pictured to the right with Scott is Heather Robinson, who was the liquor rep who helped pull off the original Showdown several years ago. Also on hand to sample their canned cocktails was Cutwater Spirits, a new entry into the Dayton market. Their pre-mixed cans are just perfect for cabrewing or tailgating! At 1:45pm the 50/50 raffle was drawn and $750 was raised for FilmDayton, this years charity partner, while Angela Wooten from Piqua walked away with $750. Raffle prizes including Snow Globes from Stewardship Resources, local restaurant gift certificates and 937 Party Bus. were also auctioned off and finally at 2pm the winners were declared: Best Table Decor: TJ Chumps Best Garnish: TJ Chumps Best Bloody Mary: 3rd place: The Bloody Derby made with Old Forester created by Brook Paxon of The Troll Pub 2nd place: Papis Sassy Bloody Mary Mix by by Vicki Wedworth of Papi Joes Tennessee Pepper Sauce Company Daytons Best Bloody Mary for 2019: Berzelsasss Best Bloody created by Jenn Elsass from TJ Chumps in Miamisburg. Jenn walked away with $500 and bragging rights! So if you were paying attention, first time participant TJ Chumps swept the awards this year. Sales and Underwriting Products; Conventional Conforming Lender and Investor Changes Another 5-day work week. Sigh. To some itll seem longer than a CVS receipt. To others it will fly by. What is also flying is the market in Boise, Idaho. Idaho is now the fastest growing state in the nation, percentage-wise, and with it comes traffic and other infrastructure problems. Is it becoming the new California? At the other end of the price movement scale, kind of, is the New York luxury market which is in the middle of a correction. Homes for $4 million or more took an average of 447 days to go into contract in 2018 more than a year! But NY claims the current prize for the most expensive residence: $238 million, or $10,000 per square foot. Lender Products and Services SA Ibrahim and Dave Stevens haven't relaxed in retirement. Mortgage Media has quickly grown a following, producing original content, a VIP-heavy podcast, and timely industry analysis. After retiring as CEO of Radian, Ibrahim has profiled executives and industry leaders like Jonathan Corr, Rick Arvielo, Barry Habib and Chris George. And Stevens, the longtime MBA CEO, kicked off the year with a series of conversations with experts about what to expect in 2019. Just in the first couple weeks of the year, they've recorded and shared insightful pieces on Barry Zigas, Jim Parrott, Mark Zandi, David Lykken, Creig Northrop, with more VIPs in the pipeline. For exciting opinions, perspectives and updates on the mortgage industry, sign up for their mailing list at www.MortgageMedia.com, and subscribe to their podcast on iTunes. Built upon the LOS database, MortgageFlex Systems TPO Portal, MortgageFlexONE creates a unique workflow that can be shared with the LOS or used separate. The services between LOS and TPO Portal work together for unprecedented levels of visibility and flexibility. Features of the TPO Portal include loan registrations, rate lock, document upload, and ongoing status updates provided in real-time. Lenders can register new loans directly in the portal or upload loan applications. The provided options are designed for a frictionless process to get the loan registered and delivered. MortgageFlex currently has high-profile customers going live on TPO including a HELOC only lender. The single point of maintenance helps ensure the highest quality loan with reduced expenses. Momentifi CEO Gibran Nicholas just wrote a white paper called: Purpose-Driven Sales: How to Empower Your Team and CRUSH Your Competition in a Market Where You Are Uniquely Positioned to Win. According to research conducted by STRATMOR and the MBA, loan originator sales productivity hasnt changed in over a decade. This white paper illustrates how you can implement a purpose-driven sales process to level-up your teams results and create immediate sales momentum. Topics include, how to improve LO productivity by 30%+ by helping them focus on sales opportunities that are hiding in plain sight; how to recruit and retain top producers in the age of margin compression and competitive pricing wars; and how retail loan originators can compete more effectively in the era of Digital Mortgages, iBuyers and Robo-Advisors. Click here to access the free white paper. Join Sierra Pacific Mortgage for a webinar on Effective Application Interviewing and Review with New URLA on Monday, February 4th. In this informative webinar, we'll review what's needed for a complete Uniform Residential Loan Application, why each piece of data is important and provide best practices for reviewing for discrepancies or potential eligibility issues with supporting documentation. Register now for this free webinar on Monday, February 4th at 10:00 am PST. Simplify your underwriting process with Loan Product Advisor asset and income modeler (AIM). Through the expertise of third-party service providers, AIM automates the manual processes of assessing borrower assets and income. AIM reduces the burden of traditional documentation, speeds up the loan origination process and helps you close loans faster. Freddie Mac is working hard to bring you solutions that create efficiencies for your business and improve the borrower experience - giving you a competitive edge. These capabilities are available for Loan Product Advisor submissions and resubmissions on and after December 9, 2018. Gain greater efficiency in your underwriting processes with AIM get The Freddie EdgeSM. Want to start a WHOLESALE channel or need a better TPO Platform? We can help. For a fraction of the cost of fancy, heavy, legacy platforms, ReadyPrice can help you start or improve your channel and increase your profitability. Wholesale is expected to double in the next 24 months so it's time to get into (or up) your TPO game. The ReadyPrice all-in-one Pricing Engine, LOS and Wholesale CRM platform is fully configured out of the box, and up to 80% less expensive than other heavy, cumbersome competitors. It comes complete with D1C, deep Fannie DU integrations and can be stood-up in a couple of weeks. The ReadyPrice LOS/PPE has funded over 300k units for $70 BILLION and is leading the way forward for todays mortgage bankers as we "utilitize" essential mortgage tech. Call them at (408) 3570931 or email hello@readyprice.com to get a free demo today. Lender and Investor Conventional Conforming Changes Freddie and Fannie motored on through the partial shutdown, and lenders and investors continued to react to their policy and procedure changes. Below is a sample of what companies have been doing with guidelines and procedures relatively recently. A quick correction to a note from Friday: Wells Fargo Funding announced that Super Conforming loan amounts greater than $1,000,000 are now (not not) eligible on Conventional Conforming loans. Also, exceptions from Freddie Mac Condo Project Advisor are not eligible on Conventional Conforming loans. In reference to all Freddie Mac products, Fifth Third Correspondent Lending no longer requires any written evaluation of self-employment income (or loss), including Freddie Mac Income Analysis Form or copy of the first 2 pages of federal individual tax returns, when a self-employed borrower's income is not being used for qualification when the borrower is qualified using only primary income not derived from self-employment (e.g. salary and retirement) and the self-employment is a separate and secondary source of income or loss. If the requirements of the expanded provision cannot be fully met, the self-employed borrower must still provide at minimum, a copy of the first 2 pages of his/her most recent signed federal individual income tax return and applicable schedules (i.e. Schedule C and Schedule E), which is sufficient to determine if there was a significant business loss. Provisions must be applied individually to each self-employed borrower on the loan. Thus, both provisions could be used on the same loan for multiple self-employed borrowers. FAMC issued a reminder that with the release of Fannie Mae DU Version 10.3, DU Version 10.1 will be retired. Effective the weekend of December 8, 2018, users will no longer be able to resubmit loan casefiles to DU Version 10.1. Users will be able to view online loan applications and DU Underwriting Findings reports that were created under DU Version 10.1. To obtain an updated underwriting recommendation after the weekend of December 8th, users must create a new loan casefile and submit to DU. Refer to the Desktop Underwriter/Desktop Originator DU Version 10.3 Release Notes for complete information. Ditech is updating the Freddie Mac Conforming underwriting guidelines related to the following topics: Major Disaster Plan, Home Possible Product - Non-Occupant Borrower, Home Possible Product - Super Conforming Loan Amounts and Social Security Benefits. Wells Fargo Funding has aligned with Freddie Macs requirements for conventional Conforming rate/term refinances without project reviews. Wells recommends documenting the loan being refinanced is owned by Freddie Mac with a screenshot or printout of the Freddie Mac loan number from the Freddie Mac Loan Look-Up Tool. Mountain West Financial announced the introduction of 2-4 units to the Fannie Mae HomeReady program. The highlights include: High Balance eligible, Purchase loans and rate/term refinances (no cash-out), 85% Max LTV/CLTV for 2 Unit properties, 3% Minimum borrower contribution for LTVs >80% and 75% Max LTV/CLTV for 3-4 Unit properties. U.S. Bank Global Corporate Trust is partnering with Fannie Mae to pilot its new certification system, which includes the ability to provide whole loan certification services. U.S. Bank is one of the first organizations approved by Fannie Mae to provide the service. Joe Giordano, president of U.S. Bank Global Corporate Trust says, For more than 25 years, Global Corporate Trust has been an approved document custodian for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. Adding the whole loan service to our Fannie Mae portfolio will allow us to better serve clients of every size across the government-sponsored space. Were proud to have been one of the few providers that Fannie Mae partnered with on this initiative, enabling us to provide these additional document custodian services immediately. Citi Correspondent Lending Bulletin 2019-02 covers updates including LPA Automated Income & Asset Assessment, DU Ratio Tolerance, Non-Reimbursed Business Expenses: DU Transactions, Rental Income Requirements, Verbal VOEs for Union Workers and Master Insurance Policies for Unaffiliated Projects. Capital Markets The U.S. 10-year closed last week yielding to 2.75% as Treasuries across the curve bounded upward in unison, reversing movement from earlier in the week. Murmurs throughout Friday revolved around China moving toward a QE-style program and Federal Reserve officials considering a pause to the balance sheet runoff. But the big news was the temporary end to the partial government shutdown, good through February 15. Reactions in markets were muted as President Trump acknowledged that the government will be reopened until February 15, but a failure to reach an agreement on funding for the border wall could prompt another shutdown or a declaration of a national emergency to secure funding. The big news this week will be the January FOMC Statement, due for release on Wednesday at 14:00 ET. The statement will give Fed Chairman Jay Powell an opportunity to comment on plans for the balance sheet during the subsequent press conference. Key economic updates expected to be released include January consumer confidence and the November S&P/Case-Shiller HPI tomorrow; January ADP on Wednesday; January Chicago PMI on Thursday and January ISM, and consumer sentiment on Friday. GDP, PCE and construction spending are up in the air. Today's calendar kicks off with the December Chicago Fed National Activity Index. Next up is the January Dallas Fed Texas Manufacturing Index (-5.1) at 10:30AM ET. We begin today with Agency MBS worse a few ticks (32nds) versus Friday night and the 10-year yielding 2.76 percent. Jobs Are you a top producer who has given up on that New Years resolution to take your lending super powers to the next level because your current employer lacks a vision for todays changing markets? You should give serious thought about joining Nations Lending an award-winning company that is innovative with proven business strategies to adjust to market fluctuations. Were looking for the best-of-the-best with an eye on the Northwestern U.S. If youre in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado. If interested in a Branch Manager position, contact Division Retail Store Sales Manager, Jordan Gerard (337 501-0155) or Division Retail Branch Sales Manager, Derek DeGuits (732-580-5038). For more information and opportunity on how to join our growing organization, please visit the company's website. Nations Lending, a well-established, Ohio-based, full-service national lender licensed in 47 states, and our dynamically growing team has a place for someone who will not settle for anything less than success. Atlantic Coast Mortgage (ACM) based out of Fairfax, VA, is one of the top private mortgage banks in the Mid Atlantic. ACM, whose founders were top originators, have grown the company with solid production and first-class operations to become one of the most successful and well-respected mortgage companies in the markets they operate in. ACMs methodology has always been to outperform, stay relevant, and to stay true to their identity. ACM has built a best in class platform where loan officers can really flourish and have the tools they need to be successful in any market." ACM's platform is built by originators FOR originators. If you are an LO or top Producing Branch, to learn more, send a confidential email to Jon Coy, President of Atlantic Coast Mortgage (ACM) to learn more their offering. ACM is adding Branch Managers and Loan Officers in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, North & South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. Today's Headlines Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! Breaking news Sign up for breaking news alerts from morning-times.com!!! Week in Sports Get a weekly local sports round-up from www.morning-times.com every Saturday morning!!! Medical staff help a faint woman in a helping center near Brumadinho, the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, on Jan. 26, 2019. At least 34 people were killed after a tailings dam owned by mining giant Vale collapsed Friday afternoon in Brazil's southeastern state of Minas Gerais. (Xinhua/Li Ming) BRUMADINHO, Brazil, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 34 people were killed, and hundreds remain missing after a tailings dam owned by mining giant Vale collapsed Friday afternoon in Brazil's southeastern state of Minas Gerais, the state fire department said. Out of the 34 victims, eight were identified with two being confirmed as Vale workers. A total of 46 people were rescued Saturday morning. And 23 of them were injured and taken to local hospitals. It is estimated that there are at least 252 Vale workers unaccounted for, according to the company, while the number of local residents who have yet to be found remains unknown. Civil defense officials said there is still hope to find survivors, as helicopters have found some places which were possibly used as shelters. Search and rescue operations were suspended as night fell in Brumadinho Saturday at 8:00 p.m. local time (2200 GMT). Vale has received an initial fine of 250 million reals (66 million U.S. dollars) imposed by Brazil's environment protection agency Ibama. In addition, Brazilian courts have blocked 6 billion reals (1.59 billion dollars) in Vale assets in order to ensure payment of compensation. The Brazilian government has promised a full investigation into the matter. President Jair Bolsonaro and Minas Gerais state Governor Romeu Zema flew over the destroyed region earlier in the day and promised manpower to aid the rescue, and resources to help the region recover. In November 2015, a tailings dam collapsed in Mariana, Minas Gerais, killing 19 people and causing substantial environmental and economic damage. It was considered the worst environmental disaster in the Brazilian history. HOPE FOR BEST Every two hours during the day, the operation center for families of the victims released new figures: how many have been rescued; how many families have been contacted but still waiting for transportation, and how many of the injured have been taken to hospital. There were numbers but no names since the authorities need time for identification. For relatives and friends waiting for news about their loved ones, it was a torture. Some were crying; some fainted in grief coupled with hot weather, and others began to resort to non-official information. They paced anxiously from one desk to another. As hopes of finding survivors fades, dozens of people were echoing prayers in a facility served as recreational center for Vale workers, some hand in hand, some in small groups and many with crucifiexes in their hands. Around 11 a.m. local time (1300 GMT), lieutenant Pedro Aihara, spokesperson of the fire department, announced that a bus carrying Vale workers were found partially covered in the sludge and there was no hope for survivors. He did not have any information about the number of the victims and their names to offer. Condolences were expressed on social media to Estancia Inn, a small hotel to the dam, which was buried by mudslide. According to local residents, there could be around 30 or 35 people, including its owners, employees and guests. There is still no official confirmation. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. [January 28, 2019] C Spire announces new consortium to tackle broadband "digital divide" in rural communities RIDGELAND, Miss., Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- C Spire, in coordination with Airspan Networks, Microsoft, Nokia and Siklu, today announced their collaboration that will test and deploy a variety of broadband technologies in combination with new service and construction models to advance broadband connectivity in rural communities. In addition, the consortium will advance new models for coordination with regional fixed and wireless internet service providers, utilities and other regional stewards. The consortium's goal is a new blueprint on a shared way forward to close the broadband adoption and affordability gap in rural communities across America. As one of the nation's leading regional fixed and wireless broadband providers, C Spire is uniquely positioned to disrupt the current approach to rural broadband and address these challenges. These efforts are part of the broader C Spire Tech Movement initiative, which is committed to moving communities forward through technology with a focus on broadband access, workforce development and innovation. "Access to and adoption of broadband technology is critically important to economically move rural communities forward and ensure they are not left behind in today's new digital economy," said C Spire President Stephen Bye. The gap between cities and rural parts of the country is substantial. According to a 2018 report from the Federal Communications Commission1, over 19.4 million rural Americans still lacked basic broadband at the end of 2017. This is having profound impacts on the nation's rural communities. Unfortunately, the problems are even more acute in states like Mississippi and Alabama where nearly a third of rural residents have no access to basic broadband. A 2017 Mississippi State University Center for Technology Outreach study2 found that the state's rural counties lose millions of dollars a year in deferred economic benefits due to lack of availability and slow internet speeds. The report concluded that those same counties will lose billions of dollars over a 15-year period. "Our nation's broadband adoption gap is a solvable problem that will not be limited in the next few years by the coming breath of new technologies themselves, but rather how well we facilitate them to scale at the edge," said C Spire Chief Innovation Officer Craig Sparks. "Hyperlocal collaboration and highly automated tools combined with these easy-to-deploy network technologies are going to be key enablers," he added. "C Spre's intent is to bring the thought leaders in this consortium together to disrupt our own thinking in these areas." Using the real-world testbeds of Mississippi and Alabama, the consortium will begin the work and share collaborative learnings through a series of studies and open workshops over an 18-month engagement. The shared learnings are intended to facilitate affordable broadband internet access and help drive further adoption through digital education and community outreach. The consortium intends to address these problems in ways that can scale not only in regional testbeds, but throughout the nation at large. C Spire will initiate this rural broadband effort on Jan. 29-31, 2019 by hosting the International Wireless Industry Consortium's "Enhancing Rural Connectivity, New Wireless Opportunities and Deployment Scenarios" workshop in New Orleans. While closed to the press, all consortium partners will attend, along with other industry experts, for technical discussions. More details, including initial trial technologies and markets, are expected to be shared at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain Feb. 25-28, 2019. Rural Broadband Consortium Partner quotes Microsoft "It's time to close the broadband gap for rural America," added Shelley McKinley, Microsoft's head of Technology and Corporate Responsibility. "Piloting new technology approaches, including TV white spaces, will help rural communities in Mississippi. Sharing these learnings will help accelerate broadband connectivity in rural communities everywhere. And with connectivity, comes new and greater opportunities for students, farmers, educators, business owners and communities in rural areas to access the technology and digital skills needed to learn, grow, contribute and prosper in a digital economy." Nokia "The advent of new access technology will change everything economies, the way we do business and the way we interact," said Chris Stark, head of North American Strategy and Business Development for Nokia. "It is important to consider how smaller communities can benefit from this revolution and that they cannot be left behind as an afterthought. The digital divide is real and likely to grow to a chasm for those communities unable to gain access to these advances." Airspan Networks "We are honored and excited to be partnering with C Spire and this consortium of innovators to accelerate connecting the unconnected in the rural communities of America," said Eric Stonestrom, CEO of Airspan. "This initiative is about accepting the challenge to collaborate and think outside the box on how to bring the same availability for the ultimate broadband experience in the fastest time to market to those that are literally being left behind. Airspan brings strong experience and assets to this consortium through our Mimosa's innovative solutions and disruptive portfolio." Siklu "It's time for rural communities to enjoy all of the benefits of broadband internet connectivity and the promise of today's digital economy," said Eyal Assa, CEO of Siklu. "We appreciate C Spire including us in this exciting and disruptive journey. As a leader of mmWave solutions, Siklu's innovative technology as well as hands-on experience and deep understanding of the needs, challenges and solutions available today will accelerate bringing affordable and advanced broadband services to rural communities." 1 FCC Communications Marketplace Report, GN Docket No. 18-231,FCC 18-181, p.132 available at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-18-181A1.pdf 2 Mississippi State University Center for Technology Outreach publication P3103 http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/publications/missed-economic-opportunity-broadband-mississippi About C Spire C Spire provides a full suite of world-class, customer-inspired dedicated Internet, IP Voice, data, managed services, cloud services, value added resale and mobile communications to businesses and wireless, 1 Gigabit consumer Internet access and related home services for consumers. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire, visit cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at twitter.com/cspire. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/c-spire-announces-new-consortium-to-tackle-broadband-digital-divide-in-rural-communities-300784901.html SOURCE C Spire [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\broadband-stimulus's Homepage ] Malaysian startup SalamWeb seeks to create a Halal web-experience for Muslims including messaging, browsing and news, filtered through user ratings, to be in accordance with Islamic law. As anyone who has spent enough time on Facebook or Twitter can tell, modern social media can hardly be described as a bastion of morality. This may be doubly-true for those attempting to browse in accordance with the tenets of Islam, which prohibits web-favorites like gambling, pornography and celebrations of excessive drinking. And heres where the new company wants to capitalize, setting an ambitious goal of capturing the market on at least 10% of the worlds 1.8bn Muslims. We want to make the internet a better place, the projects managing director Hasni Zarina Mohamed Khan explained, according to Bloomberg. We know the internet has the good and the bad, so SalamWeb offers you a tool to create this window that lets you go to the internet to see the good. The program has several features which aim explicitly to optimize the Islamic way of life including prayer-timers, a compass which points to Mecca and filters which avoid alcohol and pork-related businesses. It is the first browser to be endorsed by the International Shariah Supervisory Board as being compliant with Islamic law. However, the project is not exclusively vetted for Muslims. The Reddit-like community-based system of tagging and voting aims at promoting universal values, warning users when they approach content which has been flagged as abusive or fraudulent. Also on rt.com New Integrity Initiative leak: Make Muslims love NATO, target anti-frackers, plan for nuclear war As Facebook and Google come under increasing scrutiny over privacy and security concerns, third-party safety filters are likely to become increasingly in-demand. While SalamWeb seemingly offers a voluntary experience to help users browse in accordance with their beliefs, the fusion of Religion and technology is not always so benign. Last November, Indonesia unveiled an app which helps users inform the government of people practicing heretical beliefs not recognized by the state. Like this story? Share it with a friend! Israel has moved to recognize Juan Guaidos claim to power in Venezuela, after Washington spearheaded the regime change effort, urging those undecided to pick a side, and its EU allies issued an ultimatum to Nicholas Maduro. Israel joins the United States, Canada, most of the countries of Latin America and countries in Europe in recognizing the new leadership in Venezuela, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a brief statement on Sunday. However, unlike many of those who denounced President Nicholas Maduro as a dictator and usurper and urged him to step aside, Netanyahu stopped short of openly calling for any action that might fuel internal conflict in Venezuela. Appreciation and kudos to the Government of Israel for standing with the people of Venezuela and the forces of freedom and democracy, US ambassador to Israel David Friedman tweeted upon hearing the news. Tel Aviv initially seemed reluctant to take sides, but following reported discussions with US State Department officials and after hearing their passionate performance at a UN Security Council session on Saturday, Israel officially supported Washington-led effort to recognize the opposition politician as the legitimate leader of Venezuela. Also on rt.com UNSC should look into US attempts for coup in Venezuela Russian envoy No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or youre in league with Maduro and his mayhem, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the UN chamber in what Russias envoy Vassily Nebenzia denounced as an brazen attempt to abuse the Security Council to legitimize the ongoing coup d'etat in Venezuela. Also on rt.com No to new elections ultimatum: Venezuelas Maduro slams Trump, EU for arrogance and disrespect Almost simultaneously on Saturday, Paris, Berlin and Madrid announced their readiness to recognize the self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela unless the country holds snap presidential elections within eight days. But despite the growing international support for US effort to rid Venezuela of the socialist Maduro regime, a wide number of nations, including Russia, China, Cuba and Mexico, view Washingtons actions as blatant interference in the affairs of the sovereign nation. Maduro himself also agreed that the problems on an international level must be solved behind the negotiations table, rather than humanitarian interventions. Also on rt.com Attack orchestrated from Washington: Cuba slams US for meddling accusation on Venezuela We will continue denouncing US lies, and I will continue to encourage national dialogue because I am up for a dialogue with all the political opposition, with the opposition media, the Venezuelan president said. I think dialogue should prevail. If you like this story, share it with a friend! Venezuela is well aware the US is actually leading an effort to topple President Maduro, but is ready to sit down with the Western-backed opposition and could be doing so in half an hour, the countrys Foreign Minister told RT. Hitting back at the Western pressure, Venezuelan government will now focus its efforts on the main leader of the coup, the 'director of the circus,' namely, the US government, Mr Trump and his representatives. Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza revealed in an exclusive interview with RT Spanish. Without further ado, he accused Washington of spearheading what he said an effort to overthrow democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro. The US government is not just behind the coup but is leading it. We are focused on neutralizing Washington's attacks. Adding to a US-led pressure for President Maduro to step aside, Spain, France, Germany and the UK on Saturday issued the elected leader an ultimatum, calling on Maduro to call for new elections within eight days. First of all, it is interventionism to the highest degree. Secondly, it is arrogant, and, thirdly, it is artificial, Arreaza commented. The Venezuelan government will scrutinize ties with countries who backed the opposition but will not put too much emphasis on it. The Bolivarian democracy only requires recognition and support from Venezuelan people, he stated, adding, other governments are of little interest to us. Nevertheless, Caracas will keep the door open to any talks with pro-Western opposition led by Juan Guaido. The opposition leader declared himself interim president last week, garnering support or recognition from the US and an array of other nations. Russia and Turkey were among those to denounce Guaidoss move and said they would further on recognize the elected leader Maduro. Everyone should know that we are in constant contact with the Venezuelan opposition, said Venezuelas top diplomat. Last December, the government was close to reaching a deal with them but they walked out of the talks after consulting with the State Department. At any rate, Caracas stays ready to engage its opponents. If the opposition is ready to sit down with us at the negotiating table we will agree literally in half an hour. Seizing the opportunity, the Foreign Minister urged Guaido followers to come to the negotiations, ask permission from their superiors in the US, and look for a solution with us [to] jointly build a political road for the future. It is impossible to push for change in Venezuela by actually attacking it or siding with its enemies, Arreaza stated. Caracas is currently engaged with the governments of Mexico and Uruguay on daily basis after both states offered their mediation services. The government also remains in constant talks with the American-led domestic opposition, which continues to avoid any meaningful dialogue unless approved by the US. The people of Venezuela can freely decide whether they want to follow the road of the revolution, left-wing politics, progress, or whether they want to follow the path of neoliberalism and imperialism, the Foreign Minister offered. to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. US lifts sanctions against Russias Rusal & En+ but keeps Deripaska blacklisted US lifts sanctions against Russias Rusal & En+ but keeps Deripaska blacklisted The US Treasury has officially lifted its sanctions against Russian companies Rusal, En+ Group and EuroSibEnergo, emphasizing however that Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska, even though he reduced direct and indirect shareholding stake in these companies and severed his control, will remain on blacklist. The companies have also agreed to unprecedented transparency for Treasury into their operations by undertaking extensive, ongoing auditing, certification, and reporting requirements, the Treasurys press release added. Washington introduced the sanctions in April 2018, targeting Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska among others, and companies in which he owns stakes, including Russian aluminum giant Rusal and En+ Group. After the tycoon reduced his stake in the companies, the Trump administration proposed to remove the measures in December. European envoys to the US backed the plans, saying it would save thousands of jobs and curb serious damage to the aluminum industry.Source : RT - Daily news UN envoy urges Yemen warring parties to withdraw from lifeline port Hodeidah quickly UN envoy urges Yemen warring parties to withdraw from lifeline port Hodeidah quickly The UN envoy for Yemen has urged the warring parties to withdraw their troops from the port of Hodeidah quickly, as international aid agencies say that conditions for thousands of starving people are deteriorating fast. Envoy Martin Griffiths acknowledged that proposed timelines on a pull-out from the port, the main entry point for Yemens commercial and aid imports, had slipped while the country stood on the brink of famine. The initial timelines were rather ambitious, he said on Twitter. We are dealing with a complex situation on the ground. The aid agencies, meeting in London, said people were struggling to feed their children in what had become the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. I think we need to be very clear that we need a political solution to this conflict, Reuters quoted Isabelle Moussard Carlsen of Action Against Hunger.Source : RT - Daily news Tehran cannot confirm secret talks with France over missile program Tehran cannot confirm secret talks with France over missile program Officials in Tehran said on Monday they cannot confirm holding secret talks with France over Tehrans disputed ballistic missile program. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Friday that France was ready to impose further sanctions on Iran if no progress was made in talks over its ballistic missile program, Reuters reports. I cannot confirm it Our missile program is a defensive program that we only discuss inside the country, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi told a weekly news conference, broadcast live on state TV.Source : RT - Daily news PARIS, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of "yellow vest" protesters took to the streets in France on Saturday for the 11th weekend in a row. Protesters in the high-visibility jackets gathered on and around the Champs Elysees, some of whom were waving banners denouncing the government. Similar situations were reported in France's main cities where about 69,000 people took part in the fresh round of protests, the Interior Ministry estimated, down from last week's 84,000. In Paris, 4,000 protesters had been counted, compared to the 7,000 on Jan. 19, signaling that the broader social movement appeared to be waning days after Macron launched a series of talks on Jan. 15 to address the protesters' demands. In Evreux, northern France, demonstrators set vehicles on fire. On the Bastille square in Paris, a group of hooded men in black used construction materials to form barricades and set them ablaze. Riot police fired water cannons and tear gas after being pelted with stones, with 52 people arrested. "I condemn with the greatest firmness the violence and degradation made this Saturday, in Paris and the provinces, by thugs camouflaged in yellow vests," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner tweeted. "The mobilization of the police, again this Saturday, was necessary to contain the excesses and to challenge the troublemakers," he added. About 80,000 police were mobilized nationwide against protest violence, including 5,000 in Paris. Officers equipped with armored vehicles secured the Arc de Triomphe in Paris after it had been vandalized on Dec. 1 as Paris saw its worst trouble in decades. As darkness fell, hundreds of protesters converged to the Republic Square in Paris to take part in an evening gathering, dubbed "yellow night," proposed by Eric Drouet, one of the movement's representatives. Scuffles flared once again when rioters torched many motorbikes and overturned several others. Officers fired tear gas to push back demonstrators and clear the square. The "yellow vest" movement was triggered in November last year amid public discontent with a rise in fuel tax that French President Emmanuel Macron said is necessary to combat climate change. The spontaneous movement remains amorphous with no leader and agenda. Some "yellow vests" have proposed a list of candidates to run in the election for the European Parliament next May, a move other supporters call a betrayal. The division within the movement coincides with a boost in Macron's approval ratings. A BVA poll, carried out on Jan. 23-24 and released on Friday, found 31 percent of 1,023 interviewees were satisfied with Macron, up 4 percent from November. After weeks of violent protests that plunged Paris into chaos, Macron on Dec. 10, 2018 announced "an economic and social emergency plan," including boosting the minimum wage and easing tax increases on pensioners. To further defuse the anger, he launched a series of public debates that he promised would lead to concrete measures. "I think we will come out of this debate only with very strong, powerful decisions, because we need them," Macron said during a recent exchange with a group of mayors and "yellow vests" in the southeastern commune of Bourg-de-Peage. "There must be very deep decisions about the state, about our institutions, about our collective organization." "We must implement the decisions on the ground. We must get out of aberrant structures in which we have stayed ..." Macron said. "I'm ready to go that far." Facebook will set up two new centers to monitor election integrity, based in Dublin and Singapore. These centers will tackle fake news and hate speech, and will probably trigger fresh accusations of censorship. After its hands-off approach to content policing led to accusations of fake news and misinformation in 2016, Facebook dramatically ramped up its content-policing efforts in the run-up to Novembers midterm elections in the US. The social media giant partnered up with third-party fact checkers to vet news content, trained an AI to spot and remove false news stories, introduced transparency rules for political advertisements, and went as far as building a physical war room to monitor elections for foreign interference in real-time. Now, the social media giant is taking its aggressive approach worldwide. Also on rt.com 'Largest scam in history': HALF of Facebook accounts fake, says Zuckerberg's Harvard classmate Facebook announced on Monday it will set up two new regional centers, located in its Dublin and Singapore offices. Facebooks Dublin office is the companys biggest location outside California. These teams will add a layer of defense against fake news, hate speech and voter suppression, and will work cross-functionally with our threat intelligence, data science, engineering, research, community operations, legal and other teams, read a blog post from Facebook. As well as probing Facebook, the teams will monitor Instagram and WhatsApp for misuse, according to another blog post from the company. Facebooks US-based war room attracted some media attention in the run-up to the midterm elections in November, but the company itself was tight-lipped on what exactly its staff did to detect malicious foreign activity and election meddling. The companys head of civic engagement, Samidh Chakrabarti, only said that weve been working with governments around the world, with security experts around the world, with civic society around the world to share information about threats that we see. Among the experts consulted by Facebook is the Atlantic Council. NATOs academic wing, the Atlantic Council teamed up with Facebook last summer to help the social network expose and explain falsehood online. The Atlantic Councils digital efforts to date have included poking RT for nonexistent evidence of election meddling, and identifying Russian bots by spotting grammar mistakes in social media posts. The think tank promised to be Facebooks eyes and ears in the information war, but rather than producing squeaky-clean elections, the end result was what journalist Max Blumenthal called a war on dissident narratives. Although it is unclear whether Facebook did so at the behest of the Atlantic Council, the company prepared for the 2018 midterms by purging 800 alternative news pages from its platform. The pages ranged from flag-waving right-wing opinion pages to left-wing anti-war sites, and were all removed for allegedly breaching Facebooks spam rules or misleading users. Around the same time, left-leaning news pages from Venezuela and right-wing polemicist Alex Jones also found themselves arbitrarily deplatformed by Facebook. Whether Facebooks Dublin and Singapore teams will emulate the same approach is unclear. In its Monday blog post, the company said its election-monitoring efforts this year will focus on Nigeria, Ukraine, and Israel, as well as the European Parliament election in May. Apart from the usual fake news monitoring, Facebook said it will require more identification from political advertisers, and will publish a searchable database of every political ad bought on the platform, detailing the purchaser, price, and number of views of every ad. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! Ahead of the grand military drills, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has visited several bases, so as to demonstrate his legitimacy is backed by the army ready to defend the nation from any potential foreign interventions. After the US pledged full support to the self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido, not ruling out a humanitarian military intervention if need be, Maduro said the National Armed Forces must be prepared to defend Venezuela in any scenario and announced massive exercises between February 10 and 15. We are preparing for the most important military exercises in our history, Maduro reiterated on Sunday while inspecting preparations for the exercises. According to a series of video he posted on Twitter, over the weekend Maduro visited the 41th Armored Brigade at Fort Paramacay, as well as the Naval Base Agustin Armario, in the city of Puerto Cabello, located in the north-central state of Carabobo. Despite Guaido promising amnesty to soldiers and officers, Venezuelan army has largely disavowed the self-proclaimed leader and pledged to defend national sovereignty, according to Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino. Also on rt.com Venezuelan military envoy to US denounced as traitor by Caracas after breaking with Maduro govt Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! The second-in-command of the elite Revolutionary Guard Corps fired off a chilling threat, saying Iran will wipe Israel off the map if it starts a war, and the Israelis wont even be able to bury their dead. Our strategy is [to wipe] Israel [off] the worlds political geography and Israel seems to be approaching this reality by its mischiefs, Brigadier General Hossein Salami told reporters in Tehran, as cited by semi-official Fars news agency. Salami was asked to comment on Israeli airstrikes in Syria. If Israel does anything that leads to a new war, the general warned, certainly it will be [the kind of war] that will result in their elimination, and the occupied territories will be retaken. An Iranian counteroffensive will be so powerful that the Israelis wont even have a cemetery in Palestine to bury their corpses, Salami said. Also on rt.com Iran ready to eliminate Israel from Earth, air force commander warns The warning came a week after the Israeli Air Force launched massive strikes against Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces stationed in Syria. Syrian air defenses repelled most of the Israeli missiles with little damage reported on the ground. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! Newly-crowned Bellator double-champion Ryan Bader says that he practiced the strike which felled Fedor Emelianenko on Saturday numerous times in training, having forecast that the exact sequence would take place in their fight. Bader took a little over 30 seconds to beat the legendary Russian heavyweight to add the organization's heavyweight title to the light heavyweight belt he currently holds in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix in California last weekend. The former UFC contender connected with a straight left which sent Emelianenko to the canvas, before following up with strikes on the ground to force the stoppage to become the latest member of the MMA's 'champ champ' club and, as Bader contends after the fight, it went down exactly as he predicted. "You know what? I saw that moment," Bader said to the media following the event. "And you can ask my team, we practiced that moment a lot. I saw that punch was going to do it. You cant see his right hand because he throws from his hip. Hes very hard to see, he throws hard. But in doing so, you leave yourself exposed. And we felt that he was going to respect my wrestling a lot, and I could put one up top." "hats a hard punch right there. He went down, and I saw that over and over again already, so it just kinda played out how we saw it." Bader joined Bellator in 2017 as one of a series of high profile exiles to join the company from the UFC and his decision to do so appears a good one given the success he has enjoyed in his now home thus far. His run through the Grand Prix was nearly flawless, winning all three of his bouts with ease and his record with the company now stands at 5-0 (27-5 overall). Also on rt.com Right on the button! Ryan Bader KOs Fedor Emelianenko just seconds into their fight The NCAA Division I All-American wrestler also reserved praise for his fallen opponent, saying that it was an honor to face someone of the Russian's pedigree. "If I had the opportunity to fight any fighter, if youd asked me when I started fighting, it would be Fedor," Bader said. "That aura and mystique about him. And look what hes done in this tournament he goes out there and finishes two tough guys in the first round. And props to him. He comes out here, he does a heavyweight tournament with a bunch of killers and makes it to the finals. So I was very honored to be part of his story and now have him be part of my story." Emelianenko, meanwhile, has released a statement following his defeat though the 42-year-old remained tight-lipped as to his fighting future. After the fight, I feel good, the dissection over the eye is not deep, yesterday I had several stitches," he wrote on Instagram. "I think it will heal in a couple of weeks. I want to say thanks to everyone who helped me get ready, who came to the fight, and who got up early to watch the match. Thank you all for your support and your prayers. All the will of God." The consensus best heavyweight in mixed martial arts history is now 2-2 in his Bellator run, with wins against Frank Mir and Chael Sonnen against losses to Bader and Matt Mitrione. A recent poll revealed that 1 in 20 Britons dont believe the Holocaust took place. Historian and Nazi hunter Efraim Zuroff told RT that the results show a combination of anti-Semitism and abysmal ignorance. Sunday is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Memorial Day in the UK, marking 74 years to the day since the Soviet Red Army liberated the Auschwitz extermination camp. Despite extensive documentary evidence, and testimony from survivors and perpetrators, Holocaust denial is on the rise in Britain. Also on rt.com Nothing is being done about rising anti-Semitism in Europe, survey finds One in 20 Britons believe the Holocaust never happened, according to a poll published on Sunday. Eight percent believe that the official death count of six million is exaggerated and one in five believe less than two million Jews were murdered. 45 percent simply dont know how many died. Its quite shocking and surprising, Efraim Zuroff of the Israeli office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center told RT. The results, Zuroff said, combine anti-semitism with abysmal ignorance. Also on rt.com Never heard of it: Third of Europeans know little or nothing about Holocaust, survey says Holocaust denial is simply a new form of anti-Semitism, Zuroff added. Aside from the latest British survey, a recent study conducted by the EUs Agency for Fundamental Rights, found that 89 percent of Europes Jews feel that anti-Semitism has increased since 2012. The study found that social media allowed anti-Jewish conspiracy theories to spread, and the recent influx of millions of Muslim migrants has revived an ancient religious conflict in the streets of modern Europe. With the Venezuela crisis escalating after the US provocative intervention against elected leader Nicolas Maduro last week, an honest admission by National Security Advisor John Bolton was overlooked by the media: Its about oil. Trumps top adviser, who has been branded the most fervent hawk in the administration, has admitted that Washington is heavily invested in political outcomes in Caracas particularly because of Venezuelas vast untapped oil reserves. Indeed, it just so happens that Venezuela has the worlds largest proven oil reserves. Speaking to Fox Business host Trish Regan, Bolton said that the US had a lot at stake in Venezuelas political crisis, specifically citing the countrys oil and the economic benefit it could bring to the US. It will make a big difference to the United States economically if we could have American oil companies invest in and produce the oil capabilities in Venezuela. During a separate appearance on Fox Business, Bolton was less explicit, telling host Stuart Varney that getting rid of Maduro was paramount since he was bringing countries with interests hostile to ours into the country and ousting him would be a potential major step forward for business opportunities in the region. Of course, Bolton also repeated the usual lines, claiming the US intervention in Venezuelas domestic politics was about ousting an authoritarian leader and protecting democracy and human rights but the comments about oil betrayed what many have suggested is the underlying reason and driving force behind the White Houses interference. Boltons interest in seeing the US economy profit off Venezuelas plentiful natural resources shouldnt be much of a surprise. Trump himself has a history of arguing for regime changes in oil-rich countries around the world but only if US companies benefit. Im interested in Libya if we take the oil. If we dont take the oil, no interest,he told Fox in 2012 a month after the disastrous US-led NATO intervention which left Libya a failed state. Well help you, but we want 50 percent of your oil, he said of Libya in another interview. Trump has also advocated a take the oil policy for Iraq in the past. Bolton isnt the only one to admit oil is a primary factor in US actions in Venezuela. Floridas Republican senator Marco Rubio tweeted last week that refining the much-sought after heavy crude from Venezuela already supports great jobs for Americans in the Gulf Coast. Despite clear admissions that oil is a primary interest for Trump and Bolton, that aspect of Venezuelas crisis has been mostly overlooked by mainstream media in the US and Europe, with journalists, who are usually more hostile to Trump, unquestioningly adopting the narrative that the intervention is about democracy instead. READ MORE: Washington orchestrates coup in Venezuela, incites civil war, in name of democracy Last week, Trump recognized Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Guaido as the countrys interim president, declared Maduros presidency illegitimate and called for regime change. The European Union, along with US allies in the Western Hemisphere quickly lined up to back Trumps position, while Russia, China, Turkey and Venezuelas allies in Latin America spoke out against the move. Maduros government has accused the US of trying to engineer a coup and waging an economic war against it. Like this story? Share it with a friend! The decision by the European Commission to target Hungarys anti-migrant law is just political theatre aimed at appeasing billionaire and political activist George Soros, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has suggested. Launched against controversial legislation which criminalizes organizing and facilitating illegal migration into the country, the EU proceedings are a George Soros-type seance, an election rally, a campaign event, Orban said in an interview with Hungarys national radio station. He accused Frans Timmermans, who is currently the first Vice-President of the European Commission, of being Soros man, adding that the Hungarian-American businessman reviled by Orban is now open about wanting to take over European institutions. The European Commission issued guidance on legislation, known as the Stop Soros law, to the Hungarian government last week, claiming that the bill hampers those who wish to legally seek asylum in Hungary. If Budapest does not revise the law within the next two months, the Commission could bring the case before the EU Court of Justice. Also on rt.com George Soros crowned person of the year by Financial Times, but not everyone is cheering Soros has been repeatedly accused by Orban of using his vast wealth to push liberal, pro-migrant policies on conservative, anti-immigration Hungary and the rest of the western world. Soros has antagonized not only us but also England, President Trump, and Israel too, Orban said in February. Everywhere he wants to get migration accepted. It won't work. We are not alone and we will fight together and we will succeed. Orban is far from the only Hungarian politician to view Soros as a threat. Hungarian lawmaker Andras Aradszki, of the Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP), once famously described Soros call for Europe to take in asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East as Satans Soros plan. He declared that it was the duty of all Christians to oppose Soros, arguing that the billionaire and his followers want to destroy the independence and values of nation states. Like this story? Share it with a friend! A Sundance documentary ostensibly about the 1961 plane crash which killed then UN Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjold, contains explosive claims of a conspiracy to spread HIV among South Africas black population. Directed by controversial Danish journalist, filmmaker, and provocateur Mads Brugger, Cold Case Hammarskjold, debuted Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival. It details an investigation into the largely unsolved death of Swedish diplomat and former UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, whose DC-6 plane crashed near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia (modern Zambia). Initial investigations identified the cause as pilot error or mere mechanical fault, though doubts have persisted in the 50+ years since the crash. Throughout the course of the new documentary, Brugger and his team investigate a white militia, the South African Institute for Maritime Research (SAIMR). According to documents the filmmakers uncovered, the group operated with support from the CIA and British Intelligence and orchestrated the 1961 plane crash which killed Hammarskjold. The documentarians eventually encounter and interview a man named Alexander Jones who is allegedly a former member of the group. Also on rt.com Holocaust denial in Britain a combination of anti-semitism and ignorance Nazi hunter tells RT Jones, who is not related to Alex Jones of InfoWars, claims the mercenary group used phony vaccinations to spread HIV with a view to wiping out the black population of South Africa, in addition to carrying out the Hammarskjold assassination. We were at war, Jones says, as cited by The New York Times. Black people in South Africa were the enemy. However, medical experts have already dismissed Jones claims as medically dubious and unscientific in the extreme. The probability that they were able to do this is close to zero, said Dr. Salim S Abdool Karim, the director of Caprisa, an AIDS research center in South Africa, citing the immense resources that would be required to conduct such a far-fetched attempt at genocide. Notwithstanding the technological limitations of the 1990s, including facilities to rival that of the Centers for disease control and prevention in the US in addition to millions of dollars in funding, HIV is extraordinarily difficult to isolate, transport and grow in a laboratory environment, let alone distribute en masse in a clandestine operation, Dr Abdool explains. However, Jones claims he visited a research facility in the 1990s that was used for for sinister experimentation and that he was certain its intent was "to eradicate black people. Also on rt.com Russiagate conspiracy derangement: Even Bernie Sanders is a Russian agent, argues MSM journalist Many have criticized the filmmakers for helping to sow distrust of the medical establishment in a country that already has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world while reviving dangerous conspiracy theories that have persisted since the Cold War. The filmmaker, who has previously been described as a 'fabulist' and 'provocateur', according to the Hollywood Reporter, admits he has been unable to corroborate Jones' ever-evolving story; As the documentary makers continued to question Jones, his accounts became more and more dubious as he professed firsthand knowledge of people that had seemingly been brought to his attention by the documentarians themselves. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! Afghan president Ghani says Taliban should enter serious talks with govt Afghan president Ghani says Taliban should enter serious talks with govt Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Monday that the Taliban should enter serious talks with his government, after the insurgents and the US both touted progress during negotiations in Qatar last week. A months-long diplomatic push by Washington to get the Taliban to talk to Kabul culminated in six days of meetings between the US and the insurgents in Doha, AFP reports. However, the Taliban has long refused to negotiate with the Afghan government to end the 17-year conflict, branding them as puppets. Ghani said in a nationally televised address that he called on the Taliban to show their Afghan will, and accept Afghans demand for peace. Afghan authorities have previously complained of being excluded from the discussions between the US and Taliban.Source : RT - Daily news A train attendant models her clothing on a train from Qiqihar, Heilongjiang province, to Beijing on Saturday. Staff members organized a mini Spring Festival gala to entertain passengers, many of them on their way to family reunions. [Photo by Cai Yang/XINHUA] Xu He picked up his parents at Guangzhou South Railway Station on Thursday afternoon, where hundreds of passengers were beginning their homeward trips for Spring Festival family reunions. A native of Huaihua in Hunan province, Xu said he would spend the Spring Festival with his parents in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province. "I'll take them sightseeing in the city where I have been living and working for seven years," said Xu, who works for an information technology company in the city's Huangpu district. The annual Spring Festival travel rush usually refers to the exodus of workers from cities ahead of the festival and the flood back after it's finished. However, increasing numbers of people are now opting to hold their family gatherings in big cities. "By taking the high-speed train, my parents found the journey from my hometown to Guangzhou was not hard," Xu said. Some people working in cities have found that tickets for trips from their hometowns to big cities ahead of the festival are much cheaper than the other way around. "If I fly back home to Chongqing, I would spend at least 3,500 yuan ($519) on tickets," Zhang Lan, a Chongqing-native working in Shanghai, told Xinhua News Agency. "But it only costs 2,400 yuan for both of my parents to come here." Zhang's parents will fly from Chongqing to Shanghai to join her during the Spring Festival. On the first five days of the Spring Festival travel rush, Guangzhou East Railway Station saw 457,000 departures and 256,000 arrivals, its information and publicity office said. But the trend is not seen only in train and air trips, said Dong Zhenning, vice-president of Amap, a Chinese map service provider. "A growing number of people have begun their trips by car from the northern area to big southern cities," Dong said. In the past, most people left the Pearl River Delta region by car for family reunions, creating congestion on the highways heading north and east. "Now we have seen both directions on the expressways almost full of vehicles," Dong said. The Spring Festival travel rush, said to be the world's largest annual human migration, began last Monday. Nearly 3 billion trips are expected to be made in the 40 days from Jan 21 to March 1. ABC/Randy Holmes Fetty Wap and Alexis Skyy are thanking their prayer warriors after their one-year-old daughter, Alaiya, was rushed to the hospital for an emergency brain surgery over the weekend, TMZ has learned. According to the celebrity site, Skyy sensed trouble when Alaiya began to vomit during a flight from Atlanta to New York. Once the plane landed, the baby was reportedly rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered that her brain implant, which helps to drain fluid and blood, was malfunctioning. Alaiya, born three months' premature, requires the implant because she suffers from a condition called hydrocephalus, which creates bleeding in the brain. After emergency surgery, Skyy confirmed via Instagram that everything went well and Alaiya's in good spirits. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. RTHK: Singapore mourns actor killed in military accident A memorial service was held on Sunday for a Singaporean actor and soldier who died from injuries at a military exercise, a case that has renewed scrutiny of the system of mandatory conscription. Reservist Aloysius Pang, 28, was taking part in military training in New Zealand last weekend when he was crushed while repairing an artillery vehicle. He died on Thursday after several surgeries. Singapore requires most men from after the age 18 to serve full-time in its armed forces, police force or civil defence force for two years and after that take part in training obligations for another 10 years. Those who dodge their service are arrested and jailed. Pang is the fourth conscript to die from training since late 2017, leading to calls for more protections for soldiers and greater accountability on the part of the military. Pang, an armament technician, was known to the public for his roles on Putonghua-language television dramas for which he won several local awards. Pang's death has brought painful memories flooding back for Jasmine Yeo, whose 19-year-old son, Dave Lee, died after collapsing from heat stroke during a march last April. "One by one, this is something that I really did not wish to see. Rest in peace, son of Singapore!" she wrote on Facebook. Lee's captain has been charged with causing death by a rash act. If found guilty, he faces a maximum punishment of five years in jail and a fine. The next hearing is scheduled in February. Six other servicemen also face a military investigation. In September 2017, a full-time conscript died after a vehicle accident at a training area in Australia. An inquiry found safety lapses but no negligence or misconduct. The death of another full-time conscript in a vehicle accident during training last November is still being investigated. Singapore's defence forces chief Melvyn Ong said that the armed forces has a "good system" in place and had fully implemented recommendations on improving safety "be it in the areas of heat injuries or be it in the areas of vehicle safety." (AP) This story has been published on: 2019-01-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.